Early February 2003
- Physicist still leaves some all shook up
By DAVE BROOKS
(Nashua Telegraph, February 5, 2003)
With Albert Einstein, science has long had its Gandhi, but only in the past few years has science pondered creating its Young Elvis. That would be physicist Richard Feynman, a man whose establishment-tweaking personality was so much larger than life that his friend Marvin Minsky (yes, that Marvin Minksy) told a gathering last week at MIT: "I could tell you lots of anecdotes, because Richard was one long anecdote." Feynman died of cancer in 1988, but his reputation has only grown. ... Feynman is the person that every geek wants to be: very smart, honored by the establishment even as he won't play by its rules, admired by people of both sexes, arrogant without being envied and humble without being pitied. In other words, he's Young Elvis, with the earth-shaking talent transferred from larynx to brain cells and enough sense to have avoided the fat Las Vegas phase.
- Blue suede fruit
By Peter Harrison
(South London Press, February 5, 2003)
IT'S not often you stumble across pineapple hats, tuxedos and the sounds of Elvis in town hall lifts. But these three lads - otherwise known as the Giant Pineapple Boys - were doing just that at Southwark council's HQ as staff got on with the job of overseeing borough business. ... They were discovered at last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they went down like a jailhouse rock.
With snow driving down outside, the performance left a warm glow in the corridors of power at Southwark. Joe Heming, town hall services manager, said he knew it was no ordinary day when saw the three dressed as Elvis in a lift.
He said: "The show was very good, hilarious and entertaining. "Probably we could do with such a lift from Elvis at the town hall every now and again."
- Paul Anka to headline Cal Poly event
(Times Online, February 4, 2003)
Entertainer Paul Anka will highlight Cal Poly Pomona's "Founders Celebration 2003: A Notable Night" program Sunday. Anka, an internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter, has headlined stages and composed now-classic contemporary songs for five decades. He will perform at the university's educational support fund- raiser at the Pacific Palms Resort in Industry. Proceeds benefit student scholarships and academic enhancement at Cal Poly. ... As a singer, he has appeared on Billboard's Top 50 charts for five consecutive decades. He was ranked by Billboard magazine alongside music legends Elvis Presley and The Beatles as one of the most successful artists of all time.
- King of Pop is left singing the blues
By David Sinclair
(Times Online, February 4, 2003)
THE passage of Michael Jackson from child star to alleged child molester is a cautionary tale of our celebrity obsessed times. Although his stock has diminished, Jackson remains the most successful solo act in the history of pop, bar Elvis Presley, and possibly the most troubled. His achievements as a singer, songwriter and performing artist have taken him to improbable heights. Millions of people who had never ventured into a record shop bought Thriller, which remains by some distance the biggest-selling album released. But the demons that drove Jackson to seek such mass adoration have proved cruel indeed and the isolation that comes with fame on that scale a terrible burden.
A strict vegetarian who has put himself through punishing "health" regimes involving days of fasting and sleeping in an oxygen tent, Jackson is now a frail, 44-year-old man who bears the scars of plastic surgery like stigmata.
The product of an upbringing so warped that it would probably constitute a case of child abuse itself, he has mutated from the proud "King of Pop" into a forlorn wreck whose naive understanding of the real world has become blurred to the point of incomprehension. Jackson revolutionised the sound and presentation of pop in the 1980s by importing the values of an earlier Hollywood era. Walt Disney, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were the key influences on Jackson's performing style, along with James Brown, the godfather of Soul. But Jackson also plugged in to the technology of the video age with a keen visual skill (and budgetary clout) that dwarfed the efforts of his peers.
- 100 best songs of all time
(Sydney Morning Herald, February 4, 2003)
What makes a great song? Melody, mood, lyric? Energy, production, arrangement? Musicianship, lack of musicianship? Empathy, wit, ego, insight, craftsmanship? Or do we love a particular song because it reminds us so vividly of past holidays, parties, friendships and relationships, terrific and sad times alike? In signing off on this list, I feel as if I'm leaving for a trip having spent three minutes packing. All I know is if stuck on an island armed with only a choice stereo and 100 songs to keep me company, this lot would do the business, for me, time and time again. [The list includes:]
1. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay (Redding/Cropper) - Otis Redding, 1967.
Shortly before he died in a plane crash in 1967, Otis Redding had recorded six takes of the melancholy (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay. The slight crack in that sweet young soul voice, the sparse semi-acoustic arrangement, the whistled solo - divine.
