Monday, December 13, 2010
Losing legends
Started writing this December 8th 2010.
I was reflecting back on remembering my recollections of people dying. In the late 60's I don't remember much of anything like that except when MLK and Robert Kennedy were killed and Judy Garland died. Even then it was only snippets from the news and nothing more.
During a class discussion in 1972 about the song American Pie we learned about the day the music died. In my piles of 45's were a few Big Bopper and Buddy Holly songs. I had heard my dad mention that day in 1959 a few times but it wasn't until the school class that it sunk in.
Early in 1977 I had taken a 6am Saturday bus to the Marriott on City Line avenue to wait in line for tickets. A little known ticket office where you didn't have to wait outside. I remember a sign saying there were still Elvis tickets available. Even my mother had not listened to Elvis in a long time. I know I was not sitting on that hallway floor wondering what rock and roll would be like in 20 years. Or what rock and roll had been like 20 years earlier. I was waiting for a chance to see Led Zeppelin.
Robert Plant's world came crashing down in July when his 5 year old son died and they cancelled the tour. I had seen the Song Remains The Same several times and could not help thinking about that cute little boy peeing in the stream in the movie. The magazine headlines wondered if Zeppelin would ever tour again.
August 3rd 1977 I finally got to see my first real concert. But two weeks later the world lost the King. Back then I would not have listened to Elvis myself but I did recognize how influential he was to other artists. I had read a story about Elvis mentioning Robert Plant's wife being in the audience at one of his concerts. And of course Plant himself adlibbing Elvis' name in a few live Zeppelin songs. The news was all over the news of course but from a personal standpoint it was out of mind quickly.
Within the next two years two musicians from two of my favorite groups died. Keith Moon and Bon Scott. The Who would never be the same but AC/DC would go on to be better. Then the big news came in early 1980 that Led Zeppelin was touring again. It was a fall concert even bigger than the ones before. Not at the spectrum but at JFK Stadium. Huge stadium concert and there was one major unbelievable incredibly cosmic coincidence. A friend of mine's father was head of maintenance at JFK and was going to get us in with him at 8am in the morning. it was a general admission concert so first come were closest to the stage. The anticipation of finally seeing Zeppelin lasted all summer.
Two weeks before the concert John Bonham was found dead. I would never get to see Led Zeppelin. Over the previous years I guess I had moved towards other groups. I had a thing for Peter Gabriel and Genesis and some wild electronic music. I found it odd that the passing of the great Bonzo did not effect me more than it did.
It was an odd time of my life because I was without direction and stuck as a 19 year old with no idea about the future. I wasn't a Phillies fan so having the championship didn't excite me more than a one night party in the street. I remember a disconnected feeling wondering what the next decade was bringing. What were the 80's going to be like?
I do not remember when or where I was when I first heard John Lennon had been shot any more than I remember when John Kennedy had been shot. But I remember going to my bookcase and opening an encyclopedia that had a piece of paper inserted in it. That piece of paper had a character from The Yellow Submarine on it as well as John Lennon's autograph.
In 1975 I heard on the radio that Channel 6 studio was doing a fund raiser and Lennon stopped by with Larry Kane and was helping them raise money. For some odd unknown reason I begged my father to take me there. The more I think about it the more I think it had something to do with Flyers and they were selling autographed pucks and sticks and stuff like that there. We got there late and all the Flyers stuff was gone. Lennon was gone. I was still going home with something so I started looking. I found a pack of Yellow Submarine stationary that had been opened and something was scribbled on the first sheet. The guy behind the counter told me Lennon had opened a bunch of the Beatles stuff and autographed them. I wanted it because it looked like Peter Max art. I don't remember how much but I had to borrow money from my dad to get it.
John Lennon had been on the radio quite a bit the previous weeks with a new album. I actually had one Beatles 8-track, Live at the Hollywood Bowl. I had gotten it off the discount rack in 1978 for a few dollars. The stuff from Double Fantasy seemed ok but nothing I would go buy the album for.
But something was different with Lennon and my personal reaction when he died. Just the fact I remember reacting reminds me it had more impact than when any of the other "rock stars" died. I am not really sure why though. Was it because he was killed instead of overdosing or choking on his own vomit? I remember an incredible sadness and so many friends felt the same way. Even so many other people I didn't know seemed to be affected by it.
In the weeks that followed there was so much Lennon and Beatles music everywhere. Hardly a day went by that I did not hear someone say I can't believe he's dead. Then the Rolling Stone cover with Lennon naked on Yoko brought it all back into the spotlight.
Thirty years later it is still a pretty sad memory since it was one of the first. Even though over the years hundreds and hundreds of the entertainers I grew up with are gone. One of the things I hate is when looking up old references to an old video or something I found only to find the person died a few years previous.
At least they left something behind that will last forever.
