“It was that belief in the sinfulness of his own music, the sinfulness of himself, that set the music aflame with the frenzy of wickedness and the blackness of doom...he was a man for whom life had no meaning without the torments of hell.” — Nick Tosches on Jerry Lee Lewis #BOTD

A little Jerry Lee Lewis thread: we should take our jackets off for this one.

Jerry Lee Lewis' TV debut in 1957 on the Steve Allen show. Just 1 year before, Elvis appeared on same show, and Allen basically neutered him (put him in a tuxedo yuk yuk) A lot changed in one year. Gloves off. Let er rip. This performance is TERRIFYING.

A couple years back, someone on here passed on this clip to me - a ferocious almost otherworldly concert given by the fallen-from-grace Jerry Lee Lewis in England - if you were that person, I thank you! He's basically a shaman here:

... the kids crowding in close ... they want to touch him ... he's got something they not only want but need ... it must be such a strange feeling to be a person who can generate such a response ... it's almost scary.

And now ... here's Jerry Lee Lewis and Tom Jones doing a medley in 1969. This looks so easy ... I miss this kind of ease in performance. Just two old pros up there, no bells/whistles needed - they ARE the bells/whistles. Plus tight pants and turtlenecks.

Rolling Stone said: "Live At The Star Club, Hamburg is not an album, it’s a crime scene." Pretty much.

One of the greatest concert albums of all time. Like I said up thread - it's almost scary the frenzy he whips himself into. The crowd sounds like it's about to surge into an uncontrollable riot. They start chanting at one point like a political rally: "JER-RY. JER-RY. JER-RY."

The Star Club of course is where the Beatles wreaked havoc in 1962. Jerry Lee Lewis DESTROYED the place 2 years later. Here's his opener, "Mean Woman Blues." This album wasn't available in the US for ... decades? I'm sure one of you all will know.

A couple years back I went with my nephew and his friends to the Play It Loud exhibit at the Met. Right at the entrance was Jerry Lee Lewis' gold piano. He has this in his home. Because of course. You're Jerry Lee Lewis.

And lastly because I could go on forever: I had so much fun writing about Jerry Lee Lewis' short-lived participation in a 1968 rock 'n roll adaptation of OTHELLO called CATCH MY SOUL. He played Iago. There are rehearsal recordings. !!! Post on my site: http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=144395 

and yes I know it went on to be a movie, sans JLL. He didn't stay with the production long. It was too boring for him to do the same thing every night. But go listen to the two songs recorded during rehearsals to hear what he must have been like in the role.

I'll just say this: Iago is one of those parts that have challenged/mystified/stymied/intrigued actors/scholars thru the centuries. What drives him? Coleridge's "motiveless malignity" - !!! - is perfection. You have to get that or you don't "get" Iago. Jerry Lee Lewis "got" it.

The End. I love him.

Oh wait, no, I'm not done. Sam Phillips said that of all of the artists on his Sun Records roster - the two most talented - he considered their talent almost otherworldly - both were truly "touched" - were Howlin' Wolf and Jerry Lee Lewis.