David Bowie has come out of hiding with his first new album in a decade. It’s called The Next Day, recorded in New York and produced by Tony Visconti, who helmed such classics as Low, Heroes and Bowie’s most recent albums including Reality (2003). The album is slated to hit U.S. markets on March 12.
This is “The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” with Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton playing Bowie’s wife.
Annie Lebovitz’s (in)famous photo of Fleetwood Mac, back in the day.
This week the music world will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the landmark album Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac. The occasion is marked by the release Tuesday of a super deluxe, three-disc set of the 1977 album that went on to sell more than 40 million copies worldwide.
We’ve all heard the album many times, almost as many times as we have also heard the soap opera that went on as the album was being recorded. Producer Ken Caillat told us a little about the intrigue, but apparently that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Apparently the best rock and roll is created when there’s tension, pressure and drama. Abbey Road, some of the Beatles’ greatest music, came together when the four members of the band could supposedly barely stand to be in the same room with each other. Elvis Presley’s finest hour came during his late 1960s “comeback,” dramatically righting a career that had become a series of horrible movies and bland soundtracks.
Rockers have had their share of hard times and downright tragedy, just like all of our other beloved entertainers. So let’s slap on a vintage vinyl copy of Rumours, and while it’s popping and ticking away, come with us down memory lane:
David Bowie is gay – Forty one years ago this month, David Bowie shocked no one when he announced to Melody Maker: “I’m gay and I always have been.” Well, probably the shocking part was that he had already been married to a woman.
Nevertheless, the announcement gave Bowie’s career new life. His album at the time, Hunky Dory, became a hit, and “Changes” would appear on the U.S. Billboard charts while “Starman” went to the top 10 in England. Later in 1972, Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, also a hit and a critics’ favorite to this day. He’d close out the year with the single “John, I’m Only Dancing,” with homosexual overtones that would prevent its release in the United States.
Four years later, Bowie would confess to Playboy that he is really bisexual. At that point, very few people cared about his sexual orientation any more.
YouTube: David Bowie with “Oh You Pretty Things”
Eric Clapton is a heroin addict – Perhaps insecure about his abilities as a guitar player (despite the graffiti “Clapton Is God”) Eric Clapton became a serious drug addict in the late 1960s. Heroin was his drug of choice, and in his autobiography Clapton says when he wrote “Layla” to woo Patti Boyd from her then-husband George Harrison he was spending about $16,000 a week on the stuff.
Patti, in her own autobiography, remembers that when she finally hooked up with Clapton he kicked heroin by becoming an alcoholic. “He began in the morning and drank all day until four o’clock when Roger Forrester, his minder and later his manager, made him stop,” she writes. Clapton also dabbled in cocaine and hallucinogens along the way.
Clapton eventually cleaned himself up, long after he’d left Patti Boyd/Harrison/Clapton. He had some real tragedy in his life in 1991 when his four-year-old son (with another wife) fell out of an open window and was killed. Clapton channeled his grief into the hit song “Tears In Heaven,” which earned three Grammy Awards.
YouTube: Eric Clapton with “Cocaine”
Jerry Lee Lewis marries his cousin – In 1957, piano-pounding wild man Jerry Lee Lewis had already been married twice. He married his second wife before the divorce from his first was final, so it shouldn’t have been a shock if he married his third wife before the second divorce was also final.
Nobody noticed – because the Killer married Myra Brown, his third cousin! Who was only 13 years old! Both husband and wife downplayed it, saying it was pretty common in the part of the country they were from. Well, hardly anyone else saw it their way; it became a huge scandal in the U.S. and Europe and pretty much shut down Jerry Lee’s career.
Lewis would manage a bit of a comeback in the late 1960s-early 1970s as a country music performer. He and Myra would divorce in 1970. Lewis, still alive today at age 77, will always be remembered for his wild, unrepentant attitude and his “cradle robbing.”
For the record, when asked about his fellow Memphis musician’s troubles back then, Elvis Presley reportedly said if the two were truly in love, then getting married was all right with him. Of course, Elvis would later fall in love with a 14-year-old girl … but that’s another story.
YouTube: Jerry Lee Lewis with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”
Jim Morrison’s penis – Perhaps the greatest rock and roll drama queen was Jim Morrison, front man of The Doors. He was no stranger to run-ins with the law, but his most (in)famous arrest came in 1969, in Miami.
Visibly intoxicated during the concert, Morrison asked the crowd “You didn’t come here for music, did you?” He continued to rant and finally asked, “You want to see my cock?” Ray Manzarek recalls that Morrison did some little peek-a-boo striptease thing with a bandana or something, and supposedly Mr. Mojo’s Risin’ was indeed seen.
At any rate, he was not charged until three weeks later, only after the incident became a huge media scandal. Morrison was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior (a felony with a maximum three-year sentence), indecent exposure, public drunkenness and such. After a lengthy and much publicized trial in 1970, Morrison was found guilty and sentenced to six months of hard labor on one charge, and 60 days of hard labor on another charge.
