“If you’ll remember, you told me I had to something about out families,” David said. “It took a bit of doing, but my Mum has invited you to tea tomorrow.”
“Oh, how fab. But how much convincing did it take?”
“Not much. She was willing. It was Dad who objected. But I’m sure he’ll go along with it.”
“You couldn’t have done anything that would please me more. Do you think she’ll like me?”
“She’ll adore you. We’d better hop it, we’ve kept them waiting long enough.” David helped her up. She clung to his arm as they walked to the folk club to meet Belle and Tom.
When they got inside, David looked around quickly. The place had always been a Mod hangout and, he noted, it still was. Little checked tables, with benches, were lined up in straight rows, so close it seemed a wonder anyone could squeeze through. People were pushing through the door behind them.
“Look,” she said,. “Over there, see them?”
They picked their way between benches and people, and sat down. Conversation was impossible. The room was bedlam—noise, people laughing and talking, benches scraping, and on top of it, the singer.
—from The Mods, a Lancer Photo Novel, 1967. Novel by Sandra Lawrence, photos by Ken Williams “of Galaxy International.”
Rock Gods #354: Adventures in Our Little Music Scene
Jasper Spear has fenestration fixation. “I can’t play in rooms without windows,” he’s decided. That’s because he likes to throw stuff out of them.
It’s a percussive thing. Jaspear once read about a composer dropping a piano off a building, and it stuck with him. When writing songs in his third-floor walk-up apartment in the largely deserted old watch-chain factory building on Hour Lane, he got used to tossing pencils so they’d rattle down the drainpipes or ping on the metal roofs.
During his solo keyboard Bullfinch show on Thursday, Spear tossed dozens of pebbles, drumsticks, paperweights, books, alt-weekly newspapers and even a pint glass out the little window near the stage, the one that overlooks the alley.
When he tossed out a handful of pocket change, one of the regulars at the bar (who comes for the cheap booze rather than the bands) rushed outdoors to scoop up the coins—and got decked by a plastic toy hurled at a poignant moment during the Jasper Spear original “Binky’s Buddies.” No charges have been filed, but the window has been quietly closed and bolted shut…
Tonight: 19-9 (featuring former members of 28) at the Bullfinch… Falling Rock and The Shoulder Band at Hamilton’s… An Evening With Look! Park! at D’ollaire’s…
Riverdale Book Review
According to this fashion page from Laugh Vol. 2 #14 (June 1989), Big Moose is a U2 fan. Must be because he beats up so many of Midge’s suitors “in the name of love.”
For Tomorrow We Shall Die: Diary of a College Chum #304:
We wear mittens.
Scribblers Music Review
PUJOL, “Manufactured Crisis Control.” Fast throbbing animation adds to the punk gluttony. Sounds a lot like very early XTC.
Thursday the 26th of February
Magic number: 62452
Magic word: dinkum
Great Dr. John Piano Solos in Unlikely Places
“Oo-ee,” Ringo Starr. From the 1974 album Goodnight Vienna (the one with the Klaatu from Day the Earth Stood Still on the cover). Just heard this on the Beatles Radio online station, which sent me rushing to Google who played that intense keyboard solo, which led in turn to this list.
Chastity, original motion picture soundtrack. Rebennack co-composed incidental music for the 1969 film with Sonny Bono, who had written and produced the flick as a solo vehicle for his then-wife Cher. Lots of ominous chords and somber-sounding dramatic strings.
“Let It Loose,” The Rolling Stones, 1972.
“Working in a Coal Mine with Dolly Parton, Alan Toussaint and Irma Thomas.
“Mockingbird,” Carly Simon and James Taylor. (Dr. John’s playing is the only good thing about this otherwise egregious cover, which was unavoidable on AM radio in 1974).
Indian Blues, the multi-traditional jazz album by Donald Harrison Jr.
Rickie Lee Jones.
Aretha Franklin’s “Young, Gifted and Black” album.
Dolly Parton’s Heartbreaker album, 1978.
Willy Deville. The late great New York rocker used Dr. John on four of his albums between 1978 and 1995.
Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits. The “Love that chicken” jingle, which he also sings.
The very special theme song from Blossom, which he also sings.
The theme to the PBS series Curious George.
Two songs on Blues Brothers 2000, in an all-star band (The Lousiana Gator Boys) alongside B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Clarence Clemons, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Bo Diddley and many others.
Spiritualized, “Cop Shoot Cop.”
The Princess and the Frog, “Down in New Orleans,” written by Randy Newman.
“Let ‘Em In,” the Wings song, from the new Art of Paul McCartney tribute.
My personal favorite Dr. John/Mac Rebennack records:
Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, for his version of Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You.”
In a Sentimental Mood, for his version of “Makin’ Whoopee!” with Ricke Lee Jones.
In the Right Place, for the title song and “Such a Night.”
Ske-Dat-De-Dat…The Spirit of Satch, for the strange cover of Brecht & Weill’s “Mack the Knife” and the frisky take on “Dippermouth Blues.”
Storm Warning: The Early Session of Mac “Dr. John” Rebennack, from when he was primarily a session guitarist.
Rock Gods #353: Adventures in Our Little Music Scene
We’ve all witnessed what we’re sure must be the longest drum solo in the world,. But what about the bass?
“Bassy” (pronounced “Basie”) Biggs, who is equally proificient on the stand-up acoustic, electric and stick varieties of the instrument, held forth for hours Saturday at a downtown cathedral. Occasionally a guest star would stride up and plug in a guitar, but mostly it was just basic Bassy. He allowed himself one five-minute break per hour, which he covered with tape loops of himself so that the music never actually stopped.
He went on like this for close to seven hours, which he deemed “no big deal. I’;ve definitely had rehearsal days that went longer than this.”
The audience for Bassy’s endurance exposition was sparse for most of it, but toward the end a group of well-wishers from the Bullfinch piled into the pews to chant “Bass-y! Bass-y! Bass-y!” He didn’t break, and went another hour with a flourish. Back to bass. We’ll write more when the record’s been confirmed.
Tonight: Another preternaturally poppy evening at the Bullfinch, with Kolor Syndicate and Jackansons… Luminate and Mane Focus (a hair band if we ever heard of one) at Hamilton’s… D’ollaire’s is dark again. What’s going on?
Riverdale Book Review
Of the 23 stories collected in the culinary-themed Archie Comics Spectacular edition Food Fight!, only five feature Riverdale High School cafeteria chef Miss Beazly. That’s a very low percentage. Just as remarkably, none of those five stories paints Miss Beazly as a hopeless bad cook. In fact, in “Dishing It Out,” she wins a Food Preparation contest at a Cafeteria Managers Workshop, and in another her lack of popularity among the student body is blamed not on any lack of skill but on “bad menu choices” such as Catfish Pizza, Mystery Loaf and Liver Burger.
The most common foods in Food Fight! are cookies and cakes—baked to perfection by Betty and Ethel, ruined by Veronica.
For Tomorrow We Shall Die: Diary of a College Chum #303:
We are celebrating our newfound responsibility.