(back in the nineteen-seventies)
by Live Music Head
It’s April 13, 2020,
Easter Monday.
27 days after the coronavirus pandemic forced me into self-isolation,
and affording me oh,
a slight bit more time for getting nostalgic and writing about it.
Now, I may not be religious and I may not celebrate
any of the traditional holidays on society’s annual calendar,
but I was raised in a Catholic family,
and was rather forced to do just that.
Having said that,
you can imagine as a kid how much I hated going to church
and how rebellious I was while attending Catholic grade school.
Oh yes, I certainly was.
However,
I became a smidgeon less rebellious
somewhere in and around Grade 6
when I discovered Norman Jewison’s
1973 rock opera film and soundtrack,
Jesus Christ Superstar.
Oh, how I loved it!
Suddenly,
in religion class,
I was raising my hand wanting to know more
about these dudes called Judas, Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate.
I even brought the vinyl record to school.
Goes to show you that if something scary or hard to understand as a kid
(such as the life and times of Jesus Christ),
when presented to you through something you love,
like rock and roll,
suddenly opens you up to wanting more learning and education.
Music has always been my savior,
and the story of Jesus Christ,
especially told with the sound of a groovy bass run,
has fascinated me ever since.
I mean, it’s one helluva story, right?
Somewhere around the same time,
I got to know Pamela des Barres,
through I’m with the Band,
required and essential reading for any rock and roll chickie-poo.
I always loved how des Barres referred to Mary Magdalene
as the very first groupie.
It's also due to my early exposure to JCS
that I knew exactly what the Rolling Stones were talking about
the first time I heard:
"Made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate"
from Sympathy for the Devil.
This photo still from the JCS scene Trial Before Pilate
(Pontius played by the amazing and beloved Barry Dennen)
has taken on a whole new meaning,
since COVID-19 upset the world of today…
Almost twenty years after the first time seeing the JCS movie,
a new stage version went on tour,
bringing Ted Neeley
and the incomparable Carl Anderson (who played Judas)
along to reprise their roles.
On August 14, 1993,
a mere week before my birthday,
the tour made a stop at the O’Keefe Centre in Toronto,
for which I was extremely lucky to score tickets for.
27 days after the coronavirus pandemic forced me into self-isolation,
and affording me oh,
a slight bit more time for getting nostalgic and writing about it.
Now, I may not be religious and I may not celebrate
any of the traditional holidays on society’s annual calendar,
but I was raised in a Catholic family,
and was rather forced to do just that.
Having said that,
you can imagine as a kid how much I hated going to church
and how rebellious I was while attending Catholic grade school.
Oh yes, I certainly was.
However,
I became a smidgeon less rebellious
somewhere in and around Grade 6
when I discovered Norman Jewison’s
1973 rock opera film and soundtrack,
Jesus Christ Superstar.
Oh, how I loved it!
Suddenly,
in religion class,
I was raising my hand wanting to know more
about these dudes called Judas, Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate.
I even brought the vinyl record to school.
Goes to show you that if something scary or hard to understand as a kid
(such as the life and times of Jesus Christ),
when presented to you through something you love,
like rock and roll,
suddenly opens you up to wanting more learning and education.
Music has always been my savior,
and the story of Jesus Christ,
especially told with the sound of a groovy bass run,
has fascinated me ever since.
I mean, it’s one helluva story, right?
Somewhere around the same time,
I got to know Pamela des Barres,
through I’m with the Band,
required and essential reading for any rock and roll chickie-poo.
I always loved how des Barres referred to Mary Magdalene
as the very first groupie.
It's also due to my early exposure to JCS
that I knew exactly what the Rolling Stones were talking about
the first time I heard:
"Made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate"
from Sympathy for the Devil.
