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olderthannetfic · 2 years ago

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Since you seem to be litigating rpf right now and since you’ve been around awhile, I wanted to ask you about how it’s evolved, if you haven’t already talked about that? I’ve been in fandom for maybe 15ish years, and I remember reading a lot of rpf back then (when rps seemed like more common terminology), and I feel like there were more defined lines between fans and the real people they wrote about. A lot of “if you got here by googling yourself, go back” disclaimers vs the current culture where some fans seem to show the people or ask them about fic and art and other fan works. It’s like there was a culture of secrecy before where there was less of a desire for the fanworks to ever reach their subjects, rpf or otherwise. I think most rpf writers/creators still feel that way, but I see so many awkward interview panels where actors/etc are being asked about fanfic. Is this in my head, or is the shift real?

Heh. Well, I was never a fan of any boy bands or the like until bitten by the BTS bug. I didn't even know who BSB and NSYNC were at the height of their popularity. So I did not always have a front-row seat to RPF evolution, but as far as I know, it went something like this in English-speaking spaces:

Prehistory: 1960s magazines were full of "Your night on a date with [member of the Monkees]" type stories. Music RPF was floating around in various forms for a long, long time, though the m/m band member/band member stuff tended to be extremely locked down, often with the names replaced.

From Eroica with Love shows how horny everybody was for Led Zeppelin back then. I can only presume there were doujinshi of the members in Japanese, but I'm not really familiar with what was going on over there.

Idols & Visual Kei: English-speaking fandom of Asian groups was into RPF by the early 00s and perhaps before. I was tangentially aware of this stuff from being in anime fandom but wasn't interested because I wasn't into most of the music itself. (Also, this was the era of limewire computer viruses or paying like $60 to get a Japanese album legally in the US.)

Johnny's Entertainment fandom is what I associate with this, circa 2001. On the visual kei side, people were shipping Malice Mizer around then.

Godawful 2003 vampire movie Moon Child, starring Gackt (of Malice Mizer and solo fame) and Hyde of L'Arc~en~Ciel (yes, with a fucking tilde) did make people ship their characters but certainly did not dissuade people from shipping the guys themselves.

Popslash - Ye olde slash fandom converts: On the very, very Western side of things, all of the oldschool slashers started catching the RPF bug for "popslash" in the late 90s/early 00s. Prior to this, RPF was a HARD NO for much of this crowd and continued to be seen as a dirty secret. This umbrella term was intended for specifically BSB, NSYNC, and a few other pop stars, not just fic of any pop act. I don't know if people were calling it "RPS". I think they were just calling it "popslash", but I wasn't on the mailing lists and things. This was a pre-LJ era with that older infrastructure.

LOTR - Ye olde slash fandom converts again: Those that didn't get sucked in by popslash fell to LotRiPS when the Lord of the Rings movies came out in the early 00s. RPS was still seen as a shocking dirty secret before the advent of this fandom. Afterwards... people still hated it, but they'd realized there was no way to fully keep it out of their spaces. This also coincided with the move from the bajillions of LOTR (non RPF) archives with picky rules and mailing lists ruled with an iron fist to LJ with people's personal blogs full of their ungovernable wrong opinions and terrible taste in fandoms on display for all the world to see.

There was so much structured behind the scenes material for the LOTR movies that it formed a kind of canon of its own along with the press tours, and the actors were cuddly with each other. I don't think this is easy to understand now. Even the Hobbit movies didn't have this vibe, and there's so much more behind the scenes info and so many more youtube clips for everything now that the effect is much diminished. At the time, LOTR felt like a new era in sff franchise media.

There was tons of any two gu... um... somewhat generic hot porn, so even if you didn't care much for RPF, it became an attractive fandom. At this point, people were calling it "RPS", not "RPF", despite there being some femslash and het in the same spaces as all the Viggo/Orlando. The domlijah tinhats were notorious and did go bother the actors, I think?

The height of this fandom coincided with the height of cringey photomanips and "Why are their necks broken?" art with actors' faces on it. Fanartist The Theban Band was well known, though more for FPF than RPF. It's just that when you use the actual actors' faces, things tend to get conflated. Now, whether people started bothering most of the actors at the time in the early 00s, I don't know. Fanlore suggests that misuse of The Theban Band's art was already well underway in 2004. It's also often this stuff that Graham Norton bothers actors with years later.

It's not so much that fandom or RPF fandom changed at this point as that new people were into RPF who hadn't been before and much more importantly, the internet was changing. The level of access to actors and the level of awareness of online fandoms was changing radically around here. It changed again with Twitter and so forth, but this was still a major point in internet history.

Rockfic: "Rockfic" as seen on the Rockfic archive got started at some point. They meant Metallica, Bon Jovi, etc. I mostly know about them because there was beef between them and some of the popslash and bandom people around the time OTW was starting. (Popslash and bandom but not rockfic communities being well represented among OTW founders.)

Bandom: "Bandom" is another umbrella term with a general sound but a specific meaning. It was used for Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, and associated bands. This RPF fandom got big on LJ at the height of LJ fandom. It sucked in plenty of Western fandoms types who hadn't been into RPF before.

At the time, some of these bands and their associates weren't that famous, and they had personal Livejournals. It was not unusual for people peripherally involved with the actual people to be in the same spaces as the RPF. This was very much not appreciated by a lot of the fic authors. Band reactions seem to have varied between "yuck" and "Why doesn't anyone ship MEEEE? Don't you think I'M hot???" and other jokey lack of boundaries stuff.

A lot of the "Go away, X" disclaimers that sound like jokes are from this era and are due to some of these people actively going looking for the lulz.

Hockey - The final nail in the coffin for ye olde slash fandom: If the Popslash and LotRiPS waves didn't get people, Hockey did. After SGA, all the big slash writers that people follow from fandom to fandom seemed to be going to Hockey RPF.

Asianfanfics.com: Meanwhile, on the Asian media side of things, sites like Asianfanfics have been going strong for ages and are full of kpop rpf and the like.

Wattpad: Wattpad was the home of not only the Larries but of soooo much more Mary Sue/1D guy, and now Mary Sue/Jungkook.

How the boundaries are really depends on the era and the fandom.

The Rockfic archive used to make you pay a buck to sign up or something. It was extremely locked down, from what I remember, as you'd expect from a very old community writing m/m about macho bands.

The hockey people don't tend to be all up in players' faces because the players were mega, mega, mega famous long before the RPF fandom got big and because half the fandom doesn't even like sports: they're just there for the m/m AUs.

The Wattpad fandoms are a toxic hive of no boundaries and 13-year-olds posting their porn and too much personal info, but with fandoms as big as 1D or BTS, you can figure that plenty of individual people behave themselves.

Asking actors about fic in panels has become more common over the years, I think, though people have also learned to head it off better. I wouldn't say this is a RPF-specific phenomenon though.

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theartistknownaslymond · 2 years ago

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Oh and cursed playlist concept. What kind of music does Gabriel put on at the ashram (Pune or Nevada) to decompress from intense group therapy… (from research I’d say overarching - general vibes: happy, maybe danceable; lyrics: English or Hindi probably :P)

aka the desire to be subtle vs the desire to be funny: FIGHT

A Purely Spiritual Love

A band AU playlist for running away from the world aged nineteen and accidentally falling for your cult leader. Or just for chillin' post dynamic meditation, that's cool too.

Nazia Hassan - Aao Naa

ABBA - Me & I

Asha Bhosle - Dum Maro Dum (pt. 2)

The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star

Asha Bhosle - Koi Shahri Babu (pt. 1)

The Monkees - I'm a Believer

Kishore Kumar - Ye Jawani Hai Diwani

Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime

Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar - Jai Jai Shiv Shankar

Carly Simon - You're So Vain

Kalyanji-Anandji - Dharmatma Theme (pt. 1 - instrumental)

The Human League - Don't You Want Me

Nazia and Zoheb Hassan - Dosti

Don McLean - American Pie

Lata Mangeshkar - Bangle Ke Peechhe

The Beach Boys - Sloop John B

Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor & Shailendra Singh - Amar Akbar Anthony

The Beatles - All You Need is Love

Usual deal: explanation below the cut. Album cover featuring Joel Kinnaman's chin.

Caveat and apologies that I don't always have a very detailed explanation for why all the Hindi songs are on here because for some I just couldn't find English lyrics/descriptions of the film they're from, they're just here because they're bops. Caveat and apologies that the English songs are really NOT subtle and I had way too much fun picking them.

Nazia Hassan - Aao Naa Not Hindi, but also no great explanation beyond: what a CRACKING album opener!! Jerott's probably got the cassette and has playlist privileges at Nevada.

