John Lennon and Harry Nilsson weren’t just friends: they were collaborators. They made a whole album together that includes a mix of classic cover songs and original compositions. Afterward, John was asked if he was influenced by Nilsson in any way. Regardless of what he said, the album the two made together has endured and still influences modern singers.
John Lennon and Harry Nilsson put their own spin on tracks by Bob Dylan and Bill Haley
John produced Nilsson’s record Pussy Cats. The cover of the record depicts the two rockers as anthropomorphic kittens. Pussy Cats features some new songs, most famously “Don’t Forget Me,” as well as recordings of standards such as Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock,” and The Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me.”
During a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone, John was asked if he...
John Lennon and Harry Nilsson put their own spin on tracks by Bob Dylan and Bill Haley
John produced Nilsson’s record Pussy Cats. The cover of the record depicts the two rockers as anthropomorphic kittens. Pussy Cats features some new songs, most famously “Don’t Forget Me,” as well as recordings of standards such as Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock,” and The Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me.”
During a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone, John was asked if he...
- 11/12/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Greatness recognizes greatness. For example, Elvis Presley‘s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, discussed why she loved one Pink Floyd album so much. She said one song from that record was her “Bible.” In addition, she named other tunes from the record that she enjoyed.
Lisa Marie Presley said 1 Pink Floyd album resonated with her as a ‘tormented teen’
During a 2012 interview with Goldmine, Lisa Marie was asked to name the albums that impacted her when she was young. “The Wall by Pink Floyd would be my No. 1 album that was very defining heading into being 13-14 years of age, an anguished, tormented teen with hormones going,” she recalled. “Angry and not knowing what I was angry about. You know, the feeling of ‘Nobody understands me.'” For context, The Wall came out in 1979, two years after Elvis’ death.
“From ‘Hey You’ to the very last song, that was my Bible growing up,...
Lisa Marie Presley said 1 Pink Floyd album resonated with her as a ‘tormented teen’
During a 2012 interview with Goldmine, Lisa Marie was asked to name the albums that impacted her when she was young. “The Wall by Pink Floyd would be my No. 1 album that was very defining heading into being 13-14 years of age, an anguished, tormented teen with hormones going,” she recalled. “Angry and not knowing what I was angry about. You know, the feeling of ‘Nobody understands me.'” For context, The Wall came out in 1979, two years after Elvis’ death.
“From ‘Hey You’ to the very last song, that was my Bible growing up,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It’s always interesting when classic rock stars admire early rock ‘n’ rollers who sound absolutely nothing like them. For example, a member of Pink Floyd is a huge fan of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes.” His admiration for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is fine, but he definitely gave the guy way too much credit.
1 Pink Floyd member said Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ changed the sound of rock
During a 2020 interview with NME, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason said Elvis’ “Blue Suede Shoes” was the first song he loved. He called Elvis’ song “the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll.” Mason promoted the myth Elvis invented rock ‘n’ roll when it was actually pioneered by Robert Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and other Black artists who sadly never became major pop stars.
“Elvis was moving things on slightly from Bill Haley,” Mason added. “Bill Haley was the...
1 Pink Floyd member said Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ changed the sound of rock
During a 2020 interview with NME, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason said Elvis’ “Blue Suede Shoes” was the first song he loved. He called Elvis’ song “the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll.” Mason promoted the myth Elvis invented rock ‘n’ roll when it was actually pioneered by Robert Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and other Black artists who sadly never became major pop stars.
“Elvis was moving things on slightly from Bill Haley,” Mason added. “Bill Haley was the...
- 9/10/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
George Lucas’s 60s-set tale of California teens offers some freewheeling fun but also a lingering sadness
Ninety-nine times out of 100, the postscripts that get tucked in before the closing credits, telling us where the characters’ lives have gone from there, are totally unnecessary, especially in a fictional story where their fates are better left to the viewer’s imagination. But in George Lucas’s American Graffiti, which turns 50 this week, they are the most important part of the film, not least because two of the four characters don’t have much longer to live. We can feel that darkness lingering around the edges of Lucas’ dusk-till-dawn nostalgia piece about the last night of summer vacation in 1962 Modesto, California, even while its teenagers are getting into mostly light-hearted forms of trouble. This night has to end, and when the sun comes up, their entire world turns back into a pumpkin.
