(unconfirmed) Update:
* Fats Domino has been rescued from his flooded house. He is safe but exhausted.
* Dave Bartholomew and his family escaped with the ‘clothes on their backs.’
* Allen Toussaint was reportedly seeking a bus to Houston….
* The Nevilles are in Memphis but their homes are a mess.
* Just had an unconfirmed report that Irma Thomas is safe.
* Connie LaRocca is with her family in Las Vegas but her house, which is near the broken 17th Street levee, is under water.
* No news of Chuck Carbo except that his house is submerged.
* Still awaiting to hear news on Clarence Henry, Frankie Ford, Harold Battiste, Cosimo Matassa etc.
* Writers Jeff Hannusch and Tad Jones both evacuated safely, but acknowledge it will be ‘months’ before they can return – and they have no idea what they will be returning to.

Statement by the Box Tops' Bill Cunningham.

The overwhelming events in Crescent City get more Romero/Carpenter-like by the minute. Obviously the reports of missing luminaries from the world of music are disturbing but it’s like a huge disaster movie set and everyone there is pretty much starting from the same level, irrespective of their trade. Why weren’t they ready for it? Because the reality of such a thing happening is utterly beyond comprehension. All those years of CGI computer graphics have taken their toll and scenes like those that are being beamed from the Gulf Coast look like they have to be photoshopped only they ain’t. Why can’t the richest country deal with it? Because of the chasm between the haves and have nots. Wee George’s smarmy, smirking kisser and platitudes just aren’t enough. Apparently he’s down there today, way down yonder ala Freddy Cannon. The little bugger should have dropped EVERYTHING and gone there straight away rather than spend four days pratting about but anyway… what’s done is unfolding as an (inter)national disgrace.

Our thoughts are with those who have folks and connections with that area of the world. The utter scale of the devastation is impossible to fathom. Mother nature is now back in the frame as the world’s #1 terror threat with two humungous body counts scored agin the earth (so far) in the past 10 months. That Al Qaeda bloke won’t be notching up the credit for this one. Worse than 9/11 Georro reckons, sharp as a tack or what?

Tom Morton sent this link to THE GUMBO PAGES which has up to date info. Thankyer sir.

John Peel Day - October 13th: "The very first John Peel Day will take place on Thursday October 13th. The day will be a celebration of John's life and massive contribution to music and broadcasting with as many venues as possible staging gigs across the UK under the banner of Peel Day. Prior to this there will be a very special London gig organised by Radio 1 with details to be confirmed nearer the time."

MIA: Fats Domino.
(And check the Goner Board for more on-the-spot news from New Orleans [Chilton missing as well?]).

RIP: R.L. Burnside.

For the record geeks among you: www.45toursderockfrancais.net, a great online archive of French punk/rock vinyl from the 70s and 80s, including such greats as Little Bob Story, Metal Urbain and the Dogs. Picture sleeves, label overviews and MP3 samples, it's all there.

Just got the word from Mr Vahlberg that THE NOMADS show in Antwerp, Belgium on Saturday is off. Any Belgian/Dutch NBT readers thinking of making the trek to catch Stockholm's finest in action are advised to look for kicks elsewhere. Sorry to be the bringer of bad tidings and all that.

The Stooges gig at the Hammersmith Apollo was everything you would want it to be. Between bands they pumped 60s garage rock over the PA (inc. a track by the Iguanas, Iggy's first band) which was damn cool to hear. The support band were bogged down with that big 80s drum sound and the music rather lifeless in my estimation. I cannot remember their name, it was something silly like Dead Goth Kids on the Block, anyhow, they are from Poland and my conclusion is that Count Peter Zaremba needs to get over there pronto and teach the kids a thing or two about RnR. In contrast, the Stooges exploded onto the stage and within the first couple of minutes Iggy had climbed on-top of the bass players amp. Amazing stuff and he did not stop there. The band delivered a pretty damn tight version of the "Funhouse" album (inc. "LA Blues") and even threw in a few tracks from their debut album. Suffice to say that during "I Wanna Be Your Dog" Iggy invited half the audience onto the stage for some good natured dancing. Hell, Iggy could have stood for Prime Minster last night and been elected by a landslide. In short, the Stooges did their reputation no harm at all. Easily the best gig of the year so far. Sadly I did not spot any MoJo readers on the tube home but did bump into a colleague from work who had been at the show with her husband. A great show that confirmed my belief that what is wrong with 90% of bands is that they are unable, or unwilling, to plug into the primal rush that ignited Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard way-back-when.

Can't find any news items about this in English, but several Dutch newspapers reported today about a newly opened Ramones Museum in Berlin. Among the goodies on display are a pair of torn jeans as worn by Johnny. (Thanks to Selma and Jos for the tip-off)

link

So, things are still unravelling here. Reports may be sketchy for the next couple of days. No, I won't be at The Stooges "doing" Funhouse tonight in London. I find the whole concept somewhat reprehensible. I wonder if The Ramones would have performed "Ramones" or "Leave Home" and like to think not. Anyway, they must be getting quite a pot of green together for that old age so that's good I guess...

Yeah, today didn't pan out quite the way I planned it. Started out badly when I went for petrol (that's gas to you folks in the USA) and I found out it was up to 97.9p per litre. Anyways, the fucking refinery that it comes from is literally 100 yards from the station, you'd think we'd be ripe for a discount. But I digress, for one reason and another I didn't "get in aboot" the backlog like I had it figured...
The latest releases from the Licorice Tree imprint are two 7” items. Thee Fine Lines “Looking Everywhere” EP goes round at 33? and finds the Springfield, Mo. trio in typically rough house shape. All four songs are well up to scratch in that righteously primitive vein that you folks tend to lap up.

Thee Shams “Gotta Be Something” on the other hand is, as far as these ears can make out, not much of anything at all. Never to be confused with The Shams, this is yer distinctly average garage grade no-fi. Neither side did anything for me at all except wonder why Chad would put it out? There's a copy sitting here waiting to go to a good home at no cost to the foster parent.

There goes another weekend...

Billy Childish interviewed in the Independent. (link c/o Jan Kooi)

Ghetto Ways - Solid Brown. (Alien Snatch LP).
Been gettin' conflictin' reports on the shows this trio is doin' 'round these parts as we speak, but there's no denyin' the power within the grooves of their somophore offerin'. Less of a straight forward p-rock effort than their debut, this reaches out for a more Detroit kinda feel (think MC5, not Stooges), and hits the right spot straight away. Heck, I keep thinkin' about the 5 and the Users everytime I spin this, which should be recommendation enough...

I didn't realise that John Herald was 66 when he left us the other week there. The guy had an energy that many relative youngsters couldn't muster...

"There will be a service for John Herald at the Bearsville Theater just outside of Woodstock, NY on route 212 this Sunday, August 28 at 6pm. This will be the official funeral service. Everyone involved in putting this together would like it to be an uplifting celebration of John's life and music. Many musician friends will play music in his honor. It will be a beautiful place to join together and give John the send off he deserves.

Before John's death, he was working on a CD. Brain Hollander had been working closely with John on this project and is going to finish the recording as John wished. We will keep you updated on when it will be available. He hopes to have it completed very soon. Brian will have a three song sampler done to give out at the service. Thanks so much Brian. Please see the link on John's website to the beautiful article Brian wrote for John in the Woodstock Times, where he is the editor.

Please visit johnherald.com for more news and info. There is a guest book to sign and also a place to read wonderful stories about John from those that knew him and his music."

Some random stuff that you might care to investigate...

LYDON Vs PURSEY (Thanks Martin)

POWER POP BOOK.

Some nice SOUNDTRACK gear.

SAVE CBGB's film (Cheers Karen)

That oughtta keep you clickin' for a bit.

So that's it, the Film Festival shuttle engine is cooling. Much as I'd like to catch Gunner Palace tomorrow, I think it's unlikely. But anyway, Thursday I saw JUNEBUG. It's a nice little piece which travels at a slow pace but doesn't ever wander from the point. The score by Yo La Tengo is somewhat understated and maybe it's a tad "wumminey" (woman-y) but it's well structured. I settled into it just fine. Don't be put off by any references to Gus Van Sant in the promo blurb.





