INSIDE MUSIC: Did Bob Dylan Really Steal James Damiano’s Songs?

By Rosemary Conte

The copyright infringement case of James Damiano vs. Bob Dylan eclipses the conflict between Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke and the Marvin Gaye Estate, which was settled relatively quickly.  Bob Dylan’s alleged stealing of James Damiano’s songs and the law suit may be the most controversial story in the history of Rock ’n Roll. The Damiano camp says it’s been hidden from the public by the mainstream press for over 20 years.

That will change if and when there is a public showing of a documentary film called, “Eleven Years: --- Bob Dylan’s Stealing of James Damiano’s Songs,” presumably made when the law suit was eleven years old.

Damiano claims to have copyrighted his songs and submitted them in the 1980s at the request of executives of CBS Records, now owned by Sony.  He sued, he said, after he heard his words and music on Dylan’s 1989 Oh, Mercy album and in 1990 on Dylan’s Under the Red Sky album.

Point of interest: Damiano, from Budd Lake, NJ, auditioned for the legendary CBS Record producer John Hammond, Sr., who influenced the career of Dylan, and after that, Damiano filed the copyright infringement suit against Dylan and Sony Music Entertainment, Inc. in Federal Court in Camden, NJ. The ongoing litigation has cost many millions of dollars, and in 22 years there has been no countersuit or other legal response by the defendants. Maybe they thought that if they ignored him by not countersuing, Damiano would just go away.

There’s been not a peep from Dylan/Sony---that is until March 13 of this year when they became aware of the documentary film and had their lawyers send Damiano a letter threatening court action if the film, which contains “controversial discovery,” is shown.

Damiano feels it’s ironic that Dylan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama while utilizing a “Gag Order” on him that designated all discovery materials including videotaped depositions that incriminated Dylan.

It’s a fascinating case. You can read about it all over the web, and read the actual letter from the Dylan/Sony attorney here: http://tinyurl.com/pbbk8y2 . The e-book info, “The James Damiano Story” is here: http://tinyurl.com/n8a7byz

By the way, Paul D. Greene, musicologist from Pennsylvania State University testified in an affidavit that he compared Damiano’s song called “Steel Guitars” and Dylan’s “Dignity” and found them strikingly similar.

I think all this fuss about works of art being too much like others is fundamentally invalid…maybe even stupid. Laws are created without awareness and appreciation of the fact that artists, like all other people, are influenced by everything they have experienced with their five senses. There is no escaping unconsciously dipping into the cache of another artist’s work. I analyze my own songwriting all the time, and invariably hear references to other compositions. Unconscious homage. And I’m careful. I know when I should abandon a phrase, quit a work-in-progress and move on.

By contrast, look at Billy Joel’s songs, and Barry Manilow’s.  Their’s was a conscience and deliberate stealing of classical themes for many of their hits.  Lucky for them Chopin’s estate is long gone and they can mine the public domain for as long as they can hum a tune!

originally published: 2015-04-20 11:27:43

Sights and Sounds of Note: April 2015

 By Rich and Laura Lynch

They say that “April showers bring May flowers” and the offices of SoundPress.net have been showered with an abundance of music this month. Springing forth from our speakers is a colorful and eclectic array of sounds from heavy rockers, jam band favorites, living legends and disco darlings!

KC and the Sunshine Band’s on-going goal has been “to create instant happiness through music.” The group rose to superstardom in the 1970’s with their innovative blend of Caribbean, dance, pop and R&B. Hits such as “Get Down Tonight” and “Shake Your Booty” ruled the airwaves. Today, KC and The Sunshine Band are paying tribute to the music of the 1960’s, which had a big influence in shaping their goal. KC wanted to create up-beat music to help people forget about the personal and political turmoil that they were facing. Since the world still needs that ray of hope KC and The Sunshine Band has released Feeling You! The 60’s. A combination of up-tempo grooves with plenty of harmonies and horns shine new light on seventeen 1960’s classics.

KC adds a warm touch to timeless tunes such as Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind.” The Sunshine Band gives it a different mood with horns and heavier rhythms, yet Dylan’s message is still relevant. The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” once a guitar driven song, is now funkier. Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” is closer to its original form whereas KC and The Sunshine Band put their own unique spin on the majority of the other songs including a standout “Stand By Me”. Feeling You! The 60’s is a danceable feel good record that should make your day brighter.

Although Swift was released in 2014 it may be a new discovery for folks. Keyboardist Marco Benevento is well respected for combining his skills on the ivories with his innovative use of drum machines, pedals, sequencers and toys. Swift, Benevento’s fifth album, is different from his previous, mostly instrumental efforts as Marco steps into the role of vocalist. The CD was produced by Richard Swift after whom the record was named. Richard gives this nine track album a unique feel allowing Marco additional freedom to focus on the creative rather than the production process.

The feisty, shorter songs on Swift could easily entice music fans in the EDM and jam worlds. Andy Borger (bass) and Dave Dreiwitz (drums) craft robust rhythms that range from snappy to sturdy in animated arrangements where the piano plays a prominent role. The opening tune “At The Show” is a gathering of good up-tempo grooves backed by a big bottom that is an attention grabber. The edgy “Eye To Eye” engages the listener with its plodding beats that punctuate pondering lyrics. “Coyote Hearing” howls on heavy rhythms paired with cool keyboards parts. The CD closes with the lively “Free Us All.” Swift is a fast fun album from Marco Benevento who continues to grow as an artist.


