John Cooper Clarke - The Luckiest Guy Alive

 

After reading Clarke's autobiography Melanie went on a hunt for books of his poetry and this was the first one that she found, a 2021 release of new writings. I was as entertained as anyone at Clarke's performance in Urgh! but I never thought to search out his written works. While he is certainly an entertaining performer, I personally find that his poems lose something while appearing on the white pages of a book. I think that his works truly rely on his performances and that, while he is absolutely clever and has a way with words, the poems read and feel more like song lyrics (although most have never been put to music) rather than poetry. I'm certain that many would disagree with my, but I would rather hear these than read them. Melanie disagrees with me and truly enjoyed this book, so check it out for yourself and see what you think!

RIP Lisa Loring

Lisa Loring, original Wednesday Addams actress, dead at 64 

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Another pop culture icon gone. She was fantastic in the Addams Family!

RIP Barrett Strong

Barrett Strong: Motown trailblazer and hitmaker, dies at 81

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Amazing vocalist and another part of my youth gone! Sorry to hear of his passing.

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

 

Amongst all of the other reading that Melanie has been doing lately, she has decided to try to read some of the classics that evaded her (and often myself, as well) over the years and so she picked up this novel on a whim. She was not particularly enthralled with the writing or the story telling but I thought I'd see what I thought of it.

Although I have been familiar with the title, I didn't know the tale behind the book - it was published in 1980, 11 years after Toole's death, through the efforts of writer Walter Percy along with Toole's mother, and first became a cult classic and then a mainstream success, even winning a posthumous Pulitzer! 

Written in 1963 and set in New Orleans (a fave city of ours, so that was intriguing), it features a main character who could not even be described as an anti-hero, as he has absolutely no likable characteristics. Ignatius J. Reilly is grotesque to the point of parody, obscene, overweight, slothful to an extreme, unemployed, living with his mother who supports him, a poor dresser, rude to everyone, but educated enough to believe that he is better than everyone else. Dire straits require employment, which sets off a series of unlikely events.

Finding employment is not an issue in the city at this time, but Ignatius' character prevents him from retaining his positions or even earning any money to speak of. But, while out in the French Quarter he comes upon a gay man he had met previously in a bar (the scenarios and coincidences are absurd to the extreme) and actually has an entertaining conversation that concludes with Ignatius planning a homosexual political party that will bring about world peace! Compared to some of the escapades recounted within, this practically makes sense! There are many more characters that come in contact with Ignatius and somehow Toole makes their stories all intertwine in the end, sometimes in the most unlikely of ways, and the tale ends with all of the strands coming to somewhat of a conclusion, and even a somewhat happy ending.

It's a strange one with plenty of overt stereotypes - again, sometimes in the extreme - and lots of prejudices within the characters, but that was kind of a sign of the times back in the early 60's. Can't say that I would recommend this one, mostly due to the unlikability and unrelatability of anyone in the story. It's not particularly bad writing, but it is not the hilarious tale that some reviewers have recounted and both of us got to the point where we just wanted it to end.

RIP Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine, Founder of Influential Punk-Era Band Television, Dies at 73 

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Marquee Moon is a landmark album for me - discovering it when it came out and expecting "punk rock" and got intricate guitar interplay and amazing songs. Verlaine was pretty legitimately a genius. Hate hearing this...

18 Classic Blues Songs From the 1920's Volume 7

 

More wonderful, acoustic tuneage originating from the 1920's and 30's from Blues Images with classics from superstars from the time period along with previously unreleased numbers and literally the only known copy of the final two songs by Henry Townsend! Blues Images knows how to find rarieties!

Opening with the famous and fantastic Robert Wilkins song, "That's No Way To Get Along" that the Stones adapted for "Prodigal Song" on Beggars Banquet, followed by two parts of "High Water Everywhere" by the legitimate legend, Charley Patton, then the incredible Skip James wows in "Hard Luck Child" and Blind Lemon Jefferson gives one of the (or the?) original performances of "Match Box Blues"! 

