SECTION TWELVE
sm
COLUMN
FIFTY-SIX, FEBRUARY 1, 2001
(Copyright © 2001 Al Aronowitz)
ABOUT PHIL SPECTOR
(/column47.html)
Subject:
You are a schmuck
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 04:32:45 -0000
From: "Elvira Simone" <elvira_simone@hotmail.com>
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Mr.
Aronowitz -
My
name is Elvira, and a good friend of mine - a good friend of Phil
Spector,
told me you gave her your card at last year's Rock n' Roll Hall of
Fame. Out of curiosity, we looked you up, and found all those disparaging
things you had to say about Phillip at the 1999 show. You are a sell-out and
a fraud. Mr. Spector does not even smoke! No wonder he "hardly talks to you
anymore"! I don't talk to Mr. Spector, but I do know that he is a very
sweet
man. If he did have an out burst 2 years ago, that is no reason to imply such
nasty things, as you did by saying he ripped off the inscription from
his father's grave to make it big in the music business. Maybe the
inscription did come from that, but it by no means was used as a sell - out,
as you are using these defamatory witings.
##
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MORE ABOUT PHIL SPECTOR
Subject:
phil spector article
Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 14:59:22 -050
From: john rausch <jonr@ohio.net>
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Hi
Al, a friend sent me the link to your on line article on Spector`s
party, that you wrote about from 1999, I read it and sent it to a friend
of mine who is one of Phil`s children, he asked me to forward his note
to you anonamously, so I will paste it in here on this note, he just
wanted to reply to your article, if you have any questions regarding
this, please feel free to email me, as I am acting as the middleman at
this point.
Best
regards
John
Rausch
Pasting...........
To:
Al Aronowitz.
A
friend of mine sent me your COLUMN FORTY-SEVEN, JULY 1, 1999 Article
thinking I might be
interested
in it. I was as I am always interested in just about any
article
about Phil Spector.
I
would like to give you a few bits of info about some of the people you
wrote about. Phil's long time friend and Bodyguard,
George you mentioned, His last name was Brand. You stated that he was
retired and probably living well on a pension. Sorry
to inform you. George Brand was a dear friend of the Spector family but
never was given a raise after working for Phil for so
many Years to include helping to raise Phil's 3 Sons (Louis, Gary and
Donté). George is now retired and not doing well and
has no contact with Phil. The relation changed when Phil moved from his
house of 27 Years.
As
for the house, I am not sure what house you saw. It was not in Bell
Air nor was it in Hollywood. It was in Beverly Hills.
He
had rented it without a rent increase the entire time and was rented
from Kurt Cruger (?) and James Coburn (?).
You
also mentioned Phil's Daughter who at the time of your article was
only 16 and still in High School. She just turned 18 in
Oct 2000. She is now in a New York College learning about Writting and
Phil is paying some if not all her bills. As Phil
stated in a recent Vanity Fair issue, he is very proud of her as are her
Brothers.
If
you want to know just how great of a person he really is just ask his
friends (as I am thinking you may be one). But if you
want to know how great of a Father he was you may get 2 stories. 1 from
the only Girl born into the family and Twin to the
now deceased Phil Jr.. And you are very likely to get a very different
story from his 3 Adopted sons whom very few people
were allowed to meet.
Louis,
the Oldest (34) has been struggling for many Years for a decent
education had to practically teach himself to read and
speak. Find much enjoyment in painting and had his 1st art show at a
local L.A. restaurant (which Phil did not attend).
Gary,
(Louis's Twin both adopted at age 5) Both were told to join the
Army and not to go to College, but only he actually
joined the Military. After Serving for 8 Months as a cook and getting a
lot of harrassment for being a "Rich Kid" and for
enlisting with advance rank in the U.S. Air Force and telling them that
"his Father earned the Money and keeps the money".
He
was Discharged without the option to ever re-enlist. Serving his
Country was a dream come true for him because it meant
that he finally mattered to someone. After that he was unable to find
employment and had to live at the Red Cross for almost
a Year. He is now working for a large Computer company as a Phone Tech.
The
last time Gary ever talk to Phil was just
hours before catching a Greyhound from Colorado to California to watch
his Father get an award at the Grammy's in 2000.
His
Father told him that he did not want him in California and that this
was a personal thing that he needs to do alone.
Donté
(31) has been in and out of rehab centers for 1 problem after
another. As a kid, he ran away to live with Ronnie
whom he thought was his Mother to later find out that she was not. He
now has a family with kids and is trying to
manage
while they are all living with her family.
Dispite
all these problems life still goes on with almost no contact
with Phil. Not so much as a Christmas card to ether of
them.
As
for the mystery of who Nicole's mother is. She is a long time friend
of the family. Her name is Janis. An old High School
friend. Janis went to a rival school if I am correct. Phil refused to
admit if he ever married her even to his own sons. She
does consider them her kids and was able to get close to them which they
needed very much. And even receives Mother's
day Cards or at least a call every Year.
If
you want to know what life was like, check out "Flowers in the
Attic". Though they were not drugged, they were kept very
separate from the life of the Producer and had a hard time finding their
father just to be a family. And yes, they were locked
in their rooms during the evenings so they would not bother Phil.
I
think, if you read between the lines of the Vanity Fair artcle you
will see just how he really feels about his kids.
I
do know that at least one of his sons still cares very much about Phil
and refuses to hold any outward grudges against him.
In fact he
is a small time collector of his music.
One
thing that is very important about knowing the Legendary Phil
Spector is that you need to know the different sides of
him and that it is actually possible to really like him and at the same
time dislike him. You just need to keep the sides separate
or things will get very confusing and you may miss the genius of his art
and personality.
I
hope this info does not do any more then just answer your questions
and maybe introduce you to still yet another side of this
multi-faceted individual that many of use have grown up with and have
been entertained by.
This
info is from a private resource and some info can be verified in
Published books. -- E ##
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LOOKING FOR BOBBY NEUWIRTH
Subject:
Please forward to Al Aronowitz or Bob Neuwirth:
Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 23:16:46 EST
From: BobbyShehorn@aol.com
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Dear
Al, It's only been 15 to 20 years since we last spoke but pride tells
me you should remember. I spoke
with Sredni at his home a few days after
Rick's [Danko’s} death and still think of Woodpile [Woodstock] with my fondest
memories, after moving to Big D ten years ago.
I was surfing to find a link to Neuwirth after aquiring his CD in the
closout bin while I was rackjobbing mine. Last
I heard he had shed some of those 99 monkeys that we both shared. Please send me his info if you have it at BobbyShehorn@aol.com.
##
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RE: THE AGALIST
Subject:
Re: AGALIST
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 16:05:40 EST
From: MBCE99@aol.com
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
al,
i appreciate the heads up about the new issue.
i can't wait
to read it. i dig what you're doing
and
i hope you keep it up. I get a
fucking groovy kick
out of seeing your name when i'm reading books about
the beats or even the BEATLES. i'm
reading this new
goddamn tabloid book about John Lennon, "Lennon in
America", the New York years, with Yoko at the Dakota
and so on, and it mentions your name in it, in a harmless
or benevolent way, so don’t worry. Keep
fighting the good
fight and keep me on your list, man.
Truly,
Michael
B. Cole,
Santa
Cruz, California ##
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MORE RE: THE AGALIST
Subject:
Re: EXPLANATION
Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 11:00:24 -0600
From: gaeton lauri <lauri@interaccess.com>
Organization: home
To: al aronowitz <info@blacklistedjournalist.com>
Dear
Al:
You
just keep sending out your messages, columns, whatever, and don't be
bullied by
anyone. I read every word and hope that you are encouraged by my
unstinting support of your efforts to exercise your rights. Too bad you
feel it necessary to fight a fair fight when all your unrepentent foes
resort to every dirty trick they can pull. Be strong, we're with you all
the way.
Gaeton
Lauri--RU Old Guard classmate ##
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DITTO
Subject:
Re: EXPLANATION
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 14:48:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Lady Moon <theladymoon@excite.com>
To: al aronowitz <info@blacklistedjournalist.com>
Dear
Al,
I
second that devotion!
Regards,
Nan
Desmarais
Technical Writer
Vancouver, Canada ##
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DITTO AGAIN!
Subject:
Re: EXPLANATION
Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 21:09:12 -0000
From: "Otis Mace" <otismace@hotmail.com>
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Al,
The
newsletters are great! Keep em coming (but I only need one copy).I
haven't really had a chance to read this months articles but that poem
about the true American history was
great!
