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Slim JIm Phantom. (Credit: Russ Harrington)
Music

5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Name  Slim Jim Phantom

Best known for  Drummer for the Stray Cats, DJ “Little Steven’s Underground Garage,” Owner of the Cat Club at 8911 Sunset Blvd., and providing a place to play for 5,000 bands you’ve never heard of.

Current City  Los Angeles, CA.

Really want to be in  Jamaica At Goldeneye with my beautiful and rocking wife Jennie Vee.

Excited about  The Stray Cats upcoming tour of the U.S.A. with some new music on the way, Las Vegas show with the Midnight Cowgirls on the bill, we’ll be playing on Long Island for the first time in a long time!

My current music collection has a lot of  Rockabilly, Elvis Presley.

And a little bit of  Jump blues.

Preferred format  Vinyl has always been the coolest, CDs were convenient, Sirius XM is the greatest thing ever!

5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:

1

The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley

This is the record that changed my life. The first time I heard it and saw that famous hillbilly cat photo of Elvis, the world stopped spinning for a minute and I knew what the rest of my life was going to look and sound like. He is definitely the King of Rock ‘n Roll.

2

Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, Gene Vincent

All these years later, I was trying to look up the exact title of this album and the best I could come up with is just the band name. Everyone just calls this the second Gene Vincent album. This one was probably the most influential record for me musically. It swings and it rocks which is the trickiest of all things to do as a drummer and a band. It’s got the perfect blend of chops and feel. It still sends me every time I hear any of the cuts. The drummer Dickie “Be-Bop” Harrell is a hero to me. When we first starting meeting all of our classic rock heroes like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, the Stones, and George Harrison, they all told me how this album was their one, too!

3

Singin’ to My Baby, Eddie Cochran

Eddie Cochran was the best rock star ever. He played great, he sang great, he looked great, was way ahead of the curve technologically and left behind a timeless image and beyond-impressive catalog. This may have been his only official complete LP. We benefitted from compilations that included all the singles. Not many of the rockabilly stars had complete albums, just singles. We had to get the compilations on import as many of our original American rock ‘n roll stars’ records had gone out of print and many were re-issued by British and French labels. The records were expensive for young rockabilly boys, so we leaned towards the compilations with 20 tracks on each one.

4

Miss Etta James: The Complete Modern and Kent Recordings, Etta James

If anyone listens to my radio show “Rockabilly Rave Up” on “Little Steven’s Underground Garage,” then they know that I love Etta James. The early R&B numbers had a big impact on me. When we first got turned on to them in London in 1981, I didn’t know this style of music and it connected immediately with me in a big way. Jump blues and R&B from the mid-‘50s is the “rock” part of rockabilly, original Grand Ole Opry “hillbilly music” being the big part of the beautiful equation. “Good Rockin’ Daddy” is a stand out and Etta is the rockin-est gal in any galaxy.

5

Infinity, Journey

Does this tick the “hmmm…I had no idea they would listen to that” box?! My buddy Steve Perry is one the best singers ever. He hits all those notes full voice and makes it look easy. It’s not! He’s working really hard but makes it look and sound effortless.  That’s a whole other gift. The whole band shreds on this album. I didn’t know until we became friendly that Steve is a Ricky Nelson fan. I shouldn’t have been surprised. When we first met Robert Plant, I was surprised when he told us he was such a big Gene Vincent fan. Of course, now, it all makes sense. The influence of the original American rock stars and R&B artists is everywhere and always will be.

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Norman Cook planned to become a firefighter before Fatboy Slim success
Celebrity News

Norman Cook planned to become a firefighter before Fatboy Slim success

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Norman Cook contemplated becoming a fireman when he came close to bankruptcy in the early ‘90s.

Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, at his book launch at W1 Curates in London

Before finding fame and success as DJ Fatboy Slim, the 62-year-old producer’s music career was floundering after his collective Beats International’s second album, 1991’s Excursion on the Version, was a commercial failure.

Cook – who had achieved a number one single, Dub Be Good To Me, with Beats International in January 1990 – was broke and ready to walk away from the music business to take up fire-fighting, but an unexpected windfall prevented him from going bankrupt.

Speaking at the launch of his new book It Ain’t Over… ‘Til The Fatboy Sings, as reported by website Contact Music, he said: “During the 40 years there’s been downs as well as ups. There’s been times when I’ve suffered with crippling anxiety and depression, just as a human being.

“There’s been times when I’ve been so close to bankruptcy that my accountant is saying, ‘I think you should declare bankruptcy that way you can keep your house.’

“My wife said, ‘You know, you ever thought about getting a proper job?’

“There was time between Beats International and Freak Power where I didn’t earn anything for about a year. I had a huge tax bill that I couldn’t pay. I got a PPL cheque which cleared off the debt and I lived to fight another day and then Freak Power happened.

“I actually had started finding out what was required to become a fireman, because my wife told me to get a proper job and earn some money.

“So it’s not always been successful. Everybody has bad days, it’s not all been clear.”

Cook – who was previously married to BBC Radio Two presenter Zoe Ball – insists his reinvention as a big beats pioneer was never intentional, as he didn’t have the foresight of an artist like David Bowie to plan his career.

