Malik
Shakur is the host of THE KNOWLEDGE SHOW a very Unique,
Controversial, Educational, and Entertaining Talk Show that broadcasts live.
Malik Shakur is the cousin of the late Tupac Shakur and has earned several
trophies, awards, and accolades for the show and the live conversations on the
show. Shakur asks the real questions and gets the real answers and delivers the
truth, but some can't handle the truth. If you are one of the few that can,
then this is the show for you. They cover conspiracy theories, current
events, controversial discussions and topics, and talk about subjects that no
one else is talking about, but the community needs to know about by any means
necessary.
Tupac
Shakur was a
sensitive, precociously talented yet troubled soul who came to embrace the
1990s gangsta-rap aesthetic and paid the ultimate price — he was gunned down in
Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 and died six days later. His murder has never
been solved. He began his music career as a rebel with a cause — to articulate
the travails and injustices endured by many African-Americans, often from a
male point of view. His skill in doing so made him a spokesperson not just for
his own generation, but for subsequent ones who continue to face the same
struggle for equality. In death he became an icon symbolizing noble struggle,
though in life his biggest battle was sometimes with himself. As fate drove him
towards the nihilism of gangsta rap, and into the arms of the controversial
Death Row Records impresario Suge Knight, the boundaries between Shakur's art
and his life became increasingly blurred — with tragic consequences. Hip-hop
legend Tupac Shakur was embroiled in a feud between East Coast and West Coast
rappers and was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1996, leaving behind an
influential musical legacy at the age of 25. Tupac sold over 75 million records
worldwide.
Visit Malik Shakur on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KnowledgeShow
And don’t forget to purchase a copy of my book entitled Check the
Gs -the true story of an eclectic American family and their Wacky family
business … or the second edition entitled … Wacky Shenanigans on F Street-
‘Proud to be Politically Incorrect in Washington DC’ ... available now at
amazon.com. You’ll live it!!!
THE BANGS: After Susanna Hoffs
graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she
studied theatre, dance, and art, she headed back to Los Angeles and
placed an ad in The Recycler, an LA based classifieds newspaper. A trio
began to form with the addition of Sisters Vicky Peterson (vocals/guitars) and Debbi Peterson (vocals/drums) while subsequently adding Annette Zilinskas
on bass. After short stints with names such as ‘The Colours’ and ‘The
Supersonic Bangs,’ the newly formed all-girl band eventually settled on
‘The Bangs’ while swiftly becoming a vital part of the Los Angeles
Paisley Underground scene. The Bangs debut single “Getting Out of Hand”
was released on their label DownKiddie Records and caught the attention
of KROQ deejay Rodney Bingenheimer who repeatedly played the record on his show.
THE BANGLES: ‘The Bangs’ were auspiciously mandated to change their name so the group dropped ‘The’ and added the letters ‘les’ to form ‘Bangles,’
a banner that would flourish into one of the greatest all-female groups
in rock and roll history. In 1982, under new manager Miles Copeland,
The Bangles supported The English Beat on a UK tour. In 1983, the group
made its first appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.
In 1984, ‘All Over the Place,’ The Bangles first full-length album was released on CBS (Columbia) Records. Michael Steele had replaced Annette Zilinskas on bass. Steele began her music career as Micki Steele with The Runaways. ‘All Over the Place,’ spawned the singles”Hero Takes a Fall,” and “Going Down to Liverpool” which featured Susanna’s childhood neighbor and family friend Leonard Nimoy. The Bangles popularity escalated and was asked to join such acts as ‘Cyndi Lauper’ and ‘Huey Lewis and the News’ on tour.
Susanna Hoffs and The Bangles had captivated the attention of R&B/Pop/Funk/ music artist & songwriter ‘Prince.’ Prince offered his penned single “Manic Monday”
(1984) to The Bangles and the group promptly brought the tune into the
recording studio. “Manic Monday” (1986) became The Bangles first big hit
peaking at #2 on Billboards US Charts.
Their second studio album ‘Different Light’ (1986)
produced by David Kahne peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Charts and is
considered to be their most successful to date.
Also in 1986, The
Bangles opened for 'Queen' at Slane Castle, Ireland.
In 1987, “Walk like an Egyptian” won Best Video at the 15th Annual Music Awards and again at the 5th Annual American Video Awards. ‘Everything’ (1988) The Bangles third studio album spawned the Top 5 Hit “In Your Room,” and their worldwide #1 single “Eternal Flame” penned by Susanna Hoffs, Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The Bangles attained
a well-deserved hiatus throughout the 90’s but returned with rock and
roll vengeance in 1999. They released their fourth studio album entitled
‘Doll Revolution’ in
2003. Bassist Michael Steele officially left The Bangles in 2005 and
the band decided to use guest bassists while on tour. The Bangles most
recent album ‘Sweetheart of the Sun’ was
released in 2011.
