Wednesday 22nd Sept.

A week ago this very noo, I was headin’ for Glasgow Airport and ultimately Kassel in Germany. It’s been a woolly old week alright and I think a damn fine time (with one exception) was had by all. However my campaign agin the Buzzcocks garnered a whole mess of new members so it’s an ill wind chillun. But anyway, It was a long day and Michael, my designated driver, made the white knuckle ride from Frankfurt to Kassel look like a doddle. Hard driving rain and big F-off articulated lorries don’t phase that guy and we made it to the K-town limits in one piece. So many trucks, so much stuff. What could anybody do with so much stuff?? I have a theory that they’re empty. These things just cruise the autobahn looking to intimidate other driver. Happily they’d met their match this time. So it was late, spent a long time getting there so what’s the obvious thing to do? Go to the opening shindig of course. Having said that, I wasn’t there long and turned in to conserve the ol’ energies for the following days. Unfortunately, I missed Sedlmeir, the one-man rockin’ ensemble that serenaded the opening party. I heard his cd a couple days later and it sounded damn good, wish I hadn’t been such a wuss but, at my age you gotta make these kinda calls and sometimes they’ll be wrong.

Thursday 23rd Sept.

Up early and straight into the first of a few days of fine breakfasting. Weather sucked but when daylight hit Kassel it came up looking like a pretty nice place. I believe unemployment is high there but the vibe I got was of a fairly quiet town. Didn’t see roaming gangs strung out on alcopops, even at night. Hooked up my old buddy Kalle and his wife Ulli and took the tram down to the vicinity of the venue. It was pissing rain again but I’d already been out for a reccy so had some kinda beat as to the layout. The opening item was a screening of some Super 8 movies which wasn’t too exciting but I met a guy who was as daft about The Sopranos as I am and who was also a Larry David fan. That's what y' call bonding First of the talks was on Slovenian Punk by Igor BIGor Basin. As a complete newcomer, it was a real blast to learn about what had been going on out there. The GDR punk discussion which followed indicted that when I use the expression “suffering from my art”, I have no fucking idea. These people risked their all for this “art”. For expression. One of the panellists (Henryk Gericke) would, the next day, trump what was possibly the “bill-topper” for the event but we’ll get to that in due course. To round off the discussions, the Teenage Kicks panel may not have included any “actual” teenagers but the people on board were a damn sight more spirited than most youngsters I come across these days. It included Mark Perry, Marlene Marner, Dick Hebdige, Andy Shernoff, Marty Thau and Cheetah (effing) Chrome and it was good knockabout stuff with an informative subtext. These kind of talking shops are sometimes like pulling teeth but this wasn’t. The Caricatura venue was very conducive to the event. The “entertainment” that night was top notch pretty much but not all of the way. The Lolita Bar is a great Cavern-like venue with pretty decent sightlines to a fair way back. DJ action was taken care of by Kalle and Stefan (one of the organisers) and they kept the whole thing rolling. This was perhaps the first time I ever heard The Twinkeyz “Aliens In Our Midst” outside of my house. Slovenian combo CZD were like The Hellacopers jammin’ with The Monks. A cattle prod and a half and quite unlike anything I’m aware of that’s doing the rounds, this is world music as far as I’m concerned. If they could get to Glastonbury or onto Jools Holland or something they’d cause quite the stir. I’m gonna be watching this phenomenon closely and lighting the fuse any way I can. Like wise THE BOONARAAAS, I’m not sure how anybody could have followed CZD but these Dusseldorf lassies did and in no uncertain fashion. Visually, musically and aesthetically deserving to go the whole road. My new favourite band!!… The worst came last. S.Y.P.H. might be “influential” but that doesn’t necessarily translate as good. Flashes of bearable cinematic mood music were drowned in senses numbing doldrums rawk. The last straw was them breaking into a cod-funk number ala Level 42. Some well intentione soul mentioned The Average White Band but that was merely wishful thinking. Time then to hit the Action Strasses’ of Kassel night with my old mucker and onetime deid laddie, Cheetah F’n Chrome waxing about how great Alex Harvey was and remains to be.