ABBA - Me & I Frankly ALL of Super Trouper is on the ashram playlist. The Winner Takes It All? GRM approves! But for supreme trolling-through-playlist purposes, get boogie-ing to this disco track about psychoanalysis: Sometimes I have toyed With ideas that I got from good old Dr. Freud Nothing new of course It may seem to you I try to break through open doors Oh no, oh no I just wanna say a lot of that applies to me 'Cause it's an explanation to my split identity 3) Asha Bhosle - Dum Maro Dum (pt. 2) This was an epic hit, from the film Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971) which involves, ooh, international bigamy, cults, selling off artifacts to rich Westerners, suicide, hippies beating people up, and all sorts of things that people suspicious of Rajneesh's movement would recognise as threats. I think it would tickle Graham Reid Malett to have people dancing to the big song from a film warning about the dangers of his type. 4) The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star Cheesy, a bit sad, a bit sinister even, but everyone can dance along and everyone knows it. 5) Asha Bhosle - Koi Shahri Babu (pt. 1) I'll be honest and say that Bollywood thriller plots are somewhat impenetrable when reduced to short Wikipedia summaries, but this is from Loafer (1973) which seems to be about love across rival gangs and spying on one another. The song is about falling coyly for a guy who gives you a gift. And Asha is the queen, so we put as much Asha on the playlist as we need to. 6) The Monkees - I'm a Believer :))) be happy! Your dynamic meditation has finished and you have taken another step towards enlightenment/entrapment by Graham Reid Malett. 7) Kishore Kumar - Ye Jawani Hai Diwani No explanation, couldn't find the lyrics anywhere BUT what a tune!! Kishore and R.D. Burman, more icons. The film it's from (Jawani Diwani, 1972) has people leaving/becoming estranged from their families for love and intergenerational repeats of that so. A bit of a Jerott vibe. 8) Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime People from well-to-do background suddenly asking themselves 'how did I get here?' and packing it all in to give their money to the ashram…? 9) Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar - Jai Jai Shiv Shankar Laughter therapy, praising Shiva (god of meditation, among other things, Rajneesh discoursed on him a lot). And from a film (Aap Ki Kasam, 1974) where paranoia and possessiveness ruins relationships. 10) Carly Simon - You're So Vain Do I think I'm funny? Yes. Yes I do. It's about the death of the ego babe, let go of yourself! But genuinely, you could sway along and dance to this when you were exhausted from meditation! And when Carly Simon finally tells us who (else) it was about you mark my words, Graham Reid Malett will be on the list :P You had me several years ago When I was still quite naive Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair And that you would never leave But you gave away the things you loved And one of them was me 11) Kalyanji-Anandji - Dharmatma Theme (pt. 1 - instrumental) The film (Dharmatma, 1975) is apparently based on the Godfather but set in Afghanistan. So absolutely the kind of thing that would appeal to teenage Jerott, who never knew his grandparents who spent time around the (then) India-Afghanistan border. Plus teenage boys love gangster stories. Plus Jerott doesn't realise the similarities between the ashram set up and that of a mob. 12) The Human League - Don't You Want Me A man who feels entitled to another person because he plucked from obscurity and 'made something of them'? Remind you of anyone? I picked you out, I shook you up and turned you around Turned you into someone new Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet Success has been so easy for you But don't forget, it's me who put you where you are now And I can put you back down too I feel like the background story to this song's release is also relevant: the band hated it and thought it was a filler track and didn't want to release it as a single, the record company forced them to, and it was a huge success. Reminiscent of Francis and GRM's interactions in PiF. 13) Nazia and Zoheb Hassan - Dosti Just another of Jerott's cassettes with good Pakistani disco pop on it! :') 14) Don McLean - American Pie It's just….it's such a GRM/Jerott kind of vibe? The disappointment, grief and sense of loss for something you never quite had, the crushing of hope, the nostalgia for something half-remembered as life-changing, but all sounding so beautiful and dreamy and it kind of cheers everyone up to be able to sing along? The idea of the American Dream as an ideal that can never be lived up to as well, kind of like what Jerott is hoping to find from the ashram vs what he gets. Oh, and there we were, all in one place A generation lost in space With no time left to start again So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 'Cause fire is the devil's only friend Oh, and as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in hell Could break that Satan's spell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight The day the music died 15) Lata Mangeshkar - Bangle Ke Peechhe Another I couldn't find the lyrics for, but it's R.D. Burman again and was a massive hit. It's from Samadhi (1972). 16) The Beach Boys - Sloop John B Another one that kind of sounds cheery until you listen to the lyrics when it's actually really miserable! Jerott are you ok? The first mate, he got drunk And broke in the captain's trunk The constable had to come and take him away Sheriff John Stone Why don't you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah Well, I feel so broke up I wanna go home 17) Kishore Jumar, Mahendra Kapoor & Shailendra Singh - Amar Akbar Anthony From a 'masala' film of the same title, about three brothers separated and raised as Hindu/Muslim/Christian, so I figure a good ashram vibe for bringing people together in a synthesis of teachings… Also look out Francis. Look out Jerott. <Two are better than one Three are better than two The bride and the groom are not together There's music but not a wedding procession The bride and the groom are not together There's music but not a wedding procession There's nothing to fear This is a night of union and not of sadness Smile my friends, why do you have such a crying face Smile my friends, why do you have such a crying face When the three of us get together in one place> 18) The Beatles - All You Need is Love Can't have a playlist about a rich white guy exploiting an already exploitative Indian cult to make himself powerful without putting some Beatles on it, right? Sure Graham, 'love'. There's nothing you can do that can't be done Nothing you can sing that can't be sung Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game It's easy Nothing you can make that can't be made No one you can save that can't be saved Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time It's easy

#playlists: period appropriate #(i've made a mess of the tags sometime because i always forget how to spell his name)#character: jerott blyth #setting: ashram #setting: nevada #setting: pune ashram #pink people #setting: 1980s #character: graham reid malett

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clexa--warrior · 4 years ago

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There’s a new group of villains on Fear The Walking Dead.

Well not entirely new. These are the same people who’ve been scrawling “The end is the beginning” everywhere. The same people with the submarine who are looking for Morgan who took the Magical Key from the bounty hunter way back at the beginning of Season 6.

I admit, I’m just kind of tired at this point. Tired of all the bullshit and bad writing and the tedious characters and the predictable stories. Tired of the parade of mediocre villains. Bone weary. And yet here I am, still reviewing this damn show.

Let’s take a little walk down memory lane, shall we?

TV’s Greatest Villains

At the beginning of Season 5, after the Most Horrible Villain Of Any Walking Dead Show was taken care of at long last, we got a new group of bad guys who . . . just wanted their warehouse back? And directions to an oil refinery?

Truly, these were now The Most Horrible Villains Of Any Walking Dead Show Ever.

Logan (played by a woefully underutilized Matt Frewer) was the head honcho of these bad apples and he fooled Morgan’s group into flying a plane they didn’t know how to fly far, far away to help some strangers in another part of the vast continent of Texas. Then he . . . moved back into his warehouse! The bastard.

After half a season of trying to fix the plane so they could fly back across the Pacific Ocean (which we all know separates the two halves of Texas) Logan tries to pretend like he’s a decent guy and fools the Morganites into showing him where the oil refinery is. Dastardly Logan! Then, just when Morgan and Logan decide that their names are similar enough that they might as well be friends, the Rangers show up!

They show up on horses with rifles and expertly kill Logan and every single member of his crew but for reasons (reasons!) they spare Morgan and the Morganites. It turns out that Logan was working for the evil witch queen of Lawton, Virginia—Truly The Most Horrible Villain Of Any Walking Dead Show Ever (Seriously). She is so evil that she kills the people working for her, who helped lead her to the oil refinery, and spared some people she didn’t know who weren’t loyal to her at all for reasons.

Yes, you heard me. Reasons! You don’t get to know the reasons. That’s not how scripts work. Scripts are supposed to be confusing, opaque and riddled with plot holes and inexplicable character choices.

Anyways, Virginia and the Rangers with their horses and their cowboy hats and their idyllic Texas aesthetic become the new Big Bads sometime in the second half of Season 5. Morgan and Friends make a PSA documentary to make sure anyone wandering from gas station to gas station is able to know who to call (GHOSTBUSTERS!) if they’re in trouble (which, like, yeah it’s a zombie apocalypse) because Morgan really wants to make up for all the bad things he’s done and so do all his friends.

Virginia is very mean, though, and so she makes a PSA, too, and that pisses Morgan off so bad that he takes his people far, far away to an abandoned Western-themed park-town filled with zombies and they make another PSA on the way that’s even more amazing and magical but a dude dies making it, marking the Best Walking Dead Death of All Time in the process. Seriously a dude decides it’s so important to film a selfie shot for the PSA that he dies when a bridge that’s collapsing surprisingly collapses! And then everyone is very sad!

Then, uh, after a spell at the new town that has no resources or water because it’s a theme park town instead of a real town, Wes and Alicia paint some stuff and June and John Dorie get married and Daniel plays some guitar and sings and Frank Dillane is like “Holy shit I’m so glad I bailed on this show” and then Virginia comes because Morgan calls her because instead of walking somewhere else they decide they should call the Evil Witch Queen Of Lawton so she can rescue them by splitting them all up (even Skidmark the cat!) and then the season ends with Morgan getting swarmed by zombies but don’t worry he’s still alive and they’ll tell us as much in a trailer that comes out before Season 6 because AMC is criminally addicted to spoiling their own shows for no reason on social media and . . . and . . .

Somewhere between Season 5’s finale and Season 6’s premiere AMC and showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss must have put their heads together with Scott Gimple and decided that the Rangers and Virginia were actually super dull villains, just like the last few villains (I skipped the whole Vultures plot because they were actually so stupid they put the stadium under siege but still let Madison and co. go out scavenging because somehow they never read the Siege 101 manual or something).

Anyways, for reasons that must be obvious by now, somebody must have pointed out that Virginia is not a very good villain after all, partly because she’s just not that convincing but mostly because she made a goddamn copycat PSA and someone thought that was actually a cool story because there is no God and life’s not fair and this is also why we can’t have nice things, son.

