The Record That Changed My Life

It's a huge question. It's a lot different than what's the first record you heard or what's the first record you bought. I've been thinking about it since the day I started writing this here blog. Here is my answer:

Aerosmith - Rocks.

In the Spring of 1976 everything changed. I don't how or why but that Spring I connected with rock and roll. I started reading Circus Magazine and can still see in my mind's eye that gaudy colored photo of Steven Tyler screaming off the front cover. I had never heard of Aerosmith but thoroughly enjoyed reading the piece and looking at the pictures. The band looked dangerous in the way that I'm sure the Stones looked dangerous in the 60's.

I think it was June (at least I remember it as June). I had to buy a birthday present for Ed Harris. I bought him Rocks. I don't know why. he never said he was an Aerosmith fan. I had read a good review of the record and I guess I liked the cover. I bought alot of albums back then because of the cover.

The album sat in my house for a couple of days before I pulled it out to wrap it. But then came that insane moment when I decided to slide my thumbnail down the plastic and slip the album out for a quick listen. I hadn't though through what I would say about handing him an opened package.

It didn't take long. I think that Steve Tyler screams "I'M BACK" about 20 seconds into "Back In the Saddle." That was it. For the next 43 minutes I was locked in. Every song was a revelation. The record had balls and yet, at the same time, it had a glossy sophistication. After the first time though I went back to the beginning and played it again and again. I probably listened to the whole album four times in a row - front to back - not skipping any songs.

That June day, Aerosmith became mine. I went out and bought their first three albums and immediately started trying to learn the songs on guitar. In college I would play along to the first four albums from start to finish not skipping a single song.

Aerosmith lost me on the Pump tour. they play way too many "girly" songs now. But I can still listen to anything up to and including Double Live Bootleg to give me that same kick in the ass I got in June 1976.

Guitarist at Work

I got my first guitar when I was 10 but never played it. When I was 16 I resolved to learn how to play and borrowed my brothers Ovation and then got a Mann electric guitar for myself (a story related a few postings back). Once I was hooked I became a devotee to the instrument (although I am not the Steve Waxman that wrote the most excellent book Instruments of Desire about the very subject).

In my Rock and Roll life I have had some pretty amazing experiences with some noted guitarists. They are as follows:

1976
Jeff Beck played at Maple Leaf Gardens in support of his live album with Jan Hammer. After the show, my friends and I chased his limo over to the original Four Seasons Hotel (around the corner from MLG) and I got him to autograph my concert ticket.

1982
I played in a hardcore punk band called Even Worse. the other guitar player in the band was Thurston Moore. This was around the time he and Kim started Sonic Youth. I went to see Sonic Youth play at the Mudd Club one night. After seeing Thurston jam screwdrivers between the strings of his guitar it became obvious to me why I had to help him tune his guitar after every song at our rehearsals.

1983
While working with Aucoin Management during the Billy Idol Rebel yell period, I got to play bass with Billy and the band while they auditioned drummers. I learned more during that three hour period playing beside Steve Stevens than I had learned before or since.

1984
Before leaving New York I got to spend quality time with Ace Frehley who was a frequent visitor to the Aucoin offices.

1995
I took MuchMusic and MusiquePlus to Los Angeles for a series of interviews over three days. One of those interviews was with Van Halen. MuchMusic wanted to shoot an opening throw to the interview with Eddie playing guitar. He agreed but excused himself while he warmed up. Warmed up?! It was me and Eddie Van Halen alone together in the 5150 studios while he blasted "Eruption" full blast through his amp. (I haven't washed my jeans since).

1998 (part one)
Eric Clapton came to town to talk about Pilgrim. I waited for him to come down to the room for his first interview. At the appointed time he came ambling around the corner, dressed not unlike a well kept janitor. Completely unassuming. The guy was a complete gentleman.

1998 (part two)
Later that same year, Page and plant came to Toronto for a concert at the Molson Amphitheatre. After the show we went backstage to say "hi." Page still had resin on his black t-shirt from the bow he used during "dazed and Confused." Cool!

