The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line on Big Audio Dynamite Live at the Roseland Ballroom New York City!

As I entered the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan I thought that one night many years ago my Father approached my Mother and politely asked for a dance. This was their first meeting and if it had not gone as well as it did I would never have existed. I saw the stairs my Mother had described to me and then my thoughts were quickly interrupted by friends from around the world approaching. It was great to see them again and to finally meet friends that I'd spoken with over the phone or Internet.

 I entered the ballroom and was impressed by it's size and aesthetics. Fantastic looking venue with great acoustics. I quickly bumped into Big Audio Dynamite Gerry Harrington. He is a sharped dress man and a character in his own right. We chatted about the band, the city, and the show. I spoke with a few more friends on the way to the VIP section and was thrilled to see I had the first seat in it. The VIP section is on an elevated side stage to the right of the main stage. The view was not perfect because I couldn't see drummer Greg Roberts and could only see keyboardist Dan Donovans knee caps but I could see Mick Jones, Leo Williams, and Don Letts perfectly.

The show started two hours late or right on time by New York standards. New York is one of the cities that has a notoriously late arriving audience, perhaps they just wised up to the bands or the bands wised up to the crowd but that is how it works there. I recalled watching the Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros special on HBO that was recorded at the venue years earlier. It made me wonder if Mick was thinking about Joe that night or Gerry his former manager. The great thing about concerts in New York is there are always lots of characters. I was not sitting with the friends that I came with but I could see them on the main floor. I was able to strike up conversations with fans and celebrities alike before the show. Seated in my section was Fred Armisen and other members of the Saturday Night Live cast, Mike Demint the bass player from Green Day, members of Talking Heads, famed photographers Bob Gruen, Josh Cheuse, and others. Matt Dillion was buzzing around, executives from Sony, and various other entertainment giants.

Big Audio Dynamite brought their own DJ from London to pump up the crowd. He was appreciated by the sold out audience but the fans could not wait for BAD to take the stage. I spoke with Greg Roberts' drum tech Loki Dread before the show, he is an awesome person with a fantastic Mohawk. Finally I could see the band gathering to the side of the stage ready to take the city by storm. When they rushed on stage it was an explosion of love from the audience.

Mick Jones and BAD have built the most loyal fan base in music because going back to Mick days with the Clash they always put their fans first while pumping out some of the most vital and ground breaking music in history. There is a long history of giving fans jobs, hotels, sneaking them into shows, always taking time with fans, and fighting the record company to sell the albums at a fair price.

Medicine Show was the first song of the night and Rush was the last. It is stunning how amazing this band sounds live! How do they get that sound? They are all veteran performers and it showed. This is a band in top form even having been only recently reunited and performing a handful of dates prior to this. It is stunning to think it will only get better. I am so excited for the next shows and albums. Mick Jones is just comfortable on stage and well in command of the stage and audience. He's one of the greatest guitar players of all time from the most influential band of all time, from one of the top three greatest songwriting duos of all time (Strummer/Jones), and a member of the Rock-N-Roll Hall-of-Fame.

This is the original Big Audio Dynamite lineup. They did the first four albums before the other four members split from Mick Jones. Mick replaced the entire band and I was lucky enough to see them three times on the MTV 120 Minutes Tour, The U2 Zoo Tour, and then in Orlando, FL with the band LIVE. I would manage guitarist Nick Hawkins from that line up of Big Audio Dynamite. Nick passed away in 2005 and I was devastated. He had left Big Audio Dynamite a few years before and Mick Jones decided to take time off. Nick was in great spirits on the day he passed, I could tell from the email he sent me that morning. We often spoke of a Big Audio Dynamite reunion and I wonder if Nick would have been included with this? I think he would have been the only non-original member to be included because he was the only other guitarist other then Mick Jones to ever play in the band. I could almost feel him there beside me. Rush is the only song performed that was not written and recorded by the original line up but it is Big Audio Dynamite's biggest hit-to-date. You can see me to the right of the stage at top of the screen during Rush around 4:10 of this Youtube clip.

The after party took place at the Library at the Hudson Hotel. Don Letts from Big Audio Dynamite was DJ-ing and spinning a tremendous blend of music. All of the celebrities from the show arrived and did all of the band except for bass player Leo Williams. It was great night of spending time strengthening friendships and building new ones and the soundtrack to the entire evening was magnificent! It was worth going there sick, exhausted, the hassle of travel, and being overloaded with projects for school. This is a band that is able to create a live sound and show that few can come close to matching. It is no wonder why so many celebrities and other musicians make it a point to make it to their shows wherever they are playing. If you have the opportunity to see them perform live make sure that you do because they are outta sight and dynamite, its BAD but in a great way!

Final Photo and Mike Dirnt Photo@Joanna Huszcza Hennessy

Mick Jones and Fred Armisen Photo@ Big Audio Dynamite

All Other Photos@George J. Baldacchino

All Video @their uploader.

Fantastic Animal Films!

In the past year several animal documentaries have been released. These are not your Mother's animal films but the next generation of films that are being released to wider audiences. The Disney Nature film African Cats is a wonderful example of what these documentary films are becoming. Shot with the highest possible resolution cameras and the best quality audio, the films are stunning in size and scope.

