spin doctor
| Dictionary: spin doctor |
n. Slang
A person who publicizes favorable interpretations of the words and actions of a public figure, especially a politican.
| Wordsmith Words: spin doctor |
(spin DOK-tuhr)
noun
A representative who is adept in presenting a favorable interpretation of events, utterances, and actions for a politician or some other public figure; one who manipulates news.
Etymology
Spin, from ballgames (e.g. baseball) where spinning a ball helps a player project it in the desired direction; doctor (expert) or from the verb to doctor (to tamper or falsify)
Politics has been around for ages but surprisingly the term spin doctor is relatively recent. It arose during the 1984 US presidential election. This term is also used facetiously to refer to people in a number of other professions, e.g. disk jockey, vertigo specialist, bicycle mechanic, and a player who is good at spinning a ball in cricket, tennis, billiards, or some other game.
"In the heat of the court battle, tempers at times flared as De Bourbon tried to corner the slippery spin doctor." — Mugabe's Spin Doctor Grilled Over 'Defamation'; Sunday Times (Johannesburg, South Africa); Jun 20, 2004.
"As soon as Thursday night's presidential debate was over, commentators and spin doctors began declaring victory for one candidate or the other." — Debates, Round One; Winston-Salem Journal (North Carolina); Oct 3, 2004.
| Idioms: spin doctor |
An individual charged with getting others to interpret a statement or event from a particular viewpoint, as in Charlie is the governor's spin doctor. This term, born about 1980 along with
spin control, uses doctor in the colloquial sense of "one who repairs something."
| Artist: Spin Doctors |
Group Members:
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Influenced By:
Followers:
Performed Songs By:
- Formed: 1988, New York, NY
- Genres: Rock
- Representative Albums: "Just Go Ahead Now: A Retrospective," "Pocket Full of Kryptonite," "Pocket Full of Kryptonite/Homebelly Groove...Live"
- Representative Songs: "Two Princes," "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," "Jimmy Olsen's Blues"
Biography
There were many pseudo-hippie, jam-oriented blues rockers in New York during the early '90s, but only the Spin Doctors made it big. And they made it big because they not only could immerse themselves in a groove, but they also had concise pop skills. "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes" were cleverly written singles, full of clean, blues-inflected licks and ingratiating pop melodies. Pocket Full of Kryptonite had been around for nearly a year when MTV and radio began playing "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," but once they started playing it, they couldn't stop. The Spin Doctors became an overnight sensation, selling millions of albums around the world.Their second album, 1994's Turn It Upside Down, didn't sell very well when it was released, largely because the first single, "Cleopatra's Cat," was a failed experiment in funk. But the second single, "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast," was in the vein of "Two Princes," and the album began to sell after the song was released. In the summer of 1996, the Spin Doctors released You've Got to Believe in Something. After the album failed to make an impression on the charts, the Spin Doctors were dropped from Epic in the fall of 1996. After a couple of years, the group found a new label; their first record for Uptown/Universal, Here Comes the Bride, appeared in the summer of 1999. It was seemingly their swan song, however. By this point original members Eric Schenkman (guitar) and Mark White (bass) had left the band, and Barron's voice was failing him. The Spin Doctors broke up, and the greatest hits set Just Go Ahead Now appeared like a nail in their coffin. Their journey wasn't quite over, however. The band reunited for a series of shows in 2001 and 2002, and they used that momentum to head back into the studio, where they recorded Nice Talking to Me. The album was released by Ruff Nation/Universal in fall 2005. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
| Discography: Spin Doctors |
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| Wikipedia: Spin Doctors |
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| Spin Doctors | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, New York, USA |
| Genres | Alternative rock, blues-rock, funk rock |
| Years active | 1990 – present |
| Labels | Sony BMG/Uptown Records |
| Website | SpinDoctors.com |
| Members | |
| Chris Barron Eric Schenkman Aaron Comess Mark White |
|
| Former members | |
| Ivan Neville Anthony Krizan Eran Tabib Carl Carter |
|
Spin Doctors are an American jam band/alternative rock group formed in New York City, best known for their 1991 hits, "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which charted at #7 & #17 respectively on the American pop chart.
The current members are Chris Barron (vocals), Eric Schenkman (guitar and vocals), Aaron Comess (drums and percussion), and Mark White (bass guitar).
Contents |
History
The history of the Spin Doctors can be traced back to the late 1980s in New York City, originally as a band called Trucking Company, which included Eric Schenkman, John Popper, and later Chris Barron, who was John Popper's Princeton, NJ high school friend. Popper left this side project to focus on his main gig with Blues Traveler full time. With a name change to 'Spin Doctors', as well as the addition of Aaron Comess and Mark White, the classic line-up was in place by the spring of 1989.[1]
The Spin Doctors were signed to Epic Records/Sony Music by A&R executive Frankie LaRocka in 1991.[2] The band's Epic debut EP Up for Grabs...Live was recorded live at The Wetlands Preserve in Lower Manhattan, and released in January 1991. (In November 1992, these EP tracks were remixed and supplemented by additional live recordings to form the album Homebelly Groove...Live.) The Spin Doctors were known for their somewhat lengthy live shows, sometimes jamming even more than is evident on the aforementioned live releases. They also often performed double-bill gigs opening for their friends Blues Traveler, with members of both bands all jamming together as the transition from the Spin Doctors set into the Blues Traveler set. The Spin Doctors have many songs from their early club days that were never officially released but remain circulated via bootleg concert recordings.
