THE FACE OF FREEDOM: NELSON MANDELA DIED AT 95

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

Nelson Mandela, the beloved first black president of South Africa who spent 27 years in prison for fighting the injustice of apartheid, has died. He was 95.

 THE FACE OF FREEDOM

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was plagued by respiratory illness through the years since his release in 1990 from imprisonment, during which he had suffered a severe case of tuberculosis.

JOHANNESBURG — Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and an enduring icon of the struggle against racial oppression, died on Thursday at 8:50 PM..

Mr. Mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of treason by the white minority government, only to forge a peaceful end to white rule by negotiating with his captors after his release in 1990.
 

He led the African National Congress, long a banned liberation movement, to a resounding electoral victory in 1994, the first fully democratic election in the country’s history.

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WITHOUT BOOTSEY X I WOULDN'T HAVE MET NIAGARA: COLONEL GALAXY

 .......Bootsey : "What is this called ?" ........Colonel : "Its called 'DAYLIGHT''

Colonel's Tale...

My first fateful meeting with Bootsey came in 1980 at a West side dive called Free Style. I was with my Jeep Racing Team just back from the Baja 1000. We were celebrating the end of our season and stopped in a place we'd never heard of...

It was the Bootsey band and Johnny Angelo's Reputations if memory serves. Everybody was pretty lit and Bootsey was doing an encore "Pusherman of Love.'' We started heckling, and we were a pretty rowdy group of outsiders. My musical taste ran from Led Zeppelin to J Geils, so this local music was pretty eye opening.
 

So Bootsey came directly off stage and sat down at our table . I thought he was going to be mad....but he dug the heckling ! We watched the rest of the show together and exchanged phone numbers, never thinking we'd meet again. A few days later when he called, I didn't even remember what it was all about. He said we should get together at his place in Livonia and go out to see some Mark Norton band later.
 

Next thing I knew I was sitting at his kitchen table helping him work on flyers for his next gig at the Ranch (which he called ''The Raunch''). Bob was multi-tasking as usual..."Yeah cut this out....use this logo with this photo of James Brown.....I'm writing a song...''

  
The song "That's Lou Yeah'' ....was a little ditty he worked on for a couple years...it was about Lou Reed sitting on the side line : "While you are out mowing the lawn....Dream Syndicate is stealing your song...'' Next thing I knew I was going over to Bob's a couple times a week.
 

He was drumming for the Mutants and he ''drug"  me to all the shows and introduced me as "The Colonel'' because I built him up, promoted him, and would carry a black briefcase and hand out flyers.

I soon knew everyone on the scene and started talking about forming a ''SUPER GROUP'' with one member from all these bands. After a nightmare I had about a freak show that had set up at Hines Drive ''where you could check out, but never leave'' Dark Carnival was born. Bootsey was the first drummer.

The shows that started out that Halloween were an instant success. Bootsey was always scheming..."You know if you wanna do this right....you really should get Niagara...''

PAUL WALKER FAST & FURIOUS STAR KILLED IN FIERY CRASH!

Paul Walker: 1973-2013

Paul Walker
How He Ended Up in Death Car

Paul Walker's Sudden Death: Photos & Video Reveal Devastation Of Car Accident - See more at:Perez Hilton

Prayers for Paul's friends and family...so sad..

From the Associated Press
November 30, 2013, 7:36 p.m.

SANTA CLARITA — A publicist for actor Paul Walker says the star of the “Fast & Furious” movie series has died in a car crash north of Los Angeles. He was 40.

Ame Van Iden says Walker died Saturday afternoon.

A statement on Walker's Facebook page said Walker was a passenger in a friend's car, and that the crash happened while he was attending a charity event.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's department said the crash happened in community of Valencia. The Santa Clarita Signal reports a red Porsche crashed into a light pole and tree and burst into flames.

Walker was working on the latest “Fast & Furious” movie at the time of his death. He also starred in the suspense drama, “Hours,” a movie that is set for release this month.

It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide. He was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives.

We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news. Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences. - #TeamPW

IN MEMORIUM: DETROIT'S BOOTSEY X PASSED AWAY..

Robert "Bootsey X" Mulrooney

 It is with great sadness that I post the news that Bootsey X passed away at around 7 pm in Detroit Receiving Hospital. I know how much joy he found in performing...and I am honored to pay tribute to Bob tonight...

Stanley T. Madhatter introduced me to Bob at a fundraiser in 2009 at the Painted Lady in Hamtramck. Bob was very ill then and his many friends gathered to raise money for his medical care. Madhatter adored Bob and spoke of him all the time. Madhatter and I sat at my computer and played all of Bob's videos the next day.  My very favorite video is Secret Agent Man...

Bob was so damn cute...had such a girlie crush on him. We became buddies on Facebook in 2010 and real life too. While chatting one night, I invited him to go with me to an appearance at the Guitar Center Drum Off. He was just the best to photograph! He and I had a blast shooting that night.

Bootsey at The Drum Off

What a fun night with Bootsey and Gerald Shohan his best friend, his guitarist and his protector. The love and friendhip these two men shared was so inspiring. My heart goes out to Gerald tonight. This tribute is to Gerald as well, and his magnificent giving soul.

 

Bootsey and Gerald performing (photo: MetroTimes)

Bill Holdship

"Would like to believe that Lili is pouring my friend Bootsey X a few shots at that great rock bar up in the sky tonight. Safe passage, my friend. We'll see you again further on up the road..."

Bill Holdship
"You have to go with me to this crazy 'History of Rock' class I'm taking at community college, Bill. The teacher is an idiot. And she's crazy. I don't know how she got to teach anything! She talked about Altamont and then said, 'After that, someone was killed at almost every Rolling Stones concert for years!' I raised my hand and told her that isn't true...and crazy bitch got mad at me! So now I'm afraid i'm going to flunk 'History of Rock' at community college!" --Bootsey X

 Joe Michnuk and Bootsey X

Joe Michnuk
"I visited Bootsey X over the last several years we would go out for pizza when he was still able to walk. He loved Loui's Pizza in Hazel Park. It was always cheese pizza no toppings that was his favorite. After he lost the ability to walk, I'd visit him with vanilla ice cream since everyone else brought the pizza.

We'd eat as much of a half gallon as two guys could & tell stories about chicks 'n music. We made each other laugh so hard that the nurses would come in to see what was going on. They all called me "The Ice Cream Man" @ both HFH & St Joe's Nursing Home. I'll miss his sense of humor & tremendous creative genius the most."

Last year we had a small holiday party in Ann Arbor. Gerald and Bootsey came out and they performed my favorite...SECRET AGENT MAN.  Kyle Davis and his band backed up Bob and Gerald on RAMROD BABY too which the young guns really loved...

My friends Danny Creadon, Steve, and Art Godoy headlined that party and were just in love with Bob. As more information comes in I will update this tribute..Not sure about any details as of yet.

Willy Wilson
R.I.P. Bootsey X (Robert Mulrooney) - Too many great memories to share from shows, parties, record stores and the launching pad. Bob was a true rock n' roll legend. I picture him in the great Fortune Records building in the sky talking musical smack with Jim Shaw and Tony Fusco.

Kelly, Valorie, and Bootsey X

Chris Scott Dellas
"He was a cat I always looked up to and admired. He seemed to drum for every band I saw when I was a teenager and later I rarely missed a Bootsey X show. He was always cool and smiling with me and always treated me with kindness. This many people are mourning not just Bob's passing, but not being able to see him make people happy again from the stage. Thanks man for being nice to a once-dopey kid."

Valorie Synwolt

Bob was a jewel. He was genuine genius. There is an angel rockin in the name of Detroit out there- he was a true friend- my heart is shattered, because I got back home too late to sing with him one more time.I will miss my Boot

Karen Neal
Looks like Bootsey X is re-united with Julie Hecker. Prayers for Robert Mulrooney's loved ones and family and of course, remembering Josie Salash and the Hecker family too! Rest in peace!!!

Jerry Vile
In addition to fronting or drumming for virtually every band in Detroit Bob was a very good writer. He was on staff of White Noise And had his own page in issue 4.

Jerry Vile and Bootsey X

I will miss you Bob. You are the spirit of rock and roll and everything else worthy of vinyl. Hopefully one day we will build a memorial to you. Rock In Peace..

Mortichia Pippenshmooze
I will really look forward to seeing Robert Mulrooney on the other side, where as somebody said, he will be surrounded by music and babes. Boots was always so sweet. He was the only man who ever asked me to be a "Sugarbaby of Soul" but I can't sing. I could only shake my ass and dance along. So much fun. Sad sad goodbye for now.

Andi Sparks Divetta
...and another light goes out.Robert Mulrooney was a strange and wonderful creature. just the way i like them. love to all of our hearts who knew him. there are so many. I love my friends and what they do. Bootsey X

Joe McGuire
Bob sold me my first record when I was 12 years old at Desirable Discs II in Dearborn (and he sold me many more after that). Later I worked with him at Peoples Records when I was in college. He was always really nice to me, friendly and very funny. He was one of those rare unique individuals and it's really sad to hear that he passed. To all who knew him and supported him in his life and in his art I send my heartfelt condolences.

Joe Kidd
... i first met bob at a bar on michigan ave in inkster. he was drumming in a band called STREETS. i was in my first band called THE SILVER CHORDS. we were friends right from the start. we loved each others music. it was around 1976. we were all doing a lot of cover songs then. bob used to come to see us just to hear us do 'under my thumb' 'you better move on' and the big blue oyster cult hit 'dont fear the reaper'. i remember at the end of one summer night somehow we had in our possession a bow & arrows. we were firing them into the sky trying to shoot out the streetlamps on schoolcraft road. . - peace to you - j.k. //oo\\

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FAMOUS PSYCHIC SYLVIA BROWNE HAS PASSED ON TO THE OTHERSIDE

TMZ:  World famous psychic Sylvia Browne -- who appeared on all sorts of TV shows including "Montel" "Larry King Live" and "Unsolved Mysteries" -- has passed away ..

Browne specialized in psychic detective work -- helping out on various high profile missing person investigations.Browne's son, Chris, tells TMZ ... Sylvia passed away this morning in San Jose, surrounded by family and friends. She was 77.

Sylvia Browne was a lovely woman in my feelings..No I never met her but she had such a great spirit. Sylvia was a very successful self made woman. After reading a lot of her books..I liked her even more. Her view of life and death gave me comfort not fear. For all the good she gave to others the media really tried to destroy her..

Honestly, I felt she really was genuine in her concern for the pain of others. She was sharp, funny, smart, had a glorious laugh and a low raspy voice... I'll miss her

My daughter and I watched her on Montel for years..We loved her jokes and her empathy...Thank you Sylvia Browne...No need to add RIP to her name....she has completed her final life path.

Sylvia Browne is an American author who describes herself as a spiritual teacher, psychic and  medium. She has appeared regularly on television and radio, including the shows Larry King Live and The Montel Williams.

RIP LOU REED MEMORIAL AT LINCOLN CENTER

MUSIC LEGEND LOU REED DIED TODAY AT 71

LOU REED RIP

To our neighbors:

What a beautiful fall! Everything shimmering and golden and all that incredible soft light. Water surrounding us. Lou and I have spent a lot of time here in the past few years, and even though we’re city people this is our spiritual home.

Last week I promised Lou to get him out of the hospital and come home to Springs. And we made it!

Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature. He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air.

Lou was a prince and a fighter and I know his songs of the pain and beauty in the world will fill many people with the incredible joy he felt for life. Long live the beauty that comes down and through and onto all of us.

— Laurie Anderson

his loving wife and eternal friend

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American rock musician and songwriter. After being guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, his solo career spanned several decades.

After his departure from the group, Reed began a solo career in 1972. He had a hit the following year with "Walk on the Wild Side", but subsequently lacked the mainstream commercial success its chart status seemed to indicate. In 1975, Reed released a double album of feedback loops, Metal Machine Music, upon which he later commented, "No one is supposed to be able to do a thing like that and survive...

"Today the world lost a true genius...an American genius. And I lost a dear beloved brother...Lou Reed. Some of the highest points in my career and life have been spent either in the studio or on stage with Lou. 

 
Thank God he wrote so many brilliant songs that we can continue to enjoy. It is a beautiful legacy. I love you my dear old friend and God bless your sweet soul. I will surely miss you always"...Steve Hunter

Lou Reed Dies at 71
by Michael Gallucci October 27, 2013 2:00 PM


Lou Reed has died at the age of 71. No cause of death has been reported, but the Velvet Underground leader and legendary solo artist underwent a liver transplant in May.

