ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Poor Patti Smith! She was spinning around on the stage in Tampa, Florida, at the Convention Center (Bob Seger was the headliner), when she lost control of the spin and fell six feet onto the concrete floor. Lenny Kaye and Ivan Kral were too engrossed in their playing to see where she fell; they kept on playing as the guards picked her up and took her backstage. Our man on the spot reports that there was blood everywhere, and Patti was whisked . off toTampa General Hospital with a large bandage on her head, for stiches and treatment of a possible broken shoulder. Patti’s had her knocks as a fan during rock concerts, but this has to be the worst yet...

Hot poop on the Inaugural festivities: Fun Couple Gregg and Cher sat irt the audience for the TV show (just rows away from John and Yoko) and showed up at Washington niterie The Cellar Door, where a Sea Level jam was in progress. Sea Level, you may recall, is the Allmans splinter group sans Dickey Betts. Nonetheless their feelings for Gregg have not been too warm since the Scooter Herring trial. Imagine our surprise when Gregg leaped onstage to sing an emotional “Statesboro Blues”—afterwards Gregg and his former bro’s embraced tearfully. Meanwhile, over at the party for Georgia and Mondale campaign workers, Charlie Daniels created an uproar when the Uranian Ambassador asked him to play some ‘‘cocktail music”, by retorting that that wasn’t his type of music, and furthermore, thatthe Ambassador wasn’t paying his salary or taxes. Was that a bottle we saw ol’ Charlie lob at the Ambassador’s head?

Poor Jimmy Page. All he wanted was to restore his new Kensington pad, the neo-GothicTower House, to its original splendour by buying the original furnishings from Evelyn Waugh’s son Auberon, who has absolutely refused. Said he: “I suppose 1 would feel a twinge of moral obligation to return them if the house were taken over by the Victoria and Albert MuseumJ.but not for the private use of a guitarist.”

Poor Keef! His latest conviction for drug possession (he was fined 750 pounds and costs) was minor enough, but the accumulated effect of all of Keith’s misadventures with the British courts could cause U.S. Immigration officials to withdraw his visa, which means that 1 he group he plays with would be left high and § dry, S tones spokespersons won’t confirm thatthey’reappealing his convictionfout they did say that they wouldn’t send Keith across the ocean to test out whether he’d be let in: “He simply wouldn’t expose himself to the humiliation of going there, just to be turned back."

We guess this leaves Hamish Stuart (AWB) in the lurch: Batts Midler has a new honey—actor Peter Riegert who’s appearing in the off-Broadway hit‘‘Sexual Perversity in Chicago” (Subtitled "An Evening With Bruno Stein”)

Poor Lowell George! Just as Little Feat was about to enter the studios to apply their next album to tape, Lowell came down with... the yellow disease (also known as Phil Lynnot fever). Despite that, at presstime Lowell was arranging to have a soundtruck cbme to the hospital so that he could lay down his vocal tracks, at least.

Motor City Morons: Sirius | Trixon and his Motor City Bad Boys played two nights at Max’s but Sirius complained that he wasn’t able to use his Cadillac backdrop. After his "We want tobring Detroit to the people" opening line, Sirius observed that everybody in New York was on heroin and that his band goes through a lot of personnel changes because, like Ted Nugent, he just doesn’t allow tnat sort of thing. Also, two of the ; Punks, Frantic and Stevie Rocket, are loose in the big city, on the lookout for gigs. The Punks are world renowned forplaying at Lester Bangs’ farewell party...

What son, of which president was observed ata posh D.C. party in a bathroom with a ladyfriend, doing very intimate things...? After several months of notoriety, capped by band member Johnny Rotten rattling off several nono words on national British television, the Sex Pietole were dropped by EMI, the biggest record company in England. EMI officials claimed (according to Zodiac News) that they decided to terminate the contract with the Pistols due to “adverse publicity” resulting from their connection with them. The most recent incident rock’s newest bad boys created was at London’s Heathrow airport (and in the air), where members of the band spat at each other, insulted each other and vomited (on the plane). At presstime no record company had picked them up yet, although several were apparently waiting in the Wings.

Looks like Rod Stewart’s cruisin’ for another bruisin’ from his lady companion Britt: while she was off in Rhodesia filming, after Lome Luft turned Rod down, he showed up at a party in England at manager Billy Geffsplace. Amongthe guests wasactress Susan George, who got Rod in trouble with his old lady fast year.

Apparently they hadn’t finished their conversation, because partygoers report that Rod and Susan disappeared for an hour. Was Rod taking advantage of innocent young Susie, who claimed recently in the national press that she’s only known three men intimately?

Former MC5 er Fred "Sonic* Smith has gone into a Detroit studio to cut a few singles with his band Rendevous.

