| THOSE WE HAVE LOST/THOSE WE ARE LOSING |
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It is strange to be writing an entry in this section for someone who isn't actually dead, but this week Wilko Johnson, the guitar star of Dr Feelgood announced that he has terminal cancer. His manager, Robert Hoy, posted a statement on Johnson’s Facebook page, which said: “I am very sad to announce that Wilko has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas. He has chosen not to receive any chemotherapy.
“He is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering any physical effects and can expect to enjoy at least another few months of reasonable health and activity.”
I think that he is being remarkably brave, and would like to congratulate him on his courage. The world will be a poorer place without him, but at least we have a few more months of his remarkable virtuousity |
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| JEFFERSON STARSHIP GUITARIST NEEDS A LIVER TRANSPLANT |
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The Jefferson Starship's Mark "Slick" Aguilar will soon head to Florida, where he will get on a waiting list as he prepares for a liver transplant. The 58-year-old musician, who's played guitar with the band since 1992, recently discovered that he's been suffering from hepatitis C, and without the operation his prognosis is not good. Read on... |
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| THE YES CIRCULAR - MANY RIVERS TO CROSS |
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| The Court Circular tells interested readers about the comings and goings of members of The Royal Family. However, readers of this periodical seem interested in the comings and goings of Yes and of various alumni of this magnificant and long-standing band. Give the people what they want, I say |
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But the big news in the Yes camp this week is that Steve Howe has quit Asia, and has been replaced by a frighteningly young looking guitarist. Once again I am indebted to Bart (see above for his heartwarming Corky Laing anecdote) who sent me this email:
"Thought you'd be interested in this... Bart, NJ".
He attached two pdfs which I have uploaded to a section of the CFZ website, and that you can download HERE is you want to. They both refer to the story I posted the day before about Steve Howe departing Asia in order to spend more time on other projects including Yes. |
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This week an interview was published with Jon Anderson in which he said that he would "love to" be the singer with Yes again. The headline, which one assumes was passed by the man himself reads:
Jon Anderson once fronted the popular rock band, Yes, and hopes to again.
I also found a particularly interesting article this week about Jon Anderson and his spiritual teacher Audrey Kitagawa who joined him on stage with Yes back in 2004. There is even a video.
Check it out |
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An interesting quote from Chris Squire this week:
"I thought that actually there could still be a Yes in 100 or 200 years from now, a bit like if you look upon it as Yes being a symphony orchestra where the members change. Ultimately of course, a part from some amazing medical miracle, I probably won't be here in 100 years time. So sure, down the line I could imagine someone else playing bass and singing and Yes carrying on into the future."
This is a concept I have been playing with in my head for a while. After all, it is a common one in classical music, or in folk music (The Copper Family for example) and I have been wondering whether some of the 'people's bands' like Hawkwind or Jefferson Starship or even Gong (especially now Daevid and Gilli's son is in the lineup) would do this. I never thought it would be Yes, but I'm kinds glad that it is. |
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| A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAEVID ALLEN |
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Daevid Allen is 75 today. Gonzo grande fromage had this to say:
Happy 75th Birthday to Dingo Banana.Daevid is someone I am proud to call a friend and who would of thought way back in 1987 that we would all be where we are today. To Daevid, I will always be eternally grateful to his faith in me. Which I would like to think has never being misplaced. Happy Birthday my friend and may you have many more.
Read more... |
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ANT-BEE: POSSIBLY THE MOST ENIGMATIC ARTIST ON GONZO
(and that's saying something) |
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Ant-Bee is the brainchild of Billy James, an author, composer, percussionist, and legendary PR person who is possibly best known for his work with Frank Zappa, Todd Rundgren, and various alumni of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, and Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band.
Ant-Bee is a unique musical project in that Billy has recorded music from various well-known musicians, including the above mentioned Zappa and Beefheart alumni, and also solicited independently recorded contributions from a wide range of cover musicians with impressive musical pedigrees. He then, using the mixing desk as his own musical palette, produces some of the most interesting and confrontational music that we have ever heard. He is truly the only musician that we have encountered who produces music within an avant-garde framework that is actually pleasurable to listen to. Commercial avant-garde might seem like an oxymoron; indeed, we have never even considered such a thing to be possible, but it is, and bizarrely it seems like Billy James has invented a whole new genre.
Pure Electric Honey was Ant Bee’s first full-length record, released as long ago as 1990. He told us: “Pure Electric Honey was the result of several years of experimenting with my 4-track reel-to-reel recorder in the early '80s in Los Angeles. I have always been a huge fan of Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd as well as the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour/Sgt. Pepper material etc. So once I had recorded quite a few tracks, I decided for the heck of it to submit some of them to the Bomp/Voxx label in LA - there was a big psychedelic/'60s type resurgence in indie/underground music scene in the early '80s at the time - particularly in LA and the UK, which also gave way to the fanzine craze in the late '80s. Much to my surprise, Greg Shaw, head honcho at Bomp/Voxx Records, really dug my demos and offered me a record deal.
I recorded the album over a series of months in 1989 in LA. When the album was released in 1990, it received critical acclaim worldwide and many excellent reviews and vast airplay. As an artist, who has recently released his 4th album (close to 25 years after this first release), I view Pure Electric Honey as going to kindergarten - just learning the abc's of recording (although I had been playing drums and percussion on various albums since 1983), as opposed to my new CD Electronic Church Muzik, which is like graduating college. Many have said Pure Electric Honey is their favorite album, which is hard for me to judge in any way but it does have a special charm to it. Also included are some of the original demos that I submitted to Voxx. I must thank Greg Shaw (RIP) who did have the belief in my music to give me my first record deal and release the album way back when - I will always be grateful.” Check Ant-Bee out. We guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. |
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BACK ISSUES OF THIS PERIODICAL:
USE NAVIGATION TREE ON THE RIGHT |
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The Atkins/May Project are perennial favourites here at the Gonzo Weekly, but this week singer Al Atkins was embroiled by controversy. His former band Judas Priest (named after my favourite Bob Dylan song, but that is irrelevant) is not giving him the credit that he believes he deserves.. Al is understandably incensed...
Read on...
And check out the latest Atkins/May album. It's a corker!
Label: Gonzo
Catalogue Number: HST121CD
Price: $14.99
Available: In Stock
Label: Gonzo
Catalogue Number: HST121CD
Price: £9.99
Available: In Stock
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THE BEST LAID PLANS...
And so we come to the end of another week, and another issue of this newsletter which is quickly evolving into something else entirely.
Bizarrely, what started off as a record company newsletter with a difference has rapidly metamorphosed into the music magazine that I have been trying to edit since I was about nineteen.
This is largely to do with the generosity and forebearance of my old friend Rob Ayling who you all know as the Gonzo Cheesemeister.
He not only was kind enough to give me the job in the first place, but he was open-minded enough to allow me to experiment, which is something that I am still doing.
I am very pleased with this little magazine, and I sincerely hope that it blossoms into something even better in the fullness of time. Thank you to all of you readers for helping me with my magaziney experiments and for giving me feedback and encouragement.
I am sorry that this particular issue is later than normal. John Lennon once noted sagely that life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans, and this week life got in the way.
Over the next few issues I may be experimenting with different time slots, in order to see which posting secures most readers. Please bear with me, while I continue to work out how to get the best out of this new format, and produce the best magazine that I can.
Until next week,
Slainte
Jon Downes
(Editor)
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