(EP 31, no.1.5) Mum’s the Word!—In Town Tonight—In the City—UK ’77: My Mother’s Life in Music + a Portsmouth Cabaret with Susan Maughan, Tessie O’Shea, Pam Ayers, & more + Our UK Trip Amid Punk Rock Mania, August 1977

Birmingham UK’s reggae outfit UB40 made two trips to London, Ontario, in the mid-80s, playing to a packed and joyous Centennial Hall on March 7, 1984, and then returning a year later almost to the week, to pack out Alumni Hall on the Western University campus on March 14, 1985. The first show came on the heels of their international breakthrough with the “Red Red Wine” single and its accompanying covers album, Labour of Love, while they were riding high in the local charts with their Gefferey Morgan album for the ’85 show. Special Guest Phil Robinson returns with his always splendiferous and humorous memories and observations.  New Special Guest to the podcast and all-round wonderful person and broadcaster, Skye Sylvain joins us in piecing together a hilarious—and sometimes bumpy and not-so-mirthful for her—and very memorable ride through the events surrounding these two concerts, especially delving into the social stuff following the gigs and a particular interview with the band. Tune in for further info about those group afterparties, setlist shockers, questionable album autograph signings, “excited” band “members,” contrasting memories about meeting Ali Campbell, Astro’s sweaty towel—once again we’re back to those sweaty towels that were a big part of the previous Episode 32 on the Stray Cats from 1983—a “whoopsy-daisy!” mortification moment that was part of a UB40 interview for Skye, and attempted strangulation.  You can also read the original 2015 blog entry at mylifeinconcert.com. NEXT ON STAGE>After years of devoted fandom, I finally get to see the one and only Siouxsie Sioux and her plucky Banshees in a cavernous (but wonderfully air conditioned) venue on Toronto’s outskirts.   I’d been following Ms. Sioux since the early days of punk rock reporting in the UK press, and fell in love with their debut 45, “Hong Kong Garden” in 1978.  It was a UK smash hit and remains one of my favourite singles of the ‘70s. I was a Banshees nut from then on, and when I finally got to see them live in 1984, I was pretty damned stoked. HOWEVER ………. this gig is Another in an ongoing sub-thread in the mylifeinconcert.com series that could be called Concert Disasters, with said Disaster happening before, during, or after the show—OR during all 3, for those extra-lucky occasions.  Frequently they involve some of the cheap and old cars I was driving in the 80s malfunctioning in some way.  And this is the first of those Car Nightmare EPs. Phil Robinson will also be back again to detail his memories of the show.  We each went down with other people with meant Phil was spared the “journey” that the other 3 of us went through. There will also be a new blog entry for this show. So what the hell happened with this one?  Tune in next time to find out.  You’ll be hearing all about leg casts, “rumours of a gig,” smoking fuses, the little Honda that couldn’t … and cities in dust. And that is the name of upcoming Epsiode 34, Concert no. 026. Cities In Dust: Siouxsie & the Banshees with Images In Vogue, the International Centre, Toronto, Ontario, July 10, 1984.mylifeinconcert.com

The Stray Cats arrived to rock London, Ontario in 1983 at the peak of their fame.With this episode, I’ve once again jumped backwards in my story, just not as far back as that cabaret show I saw with my parents in the UK in 1977 that was the focus on EP 31, Mum’s the Word.This time, I jump back to March 26, 1983, when the Stray Cats rocked Alumni Hall here in London, Ontario.Technically this should have been Concert no. 16, falling between no.15/EP 21 on The Gang of Four at Wonderland Gardens on March 5th and no. 16/EP 24 on The English Beat/R.E.M. at Alumni Hall on April 23rd.  However, as with the previous 1977 entry for EP31, this show was initially meant to be included as part of an upcoming compilation episode.The reason it was going to be part of the compilation episode is this: I don’t have a ton of memories about this show.I do remember going, and recall thoroughly enjoying the evening, but that’s about it.  