Question Mark & The Mysterians - 96 Tears

Rare clip from Detroit's 'Swingin' Time', 1966. Link to 2011 clip:
http://www.use.com/2ec36578a05ec9324d28

Category:

Music

Tags:

• oldies
• 60's

[Geosinut52]

Question Mark says that his real name is not Rudy Martinez. That is a myth. His real name is "?" (the symbol). It is spelled out "Question Mark" on his social security card. Question Mark made up the name (Rudy Martinez) when he signed in at B.M.I.

[bze2nlz4]

@Geosinut52 This was what he 'supposedly' said in an interview just last year. Why would he change his story after 45 years?? I believe all the other sites that say he was born as Rudy Martinez, and there are plenty of them. Personally, I think he's still trying to mess with people's heads and it's all a joke to him.

[TheShitsinger]

??? WHY 96 tears & not 100 or 1000???... It WAS originally "69 tears" but changed to 96 cause they were afraid it might not get any air play... Listen to ALL the words again with 69 in mind... "& when the sun comes up, I'll be on top, you'll be right down there, lookin' up."... Ha-ha!

[bze2nlz4]

@TheShitsinger Never even thought about that...too funny! :)

[TheCMac518]

Is Question Mark this really Sky Saxon or John Kay?

[bze2nlz4]

@TheCMac518 ? is Rudy Martinez, not Sky or John.

[bluemeanie81]

hey are you kidding me? thanks for sharing a link to the PBS performance, my god i was astounded!!! question mark sounds better now then he did back in the 60s!!

[TheZeke165]

chicano brothers

[monsta64]

@TheShitsinger OMG!!! Hysterical! I love it!!! "69 tears" I'll never listen to this OR pull a 69 the same way ever again! LOL!!!

[monsta64]

@TheCMac518 You too, huh? Too funny! To me, "?" looks like Kay! LOL!

[Geosinut52]

Question Mark wrote 96 Tears in the 1950's.

[Geosinut52]

Question Mark says that it was never 69 Tears. It was always 96 Tears.

[TheShitsinger]

@TheSentientParadox ... That's true, 96 DOES roll off the tongue better than 69, (no pun intended.) But what IF Dylan re-named "Rainy day women" to "Every body must get stoned"..Or John Lennon changed "Lucy in the sky with diamonds," to: "LSD" Then it would have been less ambiguous & therefore less identifiable to more people.. Maybe the Byrds "8 miles high" should have instead been re-named, "My amazing plane ride up in the clouds" Then it might have gotten more air play..(Or not)... Ha ha!

[TheSentientParadox]

@TheShitsinger You know? That actually might be true, but imagine if they hadn't changed it. 96, phonetically, just SOUNDS better than 69 in context. Whoever made them change it, that was more likely the reason. I mean, they never made Bob Dylan change the lyrics to Rainy Day Women. The title of that song, but the way was assigned by Dylan himself, and there are a few different stories about that. Not one though, refers to fears of the title offending anyone.

[csrhiatt]

Bass player looks TOASTED.

[roach8645]

Too many tears...to be cry'n now.