Mean Mustache

The Mustache.

Another controversial topic.

At one time it was a sign of real manhood.  Then it seemed to only be on very macho guys, police officers, gay men, and women who have given up.

But regardless, in Rock and roll their have been some mustaches for the ages.  It’s simply one of those things some can do,  while some can’t.  But apparently when you are a rock star you get a little more rope with that ‘stache.

Some of the most famous:

Chuck Berry.  The first real rock and roller had a ‘stache.  Influencing guitar playing, songwriting and grooming.

Duane Allman.  Simply one of the best Rock and Roll mustaches of all time.  The lamb-chop-sideburn-into-the-horshoe style is legendary.

David Crosby.  ALWAYS with a mustache.  Except during that arrested going to jail thing.  And yes, now that he is older he looks just like Wilford Brimley.  As a matter of fact you never see the two together.

Jimi  Hendrix rocked a little mustache for most of his to short career. While we will always have to wonder what he’d be doing musically today, we also have to wonder what the ‘stache would be like….

Freddy Mercury.  Obviously one of the greatest mustaches in rock.  He’s having it trimmed here because he could actually grow a full mustache in 7 minutes.

Of course The Beatles all grew mustaches for Sgt Pepper, and somehow still looked really cool.  They knew that they would look cooler than you, so in the sleeve of the album was a fake mustache so you could try.

John Oats.  Have you ever seen him without one?  I can’t imagine….scary to think about really.

Ted Nugent is crazy and so is his mustache.  He wants to shoot you by the way.

Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy was rocking the porn star mustache before it was even widely known as a porn star mustache.  That’s how cool he was.

Lemmy of Motorhead.  Is it a fu manchu?  Is it a horseshoe?  Doesn’t matter.  Lemmy can call it whatever he wants.

Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap.  His ‘stache went to eleven.

Frank Zappa.  Probably the most famous mustache in all rock and roll.  The famous combo, a handlebar-meets-soul-patch combo not only has it’s own name (“The Zappa”) but it’s own facebook page.  Phillips electric razor page even gives instructions on how to have a “Zappa”.  That’s a famous ‘stache.

Honorable mention goes to Frank Beard.  Because he is the ONLY member of ZZ Top without a long legendary beard.  The guy NAMED beard sports a ‘stache……..

Mullets I’m Amazed

Let’s face it, literally.

Rock and roll is not JUST about music.  It’s obviously style, swagger, and so much more.

There has been one rock and roll “fashion statement” that….well it gets a bad rap.

Right or wrong there is one hairstyle that seems to get made fun of more than others.

Oh yeah….business in the front, party in the back.  It’s the mullet.

First, let’s try to find the first rock and roll mullets.

I’m not sure he was the very first, it’s “neck and neck” with our next contender…but David Bowie certainly was one of the forerunners.  He wanted to look like an alien.  Aliens apparently wore mullets.

This mullet is from ‘The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust”.  1972.  BUT, another guy was wearing one the very same year.  And he wasn’t trying to look like an alien:

Paul McCartney.  Also via 1972.  He had already spawned one hairstyle craze 10 years earlier with the “Beatle haircut”, now I guess he wanted to do it again.    Regrets?  Nah, he had a “mini mullet” going through the 1990′s.

Now let’s just jump to some famous rock mullets.  Obviously most are from the “mullet decade” of the 80′s.

Bono of U2.  You have to admit.  An AMAZING mullet by anyone’s standards.

Jon Bon Jovi.  His chest hair even had a mullet.  You just can’t see it.

Van Halen’s Michael Anthony

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich

Now this might not be fair.  Michael Bolton had little choice if he wanted to wear his hair longer.  Very little “business” up front.

Breaking the mullet color barrier.  Lionel Richie.  The Rosa Parks of the mullet.

And of course, the “femullet” made popular by Joan Jett.

And how can we leave out the father of them all.  Not rock and roll, really…but still you gotta wonder:  Did the man make the mullet or the mullet make the man?

Abbey Road. In the Studio, Not the Street.

Maybe it was because of the disastrous “Get Back” sessions the preceding January.

Paul McCartney thought it would be a good idea to get The Beatles into a film studio and rehearse new songs for a live concert.  And it was decided that the whole thing should be filmed for a possible documentary.

It didn’t go as planned.

The bickering that had started during the White album only got worse.  The whole project was basically scrapped, with the “concert” being (now famously) held on the rooftop of their own Apple building.

Somehow the next late spring and summer they decided to go back into Abbey Road studio and make a record “the way they used to”.

With one exception.

There were no cameras.

Since The Beatles first recording sessions there was almost ALWAYS a photographer around for at least part of them to capture history.  Manager Brian Epstein seemed to know that something special was happening, and it needed to be preserved.  Plus the fact is was just good promo.

Whether it was Robert Freeman or Robert Whitaker, someone was there to snap some photos of the group at work.

But if you are a Beatle fan you have probably noticed that you have seen very few from the last recording sessions that they ever had as a group.

Until now.

You are welcome.