For whatever reason, I have scant memories about this concert vs more detailed recollections for other shows from around this time.However—and luckily—I seem to be alone in that regard.Every time I have posted about it on Facebook, there are floods of responses from people, so clearly this was a concert that is in the hearts of many who were there.Luckily, MLIC podcast regular Phil Robinson as well as Noelle from the Police Picnic ’83 episode (no. 27), and new guest, blogger Marc Hodgkinson, all have lots of great memories from the night to share with this blog and its attendant podcast.So, here it is and here we are.Stay tuned for stage dancing, sweaty towels, Britt Ekland sightings, restaurants serving Alka Seltzer with breakfast, Walkman music liberation, and what was the unforgettable message that Brian Setzer imparted to Noelle backstage?NEXT ON STAGE> Birmingham UK’s reggae outfit UB40 made two trips to London, Ontario, in the mid-80s, playing to a packed and joyous Centennial Hall on March 7, 1984, and then returning a year later almost to the week, to pack out Alumni Hall on the Western University campus on March 14, 1985. The first show came on the heels of their international breakthrough with the “Red Red Wine” single and its accompanying covers album, Labour of Love, while they were riding high in the Canadian charts with their Geoffrey Morgan album for the ’85 show. Not only will Special Guest Phil Robinson be returning with his always splendiferous and humorous memories and observations, new Special Guest to the podcast and all-round wonderful person and broadcaster Skye Sylvain joins us in piecing together a hilarious—and sometimes bumpy and not-so-mirthful for her—and very memorable ride through the events surrounding these two concerts, especially delving into the social stuff following the gigs and a particular interview with the band.Stay tuned for stage dancing, sweaty towels, Britt Ekland sightings, restaurants serving Alka Seltzer with breakfast, Walkman music liberation, and what was the unforgettable message that Brian Setzer imparted to Noelle backstage?mylifeinconcert.com

With this episode, the series jumps back in time to a Cabaret show I saw in Portsmouth, UK, in August 1977 with my parents when I was 14. The cabaret took place between my first (Roxy Music at the London Arena, February 8, 1975) and second (Bob Seger at the London Gardens on May 19, 1978) official concerts. My initial plan was to include it as part of an upcoming compilation episode. However, I’ve decided that this cabaret was a unique live performance along with being the only one I ever saw with my now 96-year-old mother.  Therefore, I am giving this show its own entry.   I wanted to take this opportunity to capture not only what she remembers of the event, but also her music-and-technology-related memories from her life growing up in the UK, having been born in December 1926. Taking in this show with my folks occurred during a three-week trip to the UK.  The vacation could not have possibly been more fortuitous for me. I had been following punk rock from its 1975-ish NYC inception via the underground press, and then later the British arm of the punk scene through the weeklies (when I could get hold of or afford them) which was absolutely exploding through the UK at the time of my visit.  Getting to be there and experience it happening real time was one of the luckiest tunes-y strokes of my life. So, in this episode, I interview my mother about the music she’s enjoyed and seen live, but also about the variety of technologies she has used to hear and enjoy it, starting with her hand-cranked family radiogram in the 1930s through to her love of streaming music today. Later on, I turn from looking at my mother’s musical youth to my own experiences, including this live cabaret show we saw in 1977, but even more so about the excitement and impact of being able to spend time in the UK at the peak of punk. My mother had In Town Tonight.  I had In the City. (Listen or read to find out more about all that). Listen to the podcast to hear the full interview as she talks about the musical journey of her life. Tune in for Worker's Playtime, “Attention K-Mart Shoppers!,” The Man in Black, children with acid batteries, revelations at Boots—or was it Woolies?—and what was Ethel Merman really like live? Next on Stage -> I jump a bit more into the future with The Stray Cats at Alumni Hall here in London on March 26, 1983.  