Sonic’s former bandmate Rob Tyner is forming a band, using the name MC5, though he’ll be the only original bandmember involved. Rounding off the Motor City Report, Mitch Ryder is entertaining offers.... Bob Sager had a busy January if he did nothing else but play a four-night run at Detroit*s Cobo Hall. Despite the coldest winter in a long time, all four nights were sold out in the monster arena, and Bob dutifully split his pants on the second night for the hometown crowd. He also dutifully accepted two gold records (Live Bullet and Night Moves) and a key tothe city. Before the first show he sighed, “I’m gonna be burnt to a crisp after the fourth show... I give 110% in Detroit. You should give 100% everywhere but it’s my hometown.” On living in Detroit: “1 don’t want to live in L. A.—everybody out there is starry-eyed,‘1 wanna be rich and famous’. Here in Michigan people have their feet on the ground. ' I’m tuned into it. And 1 like waking up to snow on the ground. I’m a masochist.” On his lack of AM hits lately: “I’m not a singles artist. My voice isn’t suited for AM radio—to hear it twice in one year on AM is enough. It’s too gruff. Besides, disco and softer rock are big on AM now. ” On his profession: “I don’t believe in inspiration, It’s a craft like anything else. Although it won’t come when you want it to.”

Bingo Starr is co-starring with Mac West in her upcoming (oops) Sextette, but Keith Moon ha* . landed the role of her valet (?). Keith cancelled his wedding to J||Miette Walter-Lax on the grounds that both were too you ng”. „ > ?lsl

Phil Lynnot was delighted to be over with his bout with hepatitis—“They’d shoot me full of glucose and tell me to ‘rest’. That’s all they do! I’d watch TV all the time, but the British stations.. all it was was violence on the TV news; violence in Ireland and all. I just said I don’t have to watch this, sol* turned it off. Then my manager suggested I write songs for the new album. The priest came around and offered me counseling, but then he . saw my earring and wondered if he was in the right place. I sent him • away, but that’s all right, he was just doing his gig. ” Phil also confided that his heavyrock’n’roll crushes are.. C Patti Smith AND Olivia Newton-John, and that his idea of heaven would be a dream date with both. (In lieu of conversation over lunch Phil pored over last month’s CREEM feature on Patti).

John Cale has his new band in order,, consisting of Ridhh^^§| Flioglaron guitar, Brace Brody on keyboards, Mike Visceglia on "bassand Joe Stefko on drums: he debuted them at CBGB’s and—could it be true1* —the hinterlands will get the first view of John in a long while (discounting his bass playing duties on the first Patti Smith tour), yes. ..he’jltour.

The much maligned Alton Klein and the Beatles’ Apple Cos. reached a settlement of “all outstanding disputes and litigation with the Beatles and the Apple group of companies”, after uncounted years of haggling. Klein himself attributed the settlement largely to the “Kissinger-like negotiating tactics of Yoko Ono”. Meanwhile, the latest attempt to reunite the Beatles was supposedly on Muhammad All’s behalf, to benefit the starving and underclothed children of the world. Spokesmen for Paul McCartney said that there was nothing to it, as in all previous attempts.

Not only is Columbia about to snap up one former Apple artist, James Taylor, but two older Apples are ripe to be plucked: John Lennon, —currently at liberty, and Paul McCartney, who supposedly only has a greatest hits package to deliver to Capitol,

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ronnie Ven Zandt was asked recently if the brawkngiest rock ‘n’ rollers—not Igbnly himselfsfllbls b md but all of ." John Bonham, Brian Robertson of Hiin Lizzy, ■Robert Nix of Atlanta Rhythm 1 Section, etc , were pushed into yone dark alley, who would come out ' owtheirfeet. Ronnie laughed: “Ain't enough whiskey in the world to gjjet us in there with Robert Nix”§1

Trials and Tribulations of the Road Musician: When Uriah Heap were in Italy some time back, they were S exposed to the peculiar Italian custom of not allowing rock audiences to stand up, for any reason. If a fan gets up to applaud, men in black suits are dispatched to discourage them. Noting this, the band refused to go on. One of the black-suited genfe shot out the tires of their equipment van, held the gun up to their road manager’s face and said “You witla go ona!” Needless to say, they did afast set and departed. Just warning all you young musicians out there... i

Poor Joe Cocker! Home in Sheffield for Christmas, he found out that the English police never forget, specifically a drunk driving charge agqinst Joe lodged some three and a half years ago. The police nabbed Joe at his parents’ house, and found him guilty of driving a car with an excess amou nt of alcohol in his blood. He was fined 50 pounds, banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay a doctors fee of eight pounds.