"Brother-Man!" Carl Anderson Dead at 58

I just heard on the radio this morning that my old friend Carl Anderson, 'Judas' from Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway and in the original film, has died at Cedar Sinai hospital. He was diagnosed with leukemia about seven months ago.

Carl starred in the record-setting 25th anniversary revival tour of Superstar along with original 'Jesus' Ted Neeley. I worked with Carl on that show from 1995 - 1997. Carl toured with the show only part time during that period. He would join us in the major markets when the show had a 'sit-down' for a week or so. After several years on the road he was tired of living on the buses, he said.

Carl got his start on TV in 1964 in the soap opera "Another World." He made various guest apperances in TV shows such as "Starsky and Hutch", "The Rockford Files", "Magnum P.I." and the film "The Color Purple." He was best known, however, for his soulful performance of Judas and he played the role on and off many times over the years.

Besides Superstar, Carl developed a successful recording and concert career. He toured the world and had a hit record with Gloria Loring, "Friends and Lovers", in the early 1980s. He last appeared on Broadway in 1997's "Play On!", a review of Duke Ellington songs.

The last time I saw Carl was about four years ago. He was performing in a small nightclub here in LA. It was a wonderful show and he sounded great. I sat right up front and he kept interacting with me during the stage banter and so forth. I remember when the music first started, Carl looked down at me, snapped his fingers to the beat, and said "Right there, Scott!", meaning his band had found their groove. It was a classic Carl moment.

Carl was a very warm-hearted and spiritual person. He had an amazing voice and he was a gifted musician. He also smoked the best pot of anyone I've ever known! :-) His wife was Veronica Porche Ali, the beautiful ex-wife of the boxer Muhammad Ali. This Friday, Feb 27th, would have been Carl Anderson's 59th birthday.

Playbill's obituary

Carl's official website

Winter Storm Warning!

I can't believe it. For the first time since I've lived in California (over 7 years now), I've just seen a weather service flash across the bottom of the TV screen! This happens in Colorado regularly throughout the year, but I've never seen in CA before.

Seems we have a Winter Storm Warning in effect until Monday at 4AM. Snow could reach 24 inches in altitudes above 5500 feet! It's been raining almost non-stop in LA since Friday afternoon and it feels cold!

So you Coloradoans out there: don't think it's ALL palm trees and sunshine out here in CA!! :-)

Hard Drive

My god. My 80GB hard drive now has less than 5 gigs left!! I've gotta stop downloading shit off the Internet. And I need to dump a lot of stuff off to CD. If only I had a DVD player -- I'd be so happy!

Rain, Rain, Rain

It has been raining almost non-stop for the past 24 hours or more. I love it!

It only it weren't so bloody cold -- I'm freezing!

The Apprentice

I've been watching this reality show on NBC. Donald Trump auditions a group of ambitious young business professionals to head one of his companies. They must work together and compete against each other to be successful and gain his favor. Every week someone fails and he fires them. It's like "Survivor" goes to Wall Street. 'Let the bloodbath begin!'

Actually, I've found the firing process most interesting. It is informative to see how Trump logically works out the choice for who gets fired and why. He receives counsel from his advisors, but he makes the final decision. I enjoy that part, not because someone gets fired, but because I learn something every time. I learn about the corporate mentality, I learn about the dog-eat-dog world of business, and I learn about the hard decisions people have to make to achieve and maintain success. I really admire The Donald sometimes for his sharp mind and skills as a businessman. He's got a real talent for it.

Sick bastard.

Teaching

There are not many jobs quite as rewarding emotionally as teaching. How many times do you have someone tell you how much they appreciate your work, how much you helped them, how you have changed their life and made them a better person?

It's pretty rare, unless you're a teacher. As one of my high school mentors advised me (he knew I was bound for teaching long before I did): "Teaching won't make you a lot of money, but you will have a very rich life." I really understand that now.

"I Dreamed I Met A Galilean..."

Sad news today. Jason Raize, a former colleague of mine from Jesus Christ Superstar, apparently committed suicide last week. Jason played Pontius Pilate when I joined the Superstar tour in Sept/Oct 1995. He was only 20 years old then and I was his understudy. After Jason left the tour that December, I took over full time as Pilate.

Jason was a beautiful young man and incredibly gifted. He had the most gorgeous voice I have ever heard. He later found fame on Broadway starring as Simba, the lead character in the original "Lion King."

The full story can be found here.

Bowie in LA, part 4

Wiltern #2

This was the best show for me. Even though I was stuck in the very back row of the balcony section – literally the wall was behind me – and it was hotter than fuck up there, and we could barely hear the band sometimes the sound was so muddy, I had more fun than ever!

I was with my friend Heidster who is a “casual” Bowie fan, although she sang along with almost every song. We had such fun dancing and singing along and basically basking in the majesty that is Bowie.

He seemed jollier and more comfortable than ever. The set list was full of surprises. He did so many new songs early on in the show. I was surprised he would challenge the audience so much like that. But the crowd seemed to stay with him. It was really a wonderful vibe in the house. I was a long way from the crushing masses up front so I can’t vouch for that scene, but up in the nosebleeds people were having a great time!

