20-ITC, London, Oasis, Liverpool, Dave Clark

long time no write, but here we are with a bit of news and views from our recent travels and musical rumbles. madame and i landed in london at the front of october en route to Manchester, where i was hosting ITC (In The City). ITC is an event founded, launched, dreamt and executed 17 years ago by tony wilson and his partner yvette livesey.



more about tony:
tony wilson bio
factory records
obituary
the hacienda club

tony wilson was a pimpressario/hustler extroadanaire. alas he passed just over a year ago and due to that and the ITC folks wanting to continue the In The City vision, i was asked to co-host the festival (and i say co-host because i always felt that mr. wilson was standing in spirit right next to me)

this was the first ITC without mr. w. there are not many folks the likes of alan mcgee and seymour stein that will turn out for these kinds of events.



this being said, tony was a guvner. tony was the guvner of all things manchester, mancurian, musical, visual , outrageous and magic.

steve coogan played him in 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE and played him well. some say it was the last thing coogan did well.



tony had many gifts apart from flying on a wing and a prayer and the one that comes to mind immediately is that tony made it always about home. christopher columbus, napoloeon, adolf hitler, mary quant, the beatles, the stones and all the rest had to travel away from home to truly make their mark. tony wilson made a castle of his own back yard, manchester, and i hope that manchester is as proud of their lad as everybody who attends ITC.

here’s the letter I wrote for the ITC program:

“A Letter From Bogotá…
I'm in Vancouver, just got here from the Toronto Film Festival, with Toronto famous this past weekend for a Gallagher getting attacked on stage, Mickey Rourke making a great comeback in The Wrestler and the great reviews on the Jimmy Page /Jack White /Edge seminarmovie and my thanking Toronto for it being the place I could have a catch-up with jimmy page and talk about Soho. Speaking of a Gallagher and Oasis I've been thinking about Tony Wilson and the same. In a couple of weeks I'll be in Manchester for the honor of dancing in Mr. Wilson's shoes at ITC. I'll be hosting Seymour Stein and Richard Gottherer and I hope a few more things. I had better learn to dance before October; Johnny Marr has promised to show me the Salford crawl.
In his lifetime Tony got to see a movie made about his own accomplishments, 24 Hour Party People, starring Steve Coogan as Tony and directed by Michael Winterbottom. It is one of the best pop music films I’ve seen. I wonder how Tony felt about it. Was he chuffed, irked, or a mixture of all that and more? Did it have finality to it and did he have any idea of his at the time?
I would find it disconcerting. These film things usually only appear when you are dead. Brian Epstein and John Lennon in Carry On Torquay.... or that other bit of crap about an imaginary meeting between John & Paul at the Dakota. Speaking of crap, the only time, (as far as I know) that I've been portrayed on screen was in that awful, 'never-mind-DVD, straight-to-Ryanair' stinker, the Steve Wooley flic on Rolling Stone Brian Jones - which went as low as to steal the title of my biography. I came off all right in the film, I was only in three scenes and the actor who played me, the Perrier 2004 award-winning comedian Will Adamsdale at least danced a bit and I guess I was not libeled (as it's known that on occasion I like to sue, and/or carry a huge Zen baseball bat). The rest of the movie was awful, the detail and the director did them in, never mind the subject matter.
I had read so many good things about Control, the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division as directed by Anton Corbijn that I bought it. Waste of 38 bucks (I have yet to watch the accompanying joy division documentary, perhaps that makes it worth the price of admission). Pure dross.
I do not know why Anton went so coy on us; perhaps he was restrained by the widow Curtis? Perhaps ordinariness got in the way of breaking out? Who the fuck knows? In the ‘60s it would have starred Rita Tushingham or Tom Courteney and, to quote another Manchester lad, Peter Noone, would have been 'a-must-to-avoid.'
As much as Tony Wilson might have been chuffed by having Steve Coogan (before Steve became Owen Wilson's playmate and sat next to the God that green lights movies), I don't know what he would think of his portrayal in Control. I must ask Yvette...
There are a few scenes that work in the movie, and one of them involves Tony as he introduces Joy Division and other acts on his Granada TV show. That scene has the Wilson urgency and smacks and feels right. The rest. I’m afraid, is all a bit Peter Sellers in I’m All Right Jack for me, and I would think Mr. Wilson would have concurred.
So there we are. October is around the corner.
We'll be at The Midland Hotel. I hope the weather holds and I can bring linen.
As you can tell I'm a little bit nervous. Of all the managers and lads I followed and those that followed me, Tony Wilson was the strong one, the true runt, the leader. The one who made his pitch, led it and bled with it - and that, Alfie, is what it was all about....
Best from Bogotá,
Andrew Loog Oldham”

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this year, a dear and talented pal, the artist sidney maurer, did a spectacular rendition of tony which went into silent auction on the ITC tree. one-off lithos are also available at sidney’s website: http://www.sidmaurer.com

you can bid on the painting here. it benefits the teenage cancer trust fund, a very good cause.