Master shredder Michael Schenker and his Temple of Rock have released the spirited Spirit On A Mission that is a high-powered collection of all-new material. Schenker, who is best known for his work in the Scorpions, UFO, and MSG, has a particularly flavorful band this time around that features the former Scorpions rhythm section of drummer Herman Rarebell and bassist Francis Buchholz. On vocals is the ex-Rainbow powerhouse Doogie White and Wayne Findlay rounds things out on guitar and keyboards.

To ensure that Spirit On A Mission would see the light of day the band had to double down to bring the project to fruition. That’s because during the recording of the new album thieves on a malevolent mission of their own, broke into Kidroom Studios in Greven and made off with several guitars and the computers that contained all the work the band had processed up to that point.

“Yes, we got robbed and got very upset about it,” recalls Schenker. “Fortunately, it was just performances and not compositions. We caught up and performed the music better than before. It forced us to work extra hard and longer but it made it stronger.”

The powerful platter opens with “Live & Let Live” that sets the hard rockin’ tone for the rest of the album. “Vigilante Man” soars on White’s expressive and explosive vocals and an energizing and awe-inspiring lick from Schenker. “Savior Machine” is a satisfying and crushing crucible reminiscent of classic-era Ozzy with a lyrical nod to the unlikely source of soft-rocker James Taylor before Schenker hammers the whole thing home again with his piercing set of solos. Get ready to bow down at the Temple of Rock because Spirit On A Mission is worthy.

Motor Sister is a super group consisting of Jim Wilson, Scott Ian, Pearl Aday, Joey Vera & John Tempesta, paying tribute to the band Mother Superior. It started with Anthrax’s Scott Ian (guitarist) assembling a jam session for his 50th birthday party performing the music of Mother Superior. They hit it on all cylinders and with the support of Metal Blade Records; Motor Sister released an album capturing the energy and enthusiasm of the group. Both bands were inspired by classic rockers such as Cream, Kiss and UFO.

Motor Sister’s Ride is a fast, free styling CD. The 12 tracks featured were recorded basically live in the studio over the course of a few days. Ride kicks into high gear with the aggressive opener “A Hole”. “Beg Borrow Steal” is a prime example of Motor Sister’s hard rocking, heavy hook sound that drives much of the album. “Get That Girl” is another attention grabber with its catchy refrain paired with dueling guitar riffs. This high octane CD closes with the dramatic “Devil Wind.”

“It would be great to keep this thing going,” Jim Wilson founder of Mother Superior concluded. “I enjoyed playing these songs with Motor Sister more than I’ve ever enjoyed them before. Scott’s like a brother, John Tempesta is such a monster drummer, Joey is incredible and Pearl’s harmonies and background vocals are amazing. This feels like a continuation of trip I started long ago and it’s a real blessing.”

Classic rock legend Todd Rundgren has been at times called “God” by his most ardent adherents and he’s now taking his musical gospel Global to the masses with his second consecutive EDM-based effort. After getting his feet wet in the genre with 2013’s State, Rundgren returns with a more balanced offering that incorporates many of the doctrinal elements that converted hordes of disciples over the course of his multi-decade career.

Global is an extremely satisfying blend of the blue-eyed soul, rock and singer-songwriter stylings of the man known as a wizard and true star combined with his latest interests in the electronic dance scene that should get the feet moving the world over.

Tying the whole project together is a new message from the much beloved musical messiah -- that we must be much better stewards on this planet while adopting a deeper appreciation for our fellow man if we expect to get anywhere in this world.

Case in point are songs like “Rise” when Todd sings “if we don’t rise then we will fall” over a hypnotic trance base while firmly warning that “time keeps ticking away.” On “Blind” Rundgren sees a world full of myopic media-types and leaders who fail to acknowledge the myriad of problems we face as a people because they choose to ignore the “writing on the wall”. He points out that we have overcome in the past by giving a shout-out to Rosa Parks and others who have proven our potential to put things on a more positive path while telling the rest of us to get “out there and heal the world” on “Earth Mother.” And he offers an acknowledgement for those that may be hurting or down and out on “Soothe.”  On his 25th solo album, Todd Rundgren has risen to the occasion and has given us reason to have hope in these hard times - and that’s a cause for celebration - or at least a Global dance party.

EVEN MORE NOTABLE RELEASES! The Furious Seasons’ 4th release My Love is Strong reflects classic pop and rock influences in broad strokes of sound. There are horns, slide, and stringed instruments woven into stories often supported by lush harmonies as found on “Understood” a melodic murder ballad featuring a 10-person chorus... Blues Traveler’s Blow Up the Moon showcases 14 creative collaborations. Stylistically, songs run the range from country, hip-hop, pop, reggae and rock with that signature harmonic woven into the music. We particularly liked the island flavored “Castaway” and the beguiling vocal blends on “Hearts Are Still Awake” featuring Jewel... Dwayna Litz is a collaborator, singer and songwriter. Her music reflects both classic and contemporary elements of bluegrass, country and rock. I’m The Girl I Used To Know Again is her latest CD. “Yes I Would” reveals that Litz is a fine storyteller and vocalist. This opening song sets the tone for the next nine tracks that features an array of instruments to complement Dwayna’s expressive vocals. The CD closes with a glowing rendition of “This Train Is Bound For Glory.” See ya next month!

