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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard B. Russell Library Oral History Documentary Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Georgia--History
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history collection consisting of interviews conducted for the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies since 2003.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=3&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here. </a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2003-ongoing
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL175OHD
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Georgia
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.3 Interview with Peter Conlon, Alex Cooley, and Tom Beard, April 10, 2013 RBRL175OHD-023 RBRL175OHD Richard B. Russell Library Oral History Documentary Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Peter Conlon Alex Cooley Tom Beard David Barbe 0 http://youtu.be/dk1Oo9Geek4 YouTube video 0 Introduction Today is April 10th, 2013, we are in the Wilson Media and Oral History gallery, uh, the Russell Library gallery, the Special Collections Building at UGA. Interviewer introduces Conlon, Cooley, and Beard. 17 39 1970s Atlanta music scene I'd like to know about the state of the music scene--in Atlanta, especially--in the state of Georgia in the early '70s. Cooley and Conlon discuss building the Atlanta rock scene amidst local resistance to counter culture. They tell stories about Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash and other big artists they brought to town. Beard mentions a major donation Johnny Cash made to the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign. 1970s ; Atlanta, Georgia ; Auburn Avenue ; Billy Joel ; Bob Dylan ; Bruce Springsteen ; Capri Ballroom ; Civil rights ; Cotton Club ; Finocchio's ; Georgian Terrace Hotel ; Janis Joplin ; Jimmy Carter ; Johnny Cash ; June Carter Cash ; Leonard Cohen ; Lynyrd Skynyrd ; Promotion ; Richard's ; Rock 'n' Roll ; The Agora ; The Cavern ; The Electric Ballroom ; The Highwaymen ; The Roxy ; The Royal Peacock ; Willie Nelson 17 884 1980s Atlanta music scene Let's go back in history a little bit and talk about the--how the pop festival-- Conlon and Cooley describe the importance of the 688 Club as a venue for alternative music in the 1980s. They mention a poor turnout for an Iggy Pop performance in the 1990s. 1980s ; 688 Club ; Iggy Pop ; Music Midtown ; Talking Heads ; The Go-Go's 17 1052 Atlanta Pop Festival conception Well, let's go a little further back in history. I think we'd all like to hear about how the Atlanta Pop Festival--how the--how this came to be. Cooley discusses the first Atlanta Pop Festival (1968). He explains where he got the idea for the festival and why it did not receive the same attention as Woodstock, which came later. Cooley talks about the partners he brought together to make the festival happen. 1960s ; Allman Brothers ; Atlanta International Raceway ; Atlanta Pop Festival ; Dave Brubeck ; Fred Lagerquist ; Hampton, Georgia ; It's a Beautiful Day ; Janis Joplin ; Jimi Hendrix ; Led Zeppelin ; Miami, Florida ; Procol Harum ; Promotion ; Sam and Dave ; Woodstock 17 1373 Changes in music promotion business What was your capitalization? What did they have to put in? Cooley and Conlon discuss changes to the concert promotion business after its consolidation in the 1990s and the increasing amount of capital required to book shows. They mention a failed Olivia Newton John tour they booked. Consolidation ; Inflation ; Olivia Newton John ; Robert Sillerman ; SFX Entertainment ; Varsity Jr. 17 1530 First Atlanta Pop Festival (1968) / Grateful Dead So, we want to make sure people can learn a little more about how this thing got started. Cooley talks more about funding the Atlanta Pop Festival in the late 1960s. Conlon and Cooley discuss the difficulties of working with the Grateful Dead. 1970s ; Allman Brothers ; Atlanta ; Bill Graham ; Concert promotion ; Fox Theatre ; Grateful Dead ; Jerry Garcia ; Macon, Georgia ; Omni Coliseum ; Piedmont Park ; Psychedelic drugs 17 1807 Cooley's radio show / Second Atlanta Pop Festival (1969) Alex had a radio show in--the '90s? On 96 Rock? Cooley mentions a radio show he hosted in the 1990s in Atlanta. He talks about the second Atlanta International Pop Festival. Cooley discusses losing money on the event and the racist and anti-hippie climate in the South at the time. Allman Brothers ; Blues ; Byron, Georgia ; David Harris ; Eric Clapton ; Grand Funk Railroad ; Grand Theft Audio ; It's a Beautiful Day ; Jimi Hendrix ; Led Zeppelin ; Lester Maddox ; Middle Georgia Raceway ; Racism ; Vinson Valley 17 2344 Puerto Rico International Pop Festival Not only there, but I also did one in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Cooley and Conlon discuss the Mar y Sol Puerto Rico International Pop Festival and working with Billy Joel. Cooley describes intense opposition to the festival and getting smuggled out of the country. 1970s ; Alice Cooper ; Allman Brothers ; Billy Joel ; Clive Davis ; Electric Ballroom ; Joe Cocker ; Mar y Sol ; San Juan, Puerto Rico 17 2587 Promoting shows in Atlanta, local radio So you've got these massive shows to start your career as a musical promoter and then, now you're back in Atlanta, are you promoting shows at the stadium and thing or just focusing on the Ballroom or-- Cooley and Conlon talk about acts they brought to various venues in Atlanta and the development of rock radio stations. 1970s ; 96 Rock ; Atlanta Municipal Auditorium ; Fox Theater ; Ike and Tina Turner ; Jerry Blum ; Johnny Winter ; Lee Michaels ; Neil Young ; Omni Coliseum ; Radio ; Rick Derringer ; Steppenwolf ; Ted Nugent and The Amboy Dukes ; WPLO ; WQXI 17 2878 Elvis in the 1970s / Elvis and Jimmy Carter / Music and the Carter presidential campaigns Yeah, I saw Elvis there. He, he played, like, two days and he'd play two shows--he'd play two shows a day. Conlon tells a story about Elvis's relationship with Jimmy Carter. Beard, Conlon, and Cooley discuss their work with Carter's presidential campaigns, promoting concerts to raise funds. They describe problems they faced at a Jacksonville fundraising concert. 