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May 2005 Hello, everybody and welcome to my first rant of 2005! Yes, I'm back...and I've got a lot on my mind, too!
Before I go any further I want to say that The Dont's are the best band in the world. More about that later.
Speaking of the Dont's: Mr. Jonny Don't asked me a very pertinent question regarding press kits and my reply sorta summed up my true attitude about those informative, yet sometimes irritating, unimaginative and repetitive things. So here, with the kind permission of Mr. Don't, is our exchange:
Jonny said: “Hey Norman, The Dont's gotta get a press kit together, and I bet you get them dang things all the time. So I wanted to ask you: what do you like to see in a press kit? What ones have you seen that you really liked? Anything that made you go, ‘Damn, I gotta put this mutha on right now!’?”
And I replied: “Hey! Thanks for asking.
Most press kits are so similar that I rarely even look at them. "Bla bla started playing music at the age of bla bla when he/she bla bla in the bla bla. Since then it's been one bla bla after another. With a style that's a unique combination of bla bla and bla bla he/she will bla bla bla bla bla." Or, in the case of a group: "Bla bla and bla bla met in bla bla at the bla bla. Since then they have bla bla at the bla bla and their music, a unique blend of bla bla and bla bla has been bla bla bla bla." Then there's a bunch of pictures and badly-copied reviews from local papers. Like I care. Sometimes I get a sticker or a badge. One time I got a cool t-shirt, which I still wear.
You get the idea.
My favorite press kits are the simplest. A CD, a picture and a brief description of the band/artist and the music - minus the superlatives. This is just me, but I like bands and artists who don't take themselves too seriously (after all, it's only rock'n'roll) and are able to convey that in their kit. I like a slightly skewed approach. Anyone can say they're great - and most do - but few can convincingly say why. It's better not to brag.
What I normally do is glance at the press kit, stick the CD in the player and let the music speak for itself. If I really like the music I'll give the kit a closer look. When I'm writing the review I'll use the kit for information like names and places. Oh, yeah - I really appreciate it when the artist puts all that up front in the kit. I don't really care if Bla Bla started playing piano at the age of eight and singing for family an friends and I don't think anyone else does, either (except, of course, Bla Bla and his/her family and friends). Lots of times I listen in the car with the press kit on the seat beside me and I glance at it at red lights!
That's probably more information than you needed. I'd like to see your press kit, though - if it's anything like your music and your site - remember your site? - I'm sure it'll be interesting.
Do you like the Residents?”
On to other things:
Hey, you with the toothpick in your mouth - you don't look at all cool. In fact, you look stupid. Would you walk around with a toothbrush hanging on your lip? Wait...that's right...you probably would.
Decca was right to reject the "bathroom graffiti" cover for Begger's Banquet. The CD reissue features the rejected artwork and you know what? IT DOESN'T WORK. The white "invitation" artwork was much more appropriate (even though it looked like a rip of the White Album). If you're too young (or too whatever) to know what I'm talking about, don't sweat it. I don't.
Speaking of inappropriate - is there any domestic vehicle more ridiculously inappropriate than a Hummer? Although, in defense of this road hogging, gas-swilling monstrosity - there's no better way to give the finger to the world.... if you can afford it (and none of us can).
And speaking of reissues - I'm disappointed that the great Turtles album Battle of the Bands is not available on CD. In fact, their entire output has been chopped up and issued on a bunch inappropriately titled, ill conceived compilations. BOO.
As you may know, I've been playing drums the Beatcombers for the past several months. It's been a real gas! We just played at the Cherry Bar in San Francisco - thanks to all those who came to witness what was surely one of our finer performances! Sadly, Glenn (vocals and guitar) and Steve (bass and vocals) are leaving the band, effectively ending this phase of the band's existence. Rick (vocals and guitar ) and I are discussing the possibility of continuing the band with a couple of new members. We'll see....and I'll let ya know what happens! I've also been playing (drums, again) with Belleville (go to www.bellevillemusic.com), a band that drives down the same musical street as Wilco and Uncle Tupelo - you know Americana-ish. Real good stuff. We'll be gigging soon, and - of course - I'll keep ya informed!
