RIP - Mollie Sugden

Not sure if it's the heat-induced sleep deprivation but I just read the latest Jackson snippet as "fairytale carnage" I think I'll start a band called that. I did have another good name that I got from this site (thanks Lisa) but the post seems to have been removed.

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Some stuff coming up in Edinburgh...

This Saturday's THE GO-GO (4th July)

is at Henry's Cellar Bar Morrison Street (and not Studio 24 as previously advertised).

60s DJ's Tall Paul Robinson & Angus A-GO-GO (Mod, Soul, Garage Etc)

Playing live ... THE HIDDEN MASTERS (psyche-y prog-punk trio)

band on at midnight. 11pm til 3am. £5/4

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The Joyriders will be opening for The New York Dolls in Glasgow on July 20th. They also have a show at Cabaret Voltaire on the day after (21st). These take place to limber ‘em up ahead of their jaunt to Japan. The Cab show is with The Bum Clocks and Tango Rhums .

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Not sure how the rest of this evening has in store but it would be cool if the temperature would go down a bit. Ha ha. Did you get what I did there? Every one a flippin' maserati...

Ideally I'd be on a boat out Stockholm way watching The Nomads but t'was not to be.

As the Dark Wave Swells

Brother Ben Gart made the pilgrimage to the Motor City at the weekend to witness the ignition of the two-headed monster that is the return of The Gories and The Oblivians to the boards. The blast off en route to "Blast Off" and other shows around Europe. Here's what he had to say...

"I spent about 5 hours driving from Chicago to Detroit Saturday afternoon and it was a beautiful day, no construction or traffic problems either. Couldn't have asked for a better start to the weekend. Once I got past Ann Arbor, I found the hotel in lovely Romulus, across the street from the airport. They were nice and the room was as good as could be expected for an economy joint. After a bit of a lie down, I got up, got a quick bite to eat from the hot redhead next door and headed into the (Motor) City proper.

I was warned that Detroit was a place to be cautious about -- Michigan going on 14% unemployment, one in three homes condemned or boarded up and a high crime level. Quite honestly, while it did seem run down and old, it was very cool. A lot of character there! The neighbourhood that the Majestic Theatre is in isn't bad at all, situated next to a university and plenty of other theatres across from it. I was really excited to see the place since it has such a cool history, playing a big part in the Motown legacy. After parking in the lot out back, I wandered inside and saw Mick Collins deeply focused with texting on his phone (it seemed) and Danny driving his beat-up old station wagon & giving someone a jump. Decided to leave them alone and just get in line.

Once inside, I was thrilled to see that the Majestic did have a lot of character -- I looked around at walls and ceiling, imagining what it would've been like to see so many legends perform there. Old soul, R&B and blues blasted out of the speakers setting the atmosphere just right. The Oblivians took the stage at around 9.30pm and things heated up quick, kicking the energy up to high gear. Having never seen them and not being too familiar with their material, I quickly "got" what they're about. A lot of electricity, sweat and screaming like mad preachers high on sin. The crowd ate it up like a handful of speed. They blasted through 19 tunes in just about an hour giving The Gories something to live up to. There were no encores. Greg, Eric and Jack got off fast to make way for the reason most everyone came for.

After about 20 – 30 minutes setting up and tuning, The Gories took the stage and the audience went absolutely fucking nuts! Talk about something I've missed at a lot of shows over recent years -- deep appreciation by fans, loudly vocalized "thankyous" they (rarely) got to hear in the 80s and 90s. Mick made the bittersweet comment "Who are all you people?" The band started up on high gear with "Hey Hey, We're The Gories" and didn't let up. I was blown away at how they appeared not to have changed at all since they last played these songs with any regularity. Hopefully they really didn't practice at all since they decided to play these shows, to ensure that the three of them stayed true to the sound.

Danny took the opportunity to use some of the skills he's learned over the years to play "Detroit Breakdown", honking on his harmonica and playing guitar at the same time. On "Ghostrider", Mick played what was likely the coolest guitar-freakout solo I have ever seen or heard live! They cranked out 20 songs, running through classic after classic like they’ve never been away. Embodying generations of bluesmen and rock'n'rollers spirits, it was gratifying to see a broken-up band take to a stage again and unleash that rare lightning from a bottle most washed up has-beens could never match in the first place.

The only complaint I have is actually a compliment -- I wish they would have kept on playing all night."

