Have any of you heard any good Rock'n'Roll rumors ? They don't have to be incriminating. Some might be things you WISH would have happened , e.g. the New York/Boston super - bill at The Warsaw in Brooklyn with The Dictators , Fleshtones , Real Kids and DMZ. I asked Handsome Dick about it , and he said "That's the first I've heard of it. But , it's a good idea."

Then there's rumors that are pure libel , like the one about Lux Interior dying of a Heroin overdose in 1987. I knew right off the bat that it was bullshit , but the damage was done.

Or some that are fun to think about even if the likelihood of their having happened is slim.

Such as it's true The Beatles visited Elvis Presley at one of his California homes in '64 or '65 (?). What's unlikely is that The Beatles and Elvis broke into a jam session , or that they played Monopoly with real money. Does'nt seem like the world will ever know.

Likewise , The Rolling Stones supposedly did a recording session at Chess Records with Muddy Waters , probably in '65.

Then there's pure trash urban legend that only a fool would believe.

My Coach in Jr. High told me that Frank Zappa staged a "World's Grossest Band" contest , which his band won. I asked him , what did they do , and he told me , "I can't tell you what they did , but the band that LOST crushed live baby chicks on stage!"

Even my naive as Hell Teenage Head was'nt buying that one.

Sopers , a brand of Quaalude referenced in "Weekend" by The Dictators , it turns out , did'nt exist. Creem magazine would joke about them all the time , as if  they were real. Not that I ever did any of that shit (Yes , I'm old enough to remember when Dealers and Pharmacies well well - sorted for Ludes , but , better known , real , brands like Rorer.).

I thought he was just saying "Just give me a soda for the weekend". Works for me.

I forgot that second one.....Now , Alice Cooper was cool enough to have really been Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond.) , but HOW uncool does somebody have to be to grow up and become Marilyn Manson ?        It's true , Alice Cooper is now a Right - Wing Christian (Though he's been good about keeping religion and politics what they are , a personal matter.) and one of his TURDS is cooler than Marilyn Manson.  Alice still does a great live show , and his albums have been mostly pretty good since he left the Hair Metal Brigade. If Marilyn Manson was sending our kids to the Devil , then , The Devil must be about a LAME - ASS MOTHERFUCKER !!!!!!

But , why get mad? One made history , the other IS history.

The other big rumor , in the early 70's , was that Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell , Prince of Punks.) "Grew Up" to become Johnny Wadd , as John Holmes was then called.

David Clarke said:

I always liked the one that the kid who played Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver, ended up being Alice Cooper and that the kid from the Mr Belvedere tv show turned out to be Marilyn Manson

I always liked the one that the kid who played Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver, ended up being Alice Cooper and that the kid from the Mr Belvedere tv show turned out to be Marilyn Manson

"THE MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET" IS A RUMOR UNTO ITSELF , SAYING ALL FOUR OF THEM ACTUALLY PLAYED TOGETHER (LATER IN LIFE , JOHNNY CASH CLAIMED HE PLAYED A LITTLE RHYTHM GUITAR , BUT THERE'S NO PROOF OF THIS.) ,AND PLAYED ALLTHEIR HITS ( ABOUT THE ONLY HIT WOULD'VE BEEN ELVIS APING JACKIE WILSON'S VERSION OF "DON'T BE CRUEL"). NATURALLY , SAM PHILLIPS IS PORTRAYED AS A NORMAL PERSON , AS IN ALL THE OTHER FICTITIOUS BIOPICS. I WOULD HAVE RATHER SEEN A PLAY IN WHICH ACTOR/MUSICIANS JUST PLAYED THE SONGS AS THEY WERE RECORDED.

