DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS

Rich Buckland and Bill Mesnik
  • 4.8 (18)
  • MUSIC
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

My Fellow Americans, Life is actually just a microscopic, deluded moment in time, so let's cut to the freakin' chase. One look at our impending election debacle can solidify my case. It has been my contention since birth, that the answer to every difficulty we encounter on this sacred yet demented Stone, can be revealed with ultimate clarity through the ultra neurotic engagements of Music, Art, Literature, Film, Poetry and a good Pastrami sandwich. Why would any sane human spend so must time on a film set (Do you know how long you gotta wait until your 8 second deliverance of an edited beyond repair line gets a chance to become a professional embarrassment etched in time forever? ) or expend so much energy in a recording studio, piecing together another ode to a man or woman who could not care less how much love existed within your digestive tract? It's all about hymns and prayers and a quest for mercy and forgiveness and silence and faith. We were blessed with Charles Bukowski,  Gene Chandler, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Ryder and a legion of creative explorers whose influences provided the air we breathe.  So Let's Dance! This site shall explore the reaper, find a way to disarm the stench of injustice, discover some true loves and talk it all over before it's all over. So what's the worst that our desires could produce? Failure? So sue me. I'm going to require your assistance in making as much trouble for the grown-ups as possible. Let the record show that my childish heart yearns to disrupt the madness. Join me Ladies and Germs! With Gratitude For Gena Rowlands, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Quarry, Leo Gorcey, Arthur Alexander and Joey Heatherton, Your Splendid Bohemian, Rich Buckland.

  1. THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A NEW SERIES - "COVER ART : THE SPLENDOR OF THE COVER SONG" - FOR OUR FIRST COSMIC COMPOSER: THE ONE AND ONLY VAN MORRISON!

    1D AGO

    THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A NEW SERIES - "COVER ART : THE SPLENDOR OF THE COVER SONG" - FOR OUR FIRST COSMIC COMPOSER: THE ONE AND ONLY VAN MORRISON!

    What is a cover song?  It’s an act of devotion, an organic transmission from the essence of one soul into and through another. And, sometimes, by way of the revelations of time and lived experience, one might even surpass the original.  Prior to the era of electronic recording, no one “owned” their songs; they were passed on from generation to generation, and neighbor to neighbor - shared and mutating like the living organisms they were. We still retain an instinct to study art through imitation, but if the original exists, why bother? Because we are inspired - (meaning our beings are filled with the breath of their genius) - and we want to capture, and share a bit of that magic.  The Splendid Bohemians are proud to present a new series called “Cover Art - The Splendor of the Cover Song,” in which we’ll choose a selection of great covers of artists we cherish, by other artists that we love, or want to know more about, or have been surprised by.  For our maiden voyage we chose Van Morrison - one of the most dynamic and multi-faceted songwriters of his generation.  We’ll go beyond the expected choices like “Gloria” and “Brown Eyed Girl” (two of the most covered numbers in Rock) to explore the deeper recesses of Van’s catalogue, and excavate some precious musical gems. Enjoy! Below is the list of selections, the artists, and the source material: WILD NIGHT / JOHN MELLENCAMP AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO ( From: Tupelo Honey, 1971) BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD / RAUL MALO (From: Into the Music, 1979) INTO THE MYSTIC / ALLMAN BROTHERS (From: Moondance, 1970) THE WAY YOUNG LOVERS DO / JEFF BUCKLEY (From: Astral Weeks, 1968) GLAD TIDINGS / MERRY CLAYTON (From: Moondance, 1970) MOONDANCE / GREG BROWN (From: Moondance, 1970)  SLIM SLO SLIDER / JOHNNY RIVERS (From: Astral Weeks, 1968) MADAME GEORGE / MARIANNE FAITHFUL (From: Astral Weeks, 1968) FULL FORCE GALE / ELVIS COSTELLO (From: Into the Music, 1979) BRAND NEW DAY / ESTHER PHILLIPS WITH THE DIXIE FLYERS (From: Moondance, 1970)

