Sylvain, Bill Nighy as Arthur Kane and "Buster" Johansen... Mr Vahlberg directed we to this set of Bob Gruen DOLLS snaps from their recent visit to London.

A missive from TS/BKS plc...

Sonic Reducer - Revenge Of The Mongoloids XVII ...

--------------------------------------

Yus, indeedy, our beloved brethren ...

That sweetboy Teenslain and yer ever-lovin' BigKegShandy have found a new fortnightly, Friday nite, late-openin' home for Sonic Reducer, up the road in RayDaviesLand, London N6, cheek-by-jowl with Highgate tube.

Following an aborted push into the West End before Xmess, which saw The Beatings rock a packed house like four cheap alarm clocks (or even THE Alarm Clocks!) and yers trulies get a bollocking for daring to mix rekkids made before 1977 with those made afterwards (like, duh!), we've decided to return to our spiritual home ... Gerry O'Boyle's muchly licensed establishment, The Boogaloo, boasts possibly thee finest jukebox in the whole darn wurld (James Carr, The Stooges AND Wreckless Eric! Awwww! Yeah!), and many more sterling attributes ...

Since then, we've also had wickedly-fuelled fun spinning platters that may-or-not matter to packed houses at Shepherd's Bush Empire, The Forum and The Borderline for the seriously good-gawd (!) like Arthur Lee, who is one heavy, heavy dude (nice line in H Bar C shirts, also). Yeah, onna coupla occasions, we've even messed up the already melty minds of Sky Saxon & his actually really quite brill new versh of The Seeds, which was a blast and an 'alf! Or should that be arf, arf, arf?

All this and visits from the STILL seriously undervalued You Am I, a second New Year in Memphis grokking The Reigning Sound & The Cool Jerks, catchin' them Stooges boyz in Berlin, The New York Dolls swingin' by the Thames, and nabbing two copies of The Ideals' The Gorilla on 7"? Add in the just-released Prisoners best of(www.acerecords.co.uk/gotrt/may04/cdwikm241.html) and their blammo Modstock gig, the upcoming Jack & Greg Oblivian double-biscuit comp (Twins Of Evil), and some super special double secret projects, then you've got a recipe for ROCK'N'RRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL! Ahem ...

BTW, The Sonic Reducer Tag Team is also unbelievably proud to announce that we're DJing at the MC5-DKT gig at the Londinium Astoria on August 25th ... Be there, or go boil yer 'eads ... Your belief in Messrs Davis, Kramer & Thompson will be MORE than justified, just wait!

Anyhoo, at The Boogaloo, youse can expect the same mess o'righteous sounds from the darin' '20s to these decidedly non-naughty noughties, including plenny o'sweaty funk, choice '60s garage, ravin' R&B, salacious soul, hemp-saturated jive, moon-hoppin' JA sounds, high energy rock'n'drool, and all'a the other shit that's fit to spin ... We kick off the first 8-til'-1 sesh on July 9th, then go fortnightly after, with special guest DJs, too ...

Warn your friends ...

Selah!

Brothers Manitoba, Volume and Kramer are ready to testify! Also don't forget STAR SPANGLES @ Sin-e this coming Saturday (3rd July) and ...

So wadda you gonna do with too much time on your hands?. Well, why not build the ultimate Flamin' Groovies resource...?.

Dunno of how much use this is for you foreigners, but I just located a on-line date base for the Dutch Top 40; Hitoverzicht 1965 - 2004, but it might just be the perfect tool to check if bands were really that "big in Holland" as they sometimes claim. As for me, I learned that it was indeed 1972 when I first heard both Prince Buster and Earl Bostic, tho' I still have no idea why they both had belated hits that year, and 'Rock 'n' Roll Highschool' apparently never got higher than the number 8 spot, even tho' I always remembered it as gettin' all the way up to #1, oh well... (Link c/o Dubbel Mono).

Been fast-forwarding throught the woeful TV coverage of GLASTONBURY. The only things of note on there were Arthur Lee, Toots and the Maytals, Hot Club of Cowtown and a trio of young 'uns called The Subways. The Von Bondies were OK too if a tad pedestrian. As for the wall-to-wall Macca, O*s*s, Keane (what the bloody hell are they about?) and Scissor Sisters... well no wonder the bloody music industry is in decline. John Peel hit the nail squarely on the head when he wondered why people would want to see artists perform songs of lesser quality than the recorded versions. Take a bow, Kings Of bloody Leon. It all seems like a Survivalist outing too far for me, mateys...

Go Silvio, the bargain of the century. See J's post for the bill. Now that's what I call a Curator!

"I've always wanted to do a rock and roll festival in the old style of Alan Freed, Shindig, Hullabaloo, and all of those early shows," said Van Zandt, whose other jobs include guitarist for Bruce Springsteen and consigliere Silvio Dante on "The Sopranos."

Tickets for the show, priced at $20, went on sale Friday. Van Zandt promised concertgoers "one giant B-movie beach party complete with monsters and aliens" — although he offered one caveat. "I am having a bit of trouble getting the monsters and aliens on board," he said. "It's their agents that kill you."

So, how far is it exactly from Thjis Van Leer to Van Lear Rose? A fair distance mayhap but a little bit of "Hocus Pocus" can't do you no harm. Or can it? This was sub-operatic speed metal before it's time surely?

Woo-hoo! (no this isn't a Blur karaoke page you galloot!)



The 5678's at The Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh on August 10th at part of "T on the Fringe".

