Taj Mahal - Original Album Classics

 

After reading the book on Jesse Ed Davis, I wanted to discover more of Mahal's music so I grabbed this 3 CD set for a reasonable price. Of course, I have heard some of his music, but this seemed like a good overview. Oddly, this set collects the first two studio albums then jumps 6 years to a 1974 release - no idea why, but it's a shame as he made several records in between (he has an impressive discography) and there was much better music to include.

I first became aware of Taj due to the Rolling Stones Rock'n'Roll Circus and so I expected his music to all be in a similar R'n'B/Blues-y vein. But his records are a much more mixed bag, so much so that I wasn't sure how to react to it all at first. Certainly some R'n'B influences - though not much as dominant as "Ain't That a Lot of Love" - but mixed with pop and the blues wasn't necessary the electric blues of the later British bands, but early country blues combined with folk and whatever else popped into Taj's mind. Certainly not a purist in any contemporary sense!

Disc 1 is the self-titled debut album and is fairly blues oriented, but with Taj's (and the band's, of course) own twists to it. They are not trying to slavishly recreate older music but are content with branding it with their our style. Opening with "Leaving Trunk", a funky, blues with excellent playing all around and with the band giving a great groove. They follow that with their take on "Statesboro Blues", which highlights Jesse Ed Davis' slide work and which caused the Allman Brothers and Duane to cover it and influenced Duane to pick up his Coricidin bottle, which in turn influenced countless guitarists to pick up some kind of slide. "Checking Up On My Baby" is a rockin' blues that shows off Jesse's piano playing as well as his lead guitar, and side one of the album closed with another in the same upbeat vein, "Everybody's Got To Change Sometime" - again with great playing all around, fine vocalizing from Taj and nice slide work.

Side two of the vinyl kicks off with "EZ Rider", with an arrangement by Taj, who blows some mean harp here, and he and Jesse trade off riffs for Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom", "Diving Duck Blues" is a hip mid-tempo blues arrangement of various tunes, it seems, with more fine slide work, and the album finished off with a slow, drivin' blues with Ry Cooder on mandolin and Taj on acoustic slide, showing that he was a terrific player himself (I have another album that has a number of songs with just Taj and his guitar and it's all pretty amazing). All in all, a pretty fab debut record!

Disc two is dedicated to the album, The Natch'l Blues, opening with "Good Morning Miss Brown", a bit of a poppier blues with Al Kooper on piano, followed by "Corinna", the trad song given a cool arrangement by Taj & Jesse, "I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll" is an upbeat boogie blues, the funnily titled "Going Up the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue" is a mid-tempo groover and side one's closer, "Done Changed My Way of Living", is a 7+ minute long, Howlin' Wolf-styled blues with some stylin' playing - think this is Taj here, rather than Jesse, although I'm sure he gets his licks in there somewhere!

Flip over the vinyl and there's another interesting title, "She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule To Ride", which, funnily, sounds to me like a blues filtered through the likes of Leon Russell via Bob Dylan - or something like that! "The Cuckoo", as with a number of Taj's tunes, seems to incorporate a number of older blues, and has another hip groove to it, then the band gets truly soulful in "You Don't Miss Your Water" and this album closed with the R'n'B stomper, "Ain't That a Lot of Love" and while I'm so used to the incredible R'n'R Circus version that this horn-drenched take is a bit of a surprise, but it's also great in its own way.

Surprisingly, as most of the CDs in these packaged sets are only the original vinyl albums, this CD includes bonus tracks, with another take on "The Cuckoo" (pretty great, actually), as well as "New Stranger Blues", a slow, moody number with soulful playing by all, especially Jesse on guitar, and finally, "Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine", which doesn't appear to be any of the similarly titles tunes I know of, but a rollickin' instrumental, which gives everyone a chance to show off - a nice ending!

Disc 3 Mo’ Roots, though, is essentially unlistenable as it is simply AOR-oriented terrible reggae - really nothing redeeming about the whole album. I feel bad being this harsh but especially after the quality of the first two albums, this is exceedingly bad.

Considering that this is a discounted set, it is worth it for the first two CD's but you can slip the last one and search for some of Taj's other work like Giant Step, which I wish had been included here instead.

Mott the Hoople - Two Miles From Live Heaven (updated)

I'm trying something new here - revisiting an old review - this one from 16 years ago! - since I just listened to this set again and I wondered what I had to say about it.

At the time, I think I was so happy to see any new MTH releases that I would have recommended almost anything and while I still think that this is worthwhile, I'm not sure that I would say it was "highly" recommended.

Again, I'm much more of a Mick Ralphs fan than an Ariel Bender/Luther Grosvenor fan, but each have their moments here. 

CD 1 is a bit of a mish-mash with tracks 1-5 being the original band running through "No Wheels to Ride", "Whiskey Women", "Walkin' With a Mountain", "It'll Be Me" (the 50's tune, learned from Jerry Lee Lewis) and "Angel of Fifth Avenue". Pretty great sound and playing throughout these numbers, although Ian berates the audience for not getting "heavy" enough, although he eventually relents. Then the Ariel/ Morgan Fisher lineup does a pretty great job of "Drivin' Sister", "All the Young Dudes", "All the Way From Memphis" and Sweet Angeline". I was truly impressed by these renditions, as I hadn't cared for Ariel's tone of his playing on some other recordings, but these are top-notch! The CD closes wih a few demos from the original band - not outstanding, but fun for fans to hear.

CD 2 though is a bit of a mess, unfortunately. The mix is pretty atrocious, Ariel is far too loud and his tone is fairly awful and Ian's voice is completely shot, to the point of breaking pretty regularly throughout the entire set. While most of the song selection is pretty stellar, there are a few clunkers - mostly Ian's ballads like "Rest in Peace" and "Hymn For the Dudes" - and the performances just don't flow. I think by this time they were realizing that Luther didn't really fit in the band and that combined with Ian's voice and the mix, means this is not a CD that you will listen to repeatedly.

In any case, it's still great that there has been so many MTH CD releases and I'll take - and buy! - whatever comes out. This is one strictly for fans, though!

