Sep 302010
Shout out to Townsman k. for this idea. Connect The Rolling Stones to The Gin Blossoms in six steps and compete for these gems:
CD copy of The Gin Blossoms release
DVD copy of The Rolling Stones – Ladies & Gentlemen
Courtesy of our good friends at Universal Music. Love ya!
The winner won’t be the fastest nor the one to do it in fewest steps. The winner will be the one who does it most creatively. So other people need not be the steps.
RTH celebrity judge for this contest will be…
Awesome opening salvo, 2K!
The term “gin blossom” refers to a medical condition, known as Rosacea, which causes redness and bumps on the face. The onset of Rosacea can be brought on by alcohol consumption. (WC Fields is one of the more well known people who had it)
And who drinks more than Keith?
cdm asked:
And who drinks more than Keith?
I say:
Ronnie!
1 -The Rolling Stones performed I Wanna Be Your Man by
2 -The Beatles who were spoofed by
3 -The Rutles who has a fake single named
4- W.C. Fields Forever who had
5- Rosacea, i.e. “gin blossoms”
6- which are a “band” of some sort
As moderator of this blog I am unable to participate in this contest, but can I just say how honored I am to have Clint Howard participating as our celebrity judge?
1. The Rolling Stones made an album called Dirty Work
2. Which was produced by Steve Lillywhite
3. Who also produced an album called Field Day
4. By Marshall Crenshaw
5. Who co-wrote “Till I Hear It From You”
6. Which is the only song by the Gin Blossoms that I like.
There and back in 6: The Gin Blossoms (1) are back in Tempe, AZ after touring behind New Miserable Experience, which gained heat on college radio primarily due to the songs of deceased member Doug Hopkins. They are caught a little short on material for their follow up record so they get together with ringer Marshall Crenshaw (2) to write Till I Hear it From You for a B Movie soundtrack called Empire Records. Crenshaw is no stranger to rock n roll movies having written a book called “Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Movies” and also playing Buddy Holly in La Bamba: The Richie Valens story. Buddy Holly (3), also from the desert southwest, wrote the classic Not Fade Away, which was covered by the Rolling Stones (4) as their 1st American single. The Stones regular session keyboard player Nicky Hopkins (5) shares a last name shares a last name with Gin Blossoms founder Doug (6). There is no proof or their being related but ya never know.
Note: I had the connection through Crenshaw when I suggested the topic, just to be sure it was possible. So, way to go, Oats.
Townspeople, you continue to amaze me.
Clint was here a minute ago but he’s wandered off again. Last time I found him he was sitting in his Vega, crying with his head in his hands. This just after I told him I could score him a Rock Town Hall t-shirt for helping us out. It’s free t-shirt man! What’s he crying about?!
You know, I had no recollection whatsoever of the Gin Blossoms, other than the band’s name, until I read the fine print and had that piece of crap “Hey Jealousy” thrown back at me.
Anyway, here goes.
1. On the new record the Gin Blossoms are joined by Danny Wilde of The Rembrandts.
2. The Rembrandts’ main claim to fame is the theme from Friends, which starred Courtney Cox.
3. Courtney Cox’s career was launched when she danced with Bruce “Hey Baby” Springsteen in the Dancing in the Dark video.
4. Bruce joined Mick Jagger onstage at the 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, trading lines with him on I Saw Her Standing There.
5. Mick Jagger is a member of the Rolling Stones.
QED, and bonus points anticipated for the R & R HOF tie-in.
1. The Gin Blossoms’ first album was called New Miserable Experience.
2. Watching JaBo’s video of Dancing in the Street during Live Aid was also a new miserable experience.
3. Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones, is the Ja in JaBo.
1. The Gin Blossoms are from Tempe, AZ.
2. ASU is in Tempe, AZ.
3. I attended ASU
4. I have the same day of birth as Mick Jagger.
5. Mick is a member of The Rolling Stones.
6. The Rolling Stones played one of their many “farewell” tours in Tempe, AZ.
Was that the 82 show LMK? Tattoo You? I was there! George Thorogood (sp?) opened. Ooof. The best part was that they played The White Album in it’s entirety pre-show. Yes, including Revolution 9. Sharing that with an ASU stadium of people was really cool.
Clint says he wasn’t there.
Back Office – that’s the one I was referencing, the first of their “farewell tours.”
Mr. Mod said
Sure. Maybe you’d like to clean up after him?! Or maybe you can tell me where he is right now? He’s been hiding under desks for the last several hours. He makes like a cooing noise like big hamster or something.
Ah, 2000 Man, my age is showing. I just remember that when I was working as a hostess in a Scottsdale, AZ pancake restaurant, all the talk among the guys was this supposed “farewell tour.” As we know, the Stones went on to tour for quite a while. But at the time, all my friends were in hysterics and really wanted to get to the show so that they could see them that final time. What year it was…can’t recall.
