They Called Us Enemy - George Takei / Harmony Becker (artist)

 

Of course, George Takei is famous for his role in Star Trek but as he has gotten older he has become more politically outspoken, especially as he has seen past transgressions repeated over the years. He is of the age that he was taken to a Japanese Internment Camp when he was a child - a bit of shameful history that is glossed over in most American schools - and so he is extremely aware of the dangers of racial profiling and biases.

I initially thought that this would be a "regular" novel, but it is a well-done graphic novel with illustrator Harmony Becker doing a great job with plenty of expressive work and now'n'then just a touch of Anime influence for some of the more innocent childhood memories.

The Takei's were a successful, happy, middle class family in the LA area until Pearl Harbor was bombed and the US government's response to its own citizens was racist to an extreme. Anyone of Japanese descent, citizen or not, lost literally everything and was sent to camps. Of course, the children didn't really understand what was happening and George and his siblings actually have some fond memories of their incarceration, mixed with some of the violent horrors that they and their fellow internees experienced.

George's powerful tale is used to highlight the more repugnant policies of some of our more recent (republican) administrations in the hopes that some of our population, at least, can learn for our terrible past that has mostly been expunged from our history books.

As with many civil rights issues, this is not ancient history - many people who had to experience these degradations and worse are still alive and most want the government to acknowledge their shortcomings and they want no one else to have to experience what they lived through. 

Very well done and a story that needs to be repeated often, as it appears that we are going to be living through something similar soon, and it will be just as wrong as it was in the past. 

recommended gigs

           

I know that not too many people look at this no matter what, but I am taking a break from social media so I won't be able to update this gig section as often as usual. I haven't set a length of time for my hiatus so who knows, I may be back sooner or may be back later. Have fun while ya can! 

Saturday 11-16-24 - the Crotches, the Shakewells, the Style Cramps at the Griffin

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Wednesday 11-27-24 - CM Wolf and the Backbones at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Incredible Hulk Volume 3

 

I've been reading this Masterworks series to revisit the 60's comics that have long ago vanished from my family's collection, but the tales are still deeply ingrained in my psyche. While I don't consider the Hulk one of my fave heroes/anti-heroes, his early stories are fascinating if for nothing else than the wackiness that Stan and company incorporated into the plots as they tried to keep the readers' interests.

By this time, the Hulk was a bit more grounded and not as likely to have different personalities with every issue and some of the aforementioned wackiness had vanished. That said, it is a bit odd that by the 6th installment, Bruce Banner hasn't appeared at all when previously they would switch back'n'forth pretty regularly.

But the Hulk has incredible adventures as he time travels, encounters the Executioner, is hounded by the military (natch), battles Hercules, the Mole Man and more, all in the first few episodes! The artwork varies pretty wildly and none is really the best that the artists are capable of - Kirby, Buscema, Gil Kane and more. I can only assume that they were all trying to do more than time allowed.

The storylines vary, as well, although they improve as time goes on, with the Hulk unwittingly moving from hero to villain and back again through incidents often well beyond his control. This culminates in the creation of the Abomination, a gamma-ray creature more powerful than the Hulk but with normal intelligence. Banner appears in time to devise a way to defeat him and as this chapter ends, the Hulk is once again heralded as a hero - but for how long?

As I always say, I enjoy revisiting these reprints but this installment is frankly, not among the best, but fans will still want to follow along!

Punk and Other Four Letter Words - Linda Aronow

 

I met Linda Aronow in the 80's, first as a friend, but when I learned of her terrific photography skills, we worked together on many of my musical projects. She always had a great eye, a fine sense of composition, and a cool black'n'white technique. It's gratifying to see that she is finally getting some recognition for her work, lo these many years later. Of course, my bands are nowhere near cool enough to be included in this collection, but there are many excellent combos represented.

This coffee table book is  meant to highlight the photos, so there is minimal text, but some great writings, as well - Linda's personal intro and outro, along with reminiscences from a number of the band members included. There are lots of hardcore groups represented, which I never really cared for (although still, some fab captures), but there are also plenty of excellent, original bands such as Redd Kross, Kommunity FK, Christian Death, GWAR, Celebrity Skin, Alice Bag, Haunted Garage, Screaming Jay Hawkins and lots more!

At close to 8-1/2 x 11 (as fliers would have been in the day), the book gives plenty of room to showcase the pix and, cleverly, the font used for the band names emulates the Letraset type that so mnay of us used at the time. Anyone interested in the 80's punk rock and related scenes - particularly LA, but plenty of traveling bands, as well - will definitely want to check this out either to remember the wild times or to see what it was all about! Get it!

