Macolm McLaren, who promoted both The New York Dolls and managed The Sex Pistols, passed on Thursday at the age of 64. The cause was cancer.
Malcolm McLaren was born on 22 January, 1946 in London. He attended art school, but never graduated. He became an admirer of Situationist International, the revolutionary political group of the Fifties and Sixties, and their tactics and slogans would later shape McLaren's approach to music promotion. In 1971 he opened the boutique Let It Rock with then girlfriend Vivienne Westwood. McLaren and Westwood also designed costumes for various theatrical productions. It was a designer that he met The New York Dolls. It was in 1975, when the groups was in decline, that The New York Dolls let McLaren assist them. He created extravagant stunts to promote the band, including dressing the group in red with a Soviet flag in the background. Unfortunately, McLaren's efforts to promote the band would ultimately backfire on the band.
Before McLaren's activities with The New York Dolls, he had met a young group called The Strand through the boutique, a group later renamed The Sex Pistols. After having renamed Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die in 1972, McLaren and Westwood renamed the boutique SEX in 1975. Having been exposed to the developing punk scene in New York City while working with the New York Dolls, McLaren began taking a greater interest in The Strand. It was not much later that the band was renamed QT Jones and The Sex Pistols. McLaren then set about finding a lead vocalist for the group (their original lead singer, Wally Nightingale having been kicked out). It was in late 1975 that Johnny Lydon joined the band as its lead vocalist, Lydon becoming famous under the name Johnny Rotten. Having gone through a number of names since QT Jones and The Sex Pistols, the band settled on the name "The Sex Pistols."
It was in 1976 that McLaren and Westwood began promoting The Sex Pistols with publicity tactics largely borrowed from the Situationists. It was in October 1976 that EMI signed The Sex Pistols to a two year contract. The first single, "Anarchy in the UK" was released that November. After various controversial incidents, EMI released The Sex Pistols from their contract. Not long after, bassist Glen Matlock left the band to be replaced by Sid Vicious. It was on 10 March, 1977 that The Sex Pistols were signed to A&M Records, only to have the record company to release them six days later. It was in May 1977 that the band was signed to Virgin Records. Their first single on Virgin, "God Save the Queen," proved to be a source of great controversy in the United Kingdom. Released to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, Malcolm McLaren chartered a boat on which The Sex Pistols would perform the song while sailing on the River Thames, a path which would take them past both Parliament and the Westminster Pier. The publicity stunt resulted in arrests for nearly everyone involved.
It was in January 1978 that The Sex Pistols toured the United States. McLaren deliberately booked redneck bars in hopes that incidents would occur. It was towards the end of the tumultuous American tour that The Sex Pistols broke up. McClaren would go onto manage Adam Ant, Bow Wow Wow (formed from former members of Adam and the Ants and lead singer Annabella Lwin), and Jimmy the Hoover. In 1983 he launched his own music career. His first album, Duck Rock, was influenced by African music and American rap music. In all, he would release fifteen albums, the last being in 2009.
It was in the Eighties that Malcolm McLaren tried to produce a movie entitled Fashion Beast, using a script by Alan Moore. The film was never made. McLaren would direct and write the television movie The Ghosts of Oxford Street, a musical history of Oxford Street in London. He was a producer on the documentary Fast Food Nation.
Malcolm McLaren's music was never my cup of tea and I cannot say that I have ever seen much of his fashion, but I do not think it can be denied that as a manager he got his bands attention. Certainly he turned The Sex Pistols into a sensation, one that was short lived primarily only due to the volatility of the group. Although lesser known, he would actually have more success with Adam Ant and Bow Wow Wow. At any rate, he does have to be given credit for one of the most outrageous publicity stunts in rock history. Having The Sex Pistols perform "God Save the Queen" aboard a boat in the Thames during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee may have been in very poor taste (not to mention very unpatriotic), but it certainly did draw attention.
