(Passing Tones) was the last one he sent me, and I think that probably is the only one where hes coming to grips with what reality is, Szymczyk notes. (Photo: Ilsa Glanzberg). The impetus for the lusty Whole Lotta Hectic, meanwhile, dates back even further and was inspired by a Cam Newton press conference quote after a Carolina Panthers game. Michael Stanley, 72, has died. It was a great conversation and really one of the best interviews I've ever done, because he's always so easy to talk to.In fact, that was one of the many things we talked about, along with MSB holding record sellouts at both Blossom and the now long-defunct Richfield Coliseum, the run of shows at the (also) long-defunct Front Row Theatre, his long recording career, the many great musicians he's played with over the years, meeting John Lennon and the 'perils' of recording Beatle songs, being a television correspondent, MSB's popularity around the country, the recording industry, Michael's accessibility to the public and how much he likes talking to his fans and a whole lot of other things.I've always enjoyed talking with Michael, and this occasion was no different. Six months after Stanley Kubrick died, a 'world exclusive' was published - a supposed last interview on the set of Eyes Wide Shut. Another fan replies, "He did an autobiography, Adrian Rigelsford: My Struggle With Lies. Bittersweet is the best way to describe it.. I would come in at weekends and steadily work my way through them. As an adult, I wish Id been older and appreciated it moreour nights at Blossom [Music Center] were just some of the best memories when it came to his careerrunning around the pavilion during soundcheck, falling asleep backstage after the show. He tended to throw these envelopes, unopened, into an R-Kive box and then once a month or so give the box to me with the instructions that I should go through them and show him anything noteworthy. Stanley turned it down, hoping for a better offer. And I gotta see you. He fought me on that. Stanley died of lung cancer Friday at the age of 72. As each song went by the wayside that night, you [thought], Oh, my God. I sound like a schmuck!". Another thing began to puzzle me. A girl or a bloke? There were others: "Use a ouija board or ask AR." Listen to one of the tracks, Hold On, below. Bill Szymczyk on the making of Joe Walshs. New Book on Radical Music of the Sixties, Whole World in an Uproar, Wayne Shorter, Saxophonist & Composer Who Co-Founded Weather Report, Dies, Back to the Future Musical Coming to Broadway, The Doobie Brothers The Captain and Me: Polishing a Diamond, Lisa Marie Presley Was Lights Out On Her Recording Debut, Eagles Producer on the Making of the Hotel California LP, Tom Petty, in 1996, Runs Down a Dream: I Want To Play the Fillmore, #1 Singles of 1970: A Bridge to a New Decade, Radio Hits in February 1967: B-Sides Rule. Then a friend called me and said I should check him out again on the internet. We should put this on, said Sary, who now runs Stanleys Line Level Records label along with twin sister Sarah Sharp. It startled me when I was reading the next clipping. That life of anonymous domesticity might have continued if Stanley hadnt fought with his boss and lost his job in 1974, four months after his twin daughters Anna and Sarah were born. Listen to the Michael Stanley Band hit In the Heartland. That I'm a recluse? But a physical altercation with the program director who replaced Travagliante after his sudden departure for Columbia Records ended Stanleys tenure before it really began. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. He was described as "one of Britain's foremost experts on Dr Who" (loud laughter from the chat rooms) and it was said he had appeared in two James Bond films (he had claimed this elsewhere, but his name appears on no cast list - if he was in them it was as an extra). He talked to David Spero, a disc jockey friend at rock station WMMS, about being his manager. In June 2017 Stanley married Denise Skinners best friend, Ilsa Glanzberg, an instructional aide at a Venice, California, elementary school, before approximately 75 guests in a sunset ceremony on the roof of a friends house on Venice Beach. Funny name, eh? After Glanzberg returned to California, she asked him to mail a sweater shed left at his house. Tape recorded That was it. You can check them all out here. The very first trip I went on, we went to St. Martin in the Caribbean and stayed at a clothing-optional resort, he says. The jury was unanimous in finding Rigelsford guilty and Judge Deva Pillay's comments were unsparing: "In my judgment you are a thief, a cheat and it seems to me, on the evidence I have heard, a man lacking courage." Some of it sounded like Stanley, but if indeed this was Stanley, he was firing on a single cylinder. Half of it was, for want of a better word, banal. Did I say that? Despite Stanley saying he was no longer able to distinguish between a good song and a bad song, Szymczyk drove to Stanleys home to play him the master CD. His "definitive" book on Dr Who managed to leave out a whole series.
