The Late, Great Cinematographer William A. Fraker

William A. Fraker, the legendary cinematographer who shot such movies as The President's Analyst, Rosemary's Baby, and Bullitt, passed Monday at the age of 86. The cause was cancer.

William A. Fraker was born September 29, 1923 in Los Angeles, California. During World War II he joined the United States Navy and served in the Pacific theatre. Following the war he attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema. He took a job as a photographer's assistant. His first assignment was working on a Marilyn Monroe calender.

Mr. Fraker's first work as a cinematographer was on the film Forbid Them Not, released in 1961. In 1962 he began work on the long running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet as a camera operator. He worked on the film Father Goose (1964) before receiving his first cinematographer credit on a feature film, the Leslie Stevens horror movie Incubus (1965). From that point on Mr. Fraker would work exclusively on feature films except for a stint on the TV show Daktari in 1966.

For the remainder of the sixties William A. Fraker would shoot such films as Games (1967), The President's Analyst (1967), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Bullitt (1968), and Paint Your Wagon (1969). The Seventies saw Mr. Fraker work on such films as The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Coonskin (1975), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), and Heaven Can Wait (1978). In the Eighties he shot such film as Sharky's Machine (1981), WarGames (1983), Murphy's Romance (1985), Burglar (1987), and The Freshman (1990). From the Nineties into the Naughts he was cinematographer on such films as Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Tombstone (1993), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996),. and Rules of Engagement (2000). In the Naughts he shot the films Town and Country (2001) and Waking Up in Reno (2002). His last film as cinematographer, Section B, is set for release later this year.

William A. Fraker also directed three films, Monte Walsh (1973), Reflection of Fear (1973), and The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981). He also directed episodes of TV shows, including such series as Wiseguy, The Flash, and Unsub.

William A. Fraker was nominated five times for the Oscar for Best Cinematography.

There can be no doubt William A. Fraker was one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, although it would be difficult to say he had his own style. Mr. Fraker believed that the look of a film should be determined by the film itself, not the cinematographer. As a result, Mr. Fraker used a different style on each film he shot, depending on the mood of that film. For Rosemary's Baby Mr. Fraker used a crisp style reminiscent of cinema verite, while for Tombstone he used a more romantic style as befits an epic Western. Mr. Fraker would also do nearly anything to get the shot he thought fit the scene. For the famous car chase in Bullitt, Mr. Fraker strapped himself to the front of a Mustang and shot the scene while going 100 miles per hour. The result was one of the greatest car chase sequences in film. William A. Fraker was a perfectionist and a professional, and both were reflected in every film he shot.

Happy Memorial Day & Spring Bank Holiday 2010

Since today is Memorial in the United States, I am not going to do a full fledged post, but instead I will wish you a "Happy Memorial Day!" I will also leave you with this, a clip of Jimi Hendrix performing "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock.



Of course, today is also the spring bank holiday in the United Kingdom, so for those across the Pond, "Happy spring bank holiday!" I will leave you with Brian May's performance of "God Save the Queen" at Buckingham on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002.

The Mysterious Adam Diment

"In the future everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes." Andy Warhol

The above, often paraphrased quote originated in Mr. Warhol's catalogue for an exhibit at the Moderna Museet, in Stockholm in 1968, but it might as well have been said of the year 1968 itself. Indeed, there may be no better example of someone who was extremely famous for a brief time than author Adam Diment. In 1967 his novel The Dolly, Dolly Spy was published to accolades and a huge amount of press. The book featured a spy as never seen before, the pot smoking, thoroughly Mod Philip McAlpine. Mr. Diment would write three more novels featuring McApine (The Great Spy Race and The Bang, Bang Birds from 1968, Think Inc. from 1971) before disappearing from public view. Since then both he and his books have been largely forgotten.

 Adam Diment was born in 1948, the son of an upper middle class  farmer in Sussex, England. He was educated at Lansing, a private boarding school in West Sussex. According to a newspaper article by Dick Kleiner of the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) published around July 23, 1968, Mr. Diment had worked in both publishing and advertising, but liked neither. It was in 1967 that Mr. Diment's agent sent the manuscript for The Dolly, Dolly Spy to publisher Michael Joseph. Not only did Michael Joseph buy the book, but they did so for an unheard sum of money for a work by an unpublished writer. They also signed Adam Diment to write an entire series of books. What is more, Diment's agent would go onto sell The Dolly, Dolly Spy in 17 other countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United States. The Dolly, Dolly Spy was at the centre of a good deal of publicity. In the years 1967-1968 there was a good deal of newspaper coverage of Adam Diment. Indeed, to promote the publication of The Dolly, Dolly Spy in the United States, Mr. Diment did a book tour across the country. He would even be photographed by Life magazine.

Today it must seem unusual that there would be so much furore over a spy novel, but then it must be pointed out that The Dolly, Dolly Spy was a very  unusual spy novel. Its protagonist was Philip McAlpine, a pot smoking, Chelsea swinger who loves girls and fast cars. McAlpine is blackmailed into working for a rather shadowy part of British Intelligence with the threat he will be arrested for drug dealing. As to his blackmailer, that would be his boss in British Intelligence, a thorough sadist named Rupert Quine. Quine is a complete dandy whose speech pattern is total camp. He consistently refers to McAlpine as "honey" and "sweetie." Quine was as far from M from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels or Mac from Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm as one could get. Philip McAlpine dressed in the latest Mod fashions and used the most up to date slang. In other respects, however, The Dolly, Dolly Spy had all the necessary ingredients of Sixties, Bondian spy fiction: lots of sex and lots of violence. Indeed, the plot of The Dolly, Dolly Spy is similar to other, contemporary spy novels--McAlpine must abduct a former member of the Waffen SS.

Adam Diment

To the press at the time The Dolly, Dolly Spy was published, it seemed clear that Adam Diment had based Philip McAlpine on himself. He was young, only 22 when the book was published. He was also described as tall and good looking. He also dressed the part, wearing Regency suits and frilly shirts. Like McAlpine, Mr. Diment also loved beautiful girls. The two also had a less legal habit in common. By his own admission (the aforementioned article by NEA's Dick Kleiner being an example), Adam Diment smoked marijuana. In the above referenced article, he even expresses surprise that he had "..never been arrested, given the notoriety the book had." Indeed, in the article Mr. Diment also expressed the idea that it should be legalised.

Because its hero and its author both smoked marijuana, The Dolly, Dolly Spy did cause a bit of controversy upon its publication in the United Kingdom. It also proved to be a roaring success, something it would repeat in most of the seventeen countries in which it was published. The Great Spy Race was published in March 1968. The book centred upon Philip McAlpine working to get to a secret microfilm before enemy agents can do so. The novel received the same sterling reviews that the first book did. In fact, it would be in 1968 that Hollywood would come calling upon Mr. Diment's door.

It was in 1968 that United Artists bought the rights to The Dolly, Dolly Spy. The movie was to be produced by Stanley Canter and Desmond Elliot (Adam Diment's agent), and was set to star David Hemmings (of Blowup fame) as McAlpine. The movie did seem to present United Artists with some problems. In the above cited article by Dick Kleiner, Adam Diment discussed whether the movie would include McAlpine's pot habit or not. The movie was even mentioned in a blurb in the Thriller Book Club edition of of the third novel, The Bang Bang Birds. Unfortunately, it would seem that a movie adaptation of The Dolly, Dolly Spy would never materialise. As to why, that remains a mystery to this day.

It was in November, 1968  that the third McAlpine novel, The Bang Bang Birds, was published. In the novel Philip McAlpine's assignment is to investigate the mysterious Aviary Organisation, who own a chain of brothels worldwide. Of course, all of this is a cover for more nefarious activities, such as collecting intelligence through such means as blackmail and murder. The Bang Bang Birds also received good reviews and sold well.