---

Richard J. Lynch and Laura Turner Lynch are the founders of SoundPress.net, an Internet-based music industry magazine and review site, online since 1999. Laura is a published author of the inspirational Positive Power Secrets From A to Z ( www.positivepowersecrets.net ). Rich regularly interviews famous rock stars for the site's radio show and he has recently launched his own recording career at ( www.richlynchband.com ).

---

originally published: 2015-04-20 11:16:51

Dreamgirls

By Gary Wien

“We try to do things we think are innovative and interesting and we don’t run away from them because of their size,” explained Sam Scalamoni, Artistic Director of Skyline Theatre Company in Fair Lawn, NJ.  This April, the company presents Dreamgirls, winner of six Tony Awards, which is based on R&B acts like The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, and Jackie Wilson.

The story follows a young female singing trio from Chicago called “The Dreams” who become music superstars.

Even with unforgettable hits such as “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” “One Night Only,” and “Listen,” the show is rarely performed — mainly due to the costs involved in staging it.  Skyline has decided to strip the show down and simply focus on the story, the music, and the costumes — many, many costumes.

Skyline ran a KickStarter crowdfunding campaign last year to help raise funds for this production.  Most of that money is going towards the costumes.  Scalamoni says the play has about 10-12 costume changes and everybody has to match in order to tell the story of how the artists grow from their humble beginnings to being superstars.  The clothing helps tell that story and also speaks to the time periods involved as well.

While the costs for a production like this are high, Scalamoni believes it is important for a theatre company to show that they can tell a story in any form.  “Theatre companies all across the country right now are figuring out ways to do big musicals in scaled down, interesting ways,” he explained.  “I think if you have a good story and you have a good score you can do a big musical.  It’s all about the story and how well you can tell that story.”

Apparently actors were very interested in telling the story as well.  Skyline received more than 600 submissions for the show.  This made casting very easy for the company.  They had choices for every character and were fortunately enough to have all of their first choices accept the roles — including the iconic role of Effie, which earned Jennifer Holliday a Tony Award in the original Broadway production.  In Skyline’s production, Effie will be played by Keisha Gilles who was the understudy in the last national tour of Dreamgirls.

“To cast a role like Effie for me was a challenge because I had a certain idea in mind of what I wanted,” said Scalamoni.  “I think people came in with a pre-conceived notion of Jennifer Holliday from the original production and I wasn’t necessarily looking for that.  I was looking for a couple of other things and I found them in Keisha and we’re excited that we got her.”

As a director, Scalamoni says the play excites him because of the way it constantly moves.  He credits Michael Bennett, the choreographer of the original production, for crafting the way the show is structured.  In addition to Gilles, the play stars Taylor Almonte (Deena), Jennifer Theriot (Lorrell), Randall Holloway (Curtis), Marq Johnson (Jimmy), Michael Fisher (CC), Jerome Foster (Marty), and Ayana Bey (Michelle).

“This play is not done that often and when things aren’t done often I want to read them and see why they’re not done,” he continued.  “I think this one isn’t done that often because it might be challenging to stage.  It moves constantly and the size of it might scare some people, but we have a good handle on how to tell this story without it being all about crazy sets and big production values.  It’s going to be much more about costumes and the lights and how we tell the story and more about the people.”

Above all, Scalamoni wants people to know that Skyline’s main goal is to inspire people and to entertain.  He wants people to leave the theatre feeling as if they’ve seen a good professional cast and had a top notch theatrical experience.  See for yourself when he brings Dreamgirls on stage.  The show runs for two weekends only so get your tickets now.  Performances are on April 24-26, and May 1-3 at the Fair Lawn Community Center.  For more information visit the Skyline website.

originally published: 2015-04-20 11:11:05

The Realization Of Emily Linder

  By Gary Wien

Richard Strand penned Butler, one of the best new works to premiere last year.  He returns to NJ Rep in April with The Realization of Emily Linder, a comic-drama about an eccentric, retired university professor who has come to the “realization” that she knows the exact day that she will pass away.

She gathers her two daughters to her side to inform them of her imminent demise and to give each of them explicit instructions and assignments to fulfill prior to her earthly departure. We spoke to the playwright about Emily and the new play.

What was the inspiration behind this work.  Is Emily based on someone you know or work with?  All my characters are composites of people I know.  Mostly, Emily is me, although I’ve disguised myself so that I no longer recognize me.  I learned to do that from Jeff Sweet’s book on playwriting.  It’s really great advice.

 

Would you personally like to know the exact day you die? I would not.  I’m very uncomfortable about even setting a date for my retirement, which I suppose is inevitable, but I don’t care to admit that.  The only thing that makes sense to me is to assume I will go on forever and then act surprised when that doesn’t work out.

Do you think  someone actually have a life knowing that information? Maybe someone can.  Not me.

Emily is described as aneccentric.  How is she eccentric? She has obsessions – like the need to control the writing of her own obituary and a fixation with the movie Cat Ballou.  I think those quirks – which all of us have – have become magnified in Emily because she senses her own demise.  She knows that her brain doesn’t function as well as it once did and she misses her recently deceased husband on whom she relied more than she was aware.  Her fear of dying and her fading memory have caused her to focus on things that are familiar, and therefore reassuring, to her.  For that reason, Cat Ballou isn’t merely her favorite movie; it is the only movie she watches.  

