RIP Ron Bushy of Iron Butterfly

Iron Butterfly Drummer Ron Bushy Dead at 79 

Musician behind the kit for rock classic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was only member to appear on every studio album from hard rock band 

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I know that the song became a cliche, but that was a helluva tune and Bushy's drum solo is a classic - and actually listenable! 

recommended gigs

Thursday 8-26-21 - the Blank Tapes, Wanderers, Indigo Kidd at Artifice

Monday 8-30-21 - Goldtop Bob at Founders Club

Monday 8-30-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 9-1-21 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 9-3-21 - the Psyatics, Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions at the Double Down

Saturday 9-4-21 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-18-21 - Jesse and the Hogg Brothers, Stagnetti's Cock, the Mucky Boys, Big Beau and Jangle Gang at the Double Down

Friday 9-24-21 - Sunday 9-26-21 - Punk Rock Bowling Festival

Saturday 9-25-21 - The Darts at Evel Pie with tons of other bands - PRB-related

Friday 10-1-21 - the Psyatics at the Double Down with more Prophet Greene and the Holy Smokes

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Queers and the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-29-21 - The Psyatics at the Double Down for Nikki Ruffling's birthday with the Silhouettes and the Laissez Fairs

Thursday Oct 28 - Agent Orange at the Dive Bar

Picasso - Creator and Destroyer - Arianna Huffington

 

My lovely wife picked this book up at some point and I stumbled upon it in between other readings and it looked reasonably fascinating, particularly seeing as I know little about the man. Of course, I know Arianna from her Huffington Post, and her writing style is quite compelling - as is her subject.

A child prodigy with artistic parents who recognized his talent early on, Pablo was somewhat pampered and doted on, especially by his father, and his early works are truly striking. With little care for rules or traditions, beginning in his teens, Picasso moved around as much as he could afford to - which, for a number of years, wasn't much as a traditional starving artist. Eventually, though, a critic recognized his growth and bought a number of paintings, which allowed Pablo some independence for years.

Picasso is known for his passions and Huffington at least hints that his sexuality may have been fluid, at least at times, although women seem to be his main attraction. Of course, his art was his strongest passion, and he often lived simply to paint, although his debaucheries were equally often a distraction. As is hinted in the book's title, he was also ready to destroy any artistic traditions and with some heavy influence from African "primitivism", he creates Cubism. 

This was a fast-moving time for the arts and salons came'n'went and evolved and Picasso had his own cadre of friends'n'admirers and Huffington quotes him extensively as he would talk about his philosophy of art and what he hope to accomplish. He quickly finds'n'holds onto fame'n'fortune and moves through innumerable women and innumerable pieces of art. His relationships with women'n'friends come'n'go, although some may last for years and some may be resurrected at different times in his life, depending on his needs. He is obviously extremely self-centered and seems to take much more than he gives at any given time - his relationships with women, in particular, but with friends, as well, can be truly reprehensible at times - most of the time, in fact.

The books is not a critique of his works, although significant ones are mentioned, but a biography and while Arianna seems to be trying to be even-handed throughout, she does seem to have her favorites among Picasso's women and she has no problem critiquing the man's many personality flaws. 

Again, not rock'n'roll, although Pablo's attitudes certainly were reflected among many later rockers. Still, his work manages to excite'n'entice to this day and he was a major influencer of pop culture. This is a fine review of the man's life.

Ramblin' Jack Elliott - The Essential

 Although I've known about Elliott pretty much as long as I can remember, for some reason I never had any of his recordings until now. I was influenced to pick this one up after Hopeless Jack based one of his covers in his live set on Jack's interpretation and I decided it was about time I got some of the Ramblin' Man's music.

Heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie (Woody's son, Arlo, says he learned his father's style from Elliott since his dad passed away early on) and a huge influence on Bob Dylan, Jack is a well-respected folk singer whose legacy continues to this day.