The origins of these are a bit murky.  But mostly they are “home” photographs.  Mainly taken by wives who up until the year before were not allowed in the studio.

George Harrison And Paul McCartney working on a guitar and vocal overdub for “Here Comes The Sun”

John Lennon had a car wreck in Scotland right before the sessions started. (He was a well-known terrible driver).  He and Yoko were banged up, so the first few weeks of the sessions were without him.  Here George, Paul and Ringo listen to an early playback at Abbey Road studio.

Here is an odd one.  John Lennon finally came to the studio for the sessions after the car wreck.  His wife Yoko required stitches and was still bruised, so Lennon insisted that a bed be brought in the studio for Yoko to lounge around in.  What is even stranger in this photo is the sight of two Beatle wives, Yoko and Linda McCartney together in the bed talking to The Beatles road manager Mal Evans.  Yoko and Linda did not socialize often….

John Lennon and Paul McCartney doing vocals.  This is thought to be for “The End” which would make it the last recording session for the two of them as Beatles.  The picture looks like it was taken from the bed in the above photo.  And…in case you were wondering.  Those seem to be Yoko’s feet.

George Harrison brought in a new toy for The Beatles to use during the sessions.  A Moog Synthesizer.  This picture was taken when it arrived and shows Paul McCartney tinkering with it.  It was used on “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”, “Here Comes the Sun” and “I Want you (She’s so Heavy)”

Even though The Beatles never said it out loud, they all suspected this might be their last album.  But according to producer George Martin, the sessions were not ugly and tense.  Quite the opposite.  Martin is quoted as saying they were very pleasant.  These pictures seems to prove that.  George and Paul during a vocal harmony recording.

Ringo in the drum isolation area.  Notice the towel on the snare drum to deaden the sound.  Some of Ringo’s best work was on these sessions.  No question.

Paul McCartney doing his vocal track for “Oh! Darling”  He would come in before the others almost every day and try the vocal once, maybe twice.  He wanted a raw and “live” sound to his voice for the song.

The first photograph shows the two Beatles in their “normal” positions.  McCartney on bass, Harrison on guitar.  But they obviously would change-up occasionally.  Harrison with a Fender bass that he played on much of side two’s “medley”, and McCartney with his favorite Epiphone Casino electric guitar.

John Lennon

Paul McCartney

George Harrison

Ringo Starr

Mixing.

Photos from The Beatles last recording session as a group.

The working title for the album was “Everest”.  There was even talk about flying to Mount Everest for a cover shoot.  But then the idea of just naming it after the road the studio was on where they had literally recorded almost all of their work came to them.  Then all they had to do was walk outside and cross the street.

You’ve seen that photograph.

The Wonder of You….

One in a row!

Ahh, the one hit wonder.  The person or act known mainly for only a single success, one hit record.

There are so so many.

Some one-hit wonders are the result of novelty songs during fads. Examples include Rick Dees’ “Disco Duck,  (the disco craze of the 1970’s) C.W. McCalls’s ”Convoy”,(the CB radio craze of the 1970s) And probably the biggest selling one hit wonder of all time, “The Macarena” by Los Del Rio based on a dance.  Right?  It was a dance?

Some artists, such as the Big Bopper, had their careers cut short by death (in the Big Bopper’s case, the fatal plane crash), while others, such as New Radicals and The La’s broke up immediately after their one hit. In the 1960s and early 1970s, session bands such as Edison Lighthouse producing just a single 45 record were common. More commonly, however, one-hit wonders are serious-minded musicians who struggled to continue their success after their popularity waned.

It’s often used in a slightly derogatory manner, but that’s not fair.  Some obviously suck and are one hit wonders for a reason, but some are great.  And I relish in their one-hit hipness…

Some of my favorites (and yes, some of these border on “guilty pleasures”):

-“You Get What You Give” by the aforementioned New Radicals (1998).  Great pop at it’s best.  A cross between Todd Rundgren and….well nobody.  It’s like Todd had another huge pop hit in the 90’s.  They didn’t seem to handle success very well, and frontman/ writer Gregg Alexander thought he could do it all on his own.  Nope.

-“In a Big Country” by Big Country (1983).  It kicks.  You can’t hear it and not yell “Sha” or whatever the hell he’s yelling there.  Great song.  Distinctive sound.

-“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve (1998).  Yeah, the strings and music were completely stolen from a symphonic version of “Last Time” by the Stones.  But they paid for it eventually, and the groove they put behind it is perfect.

-“Spirit in The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum (1970).  He didn’t make it simply because of his name.  I mean, you can’t be a rock star with a name like that.  But what a cool guitar riff.  And it was religious too, so it had that going for it.  I was always confused by his line “never been a sinner, I’ve never sinned”.  Really.  Then your name should be Jesus.  Not Norman.

-“96 Tears by ? and the Mysterians (1966).  Garage rock at it’s best.  “?” was actually born in Texas and is Not, in fact from Mexico or Mars.  He has claimed both.  This one song actually kept this band  playing for years since it’s release. It’s that good.  Okay, It’s not THAT good, but somehow they have probably played in a club near you at one time or another.