2003
We had dinner with Robert Randolph the first time he came to town. It's always a treat to meet a revolutionary guitarist. Have you ever heard Robert? If not, check out www.robertrandolph.net

The Return of Wilco

At his solo concert in Nashville a couple of nights ago, Jeff Tweedy announced that the new Wilco album will be called Sky Blue Sky and will come out on May 15. Check out the full story here: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003534789

Muhammad Ali Turns 65 Today

Whenever I'm asked to name my heroes two names always immediately come to mind - Charlie Chaplin and Muhammad Ali. I never met Charlie Chaplin.

I remember as a kid there was always a big fuss about Muhammad Ali. America was in the heat of the war in Vietnam and Ali refused to fight. he had been stripped of his title and was a lightening rod of controversy. In our house he was lauded. My father had a long history of opposing war so we were completely sympathetic to his point of view.

I think that I was seven when Ali had his title taken away from him. Although I knew who he was it was because of watching Wide World of Sports. Howard Cosell was his champion and they gave Ali lots of air time.

I remember when Ali came back and fought Jerry Quarry. Not his toughest opponent but he was back and the world would never be the same again. I was ten now and sports had taken over my life. I remember staying up late the night that he fought Joe Frazier for the first time. The fight was televised so I had to get round by round updates off the radio. I listened intently to CHUM's news updates for how the fight was going. In the end they announced that Joe Frazier had won in 15 rounds. I was devastated. It's the first time I remember feeling that way about a sporting event.

Who will ever forget the Rumble in the Jungle when he regained the heavyweight championship by beating George Foreman or the Thrilla in Manila when he and Joe Frazier went toe-to-toe in one of the greatest fights in history? To my mind the only black mark on his career was losing to Leon Spinks in '78. It should never have happened but Ali was over confident and Spinks was well prepared. I think one of the Rocky movies was inspired by the fight.

In the winter of 1983 I was winding down my time in New York City. I had graduated from NYU and had worked for Aucoin Management and Chrysalis Records and I had decided to return to Toronto to see what i could make of myself back home. One day, during the last couple of weeks living i there, I was walking up Madison Avenue at 53rd on my way back to the Chrysalis offices. As I crossed the street heading north I looked up and saw Muhammad Ali standing at the corner waiting for the light to change. My heart jumped into my throat. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Surprisingly, no one was talking to him or asking for an autograph. Mustering as much confidence as I could, I walked up to Ali and extended my hand and said "Champ, you're the greatest."

Now I don't know where the word "maw" comes from but it's one of those non-sense words that just seem to make sense. In this case "maw" definitely means "giant fleshy hand."

Ali's "maw" enveloped my puny hand. Despite it's size I was struck by how soft and gentle (without being limp) his grip was. "Thank you. Thank you very much," he said in a gruff whisper (he hadn't been diagnosed with Parkinson's yet). And with that he went on his merry way and I stood there starring after the greatest boxer and one of the greatest human beings in history.

Still More Neil Young

Brad Wheeler has written a great piece in today's Globe and Mail about the upcoming Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall CD. Read it here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070116.wxyoung16/BNStory/Entertainment/home

The album is tentatively scheduled for release on March 13, 2007.

Billy Idol's Hair Melts!

The weather outside is crap. it's the first miserable day of the winter season. It took me two hours to get into the office this morning. It's just the kind of day I've been waiting for to tell my favourite Billy Idol story.

I worked for Aucoin Management during those heady days that Billy was recording Rebel Yell. One night, while still recording the album Billy came up to the office (we were in Olympic towers now) for a meeting. The New York weather was awful. I think we were on the 33rd floor (to the best of my recollection) and we watched the city grind to a halt as the snow dumped on the city. At the end of the day a couple of us decided to head downtown for dinner with Billy at Aye Caramba's on Broadway south of 8th St.

Since the roads were so horrible, we decided to take the subway rather than hail a cab. "Dancing With Myself" was just becoming a hit around that time so, though Billy looked different than most, he could still ride the subway without getting hassled.

When we got out of the station at 8th and Broadway we braced ourselves against the wind that was now blowing the snow sideways. Billy didn't have a proper winter coat. Instead, he draped a long black cloak around himself and leaned his shoulder into the wind. The image he struck was hilarious, not unlike Spock in some long forgotten episode of Star Trek.

