tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113209902024-03-23T13:15:01.951-05:00M.E.L.T.Media Environment in Layman's TermsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-75181598215969708802020-08-07T14:49:00.038-05:002020-08-15T12:00:45.267-05:00Boy Howdy! It's Another CREEM Documentary Review<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UHXJmPrEbVt2X2OnxejOBDsUvIGms5H_HLoc2QG8VCnpAw_kOkn6j1PlIEOMna02UpWyVPoF7PImCJkO4Gv2Xke75xFFg-ELJd3Cxet_4PaFVhFJhnb7mhse5NjGeELda0McUw/s1000/01+CREEM+boy+howdy+t-shirts.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1000" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UHXJmPrEbVt2X2OnxejOBDsUvIGms5H_HLoc2QG8VCnpAw_kOkn6j1PlIEOMna02UpWyVPoF7PImCJkO4Gv2Xke75xFFg-ELJd3Cxet_4PaFVhFJhnb7mhse5NjGeELda0McUw/w400-h301/01+CREEM+boy+howdy+t-shirts.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">My first Boy Howdy T-shirt arrived when my CREEM subscription began in May 1980. After decades of abuse it had to be mothballed as a beloved relic. Miraculously, in December 2016 I got a new version for donating to a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cra/boy-howdy-the-story-of-creem-magazine?ref=video" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">KickStarter campaign</a> for a proposed CREEM documentary.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">After a wait of forever, <a href="https://watch.eventive.org/creem/play/5f205011072cc30098686a36" target="_blank">the documentary is here</a>! Donators received a private link for an advance screening in March 2020, so I started the COVID-19 quarantine watching it on my laptop with the ability to pause, reflect and rewind to absorb even more details. That pause function was crucial for the exacting achievement of finding my name in the 15-mile long closing credits:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-Z7J1pBzT4LUUWcu79TO53cAmCqEgRGGMiHoheeKH412sOxYZ20YHZPx77A3oK2P68Rx8wlAewEY649kmAyU6N1MQZNLsCEelT82W67iKEnf_XrCMa2fE7uQNkrbffAg2FrXxg/s1000/02+creem+documentary+closing+credits.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1000" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-Z7J1pBzT4LUUWcu79TO53cAmCqEgRGGMiHoheeKH412sOxYZ20YHZPx77A3oK2P68Rx8wlAewEY649kmAyU6N1MQZNLsCEelT82W67iKEnf_XrCMa2fE7uQNkrbffAg2FrXxg/w400-h283/02+creem+documentary+closing+credits.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Surely that list of donors also coincides with old subscription lists. It felt good to see the names of so many people who shared this passion, because back in the day it always felt like it was me and the CREEM staff (and letter writers) against the world. That’s an outsider theory the documentary makes crystal clear, so it’s a relief to know I wasn’t over-dramatizing a neurotic complex, but more like I understood the finer point: “Gabba gabba, one of us!”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">At one point in the film, <b>Michael Stipe</b> recounts the first time seeing CREEM, which for him was the January 1972 issue with <b>Alice Cooper</b> as Santa Claus on the cover. Later in high school, he found CREEM again and crushed hard on a Patti Smith photo. His most important takeaway: "I was trying to find my gang. I wasn't going to find them in high school. I found them in CREEM magazine."</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Stipe got to the heart of how important it is to find your people. The only members of my tribe were the names on the CREEM masthead for a solid 5 years or so. It took the post-high school life expansion to find folks with a similar musical mindset, and those who s</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">pecifically</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> had their brains branded by CREEM remain my most cherished friends.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Since a running theme of the documentary is people sharing their “CREEM changed my life” origin story, <i>and</i> I chipped in to the slush fund, I’m slapping my reel onto their film projector.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">CREEM Nostalgia Wax: It began in December 1979…</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nLS-h0swVbvP60oQbfLAtisll1_DVrjow7_3Sw9heH5YAhzn_4OXLfzMgVWAhXLWT50wlbswrUzF_7edqFcq2FYUk2RR0LuyGDfBtMzL5W0k9jq_1W7x2oN1Ywt5WcDYgI4iQQ/s2048/03+CREEM+December+1979.jpg" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nLS-h0swVbvP60oQbfLAtisll1_DVrjow7_3Sw9heH5YAhzn_4OXLfzMgVWAhXLWT50wlbswrUzF_7edqFcq2FYUk2RR0LuyGDfBtMzL5W0k9jq_1W7x2oN1Ywt5WcDYgI4iQQ/s640/03+CREEM+December+1979.jpg" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">It was a late Sunday afternoon on a cold, gray day in early December when Mom picks me up from an overnight at my best friend’s house and we make a stop at the nearby Majik Market. Something in their tiny newsstand caught my eye. <i>It’s Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick on the cover of a magazine!</i> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I violently grab it, go to the table of contents, and there’s the <i>most</i> gorgeous picture of <b>Tom Petersson</b> <i>ever</i>! I didn’t need to investigate any further, I (well, OK, Mom) simply bought it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">On our short drive home, I devoured the entire <b>Cheap Trick</b> article, stopping only to ask Mom, “What does ‘r’n’r’ stand for?” She did not know (“Rest and relaxation, like in the military?”) and it would take a few days for me to figure out it was an abbreviation for Rock ‘n’ Roll. Duh.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPdtxo800fjfva5KD72GC3wVgff3BL1YdumyrhzNwfjhEZi8U8CnQ4t82ZkR8na4NGOqCaZxhcCUOxLqeSZOzV52RSrf4wDpVKlHGfTC7EMigKIl4Bk5ZkkVhcNE7d1fYBN3ng/s2048/04+Cheap+Trick+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1510" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPdtxo800fjfva5KD72GC3wVgff3BL1YdumyrhzNwfjhEZi8U8CnQ4t82ZkR8na4NGOqCaZxhcCUOxLqeSZOzV52RSrf4wDpVKlHGfTC7EMigKIl4Bk5ZkkVhcNE7d1fYBN3ng/s640/04+Cheap+Trick+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg" /></a><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was also deeply intrigued and perplexed by the photo cutlines. It was a new sensation to giggle uncomfortably at photo captions, especially in comparison to the lame or descriptive ones in my teenybopper and fashion magazines. And then that reading-in-a-car-headache ended my first taste of CREEM.</span><p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px; text-indent: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The next day, I played hooky from school so I could dissect this new cell under the microscope. There were insightful articles about bands I’d barely heard of (<b>The Records</b>), just getting familiar with (<b>The B-52s</b>, <b>The Clash</b>) and already liked (<b>The Kinks</b>). There were 7 pages of in-depth record reviews (hey, they like the new <b>Zeppelin</b> as much as I do!), plus some capsule record, TV and movie reviews, and both rock & roll <i>and</i> Hollywood gossip columns. 66-pages of useful and trivial information starting with outrageous readers’ letters and ending with “Backstage,” a whole page devoted to nothing but photos (look, <b>Nick Gilder</b>!) with those whacky captions.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPdtxo800fjfva5KD72GC3wVgff3BL1YdumyrhzNwfjhEZi8U8CnQ4t82ZkR8na4NGOqCaZxhcCUOxLqeSZOzV52RSrf4wDpVKlHGfTC7EMigKIl4Bk5ZkkVhcNE7d1fYBN3ng/s2048/04+Cheap+Trick+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmxQE_I7OgY-SRfmP0f6-yiYMc7BBUvHeuL2dj_AM9zRGFFARm7HZvsH0OB6ZKPZdVO_q7cWpUkdHl3PBWbx5AuK2HEf-CwWLyDxTa4ZXY9II9cj2zUktTqaIzHpr7HGME5J_Lw/s2048/05+Backstage+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1508" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmxQE_I7OgY-SRfmP0f6-yiYMc7BBUvHeuL2dj_AM9zRGFFARm7HZvsH0OB6ZKPZdVO_q7cWpUkdHl3PBWbx5AuK2HEf-CwWLyDxTa4ZXY9II9cj2zUktTqaIzHpr7HGME5J_Lw/s640/05+Backstage+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg" /></a><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;">My kidnapped mind was captivated. As I read the issue from cover to cover for the second time, I wondered how I’d missed seeing this magazine before. I was already reading </span><i style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;">Hit Parader</i><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"> and </span><i style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;">Circus</i><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"> on a regular basis and would scan an issue of </span><i style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;">Rolling Stone</i><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"> to assess its usefulness before buying. All of these magazines were on the newsstands I visited on a weekly basis, but why had I never seen CREEM on those racks?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">A flashback to the summer of 1978…</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My best friend’s cool Aunt Carla was temporarily staying with them. To us, Carla </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">was</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Rhoda and it was fascinating to watch a corner of the basement where we regularly set up our tween Barbie village be transformed by her exotic adult things.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There was pot-smoking paraphernalia on Carla’s dresser, and piles of her impressive drawings of <b>Paul McCartney</b> and <b>Rod Stewart</b>. There was this small stack of CREEM magazines by her bed. The name made me assume it was porno, but if so, why is <b>David Bowie</b> on the cover?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxbI0DYvQa_ccsikYj5YBVbn0f1rsDMAVij0wzVP-YblOdMURPqB0dk3suYCkrT4t9W6HHAW7btigGeNl6ABKt1pjYnV7Eti9AmJ5_cGat5BlXAdg2XcyNZ0wka9h0P2P0MCmHA/s2048/06+CREEM+September+1978.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxbI0DYvQa_ccsikYj5YBVbn0f1rsDMAVij0wzVP-YblOdMURPqB0dk3suYCkrT4t9W6HHAW7btigGeNl6ABKt1pjYnV7Eti9AmJ5_cGat5BlXAdg2XcyNZ0wka9h0P2P0MCmHA/s640/06+CREEM+September+1978.jpg" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Turns out it was a rock magazine, and there was an article about <b>Patti Smith</b> whom I’d been loving all summer long “Because the Night.” Turns out she’s also a poet? Huh. Cool.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GXN1ezyzZAMgg5SkeeXKX4iaQzqTjUUsnLZqc8dP1J4W3OHgab63ROm8JkN9H6akF4IAZ8TDk87Fi8HGLqRmadg2ACcvF1PA4rheeP1v07I6Dx0BcoblqN8UaovD2GcJuKJNkg/s2048/07+Patti+Smith+CREEM+Sept+1978.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="2048" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GXN1ezyzZAMgg5SkeeXKX4iaQzqTjUUsnLZqc8dP1J4W3OHgab63ROm8JkN9H6akF4IAZ8TDk87Fi8HGLqRmadg2ACcvF1PA4rheeP1v07I6Dx0BcoblqN8UaovD2GcJuKJNkg/w400-h276/07+Patti+Smith+CREEM+Sept+1978.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><span face="" style="color: black; display: inline; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 1em 0px;">I grab another issue (May 1978) that flips open to some cat named Elvis who looks like Buddy Holly. What the 1950s confusion hell?! I wanted to dive deeper into that pile of magazines but was pulled away for more age-appropriate playtime.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPdtxo800fjfva5KD72GC3wVgff3BL1YdumyrhzNwfjhEZi8U8CnQ4t82ZkR8na4NGOqCaZxhcCUOxLqeSZOzV52RSrf4wDpVKlHGfTC7EMigKIl4Bk5ZkkVhcNE7d1fYBN3ng/s2048/04+Cheap+Trick+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW05auAraOy9DMqXG9kn6iRNdiIlCK_W7_nmUqglvNYnWIzNp2Sbr56A4zyrD2KlRlpSQZAH0yjQPw0Av2lkOjxrSjqeQn3v8vqxvgjapAbsVkgCZXI4tR1zl0oLA3vGRNcMIp9A/s2048/08+Elvis+Costello+CREEM+May+1978.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="2048" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW05auAraOy9DMqXG9kn6iRNdiIlCK_W7_nmUqglvNYnWIzNp2Sbr56A4zyrD2KlRlpSQZAH0yjQPw0Av2lkOjxrSjqeQn3v8vqxvgjapAbsVkgCZXI4tR1zl0oLA3vGRNcMIp9A/w400-h269/08+Elvis+Costello+CREEM+May+1978.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmxQE_I7OgY-SRfmP0f6-yiYMc7BBUvHeuL2dj_AM9zRGFFARm7HZvsH0OB6ZKPZdVO_q7cWpUkdHl3PBWbx5AuK2HEf-CwWLyDxTa4ZXY9II9cj2zUktTqaIzHpr7HGME5J_Lw/s2048/05+Backstage+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">16 months later, CREEM found me yet again, and from now until the end of time we shan’t ever part. I was raised to be a magazine junkie so was well-versed on the various formats, but this was unlike <i>any</i> magazine I’d encountered. And compared to other <i>music</i> magazines – fuhgeddaboudit!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Other rock rags had taught me to be deadly serious about the opinion-based facts of rock. Initially assuming CREEM was the same, when that photo caption said Tom Petersson would show you his groceries, I was jealous that a reporter got to go shopping with him! When the “CREEM’s Profiles” said <b>Mitch Ryder’s</b> “LAST ACCOMPLISHMENT:” was “staying awake for two encores,” I worried about his health, and why I had I never seen Boy Howdy! Beer at the supermarket?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">It took a couple of issues to lock into the CREEM state of mind, and it’s now in my DNA. The allure was their complete irreverence. When music was your lifeline, this kind of irony, sarcasm and goofiness seemed a better way to deal with being a rock & roll junkie.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Other rock magazines were writing serious articles and reviews about bands on the labels that had bought advertisements, and the reverence within those interviews felt like going to church on Sunday. CREEM also had record label ads but somehow felt free to take the piss out of any band that irritated them. Even when the staff adored an act their ribs were poked, and if the idol could take the ribbing, that made them even cooler. Both sides being in on the joke was powerful medicine, and rock writers being the equal of the rock stars was mind-blowing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">CREEM was like a sexy, educational MAD magazine. Every issue was snorting soda out the nose funny while pointing me in the direction of music that I was glad to have spent purloined money on <i>most</i> of the time (no matter how much they pushed <b>Southside Johnny</b> or <b>Ted Nugent</b>, I just couldn’t with that).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GXN1ezyzZAMgg5SkeeXKX4iaQzqTjUUsnLZqc8dP1J4W3OHgab63ROm8JkN9H6akF4IAZ8TDk87Fi8HGLqRmadg2ACcvF1PA4rheeP1v07I6Dx0BcoblqN8UaovD2GcJuKJNkg/s2048/07+Patti+Smith+CREEM+Sept+1978.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtoQRKtFhb61H1RypJf1pEV8fmSLGOHa7dg5rbliM0juSxliB0yi8cRH6PJH-V_Yr6fDQcj184z7iW2BzvOO_yX_WSfdTHXRV1fBP-sQFF1h6VGW_CNhF3hGeHi2F6JRZudwDFw/s2048/09+CREEM+October+1980+backpages.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtoQRKtFhb61H1RypJf1pEV8fmSLGOHa7dg5rbliM0juSxliB0yi8cRH6PJH-V_Yr6fDQcj184z7iW2BzvOO_yX_WSfdTHXRV1fBP-sQFF1h6VGW_CNhF3hGeHi2F6JRZudwDFw/w400-h263/09+CREEM+October+1980+backpages.jpg" width="400" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">CREEM found me at precisely the right moment. I was 14 and completely booze and drug-free, a clean and unadulterated vessel waiting to be filled up, allowing CREEM to cement its hold on the very fiber of my being. It was my first drug and warped just as many brain cells.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Previously, I’d wallowed joyously in the mindless, shallow end of pop music and culture, but with the arrival of puberty and an expanding curiosity of “serious music,” I was nearing the moment of turning into a humorless, overly self-conscious “rawk” geek. Blessedly there came the “Bozos on the bus” honking their horns, spraying the seltzer and saving me from a life path that would surely have led to <b>Zappa</b>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I gladly let the CREEM writers become my barometer of taste. They didn’t care about mega-selling chart action or critical reputations; it was about who delivered the goods. Sure, they covered some popular bands, but 7 times out of 10 it was to take the wind out of their sails and see how they reacted to being forced to walk the plank.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The best example of mega-selling being ship ahoy: <b>Van Halen</b>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The best example of mega-selling being buried at sea: <b>Rush</b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs1xEEHlfR6Lir0jqh1EOiD4qnkqXsQVSs7STHRJWEHPYBcqAaG5oKAxi0XU8RPApVNBTP54Q9Q7o5g0iAg1eo3cMqSaijQdG5UB63qB_mQh_ycadZLluCNaEm5AhUatVQoMSqQ/s2048/10+Rush+CREEM+June+1981.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1433" data-original-width="2048" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs1xEEHlfR6Lir0jqh1EOiD4qnkqXsQVSs7STHRJWEHPYBcqAaG5oKAxi0XU8RPApVNBTP54Q9Q7o5g0iAg1eo3cMqSaijQdG5UB63qB_mQh_ycadZLluCNaEm5AhUatVQoMSqQ/w400-h280/10+Rush+CREEM+June+1981.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><b>J. Kordosh’s</b> instantly-legendary article <a href="https://www.creemmag.com/blogs/journal/lorem-ipsum-test-blog" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Rush: But Why Are They In Such Hurry?</a> from the June 1981 issue remains the #1 rock artifact that cracks me up every time (#2 being the <a href="https://youtu.be/b7slOg80T2M" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Styx VH1 Behind the Music episode</a>). I’ve long had a love/hate relationship with Rush. I’m fortunate to have seen them on their final tour. Yet when <b>Neil Peart</b> tragically died to soon, I immediately went to this article for a memorial roast to laugh my tits off. For the 28<sup>th</sup> time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Geddy Lee</b> being pissed off at CREEM was a delicious layer of inside-baseball with my adopted dysfunctional family. He was reacting to this Eleganza article from the October 1980 issue:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32YTkByhQDCyJD_xNHIBVXFUg2aifyW2b4Ct-5fDTBWguOjJkI3p6hFa-aFQU0D3hx169xn46I7BJkBlXEa6Nk2YsmNwmgxyVSumD6eBGgMclrYRCsV1tNLeUu2V-EHJphir1JQ/s2048/11+CREEM+Eleganza+October+1980.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1509" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32YTkByhQDCyJD_xNHIBVXFUg2aifyW2b4Ct-5fDTBWguOjJkI3p6hFa-aFQU0D3hx169xn46I7BJkBlXEa6Nk2YsmNwmgxyVSumD6eBGgMclrYRCsV1tNLeUu2V-EHJphir1JQ/s640/11+CREEM+Eleganza+October+1980.jpg" /></a><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This was the time period when disco had been killed as New Wave was making inroads onto the pop charts while classic rock was threatened by both genres. For some of us, it was a glorious time in music because everything was available with a short spin of the radio dial. This is exactly the time period <b>Richard Linklater</b> celebrated in the 2016 film </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody_Wants_Some!!_(film)" style="color: #954f72; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">Everybody Wants Some!</a><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> But for some folks this abundance of musical variety turned into a musical war amusingly reflected in CREEM readers’ mail.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Oh, man, there has never been a letter section like it, and only (CREEM sans music) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_(magazine)" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><i>Spy</i> magazine</a> came close. The passionate and insane voices of CREEM readers fed the editorial staff (thus proving you <i>can</i> make a meal from roadkill) and taking their cues from us rather than record company ad money is what made the magazine so unique for so long. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From 1979-1980, readers were constantly squabbling about (to summarize) <b>Pink Floyd</b> vs. <b>The Clash</b>, so CREEM fanned the flames with a cover like this:</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32YTkByhQDCyJD_xNHIBVXFUg2aifyW2b4Ct-5fDTBWguOjJkI3p6hFa-aFQU0D3hx169xn46I7BJkBlXEa6Nk2YsmNwmgxyVSumD6eBGgMclrYRCsV1tNLeUu2V-EHJphir1JQ/s2048/11+CREEM+Eleganza+October+1980.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0v3JVZyAawb9vLXGxppfPnijG94w5p_Zq9hvHixrXantOHEbsem4wtNhrY3h6bDrIvo1nZasLZJBeSo1bMGLvI0rKpmBZPphdb7m27L06ajtvyfREEBrFMUsZtcQrfB3mmGlkQ/s2048/12+CREEM+June+1980.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1549" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0v3JVZyAawb9vLXGxppfPnijG94w5p_Zq9hvHixrXantOHEbsem4wtNhrY3h6bDrIvo1nZasLZJBeSo1bMGLvI0rKpmBZPphdb7m27L06ajtvyfREEBrFMUsZtcQrfB3mmGlkQ/s640/12+CREEM+June+1980.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32YTkByhQDCyJD_xNHIBVXFUg2aifyW2b4Ct-5fDTBWguOjJkI3p6hFa-aFQU0D3hx169xn46I7BJkBlXEa6Nk2YsmNwmgxyVSumD6eBGgMclrYRCsV1tNLeUu2V-EHJphir1JQ/s2048/11+CREEM+Eleganza+October+1980.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">They brought the war to a head with that Eleganza article, a debate between Janie Jones and Geddy Lee Roth. <i>The</i> Geddy Lee missed the finer points of satire (his first time reading CREEM, perhaps?) and conveyed his snit through their publicist, thus handing CREEM the very fact they needed to prove their musical point. The whole thing was chum to sharks, and I often wonder if Geddy taking part in SCTV’s <a href="https://youtu.be/8Jm4LoOaAWI" style="color: #954f72; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">Bob & Doug McKenzie’s “Take Off“</a><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> single a year later was a way for him to acclimate to this thing they call a sense of humor.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">So yeah, that’s a small example of the CREEM rabbit hole, eh?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">CREEM’s pet bands were those who seldom sold the amount of records equal to their talent and/or influence: <b>Iggy Pop</b> (whom they introduced me to and thank you!) <b>Lou Reed</b>, <b>The Replacements</b>, <b>The Ramones</b> or <b>Dwight Twilley</b>. But they also “got” and highlighted the pleasures of mega-sellers like <b>Van Halen</b>, <b>Kiss</b>, <b>Led Zeppelin</b> or <b>Queen</b>. They treated their favorites as if they were the most popular band on the planet, giving years of early coverage to <b>Blondie</b>, <b>Cheap Trick</b>, <b>Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers</b> and <b>R.E.M</b>. When these bands finally “made the big time,” they monitored them with a jaundiced eye and called crap if or when it happened.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZAcHNiR6AryCntN-RVE9WuFqZOinyqiyf-gCi2Qdl5TZ3727FFfpHx-Q738EKoffoCHKt8IOyqnBhE3xtqckwonj3s3vBjdkrdEEdh1gD0djqFxiHDlykTNWsMsncetftfLVcg/s2000/13+CREEM+article+excerpt+October+1980.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZAcHNiR6AryCntN-RVE9WuFqZOinyqiyf-gCi2Qdl5TZ3727FFfpHx-Q738EKoffoCHKt8IOyqnBhE3xtqckwonj3s3vBjdkrdEEdh1gD0djqFxiHDlykTNWsMsncetftfLVcg/w400-h300/13+CREEM+article+excerpt+October+1980.jpg" width="400" /></a><span face="" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Like Webster’s Dictionary, CREEM expanded my vocabulary of real words and made-up words - like “eelfingers” (see above and <a href="http://rockcriticsarchives.com/interviews/rickjohnson/rickjohnson.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">thank you Rick Johnson</a>) - that so perfectly summed up my feelings that I use them as a shorthand to this day. CREEM was the embodiment of “Reading is FUNdamental!”</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Equal Opportunity CREEM</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">One aspect of CREEM that I never considered until the documentary spelled it out was their unique female voice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdD49d9Xryzb_LOjA903eanM39JFGgG7iJawm-K8-QtVIJfrvzufLXWM7tgcJrGUqIFYWaGL_xFWp9sfUhLZtPdW4sac5U-AckdbDXxYUEruke8CilmhHzBzlMExzdwMJVH5p2g/s1200/14+CREEM+documentary+Jaan+Uhelski.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1200" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdD49d9Xryzb_LOjA903eanM39JFGgG7iJawm-K8-QtVIJfrvzufLXWM7tgcJrGUqIFYWaGL_xFWp9sfUhLZtPdW4sac5U-AckdbDXxYUEruke8CilmhHzBzlMExzdwMJVH5p2g/w400-h224/14+CREEM+documentary+Jaan+Uhelski.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">As <a href="https://jaanuhelszki.com/" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Jaan Uhelszki</a> points out in the film (above), half of the staff were women, and that both women <i>and</i> men were shown naked in the pages. It was (for a time) ladies who wrote those notorious photo captions. Paging through my archives, turns out it was <b>Penny Valentine</b> who first introduced me to <b>Pretenders</b> in the April 1980 issue and <a href="http://www.susanwhitall.com/index.htm" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Susan Whitall</a> who wrote the <b>Pretenders</b> cover article 4 months later. Meaning, the ladies on staff were just as crucial to my education as the men but doing so naturally rather than calling it out as an E.R.A. pat on the head, which is how the rest of the music industry treated any appearance of a female in any capacity.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">During an era when radio stations admitted they would only play one female act per hour, CREEM was equal opportunity with regular coverage of male and female artists in every issue, including the coveted cover spot and The CREEM Dreem.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw8zZRGl2Bj229dPlyEPMh9bfDULtNY9hT4iLsXUHtZbdnRLC13m2a5vgvf3ufFambG6bc8tkXIGZVQtXh9EFmcfng_lGeuTMWwYSMkB8vathGhC7bEpm0DpTENf63iqMe1qleg/s2048/15+CREEM+backpages+May+1981+divine.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw8zZRGl2Bj229dPlyEPMh9bfDULtNY9hT4iLsXUHtZbdnRLC13m2a5vgvf3ufFambG6bc8tkXIGZVQtXh9EFmcfng_lGeuTMWwYSMkB8vathGhC7bEpm0DpTENf63iqMe1qleg/w400-h275/15+CREEM+backpages+May+1981+divine.jpg" width="400" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Additionally, every color of the rainbow flag was part of their content. Acts such as <b>Divine</b> (above in the May 1981 issue), <b>Jayne</b> (previously Wayne) <b>County</b>, <b>Sylvester</b>, <b>Tom Robinson</b> and <b>Soft Cell</b> were always in regular rotation for their work rather than their orientation, which was acknowledged but not exploited. And while avoiding outing them, the persuasion of front men like <b>Freddie Mercury</b> and <b>Rob Halford</b> were humorously winked at in a manner that must not have offended them because (unlike <b>Rush</b>) <b>Queen</b> and <b>Judas Priest</b> repeatedly came back to CREEM to talk up the next album.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">But let’s not misconstrue any of the above as virtuous diversity initiatives. There were <i>no</i> sacred idols within CREEM’s pages. It was incessant equal opportunity trashing of everyone and themselves. Seen through today’s lens, some of this content posted herein makes me wince. Then I think about <b>Doug Stanhope’s</b> 2007 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n34eeXWjUQ&feature=youtu.be" style="color: #954f72; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">This Generation Sucks bit</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, and hoist a shot to the decadent past of a “bunch of old fucks.” As with everything in history and culture, we need the parameters of context and intent to decide which hill to pass out on.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In one sense, CREEM was inadvertently nurturing me to be open and accepting of the full spectrum of life's rich banquet, the equal opportunity of respect <i>and</i> harassment without turning it into a “spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” afterschool special. They were a bunch of dirtbags whose punk-ass brand of inclusiveness was so natural that I didn’t put any of these pieces together until the staffers pointed it out in the documentary.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Boy Howdy! Finishing School</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoY_2hKEGyM-pzVuePZh4g3My5B22MLixwDWxf7LKkOKcO7R-Ue2H-GgRAGM9nZjIWTAvh1RKqwncYzHGRYgpbg7M0ZstxaEu0lNFvwWPfGrM5I4nvOZYW5GkVOqB9sEnNaSg7w/s2000/16+Personal+CREEM+Archives.jpg" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="2000" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoY_2hKEGyM-pzVuePZh4g3My5B22MLixwDWxf7LKkOKcO7R-Ue2H-GgRAGM9nZjIWTAvh1RKqwncYzHGRYgpbg7M0ZstxaEu0lNFvwWPfGrM5I4nvOZYW5GkVOqB9sEnNaSg7w/w400-h260/16+Personal+CREEM+Archives.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I was a CREEM subscriber from early 1980 until the last issue, November 1988, arrived in the mail. During that time - and beyond – I’ve gathered as many back issues as possible. The collection became so large I had to stash them in banker’s boxes that I still carry from place to place. They are schoolbooks, a reference library that in this Wikipedia age contains much musical knowledge yet to be digitized.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The magazine also influenced the course of my life. Here is a (trying to be brief) outline:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Since 3<sup>rd</sup> grade, I was an obsessive typist writing short stories, entertainment observations and transcribing Casey Kasem Top 40 lists. By junior high, CREEM transformed those two habits into “publishing” my own fanzine, <i>Ear Candy</i>. This was 6 issues for an audience of 2 where I shared opinions on records I bought and typed out portions of CREEM articles to make them shorter. While not original, it did give me detailed insight into the cadence, punctuation and editing of rock journalism.