I’ll hardly even mention Mars — either the planet or mythical Sci-Fi stomping grounds!
Orbiting the metaphorical world of Salt Lake/Utah Valley is the satellite enclave of Park City, Utah — Planet Zion has a number of moons named Alta, Sundance, Brighton, et cetera, where the life-forms hike in the summers, and ski/snowboard/snowshoe in the winters. In mid-January there are festivals devoted to movies too. Inhabitants of these worldlets love socializing — with good food, good drink, good music, dancing, and the good things that follow the pursuit of happiness.
From a cabaret drawing by M.E.
I observed Park City change from a decaying mining camp to the nexus of many sprawling mountain communities on the east side of the Wasatch Mountains. At the age of 15, I played the jukebox next to Bucket A Go Go on Main Street, but not the 45 RPM single by Buzz & Bucky of the same name, and also golfed with my father and brother at the brand-new Park City Resort, above the crossroads at Mount Aire Cafe. For awhile, it was notorious for the C’est Bonne, an adult entertainment club, which more or less introduced professional strippers to Northern Utah, but the late-summer Park City Art Festival pushed that image aside, starting in the early 1970′s. Soon afterward, a mid-winter Park City Film Festival struggled to establish itself — generating a lot of good will with the public, but always on a precarious financial footing, until Robert Redford lent his talents to the project and renamed it the Sundance Festival.
A "Night of the Thumpasaurus People" at Park City Resort, partying like it was 1999 -- which it WAS!
I’ve enjoyed some grand times in and around Park City, and attended the festivals more often than I can specifically remember. I’ve written about one particular instance in 1999 and invite you to read the articles HERE and HERE — They are mostly about Funk Legend Bernie Worrell and the extended P-Funk family, but there are some asides about the Bleh Witch Project, and a very nice lady named Grace Qi who works in the IT business now.
SLUG Magazine is on the film festival scene THIS year!
Condensed from SLUG Mag #277:
Film Festival Circus: An Interview with Paul Rachman by Jeanette D. Moses
For the past 17 years, Paul Rachman has made the trek to Park City every January to be a part of what he describes as the film festival “circus” that overtakes the small mountain town. His ties to the film festival community run deep … Rachman helped found Slamdance Film Festival in the mid-’90s … Lost Rockers, the current feature length documentary that he is working on … will be next on his list … The film tells the story of eight musicians who Rachman says, “were on the cusp of super stardom and then fell through the cracks.” There is Jake Holmes who wrote the song “Dazed and Confused,” … There is Gloria Jones, the soul singer who … fell in love with Marc Bolan of T. Rex and moved to England to be with him … It also features Chris Robison, who … wrote, recorded and released some of the first gay rock records … Bobby Jameson, David Peel, The Lightning Raiders and Cherry Vanilla are also covered. “It’s a very different type of rock documentary. Music documentaries are usually about the stars, the big scenes, the big albums. This is about people who didn’t make it, but were awesome,” says Rachman.
MY $0.02 — David Peel and Cherry Vanilla
I totally enjoyed David Peel and the Lower East Side’s first album Have A Marihuana — bought several copies as gifts, and they were huge hits at many a college party in 1969-71.
Via Facebook, I’ve become acquainted with Peel’s bandmate Harold C. Black, who readily tells about life as a street musician in New York City, with Tiny Tim (before he was tiny), and the blind percussionist Moondog.
(Top to Bottom) Billy Joe White, Harold C. Black, and David Michael Rosario (David Peel) -- re-digitized from a publicity shot for their second Elektra album "The American Revolution" -- Art direction by the brilliant William S. Harvey
These guys signed with Elektra Records for two albums and made friends with John Lennon, who signed them to Apple — they made an album called The Pope Smokes Dope, which was talked about much more than it was heard.
Kathleen Dorritie of New York was known to me and the wider world as legendary Cherry Vanilla — a Rock Music publicist associated with David Bowie’s Main Man company, and an outrageous performer in an era that specialized in outrageousness. Her poetry book Pop Tart Compositions was part of the 70′s Zeitgeist too, and she’s made a long career as a writer, performer, manager — plus a muse to many a musician.
Redigitized impression of Cherry Vanilla in performance circa 1976
If you want some scoops from the lady, and pleasures via her own mouth, she’s offering her autobiography Lick Me — How I became Cherry Vanilla on her very interesting web site.
Too Funky — Too Funky In Here
Artwork from Marcel Visser's 3 CD collection on Disky Records
CD #1 features: 1. Creative Source Harlem (Don’t you give your money to that lying, sneaking man) 2. African Music Machine Tropical (Actually a down-in-the alley instrumental jam) 3. Soul Searchers We the People (The great Chuck Brown of Washington D.C.) 4. Natural Four Nothing Beats A Failure (But a TRY) 5. Honey Cone Son of a Preacher Man (The group who made Mr. Big Stuff famous) 6. Brother To Brother In The Bottle (Brian Jackson & Gil Scott Heron’s poignant masterpiece) 7. Johnnie Taylor Who’s Makin’ Love (To Your Old Lady while you were out making love …) 8. Sandpebbles Forget It (Nasty instrumental) 9. Holland Dozier Holland Can’t Get Enough 10. Chairmen of The Board Try On My Love For Size (Yeah, I get it — these two cuts very possibly have Bernie Worrell and/or members of Parliament/Funkadelic) 11. Laura Lee I Need It Just As Bad As You (Cheese with that whine, lady?) 12. Ike & Tina Turner Funkier Than A Mosquita’s Tweeter (Songwriter Anna Mae Bullock ISN”T whining) 13. Bar-Kays Be Yourself 14. The Moments Clap Your Hands (It’s a shame every night can’t be like Saturday night) 15. Maceo & All The King’s Men Thankyouforlettingmebemiceselfagain (When Sly’s song was new — King’s was the studio where they recorded this) 16. Soul Searchers Ahley’s roadchip (Super FUNK) 17. Eddy Senay Hot Thang (And it’s HOT) 18. Timmy Thomas Ebony Affair (Black & Proud) 19. Masterfleet Man & Child (Social commentary you can DANCE to) 20. Eddie Fisher Get Down With The Feeling (Maybe there are influences from Kool and the Gang and the Ohio Players, but it’s so damn good)
If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Elizabethan Theatre.)
Shaunna Hall’s Elecrofunkadelica — just let it play while you read!
Johnny Melville and Jango Edwards continue to fool around the cinema.
Check out Parade of Fools for the latest on their movie!
Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
— Then buy one from SLOWTRAIN!
Check Out the Dance Histories Section !
