Week 11: Rob Morgan, Meet My Class

Week 11: A Skype Session With Seattle Institution Rob Morgan

Forget the songs and what we’re covering this week for a moment, because I introduced Rob “Capt.” Morgan to my students today. Don’t know, Rob? Well, picture a human hurricane, only infinitely funnier and more entertaining.

Rob, along with a few other self-described weirdos, basically created the Seattle punk rock scene out of thin air in the 1970s. When we had Lenny Kaye visit us a couple weeks back, he talked about how underground the NYC punk scene was back then. In New York, the only place to play original music was at a dump known as CBGB’s.

That being said, at least there was a dump to play at. And because it was New York, most of those bands got signed to major labels, like the Patti Smith Group, Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, and Blondie.

In contrast, there was nothing in Seattle and the major labels weren’t interested. The closest the Northwest punkers had to a club was the Bird, which existed for about six weeks in 1978 until the fire department shut it down. After that, the punk community rented halls wherever they could find to put on shows.

Rob has been in a bunch of bands, but his most memorable and long-running is the Squirrels, a band that does the most creative song mashups imaginable. In contrast to the Seattle stereotype of a bunch of cavemen playing grunge (and don’t get me wrong, I obviously love that stuff), Rob provides a broader picture of what really was happening in Seattle besides (and prior to) Sub Pop.

I don’t have enough space or time to get more into the Squirrels other than to tell you they combined Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” with the Hawaii Five-0 theme song and called it “Hawaii Take Five-0.” You’ll have to read my book to find out the rest. I did a special chapter addendum on Rob and the Squirrels.

So Rob appeared in front of us at 12:20 pm ET, and I braced myself, because I knew my students have never experienced anyone like him. I knew he would blow them out of their seats. Rob did not disappoint.

(A student, foreground, waits for Rob to answer a question)

A student asked Rob about what punk rock meant to him beyond leather jackets. Rob laughed and said he never owned one. Punk to him meant doing what you want, both musically and otherwise, being yourself and not playing to what you think the world wants.

Another student asked Rob about his most memorable gigs. Rob mentioned a late 1980s Squirrels show at the Rainbow Tavern (Seattle, University District.) The tables at the Rainbow were basically large round wooden spools. One of the patrons kept heckling the band to get the hell off stage or whatever. So after he went to the bathroom, Rob & Co. proceeded to haul the table, including the customer’s bottle of wine, up on stage.

After he returned, Rob said the customer did a double take reminiscent of a cartoon when he saw the space where his table had been (I can’t do Rob’s imitation justice in writing…suffice it to say it got the students cracking up.) The customer was about to respond harshly when he noticed Rob on stage downing the bottle of wine, and then immediately changed his demeanor. He laughed and told the band they had balls.

At a Bumbershoot gig (annual outdoor Labor Day weekend music festival at the Seattle Center), the Squirrels had accumulated a bunch of Cabbage Patch dolls (again, further described in my book) and decided to hook up surgical tubing between two mics. While the two Squirrels guitar players wailed on the “I Dream of Jeannie” theme, Rob pulled the tubing back as far as possible and began launching Cabbage Patch projectiles into the audience. Rob said that was the last time the Squirrels were invited to Bumbershoot for some reason. He also said he’s killed about 300 Cabbage Patch dolls in his career.

(That’s Marshall not asking the Marshall question.)

Rob was wearing a Darkness shirt, so I felt compelled to get him talking about one of his favorite bands. That was a mistake, because he was relentless…I mean, now apparently I am required by law to go see them. Assessing the situation, one student checked out the band’s latest tour dates on her phone. They’re coming to Philadelphia (Troc) on April 18, she said. Rob couldn’t say enough things about them. He likens them to rock n roll’s last best hope…a band that hasn’t forgotten that the music is ultimately about fun.

Needless to say, Rob was great. One student emailed me afterward and said this: “I really enjoyed Rob today. Definitely the funniest guest we’ve had so far.” There you go.

A big thanks to Rob for doing this.

Special Trip to See Richard Thompson

Select Students Visit Richard Thompson for a Q&A

Sometimes things just happen. Sometimes good things just happen.

Earlier today, I crammed four of my rock n roll history students into my Mustang and made the trip to Princeton, NJ for a Q&A with Richard Thompson before his show there. Zac Ingraham, a member of Richard’s management team, set up this meeting and I can’t thank him enough.

We met Richard around 3:30 pm at the McCarter Theater at Princeton University. We sat in a conference room and the students prepared to fire off their questions.

(The students outside the venue.)

I started things off by asking Richard about his childhood, just to give the students some perspective on post-World War II England. He contrasted the affluent American post-war experience with his formative years playing in London bomb sites left over from German bombing. He talked about food rationing that went on for nearly a decade after the war.

One student asked about his songwriting creative process. Richard talked about sort of extracting a song that’s already there…in other words almost acting as a conduit of sorts. Songwriting can be a pretty mystical thing sometimes.

Another student inquired about memorable performances. Richard mentioned sharing the bill with psychedelic-era Pink Floyd (I believe he was referring to the Roundhouse in London) and also a particular show in 1970 when Led Zeppelin joined Fairport Convention on stage. He said it was utter chaos and that someone taped it but alas, the tapes were lost.

I followed up by inquiring about the time he shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix at London’s Speakeasy. Fairport’s Judy Dyble told me about that story. Richard confirmed it, saying yes, Jimi joined Fairport on stage and they jammed away. There is nothing I can add to that.

