University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Collection: SC-0181 University Archives and Special Collections Joseph P. Healey Library University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, Massachusetts 02125 [email protected] MAGNUS JOHNSTONE AND WILLIE ALEXANDER: LECCO’S LEMMA COLLECTION 1984-2014, bulk 1986-1988 Accession Number: 115-80 Repository: University of Massachusetts Boston. University Archives and Special Collections Creators: Magnus Johnstone and Willie Alexander Title: Magnus Johnstone and Willie Alexander: Lecco’s Lemma collection Date [inclusive]: 1984-2014, bulk 1986-1988 Extent: 3.75 linear feet (fourteen audio cassette storage boxes, one half document case) Languages: English (bulk), Spanish Citation: Courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston: Magnus Johnstone and Willie Alexander: Lecco’s Lemma collection Processing Information: Processed by Gayle Schechter in February 2017. Conditions on Use and Access: This collection is open for research. Box 16 is unprocessed. Copyright: Copyright restrictions may apply. PROVENANCE The audiocassettes of the Lecco's Lemma collection were donated to University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston on November 4, 2015 by Pacey Foster and on March 1, 2016 by Willie Alexander. The audiocassettes compiled by Pacey Foster were previously held by Magnus Johnstone. EXISTENCE AND LOCATION OF COPIES Digital reproductions from the Lecco’s Lemma collection are available electronically at http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15774coll30. In the container list below, items that do not include a link to online digital content are only available for on-site research. ARRANGEMENT AND PROCESSING NOTES The original arrangement of cassettes and original cassette titles were retained in most cases. Cassette titles created by the archivist and information added to original cassette titles are indicated by brackets in the container list. The hard drive is currently unprocessed. University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Collection: SC-0181 LL HISTORICAL NOTE Lecco’s Lemma, one of the earliest rap radio shows in Boston, aired from 1985 to 1988, and is credited by its mostly teenaged fan base with exposing new music to Boston and providing an outlet and meeting place for fledgling artists in the area. Hosted by artist and college radio DJ Magnus Johnstone (1952-2013), Lecco’s Lemma debuted in September 1985 on MIT’s WMBR (88.1 FM) station, bringing cutting-edge hip hop music to Boston at a time when the city’s commercial radio shied away from airing rap music and area urban radio stations continued to emphasize Top 40 R&B (1). On Lecco’s Lemma, Johnstone would play new rap releases, announce local shows, and play any local artist that sent him their demos on the air at least once. In December of 1985, Johnstone began to invite local artists to perform live on the show, but the large crowds Johnstone’s invitation drew, as well as the occasional obscenities that made it on air, led MIT to cancel the show in 1986. Later that year, Lecco’s Lemma found a new home at Boston College’s WZBC (90.3 FM), where it aired until 1988 (3). Johnstone was diagnosed with leukemia in 1990 and eventually moved to Bucksport, ME in 2001 where he continued to paint and host radio shows on Orland, ME’s WERU until his death in 2013 (2). Johnstone preserved the roughly 300 demo tapes sent to him by artists during the years of Lecco’s Lemma broadcast. Unbeknownst to Johnstone at the time, his friend, fellow artist and Boston punk music mainstay, Willie “Loco” Alexander, regularly taped the Lecco’s Lemma broadcasts on his home boom box. Known as the “Godfather of Punk” in Boston, Willie “Loco” Alexander, son of a Baptist preacher father and musician mother, spent his early years in Gloucester, MA. Alexander enjoyed success as a professional musician in the 1970s, opening for Elvis Costello (as a member of the Boom Boom Band) and touring as a member of Velvet Underground. Alexander is best-known for penning “At the Rat”, a song dedicated to famed Kenmore Square rock club The Rathskeller. Alexander continues to make art and music, living in Gloucester with his wife, photographer Anne Rearick (4). SOURCES OF INFORMATION 1. Foster, Pacey C. “Hip Hop in the Hub: How Boston Rap Remained Underground.” Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide, edited by Mickey Hess, ABC-CLIO, 2009, pp. 195-224. 2. Foster, Pacey. “In Memoriam: Magnus Johnstone, 1952-2013.” The Boston Phoenix, 13 Mar. 2013. 