music Archives - Page 118 of 268 - Ramblin' with Roger

JEOPARDY!: Jackie Fuchs/Jackie Fox

Will we see Jackie Fuchs in the JEOPARDY! Tournament of Champions?

When it comes to the game show JEOPARDY!, which I’ve been viewing since I was in grade school, I try to watch each episode. Thanks to the technologies, first the VCR and now the DVR, I don’t tend to see them in real time.

It was a Wednesday in mid-December when I was watching the Tuesday show. The player in one slot, an attorney and writer from Los Angeles, was asked by host Alex Trebek, “Jackie Fuchs is our champion… and was also a performer in an all-girl rock band?” She noted, “I was the bass player in the ‘70s all-female rock band the Runaways.”

What? So I immediately contacted the biggest Runaways fan I know, SamuraiFrog. As it turned out, he had happened upon the second half of the game on his own. Apparently, the producers of the show knew who she was, though I very much doubt that Trebek was aware of Cherry Bomb.

“Fuchs’ tenure in the Runaways was short — she joined the group that launched Joan Jett when she was 15 years old, under the name Jackie Fox, and left at 17. In 2015, the world found out why: According to Fuchs and several alleged witnesses, Runaways manager Kim Fowley raped her in front of a crowd, including her bandmates, while she was drugged and semi-conscious at age 16. Fowley died before Fuchs made her allegations public.”

She noted: “Once you can talk about that on camera, an audience isn’t going to faze you. It’s kind of like that’s the worst thing that can happen to you, so you know, losing a game show is not fun, but it just pales in comparison.”

Jackie Fuchs or Fox has been on variety of game shows over the years. She was on The Dating Game on the same show – though not the same segment – as Peewee Herman. “‘I was on ‘The Chase’ on the Game Show Network — it’s not on anymore… I did not acquit myself well on that show, but it made me want to get back up and do it again.

“‘So I went on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (in 2013) — and I still didn’t acquit myself that well, but it was better. I figured I would try one more time, and this time I was ready.’ In both of those earlier cases, she was identified as an ex-Runaway immediately before flaming out, “which is also part of the reason why I didn’t want to lead with that’ on JEOPARDY!'”

Will we see Jackie Fuchs in the Tournament of Champions, which brings back the best players over the past two years? There are 15 slots. Two are for the college champion and the teachers’ tournament champ. When she finished with four wins and $87,089 in winnings, she was in the 12th slot, so it was possible. However, four players since then have exceeded her score, so unless one cannot play, it’s now unlikely.

For ABC Wednesday

Makes me want to dance

In my brief disco-attending era, in the late 1970s, I had the leisure suits to prove it.

disco dance Once more from the 30-day music meme: A song that makes you want to dance.

Lots of music makes me want to make me dance. I am, no doubt, one of the finest chair dancers around. Ask any of my office mates.

Lilies of the Valley – David Byrne. In fact, I was chair-dancing to this just yesterday.

Fantasy- Earth, Wind and Fire. In 1978, I was working at the Schenectady Arts Council as the bookkeeper. A variety of artists went into the community, creating.

The choreographer, Darlene, taught school children dance. But she needed a partner, and I was suckered into that task. This EWF song was one of the pieces to which she arranged motion.

Celebration – Kool and the Gang. EVERY time this woman Cathy and I went to the disco, this played, usually more than once a night.

What’s That You’re Doin’- Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder. A song I preferred to Ebony and Ivory, from the same Macca album

Rock Lobster – the B-52’s. It wasn’t a rock…

Let’s Go Crazy – Prince. Last time I tried to link to this song, the video was blocked. (Sigh) He was still alive then. One of my favorite guitar solos ever near the end.

Face the Face – Pete Townsend. And 90 seconds in, would also qualify in the LOUD category.

Fashion – David Bowie. Among several Bowie choices, my favorite in the category. In my brief disco-attending era, in the late 1970s, I had the leisure suits to prove it. One was a sad brown, but the other was this hideous lime green. Proof positive that I have no sense of fashion.

