In Nederland overleed de in Joegoslavië geboren schrijfster Dubravka Ugrešić.
Tag Archives: 1949
RIP Tom Verlaine (1949 – 2023)
RIP Carmelo La Bionda (1949 – 2022)
In Italië stierf Carmelo La Bionda. Hij was een zanger en songschrijver. Hij werd 73.
Hij maakte samen met zijn broer deel uit van een muzikaal duo dat zich La Bionda noemde, wat ‘De blonde’ betekent. Het was hun echte achternaam.
Het duo maakte discoplaten. Hun grootste hit was misschien “One for You, One for Me” (1978). ‘Eentje voor jou, eentje voor mij’ zongen ze dus. Het is me nooit duidelijk geworden wat ze daar onderling aan het verdelen zijn.
De hoes van de elpee waar die compositie op staat, is een kitscherig oriëntalistisch tafereel dat niet zou misstaan naast een slavinnenmarktschilderij van Jean-Léon Gérôme en waarover Edward W. Said schande zou spreken.
He duo werkte ook onder de naam D. D. Sound en in die hoedanigheid releaseten zij een maxi single die de naam “Café” (1978) kreeg. Die plaat draaide DJ Larry Levan in de legendarische New Yorkse discotheek Paradise Garage.
Een persoonlijke favoriet is misschien “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1980) over een man die dringend uit de ‘friend zone’ en in de ‘boyfriendzone’ van een vrouw wenst te komen.
RIP Carmelo La Bionda
RIP Arno (1949 – 2022)
Arno was a Belgian singer known for compositions such as as “Oh La La La” (1981), “Willie Willie ” (1981) and “Putain putain” (1983).
I remember seeing TC Matic in concert at the Number One discotheque in Sint-Niklaas run by Robert Ivens.
Continue readingRIP John Miles (1949 – 2021)
John Miles was a British composer and musician best known for his composition “Music” (1976).
“Music” is a camp monstrosity in the category “foute muziek”.
The second movement of “Music”, which is uptempo, reminds me of “The Mexican” (1972) by Babe Ruth.
“The Mexican” shares some of “Music’s” campy qualities, but it is altogether a more satisfying song.
RIP Marion Hänsel (1949– 2020)
Marion Hänsel was a French-born Belgian film director and screenwriter.
I remember quite vividly when I saw the trailer of Dust (1985) when I was twenty.
Dust is an adaptation of a novel by Coetzee, his second novel.
RIP Dave ‘Strangler’ Greenfield (1949 – 2020)
Dave Greenfield was an English composer and musician, known as the keyboard player of The Stranglers.
Everyone is familiar with their song “Golden Brown” (1982) but few are aware that is actually a waltz.
Next to “Golden Brown”, The Stranglers wrote a couple of enduring compositions. There is “Peaches” (1977), a sleazy track which features the word clitoris and which for that reason had to be re-recorded in order for the BBC to play it.
There is “No More Heroes” (1977), the refrain of which has a childish quality that I find hard to swallow. “Always the Sun” (1986) however, works for me. It has that dreaminess also present in “Midsummer Night Dream” (1983) and of course in “Golden Brown”.
And then there is “Nice ‘n’ Sleazy” (1978), a track which is also dance-able. It’s on YouTube in a Top of the Pops live version and if you wait until 1:29 you see the keyboard solo of Greenfield.
That track is also on the marvelous compilation How to Kill the DJ Part 2 (2004) out on Tigersushi Records.
RIP Onaje Allan Gumbs (1949 – 2020)
Onaje Allan Gumbs was an American pianist, best-known for having played with the fine fleur of American jazz.
As I prefer all roads to lead to Rome, and Rome is my book, the death of Onaje Allan Gumbs must inevitably lead to Strata-East Records, more specifically to Charles Sullivan’s album Genesis (1974) on which mister Gumbs played piano.
RIP Nick Tosches (1949 – 2019)
Nick Tosches was an American writer, music critic, biographer, a jack of all trades.
I admit that although he had had an entry on my encyclopedia since 2008, I didn’t really know Nick Tosches.
He seems to have been a bit of a drug head, as Burroughs had been before him.
He was into country music and rock, a bit of a rockist it would appear.
He died relatively young.
I give you “Erebos” [above], a spoken word track from Fuck The Living Fuck The Dead (2004).