Reader Response
A Recommendation & A Warning
First, I want to recommend the album ''Magazine'' by 'Jump, Little Children'.
I've owned this CD for a few years now and I consider it to be one of the
best pop-rock releases of our time.
The first track, "Not Today", is bound
to raise a few uncertain eyebrows, but by the time the next track, "Violent
Dreams" rolls around, these people will probably be sent packing. Jay
Clifford comes off sounding like Radiohead's Thom Yorkke as he pours out
pure vocal emotion on mournfully sweet songs like "Cathedrals", complete
with dark overtones of a police state, and "Close Your Eyes", a beautiful
accoustic track which best demonstrates Clifford's ability to bare his soul
in a nothing-held-back dedication to a lover.
"All Those Days Are Gone" and
"B-13" explore similar territory but with the backing of the full band;
"Habit" and "Body Parts" are filled with eager beat-boxing with explosive
choruses; "My Guitar" and "Come Out Clean" are straight-on power-pop. Added
with all these is that the band has roots in Irish music, meaning that the
band throws in regular cello and various other instruments in with the
traditional drums-bass-guitar mix.
What makes this album better than most great records, however, is that such
releases are generally a collection of great songs. "Magazine" follows the
theme of, well, a magazine and pop-culture, coming to represent everything
the narrator wishes to be.
No, it's not quite the level of "The Wall", but
the band pulls it off remarkably well. In fact, the most remarkable part of
following the theme is that they don't divert course in order to incorporate
the magazine/pop-culture theme; it just flows. Beautifully.
So check it out.
Anyway, I thought you'd be interested in this story from http://www.buddyhead.com/gossip section
on Limp Bizkit: (has to do with the tryouts for their new guitarist and how their legal waiver allows them to take/sample
other peoples' songs without compensation or recognition.)
Have fun.
~~ The Good Rev
Rev--this is the 2nd missive I've gotten on the Limp Bizkit auditions/tryouts/waivers/rip-off
today, on top of a couple last week.
Initially, I was inclined to try to find a gentle way to explain that the music business is full of sharks,
barracudas and loaded diapers. And they have more angles than there are whores in Washington.
At this point, though, I'm beginning to believe there is something more to this one.
Reader Response
The Great Limp Bizkit Scam???
I don't know if you have heard about this but am sure your sources can find out if this is true or not. I received this
from a friend.
OK, here's the disclaimer. I haven't verified
whether this story is true or not, but I got it from a pretty reliable
source. The email below claims that the whole "Limp Bizkit Guitar
Audition
at the Guitar Center" thing is a huge scam with a rather nasty edge to
it. The story is kind of long but if nothing else is an
interesting read (you may want to skip it if you're offended by explicit
language). As always, take it at face value and decide for
yourself.
Personally, when I first heard that a huge band
like Limp Bizkit was conducting its search for its new guitarist at--of
all
places--local music stores throughout the country, I was a bit
skeptical.
If something seems too good to be true, it usually is--and nowhere is this
more a fact than in the music business.
Here's the thing: the story below, if true,
not only means that Limp Bizkit is stringing along legions of aspiring
musicians
and fans, but that LB may in fact be using these
auditions as a means for stealing original material. If this is the
case,
it really sucks (to say the least) and I encourage you to pass it along (with
this disclaimer). Once again, I can't vouch for its credibility, and I
don't know if a band that huge would DELIBERATELY engage in such blatant and
outright theft. Either way, I'd be really interested in hearing
about
the experience from anyone who DID attend the LB auditions.
This was posted
by Zeromus-X at the Harmony Central
Forums.
-----------------------------
** Warning. This will be
explicit and long. **
Some of you may have heard about the Limp Bizkit
guitarist search.
Basically, the band has been "touring" the country
visiting Guitar Center stores, holding auditions for a new guitarist to
replace
the one who left the band.