How's this for a solid line-up: the Underground Garage Festival: with Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The New York Dolls, The Romantics, The Ravonettes, The Pretty Things, The Mooney Suzuki, The Electric Prunes, The Fondas, Bo Diddley, The Cynics, The Chains, The Troggs, The Singles, The Stems, The Woggles, The Chesterfield Kings, The Paybacks, Boss Martians, The Chains, The Forty-Fives, Reigning Sound, The Shazam, The Cocktail Slippers, The Killer Barbies, The Star Spangles, The Charms and The Fuzztones at Randalls Island, New York, NY Sat, Aug 14, 2004 11:30 AM

And in these peculiar times, as what's left of the NY Dolls are back on the boards, a combo by the name of THE MYSTERY GIRLS outta Green Bay, Wisconsin pops up on In The Red. Man, that Larry Hardy sure has a nose for the goods. He's got quite the cellar goin'. "Blues In G" sounds like an ubervintage Alice Cooper instro and the whole thing plays out with a peculiar contemporary form of garage rock'n'roll as opposed to just one or the other. If you're looking to reaffirm your faith in the form then stick this bugger in your craw and let it smoke out the wheat from the chaff. You'll wonder where they've been all your life and probably work yourself into a frenzy as to how you're gonna get to see them work it on out in some psycho-delic basement someplace. The segue from "Radio Planet Blues" into "Sliver and Gold" is nothing short of sick, this is some hairy-arsed rave up to be sure! Oh yeah, and they're not girls.

I dunno about you but there's nothing guaranteed to make me seeth like standing, waiting to cross the road and being ruffled by an in-car stereo booming out some "urban" pish. Then you look up and it's worse. It's a chinless, fuckwit "boy racer" all dressed like he's seen some black people once and put together a wardrobe of that ugly tracksuit variety and don't forget the skip bunnet. Someday the rain will come down and wash this scum off our sidewalks and roads but how long exactly do we have to bloody wait? And what would Larry David do in such a scenario? Anyways it's better now and I'm back indoors and consoling myself with a recording of The Stooges from the recent Download gig in Glasgow. Great stuff and exactly what car stereos were made to blast. "If it's not scotch tape, it's crap", reckons Jimmy O having a "Little Scottish Shop" moment. Exactamundo!

Finally, a light at the end of this dank tunnel...

"9 Years in the making! A few tense months of negotiations with the band and it's here! End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones is going to see a theatrical release in 16 cities in the U.S.A. in August 2004. It's going to be released by Magnolia Pictures (part of the Landmark Theater chain).

Check out our SITE for news on a specific release date.

So please spread the word. We need your support!

We hope you like it.

-Jim Fields, Michael Gramaglia and John Gramaglia,
the filmmakers"

Tomorrow night at DBs right here in Utrecht: Spooky Records recording artists Digger & the Pussycats, all the way from Melbourne, Australia.

If you're in Manhattan tomorrow night, then there's just the one place to be... Otto's on East 14th!

Aye. There seems to be some kinda divine intervention going down under the auspices of "poor ticket sales". The old ways of actually having to tour and maybe even struggle might be too much for many "artists" today though. People generally deserve the festival bills they're saddled with. Curate properly or die I say. And what about the Punkfest? There was never a chasm between Discharge and Black Lace anyway as far as I could hear. In fact, BL mighta been the more punk rock but you get my drift. 'oli-daay in the pissing rain anyone?

Just got word that the Lollapalooza festival tour is canceled due to poor ticket sales. With festivals here in Holland suffering from dramatic drops in attendees as well, this seems to be an international trend. Couple that with the ever declining record sales, and we just might see the day when the corporate honchos will drag their sorry asses over to another field for faster turnovers and leave this music stuff to livin' 'n breathin' human beings. I'll tell ya, this biz is fucked beyond belief, if they can't make money these days from discs that sell "only" 50.000 copies, while just about every small label would be overjoyed with such figures, they're obviously doing something wrong. And what about this festival stuff? You axe. Well just think about it; bands might tour again from town to town playing relatively small clubs and you won't have to fork over a weeks pay to spend two days in the desert or a mudfield to watch 60 bands while there's actually only two you really wanna see. Nutty as it may sound, but the future is in DIY, small specialized operations that are in direct contact with their, uh, "target audience". Look at Hightone, Yep Rock or even Soul Jazz for proof positive. And the same goes for this festival stuff, the smaller specialized ones are doin' fine, it's these something-for-everybody barf fests that are no longer pullin' in the numbers. Hey, you may say I'm a dreamer, but...

NO!, a thousand times NO!. Pretty sure ol' Lindsay doesn't need his below question answered, but I just wanted that clear... Who woulda thunk the punk rock thing ending up like this. The revolution will not be televised but can be seen havin' a nice day out at Butlins with the Cockney Rejects as the new Freddie & the Dreamers for entertainment!. To me it's friggin' hilarious tho', and proof positive that a lack of taste is timeless. A new generation of 40-something sea-side dwellin' families who just happen to prefer 'Dead Cities' over the 'Birdie Dance' and still take fashion tips from the singer in G.B.H.. Ugly music for ugly people!. Heck, you'd figure that with like 500 bands aboard something's gotta swing, but no way Jose; just one big round-up of no-talent losers (and that includes the one or two people involved who should know better!). The British take on p-rock was always shaky at best and this whole deal once again underlines my long held believe that Brits are best at appreciating good ol' Ameri-cun Music, and generally should stay clear of musical instruments 'emselves. There, I've said it!... Fanmail to the usual address please.

The intrepid Mr Rafferty heps we to the possibility that Morecombe is the place to be this July... NO?

So there's this guy Nobby Dylan or something, he's playing the Fleadh (pronounced FLAA) in London and some dimbulb let's him start before Laura Cantrell's set is over. What is up with that?, I hear you ask?? Well exactly, but those who stayed put were rewarded with a version of "The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter" with Laura joined by Linda Thompson. Nobby on the other hand is headed up here to Scotland for a show at The Barra's and an honorary doctorate or some such trinket.

