Thursday
May252023
Farewell Tina Turner
Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 10:58AM
We have to talk about the passing of music icon Tina Turner. The Queen of Rock and Roll died at her home in Switzerland yesterday. She was 83.
Tina had an amazing voice, crazy stage presence, smart business acumen and the best legs in the business (at any age).
Eric loves Turner's music, especially her 80s hits. He loves the Private Dancer album! I never saw her live, but I know our friend London did because he sent me his ticket stub from her show at London's Wembley Arena in 1987 - the Break Every Rule world tour!
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Tina Turner
Reader Comments (16)
Well Tina was something else, and though not planned well in advance in 1987, it was my first year living in London and we found ourselves at this concert. The playlist was unbelievable and so was Tina Turner. I didn’t listen to much of her music after that, but it was a concert and a moment I will cherish like several other memories that only live music can generate.
You’ve gotta see them (and sometimes their legs!) while you can.
Always admired her talents. Knew her songs. Wasn't really my type of music. But still. And here is the oddest thing. The day she died, I was talking with a close friend and asked if he had heard the new Ghost covers EP. He had not. So I sent him a link to the Tina Turner cover. When I got to work--it is another tent next to the tent that I live in, so it counts as a sorta' commute--I opened my computer and saw that she had passed away. Almost immediately, I received a text from my friend, saying: "What the holy hell was that!?!? If that's what happens when you text me, stop it!" It gave me a chuckle, even as I thought about what an amazing legacy she leaves behind. RIP Tina Turner.
Mom, are you angling for an award? If so, I think you are on the wrong site. By the way, Steeler ruled! So, too, Alcatrazz. Well, to be honest, only one of those bands truly ruled. But you get my point, Mom. Question: will they put me in the firing line? Take your time as, given your post, you are suffering through something. But we all hope you are on the uptick soon. And, if you are in need of care, don't fret. Fletch will be there for you. So, too, I. But just with a bit more of an eye towards 'pillow therapy' than 'full recovery'. Cheers!
Strangely, I did sorta chuckle at Mom's "quip" above, despite how "politically incorrect" it is. It reminded me of a joke Howard Stern said at Joan Rivers funeral. He was reminiscing on her career, and then reflected to the audience of A-list celebrities, "Now, Joan is up in Heaven chasing Johnny Carson around with a bat, yelling, "Stop ducking, you son-of-a-b*tch".
Anyway, I absolutely love(d) Tina Turner. And, I was able to see her a few times over the years. Thing is, I liked her music more with Ike, than I did her solo stuff. Yeah, in concert she'd play "Proud Mary" (I know, CCR), River Deep (I know, Phil Spector (another beauty in her life), ,. but she never played (and I don't blame her or she wasn't allowed to) some of her greatest hits with Ike.
I probably listened to her most during my "foster care years", raising an African-American Family throughout their teenage years. I was my subtle way of "connecting" to their roots and even watched the edited movie, "What's Love got to fo with it" with them. (Another reason for my Foster care worker to chastise me, despite that they viewed the full unedited version in their alternative school placement- same Kidpeace company btw- foster care and charter school). Ah, the hypocrisy. I digress....but it leads me to this...which will (hopefully compliment) Him's story above.
Almost all of my (our) foster children have kept in touch since we stopped fostering in 2007. They often reach out on birthday's, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc... In fact, I brought my one foster son to the M3 festival earlier this month. Anyway, my birthday is May 24th. My foster daughter (whom I introduced Ike and Tina Turner), contacted me on my birthday with the message, "Happy Birthday, Dad". Instead of replying with the "thumbs up" emoji or saying "Thanks, your message means a lot", I, "simply" sent her a picture of Tina Turner, as I knew she had a lot of fond memories in our home listening to her music and dancing around the living room with her biological brothers. I found out about an hour later that Ms. Turner passed away.
Her passing is a tough pill to swallow. She is the Queen of Rock and Roll.
How was that Kixchick? Make enough sense?
