By Ralph Greco, Jr.
You know that six degrees from Kevin Bacon game people play to show their movie star acumen? It can be done with Vintage Rockers — and even some not so vintage — too. Below are the Top 10 Bacon Bits of Separation. See if you can make the connections in as few steps as suggested. I warn you, some of these might be true brainbusters for those of you not up on your rock and roll bacon bits!
1) From Ivan to Eno – You can get from Ivan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats to Brian Eno in four steps (As mentioned, the four steps includes the bookmarks here, Ivan and Brian. Clue: Think third.
2) Emo to Schmit – Another four-person Bacon, from maestro Keith Emerson to the Eagles’ bassist Timothy B. Schmit. Clue: Across country opposite of a NYC night.
3) Gentlemen, pull out your organs – 3.) No, for this game it’s not only that Gregg Allman and Rod Argent are only connected by the fact that they are both keyboard players (good try though). This one will take you six steps and includes a lady in the mix.
4) The Prince is a Diamond – Yes, Syd Barrett is dead but Prince isn’t…and neither is their connection, which can be made in four steps (with quite a few years in between). As in #3, a woman is involved with this one too.
5) Sometimes one acts like a super freak – This one concerns an actor (but in this case his singing is the clue) that will only take you three steps…from Neil Young to Eddie Murphy.
6) Bruce to Bowie – Can you make this three-person connection? Think Andy Warhol.
7) A tramp in this company – Another one that spans a couple of decades for the connection to see fruition includes a lady, three bands and four people getting Supertramp to Bad Company.
8) Have a little meat when you’re riding the train, praying ‘Dear God’ – Meatloaf, XTC and Grand Funk Railroad are all connected by just one person, so there’s really no steps in this triple connection, per se. No clues in this one either, as it’s just too damn easy.
9) In just a few, sly moves you’ll be feeling in the pink – Can you connect Pink Floyd and Sly and the Family Stone? There is one man between them so it is a series of three steps. Your clue here is to regard the very last of the last…in a manner of speaking.
10) The Beatles to Abba – Again, here is another with one clue…or more precisely one person linking these two bands but it will take you three steps.
Answers
1) Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull plays flute on “On Tuesday” from Men Without Hats third album (there’s the clue) Pop Goes The World and, of course, Eddie Jobson played on Jethro Tull’s A album and tour and replaced Brian Eno in Roxy Music.
2) On Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s 1977 double album Works, Volume I, there appears a song on Carl Palmer’s side of the album titled “L.A. Nights” (clue). None other than Joe Walsh plays on this tune, and is, of course, the guitar player in The Eagles, whihc also includes Timothy B. Schmit playing bass and singing those high vocals.
3) Gregg Allman was married to Cher, Cher was dating and had an album produced by Gene Simmons, Gene is of course a member of Kiss (one of the band’s archetects actually), Ace Frehley was the original guitarist with Kiss and scored a solo hit with his “Back In The New York Groove” written by Russ Ballard, guitarist in Argent, the band led by Rod Argent.
4) The Purple One played and did some arranging on Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes album, most notably on the song “Why Should I Love You?” Kate has worked with David Gilmour during her career, in fact, it was Gilmour who helped Bush make a more professional sounding demo after he heard her first tape. David Gilmour was a member of Pink Floyd as was Syd Barrett, the band’s initial principal songwriter and leader.
5) Eddie Murphy tried his hand at a singing career, recall his video for “Party All The Time”? Now do you remember what famous R&B funk bassist/vocalist was in the video with him, playing the part of Eddie’s producer – which he actually was – yes, the super freak himself Rick James, who was in the band the Mynah Birds with Neil Young in 1966.
6) Bruce Springsteen appears on the song and album Street Hassle by Lou Reed. Reed is friends with David Bowie.
7) On Supertramp’s 1982 album Famous Last Words, Ann Wilson of Heart lends her vocal to “Put On Your Old Brown Shoes” and “C’est Le Bon.” Howard Leese played guitar and keys with Heart from 1975-1997 and could be recently found to be playing guitar with Bad Compnay, as well in Paul Rodgers’ solo band.
8) Meatloaf, XTC and Grand Funk Railroad (and so many others) are all connected by the fact that Todd Rungren produced albums for them…and hit albums at that.
9) Drummer Andy Newmark played in the Family Stone and is also the drummer on the last track of Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut.
10) Phil Collins is part of the audience during one of the Beatles live performances in a Hard Days Night. In 1982, Collins produced ABBA singer Frida Lyngstad’s Something’s Going On album.
