the
From Glam Rock…to Garbo….to Goats
the
HIP QUOTIENT
From Glam Rock…..to Garbo…..to Goats
the
From Glam Rock…to Garbo….
to Goats
Does a typewriter qualify as a musical instrument? To Lester Bangs, it did. The brilliant, outrageous rock journalist, who died on this date in 1982 from a cocktail of Darvon, Valium, and NyQuil, once joined the J. Geils Band on stage and proceeded to write/perform a live concert review on his "miked" Smith Corona typewriter.
The theater darkens. The 20th-Century Fox logo flickers on. Then, two very red lips on a black background fill the screen. The theme music begins and the lips sing, "Michael Rennie was ill the day the earth stood still, but he told us where we stand. And Flash Gordon was there, in silver underwear, Claude Rains was the Invisible Man." You’re immediately drawn in by the tune, the lyrics and the fab falsetto of the singer. The lips continue singing for several verses while the opening credits appear. The theme song, like the movie, is an homage to early science fiction movies, B horror movies, and early rock-n-roll. Soon, people in the audience start wielding strange objects in the theater and talking back to the actors. By now you're starting to wonder: just exactly what did I wander into? "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," of course. When I first saw this film in the mid-1980s it was like nothing else I'd ever seen. I was titillated, shocked, and rapturously seduced! An article by contributing writer Janet Daniels.
Whatever happened to Dave Chappelle, the gifted comedian, writer, actor, and satirist whose "Chappelle's Show" ran for a mere two seasons on Comedy Central? His TV sketches were among the most brilliant and biting I've ever seen. Sure, Jimmy Fallon's send-ups of artists like Neil Young, Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan are hilarious; his impersonations are dead-on. But Chappelle had a talent for writing and performing sketches that depicted stars at their worst and most outrageous. His parodies were often tasteless, usually non-PC, and always side-splitting. Fans and critics loved him. If you aren't familiar with Dave, or have forgotten just how talented he is, take a look at these classic "Chappelle's Show" spoofs of famous musical artists.
Okay, rock fans of the '60s and '70s, it's time to get brutally honest and swallow your hipster pride. Can you please admit you've heard of country singer Tammy Wynette? And, if you know the name, are you self-assured enough to admit you've heard, or even enjoyed, her 1968 chart-topping single, "D.I.V.O.R.C.E."? C'mon, fess up! It tells the syrupy story of a couple on the verge of splitsville, who spell out the "D word" so little J.O.E. won't understand. This tune was just begging to be spoofed! And the first one to do it was Billy Connelly - a wild and woolly guy with a funny accent who lived far across the pond in Scotland.
The 1964 Presidential race is remembered for the landslide victory of Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater. But do you remember the "candidate" whose grassroots campaign was thrust forward by a horde of enthusiastic teenagers? Hint: it was a Beatle. Surprise! It's probably not the one you might have guessed. When the Beatles conquered America 50 years ago, Ringo Starr quickly became the favorite of the band's American fans, including me. From his beat-happy debut on the Ed Sullivan show, to his hilarious hip-swiveling Elvis imitation during the band's first press conference, to his scene-stealing role in "A Hard Days Night," Ringo charmed the Yanks like no other. Yes, in the parlance of the times, the diminutive drummer was gear that year.