Intelligent Life On Planet Rock
Rock pilgrimages
I'm sure this topic may have been covered before, but here goes...
I am trying to work out where I would go on a “rock pilgrimage” should any holiday plans find me in the correct vicinity.
I used to indulge in this back when I was more of a film geek and once dragged my family up a rather steep quarter of Florence on a burning hot summers day just to visit the church featured in Brian De Palma’s rather overwrought Hitchcockian thriller Obsession. I also went all the way to Liverpool Street Station in London (whilst visiting the fine metropolis on business) for the sole purpose of just making sure it looked like I remembered it from the first Mission Impossible film, when Tom Cruise goes to use a payphone (actually just a bank of cash machines).
Now that I have been seduced by rock and all it’s glorious facets I wouldn’t mind making a few sneaky trips to some slightly less obvious places.
My rock pilgrimage’s might include:
- 96 and 98 St Mark’s Place featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti.
- The recording studio’s at 154 E. 2nd Street New York where The Strokes ditched their trust funds and recorded Is This It.
- Nellcote in France where The Rolling Stones partially made Exile On Main Street. I think that area is a bit fancy though so I’ll probably never be there on holiday.
- Bron-Yr-Aur in Wales where Page and Plant retreated to write much of Led Zeppelin III.
- Hull University where The Who made live recordings with the intention of releasing them worldwide, however apparently something didn’t sound right with the bass track so they had to use the recordings from the night before in Leeds. I think “Live At Hull” is catchier, personally.
- The site of the Mothers club in Birmingham where Pink Floyd recorded the first half of Ummagumma and many up-and-coming artists of the day passed through on their way to the top.
- The site of the Russell Club in Manchester where Tony Wilson decided to open a punk night, the rest is history.
Any more for any more?
James
(Sheffield)
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HJH
West Malling Airfield, Kent - I Am the Walrus segment in MMT filmed there.
Knowle Park, Kent - Strawberry Field promo filmed there. You could still see the paint on the tree a few years back.
Fairport Convention - the house on the cover of Unhalfbricking belonged to Sandy Denny's parents. It's somewhere in Wimbledon, I believe.
There's a start for you.
Get two old people...
...to stand outside Sandy Denny's old house and recreate the cover of Fairport Convention's Unhalfbricking.
Now that's
strange. The hive mind again.
I never knew
that about The Who and Hull.
I went to Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris and visited Morrison's grave. There was a group of German teenagers there looking forlorn and unkempt. Rather put me off the whole rock pilgrimage thing.
'rock pilgrimage
the doors fans have turned that cemetry into a right shithole, however also in the same place is edith piaff-say it like john lennon and it's worth a trip. don't go to seatlle the hendrix museum is not a goer and you can understand why kurt chewedthe big one! go to dundee and check out baker street, orange street in london cc madness the prince?? also 'holts dm shop' used to be in camden and the nutty boys used their staircase for a promo ?baggy trousers/nightboat to cairo
No.. do go to Seattle..
It's great. And you can stay at the Edgewater Inn where the infamous Led Zep fish incident happened. Not that the hotel management wanted to discuss it when I stayed there back in 2000.
New York
is my favourite rocknroll sightseeing place - luckily I went to to CBGB's before it was demolished to make way for a yuppie hotel.
It seems they are trying to eradicate punk rock from the St. Marks Place area as they have even got rid of the CBGBs gallery and store there too.
You can still see the cool Joe Strummer mural nearby on Tompkins Square Park.
Of course Joey Ramone Place and 53rd & 3rd, the Gem Spa from the New York Dolls album cover, Chelsea Hotel, sites of the Factory and Mercer Arts Centre...so many places!
When I was at university
I went to Strawberry Field, on Beaconsfield Rd and 251 Menlove Avenue because they were about five minutes walk from where I lived. The former was quite difficult to find without the aid of a map/directions if I remember correctly.
Alternatively, try this Almeria hostel
It's where "Strawberry Fields" was written.
You can tick off a lengthy list with this one mile walk
http://channelmondo.blogspot.com/2009/03/magical-history-tour-of-kings-r...
From the Rolling Stones early lodgings to the Rocky Horror debut
From Monty Python to Punk's birthplace
And two Beatles album covers Sgt Pepper and the butcher sleeve
In addition Westmoreland Terrace where the Small Faces lived (and the inspiration behind Lazy Sunday) is just round the corner
Three minor pilgrimages
Widnes railway station - see the regularly stolen plaque commemorating Paul Simon's writing of "Homeward Bound" while he was waiting there.
The Clissold Arms in Muswell Hill - has anyone been to the Kinks' shrine recently, site of their debut performance? I know it turned into a boringly furnished gastro-pub to much protest and I'm not sure how much of the memorabilia remains nowadays.
Serge Gainsbourg's grave at the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris - slightly tatty, regularly supplied with fags and booze, with Baudelaire as one of his many famous neighbours - just how he would have wanted it.
Worth a look...
