Excerpt from Johnny Ramone's new autobiography: [link]

So, I'm reading this excellent book David Bowie, Any Day Now: the London Years 1947-1974, which is an incredibly detailed photographic record of Bowie's development, but is also exhaustively researched with lots of fascinating tidbits.

One of the things that becomes clear is how Bowie is sort of the King of the Frenemies. He's incredibly loyal to people and maintains connections over years, but he's also really competitive with them, and likes to steal/take/borrow from them. It's such an interesting dynamic but it's right there from the beginning.

Bowie's famous for having eyes which are two different colors. But that's not actually the case - he was born with two blue eyes. It's when his eye was damaged in a fight that the pupil became frozen and unable to dilate - it gives that eye the appearance of being green.

The person he had the fight with was his best friend George Underwood. The guy he played with in his first group, The Konrads, with. And they had the fight because Bowie did something very underhanded to get Underwood's girlfriend. (They made up after the fight - even though Bowie almost lost his eye - and remained friends.)

And Bowie's first, and most important art school teacher (in Middle school) was Clive Frampton - Peter Frampton's dad! Which is one reason why Frampton toured with him later in his career when Frampton needed a boost. (They went to the same school in Bromley [cf., Bromley Contingent, Siouxsie, Severin et al.] but Peter Frampton was three years younger.)

And Bowie's saxophone teacher, Ronnie Ross, was the guy he later hired to play the sax solo over the end of "Walk on the Wild Side" (which Bowie produced for Lou Reed).

Also, Bowie's friendship/rivalry with Marc Bolan was really complex and had all kinds of intersections and fascinating nodal points.

When Bolan was with June Bolan, and Bowie was with Hermione Farthingale (cf., "Letter to Hermione") in '69 or so, they'd all go off to June's country house on the weekends.

And Bowie had Bolan play the guitar part on the original 1970 version of "Prettiest Star" (a song about Angie when they first met).

And the working title of "Lady Stardust" was "Song for Marc" and is, in fact, a song about Marc Bolan. Bowie wrote a lot of songs about his peers and inspirations in this era, also writing about Lou Reed ("Queen Bitch"), Iggy ("Jean Genie" - though as Bowie himself notes, it's really about an Iggy-like character), The NY Dolls ("Rebel Rebel"). I just find that side of Bowie very endearing - his fannishness.

And long after the Glam era, when Bowie had moved on and eclipsed Bolan completely, he guested on Marc's TV show, only weeks before Bolan died in a car accident.

Etymology of the term “Jazz” claimed: [link]

I’m suspicious.

That's bullshit.

"Jazz" means sex. As does "boogie woogie" and "rock and roll" and it's what "funky" is alluding to.

Also, "fly me to the moon."

Also, "blow my top" means orgasm.

It's all about sex! Sex sex sex! Except for country music which is about the regret you feel after sex.

So, when Johnny Cash is sad because he shot a man in Reno, he really means...?

But what about the song "Sweet Poontang?" What's that about?

So, when Johnny Cash is sad because he shot a man in Reno, he really means...?

He fucked a man in Vegas.

But what about the song "Sweet Poontang?" What's that about?

That is actually about flan.

Yeah, Cash just wanted to see the man have an orgasm.

Maybe.