OT - Of interest to metalheads only (and Kingston Trio fans)

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Michael B

The one constant has been my 'Rock Book'. It is a book called 'The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock' compiled by two writers from NME (New Musical Express) the best music publication in the 1970's and 1980's out of England. I have been getting the book signed since 1979 when I was a poor college student and could not always afford the $6.99 - $7.99 vinyl. Since then I have gotten it signed by over 500 musicians.

Michael 'I may have almost as many stories as Doug G.' B.

That book proves that you do.

Bravo!

I think you should start on page 1 and start telling us stories.

And I call dibs when you decide to part with it...

Doug

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

That book proves that you do.

Bravo!

I think you should start on page 1 and start telling us stories.

And I call dibs when you decide to part with it...

Doug

Doug,

It is odd that you mention selling it. As you can imagine I have become very protective of it. Other than laying in on a table for someone to sign it has only left my hands exactly 3 times:

The previously mentioned time a merch person who worked for the musician offered to get it signed for me. We met at the club I was working at as a bouncer in Boston - Spit. It was in 1980 so I did not think of the book as I do now. Brought it to me at the club after a show. I got the person several years later in person and the signature was the same. Very big name.

Joan Armatrading at Lupos in Providence, RI - standing at the stage entrance which was a glass door allowing you to see inside. I asked one of her stage people if she was coming out after the sound check as I wanted to get my book signed. He said "I will take it to her for you." I watched him walk up to her and get it signed.

Charlie Daniels at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA - He walked out to the bus after the show which I believe was SOP for him. The driveway to the backstage also led to a daycare attached to the building. Unless the Alexandria PD was there you could always walk up the driveway. Walked up to the bus and one of his people said that he was happy to sign anything and he would bring it on to the bus.

All of that being said I have been asked many times what it was worth and would I sell it. I try not to say value out loud but I would sell it under certain conditions. It is just a thing and I have the stories. Every time a person dies the price goes up. It is not only 6 people who died this year, there were also at least three others last year - Paul Barrere of Little Feat, Art Neville and Dr. John. Watching the RRHOF inductions tonight and saw that there was one other person who signed the book and died about 7 weeks ago - Rocco Prestia of Tower of Power.

In the vintage card section Leon always says there should be a card in the thread. This one should have concert photos:

Rick Derringer - circa 1980 The Paradise, Boston
derringer 1-1.jpg

James Brown - Summer, 1980 Jonathan Swift's Harvard Sq. Cambridge, MA
brown,-james-1-1.jpg

Cab Calloway - late 1980's New England Conservatory of Music, Boston MA. He received an award and the played while his grandson who taught at the school played guitar
calloway-2-1.jpg

Phil Lynott - circa 1981 The Paradise, Boston. One of my favorites to shoot. He was a ham and would pose on stage and point his bass at me.

lynott-1a.jpg

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Michael B

Phil Lynott - circa 1981 The Paradise, Boston. One of my favorites to shoot. He was a ham and would pose on stage and point his bass at me.

Damn! Thin Lizzy at the Paradise. Amazing. I'll trade you my first show there (Steve Earle and the Dukes, March 1987) for that one!

And Spit. My first show ever in Boston was at Spit in July 1985. I was driving the equipment truck, with a guy from Wales, and selling merch. I wanted to get to the venue early so that I would have time to go to Fenway, but we kept getting lost. Each time we did we got new directions from somebody different. Finally, I gave up and decided to just go to Fenway first, the Wales guy asked how I expected to find "this Fenway place" I told him the Citgo sign would make it easy.

Nobody had told me in their various sets of directions that Spit was across the street from The Monster.

