Subject: my Charlie Watts story

While I was a college music student in the mid 1970s I had a summer job as record clerk at a Sam Goody record store in midtown Manhattan.  My job was to keep the shelves and racks of LPs, cassettes and 8-tracks organized and to assist shoppers in finding what they were looking for.  One afternoon Charlie Watts walked in and started browsing!  I was awe struck, but since it was my job, I approached him and ask if I could help him. He said I could indeed, and pulled out of his pocket a handwritten list of records he wanted. There were dozens of records on the list, the majority of them jazz of all kinds, but also many classical, rock, and folk records. I located almost everything on his list, which took a while, and we started to chat as I worked.  After I told him I was a huge fan of his band and a music student and a guitarist, clarinetist, and composer, he asked me what music I liked. I mentioned several 20th century pieces I liked, including some pieces by Bartok, Stravinsky, Penderecki, electronic music by Davidovsky, as well as some obscure rock music, much of which he’d never heard. He asked me to find all those records I mentioned and add them to his large pile of LPs, saying he wanted to expand his musical horizons. Besides being one of the best drummers around, Charlie Watts was a good, interesting man who treated people with respect and had a thirst for music of all kinds.

– Elliot Sokolov

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Subject: Charlie Watts

Dear Bob,

It still amazes me that 21 years later, I got to work with my pre-teen idols — and not just work… bassist Bill Wyman and I became friends for a while and would hang out together — and I feel for Bill today because he loved Charlie like a brother. When Eddie Arno and I formed Arno & Innocenti Pictures in London’s Charing Cross Road back in 1986, Charlie was our first client — a multi-camera shoot of the live recording (per the Rolling Stones Mobile, naturally) of his jazz “big band”, the Charlie Watts Orchestra. It’s true that in those years Charlie was struggling with alcohol — but he was never “drunk” — that’s unimaginable. Perhaps his natural English eccentricity was more pronounced — but even then, you didn’t know if he was having a laugh at your expense or not, because he was always so deadpan. I remember thanking him once when we’d come to the end of a long day’s shoot and he said, ‘What are you thanking me for?’ ‘For the filming, Charlie’, I replied, waving my arm at the lights and camera equipment being dismantled all around us. ‘What filming?’ he asked. Poker-faced.

It’s well-documented that he was one of the world’s Best Dressed Men. I remember being astonished the first time I saw him out of the “work” clothes he wore on stage and changed into his “street” attire. He was immaculate — and his taste was incredible. He was dressed way better than anyone I ever saw, including male icons from movies — but he wore the clothes as if he was completely unaware of how well he was turned out.

Most of the fun stories about Charlie were told to me by Bill — including the famous one where the singer summoned “his drummer” late at night, and Charlie got out of bed, dressed impeccably (as always), knocked on the singer’s door and punched him in the face with the immortal line “I’m not your f**king drummer.” Less well known are the stories of Charlie’s generosity and kindness — some of them quite eccentric, like the time in Paris during a rainstorm when he saw an elderly homeless woman get drenched after a passing car went through a puddle. He took her into a nearby clothing store and got her completely outfitted — shoes, hat, purse — the lot.

I think the moment I realized how nice a man Charlie was, and how empathetic he could be, happened one day in Olympic Studios. We were doing the final mix on the jazz film and it cut to a shot of Jack Bruce (also struggling with alcoholism) who’d played cello. Charlie wanted the fader raised so we could hear what Jack was playing. It turned out to be a single, long sorrowful note — not in any way connected to the music the rest of the band were playing. Charlie leaned forward and brought the fader down. “Poor Jack,” he said, gently — in a tone filled with understanding and with not a trace of disdain.

Can’t stop thinking about him these past two days, and what an amazing gentleman he was.

