Grand Funk Railroad...?
- Thread starter spantini
- Start date
Mick Doobie
Resist We Much
Mystery to me. Dayoooo! Perfect timing on that question, had to flip the page to see the answer.
Yeah, now I remember from that Farner interview, the religious thing. Funny thing with Livgren and Kansas, Livgren wrote most of rhose songs, a lot of Native American content. Walsh embodied it, at times wore NA garb, shamanistically(izat a word?) interpreted the songs on stage. What a wise guy. Hm, reality he seems almost a doofus, kind of a butthole. I used to go to his personal website(no longer active) because admittedly I was a fanboy. Question and answer section somebody asked or pointed to his "heritage". His response, "I have no heritage." I'm not saying that was a butthole move, I mean, he is adopted and probably maybe has no idea. But he does look to be possibly of American Indian heritage...and all things considered it is reasonable that someone would assume so. He could have been more generous, understanding. I guess.
Yeah, now I remember from that Farner interview, the religious thing. Funny thing with Livgren and Kansas, Livgren wrote most of rhose songs, a lot of Native American content. Walsh embodied it, at times wore NA garb, shamanistically(izat a word?) interpreted the songs on stage. What a wise guy. Hm, reality he seems almost a doofus, kind of a butthole. I used to go to his personal website(no longer active) because admittedly I was a fanboy. Question and answer section somebody asked or pointed to his "heritage". His response, "I have no heritage." I'm not saying that was a butthole move, I mean, he is adopted and probably maybe has no idea. But he does look to be possibly of American Indian heritage...and all things considered it is reasonable that someone would assume so. He could have been more generous, understanding. I guess.
Mick Doobie
Resist We Much
Can I tell a story? Please, please, can I tell a story? Pardon, not about GFR, Kansas.
Back at the beach I'd seen Kansas oceanside festival type thing a year or 2 earlier, but they were booked at a sort of club atmosphere. The wife and I went. We just so happened to be going through a spell. Really good show, good sound, reasonable volume level. All there except Livgren. Steve Walsh is one of my favorite singers, the guy is(was) incredible. My wife, yeah, she enjoyed the show, but was a little over my Steve Walsh obsession. None the less I tell her let's walk aroun nd to the load out, might get a chance to meet Walsh. She wasn't digging it. The roadies were out loading things, so I ask if Walsh will be coming out this way, didn't necessarily get an answer. Being as the wife was being a.....difficult...I sort of ribbing her said, "Hey! Maybe if Walsh comes out we can ask if he will sign your breast!" Oh yeah, she just loved that. Kind of callinf my bluff, she says, "Sure, I'll let him sign my breast." Calling her bluff I says to the roadie, "Hey man, "my ol' lady" wants Steve to sign her breast." Dude says he'll be right back. LoL Comes back with the devastating news, "Steve is busy". So we walk back to the car, back way around the building. I'm still ribbing her, "Come one now, you wouldn't have let him sign your breast." In sort of a pissy mood, "Sure I would." She wouldn't have. Anyway, still ribbing her I kind of yell out, "Will somebody please sign my ol' lady's breast?!" It was at that point I realized we weren't alone. There was a big black guy standing next to the building, and another guy who had been kneeling who was rising to his feet. It was Steve Walsh! A little hammered, I go full on fanboy. "Steve!", like we were long lost friends., And start walking towards him in this dark alleyway. Full on idiot fanboy mode. He says before I can even get close, hands raised in front of him in sort of a stop gesture, "I'm not signing anybody's breast!" I did get to shake his hand. I guess I got what I deserved that night for being an asshole.
