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Pop Rock Nation

Category: People

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  • Feuding rock stars…

    In this first month of 2014, my mind has gone from “peace on Earth” to feuding rock stars…

    I read an interesting article yesterday about John Fogarty and his reaction to the news that his old nemesis, record company executive Saul Zaentz, had died on January 3. Saul Zaentz was 92 years old when he passed and had enjoyed a very successful career in the music business and as an independent music producer. But Zaentz and Fogarty were not friends. Before Zaentz got into the movie business, he was an executive for Fantasy Records, which he later bought. Creedence Clearwater Revival was signed to Fantasy Records and when Zaentz bought the company, he became the owner of many of their songs.

    John Fogarty vs. Saul Zaentz and Tom Fogarty

    In 1984, John Fogarty embarked on a solo career and released a song called “The Old Man Down The Road”, which became a hit. Zaentz sued Fogarty, accusing him of “self-plagiarism”, since he believed “The Old Man Down The Road” sounded a lot like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s hit, “Run Through The Jungle”. As owner of Fantasy Records, Zaentz owned the rights to “Run Through The Jungle”.


    Official video for “The Old Man Down The Road”…


    “Run Through The Jungle”

    Fogarty famously played the songs on guitar in court and ultimately prevailed in the lawsuit. But the bitterness toward Zaentz lingered as the two traded lawsuits over the years. When the news of Zaentz’s death came out, Fogarty’s Facebook and Twitter accounts had links to Fogarty’s song, “Vanz Kant Danz”. The song was originally entitled “Zanz Kant Danz”, but Zaentz sued over that, too. Fogarty was forced to change the name of the song.


    Fogarty’s “Vanz Kant Danz”.

    Although I remembered hearing about Fogarty’s legal issues over “The Old Man Down The Road” back in the 80s, I didn’t know he had this ongoing feud with Saul Zaentz. But reading about Fogarty’s legal issues made me think of the other feuding rock stars out there, keeping the music business interesting for us outsiders.

    John Fogarty also famously feuded with his brother, Tom, when John was made lead singer and chief songwriter of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Their animosity was such that Tom left the band in 1971. For the next nineteen years, Tom Fogarty was a solo artist, until he contracted AIDS from HIV tainted blood transfusions he received for back problems. He died September 6, 1990 from a tuberculosis infection caused by AIDS.

    Don Felder vs. Don Henley and Glenn Frey

    A few days ago, I wrote a post on Pop Rock Nation about children of rock stars. In that article, I mentioned Don Felder, former guitarist for The Eagles. Don Felder famously got fired from The Eagles over the financial arrangements coming out of a new contract that gave Henley and Frey more money than the other band members.

    Last weekend, as I watched the documentary The History of The Eagles last week, I saw all involved parties interviewed. I heard them talk about the legal issues. One thing that struck me was the sadness on Don Felder’s face as he talked about missing the music he used to make with The Eagles. While I doubt he regrets fighting for his piece of the pie, I suspect he does regret losing his status as an Eagle. Perhaps he even misses the friendship he might have enjoyed while playing with those guys on stage. I have always liked the Eagles’ music, but I have to admit that I’m pretty turned off by all the feuding… and the fact that their latest album was initially only sold at Walmart.

    Axl Rose vs. Slash

    In the late 1980s, Axl Rose and Slash (Izzy Stradlin) worked together in Guns N’ Roses. Decades later, they are extremely estranged. In a 2012 article in Rolling Stone, Slash said “[Axl Rose] hates my guts. It’s over a lot of different stuff; I don’t even know. There’s just no communication between us.” These two guys have been unable to coexist peacefully in many years. It’s a shame, too, because together they were pretty magical.


    “Welcome To The Jungle”


    Slash talks to Piers Morgan about Axl Rose…

    I’m sure I could sit here and write all day about rock starts who used to collaborate and now hate each other. It seems that a lot of the fighting is over money and prestige. I guess if you’re really brilliant and talented, you want to get your due. Add in the charisma and narcissism that comes with being a rock star and you’re bound to run into problems. At least John Fogarty no longer has to fight with his old enemy, now that the old man has gone on to his reward.