Bowie had a lot of great moments vocally, and with his stage movements. At one point (what song was it?) he knelt down at Gerry’s feet during the closing guitar riff. It was magical. DB was full of surprises tonight. With bar stool slung over his shoulder, he introduced “Days” as the first song he’d written specifically for furniture. LOL He also told some great stories about how crazy the Las Vegas scene was and he gave a lengthy and touching introduction to the brilliant “Slip Away.” My friend Heidster grew up in Jersey so she knew Uncle Floyd from TV. She freaked out when she saw the video footage from the old TV show, and the sing-along is consistently one of the best moments of the show, I think. Such a warm touch!

Being way up high, I had a different perspective of the performance and since this was my fourth show this week, I knew what to look for at certain times. It was interesting to see how carefully the lights are designed to accent the music on stage. For example, during “Fame” the lights give a bright flash or bump every time the chorus sings “Fame.” This gives almost the effect of flash bulbs going off as if one were on the red carpet in front of paparazzi.

I was a little disappointed but mostly surprised that he didn’t do “All The Young Dudes” since he’s done that every show so far, but it was nice to hear obscure numbers like “Fantastic Voyage” and “Battle For Britain” again. Heidster kept calling for “Changes”, which he never did. I didn’t think he was doing that one on this tour, but I just saw that it was included on the Vegas set list so that’s even more depressing!

He’s had so many great songs over the years; it would be impossible for him to do all the favorites, though I probably wouldn’t complain if he took the time to do every last one of them!! He is such a pro on stage. One needn’t be a Bowie fan at all to see what an entertaining show he presents. The music, the lighting, the imaginative use of video – Mr. Bowie is still on the cutting edge. I can’t wait to see him again!!

“There’s old wave. There’s new wave. And there’s David Bowie.”

Bowie in LA, pt 3

The Wiltern Theatre

Sad evening since my best friend Randy was too ill to attend the performance. He tried to make it, and we actually went to the theater, but before we went in he started feeling bad and we had to cut it short. He took me back home and I hurried back to the theater for the show.

Luckily the second ticket didn’t go to waste since I was able to drag my friend Mark out of bed for his second Bowie show. Poor Mark was deathly ill on Monday night and he wasn’t much better last night. He was lying on the couch watching a movie when I showed up on his doorstep. At first he said he was too sick to go, but he changed his mind after a few minutes. It too good an opportunity to pass up!

The Wiltern is a nice theater, but it’s been renovated to be a club instead of an actual theater. Therefore, the floor is all general admission and it’s standing only, no seats. Because we were so late getting to the theater, the place was packed and we were stuck in the back of the house by the bar. At least we were raised slightly higher than the crowd so we could see a little bit, but it wasn’t as nice a view as the Shrine.

Bowie and the band seemed a little tired to me. His repartee was more subdued than the previous two shows and he seemed to struggle vocally a couple of times. The mood was still quite cheerful, however, and the audience was very appreciative. There were a few minor technical problems, including some bad feedback at least three times during the performance and a few glitches with the rear video projection. In fact, the stage was so small that the raised side platforms were missing as well as the overhead video screens.

Bowie sang another variety of songs not included in previous shows. “Rebel Rebel” opened as usual but went next into “Pablo Picasso” from Reality instead of the typical “New Killer Star.”

01 Rebel Rebel
02 Pablo Picasso
03 New Killer Star
04 Fantastic Voyage
05 Blue Jean
06 Reality
07 Looking For Water
08 Fame
09 Cactus
10 All The Young Dudes
11 China Girl
12 A New Career In A New Town
13 The Loneliest Guy
14 The Man Who Sold The World
15 Heathen (The Rays)
16 Hallo Spaceboy
17 Under Pressure
18 Life On Mars?
19 Be My Wife
20 Days
21 Ashes To Ashes
22 Hang Onto Yourself
23 I'm Afraid Of Americans
24 "Heroes"

(encore)
25 White Light, White Heat
26 Five Years
27 Suffragette City
28 Ziggy Stardust

Second night at the Shrine

It was back-to-work Monday for Bowie and the band as well as the audience. Monday night’s crowd was a little less reckless than Saturday’s but no less appreciative. The torrential downpour just before show time may have dampened our clothing, but not our spirits. After a day and a half of rest, the band was a little slow to warm up, but by the time “Fame” rolled around in the early minutes of the show, things started groovin’.

Bowie started the show as usual with “Rebel Rebel” and “New Killer Star”, but it wasn’t long before he was changing things up and surprising even ardent fans. A striking acoustic rendition of “Loving The Alien”, the dynamic “Battle For Britain” with it’s stereo dueling guitars, and a lively “Starman” were just a few of the gems Mr. Bowie offered his audience. “Looking For Water” from Reality, ‘80s super-single “Blue Jean”, and a breathtaking encore of “Bring Me The Disco King” rounded out the songs not included on Saturday’s set list.

