JonnyKingston

So many things bother me about Larry's life. He apparantly delayed the release of Horrendous Disc because he didn't find it to be "Christian enough" He didn't feel that Alarma had enough mentions of the word "Jesus" either. BUT - Larry spent decades decrying his poor treatment from Christian leaders and churches, for doing this exact some thing to him!! Something isn't quite right here.

It appears to me that Larry Norman self-destructed. He says his erratic behaviour was brain damage, lack of church support, health problems, ungrateful Solid Rock artists, and other things. I'm quite confused about what to think, but on the other hand I hope for the same grace from God that Larry appears to have received.

PeterPuck22

He harassed Larry mercilessly after Larry found out he was using his music for the Frisbee movie without permission and rightfully demanded he remove it.

DO NOT BUY DiSABBATINOS LYING MOVIE!

Larry was a great man... he does NOT deserve to be trashed by this creep!

wisetoyourlies

kestrels_shadow

alivingdog

Larry said alot of things to the Christian and non-Christian community that others were afraid to say.

brubry

archenland

Dan Gibson

archenland

archenland

mkemp

Dan Gibson

Um, I hate to tell you guys, but this statement is complete and utter bull, like so much that has come out of Larry's camp over the years. Larry's records were never "banned" from "most" Christian retailers, for any reason, least of all for reasons having to do with racism. I've been dropping into Christian bookstores now and again to buy records since 1973, and I was able to find Norman LPs and CDs in stock at most of them through the late '70s and '80s, until he finally became so obscure that his self-released records stopped being picked up. It's amazing the bull that people will swallow. His lack of commerciality in the CCM market was largely his own doing.

That said, Larry made a string of remarkable records and was a hero of mine before he went off the deep end. It would be great if the first four major albums could get a legitimate reissue through some company besides his own imprint.

archenland

SpeedyGonzalas

That said, he'll be missed, and it's been a great day of listening to Larry's "trilogy" (which is, um, easily obtainable via the usual torrent suspects, if one is comfortable with that sort of thing) and, just for the heck of it, The Pixies' catalog too.

Great work, Dan. I'm still amazed that there's someone here who knows the particulars of the shadowy little corner I crawled out of before I grew up and got all mainstream respectible an' shit.

Reidicus

futurehorse

joe bananas

Great write-up.

JDR

The writer for Christianity Today was aware that Daniel Amos isn't an actual singular person, right?

Dan Gibson

"I haven't heard one single negative thing about the guy."

Then you weren't paying attention. Larry is the reason Daniel Amos's epic "Horrendous Disc" has not been properly rereleased. He came to a verbal aggreement with the band, then reneged, planning to put out his own version on Solid Rock. He also had a highly contentious falling-out with labelmate Randy Stonehill. This is from Christianity Today's obit:

"He was diagnosed with bipolar trauma and clashed with fellow singers like Randy Stonehill and Daniel Amos, who said they were mistreated financially and personally....

"Stonehill declined to take questions from Christianity Today about his relationship with Norman, but in a statement, he said... 'For as brilliant and insightful as Larry was, I'm not sure that he understood himself completely, Stonehill said. 'This issue became apparent in the way he consistently seemed to "derail" relationships throughout his life.'

"Stonehill said that he and Norman experienced friction and distance for 20 years before standing on stage together for the last time in 2001....

"David Di Sabatino, who is working on a documentary on Norman that will be released later this year, said that the 1980s were a real turning point for Norman.

"'He implodes on a personal level, his marriage unravels, his peers want him to be more accountable, and he throws a fit. From that point on, something degenerates inside of him,' Di Sabatino said. 'He's like King David. The highs are higher than most and the lows are like, "whoa."'

"Di Sabatino said Norman was unpredictable and often exaggerated stories.

"'There's a possibility that he's living in Thailand and this is all a ruse. That might offend a lot of people, but that's how he was,' Di Sabatino said. 'I don't believe that, but then again, if you told me that's where he was, I wouldn't bat an eye.'"

It's fairly common knowledge, if you'd paid attention over the years, that something snapped in Larry; that he was deluded if not just plain crazy; that he made ludicrous claims such as being the father of rap music; that he screwed friends and business partners finanacially and personally; that he had three or four great albums, and the rest was dreck.

That said, he truly was a staggeringly important figure in CCM.

growler

I haven't heard one single negative thing about the guy, before or after death, which seems like a pretty true testament to what an amazing individual Larry Norman was.

Thanks for the article Dan.

futurehorse

=( Which is sad really. I hated being told I could only listen to Christian music at times, though my parents were pretty lenient. Most of that came from my grandmother, I actually had a book of various rock artists and why Christians shouldn't buy them. Metallica suprisingly ducked the list somehow, being newcomers when it was made.

Thank YOU Jack Chick. I could listen to Michael Jackson and Metallica.

Tenno

Great write-up, Dan.

Seconded. Not just a great writeup, by far the most thorough writeup, beyond basic biographical details, I've seen anywhere. Nice work, Mr. Gibson.

Chris Molanphy

layladylan

joe bananas

ghostyhead

qyntellspitbull

Don't forget about the U.S. Apple Corp, an early-70s Christian rock band that had a great song in "Elijah Stone" that actually received airplay circa '72 or so on Nashville's AOR powerhouse, WKDA-FM! There were enough of these true believers in the late-60s/early-70s to put together several good compilation CDs.

Early Christian rock is a valid sub-genre, too often the target of ridicule by mainstream rockers, dismissed as heathens by pious Christians. Then again, does anybody remember when Amy Grant was marginalized by the CCR community for having the audacity to sing pop songs?

Rev.Keith

Great write-up, Dan.

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

!!!

Righteous rocker, indeed. Rest easy, Larry.

Jack Fear