I wanted someone to speak for Rigelsford. Michael Stanley's health is keeping him off-air for the time being. "Yes, but have you heard the tape recording?" If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Needless to say, we were thrilled. I said, Yknow, what? Odd, thought Anthony Frewin, the director's long-time friend: this didn't sound like Kubrick. 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Rigelsford and Meffen thought they were interviewing Stanley, but in fact they were interviewing Alan Conway, the bankrupt travel agent who went around London for years pretending to be Stanley. They reconnected after he happened to see her on To Tell the Truth, a resurrected TV game show on which she was a contestant, during an evening of channel-surfing. I downloaded some 30-odd online newspaper reports and here's the story. What folly! Sheppard said that during the trial the court attempted to account for the money. He was a regular visitor over the years, very plausible and charming and ingratiated himself. They hover around on the margins. In 1980, they released Heartland, which yielded the sunnily upbeat Top 40 hit, He Cant Love You.. All of the funds raised and donated will go to a variety of Northeast Ohio organizations in need. Everybody from me on down to the last guy on the road crew was invested in the thing. PART OF AUDACY MUSIC. Once again, Stanley parlayed a sideline gig into steady employment. And after Skinner was diagnosed with cancer, she was among the West Coast friends and relatives who came to Cleveland to help care for her. Dave Sheppard, who runs the Daily Mail's picture library, received a call from a member of the public saying he had purchased some photographs from Cover Story, a shop in Leicester Square, that had Associated Newspapers' stamp on the back. Did Rigelsford collect Kims? The band had operated like a company, providing a measure of security for its now-seven members and four roadies by distributing earnings in weekly paychecks. It was a tight show, no diddling around; the band charged from number to number as if it could hardly wait to get them out there., Possibly the most interesting aspect of the Michael Stanley Bands success here at home is that its crowds contain a large component of hysterical (literally) teen-age girls so in the throes of adolescent passion that they lose control if Stanley even tosses a look their way.. Rick Bell soared out with his horn, the band followed and Stanley sang Workin Again, my favorite of all his tracks. Theres only, like, five songs left, and then Im done. I have a guy, a friend of mine, whose job is to tell me when its time to hang it up, he says. Since it isnt a love song it wasnt considered as a single. Free shipping for many products! The 3-to-7 p.m. hours gave Stanley ample time to record and perform. But its also an indication that Ive been doing this for a very long time. This was, indeed, the elusive Kim Meffen. Several weeks went by as more pressing work was dealt with. Q: There must be enough for a book of Urban Myths about Stanley Kubrick A: My twin brother could write the foreword. On the set of Eyes Wide Shut? A contributor says he was at a seance. The day after my dad passed, my niece Mallory started a petition to make it Michael Stanley Day, said Sary. The prosecution said he had sold 30,000 prints to one shop for around 60,000 and some 26,000 to another for 15,800. On May 4, he will receive the Cleveland Arts Prizes Lifetime Achievement Award before performing at the Beachland Ballroom. Stanley died of lung cancer Friday at the age of 72. I returned to it. A fan inquires what else Rigelsford has written aside from the Dr Who books? I dont think we were threatening, he says. Stories, experiences, and more from Michael's friends and colleagues. That moment kicked off a 50-year career for the Northeast Ohio native thats stood the test of time. Elvis Presley was a rock n roll favorite someone who seemed bigger than life to Stanley. We just kind of rolled around until somebody broke it up.. In fact, we got a clipping from every newspaper that noted the re-run. I guess he never quite left home. Just about everyone who knew him was astonished because they had always assumed he was at least 10 years older. But he was back to work at WNCX less than two months after a second heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in late 2017. A: Probably that I wear a parachute under my coat at all times (he laughs). Im in fucking classic rock heaven.. He had also written books on the TV series Blake's 7, Peter Sellers (another "celebration") and several on a series he claimed to be a world expert on, Dr Who. If there was a silver lining, however, it was the outpouring of wishes from those same fansnot just in Cleveland, where the 72-year-old Stanley had long been rock royalty, but everywhere. Even when he wasnt performing regularly, he continued writing songs. It sure didn't sound like Stanley. It puzzled and intrigued me. Just opening the envelopes and unfolding the clippings took a good couple of hours while reading or scanning the clips was interminable. It was the annual hang, and the hang was more important than making music, to be honest, Szymczyk said. At 71-years-old, Stanley doesnt know how much longer he can keep being the Michael Stanley weve known onstage for the last 50 years. Who was the author? Was this our original Kim or another one? People do this all the time, especially back then: Hey, Im a record guy, Stanley explains, comically mimicking a slick, suave tone of self-importance in his deep, smoky voice. Well, that was what he told the court. I suppose, in retrospect, its easy to say that I didnt handle it all that well.. Two years after Skinner died, Glanzberg asked Stanley if she could spend a long weekend at his far-East Side home. Related: Bill Szymczyk on the making of Joe WalshsBut Seriously, Folks album. Could it be that the fake Kubrick interview was not the first time that Rigelsford had exercised his imagination? Read