Issue Zero of Everett True's return to the world of publishing after CARELESS TALK COSTS LIVES is out now. Plan B magazine is another cracking wad of print that features mostly stuff I haven't heard of let alone heard. I know that ET occupies a controversial universe for some of you but he's out there doing it for the kids of all ages and this mag deserves your support because it's a swift kick in the bollocks to all the advertorial shite that's cluttering up the racks of WH Smith and whatever.
Visit the PLAN B website and get your bearings. Also out is LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS #2. Just as good looking as their debut and featuring that impenetrable hipster lingo which takes a bit of work but is entertaining nonetheless. Pricey at £4 but there's print out there masquerading as artbook codswallop that don't look (and feel) as good as this!

RIP: Howard "Richard" Tepp (Richard and the Young Lions).

More Dutch news: The Centraal Museum in Utrecht is hosting a two week exhibition on the history of pop music here in town. Rare wax, posters, flyers, videos, slide shows, the lot. The six-o 'n punk rooms (including a bunch of stuff on loan from HQ) are esp well worth a peek.

Some updates on gigs here in Holland: Main news is that the MC5/DTK will play Amsterdam's Paradiso on August 22. The Primitive festival in Rotterdam on July 1,2 and 3 has completed it's line-up and it's seems like tickets are goin' fast, so hurry on up. And while you're headin' for Rotterdam you might wanna extend your stay as the city hosts the free Meteropolis festival on the 4th with bands like the Reigning Sound, Soledad Brothers and the Killers. And speakin' of the Reigning Sound; don't miss out on their tour: 29/6 Amsterdam, 30/6 Heythuysen, 01/7 Groningen, 02/7 Haarlem, 03/7 Nijmegen, 04/7 Rotterdam, 05/7 Utrecht.

Gary (Pig) Gold posted this on e-mole, again a more official tone to it than this CURSE OF THE RAMONES shit that's been flying about...

"Johnny Ramone is not dying, according to his doctor.

The Ramones guitarist, who has been living with prostate cancer for the past several years, was recently admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with what his physician, Dr. David Agus, told MTV News was a "complication from the cancer. But he got through it, and he's now on a new, experimental therapy. He's fighting courageously, and I think he will be going home in the near term."

Johnny's admission to Cedars-Sinai set off a nationwide — maybe worldwide — media death watch. He was said to be in an intensive-care unit, and very near the end. Characteristically, the 55-year-old guitarist, a stubbornly private man, refused to issue a corrective press statement. His wife, Linda, however, was appalled by the funereal headlines, and authorized Dr. Agus to explain Johnny's condition.

"He's not dying," Linda said on Wednesday afternoon (June 16). "He was okay for years, and he's fine now. He's in the hospital, but he's not in ICU. And I think he may be leaving by tomorrow."

— Kurt Loder"

So let's hope Mark will have enough respect to let nature take its course now.

Just heard that THE DOLLS have been announced as opening for THE WHITE STRIPES in Belfast on August 25th. Further info HERE (Thanks Liam)

DFFD Commandette Karen Winter has posted this... "HDM rocked the Bowery Ballroom 2 nights w/THE MC5 ... did "Call Me Animal" (5th song of set) and "American Ruse" (closing song of the set) both nights ... MANITOBA'S was ROCKIN' as The 5, and Mark Arm of Mudhoney, and Evan Dando of The Lemonheads joined the 5 at the after party @ MANITOBAS!!!!!"

Some good news... in at Lucky 13 on those Swedish Pop Album Charts! THE SOLUTION!



Thanks to Prof. Vahlberg for the heads up!

In relation to all the J. Ramone stuff in the papers and links doing the rounds, this piece from BILLBOARD at least seems to be official. John always struck me as being a very private individual and the reports attributed to Blabby Ramone struck me as intrusive to what, in my opinion, would be his wishes regarding his condition.

The Spangles approve this mess so there you have it. Incase you can't read it, it's for their NY show at Sin-e (sorry no accent ton the e there) on July 3rd.

Just in... the first report...

Here ya go Lindsay, hot off the press:

Well, for all you cynics out there, you'd better buy your tickets for the Dolls. If you don't you'll regret it big time. They were TERRIFIC tonight! Here's the set list, including some real surprises:

Lookin' for a Kiss
Puss in Boots
Subway Train
?
Piece of my Heart (yes, the Janis Joplin song)
Bad Girl
You can't put your arms around a memory (sung by
Sylvain for Johnny)
Lonely Planet Boy
Private World
In my girlish days (Memphis Minnie song)
Vietnamese Baby
Pills
? (Gene Pitney song)
Mystery Girls
Frankenstein
Out in the Streets (Shangri Las)
Babylon
Trash
Jet Boy
Personality Crisis

Encore

Human Being

By the end they were shattered (who wouldn't be after those last 5
choons!) and Gary Powell (who did a terrific job on drums) had
damaged his hand so it was just the one song for the encore and then off to get some beauty sleep. David's voice was very strong, Sylain clearly was enjoying every second of it and Arthur's bass playing was very solid. Steve Conteh was fine on guitar, not Johnny but.....

Gruen's films were terrific earlier in the evening and there was also an exhibition of about 20 of his Dolls photos in the foyer including a brand new 2004 shot.

The only downsides of the night were that the hall was only 65% full (Friday sold out in 48 hours) and the flowers on the stage were very Morrissey, but not very Dolls.....

All in all a terrific night! I'll try to write more
tomorrow. Buy those Randalls Island tix for Aug 14!

Martin

More bad news from the Ramones camp. (with thanks to Jean-Marc for the link).

AMY RIGBY plays 2 Irish shows on July 1st and 2nd. UK mainland dates start July 5th. Cut along when she gets to your 'hood now won'tcha!

