https://tosh.substack.com/p/wednesday-april-28-2021
My commentary on the 1960s era of The Who on my Substack blog. Come to read! And subscribe!
The World of Tosh Berman: Saturday, April 24, 2021 (My Fragrance)
The World Of Tosh Berman: Saturday, April 24, 2021 - My Fragrance.
The World of Tosh Berman: Today is Friday, April 23, 2021, and on the same date in 2005, it was the first upload of a video on YouTube. I write about the video "Me At The Zoo" probably the most important works produced in the 21st Century. Read it here:
"The World of Tosh Berman" My interview with the artist Stuart Sutcliffe https://tosh.substack.com/p/thursday-april-22-2021
The World of Tosh Berman: On Bobby Paris. Read it here:
https://tosh.substack.com/p/monday-april-19-2021
For one, it's nice to have a recording of David Bowie's sound on stage during his approach to the Soul and Rhythm n' Blues world. At this time, he embraced American Black culture with a passionate intensity. As much as I like (or love) Young Americans album, it strikes me as a bridge between his Diamond Dogs and Station to Station, which combines his passion for funk and Avant-rock. Still, what a wonderful time and tour where Bowie slipped into a James Brown mode and presented these new songs from Young Americans before it was released. I have to imagine some Bowie fans were scratching their heads at this time, but whatever reason, the music is superb.
The recording of the record is not top-notch but still listenable. The only weird thing about it is the use of the echo in Bowie's mic -which may work in a live situation, but on record comes off odd. Bowie's voice is shot but still full of emotion, and his singing skills never fail. I also love side 3 because it focuses on the new material: "Can You Hear Me?" "It's Gonna Be Me," and the amazing "Somebody Up There Likes Me." There is also a killer version of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood," as well as hearing the roots to "Fame" called "Foot Stompin'." For the casual fan, this collection is not a must-have, but for the die-hard Bowie lunatic, it is a must to own and enjoy. If I'm not mistaken, the only tour not recorded (or released yet) is his greatest hits tour he did in 1990.
It's interesting to note that this album is called Walter Carlos' Clockwork Orange. They leave out the "A" that is in the original title for the film. Not only that, but Carlos is taking control over her work and presents it as music on its own merits. Nevertheless, this album is the ultimate work of electronic music, not as an experiment, but using the adventuresome aspect of that type of music into pop or classical medium. Carlos and her producer Rachel Elkind are brilliant composers.
The big thrill here is the opening piece "Timesteps," 14 minutes long and a tremendous aural adventure. Written for A Clockwork Orange but not used as far as I know is the ultimate electronic sound collage of dread/humor that perfectly fits the film or the novel's look at the near future of the time. The rest of the album is pretty much what we know of the score or soundtrack to the movie. But re-positioned by the artists that make the work representable to her own aesthetic. The last piece on the album is "Country Line," which has traces of "Singing in the Rain," but almost as an afterthought.
Wallace Berman, Verifax Collage, on Paperboard 7 3/4 x 7 inch.
The World of Tosh Berman. Saturday, April 17, 2021 For Lindsay Anderson, Billy Fury, and Pete Shelley.
I always found Southern California to be a fascinating landscape. One can do pretty much what they want to do if they have the talent, or perhaps even more critical, the skill of a hustler. Joel Selvin's "Hollywood Eden" is a collection of tales I know of. Still, now they are clearly explained to the reader. Being a citizen of Los Angeles, I knew the existence of Jan and Dean and aware of them as an essential presence in the California myth, which I think is true, by the way. The weather is a huge aspect of living outdoors, and a car, especially in the 1950s and a touch of the 60s, fits perfectly well into the landscape. Jan and Dean, especially the brains of the outfit, Jan Berry, had an instinct about the inside business of making music and records.
Jan, a Californian rich kid, used his family's garage as a recording studio where he experimented with sounds and singing. His partner in crime, Dean Torrance, was symbolically a partner but fitted in the image of two guys sharing cars, the surf, and girls. The book is a narrative that starts in 1958 and ends in 1966. Besides Jan Berry, the other key figures in this tale of Californian hustle and art are Kim Fowley, Lou Adler, Nancy Sinatra, Terry Melcher (the son of Doris Day), Bruce Johnson, The Mama and Papas, and of course, Brian Wilson. Although Jan had the talent, good looks, and brains, he didn't have Brian's brilliance. Jan inspired Brian, but the student (Brian) left the master (Jan) in the dust.
