Forever A Fangirl

The Big Man is Dead: Springsteen's E Street Sax Man Clarence Clemons Succumbs After Stroke - 'Jungleland' Solo [VIDEO]

Iconic rock saxophonist Clarence Clemons died Saturday at age 69 of complications from a stroke, bandmate Bruce Springsteen said:

Clarence Clemons performs with Aretha Franklin on her 1985 recording 'Freeway Of Love':
(VIDEO after the jump)

The story of how Bruce Springsteen and The Big Man began making history together--as told by Clarence Clemons:

One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I'd heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince and on a break between sets I walked over there. On-stage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story but I'm a Baptist, remember, so this is the truth.

A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were on-stage, but staring at me framed in the doorway. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, "I want to play with your band," and he said, "Sure, you do anything you want."

The first song we did was an early version of "Spirit In The Night." Bruce and I looked at each other and didn't say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other's lives. He was what I'd been searching for. In one way he was just a scrawny little kid. But he was a visionary. He wanted to follow his dream. So from then on I was part of history.

Cover art featuring Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen on The E Street Band's breakthrough album, 'Born To Run':

In concerts Bruce would always introduce "The E Street Shuffle" with a monologue about how they met with the magicl moment immortalized in the song 'Tenth Avenue Freeze out,' the second song on Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough album 'Born to Run.'         

Clarence Clemons' E Street Band 'Jungleland' Solo - Stockholm - June 7th 09 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:

 

Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985 had a hit single with "You're a Friend of Mine", a duet with Jackson Browne. As a guest musician he also featured on Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love" ...Clemons published his autobiography, Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales, in 2009. Clemons suffered a stroke on June 12, 2011 and died due to complications from the stroke on June 18 at 69 years old.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

In announcing Clarence Clemons' death, E Street Band leader Bruce Springsteen said:

"Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage," Springsteen said in a statement.

"His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years. He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

Clemons played on such classic Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band hits as "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road" and is widely credited with helping to shape Springsteen's sound.

 

After the jump: Clarence Clemons talks about his the musical 'marriage' with Bruce Springsteen; Clemons performing with Aretha Franklin on 1985's 'Freeway Of Love':

It's 70's music Wednesday: Rolling Stones 'Tumbling Dice' - Stones 'Happy' Live Videos

 Rolling Stones 'Tumbling Dice' - Stones 'Happy' Music Videos and BTS:

MonsieurBaudelaire | October 08, 2006

EDIT 2.4.11/Am reading Keith Richards 2010 biography right now -- 'bout halfway through. It's extremely enlightening in regard to how these rock and roll gems came to be. Richards is also quite an entertaining storyteller with a keen memory for details. Who would have guessed?!

"Tumbling Dice" by the Rolling Stones was the first rock n' roll record I ever bought. I was 12 years old and despite the fact that I owned the the entire Beatles catalog--that music was what my parents bought for me.

"Tumbling Dice" I bought myself as a single (a 45 record) with my allowance.

I remember when I was ticked off by my parents, I went upstairs to my room, put on Tumbling Dice and cranked that green and white plastic record player to the max--hoping to piss them off. Heh.

Wikipedia: Tumbling Dice

"Tumbling Dice" is a rock song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones' 1972 double album Exile on Main St. and was the album's first single. It is a Rolling Stones concert favorite and is performed at almost every Rolling Stones concert.

So I chose one of the all-time rock  n' roll classics off of Exile On Main Street. I just learned that as I did not become a Stones fan. I liked some of their stuff and in fact one of my favourites is "Happy" which is from the same album and was released after "Tumbling Dice."

Wikipedia: Happy

"Happy" is the tenth song from the Rolling Stones' 1972 album Exile On Main St.  Guitarist Keith Richards famously laid down the music with producer Jimmy Miller on drums while waiting for the other Stones to show up for work.

"Happy" is generally considered Keith's finest lead vocal performance. It was his only lead which was released as a single and managed to reach the Top 30 in the US.

mello9876 | April 09, 2007 | 122 likes, 6 dislikes

Happy from Exile

Jimmy Fallon - Born to Run - Emmys Opening Sketch - 2010 - Glee - Emmy Awards - 720P HD

 

supernoikz | August 29, 2010

Jimmy Fallon - Born to Run - Emmys Opening Sketch - 2010 - Glee - Emmy Awards - 720P HD

And in case NBC decides to delete the "unofficial" version, here is the official version (on the craptastic NBC player below):

I gotta admit I had not seen the performance until now, only hearing from my teenage son who, I suspect, has taken to watching "Glee," that Jimmy Fallon opened the 2010 Emmys with "Born To Run" with the Glee cast and "Hurley" (Jorge Garcia) from LOST and that Fallon did a credible job of performing as Bruce Springteen (writer/original performer of the song).

