To say the blog’s been neglected is an understatement! Hopefully, with the start of the New Year tomorrow, that will all change.
While I may not have been posting anything, I haven’t been idle. The Almanac, the albatross round my neck for the last 23 years, finally seems to be working as a database although the task of updating it is becoming enormous.
I’ll be posting a daily slice again from midnight and the plan is to ensure that publication time from now on. For those that can make use of the information on a commercial basis, I’ll be offering it one week in advance for a small subscription fee.
February will see the publication of The Rockmine Almanac as a hard copy book which will be available via Lulu but published by Rockmine. Needless to say, it will be completely different to the daily blog version.
Rockmine’s ballroom blogs will also be getting brought up to date and work will continue on the big ones, like the Marquee Club. I’m glad to report (and somewhat surprised) that despite my inactivity, all the blogs are still being read which must mean I’m doing something right!
To all those who get it before midnight GMT, Have A Happy New Year!
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Friday 22nd August):
Birth
1945. Ron Dante (The Cuff-Links) born Carmine Granito on Staten Island, New York.
On Stage
1978. Sid Vicious stages his farewell party at The Electric Circus. He and girlfriend Nancy Spungeon are moving to New York. The party-cum-gig features Sid with a scartch band of Rat Scabies on drums, Glen Matlock on bass, Steve New on guitar and Nancy on backing vocals. Also there are Blondie, Captain Sensible, Elvis Costello, Joan Jett, The Rich Kids, The Slits among others.
In Hospital
1966. Two teenage girls threaten to throw themselves off a ledge on the 21st floor of a New York hotel unless they are allowed to hand a letter to Paul McCartney. Eventually, Patrolman Richard Powers manages to convince 16 year old Susan Richmond and her 17 year old friend Carol Hopkins to return inside the building after he and a colleague promise to see the letter is delivered. Afterwards the girls are taken to hospital for observation. An eye-witness said they just seemed to want attention. Strangely, The Beatles weren’t even in the hotel but were in another a block away and unaware of any problems.
In Church
1992. Sting and Trudie Styler make up for their low key wedding by holding a major bash for their blessing at St. Andrew’s Church, Great Dunford, Wilts. 150 guests are invited and The Police reform to play at the reception.
On Television
1998. Rockpalast (WDR, Germany) The Cure; Goldie; Guano Apes; The Deftones; The Afghan Whigs; The Notwist; Soul Coughing; The Toaster; Core; Funf Sterne Deluxe; Headcrash; Gautsch; Turbonegro; Mad Sin; Junkie XI (Bizarre Festival, Butzweiller Hof, Koln).
Death
1979. Bluesman John Lee Granderson dies of cancer in Chicago, Illinois.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Thursday 21st August):
Birth
1957. Budgie (Siouxsie And The Banshees) born Pete Clark in Lancashire.
On Tour
1976. The Mont De Marsan Festival is staged in a bullring south of Bordeaux by Marc Zermati, owner of Skydog Records. It is the first punk rock festival to be held in Europe and features The Count Bishops, The Damned, Nick Lowe, The Pink Fairies, Little Bob Story and The Tyla Gang.
En-route to the festival, Ray Burns of The Damned buys a trendy shirt with epaulettes. Later, when he’s wearing it, he fools around pretending to be an airline pilot saving his plane from certain doom. One of his colleagues shouts out, “It’s fucking Captain Sensible“. The name sticks.
In Court
1998. Jim Kerr‘s brother Paul is jailed for two years at the High Court in Edinburgh follwing an arson attack on the home of Radio Tay DJ John Darroch on July 18th 1997. The former Simple Minds tour manager had originally been charged with the attempted murder of 18 year old Karen Darroch and other occupants of the house in Broughty Ferry but this was later reduced to wilfully setting fire to a settee and attempting to set fire to the house to the danger of the occupants. The attack was the culmination of a two year dispute over a shop bought from Darroch in Blairmore, Argyll. Paul Kerr had bought the property with the intention of settling down after years on the road. Unfortunately, the business didn’t take off for him and he claimed that he had been conned by Darroch.
In Hospital
1994. According to The News Of The World, Sinead O’Connor has been having treatment at the London Priory psychiatric hospital. In an article published today entitled, “Sinead Cracks Up”, the paper alleges that she has being undergoing intensive therapy at the £ 350 a day clinic.
On Television
1998. Rockpalast (WDR, Germany) Portishead; Tindersticks; P.J. Harvey; Fun Lovin’ Criminals; The Bluetones; Chumbawumba; The Jesus And Mary Chain; H-Blockx; Such A Surge; Thumb (Bizarre Festival, Butzweiler Hof, Koln). Here’s P.J. with “Electric Light”. 4m 50s.
Death
1975. Country guitarist Sam McGee dies in Franklin, Tennessee.
1948. John Martyn born in Moscow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
In Custody
2003. Rapper DMX is arrested on obscenity charges after swearing onstage during the St Kitts Music Festival. The rapper claims that he has video taped evidence that an agreement was reached before his set that songs that contained swear words were acceptable providing no ad-libbed swearing was added between songs. After the arrest, DMX’s manager announced that unless festival promoters issued a public apology to the media he would consider legal action against them.
In Court
2001. Eminem appears in a Michigan courtroom for sentencing, following his “no contest” plea last month to the charge of brandishing a semi-automatic gun. The incident happened during an argument with Douglas Dahl of Detroit rap group Insane Clown Posse.
Circuit Judge Denise Langford Morris, presiding, could have jailed Eminem for a maximum of 5 years in prison. Appearing under his real name of Marshall Mathers III, the rapper testified the gun was not loaded and witnesses said he didn’t point it at anyone. Judge Morris said she’d received suggestions for a suitable sentence including washing his mouth out with soap and ordering him to write a clean song but in the end she gave him one year probabtion, a $ 2,300 fine and a community service order. Quoting a line from “The Real Slim Shady”, she told the rapper, “Now is the time for you to please stand up”.
In Hospital
1997. One girl dies and more than 300 fans are injured during the hometown gig by Die Toten Hosen at the football stadium in Dusseldorf. More than 60,000 attended the gig which was to celebrate the band’s 1,000th show. Also on the line-up were Bad Religion, Goldfinger and The Leningrad Cowboys.
Twenty minutes into the band’s set, the crowd surged towards the stage. Dozens of fans were pulled unconscious from the mosh pit but although paramedics were on hand, they were unable to resuscitate one. Die Toten Hosen (which means The Dead Pants) stopped the show and urged the crowd to move back. Authorities fearing a riot if the show was stopped, told the band to finish their set. A day later, thirty fans were still being treated in hospital.
On Television
1969. Beat Club (WDR, West Germany) 44: Caravan, Brian Poole & the Seychelles, Flirtations, Marsha Hunt, Procol Harum, Richie Havens, Keef Hartley, The Searchers, Family Dogg, 3 Dog Night, Dave Dee & Co, Ohio Express, Amen Corner. Here’s Keef Hartley with “Waiting Around”
Death
1992. Punk turned goth guitarist Rob Graves, real name Rob Ritter, (ex Gun Club) dies from a heroin overdose in New York City.
From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Saturday 7th June):
Birth
1957. Paddy McAloon (Prefab Sprout) born in Durham, England.
Heading Home
1978. Rod Stewart flies out of Argentina hours before Scotland’s World Cup match with Iran as he refuses to go to the stadium flanked by the armed bodyguards his management insists he employ. The action is prompted by an incident last weekend when gunmen robbed the Buenos Aires restaurant where the star was dining. One robber was killed in shooting during the raid and Rod narrowly escaped being hit. In a statement issued by his management, the superstar said he’ll return home and watch the remaining matches on TV.
In Court
2002. Philadelphia songwriters Michael Cottrill and Lawrence Wnukowski file a lawsuit at the U.S. District Court in their hometown claiming two songs on Britney Spears‘ second album, “Oops! … I Did It Again”, are based on a tune they wrote. The two men claim they submitted a track called “What You See Is What You Get” to one of Britney’s representatives in 1999 for possible inclusion on an album. Although their song was rejected, the men claim that two songs on Britney’s album, “Can’t Make You Love Me” and “What U See (Is What U Get)” are “virtually identical” to their original. As well as Britney, the lawsuit also names BMG Music Publishing, Jive Records, Wright Entertainment Group and Zomba Recording Corporation as defendants.
On The Run
1979. Honey Bane (real name Donna Tracy), the fifteen year old front person of The Fatal Microbes absconds from the St. Charles Youth Treatment Centre in Brentwood, Essex where she was placed, under a child care order, two and a half years ago.
On Television
2003. Rockpalast (WDR, Germany) Placebo; Audioslave; Evanescence; Stone Sour; Clawfinger; Dave Gahan; Stereophonics; Badly Drawn Boy; Turin Brakes; Tomte; The Ark; Saybia; Surrogat (Rock Am Ring, Nürburgring). Here’s Evanescence. This is the first part of their complete set and should link to the other six parts.
Death
1966. Claudette Orbison, Roy Orbison‘s wife dies in a head-on motorcycle crash in front of him.
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