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From Oak Street to Subterranea
Entry 12 of 34 | show all | print this entry |
(Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 25, 2007)-My first duty in Los Angeles didn't have anything to do with GUITAR ARMY. When I was in New Orleans in February for the Mardi Gras Dr. Dorothy and I did a performance at the Frenchy Gallery and hung out with Frenchy all evening at the Krewe of Oak Parade. Frenchy is one of my favorite people, a French-Canadian character from Lowell Mass who paints music and sports in action, while it's happening, and works like a maniac to make these high-energy paintings that pulsate with emotion and grace captured and rendered in action.
Frenchy told me about the movie that was being made of his story and asked me if I would do the narration for the film. I was honored and delighted to accept the assignment, and soon there were e-mails shooting back and forth from a gentleman named Andrew Scott, setting up a session for the first day I was to spend in Los Angeles. Andrew and his partner George came over to Simmons' place near Culver City and picked me up for the drive out to the studio in Playa del Rey.
First Andrew and George showed me their movie of Frenchy, called The King of Oak Street, pausing now and again so I could conduct pre-scheduled telephone interviews with Mark Carras of Rock My Monkey, a fine writer named James Sullivan with a book project, and Aaron Kayce of Jambase. We finished screening the film and George and I worked on the script for the narration, hammering out a few sections, recording them, and turning back to create more script. Here's what it looked like:
FRENCHY: THE KING OF OAK STREET
Script by John Sinclair
I. OAK STREET
New Orleans. The Crescent City. A city of many neighborhoods. Everybody hears about Bourbon Street & the French Quarters, but if you go travel Uptown past Tulane University and the mansions on St. Charles Avenue, you come to Oak Street, where you can find some of the city's finest establishments-like Jacques-imo's Restaurant and the world-famous Maple Leaf Bar.
Way uptown from the French Quarters and all its tourists, the Oak Street neighborhood has nurtured the lives and careers of artists and musicians who draw on this city for their muse.
II. FRENCHY
Full of creativity, energy and passion, Frenchy captures the rhythm and soul of New Orleans like nobody else. Each brush stroke is like a musical note, each painting like a song or a symphony-or an extended jazz improvisation.
One of the first of the performance painters, Frenchy has really blossomed as an artist since he came to live and work in New Orleans, and he's done over 1000 paintings since moving here in 1996.
III. TEAM PAINTER
Frenchy is a fanatical music lover and really lives now to paint the music. But he's just as crazy about sports too, and one of his proudest achievements is his appointment in 2001 as the Team Artist of the New Orleans Saints. You'll find him painting on the sidelines for every home game-and he might go out on the road with them too.
IV. INDIANS/MONK
In the city of New Orleans, there are no humans more colorful than the Wild Indians of Mardi Gras-black men and women who create elaborate hand-sewn costumes made of feathers & beads and dance through they streets of the city on Mardi Gras Day. These African-Americans mask as Indians to honor the native Americans who inspired the slaves' resistance to oppression and often joined with them to make common cause, oh, 150 years ago or so.
The Mardi Gras Indian tradition is a spiritual thing, and Frenchy has always felt the deep spirituality of the Indians. They in turn have adopted him, and Frenchy has painted the Wild Indians on countless occasions, capturing the beauty and spirit in their art and music. He's also forged a deep bond with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of the mighty Golden Eagles.
V. PARADES/CROWNING OF THE KING
Everybody knows the spectacular parades that clog the city's main streets throughout the Carnival season, but only New Orleanians know about the myriad small parades that are specific to certain neighborhoods-like the massive Krewe de Vieux downtown, the Krewe of Dreaux, the North End Skeleton Krewe, all the crazy characters having their fun in the streets.
Then there's the Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs and their weekly second-line parades. And even more local are special phenomena like the Krewe of Oak and their annual Mardi Gras parade that rolls every year-at the end of August! In 2005, with Frenchy as its King, the Krewe of Oak parade rolled in the face of a mighty storm warning and became the last parade in New Orleans before the Flood.
VI. FARM AID
Frenchy has always had a deep commitment to charities and charitable events. He donates paintings to such charities as the 9/11 Foundation, Kids Helping Kids, AIDS Research and others. One event at which he is a fixture is the annual Farm-Aid concert for American farmers, founded by Willie Nelson and Neil Young. For 10 years Frenchy has donated all his paintings and raised thousands of dollars for Farm Aid, and has become a friend to Willie & Neil.
VII. GIANTS & JETS AT THE MEADOWLANDS
With the destruction of the SuperDome, the Saints were forced to play their home games on the road. Frenchy joined the squad for two nationally-televised games at Giants Stadium while the country mourned for New Orleans.
VIII. ROYAL STREET and IX. METERS QUEST were improvised and must be transcribed from recorded narration.]
IX. FINAL WORDS
Frenchy makes you think of the immortal words of the great Muddy Waters: "I live the life I love, and I love the life I live." Through all the tragedies and triumphs, perhaps Frenchy's greatest masterpiece is the life he's created for himself. Here's this blue-collar artist who shunned the art establishment, came to New Orleans and created a niche where he can paint the music and make a living. His popular works adorn walls all around the world, and his success has not only to do with his talent, but with his heart and character. Frenchy has become a product of this unique city, drawing on all its history and inspiration. And, in turn, New Orleans would not be the city it is without people like Frenchy.
© 2007 John Sinclair
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I had one more phone interview, with Denise Sullivan of Crawdaddy magazine, and then joined Simmons, Wayne and Margaret Kramer for a delightful Thai dinner to close out a busy first day.
