Athens, Georgia
Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth larges ...
, and is the middle child of five children. Crowe moved to Athens to attend the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
In early 1979, Crowe and his friend Bill Tabor sat and listened to
Michael Lachowski
Michael Scott Lachowski was the bass guitar player for Pylon, a band from Athens, Georgia. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and attended the University of Georgia art school. He and his roommate Randy Bewley formed Pylon, recruiting Curtis Cro ...
and
Randy Bewley
Randall Eugene Bewley (July 25, 1955 – February 25, 2009) was the guitarist for the Athens, Georgia, band Pylon. Born in Bradenton, Florida, United States. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, Washington, DC and near Atlanta, Georgia while growi ...
play the same riff over and over in their practice space which was below his apartment in downtown Athens-the original
40 Watt Club
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music.
The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numero ...
-named for a single bulb on a wire that hung overhead. Crowe went downstairs and knocked on their door and offered his services as a drummer. He had played drums since he was a little boy and one of his dreams was to someday play in a band. The sound of the band came together after he joined and
Vanessa Briscoe Hay
Vanessa Briscoe Hay (born October 18, 1955) is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon, Supercluster and Pylon Reenactment Society.
Biography
Born to a textile worker and a housewife in Atlanta, Georgia, Hay attended elementar ...
came aboard as the vocalist. Pylon played several parties and caught the attention of
the B-52's
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...
who helped them obtain a booking in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
which was the major goal of the band at the time. After opening for the Gang of Four on their first two
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
tour dates, Pylon was able to keep returning to play dates in the northeastern United States and began to record for
DB Records
DB Records (stylized as DB RECS) was a record label owned by Danny Beard, active from 1978 to 1997. The label was operated out of the Wax'n'Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points. Through the 1980s, the ...
in Atlanta, Georgia. They opened for the B-52's in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
, toured
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in late 1980 and released their first album '' Gyrate''.
Crowe came up with the idea, after seeing some of the clubs that existed in the Northeast, that it was possible to open your own club without too much effort or money, so with the help of his friend Paul Scales, the
40 Watt Club
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music.
The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numero ...
opened in downtown Athens above Yudy's Subs in what had been something called the "Crow's nest". The club proved to be very popular and the floor had to be reinforced with portable beams for all the heavy dancing taking place overhead.
Pylon recorded another album and two singles and broke up in 1983 after touring with U2 for a few of the dates on their first American tour. Pylon was becoming too much like a business for some of the members' tastes, so it was agreed to break up and they did.
Crowe married and settled down and finished school. '' Athens, GA inside/out'' was released and there seemed to be more interest in Pylon than ever. Pylon reformed, but this time with more business-like practices in place. They recorded another album and toured with
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
and the B-52's. They had a manager. But Pylon broke up again.
Crowe and his wife went on to have two children and he began to work in the film/TV industry as a construction coordinator. He has worked on films like ''
Blue Crush
''Blue Crush'' is a 2002 sports film directed by John Stockwell and based on Susan Orlean's 1998 ''Outside'' magazine article "Life's Swell". It stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake and Mika Boorem. The film tells the story of ...
'', where he was responsible for "the rock", '' Cool Runnings'' and more recently, the first season of ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
Californication Californication may refer to:
*Californication (word)
''Californication'' is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in ''Time'' on May 6, 1966 and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. ...
''. He is now divorced, but maintains an amiable relationship with his former wife and children.
Pylon reformed for fun from 2005 to 2009.
DFA Records
DFA Records is an American independent record label founded in 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. They previously had a production team called The DFA, consisting of Goldsworthy and ...
reissued '' Gyrate'' on CD, Pylon's first album with bonus tracks, and called it '' Gyrate Plus''.
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
(
Caution Records
Caution may refer to:
* A precautionary statement, describing a potential hazard
* A police caution, an alternative to prosecution for a criminal offence in some countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia
* A statement read by a police of ...
DB records
DB Records (stylized as DB RECS) was a record label owned by Danny Beard, active from 1978 to 1997. The label was operated out of the Wax'n'Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points. Through the 1980s, the ...
,
Armageddon
According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
1980)
* ''
Pylon !!
Pylon may refer to:
Structures and boundaries
* Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral
* Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways
* Pylon, an orange ma ...
DB records
DB Records (stylized as DB RECS) was a record label owned by Danny Beard, active from 1978 to 1997. The label was operated out of the Wax'n'Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points. Through the 1980s, the ...
DB Records
DB Records (stylized as DB RECS) was a record label owned by Danny Beard, active from 1978 to 1997. The label was operated out of the Wax'n'Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points. Through the 1980s, the ...
1982)
* ''
Four Minutes/Beep/Altitude
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
Chomp
Chomp is a two-player strategy game played on a rectangular grid made up of smaller square cells, which can be thought of as the blocks of a chocolate bar. The players take it in turns to choose one block and "eat it" (remove from the board), tog ...
'' LP (DB Records 1983)
* '' Hits'' LP/ CD (DB Records 1988)
* '' Chain'' LP/CD (
Sky Records
Sky Records was a Hamburg, Germany-based independent record label specializing in krautrock/ Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambien ...
DFA Records
DFA Records is an American independent record label founded in 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. They previously had a production team called The DFA, consisting of Goldsworthy and ...
2007)
Filmography
*''
Californication Californication may refer to:
*Californication (word)
''Californication'' is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in ''Time'' on May 6, 1966 and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. ...
'' (construction coordinator) (11 episodes, 2007)
*'' We Are Marshall'' (2006) (construction coordinator)
*''
The Ultimate Gift
''The Ultimate Gift'' is a 2006 American drama film directed by Michael O. Sajbel from a screenplay written by Cheryl McKay, which is based on the best selling novel by Jim Stovall, who cameos in the film. It stars Drew Fuller, Ali Hillis, Bill C ...
'' (2006) (construction coordinator)
*'' A Lot Like Love'' (2005) (construction coordinator)
*''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' (2004) TV series (construction coordinator) (unknown episodes)
*'' I Left Me'' (2004) (art director)
*''
Catch That Kid
''Catch That Kid'' is a 2004 family action comedy film directed by Bart Freundlich, written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, and starring Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, and James ...
'' (2004) (construction coordinator)
a.k.a. ''Mission Without Permission'' (Europe: English title) (USA: working title)
a.k.a. ''Mission: Possible - Diese Kids sind nicht zu fassen!'' (Germany: TV title)
*'' Edge of America'' (2003) (TV) (construction coordinator)
a.k.a. ''On the Edge'' (Europe: English title)
*''
Blue Crush
''Blue Crush'' is a 2002 sports film directed by John Stockwell and based on Susan Orlean's 1998 ''Outside'' magazine article "Life's Swell". It stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake and Mika Boorem. The film tells the story of ...
'' (2002) (construction coordinator)
*''
Welcome to Collinwood
''Welcome to Collinwood'' is a 2002 American caper comedy film written and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and starring William H. Macy, Isaiah Washington, Sam Rockwell, Michael Jeter (in his last movie, during his lifetime), Luis Guzmán, Pa ...
The Way of the Gun
''The Way of the Gun'' is a 2000 American neo-Western heist action thriller film directed and written by Christopher McQuarrie in his directorial debut. It is about two low-level criminals who kidnap a woman pregnant with the child of a mafia mon ...
'' (2000) (construction coordinator)
*'' The Rage: Carrie 2'' (1999) (construction foreman)
*'' A Secret Life'' (1999) (TV) (construction coordinator)
a.k.a. ''Breach of Trust'' (UK)
*'' My Stepson, My Lover'' (1997) (TV) (construction coordinator)
a.k.a. ''Love, Murder and Deceit''
a.k.a. ''No Recourse''
*''
Promised Land
The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
'' (1996) TV series (construction coordinator) (unknown episodes)
a.k.a. ''Home of the Brave''
*''Inflammable'' (1995) (TV) (construction coordinator)
*'' Murderous Intent'' (1995) (TV) (construction coordinator)
*'' Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story'' (1994) (TV) (construction coordinator)
*'' Cool Runnings'' (1993) (construction coordinator)
*''
Going to Extremes
''Going to Extremes'' and ''Surviving Extremes'' were television programmes made for Channel 4 by Nick Middleton. In each episode of the two series, Middleton visited an extreme area of the world to find out how people have adapted to life there. ...
'' (1992) TV series (construction foreman) (unknown episodes)
* '' Athens, GA.: Inside/Out'' (1987), archive footage (Pylon)
References
* Reynolds, Simon: ''Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984'',
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Strong,Martin Charles: ''The Great Indie Discography'',
Canongate Books
Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner '' Life of Pi''. Canongate wa ...
, October 2003, p. 282.
* Christgau,Robert: ''Christgau's Consumer Guide-the 80's'', Pantheon Books, 1990, pp. 329, 498, 506.