One student asked what we now call the “Marshall question.” (Marshall, one of my students [who couldn’t attend], asks each musical guest if they have any advice for aspiring musicians.) Richard’s recommendation is to be original. He laments television shows that create stars by elevating people who sound like someone else. He felt that these shows reinforce the status quo rather than encourage artistic experimentation…something that has been a hallmark of his career.

Somebody asked Richard about his unique finger-picking technique. He said he sort of subconsciously developed a hybrid style when he was playing one day and wanted to finger pick a song, but didn’t feel like putting down the pick. So he would use the pick while finger-picking at the same time. He said that technique allows him to syncopate the beat, which is typically difficult to do on the guitar.

(Richard answers a student’s question.)

Another student inquired if he has a wish list of musicians to work with. He said he’s pretty much worked with everyone he would like to, but would love to go back in time and rub elbows with people like jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt or even Mozart.

We said our goodbyes and thank yous to Richard and headed into Princeton proper to grab some dinner. We found a little Mexican place called “A Taste of Mexico.” Fantastic. We talked about our time with Richard over dinner. One student remarked that he thought only 20 minutes had gone by, but we were with him for an hour!

I was proud of my students for making the trip, but mostly for their passion for a great artist whom they can connect with despite generational differences. A big thank you to Richard for graciously giving his time and for Zac for setting this up.

Week 10: Terry Marshall and Seventies Rock

Week 10: Seventies Mainstream Plus a Conversation With Marshall Amplification’s Terry Marshall

So we moved beyond prog, glam, and punk rock to give the class a little flavor of the eclectic nature of ’70s mainstream music.

The critics hated the ’70s, because…I guess because there was no Beatles/Stones/Hendrix/Dylan leading the way. Artists went in so many different directions that it was hard to sort of keep it together or write about it in a thematic way. Sorry, but critics sometimes get caught up in musical snobbery. There really was some intensely great music (and a lot of crap, too, of course) that came out of that decade.

I think of the ’60s as a fine multi-course meal. You get your appetizer, soup/salad, a delicious entree, wonderful dessert, some drinks and perhaps a fresh cup of coffee to end the evening. The ’70s was more like a buffet. Not as classy, and there is some stuff you don’t want to touch, but you can find something you like.

So I threw a lot at them…everything from Steely Dan to Eagles to Tom Petty to Springsteen to Journey to Van Halen to AC/DC (thanks, Marshall M.) to Nicks/Buckingham era Fleetwood Mac to Pink Floyd to whatever. Overall, the students had favorable reactions to this week. Two of my metal head students even sang the praises of Journey, so there you go.

Oh, I almost forgot…see that Marshall M. reference above? He’s one of my students. When he first looked at the artists we covered, he asked me why I skipped over AC/DC. So I threw it back on him. Tell me why I should cover them and whom I should leave out. He gave me a strong argument for AC/DC’s massive influence and suggested I take out Springsteen. While I wouldn’t have a personal problem with that, I figured that’s not a good idea, so I decided to play up AC/DC at Van Halen’s expense. That was a tough one for me, given Van Halen was my first real rock album and my first concert.

When we got to AC/DC, I turned the lecture over to Marshall, who did a great job illuminating AC/DC’s indebtedness to the blues and their “simple but not so simple” approach to songwriting. He even played the first few chords of “Highway to Hell.” He did a fantastic job.

On Wednesday, Terry Marshall Skyped with us from England, rescheduling from last week’s snow-out.

We’ve had some great sessions with musicians, but this one took things up a level. The students asked some great questions and Terry provided thoughtful answers. One student asked him about the “Marshall crunch” she read about, meaning that powerful crunching sound their amplifiers deliver. Terry responded by talking about how some musicians, he mentioned Hendrix specifically, who like to turn up their levels all the way up until the amplifiers are cooking…sometimes quite literally…and that provides that crunching sound she was referring to. Which leads us to the best question of the semester…

One of my students, who always wears Steelers stuff (hey, we can’t all be perfect) asked Terry if he had seen Spinal Tap and if the Marshall company actually designs amps that go to 11. Ok, I lost it with that one. I laughed so hard that the students started staring at me and began to laugh at my laughing. Terry cracked up, too. He said, yes, the company in fact has made amplifiers that reach 11 in volume. I mean, it’s true. Once you’ve hit 10, where do you go from there? You’re stuck. But if you need that extra umphhh, well, you can go to 11. (Correction/clarification from Terry: We did make a limited edition that referenced the Spinal Tap quote with a front panel where the volume control showed 11, but the amps themselves were unchanged.)

(That’s Marshall asking Marshall a question.)

Terry, speaking in front of an imposing set of Marshall stacks, gave us an overview of the company and how things got started in his father Jim’s drum shop. Musicians began to ask if they could carry other instruments, which they did, including of course guitars. In particular, regular visitors to the shop like Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Big Jim Sullivan, and Ritchie Blackmore asked if the Marshalls could also carry amplifiers that would provide an alternative to the not-so-powerful Voxes or the too expensive Fenders.

So Terry, Jim, the musicians, and a team of engineers got to work making their own amplifier. As a saxophone player, Terry used his ear to translate what the musicians wanted to the engineers. By tweaking the pre-amp, the Marshalls were eventually able to come up with the “Marshall sound.” Within a few years, the company became the dominant standard in rock n roll and went worldwide. Terry talked about the relationships the company made and still has with musicians.