Here's my original review from 2998: 

I’ve been a huge Mott fan since they first hit with “All the Young Dudes” and the fantastic album of that same title. When I discovered their earlier works, while Hunter led them through some Dylan-esque folky territory, I found out that they were also one of the heaviest and noisiest bands around! Brain Capers and Mad Shadows in particular have some incredible moments.

So, I have been grateful for the previously unreleased material that has been uncovered in the CD generation. There have been a number of eye-opening live recordings of very good quality popping up lately and this is another great one! I never got the chance to see them – which I will eternally regret – but by all accounts they were a boggling live act.

This release covers a number of years and tours and is accompanied by a terrific booklet with plenty of info and some fantastic photos that I had never seen before. These cats had a wild r’n’r image and some phenomenal clothes!

This 2 CD set concentrates on live shows with Ariel Bender/Luther Grosvenor, Mick Ralphs replacement, but while I far prefer the studio albums with Ralphs, these live cuts are all quite strong.

There are songs covering their entire career here, and some previously unreleased tunes, all of which are terrific! Not the place to start for novices to the band, but for fans, this is highly recommended!

RIP David Lynch

David Lynch, director of ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’, dead at 78 

---

recommended gigs

           

Friday 1-17-25 - the Crotches at the Dive Bar

Friday 1-17-25 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-18-25 - the Implosions, the Luxuries, the Hideaway at Red Dwarf

Saturday 1-18-25 - Thee Swank Bastards and Stagnetti's Cock at the Double Down

Saturday 1-18-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 1-19-25 - Save Kitty Chow's Home Fundraising Variety Show at Cornish Pasty

Monday 1-20-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-25-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-27-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 2-7-25 - the Implosions, Tippy Elvis, Triple Splits at Red Dwarf

Saturday 2-8-25 - Bear Supply at the Double Down

Friday 2-14-25 - the Minges, Crimson Riot, VaVoom at the Double Down

Saturday 2-15-25 - TV Party Tonight 10th Anniversary

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Man Enough to be a Woman - Jayne County

 

Of course, I've been familiar with Wayne/Jayne since the 70's due to their inclusion in any rock zine that covered the NY scene. County's outrageousness far outstripped any'n'everyone else, including gender-benders like Bowie, Jobriath, Reed and anyone else that you can think of. Being on the outskirts of "normal" society their entire life, including growing up in a small, southern town, means that County has wild tales to tale and is, frankly, lucky to still be alive!

Considering the hell that I received as an outcast in a northern Indiana town in the 60's and 70's just by having slightly long hair and being a pacifist, it is fairly incredible that Wayne (at the time) was able to dress up like a female and was fairly openly gay and only received mild harassment. Apparently, it helped that there were a couple gays that were even more flamboyant as well as the fact that some of the jocks came on to Wayne.

The British Invasion gave a soundtrack to Wayne's life - a fanaticism that never faded (they have pretty great taste) - and that alone was enough to be an outcast in the 60's in the South, but combined with their outrageousness, again, I am amazed. After getting a job in nearby Atlanta, County discovers drag queens and life is once again changed.

There are innumerable stories as she becomes part of the gay scene in town, but things change, as they do, and she decided she wanted to go to San Francisco and decided the easiest and cheapest way was to go to NYC and look for a ride, but once she got to town, she realized that she liked it and fairly quickly became part of the underground there. Of course, it helped that she met Leee Black Childers early on and he introduced her to everyone and soon she and Leee were sharing a room with Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis, among others!

The Theater of the Ridiculous was certainly influential - David Bowie especially took plenty of ideas from this - but I've got to say that it all sounds a bit too ridiculous for me, personally. But, that is what got Wayne their initial recognition in town, which, of course, morphed into their musical career. Wayne even became part of the Main Man stable for a while, but while MM coughed up money, apartments and shows, no recording was ever done. Not sure why, as the material was so overly extreme that it never could have crossed over to any kind of mainstream, even to the level that Bowie's glam stuff did. County was sure that Bowie was jealous but I don't think that there was any kind of competition there.

Eventually, County got a band in England, started recording and touring and making more "serious" music. Oddly, they mention songs about religion and how they still respected their extremely conservative church they grew up in and basically says they do not believe in evolution! Wild! Lots of stories of playing, touring, recording, traveling, picking up boys and more (even working into a transsexual whorehouse!), as well as talking frankly about the fact that they never did the full operation, even though that was definitely reported in some papers. Plenty of psychotic relationships and jealousies and breakdowns - possible at least partially due to hormones.

County eventually settles down to an extent - at least offstage - and seems to have come to peace with themselves, even if they didn't achieve everything they had hoped to (again, very relatable!). 

A rollickin' read and a first hand account of the gay/transsexual scenes in the 60's and 70's from around the world! 

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane - Robert E Howard

 

As I've said, I was a fan of REH's Conan since Marvel set him in their comics, and with the success of that run, Marvel extended their REH works to include this Puritan hero, Solomon Kane. Despite his lack of joie de vivre and lusty exuberance that Conan exhibited, Kane's somber outlook, all black attire and somewhat unstable fixation with righting wrongs (to the point of obsession and, while he denied it, a thrill of fighting'n'killing), all registered as a bit more human than the more famous barbarian.

This compilation of various tales and a few fragments of stories, varies in quality. I do not know the chronology of Howard's writings, but some of these are not nearly as fleshed out as some of his other work. There are also unfortunate bigotries of the time which must be overlooked if one is to enjoy the tales, even if some are a bit cringe-worthy. 

Despite these issues, this book is still quite enjoyable, as Kane literally travels the world on the trail of evil-doers, often encountering "savages" in the jungles of Africa along with many other exotic locales. He overcomes outlandish odds, but in a fairly (comparatively) realistic way and while he may be caught up in blood lust himself, he does always try to avenge those who are wronged by evil.

I quite enjoy these tales as ways of escaping the insane "real" world for a while, but, again, the prejudices of the time may turn off some folks.

RIP Peter Yarrow

Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary dies at age 86 

---

Can't deny that I was a folkie in the 60's and I learned how to play guitar to songs from the likes of PP&M. 

