I'm not through. Don't worry, punk will get its due.

Post #17: Twas the Night Before Zeppelin DATE: Monday June 20, 1977 At long last the wait was almost over. The June 19, 1977 Sunday Calendar of the L.A. Times had the Led Zeppelin Forum shows listed in the Events of the Week. The June 20, 1977 issue of Newsweek magazine had a review of Led Zeppelin's New York concert(written by Janet Maslin), which shows you how much things had changed and how enormous Led Zeppelin had become by 1977. Now, it wasn't just the music press and newspapers writing about the band, but the staid mainstream newsweekly mags like Time and Newsweek had taken notice, too. It's one thing to write about Bruce Springsteen or the Rolling Stones, who had the approval of Rolling Stone magazine and the other rock scribes, and therefore were deemed "safe" for mainstream readers. But Led Zeppelin were still scoundrels to the media horde, were still looked upon as hairy heavy-metal beasts...definitely NOT for polite society. So after over two years away from touring, what sort of world awaited Led Zeppelin since they last toured in 1975? A lot could change in a couple of years back then. What follows then, is sort of a thumbnail sketch of what was happening that week of June 1977 as Led Zeppelin was ensconced in the Continental Hyatt(aka the Riot House) on Sunset Blvd., resting up beween the San Diego concert of June 19 and the first of the 6 Forum gigs on June 21. The Carter family was in the White House, Jimmy Carter having beaten Gerald Ford in the 1976 Presidential election and only taken office that January 1977. This was pre-killer rabbit attack, and his brother Billy Carter hadn't quite embarrassed the President yet..."Billy Beer" was still a month away. We knew Led Zeppelin was the Ford children's favourite band, but I don't think anyone knew who the Carter kids liked. Bland Walter Mondale was the Vice President. Former White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman was about to enter prison for his part in the Watergate scandal during Richard Nixon's Presidency. President of Egypt Anwar Sadat was still alive, while Menachem Begin would take office as Prime Minister of Israel on June 21. James Callaghan from the Labour Party was Prime Minister of the U.K. You-Know-Who was Queen. In a rare occurance of Canada overshadowing Britain, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was more famous than Callaghan, mainly due to the hijinks of Pierre's wife Margaret Trudeau...or "Maggie" to her fans and the tabloids. In the U.S., the median income was $13,572 and the average cost of a new house was $54,200. Gas was 0.62¢ a gallon for regular and 0.66¢ a gallon for unleaded. Milk was $1.68 a gallon. It cost 0.13¢ to mail a letter. Unemployment rate was 7.7% and inflation ran at 11%. The DOW's high in 1977 was 999 and the low was 800. Jerry Brown was in his first term as Governor of California...and hanging out with singer Linda Ronstadt. On June 10, 1977 James Earl Ray, the man who assasinated Martin Luther King, Jr., escaped with others from the Brushy Mountain State Prison in Tennessee. He was captured two days later. The Son of Sam was terrorizing New York City and the Yorkshire Ripper was doing the same in England. There was hubbub over "school busing", federal funding for abortions, an attempt on Uganda dictator Idi Amin's life, and the trans-Alaska oil pipeline began operation on June 20, 1977. Oh, and in a decision which would have repercussions for decades, the California State Surpreme Court ruled unconstitutional the state's practice of using local property taxes to fund the public school system. Named the Serrano Case after one of the plaintiffs, John Serrano, Jr., the U.S. Supreme Court on June 20 refused to hear a challenge to the original ruling. The California public school system, at the time one of the best and the envy of many, would from this point on begin its long downward spiral, with additional help by Prop. 13 a year later. The cost of record albums and tapes were anywhere from $5.99 to $7.99 list retail, although most record stores(Tower, Licorice Pizza, the Wherehouse) would discount them to $3.99 to $5...slightly more for double albums. In sports, I was ecstatic as the Oakland Raiders were the reigning Super Bowl Champions, having finally reached the promised land after years of heartbreak by demolishing the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl, January 9, 1977. My other favourite teams weren't faring so well that year...both the LA Lakers and the LA Kings were knocked out in the playoffs that Spring of 1977. The Kings were beaten in the Quarterfinals by the bane of their existence, the Boston Bruins. Yes, this was back