The only guff thing about going away is that you have to come back. And that means dealing with the stuff that you procrastinated with prior to heading into the sunset. A Groundhog life and we ain’t talking Tony McPhee here. Nor is that rhyming slang although I imagine it could be. So yeah, high jinks wis had in “The Madrid” – let’s take it from the top.

The air traffic control tosspots out yonder in Patrickland did their utmost to harsh the mellow but it just amounted to delay. Some poor buggers suffered full on cancellation though. It looked a little bleak earlier last week when I got the e-mail warning of the disruption. At this point, with the world going to hell in the proverbial woven accoutrement, I’m not sure what strikes prove other than that they manage to fuck people up going about their business. There has to be a better way of sticking it to the bastards that got us into this shit and I’m fairly sure that it’s nothing to do with stopping us getting from a to b or even c. I can think of a word that begins with that last one which applies to individuals like those air traffic controllers.

In the end I was maybe 4 hours late and wasted no time in heading round to Munsterville to check in with the troops. Just the day before, I’d learned that Redd Kross and those Hoodoo Gurus were playing that night. Note to London, NY (and elsewhere), the Gurus are headed your way. Master of Ceremonies, Francisco had everything under control as always, leaving Iňigo and I to have the first aperitif of this trip. Jorge held the fort with some of his compadres and I had every intention of meeting the lovely Ulla for breakfast around 8am on Friday morning but we’ll get to that.

The show was way across town in a place called Rock Kitchen. It was possibly once a cinema that turned into a disco. Someone mentioned a salsa club if I recall. Good sight lines and to my mind good sound. Halfway back on the floor, I distinctly heard the frisson of guitar in “I Want You Back” and “Leilani” was simply amazing. The audience is always what makes a show in Spain special. To hear them sing “Stoned” or “Pretty Please Me” or “Annie’s Gone” is to wonder what a world would be like where stadium crowds across the world did likewise instead of worshipping O-arse-is. We got “Blow You A Kiss In The Wind” but not “Zira”. Possibly just as well. Band of Gold got together what seemed like the ultimate fantasy bill. And made it happen.






Grand to see the YFF team and Mark Arm and to make the acquaintance of my friend Maria for the first time. Her capacity for this rock’n’roll stuff is really something. After the show, she took me to Funhouse with some of her crew for a real cool time that involved drinking and dancing though not necessarily in that order. This would be the first 5am stint of my visit and the joint was still jumping (what’s Spanish for a stay behind?) when I left. Your reporter had been on the go for 24 hours at that point and I had a breakfast date coming up in just a few hours.

Had a powernap as opposed to sleep and I was just about 15 minutes late to Munster. I think this was the day that I met Murky, King of Shellac and much more just at the corner outside in what you could call an example of very perfect timing.



Ms U and I caught up in a cool place just around the corner and all too soon she returned to work as I hauled it back to the hostal in a bid to get some actual kip. Must have been moderately successful but I was soon back at Munster ready to go again. Several wee beers were quaffed ahead of the arrival of team Dahlmann and it was quite a pleasure to see them play their first actual show ever in the first city of rock’n’roll. You’ve heard me banging on about The Wurlitzer Ballroom and you’re probably sceptical. All I can say is you have to go there. The atmosphere is utterly unique. My friend Sara puts it like this...

“Wurlitzer is like the bar appearing in the film From Dusk Til Dawn, where Salma Hayek dances sexy and then everyone is a vampire!!”

Pretty succinct. (Sara and Riff pictured in mid-transformation)

Cracking Chinese food courtesy of Capt. Alvaro ahead of the shindig meant that some ballast was provided for what would be a booze marathon for a general lightweight such as myself. The band did great and I hope that they’ll get crack-a-lackin' (thanks F) on their debut album so that the rest of the world can see and hear their pop thrust. Seb Dahlmann is but a nipper, albeit a tall one, and he had just been drafted in but you’d never have known. I think Andre’s religious icons would be proud.

So there was much revelry after the set. For me it lasted to the requisite 5AM and I began to buckle. In order not to miss the bulk of the next day I made an executive decision to stagger back to my billet in the glow of the Tio Pepe sign. Maybe I stopped to get some pizza, don’t remember. The Jager can do that to you.

