BeauSez Episode1ACollectionOfCulturalNuggetsByAWellSeasonedBonVivantP.J.PROBYWASNUTS!
“ NikiNikiNikiHoeky Yourpappy’sdoingtimeinthepokey Yoursister’sonatrip, Yourmammagothip Andlittlegirlyou’relookingokay… In1965inSparkshighschoolat anypassingperiod,Icouldbe heardsingingthoselyricsatthe topofmyllungs. ThatsongbyaguynamedPJ Probygotintomymindandtwisted me.Andthen,justlikeaflash,hewasgone, nevertoheardfromagain.Ineversawhimona televisionshow,neversawanarticleabouthim, andafarasIknewheneverhadafollowupsong. Ofcourse,thiswastheeraofonehitwonders,andhewas immediatelyreplacedbyactslikeIanWhitcomb-YouTurnMeOn; TheCastaways-LiarLiarPantsOnFire;TheGentrys-KeepOn Dancing; TheDetergents-LeaderoftheLaundromat,andamillion moreflashesthatwereneverheardfromagain. Buttome,Probywasdifferent.HerewasanAmericankidwhowent toLondontoseekhismusicalfortune,thencamebacktoAmericaas partoftheBritishInvasion.Andhehadsoul.Realdownhomesoullike theRollingStonestrieddesperatelytoconjure,butjustcouldn’tquite “
makeit.Ofcourse,themusic theyendedupcreatingwas awesomeinitsownright,butit didn’treallyhaveAmerican soul.NotlikeProby. HehadtherealAmerican stuff.Hell,heevensangin Cajunslang,andthat’sthe mostAmericanstuffonthe planet.Ifyoucansing wordslikeinthe bubble below,and really meanit, American.
well,nowyou’retalkin’
Nowthat’ship.Ihavenoidea whatitmeans,andatthetimeI couldn’treallydecipherthe words,butit’sveryhip.
Thatsonghappenedoverfifty yearsago,and hassince long disappeared faroutintothedriftingwavesof theuniverse,tobepickedupby someluckycelestialhipstereons fromnow.But,Irememberit, althoughit’snottotheforeof myconsciousnessasitonce was…untillastweekwhile readingthegreatbookcalled ‘ Alopbamboom,TheGoldenAge OfRock’ byNickCohn.I’ve justdiscoveredthebook, althoughitwaswrittenin1969. CohnaBritishrockcriticofthe
Downin Louisiana DowninCajunland Folksgotsomethinggoin' Goessomethinglike Folkscomeangit'chatootsie Iwantstot'tieyapuppe'tameme Gonnadigyaonascoobydoo Gonnagitchaon'ascubadie Oohboog-a-booyou Youoohboog-a-booyou,littlegirl Gethiptotheconsultationofthe boolawee
Awopbopaloopbob
time,offersafirsthandlookat earlyrock,andespeciallythe influenceofAmericanroots rock-n-rollontheBritishmusic sceneinLondonandLiverpool. Inhisbook,Cohnproceedsto listwhyhethinksPJProbywas thegreatesttalenttocomeoutof themusicsceneofthesixties, andinparticulartheBritish scene.That’saloftythesis consideringtheotherstarsofthe period:TheBeatles,TheRolling Stones,JeffBeck,EricClapton andalltherest.Cohnsaysthat Probywasasauthenticas
Hendrix,asdynamicasJames Brown,andhadthepipesof ElvisandSinatra.Teenybopper girlswaxedwetforhimfar morethanfortheFabFour.In Englandhisfollowingwas moreloyalthanforCream.And everyEnglishbandwantedto bearound him.Indeed, beforeLed Zeppelinwas Led Zeppelin, theyrecorded analbum withProby called,‘ThreeWeekHero.’ Listento ThreeWeekHeroon Youtubeandbeamazed. Onstage,Probywas aforceofnature.He wasn’tSataniccrazy Healsosangthedemosforalot oftheElvismovies:PJ.recorded theminthemorning,forElvisto learnthemandsingthematthe endofadayofmovieshooting
.
