Banga: Hey, Hey Wake Up.

Poetry, an American’s poetry and the medium is rock n’ roll; Banga is Patti Smith’s latest release and her first release of original music in eight years. Songs about singers and saints sung in sonic swirling symphonic style abound. Banga, the title track is the most rockin’ song of the lot. April Fool is reminiscent of the Motels’ “Take the L Out of Lover” only smarter. The tribute to Amy Winehouse “This is the Girl” is an apt and sad song Amy herself might have sung, a fitting tribute to an artist from an artist. There are strings, clarinets, barking dog sounds and children in the mixes. Layers of sound and lyrics add up to her best original release since “Gung Ho”. Ponderous, yes, but isn’t that how a Patti Smith record should be. The listener should be lost in her sound and poetry entranced by her invocations.  The traveler is ever the American of the 21^st century standing in the past but rooted in the now. Aware and in awe of the saints and sins and travelers of the past she watches and scribes songs of the travelers and seers. Patti Smith’s dreams are dreams of life and art and basilicas. “Constantine’s Dream” is an example of Patti Smith the artist evoking, emoting, making art. This is the important “Patti Smith” on the record. The last song is a cover of Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush”. Like every Neil Young song it is beautiful and better as a cover than his version. Neil Young is another American genius and deserves of the respect Patti Smith and her child chorus gives him. “Hey, Hey wake up!

Painting by Jo Pendola

Sometime In New York City

Forty years ago this month John Lennon and Yoko Ono went into a studio in New York and started recording a new record. The record would be released in June of 1972 with the title “Sometime in New York City”. This record completely distanced Lennon from his pop past. He and Yoko had released two previous records but this was different. “Sometime in New York City” focused on politics and social issues in a way that both Lennon and Ono hadn’t allowed themselves to before. Released as a double album there are eleven songs on the first album and live tracks recorded in London and the Fillmore East. The live tracks include performances with Frank Zappa, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Keith Moon along with the Elephant’s Memory Band. The record was not well received and poorly reviewed. It was not the sound that critics and audiences wanted from John Lennon and of course Yoko Ono was blamed and derided. Songs dealing with women’s issues, marijuana and the Irish genocide were not appreciated and the atonal sound of Yoko’s voice was attacked. When listened to today one can hear the seeds of what would eventually be termed Punk Rock. The opening track titled “Woman is the Nigger of the World” was considered shocking by the use of the word nigger even though Lennon and Ono explained that the word was used as an allegory. This resulted in the single getting very little airplay and banned in many places. The track “John Sinclair” is about a man arrested and imprisoned for possession of two joints. The refrain with its repeating “gotta” has a rhythm that predates the spare sound of punk rock by many years. The track “New York City” has echoes of Lennon’s skittle past and tells of his new life in the US and NYC. Yoko’s feminist ideals are focused on in the tracks “Sisters O’ Sisters” as well as “Woman is the Nigger of the World” and “Angela” a song about Angela Davis. The “troubles” in Ireland are the focus of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and the sad and almost nursery rhyme-like “The Luck of the Irish”. The live tracks include “Cold Turkey” and “Scumbag” as well as Yoko’s "Don't Worry Kyoko". These are the most dissonant tracks where Ono’s plaintive howls interact with Lennon’s guitar riffs. The echo-y sounds evoke and sadness and angst that would be heard in Yoko’s later work. “Sometime in New York City” was re-mastered and reissued on CD several years ago. This is a record that truly deserves a listen and the respect that it did not receive as it was too far ahead of it time.

Candy Darling

Beautiful Candy Darling

Los Angeles’ Downtown Independent screened the LA premier of “Beautiful Darling” a documentary biopic about Candy Darling. It was a night of super stars. A dead one on screen and the last real living Warhol super star, Holly Woodland was in the audience.

The film is a story of obsession and impression; a study of illusion and delusion.  Candy Darling nee James Slattery was one of Andy Warhol’s “superstars” along with Jackie Curtis and Holly Wood land they were the gender bending triumvirate. Candy was the blonde channeling Kim Novak and Marilyn Monroe.  Could she act? It is hard to say yes and hard to say no. Candy’s biggest role was Candy.  Through archival photos, film footage and interviews with contemporaries a picture of who Candy was emerges.  She lived a life of glamour in a ghetto accepting handouts from Warhol who made money off of her while eventually throwing her and all the superstars away. In Beautiful Darling it is said “Warhol threw people away the way one tosses out tissues, use them and then they’re done”.  Candy lived a marginal existence crashing on sofas in borrowed clothes while Warhol lived in lavish style.  All this same time Candy was a warrior of sorts.  She was part of a new generation of gender benders that took it further than anyone had so far.  They were superstars. Candy, Holly and Jackie thanks to Lou Reed will forever be enshrined in popular culture through “Walk on the Wild Side”.  Her life was filled with self obsession as well as sycophants. She was used by another group of people riding on her coat tails. One of them is Jeremiah Newton. He was her friend and lived with her until her untimely death at 29. Mr. Newton seems genuinely love and admire her yet she is still his link to fame. At the end of the film Jeremiah Newton talks about going to Candy’s mother’s home on Long Island. He went to see “the mother” as he calls her and to retrieve Candy’s personal papers he left with as much as he could. Candy’s mother later burned the remains out of shame.

Candy, Jackie and Holly were well ahead of their time yet made by their time while living a fantasy of another time.  They came from a time when men were men and if you weren’t you lived in the shadows. They left the shadows and became luminaries. Candy like Marilyn died young, Jackie died of an almost predictable/inevitable drug over dose yet Holly survived. There she was here in the theater looking just as one think Holly Woodlawn should look; made up.  Helped to her VIP seats Holly entered the theater declaring she wasn’t drunk but in pain. Settled into her seat Holly was asked if she’d like a glass of wine she said “Yes or maybe some heroin.”  Forty-one years later she is still the superstar. Holly stayed for a Q & A with the audience after the screening. Sometimes she made sense but always she was funny. Holly rambled and reminisced reminding everyone who spoke with her she was/is a superstar.  Where is the film of her life? “A Low Life in High Heels” her autobiography is a perfect source and just waiting to be made into her movie!

This was Candy’s night but it was also Holly’s. They were pioneers! They shaved their legs and never gave it away.  The Downtown Independent was the perfect venue for “Beautiful Darling” it’s on the edge but very elegant.  I left the film knowing more about Candy than I had saddened by her death but assured it was how she’d want it.