Ida Cox's "Mojo Hand Blues" is a piano-driven paean to love troubles and voodoo cures, the Mississippi Sheiks' fiddle shines on "She's Crazy 'Bout Her Lovin"', there's another two-parter in Charlie Turner and Winston Holmes' comedic "The Death of Holmes' Mule", then some brass-fueled Dixieland-ish blues in Ma Rainey's "Slow Driving Moan", followed by more fine guitar work by Blind Blake in "Early Morning Blues". Papa Charlie Jackson's speedily-strummed banjo drives "Coal Man Blues", Ramblin' Thomas does some fine git-playin'n'moanin' in "Sawmill Moan", then we get a sermon from "The Black Billy Sunday", letting us know that "This World's In a Hell Of A Fix" - as if we didn't know!

Fittingly, this is followed by two takes from Frank Palmes of the harmonica-gospel-blues "Ain't Gonna Lay My 'Ligion Down", then sweet-voiced Irene Scruggs is backed by the fab Blind Blake for the Test Takes 2 and 3 of "Married Man Blues" before we get the truly grand (although a bit scratchy, understandably) finale, the previously unheard (at least for 90 or so years!) Henry Townsend playing some fine guitar while singing "Doctor Oh Doctor" and "Jack O'Diamonds - Georgia Rub" - certainly a shame that these songs have been missing for so long as they are truly great performances!

I'm gonna say it with every one of these that I review - get it! If you're a fan of this style then you may (probably) have some of the songs included but you definitely don't have all of them!

18 Classic Blues Songs from the 1920's Volume 6

 

Another fantastic collection from the good folks at Blues Images (and what images they are! The calendar that originally accompanied this CD would have given a better view, but the booklet contains advertising images for the first 12 songs on the comp) starring a number of the incredible musicians that made up the earlier releases from this series - Blind Blake, Skip James, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Memphis Minnie, etc. - but with a number of special, unique entertainers and tunes.

I've been a fan of Blind Blake's since I first heard him and his "Night and Day Blues" is another goodie with fine git-playing, Kokomo Arnold is another great talent as he shows in "Milk Cow Blues", Charley Patton is, of course, a legitimate legend and a blues originator and "Shake It and Break It" is an upbeat, light-hearted classic, Skip James is also an amazing talent and he gets religious in "Jesus Is a Mighty Good Leader", then things change course a bit with some honky-tonk piano on the Paramount All Stars (actually an advertisement for several of their recording artists, so there are a variety of styles) "Home Town Skiffle Parts 1 and 2".

Buddy Boy Hawkins brings us back to some down home acoustic guitar blues'n'story telling in "Jailhouse Fire Blues", Blind Lemon Jefferson never fails, as well, and "Worried Blues" is about as real as it gets, Memphis Minnie often teamed up with her husband, Kansas City Joe, as on "Cherry Ball Blues" where I believe that Minnie is the lead guitarist and Joe is the vocalist, then Ida Cox tells the morbid, orchestrated tale of "Graveyard Dream Blues" before Elgar's Creole Orchestra gives us "Nightmare", the devilish  delirium depicted on the cover of the CD. In a change of pace, the Rev. Emmett Dickenson gives a spoken word eulogy to "The Death of Blind Lemon", and Rev. A.W. Nix warns us that "Death May Be Your Christmas Present"! 

Back to Blind Blake as he sings some slow blues in "Sun to Sun", Ben Curry strums his banjo mirthfully in "The Laffing Rag" and the silly "Hot Dog", there is a test recording for the Paramount All Stars Skiffle ad, and for the finale, we get a couple of cuts from another legend, Tommy Johnson, to close things out.