This no-frills, 23 song compilation gives a good overview of the man's career, although there is no liner notes whatsoever. Opening with the appropriate "Roving Gambler", he shows his traditional acoustic folk influences and his fine, flat-picking style. His take on "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" appears to lean heavily on the Carter Family's although his includes banjo and harmonica to nice effect, he's back on his own for a well done "Diamond Joe", then a strange (to my American ears) South African folk tune, "Guabi Guabi", done - apparently - in the native tongue, followed by another banjo-led trad number "Sowing on the Mountain", then a fast-paced "Roll On Buddy", he covers Woody's "1913 Massacre", sounding a lot like the original, although Jack's vocals are probably a bit more tuneful, his folkie take on "House of the Rising Sun" is the old school major key style, "Shade of the Old Apple Tree" is pure hillbilly, he does some nice pickin' in "Black Snake", which is a different name for "Matchbox Blues", while "Portland Town" is a melodic minor-key piece originally by Derroll Adams and "More Pretty Girls" is yet another cool, waltz-tempo trad song with some Dylan-esque harmonica playing.

Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues" is a bouncy acoustic blues done live as is most (all? of the rest of the numbers here), he introduces "Buffalo Skinners" as an old cowboy song, one of those early Americana numbers with plenty of long, drawn-out notes, "Sadie Brown" is a Piedmont-ish jump tune with a bit of yodelin', he honors his "son" by doing a pretty spot-on "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", then does Leadbelly's homage to "Blind Lemon Jefferson" and another appropriate Woody number, "Ramblin' Round Your City" (which, in turn was based on "Goodnight Irene") as well as one of his "talking blues" (Dylan did a number of these, also), "Talkin' Columbia", Jimmy Driftwood's "Tennessee Stud" is a familiar, melodic folkie, he does an acappella "Night Herding Song", while "Love Sick Blues" is technically by Irving Mills and Cliff Friend, Jack is obviously doing Hank Williams' yodelin' version, and this comp and his live set closed out with Will Fyffe's "I Belong to Glasgow", with Jack affecting a goofy Scottish accent for the tune.

A part of me has always been a folkie and I love this old school stuff, so I'm surprised I hadn't picked up anything by Elliott before now, but glad that I did! Fans of Woody and Dylan are sure to dig this, as well. 

RIP Charlie Watts

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at 80 

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Damn, this is a tough one. Of course, I didn't know him or anything, but he was the backbeat of pretty much my entire life. And while Keith is the rock'n'roll pirate, Charlie was pure cool. 

The world is a lesser place today....

RIP Don Everly

Don Everly, of harmonizing rock ’n’ roll pioneers the Everly Brothers, dies at 84 

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RIP Sweet, Sweet Connie

Connie Hamzy, subject of number one record, is dead at 66 

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recommended gigs

Friday 8-20-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki 

Saturday 8-21-21 - Metalachi, Los Carajos, Sheiks of Neptune and No Que No at the Dive Bar

Saturday 8-21-21 - the Souvenairs at Tiki di Amore

Monday 8-23-21 - Goldtop Bob at the Founders Club

Thursday 8-26-21 - the Blank Tapes, Wanderers, Indigo Kidd at Artifice

Friday 9-3-21 - the Maxies, Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions at the Double Down

Saturday 9-4-21 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-18-21 - Jesse and the Hogg Brothers, Stagnetti's Cock, the Mucky Boys, Big Beau and Jangle Gang at the Double Down

Friday 9-24-21 - Sunday 9-26-21 - Punk Rock Bowling Festival

Saturday 9-25-21 - The Darts at Evel Pie with tons of other bands - PRB-related

Friday 10-1-21 - the Psyatics at the Double Down with more Prophet Greene and the Holy Smokes

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-24-21 - The Psyatics at the Double Down for Nikki Ruffling's birthday with the Silhouettes and the Laissez Fairs

Thursday Oct 28 - Agent Orange at the Dive Bar

Ugly Things #57

 What can I say that hasn't already been said about Mike'n'Anja Stax's endeavor, Ugly Things? It's still the premier mag for all things 60's and these days it has even moved into later decades, particularly the 70's, concentrating on the wild punk rock from that era, as well.

