R.i.p

[joninliverton]

Thought I'd start a thread on celebs that have sadly departed this world in recent months. Just last week I heard the sad news of Donna Summer's passing and on Sunday Robin Gibb finally lost his long battle with cancer.

I listened to a radio programme about Donna and although she allegedly said bad things about gays, she was praised to the highest by Sir Elton John and she actually gave him a lot of money towards his Aids charity.

Robin Gibb was the Bee Gee with the strange voice - and was the twin of Maurice who died some years back. The programme said that the Bee Gees were the next biggest UK band to top the charts after the Beatles. I have a DVD of one of their concerts which I shall cherrish forever.

Jeez I just realised I cocked up the RIP header, which I cannot change.

 

[mikeyank]

Thank you Jon, for mentioning two artists who bring back vivid memories from various times in my life, and that is what music means to me now, bringing me back to where I was, the people I knew and my experiences and perceptions when those songs were being played on the radio.

I became fans of the Bee Gees in the post Beatles "British Invasion" period. My fondest memory of the early Bee Gees was watching them do a live performance on the Ed Sullivan television show in 1968, and I can still remember the haunting version of "Words". The Bee Gees were all handsome fresh faced young guys and I found this copy of that performance.

http://www.mojvideo.com/video-bee-gees-video-1968-ed-sullivan-words/1d960bcb2fa94d83fe46

Donna Summer became a star in the disco era, of which I was not a huge part, as I always considered myself more of a rock and roll kind of guy, but Donna certainly was the soundtrack of gay lfe in NYC during that period, and I can recall hearing the sounds of "Love to Love You Baby", when I first starting going to gay clubs and the infamous Continental Baths on West 72nd Street and Broadway, (the gay bath house that gave Bette Midler and Barry Manilow their starts).

Thank you Jon for paying tribute to two giants in my musical past.

 

[another1]

the bee gees's version of 'words' is in my list of songs that i listen to all the time. when i create a new songs list i add 'words' to the mix.

the continental baths and weekends of crazy sex and donna summer's 'love to love you baby' run together in my mind.

while robin gibbs and donna summer are no longer with us in the life, they will live forever in the lives of those who were touch by their music.
i believe that for humans, immortality is reach when people remember your name and what you did in life.
'it's only words and words are all i have to take your heart away'.
rest in peace, robin and donna! you will be missed, loved and remembered forever!

 

[Frontier]

If your 50, or younger with a family history of colon cancer or colon polyps, get your colonoscopy. The prep is no big deal and it's done with you completely asleep and you will never know it was done. HMMM maybe I paid for something I didn't get? LOL

 

[joninliverton]

I'm off to see Dione Warwick in concert tomorrow night (Weds 30th). I hope I don't bring her bad luck as she knew the aforementioned deceased quite well. They say things come in threes - I come in buckets. xx

 

[lovelumps]

One of my favorite albums when I was a young girl was the Bee Gees. I danced like they did on American Bandstand with the pole in my basement and a borrowed pair of my mom's heels and any lip gloss I could find. Oh, the memories! Barry was my favorite Gibb next to Andy, who was my second music idol crush.

I once saw Dionne Warwick. We shared an elevator in the John Hancock building in Chicago. I was maybe 10.

 

[Ms. Kianna]

One of my favorite albums when I was a young girl was the Bee Gees. I danced like they did on American Bandstand with the pole in my basement and a borrowed pair of my mom's heels and any lip gloss I could find. Oh, the memories! Barry was my favorite Gibb next to Andy, who was my second music idol crush.

I once saw Dionne Warwick. We shared an elevator in the John Hancock building in Chicago. I was maybe 10.

Andy was my favorite too. He was right up there with Shaun Cassidy.........Oh the crushes I had, when I was in elementary school.

 

[lovelumps]

Ms K, Shawn was my 3rd crush... John Denver was #1

 

[joninliverton]

Such a shame that out of the 4 only 1 is left.

 

[joninliverton]

I'm off to see Dione Warwick in concert tomorrow night (Weds 30th). I hope I don't bring her bad luck as she knew the aforementioned deceased quite well. They say things come in threes - I come in buckets. xx

Well I took my mum and her friend to the Gateshead Sage to watch Dione last night. There was a supporting jazz artist called Alexander Stewart who you may want to check out. He sounds and looks like a younger Michael Buble.

Dione came out and looked and dressed as I had seen her recently on TV. Her band was fantastic but I'm afraid the years have taken it's toll on her voice. She is bringing out a new College Dudes in August but I would feel that her voice would have to be altered a lot by the producers to make a decent album.

At least my mum and her friend enjoyed it and, at the end of the day, we can all say we've seen a superstar, albeit a fading one.