Friday 24th September

A quiet start to proceedings today with a talk by Sezgin Boynik about Situationist hijinks with regard to this punk thing. It was somewhat above my napper but fairly enlightening. This kind of angle isn’t something that I’ve given much thought to over the years because I always saw McLaren as a kind of Monty Python character. I generally subscribe to the bad situationist ethos, because I’m quite often in those. However, compared to what some of our Eastern European friends have been through then I have exactly feck all to whine about. Dick Hebdige followed with an excellent presentation that started out with Hank Williams and ploughed on from there. Hebdige is a great performer and a total music fan. He’s also a swell bloke to have a pint with. Then came McLaren, he made it after numerous will he, won’t he type stories on the bush telegraph. His schtick is like sit down comedy. His talk of “failure” is a well-oiled schlepp punctuated with visuals and by the time he gets to his mash ups then it was all getting a little ho-hum. The highpoint was just before he went up to the mic though. Henryk played Andy Cameron’s “Ah Want tae be a Punk Rocker (But my Mammy willnae let me)”. Strangely fitting and a better prank than the man was capable of pulling himself. T’was then time for some record shopping though, prior to eating and taking in the show for that night. I had high hopes for Boy From Brazil but it was soon dashed. He was bloody woeful and he looked like a pranny to boot. Imagine Paul Gray from Eddie and the Hot Rods done up like something from The Matrix. A good look, NOT! Alan Vega, Cramps and even Fleshtone tomb raider without a hint of irony. I actually wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen and heard it myself. The blurb in the programme read like this should be completely my kind of thing but there were some porkies going down there. Liked his reworking of the J.Geils “Centrefold” video in the background though. Tokyo Sex Destruction are from Spain and are kinda like Zen Guerilla via The Hives. Their well intentioned racket strained to come across in the large room but they were great compared to the fella who came from Brazil but actually hailed from Berlin and dressed up like a Dr Who villain rather than some wild and crazy rock bloke. The Kids, I found out from Stewart Home who was dying to see them, were Belgium’s premier Punk combo in their day. They sounded like Status Quo and reminded me a wee bit of Sator without having an ounce of those Swedish fellas chops but they weren’t bad. I left when the Buzzcocks came on because I hate them. Always have and always will. I reckon a few converts joined that cause tonight, that’s all I’m gonna say… I hope they make enough money to just piss off and never be seen again.

Saturday 25th September

The rain finally went off and I went out early and visited the Glitterhouse place just around from the hotel. Found a couple of things including a Primevals split 45 I’d never seen before. Anyway, this was my panel day. “So you Wanna Be A Rock’n’Roll Critic”. Not sure what I know about that but as anybody will know I can be up for a bit of slavering if the need arises. Especially if it means joining the man who started me off in all this, the one and only Andy Shernoff with Joachim Hiller from Ox Magazine moderating. I hope that it was at least entertaining for the people who attended, it was certainly fun to do. After that it was Kalle’s “From The Trashcan to The Electric Circus” talk. This guy knows where it was, is and is going – despite his protestations about not knowing about the new stuff. He instinctively knows what’s right and wrong and I’d trust his say-so 110%. Directly after that was the screening of The Ramones “End Of The Century” doc which I sat out because it was packed and having seen it then the other attendees were far more deserving of a chance to clock it than me. Hanging with Ralf and (B)igor in the bar downstairs was a fine alternative. When the Ramones movie came out, I made a couple more new Slovenian friends and we retired to a local Chinese restaurant and shot the proverbial for a while. Bloody nice people. From there it was down to the final event, we thankfully missed Dean Dirg and Viva L’American Death Ray Music didn’t live up to their blurb. They weren’t bad but that kinda stylised Kings of Leon type hokum doesn’t float my boat at all. Next up was a revelation, ATV kicked some rollocking ass and really raised the bar. I wasn’t expecting this at all and duly got my backside kicked. They were tight in an utterly organic, sinewy way that I never considered their music before. Mark P is a great frontman and utterly charismatic up there just like he was on the panels and this band is as good as it gets. The perfect warm up for headliners, ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS. RFTT were immense in every way. When their unreleased recordings and eventual redux became available it was obvious that if they’d released an album “back in the day” then things may be very different now. The sun most definitely rose from there. This is as good as it ever gets and I hope that Europe might get another chance to see them at some point. And then it was over. A total success for the organisers and one in the eye for any detractors. These kids pulled it off over immeasurable odds. Hats require to be doffed.

Look out for two combos’- The Manly Men and Powernap. Coming to a hostelry near you soon hopefully. A big shout out to Mr Eggs who jumped in at the deep end with all this punk stuff and established a unique angle. And to Mr Craig Bell - how-wisthonextracoupladays-chief? It was a pleasure to raise a glass with all of 'em. It was a subdued vehicle that made its way to Frankfurt airport on Sunday morning. That one last breakfast put us over the edge. But what a breakfast!

Thanks then to Stefan, Ricarda and Matthias for a great event. Something that I'm pretty sure, couldn't happen in the UK. Investigate the names, etc via the KONGRESS website which provides links to artist websites, etc. It’s your one stop portal to a whole 'nother vista.

A Message from SITco HQ...

Friends,

Let's all fight global outsourcing and keep our country's precious rockabilly manufacturing jobs here in the good old U.S. of A.

What can one person do, you ask? Make those fat cats in Washington sit up and take notice by joining us at Otto's Shrunken Head, 538 East 14th St. just a step west of Avenue B, between the hours of 8 and 10 this Thursday night for a rollicking dose of American roots music served fresh before your wondering eyes by the Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.

Last we checked ballads, boogies and blues have not been outlawed by the Patriot Act.

Not YET.

Hope to see you soon,

the boys at SIT & Die Co.

YOUR MUSIC NEEDS YOU!!!

The Italian Get Back label is set to release The Ramones Live In Bremen 1978 LP on october 21st.

The Nitwitz - Nibble The Giblet (Pitshark 10").
In a bizarre turn of events the Nitwitz have become quite prolific over here. After years of neglect the Slugster was recently interviewed for VPRO radio, gets namechecked and interviewed in various publications and best of all there's a steady flow of new releases. This is good news of course. I've been waving the Nitwitz flag for longer then I care to remember, and this new disc once again proves my point that they are one of the few bands that actually matters here in Euroland.
This new set rounds up a bunch of tracks recorded at various points in the past seven years, oldest of which are the Epitaph funded demos produced by Jack Endino in 1997 (this was before the label pulled out because the suggested album title, Dark Side Of The Spoon, was too close to reality for their label owner!). Of more recent vintage are the great Rohypnol Lovedoll, a solid take on the Nervous Eaters' Just Head and best of all the amazing Rock Pusher; one of their best songs yet.
This kind o'powerhouse punk-rock action has become real scarce in recent years, and it's high time these guys get some credit where it's due. Sure, there are contenders out there, but I don't care who you bring on daddy-o, they're all going under the thunder of the Nitwitz. Make your donations now or live the rest of your life in abject shame...

Reverend Charlie Jackson - God's Got It (LP)
Dr. Spec's Optical Illusion - Tryin' To Mess With Me (7"). Both Crypt.
After Tim Warren's umpteenth move and having put a Dutch schoolteacher in charge of rebuilding his new abode, it's easy to see why the Crypt operation has been on the backburner for so long. But after the great Little Killers disc, these two (relatively) new releases hopefully mark the beginning of a new era for the label, 'cause both discs burn with that specific kind o' intensity only Crypt seems to be able to distill into slabs of black vinyl.
You want testimonials?, the Reverend Jackson's disc delivers nothing but... Wild, wild gospel scree of the Rev. poundin' it out on the six strings, ocasionally accompanied by the handclaps or cheers of agreement from his congregation. Makes every gruntin' death metal singer sound like the bad joke he is. Dr. Spec's discus is a fine-as-wine re-issue of a six-o punk mega obscurity outta New Orleans that absolutely wails!. Coupled with the great attention to detail in both sound, liners and visuals makes this another "must have" as well.
Again; hopefully these discs mark the return of Crypt as a "goin' concern", the world sure could use it right now...

Trying to gather my wits here listening to THE BOONARAAAS. These German girls kicked some almighty bahookie at the Lolita Bar in Kassel on Thursday there. The combo that preceded them, CZD were equally electric but I'll get back to that later. Listening to the B's album just brought back how altogether how goddamn sensational they were. They even knocked out a version of The Romantics "What I Like About You" that reduced anybody with sense to rubble. Their album Go Get Goo Goo is on Thunderbaby Records, that fine Dusseldorf gal product label that put out the Voladoras EP and many other top recorded works. They're only youngsters but they've got the chops to go the whole damn road. Even deaf (not the hearing condition, I'm referring to sorry saps that wouldn't know a great band if it whapped 'em in the knackers) people will be able to get this. The Hives might endeavour to be your favourite band but I'm voting BOONARAAAS because they'll drive you just that. Now if only they could get together to tour with Suzy y Los Quattro. The world, in pure punked-out teenpunk rock'n'roll action terms, wouldn't stand a chance.

Ok troops. Been hanging out in Kassel, Germany for the past few days and got back to a wheen of messages and stuff so please bear with me until I figure out the best way to deal with it. At this point launching the computer outta the window would seem like the obvious route but y'ken... Some groovy stuff to report coming along after this... It was quite a shindig and a hellva deposit in the organisers' collective karma bank. Like I said more when I organise my thoughts and the laundry.

While tryin' to research some things about the early day of punk-rock in Holland I came across some amazing stuff. Most of it in Dutch, but even if you don't speak the lingo, worth it for the pictures and free MP3s...
These are all bands from the 77/78 era: Inside Nipples, Filth, and the Helmettes...

The Dirtbombs @ The Dirty Water Club on Friday 24 September

Though sniffing and scratching away like mad, the Mutts struggled to connect with a near-capacity crowd at the DWC last Friday. Somebody should tell these guys that the lack of a catchy riff will never compensate for any amount of Pop/Tyner schtick. Thank God the Little Killers brought along hooks-a-plenty lots and wrapped them in a punk rock'n'rolling style not disimilar to the Real Kids. A reliable if not exactly virtuoso rhythm section provided the right foundation for the guitarist/vocalist to let it rip. How refreshing to see a band that can take Nuggets like "Come On Up" (Rascals) or "No Reason To Complain" (Alarm Clocks) and then put their own on stamp on 'em. The second appearance by the Dirtbombs at the DWC was somewhat affected by Mick Collins' worn voice and at times slightly out of tune guitar. Perhaps this was why he was buried so deeply in the mix? Nevertheless, "Kung Fu" and "If You See Stevie Wonder" were well executed and went down fine with the punters. The great thing about the Dirtbombs, apart from Mick's 100% committment, is just how tight the two drummers and two bass players mesh together. Anything less and the sound would descend into aural mush. The Dirtbombs - like hearing the Glitter Band play the blues.

The Girls - The Girls (Dirtnap LP).
While any r'n'r credibility the UK once had has obviously long gone out the window, the place now seems to be headed for new, as yet uncharted, depts. Christ, there's bands like the Killers and Interpole who's sole intent seems to be wanting to become the new Bunnyman or Comsat Angels and gettin' praise for it while they should be tarred 'n feathered and ran outta town asap.
But if you really do insist on a new wave of new wave, let me please recommend The Girls; this Seattle band bein' able to distill all the right ingredients outta the whole post-punk ensalada and come up soundin' fresh and inspired. Think 70s Ohio or Void-oids if you need some points of reference. These guys (yes) deliver the goods with a solid, USA patented, rockin' style that easily lays waste to every Shriekback tribute band the UK currently has on offer...
(with thanks to Rockstar Barry for the tip-off).