In January of 2014, The Bangles returned to the
legendary Whisky A GO GO to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary.
SUSANNA HOFFS: In 1991, Susanna released her debut solo album entitled ‘When You’re a Boy’ produced by David Kahne. The album spawned the Top 40 hit single “My Side of the Bed.”
The release featured such musical luminaries as John Entwistle, Jim
Keltner, and Donovan. In 1996, Susanna Hoffs released her second studio
album entitled ‘Susanna Hoffs.’
Based on a Saturday Night Live stint in the early 1990’s, Hoffs performed in the band ‘Ming Tea’
with … Mike Myers, Matthew Sweet, Christopher Ward and Stuart Johnson.
The SNL skit morphed into a three comedy film series ... Austin Powers:
International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged
Me (1999), and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Jay Roach,
Susanna’s husband directed the Austin Power series and ‘Ming Tea’ performed in all three movies.
In 2006, Susanna collaborated with alternative rocker Matthew Sweet under the name ‘Sid n Susie,’ and released ‘Under the Covers’ Volumes 1, 2 &3 featuring classic rock cover songs of the 60’s,70’s, and 80's.
In 2012, Susanna released her critically-acclaimed studio album entitled ‘Someday.’ Susanna’s vocals are more radiant than ever. Hoffs collaborated with musical partner Andrew Brassell and producer Mitchell Froom on her best solo album to date. All the tracks are co-penned by Susanna Hoffs. Hoffs & Brassell continue to co-write music and hope to release a new album sometime in 2015.
‘Susanna Hoffs’ performs at The Satellite in Los Angeles on July 18th with special guests Fred Armisen and Petra Haden. ‘The Bangles’ kicked off their summer concert series on June 6th at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California … click [Here] for a complete ‘Bangles’ tour listing.
Recently, I had the great pleasure of chatting with Susanna Hoffs of
The Bangles and discussed … Her latest solo projects …Collaborating
with Andrew Brassell … Producer Mitchell Froom … Early musical
influences …The Bangles past & present … The inception of “Manic
Monday,” “Eternal Flame,” “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” …and future plans as
a solo artist & with ‘The Bangles.’
Here’s my interview with singer/songwriter/actress/ legendary songstress & guitarist of ‘The Bangles’…SUSANNA HOFFS. Ray Shasho: Hello Susanna, how are you doing? Susanna Hoffs: “Hi Ray, I’m doing great thank you.” Ray Shasho: Susanna, you and I are ten days apart in age, you being the oldest (laughing). Susanna Hoffs:“Oh My Gosh …that’s so cool! It was a very good year wasn’t it?” Ray Shasho: So did you graduate high school in 1977? Susanna Hoffs:I was ’76 actually; I know I’m a
little off from most of the people in our year. I skipped half of fifth
grade; I was one of the youngest ones in my group. It was a thing they
were doing in California or maybe just LA where they were trying to
shift the starting age of school. So anybody that was my age that year
had a choice to either repeat or move up to the next grade. My Brothers
and I all moved up and were the youngest ones in our graduating classes
of high school.” Ray Shasho: When I was in 8th grade and before I entered
high school, we were amongst the very firsts to be bussed into Black
American neighborhoods. Susanna Hoffs:“Our school was part of the bussing
program too. It was a very interesting time wasn’t it, when you look
back historically what was going on. I am very fascinated with the 70’s
and part of that is the nostalgia of going back and wanting to
understand what was going on around us when we were in our formative and
coming of age years. There’s a famous book written about my school at
Palisades High called ‘What Really Happened to the Class of ’65,’ and
when I was in high school that book was fascinating to me. Everything
about the ‘70’s is extremely interesting to me again. Now, I’m actually
working my way up into the 80’s (All laughing).” Ray Shasho: Your third solo project and latest release is
entitled ‘Someday.’ Some of my favorite tracks include “Holding My
Breath” a very 60ish sounding tune with an orchestral background,
co-penned by you and Andrew Brassell. I also thoroughly enjoyed “Picture
Me” … Susanna your voice sounds better than ever, how do you do it? Susanna Hoffs: “Thank you! I take pretty good care
of myself and learned over the years to be careful with my voice and not
go to a loud event on the night before I have to sing, and not be
screaming over music, a sporting event, or a party, where I wake up the
next day and can’t speak. I’ve gotten better at protecting my voice. I
think one of the things about ‘Someday’ is that the writing was all done
in a short period of time and working with Mitchell Froom we really
tailored the arrangements to make room for the voice, so it’s not
competing for sonic space to cut through. I use a capo, so I’ve also
learned to key songs that feel right for my singing, to actually put the
song in a key that makes sense, and I think that’s a huge thing when
you get to that point when… wait a minute, this is too low, or this is
too high, and you find that sweet spot where it fits perfectly in your