    59 min
  2. THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT A CLASSIC "PUT ON A STACK OF 45s" REWIND - PALISADES PARK - FREDDY "BOOM BOOM" CANNON - (SWAN, 1962)

    FEB 5

    THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT A CLASSIC "PUT ON A STACK OF 45s" REWIND - PALISADES PARK - FREDDY "BOOM BOOM" CANNON - (SWAN, 1962)

    "Palisades Park" (from Wikipedia) Chuck Barris wrote a song about an amusement park and it was suggested he use the name of an amusement park as the title. One night he was in Manhattan when he looked toward the New Jersey Palisades Cliffs, on which the amusement park sat. That was when inspiration hit and the title was added. Years later the Palisades Amusement Park closed, on September 12, 1971.[2] A tribute to New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park, it is an up-tempo rock and roll tune led by a distinctive organ part. The track also incorporates amusement park sound effects, including the sounds of screaming riders on the roller coasters, and the quoting of a slower version of "Entrance of the Gladiators", played on an organ imitating a hurdy-gurdy or calliope. In the song, the singer takes a walk after dark and discovers Palisades Park, where he meets and falls in love with a girl. Among the list of rides and attractions listed in the song are: Shoot the Chute, Rocket Ship, Roller Coaster, Loop the Loop, Merry Go Round, Tunnel of Love, and the Ferris Wheel.  Chart performance Released by Swan Records as a B-side to "June, July and August," "Palisades Park" broke in when a Flint, Michigan radio DJ played it by mistake. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 23–30 June 1962,[3] On the Hot R&B Sides chart, the song went to #15.[4] "Palisades Park" was the biggest hit of Cannon's career.[5] And, check out Freddy Cannon's webpage: https://www.freddycannon.com/default.htm

    28 min
  3. IT'S AWARD SEASON! THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT TWO CLASSIC EPISODES OF "AND THE SPLENDID BOHO GOES TO..." HONORING TWO SUPPORTING PERFORMANCES BY IRREPLACEABLE CHARACTER ACTORS: WITH LAIRD CREGAR AND MARGARET WYCHERLY.

    FEB 1

    IT'S AWARD SEASON! THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT TWO CLASSIC EPISODES OF "AND THE SPLENDID BOHO GOES TO..." HONORING TWO SUPPORTING PERFORMANCES BY IRREPLACEABLE CHARACTER ACTORS: WITH LAIRD CREGAR AND MARGARET WYCHERLY.

    TWO CLASSIC SUPPORTING PERFORMANCES BY IRREPLACEABLE CHARACTER ACTORS IN FILMS WITHOUT WHOM WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS GREAT. LAIRD CREGAR (1913-1944) from  I WAKE UP SCREAMING (1941), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wake_Up_Screaming  and MARGARET WYCHERLY (1881-1956) from WHITE HEAT (1949) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Heat

    57 min
  4. THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT "DOUBLE TROUBLE" - SHADES OF BLUES WITH SLEEPY JOHN ESTES AND GEORGIE FAME: TWO SIDES OF A TURQUOISE COIN. DOUBLE DOWN!!

    JAN 27

    THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT "DOUBLE TROUBLE" - SHADES OF BLUES WITH SLEEPY JOHN ESTES AND GEORGIE FAME: TWO SIDES OF A TURQUOISE COIN. DOUBLE DOWN!!