I was at that signing. Lux and Ivy , and Slim (I think Harry here , too) were very gracious. Those signings at Tower in Chicago did'nt always have a set closing time. Sometimes they HAD to keep it going longer than expected , because some artists drew so many people.  But,
I saw Lux and Ivy after the show the night before , and they gave me a rough idea of where their hotel was (HA HA) , and asked if they could walk to Tower from there. I said , it was about 10 blocks ,but ,knowing they were power - walkers , I figured they'd get there OK. They showed up late  , and I guess there was a time limit. There's someone like that in every crowd , with too much shit to sign. Some of their signings had a limit - I was allowed to get one item signed by Alice Cooper , but , Tom JONESwas signing anything you brought. Lux AND IVY WERE VERY COOL with fans , even ones that stepped over theline

Some frat boys snuck in backstage , the night before . Lux told THEM "You know you're not supposed to be here . But , I'll sign your stuff , and then , would you please go , quietly?".

i remember a cramps signing at tower in chicago where some dude and his girlfriend not only pissed off the band but the entire crowd by hogging half of the allotted time they had by bringing boxes of crap to get signed. the band was too nice to tell them to screw off and wouldn't let the store employees do it either. the offenders seemed oblivious to their idiocy.

You're gonna move your house? You got a few cents to throw in for pot? Maybe you should drink some Red Bulls (If only they worked!)
  instead.  Well , Keef admitted it was just a joke to piss off the press. But  , of all people, I would'nt put it past him.

Hey John & others...Excellent thread! I see I'm a bit late to the party. Woohoo! (and just as we're set to pick up & move-house). Well, i spent the morning catching up to speed...I've gotta few cents to throw in the pot...

The way I heard it...is that he *snorted* (not smoked) his dad's ashes. I believe this story to be true. I mean, we're talking Keef, here! In the following interview, he says he did it, and I believe him - it doesn't seem like a 'put-on' or a lie. And really, it goes with Keith's philosophy, right?

http://youtu.be/nk1PceITYvM

John Battles said:

BTW , We forgot the greatest rumor in recent Rock'n'Roll history.....Keith Richard smoking his Dad's ashes. He even had the press believing it , momentarily.
 

i remember a cramps signing at tower in chicago where some dude and his girlfriend not only pissed off the band but the entire crowd by hogging half of the allotted time they had by bringing boxes of crap to get signed. the band was too nice to tell them to screw off and wouldn't let the store employees do it either. the offenders seemed oblivious to their idiocy.

retrection(?) - I'd HEARD that Larry Page , who's still alive , was Gay. I could have been thinking about Larry Parnes (Shillings , Pence.) , who was openly Gay.   I did'nt mean to suggest that Joe Meek was'nt mentally ill ,nor that he never killed anybody. He did. His Landlady , then himself. But , was he able to create innovative sounds without Phil Spector's gazillion dollar budget? Yes.

You have to remember that , while Dave Davies did confirm this story about Gacy , the movers and shakers in the British Rock scene were largely Gay men , not sick motherfuckers like Gacy , of course , but , people like Larry Page , Brian Epstein , Joe Meek , earlier on , and so forth.......The Davies Bros. must have known about Page , and others they came into direct contact with , but could maintain a strictly businesslike relationship with them , even if they were'nt always entirely businesslike , themselves.
 Dave probably had a lot of men hitting on him at the time. Ray implied that Dave was on the "Bordeline" , which , really , if that were true , it would have been his business.

I did talk to a guy , just before they executed Gacy,who said he knew one of his victims  , noting "That was just too close to home".
Psycho*Davy said:

Re; The Kinks in Champaign, IL with Gacy c.'64 (first tour, pre-US-banning)...I read about it from a fairly reputable source maybe about 8 years ago (perhaps it was Mojo referred to, below) (i'll try to find the Mojo piece, or if someone else has it, please post it)...

It's a freaky story, for sure! that I completely can see really happening. (I can imagine Gacy being attracted to the young Dave Davies, long hair - kinda pretty, young....YIKES!) Of course this was years before his killing spree & so it didn't blow their minds until many years later when JWG was caught.