This ish has part one of a lengthy interview with my old pal from the Gizmos, Kenne Highland, where he relates the convoluted tale of that band and how it intertwined with O. Rex, the Afrika Korps, The Korps, the Rockabilly Yobs and even the Slickee Boys. See if you can follow this craziness - Laurent Bigot does his best to make it a coherent story. Mike Stax also brings in a tome-like history of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, there's a bit on the 50th anniversary of Jim Morrison's death, along with articles on the Crees Four, Bobby Patterson, the Panthers, the Roulettes and so much more. 

Of course, the reviews alone are worth the price of admission as you will discover many new items that you never knew you needed - although, it's up to you to determine whether that's a good things or not!

Always informative, always entertaining, always rockin'! Of course, you need this! 

Hopeless Jack - self titled

 

When I first saw Jack about 7 years ago, I was totally knocked out by his 2-piece (him on guitar/vocals and a drummer, the Handsome Devil) bluesy rock'n'roll and his wild, non-stop live antics. I picked up his two CD's at the time and I have played them constantly ever since. I was lucky enough to be able to play on the same bill with him once again last weekend and he was generous enough to hand me this, his newest CD offering.

Gifted with a powerful, baritone voice - kinda like if Johnny Cash was more tuneful - Jack opens the album with an acoustic folk/blues, "Hollow", not unlike something that Cash would have done on one of his later albums. From there he raises the energy level with a pumpin' piano rocker, "Withered Tree", sounding a bit like a upbeat rockabilly blues, while "Go Ahead" is somewhat similar to Roy Buchanan's take on "C.C. Rider" with a rollickin' instrumental section. He gets dark'n'haunting in "Hidden Eyes", with some ethereal electric piano work combining with the distorted guitars very effectively, "Half Empty" is a minor-key, mid-tempo ode to deals with the man below that includes some nice vocal harmonies, "The Deal" is a slow, sizzlin' stomper in an early Black Keys-vein (when they were a stripped-down blues combo), cleverly rollin' percussion highlights "Beg Me To Stay", "Crow Jane" is a moody, finger-pickin' ballad that builds into a dynamic powerhouse complete with soaring organ before he closes out with a straight ahead lascivious, animalistic rocker in "Prowl".

Possibly a little more controlled than his previous outings, but the songwriting is still strong as ever and the performances are pretty damn killer. Get it and see him if/when he comes to your town!

RIP Wayne Coyner

 

If you have lived in Las Vegas any time in the last 50 years or so, you most likely know who Wayne Coyner is. His record store, the Underground, is legendary, and the Las Vegas scene would be dramatically different - and poorer - without his influence. He was one of the all-around best people we have met in this town - and we know a number of good people here - and he was certainly one of the coolest. This man was loved by more people than most of us could ever hope and he was killed by exposure to COVID. 

Please honor his memory by getting yourself vaccinated so that more innocents like Wayne don't have to leave us.

Hopeless Jack, Fuzz SoLow, Prophet Greene at the Dive Bar, Thursday August 12, 2021

It's hard to believe that it had been seven years since Hopeless Jack was last in Vegas, but I'm glad he was finally able to get back out here, despite COVID and other setbacks. His drummer couldn't make it this time, but Jack made up for it by bringing his lovable (and large!) dog, Zeus, with him, who was the hit of the night!

I started off the evening in my Prophet Greene guise, a solo set with just me, my guitars, and a drum effects box to keep a beat behind me as I run through my versions of old blues tunes. Every time I do a Prophet set, I try to change things up a bit and this time I attempted to learn from my past errors and the set seemed to run reasonably smoothly which means that I had a good time. The crowd was sparse but appreciative and so it was a fun way to start the night. Of course, I wasn't able to take pix of myself, so if anyone has any, lemme know!