1970s ; 38 Special ; Allman Brothers ; Atlanta, Georgia ; Capricorn Records ; Charlie Daniels ; Dickey Betts ; Elvis Presley ; Gator Bowl ; Hamilton Jordan ; Jacksonville, Florida ; Jimmy Carter ; Lynyrd Skynyrd ; Macon, Georgia ; Marshall Tucker ; Phil Walden ; Ronnie Van Zant ; Sidney Drashin ; Toy Caldwell 17 4037 Music, youth, and Carter's presidential campaigns I guess that could have happened. Cooley, Conlon, and Beard talk about Carter's embrace of rock music and musicians. They discuss the relative youth of Carter's campaign staff. Atlanta, Georgia ; Bill Clinton ; Bob Dylan ; Gary Morris ; Hamilton Jordan ; Jimmy Carter ; Jody Powell ; Lester Maddox ; Phil Walden 17 4240 Perception of Southerners, Georgia politics, Carter campaign Let me ask you three this. Um, were--you were obviously aware of the perception, I think, of the South, and Southern culture, and perhaps Southern politics, at the, at the time. Conlon talks about ongoing stereotypes of Southerners. Beard and Conlon discuss how Georgia politics changed during Carter's time and refute claims that Carter exploited racism to win 1970 governor's race. Conlon describes the skills and style of Hamilton Jordan. Bill Hardman ; Carl Sanders ; Civil Rights Act ; CNN ; County Unit System ; Hamilton Jordan ; Jimmy Carter ; New South ; Phil Walden ; Plains, Georgia ; Prejudice ; Robert Kennedy Jr. ; Rock 'n' roll ; Ted Turner ; Watergate 17 4668 Carter's second presidential campaign (1980) / Music and politics What was the--his reaction to the, um, fundraising through rock concerts strategies. The group discusses the use of fundraising concerts during Carter's second campaign. Conlon and Cooley talk about the relationship between music and politics and war. Charlie Daniels ; Chip Carter ; Fox Theater ; Jerry Weintraub ; Jimmy Buffett ; Jimmy Carter ; John Denver ; Matching funds ; Phil Walden ; Rolling Stone ; Toots and the Maytals ; Watergate ; Willie Nelson 17 4982 Phil Walden So what was Phil's relationship with Jimmy Carter prior to that? Beard and Cooley talk about Phil Walden (co-founder of Macon-based Capricorn Records) and his relationship with Jimmy Carter. They also discuss Walden's work as a manager. Clarence Avant ; Jerry Weintraub ; Lew Wasserman ; Otis Redding ; Phil Walden ; Sam and Dave ; Segregation 17 5115 Race, music, and politics in the South Well, let's talk about, um, I guess race and politics for, for a minute. Cooley talks about racism in the South and the possibilities for social change through music. Atlanta Pop Festival ; Byron, Georgia ; Hippies ; Jimi Hendrix ; Led Zeppelin ; Lester Maddox ; Racism ; Segregation ; Social change ; State Patrol 17 5420 Stories from concerts, musicians You ought to tell the, the Janis Joplin story. That was good. Now that's one for the history books. Cooley describes logistical complications with a U2 set. He recounts an interaction with Janis Joplin and talks about how she cultivated her image. Georgia Dome ; Janis Joplin ; Schrafft's ; Trabant ; U2 17 5694 Politics and finances of music promotion So I was wondering if we could shift gears a little bit and talk about, um, dealing with politics and promoting music, um--and Peter maybe you can speak to this--um, in Atlanta. Conlon and Cooley discuss some of the financial and political considerations that go into promoting concerts. They describe their relationships with Atlanta mayors. Bill Campbell ; Event permits ; Freaknik ; Maynard Jackson ; Music Midtown ; Omni Coliseum 17 6073 Municipal support for sporting events vs. music events / Politicians reaching people through music Um, I'm getting a sense--well, not a sense--it's obvious we're, we're here in Athens. Conlon talks about the ways in which municipal governments support sporting events but resist music events. He mentions how Carter and Obama used music to reach people. Interview concludes. Barack Obama ; Final Four ; Football ; Jason Aldean ; Jimmy Carter ; Super Bowl ; UGA ; University of Georgia 17 Oral History No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. video 0 http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL175OHD-ead.xml
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL175OHD-023/ohms
Location
The location of the interview
Athens, Georgia
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
115 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Peter Conlon, Alex Cooley, and Tom Beard, April 10, 2013
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL175OHD-023
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Peter Conlon
Alex Cooley
Tom Beard
David Barbe
Christian Lopez
Callie Holmes
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video
oral histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Musicians
Rock music
Music festivals
Concert agents
Bands (Music)
Campaign funds
Politics and culture
Georgia--Music
Politics and Public Policy
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2013-04-10
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Atlanta, Georgia
Description
An account of the resource
Music promoters, Alex Cooley and Peter Conlon, along with Presidential aid, Tom Beard, talk about the development of the music scene in Atlanta. Cooley and Conlon talk about the several concerts and festivals they arranged over the years. And the three of them talk about how Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign produced rock concerts in order to raise money. They discuss the relationship between race, music, and politics in the South, and they talk about the difficulty of financing a music event.<br /><br /><br /><span>Peter Conlon was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His father moved his family to Tucker, Georgia when he was very young. Conlon first fell in love with rock and roll when he bought his first album, Meet the Beatles. While he attended the University of Georgia, Conlon started booking live shows for the student concert committee and the Interfraternity Council. He learned how to get high profile artists to come to Athens. Also Conlon worked on Jimmy Carter’s Presidential campaign while he was in law school. Conlon is now known as one of Atlanta’s most powerful concert promoters. He books concerts in Atlanta’s largest and acclaimed music venues. His most famous legacy is Music Midtown which he founded with Alex Cooley.</span><br /><br /><span>Alex Cooley is a native of Atlanta, Ga, and he attended Georgia state and the University of Georgia. He is able to assess the cultural importance of music, and he helped shape Atlanta’s music landscape. Cooley has organized several music festivals all over the Deep South in order to introduce rock and roll and countercultural values to the south. His influence saved The Fox Theatre, and he turned the Tabernacle and the Roxy into music landmarks in the Atlanta area. In 1987, Cooley was inducted into the Georgia Music hall of Fame. He is also one of the founders of Music Midtown. Cooley is known as one of the best music promoters in Atlanta.Tom Beard is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He worked on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign, and he served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President. Beard is a distinguished managing director and financial planner. Beard currently serves on the board of directors of AHL Services.</span>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
moving image
