From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday 5th July):
Birth
1950. Andy Ellison (John’s Children) born in Leatherhead, Surrey.
On Tour
1966. President Ferdinand Marcos of The Philipines makes an official statement expressing regret at the treatment received by The Beatles when they left Manila earlier today. The moptops were shoved, kicked, spat at and told to “go to Hell” by Philipinos incensed at the group’s treatment of their president’s wife. They had been expected to visit the Presidential Palace between concerts but were unaware of any arrangements. At the airport, they were given no assistance with their luggage and escalators were turned off. Their flight was then delayed by 45 minutes while Brian Epstein was forced to settle a £ 6,600 tax bill for the two concerts. All this shortly after he had been knocked to the ground and kicked in a scuffle.
In Custody
1975. Keith Richards and Ron Wood are arrested along with aide Fred Sessler by the Arkansas Highway Patrol. Keith is questioned about carrying a concealed weapon, his swiss-army knife. He and Ron (who’s done nothing) are released on bail of $ 162. Sessler, unfortunately, is found to be in possession of a quantity of cocaine. He is released on bail of $ 5,000.
In Hospital
1980. Bad Manners‘ gig at the Electric Ballroom in London’s Camden turns nasty. At one point a member of the audience jumps onstage and tries to stab Douglas Trendle (a.k.a. Buster Bloodvessel). Before he has a chance to strike, Louis “Alphonso” Cook kicks him off the stage. Unfortunately, before the gig is over, a member of the audience is stabbed in the kidneys.
On Television
1975. Disco (ZDF, West Germany) 55. George Baker Selection - Paloma blanca; Demis Roussos - Schön wie Mona Lisa; Peter, Sue + Marc - In den Straßen von Belfast; Costa Cordalis - Es stieg ein Eingel vom Olymp; David Cassidy - Get it up for love; Marianne Rosenberg - Er gehört zu mir; Kenny - Fancy pants - and here they are!
Death
1998. Folk singer and broadcaster Danny Kyle dies in hospital in Paisley, Scotland aged 58.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Friday 4th July):
Birth
1943. Alan “Al” Wilson (Canned Heat) born in Boston, Massachusetts.
On Tour
1975. The Rolling Stones are warned by the Memphis Police Vice Squad that playing the song “Starfucker” at tonight’s gig in the city’s Memorial Stadium will get them arrested for obscenity. Jagger refuses to comply and police in full riot gear surround the stage during the show. The band’s U.S. lawyer, Bill Carter, tells the police department that the band will sue and the fans will riot if anything is done. He also points out that the local radio station has been playing the song all week, and they haven’t been busted.
In Custody
1997. Stanley V. House (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) is arrested at his home in the San Fernando valley after neighbours report hearing gunshots in his back yard. Although they can find no evidence of anyone being shot, police do find a cache of explosives and an arsenal of weapons including AK-47 assault rifles. The 24 year old rapper, along with his 19 year old brother-in-law Jamar Tarik Cole are charged with possessing explosives. They are remanded in custody pending an appearance in court on the 7th of July.
In Hospital
1969. Scott Walker (real name Scott Engel) is injured in car crash near Sharpthorne, Essex. He was being driven to Brighton by his road manager, Bobby Hamilton, when a tyre burst causing the car to swerve, hitting a tree. No other vehicles were involved. He was taken to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead for treatment for cuts and shock before being discharged in the evening. Tonight’s concerts in Brighton have been cancelled as a result.
Unlike John Lennon’s car crash in the remote north of Scotland on July 1st, Scott gets massive press coverage for his crash with pictures of the mangled car in many papers. The music papers go to town on it but seem to have completely missed out on Lennon’s smash. If John had smashed the car on any road in England, he’d have made the front page of every paper in the land but the inaccessibility of the crash site meant it largely went unreported.
On Television
1975. The Midnight Special (NBC, U.S.A.) 123. Host: Frankie Valli. Guests: Freddy Fender; The Four Seasons; The Hollies; Orleans.Here are The Hollies with “Long Cool Woman”.
