Friday, July 18, 2008

It's Friday—let's travel (back in time)


Did you recognize this guy? I'll admit he's looking
a bit the worse for wear these days (but still too cool).
Took this photo circa 1967, in Paris.
(Since I showed you a non-photo yesterday, felt
I should make up for it with this one.)

17 comments:

  1. You are way too cool Alexa.
    I actually did sort of recognize him but wondered how he could ever find such a talented air-brush artist. Couldn't happen today.
    Ah, 1967
    Stones "Let's Spend the Night Together"
    "Ruby Tuesday"
    Van Morrison "Brown Eyed Girl"
    The Doors "Light My Fire"
    "Break on Through"
    Spencer Davis Group "Gimme Some Lovin'"
    Beatles "A Day in the Life"
    Buffalo Springfield "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing"
    The Young Rascals "Groovin'"
    Small Faces "Itchycoo Park"
    The Grass Roots "Let's Live for Today"
    The Hollies "Stop Stop Stop"

    Think I'll stop here.

    Thanks for the memories which surely must be through a dim and dusty looking glass compared to that hot 60's babe Alexa (and still amazing).

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  2. Alexa...who'd have known that this little punk of a Stone would come up with one of the coolest guitar riff intros to a rock song ever. It gets me rocking (and I'm a jazz guy) every time I hear it. Way to go Keith baby! The muses smiled upon you when you dreamed that one riff...and god bless you for remembering it most of the time.
    The song came in at number 2 on Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 rock songs. And what is this song with the great guitar riff? Going back to 1965...yes, it's "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." But you knew that already. ;-)
    Gary...truly a great album list and a superb year.
    [I digress here]For 1967 is the birth-year of my most prized and definitely pampered Gretsch drum kits. It came to me dressed in one of the rarest of finishes...tangerine sparkle. These American made vintage drums made and continue to make jazz and rock history. Unfortunately, Gretsch no longer makes their drums in country but in Taiwan. Oh, that hurts me to write that. Via eBay I recently acquired a 14x14 floor tom to match my kit(it took me 3 years to finally find one) and had a chance to use it for the first time tonight at a jazz gig. I'm in percussion heaven! God it sang! [off digresssion here]
    BTW what famous rock drummer plays Gretsch?...you guessed it, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones.
    Alexa, I promise no more shop talk here on your blog. I'm sure you've heard enough of drums from your brother thru the years. Give him my email and tell him I'd be happy to talk vintage drums anytime. Cheers and have a good weekend! Snare rollllllll outtttt!

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  3. It took me a few secs, but I got it! Girl, you have lived a life and a half. Share more, please.

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  4. y'all are eclectic music lovers after my own heart! Only knew three of those guys (Keith, Mick, Brian), and I do have some stories, but . . . this is one of the only photos from that time that survives.
    Given what he's been through in the meantime, I'm gonna guess that I remember Keith just a bit better than he remembers me -- assuming he recalls any part of the sixties, that is.

    coltrane -- when our girls were little and wanted something we didn't want them to have, all we had to say was "You know what Mick says." They never argued, because they knew "you can't always get what you want."

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  5. Alexa...you have had one cool life! And your kids must now realize that too! I for one would never tell ya..."Hey you get off of my cloud!" Thanks for this VH1 trip!

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  6. I'm really hoping for some stories, if only the story behind the photo. But you know what Oliver Twist says. I'm with Cali.

    Went and ordered Patty Boyd's book, "Wonderful Tonight," 'cause I thought I might get such stories. Kind of blew my mind to find out from book reviews that the cute little blond in the high-school uniform in "Hard Day's Night" was also not only "Layla" but "Beautiful Tonight." Hey, any Alexa inspired songs? "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes"?

    You're a jazz percussionist, Coltrane. Speaking of blown minds. Wow. I never had a chance to hear Charley Watts in his incarnation as a jazz drummer in his own band. There must be a similarity to your own sound.

    Love this story about THE riff: "As legend has it, Mr. R & R immediately recorded the riff on a cassette player he kept at bedside, and the rest is history. 'You can hear me drop the pick and the rest of the tape is me snoring with my arms around some girl who kept telling me how the road was hers,' says Keith." OK, I embellished it a little.

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  7. tall gary -- your little story about Keith and the famous riff is half true anyway :~}
    Seriously, I did have way too much fun with those guys. It was an amazing time, but ultimately I had to face the fact that that you can't stay up all night every night with hard-living rockers and then go to work AND school. Ah well . . .

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  8. Had you been able to keep up with them "in the fast lane" imagine what kind of face you would have been looking at in the mirror (if at all) at the age of 25.

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  9. I remembered (a rare occurrence these days) that most noted event of 1967: The Monterey Pop Festival.

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  10. Gary...what I took from Charlie Watts manner of drumming was his impeccable timing and his straight ahead in the pocket style of drumming...like Ringo's but cleaner. As for jazz,our styles diverge quite a bit in that genre. I've been more influenced by Max Roach (Clifford Brown), Tony Williams (Miles), Elvin Jones (Coltrane), and Philly Joe Jones (on Coltrane's "Blue Trane"). Glad you pointed out Monterey's 67 Festival (Wasn't that a coming out party for The Who and Hendrix?)

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  11. Coltrane: what do you think about Chick Webb? I love his drumming especially on Blue Lou.

    Ringo's drumming is so distinctive, but of course I am a Beatles fan.

    Feel free to cough up more info any time, Alexa. We are all ears!!

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  12. Wow! Cali...I'm impressed that not only did you single out one of the first major Gretsch / Gladstone drum endorsers, but you went to the top of the list of all-time great drummers. Chick Webb was a little hunchbacked phenom. I'm not as familiar with "Blue Lou"(I will check it out) as I am with his "Liza" which drummers have listened to over and over again. It's unfortunate that recordings of his day were not kind to drums and so most of Chick playing is reduced to poor recordings or others memories of him playing. Buddy Rich (probably one of the greatest drummers to grace our planet) claimed Chick was the best ever. That says it all in my book. Sidebar note: Chick adopted another phenom who was about 17yrs old at the time by the name of Ella Fitzgerald. And we all know what she did to the music world on its head. Cali, do you have an email address? I didn't see one on your profile page. Ciao!

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  13. *to turn the music world on its head.

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  14. Just sent you an email Coltrane.

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  15. Wow, Alexa! Have you published these things? Was Lois around in the same crowd (I think she said she knew Jagger)? In 1967 I was living in Downey, and had a lavender Twiggy lunchbox.

    I'm on a first name basis with Gene Parsons, but that's as close as I get. I just have a long list of people I've seen, which is easy in California, and easy to survive the rigors of.

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  16. uselaine -- lois and I are convinced that we knew some of the same people once upon a time, but haven't thrown any actual names at each other yet. Hope we get to have that conversation in person one of these days.

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  17. OMG, is that REALLY Keith Richard?

    Wow, a lot has changed since 1967. :-)

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Thanks, merci, grazie, danke, hvala, gracias, spasibo, shukran, dhanyavaad, salamat, arigato, and muito obrigado for your much-appreciated comments.