Wow, sorry I missed this show:
http://www.chief-moons-gallery.com/BW72582A.html
I always thought the Stones toured in 1982, but I guess it was freshman year of college – ’81 – that I turned down the opportunity to join my frat brothers in 2nd-row seats for their Chicago show. One of our frat brothers had an especially well-connected dad who scored a whole row of seats for us. Being too cool for school, I thought the Stones had already passed their prime and couldn’t be bothered to jump on this opportunity.
Oh dear. There is no end to the amount of hilariously awful pictures of Bill Wyman playing a headless bass. Excellent find, Mr. Mod.
It looks like you can order a t-shirt of that shot. TEMPTING!
Count the Gibson SG among the many bad choices that Jagger made during that tour. I don’t know what guitar he should be playing (maybe a strat?) but that guitar is all wrong for him. And the strap need to be lengthened by about 4 or 5 inches.
http://www.chief-moons-gallery.com/RS1982.html
The winner for both a stellar contribution and for conceiving the contest itself is Townsman k.
Clint has spoken.
2000Man was a close second for his stellar contribution as well as his Stonesy contributions in general to The Hall. However those of us in The Back Office got a little ruffled over his Pince Nez regarding the year of The Stones tour attended. 81, 82…Let’s just say Senior year in HS.
Don’t fret 2K. There happens to be an additional review copy of The Stones DVD laying around here somewhere and once we’ve finished
cutting lines out on itreviewing it, we’ll send it your way.The release date isn’t until Oct. 12 so we can’t send them out before that anyhoo.
So if k. and 2K (heehee) can email us their mailing addresses we’ll eventually mail you your shit. thebackoffice[at]rocktownhall.com
Say goodnight Clint.
Well thanks, everybody. It’s like create your own game and win it. Next stop is to create a LMS with one possible answer.
And I finally looked up Clint Howard. From Wikipedia: “Clint is currently selling autographed copies of the album, which is titled No Brains At All”. Every family needs a black sheep, I suppose.
Gin Blossoms guitarist Doug Hopkins never really knew his father. There were rumors around that someone from The Rolling Stones was his father, and he always felt that it must be the legendary Brian Jones. Jones was born Lewis Brian Hopkin-Jones, and while it was a stretch, Doug felt that with Brian Jones’ policy of A Baby In Every City, it was quite possible that he was related through the Hopkin side, ie “that Hopkin’s bastard kid.”
Come 1981 and The Rolling Stones were coming to Tempe, and a young Doug Hopkins sneaks backstage at the Sun Devil Stadium show, which was being filmed by Hal Ashby for theatrical release, and while hiding in the bottom of a caterer’s cart, another skinny kid, Richard Taylor, lifts the cloth and attempts to hide himself in the caterer’s cart. A “Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter” moment ensues, but noises around the corner force Doug to just move over and let young Richard in. A caterer unwittingly pushes the duo into Keith Richard’s backstage area, and leaves them next to the drink table. The two have some time to get to know each other, and Doug tells Richard how he just wants to ask one of The Stones if it’s possible that he could be one of Brian’s children.
Richard and Doug wait patiently, and then they hear the ruckus of Keith Richards and his entourage come into the private area where they’re hiding. They decide to wait a little bit, until hopefully they can slink out unnoticed into a wasted crowd, and ask Keith the all important question. Richard gets a cramp in his calf, and the pair dump out of the cart, and all conversation in the room stops. The kids sheepishly stand up, and Keith Richards himself points at them and in a loud voice says, “Mmmggrrrrpphh….gggllooooorrpp… nnnnuuuuggghhh!” (Which is translated as “Hey, I swear I know that kid!”)
Doug is literally shaking as he asks Keith, “Really? Do you think I could be Brian Jones’ son?”
Keith laughs and shakes his head, his new, apparently normal mouth unsettling, and says, “Aaahhahhannnn…hhhuuurrrrrrrwwaaahh. Slllluub ghhhhrrrrrr.”
Which translates to “No fucking way, but I’ll be damned if that kid standing next to you isn’t our old bass player’s kid. Hey, kid, is your daddy Dick Taylor?”
Richard can’t believe what he’s hearing! He runs screaming, “No mom! No! No!” Holding his head and bouncing off backstage security with Doug running along behind him. They run until they’re safely outside, and keep running until they’re away from the teeming crowd. They find a quiet place to stop, Richard seemingly over the worst of it, and Doug still a little in shock. They look at each other, catch their breath and at the same time exclaim, “Aw, shit! We were just backstage at a Stones concert and we left before it even started!” They became steadfast friends, and formed their own band, The Gin Blossoms, six years later. To this day, Dick Taylor swears he never met Richard’s mother, but every day they look more and more alike.
I’d like to pull out the Pince Nez here. Number one, The Stones have never done a farewell tour. The media says they’re doing farewell tours every time theytour, and has been since 1972, pretty much. But The Stones have never called it quits, even when they took the time off from touring in the middle of the 80’s (where as a band that some said quit, they released a live album and two studio albums).
Second, The Stones did the Tempe Sun Devil Stadium show in 1981. In 82 they were in Europe. The end of the 81 tour is the first concert Pay Per View, where Keith sort of clocks a guy with his guitar after the guy ran onstage.