It’s just to much fun not to take the challenge. One week to write a Gloria for SATB, Chamber Orchestra and Organ. I’m starting on it today. If you’re a local musician and would like to be scored into the piece for our 7pm Christmas Eve service in Mount Vernon, WA please email me.
Vocalists interested in joining us on the piece for Christmas Eve please join us for practice Wednesday December 19 from 6-9pm at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church – 15th and Broadway across from Skagit Hospital.
Will I pull it off? Is it too much and I’ll fall on my face? Will it sound good and inspire men’s hearts or be some superficial diddy suitable only for a child’s toy? Will it be the greatest music ever heard? Stay tuned….
Artist: Freddy Fender
Album Title: I Don’t Want To Be Lonely
Produced by Freddy Fender
Engineer: Conrad Askland
Tracking by Conrad Askland, Road Records, Victorville, CA
Overdubs and Mastering by Brian Winfrey, Deep South Studios
Mixed by Deep South Studios, Corpus Christi, TX
MUSICIANS:
Drums: Rhys Clark
Bass: Chris Jurado
Keyboards: Augie Meyers and Conrad Askland
Guitar and Pedal Steel: Mark Tate
Electric Lead Guitar: Philip Houston
Electric Guitar and Vocals: Freddy Fender
Photography: David Peralta, San Jose, CA
Recorded at: Road Studios, Victorville, CA
Graphic Design: Robert B. Lovato
Sound Recorders, Austin, TX
Manufactured by: Sound Recorders, Austin, TX
“I Don’t Want To Be Lonely”
Words and Music by Freddy Fender (Baldemar Huerta)
I don’t want to be lonely, lonely for your love
For I, just love you only and baby you’re the one I’m thinkin’ of
I know, you love another and baby I know you don’t want my love
But I, I love you only and baby you’re the one I’m thinkin’ of
I don’t want to be forsaken, just dreaming babe, ’bout your love
I don’t want to be mistaken, but I think babe you’re the one I’m thinkin’ of
Cause I, I’ll be the lonely one. Baby, you’re the one I’m thinkin’ of.
I know you love another and I know you don’t want me anymore
But I, could never love no one else and I will be your love forever more
But I don’t want to be lonely, lonely for your love
Cause I, I’ll be the lonely one and baby you’re the one I’m thinkin’ of.
And baby you’re the on I’m thinkin’ of
New promo photos of Conrad Askland by Sergei Petrov. Click for full size. See other work by Sergei at http://www.spandas.com
Taken at The Muse in Conway, WA – one of my favorite places to jam late at night. Thank you Sergei! The graphic effects in this second shot are not very flattering, but I’ll post it up anyway.
In the Rocky Horror Show musical during the “Floor Show” segment there’s a line Janet sings: “God Bless Lily St. Cyr”. I was curious what the reference was about, so here’s info about Lily St. Cyr. (In the show it is spelled Lily St. Cyre, other incorrect spellings include Lilly Saint Sear, Lilly Saint Cear and Lily St. Seer). Cyr is pronounced like “seer”.
Lili St. Cyr (June 3, 1917 or 1918 – January 29, 1999), was a prominent American burlesque stripper.
Birth name Willis Marie Van Schaack
Born June 3, 1917
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died January 29, 1999
Los Angeles, California
Spouse Ted Jordan
Early years
She was born as Willis Marie Van Schaack in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1917 or 1918. She had a sister, Rosemary Van Schaack Minsky. Her grandparents, the Klarquists, reared her and her two show business sisters, Dardy Orlando and Barbara Moffett.
Having taken ballet lessons throughout her youth, she began to dance professionally as a chorus line girl in Hollywood. Unlike other women who have stroke-of-luck stories about being plucked from the chorus line and selected for a feature role, St. Cyr had to beg her manager at the club to let her do a solo act. From her self-choreographed act she eventually landed a bit part at a club called the Music Box in San Francisco, with an act called the Duncan Sisters. It was here that she came to a revelation: A dancer’s salary was only a small fraction of what the featured star’s salary was. The difference? The featured star was nude.