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Athens Music Project Oral History Collection is part of the Athens Music Project (AMP), a Willson Center for Humanities and Arts research cluster co-directed by Jean Kidula and Susan Thomas. Interviews in this collection document the development of Athens as a breeding ground for multiple musical communities--the most prominent of them being the Southern independent rock scene. Other areas to be documented include a variety of African-American musical traditions, hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, folk music traditions, Latin music, new music and conceptual sound art, classical music, and musical theater, and AthFest.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=2&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2014-ongoing
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Subject
The topic of the resource
Music
Georgia--History, Local
Georgia--Music
Georgia--Communities
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP-030/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.3 Unknown Date Interview with Creston Spiers, September 17, 2016 RBRL379AMP-030 RBRL379AMP Athens Music Project Oral History AMP 030 Interview with Creston Spiers Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Creston Spiers Curtiss Pernice 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_0htjmtg8& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; & ; wid=1_x36i3mcv" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen frameborder=" ; 0" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; 14 Early life So, where'd you grow up? Spiers talks about growing up beside a levy in West Monroe, Louisiana, where his father was involved with dirt track racing and his mother worked in real estate and secretarial positions. He recalls practicing piano at school, learning guitar from his aunt, and listening to country music, Elvis, and Kiss. Alive II ; chords ; family ; House of the Rising Sun ; LA ; parents ; racecars 17 398 Introduction to school band and rock music Were you figuring out songs off records on your own at this point? Spiers discusses moving to Florida and becoming a " ; band geek." ; He mentions artists such as Eric Clapton, Rush and Al Di Meola, who influenced his music during junior high and high school. Alex Lifeson ; blues ; drums ; fake books ; family ; FL ; Guitar Player Magazine ; lyricism ; percussion technique ; writing 17 1120 College years Nope, when I was in Florida, I was a really good percussionist. Spiers talks about studying orchestra and performance percussion at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University before ultimately becoming more interested in writing rock music and playing guitar. He mentions that after leaving Maryland, he earned an English degree at Trenton State College and moved to Philadelphia. auditions ; conducting ; ensemble ; MD ; New Jersey ; NJ ; Peabody Conservatory of Music 17 1647 Weasel Stick / Philadelphia music scene So you started playing a couple shows when you lived in Philly? Spiers discusses his first Philadelphia band, Weasel Stick, which he claims fell apart due to poor music quality. He also mentions other prominent bands that were becoming popular in the early 1980s. Clean Water Action ; hardcore punk ; Harvey Milk ; heavy metal ; Khyber Pass Pub ; Steve Swan ; The Jesus Lizard ; Weasel Stick 17 2125 Making music in Athens So you decided to move to Athens to be- your parents were down here. Spiers discusses moving to the Athens area after losing his job in Philadelphia. He reminisces about meeting Stephen Tanner at a record store, admiring the Melvins' sound, and realizing he could incorporate his orchestral training by writing rock music in longform. adaptation ; Commerce, Georgia ; GA ; moving ; Steve Swan ; the South 17 2676 Perspectives on music theory And other bands have done that, but they played, like, you know, instead of just the regular triad they might play like a first and a fourth or something like that. Spiers offers his insights into dissonance and the stability of intervals, as well as discussing the cultural and emotional subjectivity of music theory, which he believes is taught too scientifically. chord progressions ; dissonance ; inversion ; resolution ; Stravinsky ; twelve-tone 17 3410 Harvey Milk's style Uh, tell me about the first time you played with Stephen, and was Paul there? Spiers discusses the development of the band Harvey Milk's musical style, which began with finger busting and later came to include guitar riffs and a slowed, stretched out sound. He also describes the limitations that venues' acoustic infrastructure created in being able to translate the intended sound to the audience. amps ; longform ; riffs ; technology 17 3932 Evolution of Harvey Milk / Record labels You guys didn't do any touring for a while though did you- for maybe a couple of years? Spiers outlines some of Harvey Milk's small gigs, describes the band's changing membership and musical influences, and chronicles the band's time off. He talks about working as a teacher and being involved in bands like Mother and Capital A during Harvey Milk's hiatus, and he describes what the band was like when it restarted. Spiers also ponders the value of post-production and the declining importance of record labels. break ; comeback ; Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men ; Kyle Spence ; mastering ; Paul Trudeau ; Special Wishes ; teaching ; The Pleaser ; touring 17 4714 Ted Hafer / Homemade music equipment I'm trying to think of the year, but you played with Ted Hafer and his thing right after Porn Orchard broke up- in Six String Fever. Spiers admires Athens artist Ted Hafer's musical talents, including his songwriting skills, drumming and guitar abilities, high range, and vocal emotional intensity. Spiers and the interviewer also discuss getting creative with small equipment to enhance their music's volume, feedback, and resonance. Buckshot ; classic rock ; Porn Orchard ; Six String Fever ; SPIN Magazine 17 No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL379AMP-030.xml RBRL379AMP-030.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP/findingaid http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Athens, Georgia
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
90 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Creston Spiers, September 17, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP-030
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Creston Spiers
Curtiss Pernice
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Rock music
Guitarists--United States
Bands (Music)
Composition (Music)
Sound recording industry
Drummers (Musicians)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-17
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Description
An account of the resource
Creston Spiers was born in Monroe, Louisiana. He studied orchestra and performance percussion at John Hopkins University and later moved to Athens. Spiers played guitar and drums in the bands Weasel Stick and Harvey Milk. In this interview, Spiers talks about his introduction to music, his perspective on music theory application, playing in Weasel Stick and Harvey Milk, and practicing with musician Ted Hafer.