But he never went to prison – the sentence was still on appeal when Morrison died in Paris in 1971.
YouTube: Jim Morrison’s arrest coverage from 1969
Today is David Bowie’s birthday – he’s 66 years old and, in a twist, he’s giving us a gift. That is a new song, “Where Are We Now,” available on iTunes and as a video.
With the tune also comes news of a new album from Bowie, his first in a decade. It’s called The Next Day, recorded in New York and produced by Tony Visconti, who helmed such classics as Low, Heroes and Bowie’s most recent albums including Reality (2003). The album is slated to hit U.S. markets on March 12.
More tropical trouble for the Texas-Mexico coastline: last week Hurricane Alex rolled in to Mexico, more than 400 miles south of us, but we still received a deluge here in Houston. So as another nasty bit of weather rolls up to the beach, it occurs to me that we haven’t posted any hurricane/storms/rain songs yet this season. Here you go – stay dry and rock on!
MP3: “Change In The Weather” by John Fogerty
MP3: “Surfing In A Hurricane” by Jimmy Buffett
MP3: “High Water (For Charley Patton)” (live) by Bob Dylan
MP3: “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today” by Peter Gabriel
MP3: “In From The Storm” by Jimi Hendrix
MP3: “Texas Tornado” by the Sir Douglas Quintet
MP3: “Like A Hurricane” by Nils Lofgren
MP3: “Galveston” by Jimmy Webb featuring Lucinda Williams
MP3: “Here Comes The Rain” by Jan & Dean
MP3: “Riders On The Storm” by the Doors
MP3: “Texas Flood” by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
MP3: “The Rains Came” by Big Sambo
I first heard Dayna Steele in 1980 when she dubbed herself the “Lady of the Night” on 104 KRBE in Houston. She had a great radio voice and always talked about Springsteen. What’s not to like? I met Dayna a few years later when I was working at KTRH Radio and she was down the hall at 101 KLOL and I found her to be as cool as I thought she was….plus from time-to-time she would give me free stuff. Since her days behind the mic, she’s become a motivational speaker and author of Rock To The Top: What I Learned About Success from the World’s Greatest Rock Stars. Dayna was kind enough to answer some questions for us about the past, present and future:
30DaysOut: You spent a good part of your career in radio…how did you get started?
DS: On a dare in college at Texas A&M. I thought if I auditioned that a popular DJ in Bryan (TX) would ask me out. He didn’t, but I got the job and did that for the next 21 years.
30DaysOut: What was great about radio when you were in it?
DS: There was a little more creative freedom. Now all the stations sound the same to me
30DaysOut: Do you miss it?
DS: Nope. I love what I do now and have found a way to entertain and communicate with thousands of people – speaking through social media.
30DaysOut: What were some of your fondest memories being a DJ?
DS: WaterWorld at 1 in the morning with Billy Idol and 11 other people – they turned the rides on and gave us towels and bathing suits. The ONLY way to do a water park! Traveling with Van Halen when my mentor/godfather managed them. First class all the way baby! Forming a lasting friendship with David Crosby when he got out of prison. Home cooked dinner with AC/DC after a show at The Summit – Angus’ wife cooked while they played and then set a family table after the show. David Bowie asking if he could sit down at our table for drinks after a show at the downtown Four Seasons hotel. Duh! And so many more…..
30DaysOut: What do you think, if anything, is wrong with radio today?
DS: Everything is geared towards the stockholders not the listeners.
30DaysOut: You have been around the music business for a long time, what do you think of state of music and the music business today?
DS: I think it’s great. The record companies no longer have to control. If you are willing to do the work it takes and you have killer music, you can create your own fan base/sales using many forms of social media.
30DaysOut: What did you do after leaving KLOL?
DS: Had a baby, tried some TV, went into talk radio, started The Space Store, had another baby, started a media consulting company, sold The Space Store, went to business radio, wrote a book – became a fulltime business speaker and consultant. Whew.
30DaysOut: Tell us about your book…Rock To The Top: What I Learned About Success from the World’s 
Greatest Rock Stars
DS: It is a business book based on the lessons I learned from some of the world’s greatest rock stars- that success takes a combination of hard work, knowledge, networking, appreciation and more.
30DaysOut: What did you learn from guys like Gene Simmons of KISS, The Rolling Stones, etc?
DS: That ultimately it is still a business and you have to work hard at all that goes into a successful business even in rock and roll. That is, if you want to make it to the top and stay there.
30DaysOut: Tell us about your run-in with 70s teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy…
DS: I am a big proponent of hand written thank you notes. Shawn came to town for a promo when we were both around 20 yrs old. Big egos both of us. We got along horribly. I got a real ‘pissy’ little note from him about 2 weeks later. I use that as an example in my speeches of what NOT to write in a thank you note!
30DaysOut: In the book you talk about four things you need to do to unleash your “inner rock star”….what are they?
DS: 1) Know your passion and those of your fans/clients, 2) Never stop learning, reading and paying attention to your industry, the news and the world around you, 3) Relationships are everything – “you’ll never get a date sitting at home on the couch” – you have to get out and network with others continually and, 4) never forget to say thank you to everyone along the way.
