If Jerry Yester was wondering how his obit was going to read, he sure found out. Arrested, the newspapers only picked up on the story because he was in The Lovin’ Spoonful, that seminal (judging only by the group’s name) rock group from 50 years ago. (And you thought you couldn't get arrested if all you can say is you played in The Lovin' Spoonful!) His obit probably won't mention the good music he made or anything but a paragraph: guy who was in The Lovin' Spoonful and got kicked out for pedophilia has died.
The above mugshot? Reminds me of a line in "Mad Dog Killer," a song by Jerry's ex-wife Judy Henske (music by her longtime husband Craig Doerge). Being arrested seems "just like show business to me. First they interview you, then they take your picture free."
Take a look below at one of the brief news items on Jerry's arrest. Does it mention "Farewell Aldebaran," an album that actually has his name on it? No. Does it mention "Rosebud," the group he formed with then-wife Judy Henske? No. It vaguely mentions he was in a few folks bands but mostly it's: he was a SPOONFUL:
Jerry's on the end, as you'd expect for a replacement. He's in the "hey, don't forget me, I'm in the band, too," position. The most important member is John Sapface. Always was, always will be. Ah, the crooked grin. The glasses. Should we consider "Summer in the City" a fluke? Other than that, the vibe the band has, and the reason people found nostalgia in seeing it even without John, is that it was the ultimate hazy, wasted, sunshine hippie dippie group.
In the familiar rush to judgment, sleaze-media havens like creepy little Harvey Levin’s TMZ didn’t bother to explain much about the charges against Yester. All we know is he was in Arkansas (!) and caught by a bunch who never got the drop on Bill Clinton.
The line is: “facing 30 counts of distributing, possessing, or viewing explicit pornographic material involving children.” Nothing about male or female, pre-teen or tween, or whether he shared this stuff with Pete Townshend, whether there were pix of McKenzie Phillips or Miley Cyrus, or if his contacts email includes Rolf Harris.
Some say possession of child porn isn’t quite so terrible as participating in it. Perhaps having child porn could prevent some idiots from acting out their impulses, but nobody’s sexual images should be on the Internet without a signed model release of age and CONSENT. Kid images in nudist mags are technically kiddie porn, so who knows how many adults have gotten in trouble for that form of pedo behavior.
Since the 75 year-old Yester really isn’t famous at all, and these cases tend to drag out, or a plea is quietly copped, it’s possible that we won’t know much about this case for months or years. He got booted from the touring Spoonful: "We are as numbed and shocked as the public is about these serious charges that have been brought against guitarist Jerry Yester, whom has been replaced and is no longer a member of our group. We have a longstanding relationship with Buddy Lee Attractions and we will continue to share our music on the road. We do not want to disappoint our loyal fans. Out of the respect for those affected by these circumstances, we are canceling a couple of performances and will resume our tour on Oct. 27."
Yester played on maybe ONE Spoonful hit, with most of their biggies coming before he joined. Omnivore recently issued a collection of Jerry's solo material. Unfortunately, it didn't get much attention, except for a tepid review in PopMatters: "This music resembles of soft pop of that era (think Bread, America, and Seals & Croft). It's peaceful, laid-back and mellow. It can also be meaningless and bland. The tracks on this album tend to fall into the latter category."
With the arrest, the brave re-issue company may not break even on the Yester item. Then again, if they don't get PC and pull it from their website, Jerry's notoriety could have some people interested in checking out what else he did alone by himself; the solo album. Omnivore has also issued the “Henske-Yester” album of legendary folk-psych, and their rock group follow-up, "Rosebud."
Below, no, not any of the awful hippie-dippie crap that brain-damaged sunshiners love so much. Instead, sung in that odd, reedy voice of his, the strangely titled “One More Time.” From the "Farewell Aldebaran" album, it's about death coming for Mrs. Connor (lyrics by Henske).
An arrest is not a conviction. Hopefully the material involved isn’t truly heinous, and instead of jail, the guy will be back wandering around Arkansas, which may be the different between Hell and Limbo..
HENSKE YESTER
One More Time Instant download or listen on line. No Zinfart passwords, links for bogus out-of-date Flash downloads, malware or spyware anywhere.
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