Musical heroes (antidote to the Eagles)

[Basvarken]

Is this what David Lee Roth looks like when he hasn't shaved for two weeks?   

[Dave W]

Is this what David Lee Roth looks like when he hasn't shaved for two weeks?   

Father and son?   

I bet he won't look so good when he gets to be Merle Haggard's age.

[clankenstein]

[Hörnisse]

I met Tom Petty back in May of '87 at the Toys R Us Capital Plaza location.  I was shopping with my then 4 year old when he ushered by his small child and we exchanged looks.  I went up to say how much I liked his music and he asked if I was going to the show (in 2 days) and I told him I couldn't get tickets.  He looked at the big bodyguard type guy pushing the shopping basket and said (in that voice) "Get his name and give him some tickets."  A great show with the Del Fuegos and Georgia Satellites opening.  He signed the back of a South Austin Music business card for me that I still have.  A very nice guy.

[OldManC]

1988. Cheap Trick Lap of Luxury tour (Tom Petersson was newly back in the band). They played a small convention room at the local arena and Jetboy opened. Jetboy's bassist had been in Hanoi Rocks and he freaked out when I knew so much about his old band when we spoke after the show. That was fun but I could hardly understand him between his accent and his drunkeness. My friends and I were hanging out by the buses after the show.

I'd thrown a tape of my band onstage after the show and Bun picked it up. As he and Rick walked toward their bus Rick said loudly to Bun, "Hey, are those the guys that tried to bean you with that tape? You guys almost killed my drummer!" Bun said yeah and ordered us over in a gruff voice only to start laughing once we approached them. Introductions were made and they invited us to check out their travel accommodations. It felt pretty surreal to have Rick Nielsen giving me a guided tour of his bus... He and Bun were sarcastic and friendly, while Tom and Robin were standoffish when they finally arrived and Rick invited them to shake our hands and say hi (after which they ran to the back of the bus).

It still makes me laugh to contrast that with what the typical rock band of the time would have been looking to do on the bus after a show. It left me with a lifelong appreciation for Rick and Bun, who certainly didn't have to go out of their way to greet four young 20 something guys like that but did just the same.

[Highlander]

I've noted some of this before...

In passing Phil Lynott with his arm over the shoulder of a blond model-type, going through Soho after coming out of the Marquee and saying "Hi Phil" the response was a crisp and succinct, "F*CK OFF!" - none of us were impolite back, more sarcastic at such a (small) big man being so unpleasant - one of the guys with us was a big fan and was somewhat shocked - I would not be willing to post my personal view of the man here...

A lady called Judie Tzuke - a bit of a one-hit-wonder but a very distinctive but diminutive figure somewhat like a scaled down Dolly - to me in my early twenties she was a beautiful woman with a wonderful smile who was easy to talk to and signed off her name with an arrowed heart - still have that tucked away somewhere...

Roger Taylor - diminutive, witty and debonaire... had the chance to chat to him at the Marquee club one night... he signed my pay slip (only paper I had other than cash) and joked, "Chr*st, it's been a long time since I've seen one of these", with a big grin...

I had a bumper evening in 81 in a pub in Chelsea for a Roadies Charity event where I had the chance to rub-shoulders with Peter Grant (a charming affable giant; nothing like I expected), Robert Plant (a great laugh), Jimmy Page (constantly cracking jokes with a ciggy constantly in his mouth), JPJ (cool but charming), Gary Bardens (then with MSG) and (my gawd, isn't he short) Cozy Powell - I had recently seen both of them playing with Schenker and had seen Cozy a number of times, big and small venues - both were a delight to talk to, pints in hand, down the pub with your mates - his loss was such a shock to me...
As a rock-n-roll evening it was a stunner, loads of roadies telling all sorts of stories, everyone in good humour, and something very special to me...
The event in Zep lore is the fabled point when everyone thought, "this is it, the rumours are true, Cozy's replacing Bonzo..." but it never happened, and at no point were they all seen together - I had this six by four piece off tatty gold-edged card which was the entry card with these six scribbles knocking about for years before I decided it would better used to funding other projects - never expected it to reach nearly $600/£400 - I hand delivered it with original pics and a coa to the buyer (surprisingly local - I made it a UK only sale) and a friend on this site has the only copy in existence - I'll not post images of it as I gave my word to the new owner and I'm sticking to it...

