Pete Townshend on Mick Jagger’s father
I’m not sure if it’s been reported widely before, but Pete Townshend recently revealed that he used to bump into Mick Jagger’s dad around London and that Joe Jagger suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
Read moreDeath
The Charlie Watts Auction – Gifts from Mick & Keith on the Block
Rolling Stones fans will be thrilled by a fascinating subset of items in the upcoming Charlie Watts auction of books and jazz ephemera at Christie’s. Among the 475 lots are eight that were gifts from the late drummer’s bandmates Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Read more
John Lennon: As remembered by Steven Tyler, Jimmy Iovine, Jann Wenner
In December 2005, my boss asked me to write a story on the upcoming 25th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. I protested, as I always did when given an assignment, arguing that it was not news, that every day is a rock ‘n’ roll anniversary, and everything that can be said about Lennon has already been said a million different times.
Read moreEdith Cavell – English nurse martyred 100 years ago
This is a scheduled break from my rock ‘n’ roll reporting to mark the centenary of the execution of English nurse Edith Cavell during World War I.
Read moreCelebrity graves in England
I’m a terrible person . . . to take on vacation.
You might want to lounge on the beach, or go shopping or eating. I just want to visit celebrity graves and miscellaneous death sites.
Read moreLally Stott: Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep
Lally Stott would have been 75 in 2020. “Who’s Lally Stott?” you ask. Harold “Lally” Stott was an English singer/songwriter whose best-known creation vied with “Maggie May,” “My Sweet Lord” and “Brown Sugar” as one of the biggest songs of 1971.
Read moreRay Charles
To date the only fresh corpse I’ve seen in real life, appropriately for my job as a showbiz reporter, belonged to a celebrity: Ray Charles.
Read more