moon zappa

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Pamela Des Barres raises one eyebrow and asks: "You know what rock'n' roll means, right? "It means rock'n'roll in the sack. It means sex: the lyrics, the beat of it, the thunderous feeling through your body. Before the word groupie even existed I knew that I wanted to share myself with someone who created that music and turned me on in every kind of way."


For 40 years, the name Pamela Des Barres has been synonymous with the heady Los Angeles music scene of the Sixties when she partied alongside (and in bed with), some of the most infamous, snake-hipped gods of rock'n'roll - from Jim Morrison, via Jimmy Page, to Mick Jagger ("the most thrilling, naughty, sexy man I had ever seen").

"I would go on tour with them, on planes, in the back of limos, to parties. I would be on stage with Led Zeppelin, the Stones, The Who and The Doors. It was a magic time," recalls Des Barres, who has just written her fourth book, Let's Spend the Night Together. This tantalising follow-up to her 1987 debut, I'm With the Band, includes interviews with Elvis's secret mistress Tura Satana, the notorious Cynthia Plaster Caster and modern-day muses and career-groupies such as LA rock sirens Lexa Vonn and the Plastics.

She has written it, she says, on behalf of the women regularly derided as the painted, backstage sluts or gold-diggers of the music industry, vampishly chasing the famous in order to satisfy a craving for notoriety. "In the Sixties, 'groupie' was just a word used to describe girls who wanted to hang out with groups, but over the years it has slowly become a negative term," she says wistfully. "I wanted to give these girls a voice, for people to understand the groupie mentality."

"Like most groupies, I was never just a follower," says Des Barres, who is imbued with the kind of rock-star majesty that could only come from being touched by some of the century's most celebrated musicians (Page was her greatest lover, apparently). Resplendent in leopard skin, hands laden with rings, lips scarlet, she proffers an unapologetic splurge of colour against the drab London hotel lobby.

Groupies are not just star-f**kers, insists Des Barres. "We inspired the guys as much as we were inspired by them. It was very equal. They loved us because we dared to have a blast. We looked after them, picked their clothes and showed them the best restaurants to go to. I made cowboy shirts for Jimmy Page and Miss Christine (fellow member of her all-girl band, the GTOs), showed Alice Cooper how to do his make-up" .

I ask about her most memorable groupie experience and she giggles wickedly and recalls the time she ended up, high on PCP, at Jim Morrison's house in Laurel Canyon doing backbends on his Persian rug. "I was 17 and heard The End playing from a house nearby. It hadn't even been released yet, so of course I was curious. I wandered over to this house to find Jim Morrison standing next to his refrigerator in unzipped leather pants, no shirt, looking the epitome of rock god, singing along to his own record."

Des Barres' impromptu acrobatics earned her Morrison's admiration and his then-girlfriend's wrath (on discovering the spaced-out teenage Pamela in her kitchen, she chased Morrison out of the door, smashing all his unreleased demos after him).

Backstage, later that same night, Des Barres remembers "making out passionately" with Morrison, spread out on top of her "crazy muskrat coat" and thinking, "this is the most beautiful man I have ever seen. He was so gorgeous, everything about him was just perfect."

The rock star eventually went home to his girlfriend ("he was always a one-woman man"), but the thrall of the music, the magic of backstage and the artists who presided over it continued to be a seductive combination for Des Barres.

Alongside various day-jobs, including designing cowboy shirts, performing in the GTOs and nannying for Frank Zappa's kids, Des Barres dipped in and out of relationships with many rock'n'roll greats during the Sixties and 1970s. Jimmy Page won her heart and in return allowed her a place on his amplifier, so "I could feel the audience's insanity and energy pouring on to the stage". Keith Moon was her "freakiest" lover, confesses Des Barres. "He liked to dress me up as a little schoolgirl and he would be the naughty priest, or we would trade sexes and he would put on my clothes and I would put on his." I tentatively ask Des Barres where feminism fits into the sexually 'liberated' groupie idyll.