[bigfanNY]

Doug my Family is from Maine and asking for directions in NE is an adventure all it's own.
Thin Lizzy love the Whiskey in a jar Video with the girls dancing in prom dresses (check it out classic) and such a great song.
I apologize for bringing in the grammer police. Guess my reference to "stuffy people" went over some heads. But first time I ever read a thread with multiple references to Merciful Fate that included a grammer correction. I give a F... how folks refer to where they live.
I enjoyed much better The Ramones reference to Queens in Happy Family.
I will take my own advice and post a stub or pic with each post. Music Addicts come in all shapes and sizes no wrong or right. But if one of your top ten musical experiences was Rocking to the touring group of Jersey Boys at Westchester theater, then I understand the grammer posts completely.
Souvenirs of fun in on and around NJ.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

Damn! Thin Lizzy at the Paradise. Amazing. I'll trade you my first show there (Steve Earle and the Dukes, March 1987) for that one!

And Spit. My first show ever in Boston was at Spit in July 1985. I was driving the equipment truck, with a guy from Wales, and selling merch. I wanted to get to the venue early so that I would have time to go to Fenway, but we kept getting lost. Each time we did we got new directions from somebody different. Finally, I gave up and decided to just go to Fenway first, the Wales guy asked how I expected to find "this Fenway place" I told him the Citgo sign would make it easy.

Nobody had told me in their various sets of directions that Spit was across the street from The Monster.

I saw Thin Lizzy twice at the 'Dise - September 16, 1978 and December 2, 1980. Not even my first show there. I went either the first Friday or Saturday opening week, September 22 or 23, 1977. It was Rick Derringer with an unsigned local act - The Cars. I sat with the guys from Boston. They were huge at that time and came out for a show in this 550 seat club. I did not go to that many shows there, but still liked it. Shows I remember seeing there: Derringer (77, 78, 80) Ramones (79?, 80), Elvin Bishop 1979, , Peter Gabriel Halloween 1979, Boomtown Rats 1979 got Geldof's harmonica, The Cars 1978, The Plastics (Japanese new wave interviewed them after show) 1981, Secret Affair (British new wave) 1981, Greg Kihn Band, The Waitresses and Cheap Trick mid 1990's when they did their three night stay in each city. At least one of the times I went there Derringer's 2nd guitar was Neil Giraldo, Pat Benatar's husband.

Spit was originally a new wave dance club only. They did some surprise concerts while I was there in 1980 - The Neighborhoods a popular Boston band, The Modettes ("White Mice"), Chelsea an original U.K. punk band and The Skatt Brothers (Walk the Night). A few musicians dropped in - Daryl Hall, Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), Frank Zappa and John Lennon. They also asked me to come back to work the WBCN Rumble in 1981. One of the bands I saw during that week was the Young Snakes. Their lead singer was Aimee Mann a few years before she formed 'Til Tuesday. Once they started doing regular concerts it changed quite a bit though. I only went twice - The Fall, U.K. new wave and The Waitresses. I interviewed Chris Butler after the show. It was a great place to get autographs in the early days of concerts. I remember getting The Divinyls, Buzzcocks, Michael Schenker, Ace Frehley and the Georgia Satellites. While waiting for the Georgia Satellites I struck up a conversation with the lead singer of the opening act Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes.

I have an interesting tie between The Paradise and sports collecting. I went to a concert there in 1978, maybe Rick Derringer. The opening act was a local act called Fox Pass and they announced it was their last show. At the end of the show the drummer tossed both of his sticks and they landed at my feet as I was sitting in one of the bolted down seats right in front of the stage. No one reacted so I just picked them up and kept them. I put a sticker on them to remember where they were from. A few years later I found their indie single and bought it. Fast forward 10 years or so. I was in a baseball card store in the Boston suburbs. I knew the people who ran it and there was one other person there. I started talking to him and we got to music and he mentioned that he used to be in a band - Fox Pass! It was Jon Hall of Hall's Nostalgia. He used a stage name as there was already the well known John Hall of Orleans and a U.S. congressman. I mentioned I had the drumsticks and single and gave them to him.

Every post needs at least a photo.

