Nothing Can Hurt Me Now—The Big Star Documentary

By Jack Brummet, American Music Ed.

I watched "Nothing Can Hurt Me Now" last night. It was moving, informative, and wonderful. Since I discovered them in the early 90's, they have been in my top ten bands of all time. If you love rock and roll, you should watch this documentary--buy it, stream it, do whatever it takes. I feel lucky to have seen them four times when they reformed with Ken Stringfellow AndJonathan Paul Auer a/k/a The Posies. Thank you Jody, Alex, Chris, Andy, and Jon and Ken for the great music that has fueled the soundtrack of my life for the last 20+ years. 

If you haven't heard Big Star, it's time. Probably the most moving part of this film is the number of people—across the music industry—that revered them and were inspired by them. And it wasn't about the money for once; they didn't make any, no one one made any.  It was a losing proposition all around except for the magnificent music that influenced so many great singers, bands, and songwriters. Big Star reverberates all around us now in a crazy lineage, filtered through succeeding rock generations down to current indie bands through bands like REM, Cheap Trick, Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements, The Posies, and all the rest.



And a video from The Tonight Show, not after Big Star reformed during the 1990's:

---o0o---

The Maldives+Ken Stringfellow at Barboza (with openers Sons of Warren Oates)

By Jack Brummet, NW Music Ed.

The Maldives and Ken Stringfellow played last night at Barboza. Barboza is in the basement below Numoes, which also means there is sonic competition with the metal bands playing upstairs.  This was a really fun, but poorly attended show.  The Sons of Warren Oates opened and were an unknown to me (I'd heard their name before and loved it).  They were one of the most listenable warmup bands I'd heard in ages...a trio with fiddle, guitar, and banjo.  They played for about 40 minutes.   The banjo player  (Kevin?)  joined KS and the Maldives for a couple of tunes on the accordion.  Ken played a lot of his album Danzig and a few earlier nuggets from his album Touched.  I bet there were never more than 60 people there, and at the end, maybe three dozen.  Before the Maldives came out, Ken got off the stage and told us to gather around and he sang un-mic'd with his Telecaster. Then he played a tune on the piano and brought out the Maldives. I look forward to seeing The Maldives on their own sometime soon. 

---o0o---

Big Star's first show with The Posies in the band

In 1993, the legendary Big Star reconvened to play a show in Columbia, Missouri. They brought in The Posies Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer to sing and play guitars. They've been together, off and on, ever since, with the Posies still pursuing their own efforts and the occasional Posies tour and record. Big Star, with Jon and Ken, released their first record in decades a few years ago. This video is from Jay Leno's show the day before that first show in Columbia. I've seen them three times since they tarted up, but not recently.


---o0o---

Big Star videos: In The Street and The Ballad of El Goodo

Big Star, the legendary band from the 70's, has been comprised, since about 1992, of 50% Big Star and 50% Posies: Jody Stephens, Ken Stringfellow, Jon Auer, and the legendary Alex Chilton.



Here are videos of In The Street and The Ballad of El Goodo. In The Street served for several years as the theme of The 70'show - I hope Alex still had a chunk of the action! I have seen Big Star three times, and The Posies about eight times over the last many years...






---o0o---

Another Posies Video::::Definite Door:::::::with lyrics, and, of course, with Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer

An oddly dated, but good, music video of The Posies Definite Door...on their "breakout" record, Frosting On The Beater. This song is one of their tunes that sort of bridges the gap aurally and lyrically, instrumentally (is that a word!?) between the more acoustic first two albums and the power pop of Frosting and Amazing Disgrace.

The Posies played at my 50th birthday party and did a great version of Definite Door that night.



Definite Door
(By Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer)

Say goodbye to your friends and family
Pack your promises silently
Leave a note on your kitchen table
This is all you will ever be

So hope for a better place for a better time for a better speed
So hope for a better use for a better word for a better need
And if you listen close enough
You might hear too much
Hard as sharp and razor-rough
You've never seen the such...

It's the definite door
To another dimension
Nothing
No more
(not even a mention...)

Keeping track of the eyesight streaming
Isn't part of the regimen
Many hours of sleepless dreaming
Unaware of the mess you're in
And if you didn't have a clue
You probably never will
And all the things you didn't do
Will inundate you still...

It's the definite door
To another dimension
Nothing
No more
(not even a mention...)

Better cross your heart, make it people-proof try to fight the fright
And have a real good trip, see you when you fall don't forget to
Write yourself back...
And if you fail to see the point
Of doubting all you do
Don't forget to blame yourself
There's nothing else for you...

Say goodbye to your friends and family
Pack your promises silently
Funny how they forget to tell you
This is all you will ever be

This is all you will ever be now
This is all you will ever be
This is all you will ever be now
This is all you will ever be...
---o0o---

Video: John Auer and Ken Stringfellow/The Posies play Solar Sister at the 1994 Phoenix Festival - and they f***ing rock!!!!l

This is a great video of The Posies at one of their peaks, in their big hair phase, playing the s*** out of Solar Sister. Jon and Ken sound great, look great and the drumming is that characteristic thundering up front.


---o0o---

Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow a/k/a The Posies perform "I Guess You're Right" live

This tune is from their most recent album, "Every Kind of Light." There arent't a lot of high quality videos of these guys out there...especially of their recent work. . .

Big Star video: September Gurls - with lyrics

Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer of The Posies have been members, now, of Big Star for over a decade. Here is a video of one of Alex Chilton's greatest songs from Stockholm on a recent tour. On drums, Jody Stephens, of course.




September Gurls


September gurls do so much
I was your butch and you were touched
I loved you well never mind
I've been crying all the time
December boys got it bad.
September gurls I don't know why
how can I deny what's inside
even thought I keep away
maybe we'll love all our days.
When I get to bed
late at night
that's the time
she makes things right
ooh when she makes luv to me.
---o0o---