ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS
Alexandro Jodorowsky, who wrote, starred in, directed and scored El Topo has moved his mystic mind into New Areas.
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ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS
Alexandro Jodorowsky, who wrote, starred in, directed and scored El Topo has moved his mystic mind into New Areas. Invited last month to lecture to the graduating architects at Guadalajara University in Mexico, Alexandro, who knows nothing tangible about architecture, showed up on stage leading a cow, which he promptly introduced by saying “This cow knows more about architecture than your professors.” Needless to say, this benediction caused the assembly to break out in stitches, whereupon Alexandro pointed out, “The cow you see, is not laughing.”
El Topo went on improvising for more than 4 hours, reminiscent of the time he showed up at midnight to see his film at New York’s Elgin Cinema, and took the stage for two hours after the screeningj ranting and rapping in metaphysically-broken English to a packed house.
Satisfied when he returned home after the architecture lecture, he prepared a week later to accept an invitation that had just zapped in from a medical school.
Meanwhile, Douglas Films and ABKCO, who now co-own El Topo are preparing a late September opening in half a dozen cities. ABKCG bought its interest for $500,000, based on the flick’s long and successful run at NY’s Elgin Theatre.
Paul McCartney is planning a rock group, though he hasn’t set a name for it yet. The group will feature Linda, his wife, on piano, former Moody Blues guitarist-singer-composer Denny Laine. No touring, though, ’til the Beatle court hassles are over.
Grove Press has purchased distribution rights for the Cockettes’ satirical flick, “Tricia’s Wedding.” (The Cock-
ettes are a transvestite Bay Area theatrical troupe. Among other things.)
ABC is releasing a two album Salute to Ray Charles which will also feature some of his earlier, generally more powerful Atlantic sides.
Kris Kristofferson hasn’t written a song in over a year, they say.
Shelter Records may be about to change their logo: a converted Superman symbol, which has served as same for the last year or so, is being challenged in court by the publishers of Superman comics as a copyright infringement. The suit is for $2 million. This seems to be the month for ’em.
From a press release:
“Long before Henry Kissenger (sic) went to Peking, the presses were rolling with a book that explores possible new
relations between the United States and China ...
“I’m In Bed With the President and Mao Tse Tung Is Knocking At the Door by A. M. Ducovny mimics todays’ ‘sexual politics’ as it takes a cutting look at American life style in bed and out and levies a laugh at tomorrow’s headlines.”
Two’s company. Three’s a crowd.
The Stooges have broken up for sure. Rumor had it that a) Iggy was going to be the lead singer for the Doors — unconfirmed and unwarranted!, and b) Kim Fowley was going to be the lead singer for the Stooges — unbelievable and untenable. (Kim was serious, the Stooges weren’t.)
David Peel and the Lower East Side have recorded a new album (The Pope Smokes Dope, it’s titled), which will probably not be released on Elektra. (Elektra does have their first two, Have a Marijuana and The American Revolution.) Lower East Side guitarist Billy Joe White has, meanwhile, formed his own group: Teenage Lust.
From friends in New York:
“The Tea Council of America sponsored a contest in June and July on FM rock stations nationwide and the 22 tapes (one from each station) were judged September 1 by a panel of “experts” — Jon Landau, from Rolling Stone, Bob Glassenbury from Billboard, George Meiser from Walrus (the fm tipsheet), Alan Rosenberg from Warner Bros, and Niles Siegel from Elektra. Creem’s' Dynamic Duo — present as onlooker^ and explicators — listed their fave performers: The Noodles (ho one could find out if they had anything to do with Lipton’s), One Human Family, Mary Westbrook, Rigor Mortis (real stiffs), Lord Adrain and Mark Sebastian
John’s little brother. The four winners won a total of $30,000 worth of equipment from Altec and Ampeg. The panel, honoring the sponsors, smoked Columbian tea all afternoon.”
We don’t really know anyone cruel enough to comment about this one: Grand Funk manager Terry Knight recently survived a hernia operation. Send ’im a card.
Nixon is trying to put an end to youth fares charging that they are “discriminating against the general public.” The State and Transportation Departments have asked the Civil Aeronautics Board to “take the most speedy course possible” to have youth fares discontinued.
Walt Disney Productions is suing novelty firms which are imitating the company’s cartoon characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, et. al.) and showing them shooting dope, fucking each other and in various other lewd and lascivious poses. The suit also asks federal courts in Chicago to fine the 18 headshops where such merchandise was found $50,000 each.
