Willie G. Moseley

Andy Kaufman

RE Supertramp, the bleating voice of "singer" Roger Hodgson was the main reason I didn't care much for them. After he left, they did a terrific song with a great horn chart called "Cannonball" (and there was a video for it, IIRC). Check that one out---it's a very good tune with some nice hooks. Honest.

The thing you may already be aware of differing facets of classic country---earlier Nashville area stuff has no drums, whereas stuff from Bakersfield does, there was the outlaw movement that went to Austin in response to Nashville's proprietary attitude, etc. With that in mind, I think WILLIE AND FAMILY LIVE (recorded in 1980, IIRC) is a classic. All of his earlier hits (some in medleys) + songs he wrote for others, like "Crazy". Plus an abbreviated version of "Red-Hearted Stranger", one of the greatest extended narratives in American music history (in any genre), IMO.

Quite frankly, one of those anthologies like they hawk on TV at times might be viable. Patsy Cline had an inimitable voice, for example. Early George Jones, early Haggard, early Buck Owens. All of that stuff was "people's music", and there must've been legitimate reasons it was popular. Never too late to go back and research/discover why.

The other incident alluded to in the initial post was more testy and awkward than the '52 Goldtop examination (and again, I may have mentioned this one here before so 'scuse the redundancy if that's the case). I got a phone call from a guy who had been referred to me by a legendary writer in this area who was a mentor to me, and the writer knew I was into guitars. The caller had what he described as a family heirloom Gibson mandolin that dated from the early 20th century (not a Loar) and was interested in selling it. I wasn't interested in it, but dated it for him, and he then asked what it was worth. I don't do appraisals (I refer such inquiries to legit and reputable dealers that offer such services), but since the mentor had referred the guy to me, I figgered I'd do the mentor a favor. I checked the then-latest edition of the VINTAGE GUITAR PRICE GUIDE, and I told the caller "IF it's in excellent condition, unmodified, and has its original case, the price guide I consulted says it would retail for $_____, but keep in mind that you might not be able to sell it for full retail. What an instrument is 'worth' is what someone's willing to pay for and what someone's willing to sell if for, at the time of the sale." That's my credo, and I imparted it to him in a courteous voice. And the caller went ballistic. "I'M NOT INTERESTED IN SELLING IT FOR THAT!" he bellowed. "JESUS CHRIST, THIS INSTRUMENT'S BEEN IN MY FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS!" I sighed to myself, halfway expecting him to expectorate the phrase "sentimental value" (but he didn't). I excused myself soon afterwards. I've never done anything like that again, and won't, even if it's a referral from a writing mentor.

Aw, farboolah. There's probably gonna be a letter to the editor in the next issue of the magazine for which I write that proclaims I was wrong in noting in an article that the Gibson FZ-1 fuzztone was first marketed in 1962. Somebody who wrote in said he had an FZ-1A in '57 or '58, before he joined the service in 1960. There are three spelling errors in his brief missive. My response is simply that numerous internet sources and print sources said the FZ-1 was marketed in 1962. This isn't age discrimination (I'm a member of AARP myself), but it's not the first time that I've dealt with someone older who insists---sometimes in a hostile manner---that his/her recollection is accurate, and I'm wrong, even if I've got voluminous documentation to back up my p.o.v. I always keep my cool and stay polite; win the argument, lose the potential sale/potential purchase/future opportunity/whatever is the way I see it. The most glaring example for me would have been the senior who let me examine (in detail) his '52 Les Paul Goldtop, trapeze wrapover tailpiece and all. And he was adamant in his assertion that he had carried it with him during his service in World War II. I wonder if anyone else has had to deal with such awkward moments. Now, I'm not talking about any outrageous b.s. from somebody like a pawn shop employee; methinks we've discussed those type of misrepresentations before here...but if not, it should be a separate thread. What I'd like to know is if anyone else has had to deal with an individual who is simply uninformed about the history he/she/a family member owns, and how such situations were handled. There's another incident with a private party that I may have noted here a while back, but before chronicling that one I'll give someone else a chance to comment or reminisce. Thanks in advance.

+1 on the Pacer. It was dismissed by cynics as a goldfish bowl on wheels, but I thought it was ahead of its time, and these days, something similar would probably be very viable in the new car market. I was particularly impressed w/ the Pacer's panoramic view from the driver's seat---a lotta glass, but a lotta visibility (implying better and safer driving).

