From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday 22nd June):
Birth
1947. Howard Kaylan (The Turtles) born Howard Lawrence Kaplan in New York.
On Tour
2001. As R&B singer Lil’ Mo leaves San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre, she’s attacked by a man who smashes a champagne bottle into her head. Mo had been performing in the theatre at a concert given by radio station KMEL. She was taken to hospital where she needed 22 stitches in her face and head. Her assailant escaped.
In Court
1981. Mark David Chapman (26) appears in Manhattan Supreme Court accused of murdering John Lennon. Despite protests from his lawyers who advised him to plead not guilty, by reason of insanity, Chapman pleads guilty. Judge Dennis Edwards, presiding, sets a date of August 24th for sentencing. Chapman’s lawyer, Jonathan Marks, said that earlier in the month his client had two conversations with God - one on June 8th and the other on June 10th. Since then, it had become impossible for him to “have any meaningful dialogue” with Chapman. He went on to tell the court, “I do not believe Mr. Chapman is capable of listening to my advice”.
In Politics
2000. Hamilton Jordan, Chief Of White House Staff when Jimmy Carter was in office, tells an audience at West Virginia University that the president used to get nuisance calls from Elvis Presley. It seems “The King” was excited at having another Southern boy in the top job and liked to keep in touch. Trouble was Presley was “usually pretty loaded” and wouldn’t notice if Carter handed the phone to anyone else he could find.
On Television
1996. Rockpalast (WDR, Germany) Placebo; Crown Of Thorns; Frank Black; Heather Nova; Pulp; Iggy Pop; Bad Religion; David Bowie (Loreley St. Goarshausen) Here’s David Bowie with, “The Voyeur”.
Death
1969. Judy Garland is found dead by her fifth husband, Mickey Deans, at the couple’s home in Cadogan Lane, Chelsea, London. Initial tests rule out a drug overdose or cirrhosis of the liver.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday 19th June):
Birth
1948. Nick Drake born in Rangoon, Burma.
On Politics
1984. Michael Jackson is denounced by the Kremlin for having sold out his black roots and being a puppet of the Reagan administration.
In Custody
1990. Adam Franklin (Swervedriver) is arrested and charged with causing an affray after an incident with a bouncer after the band’s gig at London’s Borderline Club which leaves him with several broken teeth and facial bruising. He spends a night in police cells before being released in the morning. Due to his injuries he can barely speak. As a result the band cancel the rest of their U.K. tour.
In The Press
1976. Seventeen year old scribe, Steven Morrissey hits the big time when he gets a letter published in Melody Maker and New Musical Express about The Sex Pistols concert on June 4th in Manchester. Here’s the letter:
“I PEN this epistle after witnessing the infamous Sex Pistols ‘in concert’ at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The bumptious Pistols in jumble sale attire had those few that attended dancing in the aisles despite their discordant music and barely audible audacious lyrics, and they were called back for two encores. The Pistols boast no inspiration from the New York / Manhattan rock scene, yet their set includes “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone” a number believed to be done almost to perfection by the Heartbreakers on any sleazy New York night, and the Pistols’ vocalist/exhibitionist Johnny Rotten’s attitude and self-asserted “love us or leave us” approach can be compared to both Iggy Pop and David JoHansen in their heyday.
Not to mention the fact that the Pistol’s manager is the legendary Malcolm MacClaren who has had close connections with the New York Dolls. The Sex Pistols are very New York and it’s nice to see that the British have produced a band capable of producing atmosphere created by the N.Y. Dolls and their many imitators, even though it may be too late. I’d love to see the Pistols make it. Maybe then they will be able to afford some clothes which don’t look as though they’ve been slept in.” - STEVE MORRISEY, Stretford, Manchester
On Television
1980. Musikladen (ZDF, Germany) 54. A la Carte - Do wah diddy diddy; Gibson Brothers - Mariana; The Days - Teacher, teacher; Oscar Harris - Song for the children; Matchbox - Midnite dynamos; Jona Lewie - Kitchen at parties; Jimmy Ruffin - Hold on to my love; Paul McCartney - Coming up (Video); Pretenders - Brass in pocket; Marianne Faithful - Broken English; Roxy Music - Over you; Lipps Inc. - Funkytown; Johnny Cash - Sunday morning coming down (Oldie: 1972); Showaddywaddy - Always & ever. Here’s Marianne Faithful.
Death
2002. Frank “Skip” Candelon, ex-lead singer of Turning Point is found dead in his New Jersey home from a suspected drug overdose. The event is announced by the band’s web site which also says, “the family wishes the details of Skip’s death to remain private”.