Apparently there's some football tournament on the go. That'll be why there's a bunch of sad, footie-related records in the Top 40 today then. Not knowing one end of a pitch from another is a major claim of mine. The TV schedules are even more pish than usual as the networks kowtow so I imagine i'll be watching a few dvd's or maybe even undertaking some of the tasks that have seen some serious procrastination over the last wee while. Finally saw BUBBA HO-TEP last night. It's "a redemptive, Elvis, Mummy picture", sez it's star Bruce Campbell. You oughtta see it too because it's damn good and very, very twisted.

Canada witnessed the DKT/MC5 debut, read about it here and here.

Bro. Bruce Mowat on Jandek here.

All these bands that get compared to the MC5 these days seldom end up as worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence. THE HELLACOPTERS on the other hand are pretty much the exception to the rule. These guys are honoraray denizens of the motor city sound and it is fitting that Nicke will be joining the DKT/MC5 ensemble in this part of the world. Why they don't rule the world is beyond my conception but that's a bugbear for another day. The Hellacopters are to the '5, et all, what Teenage Fanclub were to the resurrection of Alex Chilton's career. Prepare then to see, hear and fall headlong for THE SOLUTION for they and only they have the chops to save your sorry soul. Scott Morgan and Nicke Hellacopter have made a record that deserves to be so massive that I boggles the mind to try and use mere words. I wanna see a sea of hands fork over their hard earned for the upcoming album on the WILD KINGDOM label in Sweden and SWEET NOTHING in the UK. Visit SCOTT'S WEBSITE for US availability. Doubters and believers alike can take a look at the video for "I Have To Quit You" here in the news section.

Just received this report on the latest MAGIC CHRISTIAN gig in SF and figured I'd share it... thanks Don.

"just got back from the parkside show...they had a different drummer-- mike. looks like ginger baker. he was pretty good. in fact considering the tiny venue in a way i was glad prairie prince wasn't playing. he's just so powerful the band has to play super-loud to compete. with this guy they were turned down and you could hear things better than at the music hall show. small but spirited crowd. roy loney was in attendance. cyril played his dan armstrong thru the pod and into his reissue fender twin reverb. alec palao played a gretsch hollow body bass thru gallien kruger amp. paul sang and shook a tambourine. they did some new originals and a couple of beatles tunes. here's the set list: (which i'll save for mr stax)

made my bed
till i looked in her eyes
anytime at all
ride the light
my gal (the spoonful classic, "for roy loney")
things she said
no time to cry (for yers truly...thanks paul)
things we said today
right back
she's so good
too close to zero
encore: i can see for miles

the place was tiny with just a foot high "stage" and not the greatest PA but like i said, i could hear them better than at the first gig. cyril played without a pick like he did last time. mick green style. he's got a very bright, overdriven sound these days which he describes as being like keith on "street fighing man". and that's a very apt description.
new songs were good. i still love "no time to cry" - that's killer. but i also like "she's so good". i think they ought to move that one up in the set. great monkey beat song.
all in all a very good 2nd show. next one is sunday at the haight street fair. they should go on around 3 in the afternoon. haight and stanyan. see ya there -- don in frisco"

Saw THE MOONEY SUZUKI at a fairly busy King Tut’s in Glasgow on Wednesday past. I haven’t been convinced by their records but harbour a great deal of respect for their line in pastiche of a Grand Funk Railroad sleeve, right down to the board Electric Sweat was printed on. So anyways, if there’s some kinda kudos in throwing rock shapes then the MS are right up there. In terms of energy and the ability to put on a great show they don’t slouch either but I just don’t hear any songs. Spectacle-wise they have it down and I can’t believe that anybody seeing them wouldn’t warm to the effort. However, is that enough? It seems that in this day and age it can be and I wish them well for that 15 minutes or so. They don’t have a Tommy Volume though…
On the subject of the MS, UK visitors can log on to the Sony Music website to score a copy of a 7” that features tracks that won’t be on their “Alive and Amplified” set due in August. The were sharing the bill with a band called Lowfive who were competent to fair at best, the title of their debut single kinda summed them up, "Too Much of Nothing". Headliners were YOUNG HEART ATTACK who Gran’pa here had never heard of. Turns out they have an album on XL and have supported The Darkness etc. They’re perfectly acceptable for 10 or so minutes and then it all gets very conveyor belt. They’re actually more like Slade than AC/DC and if the lead guy is looking for a career after this then he can do a bloody good Noddy Holder. YHA are better than The Dorkness but only just and their pantomime rawk is typical of the triumph of style over substance that seems to be finding favour with “the kids”. I knew it was time to leave when thoughts of when my Nine Pound Hammer album might turn up to blow all this fluff away crept into my noggin plus it was a school night. The moral here is, by all means see The Suzuki. If they were playing festivals then compared to most of the other alleged entertainment, they’d take your head off. They can blow a head of steam alright but they need some hooks to supplement all the trouble they go to in projecting.

Looks like the Nitwitz are wowin' the Spanish masses as we speak, just take a peek at this forum where the general sentiment seems to be either "ahíiiiiiiiii", "pa'arribaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" or "OLE Y OLE!!".

Mrs Stim hepped me to this whole 'nother universe. Take a look at Planet Homestar Runner but beware, you might be trochling around this site a while. Certainly if you dig classy, strange, downright mental animation you will.

