I wrote an entry for this blog a few months ago to commemorate the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death ‘Elvis from the Beginning’. The photographer; Albert Wertheimer, whose pictures I wrote about, is now showing a selection of his photographs of Elvis from the same period at an exhibition at Proud Chelsea in London.

One of the many auspicious things about these photographs is that they have never been shown in this way in the UK before.  Another is that the new Proud gallery chose to open with this exhibition, which to me, re-affirms Presley’s legend.

These candid shots of Elvis were taken during a time before the Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, put restrictions on the photography of his charge.  Later, only approved and carefully managed publicity shots of Presley were made available for publication – leading the way for the management of today’s celebrities who constantly control the image of their stars. 

These photos show that Elvis did not begin his career as the product of a svengali, revealing that he had his own unique style, was charismatic beyond belief, and that his ‘act’ was not something that was cultivated, but sheer, raw talent.

In later years, Elvis was portrayed as super-human and untouchable.  He was trapped in his fame rendering him unable to walk down the street – unless he was in disguise.  So these shots of him as a ‘normal’ person eating in a diner, travelling on a train with the rest of the public, standing on the street outside his hotel, and intimate shots of him at home with his family are fantastic.  The fact that he was so photogenic, make these shots even more enjoyable to look at.

 The exhibition runs from 18^th November until 31^st January.

Post written by Nicola Charalambous (Picture Editor of PA Photocall)

Medium: graphite pencils

Paper Weight: Drawing

copyrighted 2009

We’re now ready to start the bathroom renovations. Our contractor is scheduled to show up on Tuesday morning – or so we hope! With everything being stored in and around the house, we’re now anxious to get this thing going. Plus, as I’ve said before, I’m so ready for a new bathroom – or at least a sink sitting level in the countertop and not igglety, pigglety, as it is now!

While waiting for things to get started, Nat and I have been biding our time. It’s that “inbetween stage” where you can’t do a whole lot outdoors, not much to do indoors and the golf season is winding down and, in fact, done. Nat’s been trying hard to fill the hours. We’ve struggled some days, but others would find us looking around some area shops getting paint chips, ideas for towel bars and other accessories. We even took a day trip to Limeridge Mall in Hamilton to have a look about, came home empty-handed, but not empty-minded – a few good ideas and nothing more.

So it was a good thing that Nat and I had purchased tickets to see Stephen Kabakos at the Greg Frewin Theatre for Friday night. An Elvis impersonator who has won awards for his impersonation and Nat and I could certainly see why. At first, the day turned out to be a damp, rainy one and sitting in our easy chairs after supper we always get to thinking “do we really want to be bothered this time of night?”. Turned out there were no regrets on our part for getting out!! We knew it would do us good (we’re getting a little stagnant), we’d be entertained and we’d also see Thamazine, Daryl, Claudia, Darby and Michele there and how bad could that be??

The theatre is set up Vegas-style with tables and chairs, along with booth seating. Drinks and popcorn could be purchased while you enjoyed the show in a close-knit atmosphere. Needless to say the show was fabulous!!! I certainly had the feeling that Elvis was alive and well and performing in Niagara Falls (despite the fact that Stephen is a Milton boy). What the hell, he’s Canadian – and that’s a good thing!!!!

Before the show began, during intermission and after the show ended, Nat and I managed to chit chat with Thamazine and the others in their booth just a couple of seats over from us. The actual performance was Elvis’ best – some rock ‘n roll hits, some Christmas songs and even a gospel tune. A good range of songs, great costumes, great back-up band and singers and the night was complete! Stephen Kabakos is truly the best Elvis impersonator I’ve ever seen. His vocal range was right on, and I believe Elvis himself would be proud. It doesn’t hurt that Stephen has a great body and looks like Elvis Presley did in his 1968 Comeback Special – at the peak of his career.

After Friday night’s excitement the rest of the weekend was a bit of a let down, quiet and uneventful. Back to looking a paint chips and deciding what colour the bathroom should be was about par for the course this afternoon. I also managed to set up a few Christmas decorations and we’ve decided to forego the Christmas tree this year. Not to be Scrooges about the whole matter – but we’re not hosting any parties or dinners this year, not exchanging gifts with each other and will probably be on the road Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and evening. We’ll save ourselves the set-up, decorating and clean-up which can take a whole day each time, and maybe rethink things for 2010. Besides, we’d rather see family – his, mine and ours – on and around Christmas. We prefer that to presents anyday!

El craft, movimiento que arrasa en Estados Unidos, mezcla de diseño, artesanía y manualidades, quiere establecerse en España. Algunos hablan del ‘nuevo rock and roll‘ pero… ¿cuajará la fiebre de lo hecho a mano aquí?

Actualmente las nuevas tecnologías invaden cada ámbito de nuestras vidas. La tecnificación de las actividades cotidianas hace que, tal y como ocurrió hace dos siglos, lo artesanal cobre una importancia mayor. Renegar de la producción en serie y apostar por el ‘hazlo tu mismo’ es la base del Movimiento Craft, que llega con fuerza desde Estados Unidos y que nunca ha abandonado a la sociedad del Reino Unido, lugar donde se desarrolló el primer vestigio de esta tendencia.