Kim Fowley had the talent to be in the right place and at the right time. Beyond that, it was mostly luck that connected him to the outskirts of the music business. Everyone knew him, but except Bruce Johnson, few admired or liked him. Fowley, I think, fed on that resentment that led him to endless hours hustling people to make records or money. For the pop fan, Fowley is famous mainly for managing and co-writing songs for The Runaways, but there is no mention of life after 1966 in this book. I think the strength of "Hollywood Eden" in being focused on a specific time frame.
Everyone in this book can have a fascinating full biography. Selvin is a skilled journalist and writer. He knows how to tell the tale without losing himself or the reader with too much history or baggage. It reads like a Southern California noir novel than anything else. The details about the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr are something that I never knew about. Still, I had a faint impression that there was a Jan and Dean connection to the crime. It seems Dean knew the kidnapper and was told about it, but he didn't believe it until it became apparent to him. The Nancy Sinatra narrative is also of great interest in how she slowly emerges from being the daughter of Frank and becoming her own artist with the assistance of Lee Hazelwood.
"Hollywood Eden" is very bittersweet because we know that some of these participants in the book did not have a happy future. For example, there's no mention of the Manson Family problem that Melcher had, and like Fowley's Runaways, there is no need to bring it up in this book. This is very much a page-turner for those who love the early Surf-Car-teenage pop of Southern California, but the characters themselves are solid and cinematic. Not all of them are likable, but they did contribute something unique to Southern California's mix or cocktail. A burst of bright sunshine with Noir's presence.
Bill Drummond is a Scottish Jack-of-all-trades, which means he's a writer, A&R at Warner Brothers Records, conceptional artist, record producer, manager & producer of Echo & the Bunnymen, and a member of KLF. Recently he is on a world tour where he will produce 25 paintings by the year 2025. Oh, and he also made a solo album, "The Man" in 1989.
For someone who has almost a DADA-like approach to art and business, making this album comes as a surprise. 12 extremely well-crafted and produced songs that have a country-leaning but something twisted-like in its performance. A strong Scottish accent, at times it reminds me of Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline," only that it is suspicious that such an out-there artist like Dylan would make a 'straight' country album in Nashville. With songs like "Julian Cope is Dead," one suspects a tongue deep in the cheek, but on the other hand, it is a gorgeous album. A trebly solid electric guitar and lovely steel guitar throughout the album make it both a toe-tapper as well as a profound listening experience.
The front and back of the album cover are so dull that one has to make it into an artistic statement of some sort. Still, the performance and the quality of the songs are remarkable. They can be looked at as some kind of 'art performance.' Still, I think in actuality, they are very straightforward works of beautiful melodies and, of course, being Drummond, understanding what makes a pop song work. For sure, an essential album to have in one's collection of crazed rock n' roll managers, such as Joe Meek and Malcolm McLaren (who one can make comparisons with Drummond). If you see this album in the bins, get it.
The World of Tosh Berman: Thursday, April 15, 2021. The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine as well as enjoying the life of a recluse. The World of Tosh Berman: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Loren Glass to discuss his new book Carole King’s Tapestry (33 1/3). Carole King is one of the most successful songwriters of the 20th century. From her early Brill Building days writing hits with her first husband Gerry Goffin to this iconic solo album that broke sales and chart records as well as glass ceilings. Glass makes the case that Tapestry was not only the soundtrack to but also part of the engine for the women’s movement. Whether or not you’re a fan of Tapestry, you inevitably love many of her other hits as sung by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, The Beatles and many of the early girl groups. Her back catalogue is still being mined regularly by more recent artists solidifying her legacy for many years to come.
Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17
The World of Tosh Berman: Tuesday, April 13, 2021. My experience at the Cinerama Dome watching "Barry Lyndon." Tuesday, April 13, 2021
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| Dry point table, 1981 Mixed media on wood 12 x 24 inches (45 x 60 cm) |
When I hear the two words together, Saul and Steinberg, I immediately think of him as the illustrator for New Yorker Magazine. This is true, but one can't measure a person's worth from just one source. Looking at the catalog of a show that took place in 2019 at the TOTAH Gallery in New York City, I become aware that there is a larger landscape that Saul Steinberg worked on. Going through this catalog, which is available at the gallery, and in an edition of 300, it's a great jaunt through an artist's career that is small in size but focused on his greatness.
The humor in his drawing is very tongue in cheek but sophisticated in that Manhattan manner that I love so much. Trotzky in New York, 1982 is an image of Trotsky with an apple pie and coffee at a New York Automat, dated January 28, 1917. That year, he spent 10 weeks in the city, and to see such a Russian iconic Marxist figure in an Automat is funny alone. Still, Steinberg's drawing is very sweet, and there is an absurdity mixed in. I don't know the origin or why this work was done. It could have been for a publication or article on Trotsky in New York, or it can be just a witty commentary on the clash of cultures. Perhaps the automated world of Capitalism within the framework of a Marxist enjoying his pie and cafe.
I'm intrigued with his works on wood, mainly through the medium of ink, collage, paint, and pencil. One, Dry Point Table (Illustration above), he gives equal space to each image. It reminds me of Marcel Duchamp's Box in a Valise, which is his entire works put in a suitcase. In a series of works on wood, which resembles looking at a tabletop, Steinberg is not complete, but there are personal items that are placed neatly. The viewer can connect the pen, the portraits, and an image of a book opened to Steinberg's art.
The World of Tosh Berman: A Trip to the Barbershop.
New Journal entry for Saturday, April 10, 2021. With visuals as well! Read it here, and do sign or subscribe to the blog please: Saturday, April 10, 2021
For today's journal I write about Las Vegas through the film "Las Vegas Story." And if you enjoy my writing, do subscribe. Read and subscribe here: Tosh's Journal: Friday, April 9, 2021
Hello friends,“Who is Lun*na Menoh?” will be virtually screened at Ashland Indie Film Festival on April 20 and 21, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. You can watch Jeff Mizushima, Lun*na Menoh and Tosh Berman's Q&A after the screening. Don't miss :
Weight issues in today's "The World of Tosh Berman" Thursday, April 8, 2021 (and Oscar Wilde) read it here: https://tosh.substack.com/p/thursday-april-8-2021
In today's journal, I write about walking and one's library and record collection. Read it here: https://tosh.substack.com/p/wednesday-april-7-2021
A still from the Wallace Berman film "Aleph." Brian Jones.
In England, there were the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Here in Los Angeles, and in the 1970s Punk era, it was The Screamers and The Weirdos. There were many other bands in Southern California at the time, but those two were the ones that I found to be the most interesting. The Screamers were keyboard electronic orientated theater band. The Weirdos were rock n' roll but with a sense of absurdity. At least on stage, they were outlandish with their trashcan clothing style. On record, they are a powerful rock band.
It's amusing now to think of Punk as being one type of music. It never was. One would think it's all "One...Two...Three, and Go," but the truth that there were a lot of subtle differences between all the groups. The Weirdos will be placed in the Punk Rock section of a music store, but they are also a classic hard rock band. It is always backed by a powerful drummer such as Nicky Beat and the wonderful Danny Benair of The Quick/The Three O'Clock fame. Their music had a slow built-up tension, and then one approaches the chorus as it builds and builds to a sense of ecstasy. Listening to it now reminds me a bit of Howard Devoto's Magazine. There are intelligence and a fair amount of humor in how they presented their music and visuals. The other memebers of the band are Cliff Roman, Dix Denney, and his brother the vocalist John Denney.
"Who? What? When? Where? Why?" the six-song EP that is part of the compilation is superb. "Happy People," "Big Shot," and "Idle Life, among the others, are classic rock. Not far off from Slade or the hard glam sound of the early 70s. An artifact from my past, but when I listen to this record now, it takes me to a very contemporary present.
My latest piece, or an introduction to the series "The World of Tosh Berman" is now up. Here: The World of Tosh Berman: Tuesday, April 6, 2021
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