Last night seemed like it was gonna be a disaster. Stuck on a train because of a track power failure, the seconds ticked by and it looked like THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON would be screening without us. However, an effort was made to scoot up there and I guess I missed about 10 minutes of it. All I can say is that I'm glad that I did hightail it up there. It's a really insightful and entertaining film and you won't have to be too conversant with DJ's output to enjoy it. He's a troubled boy alright but I guess it's that which drives him further out than almost anybody. You'll be searching out those early tapes after you see it.

NBT regulars will be pleased to hear that there's an appearance by one Peter Zaremba and also music by Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips. It also includes a clip of an appearance in Hoboken's great, no longer with us, Pier Platters Record Store (with a Trigger and the Thrill Kings promo shot on the wall right behind him. There's actually another screening tonight (Saturday) so if you're in the 'hood then you should attend. I would if I could but I cannae but plan to see the entire film just as soon as is (humanly) possible. I think it's at the ICA in London this coming week (Tuesday 30th) also, so folks down there should check that out.

As I attempt to compose my napper and catch up on things, this latest LEFSETZ was somewhat timely. Having just come out of the end of the 59th EIFF it pretty much lays the whole shebang out from that line in the sand we need to work from. (Reprinted with permission, sign up for the newsletter.)

"They're fighting in the movie business. Bob Iger, impending head of Disney, committed a faux pas. He stated the truth. That people want to see the movie at home. On the same day it debuts in theatres.

The theatre owners FREAKED OUT!

But who should the movie companies be loyal to? The exhibitors or the public?

We already know what side the music industry is on. They side with the retailers. They don't want to do ANYTHING that might hurt the retailers. As if they were the end customer, as if every sale to them was final, as if they couldn't ship unsold product back.

Prognosticators have been talking about home theatre for over a decade. It's now here. Watching the flick on a plasma set with surround sound is BETTER than going to the multiplex. You don't have to drive, you don't have to endure ads, you don't have to mingle with the PUBLIC, with their pesky cell phone conversations DURING the movie, you can pop your own corn at a fraction of the price, why WOULD you want to go out?

We have the equivalent of the plasma set in the music business. It's called the iPod. The labels hate it. They want everybody to buy CDs. They're INCENTIVIZING them to buy CDs, you get more cluck for your buck at the brick and mortar retail outlet than you do at the iTunes Music Store, no copy protection, better sound and artwork. Why WOULD YOU want the file when you can have a DISC?

iPods hold collections much larger than almost every consumer ever acquired at a retail outlet. You'd think the labels would see a new business model was needed to satiate owners of the device. But no, in their minds an iPod should only hold a few albums, that were each paid for with a twenty dollar bill. Got to keep the old business model intact.

But that's what Bob Iger is questioning. The old business model. He LITERALLY said he didn't want to make the mistakes of the music industry, not giving consumers what they want.

The consumer does not want tethered subscriptions. They don't even want any device OTHER than the iPod. Not only because the iPod is cool, but it WORKS! Because of the ingenious software involved. But rather than see this as an advantage, the labels just carp there's no interoperability amongst stores. It's like arguing that Honda parts won't fit Yugos, NOBODY WANTS A YUGO!

And the reason they're freaking in the movie business, why Iger is proffering new ideas, is because business is off.

Oh, they've been through the parade of horribles. People are STEALING the product. There are entertainment alternatives. There are too many ads in theatres. But now, as the close of the summer season looms, there seems to be a consensus. The movies suck.

Funny how the movie men can admit the truth, but the music moguls can't.

But, true thinkers can't understand why this fact, this lack of quality, is causing a ten percent decline in theatre attendance THIS YEAR, after all, THE MOVIES WERE JUST AS BAD LAST YEAR! Actually, they've been bad for TEN YEARS! Such a long time that people have fallen out of the moviegoing habit. They've been overhyped and ripped off one too many times. They've ABANDONED the industry. FATIGUE has set in.

Fascinating concept if you think about it.