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before we hit Manchester, madam and i hit a razorlight gig in a kentish town in north west london. the gig was to support the band's third album, slipway fires.



mr. johnny borrell was in super fettle. the song "america" from their 2nd record, should have made it in America. it's a super song and performance, in rock terms, it’s up there with anything paul simon wrote in folk terms about the wunderpaiz.

on stage borrell teased, flirted and delivered to his fans. at times he looked uncannily like a ' 65 third tour of america mick jagger.

MICK JAGGER 1965



JOHNNY BORRELL



a word of thanks to roger morton, razorlight manager, for taking care of esther and moi. i've loved the band since my son, maximillian, and i saw them in mexico city a couple of years ago. i hope that america takes to them and that they crack the wunderpaiz soon. both of them, the usa and razorlight deserve it.


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we took the train from london's euston station to manchester. and had a wonderful time hosting and participating in ITC.



many regulars showed up to support the event. seymour stein, richard gottherer, lyor cohen of the WMG, mike smith of COLUMBIA/UK, alan mcghee, johnny marr’s manager and manchester legend joe moss, geoff travis of ROUGH TRADE, jarvis cocker, verve and soup dragons manager jazz summers and the artists.....the artists...what it's really all about. the ITC slogan said it best as it screamed "it's all about the music, stupid"

standouts for me were BLESS BEATS (a truly inspiring 22 year old producer/creator from bow in SE London) and THE PARIS RIOTS, a manchester band who really have it and i hope get it. Also the THE DETROIT SOCIAL CLUB, THE JESSIE ROSE TRIP, and ARTHUR DELANEY

i’d like to thank the whole ITC team, yvette, jon-paul, tom, james, llianne, stephen (even tho' he's a solicitor), all of the ITC staff and interns who made our journey so rewarding, enjoyable and edutaining. and an extra word of thanks to seymour stein for suggesting me to ITC in the first place.

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next we popped over to liverpool to see OASIS on the second night of their two-night stand at the new liverpool echo arena. OASIS are truly amazing (but you already knew that). whether you like ' em or not. to take the swagger, as liam does, that goes with the off stage attitude lunatic aura of yer rock star and make that the job, the work on stage is truly mad and inspirational. and the songs, dear, it's always about the songs, ain't it and OASIS sure have the body of songs.

the concert was a tribal event. it was exhilarating and it was nice to visit back stage and have liam ask me if i'd bought any writs ( a sly nod to either his mate richard ashcroft's dillema with mick and keith and my orchestra over "BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY" and "THE LAST TIME " or a subliminal thought about the gallaghers more than wonderful degree from the COLLEGE OF KONSTRUCTIV PLAGARISM).

anyway nice chats were had all around, noel was a prince charming, liam a little john ("ROBIN HOOD" ref folka) and andy bell was as nice as nice about his affection for LITTLE STEVEN and the UNDERGROUND GARAGE.

lawdy, i intended to write so much more.

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i had a great tea with dave clark, leader of the DC5. i had been wanting to say hallo to him ever since his oh so elegant acceptance speech at this years ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME.

he truly is a survivor and remains the innovative spirit whom the BEATLES saw, during that first 18 months of the british invasion, everytime they looked over their shoulders. it was not the STONERS, yet, or the KINKS or WHO. it was the DAVE CLARK FIVE.

gotta pack for buenos aires. off to record THE RATONES PARANOICOS. more schpater. much love america, abrazo a todo, ALO.

19-canada, film producers, norman whitfield and bill

long time no hear, no speak, no see.

apols on that. have been on the road (mainly canada) trying to appraise how i fancy, or am fancied, for my books, STONED & 2STONED and how they might fare as a movie or a min-series on cable.

had a great time at the TIFF where mickey rourke took home all the money for "the wrestler"



i also bumped into jimmy page. why not,the party was for jimmy, jack white and "the edge" and the film "it might get loud". they were plugging the film at the TIFF.



jimmy and i chatted about soho. what else are two london lads
supposed to chat about when they meet up in toronto ?



sorry this one is short but i'm about to undergo three days of dental work, then it's off to the UK and manchester for In The City. we'll be reporting to you from there.

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so adios norman whitfield. he was probably after phil spector my forever favourite
producer. he gave me hope and courage at a time when my lights were low, by the way he enlarged the canvas. when most folks were going "tea for the tillerman" and dressing down in denim, norman whitfield was painting the ghetto, war & the world at the end of the very turbulant 60's.

my mate harvey kubernik caught this from berry gordy, jr in a piece in his book "THIS IS REBEL MUSIC".