6. That's All Right (Crudup) - Elvis Presley, 1972.
When Elvis first covered this in the 1950s it was a pioneering manoeuvre. By the 1970s he had cranked it up to fifth gear, added blazing horns and gospel vocals and it kicked like an irritated mule.
33. In The Ghetto (Davis) - Elvis Presley, 1969.
77. (You're The) Devil In Disguise (Baum/Kaye) - Elvis Presley, 1963.
- Living where the stars lived: Palm Springs is filled with homes - some for sale - once owned by some very big names
By JANELLE BROWN
(Orange County Register / New York Times, February 3, 2003)
... Considering the number of stars who owned second homes in Palm Springs in its heyday, it is not surprising that half the houses in town claim some tenuous link to fame ("Dean Martin slept here!"). If you're looking to sleep in the shadow of midcentury movie stars, there's no better place to buy a vacation home. ... You could always buy a celebrity home and completely redecorate it and try to rid yourself of the legacy, but that would be beside the point. You do not buy Elvis Presley's former Palm Springs party pad (on the market for $1.5 million) because it is a fantastic house - it's a shabby 1946 one story with a 1970s decor in need of some tender love, a major remodel and a good interior decorator - but because it is essentially a museum.
The house isn't entirely as it was when Elvis lived there. After his death, fans broke in and stripped it. The only original furniture remaining are a grandfather clock, a butcher- block cutting table and a modest piano. But the house is far from devoid of Elvis-era artifacts. The subsequent owner, a friend and employee of Elvis', filled the rooms with Elvis' possessions and memorabilia - posters, gold records, photographs, clothing, Elvis dolls and Graceland wine - with the help of Priscilla Presley. These are included in the price of the house. It is not just a house on the market; it is an Elvis shrine.
The eventual buyer will also inherit the house's juicy history, of which there is plenty. There is the outdoor whirlpool - covered by a gazebo, to shield Elvis from helicopters spying overhead - where Priscilla Presley once found her husband with a professional football cheerleading squad, according to Victoria Cuevas, who is taking care of the property for its current owner. There is the room where his bodyguard lived, when he wasn't being dispatched in the middle of night to replace television sets that Cuevas said Elvis destroyed with a handgun, and the oversize recreation room where Elvis practiced his karate moves. The red-and-black master bedroom has two separate bathrooms. ("Elvis didn't like to share," Cuevas said.)
"We're expecting it to sell to an Elvis fan," Cuevas said, stating the obvious.
- Union County's first radio station debuts with Elvis
By KAREN VOYLES
(Gainesville Sun, February 3, 2003)
The "best song in the history of music" will be the first one played this morning when WUCR, 107.9 FM signs on the air at 6 a.m. as Union County's first-ever radio station. "I don't know where the seeds for this radio station idea came from," said Paul Lewis, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who is president and co-founder of Synewave Communications Inc. "I do know that Elvis Presley's 1956 record 'Don't Be Cruel' is what we will play first because it really is the best song in the history of music." Lewis and his friends Billy Ray Foister and Ron Wise have spent more than two years and $16,000 putting together their 100-watt, FM station in a portable, 8-by-14 metal shed next to the badminton net beside Wise's house.
- Record Producer Spector in Homicide Rap
By ERICA WERNER
(Yahoo! News, February 2, 2003)
Phil Spector, the legendary record producer whose work changed the sound of pop music in the 1960s, was arrested Monday for investigation of homicide after the body of a woman was found at a mansion in suburban Los Angeles, authorities said. ... Spector is famous for creating the "Wall of Sound" effect that involved overdubbing scores of musicians to create a full, dramatic sound. The technique combined a variety of instruments, vocals and sound effects and changed the way pop records were produced, while bringing fame to singing groups like the Ronettes and the Crystals.
In his storied career, Spector produced records for Elvis Presley, Ike and Tina Turner, the Righteous Brothers and Darlene Love. He produced the last Beatles album, "Let It Be," in 1970. He worked with John Lennon on "Imagine" and helped Yoko Ono produce Lennon's work after he was killed in 1980. Spector became reclusive and known for an eccentric lifestyle. ... The producer was alleged to have demonstrated near-psychotic and abusive behavior, according to a 1995 biography by Rolling Stone magazine.
