It’s Wednesday already according to the calendar. I haven’t yet weight up what the spectre of austerity has in store and I imagine that it’ll all become clear soon enough. I spent the past few days in Edinburgh and haven’t really had time to jump on here.

I need to rewind a bit to Sunday and “The Runaways”. When the film started with Nick Gilder’s “Roxy Roller”, I garnered some hope that what I’d heard about it wasn’t true but this turned out not to be the case. Sadly, it reminded me of V*lvet G*ldmine and threw in a dash of BH90210. Kristen Stewart as JJ wasn’t awful, the guy who played Fowley was uncannily close if a little hammy. He’d make a good Lux if ever such a possibility presented itself. The guy who plays Rodney was like a hybrid of Smashy and Nicey.

All in all it’s a bit of a mess. There are perhaps reasons for the band to have a fictitious bass player and for Lita Ford’s involvement to be swept under the carpet. In the end, the final result doesn’t properly represent the subject to my mind and it certainly doesn’t address the phenomenon such as it was. I’ve seen worse but I’m not entirely sure who this is directed at. Despite the fact that The Ramones and The Runaways played many shows together, Joey and Co weren’t even mentioned. Artistic licence is one thing, a blatant disregard for the facts is another.

Last night’s “Cigarette Girl” screening was totally sold out and a it’s a testament to the film that nobody left the sweltering theatre. You’ve possibly had a look at the trailer and you might be thinking, yeah – they always throw the best bits into those. Mike McCarthy’s shot at the next level has much to commend it over and above the obvious charisma of its star Cori Dials. The composition of the frames is a refreshing shake up of the recent tired trick of bringing comic book aesthetics to the screen. It looks at least three miles better than all these effects that dampen action back to 2D in order to snare in the geeks.

There’s something quaintly old fashioned about this that cuts a little deeper than the Tarantino gloss and bluster. In terms of result versus money spent, this is a triumph pure and simple. There’s a possibility that it’ll become a graphic novel, overturning the usual route of trying to drag such a thing from the printed page to live action. Ultimately most might end up seeing this on DVD but I urge you to try and see it on a big screen. "Cigarette Girl" is blessed with a skewed vision of good old fashioned noir with a pneumatic heroine that channels her decision to stop puffing into making her demons work for her. A morality tale with much to commend it, I hope this sets up the director with a chance to tell the many other stories that are hammering at his noggin, looking for a way out.

I am perhaps biased but if this didn’t ultimately make the grade then I’d tell you. It pushes all the right buttons and never comes off as contrived. That in itself is a rare commodity in a world where style is often everything. Chalk this one up for substance(s).

RIP - Tam White

from Lenny Helsing... Tam White - legendary singer / founder of Edinburgh, Scotland's 1960s R&beatsters THE BOSTON DEXTERS and THE BUZZ died yesterday of a suspected heart attack. He would've been 68 next month. Tam was a phenomenal singer, and in the garage punk world his voice will surely always resonate due to leaving behind the audacious and terrifying 1966 Joe Meek-produced freakbeat-punker 'You're Holding Me Down' recorded as by THE BUZZ, and written by the 'Dexters / Buzz guitarist Johnny Turnbull... Tam also made his mark with a couple of earlier garage/R&B stompers, especially the rarefied stomp of 'Nothing's Gonna Change Me' waxed up for the the Contemporary label circa 1964.

The 'Dexters were whisked off to London, where they would record a couple of 45s for Columbia, before a split happened, two leaving and two staying with THE BUZZ being the result. Once the beat boom died Tam stayed in London, and would go on to carve out a singing career on the Middle Earth (including the great psych-etched 'Future Thoughts' b/w 'Lewis Carroll' 45) and Decca labels that took him well into the 70s. He then briefly had his own Scottish TV show...before the blues came howling back into his heart, and he pursued that, and his jazz leanings right up until his death. RIP Tam.

RIP - Chris Sievey

Time has completely run away from me this morning. Did you see what I did there? So that means I'll have to defer any explanation as to why I wasn't enamoured with the movie last night until later. Probably even tomorrow. You can amuse yourself until then, right? Good.

First thing I usually do of a morning is turn on the radio. Even before the computer. And today, “Seventy Six Trombones” came blazing out. This was one of the first pieces of music that I ever remember hearing and I’m pretty sure that if I looked, there’s a 45 of it at my parents house. On the Embassy label as I recall... anyway, it kind of weirded me out. I don’t really recall much of what happened last week but hearing this took me back someplace pretty vividly.

Visited the EIFF yesterday and hooked up with Mr McKay and for a short while with Mike McCarthy. The aspect of the festival being in June now seems to have had more of an impact this year. Maybe the hub is at Cineworld now because it didn’t seem to be at Filmhouse. Not that it wasn’t busy for the screenings but the hubbub seemed greatly reduced. I’ll get the taste of what’s happening up the road at “The Runaways” tonight. The big question is still will Joan Jett be there? Something that would make it a little special for sure. The feasibility of attending a press screening of “Cigarette Girl” was sketchy so a better use of my time is getting the bunker ready to receive guests.

I did see the Steven Soderbergh documentary about Spalding Gray entitled “And Everything Is Going Fine”. Trying to remember when I saw him at the Assembly rooms, maybe 1985, but the grey matter ain’t budging. I always liked his monologues and know a couple of people who really didn’t. He was an odd character for sure and this, to my mind, requires that you have a background appreciation of his work. It’s a little like a compilation of “extras" that might accompany a DVD collection. It purports to be a final monologue but it’s not.

