What Up? (Musically Speaking)

[mcleod_63]

Levi Stubbs, lead vocalist of the legendary Motown group The Four Tops, died today at the age of 72.

An all-time personal favourite...his warm, soulful voice will be greatly missed. [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

[gus danger]

That was sad news for sure El Gordo! [img]frown.gif[/img]

Hey folks....since Cherie seems to be palling around with Terri Nunn alot lately,
I thought I'd post this recent interview with her!
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http://girliegirlarmy.com/

October 2nd, 2008
An interview with the ultimate glamazon; Terri Nunn (of ?Berlin?)
Terri Nunn is a singer and actress who took our breath away (bet noone has ever written that before!) as the lead singer of ?Berlin.? She?s still rocking harder than anyone you know, saving the world one Prius at a time, and making music better than any 20 year old wannabe on the L.E.S. Let?s re-meet Terri, shall we?


Terri joined the New Wave, techno-pop band Berlin in 1979. Her greatest success with Berlin was top-selling single ?Take My Breath Away?, the love theme from the film Top Gun, which reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Other popular songs voiced by Nunn included ?Sex (I?m A?)?, ?The Metro?, ?No More Words?, and ?Masquerade.? She appeared in numerous television shows of the 1970s and 1980s, and even auditioned for the role of Princess Leia in ?Star Wars.? In the early 1990s Nunn sang backing vocals for the band ?The Sisters of Mercy?, and re-banded Berlin, who has been putting our records ever since. In 2008, Nunn was one of the contributors to Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna?s book Cherry Bomb along with Dita Von Teese, Tori Amos, Cherie Currie of the Runaways, Lisa Loeb, Katy Perry, Betsey Johnson, & Anna Sui. She gave tips on sex and dating advice. She is a long time veggie green gal, LGBT advocate, and adopted a baby from Russia as an infant who will be turning 4 this year. Terri is also working on a solo album for release in 2009, and recently completed an acoustic version of Olivia Newton John?s ?MAGIC? with Dave Navarro. Does she ever stop? We were lucky enough to interview the grand dame of rock n roll recently and pick her pretty brain.


GIRLIE GIRL ARMY: Hi Terri! First off, we are big fans of what you do, and what you stand for. What have you done in the last year to become more ?Green??

TERRI NUNN: I?ve been a Vegetarian since the age of 19, though not a normal one. My objection to farmed animal meat is the way it?s raised and how confined and sick the animals are, so I don?t eat it. I also don?t eat dairy products, which has the added benefit of helping to keep my weight down. If you cut out dairy products, you cut out almost half the fat in your diet. I do eat wild fish. We got a Prius in the last year. I also outfitted the entire house with compact fluorescents.

GGA: What was the process of adopting from Russia like?

TN: At times it was F***ING H*LL! Russia changed the rules frequently in the 2 years it took for us to bring Natalie home, and had all kinds of crazy hoops we had to jump through for reasons we still don?t understand. The plus is that, unlike America, the birthmother can never come after you and get her kid back (the major reason we did not adopt in the States). The minus is you have absolutely no power or say in the process of adopting your kid in Russia; you either do everything they say or don?t do it. Unlike IVF, it?s not a cr*pshoot; you WILL end up with a probably great child. With everything I went through, I STILL recommend wholeheartedly adopting abroad. I would go through every moment of heartbreak, rage, despair and hopelessness again 10 times for my Natalie Joy. She?s worth it all. However I will never do it again; we have 3 kids in the house now and I?m done.

GGA: Most of our celeb musician friends have now taken to making their living in Europe, where they still seem to appreciate musicianship and not accidental panty-free falls out of limos. How do you feel about the current state of ?music? in the US? Do you have any tips for all the indie goddesses still on the road trying to make a buck?

TN: The music business is imploding in the biggest way I?ve seen in my lifetime. There?ve been many changes since I was born in the medias of music, from vinyl to 8 track to cassette to CD, but then digital recording changed everything. Where it will end up for artists, executives and consumers, I don?t know. The good news for me is that the concert business is still going hugely well. That?s my favorite part of the music world anyway: going to concerts and creating an amazing live experience for others. It?s the best drug I?ve ever had! So the best tip I can give the ?indie goddesses? is keep playing and build your audience out there. That?s an expression that?s still in demand.

GGA: How has your animal and eco-activism informed the rest of your life, and affected your music?

TN: It gives my life a peace and purpose that it wouldn?t otherwise have. It also narrows my choices, from food to clothing to all consumer products. That?s a good thing. For example, when I go to a restaurant, well, first of all, there are only so many restaurants I will go to. Then when I look at a menu, I skip the red meat and chicken dishes, and dishes with dairy or cheese. When I do this, I automatically feel better at the end of the day.

GGA: Who inspires you?