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Athens Music Project Oral History Collection is part of the Athens Music Project (AMP), a Willson Center for Humanities and Arts research cluster co-directed by Jean Kidula and Susan Thomas. Interviews in this collection document the development of Athens as a breeding ground for multiple musical communities--the most prominent of them being the Southern independent rock scene. Other areas to be documented include a variety of African-American musical traditions, hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, folk music traditions, Latin music, new music and conceptual sound art, classical music, and musical theater, and AthFest.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=2&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2014-ongoing
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Subject
The topic of the resource
Music
Georgia--History, Local
Georgia--Music
Georgia--Communities
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP-067/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.3 Interview with Ken Starratt, July 30, 2017 RBRL379AMP-067 RBRL379AMP Athens Music Project Oral History Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Ken Starratt Curtiss Pernice oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_2a92juwv& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; & ; wid=1_r2fwsr06" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 14 Early musical interests How about talk a little bit about where you grew up and how you got involved in music. Starratt mentions elements of his early life including his parents and sports. He talks about developing musical interests during college and describes live shows at Boston Commons, Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, and Woodstock. Starratt admires rock artists like Duane Allman, the Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix. Concert on the Commons ; family ; Fitchburg State University ; Massachusetts ; The Allman Brothers Band ; The Band 17 626 Transience after college So, did you have a guitar when you started playing? Starratt chronicles his life after college, from working at Vermont's Miramar Ski Club to living in a mountaintop teepee and later joining The Free State of the Arc, a radical leftist commune. Starratt talks about teaching himself guitar, falling in love, and having a son during this time. He explains that he moved to Athens to be close to his son after he and his wife broke up. Bob Dylan ; communism ; playing by ear ; skiing ; Waitsfield ; wealth distribution 17 1310 Moving to Athens Did you live right in town in Athens when you came here? Starratt describes travelling from Maine to the South, mentioning unexpected cultural similarities and differences. He recalls arriving in Athens and accidentally moving into the same trailer park as his ex-wife after taking directions from a friendly police officer. culture ; mobile home ; University of Georgia ; van 17 1687 Eldorado How long were you at the trailer park? Starratt talks about doing odd jobs and living at Eldorado, a vegetarian restaurant, artist hangout, and practice space for The B-52's. Starratt describes his reaction to their early music, explaining that as a Deadhead, he preferred rock to punk or new wave music. art community 17 2243 Kennebunkport / Growth of The B-52's Not long later, my son's mother, Jorma's mother, moved back up to Massachusetts. Starratt talks about moving to Maine and jamming with Bob Hay, who would later become his partner in The Squalls. He looks back on the mid-70s Athens music scene, describing it as underdeveloped. Starratt also outlines how the B-52's went from playing " ; carnival music for the dead" ; to being the world famous " ; ultimate party band" ; in the late 70s. Acme Blues Band ; bars ; dance party ; Dawg House ; Fox Theater ; Georgia Theater ; Mad Hatter ; Tone-Tones 17 2849 Rock v. New Age sound Anyway. Bob came down and lived with me at a friend's house for a while. Starratt discusses Tyrone's O.C., where he played rock music on open mic nights, and the 40 Watt, a popular Athens club that boosted the punk and new age scene. He talks about the cult of personality surrounding Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia and explains that the Talking Heads bridged the gap between rock and new age for many Deadheads. Chameleon ; Curtis Crowe ; drugs ; new wave ; psychedelics ; R.E.M. ; Talking Heads ; tripping ; Watkinsville 17 3397 Formation of the Squalls At Tyrone's we started the open mic- Bob and I. Starratt talks about Monday nights at Tyrone's, including one event at which everyone took mushrooms. He also talks about Bob Hay's songwriting and the beginnings of The Squalls, from practicing at " ; the psychedelic shack" ; to performing at Eldorado's Halloween party. Al Walsh ; Cindy ; drugs ; Mig Little ; syncopation 17 3968 Comparing electric guitars / Early Squalls releases What were you playing- had you graduated to electric guitar? Starratt compares various brands of electric guitars, including Travis Bean, Epiphone, G& ; L, Fender, and Music Man. He also talks about drummer Mig Little and a bad car accident that precipitated her exit from the band. Starratt discusses releasing the Squalls' first EP and participating in the movie " ; Athens, Ga.: Inside/Out." ; 688 ; Bill Cody ; Carol Levy ; Guitar Center ; recording 17 4388 The Squalls EP and touring Anyway, we got to put out our first EP around '83 or '84. Starrett talks about recording the Squalls' first EP, with Jim Hawkins, who had previously worked with the Allman Brothers. He talks about booking gigs and touring the east coast, mentioning that crowds got bigger after the movie " ; Athens GA: Inside/Out," ; which featured the Squalls and other local bands, was released. Starrett explains that the Squalls cancelled their last album and broke up in 1990 because the members did not want to leave their families and tour. Al Walsh ; Bob Hay ; CBGB ; Cindy ; Maxwell ; Mineshaft ; Village Voice 17 5036 Al and Bob / Robert Burns day To be quite frank, Bob was the songwriter, but Al was the heart of the band. Starratt praises Al Walsh, the Squalls' bassist, and Bob Hay, the band's songwriter. He also mentions the Yams, a band he was in postdating the Squalls, and he talks about performing Scottish songs at the Robert Burns replica home in Atlanta every year. Bill David ; Bob Hay and the Jolly Beggars ; Michael Johnson ; Robert Burns catalog 17 5527 Jorma Kaukonen / Weed and parenting Jorma came to live with me when he was nine. Starratt discusses his son Jorma's drumming abilities and his influence on local hip-hop. He also recalls Jorma building a skateboarding ramp in their backyard and hanging out with friends. He comments on the legality and age appropriateness of smoking weed and advises parents to be honest with their kids about drugs. drugs ; family ; Flagpole ; law ; marijuana ; The Gathering 17 6065 Human rights festival Maybe a little bit about the human rights festival and your involvement with it? Starratt talks about handling logistics including raising money, building stages, and booking music for the human rights festival, which now takes place annually in downtown Athens. He mentions festival performers, talks about ensuring that all booths were nonprofit, and explains how he organized events with a city government. art auction ; Michael Collins ; volunteering 17 Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL379AMP-067.xml RBRL379AMP-067.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Athens, Georgia
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
115 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Ken Starratt, July 30, 2017
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP-067
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ken Starratt
Curtiss Pernice
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Bands (Music)
Rock music
Concert tours
Music festivals
Community organization
Guitarists--United States
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-30
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Description
An account of the resource
During college at Fitchburg State University, Ken Starratt gained an interest in the variety of music of the 1970s. Starratt came to Athens in the mid-1970s where he became involved in the Athens music scene. Starratt played the guitar in many bands including the Squalls and the Yams. In this interview, Starratt talks about moving to Athens, his life in Maine, the formation of the Squalls, parenting, and the Athens Human Rights Festival.
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Athens Music Project Oral History Collection is part of the Athens Music Project (AMP), a Willson Center for Humanities and Arts research cluster co-directed by Jean Kidula and Susan Thomas. Interviews in this collection document the development of Athens as a breeding ground for multiple musical communities--the most prominent of them being the Southern independent rock scene. Other areas to be documented include a variety of African-American musical traditions, hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, folk music traditions, Latin music, new music and conceptual sound art, classical music, and musical theater, and AthFest.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=2&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2014-ongoing
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Subject
The topic of the resource
Music
Georgia--History, Local
Georgia--Music
Georgia--Communities
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="https://kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_lnenylou" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
Location
The location of the interview
Athens, Georgia
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
113 minutes
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP-074/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4
2018-02-23
Interview with Michael Lachowski, February 23, 2018
RBRL379AMP-074
113 minutes
RBRL379AMP
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia
Michael Lachowski
Grace Elizabeth Hale
0
Kaltura
audio
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9
Coming to Athens
Um, I like to start by just asking...
Michael Lachowski discusses moving to Athens from Atlanta after enrolling at the University of Georgia as a Studio Art major. He talks about his childhood activities and wanting to attend a public university after being enrolled in Catholic schools throughout his youth.
Athens, GA;Atlanta, GA;Decatur, GA;Russell Hall;St. Pius X Catholic High School;University of Georgia (UGA)
428
Art School at UGA
So, can you talk about how...
Lachowski shares his experiences of photography prior to coming to UGA, as well as his disagreements with the head of the art department. He discusses the variety of art classes he took and his punk aesthetic in his work.
film photography;Franklin College of Arts and Sciences;Georgia State University;print making;University of Georgia (UGA)
812
Discovering New Music
So, maybe this is not the time.
Lachowski explains getting into the music scene by listening to music before Pylon formed, finding music based on recommendations and magazines. He recalls coordinating record purchases with friends and attending house parties to share music.
Athens, GA;Atlanta, GA;Barnett's News Stand;Chapter Three Records;Decatur, GA;Franklin College of Arts and Sciences;Interview (magazine);Little Five Points;Melody Maker (magazine);New Musical Express (NME);New York Rocker (magazine);Spencer Thorton;The Village Voice;Wax and Fax
1153
House Parties/ The B-52s
So, you want to talk about...
Lachowski recalls hosting house parties in his apartment and the empty lot by his house, which became known as Pylon Park. He shares memories of members of Pylon and The B-52s attending parties around Athens. Lachowski talks about The B-52s' performances, such as at The Last Resort and Memorial Hall Ballroom, bringing about the feeling of a new era.
Bluebird Cafe;Bruce Hampton;Curtis Crowe;Fred Schneider;Kate Pierson;Phyllis Stapler;punk rock;rock;Tom Waits;Vanessa Briscoe Hay
1811
Forming Pylon
...and it was probably because of that...
Lachowski shares his resistance to Randy Bewley's wish to start a band. He discusses learning to play bass while Bewley learned guitar and the process of getting the band together.
American Underground;College Rock;DuPont de Nemours, Inc.;Industrial music;New Wave;Pop/Rock;Post-Punk
2221
Style of the Pylon
Randy and I both influenced...
Lachowski discusses Bewley's and his influence on the band. He explains his interest in the aesthetic of industrialism, which connected to Pylon's first few songs. Lachowski also mentions some of the artists who influenced the style of the band.
Curtis Crowe;David Burn;DuPont de Nemours, Inc.;Gang of Four;No New York;Randy Bewley;Talking Heads;Vanessa Briscoe Hay
2589
Bringing the Band Together
Well, can you talk about how...
Lachowski explains how Curtis Crowe joined the band after Lachowski and Bewley rented a studio from him. He shares that Vanessa Hay became their singer after they asked her if she'd be interested in trying out.
Bill Tabor;Marietta, GA;Patty Smyth;Randy Bewley;Strictly American;Vanessa Briscoe Hay
3079
Performing Live
Well- so, it sounds like those were...
Lachowski discusses the excitement of the first few shows Pylon played, such as opening for the Tone Tones. He shares the adjustments made to their performances and songs over time, coming together after their performance at Brickhouse.
Crawford County, GA;The Place
3563
First Tour
So, can you talk about that famous...
Lachowski mentions practicing at Bewley's father's house before going to Washington, D.C. He booked shows and a hotel with the help of Kate Ingram, The B-52s, and Danny Beard. He discusses opening for Gang of Four in Philly and New York.