There is more story telling involved in these films. These films can have a tremendously positive impact on animal conservation programs around the world. Years from now I am sure we will learn the stories of great conservationist who were deeply inspired by these filmmakers. I grew up being fascinated and enthralled with Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. I was plastered to my parents television in silence watching these far away places with these monumental stories of life, death, and survival. The stories often featured a lot of love, tenderness, and family. It seems Mother Nature is the world's finest screen-writer, the stories she writes have it all and the stories are as real as it gets. These types of shows helped to create my love and passion for animals and they continue to help it grow.

The story line of African Cats revolves around a pride of lions and a cheetah mother and her young. They are all trying to survive "in the wildest place on Earth". Like every great story each has their antagonist. The Cheetah family faces problems with lions, leopards, baboons, and hyenas. The pride of lions from crocodiles, buffalo, and other lions. They both struggle with the harsh elements of Africa and the need to feed large families while remaining safe.

The National Geographic film The Last Lions narrated by Jeremy Irons tells the story of a lioness and her surviving cubs as they flee their territory in search of a safe haven. Their pride was taken over and the mother took all of her cubs that she could rather then see them killed. It is a very difficult feat for a lone lioness to raise cubs on her own. She must leave them without protection to hunt to feed them. They do not have the benefit of other lionesses to help to feed or protect them nor does this mother  have her own territory for them to live. Being a nomadic lion is dangerous because other lions may attack if they catch a nomad in their territory.

Morgan Freeman narrates the IMAX 3D film Born Wild. The film features orphan orangutans and orphan elephants. It discusses how something simple like the Palm Oil used for cooking is leading to the murder and mutilation of the orangutan's habitat in the forest of Borneo. The local farmers burn down their ancient forest often burning the animals to death or will kill them in order to plant more palm trees that produce the oil. Two girl scouts recently began petitioning their own organization to stop using palm oil in their cookies. While palm oil does provide income for the local farmers there are numerous alternatives for cooking.

The other orphans in Born Wild are Kenyan Elephants. Wild elephants face most of their dangers from humans poaching, trophy hunting, and in land disputes. Elephants follow the same paths their ancestors have for thousands of years. There aren't many city planners in Africa who thoughtfully research the best place for new human developments where there will be minimal conflict with wild animals. In Africa settlements and farms often crop up in wild places where they should not be. Loss of habitat is the most dangerous issue for all animals in the world and must be controlled.

The new generation of films owe a great deal to the film makers who came before them. I remember watching Tarzan films on Saturdays as a boy and enjoying everything about them. I was fascinated how Tarzan lived with the animals. The shots and sequences were brilliant for the time. I think in a way I wanted to be Tarzan. I try to help animals now because of the example Tarzan set in the films.

The movie Born Free has an enormous impact on me. Born Free tells the story of Elsa the Lioness, who was raised by George and Joy Adamson. They would later be forced to either send her to the zoo (like her sisters) or release her into the wild. Although Elsa was indeed born a wild lion, she did not posses the necessary skills or knowledge of lion behavior. George and Joy went through a traumatic and ultimately triumphant journey with Elsa in helping her to be a wild lion again. Elsa never lost her love or bond with the George and Joy. Even when she lived in a wild pride and had cubs she brought the cubs to visit her human friends.

The actors in the film would grow to love and be devoted to their animal costars and George Adamson who managed the lions on the film. The lions came from a variety of backgrounds but were all hand reared. George, Bill, and Virginia could not understand the logic in making a movie about a lion getting her freedom and then returning lions (and a now famous elephant) used in the filming to captivity. They fought to have has many of the lions from the movie given to George Adamson who would attempt to turn them into a wild pride. Bill and Virginia decided to move into the producers chair and make a documentary film about it to help finance George's cost. Sadly they were only given 7 lions but all seven went onto great success as a wild pride. The remaining lions were sent to Zoo's and circuses. One of the male lions named Boy would become Adamson's closest friends.

George and Boy would later star in another movie entitled Christian the Lion.

  Bill and Virginia found Christian living in a London furniture shop ironically named Sophistocat. Christian's owners wanted a better life for him and new the time was nearing when he would be unable to live in London. Bill and Virginia moved Ace, John, and Christian to their country estate to give him a better life while they worked with George and the Kenyan government to get Christian to Africa. Bill and Virgina used the proceeds from the movie they were filming about Christian to again provide funding to George and his lions. Boy did not provide Christian with a warm welcome but they did become the best of friends.

These films all show the tremendous capacity for love. They illustrate the best potential relationships between humans and many animals. We can live in trust and friendship with many of them and many good natured humans do. These films illustrate the need to educate more people on animals and how our decisions impact them in a matter of life-and-death. It shows how the good people of the world must stop the evil people and those who act without thought before entire species of animals are extinct. Since the 1950's the lion population in Africa has dropped by over 80%! The people of Africa would be wise to protect the creature who most signifies Africa. If the lions and elephants are all gone it is doubtful anyone would visit Africa as a tourist.

All of these films are currently in theaters or available on DVD and will touch you deeply. Please share them with your friends and consider making a donation of any amount to The Born Free Foundation
or Wild Life Now Foundation & George Adamson/Tony Fitzjohn Trust.

All photos courtesty of Derek Cattani, Drew Fellman/Warner Brothers Pictures, Disney Films, National Geographic Entertainment and the Father of Lions website.