Technically this should have been Episode 16 but, as with this 1977 entry, this show was initially meant to be included with the upcoming compilation episode. I don’t have a ton of memories about this show, but luckily MLIC podcast regular Phil Robinson as well as Noëlle from the Police Picnic ’83 episode (no. 27) both have lots of great recollections from the night.Tune in for stage dancing, artistic representations, Britt Ekland sightings, and what was the unforgettable message that Brian Setzer imparted to Noëlle backstage? Episode 032 (Concert no. 025) Rock This Town: The Stray Cats with The Bopcats, Alumni Hall, Western University, London Ontario, March 26, 1983 mylifeinconcert.com

My final 1983 gig-going-entry recaps a couple of shows I took in during a crazy/nuts four-day trip to NYC.   While I will be discussing the performances by hardcore titans The Circle Jerks and post-Throbbing Gristle offshoot Psychic TV, I’ll also be looking at the madcap trip to Manhattan as a whole, recounting the hijinks that MZ, Miss B, myself, and others got up to.   If you’ve heard or read EP 25 on the Flipper show at Fryfogle’s, then you’ll have somewhat of an idea of what to expect.Tune in for destroyed hotel rooms; terrified cousins; "Peace, Love and Groove!"; Danceteria bathroom hallucinations; Brooke Shields' husband, Broadway Bob; and pterodactyls and manifestations.You can also read the original blog entries for The Circle Jerks and for the Psychic TV show on the mylifeinconcert.com blog. Next On Stage –> I am jumping back further into the past as I recall a cabaret show that happened between my first and second “official” gigs (Roxy Music at the London Arena on February 5, 1975 and Bob Seger at the London Gardens on May 19, 1978). I saw the cabaret in Portsmouth, England, in August 1977, and it featured early-60s popster Susan Maughan, she of the 1962 hit, “Bobby’s Girl,” and possibly the legendary Tessie O’Shea. I had initially planned to discuss it as part of upcoming compilation episode but have instead decided to make it a stand-alone episode. The EP's Special Guest is my 96-year-old mother—we’ll call her Vera Various Artists—who attended the cabaret along with me and my late father.   My mum shares her vague memories of the evening, including that she feels the legendary Tessie O’Shea was on the bill.  If my mother is right, then boy do I wish I could remember that.  I wouldn’t have known who she was then but I sure do now. We do both remember humourist Pam Ayers and the Famous People Players being part of the show. My mother also recalls the venue itself, the Portsmouth The Hippodrome but also The King’s Theatre in Southsea, as she grew up in Petersfield, but later moved to Portsmouth after marrying my dad, and both my elder siblings were born there.   In the interview, she discusses listening to the radio as well as records in the UK as a girl in the ‘30s, and also music and live shows she enjoyed after to moving to Canada in the mid-50s and onwards. I also talk about my experiences on this trip in the ultimate UK punk year—1977—amid the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Tune in for dangerous radio batteries, hanging out in British record stores to hear the latest releases, what double album of my mum’s drove me nuts in the ‘70s, punk rock mania, not seeing The Sex Pistols, and what Ethel Merman was really like live. That’s all coming up in Episode 31, Concert no. 001.5, entitled UK 1977: VA’s Mum on Ethel Merman and Susan Maughan at the Portsmouth Hippodrome and the Music of Her Life + My UK Trip Amid the Year of the Punk Rock Explosion and Silver Jubilee mylifeinconcert.com

This is the big one! THE ultimate! The single most anticipated show I ever attended, when I—along with my co-hort Miss B—and 60,000 other fans, all of whom who were going Absolutely Freakin’ Bananas, moseyed on down to a packed CNE Exhibition Stadium during a sweltering Labour Day weekend in 1983, for David Bowie. He was on his global Serious Moonlight tour for his worldwide smash hit album, Let’s Dance, with the great Rough Trade opening the show and warming up the troops. On the exact same weekend a year earlier, I had seen The Clash at this same venue (EP 18).  Now I was back and seeing an even more hotly anticipated show.  