One of the cool things about being Facebook friends with Niagra from Destroy All Monsters is that she shares interesting videos. A few days ago, she posted a a clip from an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies featuring a young, very much alive Sharon Tate kissing Max “Jethro” Baer behind of the back of an unsuspecting Ms. Jane Hathaway, along with a story about the time Baer was brought backstage at a Stooges show in LA. According to Niagra, Ron Asheton insisted on calling the actor Jethro, which was apparently a big no no. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about tonight. Tonight, I wanted to share this clip from the documentary Nico Icon, which Niagra just posted. I know I’ve seen the film before, but I must have blocked this particular piece out. Once you watch it, I think you’ll know why.
It’s like some kind of test… If you can still respect someone after seeing them perform as a mime.
Hopefully footage does not exist of Max Baer in white-face. I don’t know that I could take losing two hereos in one day.
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No mention of Max Baer Jr is complete without reference to Penthouse model Chere Rhodes, who took her life at the actor’s home. Rhodes, who was 30 years old, was the girlfriend of Baer, who was at the time 70.
http://www.zimbio.com/Max+Baer,+Jr./articles/879116/Chere+Rhodes+Suicide+Pictures+Photos+Wallpapers
Never heard that one about Baer. I love that Ron kept calling him Jethro. Anyone know exactly where that video was shot? It’s Ypsi right?
Isn’t Baer in the flick “Macon County Line”? Cool movie…
Iggy can pull it off.
He looks so sad, though.
I think white-face has the opposite affect on my. I never liked Billy Crystal until I saw him play a mime in Spinal Tap.
Nico and Iggy lived together around here. I think it was somewhere on Packard, or some road that goes between Ann Arbor and Ypsi. I’m sure someone knows.
And I’m pissed at Mark for making me think of Bill Moyers made up as a mime.
Likewise, no mention of Max Baer Jr can be made without mention of his father, a famous fighter who once killed a man in the ring.
Given what I’m reading about the man, I can’t imagine that growing as Max Jr. would have been too wonderful of an experience.
http://maxbaer.org/theman.html
The funhouse was on Packard, across from the Big 10 Party store, more or less. I think that bank or credit union is roughly where the house stood. Nico just crashed there for a brief period.
Some really good Iggy documentary footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp7S9bcA5Vc
Iggy on meeting Nico and the Velvet Underground:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSAU1g2qsYo
And I’m a Facebook friend of Niagra’s too. That’s how I came to get these links. She’s a hell of a woman.
Mark Maynard, why are you ignoring our cries of solidarity? free your mind and your ass will follow! the kingdom of heaven is within!! We demand our united voice be heard! We refuse to return Jambo Man to the Michigan Roots Jamboree committee until our politely-worded constructive suggestions are given due consideration! Why, Mark Maynard, do you continue to silence the truth? On behalf of all the creatures of the watershed, we cry out in solidarity with all the animals and spirits and microorganisms that rely on markmaynard.com as their undisputedly best source of timely local news and commentary! We demand that our voice be heard so that we can join together with the blogf0llowers and politely make this constructive suggestion to the Jambo Society:
6. Add “James Osterberg Statue” to the potential project pool for parks improvements with an eye toward forming Andy Ypsilanti Statue exploratory committee at some point in the future.
Speaking of roots music, there is one giant taproot of creative music worldwide of the past 50 years that goes straight down into the earth of Ypsilanti (as defined by the United States Postal Service) This cat soaked up the rich and diverse cultural tapestry of our immediate vicinity putting in time in blues bands, digging Sun Ra, breathing in the Ann Arbor circa 1960s air, etc. and then teamed up with three other dudes, named themselves the (Psychedelic) Stooges dropped some of the most game-changing next-level rock and roll music of all time. Iggy Pop statue would allow our little city to formally claim its rightful position as the fountain of punk rock.