Death
1973. Don Powell of Slade is seriously injured in a car crash when his Bentley crashes through a hedge, a wall and into a tree. He and his girlfriend, Angela Morris, are rushed to Wolverhampton’s Royal Hospital where Angela dies soon after. Don has multiple injuries including a fractured skull. He will remain in hospital for six weeks. The accident, which took place in the early hours of the morning, did not involve any other cars. The couple were returning to Don’s luxury flat in Bilston after an evening at the Dix Nightclub in Wolverhampton.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday 2nd July):
Birth
1942. Leapy Lee born Lee Graham in Eastbourne, Sussex.
On Tour
1991. 60 people are hurt in the ensuing melee when Axl Rose jumps from the stage during a Guns ‘N’ Roses concert and attacks a member of the audience he spots videotaping the show. The venue outside St. Louis, Missouri is badly damaged in the near-riot which follows. Axl is charged with third degree assault and property damage but isn’t arrested by police for one year.
In Court
1997. Rick Danko (The Band) tells a court in Chiba, Japan that his wife sent him a package of heroin from America when he asked her to send him the prescription drug codeine. He’s quoted as saying, “I’m just surprised that she did anything so stupid”. Danko was arrested in May during a tour of Japan. Police raided his hotel room and found 1.25 grammes of heroin in a magazine that had recently arrived by post from the U.S. If found guilty he faces a jail sentence of up to two and a half years.
In Business
1997. Berry Gordy sells a 50% interest in his Jobete Music group of companies to EMI for $ 132 million. He’s already sold Motown Records to Polygram but retained the music publishing company Jobete. The new agreement allows Gordy and his sister Esther Edwards to sell their remaining share in Jobete for up to $ 250 million within five years. The company owns the copyright to more than 15,000 songs including such classics as “I heard It Through The Grapevine” and “My Girl”.
On Television
1980. Sheena Easton gets her big break on the BBC TV series, “The Big Time”. Fronted by Esther Rantzen, the show gives ordinary people the chance to fulfill their dreams. In Sheena’s case, it’s to become a pop singer. We see her being groomed for stardom and recording her debut single (released in April). Her second single, “9 To 5″ capitalises on the publicity from the show, hits number 3 in the U.K. chart - and a star is born.
Death
1969. Sometime between 11.30 p.m. and midnight, Brian Jones dies in the swimming pool of his 15th century home, Cotchford Farm near Hartfield, Sussex. He had spent the evening with his girlfriend, 22 year old Anna Vohlin, Frank Thorogood (a builder employed by The Rolling Stones to repair their homes) and his friend Janet lawson, a State Registered Nurse. Brian suggested they all go for a swim, complaining of the heat. After being in the pool a while, the two women returned to the house. Mr. Thorogood followed shortly after. When Jones didn’t join them after a short while, Lawson went to check on him. She found him lying on the bottom of the pool. She called the others to help. They dived in and pulled him out while she called an ambulance. While she was on the telephone, Anna tried the kiss of life and at one point felt Jones’ hand grip hers. When the ambulance crew arrived they tried for half an hour to revive him but he didn’t respond.
Rumours about his death abound. One suggests Brian was visited by two drug dealers wanting payment of outstanding debts. To frighten him they put his head in a bucket of water but Brian suffered an asthma attack and stopped breathing. In panic the body was thrown into the swimming pool where he drowned. It’s a great story - and one of many conspiracy theories - but it doesn’t tie in with any of the pathological evidence. Look in almost any book and they’ll list Brian’s date of death as tomorrow but we’ve taken the time of death from the notes of the Post-Mortem Examination seen here:
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 (Sunday 15th June):
Birth
1943. Johnny Hallyday born Jean-Phillipe Smets in Paris, France.
On The High Seas
1989. Rick Parfitt (Status Quo) has to be rescued from his boat in the English Channel after it runs out of fuel and drifts for two hours.