I've never liked anyone but Bruce attempting the song because every version I've heard until now sucked incredibly, but but in Fallon's version a number of singers were integrated into it  taking on the parts they were most suited to and it actually worked--though of course the song belongs to Springsteen. They only borrowed it.  Bruce Springsteen owns 'Born To Run' --in every sense of the word.

Why is one of the high points of an admittedly good Emmy show not showing up until almost a week after the broadcast? This blurb explains it all (or tries to):

2010 Emmy Awards (credit)

You can now safely delete Sunday’s Emmy telecast from your DVR: Host Jimmy Fallon’s rather spectacular opener to the show, which featured stars across the television universe singing a Glee-ful version of “Born to Run,” — officially. Why’d it take so long to get the NBC-approved goods? There was a bit of a holdup with rights over using the Bruce Springsteen staple — apparently, NBC and the TV Academy didn’t square away the deal to use the song on the web until yesterday afternoon. (You couldn’t find it officially online before then, but, of course,the bit was pirated everywhere.) Fallon was none too happy about all his efforts being absent from the network’s website: “That could have been worth 500,000 hits on NBC.com,” the Late Night host told Variety on Tuesday.

Disney Says No Fake Boobies In Next 'Pirates' Film?

 

I wonder if Johnny Depp's partner Vannessa Paradis, had any say in this? The goss just last week was that Depp, who is currently working on,"TheTourist" with Angelina Jolie (described as 'eating' her male co-stars for lunch) is trying to get out of a steamy love scene with Jolie if not the entire film--at Paradis's behest. I applaud her if she's got that much sway with JD.There's no doubt that Depp has that much pull with Disney. He cemented that with his appearance three times on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. That and all the moola that the Pirates film franchise is pulling in almost completely due to Depp's performance as pirate Jack Sparrow, a character who he based in large part on Rolling Stone, Keith Richards.

Report: Disney Bans Fake Breasts in Next Pirates Movie

Disney may be going au naturale for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

The movie studio has banned actresses with artificial enhancements for the fourth Pirates installment, the New York Post reports.

Filmmakers sent out a casting call last week, according to the paper, seeking "beautiful female fit models. Must be 5 feet 7 inches-5 feet 8 inches, size 4 or 6, no bigger or smaller. Age 18-25. Must have a lean dancer body. Must have real breasts. Do not submit if you have implants." The potential ladies will also have to undergo a test involving jiggling and jogging to determine their breasts' authenticity, the Post says.

The movie, which is set for a May 2011 release, will star Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Ian McShane as Blackbeard, and Penelope Cruz as Sparrow's love interest, replacing Keira Knightley as the female lead.

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis

Now if Disney (or Vanessa) could have a word about this requirement of the 'Pirates' 4 film:

Must be 5 feet 7 inches-5 feet 8 inches, size 4 or 6, no bigger or smaller. 

The 'no smaller' part is OK but no bigger than a size 4 or 6? So a size 7/8 on a 5'8" woman is considered too big? Has Disney taken a look recently at the animatronic ladies that Johnny is cavorting with in Disneyland? (j/k He doesn't cavort--only hides--then gleefully sits upon a huge pile of gold coins.)

I realize I'm being unrealistic in pointing this out but Disney started it when it took a stand on ladies with fake boobies.Why not go a step further and bump up the range of sizes a bit?

Johnny Depp back for new Pirates of the Caribbean movie

Johnny Depp Presents at SCREAM Awards 2009 / Keith Richards Immortal Award

Johnny Depp at the SCREAM Awards, October 2009.

Johnny receives an award for Most Anticipated Film, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in which Depp is the Mad Hatter. Depp later presents The Immortal Award to Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

There a short which portrays Keith Richards in snippets from various time frames.

Depp quotes Richards: "If you are going to kick authority in the ass, you may as well use both feet."