vocal range. I think over the years of writing you just learn things as
you go, and that was one of the things that I learned.” Ray Shasho: You also found a great collaborating partner in Andrew Brassell. Susanna Hoffs:“Yes definitely, that was a surprise,
and we’re writing and recording now, so it’s ongoing. I actually met
Andrew through my niece who grew up in Nashville. She had moved to LA
from Nashville upon graduating from Vanderbilt University. I was
spending a lot of time with her and she said I want you to meet my
friend, he’s in a band and I’ve been a real fan of his work. It lead to a
friendship with Andrew and then he needed a place to stay, so he stayed
in our guest room for awhile, just one of those kids who was always
playing music, he took a guitar wherever he went. I started to hear him
just noodling around on chords and humming to something and I didn’t
know if it was an existing song or not, he would say no, no, just
something I’m messing around with. So that lead to me saying, oh, what
if we put this melody on it, and before I knew it, we were writing songs
together.” Ray Shasho: You also have a great producer in Mitchell Froom.
Mitchell goes way back to playing keyboards with ‘Gamma’ and Ronnie
Montrose. Susanna Hoffs:“I knew Mitchell in the 80’s when he
worked with Crowded House and he actually played on the recording of
“Manic Monday”. So that’s when I first met Mitchell, it was a chance
meeting, we live very near each other in Los Angeles, so occasionally
we’d run into one another at local restaurants and stuff like that, but
then I ran into him at a really great music venue called Largo, and I
was with Andrew, so that’s how the whole project sort of took shape of
doing a record together. He’s great and super talented.” Ray Shasho: So when can we expect the release of your current venture together? Susanna Hoffs: “We’re just beginning it so probably
2015. It’s always a bit of a juggling act for me because I’ve got a lot
of things going on with The Bangles and other projects that I’m working
on, including creative things in my life outside of music, so it’s a
little bit crazy but I enjoy the energy of it.” Ray Shasho: Susanna, how old is your kids now? Susanna Hoffs: “19 and 15.” Ray Shasho: So you’re sort of veering away from worrying about them too much? Susanna Hoffs: “I don’t think you ever stop worrying
about your kids, I know my parents are still worrying about me. (All
laughing) It’s definitely in a new phase, being very well launched now
and becoming young adults. That definitely opens up more time in my
schedule to focus on music and other creative endeavors.” Ray Shasho: You’re 10 days older than me, yet my mom is 90 and yours only 79 … also my kids are 28 and 26 … what happened? Susanna Hoffs:“You got married ten years earlier
than I did. I think my 20’s were basically given over to life on the
road and touring with The Bangles. That kept me so busy that I couldn’t
consider doing anything but just hoping for a good night’s sleep. And
then it was … What city am I in? Where am I? What hotel or room number
am I in? I don’t know how I ever remembered where I was because it moved
that fast.” Ray Shasho: Record producer/songwriter Kim Fowley was
distinguished for producing novelty acts and girl bands, hence The
Runaways; did you ever cross paths with Kim Fowley? Susanna Hoffs:“I knew who Kim Fowley was and
actually talked with him on the phone once. Just after I graduated from
UC Berkeley, I came back to LA and was trying to put together a band. I
put an advertisement in The Recycler which was sort of the Craigslist of
its time and had some flyers around town. Then I met the Petersons and
we made a single for like thirty-five dollars at a ten-dollar an hour
studio called Radio Tokyo in Venice, California. We really wanted our
record to be on KROQ Radio. So I tracked down Rodney (Bingenheimer) and
managed to get his phone number. I was extremely tenacious at that time
to make it happen for The Bangles. I called Rodney and met him at the
Odyssey Club where he was a deejay one night a week. I brought him the
45 single that The Bangles had done and he played it every weekend for
about a year. Somehow Kim Fowley got my number and called me. Those guys
were very much tastemakers and on the LA scene in the late 70’s and
early 80’s.I never really got to know Kim but he’s worked with so many
people that I know.” Ray Shasho: Who were some of the music artists that influenced you while growing up? Susanna Hoffs:“There were so-so many! Starting in
the 60’s, I would say The Beatles being the toppermost of the poppermost
for me. (All laughing) So many bands … The Byrds, the Buffalo
Springfield, The Mamas and the Papas, The Kinks, The Zombies, along with
a lot of the great female singers of that time and period like …Petula
Clark, Lulu, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick … my mom had all the Burt
Bacharach/Hal David music, many people covered their songs but we had
all those Dionne Warwick records. To this day, those Burt Bacharach/Hal
David songs move me so much. I love singing them; I got the chance to
sing “Alfie” in the ‘Austin Powers’ movie and that was so much fun.”
