Which rocker gets a Cool Pass from you? For all you can tell this rocker made little significant contribution to his or her band other than a major injection of cool. For this reason alone you, highly discriminating Townsperson, has given this rocker a Cool Pass. For me it’s Brian Jones, and it’s not all about his hair.
History tells us that Jones was integral in the Stones coming together and developing their R&B-based sound, but watch an early clip of the band, before he was completely wasted, and tell me his animal magnetism doesn’t create rock’s first Isoceles Triangle of Cool with Jagger and Richards, no matter how what subtle or exotic touch he was adding to a song. What other band’s third banana always threatened to steal the audience’s attention the way a young Brian Jones did? Maybe Eno, if he was considered a third banana after Ferry and Manzanera? Brian Jones, you have earned a Cool Pass from me. You’ve each got one Cool Pass to hand out, if you deem it necessary.
The dancing guy was the coolest part of The Happy Mondays, perhaps because their “cool” factor was set so low.
The iconic image of Brian Jones cool is him wearing white clogs while playing a Firebird. Now THAT’s cool!
http://www.stevemoore.addr.com/hotnews.html
man…what a great way to start the day. thanks for posting this vid, mod.
hmmm…who gets a cool pass…
my first thought was of Will Pepper, the bassist of Thee Hypnotics. His bass parts were all about not trying too hard, so they didn’t really add much to the songs, except by their subtraction. in my estimation, his main contribution to the band was to be VERY VERY cool.
and he was probably one of the coolest (and by this i mean nicest) guys i’ve ever met.
Brian Jones doesn’t need a Cool Pass. He’s where you go to get one in the first place. I like this one where Brian is kicking Christopher Robin.
http://www.nme.com/photos/444/15/offset/41/the-rolling-stones-1969-u-s-tour-photos-by-ethan-russell
A case could be made for Paul Simonon in the early days. Didn’t Mick Jones really play the bass on the first few clash albums? But Paul had a Great Look.
I give a Cool Pass to Pulp keyboardist Candida Doyle. Not much stage presence and not a virtuoso; but, in her unassuming way, she was a key element of the band’s look and sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHMYEVU4lJs
Also, Paul Simonon is a perfect example. Had The Clash found a different bass player with chops, it could’ve been a savage blow to their Cool.
I’m afraid Sammy’s gonna have a Candidattack!
Simonon was the next guy I would have given a Cool Pass, but I only possessed one to give out, as is the case for each of us.
The Clash used Norman Watt-Roy of the Blockheads to play bass on a lot of the later recordings.
Bass players seem made for this category. I nominate Dee Dee Ramone.
Perhaps the ultimate Cool Pass should go to Michael Clarke of The Byrds. According to legend, the ONLY reason he got into the band was Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, and David Crosby were hanging around the Troubador. Being folkies, they had no clue about drummers, much less how to find one. So, up walks Michael Clarke and according to McGuinn: “He looked like two of the Rolling Stones.” So, he got the job based on looks alone. He only learned to play the drums later. In an even stranger twist of fate, didn’t he be the one to retain the rights to the name “The Byrds”? Now that he’s dead, there’s not one real “Byrd” touring with “The Byrds” anymore. That’s both sad AND funny.
I’ll give my Pass to Michael Clarke.
TB
Damn, BigSteve, that’s what I was gonna say! Dee Dee may have been a lying, junkie, w/out much facility on his instrument, but he came up w/the best of the early tunes, looked cool, & nobody knew how to count to 4 like Mr. Douglas Colvin.
It’s funny seeing Mall Punks with Sid Vicious t-shirts as though he is some sort of John Lennon. Kids he didn’t…actually…do…anything…
I give my pass to Jerry Harrison as the only guy in Talking Heads that even approached cool.
tina weymouth was cooler than jerry!
Yeah, I was going to suggest Tina Weymouth, but she actually contributed.
This is a hard one!
Wasn’t there a guy in Madness that did nothing but dance in a kind of odd-but-cool way?
It’s about time someone issued a Cool Pass to a dancer/toaster guy in a ska band! Well played, Bobby.
I’ve already used my cool pass, but isn’t anybody going to mention Oates? Anybody?
ya know, it occurs to me that they probably invented the cool pass for Stu Sutcliffe.
BigSteve, i wouldn’t have thought of Oates. he wrote for them, and his backing vocals are on every song. so he was a major contributor. and how much room is there in a duo for someone to fulfill the musical-dead-weight-offset-by-coolness role the mod is looking for? besides, Oates isn’t very cool.
then again, maybe i’m getting the topic wrong. mod? do i have this right?
I was always dead impressed by Clarence Clemons who I thought brought something special to the E Street Band in the early days. A certain gravitas and sense of joy.