Athens, GA;Boston, New York;DB Records;Frederick William Schneider III;Glenn O'Brien;Interview (magazine);Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4170
Evolving Pylon
So, can you talk about that sort...
Lachowski recalls the changes along the way of Pylon breaking up several times and getting back together. He shares expanding horizons to include more clubs and more cities.
Atlanta, GA;Boston, New York;Manhattan, New York;New York, New York;Princeton University;Washington, D.C.
4504
Performing with Gang of Four
You opened for the Gang of Four...
Lachowski discusses opening for the Gang of Four several times on their tour. He shares that there wasn't a club that operated full time for their genre of music, as well as the different expectations in performing in different cities. He feels that R.E.M. changed the popularity of new music.
Dave Allen;Houston, TX;New Wave
4928
First Single
So, can you talk about recording?
Lachowski shares the budget and experience of recording Pylon's first single and mixing. He explains going between songs to include on their single and the inspiration for their song "Dub." Lachowski discusses going to New York and visiting record stores to sell their record.
Atlanta, GA;Danny Beard;DB Records;Dub;Glenn O'Brien;Kevin Dunn;Randy Bewley;Stone Mountain Studios;The B-52s;Vic Varney
5722
First Album
So, can you talk about making...
Lachowski discusses recording their first album <i>Gyrate</i> and releasing different versions for the United States and United Kingdom. He shares his dislike for the recording process and preference for performing live.
"Cool/Dub";Danny Beard;Peter Dyer
6227
The End of Pylon
So, um, as we are...
Lachowski recalls his research for the Athens Music Project and reflecting on the decision for Pylon to break up. He explains the feeling of frustration with the standard expectations of the band regardless of their preferences. He shares that the final straw being their booking agent booking them without asking.
Athens, GA;Curtis Crowe;Randall Bewley;rock n' roll;U2;Vanessa Briscoe Hay
Oral history
No transcript.
Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule.
audio
0
http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP/findingaid
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Michael Lachowski, February 23, 2018
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Micheal Lachowshi
Grace Elizabeth Hale
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-02-23
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP-074
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Art and music
Bands (Music)
Bass guitarists
Punk rock music
Rock music
Description
An account of the resource
Michael Lachowski, born in Norfolk, Virginia, moved to Athens, Georgia after enrolling at the University of Georgia as an art major. He was the bass player for the Athens band Pylon. In his interview, Lachowski discusses his time at UGA, forming Pylon with Randy Bewley, and the experiences gained with the band, such as touring and recording.
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Athens Music Project Oral History Collection is part of the Athens Music Project (AMP), a Willson Center for Humanities and Arts research cluster co-directed by Jean Kidula and Susan Thomas. Interviews in this collection document the development of Athens as a breeding ground for multiple musical communities--the most prominent of them being the Southern independent rock scene. Other areas to be documented include a variety of African-American musical traditions, hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, folk music traditions, Latin music, new music and conceptual sound art, classical music, and musical theater, and AthFest.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=2&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2014-ongoing
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Subject
The topic of the resource
Music
Georgia--History, Local
Georgia--Music
Georgia--Communities
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="https://kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_gz1yi2zn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
Location
The location of the interview
Athens, Georgia
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
122 minutes
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP-077/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4
2018-02-24
Interview with Vic Varney, February 24, 2018
RBRL379AMP-077
122 minutes
RBRL379AMP
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia
Vic Varney
Grace Elizabeth Hale
0
Kaltura
audio
<iframe id="kaltura_player" src="https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true&playerId=kaltura_player&entry_id=1_gz1yi2zn&flashvars[localizationCode]=en&flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true&flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true&flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left&flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true&flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true&flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical&flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false&flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true&flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder&flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true&flashvars[Kaltura.addCrossoriginToIframe]=true&&wid=1_bd5h4xas" width="400" height="285" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow="autoplay *; fullscreen *; encrypted-media *" sandbox="allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-modals allow-orientation-lock allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-presentation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" frameborder="0" title="Kaltura Player"></iframe>
9
Athens Music Scene
Um, I just want to start by asking...
Vic Varney recalls moving to Athens in 1975 after returning from school at the University of London. He discusses the Athens music scene, the rise of The B-52s, and performing with the Tone-Tones. Varney compares playing in New York and Europe to playing in Athens.
Chattanooga, Tennessee;Georgetown, Athens, GA;rock (music);The Georgia Theater
584
Influence in Athens
So, could you talk a little more...
Varney discusses the underground gay scene connected to Athens art and those involved, including The B-52s. He contrasts coming up in music in Athens with other American cities.
Athens, GA;Atlanta, GA;Cindy Wilson;Fred Schneider;Kate Pierson;Keith Strickland;Nashville, TN;New York, NY;Ricky Wilson;Sex Pistols
943
The B-52s
Can you talk at all about...
Varney recalls moving from Athens to Atlanta for a short period of time. He talks about The B-52s being introduced to Athens and the rest of the world, allowing entry for his band into the scene.
Athens, GA;Atlanta, GA;Cindy Wilson;Curtis Knapp;Keith Strickland;New Orleans, LA;Ricky Wilson;Savannah, GA;The B-52s;The Tone-Tones
1334
Joining The Tone-Tones
So, you want to talk about how...
Varney discusses being invited to join The Tone-Tones in order for the band to continue to practice in his space. He shares stories of performing gigs with them and later forming The Method Actors with David Gamble.
Athens, GA;Dana Downs;Mike Johnson;Pylon
1784
Perspective of Athens
So, before talking about The Method Actors...
Varney explains living in the Cobb Street house, which became known as the Cobb Institute. He discusses the ease of being in a band in Athens with easy booking and cheap rent, as well as the world's interest in Athens being different than the rest of the south.
Athens, GA;The B-52s
2261
Performing with The Method Actors
So, can you take us through...
Varney mentions promoting and supporting Pylon and learning to play and sing until Gamble's return. He shares playing with The Method Actors in Athens and New York, leading up to recording with Peter Dyer.