And they must have realized that the Rangers are a like a cartoon version of what might happen in Texas after a zombie outbreak (just compare this clown show to the far more realistic Vatos gang from Season 1 of The Walking Dead). All these realizations must have felt strangely repetitive after what I can only imagine were similar revelations about Martha, the Vultures and Logan. So many revelations, so little useful insight or meaningful changes!

The Believers

In any case, they had June kill Virginia after a weird series of events that also saw one of the only good characters left on this godforsaken show get killed by yet another brat, and came up with The Believers, a group almost entirely inspired by The Monkees. These totally realistic folk live underground where they grow crops and embalm zombies and talk about how you need to be able to “see” when you look at this one creepy zombie they have entwined in vines in their basement. They’re led by a guy named Teddy played by John Glover who must really be down on his luck to take a role on this ridiculous show, though he’s actually creepy as a villain so that’s something. But no, I’m not going to feel any hope or optimism because fool me once shame on me, fool me again and George W. Bush, man. He has something to say about this.

Wes and Alicia and Al and Luciana all find their way to these people. I honestly can’t remember how they found them, but they show up to scout things out. They get interviewed like we’re back in Alexandria. Things go bad when Wes runs into his long-lost brother and ends up killing him after a scuffle over a gun. Wes’s brother has had a little too much of that Kool-Aid if you know what I mean. Wes isn’t too shook up about it. Remember when the entire brothers Dixon conflict between Merle and Daryl played out over the course of one single episode of The Walking Dead? Yeah, me neither.

Luciana says stuff because she’s still on this show for some reason. She says stuff a few times and people say stuff back to her. Al checks an embalmed zombie with a helmet on thinking it might be her lover girl from Season 5, because you totally embalm zombies with their helmets still on, but it’s not. Boy I was really worried there for a second!

Alicia sets the embalmed zombies on fire so they can get away and the others escape but Alicia doesn’t and then she has to have a whole entire conversation with Teddy and it’s pretty damn awkward when she tells him “You wanna kill me? That’s not gonna happen.”

Teddy’s like “whoa damn I was going to kill you but now that’s not going to happen crap” and Alicia’s like “So there, Teddy. You jerk face with your crazy-man beard.”

He knows something about Madison somehow. And he wants to “save you, Alicia” but “I don’t need saving” she tells him and then he talks in more cryptic circles. Teddy’s been looking for someone like Alicia for a long, long time and she’s like “listen old man at least I got some lines this episode!” which, to be fair, is true.

THE END. CREDITS ROLL.

Verdict

Yes, I am clearly mocking just about everything about this show. But I didn’t come up with this crap. I didn’t come up with Martha and the ethanol, or the plane and the beer-balloon, or Totally Pointless Logan, or Ginny and her boring ass cowboys. Maybe Teddy will be a better villain than all these. To be fair, he is a better villain already in a lot of ways. Then again, the bar set by the Vultures, Martha, Logan and Virginia is not very high. It’s so low, it’s less a bar and more of a speed bump.

So while Teddy is far more intriguing than the rest, and it’s even possible that Glover’s brief appearance here in this episode was better than the sum of all the other villains in this show since Season 4, I imagine they’ll find a way to screw him up also and then, as soon as he’s worn out his welcome, replace him with some other group of bad guys. The Shouters, a group of post-apocalyptic crazy people who wear zombie faces and shout at each other really loud, led by a bald woman named Alphapha.

Here’s the thing.

We need more than just Good Guys vs Bad Guys. There are other struggles to work with in fiction. Friction between the group that causes realistic, compelling internal strife. Survival against the elements and just the struggle of surviving in a world laid low by a pandemic, maybe without creature comforts like walkie-goddamn-talkies. Or perhaps a compelling story about a survivalist group at odds with a Native American tribe over water rights, whose intertwined family histories are marred by murder and revenge, where our heroes find themselves torn between both sides of a bloody fight they know very little about.

Yeah, what a notion.

Like I said at the very top of this review, I’m tired. I’m tired of Fear The Walking Dead. I’m tired of the same crap happening over and over again, another absurd bad guys who ultimately make the same fatal choice: They mess with Morgan Jones. NOBODY messes with Morgan Jones.

Maybe Morgan can make a PSA about how mean and delusional Teddy is and then Teddy can make a PSA about how The End Is The Beginning, Actually, Morgan You Twit. It’s just all nonsense at this point and it has been since the end of Season 3. We aren’t dealing with actual stories about real people. We’re watching a cartoon with two-dimensional cartoon villains and a bunch of uninteresting flat characters. Except a cartoon would be more fun.

What is the point of this show now? It’s like a goofier version of The Walking Dead, which also suffers from too many villain groups at this point and too many characters but not this level of crappy writing (usually).

Let me predict the plot for the remainder of Season 6 and likely part of Season 7 if AMC is actually going to let the current showrunners continue driving this show into the ground:

Teddy wants the key from Morgan so he can use it to activate the nuclear bombs on the nuclear sub that’s in the middle of Texas (because Texas, you recall, is separated by the Pacific Ocean which has dried up because ZOMBIES and the sub is there now). He wants to nuke the planet because he wants to save everyone because they’re weak probably. From this nuclear wasteland, new life will spring eternal and his cult—well protected in their underground parking garage with their cute little gardens—will be the new rulers of the world. Or at least of Texas which—we know because of geography class—accounts for approximately 57% of Earth’s land mass.

Look, I’m sorry. I’m really truly sorry but if this show continues to be a joke I don’t know why we should take it seriously. A mocking review if only fitting for a show that continues to make a mockery of itself. AMC has the resources and the wherewithal to produce a better zombie show and quite frankly audiences deserve one. There was nothing fundamentally awful about “The Holding” so I’m honestly not fully sure why I’m in such a snarky mind frame, but there was nothing very good about, either, and it’s just plain as day to me that they’re already falling into the same traps they keep falling into over and over and over again. Meet the new bad guy, same as the old bad guy. It’s all so predictable.

Because they don’t really learn from their mistakes, or because even if they do they just don’t know how to course correct. That’s the problem when you just don’t have much talent but nobody steps in and says “enough is enough!”

Because seriously, my droogies, enough is enough already.

#ftwd #erik kain #i just read the reviews #i may watch this one because reasons and adc

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cvrnewsdirectindia · 5 years ago

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Ginger Baker dead: Cream drummer dies, aged 80

Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer and co-founder of rock band Cream, has died at the age of 80.

Last month, the musician’s family announced he was critically ill in hospital, but no further details of his illness were disclosed.

On Sunday morning, a tweet on his official Twitter account stated: “We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning. Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks.”

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

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Baker had suffered from a number of health issues in recent years. He underwent open heart surgery in 2016 and was forced to cancel a tour with his band Air Force after being diagnosed with “serious heart problems”.

The drummer, who is widely considered to be one of the most innovative and influential drummers in rock music, co-founded Cream in 1966 with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce. The band released three albums before splitting in 1968, after which he formed the short-lived band Blind Faith with Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. A fourth Cream album was released after the band disbanded.

leftCreated with Sketch. rightCreated with Sketch.

1/61 Dean Ford

Ford, whose real name was Thomas McAleese, was the frontman of guitar-pop group Marmalade. The band the first Scottish group to top the UK singles chart, with their cover of the Beatles’ Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da in December 1968. Ford died in Los Angeles on 31 December 2018, at the age of 72 from complications relating to Parkinson’s disease.

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2/61 Pegi Young

A singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist, she was also married to Neil Young for 36 years. She died of cancer on 1 January, aged 66, in Mountain View, California.

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3/61 Daryl Dragon

The singer and pianist achieved fame as half of the musical duo Captain & Tennille, best known for their 1975 hit “Love Will Keep Us Together”. Dragon died on 2 January, from kidney failure in Prescott, Arizona, aged 76.

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4/61 Darius Perkins

The actor was best known for playing the original Scott Robinson on Neighbours when the show launched in 1985 on Australia’s Channel Seven. Perkins died from cancer on 2 January, aged 54

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5/61 Bob Einstein

The Emmy-winning writer appeared in US comedy shows Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development, becoming known for his deadpan delivery. He died on 2 January, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia, aged 76.

HBO/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

6/61 Carol Channing

The raspy-voiced, saucer-eyed, wide-smiling actor played lead roles in the original Broadway musical productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello, Dolly!, while delivering an Oscar-nominated performance in the 1967 film version of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Channing died on 15 January of natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, California at the age of 97.

Getty

7/61 Mary Oliver

Oliver, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, wrote rapturous odes to nature and animal life that brought her critical acclaim and popular affection, writing more than 15 poetry and essay collections. She died on 17 January, aged 83, in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Getty

8/61 Windsor Davies

The actor was best known for his role as Battery Sergeant-Major Williams in the TV series It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum, which ran from 1974 to 1981. He died on 17 January, aged 88, four months after the death of his wife, Eluned.

Getty

9/61 Jonas Mekas

The Lithuanian-born filmmaker, who escaped a Nazi labour camp and became a refugee, rose to acclaim in New York and went on to work with John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol. He died on 23 January, aged 96, in New York City.

Chuck Close

10/61 Diana Athill

The writer, novelist and editor worked with authors including Margaret Atwood, Philip Roth, Jean Rhys and VS Naipaul. She died at a hospice in London on 23 January, aged 101, following a short illness.

Getty

11/61 Michel Legrand

During a career spanning more than 50 years, the French musician wrote the scores for over 200 films and TV series, as well as original songs. In 1968, he won his first Oscar for the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from The Thomas Crown Affair film. He died in Paris on 26 January at the age of 86.