There’s Love In Them There Hills – Pointer Sisters. As often as not, though, I would lie on my living room floor and listen to this on headphones and become hypnotized.

Funkytown- Lipps Inc
Good Times – Chic
Jungle Boogie – Kool And The Gang
These are self-evident to my ear.

30-Day Music Prompt: LOUD enough?

No other version will do. Not the pedestrian studio version nor the too short 2005 live take. This is a live take from Goodbye Cream.

Discipline.King Crimson Continuing on that 30-Day Music Challenge.

A song that needs to be played loud.

This is extremely challenging, since there are SO many choices. One could say most of the Who or Led Zeppelin or insert your favorite. Also, a lot of these songs could easily fit in other categories of the quiz.

And it’s not just the “loud” songs that are served by volume. i tend to crank up The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel (#7, 1969) after the line, “The fighter still remains” to better feel the pain of the percussive sound and the strings.

when I was a teenager, and my parents weren’t home, I’d tweak up the volume during the last four minutes of the Beatles’ Revolver (1966), from the last chorus of Got to Get You Into My Life (#7, 1976), into Tomorrow Never Knows. Just thinking about it gives me an adrenaline rush.

All Day and All of the Night – the Kinks (#7, 1965). The Kinks were the first REALLY LOUD group I was aware of. I remember that my good friend Karen was fond of buying their singles at the local Philadelphia Sales, only a couple blocks from our school, Daniel S. Dickinson, where we attended K-9.

I’m So Glad – Cream (1969). No other version will do. Not the pedestrian studio version nor the too short 2005 live take. This is a live take from Goodbye Cream.

High School – MC5 (1970). The group was nominated to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past round, but wasn’t selected. My friends made an antiwar video with High School as the soundtrack.

Wah Wah – George Harrison (1970). From that monumental All Things Mus Pass album. I knew George could be loud – see It’s All Too Much – the Beatles. But the wall of sound works here, in live versions, such as the Concert for Bangladesh, or even the Concert for George tribute album.

Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who (#15, 1971). Back in the day when I could actually play music in my office sans headphones, the then-Associate State Director would come into the office if this song were on, mesmerized.

Kashmir – Led Zeppelin (1975). From the first LZ album I bought on CD.

Cars – Gary Numan (#9, 1980). From that very first vibration…

Police on My Back – the Clash (1980). I started playing Side 6 of the Sandinista album, and this song almost knocked me over.

Elephant Talk – King Crimson (1981). And the remix is danceable as well.

Cannonball – the Breeders (#44, 1994). I have this on some 4-song EP that a friend gave me.

30-Day Music Prompt: reminds me of summer

I worked as a customer service representative at Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in from February 1989 to March 1990. I mostly hated it.

steel wheels Continuing with the 30-Day Music Prompt:

A song that reminds me of summer – There are lots. References are to the Billboard (US) pop charts, unless otherwise indicated.

Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves, #9 in 1985. After the 2005 hurricane, I always thought the group name was most unfortunate.

I Wanna Be A Lifeguard – Blotto. Albany’s own appeared on MTV on its very first day, back when they actually played music videos.

Then there are all the songs with the word “summer” in them:
In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry, #3 in 1970. This skiffle song was Jaquandor’s pick

Summerfling – k.d. lang, 2000. Lots of strings

Summertime, Summertime – the Jamies, #26 in 1958, and #38 in 1962. An irritating little song I loved while growing up.

Summertime – Billy Stewart, #10 pop, #7 soul in 1966. There are LOTS of versions of this Gershwin classic. On one of those Red, Hot, and Blue albums featuring the composer that I own, there are five or six iterations. I picked this one because I really liked it, but my former office mate Anne despised it.

Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly & the Family Stone, #2 for three weeks pop, #3 for three weeks soul in 1969 – lawd, at the end I feel like I’ve gone to church. One of the reasons I bought that wonderful greatest hits album; an alternate ending

A song that reminds you of someone you’d rather forget

I’m having difficulty with this. But there’s an album that reminds me of a place I’d rather forget.