Um meine geliebten toten Rockstars schleiche ich meistens rum wie ein Hund um einen leckeren Knochen: bereit, lustvoll zuzuschnappen, wenn sich die Gelegenheit ergibt. Und die ergibt sich ziemlich oft, denn für einen echten Fetischisten wie mich gibt es da jede Menge zu tun – Gespräche mit den wenigen auserwählten Freunden führen, die vom Thema wenigstens ein bisschen so fasziniert sind wie ich, meine Bibliothek ordnen und die besten Stories immer wieder nachblättern bzw. von vorne lesen, im Internet nach neuen Fotos und Beweisen für passende Verschwörungstheorien Ausschau halten und am Eingang vom Amazon-Tempel lauern, um sich die leider viel zu seltenen Neuerscheinungen sofort nach deren Auftauchen zu sichern.

Unlängst hat man wieder mal ein Einsehen mit mir gehabt und hat mir ein neues Suchtmittel in Form eines Buches geschickt. “The Rock & Roll Book of the Dead” heisst es und hat mir schon aufgrund des Titels Rührungstränen in die rotgeränderten Augen getrieben. Der mir bisher unbekannte Autor David Comfort beschreibt darin “The Fatal Journeys of Rock’s Seven Immortals“, meint mit diesen sieben Unsterblichen Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain sowie Jerry Garcia und hat zu meiner Freude ein ziemlich tiefgängiges und vor allem mutiges Werk abgeliefert.

David Comfort

Über tote Rockstars zu schreiben ist nämlich sicherlich ein lohnender Job, kritisch über tote Rockgötter zu schreiben hingegen ein Wagnis. David Comfort tut Letzteres und steht damit in der Tradition eines anderen, sehr streitbaren amerikanischen Professors namens Albert Goldman, der sich bereits 20 Jahre zuvor mit kritischen Biographien gehörig in die Nesseln gesetzt hat: Er schrieb ein Buch über Elvis Presley, dessen Tod durch Medikamentenüberdosis er als Selbstmord interpretierte und danach eines über John Lennon, den er (wohl als erster Biograph überhaupt) als gewalttätigen, höchst neurotischen Menschen porträtierte. Das war allerhöchste Blasphemie, denn im Schwarz/Weiss-Denken seiner zahllosen Fans ist Lennon natürlich immer nur der Friedensengel schlechthin gewesen – dass er ein ziemlich unsympathischer, fieser Typ gewesen ist und sich gleichzeitig ebenso (werbeträchtig) für den Weltfrieden einsetzte, wollten (und wollen) seine Verehrer natürlich auf gar keinen Fall verstehen.

Das meistgehasste Buch unter Lennon-Fans...

Goldman’s sorgfältig recherchierte Biographie (die nicht frei von Fehlern ist, aber welche Biographie ist das schon?) wurde selbstverständlich kollektiv als ein aus reinem Hass entstandenes Lügenmachwerk abgestempelt. Darüber zu lesen, dass Lennon vermutlich eine Affäre mit dem 1967 freiwillig aus dem Leben geschiedenen Beatles-Manager Brian Epstein gehabt hatte oder dass er die letzten, armseligen Jahre seines Lebens quasi als “Gefangener” seiner psychotischen Frau Yoko Ono in einem Zimmer seines Appartments in jenem fluchbeladenen Dakota-Gebäude in New York verbracht hat (der letzte Sekretär der Lennons, Frederik Seaman, hat unabhängig von Goldman ausführlich in einem Buch darüber berichtet), dass mag natürlich weh tun; es ist aber einer ehrlichen, posthumen Auseinandersetzung mit der vielschichtigen, deswegen überaus faszinierenden Persönlichkeit Lennons mehr als dienlich.

Diva und Nervensäge: Janis Joplin

So ist das eigentlich generell mit den auf so hohe Sockel gehobenen toten Rockgöttern: als Menschen waren sie ausnahmslos meilenweit davon entfernt, nett zu sein. Der überaus sensible und hochbegabte Jimi Hendrix neigte fast immer dazu, im Suff seine zahllosen Groupies und Freundinnen zu verhauen; Janis Joplin, die Hippie-Göttin schlechthin, war unter all ihrer theatralischen Kostümierung und dicken Schminke eine hässliche und deswegen sehr unsichere junge Frau, was sie zu einer nahezu unerträglichen Diva und Nervensäge machte, ebenso wie der Doors-Frontmann und Exzess-Gigant Jim Morrison im täglichen Umgang mit Bandkollegen und Freunden ein richtiges Arschloch gewesen sein soll.

Desgleichen Kurt Cobain, der sich (wie Nick Kent in seiner vorzüglichen Essaysammlung “The Dark Stuff” schreibt) in seiner Jugend nichts sehnlicher gewünscht hatte, als ein Rockstar zu sein – als er es dann letztendlich war, wollte er nur noch schlafen, in Ruhe gelassen werden und sich mit Muße seinem Leiden an der bösen, lästigen Welt und der seiner Meinung nach als Schutzpanzer gegen diese fungierenden Drogensucht widmen.

