Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Cliff Malloy: Photographer, Music History Treasure Trove and My Friend


Above: Cliff Malloy: The Spirit of 76



The unretouched profile pic to your right and above is the best picture I've ever taken and most likely ever will take. It was shot more than a few years ago on a very warm spring day in Santa Rosa, California in the older part of town right off of Santa Rosa Avenue in what's known as the Doyle Park area where you will find The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum across from the gardens of renowned horticulturist and atheist Luther Burbank and his white blackberry bushes. Further up the road you'll find 4th street/Courthouse square, center street of Santa Rosa's downtown hub and towards the end of fourth street one day, I found Cliff Malloy behind the counter of The Last Record Store's now closed "all vinyl shop."
He would later go on to open "Just Records" near Doyle park, take pics with me (including one shoot where two meth dealer types stole my bike tire from the JC bike racks while we watched helplessly from three stories above-got the tire back though LONG story!) and become one of my dearest friends.
There are so many things (ALL of them good) that I could tell you about Cliff Malloy but the thing that stands out the most for me is his all encompassing knowledge and understanding of rock n roll history combined with a riotous no bullshit (but very kindly) sense of humor. He knows all the bands, all the discs, all the puppet masters and all the stories you want to know.
He actually knows most of pop culture and 20th century history as well but it's the history of rock, jazz, blues, soul, funk, pop etc etc that he knows unlike anyone else I've ever met and the snappy rejoinders that always accompany his opinions along with the utmost respect for the greats.
(Like me he feels that The Who perhaps rule over all the Olympian rock giants so how could we not hit it off?)
Back in the day, he would ALWAYS take me out Round Table pizza or Chevy's when I was waiting for the next paycheck.
And I saw, yes, my first Russ Meyer film at his house!
Look at him in the 4th grade! Growing up to go out into the world and hear all the music there is!


Above: Cliff With Grace Slick and friend in Las Vegas


It was Cliff who was there to show me how to log on to the internet which I did for for the very first time that day (oh the crazy stuff I downloaded!) and later on we shot the photos including the one that ironically has become easily my most well known online image. The two outtakes are below. I had been along for another shoot that day with this generic would be model girl who's make up I had done and who neglected to pay either of us. I can still see her walking away with both us too wimpy to ask to get paid-times have changed! So following the "free face painting" and my first foray in cyber space I suggested we should just take some pics for fun.
I reclined on an old couch and Cliff stood directly over me. They remain to this day my most favourite pictures anyone has ever taken of me.

So it was only natural that Cliff should become involved for the better part of the past decade with the legacy of Popsie Randolph. who shot hundreds of photos of the golden era of New York music from the 40's until the 60's. Cliff has been the estate go to curator and webmaster. And a retropsective book of Popsie's work was just published.

Here is own take on his talents: "I'm the Urban Spaceman, Baby... In a whirlwind life, I've already accomplished most of my personal goals which included business ownership (3 record stores and a photo distribution service), Radio DJ, Taxi Driver, An Associates Degree in Computer Science/Accounting, Photography, Computer Tech Support, Banking and I finally got around to editing/co-writing the "Great American Novel", Popular Music through the Camera Lens of William "PoPsie" Randolph (now available on Amazon.com)... Not bad for a little ghetto boy. "



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Monday, April 28, 2008

High Resolution Video Wall

Friday, April 25, 2008

ARBOR DAY

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Noel Gallagher of Oasis Knocks JaY Z

You gotta roll with it, ya gotta take your time...

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Probably The Best

My favourite actor and the only man I put the cleavage away for, if that makes any sense. High necklines for royalty- always.


My most favourite actor Malcolm McDowell has a new movie called Red Roses and Petrol
and this is my submission for the official film website's "How Much of a Malcolm McDowell Fan Are You?" contest.


Who couldn't love him?!

I'm very sad that I will never meet his mentor Lindsay Anderson but I enjoy reading reminiscences about him by Malcolm and writers like Alan Bennett. I do fancy myself a female Mick Travis at times!
I've learned so much from Lindsay Anderson's life and film making, it's the ultimate gift which I received from being a Malcolm McDowell fan.