The deal is this. From 7:00 to 11:00 AM you
can sign up for a slot to try out that day. The tryouts are from 10:00 AM
to 5:00 PM. During this time, they take you into a room to play your stuff. At
the end of that time, you leave. They call three to ten people at 5:30 to come
back to the place and play in front of Limp Bizkit. Out of those people, one
is
selected to return at 9:00 to jam with the band, and anyone who participated
is
invited to watch -- a free concert, basically.
AND
5:30 rolls
around. People are getting antsy. The band management promised "free pizza". It
came, and there were two boxes of pizza. Two large pizzas. For about two
hundred
people at least. No cool points here either. Anyway, the clock keeps ticking,
and it's 6:00 before we notice anything going on. Guitar Center management
flags
all their people and security to come inside to discuss something. They go in
there, and the guy in charge walks out with a megaphone. After getting
everyone's attention, the guy on the megaphone speaks:
"This
competition
has been called off effective immediately and will not be rescheduled. The
band
will not be performing with nor for anyone. They will not be signing
autographs.
This is beyond our control, but please exit the area immediately."
The
guy then proceeds to enter back inside the huge glass doors, and two armed
officers stand behind the door. They lock the building as the massive amount
of
people head directly towards them. After reaching the building, people start
going apeshit. Cops are called in basically a way to clear the crowd. After
about an hour, most have gone home or been "taken" home by the police. The
radio
station is completely screwed, having brought their entire broadcast booths
out
to cover it. Everyone is very, very pissed. Me and the other guy stayed awhile
to figure out what was going on. It's now about 7:30 PM.
FM99 is having
a
field day with it. They're referring to this as "Fuck Fred Durst Friday",
taking
calls in from people who went. But unless you've read this carefully, I don't
think you understand what happened.
Limp Bizkit now has over 200 guitar
parts, written by various artists around here, which are unowned and not
copyrighted. Limp Bizkit now owns these riffs. Limp Bizkit just stole 200
pieces
of material right out from under these guitarists' noses, myself included. If
I'd played something off our CD, I would be ABSOLUTELY pissed. I *am*
absolutely
pissed. They have completely ripped off hundreds of people, and they're
getting
away with it because they can.
To add insult to injury, Guitar Center ran a
contest where the winner would get to watch the band play even if they didn't
play guitar. One person and a friend. That person also won an autographed
Gibson
Les Paul Studio ($1500+ guitar) by the band. She showed up after a near 200
mile
drive to the area.
Guitar Center told her that the band refused to
acknowledge the contest at this point, and so not only did she drive three and
a
half hours for no
performance (which she took her ten year old kid to see
as
his first
concert), but apparently the guitar wasn't given either. All
because the
band wanted to be one giant collective asshole.
~~ Feldman
Like I said, initially, it seemed like this was an urban legend in the making. But, there is nothing about it at
www.snopes.com, and I keep hearing about it....Any comments?
More From 'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Will admit to watching some of the Olympics, but not that much. Was much better in small doses.
At least PBS understands the concept of counter-programming, and had on something worth watching -
'NOW With Bill Moyers'.
Damn...forgot all about Dennis Miller...Oh well, we have 7 HBO channels...he'll be popping up sooner,
rather than later.
Tonight, Saturday, CBS shows its contempt for their audience by offering 2 hours of reruns of 'Touched
By An Angle', and then a rerun 'The District'.
NBC is all Olympics, pretty much all of the time. No SNL for 2 weeks.
ABC has 'Goldfinger', but I didn't see any promos as to who the wrap-arounds will be featuring.
The TRT (True Run Time) of this film is 111 minutes. 9 Minutes less than 2 hours, and
it's in a 3 hour block.
Faux has a fresh 'Cops', then a repeat, then a fresh 'America's Most Wanted'.
TCM has the original 'Rollerball', which was released 27 years ago - 1975!