Sat, I read the suggestion of the pass for Oates the same way you did, but who knows how BigSteve was seeing it? Maybe he was thinking about Oates being the link between he and his partner and the backing musicians? On off days on tour I can see Oates pounding back a few with T-Bone Wolk and their longtime drummer while Hall and G.E. Smith visited an art museum.
Early Big Man is a good one, mikey!
thanks mod.
i was also asking for your thoughts about my suggestion that Stu Sutcliffe is somewhere close to the origins of this rock phenomenon.
also, i think you’re being very reasonable regarding BigSteve’s suggestion of Oates.
YES, Sat, Sutcliffe may have received rock’s first Cool Pass. Great call!
My suggestion of Oates was more in the category “doesn’t seem to do anything” rather than “adds cool.” It was kind of a joke.
I think there was a guy in Pavement who didn’t seem to do anything either.
The original bass player from Jellyfish (Roger Manning’s brother, Chris, I think) wasn’t ver proficient at his instrument, and was “hired” mainly because of his cool Look and ‘tude. Jellyfish certainly gave him a pass; not sure I would.
The Cool Guy can be the most important part of the band, even if his contributions can seem negligible. Band dynamics are a real organic thing, with all sorts of “hidden persuaders” you might not know just by watching them perform.
I can remember a roommate of mine who replaced his ramshackle band with a breed of “hotter” players and despite its “souped up” sound, everyone missed the old chemistry.
Having a cool guy in the band can sometimes make the musical engine strive harder. Who knows, maybe Darryl Hall wass the shy one and Oates knews how to talk to the ladies.
Isn’t Oates singing the lead on She’s Gone? That alone is too big of a contribution for him to need a Cool Pass.
Sat, Stu Sutcliffe is dead on. I was torn between him, Paul Simonon and Mickey Finn from T-Rex. I carefully evaluated the Coolness/Lack of Musical Contribution and ultimately went with early Simonon but Stu is an excellent choice. Certainly not as cool as Simonon but also contributed much less.
Buskirk, what you say about the roomate’s band I think you’re referring to couldn’t be more accurate. If we’re thinking of the same band, the coolness of the supporting players were as important as anyone of the quartet’s musical contributions. The lead guy got a lot of mileage of out his cool too.
The guy in Pavement was Bob Nastavonich. That’s a mouthful. From Wikipedia:
“Nastanovich, upon his introduction to the band in 1990, performed many functions in the band, namely adding backing vocals, percussion, harmonica, and effects based keyboard. Initially, his key role was that of assistant time keeper, effectively focusing the efforts of the distracted and eccentric Young. After acting as Pavement’s representative in the dismissal of his then great friend Young (he had been the best man at his wedding, and the only one doing the talking during this final confrontation), Nastanovich’s role, at least informally, also took on some diplomatic or managerial qualities. The hiring of Steve West as key drummer may evidence this.
Bob Nastanovich’s part in the band may seem trivial but his stage presence added great depth to Pavement’s live performances. His importance could be further gauged by the forfeiture by Stephen Malkmus of key vocals in songs such ‘Debris Slide’ and ‘Conduit for Sale’, both Nastanovich staples on tour. His trademark scream is something of a Pavement idiosyncrasy, savoured by many Pavement fans. His role on stage, along with the scream, is said to have influenced the Blur hit Song 2.”
He’s a perfect nomination for the Cool Pass. If I hadn’t given mine to Michael Clarke, I might give it to Bob.
TB
I am shocked that no one has mentioned Andrew Ridgely yet.
I’m giving mine to Baba Oje, the old guy in Arrested Development. As far as I could tell, he didn’t sing, rap or play anything, he just sat in chairs and sometimes got up and walked around in their videos and live shows. But he was still a full member of the group and, at age 75, appears to hold the title of “oldest man in hip hop.”
His importance to the band can’t be overlooked, though. When they were famous, people would often watch their videos and wonder “What’s up with that old guy? What does he do?” And when ABC had some show a few years ago where they got defunct bands back together for a performance, I’m pretty sure everybody who watched the Arrested Development episode watched to see whether the old guy would be back and if he was going to sit on stage and maybe walk around a little bit.
He was.
He did.
It was awesome.
Alexmagic, you’ve outdone yourself. Now let me get back to my laughing/coughing fit.
I’ve heard that Mick Jones actually played bass on all of Sandinista!, but I’ve seen it substantiated.
Sorry, I meant that I’ve never seen it substantiated.
I never thought Nastovich was very “cool.” what a geek he seems to be…all that jumpin’ around and goofing. not cool at all.
but yeah, he doesn’t do much else besides provide a vibe.
nico may have sung, sure, but she gets a cool pass, because she didn’t sing very well, and didn’t sing on every song, and mostly stood there being…cool.
I realize that I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think Nico was cool. No musical contribution and no Cool contribution makes her the Andrew Ridgley of the Velvet Underground in my book.