Up next from Norton Records: Don Covay - Pretty Boy EP. "Four incredible 1958 Little Richard style screamers from future soul legend! Two cuts previously unissued! Ooh my soul!!! Tracklisting: 1. Switchen In The Kitchen 2. Rockin' The Mule 3.Mary 4. Ooh My Soul". Mogen David & The Grapes of Wrath - Little Girl/Don't Need Ya No More. "First time reissue of ultra rare 1966 Midwest twin blast garage masterpiece! Watch for more Grapes savagery on Strange Ways, a full collection of sixties snotball action from Chicagos legenday Cha Cha label including the End, Hatfields, Sonics and mo!". Herbie Duncan - Hot Lips Baby/Little Angel. "Atomic 1958 rockabilly madness from Hot Lips Herbie in a deluxe sleeve with the full lowdown from HD Fan Club prez Deke Dickerson!". Reigning Sound - If Christmas Won't Bring You Home/That's All I Want. "Norton's latest round of holiday cheer comes from those Southern sensations, the Reigning Sound, placing two brand new Greg Cartwright originals under your tree!". Sky Saxon & The Seeds/Lairds - Split 7" "13th of 15 split Rolling Stones cover singles recorded by today's coolest hit makers and packaged in their own company sleeve. The legendary Sky Saxon lures a Jagger-Richards classic into their unapproachable web of sound (The Singer Not The Song) while the mysterious Lairds cover the most uncoverable Stones song (Something Happened To Me Yesterday) ever!". v/a - Northwest Grease EP. "Early greasy R&B gems (two unissued!) from the Pacific Northwest - for fans of the crazed Wolf Call album! Featuring Mighty El Dukes (Frankenstein's Den/Walking Besides You), Lord Dent & His Invaders (The Greaser), Joe Boot& The Four Wings (Rock & Roll Radio)". Gene Vincent - Hound Dog/Be-Bop-A-Lula. "Gene Vincent rocks and the Blue Caps roll on this frantic 1956 whallop recorded live on the Alan Freed Show! A loud and lively companion set to the Johnny Burnette Trio's live Norton 45-106!". A-Bones - Daddy Wants A Cold Beer & Other Million Sellers 2CD. "The A-Bones celebrate their 20th Anniversary with a massive specially priced double CD set that culls 46 tracks from singles and other odd places including the A-Bones backing up legends like Johnny Powers, Rudy Tutti Grayzell, the Great Gaylord, Roy Loney and more, plus ten unissued tracks and a brand new bonus recording featuring the 5.6.7.8's! Giant photo booklet takes you back down memory lane and ... dumps you there! Monkey Man, Teenage Head, It's A Hard Life, Bamboo Rock And Roll, Shanty Tramp, The Worlds Greatest Sinner, Stop It Baby, Monkey Man, Take Up The Slack Daddy-O, Hep Cat and dozens more!".Hasil Adkins - The Wildman. "Finally on CD! Here's the full 1986 studio vinyl album completely remastered plus five bonus cuts in lavish booklet! Chicken Flop, Big Red Satellite, Wild Wild Friday Night, Midnight Moan, plus fifteen more Hasil howlers!". Arch Hall Jr & The Archers - Wild Guitar. "Gargantuan set heralds the mega-cool output of our hero Arch Hall, Jr. and his band, covering his recording career from 1959-1963. Includes massive illustrated bio-booklet packed with info, interviews and flat out eye openers! Combines his singles with unknown studio recordings, movie music from the master tapes plus never released 1962 live Pensacola drive-in theatre show! Wild Guitar, Konga Joe, Monkey In My Hat Band, Twist Fever, Stake Theme, Growing Taller Every Day, Sneakin' Around, If A Man Answers, Archers Theme, Susie Q more!".

Disturbingly similar songs.

Capt'n Jan Kooi just send in the sad news that Russ Meyer has died at the age of 82 last Saturday at his home in Hollywood Hills. No links yet, but I'll post 'm when I get 'em.
Update: link to the IMDb news.

REZILLOS website update alert includes the first part of Ross and Martin's interview plus lyrics and a gigography. Check it oot!

I stopped by the old homestead in Larbert today. Did some overdue postal biz at my old post office haunt but stopped short of grabbing a chipsteak supper from Enrico's.
All the demolition guff is up around the walls and the place across the road has been levelled. When the chumps get to flattening the old factory, I hope those ol' ghosties won't make it easy for 'em. Auf Wiedersehen then ol' Foundry Loan...

From the Rev. David Scott, pop'n'roll missionary worker...

"by the way - and just to prove that sometimes in the end the good guys win - here's a tiny snapshot of life in darkest ayrshire.i'm talking to a bunch of primary 5 school kids about music and I say "everybody loves music don't they"? and they're going "yeeees"! and I'm going "what bands do you kids like"?

"BUSTED"!"BLUE"!"EMINEM"!

...and there's one kid with her arm up through all this and she eventually catches my attention: "Mr Scott, my Daddy loves The Ramones"!"

Should I Rip This?, a handy guide to the yes or nos regarding making MP3s.