From the 1940s and most of the 1950s, St. Cyr with Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio were the recognized acts in striptease. St. Cyr’s stage name is a patronymic of the French aristocracy, which she first used when booked as a nude performer in Las Vegas. Though she is rather obscure today, her name popped up regularly in 1950s tabloids: stories of her many husbands, brawls over her, and her attempted suicides.
St. Cyr was married six times. Her best-known husbands were the musical-comedy actor Paul Valentine, restaurateur Armando Orsini, and actor Ted Jordan in 1955.
Career
St. Cyr’s professional career started as a chorus line dancer at the Florentine Gardens, in Hollywood. Over the ensuing years and in a variety of different venues, many of St. Cyr’s acts were memorable, with names like “The Wolf Woman”, “Afternoon of a Faun”, “The Ballet Dancer”, “In a Persian Harem”, “The Chinese Virgin”, However, Quebec’s Catholic clergy condemned her act, declaring that whenever she dances “the theater is made to stink with the foul odor of sexual frenzy.” The clergy’s outcry was echoed by the Public Morality Committee. St. Cyr was arrested and charged with behavior that was “immoral, obscene and indecent.” She was acquitted but the public authorities eventually closed down the Gayety Theatre where she performed. In the 1980s, St. Cyr wrote a French autobiography, “Ma Vie De Stripteaseuse.” In the book, she declared her appreciation for the Gayety Theatre and her love for the city of Montreal.
While performing at Ciro’s in Hollywood, (billed as the “Anatomic Bomb”), St. Cyr was taken to court by a customer who considered her act lewd and lascivious. In court, St. Cyr insisted to the jury that her act was refined and elegant. As St. Cyr pointed out, what she did was slip off her dress, try on a hat, slip off her brassiere (there was another underneath), slip into a negligee. Then, undressing discreetly behind her maid, she stepped into a bubble bath, splashed around, and emerged, more or less dressed. After her appearance as a witness, as a newspaper account of the time put it, “The defense rested, as did everyone else.” St. Cyr was acquitted.
While St. Cyr starred in several movies, an acting career never really materialized. In 1955, with the help of Howard Hughes, St. Cyr landed her first acting job in a major motion picture in the Son of Sinbad. The film, described by one critic as “a voyeur’s delight”, has St. Cyr as a principal member of a Baghdad harem populated with dozens of nubile starlets. The film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency. St. Cyr also had a role in the movie version of Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead in 1958. In this film, St. Cyr plays ‘Jersey Lili’, a stripper in a Honolulu night-club and girlfriend of a soldier who boasts to his pals that he has her picture painted inside his groundsheet. Regrettably, heavy edits of St. Cyr’s night-club routine by censors result in some choppy editing in an otherwise finely crafted film. But St. Cyr’s movie career was short lived, and typically she settled for playing a secondary role as a stripper, or playing herself. Her dancing is featured prominently in two Irving Klaw films, “Varietease” and “Teaserama.”
St. Cyr was also known for her pin-up photography, especially for photos taken by Bruno Bernard, known professionally as ‘Bernard of Hollywood’, a premier glamor photographer of Hollywood’s Golden Era. Bernard said that Cyr was his favorite model and referred to her as his muse.
Retirement
When St. Cyr retired from the stage she began a lingerie business in which she would retain an interest until her death. Similar to Frederick’s of Hollywood, the “Undie World of Lili St. Cyr” designs offered costuming for strippers, and excitement for ordinary women. Her catalogs featured photos or drawings of her modeling each article, lavishly detailed descriptions, and hand-selected fabrics. Her marketing for “Scanti-Panties” advertised them as “perfect for street wear, stage or photography.” St. Cyr spent her final years in obscurity and in seclusion, tending to her cats.
Death
She died in 1999 under her maiden name “Willis Marie VanSchaack” in Los Angeles.
Legacy
After St. Cyr’s death, with a renewed interest in burlesque, and especially in Bettie Page, legions of new fans began rediscovering some of the dancers in Irving Klaw’s photos and movies. During this time A&E devoted a special to burlesque in 2001 which included a piece on St. Cyr.