in the days of the Prince of Wales Conference and the Campbell Conference. The Kings resided in the Prince of Wales Conference, Norris Division along with the Montreal Canadians, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Washington Capitols. The other Division in the Wales Conference was the Adams Division: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Cleveland Barons(formerly the California Golden Seals). In the Clarence Campbell Conference, you had the Patrick Division: Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Atlantic Flames, and New York Rangers; and the Smythe Division: St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Rockies. Montreal dominated the NHL racking up 132 points during the season, 20 more than the next best team, the Philadelphia Flyers, and sweeping the Boston Bruins to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup. As for the Lakers, they got swept by Bill Walton and the Portland Trailblazers in the Western Conference Finals. Portland then fell behind 2-0 to the high-flying Dr. J(Julius Erving) and the favoured Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals, only to storm back and win the next 4 games, shocking the 76ers and most everyone else. I know I was rooting for Philly, as, after the Lakers, I was a Dr. J fan from his days in the ABA. This was a landmark season in the NBA, as it was the first season post-ABA/NBA merger. Like the NHL, the conferences and divisions often didn't make geographical sense: the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons were in the Western Conference and the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs in the Eastern Conference. Oh, the Stanley Cup Finals were over on May 14, and the NBA Finals completed by June 5. In baseball, the California Angels were mediocre and Reggie Jackson was the straw stirring the Yankee-drink in New York. The Cincinnati Reds were the back-to-back World Series champions and Reds outfielder George Foster was jacking home runs at an astounding rate(pre-steroid era), eventually finishing with 52 home runs. But it was a new era dawning in the NL West, as after 23 years of Walter Alston, the LA Dodgers had a new manager for the 1977 season: Tommy Lasorda. No one knew it at the time, but the days of the Big Red Machine were about to end. In May-June, Seattle Slew became the second horse of the 70s to win the Triple Crown of horse racing, 4 years after Secretariat. Wimbledon began on June 20. Björn Borg and the pride and hope of England, Virginia Wade, eventually winning the Men's and Women's Singles Titles respectively. In England, check out this wacky sequence of events: May 15: Liverpool FC wins the English Football League. May 21: Manchester United then beats Liverpool to win the FA Cup. May 25: But then Liverpool squash Borussia Mönchengladbach to win their first European Cup. Colleen McCullough's "The Thorn Birds" is dominating the bestselling book charts, along with Richard Bach's "Illusions", Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Your Erroneous Zones", Gail Sheehy's "Passages" and Alex Haley's "Roots". "Charlie's Angels" is the top-rated television show in the Nielsen Ratings this week in 1977. The rest of the Top 10 is as follows: 2. "The War Between the Tates" 3. "Laverne & Shirley" 4. "Happy Days" 5. "Kojak" 6. "McCloud" 7. "MASH" 8. "Shields & Yarnell" (don't ask, haha) 9. "Rms Riv Vu" 10. "Quincy" Somehow ABC had 3 of the top 4 programs for the week and STILL finished behind NBC and CBS in the ratings. Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" has been the Number One album in the Billboard charts for weeks. "Rocky" and "Network" were the big winners at the Academy Awards in March, "Rocky" winning Best Picture and Best Director, and "Network" scoring Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. "All the President's Men" also won multiple awards..."Taxi Driver" was shut out, beginning a long stretch of Martin Scorsese being denied at the Oscars. Fims opening the week Led Zeppelin were in town included Scorsese's new one "New York, New York", William("The Exorcist", "French Connection") Friedkin's "Sorcerer", and two from Disney, "The Boatnicks" and "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo". Other movies that were out in theatres: "Star Wars", "Annie Hall", "The Deep", "Slap Shot", "Black Sunday", "A Bridge Too Far", "Cross of Iron", "Aguirre-The Wrath of God", "Welcome to L.A.", "3 Women", "Freaky Friday", "A Star is Born", "The Other Side of Midnight", and "Rollercoaster". Also, in 1977, newspapers (well, at least the Los Angeles Times did) still ran ads for porn movies like "Deep Throat" and "Beyond the Green Door" in the movie section.