And he surpassed my expectations. In Part One, Episode 29A, Changes: Bowie, The ‘70s, and Me—a prelude to this episode about the show—I look back on first hearing David Bowie on the cusp of 1973 as well as take an in-depth journey through his recording career, from 1964’s “Liza Jane” through 1983’s Let’s Dance, but also examine his impact on me and the larger culture throughout the rest of that decade. In this Part 2, join me in returning back to this CNE show on that gorgeous Labour Day weekend in 1983—ending one of the most memorable summers of my young life with an unforgettable climax. Tune in for being caught up in the rush of crushing crowds, Hamlet references, bamboo steamers among the Bowie masses, and the most exciting show of my life.  Go to the mylifeinconcert.com blog to read the original entry. Next On Stage –> My final 1983 gig-going-entry recaps a couple of shows I took in during a crazy/nuts four-day trip to NYC.   While I will be discussing the performances by hardcore titans The Circle Jerks and post-Throbbing Gristle offshoot Psychic TV, I’ll also be looking at the madcap trip to Manhattan as a whole, recounting the hijinks that MZ, Miss B, myself, and others got up to.   If you’ve heard or read EP 25 on the Flipper show at Fryfogle’s, then you’ll have somewhat of an idea of what to expect. Tune in for destroyed hotel rooms, terrified cousins, "Peace, Love and Groove," Danceteria bathroom hallucinations, Brooke Shields' husband: Broadway Bob, and Pterodactyls and Manifestations in Episode 30, Back Against the Wall and Discopravity: The Circle Jerks at the Reggae Lounge on Wednesday November 26th, and Psychic TV at Danceteria on Thursday November 17, both in New York City, 1983.Click on the links above to read the original blog entries at mylifeinconcert.com.

David Bowie’s Labour Day Weekend concert in 1983 at Toronto’s CNE Stadium remains the most anticipated and exciting show I’ve ever attended. He was on his global Serious Moonlight tour for his worldwide smash hit album, Let’s Dance, with the great Rough Trade opening the show and warming up the troops. I discuss the show itself in Part 2—(EP 29b, no.22b) Let’s Dance: David Bowie with Rough Trade, CNE Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday September 3, 1983.  First, however, in this prelude episode, I not only take an in-depth journey through his recording career from 1964’s “Liza Jane” through 1983’s Let’s Dance but also through the 1970s themselves.  In particular, I examine the era’s rock music and how it intertwined socio-culturally throughout the decade as marginalized communities broke through and asserted themselves; Bowie’s influence on the ‘70s; and his seismic impact on me and many other outsiders during this era. Tune in for radio oddities, shag rugs, shag haircuts, satin flares, platform shoes, and personal liberation. Next On Stage –> This is the big one! THE ultimate! The single most anticipated show I ever attended, when I—along with my co-hort Miss Bennies—and 60,000 other fans, all of whom who were going Absolutely Freakin’ Bananas, moseyed on down to a packed CNE Exhibition Stadium during a swelting Labour Day weekend in 1983, for David Bowie. He was on his global Serious Moonlight tour for his worldwide smash hit album, Let’s Dance, with the great ROUGH TRADE opening the show and warming up the troops. On the exact same weekend a year earlier, I had seen The Clash at this same venue (EP 18).  Now I was back and seeing an even more hotly anticipated show.  And he surpassed my expectations.Join me in returning back to this CNE show on that gorgeous Labour Day weekend in 1983—ending one of the most memorable summers of my young life with an unforgettable climax. Tune in for being caught up in the rush of crushing crowds, Hamlet references, bamboo steamers among the Bowie masses, and the most exciting show of my life.  Listen to it here and click through to read the original blog entry, (EP 29b, no.22b) David Bowie with Rough Trade: Let’s Dance, CNE Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday September 3, 1983

