ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

Living rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis, 45, was operated on for a stomach perforation at Memphis Methodist Hospital on June 30. Lewis was rushed to the hospital by ambulance from his Nesbit, Mississippi ranch I where he’d been vomiting blood and complaining of severe stomach pains. His condition deteriorated following surgery, and doctors were forced to perform yet another five hour emergency operation to remove stomach abcesses. Lewis was listed in “extremely critical condition” and given a 50-50 chance of survival following his second surgery. Fortunately, his condition had improved from “critical" to “serious” as CREEM went to press.

THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO DIED DEPT. Singer-songwriter Hurry Chapin, 38, was killed in a tragic New York freeway accident on July 16. Chapin, of course, scored numerous hits with his narrative, story-like songs, including “Taxi,” “WOLD,” “Sequel” and “Cat’s In The Cradle. ” Chapin was the co-founder of the World Hunger Fund for which he raised $5 million In donations. He is survived by his wife, Sandy, and five children, aged 5 to 21... Anya Phillips, a New York No Wave scenemaker, died of cancer in June at the age of 26. Phillips’ photographs appeared in New York Rocker and Punk magazine; she managed the Contortions and James White & The Blacks, and lived with James Chance until her death.

ROLLING STONES NEWS The Stones recently surprised pedestrians in New York City when they performed three songs outdoors in St. Mark’s Place (The unannounced performance was videotaped to promote the band’s new LP, Tattoo You.). Although the boys plan to tour this fall, Mick and Keith haven’t been on the best of terms lately; seems the Glimmer Twins can’t agree on the band’s current musical direction, and would occasionally erase each other’s tapes during sessions at NYC’s Electric Lady Studios... Bill Wyman is suing London’s Daily Star for libel over a story the paper published claiming the bassist was about to leave the Stones. Says Wyman: “It’s time to put an end to all this silly, silly nonsense about my leaving the group. The Rolling Stones are the biggest project in my life and always will be." ... And, finally, Keef will probably be married to Patti Hansen by the time you read this. Patti just made herfilm debut as a taxi driver in Peter Bogdanovich’s They All Laughed, and Keith bought her the checkered cab she drives in the film as a gift.

Brace Springsteen & the E Street Band have been turning up in the strangest places. The boys performed a 45-minute set at the grand opening of a new bar on the Jersey shore called Big Man’s West. Seems the bar is owned by one Clarence Clemons, who presided over the evening’s festivities dressed in full cowboy attire. Bruce and the band also serenaded E Street drummer Max Weinberg and his new bride Becky Shick with “Joie Blon” and “I Wanna Marry You” during their recent wedding.

Robert “Don’t make fun of my clothes!” Fripp has re-formed King Crimson in England. The new line-up includes one time Crimson member Bill Bruford, as well as Adrian Belew (Talking Heads, David Bowie) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel). The band plans to release an LP titled Discipline in September, and they’ll begin a North American tour the following month.

John Cale was surprised when old Velvet Underground comrade Sterling Morrison joined him onstage at the Club Foot in Austin, Texas. Ever the gentleman, Cale greeted his old pal by rubbing a slice of salami in Morrison’s face.

Round Trip, the Knack’s new LP, includes backing vocals by Flo & Eddie, Mark Hudson of the Hudson Brothers, and ace CREEM photographer Bob Matheu. Matheu also shot the album cover. But will the little girls understand, Bob?

Former Doors Ray Manzarek, Robbie Kriegerand John Densnore visited Jim Morrison’s grave at Pere Lachaise cemetary in Paris on the tenth anniversary of the Lizard King’s death. Manzarek once again denied that John Travolta wilt play Morrison in the film version of No One Here Gets Out Alive, adding that “John Sebastian will play me, Bob Dylan is playing Robbie, and George Harrison is playing John. The Lord himself will portray Jim." Manzarek asked the crowd that had gathered whether they though Morrison was really dead. “No! He’s in Mexico! He’s coming back!” were the replies. “I gotta say, I don’t really think he’s in there,” commented Ray. “But l don’t know. When he left Los Angeles, he did have a bad cough."

Island Records is producing a documentary film on the life of the late Bob Marlay. The film will include rare concert footage, interviews and his entire funeral. The movie will be released in two different versions—a shorter one for cable television, and a 90-minute version for commercial release... The fourth international Jamaican music festival—Reggae Sunsplash— was dedicated to Marley. The festival, which took place in Montego Bay August 4 through the 8th, featured reggae acts like Jimmy Cliff. Donnie Brown, Toots & the Msytals and Black Uhuru, as well as more mainstream black artists like Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and the Is ley Brothers.

Busts Jones (Talking Heads, the Chris SpeddingBand) recently joined the Gang Of Four for the final four dates of their U. S. tour, replacing bassist David Allen, who had grown weary of the road and returned to England.