"norman to me was probably the most underrated of all the producers, because he was producing by himself. and he would deal with different sounds, different beats, change with the times and write his stuff, and also barrett strong would work with him as a writer on many of his things. norman was innovative and he had fire. and he had a different kind of style. his beat was different and could go from “cloud nine,” “psychedelic shack,” “papa was a rolling stone,” to “just my imagination.” he was sensitive and I think he could do so many different types of things. Then he’d come right back with “war” and then “ain’t to proud to beg.”

he could take one chord, like on “papa was a rolling stone,” and play the same chord and do all these different beautiful melodies and things that many people could not really imagine this guy doin’. and I would watch him and he did it all by himself as a producer. He would work with five guys in the temps and he would change leads on each one. he would pick the right lead for the right song, ya know, and he’d utilize all five of those leads in a song that was just incredible.

when I listen to ‘em today, now that I have time to listen to ‘em, I’m saying, “wow! this guy was probably the most underrated producer we had.”

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bill wyman just sent me this snap of myself and charlie watts in the summer of '65. i may still have the jacket, or be wearing one damned similar. i know i have the shades. PS whilst in toronto we saw an immaculately fit donald sutherland biking around the park. he gave us a wink when we said "could it be ?" remarkable worker. nice to see him out & about.

gotta go walk the dogs....peace & stay away from the bathrooms, george......

blog 18-rebroadcasting alo's weekday shows!!!

NEW BROADCAST SCHEDULE BRINGS SIRIUS UNDERGROUND GARAGE DJ
TO LATE NIGHTS ON WEST COAST

ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM PROGRAM NOW RE-AIRS WEEKNIGHTS AT 9PM PACIFIC


SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s Underground Garage/ 25, an extension of the critically acclaimed syndicated radio show Little Steven’s Underground Garage, will now cater to those crazy California teenagers as “The Andrew Loog Oldham Program” will air from 9pm until midnight PT on the west coast starting immediately.

For the first time since Little Steven’s Underground Garage started broadcasting on Sirius in 2004, there will be a DJ heard after 9 PM on the West Coast. Andrew Loog Oldham, the legendary manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963-1967and one of the original Underground Garage DJs at Sirius, has held the weekday morning spot on the East Coast (Monday through Friday; 8 AM – 11 AM Eastern Time) since February of 2007. Now his daily show is being rebroadcast so Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and all points west will hear his often hilarious candid observations, first-person insights, and musical expertise in the evening.

“I love all of our DJ’s but Andrew is the Govn’er,” says Little Steven. “We have him on every day because I simply cannot imagine getting through the day without him. It occurred to me recently (I have no excuse really) that the only time the west coast could hear him was 5 to 8 in the morning which is fine if you’re an actor but if you’re a relatively normal human being it might be a bit early, so here you go."

blog 17-koop soup and ronnie

long time no write. let's have a little catch-up. our mate, mr. al kooper, went on stage with brian wilson recently to sub for a missing jimmy webb. "made a dream come true", said al, when i spoke to him from bogota to somerville late last week. "one of the highlights of my guesting career." and al has done some guesting in his time.... bob dylan, the rolling stones, george harrison and a whole power more.

let us never forget his blood, sweat and tears debut LP. it's a case of you had to be there...there as in america when the LP came out. it was a new day in vinyland and the concept of artist and recording, kooper was the kingmaker that day. he was to the disc and our music what tim burton would later be to film. i can tell you, we were stopped in the tracks of our fears (yes, as a pal told me i could never resist embracing a cliche, pun of flay on words...there i did it again, meds must be working....natural ones that is...) with BS&T...

not unlike in the UK a couple of years earlier the move, produced by denny cordell and later jimmy miller, and managed by the true joker of rock'n roll, tony secunda.
a birmingham band led by the ever so talented dude, mr. roy wood. one of the greatest imaginations our brit-pop world ever reared. their records were amazing, a warning flag just as the first BS&T LP was that it was time to go back to the drawing board...the goalposts had been moved and there was a new game to be played.

the length and breadth of whatever is possible had just been tape, and i mean tape, tape measured into something new. we also got to salute al for his lynyrd skynyrd LP's; that is really when he was the tim burton of rock.

so al goes on stage and does the bridge of "don't worry baby" with brian. a classic moment in west coat national anthems. he also tooted the keyboards on "help me, rhonda".



al has a big honor coming up in october in nashville. he's going to be in great company. here's a link musician's hall of fame. he and i were born five days apart, four and one half if you knock off the distance from the US to the UK. he is an american treasure and like the best of american treasures he knows who he is and who you are. oh, yes, and he's also played with the who.....