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Super Bowl Half-Time Show
U2 Played For Free
Entertainment Weekly reports that U2 played the Super Bowl halftime show for free. The magazine reports that the
NFL was willing to pay them but they didn't want any money.
Janet Jackson was the first choice for the halftime show but when NFL bigwigs caught a U2 show in New York City
they felt the band would set the right tone for the festivities after Sept. 11.
The report says Mariah Carey and Paul McCartney also were not paid for their services, but the NFL picked
up their travel expenses.
U2 Played For Free
Hanging With The Boys
Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. President George W. Bush watches the press file in with Senator Joseph Lieberman (L) (D-CT), Secretary of the
Treasury Paul O'Neill (2nd R) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington,
February 7, 2002.
Photo by William Philpott
The War on Terror's Newest Target: America's Kids
Arianna Huffington
'' Did you know you are harboring terrorists in your furnished basement? To the terrible trio of Iran, Iraq and North
Korea, we've now got to add millions of American kids. At least that's the cock and bull story the commander in chief
is peddling with a slick new $10 million ad campaign that is one of the most offensive displays of drug war propaganda
ever. And that's saying something.
The TV spots, which for maximum impact premiered during the Super Bowl, promote the twisted reasoning that, since drug
profits have found their way into the pockets of terrorists, any young Americans who use drugs are therefore guilty of
aiding and abetting the enemy. ''
AND
'' At the end of the movie "Traffic," Michael Douglas' dispirited drug czar crystallizes the madness of the drug war: "If
there is a war on drugs, then many of our family members are the enemy. And I don't know how you wage war on your own
family." Clearly the Bush administration has no such misgivings. ''
Arianna Huffington
Denying 'Keith Moon' Audition
Mike Myers
A spokeswoman for Mike Myers on Friday denied a British newspaper report that the comedian had auditioned for the
part of Keith Moon in a film about The Who's drummer.
The Sun tabloid said earlier that The Who's singer, Roger Daltrey, had auditioned Myers to play Moon in a movie
tribute to the late rock musician.
Myers's publicist, Ina Treciokas, speaking from New York, said: "Mike did not audition for the movie."
She said Daltrey had visited Myers on the set of his latest Austin Powers movie, but he had come only as a guest.
Mike Myers
Black Irish?
Muhammad Ali
It's official -- boxing legend Muhammad Ali has Irish roots, Irish genealogists said on Friday.
Researchers at the Clare Heritage Centre in southwest Ireland said they have evidence that a great grandfather of the
three-times world champion hailed from the county town of Ennis, close to the west coast.
Antoinette O'Brien, a genealogist at the center, told Reuters that Ali's great grandfather, Abe Grady, emigrated to the
United States from County Clare in the 1860s, settled in Kentucky and married an African-American woman.
Their son also married an African-American, and one of that couple's daughters, Odessa Grady, married Cassius Clay in
the 1930s. They settled in Louisville, Kentucky where their son, also called Cassius, was born in 1942.
The younger Cassius changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to the Nation of Islam after winning the world
heavyweight title against Sonny Liston in 1964.
"Birth records don't go back far enough to confirm Abe's birth but we've established that Abe's father John -- Ali's
great-great grandfather -- had a house in Ennis in 1855," O'Brien said.
The research was carried out for an Irish television company making a program to mark the 30th anniversary of Ali's
visit to Ireland in 1972, when he fought Al "Blue" Lewis at Dublin's Croke Park stadium.
Muhammad Ali
At The Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Kickoff Breakfast
Angie Harmon
Actress Angie Harmon appears at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week kickoff breakfast Friday, Feb. 8, 2002, in New York.
Harmon, wore a sleek, tiered brown leather skirt, tan turtleneck sweater and stiletto-heel boots, looking the part of
fashion ambassador as she helped open New York Fashion Week.
Interesting Quote
John Stossel
"Asking someone in the media about liberal bias is like asking a fish about water. 'Huh, what are you talking about?
