August 5th – Just jottings really, you know how what
we laughingly refer to as my mind
works (?) and my slight misunderstanding of the meanings of talent and popularity. See how long it takes for you to clock who it is (no
Googling…just your memory…such as it is) I’m writing about.
Weird Al Yankovic was a strange one…a weird one if you like.
Of all the pop/rock people who’ve had their music bastardised over the years
you’d kinda think Michael Jackson was either immune from it or ripe for attack;
Weird Al thought the latter.
When his rendition of Beat
It/Eat It was released it took about 10 seconds for me to start laughing at
both lyrics and choreography (he also did a copy of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun/Lunch). Funny, but don’t take my word,
visit YouTube and see for theeself. There’s all sorts of apocryphal tales about
the original recording of Beat It and
that solo by Eddie Van Halen from;
‘Eddie repeated the
solo over and over and then Jackson
to
‘Van Halen dropped into
the studio, listened to the playback once and ran off the solo then and there’.
According to Mr. Van Halen, however, it took him twenty
minutes to drop down two solos and he left Mr. Jackson to choose which one he
wanted to use, so a mixture of both really. Mr. Jackson gave Mr. Yankovic
permission to parody the song, and instead of using Eddie Van Halen (that would
have been too easy and would’ve defeated the meaning of a parody) Mr. Yankovic used the skills of my next guest...the one
you’re supposed to be working out, dummy.
Cyndi Lauper is a foxy lady who’s done some really nice work
(some dogs too, but who hasn’t) and her Time
After Time is a regular on my iTunes random. She’s been favoured by one
top-flight guitarist, who’s worked with her, as being far superior, live, to
Barbra Streisand…? Says a lot really, both for her and for the guitarist in
question feeling confident in his own ability and the standing he holds in the
business to say such a thing.
He was born on this day in 1947, still tours and is a
singer/songwriter/guitarist that has released 30+ albums, toured incessantly
and played with the best, from Alice Cooper to KISS to Ringo Starr’s All-Starr
Band. He contracted religion and has a strong faith now, is a favoured
performer with the Edgar Winter Band (his rendition, alongside Winter, of Chainsaw is one for the collection) and
his jazz leanings are evident in the instrumental track Time Warp.
Any good?
Are we there yet?
OK, his first No.1 hit was with a really poppy song with his
group, The McCoys.
?
See what I mean? That body of work, a musician rated by some
of the best in business and still a relative unknown.
Think very small
handgun…?
No?
Rick Derringer.
Oh, and if you click on the link for I Play Guitar…I’m real sorry about the bassist…
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