20 June 2007 - John Paul Jones guest appearance at the Watkins Family Hour @ Cafe Largo, Hollywood, CA

^^^ Very wise, indeed, Rick! And how fortunate you were to catch one of the good Landover shows! The only Landover I've heard from the 1977 tour is the "Bringing the House Down" soundboard, which is the May 26 show, and it is dreadful. I've heard people say bad things about the 28th concert as well, but apparently everyone agrees the May 30th was the best of the four Landover nights. Not only had I heard about the Tampa riot, but others as well. Just like in 1975, there would be periodic reports about violence at a Led Zeppelin concert as the tour marched across the country. There was violence in Miami on April 17 when tickets went on sale...the article blurb didn't say if these tickets were for a Miami show that then got cancelled, or if they were selling tickets for Tampa at Miami's Orange Bowl, too. Then came word about the trouble in Cincinnati. So yes, you can imagine the worries I was having about whether the band would make it to L.A. in one piece or if too much fan violence would cause the rest of the tour to be scrapped. On the other hand, there was some good news..."The Song Remains the Same" was brought back to selected theatres in Southern California to help us pass the time waiting for the Zeppelin tour to arrive at the Forum.

You are spot on with this...maybe more so than you even realize. And prescient, too. For, a few days after you posted this, the L.A. Times printed a story about Ice T's new rap documentary "The Art of Rap". Here is an inreresting quote from Ice T: "I think Lady Gaga is dope, but she’s Madonna. I think Madonna is dope, but she’s Alice Cooper,” Ice-T says.

Before I get to "Prometheus", a few words about "The Hunger Games", which I finally saw last night with Doug Benson and his merry gang of baked comedian friends. What a pile of shit "The Hunger Games" was; it's appalling such a poor film can make so much money. Poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly executed. I wanted to strangle the cinematographer within the first 5 minutes of the film...STOP jiggling the camera around! Would it kill you to have an establishing wide shot, or even a two-shot once in a while? The fight scene at the end between the two boy morons qualifies as one of the lamest of all-time. What boggles the mind is how such a great actor as Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Lawrence, who was so good in "Winter's Bone", got roped into this garbage? Donald Sutherland I can understand, because when you're old as dirt, you take any part that comes your way as they are few and far between. Unless you're Christopher Plummer or Betty White. Then there was that doofus with the preposterous beard...I kept waiting for him to snicker "Bwahahaha!" In fact, that's another fatal flaw to this film...the misguided costumes and hair and makeup. It's as if "The Wizard of Oz" was this society's only influence and only thing available to watch. Worst of all, it's a blatant rip-off of the far better "Battle Royale" movie by the late Kinji Fukasaku. Avoid "The Hunger Games" at all costs...I don't care how much your tween kids throw a hissy fit. It ain't worth a damn. An instant contender for worst movie of the year. Now, as for "Prometheus", it was okay. Not great. Not terrible. It could have been better but hearing reports that Ridley Scott was forced to cut 27 minutes leaves me with the feeling that perhaps the Director's Cut of the DVD will be an improvement. I promise not to give away any spoilers to the film...nothing at least you can't see in the trailer. First some questions you may have. Do I have to know the "Alien" series to understand or enjoy "Prometheus"? No, I don't think so. Even though the idea of "Prometheus" germinated from the question of "Who was that dead spaceman in the ship that the crew of Nostromo investigates in the first "Alien" movie, "Prometheus" can be seen as a stand-alone film. Its pleasures don't require a knowledge of Alien-lore, nor do its flaws have anything to do with the previous Alien movies. I myself have only seen the first three Alien films...loved the first two, ambivalent about the third and just didn't care enough anymore about seeing the others, as any trace of Ridley Scott was long gone. Do I need to know about Prometheus and Greek Mythology? No. Do I need to see it in 3D?" No. Save your money. I did see it in 3D at the Dome, but to be honest, there was only one or two instances where I noticed the 3D and thought "wow"...and it was brief. Seeing "Prometheus" in regular 2D is not going to lessen the visuals for you. Of course, as is usually the case with a Ridley Scott film, the visuals are one of the best features of "Prometheus". As a summer action sci-fi movie, it's moderately entertaining enough and has its share of suspense and downright creepy scenes. It's definitely bloodier than the original "Alien", the only one of the Alien film series that Ridley Scott directed. It's better than "Battleship", "Transformers", "Cloverfield", and some of the other recent summer blockbusters. The problem starts when you begin to notice gaping holes in the plot...holes that have nothing to do with inconsistencies with the other Alien movies; I'm talking inconsistencies with normal character development and behaviour. First off, we've got scientists that don't act and behave much like actual scientists...especially the male scientist. In fact, he's such an idiot asshole that...oh, nevermind. Just as in the other Alien movie, the most interesting and defined character is the Android David, played by Michael Fassbender...he's easily the best part of the film. One of the things I liked was how he quoted lines from"Lawrence of Arabia" throughout the movie. Actually, as noted by the film critic in the clip posted above by MM, David reminds one of Rutger Hauer's Replicant in "Blade Runner". Which shouldn't be surprising given the news that after revisiting his "Alien" world after all these years, Ridley Scott is now set to do another "Blade Runner" film. Anyway, apart from David, the rest of the cast is given nothing much to distinguish itself...Noomi Rapace tries, and she does have one incredibly intense and freakish scene...but I cannot explain some of the problems I had with her character without giving away spoilers, so I'll wait until someone asks specifically. Guy Pearce's appearance is so ludicrous and late-hour as to be comical. Idris Elba(so awesome in "The Wire" and "Luther") and Charlize Theron try...but they're not given much to work with. Put simply, there is no equivalent to the character of Ripley(Sigourney Weaver) in "Prometheus", no human to really care about and root for. While "Alien" and "Aliens" also had their own interesting androids(Ian Holme in the first, Lance Henrickson in the second), those movies also had intetesting human crews that you could identify with. The crew in "Prometheus" is forgettable...and sometimes hard to differentiate...except for the Scottish woman. There are inconsistencies in the plot, flawed logic, etc. And I think the ending is kind of cheap...it sort of blatently advertises a sequel. Oh, there is one thing that may be of note to some forum members here. Some of you have discussed in the supernatural or paranormal threads the idea that aliens visited this planet millions of years ago and started homo sapiens on his path to advancement...sort of like what happens in "2001: A Space Odyssey". Well, that is the central idea that "Prometheus" wrestles with: that it was aliens that created us and gave us the DNA and intelligence that separates us from all other animals. That is all I'm going to say about "Prometheus". Any more would reveal too much.

Happy birthday to one cool dude: Evster! I don't care if he doesn't come here anymore(and I don't hear from his liaison Aquamarine anymore...or is it Nine Lives?), I will never stop wishing him a happy birthday. It was Evster who set me on my path; he's the instigator of my posting here. He's the one you can thank...or blame, haha. Evan, wherever you are, I hope you are: "Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain!" May you be back to health! Cheers mate!

Surely you jest, Cecil. Why should you care what I think over a professional film critic? Just because I post my thoughts here from time to time doesn't mean I actually think anyone else should care. But, if you really want my thoughts about "Prometheus", you'll have to wait at least until I see the bloody thing...which as luck would have it, will be in about half an hour. I'm seeing the late show at the Cinerama Dome tonight.

I find that there's usually a rational and/or scientific explanation to many "ufo" sightings. Like the supposed ufo sighting the other day...turns out it was a Drone. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-x47b-drone-ufo-20120615,0,4884116.story

^^^ All right LZG! That sounds like fun! Rock on with your dad! And to all you dads out there, Happy Father's Day! It's worth every penny.

