Iman and I are often on other sides of the spectrum. We share very little interest in the same music. What he raves over often makes me head for the Advil. I am sure he would say the same.
But we are great and very close friends not only as co-editors here but in the casual world as well.
What I notice about us is we both have this absurd stash of trivial information. He although not a kid of the 70s or an goofy US born dork as I am, has enough retro knowledge to hammer away at me in debate.
I have to say we both have a love for useless information.
So here ya go as a public service, a few useless music facts to use as conversation starters at your next Holiday parties.
David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust is about Vince Taylor, who wrote Brand New Cadillac which was covered by The Clash.
The Led Zeppelin track ‘Stairway To Heaven’ is the biggest selling piece of sheet music in rock history, selling over 15,000 copies every year. The song has been broadcast on radio over three million times.
Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones and Jim Morrison were all 27 years old when they died.
The Who were the only band that asked to be paid in advance at the Woodstock festival, and refused to go on until they got their money.
Working in the British army, James Blunt was one of the officers carrying the Queen Mother’s coffin at her funeral on April 9, 2002.
Walter Carlos, a collaborator with Richard Moog, inventor of the Moog Synthesiser, had a sex change operation in 1967. As Wendy Carlos, she went on to release the ‘Switched On Bach’ album in 1969 and composed and performed on the soundtracks for ‘A Clockwork Orange’, ‘The Shining’ and ‘Tron’ (Iman adds: Robert Nevin and I went to see her perform once at the Beacon Theatre! She was great while playing, a, ahem, drag while explaining the moog).
The Beatles hold the record for the most albums sold in the US (106 million), followed by Garth Brooks (92 million), Led Zeppelin (83 million), Elvis Presley (77 million), and the Eagles (65 million).
I’m sure I’ll throw more your way soon enough….