You know those people who always have some weird story to tell and seem to always have a finger on the pulse of the strange? I'm one of them. Welcome to my blog. Please let me know what you think...and don't forget to turn off the light when you leave. I like it...uh...dark.
Everyone knows a good ghost story. Everyone knows someone who claims to have seen something odd that might have been "supernatural", or whose brother or sister or third cousin twice removed has supposedly encountered a strange presence or experienced an inexplicable happening at some point in their life. We love these stories. Even if we don't believe them. But there are some that we find ourselves wanting to believe more than others, especially if they involve people who have passed away who we would like to think are still with us somehow...like John Lennon. Since the former Beatle's death in 1980, there have been numerous stories involving sightings of his alleged spirit. None other than Paul McCartney claimed that he and the three surviving Beatles felt John's presence constantly when they were in the studio recording harmonies for "Free As A Bird" back in 1995. Perhaps, because the song was written and originally recorded by John, it was only natural that the other three Beatles would be overcome with the sense that their erstwhile bandmate was there in the studio with them as they added their voices to the original song mix. But, according to Paul, it was more than that. "There were a lot of strange goings, on in the studio, noises that shouldn't have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things," he said. "There was just an overall feeling that John was around."
Things got even weirder when Paul, George, and Ringo posed for publicity photos outside the studio. Just as the photographer snapped the first photograph, a white peacock wandered into the frame. Paul is convinced that the bird was actually John making his presence known. And later, during the mixing process, there was another even eerier sign that the most controversial Beatle was still among the group. According to Paul, he and the others decided to include some backward masking on the song "to give all those Beatles nuts something to do." But as they played the tape back, Paul said, they were shocked to hear the words "John Lennon" amid the gibberish.
But, of course, Paul McCartney isn't the only one who believes that he encountered the spirit of the late John Lennon. In 1983, three years after John was shot by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota in New York City, a musican called Joey Harrow, who lived nearby, was walking past John's former residence when, he claims, he saw the murdered Beatle, surrounded by an eerie light, standing in the front doorway of the building. A female friend who was with Harrow that night also claimed to have seen the spirit, adding that she felt an urge to go up and speak to it, but was held back by the expression on its face. "Something about the way he looked at me said 'No'," she explained.
Of course, not all encounters with alleged spirits include actual sightings. Liam Gallagher, front man for the English band Oasis, is probably just as famous for fighting with his brother and bandmate, Noel as he is for co-writing hits like "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" in the 1990s. But along with his penchant for sparring with family members, Liam seems to have a bent toward the paranormal as well. According to the singer, he was staying at a friend's house in Manchester one night when he had a sudden, unexpected out of body experience whilst lying in bed. But there's even more to the story...Morning Glory. A long time admirer of John Lennon, Liam claims that, as he "fell back" into his body, he felt a presence and somehow knew insticntively that it was John Lennon.
Another, even more poignant account of a non-visual encounter with the ghostly presence of John Lennon comes from Julian Lennon, the musician's son by former wife Cynthia Lennon. It seems that Julian was in Australia some years ago watching an Aboriginal tribal ceremony when the tribe leader handed him a white feather. The otherwise innocuous gesture held huge significance for Julian since, according to him, his late father had once told him that if he ever died to "watch for a white feather." According to Julian, his father had explained that the feather would be a sign that he was there, watching over him.
And, last but by no means least, we have an account from May Pang, who worked as a secretary for John and Yoko in the 1970s before Yoko famously arranged for her to become John's mistress during a period of difficulty in the couple's marriage. May claims that she has often felt John's presence in the years since his death, especially whilst working on her book, Instamatic Karma, which was published in 2008. May says that she just has a way of sensing when "he is around", and that, although it is an eerie feeling, she has become used to it. However, on one occasion, it seems that her onetime lover made a personal appearance entirely for her benefit. It was a rainy night in New York, and as May was driving with friends across the Hudson Bridge, the conversation was of John, more specifically about May's belief that he was often with her in spirit. "But how do you know when he's around?" one of her passengers asked. Before May could answer, a large tour bus cut in front of her car, forcing her to slam on the brakes. As she was recovering her equilibrium and swearing under her breath, she looked up and saw the cartoon image of John's face on the back of the bus. Emblazoned next to the image were the words "John Lennon Educational Songwriting." Recounting the experience, May said that one of her passengers asked her how many buses there were with that logo printed on them. "Only one," she replied, with a grin, and then went on to explain that it was a bus that traveled all over the country. But for some reason, that night, it just happened to be in New York, at the exact moment someone had asked her that question as she drove across the Hudson Bridge. Just as though John had arranged the incident to prove the point she was trying to make. But it makes sense. After all, one of the things that John Lennon was best known for was the pleasure he took in shaking things up whenever he could.
Man does not live by bread alone. That old axiom takes on an even more emphatic meaning when you're ordering your meals "beyond the pale." The following are some examples of just how bizarre the simple practice of eating dinner can be...
JELLIED TURKEY...WITH HARD-BOLED EGG ACCENTS. FROM A 1950S "GOOD HOUSEKEEPING" COOKBOOK.