Ninety-nine times out of 100, the postscripts that get tucked in before the closing credits, telling us where the characters’ lives have gone from there, are totally unnecessary, especially in a fictional story where their fates are better left to the viewer’s imagination. But in George Lucas’s American Graffiti, which turns 50 this week, they are the most important part of the film, not least because two of the four characters don’t have much longer to live. We can feel that darkness lingering around the edges of Lucas’ dusk-till-dawn nostalgia piece about the last night of summer vacation in 1962 Modesto, California, even while its teenagers are getting into mostly light-hearted forms of trouble. This night has to end, and when the sun comes up, their entire world turns back into a pumpkin.
- 8/11/2023
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
Ringo Starr fell in love with rock n’ roll at a young age. Growing up in Liverpool during the 1940s and 1950s, there wasn’t too much exposure to rock music, but some rock came to the U.K. from Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. However, Ringo Starr said it was one movie and its effect on the audience that made him want to pursue a career in rock n’ roll.
Ringo Starr loved rock music after a riot broke out during the movie ‘Rock Around the Clock’
Starr had a difficult childhood due to multiple illnesses. His first illness occurred at six years old when he contracted peritonitis after having an appendectomy. This led to Starr being in a coma for several days and missing a school year. His second illness was in 1953, when he contracted tuberculosis, leading to a two-year stay in a sanitorium.
While Starr missed several school years,...
Ringo Starr loved rock music after a riot broke out during the movie ‘Rock Around the Clock’
Starr had a difficult childhood due to multiple illnesses. His first illness occurred at six years old when he contracted peritonitis after having an appendectomy. This led to Starr being in a coma for several days and missing a school year. His second illness was in 1953, when he contracted tuberculosis, leading to a two-year stay in a sanitorium.
While Starr missed several school years,...
- 7/30/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tl;Dr:
John Lennon really liked one Elvis Presley song but he didn’t think Elvis invented rock ‘n’ roll. He discussed how rock ‘n’ roll became popular in England. The song John liked so much became a hit four different times.
John Lennon was hugely impacted by one of Elvis Presley’s songs. He said it wasn’t the first rock song the heard, but it was he first one that deeply connected with him. Notably, the Elvis song in question charted in the United Kingdom during several different decades.
John Lennon said he liked 1 Elvis Presley song more than Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock’
In the 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, John said he didn’t think of music as a “way of life” until he heard rock ‘n’ roll. Subsequently, he was...
John Lennon really liked one Elvis Presley song but he didn’t think Elvis invented rock ‘n’ roll. He discussed how rock ‘n’ roll became popular in England. The song John liked so much became a hit four different times.
John Lennon was hugely impacted by one of Elvis Presley’s songs. He said it wasn’t the first rock song the heard, but it was he first one that deeply connected with him. Notably, the Elvis song in question charted in the United Kingdom during several different decades.
John Lennon said he liked 1 Elvis Presley song more than Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock’
In the 1980 interview from the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, John said he didn’t think of music as a “way of life” until he heard rock ‘n’ roll. Subsequently, he was...
- 6/22/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In his gritty ’55 flick Blackboard Jungle, director Richard Brooks introduced a wide audience to Sidney Poitier, the harsh world of inner-city schools...and a genre of music called "rock ‘n’ roll."Host Rico Gagliano tells the story of Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock"—cinema's first rock needle drop—with the help of music detective and author Jim Dawson, film writer Anna Ariadne Knight, and actor Peter Ford...the Hollywood kid who may have accidentally started the rock-n-roll era.Listen to episode 5 below or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsStitcherSpotifyGoogle PodcastsMore...