Armageddon Records;Danny Beard;David Gamble;Human Switchboard;Little Venice;Robert Palmer;The New York Times
2839
Recording and Touring in Europe.
Um, so, we- we flew to London...
Varney shares his experience going between shows to recording in Little Venice in London. He opines on music culture in Europe and the United States. Varney also discusses touring Europe and recording nearly all the singles and albums of The Method Actors.
<i>This Is It</i>;<i>This Is Still It</i>
3294
Changes in Music and Culture
What I really liked about...
Varney discusses changes in the music industry as technology develops. He mentions recording and performing with The Method Actors, the state of New York in 1980 and sense of community.
Athens, GA;New York, NY;rock n roll
3785
Returning to Athens
So, anyway, that early window...
Varney lists some of the places he performed in New York with The Method Actors, as well as a few in Boston, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. He discusses going back and forth between Athens and Europe before returning in 1981 to perform around Athens.
<i>Little Figures</i>;Armageddon Records;Athens, GA;Hurrah;New York, NY;Press Records;Tier 3
4070
Expanding The Method Actors
...and <i> Little Figures </i>, which was our first...
Varney explains the band's shift from a two-piece band to a four-piece band after recording <i>Little Figures</i>. He mentions the joining and leaving of members at various points in time.
<i>Luxury</i>;David Gamble;Love Tractor;Michael Richmond;Robert Schmid;Stan Satin
4325
The Method Actors as a Two-Piece
But what I think they were absolutely...
Varney discusses his philosophy for wanting to maintain a two-piece band, focusing on the way he and Gamble complimented each other on stage.
Athens, GA;David Gamble
4619
The End of The Method Actors
So, why did you guys break up?
Varney talks about not being as popular in Athens, which led to not having an economic base. He shares his lack of interest in having a reunion show and when and how he became involved in music.
Athens, GA;Go Van Go;Love Tractor;Pylon;R.E.M.
5219
Reflecting on Band Experience
So, can you talk about how...
Varney recalls putting together Go Van Go after The Method Actors broke up. He shares reasons he feels Go Van Go wasn't as successful in the same communities, though more popular in Athens, and reflects on problems in The Tone-Tones.
Athens, Ga;Atlanta, GA;New Wave;New York, NY;The 40 Watt
5763
Issues Within The Method Actors
Yeah, so, why is that?
Varney discusses problems with the material of the Method Actors, and why he feels larger audiences didn't have a better response. He mentions room for improvement in his own performance and limitations. He also shares an experience meeting with a representative of Columbia Records.
Athens, GA;Pylon
6205
After Go Van Go
Well, how long were you...
Varney talks about his time in Athens teaching at the University of Georgia. He recalls a trip to New York that led to his employment at Columbia University and moving to New York.
Athens, GA;Bob Dylan;Merle Haggard;New York, NY;University of Georgia (UGA)
6550
Appreciation of Athens
Well, so, I guess as we're wrapping up...
Varney shares his feeling of the special bond between the people who came from the development of the Athens music scene. He mentions artists who came from Athens and became successful, specifying that Athens is a rock town.
Athens, GA;Pylon;R.E.M.;The B-52s;Vic Chestnutt;Widespread Panic
6947
Opinion of Vic Chestnutt
Well, since you brought up...
Varney comments on Vic Chestnutt in comparing him to Leonard Cohen.
Athens, GA;Elvis Costello
Oral history
No transcript.
Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule.
audio
0
http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP/findingaid
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Vic Varney, February 24, 2018
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Vic Varney
Grace Elizabeth Hale
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-02-24
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP-077
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Bands (Music)
Concert tours
Singers
Punk rock music
Rock music
Composition (Music)
LGBTQ+ community
Description
An account of the resource
Vic Varney was born in Georgia but grew up in Chattanooga, TN. He moved to Athens in 1975 and earned two degrees from the University of Georgia. In this interview, Varney discusses his experiences in The Tone-Tones, The Method Actors, and Go Van Go. He shares his opinions and perspective of various topics including Athens and shifts in music culture.
OHMS
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Athens Music Project Oral History Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Athens Music Project Oral History Collection is part of the Athens Music Project (AMP), a Willson Center for Humanities and Arts research cluster co-directed by Jean Kidula and Susan Thomas. Interviews in this collection document the development of Athens as a breeding ground for multiple musical communities--the most prominent of them being the Southern independent rock scene. Other areas to be documented include a variety of African-American musical traditions, hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, folk music traditions, Latin music, new music and conceptual sound art, classical music, and musical theater, and AthFest.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=2&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2014-ongoing
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Subject
The topic of the resource
Music
Georgia--History, Local
Georgia--Music
Georgia--Communities
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Sylvanus Zeke Turner, March 19, 2018 RBRL379AMP-079-01 RBRL379AMP Athens Music Project Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Sylvanus Zeke Turner Dr. Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje 0 Kaltura video < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_b1mwbl2o& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[Kaltura.addCrossoriginToIframe]=true& ; & ; wid=1_s0qtb9tu" ; width=" ; 400" ; height=" ; 285" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; sandbox=" ; allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-modals allow-orientation-lock allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-presentation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; 64 Family Background So just, just as right now, would you please give me... Sylvanus Zeke Turner, 79 years old, was born in Clarke County. He explains the origin story of his name " ; Zeke" ; from high school and his occupational background at Westinghouse. He also shares about his family, including his parents, siblings, wives, and three sons. His parents, Audley Turner and Roberta Turner, born and raised in Oconee County and Clarke County, respectively, raised nine children. Athens, Ga ; Aubrey Bernard Turner ; Audrey Milo ; Edmund Raymond " ; Zeke" ; Bratkowski ; Gregory Sylvanus Turner ; Jesup, GA ; Kieth Eugene Turner ; Mosella Robingson ; Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Westinghouse Electric Company) 416 Relocation of Family Now, did they, I'm curious about Athens... Although some of Turner's family have moved, including most of his