When we got to Aye Caramba we were ushered to a table in the middle of crowed restaurant. Once we were all settled and had our drinks ordered we noticed that Billy's spiked hair had frozen solid during the walk. Each of us took turns patting the top with the frozen spikes leaving impressions in our palms.

We lingered for a couple of hours hoping the weather would abate (which it eventually did). During that time we watched as Billy's hair thawed and then wilted off to the left. It was hilarious. Even he had a good sense of humour about it.

At 10:30 we paid the bill and headed to the door. Billy excused himself to run downstairs to the washroom. A few minutes later he returned with a slightly mortified look on his face. Apparently a couple of people in the restaurant had recognized him and followed him into the washroom. When he turned around from the urinal he saw a young man and woman starring at him as he zipped up his pants. For what it's worth, this was the kind of attention he had hoped to gain for himself.

We walked with Billy back to his apartment in Sheridan Square. He invited us up for tea, which we accepted. We sat around talking about the songs he had written for the new album and then he told us the inspiration for the song "Crank Call." It turned out that there were a couple of girls that were always hanging around a phone booth outside his apartment and they were always starring at his window. He took us over to the window to show us the phone booth. When he pulled back the black curtain we were shocked to see that the two girls were indeed standing there starring at the window. Even in this weather.

There are allot of good Billy Idol stories from those days and I'll eventually get through most of them - but this was my favourite.

First Time (part four)

Okay, I didn't mean to get stuck at 1976 but the year was a turning point for me. I was always musical. My mom likes to tell people that I didn't need toys when I was kid that I enjoyed making music with pots and pans. On one hand that was true. On the other hand i stole money from her purse to buy myself Major Matt Mason stuff :)

I may have had to steal money to buy myself toys but I was spoiled when it came to musical instruments. Before I was Bar Mitzvahed I had learned to play piano, had a guitar (that I hadn't learned to play), a mandolin that I could plunk out tunes on, a recorder and a banjo (loved Flatts and Scruggs).

In 1976 I finally became a rock music fan. One night while listening to Cat Stevens I was inspired to finally try to learn how to play guitar. I had been reading through my brother's Tea For the Tillerman music book while listening to the album and the chords seemed doable. I went into the den when my brother and his girlfriend were engaged in something they probably would have preferred I hadn't seen. I excused myself as I took his Ovation guitar and closed the door behind me. In the living room I opened up his Simon and Garfunkle songbook and began learning some chords. The first song I ever played on guitar might have been recognized as "The Sounds of Silence" by some kind bystander.

My enthusiasm grew as I became more proficient moving from C to D to A to E. Over the next few weeks I began practising more than watching TV (a miracle at the time). And then I pronounced to my parents that I was ready for an electric guitar. How could they refuse me? I was such a sweet mensch.

My first electric was a gold Mann Les Paul imitation. It was immediately apparent that playing electric guitar was going to be easier than acoustic. I could move between chords easier and bend the strings without hurting my fingers.

I had only been playing guitar for four weeks when I auditioned for and got into my first band. They were called Flox. I believe that means flame in Greek. It was a rush to play with other people and crank up the volume. Although I could play 5 chords I was clearly in over my head. Everyone else in the band had been playing way longer. I remember them teaching me the opening to "Pinball Wizard" and thinking that the whole world had opened up to me.

Flox never played a gig but we did practice with some girls from the school watching us which was WICKED!

First Time (part three)

In the Spring of 1976 most of the kids at my high school were jazzed about the KISS show coming to Maple Leaf Gardens. I still wasn't into Rock yet so the band really wasn't on my radar. The gig was part of the tail end of the KISS Alive tour though the band had finished recording Destroyer.

The day after the concert it seemed like everyone at school were talking about the show. On the PA they opened the morning announcements by playing "Shout It Out Loud." The song's catchy chorus struck a chord and I soon became a fan (and once I discovered Aerosmith Rocks a few months later I was living rock and roll for good).

Over the next few months I read every article I could about KISS. Not a month went by that I didn't buy Circus, Hit Parader, Creem and Rock Scene. I began buying all of the KISS albums. I covered my walls with giant KISS posters. I joined the KISS Army.