Markus Innocenti

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Subject: Re: Re-Charlie Watts

July 16, 1994. The Rolling Stones are rehearsing for the Voodoo Lounge Tour in the gymnasium at Crescent Boys School in Toronto.  I get a call from Benji LeFevre, their FOH soundman to bring the mobile there to record a six minute piece of music to be played at every stop on the tour, from when the house lights go down to when Charlie Watts appears onstage, playing the Bo Diddley beat drum intro to “Not Fade Away”, the opening song in their set. The idea is that Benji will crossfade out of the tape and into the live drum kit, and since we would be using the same mics at the same distance from the drums as the stage setup, it would be seamless. So we just need Charlie to play a four bar segment perfectly, and I will create a drum tape loop in the truck (hey, it was 1994) off the 24 track 2″ machine to extend it to six minutes.  Charlie came in, hung up his jacket on a hanger behind the kit, and started to play. (who else but Charlie Watts would wear a suit jacket to a band rehearsal in Toronto in July!) He later came out to the truck, signed an autograph for me, took a look at my shoes, and asked me where I bought them.  He then sent a runner to Aldo’s at the Eaton Centre to purchase a pair for himself.  The runner took my shoes with him to be sure he’d get the same pair.  (no cel phone cameras back in ’94)   I spent the next hour in the mobile at the console my socks.

I felt like I was taking to English Royalty, but then again, I guess I was!   Charlie spent a lot of time in the truck that day, as he and Jagger were producing the session.

We recorded him for about 30 minutes, then stopped. I wasn’t sure why, until one of the Stones’ roadies came in with a cup of tea on a saucer for Charlie. For a true English gentleman, everything stops for tea! Needless to say, it was a pretty memorable day. Jagger overdubbed maracas, and Chuck Leavell  overdubbed keyboards after that.  There were also jet sound fx, and they even brought in a couple of people to overdub conversation in an African language as part off the big sound collage.    We then transferred the 24 track analog tape to DA88 digital tape, brought those machines into the gym where the p.a console was set up, and Benji did the final mix through the p.a speaker stack at concert volume.

In addition to getting paid for the three days we were there recording, editing and mixing the track, they gave us tickets to their concert at Exhibition Stadium on Aug 7, but that was the day I moved into my current house, so I never actually got to hear the track played back in a concert setting!     Here’s a link to one of the shows on that tour with the recording at the top.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWjoXMY6FNo&ab_channel=ShadowBox

By the way, Jagger did the maracas overdub in one take.   I complemented him on it, and he said, “I learned from the best: Bo Diddley’s percussionist Jerome Green.”

Regards,

Doug McClement

LiveWire Remote Recorders

Toronto, Canada

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Subject: Re: Charlie Watts

Loved the last para in your Charlie tribute. Well done.

I am from the States, but lived in London from 2009-2015. On March 17, 2012. I went to see Charlie and his ABC&D of jazz ensemble. They were playing in Soho at the Pizza Express, a pizza restaurant/chain that was known for putting on great live jazz shows.

I am a massive Stones fan (25 gigs, 5 countries, 3 continents since 1994). I went to Charlie’s gig to see the man, not necessarily to hear the music. The venue is table setting and cozy. I had a seat by myself at a small table the back of the room by the mixing board.

At the intermission I stood up against the wall next to the mixing board. Who should walk up and stand next to me? Charlie. He was waiting to go up and play the next set.

I introduced myself and we talked about his gig and his ensemble. He asked where I was from, how long I had been living in London… just small talk. I thanked him for all the music he’s made and made a simple comment about how much I appreciated he and the Stones. The conversation lasted about 10 minutes. I played it pretty cool and didn’t overwhelm with Stones fan-boy talk.

Before he left to make his way to the stage, I thanked him for his time. He was standing to my left. He turned, put his hands on my shoulders and made a double pat gesture, nodded, smiled and walked off.

I felt like I had been blessed!

Cool, calm, collected and genuine.

He was very kind to take 10 minutes to talk to a fan.  I was one of many fans he’s interacted with, but for me it was a music-fan life moment.

To your point… “these heroes and their music keep you going.”

