For as long as there have been people with talent to share, there have been people waiting impatiently to exploit it. P.T. Barnum was the first to realize that a) you could make people pay a nickel to see a woman who couldn’t afford a Lady Bic razor on her face and b) you could pay the woman herself a penny if she would just stop shaving her beard off. Barnum was shameless in using any perceived talent (sword swallowing, knife throwing, anvil lifting) or any physical infirmity to sell tickets. He became massively rich and his ‘performers’ became slaves to the grind. Some were smart enough to negotiate riches in partnership with Barnum, others were just glad to have a few square meals a week and a place to sleep every night. It beat the alternatives.
Archive for Prince
JAIMIE VERNON – IT DICES, IT SLICES, YOU CAN WEAR IT AS A PARTY HAT
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags 22 Original Hits, 22 Original Stars, Adrienne Clarkson, Amazon, Apple, artists, Beyonce, BMG Music Club, Bob Segarini, Bobby Hebb, Boomer, Bottle Cutter, Canadian content, Canadian Gold, Canadian Music, CanCon, Columbia House Record Club, DBAWIS, Don Francks, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Fantastic, Fun Skis, hipster, Jaimie Vernon, James Carroll, K-Tel, Madelaine Sherwood, Magic Brush, Millennial, Mood Ring, Netflix, Patty-Stacker, Philip Kives, Pocket Fisherman, Prince, Ronco, royalties, Steve Jobs, Super Slider Snow Skates, TeeVee International, Veg-O-Matic, Wal-Mart, Winnipeg on April 30, 2016 by segarini
The world of Boomer pop culture continues to die off in epidemic proportions. It’s now officially becoming depressing. Aside from the shocking – and still reverberating – passing of Prince we’ve lost Canadian actor/singer Don Francks, actor James Carroll, beloved ‘The Flying Nun’ matriarch Madelaine Sherwood (also Canadian) and now the master of the original infomercial Philip Kives – the King of K-Tel – at the age of 87.
Bobby Singh – Prince: A Personal Essay
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags Bobby Singh, Cherry Cola's, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, FOH Photography, music, Prince, Records, segarini, Toronto on April 25, 2016 by segarini
Everyone I know loves Bobby Singh, including me. He is a gracious man. Calm, unassuming, always quiet, in the background, camera at the ready. He stands, surveying his surroundings with an eagle eye, concentrating on trying to see the tip-off that signals him to raise his camera to his self-taught eye a nano-second before his subject inadvertently “poses” for the picture Bobby has been waiting for. He is patient, focused, and as deeply committed to his craft as his childhood hero was to his.
JAIMIE VERNON – ALL THINGS MUST PASS
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags Abe Vigoda, Abraham Lincoln, Adam Levine, Adele, Anne Murray, Beethoven, Black, Bob Segarini, Bruno Mars., Canadian Music, Christopher Columbus, Colin Vearncombe, Dave Grohl, David Bowie, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Frey, Grace Slick, Heroes, Jack White, Jaimie Vernon, Jesus, Jimmy Bain, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Lady GaGa, Leonardo da Vinci, Lindbergh Baby, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Michelangelo, Mickey Thomas, Mozart, Olympus, Paramount Records, Paul Kantner, Paul McCartney, Prince, Queen, Rock Gods, Shoulders of Giants, Starship, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, The Masters, The Smithsonian on January 30, 2016 by segarini
I was hoping to go a full week without reporting another celebrity death. But we’ve had half-a-dozen since the passing of The Eagles’ Glenn Frey including actor Abe Vigoda (‘Barney Miller’, ‘The Godfather’) whose website has finally been changed to no longer read the whimsical “still alive” message.
Doug Thompson: ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE MISSES THE MARK…..AGAIN!