-“Come and get Your Love” by Redbone (1974).  A classic one hit wonder from a Native American Band.  You sing along.  Then it’s gone.

-“Funkytown”  by Lips Inc (1980)  A play on words.  ‘Lips sync”…get it?  This Minneapolis studio band spent four weeks at number one with their hit tune “Funkytown.” Yes, it’s disco, but come on….it’s great.   The group had disbanded by 1983, but a few of the group’s members lent their experience to Minneapolis’ biggest thing — Prince’s band, The Revolution.  Rumour has it anyway.

-“Welcome to the Boomtown” by David and David ((1986).  Los Angeles based studio musicians came out with only one album and one gripping song about despair and broken dreams.  Gritty, sad, and I love it.

-“In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry (1970).  Apparently they had other hits in Europe, but in the good old U.S. of A.  they only had the one possibly best summer hit of all time.  You just can’t not feel good when you hear it on a hot summer evening.

-“Into the Night” by Benny Mardones (1980).  Yeah, it’s over the top, too dramatic and all that.  But raspy voiced Mardones pulled it off somehow.  Once.

-“Reflections of my Life” by The Marmalade (1970).  1970 was a huge year for one hitters.  The Scottish band Marmalade came out with this pop gem complete with a backwards guitar solo. Sing it with me:  “All my sorrows…Sad tomorrows…”

-“Groove is in the Heart” by Dee-Lite (1990).  Come on.  Lady Miss Kier. How could not love this little dance masterpiece?  Hello?

-“Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1983).  It just sounded great, and I don’t care what you say.  Too-Rye-Ay indeed.

-“Nothing compares 2 U”  by Sinead O’Conner ((1990).  As much crap as she stirred up, she only had one real hit, the Prince penned song that tore your heart out.

-“Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by The Crash Test Dummies (1994).  It just didn’t sound like anything else.  Still doesn’t.  Was it kind of a joke?  No?  Maybe?  Hmm hmm hmm hmm?

-“D.O.A.” by Bloodrock (1971).  Scariest freaking song ever recorded.  I don’t want to think about it anymore…

- “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors (1980)  While widely regarded as one of the dumbest songs in pop history, it’s impossibly to deny that the song is insanely catchy. They broke up the year after it came out, but it’s been in so many commercials and soundtracks that songwriter David Fenton should be able to live off the royalties forever.

-“Vehicle” by The Ides of March (1970).  Everybody thought it was Blood Sweat and Tears”.  I still think it is.

- “No Rain” Blind Melon (1993)  In 1993 it seemed like MTV played nothing but Aerosmith’s Alicia Silverstone videos,” and Blind Melon’s little bee girl in “No Rain.” The latter group was a hippie grunge band from California that seemed like the next big thing.  They played at Woodstock 1994 and had a massive radio hit with “No Rain,” but lead signer Shannon Hoon was hopelessly addicted to drugs and he died on tour in October of 1995.  Sad. 

 -”All right Now” by Free (1970).  Paul Rogers sang it and went on to have numerous hits with Bad company.  But this may be one of the best vocals from one of the best vocalist in the history of rock music.  Oh, and the guitar riff is kind of catchy too.

 - “My Sharona” by The Knack (1979)  For a very brief period, the Knack looked like the future of rock & roll. It was during the summer of the infamous Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park and many old-school rock fans were ready to embrace a new band.  Into this void stepped the Knack, whose debut Get the Knack blew up on the strength of their power-pop classic “My Sharona.” The song was inspired by Knack frontman Doug Fieger’s girlfriend Sharona Alperin, who now works as a real estate agent.  Hope she made some wise investments.  

 -“I’ve never been to me” by Charlene (1982).  Just seeing if you were paying attention.  This one sucked.

-“Wouldn’t It be good” by Nik Kershaw (1984).  It’s soooo 80’s.  But really good 80’s.  If that’s possible.  I love it.  Still don’t know why.

-“In the Meantime” by Spacehog (1995).  I loved this song and would have bet my house they would have had another hit.  Guess that’s why I was never an A&R man.

-“There she Goes” by The La’s (1990).  Brilliant Beatlesque pop from a Liverpool band.  Too bad the record business got the best of them and these scruffy scouse lads didn’t want to play the game.  Gone after one…

Okay, I’ll end with a one and a half hit wonder.  “Seether” and “Volcano Girls” by Veruca Salt (1995).  Loved this band led by two girls who seemed to just want to have fun and rock, but apparently couldn’t get along.  Shame.  Both are still on my iPod and will be for life.

 

Got any you like?

Songs about Children: “KID ROCK”

I guess even the wildest rock ‘n’ rollers settle down at some point. This new maturity is often signaled by the birth of a child, which inevitably leads to a song about the birth of a child, which leads to music videos with kids, which leads to an appearance on ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’.

Sometimes not.  Sometimes they just write songs about kids….and here are some:

 

-“Memphis, Tennesee”  Chuck Berry

The most deceptively heartbreaking song on this list.  He’s calling the operator to try to get in touch with “his Marie”.  You automatically think it’s a love interest, although he mentions an “uncle” which is odd.