Judd Marcello

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From: paul draper

Subject: Re: Re-Charlie Watts

Bob,

When my band Mansun were working on our second album at Olympic Studios in 98 Charlie was working on his jazz record in studio 1, we would sneak a look in the live room at his Gretsch kit bathed in spotlights. Olympic studio 1 was long used by the Stones, Zepplin, Hendrix and even the venue for the All You Need is love broadcast by the Beatles, history dripped in the place, Claptons pick was glued to the wall. Being the UK, we scrapped Olympic as a studio instead of protecting it like the UK government finally stepped in to save Abbey Road during the Napster era, designating it a Grade 1 listed building. They turned Olympic into a cinema, however in the cauldron of the UK music scene in the 90’s Mansun were holed up trying to follow up our UK No1 debut, The Verve were recording Urban Hymns, Massive Attack were mixing Mezzanine and even Clapton was in. Charlie would arrive in the morning at Olympic in a fleet of Bentleys with his crew of East End chaps having been driven from his stud farm in Devon. The whole place was buzzing to be there at the same time as Charlie. A better dressed man Ive never seen, dapper and stylish, immaculate. A friendlier man Ive never met, he made us all cups of tea, he talks to us all as if he’d know us for years, quiet and unassuming but his presence was massive to us. Us young upstarts at the coalface of Britpop and the 90s British music scene, in awe of this living legend, he showed us all humility in the testosterone fuelled competitive atmosphere of Olympic back then.

Charlie was kind and considerate when you met him, nurturing to younger musicians, no ego, he stunned us all with his grace, but we just wanted to hear him play. The groove between his kick and snr was indeed born only from a jazz man but the feel has always been the greatest in the business, his unique hi hat style were unparalleled, check out Jumping Jack Flash at Glastonbury to see a wonderful musician in his 70s blowing away and taking 100,000 kids into an extracy that makes life worth living for at that moment, and a man so lovely, humble and gentle I cried when I heard of his passing, he touched my life.

In the UK yesterday they were blasting out Gimme Shelter at the Cricket match, England vs India, the front of the UK press was plastered with deserved tributes to Charlie pushing Afghanistan off the front pages, we’ve had a delayed reaction in the UK to Charlies passing. Kenny Jones has been on Sky News referring to Charlie like he’s still here and that his incredible catalogue of grooves and feel that made a whole generation rock and roll means he will be with us way beyond his mortal years. This makes us feel just a tiny bit better about loosing him, he’s been with us all our lives, he touched us all and his legend has exploded in the last 24 hours in the uK. 

Paul Draper

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Subject: Don Everly

Bob

A sad loss, they were so inspiring

October 1963, and coming up to my 17th birthday and I’m at my first package rock show in Manchester. Headlined by the Everly Brothers, and also featuring Bo Diddley, the Rolling Stones, and Little Richard. The second half was opened by a pair of singer/guitarists known as the Most Brothers. Little did I know that within two years my band will have been produced by Mickie Most, we will have worked (and fallen out with) with the Stones, and we’d have Lek joining Little Richard on stage at the Galaxy in LA.

Keith Hopwood

Herman’s Hermits

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Subject: Re: Re-Don Everly

Hi Bob…I wanted to add my sad happy memory. As the newly hatched in England band America, we were so proud to play our first official shows in the U.S. opening for the Everly Brothers at the Cellar Door in D.C. Having grown up as kids hearing those 2 voices singing those timeless songs we couldn’t believe we were sharing this small stage with them nightly for a week and then on to a venue in Massachusetts’s called Lenny’s for more shows. They were supportive and made us feel welcome. We’d cross paths a few times as the years passed and see Phil now and then. I made sure to take my kids to see them one year and they graciously allowed me to bring them backstage to sign their tickets and say hi. The last time I saw them was when Simon and Garfunkel brought them out in the middle of their show in L.A. for a memorable moment. And now Don and Phil have both passed over to the other side, but we will always have the music…and for that we remain forever grateful.  Dewey Bunnell

p.s. did I mention Warren Zevon and Waddy Wachtel were in their band!

