after several delays the art of mondo finally arrived !

it is a superb showcase of mondo's cinema art, beautifully presented in a hardcover book.

Finished the Power Brokers book noted earlier. Interesting read with much detail from the late 60s up to around '91 At times I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep up with the musical chairs with many names moving from label to label, but in the end the book has nothing to dissuade me from my long held believe that the popular music business is a cynical money making enterprises run by despicable bastards. The amazing thing is that any great music comes out of it at all.

Moved onto something lighter at home, Backstage Past by former concert promoter Barry Fey. Before I started this book the only promoters I was aware of were Bill Graham, Harvey Goldsmith and Chet Helms. They're names that appear in numerous books and of course there's Bill Graham's biography, Bill Graham Presents.
Turns out Mr Fey has been around for many years, from the mid 60s in fact, and promoted concerts and tours by virtually every big name in the business(except the Beatles). One of his earliest shows was with the pre fame Doors and he became promoter of choice for bands like the Who(his favourite) The Stones and U2. He was also instrumental in establishing the Red Rocks venure just out of Denver as an iconic stage although a disastrous beginning with Jethro Tull in 1971 nearly finished things before they started. I notice the odd critic basing the book as an exercise in name dropping but when Jagger and co, the Who etc drop by your home for a shrimp barbie you can't help but include the famous. Fey doesn't hesitate to speak ill of the dead and his list of bastards includes the likes of Peter Grant, John Bonham and Chuck Berry. Recommended as a lazy Sunday read.




At work things are getting a bit deeper with Satan is Real, the auto Biography of Charlie Louvin (Louvin Brothers). I'm finding this a fascinating read, the words very much come off the page as though Louvin is talking to you although there is a co author listed who I presume knocked things into shape. The early years are stories of a very hard life share cropping with a father who wasn't worried about sparing the rod. The language reflects the life and times. Nice story about them inviting a young, penniless Johnny Cash into one of their early shows with a free seat.

Work time reading

Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music: 



online free photo storage


At home, Peter Grant biography

First published in '87, you can pick this up in s/h bookshops (as I did) - an amusing, easily read introduction & useful guide to Classical music for beginners.
Complete with a list of composers with useful comments & handy ratings of their main compositions for (i) "popularity" (ii) "suitability for newcomers to music".

By John Cargher, a long-time radio broadcaster & author.

He also has an earlier companion volume, How to Enjoy Opera Without Really Trying.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Finished the Peter Grant biog mentioned above. While I was familiar with the general arc of his life there were three chapters I found of particular interest as they managed to dig deeper than I had gone before.
Most enlightening chapter was on the convoluted gestation of the LZ movie, The Song Remains the Same (which I have yet to see) . The other two concerned the LZ vanity label, Swan Song, and the notorious 1977 assault incident between Grant,Bonham and two others against security staff working for Bill Graham.
I have read a few reports on this, including Graham's  version in his biography, Bill Graham Presents. Which ever side you come from it's a very unsavory incident and one that tarnished both Grant and the band.
I would have liked to have had some deeper information on both his early years touring the UK with the likes of Gene Vincent and Little Richard and his later post Zep life. Read this in conjunction with Richard Cole's book, Stairway to Heaven and you'll have a pretty good handle on the LZ saga from the inside. Cole was their long term tour manager and Grant's right hand man.
The usual caveat applies of course; if you dont like reading anything that might disturb your starry eyed vision of Led Zeppelin then dont read this book.

I just love the holidays, time to tinker, time to read. I start with a trip to the library prior to the xmas and come home with this stack:

Hunter s Thompson - The Rum Diary
Naomi Alderman - The Power
Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
Witi Ihimaera - The Parihaka Woman
Eric Scerri (ed) - 30-Second Elements
Mark Manson - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
Dave Prochnow - Take This Stuff and Hack It

A good blend of swotty stuff and fiction - I particularly enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale (tho' I wish I had read it prior to viewing the TV series) followed by The Power - very similar themes of gender and power (with the roles reversed).
And then daughter gifted me Anthony DeCurtis - Lou Reed - A Life, and I gifted myself Simon Reynolds - Shock and Awe, Glam Rock and It's Legacy. I am working my way through this first. I had thoroughly enjoyed "Rip it Up and Start Again" for it's in depth examination of punk and post-punk and the same is the case for his first passion of glam. Happy daze.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

Jan 1, 2018 14:40:07 GMT 12 papahemi said:

Hunter s Thompson - The Rum Diary

Was a major Thompson fan since reading the Hells Angels book way, way back. However favourite is still Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail covering Nixon's 1972 election campaign. One can only wonder at what Thompson in his prime would make of the current white house incumbent. 
While I enjoyed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas I thought his dive deeper into Gonzo journalism muddied his reporters eye 
The Great Shark Hunt is a worth while collection of his essays and shorter stories.