In addition, from what I read: JWG might have helped organize the show which was in a gymnasium of a school. (U of I?) and afterwards, he came up to the boys (Kinks) and asked if he could help transport them to their motel. So they did and Gacy talked them into having a few drinks at his apartment. They soon realized (at the apt), after being "plied with drinks" that Gacy was clearly infatuated with the young, Dave...and so they bailed. Creepy!

Btw, John Battles & I grew up really quite near Gacy's neighborhood. I think where I grew up was 6 or 7 miles away. John & I didn't know each other until much later, but I know he was from the same area.

-------------------------

http://tiptopoftheworld.blogspot.com/2009/06/thats-kink-y.html?zx=b...

"I ran into my ex-father-in-law at the gas station this morning. When I was married to his daughter we shared a love of motorcycles, classic horror movies and rock n roll records. He's a very cool guy and we are still friends, though we don't get to spend much time together as we used to. 

In the mid 60s when he was a young man starting his career as a news photographer he got an assignment to film the Kinks on their first American tour as they swung through his home state of Illinois. He still has an unseen reel of the Kinks performing live in (I think) Champaign, IL. I've asked him about it a couple times. He always describes Ray and Dave Davies as complete asses; two English pricks who were always (fist) fighting with each other and generally making everyone else miserable.

A couple summers ago I read a great piece in MOJO about that very tour. As it turned out, the promotor for central Illinois was none other than John Wayne Gacy, the infamous pederast and serial killer. It seems Mr. Gacy took a very unnatural liking to young Dave Davies and wasnt shy about telling him so.

I asked my father-in-law if he remembered Gacy. His initial reply was no, not specifically. But he did remember a very odd, greasy American man who was attached to the band and seemed to always be on right on their heels. That's not all he wanted to be on I'd reckon. I lent him the copy of MOJO. After reading the article it all came back to him and he confirmed the whole story. Crazy stuff, I thought him just meeting the Kinks was amazing by itself!"

Saville was everywhere , I mean , I know that and I've never even been to England (A few failed attempts...). Of course , he co - compered the NME's Pollwinners shows , hosted the "Go Go Mania" (I forget the English title.) movie , and just turned up , everywhere. Seems he was seen as a somewhat older chap who dug Rock'n'Roll , or could make a few Pounds off it ,without insulting the kids.   I only heard all this stuff you're talking about in the last year or two.            I guess the first pedophilia (we don't use the "a".) scandal was about 20 years ago , or more?

Re; The Kinks in Champaign, IL with Gacy c.'64 (first tour, pre-US-banning)...I read about it from a fairly reputable source maybe about 8 years ago (perhaps it was Mojo referred to, below) (i'll try to find the Mojo piece, or if someone else has it, please post it)...

It's a freaky story, for sure! that I completely can see really happening. (I can imagine Gacy being attracted to the young Dave Davies, long hair - kinda pretty, young....YIKES!) Of course this was years before his killing spree & so it didn't blow their minds until many years later when JWG was caught.

In addition, from what I read: JWG might have helped organize the show which was in a gymnasium of a school. (U of I?) and afterwards, he came up to the boys (Kinks) and asked if he could help transport them to their motel. So they did and Gacy talked them into having a few drinks at his apartment. They soon realized (at the apt), after being "plied with drinks" that Gacy was clearly infatuated with the young, Dave...and so they bailed. Creepy!

Btw, John Battles & I grew up really quite near Gacy's neighborhood. I think where I grew up was 6 or 7 miles away. John & I didn't know each other until much later, but I know he was from the same area.

-------------------------

http://tiptopoftheworld.blogspot.com/2009/06/thats-kink-y.html?zx=b...

"I ran into my ex-father-in-law at the gas station this morning. When I was married to his daughter we shared a love of motorcycles, classic horror movies and rock n roll records. He's a very cool guy and we are still friends, though we don't get to spend much time together as we used to. 

In the mid 60s when he was a young man starting his career as a news photographer he got an assignment to film the Kinks on their first American tour as they swung through his home state of Illinois. He still has an unseen reel of the Kinks performing live in (I think) Champaign, IL. I've asked him about it a couple times. He always describes Ray and Dave Davies as complete asses; two English pricks who were always (fist) fighting with each other and generally making everyone else miserable.