Interesting story too. And I get that there is a place and a space for the legacy that she carved out with Ike. No doubt, they were a powerful combination. But he was an asshat. No real reason to celebrate him. Ditto a person like Spector, even if he and Ronnie made some great music together.
Thing is, the Stern joke is on point and not really non-PC. It is a goof that goes to their combustible relationship. I bet even Carson would have laughed at that. Mom's joke? It was a dud. It landed like a lead zeppelin. If you come here to score points, at least post something worth considering. Given that Mom hasn't ever, to my knowledge, posted here before, I have to guess this might be a lurker or a poster donning a new suit to try out their new material.
So, basically, try again, Mom. There are so many better jokes you could have made (PC or non-PC, as I am not the wilting flower some make me out to be). And you didn't. I was just casually noting that fact so that Mom can get her groove on and be the Mom she truly should be.
Speaking of which, Mom: "Who's to run and who's to fight?" Gimme something. Anything.
And, Fletch, just so there is no confusion: thanks again for sharing that story. Truly.
What a phenomenon!
When “Thunderdome” came out I was gobsmacked!
“We Don’t Need Another Hero” always gives me shivers and I always almost cry when I hear it.
As soon as I saw the tragic news I went right to YouTube to watch the official release of that music video.
And this time, I cried!
Not sure I know who Sam Dice is. But I certainly know Saget (RIP). I am a fan of a rather eclectic mix of comedians: Lenny Bruce, Ernie Kovacs, Dave Chappelle, Don Rickles, etc., etc., blah blah blah. Making jokes is hard work. If it were easy, I would run into funny people all the time.
So, keep adding to the heap here. I am always interested in new voices, even if I occasionally question what I hear. Then again, when you hear what people typed, you might have a medical condition.
Kinison, to me, seemed to always wear his wounds on his sleeve. It seemed like he was laughing at his own pain and letting fans join in. I liked him in small doses, though recognize that he was of a moment in time that mattered to me.
Clay actually had some pretty funny observations wrapped, of course, in the off-color garb that made people, for and against, see him in stark black and white terms. His joke about drinking vs. smoking (the latter is still one of my favorite pastimes, in spite of my ailing heart) struck me as being a bit too smart for some of his fans and a bit too dumb for some of the people who only took his shtick at face-value. And his late career attempt at a comeback was both painful and interesting to watch. I actually enjoyed the two seasons of Dice. Though he was farming better-tilled soil, he was hitting notes he couldn't have hit when he was selling out MSG. I put it this way: he was letting his fans in on the joke, recognizing that his persona was often, for good reason, a punchline at his expense.
Metalboy!, here are my hot-takes on your list. Carlin is rightly remembered, though he occasionally came off, esp, in his later years, as trying to hard to still sound edgy. Steven Wright could wipe the observational floor with the tepid obviousness of a comedian like Seinfeld (who I loved when Larry David was feeding him lines that made his seem funnier). Same, too, Mitch Hedberg. Jonathan Winters was the personification of turning mental health issues into a career. He was far more self-referential than I think a lot of people understood (and, yes, his 'flying saucer' routine was pretty obvious), using comedy to make people laugh while also using it to help keep him sane(r). I think there are some obvious, and painful, reasons why someone so gifted as Robin Williams looked up to him.
As I have mentioned previously, I am always curious to watch stand-up so that I can see how these artists construct their jokes. There are a lot of approaches. But when you see a comedian and their approach mesh, it is an amazing thing. Conversely, one of the saddest things in the world is watching a comedian steal the affectations of those who are far better than themselves. They will either grow into their own voice or remain slightly off the main stage, always opening and never headlining.
I remember asking someone if I could "open" for her in a training. I wasn't trying to compete. I wasn't trying to do "it" better. That's narcissistic David Lee Roth, who can't even get along with Sammy Hagar. Yeah, I blame Dave.
I saw it more of an opportunity of a Physician's Assistant opening for the Doctor.
Either way...it didn't work out... obviously.
Or, did it.