Given the success of the Philip McAlpine books, it might seem odd that The Bang Bang Birds would be the last one for some time. Throughout 1969 very little is heard of Adam Diment or his Mod, superspy hero. Interestingly enough, there were two anonymous letters sent to the Bank of England's Exchange Control Department in March 1969, only recently released by the National Archives. The letters allege that in November 1968 American producer Stanley Canter gave Adam Diment a cheque in the amount of $2,400. In return the letters allege that Adam Diment gave Mr. Canter a cheque for £1000 drawn on Mr. Diment's account at Barclay's Bank in London. The letter goes on to claim that Mr. Canter cashed the cheque and Mr. Diment smuggled the American dollars out of the United Kingdom to Rome, where he stayed for three months. One of the letters alleged that some of the money was for Mr. Diment "..to spend on the Continent, some of it on drugs."

It is probably important not to make more of these accusations than there actually are. The two letters are remarkably similar in tone and writing style, to the point that it seems in all likelihood they were written by the same person. Indeed, to my admittedly untrained eye they look like they could have been composed on the same typewriter. It seems most likely to me that the letters were written by some individual with an axe to grind against Messrs. Diment and Canter. At any rate, neither Adam Diment nor Stanley Canter were ever arrested for a currency swindle, let alone ever prosecuted for one. It is pretty clear that if either or both of them had, it would have made the news in 1969.

Regardless, there would be only one more book featuring Philip McAlpine and only one more book by Adam Diment. Think, Inc. was published in May 1971. In Think, Inc. McAlpine has been fired from his job as a superspy and soon finds that several different intelligence agencies want him dead. To survive he takes a job with a very exclusive criminal organisation. The author's biography on Think, Inc. claimed Adam Diment was living in Zurich at the time and working on a fifth book. A fifth book never came.

Since then Adam Diment, whose photo was once in Life and whose books were lauded by The Daily Mirror and The New York Times, has largely been forgotten by the general public, as have his books. Among his fans, both those whose read the books when they first published and those who have developed since then, the reason Adam Diment stopped writing remains a mystery. As is often the case with mysteries, rumours have run rampant as to what happened to Mr. Diment. There are those who claim he went to India to live in an ashram. Another rumour is that he settled in Kent and took up farming.  Other rumours are far more darker.

While it is impossible to say if Adam Diment took up farming in Kent without the author himself coming forward, it seems most likely that he simply retired from writing. In the aforementioned article by NEA's Dick Kleiner, published in July 1968, Mr. Diment stated, "I'm getting a little tired of the character now." It seems possible that Adam Diment simply tired of Philip McAlpine and perhaps tired of writing entirely. He may have then simply retired.

Regardless, even though Philip McAlpine and his creator have largely been forgotten, they may have had a lasting impact. It was in 1968 that The Final Programme by Michael Moorcock was published, the first novel to feature superspy and adventurer Jerry Cornelius. While there are considerable differences between McAlpine and Cornelius, it must be pointed out that, like McAlpine, Cornelius is an anti-hero, a post-modern James Bond, and a hipster (at least in The Final Programme). Cornelius parties, does drugs, and has lots of sex (even with his own sister). While McAlpine was probably not an inspiration for Cornelius, he may have certainly paved the way for him.

While Philip McAlpine most likely did not inspire Jerry Cornelius, it seems likely he was a source of inspiration for Grant Morrison's comic book character Gideon Stargrave. Gideon Stargrave was introduced in 1978 in the British anthology title Near Myths. Like both McAlpine and Cornelius, Stargrave was a spy. Like both McAlpine and Cornelius, he took drugs.   Like both McAlpine and Cornelius, he has a lot of sex. Like McAlpine, he is a sharp dresser. Unlike McAlpine, Stargrave may also be bisexual. It seems possible that Philip McAlpine was a source of inspiration for Gideon Stargrave. It is a certainty that Jerry Cornelius was a source of inspiration for Stargrave. Not only has Grant Morrison admitted such, but Michael Moorcock has made statements on more than one occasion that Morrison outright plagiarised Cornelius to create Stargrave.