All New Henry and Glenn Comics and Stories - Tom Neely

 

Tom Neely is an old friend of ours and I know I've ranted'n'raved about his work numerous times before. One of his more popular creations is the Henry and Glenn comics - imagining Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig in a relationship with neighbors Hall and Oates (yes, those Hall and Oates) as Satan worshipers and a revolving cast of characters.

Here Henry's cat passes and Glenn convinces him to get another, which is good for Henry but not so much for Glenn, as he has to cat-sit for the creature as Glenn stars in a "Jon Twaters" updated version of Hershel Gordon Lewis' "2000 Maniacs" as "2020 Maniacs"! 

Anyway, lots of LA in-jokes, special appearances, crazy cat adventures and amazing artwork as the tale comes to a relative end, but hopefully with plenty of follow-up adventures to come!

The "Stories" section is also pretty hilarious with an apparently true story of Tom ending up sitting next to a member of Samhain on a several hour airplane ride!

Yes, we've been friends with Tom for a couple of decades, but he is one of the more talented people that we know, as well. Certainly check this one out!

recommended gigs

          

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 11-8-24 - Femaliens with Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 11-9-24 - VaVoom, Decaying Tigers at the Triple Down

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - the Crotches, the Shakewells, the Style Cramps at the Griffin

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Wednesday 11-27-24 - CM Wolf and the Backbones at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sat 2-22-25 - the Silhouettes at Red Dwarf

Stan Lee - A Life - by Bob Batchelor

 

Being a fan of Marvel comics for practically my entire life, of course I was interested in this book when I saw it on our local library's shelf. Published in 2022, this is a relatively recent release so I'm kinda surprised that I didn't know about it until now.

This is a straight-forward biography, and Batchelor keeps the tale flowing in a fascinating and compelling way. Stanley Lieber, the son of Jewish Romanians who were escaping persecution in Europe, grew up as the Great Depression hit, causing economic turmoil throughout the country and especially in the ethic conclave that he lived in. He took whatever odd jobs he could find while in school - and was a strong student, apparently, gregarious and popular, who worked on the school paper, among other things - and as soon as he graduated, he searched for more permanent employment. Although the stories vary somewhat, he ended up as a gofer at Timely Comics, working for none other than Joe Simon and Jack Kirby - already true stars in the burgeoning comic industry. 

After the success of their rivals in DC Comics with Superman and Batman, Timely hits big with Simon and Kirby's Captain America and with the need to grow and fill out the comics, Stan is soon hired to write and even create his own characters. While these early heroes never became household names, they have been referenced in Marvel stories over the years, so they are never quite forgotten. Funnily, Simon and Kirby were soon both sacked and Stan essentially ran the comics division as writer, editor and art director, all as a teen!

Of course, times changed and eventually Timely became Atlas which became Marvel and as the industry evolved and Stan was able to keep it reasonably profitable, he was able to re-hire Kirby, along with super talents like Steve Ditko and John Romita, Jr. With these collaborators in tow, he co-created the legends that we are familiar with today, starting with the Fantastic Four, followed by Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor and many more.

I hadn't realized that Stan had to report to the publisher and have him ok Stan's ideas, or that Stan would have to create a hero or team based on the publisher's whims - but this was something that he was used to as they previously went from romance to westerns to horror to monsters to funny animals and more. So, some of the more ludicrous ideas were used simply to try to keep the title alive, rather than being a creative breakthrough from the team. The FF was the result of needing to create a "team" (to rival DC's Justice League) and the publisher hated Spider-Man so much that he debuted in a magazine's final issue. He also hated the Hulk and Thor, so there ya go!

I also never knew that, despite the many, many successes in the 1960's, Marvel still trailed behind DC in overall sales and, while Marvel's sales were fairly consistent, there were lots of financial problems behind the scenes, with Stan and company never really knowing if everything would collapse at any moment. "Smilin' Stan Lee" kept a good face in the editorial pages and Marvel Bullpen section of the books, never hinting at these issues.

Of course, Marvel did eventually eclipse DC in sales but throughout its history, there were economic turmoil behind the scenes, despite the successes. This led the company to try to expand to other media - TV, movies, etc., as well as merchandising. Stan does leave the editor's seat and concentrates on these other chores with limited success for many years, although he manages to keep his own face and name known and supplants his salary with speaking engagements.

