| Author | Message | ||
     Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 976 Registered: 03-2006 |
Chuck Berry, great poet and architect of rock and roll, turned 80 today (it's still Wed. in America). I love many songs by him, but my favorite is probably "Come On". His influence is, I think, incalculable. Hope you had a great one, Chuck. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 52 Registered: 09-2006 |
And still playing live...hear hear. I'm a "Maybelline" fan myself..."Brown Eyed Handsome Man," too. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 772 Registered: 04-2005 |
My god, that perverted, contrary S.O.B. is 80? And Grant McLennan can't even make it to age 50? There's no justice in the world. (No ill will meant to Mr. Berry, by the way, though I know it doesn't sound that way.) | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 980 Registered: 03-2006 |
That famous bard, Billy Joel, said it: only the good die young. Yeah, I saw the great documentary, "Hail Hail Rock N Roll", all about him, recently. And, no bout a doubt it, he was quite a dick, in a lot off ways. For instance, he daily extorted more money out of the producers, though he'd already negotiated his fee. He claimed that that was only paying for 2 hours of his time, since that was the real time length of the movie! But the music, man the beautiful music. It is, to me the perfect marriage of words and melody. I wasn't being facetious when I called him a poet - I think he really captured all that was perfect and righteous about America, in a dewier, rosier era...And, on stage, he is, probably even now, the height of bad-assedness... | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 18 Registered: 08-2006 |
Nice post, LK. Chuck Berry changed everything. "Hail, Hail," indeed. Keith Richards, as he would acknowledge, wouldn't have a job without this guy. Cheers. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 985 Registered: 03-2006 |
Ain't that the truth. I'm sure Keith probably owns up to that. Interesting to try and contemplate Keef outside the world of rock and roll. Not sure I can...if he wasn't a musician, he'd have to be a pirate in real life. That's the only other thing he's suited for. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 774 Registered: 04-2005 |
No, I don't agree. I think Keith would have been a fine haberdasher (a la Nigel Tufnel's description of his imagined alternative career in This is Spinal Tap). By the way, LK, I saw Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll years ago, and it was quite amusing watching Keith being the "responsible" one trying to get Chuck to rehearse and play his songs in the key and tempo of the originals. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 987 Registered: 03-2006 |
Yeah, somewhere in that doc, Keith says Chuck is the only guy he ever let get away with hitting him. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the whole experience soured Keith on Chuck, as a person. Of course to disavow him on a musical level, he'd have to repudiate the whole Stones catalog..also, supposedly Jerry Lee Lewis claimed to be the inventor of rock and roll, but Chuck basically beat his ass and made him say "uncle", i.e., admit Chuck invented it. If Chuck actually did beat Jerry Lee up, that was indeed impressive, as JLL is one tough old coot. Yeah, I could see Keef as a haberdasher - particularly if he had someone else to do the inseam measuring.... | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 277 Registered: 01-2005 |
We had a cool haberdasher in downtown Detroit that started out in the 1930's, Louis The Hatter. I remember the commercials on televison for LTH in the 70's were straight out of black exploitation films. Pam Grier types hanging on a natty dressed Superfly type with a Louis The Hatter hat and a LTH double breasted suit. | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 79 Registered: 05-2005 |
You are right Keith. He might be a contrary old bugger but he's THE great rock'n'roll poet. Just check out the lyrics below to The Promised Land. It's a song without a chorus, but you hardly notice because the words flow so wonderfully. There have been a few great cover versions of this song over the years, my favourite being Dave Edmunds version from the early '70s. I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind I straddled that Greyhound And rode into Raleigh And on across Caroline We had motor trouble that turn into a struggle Halfway across Alabam' And that hound broke down and left us all stranded In downtown Birmingham Right away I brought me a through train ticket Ridin' across Mississippi clean And I was on that midnight flyer out of Birmingham Smoking into New Orleans Somebody help me get out of Louisiana Just to help me get to Houston Town There are people there who care a little about me And they won't let the poor boy down Sure as you're born brought me a silk suit Put luggage in my hand And I woke up high over Alberquerque On a jet to the promised land Working on a T-bone steak a la carte Flying over to the golden state Ah when the pilot told us in thirteen minutes He would set us at the terminal gate Swing low chariot come down easy Taxi to the terminal zone Cut your engines and cool your wings And let me make it to the telephone Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia Tidewater four ten o nine Tell the folks back home this is the promised land calling And the poor boy is on the line Working on a T-bone steak a la carte Flying over to the golden state Ah when the pilot told us in thirteen minutes He would set us at the terminal gate | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1001 Registered: 03-2006 |
Sheer bloody poetry. I love it - the man can really paint a word picture. I always loved the bit, too, from "Back in the USA" about "hamburgers cooking on an open grill". |