Terry Reid a couple of yeàrs ago at Hebden Bridge... completely bladdered. Before the show there was a fat drunk sitting at a table in the audience being a noisy nuisance. When Terry came on - wait a minute, it's that fat drunk from the audience! He spent most of the show either trying and failing to tune his guitar, or trying and failing to tell the audience amusing stories. What songs he attempted broke down a few seconds in. Most of the audience walked out. At one point the excellent Del Bromham, who had been the support act, intervened to try and help Terry with his guitar, and to try to keep things professional-looking. To No Avail! No wonder Terry Reid is known as a squandered talent.
Not saying this wasn't a bad show, but he can still be terrific onstage. I saw him three months ago, before a small audience and it was a really memorable show-- As a singer who improvises he can be up there with Van Morrison. His stage manner was very loose and gregarious, but (at least on this night) it was his natural persoanlity and not drunkenness.
I haven't read the books you mention, but they sound like something I'd want to check out. The Vignoles book is quite thorough, detailing Rory's background and childhood, and the progress of his musical development. It's full of illuminating information, including much on Rory's complicated personality, which was influenced by superstition and religion among other things, as well as by his obsession with the music he loved. There are some very enlightening stories, including the tale of how Rory was persuaded to go to San Francisco to make a somewhat "commercial" sounding album, which would presumably give him a chance at a hit record. Toward the end of the recording, Rory attended the infamous last ever Sex Pistols show at Winterland. The next day he demonstrated to his brother and manager Donal how he really felt about watering down his music--by holding a copy of the record over a trash can, and dropping it in. He then went back to Europe, jettisoned his keyboard player, cutting his band down to a trio, and re-emerged playing the no-holds-barred rock 'n' roll blues that is heard on albums such as "Stage Struck." We also learn a bit about Rory's audition with The Rolling Stones, which helps clarify that event somewhat, after much speculation by fans. Anyway, I would absolutely recommend the book to anyone seeking a detailed look at this unique artist.
I forgot about Cassidy at the Hollywood Show in Burbank.....he couldn't even sign stuff he was so out of it.
I would HIGHLY recommend the Muise book to anyone interested in Rory Gallagher. The book is an "oral history" type book, relying on substantial quotations from the subject(s), their bandmates, associates, relatives, etc. I feel the Gallagher chapter is the most substantial part of the book, because although the chapters on Derringer and Trower are done as well or almost as well as the Gallagher portion, to me they are less interesting. The Marriott chapter is a real letdown, because it mostly skips over Marriott's two Small Faces periods, as Marriott & Lane weren't alive to be interviewed, and McLagan declined to participate because he wanted to save it for his own book, and Jones felt the Small Faces were so tragic that he considered it to sad to discuss (since then Jones has done his own book, and has no reticence to discuss Small Faces there). Muise interviewed both Gallagher brothers, nearly all of Rory's former bandmates (Wilgar Campbell the notable exception, being deceased) including both Taste rhythm sections, and a few other important people in Rory's life, like Tom O'Driscoll. The book does go into sufficient detail concerning the Rolling Stones episode to clear up any questions I had. I doubt the Vignoles book would have anything concerning that that isn't covered by Muise's book. The Coghe book is very Gallic, having been written by a Frenchman. The book I have is a translated edition, and it looks like the translation wasn't letter perfect, as some of the passages are ambiguous to the reader (or this one, at least). But since Rory spent a good bit of time on the Continent, there are some angles that Coghe covers fairly well. The book also includes a nice anecdote about Rory's work on Jerry Lee Lewis's London Sessions lp. Apparently Donal does some uncredited vocal work on it! If you can pick up the Coghe book cheaply, why not? But the Dan Muise one is the one to get -- you won't be sorry!
Terry Reid. I saw him once at a drug den club on Hollywood Blvd. near the Hollywood Freeway in a bad area of town. All the usual suspects were there from Nicks and Ronstadt's old bands and Stones support guys and gals. Whatta train wreck. At least Waddy and a zombie Blondie Chaplin could play. Reid mumbled. When Keith Allison came on stone cold straight it was better. I heard Keith Richards came there once but left watching the bowling pins onstage knocking into him. I hear it moved to West Hollywood and cleaned up.