Full Biography Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Related Song Highlights Highlights All Songs AllMusic Quiz In memory of Michael Stanley and the musical legacy he has left in Cleveland, we have partnered with the Cleveland Foundation to create "10,000 Watts of Holy Light". Stanley was presented the Cleveland Arts Prizes Lifetime Achievement Award that night. Then there was a book on the Hannibal Lecter movie. ), [A]s usual the band did it up right, with a vibrant meaty show featuring about two hours of its best material. He was basically two, three years behind, Szymczyk says. In 1991 he suffered a major heart attack that damaged a third of his heart muscle while he and fiancee Mary McCrone, then a WJW producer, were visiting her sister and brother-in-law, singer Wayne Newton, in Las Vegas. I came to terms with that.. Steve Carell played Michael Scott on "The Office." NBC A combination of songwriting talent, rock star stage presence and Everyman appeal has gained him a solid fan base. I've heard most of them. Michael Scott left after seven seasons, but he made a surprise return on the series finale. It was at the end that Stanley told the packed crowd, We want to thank you for a great 13 years. Faced with the financial realities of young adulthood, they decided to break up. I could have just paid everybody when we played some nominal amount and kept all the rest, Stanley says. The Royston & Buntingford Mercury - ditto. Hidden tracks are a Szymczyk trademark, and the one here is BOTHT, which stands for best of the hidden tracks. It spans everything from a childhood interview and snippets of albums dating back to 1969. Sheppard went to the shop and found two boxes of photographs from the library. A flooded studio at Stanleys house made the gap a little longer this time, and the pandemic forced it online. He also performed at the ceremony. His songs reflect his life love, loss and uncertainty and resonate with many. Or you could go to Youngstown (boos). "There wasn't much he didn't know." This is Aquino's own web site xeper.org. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Telegraph magazine - STANLEY TUCCI Cover & Interview (16 January 2021) at the best online prices at eBay! We were pretty young at the height of his fame. I mean, it was a band. That process was delayed in late 2017, however, after Stanley had quadruple-bypass surgery. The song has everything-- a virile, rocky swing, an infectious melody and a catchy rhythm. I couldn't get, as they say, a gender-fix on the first name. Its amazing how much it was recognized nationally. Richard Bentine, the son of Michael Bentine, one of the original Goons, employed Rigelsford for a few months doing research for his company, Classic Comedy Group. Stanley, who died March 5 of lung cancer, dedicated his final album, "Tough Room" to Belkin, his longtime. He added that Rigelsford had "cunningly, deliberately and systematically ingratiated himself with the library staff" in order to plunder the archive. Those characteristics appeal to an audience who grew up listening to his songs not only here in the Rust Belt, but beyond the heartland. His music was played throughout, with a display set up inside the Rock Hall, with artifacts from his career. And The Iron Range was written in the wake of protests following George Floyds death in Minneapolis last summer. By early to mid-2014, she felt the same way about him. Michael Stanley and Mike Belkin backstage at Blossom Music Center on Aug. 23, 1981. (Photo: Janet Macoska), Stanley, says Szymczyk, had been working on Tough Room for several years, since his Stolen Time album in 2017. In 1982, the band set an attendance record at Blossom Music Center that still stands, drawing 74,000-plus over four late-August nights. Stanley's family . CLEVELAND (WJW)- Devastating news for music fans in Cleveland. Elsewhere, there were question marks hanging over supposedly "last" interviews in the Carry On book. Of the three producers one was none other than Rigelsford; he was also co-author of the script with a Kim Lamont. For the first time ever, I felt we were in a position of having a little bit more power than we had before, where maybe we could call a couple shots, he says. If there is a certain grandeur to Clifford Irving's scam in faking a biography of Howard Hughes, Rigelsford's venture smacks more of a venal seediness. He was selling them on to memorabilia shops in the West End of London, and it was claimed he had netted some 75,000 from the venture. No forwarding address. (Incidentally, John Cougar, future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer but then just a rocker from Indiana with an easy, natural kind of energy, she noted, was the opening act. We have a Michael Stanley.. Very unlikely. And, anyway, when did Pinewood ever have a "script pool"? He doesnt want to be one of those musicians who embarrass themselves by continuing to perform long past their prime. You can just put them in a drawer or on a cassette. Sounds like someone made it up. Fans can expect his show after the awards ceremony to be full of hits the 1980 ballad Lover, the 1983 anthemic My Town and the 2008 rocker Just Another Night in America, to name a few. The sudden passing of Cleveland rock legend Michael Stanley in early March came as a huge shock to his fans. Retirement will provide Stanley with more time to spend with his wife as well as his two adult daughters and five grandchildren. Stanley and Skinner remained together until 2011, when she died after a six-month battle with lung