Friday, 9 April 2010
Thursday, 8 April 2010
The Songs of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
If the names "Boyce and Hart" sound familiar, it is with good reason. Not did Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart write many of The Monkees' greatest hits, but they also shaped what we think of today as The Monkees' sound. Together they also wrote songs for Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Leaves, Jay and the Americans, Chubby Checker, The Astronauts, and many others. They would also have their own music career as artists, recording five albums (two with Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones) and producing three top forty singles.The Songs of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart was a compilation album compiled by Cary E. Mansfield of Varese Saraband Records and Bobby Hart and released in 1995. While most greatest hits albums are compiled of songs from a single artist, The Songs of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart compiled songs which written by Boyce and Hart, either together or with other people. For Boyce and Hart fans, then, this album is a real treat. It features their biggest hits as recording artists ("I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight, "Alice Long (You're Still My Favourite Girlfriend", and "Out and About") and songs they wrote for other artists (The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" and the original version of "Vallieri," Paul Revere and the Raiders' "(I'm Not) Your Steppin' Stone," The Astronauts' "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day," and so on.).
What really makes The Songs of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart a very special album is that it features some truly rare songs. Even though Boyce and Hart performed "I'll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind" on Bewitched, the song did not hit the top forty and has been hard to find ever since. Similarly, the Boyce and Hart singles "We're All Going to the Same Place" and "Goodbye, Baby (I Don't Want to See You Cry)" have also been difficult to find. It also contains the rare single by Dolenz, Jones, Boyce, & Hart, "I Remember the Feeling," released in 1975. In fact, if I have one complaint about this album, it that it should have had more songs by Boyce and Hart as musical artists. "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (the theme song to the movie of the same name) is conspicuously absent, as are "Sometimes She's a Little Girl," "Maybe Someday Heard," and "L.U.V. (Let Us Vote)." While the songs written by either Tommy Boyce or Bobby Hart with others (such as "Hurt So Bad" for Little Anthony and The Imperials, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" for Curtis Lee, and "Action" by Freddie Cannon are all good songs, I would rather have had more songs by Boyce and Hart together as performers.
Of course, that one complaint is a minor one. This album has most of the songs Boyce and Hart fans love, and I can't see too many being disappointed in the album. Indeed, it is good to hear "I'll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind" on something other than a Bewitched rerun!
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Christopher Cazenove R.I.P.
British actor Christopher Cazenove died today at the age of 64. The cause was septisema.
Christopher Cazenove was born in Winchester, Hampshire on 17 December, 1945. He was raised in Somerset and attended Eton. His father, who had been a brigadier in the Coldstream Guards, wanted him to enter the military, but Christopher Cazenove wanted to go into acting. After graduating from Eton, he worked as a nanny, a chauffeur, and a handyman. He broke into acting through the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, where he learned his craft and made his debut in Man and Superman in 1967. He played Hamlet at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. He made his London debut in The Lionel Touch at the Lyric Theatre in 1970.
It was in 1970 that he made his movie debut in an uncredited role in Julius Caesar. That same year he appeared in an uncredited role in There's a Girl in My Soup. In 1971 he made his television debut in a guest shot on The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. From 1972 to 1973 he played Lieutenant Richard Grant on the TV series The Regiment. He guest starred on the shows Affairs of the Heart, Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill, Hammer House of Horror, and the British series Thriller. From 1976 to 1977 he appeared in the TV series The Duchess of Duke Street. He appeared in the films Royal Flash, East of Elephant Rock, and Zulu Dawn. In 1979 he appeared on the West End in Joking Apart and in 1980 on Broadway in Goodbye Fidel.
In the Eighties he guest starred on the shows Lady Killers, Lou Grant, and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense. Christopher Cazenove was a regular on the series Dynasty and appeared in five episodes of A Fine Romance. He appeared in the films Eye of the Needle, From a Far Country, Mata Hari. The Fantasist, Blinf Justice, Souvenir, and Three Men and a Little Lady. From the Nineties into the Naughts he guest starred on Tales From the Crypt, Daziel and Pascoe, Charmed, and Hotel Babylon. He was a semi-regular on Judge John Deed. He appeared in the films Shadow Run, Contaminated Man, A Knight's Tale, Beginner's Luck, Young Alexander the Great, and Bloodline.
Christopher Cazenove was born in Winchester, Hampshire on 17 December, 1945. He was raised in Somerset and attended Eton. His father, who had been a brigadier in the Coldstream Guards, wanted him to enter the military, but Christopher Cazenove wanted to go into acting. After graduating from Eton, he worked as a nanny, a chauffeur, and a handyman. He broke into acting through the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, where he learned his craft and made his debut in Man and Superman in 1967. He played Hamlet at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. He made his London debut in The Lionel Touch at the Lyric Theatre in 1970.
It was in 1970 that he made his movie debut in an uncredited role in Julius Caesar. That same year he appeared in an uncredited role in There's a Girl in My Soup. In 1971 he made his television debut in a guest shot on The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. From 1972 to 1973 he played Lieutenant Richard Grant on the TV series The Regiment. He guest starred on the shows Affairs of the Heart, Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill, Hammer House of Horror, and the British series Thriller. From 1976 to 1977 he appeared in the TV series The Duchess of Duke Street. He appeared in the films Royal Flash, East of Elephant Rock, and Zulu Dawn. In 1979 he appeared on the West End in Joking Apart and in 1980 on Broadway in Goodbye Fidel.
In the Eighties he guest starred on the shows Lady Killers, Lou Grant, and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense. Christopher Cazenove was a regular on the series Dynasty and appeared in five episodes of A Fine Romance. He appeared in the films Eye of the Needle, From a Far Country, Mata Hari. The Fantasist, Blinf Justice, Souvenir, and Three Men and a Little Lady. From the Nineties into the Naughts he guest starred on Tales From the Crypt, Daziel and Pascoe, Charmed, and Hotel Babylon. He was a semi-regular on Judge John Deed. He appeared in the films Shadow Run, Contaminated Man, A Knight's Tale, Beginner's Luck, Young Alexander the Great, and Bloodline.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Actor Corin Redgrave Passes On
Actor Corin Redgrave passed today at the age of 70.He had fallen ill on Sunday.Corin Redgrave was born in Marylebone, London on 16 July, 1939, the son of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. Acing was literally in his blood. His grandfather was silent actor Roy Redgrave. His sisters were Lynn and Venssa Redgrave.
Mr. Redgrave attended the Westminster School at King's College and the University of Cambridge. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the Royal Court, playing Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He made his television debut with a guest appearance in The Avengers episode "Lobster Quadrille (the last episode in which Honor Blackman appeared as Cathy Gale). He appeared in minor roles in the films Crooks in Cloisters (1964) and A Study in Terror (1965). He was a regular on the TV series The Big Spender. Throughout the Sixties he appeared in roles in such films as The Deadly Affair (1966), A Man For All Seasons (1966), The Magus (1968), and The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968). He appeared in such TV shows as Mystery and Imagination (as Jonathan Harker in that series' adaptation of Dracula), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Canterbury Tales, and Callan. He made his Broadway debut in 1963 in Chips with Everything.
The Seventies saw Corin Redgrave appear in such films as When Eight Bells Toll (1971), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971), and Between Wars (1974). In the Eighties Mr. Redgrave appeared in the movies Excalibur ( 1981, as Cornwall), Eureka (1983), and The Fool (1990). In the Nineties he was in the films In the Name of the Father (1993), Four Wedding and a Funeral (1994), England, My England (1995), Persuasion (1995), and Honest (2000). On television he appeared on Performance (that show's adaptations of Measure for Measure and Henry IV). Dangerfield, Ultraviolet, and The Vice. In 1999 he returned to Broadway in Not About Nightingales.