- ... and if you'd like to buy your own jet
(Times Online, February 2, 2003)
TOM CRUISE has one. So have John Galliano and Eddie Irvine. Elvis Presley had two - one with a double bed and gold-plated seat buckles. To run your own private jet, you need millions. Even buying a six-year-old, second-hand Citation Ultra - the aircraft in which I flew to Paris - could set you back about £4m. Then you have the costs of kitting out the interior to your own specifications. You can do this for as little as £100,000, but some megarich owners splash out as much as £10m, fitting their aircraft with luxuries such as Jacuzzis, gyms and alligator-skin seats. Lufthansa Technik, a company based in Hamburg, specialises in fitting interiors for the world's richest jet-owners. Recently, it delivered the world's first Boeing Business Jet 2, complete with a master bedroom, two bathrooms, a dining room, an office and a widescreen cinema.
- Catholic pupils get taste of principal's rock era
(South Bend Tribune, February 1, 2003)
The name Elvis still brings screams of joy. Both boys and girls screamed when Jeff Kocab announced that magical name during his "More Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" show at St. Joseph Grade School in Mishawaka on Friday afternoon. Principal Mary Geist chose the assembly because she wanted to end Catholic Schools Week with "something lighthearted." "This is music I'm familiar with," she told students as she introduced Kocab. She, a couple of teachers and one newspaper reporter were the only ones in the room to know the words to a lot of songs, but most of the children seemed to enjoy the music. Some of them danced into the room to the music of the Mamas and Papas' "Monday, Monday." Besides some musical education, Kocab led them through a rock 'n' roll limbo and musical chairs. It seemed that the younger the children, the more enthusiastic they were.
- Two teachers honored at annual banquet
By Laura Hough
(Vicksburg Post, February 1, 2003)
The two teachers selected Thursday as educators of the year by the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce said accepting the award was an honor because of their love for students and teaching.
Sen. Tim Johnson of Madison seranades Mississippi Department of Transportation Commissioner Dick Hallcomes
(Melanie Duncan Thortis - The Vicksburg Post)
- New Registry For Sound Recordings
(soundgenerator.com, February 1, 2003)
The Library of Congress in Washington has embarked on a project, which will see it build an archive and registry of American sound recordings. The recordings will be from the last century and according to librarian of Congress James W. Bilington, it is not meant to be a Grammy Awards or best ofı List. The idea is to preserve a selection of recordings chosen from public and internal recommendations. There are a wide variety of recordings dating back to 1888/89 recorded on wax cylinders. There is a good selection of jazz, opera and classical with original recordings of Starvinsky, Gershwin and Caruso. There are also selections from Elvis, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles right up to the classic 'Message' a 1982 hit for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious five.
- Walking cane can be the talk of the town
By Anne Gilbert
(Charlotte Observer, February 1, 2003)
Collectors growing increasingly interested in functional art form
Is your grandfather's cane a family heirloom? You may be surprised to learn that some canes and walking sticks are considered collectible antiques and an art form. Prices at auction can go from several hundred to more than $2,000. There is a growing market for rare and unusual examples. The function of walking sticks may have changed over the centuries from utility to status symbol. They even were weapons. The fact that swords and guns were contained inside the shafts of canes as late as the 1900s tells you something about the times. ... Canes and walking sticks can be dated by the subjects of carving and the materials used. During the first quarter of the 19th century, in keeping with the patriotic fervor of the time, eagles of ivory and wood topped the walking sticks. The most expensive examples featured gold eagles with ruby eyes.
After the Civil War, it was popular to make canes from pieces of historic places or items, such as wood from a fort or ship.
The cane would then be inscribed with the place of origin and date. ... More recent are Elvis and Dolly images.
- Rebellious rapper beats to the sound of Bush's drum
By Johann Hari
(Canberra Times, February 1, 2003, Panorama section p. 7)
He loves guns and hates women and his new movie is about anti-white racism. Right-wing America just can't get enough of Eminem. Elvis Presley, James Dean Johnny Rotten ... Eminemen. Every generation has its iconic rebel ... So, yes, Eminem is an icon of rebellion. But where Elvis rebelled against the sexually puritan strand of 1950s America, Dean against the refusal to take the emotional life of teenagers seriously, and Rotten against established power in all its forms, Eminem is a symptom of the backlash against all this. He is spearheading a rebellion against the progress charted by earlier youth icons. A generation of Eminem fans is not quite, I imagine, what the '60s generation expected to give birth to.
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