Susan Herndon sings

 Our Friend Susan Herndon. 

 

I taught at one high school and my wife taught at another. It was the start of another year when I received a call from my wife, Ashley while I was getting my classroom ready.

“I think we hired Aphrodite,” she relayed over the cell. “She’s our new French teacher.”

Ashley and “Aphrodite “ hit it off right away.  Ash told me later that during a break , Susan, the news Aphrodite, came to her and asked “Where can a person take a shit around here?”

Ash said, “I think we will get along well.”

 They did. They became friends and in turn I became friends with Susan as well. 

The thing about Susan was , she was also an aspiring musician. 

Susan had been in France, working on two things…. Her French and her guitar. 

She lived for a while in a Buddhist monastery where she practiced nonstop. She stayed in the monastery where the well known Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Naht Hahn lived. 

Susan also took guitar lessons from Oklahoma hall of famer Tommy Cook. 

So, while teaching, Susan would also play local gigs at restaurants and clubs, 

She did a lot of covers  and we would often go to hang out with her during and after the gigs. Susan had a pretty loyal following. There were obviously many men that followed her because , after all, she is Aphrodite. 

Susan eventually added another person to our friend circle. She and Deedee would write together. DeeDee was there and became a very good friend of ours too. 

It was pretty cool to be around a group of people who were drawn together for creative reasons.

Ashley is a heck of a writer and poet, too. She was a top literature masters student at TU, scoring a Phi Betta Cappa. She and Susan would collaborate too.

Susan would put on happenings where she played some of her music and others read poetry, etc. Susan and Ashley sang a song together that had been penned by Ash and put to music by Susan.  Susan also played us an instrumental she had written inspired by Ashley’s China set that had once belonged to her grandmother.. It was called “Grandma’s China.’  It was a sweet gesture. 

My favorite story of their friendship took place in our back yard.  I wasn’t there at the time. 

Susan has produced several CD’s of her music over her career. For this particular CD, she had a vision for the cover. 

She came to our house with a waterproof camera. She wanted to have some pictures taken underwater. So, Ashley and Susan spent some time drinking wine, before shedding their clothes and jumping into the  pool in the back yard. 

Ashley took several shots, one of which ended up as her cover photo.

But while they swam, lounged and drank, my mother drove to our house.

Mom walked into the back yard to find two naked women tipsy by the pool.

I’m sure my mom was a bit shocked.

Susan left teaching to follow her music dream full time. She has created at least nine Cd’s of her original music and is working on a tenth . She has played the Woody Guthrie festival several times.  She became part of several different musical gatherings, including one of all women. 

Susan eventually left Tulsa and moved to Texas where she continues to play, write and record.

Her music is on Spotify and I imagine other streaming services. 

Most recently, we got to see Susan again when she played at the Tulsa Church Studio “Tunes at Noon.” Ashley was glad to get some talking time with her when she came.

You have to admire someone who gave up the security of a teaching job to pursue their art.

Susan is well worth a listen.

Music in the dark

  During my time in college, the stereo played constantly.

I had a big record collection and my buddies also had some LPs that we played often. 

Mo always wanted to hear Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs " or Todd Rundgren's "Something Anything." Both great Albums. Don loved Pete Townshend's "Pure and Easy" because of the hand claps. He was always a kinetic person. Don had me record an 8 track tape with that song repeated over and over. Larry had an album with a song "Music" by John Miles that he loved to play. 

 Music was always a part of our day. Sometimes it was Stick's :Year of the Cat" by AL Stewart or Jean Michael Jarre's weird music. I never figured out the draw to his music. A strong memory was of Mack sitting with headphones on and kind of  intermittently singing the Cars "My Best Friend's Girl." There was the day Scott bought his first LPs from someone in the dorm. It was a unique selection of Rush's "2112" and two albums by the Runaways. 

Sometimes we would put on Ted Nugent's "Free for All " or "cat Scratch Fever" and bounce and ju8mp around the room playing air guitar to burn off all the energy we young guys always had. 

 Rundgren, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," The Beatles, Trower, Blue Oyster Cult, ZZ Top,  etc. always blasting out of our doorways. 

But, there were two special songs that required a dark room and absolute silence to listen to. The first was "The Prophet's Song" by Queen from the "Night at the Opera" album. The other, "Funeral for a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding" by Elton John from "Goodbye Yellow Brick Riad."