Peter Frame's "Rockin' Around Britain": http://bit.ly/3gJtzl
Also, Fodor's Rock 'n' Roll Traveler books (UK and USA)and the Word's own Album Atlas on this site.
This photo of Nick Drake and his dog...
was taken on Hampstead Heath. If you want to go there, head on to the heath from South End Road opposite house No.83 and take the path that leads past the second pond you come to. At the end you'll find a steep alleyway leading to South Hill Park. Drake is walking down the alleyway towards the pond.
Why is Nick walking backwards?
.
He was teaching the dog to...
moonwalk.
Pink Moonwalk
?
Try the US
I may have typed in the wrong things but after a recent trip to the US I thought I'd look for a rock landmarks site that maybe tied everything together around the world and I failed to find one. There were bits and pieces, obviously the Word Map is an excellent start but it's really only about album covers.
I'm very tempted to start a site myself but I know how time consuming they are.
As for my own suggestions, a trip that takes in Detroit and Cleveland will allow you to visit the Motown Studio - which is a fabulous experience and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum where the serious pop fan can spend hours and hours. Further south, a trip to Tennesee can take in Graceland, Sun Studios, The RCA studio in Nashville and, best of all (assuming they still let you do it) is standing on the stage at the Ryman Auditorium just to be where Hank Williams once stood - it still gives me shivers just thinking about it.
Not exactly a pilgrimage
but when we go to visit my wife's relatives in New Jersey if we get the bus into New York we go past the Fountains of Wayne. I always feel obliged to point this out excitedly to her general bemusement.
...
Rather depressingly the bus I take into town passes the "knocking shop" that appears oh so briefly in the music video for the Arctic Monkeys song Fake Tales Of San Fransisco. Not that I've ever had an appointment, honest guv.
Is it still there?
FOW are one of my favourites and sadly I was hoping to make it there one day but I believe that the shop has become a victim of the recession.
Elvis and Lowell
I had a hot dog in the Cafe next to Sun Studios where Elvis signed his contract (allegedly) which was fun.
I believe there is a pub somewhere called "The George" and the monarch on the pub sign is none other than the great Rock n Roll Doctor - I dearly would like to have a pint there - anyone know where it is? A casual Google revealed nothing.
on a quick visit to LA about ten years ago...
... I was staying in W Hollywood, near some Famous Rock Locations:
the Capitol Records Tower on the corner of Hollywood and Vine
and
the old Elektra Records studio (Stooges, Doors et al) on La Cineaga Blvd
and
the famously "rock-n-roll" Tropicana Motel on Santa Monica Blvd.
So I went to find'em one afternoon. Capitol Tower is smaller than one might imagine but still an impressive sight. And the other two are of course long gone. Oh well.
Berlin
On my first visit here I tracked down Hansa studios, near Potsdamer Platz, where Bowie recorded 'Heroes'. Its still there, although apparently no longer a functioning studio. Its right next to where the Wall used to be, hence the famous references in the title track.
I read some years later that the lovers immortalised in the lyric were actually inspired by producer Tony Visconti nipping outside for a bit of a fumble with one of the backing singers!
When I was young and thick..
and loved the Doors I went to Pere lachaise cemetery to track down The Lizard King's grave. It took me and my long-suffering brother about 2 hours to find it, with helpful hints from previous wankers who had painted the way on other poor soul's tombs i.e. 'This way!' (arrow) and 'Come out Jim you Shaman!' (another arrow). When we eventually found it the bust looked like one of the Chuckle Brothers with Rita off Corrie's hair. Don't bother with this one. Go and see the really talented people's graves in there; it's a really good graveyard.
Around 20 years ago I was there...
and met a young American woman of the idiot hippy variety who told me "Last night my boyfriend and I fucked on Jim's grave. It was a beauuutiful experience maaan. He was such a deep guy, he would have appreciated it."
There's a Starman, waiting in the sky
...and he'd like to pop down a little alleyway off Regent Street, known to us earthlings as Heddon Street. There he will pose below an innocuous furrier's shop sign, and then pout from inside a quaint red telephone box.
You can show your love for this alien by retracing his steps, although things have changed somewhat since his invasion in 1972. The shop has changed, the sign long gone. There is a red telephone box, but not that one.
http://www.5years.com/heddon.htm
Brighton
The sites of Quadrophenia - yes, including the alley way
Strawberry Studios forever
Worse than that, the blue plaque on the wall refers only to 10cc (natch), Paul McCartney, Neil Sedaka, the Stone Rose, and the Syd Lawrence Orchestra.
Manchester..
The Salford Lads Club really has to be visited.
And if you're in London, perhaps going to watch The Arse, go for a wee walk down Holloway Road and pause for a while outside 304 Holloway Road where Joe Meek had his studio.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=joe%20meek%20holloway%20road&oe=utf-8&rl...
Which may or may not link you to Google Maps and a streetview of the shop.
So, no web site?
So, all these comments but nobody has pointed to a website. I really find it hard to believe that there isn't one. I feel a domain registration comming on.