 My fave local one man band, Fuzz SoLow, was up next, running through his interpretations of classics along with his own numbers, with his Strat run through a splitter (to add bass to the sound) and Fuzz playing a minimal drum kit to keep a rhythm running. He blasts through a hip medley of "Crossroads" and "Red House" (not quite sure how he combined those two, but he did!), as well as "Manic Depression" (he says that he was named after Hendrix, after all), an original simile about him being a turtle, another original "I'm a Sinner", a literal cigar box slide guitar tune, some funkiness and prerecorded tracks in between number while he changed guitars or tuned up. Always entertaining, always fun, always talented. Hopefully the pandemic will cool off enough so he can get back out on a regular basis.                                                                                                                                                           

Jack was planning on touring with a drummer this time out but the gent he had been working with is a firefighter and is now saving lives dealing with the disasters in California, which, I suppose, takes priority over playing the Dive Bar, at least in some people's minds! So, Jack decided to continue on his own and so he is playing acoustic and electric guitars plugged in and he is also using a signal splitter to give him some bottom end. On top of that, he had an "electric boot" - a cowboy boot with a contact mic attached, which essentially sounded like a bass drum when he would stomp his foot, so that he could keep a pulse to his songs. In this situation, his presentation was more like a super hip singer-songwriter - he is a terrific writer - with a great voice. Plenty of finger-pickin'/slide guitar originals like "Die Yuppie Scum", "No Money Here", "I'm a Killer", "Nice Shoes" (based on pick up lines he heard guys giving strippers) and a heart felt tune about his sister who took her own life, that was interrupted by Zeus leaving the stage to pee! - along with covers like "If I Were a Carpenter" (Ramblin' Jack Elliott version), Skip James' "Hard Time Killing Floor", "Sweet Little Angel" and more. A super strong set and always great to see Jack performing and interacting with the audience. 

Once again, thanks to Nate'n'Angie and the Dive Bar for setting up such a fun night and to soundman Josh for making everyone sound good! Looking forward to the next one!

recommended gigs

 Thursday 8-12-21 EARLY SHOW - STARTS AT 8:00 PM - Hopeless Jack and Shotgun Sawyer with Fuzz SoLow and Prophet Greene at the Dive Bar

Friday 8-13-21 - Frankie Lee and the Infernos and Green Fuzz at the Gravy Train Saloon

Friday 8-13-21 - Thee Swank Bastards and the Dead Dolls at the Double Down

Saturday 8-14-21 - Memorial Concert for Lacey A Furgason at the Usual Place

Saturday 8-14-21 - Franks'n'Deans at Tiki di Amore

Sunday 8-15-21 - Frankie Lee and the Infernos, Belfrey Bats and the Rocketz at the Gravy Train - early show - starts at 5:00

Monday 8-16-21 - Goldtop Bob at the Founders Clubs

Saturday 8-21-21 - Metalachi, Los Carajos, Sheiks of Neptune and No Que No at the Dive Bar

Thursday 8-26-21 - Spindrift, Wanderers, Indigo Kidd at Artifice

Friday 9-3-21 - the Maxies, Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions at the Double Down

Saturday 9-4-21 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-18-21 - Jesse and the Hogg Brothers, Stagnetti's Cock, the Mucky Boys, Big Beau and Jangle Gang at the Double Down

Friday 9-24-21 - Sunday 9-26-21 - Punk Rock Bowling Festival

Saturday 9-25-21 - The Darts at Evel Pie with tons of other bands - PRB-related

Friday 10-1-21 - the Psyatics at the Double Down with more TBA

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-24-21 - The Psyatics at the Double Down for Nikki Ruffling's birthday with the Silhouettes and the Laissez Fairs

Syd Barrett - Wouldn't You Miss Me? The Best Of

 

This 2001 compilation merges cuts from The Madcap Laughs, Barrett and the outtakes CD Opel along with previously unreleased tracks "Two of a Kind" (from John  Peel's radio show in 1970) and, from David Gilmour's personal collection, an original, "Bob Dylan Blues". The order of the tunes are slightly jumbled, for some reason, although generally in order of appearance, with the rarities closing out the collection.