For me, the greatest treat of the evening was the jazzy “Bring Me The Disco King” to start the encore. Sitting on the raised rear platform in a new burgundy velvet blazer, his shadowy bangs covering his eyes in the subdued lighting, Bowie looked strikingly like his “Sweet Thing/Candidate” from the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour.

He does look remarkably well these days, his carefully chosen stage movement the epitome of suave sophistication. He was also wearing a new t-shirt. I couldn’t quite make out what it said.

By the time the concert ended, so had the rain. And we stepped out into the chilly, damp air…back into Reality.

The Return of the Thin White Duke

What can I say? This guy knows how to have a good time. It is rare to see any performer have such energy and enthusiasm for the stage, let alone a performer who is almost 60, with 40 years of experience under his belt, yet David Bowie demonstrated Saturday night without a doubt what professional musicianship is all about.

South Los Angeles’ historic Shrine Auditorium (former home of the Oscars) played host to the first of four LA shows on Bowie’s current A Reality Tour. A crowd of all ages and walks of life packed the sold-out house. Sixty year-old ex-hippies mingled with middle-aged yuppies who rocked alongside adoring teenagers. Every generation of Bowie fan has their favorite hits and Bowie’s 27-song set list of classics (old and new) spanned almost his entire career. From 1970’s “The Man Who Sold The World” (famously covered by Nirvana), to the newly revamped “Rebel Rebel” (the show opener), a down and dirty “Fame” and ‘80s radio classic “China Girl,” Bowie’s two-hour-plus set didn’t disappoint.

Looking extremely fit in tight black jeans and tousled blonde hair, the star challenged his audience early on with several singles from his new Reality album, including “New Killer Star,” the title track “Reality,” and the lovely acoustic number “Days.” Though most in the crowd were less familiar with these works, they responded enthusiastically. The fans danced and sang through most of the show, only showing their age by occasionally taking a break to sit one out.

Bowie and his crack rock band did a great job of pacing the show. The tempo and mood changed frequently from nostalgic ballads like “Life On Mars?” to classic rock anthems such as “All The Young Dudes.” Bowie encouraged the crowd to sing along several times, stopping the show momentarily during the first verse of “China Girl” to chastise the audience for not taking the vocal lead. “That was pathetic. Guess I’ll have to help you out,” he chortled before starting the song again.

Besides the more obvious crowd favorites, Bowie treated loyal fans with obscure gems such as “Be My Wife” and the instrumental “A New Career In A New Town”, both from 1976’s Low album, one of the trio of albums recorded in Berlin with Brian Eno.

Bowie has always been an enigmatic figure in the rock world, but his performance Saturday night found its stride during some of the more quiet numbers. Songs such as “The Motel” from 1995’s Outside and “Sunday” from 2002’s Heathen were a revelation. Perhaps most touching was Bowie’s affectionate introduction to “Slip Away,” another Heathen ballad and a tender homage to 1970s East Coast children’s television icon Uncle Floyd. The song’s performance included video footage from the TV program as well as a cute bouncing ball sing-along projected on the enormous rear video screens.

The concert included thoughtful and innovative use of video in several numbers, including an animated musical prelude to the concert featuring cartoon versions of Bowie and his band as well as dramatic aerial and time-lapse footage of New York City. Bowie’s outstanding band featured longtime members Mike Garson on keyboards and Earl Slick on lead guitar, as well as newer faces including Irishman Gerry Leonard on ambient guitar, the powerful Sterling Campbell on drums, and multi-instrumentalist Catherine Russell lending vocal support as well. The standout member, however, was Gail Ann Dorsey, Bowie’s striking female bass player for the past ten years, who blew the roof off the hall, and would have made Freddie Mercury proud, with her vocal duet on the Bowie/Queen classic “Under Pressure.”

The show took a somewhat ominous turn with 1997’s “I’m Afraid Of Americans,” which Bowie wistfully introduced as a song that was written in fun but has become something more serious. Apparently hope is not completely lost, however, since Bowie introduced the next song, “Heroes,” as “the other side of that story, your song.”

Alternating between acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, and even the rare stylophone made famous in 1969’s “Space Oddity” (the first lines of which Bowie teased Saturday’s audience with), David Bowie highlighted his diverse musical abilities. Strutting and dancing around the stage, he remained the visual focus of the show, helped by a thrust platform extending into the first rows of the audience. As tempting as it was for eager fans to rush closer to their star, the ever-present security guards were on hand to keep them at bay.

The show ended with an encore of Ziggy classics including the fast rocker “Hang On To Yourself,” the apocalyptic “Five Years,” and the crowd-pleasing “Suffragette City” (“wham bam, thank you ma’am!”). For the grand finale Bowie performed “Ziggy Stardust,” his dramatic narrative about the character with whom he remains most identified.

As if there were any doubts, David Bowie proved Saturday night that as a performer he is in a league of his own. He seemed more relaxed on stage and jollier than ever, and his voice sounds stronger and suppler today than it did 30 years ago. Though his music often inhabits the pretenses of the real world, David Bowie’s “reality” is a pretty great place to be.

The tour continues Monday night with a second show at the Shrine then moves to the intimate Wiltern Theater for two more LA performances.