Johnny's Last Stand by Charles M. Young.

I think that after this one we have to move on. John's departure is sad and all but life goes on and you could maybe use some light relief right about now. It is, after all, International Talk Like A Pirate Day, me hearties!

THE BARRACUDAS will be doing a show at The Borderline in London on Friday October 15th. One week prior to the big R&R weekender in Paris.

The Staysick fraternity report that there is finally activity on THE CRAMPS official website.

This posting proves that the old uploading of pictures glitsch has been overcome. Lucky youse, right?

Some more links to obits etc on the CBGBs site. (as always, the BBC site provides the most interesting quotes).

Martin Percival provided a link to what must have been Johnny's final interview in the Boston Phoenix.

According to the New York Times, Johnny had been working on his memoirs for much of the last year with Steve Miller, a reporter for The Washington Times. And according to Miller the interviews were completed shortly before his death.

From Mr Martin Percival... "I suggest THIS gets a mention on the blog. Johnny would be pleased that his favourite drink remembered him at his passing!

Yeah, yesterday was a strange sort of day in the end. My buddy Duane from Brooklyn reminded me that Tommy is still alive so they’re actually not all gone. He didn’t go through the mill like the others it would seem but he was the one that took the blueprint and made it what it was, is and will continue to be for all time. They might not have sold a zillion records in their lifetime but they changed things forever.

I was on Radio Scotland’s Arts Show talking about it all briefly last night and anybody who is interested can reach that HERE. Look under ARTS SHOW and use the LISTEN AGAIN facility for Thursday, fast forward to the final 10 minutes and I’ll be in thereabouts... It’ll be up there for a week.

Also, my e-mail shenanigans continue. Don’t know if they’ll be resolved in the near future or not.

There is little I can add to what has already been written all over the web or Lindsay's on the ball post below. Suffice to say that I'd never imagined that the story of "our Beatles" would end so soon.
Johnny was the only Ramone I've never met in person, but at almost every of the two dozen or so shows I've seen 'm do over the years I always made sure I stood in front of his side of the stage just to get an extra earfull of the near static blur that emitted from his Marshall stacks. He was indeed, as Lindsay once called him, the eye of the hurricane.
In my teens I sat up night-after-night trying to play along to the It's Alive album (downstroke only!), like literally thousands of kids must have done, and often had to give up halfway 'cause my wrist started to hurt. He was the perfect rolemodel for a budding stringwrecker like me, and it was bizarre to learn later on that what must be the most influential guitarist of his generation hardly ever played on his own records.
If Johnny B Goode could play his guitar like ringing a bell, Johnny Ramone could do it so much faster 'n louder, to the point that the ringing in your ears wouldn't stop for days on end...

Rest in peace John.

Although expected, the news about John is a shock. Bruce said that he can't believe they're all gone and therein lies the whole entchilada.

You can see almost all of the bands in some shape or form that The Ramones immortalised. The Stooges, The MC5, The Dolls but not the combo that really put 'em all into some kinda perspective. My last encounter with John in person was an unfortunate one. I referred to Acid Eaters as Odor Eaters and incurred his wrath in the dressing room at The Glasgow Barrowlands. He couldn't get his head round the fact that I might be entitled to my opinion. That was in essence was the Johnny Ramone way, his or the highway. A few years earlier, I was standing in the queue in the Chelsea Post Office in NY and he came up to me and said "What are you doing here?" in his trademark brogue. I was thrilled that a Ramone had recognised me on his home turf.

In the end, where has all this rancour gotten anybody? One of the most important bands of all time is completely gone. Mark and various members of the UK Subs will never a Ramones covers combo make. I know that none of you will ever forget Joey but today, just today, blast your copy of The Eastern Dark's Johnny and Dee Dee at some considerable volume. John might have been a piece of work, but he gave until it hurt. They all did.

Just arrived to find a message from Brother Bruce Milne that JOHNNY checked out yesterday afternoon (Wednesday). He would have been 56 on October 7th (I think...)

I'm thinking back to the days before all this e-mail and cyberbollocks, what did we do with all that free time? The good old days never seemed so good let me tell ya. In a bid to rectify all the crap that has gone along with these things they call firewalls and anti-virus software, I have a guy who can handle these situations out to sort it all out once and for all gamely working his magic on the condition. One longs for the time when you could just apply a cream upon an area to clear up any irritation but these times are long behind we. Unfortunately, So - I'll be checking messages remotely - on and off - for as long as the "fix" takes. I was never sure what was going out and in anyway but after all this maybe I will. Thanks for your patience and indulgence.

Last week's interview with Tony Slug on VPRO is now available on-line here (It's in Dutch, so you foreigners might wanna skip this one).

A new John Waters movie is generally something to be celebrated and A DIRTY SHAME hits up US Cinemas on September 24th. It’s true, Cecil B. Demented was a clunker but he appears to be back on track with this one and the soundtrack would seem to suggest this also. The best thing about all this is the fact that he’ll no doubt be making appearances to promote it so if you get the chance to see him in person then take it. There are few more sussed, if any, on this planet.

