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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
when I was a rock and roll king
when I was a rock and roll king
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waltertore
2287 posts
Jun 01, 2012
5:43 PM
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the recent thread Adam started about young kids doing crazy raw 1 man band stuff coincided with one of my old drummers calling me out of the blue. We have't seen or spoken to each other in over 30 years. He was playing in a nationaly signed rock band and heavily involved in the C and H trade. He had to leave town running for his life. The last I had heard he was homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. Happily he is still alive and fairly well. We caught up and reflected on our days of being rock and roll kings. We never paid for drinks, drugs, women, rode in limos and big buses, slept all day, never waited in line at restraunts, and life was pretty darn easy and exciting. At 17 I was making well over a grand a week in a what I called a blues band but was seen as a crazy insane some sort of musical thing that was later dubbed pre punk. We honestly were doing all the crazy stuff that went with that style not to be in vouge but because we had pent up rage and tons of testosterone. We were known as the Mean Disposition Blues Band and it was pure teenage energy in action and were booked by a mob connected women. We played the working class NJ music bars to 500 people a night. I would often get in a couple fights a night while on the stage, would smash pitchers of beer on the dance floor and roll on them while blowing harp through a brand new fender twin reverb that I paid cash for at mannys music in NYC. My bassist kept a pistol in the head of his bassman amp and he often pulled it out. A friend who worked for a bus company that was mob owned would get a charter bus and round up all the crazy black folks I hung out with in the newark ghetto and we would bring 60 odd crazies to the gigs. Most were ex cons, carrying weapons, and we would invade these mostly white dominated clubs. A few times it got ugly but luckily no one ever got killed. The dance floors were packed with insane energy. Soon Punk rock was named but I was long outgrown of that stuff thank goodness. Tonight I took a trip back to those days. They were fun, and only could work for that time frame. I treasure them dearly and most of the people I hung with are dead. But what days they were. We lived life big. Death death seemed to greet all that pushed it past its prime. I am still alive to sing my songs of spontaneous combustion and still feel that energy but through the years it has gotten more civilized! To be honest I sometimes have trouble accepting I led such a life. Today, after much work on my issues, I live a fairly peaceful, non spectacular life :-) Walter
Here are some from tonight:
when I was a rock and roll king
gonna live forever rocking
the short lifespan of a rock star
so other more today style stuff:
california is falling in the sea
take her in my rocket ship
no more uptight worrying blues
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
4,000+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Jun 01, 2012 5:55 PM
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XHarp
490 posts
Jun 01, 2012
6:17 PM
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Walter, you need to write a book! You've got history and stories that need told .
You've got to get it out there!
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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waltertore
2288 posts
Jun 01, 2012
6:24 PM
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XHarp: Thanks! Nigel Price, from England has it just about finished. We are waiting for certain people to pass before publishing it. Nigel is a deeply religious man who has done missionary work much of his life and is now a pastor of one of the oldest, unrestorded, churches in England. When I get over there we are going to record an acoustic cd in it. The BBC recently spent 3 weeks with him filming a documentary. I always thought if Judy, my wife of 32 years dies before me and the music inspiration wanes, I will become a preacher. It is hard reading the book for me. I have yet to be able to get anywhere near finishing it. THere was a lot of sadness and violence in my life and reading it brings alot of it back front and center. The good news is music saved my soul and Spontobeat I owe my life to. I could never compromise my music. Please the audience, compromise, think out my songs, repeat them? That is the complete opposite of what music is to me but what it was to most of my music friends that made it big and or died doing it. My music needs to come out uncensored or I would probably commit suicide. because of this so I will probably die an unknown. That is ok with me. Walter
a bit on Nigel
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
4,000+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Jun 01, 2012 6:32 PM
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XHarp
492 posts
Jun 01, 2012
6:45 PM
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Interesting thing, you think that you may die an unknown but you are known to us and probably millions of listeners on the web. The problem is that you can't hear the web applauding for an ovation. Now, most of all to Judy, After 32 years you need to do this book for her and she needs a dedication in it.
Oh yeah and I want a copy of that book.
X
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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waltertore
2289 posts
Jun 01, 2012
7:46 PM
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XHarp: You will be first to know when it is done. Judy gets at least a song a week about her. She probably is the most sung about woman in history. I wonder why more people don't do spontobeat. It is so easy. All you do is let what is inside come out.
The web is not really my thing. I prefer dealing with people in the flesh. I enjoy posting my songs for whoever wants to hear them but my dream is to get back to playing good gigs regularly that are void of all BS I had to wade through the first time around. My heart keeps telling me to post my songs and the right people will appear so I keep posting. The first time around the BS didn't seem near as nausiating as it hits me today. Nothing much in the music business has changed in the 40 years I have been around it but I have been there and done it and to go back for more is not at all intersting. The egos, lies, addiction, con jobs, drugs, alcohol, and general dysfunction no longer is something I want to be around. Historically, when one is following a road no one else is there are often times of barren. I have been in one with live gigs for about 15 years bascially due to not wanting to wade through the dysfunction of the scene to get on that stage. I booked every gig I ever played. Never had a manager and that end got less and less interesting as the years went by. Music has guided me the right way. By retreating and becoming a school teacher I now have all I need to make my music on my terms. The first time around all I had was the energy and some instruments. Now I am fairly competent as a 1 man band (don't need to deal with the musican dramas anymore), make decent recordings in my studio, and only play live when I am inspired by the situation and the pay makes it worth my while. I now wait for the phone to ring. No more hustling to get on a stage. I am ok waiting for the right person to come along that is inspired to book gigs and promote spontobeat to the world. I am redefining how to do music. There is no scene for me to latch onto. It is ok if it takes my lifetime to see it come to fruition with live gigs again that suit my needs. I would rather play 1 good gig a year than 200+ like I use to do and probably 50%+ were messed up for various reasons. Life is pretty darn good today. It is great to grow older! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
4,000+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Jun 01, 2012 8:09 PM
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XHarp
493 posts
Jun 02, 2012
5:29 AM
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If you found someone who was willing to promote it wouldn't you be just stepping back into the commercial side of music? Set dates, recordings, planned gigs, expectant audiences, etc,
You'd be best to step up the self promotion to avoid it getting diluted.
Regardless, it's a good thing. Keep it coming.
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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waltertore
2290 posts
Jun 02, 2012
6:37 AM
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XHarp: I have thought about that but my heart keeps telling me to let go of that end. I was quite good at it booking 200+ gigs around the world for 20 years, running my own label, and dealing with promo. I never liked it but I wanted to gig so I had to do it. Now I don't have to do it(financially) but still want to gig. So I will wait for the right person. Nigel is a great example of this. We have become best friends from his wanting to write a book. When you come to one of my gigs you get what I have inside me. No telling how that will shape out from night to night. I am going to have it happen this way or not at all. Most people are so fearful and conservative they can't wrap their hearts around doing it strictly from ones heart and not ones head. When someone plays it straight without compromising and thinking people dig it. I have thousands of gigs that attest to that. THe problem is most buisness minded people are too fearful to think this way. I am blessed. I live in a wonderful playground. I have a partner I love, great dogs, some good friends, ride my bicycle to work, walk most everywhere I need to go, my job allows me almost unlimited creativity/great vacations/health insurance/great pension/ am paid well, own my own studio, no longer am dependent on others to make a song happen, am sober and in decent shape, live in a peaceful safe area, and don't really have any money worries. Man, I just realized I have made it! If playying good venues regularly on my terms comes to pass it will be the cherry on the sundae! Thanks for the support! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
4,000+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Jun 02, 2012 6:45 AM
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