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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 6, 2007 14:05:11 GMT -5
You can also highlite the sections you want to post, right click "copy", then paste the section in the reply window. Then highlite again and click on the "quote" icon in the area above the reply box (the second icon from the right, bottom row). That will add the HTML code and box the quote when you post it. Sounds more difficult than it is. You can't use this method in the "quick reply" window, though. Jim
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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 9, 2007 6:11:30 GMT -5
Allen, I know you've done some writing on Gene Autry, and was wondering if you've had a chance to peruse the new bio, "Public Cowboy Number One". I heard the author on NPR this morning, and found it an interesting interview. Autry embraced cutting edge technologies throughout his career, and was, according to his biographer, almost always ahead of the curve. He started buying radio stations during the war, jumped into television in the early days, and managed to make a ton of money because of his remarkable intuition. Jim
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 9, 2007 10:03:59 GMT -5
Allen, I know you've done some writing on Gene Autry, and was wondering if you've had a chance to peruse the new bio, "Public Cowboy Number One". I heard the author on NPR this morning, and found it an interesting interview. I had NOT heard about this book! Is this the one? www.amazon.com/Public-Cowboy-No-Times-Autry/dp/0195177460/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0030735-6515218?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191941302&sr=1-1 (You'll have to copy & paste this link into your URL browser, rather than just clicking on it). I just got a new book on Autry's films by Boyd Magers,, which is pretty definitive on that, but not at all a bio. This one sound quite interesting. I never heard of this author, but apparently she had access to all of the original records owned by the Autry office. I'm ordering it immediately; sounds worth the price just to get the discography and recording sessions logs. Autry was an incredibly sharp cookie and made many millions. He flew cargo planes in the Pacific in WWII too. He has been badly underrated as a show-biz innovator. His films, radio and television shows were really breakthrough stuff for that era. And he's underrated as a songwriter and recording artist. His voice was limited, but both his singing and acting carried a sincerity that came through every time. On the business side he made a fortune in music publishing alone, as well as buying TV and radio stations (and eventually the L.A. Angels). He saw TV pushing out the movie B-westerns and was one of the first (just after Hopalong) to move into that medium (he even filmed some shows in color). When I interviewd Ringo Starr around 1992, I asked him who his earliest musical influences were and he instantly said "Gene Autry." It wasn't just the music, but the whole Autry persona, including his flashy clothing that caught Ringo. He thought Gene was the coolest guy he'd ever seen. Thanks for the heads-up on this one! AW
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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 9, 2007 11:24:28 GMT -5
That's the one. I wasn't familiar with the author either, but she apparently wrote an earlier book on western fashion called, "How the West Was Worn". Ringo was metioned in the interview as being a fan, and they discussed how Will Rogers had been a major influence on Autry, although the story of Rogers discovering Gene as a young telegraph operator was dismissed as apocryphal. The bio sounds interesting. Out today is the much anticipated Eric Clapton autobiography, which I picked up on my lunch hour. Jim
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 9, 2007 12:28:30 GMT -5
I always thought the Will Rogers story sounded like a PR agent's idea. I also didn't realize that his middle name wasn't really Gene after all, or that his dad was a deadbeat. I don't recall Gene's own autobiography mentioning any of this, although he did barely mention his bout with alcoholism.
There was a big write-up of the Clapton book in the Sunday papers. Apparently he's at odds with some of what his and George Harrison's ex, Patti Boyd, has to say in her own recent book. An interesting guy who has made some terrific music. Might have to drag out the Bangla Desh concert video and watch he and George jamming.
I just realized -- today would have been John Lennon's 67th B.Day.
AW
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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 9, 2007 12:58:49 GMT -5
Yup, according to the interview, Gene's publicist made up the story. I'll gove you a report on the Clapton book when I've finished it. As I understand it, Patti Boyd beat him to the publication punch, but her book was written when she found Eric was planning on releasing a memoir, and wanted to make sure her side of te story was told. I'm only 70 or so pages into the book, but Clapton is pretty candid and self critical.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 9, 2007 13:05:40 GMT -5
Rogers died in 1935, which is around the time Autry was becoming a star. I wonder if Rogers and/or his heirs went along with this yarn. One of Rogers's sons, Jimmy, co-starred in some of the Hopalong Cassidy films.
AW
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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 9, 2007 15:17:53 GMT -5
Apparently, the BanglaDesh concert is one of Clapton's worst memories, albeit a hazy memory. He was completely strung out on heroin at the time, and suffering from withdrawal in while in NYC. He mentions in the book that he saw the concert film only once, but realized if he ever thought about going back to the "good old days" of addiction, he'd need only watch the film again to put him off.
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Post by TRK on Oct 9, 2007 16:49:58 GMT -5
Roxy informed me this morning, while they were showing the Clapton interview on the Today Show, that his autobiography is going to be one of my Christmas presents. Great, only two and a half months before I get to start reading it!
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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 9, 2007 18:20:28 GMT -5
I missed the Today Show interview. I guess he'll be doing a fair amount of promotion, there seems to be a huge push on the book. For some reason, on guitar sites Clapton is a polarizing personality. A lot of guys love him, some hate him with a passion. I'm definitely of the former school. Even as a big fan of prewar blues by the original artists, I still enjoyed both EC's Robert Johnson albums, I thought "From the Cradle" was great, and I think he's an incredibley emotive guitarist. I don't get why he offends purists so. Clapton certainly knows where he fits in the scope of music history and doesn't have an elevated opinion of his own talents. In my opinion, he's responsible for exposing a wider audience to the blues. Heck, I even like some of his pop stuff. Jim
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 9, 2007 18:35:49 GMT -5
I'll never understand that kind of narrow-mindedness, but it happens among music fans and others. They become terribly defensive regarding their own personal favorites. Music is an endless process and the best of musicians influence later generations. That's a good thing, especially with a person as talented and passionate as Clapton. If you count everyone out like him, you put contemporary music in the hands of Britanny Spears, et al and there's enough of that crap around as it is.
AW
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Post by TRK on Oct 9, 2007 19:19:54 GMT -5
I don't get why he offends purists so. Some guys still can't forgive Clapton for giving up that Gibson Les Paul and Marshall combo back in '66. There were howls of outrage when he trotted out the Strat instead of a Gibson at the Cream reunion shows--sacrilege! Surprising how many guitar nurds believe the summit of his tone and creative abilities was on the "Beano" album in 1966 (or, alternatively, "Disraeli Gears") and has been straight downhill ever since. "Layla" is my all-time favorite album. It never gets old or dated. "From the Cradle" is a close contender; there have been periods when FTC has been the only thing playing in my car stereo for weeks or months at a time.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 9, 2007 20:16:27 GMT -5
Call me crazy, but I love the Unplugged acoustic set.
I've never been a big Dylan fan, although I admire his songwriting. I went to one of his concerts some years ago and he was duller than dishwater. Acted like he didn't know we were there and he was punching a clock. But I recall many of his fans going balistic when he went electric. Didn't Seeger or Lomax try to unplug him at that show (Newport?).
I don't know what gives with these music nerds. They're like the "sound" nerds who argue over every note on various recordings and never actually seem to be listening to the music; they're listening to sounds. You wouldn't believe some of the crap I got from them after my Beatles book came out and they fixated on the bootleg section. I regret ever having done that section, except that I really don't. I wanted to know everything that existed and I durn near found it all. But they'd argue for weeks over whether take 27 or take 38 of some Beatles track was really better, or which bootleg had better fidelity than the others. Yeeeech.
Oh - I forgot to mention Claptons set at "Live Aid" in 1985 (geeeeeez! has it really been that long!? I loved that show -- every last hour of it). I liked it a lot and there was an instrumental break in "Layla" that I don't think I'd heard before. Dire Straits did a similar break in "Sultans of Swing" that was also new to me and sounded terif. What you all think of Knopfler?
AW
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Post by TRK on Oct 9, 2007 20:33:06 GMT -5
What you all think of Knopfler? He's a first-rate picker, composer, and bandleader, and IMO not a bad vocalist, but, of course, he followed the J.J. Cale playbook pretty closely in developing his vocal and picking styles (nothing wrong with that: that's pretty much what E. Clapton did in the 1970s). I've worn out multiple copies of Dire Straits' "Alchemy" over the years, and still love his great, atmospheric soundtrack for "Local Hero." Some of the keyboards and synths in his 1980s recordings seem dated, but still it's great stuff.
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Post by Jim Boylston on Oct 9, 2007 21:09:07 GMT -5
I love Knopfler's stuff, and have followed his releases for years. I have all his solo albums, and a lot of his movie scores. His new album came out a couple of weeks ago, and is another winner. He's overlooked a lot since Dire Straits fell apart, and unjustly so. He's been making records that are like collections of short stories. A couple of years ago he released an album called "Shangri La" that I loved. It had a great song on it about Sonny Liston, and another about Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's. How's that for diversity? Jim
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