Sorry to hear of his passing.

recommended gigs

              

Friday 1-10-25 - Femaliens, Wheelchair Mosh Pit, Atrocity Girl at Red Dwarf

Sat - 1-11-25 - Deadbolt, Mondo Vermin and the New Waves at the Dive Bar

Saturday 1-11-25 - the Souvenairs at the Underground

Saturday 1-11-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday - 1-12-25 - Thee Swak Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 1-13-25 -Thee Swank Bastards  at the Golden Tiki

Friday 1-17-25 - the Crotches at the Dive Bar

Friday 1-17-25 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-18-25 - Thee Swank Bastards and Stagnetti's Cock at the Double Down

Saturday 1-18-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 1-19-25 - Save Kitty Chow's Home Fundraising Variety Show at Cornish Pasty

Monday 1-20-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-25-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-27-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 2-7-25 - the Implosions, Tippy Elvis, Triple Splits at Red Dwarf

Saturday 2-8-25 - Bear Supply at the Double Down

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Ugly Things #67

 

I always recommend the Stax's Ugly Things zine, and this is a particularly good ish. A great, extensive article on the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band from Mike, David Laing gives us a huge (part one!) interview with Ed from the Saints, who comes off as a very hip guy with great taste (with an announcement of a Saints tour, with Marc Arm, of all people, singing since Chris has passed), there are oddball 60's combos like the Weird Herald and the Fringe, more 70's punk rockers with part 3 from Rob, the guitarist of the Subway Sect (who comes off as a super pretentious snob - which I have probably been guilty of before - but with some great tales), 80's psyche combo Plasticland and the usual innumerable reviews of books, CD's and whatever else comes along!

Something for just about everyone here and the amount of info on each group boggles the mind. The zine has evolved into practically a musical novel of classic combos. Always gonna say - get it!

recommended gigs

             

Friday 12-27-24 - the Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 12-29-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Friday 1-10-24 - Femaliens, Wheelchair Mosh Pit, Atrocity Girl at Red Dwarf

Sat - 1-11-25 - Deadbolt, Mondo Vermin and the New Waves at the Dive Bar

Friday 1-17-24 - the Crotches at the Dive Bar

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Jesse Ed Davis Washita Love Child - Douglas K Miller

 

I have been (knowingly) a fan of Jesse Ed Davis’ since seeing him play with Taj Mahal on The Rolling Stones Rock’n’Roll Circus. His original-sounding, cutting, Telecaster leads on Taj’s number are not overly flashy, but strike home perfectly - a sign of a true talent.

Apparently, this book has been a while in the making, but was just released at the beginning of 2024, so I must have heard about it not long after its release. Miller had previously written more generally about Native Americans but, as a musician himself, wanted to hone in on Davis’ contributions to modern music. I can’t find Miller’s age anywhere, but apparently, he wasn’t even born during Davis’ musical hey-day, which should make for an interesting perspective.

Funnily, given the more obscure nature of Davis' music in general, I thought that this would be a quick read, but it is also over a thousand pages! But, as I get started on the meat of the book I discover why - Miller gives a history or Native Americans (including Davis' ancestors) going back centuries. Interesting in a general sense, but not necessarily the reason why I picked up this book.

Eventually we get to Jesse and his upper-middle-class upbringing in a musical household that encouraged his endeavors. Unlike some musicians, Jesse was also a jock at school and did well scholastically, at least until music overtook his desire to do much of anything else. He played in local combos, as one does, although in Oklahoma (which I was totally unaware of) many of the players went on to become huge stars in their own right. Jesse's first big break was playing guitar with Conway Twitty, of all people, although Jesse was already a fan and studied the playing of his predecessor in the band.

Once he moved to LA, he hooked up with the Tulsa, OK crew at Leon Russell’s pad and eventually caught the eyes and ears of Taj Mahal and spent several years with him. This book quotes Duane Allman as saying that Jesse’s slide playing with Taj is what influenced him to pick up his Coricidin bottle. He worked with innumerable stars, put out some solo records and played an impressive amount of quality sessions, from jazz to “Doctor My Eyes” to “High Time We Went” and more than can be listed.

After several solo albums that went nowhere and lots more session work (including a couple tunes with Leon and Bob Dylan), Jesse spent some time with John Lennon and became part of his band that recorded Rock’n’Roll and Walls and Bridges. Unfortunately for Jesse, that didn’t last and he floundered, looking for direction.

I absolutely do NOT remember Jesse joining the Faces, even for a short while, but apparently he did. After that fell apart, Jesse kind of fell apart, as well, and the following decades are depressing due to infinite lost chances due to drug and alcohol dependency. So many stars from the 60’s and 70’s suffered from the same fate after their hey-day - bad decisions, bad choices, bad health, bad (or no) management, and drugs and/or alcohol running and ruining their lives. I always think that I wouldn’t have made those terrible decisions, but I was also never in that kind of limelight, so who knows… And, as with so many others, Jesse succumbed to his addiction and died by an overdose in a laundry room of a friend's apartment, while waiting for the person to come home. A truly ignoble death...

I certainly learned a lot about Jesse here and he has some fascinating escapades, and worked with some of the biggest names in the business, but the decades of sadness and depression overtake any joy in the story. But, glad that someone has told the tale of this talented Indigenous artist.

RIP Sugar Pie DeSanto

Sugar Pie DeSanto, Larger-Than-Life R&B Performer, Dies at 89 

---

Sugar Pie wsa a tiny, sexy, R'n'B spitfire. Check her out if you don't know her.

I honestly didn't know that he was still around, but sad to hear of her passing.

Under a Rock - Chris Stein

Of course, I've been a Blondie fan since I first picked up their debut album and dug their mixture of 60's girl groups and new wave/punk rock/what-have you. Well written tunes, 60's keys'n'guitars, and terrific vocals by the stunningly beautiful Debbie Harry. Amazingly, the ultra-geeky guitarist, Chris Stein, was Debbie's main squeeze at the time, and he was a big part of their sound so, of course, I was interested to hear his story when I found out that he had written an autobiography.

Chris grew up in the city of New York, so a very different environment that my suburban childhood a few years later. But, other than the landscape - which is interesting to read about - his younger years were not all that dissimilar than my semi-middle-class upbringing in Indiana.

Like most young kids, he had multiple distractions and interests and music was one of many and not necessarily the strongest one. That eventually changed and, as one of the biggest differences in our upbringings is the fact that he had places to go for teenagers to hang out and for teenage bands to play. He even claims (no reason to doubt him) to have played with at least one of the guys who later formed the Left Banke! 

He naturally fell into the big city's music scene, from the folkies to the rock'n'rollers, and managed to see incredible shows, sights and people. As so many did, he traveled to SF for the "Summer of Love" and spent several weeks simply bumming around (he must have had some money at this time although he does not mention how he really survived), before returning to the East Coast to pick up his habits of getting high and jamming.

There are lots of wild tales of the underground scene at the time and since it was still a fairly small gathering, it was inevitable that he would eventually meet Debbie, who was singing with the Stilettoes and, as it was a fairly loose group at the time, he was able to join in, as he was naturally attracted to her. They became an item and, of course, the band morphed slowly into Blondie.

Naturally, he mentions all of the other great, fun bands that were happening at the time and, again, since it was a small scene, most were friends and very supportive of each other. As the band coalesced and gained popularity, they recorded their single and first album and from there, things took off. Tours with Iggy Pop (joined by David Bowie) and shows with the likes of Tom Petty opening gave them experience along with the foundation of their fanbase. 

As they do, things move fast from then on and after "Heart of Glass" surprisingly breaks (it was, funnily enough, the third single chosen from the album), they are suddenly stars - with all of the baggage, expectations, workload and everything else that goes with it. Of course, Chris has plentyof tales to tell, from the insane to the mundane as they try to navigate their new-found fame.

Their rise’n’fall is fairly quick, really - a handful of years - but there are always various projects that keep them afloat along with countless reunions of various forms. Drugs were always prevalent and seemed to at least be partially to blame for Chris’n’Debbie’s split, although they stayed friends and work partners. But the fact that Chris seemed to be under the influence for most of his life makes some of the tales a little suspect, even while many are (mostly) believable considering the place’n’time. Horrifically, in the epilogue he mentions that his first born daughter died of an accidental overdose at the age of 19. Unfortunately, she did not learn from his mistakes.

Chris meanders a lot and, as I mentioned, kind of doesn’t distinguish between utterly mundane stories and truly fascinating ones. So, while the tale is interesting, Chris’ telling, while unique, of course, is not necessarily as compelling as the material. Fans should certainly check it out but look elsewhere for a more coherent band bio.

Rita Coolidge - Delta Lady

 

After finally finishing the fine Leon Russell tome I got curious about Rita, who, of course, was part of the Leon and Joe Cocker entourage - and the inspiration for “Delta Lady” (hence this book's title, natch) - and found this book. I never knew that much about her, other than that she was another stunningly pretty hippie chick with a fine voice. 

She opens with her recovering from a broken romance with Kris Kristopherson before reminiscing about her life. Growing up in the South with a loving, supportive family, she always sang but after a head-on car accident as a young teen, she temporarily lost some of her momentum. Of course, she healed up and moved on, becoming part of the early NYC folk scene for a short while (a mugging scared her into leaving town) and moved to Memphis, where her parents were then living.

She managed to become a singer with a jingle factory that started her musical career. She also started dating Al Green’s guitarist and so became deeply involved in the Stax scene and her sister even married Booker T! She met Delaney and Bonnie with Leon Russell while they were recording in town and moved with them to LA on a comparative whim. So, obviously, there are a lot of stories in common with the Leon Russell book, to the point where entire paragraphs are literal word-for-word quotes in both books, particularly the tales with Leon, Delaney and Bonnie and Joe Cocker and Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

But, of course, there are many revelations, as well, especially since I don’t know all that much about her career. I didn’t know that she had a serious relationship with Graham Nash between Leon and Kris (among others) and certainly didn’t know that she co-wrote the hit “Superstar” and part of the piano coda that ends “Layla”! (Which she is still waiting for Clapton to acknowledge.)

Although she describes Kristopherson as the love of her life, she makes it sound like it was a pretty unhealthy relationship, which is a sad juxtaposition. I know that it happens all the time, but what a shame that this strong woman spent years wallowing in abuse. It’s actually a relief when she finally leaves, with the help of a mega-hit album, something that most people don’t have to fall back on, to say the least!

Her career as a solo artist and a session singer took off pretty much as soon as she hit LA, and so she always had her own life while dating some huge stars. As I said, her solo album took off with huge hits just as she decided to leave Kris and although she never managed to reach this heights again, that was enough to sustain her throughout the rest of her life.

Apart from an epilogue, she essentially ends the story as she’s riding high, although even the epilogue has some tragedies. In any case, while she’s not an artist that I would listen to regularly, she has quite a tale to tell and tells it well. Worth checking out for anyone who digs the crazy r’n’r/folk/singer-songwriter scenes for the 60’s/70’s.

PS - I do have to say that it is kind of depressing to read about how fucked up (mentally, emotionally, physically - not necessarily drug-induced) so many musicians that we all looked up to really were. Of course, they’re people too, but it turns out that they were profoundly screwed up people - even more so that we thought we were as screwed up teenagers. Sad to learn about your heroes…

Leon Russell - The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock'n'Roll History - Bill Janovitz

 

Of course, I've ranted'n'raved about Leon numerous times here, as he was by far my fave keyboardist of the 70's (some stiff competition, to be sure, but he had some charisma that others didn't), and I've always dug his style'n'his sound. With a healthy dose of R'n'B, more than a bit of gospel and plenty of old fashioned rock'n'roll, Leon started as a session player, moved on to backing stars like Joe Cocker and George Harrison (among others too numerous to list) before becoming a star in his own right. His version of "Youngblood" in the Concert For Bangledesh movie blew me away, as did his own incredible songwriting.

I've read bits on Leon already, but always looking to see what people have to say about him. I must have known, but had forgotten, that he had cerebral palsy as a child, which explains his later difficulty in walking, as when we saw him 20 or so years ago. But, even though his right side had issues, he was practically a child prodigy on piano and managed to create his own style to make up for his physical handicaps. While his family life was rocky (his parents split up when he was young, his abusive older brother moved out at a fairly early age), he delved into music and, growing up in Tulsa, he was exposed to everything from country to the early greats of R'n'B to the burgeoning R'n'R scene, and more! He played in bands as a teenager and would often stay out all night watching'n'learning from the other musicians.

He moved to LA while he was still underage but with the help of a fake ID he was able to do some club work but his bread'n'butter was studio session work. Starting on demos, he moved onto actual recording sessions pretty quickly, playing alongside some of the biggest names in the business (as far as session players go, that is), many of whom went on to stardom themselves, just like Leon.