TN: My mother, who still lives on in my heart even though she passed away last year. She?s the reason I can even stand up on a stage. The reason I followed my dreams at all. She was the kindest, happiest, smartest, wisest woman I?ve ever met. My husband who took on a new dream later in life - going to law school - and followed though even when it was f***ing hard. My daughter who lived in an underfunded orphanage for the first year of her life, abandoned, alone and given barely enough food to survive, who?s been through more hardship already than anyone I know, who?s someone my husband and I already aspire to be like, one of the kindest souls we?ve ever met. God, a lot of people inspire me. Great artists with empowering messages. Trent Reznor for spilling his guts out to a sexy beat. Oprah Winfrey for routinely bringing tough human issues out in the open and getting people to love reading. Most recently, Heath Ledger in Batman. I think he set a new bar for dramatic acting with the way he played the Joker. Everday heroes. People who do extraordinary things that rarely get noticed. The men and women who put their lives on the line in the military protecting our country. Firefighters. Policemen. Volunteer workers in anything. Single parents who raise kind, happy, empowered kids. ANY parents who raise kind, happy, empowered kids.

GGA: As this interview is in effect, Palin was just named our potential VP. She scares us with her Creationist tendencies and bear fur jackets. Who scares you?

TN: I don?t scare easily.

GGA: Tell us about your career now, post-Berlin- and where you hope it will go in the next few years. What would your ideal creative life consist of?

TN: I?m enjoying doing new things lately. This year I became a published author; I contributed a chapter to a book released in August called Cherry Bomb. It?s a how-to book how to live and enjoy life like a rock star. Tori Amos wrote a chapter too, Katy Perry etc. I also co-hosted a radio talk show this year on 97.1 FREE FM in Los Angeles. I want to do more of that. Aside from my own concerts, I?ve been playing around for the last two years with CAMP FREDDY, which is an all-star band of Dave Navarro & Chris Chaney (Jane?s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses & Velvet Revolver) and Billy Morrison (The Cult). Every show different artists sit in with them, so every show is different. For example, one show was Courtney Love, Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Slash, Macy Gray, Billy Duffy (The Cult), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Lemmy from Motorhead, Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) and me all singing together in different combinations. You can hear a taste of what it?s like if you type in ?Terri Nunn Highway to H*ll Camp Freddy? or ?Terri Nunn Man In The Box Camp Freddy? on YouTube. Because of this experience, I?m putting together a concert of women artists playing together called Girls Night Out, which will debut in Los Angeles next summer. I?m also working on a new CD to be released in 2009.

GGA: What are your must-haves on the road?

TN: COFFEE! Have to have my organic French roast. It?s my last addiction and I ain?t giving it up! I also love my Cliff Z-Bars (bought them for my daughter and fell in love with them myself), you can just throw them in your carry-on. Same with raw almonds. Must have a book at all times. Currently reading Barack Obama?s ?DREAMS FROM MY FATHER.? That guy can really write! My best beauty tips are EAT RAW FOOD (as much as you can; it gives energy and keeps us young) and BE HAPPY. It?s our job on Earth to find out and be what makes us happy. Doing this serves the whole planet infinitely more than being unhappy. Who wants to be around unhappy people?

GGA: We hear you give some great s-e-x advice. Our readers are full of hot mamas who love to talk ?shop?.

TN: Perfect time to plug the new book Cherry Bomb. My whole chapter was on ?Dating, Doing it, and Dumping.? I have a lot of sex advice in there, things that work for me. You can find out more about it on my website, www.berlinpage.com.

[gus danger]

OBITUARY - Musician and filmmaker Bobi Jackson (nee Barbara Jackson) passed away in Los Angeles on October 6th due to bone cancer and kidney failure. She was 69 years old, and is survived by her son, Daryl Jackson, of NYC.

A deeply creative individual, Jackson's multi-decade spanning career encompassed music, film, dance and literature. As a teen in New York City, she danced with the Katherine Dunham Ensemble and played upright bass with the New York Symphony Orchestra. After a move to the West Coast in the 60's, she had the opportunity to play alongside an impressive list of musical greats including Etta James, Jimi Hendrix, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Joe Cocker, The Drifters, Donovan, and The Doors.

In the 1960's and early 1970's, Jackson recorded with the band Fire & Ice for Capitol Records, and released a single with her all-female band, High Risk. She went on to score half a dozen films and release two solo CDs on her own label Electric Love Productions, entitled "Alligator Woman" and "Phoenix By The Sea".

Local TV audiences know Ms. Jackson as the creator, producer and host of the weekly Los Angeles Media One TV series, "Living Arts" which uniquely combined art, music, travel and nature.

Jackson will also be remembered as a noted authority and biographer on the life of Biddy Mason - a prominent 19th century social activist and the first African American woman to be freed from slavery by the Los Angeles District Court. Jackson was affiliated with the Center for the Study of Women at UCLA and lectured widely on the life and times of Biddy Mason, producing both written and film work on the subject.

Lead vocalist of The Runaways, Cherie Currie had this to say: "Anyone that met Bobi Jackson will remember her huge smile, hearty laugh and just the overall sense of joy she had for life. If you had the pleasure of really knowing her, you were amazed by her talent as a musical artist, filmmaker, songwriter and singer. I performed with her, I adored her, and the world will be a lonelier place without her."

Precious Metal guitarist and Rocket City Records founder, Mara Fox commented: "I will always remember how tremendously supportive Bobi was to her fellow female musicians. She made a point of checking out every female artist she could, often donating her time and expertise as a videographer, and was ever encouraging and enthusiastic."


Jackson was a multi-instrumentalist - most known as a bassist, she also played guitar and percussion, was a vocalist and a songwriter. For several decades, she hosted musical jam parties in Venice Beach attracting a wide circle of musical friends of every genre.

In honor of Jackson's life and 'jam party' tradition, her family and friends will be hosting a memorial celebration in Venice Beach on Saturday, October 25th. The public is welcome to attend a Drum Circle at sunset, followed by a musical tribute and jam from 7:00 to 10:00 PM at the Sidewalk Cafe. Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and join in the tribute and jam portions of the evening.

The Sidewalk Cafe is located at 1401 Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach, (cross street is Horizon). The Sunset Drum Circle will be held on the beach directly in front of the cafe.

Bobi Jackson Memorial Celebration
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Sidewalk Cafe
1401 Ocean Front Walk, Venice Beach, California
(310) 399-5547

Sunset Drum Circle: 5:30 PM
Tribute and Jam: 7:00-10:00 PM

Contact:
Rocket City Records (818) 508-6525
Eve Reynolds (818) 915-2219

See Bobi Jackson on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31EDCSfxYBI
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R.I.P. Bobi Jackson
<font size="1">GD</font>

[gus danger]

With reunion rumors seemingly the latest fad, Kinks? co-founder Ray Davies has now added his celebrated former band to the mix. Ray Davies recently told the BBC in an interview that he?d be very willing to get back together with brother Dave and resurrect the Kinks, who first gained prominence in 1964 with the single ?You Really Got Me.? Ray, however, promoting his new London stage musical, Come Dancing, at the time of the interview, doesn?t want it to be just a trip down memory lane.

?There is a desire to do [a reunion],? Ray Davies said on BBC-4 in September, ?But the thing that would make me decide yes or no would be whether or not we could do new songs, even if it?s four or five. But I couldn?t do it just for nostalgic reasons. My pitch to the other guys in the band - because I?m really for it - was what would we have written if we hadn?t had our first hit, ?You Really Got Me???

?What if we put ourselves in that situation, what would have happened? So I think new work is important for artists as they mature and get older. The amazing thing is that the Kinks are the only band, of that period, where the only original members are still alive,? Ray Davies said.

Guitarist Dave Davies, who?s shared a notoriously rocky relationship with brother Ray for decades, sharply rebuffed the idea of a reunion earlier in the year. The two last performed live in 1996, and judging from Dave?s recent comments it may be a while longer if his attitude doesn?t change.

?It would be like a poor remake of Night of the Living Dead,? Dave Davies said.
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I, for one, would love to see a KINKS reunion!
They are one of my all time favorite bands and
I even got to see them, LIVE in concert, in 1979!
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Gus

[charlie c]

I just grabbed the "The Clash live at shea stadium"
Taken from the 1982 tour when The clash was opening for The Who on thier first farewell tour...

Strong set by The Clash, the band with an amazing and intense sense of urgency. They brok eup shortly after the tour but this set will get your blood pumping and bring you back to great place.

[charlie c]

I got my "Holy Grail" dvd of The Who today. 2 disc dvd set Killburn 1977.
For those who don't know in capsule;
The Who in Dec 1977 did an impromptu unrehearsed show at a theater with under 500 people, they needed footage for The KIds are alright movie. The 2 cuts baba o'riley and won't get fooled again were filemd 6 months later at the shepperton studios for the movie becuase the who was not satisfied the killburn.
It's Moonie's second to last show counting shepperton as the last.
It's a cool trip, a few sloppy misses but the who deliver what you'd expect.
Kick *** high energy rock and roll. Some may say Moonie lost a step, but he was smiling and playing hard. He passed away 9 months after this show.
As a rock fan it's a welcome addition to the collection.
Great my wife, dreaming from the waist, early version of who are you

Disc 2 is a 1969 Tommy Era show I have not gotten to it yet.

[gus danger]

Dang Charlie, you are getting some cool stuff!
Hey, I think I heard the Derek Trucks Band has a new album out.
Have you heard this?

I'd sure love to be at the Howl at the Moon Universal City Walk tonight, to see Cherie singing with Gretchen Bonaduce's band!

Have a good one bud!
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Gus

[charlie c]

Yes mr. danger I pre ordered the DTB disc due for release in January. Pre orders come with a signed inser.

I grabbed the new Joe Jackson disc "Rain" after catching him live a ferw weeks ago and it's real nice. Joe in a 3 piece with bass druums and piano really works for him.

I grabbed the New Susan Tedeschi release as well, I like it alot she's steady with what she delivers.

2nd dvd of the who I mentioned prior was 1969 Tommy Era and it's spectacular.
Kieth Moon was possessed for sure.

[xenaswolf]

I always seem to stumble on the best music years after it was popular.

If you haven't heard it yet, you MUST buy Ann Wilson's Hope and Glory. My Lord in Heaven, what a voice!

[gus danger]

Remembering....28 years on!
GD