the Rock Report

You’ve heard it on Oprah, Today and Lord-knows-how-many other talk or entertainment shows, but …

how much of it is real?

Now, most of us remember “Papa” John’s pieces (not to be confused with “Papa John’s” Pizza) of misinformation back when he was with us. Yeah, he was a good singer with the M&Ps, but … wellll, his personal tastes left a lot to be desired.
He could hit the horse (smack, heroin, whatever …) as quickly as he could the bottle, and swear that he was clean of both.
‘Course, we knew better. There are some things you just can’t mask.

But … incest?? Awwww, come onnnn …

First, let’s consider his daughter, MacKenzie’s, and her own troubles with substance abuse … and her own mental fitness … annnnd her spite toward John.
Then, mix that with a desire to be back in the spotlight and make a lot of long green with it.

Does … does the picture seem the same now??

Another thing: If a daughter is being molested (or worse) by her father, don’tcha figure that the mother would catch on … and either leave (with daughter) or beat the bejabbers outta the old man (not to mention having him arrested?

Makes sense … and Michelle isn’t the type that’d put up with it, if she knew (and there are signs, believe me! Just click here to find out …).

Another thing: Why’d she … well, let’s let “Mama” Michelle (Mac’s real mom) ask this:
“”Mackenzie has a lot of mental illness… If she thinks it’s true, why isn’t she with a good psychiatrist on a couch? I think it’s unconscionable that Oprah would let her do her show. I have every reason to believe it’s untrue.”

Now … it’s your turn. What do you think? Reckon John was guilty? Or is Michelle right? Lemme know. Either leave comment or email me, okay?? I’ll publish some of the responses (using only your first names) shortly.

Until tonight … see ya on the flip side …

Ahhh, and what a week it was, yardbirds …

On Sept. 15, 1961 (a mere 48 years ago!), a young band from Hawthorne, California called The Pendletones had their first real recording session in L.A. Due to the big coastal craze at the time, the band does a small, self-penned song called “Surfin’”.

When it finally hit the local charts, everyone started callin’ them The Beach Boys.

The rest is history …

One year later, Brian Epstein brought a band he managed to do an interview with Peter Jones of the London Daily Mirror. Jones did the interview, but concluded that “The Beatles they are a ‘nothing’ group.”

But one year and one day later, the Fab Four released their hit, She Loves You (b/w I’ll Get You) in the states … but on Swan Records. But it didn’t make the charts until a year later, when the Invasion was in full swing (it was already #1 in the UK).

By the way: Remember The Beatles’ fab tune, A Hard Day’s Night (from the movie of the same name)? Have ya ever wonder why no one’s been able to get exactly the same sound the band had when they play the song’s opening chord?
It’s because they had all three guitars (George was on 12-string here) and Sir George Martin’s piano playing the same specific note at the same time! And, of course, ya had The Beatles’ inimitable attack!

Gettin’ back to the timeline: On September 15, 1964, John was interrupted in the midst of his song by a Cleveland (Ohio) police inspector took his mic and asked the band to leave the stage for fifteen minutes so they could calm down the screaming crowd!

Two days later, the Fab Four played a gig in Kansas — on what was supposed to be their day off! The pay wasn’t bad, though: They got $150,000 for the show (figure that’d be almost five times as much in today’s dollar!)

Okay … that’s it for this brief post (but wait’ll ya read the next one. It’s about how The Beatles helped bring down Communism [and, no, I’m not joking!]). Until sometime during the next 24 — and at all other times — you can catch the double-E (aka Chuck Hinson) on Facebook, Twitter and Great Internet Newspaper&#8482 (yeah, matter of fact I do get around!).
So, until next time, remember …
keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music …
and I’ll see you on the flip side …

Charlie Watts, soft-spoken, low-key drummer for the Rolling Stones, has quit the band.

Okay … at least that’s what an Australian music website has said.

The Undercover site is also reporting that Charlie Drayton — who works as session drummer for Keith Richards during Keef’s solo efforts — will be taking his place.

Natch, the RS camp is livid … saying that Charlie (who’s 68 and in remission from throat cancer) has not left the band, saying, “Contrary to a fabricated story that ran this morning on a small music web site in Australia, drummer Charlie Watts has not left the Rolling Stones.”. He’s been behind the RS drumkit since their stardom hit 46 years ago.

More on this as it develops …

HARD-COPY … VIDEO ADS??

The L. A. Times has reported that Americhip, a firm that’s based in LaLaLand, has come up with a way to make a video to be used in magazine ads!

Here’s what you’ll see: A tiny screen will play a video ad that’ll start up automatically when the page is turned (a tiiiiny, built-in speaker will play the audio).

Now, you’ll see the first of these ads soon in Entertainment Weekly magazine, and don’t worry … the company says the player’ll survive the magazine binding (stapling) and mailing process.

And what happens if ya shut the magazine before the ad’s finished??  Does the little voice within (ah, and we need more of those, don’t we??) yell out (muffled, of course), “‘EY!  Ah wuzn’t dun yet!!  Op’n it up!  C’monnnnn … it’s gettin’ stuffy in heah …”

See ya on the flip side!

In a way, it’s sort of hard to imagine music without the great studio musician, Larry Knechtel, now.

Larry died Thursday in a Yakima, Washington hospital, near where he lived. He was 69.

We know that it was he who did that tremendous bass run on “The Byrds”‘ hit, Mr. Tambourine Man. He was also one of the famed Wrecking Crew (L.A.’s dynamite wall of studio musicians).
But … well, remember the somber, beautiful piano that was the backdrop for Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water? Guess who played it?
Right. Larry Knechtel

The man showed up on just about every record album of the time, from Monkees to Mamas and The Papas. He also played bass for the Shindogs every week (they were the house band for the TV show, Shindig!).

But that’s not all:

This superstar also played bass on Elvis Presley’s “Comeback” TV special and backed four different acts at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Still, Larry was probably best known in the 1970s as a member of the supergroup Bread, where he played guitar on their 1972 hit The Guitar Man” and either guitar, bass, piano or harmonica on such hits as “Baby I’m A Want You” (1971), “Everything I Own”, “Diary” and “Sweet Surrender” (all three in 1972) .

He also co-produced Sammy John’s album and single “Chevy Van” and was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

Now … we already know the heavens are filled with rockers from John Bonham to Warren Zevon … and I’m sure they’re making quite a bit of good-time noise up there.

But can you imagine what it sounds like, now that Knechtel has joined that extensive band?  That distant, rolling thunder you hear late at night just might be him rehearsing …

See ya later tonight …

Hey … remember the sparkling glove Michael Jackson was wearin’ the night he introduced his famous “moon-walk” to his fans on the Motown 25 special back in ‘83?
Well, it’ll be auctioned off for charity at the annual Music Icons event coming up in November at the Hard Rock Café in New York’s Times Square..

Jackson gave the one-of-a-kind, left-handed glove to one of the founding members of the Commodores (Walter Orange), and it’s considered one of the most important pieces of the King of Pop’s history.

Orange remembers, “Michael came up behind me and put his hand over my eyes and said, ‘Guess who?’ I knew who it was because I felt the one glove on his left hand and no glove on the other. When I once again asked him for his autograph, Michael gave me the glove he wore that night instead, still refusing to give me his autograph! He was always a real prankster, even as a little boy, so I asked him if he was serious about giving me the glove, and he assured me that he was.”

Other Jackson memorabilia being auctioned off include a stage-worn fedora hat worn by Michael in his performance at the 1995 MTV Music Awards with a letter from Lisa Marie Presley Jackson stating its authenticity; zombie costumes from the Thriller video, a costume Jackson wore during his final United States concert in April of 2002; his stage-worn “Bad” jacket (autographed by him), record awards and other items from his historic career.

Also going up for sale are early Madonna demo tapes, unreleased Jimi Hendrix lyrics and items from Bob Dylan, Elvis, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Kurt Cobain and Janis Joplin.

Proceeds from the sale of the glove will go to MusiCares, which provides help for music people in times of need. Its services and resources cover financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. It also focuses resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly affect the health and welfare of the music community.

To learn more about the auction, click here.

Speaking of MusiCares, I see where Neil Young has been named their Person of the Year by the charitable arm of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the Grammys). He’ll be saluted for his humanitarian efforts (such as Farm Aid) before the Grammys Awards on January 29.

WAS IT GRIEVING FOR PAY?

While the rest of the world mourned the death of Michael Jackson, records from Gary, Indiana show that Marshall Thompson and the Chi-Lites as well as (ready??) Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, were paid to attend the city’s memorial to the late singer last month! WBBM-AM radio in Chicago reports that the elder Jackson and the Chi-Lites apparently split $5,000 — while the city suffered a $3,000 loss on the event.
Coincidentally, Thompson and Jackson are not only best friends, but Thompson is Jackson’s partner in the “record company” that Joe was pushing, even before the memorial at the Staples Center shortly after his son’s death.

Well, that’s all the time we have for this edition, but stay tuned, ’cause there’s more to come. And, later this week, look for the Report to come to you each afternoon. But, until later today …
I’ll see ya on the flip side …

Okay — who doesn’t remember the interview that reporter Maureen Cleave of the London Evening Standard gave to Beatle John Lennon 43 years ago? It was the one in which he said:

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first - rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

Yep … it led to some serious flak from rock magazines to religious mavens and beyond! Their reactions (including Beatle bonfires, radio stations refusing to play The Fab Four’s records, parents and churches up in arms) were nothing less than either total ignorance or complete idiocy.

But forty years ago today, The Beatles held a press conference in Chicago, where John apologized for his remarks (he later said that he was trying to say, “the way they (some fans) carry on, it’s like we’re more popular than Jesus Christ.”)

Nonetheless, the Big Guy Himself apparently got into the act. Though John’s apology was sincere, a Longview, Texas radio station (KLUE) still organized a Beatles Bonfire; their listeners brought Beatle records and memorabilia to be destroyed. BUT …
the next morning, the station’s transmission tower was struck by lightning, halting all broadcasting!