I love these early blues recordings as anyone who reads my blog well knows so I am always going to recommend a collection like this! Terrific stuff!

recommended gigs

 Thursday 1-26-23 - The Hypnotiques at Cornish Pasty

Friday 1-27-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-28-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-30-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Monday 1-30-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 2-1-23 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 2-3-23 - El Vez, Priscilla Escobar, Los Pakalolos, Secret Agent at the Golden Tiki

Friday 2-3-23 - Marissa and the Hollenbacks at the Gold Mine Tavern

Friday 2-3-23 - Shanda and the Howlers at Mabel's in the Palms

Saturday 2-4-23 -  The New Waves at 9:00 and then Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-4-23 - the Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Monday 2-6-23 - The Psyatics with the Hickoids at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 2-11-23 - The Psyatics, The Devil's Duo and Suburban Resistance at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 2-11-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-12-23 - Lady Luck Lexy and the Riverside Boys with the Hideaway at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-13-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 2-14-23 - The Rhyolite Sound, Paige Overton and Zach Ryan at Soul Belly

Friday 2-17-23 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 2-18-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-18-23 - Will and the HI-Rollers, the Desperados, Duo Glides at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Monday 2-20-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-25-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-27-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-3-22 - High Rollers Scooter Rally at the Usual Place with 16 Again, The New Waves, The Inciters, Chelsea Curve, Green Fuzz and the Double Whammys

Saturday 3-4-22 - The Unwieldies and the Devil's Duo at Cemetery Pulp

Sunday 6-25-23 - The Psyatics with Bob Log III and the Fat Dukes of Fuck at the Dive Bar

16 Classic Blues Songs from the 1920's Volume 5

 

You should know by now that I love this series and the early, acoustic blues sounds that they promote and this collection is certainly no exception!

Texas Alexander is a helluva guitar player and his "Range In My Kitchen Blues" is excellent, as is Blind Lemon Jefferson's guitar playing and singing on the bouncy "One Dime Blues", Rube Lacy is appropriately maudlin with minimal guitar backing in "Mississippi Jail House Groan", Blind Joe Reynolds is positively frantic in his "Nehi Mama Blues", Ma Rainey follows with her slightly more orchestrated "Deep Moaning Blues" before returning to simple guitar and voice for Crying Sam Collins' "Jail House Blues".

Banjo Joe (Gus Cannon) breaks things up with his ringin' banjo and whistlin' on "Madison Street Rag" and Blind Blake never fails to impress and his fingers are flying in "Seaboard Stomp", the Mississippi Sheiks fill out their sound with fiddle (is that more than one or is my ears playing tricks on me) on "The New Shake That Thing", then Blind Blake is back to complain (legitimately) about the "Low Down Jail House Blues", Ida Cox is "Cold and Blue" as she croons with piano accompaniment, and the keys also back up Elzadie Robinson's holiday blues "The Santa Claus Crave", while Blind Blake returns to let us know he learned his lesson about messin' with married women in "Ain't Gonna Do That No More". The team of Blind Willie McTell and Mary Willis do nice bluesy duets in "Talkin' To You Women About the Blues" and "Merciful Blues" and this set closes with Blind Joe Reynolds classic "Outside Woman Blues", made famous by Cream, of course, but this original deserves its own infamy! 

I doubt that I would have anything bad to say about any volume of this series as I love this music so just buy whatever you can find of these!

Half Japanese - Why Not?

 I was a big fan of Half Japanese's wacko, minimalist noize fest back in the 80's but since then I have lost touch with Jad Fair and his musical endeavors. As I've been revisiting some of my fave noize bands lately, I looked to see what was new with 1/2 J and discovered this CD, which I received as an Xmas present (thanks Ricky!).

In this 2018 release Jad sings and is accompanied by a full band of reasonably accomplished musicians - John Sluggett (guitar/keys/drums), Gilles-Vincent Rieder (drums, melodica, keys, percussion), Jason Willett (bass/keys and he did the mixing of the record, as well), Mick Hobbs (guitar/glockenspiel) and guests Sophie Bernadou on cello and Lydia Fischer on "wind". So, the sound is less chaotic than the earlier works that I am familiar with but still ventures into different musical dimensions via Jad's oddball vocal stylings and songwriting and the band's somewhat psychedelic textures.