The Naughts saw Mr. Redgrave appear in such films as Gypsy Woman (2001), Doctor Sleep (2002), To Kill a King (2003), and Enduring Love (2004). On television he appeared in the mini-series The Forsythe Saga, the shows Waking the Dead, Trial & Retribution, Shameless, and Spooks (known as MI-5 in the Untied States), and in the television films Shackleton, Bertie and Elizabeth, and The Turn of the Screw (his last appearance on the screen).
Corin Redgrave appeared on the stage throughout his career. He appeared often at the Old Vic Theatre, as well as with other acting troupes in England. He won the Olivier award for his role in Tennessee Williams' Not About Nightingales in England and was nominated for a Tony when he repeated his performance on Broadway. He played opposite his sister Vanessa in a revival of A Song at Twilight. He also wrote and performed his own one man plays including Michael Redgrave, My Father. He played in such Shakespeare plays as King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry IV, Part 1, and The Tempest.
Corin Redgrave was a political activist with very left wing views. As a result he often found work difficult to obtain for much of his career, and even stated that the BBC had blackballed him for his political views. This was a shame as Mr. Redgrave was a very talented actor. He more often than not played strong, slightly sinister characters, such as Jolyon Forsyte in The Forsythe Saga and Dr. Kidson in The Woman in White, and adaptation of Wilkie Collins' novel of the same name. He was capable of playing other roles, such as the hapless Cornwall in Excalibur and straight arrow pilot Lanoe Hawker in Von Richthofen and Brown. In nearly everything he appeared Corin Redgrave gave impressive performances. It is a shame that many prevented him from practising his craft more often.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Farewell to the Year of Death
There can be no doubt that the year 2009 will be remembered for many things, but most of it all may well be remembered as the Year of Death. While many, many celebrities die every year, it seemed as if more celebrities died in 2009 than most years. What is more, it was not simply any celebrities who died in 2009, but some very big names.
Indeed, perhaps the most famous television news anchorman of all time passed in 2009. Walter Cronkite died on July 17 of this year. The year also saw the passing of his producer and the man who created 60 Minutes. Don Hewitt may have been the most influential news producer ever to work in television. He died only about a month after Walter Cronkite did. Of course, it was not simply the world of television news that saw the loss of giants. It seems as if every medium lost some very big names. Some very of the most famous television actors of all time passed in 2009, including Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban, Harry Endo, Don Galloway, Wendy Richard, Ron Silver, Frank Aletter, Gale Storm, Beatrice Arthur, Farrah Fawcett, Mollie Sudgen, Dallas McKennon, Ed Reimers, John Hart, Henry Gibson, Edward Woodward, and several others. The medium of motion pictures also saw the loss of some fairly well known actors, including Pat Hingle, James Whitmore, Jean Martin, Monte Hale, Natasha Richardson, Betsy Blair, Sydney Earle Chaplin, Maxine Cooper, Jody McCrea, Dom DeLuise, Harve Presnell, David Carradine, Brenda Joyce, Karl Malden, John Quade, Patrick Swayze, Frank Coghlan Jr., Lou Jacobi, Collin Wilcox, Jennifer Jones, Brittany Murphy, and yet others. Of course, actors were not the only celebrities to die in 2009. Several directors also passed during the year, including Fran�ois Villiers, Claude Berri, Ken Annakin, Peter Zadek, John Hughes, Paul Naschy, and others.
While television and movies saw several deaths in 2009, the world of music was not spared either. Dave Dee (of (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), Dewey Martin (of Buffalo Springfield), Lux Interior (of The Cramps), Kelly Groucutt (of The Electric Light Orchestra), Jimmy Boyd, "England" Dan Seals, Randy Cain (of The Delfonics), Jay Bennett (of Wilco), Bob Bogle (of The Ventures), Sky Saxon of The Seeds, Michael Jackson, Drake Levin (of Paul Revere and The Raiders), Gordon Waller (of Peter and Gordon), Les Paul, Dickie Peterson, Al Martino, Eric Woolfson, The Rev, and yet others. The year also saw the passing of several well know authors, including John Updike, Christopher Nolan, Philip Jose Farmer, J. G. Ballard, David Eddings, Frank McCourt, Tim Guest, Keith Waterhouse, and yet others.
