July
2002- part two
first posted July
30, 2002 (all rights reserved)
(spot the typos, win a prize!!)
LETTERS TO LOUIE
There's a lot of letters that came into
the LOUIE LOUIE mailbox. Here's a handful of them, some
with the original typos, just to keep things interesting!
This is just the tip of the iceberg, and we'll share
more letters later. Enjoy!
From: Shane Speal
Subject: louie in my life
Louie Louie has always been an integral
part of my life as a musician. Currently, I am stuck
on the Motorhead version, but the Kingsmen will always
rule with me.
Here's a very true story for your records:
In 10th grade political science class, we participated
in mock student congresses. Each student had to draft
a bill to present to the "politicians." Some wrote
bills to legalize marijuana. Others wanted to outlaw
guns, stop litterbugs and the usual. I tried to make
"Louie Louie" our school's alma mater.
Maybe it was the then-1986 music culture of bad heavy
metal and fluff. Maybe the students were just squares.
Or maybe I wasn't cut out to be a politician. Either
way, it didn't get pass. Oh well, their loss.
Me-gotta-go,
Shane Speal
From: Seacreatures
Subject: Louie Lo
Hey ,think your site is a pisser!..
Yeah ...Louie .......always ,hey Louie. I hate louie
songs ,for 30 yrs on construction not a day went by
without someone Louie Louien me ..or sining THAT song
. Drives me mad .I think I have every recorded version
of it . As far as the lyrics ,"if I don't getta lay
tonight ,i'm never gonna geta laid again ,aaaw Louie
Louie ohh ohhhhh we gotta go ....ok. Nothing wrong
with the lyrics . Get in touch ,I live on Long Island
NY, I'm 48 yrs old and I love being a Louie ,I named
my 4 sons Louie!.. j/k.
Yours Truly ,
Louis Carl
From: Martin
Subject: Deep Purple LOUIE
Well, in fact I can't help you with
(rare recodings of LOUIE LOUIE by) Pink Floyd or Jimi
Hendrix- for the moment, but I am sure that a closer
look to the Deep Purple Album "Made in Japan" might
be quite interesting for You. Choose track n¡ 6, "Lazy"
(recorded in Tokyo on 17th august 1972) , and advance
to timecode 1:49. There surely You will find the typical
"Louie Louie"-Intro-Riffs, played by John Lords keyboards.
From: J K H aka lucifer_sam_fff
Subject: Re: Sorry to disturb you, but...
I was listening to Deep Purple's
"Made In Japan"-live album. Track called Lazy includes
intro, where keyboardist Jon Lord uses Louie Louie-riff.
It's recorded 17th August in Tokyo 1972. I guess you
knew about this already, but I just felt "free to
send comments via e-mail" to you.
From: Aldyth Beltane
Subject: Questionnaire responses
What does "LOUIE LOUIE" mean to
you?
Right now I blame Mark Lindsay for pretty much everything,
both good and bad. Which doesn't really have anything
to do with Louie Louie
What is your favorite version of "LOUIE LOUIE?"
I'm partial to the Paul Revere and the Raiders version
that begins "Grab Your Woman, it's Louie Louie
time!" Also love Iggyâs because, well, its Iggy!
Do you have any interesting stories involving the
song "LOUIE LOUIE?"
Yes, a recent story. A couple of months back I was
at a gathering of magicians, and bored blind. It was
late, so I was tired and cranky too. Under those circumstances
I have a tendency to purposefully bait those who like
to play intellectual mind games, and given the company,
there were plenty of opportunities! So I made a comparison
between the lyrics in early rânâr songs, specifically
"Louie Louie," and oblique references to sexuality
in hermetic alchemical texts. Actually, at the time
I really wasn't intending to bait anyone, it simply
seemed like an interesting parallel. I was met with
the blankest of stares. Later, I brought up the same
comparison on a magick list I'm part of. Again, silence.
Just for kicks I brought up the same idea on the garage
66 list. The responses were fun, thought-provoking
AND entertaining! Thus I have a few conclusions. This
I already knew, but proves irrevocably that garage
punk hipsters are more cool than hermetic magicians.
And with input from a few of the garage 66 fellows
(most notably Jonny Magus and Andrew Hickey) pulled
together the theory that if every version of Louie
Louie ever recorded is played at once, then the space/time
continuum can be repaired, and the universe will become
what it should be. Also realized that somewhere throughout
the world, there is always a version of Louie Louie
playing somewhere, much like an eternal flame. And
that's alright.