The other day I watched Wilco's "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" and Radiohead's "Meeting People is Easy.Both movies...well, videos...okay, DVDs...were pretty much about the same thing - the trials and tribulations of being in a successful band - I must say that I found the Wilco one much easier to follow (and enjoy). The Radiohead one was far to visually obtuse (in an R.E.M. video kinda way) to be enjoyable. That's what I think. What do you think? Wait...I don't care!
My favorite record right now is Ghosts of the Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon. I also like the new one from the Dont's, misc. radio leakage and Cutting Room Rug, the latest from those musical cut-ups Arms of Kismet. Check the reviews to see what I say about 'em - also check out Mark Doyon's (Arms of Kismet) responses to The Norman Questions.
Oh, and I've changed my mind about Let It Be...Naked. I still hate the title - it should have been "Get Back" - but the music's not so bad. Hey, it's my mind and I can change it! And another thing, Beatle-wise: Think of Abbey Road with Old Brown Shoe (great song, great recording wasted as the b-side of the crappy Ballad of John and fucking Yoko) instead of Maxwell's Silver Hammer (crap song that never would have seen the light of day if John had given a shit). In my (ever so humble) opinion, that would have made Abbey Road the best album ever. The side one track listing would look like this: 1. Come Together 2. Something 3. Oh! Darling 4. Old Brown Shoe 5. Octopus's Garden 6. I Want You (she's so heavy) . What do you think? wait...I don't care!
I did finally finish remastering Sparky Grinstead's 1979 album "Won Out". It's now on CD thanks entirely to me. Check out the Sparky section for more news on that front. I'm working on his third - and final - record, FSGBOC, which was released back in '85...I think.
The Lipo Lounge is a dank, unassuming little dive smack in the middle of San Francisco's fabled Chinatown. It was in the Lipo's basement - an even danker, less assuming performance space - that I finally witnessed the Dont's in all their glory.
Frenchie (Peters - my assistant and resident art director) and I arrived at around 10pm, just as opening band The Mandarins were beginning their set. The 4-strong Mandarins and their equipment overflowed the small stage - there wasn't even room for the bassist, a guy named Mike, who had to stand next to the platform perilously close to the room's only entrance. In the small, low-ceilinged room lead singer and main songwriter Ben's vocals were mostly inaudible, but the music featured interesting guitar interplay (at one point Mike put down his bass and joined Ben and 2nd guitarist Ed for some triple 6-string goings-on) and intriguing sonic dissonance Both Frenchie and I were reminded of the venerable but always happenin' Velvet Underground in a post-punk kinda way. Drummer Steve held it all together and kept things moving along in his unobtrusive fashion. I was surprised to find out that they've been together for weeks, not months or years. Visit 'em at myspace.com/themandarins to find out where they'll turn up next. Definitely worth seeing and hearing.
By the time the Dont's took the stage - around 11 - the place was packed. Playing mostly songs from their new release, misc radio leakage, the band (Jonny Don't, vocals Joey Don't, guitar, J.J. Don't, bass and Kenny Don't, drums) quite simply electrified the room. On record, their music is an interesting and exciting blend of post-punk, rockabilly and noisy skronk. Onstage they explode. Joey, J.J. and Kenny, virtuosos all, create a propulsive, fluid and thunderous wall of sound for Jonny's vocals. As a front man, Jonny Don't oozes star quality. At turns funny, intense, riveting and always entertaining, he's cool without trying - and that's the best kind of cool. He left the tiny stage and darted into the crowd several times to encourage sing-alongs and made the most of his electric megaphone. I like their records - I love them live. Folks, this is a great band. See them. Buy their records. It doesn't get much better than this. Get to their site - www.thedonts.com - and find out where and when they're playing next. When they break big , you can say you were there. As I said at the start of all this, the Dont's are the best band in the world!
I never got a chance to review "the land and the feet down before us", the ep by the now late and lamented Minnesota cowpunks Little Dirt, although I was looking forward to hearing more from them. Well, it turns out that Zac Stanley, the band's songwriter and main instigator, has relocated to California and is looking to put another Little Dirt-like band together. Last I checked, the Little Dirt website is kaput. Zac, if you're out there and still looking for musicians, let me know and I'll post your contact information!
