Lani Hall/Karen Philipp

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nativo

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This question goes out to Jon the Brasil Nut.

You mentioned that Lani and Karen are still friends to this day....and that Karen speaks highly of Sergio Mendes.....If this is true..then i am happy to hear that and i always hoped they would be friends (i don't know why this is important to me...but it is)However...I heard from my friend Brandon Bergeron who spoke with Sergio after one of his recent shows and he said that Sergio said that he hasn't spoken with Karen in "years".....and what I thought may have happened is that he basically didn't want anything to do with her after the comments she made publically in Playboy.....she basically "dissed" the whole style of the band calling it "prepackaged" and "sophisticated muzak" and that the lyrics were not "stimulating"

I have the Music Scene and have really studied everything i can from these two songs Ye Me Le (one of my favorite Brasil '66 songs) and Wichita Lineman. Lani almost looks scared to me....as she claps her hands and stairs straight ahead.....while Karen seems to be in a very good mood....I really like the way she closes her eyes (with white painted lids) and moves her head at the end of Wichita Lineman....I find then both very intereting and really like the idea of them being friends.....but Karen just seems a lot wilder than Lani....I mean she admits in her playboy article to having lots of meaningless sex with people in Las Vegas and Hollywood. I know she is married now...but this was a crazier time period with lots of people taking drugs and lots of sex...and about her comments in Playboy & the experimenting with pills (do you know if they were prescribed or if this was street purchases?).

Lani has just never struck me as a women that would experiment with...or would use drugs...I may be wrong..it is just my own intuition that says this.
Do you agree with my assessment on this? But i respect both Karen and Lani for their choices and their own personal styles. But how much do we really know about their personal lives and their personalities....did they argue while touring together? All these other bands for example Fleetwood Mac...Stevie Nicks says that their was lots of bickering and that they had their differences...An avid fan of Brasil '66---I would like to know their story....I would like to know the nitty gritty about Lani and Karen Lives and their own friendship (if there ever was a friendship).. I wish the Playboy article would have been more specific about Karen and about who she liked and didn't like in the group....who it was specifically that she dated from Brasil '66 etc...was it street drugs or prescribed pills...Magazines today seem to be way more detail oriented and tell sooooo much more about people in the spotlight. In a way i like the mystery to it....in another way I crave more info. Do you agree?

I wonder also how they can remain friends if Sergio doesn't want to speak with Karen? It almost has like a "family" dynamic to it....almost as if they are sisters or something and the father is angry with one of the daughters? But hey...if the sisters still speak than that's cool. I too long for a Brasil '66 reunion. I just wish it was possible for all of them to make ammends with their differences.
 
Well, I'm not Jon...but I think I should address your concerns.

It seems to me that you might be assuming some things...and some of the issues you raise are personal in nature, VERY personal. The relationship that Sergio, Lani and Karen have or have had is their concern, not ours...if there isn't a lot written about it, maybe they all want it that way. It really isn't any of our business...is it? Why do you want to know if ANYBODY used drugs? Is anybody's sexlife anybody else's concern unless you're in a relationship with them?

Sometimes the past really should be left in the past...everybody; Karen, Sergio and Lani seem to be happy. Why not let sleeping dogs lie...


This is my two cents...maybe you don't think it's worth that much, but I felt like I had to say it anyway...


Dan
 
Book 'em, Dan-O! You said it quite politely, at that. Nativo's entry is a perfect distillation of the gossipy, tabloid level of discourse this website can sink to -- petty jealousies and drugs. Another recent thread titled 'Bossa Nova and Ruy Castro' ignored the vast research of a fine book -- only to dwell on Karen's miniskirt during a Chicago performance and that Robert Kennedy tried to 'hit' on her backstage. How tawdry is this going to get? I can just see it -- "Bobby left with Claudine Longet, leaving Andy Williams to discover the joys of Ethel."
When the first-ever CDs of 'Love Music' and 'Vintage '74' were released last week, did anyone talk about the music or the pressing quality? They were barely touched upon. Instead, the thread was full of carping about the booklet covers and more speculation about Gracinha and Lani.
It has been said,"Americans go deeply into the surface of things." Perhaps this site's moderators might 'raise the bar' now and then and help steer the conversation to more informative, meaningful lines of thought and insight: how and why this music on A&M is so good, different, and better than just about anything else out there seems to be a natural center core to be writing from and keep touching upon.
 
