LETTERS

LETTERS

Dear CREEM

WKNR—fm’s recent publicity stunt, the Paul MCartney death hype, is superficially no more than that; a gimmick, a hype, a shyster’s trick. However, beyound the obvious shuck, one finds a basic lack of understanding of the rock form as a media. Keener went off on a rampage without troubling itself with the basic; i.e. Are there “clues” waiting to be discovered?

The presumption of the existence of “clues” assumes that the Beatles are so vapid and tasteless that they have sunk to levels of narcissism reached only by their deranged interpreters.

To presume that rock and roll is a medium where such clues would logically be hidden is to completely miss the point of what rock does. Rock is a liberating force for its listeners and, as such, cannot be restricted to the linear game-playing role Keener has attempted to assign to it. The very notion that as accomplished an artist as John Lennon would resort to playing bullshit games with his audience is not only insulting but revolging.

Secondly, WKNR oviously has no concept of tape recorder technology or what the capabilities of the machine are. The essential clue which led MR. Gibb to his addled foray into minutiae was “Turn me on dead man.” The words are definitely there. But the voice is not even remotely human, it is the voice of a machine.

That a tape recorder is perfectly capable ofcreating its own words is born out by William S. Burroughs in his work, The Ticket that Exploded. After much expermentation with tapes, Burroughs concluded (in an appendix entitled the invisible generation): take any text, speed it up slow it down run it backwards inch it and YOU WILL HEAR WORDS THAT WERE NOT IN THE ORIGINAL RECORDING new words made by the machine

(p. 206)

Cont. on Page 29

Again, WKNR forces us to deal with the apparent “continuity” of the so-called “clues”. Just as the idea that the words are put there deliberately is exploded by Burroughs, so can the idea that there is continuity be exploded by noting that random events, viewed with perceptual bias, become non-random. Remarkable events of this nature are attributed to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters by Tom Wolfe in his The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. One might also look to the works of John Cage for the idea of programmed randomness.

What the demented disc jockeys have managed to do is to presume that their image of the Beatles is idential to the Beatles themselves. Similarity, that their image of what the Beatles works corresponds to the actual work of the Beatles. Again, as Burroughs notes in Naked Lunch, “Image is junk”.

A further Burroughsian conception is that “anyone with a tape recorder, controlling the sound track, can influence and create events.” Thus, despite WKNR’s contention that “We’re only letting people know what’s there, we see that they are determining “what’s there”. What’s where gentleman? Or are you only attempting to addict your listeners to your own image junk?

Messrs. Carlisle, Gibb and Small, et. ai., have built mindcastles, with the help of their own ignorance and attempts to deceive in which they hope to new listeners. Remember, gentleman, image is a deadly form of narcosis and pushing is far worse than using.

Bradley Martin Benway And now a word from . . .

Mr. Bradley Martin Benway,

Your letter certainly has points of interest, but your passionate pen’s assumptions as to our motives and character are certainly low points to the reader who wishes to read at last an objective critique on the past couple of weeks.

Let me address myself to your first Walt Disney assumption . . . (See Martin Benway first paragraph). As you would expect I will say that it was not a publicity stunt in the tradional form. The traditional form would have been a fairly careful contrivance of plot and direction. A good example of that would be the WABX sick listener contest which I had a good part of the plot, but certainly done with obvious mirth and the shuck up front. The first time I heard the Paul McCartney thing was on my way to Metro airport to a rained out rock n roll concert at OCC. Actually the only way for any station to stay unblemished so that the righteous (SEE BRADLEY MARTIN BENWAY) don’t become unbalanced would be to take no stance on the issue. They would have to remain silent not even saying it’s untrue because if you take any side you wind up talking about your stance and why you have taken it therefore sucking more teenagers or.. . (SEE MARTIN BENWAY) into your camp who share your view. I don’t know of any station in town that didn’t either go the whole if Paul is dead routine or get on the air and say bullshit and this is why.

As far as Mr. Benway’s proposal that I or my friends Small and Gibb have a lack of understanding of the rock media I can only say that you may be correct. I am totally submerged in rock as a career and hobby. I may not be able to see the trees for the forest (great old line isn’t it). Rock music is to be brief. . . my life. So I ask Mr. Benway to please write and send to me how one properly understands Rock as a media. I will then be able to find out at last if I understand.

As far as a tape recorder or record, in our case, creating its own words in the beginning of rev. no. 9, turn me on dead man, l agree. The question l have is was the unhuman voice saying, 'TURN ME ON DEAD MAN, "an accident or did the Beatles search out a word sequence such as “NUMBER 9," that would say turn me on dead man unhuman or otherwise.

