The Phil Spector Trial: We Watch Court TV So You Don't Have To (07/26)

Tweet

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY? Dr. Werner Spitz became the latest of the defense's All-Forensic Dream Team to sit in the witness chair. Spitz is a celebrity in the pathology world, having assisted on both the JFK autopsy and the OJ Simpson trial. Spitz, who "had a cold" and unfurled throaty coughs to mask questions he didn't like, treated the jury to pictures of Lana Clarkson's bullet-ridden tongue. All in all, Spitz unequivocally concluded that the gunshot that killed Clarkson, whether an accident or on purpose, was "self-inflicted."

IS THIS GOOD OR BAD FOR SPECTOR? Neither. Spitz knows what he is talking about, but unfortunately he speaks exactly like Dr. Strangelove, making it difficult for the jury (and the TV viewers) to understand what he's saying.

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE OF COURT: After weeks of sitting through testimony similar to an anatomy class, the jurors might finally be rewarded with a field trip. Judge Fidler will decide later this week whether the jury will be allowed the visit the scene of the crime: Phil Spector's mock castle in Alhambra.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES The 10 Best Zombie Movie Scenes
• 
  TV The Most WTF? Moments of 'Mad Men'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter