Tosh Berman's Blog, page 255
June 29, 2013
"Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band" by Rob Jovanovic
In one word to describe the band Big Star: Iconic. Like the Velvet Underground, Ziggy Stardust, and the early to mid Kinks, the work is faultless. Big Star is part of that grouping due that they made music at a specific time in a special city that's Memphis. To make such perfect noise in the Memphis landscape is quite remarkable. Does that genius come through the Memphis tap water? Sun Records, Stax, and then Big Star.
Rob Jovanovic did a great job with respect to research and capturing what makes Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens' music so special. The one sour note, and it is not the author's fault, that he didn't get to speak directly to Chilton, who without a doubt, is probably one of the most interesting figures in contemporary pop music. Bruce Eaton's book on Big Star's "Radio City" (part of the 33 1/3 series) is a much better book, due that he had actually had a relationship with Chilton, and Alex was willing to talk to him. Through that book one finds out he was devoted to Civil War history,and was quite knowledgeable about Memphis and New Orleans history. Plus he was totally devoted to the world of Zodiac signs - and had a long interesting relationship with the great photographer William Eggleston.
But by no means does that mean one should ignore Jovanovic's book. Its a very good (and detailed book, especially the early years of The Box Tops) bio on a band that is endlessly fascinating. So do get this beautifully produced edition (by the great Jaw Bone), as well as Eaton's book on "Radio City" and the masterpiece by Robert Gordon "It Came From Memphis." The beauty of the Alex Chilton narrative is one gets a bigger picture of Memphis as well as American music.
Also Read:
And:
June 28, 2013
Tosh Berman Interviewed by Colin Marshall (LARB) Regarding "Sparks-Tastic"
Painting by Lun*na Menohhttps://soundcloud.com/lareviewofbooks/larb-podcast-34-tosh-bermanThank you Colin and the Los Angeles Review of Books:
http://lareviewofbooks.org/
June 26, 2013
Let There Be Drums... Tribute To Alan Myers Part 3
Alan Myers remarkable musician. Amazing (one-of-a-kind) drummer, and an incredible human being. whenever I look at my lighting at home, I think of him. The lights are bright.
Jean Paul Yamamoto "Candy In The Dark" with Alan Myers
Jean Paul Yamamoto "Sex Never Looks Good" with Alan Myers
Jean Paul Yamamoto "Man Automated" with Alan Myers & Shin Kawasaki
Swahili Blonde
Alan Myers remarkable musician. Amazing (one-of-a-kind) drummer, and an incredible human being. whenever I look at my lighting at home, I think of him. The lights are bright.
Let There Be Drums.... Tribute to Alan Myers Part 2
Alan was not only kind enough to play with my wife Lun*na Menoh's band 'Jean Paul Yamamoto' but also added brilliant touches to the arrangements/songs. For whatever reason YouTube doesn't allow me to Embed the video - so I'll do separate videos here. This is "Starbuck's Hyper Bitch." With Moeko as well!
Let There Be Drums... Tribute to Alan Myers
DEVO "Gut Feeling" / Slap Your Mammy" France, 1978
DEVO "Mongoloid" / "Gut Feeling" 1977, New York?
DEVO "Smart Patrol"/ "Mr. DNA" 1977, NYC
DEVO live in their early years as they were making the noise. Alan's drumming is the engine that made these live shows so intense and powerful. During this time I went to every show when they played in Los Angeles, and it was like someone smacking you in the head. The beat and rhythm was relentless. Often I wanted to stand right behind Alan to see if it was a magic trick of some sort. It wasn't. He was the greatest drummer of his generation. No doubt about that.
DEVO "Satisfaction" (Official Video)
DEVO "Satisfaction" France, TV
DEVO's total re-worked version of the Stones classic. Alan at (one of his) best.
Skyline Electric @ Unknown Theater
Skyline Electric, July 7, 2007
Another side of Alan's interest is improvisational music. Skyline Electric served the purpose of making music in unusual settings and locations. I have seen one or two performances through out the years, and both were exceptional events.
http://youtu.be/Xcg3qHPPJr4
Swahili Blonde (With Alan on drums)
Will continue with the subject matter in another blog.
June 25, 2013
"Nice Guys Don't Work In Hollywood" by Curtis Harrington
A wonderful memoir by a man of great taste and sort of the bridge between American avant-garde filmmaking and Hollywood. It's strange one doesn't get the sense that Curtis Harrington passed away a couple of years ago by reading "Nice Guys Don't Work In Hollywood." It sounds like he is very much with us, and alas, at least in this book, he is.
For those who are not in the know, Harrington was very much into the underground and overground of American cinema. He knew and worked with everyone from Kenneth Anger to Bette Davis. My favorite film of his is "Night Tide" starring Dennis Hopper as a sailor who comes upon a mermaid in Venice, California. Or is it a mermaid? Nevertheless it is one of the great Los Angeles films, that is both haunting and beautiful at the same time. One of the great extras you get with this book is his short story that became "Night Tide." Its a great little narrative, and its nice that its included with this book, as well as his essay on the films of Josef von Sternberg, which is compact and full of information regarding the slightly decadent work of this fillmmaker. As I mentioned Harrington had taste.
My only complaint is that he didn't write more about working with Kenneth Anger or the artist Cameron. I imagine there are readers who will go to this book for more information regarding these two remarkable artists - but still, this is an enjoyable read on a figure that's important to the Los Angeles landscape.
"Night Tide" (Complete film)
June 21, 2013
Wallace Berman's Poster for The Cinema Theater in Los Angeles 1963
I just found this on an E-bay site. Its a poster my Dad Wallace Berman made for The Cinema Theater in Los Angeles. I believe the year is 1963. The poster itself is on newsprint, so its very rare to find a good copy of it. Nevertheless I think it's a remarkable piece of art. Above is the poster, and down below are detailed images of the poster.
June 16, 2013
"Mandy, Charlie & Mary-Jane" by Stewart Home
For reasons I don't fully understand, since I live in Los Angeles, I love novels by Londoners when it has London in its narrative. Stewart Home maybe my favorite London novelist in the 21st Century, and I am saying 'maybe' because i haven't read every novel by him.... yet. But nevertheless his new novel "Mandy, Charlie, and Mary-Jane" is a superb piece of work.
Like his other writings, this novel runs on different pistons of the engine. Its a commentary on culture, its politics and the by-products of that culture - for instance film. The slasher film to be more specific, and at times the novel is a consumer's (in a hysterical way) guide to the films that are out there. Someone (not me right now) should list all the albums, bands, music artists, as well as the filmmakers and their films that are listed in this novel - which comes to mind that one day there will be an annotated edition of all his works. But till then the reader can pick and choose the references that are posted in Home's work, and just go off into another adventure. And in some cases the author goes into detail about those references, which I always finds fascinating.
The one of many aspects of Home's aesthetic that I love is his take on cultural history set in a narrative. One is reminded of other books, for instance, "American Psycho" but i think Stewart is much more entertaining and in-tuned into London culture and all its by-products that I love so dearly. Future historians will look back on Stewart Home's novels as set pieces of their time. A cultural historian who writes fiction; that's Stewart Home in a nutshell.