Both songs are epic in both length, dramatic and haunting. 

Someone would say "Let's listen to so and so with the lights out!' So, we sprawled around the room in chairs and across the bunk beds as one of us cued the LP and switched off the lights. We waited in hushed silence for the first notes to come forth. 

In the dark, those two songs, building and growing  would wash over us as we listened in awed silence. Queen's elaborate vocals and soaring guitars, Elton's rising instrumental topped off by his vocals and piano in "love Lies bleeding."  No one spoke. No one joked. There was only the dark and the song. 

When the songs ended, we lay around the room in silence, relishing the concentration of the music outside of any other distraction. 

 We had a lot of special moments, but those were some of the best. 

Zen moments Queen and the Arkansas Rive r

 Outside of the small college town I went to ran the Arkansas River.  Being from Oklahoma, I always pronounced it "Ar-kan-saw." The Kansas people were quick to tell me it was pronounced "Ar'Kansas."  The river, regardless of what you call it, was a location for a lot of students on adventure time. 

Since the college was a religious school, the river was a good place for drinking and letting loose. 

In the spring, when the weather was warmer and most of us were free from our sport responsibilities, we would often go to the river.  We would buy some beer and head to the banks of the river.  I never drank any alcohol until I finished my last college game, but after that and then the following extra year I put in at Sterling, I found that liked wine, So I would also bring a bottle of wine.

We had a lot of fun doing stupid things, mostly harmless.  The river wasn't deep, but after spring rains, the current could get pretty stiff.

So, there we were, several guys out splashing in the river in our underwear. Yelling and laughing, splashing and sometimes sitting on the shore talking trash to each other. 

On this particular trip, Mo had been knocking back several cans of beer.  It seems like a lot of our stories always started with the words "Mo."

For some reason, he trad to walk across the river. The current was pretty swift, so he had to kind of walk upstream to avoid being pushed downstream. But, he was also drunk. 

Mo got to the middle of the river and was trying to trudge upstream. Bu for every step he took , he was pushed back two. . 

Mo kept yelling at us to rescue him and so of course, we sat on the shore and made fun of him. Much good natured swearing was exchanged along with laughs. Mack would yell, "What's wrong, Sheppie?  Are you stuck?"

Finally we helped Mo stagger   to shore. 

We brought our sleeping bags to sleep under the spring time stars on the banks of the river. We finally wore out the day and crawled in bags to sleep. Gossip and good natured ribbing died down and we fell asleep to the sound of the river passing by. 

Late that  night, even though the day had been clear and without clouds, there was thunder.  I was wakened by a few drops of water hitting my face as low thunder rumbled in the distance.  Laying in the bag next to me, Larry sang lowly, "Thunderbolts and lightning..."

I and  a few others joined in ."Very, very Frightening me... Galileo, Galileo, Figaro, magnifico!'

Finally, our singing died down and the last few drops of rain ceased. We went silent once more, rolled over and  fell back into sleep till the next morning. 

Here in Oklahoma, I still live a few miles from the Arkansas River, I'ev been to the river a few times, but those guys made the river trips. 

. 

Deep dives in Spotify

   I always like finding new music. It's always a cool thing to listen to a new tune that moves something in you.  It's like finding a hundred dollar bill on the sidewalk. It's a surprise and it's  a reward. 

 I take deep dives.  I used to do this on you tube, but I do it on Spotify now.

Here's how the deep dive works.

Let's say IK see a new song listed on Spotify as a suggestion, or an older tune I haven't heard in a while.  SO, I click on the tune to give it a listen.

Near the end of the song, good or bad, I scroll down to the bottom where Spotify has a category of "If you like this artist, you might like these."

I pick one of those and listen to a song by them. If it's a song or musician I find I like, I make a note of them for future listening. Then, I continue on the same pattern until I finally wear out or run out of time.

I may start out on something like, say J J Cale and by the time I have followed suggestions to whatever end, I may have ended up with a song by Black Flag or \Mastodon. I tend to pick the most esoteric of the choices given because I think it reveals a lot more music I'm not used to. 