Influences and cultural references
In 1989, one of St. Cyr’s husbands, Ted Jordan, wrote a biography of Marilyn Monroe entitled “Norma Jean: My Secret Life With Marilyn Monroe”, in which Jordan claims that St. Cyr and Monroe had a lesbian affair. The claim is widely disparaged by Monroe biographers. The publisher of Jordan’s book, Liza Dawson, editor for William Morrow and Company, makes a more credible claim in an interview with Newsday in 1989, stating that “Marilyn very much patterned herself on Lili St. Cyr – her way of dressing, of talking, her whole persona. Norma Jean was a mousy, brown-haired girl with a high squeaky voice, and it was from Lili St. Cyr that she learned how to become a sex goddess.” Lili St. Cyr is mentioned in the musical “The Rocky Horror Show”. The final line of the song “Don’t Dream It”, (sung by the character Janet Weiss, as played in the film version by Susan Sarandon) is “God bless Lili St. Cyr!”
Filmography
* Love Moods (1952)
* Bedroom Fantasy (1953)
* Striporama (1953)
* Varietease (1954)
* Teaserama (1955)
* Son of Sinbad (1955)
* Buxom Beautease (1956)
* The Naked and the Dead (1958)
* I, Mobster (1958)
* Runaway Girl (1962)
David Peralta, former road manager for Freddy Fender, sent me these photos a while back. Pictures of Freddy, the Freddy Fender band and yours truly back when I played in his band. Freddy Fender passed away in 2006 and we all miss him a lot. People ask me how Freddy was to work for and I always have the same response “It was awesome.” Being a musician touring with Freddy Fender was very fun.
Conrad Askland – Freddy Fender Band
The Freddy Fender Band 2004 (part of it)
From left: Conrad Askland (keyboards), Vern Monnett (Pedal Steel), Augie Meyers (Piano/Accordion), Rhys Clark (drums) and Mark Tate (guitar). We normally worked as a 7 piece group: Freddy on vocals/guitar, two keyboards, bass, drums, guitar and pedal steel.
Photo from 1995 Christmas Card that Freddy Fender sent to his friends.
One night before a gig I shaved my goatee/beard. Freddy got a kick out of that and said “Aiy-yai-yai! Gringo – when you shave you look like a boiled egg!”. He’s kind of right!
Freddy Fender and Conrad Askland
Around 2004 – This page has some of the worst pictures of me in the history of the world. But I’m putting them up anyway because I loved Freddy Fender.
I think I’m about to burp or something in this one. Probably too much Menudo.
Yeah ok, so I’m porked out in some of the pics. But I have a defense. When you’re on the road, there’s two things you look forward to: finally being able to sleep in your room and THE FREE BUFFET! Maybe that was just me and the bass player. We had great buffets while working with Freddy. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t totally pork out if you could get away with it.
We usually flew to all our gigs but we’d still have to hunker down in the vans to drive from the airports to the gigs. Freddy didn’t like stopping for very long so he’d have the driver stop at an AM/PM and tell us to be back in 5 minutes. Mmm….corndog, Funions, soda – ok, made it back in time. Then we’d get to the venue and it was time to hit the buffet. THEN at the gig it was in our rider to have a deli spread backstage.
We were big boys. Pound for pound, a very good deal for any booking agent. It was a total blast and we were treated top notch. Ok, back to the Jenny Craig….
Inside cover of Bye Bye Birdie Program – November, 2007
For two and a half years, local music and theatre communities have benefitted from the talents of Conrad Askland. Conrad is the consummate professional: creative, precise, able to balance high expectations with encouraging words and humor.
“Bye Bye Birdie” will be Conrad’s final show in the Skagit Valley for the next few years as he heads out to the far horizons of another continent and culture.
“Friends of Conrad Askland” contributed to a co-sponsorship of “Bye Bye Birdie” as a tribute to the man who has given so much to our community.
