The Pencilstorm offices descended in chaos early Tuesday evening as news of the big Cavs / Celtic trade hit the interwebs. The North Coast Posse's Big $ was none too pleased and CD1025 Morning show host Brian Phillips invited him to the studio the following day to vent his frustrations on air.
Jerry Lewis Was Bigger Than Elvis by Wal Ozello
Jerry Lewis, comedian and filmmaker, died on Sunday morning, August 20 at age 91. Pencilstorm writer Wal Ozello shares his memories of Jerry.
I met Jerry Lewis in 1995. At the time, I was a video editor for A&E Biography and my company was doing a show on Dean Martin. The company was a small one and everyone did double duty. So when I wasn’t in the edit room, I went on the interviews as a camera assit. My director, Brice Shipley, had scored what was soon to be one of the biggest interviews of all our lives: 20 minutes with Jerry Lewis. Over the years, we interviewed dozens of big names. Bill Cosby, Steve Allen, Tony Bennett to name a few. But all of them paled in comparison to Jerry.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were a big part of my youth. Growing up in Cleveland, the only thing on TV on Saturday afternoons was Super Host showing films from the 50s and 60s which included The Caddy, At War with the Army, My Friend Irma Goes West, and Pardners - all Martin and Lewis films. Jerry’s solo films is where he really shined: The Bellboy, Cinderfella, The Geisha Boy, The Family Jewels and the infamous, The Nutty Professor. These movies were comedic gold. If you've never seen the original The Nutty Professor, you're missing out.
Before there was Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey, there was Jerry Lewis. All are bland cardboard characters compared to the comedic genius of Jerry. Either with Dean or without him, Jerry knew how to entertain like none other.
And how big was Martin and Lewis? They were bigger than Springsteen, Simon and Garfunkel, Abbott and Costello, and even Lennon and McCartney. Jerry’s credited in more than 50 films on imdb, many of which he wrote, produced and directed. He and Dean hosted several episodes of the Colgate Comedy Hour which was on NBC opposite The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. Martin & Lewis beat Ed Sullivan in the ratings forty times in a row… by double digits. Let me put that in perspective. The Ed Sullivan Show was as big as Game of Thrones is on Sunday night. When Martin & Lewis were on the Colgate Comedy Hour, people watched them instead.
They’d also do live shows, selling out week-long shows at the 4,000 seat Paramount Theatre and packing the streets with 75,000 people trying to get a glimpse of them from their hotel window. (See footage below.)
Jerry was also a Broadway performer. He appeared in the revival of Damn Yankees which was how we ended up interviewing him. I was one of four people allowed in the room and we were told to keep it to 20 minutes. Jerry ended up giving us 45. After the interview was over, Jerry chatted up my director and me. I think he was impressed that two guys in their early twenties new so much about his career and were in awe. Jerry was 69 at the time and still giving it his all performing. During our conversation, Jerry casually called me a “fucking dago.” While to most Italians this is an insult, Jerry meant it as a compliment, as if I was suddenly “in” with him. That moment is probably one of the top ten highlights of my career.
Jerry Lewis was the biggest entertainer that ever lived. Imagine an amalgamation of Robin Williams, John Landis, Judd Apatow, Nathan Lane, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley. He was bigger than all of them combined. I consider myself fortunate to have met him and even more fortunate to be entertained by him. Rest in peace, funny guy and thanks for the laughs.
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis at the New York Paramount 4 July 1951. Absolute bedlam on 44th Street! Come on up for coffee!
Jerry Lewis sings "We've Got a World That Swings" from the film, The Nutty Professor, (1963) directed by Jerry Lewis, featuring Les Brown and His Band of Renown. The song was composed by Lil Mattis and Louis Y Brown.
Clip from Martin & Lewis Colgate Comedy Hour.
The Password scene from the movie "Which Way To The Front" with Jerry Lewis
Wal Ozello is the lead singer of the Columbus hairband Armada. He's the author of the science fiction time travel books: Assignment 1989, Revolution 1990 and Sacrifice 2086 and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee. As a local filmmaker, Wal has directed Dad Can't Help You Now by Colin Gawel and the short film, Alone.