Of course, we know that everybody who’d reacted to John’s original comment back then had done so without thinking:

• Though many of these ultra-right-wing goofs swore that he said they were “better” than Christ, John only said the band was more popular. Look … if you were a teenager back then, which would sound more appealing: a tent-revival or The Beatles’ latest hit being performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show? More kids were talkin’ more about these lads from Liverpool than they were anything from the Bible! So, they were more popular (ie, more favoured!).
• This “hatred” of the Beatles caused an unusual incident as the band played Memphis during the final leg of their very last tour: While they were singing If I Needed Someone, a large firecracker exploded onstage, causing the audience to fear that somebody had shot at the band! You can hear it (from a very amateur tape recording of the incident) here.
• The worst aftereffect came on December 8, 1980 when Lennon’s murderer used John’s “claim” as one of the reasons he killed the music legend/peace icon.

“PROBABLY TRUE”

On August 14 of that same year, London’s Catholic Herald called Lennon’s remark “arrogant.” Then, in a bizarre move by the famous magazine, the publication went on to say that “it’s probably true.”

Here, in the ‘09, we’ve grown up a bit and, for the most part, come to our collective senses about the matter. When John opened up to Ms. Cleave, he gave a strong, underlying message:

Kids wanted something exciting in their lives — something they could follow consistently and know others are loyal to, whether on a Sunday night or Tuesday morning.
They didn’t want hypocrisy. You wouldn’t find them being Beatlemaniacs one hour and, a day later, being hard-nosed hawks! They were real!!
They still want that today … something exciting … something that would produce a consistent devotion or affiliation … something that would eliminate any doubt about which side of the fence they’re sitting on.
They had it with The Beatles … they have it with much of today’s music. It doesn’t mean they don’t believe in God or whatever; it only means they’ve found genuine and consistent excitement and devotion among the rock fandom.

Maybe, if churches and other groups could pick up on Lennon’s statement, think about it for a bit, and swallow their prejudice, they’ll see the truth in it …

Anyway, that’s my viewpoint. Now … what’s yours??

A SPECIAL REQUEST: For all of you who remember one of Sun Records’ best rockabilly stars, Billy Lee Riley (he’s best remembered for the hit “Red Hot”, which was covered by many other artists, including Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs), let me report this as I just received it on the feed:

“According to the Sun Records web site, Billy Lee Riley is battling stage four cancer and is in financial need. To quote the web site, ‘Billy has had his share of health problems… and is in much pain. This is a call for help to all musicians and fans. Let’s all get together and send something today to Billy and Joyce and show them that he means a lot to us. If you have a website, a facebook or myspace, please post this need for help on it! His address is:
Billy Lee Riley
723 Crest Drive
Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401′”

Now, I’ve been a fan of rockabilly since I was about eight … and have met many of the greats in the field. And, while Billy Lee wasn’t necessarily a household name, his influence was one of the most tremendous I’ve known! So, if ya can’t send anything but prayers and good vibrations, do it, okay?? Thanks …

SURELY, SHIRLEY’S SURLY, BUT WHY?? READ ON …

Word has it that former-Mrs. Partridge herself, Shirley Jones, is a little miffed at Playboy chick magnate (huh? No, you read that right. I mean, he’s a bit over it to be a “magnet”, right??) Hugh Hefner for not accepting her for a spread in Playboy!
(Geez … she only sent him … 300 PHOTOS!!)

Hef turned her down because, in his words, she wasn’t showing enough … er, stuff or something …. ‘Course she did do some topless scenes for a show called The Cleaner, and it’s still on the air …

Maybe … just maybe … it’s because … well, Shirley Jones is every bit of … seventy-five years old! (now, would you … naaaah … too risky to ask …)

PARTIALLY A PROBLEM

Awwww, mannnn …
I’ve gotta cut this short ’cause … well, here’s what happened:

Y’see, a coupla decades ago, I was out playin’ ball with my sons (who were only ten and eight at the time). As the pitcher, I tried to make the softball go as easy and s*l*o*w as possible.
Gotta be gentle, right??
Not them!! Tim (the oldest) hit the ball with every bit of muscle in his body, and the ball landed …
squarely … in … my … mouth … knocking some of my front teeth out!

Soooo … I’ve been wearin’ partials since then.
Or (ahem!) at least until a coupla minutes ago … when I sneezed.

Since I couldn’t get my hand to my mouth quickly enough, the partials went flyin’ across the room … where the Technicolor Lightkid, Gadget, got ‘em and took off (I assume, smiling …).
Then my superbrat ShihTzu, Keiko, got ‘em and … yep. Early morning snack!
Fortunately, I have a second set in reserve, so I’m good-to-go. I don’t want the originals back now …

Oh … there’sh one more fing (no, I haphen’t put ‘em in yet! Too bishy wifph dish!) … hang on …
Okay … now we’re set …
For readin’ of a different kind, check out the Great Internet Newspaper. It’s a mix of news, views and more … and was the first web gig I ever had! Now in blog format (having taken over the old Doc Rock Online space)!