In Court
1995. Snoop Doggy Dogg appears at a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles. His lawyers ask Judge Paul Flynn to dismiss the murder charges against the rapper after the prosecution admit that key items of evidence have been accidentally destroyed by a police officer. The judge tells the defence the trial will go ahead and the prosecution will have to explain to a jury why the evidence was destroyed. As yet no date has been set for the trial.
In Hospital Beds
1987. 30 hired hands move 800 rented National Health Service beds onto Saunton Sands in North Devon for Storm Thorgerson to shoot the cover of Pink Floyd’s next album, “A Momentary Lapse Of Reason”. He had tried in Los Angeles but hadn’t been able to get the type of beds he wanted.
On Television
1973. The Midnight Special, (NBC, U.S.A.) 21. Host: Jim Croce. Guests: Little Anthony and the Imperials; Savoy Brown; Barbara Fairchild; Shawn Phillips; Wishbone Ash; Bobby Womack. Here’s the wonderful Jim Croce with, “I Got A Name”.
Death
1968. Guitarist Wes Mongomery dies of a heart attack in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Babble
Well, I’ve missed the blogs for the last two days. I was up in Elgin on Friday morning and never had the time to get online. Blame a dodgy connection! How anyone manages with BT HomeHub amazes me. I was sitting looking at a dead Safari window for ages. Anyway, I’m ranting again. I left there at lunchtime to drive down to perth and then on to Peebles in the Scottish borders. It’s becoming a bit of a habit. I was down there last year for “An Audience With Bill Wyman” and this time I was heading there for Bob Dylan. Yes, Peebles! Sleepy border town and Bob Dylan. I kid you not.
The event was a private view for “The Drawn Blank Series” at one of only two galleries in Scotland taking part in the release of the limited edition collections of Dylan’s work. The art was originally created while Dylan was undertaking the “Never Ending Tour” of 1989 - 1992.
Breeze Gallery in Peebles pulled out all the stops with a champagne reception to launch the exhibition and it paid off for them. The atmosphere was easy and relaxed, with those attending chatting about the artwork on show and the life of Bob himself. Not long after the start, an array of red dots started to appear next to the framed and glazed pieces which added to the excitement. By the time I left, most of the items on the walls had been sold. There were also portfolio sets of images that seemed to be drawing a lot of interest but with the complete boxed collection selling for £ 33,900 I’d be surprised if that went on the preview night.
The gallery’s owner, Bob Corsie, pictured here, put on a great show and did his utmost to make everyone feel welcome and fully informed. Another great evening in Peebles and a triumph for the Gallery. Well done!
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Wednesday 11th June):
Birth
1940. Joey Dee (Joey Dee & The Starlighters) born Joseph DeNicola in Passaic, New Jersey.
On Tour
1964. Police break up a press conference being given by The Rolling Stones on a traffic island in the middle of Michigan Avenue, outside Chess Studios in Chicago. According to police, they and the many fans who’d gathered to see them were bringing traffic to a standstill. After a senior police officer threatened to jail everyone, the Stones, reporters and fans moved to the sidewalk outside the studio. The police involvement, the screaming fans and the presence of TV and radio ensured massive prime-time coverage of the event. It was an ideal boost in the middle of the U.S. tour and a prime example of Andrew Loog Oldham’s love of publicity stunts.
In Court
1992. Tom and Jennifer Crazy Bear DuBray of the Oglala Sioux tribe of native Americans file a $ 61 million lawsuit against The Cult. The couple claim that a photo of their son was used on the cover of the album “Ceremony” without their permission.
In Hospital
1995. Courtney Love is taken to hospital in Seattle having passed out after an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. She is released later in the day. A spokesman played down the seriousness stressing that the hospital is bound to keep patients in for 72 hours if they suspect a suicide attempt.
On Television
2004. Later… With Jools Holland (BBC-2, U.K.) 19.6. Toots & The Maytals; Jet; Charlie Musselwhite; Eric Bibb; Bebel Gilberto; Hope Of The States; Tom Baxter. Here’s Tom with “My Declaration”.