Then in the next verse he tells how her mother pulled them apart, which still sounds like it was a lover.  But he does mention Marie had “hurry home drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye.”  Hmmm.

Then he nails you.  Marie is only 6 years old, and obviously his daughter, and the mother, in fact was his own wife.  Or ex-wife.

 

-”A Boy Named Sue”  Johnny Cash. 

This song made famous by Johnny Cash tells the funny story of what might happen if a father named his kid Sue.  Just a funny song on how you can screw up your kid in one easy stroke.

 

-“Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”  John Lennon. 

Feeling guilty about neglecting his first son, the ex-Beatle deliberately took time off to be with his second. An older, more mature Lennon wrote this touching 1980 tune, which starts out with comforting words to a sleeping Sean. Given that Lennon was murdered less than a month after the song’s release, the line “I can hardly wait to see you come of age” is especially heartbreaking.

-”Father Of Mine”  Everclear. 

Everclear sounds so angry on this one, you’d almost thought the guy had been named Sue. It’s tough growing up with a bad dad

-”Mary Had A Little Lamb”  Paul McCartney and Wings

Yep.  The actual song, but with a McCartney melody that will earworm in your brain for months.  See, Paul had a daughter, Mary,  named after his mother who died when he was 14.  She liked the song and even sang on the chorus (la la’s) with little sister Heather.  That was more important to him at that point than the critics who pulverized him for it or the general public who mainly scratched their heads.  See what being a dad can do to you?         

-“Cat’s In The Cradle”  Harry Chapin. 

Most people with busy lives can relate to this one. The dad’s too busy for the son. But when the son grows up, he’s too busy for the dad.  Karma, anyone?

 

‘Isn’t She Lovely,’  Stevie Wonder

On tour in 2007, the soul legend introduced his now-grown daughter Aisha to crowds as the infant he wrote about in this 1976 classic. The recording kicks off with baby Aisha crying. Later, she can be heard playing in the bathtub as Stevie says, “Come on — get out of the water.” Today, that lovely baby is one of her father’s backup singers.

 

‘Father and Daughter,’ Paul Simon

 The man who gave us ‘Mother and Child Reunion’ wrote this gentle song for the 2002 animated feature ‘The Wild Thornberrys Movie’ and later included it on his album ‘Surprise.’ Simon, who has three children with Edie Brickell, sings, “There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you.”  what a great line.  But I’m positive he’s wrong.

 

‘Father and Son,’ Cat Stevens

In this song, the father doesn’t want his son to leave the nest, but the son badly wants to make it on his own. Singing from the two perspectives in alternating verses, Stevens portrays hope on the father’s part and frustration on the son’s.  

 

‘Time in a Bottle,’ Jim Croce

“There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do”: Those words rang tragically true when Croce was killed in a plane crash three months before this song’s release in 1973. The singer had decided to take a break from touring to spend more time with his wife and infant son, AJ, who inspired this track. First, though, he would fulfill his obligations to previously booked venues. After a gig in Natchitoches, La., his plane clipped a tree and crashed, killing everyone on board.

 

“Forever Young,” Bob Dylan

 Part of his 1974 album “Planet Waves,”  Dylan wrote this song after an eight year touring hiatus. Dylan had become a father while not on the road, and he felt that the subject matter would reflect with his fans.  And what a great song.  I have read the lyrics to my daughter at bedtime for years.

Should NOT have named him “Sue”

R&R’s SOB

I have wanted to write about this for a while.  Now I have a reason.

The latest in a long line of questionable behavior for Beach Boys singer Mike Love involves him kicking out original members Brian Wilson and Al Jardine. Wilson, of course, is the musical genius whose presence gave the band’s 50th anniversary reunion any real validity.

But because of Love, Jardine, and Wilson are no longer a part of the “Beach Boys” that will be touring the world in the coming months, despite a desire to do so. “I’m disappointed and can’t understand why he [Love] doesn’t want to tour with Al, and me,” Wilson told CNN in frustration. “We are out here having so much fun. After all, we are the real Beach Boys.” Love, on the other hand, explained in a tersely worded release that the Beach Boys reunion was always “designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end.”

In the wake of Love coldly giving the boot to his (superior) band mates, we have to wonder: Is Mike Love the biggest A-Hole in the music world? Let’s explore Love’s legacy of… indiscretions and less-than-favorable attributes that suggest that it is a disticnt possibility.  .

-He seems nothing but greedy.

Love’s concerts have been billed as the Beach Boys since 1998, when he acquired the sole licensing rights to the name following Carl Wilson’s death. This is why he even has the ability to tour without Jardine, and Wilson. He, along with member Bruce Johnston and hired musicians including his son Christian, have set out on numerous “Beach Boys” tours through the years, often doing it on the cheap and performing the band’s biggest “surfing” hits almost exclusively.