Report and photo by Ben Gart, Chicago Chapter.

There's loads of stuff to keep you going indoors and outdoors in the near to yonder future depending on where you be located of course. I'm not planning to be on here for long tonight so without any further ado.

There's a new Wreckless Radio episode up.

A new JD King story.

The Nomads do their annual Blidösund shindig this coming Wednesday for those lucky enough to be in and around the fabulous city of Stockholm.

Do you have your tickets for Dean and Britta's "13 Most Beautiful" yet? That's a week on Wednesday - July 8th. If you're in Glasgow, the Rt. hon Thomas Coyle is considering running a bus so e-mail him if you're interested in getting aboard said charabang. The only UK show over in Dunfermline, situated in the kingdom of Fife. Flake out of this one at your peril. Flog your T in the Park tickets and see something genuinely fresh.

You need Anne Streng's postcards!

Oh, I've lost my scribbled note with a couple of other things on it so see how you go with that little lot.

This is the membership card for the Cramps fan club in France, The Last Great Martyrs. Run by Nathalie Denis. Where you be Nathalie?

Nothing like some organ music for a Sunday morning. Thanks to Sébastien Favre for the tip via fb.

26 years prior to Obama, President Clarence Clemons was busy in the White House. It was September (perhaps early October) 1983 and during the filming of the video for "A Woman's Got The Power". Hearing that solo during "Thunder Road" last night brought it all back.

Irrespective of what you might think about Springsteen circa 2009, you can't quibble that he upped the ante of the Glasto humdrum. Talk about a rocket up the arse. I think there were 6 songs broadcast? Or maybe I just woke up at that point.

Anyway, I'll have a look at what the bunfight has to offer today but I imagine nothing. Lisa Hannigan, who was on immediately after the E-Street express did pretty good. I like her and always wonder how tall she must be. Seeing as it's raining, and I seem to be developing a "sair throat", going through old photos seems like the order of the day. Amongst other things.

In town the other day, I was struck by the waterbeds on legs trading"don't even go there's" in their trademark local twang. I hate that. It's like people from here trying to use "dude" or "awesome". After all you don't get the denizens of the South Bronx going about calling people "bawbag". Chances are that would sound pretty daft too. It's like white guys dressing "hip hop". It's a no no. Or blasting it loudly out of their cars as they "cruise". Happy hardcore kind of suits the chinless little (and big) toerags because it provides a theme for their pointy faced noxious existence. The ob prefix kicks in after they've tanned the prescription Buckfast. I don't claim to have a total grasp on the english language but c'mon - we have enough slang. There's no need to appropriate stuff they've heard Tenecia(s?) yatter on Ricki Lake or Sally. The world may well be just one big onion but...

Another very sickening aspect of the Jacko thing is people like David Cameron or any politician paying “tribute”. Then there was the guy on the radio yesterday plugging HMV and FOPP as places to go to load up on your Michael merch. Not only are they one and the same thing, there was no qualification that these items could be purchased from similar outlets. Any which way, the “charts” will be dominated by the late Mr Jackson so if you’re a new band hoping that you might scrape in there then forget it.

I watch Glastonbury on TV in the hope that something will actually be good. That almost never happens and the Tap was OK but the drummer didn’t explode at the end. I thought The Ting Tings were pretty good, despite the fact that it’s all artificial. I actually hoped that by some trick of fate that Wreckless and Amy would somehow make it to the screen. However for reasons as yet unknown, their Glasto stint never came to pass. There’s a band called Esser or something on just now, playing the John peel stage. I’ve never heard of them and they’re awful so that very probably means they’ll be huge. The singer looks like one of Bros moonlighting as David Gahan.

I had to switch of Kasabian. They’re like Primal Scream vs Reef. CS&N were also less than entertaining but I think the guy who’s on bass is Bob Glaub that played on Amy Allison’s “Sheffield Streets”. There’s a big stooshy going on because the BBC isn’t broadcasting the whole Springsteen set. I don’t care one way or another, just so long as it doesn’t involve a double dose of Doves or some such bobbins. Now it’s the turn of some bunch called The Temper Trap that’s making me go and change the channel. But what awaits when I hit the remote... The Script murdering Bowie's "Heroes"...

Lisa Marie on MJ. (Link courtesy of Peter Holsapple via fb).

