The Police, Michael Des Barres and the deep breadth of wikis

I've been online for more than 20 years but I continue to be amazed at the depth and breadth of what's online and the passionate people who feed deep content niches.

This was the first of two Fresno shows by The Police.Case in point: I got a Facebook Messenger inquiry from a German who ran across a 2016 Facebook post of mine featuring two tickets from Police concerts in Fresno. He simply wanted to know whether he could repost my photo of my ticket from a 1980 show on his Police Wiki website.  

Say what? A wiki focused on The Police? It's one thing to have a website focused on the band, but a wiki? That's hardcore. 

I'm all for taking care of other passionate music fans, so quickly agreed. So, now the Police Wiki has this lovely addition to its page on the Saturday, Nov. 1, show in which Michael Des Barres opened for The Police. 

I had forgotten Des Barres opened the show, but clearly remember The Police being rattled when the tough crowd at the beautiful Warnor's Theater were not standing during the band's performance. As they later said in Trouser Press magazine, they would never play Fresno again. As you can see in my original Facebook post, the band did return to Fresno to play a stadium show. I guess money can trump ideals. 

As for the tough Fresno crowd, we weren't tough - we just weren't submissive, as Sting thought we should be. I was a major Police fan at that point, but after reading that, I thought, "screw you," and stopped buying their albums, although I cared enough about the band to use a complimentary ticket to see the 1983 concert.

Thanks to Dietmar Cloes for bringing back a wonderful memory and for having the passion to curate and build a small corner of the digital world. 

Review: U2 "From the Ground Up"

I’ve been a fan of U2 since snagging the 45 single of “I Will Follow/Out of Control,”  one of the greatest A/B sides ever. 

Over the years, my interest has come and gone post 1987 as the band grew into global superstars and  experimented and pursued a variety of influences and projects (“Achtung Baby” and “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” good, “Rattle and Hum” and “Zooropa“ bad). 

Frontman Bono (Paul Hewson) can be insufferable with all his look-at-me/hep-the-world work, but at least he acknowledges that in promoting truly life-changing projects. What keeps me coming back, however, is the group dynamic: four childhood friends from Dublin who remain tight, equal, and genuine. 

That comes out in “From the Ground Up” U2 360° Tour,” a glossy, thick-stock 256-page photo book chronicling the biggest, boldest tour in rock history, a three-year journey that ended in 2012. “From the Ground Up” includes tons of photos and good behind-the-scenes observations from Dylan Jones. The photos get stale after awhile (you can only capture the band and set in different views so many ways), but the quality is top-notch throughout. 

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Review: “Rock Stars Stole My Life”

The unassuming man behind some of my favorite music publications — including the beloved Word magazine — has just released his memoir, and it’s a fun ride. 

Mark Ellen’s ”Rock Stars Stole My Life!: A Big Bad Love Affair with Music” documents an adventurous 40-year career in British music journalism, starting as a freelancer with New Musical Express; later in editing roles at publications like Smash Hits, Q, Mojo and, perhaps most memorably, The Word; and side trips into broadcasting as a controversial stand-in for legendary British DJ John Peel and as host of “Old Grey Whistle Test.” 

“Rock Stars” is a fast read, with short chapters and tons of vignettes spanning the mid-1970s through late 2012 (when he hilariously documents the sausage making behind Rihanna’s boondoggle of a tour). There are so many unexpected adventures that I started to get the sense Ellen is a musical version of Forrest Gump, a quirky but likable fellow who seems to find himself in the most unexpected of scenarios. 

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