Some male playwrights have difficulty writing female characters.  In this play you have four.  You’ve also written female characters in the past.  Do you find yourself doing anything different when writing a female character?  Characters are defined by the choices they make.  As I’m writing a play, when my characters, male or female, are confronted by a choice, I always ask myself what choice I would make.  I never ask myself, “What would a woman do in this situation?”  Because, if I ask the latter question, the only answer I could come up with would be, “I don’t know.”  For me, focusing on what I would do is the only productive way to work.

You’ve had several plays produced in recent years.  How often do you write?  Do you work on one play at a time or multiple plays?   My writing has been very erratic.  I wrote a play called Clown in 1978.  Then a couple more plays in 1979 and 1980.  Then I quite writing for several years.  I was writing pretty consistently – maybe a play a year – from 1989 to 1999.  Then I stopped again for 12 years.  I wrote Butler in 2011 and, since that time, I have written six more plays.  But, right now, I couldn’t say whether or not I have one more play in me.  I hope so.

I keep a file of ideas for plays, each idea described in a single sentence.  But if I start working on one of those ideas, it is the only play I am working on.  I can’t imagine being able to clear my brain enough to work on two plays at once.  Are there people who can?

In your last play at NJ Rep (Butler), you had some wonderful moments for the actors to really shine.  Did you start out as an actor yourself?  How did you first get into playwriting? I did start as an actor.  When I started going to college my declared major was acting.  I think most people who work in theater, regardless of what discipline they ended up in, started off wanting to be actors.  But I’ve been interested in dramatic writing since I was very young – maybe ten.  I can remember writing short plays, in French, with a childhood friend – his name was Frank Ritt – when we were both in fourth grade.  We had a French teacher who would allow us to perform skits at any time provided they were written entirely in French.  We took advantage of that opportunity throughout fourth, fifth and sixth grade.  I could be deluding myself, but I think some of them were pretty good.

 Who are some of the playwrights that have inspired you over the years? I’ve thought about this question quite a lot.  I’ve answered it many times.  My answer has changed often, and I don’t think I’ve ever been quite honest about it.  But here’s what I think right now.  The older I get, the harder it is to influence my fundamental notions about what makes good writing.  I don’t think that is necessarily something I should brag about, but I believe it is true.  And, to take that premise even further, the writers who got to me when I started writing have had a more profound influence on me than those I encountered later in life.  I first started forming opinions about what constituted good dramatic writing when I was quite young – ten, eleven, twelve.  Now, to be sure, I hadn’t seen very many plays at that age, but I did watch a lot of television.  And I remember becoming aware that some of the writing on television was noticeably better than other writing.  Fortunately for me, some of the best television writing from that time survived in reruns, so I could watch the episodes many times.  If you keep watching the same episodes over and over, the mechanics of the writing starts to reveal itself. You can start to see the structure, and you can observe why some writing works and other writing doesn’t.  So, what was I watching?  The Twilight Zone and The Dick Van Dyke Show.  I know that Rod Serling and Carl Reiner – and the many other writers who contributed to those two shows – have had a more profound effect on my writing than anyone else.  I wish the answer were Arthur Miller or William Shakespeare or Mary Chase – all of whom I love.  But the truth is: it was Serling and Reiner.  

How important is it for a playwright to establish a relationship with a theatre like NJ Rep that focuses so much on showcasing new works? It’s everything, and it’s so hard to find.  Ideally, a playwright would find a theater that would want to do every play he or she wrote, but that’s not realistic.  Gabe and SuzAnne can’t do everything – and theaters that are as dedicated to new work as NJRep are few and far between.   I’m so grateful to have worked with NJRep – this will be my third time.  I just wish we lived on the same coast.

originally published: 2015-04-20 11:58:49

Summer Of '77

 

By Gary Wien

Tar Beach revolves around sixteen year old Mary Claire and her best friend Mary Francis as they begin the day sunning themselves on the roof of an Ozone Park row house.  Claire’s younger sister Reenie is searching for her lost Greek Mythology class project, while their parents are consumed by the battles of their troubled marriage. The boy crazy girls hatch a plan to stay out all night, but an overstressed electrical grid leads to a city-wide blackout and a sudden loss of innocence.

Ryan says the play is based on events that happened around that summer, but it is not autobiographical.  She previously took a look at the summer of 1977 in her play, Dark Part of the Forest, which was seen through the point of view of the mother; Tar Beach, however, is seen through the experience of the young girls. 

“It was the late seventies, which was a weird time in New York,” recalled Ryan.  “Financially, there was crisis; socially, there was upheaval.  It was a time of people unmooring, I think.  Children weren’t supervised.  Parents were going wild too.  It was just a crazy, crazy time.”

It was also a very dangerous period of time.  The Son of Sam began killing people in 1976 and wasn’t caught until August the next year.  He is famous for using a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver and believed he was merely following the orders of a demon that took the form of a neighbor’s dog.  And those orders were to kill young women.