Song credits:
"Poor People" and "Sell Sell Sell" both
written by Alan Price for the film
"O Lucky Man"

TEN MALCOLM MUST SEES!
1. O Lucky Man
2. IF...
3. The Passage
4. Tank Girl
5. Time After Time
6.The Compleat Beatles
(his narration makes this the best of ALL
Beatles documentaries)
7. Get Crazy
8. Cat People
9. Britannia Hospital
10.AND OF Course "A Clockwork Orange!"

Thanks to Willie the cat and to
RootBeer Lord for the camera work.

*Correction: "IF..." was Malcolm McDowell's SECOND big screen appearance following "The Sporting Life" in which he makes an appearance. IF... was his first STARRING ROLE!

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Miss Amanda Jones

Asking Mick and Keith about Brian Jones for You Tube Living Legends Channel.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Hot Rod Heidi, Go-Kustom, Alpine Backdrops, Mega Clevage and Banned From All Washington Safeways For a Year: Super Amanda in Seattle Travelogue

Warning: Extreme explosive film content!








How wonderful it was to have a weekend of working and it was ALL singing, film and music video WORK! Seattle is so beautiful and everyone at G0-Kustom was so much fun.
All my You Tube antics have attracted truly good entertainment people, as sick of the mainstream industry bs as I am and who are serious about my singing, acting and, as D.A. Sebastian put it, "not just my boobs."


FRIDAY was pretty crazy, in order to get a really early flight to Seattle and avoid the notoriously unreliable local airport shuttles, I spent the night at the airport and arrived in beautiful lushly green Seattle very happy but knackered. The space needle , visible from the freeway, was cool and Seattle was stunning in it's sheer size replete with lakes everywhere. After meeting everyone at the label whose offices and studio double as an arts school for children during the weekdays, I went with Go-Kustom producer D.A. Sebasstian to , you guessed it, Starbucks inside the nearby Safeway, a giant one. Welcome to Seattle!!


Went right into the recording studio after that to work on a few tunes for an upcoming "Kill Switch...Klick" Box set including a track called "Hemi Charger" which I suggested be dedicated to Tura Satana, patron saint of all Kustom Kulture gals. I had fun exchanging spaced out and accidentally "shoplifted" stories with others. I'm making a very funny You Tube video about the whole incident this week.



SATURDAY morning saw me go right into filming the long awaited high definition video for "Killing Machine" first thing in the morning. It was my first professional shoot complete with green screen, lots of hair whipping around and the KSK featuring Super Amanda music blasting over and over. I had been worried that shooting from below would not be as flattering and would yield results similar to Marlon Brando showing up in the Philippines to star in "Apocalypse Now" but thankfully DA is an incredible cameraman as well as director, editor, musician, singer etc and I did not have to wear a black sheet and sit in a dark lagoon. We shot inside with green screen and out side for different lighting. Then it was more singing and a trip to the Northgate mall (my first trip to ANY mall in over a year). Almost everyone looked like an extra in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video and they were all friendly
plus Rankin Bass' "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" was on flat screen overhead.
Saturday night meant that it was time to film the long awaited "two girls barfing scene" (we are zapped by alien gamma rays while primping in the bathroom) for D.A's Seattle Film Festival bound film "Hot Rod Girls save The World."
My cohort in regurgitation turned out to be none other than the stunning Hot Rod Heidi who exceeded my expectations of how cool a Kustom Kulture gal could be. She is divine! Perfect petite figure, flawless Betty Page quiff, vintage clothing down to her shoes and a beautiful cheerful face-I can't wait to direct her myself when I direct films! We went over the lines, chose our characters and we turned out to be a great match on screen.
Heidi gave me the low down on Kustom Kulture and how it's pulling in people from dozens of genres and influences (punk, new wave, biker, surfers, rockabilly, psychbilly, swing, bebop, mod) and all age groups and how in Seattle especially it's like a family community.