likeTheCrazyWorldofArthur Brown.ButJimMorrisonwas apaltry,weak,lightloafered imitationofthegreatProby. Probywasapantheonofsex god,musicgod,...godofthe danceallinonetyphoonof apocalypticenergy.Heraged, hepranced,hesimpered,he howled,hetestified,he demanded,hecrooned,he orated,hebegged,hepleaded, hegaveforthhissoul, hestoleYOURsoul, hewrithedonthefloor, hecreatedworldsof carnal pleasure,hewas Adonis,hewasaphilistine,he wasacretin…andthenhetore hispants. Hetoreopenhisvelvetpants onstage.Notonce,nottwicebut threetimesheprovidedthegirls
Hetoreopenhispants,notonce,nottwice,butthreetimes.
withacrotchshot.Oh,the divinityofitall.Thegirlswere driventonewlevelsofecstasy andfloodedthestageswiththeir moistpanties.Noonebeforeor sinceinEnglandhadever seengirlsdrivento suchextreme abandon. The BBC wasnot amused.They bannedhimfromthe airwaves,andsodid AmericanTV.Andthatwasit. Hewasdone,over.Career finished.Andthepopfansofthe time,fickleasusual,mourned fortwominutes,thentookina deepbreathandscreamed, NEXT!!!
byhispeersasagenius;Bad, Mad,anddangeroustoknow. AlthoughProbyhasexistedfor yearsinthatnetherlandofmusic, playingplacesbetweenHoliday Innlounges,OffOffBroadway, andoldiesshows,he’sstillgotit. Andhecanstillbringit. Inhisbook,Cohnsaysof
Afterthegreatsplitseam debacle,forallpractical purposes,Proby’srecording prospectswereinthetoilet,but hehadfarmoretalentthanmere rockism.Hecoulddoanything, soforawhilehewasanElvis impersonator,thenheactedin plays,andduringallofthis musicscene,hewasrecognized
Proby:“Probywasaface,a Hollywoodstar,andhelivedlike one,Heowedittohimself,tohis fansandmostvital,tohis image.Atanyrate,that’s thewayhefiguredit and, accordingly,he keptupalarge houseinChelseaand supportedaplatoonentourage andspentfortunesin discothequesandhiredtwentypieceorchestrastobackhim. “Hewasbankrupt…[then]on hisfirstcomebackgighewas heckled.Immediately,he explodedinarashoffour-letter wordsandthecurtaincame down.Andeveryonewas happy—nothinghadchanged.
hatever else,hehas proved himselfresilient.Hisgreatestgift hasbeenthathe’salwaysbeen abletoconvinceeveryone aroundhim,myselfincluded, thathewasagenius…Along withMuhammedAli,heisthe greatdoomedromanticshowman ofourtime,(Thiswaswritten beforeAlimadehiscomebackin the‘ThrillainManilla,andthe RumbleintheJungle)the RasputinorHearstorJellyRoll Morton.”
“W
he’ssaying,andstillhespreads hisarms,throwshisheadway backandsoars.He’dbreakyour heart.Suchpain,suchyearning, suchterriblepassion—the composerhasneverheard anythinglikeitandhe’s drooling. “Attheendofthetake,the Italianflingshisarmsaround Proby’sneckandhugshim. Probybeams. “Mr.Proby,“saysthe composer,“Howdoyoudoit?” “Maestro,”saysProby,”Idon’t DO….IAM.” Andwiththatmydearfriends, Mr.Cohninhislovelybook,has describedastar.
Andfinally,Cohnrelateshis lastingimageofthelegendary PJ.“InItaly,Probywas recordingasongfortheSan RemofestivalandtheItalian composerwasflownoverto supervise.TheItalianisa caricaturecomposer,alltwirled mustachiosandrapturouseyes, andProby,whoisn’tentirely sober,isaclassicProbyfigure, allstubbleandblear.Andthey’re standingaloneinthemiddleofa vaststudiofloorandProbyis singing.Hedoesn’tknowaword ofItalian,hehasnoideawhat