Have you ever performed this song in a public place?
Yes, with slightly altered lyrics, to reflect the
song as if Marc Bolan had performed it. This was many
years ago, at a tribute show on the 10th anniversary
of his death.
Do you think the song has "questionable lyrics?"
Questionable how? Seriously, there's a metaphor or
two in there, but the real question lies in the incomprehensible
way its usually sung!
Do you think "LOUIE LOUIE" should be declared as
some kind of national anthem, state song, or given
some other special status?
It's the eternal flame of rock-n-roll. There should
be a special Louie Louie day annually or something
in which a marathon like the one you described is
held. All bands should jam on Louie Louie right away
at the moment they are formed to see if there is any
inherent chemistry between the members. But it all
has to be sort of "unofficial" cos if the government
is brought in and it's made a law or something, it
would lose some indefinable element of its appeal.
Have you ever heard Richard Berry's version of
the song?
Not certain, sorry.
BTW, cool site, lotsa excellent background info! True
dedication, man!
From: Daniel Leary
Subject: louielouie story
Hi, Daniel Leary here, I've been
playing guitar in bar bands here in Mpls for the last
16 years and was doing a little bit of on-line research
on a Richard berry song called "Have Love Will Travel"
which my group, the April seconds, are currently playing
in our sets these days. I'd thought it was a Sonics
song at first but when I couldn't find a r. berry
in the group I started looking into who that guy was
and came across all this cool Richard berry stuff
on the web. I thought I'd write you about something
louie louie related that happened many years ago.
so... it was way back in 1987 at a senior high school
pep rally. some friends of mine had been recruited
to accompany vocalists for a Madonna song that would
play while the school "royalty" paraded to the stage.
I was playing the valve trombone in the pep band that
day and right as I was walking into to the gym my
buddy, the bass player, told me that the Madonna group
- sans the vocalists - were planning to hijack the
rally by breaking into an unauthorized rendition of
louie louie. he asked me, since I sang in his out
side of school rock group, if I'd be up for singing.
I said, "sure, what's my signal to head for the mic?"
well, the Madonna group was mostly made up of "rock"
guys sans this "straight-laced" kid who'd been tossed
in to play the piano part. he was sort of a cocky
little jerk if I remember correctly... anyway, the
rock guys had told him that he was the guy who had
to start the song and all during the rally they rode
him to start it. so after about 45 mins of badgering,
his ego forced him to kick into louie louie.
over the din of 1500 high school kids came the G-C-D
chords out of the piano and the band kicked in. well,
as soon as I heard the piano playing I got up from
my seat in the back row of the pep band and walked
out to the mics... I wasn't looking out at the crowd
as I moved up, lots of music stands and people in
chairs to avoid, but when I got there and looked up...
all those kids were standing on there chairs and screaming
their heads off... it floored me... it was like something
out of a movie... perhaps the Madonna song was just
that bad but I'm telling ya, those kids, many of which
may have never heard the song, freaked for that old
r. berry number.
ended up only getting through one verse and chorus
before the authorities figured out how to can the
PA... stood there for a while, tapped the mic, and
then walked back to my seat in the pep band wondering
what sort of trouble one gets into for playing louielouie
without permission. well you know what I discovered,
nothing happens... in fact I never heard anything
about it from school authorities, only kids who told
me, "too bad about the PA troubles. that was great!"
I guess the powers that be considered louielouie too
absurd to prosecute (guess the FBI was wasting their
time ehh??). any other song and I think we'd all been
in detention. thus, I've always considered louielouie
a protest song with out peer.
Anyhoo, one of the coolest examples of the power of
music I've ever witnessed... glad I now know who should
get the credit.
rock rock on Richard berry.
From: Rino
Subject: Links
Hereby I let you know that a link
is made to your website on
Rino's Frank Zappa Page (http://home-4.worldonline.be/~ir008421/).
A link back would be nice, but that is completely
up to you to decide of course. Greetings, Rino.
Keep those cards and letters coming.......
me gotta go now....
ERIC PREDOEHL,
producer/director of upcoming "THE MEANING OF LOUIE"
documentary
Return
to Part One of the July 2002 isssue of the LOUIE REPORT
All images & words
copyright 1999-2001 Eric Predoehl / OCTALOUIE, LLC,
except as noted. All rights reserved. The term "LOUIE
LOUIE" is a registered trademark of RMB, Inc, a
company owned by The Kingsmen, the band recognized for turning
the song into the monster icon heard all over the world.
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