Ryan describes the play as a coming-of-age story for two young girls in a society where sometimes it is dangerous to be a female.  The time period forms the perfect setting for her with the blackout and the Son of Sam serving as the ultimate predators.

“It was this pressure cooker,” recalled Ryan.  “You knew something was going to blow.”

Fear of the dark is seen in the play as a primal experience, something that has been with humans since the dawn of time.  Mary’s father is afraid because he thinks the only thing keeping society from anarchy is electricity.  As looting spreads across the city, his fears are somewhat realized.

The play also focuses on the relationship of the two siblings.  In fact, the original concept for the play came from a writing workshop at Premiere Stages which utilized an exercise called “On the Roof.”  The instructor had the class write very quickly with constant stops and restarts.  The idea was to write without even thinking about what was being written.  For Ryan, the exercise led to the teenagers on the roof.  The early stages of the play was entirely focused on the relationship of the family.

“I don’t know exactly when the Son of Sam came in, but if I’m going back to the seventies with the point of view of a teenager, I’m going to think of the Son of Sam,” said Ryan.  “It was that impactful in my life.  Growing up in Queens and being that age — sort of sexually coming of age at a time when he was killing young girls making out in cars — there was that connection that it was dangerous to be a young girl.  That connection is what always pulls me back there.”

In the back of her mind, she may have been thinking about her own girls.  Her youngest is entering her teenage years.  She wonders what lessons from the Summer of 1977 she might be passing on to her own children.

“The girls in the play think Son of Sam is what they all need to be afraid of, but it actually turns out to be closer to home,” add Ryan.

Tar Beach was named a finalist for the Terrence McNally Playwriting Award, The Source Theater Festival and a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award honoree.  The play was included in the 2014 edition of The List compiled by The Kilroys as “one of the most excellent new plays by female-identified authors of last year.”

Since moving to Pittsburgh 25 years ago, where her work is often performed, Ryan’s plays have been staged all across the United States and she’s found something of a second home in New Jersey.  It began in 2006 when Premiere Stages presented one of her works.  In the years to follow, her work has debuted at Premiere Stages, the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, and now Luna Stage.

“The connection with New Jersey probably stems from my voice sounding familiar being from New York,” said Ryan.   “It’s nice to kind of have two homes.”

originally published: 2015-04-20 13:34:10

An Interview with Michael Whistler

http://www.njartsmag.com/new-jersey-stage-april-2015/0599751001429286586/p67

By Henrik Eger, Ph.D. Editor of www.DramaAroundTheGlobe.com

In the March issue of New Jersey Stage, Dr. Eger took a look at Mickle Street, a new play by Michael Whistler about a chance meeting between Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman in Camden, NJ.

How did you come up with the subject of a play on the famous encounter between Britain’s Wilde and America’s Whitman in New Jersey?  I first read about the encounter between Wilde and Whitman when I read Richard Ellman’s biography of Oscar Wilde as a young man. I thought immediately that it was a very exciting meeting of minds, and had always filed the idea in the back of my head to explore one day.

I visited Walt Whitman’s house at 328 Mickle Street (in Camden, NJ) a few years ago when I thought I might want to explore the territory, and was struck by the writing room and how eclectic it was. Although the actual meeting of Wilde and Whitman  did not happen in the Mickle Street house, I saw there a very pronounced and mature personality for Walt, and I decided that I wanted the young Oscar to meet that, and to see Walt on his own turf. I wanted to create a world of which Oscar was in awe . . . and perhaps a little jealous. When I saw the house, that started my thinking about how the setting might help to do exactly that.

How did you research the historic visit of Wilde at Whitman’s Camden home? The research for a play like this takes many forms: I did spend a lot of time with biographies of the two men, as well as a pair of marvelous books about Wilde’s American tour—Declaring His Genius, by Roy Morris, Jr.; and Oscar Wilde Discovers America, by L. Lewis and H.J. Smith. I spent a lot of time revisiting the writings of each man, to see their worldviews, their letters, and to hear their voices. I also had to meet the “young Wilde”—Oscar in 1882, before he had written all the work for which he is known.
One of my great fascinations is to see how an artist’s life is expressed in his creations—to explore the young Wilde, I got to do some “literary archeology,” and look at his early writings, before he developed his voice, and see if I could uncover the traces of the writer he would become.

What surprised you the most about the literature that you read? One of the surprises was to discover how green Oscar Wilde was: his early lectures are described as dull and his voice unmusical. The lectures are very dry, and not filled with the humor we associate with Wilde. That led me to think that there was a “new” Oscar to be discovered in America, and perhaps those discoveries start early on in his tour, in his time with Whitman.

What did you see as the driving forces in the lives of the young and wealthy Wilde and the famous but poor and aging Whitman, especially during their encounter? In Mickle Street, I made decisions about what I felt these men would want from one another. In my mind, aside from the dialectics, the two men debate on their own viewpoints on Art, Science, and Beauty. I wanted to explore how a young man wants the approbation of respect and age; and the older man wants the energy and fearlessness of youth.

A number of writers have speculated that Wilde and Whitman had an erotic encounter. What was your sense of the evidence, or lack of evidence? Wilde’s famous quote, “I have the kiss of Walt Whitman still on my lips,” actually is a statement Wilde made after his second visit with Whitman, in April of 1882. It has been hotly debated what Wilde meant by this, although one thing is certain: Wilde loved the notoriety the statement gave him, and saw that it was well documented.

