Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Spent chunks of the weekend making a mix tape for my sister (she reads this blog hardly ever so I can tell you about it without spoiling the suprise), only for it to be chewed up on replay. As Clive Hale used to say, boo-jerry. A few notes arising however:

The purpose of the tape in the first place was to showcase the freaky stylings of Claudine Longet.





I bought her album Colours (Billboard peak #155) off Ebay because it features Flop Eared Hero Randy Newman playing piano on Claudine's rendition of I Think It's Gonna Rain Today.

Claudine is best known for being married to Andy Williams and the death of her boyfriend, colourful skiing identity Spider Sabich. As the linked fan website delicately puts it, a gun she was holding discharged into Sabich's stomach.

D'oh. I hate it when that happens.




While the world mourned for Spider Sabich, few tears were shed for the acting and singing career of Claudine which ended just as abruptly as Sabich's life that night. And that's a shame, for Claudine left behind a small legacy of film and TV appearances as well as a catalog of under-appreciated albums which embody the same lethal magic for which Spider Sabich paid so dearly.




Ah, oui. The lethal magic of Mme Longet. The Stones wrote a song about it.

Her *cough*unique*cough* singing is difficult to explain. A cutesy little girl voice, strong French accent and extremely disconcerting lisp. Skies stweaked with gwey It would make a kick-ass soundtrack for some spooky southern gothic mood piece. Otherwise it has a strange compel-repel effect. Mostly repel after a while.

FYI, she still lives in Aspen, where the fateful gun discharged and is married to her defence attorney. Not everyone is happy.


"I've always known she shot Spider Sabich and meant to do it," said Frank Tucker, the district attorney who prosecuted the case. "She was an over-the-hill glamour puss, and she was not going to lose another man. Andy Williams had already dumped her, and she was not going to be dumped again, thank you."




Miauler!


PS She isn't country, in case you are wondering.

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