Happy birthday and retirement from his "day job" to The Tooners' fine guitarist, Jerry Strull.
Just imagine (plug) if Jerry's "day job" had been playing guitar all these years! He wouldn't be playing with The Tooners now, that's for sure.
The Tooners' "Celebrity Friend" Tommy Chong wishes Jerry a Happy Birthday.
Join the club! Click here(or click the picture above) to get the Rock & Roll Members Guide and mp3 download. It's free! We'll send you free goodies and cool monthly offers.
Last year, 2017, Greg Piper of The Tooners and I decided to put together a set of songs we could play on acoustic guitars and get some gigs playing coffee houses because we were bored and our drummer moved to Idaho. Going back through Greg's cassette collection of songs he recorded as demos for our old band Womanizer back in the 80s, we noticed that if put the songs in the order in which they were written, the ten songs that were originally rejected by the band for being too "soft" (romantic), actually did a real good job of telling the story of Greg's early relationship with his future wife. It seems he tended to write what he was going through at the time, his personal journal, and he and Jacki's meeting, romance and breakup, before reconciling two years later. After we released his songs as his solo CD by Gregory Shane Piper, called "Born To You", we went through both of our old song collections to see what else we could rerecord and press up before we forget about them entirely.
What we discovered listening to these old songs, some dating back to our high school years, is that they divide into two very separate categories. The first category consists of songs inspired by New Wave bands such as Elvis Costello and The Knack who had very catchy, Sixties British Invasion style Pop Rock but with very sexual and subversive lyrics. In the Sixties lyricists had to put their nasty jokes and sexual innuendo "between the lines". In the Eighties they were the lines. Our New Wave / Hard Rock band, Womanizer, specialized in "naughty" songs although we always felt they had a sense of humor about them. The other group of old tunes could only be categorized as odd. These were our "arty" tunes that tended to be a bit more experimental musically, and lyrically unique. Most of them didn't fit in with our live set although we did release three as singles with animated videos over the years and four of them were included in our live multi-media stage show, Rock & Roll Rehab.
We decided to take these oddities and put them together in an album of their own. When we did this we discovered something very similar to the Born To You album; they appeared to tell a story. When we recorded The Tooners' Rocktasia CD we were aware that each of the songs illustrated a different emotion, anger, fear, love, lust, grief, etc. With this new collection of old songs it seems each song is about a particular belief and together they tell the story of one man's spiritual journey through life, told backwards.
There are two ways of telling a story. Imagine you meet someone on the street you haven't seen since high school and he asks you to tell him what you've done since then. You can either start at the beginning and tell him what you did right after you saw him last and progress forward to the present time or you can tell him what your situation is like now and then tell him what led to that, and what happened before that, and what led you to that situation, and so on. Telling a story backwards has one advantage in that it has a definite ending which is actually its beginning. Telling a story from the past to the present only presents a temporary finish since it will continue on into the future, hopefully.
And so our new album, The Haight, is a story told backwards. Mainly because the music flows better with the songs in this order. The inspiration for the record comes from a book I wrote a while back called The Haight.
I had what I thought was an interesting idea concerning religion and I wanted to express this idea but who am I to espouse a philosophy? I'm a cartoonist, animator and rock musician, why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? But maybe if I didn't say it, maybe if someone else, someone more interesting, said it people might like to hear it. I thought of the various context in which these ideas might be expressed, naturally, and I decided these thoughts could best be expressed by a stoner. That way if he seems too far out it's simply because he's tripping. Also, my friends and I, although a few years too young to have been actual hippies, were of that mindset and totally into the cultural scene as it was happening back in 1967. I may have been a junior high school student and living in Los Angeles at the time but I was also a guitarist in an "Acid Rock" band, an Underground cartoonist and psychedelic poster artist. My friends and I all played in Rock bands, had long hair, wore Beatles boots, corduroy flares with wide belts, Cossack shirts and lovebeads. We were what was called "Weekend Warriors". And so I wrote a book of fiction, semi-autobiographical, about a group of hippies living in Haight-Ashbury during the Summer of Love called The Haight.
The Tooners' The Haight CD HERE.
My fascination with hippies goes back to the actual hippie movement and decades before I wrote the book I wrote a song about an old hippie looking back at the hassle his parents gave him when he wanted to visit San Francisco on his summer vacation from school. This is one of the old songs we decided to include on the new CD and I renamed it The Haight as it also seemed to tell the story of the main character in the book, told from his perspective of being much older and remembering his youth. The following is the "story" of the CD The Haight.
#1. NOTHINGNESS - This song starts the CD and begins the character's reminiscence. He is a grandpa now, fifty years since The Summer Of Love, and is tucking his young grand daughter into bed for the night. As did his parents, and a lot of parents in the 1950s, he recites a popular bedtime prayer; "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take". What an awful thing to make a child say before going to sleep! "If I should DIE before I wake!" But to his surprise this prompts the little girl to ask him a question, "What happens to me when I die?" Although this is a common question young children have, it catches him off guard as he believes that is something her parents or clergy should be asked. He blurts out an answer that he himself hasn't ever fully realized he believes. A question that is at its basis; is there a survival of personality and awareness after death or is there nothing after death? His spontaneous answer is that Consciousness did not evolve from physical reality, as we're taught in school, but that Consciousness creates physical reality. As author Eckhart Tolle says, paraphrasing Seth in the Jane Roberts books, "You can't lose your life, you are life". To his amazement the little girl seems to instantly grasp this concept, a concept he himself doesn't fully understand fifty years on, when she uses video games as an example. This was the song I initially wrote to express this idea before I wrote the book and it has since been developed as a concept called Biocentrism.
Now let's go to the last song on the CD and progress forward. This is going forward in time according to the story but backwards according to the song order.
#9. THE HAIGHT - In this song a man is remembering the time when he told his parents he was going to visit San Francisco for his summer vacation in 1967 and their surprisingly extreme reaction. His adventure in Haight-Ashbury begins his lifelong spiritual journey. This song represents Utopian-ism. #8. I'M HIGH- Apparently his parents had something to be worried about. In this song he discovers psychedelic drugs which open his mind to deeper realities. This song represents Shamanism. See the I'm High video HERE.
#7. THE CATACOMB - Shortly after the Hippie Movement of 1967 and perhaps in some measure because of it, Christianity developed a youth movement known as the Jesus Freaks. Many young people, like our hero, looking for answers, turned to mainstream religion in the late 1960s and early Seventies after drugs proved not to be an answer but indicated that a deeper knowledge is available. The early Christians were similar to the Hippies in that they were both seen as a group persecuted for their beliefs and driven underground for their safety. The Hippie term "underground" as applied to the press, music, film, etc. is derived from the early Christians being forced into the catacombs under Rome for protection. Literally "underground". This song represents mainstream religion, particularly Christianity.
#6. I WISH YOU'D LOVE ME - Although it sounds like a love song it could be about a girl's devotion to a religious leader such as Jesus or a cult leader of which there were many in the Sixties and Seventies. Our hero is getting disillusioned by religion at this point mainly because of what he sees as mindless adoration for "leaders" especially when they infringe on his own would-be relationships. This song represents cults and hero-worship. See the I Wish You'd Love Me video HERE.
#5. SEANCE - Rejecting mainstream religion leaves a spiritual void and with psychedelics proving there is in fact something out there, our hero sees Spiritualism as a more direct and personal connection to the eternal. This song represents Spiritualism. See the Seance video HERE.
#4. GROWING OLD - Eventually the system of science and modern Humanism fights back and any notion of an afterlife, alternative dimensions of reality or Heaven and Hell is dismissed as old fashion superstition. However, between the personal, subjective mystical experiences our hero has already had in his life thus far and the bleak, depressing reality Humanism offers, he chooses to venture on. This song is about Humanism.
#3. FAITH HEALER - The New Age Movement began in the Sixties with the promise that modern science and technology wouldn't disprove religion or render it obsolete but rather would prove its validity by proving its concepts and beliefs scientifically. Although that promise still holds true, the "truth" is, as to be expected, extremely complicated and difficult to comprehend. The New Age Movement soon resorted to the usual dogma and ritual to which other religions de-evolved. Instead of the years of study necessary to understand the concepts behind the New Age Movement, one could simply wear a crystal necklace or a pyramid hat. It became like mainstream religion when it reduced Transcendental Meditation to simple prayer, mantras became hymns and to be a "Christian" meant going to church and giving it money. Today, to begin to understand the concepts behind the original New Age Movement, one would need to take graduate courses in Quantum Physics. This song is about our hero's ultimate disappointment in the New Age Movement.