Another possible legacy of Philip McAlpine is the character of Austin Powers. First introduced in the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers is a hip superspy who dresses in somewhat exaggerated, Mod fashion, frequently uses Britsh slang from the Sixties, and has lots of sex. In fact, the primary difference between the Philip McAlpine novels and the Austin Powers movies is that the Austin Powers movies are outright spoofs of Sixties spy movies and Swinging London, while the Philip McAlpine novels are serious works of spy fiction. Many have cited the possibility that the TV series Adam Adamant Lives was an inspiration for Austin Powers, while Elizabeth Hurley has said British presenter and DJ Simon Dee was also an inspiration for the character, but given the similarities between Philip McAlpine and Austin Powers it seems likely that McAlpine also inspired Powers.

Upon the publication of The Dolly, Dolly Spy, Adam Diment and his books enjoyed a great deal of publicity. In the years 1967-1968 he was considered one of the great, young authors of the Sixties. And while the books would develop a following and would prove to have a lasting impact on pop culture, both Adam Diment and his creation Philip McAlpine would be forgotten. It would seem that Andy Warhol was wrong. Oh, he was apparently right about everyone being world famous for fifteen minutes, but he was wrong about the time. It would not be in the future. It was in the Sixties.

The Late, Great Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper, who directed and starred in Easy Rider and portrayed Frank Booth in Blue Velvet passed today at the age of 74.The cause was complications from prostate cancer.

Dennis Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas on May 17, 1936. After World War II his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and later moved to San Diego County, California. He started acting in high school plays and won a scholarship to the National Shakespeare Festival at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego

 Dennis Hopper graduated from Helix High School in 1954. He made his television debut that same year in an episode of Cavalcade of America. In 1955 he guest starred on the shows Medic, The Public Defender, and The Loretta Young Show. His guest shot as an epileptic on Medic resulted in a contract with Warner Brothers. His first film with Warner Brothers would also be his movie debut, Rebel Without a Cause. It in the film Mr. Hooper played one of the gang who menaces James Dean's character. Meeting James Dean would have a profound effect on Mr. Hooper's life. He was so impressed with Mr. Dean's acting style that it would influence his own. In fact, Hooper told Vanity Fair in a 1977 interview, "The most personal tragedy in my life was Dean. I was 19 years old and had such admiration for him."

In 1955 Dennis Hopper appeared in an uncredited role in the film I Died a Thousand Times. That same year he appeared in the TV shows King's Row, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, and Screen Director's Showcase. He also appeared in the film Giant, playing the son of Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor as an adult. It would be the last time he would act with James Dean. Over the next few years he would guest star on such shows as Cheyenne, Conflict, and Sugarfoot. He also appeared in the film Gunfight at the OK Corral and The Story of Mankind in 1957. It would be on the film From Hell With Texas that his career would take a turn for the worse. Taking James Dean's style of Method Acting to heart, he refused to say his lines and move precisely the way director Henry Hathaway wanted him to.  Hathaway demanded take after take until Mr. Hopper finally gave in to him. The incident earned Mr. Hopper a reputation for being "difficult" and led to Warner Brothers dumping him.

From the very late Fifties into the mid-Sixties, most of Dennis Hopper's work was in television. He guest starred on Zane Grey Theatre, The Rifleman, The Millionaire, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Naked City, 87th Precinct, Wagon Train, The Twilgiht Zone, The Defenders, Petticoat Junction, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke. He appeared in a few movies, such as Key Witness  (1960), Night Tide (1961), The Thirteen Most Beautiful Boys (1964), and Tarzan and Jane Regained...Sort of (1964). In 1965 director Henry Hathaway gave Mr. Hopper another chance and he was cast in a small part in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).

The late Sixties saw Dennis Hopper guest star on more television shows, including The Time Tunnel, Combat, The Guns of Will Sonnett, and The Big Valley. He also appeared in a mixture of low budget and major motion pictures, including Queen of Blood (1966), The Trip (1967), Cool Hand Luke (1967),  The Glory Stompers  (1968), Panic in the City (1968), and Hang 'Em High (1968). He also made an uncredited appearance in Head (1968), the debut film of Bob Rafelson and The Monkees' only film.