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The next step was having a letter published in CREEM. Turns out that was not a personal dubious achievement, because in the documentary <b>Thurston Moore</b> mentions the thrill of having <i>his</i> letter published in CREEM. Neither of us is mentioning how many times we submitted letters before getting the nod. I finally made the cut in the June 1988 issue: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sVgKBvGUX_71PnTgO6MwoV_8lV10-cF7eAth-48V2Ms6swMwtp5aOom9_cMn4378FatcK6AVViiBfnULxzPrx7-i2cZa6ntVmXfDW_8WnyFj2nud1R1Mq3Ncc_ADk6ye_Uv0PA/s2048/17+CREEM+letters+June+1988.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sVgKBvGUX_71PnTgO6MwoV_8lV10-cF7eAth-48V2Ms6swMwtp5aOom9_cMn4378FatcK6AVViiBfnULxzPrx7-i2cZa6ntVmXfDW_8WnyFj2nud1R1Mq3Ncc_ADk6ye_Uv0PA/s640/17+CREEM+letters+June+1988.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">When <b>Tom Petersson</b> shockingly showed up onstage with <b>Cheap Trick</b> at the Westport Playhouse in St. Louis in January 1988 my second thought was to let CREEM know. Because I knew they’d care, and even though it took them 4 months to publish what was now old news, they validated my belief of the importance of this matter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">4 months after this music journalism milestone, I submitted unsolicited concert reviews and photos of <b>Ramones</b> and <b>The Church</b> shows I’d seen at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Nights" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Mississippi Nights</a> to the locally produced/nationally distributed <a href="http://www.wikilou.com/1.27.0/index.php?title=Jet_Lag" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><i>Jet Lag</i> magazine</a>. Days later I got the phone call that they wanted to publish them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">By the time CREEM published their last issue in November 1988, I was a <i>Jet Lag</i> editor. What this meant was that along with interviewing bands that came into town, writing articles and record reviews, I was doing all the typesetting and layout and getting the issues off to the printer. Eventually, I became the publisher and co-owner. Parts of the <i>Jet Lag</i> saga are <a href="http://www.tobyweiss.com/media/music-media/" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">documented by myself here</a> and by <a href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2012-03-08/second-set-the-sudden-descent-of-jet-lag" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Thomas Crone here</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">This misspent industriousness was solely the fault of all those years of drowning in CREEM. And since they no longer existed, I blatantly stole their entire concept to turn <i>Jet Lag</i> into CREEM 2.0.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEzKTTim_j7SX9-4KaFjgvbzYi7YxLfvS9zcvyQJa50Dtr5JFYfZ_TDsNlneXLq1ODBE0B60Dgb8IHhrmZdbS_A6O6D54GLxTEjDhdUzMi_8GtV4GHBaCdnKJf6NThs_Hy2MPYg/s1935/18+Jet+Lag+magazine+Spring+1991.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1935" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEzKTTim_j7SX9-4KaFjgvbzYi7YxLfvS9zcvyQJa50Dtr5JFYfZ_TDsNlneXLq1ODBE0B60Dgb8IHhrmZdbS_A6O6D54GLxTEjDhdUzMi_8GtV4GHBaCdnKJf6NThs_Hy2MPYg/s640/18+Jet+Lag+magazine+Spring+1991.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">From their issues in the late 1970s, I cloned most every layout element because, hey, if it worked before, it’ll work again. The 3 or so people on-staff who knew exactly what I was doing jumped in and indulged their own CREEM dreams, so it was a shameless mimeograph. Turns out, though, there was an untapped market of music nerds missing CREEM and would tell us so as they bought more ads and subscriptions.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU9tnm5CPk9QoIvBZlGfZ_fUVoPs9bgsE_rbD2ibdfnYZ3vjI0FGdqMYOZ4HAIFsJ2vTH0HyNb86a0u8jOO4kVau1D3-4L2Iyc0gMx5QzB3Mk2Mllf7H4kYtYyU92_QYrU5njBw/s2000/19+Jet+Lag+Spring+1991+Bubble+Metal.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="2000" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU9tnm5CPk9QoIvBZlGfZ_fUVoPs9bgsE_rbD2ibdfnYZ3vjI0FGdqMYOZ4HAIFsJ2vTH0HyNb86a0u8jOO4kVau1D3-4L2Iyc0gMx5QzB3Mk2Mllf7H4kYtYyU92_QYrU5njBw/w400-h271/19+Jet+Lag+Spring+1991+Bubble+Metal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">More record company ads meant more pages, so there was room to stretch out and write think pieces and feature the work of local artists as stand-alone cartoons, centerfolds and article illustrations. An example of a think piece with local art is my Bubble Metal article shown above, which was also a loving homage to CREEM writer <b>Rick Johnson</b>, who <a href="http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com/2007/03/rick-johnson-1950-2006_27.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">died in 2006</a> at the age of 55.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In 1992, <a href="https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Writer/bill-holdship" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Bill Holdship</a> (editor from 1980-1987) was editor for a weekly entertainment rag (that I blieve was <i>LA New Times</i>). One of our west coast writers sent a copy of the latest <i>Jet Lag</i> to Holdship, figuring that since we were such a CREEM rip-off he might get a kick out of it. He <i>did</i> get a kick and wrote a short, kind blurb in the paper that acknowledged our CREEM spirit and thumbs up for the content. <i>He gave us his blessing!!</i> I cried tears of joy!! And almost immediately lost the newspaper, thus depriving myself of re-reading it once a week till the day I die.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I need to interrupt this Dear Diary moment… Namechecking the influence that <b>Rick Johnson</b>, <a href="http://rockcriticsarchives.com/interviews/johnkordosh/johnkordosh.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><b>J. Kordosh</b></a> (<a href="https://rocknyc.live/john-kordosh-creem-editor-chemist-pop-culture-critic-dies.html" target="_blank">who passed in 2017</a>) <b>Dave DiMartino</b>, Holdship, etc. had on my life brings up an important question…<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What’s Missing from the CREEM Documentary?</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You mean besides the curious and conspicuous absence of <b>Iggy Pop</b> as a talking head?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">What’s missing from this documentary is the staff that ran CREEM from 1977 - 1988, and that part of the story.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Rick Johnson</b> gets a shout-out for his altercations with <b>Joan Jett</b> (who is in the doc) over his <a href="https://theunderestimator-2.tumblr.com/post/185768839446/joan-jett-jackie-fox-of-the-runaways-in-creem" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">continual trashing of The Runaways in 1977</a>. Aside from that, the people at the helm of CREEM’s peaks sales years of 1978 and 1979 are footnotes, and most everything that happened to the magazine after founder and publisher <b>Barry Kramer</b> died in 1981 is swept into a 3-minute dust pile.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4Ngk2c4jdNUg0rm0yySdDACvaUspOa4fDNmBSqMGr-At38udOqsQl6cfNLQlmldZamBedrugyEf4d6dCH9T8evwpe4GFuR4666uc98bSo3D7nXwYG4lGxPDITfZiKRgdw1-Hug/s2048/20+CREEM+April+1981+Barry+Kramer+obit.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4Ngk2c4jdNUg0rm0yySdDACvaUspOa4fDNmBSqMGr-At38udOqsQl6cfNLQlmldZamBedrugyEf4d6dCH9T8evwpe4GFuR4666uc98bSo3D7nXwYG4lGxPDITfZiKRgdw1-Hug/w400-h267/20+CREEM+April+1981+Barry+Kramer+obit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">One of the documentary’s producers is <a href="https://www.columbusmonthly.com/content/stories/2016/12/the-story-of-creem.html" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">J.J. Kramer</a>, who lost his father, Barry, when he was 4 years old. So, the emotional pull of this documentary is a man learning about the father he never got the chance to truly know. From that angle, it works beautifully and movingly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">But the vast majority of the people on staff at the time of J.J.’s birth and onward are largely overlooked. The film cultivates the narrative that nothing really mattered after the departure of <b>Lester Bangs</b>, <b>Dave Marsh</b>, <b>Jaan Uhelszki</b> by 1976, and Barry’s untimely passing was the official end. Yet Barry’s widow (and J.J.’s mother), Connie, retained control of CREEM until selling the rights in 1986, so the magazine was still very much a part of their life for 5 years after Barry’s death. The documentary focusing only on the first 45% of the magazine’s history is curious and frustrating.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Without fail, the time period a person regularly read CREEM is when they think CREEM was at its peak. This means the magazine was at its editorial peak for almost 20 years, because CREEM was always a reliable and dedicated alternative to the mainstream music press. Whoever was at the helm, it remained unwavering in its iconoclastic viewpoints and bruised integrity as the audience switched from Baby Boomers to Gen X, from radio to MTV, from vinyl to CD.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Instead, the documentary unwittingly reveals a line drawn in the sand between when it was relevant and when it supposedly wasn’t. Turns out that long before the documentary was a twinkle in J.J.’s eye the cultural battle between 70s vs 80s CREEM staffers had begun.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There’s a fascinating view of the internal CREEM rancor from a January 2008 2-part article by <b>Bill Holdship</b>. <a href="https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/sour-creem/Content?oid=2190982" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Part 1 outlines a 2001 South By Southwest panel</a> where the majority bashed on anything that happened at CREEM after <b>Dave Marsh</b> left, as Holdship sat there. <a href="https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/creemed/Content?oid=2191035" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">Part 2 outlines the ever-shifting CREEM ownership rights</a> that further solidified the Hatfield vs. the McCoy drama.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZaChH9xG0wfpf-iZZToXYC1bDZ2brdzkkue1e28PrLusdCV2YLgdtKwCgU7ZGGdjbrxSha9eNWQE67l1o-XEYUCmPxSKsZhaKQDBfhKLJcnt1h2SjKvamG0ZZpPh9c8Z44_tRw/s2048/21+CREEM+November+1986+R.E.M..jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZaChH9xG0wfpf-iZZToXYC1bDZ2brdzkkue1e28PrLusdCV2YLgdtKwCgU7ZGGdjbrxSha9eNWQE67l1o-XEYUCmPxSKsZhaKQDBfhKLJcnt1h2SjKvamG0ZZpPh9c8Z44_tRw/s640/21+CREEM+November+1986+R.E.M..jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Holdship seems used to the arrogance of CREEM’s first wave believing that after they left the magazine no longer mattered, and he makes a valid counterargument with:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><i>“It wasn't the early era of CREEM that <b>Kurt Cobain</b> told RIP Magazine he was reading as a kid. For some perspective, one only need ask the <b>Replacements</b>, <b>Robyn Hitchcock</b>, <b>R.E.M.</b>, <b>the Cure</b> or <b>Van Halen</b>, among numerous others, how important CREEM was to them in the '80s. <b>Billy Altman</b>, the magazine's New York editor for more than a decade, has frequently pointed out that CREEM had its highest circulation in 1978 and '79 — when, quite appropriately, <b>the Ramones</b> and <b>KISS </b>were battling it out in the poll as the readers' favorite band — and it surely took a few years after that for the numbers to significantly fall (although MTV, the era of the mainstream superstar and the super-publicist, and the new rah! rah! rah!-isms of the mainstream rock press certainly didn't help).<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><i>“Still, every generation does have its own opportunity, and as (2001 SXSW) moderator (Jim) DeRogatis claimed during the panel and suggested in his Bangs biography: "I became obsessed with CREEM by reading your and DiMartino and Johnson and Kordosh's CREEM because I wasn't reading CREEM when I was 6 years old and those other guys started it. CREEM was great, I think, through 1988."<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">It’s worth noting that Holdship appears to be the only staffer who still gets along with all staffers of any era. Also of note is that <b>Susan Whitall</b> - a delightful part of the Boy Howdy! documentary - joined Holdship for a CREEM retrospective <a href="https://wdet.org/posts/2016/08/04/83630-film-to-document-origin-of-creem-magazine-in-detroits-cass-corridor/?autoplay=1" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">podcast interview in 2016</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Whitall feels like a key component between the 2 sides because she was with CREEM from 1975 – 1983. She was part of the mentorship and passing of the torch from the first wave to the second wave, and in retrospect, her voice and guidance is what made that middle period still so compelling and readable to this day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, I’m wondering if her thoughts about the middle period of CREEM was left on the cutting room floor? Because the incoming newbies of 1976-80 had grownup reading CREEM and completely understood and bled for its aesthetic and world view so was a crucial part of carrying the banner through to 1988. Or was that even addressed at all?</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSIPaT_UHcaT-2A3MkjCnO2SjouWJr9edoniMHK5eVdHt3OK_tMqFpDBTQPx_z6bCYfSeaPeEJlB2Q6-Hq7X48I1l6G4BmV8KMJ87c80c9y8aoV20xHYXra2CEHnVKPltsc9tRg/s2048/22+CREEM+May+1988+Replacements+calendar.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSIPaT_UHcaT-2A3MkjCnO2SjouWJr9edoniMHK5eVdHt3OK_tMqFpDBTQPx_z6bCYfSeaPeEJlB2Q6-Hq7X48I1l6G4BmV8KMJ87c80c9y8aoV20xHYXra2CEHnVKPltsc9tRg/s640/22+CREEM+May+1988+Replacements+calendar.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In an August 6, 2020 <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/?keyid%5B0%5D=The%20Bob%20Lefsetz%20Podcast&keyid%5B1%5D=Jaan%20Uhelszki&sc=podcast_widget" target="_blank">Bob Lefsetz podcast interview, Jaan Uhelszki</a> mentions that because there was so much historical material they had to make an editorial decision to focus on the story of the founders.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Considering that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/arts/music/creem-magazine-documentary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank">J.J. Kramer recently said</a>, “I view the documentary as very much the beginning, not the end,” I hope that means there’s a part 2 of the CREEM story because there's so much more to tell.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Boy Howdy! Not So Attractive But a Great Personality</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">That I’ve just spent too many paragraphs picking apart the <i>people</i> behind the curtain throws a klieg light on why CREEM mattered: It had a sustained and vibrant personality for the entire run.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Without having to apply much effort, readers became fascinated with the reprobates producing the magazine just as much as the content, and is there another music magazine that pulled that off for any meaningful length of time, much less even tried or <i>cared </i>about that?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">CREEM mattered because the fans became writers and were equal to the musicians.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJOY7mKbSV2ye7VK6p77YD59Q5SlBqeIV9nbWOAoFV5S1Nw-uFptEMcXEtfSsw0ly-iWqXCfgGDuh7r77SI3AbwGaS4xmnN2OQsgiDW8hgzSW6xq9Q6GerTCiCmL2Nat-lDNqsQ/s2048/23+CREEM+November+1981+article.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1395" data-original-width="2048" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJOY7mKbSV2ye7VK6p77YD59Q5SlBqeIV9nbWOAoFV5S1Nw-uFptEMcXEtfSsw0ly-iWqXCfgGDuh7r77SI3AbwGaS4xmnN2OQsgiDW8hgzSW6xq9Q6GerTCiCmL2Nat-lDNqsQ/w400-h272/23+CREEM+November+1981+article.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">CREEM never talked <i>at</i> us, they talked <i>with</i> us, and that’s the edge that no other music magazine could, or bothered to, achieve. Because they listened to us and cared about getting worthy music into our ears (as opposed to honoring record company advertising dollars or the egos of musicians), CREEM earned trust and respect.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">As a music nerd, I had subscriptions to and/or regularly read all the rock publications, and it was apparent that they wanted to be:<br />a: the voice of authority<br />b: too cool for the room<br />c: making bank on what was popular at the moment<br />d: trying combinations of the above to stay financially viable<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Whereas CREEM always remained the equivalent of hanging out in the basement with your friends while copping a buzz, listening to records and shooting the shit. It’s about having a good time and bonding over what is temporary relief from a dreary world. That’s rock & roll. That’s why CREEM truly was “America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://watch.eventive.org/creem/play/5f205011072cc30098686a36" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><b>Dig into the documentary for a glimpse of why that mattered</b></a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iLah_EGT6Ug" width="320" youtube-src-id="iLah_EGT6Ug"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPdtxo800fjfva5KD72GC3wVgff3BL1YdumyrhzNwfjhEZi8U8CnQ4t82ZkR8na4NGOqCaZxhcCUOxLqeSZOzV52RSrf4wDpVKlHGfTC7EMigKIl4Bk5ZkkVhcNE7d1fYBN3ng/s2048/04+Cheap+Trick+CREEM+Dec+1979.jpg"><p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in; padding: 1em 0px; text-indent: 0in;"><span face="" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-42600933748742670152016-02-14T19:14:00.002-06:002016-02-14T19:23:20.202-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Grease is the Word<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFlxuQe5NYTHts7zkaGH_aV8EB5j7_JnwTWnWmaJYlE08Lby39po1LR866IoqyV7fKxt1nNrEDYsUpcTSjCOVsW0NxfTYq9xIh83SCqwy8kMi2dIWSgeixNi8pRDSHT5qwUYOGQ/s1600/01+Grease+is+the+Word+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFlxuQe5NYTHts7zkaGH_aV8EB5j7_JnwTWnWmaJYlE08Lby39po1LR866IoqyV7fKxt1nNrEDYsUpcTSjCOVsW0NxfTYq9xIh83SCqwy8kMi2dIWSgeixNi8pRDSHT5qwUYOGQ/s1600/01+Grease+is+the+Word+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Grease is the Word, drawn Fall 1978.<br />Colored pencil and felt tip pens on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
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It required 4 separate chunks, with several days between, for me to get through ABC's <i>Grease Live! </i></div>
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Technically, the production was awe-inspiring and progressive - the strings, pulleys, smoke and mirrors to pull that off was monumentally impressive.</div>
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Artistically, it was akin to watching a high school karaoke production of <i>Grease</i>, the movie. And some of the performances were equal to the amateur role playing we did in our basements and living rooms throughout the Summer and Fall of 1978 - and we were far more passionate about it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3_lB-eGKFd9w0tGWRWQfWm7pWMyd-7QN1N6yDIrLBWOB6_FwE5tq3nq4izxVpGbEZ0xt4VAj2E8b026p1GhXHfWz4nWY9Xg9yqzwse7Af8XGj_bnuTCKasMJ6n_-n-M4qV42sw/s1600/02+John+Travolta+Danny+Zuko+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3_lB-eGKFd9w0tGWRWQfWm7pWMyd-7QN1N6yDIrLBWOB6_FwE5tq3nq4izxVpGbEZ0xt4VAj2E8b026p1GhXHfWz4nWY9Xg9yqzwse7Af8XGj_bnuTCKasMJ6n_-n-M4qV42sw/s1600/02+John+Travolta+Danny+Zuko+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John Travolta as Danny Zuko, drawn Fall 1978.<br />Felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
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Emotionally, <i>Grease Live!</i> was overwhelming because of the personal nostalgia it conjured. This is why I had to take long breaks between viewings. Living in the past is time consuming, especially when hitting pause to go digging in the crates to bring sacred <i>Grease</i> relics out into the moonshine of today. </div>
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The relics are these drawings, done in frantic, zealous bursts from the Fall of 1978 to the Fall of 1979. They were originally pages in a <i>Grease</i> and Olivia Newton-John scrapbook, with <a href="http://www.cardboardconnection.com/1978-topps-grease-trading-cards" target="_blank"><i>Grease</i> trading cards</a> glued to the backside of each page. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqambOFNDdcBMsbWyAUQxJ872NhmH80RO3LrFrKf7n0FIHJzc_vjXr1wvuo82ahnMXHDMppBRhqAtGJ6bycRdVAjX8O3oo9Y2noafjSWuARs3WlALHqASQQmic08-GJY0NCktigQ/s1600/03+Sandy+Olivia+Newton+John+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqambOFNDdcBMsbWyAUQxJ872NhmH80RO3LrFrKf7n0FIHJzc_vjXr1wvuo82ahnMXHDMppBRhqAtGJ6bycRdVAjX8O3oo9Y2noafjSWuARs3WlALHqASQQmic08-GJY0NCktigQ/s1600/03+Sandy+Olivia+Newton+John+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Olivia Newton-John as Sandy (goody-two shoes and tramp), drawn Fall 1978.<br />Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
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Before Grease</h3>
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In 1976 I became a card-carrying member of the Olivia Newton-John Fan Club, <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2012/01/teenage-scribbles-olivia-newton-john.html" target="_blank">previously shared here</a>. As an ardent follower, I knew she was filming a movie version of the stage musical <i>Grease</i>. (If you're a hardcore fan, this <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/grease-movie-musical-john-travolta-olivia-newton-john" target="_blank">oral history of making the movie from <i>Vanity Fair</i></a> is a must-read.)</div>
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John Travolta-wise, my love of <i>Welcome Back, Kotter</i> took me to the movie theater 4 times in very early 1978 to see <i>Saturday Night Fever</i>. Back then, it was not a big deal for a 12-year old to attend an R-rated film. A round of applause goes to my mother, Barb, for also sitting through this movie 4 times, and buying me the soundtrack, and enduring the endless replays of such on my little Sears record player. </div>
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As the Spring 1978 ramp-up publicity to <i>Grease</i> gained fever pitch, it was a given I was seeing this movie, and I passed this enthusiasm to my 6th grade best friend, Beth Barclay. Beth and I shared a love of all things Hollywood and Casey Kasem Top 40, so getting her to see <i>Grease</i> during our summer vacation was an easy sell.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Nw34SMhHp7050rSzaWeA8mr3ki6HRg2-KS3BsJa7VqDAqzmHey-dMYsHsR9O4Mrm4jVcfQ0QrEQNdbmx3d-7bd1ekNWXoTn7KN2CyjEjq-IEGqW3NLlyLrp0yES7UpjtZcXlA/s1600/04+Danny+Zuko+John+Travolta+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Nw34SMhHp7050rSzaWeA8mr3ki6HRg2-KS3BsJa7VqDAqzmHey-dMYsHsR9O4Mrm4jVcfQ0QrEQNdbmx3d-7bd1ekNWXoTn7KN2CyjEjq-IEGqW3NLlyLrp0yES7UpjtZcXlA/s1600/04+Danny+Zuko+John+Travolta+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Montage of John Travolta as Danny Zuko, drawn Fall 1978.</b><br />
<b>Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
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<i>Grease</i>, June 1978</h3>
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My mother, Beth and I saw <i>Grease</i> in a nearly-full theater on opening weekend. At the conclusion of the production number for "Summer Nights" we were deeply enchanted. As the end credits rolled, Beth and I gushed about seeing this movie again - can we stay for the next screening?!</div>
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That summer, we saw it a total of 7 times. My mother - a life-long hardcore movie musical obsessive - saw it 3 times. The other 4 times, she chauffeured us to and from the theater.</div>
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Repetition is a valuable tool, and by July we had the movie memorized. In that summer between grade school and junior high - where puberty happened but had yet to corrupt us - we spent our days creating decadent scenarios within our Barbie village and recreating <i>Grease</i>.</div>
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We'd slap on the vinyl <i>Grease</i> soundtrack, and practice our favorite numbers, or get really ambitious and stage it from beginning to end, complete with dialogue and choreography. Furniture was moved to recreate stage sets, and Beth's little sister, Amy, was recruited so the ensemble numbers had more spirit. Little sis also cut down on how much work I had to do.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNgywW2_FTPC3spr4VKnJ-QLQo2bi_qP3oZ2jT2T0EwwbMmxQ7uFmKG62cy-AOUL4UY5cJ9QU2X1V6oBWre6GMn1K9ZTvXMc1qGQBuygBKBRXVmiz8_UAM0ihDqAur7lbLWAnbg/s1600/04a+grease+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNgywW2_FTPC3spr4VKnJ-QLQo2bi_qP3oZ2jT2T0EwwbMmxQ7uFmKG62cy-AOUL4UY5cJ9QU2X1V6oBWre6GMn1K9ZTvXMc1qGQBuygBKBRXVmiz8_UAM0ihDqAur7lbLWAnbg/s1600/04a+grease+books.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Still have the Grease books bought from Summer 1978 to Fall 1979.</b></td></tr>
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Without fail, Beth (a brunette) was always Sandy. I (a blonde) was always Danny Zuko. And Kenickie. And Rizzo (though sometimes Beth would give that a spin, and she did an impressive Frankie Avalon). And Marty. And Frenchy and and and... If I were to have gone onto a career in musical theater, this multi-tasking schizophrenia would have been the first 1,000 hours toward the magical 10,000 hours of mastery.</div>
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Yes, I often lobbied to know what it was like to "do" Sandy, and I got winded from all the running around and singing required of being so many characters. But there was scant complaining from me, because the joy of our passionate recreations was equaled only by our pursuit of perfection. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASYGdXFYex6KWgPbpeKJcfaQ-B36P40eAF-Jyd_vaWiVbs2imfdcmTRpfWxG-hufoYkiiAlf9yFgmHXjbzgZyP40IeqaqtAwuykviCyVjRmkNRZ0MzWNys_ACOaXwXtT2VFat9A/s1600/05+Pink+Ladies+February+28+1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASYGdXFYex6KWgPbpeKJcfaQ-B36P40eAF-Jyd_vaWiVbs2imfdcmTRpfWxG-hufoYkiiAlf9yFgmHXjbzgZyP40IeqaqtAwuykviCyVjRmkNRZ0MzWNys_ACOaXwXtT2VFat9A/s1600/05+Pink+Ladies+February+28+1979.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Pink Ladies, drawn February 28, 1979.</b><br />
<b>Felt tip markers and colored pencil on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
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We spent our spare time apart tweaking and deepening the performances so that our next production was flawless until it was time to dissect the technical aspects of the next big number. Another trip to the movie theater was required to review details. </div>
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As was my only-child M.O., I took it to laser-beam precision depths of full immersion. I bought the <a href="http://thriftwhore.livejournal.com/4495758.html" target="_blank"><i>Grease</i> Fotonovel</a> to serve as a script for nailing dialogue (and dorkishly noted some of the inaccuracies). I bought the <a href="http://montyonmovies.blogspot.com/2008/12/grease-novel.html" target="_blank">novelization of <i>Grease</i></a> to get a deeper understanding of the characters. I scrapbooked with the devotion of a Tibetan monk.</div>
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This was serious business. Our deadline for a full-scale, full-length living room production was right before starting junior high in September 1978. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2QKWigGNyQL7GzsVkSwW9ex9a_t6FDGZcGoaLKgvBjs8RiVG9NOo3am5NLivcmaPt9ebZUs1Sou6txbihnmU3RkDWtKAy-JY6nWgrwsFK73B6uYodPRHyx3uMrZhhB3bgYEU1w/s1600/06+Rizzo+Stockard+Channing+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2QKWigGNyQL7GzsVkSwW9ex9a_t6FDGZcGoaLKgvBjs8RiVG9NOo3am5NLivcmaPt9ebZUs1Sou6txbihnmU3RkDWtKAy-JY6nWgrwsFK73B6uYodPRHyx3uMrZhhB3bgYEU1w/s1600/06+Rizzo+Stockard+Channing+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Stockard Channing as Rizzo, drawn Fall 1978</b><br />
<b>Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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1978 was a blissful Summer. I reveled in the energy of combining forces with another devotee, spending every moment in pursuit of a candy-colored Hollywood dream. When not discussing every minor detail of the movie, Beth
and I talked in <i>Greas</i>e dialogue. It was amazing how there was a quote to
go with most any situation. And it was a dream come true for me to have a
comrade in arms, a friend who thought and felt just like I did. We created our own little world, and thought
it was the best place ever.</div>
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<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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For most
of the summer, I was preoccupied doing things with a friend, meaning I didn’t
spend as much time alone, didn’t spend the summer trying to cadge smokes or
getting into trouble or eating like a starved pig. I did normal family things with Beth’s family
(her Mom teaching us the steps to the Miracles’ “Mickey’s Monkey” was a
highlight), and, for once, felt like I belonged, felt like I was a normal kid.
