Dick Clark is Dead... Long Live The Real Mr. Rock'n'Roll...

[John Battles]

... Alan Freed. 

 What did Dick Clark mean to Garage Rock fans , anyway ? For one , he did introduce the great after - school show , "Where The Action Is" , hosted by Paul Revere and The Raiders , and most of you have seen how many great "Garage " acts appeared on the program - The Standells ,Music Machine , Five Americans , Love ,? and The Mysterians , The 13th Floor Elevators......Just because a record might have sold hundreds of thousands , if not more , copies , in 1966 , The Year Punk Broke , does'nt mean it was'nt "Punk". Early performances of the likes of Eddie Cochran , Gene Vincent and Chuck Berry still exist , too. 

Clark could have released these performances many years ago to the public , on VHS , and , later , on DVD. But , the failure of his one "Best Of" video , which was one KILLER Jerry Lee Lewis , one restrained , but very live Buddy Holly and The Crickets (Which was from Arthur Murray's show , as Clark said the only footage of Holly he had was destroyed in a fire.), and a fun Big Bopper performance short of utter hogwash Teen Idol garbage. Clark , reportedly , refused to release anything else from the vaults ,  fearing a lack of demand....HA !

Clark flourished in a business, where his predecessors , Dewey Phillips , Hoss Allen and others , remained local. Alan Freed was the patsy the industry needed. Though both men accepted payola , a VERY common practice at the time (It still must be , judging from the vile spew infecting the airwaves these 30 - plus years.), Clark was washed clean by the blood of the lamb , becoming the acceptable face and spokesman of Rock'n' Roll . Freed was the one they crucified , but , it was a slow death , languishing in poverty and obscurity. He lived to see The Twist , he lived to see The Beatles , but he never lived to reclaim  his good name. He openly loved Black music , as well as White wildmen like The Johnny Burnette Trio  , and , defied segregationists and people posing as men of God by encouraging kids of all races to get down on the floor, and have some fun together for a change.

About Clark , I won't say anything too bad (Though , you're free to rant , here.) . I've been doing that for years. There are many great moments in Rock'n'Roll that were captured on his watch , but , it appears extremely unlikely that his estate will make them available to the fans. One , in particular , when a Brownsville Station performance was abruptly cut short by a streaker who made it up on to the stage , probably has'nt even been viewed privately since it happened.

 

Regarding Dick Clark and MR.ROCK AND ROLL , THE MENSCH OF STEEL , ALAN FREED .

Bo Diddley : I remember Alan Freed told me about betting bricks thrown thru his winders , because he DEFIED the system.

Chuck Berry : THEE COMMUNITY TRADITON !

Bo Diddley : Then , our good friend ,Dick Clark, came in with "American Bandstand"....

Chuck: AHHHHH, But it was'nt the same.....We could'nt dance , we could'nt mingle with the audience.

Bo: Well , I think it was that the station was owned by Caucasians , who 'd forbidden him to go that far.....

Chuck: But , he was the master of ceremonies. (To Little Richard) TELL HIM MAN , TELL HIM WHY IT WAS DONE.

Little Richard : Because you were BLACK ! You was BLACK , and they did'nt want that done.THEY DID'NT WANT THOSE WHITE KIDS TO SEE NO BIG OL' GREASY BLACK GUY OUT OF ST. LOUIS , OUT OF GEORGIA , OUT OF CHICAGO. THEY WANTED THEIR KIDS TO SEE SEE SOME SMOOTH WHITE BOY , ON DUTY AND LOOKIN'...ROOTY !

I STILL SAY IT WAS A LIL' JEWISH BOY GOT IT ACROSS THE COUNTRY , WAS ALAN FREED , HE DID A GOOD JOB !

Chuck : A - men.

Richard: I LOVE YOU , ALAN , OW ! OW! ALAN !!!!!

From "Chuck Berry , Hail ! Hail ! Rock'n'Roll.".

 

[James Porter]

...and he had the Blasters on three times! (this interview segment was from a 1983 appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWHKABcSKWA