Feels good to get to the blog again! This is the 1st chance I've had to do this in well over a week. As I was thinking about this, I realized a few "deficiencies" about myself. Personally, I like to be organized. Personally, I finding that I'm becoming less so. Frankly, I like to feel that I have good time management skills - had to with 2 kids growing up in the house. Frankly, I feel that the management part is still there, but the time factor is sometimes non-existent. There... I said it... that's the 1st part of therapy. To quote Lucy from the Peanuts cartoon strip, "Admitting that you have a problem indicates that you're not too far gone." OK - never mind...
Before we even get to some tidbits, I managed to catch a blurb on TV that featured a story about Alan Freed. I won't go into the history of this historical figure in rock music, but it was this week back in 1956 that Freed hosted the first national radio show devoted to the new style of rock 'n' roll that debuted on CBS. It was called Rock and Roll Dance Party. This is a classic case where "you cannot appreciate the present unless you appreciate the past". Without moments like this, there would be no rock music today.
Ten years later, in 1966, we find that David Bowie released his first solo single called, "Do Anything You Say". It was available only in the UK on Pye records.
Moving ahead to 1973, Devo makes it's 1st public appearance as part of the Kent State Creative Arts Festival. They are known as Sextet Devo, because the name sounded "academic" according to the band. Even though the loose group had only three days to rehearse, they managed to put together a pretty decent set. They performed such early classics as "Private Secretary", "Beehive Flash", and "Wiggle Worm". However, they were unlike anything the audience had ever heard. At times, the crowd was confused, amused, and some even danced. It probably didn't help that band members were oddly dressed... everything from animal masks, to a butcher's coat, to doctor's scrubs...
The same year, we find that Chrissie Hynde is an American who's in love in England. She came over about a week ago with literally a suitcase, her Iggy Pop records, and the clothes on her back. She lands a day job at an architects firm, but at night she works feverishly at the music scene in London. Within a year, she'll get her 1st byline reviewing records for the New Musical Express. Within 2 years, she'll get her first chance to meet Seymour Stein, the owner of Sire records who would eventually sign her group The Pretenders.
Elvis Costello makes his debut on Stiff Records back in 1977. The single contains "Less Than Zero" and "Radio Sweetheart". The sessions were produced by Nick Lowe and are recorded in "reasonable stereo". Reading the matrix on the records, one would find "Elvis is King" and "Elvis is King on this side too". The single actually gets good reviews, although they seemed contradictory... often within themselves. One review in the New Musical Express states, "It's a great record. Doesn't stand a snowballs chance in hell. What a bleedin' shame". Yes - this is in fact word for word.
An avid listener of the station sent me this cool tidbit; In 1981, a bottle-shaped children's book, based on the lyrics of Sting's "Message In A Bottle", is published.
In 1992 we visit the "What were you thinking department" where Billy Idol pleaded no contest to punching a woman in the face. He was fined and told to make public service announcements against alcohol and drug use.
Finally, we end today's' blog with a moment of silence. On this day, April 7th back in 1998, Wendy O Williams, lead singer of The Plasmatics, passed away.
Peace out 'til next time,
Dave
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