Rolling Stone Magazine No 146 October 25 1973 David Carradine Gram Parsons Al Green Gene Autry
We really tried this time. Let other publications deal with the
small, murky, unimportant things. We tried this time to find
you some heroes, fighters for the good and true. Its not our
fault they let us down. First, Kung Fu Master David Carradine
blabs to Tom Burke that he doesnt know the first thing about
martial arts: Its all faked, man, the fight scenes. Theyre, like,
choreographed. Then singing cowboy Gene Autry, after being
trailed through the plastic badlands of Hollywood and Orange
County by James Horwitz, turns out to be a 66-year-old grou-
pie for Richard Nixon. Finally, Tom Charles Huston, straight-
laced patriot and man with the plan for White House es-
Pionage, seems to be softening at 32, admitting to Terence
Sheridan, I look back on some of the things I said five, ten
years ago, and it scares the shit out of me! Well, what did.
you expect? Just because this is the best of all possible worlds
doesnt mean its any good.
MR. KUNG FU: After 500 acid trips and a
series of off-Broadway freakouts, David Carradine
is now ready to lead the world in the
Way of the Truth. I am like Che Guevara,
he tells our writer, except Im doing it ina TV
series. By Tom Burke 26
TRAVELS WITH TOM CHARLIE: Once he
was crossing swords with J. Edgar; now the
author of the Huston Plan is in a period of
crucial reassessment By Terence Sheridan 32
COME BACK, GENE: Remarks the author of
Mr. Autry, What the hell do you say to an
old hero when you're jammed up against his
stomach in an elevator and hes on his way to
see the President? Thrill-packed conclusion
inside By James Horwitz 21
BEFORE AL GREEN: There was W.C. Handy,
B.B. King and Willie Mitchell. And thats how
the Memphis Blues were born again
By Robert Palmer 17
Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov: Two Soviet intellectuals try to shout above the silence
of state violence and find that, curiously, it extends world-wide By Tony Weller 34
A Bizarre Death: Ex-Byrd Gram Parsons dies suddenly at 26, then his body is stolen
and burned. : By Patrick Sullivan 6
Jim Croce: A pop singer/songwriter on the way up is killed when his plane crashes
in a small Louisiana town. 6
Boob Tube Rock: Don Kirshner, Dick Clark and Midnight Special offer TV music
to the tinny ears of a transistorized generation. By Stu Werbing
Bootleg Blues: Down in Brownwood, Texas, the J-Mar Club sells all kinds of tapes
at cheap prices. Suspiciously cheap, according to state police. By Chet Flippo 8
A Misunderstood Band: Tower of Power wants it known theyre not an over-the-hill
soul band from San Francisco..First of all, theyre from Oakland.
By Dave Richmond 16
Wendy Waldmans Debut: The reviewer detects in the lyrics of this young song-
writer a vividly imagined spiritual restlessness. By Stephen Holden 43
Big Apple Soul: A black exposition at Lincoln Center turns into a two-week-long
dance party with a wildly participating audience. By Vince Aletti 18
{DEPARTMENTS}
World News Roundup 39 Singles 16
Performance 14 Random Notes 38
Records 43
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY GARY OVERACRE
Founded in California, by Jann Wenner back in 1967 Rolling Stone Magazine delved deep into the music world and frequently tackled political issues. In the first edition 11/9/1967 Wenner wrote that Rolling Stone "is not just about music, but about things & attitudes that the music scene embraces. However it quickly distanced itself from the underground newspapers of the time embracing traditional journalism & avoiding the radical politics championed by the underground press.