Babble
I’ve finally got some of Rockmine’s music film posters up for sale on-line. They’ve been sitting in drawers and portfolios since they were last taken to a memorabilia/record fair in Paris back in 1995! They’re all originals, sent out to cinemas to promote the movie. Here are direct links to them:
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Friday, 6th June):
Birth
1944. Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream) born in West Berlin.
On Tour
1975. The Movies are injured in a rail crash near Nuneaton on their journey from London to Glasgow to support Joan Armatrading. All the band members receive minor injuries but bass player, Durban Laverne undergoes surgery at Nuneaton Manor Hospital.
In Court
2002. Chris Gratton, tour manager for Limp Bizkit tells an inquest in Sydney, Australia that concert promoters were to blame for the death of a fifteen-year-old fan during a concert last year. Jessica Michalik died after suffering a heart attack during a crowd crush while Limp Biskit performed at the Big Day Out festival in Sydney on January 26, 2001.
Gratton said that the promoters failed to control the “absolute crowd mayhem” and that in 12 years on tour he had “never, ever seen something so frightful”. He went on to say that the death would have been avoided had promoters stopped the show but security staff did nothing when a crowd of 50 people collapsed yards from the stage.
The tour manager aslo rejected claims that the band’s front man, Fred Durst, aggravated and provoked the crowd by screaming obscenities at them. Durst is scheduled to give evidence on June 17th, via video link from Los Angeles.
In Church
1992. David Bowie and his wife Iman have their wedding blessed at a church service in Florence, Italy. They were married in a civil service last month.
On Television
2003. Rockpalast (WDR, Germany) Iron Maiden; Zwan; The Cardigans; Maná; Lifehouse; The Donnas; Murderdolls; Reamonn; Silverchair; The Hives; The Dandy Warhols; Die Happy; Blackmail; M.I.A; Joachim; Whyte Seeds (Rock Am Ring, Nürburgring). Here are Iron Maiden with, “The Clansman”.
Death
1991. Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz dies of liver cancer in Malibu, California, aged 64.
1910. Blues guitarist T-Bone Walker born Aaron Thibeaux Walker in Linden, Texas.
In Custody
1969. Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull are arrested at Mick’s house in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London. The couple are taken to Chelsea police station where they are charged with possessing cannabis before being released on £ 50 bail each. They are due to appear in Marylebone Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
In Court
1998. Journalist Belissa Cohen files a lawsuit against Courtney Love at Los Angeles County Superior Court. The suit follows an incident last month when Cohen tried to take a photograph of Love at a fashion show they were attending. Before she was able to snap her picture, Courtney is alleged to have grabbed Cohen’s hair, kneed her in the groin and hit her in the face.
It’s alleged that after the incident, Courtney said, “I just hit Belissa Cohen, and it felt so good”. The suit seeks undisclosed damages.
In Hospital
1971. David Bowie’s wife Angie gives birth to a son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Bowie in Bromley hospital.
On Television
2004. Later… With Jools Holland (BBC-2, U.K.) 19.4. Ash; P.J. Harvey; Kanye West; John Martyn; Amp Fiddler; Tinariwen. Here’s John Martyn with “Johnny Too Bad”.
Death
1981. Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs) dies of cancer in Dyrham, North Carolina aged 71.
Babble
I was pleased to see just how many clips YouTube had of John Martyn - 375 in total. The man has always been one of our most gifted and underrated singer-songwriters but suffers from what seems to be a huge self-destruct streak. I often wonder how much he’s haunted by the spectre of Nick Drake with whom he shared a room at Cambridge.
John was Chris Blackwell’s first white signing to Island Records but somehow he was eclipsed by the tragedy of Drake’s death and subsequent elevation of Nick to folk deity. Life hasn’t been a bed of roses for John and the loss of a leg in recent years may well have destroyed lesser men but he is a giant in British music. If you don’t know about him, he need to!
Everyone who’s ever met John will have an anecdote about him but mine has a piece of video tape to go with it. John had been playing Edinburgh’s Usher Hall where he was one of the acts during an Ethiopia benefit. He was as they say, “tired and emotional” and decided that he’d like to join in with the final act. Closing the show were Jack Bruce, Rory Gallagher, Charlie Watts and Ian Stewart.
I was standing in Radio Clyde’s mobile recording studio outside listening to the live sound. All of a sudden, all we could hear was distortion on the guitar channel. It was John, he’d plugged himself in to Rory’s amp and was starting to join in. There was a monitor in the mobile and I could see John standing at the back of the stage. A moment later, the sound went dead and John was lying on the floor. Rory’s roadie had dealt with the sound problem with immediate force. I’m sure I can remember seeing John’s feet disappearing as someone dragged him out of view but my memory may not be accurate.
What I need to do is dig out the video and maybe even think about making it the 376th John Martyn clip on YouTube!
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday 29th April):
Birth
1953. Bill Drummond (The KLF) born William Butterworth in South Africa.
On Tour
1970. “Twiggs” Lyndon, road manager for the Allman Brothers Band stabs club owner Angelo Aliotta three times with a ten-inch fishing knife after he refuses to pay the band for two shows they played the previous night. Aliotta dies about an hour later. Twiggs refuses to run from the cops and is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. When he eventually comes to trial, after spending 18 months in jail, he’s found not-guilty having proved that working for the band had driven him to temporary insanity!
In Government
1997. Speaker Of The House, Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott honour Tori Amos’s Rape Abuse and Incest National Network at a ceremony in Washington. The singer launched RAINN in 1994 with her own money and contributions from Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. Rep. Susan Molinari (Republican, New York) announces that May 16th will be RAINN Day as a tribute to the 142,000+ victims the service has helped in three years.
In Hospital
1992. Country singer Doug Stone undergoes quadruple bypass surgery in Nashville, Tennessee only three days after complaining of chest pains at a concert in Oregon.
On Television
2000. Later… With Jools Holland (BBC-2, U.K.) 15.3. Bobby Whitlock - “Bell Bottomed Blues (with Jools And Eric Clapton)”, “Wing And A Prayer (with Jools And Eric Clapton)”, “Later Jam (with Jools And Eric Clapton)”; Doves - “Catch The Sun”, “The Cedar Room”; Ute Lemper - “The Part You Throw Away”; Embrace - “You’re Not Alone”, “Hooligan”, “Save Me”; Lynden David Hall - “Sleeping With Victor”, “Let’s Do It Again (with Hinda Hicks)”. Here’s “Bell Bottomed Blues”.
Death
1993. Guitarist and producer, Mick Ronson dies in London after a two year battle against liver cancer.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday 26th April):
Birth
On Tour
1982. The Clash postpone their UK tour when Joe Strummer goes missing.
In Court
1999. The David Geffen Corporation and Bong Load Custom Records file separate lawsuits against Beck. Both companies are seeking a court ruling that will enforce their rights over the artist. The legal action stems from a clause that Beck insisted on in his original 1994 contracts that allows him to record “non-commercial” music for small independent labels. Both DGC and Bong Load now want to stifle his indie productions to ensure the commercial viability of their “product”. Since DGC and its parent company, Polygram, were consumed by the Universal Group, Beck has seen the managers and contacts within DGC replaced with people less sympathetic to his ideals. As a result, he’s made it clear that he feels his contract is no longer binding.
In The Press
1976. David Bowie gives an interview to a journalist in Stockholm, Sweden which sparks a storm of controversy in the British press. He later repudiates his remarks: “As I can see it, I am the only alternative for the premier in Britain. I believe Britain could benefit from a fascist leader. After all, fascism is really nationalism”. Oops!
On Television
1993. Later… With Jools Holland (BBC-2, U.K.) First show of series 2. P J Harvey - “Naked Cousin”, “Wang Dang Doodle; Maria McKee - “I Can’t Make it Alone; Vince Gill - “No Future In The Past”, “(Don’t Let Your Love) Start Slipping Away; Sounds of Blackness - “I’m Going all The Way”, “Pressure Pt II”, “Optimistic; Alice In Chains - “Them Bones”, “Would”.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday 23rd April):
Birth
1939. Ray Peterson, who had a hit with ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’, born in Denton, Texas.
On Stage
1977. Siouxsie And The Banshees play London’s Roxy Club. In the audience are a bunch of students from Hornsey Art College. Led by Stuart Goddard,they are inspired to form a new band - The Ants. Meanwhile, not that far away, the club’s promoter, Andrew Czeczowski, is being thrown off the premises. After running gigs there for four months, it seems he hasn’t given the owners any of the £ 25,000 a year they’re charging him.
In Government
1997. The Texas State Senate passes a bill prohibiting investment in companies that promote or produce lyrics depicting criminal violence, murder, assault, gang activities, race hatred or acts of sexual deviance. The bill allows state investors and pension funds until January 1st 1999 to get their money out of any record labels that might be deemed to be in contravention of the law.
In Court
2001. Eminem pleads no contest to two gun charges in an Oakland County, Michigan court. The rapper is charged, under his real nmame of Marshall Mathers III, with carrying a concealed firearm and brandishing a weapon during an arguement with the road manager for Insane Clown Posse outside a store in Royal oak, Michigan last year.
Sentencing is set for June 5th. Mathers’ lawyers advised the no contest plea in expectation of probation rather than a possible 5 years in prison. earlier this month, Eminem was sentenced to two years probation for carrying a concealed weapon during a fight outside a Detroit nightclub.
On Television
2004. The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, U.S.A.) 142. Guests include David Bowie. Here he is with, “Changes”.
Death
1975. Pete Ham (Badfinger) hangs himself in his garage after a period of depression.
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