Mick Jones - Clash on Broadway, Bonds, NYC, 1981. I went two nights the first week.
mick-jones-1-1_edited-1.jpg

Mark E. Smith of the Fall Spit 1981
fall-1-1.jpg

Johnny Ramone - The Paradise. One of my favorite photos of the ones I have taken.
johnny-ramone-3_edited-2.jpg

[bigfanNY]

The Clash at Bonds casino. I waited in line for tickets and grabbed 6 for me and friends first night. We drive into the city early grab food (2nd ave deli) and hear on radio that we have to come back later in the week due to tickets being oversold. Clash added shows so everyone who bought a ticket saw a show. So we see that Palladium has a show and we go and scalp for half price to U2. You could tell they had stage presence played I will follow twice. Saw them next in Hawaii in 85 Joshua tree tour. Both great shows.
And Clash at Bonds was great. But Asbury park in 82 with original drummer just after release of combat rock they all seemed at top of their game.
Your signed book is epic if you could show clash auto's

[Ron]

Hi can someone let me know a couple of good people or good sites that sell authentic rock memorabilia at a fair price
i have a kid who is into a lot of the older rock from 70's/80's
thanks

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Ron

Hi can someone let me know a couple of good people or good sites that sell authentic rock memorabilia at a fair price
i have a kid who is into a lot of the older rock from 70's/80's
thanks

It may be helpful if you can be a bit more specific.

Do you mean passes like the ones they stick on their jeans?
PASSES-REDO.jpg

Set Lists?
SET-LIST-REDO.jpg

Picks?
PICKS.jpg

Signed tickets?
TICKETS-2-REDO.jpg

or ticket stubs?
TICKETS-REDO.jpg

You can find a lot of legit ticket stubs on ebay. It is just finding ones that are good and show the bands. Laminated passes from the 80's and 90's are all over the place. I would suspect that they are still being remade. I don't have many picks any more and sold off my drumsticks. I had some decent picks - Ted Nugent, Link Wray from his last show in the U.S. which was his only show that year in the U.S. and some decent drumsticks - Mick Fleetwood, Ted from the Dead Kennedys, Roger Earl from Foghat, Dave Roberts from Big Audio Dynamite, Don Brewer from Grand Funk, Simon Kirke from Bad Company. I got all of them by asking the musicians directly. Picks are pretty easy as many guitar players have them in their pockets. Sticks are more challenging. I got most at sound checks though a few left a pair for me at the their hotel desk. The second time I met Ted Nugent was at an auditorium across the street from the courthouse where I was working. I got him walking in. He stopped to chat and said 'hold out your hand' and dropped about 20-25 signature Damn Yankees picks into it. Drumsticks can also be challenging if they have very specific sticks for the tour and they cannot get them while on the road. Less likely to give one up.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Ron

Hi can someone let me know a couple of good people or good sites that sell authentic rock memorabilia at a fair price
i have a kid who is into a lot of the older rock from 70's/80's
thanks

Try Roger Epperson

https://www.rogerepperson.com/

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Michael B

Mark E. Smith of the Fall Spit 1981

Cool shot. Mark E. Smith was certainly a character.

I toured with a band called Magnapop in 1994, supporting The Fall for 13 dates across the US, including one at the Avalon in Boston, that was the same building as Spit, right? Or am I getting a couple of the vast assortment of Boston venues I've been to confused?

Spit, the old Garden, Paradise, Channel, The Rat, Narcissus, TT Bears, Avalon, Roxy, Landsdowne Playhouse, Great Woods, Harvard Square, Harbor Lights, City Hall Plaza, Suffolk Downs, Axis, Foxboro Stadium, Orpheum, Gillette Stadium, the new Garden, Wang Theater, B of A Pavilion, House of Blues, Wilbur Theater, Chevalier Theater.

[Michael B]

Where to start.

Jonathan - you posted a couple of tickets from the David Jo / Ramones Tour. I saw them in Boston with Willie Alexander and The Neighborhoods as the opening act. I will scan a couple of photos in a day or so.

Doug - pretty good on the clubs/venues. There was also Cantones and The Underground in Boston. Next to TT the Bears in Cambridge was the Middle East upstairs and downstairs. Cambridge also had Ryles, Jonathan Swifts and Passim. Somerville had Lillies where I saw The Dictators. The Wang Center was previously called the Music Hall. The Roxy, on the second floor of the hotel across the street from the Wang Center was first a concert venue called the Bradford Ballroom. I believe that is where I saw Gang of Four. And the Opera House, almost forgot that one.