It was all because of <i>Grease</i>, and it was all magical.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Grease</i> was a shared mission, a place, a motion... and finally, that previously off-putting contemporary opening song made sense! Truly and absolutely, <i>Grease</i> was the way were feeling.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Except for this one moment...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExqgzB7YuA9k6efWKOCb3ITVfpWc60bkM3El2uMP8mm9-QKWuko5suka-9ojzvtw_ajg30vfclY0z1hqSM1eUzfA72Uk1JEkMwArwisTwa0HjOl3Uu7k-HCWuEaIXrRnDxKGKBg/s1600/07+Frenchy+Didi+Conn+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExqgzB7YuA9k6efWKOCb3ITVfpWc60bkM3El2uMP8mm9-QKWuko5suka-9ojzvtw_ajg30vfclY0z1hqSM1eUzfA72Uk1JEkMwArwisTwa0HjOl3Uu7k-HCWuEaIXrRnDxKGKBg/s1600/07+Frenchy+Didi+Conn+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Didi Conn as Frenchy, drawn Fall 1978.</b><br />
<b>Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Beth, Amy and I were riding in a car with their Mom when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GymGszRFN8" target="_blank">Exile's "Kiss You All Over"</a> came over the radio. Mrs. Barclay told us she loved it because it’s what she wanted to do to the man she was in love with. That man was not their father. <br />
<br />
Beth and Amy were aware something was wrong, since their dad had not been living at home for some time. They were also abstractly aware that their mom had a beau, but it wasn’t that concrete of a concept until their mom made this comment. Us 3 kids were numbed by the mother's exclamation, until Beth jumped into the dead silence to try and make light of the situation by asking her mom questions about this new man. The soon-to-be-ex-Mrs. Barclay was more than happy to talk about him, chatting away like a schoolgirl, failing to notice the odd looks on our faces as we struggled to make sense of it all.<br />
<br />
<i>"There are worse things I could do than go with a boy or two..."</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky2kyOLVkFV4bHo9T8ciBl98xngTsCTeWCOGs6zWWdxy80muTGw0fZhUlelYPcQ4G-hwoSmkG4WIE7xcwRDwBzkRoXH5h7XjHUKD-n08p2sn18utOLDBxWVAoHKx2xQdQuU6PUg/s1600/08+Jan+Jamie+Donnelly+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky2kyOLVkFV4bHo9T8ciBl98xngTsCTeWCOGs6zWWdxy80muTGw0fZhUlelYPcQ4G-hwoSmkG4WIE7xcwRDwBzkRoXH5h7XjHUKD-n08p2sn18utOLDBxWVAoHKx2xQdQuU6PUg/s1600/08+Jan+Jamie+Donnelly+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jamie Donnelly as Jan, drawn Fall 1978.</b><br />
<b>Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="clear: both;">
After <i>Grease</i></h3>
I couldn’t have been more jazzed about starting junior high. My school picture bears this out, depicting a bright-faced girl giving her best Farrah smile, braces glowing from the flash bulb. It’s the look of a kid fortified by the perfection of a world created by the best of friends ready for new adventures.<br />
<br />
The first day of school was a grand adventure. I now took a bus to Kirby Junior High, sharing a seat with Beth, pouring over our schedules. We no longer sat in one classroom all day, but flitted about from room to room, and the possibilities of all the new kids we’d meet was delicious. For the first half of the day, I delighted in the rush, the discovery, and felt so adult, so like the Pink Ladies.<br />
<br />
Come the lunch bell, I race to the cafeteria, swarming with hundreds of kids, and I don’t even bother with food, for I’m looking for Beth. I spot her at a table, and I push my way through the crowd, and triumphantly plop down across from her and say: “This feels just like <i>Grease</i>! I feel like Rizzo on the first day of their last year of school!”<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbLKXL2FTNITwphvF4uL9FRWjW_4EHWCHtZIvK5Ylsncnptb5nxRhQRby_JlgaR4I0aotkgliZZiAZBxWm36_JxONNNGXmYJkGwDYHaaT54pREcffhvo6M0JpvanBBwLchhyvvQ/s1600/09+T-Birds+February+28+1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbLKXL2FTNITwphvF4uL9FRWjW_4EHWCHtZIvK5Ylsncnptb5nxRhQRby_JlgaR4I0aotkgliZZiAZBxWm36_JxONNNGXmYJkGwDYHaaT54pREcffhvo6M0JpvanBBwLchhyvvQ/s1600/09+T-Birds+February+28+1979.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The T-Birds, drawn February 28, 1979.<br />Felt tip pens and colored pencils on 3-hole punch paper.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Beth smiles and looks up over my shoulder. I turn to see a short, puffy-faced blonde-haired boy with a lunch tray, giving me a dirty look. Beth says, “This is Johnny.”<br />
Johnny says to me, “You took my seat.”<br />
<br />
I stand up and Johnny slides into the vacated seat. I’m left standing there confused, staring at Beth with a thousand questions running across my face. She gives me a sheepish smile and says, “I’m having lunch with Johnny. He asked me during 3rd period.” Johnny smiles at Beth like a weasel on the make, she gives him moon eyes back, then looks back up at me and shrugs.<br />
<br />
All the commotion around me fell silent, as my mind literally reeled. I could feel my heart beating fast, and the bottom dropping out of my soul as my pink (lady) bubble burst. I couldn’t speak, and what was there to say?<br />
<br />
I spun around and high-tailed it out of the cafeteria, blindly pushing through the masses of kids, and out into the relative quiet of the hallway. I stood against a bank of lockers, breathing heavily as I realized I had just been tossed aside for Johnny and made a fool of, and was now all alone in this junior high adventure.<br />
<br />
At the end of this first day, I got on the bus, expecting to at least be able to sit with Beth for the ride home, but guess who is sitting with Beth? I take a seat as far away from Beth and Johnny as possible, and stare blankly off into the distance for the entire ride.<br />
<br />
<i>"But to cry in front of you, that's the worst thing I could do."</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6OBHmTFytSIljo8cI_gvN5kxRlpv-NzluhHPHQ8GSU6diignn5gusHcQ4cOwt0o_FZ9AH58YMdl5PGLffYWHgyL6t_iq4oWP2DsuP7iqggapKBC4SeUB3ZuQUOssm1rMQafMxg/s1600/10+Kenickie+Jeff+Conaway+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6OBHmTFytSIljo8cI_gvN5kxRlpv-NzluhHPHQ8GSU6diignn5gusHcQ4cOwt0o_FZ9AH58YMdl5PGLffYWHgyL6t_iq4oWP2DsuP7iqggapKBC4SeUB3ZuQUOssm1rMQafMxg/s1600/10+Kenickie+Jeff+Conaway+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>My beloved Jeff Conaway as Kenickie, drawn Fall 1978<br />Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Within a couple of weeks of starting junior high, Beth's mom married her boyfriend immediately after the divorce was final, and she and the girls moved to the stepfather's messy ranch house in St. Charles, MO. Beth and I saw each other about once a month, still collecting <i>Grease</i> cards and posters, singing the songs and reciting lines, but the long commute from Black Jack to St. Charles was annoying our mothers, so we switched to long phone calls.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Keenly aware that my magical friendship and summer was now "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsCdlX-5UjE" target="_blank">forever autumn</a>," I doubled-down on my creative solitude, retreating to the safe haven of Hollywood fantasy land. This was the time period I did the bulk of these <i>Grease</i> drawings. The TV series <i>Taxi </i>debuted, ramping up my Kenickie/Jeff Conaway obsession (<a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2005/12/hickey-from-kenicke.html" target="_blank">which lasted until he died</a>). I even wrote my own screenplay of the movie, which was more about testing my memory than any screenwriting aspirations. On yellow-orange paper Mom nabbed from work, I started with describing the ocean-side opening scenes of the movie, and typed clean through to the red car flaying off into a blue sky.</div>
<br />
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In November, Olivia Newton-John released the album <i>Totally Hot</i>, doubling-down on her Bad Sandy image, creating the best album of her career, and kick-starting my obsession with raccoon eye liner and leather.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqfW2WC_GuYSsaQC-0RdzP1x5WCY6E3ST3AwzALUz8HBBNyM79XKqNpsR3sXgnQ5ZA37vL5xVo8PQ1joxZZ3Wu4yqATB63gme3XnKz6XWpp-PfYAwmT4D-7bbPU_9KGGRxgT8cg/s1600/11+Putzie+Kelly+Ward+Fall+1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqfW2WC_GuYSsaQC-0RdzP1x5WCY6E3ST3AwzALUz8HBBNyM79XKqNpsR3sXgnQ5ZA37vL5xVo8PQ1joxZZ3Wu4yqATB63gme3XnKz6XWpp-PfYAwmT4D-7bbPU_9KGGRxgT8cg/s1600/11+Putzie+Kelly+Ward+Fall+1978.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kelly Ward as Putzie, drawn Fall 1978. My apologies to Sonny and Doody for excluding them.<br />Crayola crayon and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Come 1979, I discovered <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2012/02/teenage-scribbles-debbie-harry.html" target="_blank">Blondie</a> and New Wave. Beth discovered burnouts and drugs. We were both in the quicksand of teenage girl torture, but found different ways of dealing with it. I got on board with REO Speedwagon because she developed a liking for them, but other than that, <i>Grease</i> was the only common bond that remained strong. Then, even that wasn't enough, and our friendship dissipated like mist in a strong morning sun.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In August 1979, I drew this final <i>Grease</i> image, ending where I'd begun, but this time it was black and white rather than full color. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdFWyKC-1SICXeH4tRwiFrbjzTAQDkbMqIbVWbKUqSL-oreAlWtv7wAJZ1OA9ZBK2qDDL6vRVS3SQbT01zw16cJcvoZpHcichpP_uZPoaRUk0_GXeo6SRFtgcZ1Q-kosAJOFHNA/s1600/12+Grease+August+20+1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdFWyKC-1SICXeH4tRwiFrbjzTAQDkbMqIbVWbKUqSL-oreAlWtv7wAJZ1OA9ZBK2qDDL6vRVS3SQbT01zw16cJcvoZpHcichpP_uZPoaRUk0_GXeo6SRFtgcZ1Q-kosAJOFHNA/s1600/12+Grease+August+20+1979.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Coming full circle and the end of the run, drawn August 20, 1979.<br />Pencil and felt tip pen on 3-hole punch paper.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>PRINCIPAL McGEE: Before the merriment of commencement commences, I hope that your years with us here at Rydell have prepared you for the challenges you face... you will always have the glowing memories of Rydell High. Rydell forever! Bon voyage!</i></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-33089172604170781522013-05-05T18:25:00.000-05:002013-05-05T18:25:08.283-05:00Everyone's Alive: Suspended in Cultural Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTATd9he9we23N6PBKBdT-9SrzcL0R6rda5tJ-Dw4eqDG8unQMgN0fd-pfoTx6dB4LkoFexVTKxzdhMTK2rQo6sKk-nTGd_O9R7CTRjdPZBq_6TMc7h0ayQ1mzqIY-duaVLioHIQ/s1600/betty+white+rihanna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTATd9he9we23N6PBKBdT-9SrzcL0R6rda5tJ-Dw4eqDG8unQMgN0fd-pfoTx6dB4LkoFexVTKxzdhMTK2rQo6sKk-nTGd_O9R7CTRjdPZBq_6TMc7h0ayQ1mzqIY-duaVLioHIQ/s320/betty+white+rihanna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is too bizarre to take for granted: there are regular,
daily news items about <b>Rihanna</b> (25) and <b>Betty White</b> (91). One is a quarter of a
century old; the other is zooming towards a century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both work full time on popular projects, with
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<br /></div>
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us.</div>
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<b>Freaky Fact:</b> as of May 5, 2013, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065314/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast" target="_blank">IMDB shows that of the Top10 billed</a> on the 1970 cast of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mary Tyler
Moore Show</i>, only Ted Knight has left us, in 1986. He was a year younger
than Betty White.<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Even Freakier Fact:</b> go back to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054533/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast" target="_blank">1961 for the top 10 billed</a> of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dick Van Dyke Show</i>, and only 3 of
them have died. This means that <b>Carl Reiner</b> (91) and <b>Rose Marie</b> (89) are still
with us, along with, of course, <b>Dick Van Dyke</b> (87) and <b>Mary Tyler Moore</b> herself
(76), who may well be the Good Luck Degrees of Separation that keeps so many
essential people alive and creative for so long. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<![endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I Want To Live
Forever</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The obvious answers as to why we have such a wide span of
generations alive at one time would be modern medicine and better education
about how to live a healthier life. For instance, so many of the people name
checked so far were once smokers. Health education got them off cigarettes,
while modern medicine practices (both scientific and natural) may have repaired
any damage from the habit.</div>
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That we now have the chance to live longer has certainly
created new problems. The medical and insurance industries are feeling the
strain of longevity. Government programs like Social Security and Medicare are
not financially equipped to handle mass longevity. And even though our internal
organs can now make it to 90 and beyond, can our knees? But does that even
matter anymore?</div>
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<br /></div>
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The internet has created a toy box of instant cultural
knowledge with no age limits or era boundaries. We also live in a magical
moment of little historical constraint. It is a cultural gift to be alive right
now because so many of the people that have contributed to the arts are still
here to share their stories and their talents. </div>
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<br /></div>
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A 13-year old can discover the musical magic of <b>Tony Bennett</b>
(86) and not only benefit from 50+ years of his ongoing catalog, but also study
his philosophies on music, art and love via book and documentary (<a href="http://www.zenofbennett.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Zen of Bennett</i></a>). He has dedicated
his life to contributing quality to our culture and has no plans to stop until
he’s dead. At this moment, he is both staging a 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary of
Martin Luther King’s march on Washington and protesting against assault weapons
(<a href="http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/05/05/exclusive-tony-bennett-snoop-dogg-in-mix-for-martin-luther-king-50th-anniversary-celebration" target="_blank">both items covered here</a>).</div>
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Living to an old age is now possible, but to do so with a
quality of health that lets our elders keep fighting (<a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/harper-lee-sues-agent-for-book-rights.html" target="_blank">like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Kill A Mockingbird</i> author <b>Harper Lee’s</b> copyright battle</a>) for the
contributions they’ve made to our culture is unprecedented. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a time when historical figures can
still share their gifts and influence our progress. They are, inadvertently, an
inspiration for younger generations to be motivated to actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> something with every decade of our
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You May Be Too Young
To Rock</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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A common piece of advice musicians share about improving one’s
craft is to find out who inspired your favorite artists and listen to them.
Then listen to who inspired those people. We’ve no excuse for ignorance because
all of these educational touchstones are just a Google search and a stream away.
If you’re lucky or motivated, you can also still see or chat with some of the
musical titans who have inspired musicians for over 60 years.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcE9Ri7mH72HavJaBkqsktHRvKOF5NkGMmmVN5hYRfSYk0I4qK5Gx9sRY7VUgGaAR2mEbY-1HMkbW-82HgrwwU1kvckXgSiz-mTeZIu7JTm0h2VFycTD0ZnW15vdhlV7cT7AO3w/s1600/Chuck_Berry_Blueberry_Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcE9Ri7mH72HavJaBkqsktHRvKOF5NkGMmmVN5hYRfSYk0I4qK5Gx9sRY7VUgGaAR2mEbY-1HMkbW-82HgrwwU1kvckXgSiz-mTeZIu7JTm0h2VFycTD0ZnW15vdhlV7cT7AO3w/s320/Chuck_Berry_Blueberry_Hill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</xml><![endif]-->It’s absurd to have it be no big deal that most of The
Rolling Stones are alive or half of The Beatles are when so many of the people
who motivated their long careers are still not only alive, but active. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The list includes:</div>
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<b>Chuck Berry</b>, 86 (<i>above</i>)<br />
<b>Fats Domino</b>, 85<br />
<b>Little Richard</b>, 80<br />
<b>Jerry Lee Lewis</b>, 77<br />
<b>Don Everly</b>, 76, and his brother <b>Phil</b>, 74<br />
<b>Wanda Jackson</b>, 75<br />
<b>Dion DiMucci</b>, 73</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley left far too
soon, you can still talk with the guys who helped make their seminal
recordings, like Elvis’ Sun Sessions guitarist <b>Scotty Moore</b>, 82 and drummer
<b>D.J. Fontana</b>, 83; or Holly’s Crickets’ bassist <b>Joe Mauldin, Jr.</b>, 72, and
drummer <b>Jerry Allison</b>, 73.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have the privilege of living in a time where we can see
all of these people, either performing or at conventions where they gladly sit
and answer intricate audience questions about what kind of microphones were
used to get that drum sound.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems the biggest misconception about rock & roll is
that it’s for the young. Turns out that just like the other original American
art forms of jazz and country & western, rock is about endurance rather
than speed. Not only do we get to learn from their contributions as we navigate
new music technology, they help us master it. It’s an analog-to-digital baton
pass that benefits us all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Living Forever in the
Reel World</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqC-PffYg9zVNDdCxEil6oZ7qgNHVY-yP01NEs0M0PKSA8ZNQ6zWMY_w1V6nMfFCCuT4UuIf75Dig31dOGxsKhsQuiczJw9iBjSf2RoNL-A8lHXfVdP-qAVeUQZBe6PwNIwspQA/s1600/cinema+bathroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqC-PffYg9zVNDdCxEil6oZ7qgNHVY-yP01NEs0M0PKSA8ZNQ6zWMY_w1V6nMfFCCuT4UuIf75Dig31dOGxsKhsQuiczJw9iBjSf2RoNL-A8lHXfVdP-qAVeUQZBe6PwNIwspQA/s320/cinema+bathroom.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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My bathroom is a shrine to Old Hollywood, first erected in
1999. Today, only one wall (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">above</i>)
has Golden Era stars that are still alive. Two days after I first noted this
fact, Elizabeth Taylor passed away. I hope I’m not jinxing it for <b>Zsa Zsa Gabor</b>
(96), <b>Doris Day </b>(89) – who are retired by illness or choice, respectively - and
<b>Sophia Loren</b> (78) who still works when motivated.</div>
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The 4<sup>th</sup> survivor on my wall is <b>Debbie Reynolds</b> who
is only 81 years old. It seems she should be far older, but she got a young
start. She is our still-vibrant link to Old Hollywood and is willing to share
with her latest book, <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780062213655" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unsinkable</i></a>
(<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-smith/debbie-reynolds-unsinkabl_b_3084787.html" target="_blank">nicely reviewed here</a> by our 90 year-old gossip maven Liz Smith who still churns out
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<b>Shirley MacLaine</b> is a year younger than Miss Reynolds. She (along
with 81 year-old <b>Angie Dickinson</b>) is our surviving link to the Ring-A-Ding-Ding
Rat Pack who still works in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at least</i>
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My fascination with artists still alive started with an
April 7, 2008 piece from Roger Friedman, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,347214,00.html#2FOX411" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">AfterHeston: Who’s Left</i></a>, wherein he lists roughly 85 names of those from Old
Hollywood still alive, with Doris Day being his youngest entrant when she was
84. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I immediately turned it into a document
to keep track of when those listed finally passed on and at what age. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A scootch over 5 years since it was published,
39 of them remain. The more recognizable names (not already mentioned) include
<b>Eli Wallach</b> (97), <b>Olivia deHavilland</b> (96), her sister <b>Joan Fontaine</b> (95) and
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Those that remain from this list includes the aforementioned
Carl Reiner, who has been busy doing publicity rounds with <b>Mel Brooks</b> (86). Hear
for yourself with the 2013 interviews on separate <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/guide" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WTF</i> podcasts</a> and a <a href="http://splitsider.com/2013/04/watch-judd-apatow-interview-carl-reiner-and-mel-brooks-live-right-now/" target="_blank">Judd Apatow sit-down</a> that their comedic minds remain
sharp and fast. We learn from them that age deteriorates the body, but not
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Meaningful Longevity</b></div>
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We live in a time when dying at 70 feels like being taken
too soon and living to 100 can be a realistic expectation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But pumping up the <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html" target="_blank">stats on actuarial lifetables</a> is just cold math without quality of life. We can take good care of our
hearts and bodies, but what about our souls?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbX52luUsK-uEaFB80JKqGSbEV4ISUuITUUmAKbs2SseJVRp_VNGyi3XlG0b701Z_8yqQNRkFKGACND7cDFcgm0SZOpDBv-GRGGFQVF7JlZhUCdDq2y5mi81xuLq7eAiK4bIIRg/s1600/larry+king+now+hulu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbX52luUsK-uEaFB80JKqGSbEV4ISUuITUUmAKbs2SseJVRp_VNGyi3XlG0b701Z_8yqQNRkFKGACND7cDFcgm0SZOpDBv-GRGGFQVF7JlZhUCdDq2y5mi81xuLq7eAiK4bIIRg/s320/larry+king+now+hulu.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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That answer may be on a recent <a href="http://youtu.be/ZpKgXcDNuo4" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Live With Norm MacDonald</i>, where <b>Larry King</b></a> (79) talks about never
losing his curiosity. This need to know more has taken him from radio to being
a cable news pioneer to staking his current claim in internet broadcasting.
While other major entertainment and news industries are still fumbling with how
to survive and thrive in a technological world, Larry embraces whatever is
needed to keep sharing meaningful information.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Elders are keenly aware of the technological divide, and
they have a choice in which side to be on. The majority of those listed above
have chose to keep contributing (when physically able) because it has become so
much easier to make their past and present part of the on-going conversation.
It now takes less physical effort to remain connected to the global mind source
hungering for information, inspiration and motivation.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The gift of meaningful longevity is now available to anyone.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Age is no longer a handicap, even for
those with physical handicaps. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not
even The Eternally Young (aka Baby Boomers) who have made this so – they, too, are
benefitting from the same elders they once railed against.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Modern health knowledge gives us some choice in our rate of
physical decay. The cyber world has freed us from many physical limitations. We
are in the early stages of the revolution of living forever, even after we’re
gone. It is a welcoming frontier because so many elders remain to show us the
options for aging and thriving with grace. It is an honor and a gift to be
suspended in cultural time with you all.</div>
<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-5348688905750289772012-02-14T17:00:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:34:34.246-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DlfnI8APouQ4Q9jaNPlBrV1KO1ThAvWthbw4ZyLqTNCVuAgNYpRzmFpqDTvPLVHO_-stgm0g9amrXbV0p_Tj419GRM9s6Mm3ACtg1fBsxNReMV-fT5xAJQsFOWpUxaV7koG72w/s1600/01+MELT+tom+petty+1980+march+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DlfnI8APouQ4Q9jaNPlBrV1KO1ThAvWthbw4ZyLqTNCVuAgNYpRzmFpqDTvPLVHO_-stgm0g9amrXbV0p_Tj419GRM9s6Mm3ACtg1fBsxNReMV-fT5xAJQsFOWpUxaV7koG72w/s640/01+MELT+tom+petty+1980+march+27.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Tom Petty, March 27, 1980<br />Pencil on bond paper</b><br />
<br />
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers got lumped into New Wave for a bit, maybe because their debut album sounded like such a throwback? That label quickly proved false, but it did lead me to <i>Damn the Torpedoes</i>.<br />
<br />
I was blissfully free of any Byrds or Bob Dylan associations, so I took their work at face value, and loved it. Plus, Tom Petty just came off as effortlessly cool, which was a major selling point to someone who was tragically uncool.<br />
<br />
Looking at this old drawing reminded me of someone... who is it? Ah yes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Gribble" target="_blank">Dale Gribble</a>! No editorial opinion is meant by that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0uaWcty-PZLiwffcyzyLKBNZ5Z9R0fgAiXKBSm0DHF24FdH5L4WCIFIBm_kevhIcUDzn5YgoiA_0WThokhFlDodlup9fwabUp2JUsd-YOWviJJuULZeAM22F3kZQWx7M9OWLIg/s1600/02+MELT+stevie+nicks+8.82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0uaWcty-PZLiwffcyzyLKBNZ5Z9R0fgAiXKBSm0DHF24FdH5L4WCIFIBm_kevhIcUDzn5YgoiA_0WThokhFlDodlup9fwabUp2JUsd-YOWviJJuULZeAM22F3kZQWx7M9OWLIg/s640/02+MELT+stevie+nicks+8.82.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Stevie Nicks, August 1982<br />Pencil in sketch book</b><br />
<br />
Since 1975, I've had an intense love/hate relationship with Stevie Nicks. She was given a reprieve from my hatred when she started hanging around Tom Petty, reasoning that someone as cool as him would only hang with other cool people, right? Their relationship resulted in some adultery rumors for Petty's marriage and Stevie's debut solo album, of which I genuinely liked 40% of.<br />
<br />
Back in the day, the image of Stevie Nicks was compelling, but the musical output that came from it too often bothered me. I was never a fan of poetic mysticism, save for a few tunes from The Doors. And it bothered me that she got the lion's share of attention in Fleetwood Mac, when it was clear that Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie consistently had the goods while Stevie was hit or miss.<br />
<br />
A good case in point is the Fleetwood Mac album <i>Tusk</i>. In my mind, the 2-record set is really 3 solo albums. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->Christine McVie’s songs were faultless, and so organic and seemingly effortless that it was easy to once again take her for granted, rather than praise her as being the most consistently great member.<br />
<br />
Then there were Lindsey's songs! I was captivated by the ad hoc feel of his tunes, as if he’d haphazardly thrown a mess of wet noodles on the wall and whatever stuck became a song. They sounded alive and urgent and even when he was pissed off (on something like “That’s Enough For Me”, for instance) it still sounded…fun. “Fun” was never a word one would use to describe any part of Fleetwood Mac, but neither was “alive” and “urgent,” you know? But that’s what I heard coming from him, and at times it seemed like Lindsey was making a jittery new wave record while his bandmates were putting on more cocoa butter to soak up the Southern California sun. <br />
<br />
Then there were Stevie's songs. "Sarah" is undeniably pretty. "Angel" remains her best rock moment. But then there was "Sisters of the Moon," which makes me cringe just typing the title.<br />
<br />
As soon as I had home-taping capability, I made a cassette of just Lindsey's <i>Tusk</i> songs, with some Christine bonus tracks thrown in. Pointedly, there was no Stevie. And by the time of her second solo album in 1983, I was decidedly anti-Stevie (save for the track "Enchanted"). Turns out Lindsey's production was her emperor's clothing, and here was my editorial cartoon on the matter:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>For the Bird, Winter 1983<br />Charcoal on sketch paper</b><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-62732722825422026932012-02-13T17:00:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:34:54.746-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Jim Morrison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Jim Morrison, Spring 1981<br />Felt tip pen and letter stencil on bond paper</b><br />
<br />
<br />
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<![en-->Only upon finding this stash of drawings from my teenage
years did I remember how much Jim Morrison once meant to me. The 1980
publication of the Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No One Here Gets Out Alive</i> was a conjuring trick that resurrected
the dead. And the first Second Coming of Jim Morrison culminated in his
September 1981 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rolling Stone</i> cover
with a headline forever etched in my brain: “He’s hot, he’s sexy and he’s dead.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VFA70K40YJEMwBYWDafJVCld-XMNuxiuzI4vv4_Yq2HnNwmabPBVlQPAfg9V550PHI7wWs9FIkMqjQ5K2nU69FwpqG0ARQ95FF7juqhP2ivUfBr6qwup6oJZQu9-kZLlWLCBuA/s1600/02+MELT+jim+morrison+8.82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VFA70K40YJEMwBYWDafJVCld-XMNuxiuzI4vv4_Yq2HnNwmabPBVlQPAfg9V550PHI7wWs9FIkMqjQ5K2nU69FwpqG0ARQ95FF7juqhP2ivUfBr6qwup6oJZQu9-kZLlWLCBuA/s640/02+MELT+jim+morrison+8.82.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Jim Morrison, August 1982<br />Pencil in sketch book</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While many of The Doors’ singles were still all over the
radio, the book (which I read a total of 5 times in high school – even gave an
oral book report that garnered an A) led to buying and listening to the albums.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it was so evocative of the era,
this led to a crash course in 1960s hippie history (Richard Brautigan, Peter
Max, youth rebellion, free love and rampant venereal disease), and I briefly fashioned
myself a modern day hippie. But hippies weren’t as glamorous as, say, The
Warhol Factory, and since both camps did lots of drugs, might as well stick
with The Lower East Side over Woodstock (indoor plumbing always wins).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Come the tragic murder of John Lennon, it was The Doors, The
Beatles and Black Sabbath who got me through that horrible winter of 1980-81.
And come the introduction of marijuana to my world, Jim Morrison’s excess was
an inspiration to scale greater heights of inebriation. He set the example that
constant intoxication can lead to artistic achievement, so under the
ever-present gaze of an <a href="http://www.sunshinedaydream.biz/Jim-Morrison--American-Poet-Poster_p_3100.html" target="_blank">American Poet poster</a> on the bedroom wall, I wrote
horrible poetry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui_Up7goq6Jpf5cw9ya1jfdilpj-LtqVw2VU1vSwYCwR-bueeS05hCgTdIES9LuG-hctqRzw4_BiP-jQRBXiauANgXMUYOvHB7hoV62SrOKbiPiGKvQLmyfppQzHkU7UxiLqmdg/s1600/03+MELT+strange+days+8.82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui_Up7goq6Jpf5cw9ya1jfdilpj-LtqVw2VU1vSwYCwR-bueeS05hCgTdIES9LuG-hctqRzw4_BiP-jQRBXiauANgXMUYOvHB7hoV62SrOKbiPiGKvQLmyfppQzHkU7UxiLqmdg/s640/03+MELT+strange+days+8.82.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Strange Days, August 1982<br />Pencil in sketch book</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Come the time I had a boyfriend with a terrible liquor
problem, I realized that Morrison de-evolved into a fat, belligerent drunk, and
suddenly, the romanticism of him faking his own death evaporated. And year
after year, Ray Manzarek’s non-stop worship that relived every second of
Morrison’s existence seemed pathetic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I am still traumatized by this <a href="http://youtu.be/ZaJc-FUn5rQ" target="_blank">drum poetry reading by John Densmore</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since 1980, Jim Morrison continues to be a Burnout Rite Of
Passage, like a sexy, psychedelic teddy bear for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Freaks & Geeks</i> years. Walk into any head shop right now, and he’s
up for sale alongside the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix posters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgID5uS8tio0gaaTuD2ORFMo5-wtwZv7_dITJSZW7HbaXN6BYYiAP-cuFpN2epRAU5niWmfAzkIiY43YltrdbPDdFOhpBx3Di3RuEwCYyJiF3fvTq8KLJBXXVSgNboVcCyk5Ca_Mg/s1600/04+MELT+jim+morrison+scratch+board+winter+1983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgID5uS8tio0gaaTuD2ORFMo5-wtwZv7_dITJSZW7HbaXN6BYYiAP-cuFpN2epRAU5niWmfAzkIiY43YltrdbPDdFOhpBx3Di3RuEwCYyJiF3fvTq8KLJBXXVSgNboVcCyk5Ca_Mg/s320/04+MELT+jim+morrison+scratch+board+winter+1983.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Jim Morrison, Winter 1983<br />Scratchboard</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But my genuine take away from that phase is two of their
albums: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Morrison Hotel</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waiting for the Sun</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my ears, they stand up proud regardless of
historical context or personal memories of Morrison worship… which I forgot I
had till I saw these drawings.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-85329127297369831222012-02-12T15:14:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:35:44.025-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Chrissie Hynde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6gNllG1WkI5C5boR9QAG3J11d5cNCIEBGPwl2UhtEHL86upl_Z3yaudvBT96YsYdFjYCKTNxOGsXhJydTdz_npzns5uIUy63iNZnFnz6njrHmZsF2QolwVucp36RIPxcuyc4qg/s1600/01+MELT+chrissie+hynde+1980+march+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6gNllG1WkI5C5boR9QAG3J11d5cNCIEBGPwl2UhtEHL86upl_Z3yaudvBT96YsYdFjYCKTNxOGsXhJydTdz_npzns5uIUy63iNZnFnz6njrHmZsF2QolwVucp36RIPxcuyc4qg/s640/01+MELT+chrissie+hynde+1980+march+22.jpg" width="548" /></a></div>
<b>Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, March 22, 1980<br />Pencil on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I first heard “Brass in Pocket,” it was good enough.
Being high on a New Wave frenzy, I was excited for an album that would probably
be another in a series of Blondie clones, and that was fine by me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seeing the debut album cover for the first time at Camelot
Records was exciting; it was just as simple and iconic as the cover of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parallel Lines</i>, but more minimalist. And
that red leather motorcycle jacket and fingerless gloves? It was a lightning
rod for a girl still in the “dress-up” stage of life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But once the record needle hit the first track on the album
(“Precious”), it was – literally - drop-jaw time. This was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so not</i> Blondie new wave fizz – this was some serious rock shit,
with dirty words, dirty thoughts and dirty guitar wrangling that had me miming
an air Telecaster before ever reaching the final track, “Mystery Achievement.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The impact of that first listen to their debut album still
resonates to this day. It was the songs, the sound, the sequencing of different
emotions. That a girl was at the center of it was just one of many transcendent
points. But let’s focus on Chrissie Hynde.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62STxsYsVybqj9Ho3LE6mWvEP3-FdKLmzipqRRuv7_crcKUKsHu0O12ovLZXCNgkoiyUpzP60WmAWRhq2omo46DI2pFx6WEq7bqA4mL3Q93W2laY6zSLHvV52WYu4DCZB49kSxA/s1600/02+MELT+chrissie+hynde+1980+may+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62STxsYsVybqj9Ho3LE6mWvEP3-FdKLmzipqRRuv7_crcKUKsHu0O12ovLZXCNgkoiyUpzP60WmAWRhq2omo46DI2pFx6WEq7bqA4mL3Q93W2laY6zSLHvV52WYu4DCZB49kSxA/s640/02+MELT+chrissie+hynde+1980+may+13.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chrissie Hynde, May 13, 1980<br />Watercolor on bond paper</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whereas <a href="http://www.tobymelt.blogspot.com/2012/02/teenage-scribbles-debbie-harry.html" target="_blank">Debbie Harry was a goddess</a>, Chrissie Hynde was human.
