Oh, so Barry hasn't changed. That doesn't surprise me, he seems unchangeable, if that is possible for a human being. He seems to be someone in love with who he thinks he is, anchored and handcuffed to some knowingness about himself. Perhaps, like the child of an abuser who becomes an abuser himself, he perpetuates the Lenz tradition. Or does someone who thrives on or believes themselves deserving of abuse seek out an abusive teacher like Lenz? Chicken or the egg. I have no idea because I am only thinking aloud after having read this post here. Interesting to have had a glimpse of the past. What year was this excerpt from?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard J. Williams" <richard@...> wrote: > > > > authfriend: > > This is just too howlingly funny. Have you *ever* > > encountered anybody as pathetically insecure as > > Barry? > > > 'Shoki' is pretty insecure! Go figure. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism narccisit > > "And to think that when Shoki first came up, I thought > how odd that person is putting so much energy into me. > What threat am I to him? And then I found out Shoki is > a follower of Rama Lenz, one of the most notorious and > abusive gurus out there." > > Subject: Re: A Newcomer's View... > Author: Ari Lindemann > Newsgroups: alt.yoga, alt.meditation > Date: November 11, 1995 > http://tinyurl.com/6g65l7 > > > > Although the Troll From Texas never actually deserves a reply, > > > if one > > > felt that one was deserving, one could do no better than the very > > > article he cites. David Fricke managed to get a fairly interesting > > > article out of the subject of the "100 Greatest Guitarists" for Rolling > > > Stone. But to place any of his picks in their proper ascendancy, all one > > > has to do is to read his review of SRV below, and contrast it to his > > > review in the same article of Jimi. > > > > > > #7 > > > With the blinding stratocaster fireworks on his debut album, Texas > > > Flood, in 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan kicked off a blues-rock renaissance > > > when the music needed one most: the heyday of hair-spray metal and > > > synth-pop. Until 1982, Vaughan's fame was limited to clubs in central > > > Texas, where he perfected a brass-knuckled soul influenced by Jimi > > > Hendrix's psychedelia and the funky twang of Lonnie Mack. But after > > > David Bowie saw him at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival (a rare gig for > > > an unsigned act), Vaughan was invited to play on Bowie's Let's Dance. By > > > the late 1980s, he was filling arenas with his longtime band Double > > > Trouble. On August 27th, 1990, Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in > > > East Troy, > > > Wisconsin, after leaving a venue where he had just jammed with his > > > guitarist brother Jimmie, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jeff Healey and > > > Robert Cray. He was thirty-five. > > > > > > #1 > > > I feel sad for people who have to judge Jimi Hendrix on the basis of > > > recordings and film alone; because in the flesh he was so extraordinary. > > > He had a kind of alchemist's ability; when he was on the stage, he > > > changed. He physically changed. He became incredibly graceful and > > > beautiful. It wasn't just people taking LSD, though that was going on, > > > there's no question. But he had a power that almost sobered you up if > > > you were on an acid trip. He was bigger than LSD. > > > What he played was fucking loud but also incredibly lyrical and expert. > > > He managed to build this bridge between true blues guitar the kind > > > that Eric Clapton had been battling with for years and years and > > > modern sounds, the kind of Syd Barrett-meets-Townshend sound, the wall > > > of screaming guitar sound that U2 popularized. He brought the two > > > together brilliantly. And it was supported by a visual magic that > > > obviously you won't get if you just listen to the music. He did this > > > thing where he would play a chord, and then he would sweep his left hand > > > through the air in a curve, and it would almost take you away from the > > > idea that there was a guitar player here and that the music was actually > > > coming out of the end of his fingers. And then people say, "Well, you > > > were obviously on drugs." But I wasn't, and I wasn't drunk, either. I > > > can just remember being taken over by this, and the images he was > > > producing or evoking were naturally psychedelic in tone because we were > > > surrounded by psychedelic graphics. All of the images that were around > > > us at the time had this kind of echoey, acidy quality to them. The > > > lighting in all the clubs was psychedelic and drippy. > > > > > > He was dusty he had cobwebs and dust all over him. He was a very > > > unremarkable-looking guy with an old military jacket on that was pretty > > > dirty. It looked like he'd maybe slept in it a few nights running. When > > > he would walk toward the stage, nobody would really take much notice of > > > him. But when he walked off, I saw him walk up to some of the most > > > covetable women in the world. Hendrix would snap his fingers, and they > > > followed him. Onstage, he was very erotic as well. To a man watching, he > > > was erotic like Mick Jagger is erotic. It wasn't "You know, I'd like to > > > take that guy