  • Children of rock stars…

    Sometimes I think being one of the children of rock stars must be a double edged sword…

    Last week, I was deathly ill with the latest strain of swine flu. As I could barely stand to be out of bed, I turned on the TV and flipped channels, finally settling on Showtime Extreme, which was showing The History of the Eagles. Having been born in the 70s and raised in the 80s, I have always loved The Eagles’ music and I enjoy a good documentary/tell all. I had read Don Felder’s Heaven or Hell: My Life In The Eagles (1974-2001) and enjoyed it, even though it really made Don Henley and Glenn Frey out to be jerks.

    I was curious about what Don Felder was up to lately, so I did some Googling and learned that his daughter, Leah, married Bruce Jenner’s and Linda Thompson’s son, Brandon Jenner, in Hawaii. I also learned that Brandon and Leah are musicians. I had not heard their song, “Vaselene” before I got curious about what Don Felder’s daughter was up to. But hell, they even have a video! Brandon and Leah and smoking hot together, but though this song has been out awhile, I just found it.


    Brandon & Leah perform “Vaselene” in a nifty video.

    I’ve been curious about the children of rock stars for a long time. Back in the 80s, I remember being astonished when I heard Julian Lennon, elder son of John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, since a short string of hits. Though I would say Julian’s music was not that much like his father’s, his voice was very similar. And he sure looked a lot like him, too. Julian had a few good songs in the mid 80s, but my personal favorite song by him is “Saltwater”, which he released in 1991. I discovered it when I was a disc jockey at my college. Sadly, as talented as he is, he hasn’t achieved the success his father enjoyed.


    Julian Lennon’s beautiful song, “Saltwater”.

    James Taylor and Carly Simon famously married in the 70s and produced two very talented children in daughter Sally and son Ben. Both have released albums of their own and have contributed to their parents’ work. Ben Taylor seems to have enjoyed more success than Sally has, though they are both blessed with fine voices and guitar skills. I particularly enjoy Ben Taylor’s music, since his voice is like an interesting hybrid of James Taylor’s, Livingston Taylor’s and Carly Simon’s, yet he’s also developed his own alternative style.


    Ben Taylor sings a live acoustic rendition of his song, “Nothing I Can Do”.


    Sally Taylor singing “Unsung Dance”.

    Alexa Ray Joel is another of the more famous children of rock stars. She has launched her own career, following in the footsteps of her famous dad, Billy Joel. She has a nice voice and plays piano. Though her voice doesn’t really remind me of his, it’s definitely strong and capable.


    Alexa Ray Joel sings her dad’s famous “Just The Way You Are” on Katie.

    Lucy Walsh is the very talented daughter of Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh. I remember hearing Joe Walsh once say that he’d never encourage his children to be rock stars or help them break into the business. Looks like Lucy didn’t need his help too much.


    I think I might need to download this…

    Willie Nelson and Arlo Guthrie each have musical daughters who have teamed up in Folk Uke, which is one of my favorite duos due to their irreverent sense of humor and penchant for swearing. Amy Nelson and Cathy Guthrie sing original songs and play guitar and ukelele with smashing results. These two seem to be gaining in popularity for good reason. I know Willie has joined his daughter on stage more than a few times, too.


    I like “Shit Makes The Flowers Grow”. It feels like a metaphor for my life.

    And here’s Olivia Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, singing on Rock The Cradle. She has a very unusual voice. I think I’d rather listen to her mother sing, though I think I can understand why some people think she’s brilliant.

    I am myself the daughter of musical parents, so I understand how the apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to musical talent. Though I have often dreamt of being a musician for a living, I’m too camera shy to consider it. Plus, I’m too damn old. But it is fun to make music and it’s good for the soul, even if I’ll never be a headliner or even a church choir soloist like my dad was. Still, I can say with honesty that musical genes are hard to wash away or hide. It must be tough to be the child of a rock star and really talented in your own right, yet constantly compared to your parents.