A couple summers ago I read a great piece in MOJO about that very tour. As it turned out, the promotor for central Illinois was none other than John Wayne Gacy, the infamous pederast and serial killer. It seems Mr. Gacy took a very unnatural liking to young Dave Davies and wasnt shy about telling him so.

I asked my father-in-law if he remembered Gacy. His initial reply was no, not specifically. But he did remember a very odd, greasy American man who was attached to the band and seemed to always be on right on their heels. That's not all he wanted to be on I'd reckon. I lent him the copy of MOJO. After reading the article it all came back to him and he confirmed the whole story. Crazy stuff, I thought him just meeting the Kinks was amazing by itself!"

Hey John & others...Excellent thread! I see I'm a bit late to the party. Woohoo! (and just as we're set to pick up & move-house). Well, i spent the morning catching up to speed...I've gotta few cents to throw in the pot...

The way I heard it...is that he *snorted* (not smoked) his dad's ashes. I believe this story to be true. I mean, we're talking Keef, here! In the following interview, he says he did it, and I believe him - it doesn't seem like a 'put-on' or a lie. And really, it goes with Keith's philosophy, right?

http://youtu.be/nk1PceITYvM

John Battles said:

BTW , We forgot the greatest rumor in recent Rock'n'Roll history.....Keith Richard smoking his Dad's ashes. He even had the press believing it , momentarily.
 

THAT'S VERY TRUE.  I HAVE'NT HEARD ANY GOOD RUMORS , LATELY....

I remember the one about The MC5 REFORMING TO DO ONE SHOW IN DETROIT in 1991. That made it all the way here, to Chicago.

Turned out , it was Sonics Rendezvous Band . There were , HOWEVER ,  negotiations to get The  MC5 TO DO A VERY LUCRATIVE 5 - DATE TOUR around that time. They all agreed to it , but , one. THE LONE HOLDOVER WAS Fred "Sonic" Smith.

Dickie Peterson told me , at Blue Cheer's last (Pre - reformation)  gig in Chicago (At the BEAVER CLUB.), in 1971 , that "Two people on the dance floor started fuckin', and we had to all leave separately , in different cabs , to throw the cops off. They wanted to book us for causing "A disorderly situation". ". My friend , Bill , was at that show , and he said he remembers nothing about that. Hmmmmmm........

It could be worse, he could have been singing about insurance.
 
John Battles said:

I saw an interview with Lemmy , in the 80's , where he was asked if it was true that he was seen with Morgan Fairchild at The Opera....."I HATE bloody Opera. I saw an opera on telly one time , and this bloke was singing about sausages. SAUSAGES!!!!".

I saw an interview with Lemmy , in the 80's , where he was asked if it was true that he was seen with Morgan Fairchild at The Opera....."I HATE bloody Opera. I saw an opera on telly one time , and this bloke was singing about sausages. SAUSAGES!!!!".

 OK , this is true , but.....IT'S A FACT THAT ELVIS WOULD PROCURE CURRENT ROCK stars in the 70's for private social gatherings at Graceland , or one of his homes in California.

At one such gathering , Alice Cooper was summoned to meet his idol. Elvis wanted to demostrate a defensive Karate move for the assembled few . He literally handed Cooper a loaded rifle , and told him to lunge at him , like he was attacking him. Despite his protests , Evis demanded that Alice do as he said. Alice took the gun , and ran right into Presley , who disarmed him. But , Alice later said , "If this had'nt worked , I was thinking about the fact that I'd be on the front page of ever newspaper in the world !"

I know this all just reads like a cry for help , but.....The story goes , that some copies of The Seeds' "Flower Punk" box set contain snippets of "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac.

Oh , and Frazier Thomas also hosted a later version of "Bozo's Circus".

John Battles said:

Well , I seriously doubt Garcia was aware of The Butthole Surfers , though stranger things have happened. Someone told me they had an out of body experience , the last time I saw The Surfers. Maybe they were just trying to get out of the building !  I've heard a few stories , nothing you would call an Urban Legend. But , in truth , Gibby's Dad was Jerry Haynes , aka TV  kIDDIE SHOW HOST , MR. PEPPERMINT. The Drummer in Chicago Silly Punk band , TUTU AND tHE PIRATES , was Frazier Thomas , host of Kiddie show , Garfield Goose and the SUNDAY AFTERNOON movie program , Family Classics.

The two twin Brothers in The Pork Dukes were rumored to be Dudley Moore's illegitimate Sons.

Here's a Rock'n'Roll urban legend : Tony Sheridan dies.

Yes, I know he just did , but , I got the word about 20 years in advance !

Was that the dog's full name ? That would be funny. I always thought it was just Mark Farner. I knew Jeff Coffe (King Vitamin , BHS Drummer) , IN PASSING , WE HAD , or have , SOME MUTAL FRIENDS. I ran into him on the way to one of his own gigs , but not before sticking my head in some practice space to see some young band doing a hilarious version of "We're an American Band". My friend's band , The Mystery Girls (The fr'real Mystery Girls from Chicago , accept no substitute.)opened for Mark Farner one time , late in the 80's. By this time , he was alternating between Grand Funk faves and original Xian Rock tunes. Curiosity caused many of us to withold our laughter. But , it took him so long to go on , I left. 

That's it! Thanks, John! The dog's name was Mark Farner Of Grand Funk Railroad.

John Battles said:

Lery's dog was named Mark Farner.
 
dave said:

Um, it's almost painful to bring up, but many of those early punk bands had extremely
Catholic tastes in music. Greg Ginn loved the Dead more than just about anyone, and he'd listen to free jazz, and anything else he could get his hands on. And of course the Surfers (Leary in particular) loved hard rock/metal like Grand Funk Railroad (isn't his dog named after their drummer?). Tim Kerr loves the Dead, fer cryin' out loud!

Love that Leary story, hell, I can actually see it happenin'.

Ha, you put the screws to Lillian Roxxon, let's hope kids know how to find better stuff now on teh Interwebs...
John Battles said:

When I was in College , the same people who listened to Hendrix and Cream also listened to The Butthole Surfers. It was'nt that far of a stretch , I hate to say.......Though , of course , The Butthole Surfers were a lot more experimental than their predecessors......

But , what does that have to do with Urban Legends in Rock , you say?

Well , an interviewer asked Paul Leary from The Butthle Surfers , "How did you learn to play like Jimi Hendrix?" He said , he was on a bad acid trip , where , at some point , he was convinced he'd be come Jimi Hendrix. When he came back down , he discovered that he could play"Just like" Hendrix..... That's an old myth that's probably made it around High Schools all over the country. A guy takes acid , thinks he's Jimi Hendrix , either regards the notion as a silly thing , later , or , ends up in a mental hospital. But , Paul's story ends up with him somehow channeling Jimi. He certainly played more like him than wasotherwise acceptable in the "Hardcore Uber Alles" days , but , the tide was turning ,  Feedback/Skronk bands were copping to being influenced by Late 60's Heavy Rock and Psych. Bands like Sonic Youth , Big Black , Live Skull , Scratch Acid and Lithium Xmas  were moving in , unashamed to use a Vox Wah - Wah pedal or a Big Muff Pi before Seattle made it fashionable. Flaming Lips were big on THE Late 60's - early 70's Mainstream Rock tip , which would have probably got them burned at the stake a few years earlier  . I never got it with 'em , myself , but , they were one of those bands , poised to go national , that you did not dare say you disliked , just like (Brace yourselves)  Smashing Pumpkins......
 

