Go Ask Alice (or Grace)

Grace Slick Art Exhibition
Wentworth Gallery
Westfield West County
Des Peres, MO
Saturday, June 16, 2007
free

Okay, this one isn't a performance of live music. But I got to talk to a true legend of rock, so I'm going to write about it.

My music taste evolution basically went from top 40 to MTV hair metal to classic rock to progressive rock and other arty rock. There were a lot of crossover years when I liked both metal and classic rock, but one more than the other. I barely like any metal these days. There was also a strange little crossover from top 40 pop to classic rock.

When I was 12, my favorite song was Starship's Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now. I even saw that awful movie Mannequin because the song was in the movie (and because it was shot in Philly). I bought both Starship cassettes. And then, I learned about the history of the band and how Starship used to be Jefferson Starship who used to be Jefferson Airplane. And so I bought Surrealistic Pillow. It was my first classic rock album, er, cassette. It warped my pointed little head.

Almost 20 years later, I still like the band. I have a few of their albums, and I still happily sing along with White Rabbit and Somebody to Love when they're on the radio. Sometimes I surprise Roy by singing along with Lather and Volunteers, because he doesn't know those.

I never got to see Jefferson Airplane live. :-( I had the opportunity, when they did a reunion tour a year later. One of my regrets. I've tried to never let something like that slip by again. I don't have much interest in any of the off-shoot bands.

So anyway, I was running around doing errands and went to a suburban mall, out near where my mother-in-law lives. This mall has an art gallery. There was a sign that Grace Slick would be there for an exhibition in a couple weeks.

Roy and I went. I thought about digging up my old cassette for an autograph. Roy thought it was a good idea, but I was embarrassed about it being a cassette and not an LP or something better. Good thing, there was a sign by the door that no memorabilia would be signed.

We looked around and there was no sign of Grace. The paintings were nice. Lots of portraits of 60s era musicians and art based on Alice in Wonderland. The originals weren't too expensive, starting around $7000, but the prints were in the $2000s. I wasn't planning on buying one anyway, but still...

While we were there, Grace came out to a roped off table. She still looks and sounds the same, but with white hair now. Anyone who bought a picture could go inside the ropes, get an autograph, picture, handshake. In between those, Grace was informally talking and answering questions from us little people on the other side of the rope. She didn't seem to mind, but she did tell us to speak loud because she's half deaf.

She seemed pretty open and friendly. One person tried to give her a CD demo. The guard took it, and Grace explained why she didn't listen to demos, but she was nice about it and tried to let the girl down gently. Another person asked her about places she has lived and if she gets back to her hometown in nearby Illinois often.

I knew in advance what I'd say if I got the chance to talk to her. I didn't want to interupt her, but it got quiet and she made eye contact with me. "Grace, my favorite song when I was 12 years old was Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now. It led me to buying Surrealistic Pillow." She replied, "It's a good thing you listened to Surrealistic Pillow and not". She paused there. I said quietly "No Protection", the album with that song on it, but she mentioned "Knee Deep in the Hoopla!", which she said disdainfully, like she's embarrassed by its existence. I followed up with how I've been enjoying her music for the last 20 years. We left after that.

I can think of so many musicians with similar histories - did creative important music and then got suckered into the top 40 limelight and now regret it. Yes, Steve Winwood, Heart, now Grace Slick, ... Not that these bands didn't do some good work then, but most of it is so superficial in comparison to their best work. It seems like the record companies matured into big businesses right around the time visuals became so important with MTV. Everything got pushed towards making money and being flashy.

The only band that comes to mind that moved from classic progressive rock to top 40 and is still happy with it is Genesis. I don't know why they're different, but I do like a lot of their 80s material.

And maybe the band I'm seeing tomorrow night. Asia, who had a strong debut album, but whose members did much more interesting things before that band. Howe, Wetton, and Palmer all consider their earlier bands Yes, Crimson, and ELP, respectively, as what they are most proud of, but they seem to be having fun playing Asia music again.