In truth, there is little to suggest that Wilde had any homosexual encounters before 1885, which is years after the meeting with Whitman. In fact, Wilde had recently been thwarted in a marriage proposal to Florence Balcombe. His own letter suggests that the proposal was in earnest, and that he was quite shattered by her refusal. He went to lengths to have his letters and mementos returned. In the years following the visit to Whitman, Wilde would court and wed Constance Mary Lloyd, and they would have two children together. I chose to draw from these facts that Wilde did not have a sexual relationship with Whitman—although the tension and sexual curiosity of a young man is present.

originally published: 2015-04-20 12:14:39

ZZ Top: 40 Years of Rock 'n Roll & Cars

  

By Gary Wien

For over forty years, ZZ Top has been recording, touring, and residing on classic rock stations. The trio of Billy Gibbons on guitar, Dusty Hill on bass, and Frank Beard on drums has remained the same since first forming in Houston back in 1970. They're instantly recognizable thanks to the long beards of Gibbons and Hill and their trademark sunglasses. Meanwhile, over 25 million records sold and a steady stream of hits earned them an induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

In the seventies, the hits included songs like "La Grange", "Tush", and "Cheap Sunglasses", but the band soared to new heights with the emergence of MTV in the eighties.

In the midst of rising stars like U2, Duran Duran, and Madonna, videos by ZZ Top were among the most played and most memorable of the day. Videos for "Legs", "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man" carried a simple formula: shots of the band, shots of beautiful women, and shots of the Eliminator - one of many cars in Billy Gibbons' collection. The formula worked each time and the band became bigger in one year than they had in the previous decade.

All total, ZZ Top has had 11 records go gold and 7 go platinum with Eliminator being their most successful, selling over 10 million units itself. The band continues to tour and hasn't missed a beat. On March 10th they will perform at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) in Englewood. New Jersey Stage caught up with Billy Gibbons (once named the 32nd best guitarist of all-time by Rolling Stone) to talk about the band and his love of cars.

From the early days of rock and roll to today there's been a strange connection between music and cars. You've been collecting cars for a long time, do you notice a connection between the two?
Absolutely! It even pre-dates rock 'n' roll: Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues," Hank Williams had a "hot rod Ford and a two-dollar bill." Then, of course, there was Chuck Berry who "motorvated" over the hill only to find his dear Maybelline in her (Cadillac) Coupe de Ville. Of course, we always caution not to get "Arrested For Driving While Blind." Cars and girls are the big topics as far as we're concerned and we've done our best to pursue both… of course, with abject loudness at the core.

Why do you think cars have inspired so many great songs?
Initially, that's where so many great songs were heard. On a car radio, away from one's parents - the mobility afforded by the automobile combined with a rockin' soundtrack was a recipe for spiritual liberation. Play loud and drive fast - these things go hand in glove. It's really not a coincidence that the popularity of hot rods and custom cars was concurrent with the rise of rock 'n' roll - they're really about the same thing.

When did you start collecting cars? Tell me about your collection.
Started by sharing a car - a Dodge Dart - with my sister Pam. The sound of that car's motor is what you hear at the start of "Manic Mechanic." Still have it, along with a mess of others acquired over the years. Of course, the Eliminator, the '33 Ford three-window coupe gained celebrity status having starred in those videos and it's currently back on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. And there's "CadZZilla", a very significant custom car that's been flown around the globe and remains completely roadworthy. Other favorites are "The Mexican Blackbird", named after an early ZZ Top song that's a '58 Ford Thunderbird done up super fine. There are, literally, too numerous to mention but we did a book that covered most a while back. It's called Rock + Roll Gearhead and you can still pick up a physical copy or download it digitally. We think the New York Times review pretty much nailed it. "The cars and music are part of the same enterprise; creating a shared landscape of mind, a fantasy land where Mr. Gibbons' music provides a soundtrack for imagined journeys in fantasy cars. Many will be happy to ride along."

There are three things that probably come to mind when people think of the legendary ZZ Top videos of the 80s: the beards, the women, and the car. Was the idea to use your Eliminator the plan from the beginning?
Keep in mind that MTV didn't really exist when we recorded the album and decided to use the car for the cover image. By the time it was released videos had come into play and when we were asked to come up with something. We wondered why anybody would want to see three gnarly whiskered dudes so we suggested those pretty girls and that pretty little car. Serendipity!

Did you ever imagine you three would have such an amazing run on MTV or that it would boost your profile so much?
We had no actual thoughts about it. Frank, our drummer, and the only one of us without a beard though his last name is Beard, actually happened into the early MTV while channel surfing. He was delighted to find music on TV and stayed up for 10 more hours, not wantingto miss any of it, not knowing it ran 24 hours. We had some catching up to do, obviously, but it did work out for the best.

You've said many times that all you guys wanted was a hot rod. Did you ever race cars as a kid?
Let's just say that the kind of racing we did as kids was not the kind authorized by any sanctioning body. We're happy we made it out of there mostly intact and, as they say, "don't try this at home" - or on the roads.

