Su segnalazione di Tico, eccovi la canzone che fa da sfondo alla première della seconda stagione di Lost. Ovviamente, al pari della serie, anche le musiche, in Lost, sono originalissime. Il brano è cantato da Mama Cass Elliot.

Ah… quella botola… non sembra anche voi che sia passato un secolo?

Mackenzie Phillips says she had sex with her dad

The Mamas and the Papas, from left to right: Michelle Phillips, John Phillips (in tube), Denny Doherty, and Mama Cass Elliot. The sixties pop rock band is remembered for its sweet harmony and enchanting melodies.

Father and Daughter, John and MacKenzie Phillips, in 1998.

Associated Press

Wed Sep 23, 12:37 pm ET

CHICAGO – Former child star Mackenzie Phillips said Wednesday her father, John Phillips, who was a leader of the 1960s pop group the Mamas and the Papas, raped her when she was a teenager and that her sexual relationship with him later became what she termed “consensual.”

Mackenzie Phillips writes in her new book, High on Arrival, that she had sex with her father on the night before she was to get married in 1979 at age 19, according to People magazine.

“On the eve of my wedding, my father showed up, determined to stop it,” writes Phillips, who was 19 and a heavy drug user at the time. “I had tons of pills, and Dad had tons of everything too. Eventually I passed out on Dad’s bed.”

“My father was not a man with boundaries. He was full of love, and he was sick with drugs. I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father.”

On tour: Mackenzie (left) on stage with father John (centre) in 1982 with the New Mamas And Papas after their sexual relationship had become consensual

She told “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in an interview that aired Wednesday that her siblings “definitely have a problem with this.” Winfrey also read a statement from Genevieve Waite, John Phillips’ wife at the time of the alleged abuse and Mackenzie’s stepmother that said he was “incapable, no matter how drunk or drugged he was, of having such a relationship with his own child.”

At far right, MacKenzie Phillips from a publicity photo for the 80s TV sitcom, "One Day at a Time." MacKenzie Phillips is best known for her roles as an emotionally troubled and rebellious teenager.

Phillips, who starred on TV’s “One Day at a Time,” said the sexual relationship with her father lasted a decade and ended when she became pregnant and didn’t know who had fathered the child. She had an abortion, which her father paid for, and “and I never let him touch me again.”

Phillips told Winfrey that she first tried cocaine when she was 11 years old. Her father did drugs with her, taught her to roll joints and injected her with cocaine. Phillips said she’s been clean for a year after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine and entering a drug treatment program.

Phillips said the sexual relationship, although she believes it became consensual, was “an abuse of power” and “a betrayal” on her father’s part. She said she forgave John Phillips on his deathbed.

“I can’t be the only one this has happened to,” Phillips said. “Someone needs to put a face on consensual incest.”

Here is a video of the Mamas and the Papas singing “California Dreaming.” MacKenzie Phillips’ father, John Phillips – “Papa John” -  plays guitar, wearing a fur hat. The other band members are Michelle Phillips (at the time, John Phillips’ wife and MacKenzie’s stepmother), Mama Cass Elliot, and Denny Doherty.

 Click here for more on the wild and reckless lives of John and Michelle Phillips.

Mama Cass Elliot, American musician (d. 1974)

Quando la sveglia suona alle 6 del mattino e hai quattro ore di sonno sulle spalle

Quando speri di poter dormire sul treno ma hai promesso a qualcuno che avresti fatto il viaggio con lui

Quando la tal persona ti rintrona di chiacchiere per quasi due ore e necessiti di uscire dalla modalità ingegnere

Quando ti rendi conto che la giornata al corso sarà lunga ma che ci saranno i colleghi e l’aperitivo finale a movimentarla

Quando esci dalla metro e la luce del sole ti investe facendoti uscire dal grigiore dell’inverno

Insomma, quando sarebbe il momento perfetto per una canzone che ti ronza in testa da un po’ di giorni:

Accendi l’Ipod, scegli “casuale” nella tua compilation e la prima canzone a partire è proprio La Canzone… Beh, che dire? Destino? Caso? Non me ne importa, la giornata acquista un senso tutto nuovo e sono contenta di averla cominciata così. E devo dire che è finita altrettanto bene:) Che brividi al ricordo di queste scene viste per la prima volta…

Make your own kind of music – Mama Cass Elliot

Nobody can tell ya;
There’s only one song worth singin’.
They may try and sell ya,
’cause it hangs them up
to see somone like you.