30DaysOut: What is the best way to network?
DS: Do things for others without expecting anything in return. Comes back to you every time.
30DaysOut: How important is social media for people today?
DS: If you are not using it, it is consider the new form of illiteracy. Seriously.
30DaysOut: You have said how much rock stars appreciated you when you listened to them during an interview…how important is the simple act of listening?
DS: One of the top things to remember. Shut up and listen sometimes, really listen – you’ll find all kinds of info!
30DaysOut: How did you make the transition from DJ behind the mic to motivational speaker in front of hundreds of pe0ple?
DS: I never shut up. And when people started inviting me to speak, I thought, what the heck – might as well try. And fell in love with the business of speaking.
30DaysOut: What do you think the biggest obstacle for people to overcome to be able to unleash their power within?
DS: Fear. I liken it to learning to drive a car – you are nervous at first and may be hit a few curbs, but after a while you are just fine. And hopefully no hitting anymore curbs. Though there may be the occasional one so just keep going and learn from your mistakes!
30DaysOut: What does the future hold for you?
DS: Hopefully a half dozen margaritas beside a pool somewhere warm!
This may be one of the oddest pairings in music history, but it works. The track was originally recorded on Sept. 11, 1977 for Crosby’s
television special, Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas. Crosby died a month later and the show aired in November.
Bowie apparently “hated” “Little Drummer Boy” and that’s why “Peace On Earth” was written and added to the tune. He agreed to be on the special because he was trying to “normalize” his career and because his mother was a Crosby fan.
Warner/Reprise accounted for the second half of 1972 with two more double-LP samplers, both with the variety that characterized the previous offerings. The wide range of musical styles was heightened by the fact that the label also distributed records from other imprints including Bearsville (Foghat), Bizarre (Frank Zappa & the Mothers), Brother (Beach Boys), Capricorn (Allman Brothers), Chrysalis (Jethro Tull), Pentagram, Raccoon and Viva.
On Burbank, we got to hear some more rock from Alice Cooper, with “Public Animal #9,” some bloozy boogie from Foghat, some New Orleans from The Meters with “Cabbage Alley” and good ol’ Arlo Guthrie and Van Dyke Parks. Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, fresh from the Turtles, tips their hat with “I Been Born Again.” That song came from an album titled The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie, after which the duo would come to be known simply as “Flo and Eddie.” Throughout the 1970s they continued to release albums as Flo and Eddie, and did backup studio work for the likes of Stephen Stills, Blondie, Duran Duran, the Ramones and many others. Flo and Eddie sing backup on Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.” These days the boys work in radio and occasionally surface as “The Turtles … featuring Flo and Eddie.” Burbank also dipped its toe into the emerging soul/funk waters with the powerful San Francisco group Tower of Power, which would venture into the 1970s producing its own work as well as a ton of session work with other artists, making them a somewhat funkier Flo and Eddie.
This cool little compilation has, at its heart, a pretty interesting idea: take a handful of legendary singers/bands and ask them to identify a current artist to perform cover versions of their songs. The result is War Child Presents: Heroes, a 16-track disc that aims to benefit children affected by war. Although the album is a bit uneven, it rocks in its best parts. So Beck’s garage-rock dismantling of Bob Dylan’s “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat,” the Kooks’ faithful rendering of “Victoria” by the Kinks, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs channeling the Ramones in “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” are successful because each of these artists understand the context (and the era) that fuels these classics.
When the performer imposes too much of his or her personality on a song, the result is less satisfying: Rufus Wainwright turns a medley from the Beach Boys’ Smile into a long whine, and Duffy’s too-sultry reading of “Live And Let Die” drains all the excitement out of the song. And a few choices couldn’t be more right: Bruce Springsteen is dead-on with his choice of The Hold Steady to do “Atlantic City” and TV On The Radio is a perfect fit for David Bowie’s “Heroes.” I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by this album – try it and you will be too.
MP3: “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat” by Beck
Stream songs from War Child Presents: Heroes at this MySpace page
It has been pointed out that if we post something called “Halloween Pot Luck,” as we did yesterday, possibly it should have something to do with Halloween. Well, OK … but it was a nice photo, eh? Anyway, let’s try again with some genuine Halloween music. Enjoy your Halloween, remember to use your powers for good and not evil, and be safe tonight.
MP3: “Werewolves of London” (live) by Warren Zevon
MP3: “Wake The Dead” by Alice Cooper
MP3: “It Came Out Of The Sky” (live) by Creedence Clearwater Revival
One for the ladies!
MP3: “Buried Alive” by Motörhead
MP3: “Nightmare” by Ozzy Osbourne
MP3: “Long Black Veil” (live) by Johnny Cash
MP3: “Sympathy For The Devil” by the Rolling Stones
MP3: “Loving The Alien” by David Bowie
MP3: “Zombie Zoo” by Tom Petty
MP3: “Friend Of The Devil” (live) by the Grateful Dead
30 Days Out 