Started writing this December 8th 2010.
I was reflecting back on remembering my recollections of people dying. In the late 60's I don't remember much of anything like that except when MLK and Robert Kennedy were killed and Judy Garland died. Even then it was only snippets from the news and nothing more.
During a class discussion in 1972 about the song American Pie we learned about the day the music died. In my piles of 45's were a few Big Bopper and Buddy Holly songs. I had heard my dad mention that day in 1959 a few times but it wasn't until the school class that it sunk in.
Early in 1977 I had taken a 6am Saturday bus to the Marriott on City Line avenue to wait in line for tickets. A little known ticket office where you didn't have to wait outside. I remember a sign saying there were still Elvis tickets available. Even my mother had not listened to Elvis in a long time. I know I was not sitting on that hallway floor wondering what rock and roll would be like in 20 years. Or what rock and roll had been like 20 years earlier. I was waiting for a chance to see Led Zeppelin.
Robert Plant's world came crashing down in July when his 5 year old son died and they cancelled the tour. I had seen the Song Remains The Same several times and could not help thinking about that cute little boy peeing in the stream in the movie. The magazine headlines wondered if Zeppelin would ever tour again.
August 3rd 1977 I finally got to see my first real concert. But two weeks later the world lost the King. Back then I would not have listened to Elvis myself but I did recognize how influential he was to other artists. I had read a story about Elvis mentioning Robert Plant's wife being in the audience at one of his concerts. And of course Plant himself adlibbing Elvis' name in a few live Zeppelin songs. The news was all over the news of course but from a personal standpoint it was out of mind quickly.
Within the next two years two musicians from two of my favorite groups died. Keith Moon and Bon Scott. The Who would never be the same but AC/DC would go on to be better. Then the big news came in early 1980 that Led Zeppelin was touring again. It was a fall concert even bigger than the ones before. Not at the spectrum but at JFK Stadium. Huge stadium concert and there was one major unbelievable incredibly cosmic coincidence. A friend of mine's father was head of maintenance at JFK and was going to get us in with him at 8am in the morning. it was a general admission concert so first come were closest to the stage. The anticipation of finally seeing Zeppelin lasted all summer.
Two weeks before the concert John Bonham was found dead. I would never get to see Led Zeppelin. Over the previous years I guess I had moved towards other groups. I had a thing for Peter Gabriel and Genesis and some wild electronic music. I found it odd that the passing of the great Bonzo did not effect me more than it did.
It was an odd time of my life because I was without direction and stuck as a 19 year old with no idea about the future. I wasn't a Phillies fan so having the championship didn't excite me more than a one night party in the street. I remember a disconnected feeling wondering what the next decade was bringing. What were the 80's going to be like?
I do not remember when or where I was when I first heard John Lennon had been shot any more than I remember when John Kennedy had been shot. But I remember going to my bookcase and opening an encyclopedia that had a piece of paper inserted in it. That piece of paper had a character from The Yellow Submarine on it as well as John Lennon's autograph.
In 1975 I heard on the radio that Channel 6 studio was doing a fund raiser and Lennon stopped by with Larry Kane and was helping them raise money. For some odd unknown reason I begged my father to take me there. The more I think about it the more I think it had something to do with Flyers and they were selling autographed pucks and sticks and stuff like that there. We got there late and all the Flyers stuff was gone. Lennon was gone. I was still going home with something so I started looking. I found a pack of Yellow Submarine stationary that had been opened and something was scribbled on the first sheet. The guy behind the counter told me Lennon had opened a bunch of the Beatles stuff and autographed them. I wanted it because it looked like Peter Max art. I don't remember how much but I had to borrow money from my dad to get it.
John Lennon had been on the radio quite a bit the previous weeks with a new album. I actually had one Beatles 8-track, Live at the Hollywood Bowl. I had gotten it off the discount rack in 1978 for a few dollars. The stuff from Double Fantasy seemed ok but nothing I would go buy the album for.
But something was different with Lennon and my personal reaction when he died. Just the fact I remember reacting reminds me it had more impact than when any of the other "rock stars" died. I am not really sure why though. Was it because he was killed instead of overdosing or choking on his own vomit? I remember an incredible sadness and so many friends felt the same way. Even so many other people I didn't know seemed to be affected by it.
In the weeks that followed there was so much Lennon and Beatles music everywhere. Hardly a day went by that I did not hear someone say I can't believe he's dead. Then the Rolling Stone cover with Lennon naked on Yoko brought it all back into the spotlight.
Thirty years later it is still a pretty sad memory since it was one of the first. Even though over the years hundreds and hundreds of the entertainers I grew up with are gone. One of the things I hate is when looking up old references to an old video or something I found only to find the person died a few years previous.
At least they left something behind that will last forever.
Labels: John Lennon, Led Zeppelin
