August 26. I could go on for a while about his influence on pop stars, this sort of thing,
He completely re-invented guitar playing and set a standard that is still unequalled today…without Bert Jansch, rock music as it developed in the ‘60s and ‘70s would have been very different. You hear him in Nick Drake, Pete Townshend, Donovan, The Beatles, Jimmy Page and Neil Young. There are people playing guitar who don’t even realise they’ve been influenced by him one step removed –- Johnny Marr.
but this show will be completely different than that. it’s an old, grumpy, romantic, genius, scot. A male nick drake.
You might have noticed that cartoons had a different idea what was comic relief than other media. Comic relief in cartoons didn’t make you laugh. They were just a couple people that we hated more than anyone else. After you watch the Wonder Twins wander into lava, make shitty puns, and lose a fight to a parked bicycle, …
Zan, if you can turn into an Ice Missile, why the fuck would you ever pick Puddle? Name one thing you couldn’t beat with an ice missile. Now try to name anyone you ever beat when you turned into a puddle. Besides Empress Suede Pumps.
This year is the 40th anniversary of an album that was massively influential on today’s rock bands. Lyrically, an album that conveyed street-wise serious literary themes in straightforward, simple language. Musically, an album that draped avant-guard drones over simple rock ‘n roll. Of course I’m talking about The Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut album. I’ll leave it to Lou to overstate the case:
“Let me tell you, [Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band] didn’t have any effect on me. I don’t even own it. I thought it had some of the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my life on it. *Mr. Kite* — absolutely unbearable. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it now. I don’t see how people can even think of it seriously when you compare it to, like, The Velvet Underground’s first album. No comparison. I think that, perhaps, if people listen to it in retrospect now, they might find it a little more ridiculous, the way I did then. It was like gooey pap. It was like completely dispensable from beginning to end. It just had nothing, *nothing*. On top of that it was *cute*, you know?” [in Rolling Stone. 1987]
shakespeare is one of those guys who’s so brilliant he’s intimidating. picasso is another but you can’t pretend to reduce shakespeare to a screen saver. this summer’s free shakespeare is unfortunately the lsd-like musings of midsummer night’s dream. i did once see a production of MSD which was truly enchanted, but that was in london. flowers literally sprouted from between the floorboards on the stage.
San Francisco: Main Post Parade Ground Lawn in the Presidio
# Saturday, Sept 1, 7:30 PM
# Sunday, Sept 2, 2:30 PM
# Monday, Sept 3, 2:30 PM (Labor Day Holiday)
# Saturday, Sept 8, 7:30 PM
# Sunday, Sept 9, 2:30 PM
# Saturday, Sept 15, 7:30 PM
# Sunday, Sept 16, 2:30 PM
# Saturday, Sept 22, 7:30 PM
# Sunday, Sept 23, 2:30 PM