Regarding the end of the reunion, he revealed himself once more in his press statements: “You’ve got to be careful not to get overexposed. There are promoters who are interested [in more shows by the reunited line-up], but they’ve said, ‘Give it a rest for a year’. The Eagles found out the hard way when they went out for a second year and wound up selling tickets for $5.”

Really?  When? Did I miss a $5 Eagles ticket?

-He has sued Brian Wilson, his cousin, numerous times. Al Jardine, too.

Love sued Wilson for millions in 1992, claiming that Wilson’s father had not properly credited him on songs he helped write during the band’s early career.

Then, in 2004, Love Filed another lawsuit against Wilson, accusing him of promoting his album ‘SMiLE’ in a manner that “shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love’s songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the ‘SMiLE’ album itself.” The case was dismissed. This was on top of years of bullying Brian, as chronicled in Wilson’s autobiography, ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’.  Read it.  

Love also sued founding member Jardine in 2001 for touring under the following names: “Beach Boys Family & Friends,” “Al Jardine, Beach Boy” and “Al Jardine of the Beach Boys.”  Apparently “Beach” and “Boy” are not usable words for original member Al Jardine.  Al apparently can only say he’s going to the “coast” for a vacation.

-He made fun of  ’Pet Sounds’, now considered one of the greatest albums of all-time.

As the magazine ‘Rolling Stone’ points out in their praise of Pet Sounds as the second-greatest album of all-time, Wilson essentially wrote the album all by himself. Back then Love had the nerve to criticize him over the whole album, reportedly asking Wilson when he played him his new songs, “Who’s gonna hear this s***? The ears of a dog?” And thus, the name Pet Sounds was born. Even in the liner notes of the album’s re-release, Love calls Wilson a “slave driver” during recording sessions. Yet Love likes to bring up the genius of the album now that it’s become as undeniably successful both commercially and critically.

-He thinks the reason people perceive him as a villain is because he didn’t do drugs, only proving he is the only member NEEDING drugs.

From an interview he gave to Atlanta’s ‘Creative Loafing’ recently, when asked directly why he’s been pegged as “the bad guy”: “Back in the ’60s, there were two camps in the Beach Boys: the Wilson Brothers, who were into drugs, and [Al] Jardine, Love and [Bruce] Johnston, who were not. I never appreciated the effects that LSD and other drugs had on our cousins. Dennis went to an early grave because of his excesses and I’d be full of s*** if I said I had a fond opinion of the people who brought drugs around and the effects that those drugs had on Brian, Dennis and, to a certain extent, Carl. I’m an outspoken person and I called people out. I can be a very spiritual, loving guy, but if I see someone destroying people’s minds by plying them with drugs because it’s cool — well, I don’t think it’s cool.”  One word, Mike:  Prozac.

He dissed both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

During his 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech, he called Mick Jagger a “chicken s***,” chided Paul McCartney over his legal feuds with band mates (like he’s never done that), and challenged Billy Joel:

“And I think it’s wonderful to be here tonight, but I also think it’s sad that there are other people who aren’t here tonight. And, uh, those are the people who have passed away, those are the obvious ones. But the other not-so-obvious ones are people like Paul McCartney, who couldn’t be here tonight because he’s in a lawsuit with Ringo and Yoko. That’s what he sent a telegram to some, uh, high-priced attorney in this room, you know. And that’s a bummer, because we’re talking about harmony, right, and the world. If we can’t get it together in America and in England, and harmony within our groups. I mean, believe it, you can believe it the Beach Boys have their own “interstescene” (not sure what Mike is trying to say here, and neither does Mike) “or whatever you call it, squabbles. But that’s a bummer when Ms. Ross can’t make it, you know?” (Referring to Diana Ross, who was having legal battles with the other Supremes) “The Beach Boys have continued to do, about, we did about 180 performances last year. I’d like to see the Mop-Tops match that! I’d like to see Mick Jagger get out on this stage and do ‘I Get Around’ versus ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, any day now. And I’d like to see some people kick out the jams, and I challenge the Boss to get up on stage and jam. I wanna see Billy Joel, see if he can still tickle ivories, lemmee see. I know Mick Jagger won’t be here tonight, he’s gonna have to stay in England. But I’d like to see us in the Coliseum and he at Wembley Stadium because he’s always been chickens*** to get on stage with the Beach Boys.”

Later in the ceremony, Bob Dylan spoke for everyone in expressing his lack of amusement over the speech.  He thanked Love for “not mentioning me” and said “peace love and harmony are important, but so is forgiveness.”

Bless you Bob.  Screw you Mike.

The Beatle Breaker

What broke up The Beatles?

It’s really a long list of things:  Yoko, Linda, Apple, Allen Klein, artistic differences….

But what planted those seeds?  How was Yoko able to come in and screw up what was once a “boy’s only club”?

So follow this for a second.  Just…stay with me here.

John Lennon said the Beatles really “fell apart” as a group when they quit touring in 1966.  Even though after they stopped they made some of the greatest music of their career, they began to drift apart.   They were not a “gang” anymore.  They weren’t living together on the road, playing as a band.  Sgt Pepper is a classic, so is The White album and Abbey Road, but you can see and hear the splintering of the band as a unit more and more each album.

