Spector Vs Rector

Before you start writing in to remind me that there is nothing particularly funny or talented about  frequently threatening people with guns or violence towards women let me add that he is also a complete bastard. He continually belittles his artists and, in a similar manner to Alfred Hitchcock perceives them to be puppets in his grand play. Which may be true to a limited extent but you can’t imagine Spector belting out ‘Baby I Love You’ by The Ronettes by himself and it becoming such a massive tune can you? The voices he chose to employ are unarguably the timeless connection that people have forged with his music.

In ‘The Dark Stuff’ Nick Kent writes about Spector  having a gold coffin in his basement with a glass lid and allegedly telling ex-wife Ronnie Spector that if she ever left him he would kill her and put her on display to everyone. If that isn’t the actions of a vile, deeply disturbed, paranoid and potentially violent human being then I don’t what is.  

Also, his bitterness is overwhelming. He hates Dylan, he hates McCartney and he hates everyone whom he perceives to have acquired more recognition than him in their twilight years. No offence here but may I gently suggest that is because those artists remained creative instead of choosing to work with the likes of Starsailor? Speaking of which, where was the shotgun during those sessions? Why couldn’t Spector have done the British public a massive favour and got Noah and the Whale in the studio for an extended psychotic episode? Life just isn’t fair sometimes.

Well, it will be interesting to see how the retrial turns out but let’s face it, despite the legal arguments for and against it isn’t looking good. Spector, for his part hasn’t exactly helped his case by allegedly saying “I think I shot someone” to his chauffer on THAT night or by spending half of his life seemingly threatening people with firearms. Regardless of the verdict, Phil Spector’s story remains a unique anomaly in contemporary music, a triumph and eventual tragedy of Shakespearian proportions.