Frankly, once he leaves the creative side of the comics, the story gets less interesting for me and I had no idea that he was involved in numerous projects that crashed'n'burned all too often. But, the early days, as usual, are quite exciting and I truly enjoyed the tale, even if it may concentrate on Stan at the expense of some contributors, even as Batchelor tries to keep a balance.

In any case, any fan of Marvel will certainly enjoy this one!

Leonard Cohen - The Mystical Roots of Genius by Harry Freedman

 

This was a random pickup from my last library visit and I grabbed it simply because I am a fan of the man, especially his early work. Freedman's concept is an unusual one, though. This is not a biography but a thesis on Cohen's lyrics in the context of religious allegories. Of course, Cohen was raised a Jew, but was very familiar with the Christian Bible and later became a Buddhist monk, so there is plenty of religious iconography to go around!

While I generally believe that each person should interpret lyrics in their own way - as, most often, the lyricist intends - and that an outsider forcing their interpretations on the words inevitably fails, I must say that Freedman certainly knows his religious texts and makes a good case for their basis for Cohen's words. This is especially true considering Cohen's religious background, upbringing and continued learnings.

Of course, for a songwriter as creative and expressive as Cohen, it would be unusual to simply quote or even reinterpret the earlier writings. He reinvents, re-contextualizes, combines and simply turns stories on their heads in order to fit into his lyrical scheme. Freedman seems to essentially follow Cohen's line of thinking, although I would never believe that anyone other than the songwriter would ever have the last say in a song'a meaning.

The book is interesting in that it jumps around Cohen's discography non-chronologically, so that there is no emphasis on one era or style of his. I myself am a huge fan of his first three albums and then lost interest (and, as much as I have tried, none of his other records comes close to those, excluding his first live album, of course), so my interest is kept as he moves from later works to these earlier songs. I do think that his explanations at times quotes too directly from the lyrics that he is attempting to explain, but I guess there are only so many ways to describe a line of poetry.

I suppose, in a way, that the concept was fairly obvious given Cohen's religious leanings and background, but there are plenty of insights here, even if the text can be a bit clinical all too often. So, an interesting theory'n'book, but as a read, not completely captivating. There are a couple of actual biographies on the man htat I've read and expounded on previously, and those are a bit more compelling, simply due to the fact that they aren't as scholastic. But, this is definitely worth reading for fans of the man's work.

recommended gigs

            

Thursday 10-24-24 - Negative Nancys, Switch to Fakie and Mersa at the Triple Down at the Punk Rock Museum

Friday 10-25-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-27-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 10-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 11-8-24 - Femaliens with Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Vampirella VS. the Superpowers

 

Also grabbed from the local library - maybe a little surprisingly, but I suppose they probably have items that are more provocative in their collection.

Of course, I have been a fan of Vamp ever since I discovered the scantily-clad vampire (and I have - or had, not sure since everything is in storage - a collection of her Warren comics) and most variations on this theme have worked in one form or another. This time out, it's a whole new world - literally. We are on a parallel Earth in 1948 where super powered beings have existed since the early 1900's and initiated and ended the two world ("super") wars and besides "natural" supes, there are beings that have supplanted their natural powers with either technology or "elixirs", which can be temporary (for use in the armed services) or permanent. Supes have become part of the world, one way or another, and are even running for president!

Vamp is from another world and has been tasked to covertly attempting to rid this world of the elixirs so that it can evolve more naturally - or maybe the supes of Vamp's world just doesn't like the competition? In any case, there is plenty of intrigue, lots of violence, this world's super-agency more or less chasing the same thing as Vamp (containing supes and the illegal elixirs) and colliding with Vamp and her cohort Dyna Might, and, of course, lots more.

Pretty decent tale, actually, and if I remember correctly, Vamp was initially an alien from another world, so that is in keeping with the original mythos, in its own way. Certainly worth a read and makes me want to dig out my old books!

Catwoman - Valley of the Shadow of Death

 

Another random library pick, but this one i quite enjoyed. Salina Kyle is basically running "Alleytown", although in this installment, it's not completely clear what that means. She seems to be skirting the law, but maybe not actually committing crimes, as her previous self would have done, and she believes in protecting her "constituents". But, of course, people have other ideas, and all the usual suspects get involved - Riddler, Penguin and especially Poison Ivy, who has been captured and is being used as a catalyst for a new kind of drug infecting the city.

On top of all this there is a religious vigilante named Father Valley (maybe not their most creative moniker) who is making his way through the city, seemingly randomly murdering and torturing. Naturally, the law (corrupt and otherwise) is making things difficult for Salina, as well.

