Don Kirshner's Rock Concert

Their music publisher was Don Kirshner, who later became a huge rock promoter.

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, one of the big live music shows of the '70s on TV.

And their job was to pump out songs for other groups to record.

And I don't know if Chains was originally written with them in mind, but before The Cookies recorded their version, it was originally submitted to heroes of Lennon and McCartney, The Everly Brothers.

Video.

It was for a show called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.

Sure.

It was on ABC on Friday nights.

Yeah, I saw, uh, the New York Dolls on television, and, um, I was watching them with my friend Paul.

We were, we were watching this very late night TV show called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, and the New York Dolls were on.

And, um, and we both, like, we were both like, "This is, like, the weirdest thing we've ever seen.

Like, like, like, what is wrong with these people?" But then suddenly, just, like, instantly, like, all that stuff that I was, that I was interested in [laughs] sort of, like, all, like, all the blood went out of it, and I was kind of like, "What? What is this thing?" And then, um, and s- and so my, I, I, I think I told my father about it, and he got, and he got me a New York Dolls record.

And we're talking to a couple of the local guys, and they're like, "Oh yeah, everybody knows when it gets hot like this, the skunk ape comes around." I'm like, "Are you guys serious?" And they're like, "Yeah, it's the real thing." And I was like, "Okay, you know, it's, uh, okay." You know, so we t- we took it with a grain of salt, you know? We weren't really sure if those guys down there were pulling our leg or not as well, but we took it with a gr- something went by the house, you know? And, um, a few nights later, I, it was like a week later, again, we're up.

We used to, there used to be a show here in the States called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.

Used to come on, like, at 1:00, and it would last an hour, be over by 2:00.

2:00 in the morning, we finish watching the concert, the rock concert.

The cold open, just kind of like a cold open musical performance hybrid, so I took notes on it in a weird way.

The cold open is Don Kirshner's rock concert.

Television host Don Kirshner, played once again by the iconic and often overlooked Paul Schaefer, introduces the Blues Brothers, who are, of course, played by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

Before we get into the Blues Brothers.

Today, with the help of Nessie Wexler, Jerry Erdogan, and the staff of Pacific Records, their manager, Maury Daniels, and with the support of fellow artists, Curtis Salgado and The Cray Band, they are no longer an authentic blues act, but have managed to become a viable commercial product.

So now, let's join Jolly X Jake and his silent brother Elwood, the Blues Brothers.

I never saw Don Kirshner's rock concert, so I don't know the parody, but I kind of like it.

I don't dislike it, but it just is awkward, and if it's supposed to be awkward on purpose, because it's a performer I'm not familiar with, it just comes off as awkward.