Dr. Bob

Dr. Boblog

Dr. Boblog #7 - There Is No Dr. Bob

Dr. Boblog #7
(March - June 2009)

There Is No Dr. Bob ...
The Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n Roll

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith passed out onstage in the town I grew up in - Springfield, Illinois. In some weird, twisted way that I can't explain, I feel that somehow adds to my own rock 'n' roll credentials.

Regardless, at that point in his career - the legendary Springfield concert took place in the early '80s, I think - Tyler was certainly living up to the rock lifestyle ethos espoused in Dr. Boblog #6 of staying drunk 24/7 while still creating legitimate rock 'n' roll.

Undoubtedly, Tyler was probably a little bit more than drunk. At the time he was notoriously infamous as one-half of the "Toxic Twins" tandem with Aerosmith's brilliant guitarist, Joe Perry. Tyler's self-induced mid-performance coma, which precluded him from finishing the show, was a result of serious hard-core partying. Tyler was wasted all the time back then. In an enlightening interview from that era, Tyler confided to a journalist that he needed a cornucopia of drugs (pot, coke, acid, downers, etc.) "just to be able to sit and watch a football game on TV."

Dr. Bobblog #6 (Dec. 2008 - Feb. 2009)

Staying Drunk 24/7 and Still Creating Legitimate Rock 'n' Roll
           -or-
They Used to Laugh and Call Him Names

   Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood is scheduled to get out of rehab by Christmas. I hope he's okay. He's been in a long time.
   Ron Wood is a true rock 'n' roll warrior. By that I mean that he has been able to stay plastered for decades and still help to create genuinely awesome rock 'n' roll.
   His party credentials are beyond dispute. A few years ago he was rumored to have a five-thousand-dollar-a-day freebase habit.
   The monkey on one's back doesn't get any larger.
   His musical credentials are even more astounding. He first came to international prominence as the bass player in the original Jeff Beck Group in the late '60s.
   When Beck's vocalist, Rod Stewart, broke away, Wood followed him into the Faces. A few years of early '70s boozy brilliance followed.
   In the Faces, Wood switched from bass to guitar. That was the spot he filled when he became Keith Richards' perfect musical foil upon joining the Stones in the mid - '70s, a relationship which continues to this day.
   Speaking of paying some serious party dues - how about being Keith Richards' best bud for three decades? The toll was already evident even way back in 1979 when I saw Wood in Salt Lake City as guitarist and main vocalist in a Keith Richards' side project called the New Barbarians. (Which, incidentally, also included legendary bassist Stanley Clark and Ziggy Modeliste, the drummer from the New Orleans - based Meters.) Anyway, when Woody hit the Salt Palace stage that night he was so sloshed that he had to read all the lyrics from a music stand next to his microphone stand.
   And we are not talking epic poems here, folks.

Dr. Boblog #5 (Sept. – Oct. – Nov. 2008)

“Redneck Boy From Illinois:”
The Only Republican to Ever Play With Dr. Bob

            As we draw near to the end of a typically frenzied and far too lengthy American political season, it seems an appropriate time for me to reveal that I have never voted in my life.
            Well, that’s not exactly true.
            I did vote twice.
            Once when I was running for high school senior class vice president and, later, I voted for myself to get into my college newspaper’s hall of fame.
            So, to be entirely accurate, I guess I should say that I don’t vote unless I’m running. I am not running for president so I won’t be voting.
            Unless, of course, Paris Hilton actually does run for president. She threatened to do so in a recent TV spot responding to Sen. John McCain’s unauthorized use of her image in an attack ad on Sen. Barack Obama.
            I would vote for Paris Hilton for president.
            She is pretty close to being my dream girl. Britney Spears used to be my dream girl, but her sudden, tragic fall from grace has soured me on her.
            Nope, these days I’m a Paris Hilton man. She is a totally awesome babe.
            I think Paris Hilton would be a totally bitchin’ president.

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