Mr. Greg Philpott of Orbiter Guitars has done absolute wonders with every single one of my axes. He is the man when it comes to anything regarding guitars and basses. Not only that - he's a great guy, always willing to impart wisdom and advice and patient enough to endure my sometimes rambling questions. And get this - he's reasonable! Greg is located in beautiful San Leandro, California, so if you're in the San Francisco area and you need someone to look after your precious axe - get in touch with him! You can e-mail Orbiter Guitars at orbiter_guitars@yahoo.com and if you click here you'll see the Orbiter price list! At a later date I'll post pictures of my guitars and detail what Greg's done to them to make then sing!
Well, that's all for now. Don't litter. Respect your fellow man. If you can read this you're following too close. Prices subject to change. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. No shoes, no shirt, no service. No method, no guru, no teacher. Please drive safely! It's more important to get there alive then to get there first!
Question: will any more music by the Mod-est Lads be unearthed? Let's hope so! I'm still groovin' to "Trouser Load of Love" but I want to hear more! If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, click here and find out!
Jesse Astin, Mr. Like Clockwork, has been in touch lately. You may remember his last CD "A Cross in the Ground" was my choice for record of the year in 2002. He sent along some mp3s of his new stuff and I gotta tell ya....it's great! I'm looking forward to his next release - and you should be, too! And of course you remember Lester the Hairy Alternative - if you don't, shame on you - well, Lester's back home with his mom after spending a little time locked away after being arrested while recording his new record "I'm the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You". His mom gave me a call and asked if I'd be interested in producing! She told me Lester would have called himself, but he hasn't quite got the hang of using a telephone....we'll see what happens!
Angie, where are you?
August 2004
I saw Diana Krall at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California last week. Beautiful place. Her hubby Elvis was there but he didn't perform. She did her usual Diana Krall stuff - you know, a few standards, a couple of Elvis tunes, etc. It was enjoyable, if a little stiff. She really didn't loosen up until the end when she performed an amazing blues medley. She's way better on the piano than I ever gave her credit for. The opening act was pretty hot but I can't remember their
My 4th of July performance at the Berkeley Marina, though sparsely attended (thanks to all who showed up!), went off without a hitch. Here's a picture of me, rockin' as only I know how!
Whether I'll ever do something like that again is a question I'm not prepared to answer at this point - but it was fun. Thanks to the Alien Party Boys (Mark and Jim) for their stellar support! NORMAN'S TOP ELEVEN 1. Aqua Teen Hunger Force 2. McArthur Park by Richard Harris 3. Odwalla Strawberry C Monster 4. Half-Life_Internet play 5. Courtney Love 6. Monkey Versus Robot 7. Little Green Men 8. The Pillsbury Doughboy 9. Fat Elvis 10. e-bay 11. Number 11, naturally I've been sending out Sparky Grinstead's Le Bonx CD for airplay and reviews - check out the Sparky section of this site to see what kind of responses I've been Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the reviews and keep on keepin' the on on.