- 5/3/2023
- MUBI
Good things take time. The Beatles proved it. Paul McCartney and John Lennon needed time to grow as songwriters, so the Fab Four’s early records contained many covers. Another artist called John and Paul idiots as composers — then recorded one of their songs anyway. Even though The Beatles covered several of his songs in their live set, Paul threw Elvis Presley under the bus when explaining why Buddy Holly had a bigger impact on the Beatles.
(l-r) John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney of The Beatles; Buddy Holly| Bela Zola/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images; Harry Hammond/V&a Images/Getty Images Elvis inspired Paul McCartney and John Lennon when they formed The Beatles
Artists such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly helped introduce post-War England to rock ‘n’ roll music. Judging by some of The Beatles’ earliest setlists, Elvis greatly impacted the band.
(l-r) John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney of The Beatles; Buddy Holly| Bela Zola/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images; Harry Hammond/V&a Images/Getty Images Elvis inspired Paul McCartney and John Lennon when they formed The Beatles
Artists such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly helped introduce post-War England to rock ‘n’ roll music. Judging by some of The Beatles’ earliest setlists, Elvis greatly impacted the band.
- 4/9/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the run-up to Back to the Future's 30th anniversary on July 3, Digital Spy presents a week of special features celebrating the time-travel classic.
Has it really been 30 years since Back to the Future first arrived in cinemas? The '80s classic is one of those films that stands firm under repeat viewings, retaining its humour, heart and on-point performances from Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd and co. Simply put, there isn't a frame out of place in Back to the Future.
Though Robert Zemeckis's film still feels as fresh as ever, the world has changed dramatically across the three main periods the Back to the Future series spans. Digital Spy digs deep into the history books to find out how the world looked in 1955, 1984, and where we are now.
-1955-
Movies
Marty sweeps to victory at the Oscars, winning for Best Picture, Director and Actor
James Dean...
Has it really been 30 years since Back to the Future first arrived in cinemas? The '80s classic is one of those films that stands firm under repeat viewings, retaining its humour, heart and on-point performances from Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd and co. Simply put, there isn't a frame out of place in Back to the Future.
Though Robert Zemeckis's film still feels as fresh as ever, the world has changed dramatically across the three main periods the Back to the Future series spans. Digital Spy digs deep into the history books to find out how the world looked in 1955, 1984, and where we are now.
-1955-
Movies
Marty sweeps to victory at the Oscars, winning for Best Picture, Director and Actor
James Dean...
- 7/1/2015
- Digital Spy
In a viral video, this elderly man throws away his crutches to feel the beat.
An elderly man proves that age is nothing but a number and when you have crutches that are preventing you from dancing, you can just throw those away and break out in the middle of a crowd.
A group of swing dancing couples surround him, but he decides that he doesn't need a partner and can dance all on his own.
Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" is the tune that inspired his moves. He was rocking "all round the clock" or the dance floor in this case!
The caption from 93.9 gives us a life lesson and really conveys what this man is showing us all, "Don’t waste your time worrying about getting older, he's not."
Sometimes you just have to dance! And if you can make a great viral video in the process, more power to...
An elderly man proves that age is nothing but a number and when you have crutches that are preventing you from dancing, you can just throw those away and break out in the middle of a crowd.
A group of swing dancing couples surround him, but he decides that he doesn't need a partner and can dance all on his own.
Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" is the tune that inspired his moves. He was rocking "all round the clock" or the dance floor in this case!
The caption from 93.9 gives us a life lesson and really conveys what this man is showing us all, "Don’t waste your time worrying about getting older, he's not."
Sometimes you just have to dance! And if you can make a great viral video in the process, more power to...
