RAVE man Mike Grant’s news, views and gossip on your favourite pop people.
Pop poll Permalink
Worst Pop Person—male: Napoleon XIV for making “They’re Coming To Take Me Away”.
Worst Pop Person—female: Mrs. Miller for ever having opened her mouth at all!
Worst Group: The Mothers of Invention for cutting the most dangerous nonsense on their Freak-Out LP.
Worst Interviewee: Bob Dylan for his patronising attitude towards the Press.
Worst Publicist: No special case, but all those who cannot yet distinguish between a news item and an anecdote.
There never was a pop person more obviously marked for enjoying life than Donovan, and he fills his future with travelling—Greece, Mexico, America—and his spare moments cramming the thoughts of others into his mind. In his bookcase at present are all kinds of literature on marine biology.
“So many people are looking out to the stars to discover new things,” said Don. “I can foresee what will happen there—we’re going to land on the moon and then on the planets—it’s all predetermined.
“I’m more interested now in inner space. You go a few miles down into our seas and no-one knows what they will find. Unbelieveable forms of life that we know nothing about, right under our noses. In a few years time I intend to go on expeditions of my own—deep sea diving. Seas have always fascinated me.
“When we were in Mexico we used to take a little boat out and at night you could dip your oar or hand in the water and it would sparkle like diamonds. Millions of little creatures shining like stars in the water as it was broken or disturbed.”
Also on Don’s schedule at present are six children’s TV. programmes for which he is thinking up new ideas, and a few weeks’ appearance at the Old Vic—where he will play some of Shakespeare’s sonnets to his own guitar interpretations in the play “As You Like It”.
To make the Top Ten with a first record is quite a happening! And the group that has made it? The Move, from Birmingham, with their disc “Night Of Fear”. On stage they usually smash up a few television sets for good measure, and I heard they also had a couple of strippers up there with them while they were chopping up a big American car.
“The audiences these days love destruction” they say! Incidentally, Move man Roy Wood wrote “Night Of Fear”.
New to you Permalink
A name to watch out for is the Loot—a five-man Andoverian group recently signed by Troggs’ manager Larry Page. Already with their first disc, “Baby”, released on January 20, they are out to emulate the success of their fellow townsmen. Guitarist Dave Wright was formerly a member of the original Troggs.
Things have been stirring down in the Scout Hut behind Mick Avory’s house in West Molesey. The Kinks have been in session—working up new material for their stage act. I dropped in on Mick for a cup of tea recently and he was able to tear himself away from an oil painting of a small Parisian scene he is doing to give me a progress report.
“We’ve got two new Bob Dylan numbers in the act—‘You Go Your Way’ and ‘Absolutely Sweet Marie”,” he told me. “We’ve cut the smaller venues and clubs right out of our schedule now and we’re just playing the really big towns and dates abroad. With a tour abroad about every two months we can clear the same money we’re getting by tearing up and down the country from John O’ Groats to Lands End—we’ve had that scene. We’re looking for different things to do.”
Let’s hope they find them so that we can see them—we see far too little of this talented group.
Quote of the month Permalink
RONNIE BOND OF THE TROGGS
“The secret of a good pop singer these days is being able to project the voice off the record and get inside someone’s head. Reg can do it—so can Jagger and Tina Turner.”
Spencer Davis, who spent nearly two years at Berlin University, recounted a story for me of one of the lighter aspects during the building of that infamous Wall.
“As you may remember the Berlin Wall went up virtually overnight in 1962,” said Spence. “I had a friend who was living right on the border, just outside the University. He had just bought himself a new tool shed—when he woke up on the morning of August 13th and looked out into his back garden he discovered the Wall had been built right through the garden cutting it in half! He had a house in the Western sector and a tool shed in the East!”
Thought for the month Permalink
Now that the Monkees have shown us that you can do something new with pop presentation, how about some enterprising British company signing Dick Lester, to put Britain back in the picture with one of our own groups, or is American initiative going to triumph once more over British originality?
Fats Domino has never managed to capture, in Britain, the huge following he receives in the U.S., where his albums crash regularly into the million sellers, but his career looks like receiving a shot in the arm this year when he tops the London Saville Theatre concert on March 27. One of Domino’s biggest hits, “Blueberry Hill” is included on the new Walker Brothers’ LP “Images”.
The informer Permalink
Mike “Woolhat” Nesmith, the only married Monkee, has a young son, Christian.
Astrologer Maurice Woodruff predicts that this year Paul McCartney will marry and the name of the girl will be a surprise!
After their break-up, Mick Jagger seen around town with Marianne Faithfull and Chrissie Shrimpton seen around with old friend Georgie Bean.
Graham Nash and Gary Leeds evicted from their flat the day after Maureen O’Grady’s RAVE interview!
New singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix impressed John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Graham Nash, Gary Leeds and Bill Wyman at London’s Blaises Club recently.
Beach Boy Mike Love now a daddy!
The Move say that they hate their “Night Of Fear” record!
Paul Revere and the Raiders named top American group in polls recently. Lead singer Mark Lindsay came second to Dylan in the U.S. solo chart, and third to McCartney and Lennon in the International section!
Mike Leander to produce the first LP for actress Julie Christie.
Why does Cream member Ginger Baker throw discs at publicist Ray Williams?
Donovan’s friend Gipsy Dave a baked bean connoisseur.
Has Chris Andrews burnt himself out?
Trogg Pete Staples has written a hit song for someone with “Oh No!”
Davy Jones of the Monkees a horse-racing gambler.
Good to see Jim Reeves, Val Doonican, Frank Ifield and the Bachelors in the Top Twenty wasn’t it?
Scott Engel’s move from monastery to Playboy Club was good going!
Trogg Chris Britton converted Tim Hardin enthusiast.
Is that a “muffstache” in the Spencer Davis group?
Andrew Oldham’s new office a kind of magic cave.
Kink Mick Avory contemplating painting holiday in Sardinia.
London’s Bag o’ Nails Club becoming a veritable Hall of “Fame”!
[Magazine provided by Senti.]
