991.com brings you excerpts from the current issue of the R.C. Weekly Newsletter. To receive the full unedited version in your mailbox every week, please email David Harvey and mention 991.
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Today the news broke that Manchester police are offering discrimination protection for emos and goths. Fair enough, considering what’s happened. Although I could have done with seeing more of the same in the early 70s, along with dweebs, greatcoats, wearers of loon pants, dreads, fellas with Donny Osmond-style hair and Budgie jackets, girls with bits of tartan stitched onto the bottom of their white flares, and wannabe lorry drivers with thin pale arms sticking out of T-shirts that say “Keep On Truckin’” or show two pigs in intimate congress and bear a motto of “Makin’ bacon” – hilarious. Anyway, Manchester Police, where were you in 1973 when I was being chased down Wood Street, Walthamstow, by the sound of AirWair soles slapping on the pavement at 8mph, just because I happened to go to the wrong school and was wearing terrible brown Solatio shoes that made it hard to run? 200 miles away in your own division, that’s where. And I can’t say I blame you either.
Lots of bonkers stuff in the news this week. Italian footballers who claim that it wasn’t a fascist salute, honest: instead they were making a political statement by gesturing like little Silvio Berlusconi reaching up to tweak a young model’s ample bust. (Photographed in the same position, I’d have said I was stretching to the top shelf of my record rack for an old Magna Carta LP, which is true.) The Government has reintroduced the equivalent of the Window Tax, which was repealed in 1851. If I was living in rented accommodation on benefits (and I will be soon enough if this newsletter is anything to go by), I’d knock down all the internal walls so inspectors couldn’t claim I had a spare room. Of course, that would mean I was sleeping with my records – not the first time that’s happened. (And don’t tell me that you haven’t found a rare gem and been so delighted that you’ve taken it into the bedroom just to be near to it overnight… er, you haven’t and it’s just my problem? Oh.) The maddest thing of all is North Korea threatening to bomb The Stones in Hyde Park (I may have got this a bit wrong). Don’t they know the Stones are indestructible? Just look at Keef, he’s died and gone to Hell 48 times already, yet still keeps churning out Chuck Berry chops as proof that The Devil gets all the best tunes.
Enjoyed the Nile Rodgers documentary on BBC4 last week, especially seeing Norma Jean talking, although I was taken aback to see RC’s own Daryl Easlea on there too: was he at Studio 54 when Bianca Jagger came in on her horse? Eh? Neither was I, but I was there when Ian Dury took a pigeon to the pictures. Although I gather that Bianca painstakingly taught her mount all the steps to Le Freak – dancing horses didn’t start with the London Olympics, yunno. One more thing about horses, while I am wildly off topic: how do they get them to whisper?
New issue of RC has been flying out of the shops in the past week – hopefully you bought yours before they took off. Some of the less-noticable things in it include a photo of Stephen Stills with a very big guitar; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Q&A; Snowboy’s awesome record collection; a chance to grab Iron Maiden pic discs; Steve Mancha on ebay; an A Hard Day’s Night ticket, and a bit about a new John Lennon comedy. Thanks for your support.
Have a great week,
Ian McCann, Record Collector Editor
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Holy at 40, Alvin Lee's last interview The life and times of the UK Subs Legendary British record producer Tony Hall talks about his incredible career West Coast Psych rarities & collectables Simon Dupree & The Big Sound and Gentle Giant We pay tribute to Bert Jansch Plus Billy Bragg, Stephen Stills, British Sea Power, Anthrax…plus much more |
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