Ten days after the final Police Picnic in Toronto at the massive CNE Exhibition Stadium, I took in a more intimate, but hotly anticipated, show by the legendary Marianne Faithfull. The by-then gravel-voiced ‘60s pop icon and former Jagger paramour was in the final throes of a triumphant, early ‘80s comeback.  She was undertaking her first-ever tour of Canada, where her records had performed very well, conveniently beginning her tour at my local watering hole here in the Forest City.  The episode also features a four-minute interview that I did with Marianne six years after this gig, in 1989. Tune in for thigh-slappin’ rhythms, shitfaced patrons, contented smiles and … dangerous acquaintances. Next On Stage –> This is the big one! THE ultimate! The single most anticipated show I ever attended, when I—along with my co-hort Miss Bennies—and 60,000 other fans, all of whom going Absolutely Freakin’ Bananas, moseyed on down to a packed CNE Exhibition Stadium on the Sunday night of a swelting Labour Day weekend in 1983, for DAVID BOWIE, on his Serious Moonlight tour for his worldwide smash hit album, Let’s Dance, with the great ROUGH TRADE opening the show and warming up the troops. On the exact same weekend a year earlier, I had seen The Clash, and in the podcast for the show, Episode 18 and the blog entry as concert no. 12, I discuss how seeing them made for the most-anticipated gig I had attended up until that time.  Well, this David Bowie concert one year later—at the same venue but utilizing the full stadium—left that prior show’s sense of anticipation in the dust as I finally got to see the performer who had long occupied the No. 1 spot on my “Must See” list.  Bowie and his seventies output made a seismic and enduring impact on my life, and in this next episode I will discuss this along with looking at the actual show, on that gorgeous Labour Day weekend in 1983, ending one of the most memorable summers of my young life with an unforgettable climax. Also, the great Rough Trade, another act I love and made an impact on me in the 70s and 80s, was the opening act, and I will be talking about them as well. Tune in next time for life-changing radio Oddities, bamboo steamers among the Bowie masses, and the most exciting show of my life with Episode 29, Concert no. 22, Let’s Dance: David Bowie with Rough Trade, CNE Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday September 3, 1983 You can also read the initial blog entry at mylifeinconcert.com, broken down into two blogs: 022a. Changes: Bowie, The 70s, & Me; and 022b. Let’s Dance: David Bowie with Rough Trade, CNE Stadium Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday September 3, 1983.https://mylifeinconcert.com/

It’s the third and final Police Picnic on August 5, 1983, once again at CNE stadium as well as the 4th and final consecutive summer of attending a huge, open air festival.  This time around the fest featured James Brown, Peter Tosh, King Sunny Adé, Blue Peter, and The Fixx along with the titular hosts. While the first fest ran overlong but otherwise smoothly, the 1982 edition was the worst concert experience of my lifetime, even if the music was good. As was also the case with 1982, this 1983 excursion came complete with a drug misadventure …. wait, scratch that last bit. What’s the opposite of “misadventure”?  For this episode, not only will Special Guests aka Phil Robinson be re-joining in looking back on this event, his pal from back in the day, Noelle, also joins us in this episode. The two of them went to festival along with a group of people and reconnect live for the first time since the 80s, and help each other piece together their experiences from that day. So, it’s a first for the podcast, with a 3-way interview and reminiscence.   We not only recall the show but also touch on late-night speakeasys, mammaried Police enthusiasts, how lucky we were to have The New Music, import 45s, and where did Simple Minds play here in London in the early 80s? Tune in dear listeners for a euphoric day of great music, accidently taking narcotics, being trapped in a revolving door, smashed porcelain smokers on Queen Street West, and a goodbye to the tea-drinking Police, who were in Synchronicity with the world at that moment.  Click here to read the original 2011 blog entry. Next on Stage -->: Join me next time as I recall one of my Top Three best shows I have ever seen here in my hometown of London, Ontario, Canada, when the one, the only, the legendary & the regal Marianne Faithfull grants us an audience on a packed-to-the-rafters Fryfogles on a steamy, August night. This hotly anticipated show was a distinctly more intimate experience than the Police Picnic.  