July 2004 Hello, and welcome to my latest rant! It's been a while since my last update - had some serious equipment malfunctions and spent a lot of time not doing anything about 'em. Everything's okay now! I'll start off by wishing #11 a speedy recovery! You know who scares me? That kindly white-haired "doctor" guy who runs that spooky on-line dating service that claims to have the most success matching mostly white, pudgy 30-somethings. "Why leave dating to chance?" he says, spookily. In one testimonial, a pudgy white 30-something woman says: "It's like I placed an order for the perfect mate, and they filled it." Then it shows her "mate" - you guessed it - a pudgy 30-something white guy. It's the McDonaldization of the mating process. Spooky. Here's a picture of me at the top of the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. Pretty cool, huh? Don't ask me what I was doing or how I got there:
So, I did it - I went out and got my own band together. Look for Norman Famous and the Alien Party Boys to be playing at a dive near you! (It might be a while before that actually happens, but keep lookin' anyway!) After all these years of talking about other people's music, I thought it was time I went out and made some of my own! Sort of like putting my money where my mouth is but without the money or the mouth. More about "Naked": I know I've complained a LOT about Let It Be: Naked in previous rants, so I'll keep this short. It's a crap record that should never have been released. Too bad about El Sob. Me, me, all about me: The best thing on television right now is "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" on Cartoon Network. No explanation necessary. I've also belatedly become a big fan of "The West Wing". On the music front, I've been groovin' to my Beatles collection (with the notable exception of the execrable "Let It Be: Naked", of course). I still think Like Clockwork's "Cross In The Ground" is one of the greatest albums EVER. I've been listening to a lot of radio talk shows. Sometimes they're funny - sometimes they're not so funny. Let's talk about monkeys: there was a popular dance in the 60's called the monkey and I think there were a couple of hit records called "The Monkey" that may or may not have been related to the dance. There was a popular Japnese television show in the 70's called "Monkey Heaven". (Go to www.monkeyheaven.com to learn more!) Remember the flying monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz"? They were evil in a flying monkey kinda way. Curious George was (is) a cartoon monkey who couldn't (can't) fly and was (is) not evil (just dangerously curious). Sparky Grinstead update: my remaster of Sparky's album "Won Out" is ready for release. All I have to do now is get around to releasing it. Watch this space (webmaster: not literally) for more news. Probably not a good idea: putting money in your mouth, vacationing in Iraq, "Let It Be: Naked", eating every meal at McDonald's (like the guy in the movie), unprotected sex with people you don't know, unprotected sex with people you know. This just in: Norman Famous (that's me) and the Alien Party Boys (or APB) will be performing at the 4th of July Festival at the Berkeley Marina (that's Berkeley, California). We'll go on around 12:30 PM and will play until we run out of songs; that'll take about an hour. We're playing in place of the now, sadly, defunct El Sob. Maybe I'll see you there. It's okay if you pretend you don't know me. I'll be doing the same. Got all that? Good. Now go play. See ya next time. Oh! And one more thing: if you're out there playing music, have fun. March 2004 Hi, everybody! Welcome to my latest rant! The gates of the Ministry of Defense in New Delhi are guarded by three stone monkeys. On a futuristic mass-transit system, an old man was complaining about his treatment at the hands of the local police and fire departments. "I was just sittin' outside," he whined, "and suddenly there was a fire! The firemen came and started squirtin' water all over the place and the police came and started goin' who-did-this-who-did-that." I was only half-listening in a futuristic kinda way. What else do you do when someone starts talking to you when your mind is somewhere else? Years ago John Prine sang that we are living in the future. I believed him then and I believe him now. So sad about the Sniff group. New music: Janet Jackson's latest "project" is a piece of crap. It's hard to take this stuff seriously - it's more about "product" than actual music - and it's jaw-achingly BORING. An even bigger, stinkier piece of crap is Courtney Love's latest disaster, "America's Sweetheart" - corporate grunge-lite of the worst kind. She really needs to pack it in and rest on her laurels while she's still got some to rest on. Don't put money in your mouth. On to the good stuff: the already legendary Jay-Z bootleg "The Gray Album" is truly mesmerizing - the hands-down winner of the most interesting use of Beatle music since, well, the Beatles. John Cale's new one, "Homo Sapiens", is surprisingly good and Cracker's "Countrysides" is engagingly funny in an ironic mock-but-not-really country kinda