Up and Clean – How “Down & Dirty” Captured Johnny Winter’s New Spring . . Johnny Johnny Johnny … where for art thou, Johnny? In the long strange lineage of tragic rock n roll irony — see: Keith Moon sitting in the “Not To Be Taken Away” chair on his last album cover — Johnny […]
Johnny Winter: Down and Dirty movie review
October 19th, 2014 · 17 Comments · Movies, Music
Tags: documentaries·Edgar Winter·Johnny Winter·Muddy Waters·Rock n Roll
Don’t be Denied — “Young Neil” book review
October 5th, 2014 · 22 Comments · Music
I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time! As a teenager in Winnipeg in the ’70s, Neil was a god to us. We drove the 500 miles to Minneapolis during grade 12 at Kelvin to see him for the first time — and to our great dumb-luck fortune, it was the Rust […]
Tags: Kelvin·Neil Young·perseverance·Toronto·Winnipeg
Makin’ Movies — Carolyn Cassady, On The Road, and the Pranksters at Woodstock
September 21st, 2014 · 23 Comments · Kerouac and The Beats, Merry Pranksters, Movies, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
. Here’s some early songs in sound and light . . . My tribute to the late great Carolyn Cassady on the one year anniversary of her passing … . Or “The Pranksters Invade the Woodstock Museum” . . . . Or here’s opening the Marry Prankster Reunion weekend in 2016 . . . . […]
Tags: Carolyn Cassady·Jack Kerouac·On The Road·On The Road premiere·The Merry Pranksters·Woodstock
Woodstock with The Pranksters
August 26th, 2014 · 40 Comments · Grateful Dead, Kerouac and The Beats, Merry Pranksters, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
The Prankster Woodstock . “I’ve got to get back to the land and set my soul free … “ Two of the coolest events of the ’60s just came together in the 21st century — and I lived it from start to finish. The Merry Pranksters’ Bus, which pulled out of Ken Kesey’s house in […]
Tags: Furthur Bus·Furthur Bus 50th Anniversary Tour·Jack Kerouac·Ken Kesey·Melanie·Neal Cassady·Pranksters·Woodstock anniversary·Yasgur's farm·Zane Kesey
Seinfeld and The Beatles and The Beats and such
July 29th, 2014 · 9 Comments · Movies, Music, New York City, Weird Things About Me
. Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld were the Lennon & McCartney of comedy. That’s the way I see it, anyway. Larry was a Lennon — mercurial, opinionated, sharp tongued, bull-headed, idea generating, creatively uncompromising, a supremely gifted artist born to his medium, with an enormous elaborate expansive vision. And Jerry was the McCartney — an […]
Tags: creating Seinfeld·Henri Cru·Jack Kerouac·John Lennon·Kerouac and Seinfeld·Larry David·Larry David and John Lennon·Michael Richards·Neal Cassady·Seinfeld in Massapequa
Jerry Garcia Band in Toronto
June 16th, 2014 · 27 Comments · Grateful Dead, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
Not Fade Away — Birthday Adventure 2014 The start of the Adventure. Just home from the 5-show birthday blow-out! Sheesh! Started with New Orleans’ Soul Rebels outdoors in a park with my New Orleans Soul Brother Ross Perlmutter. The funky brass-n-drums combo were joined for some songs by Toronto’s own frontline horndogs […]
Tags: Jerry Garcia·Jerry Garcia Band·Linsmore Tavern·Mark Thackway·Soul Rebels
Spring Peace piece
May 27th, 2014 · 14 Comments · Grateful Dead, Poetry
Spring Peace piece . Gonna ring a big ding Calling out from Sing-Sing Gonna have a spring fling Kinda have an inkling Everything is gonna sell Comin’ out the dripping well Middle East a burning hell Clanging morning warning bell. The toast is up, the jam is done Twisted people think it’s fun Blowin’ […]
Tags: Dalai Lama·Jerry Garcia·John Lennon·Martin Luther King·Sgt. Pepper
Johnny Clegg concert in Toronto
April 20th, 2014 · 22 Comments · Music, Real-life Adventure Tales
“It’s Your World, So Live In It” . . Note: Years ago when I picked the best musical performances I ever saw after watching thousands and reviewing hundreds for RockPeaks, it was a Johnny Clegg clip that I considered the greatest single musical performance I ever saw. * * […]
Tags: Bill Graham·Jesse Clegg·Johnny Carson·Johnny Clegg·Koerner Hall·Nelson Mandela·The Beatles·Toronto
Shakespeare’s Globe Adventure
March 29th, 2014 · 17 Comments · Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me
“The Taming of The Shoobeedoobie” . . “Next stop, Shakespeare’s Globe,” says the driver downstairs on the red double-decker bus winding its way through the narrow South Bank streets of London. I went early so I could do the official tour of the theater, and of course the guide was extremely well-versed, among other things […]
Tags: Carolyn Cassady·Eugene O'Neill·London·Pranksters·Shakespeare·Shakespeare's Globe·Taming of The Shrew
Kerouac Birthday Bash in London
February 15th, 2014 · 11 Comments · Kerouac and The Beats, Real-life Adventure Tales
Roaring at The Lion . He’s Ninety-Two Let’s Hoist a Few The Jack Kerouac Birthday Bash On The Road in London March 12th, 2014, 9 PM The Red Lion www.red-lion.info Starring: Brian Hassett — from New York City John Cassady — from San Francisco Sam Hammond — Swiss Lips bandleader Julian Joyce — Jam Junkies […]
Tags: John Cassady·Kerouac birthday bash·Kerouac in London·Red Lion in London·Swiss Lips