C or D: Emitt Rhodes?

Seems like with the political references being made that Scram interview was from the mid-2000s, possibly around the time the Rev-Ola Merry-Go-Round comp came out.

these two quotes appear right next to each other in kate sullivan's 2001 oral history of KROQ:

GARY BOOKASTA (founder, KROQ AM and FM): We wanted to call it "KROK," but it was already taken. It was [DJ] Humble Harve's idea to use the Q. He ended up killing his wife, but Phil Spector and I went to bat for him in court. He only got two years [for manslaughter].

SHADOE STEVENS (DJ, 1973-74, 1976-79): KROQ was the inspiration of Gary Bookasta. Gary was a con man. He had an almost mystical ability to make people believe in him. He pulled together 13 partners, who built this radio station in Burbank. It took off like a rocket.

Self-XP I see on the Scram site that the interview was put online in early '16, but issue of the mag it appeared in was published in 2003.

yeah i mean why else would he express the desire to murder saddam hussein

Yes, so those allegations have been out there for a hell of a long time.

All of this is not seeming to have much effect on my ability to listen to his music this afternoon, somewhat surprisingly or not.

A lot of these things were an open secret – Bob Markley and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Kim Fowley and the Runaways. I keep hoping Ugly Things will do an exposé on sexual abuse in 60s garage rock circles. It’s def. a part of the history.

This popped up recently and there are even some rumors about who it is about:
📹

I think every music scene ever has had creepy, manipulative older guys who hang around it - Markley and Fowley are textbook examples.

Where are these? I didn’t see anything in the comments.

Back in the day, Fowley came over to hang out in Glasgow for some reason and had all these indie rock scenesters from the Pastels and Teenage Fanclub running about after him like he was some fucking genius - while he was trying to touch up all their girlfriends. He played some shit gig with Norman Blake on guitar and somebody from the BMX Bandits on bass or whatever and I remember someone saying after it, "Do you want to hang out with Kim?" and I was like, "I'm not going anywhere near that talentless cunt".

Good for you.

_Where are these? I didn’t see anything in the comments._

Some family friend on FB Fan Page said it was about a decade older celebrity Emitt was dating that his dad didn’t like. Although a decade older than Emitt at the time is like what, mid-to-late twenties?

I think every music scene ever has had creepy, manipulative older guys who hang around it - Markley and Fowley are textbook examples.

not only were there aspects of that scene that might have encouraged the presence of predatory behavior, it's precisely that, for fowley, being a sexual deviant / creep who bragged about hanging around high schools trying to pick up underage girls, that was all self-consciously part of his image / "appeal"

cf. the fugs' "dirty old man"

Oh yes, definitely the 60s was perfect for these sorts of creeps, and eventually you end up with Manson .

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YCrx84lPEG8/maxresdefault.jpg

cf. Charlie Chaplin and his brother Syd tbh.

I read the 2012 LA Beat interview (2 Parts, BTW). It's a bit different than the Scram one, way more deep-dive discussion about musical theory and science. Extra-Value stuff on the background of and what went wrong with the Bangles/Thompson singles, plus complaints about how poorly mastered he felt the Hip-O Select comp was.

Also something vaguely endearing about Rhodes using these interviews to finesse nice meals and drinks in sit-down restaurants.

'Nice' being relative since one of them was at Red Lobster.

he does seem to like drinking

Yup. Probably not the best thing for a diabetic.

I don't usually go for these things, but this just appeared and is kind of sweet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tnIxYw1HvI

Moral of the story: guy was in general a much, much better editor of himself when he was composing and recording music then when he was talking trash whilst throwing his blood sugar further out of whack with one too many margaritas.

It makes total sense that even though he sounds so much like McCartney he is more of a Lennon loyalist. Let me go out on a challops limb and say that “Birthday Lady” is a much better written song than “Birthday.”

Guy on the fan group has a big box, a big stash of photos Emitt gave him that he is slowly posting one by one. Some pictures of him in the Emerals have gone up recently.

If you care about that, you don't actually have to join since the group is

Public
Anyone can see who's in the group and what they post
Visible
Anyone can find this group.

is there a link to this fan group ? where is the fan group ?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/377708406418400

Do not read if you hate home recordings of Emitt Rhodes's songs.

I was trying to cherry-pick for y’all but maybe you want to see the raw data for yourselves.

You can also go to the related page
https://www.facebook.com/EmittRhodes

DO U SEE?

the fan group is an amazing spectacle, but i'm unsure how much of it has to do with my otherwise 0% exposure to facebook

like this one guy tried to correct a poster by informing him that emitt's first band was actually spelled emeralDs, and then when somebody pointed out that no it's actually the emerals he doubled down and said, "what, didn't they know how to spell ?" lmao like dude, just enjoy the photos of 14yo emitt

Wonder if that dude will do that every time the other dude posts another pic of Emitt in his green Emerals shirt behind his green Emerals kit.

Here's something interesting: those UK promo films were shot in Bristol, in Temple Meads Station.

Bristol Temple Meads

Anyone listen to this album he produced called Thistles, by Bim or BIM or B.I.M.? Just tried the first few tracks, not grabbing me.

Just Bim, it seems.

STE weights in, on Emitt and Peter Green. https://sterlewine.substack.com/p/farewell-to-emitt-rhodes-and-peter

Apparently Miss Mercy of the GTOs was a friend of Emitt's. Also just found this thread, budo jeru: One man albums

At least according to Emitt's (best?) friend, who also made this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8oWG2wU9Yk

Also meaning in addition to co-producing The One Man Beatles.

thanks for that thread link, James

i also checked out the bim record and failed to see the appeal

I couldn’t get into it either. Think opinions on it are mixed

Haha:

Anyone mention Emitt Rhodes yet?
I admire any musician who can play drums - I don't admire drummers themselves, they're despicable.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, July 10, 2003 12:15 PM (seventeen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Those Emerals picks coming fast and furious. Also somebody let it slip that Emitt's fiancée owns that page, apparently.

xp does Dada(ismus) still post here, under a different name maybe ?

Pics. Pictures, not guitar picks, although who knows, maybe not just yet

Dada(ismus) posted on this very thread the other day. Tom D.

oh wow. that explains so much. love dada / tom's posts

Re. his lyrics, I agree – one of my favorite tunes of his has always been “Live Til You Die,” but it was only this week that I really listened to the lyrics, poss. with an eye toward his innate unhappiness. In retrospect they feel a bit like him shouting into the abyss: