I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
In downtown Minneapolis ……CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Beyond Mammy, Jezebel, & Sapphire: Reclaiming Images of Black Women will be at the Alexandria, Louisiana Museum of Art through February 18th.
Alison Saar, “Cotton Eater”HAIL and FAREWELL to the bassist from the UK glam-rock band Mott the Hoople — who was convinced by band management to perform under his middle name Overend Watts (rather than Pete) — who has died at the age of 69 (just over a year after his rhythm-section bandmate Dale ‘Buffin’ Griffin) …… to one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers, drummer Butch Trucks— who is the uncle of guitarist Derek Trucks, who leads the Tedeschi-Trucks Band along with his wife Susan Tedeschi — who has also died at the age of 69 …. to the English film/TV/stage star John Hurt — a memorable star of “Elephant Man” and Harry Potter” — who has died at the age of 77 … to the TV actor Mike Connors— whose secretary Peggy (portrayed by Gail Fisher) seemed to have a file on everybody — who has died at the age of 91 …. and to the TV star Barbara Hale— best-known for her role as Della Street, assistant to Perry Mason — who has died at the age of 94.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Tiger the Cat— although his birth name was Snitch, when the English kitteh went missing fourteen years ago. He set-up camp at a museum three miles away (where he became a favorite with visitors) until a microchip scan reunited him with his family … who decided to let him remain there, as "He gets fed fish and chips every day by the museum …. he couldn't have asked for better than that”.
Snitch, later Tiger the CatSIGN of the TIMES — even in Buenos Aires, a difficult economy and changing musical tastes have seen dance halls that feature the tango falling on hard times … so much so, the city council is offering financial aid.
WHO WOULDA THUNK that Malcolm Turnbull, the conservative prime minister of Australia would push spending cuts and clamping down on welfare recipients in a bid to balance the budget ……. and then have to form an independent auditing agency, after his health minister had to resign … after she charged several personal cross-country trips to her taxpayer-paid travel account.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Jazzy the Cat— the kitteh of NHL player Nazem Kadri, whose Toronto Maple Leaf teammates are mostly dog people.
Jazzy the Cat w/hockey starSPORTING NOTES — years ago, championship tennis seemed destined to become a teenager's sport (with a 25 year-old seen as a relic). Now, a Grand Slam event (the Australian Open) has concluded with a 35 year-old Roger Federer winning against a 30 year-old Rafael Nadal, with the women’s final seeing a 35 year-old Serena Williams outlasting her 36 year-old sister Venus. Back to the Future?
BRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at how I am handling which members of the Trump family are fair game for criticism … and which should be left alone. Still time for you to add your comments.
YOUNGER-OLDER BROTHERS? — film stars Ben Affleck (portraying Tony Mendez in “Argo”) and Keanu Reeves.
Ben Affleck (born 1972) Keanu Reeves (born 1964)...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… when I heard the song “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits, I was surprised to learn that it was a band from the UK (as the song had so many Bob Dylan influences). Similarly, after hearing him play with David Bowie and King Crimson: I was surprised to learn that the guitarist Adrian Belew is an American. It’s not the only surprising thing about him (his guitar style will do that to you, regularly) and even if you don’t recognize his name: chances are you’ve heard him as a guest artist or sideman with many famous musicians. And early in his career, by twists-of-fate over 40 years.
Born as Robert Steven Belew in the Cincinnati suburb of Covington, Kentucky in 1949, he switched from the drums to the guitar in his youth when he was bedridden with mononucleosis. Inspired by The Beatles (at first) and later Jimi Hendrix, he performed in a high school covers band called The Denems. He eventually moved in the mid-70’s to Nashville where he adopted the name Adrian, which he always liked. He performed with a regionally popular band called Sweetheart – whose members performed in 1940’s-style suits – when fate intervened in 1977.
Frank Zappa had performed earlier in the evening in Nashville, and told his hired chauffeur to bring him to hear some music … and so the chauffeur brought him to hear Sweetheart. He eventually joined Zappa’s band when Sweetheart split-up the next year. Belew appeared on the Zappa disco-parody album Sheik Yerbouti– and on his 1978 tour (which led to the “Baby Snakes” concert film). And whaddya know ….. during that tour, one attendee was David Bowie … who offered Belew a job once the Zappa tour ended.
