You can well imagine that I’m chomping at the bit to read this book. After reading this review, I can barely contain myself. I’ve read some of Joe Milliken’s pieces on the rock world and particular musicians. You will not be disappointed if you BUY THIS BOOK. You can pre-order it through the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538118658
Notable Quote: “Believe me, Benny just had this incredible electricity about him. He would walk into a room and whether they knew him or not, people just felt there was something special about this guy…. I swear that in the mid-sixties, Benny was like the Elvis Presley of Cleveland.” — Wayne Weston, friend and former bandmate.
My quick 2 cents: Between the unique writing style, the candid memories of many important people, and the generous number of previously unpublished photos, Benjamin Orr’s inspiring story comes to life in these pages. Buy it!
The full scoop: Any retrospective on the late 1970s and 1980s HAS to include some focus on the new wave rock legends, The Cars. A debut album that stayed on the charts for 139 consecutive weeks, winners of the first…
Time was, magic was feared as the embodiment of evil. Feared, that is, until conventional wisdom somehow downgraded it to frivolity, all card tricks and smoke and mirrors. Either way, no self-respecting person would admit to seriously believing. So, what changed? Magic has been pushing itself into the zeitgeist for a few years now, at least since 1997 when Harry Potter burst onto millions of pages and, subsequently, movie screens. If Harry Potter is responsible for the resurgence of magic, that’s more a testament to the magic of J. K. Rowling’s pen than to the perceived power of magical incantations.
I’ve always considered myself to be a non-believer. Haven’t even read Harry Potter. Of course, I would have to have been living under a rock not to have Harry Potter and his magic somewhere near the forefront of my consciousness. I mean, four years ago, I even named my new kitten “Potter”! That doesn’t necessarily make me a believer in magic. Admittedly, I do love fantasy, however. Stories full of dragons, fairies, and elves have long been my secret pleasure. Part of it is a deep, wistful longing that magic in a supernatural sense actually exists. That longing spars with the comparably deep certainty that it doesn’t.
If it’s not real, then WHY is magic everywhere? Not abracadabra, hocus pocus, rabbits pulled out of hats, illusionary magic. I mean literally the word “magic.” Has it always been there? As I’ve said, magic has been growing in popular culture for a while. Years. But just over the past few months I’ve been seeing the word “magic” increasingly often. I’m not looking for it, but the universe seems to be sending it.
You might think I’m crazy (superfluous Cars reference), but, like many other people, I believe the universe (or loved ones in the afterlife or God, if you prefer) sends messages. My sister-in-law, for instance, often finds heart-shaped stones and beach glass that she believes are messages from my late niece. Other people see butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds, rainbows, or some other sign that their loved-one’s spirit still lingers. I, myself, see multiple 11s everywhere that I don’t remember seeing until after my husband passed away over five years ago.
When I first began pondering the apparent resurgence of magic as a concept, I came to realize magic has been a background thread in my life since at least high school, when my boyfriend and I considered Jay and the Americans’ “This Magic Moment” to be our song. But I’ve only started seeing “magic” multiple times per day fairly recently. And not just in logical contexts, like when I’m listening to The Cars and their song “Magic” comes up on my playlist. No, I mean out of the blue references, like when I’m researching treason and stumble upon a book called “Magic as a Political Crime.” Or when I get an emailed ad from a tee shirt store, and the ad features a shirt saying “Black Moms are Magical.” Or when researching morticians for a possible upcoming blog post, Parke’s Magic Valley Funeral Home pops up.
Why is this happening? What message, exactly, is the universe sending?
Although I’ve been trying capture my thoughts about magic for weeks now, the impetus to finish this draft comes from Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt “-ic or -ical.” So, giving credit where credit due, even if my technique isn’t on point.
As a bonus, here’s Jay and the Americans’ “This Magic Moment” (from WABCRADIO77’s You Tube account because that’s what we were listening to at the time):
Aretha Franklin may be called the Queen of Soul, but she could just as easily be called the Queen of Song. Her repertoire covered everything. Gospel, R&B, soul, country, jazz, standards, pop, opera — you name it, she sang it. She is matched only by Stevie Wonder in having 20 number one hits on the R&B charts. From her first in 1967, “I Never Loved A Man”, to her last 1985, “Freeway of Love”, she was at the top of her game. One song she covered, surprisingly, was “Let It Be” by Lennon and McCartney. In fact, her version was recorded and released before the Beatles’. Here it is:
Forty-nine years ago today, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair opened for “3 Days of Peace & Music.” Festival organizers sold over 100,000 tickets, and roughly half a million people actually showed up. I had BEGGED my parents to let me go with a friend who had a ticket, arguing that, two months’ shy of being 17 years old, I was mature enough to go. Unfortunately, they looked at it as I was only 16 years old, about to enter my senior year of high school, and still a child. I’ve never forgiven them.
Richie Havens was originally scheduled to be the fifth act, but when the first four performers couldn’t reach Yasgur’s farm because of the massive traffic jam, Havens became the first act to perform. He played for nearly three hours, “stalling” to give other musicians time to get there. Toward the end of his performance, he improvised a song that was later called “Freedom.” Enjoy:
Sometimes, a prompt immediately inspires but probably not as the prompt originator anticipated. If the inspiration is music, there’s nothing that can redirect me to writing a six word story! Inspired by J.I. Rogers’ Six-Word Story Challenge prompt “confession,” here’s The Grass Roots’ 1968 hit “Midnight Confessions.”
The sound of your footsteps
Telling me that you’re near
Your soft gentle motion, babe
It brings out a need in me that nobody hears, except
In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
In my midnight confessions
When I say all the things that I want to
I love you
But a little gold ring you wear on your hand makes me understand
There’s another before me, you’ll never be mine
I’m wasting my time
Staggering through the daytime
Your image on my mind
Passing so close beside you baby
Sometimes the feeling is so hard to hide, but
In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
In my midnight confessions
When I say all the things that I want to
I love you
Yes a little gold ring you wear on your hand makes me understand
There’s another before me, you’ll never be mine
I’m wasting my time
In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
In my midnight confessions
When I say all the things that I want to
Na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na
Writer/s: LOU TERRY JOSIE
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
Written by Joe Milliken, 2018
J.E.M. Wildfire 