SUNDAY was my official interview for Go-Kustom TV with the delightful Lindsay Calkins the lead star in "Hot Rod Girls Save The World." A friend donated this immensely sprawling hand painted alpine mural to DA's school which we chatted in front of as it complimented my dirndl. From boobs to You Tube to leftism we talked about all the usual Super Amanda stuff. Then more singing in the studio, including perfecting a proto EMO song called "Listless" which was higher and not really in my key and that I'd like to do over. I trained to sing in almost any key but have let my higher register get weak from not using it enough. I talked a great deal about music with DA and about how much we love The Who and Pete. D.A is a huge Who fan and we agreed that they are one of the greatest bands EVER producing some of the most powerful sounds ever, spanning rock, RnB, soul, hard rock, country and even folk and gospel. We all watched "Hitman" for my final night in Seattle and while it was an exciting film, I found myself seeing too much "video game influence" which makes sense because that's what it originally was! I'm not really keen on virtual games and sex symbols inspiring live action media, Lara Croft is one thing but I'm geared much more towards the reality of the surf, road and concert stage leaving the internet for email and DIY movies and music. As Seattle music genius Jack Endino would say "The Unpredictable Joys of Analog Recording" may take more time but it's well worth it and all the imperfections that virtual realty spackles are not for me. I see that as a credo that goes beyond music to include other areas of life.


So while I never saw downtown or even the space needle up close and was very sad to leave Seattle and my new two and four footed friends, I'll be back very soon to stay for awhile and work on Kustomizing my Super Amandaness for stage, screen and 'The Rainbow.'

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Thursday, April 03, 2008

Who Cancer Trust News for All WHO FANS!

From British photographer Matt Kent's Blog:

"With this years set of Teenage Cancer Trust concerts rapidly approaching I feel quite honoured that some of my photo's from past events have been chosen to take part in an exhibition of images chosen by the TCT to accompany images shot by the teenagers themselves that is to be displayed at the Royal Albert Hall during this years shows. It's a particular honour for me as its the first exhibition I've been part of and I can't think of a better cause for it to be in aid of.

I've been told that I have a pass for the upcoming shows, so I'm hoping nothing changes and that I'll be able to publish some new photos during the coming week. Here's the press release regarding the exhibition so if you're going to the gigs or passing the RAH pop in and have a peek."


PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

From 2 to 27 April 2008, Me and TCT, a captivating photographic exhibition, will be presented by Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of the venue’s reflect series. The exhibition will feature stunning photographs from Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual music and comedy shows at the Royal Albert Hall as well as images captured by young patients giving an inspiring and moving insight into their cancer journeys.

The exhibition will coincide with TCT’s 2008 shows at the Royal Albert Hall which run from Tuesday 8th to Sunday 13th April and feature Muse, Madness, Paul Weller, Noel Fielding, The Fratellis and Joan Armatrading among others. Each image captured by teenagers with cancer displayed in the exhibition has a personal and powerful story behind it and highlights the unique experience that teenagers with cancer go through. These photographs will be presented alongside images of past TCT shows and feature artists such as The Who, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Ronnie Wood, Chris Martin, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Kasabian and some of the cream of British comedy including Ricky Gervais, Noel Fielding and Alan Carr.

Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of teenagers and young adults with cancer. TCT funds specialist teenage cancer units in NHS hospitals that provide an environment where teenagers can get on with being teenagers, while still receiving the best possible medical treatment. Each of these units costs TCT over £2million to build.

Every year, the Royal Albert Hall is home to the legendary Teenage Cancer Trust benefit shows. They are some of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the music calendar, each year selling out in record time and raising vital funds for TCT. The gigs were the brainchild of The Who’s Roger Daltrey CBE, patron of Teenage Cancer Trust, who has, over the last eight years, pulled together the very best of British talent across rock, pop and comedy to give up their time to raise money for this unique charity.

The exhibition takes place around the ground floor corridor of the Royal Albert Hall from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 27 April. You can view it when attending performances or by calling in on one of the following free open days:

Sunday 6 April 11am - 3pm

Saturday 12 April 10am - 2pm

Sunday 20 April 10am - 2pm

Enter through Door 1 The exhibition is presented by Teenage Cancer Trust in association with the Royal Albert Hall. For more information visit www.teenagecancertrust.org/meandtct. A selection of images will be available to purchase after the exhibition with all profits going to TCT.

- Ends -
Notes to Editors



With thanks to Matt Kent, Danny Clifford, Getty and PA for allowing us to use their images for this exhibition A limited number of tickets are still available for some of this year’s shows from www.teenagecancertrust.org: