THE ‘GANG’ MAKES GOOD

A few months back I mentioned the upcoming documentary Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street. Now, you can you can find the doc in theaters and it will be hitting streaming services on May 7th. Polygon has a positive review available and you can take in a new trailer just below.

Polygon Quote:
“Street Gang had the potential to be a dry story about lesson plans and case studies, but from the very start, the footage of wide-eyed children reacting to Sesame Street’s engaging early human cast is compelling. It’s one thing to have read in the past that Sesame Street was heavily designed to give poorer inner-city kids the educational boost that would let them start school on the same level as their white suburban peers. It’s another thing entirely to see how Street Gang was integrated from the start, in a TV environment that wouldn’t take up ‘diversity’ as a watchword for another five decades.”

PLASTIC ‘OH, YES’ BAND

With a new 8-disc boxed set available, John Lennon’s 1970 solo LP Plastic Ono Band is receiving much attention this week. Ringo Starr (drummer on the disc) hosted a listening party over Twitter and several stories are in the media. Variety chats with “Fifth Beatle” Klaus Voormann about his bass duties and Salon has a good overview of the new collection.

Variety Quote:
“Klaus Voormann: Playing with Ringo, what he can play, it was heavenly. Fantastic. Us playing together was never a problem. He knew I was playing the right thing. I knew he was playing the right thing. That just glued itself together naturally, like one thing. Don’t forget John’s rhythm guitar in there. I feel as if his rhythm guitar playing has long been underestimated. It’s amazing. I don’t know another who is that good. That was, for me, the best part of the Beatles – John’s rhythm guitar and Ringo’s drumming.”

REMEMBERING LES MCKEOWN OF THE BAY CITY ROLLERS

I was greatly saddened by the death of the Bay City Roller’s Les McKeown last week. I was a big fan and, as I wrote about years ago, the first record I ever bought was the Roller’s “Money Honey.” NewsFromME‘s, Mark Evanier has posted two stories; Les McKeown, R.I.P. & ASK me: The Bay City Rollers Show, looking back on his time as Head Writer for The Bay City Rollers Krofft television series.

News From ME Quote:
“In 1978, I was the Head Writer on The Krofft Superstar Hour, a live-action variety and adventure series on NBC’s Saturday morning schedule. It featured the Bay City Rollers, a once-popular Scottish rock group, mixed in with a bevy of other characters left over from other Saturday morn shows from the world of Sid and Marty Krofft. The program didn’t perform well in the ratings as an hour but after they cut it to a half-hour and renamed it The Bay City Rollers Show, it did well enough that NBC reran the thirteen episodes for several years.”

PASSINGS

Unfortunately, a heck of a lot of seventies notables have passed away in recent weeks. If it isn’t too depressing of an exercise you can read more at the links.

NPR: Paul Jackson, Headhunters Bassist Who Played With Herbie Hancock, Dies At 73

Hollywood Reporter: Walter Olkewicz, Actor on ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Grace Under Fire,’ Dies at 72, James Hampton, ‘F Troop,’ ‘Longest Yard’ and ‘Teen Wolf’ Actor, Dies at 84

Variety: Anne Beatts, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Writer and Creator of ‘Square Pegs,’ Dies at 74, A Tribute to Richard Rush: The Maverick Who Made ‘The Stunt Man’ Didn’t Direct Many Films, but Was Always Ahead of the Curve

Rolling Stone: Monte Hellman, Cult Director of ‘Two-Lane Blacktop,’ Dead at 91, Jim Steinman, Hitmaker for Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Dead at 73

____________

Previously on 70s In The News: Fanny, ‘Brady Bunch,’ Ringo Starr