With the opening "The Future Is Ours" the backing is kinda new wave/garagey with Jad's somewhat childlike, a-rhythmic, a-tonal singing/talking over it. The garage influences continues in "The Face", with a pulsing beat, crunching guitar chords and psych-ish keyboards, while Fair talks of the mythical beast and steals the werewolf poem from the horror movie, the title cut has more cool guitar/organ interplay, a neat descending riff and Jad's musical question repeated. There's more 60's styling in a Modern Lovers kinda way (as well as some glockenspiel!) for "Amazing", they get almost punk rock-ish - although still quirky, like early punk rock often was - in intensity for "Demons of Doom" with some alliteration lyrics, while "A Word to the Wise" ("look out!") is sorta a mutated, demented Bo Diddley beat, "Bring On the Night" is a musical genre-blender that Jad seems to almost be ad-libbing over, and "Zombie Island Massacre" is a hip, noisy soul/garage trip - love the guitar on this one! Probably my fave cut here.

The bands changes themes dramatically for the acoustic/Bahama Island feel of "Better Days", "Spaceship to Mars", is, appropriately enough, an echo-y, spacey, psychedelic instrumental, "Why'd They Do It" is sorta slow, horn-based, psychedelic/soul, kinda/sorta, with Fair quietly ranting that this is "not a perfect world", and more weirdness in the orchestrated ballad "Magic" and for the finale, "Falling", they kinda mix Eastern European accordion/psych/orchestration for Fair's evocation of love.

Not nearly as abrasive as the earlier work that I remember, this is still quite strange, mostly in the juxtaposition of Jad's odd ball vocalizing over a more normal psych/garage/rock/whathaveyou backing. But it all works in its bizarre way. Worth checking out, for sure!

The Unwieldies with Big Like Texas at the Huntridge Tavern, Saturday Jan 21, 2023

 

I try to see our pals, the Unwieldies, whenever they play but while that is not always possible, seeing them at the cozy dive bar, the Huntridge Tavern, is always a great time, and with the added enticement of Big Like Texas, I'm certainly glad that I was able to make it, even on a busy weekend.

The Unwieldies opened the evening, led by sweet-voiced Dani on lead vocals and guitar with her other half, Rob, on stand-up bass and vocals, backed more than ably by long-time cohort Jack on violin (don't call it fiddle!), Richard sliding slyly on dobro and comparative newcomer Erik impressing with his fast-fingered banjo rolls. They sound like no one else, really, but the influences are alt-country, bluegrass, folk and general Americana, all run through their own unique musical blender. This night the set contained a number of tunes from their fabs albums along with some brand new originals and a couple of their somewhat silly covers, such as Ozzy's "Crazy Train" and Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" - well done, natch, and the audience does dig 'em, but me personally, I prefer their originals. Anyway, see 'em if you haven't - always fun and a boat-load of talent!

I've only seen Big Like Texas once before, also at the Huntridge with the Unwieldies, but that's only because they rarely play out, despite being a terrific combo that wows the crowds! Last time they did a pretty much acoustic set but this time they were electrified and in this incarnation I would describe them as a hip alt-country group, maybe a bit more country than alt (that's a good thing!) with twin lead guitars (I'll never complain about that!), an acoustic rhythm guitar, a Dan Electro long-horn bass and a rockin' drummer. The set was packed with fine originals, but they weren't afraid to throw in a groovy cover of the Stones' "Dead Flowers" (which they also did previously), all played with plenty of enthusiasm and lots of expertise - everyone shines on their chosen instruments. The packed house loved 'em and they seemed to be having a great time, as well. Here's hoping they'll start playing out a bit more often!

Big thanks to the bands for great sets, the Huntridge for being a terrific hangout and hosting these fine events and for Yukon Pizza, the newest food stop around the corner of the mall from the Huntridge that will deliver to your seat in the bar! Whoo-hoo!

