The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they released their first single "Upside Down" in 1984, their debut album Psychocandy was released to critical acclaim in 1985 on major label WEA. The band went on to release five more studio albums before disbanding in 1999, they reunited in 2007. Brothers Jim and William Reid had been inspired to form a band as far back as 1977, having heard groups of the British punk scene. William stated, "It was perfect timing. Everybody was making this electronic pop music." Before forming the band, the brothers had spent five years on the dole, during which they wrote and recorded songs at home and worked out the sound and image of the band. Called The Poppy Seeds, Death of Joey, they told journalists that they had taken their eventual name from a line in a Bing Crosby film, although six months they admitted that this was not true.
Other accounts suggest that the name derived from an offer on a breakfast cereal packet, where customers could send off for a gold Jesus & Mary chain. The brothers started recording and sending demos to record companies in 1983, by early 1984 they had recruited bass player Douglas Hart and teenage drummer Murray Dalglish. Early influences included The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, The Shangri-Las, William stating in 1985, "We all love The Shangri-Las, one day we're going to make Shangri-Las records." Jim mentioned his liking for Pink Floyd and the Banshees, The Monkees and Muddy Waters. Early demos displayed a similarity to the Ramones, prompting the brothers to add another element to their sound. We want to make records that sound different." They began playing live in Spring 1984. In the early days William Reid's guitar would be left out of tune, while Dalglish's drum kit was limited to two drums, Hart's bass guitar only had three strings, down to two by 1985. Two is enough."Struggling to get gigs, the band took to turning up at venues claiming to be the support band, playing their short set and making a quick exit.
After failing to generate any interest from concert promoters and record labels in Scotland, the band relocated to Fulham, London, in May 1984, soon afterwards their demo tape was passed to fellow Scot Alan McGee by Bobby Gillespie. Subsequently, McGee promoted a gig for the band at the Living Room in London in June 1984. On the strength of hearing the band sound check, McGee signed them to his Creation Records label on a one-off deal, McGee became the band's manager, their debut single, "Upside Down", was released in November that year. The sessions were produced by Joe Foster, but McGee, unsatisfied with Foster's work, remixed the A-side, although the B-side, a cover version of Syd Barrett's "Vegetable Man", remained credited to Foster; the band were gaining increasing attention from the music press at this time with Neil Taylor of the NME describing them as "the best band in the world". Dalglish left in November 1984 after a dispute over money and was replaced shortly afterwards by Bobby Gillespie who had formed Primal Scream two years earlier in 1982.
In December the band were arrested for possession of amphetamines, Jim Reid confessed to using LSD. "Upside Down" topped the UK Indie Chart in February 1985 and again in March and stayed on the chart for 76 weeks, selling around 35,000 copies in total, making it one of the biggest-selling indie singles of the 1980s. Playing in front of small audiences, during early shows the Mary Chain performed short gigs fuelled by amphetamines and lasting around 20 minutes, played with their backs to the audience, refusing to speak to them. In late December 1984, the band performed as part of the ICA Rock Week. During their performance, bottles were thrown on stage, with press reports exaggerating events and claiming that there had been a riot, national newspaper The Sun running a story on the band concentrating on violence and drugs, the band attracting the tag "The new Sex Pistols"; this led several local councils to ban the band from performing in their area. The success of "Upside Down" led to interest from WEA-subsidiary Blanco y Negro Records which signed the group in early 1985.
