We have all noticed a deterioration in uncle Al’s lyrics and arguably his musical sophistication over the last few albums. I have also noticed a deterioration in his interviews, going from some pretty sophisticated verbiage in earlier interviews (circa Mind and Psalm) to more recent interviews (oy! how many bottles of wine did we drink for that? Heh… heh.) I wonder to what extent the alcohol is taking a toll on his brain. Wet brain syndrome or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome… Certainly not UT History Professor material nowadays.
wine & fags will do that…I’m glad he’s still around.
Funnily enough I think you do have a point. If you compare him now to what he was 15 years ago, it’s like chalk and cheese.
Gone are the sophisticated, articulate and well thought out musings on life - only to be replaced by paranoid ramblings and childish drivel. Al circa 2009 is like the piss stinking homeless drunk on the street corner ranting to anyone who will listen that “it’s all a conspiracy” and then laughing hysterically to himself.
And then there’s the matter of the new (gulp) ‘songs’…!
What was the level of his academic achievements again? Masters?
I hear Mrs. J has been spotted buying bargain diapers… ooo that was low
I has presumed he had college credentials when he was talking about teaching history in university a while back. Doesn’t make him any less of a man but he’d need it to lecture in university.
For some reason I thought he’d dropped out of college to pursue music as a career. Maybe I’m imagining things. Wempathy might know, since that would be around the time they met.
As for Al’s current state, yeah a lifetime of drugs and alcohol will do that to you. Look at Ozzy.
Actually, on second thought, don’t look at Ozzy. He was never the brightest penny in the fountain.
For some reason I thought he’d dropped out of college to pursue music as a career. Maybe I’m imagining things. Wempathy might know, since that would be around the time they met.
As for Al’s current state, yeah a lifetime of drugs and alcohol will do that to you. Look at Ozzy.
Actually, on second thought, don’t look at Ozzy. He was never the brightest penny in the fountain.
That, and I really think towards the end he just got older, tired, and stopped caring. It’s like “record this, sell it, promote it, and get it over with”.
Yeah, I miss the sort of witty insight that he brought to his Hustler interview back in the early 90s. There was an example of a bright man at his intellectual peak.
For some reason I thought he’d dropped out of college to pursue music as a career. Maybe I’m imagining things. Wempathy might know, since that would be around the time they met.
He might have. I’ve heard that he took a few classes at the University of Illinois-Chicago Circle Campus, or as we call it around here “Circle”. Not to be confused with the University of Chicago which is on a whole other level. We actually played a private gig at the student center at the University of Chicago, opening for the B-52’s at some point in '82. Since the Student Center had no ‘dressing rooms’, we were allowed to use a beautiful library with a grand piano as ours. Very posh. That gig, and a handful of radio interviews places like Northwestern, Loyola and Hofstra are the only times that I can attest that Al has set foot on a college campus.
Al Graduated from the L’Oreal school of Hair & Make-up in the summer of '79
He got a job at “STRANDZ” hair salon in Chi-town but was fired when he accidentally set fire to a high-profile client’s hair…
…he heard “Obsession” by Animotion, and never looked back
True story
curiously enough, i had a rather protracted conversation with someone last night who has known al professionally for about 18 years or more. this guy, a recovering addict, made the point that it’s just no fun being around al anymore. no sense of urgency in the creative process. no nothin’.
and… uh…i think i can corroborate connelly’s angle here. somehow.but chris may be wrong about the salon name. i believe it was “house of harris milstead”. true.
btw, al holds no degrees, although he did attend college. and wempathy is correct about UIC in chicago.
“house of harris milstead”.
Divine?
On a more worthy tangent: what was Barker’s background before starting in music? College? Trade? Basketball player?
He should start a band of ex-army rockers with Maynard.
this conversation is “divine” indeed.
back to my book.
I like how Al’s ex-cronies keep popping up out of the woodwork to remind us of his failings.
Gives me a warm feeling deep in the pit of my stomach, which may or may not have anything to do with the creamy soy chai tea I am currently enjoying.
al’s losin’ it, and we are witnesses to the loss.
sad, i must say. i liked him a whole lot better when i could actually have a conversation.
if he keeps up with the wine consumption, he’ll die.
i hope wife #2 isn’t counting on that scenario, but who knows.
i can’t imagine what their day to day is at this point.
Perhaps #2 is slipping some arsenic into his adult Beverage? Sad state of affairs when you were at your cognitive best when you were ridin’ the hoss! What does that say about ALcohol(IC)?
Late,
grmpysmrf
i would be safe in saying that the al we have loved is gone.
sad.
“mothufucka, pick up the phone. now!”
dead silence.
al, before he completely loses it, needs to put in a call to his former compadre.
get that shit out of the way.