#but now mick is walking keith off stage like that

[waugh-bao]

[moonlightmile12]

“My job started in California, where the Stones lived for three months while finishing their album Exile on Main Street. The whole of Los Angeles seemed gripped by Stones fever, and fans were desperately searching for their idols' hideaway. But no one had traced them to Beverly Hills' Stone Canyon, where they all lived on the same block.

My life with them soon settled into an uneasy routine. Cooking itself was no simple matter...I'd be bringing the sauce to the crucial stage when one of the Micks would saunter in and shove a child in my arms. I became an expert one-armed cook.

[Anita Pallenberg] was pregnant with her second child when we met. We quickly became friends and often took long walks in the Canyon, where she would reminisce about the Stones' early days. "Everything was fresh then," she'd say. "We weren't snobby or pretentious and we didn't take on airs. Now the only thing the women are interested in doing is outdressing and outdoing each other."

How right she was - I soon saw many examples of what she meant. The most hilarious was Rose's relentless aping of Bianca. At one time Bianca started wearing riding suits and carrying a little riding crop, which she used to emphasize what she was saying. So Rose got one, too. I was playing on the floor with Chloe once when they both came in - identically dressed. When Bianca started lashing a pillow with her whip, Rose attacked a chair with hers. Bianca never seemed to realize she was being mimicked, and Rose never realized how ridiculous she looked.

Anita's own looks - and Keith's, for that matter - were marred by awful black teeth. This, she explained, was a side effect of heroin. "We've both decided not to have our teeth fixed," she said. "We want to leave something ugly and unglamorous about ourselves to show people like Bianca and Rose we're not trying to fake the agony."

Another thing that took some getting used to was the rolled-up $20 and $50 bills I'd find stuffed in the sofa. I was a bit naïve at the time. Rose had to tell me they were used to snort cocaine. I'd also been finding little piles of what looked like talc, and I'd promptly vacuum them up. When Rose caught me doing this, she said, "Janie, we like you very much, but you're costing us a great deal of money. You just sucked about a gram of coke into the hoover."

Mick Taylor was developing serious problems. He'd walk around the house muttering about his loneliness, worrying that the group was taking over his life. The atmosphere of tension got worse. He would spend hours playing the same riff over and over on the piano, while Rose would march about slamming doors. Once she actually collapsed in my arms, crying about not being married to Mick, anxious about the responsibility of the child.

As bad as the London days were, they were carefree compared to the next stage. To rehearse for their coming tour, the Stones had rented a big, empty movie theater in Geneva. With the exception of Bianca, the whole entourage flew to Switzerland.

Leaving London was especially disastrous for Mick Taylor. Cooped up in a hotel room, he and Rose fought all the time. At one point, Rose took me aside. "Mick has just seen a doctor," she confided, "and we all have to be very careful. He's on the border of a nervous breakdown." That touched me off - I became quite depressed. For the first time, I began to wonder how long I could hold out in this madness. I was getting much too involved in everyone's problems.

For me, the final blow came soon afterward, when Mick Taylor cracked up. One night he took his favorite guitar - the one he'd used for Exile on Main Street - smashed it over a vase of flowers, then spent the rest of the night weeping on the edge of his bed.

It was time to take stock of my life, especially of my life with Chloe. The child was nearly two then, still not talking, and developing the nervous habit of pulling out her short blonde hair. It was apparent that she wasn't seeing enough of her mother, and was getting too attached to me. A few days after Mick smashed his guitar, I said my goodbyes.”

Janie Villiers

[micks-so-cold]

𝔼𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕔𝕦𝕖

002: y/n is dating Mick and becomes jealous when one of Mick’s fans start to flirt with him after a show.

“Goodnight, everybody! Thank you!” Mick yells into his microphone and waves to the crowd before walking off the stage to meet you. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and you could see the sweat that covered his body. But that didn’t stop you from walking straight into his arms, which were held out and waiting for you.

“How’d I do? Did I impress my lovely girlfriend?” Mick questions. He lifts you up and holds you with one hand on your back and the other under your bum.

You keep your arms wrapped his neck and rest your head on his shoulders. “Mhm,” you hum. “You always do.” Mick has been your boyfriend for the past four years, and you still find yourself in awe with him with each performance. The amount of energy he brings to the stage each night was unimaginable—you could watch him on stage forever.

This is how it always was. Mick plays his show. You watched. Mick finishes up. You congratulate him and spend the rest of the night with him. And this is exactly how you like it.

He kisses your cheek and then pulls you slightly away from his body. “I’ve got to meet some fans outside tonight. They don’t like when I got running off with you every night.” He winks at you as he spoke, allowing the memory of sleeping together last night to come rushing back into your head. “Wish I could, though. If it was up to me, you’d be out of those clothes already.” He gazes down your body with the faintest of smirks, admiring how your skin tight shirt shaped around your curves.

His eyes eventually make their way back up to your face and he smiles a cheesy smile, probably satisfied with the noticeable pink tint on your cheeks. “Well, if that’s what you want...” your thought trails off while you bring one hand up to his face, brushing his damp hair from his face. You now have your own smirk on your face as you see him purse his lips. Obviously, he wanted you right now just as much as you wanted him.

Mick shakes his head. “It’ll have to wait. C’mon out with me. I’ll try to not be long,” he tells me and puts you down back on your own two feet.

You pout your lips at him. “Fine,” you comply. “This is what I get for dating the lead singer of the best rock band ever, huh?” Sarcasm was laced in your voice. You didn’t actually mind waiting for Mick to meet his fans. It is part of his job, after all. And he is always so happy to speak with the people who came to his shows. You love seeing him with a smile on his face.

“Exactly right, y/n.” He holds out his hand for you to grab, and you accept. His big hand gently squeezes your smaller one and you start to walk with him across the stage, which is filled with the band’s stage crew as they clear everything off.

Mick hops down from the six-foot-high stage without thinking twice before turning around to face you, who was still standing on the edge, nervous as could be. Heights were never your thing. “I’ll catch you, don’t worry,” he comforts you, letting out a chuckle.

You nod your head and sit down on the edge of the stage. Mick has his arms out, ready to catch you. You shut your eyes tight and push yourself off, letting out a high pitched squeal as you fell for only a second before he catches you.

“Oh, you’re so dramatic, princess,” Mick laughs at you, but he really did love seeing you fall into his arms. And he especially loved that you trusted him enough to do do.

You hop out of his hold and grab his hand again. “Take that back. Right now, Mick.”

He pecks your nose a couple times. And then your lips. He didn’t want to stop, but he did, knowing if he went any further he wouldn’t be able to hold back. “I will when you stop being dramatic,” he tells you.

//

Together, you walk out the main entrance of the venue where there appears to be around thirty fans. Keith was out here, too. He was talking with a group of girls.

You take a seat on a bench next to the doors and Mick let’s go of your hand. “Thirty minutes, max. Then we’ll be outta here,” he whispers in my ear. You smile and nod your head. You couldn’t wait to have Mick to yourself again. It felt like last night was a hundred years ago.

Mick turns away from you and walks a few feet away, toward some girls who were eagerly waiting to meet him. You watch him talk and sign things for his fans for a while.

Eventually, only two girls remained. One, a slim, bleach blonde, beautiful woman, seems to be extra invested in being around Mick. You always got a little jealous when you watched Mick and his fans, but you could usually push it aside.

This time was different.

This girl was all over your boyfriend and you didn’t like it at all. She is hugging him and kissing his cheek and laughing and moving as close as possible to him. What really bothers you, though, is how Mick wasn’t stopping her. He’s laughing along with her. Going along with her motions.

You roll your eyes and pull out your phone to check the time.

11:49.

It has definitely been more than thirty minutes by now.

You stand up and walk over to Mick, wrapping your arm around his and looking at the girl, who looks back at you with squinted eyes. “Hey, darling,” Mick says to you. He places his hand on your shoulder and rubs is slowly.

“I’m cold, Mick. Let’s go back inside,” you say with a bland voice, not breaking eye contact with the girl in front of you.

“Alright, just give me a few more minutes to talk,” he says. “Go wait inside, doll. I don’t want you freezing.”

“You said thirty minutes, Mick. It’s been like forty-five,” you explain, now looking up at him.

He looks down at you, confused, and furrows his eyebrows. You never really interrupted him and his fans like this before. “Y/n, just a couple minutes. I’ll meet you right inside.”

“But...you must be cold,” you say, helplessly. You just wanted him away from this girl. It was obvious she didn’t have good intentions. You knew that, even if Mick didn’t.

“We’re almost done chatting,” the girl chimes in with her obnoxious, high pitched voice. You’ll be doing Mick a favor getting him away from this girl.

You dart your eyes back down at her and scrunch your face in disgust. “I really wasn’t talking to you. You didn’t have to say anything.” Your voice is sour.

“Y/n!” Mick raises his voice as he says your name. He’s obviously confused and shocked at your sudden rudeness. “Y/n, wait inside. I’ll be in soon, like I said before.”

“But—” you start.

Mick cuts you off before you have a chance to finish. “Head inside,” he whispers in your ear in a deep voice that told you he’s upset.

You were about to protest more, but decide against it. If Mick wants to talk to this girl so badly, then so be it. You shove his arm off of your shoulder and storm off inside the venue.

You walk to the front of the large room and sit with your back leaning against the stage, which was now empty of all crew workers and equipment. The room is dark with only a few dim lights. But that’s good for you. It would make it harder for Mick to see the few tears that spilled from your eyes when he comes back inside.

//

Maybe you are overreacting with this whole situation. You trust Mick enough not to go off with another girl. But, at the same time, you couldn’t help it. You love Mick so much and can’t stand the thought of him being with anyone but you. Even if it was just a fan who he’d never see again.

You don’t know how long you sit in silence for, maybe five or six minutes, but you eventually hear the door open and shut close. Footsteps walk over to you at a slightly faster than normal pace.

“What the hell was that, y/n? Something gotten into you?” Mick’s voice was angry. You stand up and turn away so he can’t see your smeared makeup.

“When will the bus be here?” You ask quietly, hoping the state of your voice doesn’t give it away that you’ve been crying.

“No, we’re not doing this, y/n. You’re not going to ignore me or go on changing the subject. What the hell was wrong with you out there? She was my fan. And I’m hoping she still is after how you spoke to her,” Mick says, the anger and disappointment in you still evident in his voice.

“Nothing is wrong with me,” your voice breaks. If he didn’t know you’ve been crying before, he definitely did now.

Mick doesn’t say anything for a moment. You hear him sigh before putting both his hands on your shoulders. “Look at me,” he demands in a calmer voice.

You shake your head, embarrassed at how emotional you can get. You bring your hands up to your eyes and wipe the new tears that started forming.

He sighs again. “I know you’ve been crying, y/n,” he says. “I’m going to ask you one more time to turn around and face me.” Despite being upset with you, his voice was calm. He has always been better with handling his emotions than you. You sometimes wish you could be a little more like him.

But you weren’t like him. And you don’t turn around like he asked you to.

“Fine,” he says when you stay still.

You feel Mick’s arms wrap around your waist and lift you up. “Put me down, Mick. I don’t want to talk to you,” you argue, squirming around in an attempt to get loose.

“That’s too bad because we’re about to have a long talk,” he says. He turns you around and slides down with his back against the stage. You end up sitting on his lap as he holds your wrists so you can’t escape him. Your legs rest on either side of his body.

The dim lights in the room allowed you to just see Mick’s face. His lips are pursed and his eyebrows were furrowed. He’s still mad. And that meant he can see yours too—he can see your tear stained cheeks. “Tell me what happened out there,” he demands, though his voice is still soft.

“Nothing happened,” you whisper. “I don’t want to talk about it.” You let a few more tears slide down your cheeks and look down, ashamed. You overreacted tonight, you know you did. But you couldn’t help it.

“Well, we’re going to talk about it.” Mick let’s go of your hands and brings one up to hold your shoulder and the other under your chin. He carefully lifts your head so your big, sad eyes are forced to look at his worried ones. “My beautiful girl is crying and won’t tell me why. I’m not going anywhere until she speaks to me, and neither is she.”

“I told you, nothing happened. I just wanted to go inside...and I was cold,” you try to defend yourself. When another year slides down your face, Mick reaches it before you have the chance to. His thumb slowly runs below the wet skin below your eye.

“Tell me the real reason, y/n,” Mick speaks quietly into your ear. He knew as well as you did that you being cold wasn’t the reason you got so snappy.

You grab the bracelet on your wrist that Mick had gotten you a couple weeks ago and twirl it around, anxious and sheepish at how you treated the girl.

He grabs onto your bracelet as well. You let his fingers travel around your wrist to meet yours which he grabs and squeezes tight. “I’m afraid I know exactly what’s got you like this,” he admits with his head cocked to the side. “Why don’t you just tell me? That’s what has me most concerned, y/n. I want you to be able to talk to me.”

“If you already know...then there’s no use in telling you,” you slowly speak, hoping for any excuse to not admit it out loud.

Mick’s fingers intertwine with yours. “Go on and tell me. I’d like some confirmation,” he says.

“No.” Your response is quick and certain. The thought alone of admitting you got jealous to Mick made your cheeks warm. You hate how much you needed him, not realizing just how much he needs you, too.

“Why not?” Mick sighs, starting to become annoyed with your stubbornness.

“Because I’m...” you start loudly, but quickly lose all confidence. You look to the side down at the ground.

“Because you what, baby?” Mick urges you to finish your thought. He rests his palm on your far cheek and pulls you back to him so you look him in the eyes once again.

You swallow your pride and speak. “I’m...I’m embarrassed, Mick,” you admit through a voice crack. Mick remains quiet while you struggle to continue. “I guess I got...j-jealous of that girl you were talking with,” your voice was only a whisper and you were surprised he could hear you at all.

Mick holds your head still with both hands despite your desperate struggle to look away. “Baby...” he sighs. He knew that’s what I was going to say. “You know you’ve got nothing to be jealous of. You’re my girlfriend for a reason, y/n, not her.”

You let out the full stream of tears that you’ve been trying to hold back all night and sob. Mick’s grip on you loosens and you fall into him. You wrap your arms around him and cry into his neck. His one hand find the back of your head and his fingers run through your hair, trying his very best to relax you. His other arm was wrapped around your back, pulling you as close as he could. “Shh...” he whispers in your ear. “It’s all going to be okay. We always work through these things, always.” You feel safe in his arms, even after all the tension that was created between you and him tonight.

“You...you seemed really into her,” you tell him through your sniffles. “I thought you liked her more than me.”

You feel Mick shake his head and then kiss the top of yours. “Not possible,” he murmurs into your hair. “I do have to be nice to my fans, though, y/n. Even when those fans are a little flirty.” He stops and pulls you away so he can look at you. “But flirting doesn’t work on me, you know why?” His attention switched back and forth from your red eyes to your red lips.

You shake your head, looking into Mick’s deep blue eyes. “No,” you whisper.