This graphic novel was number 5 in a series, so lots happened before and, ntach, much more must have happened after. I will have to look out for the series, as this was well done!

recommended gigs

           

Thursday 10-17-24 - Dr. Phobic and the Phobic-Tones and the Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Friday 10-18-24 - Big Sandy with Shanda and the Howlers at the Sand Dollar Downtown 

Friday 10-18-24 & Saturday 10-19-24 - Rayford Bros./BatBand at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-19-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 10-23-24 - Dion Lunadon, the Acid Sisters, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place 

Thursday 10-24-24 - Negative Nancys, Switch to Fakie and Mersa at the Triple Down at the Punk Rock Museum

Friday 10-25-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-27-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 10-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 11-8-24 - Femaliens with Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

The Superior Foes of Spider-Man

 

Made another trip to the library and picked up a couple issues of this graphic novel to see what Marvel is doing with Spider-Man and his foes these days - relatively speaking - I guess this series started about 10 years ago! 

First off, somehow Doctor Octopus has somehow commandeered Peter Parker's body (I believe) and is acting as Spider-Man. He is fighting the bad guys, but doing so in a vicious manner - much more so that PP would have done, but effective, nonetheless. In the two chapters that I picked up, though, Spidey/Doc is hardly involved, and this series depicts the misadventures of Boomerang and his gang of misfit villains, including Tombstone's daughter as a female Beetle.

Lots of second and third (and further) tier bad guys get involved but the story is written for chuckles, with basically everyone being a total fuckup with innumerable insecurities and issues galore. I don't look for my heroes or villains to be perfect these days, but, for me, this takes it all overboard a bit, with everyone being such schmucks that you don't really care what happens to any of them.

Apparently, this is/was an ongoing series, so others must not have had the problems with this that I have had, but it didn't click with me. Maybe I'm just not meant for the modern comic world and I should stick to the reissues! 

Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch, Oct 6, 2024

 This day was a special Sunday Brunch Day at Red Dwarf as our friend Nikki Ruffling was celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend's band, the Generic Surf Band. Cake, pizza, drinks, and lots of snappy drums, wanderin' bass lines and reverbed guitar with hip surf videos playing in the background!

The Generic Surf Band runs through several sets of traditional ("generic") surf music, with Mark Bartchi leading the way with his swingin', fast-paced drumming combining with the bass for a solid footing for Phil's great-sounding guitar work (usually with amazing, vintage guitars)! This day Nikki sat in for a tune (Phil and Thee Swank Bastards' Jesse Del Quaddro has been teaching her) and bartendress Daisy also played bass for a couple of numbers. (Second bartendress Sara did not sit in, but she did her magic behind the bar!)

Lots of friends and assorted folks in attendance and we even spotted a homemade Swamp Gospel shirt! Always a good time with the GSB and Red Dwarf!

King's Road - Max Decharne

 

Obviously, anyone who has been interested in pop culture in England knows that King's Road has been one of the epicenters of Britishness for decades, and once I saw a review of this in Ugly Things (possibly, although the book is almost 20 years old, so it wouldn't have been a very current review), I figured I needed to pick it up to learn a bit more about this area.

Decharne is certainly British himself as he writes as if everyone knows the ins'n'outs of the areas, people, politics and so on that he is referring to. So, that assumption can be problematic for someone who is not intimate with the workings of the country, as the references and often the slang'n'sayings are meaningless to a midwestern boy like me.

There are several chapters dedicated to the earliest of times of the area, which can be a little tedious, although they are certainly informative and lay the groundwork and Max tries to keep the reader involved by informing that the area that once was a part of a king's land later became Malcolm McLaran's shop or something similar. Of course, the street is named for the fact that a king (Charles, I believe) used to use it to visit his mistress(es), and there is plenty of history in the area as well as luminaries that have lived there over the centuries.

But naturally, the reason to want to read about the area starts in the 60''s, and Max gets to it as quickly as he can, although the 50's are really when the area revved up with fashion (Mary Quant opened a boutique there), theater (Look Back in Anger debuts) and music (with coffee houses and skiffle evolving into rock'n'roll). He devotes a bit of time to the 50's, but it all feels like a prelude to the swingin' 60's.

As Decharne tries to be all encompassing for the area, there are bits'n'pieces that are NOT going to be interesting to part of his audience, although everything does intertwine somewhat, and movies, theater, food'n'fashion, art'n'music all intersect by way of location, if not direct interaction.

