Newspaper Page Text
October 2, 1991
FLAGPOLE MAGAZINE
Page 9
Tort: Yeah, the guys in the band, i mean, if it weren’t for them
we wouldn't be where we are now.
JM: Do you eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches?
Tort: I eat those and I pretty much eat anything I can get
my hands on. I like things with a lot of grease.
JM: So what's your favorite Elvis song?
Tort: Well, ah, I have two favorites. One was the song he
did at the end of the ’68 comeback special which was “if I
Could Dream' and the other one is “Love Me'.
JM: "But Love Me"?[begins humming the songj
Tort: Right. “Don’t treat me like a fool, treat me mean and
cruel...’
JM: Do you ever dream about Elvis?
Tort: Well, I do and they seem pretty real, too. I’ll tell you.
He comes to me and tells me things like, “Tortelvis, thank
you for fulfilling my wishes and doing this whole Dread
Zeppelin thing.’ I really believe if he were still around he’d
be doing this and I’d be out of a job.
JM: God knows what he'd be doin'. You know how like Tom
Jones covered that Prince song. “Kiss"? I figured that Elvis
would've done that before Tom. you know, because Tom
always fol'owed Elvis.
Tort: Yeah, Elvis picked some pretty weird songs to play
JM: So what's your favorite Elvis movie?
Torts For some reason, I really love Blue Hawaii. I think it
must be the Hawaiian setting. I’ve always loved the place
and the first time I saw the “Aloha from Hawaii' concert in
73 it was a great moment for me. So anything having to do
with Hawaii I really take a liking to.
JM: Have ya 'll played over there?
Tort: Yes we did We played out at the Hard Rock Cafe in
Honolulu.
JM: I've got a question down here that I wrote last night as
I mowed the grass Have you ever mowed the grass 9
Tort: Oh.. .well, it’s hard to say. I get out there with the lawn
mower and unfortunately, it’s one of those riding lawn
mowers and Charlie does all the steering and driving
JM: Are you in your jumpsuit?
Tort: I try not to be because of the neighbors, but every
once in a while I will be.
JM: I used to say I never trusted anybody that has never
mowed the grass.
Tort: I do go out and do that, in fact we’ve got a golf course
in the back of Graceland West — that's where I live in
California, it’s the exact copy of Graceland that I built out
there. We’ve got a golf course there. I like riding around on
the lawn mower, or on the golf carts that we have. I don't
actually play golf but I like riding around.
JM: Graceland West?
Tort: Yes. It's my home and I haven't advertised it or
anything. I’m trying to keep it private at least for right now
until I get a chance to be there for a while so I can maybe
open up a tour or something. It’s just a nice home. I live
there, the boys in the band have suites out in the back. So,
one of these days when I have nothing to do I’ll get a tour
going or something.
JM: Who else is in the band and what do they play?
Tort: There’s Fresh Cheese, he’s the drummer. He's a
former heavy-weight boxing champion and now he plays
drums. Put-Boy of course plays bass. Jah Paul Jo on guitar.
He’s the driver of the Peace and Love truck. There’s also
Carl Jah, the lead guitar. Ed Zeppelin plays congas and
Charley Haj who hands me water, towels...
JM: Scarves. [laughs]
Tort: Now that's spelled different than the original Charley
Hodge. It’s Hai with two dots over the H. He’s been with me
for a long time. It’s just a coincidence he has the same
sounding name.
JM: So. you'll have to come see my toenail. Elvis'toenail.
And I've got Elvis' wart too that I got from this doctor that cut
it off in 58
Tort: Do you really?
JM: Yeah
Tort: Now how do you keep [it] in fresh condition?
JM: It's in a tube and I guess it s got formaldehyde in it. It s
really gross lookin' and all. but I've got it in this shrine with
red velvet and everything...
Tort: Wow' That’s very interesting.
JM: He had this big wart on his wrist You 'd never notice
I think it's on his right hand If you look at pictures before
'58 it's like three warts combined It’s big I might could
bring that if you want to look at it
Tort: I think the guys in the band would probably really get
a kick out of that if they could see it.