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Subject: RE: Re-Don Everly

Hi Bob,

 

It was a summer evening in 1971. My wife and I headed up Yonge Street from our downtown apartment uptown to the quiet Toronto suburb of North York, home of The Beverly Hills Hook and Ladder Club. Yes, our own Beverly Hills in the great white North. The club was on a circuit whose headliners were the likes of a young Kenny Rogers with First Edition, Johnny Rivers, Frank Sinatra Jr., Brenda Lee, Tiny Tim, , and, yes, The Everly Brothers. They were the cream of this mixed bag of careers that were heading up, or down or sideways. I was tracking my own radio jock career with the timeline of their hits from Bye Bye Love, their first million seller, in 1957 (CKRC Winnipeg) right through Bird Dog, (Till) I Kissed You, and then Cathy’s Clown, their biggest hit, in 1960 (and my own breakthrough at CKEY and then 1050 CHUM Toronto). They were always with me at every high school sock hop I dee-jayed. Bye Bye Love or Wake Up Little Susie would get things moving; but the slow dance at the end was always All I Have To Do Is Dream.

 

Anyway, back at the Beverly Hills Club. The first set was pure time travel, bringing up people, places and events with every oldie. They seemed to be feeling it and we were only vaguely aware that there was supposed to be a rift between them so we played it straight – inviting them to our table between sets as first Phil and then Don took their turns individually to do the obligatory chat with the local radio guy. Somehow the stars aligned and the down home character of the boys from Tennessee broke through the normal standoffish politeness and social distancing that gets you through another gig, another town. By the end of the second set, we were aware that they were staying over Sunday before heading off on the Monday. So my wife said, why don’t we invite them for Sunday dinner? So we did. They said they’d see. 

 

Five o’clock, the appointed hour, came and went – the chicken was roasted and the potatoes were scalloped. No Everly Brothers. What seemed like an hour was only 20 minutes later when the lobby buzzer sounded. And there they were both of them. Phil and Don. At our door, five years before McCartney Let ‘Em In. Apologies accepted. Dinner is a blur now because we were star struck. I remember playing some Hank Williams and Simon and Garfunkel and the records I produced with David Clayton Thomas back in the day. They charmed the hell out of us – boyish, somewhat reserved but no affectations. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore. 

 

RIP Don, RIP Phil.

 

Duff Roman

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Subject: Re: Don Everly

Hi Bob,

It was great to read your kind words about the S&G Staples show. We, in the band, had the best seats in the house for an unforgettable show. (I played guitar on the tour.)

I once asked Phil, “How did you feel when you heard “Let ‘Em In” for the first time?” He was so humble. He said something like: “I was never 100% sure that he meant ‘us’.”  I had to point out, “He definitely meant you and Don. He broke into “Everly style” two part harmony on that line!”

One correction: The Everly Brothers didn’t “open” for S&G. If you remember, Paul and Art brought Phil and Don out as special guests in the middle of the show. They were an important part of the concert. They sang four or five brilliant, moving songs, and then Paul and Art joined them for a few more. The idea to invite the Everlys on this tour was an inspired thing to do, and a true gift to everyone who was in the hall. 

Phil and Don Everly were beyond great. We all had a blast with them. Every single show, and in between shows as well. Their singing, their musicianship was second to none. They were completely down to earth, approachable, friendly and…so cool, beyond words. 

Shortly after the tour, I was standing on a NYC subway platform (14th St and 8th Ave). I looked over and saw Peter Asher, and went over to say “Hi”. Told him I just got home from the S&G tour. When I mentioned that the Everly Brothers were on the tour, he lit up, and asked, “You had Art and Paul and Phil and Don?” I said, “Yup!”. He asked, slyly, “You know what else you needed there?” “….What?”. He responded, “…..me and Gordon!”. Needless to say, another Everly super-fan!

As you and your readers know, you can’t underestimate the impact and influence of The Everly Brothers. We are amazingly lucky to have their music in our lives.

Sending my best from NYC,

Larry Saltzman

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Subject: Re: Can’t Stop The Rain

Hello Bob,   I confess to being a very enthusiastic fan of Mr Stills and most in the know would agree with me that Manassas is truly a 5 Star Double Record.   And it features an amazing collection of musicians.

I was a Junior at Bradley University in Peoria, IL in 1973/74. I owned the record and was thrilled when they played at the Field House.  That night I decided if I ever bought a home where I wanted to escape the city blues I would call it Johnny’s Garden

Fast forward to 2008.  I didn’t have to cut my hair(most was gone) or shine my shoes, but my wife and I bought a one room cabin deep in New York’s Adirondack Park.   It’s our little piece of Heaven and the sign reads Welcome to Johnny’s Garden.

Jeffrey Crohn

Mt Kisco NY

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Subject: Re: Can’t Stop The Rain

Hey Bob. Really warms my heart reading this. I actually connected Neal with Derek to perform on this track and love seeing your response to it. You totally get it. When Neal sent me the rough, the lightbulb went off and I knew Derek had to do what he does best for this song, and Derek obviously agreed. It’s ear candy mate…

And funny enough, my documentary about Tedeschi Trucks’ reunion of the Mad Dogs & Englishmen will be making its premiere very soon and happens to include music by… NEAL FRANCIS!

With love,

Jesse Lauter

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Subject: Hey It’s Neal Francis

Bob,

Glad you like the tune.  I wrote it before the pandemic with my friend David Shaw,  and as the world keeps changing, the refrain has become something of a mantra. Leon’s first record, Shelter People, and the first Manassas record are definitely among my favorites of that era, so I welcome the comparison.  Listening to Leon growing up gave me confidence to try singing. He succeeded in making moving, soulful music without having a voice anyone would call commercially friendly.

It was indeed an honor to work with the great Derek Trucks, whose playing is only surpassed by his humility. I’m honored on a daily basis to work with Mike Starr (bass), Kellen Boersma (guitar), and Collin O’Brien (drums).  They all played their asses off on this record and I can’t wait for you and the world to hear the rest.

Thanks for listening and turning on your readers.  Here’s hoping the speeding lorry is able to stay on the road.

Neal Francis

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Subject: Re: Summer’s Almost Gone

this one – soooo pensive “..they keep making new people..”     satisfying, yet painful…..

It made me laugh. My Throat Doc told me yesterday,

“Hey you’re still singing at YOUR age? – pretty good!”  AGE-ism – hit me hard – why not?

Singing is the last thing to go.  I’ve played at enough “assisted living” gigs to know that.

You just have to get the era right.  (You’ve mentioned that). Mary Gannon, Ace of Cups Band

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Subject: Re: Summer’s Almost Gone

Bob,

I’ve felt this. I know 100%. It is a gift actually. Women feel the cut earlier, especially if you had the beauty privilege. It’s harsh and immediate like falling off a cliff, you’re suddenly invisible, after the ‘are you sexy enough to keep me looking’ gaze is gone, and the equally disturbing (but still in a box) community sanctified motherhood fades too. If you’re not in the game where are you? If you don’t derive value from the group where is your value? Keep kissing the moment Bob, with music and ice cream and Felice and friends. The smaller you go, away from Bugatti’s and Bentleys to animals and snow and mountain air the more alive you feel. You’re almost there – I think the melancholy of loss of each hour and day, and really your life, will disappear too. 

Johanna Santer

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From: Dave Dederer

Subject: Re: Mailbag

Bob,

“…Joan Jett bereft of talent…” 

A recurring tangential sentiment in the Suzi Quatro thread.

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

We got to open for Joan once, at Seattle’s now-defunct King Cat Theater, when she played with the surviving members of The Gits as a fundraiser for non-profit Home Alive, which was founded in the wake of the murder of The Gits’ singer, Mia Zapata.

I met Joan backstage.  She was nervous and asked how big the audience was and whether it seemed like a good crowd.

I really liked hearing “I Love Rock and Roll” and “Bad Reputation” and the “Crimson and Clover” cover on the radio but wouldn’t say I was a fan, nor was I a fan of The Runaways.  I had no expectations.  