(Another student, another great question.)

Overall everyone had a great time chatting with Terry. He’s a great guy. I had the good fortune to meet him and his wife for dinner a couple of years ago in London. Love the European dining experience where you get a table for the entire night. You’re not rushed out like in America. We enjoyed our leisurely dinner, had some coffee, and finished things off with a shot of liqueur.

So next up is a Skype chat with my friend and Seattle music legend Rob Morgan on Monday. Then we will cover new wave and post-punk. We’ll see how the students react to that stuff.

Week 9, Part 2: “Class, Meet Judy Dyble”

Week 9, Part 2: British Folk Rock and Punk Rock?

So last Wednesday, when we covered British folk/rock and progressive rock, we were supposed to have a Skype visit with Fairport Convention’s Judy Dyble. Unfortunately, the weather apparently didn’t care about our schedule and it decided to snow and cancel class. Fortunately for us, Judy agreed to reschedule to yesterday, March 28. She would speak with us and then we would talk about “SR 9,” which are songs they had to listen to, write about and discuss. Those songs represent a sampler of glam and punk rock. So that’s why we started out in Britain and ended up at CBGB’s.

We called Judy at the beginning of class and, wow, we had no technical problems for the first time!

If you’re not familiar, Fairport Convention started in London in 1967, and basically invented British folk/rock. Initially though, the band was trying to find its voice and recorded a sampler of what was to come. Judy was an original member who sang and played autoharp on the band’s first record. After that, she joined up with Robert Fripp, Peter Giles, Michael Giles, and Ian McDonald to form an early version of what would become King Crimson. So in a way, Judy is a link between the British folk club scene and progressive rock. She recorded “I Talk to the Wind,” which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfqXh5s4t4k. That song ended up on the first King Crimson record, with Greg Lake taking the vocal duties.

After that, Judy teemed up with Jackie McAuley of Them to form Trader Horne. Them, with lead singer Van Morrison, enjoyed success with “Gloria,” a song later covered by Patti Smith. (See Week 9, Part 1.) Judy explained to the class how Trader Horne’s name was suggested to them by legendary DJ John Peel. Trader Horne was the nickname for John’s nanny. He then worked for the BBC’s Radio One and later championed Seattle bands like Mudhoney and Nirvana.

Students asked Judy questions about career, about her choice of the autoharp, and her connections with musicians like Fairport Convention’s Richard Thompson and Jimi Hendrix.

Judy learned to play the autoharp standing up, which was quite difficult because it’s a heavy instrument. She would play the instrument using a claw hammer technique and sing. Pretty remarkable.

She mentioned a jam session where she was chilling before a show and FC were getting ready on stage. Jimi Hendrix was in the audience and asked if he could sit in with the other musicians. Fairport of course said yes. So Richard Thompson handed Jimi his guitar, and Simon Nicol offered his guitar to Richard. So Richard Thompson and Jimi Hendrix were jamming on stage right in front of Judy! I asked her her about that experience. At the time, Judy said it was pretty  casual. Those kinds of things happened all the time back then. (Correction/clarification from Judy: The gig was at a well known London rock nightclub called the Speakeasy where many of the rock and pop musicians would go to unwind after their own shows, Fairport were in the middle of their performance when Jimi asked to sit in with them, Tiny stage so I went to sit down somewhere else while they were jamming.)

Judy also talked about some of the clubs she played at in London like the Middle Earth and Roundhouse. The Roundhouse became famous for “Psychedelic Freak-Outs” with bands like the Move and the Pink Floyd (and yes, back then, it was the Pink Floyd.) The Roundhouse was apparently a train station at one time, and it had a turntable somewhere on the dance floor. Patrons had to be careful not to trip on the edges of the turntable in the blackness of the club.

(Judy listens while a student poses a question.)

One student asked Judy about how she went about putting together her autobiography, a fascinating read called An Accidental Musician. She talked about how she was supposed to become a librarian. She had been in a small band called Judy and the Folkmen but figured that would be the end of her musical career. But the people in Fairport asked her to join and that was that.

After many years out of the music scene, Judy began to make solo records and tour in the early 2000s. She has reunited with Fairport for reunion shows and continues to make music to this day.

The class absolutely adored her. How can you not? She is probably the sweetest person I’ve ever interviewed.

After the visit with Judy, we spent the rest of the class talking about “SR 9,” which featured people like David Bowie, Queen, T. Rex, Alice Cooper and pre-punk acts like the Velvet Underground, the MC 5, and the Stooges. Then we delved into the early NYC punk rock scene with Television, the Ramones, the Patti Smith Group, and Talking Heads. We pretty much ran out of time and I shoehorned in selections from British punk bands the Sex Pistols and Clash.

Overall, student reactions were mixed. Some students dug the punk stuff, but a lot did not. The Talking Heads selection, “Once In a Lifetime,” received mixed reviews because of its weirdness, which is exactly the reason I like it. I dig the ending when David Byrne basically mocks himself.

Next week will be much tamer musically as they will get a sampler of more mainstream music from the 1970s. We’ll be talking about and listening to Journey, Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, the Eagles, Springsteen, Tom Petty, and more. So far I’ve received one early response for “SR 10,” and she loved all the songs. Hey, punk rock isn’t for everyone, and a lot of the mainstream stuff in the ’70s was outstanding. See you then!