way. Okay , call me slow but I'm only now discovering The Pogues. If you're even slower than me and don't own any music by this great (now defunct) punk-traditional Irish group you must remedy that right away. A good place to start is the "Very Best of..." collection. On a futuristic mass-transit system two young ladies were arguing about cellular technology. "There will be no cellular technology in the future!" declared the first young lady, who was wearing a bright red beret. The second young lady, who had no beret, retorted that the future was already here. "The future's already here!" she retorted. I was only half-listening in a futuristic kinda way. We are living in the future. Enjoy it while it lasts. "A temple stands there...and is guarded by thousands of monkeys" As for me, I'm working on the remaster of Sparky Grinstead's "Won Out" album from 1979. It should be ready by the summer. I will, of course, keep you informed. By now you must have noticed that elsob.net has become normanfamous.com. I'm no longer renting space on a site. I AM the site! Cool, huh? Keep rainin', keep dreamin'. February 2004 Hello, and welcome to my latest rant! Number 11: I had the dubious pleasure of witnessing a Bette Midler concert not long ago (February 10th at the Oakland Arena, to be exact) and it was quite a spectacle. Bette Midler is not someone that I've paid particular attention to over the years - I know she's had some hits with big ballads of questionable quality and made a few movies, also of questionable quality - so it was all new to me. After floating in on a carousel horse she proceeded to sing, tell jokes and perform various skits (of questionable quality) for about 2 1/2 hours (including intermission). The not-quite-sellout crowd of mostly overweight 50- somethings enjoyed the heck out of it...and you know what? So did I [Webmaster: *cough*]. There were some supremely bizarre moments - like the Judge Judy parody featuring the actual Judge Judy and the actual Gary Coleman as the bailiff - that kept it interesting. There were also times - like the whole "mermaids on Broadway" bit in the second half - where the show seemed in danger of going completely off the rails. All in all, an evening well spent. More bitchin' about The Beatles: last time I complained bitterly about the travesty that is Let It Be: Naked, and now I've got more to complain about. In the liner notes, the same quote - the one about having enough songs for the next 10 years - is attributed to both John and George (for the record, it sounds more like George). That's an incredibly careless oversight and is yet another indication that the legacy of the greatest group in the history of popular music is not in competent hands. I've started to get demos again. People, I don't even listen to, much less review, demos. As I've said before, I will review a CD that people can actually go and BUY, whether it's from your web site or Tower Records (Remember Tower Records?). Just don't send me hand labeled CD-Rs in paper envelopes. Finish the project, release it and THEN send it to me and I'll be happy to let you and the rest of the world know what I think about it. If you haven't already, check out my new feature "The Norman Questions" - this time Mr. Jesse Astin of Like Clockwork provides the answers - I'll try to interview a different artist every month or so - but no promises - I have a life, too, you know! (Oh, wait - no, I don't!). Also, please note that my mailing address has changed! Lately I've been groovin' to: Steely Dan "Everything Must Go" - A better album than the Grammy (yawn) winning comeback "Two Against Nature"; The Mothers of Whatever happened to: Oasis, The Strokes, The Vines, Michael Jackson's nose, WMD, SARS, The Oakland raiders, Who Cares: Janet Jackson, The Grammy Awards, The That's it for now - keep on rockin'!
January 2004 Happy new year. Now, let's look back at the year that was. Norman's Lists: The Best Stuff I Reviewed In 2003: The Best Stuff I Didn't Review in 2003: Worst excuse for a Beatles album: "Let It Be...Naked". Awful title, terrible artwork, inferior takes. Incredibly, it's worse than the Spectorized original. A tragic disappointment. Band I must see live: The Don'ts Most articulate hate mail: Electric Candy Shop's response to my review of their "Symphony On Saturn" CD, in which they told me in great detail and in no uncertain terms how and why I'm full of it. I took a break in December, but I'm back and ready to write! Please note my new address when sending your stuff to me. Remember those crazy Russians? I reviewed them in the Demo-lition section not long ago. They are so cool and you can't buy their stuff, but they've given me permission to feature one of their songs on the site! The group is called Kontoka Kooka and the song is called "Dance". Click here to hear this song (hear?)