cancer. Then Rigelsford claimed something had happened to the tape. Jan Harlan, our associate producer, also said no. Go back and listen to the interviews that Bill Louis and Paula Balish did on Saturday, March 6th. Michael Stanley (born Michael Stanley Gee; March 25, 1948 - March 5, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio and television personality. In May 2003 Rigelsford appeared in court accused of stealing 56,000 photographs over an eight-year period from the Daily Mail/Associated Newspapers picture library in Kensington after being arrested at his then home in Brampton, a small village west of Huntingdon. I thought, This is just a great gig! But the fact that the city is honoring him in this way on this big dayCleveland is truly his city. The station had no need for promotional copies of anything that didnt fit its format. A year or so went by and my interest in Rigelsford evaporated. Although MSB managed to release two more albums regionally, continuing to record and tour without label support was financially impossible. The show, one of several MSB played in the area that year in honor of the groups 10th anniversary, drew a different sort of crowd, Jane Scott noted in her Sept. 30 review in The Plain Dealer. He remembers amusing himself for hours at a time, often by playing the eclectic mix of records his disc jockey father Stan Gee brought home from then easy-listening station WGAR. Hes a good writer, Szymczyk said, simply. I introduced myself and said that I worked for the Kubrick Estate. Ever heard of him? I cant get up every day and have that fear hanging over my head, he says. It was really nice. My first impressions were great, she says. It was the latest in a string of major losses. Another Top 40 hit came in 1983 thanks to My Town, off the album You Cant Fight Fashion. Jethro Tulls Thick As a Brick: Concept LP or Parody of One? Cleveland rocker Stanley has died at age 72 after battling lung cancer. But I also think that worked against us because it was not a good bargaining chip: Heres five faceless guys!. It didn't initially startle me. I want to get this done, he says, though due to the pandemic the mixing was done in North Carolina, where the Szymczyk resides, rather than in Cleveland, where Szymczyk has mixed the other albums. Lets see.. Learn how your comment data is processed. But here I was, finally, interviewing Michael Jordan, and right from the start he was giving and generous and looked like he was happy to be there. By Anthony Elder, @wolfpack_chorus brings something new to the @CLElittleitaly neighborhood, while still honoring its building https://t.co/ayeT1DSdfD, Even before the ballad of Danny Greene and villainy of Shondor Birns, Cleveland was a destination for organized cri https://t.co/h7xpEzD8PI, Happy fish fry Friday, Cleveland! Bill Szymczyk and Michael Stanley (Photo: Lisi Szymczyk; used with permission), I said, You havent heard it mastered. It was, I gotta get this done. That was early on, Szymczyk said. MSB decided to disband on their own terms with a 12-night stand at the now-defunct Front Row Theater in Highland Heights during the 1986-1987 holiday season. I phoned Sheppard. The album, Stanleys first posthumous record, is out six weeks after the 72-year-olds death on March 5. But, like, a week later, he got in touch with the leader of our band and offered us a deal.. The other half were a stone's throw away from where he grew up in Brampton. Now what are you going to do with them? he explains. He always jumped into new songs right when he would finish mixing in this case, [it was] 2017s Stolen Time, says Powers, who also doubled as Stanleys studio technician and equipment repairman. It's the industry's mantrap that you can't avoid. It was late on a Saturday in September, six months after Stanley had died and when the clippings were beginning to slow down, that I came across something that startled me. But who speaks for him? Music legend Michael Stanley has died. He always was a poet at heart. Interview with Michael Stanley 21 June 1991 11,049 views Jun 12, 2011 138 Dislike Share Save VidMag Media 740 subscribers I've known Michael Stanley now for somewhere around 30 years and was. I wasn't aware of them interviewing Stanley, but then I wasn't on set all the time and not everything passed through my office. Where did that come from? By Anthony Elder, The band headlines the Cleveland winter festival for the second time in eight years. What fans wont find are songs dwelling on mortality or in any way referencing Stanleys health issues; Tough Room was, in fact, largely written and recorded before his latest diagnosis, according to Szymczyk. But not as much a schmuck as Rigelsford. His daughters have not listened to Tough Room yet; they plan to take it in at the same time the public does. 2015-2021 Copyright Best Classic Bands. During that time, executives changed Stanleys last name from Gee to his middle name, Stanley, to avoid confusion with another label artist, Arthur Gee. The only time he did give interviews was on the release of a film, and then reluctantly and only to one or two big name journalists or critics from magazines such as Time or Rolling Stone. What would Stanley's reaction to the interview have been? After another setback due to water damage in Stanleys basement, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, shutting production down indefinitely. It is indeed awesome to see almost 19,000 fans -- almost four times the population of Chagrin Falls., 1984 concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.