- 7/22/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Beeban Kidron's documentary about the internet is entertaining and enlightening, but when it comes to teen users, the tone veers towards moral panic
Beeban Kidron has made an engaging if flawed documentary about our enslavement to the internet, and she touches on the abandonment of privacy, the normalisation of porn and the sinister strains of abuse and online bullying. It's a watchable film, though it tends a little too far to the moral-panic way of thinking, with teens cast in the role of addicts, and their elders and betters – those wise, grey-haired academics – telling us the net is bad for them. Surely similar complaints were made about TV, video, and Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock? Kidron has pertinent points to make about the internet's colossal storage depots and server units, all burning up power: a brutal, industrial reality far from the quaintly conceived "cloud" where we imagine our data floats.
Beeban Kidron has made an engaging if flawed documentary about our enslavement to the internet, and she touches on the abandonment of privacy, the normalisation of porn and the sinister strains of abuse and online bullying. It's a watchable film, though it tends a little too far to the moral-panic way of thinking, with teens cast in the role of addicts, and their elders and betters – those wise, grey-haired academics – telling us the net is bad for them. Surely similar complaints were made about TV, video, and Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock? Kidron has pertinent points to make about the internet's colossal storage depots and server units, all burning up power: a brutal, industrial reality far from the quaintly conceived "cloud" where we imagine our data floats.
- 9/19/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
In honor of the amazing life and career and Dick Clark, this year ABC will air a two-hour countdown of the late “New Years Rockin’ Eve” host’s greatest moments, to be hosted by Fergie in Los Angeles and Jenny McCarthy in Times Square. The special (Dec. 31 from 8-10 p.m. Et) will celebrate clips from American Bandstand as well as many of Clark’s memorable New Year’s Eve countdowns. At 10 Et, Ryan Seacrest will join the hosts for a special appearance in honor of Clark.
We’ve got two exclusive clips from the pre-Seacrest two-hour special, below…
Cyndi Lauper...
We’ve got two exclusive clips from the pre-Seacrest two-hour special, below…
Cyndi Lauper...
- 12/27/2012
- by Annie Barrett
- EW - Inside TV
Screenwriters just love the classroom – so pay attention at the back for the best clips from films focusing on those emotionally turbulent high school years
This week's Clip joint is by James Rawson, a TV and web producer specialising in film journalism and based in Doha, Qatar. Follow him on Twitter at @jrawson.
Think you can do better than James? If you've got an idea for a future Clip joint, drop an email to adam.boult@guardian.co.uk
Cast your mind back to your teens, if it doesn't pain you too much. Those emotionally turbulent years when everything was changing physically, socially and psychologically; when every other thought was about sex; when you were struggling to learn life lessons but still look cool at the same time.
As an institution, high school has been the vehicle for almost every cinematic genre*, and it's easy to see why screenwriters are...
This week's Clip joint is by James Rawson, a TV and web producer specialising in film journalism and based in Doha, Qatar. Follow him on Twitter at @jrawson.
Think you can do better than James? If you've got an idea for a future Clip joint, drop an email to adam.boult@guardian.co.uk
Cast your mind back to your teens, if it doesn't pain you too much. Those emotionally turbulent years when everything was changing physically, socially and psychologically; when every other thought was about sex; when you were struggling to learn life lessons but still look cool at the same time.
As an institution, high school has been the vehicle for almost every cinematic genre*, and it's easy to see why screenwriters are...
- 10/24/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Hordes of Halbstarken – the German equivalent of teddy boys – come alive in this hidden rock'n'roll gem unearthed by Jon Savage from the archive of British Pathé newsreels
What's interesting in looking through newsreel archives is how the editorial policy of the day differs from what is now received history. So, although rock'n'roll arrived in Britain in the winter of 1955-6 with the success of Bill Haley and the Comets' Rock Around the Clock (No 1 in early January), there is comparatively little material relating to rock'n'roll in Pathé's archive from 1956.
Nowhere is there anything about Elvis Presley, who had four major hits that year, nor anything about the late-summer furore that accompanied the release of the film Rock Around the Clock – a heady brew of excited newspaper reports and censorious local councils reacting to a bit of gang warfare and youthful high spirits.