...no, here. You can E-mail them at kook@aport.ru - tell them how great they are and how important it is that they release a CD that we can actually buy. Winter 2003 Hello and welcome to what will most likely probably be my second-to-last rant of this wonderful year! Hey, all you indie musicians out there! Are you aware of The Indie Bible? If not, you should be. Go to www.indiebible,com and check it out! It is an absolutely invaluable resource for independent musicians who want to get their music out there! The new edition is out, so hurry and get your copy! Yes, it's true! Some recordings I produced years ago for El Sob drummer Earl Grinstead (then known as Sparky) are finally being allowed to see the light of day (again). First up is his punk-jazz opus "Le Bonx", which is like nothing you've ever heard before. Go to the Sparky Grinstead section of this web site to find out more. By the time this is posted I'm sure that Warren Zevon will have been eulogized by every major and not-so-major music publication on this planet. I won't add to it here except to say that his album "The Envoy" should be available on CD. Why it isn't has always been a mystery to me. Maybe Rhino or Rykodisc will get around to it now that he's more famous than he's ever been. And another thing....I'm STILL getting a lot of demos. Stop sending me demos. I don't listen to demos. I don't review demos. I don't like demos. Make a CD. Market the CD to the CD-buying public. Send it to me and I'll review it (for better or worse). Just no more demos. Please. The record industry is crackin' down on us for trying to find alternatives to spending twenty bucks on a CD that probably only has one or two good songs on it anyway. Want to avoid being made an example of? Stop sharing files. Want to show them who's boss? Stop buying new major label releases. Stick to indie music. It's usually more interesting and more reasonably priced. The record industry needs to take some of that expensive lawyer money and invest it in artist development and ways to work with the com_puter-savvy public instead of against them! LESTER UPDATE: A lot of you have asked about obtaining a copy of Lester the Hairy Alternative's "I Am Me" which I reviewed a few months back. Well, I talked to Lester's mom (it's a long, long story) and I'm sorry to have to report that Lester has been institutionalized. Apparently he was working on the follow-up to "I Am Me", which was going to be titled, "I'm the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You", when he was arrested for disturbing the peace. I should point out that the music consisted entirely of Lester throwing various objects down a concrete stairwell while shouting improvised lyrics about the object in question. Neighbors grew concerned and contacted the police. One thing led to another and it was deemed that Lester was a danger to himself and others. Now, back to "I Am Me": Lester's mom told me that he only made a few hundred copies and sent only a handful out for possible airplay and reviews (I got mine because he thought my name sounded friendly). The rest he hid away. She promised to look for them. So, that's the story so far. Watch this space for more Lester updates as they become available. If you don't know about him, go to my archive and read the review of "I Am Me" That's all for now! I'll rant again before Christmas! And that's a promise! Fall 2003 Well, hello, readers! Welcome to my fall rant! I have encountered a couple of really good bands that I didn't get a chance to review this time around, so I'm gonna tell you about 'em here. The Clumsy Lovers are a great, great band from up in Canada. They've got several CDs out and they're all worth picking up. I'd start with the anthology, "Still Clumsy After These Years", a career overview kinda thing. They play this cajun-bluegrass-rock-whatever combination that is truly amazing to hear. They're funny as all heck and just as cute as Also coming up in the next update will be a band I've recently encountered called Jonny and the Don'ts. I've only heard what's People ask me: "Hey, Norman, why don't you review CD-Rs?" and my answer is: If I reviewed CD-Rs I would be innundated with handmade copies of "Johnny Thumps His Tub" and all other sorts of esoterica that, interesting as it may be, is not viable commercial product. If I like something, I want people to go out (or log on) and buy it! If I don't like something, I want people to NOT go out (or log on) and buy it. It'd be pointless to tell people not to buy something that's not available anyway. It's also hard to get to know a band by some scribbling on a blank CD. People ask me: "Hey Norman, what qualifies you to review music, anyway?". These are almost always people to whom I have given an unfavorable review. Warren Zevon's (most likely) final release will hit the shelves at the end of August. I heard an advance copy and that's all I'm sayin'. You go buy a copy if you want to know if it's any good. Oh, all right, it's great. As the final chapter to his "doom trilogy" (the first two being "Life'll Kill Ya" and "My Ride's Here" in case you haven't been paying attention) it's a fitting farewell from one of the best. We'll miss you, Warren. And another thing.....please, if you send me music, unwrap your CD. It seems to take me just that much longer to get around to a shrinkwrapped CD. And finally, I don't know what you've heard, but I can tell you for sure that the Sniff art collective is most definitely NOT a satanic