But you’ve gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sing along.

So if you cannot take my hand,
and if you must be goin’,
I will understand.

You’re gonna be knowing
the loneliest kind of lonely.
It may be rough goin’,
just to do your thing’s
the hardest thing to do.

But you’ve gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.

So if you cannot take my hand,
and if you must be goin’,
I will understand.

You gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.

01 – I’ll Be Home
02 – Baby I’m Yours
03 – Jesus Was A Cross Maker
04 – That Song
05 – When It Doesn’t Work Out
06 – I’ll Be There
07 – Disney Girls
08 – I Think It’s Going To Rain Today
09 – Cherries Jubilee
10 – It’s All In The Game

LINK

1974, Mamas And The Papas singer Cass Elliot died.

01 – It’s Getting Better
02 – Dream A Little Dream Of Me
03 – Make Your Own Kind Of Music
04 – Words Of Love
05 – New World Coming
06 – Move In A Little Closer, Baby
07 – One Way Ticket
08 – The Good Times Are Coming
09 – Easy Come, Easy Go
10 – Don’t Let The Good Life Pass You By
11 – Ain’t Nobody Else Like You
12 – A Song That Never Comes

LINK

On September 19:

1893: New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote.

1911 English author William Golding was born.

1933 Scottish actor David McCallum was born.

1941 US singer Mama Cass Eilliot was born.

1948 English actor Jeremy Irons was born.

1949 English model Twiggy was born.

1970 The first Glastonbury Festival was held.

1983 Saint Kitts and Nevis gained independence.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

Chart Position: NR

• ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot is a former member of Mamas and the Papas

http://condron.us                http://alphainventions.com

Greetings, bonjour, aloha, shalom, and kowabunga dude/dudette.
          ———-
Your Shakespearean Insult for the Day
~”[Thou art] the veriest varlet that ever chewed with a tooth.”-Taken from: Henry IV, part I
          ———-
Late Show Top Ten
(newsmax.com/The Late Show with David Letterman)
~Top Ten Things Overheard At Sarah Palin’s Farewell Party
10. “More tiny hot dog appetizers? You betcha”
 9. “Don’t forget to schedule an appointment with Joe the Mover”
 8. “Quiet down! We don’t want to wake the Russians”
 7. “Todd, I’ve always wanted to know — what do you do exactly?”
 6. “John McCain passed out in the dip”
 5. “Where can I check my pelt?”
 4. “Bad news — the new governor just quit”
 3. “Please accept this gift from all of us at LensCrafters”
 2. “‘Dancing with the Stars’ called, they got your resume”
 1. “I haven’t seen you since the ‘Fire Dave Letterman’ Rally”
          ———-
Your Big SnJ Birthday

~’Professor’ Irwin Corey (born July 29, 1914, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American comic, film actor and left-wing political activist, who is often billed as ‘The World’s Foremost Authority’.                   
From the late 1940s he cultivated his “Professor” character. “Dressed in seedy formal wear and sneakers, with his bushy hair sprouting in all directions, Corey would amble on stage in a preoccupied manner, then begin his monologue with “However…” He created a new style of doublespeak comedy; instead of making up nonsense words like “krelman” and “trilloweg,” like other comics[who?] the professor would season his speech with many long and florid, but authentic, words. The professor would then launch into nonsensical observations about anything under the sun, but seldom actually making sense. Changing topics suddenly, he would wander around the stage, pontificating all the while. His very quick wit allowed him to hold his own against the most stubborn straight man, heckler or interviewer.” (wikipedia.org)   I remember watching him roam around on The Mike Douglas Show–so funny.
          ———-
Deeeep Thoughts…on Warm Benedictions
(http://coolsig.com)
~May the forces of evil become lost and confused on the way to your house.
~May the Good Lord take a liking to you… but not too soon.
~May your trouble be like the old man’s teeth… few and far between.
          ———–
Late Night Humor
(two from Conan, then Craig and Kimmel)
~The government is warning that substantial amounts of marijuana are being grown on United States public land. It’s gotten so bad, now every 90 minutes Old Faithful erupts in giggles.
~Big news from China: After 30 years of enforcing a “one-couple-one-child” policy, Chinese officials have started encouraging couples to have a second child. Officials say it doesn’t matter if the second child is a boy or a girl, as long as it’s a boy.
~Two new Mozart symphonies were discovered this week. Two! Here’s what’s weird: One of them was a duet with Tupac.
~They believe he (President Obama) was born in Kenya instead of Hawaii. I always thought he was born in a manger in Jerusalem.
~This makes no sense. If Barack Obama was born in Kenya, Madonna would have adopted him by now.
          ———-
Your Big Music Notes
~2001, Destiny’s Child started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Bootylicious’.
~1978, The film soundtrack to Grease featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John went to No.1 on the US album chart.
~1974, Mamas And The Papas singer Cass Elliot died in her sleep from a heart attack after playing a sold out show in London, England. She was staying at Harry Nilson’s London flat when she died. Her only solo hit was ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me,’ which also featured the rest of The Mamas and The Papas. Had also been a member of The Mugwumps. 
~1967, The Doors started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Light My Fire’. 
~1966 Bob Dylan suffered a broken neck vertebra when he crashed his Triumph 55 motorbike near his home in Woodstock, New York. He goes into seclusion.
~1953 Vocalist Geddy Lee of Rush is born in Toronto. He is also featured on the No. 16 single “Take Off” by Bob & Doug McKenzie, characters from “SCTV” played by comedians Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas.
~1953, Born on this day, Vivienne Patricia “Patti” Scialfa (“SKAL-fah”) worked with The Rolling Stones and on Keith Richards ‘Talk Is Cheap’ album. Toured with Bruce Springsteen Band from 1984 Born in the USA tour, married Springsteen on June 8th 1991. She has released two solo albums.
          ———-

