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Carl

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Posts posted by Carl

  2. Scott Weiland Dead at 48

    in Music News

    Posted

    Scott Weiland was found dead yesterday in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he was on tour with his band The Wildabouts.

    The top song on Songfacts today is "Plush," which may best exemplify Weiland's life. The song is part of Stone Temple Pilots debut album Core, which initially got some attention thanks to the first single, "Sex Type Thing," a rocker that positioned STP as a metal band and earned them an invite to Headbanger's Ball on MTV. Weiland appeared on the show with guitarist Dean DeLeo who brought his acoustic. Their plan: instead of gabbing, play some music.

    The show taped at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. STP had just finished a tour opening for Rage Against the Machine, but DeLeo and Weiland flew to New York, got violently ill from the sleeping pills they took (among other substances), and dragged themselves to the studio, where they did an acoustic rendition of "Plush" that was startling. Radio stations started playing this version, and by the summer of 1993 it was everywhere.

    This was typical Weiland, at his best when he was feeling his worst. Success meant more problems because of his overpowering addictions - once he could afford heroin, he was on borrowed time.

    Weiland was the quarterback on his high school football team - that guy who could show up and throw touchdown passes without putting in the practice. He excelled at pretty much everything. There will probably be some chatter about his "wasted talent" and such, but it was clear that his destructive personality traits were in his DNA, and his environment didn't help: In his autobiography he claimed that he was both raped and institutionalized when he was a kid.

    His solace came from music and candles. He was an altar boy, and the candles gave him comfort. Wherever he went, he would light candles.

  8. More Clues in the "You're So Vain" Mystery

    in Music News

    Posted

    "You're So Vain" is like Carly Simon's Thanksgiving turkey that is still providing leftovers. Whenever she has something to promote, she drops a clue or two about the identity of the mystery man, guaranteeing a few inches of press. Her latest project is a memoir called Boys in the Trees. To stir up interest, she dropped this nugget: The second verse is about Warren Beatty. As for the other verses, those are about two different men she will not name at the moment.

    It took a while for the song to build a legend; Simon was fairly forthcoming about it early on, explaining that it was based on different people, and the specific scenarios ("Your scarf it was apricot," "You went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won") were made up. Over time, she began playing up the mystery of the song, implying that it was about one of the famous men in her life, perhaps Beatty or Mick Jagger.

    In 2003, Simon drummed up interest in a charity auction by offering the secret to the winning bidder, which turned out to be Dick Ebersol of NBC Sports. For, $50,000, Ebersol got the scoop, but had to keep it a secret. Simon offered a hint to the public: the man's name has an "E" in it. This ploy got plenty of attention, so she revealed more letters in ensuing years: "A" and an "R."

    In 2010, she used the mystery to promote her album Never been Gone, which included a new version of the song where she whispers a clue, "David." Speculation was that this was David Geffen, but she denied that.

    As long as there is interest in the mystery, Simon is happy to keep it going, and we can't blame her: drumming up publicity isn't so easy when you're 70.

    Perhaps the song's most profound influence on pop culture, however, is its impact on Taylor Swift, who aroused interest with songs that were seemingly about famous guys she dated. Like Simon, she keeps coy about revealing the identities of these guys, and feigns incredulity when asked, all the while drumming up more interest in her work. Swift, incidentally, supposedly knows who "You're So Vain" is about - she says Simon told her after a 2013 concert when Swift brought Simon on stage to sing it as a surprise guest.

    Like Swift, we also owe a debt to Simon, as many folks have stopped by Songfacts to learn more about the enigma.

    "You're So Vain" Songfacts

  9. A Charlie Brown Christmas

    in Movies and TV

    Posted

    I got a little churlish about The Peanuts when the movie came out this year. The comic strip was pretty lame, but it always got the top spot in the funny papers, even after Charles Schulz died. To me, it represented the worst in anodyne mediocrity - something that was there just because it always was there.

    But when I watched Great Pumpkin this year, I realized that this thing is a lot more charming than I thought. It was clever and funny and entertaining.

    So, I look forward to A Charlie Brown Christmas, and won't be a Scrooge about it.

  13. James Brown is an A--hole

    in Music Discussion

    Posted

    That's what Bettye LaVette said in our recent interview. In one stop on her musical journey, LaVette toured with Brown and Otis Redding, so Roger asked what she learned from the experience. Her reply:

    James Brown's an a--hole. And Otis was learning like me.

    While working with James Brown you picked up that you were going to outwork him. He wasn't going to give you any advice, or talk to you for that matter. But you would, watching his show, know what you're running up against. I think I have that work ethic having worked with him at the Apollo and on the road: I defy you to outdo me.

    This isn't surprising: James Brown was never considered a nice guy, and even his most flattering bios concede this point. It is rare when someone points this out in such a blunt manner, however.

    Many music legends are notoriously bad characters: Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis are classic examples. When it comes to legacy, however, bad behavior is offset by musical accomplishment. Brown is such an important artist that his personal indiscretions are merely asides to his story. Contrast this with Ike Turner, whose headline typically includes mention of his abusive nature.

    Bettye LaVette has no reason to canonize Brown, so she didn't.

  16. Songfacts on Howard Stern

    in About Songfacts

    Posted

    We've had some nice mentions on the Howard Stern Show lately, thanks to Fred and Gary (both fine gentlemen). Our writer Greg Prato was on the Wrap Up Show recently, and when he mentioned Songfacts, Gary gave us some love: "You write for Songfacts? That's a big website in the office, we all love that."

    Check out the 9:21 mark:

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