He said: “The thing is, a few people when you’re talking go, ‘You reinvented yourself so many times.’ It was never, like, a conscious thing that I planned. What would happen is the band I was in was falling to bits and hating each other so I had to do something else.

“If you imagine like David Bowie, or somebody, he knows what he’s doing and he sees things on the horizon and thinks, ‘I’m going to do that, and next year I’m going to do that.’

“I never did that. I basically just followed my nose like some kind of puppy.”

Cook’s debut book It Ain’t Over… ’Til the Fatboy Sings celebrates his 40 years in showbiz and is a vivid celebration of indie, house, acid and remix culture. It is out now.




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Erykah Badu’s ‘The Return Of Automatic Slim’ Tour Opening Night Review
Music

Erykah Badu’s ‘The Return Of Automatic Slim’ Tour Opening Night Review

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Thirty-six minutes or so after Westside Gunn commanded everybody with a “clean pu**y” scream, Erykah Badu arrived on stage. 

A sold-out audience invaded the Hollywood Bowl on the first Friday of the month to bathe in a neo-soul soundscape under the enchanting moonlight. The affair kicked off The Return of Automatic Slim Tour, presented by the Dallas native to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her new-millennium release Mama’s Gun.

Although the show was opened by the Super Fly God himself, some attendees were clearly only seated for the headliner, side-eyeing the hyperbolic lyrics about cooking bricks and live wrestling stunts. Others were intrigued by the rap performance that showcased a consciousness different from the stream of knowledge layered in their favorite Badu tracks. 

After about 35 minutes on stage, the Buffalo rapper gained new fans, satisfied the Griselda enthusiasts, and wrapped his set with gratitude for Erykah Badu, who later arrived (possibly a few minutes off-schedule but right on time). 

The stage at the outdoor amphitheater went dark, signaling the start of the show. A red light centered on an elevated platform, and through a haze of smoke, the 54-year-old artist took her place. Dressed in a black hat with a red scarf underneath, her look was completed with a leather top and a billowing white skirt that maintained structure around her midsection. 

A rim shot echoed, the lights turned blue, with turquoise effects that almost resembled raindrops, and the show officially began. Starting with “Penitentiary Philosophy,” the concert set out to run the entire Mama’s Gun, as the R&B singer intended the audience to listen. 

For the next few tracks, she stood proudly, singing into the microphone with her signature, powerful vocals draped in syrupy mystique. A mouth full of gold reflected the spotlight as she smiled to the crowd, locking eyes with fans who sang along in awe. 

As she moved into “Cleva,” which features the late Roy Ayers, it was clear that this opening night was a “you had to be there” kind of moment, even if she performed the same set at other tour dates. As the “alright” lyric repeated in the bridge, Badu transformed the Hollywood Bowl into a temporary sanctuary, interpolating Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers’ “Encourage Yourself’ into the soulful track. 

Drum patterns that almost sounded tribal backed up Badu’s scatting, as the song moved to the next. “ Shoutout to motherfu**king” MF DOOM!” she declared, with another nod to Alchemist, who was in attendance. An on-stage change of clothes revealed the light brown fabric that peeked through her leather was actually an accentuating dress, accessorized with a red belt. 

A free verse, spoken word took fans through a different portal, where she opined on the term “black box.” With everything from sexual references to social commentary, Badu described “this black box is a crack rock” while gently caressing the area below her waist. The moment was the perfect transition to “Booty,” which had been skipped earlier. 

Ticketholders experienced live renditions of “Annie Don’t Wear No Panties” and got a taste of a track featuring Westside Gunn, which will likely (well, hopefully) be featured on her upcoming collaborative Abi & Alan album with Alchemist.

The “recovering undercover over lover” returned to the spotlight to finish unloading Mama’s Gun with “In Love With You” and “Orange Moon.” During “Bag Lady,” she gave a special moment to her “son” Durand Bernarr, her longtime backup singer and Grammy-nominated solo artist. 

Badu then felt the spirit move her to an audience member named Vanessa, who was wearing a “beautiful” purple attire. Announcing that she had a special message for the selected guest, she broke out into “Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)” by Snoop Dogg,  Nate Dogg, Warren G, and Kurupt, as the West Coast audience laughed and joined right in. 

“Green Eyes” closed the concert, just as it closed the album, and while she did not deliver the entire 10-minute track, the standing ovation proved she brought everything the audience needed. As the stagehands began to transport instruments and equipment inside, thousands headed to their next destination, enlightened, empowered, and most importantly, entertained. 

Erykah Badu at the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards held at the American Museum of Natural History on October 28, 2024 in New York, New York.

Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images

Erykah Badu’s The Return of Automatic Slim opening night was the perfect reminder of not only her career longevity, musical gifts, and charismatic charm, but also the importance of prioritizing performance as art. The five-time Grammy winner intentionally used the stage to build her own universe, where listeners could find a home planet, whether they lean towards her lush, romantic poetry or the third-eye reflections in her lyrical candor. 

It might be another 20 years before she takes on another anniversary tour. If that’s the case, catch her while you can. 

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