Of course, while death filled the headlines in 2009, there were other things which happened this year. With regards to movies, it seemed to be another year of sequels. The top three highest grossing films for the year worldwide as of December were all three sequels: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Of course, with some films released in 2009 still playing in theatres, this is subject to change. It would seem that Avatar is poised to become the highest grossing film released in 2009. When it comes to movies one thing for which 2009 may be remembered is the independent films which saw mainstream success. With a budget of only $5 million, (500) Days of Summer made a total of around $46 million at the box office. Completed in 2007, the independent horror film Paranormal Activity became a phenomenon in 2009. It made a total of around $141 million at the box office.
Sadly, the 2009 fall television season may well have been the worst in some time. Many of the shows which debuted in the season were, very sadly, derivative. There were medical dramas (Mercy, Three Rivers), a legal drama (The Good Wife) , and new takes on old favourites (Melrose Place). This is not to say there was no originality among the broadcast networks this season. NBC would make one very innovative, if risky move, by scheduling The Jay Leno Show every weeknight at 9:00 PM Central/10:00 PM Eastern. So far NBC's gamble does not appear to pay off. So far The Jay Leno Show has been routinely beaten in the ratings by the dramas on ABC and CBS. Alongside NBC, ABC would also show some originality.Their show, Flash Forward, based on the novel of the same name, began with a global event takes place in which people experience what their lives will be like in the future for two minutes and seventeen seconds an proceeded from there. With regards to television news (and the news media in general), it sadly displayed an obsession with scandal this year. When David Letterman allegedly became victim of a blackmail plot, it was treated as an important news story. When it was discovered that golfer Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife, the television news outlets gave the scandal more coverage than other stories that were much more important.
With regards to music, the big news of the year may well have centred upon an old band. On September 9, the entire catalogue of The Beatles was re-released in digitally remastered format. The year would also see new albums from some of the biggest names in music. Bruce Springsteen's album Working on a Dream came out in January. Green Day released 21st Century Breakdown in May. Cheap Trick released The Latest in July. The year also saw new releases from Franz Ferdinand, Cannibal Corpse, Lily Allen, Morrissey, Van Morrison, U2, Pet Shop Boys, Neil Young, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Tori Amos, Marilyn Manson, Placebo, Spinal Tap, Bowling for Soup, and others.
Sadly, for everything else that happened, 2009 will perhaps be remembered as the Year of Death. It was the year that giants in every medium passed, and in unusually large numbers. It was the year that saw the passing of Walter Cronkite, Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer Jones, Sky Saxon, John Updike, and Philip Jose Farmer If there is one thing to be hoped for in 2010, it is that we do not lose quite so many legends.
Indeed, perhaps the most famous television news anchorman of all time passed in 2009. Walter Cronkite died on July 17 of this year. The year also saw the passing of his producer and the man who created 60 Minutes. Don Hewitt may have been the most influential news producer ever to work in television. He died only about a month after Walter Cronkite did. Of course, it was not simply the world of television news that saw the loss of giants. It seems as if every medium lost some very big names. Some very of the most famous television actors of all time passed in 2009, including Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban, Harry Endo, Don Galloway, Wendy Richard, Ron Silver, Frank Aletter, Gale Storm, Beatrice Arthur, Farrah Fawcett, Mollie Sudgen, Dallas McKennon, Ed Reimers, John Hart, Henry Gibson, Edward Woodward, and several others. The medium of motion pictures also saw the loss of some fairly well known actors, including Pat Hingle, James Whitmore, Jean Martin, Monte Hale, Natasha Richardson, Betsy Blair, Sydney Earle Chaplin, Maxine Cooper, Jody McCrea, Dom DeLuise, Harve Presnell, David Carradine, Brenda Joyce, Karl Malden, John Quade, Patrick Swayze, Frank Coghlan Jr., Lou Jacobi, Collin Wilcox, Jennifer Jones, Brittany Murphy, and yet others. Of course, actors were not the only celebrities to die in 2009. Several directors also passed during the year, including Fran�ois Villiers, Claude Berri, Ken Annakin, Peter Zadek, John Hughes, Paul Naschy, and others.