Saturday would be a relatively quiet day but one that required some stamina because it was to last deep into Sunday. Great to hang out with the Pastors and from there it was time to go hook up with the Dahlmann posse to make plans for later in the evening. Met up with Field Marshall (Simon) Birrell and he took us to the area where we’d hook up with Eva, Murky and Jorge for a taste of real Madrid (nada to do with football).

This was one of the great experiences. Top company, food, drink, environment, everything. I could quite happily ride that particular roundabout for eternity. Couple shots of Mama Juana (rhymes with whammer jammer) for the road to the Murkster’s lair where there dwells music that the world will hear one of these days. Talk about a laboratory of sound. What great kids!

If you find yourself in this amazing city then you gots to go to these places...

Bar Same

Casa Dani

Casa Gerardo

Simpatia Latina II

So where did we end up you’re probably asking yourselves... see if you can guess? I slept until after noon on the Sunday having been smashed in the most pleasant of circumstances.

Went for a long walk to clear the heid, ahead of the arrival of my next compadre to make the scene. Mr Claessens hit town for the YFF show on the following Tuesday that I would sadly miss but I think I was doing, am doing pretty good. We had a couple of snifters, called by Inigo’s to be treated to a percussion set by his son Gari and headed off to wait for The Twisteroos who as it turned out had been stopped by the fuzz en route from Barcelona. This ended up causing a delay and more of those aperatifs. Met Marco, head honcho of Ghost Highway Recordings. Proud purveyors of serious rock action in 7” slices. What a great guy, more about their wares after the logbook entry.

So they eventually got to town after Jonathan managed to persuade the law to let them continue rolling down the highway. Ice t has an expression that we might employ at this point. Didn’t he use it in a Body Count song? It was great to see them roll out of the van because that meant game on!

Don’t recall who the band was that opened but they were good. I’ll update this when I find out. The T’s had no soundcheck, they just came out and blasted forth. This is rock’n’roll that covers all the bases that reaches the parts that most simply don’t. You know what they say about pictures vs words. And afterwards, Vibeke and I did a little tag team DJ stint that was so much fun that we’re planning to do it all again although sadly not in December like we figured. It was the perfect end to a rip-roaring few days and this time I definitely did have pizza as did the others.


I retired and hit the digs at 5.49am, to be up again and out by 8am. Rolled around to say my goodbyes to the earlybird Munsters, had an orange juice for the road with Iňigo and checked in with Jonathan who looked way less shell shocked than he had the night before.

From there it was time to head for the aeropuerto toward reality. I was pretty much hornswaggled but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. And I will. I’m sure there’s a lot more than this but there’s an aspect of if you remember you weren’t there to all this. Sorta like the sixties condensed into 4 days. Madrid is good for what ails you. Me certainly.

Thanks to the crew (they know who they are) and all the folks I met for the first time. Hope it won’t be the last. There are too many to list here but special commendations to Benito, Helena and Alvaro for providing the activity room.

Gracias - mi amigos and amigettes!



Photos by me except the Tio Pepe and Twisteroos - courtesy of Mr Christophe Claessons of the Antwerp parish. CC runs Universal Trendsetter .

Perfectly composed vino pic by Eva.

Mary and Maria at Funhouse courtesy of Ms Maria Bonet

RIP - Stephen J. Cannell

RIP - Tony Curtis

News just in via Mr Percival...

The Boonaraaas!!! in London on Saturday November 6th!! We gotta go...

There goes my concentration...

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. promotes artistic nudity this week with a "clothing optional" performance at Otto's Shrunken Head. The option is yours.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD TIKI BAR & LOUNGE / 538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in ol' Manhattan /Two near-pantless shows, from 8pm sharp until 10pm /With DJ "Son of Scratchy", salty snacks -- and no cover!

Plus, streaking into next month...
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9th / THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB /308 Bowery (between Houston and Bleeker Streets) in Manhattan /It's a crazy night of ska, punk, dixieland and, um...SIT & Die Co.!

Yours in wool trousers,

Michael - Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.

"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

Celebramos la Tercera temporada del programa radiofónico MELODÍAS PIZARRAS ¡!
Con la actuación de los conjuntos musicales THE SHELLAC FAMILY (Hillbilly madrileño)
Y THE BEN GUNN MENTO BAND (mento y calypso murciano).

Salud y pizarra !!!

