10 Query With Benny Harrison

GORDON’S DRUMS & DEMONS — (By way of Forgotten Hits) Diversion Books is ready to publish Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon by Joel Selvin on February 27^th, 2024. Selvin’s riveting narrative follows the person who many take into account the best rock drummer of all time, from his humble beginnings as a teenage touring musician, to his many landmark accomplishments within the studio and on the highway, by means of his downward spiral into psychological sickness, matricide and incarceration. With the cooperation of the late rock legend’s household, and primarily based on his trademark intensive, detailed analysis, Selvin uncovers one of many darkest tales in in style music, additional cementing his status as a grasp of rock noir.

“With out downplaying the grotesque particulars of Gordon’s crime, Selvin gracefully portrays the musician as ‘greater than his illness,’” states Publishers Weekly. “This affecting account sheds new gentle on one among rock’s most complex figures.”

Born and raised within the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, Jim Gordon received his begin as knowledgeable drummer touring with the Everly Brothers within the mid-1960’s. His penchant for artistic and astonishingly correct musicianship earned him common session work, becoming a member of the neighborhood retroactively known as The Wrecking Crew. His preternatural instinct and excellent sense of time could be heard on greater than 30 Prime 10 singles together with a number of #1 hits together with the Seashore Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” Carly Simon’s “You’re So Useless” and “I Acquired You Babe” by Sonny & Cher (he additionally provided the literal beat for “The Beat Goes On” by the latter). He has been immortalized on albums by George Harrison, John Lennon and the Byrds, amongst dozens of different family title music acts.

Gordon was notably the drummer for Derek and the Dominos and supplied the piano coda for his or her evergreen anthem “Layla.” Joel Selvin particulars how Gordon didn’t merely hold time, however he was additionally instrumental in shaping compositions; whether or not it was his Latin-influenced rhythms on “Rikki Don’t Lose That Quantity” by Steely Dan or his monumental drum break on the Unbelievable Bongo Band’s “Apache” (a staple of hip-hop from the style’s inception, having been sampled on over 750 different data), he wasn’t only a participant on hits, he made them hits.

Selvin explores the thoughts of Jim Gordon and his lengthy wrestle with schizophrenia, which stayed undiagnosed for years whereas he self-medicated with alcohol and arduous medication, whereas making an attempt to carry his profession collectively all through the 1970’s. Gordon’s head grew to become crowded with a hellish gang of voices screaming at him, demanding obedience, ultimately taking him from absolutely the heights of the rock world — taking part in with probably the most well-known musicians of his technology — to working in a Santa Monica dive-bar band for $30 an evening. His sickness got here to a head in 1983 when he brutally murdered his personal mom, resulting in incarceration for the rest of his life. Jim Gordon handed away in March of 2023 on the age of 77. With the help of first-hand accounts, medical data and courtroom paperwork, Drums & Demons brings this horror to life.

Selvin is not any stranger to the seedy underbelly of the music world. He tackled comparable material in Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hell’s Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day (2016), he adopted New York gangsters in Right here Comes The Evening: The Darkish Soul of Bert Berns and the Soiled Enterprise of Rhythm and Blues (2014) and Peppermint Twist: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Well-known Dance Membership of the 60’s (2012), and coated kidnap and homicide in Hollywood Eden: Electrical Guitars, Quick Automobiles, and the Fable of the California Paradise (2021). 

“Jim wasn’t the beneficiary of a lot compassion throughout his life,” mentioned Joel Selvin, “however no person knew what ache and wrestle he went by means of preventing his psychological sickness.”

DRUMS BY JIM GORDON:  SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Joan Baez – Diamonds and Rust

Seashore Boys – Good Vibrations / God Solely Is aware of

Jackson Browne – Right here Comes These Tears Once more

Buffalo Springfield – Anticipating To Fly

Byrds – Goin’ Again

Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman; Light On My Thoughts

Carpenters – There’s A Form Of Hush

Eric Clapton -After Midnight

Joe Cocker – The Letter

Crosby, Stills and Nash – Marrakesh Categorical

Burton Cummings – Stand Tall

John Denver – Thank God I’m A Nation Boy

Derek and the Dominos – Layla

Dino, Desi and Billy – I’m A Idiot

Pals Of Distinction – Grazin’ In The Grass

Merle Haggard – I’m A Lonesome Fugitive

Albert Hammond – It By no means Rains In California

George Harrison – What Is Life

Hues Company – Rock The Boat

Unbelievable Bongo Band – Apache

Sammy Johns – Chevy Van

John Lennon – Energy To The Folks

Gordon Lightfoot – Sunset

Dave Mason – Solely You Know And I Know

Monkees – Mary Mary

Maria Muldaur – Midnight At The Oasis

Randy Newman – Have You Seen My Child

Nilsson – Coconut

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Strangered In The Evening

Mike Put up – The Rockford Recordsdata

Gary Puckett and the Union Hole – Lady, WOman

Helen Reddy – I Am Lady

Johnny Rivers – Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu

Leon Russell – Pisces Apple Woman

Carly Simon – You’re So Useless

Sonny and Cher – The Beat Goes On

Steely Dan – Rikki Don’t Lose That Quantity

B.W. Sevenson – My Maria

Stone Poneys (that includes Linda Ronstadt) – Completely different Drum

Visitors – Low Spart Of Excessive-Heeled Boys

Ike and Tina Turner – River Deep, Mountain Excessive

Mason Williams – Classical Gasoline

Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘)

VIEW TO A KILL — I’ve been residence nursing an harm and have had greater than my share of early-morning TV. ABC’s The View remains to be on and except for Whoopi Goldberg and Pleasure Behar, I’ve completely no thought who the opposite table-hosts are. Former Chase-and GMA-hostess Sarah Haines although, appears to be the one savvy shooter and he or she jogged my memory greater than as soon as of Meredith Viera, who was at all times exemplary.

Whoopi usually glances into house and appears on one other world all-together. Behar, who I’ve cherished for years, is old-school and often-disarmingly cool; although you’ll be able to really feel her uneasiness with the youthful hosts.

The one factor they nonetheless  do and remains to be annoying, is after they  all speak collectively.

Superb that this present has final for 27 years. It’s until just about what Barbra Walters and Invoice Geddie wished to do, however, boy, what on ordeal.

Rob Base

Final week they ended the present with a efficiency from Rob Base (his “It Takes Two” was a rap-hit in 1988), the Sugarhill Gang and Doug E. Contemporary for host Sunny Hostin’s birthday, who grew up within the Bronx. It was cute and certainly a bit dated.

Summing up, nothing’s actually modified, it’s nonetheless a troublesome View.

Wuxtry Information

SHORT TAKES –— Right here’s the scene at Wuxtry Information in Athens, Georgia, on Friday as they put together for an old-school, old-style in-store with Micky Dolenz to rejoice the discharge of his new EP (on 7a Information) Dolenz Sings R.E.M. on Friday, November third. With Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz (a former DJ himself) set to seem and to current Dolenz with the important thing to metropolis; the occasion is already sold-out. Wuxtry Information is the place the members of R.E.M. first met and determined to for the band. Additionally attending the occasion with be legendary-photographer Henry Diltz; archivist Gary Strobl and Glenn Gretlund from 7a Information in England … The SAG/AFTRA strike, begun in June continues. Actually, it simply reached their a hundredth day. The TV-season, a minimum of for this 12 months, is shot and nobody fairly is aware of what it’ll imply for 2024. Folks have misplaced homes, rents will not be being paid and lots of have taken day-jobs … I watched Saturday’s SNL and the so-called Sister Act-sketch the place Mick Jagger, of all folks, appeared in was not humorous by any means.

Lorne Michaels

I do know the present is in its forty ninth season, however all I can say is the writing is simply horrendous. Rumors nonetheless persist that after their fiftieth, SNL-kingpin Lorne Michaels will step down. I really like him and respect him, however it’s undoubtedly time …

Alexa Ray Joel and Donnie Kehr

Right here’s yet one more shot from final week’s Rockers On Broadway-their thirtieth occasion. Alexa Ray Joel and Donnie Kehr (photograph by Bobby Financial institution) … Joyful Bday Chris Gilman; James Edstrom; Andrew Tobin and Jodi Ritzen. and RIP Burt Younger.

NAMES IN THE NEWS –— Brad Balfour; Mark Bego; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Pebble Morely; Bradley Cooper; Steve Leeds; Steve Walter; Dan Zelinski; Ellen Vilardi; Joe Lengthy; Bob Small; Jane Berk; Nancy Ruth; Teresa Knox; Donnie Kehr; Cori Gardner; Randy Klein; Liz Skollar; and ZIGGY!