It's not like HQ's turntable is doin' overtime these days, way too much at hand and when it's finally time for some relaxation I oft prefer to do some reading and enjoy some ever scarcer silence. So whenever I get these requests to post another "playlist" these days I generally pass the opportunity 'cause there's also little to no new stuff demanding my attention at the moment. Last year at least saw the release of a trio of fantastic rockin' discs by the Ghetto Ways, Dirtbombs and Reigning Sound, but 2004 has still to throw up something of similar quality.
Not that I'm without stuff to listen tho, heck, there's over a century of recorded music out there, and right now there's probably more of it available than ever, so I'm pickin' up my listening pleasures from all kindsa eras. Too bad most people 'll never know all the great sounds from the past beyond the flogged to death Mojo icons. I don't even wanna suggest that my taste in music is better than theirs, just that there's a world out there to discover if they'll only look...
So what does do the rounds on HQ's hi-fi these days?.
For starters, may I suggest The Droogs. Is there anybody out there who still remembers these guys?. Their 'Kingdom Day' LP from '87 is an underrated classic if ever there was one, even with the slightly dated production it holds up really well. Potential arena rock for sure, but one spin will confirm why this still generates excitement and Poison doesn't. Secundo plato has got to be something from the West Texas axis; Buddy Holly, Bobby Fuller or the Crickets, it's kinda frightening how much this kinda pop stuff has gone outta fashion, whatever happened to the Sprague Brothers anyways?. Why has the world forsaken the beauty of good tunes and cool harmonies in favor of the outta tune whine of trust fund collegists?.
Main course this go round are Otis Rush's Cobra recordings. Get these in whatever format available 'cause these are about as blue as the blues can get. The meaning of life encapsulated in just over two dozen songs, it just don't get better than this...
As for desert, let's go for the happy ending. BGP's Super Funk vol.4 is just about the wildest party disc in recent memory. Just don a loincloth and let the music guide ya. I'm sure your gal will understand...

More dates: The Fleshtones are out 'n about on September 18 (18.00 hrs, 36th St, Hampden, Baltimore, MD. More info at: hampdenfest.com) and October 29 (20.00 hrs, Irving Plaza, NYC. with the Smithereens, Dick Dale + guests).

The Nomads have a couple of Norwegian dates lined up for November: 11-11 Tromsö - Blå Rock, 11-12 Oslo - Mono, 11-13 Bergen - Garage. Then it's off to Demark: 11-20 Copenhagen - The Rock. And don't forget the previously mentioned October 23 show in Paris. Plus there's more good news from Nomads HQ: "Björne Fröberg and Chips K. are writing and making demos of new songs as we speak…no idea when enough material for an album can be ready, hopefully next year! In the mean time Bonnier Amigo will re-release the ’85 album “Outburst” on CD sometime this autumn/winter".

Only days after the first rough outline of a proposed Real Kids Euro tour (scheduled for early 2005) came to light, it now looks like the entire thing is canceled after the hospitalization of guitarist Billy Cole due to complications with his liver/hepatitis. No official statement on this yet, but word on the street is that his situation looks rather grim. So fingers crossed that he'll make it out OK. (Thanks to SJ Bink for the info).

Just in from Mr Martin Percival...

Today is the Ramones 30th Birthday celebration in LA. They'll be repeating this on Oct 7th in New York City at a 1,200 capacity club called "Spirit" on W.27th St. Blondie and the Strokes are confirmed to play. There'll be a mini "Ramones Museum" that Arturo is doing with lots of his and Johnny's memorabilia on display. Tickets go on sale next week.

Saw Adrienne Young last night at the Fallen Angels Club in Glasgow. Saddled with the albatross of supposedly being tipped to become "the next Gillian Welch", she ambled through a decent enough set with her group, Little Sadie. Fine players all. What concerned me about it was that it bears little resemblance to what GW is doing. These people play mountain music soaked in bluegrass to the point of folkie. There's no dust bowl chic involved as far as I can see. These kinda overblown expressions can really hurt an artist. They need to build and looking at their website they seem to be well organised, although there's a worrying link to the Phish site. Everything is expected to happen overnight now. This is ultimately the undoing of all "next big things". They did a live session on Radio Scotland's Brand New Opry just prior to the gig so I'll reserve any further judgement until I clock that.

The Rev. Dan P has come up with this little list for you folks in and around "The London"....

Saturday September 11th
The Pleiadians
The Second Coming at the 291 Gallery
291 Hackney Road, London E2 8NA – appearing late til 2am. 020 7613 5676 http://www.291gallery.com

Wednesday September 15th
Wreckless Eric
Madam Jo Jo’s
Brewer Street, London W1
(+ Thursday September 22nd at the Amersham Arms, New Cross)

Wednesday September 22nd
The Scoundrelles
+ unknown others TBC
at On The Rocks
25 Kingsland Road, London E2 – near Old Street tube. £ TBC

Friday 1st October 7pm
End of the Century + Arthur 'Killer' Kane
UGC Shaftsbury Avenue, London W1
Info: Raindance Film Festival http://www.raindance.co.uk/ 020 7287 3833
Booking http://www.ugccinemas.co.uk/ 0871 200 2000 Tickets on sale this Monday or Tuesday
Documentary about the Ramones (unlikely to be released officially due to copyright problems), plus excerpts featuring the late Arthur Kane from work in progress doc on the New York Dolls.

Plus next day Oct 2nd at 5pm Marky Ramone’s home movies and archive footage!