    Here’s a cosmic riddle for you: A blind man and a mod walk into a bar…. Is it a coffee bar, with a make-shift stage on a corner platform, attended by the beatnik intelligentsia?, or is it a sweaty discotheque packed with beautiful people unabashedly swinging their hips?   It’s definitely a transmogrifying chamber where the musical output of a sharecropper or convict from the work farm can be turned into sexy jazzbo stylings through the sleight of hand of some nifty cultural appropriation and syncopated finesse.  There are many manifestations of the “blues” and here we have two vastly different - practically unrecognizable from each other - masters - Sleepy John Estes (1899-1977), and Georgie Fame (born 1943) - existing across the pond, across generations, and across many layers of lived experience, but bonded by their singular love of this primitive music that started in the Mississippi delta, and went on to conquer the world.  SLEEPY JOHN ESTES Everybody thought that Sleepy John Estes was dead because Big Bill Broonzy said so. Blind in one eye, folks called him “sleepy” because of a low blood pressure disorder, or some believed he had narcolepsy. He started recording in the 20’s with Hammie Nixon on harp, made some records, went basically “radio silent” throughout the 40s and 50s until Sam Charters rediscovered him in 1962, blind and frail, and kick-started his late in life fame. “Rats in my Kitchen” was recorded at Sun Studios in 1952, but it wasn’t until 10 years later that his recording career gained traction, fueled by those he was influencing across the pond, like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Sleepy John always wrote about his life, and this record has an almost journalistic authenticity.  GEORGIE FAME What can one say about Georgie Fame? The man has style for days, and it was thus from the very beginning - in shark skin suits, tab collars, and skinny ties. Born in 1943 as Clive Powell, Georgie Fame and his Blue Flames made their bones swinging his Hammond organ in the mod clubs of the early 60s, and had big commercial hits with Yeh Yeh, and The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde. Recently, he’s name checked all over the place, and has done notable collaborations with Van Morrison and others.  In Parchman Farm you can hear the undeniable influence of the coolest of the cool white blues men, Mose Allison, and the organ of Booker T and the MGs’ Green Onions - a persuasive combination. I’m sure that Bukka White, who wrote this bottle neck Delta blues shouter in 1940 had no inkling that his experience in the Mississippi State Pen would become such a sexy signature tune. You never can tell….

    13 min
  5. THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT A TEUTONIC TWOFER: “THE MOONDOG AND NICO QUEST" BILL AND RICH ENTER THE REGAL REGION OF MYTHICAL MUSICIAN MOONDOG, AND THE ETERNAL INFERNO KNOWN AS NICO.

    JAN 25

    THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT A TEUTONIC TWOFER: “THE MOONDOG AND NICO QUEST" BILL AND RICH ENTER THE REGAL REGION OF MYTHICAL MUSICIAN MOONDOG, AND THE ETERNAL INFERNO KNOWN AS NICO.

    "In 1960s New York City lived a blind, often homeless man with a long, flowing beard, who dressed as a Viking and stood sentinel at the corner of West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. He sold his poetry and performed on custom-built percussion.  His recordings are considered legendary pieces of original sound emanating from a unique artist who continues to be misunderstood and under appreciated." "Nico was used to being treated as a physical spectacle. At the Dom, Leonard Cohen was a regular guest, and he began writing songs in hopes of seducing her. Her improbable bone structure, and her role in “La Dolce Vita,” intrigued prominent rock managers like Albert Grossman, who worked with Bob Dylan. But her songs were less appealing, and the Dom’s clientele often laughed through her set. She was eventually accompanied on guitar by Tim Buckley, and then by Jackson Browne, who had just arrived in New York. Browne became enamored with Nico, and before they fell out—she accused him of harassing her with obscene phone calls—he gave her two songs: “The Fairest of the Seasons” and “These Days,” both of which appeared on her 1967 début, “Chelsea Girl.”-

    48 min
  6. THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT "DOUBLE TROUBLE" - FEMMES OF FUSION: COMIN' UP TO THE HOUSE WITH SARAH JAROSZ AND DOWN INTO A WHIRLPOOL WITH WANDA JACKSON. DOUBLE DOWN!!

    JAN 22

    THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT "DOUBLE TROUBLE" - FEMMES OF FUSION: COMIN' UP TO THE HOUSE WITH SARAH JAROSZ AND DOWN INTO A WHIRLPOOL WITH WANDA JACKSON. DOUBLE DOWN!!