"People often ask me whether I felt demeaned, and I always say it was exactly the opposite of that: it was empowering. Any woman who gets out there, looks on stage and goes after someone who inspires her - that is the ultimate feminist act, surely? Some women like doctors, politicians, football stars - I like musicians, and I was always very focused about who I wanted to be with. I consider myself a sexual pioneer. To me great sex is like touching God, and I was lucky enough to have experienced it to the hilt and wrote about it freely, openly and joyously, when not many other women had."

But of course, Des Barres writes from a bygone world of love-ins, limos and flowers in your hair - what of groupies today?

"Women still have the same desire to be with people who are in the limelight, who are talented and inspiring and who make a good living," says Des Barres, who is now living in LA with her long-term partner, country-singer Mike Stinson, "but a lot of things have changed in the outside world. When John Lennon was shot, security became tighter and then Aids came along and it could no longer be as free as it was - but the same attraction is there. These days we might be more cautious, but there are still many well-known women who are repeatedly pulled into the rock-star orbit."

Des Barres' book concludes with an interview with the LA groupie Lexa Vonn, who is a journalist and founder of a glamorous clutch of publicist-promoters, The Plastics, who have professionalised their groupie status. Des Barres quotes an article Vonn wrote for LA's Rock City News: "Being a real groupie is a talent on its own, and not one that can be performed by just anyone. Sex, while an important part of the groupie experience, is only one facet of the whole picture. A true groupie has a deep connection both to the music and the dimension in which musicians exist when they are performing. Rock 'n' roll is a ritual and groupies are the high priestesses." And if groupies are the high priestesses, they all seem to worship at the altar of Des Barres.


Sept. 23: Actor Mickey Rooney is 87. Singer Julio Iglesias is 64. Actor Paul Petersen ("The Donna Reed Show") is 62. Actress-singer Mary Kay Place is 60. Singer Bruce Springsteen is 58. Actor Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld") is 48. Actor Chi McBride ("Boston Public") is 46. Actress Elizabeth Pena is 46. Singer Ani DiFranco is 37. Singer Sarah Bettens of K's Choice is 35. Rapper-producer-record head Jermaine Dupri is 35. Singer Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town is 28.


Sept. 24: Actress Sheila MacRae is 83. Singer Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers is 65. Actor Gordon Clapp ("NYPD Blue") is 59. Actor Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules: Legendary Journeys") is 49. Singer Cedric Dent of Take 6 is 45. Actress-writer Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") is 45. Country drummer Marty Mitchell of Ricochet is 38. Guitarist Juan DeVevo of Casting Crowns is 32. Actor Kyle Sullivan ("Malcolm in the Middle") is 19.


Sept. 25: Newswoman Barbara Walters is 78. Singer Ian Tyson of Ian and Sylvia is 74. Actor Robert Walden ("Lou Grant") is 64. Actor Michael Douglas is 63. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 60. Actress Mimi Kennedy ("Dharma and Greg") is 58. Actor Anson Williams ("Happy Days") is 58. Actor Mark Hamill is 56. Actor Colin Friels is 55. Actor Michael Madsen is 49. Actress Heather Locklear is 46. Actress Aida Turturro ("The Sopranos") is 45. Actor Tate Donovan ("The O.C.") is 44. Actor Jason Flemyng ("The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") is 41. Actor-singer Will Smith is 39. Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is 38. Rapper T.I. is 27. Actor Lee Norris ("One Tree Hill") is 26. Actress Emmy Clarke ("Monk") is 16.


Sept. 26: Fitness expert Jack LaLanne is 93. Actor Philip Bosco is 77. Country singer David Frizzell is 66. Actor Kent McCord ("Adam 12") is 65. "The Weakest Link" host Anne Robinson is 63. Singer Bryan Ferry is 62. Country singer Lynn Anderson is 60. Actress Mary Beth Hurt is 59. Singer Olivia Newton-John is 59. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos is 53. Country singer Carlene Carter is 52. Actress Linda Hamilton is 51. Country singer Doug Supernaw is 47. Actress Melissa Sue Anderson ("Little House on the Prairie") is 45. Actor Jim Caviezel ("The Passion of the Christ") is 39. Singer Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men is 35. Singer Christina Milian is 26.