Playlist: Here's the infrequent update on what's doin' the rounds on the hi-fi here at NBT's Dutch HQ: Top of the pile is the trio of 'Forth Worth Teen Scene' discs on Norton, as fine a set o' six-o garage blasts as y're gonna get. Great, great line-up o' both familiar cuts and previously un-issued ones. Sound's mighty-fi, 'n the de-luxe packaging features big-ass gatefold sleeves w/ pics galore 'n liners that rival 'War & Peace' in length, these babies set new standards for how this music should be served. Mark these as "absolutely essential" on your shoppinglist. Also vying for the RPMs is the Misunderstood's 'Lost Acetates' LP on Ugly Things , even w/ most of this predatin' the Glenn Campbell era, this is the perfect companion to the ol' 'Before The Dream Faded' discus. Wild as the early R&B stuff is, when sparks start flyin' offa that pedal steel I'm sold... You young uninitiated un's might scratch your skulls here, but we're talkin' loud, distorto-screechin' feedback here comin' from that steel guitar !. Make sure you memorized the 'Dream' disc first 'n then by all means get this... The UK Soul Jazz label delivers another great comp w/ 'Chicago Soul', a fine-as-wine set of late 60s Chess recordings, and I only refrain from givin' it the full thumbs up c/o of Phil Upchurch and the horrid incense reekin' Rotary Connection, turd is the word here, and I really have know idea how they've ever ended up in the company of Etta James, Bo, Muddy 'n the Wolf. Otherwise this makes for a solid soundtrack to your next shindig as long as you make sure to hit the skip button on time. It's gettin' way past midnight here, so in brief; the Thermals 'Fuckin' A' (Sub Pop) gets the vote even tho' I'm not to keen on the somewhat "English" vocalisin', but the tunes are top notch. The Oblivians demo LP (Goner) mentioned below has finally reached my doorstep, and even tho' it's a bit lo on the fi, the genius these guys shared is clear as day even at this early stage. Gotta go get some sleep...

RIP: Ray Charles.

RICHARD HELL on Bob Quine. Link courtesy of Andy Schwarz.

The one and the only Ms Karen McBurnie sent me this yesterday and having contacted the man responsible, he's given me the nod to reproduce it here...

Remembering Robert Quine

Dear Friend,

By now you may have heard the sad news: Over Memorial Day weekend, Robert Quine died at age 61, reportedly of an intentional heroin overdose. He was preceded in death by his wife Alice Sherman, who suffered a sudden fatal heart attack in August 2003. Friends say that her loss sent Bob into a deep depression from which he never emerged.

Because Bob Quine was one of the most original and innovative electric guitar players of the past 30 years, I knew about him long before I ever had an extended conversation with him. I never met his wife, never visited their Grand Street apartment, never even shared a meal or listened to records with him. We had just begun to get acquainted in the three years prior to Alice's death, but the combination of his playing and his personality left a deep, indelible impression on me. I'm going to miss those infrequent but prolonged phone conversations marked by Quine's acerbic humor, passionate enthusiams, withering critiques, even his wry, Akron-bred tone of voice.

Bob was eight years my senior and had been thunderstruck by rock & roll in 1955 at age 12. Consequently, he had witnessed a lot of amazing music ranging from Buddy Holly at a civic auditorium in Ohio (where Holly was the only white act on the bill) to the Allman Brothers Band in a college dorm lounge in St. Louis. Once, when I worked at Sony Music in the late Nineties, I sent him the Sony Legacy box set The Complete Miles Davis Quintet - Live at the Plugged Nickel - 1965. Bob called to thank me--and casually mentioned that he'd been in the audience for two nights of Miles' run. He followed the Velvet Underground so devotedly that, in 2001, Polygram/Universal issued a three-CD compilation of live VU performances recorded by Bob in 1969 (Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes).

It was my privilege to see him play with three different live groups: Richard Hell & the Voidoids, the Lou Reed band (with bassist Fernando Saunders and drummer Fred Maher), and the short-lived Deadline (with bassist Bill Laswell and the late drummer Philip Wilson). I remember one middle-period Voidoids set at C.B.G.B. where I thought the walls would cave in from the combined playing of Quine and Ivan Julian. They were putting out so much music that night, at such a ferocious level of engagement, that it didn't seem possible for the building to contain it all.

Although Bob himself didn't own a computer and had never used email, Steve Caratzas has created an excellent Quine website including a career discography. Bob did multiple recordings with Richard Hell, Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet, Lloyd Cole, and John Zorn. Other Quine credits include Tom Waits (Rain Dogs), Marianne Faithfull (Strange Weather), and Andre Williams (Bait and Switch).

In a lengthy 1997 interview with Jason Gross of Perfect Sound Forever, Bob states that he made "two weeks of tapes" with Brian Eno in 1980, none of which have ever been released; and that Richard Hell's Blank Generation album was recorded twice in its entirety, with the first version (from the spring of '77) still in the can. One of my personal favorites is Hell's Destiny Street (1982), on which album producer Alan Betrock cut Quine loose to lay down "backwards guitar, feedback guitar, speeded-up guitar...I got that out of my system for once and for all."

Other Bob Quine quotes from the PSF interview:

"There have been good and bad years in rock but the best years were '55 to early '61."

"A turning point for me was in 1966 when I was in San Francisco. I saw John Coltrane with Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Rashied Ali. I'm trying to analyze this stuff and figure it out. I'm in the front row and all of a sudden, these two horns are right in my face. I said 'yes, I understand this.'"

"'He Loved Him Madly' [from Get Up With It, 1972] is like my favorite Miles Davis track of all time...[E]motionally, when the smoke has cleared, that will be regarded as one of his most profound statements. You could listen to it when you're depressed, when you're having sex or whatever."

"I play with singers/songwriters and one thing that's crucial is that I listen to the lyrics. Like with Lou Reed's 'Waves of Fear'--if it had been about making an egg cream, my solo would be different than a guy having a nervous breakdown."

"I'm in situation where I've accomplished something. Half the time, I can't believe that people care about me."

Well, we did care. And although he'd probably be embarrassed to hear it, I'll say it anyway: Thank you, Bob Quine.

Andy Schwartz, New York, NY
Gramercy7@yahoo.com


(For anybody who maybe doesn't know. Andy Schwartz is the former editor and publisher of New York Rocker magazine (1978-83))

The latest Star Spangle, direct from their bunker, info is as follows...