In the short Richards says, In reply to, "How do you survive it all?' (Richards overdosed on heroin on a near-regular basis for many years.) Richard's answer: "I dunno." I guess me luck hasn't run out, yet." Another interviewer queries, "What is your definition of Rock?" Without even a pause Richards replies, "Me."

What are the Scream Awards? Read after the jump. Also quotes and quips from the show and who the awards went to. (Excerpt from the 2009 Spike TV Scream Awards Press Release)

Happy 60th Birthday, Bruce Springsteen! You've Always Had Plenty of That "Human Touch"

BruceSpringsteen

About the video; "Following Saturday's appearance at the Glastonbury Festival, Bruce appeared on Sunday, June 28, at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London's Hyde Park. Like Glastonbury, this turned into another magical show making the back-to-back U.K. festival appearances an all time highlight for Bruce and the Band. Here, in full, is the opening song from Bruce's set, "London Calling." (Joe Strummer/Mick Jones)."

Bruce and E Street crank out a credible version of the Clash's classic call to arms.

It's Bruce Springsteen's 60th birthday today and I have no idea what a popular culture icon/music master such as he could possibly want or need as a gift. He's shared with me and millions of others so much of himself over the past 40 years. Not being able to offer him anything for his 60th b-day, instead I'll share some of what he's shared in his sublime command of imagery and artistry.

Bruce does indeed grace the September/October issue of AARP, the Magazine, published by the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, now simply known by their initials. "Red, White, and Bruce" here.

Two Springsteen-based re-posts of mine:

Now that it's 2008 I can say that I'm seeing Bruce in the spring which is something that makes me happy. This is one of my favourite of his many songs that touched me--maybe more so now than years ago. Anyway, the lyrics started playing in my head tonight, especially these:

Oh girl that feeling of safety that you prize
Well it comes at a hard hard price
You can't shut off the risk and the pain
Without losing the love that remains
Were all riders on this train

<awesome guitar break>

So you've been broken and youve been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah, I know I ain't nobodys bargain
But, hell, a little touch up and a little paint...

The entire lyrics are after the video which has a definite mid-1980's feel to it. Bruce does look pretty great in it though I miss "Miami" Steve Van Zant and Clarence Clemons on camera. I'm curious too who is doing the female vocals. edit/checked--some were (now wife) Patti's.

bruce springsteen "human touch"
Uploaded by miklo

You and me we were the pretenders
We let it all slip away
In the end what you don't surrender
Well the world just strips away

Girl, aint no kindness in the face of strangers
Aint gonna find no miracles here
Well you can wait on your blesses my darlin'
But I got a deal for you right here

I ain't looking for praise or pity
I ain't coming 'round searchin' for a crutch
I just want someone to talk to
And a little of that Human Touch
Just a little of that Human Touch

Ain't no mercy on the streets of this town
Ain't no bread from heavenly skies
Ain't nobody drawing wine from this blood
Its just you and me tonight

Tell me, in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much
I just want something to hold on to
And a little of that Human Touch
Just a little of that Human Touch

Oh girl that feeling of safety that you prize
Well it comes at a hard hard price
You can't shut off the risk and the pain
Without losin' the love that remains
We're all riders on this train

So you've been broken and you've been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah, I know I ain't nobody's bargain
But, hell, a little touch up and a little paint...

You might need somethin' to hold on to
When all the answers, they don't amount to much
Somebody that you could just to talk to
And a little of that Human Touch

Baby, in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much
I just want to feel you in my arms
Share a little of that Human Touch
Feel a little of that Human Touch
Give me a little of that Human Touch

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Update/Danny Federici, Springsteen and E Street's Longtime Keyboardist, Dies At 58

More after the jump...

True Blood NEW Screen Caps - Bill & Sookie Dance

Bill & Sookie dance

Thanks to

Shadaliza!

Updated! True Blood - S2 Finale - S2xE12 - Beyond Here Lies Nothin' - Screen Caps -The Dance, The Proposal, The Garroting.

Maryann has gathered everyone in Bon Temps to witness her marriage to "the God Who Comes." She has hexed them all and they all have "bug-eyes" and have no will of their own. For "The God" to come, he needs a "vessel"-- and an offering, in this case many kinds of meat and an ostrich egg--and a human sacrifice. Sam Merlotte is the unlucky guy who will literally give up his heart to Maryann. Eggs is tasked with first stabbing Sam, allowing Maryann to determine that Sam meets the requirements--which he does. From there, due to a plan known only to Sam and Vampire Bill, things get very unpredictable.

NEWLY added! Sookie and Bill's Dance, Engaged or Not?, Bill's Garroting

All photos belong to HBO.

True Blood Season 2 - Second Sneak Peek Promo Video - Screen Caps- Dylan Video - Beyond Here Lies Nothin'

Twitter thanks to @truebloodnet via @ProgGrrl

I'm really excited that soon we'll being seeing this group of actors bloodying up the screen.
This video totally rocks. I'll cap a few more but it's 5 a.m. past my bedtime. Cheers-


True Blood Season 2: Cast News for Episode 7

More True Blood Season 2 casting news for Episode 7 “Release Me.” Sarah Scott has been cast to play the role of Francis who is described according to a previous casting call as a pretty young chorus girl who has been hired by Lorena to dance for Bill during a 1935 flashback scene. She is described to be giggly, excited, and very drunk. During the scene she will have to know how to tap dance.

Thanks to Source

Bob Dylan’s new single, “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’,” which is performed on the True Blood Season 2 promo seems to have help launch Bob Dylan’s new album, Together Through Life, into the #1 spot for both the U.S. and UK album charts... ...Alan Ball, creator behind the phenomenally successful HBO TV series True Blood said, “When I heard the song, I knew it would be a perfect fit for our characters and storylines.”

Thanks to Source

Bob Dylan - Beyond Here Lies Nothin' - official video

It's Not Digital, It's Organic

I was having my bowl of heart-healthy cereal this a.m.whilst perusing the online New York Times when I came across an article on Peter Gabriel in the business section. The not-very-compelling headline was "An Old Rocker Gets Digital" which turned out to be rather inaccurate, too. Gabriel has been digital at least since the wholly digital "Shock The Monkey" back in the 1980's.
As it happens, yesterday, one in a series of rainy days here in cottage country, I had the local FM station,"The Moose," tuned to a syndicated music show in which an aspect of the background of classic rock music is highlighted each week by the engaging Steve Downs. He spoke about Gabriel and his Genesis departure and how both the band and Gabriel went on the have more fame and fortune than they'd  had together. I found it interesting that Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" explains his sudden departure from the band that he founded. So I was primed to read about what Pete has been up to of late and it turns out what he's been doing has been very intriguing for many years now. He sums it up in the last line of the article with,

“I don’t believe in the death of the major record companies,” Mr. Gabriel says. “But as an artist, I’d love to see them reinvented as service companies.”

Within the two-page article, the likes of Richard Branson, Thomas Dolby and astrophysicist Michael Large comment on their admiration for Gabriel from  business, technological, and artistic standpoints. Branson: "In the early days, we’d go skiing together and Peter would have an idea every 30 seconds,” says the British entrepreneur, whose Virgin Group includes more than 200 companies. “We’d be sitting on the lift with me scribbling madly in my notebook, trying to get everything down. He’s worse than me.”

Thomas Dolby: “Peter approaches business the way he approaches his music: it’s not digital, it’s organic,” says the musician, who has enjoyed his own business success as the co-designer of the Beatnik ring-tone synthesizer, a utility included in more than a billion Nokia mobile phones. “I am impressed that he’s achieved so much in the business world.”

With so much praise being heaped upon a guy I already admired I had to read the whole article and after doing so, I wholeheartedly agree that that Peter Gabriel is a nice guy with heaps of talent, loads of foresight, and an outstanding business sense. Plus, I want to watch one of his 20th Century videos again.

But Peter Gabriel the "old rocker"? I don't think the word "old" and Peter Gabriel belong in the same sentence.

 

Source

"While major record companies have spent heavily on the Internet with relatively little to show, Gabriel and his partners started OD2 on a tight budget, built it into a digital delivery platform that retailers like Virgin used on their Web sites, and sold it in 2004 for $40.5 million.

“When most labels were banging their heads, he got it and saw the liberating value of Internet distribution to artists, and that’s what excited him,” says Mr. Grimsdale, a partner at Eden Ventures, of Mr. Gabriel. “He has a very good sense technologically of what’s going to work.”