It doesn't happen often these days when you hear something on the radio that is actually good but imagine my surprise when Tom Morton played THE CONCRETES single. "You Can't Hurry Love" (not the Supremes song). 1 minute 55 seconds of sheer pop greatness and at this point in the day maybe even the future of something...? Naturally they're from Sweden, where bands tend not to suck.

Oh yeah and have a look at this, this it's pretty darn funny...

An intimation from the Boss Man c/o Staysick Group...

REAL BOSS HOSSpresents:

The return of...
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy!!
(First LA show in 8 years!!)

Also on the bill:

Big-haired, original '50s rocker extraordinaire, Jimmy Angel
- First LA show in 4+ years! (allegedly to be backed up by Ex Cramp/Hollywood Hillbilly, Fur.

Farfisa-driven garage punk slop from Arizona's The Okmoniks!

The return of those loveable weirdos, The South Bay Surfers!

Rockin' R&B Trash from Rockin' Ryan and the Real Goners!

WHEN? Friday, September 17th

WHERE? 1160 Bar & Lounge in The Ramada Inn
1160 N. Vermont Ave., Hollywood (323) 315-1835

Hosted by world famous comedian & impressionist James Andrew Beck!!

Every day (‘cept weekends) I drive though a little place called Throsk. I guess it was a mining village at one point and at one stage, not so long ago, it consisted of the one drag straight through. Since then though, local authorities – underwritten by insurance firms – have taken to building these things called Industrial Estates. These are places where they hope to build businesses that will replace the lifeblood that the mines and maybe farming once provided. Anyways, I digress… on the way home at night it means that I pass the sign for Bandeath Industrial Estate that has been doctored to read “death trial state” and it never fails to make my mind tick over. Maybe there’s a little metal combo called Throsk holed up in one of these “units” called DTS and this sign will be the cover of its debut release. It never hurt Hatfield and the North and they didn’t need to do no doctorin’. Maybe one of these days I’ll stop and take a picture… then again...

Bruce Milne informed us that Donald Leslie has left the theatre.

"Handsome Dick Manitoba has been promoted from his Left of Center gig to now be a regular DJ in The Underground Garage, Channel 25, on Sirius Satellite Radio every Saturday at 7pm-11pm and Sunday at 11pm-3am. (All times Eastern)". More info on the Dictators Website.

Please join us for *the* event of the season:



The Shooting Gallery & Tiki News presents
"Tiki Art NOW! A Volcanic Eruption of Art"

Don't miss this group show featuring over 60 artists from around the world paying homage to Tiki! This stunning display of neo-primitive images in captured in a 90 page full color catalog available opening night (or later from Shooting Gallery).

Gallery opening Friday, September 17th, 7-11pm
Shooting Gallery
839 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
www.shootinggallerysf.com Tel: 415-931-8035

Image by Isabel Samaras
"Marcia Tamahine" Oil on wood (16 x 12 inches)

Super Rock fans in Europe are reminded that Arte, the French/German TV channel dedicated to the arts, will broadcast a seven minute feature about the Fleshtones on Thursday 23rd September. The slot was produced during the French tour back in May and forms part of a programme called Tracks. Be on the look out for an interview with the band, rare footage from Soul City directed by M. Henry Jones, and a live sequence filmed at the recent gig in Paris. Arte will broadcast Tracks at 11.30pm CET.

"Hey lads & lasses,

Well, the last Sonic Reducer was a real blast, what with Michael Davis picking discs, n'all - from The Yardbirds to the Heartbreakers, every cut the MC5 bassist chose was an out'n'out winner! The 250 peeps who were jam-packed into The Boogaloo felt so, too!
So what have we got on this month, I hear you (not) asking ...
Tonite's a Sonic Reducer Tag Team outing to see The Soundtrack Of Our Lives at 93 Feet East in Londinum, for a blast o'that Swedish high energy action, and we'll be trying to save ourselves for tomorrow nite (September 8th), when we'll be spinning discs for The Detroit Cobras and The Beatings (now The Beat Up) at ULU, here in town ...
Friday September 10th sees Robert 'Percy' Plant's fave turntablist, The KatManDude, join TeenSlain for the Sonic Reducer nite at The Boogaloo, and then we're back at full strength on the 24th, when Mr Tim Rogers of Aussie beat kings You Am I will be joining us as special guest DJ!

Enuff to be going on with? Damn straight ...

See you at the bar!

Selah!

Joss & Joe"

Amy Allison has returned to NY then with thirteen songs that will make up her forthcoming album probably to be entitled "EVERYTHING AND NOTHING TOO". I think we'll be looking at an early 2005 release for this puppy...

Check out the PERFECT SOUND FOREVER piece...

The Nitwitz' Tony Slug will be guest on VPRO radio this Tuesday between 1 and 2 pm, playing some of his favorite songs and offering his unpopular, but laudable opinions. Tune in, turn on and don't drop out...