The music does flow well here, though, and the record company did choose a good selection of the more song-oriented tunes and less of the truly out-there numbers and the fidgety false starts'n'such. The Peel Sessions' "Two of a Kind" is another catchy Barrett number, with him on acoustic guitar and harmonizing with himself with some percussion moving the song along. "Bob Dylan Blues" is actually a pretty funny, light-hearted jab at Dylan and shows that Syd could be totally together at times. The finale is an instrumental take on "Golden Hair" with really nice guitar swells highlighting the melody.

I can actually see this comp being one of the more commercial releases for Syd, since it does remove some of the more extreme bits that appeared on the two "official" releases and concentrates on his songs, which are quite memorable, actually. This would be a perfect starting place for someone wanting to explore Syd's solo works.

Syd Barrett - Barrett

 

Syd's second solo (and final) solo album was begun shortly after the release of The Madcap Laughs with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Richard Wright, along with Humble Pie's Jerry Shirley, all once again helping to complete the somewhat crazed vision of the psych mastermind. 

I just discovered that the guitar opening for "Baby Lemonade" was simply some of Syd's noodling that Gilmour captured on tape, showing that Syd could really play, at least when he was in the right frame of mind. The song itself is one of his strongest pop tunes (which led at least one band to name themselves after the title), with a strong band backing - Shirley is particularly good here, accenting effectively without overplaying. The slower "Love Song" is a keyboard-based ballad, still quite melodic and somewhat dreamy, while "Dominoes" is quite Pink Floyd-ish in its psychedelia-filled backwards guitars and tripped out mid-section, "Isn't It Obvious" is kinda sing-songy psych, and "Rats" is a rambling bit of borderline vicious lyrics over what started as a jam and remains loosely structured, but becomes a powerful piece when put together.

Another jam, a twisted, percussion-heavy blues, became "Maisie" with Syd muttering over the backing, followed by another of his poppier number, which also became a band name, "Gigolo Aunt", while "Waving My Arms In The Air" is sorta circuitous, with some hints of a couple of his older numbers melodically, as is "I Never Lied to You", while "Wined and Dined" is a bit more structured and apparently Barrett has said that the more edgy (in a psychedelic way) "Wolfpack" was one of his personal faves and then he finishes out with a novelty child's tune, "Effervescing Elephant" (hell, was that a band name, too?) that is silly, but fun.

I think both this and Madcap are essential psychedelic listening, but you should know that by now!

Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding

 

For his 8th studio album, Dylan forsook his blues-based, electric rock'n'roll for a return to stripped down acoustic music based on folk songwriting, with only a simple bass and drum - and occasional steel guitar - accompaniment, and sometimes not even that. Although this record hit #2 on the charts and includes the fantastic, original version of "All Along the Watchtower", I had not owned this until recently, as I continue to try to fill out my Dylan collection.

Opening with the title track, this is one of several story telling songs on this record, this one with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica backed by basic bass and drums. This feel continues in the catchy "As I Went Out One Morning", which sounds like a reworking of an old Americana song, but with some comparatively busy bass'n'drums complementing Bob's simple guitar work. "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" is loosely based, musically, on "Joe Hill", but with Dylan's own symbolic lyricism, and, of course, everyone knows the deservedly iconic "...Watchtower", with its terrific melody and memorable lyrics, which inspired Hendrix to cover it for his highest charting single.

