Dennis Wilson was the self-proclaimed “black sheep” of the Wilson family. At his mother’s insistence, he was admitted to his brother Brian’s fledgling surf band, The Beach Boys, in 1961. Ironically, Dennis was the only member who actually surfed. Playing on the strength of a few school-sanctioned drum lessons, he recognized his own musical limitations and allowed brother Brian to supplement the band’s beat with more skilled studio musicians, most prominently Hal Blaine.
Dennis was as violent and aggressive as he was sensitive. He had a brief friendship with cult leader Charles Manson, who fancied himself a songwriter. The two collaborated on the B-side tune “Never Learn Not to Love,”but, upon its release, Dennis received sole writing credit. An incensed Manson threatened Dennis with murder. A fearless Dennis stood his ground, beating the shit out of Manson — reducing him to a blubbering, pleading mess in full view of many of his disciples. Manson and his “family,” who had taken up residence at the overly-generous Dennis’s home, were left with the house when a fed-up Dennis up and vacated the premises.
Dennis spiraled into alcohol and heroin abuse and was eventually kicked out of The Beach Boys by unanimous decision. He was preparing his first (and ultimately only) solo release and was indifferent to the band’s verdict. He had co-written (though was uncredited) Joe Cocker’s hit “You Are So Beautiful” with Billy Preston and was confident in his songwriting skills. However, he returned to the band within two weeks.
After years of hard work, Pacific Ocean Blue, Dennis’s solo effort was released to positive reviews but lukewarm reception. It sold poorly, although Dennis did perform some material from the album during Beach Boys concerts. Dennis later declared that, in his opinion, the album had no substance.
Despite his Beach Boys success, Dennis was homeless in 1983. He was also in and out of rehab. His violent temper erupted in an altercation at a hotel in Santa Monica. He admitted himself to a hospital to treat his sustained wounds and immediately began drinking upon his release. After drinking all day in late December 1983, a drunken Dennis dived into the harbor at Marina Del Rey to retrieve some items he tossed off of his yacht three years earlier. Dennis drowned. He had just turned 39. His estranged wife, Shawn Love, the daughter of his bandmate and first cousin Mike Love, insisted that Dennis be buried at sea. Although his brothers protested, Dennis was given an ocean burial under the auspices of the U.S. Coast Guard and special permission from President Ronald Reagan.
Here’s an Inktober 2016 bonus…
Poor Marion! As Norman Bates said, “She might have fooled me, but she didn’t fool my mother.”
I was a fan of Pat Benatar and I bought Crimes of Passion when it was released in 1980. Spawning three best-selling singles and several AOR station favorites, Crimes of Passion was the biggest selling album of Benatar’s career.
By the time Seven the Hard Way, her seventh album, came out, my musical tastes had moved on to bigger and better. Seven the Hard Way‘s lead-off track, “Sex as a Weapon” got some airplay, but despite a Grammy nomination and its provocative title, only reached number 28 on Billboard’s Top 100. The song, while it yearned to be a female empowerment anthem, suffered from unfortunate inane lyrics that were actually offensive to women.
Sorry Pat.
“…and He Who Walks Behind The Rows did say, ‘I will send outlanders amongst you: a man and a woman. And these outlanders will be unbelievers and profaners of the holy.'” — Isaac
Well, here we go again! Inktober is upon us. While other online artists are attempting the “one drawing per day” challenge, I, in my infinite and self-proclaimed laziness, will be doing one drawing per week. After all, I still participate in Illustration Friday (non-stop since 2007, I might add) and I do my weekly Dead Celebrity Spotlight, posted every Friday. So, you’ll just have to be satisfied with a weekly (or “weakly”) offering.
In keeping with the October/Hallowe’en theme I have done in years past, here is my Week One entry. It’s Isaac from the 1984 schlock horror film “Children of the Corn.”
I have a friend named Sherry who is a writer. Although, she has written a novel, she spent a good portion of her career as a marketing copy writer. Once, in an online conversation, she mentioned a book on marketing techniques by Herschell Gordon Lewis. I questioned her about the author. She said he had written a number of books on the subject of advertising and marketing and was regarded, within the industry, as a true authority.
“Herschell Gordon Lewis?,” I asked, “Really?”
You see, I am more familiar with the name of Herschell Gordon Lewis from his other line of work.