I'm 49 years old been married for 24 years and in the music biz since I was 18. I've known and worked with lots of girl singers and I am still "shocked" or at least suprised at the stuff that went and goes on with the singers and musicians etc. I guess it's the indoctrination of the good Sisters of Notre Dame that's done it to me. I was fortunate in high school to hear the "Brazil 66" w/Lani & Karen in concert and I'm still in love with them. But don't tell my wife. :angel: (Doing the mastering this week of "Jazz, Pizzazz, & Latino) Later...Jay
 
snapcrotch said:
When the first-ever CDs of 'Love Music' and 'Vintage '74' were released last week, did anyone talk about the music or the pressing quality? They were barely touched upon. Instead, the thread was full of carping about the booklet covers and more speculation about Gracinha and Lani.

There are still quite a few members that have not yet received their copies of these new releases. I'm still waiting, and can assure you that I'll be making posts regarding said audio qualities as soon as I can. For now, I've been able to glean that LOVE MUSIC sounded 'hissy' and that VINTAGE '74 was a bit better. What's your opinion?

snapcrotch said:
It has been said,"Americans go deeply into the surface of things." Perhaps this site's moderators might 'raise the bar' now and then and help steer the conversation to more informative, meaningful lines of thought and insight: how and why this music on A&M is so good, different, and better than just about anything else out there seems to be a natural center core to be writing from and keep touching upon.

We try to be fair and open here. When topics get off-track, that's one thing, and we're not that picky here. When they degrade into public personalities' private lives, we do try to reign those in. The particular thread about Lani and Gracinha being friends seems harmless enough -- we should all have friends. Karen Philipp and drugs -- that's getting borderline, but it's only been mentioned in passing and in relation to public interviews she's given, so, so far, it's not been out of bounds.

Many of the 'secrets' of A&M lie in the world of conjecture. There's no one in an official capacity here to set the record straight -- at least not so far. We're always hopeful. So often our discussions have to rely on our own observations and the sharing of that information with others.

If there's anything in any thread that you are annoyed about, report that annoyance to a moderator with either a private message or an email. We can't know what's on everyone's mind unless you tell us.

Harry
 
Harry said:
In all my years here, I can't recall anyone who's very young posting here at all. I think we'd be able to tell. I'd be more afraid of my kids listening to morning radio or TV than about them reading about 'BOOBS' on this website's discussion forum.

Yep. I think Joe down in New Orleans was our youngest "regular member" at 13 IIRC. Most of the rest of us are mid-20s plus and a LOT of us are 40 plus (though you wouldn't know it by our obsessive discussions about Boobs! :wink:

--Mr Bill
noting his dictionary lists both "breast" and "person of inferior intelligence" among the definitions of "Boob"...
 
i posted the original excerpt from the bossa nova book. that just happened to be the first paragraph about the chapter on sergio. i plainly said i was willing to post more, if anyone wanted me to, but my typing was bad, so i was waiting to see if anyone was interested.

obviously i am a strong brasil 66 fan and supporter if you'd bother to read any of my 20+ posts here. this is the first time i posted anything near gossipy. and what was the big deal? i thought it was funny. thats why i posted it. it wasn't even dirty. he approached her, she turned her down. big friggin deal. i posted it as a laugh. after all its what grabbed my interest in an otherwise dull book.

my point is if you'd bother to read my other posts they are anything but gossipy.

also the cds "love music" and "vintage 74" musical merits have been described in detail all over this forum in the past. just read the old posts!

i originally was overjoyed to find this forum. i thought it was a dream come true. now it seems to be overtaken by a bunch of tipper gores!!!!