Another couple from the work reading library.
Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Fariña, and Richard Fariña Paperback – Not long finished this and found it interesting and informative. Although I was familiar with Dylan's early history my knowledge of the Baez sisters and Farina was limited so this filled in a lot of gaps. The book is strong on the period from the late 50s with the breakout of Joan Baez and the growth of the folk movement through to Farina's death in a motorcycle accident in 1966.

Now onto Passion is a Fashion, the real story of the Clash. Despite having a few Clash albums they're not a band that I've ever connected to so hopefully this well reviewed book may give me a nudge into having another shot with their music.

The Sun & the Moon & the Rolling Stones
I think an excellent, recent 2016 publication, well researched, by Rich Cohen, author & former Rolling Stone journalist.
Based on his own childhood, later experiences when 'embedded' in rehearsals & travelling with the Stones, many other books & memoirs, interviews with the band members & numerous related personalities, working with Mick on a film series.

Separate chapters are devoted to all the key moments in the story of the Stones - Mick & Keith's legendary first encounter, the Edith Grove flat, the early clubs & personnel, Charlie & Bill, meeting The Beatles, American tours, the Redlands drug bust & trial, Nellcote, the Stones late-80s revival, Brian Jones & his (possibly) mysterious demise, Altamont, Anita & Keith & heroin....

The author's perspective, from a younger generation than the Stones, is often a refreshing 'outsider' view, of the music & social milieu at the time.

But most interesting to me is the music, the stories around their best albums (in the author's opinion) - Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky fingers, Exile on Main Street, Some Girls.

(I don't care much for the jacket design.)

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Jan 12, 2018 10:08:35 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

The Sun & the Moon & the Rolling Stones
I think an excellent, recent 2016 publication, well researched, by Rich Cohen, author & former Rolling Stone journalist.
Based on his own childhood, later experiences when 'embedded' in rehearsals & travelling with the Stones, many other books & memoirs, interviews with the band members & numerous related personalities, working with Mick on a film series.

Separate chapters are devoted to all the key moments in the story of the Stones - Mick & Keith's legendary first encounter, the Edith Grove flat, the early clubs & personnel, Charlie & Bill, meeting The Beatles, American tours, the Redlands drug bust & trial, Nellcote, the Stones late-80s revival, Brian Jones & his (possibly) mysterious demise, Altamont, Anita & Keith & heroin....

The author's perspective, from a younger generation than the Stones, is often a refreshing 'outsider' view, of the music & social milieu at the time.

But most interesting to me is the music, the stories around their best albums (in the author's opinion) - Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky fingers, Exile on Main Street, Some Girls.

(I don't care much for the jacket design.)

There's an entertaining look at the Edith Road days in the book Nankering With the Rolling Stones  written by their flatmate James Phelge.

www.amazon.com/Nankering-Rolling-Stones-James-Phelge/dp/1556523734
Read it a few years ago from my local library but looks like it's getting a little expensive now. If you can find a cheap copy well worth a few hours immersion. 

Ive just finished these reads, that were my Xmas pressy from my daughter:

 


Enjoyed the insights on the final stages of Lou's life, which followed on after "Transformer' which I read mid-last year.  





I approached this with some doubt - an interview, documented, between a maestro and brilliant author - but it works. 
Significant 'trainsporting' was lost on me with my skeletal, but growing, knowledge of classical music.
However, I commend the publisher (penguin) for the link that takes you to hours and hours of the music discussed. I've only lightly ventured there so far, but this a very helpful support for the book. www.penguin.co.uk/articles/find-your-next-read/reading-guides/2016/nov-/murakami-absolutely-on-music-playlist/  

"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]

The Murakami-Osawa book is interesting, unusual, esoteric.

A good Guardian review here (with a side-link to a piece by Murakami on how the acquaintance developed).

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Grant Smithie's (is he a member here cartridgeguyonline @johnnyheathen?) SOUNDTRACK 118 Great NZ albums

www.bobjohnstonbook.com/

Online read covering the life and recordings produced by Bob Johnston. Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, L Cohen and Johnny Cash all worked with Johnston.