...but the Peavey revival got me to thinking about such (again?). There are certain instruments where the aesthetics (to include shape and/or color) aren't particularly pleasing, but the ergonomics may be near-perfect for a particular player. The Razer is exemplary from some, but what other models might you have thought were ugly, only to strap it on and decide it felt great? For me and utility guitars or basses, it's usually "Damn the looks, it feels good, and it'll help me sound better since I'll be more comfortable." There's also: Robin Wedge: Looks ridiculous on a coot like me but it'd be hard to find a more comfortable "pointy guitar." Gibson L-6S: Bought one in '76. Sure, it looked like a Les Paul that had been run over by a steamroller, and the 6-position rotary was confusing, but those Super Humbuckers and a 24-fret ebony 'board added to the sound and comfort. Fender Toronado: As noted in an earlier thread, I wish these came w/ maple fretboards, on accounta I'd probably buy one. Overall silhouette is fairly undistinguished but this was an underrated utility instrument. Others?

Johnny Carson retort to boos when his monologue was bombing: "You people didn't boo when I went into East Berlin, unarmed, and jumped on an unexploded fraulein!"

Da Nuge will smile if he ever sees that image.

Double-dipping, gift-wise: Today's also our 23rd wedding anniversary.

Prayer sent. I believe (and KNOW) that it works.

That VG article was my first "encounter" with the wood, and in doing research I was told it was indigenous to Japan/east Asia, and had "ash-like properties" both cosmetically and sonically. +1 on basswood being OK sonically but not cosmetically attractive.

It may count as a "1 1/2 stack" to some bassists, but I use a Hartke 4 X 10 and a Hartke 2 X 10-----either or both, depending on the venue. Peavey TransTube 100-watt (guitar) head, which handles any spkr. configuration just fine.

More trivia: Kate Bush was a Gilmour protege, and he appeared in her "Love and Anger" video (the one with the dervishes and the ballerinas) playing a hyper-rare and hyper-expensive original Gretsch White Penguin. Like he couldn't afford one.... Gilmour is one of those guys like Steve Cropper who could hit one note and you'd know who it is.

Blue Cheer's name should actually have been "Vincebus Eruptum" (Latin for "control of chaos"), the title of their first album. The title fits the band's concept better than their actual name. Ditto on Cosmosquad's "Acid Test" album. Green Day's name should be "Dookie" on accounta that's what I think of 'em. When Leslie West was way overweight, CREEM Magazine opined that "Mountain" could be a one-man band.

Is the term "bit" being used in the right context? My perception is that while a lot of the names cited here aren't widely-known (nor some of the bands, for that matter), except to players, such individuals may not have been "keystone" band members, but they weren't easily-replaced, either. There were simply, for those bands that they left, "team members" whose departure altered the band (for better or worse). If that's the way "bit" should be interpreted, at first flash I'd go with: Mott the Hoople post-Mick Ralphs ELO post-Jeff Lynne Wishbone Ash post-Ted Turner (first time, but no offense to Laurie Wisefield, who's a fine player in his own right; it's just that the songwriting and memorable riffs seemed to thin out) Fleetwood Mac post-Peter Green (although they shifted musical directions...more than once) Hawkwind post-Lemmy Pat Metheny Group post-Mark Egan The Who post-Keith Moon

Contemporary-style sofa, Spanish-style lamp---mis-matched furniture styles, but both strong around the same era (ca. 1973)... The camera doesn't show the end table or coffee table, but I'd bet it's a Spanish black oak style (lotsa curlicues) with crushed-velvet inserts, probably gold, to coordinate with the green lamp base---if it isn't, it should be. If the Communists had ever taken us over, the first people they woulda lined up against the wall and shot woulda been the fashion designers and the interior decorators.

Now that this topic has been resurrected, I can fine-tune what I put on here over a year ago to note that EC n "Sunshine of Your Love" was the first tone that made me say "Whoa" AS AN ASPIRING PLAYER. OTOH, the first guitar riffs that were unique enough to make me pay attention as simply a listener and potential future music fan were Tommy Tedesco on "Out of Limits" and Brian Carman's gurgling glissando on "Pipeline".

An uneasy/tepid +1 for early Jackson Browne stuff, although anybody who ever got dissed by Tonio K. usually deserved it. I thought about some songs on Richard & Linda Thompson's SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS, and I guess the most "narrative" example would have to be "Did She Jump or Was She Pushed", but I don't have that album anymore. That being said, Richard's guitar break on "Don't Renege On Our Love" belongs on the "perfect solos" thread, and would be prima facie evidence if he ever sued Mark Knopfler for plagiarization.