Surprisingly for me, anyway, is that the 70's era is even more interesting than the 60's, as glam lays the groundwork for punk, and fashion, films and theater all follow along with the wild, androgynous looks and uninhibited, anything goes sexual escapades. Even though I lived through the times (as a youngster), I do sometimes forget how the timelines of different events overlapped and how early certain looks'n'sounds evolved. I assume the author must be around my age as he obviously remembers this era most fondly, as well. 

After the 70's punk era, the street takes a downturn, at least in Becharne's eyes, and he kind of ties things up fairly quickly from there.

Definitely interesting, but I had hoped for something a little more captivating. Not bad, but not great either, although those with an interest in the area will certainly find things to dig.

recommended gigs

          

Saturday 10-5-24 - Farewell party for Christy Larson with the Time Crashers and more at the Founder's Club

Saturday 10-5-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-6-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch for Nikki Ruffling's Birthday!

Monday 10-7-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-12-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-13-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 10-14-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 10-16-24 - Johnny Zig and the Force at Mr. D's

Wednesday 10-16-24 - New Waves and Sant Anna Bay Coconuts at Red Dwarf

Thursday 10-17-24 - Dr. Phobic and the Phobic-Tones and the Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Friday 10-18-24 - Big Sandy with Shanda and the Howlers at the Sand Dollar Downtown 

Friday 10-18-24 & Saturday 10-19-24 - Rayford Bros./BatBand at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-19-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 10-23-24 - Dion Lunadon, the Acid Sisters, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place 

Thursday 10-24-24 - Negative Nancys, Switch to Fakie and Mersa at the Triple Down at the Punk Rock Museum

Saturday 10-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-27-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 10-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 11-8-24 - Femaliens with Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Friday 11-22-24 - Venomous Pinks, Minges, Femaliens, the Has Knots at the Griffin

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

RIP Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson, legendary singer-songwriter turned Hollywood leading man, dies at 88 

---

Crime SuspenStories Volume 2

 

Pretty much everything that I had to say about the first edition of these EC reprints goes for this second installment. These pre-comic code stories are fast, well-written, and filled with twists'n'turns, especially considering when they were released. The artists here include greats like Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen and more and I just noticed that the colorist on many of these is none other than Marie Severin, who went on to do lots of art work for Marvel Comics.

Again, while the main theme here is "crime", there is plenty of overlap with horror - to the point of including EC's horror hostess The Old Witch in the introduction to some of the tales - due to the fact that most of the crime is murder! Usually for love, revenge or money and usually in some especially gruesome manner. but mostly with some form of retribution of justice at the end so that the bad guys don't get away with anything.

You probably already know if you dig EC, so not much that I can say, but these are excellent reproductions at a totally reasonable price. Well worth it!

recommended gigs

         

Thursday 9-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mickie Finns

Saturday 9-28-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Saturday 9-28-24 - Life is Shit Festival at the Dive Bar

Saturday 9-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Wednesday 10-2-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 10-5-24 - Farewell party for Christy Larson with the Time Crashers and more at the Founder's Club

Saturday 10-5-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-6-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch for Nikki Ruffling's Birthday!

Monday 10-7-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-12-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 10-13-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 10-14-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-17-24 - Dr. Phobic and the Phobic-Tones and the Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Friday 10-18-24 - Big Sandy with Shanda and the Howlers at the Sand Dollar Downtown 

Saturday 10-19-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 10-23-24 - Dion Lunadon, the Acid Sisters, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place 

Thursday 10-24-24 - Negative Nancys, Switch to Fakie and Mersa at the Triple Down at the Punk Rock Museum

Saturday 10-26-24 - Los Carajos, Gob Patrol, Femaliens, and the Shakewells at Voodoo Brewing Co

Saturday 10-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Saturday 11-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 11-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-11-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-13-24 - Hillbilly Casino and Shanda and the Howlers at the Usual Place

Saturday 11-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 11-17-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 11-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 11-22-24 - The Implosions, The Ghostwood Murder and the Hideaway at Fat Cat

Saturday 11-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 11-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 11-27-24 - Thee Swank Bastards' Basstravaganza At the Double Down

Saturday 11-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

RIP Nick Gravenites

 RIP Nick Gravenites

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I had no idea how much stuff he had actually done - I just knew him from his work with Janis. Another talent gone!

recommended gigs

        

Friday 9-20-24 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Skinny Bar, Boulder City

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-22-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 9-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mickie Finns

Friday 9-27-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-28-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Saturday 9-28-24 - Life is Shit Festival at the Dive Bar

Saturday 9-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Wednesday 10-2-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 10-5-24 - Farewell party for Christy Larson with the Time Crashers and more at the Founder's Club

Sunday 10-6-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch for Nikki Ruffling's Birthday!