Week 9, Part 1: “Class, Meet Lenny Kaye”

Week 9, Punk Rock and a Visit from the Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye

Normally on Mondays I provide context for the songs we’re going to talk about on Wednesdays. Then on Wednesdays we discuss those songs. For example, in Week 8 we covered prog rock and British folk/rock. On Monday, I gave them some background of the evolution of prog rock and the British folk club scene which led to bands like the Strawbs, Fairport Convention, and the Pentangle. Then we discussed the assigned songs on Wednesday. Wait, no we didn’t. It snowed.

This week was different as we were privileged to welcome our first in-person guest speaker: Mr. Lenny Kaye. I met him beforehand for lunch (yes, I paid…it’s the least I can do as he drove about 90 minutes to be with us…such an incredible guy.) Lunch was cool as I could give Lenny some more background on the course and he told me about some of his experiences with Patti Smith, co-writing Waylon Jennings’ autobiography, etc. I had to remind myself to just shut up and listen.

I began the class with a short clip from End of the Century, the Ramones documentary. I showed the part that covers the early “Ramones at CBGB” days. I heard some laughs from the students as the Ramones argued on stage. “Let’s play I Don’t Wanna Go Down to the Basement. No, I wanna play Loudmouth. We want I Don’t Wanna Go Down to the Basement. It’s two against one. Fuck you all.” Then, we all sat in a circle and I turned the class over to Lenny. Why not? He was there after all.

Lenny talked about the organic nature of that early NYC punk scene, of how every band was so different: The Patti Smith Group basically set Patti’s poetry to music and experimented with so many genres, exploring traditional musical landscapes and sometimes venturing off into unstructured improvisation; Television created symphonies with their guitars; Talking Heads approached things from an angular art school perspective; and the Ramones…well, the Ramones were the Ramones. The whole point is that there really wasn’t a defined “punk rock.” People were doing what they wanted and the audiences typically consisted of members of other bands (does that sound familiar, Seattle music fans…like Soundgarden and Skin Yard playing on a Tuesday night at the Rainbow Tavern familiar?)

Patti was into simplicity, and then exploring things musically from there. In other words, she didn’t feel a need to do something clever for cleverness sake. The Patti Smith Group usually worked out their material live rather than in the rehearsal space. They discovered what worked and what didn’t in front of an audience rather than during practice.

(Lenny Kaye talks to the class)

One student asked Lenny about his fascination with science fiction and comic books and if that influenced him at all in his music. What a question! Lenny responded by saying absolutely it did. The seemingly unbounded possibilities of science fiction allowed him the space (yeah, there was no pun intended there…really) to explore what can be done sonically beyond the confines of melody and rhythm…essentially inspiring a free jazz approach.

Another student asked him if his inability to read sheet music helped or hurt his career. He said he believes it mostly helped him because he can create music unfettered by structure or theory. His ear knows where the notes are and he can use that to improvise with Patti and the other musicians. That student followed up by saying she has classical piano training and that her teacher would not let her improvise at all. So she can play anything you put in front of her but can’t make anything up on the spot. Lenny responded by saying he would love to sit down and play a Chopin piece, but appreciates the fact that he can go off script.

Lenny continually praised Patti Smith’s artistic integrity. He still plays with her to this day.

As we finished up, I threw in a question about Lenny’s early days. In the Summer of 1967, Lenny and a friend decided to drive from their home in New Jersey to San Francisco to check out the scene and bands there. They talked high philosophy, forgetting to check the fuel level and managed to run out of gas in Nebraska. The point was that they had such an idolized view of change that anything was possible in the human race. I asked Lenny if he felt that youthful hope still exists today or have we become too jaded? He responded by referring to the kids who participated in the March For Our Lives, and that the spirit of kindness, compassion, and activism is alive and well. He urged young people to make their contribution, to put their stamp on the world and try to improve the planet and everyone in it.

In all, we were privileged to have hosted Lenny today. I still can’t quite believe I have gotten this lucky. I know the students appreciated him as well.

 

 

Weeks 6 – 8

A Bitchy Blog Update…I Blame the Snow

So these past few weeks have been screwed by the weather, to say the least, throwing spring break in there just for fun. Weather canceled Wednesday, March 7’s class, when Marshall Amplification co-founder Terry Marshall was supposed to Skype with us; We didn’t meet on Monday and Wednesday, March 12 and 14 due to spring break; and snow canceled Wednesday, March 21’s meeting, when Fairport Convention’s Judy Dyble was to Skype with the class. (Fortunately, they both were able to reschedule. Judy will chat with us on Wednesday, March 28 and Terry on Wednesday, April 4.)

So I think that’s why my attitude in this blog update sucks.

So, what did we cover during our limited class time? We talked about 1960s San Francisco and Los Angeles psychedelia, electric folk/rock and everything in between (Week 6.) Then we covered heavy blues and early metal of the late ’60s and early ’70s…people like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Free, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. Most of the class dug a lot of that stuff, but now it’s time for me to gripe. (Week 7.)

(Byrds classic line-up featuring David Crosby, far left, and Roger McGuinn, far right. McGuinn talked to us a few weeks back.)

I mentioned how some of the now “iconic” songs of that era, songs that have become standards half a century on, were throwaway numbers at the time. I specifically mentioned Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” Free’s “All Right Now,” and Deep Purple’s “Smoke On the Water.” For the last song, I even played the students an excerpt of an interview I did with DP’s bass player, Roger Glover.  Glover talked about how band was just finishing up the Machine Head record and needed another song to wrap things up. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had the cool riff, but that was about it. Since some moron set off a flair gun which managed to burn their recording studio to the ground, Deep Purple riffed on the story of what happened and how they recorded afterward and how it impacted other bands who were supposed to record there like the Rolling Stones and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The lyrics were not poetic…just basically conversational about what occurred. It was all done seat of the pants style, no one thinking about it at the time, no one considering that they had just composed one of the most recognizable songs in rock history.

Don’t you know I got some song reactions back from the students saying, “I don’t know what this song was about.” And I restrained myself, but I responded, “You know what it’s about. The bass player in the band who wrote the song told you exactly what it’s about.” I had the same thing happen with “All Right Now,” a song written in a hurry when Free’s manager asked them to compose something upbeat after a bad gig. Singer Paul Rodgers just went, “All right now,” and there you have it. This from interviews with Free’s late bassist Andy Fraser and drummer Simon Kirke. Apparently, some students didn’t listen to that, either. Ugh.

(Jimi)

So let’s get to Week 8, where we spent some time on prog rock and British folk/rock. We covered bands like King Crimson, Yes, Tull, ELP, Genesis, Renaissance, Rush, Fairport Convention, the Strawbs, and the Pentangle.

I know prog isn’t for everyone, and I really dig some of it, but only if I’m in the right mood…and another gripe is coming. Before giving the students their prog rock songs, I mentioned how long some of them are, that there is no payoff, and they just have to let the songs come to them. Then I read some of the reactions to selections like Yes’, “And You and I.” That’s a 10 minute excerpt from their 1972 album, Close to the Edge (which, btw, is my favorite Yes record and as I found out last spring, it’s also Steve Howe’s.)

In that particular song, the band spends maybe about 30 seconds “warming up” where Howe does a bunch of harmonics before the song begins. (As I found out from Yes’ Bill Bruford, all of that was planned…to the note.) Some students reacted like, “This is boring. It took too long for the song begin.” Hey, have patience people! It will start when it’s ready. Again, ugh. I remember hearing Close to the Edge for the first time as a teenager and loving it. I know things are different now, and I know it’s a matter of taste, but man, this instant gratification culture has its shortcomings sometimes.

(Yes’ classic line-up with, from left, Steve Howe on guitar, Bill Bruford on drums, Jon Anderson on guitar and vocals, Chris Squire on bass, and Rick Wakeman on keyboards.)

Ok, I’m done griping. This week coming up should be fantastic. We’ve got a visit on Monday, in person, from the Patti Smith Group’s guitar player, Lenny Kaye. Then on Wednesday, Judy Dyble will chat with us remotely from England. We’re covering glam, proto-punk and punk rock this week, so I’m excited.

Week 5

Week 5: Bob Dylan, Motown, Stax, and a Virtual Visit from the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn!

Well, we’re finally caught up ladies and gentlemen! Aren’t you happy for me?

We moved to America after spending a couple of weeks in the UK, covering a variety of artists. I imparted to the students Dylan’s contribution to the lyrical dimensions of rock n roll, but it seems they were having none of it. They couldn’t get past the voice, or lack thereof. One student described Dylan’s voice in Shelter From the Storm “slightly less shitty” than The Times They Are A-Changin.’ I do think they got a kick out of the video clip I showed them from the Dylan documentary where Al Kooper bullshits his way onto the recording of Like a Rolling Stone by pretending to have an organ part. He learned the chords on the spot. You can hear at the beginning of the song where he comes in just slightly behind the band as the chords change until he finally figures it out after the first verse.

The students seemed to mostly dig Motown and Stax, and yes, I did educate them about the existence of the Motown house band, the Funk Brothers. The Funks played on more #1 hits than the Beatles, Stones, Elvis, and the Beach Boys combined. I do have a soft spot for Stax’s house band, Booker T & the MGs, but I’m not sure the students dug it.

On Wednesday, the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn dropped in via Skype (still not sure how I get this lucky.) Roger did this for us a year ago during the honors course and he was not supposed to play. In that class, a student asked him out of the blue if he would perform for us…so he gave us a reworked rendition of Eight Miles High. I emailed him after that class explaining I had no idea the student would ask, and that I didn’t intend to ambush him. He was super gracious and offered to chat with us again.

And so he did.

This time, Roger appeared on the screen with 7-string self-designed acoustic Martin on his lap…and he began playing immediately. As usual the students came up with strong questions including…

Name of the band. Roger explained that they liked the name “Birds,” but since that word was slang for girls in England, they decided to change the spelling. Someone suggested “Burds,” but that looked terrible, so eventually they settled on “Byrds.”

Motivation to design a 7-string acoustic. Roger said one of the airlines broke his 12-string Rickenbacker, so he came up with the idea of a smaller guitar, which has a extra E string, and thus can mimic the 12-string sound.

I told him I recently listened to Tambourine Man, a song which I’ve heard a ton of times, but this time it occurred to me that no one really sounded like that before. I asked him how he came up with that sound. He said his motivation came from watching George Harrison play his Gretsch guitar in the Beatles film, A Hard Day’s Night. He basically took Dylan’s song and–his words–“Beatled it up.”

When someone inquired about musicians he has played with, he talked about being onstage–at the same time–with Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan. I had no words.

A student asked him about using the sitar on Byrds records, and he said his inspiration came from listening to Ravi Shankar records and eventually turning the Beatles on to him.

I felt compelled to ask about the spex he wore in the Byrds, especially since he showed them to us last year. He said he was walking in NYC and spotted the Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian wearing those glasses, tinted blue. He loved them, asked Sebastian where he got them from, and immediately got a pair.

Finally, a student wanted to know how he composes music. He said he usually finds some cool chords, puts them together, and then adds a nonsense melody line to it. Once that’s down, he composes the real lyrics.

All in all, fantastic, and I hope the young folks can appreciate how amazing it is to chat with a legend like Roger.

(A student awaits an answer to a question he asked Roger)

(Another student, another thoughtful question)

(Great questions, all)

Weeks 3 and 4

Weeks 3 and 4, Plus Another Guest Speaker!

We were supposed to spend the entire week 3 on the Beatles, but snow and ice shortened it to one day. So I attempted to convey to the class the game changing nature of what the Liverpool lads accomplished including some clips from the Beatles anthology DVD…notably rejecting the George Martin-bought How Do You Do It in favor of the John Lennon penned Please Please Me, the Shea Stadium concert, and the final rooftop concert in 1969.

For week 4, we covered the rest of the first British invasion wave including the Stones, Who, Yardbirds, Kinks, Animals, Small Faces, and Pretty Things.

On February 12, we were lucky to be joined, via Skype, by Nirvana’s Chad Channing. I had the privilege of interviewing Chad a couple of times and hanging out with him on a couple of occasions. After we got done talking with him, I asked the class what they thought. They said he was so “chill.”

The students asked some thoughtful questions. One inquired about a serious soccer injury he incurred as a kid and its impact upon him. Chad talked about how it changed his direction. He was seriously hurt and couldn’t play soccer anymore. So he ventured down the musical path. He became a multi-instrumentalist, but became best known as a drummer (note that Chad played guitar, bass, and sang in his post-Nirvana band Before Cars.)

When asked about Before Cars’ influences (BC was an acoustic-based folky rock band…Chad calls it “alternative folk”), Chad mentioned Bowie, Elvis Costello, and Carole King. It’s pretty cool that he likes all kinds of music, ranging from Slayer to singer-songwriters.

One student asked if there were any musicians he would like to work with that he hasn’t yet. He said if he had a wish list, Peter Gabriel would be at the top of it.

(Chad contemplates an answer after a student asks him a question.)

(Another student question provokes a thoughtful response.)

Weeks 1 and 2

Weeks 1 and 2, Roots, Electric Blues, 1950s…and Our First Guest Speaker!

We delved into the pre-World War II blues of people like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, and Memphis Minnie, and then moved on to the electric blues of people like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and tweeners like Big Bill Broonzy and Leadbelly. The students had mixed reactions to it, but I think they got how these important these folks were to pretty much everything they listen to. We also talked about some of the early country artists like Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams.

The 1950s were interesting, what with Elvis, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Chuck Berry, but I got the feeling that the repetition in the music left some of them wanting.

On Monday, January 29, Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull spoke to us via Skype. After testing it out with my daughter beforehand, I thought I was set. Of course not. Skype refused to work. After several calls back and forth, we managed to get it to the point where we could see and hear him, but he could only hear us. Since we only had 15 minutes with Ian, we had to make it work.

The students asked him questions about the formation of Tull, his use of the flute, and his flamboyant stage persona. He said it’s important to develop ones own stage persona, mentioning Michael Jackson’s moonwalk and that MJ copied it from James Brown. A student asked Ian’s advice on how to break into music. Ian said to make sure you have a plan B and C. For him, Jethro Tull was not his first choice in life. He actually wanted to be a police officer, but that obviously didn’t work out. Good thing. I’m glad we had a Jethro Tull.

(Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson speaks with the students)

(A student asks Ian a question)

(Ian, who is quite funny, elicits a laugh from the class)

The Course

So last Spring (2017), I put together a course on “Classic Rock,” which covered the 1963-73 era. Since apparently it went so well, my boss at Del Val decided to expand it to a full three credits to cover the entirety of rock n roll history. I figure I’d begin in the 1920s with early recorded blues and country and move it forward until the 1990s. I think after that rock n roll as we know it ceased to become a major cultural force. (And no, I’m not one of those old people who talks about how much better things were “back then.” It’s just that rock n roll used to be a major cultural rallying point for young people. Nowadays, it’s around, but it doesn’t drive or at least participate in culture the way it used to.)

Putting it together, I decided to focus on one era or genre each week…like one week we’ll do 1950s rock and one week will be British post-punk. Mondays will be lecture-oriented, to provide context to the students for each area we cover. Wednesdays will be entirely discussion, where the students get to talk about songs they were assigned to listen to and write about for that week.

Given that I’ve been writing about music for quite some time and have made a few contacts, the course will also feature guest speakers interacting with the students via Skype. Two of the speakers will visit us in person. To see more details about the course, a syllabus will follow. I will post an update each week.

Course Syllabus: Critical Issues in American History

(i.e., Rock n Roll history)

Delaware Valley University

(LA 4116, Section 201)

Spring 2018

Classroom: Feldman 102

Meeting Times: M/W 12:15 – 1:30 pm

 

Instructor:  Stephen Tow	Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx (cell)
Email: xxx@xxxx.com.	Office Hours: T/R, 11 am – Noon (#Pub); and by appointment

 

Text: None! I will provide notes for you in class. That should make you happy.

