RIP Jerry Lee Lewis

There’s a lot of discussion these days about the difference between art and the performer. There’s probably not a much bigger example of that double edged sword than Jerry Lee Lewis. Already enough of a personality for a biopic in my youth, Dennis Quaid’s portrayal probably only made me like him more. In the early 90s, Rhino re-released “Live at the Star Club, Hamburg 1964” finally as a CD with the ensuing publicity surrounding it as the greatest live album of all time. It’s a full decade (and several universes) from Iggy’s Metallic KO but it is no doubt deserving of its reputation. Counter to my previous image of 50s rock n roll singers, Lewis is for 40 minutes, the Sonic combination of Johnny Rotten, the Ramones, Jimi Hendrix and Little Richard. All of the stories are true. For the first part of my life, I frequented a small town Record Store that was a local institution for many years. It was a usual stop for me and my friends as vinyl gave way to CDs up until Best Buy finally got the niche for cost and selection in the late 90s. Even then, we often figured a couple of dollars were worth it to support the proprietor- someone who seemingly was tied to rock n roll from birth- the same age, the accompanying haircut and a store full of expensive glam rock imports. One needn’t ask, but of course, his favorite artist was Jerry Lee Lewis. Per Google search, the store was in operation from 1978 until 2017. Ironically, around the time that vinyl was becoming a hot commodity again (though of course, as the appropriate retirement age was also near) it closed. Still, I know those of a certain age and location will always hold it in their memory.

Doc Watch- Dark Side of the 90s

I’m a big wrestling fan, so I have really enjoyed the Dark Side of the Ring series on the Vice channel. It was a big hit for the channel which quickly rolled out similar series for comedians and athletes, and in invading VH1 territory, the 1990s Plenty of stuff to cover in the 90s- Jerry Springer, Beverly Hills, 90210, Hip Hop, David Koresh, Ultimate Fighting, Amy Fisher, Rush Limbaugh, Baywatch, the internet and more. So of course, grunge gets an episode. Despite the sensationalism of the series, the Dark Side of “Grunge and the Seattle Sound” is actually as a good of a documentary one can do on Sub Pop in an hour minus commercials. Two men were largely responsible for Sub Pop and this features one (Bruce Pavitt - who came up with the name and first release) and is missing another (Jonathan Poneman- the business partner and current label head). Producer Jack Endino and photographer Charles Petersen also feature. There’s so much ground to cover, but a lot of the early touch points get namechecked (Sub Pop 100, Green River, Tad, Mudhoney, Soundgarden) and then transitions to the Nirvana story. There’s a bit of sensationalism here, but it still ties into the Sub Pop story. There’s an aside to the New York Times “Lexicon of Grunge” article, too. As an indie rock fan, I enjoyed it. I was really surprised that it focused almost slowly on Sub Pop, even providing that satisfying denouement of the label surviving rocky times being resurrected by a new wave of successful artists like the Postal Service. (The one part that the doc gets wrong is saying grunge was usurped by boy bands like N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys. Yes, everything has an expiration date, but I don’t think that was the same audience. Now, Nu metal and even late 90s gangsta rap, maybe). There’s little to no mention of the bigger name non-SubPop bands like Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, and Alice In Chains and so on. But those interested in Indie record labels or Sub Pop, I doubt you would be disappointed.