Thursday 10-17-24 - Dr. Phobic and the Phobic-Tones and the Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

RIP Tito Jackson

Tito Jackson dies at 70. He was Michael Jackson's brother and co-founded the Jackson 5 

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Loved the J5 as a kid and still do! They were much more than just Michael. RIP to the guitarist of the group, Tito.

recommended gigs

       

Saturday 9-7-24 - Bogtrotter's Union, Muertos Heist, Pure Sport at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-7-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-8-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

MOnday 9-9-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Monday 9-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 9-12-24 - Jenny Don't and the Spurs at the Golden Tiki

Friday 9-13-24 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Implosions and the Hideaway at Red Dwarf

Friday 9-13-24 - the Minges, Those Poor Bastards, Big Like Texas at Cemetery Pulp

Friday 9-13-24 - Trevor and the Swingin' Johnsons at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-14-24 - the Minges, War Peggy, Femaliens at the Double Down

Saturday 9-14-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-15-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 9-20-24 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Skinny Bar, Boulder City

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-22-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-28-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Saturday 9-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Wednesday 10-2-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 10-5-24 - Farewell party for Christy Larson with the Time Crashers and more at the Founder's Club

Thursday 10-17-24 - Dr. Phobic and the Phobic-Tones and the Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Thursday 10-31-24 - The Jackets and more at the Dive Bar

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Willie Dixon - The Big Three Trio

 

Of course, I've been a fan of Willie Dixon's for as long as I've known who he was - well, actually, even before then, as I loved so many of his songs long before I knew who wrote them. Generally, his songwriting and bass playing were his (incredible) strong points, as he was not the strongest front person, but here he is part of a band and a damn good one!

Besides Dixon, the Big Three Trio consisted of pianist Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston and Bernardo Dennis (and later Ollie Crawford) on guitar and they all sang, providing impressive three part harmonies on many of their tunes. This late 40's/early 50's combo wasn't a strict blues band by any stretch - they happily played standards, pop tunes and whatever else struck their combined fancies. Their are jazzy boogies, stompin' instrumentals, novelty  numbers and pretty pop tunes, all done with superb musicianship and fine vocalizing. There's certainly a variety but it all works together and, according to the liner notes, they were hits with live audiences, as well.

That all said, this is a fairly bluesy affair, in a general sense, although with the other elements combined, for a smooth-blues kinda sound - with a bit of pop, a bit jazzy, plenty of harmonies, and, again, some impressive playing. Maybe sorta like Lonnie Johnson or Memphis Slim, in a vague way.

I dunno, i did quite like this, even if it's not the rough'n'tumble blues that I'm usually listening to. Worth checking out!

The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection

 

This 20th Anniversary, 2-CD set was released over 30 years ago (!) in 1991 (!!) and gives a good overview of this blues-based record label that began in the 70's in a small apartment due to Bruce Inglauer's obsession with Hound Dog Taylor and became a Grammy-winning label a couple of decades later!

Hound Dog starts things off, appropriately enough, with his "Give Me Back My Wig" - trashy guitars, poundin' drums and Taylor's wacky sense of humor all on full display! From there, it ranges from the (formerly and sometimes futurely) famous blues acts to brand new, previously unheard-of folks. James Cotton, Albert Collins, Professor Longhair (showing off his whistlin' prowess!), Koko Taylor (still in fine voice on a slow-burnin' blues with moody organ and excellent guitar work), Elvin Bishop, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Roy Buchanan (excellent, of course), Charlie Musselwhite (great!), Big Walter Horton, Clifton Chenier, Johnny Winter and a host of others share the set with folks that I had never known like Tinsley Ellis, Lucky Peterson, Kenny Neal and plenty more in between! (Like the Siegel-Schwall Band, that I've dug since seeing them on public TV in the 70's!)

Recorded in the 70's and 80's, much of this does not have the dirty grit that I love from much of my fave blues from the 50's and before, but regardless, the performances are strong and the playing is pretty top-notch. Not every tune is a winner, natch, and it sounds better with a bit of volume (I initially tried listening to this at work quietly enough not to disturb my office-mate, which is NOT recommended), and while this collection won't replace my earlier blues sets for repeated listenings, its still totally worthwhile and Inglauer certainly did a service by keeping the blues and these artists alive and in the public eye!

