You're Kidding?!

No, I'm not. True facts that could have been in David Letterman's old Museum of the Hard-To-Believe:


- The Tremeloes '60s hit "Here Comes My Baby" was written by a pre-solo stardom Cat Stevens.

- The Cyrkle's "Red Rubber Ball" was written by a pre-fame Paul Simon.

- Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not to Come" was written by a verge-of-stardom Randy Newman.

- '60s popsters The American Breed ("Bend Me, Shape Me") became, with the addition of Chaka Khan, '70s funksters Rufus.

- Elton John auditioned to be lead singer for King Crimson (how weird would that have been if they'd hired him? In some alternate universe, they're playing "21 Century Rocket Man")

- Iggy Pop and former Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek tried to start a band together in the mid-'70s (Yeesh, good thing Bowie came along)

- In their pre-movie/TV star years, Chevy Chase and Gary Busey played drums with, and are pictured on the album covers of shitty late '60s/early '70s albums by Boston's Chameleon Church, and Oklahoma's Carp, respectively. (I have both albums - thrift-store discoveries.)



Post Edited (08-04-10 19:43)

I thought Chevy Chase played with Steely Dan too, or something or other in that realm.

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C.W.McCall's backing band became the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Not a step up.

And Elvis Costello's backing band became Huey Lewis' News - REALLY not a step up.

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C.W.McCall's backing band became....

Mannheim Steamroller

D'oh!

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Elvis Costello's backing band became Huey Lewis' News

Several of them, along with T Bone Burnett and David Mansfield, also appear in Heaven's Gate as the band at the skating rink. Mansfield turns up quite a bit in the rest of the movie, as he seems to be the errand boy for the cathouse, but I've never noticed if Burnett or the News are hanging around in the background during the rest of the movie, or if any of them are among the immigrant folk what get massacreed.

The late, great Phil Hartman was one of the chief album cover designers of the early 70s California country-rock movement, and designed Crosby, Stills & Nash's logo.

The headset microphones worn by every employee at fast food drive throughs are based on technology originally designed to allow Kate Bush to sing while dancing, back when she used to perform live.

A large percentage of all cell phone technology is based on patents held by Thomas Dolby.

The skeletal, storklike nerd Ric Ocasek has managed to be married to Paulina Porizkova for over twenty years now.

Mick Jones tried to recruit John Foxx as the vocalist for the pre-Clash London SS.

breno wrote:

> A large percentage of all cell phone technology is based on
> patents held by Thomas Dolby.

That's a stretch. Dolby's primary patents related to "cell phone technology" have to do with developing software synthesizers for mobile phones. The software allowed the phones to play polyphonic (simultaneous multi-note) ringtones without the addition of dedicated hardware. I'd hardly call that "a large percentage of all cell phone technology."

At least we can all agree about the sad fate of Mr. Dolby's Buick:

Jermoe wrote:

> At least we can all agree about the sad fate of Mr. Dolby's
> Buick:

And all those poor lost toy people...if only they hadn't been blinded by science.

If only the album itself had been better...

chase played with becker and fagan in Leather Canary, and I heard him say in interviews he played with Ultimate Spinach with jeff baxter, (but the only link I can find is that part of his old band Chamaeleon Church played on a later version of US), so he does have some steely ties.

Manzarek tried to get Iggy to replace Jim in The Doors.

C.W.McCall's backing band became the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Not a step up.

The Cat Stevens version of Here Comes My baby is the best version imo. (It's the version used in the film Rushmore).

That's just a great song....no one who covers can mess it up even.

Mick from the Clash was in an early version of General Public.

Sammy Hagar wrote Rick Springfield's "I've Done Everything for You."

That's all I got for now.

Chevy did play in an early version of Steely Dan, but only because it was a college band and they all went to Bard College (upstate NY--the only NY, in my opinion; the other one should merge with New Jersey) together at the time.

Culture Club drummer Jon Moss was in The Damned at some point.

And how 'bout a pre-solo career Patti Smith writing lyrics for Blue Oyster Cult?

...and Lou Reed working with, of all people, KISS. One of these days, morbid curiosity is going to compel me to listen to that album (Music From "The Elder").

Yo, Fab: Richard Meltzer (self-absorbed, pretentious, Ivy-league-educated pseudo-philosopher, and 1st generation rock critic) also wrote lyrics for BOC.

"Traditional" parenting (whatever that means) guru John Rosemond sang in multiple rock bands while attending Western Illinois University. According to his biography, bands he fronted opened for REO Speedwagon on two occasions.

A young and nubile Christopher Cross performed nude in an early mixed-media Throbbing Gristle event. This was about five years before "Sailing" and six years before he turned into the Marie Prevost of AOR music.

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That's a stretch.

I was a victim of false doctrine.

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- The Tremeloes '60s hit "Here Comes My Baby" was written by a pre-solo stardom Cat Stevens.

As should be known by anyone who has read the liner notes to Yo La Tengo's Fakebook album.

You might have also included Sonny Bono's writing credit on "Needles & Pins." That one still sort of causes me to raise an eyebrow.

The "Foam/Edge" shaving cream commercial from the 70s where they scrape the credit card across a guy's cheek was the brainchild of John Hughes in his pre-National Lampoon/king of teen movies days.

We're back to John Hughes again!

And a pre-stardom Barry Manilow wrote McDonalds' "You Deserve A Break Today" jingle.

That excellent sci-fi "Moon" (out on DVD and one of the movie channels now; starring Sam Rockwell) was written and directed by Zowie Bowie.

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And a pre-stardom Barry Manilow wrote McDonalds' "You Deserve A Break Today" jingle.

He still does many of his commercial jingles live as a medley: Dr. Pepper, the McDonald's Commercial, Band-Aid, State-Farm.

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He still does many of his commercial jingles live as a medley: Dr. Pepper, the McDonald's Commercial, Band-Aid, State-Farm.

The medley from his VH1 Storytellers is particularly inspiring, even if the stories were not. It's always been about the music with Barry, of course.

Katharine Weymouth, publisher of The Washington Post, was in the news last year over a political scandal. Noting her last name and long blond hair, I looked her up - yep, she's Tina's niece.

WTF?! duets:

Kylie Minogue & Nick Cave
Debbie Gibson & The Circle Jerks
Pat Boone's "soul" album, dueting with the likes of James Brown