Rock'n'roll's impact went way beyond the music,...
What's interesting in looking through newsreel archives is how the editorial policy of the day differs from what is now received history. So, although rock'n'roll arrived in Britain in the winter of 1955-6 with the success of Bill Haley and the Comets' Rock Around the Clock (No 1 in early January), there is comparatively little material relating to rock'n'roll in Pathé's archive from 1956.
Nowhere is there anything about Elvis Presley, who had four major hits that year, nor anything about the late-summer furore that accompanied the release of the film Rock Around the Clock – a heady brew of excited newspaper reports and censorious local councils reacting to a bit of gang warfare and youthful high spirits.
Rock'n'roll's impact went way beyond the music,...
- 2/27/2012
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
Memphis, Tenn. — Elvis Presley fans love an anniversary.
Every year, thousands of Elvis devotees flock to Memphis to remember the singer's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The main event of "Elvis Week" is the solemn candlelight vigil at Graceland, his longtime home, at midnight Tuesday.
This year, fans have something else to commemorate. It was 55 years ago – 1956 – when the first two Elvis albums were released, launching an international music career that brought Elvis' mix of country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to millions of fans around the world.
"It's a documentation of what I think is rock music's most incredible year," said Ernst Jorgensen, a music producer and Elvis catalog expert. "Nobody was prepared for Elvis."
To mark Elvis' breakout year, Jorgensen and his team have assembled a five-cd box set called "Young Man with the Big Beat." Jorgensen will be unveiling the RCA/Legacy box set Monday at Graceland. The collection goes on sale Sept.
Every year, thousands of Elvis devotees flock to Memphis to remember the singer's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The main event of "Elvis Week" is the solemn candlelight vigil at Graceland, his longtime home, at midnight Tuesday.
This year, fans have something else to commemorate. It was 55 years ago – 1956 – when the first two Elvis albums were released, launching an international music career that brought Elvis' mix of country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to millions of fans around the world.
"It's a documentation of what I think is rock music's most incredible year," said Ernst Jorgensen, a music producer and Elvis catalog expert. "Nobody was prepared for Elvis."
To mark Elvis' breakout year, Jorgensen and his team have assembled a five-cd box set called "Young Man with the Big Beat." Jorgensen will be unveiling the RCA/Legacy box set Monday at Graceland. The collection goes on sale Sept.
- 8/15/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
It's another week of great revival screenings here in Weirdsville, and although the Paramount's Summer Film Series has come and gone for another year, there are still a mess o' fine flicks for the Classic Film connoisseur to enjoy.
And although the Austin Classic Movies Examiner has a somewhat arbitrary, self-imposed time limit of ten years before a film is considered "classic," he would be remiss if he did not give mention to what is sure to be a hilarious evisceration of M. Night Shyamalan's 2008 craptacular The Happening by the geniuses at Master Pancake Theater this weekend at the Alamo Ritz. What a twist!
Here are This Week's Classic Movie Screenings in Austin from Friday September 17th through Thursday September 23rd:
Grease (1978) with John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Sid Caesar, directed by Randall Kleiser, Sing-Along at Tinseltown South, Fri. @ 4:40, 7:30, and 10:10 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. @ 11:50 a.
And although the Austin Classic Movies Examiner has a somewhat arbitrary, self-imposed time limit of ten years before a film is considered "classic," he would be remiss if he did not give mention to what is sure to be a hilarious evisceration of M. Night Shyamalan's 2008 craptacular The Happening by the geniuses at Master Pancake Theater this weekend at the Alamo Ritz. What a twist!
Here are This Week's Classic Movie Screenings in Austin from Friday September 17th through Thursday September 23rd:
Grease (1978) with John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Sid Caesar, directed by Randall Kleiser, Sing-Along at Tinseltown South, Fri. @ 4:40, 7:30, and 10:10 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. @ 11:50 a.
- 9/17/2010
- by malthursday
- Examiner Movies Channel
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