No matter how much makeup and clothing I slapped on, I could never replicate a
millimeter of the Harry aura. But I already had the bangs and too much eye
makeup – throw in some hastily crafted fingerless gloves, buy a leather jacket
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">voila!</i> – I could look like a 10<sup>th</sup>
rate knock-off of my new idol (and that I went to high school dressed like that remains one of the most embarrassing days of my youth).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As much as I needed to be inside the music I listened to, I
had never felt the urge to pick up a guitar until Chrissie. In retrospect, it
feels like an acoustic guitar magically popped into my hand somewhere during
the 3<sup>rd</sup> listen of side one of the album. In reality, it was a $35
Sears acoustic given by my Mom as a birthday gift the following October. But it
was Chrissie who inspired the need, Nancy Wilson of Heart who seconded the
motion, and that enabled a teenage girl to have the exact same experience as
every teenage boy around her. Gender should not be allowed to rob one of that
heady musical milestone and Chrissie made it seem as natural as getting a
driving learners permit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aS3bMOFGPYR8hhNBqHiqoxoW7bDRuKhgRMU2l6NEHFUPYWgTZHchW7EJslO99oKl0bipo4ZJbzJqlZL92kEh6eFu-8T_F4aHeKwGop2v6LgqigLGHPVewdpMsp555UO-eMJFhQ/s1600/03+MELT+pretenders+space+invaders+oct+1980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aS3bMOFGPYR8hhNBqHiqoxoW7bDRuKhgRMU2l6NEHFUPYWgTZHchW7EJslO99oKl0bipo4ZJbzJqlZL92kEh6eFu-8T_F4aHeKwGop2v6LgqigLGHPVewdpMsp555UO-eMJFhQ/s640/03+MELT+pretenders+space+invaders+oct+1980.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Pretenders Space Invaders, October 1980<br />Pencil and marker in sketch book</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because so much was made of Debbie Harry being A Girl,
Chrissie being One of the Guys had real magic. She was following in the
footsteps of her musical idols – most all of them men – and her being female
never made her reconsider what she could or could not do. That she was able to
accomplish all this without sublimating her natural female tendencies was a
lesson quickly learned. That she did not make an issue of it made it all the
more potent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the press, Chrissie wasn’t so much out spoken as honest
about everything. From being drunk and belligerent to being broken-hearted and
vulnerable, she wasn’t a manufactured image, she just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i>. And none of it would
have meant much for very long if not for those songs and that band of people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
James Honeyman-Scott instantly became my new guitar god,
Martin Chambers made my legs twitch and Peter Farndon was so dreamy. Together,
those 4 were dynamite, and I could empathize with the great thrill it must have
been for Chrissie to be Just One of Those Guys. Which is why the deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon were
such a punch to the gut – it might as well have been the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane
crash for all the destruction it caused to a great rock band.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWGuBOlOW_gehCdfI4n2KLfLAUMu3RbsPFyYlFIrPwuWuc4maDYr6enl6zggm0NCECAGGbu9ZV0vI6TfmpbUqVZmOeLbgJkPPuG_9_iEDAqNVb5STNM0R8omdQTLNY3Y1KvAs1A/s1600/04+MELT+chrissie+hynde+8.82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWGuBOlOW_gehCdfI4n2KLfLAUMu3RbsPFyYlFIrPwuWuc4maDYr6enl6zggm0NCECAGGbu9ZV0vI6TfmpbUqVZmOeLbgJkPPuG_9_iEDAqNVb5STNM0R8omdQTLNY3Y1KvAs1A/s640/04+MELT+chrissie+hynde+8.82.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Chrissie Hynde, August 1982<br />Pencil in sketch book</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chrissie and Martin recovered and moved on, and had many great
moments. It’s not like Chrissie could have stopped doing the only thing she
ever wanted to do in life. And in the ensuing years, even when she had moments
of musical laziness or misfires, she is always genuine in much the same way
Keith Richards or Iggy Pop are always true to their code. Chrissie Hynde proves
that musical integrity and longevity is not just a Guy Thing, but rather it’s
staying true to what you were born to do.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-65717996406290630602012-02-05T18:08:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:36:12.148-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Cheap Trick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXd1QlVB_buaqk5sJI9WYbpqsTQN3K3I_Yc96wyiblgWhntMEA46HfRBHpjbtMDnOb3SxmNul4najL4enuZ2nwZDl9O8F477J5Yrx7JFOxD9bBvxDb81GtQymCnqMFg6JsI-8Xw/s1600/01+MELT+tom+petersson+1979+november+18+sunday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXd1QlVB_buaqk5sJI9WYbpqsTQN3K3I_Yc96wyiblgWhntMEA46HfRBHpjbtMDnOb3SxmNul4najL4enuZ2nwZDl9O8F477J5Yrx7JFOxD9bBvxDb81GtQymCnqMFg6JsI-8Xw/s640/01+MELT+tom+petersson+1979+november+18+sunday.jpg" width="502" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick, November 18, 1979<br />Pencil on ledger paper</b><br />
<br />
In May of 1979, I was in deep thrall to Rex Smith, so my reaction to Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” on Casey Kasem’s Top 40 was only about how catchy the song was. The “cute guys” in this band had been popping up in the teen girl magazines I read, so I knew they mattered more in Japan than here, but <a href="http://www.tobymelt.blogspot.com/2009/03/sexual-archetypes-30th-anniversary-of.html" target="_blank">see Rex Smith</a> to know why this introduction went no further. <br />
<br />
In August, I did my first round of 12 albums for a penny via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_House" target="_blank">Columbia House</a>, and <i>Cheap Trick at Budokan</i> was one of my choices. The sound of the shrink wrap coming off this album was, in retrospect, the trumpets sounding my entry into a new world. Inside the album was a 12-page booklet crammed with tons of photos, lyrics and notes from the band. The cartoonishness of Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos intrigued me, but it was The Foxes that stopped me dead. There was no denying the dreaminess of Robin Zander, with that square jaw, big brown eyes and long blonde hair. But the bass player? Dark wavy hair, crystal blue eyes, hairy chest and a ski slope nose, looking like an idealized Michael Sarrazin. <br />
<br />
I was practically salivating as I took this in, and wondering “Why the hell are they in teen magazines?” Because these were <i>men</i> – rock & roll men! All this hormonal upheaval and I hadn’t even put the record on the <i>turntable</i> yet!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWefRxLgcyd1mTYxZ76xGJ_YZfpm7B90OKUkH05KJoPKhmuUlIulrdsXg-Gv2qdh7cyUMLtO2fiIgxZgAu9evP9LbnNoTh8Vvz3vjpSDS_lf5VhRAgtXaDl7qEE30lYAA-gPk_w/s1600/02+MELT+robin+zander+december+1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWefRxLgcyd1mTYxZ76xGJ_YZfpm7B90OKUkH05KJoPKhmuUlIulrdsXg-Gv2qdh7cyUMLtO2fiIgxZgAu9evP9LbnNoTh8Vvz3vjpSDS_lf5VhRAgtXaDl7qEE30lYAA-gPk_w/s640/02+MELT+robin+zander+december+1979.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
<b>Robin Zander, December 1979<br />Pencil on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
<br />
Other than <i>Sonny & Cher Live</i>, and <i>Judy Garland at Carneige Hall</i>, I’d never experienced live recordings, so hearing hyped-up Jap girls screaming at the bands’ every move was fun and infectious, and then there was the aural onslaught of Cheap Trick’s music. The guitars and bass roared in golden yellow and dark green waves, the drumming was just as precise and exciting as Blondie’s Clem Burke, and Robin Zander’s voice was elastic and powerful. The album replicated one of their shows; not counting Shaun Cassidy in 1978, I’d never been to an honest-to-god rock concert, so this album was like a Cliff Note’s version of what would happen once I finally got to one, which was very helpful. <br />
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The songs that captivated me - “Come On Come On,” “Look Out” (still my favorite song on the album), and “Big Eyes” - were flat-out pop songs, but with a tight, rock bombast that I’d never heard before. It sounded like classic early Beatles’ singles on 10 pots of coffee, and I LUVED it! <br />
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They were just as <a href="http://www.tobymelt.blogspot.com/2012/02/teenage-scribbles-debbie-harry.html" target="_blank">revolutionary to me as Blondie</a>, but in a different way. Whereas Blondie introduced me to layers of lifestyle, art and kitsch outside the mainstream, Cheap Trick introduced me to a world of rock that was devoid of macho posturing and ham-fisted illusions of musical grandeur. Blondie was artsy, edgy new wave, Cheap Trick was hard rock with a showman’s flair, but both groups shared one vital trait: an unabridged dedication to pop music, melody as homage to their idols and inspirations expressed in wholly unique ways. <br />
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<b>Ballad of TV Violence, August 1982<br />Pencil and marker in sketch book</b><br />
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Before summer vacation was over, I got Cheap Trick’s second album, <i>In Color</i>, and adored its big, hollow pop thunder way more than the live album. By Christmas, I had their 1977 debut album, and that was a transcendent moment I’ve yet to recover from. <br />
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Cheap Trick directed me up two other important avenues:<br />
#1 Rick Nielsen on the December 1979 issue of <i>CREEM</i> kick started my life-altering love affair with that magazine. <br />
<br />
#2 Tom Petersson and Robin Zander allowed me and my best friend, Wendy, to freely and safely express our burgeoning, post-puberty sexuality. We wrote utterly filthy, dirty short stories starring Robin & Tom, and this was accompanied by an enthusiastic series of nude drawings I did of both of them. Where the hell are <i>those</i> teenage scribbles?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-64196452370510580212012-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:36:31.085-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Debbie Harry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL69F9fc_ucmlGvCy5arPUNLlAqFcp1WGi8sc2UvmjIQeRFA850i4P44S51k9zUWeGQtfDBS5VHvoxT4NMqUfZdeIAZ8Jo0qP70EbKrQMPZRvvrH9gqOHMtNU9dahRJFUVBmBEcg/s1600/01+debbie+harry+1979+june+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL69F9fc_ucmlGvCy5arPUNLlAqFcp1WGi8sc2UvmjIQeRFA850i4P44S51k9zUWeGQtfDBS5VHvoxT4NMqUfZdeIAZ8Jo0qP70EbKrQMPZRvvrH9gqOHMtNU9dahRJFUVBmBEcg/s640/01+debbie+harry+1979+june+16.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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<b>Debbie Harry of Blondie, June 16, 1979<br />Color pencil on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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For every serious music fan, there is that one song, that one moment that completely changes their life. It’s such a dramatic, cinematic scene, that in regards to that event, to classify one’s life as B.C. or A.D. is the only way to convey the religious weight of it. <br />
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My personal Jesus appeared before me the first time I heard Debbie Harry sing, “Yeah, riding high on love’s true blueish light/Ew ew oh oh.” <br />
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At the time, I was a Casey Kasem Top 40 junkie. From the first moment I heard “Heart of Glass” the very first week it hit the Top 40 chart, my antennae started quivering. I knew the song was trying to be disco but it certainly wasn’t; there was a lot more going on under the covers. And I suddenly remembered all the little bits about Blondie that I’d run across previously in magazines, and I could literally feel pieces falling into place.<br />
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<b>Debbie Harry, September 16, 1979<br />Color pencil on letter bond</b><br />
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I rushed out and bought the single, and actually liked the flip side ten times more. “11:59” was urgent and pleading while the singer’s voice was cool and detached and the dichotomy sucked me under. Plus, the label said “Produced by Mike Chapman.” Oh, man, count me in! <br />
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I then rushed out to buy the album, <i>Parallel Lines</i>, and there was no going back. Despite the prejudice of my religious conversion, the cover to that album is still one of the most striking examples of album artwork, simple yet effective, able to convey layers of meaning and style with just a few broad strokes. <br />
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<b>Deborah Harry, November 18, 1979<br />Color pencil on ledger paper</b><br />
<br />
That album sounded like a jukebox full of promise, sounds that I’d
heard in various forms before, but were now brought together under one
umbrella. I heard “Sunday Girl,” and “Pretty Baby” and thought them just
as yummy and hook-filled as any of my childhood AM pop favorites, and
they did a cover of a Buddy Holly tune! But I also heard hard, chaotic,
frantic sounds that riled me up, like “One Way Or Another,” “Hanging On
the Telephone” and “Will Anything Happen?” and I asked myself, “Is this
punk rock?” Plus there was a slow, eerie tune with this dead and hollow
drum beat (“Fade Away & Radiate”), a song that mentioned watching
someone shower, and the very last song on the album telling someone to
piss up a rope. “Heart Of Glass” was the lamest thing on the album, and
I was ecstatic!<br />
<br />
I tapped my alien powers of information gathering for a crash course on Blondie. I found new magazines like <i>Circus</i> and <i>Hit Parader</i>, but it was blast to find Blondie popping up in staples such as <i>People</i>, <i>US</i> and <i>Dynamite</i>. I very quickly learned as much of the Blondie M.O. as possible, had a broad overview of what they were about, what they represented and how they were popular all over the world save for America, where they were deemed too odd, too different, too “punk.” When “Heart Of Glass” hit #1, I was as shocked as I was pleased.<br />
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<b>Deborah Harry, March 23, 1980<br />Color pencil on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
<br />
Blondie were a new and different world of music, a stranger, more varied world, where not all songs were love songs, where there was subtext and layers of meaning behind every lyric, every riff, and every artistic decision. Blondie was the tree trunk that sent me out onto a thousand branches, where I finally learned about punk (checked out dozens of albums from the library; the Sex Pistols’ debut album didn’t sound like Blondie, so I didn’t care for it, but the Ramones were intriguing), Andy Warhol, CBGB’s, underground art and films, early 60s girl group pop, and that there was a lively, exotic world thriving outside the <i>Billboard</i> Top 40. I learned more about the world of culture within a couple months than I had in my previous 13.5 years. It was heady and addictive. <br />
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“Blondie is a group,” and then there was Debbie Harry. Say it again, my bruthas and sistahs: Debbie Harry! Amen. <br />
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<b>Deborah Harry, May 1980<br />Water color on bond paper</b><br />
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She was (and is) a goddess! Aside from Cher, I’d never experienced anyone like her. She was absolutely gorgeous, cooler than shit and had the most glamorous clothes, shoes and hair imaginable. In print, she was intelligent and insightful, but very coy about her past, her private life and her age, which gave her an air of mystery. She and her boyfriend, Chris Stein, created and ran the band, and she was an equal partner in songwriting, presentation and direction. Again, I repeat, I’d never experienced anyone like her; she was so beautiful and powerful and talented that she seemed more like a comic book hero. <br />
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Everything I needed to know about life, sex, fashion and music, I looked to Debbie. And because American media was now as infatuated with her as I was, it was easy to get all the advice I needed. <br />
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<b>Blondie Was a Group, January 1983<br />Charcoal on sketch paper</b><br />
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Blondie profoundly altered my viewpoint of the world, and I had the utopian belief that it affected everyone else, too. I’m sure it did in many quarters across the nation, but at Kirby Junior High in north St. Louis County, there was no change at all. When I dared speak to someone else about Blondie, it was a bad topic. If someone wasn’t talking trash about them being a disco band, they were thinking they were too punk, too fucking strange, uncool. <br />
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But I knew they were all dead wrong, and the “Us & Them” mind set took firm root in my psyche. I’d unwittingly found a way to further ostracize myself from the peer group, but this time it left me with a whole other – and better – world to explore, football fields of things to think about, which made ignoring everyone so much easier to do. <br />
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<b>D.H. a.k.a. B, April 1983<br />Charcoal on bond paper</b><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-28901150276060391982012-02-03T18:00:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:36:51.574-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Jean Harlow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Jean Harlow, November 17, 1979<br />Ballpoint pen & color pencil on ledger paper</b><br />
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8th grade was turning out to be an even bigger abscess than 7th grade, so I needed new distractions. One of them was an obsession with black & white Hollywood movies of the 1930s and 1940s.<br />
<br />
I took a quick break from reading every old Hollywood biography I could buy with allowance money or borrow from the library to commemorate my new favorite fellow-Missourian, Jean Harlow.<br />
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<i>(Teenage Scribbles = finding a large stash of drawings I did between
the ages of 14 - 20, with the vast majority happening before too many
drugs, boys & bold misadventures preoccupied my time.)</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-24684732515125580212012-02-02T18:00:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:37:10.783-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Suzanne Somers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Suzanne Somers, August 14, 1979</b><br />
<b>Color pencil on sketch paper</b><br />
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The 4th season of <i>Three's Company</i> would start the following month, so the advance publicity was in gear. Miss Somer's debuted a new hairstyle in all the gossip magazines lying around our home. I felt this was truly noteworthy.<br />
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<i>(Teenage Scribbles = finding a large stash of drawings I did between
the ages of 14 - 20, with the vast majority happening before too many
drugs, boys & bold misadventures preoccupied my time.)</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-64619170978359221322012-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:37:34.567-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Vogue Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwZYrGcGsZwRXkU2xgssbEORMn3MeZbdi_AF0cymEZiR4Gl2DEQ3VHoVVcEQ8H2l09PQL_M5Hla-SfYqMlChlXQg72LsfqdscMEEld0FNZ7-u-gpI5rnCE5OwD76EMoMihMqCkw/s1600/03+beads+1979+july+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwZYrGcGsZwRXkU2xgssbEORMn3MeZbdi_AF0cymEZiR4Gl2DEQ3VHoVVcEQ8H2l09PQL_M5Hla-SfYqMlChlXQg72LsfqdscMEEld0FNZ7-u-gpI5rnCE5OwD76EMoMihMqCkw/s640/03+beads+1979+july+30.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
<b>Beads, July 30, 1979<br />Crayola crayon on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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Bored on a summer vacation day, leafing through the July edition of <i>Vogue</i>, getting upset that my puberty-ravaged body had nothing in common with anything on any page.<br />
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<b>Profile, July 30, 1979<br />
Crayola crayon on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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I used to raid my mother's makeup drawer to try and approximate these looks. Paper was more cooperative than my face, thus I went for the higher success rate.<br />
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Special note must be made that the skin tone in this drawing, and the one above, was done with the Indian Red crayon. Political correctness was several years in the future.<br />
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<b>Hand, July 30, 1979<br />
Pencil and nail polish on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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After a half hour with the crayons, I went high concept by filling in the fingertips with my mother's Avon nail polish. To this day, it still gleams all frosty orange.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoce9bFRh8jeVlI0t5USHMQbfLmGEmuHIfbc9jNL0IIsYSgOrtyrGKZNaVUQJETAIjYu5aPE4e3hSDJgg3-Mj3O6O8cIkjOiiMsvQtPZ1O_72crqWMFvVxN1M6c-0En1gFme8CSA/s1600/06+jerry+hall+1979+july+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoce9bFRh8jeVlI0t5USHMQbfLmGEmuHIfbc9jNL0IIsYSgOrtyrGKZNaVUQJETAIjYu5aPE4e3hSDJgg3-Mj3O6O8cIkjOiiMsvQtPZ1O_72crqWMFvVxN1M6c-0En1gFme8CSA/s640/06+jerry+hall+1979+july+30.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<b>Jerry Hall, July 30, 1979<br />Watercolor on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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By the afternoon, I graduated to watercolor. And I was not going to pass up an opportunity to draw Jerry Hall, who - even though she had it made by hooking up with Mick Jagger - was still actively modeling at this time. <br />
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Oh, how I loved me the <i>Some Girls</i> album from the summer before. Anything to do with it was glamorous - 'cept for maybe Jerry's nose? Can't help but note that I took some artistic license - the junior high version of rhinoplasty.<br />
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<i>(Teenage Scribbles = finding a large stash of drawings I did between
the ages of 14 - 20, with the vast majority happening before too many
drugs, boys & bold misadventures preoccupied my time.)</i><br />
<b><br /></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-77773840793549944552012-01-31T18:01:00.000-06:002016-02-18T17:10:20.354-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Rod Stewart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oox9RNw6MTb2SPjcKLvtKKQtcqH-6SPl7gTM4_eLe-uo2ac1wXBWZvNyQA1vow0tG07eQBNyeW5EGq3Nl4nJdmVJlH9IjkCEtUCHGJs8dV26YfoDe8HvUD8EvtM1pAZqB00Cfg/s1600/MELT+rod+stewart+1979+july+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oox9RNw6MTb2SPjcKLvtKKQtcqH-6SPl7gTM4_eLe-uo2ac1wXBWZvNyQA1vow0tG07eQBNyeW5EGq3Nl4nJdmVJlH9IjkCEtUCHGJs8dV26YfoDe8HvUD8EvtM1pAZqB00Cfg/s640/MELT+rod+stewart+1979+july+24.jpg" width="491" /></a></div>
<b>Rod Stewart, July 24, 1979<br />Color pencil on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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The summer before starting 8th grade, I loved disco. So I was not bothered by "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" I even thought that most of the album it came from - <i>Blondes Have More Fun</i> - was pretty damn great.<br />
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Later on, I went backwards through Rod Stewart's music catalog and quickly realized why so many were upset. But not before thinking large chunks of <i>Foolish Behaviour</i> was pretty damn great.<br />
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<b style="color: magenta;">RELATED</b> <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2005/09/dya-think-im-sexy.html" target="_blank">A fictional imagining about THE decisive moment in the downturn of Rod Stewart’s career. </a><br />
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<i>(Teenage Scribbles = finding a large stash of drawings I did between
the ages of 14 - 20, with the vast majority happening before too many
drugs, boys & bold misadventures preoccupied my time.)</i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-49086025414725806922012-01-30T20:03:00.000-06:002016-02-18T17:10:42.103-06:00Teenage Scribbles: Olivia Newton-John<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowQjt6RrLdu5TyNTBNTnnAfXM5W4mM5n-WforE7ZjK4qKoD2GDyGVw0zI6L1Za7KBtobE4gdPCqYWuVU1Lk4wswHCqBKvPUtaJhgOIN66U7U-xlS_1HbqmZGjTQcTFRE3EMhrzw/s1600/MELT+olivia+newton-john+1979+may+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowQjt6RrLdu5TyNTBNTnnAfXM5W4mM5n-WforE7ZjK4qKoD2GDyGVw0zI6L1Za7KBtobE4gdPCqYWuVU1Lk4wswHCqBKvPUtaJhgOIN66U7U-xlS_1HbqmZGjTQcTFRE3EMhrzw/s640/MELT+olivia+newton-john+1979+may+6.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<b>Olivia Newton-John, May 6, 1979<br />Color pencil on 3-hole punch paper</b><br />
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I was a hardcore Livvy fan, joining her fan club during the 1976 <i>Don't Stop Believin'</i> era. Things were looking pretty bleak for her - both artistically and chart-wise - come 1977's <i>Making a Good Thing Better</i>. <i>Grease</i> saved her career and gave us all something to obsess over during those last innocent moments before junior high began.<br />
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Olivia's Bad Sandy and her (still amazing) album <i>Totally Hot</i> inspired me to makeup my face and hair in an endlessly bittersweet parade of 15th-rate imitations (she always had the <i>best</i> hair, didn't she?). Growing weary of the uphill battle, I finally gave that all up and just drew her, instead.<br />
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<i>(Teenage Scribbles = finding a large stash of drawings I did between the ages of 14 - 20, with the vast majority happening before too many drugs, boys & bold misadventures preoccupied my time.)</i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-40657584260765619112010-08-01T20:03:00.008-05:002010-08-02T05:36:35.386-05:00Paul McCartney: Sing the Changes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujRN5gItYnlGFJ2pBAFJdahAXsBhTzx6mCPiRWPLJyoCAvepbK_z-lcHrkkCDsyY6jZCaNsvrbuKYAJkUENK0Gf5t0bU-6D7PBNkU0E3V8UTAQjSplleNDxxW9yT1xjeAlqVquw/s1600/01+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujRN5gItYnlGFJ2pBAFJdahAXsBhTzx6mCPiRWPLJyoCAvepbK_z-lcHrkkCDsyY6jZCaNsvrbuKYAJkUENK0Gf5t0bU-6D7PBNkU0E3V8UTAQjSplleNDxxW9yT1xjeAlqVquw/s400/01+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500613874569725490" border="0" /></a><p></p>I like to picture Paul McCartney running across a coffee mug with this old chestnut on it and he chuckles knowingly: “A woman has to work twice as hard as a man to be thought of as half as good. Luckily this is not difficult.”<br /><br />That quote neatly sums up his career; be it the Beatles or John Lennon, or even George Harrison, he always seems to work overtime to prove that he’s worthy just as he is, constantly battling the qualifiers of his past. In truth, the total output of his entire musical career is staggeringly weighted toward eternal relevance, but it may take two more brand new generational cycles to erase the ever-present “Yeah, he’s great BUT…”<br /><br />We drove from St. Louis to Kansas City, MO on July 24, 2010 to see Paul McCartney. We were very clear that we wanted to “see a Beatle” while we still had the chance, and on the drive out, we sang along to a few tracks from every Beatle record, and it was glorious. The Beatles are Everything That Is Music to so many of us, and it is a joyous world because of this.<br /><br /><object style="background-image: url("http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/FbByA3A27bU/hqdefault.jpg");" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FbByA3A27bU&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FbByA3A27bU&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2010/07/paul_mccartney_2010_review_setlist_kansas_city_sprint_center_july_24_beatles_wings_photos.php?page=3" target="_blank">Here’s the set list from that night.</a> Doing the math on what we paid for a ticket divided by how many minutes they played, it broke down to $1.26 per minute, and it was worth even more than that. The band (and if you see them play, you KNOW it’s a true band – and I wish he’d cut a new song or two with them) played 37 songs. 23 were Beatles tunes, 14 were not; it breaks down as 10 Wings, 2 from the 2008 The Fireman record, one 1982 and one 2007 solo Paul tunes.<br /><br />It was truly transcendent to hear that undiminished voice do “I’ve Just Seen A Face,” “Paperback Writer,” “I’ve Got A Feeling” or “Helter Skelter.” But aside from his tributes to Lennon (“Here Today”) and Harrison (“Something”), the songs that stole my breath and brought tears of joy to my eyes were NOT Beatles tunes. It was 2 Wings tunes (“Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” and “Let ‘Em In”) and The Fireman’s “Sing the Changes” (with a graphic nod to President Barack Obama).<br /><br />In retrospect, I’m not surprised that Wings tunes plucked my heartstrings; Paul McCartney & Wings were the soundtrack to my grade school 1970s childhood. Same goes for most any early Gen Xer. There were 3 artists that dominated the charts and radio in the ‘70s: Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Paul McCartney. And people our age were pretty much free of The Beatles Baggage that Sir Paul still carries to this day. We reacted to the Wings hits and albums as they happened with a relatively clean slate, and we liked what we heard with no disclaimers.<p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9FeQlT1scHNzc9m1i922gVJ6Bvv5AF9a6rEzpM5-q2X_wKadRz0Ly2XJKg8IunfuxI9bD1OzGPf8lr8ThhdEFEmMQo6g-41CSSunYJA1SHFRH8f3cRuMvIOrjokeDefOZEBUaA/s1600/02+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9FeQlT1scHNzc9m1i922gVJ6Bvv5AF9a6rEzpM5-q2X_wKadRz0Ly2XJKg8IunfuxI9bD1OzGPf8lr8ThhdEFEmMQo6g-41CSSunYJA1SHFRH8f3cRuMvIOrjokeDefOZEBUaA/s400/02+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500613999543082978" border="0" /></a>For those who grew up in the 1960s, disclaimers are all over any of McCartney’s post-Beatles work. Considering how The Beatles changed their lives forever, this is totally understandable. Those 10 years continues to alter the DNA of anyone who hears it, no matter the year or your age. But when only 10 of his 50 years in music were with The Beatles, when does the guy get a break?<br /><br />Even to this day – even on a 21<sup>st</sup> century website like <a href="http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jifyxqe5ldfe" target="_blank">allmusic.com</a> – 40 years worth of musical output is still judged against The Beatles, and there always remains the unspoken “Lennon would think this is crap.” But analyzing it in a detached manner, this is a Baby Boomer rock journalist perspective that is being repeated by subsequent generations of music writers, which is really lazy and maddening.<span style=""> </span>It’s especially maddening when <i style="">all</i> generations’ votes for post-Beatle McCartney via albums, singles and download sales is often dismissed as clueless listeners “falling for” McCartney’s populist pandering (which remains the underlying tone of so many of his solo critiques).<span style=""> </span>It becomes clear that many music writers are trapped in amber, beholden to narratives that will lose resonance as the decades pass. And poor Paul will probably not live long enough to see the day when his <i style="">entire</i> musical output is justly revered (<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1283597/Sir-Paul-McCartney-collects-Gershwin-Prize-White-House-gig--sticks-Barack-Obama.html" target="_blank">though nabbing the Gershwin Prize probably soothes a lot of Paul’s wounds</a>).<br /><br />Of course his entire post-Beatles catalog has low spots; <i style="">any</i> artist that has been going steady for 40+ years has peaks and valleys. Many times I’ve heard hardcore Bob Dylan and Neil Young fans trashing some of their wonkier albums. But oddly enough, those 2 artists are given a hall pass because when you look at their output as a whole, their levels of consistency far outweigh the momentary lapses of sanity.<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But Sir Paul is too often denied that same hall pass by the very same music aficionados. He is rigidly held to an impossible standard that he helped set, and often derided for religiously adhering to a songwriting work ethic, even as they may be haunted by the “du du du du du’s” from “Another Day.”<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrvF4dxIV0KIYd8DkJojP8Z5J5amnO7OOUhzhRy0tNdRmjUl24yPk9c7IQBV0YBPt5CMoZFNijo9zVD28Ta14TFZq-yANLRRAN3W9pj6BK6Cu4er_G0ly6S-srSiS3ca-Vi8lYg/s1600/03+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrvF4dxIV0KIYd8DkJojP8Z5J5amnO7OOUhzhRy0tNdRmjUl24yPk9c7IQBV0YBPt5CMoZFNijo9zVD28Ta14TFZq-yANLRRAN3W9pj6BK6Cu4er_G0ly6S-srSiS3ca-Vi8lYg/s400/03+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500614161449918882" border="0" /></a>Considering what he has contributed throughout his entire career, it’s puzzling that McCartney can’t catch a break from a select group of writers and taste-makers of a certain age (and the younger ones who ape their perspective). It’s also puzzling that McCartney is seemingly haunted by this… if you buy into this old narrative.<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you follow the still-popular party line, Lennon and Harrison (and even Ringo) achieved moments of freedom from the oppressive Beatles’ shackles, while Paul continues to run the popular music hamster wheel. Would Paul catch a break if he had taken musical sabbaticals, have public breakdowns, substance issues, or spiritual journeys? Do we need him to be splayed open with misery in order to escape being the lesser in a Beatles compare-and-contrast?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because it seems that we require our Beatles’ to come down to earth, McCartney had two “opportunities” to rough it up: the death of his wife Linda in 1998 and the sordid divorce trial from Peg Leg<span style=""> </span>in 2008. But rather than show up in a club with a Kotex on his forehead, Paul dealt with his pain through music and by taking the high road. And this may be the rub for many: McCartney is an old-fashioned professional songwriter and performer who keeps his personal life separate from his musical output, which was also the case in the Beatles’ days. He’s been fairly consistent in this manner, but without the protective blanket of The Beatles, he’s been dismissed for the same behaviors and songcraft that was accepted wholeheartedly while in the fold. The double (or triple) standard is, again, maddening.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Wouldn’t you hate to be a Beatle? Wouldn’t you hate to have to live like that? The other three reacted to and tried to move away from that very problem. Paul just seemingly shrugged it off and kept going, unabated.<span style=""> </span>And even though he has given us decades of memorable and hummable songs, it somehow wasn’t enough for the millions of people who still control the narrative.<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqMEgmAi8xcZ3-ztSozRAyReJ86c7DpU6v8MGHf0KRcnlA9NolsoUD8sHj2oOTF5mI_ZzO7snpdrEQLoructjLrOTZSCv6y0izASWDCsMTaexkNF9Y8QrNIEjB3AulD1oVq8uqA/s1600/04+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqMEgmAi8xcZ3-ztSozRAyReJ86c7DpU6v8MGHf0KRcnlA9NolsoUD8sHj2oOTF5mI_ZzO7snpdrEQLoructjLrOTZSCv6y0izASWDCsMTaexkNF9Y8QrNIEjB3AulD1oVq8uqA/s400/04+paul+mccartney+kansas+city.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500614297104603026" border="0" /></a>But that night in Kansas City, for almost 3 hours, we were free of that tiresome narrative. Those of us of all ages were enthralled by everything he gave us, regardless of its pedigree. That’s the power of exceptional songs performed at peak ability: it’s of the moment, of your memories and your emotions. And this does not lessen the impact – there are no disclaimers because this is the truth of right now. Paul McCartney has always written songs for every one of all ages, and this is why – as President Obama noted before handing over the Gershwin Prize for songwriting – McCartney has been on the charts for a cumulative total of 32 years.<br /><br />It’s ridiculous to divorce McCartney from his Beatles years (and none of us want that, including him!), but it’s equally ridiculous to chain 40 subsequent years of music to The Beatles. Let it be or live and let die, it all matters, and Paul knows this. There is no better protector or curator of The Beatles legacy, and for that he deserves deep gratitude. For everything else, he deserves deep respect. He’s had to work twice as hard to get half of that respect, but for him, that’s not difficult.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">RELATED</span><br /><a href="http://song-line.blogspot.com/2006/09/october-1965-beatles-yesterday.html" target="_blank">October 1965: The Beatles - Yesterday</a><br /><a href="http://song-line.blogspot.com/2006/10/april-10-1970-beatles-let-it-be.html" target="_blank">April 10, 1970: The Beatles - Let It Be</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-12694556157719468552009-12-14T20:22:00.005-06:002009-12-15T06:18:03.612-06:00It's a Rough Shop Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYnBMJydJmlg88iSiKBKB7LKFlfkTd7zjfH3-eGHnMRVSAG_C_qb_PEskoPsUAnPMBsG50HwxX2W_2GYu4BMZEhp55eKBle1ddXvBbDAb7KN_LZWc7cf9Z01OmGUkgHs3MuV1lQ/s1600-h/rough+shop+christmas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYnBMJydJmlg88iSiKBKB7LKFlfkTd7zjfH3-eGHnMRVSAG_C_qb_PEskoPsUAnPMBsG50HwxX2W_2GYu4BMZEhp55eKBle1ddXvBbDAb7KN_LZWc7cf9Z01OmGUkgHs3MuV1lQ/s400/rough+shop+christmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415284236018517426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">12.12.09</span> The 6th annual Rough Shop Christmas Show at <a href="http://www.thefocalpoint.org/" target="_blank">The Focal Point</a> was, once again, ultra magical. Actually, the entire journey was magical.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15395815@N02/sets/72157622480406426/" target="_blank">It started with recording the CD</a> that became <span style="font-style: italic;">Just Because It Was Christmas</span>.<br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://roughshop.com/order.html" target="_blank">You should buy it here</a>.<br /><br />There was a stop at the KDHX studios to record 4 of the songs from the instant classic album. <a href="http://www.tobyweiss.com/music/rough-shop-on-kdhx/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Listen to them here.</span><br /></a><br />And after a whirlwind week of rehearsing, the show went down with gusto and glee.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/15395815@N02/sets/72157622878127203/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's photos from the event.</span></a><br /><br />And thanks to <a href="http://www.kdhx.org/index.php?option=com_kdhxradio&task=playlist&dothis=latest&show=Feel+Like+Going+Home&Itemid=268" target="_blank">Roy Kasten</a>, there's excellent <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/roughshop" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">video of all the performances that night</span></a>.<br /><br />And here's some lesser-quality video shot by <a href="http://rollawaythestone.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Steve Scariano</a> on my crappy digital camera:<br /><br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iJHd39qLTwA&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iJHd39qLTwA&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br />That's me in the red Liza dress, Kate Eddens with the red feathers and Anne Tkach on bass, which completes the Gift Trio.<br /><br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ddsx4vdQnYk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ddsx4vdQnYk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br />That's Kate Eddens doing a Rough Shop original by Andy Ploof and John Wendland.<br /><br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6r0XbL_HzLE&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6r0XbL_HzLE&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br />That's John Wendland singing the hell out of a Paul Kelly song! And my deep thanks to John and all of Rough Shop for the honor of being part of their Christmas music magic. They make it the reason for the season.<br /><br />And Bonus footage:<br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2meFqJnsBdk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2meFqJnsBdk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-8524676644853513272009-09-22T20:45:00.002-05:002009-09-22T20:55:52.788-05:00Death to "Mr. Blue Sky"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0twTY7YkdX5fx-m1jpryaYPjQp3QudwaJbIh8lcsdH0h17i9TEO1WQWozoEOnHAVNQIZSg0CbaglBGhbDP7oy9Z1BL1LJfL-LxlyuJp3qqfnJcmlRzp6vy3QvNwvoyX8UyarQQA/s1600-h/mr+blue+sky.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0twTY7YkdX5fx-m1jpryaYPjQp3QudwaJbIh8lcsdH0h17i9TEO1WQWozoEOnHAVNQIZSg0CbaglBGhbDP7oy9Z1BL1LJfL-LxlyuJp3qqfnJcmlRzp6vy3QvNwvoyX8UyarQQA/s400/mr+blue+sky.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384457826229682290" border="0" /></a>Ricky Gervais is brilliant, and there's sweet promise around a new movie written and directed by him, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Invention of Lying</span>. As part of advance PR for the movie, Gervais presents at the Emmy Awards and kills it, then it cuts to a commercial break which features an ad for his new movie. Sweet!<br /><br />But sweet quickly turned sour, and I moaned and writhed on the couch during the entire ad because "Mr. Blue Sky" played over the entire advertisement. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">ANOTHER</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> MOVIE USING THIS SONG?!</span> I swear they're out to get me, and someone must pay for this unceasing lack of imagination and reatrded marketing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I remember the "Mr. Blue Sky" plague beginning in 2004</span>, with the release of the movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</span>, where it was used only in the trailers, but not on the soundtrack, and it worked very well in this context.<br /><br />"Mr. Blue Sky" was not a big hit for the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Electric Light Orchestra</span>, reaching only #35 on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> charts in 1978, bolstering the theory that really good songs usually don't chart that high because it takes a certain degree of water-down to reach an audience mass that makes Top 20 hits. But it was a fan favorite, and always elicited a positive response when someone ran across it in their musical travels. The song just makes you feel good!<br /><br />And this is probably why they used it for <span style="font-style: italic;">Eternal Sunshine</span>. But come the same year, at the start of the new fall television season, the short-lived NBC show <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411003/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">LAX</span></a> used it as the theme song. There was a short break until the flood gates broke open and the cinematic redundancy gushed out. Here's the short list of the over-use of "Mr. Blue Sky" in movies:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Martian Child</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Game Plan</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dan In Real Life</span> (I swear this was the second Steve Carell movie to use this song, because upon seeing the trailer, I turned to a friend and asked, "Does Carell have it in his contract that this song must be used in all his movies?")<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jQ9zlXpXEm8VXkSmeXG0-FXwNmsVTshDCJGBWlRY0baUJuGp-6ta6hdvIYaIG-Y2r8hlq5TX5o7zJ0-mvTWyfUxSEwACEC0Nek5a6NA2quVgKavX0HhM9oP8OdJruO9OnH_wjA/s1600-h/role+models.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jQ9zlXpXEm8VXkSmeXG0-FXwNmsVTshDCJGBWlRY0baUJuGp-6ta6hdvIYaIG-Y2r8hlq5TX5o7zJ0-mvTWyfUxSEwACEC0Nek5a6NA2quVgKavX0HhM9oP8OdJruO9OnH_wjA/s400/role+models.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384464729654687954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Role Models</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2009</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Paul Blart: Mall Cop</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />The Invention of Lying</span><br /><br />It was because of <span style="font-style: italic;">Role Models</span> that I started asking around about why does this song get used so often. Someone in the entertainment field educated me on the basics of song rights for movies, and how the cheaper songs tend to get used more often because of budgets. So maybe "Mr. Blue Sky" sells real cheap, and because Jeff Lynne is a multi-millionaire, maybe he figures, "Why not? I can afford a little largesse." But doesn't he realize how the over-use of this song dilutes its impact? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rea-yBgOSo&NR=1" target="_blank">Jeff, where's your dignity?<br /></a><br />Someone in the entertainment marketing field said that songs - especially when it comes to the marketing campaign - are used to evoke a mood and reach a specific demographic. So does this mean that each of these movies are targeting the subset of Gen Xers who were in grade school in the late 70s? And are we really that easy to manipulate?<br /><br />The continual use of this song must serve some important purpose, or have some deeper meaning beyond crass movie studios shooting into a dead vein. So maybe there's a specific <span style="font-style: italic;">someone</span> to blame for this hackery!<br /><br />I plowed through everyone of these movie titles on IMDB, sifting through page after page of names and companies and credits, just trying to find a common link, and the only person who shows up twice is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0745448/" target="_blank">Peter Rotter</a>, who was listed as music contractor for <span style="font-style: italic;">Martian Child</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Role Models</span>. But this is a guy who has worked on, literally, hundreds of movies, and a music contractor basically fills orders rather than gives them. So I feel bad about placing my anger on him, so I merely grumble quietly in his general direction.<br /><br />But cramming this song down our throats has got to stop. Seriously, just knock it off, because hearing "Mr. Blue Sky" is now a potent form of aversion therapy, and the one I'm angry with now is...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzZaJKjMGNgoSpqW9DgWrtjueLke88RV4p9qQ3zSS2IkXeSmHvojjH-M4PA64WO3pnoHPE4jblPTNEBdUvqrTFdOyd8KsCqOmPuSAAs0ge2IkDUj0pO8_l8ZXz8WRH_2lyB5EOg/s1600-h/ricky+gervais.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzZaJKjMGNgoSpqW9DgWrtjueLke88RV4p9qQ3zSS2IkXeSmHvojjH-M4PA64WO3pnoHPE4jblPTNEBdUvqrTFdOyd8KsCqOmPuSAAs0ge2IkDUj0pO8_l8ZXz8WRH_2lyB5EOg/s400/ricky+gervais.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384473720254499906" border="0" /></a><br />Ricky wields a lot of power and exerts deep control, and he seems like the type who knows better than to go in for sloppy sevenths on the town whore song. Then again, maybe he's " 'avin' a laugh" at our expense, but he's not getting my box office dollars until the death of "Mr. Blue Sky."<br /><br />.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-31227803728385664702009-09-07T15:43:00.006-05:002009-09-07T16:33:13.362-05:00Details magazine, September 1988<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI78fFvQqrK2nml1-15AaxQc6jej1yYuKu7wt52k7eJDLGNo9WCf06DY-CItAxDCMiZB09UFTxBODOoXjkZjbF1pF5b4juJ7Fpad8dvzpb-YbjJbMxFPo3tN_KDb4oUR7_x-rVjQ/s1600-h/01+details+1988+september+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI78fFvQqrK2nml1-15AaxQc6jej1yYuKu7wt52k7eJDLGNo9WCf06DY-CItAxDCMiZB09UFTxBODOoXjkZjbF1pF5b4juJ7Fpad8dvzpb-YbjJbMxFPo3tN_KDb4oUR7_x-rVjQ/s400/01+details+1988+september+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830290718855330" border="0" /></a>Before <a href="http://men.style.com/details" target="_blank"">Details</a> became a junior <a href="http://men.style.com/gq/" target="_blank">GQ</a>, it was the the bible of New York City fashion, culture and party people. For 20-somethings in the Midwest wishing they were in Manhattan, $2 at the magazine stand was cheaper than a plane ticket, and we could be a part of the hip crowd without the threat of not measuring up. It picked up where Andy Warhol left off when he died in 1987.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3UjCTrMYhuOLs9Ve4tyP2Y6fcLnb-rYvwUmgo4fvPp-MkGlZaWmZrmUCnfh5CzibLnsPrwHX8HLxBKzmAc1-QxGddqlJbcTYXDT_W6_yyf399iwneivKWfsjzyAdwQFtsVMHxg/s1600-h/02+details+1988+september+gaultier.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3UjCTrMYhuOLs9Ve4tyP2Y6fcLnb-rYvwUmgo4fvPp-MkGlZaWmZrmUCnfh5CzibLnsPrwHX8HLxBKzmAc1-QxGddqlJbcTYXDT_W6_yyf399iwneivKWfsjzyAdwQFtsVMHxg/s400/02+details+1988+september+gaultier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830056338004514" border="0" /></a>The ads - like for <a href="http://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com/" target="_blank">Gaultier</a>, above - seemed to speak a minimalistic NYC language that was decipherable after a couple of issues, and the cutting-edge designers tended to run different art in <span style="font-style: italic;">Details</span> than they did in the mainstream fashion magazines like <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3B2R_duZjkh2abOA-UczGpAV12H9Rfor9AzIdSyBLy6LuCDzjaGl6TYOcHdPM2C-cCHwi71Y30PD5jL4IJGOzCQNPhbEqBBwerq2HzAABZU3kSRqeRPMYSdqqeq-cgFmtYlfgg/s1600-h/03+details+1988+september+80s+fashion+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3B2R_duZjkh2abOA-UczGpAV12H9Rfor9AzIdSyBLy6LuCDzjaGl6TYOcHdPM2C-cCHwi71Y30PD5jL4IJGOzCQNPhbEqBBwerq2HzAABZU3kSRqeRPMYSdqqeq-cgFmtYlfgg/s400/03+details+1988+september+80s+fashion+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830061441458066" border="0" /></a>But unlike <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span>, they also ran ads from anyone who paid, so the hip was balanced with crap and that underscored the multiple layers of sublime to ridiculous that made the idea of NYC so enchanting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BOgqHO8xE71nNcBSRzVHoclhyphenhyphenYcUt9ZsbF9c4VSx-k9C8DHeZN2_vOXuuvRFV1qoFjz38-xMts7D-rCWoxRcUhACy1_-5kXa_sc1qbSksrFIVhexTsSAZ_6Y_NWs3byCxK9vXw/s1600-h/04+details+1988+september+odeon+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BOgqHO8xE71nNcBSRzVHoclhyphenhyphenYcUt9ZsbF9c4VSx-k9C8DHeZN2_vOXuuvRFV1qoFjz38-xMts7D-rCWoxRcUhACy1_-5kXa_sc1qbSksrFIVhexTsSAZ_6Y_NWs3byCxK9vXw/s400/04+details+1988+september+odeon+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830074282784338" border="0" /></a>The NYC clubs - like Odeon, above - or China Club were the destination, providing a shot at hanging in the same building as Matt Dillon or <a href="http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2004-02-12/mixpicks.shtml" target="_blank">Dianne Brill</a>. Most likely the NYC Club Kids would have blocked someone like me from entering, but I could avoid that embarrassment and still stay in the loop with...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmbu5sgRT-IPVgpPysH6ysymmQmirztG131PqBrxgFwtjwCSboDFfK0re2NlftuJLfJX0xcENxnO6FoHaGZfCjtWNz7iVv3ILz6PqVxpsiQbLDMUe_fMqfloMCU59eSA01ry-aA/s1600-h/05+details+1988+september+stephen+saban+column.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmbu5sgRT-IPVgpPysH6ysymmQmirztG131PqBrxgFwtjwCSboDFfK0re2NlftuJLfJX0xcENxnO6FoHaGZfCjtWNz7iVv3ILz6PqVxpsiQbLDMUe_fMqfloMCU59eSA01ry-aA/s400/05+details+1988+september+stephen+saban+column.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830079427906242" border="0" /></a>...the best part of every issue, <a href="http://worldofwonder.net/wowbloggers/stephen_saban/" target="_blank">Stephen Saban</a>'s party-hopping column, lousy with photos and anecdotes about Cher's Bagel Boy, <a href="http://www.getback.com/gallery/famous-cougars-their-prey/2985807/8/" target="_blank">Rob Camilletti</a> or Keith Richards hanging with 1980s supermodels. Saban knew everyone and dropped trivial facts learned about them while scarfing down free drinks at every cool place in the City. His was the ideal job.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgkEvcMqI9GpGdWlI3SdjL-Uyiz3CPLB8Ngk9PXCs0SCemif9Xhw-sipjgWBeBmxTO5e7-CteS5WzjX97xVH5hChOtWpFqMlyKgBO_shmnh2p8s-D1rGbh4PULZYZvCynA2HPiQ/s1600-h/06+details+1988+september+jacobs+mizrahi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgkEvcMqI9GpGdWlI3SdjL-Uyiz3CPLB8Ngk9PXCs0SCemif9Xhw-sipjgWBeBmxTO5e7-CteS5WzjX97xVH5hChOtWpFqMlyKgBO_shmnh2p8s-D1rGbh4PULZYZvCynA2HPiQ/s400/06+details+1988+september+jacobs+mizrahi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830091388964114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Details</span> had their own fashion issue every September, a decidedly low-rent affair of imperfectly laid-out black & white photos from the runways. This haste and nonchalance about haute couture from <a href="http://www.marcjacobs.com/" target="_blank">Marc Jacobs</a> and <a href="http://www.isaacmizrahiny.com/" target="_blank">Isaac Mizrahi</a> was beyond cool and made this obtuse world much easier to understand. Which also pretty much sums up how <span style="font-style: italic;">Details</span> ladled out NYC to those who couldn't be there.<br />.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-82272187202628603412009-07-05T14:02:00.004-05:002009-07-05T20:20:28.436-05:00Michael Jackson: Victory defeat or death; it's that walk!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIpe3KLhVRXyKirdklkAcNRU4nKuA0DPRVDV4XrbV4r4GjB9hlG5jUYaxySh_Xgiv4-Hxtxq7EueM_dP0HEH6fIa2dQP3E50VQe3ZBzR4b0FSBDU0XKzNK8U6Qca8pZZFZiEuAg/s1600-h/michael+jackson+off+the+wall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIpe3KLhVRXyKirdklkAcNRU4nKuA0DPRVDV4XrbV4r4GjB9hlG5jUYaxySh_Xgiv4-Hxtxq7EueM_dP0HEH6fIa2dQP3E50VQe3ZBzR4b0FSBDU0XKzNK8U6Qca8pZZFZiEuAg/s400/michael+jackson+off+the+wall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355053604653470114" border="0" /></a>There's lots of conflicting thoughts about Michael Jackson, but it takes a poet to distill the emotions.<br /><br />Every time I listen to Jimi Hendrix, I now think of <a href="http://downtownatlantis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">K. Curtis Lyle</a> and his poem about him, "Electric Church." And Lyle has done it again, with his piece (or is that peace?) on Michael Jackson. This is a towering achievement. Thank you, K. Curtis Lyle.<br /><br /><p></p><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE COMING OF MAN</span><br /><br />Michael Jackson died today in internal exile;<br />His heart was put under house arrest<br />At a rented room in Holmby Hills;<br />Someone saw him fall out, put their<br />Mouth on his and then called 911;<br />Rushed to the UCLA Center for the<br />Medical Arts he was dead on arrival<br /><br />"Once in awhile I like to be<br />Driven around town in a black hearse;<br />I sigh and ride past my old<br />Haunts and search for the faces of<br />Friends who started a joke by saying<br />They knew I'd end up on the<br />Front page of a check stand journal"<br /><br />"With no place to be, I headed<br />Home for a reunion with my family;<br />I had lost contact with them maybe<br />10 or 15 years back, but I<br />Met them with my wit and they<br />Found me by rolling their lunches out<br />To the highway and wading through traffic"<br /><br />"Do you ever wonder how a digit<br />Gets put to gether? How a life<br />Flies apart? I found some phone numbers<br />In my back pocket the other day;<br />None of them were praying; all were<br />Suspect; to find love and respect, you<br />Have to reach out and touch someone"<br /><br />"I hadn't been around a lot lately;<br />I was out in the garage taking<br />Super secret notes on Duke's nuances in<br />East St. Louis Toodleoo, Rockin N Rhythm<br />And It don't Mean a Thing; from<br />My late teens til this after noon<br />he was my model and my man"<br /><br />"I never stayed married after the wows<br />Because I felt glad and unhappy at<br />The same time; I put whiskey in<br />My shoes, laughed out loud twice at<br />The altar to make my feet move;<br />I feel that old and that young<br />Now, please, rip out my tongue"<br /><br />The feather down knee pads remain, along<br />With the one jeweled glove; his hair<br />On fire during the filming of the<br />Pepsi scam; the magic screams of babies<br />At the opening of the best mother<br />Fuckin' video ever made; brother wore black<br />Shoes with snow white socks; so what!<br /><br />Michael Jackson is a monster! Bubbles is<br />His real sweetie! Never Land is a<br />Coo Coo Nest! A scare crow jumps<br />Over the wall and buys up the<br />Beatles' memory as if it were a<br />Bottle of cheap British Schnapps; this totally<br />Pissed white folks off; say, so what!<br /><br />He fucked Elvis's baby girl; true 'dat;<br />But then, Elvis fucked our baby girls,<br />Baby boys, mama, daddy, grandma, grandpa and<br />Such, til the black was stroked out<br />Of our blues; but, there is no<br />Such thing as fair trade in the<br />Bruised wars of culture; say, so what!<br /><br />"I Moon Walk around Notre Dame calling<br />Out to Our Lady in ways that<br />Defy speech; the breach in the classic<br />World that I created can never be<br />Closed; from the mad Geto Boys of<br />South Houston to the sperm soaked streets<br />Of Lagos ruled by Fela Anikulapo Kuti"<br /><br />"I cross myself in death with symbols<br />Of the Coming of Man; the right<br />Hand grabbing the crotch; the left waving<br />To my baby; maybe she's in the<br />Next room; the left knee and ankle<br />raised in eternal dispute with grave yards;<br />Ham strimg loose below the right thigh"<br /><br />"Samson had all the muscle in the<br />World, but he couldn't move like me;<br />Whippet stray coal housed under white canary<br />James Brown Stevie Wonder Ray Charles Marvin<br />Gaye Jimi Hendrix made my way; I<br />Give them praise and thanks for showing<br />Me how to rob banks with music"<br /><br />Steel carrot parlays as birds of Bahrain<br />Are almond stuffed in little holes of<br />Concrete and sand and left on the<br />Beach to preach in silence to the<br />Masters of oil wealth; their stealth and<br />Cunning in the art of running a<br />Game would not please the Prophet Muhammad<br /><br />"Who will offer me cool leave; then<br />Who will grace me with station and<br />Fixed chords; care taker of earth air<br />Metal wood water and fire; I desire<br />Two things; a place to be and<br />The name of the archer who launched<br />Me from the pad of Cape Michael"<br /><br />"When I come back as a jaguar<br />There will be throats torn out;<br />Knee caps will crack; shins and calves<br />Will be shred like wheat under the<br />Battle plan of a John Deere tractor;<br />Save your money and buy your tickets<br />'Cuz you know I will be BAD"<br /><br />Rudy & the Valentinos Charlie & the<br />Lindberghs Jimmy & the Deans Marilyn &<br />The Monroes Elvis & the Presleys Johnny<br />& the Lennons Mikey & the Jacksons<br />Make the globe tremble; shave an iceberg<br />Out from its center; no doubt, this<br />is the Age bearing the Bozo Yuga<br /><br />"This is not real opium you handed<br />Me, but a placebo drug with pizza<br />Flavor; I asked for a Georgia stomp,<br />An Alabama strut, a Carolina shout and<br />You hand me a stapler to shoot<br />Myself through the door and deflate the<br />Pain; I'm insane! I want the pain!"<br /><br />For every Gabriel blowing a joyous horn<br />Through her mouth there is a drunken<br />Son House on Hollywood Blvd; crack slouch<br />Asleep in his red rocking chair wonders<br />Where when and why her prayers turned<br />Away from the power to reveal the<br />Rising sun and into genuine night mares<br /><br />We come; press our Beijing ducks with<br />Time and hammer them into food; craven<br />Thin men remove the shake from nails<br />The rude whip from the back of<br />The body; a turtle strides into the<br />Camp ground: he brings a blue guitar<br />Back from Gary; Indiana of my youth<br /><br />"I saw two men take down a<br />Third; lay him gently on the ground<br />And remove the rope from his neck;<br />As one man soothed the burned throat<br />The other reached inside the dead man's<br />Chest and pulled out his heart;<br />The art of healing is never lost"<br /><br />O night of wax lament where we<br />Release the last record of your soul;<br />The people are not sad about what<br />Became of you; of elfin limb and<br />Papier mache, you are solid inside; in<br />Cloud sedate and funeral mount there is<br />Heard coming and going liquid lotus fire<br /><br />What does the down button mean? In<br />The face of the panel of the<br />Ride, there are lines that explain the<br />Price of a stumble or a missed<br />Step; he wanted to go to the<br />13th floor; the door opened at #<br />9; what kind of sign is that?<br /><br />God is the aim, but mostly the<br />Claim is one that only moves persona<br />From one solemn horizon to the next;<br />What if the motion was toward a<br />Black vertex that endured and out lasted<br />Time health illness rank grammar logic truth<br />Vision and being; beyond even inner seeing<br /><br />The roan mare raised the rose stud<br />The rose stud went down town; down<br />Town was blank and gone all day;<br />So mare and stud down town became<br />Full and bold like warriors with the<br />Self control of women; to be a<br />True animal means to know your limit<br /><br />Cool sugar beet crushed under mortar by<br />Cruel pestle is the prime meta phor<br />I'd use to light the plat form<br />Of my love; I need to just<br />Squeeze and ring your fleet frame until<br />Its thin as a wet rag drying<br />In the sweat lodge of plains summer<br /><br />That walk is the walk of a<br />Killer; slow to deliver a motive, but<br />So brazen that the smell of terrain<br />The shift of wind the drift of<br />Sky has no choice but to choose<br />You over the victim; it's not about<br />Victory defeat or death; it's that walk!