Untold Story
Rolling Stones
Glimmer Twins
I felt music was my greatest passion and inspiration. The word inspire means
literally to fill with spirit. [14th century. Via French (Latin inspirare)
spirare "breathe"] Spirit and breathe or one and another. To affect, guide, or
arouse by divine influence. To me and my mind, in the early eighties, there was
no greater divine influence in music and in my life than the sounds coming from
the "Glimmer Twins." How the Stones came up with the nickname is one thing. What
that moniker meant to me had to do with the dreams I was sharing with Samantha.
Her spirit kept telling me that she had left another part of her in the world,
still incased in another physical body. Something like and akin to a twin. To me
and my mind, glimmer twin had to do with a twin of spirit and light. I was on
journey and quest to find the glimmering twin of Samantha's spirit -- according
to her in my dreams. Along the way, I had the inspirational sound of the
"Glimmer Twins" aka the Rolling Stones.
The year was 1981 and the album was "Tattoo You." I had been listening to the sounds of the Rolling Stones since 1967. I saw them on the Ed Sullivan show. I later saw television footage of them in concert. I freaked out (as a child) when I saw Mick Jaeger dancing and prancing. That was my style of dance. I had been buying their albums since 1978 catching up on their music from the sixties up until the 80's.
The Rolling Stones - Oct. 31, 1981, The Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
Believe it or not, there was a time when The Rolling Stones were actually cool. This tour in 1981, promoting their last great album Tattoo You, was in many ways the end of an era. They were still young enough to write good songs like "Start Me Up," but just old enough to be respected and awed. This was one of the great concerts in Dallas history (The Fabulous Thunderbirds and ZZ Top opened the show), played before a sold out crowd of 90,000. The masses got their money's worth, as The Stones opened with "Under My Thumb" and closed with "Satisfaction." In between, all present were drenched by a huge thunderstorm, but the band kept on playing. Mick Jagger, at one point, clothes soaked, hair matted, said into the cordless microphone, "I believe we are going to have to build an ark."
On the outside of the Cotton Bowl - there where protesters walking around carrying signs. They were protesting the presence of the Stones. Calling them names and accusing them of devil worshipping. They had all sorts of banners and signs dictating various words -- none of them any good in my eyes. Talking about hell, damnation, whores, devils, and demons. I told my friends,
"They must be from out of town. What Texan in his right mind would be out here in the rain protesting music? They must be from another country. I know the boys have a world wide following, but these protesters must be from another planet."
When we tried to walk around them -- they attacked us. Verbally.
"YOUR GOING TO HELL! PREPARE yourself for the WRATH of GOD and eternal DAMNATION. IF YOU enter into those doors -- you're entering the doors of HELL!"
I don't know about it being hell in the Cotton bowl that day. The Thunderstorm sort of kept it cool inside and outside. It was one hell of a show through. I got to see my two all time favorite Bands perform and I thought they kicked some protesting dog butt. I was introduced to a new band. The Fabulous Thunderbirds. What a show.
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