 

Course Description: This course is a combination music appreciation and music history class. We’ll begin with pre-World War II blues and country and work our way through the many varied eras of rock n roll up through the early ’90s.

 

Course Objective: I want you to understand and appreciate the context of the music in addition to just learning about its history. My ultimate goal is to help set you on a lifetime of exploring and discovering music. Most of us get to a certain age, maybe start a family, and continue to listen to the same music we first heard in high school. The new stuff is “terrible,” and “things were so much better back then.” Trust me, you will be tempted to fall into this trap. Don’t do it! There will always be talented people creating incredible music. It may be harder to find, but it’ll be out there. And I don’t care where you end up musically. For example, if because of this course, you get into Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis, then I’ve done my job.

 

Evaluation:

 

• Class attendance/participation (30%)
• Song reactions (55%)
• Guest speaker questions (15%)

 

• Class attendance/participation

 

This is an upper-level course. That means you will be expected to show up prepared and motivated to discuss each week’s topics. Your consistent attendance and participation are an easy way to get a free 30% of the grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Song Reactions (SR)

 

Each week you will receive a list of songs to listen and offer your reactions to. You will be expected to offer insightful analysis beyond, “I liked it” or “It sucked.” Further direction will be provided with these assignments up on Blackboard.

 

• Guest speaker questions

 

For the guest speakers, you are expected to have at least five questions prepared to ask them. They must be thoughtful. In other words, you have to go beyond queries like “Where were you born?” which anyone can Google. You will be required to email your questions to xxx@xxxx.com by the morning of the relevant speaker’s class appearance. In addition, I will ask you to listen to certain songs before each guest speaking date. The song lists are on Blackboard.

 

The following musicians have agreed to chat with us (in order of appearance):

 

Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull

 

Ian is a founding member and the visionary behind Jethro Tull, formed in 1968 in London. Initially part of the late ’60s London blues boom, Tull quickly transitioned into what would become their signature sound: combining elements of British folk music with progressive rock. Ian’s distinctive vocals, flute playing, and flamboyant performances would make Tull a unique voice in rock n roll’s annals.

 

Chad Channing, Nirvana

 

Chad was Nirvana’s first “real” drummer, when he joined the band in 1988. He played their first Seattle show, in April 1988, to about 10 people at the Central Tavern. Chad toured with the band in America and Europe and is featured on Nirvana’s first album, Bleach, which came out in 1989. He also played on some of the demos for Nevermind, but left the band and was replaced by Dave Grohl for the final sessions.

 

Since Nirvana, Chad has worked on a number of projects including two albums by Before Cars, in which he plays a bunch of instruments on. Mostly he sings and plays guitar. Before Cars sounds nothing like Nirvana…Chad terms it “alternative folk.” Before Cars’ second record, How We Run, was released in 2014, and is a classic (in my opinion.)

 

Roger McGuinn, the Byrds

 

Roger is the legendary founding member of the Byrds, who helped create the Southern California folk/rock sound of the ’60s, featuring his distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker guitar. The Byrds also brought country music back into rock with their 1968 effort, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, beating out their contemporaries Flying Burrito Brothers and Eagles.

 

Terry Marshall, Marshall Amplification

 

Terry, along with his parents, a few engineers, and a handful of guitar players (Pete Townshend of the Who, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, and Eric Clapton) started the Marshall amplification company out of a small instrument shop in West London in the early 1960s. Prior to Marshall’s ascent, the only amps available for rock guitarists came from the Vox Company of England or America’s Fender. The Voxes, (you see them in early Beatles and Stones set-ups) were not powerful enough for the increasingly larger venues and the Fenders were too expensive.

 

So the Marshalls set about creating an inexpensive amplifier, using the musicians as guides for the sounds they wanted. Because the Marshall amps were musician driven, they became increasingly popular. By the latter 1960s, everyone from the Who, Led Zeppelin, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were using them and they became the standard bearer and the sound of rock n roll.

 

Judy Dyble, Fairport Convention

 

Judy was the original lead singer for Fairport Convention, a band formed in London in 1967. Initially labeled the “British Jefferson Airplane” (Judy hates that description, by the way), the band quickly displayed its appetite for musical creativity, eventually becoming pioneers for combining traditional English music with contemporary rock.

 

In 1969, Judy teamed up with Them’s Jackie McAuley (Them’s front man was Van Morrison) to form Trader Horne, which released one record, Morning Way, in 1970. Despite that band’s brief existence, the audience was vast. Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant counted himself a fan.

 

Judy recently embarked on a solo career and continues to make music to this day.

 

Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith Group

 

The Patti Smith Group was an early pioneer of the New York punk rock scene. Lenny’s guitar work perfectly juxtaposed with Smith’s poetic lyrics. Beyond that, Lenny has been a key figure in a number of areas including production and music journalism. He also compiled Nuggets, the seminal sampler record of 1960s garage rock and psychedelia. Since he lives fairly close by, Lenny will visit us in person. He is a one-person rock encyclopedia. You had better appreciate him. No pressure, though.

 

Rob Morgan, the Squirrels

 

Who are the Squirrels, you might ask? To understand that Seattle band, you must begin with Rob Morgan. And before we go any further, let me share a little story about Rob with you.

 

A few years back, I took my wife and daughter to Seattle for vacation. We met up with Rob for breakfast at a local diner. The ladies got their own table, so Rob and I could talk about Seattle music. After breakfast, we all met outside and started to chat. I braced myself as my two worlds were about to collide: family man world vs. Seattle punk rock world.