For your chance to see Tortelvis and maybe even the
Elvis wart, go to the GA Theatre this Saturday. October5 for
the Dread Zeppelin show Canadian band. Northern Pikes
opens joni Mabe
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LEADING EDGE PLAYLIST
ARTIST
TITLE
LABEL
1* Robyn Hitchcock
So/Vegeta bon
A&M
2 B A D II
Rush/Globe
Columbia
3 Psychedelic Furs
1 4’ American
Until She Comes
Columbia
Music Club
Everdear/Why
Alias
1 5* Tin Machine
One Shot
Victory/PLG
1 6 Squeeze
Satisfied
Reprise
7 Primus
Tommy the Cat
Interscope
/E W Arne
1 8* Insane Jane
Once I
Sky
I 9* Billy Bragg
Sexuality
Elektra
10* Nine Inch Nails
Head Like a Hole
TVT
11 Alison Moyet
Hoodoo
Columbia
12*Transvision Vamp
B With U
MCA
14 Doves
I Wouldn't
Know You
Elektra
I 15 GaryClail
Human Nature
Perlecta/RCA
| 16 Smithereens
Top of the Pops
Capitol
17* Northside
Take Five
Capitol
18* Cult
Wild Heart Song
SirpjRepnse
19 NitzerEbb
Family Man
Geffen
20*REM
Radio/Texarkana
WB
BAND BREAKERS
Five Thirty
Atco
Matthew Sweet
Zoo
PM Dawn
Gee STreet/Island
Red Hot Chili Peppers Warner Brothers
Webb Wilder
Prax:s/Zoo
SPOTLIGHT
ARTISTS OF THE WEEK
Blur
Food/SBK
Carter U.S.M.
Chrysalis
Follow for Now
Chrysalis
Sam Phillips
Virgin
Seven Simons
TVT
Sons of Freedom Chrysalis
The Shamen
Epic
TOP 10 REGIONAL BAND TAPES
Catch 22
Daisy
Hillbilly Frankenstein Mind Over Matter
Nightporteis
Seven Simons
The Republic
The Violets
White Buffalo
Woggles
THE LEADING EDGE
OUT OF TOWN CLUB SCHEDULE
Macon
Oct 5 — Charlie
Columbia, SC
The Rose 912-745-7827
Pastorfield &
Rockefellers
Oct 2 —September
the Believers
803-798-1733
Oct 4 — Mundahs
Oct 6—Allan Holdsworth
Oct 2 — Simon Sez
Oct 5 — Ohm
Oct 3 — Calvin & Fnends,
Chapel Hill, NC
Treehouse
Savannah
Cat 's Cradle
Oct 4 — Egypt,
Congress St Station
919-967-9053
Fling hammer.
\ 912-233-5225
Oct 2 — Mel & the Party
Fluffy
Oct 2 — Allgood
Hats, Fire Apes,
Oct 5 — Blightobody,
Oct 3 — Something
Yams from
Fire Apes
Oct4-Derek St. Holmes
Outer Space
Oct 7 — Root Cellar,
1 Oct 5 — The Jody Gnnd
Oct 3 — Chicken
Busker Sound
Wire Gang
Check, Unheard
i Statesboro
Oct 4 — Nirvana,
Oct 8 — Angellica
’ The Rocking Eagle
Das Damen
j 912-681-7204
Oct 5 — Finger,
Charlestown, SC
Oct 2 — Something
Queen Sarah
Music Farm 803-722-7082
Oct 3 — The Grapes
Oct 8 — Scrawl
Oct 2—Eleventh Eprsode,
Oct 4 — The Jody Gnnd
Cry Babies
Oct 5—Derek St Holmes
Clemaon, SC
Oct 3 — Allgood
I Oct 6 -- Kermit
Esso Club 803-654-5120
Oct 4 — Groove Thangs
I Oct 8 — Jupiter Coyote
Oct 2 — Jay Stevens
Oct 5 — Dillon Fence
Oct 3 — The Contenders
Oct 6 — Anttseen,
Augueta
Oct 4 — Tumbleweed
Lethal Injection
Old Post Office
Ted
Oct 8 — Uphill Owns
404-736-5880
Oct 5 — Gavin Scott
Oct 2—People Who Must
Birmingham, AL
Oct 3—People Who Must
The Underground
The Nick 205-252-3831
Oct 4 — Rembrandts
803-654-5206
Oct 2 — Left Exit
Oct 2 — Stairway to
Oct 3 — Son of Slam,
Aaheville, NC
Heaven.
Road runners
Gatsby's 704-254-4248
Lee Persons
Oct 4 — Walk the West.
Oct 2 — Ann Cooms
Oct 8--Uncle Mingo
Chris Edmonds
Oct 3 — Jupiter's Eye
Oct 5 — Storm Orphans,
Oct 4 — Guitar Gabriel
Greenville, SC
Zallejo Brothers
Oct 5 — Blues with
AJ's Pumphouse
Oct 7 — Dash Rip Rock,
a Feeling
803-2714071
Mr Bubble
Oct 6 — Suspended
Oct 2 — Phydeaux
Oct 8 - Allgood.
Animation
Oct 3 — Naked Daze
Oct 4 — Killer Whales
White Buffalo
Charlotte, NC
Oct 5 — Freedom
Knoxville, TN
Double Door 704-376-1446
of Expression
Arnold's Falmmgo Gnil jj
Oct 2 — Groove Thangs
615-546 0404
Oct 3 — Mundahs
Oct 4 — Ellen James So „ f
Oct 4 — Sandra Wnght,
Insane Jane
Soul Kitchen
Oct 5 — Beanland ]
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