You may find yourself out in the middle of a field
I almost missed this angle on the Charles Rocket suicide:
His death stunned friends, who described him as an immensely talented performer who inspired others but never quite got the break or recognition to become a top star.
"I'm horrified," said Chris Frantz, a friend who founded the popular band "Talking Heads." "I know that Charlie had some pretty big disappointments in his life. The world of Hollywood movies and television can be pretty rough for a person."...
Rocket, who attended the Rhode Island School of Design, was well known as the leader of a student band called the "Fabulous Motels." Playing an electric accordion, Rocket and band members dressed in wild customes and eye makeup during an era when many were still wearing earth shoes, friends said.
"The band was really before it's time," said Marc Kehoe, another friend. "It was kind of the freaky funny bands that came along later."
Frantz, of Talking Heads, said Rocket's band inspired him to create his own band....
And check this list of additional personnel for a B-52s double-album re-release of Party Mix and Mesopotamia:
Additional personnel: David Byrne (guitar, bass); Charles Rocket (accordion); Ralph Carney, Roberto Arron (saxophone); David Buck (trumpet); Yogi Horton (drums); Steve Scales (percussion).
In case you don't know who Charles Rocket is, let me touch on his most infamous moment (one which I myself did not witness). This is taken from a Saturday Night Live FAQ:
Subject: Didn't somebody get fired for saying "fuck" on the air?
Depends on how you look at it. On 21 Feb 1981 (when the show was doing very poorly) there was a running "who shot J.R. Ewing" gag. At the end of the show Charlene Tilton was on stage with Charles Rocket (who was playing J.R.) and she asked how he felt. Charles responded: "Oh man, it's the first time I've been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the fuck did it." Needless to say, NBC officials were not happy. On Monday 10 Mar 1981, Jean Doumanian (the post-Lorne Michaels producer), and most of the players were fired. Only Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo survived. There was also a featured player who accidently mumbled "fuckin'" instead of "floggin'" during a sketch. It was none other than our good friend Mr. Paul Shaffer on 15 Mar 1980. You can hear a couple of people in the audience gasp after the mistake, but nothing much else came of it.
Comments