boob talk indeed. that whole coversation was so tame, any 14 year old could hear it on any current sitcom. and why do you think sergio put a "breast" on an abum cover anyway? the fact that he did it way back then is worth A DOZEN discussions here! it is sensual! it is beautiful! its what brasilian music has always been about! what do you think "the girl from ipanema" was about? Why do you think karen and lani wore miniskirts in the first place?

just remember there is a difference between art and pornography. between a sensual nude on a bossa nova album cover and a copy of hustler.

and i'll certainly not post anything near "spicy" in the future. i was just trying to share something i thought interesting and funny that maybe you hadn't read.

walt
 
Walt, you've nothing to be upset about. Continue as you've been going. There's nothing wrong with what you've posted.

As for keying in book excerpts, though, that gets into the grey area of copyright infringement. Continue to paraphrase -- that's fine, and do continue to give credit to the author. As I said -- you're fine!

Harry
...noting that the second definition of 'boob' may be more applicable to this thread, online...
 
thanks harry

it really is a great forum.

its the highlight of my addictive net browsing. i dream about lani hall. (in the sixties, with ball earrings AND A LIME MINISKIRT)

and i'm gay!

anyway thanks again
for running such i great one.

and i haven't even gotten into the herb section yet.

valty
 
cakeicer said:
As to this thread all I can say is GOOD GRIEF!

_566045_good_grief.gif


Harry
 
I guess I'm a little sensitive when it comes to "boundary issues"...and this seemed to be one of those issues. Conjecture can lead to speculation, and speculation to assumptions, and assumptions to conclusions. You can form opinions and make value judgements without knowing the facts...and we don't know all the facts. It might be a tantalizing mystery, but ultimately, there isn't a right answer to the questions posed, because we aren't privy to enough info. And, it isn't really that important an issue anyway...


Dan, struggling with codependent tendencies[in regard to relationships, that is...]
 
WOW!

I think Brasil_Nut said (I am paraphrasing) that we brasil '66 fans come from all different walks of life. And that's what makes this Forum so special or interesting.

I know I have a past (I think we all do in some way or another). But I have moved on. I don't regret any of it, and I openly would talk about it.

People grow with age. They get wisdom, life experience, and wrinkles.

I am almost at Karen's ripe old age of 26 when she was featured in Playboy. (yes, I am younger than most of you all) And I hope in 30 years, I have a different perspective on life than I do now as she probably does.

The singers were young, a bit naive, and probably a little scared... But most of all, Karen and Lani are human. (this is something that all the singers have in common)

Can we accept that the relationships of brasil '66 may be a bit of a mystery and move on (like the singers have)?

Trevor
 
Well, one of the points waaay up in the top of this thread had to do with Sergio saying he hadn't talked to Karen in "years," and the inference that this means they now hate each other.

This is ridiculous. People grow, change and drift apart. I have hundreds of friends, acquaintences and even relatives that I haven't talked to "in years" but it doesn't mean I don't still like them! :rolleyes:
 
Well...

Seeing as the original question was aimed at me, I guess I should add my two cents.

First of all, I don't think Nativo was out of line in asking these questions at all. As Harry stated, these are things that Karen shared publicly. This is an A&M Forum for those interested in the music, mystique and magic that is A&M Records. As such, when a devoted fan such as Nativo asks a question, the question should be answered with courtesy and respect. As such, I agree that innuendo plays a large role in trying to figure out the dynamics of a singing group. That goes without saying. Unless, of course, the artists have gone on record to define said dynamics -- now we have another story. Seems Ms. Philipp did exactly that with Playboy, TV Guide, People and other publications. She layed it out there for all to read. Here we are, 30 years later, speculating about what might and might not have occured within Brasil '66. Again, this is a natural thing to happen, especially on an A&M Fan-Related website such as A&M Corner.

I am here to say that Karen Philipp, these days, is an extremely private person. I'm honored to know a few of her friends and acquaintances and can assure everyone that she is happy, healthy and without malice in regard to Brasil '77. As some have stated in this thread, that was well over 30 years ago. We all grow and mature, we all mellow with age. Enough said about that!