John Lennon as well as other members of the group cited the “more popular than Jesus” controversy as probably the biggest reason they quit touring.

You remember that, right?

On March 4^th, 1966 the ‘Evening Standard’ published an interview between Maureen Cleave and John Lennon entitled ‘How Does A Beatle Live? ‘ In the course of a description of the Beatle’s everyday life in Weybridge, Cleave quoted Lennon as saying:

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that. I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.”

 The interview caused little controversy on publication in England, where it was regarded as just another example of the waning relevance of the church for the younger generation. But when it was reprinted in an American magazine four months later on the eve of a Beatles tour of the States, it caused an outrage.

An outrage basically started at WAQY radio station in Birmingham, Alabama.

By a fairly young morning show disc jockey by the name of Tommy Charles.  

Tommy Charles came in to the station one morning looking for fodder to talk about on his morning show, like he did every morning. It was usually the local mayor, or a street that needed fixing or something he could rant on to get a few calls and move on to the next top 40 record.

He found it. John Lennon said he was “bigger than Jesus”.  So, that was his show that day.

He declared that WAQY would not only no longer play Beatle records (which infuriated program director Frank Lewis since The Beatle had about 8 songs in their top twenty playlist) but they would hold a bonfire to burn Beatle records and everybody was invited.

Just another day in a radio personalities life trying to stir up some phone calls and press.

And press he got.

An AP writer just happened to be in town and wrote a small story to go out on the wire about the Beatle Boycott.

It exploded.  Radio stations all over the country (but mainly the southeast and Texas) jumped on board.  It was a scandal.  This (kids) was long before the internet.  This went viral before that was a term.  And when something went viral back the, it was just about the ONLY story anybody was talking about anywhere.

The Beatles arrived n Chicago for what would be their last American tour. 

Although Lennon expressed regret for any offence caused by his remarks at an uneasy press conference, he wouldn’t withdraw them. The traditionally asinine encounter between press and pop star had been replaced by a crackling confrontation.  As much as Lennon said he was “deploring” the lack of importance of religion to kids, it didn’t seem to stop the questions.  

The Beatles’ American tour of 1966 took place against a background of death threats and real fear. They played their last ever concert on August 29^th at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

All because a radio guy was looking for something to talk about.  

So….in essence, Tommy Charles had more to do with the break up of The Beatles than Yoko Ono. 

And I knew Tommy.

Pretty well.

Tommy Charles never even really knew what Lennon said.  Of course he rolled with the attention and press he got, that’s what radio guys do, but he never even knew or read the entire interview.  He simply grabbed on to the line “more popular than Jesus”.

 It’s an amazing example of the “butterfly effect” or more aptly “chaos theory”, the concept that a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.

Now Tommy is forever in Beatle lore.  He’s in the Anthology.  He’s in ‘The Beatles Story’ museum in Liverpool. 

Granted, there are a litany of things that added up to the demise of the band.  But if you are looking for the first source….

It may be Tommy Charles on a small AM station in Birmingham Alabama.  

Excuse me, Myth?

Right or wrong, Rock and roll has a longstanding association with sex, drugs and general depravity, so it’s a natural breeding ground for myths and legends surrounding some of its more famous and colorful legends.

But surprisingly enough, some of rock’s most outlandish myths are still circulating, and thought of as true stories.

Let the debunking begin:

- Paul McCartney, Lou Reed and Ginger Baker are dead

Myths:

McCartney died in an auto accident in 1966 and was replaced by an impersonator. Reed and Baker died of drug overdoses.

Facts:
 The McCartney and Reed myths started with what looked like legitimate wire service reports being fed to radio stations. The fact that it took McCartney a while to deny the rumor added fuel to it. The Beatles were breaking up at the time, and he was basically in seclusion at his Scottish farm and couldn’t be bothered with what he considered something so absurd.  The Reed hoax came shortly after the death of fellow punk rocker Joey Ramone, which gave it an additional touch of plausibility.

Baker was addicted to heroin throughout most of the ’60s and ’70s. After Cream disbanded in 1968, he dropped out of public view, leading some to believe that he had died a drug-related death. He kicked the habit in the early ’80s and is quite alive, as are McCartney and Reed.

-Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison are alive

Myths:

Elvis didn’t die in 1977 but used that as a cover to go into seclusion and get out of the public spotlight. Jim Morrison is alive and someone else’s body is in his grave.

Facts:
 In spite of extensive and largely irrefutable evidence to the contrary, there are still those who believe that Elvis is alive and is periodically spotted in convenience stores, restaurants and trailer parks all over the world.

Some people still don’t believe that Morrison’s body is the one buried in his grave in a Paris cemetery. The official cause of Morrison’s was listed as a heart attack — believed by many to have been drug related.   One enterprising gentleman has even produced a video (for $24.95 plus shipping) that he claims is Morrison living the life of a cowboy in the Pacific Northwest. People who have seen the video say the man in it bears no resemblance whatsoever to Morrison, and other than the fact that many of his song lyrics had mystical themes, there is no evidence to suggest that his death was faked.