In addition to being in some of the biggest videos of the MTV age, the band was also in one of the biggest movie trilogies. What was it like being part of Back To The Future 3?
We loved being part of that flick. You know it was typecasting. They wanted a three piece band fronted by two geezers with chin whiskers so the role was a lock for us from inception. We're still interested in time travel - we made it all the way from our start in 1969 into the 21st century and, one hopes, beyond.

What are some songs that die-hard fans might be surprised to hear in a ZZ Top set these days?
We like to throw a Jimi Hendrix song like "Foxey Lady" or "Hey Joe" into the set list as an homage to our greatest inspiration and much missed friend. We like to go back to our earliest albums for material and even before - we sometimes do Willie Brown's "Future Blues" which is definitely from the past - it was first recorded in 1930. We also like including material from La Futura - do you sense a theme here? - our most recent album release.

Finally, why do you think you three have been able to stay together for 40 years while so many bands break up?
We're always asked this and the answer is always the same. We're having a good time so nobody's come up with a reason to stop. It's true that most bands break up after a while and then there's that inevitable reunion tour so, if you like, you can think of the last, say, four decades as our reunion tour. Our plan is a simple one: keep on keepin' on, turn it up and let it rock!

Annie Minogue Returns To The Area

  

By Gary Wien

This March marks the return of Annie Minogue to the area in a big way. She's got several shows lined up in New York and will be coming to New Jersey later in the year. Originally from the Bronx, she now lives in North Jersey and is focusing on this region after years of touring nationally. In addition, she's been in the studio recently and looks forward to releasing her next record (called Suburbia) on the Varese Sarabande record label and distributed through Fontana Universal.

Chances are you may have heard Annie's music even if her name doesn't ring a bell. Among the many places her songs have been played include MTV's Real World, Lifetime Television, the TV Guide Channel, and New York radio stations Q104.3 and 93.3FM. Constantly working on this side of the business, her songs are still being placed on television on a regular basis. She's also been the opening act on tours for artists like David Lee Roth and Chris Whitley, and has played major festivals such as Summerfest, Sturgis Music Festival, and Sundance Film Festival.

"I think I've found my rhythm as a songwriter and have been able to refine what I'm trying to say," explains Minogue. "I was in a band prior to becoming a solo artist and it was a band that I started and co-founded. Towards the end, the dynamic sort of shifted and it changed to where I wasn't as much of a part of it as I used to be. I wasn't really saying the things that I wanted to say. On the last record we did I didn't even write any of the songs, I was just the voice of the record. It had nothing to do with what I wanted to say or how I was feeling or anything like that. It just wasn't the right situation anymore so I decided to branch out on my own and the music has changed from more folky-pop to rock and roll."

The move towards a stronger rock and roll vibe clearly suits Minogue. Her favorite bands are staples of classic rock radio like Led Zeppelin, The Faces, The Doors, Aerosmith, and The Rolling Stones. She also loves bands like The Black Crowes that harken back to the classic rock sound. Minogue says her band aims for a bluesy rock sound that would feel at home on 70s rock radio.

"That's a period when music was at its height in my opinion," said Minogue. "We're going back to the music of bands that really meant something. There just aren't bands like those anymore."

Minogue got an up close view of classic rock bands when she was the opening act for a David Lee Roth tour a few years ago. The experience was so interesting that she tried pitching a reality show about it called "Rock Star and Me." Minogue actually wanted to have David Lee Roth star in the show and call it "David and Me" but despite some very good meetings with industry executives, and the interest of a couple of production companies, the show never got off of the ground. It did, however, help lead her to a different avenue for her creativity. She's since begun working on a screen play for a movie and produced her first music video (a cover of "Jet" by Paul McCartney and Wings).

Music is still her first love and she says she doesn't see herself as a solo artist. She admits to being a bit shy in person — a side of her that is completely opposite of her stage persona — and considers her band to be a real band, not just one in name only. The band, which includes Nunzio Signore, Nick Saya, Dave Archer, Craig Dreyer, Tony Tino, and Brett Bass, is an integral part of her records.

"I've always wanted to be part of a unit," said Minogue. "I've never felt comfortable as a solo artist. There are a few records under my name, but I don't know if that means I'm a solo artist because they were always band projects and it sounded like a band when we made the record. I always ask the opinions of my bandmates of what they think and they are definitely part of the production. ‘Do you think this could be better? Should the arrangement be different?' It's not all about me."

Over the years, the band has played quite a few big time shows. In addition to opening tours for David Lee Roth and Chris Whitley, they've opened for the Black Eyed Peas, Soul Asylum, and Steve Miller Band. They've headlined the Texas State Fair and played numerous gigs at the top clubs in Los Angeles — so much so that they were once named National Artist of the Year by the LA Music Awards. After years on the road and taking a bit of a break, Annie and her band are ready to build up again. New dates are being lined up so be sure to check http://www.annieminogue.com for the latest updates.

---

Upcoming Shows

Thursday, March 5 at 8:00pm Daryl's House Restaurant Pawling, NY

Thursday, March 26 at 8:30pm Space At Westbury (Lounge) Westbury, NY

Featured Music Video for February 2015

Our featured music video of the month for February 2015 is "Turtles All The Way Down" by A Halo Named Fred.

A Halo Named Fred is a geek rock band from Central New Jersey. They have performed with King Missile, been produced by a member of Ween, and featured on The Doctor Demento Show. Their quirky, off-beat style has been paired with Burlesque and Side-show acts, and they have participated in numerous film projects.