OD2’s success also catapulted Mr. Gabriel, after decades as a top-selling artist, into a second career as a powerful player in the emerging online music industry, a move that once seemed more outlandish than the costumes he wore in the early 1970s as a singer for the rock group Genesis.

But Mr. Gabriel, the son of an inventor, keeps devising new ways for musicians and record labels to use the Web to control their work and to make — not lose — money.

His two newest Internet ventures — We7, an advertising-driven music site, and TheFilter.com, which offers personally tailored multimedia recommendations — have received strong financial backing and positive user reviews in early tests.

As an artist, Mr. Gabriel was quick to embrace new technologies like music videos, interactive CDs and high-definition television. His 1982 release featuring the popular single “Shock the Monkey” was among the first completely digital recordings.

Update/Danny Federici, Springsteen and E Street's Longtime Keyboardist, Dies At 58

Update from the Funeral Home (below) Also, from Danny's family: The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund

"Fourth Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" featuring Danny Federici, Bruce and E Street, Indianapolis 3/2008.

Danny rejoined the band one last time.

Hard to watch but lovely performance. At the very end of the song Bruces gives Danny a buss on the cheek and says "I love you."

When I saw Springsteen and The E Street Band last month in Milwaukee it was clear to me that I'd missed my last chance to see and hear Danny Federici with the full band.

When Bruce spoke about Danny, he did so briefly but meaningfully. I happened to be watching the monitor with the huge image of Bruce from the shoulders up as he took a short break to explain Danny's absence and to urge folks in the audience to give to the Food Bank in the lobby. When he mentioned that they "hoped" to have Danny "back on the next leg of the tour," a flash of sadness etched Bruce's face. I knew in that moment just about a month ago, that Springsteen knew how grave Danny's condition was. Even when you "know" someone will be dying soon, you often still hope against hope for a miracle. It truly appeared that Bruce was heartbroken but showman that he is, he stashed away that part of himself for the show's duration.

Sadly, Danny Federici's life and so his gift of music, was truncated after he succumbed on Thursday after years of battling melanoma.

RIP (Rock on In Peace), Danny

Federici, left, with the E Street Band.

Photo: Supplied

April 18, 2008 - 2:49PM

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from Hungry Heart through The Rising has died. He was 58.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York on Thursday.

News of his death was posted on Springsteen's official website.

He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

"Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much ... we grew up together," Springsteen said in a statement posted on his website.

Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Saturday in Orlando were postponed.

Federici was born in Flemington, New Jersey, a long car ride from the Jersey shore haunts where he first met kindred musical spirit Springsteen in the late 1960s.

The pair often jammed at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, New Jersey, a now-defunct after-hours club that hosted the best musicians in the state.

It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.

By 1969, the self-effacing Federici - often introduced in concert by Springsteen as Phantom Dan - was playing with the Boss in a band called Child.

Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.

Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999.

"Bruce has been supportive throughout my life," Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine.

"I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me."

Federici played accordion on the wistful 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, Hungry Heart.

His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song You're Missing provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on The Rising in 2002.

In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandanna-wrapped guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.

Gimme A Little Of That Human Touch

Now that it's 2008 I can say that I'm seeing Bruce in the spring which is something that makes me happy. This is one of my favourites of his--maybe more so now than years ago. Anyway, the lyrics started playing in my head tonight, especially these:

Oh girl that feeling of safety that you prize
Well it comes at a hard hard price
You can't shut off the risk and the pain
Without losing the love that remains
Were all riders on this train

<awesome guitar break>

So you've been broken and youve been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah, I know I ain't nobodys bargain
But, hell, a little touch up and a little paint...

The entire lyrics are after the video which has a definite mid 1980's- feel to it. Bruce does look pretty hawt in it though I miss Miami Steve Van Zant and Clarence Clemons on camera. I'm curious too who is doing the female vocals. edit/checked--some were Patti.

Glad Bruce came to his senses about a life partner. :)

bruce springsteen "human touch"
Uploaded by miklo

You and me we were the pretenders
We let it all slip away
In the end what you don't surrender
Well the world just strips away

Girl, aint no kindness in the face of strangers
Aint gonna find no miracles here
Well you can wait on your blesses my darlin'
But I got a deal for you right here

I ain't looking for praise or pity
I ain't coming 'round searchin' for a crutch
I just want someone to talk to
And a little of that Human Touch
Just a little of that Human Touch

Ain't no mercy on the streets of this town
Ain't no bread from heavenly skies
Ain't nobody drawing wine from this blood
Its just you and me tonight

Tell me, in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much
I just want something to hold on to
And a little of that Human Touch
Just a little of that Human Touch

Oh girl that feeling of safety that you prize
Well it comes at a hard hard price
You can't shut off the risk and the pain
Without losin' the love that remains
We're all riders on this train

So you've been broken and you've been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah, I know I ain't nobody's bargain
But, hell, a little touch up and a little paint...