SPAGHETTI INSERTED INTO...YUCK...BOILED HOT DOGS. FROM THE SAME COOKBOOK.
THE ULTIMATE CHEESEBURGER, MADE BY ONE OF MCDONALD'S VERY OWN CHEF. BUT...WHY?
SUSHI SERVED ON THE BODY OF A NAKED WOMAN. THE PRACTICE HAS JUST BEEN OUTLAWED IN CHINA. BUT YOU CAN STILL VISIT THE GREAT WALL...
Back in the early 70s, I fell in love with Jimmy Page. He never knew about my feelings, of course, or about the poster that I had tacked onto my bedroom wall next to the one of David Cassidy, for whom my ardor had already begun to wane, which made me feel guilty, even though he never knew about my feelings, either. By 1977, both posters would be replaced by one of The Sex Pistols as I shifted my allegience from mainstream rock and roll to punk. But in 1973, or thereabouts, I was totally and completely in love with the guitar god Jimmy Page, founder of Led Zepplin, and the physical embodiment of just about everything I like in a man...tall, dark, brooding, mysterious, English, and gifted with perfect timing. Some of my friends, the ones who still favored more pop-centric artists like David Cassidy, took issue with my affection for Mr. Page, citing the fact that he was (gasp!) "a satanist." For a young girl brought up in the Pentecostal church, the news should have set off alarm bells. I mean, I wasn't even allowed to go to movies or watch TV on Sundays. How could I possibly justify being in love with a devil worshiper, no matter how cute he was, or how well he played guitar? So, I didn't try. I just admired his image on my poster and made a point of not mentioning his name to my friends when the subject of "celebrity crushes" came up. It wasn't until long after I had become immersed in the world of music as an artist in my own right that I bothered to check out the real facts behind the "satanist" label attached to Jimmy Page. And guess what? I still have no idea. Here's a quick tutorial.
A PENSIVE JIMMY PAGE, CIRCA 1980s
During Led Zepplin's heyday, Jimmy Page made no secret of the fact that he was interested in the teachings of Aleister Crowley (also known as "The Great Beast 666"), founder of the Thelemite religion and the man who coined the pithy phrase,"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law", a paraphrase of an older pagan pro which states "And do harm ye none, do what thou wilt." Crowley was, among other things, a disciple of "Black Magick", as well as a self-proclaimed pansexual and an advocate of recreational drug use. Born into a wealthy English family in 1875, Crowley's fame as an occultist and his criticism of the social and religious values of his time earned him the nickname "The Wickedest Man In The World."
ALEISTER CROWLEY, "THE WICKEDEST MAN IN THE WORLD", IN CEREMONIAL GARB
Not surprisingly, Jimmy Page's fascination with Crowley's teachings was linked to the music he made with Led Zepplin. "Stairway To Heaven", which has been voted the most popular song in the history of rock and roll, is supposedly fraught with cryptic references to Crowley's teachings, as is "The Battle of Evermore", not to mention a host of other songs written by Page and Robert Plant. But is it true? In an interview conducted in the 1980s, John Paul Jones, bassist for Led Zepplin, was asked about the band's association with "satanism." He replied, "I found out that (Jimmy Page) had an interest in Crowley quite early on. I didn't have the interest in it, so I left it to him. I knew he'd bought Crowley's house. He didn't talk about it much. It was a private thing. I never went there." Despite Jones' disclaimer, the accusations remain to this day. Among other things, Page's interest in Black Magick has been blamed for the death of Plant's son, Karac in 1977. Karac Plant died suddenly of an acute stomach infection whilst Led Zepplin was in the midst of their North American tour that year, cutting the tour short as Plant rushed home to England to console his wife and family. At the time, there was a rumor that Page had been indulging in secret "Black Magick" rituals, and that Karak's death was somehow the result of an unspecified deal the guitarist had made with Satan. Hard to swallow? I think so, too. On a less tragic note, Page's proclivity for the use of whips during lovemaking sessions has also been attributed to his devotion to the teachings of Crowley, who was, apparently, something of an animal in the bedroom.
JIMMY PAGE OUTSIDE BOLESKINE HOUSE, FORMER RESIDENCE OF ALIESTER CROWLEY
But does any of this truly mean that Page was a satanist? Perhaps we should ask Pamela Des Barre, who carried on a long-term affair with Page back in the 70s and which she wrote about in her 1987 memoir, "I'm With The Band: Confessions Of a Groupie". According to Des Barre, "First of all, Crowley's vibe isn't 'black.' He was a seeker of things beyond our five senses and so was Jimmy. He was fascinated with the search into all things occult and hidden, but not necessarily dark or evil in any way. Crowley was actually attempting to bring understanding to what people deemed 'dark.' Jimmy liked living very close to the danger zone, curious about secrets that most of us haven't even heard about. I knew an old gentleman bookseller on Hollywood Boulevard, also entranced with Crowley, and I found a handwritten manuscript of Crowley's tucked away on a high shelf. I remember getting that huge sum of money and being honoured to be sending Jimmy something so important to him. I imagined him reading that thing deep into the night, roaming around in Crowley's castle in Scotland, flapping around in his cape."
PAMELA DES BARRE: GROUPIE TO THE STARS AND DEFENDER OF JIMMY PAGE
Des Barre, who makes no secret of her continuing affection for rock and roll's dark god goes on to say that "Before we met, I was afraid of Jimmy and determined not to fall for his charms when Led Zeppelin hit LA. Deserved or not, their reputation as debauched naughty boys preceded them. But he was intent on getting me to fall for him, and it didn't take much. He sent me notes, got hold of my phone number and easily convinced me he would be worth the trouble. He did keep whips coiled up in his suitcase on the road, but never attempted to use them on me. He definitely had a wicked sexual side, which made him a transcendent lover. Even when you were intimately involved with him, he held back, which made you want to delve into him even deeper."
Hmmmm. Sounds pretty standard rock and roll to me. In fact, if you want my opinion, Jimmy Page was probably no more a satanist than...say...Ozzy Osbourne, who has also been accused of dallying with the dark side. And as anyone who ever watched "The Osbournes" reality show can tell you, the man whose fame derives in part from the alleged fact that he once bit the head off a live bat would be probably be lucky if he could drive his own car to the grocery store, much less summon the focus and energy necessary to perform the required rituals to call upon the powers of Satan.
JIMMY PAGE: OLDER AND WISER..AND PROBABLY NOT A SATANIST
So, "do what thou wilt"...that is, think of Jimmy Page as a satanist if you so choose, and Led Zepplin as a rock and roll conduit for the teachings of a man whose "satanic" philosophy focused with undue heaviness on the right of his followers to indulge in wholesale sex whenever the craving hit. But I'd rather just think of him as one of the greatest guitarists to ever pick up an axe, and, despite his rapidly aging physique, as one of the most gorgeous men to ever walk on stage and strum a "C" chord. And if I'm wrong...well, it doesn't really change anything. I mean, hell, there was a time when I though that true love was something that really existed. I've learned a lot since that time. But that doesn't mean I don't still put clean sheets on my bed on the days that my lover comes to visit me. Catch my drift?
"Beyond The Pale has a death theme going, doesn't it?" That was what a friend said to me shortly after reading my last post. And on close examination of what I've written here so far, I have to agree with that friend's assessment. It's not that I'm in love with the idea of writing about death, it's just that death, and especially suicides, happen to be such a great source of material. Weird, fascinating, poignant, and otherwise. Still, I don't want to this blog to become known only for its posts about death. So, to offset things...here's something completely different...three bizarre facts about celebrities that have nothing to do with death...well, two of them don't anyway. So, then, from the less shadowy section beyond the pale...
MAYBE "THE BIRDS" ATE IT
For years, it has been rumored that Alfred Hitchcock, the director of "The Birds", "Vertigo," and a host of other classic and highly-regarded horror films, had no belly button. Is this even possible? Apparently, it is. While, like all warm-blooded creatures (i.e. mammals), Hitchcock was born with a bellybutton, following a series of operations in his stomach area, doctors stitched it up. According to actress Karen Black, who worked with Hitchcock in Family Plot, his final film, she was visiting the famed director at his cabin one day when "he lifted up his little, white shirt, and sure enough, they had sewn it over, horizontally." Black doesn't mention what she said in response to the impromptu peep show. But if showing an attractive young actress his lack of a navel was Hitchcock's version of a pick up line...well...Psycho suddenly makes a hell of a lot more sense.
MARK HIS WORDS
American author and humorist Mark Twain (born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835) was known for his biting wit and forward thinking, but was he a psychic as well? It seems possible. On the night that he was born, Haley's Comet was visible in the sky. As an adult, Twain predicted that he would die when the comet returned to the night sky. On April 21, 1910, 75 years after Twain's birth, one night after the orbit of Haley's Comet had brought it closest to earth, the great writer died. Many years earlier, after encouraging his younger brother, Henry to sign on as a steamboat pilot (a job which Twain had held as well), Twain dreamed that his brother had been killed in an explosion on board a steamboat. Several weeks later, his dream came true when Henry was killed in a boiler explosion on board the boat on which he was employed. With premonitions like those, it is no wonder that Twain was a close friend of renegade scientist Nikola Tesla. It's just too bad that he couldn't have stuck around for the Philidelphia Experiment in the late 1940s. Maybe, then, we'd know what really happened.
WHAT A (SMOKY) WORLD!
Margaret Hamilton, the former kindergarten teacher who played The Wicked Witch of The West in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, cut a formidable figure both as a witch and as Miss Alvira Gulch, the less fantastical role she played in the first part of the film. But after recieving second and third degree burns during the filming of the scene in which she first meets Dorothy and then disappears in a cloud of smoke, she became a little...well...smoke shy. On returning to the film set following six weeks of recovery, she was informed that she would be shooting a scene in which she would be riding a broom spewing smoke. Hamilton flatly refused to do the scene, and her stand-in, Betty Danko was recruited instead...and was seriously injured during the shot. Considering her bad luck with special effects, it's no wonder Hamilton turned down the role of the grandmother in the 1960s Addams Family TV series. There was a lot of smoke billowing up out of that cauldron the old lady was always stirring.