    Here are a couple of ladies who span generations and genres. They can rock, swing, and croon like nobody’s business, and are renown for their independence. Wanda Jackson is a founding mother of Rockabilly and still partying at 88; She started recording in 1954, and just recently retired. Although she forged the magical fusion elixir that we call Rockabilly, she has also scored hits in the Gospel and Country genres.  Sarah Jarosz, 50+ years younger, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, but remains pure Texas, like Nanci Griffith or Lyle Lovett - indie Americana artists who fuse country with jazz in an irresistible freshness. She has stated that she relishes expansion, collaboration, and experimentation, with a goal toward “honoring the song” and bringing it to life in the most exciting way possible.  Both women are accomplished songwriters as well as vocal interpreters, but today we feature them in the latter position - Wanda, from 1962, keens the vertiginous “Whirlpool”, by Fred Burch and Marijohn Wilken, and Sarah crushes Tom Wait’s “Come on Up to the House” with a  funky mandolin. SARAH JAROSZ I first heard Sarah Jarosz about 10 years ago on Garrison Keillor’s radio show, and was smitten immediately. Her tender, and at the same time fluid voice and funky mandolin charms completely - reminding me of the great John Hartford and how he transformed bluegrass to Newgrass.  She continued after Garrison left with successor Chris Thile, teaming up with Sarah Watkins, another star from that ensemble, and Aoife O’Donovan to form the trio I’m With Her. At 34, no longer a prodigy, she has become a contemporary bluegrass goddess, who keeps expanding her range. Here she essays Tom Wait’s Come on up to the House, in which she manages to combine spirituality with sex appeal - brilliant.  WANDA JACKSON Whirlpool is like a psychedelic Torch Song. Uncharacteristically, Wanda takes the role of a vulnerable, love damaged damsel instead of the Take No Prisoners, kick-ass Rocker she usually projects. Released on Capitol Records and produced by their A&R exec, Ken Nelson, this cut obviously is swinging for the bleachers of commercial Country appeal, but its weirdness kept it from charting. However, it remains a monument to her range and dramatic power.

    11 min
  7. THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS OFFER YOU A QUADRUPLE SCOOP OF SUNSHINE: FOUR CLASSIC EPISODES FROM THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET, WITH JACK TEAGARDEN, HENRY MANCINI, JOHNNY MERCER, AND HORTON THE ELEPHANT.

    JAN 18

    THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS OFFER YOU A QUADRUPLE SCOOP OF SUNSHINE: FOUR CLASSIC EPISODES FROM THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET, WITH JACK TEAGARDEN, HENRY MANCINI, JOHNNY MERCER, AND HORTON THE ELEPHANT.

    To counteract whatever "derangement syndrome" you might be experiencing at the moment, Bill Mesnik of the Splendid Bohemians offers an antidote to your psychic gray skies.  Today we're cracking open the big magnums of joy juice, and going back to the very beginning of the Sunny Side of My Street archives with 4 delightful infusions from the land of smiles: 100 Years From Today, by Jack Teagarden The Pink Panther Theme, by Henry Mancini Accentuate the Positive, by Johnny Mercer and The Hut Sut Song, by Horton the Elephant and Freddy Martin. Take as directed....

    20 min
  8. Hotel Bohemia Rewind:The Rat Pack Edition- The Infamous 1962, 4AM Show Live From The 500 Club In Atlantic City- Only 250 Vinyl Copies Were Pressed For Special Guests- Frank, Dino and Sammy Request Your Presence!

    JAN 12

    Hotel Bohemia Rewind:The Rat Pack Edition- The Infamous 1962, 4AM Show Live From The 500 Club In Atlantic City- Only 250 Vinyl Copies Were Pressed For Special Guests- Frank, Dino and Sammy Request Your Presence!