“Because I’ve got you right here, y/n. You’re everything and anything I could possibly need in a girlfriend, and then some,” he tells you, staring into you eyes as he does so. “You’re on my mind all the time, beautiful. You’re all I think about—whether I’m on stage, with my fans, with you. You’re always in my head. Do you even understand how stupid I would be to give you up for some stupid fan that I don’t even know?”

You smile at his words because you knew they were true. Mick and you had such a strong relationship. It was stupid of you to get jealous since you knew Mick wouldn’t risk anything with you. “I know...and I’m sorry,” you apologize with a voice that’s still quiet. “I overreacted, and I’m sorry,” you begin to gain a little more confidence as you continue your apology. “I’m sorry. I just really—”

Mick didn’t let you finish, though. This always happens when you apologize—you end up going on long, repetitive rants. And Mick knew you well enough to know that’s exactly what was about to happen. His lips, which had formed into a small smile, touch yours, immediately shutting you up.

It doesn’t take long before he pushes for entrance with his tongue, which you obviously accept. Your tongues meet and Mick gets more aggressive with his movements.

He pulls you into him and moves you down to the ground. Your head is resting on the hard floor of the venue, but you didn’t mind. His warm hands slide under your shirt and trace along your figure, sending shivers through your body. When he gets far enough up your body, he moves away from the kiss just long enough to lift the shirt over your head.

“Lift your head up for me, darling,” he says through a deep, raspy voice—a voice you loved so much. You do as he says and he places your folded shirt under your head as a temporary pillow before immediately going back to the kiss. His hands explore your bare upper body and toys with the clasp of your pink bra.

“You’re everything, y/n. I wouldn’t change this moment for the world.”

[mindthump]

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino: 'We’re not doing this ever again' https://ift.tt/33hEQTi

‘Hi guys and girls,” says Al Pacino brightly, making his entrance. He is sporting a veteran-boho look: what seems like about six black cardigans on top of each other, lots of chunky finger jewellery and messy bird’s-nest hair. There may even be one of those two-inch ponytails that were popular in the late 80s in there somewhere – it is hard to see in the general tonsorial disorder.

Next to stroll in is Robert De Niro, who – in dramatic contrast – looks like he has come in from a round of golf: shirt and sports jacket, grey-white hair slicked back. Welcome, then, to the Al and Bob show.

Observing them here, in an intimate room full of selected journalists, you see how their personalities contrast as much as their dress sense. Pacino speaks in a barely audible bass rumble and is not short of waffle; De Niro, while not exactly monosyllabic, spends as much time nodding with his distinctive pursed-mouth underbite and says as little as he can get away with. That is, until we got on to the matter of a certain US president, of which more later.

The pair – the film industry’s equivalent of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards – are bona fide living legends, the greatest US actors of their generation, able to wipe the floor with modern lightweights such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Daniel Day-Lewis. Or that is what we would like to believe, anyway. Today, they have rolled into London as the main attraction on the press roadshow for The Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s monumental new gangster picture – and there is a lot to get through. “Wow,” says Pacino at one point, casting his mind back across the pair’s career-long relationship. “We’ve known each other for a really long time.”

For years, The Irishman was little more than a rumour; plagued by delays, distractions and drop-outs, it looked odds-on never to make it out of the starting gate. But, like a wiseguy fitted with a cement overcoat, it has landed thunderously in the middle of the autumn season, blowing away the rest of the awards-bait dross.

The Irishman is the fourth in Scorsese’s series of epic mafia pictures, following Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino; it is the latest variant of Scorsese’s reinvention of mob life as an agonised stations of the cross. It is also the wintriest of character studies, contemplating (like Scorsese’s last film, Silence) the approach of death with equanimity. The CGI that Scorsese added to “de-age” his actors, and the deal that the director made with Netflix to fund it, has unexpectedly put his film in the same camp as cutting-edge industry disrupters. Scorsese himself has acquired new cultural currency in recent months: the naked homage/appropriation by the makers of Joker has driven attention to his string of 70s masterworks, while his dismissive comments about superhero movies (“not cinema”) – the first shots in the publicity campaign for The Irishman, as it happens – ignited a social media firestorm that is yet to die down.

Yet, more fundamental than any of this is the sense that The Irishman is a landmark reunion of the old neighbourhood: a last gathering of the clans, a final get-together before age and time overtakes them. Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci play ageing mob bosses, Pacino is a notorious union boss, Jimmy Hoffa, and De Niro is the Irishman, ice-cold real-life hitman Frank Sheeran. The Irishman turns on the relationship between Hoffa, whose disappearance and presumed murder in 1975 remains unsolved, and Sheeran, a hitherto little-known mob figure who confessed to killing Hoffa, his longtime friend, to the lawyer Charles Brandt, who included it in his 2004 biography of Sheeran, I Heard You Paint Houses. Hoffa and Sheeran provide suitably substantial figures for Pacino and De Niro to renew their on-screen confrontation, most vividly portrayed in the 1995 Michael Man thriller Heat (the 2008 cop comedy Righteous Kill was slightly less memorable).

Pacino says they met in 1968; at the time, Pacino was a firebrand stage actor yet to feature in films, while De Niro was doing wacky avant-garde movies such as Brian De Palma’s Greetings. “Early on in our careers, we connected from time to time and we found we had similar things happening to us,” says Pacino. “Our lives took on a whole different kind of thing.” It was camaraderie, he says, that “got us together”.

Looking back, their acting careers did seem to blossom with a mysterious symbiosis. Both acquired a reputation in their teens as a troublemaker: De Niro spent much of his youth in Little Italy, Manhattan; Pacino, three years older, grew up in the Bronx. Both scored major breakthroughs in the early 70s courtesy of the Italian-American presence in the Hollywood new wave: Pacino as the flint-hearted capo-in-waiting in Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic The Godfather in 1972, De Niro as a knockaround guy in Scorsese’s Mean Streets a year later. The two appeared in the same film for the first time, although not together, in Coppola’s Godfather sequel in 1974: De Niro played the young version of Pacino’s father.

Sometimes I feel I know nothing about acting. Until you start. That's what's exciting for me

Al Pacino

Pacino gets a little dewy eyed; he looks a bit like a panda with a secret sorrow. “We’re really close. We don’t see each other very much, but when we do, we found we shared certain things. In a way, I think we’ve helped each other throughout life.” The thought of Tony Montana chewing things over with Jake LaMotta is not an image to trifle with. De Niro nods away, bottom lip almost wobbling, but there is no stopping Pacino. Their off-screen friendship, he says, has fed into their acting; in Heat, he says, “we were at opposite ends”, whereas “we were close” on Righteous Kill. They “had a chance to explore that again” on The Irishman: the relationship between Hoffa and Sheeran, who were friends for years before Sheeran’s betrayal, is the nub of the film. “I don’t think we talked about it consciously. It came relatively easy, as those things go.”

When it is his turn to talk, De Niro is all business. The Irishman, it would appear, is as much his show as Scorsese’s. He explains how he nagged Pesci on to the film, despite him having all but retired: “I said: ‘Come on, we’re not going to do this ever again.’” Sentiment is not his thing. “It was tough enough to get it done, to get the money to do it and everything. I don’t see us putting on a movie like this. I hope we do other films together, but like this? Not likely. This is it.”

Much ink has been spilled over the years on the De Niro-Scorsese axis, as well as the De Niro-Pacino one. But, bizarrely enough, Pacino and Scorsese had never worked together before. For two such high-profile princes of the Italian-American sensibility, that feels like a mistake. “I know,” rumbles Pacino, leaning in and turning worldly-wise. “Like everything in this business, if you’ve been in it for a while, you realise that things get started, but then they go in different places and they don’t always culminate in a film. A couple of times, Marty and I were going to do something together, then they slip away.” He mentions a Modigliani biopic he and Scorsese worked on in the 80s, which they tried and failed to get financed. “Happens all the time.”

De Niro was the key in finally getting The Irishman off the ground. He and Scorsese had been mulling another project about a retired hitman for years, The Winter of Frankie Machine, adapted from the 2006 novel of the same name by Don Winslow. As it was gearing up, De Niro was directing his second film, The Good Shepherd, about the early days of the CIA; that film’s writer, Eric Roth, gave him a copy of Brandt’s Sheeran book as research. After reading it, De Niro took it straight to Scorsese. Just as Frankie Machine was about to get the green light from Paramount, Scorsese did the unthinkable: he walked away and started over again.

More Scorsese films intervened – Shutter Island, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence – before schedules and money aligned and The Irishman could start shooting. For half a decade, De Niro says, the only relic of the film was a now-legendary table read in 2012, “just to have it documented so it could be shown to anybody who was interested”. Every now and then, De Niro says, Pacino “would call me and ask: ‘Is it happening?’ I’d say: ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s happening.’ But it took a long time.”

So long, in fact, that they started to get too old to play their roles as originally conceived. Both actors are well into their eighth decade: Pacino is 79, De Niro 76. Scorsese had been clear that he did not want to use different actors for their middle-aged selves, who dominate the film’s scenes. Enter the “de-ageing” CGI technology. “Netflix came in and paid for the process,” De Niro says. “It helped us all along.”

Did they get the willies confronting their younger versions? Sheepish guffaws ensue. “What do you think?” asks De Niro. “Don’t we all?” replies Pacino. Do they still enjoy the job? De Niro is pithy: “It’s different, but I like it just as much.” Pacino goes long: “It sort of depends on what you’re doing,” he says. “I hate to say it, but you can go 20 years between inspirations.” He stops for a moment, baffled by his own eloquence. “Bear with me – I’m going through the bushes here and I’ll come out with something.” He says he is always on the lookout “to find something that you really connect to, you really want to do”. A lot of the acting he does is “work-rest”, he says, so he can “get back to looking around and seeing what’s out there”.

We have a gangster president who thinks he can do anything he wants

Robert De Niro

De Niro nods along furiously. Pacino is in the groove. “Sometimes I feel I know nothing about acting. Until you start. That’s what’s exciting for me. A new character. I often say: ‘Desire is more motivating than talent.’ I’ve seen people with great desire take it through. The truth is, it’s the same thing that is always was: you are feeling this new character, this new person, this new story.” As he grinds to a halt, Pacino looks pleased: he has come out with something all right. It is a great manifesto for a living legend.

As the encounter starts to wind down, one big question – arguably the biggest – remains unasked. If it is about anything, The Irishman is about the gangsterisation of US politics, how the Cosa Nostra exploited opportunities to corrupt the electoral process and organised labour. Two big killings – those of John F Kennedy and Hoffa – are characterised as the outcome of mafia intervention in the political sphere. Some might say the US is still living with the legacy; as De Niro’s version of Sheeran likes to say: “It is what it is.” De Niro has a record on this: we know he hates Trump and has called him out time after time. But the way he suddenly takes over the room is amazing to behold: eyes like gun-sights, he gives Trump both barrels. “We have a real, immediate problem in that we have a gangster president who thinks he can do anything he wants.” De Niro is livid; Pacino knows to keep quiet. “If he actually gets away with it, then we all have a problem. The gall of the people around him who actually defend him, these Republicans, is appalling.” He does not call Trump a “mook”, but he may as well have.

Instead, he has a message for the press: “It’s a resentment of people like you guys, writing about what you see is obvious gangsterism. They don’t like that, so they say: ‘Fuck you, we’re going to teach you people.’ And they have to know they’re going to be taught.” This is De Niro unfiltered, and it is thrilling to experience it at close quarters. Does he think Trump will go to jail? “Oh, I can’t wait to see him in jail. I don’t want him to die. I want him to go to jail.”

And with that the Al and Bob show closes. De Niro abruptly resumes his affable persona and says goodbye; he and Pacino are swiftly escorted out. Trump – we can but hope – is quaking in his boots. But The Irishman roadshow rolls on. It is what it is.

The Irishman is released in UK cinemas on 8 November and is on Netflix from 27 November

[kowalskishish]

when people ask me who I think the best songwriter is I say I think it’s in the ear of the beholder but when somebody asks me who my favorite songwriter is, I say, Mick without hesitation. did I mean to say Mick and Keith? no. don’t get me wrong. Keith is number three for me behind Bob to give you an example of how deeply we have been affected by the work of these men let me point out that I have said none of their last names and you know who I am talking about anything I ever saw or heard that had anything to do with any of them free or for sale I saw it heard it and love it for making my life better after 30 years of doing regular business with them I have zero point zero customer complaints and that includes solo albums and collaborations but Mick is my favorite lyricist, songwriter, producer, singer, front man the front man bit you seldom get any arguments about he seduces women and angers men. he scares everybody and fears nothing. if that ain’t rock and roll fuck you. vocal tone isn’t really a talent I guess after a guy hits notes you either dig the sound or you don’t you can’t switch amps like a guitar player vocally for me Mick is the sweet spot between Petty, Dylan, Lennon types and Van Morrison, McCartney, Prince types he can take his voice almost anywhere the producer part his sometimes grateful partner gets a lot of credit for but go listen to Soul Survivor before Mick got it you can hear that song before Mick and after or watch any studio video Mick Jagger is the leader of the Rolling Stones my god. the thought of it would make a president sweat. as a songwriter and by that I mean melodic composition writer or say which notes to sing and where I would use the word greatness. for an example of this greatness buy a Mick Jagger solo album or more easily I could refer you to all the songs that he sings with his band the Rolling Stones you may have heard a few of them already hell I bet you could think of one to hum to yourself before I finish this sentence. so now we come to the two things about him that set him apart the furthest for me and that’s the lyrics I think he is the most fearless public person of my lifetime and when I hear the words he writes I have to wonder if that fearlessness is the heart or core of why the poetry seems to so easily pour filterlessly from the heart without pomp or circumstance or mythology into a song wide open to be what it wants (i.e. Sympathy For The Devil) and I think had Mick Jagger not been so envied, attractive to women, androgynously handsome, willing to dance. willing to frighten. his words would be poured over by stoners. in short. if he wasn’t the best stripper he would get credit for being the best poet but as it stands the second best poet can’t dance, sing or strip for shit. so he gets to be first best in our history books but even he knows whats up Bob Dylan told Keith Richards “see Keith I could write a “Satisfaction” but you could never write a “Like A Rolling Stone” and I agree that Keith Richards probably isn’t going to sit down and pen anything that moves people like “Like A Rolling Stone” does I am not sure I agree that Bob Dylan has a riff in his catalogue that could stand up next to “Satisfaction” at least not to my taste but one thing for sure he didn’t say that to Mick Jagger who wrote “the sunshine bores the daylights out of me” and “you can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need” and “what can a poor boy do ‘cept for sing for a rock and roll band” and “people say I’m a loser, but I still get lucky on the side” and “laugh. I nearly died” and “I’m free to do what I want any old time” and “my best friend he shoots water rats and feeds them to his geese and “can’t I have my ups and downs? can’t you see I’m human?” and “she drove her pick up truck painted green and blue” and “god gave me everything I want. come on I’ll give it to you” and “I was born in a cross fire hurricane” and “there she was sitting in the corner. a little bleary. worse for the wear and tear” and “Our love is like our music / It’s here and then it’s gone” and “I see the girls go by, dressed in their summer clothes / I have to turn my head until my darkness goes” and “Like a newborn baby, it just happens every day” and “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste” and “Onstage the band has got problems / They’re a bag of nerves on first nights” and “now I’m just one of your cocks” I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY THAT’S OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD YOU COULD DO THIS ALL DAY for fifty years this guy has been ready to open his heart and write it down for his band and he doesn’t have to create a bunch of mythology around himself to get steeled up enough to do it. he just does it. his mystery is fuck you. and if that ain’t rock and roll fuck you Jagger will let you watch him put on this make up and when he’s done you will think he is gone Jagger deliberately dresses to anger boys who are uptight about their own sexuality he wants bullies to want to kill him and if he has to he’ll lick a guy’s face to get that going that didn’t happen cuz he was all fucked up that night on SNL that happened cuz he’s Mick Jagger all the time. no bullshit. he doesn’t have to pretend he didn’t help plan the party to be the shaman at it he doesn’t have to pretend he is reluctant to even be at the party in order to read his poetry at it. he says he is not going to write a book to me this says a lot about Mick as a fan watching from way up at the top of the stadium who is unbelievably and overwhelming grateful to be entertained by the whole mess it seems to me that while Bob Dylan and Keith Richards go way out of their way to make sure everybody knows how little they care what everybody thinks about them Jagger just doesn’t if I could pick only one person to ever get another songwriting lesson from it would be Mick Jagger I think he is so good all around at everything a person could bring to the job that it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle that as a songwriter he is arguably one of the best to ever do it. and in closing, I would like to add, that if you went back and took all the music in the world that came out before 1985 and threw it away as if it had never been heard I would still say this and furthermore if nobody had ever heard of or seen the Rolling Stones and they were only playing songs off their Bigger Bang album and it was in a bar that was kinda empty tonight as in this very evening and I walked in and saw it and heard it I would believe I was witnessing the future of rock and roll which ain’t much really I mean it can’t change the world per say so to speak and what have you say no more right? I mean we all know it’s only rock and roll but I have personally grown quite fond of it. when Mick Jagger sticks his pin in his heart and suicides right on stage man oh man oh man does it satisfy my bleeding heart TS

Todd Snider on Mick Jagger.