Lonely Bones Final Show @ FMMF - by Colin Gawel
Standing behind the counter at Colin's Coffee at 10:50 am on Friday August 18th, it just struck me that the Lonely Bones show tomorrow at Fashion Meets Music Festival is probably going to be our last. I guess we could do something else but I can't imagine why. There is no drama behind the decision. The Bones were created when Watershed went on indefinite hiatus so Joe Oestreich could begin his successful writing career. It's been a good run.
Having played within the Watershed structure since before puberty, I needed to challenge myself and see if I could sink or swim as a solo act. I feel like the Lonely Bones accomplished more than I ever could have hoped for. With the release of Superior - The Best of Colin Gawel in 2016, a compilation of all notable music from this Lonely Bones era, it feels like that chapter is closed and it's time to turn the page.
Thanks to Rick, Dan and Herb for joining me on this journey. And following along into Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? And Ricki C. of course.
Besides the recorded work we left behind (HUGE thanks to talented Mike Landolt) the band was fortunate enough to play many cool gigs. Some memories off the top of my head, in between serving customers coffee......
- Our first gig as The Lonely Bones was playing the Bruce Springsteen weekend at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in June, 2009. They were looking for a semi-credible band to perform and not some cheesy "Bruce in the USA" cover/tribute act. Watershed's name came up and when I got the call I thought is was a prank. Eventually we settled on the Lonely Bones playing instead of Watershed. There is a bootleg of this show kicking around. Ask Ricki C. where to find one if you are interested. Dave Masica was still drumming in the Bones at this point.
- Early on I vowed to never play a late rock and roll show again. And we didn't. The Lonely Bones NEVER played a local show that started later than 9pm and usually much earlier. Big thanks to Todd at the Rumba Cafe and Paul at Woodland's for buying into this vision for the band. We had many great shows at both clubs.
- We got to perform numerous times at Comfest and the Independent's Day festival, both of which we were honored to a part of. And the first Goodale Park music series now that I think of it.
-Though we didn't travel much, David Bash invited the band to perform at his International Pop Overthrow Festival twice in Chicago and once in Cleveland. Once again, we were flattered to be a part of such a cool event.
- When the song "Superior" was in heavy rotation on CD1025, then PD Andyman Davis invited us to play a sold out CD101 Day show at the LC in Columbus. It was a thrill to be on that big stage with the new band. Sadly, Andy passed away soon after, but I'll always cherish the time we spent together that night.
- Brian Phillips and Wal Ozello deserve major kudos for being the brains behind the videos "Superior" and "Dad Can't Help You Now" (in that order). Those videos will survive long after we are all gone.
Also big thanks to Will Kenworthy who served as manager, webmaster and social media director for the Lonely Bones. Without his help I'd still probably be on Myspace. He also co-founded pencilstorm.com along with myself.
I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many talented people.
Also of note was having a front row seat watching Bones bassist Dan Cochran conceive and create the Four String Brewing Company right in front of my eyes. Rick Kinsinger actually helped him design and build his first brewer thingy or whatever those things are called. To walk into a store and see a six-pack of Hilltop Lager staring me in the face makes glad all over.
What's next? We have been working hard to get the League Bowlers Some Balls Deluxe released this September and Watershed should have something new out in 2018. In the meantime I suspect at my advancing age it's time to downsize. Being in five bands is about three too many. Not sure exactly where this is headed but rough thoughts include:
- Rick K. is done dragging keyboards out to shows
- It will involve Bowling shirts
- We will still keep playing Superior
In closing, there is a bunch of footage floating around youtube but the clip below is my favorite. It's just The Lonely Bones playing on the radio, but boy, we really nailed it. This is how I will remember this band. Nothing fancy, just friends playing some rock n roll. Thanks to all who came out to the gigs and dug the music. - Colin Gawel
Saturday Night Video: Elvis, Ann-Margret, and Elvis - by Colin G.
A blast from the past to mark the 40th anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley. This originally ran Feb 2014 - Colin G.