Not only is today Bloomsday, but Langer's Deli is giving away their yummy #19 pastrami sandwiches for free to celebrate their 65th birthday! http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-langers-pastrami-20120616,0,4752022.story

Well...I once said bacon makes everything taste better. I still stand by my statement, even in the face of the above, hehe. I have yet to encounter something like that in the U.S., Kate...although it's a wonder Wall-Mart hasn't marketed something such as this in Arkansas years ago. What does BD think of it? Has he tried it yet?

I have yet to see "Prometheus" but the word-of-mouth I'm getting from friends is that it's good...better if you don't take it as a straight "prequel" to "Alien"; more like a movie suggested by "Alien". The film critics that I read and trust all seem to like it...it has a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 50% for "John Carter" and 36% for "Battleship", which is Adam Sandler-level. So far, "Rock of Ages" is at 42%.

Thumbs up to "Gone Baby Gone". "The Help", not so much.

So far, the consensus worst movie of the year is "Battleship"...although some might argue "John Carter". Hmmm, both star Taylor Kitsch. Dude might want to change his name...and if he already changed his name to Kitsch, then acting is the least of his problems. Anyway, a contender for worst movie of 2012 arrives tomorrow...or since it is past midnight, today: "Rock of Ages". The trailer looks dreadful, and I'm sorry...Foreigner, Journey, Poison, Def Leppard, Reo Speedwagon and Twisted Sister is not my idea of a good time.

^^^ What other silent movies have you seen?

^^^ Gotcha Kate. I understand your point of view.

German tourist season in Hollywood.

As one who had to make the adjustment from military to civilian life, I'm curious Kate, what exactly worries you about your son's ability to do the same? PM me if you'd rather keep it confidential.

No smog at the beach.

Why? Because he doesn't have to. I know this flies in the face of some of my previous impertinent posts on the subject of Jimmy's "inactivity", but sometimes I'm in an impish mood when I come here. Truth be told, Jimmy will DO something when he's damn well READY to do something...whatever that something is. He doesn't "owe" anybody a thing. After hundreds and hundreds of sessions in the 60s, a stint with the Yardbirds, domination of the 70s piloting Led Zeppelin, th ARMS tour, The Firm, Page & Plant records and tours, the Black Crowes, remastering the Zeppelin catologue and rescueing and compiling the live DVD and HTWWW(I don't think some of you realize how deteriorated those tapes were and the painstaking work involved in rehabilitating them), and the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun concert, not to mention the one-off guest appearances over the years, James Patrick Page has given the world mote than enough music to enjoy over his lifetime. Jimmy and Led Zeppelin were never one to do something...release an album, tour...by rote. They did it on their terms and with passion and conviction...or not at all. I expect Jimmy still feels this way. If we get some new music from him, great. If not, that's ok too. I would only want Jimmy to put something out because be believes in it, not because he feels obligated or that he "owes" it to us. I've received a lifetime of pleasure and memories thanks to Jimmy's magical fingers...he doesn't "owe" me a thing. Poppycock. Jimmy took risks right from the beginning of Led Zeppelin. He used his own money to book studio time and recorded the entire first album BEFORE they had even been signed by anyone!!! Name another band that had the chutzpah to do that? Not to mention other risks Zeppelin pioneered: going on the road with no opening acts, putting out albums without the band name or title on the album, ignoring the AM radio/ single market, and many more.

Perfect...as usual.

A lot better than he would if he didn't have YOU and BD in his corner. Would that I had had parents like you when I was a kid.

WOO HOO! IRELAND TIES IT! 1-1. I'm with you Fool...er, you ARE rooting for Ireland, right? I know how contrary you English can be, hehe. BD is Big Dan...and if you have to ask who Big Dan is, well then, I think his feelings would be rather hurt as his legend is far and wide. I'd have to have Fool in the Rain give you thirty lashings...but being English, she'd probably enjoy that.