    DINO, AND SAMMY, AND FRANK - O MY! What tomfoolery! It’s 4 o’clock in the morning, and these bad boys are just getting started. This recording is a rare glimpse into the real, live, Rat Pack experience - and, the slightly distorted, overloaded sound is just part of the cinema verite. “YOU ARE THERE,” as Walter Cronkite once intoned.  The year is 1962. Dean Martin has circled back to the 500 club in Atlantic City, where his career with Jerry Lewis first exploded, and his rat pack brothers in arms are there to support. For anybody devoted to, or interested in this celebrated entourage of 20th century entertainers, you can’t get any closer to the actual experience of being there.  The banter is not particularly clever (they’re enjoying themselves, I won’t say MORE than the audience, but equally, at least). There are lapses in taste and attention to keeping the show moving - (an extended drunken improv about stools is one example) - and, though the finest singers of that generation are not always on perfect pitch here, it matters not a jot! The real personalities of these icons is vividly on display. The pecking order and inter-relationships are fascinating. And, as far as sheer entertainment value goes: The band swings hard, the legendary Sammy Davis Jr. sings, dances, and does impressions; Sinatra and Dino croon medleys to die for, and the whole 40 minutes is boffo. Not to be missed! “The 4AM Rat Pack performance presented here was privately pressed on vinyl as a special gift to very special 500 Club patrons. We present this untouched audio from the original acetate as it represents the taste and feel of this historic occasion.” By Don Altobell I will never forget August 26, 1962. I was 24 at the time and after having the good fortune of seeing Dean Martin's appearance at the 500 Club in Atlantic City on Aug 19 -- his first solo gig since his split with Jerry Lewis -- the following week gave me an added treat. Thanks to a drawing I did of Dean, I was able to see his opening shows and also attend rehearsals. And 500 Club owner Skinny Damato introduced me to Dean, who autographed my drawing, which still hangs on my living room wall. Fans knew that Dean's pal, Frank Sinatra, would join him midweek to conclude the engagement. Atlantic City was bursting at the seams, with all hotels, motels, and restaurants jam-packed. At the club itself, tables were pushed together to make room for more patrons. It was a bonanza time for Atlantic City long before the first casino was opened. That closing night after early dinner, I made my way through the block-long line and was ushered inside by a policeman who remembered me after seeing me at so many shows. I didn't mind that I had no seat. Dean was introduced as the star of the show and opened with "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" followed by "Volare," "On An Evening in Roma" and "Goody, Goody." Then Sinatra sang, "I Get a Kick Out Of You," followed by Sammy Davis' Jr. doing "The Lady Is A Tramp." (Davis also imitated some actors singing the song including James Cagney and Marlon Brando). Then Frank, Dean and Sammy clowned around and sang "You Are Too Beautiful," "Love Walked Right In" and "This Is My First Affair." While Dean and Frank sang, Sammy danced to "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Too Marvelous for Words," "It Had To Be You," and "I've Got the World on a String." Then all three stars joined to close the s

    58 min
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4.8
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

My Fellow Americans, Life is actually just a microscopic, deluded moment in time, so let's cut to the freakin' chase. One look at our impending election debacle can solidify my case. It has been my contention since birth, that the answer to every difficulty we encounter on this sacred yet demented Stone, can be revealed with ultimate clarity through the ultra neurotic engagements of Music, Art, Literature, Film, Poetry and a good Pastrami sandwich. Why would any sane human spend so must time on a film set (Do you know how long you gotta wait until your 8 second deliverance of an edited beyond repair line gets a chance to become a professional embarrassment etched in time forever? ) or expend so much energy in a recording studio, piecing together another ode to a man or woman who could not care less how much love existed within your digestive tract? It's all about hymns and prayers and a quest for mercy and forgiveness and silence and faith. We were blessed with Charles Bukowski,  Gene Chandler, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Ryder and a legion of creative explorers whose influences provided the air we breathe.  So Let's Dance! This site shall explore the reaper, find a way to disarm the stench of injustice, discover some true loves and talk it all over before it's all over. So what's the worst that our desires could produce? Failure? So sue me. I'm going to require your assistance in making as much trouble for the grown-ups as possible. Let the record show that my childish heart yearns to disrupt the madness. Join me Ladies and Germs! With Gratitude For Gena Rowlands, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Quarry, Leo Gorcey, Arthur Alexander and Joey Heatherton, Your Splendid Bohemian, Rich Buckland.

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