More later...

[nofi]

there are lots of not so affable stories about peter grant. i'm just sayin'...

[Highlander]

Certainly 'eard a few of those, but I wurn't cort rippin' orf 'is boyz, woz I... (do we have a grin icon with a few broken teeth...?)

[godofthunder]

 I have meet quite a few "famous" players over the years. Lemmy sticks out, he did a instore at the House of Guitars in '86 I had just come back from Boston and was working at the store again. It was my job to keep him in Heineken. He was very chatty and as soon as he found out I played bass we talked shop for most of the time he was there. I was like his new best friend for the day. We talked Marshalls, which I was using at the time, Rics and Thunderbirds. He asked my why I used those bloody muddy things and I went on to explain the virtues of NR Thunderbirds and Thunderbird pickups. Shortly after one of Lemmy's Rics sported a Tbird pup in the neck position I've always wondered if my soapboxing about Tbirds had something to do with it. He gave us free tickets to the show wanted us to come round early. While the stage was being set up Lemmy and I sat at the bar talking some more, great, funny guy, one of the nicest Celebs I have ever meet. Pete Way was another super nice guy. Dick Dale is another, very tolerant of us younger guys when we did a gig with him.

[uwe]

there are lots of not so affable stories about peter grant. i'm just sayin'...

But that was his chosen image and he bulldozed Led Zep to megastardom in the US that way. I don't think the financial advisors of the remaining Led Zep members and the family of Bonzo have complaints about what he did. A DP member once quipped when asked about the difference in DP's former and Led Zep's more lasting US success: "Why, Peter Grant!"

[Highlander]

A guy that used to help run the roadies bar at the Reading gigs ("Brian's Iron Bar" - nothing to do with West Ham and more a joke on certain people's sexuality) offered a few of the regulars at a bar I worked in from time to time some back stage passes for the '83 show so off we went parked up and piled in - I ran into all sorts of people but avoided Sabbath as they were wandering there trailer area with storm-clouds over their heads - post the third on the bill act and a bit into Marilion's set (like them but not a "fan") I spent the time chatting to the the three members of the third act in their trailor and asked about their musical heroes...
Mr Vaughan ("oh, come on... call me Stevie, please") spoke of the times he had seen his -  Johnny Winter, especially as Tommy Shannon (wearing a big grin throughout the conversation, along with Whipper) had played in his band, Duane Allman, and of course, Jimi Hendrix...
A quite private moment and one I will hopefully never forget - he autographed my programme "To Ken, all my best, SRV"
... they were all a pleasure to meet, no security guards, just the three of them... that is a treasured memory and souvenir I'll not part with...

[gweimer]

I should probably mention that Ted Nugent taught me my first blues progression at my house when I was 16.  He was still Ted, even then.  His mom was a gas.  She came to my wedding.  My dad was actually better friends with her than me.  She worked at the dry cleaners a couple blocks away.

[Highlander]

Gary... there's more to the story than that iirc... you have some good tales...

Only met him (briefly) once and he lived up to his larger-than-life persona...

[nofi]

i probly' posted this before but i was lucky enough to jam with thom ducette of the allman brothers band. he played harp and/or percussion on a bunch of albums, including live at fillmore east. he turned down 'official membership in the band several times over the years because guesting was more fun. he has shown up lately playing with the derek trucks band lately.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=thom+ducette&qpvt=thom+ducette&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=003B9C2DC97B8052D5BB07D9068A07D9EF00D178&selectedIndex=44

[nofi]

i probly' posted this before but i was lucky enough to jam with thom ducette of the allman brothers band. he played harp and/or percussion on a bunch of albums, including live at fillmore east. he turned down 'official membership in the band several times over the years because guesting was more fun. he has shown up lately playing with the derek trucks band.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=thom+ducette&qpvt=thom+ducette&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=003B9C2DC97B8052D5BB07D9068A07D9EF00D178&selectedIndex=44

[/quote]

also got to sit in with members of the butterfield blues band.