Word-Up
~Abdicate (V.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
          ———-
That’s about it from here today. Appreciate your swinging by.

Chart Position: 36

• Later recorded by Bobby Sherman and Paul Westerberg

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (October):

Birth

1948. Millie Small, of “My Boy Lollipop” fame, born in Clarendon, Jamaica.

In Custody

1967. After a night in police custody, “Mama” Cass Elliot, appears at West London Magistrate’s Court charged with larceny. When the case is called, the prosecution offers no evidence against her and the magistrate, Mr. Seymour Collins, dismisses the charges. A warrant still exists for another unamed person who is thought to have actually taken the items. This individual was also left to settle the bill which remained unpaid. When undertakings are given by Cass that she’ll see to things, the prosecution also ask for the outstanding warrant to be dismissed.

In Court

1999. Country singer Johnny Rodriguez (47) appears in court for the first day of his murder trial in Uvalde, Texas. During the opening statements, his attourney, Jay Norton, tells the jury that he shot and killed Israel “Bosco” Borrego (26), a drinking buddy, in an act of self-defence, thinking he was an intruder at his mother’s house in Sabinal, Texas on August 29th 1998. He tells how Rodriguez saw a shadowy figure in the house at 4 a.m., took a pistol from a cushion on the couch and fired one shot, hitting Borrego in the abdomen. The 26 year old died several hours later.

Tony Hackebell, attourney for the prosecution has a different story to tell, saying that Rodriguez had invited Borrego to a late-night drinking party at a house across the street from his mother’s. The shooting had occured some time later when Borrego was cooking breakfast for Rodriguez.

In Hospital

1994. Glen Frey undergoes surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for diverticulitis. As a result of being hospitalised, the second half of The Eagles‘ “Hell Freezes Over” tour is postponed until the New Year.

On Television

1968. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (ABC, U.S.A.) Guest stars: Harry Belafonte, Cass Elliot. Here’s “Mama” Cass with a great version of “Dream A Little Dream”. I know she’s already had a mention today but thought this was too good a clip to miss.

Death

1978. Australian pop star, Johnny O’Keefe dies in a Sydney hospital after a heart attack, aged 43. He is credited with being the first rock singer in Australia with a career that spanned performing and management over 26 years. He’s best remembered by the rest of the world as composer of “Real Wild Child” which has been covered by everyone from Buddy Holly to Iggy Pop.

Babble

My mood, which has been one of doom and gloom lately, has lifted a bit. My blog for the Two Red Shoes Ballroom has been linked to from the Northern Scot, the local newspaper for Elgin where the ballroom was. Add to that the fact that the daily paper for the area, the Press & Journal, has said they’ll cover the memorabilia exhibition that is meant to start this week in the Red Shoes Theatre – yes! it is the same building, which reopened last year – and you might see why I feel a bit happier.