In The Studio

Los Angeles, CA—Record Plant Black Sabbath, Chicago, Devo, Bernadette Peters; Kendun Recorders: Kool and the Gang, SOS Band, Carole King, Johnny “Guitar” Watson; United/Western: Bob Dylan, Barry Manilow, Tim Weisberg, Exile, Michael Jackson; Artisan Sound Recorders: the Records, Ella Fitzgerald, Tazmanian Devils; New York, N. Y. -39th Street Music: the Melons; Boogie Hotel: Foghat; Miami, FLA — Criteria Recording Studios: Rossington Collins Band, John Cougar & the Zone; Detroit, MI— Superlycs: Bootsy Collins, Sly Stone, the Sillies, Niagara (of Destroy Ail Monsters).

Racket-throwing bad boy John “Sylperbrat" McEnroe enraged Wimbledon with his verbal abuse of linesmen, unmistakable body English, heartless torture of an innocent Dunlop Maxlply, and general hiji nks. The Worst came , when the mens’ singles champ was a no-show at the champions’ dinner later in the evening of his historic match with Bjorn Borg, but the truth can be revealed here: McNasty hopped the Concorde in order to catch his utter fa ve Brace Springsteen in concert at the new Brendan Byrne arena in New Jersey; The newly-punked out McEnroe also hopped onstage with Cerlo«“Am I Still Famous?” Ih^jatiipin NYC to bang a . tambourine with athletic abandon

SUE ME, SUE YOU BLULS DEPT. Yoko Ono is being sued by the owners of the 1928 standard “MakingWhoopee,” who claim that Yoko stole the music for her “I’m Your Angel” on Double Fantasy. || The plaintiffs are demanding $lB million hi damages, as well as destruction of all existing copies©! the Ono song. Yoko is also being sued by Jack Douglas, who

produced Double Fantasy. Douglas has brought a breach Of contract suit against Lenono MuEfc, claiming he never received an accounting of royalties due from the sale of the LP. Lawyers for Yoko have filed a counterclaim, charging Dougipa with baud and false representation, ■■ between Douglas and Lenono Music be severed. ..Bob “Hosanna!” Dylan is reportedly being sued % former manager Albert Grossman (who now 8 heads Bearsville Records) for $1 million over back royalties bom records, tapes and sheet music. Grossman charges that Dylan “overpaid songwriter's royalties to himself and otherwise withheld payments.”

The Jam aren’t being dropped by Polydor after all, as reported in last month’sRock ’n’RollNews.

Gravel-voiced Tom Waite is recording the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola’s next film, One Prom The Heart. Waits is contributing eight songs, and duets with Crystal Gayle on two of them. Meanwhile, Chuck E. Weiss, who has been immortalized in songs by Waits and in Rickie Lee Jones’ hit single,' “Chuck E.’s In Love,” is recording a seven song EP on Select Records. Dr. John’s contributing keyboards.

The Clash are slated to appear in Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming film, TheKing'Qf Comedy, which stars Robert De Mho and Jerry Lewis. Scorsese is reportedly a big Clash fan.

Ario Guthrie was rushed to a Vancouver. British Columbia, hospital in the middle of a concert in July. Doctors first thought the 34-year-old singer had a kidney stone, but later diagnosed his ailment as pancreatitis—an inflammation of the pancreas.

Norman Bates clone David Byrne has been a busy little Talking Head lately. In addition to writing material for an evening of dance to be choreographed by Twyla Tharp on Broadway this September, Byrne also recorded as part of a one-time-only band called the Melona. Other Melons include Adrian Belew and Steve Scales (who both played on Remain In Light), as well as Tosbio Nakaniahi and Chico Sato of the Plastics and Keith p Strickland, KatePieraon and Cindy Wilson ofihe B-52’s The band recorded two Nakanishi compositions—“1 Will Call You (And Other Famous Last Words)’’ and “Honey Dew”—for a forthcoming Japanese compilation LP entitled The Snakeman Radio Show. Byrne is also slated to produce the next B-52’s album, and is preparing a live Talking Heads LP for release this fail.

Jonathan Richman has severed all ties with Berserkley Records.

Fresh from his triumph as The Elephant Man in New York, David Bowie will return to London in September to make his television acting debut for the BBC as the title role in Bertolt Brecht’s Baal. Bowie’s portrayal of an anarchist poet will have him seducing children, driving his best friend to suicide, abandoning his unborn child, and finally committing murder. Sounds like our kinda guy! Plans for a tour from old carrot-top are still indefinite. Rumors are still flying about Bowie’s departure bom RCA to greener pastures, and RCA’s reluctance to let the potential video megamaster go...

On Tour

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, REO Speedwagon, the Rockets, Pat Benatar, Linda Ronstadt, the Rockets, the Knack, Kraftwerk, Squeeze, the Pretenders, the Allman Brothers Band, Gary U S. Bonds, Peter Tosh, the Psychedelic Furs, Three Dog Night, the Plasmatics, Marshall Tucker Band, Iggy Pop, Peter Frampton, Foghat, Ozzy Osbourne & the Blizzard Of Ozz, Kansas, Fabukius Thuriderbirds, Little River Band, Charlie Daniels Band.