Mr. Benway, let us examine your word usage in reference to SMALL, GIBB, WKNR . . . GIMMICK, HYPE, SHYSTERS TRICK, DERANGED, DEMENTED, OWN JUNK, IGNORANCE, DECEIVE, they are indeed amusing when read in context of your letter, but a rather shoddy attempt at imagery. I can only guess that you are one of the three subscribers to the Chicago Seed,

or editor of the underground version of the INTER OEFICE MEMO, Rouge Plant. This of course will lead me to expose your real name which you have cleverly disguised as Bradley Margin Benway, you are actually Bradley Martin Psychedelic famous rock n roll seer known for your sharp bell bottoms and colorful, but in good taste neck scarfs.

Brad, if I may be so bold, the last part of your cartoon attempts to expose us of looking for new listeners. If publicity stunts and contests were audience getters for rock oriented radio stations then top 40 radio would still be king, and the EM would still be doomed to doctors offices and Kresges. If you can believe that our investigation was an audience getter than you have an awful

lot to learn about rock as media. We are dealing with an audience which demands quality for their loyalty. The people who deal in progressive rock radio are for the most part very dedicated to making radio the hub of community communication and service. For me it has been and continues to be a great inspiration to be one of the original voluntary niggers of the radio business. It’s not a case of being a martyr and putting a radio career on the line but being right and seeing it proved out.

I hope that you will try and contact me at WKNR-EM via the phone or write another letter if you, feel uncomfortable with spontaneous conversation. Our culture has tried to cut through the bullshit of the traditional. So I hope you will avail yourself to the most human form of communication you can find. I would hope that a letter is the last choice.

sincerely dan Carlisle WKNR-FM Cont. on Next Page

There is no question when touching a sacred cow, one chances getting nipped. Anyone who is shallow enough to believe the McCartney thing was a stunt-

will just have to live with that description. Derek Taylor - Apple Records voice - insists that there was no symbolism in the albums; there IS a “live” McCartney;and there is plenty of coincidence. He could prove none of it

only to say that “it is so. ”

We chose to research and investigate to see if there was any truth to the constant bullshit questions we’ve faced dime and again. The findings were made public. Cries of indictment and acquittal were heard way before the show was aired. We could care less... we were too damn busy rapping with Lennon, Ono, Clapton, Winwood, Taylor and upward to 100 persons directly involved in the research.

Bradley’s insistence that John Lennon is beyond human frailty and is “Christ-like, ” attests further to the writer’s gullability. When rapping with the “savior” and his wife, Yoko, his main concern was hyping Lennon-Ono albums and singles. Add to Lennon’s basic humanism, McCartney’s immature assistant who, at the end of a “trying day, ” faked Paul’s voice “to have a little more fun with the Americans. ”

Oh, by the way, can’t pass this up. Anyone with a shingle like Bradley Martin Benway should definitely be investigated. His parents were obviously shocked at his impending arrival and hung him with that title. I wonder what Bradley Martin Benway sounds like taped backwards?

More seriously. We emphatically state: rock is our business; music is our love; the Beatles are our kings. They have made music what it is today. In no way have we attempted to muster a stunt from an investigative process.

The Beatles are on top - and because they are on top influencing every mind in ear-shot - they should do their thing rather honestly. If the extraneous tracking and effects are there just to be

“cute” - let them do it on their own time. If they are trying to tell us something - then TELL US! Don’t play sick little games. x

Let’s face it! The Beatles “own” us and we “own” them. We are that close. Friends this close don’t shuck and jive. Can you dig it?

John Small

Dear CREEM,

Hype. Ho-hum. Seemingly, the only groups I can read about are ones who are personal friends of the underground “in” clique,. . . circa Dan Carlisle, Barry Kramer, Jerry Lubin, etc.

Some of the public acclaim is deserved. Some is not. News concerning important, creative groups is certainly news. But free publicity for friends is hype. I bring to mind instances. The open concerts put on by WABX this summer were good, successful community happenings. But it seems that Creem (and the Fifth Estate) failed to give accurate coverage to the real high points. A group, whose name I’m still unaware of, appeared at Tartar Field before Terry Reid and Savoy Brown. I’m sure anyone who was there remembers Pretty Little Angel Eyes (what’s this — harmony?) and McArthur Park. They also did a beautiful electric version of an early Donovan song, Sing for You. I was curious to read about this group in Creem and the Fifth Estate, but all I was able to find was a questionable write-up of how well the Gold Bros, did everything but beg for some crowd reaction (they did beg for jobs, as they were going broke). Meanwhile this other unknown group was given a standing ovation (for what that’s worth). Who are they, oh harbingers of news?

Thank you Peace

Bill Winters

OK, in crowd, who was that masked band?