Terrence writes;
WOW! I am printing and framing this post!
terrence kosick
artnatural
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> The first person I ever heard of destroying an instrument on stage was Jerry
> Lee Lewis in the 50s, who, disgusted that Chuck Berry was closing the show
> instead of him, lit (after spraying it with lighter fluid) the baby grand he
> was playing center stage on fire while still playing the hell out of it, hit
> the final chords and left the stage with the piano in flames (I think it was
> at an Alan Freed kind of concert in NY or Philly). As he passed Chuck Berry
> standing in the wings he muttered, "Follow that, [racial slur]." I wasn't
> present for this, but it's the first onstage instrument demolition account I
> ever heard.
>
> And, just as a point of information, when I was a cocktail waitress in
> Memphis quite a while ago, I had a table of club owners I was waiting on, and
> club owners always tip incredibly well. So in comes Jerry Lee, plops down at
> my table, starts "honeying" me around, starts out drinking double bloody
> marys, after a few of those, switches to double cc's and orange juice. Gets
> up and sings some New Orleans song, can't remember the title, keeps me moving
> getting the table drinks, keeps calling me sweetheart/honey/sugar. Decides to
> pick up the tab for the entire table, and totally stiffs me. Not one cent for
> a tab that ran over $250. He had a rep for not tipping. Waitresses hated him.
>
> Still, the guy could pound the piano. Of course, Chuck Berryed him on lyrics,
> Chuck being the master of 50s rock lyrics. And they could both inhabit their
> flesh in the most awesome ways while performing. But for me, Hendrix was the
> best ignite yr instrument baby. That velvet undulation he does in Monteray
> Pop (the film). What grace, what sensuality. He wasn't destroying his guitar.
> He was inscribing it with his gigantic and gorgeous passion, and the only
> result there could be after that lap dance was to be completely consumed and
> burned to a crisp. Whew. Wild Thing.
>
> BP
>