in the bathroom and fuck him." It was a high form of > > > eroticism, almost spiritual in quality. There was a sense of wanting to > > > possess him and wanting to be a part of him, to know how he did what he > > > did because he was so powerfully affecting. Johnny Rotten did it, Kurt > > > Cobain did it. As a man, you wanted to be a part of Johnny Rotten's > > > gang, you wanted to be a part of Kurt Cobain's gang. > > > > > > He was shy and kind and sweet, and he was fucked up and insecure. If you > > > were as lucky as I was, you'd spend a few hours with him after a gig and > > > watch him descend out of this incredibly colorful, energized face. There > > > was also something quite sad about watching him. There was a hedonism > > > about him. Toward the end of his life, he seemed to be having fun, but > > > maybe a little bit too much. It was happening to a lot of people, but it > > > was sad to see it happen to him. > > > > > > With Jimi, I didn't have any envy. I never had any sense that I could > > > ever come close. I remember feeling quite sorry for Eric, who thought > > > that he might actually be able to emulate Jimi. I also felt sorry that > > > he should think that he needed to. Because I thought Eric was wonderful > > > anyway. Perhaps I make assumptions here that I shouldn't, but it's true. > > > Once I think it was at a gig Jimi played at the Scotch of St. > > > James [in London] Eric and I found ourselves holding each other's > > > hands. You know, what we were watching was so profoundly powerful. > > > > > > The third or fourth time that I saw him, he was supporting the Who at > > > the Saville Theatre. That was the first time I saw him set his guitar on > > > fire. It didn't do very much. He poured lighter fluid over the guitar > > > and set fire to it, and then the next day he would be playing with a > > > guitar that was a little bit charred. In fact, I remember teasing him, > > > saying, "That's not good enough you need a proper flamethrower, it > > > needs to be completely destroyed." We started getting into an argument > > > about destroying your guitar if you're going to do it, you have to > > > do it properly. You have to break every little piece of the guitar, and > > > then you have to give it away so it can't be rebuilt. Only that is > > > proper breaking your guitar. He was looking at me like I was fucking > > > mad. > > > > > > Trying to work out how he affected me at my ground zero, the fact is > > > that I felt like I was robbed. I felt the Who were in some ways quite a > > > silly little group, that they were indeed my art-school installation. > > > They were constructed ideas and images and some cool little pop songs. > > > Some of the music was good, but a lot of what the Who did was very > > > tongue-in-cheek, or we reserved the right to pretend it was > > > tongue-in-cheek if the audience laughed at it. The Who would always look > > > like we didn't really mean it, like it didn't really matter. You know, > > > you smash a guitar, you walk off and go, "Fuck it all. It's all a load > > > of tripe anyway." That really was the beginning of that punk > > > consciousness. And Jimi arrived with proper music. > > > > > > He made the electric guitar beautiful. It had always been dangerous, it > > > had always been able to evoke anger. If you go right back to the > > > beginning of it, John Lee Hooker shoving a microphone into his guitar > > > back in the 1940s, it made his guitar sound angry, impetuous, and > > > dangerous. The guitar players who worked through the Fifties and with > > > the early rock artists James Burton, who worked with Ricky Nelson > > > and the Everly Brothers, Steve Cropper with Booker T. these > > > Nashville-influenced players had a steely, flick-knife sound, really > > > kind of spiky compared to the beautiful sound of the six-string acoustic > > > being played in the background. In those great early Elvis songs, you > > > hear Elvis himself playing guitar on songs like "Hound Dog," and then > > > you hear an electric guitar come in, and it's not a pleasant sound. > > > Early blues players, too Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Albert King > > > they did it to hurt your ears. Jimi made it beautiful and made it > > > OK to make it beautiful. > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard J. Williams" > > > <richard@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Speaking as a lifelong Guitar Freak, to compare Jimi > > > > > > Hendrix with Stevie Ray Vaughn is the highest heresy. > > > > > > > > > > authfriend: > > > > > Interestingly, lifelong guitar freaks frequently compare > > > > > Hendrix and Vaughan (note spelling) and usually (from > > > > > what I've read) acknowledge that which of the two was > > > > > better is a difficult choice. > > > > > > > > > "In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked him seventh among the "100 > > > > Greatest Guitar Players of All Time". He has received wide > > > > critical recognition for his guitar playing, ranking at > > > > #12 on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists" > > > > in 2011." > > > > > > > > "Vaughan was recognized as a peer by the likes of B.B. > > > > King and Eric Clapton..." > > > > > > > > "100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time" > > > > http://tinyurl.com/9gvyl6y > > > > > > > > > >