“In the 70’s, singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor,
Carole King, as well as bands like YES. At the end of the 70’s, where
the whole Punk Rock revolution happened musically, I got very into those
groups at a time when it started to be an idea in my head. I thought,
wow, I could do this, especially after hearing a band like The Ramones
because they were like Punk/Pop and I knew those same three or four
chords. I could probably get an electric guitar and change my Folk-like
sound to a Ramones style treatment of a Pop song.”
“Blondie, the Talking Heads, Television out of New York were all
influences, and that whole scene. Bands like Television lead me back to
bands like The Velvet Underground, who I kind of never knew about when I
was just a kid. I had heard of Andy Warhol, my mom had been a painter
and later became a screenwriter, but she started out as a teacher, so I
knew a lot about the art scene of the 60’s through my parents. But I
didn’t really know about The Velvet Underground’s music until the late
70’s when I rediscovered all of that.”
“But yea, even like Nick Lowe, early Elvis Costello … it was a really
interesting time. The fact that I could go to local clubs and see the
Talking Heads at the Whiskey A Go Go, probably on their first tour, the
early Go-Go’s shows, The Undertones, The Jam, Blondie … it was a great
time!” Ray Shasho: Was there ever any kind of rivalry between The Bangles and The Go-Go’s? Susanna Hoffs: “Not really, The Go-Go’s started
before us so we got compared to them a lot, and when The Bangles were
starting to take off by the mid 80’s, The Go-Go’s were actually winding
down. It was kind of a funny rivalry fueled by the press obsessing over
it so much. We all really got along, hung out together, and got to know
them …to this day I ‘m in touch with Belinda, Charlotte, and Kathy.”
“I worked on some songs for Belinda’s first solo record and we were
very good friends in the 80’s. Then I worked a lot with Charlotte,
Kathy, and Jane. Jane is an incredible songwriter. I’ve spent a lot of
time with Jane over the years and she’s incredible.” Ray Shasho: Susanna, I’m reluctant to admit this, but I
never knew that “Manic Monday” was written by Prince … how did that
transpire? Susanna Hoffs: “Oh no? Wow! We were recording at the
time with Producer David Kahne and working with David and Peggy Leonard
who were recording engineers and worked a lot with Prince. Somehow
Peggy was working on Princes’ record at The Sound Factory on Sunset
Boulevard and her husband David was working on our record at the sister
studio Sunset Sound & Sound Factory. So we got word that Prince had
some songs and wanted me to come over to The Sound Factory. So I drove
over there, picked up a cassette, it had “Manic Monday” on it and we
recorded it. I think Prince had seen the “Hero Takes A Fall” video on
MTV and that’s how he kind of discovered The Bangles. Then he came to at
least two shows and performed with us onstage. I think he may have
watched us the first time, the second time performed with us, then
performed with us again in San Francisco. So he was like an early fan of
the band. It turned out to be an incredible thing for us because we
were very much like the rest of the world … in awe of Prince, his
talent, and magnificent stage presence. I really learned a lot watching
him and the gift of “Manic Monday” was unexpected, it turned out to be
so amazing because it worked its way up the charts, peaked at #2, and it
really got our name out there.” Ray Shasho: How did you get Leonard Nimoy involved in the “Going Down To Liverpool” music video? Susanna Hoffs:“I grew up with the Nimoy’s; I went
to preschool with his kids. At four years old I met Adam and Julie and
our parents became really-really close friends pre-Star Trek, and
remained very good family friends through all the Star Trek stuff. So we
were looking to do a video and I thought… maybe I should call Leonard
up and ask him. So I did. I got my nerve up and called him and he said
sure.” Ray Shasho: Do you think The Bangles biggest hit was “Eternal Flame?” Susanna Hoffs: “Eternal Flame” or “Walk Like an
Egyptian.” Both songs went to #1 which was pretty amazing. Sometimes I
feel my life is very surreal when I look back.” Ray Shasho: “Eternal Flame” was about the Elvis Presley gravesite at Graceland? Susanna Hoffs:“Yes, we wanted to have a tour of
Graceland and got what we were told was a special tour that was only
given to rock bands. So we got to see things that everybody didn’t get
to see and had our own tour guide dedicated to us. The eternal flame at
Elvis’ tomb was out that day, so we stood around and sang “Heartbreak
Hotel” ala Spinal Tap. Later on I recounted the story to my songwriting
partner at the time Billy Steinberg and he said, wait-wait, stop-stop,
it’s a great story but why don’t we write a song called “Eternal Flame”?
