Morbid Motherly Up-Date

Nice to see that all five beneficiaries of the Zappa Family Trust are on the NRA's enemies list.

In related news, not at all nice to see that one-time Mother of Invention & Jet (of Ruben & the Jets) Euclid James "Motorhead/Motorishi" Sherwood died Xmas day 2011. Yes, 2011.

We knew nothing until we discovered that another Jet, Tony Duran (also played slide in post-Mothers F.Z. combos) who had been in one version or another of The Premiers, died the wk. before Motorhead.

We'd known Jim since June 1969, when we ran into him on a street in Paris. In L.A. we'd see him at rock'n'roll Ralphs, until sometime in the '70s or '80s when he made the "quit show biz (for awhile)" move & returned to the Antelope Valley to do something aesthetic/craftsy. We can't fucking remember what, may've been woodcarving.

If we kept up w/ Rolling Stone (as if it were still 1969) we might've seen their obit, which quotes the F.Z. biographical paragraph by which Jim will be remembered for however long anything/anyone is remembered.

Euclid James 'Motorhead' Sherwood I've known for 12 years. We were in high school in Lancaster together. He used to play baritone sax in the Omens. He has the ability to perform a dance known as the bug, which resembles an epileptic fit. He's one of those guys you say, "I know this guy who's really weird and I want to show him to you." He was our equipment handler for a while and when we started the atrocities we started handing him our instruments to see what would happen. He played things more imaginative than the proficient musicians could lay down. It was just him against the machine in his mouth, a saxophone. He is also very proficient at dolls and visual aids.

RS also called him "madcap."
Photo: Petra Niemeier - K & K/Redferns, 1967.

Counterclockwise Tony Duran (circled), Motorhead, "Buffalo Bob" Roberts, tenor player & the 42nd most influential tattoo artist, & bassist Bill Wild, on the first Ruben & The Jets album, For Real!

This reporter was in L.A. the spring of 1973 & attended some of the sessions for the album, at Paramount Recording on Santa Monica, east of Vine. It's still there, although Gold Star across the street has been a fucking mall since 1984.

Here Motorhead does some breathing exercises.We can only suppose that from here on it'll be double-obituary days, but yrs. late.

Citation needed indeed: Sherwood graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston^{[citation needed].} News to us.