<br /><br />When you sing in unison with any<br />Being you become one; beget their letters<br />And laws as long as the song<br />Endures; a cricket is a lonely woman;<br />Spike Lee hugs Madonna in the open;<br />Alms for kids wailing in Malawi compose<br />Psalms for those who weep in London<br /><br />Gristle and carti lage and white bone<br />Poke through skin; this is after the<br />End of the world; history and mystery<br />Criss Cross one another a billion times<br />Before a new stage begins; every 50,000<br />Years Shiva rises in the wild west<br />To test the mettle of our DNA<br /><br />To GO is the nature and the<br />Symbol of godhead; to stay is the<br />Nature and symbol of mankind; the smoothe<br />Middle path at first seems wise, then<br />Finally foolish; the holy man chews lemon<br />Drops to soothe his gut's deep burn;<br />At death he leaves a sweet tooth<br /><br />"The beauty of causes and games is<br />Set in the same basket as assault<br />With intent to commit mayhem; I loved<br />Richard Pryor because he figured out how<br />To make the naivete of Leon Spinks<br />The power of Coltrane and the primal<br />Daring of Tupac into an elegant hustle"<br /><br />The dark horse trims fat so that<br />He can get to ship shape; William<br />Butler Yeats sailed off to Byzantium when<br />His muse told him that he had arrived<br />In a country where there was no<br />Place for old men; degrade color romance<br />Sound then founder in your own phlegm<br /><br />"A widow makes me kiss a Masonic<br />Stone; I am alone in the part<br />myself that can't stop the<br />Needle and scalpel from peeling all the<br />Flesh down from around my asshole;<br />I was once fierce in my loins;<br />My heat broke and the climate changed"<br /><br />"The thought of being buried offends me;<br />Big hole fronted by a marble stump<br />They expect me to just jump in<br />And let them pile on until I<br />Rot and become an after thought; some<br />Ritual residue rehash urn; I didn't come<br />From dust; so why should I return?"<br /><br />tksh9feux8Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-85696492627550003452009-06-25T18:16:00.020-05:002009-06-28T16:06:33.821-05:00Scrapbook: Farrah Fawcett-Majors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6sxrQRSwYliQe286UFKK8Ieb0l2CSAuZrP8-ccHwsNRDMgRgqE3_cacvwQQD4P323L_pwnEHnXiA8N2ZFsHi1BzdZzJTj8za8cAtwyHKNqKeboDZY7uBg9gk6uK3N86SsnwVnA/s1600-h/01+farrah+fawcett+wella.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6sxrQRSwYliQe286UFKK8Ieb0l2CSAuZrP8-ccHwsNRDMgRgqE3_cacvwQQD4P323L_pwnEHnXiA8N2ZFsHi1BzdZzJTj8za8cAtwyHKNqKeboDZY7uBg9gk6uK3N86SsnwVnA/s400/01+farrah+fawcett+wella.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351412196169997698" border="0" /></a>The untimely (62 is too young) death of Farrah Fawcett is sad, but knowing in <span style="font-style: italic;">advance</span> that she was dying was deeply distressing. Well before the airing of <a href="http://www.theinsider.com/news/2188222_Nearly_9_Million_Watch_Farrah_s_Story" target="_blank">Farrah's Story</a>, I was keeping track of her condition, awaiting the inevitable. She eventually chose to tell the full story of her cancer journey, and then we knew exactly what kind of living hell she bravely persevered through.<br /><br />It made me think of Paul Newman, who surely went through the same kind of cancer hell, but he and his family worked hard to hide this from the public, who only had a few brief heads up that he was dying. Because of this privacy, the news of his death became a celebration of his life and accomplishments rather than a study of his terminal illness.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rCMCt4gj5e1SJVYevELChtMns1EHfNqz11oyYLDpi2FJOVBobrF0EmDrPDjFc0IR-1YY5iZw_V7z7YLx8FE1SZj0VF6dE81BqphHI4c1gdPPG_07aPetH989aBgVVXDUo_h8bg/s1600-h/02+farrah+fawcett+wella.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rCMCt4gj5e1SJVYevELChtMns1EHfNqz11oyYLDpi2FJOVBobrF0EmDrPDjFc0IR-1YY5iZw_V7z7YLx8FE1SZj0VF6dE81BqphHI4c1gdPPG_07aPetH989aBgVVXDUo_h8bg/s400/02+farrah+fawcett+wella.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351412191559917810" border="0" /></a>But Farrah made the decision to let us in on the illness phase, and it created a new level of empathy and connection with a lady who was, technically, a stranger. For anyone who has personally experienced family or friends dying of cancer, you know that their death comes as a relief - they are finally free of the pain. So, rather than sadness, I reacted to Farrah's death with a great sense of relief: relieved that she was released from the prison of her own body, and relieved that I could now give up this unusual form of extended grieving for someone I didn't really know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8b9XTLfCnCnsgxVI-LUSDCGSZVRxtGZH-rnqyVKble3ik3uqQabtPegE7MlcGVB2WHdWrlO4sjIOZbLzzPBoE1fNtJ0tBxNuaS9BYow-doKdpzmXMbF4UlrpzCYwAbYBQs8tQuw/s1600-h/03+farrah+fawcett+shick.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8b9XTLfCnCnsgxVI-LUSDCGSZVRxtGZH-rnqyVKble3ik3uqQabtPegE7MlcGVB2WHdWrlO4sjIOZbLzzPBoE1fNtJ0tBxNuaS9BYow-doKdpzmXMbF4UlrpzCYwAbYBQs8tQuw/s400/03+farrah+fawcett+shick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411880300908578" border="0" /></a>Turns out millions of us feel like we <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> know her, as highlighted by the media comments and remembrances by us common folk. The one commentary that struck me the most came from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-archer/farrah-fawcett-a-deeper-l_b_220938.html" target="_blank">Greg Archer on The Huffington Post</a> because it so closely mirrors my experiences and reactions to those early days of Farrah Mania, especially the parts about getting a skateboard and the scrapbook. Archer had <span style="font-style: italic;">three</span> of them! I only made one, and since it was never thrown away, I can now share some of the pages with you.<br /><br />Leafing through this nearly-ancient and rotting 3-ring binder has been a touching way to remember Farrah and my 5th grade self, as well as a fascinating study of sudden stardom, media saturation and how the woman at the center of it spent the majority of her life trying to get out from under it.<br /><br />Because I was a grade school TV junkie, I'd seen Farrah plenty of times. She was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veB52xIc2aY" target="_blank">Lady Shick</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVHw4UFhIv0" target="_blank">the Noxema girl</a>, and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofaCGy-wVV0" target="_blank">Mercury lady</a> who cavorted with a cougar. Because I was a magazine junkie, I knew her as the gal <a href="http://sjisasillyboy.tripod.com/ads/farrah.htm" target="_blank">hawking Wella Balsm, Winchester cigars and jewelry</a>. Then she began showing up in magazines like <a href="http://cherscholar.typepad.com/i_found_some_blog/2009/03/cher-scholar-interviews-rona-barrett.html" target="_blank">Rona Barrett's <span style="font-style: italic;">Hollywood</span></a> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Gossip</span> because she was the wife of Lee Majors, which didn't mean all that much to me because I just wasn't a fan of <a href="http://www.chiprowe.com/articles/bionic.html" target="_blank">bionic people</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh745u6jmtYerIB_ExgzQAsUpjMrqhWD1tojz8xQBJTN-s3NIHh6Avd13n9OBThOv3PBbelQ8c7-M5IAAiv-7i6OrSTPjo2gIcOeEsNwyQlOa8mPW8qrBxmfGcuE1V9FRLL6ZIQng/s1600-h/04+charlies+angels.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh745u6jmtYerIB_ExgzQAsUpjMrqhWD1tojz8xQBJTN-s3NIHh6Avd13n9OBThOv3PBbelQ8c7-M5IAAiv-7i6OrSTPjo2gIcOeEsNwyQlOa8mPW8qrBxmfGcuE1V9FRLL6ZIQng/s400/04+charlies+angels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411877603802418" border="0" /></a>Then in September of 1976, out of nowhere, came <span style="font-style: italic;">Charlie's Angels</span> and BOOM - it was full-time Farrah. Oh sure, the other two Angels were crucially important (I even named my first cat Sabrina): little girls typically never played cops and robbers until the girl detectives burst into our lives, and there being 3 of them made group re-enactment a democratic form of make-believe. But re-creating <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJd9xdqOaoA" target="_blank">Roller Derby Angels</a> couldn't get under way until resolving long, intense debates over who got to be Jill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkZqo-1SR1p-WaVDiL1-lOMFra9GN1aBPLZw3frM018DiAgcAQvsoWl3RU2LQjNCvzT0P5g9yIsKENL0Vd2ot5GCC2UkxyV5E4AhFaCagX-vSH8pLo5-DrIVNAWHD1Vx7uPY0Qg/s1600-h/05+charlies+angels+mag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkZqo-1SR1p-WaVDiL1-lOMFra9GN1aBPLZw3frM018DiAgcAQvsoWl3RU2LQjNCvzT0P5g9yIsKENL0Vd2ot5GCC2UkxyV5E4AhFaCagX-vSH8pLo5-DrIVNAWHD1Vx7uPY0Qg/s400/05+charlies+angels+mag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411875750160354" border="0" /></a>Jill Munroe being the favorite angel among little girls was not all that mysterious or complicated. <a href="http://www.charliesangels.gr/kelly.htm" target="_blank">Kelly Garrett</a> was impossibly beautiful and sneaky, procuring secret information and suddenly unleashing mad karate; she was dangerous. <a href="http://www.charliesangels.gr/sabrina.htm" target="_blank"> Sabrina Duncan</a> was cute and brainy, plotting strategy and putting thugs in their place; she was authoritarian.<br /><br />But Jill Munroe was physical - skating, skateboarding, diving, dancing, jumping and punching - and fearless and friendly and slightly silly. She also had <a href="http://forums.bradbarnett.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25421&c=423" target="_blank">the coolest car</a>, the coolest clothes and would clearly be the most the most fun Angel to hang out with. Jill was like the ultimate big sister and/or the embodiment of what you hoped being an adult would be like.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19olEzSK-6UWf5yyWFizile2QzBl9shq1dsLpBNggoK3HpyqnOI6Lm0fVP3Pj_9rldlNAnhy9PIJr-tNUcvJrs68SNhsl3QXPjrpfK8KdkwfoqQ9gQmCLKf36AJhWZeSchrQvng/s1600-h/06+charlies+angels+mag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19olEzSK-6UWf5yyWFizile2QzBl9shq1dsLpBNggoK3HpyqnOI6Lm0fVP3Pj_9rldlNAnhy9PIJr-tNUcvJrs68SNhsl3QXPjrpfK8KdkwfoqQ9gQmCLKf36AJhWZeSchrQvng/s400/06+charlies+angels+mag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411871304317954" border="0" /></a>But Jill was nothing in comparison to Farrah. Everything about her was fresh, abundant and slightly alien, starting with that very unusual name and ending with that hair.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglLypFSEvrSNUlPo2CrkndEF49JyaYkJU4lWKp_GEQFBb0-qb8vc9N-9IY8Quk6Pi9Uk9TLJ1mjmH3BvoeuLbWgRlu0FyJavyL5FuQyzN_psMDb0SBj7GTADp3OZrXCWadKstkw/s1600-h/07+farrah+cover+may+1977+womans+day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglLypFSEvrSNUlPo2CrkndEF49JyaYkJU4lWKp_GEQFBb0-qb8vc9N-9IY8Quk6Pi9Uk9TLJ1mjmH3BvoeuLbWgRlu0FyJavyL5FuQyzN_psMDb0SBj7GTADp3OZrXCWadKstkw/s400/07+farrah+cover+may+1977+womans+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411865804655058" border="0" /></a>Previous to Farrah, ladies' hair was either meticulously styled and glued into place or stick straight and parted down the middle. Then suddenly, there was bangs and layers and wings and movement; even when standing still, Farrah's hair seemed lifted in a constant breeze. It was a mesmerizing spectacle, compelling most every female of every age to layer their hair and attack it with curling irons and hot rollers to studiously achieve the care-free look.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDNN3vQW2QqOsRy0QY1teOzi6TmmGa9yBn2SYCKr9790UsKDaEU-HqdNUZ0YfxBzEy9QMJeZ6IjE73Zdv_CO5MRzzbOzdgQCPaGJVQZbbk5JjH7vYxJUQujF2xqjSvt9d-0a98w/s1600-h/08+farrah+cover+july+1977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDNN3vQW2QqOsRy0QY1teOzi6TmmGa9yBn2SYCKr9790UsKDaEU-HqdNUZ0YfxBzEy9QMJeZ6IjE73Zdv_CO5MRzzbOzdgQCPaGJVQZbbk5JjH7vYxJUQujF2xqjSvt9d-0a98w/s400/08+farrah+cover+july+1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411358709649650" border="0" /></a>Previous to Farrah, female sex symbols were curvy and stacked and presented like dolls in a display window. Then suddenly, an athletic build and a healthy glow was sexy <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> attainable. Farrah wasn't busty (it was more about nipples than cup size) so was unencumbered by a bra. She wasn't hourglass so wasn't confined by tight clothes exaggerating the obvious. Her physical presence conveyed movement, and freedom and fun. Whereas Raquel Welch's cartoonish sexiness elicited women's jealousy, it was easier to approximate and benefit from Farrah's new kind of sex appeal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT20V4uwT-63eA-zSq8S9a0cPUp4Veg1yMZr-zlhlcO_hRMp2ucDmqfTPqwpa4vOVOnrUka-tUA5ycKr2yoTG_Q8efizwhgPUGwl3bsW-mrHJg1_tnTG-6CwUzrfGhyphenhyphen0IFRfrsOw/s1600-h/12+farrah+cover+august+1977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT20V4uwT-63eA-zSq8S9a0cPUp4Veg1yMZr-zlhlcO_hRMp2ucDmqfTPqwpa4vOVOnrUka-tUA5ycKr2yoTG_Q8efizwhgPUGwl3bsW-mrHJg1_tnTG-6CwUzrfGhyphenhyphen0IFRfrsOw/s400/12+farrah+cover+august+1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411349290380370" border="0" /></a>Farrah was not classically beautiful. This became apparent when she stood next to Jaclyn Smith, who had the traditionally exquisite kind of face that maybe only .1% of the female population possesses. Instead, Farrah had an energy and charisma that combined with that hair and that smile to project a a new and revolutionary personality.<br /><br />I remember a <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span> magazine spread with Farrah, wherein the writer revealed that the photo shoot crew were first shocked and then relieved to see her legs were peppered with scrapes and bruises, the true hallmark of an active person. They realized she wasn't perfect and thus adored her even more. Farrah created a new standard of beauty and desirability, and healthy, casual and robust was something every female could realistically achieve. Previously rigid standards of beauty were finally buried.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW8mIf-0VPOBEw0o1SCb7mqEmNRM-1VPcDB8YBXKDA5DwShYi4C5yVBqg1uNTcIg-Cr9rIHM8yOhkgizOaeZXO3Xo9mIsbWCrgJFdvwfNMQ_c4qC9UI2rNt4TeQHM0gtP4ny0Ug/s1600-h/09+charlies+angels+trading+card.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW8mIf-0VPOBEw0o1SCb7mqEmNRM-1VPcDB8YBXKDA5DwShYi4C5yVBqg1uNTcIg-Cr9rIHM8yOhkgizOaeZXO3Xo9mIsbWCrgJFdvwfNMQ_c4qC9UI2rNt4TeQHM0gtP4ny0Ug/s400/09+charlies+angels+trading+card.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411358148603122" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Her allure was immediately apparent, but that is a job requirement of most Hollywood folk, and instant hit TV shows happen all the time. So what was the key to rapid fire Farrah Mania?<br /><br />The Baby Boomers had Beatle Mania, and that flash flood cultural revolution was due, in part, to the deft media manipulation of their manager, <a href="http://www.brianepstein.com/" target="_blank">Brian Epstein</a>. For the Generation X version of Beatle Mania, Farrah's Epstein was <a href="http://www.jaybernstein.com/Portrait.htm" target="_blank">Jay Bernstein</a>. And just as most Beatle fanatics knew who Brian was, same went for Jay. I remember a <span style="font-style: italic;">TV Guide</span> article that reported the floor of the pool at his mansion had a mural of the famous Farrah Fawcett poster. He was an important - and fascianting - character in the story of Farrah.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguT-QaQ2f4dBXQNdKUMm1OeCYplhhgv5677-n-4YE0ETc-a1-cO5aWGZfLt6m4OTx29jm09p94I4MaYkNB-JxL-StJvgiJ16ROap4mcnNg0z62kbtUkh9dJ2ehQmL2ThtOrmEWQ/s1600-h/10+farrah+dolls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguT-QaQ2f4dBXQNdKUMm1OeCYplhhgv5677-n-4YE0ETc-a1-cO5aWGZfLt6m4OTx29jm09p94I4MaYkNB-JxL-StJvgiJ16ROap4mcnNg0z62kbtUkh9dJ2ehQmL2ThtOrmEWQ/s400/10+farrah+dolls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411354439768322" border="0" /></a>Bernstein had a rare flower and he deftly threw out the seeds, growing dolls, toys, posters, T-shirts, trading cards, lunch boxes and folders.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdHG0Fi3wlzK02P25Adn7J_We7S0ZPWbaLwEaCzd9rnNYxXu7cGDl3nyosEYEF1R5aUcQfbN5Wk8iuQ3R3k2Q_3PMIzatGottmpO4TDFEveNgVvXDNXM81NoIANmtlKLL1A_E6w/s1600-h/11+farrah+fawcett+books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdHG0Fi3wlzK02P25Adn7J_We7S0ZPWbaLwEaCzd9rnNYxXu7cGDl3nyosEYEF1R5aUcQfbN5Wk8iuQ3R3k2Q_3PMIzatGottmpO4TDFEveNgVvXDNXM81NoIANmtlKLL1A_E6w/s400/11+farrah+fawcett+books.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351411350819929378" border="0" /></a>Books and special edition magazines sprung up like dandelions on the newsstands, and for a generation of young kids attuned to <span style="font-style: italic;">Tiger Beat</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">MAD</span>, we plucked them with fervor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP7Wp8cgv_E1DAwL2nYxqdEiIlq3HUuughq-W0oIRUzxdcsWkDXpUGlUrAmvGO_y9h9y60BZMQ-iiQkyKGjT1CBNCIzApNUOLVfZvhaefpJD5Y-a_WSIAW0GyWntt0rZyJFgLqw/s1600-h/13+farrah+fawcett+wella+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpP7Wp8cgv_E1DAwL2nYxqdEiIlq3HUuughq-W0oIRUzxdcsWkDXpUGlUrAmvGO_y9h9y60BZMQ-iiQkyKGjT1CBNCIzApNUOLVfZvhaefpJD5Y-a_WSIAW0GyWntt0rZyJFgLqw/s400/13+farrah+fawcett+wella+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410891859223458" border="0" /></a>For the older folks, Bernstein made sure Farrah was always on the cover of some magazine that reached precise demographics. And if she wasn't a cover feature, her lingering contract with Wella Balsm made sure she would still be somewhere inside every issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Redbook</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Cosmopolitan</span>. Today, it is deeply touching that <span style="font-style: italic;">People</span> magazine did such a wonderful job of <a href="http://www.people.com/people/archive/covers/gallery/0,,20213229_20348620,00.html?sortBy=old" target="_blank">documenting all the milestones of Farrah's life</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOrrx02fM8kYTH0lsUEQgqCHHOv9e-w4rqC6Lv95lylXeZppCo9SsClZLzAkmEYn22o5MUYPPVs0vzzlns8ZWhwux1PNnQdr-0MpnDqrreosftckNdjwJivnd2vBjtG2CYSLk_A/s1600-h/14+farrah+fawcett+wella+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOrrx02fM8kYTH0lsUEQgqCHHOv9e-w4rqC6Lv95lylXeZppCo9SsClZLzAkmEYn22o5MUYPPVs0vzzlns8ZWhwux1PNnQdr-0MpnDqrreosftckNdjwJivnd2vBjtG2CYSLk_A/s400/14+farrah+fawcett+wella+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410890805849234" border="0" /></a>A key component of Beatle Mania was the distinct look and personality of each Beatle, which made it easy to emulate them by adopting a few key ingredients, like the mop top. Farrah had That Hair, and magazines endlessly shared diagrams of exactly how to get that look. Even though most of us failed spectacularly at achieving the precise Farrah Flip (they warned us that she had very thick hair), it did insert Feathered Hair into the eternal lexicon of hair styles. Even my thin and fine 5th grade hair received a boost from having layers, which is one of the reasons variations of the Farrah 'do will never completely die off.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf4fpLLtDtuTqdR5KNQs4vOkDYwibJc4okWsfy8ZpFTizE-j3xlqaAKwisheHDF5wpn60AhhUQHyPX4qSzb8nklQBQ6qjWkN_Ioro98gKwQQLXt9fjFQ9zJl6AEWlGnE1VH_Hog/s1600-h/15+farrah+cover+dynamite+1977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf4fpLLtDtuTqdR5KNQs4vOkDYwibJc4okWsfy8ZpFTizE-j3xlqaAKwisheHDF5wpn60AhhUQHyPX4qSzb8nklQBQ6qjWkN_Ioro98gKwQQLXt9fjFQ9zJl6AEWlGnE1VH_Hog/s400/15+farrah+cover+dynamite+1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410889026769282" border="0" /></a>Once millions of women had approximations of That Hair, what better way to celebrate this achievement than with Farrah Look Alike Contests! For the thousands of new suburban shopping malls springing up across America, there was no better way to bring in customers than to invite ladies' to competitively duplicate Farrah for cash prizes and shopping sprees, and bring along your family and friends.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJwGkIzU70Xg7pk14h2T1qoMXosk8rxSHRbfIVosilWQt4uCRVlq_0jy8QVZJY9LQRJvfOdsVNxU32i7JcRCFsADiiANAIJ76TY0FkQC_Cg5UolugfkotqsQOPfR0c-YOc_sNoQ/s1600-h/16+farrah+cover+mad+sept+1977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJwGkIzU70Xg7pk14h2T1qoMXosk8rxSHRbfIVosilWQt4uCRVlq_0jy8QVZJY9LQRJvfOdsVNxU32i7JcRCFsADiiANAIJ76TY0FkQC_Cg5UolugfkotqsQOPfR0c-YOc_sNoQ/s400/16+farrah+cover+mad+sept+1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410882306309778" border="0" /></a>In North County St. Louis, we had our Farrah Look Alike Contest at the freshly-opened Jamestown Mall. The mother of one of my school mates entered the competition because she felt that her tan, her frosted blond hair with banana curls and her blue eyes made her a sure bet. But as she paraded around the stage in a navy blue one-piece swimsuit smiling so wide her neck veins bulged, it became embarrassingly clear that she'd made a huge miscalculation. For several days afterward, it was difficult for her children to look her in the eye.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFubfGOPdNbShkWd-Lue0XXa9ucpL-6BC6ecBIoNGShWpxDLFxz6N-oPM5jmgCxCNnYnoO_RWcnsbToAL5BukS-OF0UYnQeTUutZXvXt5GTknmPN1oC85RBsbiDLtZF_66BSlY7g/s1600-h/17+farrah+cover+mcalls+oct+1977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFubfGOPdNbShkWd-Lue0XXa9ucpL-6BC6ecBIoNGShWpxDLFxz6N-oPM5jmgCxCNnYnoO_RWcnsbToAL5BukS-OF0UYnQeTUutZXvXt5GTknmPN1oC85RBsbiDLtZF_66BSlY7g/s400/17+farrah+cover+mcalls+oct+1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410878989828818" border="0" /></a>The winner of that contest actually <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> look awfully similar to Farrah, and this achievement earned her local celebrity status for several years afterward. Even better? I ran across this lady at a Famous-Barr department store in the mid-1990s, and she looked exactly the same! In the best possible <span style="font-style: italic;">Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?</span> way, she had preserved every iota of that 1977 Farrah-ness, and considering that Farrah herself couldn't even do it if she wanted to, I about cried with happiness over this demented bit of physical nostalgia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGIhxKMfK0HwSVdv6JulOFNBZ5e23GO9W5YaCATNlAg0XV3IksiOLWX_jKUkDDjo0M5W0Kb8SbAC0X5XnQJQbeFbYJgz-eOU06_8MSw_oxsh2i_DKvFmNClXIZbmB5iLJVtaAqw/s1600-h/18+farrah+mag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGIhxKMfK0HwSVdv6JulOFNBZ5e23GO9W5YaCATNlAg0XV3IksiOLWX_jKUkDDjo0M5W0Kb8SbAC0X5XnQJQbeFbYJgz-eOU06_8MSw_oxsh2i_DKvFmNClXIZbmB5iLJVtaAqw/s400/18+farrah+mag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410331351975858" border="0" /></a>In August 1977, the overheated race car that was Farrah Mania hit a huge speed bump with the news that she was leaving <span style="font-style: italic;">Charlie's Angels</span>. The emotional and fiscal impact this had would be equal to the absurd notion of The Beatles breaking up in 1965. I wasn't alone in my instant dislike for the newest Angel, Cheryl Ladd.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u74le75np86ZaVsuiAMgli_nDjNqVAg8zGTgGbha_SqZ509HC0rkphVwUAkIDPM-CpJ5ubQMi7BwjatMa3A5A5WmJ4KCt0GWGHCdWHcXvB8Y0hNdCObyGrXBCDnh4cCQVsz_gQ/s1600-h/20+farrah+mag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u74le75np86ZaVsuiAMgli_nDjNqVAg8zGTgGbha_SqZ509HC0rkphVwUAkIDPM-CpJ5ubQMi7BwjatMa3A5A5WmJ4KCt0GWGHCdWHcXvB8Y0hNdCObyGrXBCDnh4cCQVsz_gQ/s400/20+farrah+mag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410319136923090" border="0" /></a>While the producers of the television show sued Farrah for breach of a non-existent contract (which ended in Farrah returning to the show for 6 episodes during Seasons 3 and 4), Jay Bernstein continued throwing logs into the fire.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0DgFnAG0k3KgLB0b-Xcy_G0qLvjRRzz7YyjoMjLUC0n-9dpnXWGW2BUiF1C9-R4nrAobRUmbfg6HyHIfsfqMAu9TlBvHVDJRovCZ-euZhrAjylHdVtrpYC1z8cp4lQAhHTOu1A/s1600-h/19+farrah+mag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0DgFnAG0k3KgLB0b-Xcy_G0qLvjRRzz7YyjoMjLUC0n-9dpnXWGW2BUiF1C9-R4nrAobRUmbfg6HyHIfsfqMAu9TlBvHVDJRovCZ-euZhrAjylHdVtrpYC1z8cp4lQAhHTOu1A/s400/19+farrah+mag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410323462927090" border="0" /></a>The media was still cranking out Farrah magazines, posters and T-shirts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcONsiPnB5MQY1f17-JygCX9yTJW73i_5riI8qOtZcbZfAGiUnxV8UgV_cLlCe5c6833yEv6wdJsOGkOx3hZpQVby4Q5Irp-Anle0_PjxxYb3bHtljQFbwkWvhnLpOVr_55ziQdQ/s1600-h/21+farrah+cover+july+1978+gh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcONsiPnB5MQY1f17-JygCX9yTJW73i_5riI8qOtZcbZfAGiUnxV8UgV_cLlCe5c6833yEv6wdJsOGkOx3hZpQVby4Q5Irp-Anle0_PjxxYb3bHtljQFbwkWvhnLpOVr_55ziQdQ/s400/21+farrah+cover+july+1978+gh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410317536982130" border="0" /></a>And new variations of her hairdo were still worthy of cover story placement. See, Farrah was not going away, she just wouldn't be on TV once a week, so there's no need to panic or get angry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjgb1CbGEGoXPgLGt5zcYu7yQ7x2H_zdI4qjIYxiFYPx8Ix6uVcLMzAIFBehZ1pyKpWn6uWNsheCL9snOiSiR19L9trJcQJBGxRqJnDhtRIIkC7aOnDydsjsgU_380NPh0hyphenhyphen5zg/s1600-h/22+farrah+cover+07+july+1978+us.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjgb1CbGEGoXPgLGt5zcYu7yQ7x2H_zdI4qjIYxiFYPx8Ix6uVcLMzAIFBehZ1pyKpWn6uWNsheCL9snOiSiR19L9trJcQJBGxRqJnDhtRIIkC7aOnDydsjsgU_380NPh0hyphenhyphen5zg/s400/22+farrah+cover+07+july+1978+us.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351410311837624978" border="0" /></a>The Farrah PR juggernaut worked all the angles: she left the show because her husband couldn't take it anymore (the Good Wife angle) and they wanted to start a family (the Good Mother angle), and she wanted a chance to become a real actress (the Movie Star angle). So, the focus shifted from her being a phenomenon to wanting to earn the right to be so damn famous by returning to films. A constant stream of news and photos from the set of her new movie mingled with the introduction of <a href="http://sjisasillyboy.tripod.com/ads/f15.jpg" target="_blank">The Fawcett necklace</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuBvJsGeqPUbEvZwGNWar49vZsWkx3LybOb4vFg-h6gWoGX4DofJHrBR7yN2QJuLxGWN9gAcYW_p8TGAyXU6ioRGBMApMjzT3rHRJSvsNsA__xPanQBJJZJRvMecPDFLz251iZQ/s1600-h/23+farrah+movie+somebody+killed+her+husband.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuBvJsGeqPUbEvZwGNWar49vZsWkx3LybOb4vFg-h6gWoGX4DofJHrBR7yN2QJuLxGWN9gAcYW_p8TGAyXU6ioRGBMApMjzT3rHRJSvsNsA__xPanQBJJZJRvMecPDFLz251iZQ/s400/23+farrah+movie+somebody+killed+her+husband.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351409728633021634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Somebody Killed Her Husband</span> opened September 1978, and we went on opening weekend to see it. My mother and I went to the movies constantly, and she had long ago stopped restricting me to kiddie films, so I had seen a large number of the movies for adult audiences, and had developed a good critical radar from constant exposure to and passion for movies.<br /><br />That back story is required for my 7th grade opinion that <span style="font-style: italic;">Somebody Killed Her Husband</span> was actually really good. Even my mother - who did a good job of pretty much ignoring Farrah - liked it. It had an engrossing murder mystery plot, Jeff Bridges was great as usual, and it was easy to overlook that it was "Farrah" because she did a solid job of being "Jenny." I was relieved that the movie worked, and that Farrah had not made a mistake in leaving <span style="font-style: italic;">Charlie's Angels</span>.<br /><br />Seems I'm the only one who thought that... or saw it. It eventually made its way to VHS (and I liked it even better many years later), but never to DVD. It's a case where bizarrely overblown stardom coupled with relative shock over her career choice created no chance to meet the unusually high expectations for such a small, unassuming film. Maybe her passing will bring about a reassessment of this time period of her work; there's nothing to be embarrassed about with this picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv-xMh-Wiu9mVSLN1zqSZ6nQnbmtxuebHQVpQBQSL7R-gziQ0FPGEYLAyc6FuN2OjLiLgzNlBIcn4dS02296AY-aaME5mJqJ6vHH4A90Zqs1GBcInuNbl2g5aTJ_8hzwtXRomNQ/s1600-h/25+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv-xMh-Wiu9mVSLN1zqSZ6nQnbmtxuebHQVpQBQSL7R-gziQ0FPGEYLAyc6FuN2OjLiLgzNlBIcn4dS02296AY-aaME5mJqJ6vHH4A90Zqs1GBcInuNbl2g5aTJ_8hzwtXRomNQ/s400/25+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351409719891140962" border="0" /></a>But her first flop was no big concern because Faberge unleashed a line of Farrah Fawcett hair care products!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gJQhQwj_yyrG3s5Pzq2Ru0ydUR0tmlTrgRIP0bzx1Edle-as1Nv0Wab0ILRE3uRRl8QUf_wmAPWPFwnVetzyG_Glr9AFY0hpMRqfvZM21KFmocQOCPcyJzWEr4KGePOYqfFpCQ/s1600-h/26+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gJQhQwj_yyrG3s5Pzq2Ru0ydUR0tmlTrgRIP0bzx1Edle-as1Nv0Wab0ILRE3uRRl8QUf_wmAPWPFwnVetzyG_Glr9AFY0hpMRqfvZM21KFmocQOCPcyJzWEr4KGePOYqfFpCQ/s400/26+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351409713233630018" border="0" /></a>So all the rabid Farrah fans that didn't see <span style="font-style: italic;">Somebody Killed Her Husband</span> still saw her regularly in magazine ads and television commercials for the products. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPJT52Dqh0c" target="_blank">Here's the first commercial</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1NKEdHLbBk" target="_blank">this is the second commercial.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9iH-YQkGLoCNQFtn9VMHAasdUigKYk_wyG2wu634_CTifgS6gm4WUy9QxsmpvB5ZFu1_Hz3OsbpV7zz1uOHrFAHbeD5DSh3yYsii1bTCkHNbpduoO4-KRhE3rhphsE1sKooAjg/s1600-h/27+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9iH-YQkGLoCNQFtn9VMHAasdUigKYk_wyG2wu634_CTifgS6gm4WUy9QxsmpvB5ZFu1_Hz3OsbpV7zz1uOHrFAHbeD5DSh3yYsii1bTCkHNbpduoO4-KRhE3rhphsE1sKooAjg/s400/27+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351409709192213106" border="0" /></a>I instantly noticed that "Majors" had been dropped from her name, and wondered what that was about. But I let it drop because the stuff was really great. I'm not the only Gen Xer who still vividly <a href="http://community.basenotes.net/showthread.php?t=231037" target="_blank">remembers the smell </a>of the shampoo and conditioner; it was sweet with vanilla underscored by enticing spices.