From Head to Toe: Rock’s Ultimate Rock Star, Colorforms Style!

 Posted by
Sep 302009
 

Remember Colorforms? Following a comprehensive 5-minute search of the Internet I have determined that the Colorforms company, although producing sets specifically for iconic artists like The Beatles, KISS, and Elvis Presley, did not produce a comprehensive set of Colorforms that would have allowed us, as children, to create our own vision of the Ultimate Rock Star. Well, maybe they did, but if they did I’m sure it wasn’t as good as the Colorforms set we’re about to create.

As a service to help soothe yet one more dashed rock ‘n roll dream, Rock Town Hall will be partnering with Colorforms to create the Rock Town Hall Kit, a Colorforms toy. This set will include, from head to toe, the most iconic elements of rock wardrobe and accoutrements for future generations to mix and match onto blank figures in the effort of creating the Ultimate Rock Star.

Now the hard part… Read on!
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The Streets of Your Town

 Posted by
Sep 302009
 

In 1975, Bon Scott and the lads took their metal boogie to the streets of Melbourne. It’s A Long Way To the Top (if you wanna rock and roll) and the clip are key moments in Australian rock lore. So much so that a couple of years ago a laneway, Corporation Lane, was renamed AC/DC Lane.

Then this week in Brisbane, 2000 miles to the north of Melbourne, a bridge was named in honour of The Go-Betweens, the band as much as any, catches the moods of the Queensland capital. The Hale Street Bridge is now The Go-Betweens Bridge. In their pomp, most of the band’s success was outside of Brisbane, and they wasted little time hitting the road for cities more receptive to their Velvets/Monkees/Richman/Television skinny pop thing.

The question is, are there other places named in honour of a band or song?

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No Crying in Rock ‘n Roll?

 Posted by
Sep 282009
 


Although we’re familiar with claims to the effect that “There’s no crying in baseball!” we’ve seen evidence to the contrary. The same goes for all the other macho athletes out there. They’re way more sensitive than we’ve been led to believe.

I got to wondering about his this might apply to rock ‘n roll. In an artform the prides itself on free and deep expression, can you cite times in which rock ‘n rollers have cried in public, especially onstage, after a riveting performance? Non-rockers who can manufacture a solitary teardrop during the final arpeggio of a tender ballad don’t count. Sorry, Christina Aguilera fans. I’m talking real rock ‘n rollers, or even singer-songwriters who’ve long been established as residents of Rock bins across the world. For instance, has James Taylor ever cried at the conclusion of “Fire and Rain?”

If ever there was a time for rock ‘n roll tears I’d think it would be a landmark farewell show, like The Last Waltz. However, I’ve seen that film at least 100 times, and I don’t recall anyone shedding even a solitary tear. There were some puffy eyes, but wasn’t that the coke crying? Likewise, I don’t recall anyone crying in the otherwise super-sensitive Metallica group therapy movie—my own tears as a viewer excluded. Now that Metallica documentary allowed for some rock ‘n roll teardrops. (Mad props to Townsman shawnkilroy for reminding me of this touching scene.)

I don’t recall Freddie Mercury ever crying onstage. Are you telling me not even Freddie Mercury could muster an onstage tear?

Even off stage, in those VH1 Behind the Music episodes, do we ever see a member of Aerosmith crying over the wasted years before the band’s sobriety and return to the top of the charts?

Surely I’m forgetting an obvious instance of a rock ‘n roller crying on (or even off) stage.

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What if…the British Invasion Had Been Thwarted?

 Posted by
Sep 272009
 

The wisdom of The Hall continues to amaze me. For as many knowledgeable individuals who dazzle with their rock knowledge, it is the collective wisdom of our participants that I find most dazzling.

It is in this spirit that I want to allow for further amazement—not only for the people but by the people. I was going to try to turn this into my own original post, in an attempt to display my deluded sense of having a unique brand of insight and humor, but then I thought better of it. Instead, I’d like to pose this question to the collective wisdom of The Orockle: What if the British Invasion had been thwarted?

What if Chubby Checker and James Darren had led a battalion of ships to turn away The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Hollies, and Freddie and the Dreamers? What would constitute rock ‘n roll from 1964 forward if the British Invasion had failed? Would rock ‘n roll truly have died, as the conventional wisdom of countless rock documentaries assume, or would the void have allowed American country and R&B artists direct access to the riches of what we’ve come to know as Rock Stardom?

As always, when any of us consult The Orockle, the opportunity exists for folks to ask similar questions and receive similar advice. The topic shouldn’t necessarily focus just on my topic.

I look forward to your responses.

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Here’s Zulu Warrior

 Posted by
Sep 242009
 

Has Townsman 2000 Man been away from the Halls of Rock for longer than usual, or have I been so busy myself that I haven’t noticed his always-welcome presence? I hope all is well with 2K and that he’s resting on some faraway beach. In the meantime, some disgusting excerpts from a forthcoming tell-all by Milner‘s jailbait shotgun passenger, Mackenzie Phillips, reminded me of the following delivery by 2K, in response to an earlier thread he posted. These solo Papa John tracks creeped people out too. Enjoy!

This post initially appeared 1/23/08.

You asked for it!

By request. I can’t believe you guys don’t think this is as bad as I do. I’m gonna take a shower now.

John Phillips, “Zulu Warrior”

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