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Hawaii Dave Donnelly |
Rock ‘n’ rule
for the rulers of
rock ‘n’ rollFUNNY how different people see the same thing in different ways. Star-Bulletin critic John Berger, reviewing what he correctly saw as the biggest rock show ever here, liked Jerry Lee Lewis a lot, Little Richard not so much, and Chuck Berry as the best. In my view, Lewis was quite good, getting a good laugh out of, "I ain't ever gettin' married again." Richard was outstanding with a full-bodied background group, some slashing piano playing and his talking about how pretty he still is even though he's nearly 71. He cracked up the crowd if someone yelled out while he was talking, by shouting an obviously mock "Shut up." As for Berry, he apparently went on without a sound check on his equipment and spent the first five numbers lecturing the sound man, and his fellow musicians for playing louder than he was, and there was no sign of things changing as he went over to talk to his piano player and I made my way to the exit, along with a host of others. Judging from audience reception, Little Richard was the true star of the evening and should have closed the show. Berry had big shoes, figuratively speaking, to fill when following Little Richard ...
Little missus
LOCAL showman Jack Cione came up to me at the rock concert and said, "Remember this lady?" I didn't, but she was a former stripper for him at his Forbidden City. Lee Angel has for the past 30 years or so been the live-in companion of Little Richard. Yeah, all that talk about how "pretty" he felt he was fooled me, too ... Also at the show was the daughter of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who performed years ago on Hotel Street when there were still live performers there. He's the guy who was wheeled out in a coffin, broke his way out and brought down the house with his signature song, "I put a spell on you." The late singer's grandson also was at the Big 3 concert ...
Poulet de peau
DESIGNER couple Clarence & Elsa Lee were in Paris and heading to the Musee D'Orsay by taxi when they found themselves in massive gridlock at Place de la Concorde. All traffic was at a standstill and the Lees watched the meter ticking away the francs. Suddenly they found their taxi was adjacent to a small blue car with the windows rolled down and the radio blasting, "Somewhere, over the rainbow ..." Suddenly their discomfort turned to a rosy glow -- it was Bruddah Iz, and the Lee's experience what the French might call "poulet de peau." Chicken skin ...THAT devastating fire that hit San Diego bigtime over the weekend barely missed the home of former Honolulu publisher Ron Cruger. As he watched the fire come closer and closer to his Carmel Mountain Ranch home, Cruger felt he was as ready to make a quick move. His bags were packed and loaded in his car, readying for evacuation when the fire suddenly veered off in another direction. Cruger breathed a huge sigh of relief, but notes that one of the boxes he packed contained his collection of Hawaiian music records and CDs ...
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Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968. The Week That Was runs Sundays and recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns. Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com