siblings, he doesn't recall his parents ever discussing leaving Athens. He mentions his maternal grandmother who lived in North Carolina and was a minister, similarly to a few other members of his mother's family. Athens, GA ; Great (Northward) Migration (Black Migration) ; Salem, NC 607 Family's Education Is there anything else you want to say about... Turner notes that all of his family finished school, including his children, who attended multiple schools due to district changing. His two oldest children studied at Washington State University and his youngest at Albany State University. He also has a brother that was hired as the Vice President of Michigan State University and a sister employed at the Clarke County Board of Education. Athens High and Industrial School ; Athens High School ; Athens, GA ; Clarke County, GA 845 Remaining in Athens Now have you ever lived any other place besides... Turner has lived in Athens his entire life and has never felt a need to leave, although he did travel the United States a lot as a member of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. After graduating high school, he began to attend college and worked at the Thornton Brothers paper company as a delivery truck driver. He later left for a job at Westinghouse, which he explains was an elaborate process to get hired. Dr. Rodena Preston Williams ; Margaret Pleasant Douroux ; Reverend Dr. James Edward Cleveland ; Thornton Brothers Inc ; Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Westinghouse Electric Company) 1134 Educational Background What about your, your educational background? Turner shares his time in elementary school at Timothy Road Elementary School, a small school right across from Timothy Baptist Church. He finished high school at Union Baptist Institute, one of the black high schools in Athens. He explains where other schools were in the county, including Athens High and Industrial as well as the white Athens High. After graduation, Turner studied at the University of Georgia for two quarters and began working at Thornton. Athens, GA ; Clarke County, GA ; Integration ; Jeruel Academy ; Segregation ; Thornton Brothers Inc ; UGA https://www.athenshistorical.org/athens-historian-volume4-article2 Section Jeruel Academy – Union Baptist Institute explains the history and evolution of Union Baptist School. 1601 Music Background Now, I want to talk about your music... Turner's musical background began in elementary school choir, leading to singing for other organizations and churches. He soon became a member and Deacon at Timothy Baptist church and sang in the choir in his preteen years. Later, he joined his brother's quartet, which was together for over a decade. He shares the evolution of the quartet's members and where they ended up after breaking up. Chauncey Turner ; George Stroud ; Golden Tone Gospel Singers ; Joseph Hester ; Lighthouse Gospel Singers ; Moses Turner ; The Mighty Transporteers ; Timothy Road Elementary School ; Union Baptist Church ; Union Baptist Institute ; William Jackson https://www.discogs.com/artist/4354515-The-Mighty-Transporteers The Mighty Transporteers – Nobody Knows / Somebody Touched Me Vinyl, 7" ; , 45 RPM, Single 2095 Church Life Were, have you been a member of any other church... Turner joined Timothy Baptist Church in his early teenage years and has been a member of only that church since. Although his wife was a member of a different church, their children also became members of Timothy Baptist. Athens, GA ; Calvin Derm ; Comer, GA ; Macedonia Baptist Church 2217 Honey-Drippers I kind of quit singing in church for a while... Turner sang with the adult choir in the church before joining Honey-Drippers, an Athens rock band. The performed all over Athens, mostly at fraternity houses and dorms on UGA's campus. He stayed with the band for a few years before returning to the choir. Athens, GA ; Elvis Aaron Presley ; James Joseph Brown ; Otis Ray Redding Jr. ; The Temptations ; University of Georgia 2586 Recording with Quartet/ Other Group Performances ...quartet did. We did this song " ; Somebody Touched Me" ; ... Turner explains that his brother's quartet did write some original songs and was able to locally record a 45 RPM record. The record was not released outside of Athens and he is unsure if any sold. Turner had no formal musical training but has learned to play the basics of a few instruments. He recalls the time a band manager saw him singing in choir and requested that he fill in for a member while he was sick. Athens, GA ; Atlanta, GA ; Cincinnati, Ohio ; Timothy Baptist Church https://www.discogs.com/artist/4354515-The-Mighty-Transporteers The Mighty Transporteers – Nobody Knows / Somebody Touched Me Vinyl, 7" ; , 45 RPM, Single 2795 Comparing the Gospel How would you describe the music... Turner explains that the music he sang was always influenced by whatever the professional groups were singing at the time, no matter which genre. He began singing southern gospel around the early 2000s, mostly performing it at white churches. He notes the difference in sound between Southern Gospel and the gospel he sang in black churches. Beech Haven Baptist Church ; County gospel ; Elvis Aaron Presley ; James Joseph Brown ; Jolene Cherry ; Mighty Clouds of Joy ; Prince Avenue Baptist Church ; Swan Silvertones ; The Temptations ; Timothy Baptist Church ; Traditional black gospel 3211 Solo Performances And you learned most of your music from listening... Turner shares his experience being the only black performer at the NACMAI event at Pigeon Forge. He also explains a new style of music he is working on, transitioning back and forth between southern gospel and traditional black gospel. He explains that now he mostly performs for free, but will occasionally have to charge a fee for travel expenses. North American Country Music Association International ; Pigeon Forge, TN ; Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) oral history No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. video 0 http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Athens, Georgia
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
59 minutes
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL379AMP-079-01/ohms
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Sylvanus Zeke Turner, March 19, 2018
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL379AMP-079-01
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Sylvanus Zeke Turner
Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video
oral histories
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Athens, Georgia
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Subject
The topic of the resource
Gospel music
Rock music
Singers
Bands (music)
African American musicians
African Americans--History
Athens Black History
Description
An account of the resource
Sylvanus Zeke Turner was born in Clarke County, Georgia, and has lived in Athens his entire life, currently performing as a solo Gospel singer. In this interview, Turner discusses the details of his early life, including his participation in choirs which began his interest in singing. He mentions performing with his brother’s quartet and the Honey-Drippers before moving on to solo performances.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-03-19
OHMS