The Cramps - How To Make A Monster (Vengeance 2CD).
There's really no need to explain the beauty of the Cramps' early work here, I figure alla you NBT readers consider it fact and/or truth rather than something that needs to be explained over and over again, and anybody without the band's first two albums in close range of their hi-fi really has no place being here anyways...
That out of the way, let's all rejoice in the arrival of what will hopefully be the first part of a trip thru' the band's private vaults, 'cause HTMAM really only scratches the surface of what must be locked in there.
Being the first trawl, this set is both enlightening and frustrating at both what is and isn't here. I mean, it's great to finally hear the '82 Terry Graham demos in decent fidelity, but why not include the entire session?. On the other hand there's completely new to me 1976 rehearsals that not only let us hear wonderfully primitive versions of long-time favorite songs, but they also prove that the band had their basic gameplan set from the git-go. Later rehearsals offer similar delights; from '82 there's four attempts at something called Rumble Blues and a apocalyptic Lonesome Town, while material from the Stay Sick era has aged much better than the released versions 'cause they lack the dated production.
The second disc offers two live sets of which the '77 Max's show is probably only of "historical interest", but the CBGBs set from a year later offers the band in full flight delivering deadly versions of Human Fly, Teenage Werewolf and Sunglasses After Dark. So yeah, by all means dig into this (heck, even with 45 tracks in 143 minutes there's some cool hidden extras as well...), and let's us pray for future volumes containing the Ohio demos, the Richard Robinson and Chris Spedding demos, the 1980 Utrecht show, the, well, you get the picture...

It's the perceived popularity of this stuff that gets me (See J's post just before this incase you wonder...). It may sell for a short space of time and the all-encompassing media that goes with it makes it seem more palatable than it actually is. The Libertines single is like a Cure b-side. Vis-a-vis that familiarity warms the cockles of Robert Smith's crew and you've got an instant nostalgia buzz. What about The Killers, how goddamn below par are they? The "post-punk" Strokes anyone?? And, now there's a kinda "boy-band" 70's rock thing comin' atcha called ROOSTER. They were on Top of the Pops last week and reminded me of the horror of REEF. The lifestyle choice of not caring about what people put in their ears anymore is damaging our collective musical health. Sonically super-sized.

Can somebody please explain to me the delights of this postpunk revival crap-ola?. I know this shit has been going on for a while, but in a week that saw new releases by the Libertines, Radio 4 and Interpol I've entered a deep, deep depression on this return of everything that was so hideously nauseous about the early 80s. If at the time people would have told me that 20 years down the line a comeback of the sounds from Shriekback, Echo & the Bunnyman, the Associates and their ilk would be applauded and taken seriously instead of laughed at and lined up for quick elimination, I might have jumped off the bridge right there and then. Thank God I've aged somewhat and learned that this rubbish will disappear just like every other shortlived fad (nu-metal or emo anyone?). But as always it is the injustice to the stuff with a longer lasting flavor that is so offensive. You name your favorites, and watch them struggle to make a living while these dorks rake in the moolah.

This month's releases from Ace Records.

Carl Wayne. RIP.

From The Dictators website: "Handsome Dick Manitoba will be a featured DJ (along with Kim Fowley, Andrew Loog Oldham, Kid Leo and more) on Sirius Satellite Radio's Underground Garage Festival Replay Weekend on Sept. 5. The festival itself will be rebroadcast twice, Saturday and Monday. More info here".

More info on THE CRAMPS "HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER" at Mike McEchron's site, info courtesy of Andrew Lahman...

Cool (unofficial) WEBSITE complete with US tour dates, etc.

Couple of things you might like to check out... the brand new REZILLOS newsletter is out and feature info on the upcoming BBC session release on Damaged Goods amongst a bunch else. Click and sign up to get your inbox duly zillo'd.

My good friend Duane in Brooklyn, NY has seen fit to upload some of his photo action on this cyberlarky and you can grab some of this culture by clicking here.

I guess this William Shatner/Joe Jackson "Common People" thing has been doing the rounds but it's bloody good so maybe you didn't know about it either.
And Ben Folds produced too... who'da thunk it possible?

For weeks and months we've been building up the DKT/MC5 thing and the bus rolled into Glasgow. Obviously being in THE GARAGE, this gave cause for concern from the git-go but the doors opened at 6.30pm and there were 3 supports. No idea what the first one was. Second was WE DO BAD MUSIC or something. Third was The Icarus Line and they should all be lined up against that very thing (whatever it is) and shot. All of which meant that the curfew, after which the place turns into a karaoke bar or whatever, was looming fast. The DKT/MC5 came on at 9.05 - 9.10 and might have just nudged an hour in total and they completely shredded. Highlights were "The Human Being Lawnmower" and "Sister Anne". The latter featuring the greatest faux brass band close ever witnessed. But there was no time for "Starship", or "Looking At You", or "The American Ruse" so I'm feeling a tad shortchanged here. Not by the band but by the organisation that runs this fucking venue. I would strongly advise anybody against ever attending a show there. It's a disco that fleeces the rock punters with overpriced drinks and dumbass security. It's a jobsworth's paradise alright and I'll not be dawning it's door again no matter who plays there. The band were burning so goddamn bright and then it was all over. With a sizeable bang rather than a whimper but imagine the glow from the radiation that a whole show would have mustered. Our London cousins certainly got the jump on us this time and that ol' chestnut of "ever get the feeling you've been cheated" is ringing in my ears. I hope Nottingham fares better tonight. Wodjagonnado... indeed...

Read Brother Joss's report on the London show HERE!