Alex Hollingsworth
Andy and Donna Golub
Barbara Askland
Bryan and Kathryn Kay
Cally Johnson
Carol Ann Askland
Clarence Holden
Dan Denny
Dr. Gary Brown
Elfa Gisla
Geoff and Susan Arthur
Kate Kypuros
Kyle Blevins
Jerry Moa
Lindsey and Joe Bowen
Lynette McCormack
Lynn and Frank Handi
Stewart and Lacey Woods
One of Ann Margret’s breakout roles was playing Kim McAfee in Bye Bye Birdie (1963). She’s still touring and going strong. Visit her official website at http://www.ann-margret.com .
Original lobby card for Bye Bye Birdie:
Ann Margret with Elvis on the set of Viva Las VegasÂ
ANN MARGRET DISCOGRAPHY
And Here She Is
Ann-Margret’s first long-player from RCA, 1961. Jazzy orchestra conducted by Marty Paich.
On The Way Up
On The Way Up, her second album, was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville on RCA in 1962. It has one “rock” side, and one “ballad” side. Produced by Chet Atkins and Dick Pierce.
The Vivacious One
Recorded in 1962 on RCA, the album compiles the best of Ann-Margret’s two early albums. Produced by Dick Pierce, arranged and conducted by Bob Florence and H.B. Barnum.
3 Great Girls
A compilation on RCA recorded in 1962. Ann-Margret, Kitty Kallen and Della Reeves do four songs each.
Bachelor’s Paradise
Recorded on RCA in 1963. Orchestra conducted by Hank Levine, produced by Steve Shoals.
Beauty And The Beard
Recorded in 1964 on RCA. Ann-Margret teams up with New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt. Orchestra arranged and conducted by Marty Paich, produced by Steve Shoals.
Songs From The Swinger And Other Swingin’ Songs
Recorded on RCA in 1966. Songs from the film “The Swinger”. Arranged and conducted by Marty Paich, produced by Al Schmitt and Neely Plumb.
The Cowboy And The Lady
Country LP from 1969 recorded in Nashville. Produced by Lee Hazlewood.
Hits And Rarities
A great danish compilation album developed in 1990 on Teenager Records.
Hits And Rarities Vol. 2
Danish compilation album developed in 1992 on Teenager Records.
Lovely Ann-Margret – Hits and Rarities
A Belgian compilation CD developed by Marginal Records in 1995.
Let Me Entertain You
A rather mellow American CD compilation from 1996. 21 of Ann-Margret’s early “sexy” hits.
Ann-Margret 1961-1966
A fantastic 5-CD boxed set from German re-issue label Bear Family. This has it all, really. Everything she recorded with RCA including some never before realeased tracks. Also included are some songs from various soundtracks. It comes with a 72 page deluxe 4-colour book the size of an LP. It has full session details and lots of great pictures. A must!
Viva Rock Vegas
As Fred Flintstone might say, “Let’s Rock!” The Flintstones in “Viva Rock Vegas” is an over-the-cop family comedy but its soundtrack is a rock ‘n’ roll archeologist’s Olduvai Gorge. From the blues of B.B. King to the scorching rockabilly of Johnny Burnette & his Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio, from Bill Haley and his Comets and Jimmy Cavello and his House Rockers to long-forgotten honky-tonker Moon Mullican, The Flinstones In Viva Rock Vegas (Hip-O Records) released April 25, 2000, is a rock ‘n’ roll mammoth.
But the Viva Rock Vegas is hardly dinosaur rock. Also featured are ’90 artists such as rockin’ eccentric Rev. Horton Heat, country rocker Robbie Fulks and blues belter Susan Tedeschi. Add ’80’s roots rockers Nick Lowe and Donnie Iris and Viva Rock Vegaa qualifies as a lesson in musical geology.
Also included are selections performed by score composer David Newman (1998 Academy Award nominee for Anastasia) and one of the film’s stars, Alan Cumming (Tony Award winner for Cabaret).
Yet, the highlight may be Ann-Margret’s “Viva Las Vegas (Viva Rock Vegas).” Originally sung by Elvis Presley for the 1964 film “Viva Las Vegas,” the song has been reworked for this film for Ann-Margret, the voice and inspiration for the character of Ann-Margrock in the original “Flintstones” animated TV series of the ’60’s. The track also spotlights a special performance by James Burton, Elvis’ greatest guitar player.