Hey! (If you have a lisp, good luck with this one…)

The Star Spangles declare their independence from everything (except their fans) Saturday, July 3rd at Sin-e, NYC (Attorney at Stanton St.)

The Star Spangles, 11pm
Back In Spades, 10pm
Sexy Magazines, 9pm
The Stalkers, 8pm

Back In Spades is from Detroit. Usually that would be enough, but, as an added bonus, it also features Jackson Smith. They are the best new band out there, according to me. Do not miss them.

Our shows with the Chesterfield Kings and the Romantics were as good as it gets and next, we look forward to hooking up with the Real Kids at Boston’s Coolidge Comer Theatre on June 11th to celebrate the premiere of their bio-pic, “All Kindsa Girls” Anybody in the vicinity should check it out.

Those of you who live on, or near Long Island, NY can come and see us at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale on June 22nd. We’re “special guests” on a Battle Of The Bands show that Little Steven is promoting in conjunction with his excellent Underground Garage

This from Japan, last year - www3.stream.co.jp/web/mtvi/meta/s/ss03_live/starspanglers.ram
(Sadly, they cut it just before TV threw his socks into the crowd)

When they’re not on tour, Nick & Joey spin the good vinyl at Lit, 93 Second Ave every Monday. It’s highly entertaining, and sometimes a geezer with mammoth tits shows up.

Those of you with Concert TV on your digital cable system, should check out the glory that is Tom Walker’s video for the single that should have been: “I Don’t Wanna Be Crazy Anymore” It’s on for a month. If you don’t have it, bug your cable company. http://www.watchconcert.com for a tease…

Keep August 14th free…(trust me)

www.thestarspangles.com (new t-shirts any day now…)

The logo competition is still on. Closing date is July 30th. Info@thestarspangles.com has been getting A LOT of mail with viruses attached. They get deleted immediately without being opened. We acknowledge every submission we see, so if you sent something and didn’t hear from us, you are diseased. Please be more careful.

Remember…there’s a lot of stuff out there passing itself off as “rock & roll.” You are a Spangles fan, so you know the difference. It is your duty to educate others. We’re doing our bit. There was a time when radio was fun to listen to, and the charts were exciting. Now we are subjected to shite presented as “cool” or “hip” by droogs who wouldn’t know the good stuff if it pissed down their throat. Scope out alternatives. Satellite and/or web radio is worth a try. Steven’s slowly making a difference. The Spangles did 2 hours on East Village Radio last week. It’s a pirate, AND on the web. We love pirates, those who reject the system. www.eastvillageradio.com Supporting live music is another way to make changes. Patronize your local indy record store, too. And trade files. Pick a side…take a stand…this is the modern war

*******************************************************************************

We are deeply saddened by the death of NY guitar great, Robert Quine. He was one of the few musicians who could justifiably be called a genius.

From Flyin' Bri'...

"saw The Manikins link, if youre up for it can you mention they're playin at the Dog 'n' Parrot in Newcastle on 2nd july (with the illlegal movers) 'n' The Fishtank, Durham on 3rd July (with The Loaded Hoods). Both the Movers 'n' Hoods could well be doing selected dates around the UK with The 5678's in August!"

Just saw J's post about Robert Quine. Sad. When in Finyl Vinyl recently, Robert Cohen let me read his short story which was published about his encounter with Quine when Miles Davis died. Quine was one of a kind alright.

The Lazy Cowgirls will play their last show with ace guitarist Michael Leigh on Saturday June 19th at The Thuderbird, 4657 Lankershim Bl. North Hollywood, Ca. (818-766-4644). No news yet on what this means for the future of the band.

While diggin' around for more info on the below, I noticed that Richard Hell's site has a message on te recent passing of Lizzy Mercier Descloux.

RIP: Robert Quine.

Went out tonight to see the Ponys here in town. I'd passed on their LP, considerin' it too new wave-ish, but I gotta say that in a live setting they were actually pretty good. They've got a strong 1977-NYC-Talking Heads-Television-Richard Hell kinda vibe goin' which is fine by me, in fact I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd included 'That's All I Know Right Now' in their set. Only complaint was the long freak-out thing they choose to close with. Heck, I would really apreciate it if bands would can this shit in the future. I mean; why bother?.
Truth be told: main reason for goin' out was support band the Sack-O'-Woes, who I've been eager to see for some time now, but shoot me if I didn't arrive late into their set and only caught a couple of their songs. My loss obviously, 'cause these guys do a real straight forward punk thing and do it good. Their recent 10" is proof positive of just that. These guys deserve your support, and believe you me, next time they're playin' 'round here, I'll make sure to be there on time.
(Dutch readers might wanna check Sack-O'-Woes mainman Niels' fanzine 'I Hate Music', available right here).

I dunno what it's like today where you're reading this but the radio, papers and TV here in the home of the haggis are awash with the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. The marking of this event is all well and good but it seems to have been hijacked by visiting (in)dignitaries. Individuals who, for the most part, are in my opinion just using it as a platform for their own pathetic grandstanding. These gimps have all but halted the roaming of the real people who fought and lost comrades. Security is said to be so tight that they can't get to the places they need to go. Surely it should be understood that these veterans should have the key to the whole bloody country, at least for a day? On Radio Scotland this morning it was reported that one of the soldiers returning to the site had asked if what they were being subjected to was "freedom". Take Wee Jack f'rinstance. The media was awash with the shame that the leader of the Scottish District Cooncil had plumped to go to a dinner in celebration of St Andrews Golf Club and not France. Then shock, horror - pressure is brought to bear and he decides he'll U-turn and head for France.
His mind was made up. He should have been refused entry and been turned back. The survivors of the landings and their families of all sides shouldn't have to be subjected to arseholes jumping on the bandwagon created around such an event. And who exactly is paying for all this security? That'll be us, the chumps of course. Who usually pays for such a jolly? Not the (in)dignitaries that's for sure. I understand completely how having all these figureheads might make Normandy a target for that group that always gets the credit for doing very bad things but all the more reason for the freeloaders to stay at home. Let freedom reign? Will they hell is like?? Not if there's a bucket of Ferrero Rocher to be guzzled with a swally. If there's a charabang trip that'll get their fizzogs beamed all across the planet then they're in there, like a wee furry critter up a pipe. What does any of this have to do with rock'n'roll you may ask yerself? Well not much but sometimes it becomes necessary to consider the bigger picture. We're sailing in concievably perilous waters in the run-up to November and eggs cannot be unscrambled. The stage management is set and we gotta hold on tight to our hollyhocks and hope that we all make it out the other side. It'll be a bumpy ride with plenty of twisted turns and that's just about the only thing I reckon we can count on at this point. Have a nice day.