Happy 75th Mick.

[jesusintheleast]

1978 Rolling Stones Interview

6/17/2019

Spring 2019, Mick Jagger recovering from heart surgery.

Advised to Postpone Upcoming 2019 American and Canadian Tour

Pray for Mick, Keith, Ronnie, Charlie, and Bill.

Can you believe it? The Rolling Stones are still very newsworthy.

Mick recently posted: "Thank you everyone for all your messages of support. I’m feeling much better now and on the mend—and also a huge thank you to all the hospital staff for doing a superb job."

And then in another post: “I’m so sorry to all our fans in America & Canada with tickets. I really hate letting you down like this. I’m devastated for having to postpone the tour but I will be working very hard to be back on stage as soon as I can. Once again, huge apologies to everyone.”

So with the Rolling Stones still very much in the news and even having a tour planned and then postponed due to Jagger’s heart surgery, I was prompted to reprint an old “rock-star” witness that Cornerstone Magazine ran back in the summer of 1978. It was my friend, Jon Trott, and myself who had the opportunity to meet up with a few of the Stones.

As you will see, we weren’t shy about sharing our faith. That was the way it was back then. We were “Jesus freaks” on a mission. And if you had asked me if I thought that the Stones could possibly be touring (or even alive!) in 2019, I would have answered, “No way.”

But then again, who am I? What do I know about the future of anyone? Not much, not anything really.

All I know is that I believe in II Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise (of a day of judgment coming), as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

And so with those thoughts in mind, I invite you to listen in on the brief encounters we had with a few of the Stones back in 1978.

All of a sudden Jagger pulls up in his limo. He and his girlfriend get out and survey the whole setup. Everyone stands back in awe. He’s here.

A series of people casually file by making their adoration vocal. Seeing Jagger alone for a second, I walk up to him and blurt out, “Hey, Mick, you know Jesus loves you?” as I hand him a couple of tracts. He takes the literature and with a quick negative glance, takes off behind one of the trailers.

It was July 8, and we were backstage at the Rolling Stones concert at Soldier Field here in Chicago. After getting a quick witness to Mick Jagger, we continued to share with a few people who were a part of the Stones’ entourage. Amidst the trailers, small tents, the barbecuing, and the drinking, we had quite an eventful day. We knew the Lord had gotten us in, but was there going to be another chance to witness? All we could do was pray.

That night, the Stones showed up at a small club where Muddy Waters was playing, and we got another chance to talk to them. When the show was all over, they were whisked into a small dressing room in the back of the club. “Now you’ve got ten minutes,” the manager told us. “There’s a lot of people back there, and I’ve got to keep them moving in and out. So when I tell you you gotta go, you gotta go, OK?” “OK.”

So when we entered the dressing room, we knew didn’t have much time. We quickly took in the scene, which revealed a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of about thirty in a small, dank, dressing room. Nearly everyone had a drink in their hand and the atmosphere was bubbling. Jagger was standing off a ways from Muddy Waters and the other Stones. I boldly approached him. “Hey, Mick, remember me? I was the guy who handed you a couple of tracts down at the concert today. What do you think?”

“I get them all the time. I don’t really get into tracts,” he said in his thick English accent.

“Well, anyway, do you know the Lord really loves you? He really cares about you?” While I continued telling him of God’s love for him, he started mumbling under his breath, “You can’t be telling me this. You can’t be telling me this. You can’t be telling me this.” All of a sudden, he looked up from his drink and threateningly blurted in a stage whisper, “Hey, aren’t you afraid the Lord will put a curse on you?” “It’s only the devil that’s going to put a curse on anyone,“ I replied. He sarcastically shrugged and said, “Oh.”

He didn’t want to continue our conversation, but it was crowded and while he was trying to get away, I leaned over and said, “You know something? The devil has a real hold on you, but the Lord can set you free!” He stopped for a second. He was stunned and acted like he couldn’t believe his ears. I added, “We really love you Mick, and we’ll be praying for you.” He slowly continued to mingle in the crowd and soon left.

Ronnie Wood was busy whooping it up. “Hey, you know the Lord really loves you?” I said. “Oh, yeah, I know He loves us all,” he said, very drunkenly. “Don’t you know that He wants us to live for Him? “ “Hey, man, I ain’t got time for that stuff. My life’s too messed up already without giving it to the Lord; it’s bad enough. That’ll make it worse. Besides, I’m having too much fun right now. I can’t think about that.”

“But, Ron, don’t you see that if we can’t get along with the Lord down here, we’re never going to get along with Him for eternity?” “Yeah, I see that,” he said hesitantly. “But hey, man, really, the Lord’s too heavy for me, man.” “Well, we really love you, Ronnie, do you know that?” “I know you do. I really do. And I have to admit, you really make me think. You kind of set me back about three steps.” “But really, don’t you ever get tired of this whole party scene?” He thought for a second, “No!” “Hey, by the way, where’s Bill Wyman, anyway?” “Oh, he’s back in the hotel, all whacked out.” “You know, Jesus does love you, and we’re all praying for you and we care about you.” He seemed to lighten up a little and said, “Hey, man, that’s cool, thanks a lot.”

Then I looked over at Keith Richards. He looked really out of it. He looked like he was on what they call a “mean drunk,” so I hesitated to go over to him. Charlie Watts was sitting off to the side, all by himself, so I went up to him.

“Hey, you know Jesus really loves you, Charlie. He wants you to be living for Him.” “Yeah, I know, “ he said casually. “Have you ever really received Him into your heart?” Thinking . . . ”I don’t know.” “Well, if you don’t know, then you haven’t.” “Hey, man, I’m doing alright.” “Yeah, but are you serving God? Is he number one in your life?” “No, I can’t say that.” “Well then, what is? Do you live for yourself?” “No.” “Other people then. You live for other people, right?” “That’s right.” “Well, that’s still wrong, you see, because the Lord wants to be number one. You see, it says in the Bible that you have to love the Lord your God with your heart, soul, mind, and body. Then other people come second.” “Hey, man “ Charlie said. “You know if Billy Preston was here, he ‘d be preaching to you.” “Yeah, I know. I talked with Billy Preston recently. Do you know he has a Gospel album out?” “Yeah.” I told him that we really did care about him and that we’d be praying for him. Finally, I turned back to see what Keith Richards was doing. He looked like he had lightened up a touch. I went over and butted into his conversation in a nice way. “Hey Keith, you know the Lord loves you.” He was stumbling around.

“Yeah, yeah, I know He cares about me,” he said cynically. “I just hope He cares about me enough to keep me out of prison.” (Richards was facing some criminal drug charges in Canada at the time.) “Well, you know something, Keith, even if you have to go to prison, He wants to be right there. He wants to help you out.” He seemed to turn bitter. “Hey, man, I don’t even want to talk about this anyway.” I told him Jesus really did care about him. I just wanted him to know that he had a bunch of people here in Chicago that would be praying for him. We witnessed to a few more people and then we felt it was time to split. As we were leaving, an old man, who was the chauffeur for the Stones, was having a rough time walking down the stairs. He was really blasted. So I offered to help him down. He refused. Then I said, “Jesus loves you.” He suddenly became enraged and, in a fury, hurled his glass down the stairs, where it shattered.

Looking back on the whole day, I couldn’t help but remember what it used to be like for me. I used to be an old Stones freak. My favorite band. I would have thought this was really great, to be backstage with the Stones, to go to a nightclub where they were at, and then get a chance to talk with them. That would have been heavy. But all during the day, I just couldn’t help feeling pity and sorrow. Even that afternoon, while they were playing, with sitting backstage, it seemed like the Lord was speaking to me, “Do you know that these guys could be dead in a week?” And then I thought of Lynyrd Skynard, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin.

Above all, I felt He showed me that these guys are really scared, and I’m sure that they have a lot of late nights when they curse the day that they were born. And when they sing, “I can’t get no satisfaction” ( ironically, it was their last song of the concert), I’m sure they mean it a lot more now than they did back when it was first released. What’s more, it seemed to me that these guys had lived their lives to the hilt for the devil. They went all out. And this is how we believers need to be living for the Lord. We need to be living all out. Let’s pray for the Stones. You never know what’s going on down in their hearts.

End of 1978 interview.

And now that we know that the Stones are still “rolling” can we still find it in our hearts to keep on praying for them? And so, that is what I’m asking you to do. Because remember what the Lord has said—that he’s not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. In fact the verse before this one tells us that God’s timing is not like our “timing” in our mind's comprehension. In fact, “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.“ (II Peter 3:8b) So even though the Stones have been going for more than 50 years and say they want to keep on going, it’s really just a drop in the ocean of time. You just never know what might happen. And maybe we’ll never know if anything has ever happened in their relationship to God or not. Our lot is to pray for God’s mercy towards these folks. After all, he sure did show us a lot of mercy and grace, right? And we’re no more special than they are So this could be “The Last time” that the Stones and everyone living like they do (or wish they could) hear this message. Why? Because none of us know how much time we have left. And “Time” is definitely not on their side”… especially at their ages. And God says to us all: “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (II Cor.6:2)

Thanks for stopping by.

Chris

[falsedescent]

1 In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra (Capitol) 1955

Actually, the very first 'concept' album. The idea being you put this record on after dinner and by the last song you are exactly where you want to be. Sinatra said that he's certain most baby boomers were conceived with this as the soundtrack.

2 Solo Monk by Thelonious Monk (Columbia) 1964

Monk said 'There is no wrong note, it has to do with how you resolve it'. He almost sounded like a kid taking piano lessons. I could relate to that when I first started playing the piano, because he was decomposing the music while he was playing it. It was like demystifying the sound, because there is a certain veneer to jazz and to any music, after a while it gets traffic rules, and the music takes a backseat to the rules. It's like aerial photography, telling you that this is how we do it. That happens in folk music too. Try playing with a bluegrass group and introducing new ideas. Forget about it. They look at you like you're a communist. On Solo Monk, he appears to be composing as he plays, extending intervals, voicing chords with impossible clusters of notes. 'I Should Care' kills me, a communion wine with a twist. Stride, church, jump rope, Bartok, melodies scratched into the plaster with a knife. A bold iconoclast. Solo Monk lets you not only see these melodies without clothes, but without skin. This is astronaut music from Bedlam.

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3 Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart (Straight) 1969

The roughest diamond in the mine, his musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the centre of the earth, this is the high jump record that'll never be beat, it's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes da bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.

4 Exile On Main St. by Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones Records) 1972

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'I Just Want To See His Face' - that song had a big impact on me, particularly learning how to sing in that high falsetto, the way Jagger does. When he sings like a girl, I go crazy. I said, 'I've got to learn how to do that.' I couldn't really do it until I stopped smoking. That's when it started getting easier to do. [Waits's own] 'Shore Leave' has that, 'All Stripped Down', 'Temptation'. Nobody does it like Mick Jagger; nobody does it like Prince. But this is just a tree of life. This record is the watering hole. Keith Richards plays his ass off. This has the Checkerboard Lounge all over it.

5 The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars (Point Music) 1975

This is difficult to find, have you heard this? It's a musical impression of the sinking of the Titanic. You hear a small chamber orchestra playing in the background, and then slowly it starts to go under water, while they play. It also has 'Jesus Blood' on it. I did a version of that with Gavin Bryars. I first heard it on my wife's birthday, at about two in the morning in the kitchen, and I taped it. For a long time I just had a little crummy cassette of this song, didn't know where it came from, it was on one of those Pacifica radio stations where you can play anything you want. This is really an interesting evening's music.

6 The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan (Columbia) 1975

With Dylan, so much has been said about him, it's difficult so say anything about him that hasn't already been said, and say it better. Suffice it to say Dylan is a planet to be explored. For a songwriter, Dylan is as essential as a hammer and nails and a saw are to a carpenter. I like my music with the rinds and the seeds and pulp left in - so the bootlegs I obtained in the Sixties and Seventies, where the noise and grit of the tapes became inseparable from the music, are essential to me. His journey as a songwriter is the stuff of myth, because he lives within the ether of the songs. Hail, hail The Basement Tapes. I heard most of these songs on bootlegs first. There is a joy and an abandon to this record; it's also a history lesson.

7 Lounge Lizards by Lounge Lizards (EG) 1980

They used to accuse John Lurie of doing fake jazz - a lot of posture, a lot of volume. When I first heard it, it was so loud, I wanted to go outside and listen through the door, and it was jazz. And that was an unusual thing, in New York, to go to a club and hear jazz that loud, at the same volume people were listening to punk rock. Get the first record, The Lounge Lizards. You know, John's one of those people, if you walk into a field with him, he'll pick up an old pipe and start to play it, and get a really good sound out of it. He's very musical, works with the best musicians, but never go fishing with him. He's a great arranger and composer with an odd sense of humour.