Death
1966. Radio stations in Holland, Germany and France incorrectly announce that Roger Daltrey is dead. The reports come about following confusion surrounding Pete Townshend’s car crash on the M1 motorway on May 30th.
Babble
Once again, the blog’s late up today. I’ve been busy with Rockmine’s Gallery page of rock film posters and taking advantage of the sun to get some photos of the posters. I’ve got 24 online but it may take a while longer to get all their individual pages working. Here’s the link if you want to check them out.
I’ve also got a page up for the Elton John Sotheby’s box sets. These are the lavish, stunning catalogues for Elton’s first major auction sale back in September 1988. 4 catalogues covering everything from stage clothes to furniture. All housed in a hard slip-case. Unfortunately, they weigh well over 2 kilos and signed-for postage to the U.S. would be nearly £ 50! That means they’re only available for sale in the U.K. Check them out here.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Tuesday 10th June):
Birth
1910. Bluesman Howlin’ Wolf born Chester Arthur Burnett on a plantation outside West Port, Mississippi.
On Stage
1981. Andy Gibb opens in the role of Frederic for the Los Angeles production of “The Pirates Of Penzance”.
In Court
1992. The $ 25 million palimony lawsuit brought by model Kelly Emberg against Rod Stewart is dismissed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Judge David Horowitz, presiding, threw out her claim for half of all the assets that Rod had accrued between 1985 and 1990 when the two were living “as husband and wife”
In Custody
1990. Luther Campbell and Chris Wongwon of 2 Live Crew are arrested on obscenity charges following their gig at Club Futura in the Miami suburb of Hollywood. A third member of the rap band said he would surrender himself to police later in the day.
The arrests follow on from a federal Judge’s ruling on June 6th that the band’s album, “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” was obscene and violated the community standards of South Florida. Sheriff for Broward County, Nick Navarro, had warned retailers “If you sell it, you’re going to jail”. The arrests clearly show that the band will be unable to perform any material from the album in the state uncensored.
On Television
1994. Later… With Jools Holland (BBC-2, U.K.) 3.6. Crowded House - “In My Command”; “Fingers of Love”; “Private Universe”; The Auteurs - “Lenny Valentino”; “Everything You Say”; Aswad - “Shine”; “Picking it up”; The Cranberries - “No Need To Argue”; “Dreaming My Dreams” Here are The Auteurs with “Lenny Valentine”.
Death
1982. Addie “Micky” Harris (The Shirelles) dies of a heart attack after a gig in Atlanta, Georgia.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Monday 9th June):
Birth
1929. Johnny Ace born John Marshall Alexander Jnr. in Memphis, Tennessee.
On Tour
1979. The Fakes appearance at Cumbernauld’s Leisure Centre is cancelled when janitors discover the band have smuggled beer into the building. Their support band, Razor Cuts are allowed to go on but Fakes’ manager Billy McChord kicks them off stage and forces his band on. He gets arrested, as does vocalist Johnny McGuire when he protests to police. While all this is going on, someone steals all the band’s hired gear.
In Court
1980. Bianca Jagger (32) appears at a short hearing in the Family Division of The High Court in London before Mr. Justice Evesham. The half-hour hearing, before the same judge that granted her divorce decree, from Mick Jagger, seven months ago, concerned a financial settlement. No details have been made available.
In Hospital (nearly!)
1997. Gavin Rossdale, is hit by a glass bottle whilst onstage with Bush at the California Expo Amphitheatre in Sacramento. The bottle caught the singer on the bridge of the nose was knocked to the stage. The gig was stopped while other members of the band helped the bleeding Rossdale off stage. He was treated by paramedics at the scene and once the bleeding had stopped, returned to the stage.
On Television
1984. Aspel & Company (ITV, U.K.) 1. Guests include: Paul McCartney. This is the whole of the interview spread over two clips.