Sept. 27: Actress Jayne Meadows is 87. Director Arthur Penn is 85. Actress Sada Thompson is 78. Actress Kathleen Nolan is 74. Actor Wilford Brimley is 73. Producer Don Cornelius ("Soul Train") is 71. Actress Liz Torres is 60. Actor A Martinez ("LA Law,""Santa Barbara") is 59. Singer Meat Loaf is 56. Sax player Greg Ham of Men At Work is 54. Singer-actor-director Shaun Cassidy is 49. Singer-guitarist Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is 43. Actor Patrick Muldoon ("Melrose Place") is 39. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is 35. Singer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down is 29. Rapper Lil Wayne is 25. Singer Avril Lavigne is 23.


Sept. 28: Actor William Windom ("Murder, She Wrote") is 84. Actor Arnold Stang is 82. Blues singer Koko Taylor is 79. Actress Brigitte Bardot is 73. Singer Ben E. King is 69. Actor Joel Higgins ("Silver Spoons") is 64. Actor Jeffrey Jones is 61. Writer-director-actor John Sayles is 57. Actress Sylvia Kristel ("Emmanuelle,""Private Lessons") is 55. Actress-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 43. Country singer Matt King is 41. Actress Mira Sorvino is 40. TV personality Moon Zappa is 40. Actress Naomi Watts is 39. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 32. Rapper Young Jeezy is 30. Actress Hilary Duff is 20.


Sept. 29: Actor Steve Forrest is 83. Actress Anita Ekberg is 76. Singer Jerry Lee Lewis is 72. Actor Ian McShane is 65. Jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty is 65. TV theme composer Mike Post is 63. Actress Patricia Hodge is 61. Singer-guitarist Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad is 59. TV personality Bryant Gumbel is 59. Actor Drake Hogestyn ("Days of Our Lives") is 54. Singer Suzzy Roche of the Roches is 51. Comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay is 50. Actress Jill Whelan ("Love Boat") is 41. Bassist Brad Smith of Blind Melon is 39. Actress Emily Lloyd is 37. Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner is 37. Actress Rachel Cronin ("Ed") is 36. The late, perpetually great Frank Zappa is remembered as a singer, guitarist, composer, and a free-thinking performer who did what he wanted, said what he meant, about anyone or anything. Many ignorant types think of him as the guy who just wrote funny songs. His visceral, "in the moment" guitar solos that he played onstage were otherworldly. Just ask Steve Vai, a Zappa protégé, not to mention a myriad of other fine guitar players and appreciators of music.

The two most commercial Frank Zappa albums were Over-nite Sensation (1973) and Apostrophe (') (1974). Now, immortalized on an amazing 97-minute DVD, you can catch rare archive and home movie footage, live performances, photos, and interviews of Frank as well as some up to date commentary from his friends and former bandmates that tell the story of these two albums.

Reader note: the contents in this DVD are the embodiment of what Frank Zappa was about, not just a feeble documentary or "making of …" video. The live footage alone on this program is worth the trip to the store or clicking around on the Web to purchase it.

The definitive sound and lyrics of Frank Zappa are talked about by Frank's wife, Gail, his kids Dweezil, Moon, Ahmet and Diva, as well as friends and colleagues including Steve Vai, Warren Cucurullo, Alice Cooper, even Billy Bob Thorton (mmmhm). Zappa heads and audiophiles will enjoy Dweezil's dissection of some songs on the mixing board, isolating parts such as Tina Turner's vocals, bringing forth the compositional brilliance and exposing the creative genius of a man who loved to make music.

In addition to the classic footage the DVD includes new performances of some classic tracks from the two albums by Zappa Plays Zappa. Men, women and children of all ages step right up to see the world famous Peking Acrobats tumble, contort, juggle and cycle their way across the Hollywood Bowl stage on Sunday, September 30.

These spectacular performers, known for their thrilling stunts and fantastic feats, are set to delight the Hollywood Bowl audience with a program that includes the "Breathtaking Contortionist," "Diving Daring Do," "Human Pyramid," "Bicycle Pagoda" and much more - all complemented by live music. This one-of-a-kind family-friendly Big Top Bowl performance also features opening act Bob Moore and His Amazing Mongrels as they perform adorably outrageous dog tricks followed by the Ditty Bops with their retro-flavored musical stylings.