Back at the beach I'd seen Kansas oceanside festival type thing a year or 2 earlier, but they were booked at a sort of club atmosphere. The wife and I went. We just so happened to be going through a spell. Really good show, good sound, reasonable volume level. All there except Livgren. Steve Walsh is one of my favorite singers, the guy is(was) incredible. My wife, yeah, she enjoyed the show, but was a little over my Steve Walsh obsession. None the less I tell her let's walk aroun nd to the load out, might get a chance to meet Walsh. She wasn't digging it. The roadies were out loading things, so I ask if Walsh will be coming out this way, didn't necessarily get an answer. Being as the wife was being a.....difficult...I sort of ribbing her said, "Hey! Maybe if Walsh comes out we can ask if he will sign your breast!" Oh yeah, she just loved that. Kind of callinf my bluff, she says, "Sure, I'll let him sign my breast." Calling her bluff I says to the roadie, "Hey man, "my ol' lady" wants Steve to sign her breast." Dude says he'll be right back. LoL Comes back with the devastating news, "Steve is busy". So we walk back to the car, back way around the building. I'm still ribbing her, "Come one now, you wouldn't have let him sign your breast." In sort of a pissy mood, "Sure I would." She wouldn't have. Anyway, still ribbing her I kind of yell out, "Will somebody please sign my ol' lady's breast?!" It was at that point I realized we weren't alone. There was a big black guy standing next to the building, and another guy who had been kneeling who was rising to his feet. It was Steve Walsh! A little hammered, I go full on fanboy. "Steve!", like we were long lost friends., And start walking towards him in this dark alleyway. Full on idiot fanboy mode. He says before I can even get close, hands raised in front of him in sort of a stop gesture, "I'm not signing anybody's breast!" I did get to shake his hand. I guess I got what I deserved that night for being an asshole.
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grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
That was the general tenor of virtually all the comments in Spantini's linked article. And I agree. It is frankly stupid to even think of GFR without Mark Farner. That's like going out on a hot day without any underwear.
But Don Brewer did have a great voice, as good as Mark's, really. He was definitely one of the better singing drummers. And a good band drummer too. And one of the few White guys that seriously pull off a credible afro !
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
It wasn't only Farner's band. Don Brewer was in there at the start with Mark. It was actually his suggestion they go as a 3-piece. He had an ego and he was a personality. And he was just as important to the sound and movement of the band as Mark. As was Mel. Just about the only bassist that could have played in that band other than Mel would have been Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath. Both men's styles were integral to the music of their bands. Neither band would have been anywhere near as unique without their bass playing. And Schacher's playing enabled both Mark and Don to travel instrumentally the way they did.
They did actually drop the 'Railroad' for about 4 albums. They did it in the early days, then went back to having the 'Railroad' then they dropped it for 4 albums then brought it back for the 2nd live album and beyond.
The name was a joke, taking off the Grand Trunk Western Railroad.
There was quite a bit of unsaid heavy vibes when Kerry became a Christian. For example, Steve Walsh refused to sing some of Kerry's songs because he didn't like their lyrical direction and didn't feel he could sing them with any genuineness. I suspect he partly left because of that. And Kerry being in Christ left a lot of awkward atmosphere among the band. Then when Dave Hope stopped doing drugs and became a Christian too, that really put the cat among the pigeons. And then when John Elefante replaced Steve Walsh and it turned out that he was a Christian too, well, the writing was on the wall.
I don't know if you've ever read "Seeds of change", the updated version, but Kerry says quite a bit about it there.
Rich and Dave were the only ones not to play on it.
I think at the time, Robbie, Steve and Phil were quite happy to play on it because it was Kerry's solo project and I guess the feeling was, "this isn't part of Kansas' oeuvre" so Kerry could pretty much write what he wanted and it wouldn't really affect the band. But when the lyrics started spilling over into Kansas material later that year, it led to hassles. The band were seemingly happy when Kerry was a searcher with no answers. It was a different matter when he became one that had found. It's interesting that his move to Christ coincided with that of Bob Dylan.
As an aside, did you ever listen to the band he got together with Dave Hope, AD ? Although they weren't really much like Kansas, I love their first two albums, "Timeline" {which is AD although it's pitched as Kerry's second solo album} and "Art of the state." Some fantastic songs there.
I wrote to Kerry in that period {well, 1987} and he actually replied, which came as something of a surprise to me then.