After six months of being on, then off, then on again, it seems I will get to draw a line under this at long last. I know you can stage an exhibition of memorabilia anywhere but it seemed that such a famous venue was the ideal place to hold it. While I don’t have any memorabilia that links directly to the ballroom, I do have memorabilia for most of the bands that played there. 

The Animals hit, “House Of the Rising Sun”, entered the chart on the day the band played Elgin and I’ve got the gold disc presented to Hilton Valentine. Unlike modern awards discs which are just vinyl records plated (and often discs by other artists!) this is a gold plated pressing master for the single. A totally awesome piece of pop history. I’d love to have a handbill for Pink Floyd when they played to 12 people in the Two Red Shoes but I’ve got a flyer for the Love-In Festival just over a week later when they went out on stage in front of 10,000!

Anyway, I’ll be heading north tomorrow to hang the exhibition and will be putting a virtual version online at the same time. So, watch this space.

Go to Rockmine’s main site here.

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Rock Hard

When I saw local classic rock covers bands Blue Fuses and, later, Foulplay playing gigs at pubs in Egham and Staines on a Saturday night I started to realise that ‘looking like a hardnut’ helps a workaday rock muso, in their daily grind, to get
through the concert without mishap. For example, once you ‘come off stage’ gasping for a pint and maybe a smoke and you will need to stroll through an often hostile audience, whose temperament may not be awfully well disposed to you, to get to the bar for a little drink. In these circumstances, it pays if you don’t flounce through the bar-room wearing a one-piece pink shrug and nylon leotard looking like Darkness singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins. It also helps if you look a bit more authentic  (auf-fentik) wearing, maybe, a sombre pair of dirty jeans and a plain T shirt, a bit of 24 hour old fungus on yer chops and a swagger that says, “do you want some, mate?” Obviously, if there are ladies at the venue, you are likely to get a drink from one of these admirers…but this will also invoke ill-feeling from the other alpha males in the room who will, naturally, suppose you are “out to get their birds” and give you ‘a good seeing to’. All of these complications are far more exaggerated if you are playing a working man’s club or a drinkers boozer and all the punters at the establishment have an-inbuilt and overwhelming desire to “give you a good kicking” because you are a fairy, you are a nonce and you are a general neer-do-well.

So I have come up with a strategy for all you budding rockers out there who hope to get through  to ‘last orders’ without having the contents of your nose splattered all over the flock wallpaper.  I hope it helps you to enjoy your concert safe in the knowledge and belief that you will be able to go out into the crowd for half-time drinks and puffs without fear of a bottle being cracked over your head or, at the very least, being ‘accidently’ tripped-up (ha! ha!) as you head back from the bar with a tray load of drinks for your bandmates.

Before I begin on Rock Hard 101, I do  need to define ‘hardness’. To the average British geezer a person who is ‘rock hard’ is anyone who can give a slap, if required, to a recalcitrant yob who jogs his arm ‘accidently’ as he passes. Or who can wink at a lay-dee but who has the good grace to nod understandingly to the lay-dee’s bloke when he notices. Who can drink 2-3 pints in an interval. Who swaggers to the bog like a cross between John Wayne and Dr Dre and, upon entering said shite-house, swings the door of the bog so violently that it almost tears it off of its hinges. Who rolls his own. Who buys his own pints (and never drinks bottles of ‘poof’ drinks like juice.) Who wears a few livid battle scars on his face and/or arms. Who looks like he can ‘handle himself’ in a bundle. Who talks the talk and, far more importantly, walks the walk.

[The Kinks- dirty student scroungers!]

Lesson 1 – hair

It is best by starting out on this lesson by saying that long hair is a no-no. I know you like it and you need it long so that you can headbang – but most of the gents in the quintessential British boozer either have NO HAIR or have No. 1 cuts.

Their attitude is that any man who has long hair is a hippy and is gay. They also have firm opinions about the cleanliness of long hair… so Bob Marley would not be welcome (notwithstanding his general ‘hardness’) because of his long, dirty,
dreads. Neither would Who vocalist Roger Daltrey during  his ‘Tommy’ days because of his frothy head of golden bubbles.  Although, Roger would be more welcome nowadays because he has almost gone bald.

[Who- Frothy head of bubbles not welcome!]

Lesson 2 – clothes

The Kinks circa 1970 would not be considered rock hard because of their long hippy hair. [See above.] But, worse, their clothes scream-out ‘dirty student scrounger’ and so they would not be welcomed. Neither do you want your clothes to mark you out as some kind of intellectual ‘arty-farty’ prat. So Booker T. & the M.G.’s would not be welcome in any Middlesex public bar and neither would Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Your choice of clothes should either be a) understated and similar to the clientele’s own George at Asda-type choice or b) way over the top and military in attitude. The circa 1966 Yardbirds would be very welcome because their style is understated (their hair could do with a wash and a cut though) as long as they left Eric Clapton at home- he often looked like a bit of a hippy. Nowadays Eric looks too ‘posh’ and so would be given a few smacks just for being ‘a rich city banker’ or words to that effect. In the early 1970’s the band Slade looked the part. In those days, before glam, glitter, top hats and stupid heels, this band looked like what they were… a bunch of brummie hard-nuts with a grudge to settle. In those days you would offer to buy them a drink if they strolled into your bar, not just because you wanted to get ‘in’ with the lads but because you feared for your own safety if you did not.

[Slade- buy them a drink- or else!]

Lesson 3 – T shirt

Noel Jones (lead singer with Blue Fuses) wore a sensible Black Pudding T-shirt to his recent Staines Working Mans club gig the other month. Last Saturday, at the Crown Egham, Noel chose to wear a footie shirt.  Another good choice. It is what I call a ‘camoflage’ choice. If all the punters and punteresses in the pub are football fans you need to blend in. Obviously, a good knowledge of soccer is required  in this case or you could make an almighty blunder. However, I have also seen Noel wearing a Cradle of Filth T-shirt in the past and this kind of shirt would be strictly a no-no in the saloon bar at The Crown. Not only has this type of T-shirt got witchcraft connotations, it also says ‘I am a weird beard and I need my head to be kicked in’ to all the regular drinkers.  So here are a few simple rules about your choice of shirt. a) never wear pink (too poofy); b) never wear sleeveless shirts unless you are a hip-hop star or a rapper (too poofy); c) never wear a ‘funny’T shirt (they won’t like the joke).

[Yardbirds- leave Eric at home!]

Lesson 4 – build

Fat bastards, on the whole, look mean and aggressive …but…all the geezers in the pub know that they can ‘take you’ easily because you are out of condition. They like to quote Michael Caine in Get Carter ‘You are a big boy, I know, but you’re out of condition, one hit and you’re down’.  Plus, the downside of being ‘of comfortable build’ is that you are less attractive to the lay-dees. So, although Meat Loaf is one big tough slab of meat, he would not be welcome in my pub on the corner because he is a fat git with long hair and stupid ill-fitting pink-hemmed suit. However, Buster Bloodvessel aka Doug Trendle is just a normal beer-drinking fat bloke who wears sensible clothes and has got a ‘boiled head’ (i.e. a boiled egg in the place of a head of hair.) So it is how you make your build work for you that counts. Mama Cass Elliot would also have been very welcome in The Wheatsheaf & Pigeon any time because she is just a normal fat bird with everyday jumble-sale clothes and a big appetite.

Lesson 5- facial hair

Neither Billy Gibbons nor Dusty Hill would be welcome in my local because they both look like Santa Claus on a night off. Your choice of facial hair should not be too gay (Freddie) or too outrageous (Frank Zappa). Frank may well have looked like a
mean sonofabitch back in the day but your eyes would keep being drawn back to the dead hamsters beneath his beady eyes. In the end you would just have to ‘give him a good kicking’ because of his ‘stupid poncy tash’. It is best to keep your choice of facial hair to a minimum. Stubble is great (remember how masculine everyone thought George Michael was back in his Wham! days with his stubble?) Full-on face covering, beards (like The Beach Boys in 15 Big Ones ) make you look scary and killer-like (Charles Manson) or, worse, may make you look like Rolf Harris.

[Beach Boys- killer beards?]

Lesson 6- swagger

Your swagger as you cross the bar is more important than anything else. If you sway across the room in a pink dress teetering on vertiginous high-heels and you look like that fairy Rob Davis out of Mud you will probably get your face kicked in. But you can pull it off if you look like David Daniel “Dee” Snider (Twisted Sister) because, although you are wearing a frock and make-up, you swagger up to the bar looking like a Polish scaffolder on his night off… as if you mean business.

[Dee Sinder- fairy with swagger?]

Conclusion

Lemmy (out of motorhead) is a man’s man. Warts, Nazi clothing, grizzled features, swagger, worn out thin build and a F*** You attitude.

He is the personification of Rock Hard.

© Neil_Mach
Sep 2008

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