No, I was recently reading up on the Clash (this big compilation of articles and interviews I got because I started subscribing to Mojo), and it was Sandinista specifically where they used Watt-Roy. Remember Mickey Gallagher played keyboards for them during that era, and he was a Blockhead too. It was like a package deal. He and Watt-Roy also supposedly appear uncredited on Cut the Crap. Maybe they asked to be uncredited on that one. Gallagher actually claims he should have gotten more co-writing credits on various Clash songs. It’s an old story.
There must be bands where some member was allowed to join because he’s the drug connection. Does that make him cool? Does having a van, also sometimes a key to band membership, make one provisionally cool?
Big Steve said “There must be bands where some member was allowed to join because he’s the drug connection.”
Yeah, isn’t there a jam band from New Orleans who’s singer got the gig based on his “day job”? I can’t remember where I heard that. You’re from NO, right Steve? Do you know who I’m talking about?
even if Nico wasn’t Fonzie cool, she was icy cold.
It occurs to me that Ian Stewart was sacked because at least as far as his look went, he didn’t look cool enough. instead of getting a cool pass, he got an uncool pink slip.
Good point about Stu. Plus he could play the crap out of the piano and he schlepped the gear and drove the van. Uncool but big contributions to the band.
Yes but no, I don’t know, cdm. The only band I can think of from NO that’s kind of like a jam band is Galactic, and they don’t have a singer.
I LOVE the Uncool Pink Slip! Nice work, Sat.
I’m in the minority with whoever it was who said Nico wasn’t cool. Hot, yes, but I think few things look more awkward than a mystified non-rocker onstage with cool rockers.
That’s who I was thinking of. They did have a singer for a bit. I can’t speak to his talents, though. Just a completely unsubstantiated rumor.
Weren’t The Radiator a proto-jam band from New Orleans? I’m pretty sure none of those guys are cool though.
The Radiators are indeed a New Orleans band that has been around since the late 70s. They are roughly comparable to Little Feat. I think they’re cool, but in a funky, avuncular (afunkular?) way. Making a living playing original music with the original line-up of the band is pretty cool.
BigSteve: “The Radiators are indeed a New Orleans band that has been around since the late 70s. I think they’re cool”
I feel like if I dig up a picture of the Radiators at least one of them is going to be wearing that beret your girlfriend knit for you in college.
dbus…
http://www.hittingthehighnotes.net/press/radiators-promo-300dpi.jpg
Berets may possibly be involved, though there would be less hair underneath them now. If you want to find out in person, they’re playing some kind of camp-out gig in Equinunk PA next Labor Day weekend: http://www.equifunk.com/.
Stu may have gotten the pink slip as far as appearing on promotional material & LP jackets, but didn’t he keep on playing with The Stones on stage & in the studio until he died? It’s kind of a 1/2 pink slip 1/2 cool pass situation, as far as I can see. Also, referring back to a previous thread, judging by the looks of him, I think Stu would’ve been handy to have on your side in a street fight.
hmmm….
my take:
cool passes are for people who look or act cool or make the band seem cooler despite not being able to contribute much musically.
no “1/2 cool pass” for ian stewart. he was too good a musician, and was such a poor contributor to the band’s cool vibe, that they decided it was best to keep him out of the band.
i do agree that he’s a tough lookin’ dude, though.
Ian Stewart got canned because of Andrew Oldham. Everyone in the band loved him and begged him to stay on and he drove the van and got up and played piano whenever he wanted to. I think it might have been the best thing to happen to Stu, because if he thought a song sucked, he just got up and left the studio and if they wanted a piano they had to get someone else. If Stu liked it, his psrts never got erased so far as I know.
Stu called them his “Little Shower of Shit.” His official title on tours was Road Manager, and I think he drew a good paycheck from the band forever. If I’m remembering right, after Stu died the tapes for the Rock N Roll Circus were found in his garage and that’s a big reason why it finally came out – they finally had decent tape! They still had to work things out with ABKCO, but I think it was more than worth it.
Keith has said Stu was the only guy they could ever really trust to tell them when they were shit. Everyone else was too worried they’d get kicked off the tour, out of the studio or whatever. Stu didn’t care. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.
of course all of that’s cool, 2k.
but we’re not talking about back story.
cool passes are awarded to people who made NO considerable musical contribution to the band, but were put before the public for their look, or the cool vibe the put across.
that certainly doesn’t describe ian stewart. no matter how cool he is, he’s the anti cool *pass* icon of the rock era.
he didn’t have the kind of cool that made the guys in the band say “he can’t play, but the chicks sure to dig him, so let’s give him a tambourine and a mic and put him stage right, so the birds keep coming to the show.”
moreover, in musical terms, he didn’t require a pass.
Again, I come in well after the fact, but nevertheless, would have to award the ultimate cool pass to Michael Clarke of The Byrds. ALL he contributed was ‘The Look’, more so than ANYONE else mentioned above.