Where is it?' "
- ABC News' John Stossel addressing the Fabiani Society, the young conservatives who meet each
month at the Princeton Club.
John Stossel
Liberal Radio !
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
Enron and Eyman: Are Sound Ethics Possible in Big Business and Politics??
Wow! How did Enron executives lie, cheat and steal--let us count the ways!--according to those hearings on Capital
Hill. Can Jeff Skilling really be that oblivious? And Christine Gregoire is on the case for WA. but the law says
pensioners can only recoup up to half!?
Plus all Eyes on Eyman and his $226,100. Are sound ethics possible in politics and/or big business?
And the good news is: more people made millions in the '90s; the bad news is they paid less in taxes than ever.
Isn't it time for corporations and the wealthy to carry their weight?
Plus the Olympic Games begin, Bush Shifts his position on the Prisoners--whoops still make that Detainees--of War;
and Legislature, Get rid of the gun loophole!
And the usual suspects: where is Dick Cheney (hint, it's a bird, it's a plane) and other frolics. And Stacy Black
reads and Erin responds to the best of your instant messages!
Erin Hart at regulation time (9 pm to 1 am [pst] Sat & Sun ) on www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com (It's
a browser thing).
And there's a chatroom, too!
For more details, visit Erin's homepage, http://www.erinistas.com/, or to join her mailing list, drop a
note to erinistas@aol.com
Replacing Matthew Broderick In ''The Producers''
Steven Weber
It's official. After several days of speculation, it has been confirmed that Steven Weber will replace Matthew
Broderick as the hapless Leo Bloom in "The Producers."
Weber and English actor Henry Goodman, who is taking over for Nathan Lane, will join the smash Mel Brooks musical
on March 19, spokesman John Barlow said Thursday. Lane and Broderick leave "The Producers" March 17 after
nearly a year's run on Broadway.
The 40-year-old Weber is best known for his role as Brian Hackett in the television series "Wings," which ran on
NBC from 1990 until 1997. His movies include "Hamburger Hill," "Single White Female" and "Jeffrey."
Steven Weber
Never Should Have Cut Her Hair
Buh-Bye ''Felicity''
The WB will close its chapter on "Felicity" at the end of this season, after opting not to re-up the 4-year-old college
drama for another season.
The series, which stars Keri Russell as student Felicity Porter, will return for its spring season on the network March 20
at 9 p.m.. "Felicity" will sign off with a two-hour series finale May 22. (The WB has scheduled the show in winter and spring,
avoiding repeats, during the last two TV seasons.)
The move is not entirely unexpected. The show's ratings had tapered off, and the buzz during the last few months was
that it might indeed wrap in May.
To make room for "Felicity's" return to the lineup, original episodes of rookie drama "Glory Days," which currently
occupies the Wednesday 9 p.m. time slot, will move to Mondays at 9 starting March 11. "Angel" will leave Mondays for
five weeks rather than going into repeats.
Buh-Bye ''Felicity''
Next Season On CBS
Andie MacDowell
In the latest flurry of pilot season developments Thursday, CBS ordered a drama starring Andie MacDowell as a North Carolina veterinarian.
Tentatively dubbed "Jo," the pilot was one of two dramas greenlit by CBS. The network also gave a cast-contingent
order to "Georgetown," a D.C.-based project about power in the nation's capital.
Andie MacDowell
Getting Married, Again
Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel and his longtime live-in, the beautiful blonde Hilary, make it official in about six months.
The ceremony, more intimate than fancy, will be in New York. Bryant, who opens his mouth only when he's at the
dentist or getting paid for it, said only, "It will happen this year."
The target date is late summer, with a spread that reaches, at its ultimate final last point, to early November.
Why's November the cutoff? Because that's when guys want to be playing golf.
He gave Hilary what he calls "your nice basic" solitaire. The ring's 61/2 carats. That's nice but not exactly basic.