Pre-show activities begin at 4:30 p.m. on the Hollywood Bowl Museum Patio stage, and include Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang with their self-described "kids' music for all" and Quazar and the Bamboozled with their circus-inspired sounds and upbeat melodies. Performances on the main stage begin at 6:30 p.m. Of course it wouldn't be a circus without clowns, juggling, mini-train rides and face painting - those and many more activities keep families entertained for this final event of the Hollywood Bowl season.

Rounding out their U.S. tour, the Peking Acrobats have been astounding audiences world-wide since they got their start in 1986. In 2003, the Hollywood Bowl helped to further set the stage for their career as they blended their unique brand of acrobatics with the 100-piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for the fireworks season finale. Since then, they have been performing their thrilling feats around the globe with a commitment to bringing their ancient art form and tradition to the 21st Century.

Bob Moore and His Amazing Mongrels are no strangers to the spotlight. The award-winning group has been featured on such programs as "The Tonight Show" and most recently the 2007 season premiere of NBC's "America's Got Talent." The diverse troop of talented pooches has something in common besides their love of performing - all are former rescue dogs.

The Ditty Bops, whose sound incorporates elements of Western swing, ragtime, gypsy-jazz, pop and vaudeville-era musical theater, combine their performing with their efforts to promote awareness of issues that are important to them. Their current farm tour is helping to bring attention to the struggles and achievements of family farmers in the U.S., while raising money for local farm organizations.

The pre-show entertainment - Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang and Quazar and the Bamboozled have more than their upbeat songs and ever-expanding groups in common. Brandon Jay or "Quazar" is also the Gwendolyn Sanford's producing partner. Both crowd-pleasing groups are the perfect warm-up for the Hollywood Bowl's season-ending performance.

THE PEKING ACROBATS are a troupe of China's most gifted tumblers, contortionists, cyclists and gymnasts, complemented by live musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments. Since 1986, they have brought their 2,000-year-old tradition of acrobatics to sold-out houses and earned rave reviews. Of their Broadway engagement, Lawrence van Gelder, New York Times said, "…In their graceful efforts…these brightly costumed tumblers, acrobats, cyclists, jugglers and clever clowns provide 90 minutes of family fun that infuses springtime in New York with an extra measure of joy." The Peking Acrobats have been featured on numerous television shows and celebrity-studded television specials including appearances on the "Wayne Brady Show" as well as NBC's "Ring In The New Year Holiday Special" and NICKELODEON'S "Unfabulous." The Peking Acrobats set the world record for the Human Chair Stack on Fox's "Guinness Book Primetime" show where they astounded audiences with their bravery and dexterity as they balanced six people precariously atop six chairs 21 feet up in the air without safety lines! The Peking Acrobats ability to perform the astounding is rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art. In China there are approximately 100,000 acrobats studying at schools dedicated to the art. After at least 10 years of extensive tutoring, often beginning as early as age 5 or 6, the student will join a professional troupe, usually a citywide organization that draws members regionally. Only the best acrobats find themselves members of an elite world-touring troupe such as The Peking Acrobats.

BOB MOORE'S AMAZING MONGRELS, originally Moore's Mongrels, started in the 1930's by four Moore brothers from Grass Valley, California. The farm boys and animal experts were soon working vaudeville and circuses. Following WWII, Sonny Moore, Bob Moore's uncle, who had been partnered with a dog named Captain or "Cap" as part of the army K-9 Corps, made Cap part of the family act. Cap and the rest of Moore's Mongrels appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and presented to Queen Elizabeth at a Royal Command Performance in London. After being discovered by Walt Disney, the family moved to Los Angeles for a mini-series called, "KILROY." The group soon became Walt Disney's favorite dog act, which led to them working at Disneyland, at the Disney studios and touring with "Disney On Parade." Bing Crosby took notice and enlisted the act to do his "Hollywood Palace Show." The group's touring schedule has included a Broadway stint with "The Will Rogers Follies," the Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice, various circuses, several Las Vegas revues, and in 2004, a tour with the hip hop group the Beastie Boys. Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels also has made many television appearances on shows such as "The Smothers Brothers Show," "The Dolly Parton Show," "Dick Clark Live," "Circus of the Stars," "The Love Boat," "The Tonight Show," and many others. The group has received a number of awards and Bob Moore's activism in rescuing dogs from animal shelters and training them as part of the Amazing Mongrels has been recognized as well.