Proving that attempting to decipher Dylan's lyrics is a losing proposition is the enigmatic, even for Bob, morality play in the sparse "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest", while "Drifter's Escape" seems to be an exercise in writing a song with a single chord, and "Dear Landlord" is a more nuanced, somewhat bluesy piano ballad. New Orleans' Chicken Snake did a fine version of "I Am A Lonesome Hobo", a classic Dylan mid-tempo number, "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" is a lovely ballad, "The Wicked Messenger" is a forceful number with one of his strongest melodies (is that "borrowed" from somewhere or his own? Either way, very effective), "Down Along the Cove" (Clapton did a strong version of this one) is positively bouncy'n'euphoric after the heaviness of much of the rest of the album and this sunlight continues to shine in the somewhat slower sweetness of the closing classic "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight".

If you're a fan of the man's acoustic work, you probably already have this one, but if you don't, then you should! 

The Psyatics, Thee Swank Bastards, Big Like Texas at the Double Down - Friday August 6, 2021

It was with a bit of trepidation that I ventured out for my first live gig in about a year and a half on Friday. Glad that it was in the familiar surroundings of our local hangout, the Double Down Saloon and with lots of familiar faces.

 The Psyatics had a record release show for Devil You Know planned back in the early days of 2020 before the pandemic hit, so this was the gig to make up for that non-happening, as well as to celebrate our pal John Armstrong's birthday.

Starting the night off nice'n'early was Big Like Texas, a 5 piece combo mixing a bit of Americana, a bit of blues, a touch of Southern Culture on the Skids, a little surf, and kinda whatever else they felt like throwing in! The sound was a little muddy, but they got the early crowd movin'n'groovin' with their upbeat sounds. (Sorry, I tried to take some photos but had forgotten how badly my phone's camera works in low light! And it was plenty dark in the DD this night!)

Following them was the always-entertaining Thee Swank Bastards, this night leader/guitarist Jesse was joined by Jeff Murphy on bass and Turbo on drums for an especially powerful'n'rockin' set of their own style of instrumental surf. All three are terrific players and they were totally on for this evening. It was great to see these cats again after all this time!

As for the Psyatics, our set combined brand, spankin' new tunes with numbers from Devil You Know and a bunch of earlier works for a well-rounded set, if I say so myself. It was also the debut of our new drummer, Ron Hudy (ex of Water Landing) and he did an incredible job of nailing the entire set after just a few weeks of practice. It was kinda weird playing in front of people again and I think I forgot just how loud we were (my ears are still recovering!) but I think it went well overall and hope that people dug what they heard. We'll be returning to the DD at the end of October but other things may come up in the meantime, depending on the plague.

Unfortunately, since I had not stayed up that late for over a year and a half, I needed some rest once we were done and I missed a DD favorite, Sector 7-G, but I'm sure that they continued the party in grand fashion!

Let's all try to stay healthy so we can continue with live music - it would be nice to have this happen on a regular basis again!

recommended gigs

 Friday 8-6-21 - The Psyatics at the Double Down for our Devil You Know record release show and for John Armstrong's birthday. With Thee Swank Bastards, Big Like Texas and Sector 7-G!

Saturday 8-7-21 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-7-21 - the Dirty Hooks at Taverna Costera with the Implosions and Frankie Lee and the Infernos

Sunday 8-8-21 - the Scoundrels and MondoVermin at the Dive Bar

Tuesday 8-10-21 - Thee Hypnotiques and live burlesque at the Usual Place

Thursday 8-12-21 EARLY SHOW - STARTS AT 8:00 PM - Hopeless Jack and Shotgun Sawyer with Fuzz SoLow and Prophet Greene at the Dive Bar

Friday 8-13-21 - Frankie Lee and the Infernos and Green Fuzz at the Gravy Train Saloon

Saturday 8-14-21 - Memorial Concert for Lacey A Furgason at the Usual Place

Saturday 8-14-21 - Franks'n'Deans at Tiki di Amore

Sunday 8-15-21 - Frankie Lee and the Infernos, Belfrey Bats and the Rocketz at the Gravy Train - early show - starts at 5:00

Saturday 8-21-21 - Metalachi, Los Carajos, Sheiks of Neptune and No Que No at the Dive Bar

