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- “When I get into that studio, I’m in another world. I love it. When I’m performing, that’s the real me.” — Billy Lee Riley
- “If someone spends his life writing the truth without caring for the consequences, he inevitably becomes a political authority in a totalitarian regime.” — Václav Havel
- “All my life I have been happiest when the folks watching me said to each other, `Look at the poor dope, wilya?” — Buster Keaton
- Temporary
- “The problem with taking amps to a shop is that they come back sounding like another amp.” — Stevie Ray Vaughan
- “That cat was royalty, man.” — Mick Jagger on Eddie Cochran
- “I’ve been to every big city and many little towns in the USA. I really try to soak it in. I love all these little towns – the people and the places. I feel so lucky to see all these places and I truly have a hunger to see and experience them.” — G. Love
- R.I.P. Kris Kristofferson
- “I put my soul through the ink.” — Proof
- “I don’t care what anybody says about me as long as it isn’t true.” — Truman Capote
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- kristen on “I don’t care what anybody says about me as long as it isn’t true.” — Truman Capote
- Kimberly McNair on “I put my soul through the ink.” — Proof
- sheila on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
- sheila on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
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- sheila on R.I.P. Maggie Smith
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- Gemstone on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
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- sheila on “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” — Stephen King
- sheila on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
- sheila on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
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- Gemstone on “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” — Stephen King
- Lyrie on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
- sheila on The Books: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, ‘You Are There’, by Anne Fadiman
- Seth Daniel Watson on The Books: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, ‘You Are There’, by Anne Fadiman
- sheila on “I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer
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Category Archives: Music
“Who do you sound like?” — Marion Keisker to 18-year-old Elvis Presley, July 18, 1953
It’s her birthday. I finally wrote about her – and my theory about her “role” in “discovering” Elvis – for my column at Liberties! That was a long time coming! In the piece I mentioned her reunion with Elvis in … Continue reading
“Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well inside of your heart and head at all times. If it doesn’t drive you crazy, it will make you strong. ” — Bruce Springsteen
I’ve always loved Bruce Springsteen’s fervent adoration of Elvis. His fantastic memoir devotes an entire chapter to what it was like hearing Elvis’ music for the first time – and the chapter doesn’t once include the word “Elvis”. That’s how … Continue reading
“I was a pretty good imitator of Roy Acuff, but then I found out they already had a Roy Acuff, so I started singin’ like myself.” — Hank Williams
It’s his birthday today. He came to Nashville and he just set this whole world on fire. He was the first one to go to Las Vegas as a country singer, he was the first one in a major hotel … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged Eric Church, Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson, Waylon Jennings
5 Comments
“I’m trying to get people to see that we are our brother’s keeper. Red, white, black, brown or yellow, rich or poor, we all have the blues.” — B.B. King
WHAT a performance. And WHAT an audience. The mood – the back and forth – the communication going on – not just from up on the stage, but coming back at him from the crowd – is what live performance … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf, Little Richard, Merle Haggard, Robert Johnson, Sam Phillips, The Beatles, Willie Nelson
6 Comments
Liberties: Marion Keisker Loved Elvis First
Sometimes a piece rattles around in your head for years and you finally get an opportunity to just go ahead and write it. For my monthly column at Liberties magazine I wrote about Marion Keisker, and how I think she’s … Continue reading
“Sometimes, the most powerful lyrics are the ones left unsaid.” — Otis Redding
Seen on Beale Street: Watch Otis Redding’s live 1967 performance of “Try a Little Tenderness.” In this performance, what always strikes me is where it starts … and then where it GOES. And the journey he takes in between. That … Continue reading
“If anyone asks you what kind of music you play, tell him ‘pop.’ Don’t tell him ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ or they won’t even let you in the hotel.” — Buddy Holly
Waylon Jennings, Buddy Holly, Grand Central Station, 1959 It’s Buddy Holly’s birthday today. Buddy Holly on Arthur Murray Dance Party, December 29, 1957 Buddy Holly’s career was cut tragically short. Signed to Decca in 1956, he was killed in a … Continue reading
“The reason we’re successful, darling? My overall charisma, of course.” — Freddie Mercury
It’s his birthday today. It’s hard for me to talk about my feelings for Freddie Mercury. When Freddie Mercury moved, he cracked open the atmosphere. He’s almost frightening. When he walked across a stage, or threw his body into a … Continue reading
“I just sat at the drums and said, ‘Can I have a go?’ I just took to it.” — Honey Lantree
It’s her birthday. Even now, a “girl drummer” in an all-boy band is a rare thing. Back in the 1960s, it was unheard of. Which is why Honey Lantree, drummer for the Joe Meek-produced The Honeycombs, stands out. Still. When … Continue reading
“Was it a millionaire who said, ‘Imagine no possessions’?” — Elvis Costello
It’s his birthday today. Yes. It was a millionaire who spouted that line. And I love that millionaire, don’t get me wrong, but I do not love the lyrics of that beloved song. I saw Elvis Costello in concert three … Continue reading