Twisted Tales
Nick Lowe's Bay City Rollers Prank Song Fails ... by Succeeding -- Twisted Tales
Scottish tartan is in the news: The authorities in charge of such things have recommended that men wearing kilts forgo the age-old tradition of "going commando" and don undergarments. ... Read More »
The Band Give Grudging Thanks in 'Last Waltz' Turkey Day Fest -- Twisted Tales
How do 200 roast turkeys and 400 pounds of pumpkin pie sound right about now? That was just part of the menu for the Last Waltz, the Thanksgiving 1976 farewell for the Band at an old San Francisco ice rink remade as the Winterland concert venue. ... Read More »
Sex Pistols Strand Founding Member Wally Nightingale -- Twisted Tales
One of the great legacies of punk rock is the proliferation of the outrageous stage name: Sid Vicious. Johnny Rotten. Joe Strummer. Poly Styrene. Richard Hell. Rat Scabies. Wally Nightingale? ... Read More »
Jackie Lomax Can't Catch a Break, Despite All His Rock Connections -- Twisted Tales
Chances are you've never heard of Jackie Lomax, who may just be the best-connected rock 'n' roller to achieve no success whatsoever during the course of a long career full of potential breaks. ... Read More »
Pat Boone Trades In His White Shoes for a Black Dog Collar -- Twisted Tales
Here's a frightening thought for the creepiest weekend of the year: Pat Boone's heavy metal album. "We're going to give the devil a couple of black eyes tonight in Jesus' name." ... Read More »
Two Generations of Bar-Kays Cut Down Before Age 20 -- Twisted Tales
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images The plane crash that killed Otis Redding on Dec. 10, 1967 ... Read More »
Mobsters Make Steve Marriott Eat Humble Pie: Twisted Tales
The late Steve Marriott had more tentacles than a calamari prep table. As a child actor, the London-born singer and guitarist sang for a year with the hit stage production of 'Oliver!' With the Small Faces, he was Robert Plant's leather-lunged role model for Led Zeppelin. ... Read More »
The Not-So-Supreme Life of Florence Ballard -- Twisted Tales
Florence Ballard came out of the Detroit projects to co-found the singing group that would become the Supremes. Besides the Beatles, no other act of the 1960s would be as popular. ... Read More »
Meet Yusuf Islam: The Artist Formerly Known as Cat Stevens -- Twisted Tales
The name of the singer's first single was 'I Love My Dog.' From the beginning, Cat Stevens was a star in England. ... Read More »
The Cowsills Sadly Become the Real-Life Anti-Partridge Family -- Twisted Tales
They wanted to be the American Beatles, but they ended up playing second fiddle to the Partridge Family. ... Read More »
William Shatner Shows No Fear of Being a Pop 'Singer' -- Twisted Tales
George Clooney is a handsome fellow and a fine actor. Had he not been so fortunate, he might have considered a career in music journalism. ... Read More »
Phil Ochs, the Folksinger's Folksinger, Writes Himself Off -- Twisted Tales
The topical folksinger Phil Ochs, once considered a counterpart to the young Bob Dylan, thought of himself as a singing journalist. ... Read More »
Van Halen's 'Hot for Teacher' Appeals to the Student Body -- Twisted Tales
As it does every year, Labor Day weekend marks the return of an age-old American rite of passage: young boys having unclean thoughts about their teachers. ... Read More »
Daryl Hall Mystifies Label With Avant-Garde Solo Debut -- Twisted Tales
In March 1977, the Philly-soul duo Hall & Oates were enjoying their first No. 1 single. 'Rich Girl' skated past the Top Ten success of the act's previous hits, 'She's Gone' and 'Sara Smile.' ... Read More »
Tears for Fears Shout for Sanity -- Twisted Tales
Arthur Janov is the psychologist who created the "primal scream," a form of therapy that famously inspired John Lennon's 'Plastic Ono Band' album. ... Read More »
'Bad Luck' Catches Up to Teddy Pendergrass -- Twisted Tales
Teddy Pendergrass was a world-class ladies' man. The soul singer, an ordained Baptist minister, was one of R&B's most popular performers throughout the 1970s, holding riotous ladies-only midnight shows. ... Read More »