The first time I saw Ryan Adams, at Manchester University in 2000, he seemed absolutely steaming. Drank at least one bottle of red during his set. Great performance though. Funny moment when he said he was planning to "return to New York soon to w*nk off" and a Ben Elton lookalike next to me immediately shouted out "can I watch?"
That would probably be smart to post. Only problem is I have to locate it. I found the video of my other brother's band opening that night (and have to transfer it to digital). Still searching...
probably Phil Lynott at the Guildhall Portsmouth on the 'Black Rose' tour, or it may have been the tour following. He fell backwards into Downey's Drum riser and knocked half of the kit over. Would like to say, and the band played on, well they did after a bit of a panic.
Dan Hicks, backed by the Hot Licks at Stanford University in 1974 or '75. I can't tell you which. A notorious drunk, Dan Hicks was hours late taking the stage and totally screwed up the set. Awful show. Years later, I saw him after he'd sobered up. Great show.
A couple of shows stand out (showing the bad side of drunk): Badly Drawn Boy at the Hollywood Troubadour in December 2010 (just google it). I was in an Indian Restaurant earlier that night (it was just east of Dan Tanas) when Damon Gough (BDB) walked in with friend, drinking a bottle white wine by himself. He sat a couple tables over from me and I told my date that this wasn't going to end well. An hour or so later he went chernobyl on stage. Basically ended his career. Mean drunk. The second show I'll mention was the Silver Jews in 2006. David Berman was a studio act and not a touring one. I had really liked everything through American Water but not so much the next two. The show was at The Fonda and Berman performed drunk, sung depressed and looked like crap. My brother and I talked about hownhe seemed suicidal. Cut to 13 years later and there you go. The Replacements and GBV (Pollard) were fun drunks, not mean ones.
You’re describing basically the same thing I saw at their show at MSU’s Jenison Field House in East Lansing, MI on that tour. Tyler was incoherent and one of the guitarists kept spitting at the audience. My seats were towards the back so we were out of range, thankfully. Even as a 16 year old (the tickets had been a birthday present) I felt like it was musically unsatisfying but cool as an experience anyway. I never saw him personally, but I seem to recall seeing some heartbreaking/hair raising footage of Elliott Smith from 2001 or 2002...the guy was in really bad shape and couldn’t make it through a song. Incredibly sad. I can’t find the footage/recording now, but I think it was this show in Chicago in 2002.
I saw Guided By Voices in Manchester, Damon Gough was a member of the audience. He was a total ar$ehole, shouting and acting stupid. If his music career has ended it's no bad thing.
Jim was infamous for doing that, of course. When the Doors played Boston the same year, Jim was already drunk for the first performance. By the late one, he (as the band put it) "couldn't feel pain". And it's definitely audible on the recording of the show. His banter is slurred and he sounds uninterested in places (Ray is "beefing up" the chorus here, which I don't think he always did). 16:15 onwards was still cringe worthy for John Densmore to listen to, even years later! For me, I'd say it was Mark Lanegan who was definitely drunk but still sang okay.
Dont know if its been mentioned above, but Jimbo with Hendrix at the Scene Club...pretty drunk (no i wasnt there) Jim Morrison & Jimi Hendrix - Morrison's lament
Oh of course, he's BEYOND compared to that night in Boston. Completely wasted, yelling obscenities. I actually wonder what Jim REMEMBERED from that "jam session" when he saw Jimi again (at the Isle of Wight in 1970). Apparently, Jimi Hendrix didn't like him too much. Jim was interviewed backstage just before Jimi took the stage at Wight. He saw him walk up to the stage and commented on it ("oh look, an actual movie! That's beautiful, he looks like a priest") and at the end goes to see the show (in the background you can hear the banter at the start of Jimi's show if you're familiar with the live albums/videos from that performance). What I love is that there IS existing footage of Hendrix walking up to the stage at the very same moment. One could sync it because of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" being played in the background.You don't see Jim being interviewed on it though, would have been cool! I love this kind of stuff.
