Passion Is No Ordinary Word pt.2 (Graham Parker)

OK, I've let this blog slide a bit for the last couple of weeks. I do try to post regularly, and I started this one on time. I could use the excuse that I was getting ready for an exhibition of photographs (the Lucky Cats are now on their way to Los Angeles for a show at No Roses), but the real reason was that this post was hard to write. 


I missed Graham Parker playing with Garland Jeffreys recently, so I really really wanted to go hear him play at City Winery in NYC on April 2. Brought my camera. (I actually emailed the guy in charge and got permission--closest thing to a photo pass in years!) City Winery is a new venue for me, a place with tables and barstools, and servers walking around. So I walked around too. City Winery even had poles where I could stand and shoot, like the sorely missed Bottom Line in NYC. The light could have been better but hey, at least it wasn't red. 

Graham Parker at City Winery, April 2011

So I was glad to see Graham on stage after all this time. Instead of a band, he had Mike Gent with him, playing guitar and singing backup. Gent opened the show, too, but no one at my table was impressed.


I titled these posts about Graham with his song "Passion Is No Ordinary Word." Boy, did I miss the passion at this show. And I missed Graham Parker, the rocker. I know, I know, he's older now, but there was a taste of what was missing when he came back onstage for the encore. Kicked ass then. This was what I came here for. Too little though, and much too late.

Graham Parker at City Winery, April 2011

I can't say I know every album he's made, but I do have several, and I still play them a lot. His choice of songs for this show left much to be desired. I still don't get it. There were times when he even said that he was going to sing the worst song on the album. 

Maybe he needed a band. Maybe he needed better backup. Maybe he just needed more passion.

Passion Is No Ordinary Word (Graham Parker)

Garland Jeffreys and Graham Parker performed together last week and I missed it. Despite email lists and Twitter and Facebook connections, information overload let it to get past me. By the time I realized it was happening, it was sold out. ARGGH!

As I've said here before, I've seen Garland perform in my post-rock days, and even photographed him (and yes, I want to do that again), but never Graham. And aside from the fact that I've always loved his music, he does have a special place in my rock and roll heart-- his picture from a show at the Palladium in 1976 was the first rock photo I had published in a magazine, Crawdaddy in March 1977. (Also had a shot of Graham later that year in Rolling Stone!)

Crawdaddy Magazine, 1977

Graham was one of that group of angry young Brits who were part of the New Wave. The big three were Graham, Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. We all know who seems to be most famous now, and while I liked them all, I, of course, preferred Graham and Joe. (which, of course, tells you something about me -- but then, I also preferred the Sony Betamax)

Graham's concerts were brilliant. High energy, powerful. Photographed three of those shows at the Palladium back in the day. Don't ask me for my favorite, I loved them all.

The Palladium, 1977

And the songs. The music, old and new (2007's Don't Tell Columbus …WOW!), is still in heavy rotation on my iPod. "Nobody Hurts You" (playing right now on my computer), "Discovering Japan", "Mercury Poisoning", I could go on and on. And oh yeah, on my list of firsts, Squeezing Out Sparks + Live Sparks was the first album I bought on iTunes.