Death
1993. Soul singer and songwriter, Arthur Alexander dies from a heart attack.
Babble
Ok. I’ve finally got it! I’ve no idea what I’ve been doing wrong but the video clips for the last three days haven’t been embedding properly. They are now. So, if you missed Iron Maiden or Evanescence at Rock Am Ring 2003 or Robert Gordon from Rockpalast in 1978 just scroll down the page.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday 8th June):
Birth
1962. Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) born Nicholas Bates in Moseley, Warwickshire.
On Tour
1999. The Rolling Stones play a secret gig at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The gig is meant to finish by 11pm but goes on until nearly midnight. The result is the band are fined £ 25,000.
In Court
1993. BMG Music is granted an injunction against Allen Klein’s ABCKO label to postpone the re-release of Sam Cooke’s seminal album, “Night Beat”. BMG claim to own the rights. The case goes to US District Court where Judge Loretta Preska instructs ABCKO and their distributors Polygram to ensure all copies carry a sticker stating, “Originally manufactured in 1963 by Tracy Ltd. for the RCA Records label.” ABCKO will be entitled to release the album until their rights expire on a date still to be decided in the courts.
In Church
1998. The three surviving Beatles appear together in public for the first time since 1969. George Harrison and Ringo Starr joined Sir Paul McCartney at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields church in London for a memorial service for Sir Paul’s wife, Linda, who died from cancer in April.
Crowds gathered in the rain outside and cheered as The Beatles arrived separately but only Ringo stopped to acknowledge them with a wave of his umbrella. Animal rights groups from across Europe staged a candle-lit vigil to celebrate the work that Linda had done to bring their cause to public attention.
Among the many stars who attended were Sir Elton John, Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, Sting and Pete Townshend.
On Television
1978. Rockpalast (WDR, West Germany) Robert Gordon, Link Wray And The Wild Cats (WDR Studio-L Köln). Here’s Robert Gordon with “Hot Dog”.
Death
1972. Bluesman Jimmy Rushing dies of leukemia in New York aged 69.
Babble
I must apologize, the blog is very late up today. I’ve been spending time trying to revamp the main Rockmine site and getting bogged down in just how much needs to be done. A brief check showed that huge parts of the site are in disarray. The Doors section is particularly bad!
It will hardly surprise you then, that I’ve started there with a revamped page for The Doors Tapes, the two-record box set that I recorded with Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore back in 1983. I have to say - and I know I’m biased - that there’s a load of stuff on these discs that’s a must have for Doors fans. Apart from Ray accepting that despite the myth of meeting Jim on Venice beach, they had been playing together as early as 1963 and the most hilarious story of the Amsterdam debacle where The Doors played the gig without Jim!
The other thing that’s hugely important is that PayPal has been added to the site and the box set can now, at last, be bought straight from the page. Why not check it out for yourself here.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday 5th June):
Birth
1947. Performance artist Laurie Anderson born in Chicago, Illinois.
On Stage
1983. DJ Kenny Everett, is acting as master of ceremonies for the Conservative Party Youth event at Wembley Conference Centre. Unfortunately, he gets carried away and tells his audience, “Let’s bomb Russia!” and “Let’s kick Michael Foot’s sticks away!” He also jokes that he’d had tea with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and said to her, “Maggie, you’re rolling that joint all wrong”. Everett isn’t asked back.
In Court
1978. A temporary High Court injunction is obtained in London, stopping David Gates and two former members of Bread from touring the U.K. as David Gates And Bread. The injunction follows a writ issued by James A. Griffin (another former member) and Bread Enterprises Inc., who own the registered trade mark on the band’s name. A hearing is set for June 7th.
In Church
1989. Bill Wyman and Mandy Smith have their wedding blessed at the Church Of St. John The Evangelist in London’s Hyde Park Crescent. In marked contrast to their wedding on June 2nd, 170 guests attend the ceremony which is followed by a reception for 400 at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
On Television
1971. Disco (ZDF, West Germany) 4. Bourbon Family - “Acapulco gold”; Joe Dolan - “Sometimes a man just has to cry”; Clodagh Rodgers - “Jack in the box”; Dave Dee - “Wedding bells”; T.Rex - “Hot love”; Samantha Jones - “Sweet Inspiration”; Bill + Buster - “Hold on to what you’ve got”; Thomas Hock - “; The Rolling Stones - “Brown sugar”; Ricky Shayne - “Ginny come to me”. Here’s a ten minute section of the show featuring Dave Dee, T. Rex, Samatha Jones and Bill + Buster.
