REPOST FROM MARCH: STILL RELEVANT:
Short Barry Hussy Obama:
“Rev. Jeremiah Wright was a bullfrog, he was a good friend of mine, I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine:
As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago. I knew Rev. Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the South Side and the entire city of Chicago. It’s a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.
Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.
Obama never heard the controversial statements, whatever statements you find controversial, he deplores and condemns. He had no idea that Rev. Wright held those views. Every single time Wright said something like that, Obama was absent.
So just everyone shut up about it.
BTW, the song Joy to the World, was No. 1 on the charts for six straight weeks in 1971, making it the top hit of the year for 3 Dog Night. It written by the great composer, musician, singer and actor Hoyt Axton, who also wrote another one of their hits, Never Been to Spain.
Axton also wrote No No No Song, a hit for Ringo Starr, with great backing vocals by one of my idols, Harry Nilsson. The song was perfect for Ringo because it spans about one octave, vocally. Here he is with his All-Star band, I can’t identify any of them except Billy Preston and Dr. John on keys, I think one of the guitarists is Joe Walsh.
Here he is with the Smothers Brothers on backing vocals, and a gag by Super Dave Osborn at the end.
UPDATE: It appears to be this line-up:
1. Ringo Starr: Drums, vocals.
2. Billy Preston: Keyboards, harmonium, vocals.
3. Joe Walsh: Guitar, percussion, vocals.
4. Nils Lofgren: Guitar, Accordion, vocals
5. Clarence Clemons: Saxophone, percussion, vocals.
6. Dr. John: Piano, vocals.
7. Rick Danko: Bass guitar, vocals.
8. Garth Hudson: Accordion.
9. Levon Helm: Drums, percussion, vocals.
10. Jim Keltner: Drums, percussion.
11. Zak Starkey: Drums. (that doesn’t look like Zak on the drums, its a much older guy, maybe Jim Keltner, who played with Nilsson and Starr on many albums? Further research says its either him or Levon Helm, of The Band).
Here is Ringo, singing very well, in fact, again with Nilsson again on the very lovely and moving backing vocals, that kind of make the tune, for the old Platters’ number, Only You. They are very obviously only pretending to sing in theis cool video that long precedes MTV, with Harry smoking a butt in between his lines. Ringo is in full Goodnight Vienna regalia with his Klaatu spacesuit. Gort and the spaceship from the cover they recreated on top of the Capitol Records building (inspired by The Day the Earth Stood Still) can be seen at the end.
Here’s yet one more with Nilsson singing his unique and haunting backing vocals to another Ringo hit cover tune, the prolific Sherman Bros.’ , You’re Sixteen, which also hit #1 on the charts, with Paul McCartney on “mouth sax” solo (a kazoo or wax paper on a comb) and producer Richard Perry on the bass vocals:
And bringing it full circle, here is 3 Dog Night doing Nilsson’s “One”. This is probably lip-synched, but the costumes are worth it. Also, Danny Hutton and Cory Wells laughing because they have to just stand there for the first 3/4s of the song.
Back to Axton, he was also the gentle, melodiously voiced inventor Dad who brought home the Gremlin for his kid in Gremlins. And, Axton’s mother, Mae Boren Axton, co-wrote the classic rock ‘n’ roll song Heartbreak Hotel. Some of Hoyt’s own songs were also later recorded by Elvis.
Axton spent some time struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction and several of his songs, including “The Pusher,” “Snowblind Friend,” and “No-No Song,” partly reflect his negative drug experiences. He had been known as an opponent of drug use for many years when, in February 1997, he and his wife were arrested at their Montana home for possession of approximately 500 grams of marijuana, about a pound. His wife explained later that she offered Hoyt marijuana to relieve pain and stress following a 1995 stroke; both were fined and given deferred sentences.
Hoyt never fully recovered from his stroke, and still had to use a wheelchair much of the time. He died of a heart attack in Victor, Montana, on October 26, 1999, at the age of 61. Axton had suffered a severe heart attack two weeks earlier and experienced another one while undergoing surgery in Montana.
On November 1, 2007 he and his mother were inducted posthumously to the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee, Oklahoma. [1][2]
That’s a whole lot of Wikilinks going on, but I’d rather talk about Axton than Barry Obama.
Among his best-known compositions (or co-writing credits) are:
* “Greenback Dollar” covered by The Kingston Trio
* “The Pusher,” covered by Steppenwolf on their debut album in 1968
* “No-No Song,” which became a #3 hit for Ringo Starr in March 1975
* “Never Been To Spain”, covered by Three Dog Night, Waylon Jennings, and Elvis Presley
* “Joy to the World”, the Three Dog Night hit from April 1971 which held US #1 for six weeks
* “Snowblind Friend” (1971), covered by Steppenwolf
* “Lightning Bar Blues” (1973) covered by Brownsville Station (also a big hit for the Finnish band Hanoi Rocks in the ’80s)
* “The Morning Is Here” (1974)
* “Boney Fingers” (1974)
* “Della and the Dealer” (1979)
* “Hotel Ritz” (1979)
* “Rusty Ol’ Halo” (1979)
* “Sweet Misery” covered by John Denver