Und wieder mal 'ne Überdosis: Kurt Cobain

Die Drogen-, Alkohol- und Betäubungsmittelsucht, all den genannten “Sieben Unsterblichen” (und allen anderen toten Rockstars) in verschiedensten, phantasievollen Variationen eigen, veränderte deren Charakter logischerweise nicht nur massiv, sondern führte in ihrer Entgleisung ausserdem dazu, dass jene gegen Ende ihres kurzen Lebens abseits der Auftritte im Rampenlicht kaum noch oder gar nicht mehr lebensfähig waren. Tony Sanchez, ehemaliger Drogendealer der Rolling Stones, beschreibt einen typischen Tag im Leben des mit 27 Jahren verstorbenen frühen Stones-Gitarristen Brian Jones so: “He’d wake up in the morning, take leapers (speed), cocaine, some morphine, a few tabs of acid, and maybe some mandrax. Then he’d try to get dressed and end up with, like, a lizard-skin boot on one foot and a pink shoe on the other. Then he’d find he could’nt stand up.” (Zitat aus Nick Kent, “Brian Jones, Tortured Narcissus” in “The Dark Stuff“, Faber and Faber, 2007).

Dead Men Walking: Brian Jones und Jimi Hendrix

Elvis Presley wiederum, der Drogen nicht nur strikt ablehnte, sondern sich ausserdem von Präsident Nixon 1970 bizarrerweise zum “Federal Agent” im “Kampf gegen Drogenmissbrauch” ernennen liess, hatte einen Tablettenkonsum in Rekordhöhe nachzuweisen – Biographen haben ausgerechnet, dass sich der “King” in seinen letzten Lebensjahren an die 12.000 Betäubungsmittel verschiedenster Wirkung verschreiben liess.

Bizarres Treffen: Tricky Dick und Agent Elvis

Solche Exzesse konnten logischerweise zu nichts anderem als zu einem frühen Tod führen, ob nun gewollt oder ungewollt. Ganz klar, dass der für uns Normalsterbliche unvorstellbare Druck auf diese Superstars als Ikonen ganzer Generationen und ihr praktisch nicht mehr existentes Privatleben sich sehr zu Ungunsten auf ihr Suchtverhalten auswirkte; Comfort zeigt in “The Rock & Roll Book of the Dead” aber auch bisher weniger bekannte Details aus der Kinder- und Jugendzeit der genannten Rockstars auf – da findet sich fast bei jedem/jeder eine Liste an Missbrauch, Alkoholismus der Eltern, dramatisch frühe Tode derselben und daraus resultierende Vereinsamung des jeweiligen Kindes; davon abhängig oder nicht freilich auch eine geradezu krankhafte Selbstbezogenheit, ja Selbstverliebtheit der späteren Stars in jugendlichem Alter.

Was man bei der Lektüre über all diese skandalträchtigen, kurzen Leben dieser Menschen niemals vergessen sollte, ist die künstlerische Glanzleistung, die von persönlichen Kalamitäten im Nachhinein unangetastet bleibt und den Platz der toten Rockstars in ihrem ewigen Olymp mehr als rechtfertigt: wenn man heute Jimi Hendrix hört, klingen seine vor 40 Jahren aufgenommenen Platten noch immer mehr nach wunderbar spaciger Science Fiction als nach Sixties-Gitarrenrock; die Stimme von Janis Joplin lässt einem noch immer die bluesigen Gänsehäute en Masse über den Rücken laufen; Jim Morrisons Gesang thront noch immer majestätisch über einem brodelnden Abgrund undurchdringlicher Schwärze, während John Lennon mit seinem “Imagine“, jenem ebenso simplen wie überirdisch schönen Lied bis in alle Ewigkeit die Tränen seiner Hörer sofort fast ungehindert fliessen lassen wird – pure Magie, wie sie eben nur diese schwierigen wie ebenso aussergewöhnlichen Persönlichkeiten zustande bringen konnten.

***

“The Rock & Roll Book of the Dead” ist im September dieses Jahres erschienen.

Die Homepage zum Buch, mit Leseproben desselben und, voll lässig – mit Geistergitarre!

Essentiell: “The Dark Stuff” von Nick Kent.

Zum Weiterlesen: meine eigenen, bescheidenen Blog-Beiträge zu

John Lennon,

Paul McCartney,

Jim Morrison,

Phil Ochs,

Joe Meek und

Jimi Hendrix.

Zum Weiterhören: euer Docteur als Gast zum Thema bei CROPfm.

Und als Spezialist beim Deutschlandradio (zum Thema Suizid von Rockstars am Beispiel von Joy Division-Sänger Ian Curtis).

Adam Lambert performed at the American Music Awards earlier this week, and really confused me.  A firm supporter of expressing yourself through art and entertainment, I couldn’t tell if what I was watching was entertainment or just for the sake of shock value.

Lambert was reported saying that he didn’t see a difference between his performance and the MTV Video Music Awards where Madonna kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

But that brings up another question, what sort of relevance or freshness does his performance bring to pop-culture?  Madonna performed “Like a Virgin” at the very first VMA’s in 1984, and her sexually charged performance was revolutionary.  It could be equivalent to the first time people saw Elvis Presley perform for the first time.

But Lambert is no Elvis or Madonna, not even close.  So his performance offers nothing relevant, fresh or revolutionary to our popular culture.

Another question for Lambert is what is he trying to express through his performance?  Did he have a political or ideological message in mind? As far as I am concerned, and according to news reports Lambert had no message in mind.  His actions were spontaneous and therefore I can only conclude that his performance was for the sake of shock-value and offers no value to the entertainment biz.

PAUL ANKA

One of my Facebook friends — and a former newspaper colleague — remarked today that she likes to start sentences with “and” and “but,” an indulgence we share. In fact, I make a point of telling my students that while they shouldn’t use a coordinating conjunction to begin a sentence while they are in the stifling atmosphere of academia, they should have at it once they’re writing on their own.

This got me to thinking about song lyrics that begin with “and,” only because four popped into my head immediately.

The first was “My Way,” which begins: “And now the end is near, and I must face the final curtain.” Paul Anka wrote that lyric, and according to him, it was inspired by Frank Sinatra’s announcement that he was going to quit show business.

FRANK SINATRA

The melody was written by Claude Francois and Jacques Revaux for a French song. “Comme d’habitude,” which means something like “As is my habit.” Anka’s lyrics, I understand, have no relationship to the originals but were meant to go along with Sinatra’s mood at the time.

There have been notable covers of the song by Elvis Presley, Sid Vicious, and Dorothy Squires.

Another lyric in this category was written by Johnny Mercer for a popular version of “The Song of the Indian Guest” from the opera “Sadko” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. I mentioned this here recently in connection with Mercer’s centennial. Mercer’s version is known as “Song of India,” and it begins: “And still the snowy Himalayas rise in ancient majesty before our eyes ….”

MARIO LANZA

Mario Lanza made a fine recording of that song, and Lanza also made a wonderful recording of “They’ll Never Believe Me,” which was written by Herbert Reynolds and Jerome Kern to help rescue an imported British musical, “The Girl From Utah,” in 1914. The refrain, which usually begins the song, starts: “And when I tell them how beautiful you are, they’ll never believe me ….”

The last song that occurred to me was “And I love her so,” which was written by Don McLean but is most widely associated with Perry Como.

And like that.

This is a little story that has been lingering on my mind for so many years it has a beard by now. It was dredged up by my pastor Sunday morning when his sermon was titled “Thank You—Thank You Very Much,” straight out of Elvis Presley’s entertainment dialogue.

Back when, Early Maxwell was the king of the entertainment world in Memphis. Top of the heap. Any star who chose to bring his (or her) show to Memphis went through Early Maxwell. Tall, bald, humorous, and a good guy and as far as I know, honest as a banker—most bankers.

This is his story, told direct to me, among others, one night during the Masters in Augusta. As Early tells it, he was sitting in his office one day when a rather shy young fellow with bushy hair knocked on his door. Early invited him in and asked him what he could do for him. The kid had a guitar case with him, so Early had an idea what was on the kid’s mind. He was a musician, sang and played and was looking for someone to be his agent. Naturally, coming from around Memphis (via Tupelo, Miss.), he’d heard of Early Maxwell.

Early was busy. He had a big show coming to town, but he took the time to give the kid some advice.

“Look, I’m tied up. I don’t have time to take you on,” he said. “Tell you what. Why don’t you check with Colonel Parker, just down the hall. He’s not every busy. Maybe he can give you a hand.”

Elvis was crestfallen – said he’d do it, but he might be back. He never did return to Early’s office, though. Col. Tom Parker had a gold mine tossed into his lap. Early never cried a tear, although wasn’t too long after, Elvis became Memphis’ “top dog”. But Early still had his gig. Colonel Parker had Elvis, and all lived happily ever after. Well, all except Elvis, who died by his own undoing while still a young man. But that’s another story, and not one for today.

Music biographies mesmerized me when I was a kid. Whether it was Glenn Miller or Elvis Presley, it was always the same fascinating formula: talent and tenacity leading to the precipice of success, with the artist always searching for that one elusive element to define his signature sound, to breakthrough. With Miller it was the addition of trombones. The proceedings always put me on the edge of my seat and the breakthroughs set me reeling. I guess it was in my blood.

It persists. Last night I watched two great documentary-style bios on TV, one on Johnny Cash, another on Willie Nelson. Willie, as many of his fans may not realize, was actually a Nashville songwriter, penning such classics as “Crazy,” which Patsy Cline etched into the music lexicon. Despite his pre-eminent status as a writer, Willie couldn’t get arrested as an artist in Music City. His quirky phrasing was way too off beat for the 60’s sound, which was infused with sweet strings and pop arrangements.

At the age of 40, Willie returned home to Texas. Such a move would have meant a life sentence selling insurance had history not intervened. As fate would have it, Woodstock Nation had opened the doors to multiple music movements by the early 70s, and Willie realized that Austin clubs were ready for a new kind of country artist. He enlisted his buddy Waylon Jennings, among others, and set about launching a novel sound to a new audience. His ultimate success turned country music, and the music establishment at large, on its head. Ultimately, he was responsible for redefining music, establishing its “outlaw” class, creating the Austin revolution and worldwide social activism that persists to this day.

Despite his huge outsider success, Nashville rejected this giant yet again. By the 1980s, you couldn’t find a Willie song on mainstream country radio, and forget about a major label deal.

Okay, let’s get right down to the hard part. Cash was just another music god to be tumbled unceremoniously from Olympus. By the 80s, he, too, was cast out like so much trash. His popularity was dwindling, and he was struggling to find an audience and make a living.

So these outlaw outcasts banded together, literally, forming the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with Waylon and Kris Kristofferson. Talk about a Mount Rushmore of talent. They had taken fate into their own hands and, once again, set out to redefine the music scene, outside the establishment, all on their own.

A Bronx boy, I was still getting my country legs under me, when I hit Nashville in the late 80s. At the time, I couldn’t understand why the likes of Willie and Johnny weren’t getting mainstream air play, why I could eat lunch with Emmylou Harris but couldn’t hear her songs on country radio, why Nanci Griffith was considered a darling in all the clubs, to all the execs, but couldn’t get the chart toppers and eventually carped about it in interviews.

