"I Love You, I Hate You, Drop Dead!"

Artie Shaw was by some way the hippest, talented, and most interesting white bandleader dude of his era. I have to say white because, well, Count Basie. Shaw was far from the then generic grinning stick-wavers getting up on their hind legs to play that Big Hit one more time for the dancefloor. He was the Tortured Artist, the real deal. Biographically, you need to know that he left home at sixteen to play clarinet in a band.

Sixteen.

Everything (and there's a shitload of everything) follows from that. He was a fine actor, with matinee idol looks, and a real writer (the title of this piece is one of his books). At the height of success, the Brinks truck backed up to his house daily to shovel cash through the door. But. "I thought that because I was Artie Shaw I could do what I wanted, but all they wanted was Begin the Beguine". His own chosen theme tune was Nightmare, which still has the dark power to chill. To avoid getting pigeonholed, he formed and disbanded lineups frequently, often creating bands-within-a-band. A very difficult man, he married eight times.

Eight.

Including Lana Turner and Ava Gardner (who broke Sinatra's heart, th' poor slob). Oh - and Shaw could play the clarinet - a notoriously demanding instrument - better than anyone, before or since. He died at ninety-four years old, having lived the life that died with him. There were giants in those days; today's pop culture is a shadow of the glittering world that produced artists like Shaw. His difficult nature would be too problematic for Millennials, and his music still - right now - has more life and urgency and beauty in it than anything they can hope to achieve.

Here's the Complete Grammercy Five recordings for youse. Scarf 'em up.