Amazing Adult Fantasy

 I love the fact that this series was - for a time - called Amazing Adult Fantasy and that its tagline was "the magazine that respects your intelligence"! I mean, I have always loved these monster/sci-fi stories since first discovering them via reprints in the 60's, but they are pretty silly overall and not particularly adult-themed. But maybe I'm just looking at it from a modern day point of view. In any case, the compendium collects the entire series, including the debut of Spider-Man in the last issue, and is a fun-filled book of wacky fantasy.

Stan Lee apparently wrote the entire series - he was pretty damn prolific, although the artists certainly helped the story along - and was aided and abetted by two of the best comic book artists ever - Jack Kirby (usually inked by Dick Ayers) and the incredible Steve Ditko. Kirby and Ditko seemed to be in a contest to outdo each other in designing the most outlandish and monstrous creatures, although they all retain earthly designs in this series. Both men would go other-worldly in later works. That's not to say that these creations are inferior in any way - each issue pretty much outdoes the previous one!

Of course, considering that the tales average a half dozen or so pages, there's not a lot of depth to the plots, but there are some intriguing twists'n'turns throughout. Some concepts are a bit more unbelievable that others, but in the spirit of "suspension of disbelief", they are all damn enjoyable.

And, apparently, I shouldn't start writing my reviews before I read the whole book as I see that the "adult" tagline was added about halfway through the series when Stan decided that he and Ditko (and apparently, Stan's uncredited brother) would collaborate on tales that were somewhat more cerebral - although still comic book fodder, of course, but with a bit more challenging themes. The moralistic tales are somewhat akin to the likes of later TV shows like the Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits with twist endings as well as sci-fi themes of time and space travel and death, and the consequences of these, and still the bad guys get what they deserve in the end!

Stan was always looking for ways to denounce prejudice and before he created the X-Men, "The Man In The Sky" told the tale of telepathic/telekinetic mutants (one that looked remarkably like Peter Parker) that were hounded by "normal" society but only wanted to help mankind. Of course, this thinking led to the creation of many of their greatest oddball heroes, such as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and, yes, Spider-Man, whose classic debut completes this compilation (other than some fun extras - covers, original artwork, etc.).

This is a truly "amazing" compendium and well worth the money - high quality printing, hard cover, and incredible contents! Certainly recommended for fans of this kind of story-telling!

RIP David Crosby

David Crosby dies aged 81 

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His music has been part of my life pretty much as long as I can remember. Sad to see him go.

recommended gigs

 Thursday 1-19-23 - the Negative Nancys, Va Voom, Biff, Three Rounds at Red Dwarf

Friday 1-20-23 - the Souvenairs at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-21-23 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 1-21-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-23-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Monday 1-23-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 1-25-23 - Tony Aloha at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 1-26-23 - The Hypnotiques at Cornish Pasty

Friday 1-27-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-28-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 1-29-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 1-30-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Monday 1-30-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 2-1-23 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 2-3-23 - El Vez, Priscilla Escobar, Los Pakalolos, Secret Agent at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-4-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-4-23 - the Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Monday 2-6-23 - The Psyatics with the Hickoids at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 2-11-23 - The Psyatics, The Devil's Duo and Suburban Resistance at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 2-11-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-12-23 - Lady Luck Lexy and the Riverside Boys with the Hideaway at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-13-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 2-14-23 - The Rhyolite Sound, Paige Overton and Zach Ryan at Soul Belly

Saturday 2-18-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-18-23 - Will and the HI-Rollers, the Desperados, Duo Glides at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Monday 2-20-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-25-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-27-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-3-22 - High Rollers Scooter Rally at the Usual Place with 16 Again, The New Waves, The Inciters, Chelsea Curve, Green Fuzz and the Double Whammys

Saturday 3-4-22 - The Unwieldies and the Devil's Duo at Cemetery Pulp

Sunday 6-25-23 - The Psyatics with Bob Log III and the Fat Dukes of Fuck at the Dive Bar

Small Town, Big Music, The Outsized Influence of Kent, Ohio by Jason Prufer

 

After reading the book on Akron, Ohio, a little while ago, (a year ago? How is that possible?) this was a natural follow-up - in fact, I'm pretty sure it was recommended to me because I bought the other one. Due to the proximity, there is certainly some overlap in these tomes, but thought I'd see what this had to say about Kent in particular.