Getty

12/61 James Ingram

The singer and songwriter, who was nominated for 14 Grammys in his lifetime, was well known for his hits including “Baby, Come to Me,” his duet sung with Patti Austin and “Yah Mo B There,” a duet sung with Michael McDonald, which won him a Grammy. Ingram died on 29 January, aged 66, from brain cancer, at his home in Los Angeles.

Getty

13/61 Dick Miller

The actor enjoyed a career spanning more than 60 years, featuring hundreds of screen appearances, including Gremlins (1984) and The Terminator (1984). The actor died 30 January, aged 90, in Toluca Lake, California.

Warner Bros

14/61 Jeremy Hardy

The comedian gained recognition on the comedy circuit in the 1980s and was a regular on BBC Radio 4 panel shows, including The News Quiz and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. He died of cancer on 1 February, aged 57.

Rex

15/61 Clive Swift

Known to many as the long-suffering Richard Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances, the actor’s first professional acting job was at Nottingham Playhouse, in the UK premiere of JB Priestley’s take the Fool Away, in 1959. He died on Friday, 1 February after a short illness, aged 82.

Rex

16/61 Julie Adams

The actor starred in the 1954 horror classic Creature From the Black Lagoon, playing Kay Lawrence, the girlfriend of hero ichthyologist Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson) and the target of the Creature’s obsessions. She died 3 February in Los Angeles, aged 92.

Rex

17/61 Albert Finney

The actor was one of Britain’s premiere Shakespearean actors and was nominated for five Oscars across almost four decades – for Tom Jones (1963), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Dresser (1983), Under the Volcano (1984) and Erin Brockovich (2000). He died aged 82, following a short illness.

Getty

18/61 Peter Tork

Born in 1942 in Washington DC, Tork became part of The Monkees with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Davy Jones in the mid-sixties, when the group was formed as America’s Beatles counterpart. All four were selected from more than 400 applicants to play in the associated TV series The Monkees, which aired between 1966 and 1968.

GETTY IMAGES

19/61 Mark Hollis

As the frontman of the band Talk Talk, Hollis was largely responsible for the band’s shift towards a more experimental approach in the mid-1980s, pioneering what became known as post-rock, with hit singles including “Life’s What You Make It” (1985) and “Living in Another World” (1986).

20/61 Andy Anderson

Musician Andy Anderson, former drummer for The Cure and Iggy Pop, died aged 68 from terminal cancer, after a long and successful career as a session musician

Alex Pym/Facebook

21/61 Lisa Sheridan

Having attended the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, Sheridan went on to star in a string of film and TV credits of the next two decades, including Invasion and Halt and Catch Fire. She died aged 44, at her home in New Orleans.

Getty Images

22/61 Janice Freeman

Freeman appeared on season 13 of the TV singing competition The Voice, making a strong impression early on with her cover of ‘Radioactive’ by Imagine Dragons, performed during the blind auditions. She had an extreme case of pneumonia and had a blood clot that travelled to her heart. She died in hospital on 2 March.

Getty Images for COTA

23/61 Keith Flint

Flint quickly became one of the figureheads of British electronic music during the Nineties as a singer in the band The Prodigy. He died, aged 49, on 4 March.

EPA

24/61 Luke Perry

Perry rose to fame as teen heartthrob Dylan McKay in ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’, and most recently played Fred Andrews in The CW’s ‘Riverdale’. He died on 4 March after suffering a ‘massive stroke’, his representative said in a statement.

AFP/Getty Images

25/61 Jed Allan

Allan was best known for his role as Rush Sanders, the father of Ian Ziering’s Steve Sanders, on Beverly Hills, 90210; Don Craig on Days of Our Lives; and CC Capwell on Santa Barbara. He died on Saturday, 9 March, aged 84.

Rex Features

26/61 Hal Blaine

As part of the Wrecking Crew, an elite group of session players, Blaine played drums on some of the most iconic songs of the 1960s and 1970s, including The Beach Boys’s “Good Vibrations”, the Ronettes’s ”Be My Baby”, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs Robinson”. He died on 11 March, aged 90.

Getty

27/61 Pat Laffan

The Irish-born actor had roles in almost 40 films and 30 television shows, including in BBC’s Eastenders, Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, and RTE’s The Clinic. He died on Friday, 15 March, aged 79

28/61 Mike Thalassitis

Mike Thalassitis was a semi-professional footballer before finding fame on the third season of Love Island. He died aged 26.

Rex Features

29/61 Dick Dale

Dale is credited with pioneering the surf music style, by drawing on his Middle-Eastern heritage and experimenting with reverberation. He is best known for his hit “Misirlou”, used in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. He died on Saturday, 16 March, aged 81.

Getty

30/61 Bernie Tormé

Guitarist Bernie Tormé rose to fame in the seventies before joining Ozzy Osbourne on tour in 1982, following the death of guitarist Randy Rhoads in a plane crash that same year. The Dublin-born musician died on 17 March, 2019 at the age of 66.

YouTube

31/61 Andre Williams

R&B singer and songwriter Andre Williams co-wrote “Shake a Tail Feather” among many other hits, signing first with Fortune Records then with Motown. The Alabama native, who relocated to Detroit as a young man, died on 17 March, aged 82.

YouTube

32/61 Scott Walker

The American British singer-songwriter and producer who rose to fame with The Walker Brothers during the Sixties and was once referred to as “pop’s own Salinger”, died on 22 March, aged 76. He was one of the most prolific artists of his generation, despite shunning the spotlight following his brief years as a teen idol, and released a string of critically acclaimed albums as well as writing a number of film scores, and producing albums for other artists including Pulp.

Rex

33/61 Agnès Varda

French New Wave filmmaker Agnès Varda died on 29 March, aged 90. She was best known for the films “Cléo from 5 to 7” and “Vagabond” and was widely regarded to be one of the most influential experimental and feminist filmmakers of all time.

AFP/Getty

34/61 Tania Mallet

Model and Bond girl Tania Mallet died on 30 March, aged 77. She earned her only credited acting role opposite Sean Connery in 1964 film Goldfinger, playing Tilly Masterson.

United Artists

35/61 Boon Gould (right)

One of the founding members of Level 42, Boon Gould, died on 1 March, aged 64. He was a guitarist and saxophone player.

Rex Features

36/61 Freddie Starr

Comedian Starr was the star of several eponymous TV shows during the 1990s such as Freddie Starr, The Freddie Starr Show and An Audience with Freddie Starr. Starr was the subject of one of the most famous tabloid headlines in the history of the British press, splashed on the front page of The Sun in 1986: “Freddie Starr ate my hamster.” Starr was found dead in his home in Costa Del Sol on 9 May 2019.

Rex

37/61 Peggy Lipton

Twin Peaks star Peggy Lipton died of cancer, aged 72 on 11 May.

38/61 Doris Day

Doris Day became Hollywood’s biggest female star by the early 1960s starring in Calamity Jane, Pillow Talk and Caprice to name a few. Day died on 15 May after a serious bout of pneumonia.

Rex

39/61 Andrew Hall

Andrew Hall died on 20 May, 2019 after a short illness, according to his management group. The actor was best known for playing Russell Parkinson in the BBC show Butterflies and Marc Selby in Coronation Street. He had also recently appeared as The Gentleman in Syfy’s Blood Drive.

Photo by ITV/REX

40/61 Carmine Cardini

Carmine Cardini, who was most famous for playing two different roles in the Godfather franchise, died on 28 May, 2019 at Cedars Sinai Hospital, aged 85. He played Carmine Rosato in The Godfather Part II (1974) before returning to the franchise in 1990 as Albert Volpe in The Godfather Part III.

Paramount Pictures

41/61 Leon Redbone

Leon Redbone died on 30 May, 2019, aged 69. The singer-songwriter, who was noticed by Bob Dylan in the Seventies and was an early guest on Saturday Night Live, released more than 15 albums over the course of four decades.

Photo by Chris Capstick/REX

42/61 Cameron Boyce

Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce died in his sleep on 6 July, aged 20. His family later confirmed the actor, who appeared in Jessie and descendants, had epilepsy.

Getty

43/61 Rip Torn

Rip Torn, the film, TV and theatre actor, died on 9 July, 2019, aged 88. His career spanned seven decades.

AFP/GETTY

44/61 Michael Sleggs

Michael Sleggs, who appeared as Slugs in hit BBC Three sitcom This Country, died from heart failure on 9 July, 2019, aged 33.

BBC

45/61 Rutger Hauer

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer famously played replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. As Batty, he delivered the iconic “tears in the rain” monologue. Hauer died on 19 July, 2019 aged 75.

TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images

46/61 Paula Williamson

Actor Paula Williamson, who starred in Coronation Street and married criminal Charles Bronson, was found dead on 29 July, 2019.

Getty

47/61 David Berman

David Berman, frontman of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, died by suicide on 7 August, 2019, aged 52.

MediaPunch/REX

48/61 Peter Fonda

Peter Fonda died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer on 16 August, 2019. aged 79, his family said. He was the co-writer and star of counterculture classic Easy Rider (1969).

49/61 Ben Unwin

Home and Away star Ben Unwin was found dead aged 41 on 14 August, according to New South Wales Police. He starred as ‘bad boy’ Jesse McGregor on the popular Australian soap between 1996-2000, and then 2002-2005 before switching to a career in law

Getty

50/61 Franco Columbu

Italian bodybuilder, who appeared in The Terminator, The Running Man and Conan the Barbarian, died on 30 August, 2019, aged 78. The former Mr Olympia enjoyed a successful career as a boxer and was best friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Getty Images

51/61 Kylie Rae Harris

The country singer died in a car crash on 4 September, 2019, at the age of 30. Harris, of Wylie, Texas, she was scheduled to perform at a music festival in New Mexico the next day.

YouTube / Kylie Rae Harris

52/61 LaShawn Daniels

Songwriter and producer LaShawn Daniels died 4 September aged 41. He was best known for his collaborations with producer Darkchild, and had songwriting credits on a number of pop and R&B classics by artists including Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, Janet and Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Brandy and Whitney Houston.

Rex

53/61 Carol Lynley

The actor, best known for her role as Nonnie the cruise liner singer in The Poseidon Adventure, died on 3 September at the age of 77.

Dove/Daily Express/Getty Images

54/61 Jimmy Johnson

Jimmy Johnson, revered session guitarist and co-founder of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, died 5 September 2019, aged 76.

55/61 John Wesley

John Wesley, the actor who played Dr Hoover on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, died in September 2019 aged 72 of complications stemming from multiple myeloma, according to his family. His other acting credits included Baywatch as well as the the 1992 buddy cop comedy film ‘Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot’.

YouTube / Warner Bros Domestic Television Distribution

56/61 Daniel Johnston

Influential lo-fi musician Daniel Johnston died in September 2019 following a heart attack, according to The Austin Chronicle. His body of work includes the celebrated 1983 album ‘Hi, How Are You’.

ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images

57/61 Ric Ocasek

Ric Ocasek, frontman of new wave rock band The Cars, died 15 September at the age of 75.

Ocasek was pronounced dead after police were alerted to an unresponsive male at a Manhattan townhouse. A cause of death has yet to be confirmed, though The Daily Beast reports that an NYPD official said Ocasek appeared to have died from “natural causes”.

Ocasek found fame as the lead singer of The Cars, who were integral in the birth of the new wave movement and had hits including “Drive”, “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl”.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Netflix

58/61 Suzanne Whang

The former host turned narrator of HGTV’s House Hunters died on 17 September. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and initially recovered, until the disease returned in October 2018.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

59/61 Robert Hunter

The lyricist, who’s behind some of the Grateful Dead’s finest songs, died on 23 September at the age of 78. His best known Grateful Dead songs include ‘Cumberland Blues,’ ‘It Must Have Been the Roses,’ and ‘Terrapin Station’.

Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

60/61 Linda Porter

Linda Porter, best known for her role as elderly supermarket employee Myrtle on the US sitcom Superstore, died 25 September after a long battle with cancer. She also appeared in series including Twin Peaks, The Mindy Project, ER and The X-Files

Tyler Golden/NBC

61/61 Ginger Baker

Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer and co-founder of rock band Cream, died at the age of 80 on Sunday 6 October after being critically ill in hospital. The musician co-founded Cream in 1966 with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce.

Alamy

1/61 Dean Ford

Getty

2/61 Pegi Young

A singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist, she was also married to Neil Young for 36 years. She died of cancer on 1 January, aged 66, in Mountain View, California.

Getty

3/61 Daryl Dragon

Getty Images

4/61 Darius Perkins

The actor was best known for playing the original Scott Robinson on Neighbours when the show launched in 1985 on Australia’s Channel Seven. Perkins died from cancer on 2 January, aged 54

Ten

5/61 Bob Einstein

HBO/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

6/61 Carol Channing

Getty

7/61 Mary Oliver

Getty

8/61 Windsor Davies

Getty

9/61 Jonas Mekas

Chuck Close

10/61 Diana Athill

Getty

11/61 Michel Legrand

Getty

12/61 James Ingram

Getty

13/61 Dick Miller

Warner Bros

14/61 Jeremy Hardy

Rex

15/61 Clive Swift

Rex

16/61 Julie Adams

Rex

17/61 Albert Finney

Getty

18/61 Peter Tork

GETTY IMAGES

19/61 Mark Hollis

20/61 Andy Anderson

Musician Andy Anderson, former drummer for The Cure and Iggy Pop, died aged 68 from terminal cancer, after a long and successful career as a session musician

Alex Pym/Facebook

21/61 Lisa Sheridan

Getty Images

22/61 Janice Freeman

Getty Images for COTA

23/61 Keith Flint

Flint quickly became one of the figureheads of British electronic music during the Nineties as a singer in the band The Prodigy. He died, aged 49, on 4 March.

EPA

24/61 Luke Perry

AFP/Getty Images

25/61 Jed Allan

Rex Features

26/61 Hal Blaine

Getty

27/61 Pat Laffan

28/61 Mike Thalassitis

Mike Thalassitis was a semi-professional footballer before finding fame on the third season of Love Island. He died aged 26.

Rex Features

29/61 Dick Dale

Getty

30/61 Bernie Tormé

YouTube

31/61 Andre Williams

YouTube

32/61 Scott Walker

Rex

33/61 Agnès Varda

AFP/Getty

34/61 Tania Mallet

Model and Bond girl Tania Mallet died on 30 March, aged 77. She earned her only credited acting role opposite Sean Connery in 1964 film Goldfinger, playing Tilly Masterson.

United Artists

35/61 Boon Gould (right)

One of the founding members of Level 42, Boon Gould, died on 1 March, aged 64. He was a guitarist and saxophone player.

Rex Features

36/61 Freddie Starr

Rex

37/61 Peggy Lipton

Twin Peaks star Peggy Lipton died of cancer, aged 72 on 11 May.

38/61 Doris Day

Doris Day became Hollywood’s biggest female star by the early 1960s starring in Calamity Jane, Pillow Talk and Caprice to name a few. Day died on 15 May after a serious bout of pneumonia.

Rex

39/61 Andrew Hall

Photo by ITV/REX

40/61 Carmine Cardini

Paramount Pictures

41/61 Leon Redbone

Photo by Chris Capstick/REX

42/61 Cameron Boyce

Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce died in his sleep on 6 July, aged 20. His family later confirmed the actor, who appeared in Jessie and descendants, had epilepsy.

Getty

43/61 Rip Torn

Rip Torn, the film, TV and theatre actor, died on 9 July, 2019, aged 88. His career spanned seven decades.

AFP/GETTY

44/61 Michael Sleggs

Michael Sleggs, who appeared as Slugs in hit BBC Three sitcom This Country, died from heart failure on 9 July, 2019, aged 33.

BBC

45/61 Rutger Hauer

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer famously played replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. As Batty, he delivered the iconic “tears in the rain” monologue. Hauer died on 19 July, 2019 aged 75.

TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images

46/61 Paula Williamson

Actor Paula Williamson, who starred in Coronation Street and married criminal Charles Bronson, was found dead on 29 July, 2019.

Getty

47/61 David Berman

David Berman, frontman of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, died by suicide on 7 August, 2019, aged 52.

MediaPunch/REX

48/61 Peter Fonda

Peter Fonda died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer on 16 August, 2019. aged 79, his family said. He was the co-writer and star of counterculture classic Easy Rider (1969).

49/61 Ben Unwin

Getty

50/61 Franco Columbu

Getty Images

51/61 Kylie Rae Harris

The country singer died in a car crash on 4 September, 2019, at the age of 30. Harris, of Wylie, Texas, she was scheduled to perform at a music festival in New Mexico the next day.

YouTube / Kylie Rae Harris

52/61 LaShawn Daniels

Rex

53/61 Carol Lynley

The actor, best known for her role as Nonnie the cruise liner singer in The Poseidon Adventure, died on 3 September at the age of 77.

Dove/Daily Express/Getty Images

54/61 Jimmy Johnson

Jimmy Johnson, revered session guitarist and co-founder of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, died 5 September 2019, aged 76.

55/61 John Wesley

YouTube / Warner Bros Domestic Television Distribution

56/61 Daniel Johnston

ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images

57/61 Ric Ocasek

Ric Ocasek, frontman of new wave rock band The Cars, died 15 September at the age of 75.

Ocasek found fame as the lead singer of The Cars, who were integral in the birth of the new wave movement and had hits including “Drive”, “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl”.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Netflix

58/61 Suzanne Whang

The former host turned narrator of HGTV’s House Hunters died on 17 September. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and initially recovered, until the disease returned in October 2018.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

59/61 Robert Hunter

Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

60/61 Linda Porter

Tyler Golden/NBC

61/61 Ginger Baker

Alamy

Baker was named number three on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time list, and is the subject of the documentary Beware of Mr. Baker.

“Gifted with immense talent, and cursed with a temper to match, Ginger Baker combined jazz training with a powerful polyrhythmic style in the world’s first, and best, power trio,” said the Rolling Stone article. “The London-born drummer introduced showmanship to the rock world with double-kick virtuosity and extended solos.”

Lewisham-born Baker was known for being a mercurial and argumentative figure, whose temper frequently led to on-stage punch-ups.

His father, a bricklayer, was killed in the Second World War in 1943, and Baker was brought up in near poverty by his mother. He joined a local gang in his teens and when he tried to quit, gang members attacked him with a razor.

Baker suffered from heroin addiction, which he acquired as a jazz drummer in the London clubs of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He once told The Guardian he came off heroin “something like 29 times”.

Tributes for the drummer have been pouring in on Twitter.