He moves relatively quickly from working with Gary Lewis and the Playboys to Joe Cocker to his own solo career, which takes off amazingly fast. His tour with Cocker and Mad Dogs and Englishmen and his stellar performance in Concert For Bangladesh only accelerates his rise and soon he, himself, is a “Superstar”. The stories accompanying this are all fascinating, of course, although some of the business bogs the story down a bit. But, I have to admit, the nostalgia of reading all of the incredible music that came out at the same time as Leon’s first couple of records makes me miss my youth more than I can explain.

His frantic pace of work, almost continuous touring and recording, spending copious amounts of money on any and everything that caught his eye, from houses to equipment or all kinds to studios to cars to backing musicians, his partying and the craziness around him as he let almost anyone stay in his houses with (or without) him, and his womanizing lends for incredible tales but, naturally, eventually wore him out.

Janovitz gives a detailed chronology of Leon's history and he also gives a pretty detailed critique of practically each song on each album - with special reverence for the early work. Innumerable stars enter Leon's orbit, including various Beatles and Stones, Clapton and innumerable others. Oddly, actor Gary Busey becomes involved with Leon - he’s also from Tulsa and was a local celeb before becoming a star - and plays drums with him for a bit and even brings Barbara Streisand over when they worked together on A Star is Born. Ton Petty and Dwight Twilley make surprising appearances as well, among others too numerous to name.

Leon had lots of interracial lovers (including his first wife) and band members which caused plenty of racism in the 70’s, even from his fans, who, one would think, would be above that due to the fact that he almost always had mixed bands. But, these things were still pretty new in the 70's for popular culture and many could not accept them.

Naturally, Leon's career doesn't stay on top forever and, combined with his insane spending habits, this causes some financial insecurities, although he continues to do alright for himself even while no longer being top of the heap. A move to Nashville, a new wife and new band and paring down his shows to more appropriate, smaller venues all combined to help his health, well being and career (on a much smaller scale than before).

Ironically, the man who had pioneered video for years could not adjust or adapt to MTV, unlike some of his peers, and he was stubborn enough in his ways that, while he could always earn a living, his success pales compared to others from his time. 

As always, the post-superstardom times in the rock star's stories are not as exciting, but it is interesting to hear what Leon did throughout this time, how he managed - and mismanaged - his life, his career, his health and threw away many of the lifelines he was given. 

Janovitz keeps it interesting, with lots of info on the recordings, Leon's family and love lives, touring, famous friends (Elton John, of course, gives him a big boost) and lots more. This is long - maybe a bit longer than it needs to be - but still a great read.

The Water Knife - Paolo Bacigalupi

 

I assume that someone online recommended this 2015 dystopia novel. Set in the not-too-distant future, the southwest of the USA is in a drought - but now “drought” no longer means temporary, it is simply the state that exists. Dust storms are continuous, many cities have collapsed from the lack of water and the Southern Nevada Water Authority is now a militarized organization that controls water lines and bombs or murders any one - or any city - that gets in their way.

Phoenix is a dying city where the inhabitants are barely scraping by, except for the "Fivers", those who have the money to live in one of the all-inclusive apartment complexes that actually has water to spare (although they won't spare it to anyone outside its walls) and all of the luxuries that we take for granted. The state borders are all patrolled and no one can come or go without special authorization, so those in the city are trapped unless they can come up with enough money to escape.

Here, three disparate characters collide - a (male) Vegas "water knife" (basically an enforcer for the Water Authority, a (female) journalist who is getting heat for writing about the travesties that are occurring, and a young (woman) local who is just trying to survive, and while she is brighter and gutsier than most, it takes more than that to escape. These three merge via a couple of Fivers who were planning a secretive big score - one being a colleague of the knife, one a friend of the journalist and one who simply picked up the local for a night of sex - but they end up dead and these three are involved and trying to discover what the score was that was worth torturing and killing for.

Overall, it's a good, gripping tale, but there are some issues for me - some of the made-up terms take a little too long to decipher, some of the tangents are drawn out a bit, some bits are not adequately explained and things like the journalist shrugging off being tortured for hours seem somewhat unrealistic. Some of the plot is painfully obvious, as well - so much so that I guessed it immediately, even though it dragged on for hundreds of pages after. And, I know this book is ten years old, but the fact that there are newsprint publications everywhere seems kinda old fashioned considering the other technology available, but maybe that is also supposed to show the difference between the haves and the have-nots.

A good, though flawed, story that did have a surprise twist ending, and a sobering look at the reality that is certain to come, particularly with the administration that we are getting next year. This won't be fiction for long, unfortunately!

The Nuns

 

San Francisco's early punk/new wave combo, the Nuns' 1980 record was issued on CD on Radiation Records a few years back but I just found it and picked it up. Of course, I was a fan back in the day with the lovely Jennifer Miro on keys and some lead vocals - they had three lead vocalists altogether! - and punky looking cats forming the rest of the band - certainly a different look and vibe than pretty much any other band on the scene at the time. Jennifer was a true femme fatale type while most other females in punk bands were adopting a much tougher looking facade.

Formed in the mid-70's with Alejandro Escovedo and Jeff Olener as part of a film school project, they became one of SF's first "punk" bands and with their striking image and catchy tunes, they became one of the more popular prospects, as well. They often traveled to LA, where I would see them, as most California combos traversed the state looking for new fans and new places to play. Unfortunately, they split up shortly after this recording and while there were numerous reformations, they never really recaptured their original energy. I have just sadly seen that Jeff'n'Jennifer have both passed on, as well.

This short - less than 30 minutes - record highlights their strengths and some of their best tunes, with the various vocalists sharing duties and Jennifer's keyboards adding a different dimension to the proceedings. The opening "Savage" rocks along solidly with melodic vocals from Jennifer and nice backing vocals, "Media Control" is a bit punkier with one of the guys taking the lead on it, some cool feedback opens "World War III", another one of the guys' punkier numbers but with keyboards filling it out and a call'n'answer chorus. More electric piano for Jennifer's melodic'n'catchy "You Think You're the Best", a piercing two note guitar riff gives us the slow, brooding "Walkin' the Beat" with cool vocal trade-offs from everyone, it sounds like. 

