Neal and 'the Pearl,' Janis Joplin--a duet of two power rockers
The painting above "Pearl" is a kind of "Where's Waldo?" collage--which could evoke a response like, "Holy sh..! Has he got the kitchen sink in there too?!" You're going to have to study this one for a while, maybe with a magnifying glass, to find all of the past and present rockers in this painting.
I guess you could say that I was inspired to create this piece of digital art during the composition of my "Royal Bliss" blog entry (right underneath this entry) wherein I compared Neal Middleton's voice to that of Janis Joplin (a.k.a. "The Pearl").
I first saw Janis perform live at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City, I believe in 1967 (though I could be mistaken about the date). She was lead singer for "Big Brother and the Holden Company." I still enjoy crankin' up "A Piece of My Heart" and "Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me...." But standing there, maybe twenty feet away, as she sang those songs "live" was an experience that can't be replicated by a CD, as evidenced by the fact that 40 years later, I can still feel the power of her voice shaking the glass chandeliers in the Terrace Ballroom.The question that struck my feeling-no-pain brain as I stood there mesmerized that night (the Terrace had no chairs to sit on) was, "How could such a tiny little thing with the petite little laugh of a school girl belt out songs with the power of a train blasting its horn through an intersection?" And even more amazing was how Joplin managed to kill an entire fifth of Southern Comfort during the performance and still remain standing. Maybe it was a prop filled with water? No, I don't think so. It was one of those "won't-forget-that" experiences--which brings me to Neal Middleton, lead singer, spiritual advisor, motivator, tour bus driver, Mom--no Dad (Linzie's the Mom) for "Royal Bliss."If you've seen "Royal Bliss" in concert, you know what I'm talking about as I describe one of their crescendos when the band is kicking it, bringing the crowd to a climax, and then, at the peak of a refrain, guitars and bass blazing, Neal over-powers them and goes into one of his patented decibel-bending controlled screams, head thrown back, long hair flying in a frenzie suggestive of what might have resulted from sticking one's finger in a light socket, an expression on his face that combines the agony of "I just pushed my voice to the frigging limit" with the ecstasy of "I'm giving you everything I've got," and the result is one of those transcendental moments similar to that which I experienced at the Terrace Ballroom 40 years ago.
And I'm willing to bet (although I won't be around to collect on it because I'm 61 right now and there's no way I'm going to live to be 101) that 40 years from now, somebody will be talking to somebody about a magical concert moment he or she experienced 40 years earlier while groovin' to "Royal Bliss" when Neal and the boys were belting out "Save Me" or some other hit (they're going to have a lot of them), giving it everything, and then, the magical moment occurs when Neal hits one of his lung-bursting power notes, causing the audience to collectively conclude: "Oh my God. That guy can sing!"
And I'm willing to bet (although I won't be around to collect on it because I'm 61 right now and there's no way I'm going to live to be 101) that 40 years from now, somebody will be talking to somebody about a magical concert moment he or she experienced 40 years earlier while groovin' to "Royal Bliss" when Neal and the boys were belting out "Save Me" or some other hit (they're going to have a lot of them), giving it everything, and then, the magical moment occurs when Neal hits one of his lung-bursting power notes, causing the audience to collectively conclude: "Oh my God. That guy can sing!"
Unfortunately, we'll never be able to hear a duet between Joplin and Neal, backed by "Royal Bliss," so I thought it would be interesting to do a collage piece with both rockers engaged in a dueling duet. OK, I got carried away with the "Where's Waldo" theme! But a cool thing about a very busy collage is that you can come back to it time after time and still find something new, especially if you're in a special frame of mind--no what I mean?
On a final note: I didn't realize that Linzie (Royal Bliss' Mom) was a Joplin fan until she expressed such in a comment she wrote about my "Royal Bliss" entry, going so far as to say that she planned to name her daughter Joplin. OK, is there something you haven't told us yet, Linzie? No matter. I dedicate the second painting, which I call "Pearl," to you and little Joplin, even if she is still just a gleam in Neal's eye.
On a final note: I didn't realize that Linzie (Royal Bliss' Mom) was a Joplin fan until she expressed such in a comment she wrote about my "Royal Bliss" entry, going so far as to say that she planned to name her daughter Joplin. OK, is there something you haven't told us yet, Linzie? No matter. I dedicate the second painting, which I call "Pearl," to you and little Joplin, even if she is still just a gleam in Neal's eye.
Note: For additional blogs on "Royal Bliss" and other interesting topics, click on the icon "older posts" below to navigate to the next page of entries.