8 Rum Sodomy and the Lash by The Pogues (Stiff) 1985

Sometimes when things are real flat, you want to hear something flat, other times you just want to project onto it, something more like.... you might want to hear the Pogues. Because they love the West. They love all those old movies. The thing about Ireland, the idea that you can get into a car and point it towards California and drive it for the next five days is like Euphoria, because in Ireland you just keep going around in circles, those tiny little roads. 'Dirty Old Town', 'The Old Main Drag'. Shane has the gift. I believe him. He knows how to tell a story. They are a roaring, stumbling band. These are the dead end kids for real. Shane's voice conveys so much. They play like soldiers on leave. The songs are epic. It's whimsical and blasphemous, seasick and sacrilegious, wear it out and then get another one.

9 I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen (Columbia) 1988

Euro, klezmer, chansons, apocalyptic, revelations, with that mellifluous voice. A shipwrecked Aznovar, washed up on shore. Important songs, meditative, authoritative, and Leonard is a poet, an Extra Large one.

10 The Specialty Sessions by Little Richard (Specialty Records) 1989

The steam and chug of 'Lucille' alone pointed a finger that showed the way. The equipment wasn't meant to be treated this way. The needle is still in the red.

11 Startime by James Brown (Polydor) 1991

I first saw James Brown in 1962 at an outdoor theatre in San Diego and it was indescribable... it was like putting a finger in a light socket. He did the whole thing with the cape. He did 'Please Please Please'. It was such a spectacle. It had all the pageantry of the Catholic Church. It was really like seeing mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas and you couldn't ignore the impact of it in your life. You'd been changed, your life is changed now. And everybody wanted to step down, step forward, take communion, take sacrament, they wanted to get close to the stage and be anointed with his sweat, his cold sweat.

12 Bohemian-Moravian Bands by Texas-Czech (Folk Lyric) 1993

I love these Czech-Bavarian bands that landed in Texas of all places. The seminal river for mariachi came from that migration to that part of the United States, bringing the accordion over, just like the drum and fife music of post slavery, they picked up the revolutionary war instruments and played blues on them. This music is both sour and bitter, and picante, and floating above itself like steam over the kettle. There's a piece called the 'Circling Pigeons Waltz', it's the most beautiful thing - kind of sour, like a wheel about to go off the road all the time. It's the most lilting little waltz. It's accordion, soprano sax, clarinet, bass, banjo and percussion.

13 The Yellow Shark by Frank Zappa (Barking Pumpkin) 1993It is his last major work. The ensemble is awe-inspiring. It is a rich pageant of texture in colour. It's the clarity of his perfect madness, and mastery. Frank governs with Elmore James on his left and Stravinsky on his right. Frank reigns and rules with the strangest tools.14 Passion for Opera Aria (EMI Classics) 1994I heard 'Nessun Dorma' in the kitchen at Coppola's with Raul Julia one night, and it changed my life, that particular Aria. I had never heard it. He asked me if I had ever heard it, and I said no, and he was like, as if I said I've never had spaghetti and meatballs - 'Oh My God, Oh My God!' - and he grabbed me and he brought me into the jukebox (there was a jukebox in the kitchen) and he put that on and he just kind of left me there. It was like giving a cigar to a five-year old. I turned blue, and I cried.15 Rant in E Minor by Bill Hicks (Rykodisc) 1997Bill Hicks, blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer and brain specialist, like a reverend waving a gun around. Pay attention to Rant in E Minor, it is a major work, as important as Lenny Bruce's. He will correct your vision. His life was cut short by cancer, though he did leave his tools here. Others will drive on the road he built. Long may his records rant even though he can't.16 Prison Songs: Murderous Home Alan Lomax Collection (Rounder Select) 1997Without spirituals and the Baptist Church and the whole African-American experience in this country, I don't know what we would consider music, I don't know what we'd all be drinking from. It's in the water. The impact the whole black experience continues to have on all musicians is immeasurable. Lomax recorded everything, from the sounds of the junkyard to the sound of a cash register in the market... disappearing machinery that we would no longer be hearing. You know, one thing that doesn't change is the sound of kids getting out of school. Record that in 1921, record that now, it's the same sound. The good thing about these is that they're so raw, they're recorded so raw, that it's just like listening to a landscape. It's like listening to a big open field. You hear other things in the background. You hear people talking while they are singing. It's the hair in the gate.

17 Cubanos Postizos by Marc Ribot (Atlantic) 1998

This Atlantic recording shows off one of many of Ribot's incarnations as a prosthetic Cuban. They are hot and Marc dazzles us with his bottomless soul. Shaking and burning like a native.

18 Houndog by Houndog (Sony) 1999

Houndog, the David Hidalgo [Los Lobos] record he did with Mike Halby [Canned Heat]. Now that's a good record to listen to when you drive through Texas. I can't get enough of that. Anything by Latin Playboys, anything by Los Lobos. They are like a fountain. The Colossal Head album killed me. Those guys are so wild, and they've gotten so cubist. They've become like Picasso. They've gone from being purely ethnic and classical, to this strange, indescribable item that they are now. They're worthwhile to listen to under any circumstances. But the sound he got on Houndog, on the electric violin ... the whole record is a dusty road. Dark and burnished and mostly unfurnished. Superb texture and reverb. Lo fi and its highest level. Songs of depth and atmosphere. It ain't nothin' but a...

19 Purple Onion by Les Claypool (Prawn Song) 2002

Les Claypool's sharp and imaginative, contemporary ironic humour and lightning musicianship makes me think of Frank Zappa. 'Dee's Diner' is like a great song your kid makes up in the car on the way to the drive-in. Songs for big kids.

20 The Delivery Man by Elvis Costello (Mercury) 2004

Scalding hot bedlam, monkey to man needle time. I'd hate to be balled out by him, I'd quit first. Grooves wide enough to put your foot in and the bass player is a gorilla of groove. Pete Thomas, still one of the best rock drummers alive. Diatribes and rants with steam and funk. It has locomotion and heat. Steam heat, that is.

[waugh-bao]

I can't find it now, but there's an account by a female journalist who went looking to find the Stones but when she got to their hotel floor all she found was Charlie watching tv. The rest had all flown off to New York City or something. Charlie invited her to sit on the bed and watch tv and during the commercials he talked about his family and jazz. Shirley had nothing to worry about when the first thing her husband did when meeting a woman is talk about how much he loves his wife. Goals.

I honestly couldn't say why I remember this, but I know exactly the piece you're talking about.

It was written by the Canadian journalist E. Kaye Fulton, about when the Stones were in Toronto in 1977. They'd gotten mixed up with the Prime Minister's wife, Margaret Trudeau, and caused a national scandal in the course of that, so she was sent by her editor to find them and get the latest scoop. The article itself basically handles the rest, and beautifully so:

Common sense dictated that both Maggie and the Stones were long gone. But The Star newsroom was emptied to search for her at every high-end hotel in the city. Trying to think like a rich rocker teetering at the brink of established posh, I chose the 'refined' hotel on the waterfront across the street from The Star - the two-year-old Hilton Harbour Castle. There...I walked over to a bleary-eyed security guard and brazenly flashed a laminated tag. “Hotel security,” I said as I entered the elevator and rode it to the 37th floor. The floor was what you’d expect to find after a rock and roll crowd invaded and then abandoned it. Beer cans and bourbon bottles and party trash littered the corridor now emptied of partiers.

Hearing a television, I followed the sound to a room where a lone figure sat at the end of the bed. It was Charlie Watts, no mistake about it. Black cashmere turtle neck, unwrinkled black dress pants, heavy Rolex watch, impeccably coifed hair, the familiar crooked smile and arched eyebrow.

“If you’re looking for someone, they’ve all left,” he said.

“No one here but you, eh?” I chirped. “Whatcha doing?”

He patted the mattress.

“Watching soaps. In peace. I love American soaps,” he said. “Feel free to join me if you’d like.”

Even then it was a surreal experience to watch taped re-runs of As The World Turns in a hotel room alone with a Rolling Stone.

During the commercials, we’d talk about stuff. I told him I was a reporter, looking for Maggie and Mick, or maybe Ron, or maybe Keith, or maybe all three.

“They flew to New York. She said she wanted to go to Studio 54. I think she was with Ronnie. Or maybe Mick,” he said.

This was news to me - and I thought it would or should be news to The Star desk as well.

“Here, call your paper. Use my phone,” said Charlie.

I told the desk editor where I was and what I had found.

“I’m here with Charlie Watts. Everyone else has flown to New York.”

"You’re with Charlie Who?” asked the editor.

“Charlie,” I said. ‘I’m with Charlie.”

I looked over at Charlie and winked. “You know, Charlie Watts. The Rolling Stone drummer.”

Charlie grinned and winked back.

“Do you want me to file a story?” I asked the editor. “What? No? You’re telling me my shift is over and if Mick and Maggie aren’t here I may as well go home?”

I did not go home - not until he had to pack up and catch a plane a few hours later - and I’m glad I didn’t. If I had called it a day, I would not have heard Charlie talk about his first passion, jazz, and his musical heroes Charlie Parker and Jelly Roll Morton. Or about the loves of his life, his wife Shirley whom he married in 1964 and their family. How much he enjoyed playing with and off Keith and how he thought it was amusing that he had spent so much of his life on stage looking at Mick’s ass. How he didn’t much relish the road or the frequent bickers of band life.

“There’s something I’d like to know,” I told him. “Something I’ve wanted to know since the Sixties. When you stare off to middle distance when you’re drumming, where do you go?”

Charlie smiled that crooked smile.

“Sometimes I go into the song. But sometimes, my favourite times, I go where the drums are leading me.”

You’re right. Shirley had nothing to worry about, and neither did Mick or Keith. That period was one of the worst for the band, when it seemed so likely everything was going to end because of the drug abuse and the fighting and all of the accumulated messes of 15 years together, and there he was professing his love for them right along with his adoration for Shirley and Seraphina and all of his musical heroes, to a total stranger.

[moonlightmile12]

Hiiii! So sorry to disturb you but I just want to express my sincerely thanks to you, for posting much content about my favorite guitarist Mick.T. It's difficult to find much interview or stories about him cause u know he isn't the show-off one. I just wonder, where did you find his interviews or those comments about him, from other people?

Last days I watched a documentary about him, and he says actually he isn't that shy and quiet when in Stones. This is much different from the impression that most people have. I wonder if there are any anecdotes which can prove that. Did you see anything like this when you read those things about him?

Hi,

Aw thanks :) It's just from reading a lot of books about The Stones and old interviews that I've been able to find. Everyone says that he was shy. It seems that he had fights with Rose and Mick Jagger, here are some quotes -

"[Keith] was shy, that’s why he got into heroin — which was probably true for me..." - Mick Taylor

"I heard Taylor's girlfriend, Rose Millar, having a screaming row with him one day about the closeness of his friendship with the head Stone." - Tony Sanchez

"Leaving London was especially disastrous for Mick Taylor. Cooped up in a hotel room, he and Rose fought all the time." - Janie Villiers

"His relationship with Mick, particularly, was strange and strained. At times the two Micks seemed to be the closest of friends. They would lock themselves up in Jagger’s house in Cheyne Walk, talking together for hours. But then there would be rows and the two men would not speak to one another for days. It was a curious friendship." - Tony Sanchez

"I’ll tell you what really, really made me angry, it was that Mick told me I would get credit. So when you say “you worked really hard, I’m gonna give you credit for this” and then you don’t, that does hurt, that makes you angry, it’s best not to say anything at all. That’s really the end of that, I don’t wanna say anything negative you know." - Mick Taylor

"I had a reputation on stage of being quiet, but off it I wasn’t. We used to fight and argue all the time. And one of the things I got angry about was that Mick had promised to give me some credit for some of the songs – and he didn’t. I believed I’d contributed enough. Let’s put it this way – without my contribution those songs would not have existed. There’s not many but enough, things like Sway and Moonlight Mile on Sticky Fingers and a couple of others. I took offence and that was a contributory factor in my departure." - Mick Taylor

"I was only a bit miffed because there were a couple of items for which not only did I feel I should have got a credit, but I was actually assured that I would. Mick and I did Hide Your Love on Goat’s Head Soup on our own. Keith had become difficult to get on with for everybody by then. He slowed down the recording process, and it became hard for Mick – with whom I was much more friendly." - Mick Taylor

Interviewer: "There's a note on the Stones' album about 'It's Only Rock'N'Roll': "inspiration by Ron Wood". But no royalty?" Ronnie: "No. That happened on a few songs including 'Hey Negrita' which I totally wrote. I couldn't blast into the Jagger-Richards songwriting team." Interviewer: "You decided, "I'm going to swallow this for now"?" Ronnie: "A lot of that goes on. If you don't you're gonna get... hurt. Lots of people get a bit belligerent – that's when it all collapses. Mick Taylor did that, Bill Wyman did that.With the Stones you have to have a lot of... give. Then it'll work. Cos they're gonna take (laughs). They established it. Go with it. For the sake of the music. But it's hard work at times."

Oh then there's this from Anita Pallenberg, lol: "But then I thought that, out of all of them, Mick Taylor was like the most open-minded one, you know? I remember one morning going into his room and he was lying there in bed with Rosie and he said "Oh, Anita, why don't you jump into bed with us?" Which was something that none of the others would have ever...[laughter] I mean, nothing happened, but...it kind of impressed me at the time!"

[goftor-blog]

memories of 1965

One moment that captures how much Britain has changed in the past 50 years was the death on Sunday, January 24, 1965, of perhaps the finest leader in our history.

‘Tonight, our nation mourns the loss of the greatest man any of us have ever known,’ the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, told the British people that evening.

He was referring, of course, to Sir Winston Churchill, the man who had led Britain through the darkest hour in our history and onwards to victory.

And in the days that followed, more than 300,000 people waited patiently in the cold to pay their respects to their fallen hero.

President, Lyndon Johnson, failed to attend Churchill’s funeral.

Johnson was widely criticized—here and abroad—for his failure to make the trip. Many in the British government saw it as a slight. And in some ways it represented a minor setback in American/Anglo relations at a crucial time in the Cold War.

For when you look back at Britain in 1965, it seems in so many ways an utterly different country, not just in its skylines, fashions and faces, but in its moral and cultural attitudes.

It was a country in which older men still wore hats and carried umbrellas; in which millions of children sat the 11-plus exam to decide whether they went to grammar school or to a secondary modern; in which pornography was almost unknown, most people did not even have a telephone, and thousands of working-class families still had outside toilets.

At the end of 1964, Wilson’s Labour government had come to power, promising to build a new Britain in the ‘white heat of the scientific revolution’.

But the technological gadgets so familiar today would have struck the vast majority as the stuff of fantasy. Most had never even been on an aeroplane.

Indeed, if you want a symbol of how much Britain has changed in the past five decades, then just think about the difference between today’s Premier League football stars – often foreign-born, living in gated communities and earning as much as £300,000 a week – and by far the most feted player of the day, who hung up his boots on February 6, 1965.

Almost incredibly, Stanley Matthews was still turning out for Stoke City at the age of 50. He played not for money or attention, but for sheer love of the game.

As one friend put it, he remained ‘for all his fame, as down-to-earth as the folk who once adorned the terraces in the hope of seeing him sparkle gold dust onto their harsh working lives’.

