Vinyl Spins - Tom Waits Live

Vinyl Spins:  Nighthawks At The Diner - Tom Waits, 1975

We played this double album a lot when hanging out with friends at our house on Seymour Street in the late 70's. It stayed on or near my turntable for a very long time. It was recorded in a studio before a small audience to have the mood of a jazz club atmosphere “live album”. This record certainly captured that feel of his live shows… just like I remembered it.

The first time I saw Tom Waits perform was in a small Philly club in 1973. I had never heard of him before that day. He was touring on his first album and my friend John was excited to see him and since I was in town on a weekend leave after a long overseas deployment I was game. I first heard his album on cassette as we drove downtown to the club. It was a great show and we had a table directly in front of the stage. We loved his hipster banter with the crowd and he took his vagabond persona so seriously we could smell his BO from our seats. Just added to the ambience of the show.

Vinyl Spins - Lou Reed Live

Vinyl Spins: Lou Reed – Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal, 1974 

One of my favorite live albums that I picked up at the time it was released. I saw Lou Reed perform during that tour in 1973. If I remember right I had just returned from a Navy cruise and some shipmates asked if I wanted to join them going to a concert in Norfolk to see Alice Cooper. I started to say no but asked who else was playing. They said somebody named Lou Reed is opening and then I said I’ll go.

He played lots of Velvet Underground songs and some music from his recently released Transformer album. I loved the intro that opens the album and leads into Sweet Jane. The guys I was with hadn’t heard of him but I’m sure they did a few weeks later as Walk On The Wild Side climbed up the charts. Who would have thought that song would be a big AM hit. This was a good show for an opening act but the theatrical Alice Cooper was a little over the top. I had seen Lou Reed once before with the Velvet Underground but that’s another story.

Later Lou Reed would release a second live album 1975 with more material from that concert on the 1973 tour. I got that one too.

Lou Reed – Lou Reed Live, 1975

A to Z Live

Yo La Tengo

My expanded A to Z list of shows after a day of thinking about it. Pardon the long list but I've been going out to see live music well over 50 years and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. I've never written this all down. It was fun. Also no reunion shows. Here goes...

A - Allman Brothers Band, Amboy Dukes, Average White Band, Alt-J, Eric Anderson, Alice Cooper, American Dream, Art Ensemble of Chicago, The Association, Atlas Sound, The Animals, Dave Alvin, Asleep At The Wheel, Aerosmith

B - The Band, The Byrds, James Brown, Besnard Lakes, Bobby Blue Bland, Anthony Braxton, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Blue Cheer, The Blasters, David Bromberg, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Chuck Berry, Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley, Blood Sweat & Tears, Jackson Browne, Sandy Bull, Charles Bradley, Andrew Bird, The B-52’s, Booker T. & The MGs, The Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, Blue Rodeo, Black 47, The Blues Project, Butterfield Blues Band, Buffalo Springfield, Gato Barbieri, Broken Social Scene, Greg Brown, Burning Spear, Buckwheat Zydeco, Pat Benatar, Badfinger, Solomon Burke, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Bright Eyes, George Benson, Oscar Brand

C - Creedence Clearwater Revival, Calexico, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Chicago, The Chambers Brothers, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, Canned Heat, Jim Croce, The Chesterfield Kings, Bruce Cockburn, Marshall Crenshaw, Cowboy Junkies, Rosanne Cash, Joe Cocker, Shawn Colvin, Judy Collins, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Country Joe & The Fish, Peter Case, Cactus, Ry Cooder, Crazy Horse, The Chocolate Watch Band, The Contours, Chick Corea, Chuby Checkers

D - The Doors, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, DIIV, Doobie Brothers, Dr. John, The Detroit Cobras, Bo Diddley, Drive-By Truckers, The Delfonics, The Dells, John Denver, Ani DiFranco, Sandy Denny, Deer Tick, The Dovells

E - The English Beat, Earth Wind & Fire, Exuma, Steve Earle, Dave Edmunds, Joe Ely, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Enemies, Electric Prunes

F - Flaming Lips, The Four Tops, Fairport Convention, Feist, Aretha Franklin, Bela Fleck, Freakwater, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Fitz & The Tantrums, The Four Seasons, Frijid Pink, Tav Falco & Panther Burns, Foghat, The Fugs

G - Marvin Gaye, Gang of Four, Grateful Dead, Dexter Gordon, Nanci Griffith, The Godfathers, Arlo Guthrie, The Guess Who, Steve Goodman, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Al Green, Buddy Guy, Gong, Gentle Giant, The Golden Palominos, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Grapes of Wrath, Great Big Sea, Patty Griffin, Rory Gallagher, The Gun Club 