Adrian Belew was thus a touring member of David Bowie’s 1978 Heroes Tour - which resulted in the live album Stage as well as the 1979 Lodger studio album. Would you believe … just as that tour was winding down, Adrian Belew met the producer Brian Eno – who was producing the 1980 seminal Talking Heads album Remain in Light– and Belew not only appeared on the album but also on tour (and thus he appeared on The Name of This Band is Talking Heads album).
The internal tension in recording that album helped lead to the (eventual) break-up of the Talking Heads – and Belew wound up as a sideman on all of the band members’ solo projects, most notably the Tina Weymouth/Chris Frantz band Tom Tom Club– with Belew actually co-writing Genius of Love, their most famous hit.
In 1982, he released his first solo album before meeting up with the veteran guitarist Robert Fripp– who invited Belew to join his revived band King Crimson with drummer Bill Bruford. Having caught up with Adrian Belew’s career at this time is when I realized that Belew – along with Boston-native bassist Tony Levin– were Americans, and thus making ½ of the lineup of King Crimson not from the UK. And Belew (along with Levin) has remained in the band’s lineup to this day, albeit in an on-and-off format over the past thirty years.
One reason why so many musicians have offered him a job in a touring band (and we’ll get to session work later) is that Adrian Belew combines both traditional song stylings along with some very experimental guitar work (imitating animals, birds and machinery) as well as some biting slide guitar and tremolo-bar sound effects. At the time he was hired by Frank Zappa he was the only band-member Frank had who did not read music– but said that band was when he truly became a musician.
During the 80’s, Belew released several solo albums (notably Mr. Music Head from 1989) and for a time belonged to a band named GaGa (now, you don’t suppose …….) plus his own band called The Bears– which is another on-again, off-again project he came back to from time-to-time. In 1990, he re-joined David Bowie for his Sound and Vision tour and had some chart success with “Pretty Pink Rose” as well as “Men in Helicopters” from the Young Lions album.
And since then, his tours with King Crimson, The Bears and his solo albums have kept him busy. But just to make sure: he has been a sideman for such performers as Paul Simon’s seminal 1986 album Graceland as well as with the J. Geils singer Peter Wolf, Cyndi Lauper, Mike Oldfield, Tori Amos, Jean-Michel Jarre, Laurie Anderson … and even William Shatner’s Has Been album from 2004.
Adrian Belew turned age 67 last month, his most recent album is 2011’s e for Orchestra– and in 2013, he was to have become a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails (whom he had recorded with before) … which didn’t work out, alas. Most recently, he has worked on a series of his self-designed iOS apps FLUX:FX .
On-stage, this month he appeared in some of the shows of the David Bowie World Tribute Tour and is set to have his own tour of the USA beginning in late February as the Adrian Belew Power Trio (with a brother-and-sister rhythm section of Eric and Julie Slick). And so, even if you are not an experimental music fan: chances are you’ll be hearing him (even when you don’t realize it) in a more conventional band arrangement.
Adrian Belew (early 80’s?) ... and much more recentlyHis one solo minor-hit single came on his 1989 solo album Mr. Music Head… and it came in the form of a duet with someone whom he recorded with on Lone Rhino– his 1982 first solo album. The title track had him accompanying his four year-old daughter Audie (on piano).
Fast-forward seven years to 1989 and Audie (now age 11) sang on Oh Daddy – which reached #58 on the Billboard charts. And below you can listen to this self-explanatory song.
Oh daddy, when you gonna write that big hit? Oh daddy, when you gonna hit it real big, real big?
Well, now that's a tall request for such a small little girl but I'll try, try till I get it just right 'cause I'm gonna make it ... maybe even twice
Oh daddy, when you gonna make it to the big time gig? Oh daddy, when you gonna blow off the lid?
Well, it's like a backstage pass into paradise: there's a long lonely waiting list, but I'm gonna give it everything I've got to give
Oh daddy, when you gonna be a big star? …. I got the suit and a pink guitar
Oh daddy, when you gonna break it wide open? …. I don't know, but I still keep hopin'
Oh daddy, are you gonna make a million bucks? - All it takes is a whole lotta luck
Oh daddy, when you gonna have that fat Cadillac like you always said? Oh daddy, when you gonna put on some stretch pants, yeah?
Well, don't hold your breath 'cause it'll make you blue but the whole opera's not over yet and I aim to make the fat lady sweat
Oh daddy, when you gonna make it to the top? … All I know is I'm not gonna stop
Oh daddy, what are ya' gonna buy your little girl? — Hey, I'm gonna getcha DisneyWorld!
Oh daddy, you could hit the jackpot yet! - Like I told you now: don't hold your breath
x YouTube Video