Death
1968. Bob Dylan’s father, Abraham Zimmerman, dies from a heart attack. Dylan flies back to Hibbing the following day. The funeral is held on June 7th and Bob stays with his mother until June 11th, when he flies back to New York. Sara, his wife, is expecting a baby and Bob wants to be at the birth.
Babble
On Tuesday I visited Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris and Patti Smith’s exhibition entitled, “Land 250″. The first thing that strikes you about Fondation Cartier is the building itself, a glass box held together by a steel exoskeleton set in a garden in the middle of the city. Walking into the building you can’t help but be awed by the scale of the open exhibition space on the ground floor. It’s an open, bright space but that wasn’t where Patti’s show was hanging.
For that, you walk down into the basement. The large space seems smaller and more intimate with subdued lighting and sofas sitting on rugs in the middle of the room. Initially the senses are bombarded. Video projections flicker on the walls and even on suspended screens around the homely seating. There are some stunning huge photographs along with Patti’s drawings and polaroids around the walls. It’s an assault on the senses that pulls you in and seduces you. This is, quite simply, amazing.
Throughout the main room (described as “At Home”) are a number of display cases. One features an original visiting card of Arthur Rimbaud’s as well as a first edition of “A Season In Hell”. Sharing the space with these relics is another modern one, Patti’s t-shirt worn for many live performances over the last 30 years.
I was totally mesmerized by this room, the quality of the work, the intimacy of the videos and the personal items. There’s too much to take in. This is definitely an exhibition that would benefit from repeat visits. The only trouble seemed to be that it was too comfortable. I saw one visitor dozing on a sofa!
Along with the main exhibition space are two other rooms. One is the Rene Daumal Room. The walls are white, covered with the comments and scribblings of the fans who’ve attended since the exhibition opened on March 28th, a century and 12 days since Daumal’s birth. On May 21st, to commemorate the day of his death, the walls were covered with sheets of white gauze. As well as the constantly running video, are a number of drawings and photographs. In the room are a prison bed, an ethiopian blanket and a offering bowl of rice. I have to say, this room didn’t work as well for me as the others.
The third room is the Coral Sea Room. In the centre of this darkened space is a large black gazebo with black gauze walls. A video projection plays on one wall and also on a screen stretched arcoss a table in the middle of the room. A bench on either side allows people to sit and fully absorb the atmosphere. Patti says in her commentary that she likes to come and sit here and think of Robert Mapplethorpe. I can see why, it’s a quiet restful meditative space. The walls around this are lined with photographs by both Patti and Robert. One of Patti’s is a polaroid taken of the Last Supper which salutes religion and Warhol at the same time. Two other religious relics add to the atmosphere - a chalice carved from driftwood and the slippers worn by Pope Benedict XV who made Joan of Arc a saint.
I wanted to take a break and went outside to try and photograph the building and when I walked back inside was stunned to see that Patti herself was there. She was relaxed and charming, happily signing autographs for anyone who asked. While she was there she explained many of the items exhibited and even the Rene Daumal Room to those in it at the time. She was followed by a TV crew but stayed long after they left, disappearing into the offices above the gallery spaces.
The exhibition runs until June 22nd. If you’re in Paris, check it out. I was told that Patti was staying in an hotel just around the corner so you may be lucky and catch her on one of her visits.
I flew back yesterday afternoon and stopped at a shopping mall for dinner on my way home. It was full of screaming kids and more than a thousand people. Needless to say I had to see what was happening. It was a personal appearance by the scariest of the Spice Girls, Mel B, at the Debenham’s store. She wasn’t there to plug a new release but to launch a new range of Ultimo bras! Here she is with the bra’s designer, Michelle Mone. The birthday cake was for Mel, albeit a few days out!
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