Later that summer KISS came back to Toronto to headline an outdoor show with Artful Dodger and Blue Oyster Cult. I had my ticket in my hand and I wasn't going to let it go. I showed up early and endured the heat, the smell and the opening acts (I didn't learn to appreciate BOC until a year later).

The lights went down well after the sun and that pronouncement that had been burned into my head filled the PA. "You wanted the best and you got the best. The greatest band in the world KISS."

The cheers rose into the Toronto night sky and 10,000 bodies crushed themselves towards the stage. The opening staccato of "Detroit Rock City" blasted at us followed moments later by the first of 100 bomb blasts. The lights flashed on and there they were - Gene, Paul and Ace - perched atop a ruined cityscape moving in unison to the song that had become my anthem that summer.

What happened next surprised me. I started to laugh. I mean really laugh. Out loud. If it hadn't have been for the thousands of people standing around me, I think I would have fallen over. I think it was the shock of actually seeing the guys move that got to me. I guess with the make-up and everything I kinda got used to them being cartoon figures and never really thought of them as moving beings.

The night was terrific. The show fantastic. I remained giddy right to the end. I saw KISS another 12 - 14 times in those years and never failed to be entertained. After seeing a crappy show where they introduced Eric Carr at the Palladium in New York in 1980, I stayed away until the Psycho Circus Tour. By then, the excitement returned and a good time was had by all.

First Time (part two)

In the Spring of 1972 everyone was talking about the upcoming Rolling Stones Tour. My brother, 8 years older than me, had tickets for their Toronto show at Maple Leaf Gardens. He bought me a ticket though I never said I wanted to go (I wasn't a rock music fan when I was a kid). When the day of the show came, he and I had an argument because I said I didn't want to go. He tried laying a guilt trip on me about the price of the tickets (I think they were $5 each) but I wouldn't budge. That was until my dad said that he'd go with him. Gad! How embarrassing for my brother. I had to save him from the humility he'd obviously feel walking into the arena with his father. "Okay," I said finally. "I'll go." At least Stevie Wonder was opening the show and I already loved him.

The way I remember it, Stevie almost walked off the front of the stage as he wandered from instrument to instrument during one song. I think I remember Mick riding an inflatable penis and rose pedals falling down from the rafters during "Angie." I definitely remember the hash on a pin being passed from person to person in the row in front of us and the goat skin wine flask I handed to whomever was sitting to my left. After the show, as we crossed Carleton St. on the way to the subway I noticed that my hearing was shot. I thought that I had gone deaf from attending just one concert.

That was my first concert.

First Time (part one)

I took my stepson to his first raptors game yesterday. he got to play pretty much everything they had in the fan inactive concourse before heading inside where we each got Andrea Bargnarni action figures. We sat at one end of the arena, 15 rows up from the floor so we got thunder sticks to use to try and distract the Washington Wizards from hitting freethrows. At half-time I bought him a two month early birthday present - a red and white Spalding raptor basketball. After the game he got to go on the floor and shoot a basket (he missed - but just barely). All that AND the raptors won! WooHoo!!! He's 8. I still have my ticket stub from the first NBA game I ever went to - Utah playing LA in playoff game - the players looked like running trees! I was 29.

More Neil Young

I found a couple of original reviews of the 1971 Neil Young concert at Massey Hall:

"Records haven't shown musical power and presence displayed by Neil Young"
"What makes the new disc Goldrush such a disappointment is the predominance of his inaccurate and watery singing." - Toronto Star

"His songwriting isn't his strongest talent. (His lovely clean voice is).";
"...his songs suggest a need for more seasoning...and more work."; and
"...he's bound to stick around for a long time..." - Globe & Mail

Exciting new Neil Young news

With the New Year came the delivery of an unmastered, unsequenced advance copy of the next release from the Neil Young Archive series. Live at Massey Hall is an incredibly well-recorded document of Neil's show at the venerable Toronto venue on January 19, 1971. What makes this album an important historical document is that it features many of the songs that would end up on Harvest a year later.