The simply titled "Wild" incorporates plenty of keys'n'pretty melodies'n'backing from Jennifer but with a good, 70's punk groove, good dynamics with keys'n'guitars highlight one of the guy's straight-ahead "Getting Straight", "Confused" almost sounds like Alejandro's brother's Zeroes (a good thing, to be sure!), "Child Molester" is a fast, punk number (but with keys!) that kinda reminds me of the Rubber City Rebels (again, a good thing!). I think their "hit", such as it was, was the great "Suicide Child" that moves from moody, cinematic, slow keys for the verses to a powerful sing-along chorus ('you slit your wrist, you stupid bitch, suicide child") - obviously, the subject matter wouldn't get them on the radio, but it one of their best-written songs! I would have thought that would have been the album closer but they chose "Lazy", with just Jennifer and her piano that sounds somewhat similar to Jane Bond and the Undercover Men's "So Bored", complete with nonchalant, monotone-ish singing.

Remember, this is from a time when things like "punk" and "new wave" blurred lines and there wasn't so many rules about what you were supposed to sound like. This is not as straight ahead as bands like the Zeroes, but it is great in its own way, if you can dig electric piano with your punk! Get it!

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian - Robert E Howard

 

Like many, I first discovered Robert E Howard's legendary barbaric hero, Conan, through Marvel Comics faithful reproductions of his early stories. Of course, Marvel expounded on REH's tales, and Howard had stories that were never adapted (I don't believe that Marvel got to all of them, anyway). Both were  great in their own ways and as I was looking for distractions from the all-too-ugly "real world", I thought that I would look back on some of the original tales.

I picked this tome at random from our local library and it is a 1200+ page compendium of a number of Howard's stories of the Cimmerian, in no particular order, but each able to stand on their own. So, we move from his early years, to his time as a king, to his life as a pirate with his also-legendary mate Belit (there is only one story here with her, but in the comics they spend quite a bit of time on their relationship, which was as romantic as it was bloody) as well as his time as a mercenary, a sailor, and much, much more.

Villainous magicians plaque and hound Conan with their spells and their evil familiars and other-worldly creatures, although most often it is the human enemies that are the most treacherous and vile. Howard is a very descriptive and expressive writer, detailing surrounding, creatures, people and combinations thereof so that you can picture what was in his mind. 

Great sword'n'socery stories and there are lots of extras - maybe a bit too much! - at the end with earlier versions, Howard's history of his world and lots more. I got this one from the library but it is a great read and would be well worth it as a purchase for anyone looking into the origins of Conan!

Foxy: My LIfe in Three Acts - Pam Grier

 

Pam Grier is, of course, the stunningly beautiful actress of many of the best Blaxploitation films of the 70's, including Foxy Brown and Coffy, before Tarentino brought her back for the highly successful Jackie Brown, where she got to actually show off her acting skills as an older femme fatale.

Pam grew up in a military family and while she, of course, faced segregation and prejudice in the general population, there was some equality on the military bases and the family was well off enough that the grandparents owned a farm which the kids would stay at when necessary. So, between it all, despite the cruel outside world, it sounds like she had a pretty good childhood, overall. Funnily enough, Godzilla was her first movie theater experience and it made her want to be part of the system, as she was fascinated with the movie magic.

Well, her childhood was good up until the time she was 6 years old and raped by two of her cousins! Of course, she was told not to tell and this caused her to retreat into herself and to stutter. Truly horrible... Life went on, naturally, and she kept this a secret, but spending two years in England (as a result of her dad being stationed over there) helped in many ways and when she came home and her parents split up, she had to keep busy helping with the household finances as well as going to school.

As she got to college - working her way through with multiple jobs - she was actually cajoled into a couple of beauty pageants, although still shy and not comfortable in her own skin. But she actually came to the attention of a Hollywood agent and eventually decided to move to LA to go to film school. Ironically, at this point she still wanted to be behind and not in front of the camera! LA was crazy expensive (compared to Colorado) and she didn't know how she was going to ever afford film school, but she enjoyed the freedom - and less prejudice - that the city offered.

A job as receptionist for an agent led to her auditioning for - and getting - a Roger Corman film shot in the Philippines and she was asked to immediately shoot another before she left. Things moved fast from then on as she was cast in other films and traveled the world shooting and promoting. Her love life equaled her movie career as she dated superstars of the era even as she became more and more famous herself.

While I primarily know her work done in the 70’s, she says that her career really took off in the 80’s - I suppose it was just projects that were not on my radar. But she had substantial roles in TV, film and theatre and received far more recognition than I realized, as well. Unfortunately, her love life never clicked - seemingly from her not recognizing red flags - and while she wished that things could have worked better, she seems content with the way her life evolved.

Turns out that Ms. Grier is a fine writer as well as actress and the book is entertaining, compelling and even gripping, with plenty of background info on her work and her love life. A fine read!

recommended gigs

            

I know that not too many people look at this no matter what, but I am taking a break from social media so I won't be able to update this gig section as often as usual. I haven't set a length of time for my hiatus so who knows, I may be back sooner or may be back later. Have fun while ya can! 

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Wednesday 11-27-24 - CM Wolf and the Backbones at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Friday 12-27-24 - the Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

They Called Us Enemy - George Takei / Harmony Becker (artist)

 

Of course, George Takei is famous for his role in Star Trek but as he has gotten older he has become more politically outspoken, especially as he has seen past transgressions repeated over the years. He is of the age that he was taken to a Japanese Internment Camp when he was a child - a bit of shameful history that is glossed over in most American schools - and so he is extremely aware of the dangers of racial profiling and biases.

I initially thought that this would be a "regular" novel, but it is a well-done graphic novel with illustrator Harmony Becker doing a great job with plenty of expressive work and now'n'then just a touch of Anime influence for some of the more innocent childhood memories.

The Takei's were a successful, happy, middle class family in the LA area until Pearl Harbor was bombed and the US government's response to its own citizens was racist to an extreme. Anyone of Japanese descent, citizen or not, lost literally everything and was sent to camps. Of course, the children didn't really understand what was happening and George and his siblings actually have some fond memories of their incarceration, mixed with some of the violent horrors that they and their fellow internees experienced.