While television and movies saw several deaths in 2009, the world of music was not spared either. Dave Dee (of (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), Dewey Martin (of Buffalo Springfield), Lux Interior (of The Cramps), Kelly Groucutt (of The Electric Light Orchestra), Jimmy Boyd, "England" Dan Seals, Randy Cain (of The Delfonics), Jay Bennett (of Wilco), Bob Bogle (of The Ventures), Sky Saxon of The Seeds, Michael Jackson, Drake Levin (of Paul Revere and The Raiders), Gordon Waller (of Peter and Gordon), Les Paul, Dickie Peterson, Al Martino, Eric Woolfson, The Rev, and yet others. The year also saw the passing of several well know authors, including John Updike, Christopher Nolan, Philip Jose Farmer, J. G. Ballard, David Eddings, Frank McCourt, Tim Guest, Keith Waterhouse, and yet others.
Of course, while death filled the headlines in 2009, there were other things which happened this year. With regards to movies, it seemed to be another year of sequels. The top three highest grossing films for the year worldwide as of December were all three sequels: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Of course, with some films released in 2009 still playing in theatres, this is subject to change. It would seem that Avatar is poised to become the highest grossing film released in 2009. When it comes to movies one thing for which 2009 may be remembered is the independent films which saw mainstream success. With a budget of only $5 million, (500) Days of Summer made a total of around $46 million at the box office. Completed in 2007, the independent horror film Paranormal Activity became a phenomenon in 2009. It made a total of around $141 million at the box office.
Sadly, the 2009 fall television season may well have been the worst in some time. Many of the shows which debuted in the season were, very sadly, derivative. There were medical dramas (Mercy, Three Rivers), a legal drama (The Good Wife) , and new takes on old favourites (Melrose Place). This is not to say there was no originality among the broadcast networks this season. NBC would make one very innovative, if risky move, by scheduling The Jay Leno Show every weeknight at 9:00 PM Central/10:00 PM Eastern. So far NBC's gamble does not appear to pay off. So far The Jay Leno Show has been routinely beaten in the ratings by the dramas on ABC and CBS. Alongside NBC, ABC would also show some originality.Their show, Flash Forward, based on the novel of the same name, began with a global event takes place in which people experience what their lives will be like in the future for two minutes and seventeen seconds an proceeded from there. With regards to television news (and the news media in general), it sadly displayed an obsession with scandal this year. When David Letterman allegedly became victim of a blackmail plot, it was treated as an important news story. When it was discovered that golfer Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife, the television news outlets gave the scandal more coverage than other stories that were much more important.
With regards to music, the big news of the year may well have centred upon an old band. On September 9, the entire catalogue of The Beatles was re-released in digitally remastered format. The year would also see new albums from some of the biggest names in music. Bruce Springsteen's album Working on a Dream came out in January. Green Day released 21st Century Breakdown in May. Cheap Trick released The Latest in July. The year also saw new releases from Franz Ferdinand, Cannibal Corpse, Lily Allen, Morrissey, Van Morrison, U2, Pet Shop Boys, Neil Young, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Tori Amos, Marilyn Manson, Placebo, Spinal Tap, Bowling for Soup, and others.
Sadly, for everything else that happened, 2009 will perhaps be remembered as the Year of Death. It was the year that giants in every medium passed, and in unusually large numbers. It was the year that saw the passing of Walter Cronkite, Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer Jones, Sky Saxon, John Updike, and Philip Jose Farmer If there is one thing to be hoped for in 2010, it is that we do not lose quite so many legends.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Photographer Bob Willoughby & Drummer The Reverend Tholomew Plague
Photographer Bob Willoughby, who took candid photos of Hollywood legends from Audrey Hepburn to Dustin Hoffman, passed on December 18 at the age of 82.