Whenever Jan Kooi sez; "hey Jeroen, listen to this", I always oblige, 'cause the man certainly has good taste. His latest discovery are the Manikins, a cool new punk-ish outfit from Sweden...

The new DAVE ALVIN album, ASHGROVE is out any day now on YEP ROC records and early birdlike individuals snaffling up copies of the initial pressing will receive an additional 2 track cd of material completed just after the project was completed. So I guess that'll be you then kiddo?

Sticking with the Joisey theme of the last couple of posts, we had the pleasure of dropping by THE BUBBA MAC SHACK to catch JERRY (THE GEATOR) BLAVAT in action. More about that in due course but Bubba was kind enough to lay some copies of his self-released Blues Band cd's on us and if you're ever in the Somers Point hood then you should toddle on down to Bubba's for a snapshot of American culture best enjoyed in it's own environs. We get all the dodgy US franchaises here but we need a place like the shack to shake in. Accept no imitations.

In a clever SOPRANOS related segue here, I gotta remind you to pledge allegience to LITTLE STEVEN'S UNDERGROUND GARAGE. A veritable last bastion of all the music that matters from then, now and still to come. Do it or he'll slip into Silvio mode and come getcha.

The fifth season finale episode of THE SOPRANOS airs on HBO tomorrow night (Sunday). All bloody heck is about to break loose!

I get kinda nervous when I see a comparison to Thee Headcoats or their ilk in a press release. Y'see, I don't really rate them and figure much of the B. Childish canon to be art rock galumphing in g'rage clothing but our US cousins seem to be able to shake the positive elements about like they did and continue to do with the Beatles so I guess I'm mithering for nowt as usual. Anyway, I mention this because THEE FINE LINES introbumf namechecks that very combo but fear not because, apart from the basic feel of these their tunes having been wrought outta solid concrete, any misgivings are soon shot-blasted clean away. This perfectly formed trio hail from that home of the hits, Springfield, Mo. and thusly are well versed in the big beat that cannae be beat. Their primal stomp is as raggedy and ready as a grizzly's hindquarters and all the better for it. There's a fine line in what's served up as "garage" these days and these youngsters most definitley have it down to keep them well inside the YO zone. They rocks, they rolls and all 14 songs pinch all the right spots to leave that nice bruising you like. Their debut, self titled album is just about to hit the stores and mail order emporiums that matter on a new Austin, TX label by the name of LICORICE TREE. A place where you'll soon be able to shake down a whole crop of wild and woolly recordings. The sound of the underground that deserves to be overground awready.

From the Dictators website: The Master Plan will be the special guests at Little Steven's Underground Garage Battle of the Bands in Long Island on June 23. Ten battle semifinalists appear with very special guests the Master Plan at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, Long Island. Doors open at 8 p.m. More info: www.rockingarage.com.

My pal Jos was rather quick to point out that the mighty Sack-o'-Woes will be playin' this Sunday night here in Utrecht supporting the Ponys at the Tivoli De Helling.

Whilst on the subject of the written word, check out the great ROBBIE FULKS writing about the equally fabulous LUCINDA WILLIAMS. Talk about right on that there button.

The good lord knows there's not a lot of great "actually" printed material around these days but the most recent edition (#10) of ARTHUR is out now and tis of a very high standard. It can be picked up free in hip outlets (incl. Amoeba) throughout the US and Canada and even in the lobby of Ms Laura Cantrell's old apartment. It can also be subscribed to and I'll be danged if it isn't actually worth money.

This quite literally, joss came in...



"Yus, indeedy, Big L and brethren, sweetboy Teenslain and yer ever-lovin' BigKegShandy have found a new fortnightly, late-openin' home for Sonic Reducer, up the road in RayDaviesLand, London N6, cheek-by-jowl with Highgate tube ... Following an aborted push into the West End before Xmess, which saw The Beatings rock a packed Metro like four cheap alarm clocks (or even THE Alarm Clocks!) and yers trulies get a bollocking from Paul 'Blow Up/Off' Tunkin for daring to mix rekkids made before 1977 with those made afterwards (like, duh!), we've decided to return to our spiritual home, and lick our wounds (or nuts?) ... Expect the same mess o'righteous sounds (no Shite Stripes etc!) from the darin' '20s to these decidedly non-naughty noughties, including plenny o'sweaty funk, choice '60s garage, ravin' R&B, salacious soul, hemp-saturated jive, moon-hoppin' JA sounds, high energy rock'n'drool, and all'a the other shit that's fit to spin ... We kick off on July 9th, then go fortnightly after, with special guest DJs, too ... The Sonic Reducer Tag Team is also unbelievably proud to announce that we're DJing at the MC5-DKT gig at the Londinium Astoria on August 25th ... Be
there, or go boil yer 'eads ... Selah! Joss & Joe"

So, it's a Thursday night in Bainsford. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS were playing the Marquee in London 28 years ago and now they're hitting up The Martell in front of maybe 30 fans who've largely been with them since back in the day. Barrie Masters still has molto much more energy than me and the band delivered a solid set of old chestnuts and some new material that stands up better in the set at the required volume than it does on the new album, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. Still it's great that they're still rolling and for my money The Hot Rods were the first UK punk combo in what was until then a US sense of the word. They transcended what became known as Pub Rock and veered off on an MC5 type trajectory while The Feelgoods largely stuck to their own finite furrow. These guys were doing it when the Pistols blueprint was still very much on the drawing board. A little known fact then, Eddie and the Hot Rods were on the cover of the pilot issue of NBT in September 1976. I never kept a copy and I don't think any survived but go ahead and prove me wrong if you can.