Tuesday started out slow with a cancelled photo shoot and a single phone interview with Ryan Cooper of www.About.com/Punk, then Andy Scott picked me up and took me out to a sumptuous dinner at the legendary Musso & Frank's that I know best from the great Los Angeles crime novels of Michael Connolly featuring the hard-bitten homicide detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch. Andrew has a lot of good ideas to share with me and we have a lot of smiles talking about our pal Frenchy and how well his movie project was going.
We had a nice joint on our way to Hollywood & Cahuenga and the Tom Morello night at the popular Hotel Café where I'd join Wayne Kramer and drummer Brock Avery for a short set in the middle of the left-wing cabaret arranged by the Nightwatchman, whose new solo record One Man Revolution came out that day and whose band, Rage Against the Machine, was to reune that weekend at the Coachella Festival in front of 60,000 ecstatic fans who never thought they'd see the day.
Morello is a great American with old school ways who is committed to art and social change in like measure, putting his social practice on the line as well as his tunes and performances. The Tuesday night soirees at Hotel Café are held as benefits for Tom's many favorite charities; there's no exact cover charge, but a $10 donation is suggested; the place is packed with people, and an array of Morrello's fellow consciousness characters show up to play. Ben Harper is the act before ours, and Cypress Hill follows. No one is getting paid, and everyone is having a ball. It's like the old days.
Then I'm back in the automobile of Simmons and actually behind the wheel as we speed from Hollywood to the campus of California State University in Northridge to join Matt Kalinowski on his Subterranea show on KSCN-FM. We stayed on the air two entire hours and cut a pair of Joint Productions for www.RadioFreeAmsterdam.com. Here's the first one:
http://www.johnsinclairradio.com/audio/jsrshow132.mp3
John Sinclair Radio Show #132
Subterranea on KCSN-FM, California State University-Northridge, Los Angeles
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 @ 12:30-1:30 am [20-0711]
The afternoon following our incredible episode #130 at the Bitter Zoet with Amiri Baraka, Art Blakey's step-daughter, Steven ben Israel and his son Baba Israel, I flew from Amsterdam to Los Angeles to begin a three-week GUITAR ARMY book tour of the USA. My first media appearance there required a long drive for my genial and selfless host, Michael Simmons and myself out to the campus of California State University-Northridge to join Matt Kalinowski on his popular Subterranea show on KCSN-FM. We had some great conversations in the first hour and listened to music by the North Mississippi All Stars, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, an unidentified artist (and if you recognize this selection, please write us and let us know the artist & title if you would), the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop, the Wild Magnolias, Tom Waits, and Calexico. [The Subterranea program continues for a second hour as program #133.]
Playlist #132
[01] Subterranea Intro & KCSN D by Matt Kalinowski
[02] North Mississippi All Stars: Shake 'Em on Down
[03] Dirty Dozen Brass Band: What's Going On
[04] Comments by Matt Kalinowski
[05] [Unidentified Selection]
[06] Charles Mingus: Haitian Fight Song
[06] Matt Kalinowski Comments with John Sinclair and KCSN & RFA IDs
[07] Wild Magnolias: Peace Pipe
[08] Conversation with Matt Kalinowski & John Sinclair
[09] Tom Waits: What's He Building in There
[10] Calexico: Praskovia
[11] Conversation with Kalinowski, Sinclair & Michael Simmons & closing IDs
A Joint Production
Hosted by Matt Kalinowski for Subterranea & John Sinclair for Radio Free Amsterdam
Produced, engineered & recorded by Matt Kalinowski
Mastered & posted by Henk Botwinik
Executive Producer: John Sinclair
Special thanks to Michael Simmons, Matt Kalinowski, Adam Parfrey, Jodi Wille, Josh Mills & Tracy Blackburn
Sponsored by Eat at Jo's in the Melkweg, Hempshopper, & Feral House/Process Media
©(p) 2007 John Sinclair
Podcasted by www.RadioFreeAmsterdam.com @ June 5, 2007
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Later Wednesday Simmons and I motor out to the studios of KPFK-FM to follow the great Ry Cooder onto the 4 O'Clock Report with Jon Wiener, always a special treat. Jon and I became friends when he was preparing his first book based on John Lennon's FBI files, Gimme Some Truth. His second volume inspired the splendid film U.S. vs. John Lennon. Wiener gave my Los Angeles dates a lot of play and spotlighted GUITAR ARMY like the real radio pro that he is.
Our last hit of the day was a terrific internet TV show called the Daily Dose on Music+ TV. We were beaming out live and there would be questions and comments e-mailed in from the viewers and shown on our monitors, making for a pretty lively and entertaining exchange with fellow mental patients from all over the Los Angeles area.
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John Sinclair GUITAR ARMY Interview with Mark Carras
RockMyMonkey.com (available as text and MP3)
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/interviews/07/05/JohnSinclair.php
GUITAR ARMY: ROCK & ROLL REVOLUTION
by Aaron Kayce kayceman@jambase.com
JamBase
http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=10570
-Coffeeshop Rock-It
Amsterdam
June 2, 2007
Latest Comments (2)
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John I recieved your book today (reply)
Jun 7, 2007 09:02 EST by davidjack
Sorry John, I didn't mean kick you out the guests bed, make you have the sofa and snore all night so you can't sleep. :-)))) :-))))
I wouldn't snore all night, Don't listen to Ferre he's a liar, I don't snore!!!
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John I recieved your book today (reply)
Jun 7, 2007 08:11 EST by davidjack
Your words have come true, I am being busted, I grow marijuana everyday. But I don't laugh at them, instead I try to teach them to laugh at theirselves and their silly routines. Some of the powers to be, listen, and that's all it needs, just a little understanding that we are not dying, but surviving. We will be here for always, we always have and always will.
Thank you John for your Bear like... show all
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