All
the best,(and keep up the good work)
Otis
Mace
www.geocities.com/soho/cafe/9793
and
www.MP3.com/otismace
and
www.BeSonic.com/otismace
##
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ANOTHER DITTO
Subject:
Thanks
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:09:15 EST
From: NAMBLUES@aol.com
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Hi,
Al,
I knew it was hackers messing with your e-group from the start. I
assumed it was US Government hackers as well. If that was the case then
several of the most enraged complainers would be part of the operation. I
don't care
if I get 10 copies of everything you send out because I just read
one of them. Apparently, unlike some folks, I went ahead and spent the big
bucks and got me a computer that has a "Delete" button. :-)
I appreciate being on
your mailing list. ~ Sarge Lintecum
~ ##
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DITTO AGAIN
Subject:
Re: COLUMN 54
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 13:27:47 -0800 (PST)
From: boyhowdy233@webtv.net (Shirley Pena)
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com (al aronowitz)
Hello
Al! Well, I can only say that
once again you have put together
yet another BRILLIANT COLUMN!!! I can't resist the pun: I GOBBLED IT
UP,LOL!!! I have been wanting to call/write you but dammit, I CANNOT
FIND YOUR ADDRESS/PHONE NUMBER in my book :-( If you'd be sweet
enough to send it to me AGAIN I'd be DELIGHTED to write/phone you!!
Hey, WHO NEEDS Egroup?! I am just SO HAPPY every time I get the
TREAT to read one of your columns!
Lots
Of Love,
Shirley
P.S.
If you'd like to phone me again sometime, my number is the same as
Before.
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ANOTHER SATISFIED READER
Subject:
Hello Al/Larry Sawyer
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 10:35:18 -0500
From: Larry Sawyer <sawyerl@gemair.com>
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Dear
Al:
Just
got a chance to look at your site. It's looking really good! My
computer takes forever to download anything for some reason. All is well
here, though. We're just working on volume two of milk magazine, etc.
Hey, thanks
for posting my poems. Check out www.corpse.org in the next
few weeks, when they get to volume #8 there'll be a poem or two there
I'm proud of. Keep up the important work. siempre, Larry S.
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STILL ANOTHER SATISFIED READER
Subject:
Re: EXPLANATION
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 16:15:55 -0500
From: terll:"First terll:Last" <terll@earthlink.net>
To: al aronowitz <info@blacklistedjournalist.com>
Al:
Send E mail anytime. I'd like to meet you and chat sometime and
perhaps see some of your memorabilia from the past.
*
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MAL’S NOTES
Subject:
The Beatles: Mal's Notes
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 14:59:53 -0500
From: Maggie Neato <Maggie@xmansion.com>
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
From
'The Blacklisted Journalist: Column Two, October 1, 1995' (/column2.html):
"There also came a certain point when Paul realized he was really
thinking for the first time in his life and he also realized that this
was a great occasion. He told Mal to get a pad and a pen and to write
down everything he said. From then on, Mal followed Paul through the
rooms of the suite, writing down everything Paul said, but I never
learned what happened to Mal's notes."
You
may already know by now, but just in case you didn't find out about
this, here it is from 'The Beatles Anthology' book, page 158:
"PAUL:
'We had a crazy party the night we met. I went around thinking
I'd found the meaning of life that night. I kept saying to Mal, "Get a
paper and paper, I've got it." Mal, who was a bit out of it too,
couldn't find a pencil or paper anywhere. Eventually he found some and I
wrote down The Message of the Universe and told him, "Now keep that in
your pocket." Next morning Mal said, "Hey Paul, do you want to see
that
bit of paper?" I had written: "There are seven levels." Yeah, OK,
maybe
it didn't exactly sum it all up after all, but we had a great time.’
“Drugs
have now become such a serious menace that it is very
difficult to write about the subject; I don't want to influence anyone
in this day and age - I've got kids of my own. (When we used to talk
about it, it was a bit lightweight; you could talk about pot and wine as
apposed to scotch and Coke.) But it is part of the truth."
.::
Maggie ::. ##
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A BEATLES QUERY FROM THE UKRAINE
Subject:
the beatles
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 13:27:32 -0000
From: "NTA" <nta@link.lviv.ua>
To: <info@blacklistedjournalist.com>
hello,
I
am the journalist from Ukraine. I prepare the story about John Lennon.