And I said okay. So that’s how it started.” Ray Shasho: I’ve got a sneaky suspicion based on your love
for 60’s Top 40 music, that recording “A Hazy Shade of Winter” was your
idea? Susanna Hoffs: “Actually it was. During the very
early days of The Bangles, we met through ‘The Recycler’ and decided to
become a band, we were rehearsing and then started playing some parties
and clubs around town. I was working for my Aunt and Uncle who owned a
ceramic factory in Santa Monica. It was a very lonely job because I’d be
down in this basement with just a radio and sanding ceramic pieces. I’d
spent hours in this dark room by myself with nothing but the radio. Boy
I’m glad I had the radio to keep me company because I had it set to an
oldies station and very familiar with most of Simon & Garfunkel’s
songs because I was really into their music when I was in high school.
But I hadn’t heard “A Hazy Shade of Winter.” When it came on the radio I
thought, oh wow, this is perfect for The Bangles. It has this riff
that’s so catchy, has all these harmonies, and it’s kind of Folk Rock,
just right up our ally. I think I had a rehearsal that very night and I
mentioned it. Vicky was a huge Simon & Garfunkel fan and was
familiar with the song. So we learned it and put it right in our set.
The song became a staple in our setlist for years.”
“Then I had an opportunity in the 80’s to meet the producer of ‘Less
Than Zero’ John Avnet, and we’re still friends to this day. Another
friend of mine Thomas Newman who is just a brilliant composer that
scores for movies, he and I were songwriting at the time and he said,
you know, I’m doing the score for this film and I think the soundtrack’s
going to be pretty fun, we’re getting together a really cool group of
musicians and artists to contribute songs to the soundtrack and the
movie. I mentioned the idea of “A Hazy Shade of Winter” and they loved
it because it fit very well somatically with the movie. It ended up
being a really great thing for us landing on that soundtrack. We also
did a video. To this day we open our set with that song. We got to meet
Paul Simon in the 80’s and he was very enthusiastic about our version of
his song and that made us feel happy.” Ray Shasho: The Bangles most recent release is ‘Sweetheart of the Sun’ (2011) … what’s up next for The Bangles? Susanna Hoffs: “We’re rereleasing our first EP that
was put out on Miles Copeland’s I.R.S. Records label, who was our
manager at the time. He had a small division of I.R.S. called Faulty
Products …it gets really complicated. It was released in 1982 and
originally with our band named The Bangs, before we had to change to The
Bangles. We had a weekend to come up with a new band name and that’s
when we added a few letters and came up with The Bangles.”
“We’re also releasing never seen the light of day demos that we did
around that same time. Our first demos, our first single that came out
in 1981 which was “Getting Out Of Hand,” and “Call On Me” and we’ll
include that in the package, then a cover of “7 and 7 Is” that we did at
The Palace live, and anything else that we find between now and when we
put it all together. It will be coming out in the fall digitally … so
that’s exciting!” Ray Shasho: How about The Bangles on tour in 2014? Susanna Hoffs:“We’re doing a bunch of tour dates this summer and a two week run in the fall.” Ray Shasho: Susanna, thank you for being on the call today
but more importantly for all the incredible music you’ve given us with
The Bangles and as a solo artist and continue to bring. Susanna Hoffs: “Thank you Ray!”
Coming up NEXT … The legendary Jesse Colin Young of ‘The Youngbloods’ UP Coming …Pioneer of the electric violin Darryl Way of ‘Curved Air,’ Don Wilson legendary co-founder of ‘The Ventures,’ and Keyboard extraordinaire Patrick Moraz (YES/The Moody Blues) Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com - PLEASE support Ray by purchasing his book so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. “Check the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d
like to see the kid on the front cover telling his story in a motion
picture, TV sitcom or animated series. The characters in the story
definitely jump out of the book and come to life. Very funny and scary
moments throughout the story and I just love the way Ray timeline’s
historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music was
evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I
read his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a
wonderful read for everyone!” …stillerb47@gmail.com
