“Maine mom drummer” does a terrific job sittin’ in on the extra-lame-o Wipe Out.
The rest of the band deserves to be taken out back and beaten. Since they appear to be out back already, they need to be taken out front and beaten.
1972. Huge hit for the Staples Singers:
1969. Lunch money for the Harry J. All Stars:
Gotta love a guy like Harry Johnson. African, Sicilian, and Scottish descent. Shaka Prima Braveheart.
People love to seize on stuff like this, and not just in music. So and so didn’t really invent such and such.
The machinery of popularity, like less trivial pursuits, is not about fairness, or pedigree, or seniority. It doesn’t matter that Henry Ford didn’t invent the auto, or the assembly line. It doesn’t matter that Bill Gates didn’t do much of his own source code. It doesn’t matter that the Staple Singers used Harry J’s riff for their hit. Your job, if you’re going to enter the big arenas and triumph, is to put the thing that everyone needs or wants in front of everyone at the right time and place.
Visionaries deserve credit. I hope I just gave Harry J. some. But practical syncretists are just as important. They generally don’t require any extra credit, as they are sitting on piles of money and hate to reach down to receive their praise.
My advice to aspiring entertainers has always been pretty straightforward: Give any audience a compelling reason to pay attention to you. It’s really just that simple. A trainwreck is as good as a Traviata in this respect. Cut a fart and stick out your hand and say ta-daa. But don’t just stand there.
If all else fails, you can always buy one of those pianos with emphysema, and a plus-size bustier.
Those Darn Accordions
(Thanks to that deaf, dumb, and blind kid, Vanderleun, for sending that along)
Find Stuff:
Recent Comments