I think it would be pretty impenetrable for anyone coming in cold but you never know. His wife said at the Q&A that it was about keeping his work alive and maybe introducing it to new people. I think that releasing the actual monologues might be a better way of tackling that and it came to light that something might be available that doesn’t kick back to the family. Such are the trials and tribulations of anything that has artistic value.

Now this looks like my idea of big fun... (thanks to Lada for the link)

Just about to head for Edinburgh and remembered that The Standells are playing "the London" tonight with King Salami and Thee Vicars (I think).

Not at The Boston (Arms)... they'll be delivering their "dirty water" here.

It's been a spartan week blogwise. By the time I dragged my carcass into work and back again the energy level was lacking somewhat. The city limits of what passes for normality are being approached and things should be picking up. I say picking up but what I mean is that I'm not sure that the lost time can be regained. I'm thinking more of a line in the sand kind of deal. Anyway, we'll see.

Look forward to meeting Michael McCarthy today for a toddle around Auld Reekie. His film "Cigarette Girl" is playing at the Edinburgh Film Festival and I urge anybody who can - to get down to the Filmhouse on Tuesday night at 9.15pm.

Here's the trailer in case you missed it on previous postings.

And a wee story about it by Brother Joss who is heading north with Nadia to make the scene. It'll be a stoatir and I can almost guarantee that Sean Connery will not be there but you never can tell.

Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth - I need to clean up and return a lawnmower...

I think there's just a little over a week's worth of Eric and Amy gigs across the US left so get out there and partake of a fine evening of entertainment, the like of which isn't widely available these days anywhere. Milwaukee tonight, Minneapolis tomorrow... the dates are here.

The rumour mill is rife with the tale that JJ will make an appearance at "The Runaways" screening in Edinburgh on Sunday. I can't believe that it's not sold out already. We'll see... however, meanwhile - courtesy of Mr Percival...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This could never happen here.



Thanks Iñigo.

RIP - Garry Shider (Thanks to Tim for the link)

After all my kvetching, I managed to get an appointment for today. One that didn’t entail any complicated logistics in terms of travel or leaving work early or anything like that. All a bit of an anti-climax compared to the apoplexy of yesterday. My experience of dealing with red tape and “the system” is severely limited. I have no idea how to play it and no desire to do so. The fact that nothing is ever simple galls more than anything and must surely ramp up the inefficiency that riddles even the most apparently straightforward procedures. There’s never any problem to my experience with the people who do the job. It’s the management and peripheral jobsworths that are the menace. This includes the dimbulbs that prepare the legislation.

So anyway, I have my antibiotics scrip’ but was advised to see how it goes over the next couple of days. Apparently it’s not really advised that one should neck such a thing unless it’s absolutely necessary because of all these superbugs. So we’ll see. I reckon that if I lay low until the weekend, I’ll be clear. If I were in NY, then this would be where I’d be this coming Saturday...

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. takes to the borough of Brooklyn this week with a pair of shows sure to suit most any taste -- be it at Red Hook's genteel Jalopy or at downtown's divey Hank's!

THURSDAY, JUNE 17th / JALOPY THEATRE /315 Columbia Street (between Hamilton and Woodhull) in Brooklyn, USA /One hefty horseless set at 10:30, preceded by the twangy Wicked Messengers at 9:00!

SATURDAY, JUNE 19th / HANK'S SALOON / 46 Third Avenue (at the corner of Atlantic Avenue) in Brooklyn /It's "Cemetery & Western Night III", with one slighty gothic SIT & Die Co. set at 10:00 sharp, followed by Ninth House at 11:00 and Shattered NYC at midnight -- and no cover!

Yours across the East River,

Michael

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

Something of a lost night yesterday as I finally recognised that maybe I need to address the matter of this cold that’s plagued me since I got back from Barcelona. Ate, went for what I intended to be a short nap and didn’t surface until much later. Even then I was like a half-shut knife. So I propped myself up in front of the TV for a short while – not entirely aware of anything approaching being compus mentis. Nothing new there, I hear from the back of the class.

The intention of heading into Glasgow tonight to catch Iain Shaw has also gone by the wayside. Got a busy couple of weeks coming up and need to be firing on most –if not all –cylinders and it be patently obvious that I’m not.

I won’t go near a doctors surgery unless it’s absolutely necessary . This compounds the annoyance that it’s never possible to get an appointment when you need one. I have to call them at 8am tomorrow morning whereupon I’m telling you now, it’ll ring off the hook. If I wasn’t so conscientious I’d bunk off work and go down there but even then, it’s pot luck. I’m sure there are appointment touts operating. So if I peg it meantime you’ll know who to thank/blame (delete as applicable).

Seems as though farcebook has dropped a couple dozen blog posts on my unsuspecting “friends” in the past few hours. I have absolutely no scoob as to how that thing operates and had noticed that the blog synch didn’t seem to be working. The random nature of the status updates alone are enough to drive me barmy and I envy those who can stay away from it. Twitter is something I have absolutely no trouble in staying away from to the extent that I’m finally removing the link to it from here. And adding the EIFF button.

Ideally the relentless nose-blowing and coughing. If it was a game of charades, I’d be doing the title of a Screeching Weasel album.

Not sure if it’s the ol’ hayfever or some kind of general congestion but I’m out of sorts, not helped by yesterday’s stint outside trying to restore a semblance of order to the drive. The intentions of preparing a “loose ends” post hit the wall because I passed out in front of the TV, that terrible remake of Bewitched I think it was. What a stinker. Not really sure that I’ll fare any better tonight to be honest, the flesh and the spirit seem to have abandoned me. I’m not entirely convinced that my batteries are in any way rechargeable.

Anyway, I'm grateful to Duglas T for sending this - very lo-fi but top notch.