The show features Neil solo (accompanying himself on guitar and piano) during the After the Goldrush tour. Neil's between song banter also give this record historical perspective as he talks about being asked to tape Johnny Cash's TV show and working with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor (both of whom would later turn up on Harvest).

The album is scheduled for release in March. I'll post more information as it becomes available.

Day One

It's the first workday of a New Year. Everything feels like a fresh start which is why, at this time of year, I always seem to reflect on how I got into this kookie business.

In 1982 I had graduated from NYU wanting to be a screenwriter. I figured that my most reasonable route would begin as an advertising copywriter, move on to TV and then to the movies. Without a real clue in my head and a bogus resume in my hand I trudged up Madison Avenue in hopes of kick-starting my career.

After dropping off a few resumes I stopped in at the offices of Aucoin Management. Aucoin's office were built off the fat of the land that was KISS in the 1970's. Their sprawling space used to encompass two floors of a Madison Avenue office tower but they were no less impressive now that they were merely one entire floor of the building! My friend Milhan Gorkey was the receptionist their so I stopped in to say "hi."

Aucoin no longer managed KISS at this point. It was the middle of the music industry's first real recession and Aucoin's other big client, Billy Idol, hadn't yet hit the charts. During the course of our conversation, Milhan mentioned that 15 employees had been let go the previous day, including the office boy and things were piling up. I offered that I'd work there for free if i could use the office for my writing. Before long I was was in the Stephanie Robertson's office. Stephanie used to be a production manager for Aucoin but was now the office manager. We talked for half an hour and agreed that I'd come in three days a week in exchange for being able to use their offices for return phone calls and general writing.

I had never considered that a backroom existed in the music industry. I always thought that a band writes some songs, records them, gets them on the radio, goes on tour, sells t-shirts, scores groupies and then break-up. Although this all turned out to be true, it seems that it took a lot more people than I thought to make all of that happen.

After my first day in the office I was hooked and ended up coming in five days a week. My pay consisted of subway reimbursements which I pocketed in lieu of running across town to pick up and deliver packages. After three months Aucoin started paying me. Actually they shared me with Chrysalis Records who had just moved to New York (into the old Aucoin offices which we moved down to his apartment in the Olympic Towers).

During my time at Aucoin I met the members of KISS, watched Billy Idol record Rebel Yell, was there when Huey Lewis delivered Sports and Toni Basil "Mickey." Before I returned to Toronto I even met Muhammad Ali. Good times!

Dogtown and Z-Boys

One night, a couple of months ago, I was madly clicking the converter looking for something that wasn't a repeat of a desgin or renovation show and I ended up on OLN which was running the documentary Dogtown & Z-Boys. I was immediately mesmerized. Watching footage of these guys surfing the pavement of Southern California playgrounds was spellbinding.

In the mid-sixties my friends and I used to ride skateboards. These were wooden planks with metal roller skate wheels on them. We couldn't do too much except for flying down hills trying not to get ourselves killed. I quit riding around 1970 when we moved to a new neighbourhood. In the mid-seventies I remembered hearing about some crazy kids that had started riding their skateboards in swimming pools and saw some skateboard competitions on ABC's Wide World of Sports. I never really thought too much about it.

I the 80's I noticed a proliferation of skateparks and was aware that some skilled kids were flying through the air but it was a concept foreign to me and my metal wheeled days. Tony Hawk became a phenomenon and I started snowboarding (nothing aerial though). I have my own skateboard again but I stay strictly grounded.

Watching Dogtown & Z-Boys was an education in the re-birth of skateboarding. It was a revelation to see the footage of the surfers that these guys were emulating on the asphalt. A few weeks later the doc was on CBC Newsworld and I watched it again. I was totally hooked and spent the next couple of weeks researching the likes of Tony Alva, Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. If you visit www.angelfire.com you can reach some of the articles originally published at the time. These articles, written under various pseudonyms by Craig Stecyk, contributed, in large part to the legend of these guys.

For Christmas, my fiance bought me the DVD for Dogtown & Z-Boys as well as a book written by Stecyk with photographs by Glenn Friedman. The fascination continues. These skaters, writers and photographers were creating a new art form in our lifetime and these are the documents of that creation.