By this point in time, the former Jagger paramour and ‘60s pop icon was in the final throes of a triumphant, early ‘80s comeback, triggered by her late 1979 LP Broken English, one of the true all-time classics.  At this point in ’83, she was touring her third Island disc, A Child’s Adventure. Conveniently, she began her tour at my local watering hole. Indeed, this date kicked off her first-ever Canadian tour, with London lucking into hosting this debut performance. Join me next time for thigh-slappin’ rhythms, backstage gossip, contented smiles and … dangerous acquaintances. 021. (EP 28) Dangerous Acquaintances: Marianne Faithfull, Fryfogle’s, London, Ontario, August 15, 1983 Click here to read the original 2011 blog entry. mylifeinconcert.com

The Velvet Underground’s John Cale comes to Fryfogle’s and plays an intense, riveting solo set in June 1983.  It was particularly extraordinary for me that I finally got to see him at this point in time, not only because I was way deep in Velvets-mania in the early 80s — with all the original Velvets albums finally being widely and easily available, arriving alongside “Edie: An American Biography” — but also because I ended up sitting cross-legged on the stage about two feet in front of Cale as he performed.  Indeed, this was the best seat I have ever had at a live show!And I thought I’d had it good during the previous fall when I got to park my elbows on centre stage during a Joe Jackson show (EP 19).Tune in for a disciplined bladder, a set list of my dreams, and being able to see the pores on John Cale’s face. Go to mylifeinconcert.com to read the original 2011 blog entry.  Next on Stage --> It’s the third and final Police Picnic on August 5, 1983, once again at CNE stadium as well as the 4th and final consecutive summer of attending a huge, open air festival. While the first fest ran overlong but otherwise smoothly, the 1982 edition was the worst concert experience of my lifetime, even if the music was good. As also was the case with 1982, this 1983 excursion came complete with a drug misadventure …. wait, scratch that last bit. What’s the opposite of “misadventure”? For this episode, not only will Special Guests aka Phil Robinson be re-joining me to look back on the day, his pal from back in the day, Noelle, also joins us in this episode. The two of them went to festival along with a group of people and reconnect live for the first time since the 80s, and help each other piece together their experiences from that day. So, it’s a first for the podcast, with a 3-way interview and reminiscence. Please return next time dear listeners for a euphoric day of great music, accidently taking narcotics, being trapped in a revolving door, smashed porcelain smokers on Queen Street West, and a goodbye to the tea-drinking Police, who were in Synchronicity with the world at that moment. Go to mylifeinconcert.com to read the original 2011 blog entry, (EP 27, no.19) Police Picnic ’83 featuring The Police, Peter Tosh, James Brown, King Sunny Adé, Blue Peter, and The Fixx: Walking on the Moon, CNE Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Friday August 5, 1983.

Flipper, San Francisco’s sludge rock contrarian refuseniks, come to town one month after that  Beat/R.E.M. show from April of 1983.  An evening of debauchery and over-indulgence ensues for myself and crew of people on that night, with Flipper — both as persons and performers — interweaving with us at various points of our night (and their lining up to see Return of the Jedi, too).Tune in for missing persons, dangerous fire escapes, hostile groupies, and massed stimulant consumption. Next On Stage –> June was bustin’ out all over when The Velvet Underground’s John Cale came to Fryfogle’s and played an intense, extraordinary set.  It was particularly extraordinary for me that I finally got to see him at this point in time, not only because I was way deep in Velvets-mania in the early 80s — with all the original Velvets albums finally being widely and easily available — but because I ended up sitting cross-legged on the stage about three feet in front of Cale as he performed. Tune in next time for a disciplined bladder, a set list of my dreams, and being able to see the pores on John Cale’s face. Click below to read the original 2011 blog entry. (EP 26, no.18) John Cale: I Keep A Close Watch, Fryfolge’s, London, Ontario, Canada, Monday June 13, 1983