Paul McCartney called Baker a “wild and lovely guy”, writing: “We worked together on the ‘Band on the Run‘ album in his ARC Studio, Lagos, Nigeria. Sad to hear that he died but the memories never will.”

Baby Driver director Edgar Wright wrote: “RIP the music giant that was Ginger Baker. The beat behind too many favourite songs from Cream, The Graham Bond Organisation and Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated.”

Rock journalist Mark Paytress tweeted: “Like Hendrix, Ginger Baker was a name synonymous w/ early days rock. Once you heard him play, saw pics & footage, he seemed to embody the music’s power, the culture’s adventure. Spending a day w/ him in 2014 magnified it all. Lost a big one this morning.”

Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg simply wrote: “Thank you Ginger Baker.”

from CVR News Direct https://cvrnewsdirect.com/ginger-baker-dead-cream-drummer-dies-aged-80/

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nostalgia-eh52 · 2 months ago

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Monkees vs The Groups July 1967

The Yardbirds

#1967 #1960s #1960's #60s #the yardbirds #vintage #retro #monkees vs the groups #my scan

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hornyliverpudlianputz · 6 years ago

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The show? :)

Fantastic! (I was hoping you would say show, I am a lot more qualified to answer this one.) I do kind of touch on the subject of the guys’ friendship in two earlier posts; this one about the “masculine ideal” and this one about how the guys interact physically as actors.

On the show, all four guys seem to be pretty close friends. We are never told how they met and formed a band (a backstory which, given their apparent young age and Mike and Davy’s obvious out-of-towner qualities, is probably a doozy) but we can see from their interactions that they care for each other. They live in the same house, they even sleep in the same room in season 2, and they don’t seem to get tired of each other.

Each one has his own idiosyncrasies that the others put up with: Micky is a bundle of mad energy (and sometimes a werewolf), Davy seems to literally attract women like a magnet, Peter is Peter (I’ll get to him in a second), and Mike is forced to be the responsible one so he can be a buzz kill occasionally. But they all care deeply for each other and demonstrate that affection on a pretty regular basis.

Generally, they show no discomfort in leaning on each other for support. They bring their problems to the other group members for help, they are comfortable crying in front of each other, being frightened in front of each other, and jumping into each others arms when terrified, on occasion.

In “Success Story” when Davy’s grandfather forces Davy to come back to England, the goodbye scene is quite emotional with Davy holding back tears and all three of the other guys breaking down after he leaves. (Then deciding to physically prevent him from going.) “I’ve Got A Little Song Here” sees Mike taken in by a scam and the other three trying to not only cheer him up after he finds out (they are disappointed he didn’t hear it “from friends” in the first place) but also work actively to get him his money back. Davy and Peter help Micky out in “I Was a 99 Pound Weakling” by bringing his love interest to the pad and rescuing him from the work out scam. In “The Devil and Peter Tork” Davy offers to go with the Devil instead (Davy what was your plan there? Think it through buddy) and the other three guys end up in the Devil’s kangaroo court defending Peter’s soul.

Which brings me to Peter. How the other three guys treat Peter is completely indicative of their deep friendship within the whole group. To say that Peter is simply “the dummy” really falls short of what his character actually is. Peter has many lines that are just as witty, dry, and sarcastic (on purpose) as the other guys, and he is often a willing and able participant in their hair-brained schemes. What sets Peter apart is that he is naive, heartwrenchingly earnest, and he thinks of the world in a unique way. (Example, he bought Davy a grossly oversized sport coat to save money on the pants. Which…has a certain logic to it.) What this means is, he gets himself, and by association the band, into all kinds of hi jinks.

But while the guys are at times frustrated and annoyed by the situations Peter works them into, they remain not only affectionate but fiercely protective of him. When the Russian goons threaten the group in “The Spy Who Came In From The Cool” (technically Davy got them into this mess), Peter bursting into frightened tears is what spurs Mike to action. As mentioned above, all three guys go to hell and back for him in “The Devil and Peter Tork”, and they go looking for him pretty quickly in “The Case of the Missing Monkee” and “Art for Monkees’ Sake”. And it is because of how Peter is treated that Mike goes head to head with the computer in “Monkee vs. Machine”.

But again, Peter is just the extreme example of this. They all do the same for the other guys as well. They go looking for Davy in “Monstrous Monkee Mash” and they pull together behind Davy in “Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth” and “The Chaperone”. Davy and Peter rescue Micky from aliens in “The Monkees Watch Their Feet”, and Mike and Peter go along with Micky as Babyface to save him from the mob at the end of “Alias, Micky Dolenz”. Micky and Peter try unsuccessfully to rescue Davy and Mike in “Monkees in a Ghost Town” and Davy has to be the one to save everybody’s skin in “Dance Monkee Dance”.

When all is said and done, it’s brutally clear that the guys genuinely care for one another, and are not afraid to show it throughout the show.

#ask and ye shall recieve #the monkees

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stevecanmakeanythingnerdy · 6 years ago

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Battle #28

The Mamas and The Papas: Farewell To The First Golden Era (Side B )

Vs.

The Who: Who’s Next (Side 2 )

The Mamas and The Papas: Farewell To The First Golden Era (Side B )

The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group who recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. They were composed of John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot, and Michelle Phillips. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips, the songwriter, musician, and leader of the group who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early sixties. It sounds like (in reading some of the history of the group) he was a bit of an obsessive perfectionist and all around A*hole. The group is best known for songs like “Monday, Monday” and “California Dreamin’” but believe it or not, those were pretty ahead of their time. Up to that point nothing in the folk music world really sounded like that. It was more basic and acoustic. For the introduction of a more rock element (massive harmonies and extra percussion) John Phillips does get credit for a good idea. John and Michelle are also the parents of Chyna Phillips (of Wilson Phillips fame) so I guess(?) mark that one in the pro column. In the negative column though, please note that another daughter! Mackenzie Phillips told in her memoirs that she had been in a long term sexual relationship with her late father. You read that correctly. Father/daughter Game of Thrones shit. He did have a serious coke problem in the 70s and 80s... I believe the words we are looking for here are AAAANYWAAAYS....The Mamas and The Papas put out some good tunes. This album is one that Dunhill records put out while the band was on a musical hiatus. It’s essentially some new tunes and some previously released, but is technically a new album. “Creeque Alley” begins. Jangly pop with a wall of male and female vocals are soul and blues. The lyrics seem to be calling out Mama Cass for being a large lady...? Light and easy fanfare featuring piano and guitar. Next is a sleepy little number with finger cymbals in “Got A Feelin’”. Not really much else to say about it. “Twelve-Thirty” is about as electric as this band dare go. The piano and guitar represent, but flute returns for an impact as well. Are these guys just a bunch of band geeks? Gentle but brutal all at once. “I Call Your Name” rocks and rolls accapella style. Is that a thing? Hot little jazzy number. It kind of lends itself to the next tune, “I Saw Her Again Last Night”. Bells are ringing and the girls are singing. Strings and things make this somehow unique and catchy. A very Monkees type tune. The last song is the one everybody knows. “California Dreamin’” was one of the groups biggest hits. It’s difficult to explain how a song could have a flute solo and still shred. It just has a haunting feeling and very powerful imagery latent in the lyrics. The cacophony of vocals and layers of structure are what really distinguished them from other groups at the time. It is just so humorous considering all of the behind the scenes chaos because the music has such a wholesome and simple essence to it.

The Who: Who’s Next (Side 2 )

Here we have another 60s and 70s staple, The Who. If you haven’t heard of this band, well who the F%#& are you?! (#seewhatididthere). The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist John Entwistle, and (one of my all time favorite drummers) drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling well over 100 million albums. Everyone from rock bands to punk bands cite them as influential. They started as a band called The Detours and aligned with the art and mod movement popular of the time. Eventually they changed names and became The Who. By the 70s they were a rock powerhouse. Often cited for their destructive live shows wherein instruments were smashed, they became a household name. It really cemented itself with their album Tommy, which was a rock opera. One of the first in fact. Very innovative and slightly left of center, the band established themselves as a creative force. Among the group's contributions to rock are included the power chord, the windmill strum and the use of non-musical instrument noise such as feedback. All pretty powerful things. Who’s Next is their 5th studio album and follow up to Tommy. “Getting In Tune” starts off the second side, and you are treated to Daltry’s soulful voice in full fledge. Relatively Jam-esque and quiet for this band, but still with a locked in groove. The rock and roll experiences a surge in “Going Mobile” and Moon’s fills are subtle. Floyd’s method of pink (#seewhatididthere). Pedal effectiveness prevails as well. The next tune is recognizable. “Behind Blue Eyes” has a melancholy sourness. It’s brilliant in its discordance. Vocal paint as imagery. Really pretty great and a mild charting success. The next song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, is perhaps one of the greatest Who songs in my opinion. It is a very powerful and empowering song. It has a great driving bass line and some loooong, pioneering synth solos (technically it’s an organ, the VCS3) complete with delay. That’s what I love about these guys. They were not afraid to do new things and embrace the future. You can’t help but scream along with Daltrey when he yells a bloodcurdling “yeeeaaaaahhhh” to kick the song back in. Everything shines on this one. Even the lyrics are perfect! “Meet the new boss...same as the old boss”. Damn! Great way to end that’s for sure. I even love that they kept the little flub halfway through. True brilliance.