Where can I get the information about the streets named after John Lennon
and the others all over the world?
We have the one in our city Lviv. If it is possible, let me know today.
thank
you,
Zhanna
Kostyleva
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UNCANNY SYNCHRONICITY!
Subject:
synchronicity
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 10:38:19 -0000
From: "John Williams" <deltadreamer@thefreeinternet.co.uk>
To: "journalist blacklisted" <info@blacklistedjournalist.com>
Hi,
I
was looking for a reference to my own site and the same search
terms turned up two sites, yours and mine.
It is uncanny since you did all
the things I always wanted to but never had the faintest idea how to. That
is, meet
Lennon and Dylan etc. The strangest
thing was that you should have
a section of your site that deals with holocaust denial, because I have
attempted to rebuff the likes of Irving et al on my own site,
http://www.thefreeinternet.co.uk/deltadreamer/liverpool
The
essays/bits/schticks are 'There ain't half been some clever bastards'
and 'Flake'. The latter is my own
modest proposal and seems to baffle the
'irony challenged' reader while introducing a different aspect of the
'numbers
game'. My own experience of being a
gentile in Israel is recorded
in 'A trail of two cities'. I cite
these because I have been seeking an
answer to a question concerning Lidice and Hitler's actual role in it which
I see as
pivotal to the arguments concerning his alleged ignorance of the
Holocaust. I was hoping you might
have an idea, as I cannot find any
historians who have addressed this point. Why
exactly where you
blacklisted, if that isn't too impertinent a question?
Felicitations
John Williams ##
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YELLOW PADS?
Subject:
RE: EXPLANATION
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 16:04:09 -0500
From: Scott.Ross@cbn.org
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Al,
I
think we all need to go back to yellow pads.
Love
'ya and press on.
Scott
##
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TWO COMMENTS
Subject:
Re: COLUMN 54
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:49:41 EST
From: PIGPROD@aol.com
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Tuli's
Ticklers?
YES
INDEED!
Very
Interesting Mick as well,
Pig.
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PAUL BOWLES ON FILM
Subject:
Paul Bowles on Film
Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2000 12:01:46 -0500
From: Jon Hertzberg <jon@firstrunfeatures.com>
To: info@blacklistedjournalist.com
Hi
there,
I'm
writing to you from First Run Features to tell you about two films
dedicated to the work of legendary author Paul Bowles.
The writer of THE
SHELTERING SKY and a key inspiration to such celebrated 'outsiders' William
Burroughs, Bernardo Bertolucci, and David Cronenberg, Bowles is the subject
of the fascinating documentary PAUL BOWLES: THE COMPLETE OUTSIDER and the
"beguiling" HALFMOON, a feature film that brings three of his stories
to
the screen.
Filmed
in Bowles' adopted home Tangiers, Morocco, PAUL BOWLES: THE COMPLETE
OUTSIDER is a documentary that explores Bowles' roots and explores his
developments as an author and composer. It
also delves into his
complicated marriage to fellow author Jane Bowles, a union that lasted for
several decades despite the fact that both were gay.
Featuring interviews
with Bowles in which he discusses his writing, music, use of drugs, and his
array of friends--including W.H. Auden, Tennessee Williams, Aaron Copland,
Gertrude
Stein, and Allen Ginsberg (who also appears in the film), the film
is a illuminating glimpse into the world of Paul Bowles and not to be
missed.
The
1995 film HALFMOON takes three Bowles stories and brings their mystery,
passion, and exotic landscape to the screen.
Bowles himself introduces and
narrates each of the segments which range in locale from Morocco to the
Amazon.
With
the recent death of Paul Bowles, the films are that much more
valuable in that he collaborated
and participated in the production of
each film.
PAUL
BOWLES: THE COMPLETE OUTSIDER and HALFMOON are distributed on video by
First Run
Features and are of great interest to
admirers of Bowles and anyone interested in personalities and stories
existing far
outside the mainstream, challenging and probing popular
beliefs and behavior.
I
was wondering if you might be able to post a heads-up to your readers
about the films and a link to their pages at,
http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/vid/bowles.html and
http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/vid/half.html
Please
let me know if this would be a possibility or if you have any
further questions about us or the film. Thank
you very much.
Best
regards,
Jon
Hertzberg
Director of Consumer Sales
First Run Features ##
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