The Spin Doctors' debut studio album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite was released in August 1991. The band continued to play extensive live shows, gaining grassroots fans, as the album was mostly ignored commercially. In the summer of 1992, the band toured with the first ever line-up of the H.O.R.D.E. festival, sharing the stage with fellow jam bands like Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler and Phish. That summer, commercial popularity heated up, as radio and MTV began playing "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes". The album went gold in September 1992, and then received another boost in sales after the band's appearance on Saturday Night Live in October 1992. Additional videos and singles followed for "What Time Is It", "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)", and "Jimmy Olsen's Blues". By June 1993 the album was triple platinum.[2] Ultimately it sold over five million copies in the U.S.[3] and another five million overseas, and peaked at # 3 on the Billboard top 200 album chart.
"[Their] popularity is based on universal rock & roll virtues," said Rolling Stone, which put the band on the cover of its January 7, 1993 issue. "The Doctors aren't trying to blaze new trails. They know we've been down this way with the Stones, Curtis Mayfield, and a few of their other touchstones. But the proof—plenty of it—is in the party." The Spin Doctors made an appearance on Sesame Street, singing a modified version of "Two Princes" that emphasized the importance of sharing.[4] In late 1993 they recorded a cover of "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?", originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival, for the film Philadelphia.[5].
The Spin Doctors' second studio album, Turn It Upside Down, released in June 1994[6], was not quite as commercially successful as Pocket Full of Kryptonite, though it did sell a million copies in the U.S.[3] and a million overseas. The second single, "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast," was a modest hit (# 42 on the pop chart). This album also featured "Cleopatra's Cat", "Mary Jane", "Hungry Hamed's" and "Bags Of Dirt." The band set out on a three-month headlining tour, and played to immense crowds at Woodstock '94 and the Glastonbury Festival. Shortly after the release of Turn It Upside Down, original guitarist Eric Schenkman left the band in September 1994, by walking offstage during a concert in Berkeley, California[2] citing musical/personal differences, and being weary of the road. Eric was replaced by Anthony Krizan.
Featuring new guitarist Krizan, the Spin Doctors released You've Got to Believe in Something (May 1996). It produced the single and video "She Used To Be Mine". They performed on David Letterman's television show and did some touring, with Ivan Neville joining the band on keyboards. During this period, the Spin Doctors contributed the theme song to Seasons 2 and 3 of the television show Spin City. After touring wrapped up in the fall of 1996, guitarist Anthony Krizan eventually left the band, for reasons that remain relatively unknown. He was replaced by Israeli musician Eran Tabib after auditioning nearly 200 candidates.[7] You've Got To Believe In Something did not live up to previous album sales, selling only 750,000 copies.[7] Epic dropped the band in 1996.[3]
In 1998, the Spin Doctors signed to Uptown/Universal and released Here Comes the Bride in June 1999. During the recording of Here Comes The Bride, Mark White left the band. The bass tracks on the album were finished by original band member Aaron Comess. During the tour supporting Here Comes the Bride, Chris Barron lost his voice due to a rare acute form of vocal cord paralysis that severely affected his ability to talk, let alone sing. He was told he had a 50-50 chance of ever talking or singing normally again.[2] Keyboardist Ivan Neville took over vocal duties for a few dates, but the band eventually cancelled the remainder of its tour.[8] Barron's voice came back in early 2000 (first comeback [solo] shows in March 2000), at which point he began performing with his band Chris Barron and the Give Daddy Five. Barron undertook what he calls "a journeyman songwriting experience," composing tunes with Blues Traveler's John Popper and with former BMI executive Jeff Cohen.
The Spin Doctors remained inactive as a band until September 2001, when news about the closing of legendary NYC venue Wetlands sparked the original four members to reunite. On September 7, 2001, the classic, original line-up took the stage for the first time since 1994 to play at Wetlands. It was the final closing week of the club. The landmark show was a great success for the fans and the band.[2]
Odd shows followed in 2002 through 2005, which eventually led to a brand new studio album, Nice Talking to Me, released on September 13, 2005.[2] The single "Can't Kick The Habit" was included on the soundtrack to the movie Grandma's Boy. It received moderate radio airplay, along with the songs "Margarita" and the title track "Nice Talking to Me". While the record received good reviews, follow-up proved difficult when the record company that released it went out of business.[9]
Recently their song "Two Princes" was featured on the television show "The Sarah Silverman Program", where comedian Brian Posehn's character, Brian Spukowski, has a five-year-old iPod with only that song on it, which he listens to repeatedly whilst claiming to be an enthusiastic metalhead.