The group released the single "Never Understand" in February which reached number forty-seven in the UK Singles Chart. The label had refused to press the single due to its B-side, "Suck", but went ahead given the alternative put forward by the band, a song called "Jesus Fuck"; the band were eager to get "Jesus Fuck" released, Alan McGee got as far as producing test pressings of a re-issue of "Upside Down" with the song on the B-side, before the band insisted that Blanco y Negro include the track on their next single. The follow-up, "You Trip Me Up", was delayed due to staff at the pressing plant refusing to press it due to the presence of the song, now re-titled "Jesus Suck". John Peel got the band to record a second session for his BBC Radio 1 show in February 1985, the band made a TV appearance on Whistle Test in March and The Tube the same year; the third single for Blanco y Negro, "Just Like Honey", released in October, gave them their biggest hit to date, rea
A flea circus is a circus sideshow attraction in which fleas are attached to miniature carts and other items, encouraged to perform circus acts within a small housing. The first records of flea performances were from watchmakers who were demonstrating their metalworking skills. In 1578, Mark Scaliot produced a chain that were attached to a flea; the first recorded flea circus dates back to the early 1820s, when an Italian impresario called Louis Bertolotto advertised an “extraordinary exhibition of industrious fleas” on Regent Street, London. Some flea circuses persisted in small venues in the United States as late as the 1960s; the flea circus at Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, England, was still operating in 1970. At least one genuine flea circus still performs and Svensons in the UK use real fleas, but most flea circuses are a sideline of magicians and clowns, use electrical or mechanical effects instead of real fleas. Fleas live only for a few months and are not trained. Fleas are observed to see if they have a predisposition for walking.
Once sorted, they are harnessed by wrapping a thin gold wire around their neck. Once in the harness, the fleas stay in it for life; the harnesses are attached to the props and the strong legs of the flea allow them to move objects larger than themselves. Jumping fleas are used for kicking small lightweight balls, they are given a ball. Running fleas can pull small carts and vehicles or rotate a Ferris wheel. There are historical reports of fleas glued to the base of the flea circus enclosure. Miniature musical instruments were glued to the flea performers and the enclosure was heated; the fleas fought giving the impression of playing instruments. Some flea circuses in fact do not. A variety of electrical and mechanical devices have been used to augment exhibits. In some cases, these mechanisms are responsible for all of the "acts", with loose fleas in the exhibit maintaining the illusion; these circuses are known as "Humbug" flea circuses. Michael Bentine gave a mechanical flea circus a regular slot on his television show, It's a Square World in the 1960s.
Current flea circuses: Professor A. G. Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Flea Circus has been touring the United States and Canada since 1996. Svensons have been performing in the UK since 1999, have appeared in media. Swami Bill's Flea Circus is featured at the Denver County Fair. Professor B's Flea Circus has been performing in USA for the last few years; the Flohcircus Birk at the Munich Oktoberfest in Germany. Professor Humbug’s Flea Circus performing at Seattle's famous Pike's Place Market. In the 1990s, María Fernanda Cardoso toured the world with her installation art flea circus. Professor Heckler's flea circus can be seen in the background of the films Easy Rider. L. Bertolotto ran a famous flea circus in London. Flea circuses have featured in cartoons, television shows and novels. "Fleas: The Lethal Leapers". National Geographic. 173. May 1988. Jay's Journal of Anomalies, ISBN 1-59372-000-9 Loving batbat by Gougou Wild Tigers & Tame Fleas by William Ballantine, Annals of the New York Stage by George C.
Odel Bertolotto, L. The history of the flea: With notes and observations. London: Crozier. Bertolotto, L.. The history of the flea: With notes and observations. New York: John Axford. OCLC 11028632; the Compleat Flea by Brendan Lehan The Faithful Annalist: Or The Epitome Of The English History "Old-Time Vaudeville Looks Young Again" New York Times, Nov 24, 2002 "Revive the Charm of an 1800s Show with These Modern-Day Flea Circuses" Smithsonian Online, November 29, 2017 British Pathe News List of Historical Flea Circus Performers ShowHistory. Com Flea circus research and directory of current performers fleacircus.co.uk
Aneury Rodríguez is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros and in Korea Baseball Organization for the Samsung Lions. Rodríguez signed with the Colorado Rockies as an international free agent in 2005, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jason Hammel in 2009. Following the 2010 season, Rodríguez was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Houston Astros, he pitched for the Astros in 2011 and 2012. After the 2012 season, Rodríguez signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, he pitched in 11 games for Samsung in 2013 before being released. Rule 5 draft results Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference Rodríguez – Korea Baseball Organization Aneury Rodríguez – Samsung Lions