Whilst doing a wee bit of google snooping on “Baraboo” I found that it had been shown in Galway but I guess the EIFF were playing the Southern Ireland card with regard to claiming the premiere. One important item that came up is that there’s a new movie with Mark Borchardt doing the rounds called “Modus Operandi”. Let’s get back to the job in hand though.

Mary Sweeney’s directorial debut is an understated, slow burning treasure. After all the rushing about over the past few days it took maybe 10 minutes to wind down into the pace. It’s unmistakably got the ambience of “The Straight Story”. Certain aspects suggest that she was perhaps the one behind creating the atmospheres that give Lynch his edge. I’m just saying. It’s a quiet, tranquil film with an underlying sense of menace. The cast are uniformly excellent and were drawn from local theatre talent. The town itself is close to Madison, Wisconsin. (Ben) Weasel country and it looks like a great place to visit.

It made me recall the time that Randy, Donna and I went to Black Oak in Arkansas to try and find Jim Dandy and travelling with The Skeletons. The score is partly Richard Thompson and some “metal” by the offspring of David Lynch and Ms Sweeney, Riley Sweeney Lynch.

“Baraboo” also reminded me a little of Phil Morrison’s “Junebug”. Maybe it was the outsider art element and the rural setting. Anyway, it made me want to visit the town and maybe grab a cold drink from the general store there where “Jane” works.

Not sure when this will be released to theatres but make a mental note to see it when it does.

Hoping to establish a little equilibrium here today. When I got home from Edinburgh last night, Neil Young was tearing through a god-awful version of the already no biggie in my book, "A Day In The Life". I shall dip in and out of the TV coverage over the course of this particular one in mine. And there's live music in the town square here so I'll swing by there just to make sure that my grasp of the local culture can be sated.

I'm not expecting much but at least the rain is off. Good that I managed to get the last of the hedge down prior to the cloudburst but getting rid of the cuttings with the less than adequate garden refuse colletion around here could well take some time. However, if that's all I've got to concern me then I'm doing no' bad. First up will be a short of "Baraboo"...

The news of Jeannie C. Riley's passing seems, thankfully, to be untrue.

Apologies for any undue alarm this may have caused.

Lenny Helsing on Sky Saxon, Lenny kindly posted this as a comment on RIP - SS, but just incase you don't look at those...

"Yeah I can only add that Sky was something else indeed, and The Seeds were one of the very greatest combos the rock world has ever produced. It was an honour indeed to meet and befriend the great man when he came to play in Aberdeen, and Glasgow, Scotland a few years ago. The group I play for The Thanes were fortunate enough to be the opening group when Sky and his brand new band of Seeds tore it up at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. Although I only spent a few hours with him over a couple of days, Sky was a very amiable and friendly guy, full of fun and joy, still wanting the best out of life, and telling us he loved the music we were playing, and taking the time to hang out, ask Seedy questions and generally wanting to put the world to rights. And wasn't the Sky Saxon and The Seeds LP 'Red Planet' just the best thing he'd been involved in since the heady daze of the original SEEDS. Oh yeah I really do think so. I think Sky has now truly found the entranceway to play…may the flower lady and her assistant attend your every need…"

From Duglas T Stewart...

"Hi all,

I'm playing a FREE gig at The Goat this Sunday. The line up is- the ultraromantic sounds of Duglas T Stewart and friends, "organic electronica" from Engine'7 and my fave new songwriter Adam Ross (I think he's really brilliant). The fun starts at 8pm.

Mr. Duglas"

RIP - Michael Jackson

Read Johnny Black's RBP blog posting on this here. I think he puts it pretty succinctly.

Some sad news for sure tonight but let’s accentuate the positive a little...

In the last couple of days I’ve seen two still living, breathing exponents of the arts that have made everything we hold dear responsible. In terms of influence they’re right up there. Giants. Maybe not household names but individuals who pervade every aspect of what I consider to be true culture. I’ve considered the possibility that both can enjoy a level of popularity now because they’re part of the broad canvas that The Cramps taught us. It’s true to say that there was always an aspect of awareness but they piqued an insatiable appetite for cool and crazy stuff. I was just talking the other day to someone about how the landscape would be very different if it weren’t for their direction.

I blew out the chance to see the first two episodes of True Blood in a cinema setting in favour of Wanda Jackson’s first Scottish appearance in, she says, more that 25 years. I think it must be way more than that and would welcome information with regard to when it might have been. It was good to see a decent turnout for this auspicious occasion and two bucketloads of kudos should go to Ms Holly Calder for pulling it off and making it possible.