 

My daughter, who was 11 at the time, looked up at Rob and said, “We have a dog. She’s a black lab named Coco.” “I’m afraid of dogs,” Rob deadpanned, “but I like tarantulas.” That prompted a look of disbelief from the ladies.

 

Rob’s band, the Squirrels, is indescribable. They are a comedy mash-up punk rock group. What other band in the world would think of combining the lyrics of “Black Sabbath” with the music of “Silent Night?” They also put out a parody of the Pink Floyd classic album The Dark Side of the Moon called The Not-So Bright Side of the Moon. Rob is opinionated, crotchety, brilliant, and funny as hell. He, along with a few other self-described weirdos, created the Seattle punk rock scene in the late ’70s. During my Seattle book launch in 2011, he was included as part of a panel of musicians at a local bookstore. He had the entire audience, including the bookstore rep, in stiches as he stole the show.

 

Kevin Whitworth, Love Battery

 

Love Battery is one of the best Seattle grunge era bands. Unlike their peers, the band introduced melodic psychedelia into the mix. Their 1992 Sub Pop album, Dayglo, is a classic. Love Battery features the swirling twin guitar attack of Kevin and Ron Rudzitis.

 

Rogers Stevens, Blind Melon

 

Rogers is a founding member of Blind Melon, who made a name for themselves during the early ’90s alternative explosion. Instead of following the sludgy riffs of Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, however, Blind Melon featured a kind of a hippie aesthetic, sort of a groovier version of Led Zeppelin. The band’s first self-titled record, released in 1992, became enormous on the strength of the classic “No Rain,” although the rest of the record sounds nothing like it. The band fell apart after lead singer Shannon Hoon’s 1995 death, and Stevens decided he’d had enough of the music business. He attended college at Delaware County Community College (aka Delco to us locals), then Temple, then Penn Law School. He is now a labor and employment attorney in Philadelphia. Rogers will also visit us in person.

 

• Grade distribution (as per University grade policy)

 

A = 93-100; A- = 90-92; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82; C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 63-66; D- = 60-62; F = 59 or below.

 

I do encourage you to see me with any questions you may have.  Please don’t hesitate to call or email me with questions.

Class Schedule

Week		Class Topic	Assignment
1/22		Introduction; roots, electric blues	SR 1
1/29		1950s rock and rockabilly Guest speaker: Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull (January 29)	SR 2
2/5		The Beatles	SR 3
2/12		The Stones and the British Invasion Guest speaker: Chad Channing, Nirvana (February 12)	SR 4
2/19		Bob Dylan, Motown and Stax Records Guest speaker: Roger McGuinn, the Byrds (February 21)	SR 5
2/26		San Francisco and Los Angeles	SR 6
3/5		Heavy blues and early metal Guest speaker: Terry Marshall, Marshall Amplification Company (March 7)	SR 7
3/12		Spring Break, no classes
3/19		Prog rock, British folk/rock Guest speaker: Judy Dyble, Fairport Convention (March 21)	SR 8
3/26		Glam and punk rock Guest speaker (in person): Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith Group (March 26)	SR 9
4/2		Seventies mainstream	SR 10
4/9		New wave and post-punk Guest speaker: Rob Morgan, Squirrels (April 9)	SR 11
4/16		Hardcore punk, Eighties Mainstream, Paisley Underground	SR 12
4/23		Eighties underground Guest speakers: Kevin Whitworth, Love Battery (April 23); Rogers Stevens (in person), Blind Melon (April 25)	SR 13
	4/30	Nineties alternative explosion	SR 14
	5/7	Wrap-up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artists We Will Cover

 

Roots and electric blues

 

Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton

 

1950s rock and rockabilly

 

Jackie Brenston, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Cash

 

The Beatles

 

The Rolling Stones and the British Invasion

 

Rolling Stones, Who, Yardbirds, Kinks, Small Faces, Animals, Pretty Things

 

Bob Dylan, Motown and Stax

 

Bob Dylan, Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Booker T and the MGs, Otis Redding

 

San Francisco and Los Angeles

 

13^th Floor Elevators, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield, Byrds, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Sometimes Young, Flying Burrito Brothers, Beach Boys, Association, Love

 

Prog Rock and British Folk Rock

 

Moody Blues, King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, ELP, Genesis, Rush, Renaissance, Fairport Convention, Pentangle

 

Heavy Blues, Early Metal

 

Jimi Hendrix, Free, Led Zeppelin, Faces, Humble Pie, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple

 

Glam Rock/Punk Rock

 

David Bowie, T. Rex, Alice Cooper, Queen, Stooges, Velvet Underground, MC 5, Patti Smith Group, Television, Ramones, Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, Clash

 

 

 

 

Seventies Mainstream

 

Steely Dan, Eagles, Journey, Van Halen, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Boston, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac

 

New Wave/Post-Punk

 

Cars, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Gang of Four, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, Cure

 

Hardcore Punk/Eighties Mainstream/Paisley Underground

 

Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, Police, Dire Straits, Prince, U2, Rain Parade, Bangles, Dream Syndicate

 

Eighties Underground

 

Sonic Youth, Husker Du, Replacements, R.E.M., Big Black, Scratch Acid, Pixies, Butthole Surfers, U-Men

 

Nineties Alternative Explosion

 

Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Love Battery, Young Fresh Fellows, Stone Temple Pilots, Blind Melon