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOu9BDuSk73QPtrXSlDuzux1M4Zz8SIGuY4pnFzPZgzwb1J_xZTsf-Ovc1SmTVnRS9tv7xbocJhCt587b3xeIAcISTCo7WtY9UtTlsbqWI-Pm3O8DtLmZmsKe04uo5V4F6PSFgQ/s1600-h/28+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOu9BDuSk73QPtrXSlDuzux1M4Zz8SIGuY4pnFzPZgzwb1J_xZTsf-Ovc1SmTVnRS9tv7xbocJhCt587b3xeIAcISTCo7WtY9UtTlsbqWI-Pm3O8DtLmZmsKe04uo5V4F6PSFgQ/s400/28+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351408838479112770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgTLooI1lwmi5z3j7330cwZphI_151Ik3IBRR9EizgVO5-0dKZHTJ8tQLORQIGs9zQd0ElOmHfHk7UQvz6ioPz-sX5jN96f9NlgYa7iUI8WZG6tP81QYA6BdKMxFXUgUFSXg1NQ/s1600-h/29+farrah+movie+sunburn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgTLooI1lwmi5z3j7330cwZphI_151Ik3IBRR9EizgVO5-0dKZHTJ8tQLORQIGs9zQd0ElOmHfHk7UQvz6ioPz-sX5jN96f9NlgYa7iUI8WZG6tP81QYA6BdKMxFXUgUFSXg1NQ/s400/29+farrah+movie+sunburn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351408845285837554" border="0" /></a>Come the release of Farrah's second post-<span style="font-style: italic;">Angels</span> film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunburn</span>, in August 1979, Farrah Mania was truly past tense. Even I didn't bother to go see it, and have still yet to see it because it never merited much more than an illegal release on Japanese DVD.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikacXH_4gcfykEqYcgUQPSDCJmnyFlLNeGogdP2JERnm-qOLnMBywg06OvP2J62E8WEt6mfbMPEa2JtguiUyCQpmgUycvGss5ptE2WzVY0XWkOKcTuO8LumIyRER4Huw6Wv7wXEA/s1600-h/31+farrah+movie+saturn+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikacXH_4gcfykEqYcgUQPSDCJmnyFlLNeGogdP2JERnm-qOLnMBywg06OvP2J62E8WEt6mfbMPEa2JtguiUyCQpmgUycvGss5ptE2WzVY0XWkOKcTuO8LumIyRER4Huw6Wv7wXEA/s400/31+farrah+movie+saturn+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351408847057375762" border="0" /></a>And the same goes for <span style="font-style: italic;">Saturn 3</span>, released February 1980, which for me personally wasn't worth the trip to a movie theater because it was a sci-fi flick (same reason I still haven't seen her 1976 film <span style="font-style: italic;">Logan's Run</span>).<br /><br />During this one-year time period, she separated from Lee Majors (thus the dropping of "Majors" from her name), took up with Ryan O'Neal, and parted ways with manager Jay Bernstein. In retrospect, these were neon signs of a woman forcefully excising oppressive features of her life (husband, manager and fame) in order to figure out what really mattered for her career and personal satisfaction.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlbSNQ1fh_SgxNjcmaghDz7NEtrQTDCTMxZiW6XQS8fsrejDwaTZY0GgFn4i78nDChQkluCKBIPcAHUwdy0d1aEiPLBUSidVO-DBXfqOfZK610y0D7szVpAhJjKMQxLem0tukew/s1600-h/30+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlbSNQ1fh_SgxNjcmaghDz7NEtrQTDCTMxZiW6XQS8fsrejDwaTZY0GgFn4i78nDChQkluCKBIPcAHUwdy0d1aEiPLBUSidVO-DBXfqOfZK610y0D7szVpAhJjKMQxLem0tukew/s400/30+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351408847537082978" border="0" /></a>In essence, she purposely walked away from it all at the height of crazy fame, making her trajectory not unlike J.D. Salinger or Greta Garbo, but actually more akin to Leonardo DeCaprio recoiling in fear after <span style="font-style: italic;">Titanic</span>, some 20 years later. Yes, she continued to work, but only under her own terms.<br /><br />Over the years, Farrah has addressed how insane the heightened fame was, and how it instilled a need in her to control her privacy, which usually turned out to be a futile aim despite her best efforts. Because of the speed and impact of her ascendancy, she was forever an icon and would forever fight to keep it in control and in perspective. Her thoughts on the matter are really no different than what has been expressed by all the former Beatles, with the major difference being she checked out from it far sooner and far more successfully than any of them did.<br /><br />It wasn't until August 1977 that she determined what kind of acting career she wanted, and it took another 7 years for her to hone that talent and finally receive the respect and validation she needed.<br /><br />Let's not forget that she was, essentially, a good Catholic Girl ( after one divorce, she never remarried and she surely bore the unorthodoxy of an unwed pregnancy in 1985 even more than the general public did), so it's easy to imagine the guilt she felt over undeserved success and fame. What is most deserving of respect and admiration is how drastically she moved to correct it, and how hard she worked to achieve the right balance of personal and professional that would make her comfortable in her own skin.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6hKfOQrpCAGtl7Nmb8bjuJY9BZ0v2feODt223BwmZRBB9fO9YiXgRNkUswSHml-ElgAol6PNlQQnQ5hkbFkgNSWCbx3aohZCbnW5cyqCfc_hYZlojOn7Vl4QpNix0ifa5YxXGg/s1600-h/32+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6hKfOQrpCAGtl7Nmb8bjuJY9BZ0v2feODt223BwmZRBB9fO9YiXgRNkUswSHml-ElgAol6PNlQQnQ5hkbFkgNSWCbx3aohZCbnW5cyqCfc_hYZlojOn7Vl4QpNix0ifa5YxXGg/s400/32+farrah+shampoo+ad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351408854842189666" border="0" /></a>Her personal journey is another reason she has remained such an intriguing icon to both Boomer and Gen X women. The first quarter of her life was about following the rules, while the rest of her life was about writing and re-writing her own rules. It wasn't always smooth, it wasn't always pretty, but a life lived honestly never is, and if someone as blessed as Farrah - who had no choice but to live it partially in public - could trip, fall and always get back up again,then maybe we could, too. We couldn't have her hair, but we could use her as a barometer and inspiration.<br /><br />The Golden Girl who always had it all and continuously threw it all away in her search for something true had come to her final chapter. Because of all the previous chapters of her life, she was fully equipped and fully prepared to face the ultimate meaning of her life, which is why her decision to let us in on the most painful, final chapter of her life has such resonance: she had nothing left to fear because naked honesty is the final reward that all spiritual practices aim for, and she finally attained it.<br /><br />We have all noted the bravery of her final years, but when looking back on her life, that bravery was always there; we just didn't quite see it because of all the trappings of beauty and crazy fame. But even though we didn't acknowledge it until the end, she lived it every day, and she more than validated the reasons why we have been so captivated by her for so many decades. She has earned the rights of her iconic status, and she has earned the right to rest in peace.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx-oKafK28nHYKzkzrgadTwaQsEfSZOLFdIEuN5IQ5nmBazxm9rP8IGXmoNFMCaHw9tB2MeTRcq2P94h1xYl0T_yG7fhtl6Qr6BHb7PqmBcJiwBa7WJbuynJ7KjMgqOhOkaz-qw/s1600-h/farrahfawcettposter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx-oKafK28nHYKzkzrgadTwaQsEfSZOLFdIEuN5IQ5nmBazxm9rP8IGXmoNFMCaHw9tB2MeTRcq2P94h1xYl0T_yG7fhtl6Qr6BHb7PqmBcJiwBa7WJbuynJ7KjMgqOhOkaz-qw/s400/farrahfawcettposter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352483507019488978" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-21401885782443663432009-03-29T13:52:00.041-05:002009-03-30T17:33:36.452-05:00Sexual Archetypes: the 30th Anniversary of "Sooner or Later"We all react to subconscious triggers embedded in our brains, and often the key to breaking a habit is making the effort to unlock that code. Sometimes it's impossible to identify Ground Zero, while other times we know exactly what it is and the struggle is to try and lessen the power it has over you.<br /><br />There is a certain type of guy that always sets off my alarm. While I don't consider this a bad habit, it does tend to make me overlook a more appropriate type of mate simply because he doesn't match the archetype. This was never considered a problem when I was younger, but now that I'm on the other side of 40, I wonder if remaining keenly attracted to this specific archetype will eventually back me into a corner? Should I try to break this spell? Can I? And do I want to?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6p57HSE9y8kFq5R6HcDXu3YZf-MGZx1bhrBF5Du4kl5Dd65f5yzJayHafyptsh1SU-pBsebTX1tbFFyJ86BWEezLHpFMmJnxHj0qfVCQv72HilxbZ8OL_6CRtYXZinWuOVLX_A/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6p57HSE9y8kFq5R6HcDXu3YZf-MGZx1bhrBF5Du4kl5Dd65f5yzJayHafyptsh1SU-pBsebTX1tbFFyJ86BWEezLHpFMmJnxHj0qfVCQv72HilxbZ8OL_6CRtYXZinWuOVLX_A/s400/sooner+or+later+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318724320776076098" border="0" /></a>I know my Boy Ground Zero: It was March 25, 1979 when ABC aired <span style="font-style: italic;">Sooner or Later</span>, starring Denise Miller (fresh off the TV series <a href="http://www.sitcomsonline.com/fish.html" target="_blank">Fish</a>) and <a href="http://rexsmith.com/index.php" target="_blank">Rex Smith</a>. If you don't know the story, within this page, I've depicted the most crucial plot points of the story, as remembered from the perspective of a 13-year old girl. That's exactly how old I was when it aired, that's how old the character Jessie was in the movie, and that was the target audience.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3qk7RdXWxK2qoCkS5I2e9Lw3qWbJcmOftbhkrCAThNVUst9nIYlgFJy8ClI3IviemuEpiXkFSdBjQqPk6GnfvmscVPOR7GAmgSxvEvcP34tY-VwRfCn3yQJpLjTkN6FWHC1XTw/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3qk7RdXWxK2qoCkS5I2e9Lw3qWbJcmOftbhkrCAThNVUst9nIYlgFJy8ClI3IviemuEpiXkFSdBjQqPk6GnfvmscVPOR7GAmgSxvEvcP34tY-VwRfCn3yQJpLjTkN6FWHC1XTw/s400/sooner+or+later+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318724250060986018" border="0" /></a>The film was written, produced and directed by Carole and Bruce Hart, who did a masterful job of knowing exactly what things 13 year old girls obsessed about. Horrible job yes, but if you've got a job to do you gotta do it well. There are plenty of money guns aimed at that demographic at any given moment, but it takes a little more effort and heart to create something that goes off like a bomb at the time and then continues to resonate for years after.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9TV7tx2mgEtU7Iw1J5at3x_VGitaJExxJndB802oceV3VK6fsBhRUc9crjEwWDsnErw6pmitHPqCY8-B8ZIiMBlJf6mlWyCIeD44lR2vhquJ2qmgmWS3INWBRlI5sKsYU_mwTQ/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9TV7tx2mgEtU7Iw1J5at3x_VGitaJExxJndB802oceV3VK6fsBhRUc9crjEwWDsnErw6pmitHPqCY8-B8ZIiMBlJf6mlWyCIeD44lR2vhquJ2qmgmWS3INWBRlI5sKsYU_mwTQ/s400/sooner+or+later+03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318724141172993554" border="0" /></a>On a Friday, not a single junior high girl knew who Rex Smith was, but come the following Monday, it was a wonder we'd survived that long without him. I was blown away because his singing voice sounded quite a bit like David Cassidy (my first true love), and unlike the fawn-like Shaun Cassidy (who was on my walls at this time - as well as on the walls of a character in the movie), Rex was a dangerous, sexy MAN. And he fell for someone my age!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPm1EHwmrtLCOXMzFp_RLyu-hu6KNcCil18-jDL_a8k3tQTSGZXGQV0JS2gRgf-IWWdDS3ZNbLXLRcOY-dxNST3jdGLFTJPL-m3aNZP28jO1EpHhR7lleR3v7C97ny6tPQU1w2w/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPm1EHwmrtLCOXMzFp_RLyu-hu6KNcCil18-jDL_a8k3tQTSGZXGQV0JS2gRgf-IWWdDS3ZNbLXLRcOY-dxNST3jdGLFTJPL-m3aNZP28jO1EpHhR7lleR3v7C97ny6tPQU1w2w/s400/sooner+or+later+04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318724016890479634" border="0" /></a>Denise Miller was the perfect blank page for writing yourself into the story. She was cute, but not exceptional, so not a threat. She was audacious without being precocious, so a believable role model for a confusing period of life. She confirmed the secret to jump starting a love life - makeup. And she landed the hottest rock guy in a not too improbable way. It was the most believable of scenarios, and that air of real life possibility is probably what makes it an emotionally enduring film.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOLU92J5_dqxfTPVnOCAhhuBL407OtPrtuY1ty7tdKEDdK6Xq-P_WyAXH2D8LwhjqSO67K9EV9p9hckw_0-WwBK7vMOw46-nz37QMbmx0iJMHPv2baUftpZPoe9fNjcmZahQN3Q/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOLU92J5_dqxfTPVnOCAhhuBL407OtPrtuY1ty7tdKEDdK6Xq-P_WyAXH2D8LwhjqSO67K9EV9p9hckw_0-WwBK7vMOw46-nz37QMbmx0iJMHPv2baUftpZPoe9fNjcmZahQN3Q/s400/sooner+or+later+05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723924357954178" border="0" /></a>I bought the paperback book. I bought the album. I bought the issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Us</span> magazine with a feature on Rex Smith that featured a photo of him by a pool, completely naked save for an electric guitar. I swear to you the tip of his penis was visible in the picture. I threw Shaun Cassidy under the bus. I got a $35 acoustic guitar from Sears. I waited expectantly for my Michael Skye.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8efBgsDHaGJEMvhihSBPenzZMh4NhvqR1Q2AYGI-P-S5jDQ41BYpo40IofW_IXGvhC486X5LTx3N3autXGj8ALJgoZExYEcsn6HISW7pVnXzVFmFBnAnUmuxDkQ3yYzZkGzevw/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8efBgsDHaGJEMvhihSBPenzZMh4NhvqR1Q2AYGI-P-S5jDQ41BYpo40IofW_IXGvhC486X5LTx3N3autXGj8ALJgoZExYEcsn6HISW7pVnXzVFmFBnAnUmuxDkQ3yYzZkGzevw/s400/sooner+or+later+06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723832411665074" border="0" /></a>About 14 years later, I finally got around to proper guitar lessons. I about plotzed when my teacher was a long-haired, Italian stallion metal guy. Knee-to-knee in a tiny room, I could barely concentrate as he put my new Telecaster through its paces. I soon dropped the lessons because he was too hot for me to be serious about learning, and because it made all those latent <span style="font-style: italic;">Sooner Or Later</span> emotions well up. That, and I also had a boyfriend who played guitar and had hair much like Michael Skye.<br /><br />So, I went home and put the dog-eared paperback and the well-worn vinyl into a box of stuff that went off to a garage sale. This was the grunge era, so these items from a bygone era were way uncool and embarrassing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEs53Ln-5ryCNXRAqer7UsaWb_GWStDDx3OBBOJs1h4551SxLZ9qauf6D7mxPL4z_QA7rC0WnOEWEjb5w37aD_NmGpuNhDl8euR5eeIdculdJ76lbYfomlqdTOzdvm4akzRN-wQ/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 347px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEs53Ln-5ryCNXRAqer7UsaWb_GWStDDx3OBBOJs1h4551SxLZ9qauf6D7mxPL4z_QA7rC0WnOEWEjb5w37aD_NmGpuNhDl8euR5eeIdculdJ76lbYfomlqdTOzdvm4akzRN-wQ/s400/sooner+or+later+07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723712060562818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQm6D3gvpeGQc9_7HMngKpqzEX5IcoA-hzo71dfPeqRdy6OLfE6LEu16hSldVBmI-1BzbbX503dBpHVJzUG3ucqOhoTCYv8mqAu_l6m7rkT9S3cBGXJs1OMBAFfFxbRUcxatsDg/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQm6D3gvpeGQc9_7HMngKpqzEX5IcoA-hzo71dfPeqRdy6OLfE6LEu16hSldVBmI-1BzbbX503dBpHVJzUG3ucqOhoTCYv8mqAu_l6m7rkT9S3cBGXJs1OMBAFfFxbRUcxatsDg/s400/sooner+or+later+08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723619995562802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfoI2P-d78jLxA2zB0xHLPp0N2Mr5HBh-6PBJciY7NnuJ78rqYpzdGwq8AdMHhrjcphpSGjXiYWGVLmTbHf194-C-7TV3c3P1fz8NpB5O9KvMMcjeTSuVyz-KLXD6TUqCSS0NKg/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 363px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfoI2P-d78jLxA2zB0xHLPp0N2Mr5HBh-6PBJciY7NnuJ78rqYpzdGwq8AdMHhrjcphpSGjXiYWGVLmTbHf194-C-7TV3c3P1fz8NpB5O9KvMMcjeTSuVyz-KLXD6TUqCSS0NKg/s400/sooner+or+later+09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723502982878818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sooner or Later</span> happened right after my puberty kickoff. The whole point of the movie was dealing with the issues of girlish daydreams becoming all too real. "They tell me I should slow up/ Take my time and grow up/ But sooner or later is too late."<br /><br />It quickly becomes apparent that the dividing line between child and teenager is hormones, and what to do about it. Your body tells you plenty, you're all ears, but you don't understand and are mortified by what it's saying. The outcome - sex - is inevitable, but it's the steps toward it that were the most confusing. Wait, that aspect doesn't change much, no matter how old you are. I guess we just have so much practice with it that it's no longer as scary.<br /><br />But it was that fear of the unknown that made it so indelible and so special. Just like first love, the lead up to first sex is filled with rush of new emotions that then become unsustainable once you've experienced it. They are replaced with sensations that we experience over and over again, in many new and different ways, but The Firsts have a powerful hold on our psyche.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDdu5pgAzCeHpuEPPhcUdSCIcoGCJWy_41CKp3QH3nPkTyPwVICNDNGfEwJd0peao7e8zb_QWFT7vmvcjO86srbywtvB6_Ah03c8CNUl62uabagvkhJBWohlBhnyfMuRa9YrLng/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDdu5pgAzCeHpuEPPhcUdSCIcoGCJWy_41CKp3QH3nPkTyPwVICNDNGfEwJd0peao7e8zb_QWFT7vmvcjO86srbywtvB6_Ah03c8CNUl62uabagvkhJBWohlBhnyfMuRa9YrLng/s400/sooner+or+later+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318751534600747394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7I_dbLS1b3O4uJc5-eKj78FSv4cIHspW4Iv_024S2Gwf71PBl4U7pxXoCfwxxMHO2klVdWYUVkI-bGeMNYPset4bw-uPQXGwySy_B-ZYOCkI0d51Xxi3NCaZVQL2zO3v_M1W4Ww/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7I_dbLS1b3O4uJc5-eKj78FSv4cIHspW4Iv_024S2Gwf71PBl4U7pxXoCfwxxMHO2klVdWYUVkI-bGeMNYPset4bw-uPQXGwySy_B-ZYOCkI0d51Xxi3NCaZVQL2zO3v_M1W4Ww/s400/sooner+or+later+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318752035692770834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC88VdauLtmqcLSBwjYUpgBb0FqO25t8NalFDiL9G1TLetalYcDBvglV7FepdRSibVL3p0Mm-RUiHqHmOex-lkLU4-mdo0tIYwGm22NSqc-rEjvnr6Wy_my4fxVAK-eA0TWGbxQ/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC88VdauLtmqcLSBwjYUpgBb0FqO25t8NalFDiL9G1TLetalYcDBvglV7FepdRSibVL3p0Mm-RUiHqHmOex-lkLU4-mdo0tIYwGm22NSqc-rEjvnr6Wy_my4fxVAK-eA0TWGbxQ/s400/sooner+or+later+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723117830305746" border="0" /></a>Many, many years later, my Mother ran across <span style="font-style: italic;">Sooner Or Later</span> on cable, and was kind enough to tape it for me. I circled that tape for a few days, afraid to watch it again 20 years later because what if it sucked? I loved those memories from that time; why chance ruining it?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLm3pEWHiPEHOPI-Eg5giEWTK9RwqCT_yVF1Fn_LhgPaSPQbdcEWNuspk1LEm52aNmmdmzLDsmaoNzaEnIGoRjLaJ1S0zgI4ethSJt33a1Hf1AxO0TfSGxvSSNpSBixL9itlh4Q/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLm3pEWHiPEHOPI-Eg5giEWTK9RwqCT_yVF1Fn_LhgPaSPQbdcEWNuspk1LEm52aNmmdmzLDsmaoNzaEnIGoRjLaJ1S0zgI4ethSJt33a1Hf1AxO0TfSGxvSSNpSBixL9itlh4Q/s400/sooner+or+later+13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318723018967711858" border="0" /></a>Have you ever run across an old commercial from your childhood that you completely forgot until you saw it again, but it was like being transported right back to that very moment in time, and you recall it all crystal clear? The sensory input actually produces a physical reaction; it can make you feel good, instantly. I believe the physical sensation it produces is why we spend so much time on YouTube - it's like huffing emotional glue.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhDykAGrXSXSDcnhyphenhyphenlASoe8MpCxXmoAkdRvTlKUGjCOk7p6oM8h5ibP19yVTigYDTXIKir-ymuNPl4p9KhV_m6VO3rI6YJ0ENBcPw2HTfQjqCDfklXUkLz8SPiaxVNLjCnd355g/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhDykAGrXSXSDcnhyphenhyphenlASoe8MpCxXmoAkdRvTlKUGjCOk7p6oM8h5ibP19yVTigYDTXIKir-ymuNPl4p9KhV_m6VO3rI6YJ0ENBcPw2HTfQjqCDfklXUkLz8SPiaxVNLjCnd355g/s400/sooner+or+later+14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722889814229474" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JLJs1V9rkNr5-O1fjnI5Z6-pzLXtRP7iM1j8hhdckA9TeaiYZYLnKKWPWoGQ60QStDVSu0N70DCLTEJYqz1-KXS8riTqmdcuJVSAZXyiRu8uxM55QX8-_dksK0uFyqA3YBYSEg/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 352px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JLJs1V9rkNr5-O1fjnI5Z6-pzLXtRP7iM1j8hhdckA9TeaiYZYLnKKWPWoGQ60QStDVSu0N70DCLTEJYqz1-KXS8riTqmdcuJVSAZXyiRu8uxM55QX8-_dksK0uFyqA3YBYSEg/s400/sooner+or+later+15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722783715587266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMne68-tJRQDCUHxbXTy2VhOd4xeDQTIfqthpRJsjO4xoitV3OKrVeyd5yxAB6qdx56r9ObJYEh8Y2B9L1WdURr79tb0X08XVhJ1MrzH8ctLifaltainUceOI8MJpwXoCgKbSOQg/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 347px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMne68-tJRQDCUHxbXTy2VhOd4xeDQTIfqthpRJsjO4xoitV3OKrVeyd5yxAB6qdx56r9ObJYEh8Y2B9L1WdURr79tb0X08XVhJ1MrzH8ctLifaltainUceOI8MJpwXoCgKbSOQg/s400/sooner+or+later+16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722679506221314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Bw-EAWmsMJYjip2SmSWVClTLSD-zFRsx7a4x1cTIQxmpQNmkr2xpXQDRTmFW9PuxfyhvTVaTK6B3TiFUE0Y7aQriFFnlxS6-F9WPtlzc77OKk60x6VKMM8-PsZ1nzEk7euEx_Q/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Bw-EAWmsMJYjip2SmSWVClTLSD-zFRsx7a4x1cTIQxmpQNmkr2xpXQDRTmFW9PuxfyhvTVaTK6B3TiFUE0Y7aQriFFnlxS6-F9WPtlzc77OKk60x6VKMM8-PsZ1nzEk7euEx_Q/s400/sooner+or+later+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722538311305330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9jkjUwWYeBVZcXDon8ECl2VfjkOsFo_07HFDS11XcR1NhnjyU0q1m91eqUDH4qVK6gW1HMh6nZCoopoEUiTL0IK5BQsJehyphenhyphen1VFWWziUHTPiSQ0i9sdMyTKwzYyFMh9MTsmQniQ/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9jkjUwWYeBVZcXDon8ECl2VfjkOsFo_07HFDS11XcR1NhnjyU0q1m91eqUDH4qVK6gW1HMh6nZCoopoEUiTL0IK5BQsJehyphenhyphen1VFWWziUHTPiSQ0i9sdMyTKwzYyFMh9MTsmQniQ/s400/sooner+or+later+18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722441464772306" border="0" /></a>My second viewing of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sooner Or Later</span> was the second coming of puberty, and it was good. Real good. It turned out to be an exceptionally well-written and executed piece of work with an honest, emotional core that allows it to float past being unduly dated by its time period. Yeah, all that... and it had me giggling and screeching like a 13 year old girl, all over again!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxcec5KiwDjxM0r2m7fUFfXk5_DB5Ah-yvBaxuq_FQHbcjpelKEyi0QW1O6jj6TN0hvNfBCFInlXslFCbdTONbAA760n5Uv3s_RGlhbAEis-xPp4onu4iRpGJJVZhNS7fprPF0Q/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+19.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxcec5KiwDjxM0r2m7fUFfXk5_DB5Ah-yvBaxuq_FQHbcjpelKEyi0QW1O6jj6TN0hvNfBCFInlXslFCbdTONbAA760n5Uv3s_RGlhbAEis-xPp4onu4iRpGJJVZhNS7fprPF0Q/s400/sooner+or+later+19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722352826169410" border="0" /></a>I swooned and cringed in the exact same spots as before. Every emotion was just as pure and expansive as it was at 13, and being able to fully conjure that at such a late date was a heady experience. It reminded me of a Rufus Wainwright song: "I twist like a corkscrew, the sweetness rising, I drink from the bottle, weeping why won't you last? Why can't you last?"<br /><br />Well, yes, it can last - just hit rewind!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzWic5SzRajdnbD_gkaf7dAmcUcFBEkvRcg38r5GG-yPPb2nnLN2-seFKzeqIsqS1d4H4ePrMGU0JV0t-NZpkpBu9glcJWnD1gy5zcb8LCTBp-tHhDVMLx2QYOrwl-nwX519JOg/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+20.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzWic5SzRajdnbD_gkaf7dAmcUcFBEkvRcg38r5GG-yPPb2nnLN2-seFKzeqIsqS1d4H4ePrMGU0JV0t-NZpkpBu9glcJWnD1gy5zcb8LCTBp-tHhDVMLx2QYOrwl-nwX519JOg/s400/sooner+or+later+20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722255254755234" border="0" /></a>Viewing it from an adult perspective just adds to the fun. Considering my age, it's now PG cougar porn primo, and I appreciate the care they took in lingering on certain camera angles. It produces this weird sensation of my teen and adult selves swooning simultaneously for different - but just as valid - reasons. It's as close to an out of body experience as I'm going to get without meditation or medication.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_xDCQYK16p_-gXKFYlBBedgxnTt4hL_Fp1eYXeUX1x6QNfearo8PioSD8ETCXE38_KJaw4ZnJh29trXzTyz1bsprb6myVWnvuHTDesQs4LFsb8pQ3wxcWDajp4HS4Wzqrt0p8w/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_xDCQYK16p_-gXKFYlBBedgxnTt4hL_Fp1eYXeUX1x6QNfearo8PioSD8ETCXE38_KJaw4ZnJh29trXzTyz1bsprb6myVWnvuHTDesQs4LFsb8pQ3wxcWDajp4HS4Wzqrt0p8w/s400/sooner+or+later+21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722120319980818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88RCtwYTwNcr2hL0jZIXCyngaPsQfNVVJbJ9w8CBX9tvtPxZnZAKsZyDNkk_1RoKFTPq3z3rksOoRMh-IYy-7nzbYXHsb57MVkpA_SZMziL3hKUs8H0N_N4pRTO_G_GsiHXZmQQ/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+22.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88RCtwYTwNcr2hL0jZIXCyngaPsQfNVVJbJ9w8CBX9tvtPxZnZAKsZyDNkk_1RoKFTPq3z3rksOoRMh-IYy-7nzbYXHsb57MVkpA_SZMziL3hKUs8H0N_N4pRTO_G_GsiHXZmQQ/s400/sooner+or+later+22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318722006108794642" border="0" /></a>During the drive-in scene, Michael sings "She's Still a Mystery To Me" to himself as Jessie stuffs her face with junk food to avoid the necking that accompanied drive-in dates. Jessie asks what's the song, and Michael teaches her about John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful, following up with another pointed reference by singing "Young Girls." This makes Jessie cry, because she has a bucketful of secrets to soon reveal, but at the time, it sent me to the library to dig deeper into the Spoonful, beyond the radio hits. So, Rex, thanks for another enduring gift!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitJfnq3T_NStH2jiEn2uz0ybmL1Ntna8OcqH69VNZFkHiNgiFuCmtJ80xh0qWxwJRqufq1QUACZHdB5r-TG0L7D3zkRPAer2RmG0bbxQvuXJqwco3jCpdr14QCUG2ONcMBt3hDA/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+23.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitJfnq3T_NStH2jiEn2uz0ybmL1Ntna8OcqH69VNZFkHiNgiFuCmtJ80xh0qWxwJRqufq1QUACZHdB5r-TG0L7D3zkRPAer2RmG0bbxQvuXJqwco3jCpdr14QCUG2ONcMBt3hDA/s400/sooner+or+later+23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721895511379554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsLS9jSQIIs8_jQX-vcg9Zaj8GNEUkUO3fz1Xr2J9pB3IoPjTwmGbvZcA4IsQoiuga4gFwyGhdGQE__15Bfp5aS3yW8-oQGVfXbf8GAxyiYfLjLFk9qzgewlyT3-AsiabaxlK_Q/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+24.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsLS9jSQIIs8_jQX-vcg9Zaj8GNEUkUO3fz1Xr2J9pB3IoPjTwmGbvZcA4IsQoiuga4gFwyGhdGQE__15Bfp5aS3yW8-oQGVfXbf8GAxyiYfLjLFk9qzgewlyT3-AsiabaxlK_Q/s400/sooner+or+later+24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721791548723922" border="0" /></a>Jessie is 13, Michael is 17. Yes, technically, it will be statutory rape (if 17 was considered adult in Yonkers in 1979). That's the first lens we view through, today. But of far more emotional impact is the deep sea change within that 4 year age difference at that time of life. The writers didn't need to cite laws to make the revelation of the concealed age difference so gut-wrenching for both of them.<br /><br />But it does beg the question: could this story be told as convincingly today? For multiple cultural reasons, a 13 year old girl is a much different creature than she was 30 years ago, outwardly. Could the changing shape of society, parenting and criminal paranoia make this a quaint, old-fashioned story?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49VMo2KXT7s1j1VOckYGZWSuOt7aUekKEHJM3LeGPel7oLFYKivZhjzqMdH7FUwAuHMzEi-PA2AlrfkRjWNufuFUyxWH-lqTN8s-EseKx391OvI7BKjtKjNWEZ7BlOBkU14kP6g/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+25.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49VMo2KXT7s1j1VOckYGZWSuOt7aUekKEHJM3LeGPel7oLFYKivZhjzqMdH7FUwAuHMzEi-PA2AlrfkRjWNufuFUyxWH-lqTN8s-EseKx391OvI7BKjtKjNWEZ7BlOBkU14kP6g/s400/sooner+or+later+25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721656223735074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AbDg-OtNAL2QHsDfE7GXe2uamEU-RfEt7Ku9Fhklb9dnbT-8aGNeVb1C11qeNA3k5lbILnKzAf2E6nG22DAKBMDKYaA1gKhYV9-eRBRrosz0R9GcYTnZYyh35SyNf2YX1PzFJw/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+26.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AbDg-OtNAL2QHsDfE7GXe2uamEU-RfEt7Ku9Fhklb9dnbT-8aGNeVb1C11qeNA3k5lbILnKzAf2E6nG22DAKBMDKYaA1gKhYV9-eRBRrosz0R9GcYTnZYyh35SyNf2YX1PzFJw/s400/sooner+or+later+26.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721530713390178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLpM2gv6OuOm9g_owtkWgJfbb_IanC9YrErHI8JUrqaSU6fANWGQWLbF4Di9YcvjDGA137E7V1B2QkJMrAxf8H5v8JFO57U4QmTsgtyI7uaQMwIgyEZz6o1t587pEPMsE-L5ssg/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+27.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLpM2gv6OuOm9g_owtkWgJfbb_IanC9YrErHI8JUrqaSU6fANWGQWLbF4Di9YcvjDGA137E7V1B2QkJMrAxf8H5v8JFO57U4QmTsgtyI7uaQMwIgyEZz6o1t587pEPMsE-L5ssg/s400/sooner+or+later+27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721405237762930" border="0" /></a>I've now watched <span style="font-style: italic;">Sooner Or Later</span> with male and female friends around my age, some seeing it again, some seeing it for the first time. Everyone enjoys it, which verifies that it truly is quality work. But I've yet to have a clock in from a young girl of today. Would the story resonate? Would the Michael Skye type still be considered foxy in this era?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJD1kHRWqNJ4i-XGNfeV92DKV-0T1-U1_tJWaCyqebyoP8LU-sqhX3n9T6kOhTgNM0o0cj0HXgYbrIZPUYEbZKOpQi3Lb7HrTHpiXWlndm9TsvDANLVUJ7bWRdy0YqnZYofSC3w/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+28.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJD1kHRWqNJ4i-XGNfeV92DKV-0T1-U1_tJWaCyqebyoP8LU-sqhX3n9T6kOhTgNM0o0cj0HXgYbrIZPUYEbZKOpQi3Lb7HrTHpiXWlndm9TsvDANLVUJ7bWRdy0YqnZYofSC3w/s400/sooner+or+later+28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721264030791922" border="0" /></a>Personally, the Michael Skye type still resonates within me. Maybe a bit too strong... depends on the perspective and the day. I didn't need to see the movie again to conjure that, only to verify the starting point. But now that I know what the trigger is, maybe it will be easier to quell the sensation and explore the world of Non-Michael Skye types. Especially when I can get my fix any time I want by popping in the DVD!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIrVWf0eUnN8rkTR83JHLO29-Tod91MZ33y74Lxvy_excm5qV2NycSzfZOepoy4EiUm5YlMfGFdSBLzIS541Drfv7Lcq1JTIgPlmS2IzNgKxlG65uAnLZpdlavFBq1NPs_wC1oA/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIrVWf0eUnN8rkTR83JHLO29-Tod91MZ33y74Lxvy_excm5qV2NycSzfZOepoy4EiUm5YlMfGFdSBLzIS541Drfv7Lcq1JTIgPlmS2IzNgKxlG65uAnLZpdlavFBq1NPs_wC1oA/s400/sooner+or+later+29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318721139501712626" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHu1eNnCSKtafLy007R8IAdAGianXHhayQ9JXdrSA72nOHDe2cZV_lOPQ3k8CeYb8_V24bb5Qwz-qkFZX2-e4n87a25TKYwC-UkVu60Fb7fTEf-MDUsU_6pPDXuv9N_L8SYRd4A/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+30.