Of course, one of the biggest stars to come from Kent is Joe Walsh and he writes the forward to the book and he and his band, the Measles, is the subject of the first chapter. The story is told via interviews hence it is very conversational, almost too much so, as if some editing could have been helpful. But, it's a fun tale of the garage band scene in the 60's in the mid-west, so I can't complain too much!

From there, it seems that much of the book is comprised of articles Prufer has discovered, often from school newspapers, which gives the readings a bit of an amateurish flavor (not that I have any room to talk!), and the reviews are often of touring acts who simply happened to make a stop in this college town. I wanted to know more about the city itself and its local scene and while it's fairly amazing the level of talent that played in the area, there's nothing special about their stop in Kent in particular.

When the story leans more towards the local scene and talent, such as when Emmylou Harris sat in with a country-rock band at a bar after playing a concert in town, or when Bo Diddley was backed up by The Numbers Band, then the tale is a bit more compelling than a simple review of a concert. 

There is a funny bit about Bruce Springsteen opening for Black Oak Arkansas, of all bands! Of course, the reviewer loved Bruce and panned BOA, as they had to at the time. The articles continue through to the early '00's including my discovery that the Black Keys came from the area,  complete with photos from earlier combos, and it all culminates as it began, with Joe Walsh, as he received an honorary degree from Kent after leaving back in the 60's to start his music career.

So, this wasn't quite the story that I expected and while it has some pleasant points, it is not the tale of this city and its importance in rock'n'roll history - this is more or less simply a listing of gigs that just happened to happen in this area. I feel that the story of Kent itself still needs to be told.

Here to be Heard - The Story of the Slits

 

I've always said that I was a bit more of a fan of the Slits conceptually than musically (as I said after reading guitarist Viv's fine book a few years back), as their reggae-based pop was never aggressive or unique enough for my ears. But I loved the characters and their early, punky visual style (I drew a picture of Ari Up from an early book on British punk in the 70's that my sister still has) and I appreciate that they were able to break into the male-dominated music scene at the time (ironically with the help of male friends/boyfriends, but still).

This documentary has some phenomenal early footage along with more modern interviews with the prominent characters - band members, friends and the ubiquitous Don Letts (who provided much of the period video footage). Of course, that scene in the 70's was incredibly exciting and vital and the Slits were right in the heart of it, playing with all of the biggest bands of the time and some members even playing in early incarnations like the Flowers of Romance. 

Their style evolved fairly quickly, from their beginnings as noisy, anarchic - but charismatic - punk rockers who could barely play to the more smooth reggae-influenced sounds of their debut record, Cut. By the time of the recording they had booted out their original drummer, Palmolive (who is interviewed fairly extensively), and brought in a male drummer (not pictured on the album sleeve), Budgie, who later went on to play with Siouxie and the Banshees. Budgie - and the record's producer - certainly brought in a level of professionalism that they probably would not have attained otherwise, but they also lost their punky excitement. 

In any case, I learned quite a bit about their ups'n'downs, personnel changes, break-ups and (partial) reformations - bassist Tessa also providing a large part of the narrative as she and Ari were the only two mainstays in every incarnation. Of course, Ari's untimely, early death is excruciatingly sad and, naturally, brought an end to the Slits story.

Even without being a big fan of the music, this documentary is still inspirational and extremely well done, with plenty of exciting period video, including rehearsals, shows, and simply hanging out at clubs. Definitely recommended!