Another thing Ashley and I have done before is do a tune exchange. She might play a song she wants me to hear. So,  then I respond with a song for her.  We will go back and forth sharing songs we like that the other may not be familiar with.

I often take music suggestions from my sons, Fletch and Corwin. Also from my friend Zach. Each ahs a slightly different twist on their tastes. 

Sometimes in my Deep Dive, I may choose a theme.

Today it's punk. Next time its prog rock and so on. 

I think the deep dives are a good thing. It's way too  easy to only listen to the same music over and over for comfort. But, there's other good music out there too. The 70's may be my favorite era, but even that era has a lot of music I may not have heard.

Put on the scuba gear and take a deep dive.

The water is fine. 

Yesterday.... the movie

 Yesterday

I JUST FINISHED WATCHING THE MOVIE “YESTREDAY”..... AGAIN.

 This 2019 film is about a local musician, jack Malik, who is having very little success. Then, a strange worldwide event happens in which several things common to life disappear as if they never happened. No Coca Cola. No Cigarettes. No Harry Potter….. And no Beatles. 

They never existed.

But, a few people remember   them. Jack is one.

He begins to play Beatles tunes and everyone thinks he wrote them.

Everyone loves his music and he skyrockets to fame.

I admit, the first time he played “Yesterday,” tears came to my eyes.Those tears rep[eated several times throughout the movie. 

I can’t imagine a world where the Beatles never existed.  My life would have been less without them.

I grew up with the Beatles.

When I was a young kid, I was sneaky and bought my first Beatles album, “Something New”, an American release over my Dad’s objections to the Beatles. He had heard that John Lennon had quipped “we’re more popular than Jesus.” That was enough for my Southern Baptist deacon dad to ban the Beatles from our house. 

 And I bought other albums. As a young kid, I hunted down anything that had to do with the Beatles. My cousin Sharon gave me copies of “16” Magazine with Beatles stories. We had an old car in the pasture that ended up being the storage palace for old newspapers. I tore through the stacks looking for stories about Beatles tours and news. 

My walls  were covered in Beatles.

I never missed the Beatles Saturday morning cartoons and sand along with the tunes. When the TV announced a new Beatles promo  video was going to be on the Ed Sullivan show, I pretended to be sick so I could miss Sunday night church and see it.  Dad saw through my act. I missed the premiere of “The Ballad of John and Yoko” much to my chagrin. 

I saved money to get the white aum which was a little more expensive since it was a double album, but when I did get it, I wore out the grooves. 

Somehow, my dad eventually forgot about John’s Jesus comment and actually told me once, “ I kinda like this band. I can understand what they're saying.”

I did manage to talk Dad into tracking me to see the animated “Yellow Submarine” at the local Sapulpa theater. (1968)

In 1969,I quit the boy scouts because of the Beatles. 

We had boy scouts on Thursday nights. A new show, “The Music Scene” started and one of their big premiere events was a new Beatles video on the show. I begged my mom to skip scouts and stay home and watch the show. Shows with live music were rare, especially rock music. The Music Scene had that and the Beatles.

My family was always big on finishing what you start. Mom told me , “Either you be a boy scout and go to the meeting or quit if you going to e a rock and roller.”

I never went to another scout meeting and did see the Beatles video. 

In 1970, I talked mom and dad into taking me to see the movie “Let It Be.” That movie was a little distressing since it kinda showed them falling apart.

When news came out that they had broken up, I was heartbroken . 

At that time, I could tell you what order the songs were on every album( the American Releases), the length of the song and who wrote them. 

There was no one like the Beatles to me.

That never changed.

I still get emotional after 60 years of listening to the Beatles. Their music still moves my soul. It energizes me. It soothes me. 

I did love all of their solo projects. I still listen to those too. But, in 1995 when the Anthology came out, I was elated. Most of the “unheard “ songs on the anthology I had found over the years on bootleg recordings. It was cool to hear them back together  using John’s demos to make “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”   I feel the same about the recent “Now and Then.”

I’ve been lucky to see Paul in concert and Ringo and his All Stars. I relished the shows letting the old Beatle vibes wash over me.

In recent years this movie, “Yesterday” and “Across the Universe” were the best films ever at the use of Beatles songs. They celebrated the music of the Fab Four. 

I jst turned 70.

I still celebrate their music and it is still a big part of my life.

