Dick Wagner. Wow. That’s one of those “accidentally saw a teenager air-guitaring in their mirror and ducked away before they saw me” kinds of discomfort. He supposedly played on Get Your Wings, my fave Aerosmith album. But he also is credited with some real turds. Some of you know of my fondness for Uriah Heep, but their clip is at least entertaining (possibly moreso) with the sound off. And wasn’t Wagner the guitarist that they fired from the Rock and Roll Animal tour for falling down his own black hole? Supposedly they stopped plugging him in, and had the new guy behind the stage or some such apocrypha. (Pince Nez away, gentlemen.) This clip, with the multiple-personality-disorder guitar, and the Tourrette gesturing to his inner arena, is from his Early Barney Miller period, by the look. As a doughy, semi-skilled guitar masturbator with a delay pedal, I’ve got nothing on this guy!
Also, I know this is the wrong room to Pince Nez this angle, but isn’t the whole central portion of Mr. Wagner’s solo a Steve Howe solo from Relayer or Close to the Edge – only misremembered and scrambled around?
Also, I understand the “Knights Who Say ‘Ni!'” persistence of the “beard” jokes in the polls. But how did 3 other people actually vote for the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’ without writing in their own, say, “Penguin On the Telly” response? Are there even three people here who remember the origins of the “beard” reference? Curious readers want to know!
As the year wraps up and Rock Town Hall’s blog edition approaches its 1-year anniversary, we should spend some time reflecting on Walter Becker’s Beard.
I vote for Uriah Heep, because the audience seems to really dig the history lesson they’re hearing. After all it was dedicated to every one of them by the singer. Plus pink satin pants ROCK.
There’s something calming, soothing — indeed, *healing* — about contemplating Walter Becker’s beard when RTH offers me choices like this one. What can I say about Becker’s Beard? Its wispiness reminds me of the fragility of all that is precious; yet its persistence is a flag thrust boldly into the dusty, shallow ground of rock fashion, as if to say, “I am the beard that is, that was, and that ever shall be — thus far, and no further!”
hvb, i’m glad you’ve gotten so much amusement / mileage out of my initial coining of the phrase “walter becker’s beard”, in response to your fagan thread of so long ago.
indeed, there is a zen, haiku-like calm in its thin, fine, feathery, flyaway wisps, is there not?
and furthermore, “………….walter becker’s beard……..”.
Dick Wagner: I’m amazed people used to be able to get away with that.
Uriah Heep: Stuff like this is the reason I avoided listening to 50’s rock for years. I remember thinking “If it sounds like THIS, it must suck!” Kickass satin pants though, and who woulda thought so many women would be at a Uriah Heep show?
I understand Hobson much better now.
Indeed.
Dick Wagner. Wow. That’s one of those “accidentally saw a teenager air-guitaring in their mirror and ducked away before they saw me” kinds of discomfort. He supposedly played on Get Your Wings, my fave Aerosmith album. But he also is credited with some real turds. Some of you know of my fondness for Uriah Heep, but their clip is at least entertaining (possibly moreso) with the sound off. And wasn’t Wagner the guitarist that they fired from the Rock and Roll Animal tour for falling down his own black hole? Supposedly they stopped plugging him in, and had the new guy behind the stage or some such apocrypha. (Pince Nez away, gentlemen.) This clip, with the multiple-personality-disorder guitar, and the Tourrette gesturing to his inner arena, is from his Early Barney Miller period, by the look. As a doughy, semi-skilled guitar masturbator with a delay pedal, I’ve got nothing on this guy!
Also, I know this is the wrong room to Pince Nez this angle, but isn’t the whole central portion of Mr. Wagner’s solo a Steve Howe solo from Relayer or Close to the Edge – only misremembered and scrambled around?
Also, I understand the “Knights Who Say ‘Ni!'” persistence of the “beard” jokes in the polls. But how did 3 other people actually vote for the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’ without writing in their own, say, “Penguin On the Telly” response? Are there even three people here who remember the origins of the “beard” reference? Curious readers want to know!
As the year wraps up and Rock Town Hall’s blog edition approaches its 1-year anniversary, we should spend some time reflecting on Walter Becker’s Beard.
I vote for Uriah Heep, because the audience seems to really dig the history lesson they’re hearing. After all it was dedicated to every one of them by the singer. Plus pink satin pants ROCK.
There’s something calming, soothing — indeed, *healing* — about contemplating Walter Becker’s beard when RTH offers me choices like this one. What can I say about Becker’s Beard? Its wispiness reminds me of the fragility of all that is precious; yet its persistence is a flag thrust boldly into the dusty, shallow ground of rock fashion, as if to say, “I am the beard that is, that was, and that ever shall be — thus far, and no further!”
hvb, i’m glad you’ve gotten so much amusement / mileage out of my initial coining of the phrase “walter becker’s beard”, in response to your fagan thread of so long ago.
indeed, there is a zen, haiku-like calm in its thin, fine, feathery, flyaway wisps, is there not?
and furthermore, “………….walter becker’s beard……..”.
yours, saturn.
Walter Becker’s beard reminds me of the fragile resilience of the cherry blossom. At the proper moment of spring, we should write lyrics for it.
Dick Wagner: I’m amazed people used to be able to get away with that.
Uriah Heep: Stuff like this is the reason I avoided listening to 50’s rock for years. I remember thinking “If it sounds like THIS, it must suck!” Kickass satin pants though, and who woulda thought so many women would be at a Uriah Heep show?