The DITTY BOPS formed in 2003 and began to play around Los Angeles as a four-piece acoustic band with Amanda Barrett on mandolin, dulcimer and washboard and Abby DeWald on guitar and piano. The retro-flavored style of their music, which incorporates elements of Western swing, ragtime, gypsy-jazz, pop, and vaudeville-era musical theater, was beautifully captured on the duo's 2004 self-titled debut album for Warner Bros. Records, and was produced by Mitchell Froom (Suzanne Vega, Crowded House, Elvis Costello). Self described, the band "is like Calamity Jane, Betty Boop, and Jessica Rabbit laughing in their rag top convertible as they drive through the mysterious streets of San Berdoo." In 2006, the group rode their bicycles more than 4,700 miles from Los Angeles to New York City, performing 40 concerts along the way to promote clean air, cycling and their album, Moon Over the Freeway. In the process they raised both awareness and funds for two bicycle non-profits "Adventure Cycling" and "Pedals for Progress." For the summer of 2007, the group is raising awareness by touring through the farming communities of America and focusing on the growing market of organic farming and the renewed interest in cuisine prepared with locally grown food and hope to bring attention to the struggles and achievements of family farmers in the US. In addition to playing traditional shows, they are performing benefit concerts on farms to raise money for local farm organizations, "The Growing Connection" and "FARM AID" - Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp , and Dave Matthews's nonprofit.

A long-time performing artist, Gwendolyn Sanford developed the nutty, irresistibly playful tunes of GWENDOLYN AND THE GOOD TIME GANG, with a mission to write songs from a child's perspective, but with the subtle wisdom of an adult. The group's critically-acclaimed debut children's CD, Gwendolyn And The Good Time Gang won the Los Angeles- based songwriter an ever-widening base of young fans (and their parents). After completing and releasing the debut album on their Whispersquish label, Sanford and her producing partner, Brandon Jay of Quazar and the Bamboozled recruited their favorite musician friends to perform the songs live. Their performances have been coined by Entertainment Weekly as "as good as tot-rock gets." Gwendolyn and her band take it up a notch with Get Up & Dance!, an album that's sure to get listeners moving. Songs like "Red Means Stop," "Run Baby Run," "Eensy Weensy Spider" and the title track "Get Up & Dance" lend a bit of friendly dance instruction to the first part of the album. The second half is rounded out with new classics like "Sunny Day" and "Sweet Marmalade". "Bicycle Ride" act as the toddlers' nod to Queen's "Bicycle Race." The toe-tapper "I can Read" encourages listeners to pick up a book and experience a whole new world.

QUAZAR AND THE BAMBOOZLED began and remains an unconventional group. After many years behind a drum set, Brandon Jay aka "Quazar" began what could only be called a romance with the piano. To his delight, he discovered his knack for songwriting. After his first show playing these songs live, a friend and fellow musician said in earnest "I'd love to play in your band when you get one together." After that Jay invited every local musician he had admired over the years and "Bamboozled" them into starting a band. Together they recorded "The Lovely Lunatickle Musical Review," a frolicking adventure through circus-y sounds and upbeat melodies that are sure to get listeners grinning. The band (expanding and contracting in size at each performance) has had over 50 members pass through its doors since the Bamboozled opened for business. Audiences will recognize the same warmth, charm and humor as their influences inspire - the likes of Randy Newman, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Leon Russell, T-Rex, Harry Nilsson and Frank Zappa. Jay's knack for a good tune grew, and began to flourish further in projects like Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang and ultimately landed him the happy job of composing music for the Showtime television comedy "Weeds." Jay relishes performing live on stage and is in the midst of recording his sophomore album "Get Bamboozled!"

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 39th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2007, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the third year in a row at the 18th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland. -- www.laphil.com

Thursday, August 9th, 2007 was proclaimed Frank Zappa Day in Baltimore, MD.