So today The Mamas and The Papas said farewell to the first golden era and also Goodbye to a few calories. 137 to be exact. Over 6 songs and 19 minutes. That’s an average of 22.83 calories burned per song and 7.21 calories burned per minute. They earned 12 out of 18 possible stars. The Who didn’t get fooled again, and begged the question Who’s Next? They burned 154 calories over 21 minutes and 4 tunes. That is 38.50 calories burned per song and 7.33 calories burned per minute. The Who earned 10 out of 12 possible stars. Who took the cake today? The Who, that’s who!

The Who: “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (live because it’s better that way)

https://youtu.be/ODKZGBrAtxY

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#Randomrecordworkout

#randomrecordworkout #randomrecordworkoutseason6 #vinyl #60s #60s music #the who #mamas and the papas #music #records #classic rock #folk rock

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mickgaydolenz · 2 years ago

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I’m extremely passionate about astrology so I have to say something about this or I’m gonna rip my hair out fr. Mind you I’m still learning all of this but I have a good enough surface understanding.

Yes, both Mike and Davy have their sun in Capricorn (and I too have my biases towards Capricorns). Both do have some Capricious qualities. However, natal astrology goes 100x deeper than this, and both of them are such a good case study to show what a secure man vs. an insecure man looks like. Watch this shit.

Mike has more Capricorn in his chart: his Sun, Mercury and Venus are under the same sign. Davy only has his Sun and Venus. I’m not counting asteroids in this sense because they act more like extensions of the planets rather than their own thing (also we’d be here all fucking day considering how many asteroids there are); if I did, then Davy would be the one with more Capricorn. But I digress.

Before I move on, HUGE DISCLAIMER: I don’t know if I have Davy’s birth time correct; having a birth time is vital to determining what planets go in which houses and also discerning a rising sign too, but you don’t need it for the planets and aspects. Most places have it listed as unknown but I only found one (1) source claiming it to be noon (12PM) that doesn’t explain where they found it, and so that’s what I’m going off of. Please just be aware of that.

Evidence #1: Mike’s Mercury is in Capricorn in the 11th house. His way of communicating and presenting his ideas are grounded in ‘making it make sense’. Incredibly calculated a thought-out before he presents anything to any group of people. However, if his ideas get turned down or criticized, he can get incredibly upset at himself & others which in turn breeds a pessimistic attitude. Like, he won't give up and he’ll keep going because he’s determined, as Capricorns are very determined folk, but he’s still gonna ask himself “why did I get myself into this?” And I’m sure we can point to many times within his Monkee career (and maybe other points too) where he’s probably asking himself that just by reading his stoic facial expressions.

Davy’s Mercury is not in Capricorn, but in Sagittarius in the 8th house. This means his way of communication and presentation of ideas is based upon life experiences, good and bad, in order to get his point across. Life lessons are important to him and that’s what factors into his growth as a person. He’s always learning and with this being the 8th house, his communication and ideas are always transforming and regenerating. Also with Sagittarius here he’s much more optimistic about it and also way more open to new ideas and hearing people out (albeit he might be a bit stubborn with his Sun in Capricorn, but a considerably different attitude compared to Mike).

Evidence #2: Both have their Venus in Capricorn but here’s where aspects strongly come into play.

Mike’s Venus opposes his Jupiter. Their two signs - Capricorn and Libra - naturally square, which means their energies have a hard time finding common ground and rarely ever do, but here with it opposing, meaning that the energies of the signs in the planets practically hate each other, they do not and cannot work together…at all. His 11th house Venus seems to be more ‘in love’ with having an impersonal social life rather than his Jupiter in the 7th house having a deep connection with a partner. Though, having that abundant planet of Jupiter in that house signifies that he has the door open to easily holding down a romantic married life, or even just a deep platonic partnership. It’s just that his Venus is more concerned with people within his work rather than literally anyone close to him. Like his wives.

Davy on the other hand has his Venus quincunx to Mars. Having a quincunx (aka inconjunct, a minor aspect but definitely has importance) means that there’s a middle ground met with these energies - some opposing, but also some relating. These signs however - Capricorn and Cancer - actually naturally oppose each other, so there’s more turmoil here than usual. I would explain more here but my knowledge is lackluster on these planets right now. All you need to know is that Davy is much more involved within his relationships as opposed to Mike.

tl;dr Mike is a whole ass Capricorn mess, and Davy is like a less messier version.

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀dude….. i am in fucking awe!!!!!!! holy hell that is so painfully accurate, i fucking….i’m fucking losing my mind….

#BRO YOU ARE INSANE FOR THIS!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR BLESSING ME WITH THIS!!!#mike nesmith #davy jones #the monkees #rhubarb asks

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stephenjaymorrisblog · 7 years ago

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June 1, 2017

On This Day, 50 Years Ago

This is an article I wrote 15 years ago, however I never published it. Now, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Release of The Beatles’ masterpiece album, “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” I am posting it. Hope you enjoy it and the memories it evokes!

Beatles Memory 1967

By Stephen Jay Morris

1967 was a landmark year for me. I was 12, soon to be 13. My dad was overwhelmed with parental responsibility. The prospect was freaking him out even more because my mom had become pregnant with her fourth child. My parents wanted no more than three kids. He and my mom used to berate me with this awful euphemism: her pregnancy with me was an accident! I never understood that word “accident.” You’d think that, after their third child, they’d have figured out how the biological function known as “conception” worked! My dad would further barrage me with such endearments as “moron,” “stupid,” and “idiot.” Before long, I realized who the real moron was and, it was at that point I vowed to myself: I will never get a woman pregnant unless I want to.

Before my youngest brother was born, my parents realized that our 3-bedroom house lacked space for another child. Either we would have to move or add another bedroom. My mom didn’t want to move, so they decided to hire a contractor to add a bedroom at the rear of our house. I spent most of ‘67 listening to the unnerving sounds of endless hammering and sawing. I can still smell the aroma of wood and stucco to this very day.

My dad had stopped cutting my hair by then, mainly because everyone in my family told him that he did a lousy job. We started going to a beauty college for bargain basement haircuts. A middle aged, burly, Russian woman always cut mine. She charged only 50 cents. At least she gave me semi-decent haircuts; she’d leave a little bit of length on my sideburns. I wanted to grow my hair long so badly! I never knew I had thick, wavy hair until I grew it out a few years later.

I needed money, so I got a job selling the Sunday edition of the L.A. Times. My assigned spot was on the corner of La Brea Avenue and Beverly Boulevard. Every Sunday, without fail, I got out of bed at around 4 a.m., got dressed, and walked about a mile to that corner, in the cold, L.A. air. The neighborhood was a ghost town. My footsteps would echo along the vacant sidewalk while the fluorescent signs of shuttered and closed stores hummed and buzzed. I brought along my transistor radio to keep me company. Music sounded so eerie in the dark morning. I would arrive at my spot before sunrise and, by the afternoon, my hands were blackened with newspaper ink. Of course, most of my pay went toward buying records. I had that job for two years! I could write a book about it.

In the Autumn of 1966, a fictional, TV Rock band called “The Monkees” hit the airwaves. They had launched a successful, weekly TV show that became hugely popular with pre-teens. However, I could never watch it because, in our household, my sister dominated the TV set. My entire family enjoyed this lame game show, “Truth or Consequences.” I hated game shows! To me, they were pornography for middle class honkies that fantasized about becoming rich. To my surprise, The Monkees was usurping the airwaves. I did like the Monkees, but I had to keep it to myself; my peers considered this “uncool.” It was a trade secret that none of them played instruments on their recordings; studio musicians were used to complete the task. I liked The Monkees’ first release, “Last Train to Clarksville.” The song had that 1965 folk-rock feel that featured beautiful, “jingle jungle” guitar riffs. As such, the song was two years behind the times. During that period, a lot of “one hit wonder” songs and novelty tunes were prevalent. Ambitious record producers created “fake rock” bands that started a genre known as “Bubble Gum Music.” Sometimes, these various bands were comprised of the same studio musicians with a different vocalist. It was all intended for the under-14 demographic. I started to hear songs like “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” by the Royal Guardsmen, and “Winchester Cathedral” by The New Vaudeville Band, a British novelty group. It was the Monkees, however, who led the pack.

Everything you heard on pop radio was “teenage music”—until March of that year: That was when THE BEATLES STRUCK!!!! I remember when I first heard “Penny Lane” come across the airwaves. It was upbeat and lyrically visionary. Toward the end of the song, there’s an incongruous, screeching sound—like a sound system had malfunctioned. It was PSYCHEDELIC, Man! So, off I went—like a junky looking for a fix—to the local record shop. I hopped onto my two-wheeler and beat it to Norty’s Records on Fairfax Avenue!

To my great delight, that record—a 45 RPM single—had a picture sleeve! Few records came packaged that way. At home, I’d take those picture sleeves and hang them all over my bedroom wall. They made a cool collage! When I first saw it, I did a double take: The Beatles had facial hair! My first thought was that some prankster had taken a marker and drawn beards and mustaches all over their faces! I was so excited that, just when the clerk was about to give me the change for my purchase, I said, “Keep it!” I headed for home, breaking all bicycle speed laws! When I slapped the record onto my portable Sears record player, I had a life altering experience! On the flip side was “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Wow! It was a way out tune! I knew, then, that the Beatles had forever changed.