This was bandied about in the music business half a decade ago, when sales first started to tank. Napster traders said CDs were too expensive, they only contained one good track. Now, five years later, CDs have not come down significantly in price. But, it's worse. They still suck. They suck MORE!

Maybe it's got nothing to do with downloading. None of the ills the RIAA bandies about. Maybe it's the raw fact that the music has sucked for a very long time and people just don't care anymore.

And now here's where indie store owners from across America click return and rave at me, telling me all the GREAT product they're selling.

Now, let's be clear. The movie business is only off TEN PERCENT! That means MANY people are still going to the theatre. But, what's gonna happen in the future? MANY people are still buying CDs. But significantly fewer every year. The trend is going in the wrong direction DRAMATICALLY! What about the people who've stopped buying, shouldn't we worry about where THEY'RE AT?

Music's no longer cool.

Oh, don't bark back. I used to live to comb the record store bins. Now I don't go, I comb the Net. Why go to a store, which has such tiny inventory, none of the rarities I desire, most of which you can't buy at ANY price.

Still, I don't spend hours hunting down the new stuff. Most of what I'm looking for is OLD!

And, now we've got the naysayers saying it's my age. You get old and you want to stay home, you're not interested in new music. But talk to teens. They REVERE the classic rock acts. THEY think today's music is bullshit. OH, it's not black and white. OF COURSE people are buying 50 Cent and Destiny's Child and Hilary Duff. But question five teenagers, you'll be stunned when you hear them foam at the mouth about Zeppelin, Hendrix and the Who. They know what's good.

There hasn't been a good album, one that changed your life, since "Jagged Little Pill".

Oh, I've heard good music since. But I'm now more interested in technology than music. Tech is cutting edge and cool. Hell, have you USED Google Earth? It's better than anything the Strokes or Keane or the Killers or...ANYBODY has put out this year. Google Earth is what music USED to be. How did they COME UP with this? It's so cool!

So, first we need better music. Then we've got to convince people it's out there.

You'd think instead of paying for play on terrestrial radio labels would be supporting satellite radio and net radio, with their wide variety of options, with their unlimited playlists. God, sign up for satellite and get five CDs free. Isn't this how "Rolling Stone" built its business?

There are more records than ever. More shows. There's infrastructure, but a great faction of the public has tuned out. It's not that different from Atari. Suddenly, everybody decided that gaming console sucked. They used it up. It died. Almost overnight.

But video games didn't die. You just needed someone to reinvent them. Which NIntendo did. Bringing a dead industry back to the point where it now eclipses both movies AND music.

At the height of Napster sales were at their peak. Because there was an EXCITEMENT! EVERYBODY wanted music on their computers. But the industry killed Napster. Music wasn't being acquired the way they thought it should. And sales have declined ever since.

It's not about selling CDs at Starbucks. The labels killed vinyl, they could kill the CD overnight, bring everybody into the MP3 era. The iPod era. That's what Bob Iger is talking about. Forgetting tradition and entering the PRESENT!

This business is completely full of shit. Everybody knows music sucks. That's the PERCEPTION! And perception is reality. Until perception changes, this business is fucked."

Picked up a brochure for the INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF NEW CINEMA that will take place in Berlin between February 9th and 19th 2006. It includes the following statement which the organisers of the EIFF might do well to heed for future programming. The could add a line with regard to not submitting films that will be in cinemas before the cinema seats go cold after the Fest too. Anyway it reads…

“Films submitted for screening at the Forum must have been completed within the last 12 months before the staert of the festival; must be at least 60 minutes long; must not have been screened at any other German or European festivals; and with the exception of country of origin, must not have been shown in European cinemas or broadcast on television.”

I’d provide a link to their site but it doesn’t seem to be operating yet.

Meanwhile on the well-worn trail ‘tween here and Auld Reekie, there are two films to go and we’re done. The logistics have been something of a chore this annum, it feels like just a bunch of screenings. There have been no “events” involved with anything we’ve seen so far. There was a Q&A after the Brian Jones fiasco but that might have gotten ugly.

At this point in time and space, dropping off the face of the earth is an attractive proposition. Something to be working on…