3. Foster, Pacey, and Wayne Marshall. “Tales of the Tape: Cassette Culture, Community Radio, and the Birth of Rap Music in Boston.” Creative Industries Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, 2015, pp. 164-176. 4. Mason, Amelia. “Willie Alexander, One of Boston’s Original Punk Rockers, Still Rippin’ It Up.” WBUR 90.9-The ARTery, 15 Mar. 2015, http://www.wbur.org/artery/2015/03/11/willie- alexander. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017. 2 | Contact: [email protected] University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Collection: SC-0181 LL SCOPE AND CONTENT This collection documents the activities of the Lecco’s Lemma radio show. The audiocassettes in Series I consist of demo tapes made by rap and hip hop artists local to Boston and the surrounding area sent to Magnus Johnstone to be played on air. Tapes in this series also include commercial recordings as well as recordings of the Lecco’s Lemma show and other radio programs in Boston and New York City. Cassettes in Series II consist of recordings of the Lecco’s Lemma radio show made at home by Willie “Loco” Alexander. Object identifiers for the collection created by donor Pacey Foster using the prefixes “A” to indicate artist tapes and “LL” to indicate show tapes were retained. Series III consists of correspondence, CDS, DVDs and a hard drive that was separated for preservation purposes. Separation sheets are kept in the folders to indicate their original order. SERIES OUTLINE This collection is arranged in three series. The series arrangement of the records is as follows: Series I. Magnus Johnstone’s Artist Tapes, 1984-2001 Series II. Willie Alexander’s Show Tapes, 1985-1988 Series III. Separated Correspondence and Media, 1986-2014 CONTAINER LIST Box: 1 Series I. Magnus Johnstone’s Artist Tapes, 1984-2001 1. A001, [Untitled live recording by 007], 007, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15774coll30/id/69 2. A002, [Untitled recording by 1/2 of Dilemma], Dilemma Crew; MC Scorpio; Mellow Jay Cee, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15774coll30/id/73 3. A003, A Thief, The Kid, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/78 4. A004, [Untitled recording by 3D Crew], 3D Crew; DJ Busy-B; Vicious C, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/83 5. A005, Adjectives, Verbs, and Nouns, 3D Crew; DJ Busy-B; Vicious C, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/87 6. A006, Posse Killer, Action Pac Boys, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/109 7. A007, Fantasy in D for Piano Synthesizer \ Fantasy in G for Piano Synthesizer, Andrew Shannon, 1985, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/91 8. A008, [Untitled recording by Armpit Funk], Armpit Funk, undated 3 | Contact: [email protected] University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Collection: SC-0181 LL 9. A009, [Untitled recording by Art of Fresh], Art Of Fresh; Rock Master Flex, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/115 10. A010, He Won't Stall, MC Nasty; Keith Taylor, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/120 11. A011, Out to B.T.I., Rock The Beat, Best Crew Around; MC Whit; J. Rock, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15774coll30/id/126 12. A012, [Untitled recording by BTI Clique], BTI Clique; MC Force; Rocka D, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/131 13. A013, Were Def, BBX Crew, 1986, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/95 14. A014, Check Out My Beat Box, Mike D., 1986, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/136 15. A015, 3 Jams, Best Crew Around, 1986, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/144 16. A016, Smooth Operator/Warm It Up, Kane, Big Daddy Kane, undated 17. A017, The Way We Fuck Shit Up, Blass Crew, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/99 18. A018, [Barry G. Radio Show], Various Artists, undated 19. A019, BOSTON GOES DEF! Samples, Various Artists, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/105 20. A020, Doper than Dope, C.I.A. Crew; MC Angel M., undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/149 21. A021, [Untitled recording by C.O.D.], C.O.D., undated 22. A022, [Untitled recording by C.O.D., Tuff 'E' Nuff, and TGO], C.O.D.; Tuff 'E' Nuff; (The Great Ones) TGO, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/155 23. A023, C.O.D. Productions, C.O.D.; Tuff 'E' Nuff; The Great Ones (TGO); Spin, 1988, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/162 24. A024, DBX, C.O.D.E.; C.O.D., undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/167 25. A025, Practice Tape/Def Rap Mizer, White Boy Crew, undated, http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll30/id/172 26. A026, [Untitled recording by C.I.A. Crew], C.I.A.