The cultural complexion of my neighborhood was also changing. Previously, all I would see were old Jewish ladies, slowly pushing their rickety shopping charts. The quiet, bucolic streets were lined with old apartment buildings with low rental units, primarily occupied by working class and religious Jews. Gradually, these buildings became occupied by strange looking, young tenants who dressed like Gypsies and American Indians. The media had labeled them “Flower Children.” I remember hearing a ballad on the radio called, “The Flower Children,” by Marcia Strassman. (She later became a TV actress in the 1970’s.) I didn’t get what the lyrics were about. If you’ve never heard the song, that’s understandable; it never cracked the Top 10. Other songs mentioned “Flower Children.” In 1967, the Seeds released a follow up to their 1966 garage classic “Pushing Too Hard” called “A Thousand Shadows.” On its flipside was “The March of the Flower Children.” It was the goofiest song I’d ever heard! Who in the hell were these Flower Children anyway? I would find out soon enough.

Music started to reflect what was going on in society. Just looking out of my window, I could see the scenery changing. Just a half-mile from my house was Fairfax Avenue, which became a Mecca for the so-called Flower Children. Psychedelic shops opened up. The Free Clinic opened up. Underground newspapers appeared.

I didn’t understand who these people were or what they wanted. I was just a punk kid. I recall how my dad thought it was another rehash of the 50’s Beat movement. Once, we were driving home from a trip to the mountains when Scott McKenzie’s song, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),” came on the car radio. My dad gave me a look of disdain and sneered, “You know what he is talking about, don’t you?”

“No,” I replied. “I don’t. What is he singing about?” I asked lethargically.

He fired back “You know what he is singing about!!! Don’t lie to me!”

My dad was paranoid. For some sick reason, he thought I was part of “the movement.” What the hell did I know?? I was 13 years old! I shut my mouth about the song and we didn’t talk for the rest of the trip home. But, I later realized that my dad wasn’t concerned or threatened by these “Flower Children.” He thought they were amusing and cute. It was two years down the road that he would be threatened by the New Left.

Late that Spring, the “San Francisco sound”—introduced by the band, Jefferson Airplane—hit the airwaves. Their first hit, “Somebody to Love,” was being played on Top 40 radio. FM radio was in its infancy then; my radio didn’t have an FM band. When I heard that song, it slammed me into a wall! It had this ghostly quality to it. I’d never heard a sound like that before!

Like everybody else, I was anxiously awaiting the Beatles’ next album. Out of the blue, I got fooled by a new single: The Easybeats, an Australian band, released “Friday on My Mind.” It sounded uncannily like the Beatles! Suddenly, there were a lot of bands that started to sound like them. “The Merry-Go-Round,” an L.A. band, was another notable one.

Then, June arrived and—BAAMMM! “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” came out! The day of its release was a major event in rock history! It seemed that every store carried it! There were multiple stacks of the album, piled high, on every store counter! And not only did drug stores carry it, but hardware stores, department stores, and even gun shops offered it for sale! I saw lines of people outside those stores! They all knew that this album would generate cash and they wanted their piece of the action.

I soon headed over to Norty’s. For the first time since I’d been a patron, there was a line of about 15 customers at the counter, waiting to purchase their copy. There were stacks of the album on the front counter. I got in line to purchase mine. I excitedly selected one and began to examine it as I waited. I studied it, carefully, marveling at the cover art by Peter Blake and reading the song lyrics printed over the back. The cash register was ringing like a Rickenbacker guitar! It was a five-minute wait and worth every second! I ran all the way home to play my new Beatles album!

One thing I hated about album packaging in the 60’s was the cellophane used to seal them. I used one of my dad’s old razor blades to open the seal. I ever so carefully removed the record from its jacket, being careful to avoid putting any fingerprints on the platter. It had that new record smell. To this point, I hadn’t heard any of the songs over the radio so, for me, it was a complete debut!

Everything about the L.P. was exciting and innovative. The record jacket was in the form of a fold-out book—like two album covers had been joined, side by side, by a narrow spine. The front cover was a colorful collage of renowned figures from music, entertainment, literature, and world history. It was fun to look at it and venture guesses at whom was who. Well-established magazines published articles listing the identity of every face on the cover. The Beatles were featured front and center, donning their colorful, Sergeant Pepper uniforms and posed above lush greenery and flowers, their name spelled out, prominently beneath them, in red carnations. On the back cover—for the first time in music history—the lyrics of every song were printed in full! For years, rock fans had complained over how they couldn’t understand rock songs’ words. Well, with this work, you could read along as you listened! On the inside, the jacket opened to reveal a strikingly beautiful portrait of the Fab Four, (Paul seated cross-legged) in their iconic and colorful Sergeant Peppers’ regalia! A special surprise was tucked inside the record sleeve: a jacket-sized page of hand drawn, color cutouts! Such fun objects included a mustache, a portrait of Sergeant Pepper himself, and a lapel button, among others. The cutouts had glue on the reverse so that you could paste them onto almost anything. I remember later seeing them pasted onto library books!

Then, there was the music…lets talk about the music! First of all, the end of each track segued into the next. This drove AM disc-jockeys nuts! The Beatles never released a single from it, so AM radio had to play songs straight off the L.P. You’d have to buy the album to hear a specific song. I loved listening to AM radio any time they played a cut because, as one song ended, you could hear the next one begin! The album was a complete body of work. You weren’t satisfied after listening to just one track; you had to listen to the entire album! Whenever I did, I became mesmerized. It was like one big medley of picturesque words and melodies. All songs were equally fantastic! Music critics, who’d once hated the Beatles, declared the album a masterpiece. And they were right for a change! The work remained on the charts for 20 years following its initial release!

Everywhere you went, someone was playing Pepper on his or her stereo or radio; it was an international tune-in! There hadn’t been a massive tune-in like this since the Beatles hit the American shores in 1964! Back in the early to mid 60’s, Rock/Pop music was a beat-driven sound you danced to. It was relegated as background noise while you did your teenage activities, like making out or riding in your daddy’s car. Soon, Bob Dylan’s songs and lyrics became center stage for college students. And then this album emerged.

Sergeant Pepper gave us the same experience that our parents had with radio: “The Theater of the mind.” You could not listen to this album while you were housecleaning or doing homework; it required your full attention. It was later said that this album increased headphones’ sales. That was, by far, the best way to listen to it and get the full nuance of its music and lyrics. Drugs? You didn’t need any! This album took you on a lucid journey of imagery and sound. Suddenly, you were in an alternate universe while the outside world vanished! You were in a psychedelic circus and the ringmaster was Billy Shears. Each song was a story, like a chapter from a book. It was the first thematic rock album—and it worked!

The album opened a creative floodgate! Jimi Hendrix, in December that year, released his second album “Axis: Bold As Love.” Consequently, my own Rock n Roll addiction became worse. So many great albums followed that year, that it becomes too numerous to list them here!

My sister bought a copy of the album, in stereo. (I’d bought the mono version.) There were three copies of the album in my house alone! In those days, record albums were produced primarily for hi-fi, or monaural record players. People in higher income brackets owned stereo systems, so the stereo version of the album was uncommon. There was no stereo phonograph in our house; my sister had simply selected the first copy she’d come across. I wouldn’t hear that album in stereo until I bought my first system in 1977. It was then that I listened to it with headphones, for the first time, and—WOW! The experience was far better than when I’d listened using my mono record player. I heard things I’d never heard before! Like John’s guitar in the song, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” I thought that a lot was lost in mono.

Now, I must address the critics of this album. In stating this album was overrated and not the Beatles’ best work, some think they are iconoclastic and cute. However, this is not an objective viewpoint; it is really about getting negative attention. Plus, they know they are wrong! They say that Revolver was better than Pepper. Revolver? Really?? That album was an appetizer for Pepper. John Lennon suggested that in the last cut on Revolver, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” in his lyrics, “Turn down your mind, relax and float down stream.” No one did that while listening to “Revolver;” but they did with “Sergeant Pepper!” Some say that “Abbey Road” was their best album. “Abbey Road” was a bad interpretation of the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds.” Plus, it was Paul McCartney’s debut for his new band, “Wings.” How about the “White Album?” Yeah, how about that? All that was was a compilation of Beatles’ solo projects. So, if you think Sergeant Pepper’s sucks, then go listen to your British import of “Beatles For Sale” and feel superior to everybody else. If you hate the Beatles, then I know you won’t be reading this tribute.

Though the album sounds dated now, it still holds up very well. It conjures strong memories of the “Summer of Love.” It represents the Beatles’ finest hour. They never could outdo that album. Their post-“Sergeant Pepper’s” era was good, but didn’t have the impact of that iconic work. In 1969, they tried to out-do Pepper with “Abbey Road,” but that product was overshadowed by Woodstock, the historic summer music festival in upstate New York. They remained a beloved band, but the Rock n Roll juggernaut put them at the back of the bus.

When the Beatles ultimately broke up, it was their most auspicious act! Their break-up made them a bigger band than the Rolling Stones could ever hope to be! The Stones went on and on (and continue to this day). Before long, I got sick of them. In the 70’s, Bob Dylan became a joke. A Rock band should be together for no more than 10 years. If they continue beyond that, they just become party guests who refuse to leave, at which point, all you can do is call the cops to make them leave! The best Rock bands last about three years; after that, they become living myths.

The Beatles influenced me musically. I never joined the Hippie movement, but I did adopt some of their lifestyle. In 1969, I became a Yippie. In 1970, I declared myself a “Marxist-Lennonist.” That is: in deference to the great Groucho Marx and John Lennon.

Yes, 1967 was quite a year indeed. You had to be there.

#60's music #the beatles #sergeant pepper #poets on tumblr #Stephenjaymorris

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