To Matthews, who interrupted his career to serve in the RAF during World War II, the antics of today’s spoiled Premier League superstars would have seemed inconceivable.

But he belonged to a generation that has vanished completely: reticent, dutiful and quietly conservative.

Like the death of Churchill, the retirement of Matthews – who was knighted in January 1965 as a reward for his extraordinary career – seemed to represent a threshold between old and new.

In sport, in culture, even in architecture, all the talk was of change.

Modernisation was all the rage, not least in the great cities of the North, where councils were competing to tear down the old Victorian streets and erect great high-rise monstrosities instead.

"On 19 April 1965, when Reggie Kray married Frances Elsie Shea… he had the event photographed by none other than the country’s most famous snapper, David Bailey, who arrived at the church in a blue velvet suit with matching blue Rolls-Royce, for all the world like Cecil Beaton recording the Queen’s Coronation of 12 years earlier."

It was indeed a year when class structures crumbled, a new aristocracy came to the fore with working class lads like Bailey, The Beatles and Michael Caine at the forefront.

But it was in the cultural sphere that change was really accelerating. The Beatles with the LSD-influenced Rubber Soul were swapping straightforward love songs for an imaginative introspection and existentialism, Dylan was stretching the boundaries of the pop song with his bile-splattered narrative "Like A Rolling Stone", Bridget Riley was conquering New York with her pre-psychedelia psychedelic paintings, John Fowles produced his astonishing The Magus, Dennis Potter and Ken Loach took television drama to a new level, Edward Bond’s Saved, in which a baby is stoned, shocked the censors and the theatre-going public.

Above all it was the first year that the words pop and culture could be used together without attracting ridicule – except perhaps from the self-appointed champion of the old order, Mary Whitehouse.

The Ford Transit is a range of light commercial vehicles produced by Ford since 1965. Sold primarily as a cargo van, the Transit is also built as a passenger van (marketed as the Tourneo since 1995), minibus, cutaway van chassis, and as a pickup truck. Over 8,000,000 Transit vans have been sold, making it the third best-selling van of all time and have been produced across four basic platform generations (debuting in 1965, 1986, 2000, and 2013 respectively), with various "facelift" versions of each.

1965 Timeline

17 January – The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts’ book, Ode to a High Flying Bird, a tribute to jazz great Charlie Parker, is published.

www.amazon.com/Ode-Highflying-Bird-Charlie-WATTS/dp/B0026…

21 January – The Animals’ show at New York’s Apollo Theater is canceled after the U.S. Immigration Department forces the group to leave the theater.

The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison travel to Sydney to begin their Australian tour.

23 January – "Downtown" hits #1 in the US singles chart, making Petula Clark the first British female vocalist to reach the coveted position since the arrival of The Beatles.

24 January – The Animals appear a second time on The Ed Sullivan Show.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygJoV4FaAfQ

27 January – Paul Simon broadcasts on BBC radio for the first time, on the Five to Ten show, discussing and playing thirteen songs, twelve of which would appear on his May-recorded and August-released UK-only solo album, The Paul Simon Song Book.

6 February – Donovan gets his widest audience so far when he makes the first of three appearances on "Ready, Steady, Go!".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKqoKDsOuHE

12 February – NME reports that the Beatles will star in a film adaptation of Richard Condon’s novel A Talent for Loving. The story is about a 2,253-kilometer (1,400 mi) horse race that takes place in the old west. The film is never made.

24 February – The Beatles begin filming their second film, Help!

Richard Rodney Bennett’s opera The Mines of Sulphur is premièred at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.

20 March – Kathy Kirby, singing the UK entry "I Belong", finishes second in the 10th Eurovision Song Contest in Naples, Italy, behind France Gall, representing Luxembourg.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3aD6MD6gew

23 March – Benjamin Britten is appointed to the Order of Merit (OM).

April – Michael Tippett is invited as guest composer to the music festival in Aspen, Colorado. The visit leads to major changes in his style.

11 April – The New Musical Express poll winners’ concert takes place featuring performances by The Beatles, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Freddie and the Dreamers, the Kinks, the Searchers, Herman’s Hermits, The Moody Blues, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Donovan, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones.

24 April – It took 30 years to organise a walk from one pub to another. But then the walk is The Pennine Way , and the distance between the pubs is 268 miles. The walk involves crossing more than 400 stiles, 200 bridges, and enough peat bogs and steep slopes to break an infrequent walker’s weary heart. And for those who negotiated the passage over many private properties it also involved tricky talks with a multitude of sometimes less than keen landowners.

The traditional starting point for The Pennine Way is the Nag’s Head in Derbyshire’s Edale , the end point The Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm just over the border into Scotland. The trail, Britain’s first National Trail, was the brainchild of writer and long time Ramblers’ Association secretary Tom Stephenson, first mooted to the general public in an article in The Daily Herald in 1935.

After much parliamentary lobbying, innumerable negotiations, and great preparations of signage and information, the official opening of the Pennine Way came on April 24 1965, witnessed by an estimated 2,000 enthusiasts gathered at the beautiful Malham Moor in Yorkshire . Between 3,000 and 4,000 walkers now complete the trail every year, no easy task given the tough terrain and unpredictable weather conditions at some of the stages even in summer – the walk even defeated the great Wainwright. Those who tramp all 268 miles certainly deserve their celebratory drink in the well chosen finishing point.

5 May – Alan Price leaves The Animals, to be replaced temporarily by Mick Gallagher and permanently by Dave Rowberry.

6 May – Keith Richards and Mick Jagger begin work on "Satisfaction" in their Clearwater, Florida hotel room. Richards came up with the classic guitar riff while playing around with his brand new Gibson "Fuzz box".

8 May – The British Commonwealth comes closer than it ever had, or would, to a clean sweep of the US Hot 100’s top 10, lacking only the #2 slot.

30 May – The Animals appear for a third time on The Ed Sullivan Show.

12 June – The Beatles are appointed Members of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen. With no tradition of awarding popular entertainers such honours, a number of previous recipients complain and protest.

July – John Cale, with his new collaborators Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison, makes a demo tape which he tries to pass on to Marianne Faithfull. These are the beginnings of the Velvet Underground.

5 July – Maria Callas gives her last operatic performance, in the title role of Tosca, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

8 July – A minor figure in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, Ronnie Biggs has nevertheless become the most famous name among those criminals who pulled off the most audacious robbery of the sixties .

There is a tendency to glamorize the Great Train Robbers, to turn them into Robin Hood figures. They carried out a robbery that cost the country £2.6 million, the equivalent of maybe £45 million today – most of the money was never recovered. The assistant train driver was thrown down a railway embankment, and the train driver coshed with an iron bar, never being fit to return to work before his premature death in 1970.

Biggs had been detailed to look after the train driver brought to move the hijacked engine and carriage to the place where the gang had left their vehicles. The driver could not work the train, so Biggs and he were sent to load money sacks. In spite of this Biggs received a 30-year sentence.

On July 8 1965 Biggs and three other men escaped from Wandsworth Prison in a carefully planned and well financed operation. A ladder was thrown over the prison wall at just after 3pm as the men exercised. A furniture van with a platform on top was outside the wall, to hold the ladder in place and make the descent from the top rapid and safe. Prison officers who tried to intervene as the men fled were held back by other prisoners in the yard.

Three cars were waiting for them (and as a shotgun was found afterwards in one of the cars it is reasonable to assume they were prepared to use violence).

Biggs along with his wife and sons managed to slip out of Britain to Paris, where he underwent plastic surgery to alter his appearance, and where he obtained false papers that allowed him in 1970 to move to Australia after spending some time in Spain.

In Australia, however, he was recognized, and forced to move before fleeing the country when the chase threatened him again.

Biggs spent more than three decades in Brazil, cocking a snook at the British authorities who were unable to extradite him. He was kidnapped in 1981 and taken out of Brazil, but had to be let go on a technicality.

Biggs returned to the UK in 2001, a sick man, partly to receive health treatment, partly because it seems he hoped to be allowed to go free. He was, however, arrested and returned to begin serving the remaining 28 years of his sentence.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEbQbHZURZ8

13 July – The Beatles receive a record five Ivor Novello Awards.

4 August – Iain Hamilton’s Cantos receives its world première at The Proms, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Norman Del Mar.

6 August – The Small Faces release "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", their first single.

The Beatles release the soundtrack to their second movie Help!

15 August – Just a couple of years earlier The Beatles were playing to audiences of a few dozen at some of their Cavern gigs in Liverpool ; on August 15 1965 55,600 fans crowded in to Shea Stadium, the home of baseball team the New York Mets, to hear the group play the first concert of their American tour. Or rather not hear them: with Beatlemania at its scariest (there were 2000 security personnel on hand, and the Fab Four arrived in an armoured truck), the band took the stage in the centre of the field to deafening screams; twelve songs later they left, the screams having drowned out what they had been playing. For the record the songs that night included: Act Naturally; She’s a Woman; and Twist and Shout. It mattered little to an army of women and girls determined to scream, cry, faint and worse.

With the band members unable to hear themselves in spite of using the massive stadium PA, the concert descended to the absurd, John Lennon at the end playing the keyboard with his elbows to demonstrate the futility of the exercise. Futile, but profitable: the concert grossed more than $300,000, and is seen as the genesis of Stadium Rock.

26 Aug – They were only four among a total of 189 receiving honours that day, but it was obvious who the photographers at the gates of Buckingham Palace wanted to capture arriving, and who the 4,000 or more screaming fans were there to see – The Beatles . They duly arrived in John Lennon’s Rolls in plenty of time for the 11am investiture, in spite of the fact that, according to John Lennon , they didn’t believe in the institution of the royal family. Even inside the Palace they couldn’t escape the fans, or parents of fans at any rate, having to sign autographs for others there on the day.

It was something of a shock in the sixties for pop stars to be so honoured, though now it is becoming commonplace – politicians love rubbing shoulders with their rock heroes, even if some of those shoulders must be decidedly arthritic by now. Harold Wilson knew a popular band wagon when he saw one, and jumped on, awarding The Fab Four MBEs – Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Years later John Lennon, who returned his MBE in 1969 as a protest against Britain’s stance on Biafra and Vietnam, claimed they had smoked cannabis in the toilet at the palace, though George denied it. But when Lord Cobbold, the Lord Chamberlain, called out their names they stepped forward as instructed, bowed politely in the right places, exchanged a few words, and walked away backwards so as not to turn their backs to the Queen .

27 August – The Beatles visit Elvis Presley at his home in Bel-Air. It is the only time the band and the singer meet.

11 September – The Last Night of The Proms is conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent, with Josephine Veasey as soloist for the traditional rendition of "Rule, Britannia.

30 September – Donovan appears on Shindig! in the U.S. and plays Buffy Sainte-Marie’s "Universal Soldier".

Much mimicked, but much loved too, Thunderbirds like Gerry Anderson’s other Supermarionation series (Stingray, Captain Scarlet et al) struck a chord with children as however brilliant the pupeteering it still seemed like toys saving the world. When you are eight you have little reason to think they can’t.

Filmed somewhat incongruously in Slough , the series featured the American Tracy family of all-action heroes, led by father Jeff, one of the first men on the moon (as the series was set in 2065 not the best prediction ever). Every boy wanted to be Scott or Virgil; and hoped for a Thunderbird 1 Dinky Toy at Christmas.

The very first episode, for the record, was Trapped in the Sky, written by Gerry Anderson and his then wife Sylvia, who also voiced Lady Penelope. In the show the Hood sabotages a new super-aircraft, forcing the International Rescue team to come to its aid so he can steal their secrets. It was only kids in the ATV Midlands region who got to enjoy that first September 30 broadcast; London only joined the jerky-armed party on Christmas Day that year.

Mock the occasionally-visible strings as we do, the production values on the series were very high, various techies later poached to work on Star Wars for example. And each of the early episodes ran to 50 minutes, effectively a mini-movie.

Do we still love them? Y-y-y-yes M-Mr Tracy.

17 October – The Animals appear for a fourth time on The Ed Sullivan Show.

5 November – The Who release their iconic single "My Generation" in the UK. This song contains the famous line: "I hope I die before I get old"

8 Nov – In the mid- Sixties Britain was becoming more racially diverse. New arrivals to Britain and immigrants long established in the country shamefully often faced discrimination: signs on lodgings stating: “no blacks”; people refused entry to certain pubs and shops because of their race; discourtesies and even assault in public places by those who resented the changing face of the nation. The 1965 Race Relations Act was an attempt by the Labour government, albeit a very weak attempt, to address this situation.

Discrimination, however, was made a civil not a criminal offence, partly because of arguments put forward by the Conservatives that race relations would be soured further were the legislation to be given teeth. And though discrimination “in places of public resort” was outlawed, inexplicably shops and private boarding houses were excluded; so was discrimination in employment, and even local authority policy on renting property. The act, then, was very superficial. There are times when British compromise can be laudable; this was not one of them. The legislation was given greater range in 1968 and 1976.

The 1965 act did, however, set up the Race Relations Board, which came into operation the following year. It initially had very limited scope and powers, its remit monitoring and persuasion; but a seed had been sown.

3 December – The Beatles release their album Rubber Soul, along with the double A-sided single "Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out". George Harrison’s performance on the sitar on the track "Norwegian Wood" leads to his becoming a pupil of Ravi Shankar.

The Who release their debut album My Generation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN5zw04WxCc

Not bad for a debut album – presaging punk in songs like My Generation; heavy metal in The Ox; and blending blues and pop in I’m a Man and The Kids Are Alright to create a sound that would stir a million Mods. Throw in a wonderful version of James Brown’s classic Please, Please, Please and it was definitely worth a listen. Pop-rock quickly followed some enjoyably energetic detours thanks to The Who. You can almost forgive them for Tommy later in their career.

Originally recorded in mono My Generation has been remixed in Stereo several times, but probably loses more than it gains in the process which seems about as logical as redoing the famous artwork with pictures of the band in later years (though Moon didn’t have all that many).

Many critics would consider the album, at one time dismissed by the band as a bit of a rush job, as one of the most seminal in British rock history: Townshend ’s raw guitar; Keith Moon’s manic drumming; John Entwistle’s backseat driving bass; and Roger Daltrey ’s chameleon vocals all models for their generation and more besides – The Jam very indebted to their forerunners. After the LP was released every band probably still yearned for the success of the Beatles ; but most wanted to sound like the gods of Shepherd’s Bush , The Who.

13 Dec – The original format for Jackanory was elegant in its simplicity: an actor or occasionally a TV personality like Clement Freud or a figure from an entirely different world like Prince Charles reading a book out loud to children, with occasional illustrations shown on screen (often by Quentin Blake ). Magical.

It captivated children from toddlers through to their primary school years, becoming a fixed element of every weekday for millions of families, quarter of an hour of almost guaranteed peace for any adult looking after them: the insistent theme-tune – Jackanory Jackanory – acted like an off-switch for play, a signpost pointing towards bedtime.

Over the years – the original series came to an end in 1996 – some great names appeared as readers: Kenneth Williams perhaps the most frequent; Spike Milligan ; Bernard Cribbins; the genius that was Arthur Lowe ; Michael Hordern and Joyce Grenfell to list but a few of the finest.

