Shelf life, Hendrix and other stories
March 18, 2023, 9:39 am , by Richard Lutz
Richard Lutz wanders through another week
I take a book out of the library. It’s Mel Brooks’ 300 page autobiographic blather and a pretty good read. One fact to come out is intriguing: the comedian asked straightshooter John Wayne to star in Brooks’ bonkers western Blazing Saddles. Wayne read the script, said it was funny and then told Brooks: ‘It’s too dirty for my fans. They’re not that kind of audience. But I’ll be the first in line when the movie opens.’
Interesting to know The Duke knew exactly who pays his rent.
I bring the book back to my library. It does come up with some doozies if you poke around.
I head for the history section for another book. As I thumb the shelves, it becomes clear what history really means for my local library. It’s war books. Tomes on D-Day, Stalingrad, African independence, Churchill (natch), the American civil war. Books with titles like Bombers over Tokyo,Britain Before the Great War, Britain During the Great War, Bombers over Redditch, Mussolini’s Secret Lovenest.
The list goes on. I find nothing to kindle a flicker of interest. The only book is Four Princes by the finely tuned English writer John Julius Norwich. But that doesn’t count as I gobbled it up last year. I don’t feel in the mood (ever) to bring home a book splattered in battle and blood. The only war book I gobbled down was Anthony Beevor’s chronicle about the fall of Berlin. But then again he is probably Britain’s finest historian and he does rise above the pile. I find a light hearted canter through The English Restoration of 1660’s. It’ll do. I grab it.
To other matters. Pogus Caesar, a polymath friend from Birmingham, sends me this. It’s self explanatory:
So Jimi leads the list and got a total of $18,000 back in 1969 for Woodstock. Janis Joplin raked in $7500; and the eternal Crosby Stills and Nash were handed a whopping five grand.
My my, how times have changed. Dave R, ever the man to get all fancy with numbers, says Jimi’s £18,000 would be worth $147,000 today. I know, I know, it’s hard making comparisons. I think back to my own 1969…54 years ago. I was making $100 a week driving a Bell telephone van. That’d be $5200 a year. Which is about what Arlo Guthrie pocketed for Woodstock. I especially enjoyed reading about the group that preceded Hendrix on the Woodstock stage. It was doo-wop singers Sha Na Na. They earned a piddling $700… to be split between the half dozen guys in the line-up.
Working on the Dave principle, would a main act today get $147,000 (£120,800) for headlining a show?
A detailed 12 second Google search reveals that Elton John charged £4m ($4.8million) for a private show; Adele is reported to earn £500,000 ($680,000) per show and newspapers say Beyoncé made £5million ($6million) per night on a recent tour.
Wonder what Hendrix would get if he was around now and took to the stage a half century after he died.
Bit more that $147,000. I’d bet five pounds on that.
Or rather I would if I could get my grubby hands on cash. In a badly constructed and awkward segue, I have to point out that money in your wallet is out these days. The august Financial Times reports that 30% of Britons don’t use notes or coins even once a month. Over the past decade, it says, cash payments in the UK plunged from 55% to 15% of the total. Everyone is swiping a card or waving a phone and educators says it’s taking a toll on how kids learn their sums. Children have ‘a fading familiarity with coins’, says the report.
So, I won’t bet a five pound note (or a five dollar bill) on that Jimi Hendrix wager. I’ll swipe it instead.
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Martin McCrindle
On similar themes, BBC piece this week where Scotland goalie Alan Rough disclosed that he earned £40 a week at his peak. Messi earns somewhere around €500k a week? And (grand) children have a fading familiarity with harsh reality, never mind coins and numbers. The latter being the fault of overprotective grandparents (us). Loads of library reading on evolutionary psychology on this topic. Or just too much thinking for a Saturday morning. In a modern world where reality is a fluid concept anyway…
PC
Aha, amazing how one little WhatsApp message turns into a full blown article🤓
Ivan from Birmingham
I will swipe you a fiver you are absolutely right.
Haven’t use cash in a while.
William Kerr
Another enjoyable read, Richard…thanks.
Will Travel
Learn more about Hendrix
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/jimi-hendrix-s-are-you-experienced-10-things-you-didn-t-know
JSB
Interesting link. Thanks!
Claire Mains
For a 1 hour live stream, Netflix recently paid Chris Rock 40 million – mostly for the last 10 minutes when he talked about the infamous “slap” heard around the world.
Ian McNair
Those were the days, my friend!
JSB2
never seen what performers were paid at Woodstock. Very interesting. Such a different time.
Lynn Plant
Joe Cocker turned that $1375 into a few millions once the movie came out.
Jake Williams
Stand-up comedians earn more than that today, e.g. Boris Johnson at £250k per gig to Wow the fun-loving business community. Who knew?
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