Bryant Gumbel
Last Saturday At The World Economic Forum
Desmond Tutu & Bill Clinton
Desmond Tutu (L), Archbishop Emeritus of South Africa, shakes hands with former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the World
Economic Forum in New York February 2, 2002.
Photo by Henny Abrams
Next Week In LA
West Coast Hip-Hop Summit
Suge Knight, Dr. Dre, Steve Harvey, Davey D, Minister Benjamin Muhammad, and Minister Louis Farrakhan will participate in
the West Coast Hip-Hop Summit at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on February 14.
The theme of the meeting is "Taking Back Responsibility," and the invitation-only meeting will focus on four major areas:
political empowerment, hip-hop's response to federal regulatory agencies, economic empowerment, and the success of parental
advisory labels. Farrakhan will deliver the keynote address, followed by remarks from Harvey, Dr. Dre, and Knight. The next
national hip-hop summit is scheduled for June.
West Coast Hip-Hop Summit
To Honor The Big Dog In Australia
Lorna Luft
The supermarket tabs are sniffing around on a story alleging that famously feuding sisters Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft
have already ended their reconciliation. Lorna says this is nonsense, but confirms she won't be able to attend Liza's
New York wedding next month. She's booked to go Down Under and star at a Sydney concert in honor of Bill Clinton. The
former president, who remains wildly popular in Australia (where hitting on the female office staff is a national pastime),
is said to be getting a whopping $300,000 for making the trip and giving a speech about the reunification of China and Taiwan.
Lorna Luft
Macaulay Culkin's Mom
Patricia Bentrup
A Manhattan judge says the mother of actor Macaulay Culkin must go to trial to defend herself against lawsuits filed
after a fire that started in her apartment damaged property and killed four people.
State Supreme Court Justice Paula Omansky, in a ruling made public Thursday that applies to eight lawsuits, refused
to dismiss the cases against Culkin's mother, Patricia Bentrup, and the 51-story building's managers and owners.
The lawsuits seek hundreds of millions of dollars for wrongful death, personal injuries and property damage caused by a
December 1998 fire in one of the three 19th-floor apartments where Bentrup and six of her seven children lived.
Fire officials said the fire was ignited by a short circuit in a wire in a wall-mounted heater. They also said that
the door to the apartment in which the fire started had been propped open, allowing air to feed the blaze.
The heat and smoke that filled the building killed four people, including Wanda Chappell, 40, a Random House editor who
oversaw the publication of biographies by Secretary of State Colin Powell and actor Christopher Reeve.
Macaulay Culkin's Mom
Snarky Gossip
Matthew Broderick
Joking around at an AIDS benefit Monday at Cipriani 42nd Street, Matthew Broderick marveled at the soaring ceilings of what
used to be the Bowery Savings Bank.
"It's a structural wonder that's rivaled only by Greta Van Susteren's eye job," said "The Producers" co-star, alluding
to her recent cosmetic surgery.
Broderick was quick to add, "I didn't write that." But when New York magazine called Van Susteren for a reaction, a
Fox News spokesman shot back: "Maybe [Broderick] needs some surgery to repair his marriage" to Sarah Jessica Parker.
Broderick's rep tells us: "There is nothing wrong with their marriage. It is out there in the public Zeitgeist that
Greta has had some surgery, and God bless her. For Matthew to make a comment on it, that's one level of it. But for
a spokesperson at Fox News to come back with a comment that's wholly inappropriate and inaccurate just sort of astounds me."
Snarky Gossip
Down On Bourbon Street
The Naked Cowboy
Robert, the Naked Cowboy, from Cincinnati plays the guitar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, February 8, 2002. Thousands
of revelers are expected to fill the streets to celebrate Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday which is February 12.
Photo by David Rae Morris
Enron-Like Behavior Results In Fine
Tom Leykis
A Juneau jury on Thursday ordered radio production company Westwood One to pay $150,000 in punitive damages in a case
stemming from complaints about one of its syndicated talk shows.
The state Superior Court jury made the award to a Juneau woman, Karen Carpenter, who said she had been defamed and
victimized by Westwood One's Tom Leykis, a Los Angeles-based, nationally broadcast "shock jock."
Carpenter sued Westwood One and Leykis after the radio host in 1998 allegedly derided her on the air, using sexually
explicit language and the sound of what was supposed to be a vibrator. Leykis also broadcast her home fax number.
The jury on Tuesday cleared Leykis and Westwood One of charges that they intentionally invaded Carpenter's privacy and
caused the emotional distress, depression and other damages that she had claimed.
But the jury found Leykis and his production company deliberately concealed or destroyed the tape of the program in
which Leykis targeted Carpenter.
"The jury concluded that Leykis' conduct, as well as Westwood One's conduct, was outrageous," said Ray Brown, Carpenter's attorney.
Enron-Like Behavior Results In Fine
The Bats! The BATS!
Johnny Depp
If you don't like crusty Donald Rumsfeld running America's military, consider a Defense Department run by Johnny Depp.
The "Fear and Loathing" star has pitched an alternate plan for conquering the Taliban. He thinks we should have tried
saturating "Afghanistan with liquid LSD [to get] everybody goofed out of their minds. Then they should have sent in
the military dressed as Teletubbies. They would have cleared it right out. Bin Laden would have been in 8-inch high
heels singing, 'These Boots Were Made for Walking.'"
Johnny Depp
Complete List Of Nominees
Soul Train Awards
Soul songstresses Alicia Keys, Aaliyah and India.Arie, who have dominated the music awards season, each had three
nominations for the 16th annual Soul Train Music Awards.
Veteran R&B singers the Isley Brothers, making a comeback more than 42 years after their first hit single "Shout,"
also gathered three nominations Thursday.
The Soul Train awards honor rhythm & blues, soul, hip-hop, rap and gospel performances.
Winners will be announced March 20 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and will be taped for syndicated television
broadcast. Nominees were announced at the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood.
Complete list of nominees:
R&B/SOUL SINGLE, FEMALE: "Rock the Boat," Aaliyah; "Video," India.Arie; "Fallin'," Alicia Keys; "Brotha," Angie Stone.
R&B/SOUL SINGLE, MALE: "Just in Case," Jaheim; "Love of My Life," Brian McKnight; "Love," Musiq Soulchild; "U Got It Bad," Usher.
R&B/SOUL SINGLE, GROUP, BAND OR DUO: "Survivor," Destiny's Child; "Contagious," Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley; "Where
the Party At," Jagged Edge with Nelly; "Gone," 'N Sync.
R&B/SOUL ALBUM, FEMALE: "Aaliyah," Aaliyah; "Acoustic Soul," India.Arie; "Songs in A Minor," Alicia Keys; "Lovers Rock," Sade.
R&B/SOUL ALBUM, MALE: "Invincible," Michael Jackson; "Ghetto Love," Jaheim; "Aijuswanaseing," Musiq Soulchild; "8701," Usher.
R&B/SOUL ALBUM GROUP, BAND OR DUO: "112," 112; "Survivor," Destiny's Child; "Eternal," Isley Brothers featuring
Ron Isley; "Jagged Little Thrill," Jagged Edge.
R&B/SOUL OR RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR: "Aaliyah," Aaliyah; "Pain is Love," Ja Rule; "The Blueprint," Jay-Z;
"Songs in A Minor," Alicia Keys.
R&B/SOUL OR RAP NEW ARTIST: "Young'n (Holla Back)," Fabolous; "Video," India.Arie; "Fallin'," Alicia Keys;
"Ugly," Bubba Sparxxx.
R&B/SOUL OR RAP MUSIC VIDEO: "Get Ur Freak On," Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot; "Contagious," Isley Brothers featuring
Ron Isley; "Girls, Girls, Girls," Jay-Z; "Break Ya Neck," Busta Rhymes.