H - The Hollies, Hall & Oates, John Hiatt, John Hartford, Woody Herman & His Thundering Herd, Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Dave Holland, Tim Hardin, Hot Tuna, Howlin' Wolf, John Hammond, Hawkwind, Humble Pie

I - Iron Butterfly, Jason Isbell, Janis Ian, Indigo Girls, The Isley Brothers, Chris Isaak, The Incredible String Band, Ian & Sylvia, Iggy & The Stooges, The Intruders

J - Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, J. Geils Band, Bert Jansch, Johnny’s Dance Band, Tommy James & The Shondells, Jade Warrior, Joan Jett, The Jumpers, Jesus and Mary Chain

K - The Kinks, B.B. King, Kraftwerk, Albert King, Allison Krauss, King Sunny Ade, Al Kooper, Kool & The Gang, Kris Kristofferson, Leo Kottke, The Kit Kats

L - Little Feat, Los Lobos, Nick Lowe, Lowest Of The Low, G. Love & Special Sauce, Little Richard, Gordon Lightfoot, Oscar Lopez, Shorty Long, Lothar and the Hand People

M - Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Mamas & The Papas, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Martha & The Vandallas, The Marvelettes, Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, Mercury Rev, Don McLean, Buddy Miles, Hugh Masekela, Moby Grape, Lee Michaels, Mott The Hoople, Mother Earth, John McLaughlin & Shakti, Buddy Miller, Wes Montgomery, John Mayall, Bill Monroe

N - North Mississippi Allstars, Graham Nash, Neutral Milk Hotel, The National, Willie Nile, Nazz

O - Phil Ochs, Odetta, The Orlons, Beth Orton, Ohio Players, The O'Jays, Oregon

P - Psychedelic Furs, Wilson Pickett, Grace Potter & The Nocturnes, Peter Paul & Mary, Pacific Gas & Electric, Savoy Brown, Tom Paxton, John Prine, Utah Philips, The Persuasions, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Pure Prairie League, Procol Harum, Flora Purim, Pink Floyd

Q - Quicksilver Messenger Service

R - R.E.M., Sonny Rollins, The Ronettes, The Ramones, Linda Ronstadt, Robert Randolph Family Band, Dewey Redman, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Reverend Horton Heat, Leon Russell, The Rascals, Bonnie Raitt, Redbone, The Roches, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Roomful of Blues, Leon Redbone

S - Sun Ra, Santana, Steppenwolf, The Shangra-Las, The Stray Cats, Bruce Springsteen, The Shocking Blue, Simon & Garfunkel, Al Stewart, Archie Shepp, The Supremes, Steeleye Span, Sonny Stitt, Steel Pulse, Squeeze, Sir Douglas Quintet, Sly & The Family Stone, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Pete Seeger, Chris Smither, Sweet Stavin Chain, Todd Snider, Matthew Sweet, String Driven Thing, The Strawbs, The Staple Singers, The Soul Survivors, Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, Leo Sayer, Terrence Simien & The Zydeco Experience, The Seeds, Steve Miller Band, Seatrain, Spooky Tooth

T - Talking Heads, Ten Years After, Ike & Tina Turner, Thompson Twins, Taj Mahal, The Temptations, Three Dog Night, Tom Rush, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Richard Thompson, The Troggs, Traffic, Tower of Power, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee

U - U2, UB40, Uncle Earl, James Blood Ulmer, Ultimate Spinach

V - The Velvet Underground, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Suzanne Vega, Dave Van Ronk, Violent Femmes, The Ventures, Townes Van Zandt, Kurt Vile, Vanilla Fudge, Vetiver

W - Wilco, Tom Waits, Jimmy Witherspoon, Randy Weston, Johnny Winter, Stevie Wonder, Lucinda Williams, Jerry Jeff Walker, Grover Washington Jr, The Wood Brothers, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Widespread Panic, Wendy & Bonnie, Weather Report, Muddy Waters, Mary Wells, Wild Strawberries, Doc Watson

X - X, X-Ray Spex 

Y - Yo La Tengo, Neil Young, The Youngbloods, Young Marble Giants

Z - Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, ZZ Top, Zola Jesus

10,000 Maniacs, 54-40

The Big Goodbye

The Book List

The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood by Sam Wasson, 2020

Read in March 2020.

This was a highly entertaining book about the making of the noir classic Chinatown and Hollywood of the crazy and creative 1970's. I really enjoyed this book and it was one of the best books I've ever read about Hollywood and making movies.