Bob Willoughby was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1927. He developed an interest in photography after he got a camera as a present for his 12th birthday He enrolled in classes at the film school at the University of Southern California, and apprenticed under various photographers. At the Kann Art Institute in Los Angeles he studied under legendary graphic designer Saul Bass.
Willoughby began his career photographing jazz musicians in various clubs around California. This would lead him to photograph album covers for Fantasy Records, a label ran by his friends Max and Sol Weiss. He eventually received a contract with Globe Photos. It was in 1953 that he received his big break when his agent sent him on an assignment to take photographs of Audrey Hepburn at work on Roman Holiday for the magazine Harpers Bazaar. Rather than taking the usually stills, Willoughby instead took the documentary approach of photographing Hepburn at work. This brought Willoughby to the attention of Warner Brothers, who found his approach appealing. In 1954 he photographed Judy Garland at work on A Star is Born. One of his photographs of Garland made the cover of the September 13 issue of Life.
Unlike traditional Hollywood photographers of the past, who simply took posed photographs, Bob Willoughby preferred candid shots of the stars. He would blend in with film crews to get shots of the stars at work, and sometimes even with their guard down. In 1963 he invented the first remote controlled camera for use for shooting on Hollywood sets.Over the years Willoughby shot the stars and directors of many films, including the Rat Pack on the set of Ocean's Eleven, Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Marnie, Blake Edwards on the set of The Great Race, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Dustin Hoffman on the set of The Graduate, Roman Polanski on the set of Rosemary's Baby, and Jane Fonda on the set of Klute.
Bob Willoughby was not simply one of the greatest Hollywood photographers of all time, but one of the most revolutionary. Not only did he introduce the idea of taking pictures of actors at work on the set, but he even developed technology to make doing so even easier. It is Bob Willoughby that we owe the shots of scenes from movies that look almost exactly as they do on the big screen. He was one of the best photographers in Hollywood and perhaps the most innovative. I doubt we'll ever see his like again.
The Reverend Tholomew Plague, most often simply called The Rev, passed on December 28 at the age of 28. He was the drummer for heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.
The Rev was born James Owen Sullivan on February 9, 1981 in Huntingdon Beach, California. It was while in high school that he met and befriended the other future members of Avenged Sevenfold. Together M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev and Matt Wendt formed Avenged Sevenfold in 1999. M. Shadows came up with the band's name (often abbreviated A7X) , a reference to the story of Cain and Abel from the Torah. Avenged Sevenfold released two demos in 1999 and 2000 respectively. The band developed a strong local following in the Huntington Beach area. Their first official album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was released on the minor label Good Life Recordings in 2001. It was later released on Hopeless Records in 2002. Their second album, Waking the Fallen, was released on Hopeless Records in 2003.
It was not long after the release of Waking the Fallen that Avenged Sevenfold was signed to a major label, Warner Brothers Records. Their first album with Warner, City of Evil, was released in 2005. It produced their first hit, "Bat Country," which reached #2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart. This was followed by the release of a self titled album in 2007, which produced the hits "Almost Easy" and "Afterlife." The band was at work on another album at the time of The Rev's death.
In addition to his work with Avenged Sevenfold, The Rev also played piano and sang vocals for Pinkly Smooth, a side project with A7X guitarist Synyster Gates.
Avenged Sevenfold was one of the bands responsible for the re-emergence of heavy metal in the Naughts. Much of their success was largely due to The Rev, who was arguably one of the best drummers currently in the music business. With The Rev's powerful drumbeat backing the guitars and bass, Avenged Sevenfold became one of the best heavy metal bands in later years. Of course, it must be pointed out that The Rev did not simply play drums. He also provided backing vocals on tracks, as well as played piano. There are even those who believe that The Rev was so pivotal to the sound of Avenged Sevenfold that, wit his loss, the band's sound will change. Regardless, he was an immensely talented drummer and an important part of one of the best bands of the Naughts. He died far, far too young.
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