George's powerful tale is used to highlight the more repugnant policies of some of our more recent (republican) administrations in the hopes that some of our population, at least, can learn for our terrible past that has mostly been expunged from our history books.

As with many civil rights issues, this is not ancient history - many people who had to experience these degradations and worse are still alive and most want the government to acknowledge their shortcomings and they want no one else to have to experience what they lived through. 

Very well done and a story that needs to be repeated often, as it appears that we are going to be living through something similar soon, and it will be just as wrong as it was in the past. 

recommended gigs

           

I know that not too many people look at this no matter what, but I am taking a break from social media so I won't be able to update this gig section as often as usual. I haven't set a length of time for my hiatus so who knows, I may be back sooner or may be back later. Have fun while ya can! 

Saturday 11-16-24 - the Crotches, the Shakewells, the Style Cramps at the Griffin

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Wednesday 11-27-24 - CM Wolf and the Backbones at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Incredible Hulk Volume 3

 

I've been reading this Masterworks series to revisit the 60's comics that have long ago vanished from my family's collection, but the tales are still deeply ingrained in my psyche. While I don't consider the Hulk one of my fave heroes/anti-heroes, his early stories are fascinating if for nothing else than the wackiness that Stan and company incorporated into the plots as they tried to keep the readers' interests.

By this time, the Hulk was a bit more grounded and not as likely to have different personalities with every issue and some of the aforementioned wackiness had vanished. That said, it is a bit odd that by the 6th installment, Bruce Banner hasn't appeared at all when previously they would switch back'n'forth pretty regularly.

But the Hulk has incredible adventures as he time travels, encounters the Executioner, is hounded by the military (natch), battles Hercules, the Mole Man and more, all in the first few episodes! The artwork varies pretty wildly and none is really the best that the artists are capable of - Kirby, Buscema, Gil Kane and more. I can only assume that they were all trying to do more than time allowed.

The storylines vary, as well, although they improve as time goes on, with the Hulk unwittingly moving from hero to villain and back again through incidents often well beyond his control. This culminates in the creation of the Abomination, a gamma-ray creature more powerful than the Hulk but with normal intelligence. Banner appears in time to devise a way to defeat him and as this chapter ends, the Hulk is once again heralded as a hero - but for how long?

As I always say, I enjoy revisiting these reprints but this installment is frankly, not among the best, but fans will still want to follow along!

Punk and Other Four Letter Words - Linda Aronow

 

I met Linda Aronow in the 80's, first as a friend, but when I learned of her terrific photography skills, we worked together on many of my musical projects. She always had a great eye, a fine sense of composition, and a cool black'n'white technique. It's gratifying to see that she is finally getting some recognition for her work, lo these many years later. Of course, my bands are nowhere near cool enough to be included in this collection, but there are many excellent combos represented.

This coffee table book is  meant to highlight the photos, so there is minimal text, but some great writings, as well - Linda's personal intro and outro, along with reminiscences from a number of the band members included. There are lots of hardcore groups represented, which I never really cared for (although still, some fab captures), but there are also plenty of excellent, original bands such as Redd Kross, Kommunity FK, Christian Death, GWAR, Celebrity Skin, Alice Bag, Haunted Garage, Screaming Jay Hawkins and lots more!

At close to 8-1/2 x 11 (as fliers would have been in the day), the book gives plenty of room to showcase the pix and, cleverly, the font used for the band names emulates the Letraset type that so mnay of us used at the time. Anyone interested in the 80's punk rock and related scenes - particularly LA, but plenty of traveling bands, as well - will definitely want to check this out either to remember the wild times or to see what it was all about! Get it!

All New Henry and Glenn Comics and Stories - Tom Neely

 

Tom Neely is an old friend of ours and I know I've ranted'n'raved about his work numerous times before. One of his more popular creations is the Henry and Glenn comics - imagining Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig in a relationship with neighbors Hall and Oates (yes, those Hall and Oates) as Satan worshipers and a revolving cast of characters.

Here Henry's cat passes and Glenn convinces him to get another, which is good for Henry but not so much for Glenn, as he has to cat-sit for the creature as Glenn stars in a "Jon Twaters" updated version of Hershel Gordon Lewis' "2000 Maniacs" as "2020 Maniacs"! 

Anyway, lots of LA in-jokes, special appearances, crazy cat adventures and amazing artwork as the tale comes to a relative end, but hopefully with plenty of follow-up adventures to come!

The "Stories" section is also pretty hilarious with an apparently true story of Tom ending up sitting next to a member of Samhain on a several hour airplane ride!

Yes, we've been friends with Tom for a couple of decades, but he is one of the more talented people that we know, as well. Certainly check this one out!

recommended gigs

          

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 11-8-24 - Femaliens with Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 11-9-24 - VaVoom, Decaying Tigers at the Triple Down

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - the Crotches, the Shakewells, the Style Cramps at the Griffin

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Wednesday 11-27-24 - CM Wolf and the Backbones at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Stan Lee - A Life - by Bob Batchelor

 

Being a fan of Marvel comics for practically my entire life, of course I was interested in this book when I saw it on our local library's shelf. Published in 2022, this is a relatively recent release so I'm kinda surprised that I didn't know about it until now.

This is a straight-forward biography, and Batchelor keeps the tale flowing in a fascinating and compelling way. Stanley Lieber, the son of Jewish Romanians who were escaping persecution in Europe, grew up as the Great Depression hit, causing economic turmoil throughout the country and especially in the ethic conclave that he lived in. He took whatever odd jobs he could find while in school - and was a strong student, apparently, gregarious and popular, who worked on the school paper, among other things - and as soon as he graduated, he searched for more permanent employment. Although the stories vary somewhat, he ended up as a gofer at Timely Comics, working for none other than Joe Simon and Jack Kirby - already true stars in the burgeoning comic industry. 

After the success of their rivals in DC Comics with Superman and Batman, Timely hits big with Simon and Kirby's Captain America and with the need to grow and fill out the comics, Stan is soon hired to write and even create his own characters. While these early heroes never became household names, they have been referenced in Marvel stories over the years, so they are never quite forgotten. Funnily, Simon and Kirby were soon both sacked and Stan essentially ran the comics division as writer, editor and art director, all as a teen!