It was in 1968 that Dennis Hopper directed his first film, the legendary Easy Rider. Produced by Peter Fonda and starring both Mr. Fonda and Mr. Hooper, the film would not be seen until the Cannes Film Festival in May 1969 (where it won the award for best film by a new director) and would not be released until July 1969. One of the first films to embrace the counterculture, Easy Rider proved to be both influential and successful at the box office. It was one of the films which ushered in the New Hollywood of the very late Sixties into the Seventies. Life magazine referred to Dennis Hopper as "Hollywood's hottest director.."

In 1969 Dennis Hopper also appeared in the film True Grit. For his next directing effort, Mr. Hooper went to Peru to shoot The Last Movie. Unfortunately, the film would not be nearly as successful as Easy Rider, either at the box office or with critics. Although upon its release in 1971 it won the Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival, most critcs tore the film apart. It would even be pulled from theatres. He would not direct another film until Out of the Blue in 1980.

The Seventies saw Dennis Hopper appear in such films as The Other Side of the Wind (1972), Crush Proof (1972), Kid Blue (1973), Mad Dog Morgan (1976), Tracks  (1977), Der amerikanische Freund (1977.in which he played Patricia Highsmith's criminal mastermind Tom Ripley),  L'ordre et la sécurité du monde (1978) , Couleur chair (1978),  and Les apprentis sorciers (1977). He had a memorable role in Apocalypse Now playing a hippie photojournalist who is very nearly as mad as Colonel Kurtz. (Marlon Brando). In 1980 Dennis Hopper directed and appeared in Out of the Blue. On television he appeared in the mini-series Wild Times as Doc Holiday.

In the Eighties Dennis Hopper appeared in such films as Reborn (1981), King of the Mountain (1981), Rumble Fish (1983), The Osterman Weekend (1983), White Star (1983), Euer Weg führt durch die Hölle (1984), Slagskämpen (1984), O. C. and Stiggs (1985), My Science Project (1985), The American Way (1986), and The River's Edge (1986). In 1986 he appeared in two of the most significant roles of his career. One of these was the role of Gene Hackman's assistant in Hoosiers, for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The other was the role for which he should have been nominated for an Oscar, that of the psychotic villain Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. Frank Booth was a villain as the movies had never seen before, his tastes running to inhaling nitrous oxide and sado-masochism. It would be a role that would change Mr. Hopper's career, as he increasingly played a number of bizarre villains. Mr. Hopper finished the Eighties appearing in such films as Running Out of Luck (1987), Black Widow (1987), Straight to Hell (1987), The Pick-Up Artist (1987), Blood Red (1989), Chattahochee (1989), Flashback (1990), and Catchfire (1990). On television he appeared in the television movies Stark and Stark: Mirror Image. He also directed the films Colours (1988), Catchfire (which due to a dispute with the studio was credited to Alan Smithee), and The Hot Spot (1990).

Dennis Hopper began the Nineties playing the racist Paris Trout in the movie of the same name (1991). He also appeared in the movies The Indian Runner (1991), Eye of the Storm (1991), Sunset Heat (1992), Boiling Point (1993), Red Rock West (1993), True Romance (1993),Chasers (1994), Speed (1994), Search and Destroy (1995), Waterworld (1995), Carried Away (1996), Basquiat (1996), The Blackout (1997), Top of the World (1998), The Prophet's Game (1999), Edtv (1999), and Held for Ransom (2000). On television he appeared in the TV movies Samson and Delilah and Jason and the Argonauts.He directed the films Chasers (1994) and Homeless (2000).

In the Naughts Mr. Hopper appeared in the films Ticker (2001), Choke (2001), The Piano Player (2002), The Night We Called It a Day (2003), Out of Season (2004), The House of 9 (2005), Memory (2006), Swing Vote (2008), and An American Carol (2008).  He set to appear in The Last Film Festival to be released later this year. On television he was a lead on the short lived series Flatland, a recurring character on the first season of 24, one of the lead characters on the short lived series E-Ring, and a regular on the Starz series Crash. He guest starred on the series Las Vegas.

For much of his life Dennis Hopper made more headlines for his alcoholism and his drug habits than he did for his career. In many respects this is sad, as Mr. Hopper was capable of delivering great performances even when he was drinking heavily and using drugs. James Dean had given him the advice, "Well, you have to do things, not show them. You have to take a drink from the glass, not act like you're drinking. Don't have any preconceived ideas. Approach something differently every time." Mr. Hopper took that advice to heart and his career benefited form it. Indeed, if Dennis Hopper played many psychopaths during his career, it was perhaps because he was capable of making any character seem convincing and realistic. Indeed, it must be pointed that while he was best known for playing psychopaths, he played many more sorts of roles, including Gen Hackman's assistant in Hoosiers, Frank Sinatra in The Night We Called It a Day, and, of course, Billy in Easy Rider. Dennis Hopper was a versatile actor of considerable talent. Indeed, he was one of the best actors of the last half of the 20th Century.

Paul Gray of Slipknot Passes On

Paul Gray, founding member and bassist of the heavy metal band Slipknot, passed on Monday, May 24 at the age of 38. He was found dead in a room at the Town Place Suites in Urbandale, Iowa. Reportedly his body was found near a bottle of pills and a hypodermic syringe. Authorities have said that the autopsy indicated no signs of foul play, although toxicology results will not be returned for another four to six weeks.

Paul Gray was born in Los Angeles, California on April 8, 1972. His family moved to Des Moines, Iowa when he in his youth. It was in 1992 that vocalist Anders Colsefini, percussionist Shawn Crahan, and bassist Gray formed Painface. The band recorded a demo entitled The Basement Sessions, which included an early version of the song "Slipknot" which would eventually be recorded by the band of the same name. Painface broke up later in the year. It was in September 1995 that Colsefini, Crahan, and Gray regrouped to form the band The Pale Ones. The band added members along the way and it was in late 1995 or early 1996 that drummer Joey Jordison suggested they rename the band "Slipknot" after the song. It was during this period that they initially wore makeup and then switched to masks, which they thought would draw attention away from themselves and towards their music.The band members would eventually be known by numbers from 0 to 8, as well as their names (Paul Gray was Number 2).

It was on Halloween 1996 that Slipknot released the independently produced Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. Only around 1000 copies were produced. The album mixed genres from heavy metal to jazz to funk. It was in 1998 that Slipknot recorded a demo which was sent to various record labels. It was in July 1998 that Slipknot was signed to Roadrunner Records. Their self titled debut album with Roadrunner featured the hits "Wait and Bleed," which went to #34 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and "Spit It Out," which went to #28 on the UK singles chart.  The album itself went to #51 on the Billboard albums chart.

It was in 2001 that Slipknot released their second album Iowa. Iowa did better than the prior album, hitting #3 on the Billboard album chart. The song "My Plague" from the album was nominated for the Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance. The song "Left Behind" hit #30 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was also nominated for the Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance.

During 2003 Paul Gray as Unida's bassist on their tour. The following year Slipknot released Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses). The album performed better than any of their previous albums, going to #2 on the Billboard album chart. The album contained the hit song "Before I Forget." It went to #32 on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart, #11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart, and #35 on the UK Singles chart. It also won the Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance. In 2005 Paul Gray was a part of the Roadrunner United project, an album celebrating the label's 25th anniversary and featuring artists from the label's history.

In 2007 Gray was a guest on Drop Dead, Gorgeous' second album, Worse Than Fairy Tale. In 2008 Slipknot released All Hope is Gone. The album went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 200 and the UK albums chart. The album included the songs "Psychosocial," which went to #7 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, "Dead Memories," which went to #3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and "Snuff," which went to #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. It was also in 2008 that Paul Gray appeared on the Reggie and the Full Effect album Last Stop: Crappy Town.

While I cannot say I am a huge fan of Slipknot, I have liked a good deal of their work. And I have always admired Paul Gray as a bassist. In fact, he was one of the most versatile bassists of the late Nineties and Naughts. On Slipknot's earlier releases he used the slapping style characteristic of funk and soul. He would still use it at times on later releases. He also used the fingerstyle technique, plucking the bass strings directly with his finger. On most of the group's more recent releases he used a pick. He was a very good songwriter, contributing a number of songs over the years to Slipknot. Indeed, such a loss is Paul Gray that I have to wonder if the band will even survive.

"Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones

If I made a list of my top ten favourite songs of all time, chances are that "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones would be in that list. I definitely know it is my favourite song by The Rolling Stones. I am apparently not alone in thinking it is a great song. Rolling Stone placed it at #174 on their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list (which I would say is ranking a bit low--I'd put it in the top ten).

While "Paint It, Black" is attributed to Jagger/Richards, as many of The Rolling Stones' hits were, it was actually a collaborative effort of the band. According to The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, the song took shape when Bill Wyman was playing the organ in parody of the band's first manager, Eric Easton, who had been a cinema organist. It was Brian Jones who added the song's legendary sitar riff. The song's rather dark lyrics were written by Mick Jagger.

"Paint It, Black" was released as a single on 7 May, 1966 in the United States and on 13 May, 1966 (a Friday, fittingly enough) in the United Kingdom. The song hit #1 on the United States' Billboard Hot 100 chart, #1 on the UK Singles chart, and #1 on the Canadian RPM chart. It was the first hit rock song in the United States to ever feature a sitar. It was also the debut single from The Rolling Stones' album Aftermath in the United States. The album was  released 15 April, 1966 in the United Kingdom and 20 June, 1966 in the United States. Interestingly enough, the title was meant to be "Paint It Black," without a comma. Keith Richards had said that the comma was added by Decca, their recording label.

According to Bill Wyman's autobiography, when asked what "Paint It, Black" meant, Mick Jagger said, "It means paint it, black." That having been said, an analysis of the song's lyrics seems to indicate that the song is sung from the point of view of a man whose lover has just died. The opening words of the song, "I see a red door and I want it painted it black" would seem to be a reference to the door of an Anglican church, whose doors are traditionally painted red. Churches are, of course, often the site of funerals. Another clue could be the line, "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black," which could refer to a funeral procession (hearses traditionally being black). Indeed, it is following the line "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black" that he most obvious possible reference to death comes, "with flowers and my love both never to come back." Quite simply, both his love and the flowers are being taken away by the hearse.

Yet another clue could be the line "Like a newborn baby it just happens everyday." People are born everyday. They die everyday too. Another clue could be the line "I could not foresee this thing happening to you," i.e. he could not foresee her death. Finally, another fairly obvious clue that the song is about the loss of a loved one are the lines, "If I look hard enough into the settin' sun/My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes." This indicates that the only time he can now be with his love is in the night, when he is either dreaming or remembering her.

Over the years "Paint It, Black" has been covered a number of times. Indeed, the first cover versions emerged the very year it was released. In 1966 alone it was covered by both Chris Farlowe and The Standells. In 1967 it was covered by Eric Burdon and The Animals on their album Winds of Change. Burdon would cover the song again with War in 1970. Both times he somewhat altered the arrangement and the lyrics. The song would later be covered by Deep Purple (1988), Echo and The Bunnymen (1988), Marc Almond (1998), W.AS.P., and many, many others.

Below are some clips of a few of the versions of the song. First up is the original by The Rolling Stones, performed live in 1966.





Next up is The Standells' version, from 1966.





Here is The Animals' version from 1967. As much as I like The Animals, I have to confess I don't care much for their version of the song.





Finally, here is the version by heavy metal band W.A.S.P.

The Late, Great Art Linkletter

Legendary host of the long running shows People are Funny and Art Linkletter's House Party, Art Linkletter, passed today at the age of 97.

Art Linkletter was born Gordon Arthur Kelly on July 16, 1912 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He was less than a month old when his parents abandoned him at the door of a local church. He was adopted by Fulton John and Mary Linkletter, a preacher and his wife. He not know he was adopted until he was twelve, when one day he was rummaging through his father's desk. It was around the time that Mr. Linkletter was five years old that the family moved to San Diego, California.