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHu1eNnCSKtafLy007R8IAdAGianXHhayQ9JXdrSA72nOHDe2cZV_lOPQ3k8CeYb8_V24bb5Qwz-qkFZX2-e4n87a25TKYwC-UkVu60Fb7fTEf-MDUsU_6pPDXuv9N_L8SYRd4A/s400/sooner+or+later+30.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318771662482899490" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZkCcYwnHYmbQrut9SU4XA6z3CpGD26X_udjoB9aTehNC-Vdgqzf33p-FjlNfdIe6ZQFLslT7R5ZiOXi2FVnQCdXXrgZJYHKyR3qvjKbuJPTvFeiM5r_3MagHDLcJ6lj9AbPSTw/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZkCcYwnHYmbQrut9SU4XA6z3CpGD26X_udjoB9aTehNC-Vdgqzf33p-FjlNfdIe6ZQFLslT7R5ZiOXi2FVnQCdXXrgZJYHKyR3qvjKbuJPTvFeiM5r_3MagHDLcJ6lj9AbPSTw/s400/sooner+or+later+31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318720409413830754" border="0" /></a>Turns out there is a part two and three to the story of Jessie and Michael. The Harts wrote two more books about it. <span style="font-style: italic;">Waiting Games</span> takes place immediately after, with 14 year old Jessie deep in a sexual relationship with Michael, whom after declaring his undying love for her, leaves for Los Angeles to become a rock star.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Now or Never</span> zooms ahead 4 years, finding Michael a drunken and failed rock star coming back home and hoping Jessie will take him back.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqrJyIJsotT9XNK5vrrl7-9ZkR8-nONizWxD4b_g86ubE0p7d2gw74BbfOhlWWh1HHnhEqC1g7vHLUkfpDNasUm6WXqkX-8YOWVc1mVfhQigGji8nULqlGMwlXSQQGHoUuGOAzA/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+32.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqrJyIJsotT9XNK5vrrl7-9ZkR8-nONizWxD4b_g86ubE0p7d2gw74BbfOhlWWh1HHnhEqC1g7vHLUkfpDNasUm6WXqkX-8YOWVc1mVfhQigGji8nULqlGMwlXSQQGHoUuGOAzA/s400/sooner+or+later+32.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318720415491822786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuFhqiPPmD2iNrQET0um5R3_AbdSugZ6lHg-43w2FshUI5BhZumklCQcGDqfeqn7wDY6_C3RJ2iMugjA-cjQ9FnhZanQcadcv5I0jaPVidT37BeWP0lABRWm57zrTzXEoPj5New/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+33.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuFhqiPPmD2iNrQET0um5R3_AbdSugZ6lHg-43w2FshUI5BhZumklCQcGDqfeqn7wDY6_C3RJ2iMugjA-cjQ9FnhZanQcadcv5I0jaPVidT37BeWP0lABRWm57zrTzXEoPj5New/s400/sooner+or+later+33.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318720419577085170" border="0" /></a>I haven't read the sequels, though I'd certainly love to. They are not available at any of the libraries, and the third book is fetching some crazy high prices in the eBay world, so that's not happening for me. I'm content with leaving it right where it is, and wishing we could get a little more 30th anniversary love for this romance classic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBT-pS48-x5A7WbwCm4dWmyGpgijJM-rpEnYw94jKcL6qOj-42ILvqoW_jpLSinBcd1chaGRUi5YBnKDmFnG5WADXIuhGYGkKdgiZREVJThbTGiuREoIeGeUHLyISIJvDnmeoHw/s1600-h/sooner+or+later+34.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBT-pS48-x5A7WbwCm4dWmyGpgijJM-rpEnYw94jKcL6qOj-42ILvqoW_jpLSinBcd1chaGRUi5YBnKDmFnG5WADXIuhGYGkKdgiZREVJThbTGiuREoIeGeUHLyISIJvDnmeoHw/s400/sooner+or+later+34.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318720419983139474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-88972916526365209162009-03-11T12:49:00.005-05:002009-03-11T13:26:31.072-05:00Paying for People & Time Online<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnGpnRS_8_OkCIO7-JyPUSOYfGtSjn7z1Prf3_aAdKt0Cq_n6CGDzpSJeXYPZ-Tdw10ZszkVzsSZ66zWpVqbXJkMkV7Y0FMjP54egFmhaPVZK-89pcAuvTHTefJ-FjAUHBs6X-g/s1600-h/stack+of+magazines.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnGpnRS_8_OkCIO7-JyPUSOYfGtSjn7z1Prf3_aAdKt0Cq_n6CGDzpSJeXYPZ-Tdw10ZszkVzsSZ66zWpVqbXJkMkV7Y0FMjP54egFmhaPVZK-89pcAuvTHTefJ-FjAUHBs6X-g/s400/stack+of+magazines.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311988969391353250" border="0" /></a>Would you pay to read select sections of <span style="font-style: italic;">People</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Time</span> magazine online? It may be a future decision, as <a href="http://www.foliomag.com/2009/time-inc-mulls-making-time-people-sites-subscription-based" target="_blank">Time Inc. mulls over the idea of web subscriptions</a>.<br /><br />From the article: "I think it is time for Time Inc. to sit down and seriously think, what is the model," (Time, Inc. CEO Ann) Moore told England's <span style="font-style: italic;">Telegraph</span> newspaper. "We are going to have to figure out a way to have paid content in the future."<br /><br />I have <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2007/04/premiere-magazine-toast-at-wake.html" target="_blank">already lamented the reasons why the death of the magazine is so tragic</a>. I have switched to a gratitude attitude every time my remaining subscriptions land in the mailbox, and I flip the pages to the sound of a clock ticking down.<br /><br />So, the thought from Time, Inc. makes complete sense, financially. Emotionally, it's preparing for another divorce, much like the one I recently had with the <span style="font-style: italic;">St. Louis Post-Dispatch</span>.<br /><br />I let the daily paper subscription run out since the content has been altered mostly unreadable by the <a href="http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/01/05/daily73.html" target="_blank">severe staff cuts</a> to try and keep it afloat. <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/" target="_blank">Their corresponding website</a> is - by popular consensus - an absolute nightmare to access and navigate. Until they can spare the time and money to redesign and reconfigure their website (think in terms of replicating the print form, please), I am divorced from our local newspaper, and now seeing the online-only <a href="http://www.stlbeacon.org/" target="_blank">St. Louis Beacon</a> through RSS feed and the <a href="http://stlamerican.com/" target="_blank">St. Louis American</a> every Thursday.<br /><br />And this highlights the dilemma of the dividing line: for every print relationship I have to let go of, there's a cyber one waiting to take its place, and it never asks me for a financial commitment. But what if it did? What would I do?<br /><br />Time, Inc. has the power and the resources to force this decision.<br /><br />Free milk vs. buying the cow, and I'm getting a bit uncomfortable about restrictions on playing the field.<br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-57495944553926166472009-01-06T18:14:00.004-06:002009-01-06T18:26:08.128-06:00Meet The Remodels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFywJpVlO6p9CuyX8Dty7TPMie_58cLGXKJ-5S5QkfQ6EnH9FQf_sdPBiUIAbzg4PBJ4Bg2JwMLmUAxUMd2ccrLu1XUzSTtthz7SjQMQvc6x-b9x8lpxduOYJ0O20OKaTpLv9F/s1600-h/The+Remodels.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFywJpVlO6p9CuyX8Dty7TPMie_58cLGXKJ-5S5QkfQ6EnH9FQf_sdPBiUIAbzg4PBJ4Bg2JwMLmUAxUMd2ccrLu1XUzSTtthz7SjQMQvc6x-b9x8lpxduOYJ0O20OKaTpLv9F/s400/The+Remodels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288328052375117122" border="0" /></a>I'd like to introduce The Remodels, a musical project I worked on with Steve Staicoff. We recorded 6 songs by other people, remodeling them with the intent of pulling out something new and possibly undiscovered in each one.<br /><br /><a href="http://theremodels.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Remodels blog</a> includes a video for each song and a brief explanation of why it was covered, along with a bit about everyone involved in the project.<br /><br />There is also a <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theremodels" target="_blank">Remodels MySpace page</a> that streams the songs without the makeshift MTV business.<br /><br />Or you can stay right here and listen to each tune:<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://changemusicvarietyshow.com/scariano/This-Is-Love.mp3" target="_blank">This Is Love</a><br />A song originally written and recorded by George Harrison.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://changemusicvarietyshow.com/scariano/remodels.mp3" target="_blank">Girl Don’t Come</a><br />A song originally recorded by Sandie Shaw.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://changemusicvarietyshow.com/scariano/Johnny-And-Mary.mp3" target="_blank">Johnny & Mary</a><br />A song originally written and recorded by Robert Palmer.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://changemusicvarietyshow.com/scariano/Love-Is-Alright-Tonite.mp3" target="_blank">Love Is Alright Tonite</a><br />A song originally written and recorded by Rick Springfield.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://changemusicvarietyshow.com/scariano/What-Makes-You-Think-Youre-The-One.mp3" target="_blank">What Makes You Think You’re The One</a><br />A song written by Lindsey Buckingham and originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://changemusicvarietyshow.com/scariano/When-You-Walk-In-The-Room.mp3" target="_blank">When You Walk in the Room</a><br />A song written by Jackie DeShannon and best known as a version by The Searchers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-75616236775638841932008-03-13T21:17:00.007-05:002009-04-14T19:37:25.178-05:00THE LOOK OF LOVE: Burt Bacharach & Hal David at Hotel Murano<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSu_VwiQpmnSXQneddf6ONYw7z28juse-Ar_u9r6PRKoPL-xQuPA-R6AxtM9_HA0N8FiD07N_pFg7fFr5Bj0icfvVS_8Qmo7o8nSMsBLINGnLK-UT7-fjRzh238Pk6i0i-2HU8tQ/s1600-h/01+burt+bacharach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSu_VwiQpmnSXQneddf6ONYw7z28juse-Ar_u9r6PRKoPL-xQuPA-R6AxtM9_HA0N8FiD07N_pFg7fFr5Bj0icfvVS_8Qmo7o8nSMsBLINGnLK-UT7-fjRzh238Pk6i0i-2HU8tQ/s320/01+burt+bacharach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177395592460780466" border="0" /></a>I have a long and intense history with the music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Burt & Angie Dickinson are still my illusionary romantic ideal. <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2005/04/burt-bacharach-angie-dickinson.html" target="_blank">This has been covered in depth here</a>, and this back story is what makes the following story so monumental. Oddly enough, the back story ends on the same note that becomes a climax of <span style="font-style: italic;">this </span>story.<br /><br />My friend Jim Staicoff had been talking of an amazing project he was working on in Tacoma, Washington, the Hotel Murano. When he came into St. Louis in December 2007, he told me that for the grand opening of the hotel on March 8, Burt Bacharach would be playing in its ballroom. He then casually mentioned that Hal David would make an appearance that night.<br /><br />My head exploded.<br />In their 40-year history as a songwriting team, they had never appeared together on stage. Hal is 87 years old. How is this possible?! And <span style="font-style: italic;">if</span> it happens, I <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> be there.<br /><br />Jim said he would do all he could to get me into that show, which would take some doing, as it was a $500-a-plate charity event for the Tacoma Art Museum that was already sold out. The whole concept was so surreal that I had to let it go. But Jim worked miracles and found a way to, literally, sneak me into the event.<br /><br />The Hotel Murano is absolutely fabulous. <a href="http://tobybelt.blogspot.com/2008/03/hotel-murano-sleepover-art-museum.html" target="_blank">Read about that experience here</a>. But as fabulous as it is, it can't top what happened in the ballroom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCekjMNWF3am5L4mQNKa-KG-JWfnNnSHPWWqVJ5ke44pXu5VTuv738Lo0n4IwGCUI2p4x5ZN7G4w6oY42NSG5uVwPkGgAXbMg9v9k-UuNIDZjiEdvGZf2IrWhg4FRsWlDNgXScw/s1600-h/02+hal+david.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCekjMNWF3am5L4mQNKa-KG-JWfnNnSHPWWqVJ5ke44pXu5VTuv738Lo0n4IwGCUI2p4x5ZN7G4w6oY42NSG5uVwPkGgAXbMg9v9k-UuNIDZjiEdvGZf2IrWhg4FRsWlDNgXScw/s320/02+hal+david.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177395596755747778" border="0" /></a>That's me with Hal David, above.<br />Yeah, that's me with <a href="http://www.haldavid.com/words.htm" target="_blank">Hal David!!</a> My inner voice repeats this constantly; it will become an annoying tick in my senility.<br /><br />As we drove up from Portland, Oregon on the day of the show, Jim gets a call from his design partner, Denise Corso. Eunice told her that the Murano is the most beautiful American hotel she's ever been in.<br />"Who is Eunice?" I ask.<br />Eunice is Hal's wife. They checked into the 24th floor the day before.<br />Is it OK to be first name-only with a musical god? My head exploded.<br /><br />Since Jim met Hal & Eunice earlier in the night, once we got into the ballroom, Jim dragged me (because I was petrified) over to the table for an introduction to Eunice & Hal. How I managed to speak while my soul was in orgasmic turmoil is still a mystery, but I somehow told him (in a hopefully coherent manner) exactly why this moment was so special for me, and for music history in general:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Ira Gershwin never came to the gigs of his brother George. Bernie Taupin has never stepped on stage with Elton John. Lyricists just don't usually do such a thing. But you are an exceptional man of words, and this is an exceptional moment in time. I am deeply honored to meet you."</span><br /><br />Hal David seemed happy to let me have a picture taken with him. For this photo, I touched greatness. He even touched me. I did not faint, but my disbelieving heart was breaking with happiness.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykzQD_ytIhNj_8kaOPPFmJVF3PfB8oDOs6r5Lc8jfktO8-8CwQFi9PMTVu3AdAYTRp6ul1cj3a2QMa78famr9IUT8CtbRQbmgkbigT87wA1tWseiN3c2NaHige8Vu1jaYeGrtxQ/s1600-h/03+burt+bacharach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykzQD_ytIhNj_8kaOPPFmJVF3PfB8oDOs6r5Lc8jfktO8-8CwQFi9PMTVu3AdAYTRp6ul1cj3a2QMa78famr9IUT8CtbRQbmgkbigT87wA1tWseiN3c2NaHige8Vu1jaYeGrtxQ/s320/03+burt+bacharach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177395601050715090" border="0" /></a>Then came the concert.<br />I have seen <a href="http://www.bacharachonline.com/" target="_blank">Burt Bacharach</a> probably 8 or 9 times, starting when I was 9 years old, when he appeared at the St. Louis Muny Opera with Anthony Newly. I have seen him with Dionne Warwick and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, twice. Every occasion is special because, as Hal David wrote on his website, <span style="font-style: italic;">"Burt is a man of many talents - a masterful arranger, an outstanding conductor, but first and foremost a brilliant composer. Among songwriters there are many tune writers but just a handful of composers. He is one of the few."</span><br /><br />Along with the selections one would expect - and never tire of - he and his band and 3 singers did "God Give Me Strength" from his collaboration with Elvis Costello and a selection from his 2005 <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/burt-bacharach/" target="_blank">politically-minded</a> record <span style="font-style: italic;">At This Time</span>.<br /><br />What made this concert a tear-stained event was that Hal David was sitting at a table behind us (how did we get better placement than <span style="font-style: italic;">him</span>?), and I could look at Burt and turn to look at the man who wrote the words. And get this: <span style="font-style: italic;">Hal was mouthing along with the words he wrote!</span> I could never have even imagined such an event, much less <span style="font-style: italic;">this occurrence</span> at the event. My head exploded.<br /><br />Near the end of the show was the moment I couldn't fathom happening: From the stage, Burt announced Hal was in the audience and confirmed that it was the first-time ever that <span style="font-style: italic;">Hal would come up on stage and sing!</span><br /><br />Hal David sang "I'll Never Fall in Love Again." I captured this mind-bendingly historic moment using the video setting on my camera, thus the quality is not the best (it's a bit shaky because I was a lot shaky), but it is captured.<br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=N7pPcy3E0R0" target="_blank">Here is Part One.</a><br /><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=mP8BHogU-ZY&feature=related" target="_blank">Here is Part Two.</a><br /><br />My head exploded.<br />And <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span> Jim says we're heading up to the 25th floor for an invite-only reception for Burt & Hal.<br />No, I can't take anymore. I met Hal David, had my picture taken with him, watched Burt, watched Burt and Hal together... I had spent my limit of good fortune and was emotionally spent.<br /><br />Yes, you're going, and he steers me to the elevator where we <span style="font-style: italic;">ride up with Eunice and Hal David!</span><br />My head exploded.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0xGeMyr1MS3Vy1yNOuG2drU3q0p-KuFRaD_1LX4b8QN008HtiHDw3PtDMMxlHNZlHYhkV5E9HcDn-5LRnDMoGcuFDEswyEm53gK618CYU4bmqmiDAeGmoR28uOZqwnetl5U4sg/s1600-h/04+hal+and+eunice+david.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0xGeMyr1MS3Vy1yNOuG2drU3q0p-KuFRaD_1LX4b8QN008HtiHDw3PtDMMxlHNZlHYhkV5E9HcDn-5LRnDMoGcuFDEswyEm53gK618CYU4bmqmiDAeGmoR28uOZqwnetl5U4sg/s320/04+hal+and+eunice+david.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177394939625751394" border="0" /></a>"Hanging out" in a room with Hal David was unsettling. Rather than liquor to calm my nerves, I go over to the banquette to pour a cup of coffee. At this point, Hal & Eunice are seated at tables behind me, and I can hear them having casual conversation with people they know.<br /><br />During the show, Burt introduced "Arthur's Theme" as being written "with ex-wife Carole Bayer Sager" (because we were so close to the stage, I politely refrained from hissing at the mention of her name). I overhear a lady at the table say she didn't realize "Burt and Carole were divorced. When did that happen?"<br /><br />Eunice answers that it was "long ago," (1992, to be precise). The lady asks what became of Carole, to which Eunice answers in a politely dismissive tone, "Oh, she's married to, oh, Bob... I can't recall his last name."<br /><br />I'm overhearing casual conversation <span style="font-style: italic;">about Burt</span> from the mouth of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hal's wife!</span> That the pouring coffee didn't wind up all over the countertop while my head was exploding is a minor miracle. I slammed down the coffee, surreptitiously took the photo above and left because my head hurt from all the explosions.<br /><br />I was barely back in the room when Jim calls: Get back here <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span>. Burt's here!<br />Oh shit. Is there any head left to explode?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZzv7KO2tUTA7wXzRRXoUB5GOecdEPzlcmrqfciOjlxfMLtWt6bvqqns4EV1lNJpMX5qx2_Sq5pZC5ZSPMGp2eM4wL8aMAKU0Y-YFr8kUlG5lt6enUrxDrG9eDZjYVblRyJc32w/s1600-h/05+burt+bacharach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZzv7KO2tUTA7wXzRRXoUB5GOecdEPzlcmrqfciOjlxfMLtWt6bvqqns4EV1lNJpMX5qx2_Sq5pZC5ZSPMGp2eM4wL8aMAKU0Y-YFr8kUlG5lt6enUrxDrG9eDZjYVblRyJc32w/s320/05+burt+bacharach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177394952510653298" border="0" /></a>And here's Burt Bacharach. I adore that he left the stage, went back to his room, peeled off the suit and changed into clothes that looked Sunday morning casual when contrasted with the surrounding formal attire. Good for him.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MLZjmAN_xX41P4HAOpaZDnC3oLTj-QaldXtMi5UzJn-fHbFIjI9fZA5FNTpKXGUFwIdh_mTzA7T4VY6NGjiBhyPx7EULj815ilApcrNwmSTe6XUNCxF7vr71kzuDuRSWv20Lrw/s1600-h/06+burt+bacharach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MLZjmAN_xX41P4HAOpaZDnC3oLTj-QaldXtMi5UzJn-fHbFIjI9fZA5FNTpKXGUFwIdh_mTzA7T4VY6NGjiBhyPx7EULj815ilApcrNwmSTe6XUNCxF7vr71kzuDuRSWv20Lrw/s320/06+burt+bacharach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177394956805620610" border="0" /></a>And here is what one looks like when their head is exploding while standing near Burt Bacharach.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrv9C9Or_M8xpv0D1ptskznOriHyRk0VNbyjZEx5iruJC_hAy4A0NwTh3CanKL6ko3xHd930tttaMTn7eKK3AwCb08Ec2AT5roErYcyzlv7t-RgBYVxG9pGBSrSPiYmI7fhT4nxw/s1600-h/07+burt+bacharach+and+hal+david.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrv9C9Or_M8xpv0D1ptskznOriHyRk0VNbyjZEx5iruJC_hAy4A0NwTh3CanKL6ko3xHd930tttaMTn7eKK3AwCb08Ec2AT5roErYcyzlv7t-RgBYVxG9pGBSrSPiYmI7fhT4nxw/s320/07+burt+bacharach+and+hal+david.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177394956805620626" border="0" /></a>Here's where everything turned into a dual existence in lightening speed slow motion, of being detached from the body while overwhelmed from being in the moment.<br /><br />Once again, Jim stepped in where Toby feared to tread. He took my camera, walked up to Burt (gasp) and said there was someone here who came all the way from St. Louis just to see this show, and then he introduced to me Burt. I truly don't remember what I said to him; maybe I just blubbered like a lunatic. But I did manage to ask him if I could have my photo taken with him and Hal David. He said "of course."<br /><br />With the audacity borne of an out-of-body experience, I peered across the room to spot Mr. David, and called out, "Hal!" Hal looks at me (probably thinking, "Oh, that head trauma victim from the elevator"). I ask, "Can you come over here for a picture with me and Burt (<span style="font-style: italic;">me and Burt</span>, how fucking rich!)?" <span style="font-style: italic;">And he comes over!</span><br /><br />With Hal next to us, I swear to you it's true that Burt says this: "Let's have Toby (<span style="font-style: italic;">he remembered my fucking name?!</span>) stand between us, since she came all the way from St. Louis to see us." Burt moves me into place between them (<span style="font-style: italic;">Burt's touching me!</span>) and flashes start popping.<br /><br />I could feel my hands on their necks (<span style="font-style: italic;">yikes!</span>) and with my head pounding, I leaned my head onto Burt and whispered in his ear, "Thank you." I leaned my head onto Hal and whispered in his ear, "Thank you." And I can't recall anything else because, well, my head exploded for the final time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIHxv2A_1SdGT1IskdfAjEjcQ8sI-oApi-wbu4TOYnacKO2Rx1XL8NVefIzjdf_ur9VypNkSHbaQROGJJJUIXe47H3oH2KHH-zHw-TiAczWmCrto8Daw1hwt0nUiQeUraRZYTKA/s1600-h/08+burt+bacharach+and+hal+david.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIHxv2A_1SdGT1IskdfAjEjcQ8sI-oApi-wbu4TOYnacKO2Rx1XL8NVefIzjdf_ur9VypNkSHbaQROGJJJUIXe47H3oH2KHH-zHw-TiAczWmCrto8Daw1hwt0nUiQeUraRZYTKA/s320/08+burt+bacharach+and+hal+david.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177394961100587938" border="0" /></a>Here's me looking like a hurricane victim dragged from the wreckage. It is, without a doubt, the worst photo ever taken of me, but screw that. <span style="font-style: italic;">Look at Burt and Hal!</span> They are god like! Anyone who had a heart could look at me and know this is the look of love. A lifetime of musical devotion culminates in a final moment I never conceived of. And I floated out of the room, into the hall and into the waiting elevator.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And I'm sharing it with Eunice and Hal David!</span><br /><br />By now, I was completely emotionally spent. I fell back in the corner with my hand on my heart and waved my hand at them in surrender. They smiled sweetly, and luckily had to go down only one floor to escape this shipwrecked fool.<br /><br />I went back to the room and stood in perfect silence, staying right in the moment because it was so exquisite. <span style="font-style: italic;">I met Burt Bacharach & Hal David! I had my picture taken with them</span>! I will be the most annoying person in the old folks home from constantly muttering this.<br /><br />To have left this room to go back to the party would have been a series of diminishing returns (and Jim said Burt left shortly after I did), an anti-climactic trek back down Mount Olympus. So I crawled under the covers, turned off the lights and say a little prayer for you, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.<br />Thank you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">RELATED</span><br /><a href="http://tobybelt.blogspot.com/2008/03/hotel-murano-sleepover-art-museum.html" target="_blank">Hotel Murano: A Sleepover Art Museum</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-59101948153875053912008-02-09T14:28:00.000-06:002008-02-09T14:53:21.392-06:00The New Face of Raquel Welch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XuKs1w0H9hj6rF1vBqTGniE2W5AZOFCUAdT51Ad_bqAGF6JJz1F2ZllQj6DNPyoBbAMoVhyphenhyphensdj_5kac96IGNgDs96dEZfe6t6-30m6Wn4_SY2Q_r1JQ_yHWyFgHt_6SOSYdOcw/s1600-h/raquel+welch+%26+mae+west.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XuKs1w0H9hj6rF1vBqTGniE2W5AZOFCUAdT51Ad_bqAGF6JJz1F2ZllQj6DNPyoBbAMoVhyphenhyphensdj_5kac96IGNgDs96dEZfe6t6-30m6Wn4_SY2Q_r1JQ_yHWyFgHt_6SOSYdOcw/s400/raquel+welch+%26+mae+west.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165080425986952098" border="0" /></a>Raquel Welch has been out <a href="http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_captain/bio/" target="_blank">promoting a new sitcom</a> she appears in. A friend sent out an urgent bulletin to beware her talk show appearances, as she's virtually unrecognizable with her newest face. <a href="http://socialitelife.buzznet.com/2008/02/06/michael_kors_welcomes_cougars_to_his_show_with_open_arms.php" target="_blank">Seeing photos of Miss Welch</a> during Fashion Week triggered a Hollywood trashtastic memory of Raquel and Mae West (<span style="font-style: italic;">above</span>) in the gloriously bad classic <a href="http://www.geocities.com/myrabreckinridge/index.htm" target="_blank">Myra Breckenridge</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3h9USENXfsCX339t4DhXvtjc-gNCiD0x7hX-28x6ETvKvPgvTxS1LebiHwMk8tXTQWskGcnGv8vXatI-aW_Q_yArD-4STQETcQqa34KT9aEB0X5dfoBcQWpewFfam7Im5CvCeg/s1600-h/raquel+welch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3h9USENXfsCX339t4DhXvtjc-gNCiD0x7hX-28x6ETvKvPgvTxS1LebiHwMk8tXTQWskGcnGv8vXatI-aW_Q_yArD-4STQETcQqa34KT9aEB0X5dfoBcQWpewFfam7Im5CvCeg/s400/raquel+welch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165080430281919410" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Myra_Breckinridge_1970.aspx?Page=12" target="_blank">As documented here</a>, Raquel Welch threw many an on-set hissy over Mae West. From costume misunderstandings to stolen musical numbers, Mae became the Bette Davis to Raquel's Joan Crawford. If decades of industry rumors have any truth, Raquel Welch has never slackened the levels of persnickety she achieved because of Mae West.<br /><br />I am a lifelong <a href="http://www.cultsirens.com/welch/welch.htm" target="_blank">Raquel fan</a>. From the time I was old enough to pay attention to grown ups talking, every woman had something catty to say about Raquel every time her name came up. This is precisely why I like her. But as I gaze upon the latest pictures of Raquel, I can't help but notice that karma's a bitch because she now looks pretty much like...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zYp0F7vYOmelEv5j_IrxmC-L330CNb5yjG3wcireIydD6J1Y2rdsKivlgX3yG8krwpGFvz7AqdC7C3eV5Is1gqQJ_lW_tuap7MijvgTJu3DZwB_aImr7tBG9vZWAhHHPTw_wNA/s1600-h/mae+west+myra+breckenridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zYp0F7vYOmelEv5j_IrxmC-L330CNb5yjG3wcireIydD6J1Y2rdsKivlgX3yG8krwpGFvz7AqdC7C3eV5Is1gqQJ_lW_tuap7MijvgTJu3DZwB_aImr7tBG9vZWAhHHPTw_wNA/s400/mae+west+myra+breckenridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165080438871854018" border="0" /></a>...Mae West in <span style="font-style: italic;">Myra Breckenridge</span>!! Slap a long platinum wig on her head and we'd have the ultimate Celebrity Plastic Surgery Karma Morph.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11320990.post-12321651447151242662008-02-02T15:34:00.001-06:002008-02-02T16:21:46.303-06:00Ode to Fabulon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwacpPr6lupgojUDiUEJXLEvoqWXwltWWGJ4mxuC4lFKSRR0foUpLNRiPRTlS9j0TjqP7vqwsDUqTHHRcp77yiq9AksnOfzAr0rq3vXZF8jf5lzoy4ADNA4p2KqemRZgeS9JOgQ/s1600-h/in+my+maidenform+bra+vogue+april+1961.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwacpPr6lupgojUDiUEJXLEvoqWXwltWWGJ4mxuC4lFKSRR0foUpLNRiPRTlS9j0TjqP7vqwsDUqTHHRcp77yiq9AksnOfzAr0rq3vXZF8jf5lzoy4ADNA4p2KqemRZgeS9JOgQ/s400/in+my+maidenform+bra+vogue+april+1961.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162499707596717986" border="0" /></a>While doing research with a nice stack of <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span> magazines from the very early 1960s, the above ad made my spine tingle because it was so fierce.<br />My first thought: is that a drag queen?<br />My second thought: this is so <a href="http://thombeau.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fabulon</a>.<br /><br />Fabulon is my favorite non-celebrity gossip blog because it covers everything <span style="font-style: italic;">else</span> that's just as crucial to my upkeep. In quick, bite-sized chunks, he either eggs on my <a href="http://thombeau.blogspot.com/2007/04/under-fabulon-moon.html" target="_blank">favorite cultural obsessions</a> or exposes me to new ones (I've <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2005/07/rove-kravitz-gabor.html" target="_blank">always adored Zsa Zsa</a>, naturally, but <a href="http://thombeau.blogspot.com/2007/09/zsazsa-friend.html" target="_blank">pink poodles are the newest craze!</a>). On cold rainy days, I used to <a href="http://tobymelt.blogspot.com/2005/10/cosmopolitan-me-40-years-old_11.html" target="_blank">flip through old Cosmopolitan magazines</a> to fell better. Nowadays, I scroll Fabulon.<br />Cher Bless You, Thombeau.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc4HeN8NyiG1mTPXXRzz1ziigU93H2xrFMNJSpRK5En6wNgJ9yzd-PrjXDhOy51VmoXj2vquhYRveNsh2f0EL_j4Uo8eEeyMDsMjrPVN2QcOPQG46m7PXuU0Dh5oc2KyVXE4GsA/s1600-h/white+stag+outfit+by+McCampbell+vogue+april+1961.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc4HeN8NyiG1mTPXXRzz1ziigU93H2xrFMNJSpRK5En6wNgJ9yzd-PrjXDhOy51VmoXj2vquhYRveNsh2f0EL_j4Uo8eEeyMDsMjrPVN2QcOPQG46m7PXuU0Dh5oc2KyVXE4GsA/s400/white+stag+outfit+by+McCampbell+vogue+april+1961.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162499716186652594" border="0" /></a>Moving away from my early Valentine's to Fabulon... <span style="font-style: italic;">LOOK AT THIS!</span><br /><br />From the same April 1961 issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span>, the perfect spring outfit from White Stag. <span style="font-style: italic;">Everything</span> about this ensemble - from paisley to skort to the white accessories - is what I need in my closet right now!<br /><br />Could the ladies' clothing retailers please get over their endless tape loop of mid-70s re-treads and copycat some early 1960s for me? Please?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1