{"id":89328,"date":"2025-03-03T04:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T10:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=89328"},"modified":"2025-03-04T07:11:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T13:11:23","slug":"totally-no-good-very-bad-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=89328","title":{"rendered":"Totally No Good, Very Bad Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It was a lousy weekend in the world of music &#8211; one of what promises to be years of them, for fans of music that came out 40-60 years ago.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p><strong>Joey Molland<\/strong> passed away over the weekend.&nbsp;&nbsp; He was the last surviving member of Badfinger &#8211; proteg\u00e9s of the Beatles, and one of the most glorious pop groups of the seventies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also one of the most snake-bitten, tragedy-wise:&nbsp; after relocating from Swansea, Wales to London, they attracted the attention of George Harrison and Paul McCartney.&nbsp; <span class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\">They signed Badfinger as the first clients of their new \u201cApple\u201d musical label. Over the next 5-6 years, Badfinger released some of the best music ever, for my money. \ufffc<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s hard to pick a favorite.&nbsp; This one is one of the most perfect guitar parts of all time (contributed originally by George Harrison):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Badfinger - Day After Day (1971)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XonFZjuyc6E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best hooks ever?   Sure &#8211; lip-synched here in all it&#8217;s seventies-licious glory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NEW * Baby Blue - Badfinger {Stereo}\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ujnmm4cDJi4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Want something that&#8217;s just transcendant?&nbsp; Gotcha (piano courtesy Leon Russell):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Badfinger - Name Of The Game (2021 Remaster)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/87dJNVs7JCI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As Iris Dement said, nothing good ever lasts.\u00a0 <span class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\">The band\u2019s lead singer Pete Ham committed suicide 50 years ago, \ufffc at the peak of the band&#8217;s influence. Bass player and singer \ufffc Tom Evans, wracked with grief, followed suit 10 years to the day later. <br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The two survivors \u2013 Joey Molland and drummer Mike Gibbins- moved to the Twin Cities, and were based out of deep Haven for most of the last 40 years, were they carried on with a revived version of the band until drummer Mike Gibbins died (checks notes) 20 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Joey Molland has been carrying the banner since then. He\u2019s stayed in the Twin Cities, running various versions of rebooted \u201cBadfinger\u201d revivals ever since.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Molland passed away last Friday, after suffering from unspecified, but very serious health problems for the last three months or so.<\/p>\n<p>This has been a particular kick in the head, to be honest. I met Molland (and Gibbins), back in 1986, when I booked him on the old \u201cDon Vogel Show\u201c. \ufffc\ufffc. I\u2019ve always tried not to act like an obnoxious fanboy around musicians I admire \u2013 but it was not easy with Molland<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shine\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k4GoHatmWKk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Johannson<\/strong>:&nbsp; Arguably from the opposite extreme from Molland, David Johannson. started out as one of the prime movers of the American punk and new wave scenes in the &#8217;70s.,&nbsp; As leader of the New York Dolls, he (and the Ramones and the Dead Boys) were the bands that the soon-to-be future punks in the UK, the Pistols and the Clash, were listening to when they were figuring their way out of the pub rock ghetto.&nbsp; <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Personality Crisis - New York Dolls | The Midnight Special\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nrdqX_auyPc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike his more nihilistic counterparts both in the New York Dolls (Johnny Thunders) and elsewhere in the scene (Stiv Bators), Johansen became a musical omnivore &#8211; digging through basic three-chord post-punk rock and roll (including this personal favorite):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Donna\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zUANzEGx1Ec?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8230;and taking some definitive tours through the roots of that genre&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Animals Medley: We Gotta Get Out of This Place \/ Don&#039;t Bring Me Down\/ It&#039;s My Life\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B_my7pGkN_s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re not a punk rock junkie, you may only know Johansen from his flukey side-hustle in the late &#8217;80s, &#8220;Buster Poindexter&#8221; &#8211; which yielded the biggest hit of his career, a song he later called &#8220;bane of my life&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EhZba-P7R18?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Johansen died on Saturday of complications from the brain cancer he&#8217;s had for the past four years or so.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ooof.\u00a0 That was a rough weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was a lousy weekend in the world of music &#8211; one of what promises to be years of them, for fans of music that came out 40-60 years ago.&nbsp; Joey Molland passed away over the weekend.&nbsp;&nbsp; He was the last surviving member of Badfinger &#8211; proteg\u00e9s of the Beatles, and one of the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-memoriam","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=89328"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89345,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89328\/revisions\/89345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=89328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=89328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=89328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}