During his childhood, Art Linkletter took  a diverse number of jobs. Graduating from high school at age 16, Mr. Linkletter decided he wanted to see the world. Starting out with only $10 to his name, he travelled the United States by hitch hiking and hopping aboard freight trains. He worked a number of different jobs, from busboy to meatpacker to working in a bank. Upon his return to California, Mr. Linkletter attended San Diego State College, intending to become an English teacher. He participated in a number of different extracurricular activities, including playing on the basketball team and handball team, and swimming on the college's swim team. His life would be forever changed when during his junior year he was hired as announcer on local San Diego station  KGB. When he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1934, he no longer wanted to be a teacher. Instead, Art Linkletter stayed at KGB, where he eventually became the station's chief announcer.

Art Linkletter went onto work at a San Francisco station, and then in 1942 to Hollywood to seek opportunities there. Initially he met with little of the success he had known earlier in his career. This would change when he met John Guedal, who would go onto create the game show You Bet Your Life. Together they made an audition tape for an audience participation show which would use Mr. Linkletter's ability to elicit humour from almost anyone to good use. Entitled People Are Funny, the show would debut on April 10, 1942 on NBC Radio. Oddly enough, Art Linkletter was the original host--Art Baker was. It was on October 1, 1943 that Mr. Linklletter replaced Mr. Baker. The series proved so successful that it was the basis of a 1946 movie musical of the same name. It would run on radio until 1960.

People are Funny would not be Mr. Linkletter's only hit show. In 1944 General Electric decided it wanted to sponsor its own, daily audience participation show. John Geuedal contacted GE and pitched the idea of a show with the ever popular Art. Linkletter. Art Linkletter's House Party debuted on CBS radio on January 15, 1945. Unlike People are Funny, the emphasis on House Party was less on stunts and more on chatting with the audience, cooking segments, and celebrity interviews. Its most famous segment was "Kids Say the Darnedest Things," in which Mr. Linkletter would interview children in hope of humorous responses. It ran on radio until 1967.

Both People are Funny and Art Linkletter's House Party moved to television. House Party made its television debut in 1952, and ran until 1970. People are Funny made its television debut in1954. It ran until 1960, although episodes were reran until 1961. From 1950 to 1952 he was the host of Life with Linkletter. From  1965 to 1966 he was the host of Hollywood Talent Scouts. In 1998 he was co-host of Kids Say he Darnedest Things, based on the famous House Party segment. Throughout the years Art Linkletter appeared on many others shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Benny Programme, The Steven Allen Show, The Bob Cummings Show, You Bet Your Life, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, I've Got a Secret, What's My Line, The Lucy Show, Hollywood Squares, The Dean Martin Show, Batman, and Larry King Live. In 2005, when he was 93 years old, he opened Disney Land's 50th anniversary celebration.

Art Linkletter dabbled in acting over the years. He guest starred on such shows as Zane Grey Theatre, General Electric Theatre, Wagon Train, and The Red Skelton Show He also appeared in a few films including, People are Funny and  Champagne for Caesar. His last appearance on film was in the documentary When the World Breaks, which centres on the outburst of creativity during the Great Depression. It made its debut in February of this year at the Sedona International Film Festival.

 Over the years Art Linkletter wrote a number of books, including Kids Say the Darnedest Things (based on the House Party segment), Confessions of a Happy Man (his autobiography), Women are My Favourite People, I Didn't Do It Alone (another autobiography), and Old Age Is Not for Sissies, among others.

When Art Linkletter was in his heyday, critics were mystified by his appeal, believing he was bland and not pariticularly appealing.  Audiences disagreed, so that his shows were on for literally years. What the critics missed was Mr. Linkletter's  uncanny ability to put anyone at ease, thus getting them to open up about their thoughts or even perform the most outrageous stunts. In many ways he was the world's greatest straight man, asking adults and children alike questions that would lead to a punch line even Mr. Linkletter did not know ahead of time. Indeed, it must be pointed out that in many ways Art Linkletter was a pioneer of reality shows. The focus of both People are Funny and House Party was in getting people to be themselves in front of a camera. That having been said, while Mr. Linkletter was a pioneer in reality television, none of his shows were exploitative in the way that modern reality shows were. Instead, they were wholesome, funny, and even touching. Unlike many of today's reality show producers, Mr. Linkletter saw the good in people and sought to bring that out, not bring out the worst in humanity.