Smoko break read at the moment, Trouble in Mind (Clinton Heylin)-Bob Dylan's gospel years-what really happened.
The sub title sums the book's message up and Mr Heylin as #1 Dylan obsessive is well placed to throw some much needed light on this controversial period.  For someone like myself who is in almost total ignorance of the gospel years this book is an indispensable companion to the Bootleg Series Vol13 79-81.  I have the vinyl boxset but yet to dive into it in any depth.  


Home time reading, working my way yet again through Lord of the Rings.  As a late comer to this and seeing the movies before the book, I must confess that I enjoy Jackson's interpretation more for much of the story. 

Is Grants book any good, Citroen? Spose I should buy a copy regardless... and no, Grants afraid of audiophiles. Regards them with a mix of suspicion and disdain... 🤔😏

You may know that Grant Smithies has a regular Music slot on Radio NZ National:

www.radionz.co.nz/search/results?utf8=✓&q=new+music+grant+smithies&commit=Search

A great guy apparently.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Jul 24, 2018 10:48:28 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

You may know that Grant Smithies has a regular Music slot on Radio NZ National:

www.radionz.co.nz/search/results?utf8=✓&q=new+music+grant+smithies&commit=Search

A great guy apparently.

He is a great guy. Must get in touch... but that always costs me money!? 😂

Jul 23, 2018 19:47:00 GMT 12 @johnnyheathen said:

Is Grants book any good, Citroen ? Spose I should buy a copy regardless... and no, Grants afraid of audiophiles. Regards them with a mix of suspicion and disdain... 🤔😏

Its a very easy read, as are most of his reviews.

I got my copy from flyingout, only $12.95

flyingout.co.nz/products/soundtrack

Should be free, with the amount of money I spend at his place !

Haven't bought anything from him for years. Must get in touch, as he always seemed to have a great selection on offer.

Written in Dead Wax (The Vinyl Detective) by Andrew Cartmel

"He is a record collector — a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the “Vinyl Detective” and some people take this more literally than others.

Like the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording — on behalf of an extremely wealthy (and rather sinister) shadowy client.

Given that he’s just about to run out of cat biscuits, this gets our hero’s full attention. So begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all…"

A bit of light-hearted fiction that throws in discussion of biasing tubes, filtering on record cleaning machines amongst many other audiophile intricacies.

Haven’t had much luck with finding great LPs on my recent op shop visits, but scored a couple of good reads instead.

The Fort, by Bernard Cornwell, a novel of the revolutionary war. Cornwell’s historical novels always remain true to historical facts. My current read in bed at night.

A History of Warfare, by Montgomery of Alamein. This one will be for dipping into. Montgomery has always been a hero of mine. Even at the age of 5 I knew who he was. I must have heard him being discussed by the adults in my home in my formative years during and just after WWII. Hmm, disclosing my age here! My first school was Papatoetoe Primary, on the corner of St George St and Great South Rd. That part of Great South Rd was mostly surrounded by farmland and the speed limit was the open road limit, I guess 50mph.

Just after I started school it was announced that Montgomery was in Auckland, and was to visit Papakura Military Camp. His convoy would be driving right past our school, so on the day we were all given little paper flags on sticks and we lined up outside the school to wave as Monty drove by. Unfortunately the convoy went past at or perhaps over the speed limit and we got just a glimpse of the man! To his credit, he rang the school later to apologise.

The Run Out Groove
The Vinyl Detective, Book 2

I enjoyed the first one so now onto the second.

And now onto the third in the series, The Victory Disc

Its good to see a fiction book that mentions stacked Quads, Fibonacci sequence in horn cabinets and the intricacies of playing 78s esp with cactus needles

A couple of classics I received this Christmas
Vinyl Junkies
Dust and Grooves

The Dust and Grooves one looks interesting.

Two musically related books for me in Santas Christmas stocking this year: Roots, Radicals and Rockers by Billy Bragg looking at the rise and fall of skiffle. Very well researched and written, highly enjoyable and the sort of read that sends you off digging through your record collection which is always a good sign I think. The other was Being John Lennon by Ray Connolly, again a well written read although Mr Lennon comes across as a thoroughly unpleasant character.

My second trip to the library, some to skim, some for a deep read ie the Billy Bragg book

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

Jan 5, 2019 11:26:21 GMT 12 papahemi said:

My second trip to the library, some to skim, some for a deep read ie the Billy Bragg book

I'd almost forgotten that libraries exist.

Just ordered the Billy Bragg. Two copies available from Auckland Public Libraries, hopefully to be delivered to my local library soon.