Posted in Opinion with tags Adam Lambert, Ahmet Ertegun, Al Green, Allen Toussaint, Aretha Franklin, Arianna Grande, ‘Shadow’ Morton, Barrett Strong, Barry Gibb, Barry Mann, Benny Andersson, Bernie Taupin, Bert Berns, Billy Joe Armstrong, Billy Joel, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bono, Boudeaux Bryant, Brian Eno, Brian Holland, Brian Wilson, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Buddy Holly, Burt Bacharach, Burton Cummings, Captain & Tennille, Carole King, Casey Kasem, Chips Moman, Chrissie Hynde, Chuck Berry, Country Music Hall of Fame, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Curtis Mayfield, Cynthia Weil, Dan Penn, Daniel Lanois, Dave Barthomolew, Dave Davies, David Bowie, David Foster, David Porter, DBAWIS, Def Leppard, Diana Krall, Diane Warren, Doc Pomus, Dolly Parton, Don Henley, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Donald Fagen, Doug Thompson, Eddie Holland, Ellie Greenwich, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Eminem, fats domino, Felice Bryant, Frank Sinatra, George Clinton, George Harrison, Gerry Goffin, Glenn Frey, Gordon Lightfoot, Grateful Dead, Green Day, Hal David, Hank Williams, Harry Nilsson, Howie Greenfield, Huey Lewis & The News, Isaac Hayes, Jackson Browne, James Brown, James Taylor, Jay-Z, Jeannie C. Riley, Jeff Barry, Jerry Garcia, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Leiber, Jerry Wexler, Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Webb, Joe Strummer, John Cage, John Fogerty, John Lennon, John Phillips, John Prine, Johnny Cash, Johnny Marr, Joni Mitchell, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Keith Richards, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Kenny Gamble, Kenny Rogers, Kris Kristofferson, Kurt Cobain, Lamont Dozier, Led Zeppelin, Leon Huff, Leonard Cohen, Little Willie John, Loretta Lynn, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Madonna, marvin gaye, Max Martin, Merle Haggard, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Mick Jones, Mike Stoller, Morrissey, Mort Shuman, Nazareth, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Neil Young, Nesuhi Ertegun, Nicholas Ashford, Nirvana, Norman Whitfield, Notorious B.I.G., Otis Blackwell, Patti Smith, Paul Anka, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Paul Westerberg, Peggy Lee, Pete Townshend, Phil Spector, Prince, R. Kelly, R.E.M., randy bachman, Randy Newman, Ray Davies, Robbie Robertson, Robert Hunter, Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange, Robert Johnson, Robin Gibb, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone Magazine, Sam & Dave), Sam Cooke, segarini, Shania Twain, Sly Stone, Smokey Robinson, Steely Dan, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, The Backstreet Boys, The Bee Gees, The Box Tops, The Clash, The Edge, The Everly Brothers, The Glimmer Twins, The Smiths, Tom Jones, Tom Petty, Tom T. Hall, Tom Waits, Valerie Simpson, Van Morrison, Walter Becker, Whitney Houston, Willie Dixon, Willie Nelson, Woody Guthrie on August 17, 2015 by segarini
Rolling Stone Magazine recently released their latest ‘list’, “The 100 Greatest Songwriters” rollingstone.com). Let me repeat that title, “The 100 Greatest Songwriters”. Their descriptive line states “From Brill Building tunesmiths to Punk poets, from Woody Guthrie to Max Martin, the visionaries who defined music history.”
Roxanne Tellier: Music- Like A Prayer
Posted in Opinion with tags alice cooper, Anne Archer, astrology, ‘Queen of Bondage’, “glamour photography, ” evangelical, Bettie Page, black culture, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bob Segariani, Born Again Christian, Buddhism, Canada, Cat Stevens, Catholic, Chef” Comedy Central, Chick Corea, Christian Science, Dawud Wharnsby, DBAWIS, Doug E. Fresh, dreadlocks, Eddie Cantor, Elizabeth Taylor, folk masses, Haywood Nelson, Immigration, Isaac Hayes, Jehovah’s Witness, Jermaine Jackson, Jewish ‘joual.’ Religious Right, Joe Tex, Joey Buttafuoco, John Lennon, Judaism, Kabbalah, Katie Holmes, King of Pop, Kool and the Gang, Larry Graham; Morpheus, Madonna, Matt Stone, Michael Jackson, Mike Todd, Montreal, Nashville, near death, Neo, New York City, Phillip Bubal, pin-up girl, Pope John Paul II, Prince, Protestants, Qur’an, Rakim, Rastafarianism, reggae, religious intolerance, religious themes, Robert “Kool” Bell, Roxanne Tellier, Sammy Davis Jr., Saturday Night Live, scandalizing Christians, Scientology, Sinead O'Connor, South Park, the I Ching and Zen, The Matrix, Tom Cruise, Trey Parker, United States on April 19, 2015 by segarini
In Montreal in the sixties, growing up in a Catholic family, we were always encouraged to use our talents in religious gatherings. Even my Aunt Pat, blissfully unaware that she was tone-deaf, would raise her voice loudly and proudly in song. I sang at mass, first in Latin as the organ wheezed, and later in folk masses, where the guitar was the instrument of choice.
Roxanne Tellier: What’s For Breakfast?