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we spoke of roy wood above. let's give a moment to the pathetic shenanigans of ronnie wood.



his dad was an alcoholic, so is ronnie. he has been slippin' and slidin' for so long it's time for him to stop this week long or whatever, checkin' into rich peoples detox centres. as soon as he is fit enough for a drink, he'll leave and start the whole loop again.

whatever your faith or your following let's have a prayer said or a moment of silent knowing, said wishing, ronnie wings of strength and the determination to beat this fuckin' disease. i was at an AA meeting in LA a few weeks ago, and one of our hosts, when it came to his time to speak said, "i'm doing great but every day I remember this disease is just looking for ways and the opportunity to to kill me. whilst it's doing so, take me back to hell."

ronnie. wishing you strength and the brain to get it together. for your family, for the other one, the three chord wonders known as the rolling stones, but most of all, buddy, for yourself....

if you cannot get up in the morning and love yourself, who else are you gonna be able to love ?

maybe ronnie hawkins......

get well, babe, get proper.... DAILY MAIL

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i just want to thank all those who wrote to say how much they were enjoying our new alternative 9 PM WST west coast slot. covering both ends of the day on steven's underground garage is a privilege and honor.

be well, be fare. best from bogota, o

blog 16-4th of July

for the 4th, i've posted youtube videos of the 10 american artists i chose to honor this holiday. make sure you listen in on the 4th from 8am-11am eastern time, where i'll play songs by these artists and speak about my interactions with them.

happy 4th of july america...

elvis presley-baby, let's play house



eddie cochran-summertime blues



johnny otis-willie and the hand jive



the ronettes-be my baby



alejandro escovedo-always a friend (with bruce springsteen and the e-street band)



ricky nelson-poor little fool



little richard



robert gordon with link wray-the way i walk



fats domino-ain't that a shame



the beach boys

blog 15-show 200!!!

13-sid maurer memorial day contest

happy memorial day.

here is a contest, complements of my old friend, sid maurer.

simply shoot me an e-mail at: loog@undergroundgarage.com and i'll pick 10 random winners to receive a copy of the below litho. the litho was done by sid and if you'd like to win, e-mail me with the name of the muscian in the print. its also his birthday this monday, on memorial day.



just send an e-mail, again to: loog@undergroundgarage.com, make sure to include your address and i'll randomly select 10 winners. the litho usually goes for 1,000 plus dollars (thanks sid). just tell me the artist in the litho.



here's an excerpt of what sid wrote in my book 2stoned:

Sid Maurer, Artist/Entrepeneur: When I was 17 or 18, I got a job as assistant art director for Columbia Records. At that time, they were in Bridgeport, Connecticut, so I traveled two hours to get to work each day. Little by little, I got known as the guy in New York who did album covers. One of my big accounts at that time was Epic Records, a division of Columbia. They were now in New York City, and a good friend of mine became head of Epic, and he called me one day and asked me to come down and see him. He wanted to know if I wanted to do all of the album covers for the label—if I did them all, could I do them for $1,000 a piece. So I took on all of that work, and became the big studio in New York. I did all of the Epic covers, and that’s where I met Donovan. Donovan came in one day, and I was told to meet with him, and we became friends, and eventually became his manager. The guys who ran Decca Records, Jubilee, Roulette all of these labels that started in the mid-to-late forties and on through the fifites, all of these guys came out of the garment district. They weren’t record men, they were schmata guys! They didn’t know a fuckin’ thing about music; they could care less. What they did do was they hired good producers, guys like Bob Thiele. These guys brought in the acts like Buddy Holly and the McGuire Sisters, Teresa Brewer, the Hi-Lo’s As the business grew, and these guys slowly sold out, the independent guys like Jerry Blaine from Jubilee stayed in it. Of course, so did Morris Levy.

In about 1968 I met Donovan. The guys in the fifites were guys like Fred Frank, Len Levy. They were still working for Columbia. They hadn’t yet switched over to the time where executives were wearing jeans; it was still suits. One of the reasons that Don and I became friends was that I didn’t wear a suit. When I first met Don, he looked like Jesus Christ. He was wearing a long white robe that went down to the ground, with bare feet. Which is why they said, “You’ve gotta come over right away and meet this guy.” We went back to my suite, smoked a couple of joints and got comfortable. We spent about three days together, just working on his album cover. Meanwhile, Freddie Frank noticed me and we became pals. Freddie was a promotion man at Epic, and he was one of the few guys who knew how to reach the deejays quietly. He drove a lot of records, Freddie. Freddie and I finally hooked up, and we went into the record business together, we started a company called Roadshow. We went into the R&B business, the black business. See, Freddie grew up in South Philadelphia, and he knew all the brothers anyway, and Freddie could take care of the brothers. They wouldn’t take money from a white man. Freddie was almost black.