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March 07 - issue 1

Dearly Bewildered

While wasting another hour on YouTube we stumbled upon this (http://tinyurl.com/2gcylk) old interview with the members of Little Village in which Jim Keltner talks about how Ry Cooder can "bite your head off in an instant" (and then cuts to footage of him doing just that). This led us to seek your nominations for THE WORST TEMPER IN ROCK, preferably with actual documentary evidence. Who are the great cross patches and who, on the other hand, are the all-time pussycats?

Your nominations, please, to mail@rockingvicar.com

 

GOOD POINT, WELL MADE

Parishioner Skirky:

It's all very noble, Ian Gillan demanding that no-one buy the Deep Purple live album recorded at the NEC on the grounds that it's not really up to much, but does anyone recall getting a refund at the time on the grounds that the gig was a bit shit?

 

Has any member of the parish ever got their money back at a gig? Tell us about it.

 

GREAT FACES FOR RADIO

Parishioner Graham Johns : Nick Lowe's 40 year career is sadly under-represented on YouTube. But having seen his effort for "All Men Are Liars" (surely the only song ever to namcheck Rick Astley - "He had a hit/It was ghastly") at http://tinyurl.com/3e2wnu, that may not be such a bad thing.

Thanks for that, Graham. It's a striking example of the artist who: a) has no business making a video; b) is fully aware of the fact. There must surely be others and the evidence must be on YouTube.

 

'NOT THE ELVIS PRESLEY?'

Parishioner Stuart Booth has found something in the paper:

...........Friday, 23 February 2007: UKIP Party Chairman John Whittaker

said that the party is guilty of nothing more than "a simple clerical error

which could have been easily rectified had it been known." The Electoral

Commission has taken the decision to apply for forfeiture of donations to

the value of £363,697 from the UK Independence Party, saying that these

donations were impermissible because the donor, Mr Alan Bown, was not on the

Electoral Register between December 2004 and January 2006. He was, however,

on the register at his Kent address before this period and has also been on

the register since January 2006. He was unaware that his name had been

removed from the list during 2005. Mr Bown has been giving money to UKIP

throughout this time with all of his donations properly reported............. Can the Alan Bown be he of the blue-lacquered trumpet? Can the UK book trade's Dave Swarbrick also be famed folk/ and ex-Fairports fiddler?

Can Dr Nick Lowe of the Department of Classics, Royal Holloway, University of London be the former Schwarzman and Rockpiler?.

Not to mention the Pete Townshend alter egos in golf and in bookselling.

And how many other musos have a namesake or evn another life these days. For example, Martin Stone (Mighty Baby, Chilli Willi, etc) really is nowadays an antiquarian books scout for second-hand book guru Tom Driffield.

Let us prey.......upon these gobbets

 

Let us indeed, Stuart. Parishioners who have already amused themselves by entering their own name in Google Image Search to see how many different shapes and sizes and colours they come in, could surely do the same with a few venerable rock names.

 

WORLD'S DULLEST TRIBUTE BAND

Parishioner Paul Lewis

Trying to pass a very long night watching Seth Lakeman's acoustic folk ramblings, I got thinking that, given the commercial success of certain > acts, there must be a market for forming perhaps the world's most boring tribute band....

A kind of British Hayseed Dixie, they would take boring one-dimensional slow rock songs, & play them in a boring one-chord folk style. Occasionally, to add "variety" (?) they take boring one-chord folk songs & play them in a

boring one-dimensional slow rock style. The name of the band - SETH PATROL!

COMMERCIAL BREAK

THE LATEST EDITION OF THE WORD IS THE 50TH BIRTHDAY ISSUE. FEATURES AN INTERVIEW WITH JONI MITCHELL PLUS A SPECIAL GREATEST HITS CD WITH RY COODER, MIDLAKE, SUFJAN STEVENS, CAT POWER, THE DECEMBERISTS, RICHARD HAWLEY AND MANY MORE

See http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk for details

NOTHING WRONG WITH CARTOONS

Parishioner Paul Grimshaw:

I accept Brother Lipscombe's assertion that the first Counting Crows album has not been matched in quality by subsequent releases (but that is so often true, and the CCs subsequent output is certainly far better than that of many of the bands with which they are frequently bracketed - for example, their live 'Across A Wire' set is magnificent). I must, however, take exception to his suggestion that they are a laughing stock for producing the 'theme to a Disney movie'. Presumably here he is referring to their song 'Accidentally In Love' appearing as the theme to the Dreamworks film 'Shrek 2'. Brother Lipscombe may not appreciate the difference between Dreamworks and Disney. A quick look at the soundtrack album of Shrek 2 reveals the presence of cuts by Eels, Nick Cave and Tom Waits as well as Dame David Bowie duetting on a rerecording of 'Changes'. Presumably no-one in the Parish would consider any of those acts as anything other than serious quality rock talents. Dreamworks films are cool and generally have great, quirky soundtracks. Disney films tend to use Phil Collins and Elton John.

 

COULD ROCK BETTER

Parishioner Alex Baxter:

I nominate my hometown of Hartlepool, Cleveland as the country's least rock n roll town. Rumour has it that Jeremy Spencer was born there, but no-one has ever turned up any evidence to confirm it. No-one else of any note, I'm afraid, unless you count the Sneaker Pimps, and frankly, I don't.

Parishioner Andrew Collins:

I hate to spoil the party now that you've published the final not-rock'n'roll-town scorecard, but a punk band called Capdown (rather brilliantly short for Capitalist Downfall) have just this week topped the 6 Music Chart (Sunday, 2-3pm) with their album Wind Up Toys, and they're from Milton Keynes. This has to be bad news for Plymouth.

Parishioner Anthony Chapman:

Re Milton Keynes' position atop the chart of the least rock n roll towns - isn't Geordie, guitarist with Killing Joke, from MK?

Although, even with this addition to the pantheon, I wouldn't like to say how far this should elevate the home of the concrete cows up the chart. And why does he have the nickname Geordie? I heard it was because he

comes from so far north compared to the London based core of the

group. What cards!

Parisioner John Hepworth:

Fearing the parish may not actually encompass purported rock-dump Doncaster, may I from distant Leeds speak up for the old Queen of the Great North Road and of the LNER - with a bit of rough-hewn northern history/folklore (comparable with the Hendrix at Ilkley gig/non-gig)? Tribal elders in these parts believe the Sex Pistols gave early pseudonymous entertainment to a Donny audience. As this must have been a character-forming experience all round, Doncaster is likely to have made a lasting mark on a pinnacle of rock. Arise Danumians and come forth bearing evidence !

 

NAMECHECKING YOURSELF IN SONG

Parishioner Tim Footman: In the Radiohead song 'Lift', which was written in 1996 and considered for inclusion on OK Computer, but never released, Thom Yorke presents us with the image of a rescue party attending to a man trapped in an elevator. Their words as they find him are: "We've been trying to reach you, Thom." A bit obscure, but the best chance I've got to plug my forthcoming tome, Welcome To The Machine: OK Computer and the Death of the Classic Album, available from all good bookshops from early April...

IDENTIFYING THE MYSTERY ARTIST

From the desk of parishioner Danny Baker:

OK Vic - hang on to your mitre.

Because the artist is....JIMMY PURSEY of Sham 69. Check out his peculiar website for more. If you also go to http://tinyurl.com/2eqwka you will find he does these sensitive works...IN THE NUDE!

Get in touch: mail@rockingvicar.com

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Pip pip!!

 

 

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