It could take some time for the dust to settle on the Madrid sessions. Don’t want to just spew something on here and talking of which – your normally lightweight scribe had a bit of a go with keeping up with the professionals.

And because it was so much fucking fun, only a modicum of discomfort was suffered in relation to the quality of the antics. When the proceedings kick off with attending a show by Redd Kross and Hoodoo Gurus then that’s a pretty high bar but it got a lot more stratospheric than that over the course.

So there are things to be sorted, here are a couple of pictures from the proceedings in the meantime as the actual documentary evidence begins to be pieced together.

RIP - Sally Menke

OK kids, play nice. Doubtful I'll be posting until at least Tuesday but you never know.

Meanwhile, here's a nice little article on Eric and Amy by Keith Bruce from last Saturday's Herald Arts Section.

and Don's Tommy James int. Pt 2.

You want to snag a copy of the new Primevals CD? follow Mr Rooney's instructions...

"sorry for the delay- we got our new studio release 'disinhibitor' delivered today and it sounds fine indeed! for the first 100 copies we will include a live cd from king tuts in 2005. It's £5 and if you want me to post it, add £1.50. or paypal/cheque even meet me on the street for a transaction!

i know some of you have pledged copies, some more than one, if you still want the same amounts then that is fine, just gimme a shout and spread the word! the cd will be released on tsb in oct/nov and a vinyl version soon after. This first press is on our own Triple Wide label. This will be the last sales pitch.

thanks, mickey" mtprooney@yahoo.com

Andreas Söderlund has quite a pedigree for a guy so young. Not only pivotal in Hello Saferide, his other combo Dreamboy doesn’t slouch any either. I saw someplace that Annika referred to him as a scamp and thought that was pretty cool. His first solo outing “Daustralien” is ram-jammed with the most sensory-gratifying tuneage. The lyrics are all in Swedish but I’m sure they kick the ass of anything The Killers (has there ever been a group that begged investigation by the trades description authorities) ever recorded. The music sure does, while retaining that grandiose swoop that would appear to be that combo’s only redeeming feature.

Or should that be whoop, being in mind the war paint and the head dress that he’s wearing on the cover. The opener “Def Leppard Bil” is pretty amazing with a vibe that sound like it was recorded in a church. That cut isn’t on his myspace but as always, in this day and age, you don’t have to take my word for what anything sounds like – you just plug into the interweb. Coming at you by those fine Razzia folks. A trademark of quality in any lingo.

From Rijeka, Croatia - My Buddy Moose are a seasoned rock’n’roll band that have all the bases covered. It’s a very accomplished melding, taking elements from all aspects of stuff from down the ages. “Wonderful Feeling Of Emptiness” will leave you with anything but that. It’s a mature but not in the sense of the limitations of that M word.

Imagine Radio Birdman or The Nomads with a side order of Americana. The mandolin that is used liberally throughout sets things a bit of kilter. This isn’t folk or country or anything specific. This operates in the zone outside of any given pigeonhole where familiarity needn’t necessarily breed contempt. I’d expect that anyone with an open mind that might enjoy say Dire Straits could dig this as much as someone who digs The Skeletons. Or a bit of NRBQ

The duet “Tonight” is a total delight that reminds me of Robbie Fulks and Kelly Willis and “Dance” is a full on, organ-fuelled rock out. These sit snugly beside the conjuntifried “Las Nubas Peligrosas” with barely a hair out of place. Abetted by Chris Eckman and Howe Gelb – the Moose are loose enough to be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere who is craving a bloody good fix of why we care. While other people bang on about how the internet is killing music, MBM are plugging away with everything to play for. This stuff could really travel because it’s for real, not concocted in a modular fashion from a fantasy record collection.

Britta Persson’s third album “Current Affair Medium Rare” just came out Selective Notes, part of the illustrious Razzia family. Seems like the two she made for Amigo were building up to this and what she does is a perfect fit for her new roster. Specialising in sophisticated pop with a completely contemporary sound, this should make her a lot of new friends. I didn’t realise that she had a connection and appeared on recent recordings with Glasgow’s excellent Camera Obscura. It seems to me that their audience would probably really love this. Being that their crowd seems to have an open mind that would react positively.