This photo still from the JCS scene Trial Before Pilate
(Pontius played by the amazing and beloved Barry Dennen)
has taken on a whole new meaning,
since COVID-19 upset the world of today…
Almost twenty years after the first time seeing the JCS movie,
a new stage version went on tour,
bringing Ted Neeley
and the incomparable Carl Anderson (who played Judas)
along to reprise their roles.
On August 14, 1993,
a mere week before my birthday,
the tour made a stop at the O’Keefe Centre in Toronto,
for which I was extremely lucky to score tickets for.
And I gotta tell ya,
I was utterly blown away hearing those very familiar
and incredibly powerful voices,
live and in person.
Shivers and goosebumps completely covered me!
Because having grown up with this musical,
I know every single word from every single song,
every bit of phrasing,
every nook and cranny of the motion picture,
vhs, dvd, vinyl and cd.
Because forever it all has been,
ingrained in my dna.
I took my mother with me to this stage performance.
It was truly a special occasion,
not only because Neeley and Anderson were apart if it
or that it was a mere week before my birthday,
but because it was a mere week before
my mom’s birthday, too.
And it was my mother who
always watched the movie with me growing up,
whenever it came on tv at Easter time.
Of Ted Neeley, my mother would always say,
“he has such nice teeth.”
My mother recently passed away,
and I think this is one of the fondest memories I have,
that I shared with her.
After the performance,
my mom and I were there when
Ted Neeley emerged from the back stage door,
paying witness to and feeling the same way,
when the eruption of joy sprung forth
from the crowd who were waiting there with us.
Now, we had to wait our turn like everyone else,
but when it came to be,
Ted Neeley gave us his complete and undivided attention,
like no one I had ever met before.
Looking me straight in the eye when talking to me,
and treating me like he's known me all his life,
was remarkable.
He did the same for my mother,
and as far as I could see,
he did the same for everyone else that was there to meet him,
like he had all the time in the world and no place else to go!
He was full of love, gratitude and hugs for everyone!
Neeley also introduced us to his son,
Zackariah,
still a little boy at the time,
and his wife Leeyan Granger,
who was also in the film,
playing one of the dancers in
Simon the Zealot’s awesomely choreographed scene.
Ted signed the photo of Gethsemane that I had brought,
my overall favourite scene from the film.
He told me about how hard Jewison worked
on getting that scene just right...
about the patience it took to capture the perfect sky.
As a parting gift,
I gave Mr Neeley a necklace,
which he insisted I put on him.
The photo below was taken just after I clasped it around his neck.
He’s shown fondling it with his fingers.
Precious.
Neeley told us many other stories,
including stories around the comparisons between him
and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan.
And he showed genuine enthusiasm listening to us,
as we did him,
spending what seemed like 90 minutes or more with us,
until everyone got from him what they wanted.
Again, remarkable.
I then watched Ted Neeley take his wife and son across the street
to Marche,
the Movenpick restaurant on Yonge St.
As we headed home,
my mother was just as overjoyed as me,
having experienced such an amazing live performance
and the truly heart-warming experience of meeting Ted Neeley,
face to face afterward.
I’ll never, ever forget Neeley's kindness, warmth, and generosity.
A true gem, him.
Looking back at this clip of Gethsamane,
Ted Neeley’s incredible vocals still move me to my core,
despite having seen this like, 9 million times.
Ya know, JC was a little rebellious too.
As you can see,
he had much doubt and as many questions as me!
Gethsamane
(From the 1973 rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar;
starring Ted Neeley, directed by Norman Jewison)...
and incredibly powerful voices,
live and in person.
Shivers and goosebumps completely covered me!
Because having grown up with this musical,
I know every single word from every single song,
every bit of phrasing,
every nook and cranny of the motion picture,
vhs, dvd, vinyl and cd.
Because forever it all has been,
ingrained in my dna.
I took my mother with me to this stage performance.
It was truly a special occasion,
not only because Neeley and Anderson were apart if it
or that it was a mere week before my birthday,
but because it was a mere week before
my mom’s birthday, too.