Mighty Marvel Masterworks Captain America Vol. 3

 

Obviously, I've ranted'n'raved about my love for early Marvel comics and their first heroes and Cap was right up there, fighting for the underdog as well as for our country - not "right or wrong" but fighting to right the country's wrongs. Of course, he didn't get overly political at first, but you knew that Cap was on the side of right, fighting oppression, racism and fascism in all of its forms.

In this collection Steve Rogers tries to give up the mantel of CA for the love of SHIELD's "Agent 13", but finds it impossible to stop being who he is. He gets called into action by the Black Panther and fights a faux Zemo, who is intent on taking over the world, natch, alongside Agent 13, who was coincidentally assigned to foil "Zemo's" plot, as well. The Red Skull also returns, and he unleashes the Fourth Sleeper, who literally wants to destroy the world he cannot rule and for the final battle of this compendium, Batroc the Leaper joins forces with the Swordsman and the Living Laser!

These stories are Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at their best - tons of escapist fun!

recommended gigs

      

Thursday 8-29-24 - the Implosions at Taverna Costera

Friday 8-30-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Friday 8-30-24 - the Minges, Dominick Muzio and Chemical Tribe, Decaying Tigers at Red Dwarf

Saturday 8-31-24 - VaVoom, It's Fine, Manicdotes, Post Noble at Red Dwarf

Saturday 8-31-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 9-4-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Wednesday 9-4-24 - the Speedways, Cromm Fallon, Nico Bones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 0-7-24 - Bogtrotter's Union, Muertos Heist, Pure Sport at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-7-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-8-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

MOnday 9-9-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Monday 9-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 9-13-24 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Implosions and the Hideaway at Red Dwarf

Friday 9-13-24 - the Minges, Those POor Bastards, Big Like Texas at Cemetery Pulp

Saturday 9-14-24 - the Minges, War Peggy, Femaliens at the Double Down

Saturday 9-14-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-15-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Skinny Bar, Boulder City

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-22-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-28-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Saturday 9-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Wednesday 10-2-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 10-5-24 - Farewell party for Christy Larson with the Time Crashers and more at the Founder's Club

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Ugly Things #66

 

Of course, I always tell any lover of rock'n'roll to pick up Ugly Things as it is one of the best music zines out there these days. Tons of great stories of obscure (and not so obscure) bands, innumerable reviews of all types of media and general r'n'r trvia'n'gossip.

Heralded by original garage guru Mike Stax and his lovely wife Anja, they, with the help of multiple friends, delve into the inner workings of various r'n'r (and related) combos over the decades.

Obviously, the cover story is a huge interview with the beautiful and talented Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas and, boy, is there plenty of tales of sex'n'drugs'harmony vocals here! From there we get everything from 70's punkers the Subway Sect, to Detroit high energy purveyors the MC5 to 60's garage kings the Emperors and many other, more obscure combos.

Of course, there are reviews galore, so get your wish list ready to add books, records, films and what-have-you's, as you dig the rantin'n'ravin''n'recommendations!

Always essential - dig it!

recommended gigs

     

Friday 8-23-24 - Suburban Resistance, the Minges, the Last Gang and the Drowns at the Usual Place

Friday 8-23-24 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-24-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 8-25-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 8-25-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Clark County Library Theater

Monday 8-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 8-29-24 - the Implosions at Taverna Costera

Friday 8-30-24 - The Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Friday 8-30-24 - the Minges, Dominick Muzio and Chemical Tribe, Decaying Tigers at Red Dwarf

Saturday 8-31-24 - VaVoom, It's Fine, Manicdotes, Post Noble at Red Dwarf

Saturday 8-31-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 9-4-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 9-7-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 9-13-24 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Implosions and the Hideaway at Red Dwarf

Friday 9-13-24 - the Minges, Those POor Bastards, Big Like Texas at Cemetery Pulp

Saturday 9-14-24 - the Minges, War Peggy, Femaliens at the Double Down

Saturday 9-14-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-15-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Skinny Bar, Boulder City

Saturday 9-21-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-22-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 9-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-28-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 10-2-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Saturday 10-5-24 - Farewell party for Christy Larson with the Time Crashers and more at the Founder's Club

Wednesday 11-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Peter Case - A Million MIles Away (Documentary)

 

I never got a chance to see the Nerves and, in fact, didn't hear them until years later - this doc has some great early pix/footage - and I believe that the Plimsouls started a bit before I got to LA but they were still very much an underground band when I started hanging out on the scene. While they were very much a power-pop group (a genre that I always dug, but had moved away from somewhat by that time), they still had enough garage roots and plenty of hooks'n'energy to captivate. I distinctly remember a New Year's Eve show of theirs where Paula Pierce came up to me and said that I had to hear this new song of theirs, "A Million Miles Away", which, of course, didn't make them stars, but did give them a national profile.