I highly recommend Roxxon's Encyclopedia , if only for the inaccuracies and stuff that appeared to have just been made up.......Like listing Led Zeppelin as the then - current (1969  ? ) Yardbirds lineup , or dedicating a small chapter to "Punk Rock" , meaning Early Alice Cooper , Bloodrock and Black Sabbath. IN THAT , THOUGH , IT PROBABLY WAS THE FIRST USE OF THE TERM IN PRINT.
dave said:

I stand corrected, but you can keep the Cream, ack! Bad High School memories, always looking for 'good' music (this was the early 80s, you whippersnappers, ;) !) See, the trouble was my thinkin' that a school library would have a book on good music (it's an 'adults vs. kids' mindset we're talkin' about, heah). I found Lillian Roxxon's Encyclopedia of Rock. Started reading about names I heard, like Hendrix, and yes, Cream, and thought, these guys sound interesting. I went right out and bought all of the Cream discography. BIG mistake! Worst garbage I've heard ('til I got to Hendrix, Jethro Tull, etc.).

On the other hand, my 1st roomie, a friend from my class, loved all of that crap, plus 'Hippie-lite' stuff like Blood Sweat, and Tears, 3 Dog Night, etc. Needless to say, we parted ways after a semester, and my new roomie turned my onto Flex Your Head, the Butthole Surfers, the Birthday Party, etc. It was a good year!

Thanks for letting me ramble...

John Battles said:

Well , while you're thinking about it , dave , that's not an actual quote from the song......listen to it sometime , when you're in dire need of boredom , you'll pick up on it.

Well , I seriously doubt Garcia was aware of The Butthole Surfers , though stranger things have happened. Someone told me they had an out of body experience , the last time I saw The Surfers. Maybe they were just trying to get out of the building !  I've heard a few stories , nothing you would call an Urban Legend. But , in truth , Gibby's Dad was Jerry Haynes , aka TV  kIDDIE SHOW HOST , MR. PEPPERMINT. The Drummer in Chicago Silly Punk band , TUTU AND tHE PIRATES , was Frazier Thomas , host of Kiddie show , Garfield Goose and the SUNDAY AFTERNOON movie program , Family Classics.

The two twin Brothers in The Pork Dukes were rumored to be Dudley Moore's illegitimate Sons.

I love The Buthole Surfers, especially if you don't need drugs to have a trip. Any good ones? I can see where Gibby Haynes is coming from on the Greatful Dead for the 80's concept. If The Dead's jams were truly psychedelic, you'll be seeing a thirty foot tall Gibby Garcia monster dancing on the stage in a leotard & fishnets. Wonder what Jerry Garcia made of the BHS?

John Battles said:

You've got a point.  I remember Gibby or Paul saying "We're not a Hardcore band , we're more or a Grateful Dead for The 90's." (  A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE A HARDCORE BAND , AND SLAMMING , OR MOSHING , WAS STILL COMMON , EVEN DURING THE SLOWER SONGS. But , the quote was from the 80's , they were looking forward to the 90's....).

BUT , unlike The Dead , who  (Barring maybe their VERY early shows.) , were'nt Psychedelic at all , I thought The Surfers were more like an Elevators for the 80's (By 1988 , I'd given up on them , and stopped apologizing for their inconsistencies.). Their shows were frequently unpredictable and increasingly Psychedelic. Of course , a lot of people were "TRIP - pin" before the show began. Others , like myself , were TRIP - pin' , anyway , with no drugs involved . THAT's Psychedelia , and that's where , I maintain , The Dead failed. If they were truly Psychedelic , their boring jams would still make it to the expressway of your skull , without the use of psychedelics.   "Pepper" was a hit , of course , but The Butthole Surfers MIGHT HAVE HAD A HIT , SOONER , IF THEY'D CHANGED THEIR NAME. It took The Dead over 20 years to score a hit , and this was after playing football stadiums. Were both hits a fluke ? I dunno . I remember The Dead only getting nominal airplay (For which I thank them.) , they could have had a hit ,  much sooner, To me , they had the sufficient dullness to pull it off.....But , I admit , Garcia said something I liked , "There was a time we would have sold out , on some level , but, no one was buying .".