And it was my mother who
always watched the movie with me growing up,
whenever it came on tv at Easter time.
Of Ted Neeley, my mother would always say,
“he has such nice teeth.”
My mother recently passed away,
and I think this is one of the fondest memories I have,
that I shared with her.
After the performance,
my mom and I were there when
Ted Neeley emerged from the back stage door,
paying witness to and feeling the same way,
when the eruption of joy sprung forth
from the crowd who were waiting there with us.
Now, we had to wait our turn like everyone else,
but when it came to be,
Ted Neeley gave us his complete and undivided attention,
like no one I had ever met before.
Looking me straight in the eye when talking to me,
and treating me like he's known me all his life,
was remarkable.
He did the same for my mother,
and as far as I could see,
he did the same for everyone else that was there to meet him,
like he had all the time in the world and no place else to go!
He was full of love, gratitude and hugs for everyone!
Neeley also introduced us to his son,
Zackariah,
still a little boy at the time,
and his wife Leeyan Granger,
who was also in the film,
playing one of the dancers in
Simon the Zealot’s awesomely choreographed scene.
Ted signed the photo of Gethsemane that I had brought,
my overall favourite scene from the film.
He told me about how hard Jewison worked
on getting that scene just right...
about the patience it took to capture the perfect sky.
As a parting gift,
I gave Mr Neeley a necklace,
which he insisted I put on him.
The photo below was taken just after I clasped it around his neck.
He’s shown fondling it with his fingers.
Precious.
Neeley told us many other stories,
including stories around the comparisons between him
and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan.
And he showed genuine enthusiasm listening to us,
as we did him,
spending what seemed like 90 minutes or more with us,
until everyone got from him what they wanted.
Again, remarkable.
I then watched Ted Neeley take his wife and son across the street
to Marche,
the Movenpick restaurant on Yonge St.
As we headed home,
my mother was just as overjoyed as me,
having experienced such an amazing live performance
and the truly heart-warming experience of meeting Ted Neeley,
face to face afterward.
I’ll never, ever forget Neeley's kindness, warmth, and generosity.
A true gem, him.
Looking back at this clip of Gethsamane,
Ted Neeley’s incredible vocals still move me to my core,
despite having seen this like, 9 million times.
Ya know, JC was a little rebellious too.
As you can see,
he had much doubt and as many questions as me!
Gethsamane
(From the 1973 rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar;
starring Ted Neeley, directed by Norman Jewison)...
Like many youngsters who came of age in the 1970s,
I grew up on television and so,
had all my television cop heroes to take to bed and dream about.
I was particularly in love with Paul Michael Glaser,
I grew up on television and so,
had all my television cop heroes to take to bed and dream about.
I was particularly in love with Paul Michael Glaser,
who played Starsky in Starsky & Hutch.
I was equally as madly in love with the unorthodox,
I was equally as madly in love with the unorthodox,
"Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time" police detective
with the pet cockatoo,
Tony Baretta,
as well as the bald, dapper, tough, incorrigible,
lollipop-suckin' police lieutenant,
Theodore "Who loves ya, baby?" Kojak -
in addition to
that San Francisco Police Commissioner,
Stuart "Mac"McMillan
and Captain Steve McGarrett,
head of a special state police force located in Hawaii -
but don't tell Starsky that!
I still remember to this day,
the dream I had when they all came to my rescue,
when a murderer was out to get me!
How could I not love Starsky,
that "dark-haired Southern California
police detective/Brooklyn transplant
and U.S. Army veteran,
with the street-wise manner and intense,
sometimes childlike moodiness"?
That same bad-ass detective who drove
the red hot with white stripe 1975 Ford Gran Torino?
Starsky looked so hot throwing them bad guys up against that car,
did he not?
Let's spell it out together in bold, shall we?
H-O-T!
H-O-T!
Right?
