A good thing happened to me this week which has been several weeks in the making.
Back in July, as you 1537 obsessives will doubtless remember, I posted about one of my favourite hard rock bands from the early 90’s, Rochester’s finest, Uncle Sam. I always thought they were a great band who just didn’t get the breaks they deserved, Heaven Or Hollywood was a great debut and their follow-up Letters From London was a mini-masterpiece. Best of all though, when I saw Uncle Sam in Manchester we got to meet Larry Miller, Bill Purol and Dave Gentner, well we got to wake Larry up and they were lovely to us, signing (and biting!) a couple of LPs.
Last month I got an email from Larry Miller who had somehow stumbled across my blog and telling me it was ‘neat that someone captured the neatest 25 days of my life’ (their UK tour). I was and remain rather blown away by this, this was Larry Miller emailing me to say thank you! I remember him being a real gentleman when we met him and he remains so today, in fact he very kindly sent me a copy of Uncle Sam’s third album Fourteen Women … Fifteen Days, which I’d only heard about when doing a bit of research back in July.
I’m very grateful too, not only for the CD which was co-produced by Kim Fowley and is a much darker set of tunes than any of theirs that had gone before, but for the chance to have a bit of an email chat with someone I really thought was great. Larry told me that Bill Purol had passed away, which I was very sorry to learn and that Dave Gentner is currently in a band called the Veins and also that he doesn’t play any more, which I think is a shame.
If you make some excellent music and play some great gigs and treat the people you meet along the way kindly then you’re going to find the odd (very odd!) person along the way who remembers you and what you did with real affection. So Mr Miller, thank you for then and for now, and whatever you’re involved in now good luck with it all!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to rock!
281 Down (still).
.
Uncle Sam Posts
Letters From London: I Lost More Friends Than You’ll Ever Have
Uncle Sam Memorabilia: Sam Scraps
Heaven Or Hollywood: Alice D. Alice C
Was great to read your words on Uncle Sam! i was Larry & Bills guitar tech for that UK tour, what an awesome few weeks that was, did quite a few bands back then but this was by far one of my fav tours to be part of .. im still in touch with Larry now and your right hes still a great guy ..
Aww, thanks Neil. It was such a perfect night for my mate and I, they were so nice to us too. Plus I really don’t think they get the credit for how damn good they were as a band, ‘Letters From London’ is a brilliant, clever LP. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Greetings stumbled across this post on Uncle Sam .. great band use to be in contact with Larry in the 80s use to band bands music on my show..still have the tons of stuff Larry wont send he was a real stand up n old school bro. Trying to get in touch with Larry for possible Re-issue deal of old cds please contact me or pass my contact to Larry Miller of Uncle Sam … many thanks also my next Old School Show will be Sunday June 29th 2014 4pm est on Toilradio.com alwasy big name bands coming in and playing live in the studio .. anyway .tell Larry to hit me up at L88zrock3t@aol.com cheers Johnnny V.
I have had a couple of similar nice things like this. The bass player from Magnum once found a post I did about them and left a comment. Twitter is also good for getting a brief word from people. Cool story.
Sorry I missed your comment, I didn’t mean to be rude. Thank you, I am really chuffed about the whole thing, there’s a kind of wholesome 22 year circularity about it (cue syrupy background music).
It’s nice that these people we all revere as gods (well I always did/do) are out there and acknowledge our efforts too. I’m still waiting for Sir Mick to stand me a night out for actually liking Dirty Work though!
What a cool thing to have happened!
I know, I’m so chuffed about it all!
Is that a CD which I see before me?
Its shiny play surface toward my hand? Come let me abhor thee.
You play it not, and yet I see it still.
Is it not a non sensible, fatal thing,
To regard it in your blog? or is it
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the tech-oppressed brain?
Out, out brief commenter!
OH! I am slain!
Canadians get that a lot too. “You’re from Canada? My friend’s from Toronto, do you know him?” Yes, and the other two million residents.
Ahh, Toronto. Once known as home of the tallest freestanding structure in the world. Now known as the home of the finest crack cocaine of any City Hall in North America.
http://youtu.be/ZfVRHBvUzcM
Those kinds of random connections are so cool. Especially good that it was the overlap of good times for both of you.
Next up, Thom Yorke. He was asking where you lived. I was astonished that, living on the island, you hadn’t met.
I know I’m on Cloud 9 because of it.
As for Thom, he pesters me with fan mail and there’s several times recently I’ve had to turn off the lights and pretend not to be at home. So pls don’t pass my address on.
And Mr American, contrary to popular belief we don’t all know each other, despite the fact we live in a country that could probably fit into Wisconsin 9 times over – I think there’s about two families in Scotland I haven’t met yet!
When people hear I’m from South Dakota, they assume I know everyone there. Of course I do, but I’m sworn to secrecy to never publicly acknowledge it.
Thom seemed so cute and tiny. I’m sorry he’s such a pest.