In 2008, the band continues to play one-off live shows in the USA and Europe.
Band member details
- Mark White (born 7 July 1962, New York) - bassist, active 1989-1998, 2001-Present
- Eric Schenkman (born 12 December 1963, Massachusetts) - guitarist, active 1989-1994, 2001-Present
- Chris Barron (born Christopher Barron Gross, 5 February 1968, Pearl Harbor, HI) - vocalist, active 1989-Present
- Aaron Comess (born 24 April 1968, Phoenix, Arizona) - drummer, active 1989-Present
- Anthony Krizan (born North Plainfield, New Jersey [1]) - guitarist, active 1994-1996
- Eran Tabib (born 1972, Tel Aviv, Israel [2]) - guitarist, active 1996-1999
- Ivan Neville (born 19 August 1959 [3], New Orleans, Louisiana) - keyboardist, active 1996-1999
- Carl Carter [4] bassist, active 1999
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Sales | U.S. certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | UK[10] | NOR | ||||
| 1991 | Pocket Full of Kryptonite | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5,000,000 | 5x Platinum |
| 1994 | Turn It Upside Down | 28 | 3 | 16 | 2,000,000 | 2x Platinum |
| 1996 | You've Got to Believe in Something | — | — | — | 750,000 | |
| 1999 | Here Comes the Bride | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Nice Talking to Me | — | — | — | ||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Sales | U.S. certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | UK[10] | NOR | ||||
| 2000 | Just Go Ahead Now: A Retrospective | — | — | — | ||
| 2001 | Can't Be Wrong | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | Two Princes - The Best Of | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | Collection | — | — | — | ||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Sales | U.S. certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | UK[10] | NOR | ||||
| 1991 | Up for Grabs...Live | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | Homebelly Groove...Live | 145 | — | — | ||
Singles
| Year | Single | U.S. | UK[10] | Ireland | Norway | Also Contains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" | 17 | 23 | 27 | - | UK: "Big Fat Funky Booty" and "At This Hour" |
| 1993 | "Two Princes" | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | UK:"Intro - Yo Mama's A Pajama" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong",Euro: "Off My Line" and "Rosetta Stone" |
| "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" | 28 | 40 | - | 2 | UK:"Off my line" and "Rosetta Stone" | |
| "What Time Is It" | - | 56 | - | - | - | |
| 1994 | "Cleopatra's Cat" | 84 | 29 | - | - | UK:"Uranium Century" and "Stop Breaking Down" |
| "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" | - | - | - | - | Euro:"What Time Is It?", "Jimmy Olsen Blues" and "Two Princes" | |
| "Mary Jane" | - | 55 | - | - | UK:"Woodstock" and "Hungry Hamed's" | |
| "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast" | 42 | 66 | - | - | - | |
| 1996 | "She Used to be Mine" | - | 55 | - | - | - |
| 1999 | "The Bigger I Laugh The Harder I Cry" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2005 | "Can't Kick the Habit" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | "Nice Talking To Me" | - | - | - | - | - |
Awards nominations
1994
- Nominated for American Music Award for favorite pop/rock album. (Pocket Full of Kryptonite)
- Nominated for a Grammy Award for best vocal performance by duo or group. ("Two Princes")
References
- ^ Jeff Giles (1993-01-07). "Miracle Cure". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939180/miracle_cure/print. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ a b c d e f Warren St. John (2005-09-25). "'That 90's Band' Tries Again". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/fashion/sundaystyles/25SPIN.html?pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ a b c Donna Freydkin (1999-06-23). "The Spin Doctors: Songs in the key of free". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9906/23/spin.doctors/index.html. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ "Soundtracks for "Sesame Street"". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063951/soundtrack. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
- ^ "Soundtracks for "Philadelphia"". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818/soundtrack. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- ^ Neil Strauss (1994-06-09). "The Pop Life". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DE123AF93AA35755C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ a b Anni Layne (1998-07-10). "Spin Doctors Threaten A Sequel". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/spindoctors/articles/story/5921678/spin_doctors_threaten_a_sequel. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ "Spin Doctors' Chris Barron Silenced By Paralyzed Vocal Cord". MTV News. 1999-08-19. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434540/19990818/spin_doctors.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ Wayne Bledsoe (2007-11-30). "Spin Doctor's frontman says nearly losing voice good for him". Knoxville News Sentinel. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/nov/30/spin-doctors-frontman-says/. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 520. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Spin-doctor |
Français (French)
n. - (Pol) personne qui émet un point de vue favorable sur un sujet, généralement impopulaire au nom de son appartenance politique à un parti
Español (Spanish)
n. - comentarista político
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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