This doc is particularly fascinating because it has actual film footage of Peter as a folk-singer/hippie teenager in San Francisco in the early 70's after running away from home. No idea how or why this footage exists as he was just another of a million long-haired folk singers in the town at the time, but it is pretty great. In SF he meets Jack Lee and Paul Collins and, in a disorienting fast-forward of a few years (which happens multiple times in this doc with no explanations), the Nerves are in LA and touring the country opening for the Ramones! 

But, the three personalities were too strong (each went on to their own bands) and they split up before they could hit it big (and Blondie recorded Jack's "Hanging on the Telephone" just after the split) and with another fast-forward, Peter has the Plimsouls and are playing big local shows. A lot of the footage simply says "LA" so I'm not sure where or when all of the gigs were, but they were still a club band when I arrived in mid-79 and it took a while before "Million..." gave them their big push, such as it was.

But, despite all of the breaks that they got, they couldn't hit the big time, they broke up and Peter, being the obstinate chameleon that he is, went back to being a folk singer. He was still on a major label, Geffen, but they weren't sure what to do with him and he floundered for a few years, but eventually found his way and became a reasonable successful folkie.

Of course, there is a lot more to the story and a lot of relationships, health issues (after the Plimsouls he seemed to stop taking care of himself), record company woes and lots'n'lots of shows, but at the end he is in a loving marriage with a supportive wife (who, funnily, recounts that she didn't care for him at all when they first met) and a reasonably successful folk career.

Definitely interesting, and goes to show that even the bands and songwriters that got plenty of breaks (that I was definitely jealous of at the time) didn't guarantee any type of true success and sometimes ya kinda gotta do it almost on your own. Worth watching, for sure!

Biography of a Phantom - Robert McCormick

 

Of course, I've been a fan of Robert Johnson and his legend since I first learned about him in the 70's. Besides the fact that his songs were even then covered by innumerable rock stars that I admired, the "sold his soul to the devil" mythos was a great hook! I've read a few books about him over the years and this one was recommended online so I picked it up to see what it was about.

Editor John Trautman's preface explains who McCormick was - one of the early blues documentarians who went searching for information on the blues artists and even discovering unheard artists in the process. Lots of traveling and knocking on doors, in a similar manner to people like Alan Lomax, who did discover some of the original artists. Troutman details some of McCormick's processes and some of the issues that hindered his work - everything from his undiagnosed (apparent) bipolar problems to hinderances due to money and being unable to hold down a good job, to the fact that a white man knocking on doors of black families was viewed with suspicion and outright fear in many cases. Troutman also discusses some editorial changes to the manuscript (McCormick never finished the book himself) to avoid offending or even to avoid legal challenges that have arisen.

McCormick approaches the tale as a mystery to be solved and writes in first person, describing the places that he visits and the people that he meets along the way, as well as the bits'n'pieces of information, which is all word-of-mouth, of course, and difficult to verify, if even he believed what he was hearing. So, the story is actually McCormick's search for Johnson, not really a story about Johnson himself - he is just the impetus for McCormick's tale.

Naturally, it was quite a daunting task to search for someone with a name as common as Robert Johnson, given that paper records were nowhere near as complete in those days, particularly with African-Americans. So, there are lots'n'lots of contacting people who had nothing to do with Robert and, again, the people who claimed to have known him had stories that were difficult to verify.

McCormick eventually finds a number of people who knew a Robert Spencer, who they verify (as best as can be verified, from knowledge of songs, and the little personal information that McCromick knew) was indeed Johnson. From what we know now, this all seems legit - again, as best as recollections can be - and was a veritable treasure trove of facts'n'family'n'fellow musicians.

This was pretty much the extent of his search for facts about Johnson's life, and he then tried to discover more about his death, which was less well-known back then, of course. Researching a 30 year old death of a traveling African-American man in the South was another difficult task that was generally stymied by officials whose records, such as they were, didn't go back that far, and, of course, records on events related to the Black population were even less regulated.

In any case, McCormick did a lot of sleuthing and came up with quite a bit of invaluable information and the book is also filling with his photos of the area 30+ years later, naturally, but still quite interesting. 

So, not exactly anything definitive, but a good, informative read, regardless, and well-written in a way to keep you hooked'n'entertained along the way.