Just like how every girl back then wanted Farrah Fawcett’s hair,
every guy wanted a cool car
(a cool car along with Farrah Fawcett's
Just like how every girl back then wanted Farrah Fawcett’s hair,
every guy wanted a cool car
(a cool car along with Farrah Fawcett's
hot red swim-suited body, of course -
and speaking of nice teeth).
My brother had a cool, souped-up 1968 Ford Torino...
painted in green with a cobra snake.
My sister’s husband had the cool van,
My brother had a cool, souped-up 1968 Ford Torino...
painted in green with a cobra snake.
My sister’s husband had the cool van,
with flames of fire painted on the sides.
My other sister’s husband had a really cool dune buggy.
And I always felt super-cool every time I got to ride in them.
Well, today, thanks to Ted Neeley again,
I got another throwback to those times
when he posted this youtube clip on his Facebook page
from the time in 1979 when he guest-starred on Starsky and Hutch
as Lionel Rigger, a drummer!
Yes, that’s right…
My other sister’s husband had a really cool dune buggy.
And I always felt super-cool every time I got to ride in them.
Well, today, thanks to Ted Neeley again,
I got another throwback to those times
when he posted this youtube clip on his Facebook page
from the time in 1979 when he guest-starred on Starsky and Hutch
as Lionel Rigger, a drummer!
Yes, that’s right…
Ted Neeley,
otherwise known as my beloved Jesus Christ,
played a drummer/informant
on Starsky and Hutch!
(S4:E18 – Targets Without a Badge).
Without a doubt,
this was definitely the best hour I spent today,
watching Neeley act with two of my other childhood heroes
and hearing him say dialogue, like:
“Well, hear this man:
these cops you want to hire to spring your mules,
their names are Starsky and Hutch,
and uh, they’re bad, man.
Real bad.
They say, either you play their game,
or pick up your marbles and pack it in.”
LOL!
And this from Hutch:
“You know something Starsky?
I bet when you were small,
you were one of those kids who used to go to the library
and tear out the last pages of the mystery.”
Again, let's spell it out together in bold...
B-A-D A-S-S!!
My brain is old now,
so I don’t exactly remember seeing this episode
on Starsky and Hutch!
(S4:E18 – Targets Without a Badge).
Without a doubt,
this was definitely the best hour I spent today,
watching Neeley act with two of my other childhood heroes
and hearing him say dialogue, like:
“Well, hear this man:
these cops you want to hire to spring your mules,
their names are Starsky and Hutch,
and uh, they’re bad, man.
Real bad.
They say, either you play their game,
or pick up your marbles and pack it in.”
LOL!
And this from Hutch:
“You know something Starsky?
I bet when you were small,
you were one of those kids who used to go to the library
and tear out the last pages of the mystery.”
Again, let's spell it out together in bold...
B-A-D A-S-S!!
My brain is old now,
so I don’t exactly remember seeing this episode
when it originally aired,
although I’m very sure I did,
as I was such a faithfull viewer.
But its nostalgia like this
that helps get me through the day, today,
although I’m very sure I did,
as I was such a faithfull viewer.
But its nostalgia like this
that helps get me through the day, today,
inspiring me to write this blog,
particularly the scene where Neeley is holed up with Starsky
in the space above the thrift shop,
going stir-crazy.
That just added fuel to my already-fiery imagination,
thinking about all the hot and badass things I would want to happen,
if those two were holed up with me in my COVID-19
isolation!
S4:E18 - Targets Without a Badge
with guest-star Ted Neeley
Starsky & Hutch, 1979...
particularly the scene where Neeley is holed up with Starsky
in the space above the thrift shop,
going stir-crazy.
That just added fuel to my already-fiery imagination,
thinking about all the hot and badass things I would want to happen,
if those two were holed up with me in my COVID-19
isolation!
S4:E18 - Targets Without a Badge
with guest-star Ted Neeley
Starsky & Hutch, 1979...