You might need somethin' to hold on to
When all the answers, they don't amount to much
Somebody that you could just to talk to
And a little of that Human Touch

Baby, in a world without pity
Do you think what I'm askin's too much
I just want to feel you in my arms
Share a little of that Human Touch
Feel a little of that Human Touch
Give me a little of that Human Touch

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Vox Hunt: Rocked My World

Show us cover art or share a track from the first band or solo artist you flipped for.

Once I got past my pre teen crushes it had to be:

Bruce Springsteen - She's the One

I remember Freshman year of high school being in the library one day. Walked over to the magazine rack and both Time and Newsweek had him as their cover story that week. It was surreal. I had to find out who he was.

I Scored Tickets to The Who!

I'm soooo excited.

I found out via the car radio yesterday that concert tickets to The Who were to go on sale today at The Sears Centre--an newish (unfamiliar) venue in the next town over from where I live in Chicagoland. Tickets were to be for sale on the Sears Centre's website as well.

So as soon as I heared that Pete Townshend was coming to my town (practically) I had to get tickets. Had to.

I discovered spirituality in music and in me via Townshend's Empty Glass.

I am in awe of the man's talents.

I've not ever seen The Who live in concert and really, after I've done so I think I'll be able to die having satisfied my desire to see every rock icon that lived/toured long enough for me to see him/her.    

I've not ever seen The Who partly because I ceased going to mega-huge venues where due to nosebleed tickets or just the humongousness of the venue I would end up watching the show on a mega-huge screen.

But this place at maximum capacity holds 11,000, which is still a lot, IMO but not a terrible lot.

Here are my and my spouse's seats. Click and follow the purple line.

We did pay $100 each for good seats to see The Who (chart shows prices along w/ matching seat selection). I don't think that's really off the wall considering a Wednesday night showing of the Broadway musical  "Wicked" was $85 each when we saw it as a family two birthdays ago.

The entertainment industry may claim to be hurting and maybe in certain areas it is. But it sure is expensive to see to got out for a live show--theatre, concert, or sports.

But I'm very happy that we got good seats. It was dicey for a good ten minutes as the Sears Centre website kept putting my spouse and I--on seperate computers on "hold."

Then the Sears Centre website's page counted down from 60 to 1 and reloaded. Again and again. I was the first to get through and was paying when the page seemed to reload and went all kerfluey and I had to begin again from sign-in.

By then though-- luckily--my spouse had gotten through on his computer and was buying the tickets.

Whew!

I'm too old for this kind of stress.      

Currently listening : Endless Wire By The Who Release date: By 31 October, 2006

 

Mickey Dolenz

When I saw the headline to the article about Mickey Dolenz I cringed a bit in anticipation of clicking through and seeing a bald old guy looking thrashed by all the years since his heyday.

But he looks good--healthy and sounds content with his life. I think maybe--was it him that was a child actor, too? I'm not looking this up 'cos I knew this once.

My first big celebrity crush was his bandmate Davy Jones, but Mickey seemed more accessible. If I remember correctly it was Dolenz and Jones who had the most performing experience when drafted into the pre-fab made-for teevee band, the Monkees.

I haven't seen a photo of him in a while nor of the others.  I hope they all are  as happy as he looks.

Handout picture shows former Monkee Micky Dolenz. Dolenz just finished playing Charlemagne in the play 'Pippin' in Toronto. He's also had two books published this year -- a children's book titled 'Gakky Two-Feet' (Putnam, 2006) and a trivia game book titled 'Micky Dolenz' Rock 'n Rollin' Trivia' (Square One Publishers, 2006). (Timothy Fielding/Reuters)

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Is Neil Young Looking Less Scary?

Singer Neil Young poses at the 25th annual Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah January 24, 2006. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)

Is it just me or is Neil Young looking less scary as he grows into old age?