I recently returned from an extended rock n roll sabbatical in Memphis, TN. Obviously, Elvis has been in the forefront of my mind ever since. If you haven't read "Last Train to Memphis" and "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley" by Peter Guralnick, you need to do that immediately. It's way more than sex, drugs and rock n roll. The Elvis Presley story is the original American Shakespearian tragedy that will break your heart and leave you crying over his grave at Graceland. Please enjoy these clips sponsored by my insomnia and the remaining cans of beer in my fridge. - Colin G.
Below: Elvis giving his all right to the end. Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Thrilling.
Below: Elvis singing "If I Can Dream" from the 68 comeback special. The Graceland tour ends with this song as you stand over the graves of Elvis, his Mom, Dad, Grandmother and twin brother. But the song alone should make you weep out of respect by it's sheer beauty and power. It's like listening to the Grand Canyon.
Remembering Glen Campbell - by Scott Carr
(April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017)
On August 8th the world lost another great music legend. Glen Campbell passed away at the age of 81 after a brave battle with Alzheimer's disease.
I'll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of country music or a historian on the genre. Growing up I heard a lot of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and others around my house and we were avid watchers of Hee-Haw, so there is some of that in my musical make up.
I was aware of the contributions that Glen Campbell had made over the years on records for The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and just about anyone you can think of in the 60's and early 70's. He was a very sought after session player and a member of a group of elite players known as The Wrecking Crew. The members of The Wrecking Crew performed on literally hundreds of records over the years. It really is astounding when you look up all the work these guys did, google it.....you will be amazed.
So, I knew Glen was a great talent and recognized as one of top guitarist in the business but his music other than the hits really was not on my radar at all.
My interest in Campbell's music was peaked when it was announced in 2011 that he would be doing one last record called Ghost On The Canvas. The album featured songwriting contributions from the likes of Paul Westerberg (The Replacements) and Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) and guest musicians including Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Hunter, Brian Setzer and Jellyfish members Jason Falkner, Roger Manning and Eric Dover. Also around this time it was revealed the Campbell was suffering with Alzheimer's disease and would be embarking on a farewell tour while he was still healthy.
I became really intrigued by all this information and bought Ghost On The Canvas as soon as it hit the shelves. It really is an amazing album. It has been compared to the work that Johnny Cash did with Rick Rubin during his later years. Campbell's 2008 record Meet Glen Campbell featured reworkings of contemporary songs by Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, Green Day, Lou Reed, U2 among others and it helped introduce Glen to a new audience. The idea behind Ghost On The Canvas was to have Glen collaborate with younger musician to create new music as well as include some interesting covers and it came out beautifully. Ghost On The Canvas was intended to be Campbell's last record but he returned to the studio and completed enough material for two subsequent releases: 2013's See You There, and his most recent album Adios, released just two months prior to his passing. Campbell released a total of 64 studio records during his almost six decades in the music business.
I was further drawn into the Campbell story with the release of the 2014 documentary film I'll Be Me. The film chronicles Campbell's 2012 farewell tour and his struggles with Alzheimer's disease. It's a very powerful film and at times tough to watch. It is clear though that Campbell was surrounded by family, friends and fans that adored him. For me the most interesting thing to see in the film was how Glen's memory loss never really affected his ability to perform, he would flub some lyrics here and there but many artists do that who aren't dealing with Alzheimer's. His guitar playing chops
were still incredible and voice strong.
The soundtrack to I'll Be Me features Campbell's very last studio recording, a song called "I'm Not Gonna Miss You."
Glen, you will be missed.
I thought I would wrap up this piece by including some music moments from Glen's most recent works to give you an idea of what he's been up to. If all you know from him is "Southern Nights" and "Rhinestone Cowboy," you may be surprised.
I also included a clip of Alice Cooper talking about Glen right after getting the news of Glen's passing. Apparently Alice and Glen were golfing buddies and had been friends for many years. Alice shares some fond memories of their friendship.
RIP Glen Campbell
Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps andReturning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.
The N.F.L. is the Sport for Stupid People: #TBT - by Colin Gawel
Pencilstorm Throw-Back Thursday 08/04/17
Originally published September 2014. It still gets hits. Go figure. Click here for current not-stupid NFL coverage by Brian Phillips.
Before you can say, "What? Me stupid? That's unpossible!" - let me explain. I'm not trying to be an elitist or a contrarian. I too, like you, care deeply about all sorts of stupid things. In fact, just this past month I'll have you know that I.......
A) Forked over $50 to watch WWE Summerslam and.....
B) Watched every episode of "4th and Loud" - the reality TV show about arena football team the L.A. KISS, starring Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
I think reasonable people can agree it doesn't get much dumber than that.
And before you soccer types get all excited that this is going to be some manifesto on the merits of Premier League Football over American football, that isn't happening either. Despite an exciting World Cup, I much prefer Uncle Sammy's brand of pigskin. In fact, I play in two fantasy football leagues and this Sunday while I am coaching third base for my son's little league team, I will be crying on the inside knowing that I will be missing the Browns opener. (Though it is sure to be another curbstomping compliments of the dreaded Steelers.)
So, though I like the NFL like all normal people, I HATE NFL coverage. God, it never stops. Ugh. BARF. So dumb. So Boring. Every single day of the year ESPN jams the "THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE" down my throat and I am so very tired of it. I know you are too. I can feel my poor brain cells dying of boredom as they absorb questions like who will start at center for Green Bay and will Jacksonville win over or under 3.5 games. The company line is, "The NFL is the nation's most popular sport, so we have to talk about it every 15 minutes, 365 days a year because YOU can't get enough of it." Okay, sure. Still, McDonald's is America's most popular restaurant, but everybody knows it sucks. Just because something is the most popular doesn't mean it is good. Just check out the top song on the charts right now. Whatever it is, I bet dollars to donuts, it blows.
But why does NFL coverage bother me so much? The odd thing is, though I am much less likely to watch a entire regular season NBA game than I would an NFL game, I love reading about the NBA. I like ESPN stories about the NBA, but not the National Football League. Why is this? Some theories......
For one, I hate that every talking head has stopped using the abbreviation NFL and almost always refer to THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. My theory is that using the longer name fills content over the course of a grinding 24 hour news cycle. By just stretching that out and saying it say, 1,500 times a day, that's almost 45 minutes of airtime each day filled by somebody just saying, "He is going to have to make that throw if he wants to keep his job in the…NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE."
For two, ESPN treats the entire country like we are all superfans of all thirty two NFL teams. They will do a full twenty minute segment on Maurice Jones Drew joining the Raiders or Ryan Tannahill learning a new playbook. This would be would be fine if I lived in Oakland or Miami. But I don't. Why are they telling me this in such fine detail? Do you know how hard it is to run on a treadmill in February while enduring a 12-minute story on the possible new Carolina Panthers starting wide receivers? Basically, they take waiver wire stories and treat them like the lead segment on 60 Minutes. Who fucking cares? Who are these people that enjoy this? Is there a comment section giving 99% approval I haven't seen?
For three, and this is the big one, I suspect Bill Simmons has done such a good job covering the NBA, it just shines a light on how many dumb jocks cover football. All those jackasses standing around in designer suits on a fake football field flapping their gums for two straight hours and they never have anything interesting to say. How is that possible? Professional football is, by far, the most complex sport on the planet, but nobody seems to able able to write a story about it that is interesting.
Watching Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose do a podcast on the NBA is great fun. Watching the FOX NFL pre-game show is like having your eyes gouged out with stale celery stalks.
So maybe the NFL isn't the sport for stupid people after all. Perhaps it is the sport for stupid journalists and it's just hard to tell the difference. Either way, thank GOD we can finally start watching THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE and stop talking about it. For a day anyway.
Colin Gawel plays in the band Watershed and started Pencilstorm as a way to kill time at his coffee shop, Colin's Coffee. As he is writing this, he is watching that guy lip syncing that "Happy" song before the NFL opener in Seattle. Some sort of lame kick-off party. How very stupid indeed.