It’s important to create a proper environment for an event like this and the DJ action (Aaron from All Tore Up and another guy, can’t remember his name) provided the sounds to do that alright. The band that was providing their services to Ms Jackson opened. The Bottleneckers are a first class blues/r&b ensemble with an extensive repertoire. It’s all a wee bit tidy and concise but meticulous with not a grain of excess flab. They opened with “Georgia Slop” which made me think, where is Barrence Whitfield these days?

I’ve seen clips of Wanda with some pretty hokey bands but this wasn’t the case here. This combo swung like nature intended, like she might have had back in the golden days. And what a voice, that was perhaps the most remarkable thing of all. It’s a total hits show and she narrates the story of her career well without the aid or any powerpoint presentation. “Funnel Of Love” was absoflippinlutely amazing. It’s something she’s only recently started to perform again, being that it was considered too risqué for someone so devoutly Christian. I’m please she saw the light. Mr Duff said that this was the best of the 4 times he’s seen her and he knows those onions.

The one downer was the drowning out at some points by a section of gibbering bastards in the audience. These people have no respect for their elders or betters. None whatsofucking ever. It’s time that venues employed quiet police to muzzle these divots. That aside, Wanda appears to have a lot more energy than I do, several years her junior. Keith Bruce's review from The Herald is here.

It wasn’t possible to report in yesterday, I took advantage of the weather to try and keep the immediate area around the bunker in reasonable fettle. “Cutting the grass” isn’t a euphemism incase you wondered.

Yesterday’s movie going was much more successful than that of the weekend. Kicking off with a screening of "The Wild Angels" at 1pm, this was not only the last remaining print of the film – it was also introduced by Mr. Roger Corman himself. Quite a thrill. I imagine that everyone reading this is familiar with the film and to hear Davie Allan blasting out in the pictures is a pretty groovy thing. I’d made the executive decision not to attend the Corman in person thing to see the European prem of “The Missing Person” so this was a real bonus.

I think that this was another good move because “TMP” is simply a great piece of work on every level. I unreservedly recommend it to anybody with an interest is seeing a simply terrific film. It looks great, the story is good and I don’t think that I’ve seen anything this good in some considerable time. Don’t want to give away anything about it in the hope that you’ll catch it when it’s properly released. There are a couple of sequences where the script is just of such a supreme high order I can’t begin to tell you. Plus it includes the fantastic Amy Ryan in the cast and as executive producer. Indeed it was she who put the director, Noah Buschel on to Michael Shannon who looks not unlike Lux.

The director was on hand to talk about the film and he sounded a little like Billy Miller. An ardent New Yorker, his love for the disappeared aspects of his city just made him all the more likeable. I reckon that he’s going places. My original exec decision was based upon the consideration that Ms Ryan might attend. Yes kids, sad but true, deluded fanboy that I am. The soundtrack includes Freddy Fender and Bud Powell and the closing credits contain what may be a typo or maybe not for a “grahpic designer”.

Walking past Henry’s, I noticed that The Suicidal Birds and Pony Pack were playing later. I hesitated for a moment, thinking I might hang about but remembered that it was a school night. Heading for the train, I passed some hipsters on their way to the ATP event. Some maybe even had their swimming cosies on under those trenchcoats. We’ll never know.

Taking advantage of the excellent weather, I walked, or rather ambled, the 3.3 miles home. Past enough cut grass to make my peepers smart to the extent that sitting in front of the computer wasn’t an option. I have one more film to go on Friday. “Baraboo” by Mary Sweeney. This will provide my customary David Lynch related section of the programme.

RIP - Sky Saxon

I was all set to bring you up to speed with the last couple of days when I caught this news that took the wind out of my sails. Having never met him, there are no anecdotes from this end but few will ever forget discovering "Pushin' Too Hard" via Nuggets in 1972. For anyone who might not be familiar with the band in the UK, you've all seen the Lynx deodorant ad with "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" right? Anyway, another pioneer down.

RIP - Steven Wells

(link courtesy of Innes Reekie)

RIP - Farrah Fawcett

Let's hope that's it for now...

I just got in so a post of any magnitude at all just ain't happening tonight or today depending on where you're dropping in from. The Wanda report and an update on the EIFF will be forthcoming but right now it feels like there's sand in my eyes. Viva the hayfever...