Ugly Things #61 - Winter 2022

 

Anyone who has ever read my blog knows that I will never NOT recommend Mike and Anja Stax's fine fanzine, Ugly Things, as it is always a high quality, highly informative mag filled with more musical information that you can possibly conceive of! From in-depth interviews to reviews of every format and media, UT can't be beat!

In this ish we get articles on garage rockers The Magicians (insanely massive at over 30 pages long!) and the Chancellors (stars of Back From The Grave), an interview with the Jefferson Airplane's first bassist (before Jack Cassidy, which is another convoluted but entertaining tale), part two of Detroit/LA pre-punk rockers the Dogs fascinating story - here documenting their time in Hollywood in the 70’s, Lou Reed (an article speculating on his mystic side, based on some interviews and a lot of conjecture), no-wavers Mars and a ridiculous amount more!

Certainly one of the best physical  Rock’n’Roll zines going on today - and still going strong after 40 (!) years! And don’t forget to check out their online store for lots of other fab Rock’n’Roll related items!

recommended gigs

 Friday 1-13-23 - The Psyatics at the Double Down with Crimson Riot and Robert Stokes Band

Saturday 1-14-23 - Lost Vagrants with Suburban Resistance at the Usual Place 

Saturday 1-14-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 1-15-23 - Durango 66 at Red Dwarf Sunday Brunch

Monday1-16-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 1-18-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Founders Club

Thursday 1-19-23 - the Negative Nancys, Va Voom, Biff, Three Rounds at Red Dwarf

Saturday 1-21-23 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 1-21-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-23-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Monday 1-23-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 1-26-23 - The Hypnotiques at Cornish Pasty

Friday 1-27-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-28-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-30-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Monday 1-30-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 2-1-23 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 2-3-23 - El Vez, Priscilla Escobar, Los Pakalolos, Secret Agent at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-4-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-6-23 - The Psyatics with the Hickoids at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 2-11-23 - The Psyatics, The Devil's Duo and Suburban Resistance at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 2-11-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-12-23 - Lady Luck Lexy and the Riverside Boys with the Hideaway at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-13-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 2-14-23 - The Rhyolite Sound, Paige Overton and Zach Ryan at Soul Belly

Saturday 2-18-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-20-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-25-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-27-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-3-22 - High Rollers Scooter Rally at the Usual Place with 16 Again, The New Waves, The Inciters, Chelsea Curve, Green Fuzz and the Double Whammys

Saturday 3-4-22 - The Unwieldies and the Devil's Duo at Cemetery Pulp

Sunday 6-25-23 - The Psyatics with Bob Log III and the Fat Dukes of Fuck at the Dive Bar

RIP Jeff Beck

Legendary rock guitarist Jeff Beck dies aged 78 

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While I didn't love every twist and turn his career took, he was always a phenomenal player and I thought he was great the one time I got to see him in the early 00's. 

Fuckin' hell it's tough watching all of your heroes go. Gonna have to listen to Truth for the millionth time.

Justice Society Volume One

 

I've always been more of a Marvel fan than a DC fanatic, but I've also always had a soft spot for the "Earth 2"/Classic DC heroes and this compilation of a mid-1970's series shows off those stars (the original Superman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Flash and Wildcat) mixed with a few newer youngsters - Power Girl, Star-Spangled Kid and that world's Robin - as they show off their superior powers while they learn from the elders.

In this tale a threat to the very existence of the world binds these characters together, even bringing some of the older heroes out of retirement. Of course, our side wins - for now! - and decides that together they are stronger than as individuals and continue to fight evil as it appears, as improbably menaces multiply with every issue.