I was just getting introduced to the hard truth of the music industry: bitterness. Griffith was bitter, my friend Artie Traum (from back home in Woodstock) — one of the sweetest guys to ever grace the business — was expressing a degree of bitterness, too, in interviews of the day. I was just learning.

The songwriting trade in Nashville was rough. By year two, I was saying you had to learn to live on a diet of stones. Rejection was the blue-plate special everyday. It took me two years to get my first major song contract and more to get my first staff writing job and my first cut. Everyone who stuck with it had war stories: the song on hold that never happened, the artist cut that got dropped by the label or never got released as a single or didn’t make it above 20 on the charts. But, despite eventual successes and even industry support, I left after a decade to pursue to a career as an artist, packing scars and wisdom, love and hate.

But back to Johnny Cash. One of the greatest artists to “walk the line,” he faced the pure pain of artistry more deeply, more movingly than anyone before him. Late in his career, with the help of producer Rick Rubin, Johnny faced his inner darkness, his demons, his truth, his soul. With such albums as “American Recordings” and “Unchained,” he found a vast and vital new audience, just years before his death. His new material was so raw that family members had a tough time listening. They told him it sounded like he was saying goodbye. He told them he was.

Pure Johnny Cash

In the Cash bio, artists such as Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp and Vince Gill expressed the true painful tumble that all artists must face. Mellencamp himself recently penned a telling if rambling article on the biz in HuffPost, a blog post that established a wellspring of conversation in the social media sector.

So, this little Bronx boy, who reeled from the Glenn Miller story and cut and broke his teeth on Music Row, finally came to understand bitterness and the role it plays in any music career. No one is exempt. It may be (excuse me) a bitter pill to swallow, but I recommend downing it to develop a good artist-immune system. Another words, one has to learn to deal with it, to embrace it, pain and all, and find a way to move on, carry it on your back, in your suitcase, in your heart, on your skin — the rose tattoo of the music artist.

isto é um vídeo do exército britânico testando lsd como forma de aumentar a resistência dos soldados no campo de batalha. a parte em que o soldado abandona o posto e sobe numa árvore para “alimentar os passarinhos” é hilária.

vale lembrar que medidas proibitivas em relação às drogas, em grande medida, ganharam força apenas depois que perceberam que a maioria delas não poderia ser usada como instrumento bélico. no vietnã, por exemplo, os soldados americanos consumiam maconha, heroína (nessa parte do globo a oferta era vasta) e lsd para entrar em combate.

mas em plena efervecência dos anos 60 isso apenas causava mais tensões entre os soldados que questionavam a guerra sem propósitos sendo que muitos acabaram “enlouquecendo” e até praticando o chamado fogo-amigo. ou seja, soldados americanos atirando em colegas em pleno campo de batalha. sem falar em casos de estupro de civis inocentes, desobediência, abandono de funções e deserções. alguém aí lembrou de “apocalipse now”, “full metal jacket”, “platoon”, etc?

este conjunto de fatores resultou na famosa “guerra contra as drogas” instituída pelo presidente nixon. que nada mais era do que uma cruzada hipócrita (e racista) visando interesses particulares. aproveito para abrir um parêntese para uma citação ao livro “contracultura através dos tempos” de dan joy e ken goffman. livro este que já estou para comentar há muito tempo por aqui mas que a (falta de) memória e/ou a preguiça me impediram. fica para uma outra hora.
mas recomendo com força.

“com a posse de nixon, no início de 1969, aumentaram as condições para a guerra cultural e o conflito político, assim como cresceu a guerra no vietnã. o novo presidente anunciou a “guerra às drogas” (uma herança que permanece até hoje), aprovando a lei “sem bater”, que permitia que a polícia invadisse as casas de suspeitos de posse de drogas sem aviso. (hoje nós consideramos isso normal, mas antigamente era comum que os agentes da lei batessem e anunciassem que tinham um mandado de busca).

(…) embora grande parte da repressão fosse, sem dúvida, uma reação natural de agentes da lei machistas às provocações de esquisitões negros, também estava em ação um grande programa secreto do governo dos estados unidos para espionar, enquadrar e, em pelo menos uma ocasião, assassinar radicais e/ou hippies. revelado mais tarde como resultado de uma investigação relacionada ao caso watergate, o programa era chamado de COINTELPRO e, com o governo nixon assumindo o poder, aproximadamente 250 mil novos esquerdistas, líderes hippies e até mesmo democratas liberais, além de astros do rock e outras personalidades, foram sujeitadas a um programa de estrita vigilância pelo FBI, que incluía infiltrações. além disso, nixon tinha uma “lista de inimigos” particular, composta principalmente de liberais e quase todos os seus críticos nos grandes meios de comunicação. a lista seria repassada para o IRS que, sem dúvida, sabia o que fazer.