I want royalties. A lotta stuff from Harry Chapin, obviously, although they're a bit longer than most songs that (used to) get radio airplay, but so what. In particular, "Taxi" and "Mr. Tanner".

Don "Buck Dharma" Roeser: "Don't Fear the Reaper" (best version is on B.O.C.'s live SOME ENCHANTED EVENING) Bill Nelson: "Fair Exchange" Rod Prince: "Hot Smoke & Sassfras" Eric Clapton: "Dance the Night Away" (only time I've ever heard him play a 12-string) Eric Clapton: "Deserted Cities of the Heart" (how'd he get that sitar-like sound?) Rory Gallagher: "Blister on the Moon" Danny Weis: "Iron Butterfly Theme" Punky Meadows: "Angel Theme" (the second version on the second album, the title of which escapes me) Steve Morse: "All I Wanted" +1 on Quine on "Girlfriend" Hugh Burns: "Baker Street" Randy California: "Dark-Eyed Woman" Almost anything by the Ventures

I actually had "the Don and Glenn show" and details about such in the text, but had to excise that portion due to space limitations. Ditto Kiss being the Gene and Paul show, and such citations will be in expanded versions of newspaper commentaries (I'm limited to 650 words, max)

RE: Don Henley Pasted below is a newspaper column I recently wrote about the Eagles and Don Henley in particular. Your comments invited; enjoy: ------------------------------------------ DON HENLEY'S WISTFUL WACKINESS Here’s the bottom line up front: In the 1970s, no band, singer or musician sold more albums than the Eagles. This space isn’t going to evolve into a review column for assorted new books, music, or movies, but every once in while some individual piece of entertainment may come along that merits some observations. What’s more, if it’s about music, it wouldn’t be surprising if a disproportionate amount of such rumination has nostalgic connotations, since most members of a particular demographic/age group/generation want to hear the music with which they came of age for the rest of their lives. And the primary reason the Eagles are being cited here and now is because of their immense popularity (their ‘70s albums have held up over the decades, and their 1971-1975 greatest hits collection is the best-selling album ever), and they released their first studio album in almost three decades, Long Road Out of Eden, late last year—just in time for Christmas, and as I understand it, the album could downloaded, but the CD was retailed exclusively at Wal-Mart. When the Eagles broke up ca. 1980, it was intriguing to follow the respective solo careers of the former members, and drummer/vocalist Don Henley had the most successful sojourn. He had several solo hits, and the video for one of his biggest songs, “The Boys of Summer”, was an impressive-for-its-time black and white effort that came off as sort of a of mini art film (a brilliant concept, since most people can’t stand full-length art films). Unfortunately, Henley’s cynicism and socio-political sanctimony ultimately got so notoriously overblown and preachy that musical satirist/weisenheimer Mojo Nixon recorded a raucous song called “Don Henley Must Die” (and on one memorable occasion, Henley got up onstage with Nixon and sang along on that tune). So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that when the Eagles decided to release a new studio album after 29 years, Henley’s hipper-than-thou commentary would figure into the mix. Don’t get me wrong—Long Road Out of Eden, a two-CD set containing 20 songs, is a meticulously-crafted album with trademark Eagles appointments; “Waiting in the Weeds”, for example, has the type of harmony vocals that would immediately identify the band to anyone taking a blindfold test. And while sardonic put-downs like “Busy Being Fabulous” are hilarious and on-the-money, when the band starts addressing certain issues from the point of view of gazillionaire rock stars, it simply validates the notion of why such musings by famous entertainers should be taken with a grain of salt. The very titles of some of the songs (“No More Walks in the Wood”, “I Dreamed There Was No War”) allude to what to expect in their respective lyrics, and yes, Donnie, I understood the sour pun behind the name of the album before I listened to the title track. There are others, but that’s enough citation to get the point across. Activism and/or commentary by entertainers isn’t anything new—it dates back to Paul Robeson, at least, or maybe even earlier examples existed. These days, most self-appointed philosophers in show business are considered to be liberal, although a few token examples like Ted Nugent can be found in the opposite camp. However, the political stances of “celebrities” of any stripe are bottom-line irrelevant, since they are members of a “fantasy” profession and lifestyle. Moreover, the “do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do” cliche was probably never more applicable to a particular group of people than persons in the entertainment field. Long Road Out Of Eden is something the hyper-affluent Eagles didn’t really have to create, and some its contents exemply why paying attention to the declamaitons of self-righteous entertainers is, like entertainment itself, optional. Caveat emptor, indeed.

Janet Jackson's other lungwhat.