The artwork by Wally Wood (and others, although his work stands out) is exceptional as he always is, although the story telling is a bit more mundane and pedestrian, something that often bothered me about DC. Of course, this is a huge generalization, but it is appropriate for this series. Not to say that this isn't still comic book fun, but don't expect a lot of depth here! 

recommended gigs

Saturday 1-7-22 - Suburban Resistance, Lean 13, Gob Patrol, NC3 at Dive Bar

Saturday 1-7-23 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-7-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 1-8-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf Sunday Brunch

Monday 1-9-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 1-13-23 - The Psyatics at the Double Down with Crimson Riot and Robert Stokes Band

Saturday 1-14-23 - Lost Vagrants with Suburban Resistance at the Usual Place 

Saturday 1-14-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday1-16-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 1-18-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Founders Club

Thursday 1-19-23 - the Negative Nancys, Va Voom, Biff, Three Rounds at Red Dwarf

Saturday 1-21-23 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 1-21-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-23-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Monday 1-23-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 1-26-23 - The Hypnotiques at Cornish Pasty

Friday 1-27-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 1-28-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 1-30-23 - The Hypnotiques at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Monday 1-30-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-4-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-6-23 - The Psyatics with the Hickoids at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 2-11-23 - The Psyatics, The Devil's Duo and Suburban Resistance at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday 2-11-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-12-23 - Lady Luck Lexy and the Riverside Boys with the Hideaway at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-13-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-18-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-20-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-25-23 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-27-23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-3-22 - High Rollers Scooter Rally at the Usual Place with 16 Again, The New Waves, The Inciters, Chelsea Curve, Green Fuzz and the Double Whammys

Saturday 3-4-22 - The Unwieldies and the Devil's Duo at Cemetery Pulp

Sunday 6-25-23 - The Psyatics with Bob Log III and the Fat Dukes of Fuck at the Dive Bar

Positively 4th Street - David Hajdu

 

Yet another book that I discovered by someone recommending on social media (now I cannot remember who, but thank you!) and it sounding interesting to me. This is an overview of the early days of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez (his sometime lover who helped bring him to recognition), her sister Mimi Farina and her husband Richard, all of who were particularly influential in the early NYC folk scene.

The story here begins with Joan and Mimi and their (overall) supportive family and Joan's relative rapid rise to fame on the coffee house circuit and her extremely focused vision of success, to the point of bitchiness to anyone who could or might interfere, including her sister, Mimi, whose beauty and talent Joan was envious of. But it was ambitious Joan who regularly played the coffee houses, got a recording contract, and had a surprise, major hit with her debut album, rocketing her to folk stardom. 

While she was the undisputed queen of the scene, others did their best to follow suit, including Carolyn Hester, a more traditionally good looking folk singer who seemed the next to rise as she was courted by record companies who passed on Joan. Carolyn became entwined with Richard Farina, whose authoritative demeanor overpowered some of her better judgement, and he became part musical collaborator and part manager, despite the fact that she already had a professional manager taking care of her business. Richard became friends with Bob Dylan, the shy, Woody Guthrie-obsessed newcomer on the scene and brought him in to play harmonica on Carolyn's recording. Richard met Joan at a party and this led to his relationship with Mimi! Whew!

But the spotlight quickly moves to Bob Dylan and his relatively meteoric rise to fame in NYC, his recording contract and, most importantly, his songwriting. The other heroes are not forgotten and Hajdu does his best to keep us informed of everyone's actions and interactions throughout this wild time period. Of course, Joan "discovers" Bob and latches onto his songwriting and to him, as well, falling for him and his talent, and bringing him along with her for some of her biggest and most important shows.

Of course, Bob eventually eclipses Joan's popularity and the tables are turned but Bob does not reciprocate Joan's favors and the relationship falters as he turns his back on Joan and. marries Sara, a muse for numerous songs over the years. Mimi and Richard record with reasonable success and critical acclaim, Richard eventually publishes a book and, tragically, on the night of his book release party (something he had been working on for years), Richard dies in a motorcycle accident just a couple of months prior to Dylan's own legendary incident.

The book essentially ends with Richard's death, although it ties up some loose threads, but his death acts as the final chapter in the tale of this foursome, who were entwined in so many ways, as only characters in a small scene (as the NYC folk congregation was at the time) can be. 

This is extremely well written, personable and relatable - well worth your time if you are a fan of these characters, this time period or this musical scene. Very much recommended.