Then she came out on stage and opened her mouth and started singing and THAT VOICE came out.  Strong, perfectly on pitch, tuneful, with her own unmistakable timbre and emotional edge.  I’ve heard a lot of great singers in the flesh — Ann Wilson, Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, etc. — and I would put that moment with Joan right up there with the best of them.  So, not only has she done the hard graft of decades of work, as far as “talent” goes (if such a thing actually exists), she has it in spades.  In fact, if you want to put her “talent” in the context of the Quatro conversation, she had and has “that thing” in a way that Quatro did not, and that’s why she broke through and Quatro did not.  Period.  

dave

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From: Garrett Gravley

Subject: Re: Underwood & Aldean

Date: August 19, 2021 at 12:34:30 PM PDT

I’m a reporter in Dallas, and one thing that makes my job hard sometimes is that a lot of conservatives keep their guard up around me and refuse to talk to me every time I wear a mask.

This literally happened to me at a protest held outside a school board meeting just two days ago. And it’s happened to me many times before that. 

That’s never made me take off my mask ever, but it’s still insane to me that I’m treated as some sort of nefarious enemy all because I have a piece of cloth on my face. If that’s enough for someone to infer some political allegiance on my part, it was never about “personal choice.” 

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Re: Tour Cancellations

I just canceled the rest of a club run mid tour because of the lack of vaccination/negative test requirements in venues, specifically ones in AL and LA. Those states are among the darkest on the CDC map, and yet the promoters there have not yet joined the tons of others I see requiring them at their venues.

The one major thing I’ve noticed – the promoters who have stepped up (thinking specifically of Bowery Presents) have received an inordinate amount of violent backlash from fans on social media. Sometimes I honestly think the fans themselves will be the ones to bury the live industry.

Also a word of warning for the agents and promoters – the majority of conversations I had with my promoters on this run about what’s been happening with walk up was a little worse than we anticipated. Drop counts aren’t even matching up with the amount of presale tickets moved. I’ve been told by more than one promoter that shows that have pre sold say 1000 tickets are only hitting 75% attendance, sometimes lower. The industry is going to have to do some quick thinking to compensate if we want to make it through the fall without having to go dark again.

Zach Falkow

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Re: Tour Cancellations

Saw DMB @ Merriweather Post last night. Great show, band was tight and appeared well rested.

Two weeks ago they changed protocols starting with this show. Proof of full vaccine at least 2 weeks ago or current (48 hours) test. If you needed a test they would do it at the venue with results in 20 min. The band had put out an e-mail ENCOURAGING masking when social distancing was impossible (basically everywhere). Fan response to that request ~ less than 2% wore masks!

As with all DMB shows it was a very loud crowd sing along. Just the kind of activity that CAN get the virus flowing. So much for the socially conscious fan base.

Maybe this thing is gone by NEXT summer but if we don’t take all the right steps it’s going to be with us in perpetuity. Annual vaccines ~ new variants ~ more folks dead. Current death toll 628k.

Keep preaching!
Ole Olson

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Re: Tour Cancellations

Hi Bob. Here in South Africa we also have a strong anti- vaxxer Social Media campaign. We have a large,  vulnerable rural population which relies on the wisdom, or lack of it, by the elders in the community. Traditional medicine is still practised in most of these areas and enjoys majority support. The difficulty is to first get the support of the traditional healers and then the elders to endorse vaccinations. We have had a very slow rollout of vaccinations, mainly due to government incompetence and corruption, but fortunately the situation is rapidly improving. Keep up the good work. Robert Schroder.

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Re: Tour Cancellations

They couldn’t sell tickets. Even when a promoter wants to say this is the reason, they will defer to the act to give the “official” reason. It’s sort of an unwritten industry standard, even though I’ve actually never seen anything written into a contract where it specifically says, “If show cancels due to poor ticket sales, producer is strictly prohibited from stating this as a reason.” Maybe somebody else has seen it, but I haven’t.

Except one time. Bill Cosby, of all people, in the early 2000s, before the train wreck. Got on a conference call with the co-promoter and agent, and Cosby (who pretty much managed himself) was on the line. My partner spoke: “What do you want us to say? Scheduling difficulties?” Cosby didn’t wait for the agent to respond. “Tell them we didn’t sell any tickets. Tell them the truth!” And that was that.

Brian Martin

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Re: Tour Cancellations

We hosted the first house concert a week ago since the start of the pandemic (we’re fortunate, we have a nice studio space that is acoustically designed with full PA and lights that seats up to 67 guests). Anyway, we had skittishness, attendance was less than 2/3 for an artist that consistently sells out here when she comes to the US on her annual tour. We had everyone mask-up while indoors and everyone was happy to comply to again enjoy our intimate live music experience. We only had one person (the brother of a friend) who came and complained that he didn’t like masks — said “I’m a smoker and I find it hard to breathe with a mask”. By the way, he’s a really jolly-sized guy that looks like the poster-child for the kind of person that Covid just likes to swoop in and enjoy a stay, let’s just nickname him “Mr Pre-Existing Conditions”…

Don Adkins

Redondo Beach, CA

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Subject: Re: White Lotus

Hi Bob.

In your comments above, you use the expression ” a chink in their armor”  I know you are using that expression in accordance with it’s orginal meaning, “Middle English, a delightfully onomatopoeic word for a narrow opening or fissure. ”

That was my intention as well, when I used the expression to describe events in Afghanistan. I said that Russian and Chinese interests were rushing in to fill a political void, sensing a chink in America’s armor. And BOOM!   30 more days in the hole for me. Facebook once again decided I was too politically incorrect to be allowed on their innocent platform.  (The previous time I was incarcerated was for the sin of quoting Shakespeare during the impeachment trials – “first, kill all the lawyers”)

Apparently this expression has been deemed to be racist. And Facebook, bless its pointy little head, has deemed itself too pure a place for such a term.

I blame this 2012 article, amongst others.

https://slate.com/culture/2012/02/chink-in-the-armor-jeremy-lin-why-its-time-to-retire-the-phrase-for-good.html

Apparently I’m just too much of a rebel to be allowed on the platform. Forget killing all the lawyers .. just kill me!

cheers

Roxanne Tellier

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From: John Brodey

Subject: Re: Re-Connie Hamzy

I got to see it from two angles.  First at BCN in Boston when we would always go backstage at a show.  Despite being the guys/gals who played their records, the stars had no qualms about going after a very attractive date/girlfriend of yours.  Dennis Wilson was to be watched carefully if you wanted to see your date again that night.  

My favorite story involved one particular girl I was dating, who actually was a great great grandaughter of Susan B. Anthony.  She was very model-y, gorgeous with smokey eyes.  She would have fit right in Andy Warhol’s entourage.  

It was after a Stones gig at the Boston Garden and I’m talking to Ronnie Wood after the show as my girl Havens (Anthony) slides up next to me.  Ronnie gets a load of this and immediately asks me where can we go next.  Boston was an early town with not many late night choices so we end up going to my dumpy third floor walk up in Cambridge, just the three of us.  

I had an inkling about his game plan as I pulled out the tequila.  Shot for shot, a not so subtle competition was going to be all about the last man standing.  Who was going to get the girl?  We immediately got into some serious music conversation around my kitchen table as she was sitting quietly beside us.  We were so focused on our battle, we didn’t notice that she had been going shot for shot as well.  Just as we get into some obscure R’nB discussion, we hear a solid thunk just as her head hits the table.  Out like a light.  Ron looks at me and we both laugh as he says: Let’s call it a draw.  And with that he makes his exit into the night.  You couldn’t help but like Ronnie, the best.

As for the Def mention.  When I was the head of album promotion at Mercury, I popped into a couple of their Hysteria tour dates.  The stage set up was in the round and yes they were under the stage in a very nice open comfortable lounge type set up.  It was before they went on.  Even with my previous experiences I wasn’t quite prepared to see them all engaged in some degree of servicing all next to each other.  I could only admire the power of rockstarism.