The very first programme on December 13 1965 featured Lee Montague, an actor better known for his hard-man roles on TV and in films.

Naturally when the BBC revived the idea in 2006 it had to be tampered with – animation used, and multiple actors; and no fixed slot to give that blessed routine that makes life with children so much easier. Perhaps it takes imagination to believe in the power of imagination.

22 Dec – The day that must be etched on Jeremy Clarkson ’s heart.

Just before Christmas 1965 Transport Minister Tom Fraser (not Barbara Castle, as many seem to think) introduced a 70mph limit for drivers on motorways, following several pile-ups in the foggy autumn and winter of that year, though another cause is sometimes cited – the era’s super-cars being seen on motorways in legal-speak: “Travelling at speeds in excess of 150mph”.

Like Income Tax in 1799 this was to be a temporary measure. In the sixties many car drivers were the first in their family to own a vehicle, so with fewer points of reference as regards driving than is the case today. The engineering on some cars (especially in those days brakes) was not great, with many struggling to reach 70mph. At the time then few voices were raised against the measure.

Barbara Castle confirmed the limit as a permanent fixture when she was transport minister in 1967. The genie was out of the bottle to stay.

As driving experience has become ingrained, cars have radically improved, and road building likewise, voices are now starting to be heard about raising the limit, comparing things with France where the top speed is 130kph (80mph), for example. But the chances of this happening are roughly equivalent to those of proportional representation and free beer for all. Indeed it should be recalled that in a period of energy crisis in 1973 the limit was dropped to 50mph for a time, so the smart money would be on a decrease before any increase.

By way of interest, if you feel the need, the need for speed, try the Isle of Man , where rural roads are still de-restricted. Or Germany where much of the autobahn network has no limit. Or if you fancy going a bit further afield, Nepal is another option, though you might want to watch out for a few of those mountain bends.

The first Ford Transit produced by Ford Motor Company in 1965

BillBoard Hot 100 Number One Hits 1965

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwIOFjIwF8Y

Events

1 January – Introduction of new "Worboys Committee" road signs.

6 Jan – Geoff Boycott takes 3-47 against South Africa, his best Test bowling.

7 January – Identical twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray, are arrested on suspicion of running a protection racket in London.

14 January – The Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.

15 January – Sir Winston Churchill is reported to be seriously ill after suffering a stroke.

24 January – Sir Winston Churchill dies aged 90 at Chartwell, his Kent home of more than 40 years.

30 January – Thousands attend Winston Churchill’s state funeral in London. During the three days of lying-in-state, 321,000 people file past the catafalque, and the funeral procession travels from Westminster Hall to the service at St Paul’s Cathedral, attended by the Queen, Prime Minister Harold Wilson, and representatives of 112 countries.

31 January – National Health prescription charges end.

1 February – The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive in Ethiopia on a state visit.

4 February – Confederation of British Industry founded.

6 February – Sir Stanley Matthews plays his final First Division game, at the record age of 50 years and 5 days.

16 February – The British Railways Board (chairman: Richard Beeching) publishes The Development of the Major Trunk Routes proposing which lines should receive investment (and, by implication, which should not).

18 February – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

3 March – The remains of Roger Casement, from Pentonville Prison, are reburied in Dublin.

10 March – Goldie, a London Zoo golden eagle, is recaptured after 13 days of freedom.

19 March – A record price of 760,000 guineas is paid at Christie’s for Rembrandt’s Titus

23 March – Dr Dorothy Hodgkin is awarded the Order of Merit.

1 April – The Greater London Council comes into its powers, replacing the London County Council and greatly expanding the metropolitan area of the city.

Finance Act introduces corporation tax, replacing income tax for corporate institutions.

6 April – Government publicly announces cancellation of the BAC TSR-2 nuclear bomber aircraft project.

23 April – Red velvet minidress.

26 April – Manchester United win the Football League First Division title.

1 May – Liverpool win the FA Cup for the first time in their history, beating Leeds United 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. Roger Hunt and Ian St John score for Liverpool, while Billy Bremner scores the consolation goal for Leeds.

7 May – The Rhodesian Front under Prime Minister Ian Smith win a landslide election victory in Rhodesia.

11 May – The National Trust officially launches its long-term Enterprise Neptune project to acquire or put under covenant a substantial part of the Welsh, English and Northern Irish coastline. Whiteford Burrows on the Gower Peninsula is considered the first property to be acquired under the campaign although its purchase was announced on 1 January.

13 May – The Conservatives make big gains in the UK local government elections.

17 May – An underground explosion at Cambrian Colliery in Clydach Vale kills 31.

18 May – The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh begin a 10-day state visit to the Federal German Republic.

19 May – West Ham United become the second British club to win a European trophy, defeating West German 1860 Munich 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.

3 June – The bank rate is reduced to 6 per cent.

18 June – The government announces plans for the introduction of a blood alcohol limit for drivers in its clampdown on drink-driving.

22 June – The 700th anniversary of Parliament is celebrated.

8 July – Great Train Robber Ronald Biggs escapes from Wandsworth Prison.

12 July – The Secretary of State for Education and Science, Tony Crosland, issues Circular 10/65 requesting local authorities to convert their schools to the Comprehensive system.

22 July – Sir Alec Douglas-Home suddenly resigns as a head of the British Conservative Party.

24 July – Freddie Mills, former British boxing champion, is found shot in his car in Soho.

27 July – Edward Heath becomes leader of the British Conservative Party following its first leadership election by secret ballot.

29 July – The Beatles film Help! debuts in London.

August – Elizabeth Lane appointed as the first female High Court judge, assigned to the Family Division.

1 August – Cigarette advertising is banned on British television.

Radio and television licence fees are increased.

3 August – Release of the film Darling starring Julie Christie. "The Queen’s Award to Industry" for export and technological advancements is created.

6 August – Peter Watkins’ The War Game, a television drama-documentary depicting the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the UK, is pulled from its planned transmission as BBC1’s The Wednesday Play for political reasons. It will go on to win the 1966 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The first female High Court judge is appointed.

21 August – Charlton Athletic F.C. player Keith Peacock becomes the first substitute to appear in a Football League match.

2 September – Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the House of Commons, dies.

21 September – British Petroleum strikes oil in the North Sea.

24 September – The British governor of Aden cancels the Aden constitution and takes direct control of the protectorate, due to the bad security situation.

30 September – First episode of ATV ‘Supermarionation’ series Thunderbirds airs.

7 October – Ian Brady, a 27-year-old stock clerk from Hyde in Cheshire, is charged with the murder of 17-year-old apprentice electrician Edward Evans to death at a house on the Hattersley housing estate last night.

8 October – The Post Office Tower opens in London.

16 October – Police find a girl’s body on Saddleworth Moor near Oldham in Lancashire. The body is quickly identified as that of Lesley Ann Downey, who disappeared on Boxing Day last year from a fairground in the Ancoats area of Manchester, at the age of 10. Ian Brady, arrested last week for the murder of a 17-year-old man in nearby Hattersley, is suspected of murdering Lesley, as is his 23-year-old girlfriend Myra Hindley, who on 11 October was also charged with the murder of Edward Evans. Police suspect that other missing people from the Manchester area, including 12-year-old John Kilbride (who was last seen alive nearly three years ago) could be also be buried there; some reports state that as many as 11 murder victims may have been buried in the area.

20 October – It is reported that suspected mass murderer Ian Brady tortured his victims and tape-recorded the attacks on them. Detectives in Brady’s native Scotland are also reportedly investigating the disappearance of 12-year-old Moira Anderson in Lanarkshire eight years ago as a possible link to Brady.

21 October – Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are charged with the murder of Lesley Ann Downey and remanded in custody.

22 October – African countries demand that the United Kingdom use force to prevent Rhodesia from declaring unilateral independence.

24 October – Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Arthur Bottomley travel to Rhodesia for negotiations.

Police find the decomposed body of a boy on Saddleworth Moor. The body is identified as that of John Kilbride, a 12-year-old boy who disappeared from Ashton-Under-Lyne in November 1963.

29 October – Ian Brady and Myra Hindley appear in court, charged with the murders of Edward Evans (17), Lesley Ann Downey (10) and John Kilbride (12).

October – Corgi Toys introduce the all-time best selling model car, James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 from the film Goldfinger.

1 November – Three cooling towers at the uncompleted Ferrybridge C electricity generating station in West Yorkshire collapse in high winds.

5 November – Martial law is announced in Rhodesia. The UN General Assembly accepts British intent to use force against Rhodesia if necessary by a vote of 82-9.

8 November – The British Indian Ocean Territory is created, consisting of Chagos Archipelago, Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches islands (on 23 June 1976 Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches are returned to Seychelles).

The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act suspends capital punishment for murder in England, Scotland and Wales, for five years in the first instance, replacing it with a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

The Race Relations Act outlaws public racial discrimination.

11 November – In Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe), the white minority regime of Ian Smith unilaterally declares independence.

13 November – The word "fuck" is spoken for the first time on British television by the theatre critic Kenneth Tynan.

20 November – The UN Security Council recommends that all states stop trading with Rhodesia.

29 November – Mary Whitehouse founds the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association.

December – EMI release Jacqueline du Pré’s recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra.

National Coal Board closes the last deep coal mine in the Forest of Dean (Northern United at Cinderford).

3 December – The first British aid flight arrives in Lusaka; Zambia had asked for British help against Rhodesia.

12 December – The Beatles’ last live U.K. tour concludes with two performances at the Capitol, Cardiff.

15 December – Tanzania and Guinea sever diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom.

17 December – The British government begins an oil embargo against Rhodesia; the United States joins the effort.

22 December – A 70 mph speed limit is imposed on British roads.

A reorganisation of the cabinet sees Roy Jenkins appointed Home Secretary and Barbara Castle as Minister of Transport.

24 December – A meteorite shower falls on Barwell, Leicestershire.

27 December – The British oil platform Sea Gem collapses in the North Sea, killing 13 of the 32 men on it.

30 December – President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia announces that Zambia and the United Kingdom have agreed to a deadline before which the Rhodesian white government should be ousted.

U.S. Events

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and more than 2,600 others arrested in Selma, Ala., during demonstrations against voter-registration rules (Feb. 1). Background: Civil Rights.

Malcolm X, black-nationalist leader, shot to death at Harlem rally (Feb. 21).

Blacks riot for six days in Watts section of Los Angeles: 34 dead, over 1,000 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested (Aug. 11-16).

1965: US orders 50,000 troops to Vietnam

President Johnson has commited a further 50,000 US troops to the conflict in Vietnam.

Monthly draft calls will increase from 17,000 to 35,000 – the highest level since the Korean War, when between 50,000 and 80,000 men were called up each month.

It will take the US force in Vietnam up to 125,000 but officials say at this stage demands should be met by conscription, without calling upon the reserves.

Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston.

During the Gemini 4 mission on June 3, 1965, Ed White became the first American to conduct a spacewalk.

1965 Swedish engineer Sten Gustav Thulin was issued U.S. patent No. 3,180,557 (assigned to Celloplast company) for the modern disposable plastic grocery bag.

1965 Astronaut John Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich aboard the first Gemini spacecraft flight.

1965 ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ premiered on CBS TV.

1965 Cool Whip, a whipped cream substitute, was introduced by General Foods. Within 3 months it is the top selling whipped topping product.

1965 Ellen Church died on Aug 22 (born Sept 22, 1904). The first airline stewardess.

1965 Canada adopted its new red & white flag with a red maple leaf in the center.

1965 The first Subway sandwich shop opens in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

1965 ‘Pepper’ Martin, baseball player died.

1965 Discovered that addition of vitamins C and E reduced levels of nitrosamines in fried bacon and nitrite-cured products; industry changed processing to minimize consumer exposure to cancer-causing nitrosamines.

1965 The entire cast of the comic strip ‘Peanuts’ was featured on the cover of TIME magazine.

1965 R. C. Duncan was granted a patent for ‘Pampers’ disposable diapers.

1965 Campbell Soup Company introduces Franco-American Spaghetti-O’s.

1965 Jimmy Chamberlain of the music group ‘The Smashing Pumpkins’ was born.

1965 The Rolling Stones recorded the frustrated diners lament, "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction."

1965 Norwood Fisher of the music group ‘Fishbone’ was born.

1965 Green Acres TV show debuted.

1965 Paul Hermann Muller died. A Swiss chemist who discovered that DDT was a potent insecticide. It was the most widely used insecticide for more than 20 years, and helped to increase food production around the world. Due mainly to its accumulation in animals that eat insects, and its toxic effects on them and those further up the food chain, it has been banned in the U.S. since 1972. However its residue is still found in some foods grown in the U.S. in 2005.

1965 The Pillsbury Doughboy, ‘Poppin’ Fresh,’ was born. He made his debut in a commercial for crescent rolls.

1965 At 5:15 pm on November 9, a 13 hour blackout of the northeastern U.S. and parts of Canada began when the electric grid failed.

1965 British author, W. Somerset Maugham died. Among the titles of his novels and short stories are: ‘Cakes and Ale’, ‘The Alien Corn’ and ‘The Breadwinner.’

1965 ‘Taste Of Honey’ by Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass hit #1 on the charts.

Almost 50 years ago, a small team at the Italian company Olivetti managed to do what no one had done before them; they created a computer small enough to fit on a desk, and could be used by regular people. It was the Programma 101, what many consider to be the world’s first personal computer.

To understand just how revolutionary the Programma 101 was when it was unveiled back in 1965, you first have to know what computers looked like at the time. Remember, this was almost 50 years ago. It was the era of huge mainframes, big as fridges, sometimes filling up entire rooms. Only a small elite had access to them.

1965 in British television

2 January – World of Sport premieres on ITV with Eamonn Andrews as its first presenter.

January – The BBC collaborates with Ireland’s RTÉ on an historic television broadcast as Irish Taoiseach Seán Lemass and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O’Neill meet for the first time in Belfast.

30 May – A televised tribute to the late British bandleader and impresario Jack Hylton called The Stars Shine for Jack is held in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

1 August – Cigarette adverts are banned from UK television. Pipe tobacco and cigar adverts continue until 1991.

6 August – The War Game, a drama-documentary by director Peter Watkins depicting the events of a fictional nuclear attack on the United Kingdom, is controversially pulled from its planned transmission in BBC1’s The Wednesday Play anthology strand. The BBC was pressured into this move by the British government, which did not want much of the play’s content to become public. It was eventually released to cinemas, and won the 1966 Academy Award for Documentary Feature. The BBC finally screened the play in 1985.

