I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
PROGRAMMING NOTE - as I am away for the weekend, I have posted this diary early. The choices for the "Who Lost the Week?!?!" poll had to be cut-off early (and so you may need to write-in ... some later-in-the-week nominees).
ART NOTES - an exhibit entitled Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums is at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin through January 4th.
A DELICATE BALANCE exists between the Italian government's desire for preservation and the tourist business for allowing cruise ships in Venice.
THURSDAY's CHILD comes from a suggestion from NonnyO - Cleo the Cat is an English kitteh who followed an elderly woman she lived with (before the woman had to leave Cleo behind upon entering a nursing home). The staff has now relented, and Cleo lives at the facility.
HAIL and FAREWELL to Douglas 'Ox' Baker - a pro wrestler who appeared in the 1981 sci-fi film Escape From New York and other films - who has died at the age of 80.
From the BiPM FLATULENCE FILE - although this story dates back to this past summer, it is worth noting that a Norwegian brewery removed the entire stock of one of its beers (due to contamination in the bottling system) that led to a foul-smelling aroma.
FRIDAY's CHILD is Tom the Cat - a Virginia shelter kitteh adopted by a VA facility after they read about the Rhode Island dementia ward star Oscar the Cat - and Tom has become most appreciated by the families of those 'old soldiers' in the hospice/palliative care unit.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a book review of The Loudest Voice in the Room - Gabriel Sherman's unauthorized (yet quite comprehensive) biography of Fox president Roger Ailes.
BRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
SEPARATED AT BIRTH - two late entertainers: the folksinger Phil Ochs as well as Roddy McDowall - the veteran TV/film/stage actor.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ............................ over time, I've looked at several musicians who fall under the "What If?" category (Tammi Terrell, Tommy Bolin) often from dying too young. There's one other musician who did not die young, but suffered a temporary setback at a most inopportune time. Certainly Carl Perkins went on to have a successful career (practically defining the word rockabilly) yet what-could-have-been has to be included in any biography of his. Perhaps we should just enjoy what did come forth: as Tom Petty wrote, "If you want to play Fifties rock & roll, you can either play like Chuck Berry: or you can play like Carl Perkins".
Growing up in a sharecropping family north of Memphis, Tennessee, a young Carl Perkins learned about music by listening to the Grand Ole Opry (with Bill Monroe as an early influence) and learned the guitar from a black field hand named John Westbrook. By his teens, Carl formed the Perkins Brothers Band (with brothers Jay on guitar and Clayton on bass). On the honky-tonk circuit of Tennessee, Carl Perkins paid particular attention to the dance floor: adapting his songwriting to the styles that garnered an audience reaction.
And it was an uptempo version of Bill Monroe's Blue Moon of Kentucky that first brought the band to regional prominence. Perkins often sent demos to New York record companies, who in the early 1950's had no inclination towards what he was playing. Yet it was hearing Elvis Presley's version of Blue Moon of Kentucky on the radio that convinced Perkins he was on the right track. So he auditioned for Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis in October, 1954.
He didn't gain a contract then (and Phillips wasn't very interested in Jay Perkins) but Phillips was taken with Carl's voice and guitar: and told him to write more material. As contrasted later with Johnny Cash, Phillips sensed that Carl was more suited for a rocking style - and when as a twenty-two year-old Carl Perkins updated the song Movie Magg - which he had written as a thirteen year-old - Sam Phillips released that in March of 1955. The rest of the year proceeded along with the Perkins Band playing tours throughout the South, often alongside Elvis Presley (and sometimes with Johnny Cash).
It was during one of these tours that Carl Perkins observed a dancer in a tavern get angry with his date over part of his apparel. Thus in December 1955, Sam Philips released the song Carl Perkins wrote after that incident, after suggesting that Carl amend one line to become go, cat, go from "go, man, go". Three months later, Blue Suede Shoes - a tune that borrowed stylistically from pop, country, and R&B music - sat at the top of all three charts: the first record to accomplish such a feat. It also achieved these honors: #95 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, plus inclusion in 2006 in the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress and also made the NPR 100 of important American musical works of the 20th Century.
In March 1956, Perkins and his band left Norfolk, Virginia in March, 1956 en route to New York, where they were due to perform the tune on both the Perry Como as well as Ed Sullivan shows ... when fate intervened to change history.
In Delaware their car rammed the back of a poultry truck, resulting in severe injuries for all involved. In deference to their friendship, Presley waited until Perkins’ version had peaked to release his own, which eventually reached #20. But Presley was the one who performed it on the Milton Berle and Dorsey Brothers Shows (while Perkins was still in traction) and whose career skyrocketed nationwide. Presley would still have achieved the success he did (his being single was a definite advantage over a married man) but how popular might Perkins (who wrote his own songs and was also a noted guitarist) have achieved had he not been laid-up and been the first on TV?
He returned to touring after several weeks, and went on to release several songs that defined his role as the king of rockabilly - Matchbox plus "Boppin' the Blues", Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby, "Dixie Fried" and "All Mama's Children" to name a few. At the recording session for Matchbox, an hour-long jam session arose where Perkins was joined by Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. The Million Dollar Quartet was eventually released as an album, and eventually made it to Broadway as a play.
But Perkins had trouble following-up with songs that captured more than a regional audience; his sound was more authentically Southern and less pop (before that became a non-factor). In addition, he was depressed over his brother Jay's death from cancer, battled alcoholism and restricted his touring over seeing increasing violence spawned by rowdy shows. He left Sun for Columbia in 1958, enticed by a higher royalty rate: but his sound suffered further under Columbia's tight control over studio time, unlike Sam Phillips' experimental ways. And so his career treaded water for a few years ... until a 1964 offer to tour Britain (with Chuck Berry) became his first break in years.
He was startled to learn that - instead of being an also-ran - the shows were sold out every night, as much for Carl as it was for Chuck. Re-invigorated, he accepted the invitation of The Beatles to attend a party given in his honor - and he watched them in the studio record several of his songs: more than any other composer's work they covered.
He was able to overcome his alcoholism, buoyed by his friend Johnny Cash hiring him as part of the Tennessee Three through much of the 1970's, and appearing on Johnny's 1969-1971 TV show in particular. A famous moment came when Eric Clapton appeared - and joined Carl and Johnny in a rendition (which you can watch here) of Matchbox in 1970. And when Bob Dylan was stuck halfway through writing a song that was intended for Nashville Skyline - Perkins was able to complete Champaign, Illinois - at which point Dylan told him "the song is yours", which Perkins included on his 1969 On Top album.
His 'comeback' status was complete in the 1980's when roots music groups such as the Stray Cats and The Blasters revived his era of music, and Perkins began touring extensively with several of his sons. In 1985, a 30th anniversary of Blue Suede Shoes appeared as a Cinemax special, where he was joined onstage in London by members of Britain's rock hierarchy (including George Harrison and Ringo Starr). And he reunited with Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis in 1986 at Sun Studios in Memphis to record the album Class of 55 (with Roy Orbison taking the place of Presley).
Carl Perkins' autobiography Go, Cat, Go was released in 1995, with an album of the same name shortly thereafter. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 1991, and Carl Perkins died in January, 1998 at the age of 65.
He was ranked #99 on the list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time by Rolling Stone, and was inducted into three Halls of Fame: Rockabilly plus the Nashville Songwriters in 1985 and Rock & Roll in 1987. It seems he did reach the top, after all.
Of all of his songs: my favorite was the "B" side of Blue Suede Shoes back in 1956: Honey, Don't! was the only song that was not only recorded by The Beatles - but also either recorded (or performed live) by each of the Fab Four as a solo performer. And below you can hear the original recording.
Well how come you say you will when you won't?
Say you do, baby, when you don't?
Let me know, honey, how you feel
Tell the truth: now is love real?
Well sometimes I love you on a Saturday night
Sunday morning you don't look right
You've been out painting the town
Uh-huh baby, been stepping around
Oh well, honey don't
Honey don't
Say you will when you won't:
Uh-huh: honey, don't