Nothing Can Change the Shape of Things to Come

I braved Cherry Creek Mall traffic last night to catch a reading and book signing at the Tattered Cover with Chris Elliott. Yeah, the Cabin Boy himself! He was promoting his new book The Shroud of the Thwacker, which he read a bit from, and he also answered questions from the audience. Many of them were about his cult TV show Get a Life, which he had some funny stories about (my favorite – the network kept asking him to make his character “more responsible,” thinking that would make the show funnier). I had him autograph my old copy of Daddy’s Boy, and picked up a copy of his new book as well – I’m looking forward to reading it on the plane tomorrow. Oh, and he told me that I have a “cool” name! Take that, you jerks that made fun of my name in grade school!

On Saturday we went over to the Bluebird to catch The Blasters. There weren’t any lines outside, so we were surprised when we went in to find the place packed. The band has two original members nowadays, vocalist Phil Alvin and bassist John Bazz, and they played a strong set. Lots of old favorites – Marie, Marie, So Long Baby Goodbye, I’m Shakin’, Dark Night, Long White Cadillac, Border Radio, Dark Night…plus many more, and several new tunes as well. The also did a song for the president, which Phil said was from his friends in New Orleans – I don’t know the title of the song, but the chorus was “I’ll be glad when you’re dead, you rascal you!” Ha! Phil is looking really old nowadays, and seems to have trouble getting around, but his vocals sound the same as they always have – overall, a really fun night out.

On Friday evening I watched a pretty cool old movie from 1968, Wild in the Streets. To put it shortly, the movie is more or less about the youth culture taking over the United States. The voting age is lowered, the required age of senators is also lowered, and the same requirement of the president follows shortly thereafter. The instigator is a charismatic rock star named Max Frost – he uses his popularity to push his agenda at concerts and on television appearances, and eventually he is elected president. All citizens over 30 are eventually put in concentration camps, where they are force fed LSD to keep them docile! This is a pretty interesting exploitation film, which has a great soundtrack to boot. Definitely worth checking out if you're into old psychotronic movies.

Strangely enough, the drummer in Max Frost’s band was played by Richard Pryor. The next afternoon, when I went online to check my email, I read the sad news that he had passed away earlier that day. Wow - RIP, Richard.

25 Years Later

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the day John Lennon was assassinated - December 8, 1980. For many it will be a day of mourning, for others an excuse to throw on an old Beatles album and enjoy some great music, and to many it will pass unnoticed. I just find it amazing that it's been 25 years – when it happened, it wouldn’t have occurred to me that someday I’d be 38 years old and reflecting upon this sad event.

I remember where I was when I first heard about Lennon's death - it was the following morning, as I was getting ready for school. I would always listen to KAZY, the local "album rock" station, before heading out the door to catch the bus. I noticed that they were playing all Beatles music, and the deejay announced that they would be playing "the Beatles A to Z all day in memory of John Lennon, who died last night." I was shocked, and immediately assumed that it must have been due to a drug overdose. Keep in mind that I was 14 years old, in 7th grade, and a budding music geek - I was already spending way too much of my time in record stores, and reading whatever I could get my hands on about my favorite bands. I was familiar with a long list of musicians who had died too young, many of them due to drugs - the sad demises of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Keith Moon, and Brian Jones were already common knowledge to me. After a few more tunes, details were given and I found out that I had assumed wrong - it wasn't drugs, Lennon had been shot in the back by a deranged fan. Wow, I would never have guessed that - from what I'd learned in school politicians were assassinated, not rock stars.

Getting to school, I discussed the news with an older girl in my first period who was pretty upset - she thought school should have been cancelled. My next period was a social studies class. This particular teacher would always have a current events question written on the board, which would lead to a class discussion. Needless to say, that morning's question was along the lines of "What famous musician was killed yesterday, and what band was he in?" During the ensuing discussion, a classmate named Brad (who was a bit of a dim bulb) commented "I don't see what the big deal is...it's not like the Beatles were as good as Journey or anything." Yeah, you read that right - I wasn't sure if I should be angry with this idiot, or to feel sorry for him because he was so stupid. Discussing it after class with another music geek, we couldn't help but laugh over such a stupid comment (hmmmm...I guess I was a budding music snob as well). The rest of the day played out like you'd expect - the music guys were all "bummed," and the people who didn't get it were perplexed that we'd be upset over John Lennon being dead.

I must point out that in 1980 it wasn't necessarily all that "cool" to be into the Beatles (or the Stones, or the Who...) for a 14 year old, at least not where I went to school. Most kids my age were into the bland rock of that era - Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Styx come to mind, none of whom I liked. Being a Beatles fan honestly made you a bit of an outsider in my suburban junior high school. Watching the news and looking at the papers as the week passed, I was surprised to see what a big deal John Lennon's death really was - the continued news coverage, the candlelit memorials, the constant outpouring of grief. I could tell for a lot of these people, it was what Lennon's death signified to them - the end of an era, "the dream is over" as the man himself sang. I'm sure a lot of people were just sad that a member of the Beatles was dead, as they had grown up listening to them. I didn't grow up with the Beatles, and my folks weren't fans, so I guess I was just "bummed" that a member of a band I enjoyed was dead. And I was shocked at how he'd gone. It still strikes me as unbelievable that he was taken in such a way.

A lot of people like to reflect on what John Lennon may have accomplished if he was still alive today – I can’t do this. Like I said earlier, the Beatles (and Lennon’s solo work) were something I sought out on my own - they weren’t part of the popular culture during that time of my life. Regardless, I’ve listened to pretty much everything the man released, and there is no way that I can even guess what he might have done if he was still alive. His career took so many turns that it would be foolish to try to do so. Still, I can honestly say I miss him. Remembering what a life changing thing the Beatles’ music was for me, I’ll always have an affection for all of the Fabs. From my understanding, it’s not too unusual for kids nowadays to be into the Beatles – good for them. Their music is too good to be controlled by any current trends or fads – the kids should just enjoy it for what it is, some of the greatest music ever recorded.

So, if you wish to do so, reflect in your own way. Suddenly, I have the itch to throw on the Plastic Ono Band album. And maybe Imagine after that…