People who don’t play rock ‘n roll sometimes have misconceptions – or inflated conceptions – about what motivates those of us who do.

• A love of music? We must hope YES, above all else.
• An opportunity to be cooler that we really are and/or attract sexual partners? Certainly.
• The chance to make a great album that will one day inspire a hopeless dreamer like yourself? Bravo!
• A chance to be a rock star living a wild and wealthy life before retiring to one’s country estate and skeet shooting one’s gold record? Why not!

But many of us have other, possibly unexpected motivations for sticking with the goal of making rock ‘n roll music to the best of our abilities. For instance, I’m getting old by rock ‘n roll terms, I’m aware of my musical limitations, and I’m happily married. With the exception of the added cool factor, all of the above reasons for spending time holed up in my garage with my friends, arguing over the same old issues of whether to use the “Ticket to Ride” beat or not on a new song, are in the rearview mirror. However, there’s one dream that keeps me going: the hope of a reissue of past releases that necessitates brief, song-by-song liner notes by me and my bandmates. That’s right, I’m not afraid to open up and share this sad, little dream with you – and I expect those of you harboring your own unexpected motivations for carrying on to show similar bravery!
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Is there such a thing as a rock ‘n roll failure for the future good of rock ‘n roll? I’m not thinking about any undeserved commercial failure that those of us most qualified to judge great music know actually was great (eg, Captain Beefheart‘s Trout Mask Replica), but a commonly acknowledged failed attempt at greatness that nevertheless put enough cracks in the wall to allow a few rays of light to shine through. I’m also not thinking of something like Wilco‘s Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, which is a decent if not failed album that has the perception of having failed because it was rejected by the main label the band was signed to before being shuffled off to a subsidiary of that same label. I’m asking you, because although I’m fascinated by the role of failure in great works of art, I’m not sure that I can think of an album or song that meets these criteria. If I really thought that The Beach Boys‘ aborted Smile album led to anything but third-rate versions of second-rate Beach Boys I might have an example to share. Who knows, maybe that one works for you. Maybe there’s a good example from the Funkadelic catalog. Those guys put out their share of cosmic slop that others could use for scrap parts.

Anyhow, I’m going to keep thinking about this. Maybe you will too. Don’t be offended by the premise that great artists sometimes “fail” yet possibly clear out enough dead wood to allow future progress, whether by themselves or others. I trust we’ll get some helpful answers. I look forward to your responses.
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Since the first time I heard it, probably at the age of 5 or 6, Del Shannon‘s “Runaway” has been one of the most fascinating songs I’ve ever heard. It sounds as fresh, yearning, and alien as ever. As much as I love this song, however, I don’t recall hearing any other song by Shannon except “Hats Off to Larry”, his other minor hit. (That is the name of that song, right? Pince Nez me if you must.) Oh, I think a friend once played me his psychedelic album, the one with his real name in the title. I barely remember a thing about it.

Tonight I came across this old Del Shannon clip.

All I can say is, it’s time I finally check out this artist in more depth.

Your off-the-cuff, from-the-gut responses to the following questions are vital to the health of Rock Town Hall! That, and we often hit on unexpected courses of conversation when you play. How about it? Let’s get a little chatter going!