Rolling Stone is reporting that Reed passed away earlier today. He spent more than 50 years making music, first with the influential Velvet Underground in the mid ’60s and then as a solo artist, starting in the early ’70s with a string of terrific records.

His career has been marked with milestones and several landmark records, including the Velvet Underground’s first four albums and ’70s solo classics like ‘Transformer’ and ‘Berlin.’

In May, Reed had liver transplant surgery. A month later, it was reported that he was “up and strong” following the procedure. He even sat down for an interview with The Guardian, in which he was his typically biting self, firing shots at the NSA’s then-recent spying allegations. READ MORE

MOTOWN LEGEND MISS MAXINE POWELL SERVICE TODAY

Miss Maxine Powell Obituary

***A memorial service for Miss Powell will be held at 10 a.m. Friday October 18, 2013 at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, 18700 James Couzens, Detroit. The funeral will follow at 11 a.m.  Swanson Funeral Home is handling arrangements.***

Hartford Memorial Baptist Church

18700 James Couzens Fwy

Detroit, Mi. 48235

313-861-1300 (Church Office)

Directions/Map 

"The world is a little less elegant today..." Lovely audio essay on NPR about the inimitable Maxine Powell: 

Miss Maxine Powell was so important to the success of Motown records and the over all image of  successful musical acts of the 1960's.  It was her view that made the Motown cross over to mainstream even more important.
 

 Miss Maxine and dear friend Miss Martha Reeves

The sound was fabulous of course, the dancing too, but OMG the CLOTHES!!! I still am fascinated by her technique and style.

The beginning of the Supremes...

Miss Maxine taught more than just how to look, she taught behavior and polish. She was amazing and her skills were unmatched. She conducted her life in the utmost dignity and taught so many others to follow her lead... RIP

Maxine Powell directed the Motown Records' Artists Development Department, advising artists how to conduct themselves in public.

  Maxine Powell

DETROIT — Maxine Powell, who was responsible for developing the charm, grace and style of Motown Records' artists during the Detroit label's 1960s heyday, died Monday at age 98.

Motown Historical Museum CEO Allen Rawls said Powell died of natural causes at a hospital in Southfield, Michigan.

 Smokey Robinson Pays Tribute to Miss Maxine

She didn't sing or write songs, but those associated with Motown say Powell was as essential to the label's operations as any performer or producer.

She directed the label's Artists Development Department, also known as "Motown's Finishing School." Through it, she emphasized to many artists — including Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Jackson Five and the Supremes — how they should carry themselves, treat people and dress.

 Miss Maxine with Mary Wilson

History Maker Maxine Powell was born in Texarkana, Texas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, by her aunt, Mary James Lloyd, who taught etiquette and refinement. Powell attended Keith and Willard elementary schools. Before Powell graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1933, her aunt passed away.

Maxine Powell attended Madame C.J. Walker’s School of Beauty Culture and worked as a manicurist to finance her acting studies; for eight years, she studied elocution with James Baron, playwright, producer, and director of the Negro Drama League. Powell also took dance and movement lessons from Chicago legend, Sammy Dyer.

She moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1945, and taught self-improvement and modeling classes before opening the Maxine Powell Finishing and Modeling School in 1951. She bought a large house in 1953, which became the largest banquet facility in Detroit for African Americans, and worked as a talent agent, bringing black productions and artists to Detroit theaters and placing black models in advertising campaigns...then she went to Motown...What an Amazing Life...

My thoughts are with her family, her enormous list of friends and former students.  

The New York Times pays Tribute to Miss Maxine!

Maxine Powell, Motown’s Maven of Style, Dies at 98

By MARGALIT FOX

Published: October 16, 2013

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Maxine Powell in 2009. “I teach class,” she said of her record-label work, “and class will turn the heads of kings and queens.”

Maxine Powell, the Miss Manners of Motown, who as the director of the label’s in-house finishing school in the 1960s was considered in no small part responsible for its early success, died on Monday in Southfield, Mich. She was 98. FULL STORY