Posted in Opinion with tags (Paul Young, Adam and the Ants. Streetband, Bob Segarini, breakfast, British café, Byron, Captain Invincible, Chrissie Hynde, DBAWIS, Deep Blue Something, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Frank Zappa, Jane Powell, John Belushi, Julie London, Montreal, Paris, Prince, Ray Davies, Roxanne Tellier, Squeeze. Robert Heinlein, The Four Freshmen, Tuileries, UB40, Vic Damone on March 22, 2015 by segarini
Ah – morning. A new day stretches before you like the silliest of putty. You are Captain Invincible – today, you will lose that last ten pounds, quit all of your vices, and possibly cure the common cold. Fresh from sleep, rested, and ready to greet the world, you throw back the duvet, and leap from your warm and fragrant nest, humming a cheery tune. Yes? Or maybe no.
Roxanne Tellier – And a Happy New Year!
Posted in Opinion with tags 1989, Alicia Keyes, alt-J, Andrew, Arbys, Ariana Grande, “The Interview, ” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Bill Cosby, Bob Segarini, Bruno Mars., Casey Kasem, Colbert Report, Craig Ferguson, Daft Punk, Darrell Vickers, David Brenner, DBAWIS, Demi Lovato, Disney, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Doug Ford, eBay, Eric Garner, Ferguson, Frozen, Gone Girl, Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harold Ramis, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Ida, Idina Menzel, Iggy Azalea, James Brown, Jan Hooks, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessie J, Jian Ghomeshi, Joan Rivers, John Crawford, John Pinette, John Tory, Jon Stewart, Kate Upton, Kim Kardashian, Lauren Bacall, Lee's Palace, Lorde, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Maddie and Tae, Maddie Ziegler, Madonna, Mark Ronson, Maya Angelou, Meghan Trainor, Michael Brown, Mickey Rooney, Nelly, Nicki Minaj., Night at the Museum; The Secret of the Tomb, Nightcrawler, Nile Rodgers, North Korea, Peaches Geldof, Pete Seeger, Pharrell Williams, Phil Everly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Prince, R5, Rascal Flatts, Rhianna, Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, Rosewater, Roxanne Tellier, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith, Shirley Temple, Sia, Sid Caesar, Snowpiercer, Spotify, St. Paul and The Bones, Stephen Colbert, Tamir Rice, Taylor Swift, The Late Late Show, Tommy the last Ramone, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Victoria’s Secret, Vintage Trouble, Woody Allen on December 21, 2014 by segarini
This year it falls to me to be the last voice of DBAWIS 2014. Still decked out in my new holiday outfit, and digesting our early family Christmas dinner,
Roxanne Tellier – The Sound Of Music
Posted in Opinion with tags ( Michael Pare, A Hard Day’s Night, Alan Parker, Antonio Salieri, Audrey Hepburn, Barbie, Barry Dennen, Beatlemania, Bob Segarini, carl anderson, Darling Lili, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Donna Pescow, Ed Sullivan, Eddie and The Cruisers, Ellen Barkin, Elvis Presley, F. Murray Abraham, Help!, Jessica Harper, Jesus Christ Superstar, John Travolta, Josh Mostel, Julie Andrews, Karen Lynn Gorney, Ken, Mary Poppins, Morris Day, Nik Cohn, Norman Jewison, Paul Williams, Phantom of the Paradise, Prince, Purple Rain, Robert Arkins, Rod Serling, Roddy Doyle, Roxanne Tellier, Saturday Night Fever, Spinal Tap, Star, Superstar – The Karen Carpenter Story, Ted Neely, The Beatles, The Blues Brothers, The Commitments, The Corrs, The Marx Brothers, The Monkees, The Sound of Music, The Time, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Todd Haynes, Tom Hulce, Tommy Steele, Velvet Goldmine, Walt Disney, William Finley, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yvonne Elliman, Zero Mostel on November 30, 2014 by segarini
I grew up in the days when musicals were as or more popular than any other form of cinema, and the stars of musicals on stage and screen were huge draws on Sunday night’s Ed Sullivan.
JAIMIE VERNON – HOW SOON IS NOW?
Posted in Opinion with tags Anger Brothers, Bob Menzies, Bob Segarini, Brad Lovett, Canadian Music, Citizens of Nashville, Country Music, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, folk music, Goddo, Greg Godovitz, indentured servitude, Jaimie Vernon, Kings of the Stoned Age, Larry Beird, Mississippi, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Prince, prolific, songwriting, Stu Nunnery, The Beatles, The Endless River, Warner Music on November 22, 2014 by segarini
On November 10, 2014 Pink Floyd released its latest , and presumed last, studio album ‘The Endless River‘. It broke existing records on iTunes for pre-sales [a redundant idea if you consider that they can generate an infinite number of MP3s at will]. It also turns out that it’s not a bad album.
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 