The FCC’s latest ruling may mean that station managements must start using play lists for all recorded music — which would be disaster for free-form radio. Tracy Wesen, attorney with Stern Community Law Firm in Washington, D.C., was turned down in his bid to stay the effective transfer of KFMG, an FM outlet in Des Moines, whose new owner switched from undefground to Top 40 rock, much to the station’s listeners’ displeasure.
In a letter to Westen, the FCC said: “A Free Form Rock Format like a Free Form Classical Format or a Free Form anything format gives the announcer such control over the records1 played that it is inconsistent with the strict controls that the liscensee must exercise to avoid questionable practices. This is self-understood and institution of controls in such instances is not contrary to the public interest.” Commissioner Nicholas Johnson was, as usual, the sole dissenter in the action.
The Beach Boys are reported to be movihg to Europe. Homes are being sought in Luxembourg, South England and the French Riviera at the moment. A permanent London home has already been set up. Brian and Carl Wilson and Mike Love are reportedly most interested in the move.
George Harrison visited with the BB’s during their Central Park concert
(shown on CBS in late August) and may record with them in the future as well. Dennis Wilson, Jack Riley, the Beach Boys manager said, will definitely not be drumming with the band for at least a year. “A couple of guys suggested that Keith Moon, of the Who, who played on a couple of Beach Boys gigs in Britain, last year, might like to dp a tour but nothing is definite,” Riley said.
Sign in a restaurant on HIGHWAY 61, just outside Wapello, Iowa:.
No Shirt No Shoes No Service
Bringin’ It All Back Home.
The Rolling Stones are suing both Allen Klein and Andrew Oldham, their two former managers. It’s a sticky mess: Klein’s suit alone asks for over $29 million.
Wilderness Road, Chicago’s stompers, have signed to Columbia.
Eric Burdon and Jimmy Witherspoon, live at San Quentin? Really.
Daniel Ellsberg’s pre-trial begins January 4th in Los Angeles Federal Court. He was, arraigned in late August, answering “I am not guilty” to each of two charges: unauthorized possession of government documents and converting the documents “to his own use.”
Ellsberg said he was “looking for-
ward to the trial” as a fOrum on the origins and conduct of the war in Viet Nam. “These are issues of life and death, of war and peace,” he said. “They’re incomparably more important than what happens to me.” His defense lawyers, are known to be considering, calling Robert McNamara (former Defense Secretary), Dean RUsk (Johnson’s Secretary of State) and even Lyndon B. Johnson himself as witnesses. However, it is highly unlikely that Ellsberg will get any more opportunity to debate the question of the war in court than have such other defendants as Benjamin Spock, Daniel and Phillip Berrigan or the Chicago Seven (ne Eight).
Ellsberg is also preparing a book of his writings on Viet Nam; he’ll give, his $150,000 advance to aid children injured in the war there.
Jesus Christ Superstar, will (ho hum) become a film starring Bill Medley (late of the Righteous Bros.) in the title role.
Frank Zappa is suing Playboy and Esquire,Charging that an unauthorized likeness of the Mothers’ leader appeared in an illustration for Dexter Funky Shoes {Dexter Funky Shoes?) which ran in both magazines in November last year. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, charges that Zappa’s reputation has been damaged and his privacy invaded by the implication that he was endorsing Funky Shoes. He wasn’t.
The crown prince of Nevada pimps, Joe Conforte, has voiced full support of a state proposal to Use the 32 girls at his Mustang Ranch to test a new drug — the drug is supposed to prevent venereal disease.
Conforte operates Nevada’s largest house of prostitution (one of the few legal ones in the U.S.), contributes more than one-fifth of Storey County’s taxes. Dr. William Edwards, chief of the Nevada Bureau of Preventive Medicine, said that he would ask women working as prostitutes to take part in a sixmonth experiment, voluntarily using Progonsyl as a preventive against syphillis and gonorrhea. He emphasized that the experiment was “voluntary” and that most of the v.d. problem in Nevada was not in houses of prostitution but among the unsupervised streetwalkers and so-called “amateurs.”
“This is probably the only state where we could do this,” Edwards said, “because we allow prostitution in some counties.” Of course, there is some question (in our minds at least) about whether a pimp’s voucher is sufficient evidence of “voluntary” participation in any program at all.