cult! Visit their page and see for yourself. Summer 2003 First, I'd like to thank all the musicians and bands who've sent me material for review. I'm listening to a lot of music these days and I'll no doubt listen to yours. I do plan to review pretty much everything I hear, and this may take some time. Please be patient. I get a lot of E-mails asking where to send promo kits. This information is on the review page, so please check there first before asking me. Thank you. The information is there not once...but twice. Thank you again. Hazeldine broke up. A lot of you may not know who the heck Hazeldine are, or is, or, in this case, was. Hazeldine was a group featuring three, sometimes two, very talented young ladies. They made a few albums, played around this country and Europe, and I guess finally came to realization that quality Country-Rock with a enthusiastic but small following does not a career make. This should never have happened. Hazeldine should never have had to throw in the towel while more modestly talented groups like the Dixie Chicks thrive. You there, reading this right now! Go out and buy the album Double Back by Hazeldine. If your local record retailer (if there is such a thing anymore...) doesn't have a copy, make him order one. Hazeldine did not have to die. The musical world is a poorer, sadder place without them. The guy who came in second in the American Idol contest had, or has, a number one record. This proves my theory that if people are force-fed s**t sandwiches for lunch everyday eventually they'll start asking for them. People sometimes ask me, "What was the greatest album ever recorded?" I tell them, "I don't know, but I'll tell you what I think." Really, that's all I can do. Greatness is entirely relative and/or subjective. In my humble opinion, Forever Changes, by the group Love, is the greatest of all albums. You may disagree. I don't care. Apparently, Hazeldine was popular in Germany. What's up with that? Why is it that talented American musicians have to go to Europe to be recognized, while over here we listen to crap like the Dixie Chicks and American Idol? I used to think that Tonight's the Night by Neil Young was the greatest album of all time. For a while I thought The Magnificent Music Machine by Tom T. Hall deserved that distinction. I just won an auction for an autographed copy of a Tom T. Hall album. That's all I have for now, except to let you know that Dipsy is my favorite Teletubbie. |
Norman Famous |
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a mysterious and very opinionated producer/writer/musician |
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Norman Famous Rants (Norman's Rants are rated PG-13, for use of language and all around rantiness) |
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July 2005 All right, everybody, let's get down to business:
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't review demos. If you send me a demo I will throw it away. I will not check out your EPK or listen to your MP3. I'm an old fashioned guy. If you want me to review your stuff, send me a cd (did I mention no demos?) and a press kit. And another thing: I've been getting a lot of stuff from people who haven't bothered to visit this site. You know how I can tell? It goes to the wrong address. The Einsteins at the Indie Bible listed an incorrect mailing address for me, but anyone visiting the site would be aware of that. If you are sending your creative blood, sweat and tears out to someone to solicit that someone's opinion, it's probably a good idea to find out a little about that someone. If you're reading this you probably already know that....
Norman musical update: I am no longer associated with the Beatcombers. The performance at San Francisco's Cherry Bar turned out to be the last. I'm still playing drums with Belleville and guitar with the mighty Backorders. Speaking of guitars, the great Mr. Greg Philpott of Orbiter guitars has completed work on my Norman Famous custom Stratocaster. Built to my - well, his - specifications, it's gonna be a doozy! I'll post pictures as soon as I take 'em! Thanks, Greg!
These days I'm groovin' to: Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway. I raved about it last month and it gets better the more I listen to it. Clang of the Yankee Reaper by Van Dyke Parks. Mr. Parks is THE great unsung hero of pop. The title cut is one of the greatest songs ever. I am not overstating. And L'il Beethoven by Sparks. If you're a fan of the Maels then you know what I mean. If not, you won't get it so forget it.
Does anyone actually own an American car made after 1975? They all seem to be police cars or rentals...I hate it when someone asks for information and when they get it they say:"That's what I thought". Yeah, sure that's what you thought, numbskull. That's why you had to ask....enough with the multi-color rubbery little bracelets already!!!!.....And what's up with all of these CRAPPY movies/ Everything is either a remake or based on an 60's T.V. show. Are there any original scripts out there? Oh, wait...I forgot about "The Wedding Crashers"....
Did I mention that I don't review demos? |