Some history for the buildings on Landsdowne Street behind the Green Monster of Fenway Park. The main building was originally a horse barn then a car garage. It became the second incantation of the Boston Tea Party. In the mid/late 1970's it became a disco called Boston Boston. It's name was changed to The Metro and in 1980 Spit opened up to the right of it at the alley. They were owned by the same person. There was various remodeling and Spit became Axis and The Metro became Citi then Avalon. A club called Mama Kin (Aerosmith connected) opened to the left of Avalon. They were all eventually purchased by Don Law torn down and the House of Blues was built there. I may be a bit off on the Avalon/Citi history, but fairly close I believe.

Jonathan, here are The Clash autos in a similar book. The first one can be a bit fragile and I don't like to open it flat too much. It is a 200 +/- page paperback book with a glued spine and they tend to wear down. I got Joe Strummer at Tower Records November 13, 1989 during an in store record signing. I was first in line. He signed my two books, multiple Clash albums and a photo or two. I got Mick about 7 weeks earlier on September 28 when Big Audio Dynamite was in town. He went to WBCN, one block from Fenway Park, for an on air appearance and that deserves a story.

clash.jpg

I am sure Doug with all his experience has run into all kinds of people who feel it is their business to protect the musician. Most of the road crew people I have met have been okay. Stay out of their way and don't act like your trying to cause trouble or steal equipment and you are usually okay. It is the chauffeurs who cause the most problems. They fancy themselves important. WBCN was a one story brick building on Beacon Street across from the McD's in the movie "The Town" where Jeremy Renner was shot. The entrance was a small stairway about 20-25 feet from the street. For most of their time there the musicians came in the front. Knowing that you could meet pretty much anyone who was going there. About 4 or 5 of us were out front when the limo with Mick Jones pulled up. This 5' 5" driver jumps out and starts yelling at us to leave him alone as he has to get inside. Mick gets out of the car and proceeds to sit on the front fender and sign autographs for everyone. He was cool like most musicians. My friends did not know I had an in at the Channel and I took them down there after that for the soundcheck. No Mick but the rest of the band including Don Letts, Doug Roberts and Leo "E-Zee Kill" Williams. More stories to come.

Photos for the day

Jackson Browne at some sort of fundraiser Strand Theatre, Dorchester
jackson-browne-3-1_edited-1.jpg

Fee Waybill lead singer of The Tubes in character as Quay Lude. Orpheum Theatre. My favorite type of photo. I took the photo, printed it in a darkroom and got it signed in person.
fee.jpg

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Michael B

Doug - pretty good on the clubs/venues.

I am sure Doug with all his experience has run into all kinds of people who feel it is their business to protect the musician. Most of the road crew people I have met have been okay. Stay out of their way and don't act like your trying to cause trouble or steal equipment and you are usually okay. It is the chauffeurs who cause the most problems. They fancy themselves important.

Amazing stuff.

I have worked shows at those venues.

You made me laugh out loud with that chauffeur comment. So true.

Once upon a time I was working for Green Day. I was eating dinner with our head of security in the catering area, which was behind and kind of under the bleachers at an arena somewhere. There was a tarp covering the seats for one wall of the area, my back was to it. While we were eating the security guy nodded his head towards the wall with one finger to his lips, so I turned my head and watched as two kids somehow managed to squeeze themselves thru the seats and under the tarp at the far end of our row of tables (which was empty besides us). The initial looks on their faces were "F yeah, we made it!" then they saw us looking at them and their faces changed to "oh shit".

The security guy did his best imitation of a mean security guy and said "Come with ME" and we led them up the hall talking to each other about promoters and police and expulsions and arrests and whatever we could think of to scare the kids until we walked them into the band dressing room and asked the guys who were there "What should we do kids who sneak backstage?"

One suggestion was "Give them a beer!" but neither kid looked old enough to drink so instead they settled for autographs and pictures, then we tossed them back into the crowd.

Fun times.