4 October – United! premieres on BBC1.

4 October – The BBC announces plans to introduce a new service for Asian immigrants starting the following week.

13 November – The word "fuck" is spoken for the first time on British television by the theatre critic Kenneth Tynan.

BBC 1

9 January – Not Only… But Also (1965–1970) 31 March – Going for a Song (1965–1977) 13 April – The Bed-Sit Girl (1965–1966) 7 July – Tomorrow’s World (1965–2003) 22 July – Till Death Us Do Part (1965–1975) 2 October – BBC-3 (1965–1966) 4 October – United! (1965–1967) 18 October – The Magic Roundabout (1965–1977) 19 October – The Newcomers (1965–1969) 13 December – Jackanory (1965–1996, 2006–present)

BBC2

24 March – The Airbase (1965) 17 October – Call My Bluff (1965–1988, 1994, 1996–2005)

ITV

2 January – World of Sport (1965–1985) 23 January – Public Eye (1965–1975) 30 September – Thunderbirds (1965–1966)

Posted by brizzle born and bred on 2017-10-01 09:07:50

Tagged: , memories of 1965 , 1965 , van

The post memories of 1965 appeared first on Good Info.

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                                                                                  MARCH    2018

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 *****The Stones win best trad blues album at the Grammy’s : Blue and Lonesome.  Keith says, “It’s about fucking time.”**The Stones are doing 11 more dates on the No Filter European tour. ** Keith Richards made news with his comments in the WSJ. “It’s time to snip. You can’t be a Father at that age. Those poor kids.”  He said about Mick Jagger. He could say the same about Ron Wood. He has since apologized.

*****UK parliament is debating the legalization of weed.

***** West Virginia teachers marched across the state and finally got a raise.

*****Kevin Smith, 47, had a heart attack on Feb. 26. Colin Quinn also had a heart attack on Valentines day. Get well soon.

*****Black Panther has 2 record setting weekends.

***** Three billboards were hijacked by street artist Sabo. They say: And the Oscar for biggest pedophile goes to…/ We all knew and still no arrests / name names on stage or shut the hell up. The artist previously altered a movie sign to make it seem like Al Franken was grabbing Zendaya.

***** The anti- defemation league reports that anit-semetic incidents are up in the US by 57%.

*****It looks like ABC is giving Alec Baldwin a talk show.

***** Celebs are jumping on board to stand with the kids in the March for our lives. Fallon and Goldberg will be there.

*****Michelle Obama’s memoir, BECOMING, will be here in November.

*****Studies show that so many animals found or turned in to find new homes are not given the 7 days that most people think. So many animals are simply euthanized immediately. Adopt if U can!

***** Daryl Hannah’s first full length directorial effort, Paradox is coming in March. The western stars Neil Young, , Willie, Micah and Lucas Nelson.

***** LA to Vegas on Fox is really so fun!!

***** Brad Pitt is joining the Tarantino/ DiCaprio movie that is in the works.

*****It is surprising that the department store Bergner’s has lasted as long as it has. It is the end of an era though that the Sheridan Village branch in Peoria, Il. will close its doors.  Bergner’s was founded in Peoria 130 years ago. The Sheridan Village branch opened more than 60 years ago. The parent company Bonton has had financial issues and is closing 7 stores.

*****Lebron James was speaking out as is his right and Laura Ingram told him on the air to “shut up and dribble.” The NBA star replied, “Laura who?” She wants him to go on her show. Why would he want to help her ratings? Why does Fox news believe in free speech for themselves but nobody else?

***** Jake Shears ,formerly of the Fab Scissor Sisters has gone solo and has also released a book, Boys keep swinging. Woo Hoo!! He is also playing Charlie Prince in Kinky Boots.

*****Indonesia is looking at outlawing sex before marriage.

*****Recent articles tell us that George Washington’s teeth were pulled from the heads of slaves.

*****Russia was behind the hacking in Korea during the Olympics.

*****The US was 4th at the Olympics with 23 gold medals.

***** The latest accused: Ryan Seacrest. ABC and E! are standing by him. Bellamy Young, for one wonders why he does not step down from his Oscar red carpet hosting duties. Seacrest has not mentioned any of this on his Live with Kelly show. I think the red carpet and Live would be better without him.

*****Do people get just how hard it is for sexual abuse victims to come forward?  Do we see the pattern of victims who are not believed or shut up by powerful agendas already in place? C’mon Congress, priests, teachers, police and everyone please speak up. The Nassar Olympic doctor had an unbelievable 265 victims. Open your hearts and your ears and show compassion. **Scary Clown tweets that lives are being destroyed and what happened to due process?  WTF?  You can’t have it both ways. What about the women who claimed you assaulted them? What about Al Franken and how he was pushed out?  ** And Sara H. Sanders and Kelly Ann Conway should be ashamed of themselves and the way they support these abusers. What about the grace of Sorenson and Porters alleged victims? These women had to be interviewed, disrupting their lives when these men wanted these WH positions. They told their truth but added that the men were good at their jobs. They tried to do right by men who they say abused them. It is unbelievable that our President discards them and sticks up for his buddies. As a woman we are used to this sort of behavior but it does seem time for this to end. ** Now even Trump’s celebrity spokespersons are having sex issues like Scott Baio. Why are these good old boys just allowed to go their merry way? **Brendon Fraser claims the former President of the Hollywood foreign press, Philip Berk, groped him in 2003. The’ me too’ movement gave him confidence to come forward.

*****The DOJ is cracking down on phone scammers who target the elderly. Now that is a worthy cause. I hope they get somewhere with this because this is a huge problem.

***** Olya Borisova and Sasha Sofeev of Pussy Riot have disappeared in Crimea.

*****Michelle Wolf will host the White House correspondent’s dinner.

***** Thanks for this reminder Mia : Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. ….. Shakespeare

*****James Comey tweeted: American history shows that in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.

*****Have Senators from Michigan and Wisconsin raised a red flag about abuse with voting machines? As Streisand reminds us, Gore ‘lost’ by 537 votes .  Paper ballots please!!!

*****Atlanta will be back on March 1.. Woo Hoo!!** Donald Glover got a standing ovation on Colbert. He so absolutely deserves it!! He also bought a lot of girl scout cookies.

***** Ellen DeGeneres surprised Jimmy Kimmel by dedicating a children’s hospital room to his son.

*****Poland has passed a bill that will give citizens up to 3 years in prison for accusing the Polish state or people of involvement in the Holocaust.

*****Netflix will bring us Amber Tamblyn in Paint it Black.**Ryan Murphy is moving to Netflix . FX and Fox will still bring us AHS, Feud, American Crime story and the new Pose about the transgender community in the 80’s.  Word is that Murphy was unsure about the Disney/20th Century Fox/ Comcast talks. ** Netflix cancelled Disjointed.

***** What I love about politics is the balance of power and how people who are completely different can use this beautiful government as it was set up by fairly coming to a compromise. It is not the first time but it has gone off the rails. This President pays no attention to rules. I am not always a big lover of rules but damn if we don’t need them for the running of this country. I mean he really, truly does not seem to give a fuck about this great country. ** VOTE!! The most important thing we can do is vote!  Funny or Die is giving a big push to sign up voters by going to the most important races and educating citizens.** Again, Paper Ballots please.. everyone should insist on paper ballots!

*****Mandy Patinkin got his star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

*****Zach Braff is in a new series called Alex Inc.

*****Aniston and Theroux have split.

*****Wes Anderson is back with Isle of Dogs.

*****Amy Schumer married chef Chris Fischer.

*****Another shooting and we must vote these fuckers out. Go Go Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut who called himself and his colleagues out. Some NRA lovin’ are trying not to trot out the same old tired line but with a twist, ”I won’t say it’s not time to talk about it but”  and then talks on about the emotion involved and the gun issue should be set aside. Some blame video games.  Others talk of metal detectors and arming teachers.  Apparently our kids should walk into fortresses. Teachers don’t have enough worries with teaching our children and figuring out how they can afford supplies.  Now they want educators to have firearm training.  This is better than a little gun regulation? The Parkland shooting took place about 40 miles from Mar A Lago. The shooter bought an AR 15 in the last year after Trump signed a bill revoking an Obama era gun check for people with mental illness.  The FBI did not look long and hard enough at complaints about the shooter. They get about a thousand tips a day. Police were called to his home at least 20 times. Scott Peterson, a deputy with a gun who was there to help prevent this did nothing. There is a lot of blame to go around.** This isn’t the first time that authority has dropped the ball. What is with all the incompetence? Patty Hearst’s name was on a list of people the SLA wanted to kidnap and nobody told her. Priests are simply moved around after they are found to be child molesters. Police who have been given warnings about racism and excessive force are left on the job. Domestic violence gets a slap on the wrist until they kill the family. Enough!!!**Big Kudos to the savvy kids who know what the fuck is going on. The young folk are not brainwashed, they want change.  They haven’t had as many years to get as angry as we are, but they are just scared.** The shooter has pictures of himself online with a MAGA hat on. Gee.. did not see that one coming.** One cannot help but think of the young people getting killed in Vietnam and the mistreatment of so many that caused students to mobilize against the war and organize for civil rights. I think the women’s march, Black lives matter, me too , impeachment rally’s and march for science have set good examples for these kids. They were paying attention but we did not do enough, we must stand with them.

*****March 24, 2018: The March for our lives! These savvy kids are taking action. They blitzed the Sunday morning circuit on the 18th with their message. They have had it with the same old shit. They want to march and with Generation Z, minorities, women and millennials we could change this country. They want comprehensive gun control and are using the words of politicians past to get their point across. ‘You are with us or against us ‘and ‘they have blood on their hands’ are just some of the lines they are using. These students do not care about republican or democrat, they care about results. Neither party has been doing them any favors lately. They plan to give out badges of shame to those who accept money from the NRA. Go Go GO!!** Another idea floated has been to stop sending kids to school until reasonable laws are put in place.** And I always wondered about this ratings system they have.  These politicians are proud to have an A+ rating? I mean who the fuck are they?

*****The NRA gave the kids a couple of days and then they came out swinging.  The NRA used a Parks and Rec GIF of Leslie Knope as they thanked Dana Loesch for being the voice of the NRA at the CNN town hall. Creator Mike Shur responded, “I would prefer you not use a GIF from the show I worked on to promote your pro slaughter agenda.” He added, Amy Poehler isn’t on twitter but she texted me a message, ‘Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said fuck off.’** Many companies have severed ties with the NRA.** Scary Clown won’t talk gun legislation. ** Hey Hey NRA: You can’t be the PTA!** Over a dozen different victims of the Florida shooting have received death threats. WTF?** An armed social studies teacher in Georgia fired off a shot after not allowing students into his classroom. He later surrendered.

***** Dick’s sporting goods are pulling assault weapons from their stores permanently. The owner says the law isn’t doing enough so he is taking the steps. Wal mart stopped selling them 3 years ago. Both have now decided to raise the age in the stores to 21. Wal Mart is taking out toys that resemble assault rifles.** On the last day of February Trump said: “Take the firearms first and then go to court- take the guns first, go through due process second.” Hmm!? So now Trump is calling out the NRA a bit. Lawmakers make it so obvious that they just did not want Obama to get any credit for helping with this problem. They claim the slippery slope but they knew he and other dems did not want to take anybody’s guns away. We all want common sense and either  they never listen to other view points or they just want all the credit. Take a look at yourselves. Will Trumps hard core base like this new no due process take and how long will that point of view last? It does seem that this time businesses and states are just going ahead with their own agenda.

*****The new face on Face the Nation is moderator Margaret Brennan.** Thanks for your spotlight on the mass homicide in Syria in your first broadcast as host.

*****The Polk award winners are Jodi Kantor, Megaze and Ronan Farrow.

*****While the world was talking about the shooting and the bravery of the children for speaking up and the new revelations of Russia, Fox news spends the day in remembering of Billy Graham. RIP

*****Wendy Williams is taking time off due to a diagnosis of Graves disease.

*****A recent billboard: When will they love their kids more than their guns?

*****This whole ‘memo’ bullshit is bogus yet so dangerous. After the Dem memo, Trump tweeted a denial of phone calls.

*****Let us thank the conservatives for first funding this Russian dossier. ** Now we are hearing about a Playboy playmate that Scary Clown allegedly had a 9 month affair with. ** And hey.. Didn’t the signature red tie thing belong to Dangerfield? Stop it Trump!!

*****The Paramount network has brought us the great mini series: WACO with Michael Shannon and Rory Culkin. The biggest revelation: J. Edgar Hoover was on the Mickey Mouse Club.

*****Jedediah Bila married Jeremy Scher.

*****The 4 hour HBO doc, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling will grace us on March 26.

*****The 5th season of Arrested Development is completed for Netflix. David Cross said in an interview that the cast stands behind Jeffrey Tambor after his firing from Amazon. Arrested will be out later in the year.

****Missouri Governor Eric Greitens was indicted for felony invasion of privacy.

*****Heather Locklear was arrested for domestic violence and battery on a police officer on Feb. 25.

*****Trevor Noah’s ‘ Born A Crime will be adapted to film and will star Lupita Nyong’o.

*****The BAFTA’s were handed out. Much love was given to Three billboards outside Ebbing, Mo. For film and also to Frances McDormand , Martin McDonagh for original screenplay and Sam Rockwell. Adapted screenplay went to James Ivory, it was so good to see him honored again. Gary Oldman and Guillermo del Toro also won.

*****Snoop Dogg has a new gospel album.

*****The talk show of Harry Connick Jr. is winding down.

*****Check out This is not happening with Roy Wood Jr. I am in when he is involved. It is a sort of tell all with stand ups. The amount of liquor bottles behind them in the bar is straight out of Bob and Ringo’s (refer to Grandview USA).

*****Hulu is giving us Castle Rock with …hell yea.. Sissy Spacek.

***** Somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child.. Lyndon Johnson

*****After the Rob Porter mess Priebus and other flunkies were on the Sunday shows. The kiss ass idiots said a lot of’ I don’t knows’ and ‘from my point of views’.  Why were they even on when they have no info?  We heard a lot of, ‘I’d never heard of that’ and ‘I didn’t know who he was.’  These selfish, stupid men tripping over their words who seem so afraid of Trump. White men at the top of the food chain and they are not happy with that. They are bitter and mean. Men put in prominent positions who know nothing.. well done WH. I ask again, what does he have on these people?** But why was Porter and at least a hundred others still working with sensitive material without clearance? ** David Axelrod made a good point saying, “Everyone thought John Kelly would rub off on Trump but Trump has rubbed off on Kelly.”  Or perhaps he mused, that we are finding out who these people really are. ** It seems they all think they are so smart and they are the first to ever be in the WH. There are others who know how this all works and it is good they call them on it, even though it isn’t nearly often enough.** Chris Wray contradicts the WH on the timeline of the Rob Porter investigation. The FBI tells us that their work was completed in July and new info was sent in January which closed things down. The President can clear anyone he wants so he can disregard that info. The WH keeps telling us this is all normal but other administrations disagree. The Obama team did top assistance clearance 6 months in advance. ** Jared Kushner was stripped of his high level security clearance. About 3 dozen others are in jeopardy as well.

*****Hope Hicks is out!** Josh Raffel is out!

*****Melania’s parents have just become US citizens, part of the migration plan that Trump wants to kill.** Melania made a nice speech in the East room of the WH on the 26th. Why is there nothing in the news feed about that? OK it is funny that she wants to stop the negative social media with what we see from the hubby on a daily basis. But she did address the opiod crisis and encouraged the kids from the school shooting to speak up. Well done!

