Coming soon via the good offices of Amigo Records! More info soon...

A Real Cool Time Revisited –
Swedish Punk, Pop and Garage Rock 1982-1989

CD 1

1. I’M 5 YEARS AHEAD OF MY TIME – THE NOMADS
2. INSANE – SHOUTLESS
3. UNKNOWN JOURNEY – THE WAYWARD SOULS
4. OUT OF MY MIND – THE BACKDOOR MEN
5. EVEN I TELL LIES – CRIMSON SHADOWS
6. SILENT WOODS – DOLKOWS
7. NO LIES – THE SONIC WALTHERS
8. WHEN I GET HOME – THE HIJACKERS
9. WHEN SHE LIES – THE SINNERS
10. THAT’S THE BREAKS – THE VOODOO DOLLS
11. KING OF THE WORLD – LEGENDARY LOVERS
12. YOUR EYES – WATERMELON MEN
13. HELP THAT GIRL – THE WYLDE MAMMOTHS
14. WHERE ARE YOU SLEEPING TONIGHT? – THE FRIENDS INSIDE
15. DON’T PUT ME DOWN – THE STOMACHMOUTHS
16. LOVE MACHINE – PSYCHOTIC YOUTH
17. MOTORBIKE DRIVIN’ – WILMER X
18. CARTOON ANIMAL – UNION CARBIDE PRODUCTIONS
19. RAMBLIN’ WRECKLESS HOBO – THE BOTTLEUPS
20. STRANGERS – THE BANGSTERS

CD 2

1. THIS AIN’T THE SUMMER OF LOVE – SCREAMING DIZBÜSTERS
2. UPPSKÄRARJACK - PROBLEM
3. DON’T PUSH ME AROUND – THE SLAMMERS
4. SHE’S GONE – THE CREEPS
5. DON’T LIE TO ME – MARYLAND COOKIES
6. PLASTIC SURGEON – DR. YOGAMI
7. JUST ANOTHER LONER – HIGHWAY SLUGS
8. CARRY ON – THE PUBLIC VEIN
9. TOO MUCH TALK – THE BOTTLEUPS
10. DAYS AFTER TOMORROW – PLAYMATES
11. LOST REVENGE – THE PYROMANIACS
12. SUDDEN DEATH – SLOBSTER
13. THIRTYNINE STEPS – THE PREACHERS
14. SHE’S BLIND (BUT I DON’T MIND) – PUSHTWANGERS
15. HEY CONDUCTOR – CORNFLAKE ZOO
16. SALLY – THE HIGHSPEED V
17. FASTEST CAR AROUND! – THE LIVINGSTONES
18. BOPALINA BOPALINA OW MOW MOW MOW – THE RUMBLERS
19. PIGVALLEY BEACH – SATOR
20. PRIMEMOVER – THE LEATHER NUN

CHEETAH CHROME
w/ Very Special Guests The BLACKHEARTS

17th January 2010 8:00PM at Continental
25 Third Ave., NYC, New York 10003
Door: $10

Continental Reunion nite! with: CJ RAMONE - LENNY KAYE - BEBE BUELL - SEA MONSTER - THE WALDOS - TRIGGER’S ALLSTARS - THE BULLYS - TWO MAN ADVANTAGE - DRAG CITIZEN - HEAP - CHARM SCHOOL - DANIEL REY - HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA

My request wasn't granted...

RIP - Bobby Charles

It was like the old star trek monitor thing this morning schlepping to work through the snow. It’s all getting a bit tiresome now. In addition, we’ve all pretty much accepted the fact that the local authorities and well, every alleged authority really, can’t cope with even less than extreme weather. The last few days have been a little fraught, I’m coming down with a cold and am determined to spend less time on the computer. Could there such a condition as blogger’s block? If there is then I’ve got a double dose of that too.

Getting with the 2010 program continues to be problematic. Here we are in the middle of January already. It’s like the holidays never happened. The road to heck is being paved with my good intentions as I tap away. Pretty much given up twitter and myspace. Facebook is do-able but I could do with not getting invitations to attend antics that are not within travelling distance or of no fucking interest whatsoever. I’m also not a fan of this “become a fan of” bullshit. Still I realise that some folks spend all day, every day pissing about with this nonsense and I thank whoever that I’ve not fallen that far. It was getting pretty close for a while maybe.

Constant bombardment with information about stuff has resulted in my being contrary about pretty much everything. Especially when being hailed from places and individuals that I have no traction with. Or ever will have. “Please take a listen to this band, singer/songwriter, blah, blah…” and let me know what you think? Sometimes it will be obvious that something is worth listening too or looking at, other times not so. Judgement calls have to be made and I’m getting to be pretty canny at wheedling out the chaff.

I sincerely hope I can turn this thing on tomorrow morning and find out that n-one has left the theatre but meanwhile...

RIP - Teddy Pendergrass

RIP - Dannie Flesher (Wax Trax)

Thanks to Ben for the info. I'm a little fried on all the RIPs too but we have to put the word out. So that people who don't know but might want to for one reason and another. So no whining about getting bummed out OK. Gracias.

RIP: Jay Reatard

NPR obit

M E T A P H O R S - Chapter 8

Not able to come out to play right now. Mix of weary and an extreme lack of motivation but that's no reason for you not to get active. There's a new Eric show "on the air". He'll keep you amused for a half hour while I ponder where to start with everything that needs doing.

I'm not complaining, merely offering some modicum of reason for why it seems like there's nothing much going. That's not strictly true. Some of it's like kinda backstage and will reveal itself (maybe) in the fullness of that precious commodity known as time

I'm sorry to report that there's another man down. Thanks to Brian for the info...