The first “single” – “Meet A Bear” sets out the stall just fine and if you like that then this’ll be a good investment for those impending winter nights. “Some Boys Some Girls” seems like a contender too as a track that would really stand out on radio. But is there such a thing in conventional terms these days? This is the kind of stuff that builds a staunch audience person by person and that those people get an urge to tell all their friends. It doesn’t sound quite like anything else but it has all the hallmarks of appeal. Let’s hope that we get a chance to hear it live before too long.

I’m preoccupied. Bit of this, bit of that but mostly that. Very much looking forward to a return bout with the fabulous Madrid later but there are things to be attended to before that. To be honest, I don’t know if it will be or not but there is a notion of at least making an attempt that flashes across my napper every now and again. I’m watching October come up like a proverbial brick wall and have stuff pencilled in until the middle of that month. It’s a pretty good position to be in and I’m not whining or complaining just jonesing.

I thought it was Sunday on Friday night and was pretty stoked to find that there was a weekend to go but that scooted in too so way past the stage that I was at when I started out. You’re confused? That makes two of us. Overthinking is a disease and as far as I know there’s no ointment that can fix it.

Saw “Skeletons” this afternoon, after all, I couldn’t miss a biopic of one of my favourite bands, right? And who by any stretch of the imagination could play Lou Whitney? That one is a one off. Anyway, this film has been getting good reviews and I’m surprised that it only runs for 95 minutes. It felt much longer, and I fell asleep into the bargain. That’s not to say that it’s bad but it takes a long time to get where it’s going and the surreal feel of Terry Gilliam directing an episode of “Last of the Summer Wine in The Twilight Zone” sort of disgruntled me.

Found the faux French soundtrack intrusive too. It all seems a bit deliberate but maybe being awake during the bit I missed would have made all the difference. Doubt that I’ll ever know.

The Monorail Film Club is back at GFT next week for its new semester! One Way Pendulum will screen on Sunday 26 September at 7.30pm.

Arthur Groomkirby (Sykes) needs a hobby and his latest fancy is to rebuild the Old Bailey’s court no.7 in the family living room. His wife Mabel complains of the increase in housework and, in any case, already has her hands full with endless food deliveries cluttering up the house. Thankfully Myra Gantry (Peggy Mount) is on hand to help consume the backlog. The Groomkirby’s huffy teenage daughter Sylvia is ashamed to leave the house because she imagines her arms are too short, and their son Kirby (Jonathan Miller) is fixated on rehearsing a massed choir of speak-your-weight machines, part of a nefarious plan to supply himself with a perpetual pretext to dress in black.

Adapted from N F Simpson’s acclaimed play and featuring a cast of well-loved character actors, "One Way Pendulum" is an odd and engaging absurdist comedy, a lost gem from the production company that released "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" and "Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner".

Selected by Marc Baines, lecturer in illustration at Glasgow School of Art.

I was pleasantly surprised when today turned out to be Saturday. When I was in Glasgow last night, standing outside the chip shop waiting on my fellow STEREO-goers, it felt like a Sunday night. Another great show and something approaching a decent-sized audience. So I'm a little frazzled and will be keeping this short.

Meanwhile, check out this cool interview with Erwin Flores of Los Saicos.

Phew. Rock’n’roll. Sometimes you need a reminder why you bother and I’m very happy to report that I had a close encounter with the very finest that money can buy last night.

Eric and Amy showed an appreciative audience what entertainment is. Like a two person variety show that should be doing a season at the London Palladium or Kings Theatre or somewhere grand. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (as I almost did when Amy dedicated “Don’t Ever Change” to me!) and well, it could well restore your faith to a pilot light type peep. Tonight, they’ll be doing it all again at Stereo in Glasgow. I’m not entirely sure when you’ll get another opporchancity to see them up here so I suggest you take this one. Mr Goulden gave those guitars what for last night alright.

It’s true, I’m biased. These kids are family and you always want your family – actual, spiritual or whatever – to have it large. These two deserve several tonnes more love than they get and many far lesser mortals eke out a living on way, way less. Theirs is a bijou blockbuster of a performance on any given night and I have a feeling that the pilgrims who head along to Stereo tonight are in for a real treat. There’s even have a new song that name checks the city. It’s called “Do You Remember That?” and I can guarantee that you will.

“…. There’s an awful lot that’s good in this life” like Amy sings in “DEC” and sometimes I’m apt to lose sight of that. It’s very cool to be reminded of what’s important.