In the course of my LOUIE LOUIE research, I’ve made a lot of really great friends over the years. One of my friends in particular is a die-hard music collector. His house is a virtual treasure chest of of obscure vinyl, concert posters, music history books, odd memorabilia, and an assortment of rare recordings that have never been released in any form, legitimate or otherwise. I remember ten years ago, I had a conversation with him, urging him to get a computer as a means of connecting with other collectors with similar passions. He told me that he had no need for a computer, and he was happy to continue doing things as he was doing.
Needless to say, a lot of things happened in the past ten years, and my friend who once denounced computers is now a full-fledged enthusiast of eBay, YouTube, and Google. Funny things how things work out sometimes, you know?….
Anyways, my friend, who shall remain nameless, sent me some links to some of the most entertaining YouTube clips I’ve seen in a long time.
1) Leningrad Cowboys – “Sweet Home Alabama”
Crazy rock and roll from Russia, reinventing some American standards with a fun pizazz! There’s also a clip of the Leningrad Cowboys with the Red Russian Army Choir performing “Delilah” that’s also well worth watching.
2) Klaus Nomi – “Lightning Strikes”
Yet another inspired musician I’ve never heard of! Twisted stuff!
3) The Tielman Brothers – “Rollin’ Rock” (live 1960)
Finding any vintage rock and roll shows from the early 1960’s is always a wonderful treat. Finding a Dutch-Indonesian that performed this kind of music is a total mindblower!
My friend Theo deGrood of The LOUIE Pages provided me with some insight on the band:
The band is actually Dutch and operated their whole career (which must span over 50 years by now!) in the Netherlands and Germany. The came here in the early 50s when Indonesia became independent of the Netherlands and adapted quickly the rock ‘n’ roll wave which came here from the US and UK. For some reason this music genre became very popular amongst the Indonesian immigrants. He used to live in Australia but lately I see Andy Tielman (who’s 71 now!) walking through The Hague, his hometown where he came back to, still looking as cool as ever. He’s the king of all Dutch Indo-musicians that have evolved these last 50 years.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing! Why haven’t I heard of these guys before?
Once again, I continue to blown away by YouTube, and all the other video sharing websites that make this kind of exchange possible. I love the way YouTube is changing politics, and I love the way that people can find this kind of archival material. Long live YouTube!
As I continue my quest to obtain footage for my long-awaited documentary, I’m still hoping someone has film footage of Richard Berry when he performed “Riot In Cell Block #9” with The Robins on the Dixie Showboat TVshow in Los Angeles during the 1950s. Or maybe some clips of The Wailers when they performed “Tall Cool One” on Dick Clark‘s American Bandstand on June 11, 1959. I’m also still trying to find any footage of Jack Ely with the Courtmen or his version of “The Kingsmen,” performing “LOUIE LOUIE” on the Lloyd Thaxton Show, or any other show he appeared on during the mid-1960s, including a teen dance program in Deluth, Minnesota.
If ANYONE can find this footage, and allow me to use it in my documentary, they will become my new best friend…