“It’s The Little Things” Produced by Man Parrish (Written by Sonny Bono 1967) “Just You” Produced by Richard Citroen (Written by Sonny Bono 1965)

Out Spring Of 2018

This new Paul Zone/Donna Destri record plays on the great duets by people who share an ideal friendship - Paul and Paula, Dick and Dee Dee, Steve and Edie, and of course Sonny and Cher, and yes, even John and Yoko. Like a synth celebratory Christmas Carol dedicated to eternal friendship, here comes the duet by Paul Zone (The Fast, Man 2 Man, Blow Up) and Donna Destri (MainMan artiste, who has sung with Blondie, Ronnie Spector, Cherry Vanilla, Jayne County, Johnny Thunders, The Fast, Man 2 Man, and her own band Voodoo Shoes). Dedicated to the occasionally fraught companionship, yet the undying love and mutual cultural adventurism of Salvatore Bono and Cherilyn Sarkisian, it brings a new sweetness and relevance to a canon that has occasionally been dismissed.

A "DOUBLE A-SIDE", "It's the Little Things" is produced by Man Parrish (Hip Hop Be Bop Don't Stop), who has also worked with Michael Jackson, the Village People, Company B, and Klaus Nomi, and more more more!. "Just You" is produced by Richard Citroen (Lola Dutronic featuring Mike Garson, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, The Diodes, Paul Hyde, and more more more!). Both songs are a lovely evocation of a Shangri-La's world by way of the Eurythmics, with only the faintest whiff of affectionate ironic distance. "Just You" was originally released on the Sonny & Cher LP "Look At Us", on ATCO records, which contained the iconic "I Got You Babe" as well as oddly apt contemporary cover versions like "Then He Kissed Me" and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me". "It's the Little Things" was released on Sonny and Cher's attempt to capitalize on the Beatles’ and Herman's Hermits' successful films, with a vaguely "Laugh-In"/"Monkees" instance, to somewhat indifferent results. But there's nothing wrong with the beautiful soundtrack. Bizarrely, the film was directed by William "Exorcist" Friedkin, and starred George "Children of the Damned" Sanders! It's admirable that Paul and Donna can separate Sonny and Cher from their tabloid history (much of it defensible, and amusing, but some of it absolutely indefensible) and come out with something that just celebrates love, music, and eternal connection!

A BRIEF HISTORY:

PAUL ZONE: Paul Zone was a tireless photographer (See "Playground: Growing Up In The New York Underground“
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/paul-zones-playground - His photos of Debbie Harry, Joey Ramone, and Wayne "Jayne" County are legendary), designer and bon vivant. In his early teenage years, just walking down the streets towards the subway in Brooklyn that might deliver him to Max's Kansas City in wild striped vinyl outrageous self-made fabulously mod clothing was sometimes greeted with cruel taunts. But his sense of destination was ineffable. He was a supporter of his brothers' Mod/Glam aggregate "The Fast" from the beginning. They were already playing out in Manhattan by 1973, contemporaneously with the New York Dolls, and shared many of the same rabid fans. Full disclosure: He introduced Lance Loud and me to their psychedelic posturing (Seeing Miki Zone throw Cheerios onto the uplifted adoring faces of their fans during a blinding strobe-light attack, while they played one of their Who-based confections, is still absolutely unforgettable.) I think it was at the Diplomat Hotel? Paul was not only the absolute Ambassador of Cool, in the "tweener moment", just after glam had crested, and just before punk became a convenient if inaccurate press construct, (Think: Paul taking us to every party everywhere, including N.Y. Dolls, Harlots of 42nd Street, Teenage Lust, Kiss, and the occasional visit by Andy Warhol's Eric Emerson - AND driving us all to Coney Island in his convertible)! But he was also always pushing the Fast to ever more crazily seductive pop epiphanies. It was weird when original lead singer & brother Mandy Zone was kind of summarily pushed aside, so 17 year old Paul could lead the Fast. But Mandy took it in stride, started his own fantastically bizarre band, “Ozone", and continued with the Fast on keyboards and backing vocals. And it was the right, inevitable decision! Paul was the stylist, the clothier, the idea person, the force majeure: he embodied what the Fast meant through Miki's marvelous fantastic pop compositions: "Boys Will Be Boys" produced by Bobby “O” Orlando! The absolutely perfect "It's Like Love" produced by the ubiquitous Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, Go Go’s)! All leading to an LP produced by Ric Ocasek (the Cars). Paul was a regular DJ at Max's Kansas City. The only DJ I could ever request to play Eric Carmen's "Hey Deanie" sung by Sean Cassidy, and make everyone jump up and dance! (And occasionally throw ashtrays!) He also designed and created the famous "nail brassiere" outfit from Lydia Lunch's first solo LP, "Queen of Siam". He went on to have top twenty Pop hits all over Europe, Australia, Mexico & South America with his later band Man 2 Man with brother Miki Zone. And Paul continued to write, produce, remix, and make Electro/Pop music with his duet based band with Claudio Camaione, "Blow-Up". And just happened to have #1 dance remixes they did for Yoko Ono & Madonna.

DONNA DESTRI:

Donna was, and is, a mysteriously gorgeous Femme Fatale. At once a wildcat scenester, and perfectly unknowable, though her list of accomplishments is radical! Donna was actually in the first configuration of the Fast in 1971! She taught Jimmy Destri (her brother) to play piano so he could join Blondie. She was lovely as the "B-Girl Hostess" who sang and announced the winners of the "Dream Dates" with either Lydia Lunch or James Chance (eek!) at the legendary "New Wave Vaudeville Show". She was also a Club 57 alumni actress in many Scott Wittman/Marc Shaiman underground productions. Donna has known Paul since the sixth grade! They, together, invented a way to measure cultural specificity, which meant that you would be the most beautiful, and the most fun, people in any time quadrant. It just happened to be at the perfect moment. The Fast. Blondie. Television. The Ramones. John Holmstrom. It was a time when everything stopped "seeming" to be possible, and actually WAS possible. And they both have made many fantastic accomplishments since then. But punk, despite an odd assumption that it was born out of whole cloth to negate everything, was always about celebrating the history that gave us hope, and helped us find community. Look at even one of Lux Interior's compilations of his most beloved 45s! We were always about building upon the past that we found interesting, and sharing that history! This is just one such of those interests.

We all love Sonny and Cher! Let's celebrate this magical moment, that re-interprets those accomplishments with so much crazy flair! Paul Zone and Donna Destri are here to celebrate that history, and make us all realize that "friendship never dies" and "fun is still fun". Cool? Cool!