Bill Janovitz

     Sometimes it's great living in Cleveland, even when it's cold and rainy and snow is in the forecast. This week, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is celebrating the Rolling Stones at 50 with special events. The exhibit has been up for a few months already. I've been to see it once, so far, and the highlight for me was a beautiful brown Fender Telecaster that was donated by Keith Richards. I'm sure it was custom made for Keith and it's exquisite. Anyhow, readers of Sound Mind know I made a resolution this year to set aside my anti-Stones bias and listen to them with an open mind. To that end, last night I attended an author event with Bill Janovitz. Bill is the author of the new book, "Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell The Story Of The Rolling Stones". He has also written a 33 1/3 book about Exile On Main Street and is a founding member of the band Buffalo Tom.
     I picked up "Rocks Off" last week when I decided to attend and I'm enjoying it so far. He explained, last night, that he was approached late in 2011 to write a book on the Stones to be released in conjunction with their 50th anniversary. Rather than write about their 50 best songs or his 50 favorite songs, he wrote about the 50 songs that he feels track the arc of their history as a band. I had never heard some of these songs and found myself listening to the tracks as I read. His essays are part band history and part musical breakdown by a fellow musician. During his talk, he lamented that there are very few books about the Stones music. Most focus on their personal lives and scandals. I'm up to song # 30, Tumbling Dice, and I've learned quite a bit about the Stones. I had no idea that Mick came up with the Brown Sugar riff. Janovitz tells a funny story about Mick playing Brown Sugar for Ike Turner. I'll spoil the story by saying Ike didn't attack him:) At his event, Bill read from the essay on Gimme Shelter. He talked at length about Merry Clayton's vocal performance. He played a track of just her vocals during the "rape / murder" part and it was amazing. One of my favorite passages from "Rocks Off" is in the Jumpin' Jack Flash essay. He writes about how they returned to a more intuitive and uninhibited style. "What the hell is a 'jumpin' jack flash' or a 'crossfire hurricane'? We don't know for sure, but then, what precisely is 'smokestack lightning,' a 'mojo filter,' or 'streetwalking cheetah with a heart full of napalm'? Who the hell cares?" Exactly. Who the hell cares...it's only rock and roll.
     The event was really cool and I even bought his 33 1/ 3 book. I had him sign both books and told him that Sleepy Eyed was one of my favorite albums. Most of the attendees were Stones fans, so I think he was pleasantly surprised that someone there had heard a Buffalo Tom album. I had considered asking him to sign my favorite line from "Tangerine", "Just a little haiku to say how much I like you", but decided it would be obnoxious. If you're not familiar with Buffalo Tom, they are one of the best unsung bands of the 90's. He admitted that he and co-songwriter Chris Colbourn were huge Stones fans, but there wasn't much Stones in Buffalo Tom. Their influences were Dinosaur Jr. and the Replacements. He even gave a shout out to The Replacements for being nominated for Rock Hall induction. Anyhow, Bill was great and I recommend anything he has done. Maybe sometime I'll do a proper post on Buffalo Tom. Peace.