Blog for Sale:

Anybody want to buy my blog for $36 Grand plus some change? No? Well if you change your mind let me know....(and let me know how much your blog is worth I may want to buy it!)

My blog is worth $36,695.10.
How much is your blog worth?

Happy Father's Day!

To all the father's out there - hope you feel special today because you are! Father's make a huge difference in the lives of their children.

Robbin Crosby - a sad story

Was just riding my exercise bike and watching VH1 Classics, they had a show on featuring RATT. Before I knew it my cycling had stopped and I was glued to the interviews and film clips of the band. Plus, its hard to peddle when you feel like crying and that's how I felt when I saw Robbin on the screen.

So many lives claimed by drugs...

It seems to be a typical scenario, the most sensitive person in the band ends up the drug addict. No one realizes how bad it is till its too late. Or maybe,in his case, no one cared enough.

Although I've always been a 70's girl at heart, I did go the clubs in Hollywood during the LA Band scene of the early 80's. On one occasion I had the opportunity to meet Robbin Crosby.

This will sound a bit odd, but I've always been very discerning about people and often feel like I can see someone's "true self" in just a brief meeting. That's how it was with Robbin. I was only with him for a short time but I got a clear sense that he was a senstive soul. I wondered if he was not cut out for party rock band scene, even though we were about the same age he seemed vulnerable and out of place with the other guys.

As the band gained popularity he became addicted to heroin. For a long time he hid his drug/alcohol problems but eventually it caught up to him and he was forced to leave the band. I just saw a clip of his last show. During one of their big hits he picked up the wrong guitar. He had no clue. He kept playing. It sounded horrible. All eyes were on him - the band, the audience, and that's when they realized he'd gone over the top. Apparently after that most of the band members wouldn't even associate with him. He went from a rich rock star to a junkie living in a shack.

He contacted AIDS. Word had it that he kicked the heroin habit, but on June 8, 2002 he died. Some say it was an OD, some say it was a heart attack. Does it really matter? It all started with the first taste of heroin that stuff usually owns you after one try.

At one point in the interview he talked about how he reached out in desperation to his former band mates and, other than Juan Croucier, they would have nothing to do with him. That kind of sums up my opinion of Steven Pearcy - he was the typical arrogant frontman with "LSD" (lead singer's disease - it was very contagious in those hair bands of the 80's).

Robbin's nickname in the band was "King" but he certainly didn't die
like one. Its tragic.

Here is what Juan had to say about the death of his friend, it kind of confirms to me that my instincts about Robbin were right:

"Former bassist Juan Croucier, who remained very close with Crosby over the years, wrote, "To a King among men: Robbin, you will always be loved by those who knew you. I will always love you, beyond words. Your kindness and compassion, knew no bounds. Your heart was pure love. Your sprit was a gift to be admired. It was an honor to have been your friend. I will always cherish the many wonderful memories we shared together, over the many years. The world is a better place because of you. I wish you all the love in this world and all the peace in heaven. The pain and suffering is over. God bless you."

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Now playing: Ratt - Round and Round
via FoxyTunes

Somedays Music is Everything

On a personal note....

some days life hurts

Music

helps


what do you listen to when you just want to escape?
it changes for me, today its

Chris Martin dreams of Bono (keep dreaming....)

Here's what Chris Martin of Coldplay had to say about their latest record (out June 12 '08):

Martin compares Coldplay to U2

Monday, June 9 2008, 12:40 BST

By Simon Reynolds, Entertainment Reporter

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has compared his group's new album to U2's The Unforgettable Fire.

Martin told The Telegraph that their album Viva La Vida, which is released this Thursday (June 12), is comparable to U2's fourth record.

"I always view our albums in terms of U2 albums," he said. Viva La Vida is our Unforgettable Fire in that it's less straightforward, more oblique. It's about sex and death and love and fear and travel and illness. There's light and there's dark."

Despite Coldplay's albums achieving huge sales, Martin admitted that he doesn't think his group is the best in the world.

"The best bands in the world today are probably Arcade Fire and Sigur Rós," he said. "I think Coldplay is only the seventh best in the world."

Earlier this week, Chris revealed he has been dreaming about U2 frontman Bono.

He said: "I always dream about other musicians. And with U2 or Radiohead it's always, 'Hey, how are you doing?' And they are never interested in hanging out with us. It's a permanent feeling of being at school and the bigger boys don't want to play with you."

Historic Rock and Roll Home Movie Rediscovered

Got this in an email today:

Historic Rock and Roll Home Movie Rediscovered

Orlando, Fla. (June 8, 2008) After spending nearly 40 years in a drawer in Roger McGuinn’s home, a movie that Paul McCartney described as “brilliant” has found its way to the Internet on www.GrowingBolder.com.

In 1965, The Byrds' Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, and David Crosby wrote the song that created psychedelic rock, Eight Miles High, about their plane trip to England. Two years later, The Byrds returned to London and McGuinn took along his movie camera to capture the story behind the song. Editing inside the camera, McGuinn created a one-take short film and added Eight Miles High as the soundtrack.

“I had seen an experimental film by a guy named Bruce Conner whose style was to go click, click, click, and then run a few seconds of film,” McGuinn tells Growing Bolder. “The end result is really fast, jumpy images that I thought would be interesting with Eight Miles High.”

The entire film, along with McGuinn’s introduction and description, can be seen at www.growingbolder.com/media/Entertainment/Music/Historic-Home-Movie-152484.html

“The film is a piece of rock history,” says Growing Bolder executive producer Katy Widrick. “We’re excited to help keep it alive.“

Contact:

Katy Widrick

News@growingbolder.com

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Now playing: Lari White - Loved Right
via FoxyTunes

Duane Allman

I discovered Duane Allman's music in 1975, four years after his death. That summer I started hitchhiking down to the Laguna Beach almost every day. There was a stretch of sand not far off the boardwalk that had an old wall which had been transformed into a memorial site: "The Duane Allman Wall".

It was nothing official, just something some devoted fans decided to do in his memory. It was a whitewashed brick wall about 20 feet long and 8 feet tall. Just a lone wall in the sand, that must have survived the demise of whatever it was once attached to.

I wish I had a photo of it to show you, it spoke volumes about how much Duane was loved and appreciated for his talent and how devastated his fans were when he tragically died. It was covered in notes to Duane, drawings of him, very colorful and very 70's.

I became intrigued and had to learn more about him. Back in those days you couldn't plug in your laptop and have instant access to information on any and every topic imaginable, I had to rely on word of mouth. I had a great source of musically info, my older cousin, Greg. I sat with Greg and listened to Duane Allman and got an education. He also taught me all about the other greats that I was too young to ever "know", Janis, Jimi and Jim.

This story also has a personal meaning because my son is planning on buying a motorcycle the second he turns 18 (dec. 7!) and I am in denial. I just can't bear the thought of it.

All this to say - Rock Revival has a great post on Duane today, you should check it out.

Malcolm's Tribute to Bo Diddley

My friend Malcolm has a posted a tribute to Bo Diddley.

Bo Diddley - A Legend Passes On

I was very sad to just hear that Bo Diddley has died of heart failure, he was 79.

His influence reaches far and wide in the world of rock music. Its said that he was one of the people that transformed Blues into Rock and Roll. He was known for playing a rectangular guitar, which is just downright cool if you ask me.

His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.

He will be greatly missed and always remembered.

Happy Birthday to Jeff at Imagine Echoes!

Jeff, hope you have a great birthday (June 2)! Thanks for being such a fun and supportive blog reader. I am glad you are writing more - your absence was missed over the school year.