Lewis was a filmmaker, entering into a long collaboration with notorious producer David F. Friedman in the early 1960s. The duo churned out a series of soft-core exploitation films, such as Living Venus, The Adventures of Lucky Pierre and Boin-n-g! The pair’s films were very successful because of a shoestring budget and their ability to skirt pornography laws. Their success allowed Lewis to explore a genre that he is credited with inventing — the “splatter” film. In 1963, Lewis and Friedman released Blood Feast, a gore-filled tale of a cannibalistic caterer who kills and feeds his prey to unsuspecting diners. The film’s 67 minute run time is amok with stabbings and hackings and general dismemberment, all served up in glorious, garish color. They followed the film up with two more, equally-sanguine entries Two Thousand Maniacs in 1964 and Color Me Blood Red in 1965. After the final release of the trilogy, Lewis and Friedman parted ways. Lewis however, continued to explore the genre, directing and writing such cult classics as A Taste of Blood and The Gore Gore Girls, earning himself the nickname “The Godfather of Gore.” Lewis supplemented his catalog with juvenile delinquent films and several children’s entries, as well.
Lewis taught college-level marketing classes and wrote marketing text books while simultaneously maintaining his film career. His students may or may not have been aware of his duality.
In the 70s, Lewis was convicted of fraud and served a brief prison sentence. He continued to write books on public relations, sales and promotion. He finally settled in Florida and founded Communicomp, a full-service direct marketing agency with clients throughout the world.
Lewis passed away earlier this week at the age of 90. A long career… make that two careers… as his legacy.
The USDA decided they need a classification above “jumbo.”
Lou Pearlman wrote a business plan for a class project and soon put his theory into action. He started a helicopter taxi service in New York City, beginning with a single helicopter. He became interested in blimps and trained with a German businessman. He moved to Orlando, Florida and started an advertising business with blimps, securing Jorache as a major client. Soon, he represented MetLife, Sea World and McDonald’s, but after crashing three of his airships, his business folded.
Lou became interested in the music business by way of his first cousin, singer Art Garfunkel. Intrigued by the success of pop group New Kids on the Block, Lou founded TransContinental Records and created the label’s first band, Backstreet Boys from a publicized talent search. The band became the best selling “boy band” of all time. Not satisfied, Lou created NSYNC, O-Town, LFO, Take 5 and others. Eventually, nearly every band on the label sued Lou in Federal Court for misrepresentation and fraud. Lou either lost or settled each suit.
He purchased an internet-based talent agencies and, using an array of false names, used a tactic called “photo mill,” in which agencies force models to shoot portfolios with photographers on their own payrolls. The business received numerous complaints of misrepresentation and was soon shut down.
In 2006, investigations discovered that Lou was behind a long-running Ponzi scheme that bilked numerous investors out of $300 million dollars. He used fake bank statements, a fake accounting firm and false FDIC documents to persuade people to back his fake company, Trans Continental Airlines Travel Services Inc. Lou was sentenced to 25 years in prison and his assets were liquidated at auction.
In 2016, Lou suffered a heart attack and died while in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida. He was 62.
What a glorious feeling, I’m happy again.
Cilla White took a job as a hat check girl at Liverpool’s Cavern Club in hopes it would advance her chances at being a singer. She eventually got the chance to sing, performing with club regulars Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and other local bands. She also struck up a friendship with a group of guys who called themselves The Beatles.
The day after one of Cilla’s performances, a new publication called Mersey Beat reviewed the show, mistakenly calling her “Cilla Black.” She decided to keep it as her stage name. She was soon signed by Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein as the only female in his roster of singers. Her second single, “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” went to Number 1 on the British charts. She released more songs, including a few Lennon and McCartney compositions. All were successful. She soon joined the ranks of Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield.
She was very successful in her native England. She was the only artist to have a hit with the song “Alfie” (from the film of the same name) in the United Kingdom. She had her own television show, simply called “Cilla.” She also appeared in a series of comedy plays on independent British television. In 2013, she was honored for fifty years in show business with a special called “The One and Only Cilla Black.” Her United States exposure, however, was limited to a few appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and a smattering of other variety shows.
With failing eyesight and long suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, 72-year old Cilla fell in her home in Spain. She was not discovered for hours and suffered a stroke as a result of the fall. She passed away without regaining consciousness.
Just after her funeral, The Very Best of Cilla Black was released in the United Kingdom. It became Cilla’s first Number One album.