Lots of interesting information about the screenwriters and actors and Jack Nicholson in particular. It's also a biography of the four men who made the movie... Jack Nicholson, director Roman Polanski, screenwriter Robert Towne and producer Robert Evans.

I also very much need to watch Chinatown again soon and a few other movies of that time.

Trump vs Talking Heads

And you may ask yourself... how did we get here.

King of Hearts

I first heard about Philippe de Broca's 1966 French film King of Hearts while in a film studies class at Temple University in the mid 70's. It was released in the US in 1967 and the distribution to repertory theaters began in 1973 where it eventually attained cult film status. 

We talked about this film in class and then went down to the TLA Cinema to see it in 1974. I saw it again a couple of more times at that theater in the late 1970's and then at least one more time much later. I saw that it is available to view on our Criterion Films streaming service and we should watch it again. It's been a while.

This film was a fascinating comedy drama antiwar story set near the end of World War I and takes place in a small French town at an insane asylum where a British soldier is hiding from a group of German soldiers. Alan Bates was amazing in this movie and the cast is highly entertaining as is the story itself.

We saw a lot of movies down on South Street at the TLA Cinema during the 1970's and I wrote about that theater and the neighborhood here.

Last Night Out

Pandemically Speaking

Our last night out was with our friends Ron and Rosanne. We had been planning on getting together for dinner for some time. The pandemic was just starting in our area and people were starting to get concerned. We went out on Saturday March 14 which turned out to be the weekend before the State stay at home order was declared.

We went to Dobutzu for dinner. It served wonderful Asian influenced comfort food. We were aware of maintaining social distance. The restaurant was large and crowded but properly spaced apart. There were also families there having dinner. We did not feel uncomfortable. However, the bar area was very crowded with young people packed closely together. There was no social distancing taking place there whatsoever. It was not a place we wanted to hang around.

So after dinner we walked around the corner to check out Belt Line Brewery. We were able to sit at a table away from other people and ordered drinks from the bar which was not crowded. We stayed there for a couple and then called it a night.

I did post our evening on Facebook checking in with the restaurant and brewery. We caught hell from our daughter who said we should not have gone out. Well, that's the last time for who knows how long.

The weekend before we had gone to an art opening and people were still greeting each other with hugs and handshakes although some were starting to do elbow bumps. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day from safe at home.

Slainte!

El Topo

El Topo, a film by Alejandro Jodorowsky released in 1970. I first saw this bizarre movie in a downtown Philadelphia theater in 1972. I had been home on leave from my ship and had a few hours to kill before my bus left for Norfolk VA. I went to the movies and saw this. I would see it again a few years later at the TLA Cinema and then eventually a couple more times over the years.

This was one of a series of underground and midnight cult movies I saw in the 70's. Well, after all, I was a film studies major in college during that time. El Topo fit right in with those movies. Jodorowsky would call his film "a quest for sainthood" and he had a taste for outrage and scandal. He also played the main character in the film. It was a surreally strange Western mixed with horror and comedy layered on Eastern mysticism that evolved into a psychedelic messianic revenge fantasy.

It is interesting that when John Lennon saw this film in 1971 he had his manager buy the distributions rights in order to get more people to see the film.

His Mask

 

Dark Towers

The Book List

Also part of the Trump Virus series, the infection of America.

Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich, 2020.

I read this in March 2020. I was lucky to get a copy of the e-book from the public library right away. I've known for decades that he has always been an immorally sleazy corrupt grifter but reading this book still shocked me how bad he really is. Follow the money. Makes Watergate look like a high school senior prank.

Also, how is that bank still in business.

Jobs

Jobs that I've had over the years. 

• Machine Shop Helper
• Machine Shop Operator
• US Navy Scullery Dishwasher
• US Navy Machinists Mate Petty Officer
• Clerk US Veterans Affairs Office
• Clerk US Treasury Department
• Inventory Control Specialist
• UPS Shipping and Receiving
• Auto Mechanic
• Forklift Operator
• Assistant Plant Manager
• Landscape Laborer
• Bar DJ
• Art Store Sales
• Computer Lab Manager
• Librarian
• Internet Trainer
• Webmaster & Database Manager
• Arts Organization Board of Director
• Community Organization Board of Director

One Nation Two Realities

The Book List

One Nation, Two Realities: Dueling Facts in American Democracy by Morgan Marietta and David C. Barker, 2019

Read this in March 2020.  This was almost a little too data driven book that focused on experiments and data surveys to develop interesting and provocative conclusions about how people express their opinions and values about such issues as climate change, racism, free trade, sexual orientation, gun control, education, distrust of authority, the media, etc.

The book came to some scary conclusions about the morality and values of Americans across the political spectrum.