It's been ages since I last visited the Goner site, so imagine my surprise, when gettin' there once again last night, I suddenly noticed that not only has Eric opened a real live Goner shop in Memphis (2152 Young Avenue, 901-722-0095, Tuesday-Saturday noon-seven, Sunday 1-5), but he also has a one-sided 10" disc available with the first ever recordings by his former band; the mighty Oblivians!. Why didn't anybody tell me?, I mean, f'r chris' sakes, there's a new disc out by what just might 've been the best of the 90s, but the news ain't out!. What's up with that?. A mere $10 plus postage will get you a copy tho', just go to the site and follow the instructions from there (or you can drop by the shop if you're in the area)...

Yeah it's definitley better that there's no real appropriation of The Ramones out there. Nothing brought that home to me like Joe's most recent Birthday Bash. My misgivings are based upon a sadness that Joey never got to see what he meant to people. Not the way he deserved to anyway. No matter what the gesture, The Alkaline Trio do not serve as a fitting memorial to the guy who really had it all. I never rated Mark as a drummer but rather tolerated his position within the band. His spoken word tours do little to underpin the importance of the combo he ended up in. Whilst I enjoyed being at the Bash to celebrate Joe and dug a chunk of the proceedings, I personally didn't reckon that what went down was a fitting memorial to Joey. A wise man told me to remember that even when Joe was alive, some of the bills he put together could be kind of ramshackle. Whilst that offered a perspective, I think the big guy would have dug the Star Spangles/Chesterfield Kings/Romantics triple whammy a night later just a wee bit more. That's what I like to think anyway.

Maybe it's better that there's nobody out there anymore under the Ramones banner. Just try to imagine Marky 'n C-Jay takin' the road, in a desperate attempt to finalize their pension plans, with Ian Assbury or that dork from Pearl Jam doin' duty as Joey...

No need for Mr. J to be apologising for listing Dutch shows as we have folks hungry for the real stuff in all corners of this sorry earth. Tomorrow in Glasgow, Iggy and his Stooges will be appearing at Download and taking the stage at 6.20pm. I won't be there because I can't afford it but General Cruickshank will so hopefully he'll deliver a wee report. The next night he's catching Edwyn Collins with The Alexander Brothers. If you're unfamiliar with the latter then Google the name and prepare to be aghast. Me? I'll be heading up the road to see Eddie and the Hot Rods. Who'da thunk it? You can see just about everybody in 2004, three-fifths of the MC5, a bunch of Stooges, what's left of The Dolls but there's no RAMONES. Pretty sick, eh?
For anybody around the Glesgae area, Mike Watt will be making an appearance at the one and only Monorail Music around 2pm prior to his Stooge duties.

Please excuse these Dutch gig listings, but believe you me these things don't happen too oft'. So if you're in close range of Amsterdam this Friday why not head for the OCCII In'it where the mighty Sack-o'-Woes will appear alongside some lesser talents...

"Where are these people coming from?". A whopping 236 hits so far today, which might not take us out of the no count league (yet!), but we sure as heck appreciate alla you folks patronizing this here log. Muchos gracias for droppin' by !.

A quick reminder for you locals: Tomorrow it's the 5.6.7.8's at the EKKO, and on Thursday the Nitwitz will be playing dBs.

A big 'round of hoorays for little Vincent Vahlberg who celibrates his second birthday today !.

This month's releases from Ace Records.

The Oz division of EMI is set to release a four CD box-set of the Saints' Harvest recordings, including all three original LPs, B-sides, outtakes, a complete scrapped version of the 2nd LP plus a entire live set recorded at the Hope & Anchor in 1977. Anybody hip to the version of 'Demolition Girl' on the ol' H&A comp from way back when 'll tell ya this might turn out to be nigh on deadly...

Hey cats and chicks!

Tom Ingram & No Hit Records Presents a weekend of desperate rock 'n roll, sixties beats and other cool sounds! Stomp, shout and work it on out with an international cavalcade of the wildest bands and DJs around.

Featuring: The Monks, The Downliners Sect, The A-Bones, The Chesterfield Kings, Sky Saxon & The Seeds, The 5,6,7,8s, Hasil Adkins, The Reigning Sound, Deke Dickerson, Barrence Whitfield, The Swinging Neckbreakers and many more! Shagging, Shaking and Frugging 'til 7am(!) with DJs Mike Stax, Tony The Tyger, Billy Miller, Tim Warren, Todd Abramson, Lee Joseph, Gregg Kostelich plus more to be announced. Go Go girls galore!!

DATES: September 24, 25 & 26, 2004, MAIN BALLROOM HOURS: open until 4am, DJ ROOM HOURS: open until 7am each night, VENDOR ROOM HOURS: 2pm - 2am, VENUE: The Gold Coast Hotel & Casino 4000 W. Flamingo, Las Vegas, NV.

BOOK NOW! ONLINE BOOKING IS AVAILABLE. TICKETS ARE GOING FAST AND WHEN THEY'RE GONE, GONE, GONE WHOA BABY THEY'LL BE GONE!!! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE BABY!!

GET THE GOODS AT rockaround.net