    My mother plays piano and organ brilliantly and was often employed by churches to play for services, weddings, and funerals. My dad was a singer with a good tenor voice who often sang in local groups and choirs. I didn’t sing until I was 18 years old and was taking a voice class in college. I had tried my hand at several musical instruments when I was growing up, but none of them stuck until I found out I was a singer. I remember the first time I sang a solo as my mom played organ. Some woman approached my mom afterwards and asked, “That was your daughter who sang?” My mom said I was hers and my dad’s daughter. And the woman quipped, “Wow! She didn’t get her voice from her father, did she?” I have to admit, that comment made me laugh.

    Yes, it’s true that genes can be powerful motivators. I’m glad I took a few minutes to listen to the children of rock stars this morning. I think I may have started the new year off exposed to some new musical blood.

  • Happy New Year!

    As 2013 draws to a close, here’s hoping we’ll all have a Happy New Year!

    I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season thus far. I had a relatively nice Christmas, except my husband gifted me with a particularly nasty bout of swine flu and I spent four days in bed. I feel mostly better now, except for a hacking cough, sore nose (from all the running), slight hoarseness, and lingering fatigue. I managed to get dressed yesterday, but I have a feeling I will stay in my nightie today. It’s dark, chilly, and cloudy outside and I might still be persuaded to curl up in bed with a good book and maybe some new tunes.

    2013 has been a fairly decent year, I guess. I remember finding out just days into the 2013 that my husband and I would be packing up and leaving North Carolina and moving to Texas, which has been a whole new world for me. In 2014, my husband will leave the Army and we’ll be in transition yet again. We don’t have any big trips planned… at least not officially. On January 10th, we do plan a “military hop”, which will probably land us in Europe somewhere for a week or two. But then we’ll come back and start wrapping up our active duty Army business. It’ll be time to embrace the civilian life and decide if we want to buy a house in Texas and put down roots. To tell you the truth, I’m not quite sold on Texas yet. I don’t hate it, but I’m not quite used to it yet.

    I suppose I could do a “best of” 2013 list today, except my mind is so fogged with flu meds that my mind is a bit of a blank. One song that I do usually play on New Year’s Eve is an old one by ABBA…


    “Happy New Year” by ABBA was a deep cut on their Super Trouper album in 1979…

    I will never forget the first time I ever heard this song. I was living in Yerevan, Armenia, serving with the Peace Corps. I often listened to the radio when I was at home in my apartment and there was a station from Moscow called Nostalgie. The Russian station would play all kinds of obscure songs in English from the 70s and 80s. Of course, being a 70s and 80s music nerd, this was a great thing for me. I could even overlook the station’s annoying overuse of sound effects and the fact that I don’t speak or understand Russian.

    One day, “Happy New Year” started playing. I listened to it and enjoyed it, even though it was nowhere near New Year’s Eve on the calendar. The song was kind of poignant, with a sweet melody and earnest singing from Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. I got a kick out of the fact that the song mentioned 1989 in the future, when I was listening to it in the 90s. Of course, now that 1989 was about 25 years ago, it’s even funnier to listen to ABBA’s “Happy New Year”. But then I realize how many years have passed and how I somehow went from being young to middle-aged.

    Another song I often play for New Year’s is “New Year’s Day” by U2.


    U2’s “New Year’s Day”…

    U2’s political anthem about the Polish Solidarity Movement was released about 31 years ago, which makes me feel even older. Nevertheless, even though the song isn’t so much about New Year’s as it is politics, I am always reminded of it as one year fades into the next. That song also reminds me of high school, mainly because U2 was all the rage when I was a teenager. And it still doesn’t seem like that was so long ago, even though it really was.

    As usual, Bill and I don’t have New Year’s Eve plans. We gave some thought to going out, but that was before we were struck down by the flu. And though we are both now feeling much better, it’s just as easy to stay home, drink bubbly in our jammies, and listen to music as we talk to each other. 2014 is going to be a big year, I think. I hope everyone enjoys this last day of 2013 and rings in the new year with joy and the expectation of something good to come.

    Happy New Year!