I worked as a customer service representative at Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in from February 1989 to March 1990. I mostly hated it. If you don’t know why, I need to write more about that period.

But I got along with the other reps. I discovered that, for the Christmas gift exchange, I was to get something for this woman named Karen. As it turned out, Karen had selected me.

So we talked about music we mutually liked, and we came up with the Rolling Stones. The band had released Steel Wheels in August 1989, so I bought it for her and she for me.

I’m picking the first two singles because the titles reflected my feeling of being at Empire:

Mixed Emotions, #5 in 1989

Rock and a Hard Place, #23 in 1989

“I cannot throw out these books”

I wrote 10 or 11 blog posts re Never A Dull Moment: 1971, the year that rock exploded by David Hepworth.

Jaquandor recently wrote about owning books. In part, he quotes from Life Itself by Roger Ebert, which makes more sense in its entirety, and really speaks to me. “I cannot throw out these books. Some are enchanted because I have personally turned all their pages and read every word. They’re shrines to my past hours.”

Looking at my bookshelves in the office, I realize the sheer number of books I am not going to get rid of, because. And that doesn’t even count the ones in the bookcases that are in the attic, arranged, BTW, and the relatively few in the living room.

Initially, I was just going to pick books as they appeared on the shelves. Then I decided to put them in some sort of imperfect order

ALBANY

Six and Eleven – Ed Dague (2010). Former local news anchor I hung out with him one night and have a transcript – somewhere – of that night’s broadcast in 1994

A Day Apart: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Find Faith, Freedom, and Joy on the Sabbath – Christopher Ringwald. (2007). Signed to me. I got to hear him speak on the topic in my church a few years before his tragic death.

Figuring Sh!t Out: Love, Laughter, Suicide, and Survival – Amy Biancolli (2015). Signed to me, my wife and our daughter. About surviving the suicides in her life, including that of her husband, the aforementioned C Ringwald

O Albany – William Kennedy (1983). The greatest writer out of the city. Both he and Biancolli worked for the local newspaper, the Times Union, and both were honored by the Albany Public Library Foundation

RACE

Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II – Douglas A. Blackmon (2008) – signed to me in 2009 at an event arranged by Bill Kennedy

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander (revised 2011). Because it makes sense.

The Sweeter the Juice – Shirlee Taylor Haizlip. when I wrote a blog post about it, I got an email from her!

Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes – Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Anthony Walton (2004). Did you know Kareem was on JEOPARDY! for the first time the same month I was?

FANTACO

The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus – Fred Hembeck (2008). I remember helping friend Fred unload boxes of these at a comic book convention in Saratoga Springs, NY

Xerox Ferox: The Wild World of the Horror Film Fanzine – John Szpunar. It premiered at FantaCon 2013. I got it signed by the author, plus subjects such as Steve Bissette, Tom Skulan, Dennis Daniel and Jim Whiting

Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One – Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, John Totleben (2009), art plate signed by Steve; I met Steve at FantaCo in 1987

FantaCo book publications, almost all of which have stories; I know I was quoted in the Washington Post about Splatter Movies (1981)

Elfquest books – Wendy and Richard Pini, the original 20 issues in four volumes. Wendy and Richard came up to FantaCo for signings thrice a year

MUSIC

Blues People – LeRoi Jones (1963), before he became Amiri Baraka, he wrote about “the Negro experience in white America and the music that developed from it.”

Soulsville USA – Rob Bowman (1997). The story of STAX Records

Never A Dull Moment: 1971, the year that rock exploded – David Hepworth. I wrote 10 or 11 blog posts on this book

Across the Charts: The 1960s – Joel Whitburn (2008), This a book that shows the power of songs that cross over among the pop, soul, country, and adult contemporary charts.

Plus a slew of books on the Beatles

This post is getting LONG – more books soon.