#2. DRAWINGS FROM MY MIND- After decades of Spiritual adventurism our hero comes to understand that although what one's religious beliefs are is extremely important, personally, as such believes greatly influence our own perceived experience such as expecting to go to a Heaven or a Hell, ultimately the TRUTH is the TRUTH. It may be a arduous journey having to navigate through our own preconceived beliefs but eventually what will be, will be. Eventually the monk sitting on a mountain top contemplating his own navel will, if he does in fact achieve self realization, realize that life is not meant to be spent on a mountain top. As bleak, dangerous, depressing, fruitless and meaningless life may appear at times, it's supposed to be experienced in its fullness. The meaning of life, what the reason is for virtually ANYTHING that happens to us, good or bad, is for one reason; TO SEE WHAT WE'LL DO. Our hero's grand daughter is right. We're like characters in a video game. We are ultimately here to play the game, to have the experience that is our life, NOT to figure out how the game is programed or how the computer works. This song represents the state of mind of someone who has learned that eventually the journey leads to a destination and that destination is to be fully focused in the HERE and NOW. It is every day reality.
These songs are written by Neal Warner (Nothingness, Faith Healer, Seance, The Catacomb, I'm High, The Haight) and Greg Piper (Drawings From My Mind, Growing Old, I Wish You'd Love Me) and performed by The Tooners: Greg Piper, Neal Warner, Buzz Brissette, Jerry Strull and Pat Mehan with Susie Piper, Al Weiss, Michael Montrose, Gareth Fishbaum and Davey Justice.
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEOS
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GORILLAZ - Private Jet
Gorillaz is an interesting concept in that the cartoon band is not based on any real people. Are they called Gorillaz because a previous made up band was called The Monkees?
PINK FLOYD - Goodbye Blue Sky
Here is one of the animated sequences from Floyd's movie The Wall. Written by band member Roger Waters with animation based on the design of caricaturist and political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.
Ravel's Bolero from Allegro Non Troppo
This piece from the Italian feature film Allegro Non Troppo is a take off of Disney's Fantasia. Specifically, The Rite Of Spring sequence.
The Rite Of Spring - Fantasia
Here's one of Rocktasia's original influences from Disney's masterpiece Fantasia.Stravinsky's original music caused a sensation when it was originally premiered yet it ended up as a cartoon.
Send Love Through - Rock And Rule
This 1983 animated film had music from Debbie Harry of Blondie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop who also did character voices.
We would also love to add clips from The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, AHA's Take On Me, Prince's Rasberry Beret, The Firebird Suite - Fantasia 2000and some others but we're not allowed. You might be able to find them on Youtube.
Here Are Some Illustrated Classic Rock Lyrics As Original Paintings:
Gregory Shane Piper's new single is a Modern Rock / Alt song called Us Together. Written by Piper and recorded aboard a cruise ship, it is an infectious, up beat tune full of sonic layers and unexpected twists and turns. Very electronic, unlike his Born To You CD of acoustic songs, with neo-psychedelic guitar work and lyrics that might be described as "cosmic".
WOMANIZER is the title of the debut album from L.A. Hard Rock band WOMANIZER. It's a title and a band name that may not seem much in style right now with the term often being used to describe the sort of man that women in the millions are currently protesting but that doesn't bother the band. Womanizer isn't a new band and at one time their name was viewed as ironically humorous. But times have changed. And how.
The lead off single from the newly remixed and remastered ten song CD, Pictures Of You, is about a man whose childhood next door neighbor was the apple of her father's eye. A great deal of his childhood memories are of the photos her doting dad took of the two of them. It seemed only natural that the young beauty would grow up to become a model, appearing in fashion magazines before destiny, bad luck and a slumping economy directed her into the Porn Industry. It is a tale of an earlier age with references to "a theater, all night arcade" when you had to venture out to sleazy book stores that had video booths in the back if you wanted to view pornography rather than in the comfort of your own home and the Internet.
The next tune on the CD is titled Sexist and at first listen may seem a bit unsavory as well but it is actually a rather sweet idea about a man who views his life as a series of relationships with women that he cherishes. Some men recall the various chapters of their lives by remembering what kind of car they owned at the time, or where they lived, or what job they held while some men view the different periods of their lives as a series of their love affairs. The character in this song is done playing the field and has settled down with one woman but still keeps all the others alive in his heart. Is that being sexist?