RIP - Mick Green

Oil City Confidential
- UK/Ireland screenings

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. puts the holidays behind and greets winter with a warm and toasty return to the Rodeo Bar! More beer and peanuts, please...

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13th / RODEO BAR
375 Third Avenue (at the corner of 27th Street) in ol' Manhattan / Two frost melting shows, from 10pm sharp until 12:30am / No cover!

Yours in the new year, Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

I'm hoping that I've got the wrong end of the stick here, but I have reason to believe that Sébastien Favre passed away last night.

A little earlier, I was thinking that I should plug his show with The Zeros that is scheduled for Paris tonight. I've got a note out to Brother Patrick and will report back in due course.

Update @ 6pm

RIP - Sébastien Favre

I’m sad to report that this is indeed true. He had a heart attack whilst going down some stairs apparently. Terrible news. I never met him but enjoyed our correspondence, he was keen to arrange a Wreckless and Amy show. I looked forward to the day we could raise a glass together in Paris along with Brother Patrick who has this to say...

Tribute to a friend

All I can say is that Séb seemed to live the perfect rock’n’roll life and that he enjoyed every minute. A connoisseur of music, blessed with perfect taste. He spent his life globe-trotting, spinning records, he was one of the best dj’s in town, organising the best garage shows in Paris (including The Zeros tonight) .

People who love Séb can feel better, imagining him sharing a bottle of red wine with Lux, somewhere in heaven.

One of a kind and just a wonderful human being. Goodbye Séb.

- Patrick

As I haul poster tubes and large flat boxes down from the attic, Mr Percival has kindly supplied the following review of the Ian Dury biopic, "Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll"...

"A good film - not a classic, but well worth viewing. It's almost as much the Baxter Dury story (Ian's son - the 6 year old child on the cover of New Boots and Panties) as it is Ian's with the young boy going off the rails whilst supposedly in the care of his father and his father's speed addicted minder.

The film is quite dark and it certainly doesn't make Ian out to be any kind of a hero - "a tricky customer" to use Dury's own words to describe himself. Andy Serkis is great as Ian Dury and Olivia Williams as his wife Betty and Namoie Harris as his girlfriend Denise are also excellent in their roles. Ray Winstone is the ideal choice to play the part of Ian's, rarely seen in every sense, father Billy.

The pressures of life on the road with the commercially unsuccessful Kilburn and the High Roads, combined with living with the after effects of polio, 2 children, a wife as well as a girlfriend with no real income from a music career that took many years before success came, all hit home. The story evolves from the young Ian spending time at specialist schools for the disabled to eventually releasing hit records.

The one potential flaw to the film is that to be able to follow the story line I suspect you do need to have an existing understanding of Ian Dury's life story as there is no attempt to present the events in a chronological sequence. The average film goer is not going to know this story and I'd be intrigued to hear what other people make of it. I suspect it could potentially be seen as a confused mess in the eyes of many. I enjoyed it though."

In recent times, I’ve been cleaning stuff out including years of correspondence. In amongst this material is all of the letters and Christmas cards from Stephen Patrick Morrissey and I’m thinking about selling them.

What do you reckon? There’s a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t part with too but I feel no real connection to this specific material anymore. Kind of promised myself that a start would be made on the zines and posters today too. Borrowed a camera to shoot the poster images when the good intentions were running rampant so I ought to get to it.

Look at it as weight loss, removing a dirty great albatross or whatever but it would seem that this kind of awakening is happening far and wide. There's no real clear indication of how I got to this point but there's a chink of light and I'm inclined to want to see more. CDs and records are not safe from this wave of enlightenment either let me tell you.

I already have given a pile of stuff away to decent homes. Places where they'll be enjoyed. Not stuck up in the attic in a box. I'm renouncing my status as a certified pack rat. No longer will I receive things just to save them from being thrown out. I mean it. Really.

RIP - Art Clokey (Creator of Gumby)

(Info via Howie Pyro on Facebook)

The Master Plan are due Maximum Respect.

Out Now on Nicotine Records.

Slim pickings tonight. There's nothing much to report that can't wait. I just feel like kicking back, playing some records and well, not staring at a screen.

I also need to prepare some 78RPM records for their journey to their new home in Madrid. You can't just throw such artefacts in a box and hope that they get there.

Serious packing consideration needs to be applied. Rich Stim knows what I'm talkin' 'bout, right chief?

Just so you know I ain't twiddlin' my thumbs here.

RIP - Tony Clarke

Check out WFMU's Rock'n'Soul Ichiban blog and download Songs The A-Bones Taught Us.

A compilation that will put the KICKS into your weekend. Now where's the snow shovel?

It’s just as well that tomorrow is Friday. I’ve been beset by a whole slew of annoying details and bullshit niggles. One hopes that this’ll pass. Twenty Ten has been bumpy thus far and the temperatures are set to head south before rising back above zero for the first time in more than 3 weeks. It’s all a bit balloon farm, innit?

Elvis would have been seventy five tomorrow if he was still around. There are all kinds of features in the press and media about whether he would still cut it or not. And more depressingly, would he be likely to get a place on “reality” TV. The equally sad answer is probably not.

Why the fuck would anyone with any semblance of talent get commissioned for that pish? But still, this type of feature is sent to try us. Or maybe just me.

Still, let us turn our attention to the guy in a positive light and the annual LA (as in Li’l Art) extravaganza that takes place every January 8th. Venue info here, visit the wonderful world of SoFein.com here.