And then there is Albatross

December 30th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Fleetwood Mac

After another wonderful and…

December 30th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

After another wonderful and sad year on our little blue ball, I ask myself, “is this the best we can do?”

I am anything but “Comfortably Numb”, but, I love this music!

St. Andrews Junior High School

December 23rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I don’t want to date myself, but, this was a long time ago.

Bruce Cowie, Mary Meighan, John Jones, and Gary Lipton

Finale – Freddie Mercury Tribute

December 23rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

That’s me playing the low organ note off the top for Liza Minnelli.
We rehearsed it! I’m the guy in red playing the B3.

It’s Easter 1992 at Wembley

Dalbello

December 16th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

30 years later (1984), and I’m still in awe!
Lisa Dalbello was a huge influence on my life!
And an ultra-awesome musician, poet and philosopher.
And what a cool song!
There was an earlier and more standard version of it, recorded at ESP with the Gary O band…Dee, Frank, Ken, JJ…

But the final version is rockin’ too! With LDB and Mick Ronson and John Forbes! AWESOME!

Tribute to Freddie

December 16th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

“I think we should do this every night. What do you think?”

This was an f’ing awesome concert! It happened at the most un-appropriate time in my life.
My brother Paul Olejniczak was dying of AIDS.
Duran Duran were rejected by US television for the concert.
DD’s Spike Edney asked me to help with the finale.
I spent the rehearsal day with Nick Faldo and the concert with Mick Ronson.
I performed my single note for the intro of We are the Champions.
What an experience!

 

1973 – Toronto, Edward Bear, and Lighthouse.

December 16th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Growing up in Toronto, Canada had it’s perks: Edward Bear and Lighthouse were two of them! They played at our Junior High School Friday night dances!

I was almost 16 when these songs came along. In those days we believed what the singer was saying. The emotion meant something.

Edward Bear – Last Song

Lighthouse – Pretty Lady

Gramercy Place

December 8th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Things that remind me of great people.

I have been visiting the LA84 Foundation library for the past five years, researching Southern California history. And I’ve been driving past Marvin Gaye’s house on half of those visits without knowing it. I found out when I stopped to look at a beautiful old 1908 house on Gramercy Place that was for sale cheap, a few months ago. It had belonged to Marvin’s sister. She rented rooms to teachers who worked at Widney High school, across the street.

A neighbor told me the story.

This is his house down the street, that was built in 1905, where his father shot him.

 

Marvin Gaye's home on Gramercy Place.