Mama Cass Elliot choked to death on a ham sandwich

Myth:

Mama Cass died when she choked on the sandwich she was eating, the uneaten remains of which were found near her body.

Fact:
 There may have been a partially eaten sandwich somewhere in the vicinity, but she died of heart failure brought on by the effects of obesity and crash dieting. The coroner found no evidence of anything, ham sandwich or otherwise, blocking her windpipe.

-Grace Slick named her daughter god

Myth:

Shortly after her baby was born, Slick told a hospital attendant that the baby would be named god, with a small “g” out of respect for the religious significance.

Fact:
 Slick admits that she made the remark to a nurse who was wearing a crucifix, but says she meant it as a joke. Given her well-known drug use and her prominent role in the pioneering Psychedelic Rock group Jefferson Airplane, it wasn’t hard to believe that she was serious. Slick’s daughter’s name is and always has been China Kantner (her father being Jefferson Airplane guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner.)

-Mr. Greenjeans was Frank Zappa’s father

Myth:

The gentle, kindly character on the children’s TV show, Captain Kangaroo was the father of Frank Zappa, who specialized in absurd humor and not-so-gentle social satire in his many song lyrics.

Fact:
 Zappa was the son of a Sicilian immigrant named Francis Zappa, who lived in Baltimore. The fact that among Zappa’s many songs were two titled “Mr. Green Genes” and “Son of Mr. Green Genes” no doubt served as the basis of the myth. Coupled with the fact that Zappa’s persona was such that you could easily believe most anything about him, it isn’t hard to see how this myth started and lasted.

-The Beatles smoked dope in Buckingham Palace

Myth:

Prior to the ceremony in which they received Member of the British Empire (MBE) awards, the Beatles smoked a joint in one of the Palace’s bathrooms.

Fact:
 It was actually John Lennon who made this claim, saying that the band’s members were nervous and smoked a joint to calm down. Paul McCartney later refuted this as a joke, with its probable basis being in the fact that the boys did share a cigarette of the tobacco variety to calm their nerves before meeting the queen.

-Keith Richards had his blood replaced

Myth:

Prior to a European tour in 1973, the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards went to Switzerland to have his blood removed and replaced with a supply that was devoid of drugs and alcohol.

Fact:
He did undergo a procedure that removes impurities from the blood, but it was a far cry from having his entire blood supply replaced. Richards eventually admitted that he got tired of answering questions about the procedure and made up the story himself.

-Gene Simmons had a tongue transplant from a cow

Myth:

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, famous for wagging his considerable tongue as part of his onstage antics, had a cow’s tongue surgically attached to his own.

Fact:
 Simmons’ tongue is abnormally long, and he has learned to use it in ways that draw abnormal attention to it. The fact is that ’70s medical technology didn’t extend to successfully attaching animal parts to humans, and a cow’s tongue looks nothing like Simmons’ or any other human’s.

-Ozzy Osbourne bit the heads off of live bats on stage

Myth:

Osbourne routinely bit the heads off of live bats as part of his outrageous live performance antics.

Fact:
 Given his over the top efforts in achieving a high shock value with his live concerts, this myth isn’t too hard to swallow. The fact is, Ozzy did bite a live bat onstage – once, and by accident. He thought it was a prop made of rubber. The fact that the bat bit back, requiring Osbourne to undergo rabies treatments, kept him from ever attempting it on purpose.

Tattoo You

I’ve got nothing against tattoos, really.  I don’t have one and doubt I ever will simply because of its permanence.  What I think is real cool today…..

Well, let’s put it this way.  If I was stuck with the semi-mullet I had in the late 80′s I would be pretty horrified today.  But at the time I looked in the mirror and thought, “Oh…yeah”.

But I’ve seen some pretty cool tattoos.  Real works of art.  They are usually understated and have a deep personal meaning to the tattooee.

But it’s no surprise that a burgeoning business right now is something they call “tattoo regret”.  The removal of said tattoo that someone thought at the time was a great idea.

I guess rule one would be to find a really good tattoo artist.  Rule two would be not to be drunk when deciding on the tattoo.  Rule three…well rule three for me is to err on the side of just not walking into a tattoo parlor.

But for me a tattoo would probably have to do with music.  I’m not alone.  There are serious music fans out there who want to show the world who their favorite artist or band is.

So let’s take a look at a few of these.  While looking, remember rule number one and two.  It might make you remember rule number three.

Bono.  Bad Bono.

Steven Tyler.  Or Mick Jagger. Or the little troll from the Stephen King movie “Cat’s Eye”.

When you decide to pay homage to a Radiohead album make sure to find a tattoo artist that can spell.

Dave Grohl as one of Alvin’s Chipmunks.

This just scares me.

And your tattoo artist better know who the tattoo actually is….

Here’s a twofer with teeth.

Might as well jump.  Seriously.  From some nipples.

Axl Rose.  Actually this looks better than he does now.

Jim Maritian.

Ok, I guess it’s the Mount Rushmore of rock.  Or something like that.  I think I recognize Lennon and Zappa, but is that supposed to be Stevie Ray Vaughan in the hat?  And how did Curly of the Three Stooges get in here?

 

Stones and Beatles Smackdown

The Beatles or The Stones.

I’ve been asked that question in several interviews concerning The Black Jacket Symphony.

It also seems to come up in conversation.  Somebody (usually the “rebel”) will stand up and say, “Well, The Beatles are fine, but I’m a Rolling Stones guy”.

And google it.  There are actually books, online polls and countless other websites devoted to this “debate”.

Now, let’s get some things out-of-the-way here.  Yes…admittedly I’m an obsessed Beatle fan and…well, student.  But I’ve put about as much time and research into The Rolling Stones as well.  I freaking love them.

But here’s the point folks.  It’s a non-question.

Whether you like it or not, it’s like saying you enjoyed studying World War Two much more than The Revolutionary War.  That’s great!  You enjoy tanks more than muskets, or whatever.

But without the Revolutionary war THERE IS NO WORLD WAR TWO.

It’s hard now to understand just how dominating The Beatles were when they arrived.  They were a complete game changer.  In America in 1964 they released 4 full music albums that all went to number one.  In one year.

And  seven, that’s right, seven singles that went to number one.  All in one year.

Then they completely dominated the charts (albums and singles) until 1970.

But more than that they dominated the culture.  They were literally the torch bearers for an entire generation.

What they wore, what they said, where they went, it was all leading the charge.

So without The Beatles, there  is no real British invasion.  With no British invasion, no Rolling Stones.

See, The Beatles were the point of reference.  The yardstick to what everything else was measured.  As a Stones fan, you have to realize that they were purposely marketed as the “bad boy Beatles” where as Herman’s Hermits and The Dave Clark Five were “The good boy Beatles”.  But there was only one yardstick.

And it’s fair to say that The Beatles were lucky, or their timing was good.  Recording techniques were changing.  2-track to 4- track to 8 track recording and they pushed it all to it’s limit.  By the way….the only album The Beatles ever used 8 tracks for recording the whole record was….their last, “Abbey Road”.  A few tracks were recorded with an 8 track machine for The White Album, but for the most part it was the rest was all 4 track or less. But here is the catch…they were always up to not just meet the challenges and changes, but define them.

And with all the fashion and “mania” aside, can you really wrap your mind around the musical growth these four kids (all in their 20’s during The Beatles) were able to accomplish?  And the amount of material they put out?

Basically it’s this:  From 1963 until 1969, at least TWO albums a year with SEPERATE singles released (songs NOT from the albums) every time an album was released.  In other words, ‘Paperback Writer’ with the B-side ‘Rain was recorded during the album “Revolver” sessions, but released as a single before the album came out.   Basically advertising the album with singles NOT from the album…..

And for the growth.  In about a year they went from “Eight Days a Week” to “Eleanor Rigby” and “Tomorrow Never Knows”.   Six months after that they released “Strawberry Fields” and “Penny Lane”.

The point being The Beatles got to be number one by being a cute boy band with a different kind of sound that they meshed from our own American rock and roll and British skiffle.

Then they were actually talented enough to kick everybody’s ass until they broke up.  They were relentless.  How COULD The Stones, The Kinks, The Who, or ANY American band keep up with that kind of artistic growth and output?  They couldn’t.

They could only try to follow the lead and veer slightly one way or another to get noticed.

And that….whether you like it or not, is the truth.  In a sports analogy, they were a true dynasty and everybody else was just seeing who could come in second or third while trying basically to look like they were not completely emulating the kings.

And if you will notice The Rolling Stones most fruitful period (to me anyway) was from December 1969 to the end 1971 when “Let it Bleed”, “Sticky Fingers”, and “Exile on Mianstreet” were released.  The Beatles were done.  They had released Abbey Road in September of 69, and the breakup began.  The best thing to happen to The Rolling Stones was…

The break up of The Beatles.  Now they didn’t have to release “Their Satanic Majesties Request” which was their darker version of “Pepper”.  Now they could just freakin’ be the greatest rock and roll band in the world.  The monkey was off their back. In 1978 they released their best selling album ‘Some Girls’.  By that time Lennon had retired for 5 years, sick of it all, and McCartney was in Wings.  The Stones could finally rule.

And by the way…

The Stones and The Beatles never had the same rivalry as these books and websites and drunken dinner party conversations.

They were much more friends than “rivals”.  They knew what the deal was.  They would try to make sure they didn’t release an album or single at the exact same time.  They would do cameo’s on each others albums (Lennon and McCartney did background vocals on “We love You”, the Stones version of “All you need is Love”  which Jagger was in the small audience singing along when THAT was recorded.)

All this to say, not only CAN you be both a Beatle person or a Stones person, but you should.

They were.

But there was only one revolutionary war.

What’s that above Paul’s head? Oh yeah, you can look at John and tell….