As for Sergio's comment to Brandon and I...it was following Sergio's evening performance at Flint Center in Cupertino, California. It was (correct me if I'm wrong on the date Brandon...) either the 15th or 16th of September -- about a week following the September 11th attacks. We were all waiting at the stage door when Sergio's reps came out and said, "Sergio will out in a few minutes. He has asked that no photos be taken..." Sure enough, here came Sergio -- nice and gracious as ever. He signed a poster for a friend of mine, chatted with a woman and her kids, signed Brandon's Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 CD insert and commented on the organization of the group. This is when he told us that the first album was Lani double-tracked, that BiBi Vogel backed out at the last minute and confirmed that Janis appears on the back-cover photo. I believe it was either Brandon or I who asked if Janis Hansen the singer was Janis Hansen the actress. "No...Karen was the actress," he said. One of us (who was it Brandon? I don't remember...) said, "How is Karen these days?" to which Sergio made the passing comment, "I haven't seen Karen in years..." "She was great," I remember saying. He shook his head affirmatively. "She was a great singer..." That's all that was said on the subject of Karen Philipp. Brandon was right there -- he shared the conversation with me -- and this is exactly what was said. No more, no less. No indication that Sergio didn't like Karen. No indication that Karen didn't like Sergio. A simple, "She was a great singer..." and that was all.

Now, I can confirm that Lani and Karen have remained close friends over the years. Lani was a frequent visitor to Karen's Los Angeles home back in the '70s and '80s with Aria in tow.

As for Lani and Gracinha, Gracinha and I have talked on many occasions. Matter of fact, once again, I shared a lengthy converation with Gracinha in the company of another A&M Corner Regular -- my Sergio Mendes Comrade and Brother-In-Arms, Paul Jeromack -- at the world-famous Blue Note jazz club in New York City last November. Paul and I saw Sergio & Brasil 2002 perform four times that weekend, and spent time between shows with the band members, as well as Sergio and Gracinha, upstairs in the dressing rooms. We had a marvelous time.

Gracinha spoke well of Lani and Herb. She and Lani are very good friends. Matter of fact, the Alpert and Mendes families spend Christmas together every year -- it's a tradition -- unless, of course, Sergio and Gracinha have gone to Brasil for the holidays. Not only was this mentioned by Lani in an interview, but both she and Gracinha have mentioned this in private conversation. In truth, they are like a family.

In regard to this nonsense about the "Breast" subject, the thread did, indeed, go a bit off course. I recall reading it and thinking, "Look what's happened here...suddenly we're talking about Hooters!" (the restaurant that is...) My take on this? Let it go! Like Harry, I don't know of many children who seek out and read information about Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66! As I said above, this is a forum related to the Love of all things A&M. As such, the Fool On The Hill cover (and what's on it) is fair game in such a discussion. Also, I'm with Harry. If anyone finds something offensive, they should contact the forum Webmaster or a Moderator to address the issue. Enough said on that subject.

As for the quality of Love Music and Vintage '74 reissues, Harry couldn't have said it better. It's a bit early to get into lengthy discussions about them, as the majority of Cornerites have yet to receive them. As such, I can recall many a comment on reissue quality vs. that of the original recordings. Brasil Nut would caution offended readers to read the Love Music threads a bit more carefully. It's there, you just have to look for it.

Bottom line: A&M Corner is intended to be an open forum relating to A&M-related interests. Everyone has their niche, their interests. We respect the opinion of everyone and their right to say it. That's what sets A&M Corner apart from the others. Conjecture, innuendo, imagination -- whatever you want to call it -- play a part in our forum. They all add up to one thing and one thing only: Interest.

Nativo does not deserve to be blasted for asking a question. No, we don't know what went on behind the scenes with Brasil '66, but it's a heck of a lot of fun trying to figure it out! With respect to all who have voiced their opinion here, I say, if something comes along that doesn't interest you, go to another subject. Move on. That's what I do. So far, it's made my Corner experience a lot more fun and enlightening. After all, isn't that what the Corner is all about?

Jon
 
Thanks for answering my questions Jon...

My questions really did come from a good place....Sorry if my curiosity (about two people that i really do respect) offended anybody. I am one of Karen Philipp's biggest fans. I love her and would never-ever put her down or try to make her look bad in any way. I was only posing questions to things she had already made public in her interview.
 
This is all very interesting and I am not taking any sides or voicing any opinions here.

I would,however, like to pose the following question - or situational issue if you will - for consideration and comment:
We all are private citizens - I think - that post here. In other words, I don't believe that anyone is a famous celebrity, public figure, etc. (I guess I could be wrong - I'm just guessing). We can alll maximize our privacy by virtue of our relative anonymity. We can move behind the shield of privacy because we are, in fact, private persons. To wit: How much of that personal privacy does a person give up, sacrifice, or what ever you want to call it, when that person becomes a celebrity or a public figure of whatever sort? I am not suggesting they give up any of their rights, but they may give up some of their anonymity - read as freedom from scrutiny - and become the subject of public scrutiny much more so than the average citizen. Is there a certain price that fame and celebrity brings with it? Does a certain amount of privacy "sacrifice" go with the territory, so to speak?
Should a person who aspires to public life and fame accept the "fishbowl" effect that the spotlight of fame is most surely to provide - like it or not?
Just a topic for comment - I am not advocating any opinion here....
 
I would say that it probably does...and this is the downside of fame and fortune. It's why celebrities hire bodyguards and press agents. And, it's probably why Karen is so private, today...she wants OUT of the public eye. And, sometimes the facts can get muddied about if too many people are casually involved in the details of someone's private life.

As a case in point, I remember an excerpt from Barbara Mandrell's book GET TO THE HEART in which she talked about recovering from her near-fatal auto accident. Her husband and publicist werer "shielding" her from fan mail because the vast majority of it was profoundly negative. She was suing the driver of the other car[actually, his estate, because he was killed in the crash], and it seemed to be cruel and heartless on the surface...few people knew that it was a Tennessee LAW that in cases such as that particular one, it was MANDATORY to establish liability. She had no choice...under the state law, she HAD to file suit, it had to go to court, there had to be legal representation and litigation to settle all pertinent liabilities...it was the easiest way to make sure all bases were covered on all sides, I guess...it's Big Brother to me, but I'm not a Tennesseean, and I've never been in that spot...she saw a hate letter, accidentally; and almost had a relapse...it was one of the reasons for the book.


I've had a brush or two with my 15 minutes of fame, and have been quoted [actually horribly misquoted...] in the press by some bubbleheaded fresh-out-of-college bimbo who should never have left her sorority[I'm not bitter or anything.....]. Sometimes they get their facts wrong. It's really inevitable, I guess...that's why most reputable media has a retractions page.

I guess the bottom line here is, "Those are the chances you take..." I thought nativo was opening up a can of worms, however indavertently it might have been...and you're right, Jon...it IS fun to speculate. But, it can be harmful in some cases, as I've pointed out.


Dan NP EAGLES/DIRTY LAUNDRY
 
Boob, isn't that someone who says and does dumb things? As in Nerd, Dweeb, Boob? As in anyone who gave their small children access to a computer site where adults discuss their favorite music venues?
 
cakeicer said:
Boob, isn't that someone who says and does dumb things? As in Nerd, Dweeb, Boob? As in anyone who gave their small children access to a computer site where adults discuss their favorite music venues?



Yep!




Dan
 
DAN BOLTON said:
and when I hear the word BREAST, I think of something uncovered

Gee Dan, depending on my mood, when I hear the word 'breast', I might think of:

bucket.jpg


Harry
...looking on the lighter side, online...
 
Harry said:
DAN BOLTON said:
and when I hear the word BREAST, I think of something uncovered

Gee Dan, depending on my mood, when I hear the word 'breast', I might think of:

bucket.jpg


Harry
...looking on the lighter side, online...


Well...there's no lid on the bucket.... :tongue:


Dan, hungry online....
 
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