ANN MARGRET FILMOGRAPHY
Ann-Margret has dazzled screen and stage audiences as few entertainers in our time. With her film debut in Frank Capra’s final classic, “Pocketful of Miracles,” in 1962, to the soon to be released Oliver Stone directed “On Any Sunday” with Al Pacino, Ann-Margret’s film career has spanned four decades. Displaying a versatility that few actresses can match has earned her love and admiration, not just for her beauty and her legend, but for herself. Come behind the scenes for glimpses into over 50 films, including “Viva Las Vegas” with Elvis Presley, her Academy Award Nominated roles in “Tommy” and “Carnal Knowledge,” and many memorable moments.
“10th Kingdom, The” (2000) (mini) TV Series …. Queen          Cinderella
“Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” (2000) (mini) TV Series          Patsy’s Mother
10th Kingdom: The Making of an Epic, The (2000)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cinderella
Last Producer, The (2000) Not Released Yet
Any Given Sunday (1999) …. Margaret Pagniacci
Happy Face Murders (1999) (TV) …. Lorraine
Limey, The (1999) (uncredited) (scenes deleted)
Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998) (TV) …. Pamela Harriman … aka Life of the Party: Pamela Harriman (1998) (TV)
“Four Corners” (1998/I) TV Series …. Amanda Wyatt
Blue Rodeo (1996) (TV) …. Maggie Yearwood
Seduced by Madness (1996) (TV) …. Diane Borchardt
… aka Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story (1996) (TV)
Grumpier Old Men (1995) …. Ariel Gustafson
… aka Grumpy Old Men 2 (1995)
Following Her Heart (1994) (TV) …. Lena
“Scarlett” (1994) (mini) TV Series …. Belle Watling
Nobody’s Children (1994) (TV) …. Carol Stevens
“Queen” (1993) (mini) TV Series …. Sally Jackson
… aka “Alex Haley’s Queen” (1993) (mini)
Visit the Santos Brothers website at http://www.rampinbrothers.com/ The Santos Brothers where born in Madrid, Spain. Javier (1976) and the twins Pedro and Ramon (1985) They are continuing a seventh generation family tradition. As clowns and acrobats the family for over 300 years have been enchanting audiences all over the world. Javier, Pedro and Ramon are the first in the family, however, to perform a foot juggling act, known as the Icarian Games. It took them over five years of training, under their father Pedro Santos Padeiro to master this thousand-year-old discipline.
The Santos’ foot juggling act was publicly presented for the first time on June 2, 1993, at the Circus Bush-Berlin.
Javier first stepped on a stage at the age of one-and-a-half as a clown in the family clown act. At the age of eight he made his second stage appearance. This time in an act created by his father. Four years Later, father and son participated in the 13th Festival du Cirque de Monte-Carlo. Aged eleven he then began to train and master the art of foot juggling.
Twin brothers Ramon and Pedro Santos both first stepped on stage at the age of two, as clowns playing a saxophone in their fathers clown act. One year later whilst playing around, the twins started to sit on their older brother (Javier) feet. An idea to create an Icarian Games act came from an artist, who was performing in the same show as their father Pedro. Having no clue of Icarian Games techniques, the same artist showed them a video of the Rios Brothers, who were the greatest foot jugglers of all time. Inspired by what they saw, Javier, Pedro and Ramon decided to follow in their footsteps.
Last spotted performing with Cirque Du Soleil in Varekai.
Christopher “Kit†Chatham is currently the Drumset/Percussionist for Cirque du Soleil’s touring show, Corteo, presently touring the US and Canada. With a specialty in the fusing of multiple styles and cultures, Kit utilizes his background in classical, world, commercial and electronic percussion to create a sound that is uniquely his own. Kit’s experience in many forms of percussion, including unique ethnic percussion, orchestral percussion, and marching percussion makes him a highly sought after performer & clinician.
See the video interview on the Vic Firth website at:
Yo Kit – Great interview! I’m on the Macau I CDS gig so say hi when you get a chance and drop an email. I’m sure they would also love it if you could drop a line at www.DrumDogs.com – Thanks!