GOSPEL ALBUM: "The Experience," Yolanda Adams; "Live in Concert," Kim Burrell; "Live in London," Donnie
McClurkin; "Duets," Doug and Melvin Williams.
Soul Train Awards
More Underwear
From Spain
La Pasarela Gaudí de Barcelona clausuró el jueves su cita con los grandes diseñadores de moda españoles que presentaron
sus nuevas colecciones de otoño-invierno 2002-2003, según Moda Barcelona, entidad organizadora del evento. En la imagen,
una modelo luciendo lencería de la casa Toton Cornella durante el desfile del pasado 4 de febrero de 2002.
Photo by Gustau Nacarino
This Is Shameful!
Melted Bunnies
A fire in a Swiss warehouse destroyed between 3.5 and four million Easter chocolate bunnies, Swiss retail chain
Migros said on Friday.
The fire swept a central distribution warehouse containing nearly half of the total output needed to cover demand at
Migros, Switzerland's largest retailer.
Suppliers Chocolat Frey and Migros's Midor have cranked up production, pledging to manufacture the bunnies "around
the clock, seven days a week, through March 28."
Melted Bunnies
4 Gold Medals Winner
Olga Korbut
Gymnast Olga Korbut, winner of four Olympic gold medals, is shown in this police booking photo after her arrest in
Norcross, Georgia on January 31, 2002.
Photo by Gwinnett County Sheriffs Dept.
In Memory
Sheldon Allman
Sheldon Allman, the songwriter whose words, "Watch out for that tree!" helped turn clumsy cartoon hero George of the
Jungle into a national icon, has died at age 77.
Allman, who also wrote and sang the songs mouthed by television's popular talking horse, "Mister Ed," died Jan. 22 of
heart failure at his Culver City home.
Although he acted in numerous movies and television shows, provided voices for cartoon characters and wrote, sang and
recorded many other songs, Allman may have left his greatest mark with the words to "George of the Jungle."
"It's the connection of the character to the music," he once said. "You cannot imagine 'George of the Jungle' without
the song, and you can't sing the song without seeing George of the Jungle."
"George, George, George of the Jungle/ Friend to you and me./ Watch out for that tree!" is how the song begins.
It was performed by the rock group Presidents of the United States when the cartoon show was made into a movie starring
Brendan Fraser in 1997. Allman said he and his collaborator Stan Worth (who did most of the music) wrote that song and
two others one afternoon in 1967. The others were the themes to "Super Chicken" and "Tom Slick."
Before "George of the Jungle" Allman had worked on "Mister Ed" in the early 1960s.
Although the show featured former Western star Allan "Rocky" Lane as the baritone voice of the talking palomino, it was
Allman who took over whenever Ed would burst into song.
Among the tunes he wrote for the show were "Pretty Little Filly With the Pony Tail" and "The Empty Feedbag Blues."
The Chicago-born songwriter grew up in Canada where he sang with the Royal National Guard during World War II. He moved
to Los Angeles in the late 1940s and was graduated from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music.
Working regularly in Hollywood, he did the theme music for such game shows as "Split Second," "Let's Make a Deal" and
"Your First Impression."
He also did voice-over work for the "Undercover Elephant" cartoon show and appeared in front of the cameras in such popular
shows as "Gunsmoke," "Maverick" "The Untouchables," "My Favorite Martin," "The Fugitive," "I Dream of Jeannie" and
"Little House on the Prairie"
His movie credits included "Hud," "In Cold Blood," "Sons of Katie Elder" and "Nevada Smith."
Sheldon Allman
'Bob Woodward vs. John Belushi and Me'
Michael Dare - 'The Life and Death of Captain Preemo'
BartCop TV!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Watergate v$ Enron!
From BartCop
The Bush Rap (Sheet)
Special Bonus From BartCop