For more information on the band visit www.ahalocalledfred.com

Fortune Cookies

  

By Gary Wien

This is the 10th season for South Camden Theatre Company and they call it "A Season of Faith." The neighborhood around the theater has improved dramatically over the years and the company has played a major role in the revitalization. Each of the productions this season has dealt with faith in a unique way. In Fortune Cookies, the company looks at how the audience has kept its faith in the theater. The play, written by Joseph M. Paprzycki, was first performed in 2007 back when the company's home was the basement of Sacred Heart Church. In the years that followed, the play was always the most requested work by the audience. To thank the people who have kept coming back year after year, the theatre decided to bring the production back and give it the type of production that wasn't possible the first time around.

 

The play is set in a Chinese restaurant in Camden in 1997. Four friends who used to work together have kept their friendship alive by returning to this restaurant one Monday night a month. Tonight happens to be the 10th anniversary of the first night they started this tradition. Although the four friends are not aware of the night's significance, Mr. Wong, the owner of the restaurant does and he's prepared a special evening for them. It's a gift that he says is "the thing that dreams are made of."
This production runs from February 27 through March 15 and stars Amiee Theresa, Megan Pisors, Nicole DeRosa Lukaitis, Christopher 'Jumbo' Schimpf, and Dan Kim — the last three were all part of the original production in 2007. Christopher 'Jumbo' Schimpf will also direct the production.

"It is wonderful to see these old friends back on stage again," said Paprzycki. "Remembering the looks on people's faces when they left the first time was so gratifying and to have so many people want to see it again is very gratifying as a playwright. When people walked out of the show, they were laughing and crying at the same time.

"I've made a couple of little changes to the play," noted the playwright. "I think being a playwright who's 9 years older and having written another 10 plays or so since we've produced this one, I'm a better writer now. You learn to hear more. I think part of it is you hear things more as a more experienced writer and part of it is you hear things as a much older person."

Fortune Cookies is not just a snapshot in time for the characters in the play; it's a reminder of just how far the theatre and Camden has come since the first production. A few blocks from the theater in 2007 one could still see crime on a regular basis, but today the neighborhood is much nicer and a safe place to go. Back in the basement, the audience sat on plastic chairs on a concrete floor, while today's audience is in nice seats in a state-of-the-art theater. Not only will this production have professional sound and lighting that greatly exceeds that of the original, but the stage will truly resemble a Chinese restaurant and audience members will even smell the food coming from the kitchen.

"This is a play about real spirituality and friendship and the whole issue of faith," explains Paprzycki. "What is faith? Can magic change faith? Is magic real? And the basic question of what do you really want? What if the dream that you're dreaming might not be the dream that's being dreamt for you? That's what the play is all about. Is there another force out there? You might think your whole life that you want something and then something happens one day and it all gets twisted around and you're like 'I never knew I wanted this in the first place.'"

Paprzycki says that's exactly what happened with him. He never planned on being a playwright and didn't even write his first play until he was 37 years old. Well into his thirties, despite having good jobs and earning a nice income, he had no answer when people asked him what he wanted to do. Then one day he saw an ad for Angels in America in the newspaper and went to New York to see the production and it suddenly made sense to him.

"I had no idea that this is what I would be doing," he recalled. "So, I think the play sort of ties into my own personal journey. I was confused and saw that picture of the angel and something just snapped, but I didn't quite know what it meant yet."

The play is loosely based on a bunch of friends that Paprzycki had at the time. He said he was working at a horrible job, but had a couple friends he hung around with to get lunch and drinks. This is the third of five plays he's written based in Camden. All are different stories with different characters, but the characters here are more or less composites of people he knew. Looking back, the playwright says he sees some parallels with what was happening to him during the period in which he wrote the play.

"Could I write this play today?" asked Paprzycki. "I don't know. I don't know if I would have the same inspiration or if the people around me are the same… What makes me so happy is I don't feel like I'm watching a play, I feel like I'm sitting next to people in a Chinese restaurant. They're just gathered and talking and having fun. There's crazy stuff and some serious stuff, but it's quickly covered in comedy. It's just the way it is when you're out with your friends. All kinds of stuff come up during the course of a two hour dinner. I think people can identify with that. They can see their friends at the table and can feel their lives in this play.

"I guess we all secretly inside would love to have somebody look out for us," he continued. "Someone to point us in the right direction. I think the City of Camden, being in such bad shape at the time, these four friends just for the sake of keeping their friendship alive kept coming back. There's a line like 'So many work friendships are like vacation ones — we'll stay in touch, we'll talk, but you always disappear from each other.' Yet, these people have stuck it out. They've stuck it out by going back to Camden just to keep that friendship alive because they know that Monday night each month is their night — no spouses, no boyfriends, no girlfriends — it's just for them."

As we're talking, Paprzycki suddenly makes the connection that it's not just the characters who are returning for the 10th year, it's his audience. They've been coming back to the same spot in Camden for each show over the past ten years just to keep the dream of live theater and a revitalized Camden alive. Maybe there is a little magic in those fortune cookies after all.

---

Fortune Cookies is running February 27 through March 15 at the South Camden Theatre, located at 400 Jasper Street in Camden, NJ. For more information visit www.southcamdentheatre.org