(…) como foi revelado nas audiências do church committee em 1975 e por documentos posteriormente liberados com base na lei de liberdade de informação, a grande opressão de j. edgar hoover nos anos 1960 era impedir o crescimento da liderança política negra, e ele se concentrou em acabar com os panteras negras, que tinham se tornado heróis populares dos negros nos guetos. a maior parte do esforço do programa COINTELPRO do FBI era dirigido contra aquele partido. todos os diretórios tinham sido fortemente infiltrados com agentes que tentavam (com algum sucesso) levá-los a participar de atos de violência ilegais. cartas falsas eram enviadas de um membro do partido para outro, de modo a (com sucesso) provocar lutas internas. dezenas de membros do partido foram enquadrados, e pelo menos dois, fred hampton e mark clark, foram mortos a sangue-frio pela polícia de chicago enquanto dormiam.”

daí para começar a acreditar nas suspeitas de que elvis presley (logo quem) fosse um agente infiltrado do FBI no combate às drogas (inclusive delatando, primeiro os beatles - de modo a tentar reaver, de forma suja, seu reinado nas paradas de sucesso -  e posteriormente john lennon e sua ligação com líderes revolucionários, pacifistas e “gurus das drogas” tais como abbie hoffman e timothy leary) não custa, né?

hoje em dia é sabido que, por debaixo do pano, o exército americano (pelo menos durante a gestão de bush filho) testou drogas  em seus soldados no iraque e afeganistão de modo a aumentar o rendimento no deserto. sem falar nos soldados que se viciam em anfetaminas e outras substâncias depois que voltam da guerra, seja por causa do trauma ou para evitar a “cold turkey”.

Por Juliana Gomes

} Hoje, dia 26 de Novembro, tem Deal With The Devil @ Clube Berlin!

Se você gosta de rock, mas rock mesmo, então você não pode perder a noite de hoje do Berlin com a banda Deal With The Devil.

Os violões de aço plugados, com a bateria, o baixo acústico e a gaita dão o timbre diferenciado para os clássicos revisitados pelo Deal With The Devil. A banda paulistana, formada por Johnny Monster que está presenta na voz, baixo, violão e percussão, Judaz Mallet na voz, violão e baixo, Mondrian Alvez com o violão, voz e gaita e Eduardo Ramirez com o som da bateria, voz e percussão. O quarteto homenageia grandes nomes e assina seu pacto com os ídolos que incendiaram o mundo da música.

As influências são do mais puro rock dos anos 60, 70 e 80. De Rolling Stones, Beatles, Doors, Yardbirds, Cramps, Drifters, Stooges, Who, Clash, Led Zeppelin e grandes ícones como Iggy Pop, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Johnny Winter, Robert Johnson e Raul Seixas. Até mesmo Amy Winehouse e não perca o set especial do AC/DC que os meninos farão para aquecer o show que está por vir em São Paulo.

Liza, minha querida cocainomana,

Não sei se você lembra, mas há muito tempo atrás você era uma jovem que fedia a sucesso, vencedora de um Oscar de melhor atriz além de dois Tonys.

Dizer que o auge da sua carreira ainda está por vir quando ouvir o seu nome causa uma profunda sensação de compaixão e melancolia é, no mínimo, desconcertante.

O que você está esperando no futuro? Um Nobel de Economia?

Porque bater aquilo que você já foi um dia é muito difícil, ainda mais considerando o que você é hoje.

Sinceramente, eu nunca fui seu fã: sempre tive uma estranha aflição dos seus olhos, que são muito separados um do outro. Se eles fossem um pouquinho mais afastados você não seria um ser humano, e sim uma pomba.

E eu sei o quanto eu estou sendo chato, mas que lhe sirva de incentivo o fato de que eu torço por você, primeiro porque você é fodida da cabeça e teve uma vida completamente esmerdalhada, coisa que ninguém merece. Segundo porque eu amo retornos triunfais, como Burt Reynolds em Boogie Nights, ou David Carradine em Kill Bill, ou Elvis no ano de 1968.

Se tem alguém em quem você deve se inspirar nesse momento é Elvis Presley, só não vá virar uma obesa mórbida e morrer de gorda.

Bom auge de carreira,

Suza.

Debating the quality of music must be one of the  favourite pastimes. Rarely, however, does conversation turn to influential music. This list is designed not to provide a definitive guide, but to give you food for thought and provide a catalyst for further debate. So here goes: the 9 most influential albums of all time.

01. The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

October 27th 1977. An unsuspecting British music scene is rudely awakened by Johnny Rotten screaming ‘I am an anarchist!’ If the previous 9 albums combined caused ripples in the music world, Never Mind the Bollocks was a 1000ft tidal wave of punk rock innovation that violently shook the very foundations of British music. Underestimate the influence of this album at your peril. It is unquestionably the most significant offering out of all the Manchester Brand artists of the era. When one considers that this list includes the likes of Joy Division, The Clash and The Jam, this statement mounts The Buzzcocks upon a solid gold plinth of musical infamy and superstardom. Without it, it’s unlikely you’d have heard of bands like Blink 182 and Greenday. It really was that important. Think I’m talking out of my hat? Listen to it and then listen to American Idiot. You’ll see what I mean…

02. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Well, you knew it was coming didn’t you. Think this is a bit of a cliché? There’s a reason why things become clichés. It’s because they’re inescapably true. Every now and again something comes along that just changes everything, and in the world of music, this is one such thing. The Beatles’s eighth studio offering was received with both popular and critical acclaim, achieving incomprehensible commercial success. This album virtually provided the soundtrack to the 1960’s. One critic even branded Sgt. Pepper: “A decisive moment in the history of Western civilization”. Make of that what you will. Maybe they were more popular than God…

03. Oasis – Definitely Maybe

In bronze medal position, we have one of the most successful British bands of all time. These pioneers of Britpop followed in the footsteps of their punk and post-punk rock predecessors and perhaps defined the 1990s. Locked in an intense charts battle with main rivals Blur in 1996, Oasis ultimately won the war and continued to make critically acclaimed music well into the noughties. Definitely Maybe is often hailed as the greatest album of all time by critics and the list of bands that claim to have been influenced by Oasis reads like a who’s who of modern music. The Killers, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian; I could continue… Oasis’s influence is simply staggering and this is the album that introduced them to the world.

04. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

This album is another example of a true change in direction. The experimental vocal harmonies, inventive instrumentals and sound effects make the cut of this album’s jib very interesting indeed, and nothing short of an absolute masterpiece. Cited by Paul McCartney and The Beatles as a major influence on their work, Pet Sounds largely dictated the direction in which pop music went for decades into the future.

05. Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley

One word springs to mind. Originality. There was absolutely nothing like this before Elvis released his debut album in 1956. One could argue that Bill Haley was the proverbial ‘Big Bang’ in the rock world, but The King was something different altogether. He was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. He dared to go where no artist had gone before. He pretty much invented, mastered and then set alight the world of Rock and Roll, becoming quite literally one of the most iconic and recognisable figures of the 20th Century. He transcended music, and occupies a mantle not all that dissimilar to that of God to this day. Enough said…

06. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars

Put simply, there hasn’t been anything like this before or since. Bowie’s originality is little short of staggering, with this album undoubtedly being his very finest work. Consistently credited as one of the most significant rock albums ever, Ziggy Stardust transcended its glam rock foundations to influence a number of other musical genres.

07. Michael Jackson – Thriller

The most commercially successful album of all time, Thriller is considered MJ’s greatest musical achievement. This was his sixth studio album, however, and for this reason, its actual influence in terms of a change in direction in music is debatable. Nevertheless, the influence Jackson had and continues to have on pop music is too significant to ignore.

08. The Clash – London Calling

It’s difficult to imagine a more fertile music environment than the North of England in the 1970’s and 80’s. One could be forgiven for thinking that you wouldn’t be able to walk down the street in Manchester in 1980 without bumping into Ian Cutis or Paul Weller. The Clash were by far the most notable exception to the rule; Southern lads at the very forefront of the Mod rock revolution. London Calling marked a change in direction for the band; their intriguing blend of rock, ska and pop really gave those Northerners a thing or two to think about.

09. The Who – My Generation

Initially dismissed as a rushed and unrepresentative piece of work by The Who themselves after its release in 1965, My Generation has since cemented itself as one of the best rock albums of all time. The Who lent a fresh sound to rock, incorporating synthesized sounds that had rarely been heard beforehand, and inspiring future artists of the heavier rock kind, most notably, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Iron Maiden.

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A l’occasion de la cession aujourd’hui par Claude François Jr.

du catalogue des chansons de son père,

je vous propose d’écouter l’un tes tubes les plus adaptés et diffusés dans le monde,

“Comme d’habitude“, le “My Way” de Paul Anka,

et reprise ici par le King, lors de son dernier concert en 1977.

 Elvis 1953 El Origen – Vol. 1 by Elvis Presley

2009 (57 tracks, 2:26:52)

rock

Uniforme das mulheres trabalhadoras, nos anos 1940 e das hippies dos anos 1970, a pantalona voltou às passarelas em 2008.

O nome é derivado de pantalon, palavra que significa calça em francês. Os primeiros registros indicam que ela era usada por marinheiros por volta do início do século 19 os marinheiros utilizavam este tipo de vestimenta, pois eram mais fácil de vestir por cima de botas, fácil de enrolar as pernas para fazer a limpeza do deck, também eram mais fácil de tirar quando estavam molhadas, grudadas ao corpo, quando o marinheiro caia ao mar.

História do jeans

Começou a ser usada pelas mulheres na década de 1940, quando tiveram de trabalhar fora para substituir os homens que foram para a guerra. Acostumadas a usar saias e vestidos, as operárias adaptaram a calça a uma modelagem mais ampla, para que não mostrasse as curvas do corpo.

Mas essa peça virou tendência  com Elvis Presley no  final dos anos 60 e inicio dos 70 e daí ao movimento hippie, a partir da década de 1970. A inspiração vinha do estilo dos negros que usavam ternos , onde a calça normalmente era um pouco mais larga , para se usar com botas e ainda incrementavam com longos casacos por cima . Elvis copiou e aperfeiçoou o look ,dando uma alargada a mais á boca. No Brasi foi lançada como calça boca de sino depois virou Pantalona ( também já foi conhecida como trompete).

No ínicio dos anos 2000 ela voltou para as passarelas, mas a aposta mesmo foi no inverno de 2009, onde apareceu em vários desfiles como o São Paulo Fashion Week.

Ela tem uma proposta bem diferente da que a calça “skinny” nos traz. Enquanto a skinny cria um estilo sensual por estar justa, a pantalona mais larga ao corpo deixa a mulher elegante e chique. O lado negativo da calça de boca muito larga é que não são indicadas para mulheres baixas, pois o volume “achata” ainda mais a silhueta.

As mulheres devem escolher blusas mais justas para dar uma sensação de equilíbrio no visual, contrastando com o jeito mais solto da calça. No dia-a-dia o uso de sapatilhas são ideais e para a noite ou para idas em lugares mais sociais o uso de sapatos de bico arredondado ou com salto grosso é o aconselhável.

Por Rosanna Ramos
Fonte: Wikipedia, Yahoo.