*****Jessica Ford has made yet another attempt to gain access to the White House. She was charged with possession of a gun which I guess they don’t like? She sure wants to make herself known in Washington.

*****The children who were rescued from the notoriously evil parents recently were each given a guitar from Fender.

*****A judge has sided with John Oliver and HBO after they were sued by Robert Murray. Murray, a coal exec was told by the West Virginia state court that the humorous jabs were satire and the other statements were based on judicial opinion and government reports.

*****Red Fawn Farris took a plea deal from charges related to Standing Rock. She pled guilty to civil disorder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sentencing will sometime after April.

*****I wonder if any journalists are trying to get interviews with the first lady? I would like to hear what she has to say.

***** Steve Martin and Martin Short: An evening you will forget for the rest of your life is coming to Netflix. Their tour continues and this night was taped in South Carolina.

***** The WH revolving door continues: Rob Porter out.. Rachel Brand out.. David Sorenson out..

***** Word is spreading that law enforcement is identifying some citizens as ‘black identity extremists’ which gives police license to monitor protestors. Just when the public calls out harsh treatment, they find another way in.

*****Can we all promise to never use the phrase ‘nothing burger’ ever again?

*****Putin is reportedly so happy with all the mess he has caused in this country.  With no sanctions being imposed, Turkey and China are now getting in the ‘fuck with the US elections’ game.** 13 Russians have been indicted and no Americans , so far, were involved. The operatives were supposed to do anything they could to hurt Hillary. It shows you how scared Russia was of her. So far, it looks like Trump campaigners helped unwittingly. ** Russia is now putting pro gun messages out there to add chaos to the Florida shooting.** Dozens of Russians were at the National prayer breakfast. Really? We need a unified Russian strategy. The elections are closer every day.  Trump just keeps acting like a cult leader and making it all about him. Children are dead and he just keeps tweeting his ‘innocence’ in the Russian investigation. ** The History channel is taking on Putin with a new special, America’s biggest threat: Vladimir Putin**Alex Van Der Zwann, a lawyer who was part of a Ukranian ministry has been indicted for false statements to the FBI.**Top Trump aide Rick Gates has pled guilty to secret foreign lobbying, lying to the FBI and helping Manafort cheat on his taxes. It seems he  committed another crime as he was making the deal!** Admiral Mike Rogers says they are not doing enough to stop the sustained aggression of Russia and he does not know why. Scary Clown says he is weighing several options.

*****No wonder so many put up with the way the WH tries to ‘handle’ us.  Fox , the NRA and much of the conservative movement has been grooming us for generations. They aren’t all as honorable as John McCain. Many churches spoon feed their congregations what they want them to believe, how they want them to vote. The term’ fake news’ fits right in with all this.  Stand up and investigate on your own, don’t just BELIEVE anyone!

*****Just when I start to get used to Meghan McCain, she is on camera rolling her eyes at the raw emotion of the kids and parents in the town hall meeting. ** The rumor is that Joy and Meghan fight a lot behind the scenes. I am not there but I think they probably get it out onstage. What is it about some conservatives that they seem to have such a problem with peace, love and compromise?

***** A complaint from whistleblower Helen Foster says that Cindy Carson, Ben’s wife pressured officials for big money to redecorate. $31,000 of taxpayer money was spent on a dining room set for Ben’s office. Federal law requires congressional approval to furnish or redecorate if costs exceed 5 thousand bucks. When Foster refused to comply she was demoted and transferred. The Department of housing and urban development has cut money for the homeless, the elderly and the poor.

*****Thank goodness for the Carl Reiners and the Ian Stewarts of the world who brought us wonderful art. They put their egos in check and approached things different than they had originally intended. The world needs more of this.

*****Wal Mart is really such a terrible place. I am much happier since I no longer give them money. I should have listened to my friends and done it a long time ago. Sometimes it has to hit me right in the face for me to see it.

***** One has to wonder if Rosenstein et al like it when Trumps doings shines a spotlight on them.

*****Andy Richter came thru his knee surgery ok.

*****So happy for The Philadelphia Eagles but what the fuck is the matter with those fans?  With celebrations like that and all the injuries, it might be good to see the end of football that has been  predicted.** It did seem a strange choice to me to have Justin Timberlake sing. Why not some diversity? Some other kinds of music genres? I mean.. boring!!

*****The Dow had its biggest 1 day drop ever. People have started to worry about inflation.

*****Jim Carrey is urging others to do dump Facebook stock and delete accounts. He called the Trump presidency a botched Russian black op.

*****Check out the committee to investigate Russia online.  Rob Reiner is on the advisory board talking to John Brennan and James Clapper.

***** Bastille day? Really? Our dictator wants a North Korean military style parade? Is he fucking kidding? How many homeless vets could be helped with the millions it would take to give him this parade?

*****A new HBO doc, Elvis Presley: The Searcher is coming. Director Thorn Zimmy had complete access to Graceland archives.  The score is from Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and includes some deep cuts and alternate mixes.

*****Tribeca’s opening night will premiere a Gilda Radner doc: Love, Gilda.

*****Lenny Dykstra, a former buddy of Charlie sheen claims that Sheen is about to be brought down by the Feds. A Former inmate and Mets and Phillies team member, Dykstra is looking to make a documentary so some see an ulterior motive in talking. The charges he leveled were Sheens involvement in a murder, beating his pregnant x-wife, tax and wire fraud and knowingly spreading HIV. Lenny himself has been accused of being a racist and homophobe as well as indecent exposure, sexual assault and grand theft auto.

*****CNN’s The Radical story of patty Hearst is great. This is a story which will never go away and this is full of all the flashpoints. I am a bit sickened to listen to Bill Harris tell his story. He acts like he telling some cool story from a high school party or something as he tells of his role in the kidnapping and brainwashing of a woman. He looks so comfy and satisfied with himself.

*****Sam Waterston was back on law and Order SVU as Jack McCoy!!

*****Gerber chose Lucas Warren, the first down syndrome child ever picked as their spokesbaby.

*****Why was a tiny little company hired by FEMA to deliver meals? The 50 million needed  in Peurto Rico were suddenly reduced to 50 thousand. They claimed nobody missed a meal.

*****It may have started in Florida with the Marlins but in baseball spring training all the teams will wear Stoneman Douglas caps. Some of the major leaguers graduated from there. They will sign them and sell them to aid the victims.

*****So Jeff Sessions has taken back Obama’s memo that allows Native American nations all the same rights as legal Marijuana states to go into the weed biz. They are shutting them down one by one. The state of California is no help by locking tribes out of the market. How many times do you think this country has to kick our native brothers and sisters in the head? How much longer will we torture these people?

*****Kathy Griffin has done the pixie cut in support of her sister who died of cancer in September. Kathy says: “When you’re a woman, you get one fuck up and Its all over.”

*****The Berlin International film fest gave the top prize, the golden bear to Touch Me Not. Best director went to Wes Anderson for Isle of Dogs, best actor went to Anthony Bajon and best actress to Ana Brun.

*****Days alert: Ok.. Days, I do wish all soaps could be a bit more original than one night stands that produce babies and then the origin of said baby is hidden. I wish people did not always come back from the dead or good characters didn’t suddenly act evil when they could have told family and friends they were being blackmailed and got their help. OK that said and suspending disbelief we watch Days anyway cuz it is great. Anna is back and I hope they keep her around. I am so glad Eric and Jen found each other again. Please someone kill Stefan. MORE LUCAS! Let’s get the Raif/Hope/ Sami thing resolved so they can move on. When did Kerry get so hateful? And Eli should apologize to his Mother since he is going to lie to his child and for much lamer reasons than she did.** Where the fuck is Adrienne?** Nice call back as Stefan was reading the Kimberly Brady Donovan book about split personalities.

*****R.I.P. Dennis Edwards, Louis Zorich, Christopher Cattrall, John Mahoney, victims of the Taiwan quake, victims of the Florida shooting,  Reg E. Cathey, Johann Johannsson,  Asma Jahangir, Sue Barton, Levone Bennett Jr., Jim Downing, Nanette Fabray, the victims in Syria, Sridevi, Emma Chambers and Benjamin Melniker.

[1dhomeroom]

Harry Styles didn’t just become a rock star – he always was one

Let’s stop pretending that boy bands and rock bands are direct opposites.

Harry Styles has undergone a radical transformation. Say goodbye to the manufactured, sweet-cheeked pop baby of yore, and say hello to the authentic rock star of tomorrow. This is the narrative the vast majority of coverage of his debut, self-titled album (released today) will offer you.

The New York Post led with how “Harry Styles went from teeny-bop to classic rock”, after “years of being cooped up in the cage of One Direction”, leading to a shift in “the teen-girl hysteria” that followed 1D “like a screeching shadow.” The Daily Mail quipped that he has moved “in a very different direction”, while Metro agreed the album is “a definite departure from his One Direction days.”

“One Direction’s fans have grown up” NME wrote, and “Harry’s music has too.” Buzzfeed announced that “Harry Styles Isn’t Following The Pop Star Playbook”, while Stereogum headlined their review “Harry Styles, Prince Of Pop, Takes A Stab At Rock Stardom”, opening with “Here’s a sign of the times for you: The most famous member of the world’s leading boy band is trying to become a rock star”. The Telegraph’s review found the departure so stark that it offered the following intensely patronising speculation: “It is so old-fashioned it may actually come across as something new to its target audience. After all, most One Direction fans wouldn’t even have been twinkles in their parents’ eyes when this kind of ragged confection was all the rage.” Because, tragically, society has still not discovered a way to make music from the past available to modern ears.

Of course, there is some truth in the observation that this is not a One Direction album. More relaxed, dishevelled and playful than any One Direction product, Styles experiments with a diverse range of influences on this debut, and lyrically, you can absolutely tell that these are the most sincere words of a 23-year-old, not an experienced adult songwriter trying to get inside the brain of a teenager.

But fans of the band will see this album as a natural next step for Styles after One Direction’s increasingly classic rock-influenced songs. After their first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, the band began to become more guitar-heavy and nostalgic: established publications were outraged that Midnight Memories’ lead single “Best Song Ever” dared to reference The Who, while the bands final two albums – Four and Made in the AM, are packed with varied rock references, particularly songs on which Styles has a writing credit, even if more traditional music press insisted the albums remained “bubble-gum”.

Harry even chose to play one of these One Direction tracks on his Today appearance this week, Four’s “Stockholm Syndrome”, which takes the experience of being taken hostage as its central (potentially problematic) conceit. It’s a favourite amongst fans who never thought they’d devote themselves so sincerely to a boy band – “Baby, look what you’ve done to me.” It sounded complimentary to the songs he played from the new album “Carolina”, “Sign of the Times” and “Ever Since New York”. For me, “Sweet Creature”, the second single from Styles’s debut, is a natural extension of One Direction’s “I Want To Write You a Song” and tracks co-written by Styles, “If I Could Fly” and “Walking in the Wind”.

In terms of music, then, Harry hasn’t made as radical a departure as many suggest – so why is the predominant narrative still one of an aspiring rock artist desperately hoping to shake off his pop past? Certainly, he’s long looked like a rock star – always the most androgynous and bohemian of his bandmates, experimenting with floral suits, women’s jeans and heeled boots. Pictures of the four boys together sometimes seemed as though they were taken in an alternative universe where Marc Bolan had accidentally stumbled accross Take That on the red carpet. He single-handedly brought back the pussy-bow, for God’s sake. He’s always had the charisma of a rock star, the mystery, the mischievousness, and the style of a rock star.

Styles is, in fact, very much the traditional rock star – his very appeal may be due to the fact that he is the most traditional one we’ve had in years. Like McCartney, John Lennon, David Bowie, Jagger, Marc Bolan, or Kurt Cobain, Styles is creative, interested in fashion, androgynous, boyish and followed around the world by a stream of enthusiastic fans, who are mostly young women. Like boy bands past and present, the rock canon is littered with pretty boys with ambiguous sexualities engaging in over the top homosocial bonding on stage – Harry could not tick these boxes more enthusiastically. Harry Styles didn’t just become a rock star overnight – he always was one.

The boy band is still often seen as the antithesis of the rock band, despite their many cultural similarities in terms of audience and marketing. In fact, bands like The 1975 and Blossoms are exploiting those overlaps by positioning themselves somewhere between boy band and rock group. But the boy band remains dismissed and derided while rock groups are mythologised and worshipped as art.

One person who seems less interested in this particular narrative is Styles himself. In his Rolling Stone interview, Styles said of One Direction, “I love the band, and would never rule out anything in the future. The band changed my life, gave me everything.” He went on to celebrate the young women who have supported his career. “Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it?”

In a small cinema in Notting Hill last night, Styles hosted an intimate screening of a new documentary, Harry Styles: Behind The Album, for a group of fans from One Direction’s golden age. After introducing it, he stayed to watch from the side-lines. The hour-long film is a striking look at the last year or so of Styles’s life, including clips of him drinking and swimming in Jamaica, lounging around in Hawaiian shirts snoozing in the ocean on a surfboard; shots of his much-discussed haircut of 2016; an impressive Bob Dylan impression; and several minutes devoted to Styles’s bromance with his guitarist Mitch Rowland, with clips of them flirting and exchanging guitars and declarations of love. (The album’s executive producer, Jeff Bhasker, told the New York Post of Rowland, “He’s kind of like the Keith Richards to Harry’s Mick Jagger. That type of dynamic between the lead guitar player and the singer needs to exist for the type of music Harry wants to do.”)

About 15 minutes in to the documentary, we cut to black and white clips of One Direction playing their biggest stadium shows, while Harry reflects on the strangeness of the narrative being imposed upon him. “When you leave a band – a boy band – you feel like you have to go in a completely different direction, and say, ‘Don’t worry everyone, I hated it, it wasn’t me.’”

He pauses and smiles.

“I loved it.”

Cheers erupted from the fans in the row in front of me.

“And I don’t feel like I have to apologise for that. I never felt like I was faking it.”

Perhaps the main thing that separates Styles from some of his rock counterparts is his enormous respect for pop music, young women, and the extraordinary dynamic that can emerge between an artist and their fans. Whether this is a calculated fan-servicing move or not – it’s one that critics should aspire to.

“The thing with the band,” Harry continues in the documentary, “was that it went so well, from the start, that it almost felt like everything had to get a little bigger each time. I think at some point it’s quite stressful. There’s only so high you can go, at some point you’re not going to make that expectation. Going out on a high and now feeling like I’m starting afresh, I came to terms with the fact that that was so great, and if I never get to do that on that level again, that’s okay.”

Styles has confronted the fact that the sweaty combination of youth, beauty, hype, and sheer devotion that propelled him and his bandmates to ridiculous levels of fame is unsustainable. To keep moving forward, he knows they had to change. But changing, for Styles, isn’t a simply clean break. And it doesn’t involve discarding, rebranding or disowning the people who helped him get where he is.

Harry Styles is out now. Harry Styles: Behind The Album is out on Monday on Apple Music.

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2017/05/harry-styles-solo-one-direction-rock-pop-boyband

"I loved it." ... past tense