Friday 9-3-21 - the Maxies, Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions at the Double Down

Friday 9-24-21 - Sunday 9-26-21 - Punk Rock Bowling Festival

Saturday 9-25-21 - The Darts at Evel Pie with tons of other bands - PRB-related

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-24-21 - The Psyatics at the Double Down for Nikki Ruffling's birthday with the Silhouettes and the Laissez Fairs

Tom Jones - Over the Top and Back

 

Despite his protestations and wishes, Tom Jones at his height was not a rocker. That might have been his desire and passion, but his material and his PR steered him to a successful career as a talented but somewhat smaltzy singer of good AM pop tunes like "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat", "Delilah", et al. I like this stuff, but they're pop tunes that your parents could listen to, not raw rock'n'roll - hell, he even got his own TV show! (Which, to his credit, he used to promote some high quality acts from the time). But, this autobiography shows his true feelings and he proves himself to be a talented writer and storyteller, as well as lasting icon.

After opening with a fairly depressing scene of him backstage at a supper club in the 80's (which, he admits, wasn't that bad and he was well paid, despite his wishes for something more aesthetically satisfying), he moves to his childhood in Wales, his family, his dyslexia, his crushes and an early bout with tuberculosis which left him bedridden for the better part of a couple of years. This free time made him even more of a music fan than he had been (notwithstanding the lack of entertainment options on the radio and TV at this time) and he then felt he had to make up for lost time.

At sixteen, he impregnates his 15 year old girlfriend and they get married - and stay together for the rest of their lives, to his credit. He works various jobs and happens into a band situation when a singer fails to show for a gig and an acquaintance locates him at his local pub. This turns into a regular gig and once again shows Tom's split personality - he gets them to do more rockin' songs, ala Jerry Lee Lewis, but also gets them to do social clubs where they need to do more lightweight material - something he disparaged them for doing before he joined. There's a demo session with Joe Meek, a chance meeting with Jimmy Saville and eventually a pop star turned manager, Gordon Mills. This works out, obviously, as Mills writes "It's Not Unusual" and makes Tom a star!

But, his material and presentation keeps him from being a more traditional pop star and he quickly becomes a fixture on the dinner theater circuit - which is financially fulfilling - and not much later he goes to Vegas and he also gets his own TV show! There are a number of compromises there, but he brings on many acts that he is truly passionate about and does a good job performing with counter-culture icons. As with most acts, his popularity eventually wanes for a number of years - although he still makes money, particularly in Vegas - and then he has one of the most unlikely'n'unpredictable comebacks of all time, which he is still enjoying.

As I said, his writing style is casual as well as compelling and his tale is entertaining throughout - as usual, I especially enjoy hearing about London in the 60's - although his continued insistence of him being a "rocker" almost borders on the absurd. Talented yes, with a terrific voice, but not a rocker, sorry Mr. - I mean Sir - Jones. Still, if you have any interest in this story, you will enjoy this book.

Suzi Q (documentary)

 

Although originally based in Detroit, where she initially garnered some fame with her sisters in the all-female Pleasure Seekers (whose raunchy garage rocker "What a Way to Die" is a classic teenage ode to over indulgence), Suzi would be lured out on her own by Mickie Most and brought to England where, after teaming with the legendary Chin/Chapman, she had a string of hits. While she had number one records in England and throughout the Continent, her fame never reached the States, despite several attempts.

This documentary tells her tale and also shows the influence that she had on a (slightly) younger generation of female rockers, from the Runaways to L7 and more, as well as her acting career (she became known in the US due to her Leather Tuscadero character on Happy Days), and, of course her family life. A couple of her sisters are interviewed and they obviously never really got over the fact - despite their own careers - that Suzi became a pop star, albeit not in her own country.

It's a fun flick with some cool footage and while she released some slightly cringe-worthy material later, her early work is still viable and rockin'. Check it out!