You may be surprised at the scope of this week’s topic because when it comes to Elvis Presley, well nearly everyone’s got an opinion. The iconic nature of Elvis Presley in music and popular culture, has often made him a subject of, or a benchmark, in numerous songs. We launched the show with CALLING ELVIS by Dire Straits. Written by Mark Knopler and released in 1991, the song is about an Elvis fan that can’t believe that Elvis Presley is dead. Based on some of the bizarre ’sightings’ over the years, I fear he is not alone.

A song from one of my favourite films followed: Public Enemy’s groundbreaking FIGHT THE POWER from the soundtrack of DO THE RIGHT THING, directed by Spike Lee in 1989. Like the film, the song broke at a crucial period in America’s struggle with race. Unabashedly political, FIGHT THE POWER was confrontational in the way that great rock has always been. It attacks a whole roster of American icons including Elvis and John Wayne in what amounts to a virtual flag burning. Because who better embodies the American ideal than the King? The song goes so far as to call Elvis racist. I don’t agree with that. But what I do know from the National Archives is that in 1970 Elvis wrote a six-page letter to Richard Nixon asking him to make him a ‘Federal Agent-At-Large’ in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. And amongst the gifts that Elvis presented to the then President was a Colt-45 pistol. So what do we make of all this? Maybe only that, like a lot of his countrymen, Elvis was a misguided patriot who defended the nation’s order – an order from which blacks, in particular, had been routinely barred. The irony, of course, is that Elvis was the first artist to successfully blend black and white music: country music and the blues. And didn’t he do it well?

It was time for a change of tone: The very whimsical and wonderful Kirsty McColl with THERE’S A GUY WORKS DOWN THE CHIP SHOP SWEARS HE’S ELVIS. The song made an appearance on the FAMOUS PEOPLE show, but definitely deserved another spin. We followed with Richard Thompson’s FROM GALWAY TO GRACELAND.

Robbie Williams’ ADVERTISING SPACE is a song not only about Elvis but, also, about the price of fame.  Emmylou Harris followed with BOY FROM TUPELO. In case you weren’t aware Elvis was born in Tupelo Mississipi on January 8, 1935. And then it was the great Roy Orbison with HOUND DOG MAN.

Living Colour funked it up with their critique of the tabloids. The song  ELVIS IS DEAD ups the ante with an appearance by Little Richard. Check it out.

We dived into the second hour of the program with Ann Margret singing the title song of the film BYE BYE BIRDIE. Based on the stage musical of the same name, the story was inspired by Elvis Presley being drafted into the US Army in 1957. Jesse Pearson played the role of teen idol Conrad Birdie, whose character’s name is a wordplay on another singer of the era, Conway Twitty.  The film is credited with making Ann-Margret a superstar during the mid-1960s, leading to her appearing with Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas in 1964.

A couple of great songs were suggested to me by BayFM’s very own Cowboy Sweetheart, Carrie D. First up, Bap Kennedy with GLADYS & VERNON about Elvis’s parents and the night that Elvis was born. And then it was the great Waylon Jennings with the very entertaining NOBODY KNOWS.

I absolutely adore BLACK VELVET by Allanah Myles and have played that before. But, hey, when a song’s as good as this one it deserves a replay!

U2’s song ELVIS ATE AMERICA illustrates the many personas of Elvis, both good and bad. And then it was the romantically delusional Scouting For Girls with ELVIS ISN’T DEAD: ”Elvis isn’t dead ’cause I heard him on the radio….. and you’re coming back to me.”  Yeah, sure guys.

Time to get serious: First up, Kate Bush with her hit song about Elvis – KING OF THE MOUNTAIN. And then, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds transported us into a disturbing world with their song about the night that Elvis was born. Elvis was a twin but his brother was still-born. The song is TUPELO from the album THE FIRSTBORN IS DEAD. Here’s the totally mesmerising clip:

John Fogarty likens Elvis to the BIG TRAIN (FROM MEMPHIS). Neil Young reminded us that it’s “better to burn out than to fade away “, with his song MY, MY, HEY HEY.

Another of my faves followed: Cowboy Junkies with BLUE MOON REVISITED, otherwise known as SONG FOR ELVIS. And then it was Paul Simon’s song about travelling to Elvis Presley’s home, GRACELAND, with the Everly Brothers helping out on vocals. Don’t have a clip with the Everlys in it, but you can’t do much better than this concert performance of the song in Zimbabwe. Enjoy.

There was time for a little more mjusic dedicated to Elvis before signing off and what better than ELVIS HAS JUST LEFT THE BUILDING by the one and only Frank Zappa. And, of course, I had to play some of the King himself so we went out with BURNIN’ LOVE. Here’s what all the fuss is about:

Next week’s show will be dedicated to the patron saint of Theme Park, Roy Orbison, who died 21 years ago this December 6. So songs by Roy Orbison, The Travelling Wilburys, duets with Roy and covers of Roy Orbison songs. Anything connected to Roy Orbison qualifies. Personally I can’t wait!

Here’s this week’s playlist:

The King And I

I’m in Las Vegas for the weekend with some friends. This got us thinking about Elvis Presley. I mean how can you not think about Elvis when you’re in Vegas…having said that, here’s our top five from The King!

1. Suspicious Minds
2. Burning Love
3. Jailhouse Rock
4. A Little Less Talk
5. Viva Las Vegas!
*****

~AFG Must Rock!
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