Fire Up A Boogie is an instrumental that refers both to smoking a joint and to the basic musical style. Several of the songs on WOMANIZER have a Boogie-Woogie, Swing Music vibe to them along the lines of early Aerosmith or ZZ Top. This is definitely an American band. The marijuana reference is appropriate as the band has built a cult following by performing in underground 420 clubs referred to as "Smoke-Easies" and have been featured in Freedom Leaf Magazine, The 420 Times and Vegas Cannabis Magazine.
WOMANIZER review video for the reading impaired.
Mass Murder Man, along with the song Sexist were described by BAM Magazine as "entertaining, energized Pop Metal". Mass Murder Man is another example of WOMANIZER's bad timing as the recent mass shooting has attached a connotation to it that was not intended. Originally a comment on the Punk Rock scene that in the affluence of Hollywood seemed to be populated by rebels without a cause, it now is viewed as a commentary on gun violence.
Going from the frying pan into the fire we have Sidestreets, a saga that is clearly about gang violence that exists purely for the thrill of the kill. This track sounds like a movie that you watch when you close your eyes.
As a palate cleanser we next have Tough Love, a not too romantic ballad about a love gone bad. This is one of the CD's poppier numbers and one to which you could actually dance.
Never Have & Never Will is a theme song for all the musicians out there, like the guys in WOMANIZER, who have chased the Rock & Roll Dream only to ultimately discover the real success was in experiencing the journey itself.
True Love is the other "love song" on a CD that otherwise is a bit cynical. It also shows some of the band's more psychedelic influences.
The emotional peak of the album is the David Nigel Lloyd penned tune, Machine Gun Danny. It's the comic book style tale of a robot (android) that is a political assassin and uses being a Rock & Roll star as his cover. Imagine if Ziggy Stardust was a robot. And killed people. Times have changed.
As a grand finale which feels like an encore, the eight minute epic Ghost Song closes out the CD in a very satisfying way. The song was written by the late poet Don Coorough and like the man himself, depicts the road the music has been on since the start of the album as ending in a dramatic and tragic manner. The extended guitar solo in the middle of the song which was always a staple of the band's live shows, is now less a guitar solo and more of a guitar sound collage. A mantra of interweaving electric guitars that defies concentrating on any one riff but becomes an hypnotic tapestry of sound which takes the listener right up to the edge before returning to the cinematically dramatic, yet melancholy ending.
WOMANIZER is available on iTunes, Amazon and virtually everywhere the Internet may take you. Pictures Of You can also be heard on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius XM Radio starting in February, 2018. Enjoy the trip.
Ever stay up all night tripping on shrooms, having deep, insightful conversations until the sun rises and said "I wish we had made a movie of all this"? Don't bother, Wendy Morrison has done it for you.
This Is Not Dying is a ninety minute movie described by Wendy, a well known Los Angeles musician and songwriter, as being without a genre or category. But having spent as much time as I have around filmmakers, there is definitely a category for her film and it's the Art/Experimental/Student category. Okay, I guess it's not that easy to pin down but my impressions of it that I got while watching the recent screening held at the California Institute Of Abnormal Arts is that its stream of consciousness, psychedelic minimalist plot is in the same basic mode of Easy Rider, Two Lane Blacktop, The Trip and long form music video. One of the things that makes this film seem the work of slumming professionals rather than students or tripping old hippies is that the production quality is relatively high. It was shot in HD by a real cinematographer and the main actors all seem confident and experienced in front of the camera.
This Is Not Dying review video for the reading impaired.
Outside of maybe some of her band's music videos, I don't know how much time Wendy herself has spent in front of the camera but her screen presence and confident acting chops can't be denied. Whatever aspirations she has as a filmmaker, she should really consider a professional acting career. I'll be even more impressed if I could be allowed to read the script from which she was working. It's in the nature of the story that much of the dialogue may have been ad libbed and if that is the case then I am much impressed with her acting ability. If, however, the actors were speaking the lines from the script verbatim, then This Is Not Dying could be viewed as a great actor's demo reel. Everyone involved should be proud, I know how difficult it is to produce a 90 minute film that actually looks like a real movie.