I can’t imagine a ;life without their music.

Church Studios home of Leon Russell

This spring, I retired after 47 years of teaching and coaching. 

Tough decision to leave something you have always loved.

Our good friend, Shannon came by the house with a gift for me.  She said she knew I wasn't really ready to retire and needed to have something to do. She gave me a gift card to buy a year's membership at Church Studios i n Tulsa.  

What great and cool gift ! I love it and I am very grateful to Shannon.

Church Studio is the recording studio that was built by Leon Russell in the early 70s.  I have been a Leon fan since I heard his first music. He was always the cornerstone of the Tulsa  Sound.  In the early 70s, he went together with Denny Cordell and they purchased an old church building ion Tulsa and built a modern recording studio there. 

The studio was famous. Besides Leon, it also served as a studio for anyone who signed to Leon and Denny's label, Shelter Records. Dwight Twilley band, Freddy King, J.J. Cale, The Gap Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers all signed and recorded there. 

Other famous musicians made the pilgrimage to record there including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton.  Even Ringo Starr and George Harrison have been there. 

Now, the studio is till an active studio, but it has become a land mark. They built on to the building and have added a gift shop, a bar and  a  small concert hall. The Church offers weekly music for member (free) and non members (a small fee) where local musicians can coma play.

I love live music and plan to go see someone play every week. I've been to three shows already and plan on being there often.

The Church is like a shrine to the local music scene.

Wikipedia link to the Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_Studio

The Church Studio link

https://www.thechurchstudio.com/

Alice Cooper finally

 I read that Alice Cooper is going on his final tour. 

Why do all of  my favorites have to get old?

I do  too, but the music I have listened to for decades never seems to age. Why should the player?

The first time I heard Alice was in 1971. I heard the song :"Eighteen" on the local radio station. The song spoke to me as a teenager. "I'm 18 and I don't know what I want!"  So, it was the first Alice album I bought.  The band had put out two previous LPs, but thye hadn't gotten airplay near me. 

 

By the time I graduated high school, the  Alice Cooper band had released several albums. "Killer," "Billion Dollar Babies," "School's Out," and "Muscle of Love."  There was a delicious edginess in those albums that were slightly diabolical and especially attractive to a teen boy who loved Horror and sci fi. Plus, they were rocking albums! The cvery guitar I loved to hear.

Thing was, I never got to see Alice. 

If he came to Tulsa, it was at a time I couldn't see him. I was an athlete through high school and college and that often cut into opportunities to see bands I liked.

I continued to buy Alice's albums. When he went solo and did "Welcome to my Nightmare" and the series of themed albums to follow. "Goes to Hell" and "lace and whiskey." I knew part of his stage persona was a always a bottle of whiskey, but when he went to rehab and emerged with the "From the inside" album, I thought it was one of his best,

For some reason, I lost track of Alice for a while. I was teaching and coaching full time. I eventually married and we had two sons.

But, Alice's albums were always a part of my play list.

I finally had the opportunity to get back in touch with Alice's music. In 2011, the sequel to "Welcome to my nightmare' came out. Plus, streamed music made it convenient to listen to all the Alice music I had missed. 

TA last, I got the chance to see Alice live. He appeared at "The Old lady on Brady" (recently renamed the Tulsa Theater). I was excited to see him live ! The theater is intimate and there are no bad seats . I took my ticket and looked for my seat. Turned out it was in the middle of a row. The seats there are old and made for skinnier people. Ironically, my seat was between two fairly big long haired older fans. I'm not a small guy either and we were squeezed in and cozy.

But, when the show started , it was great. You couldn't tell if Alice was 60 or 25! he was rocking the night away and playing his big hits. I left that night satiated and smiling.

Luckily, I got a second chance just a couple years ago. A friend of mine had a friend who got free tickets to casino concerts.  I think you have to spend a lot of money at the casino to get those perks, but he gave them to my buddy Cris , who took me. 

We got to sit in box seats with free food and drinks. That was great, but even better was the show. Alice was till putting on a great show. The music was rocking and he was in great form. he rocked us for the evening and once again, I left with a smile on my face. 

I may never get to see Alice in concert again, but I did get to finally. I loved every note.

If Alice truly retires, he deserves it for 57 years of making music for the fans.