Of course, times changed and eventually Timely became Atlas which became Marvel and as the industry evolved and Stan was able to keep it reasonably profitable, he was able to re-hire Kirby, along with super talents like Steve Ditko and John Romita, Jr. With these collaborators in tow, he co-created the legends that we are familiar with today, starting with the Fantastic Four, followed by Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor and many more.

I hadn't realized that Stan had to report to the publisher and have him ok Stan's ideas, or that Stan would have to create a hero or team based on the publisher's whims - but this was something that he was used to as they previously went from romance to westerns to horror to monsters to funny animals and more. So, some of the more ludicrous ideas were used simply to try to keep the title alive, rather than being a creative breakthrough from the team. The FF was the result of needing to create a "team" (to rival DC's Justice League) and the publisher hated Spider-Man so much that he debuted in a magazine's final issue. He also hated the Hulk and Thor, so there ya go!

I also never knew that, despite the many, many successes in the 1960's, Marvel still trailed behind DC in overall sales and, while Marvel's sales were fairly consistent, there were lots of financial problems behind the scenes, with Stan and company never really knowing if everything would collapse at any moment. "Smilin' Stan Lee" kept a good face in the editorial pages and Marvel Bullpen section of the books, never hinting at these issues.

Of course, Marvel did eventually eclipse DC in sales but throughout its history, there were economic turmoil behind the scenes, despite the successes. This led the company to try to expand to other media - TV, movies, etc., as well as merchandising. Stan does leave the editor's seat and concentrates on these other chores with limited success for many years, although he manages to keep his own face and name known and supplants his salary with speaking engagements.

Frankly, once he leaves the creative side of the comics, the story gets less interesting for me and I had no idea that he was involved in numerous projects that crashed'n'burned all too often. But, the early days, as usual, are quite exciting and I truly enjoyed the tale, even if it may concentrate on Stan at the expense of some contributors, even as Batchelor tries to keep a balance.

In any case, any fan of Marvel will certainly enjoy this one!

Leonard Cohen - The Mystical Roots of Genius by Harry Freedman

 

This was a random pickup from my last library visit and I grabbed it simply because I am a fan of the man, especially his early work. Freedman's concept is an unusual one, though. This is not a biography but a thesis on Cohen's lyrics in the context of religious allegories. Of course, Cohen was raised a Jew, but was very familiar with the Christian Bible and later became a Buddhist monk, so there is plenty of religious iconography to go around!

While I generally believe that each person should interpret lyrics in their own way - as, most often, the lyricist intends - and that an outsider forcing their interpretations on the words inevitably fails, I must say that Freedman certainly knows his religious texts and makes a good case for their basis for Cohen's words. This is especially true considering Cohen's religious background, upbringing and continued learnings.

Of course, for a songwriter as creative and expressive as Cohen, it would be unusual to simply quote or even reinterpret the earlier writings. He reinvents, re-contextualizes, combines and simply turns stories on their heads in order to fit into his lyrical scheme. Freedman seems to essentially follow Cohen's line of thinking, although I would never believe that anyone other than the songwriter would ever have the last say in a song'a meaning.

The book is interesting in that it jumps around Cohen's discography non-chronologically, so that there is no emphasis on one era or style of his. I myself am a huge fan of his first three albums and then lost interest (and, as much as I have tried, none of his other records comes close to those, excluding his first live album, of course), so my interest is kept as he moves from later works to these earlier songs. I do think that his explanations at times quotes too directly from the lyrics that he is attempting to explain, but I guess there are only so many ways to describe a line of poetry.

I suppose, in a way, that the concept was fairly obvious given Cohen's religious leanings and background, but there are plenty of insights here, even if the text can be a bit clinical all too often. So, an interesting theory'n'book, but as a read, not completely captivating. There are a couple of actual biographies on the man htat I've read and expounded on previously, and those are a bit more compelling, simply due to the fact that they aren't as scholastic. But, this is definitely worth reading for fans of the man's work.

recommended gigs

            

Thursday 10-24-24 - Negative Nancys, Switch to Fakie and Mersa at the Triple Down at the Punk Rock Museum

Friday 10-25-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-27-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 10-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 11-8-24 - Femaliens with Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Vampirella VS. the Superpowers

 

Also grabbed from the local library - maybe a little surprisingly, but I suppose they probably have items that are more provocative in their collection.

Of course, I have been a fan of Vamp ever since I discovered the scantily-clad vampire (and I have - or had, not sure since everything is in storage - a collection of her Warren comics) and most variations on this theme have worked in one form or another. This time out, it's a whole new world - literally. We are on a parallel Earth in 1948 where super powered beings have existed since the early 1900's and initiated and ended the two world ("super") wars and besides "natural" supes, there are beings that have supplanted their natural powers with either technology or "elixirs", which can be temporary (for use in the armed services) or permanent. Supes have become part of the world, one way or another, and are even running for president!

Vamp is from another world and has been tasked to covertly attempting to rid this world of the elixirs so that it can evolve more naturally - or maybe the supes of Vamp's world just doesn't like the competition? In any case, there is plenty of intrigue, lots of violence, this world's super-agency more or less chasing the same thing as Vamp (containing supes and the illegal elixirs) and colliding with Vamp and her cohort Dyna Might, and, of course, lots more.

Pretty decent tale, actually, and if I remember correctly, Vamp was initially an alien from another world, so that is in keeping with the original mythos, in its own way. Certainly worth a read and makes me want to dig out my old books!

Catwoman - Valley of the Shadow of Death

 

Another random library pick, but this one i quite enjoyed. Salina Kyle is basically running "Alleytown", although in this installment, it's not completely clear what that means. She seems to be skirting the law, but maybe not actually committing crimes, as her previous self would have done, and she believes in protecting her "constituents". But, of course, people have other ideas, and all the usual suspects get involved - Riddler, Penguin and especially Poison Ivy, who has been captured and is being used as a catalyst for a new kind of drug infecting the city.

On top of all this there is a religious vigilante named Father Valley (maybe not their most creative moniker) who is making his way through the city, seemingly randomly murdering and torturing. Naturally, the law (corrupt and otherwise) is making things difficult for Salina, as well.

This graphic novel was number 5 in a series, so lots happened before and, ntach, much more must have happened after. I will have to look out for the series, as this was well done!