It was kind of fun to watch people get aerated about the “it’s just music” quip that Missus Gawgaws manager sent to Bob Lefsetz. Admittedly I can get apoplectic about ultra-triviality too but the comparison in the same sentence of Justin’s B and T to The Be*tles (and other old guard stalwarts) knocked my ability to get irritated clear out of the park.

I vaguely recall a time when I used to write about music on here. Preoccupation with matters outwith that sphere have been dogging my ability to do this. It’s not that I don’t want to, more that I don’t seem to be able to. Add to that the fact that I’ve had it up to here (raises hand above head height) with computers and you have the perfect situation for a creek and lack of a paddle. Spending all day, every day in front of one of these damned things has removed any novelty value the blighters ever had. They’ve made everything – except people – superfluous. The way that some individuals seem to be attached to phone devices is something that really rankles. It’s taken rudeness to a whole higher level. Yes, these things can be useful but for christ’s sake turn them off for a spell will you?

Here we are in the last days of May again. Hopefully that pesky ash cloud won’t be stinking up the airways a little over a week from now. Of course, it seems forever away at this point but I’m REALLY looking forward to the International Rock’n’Roll AGM in Moss. There’s still time to make the scene.

OK, chores to be done, if you haven’t seen this, it’s guaranteed to raise a titter.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/290570522953

RIP - Jeff Conaway

RIP - Gil Scott-Heron

From Brother Bruce Bennett via fb - how can this have come around so quick!

To paraphrase Sleepy Labeef's onstage stumping, "If anyone's going to be in the Europe area next week..."

Behold: A-Bones European Sun Tour '011 --

Sat June 4th - France Bourges Cosmic Trip Festival

Tues June 7th - Italy Brescia Lio Bar

Wed June 8th - Italy Piacenza Spazio 4

Thurs June 9th - Italy Roma Traffic

Fri June 10th - Italy Ancona Osimo FunHouse shop

Sat June 11th - Italy Torino Spazio 211

Sir Tom Phobic wishes it to be known that...

Hi kids,

We got a great gig to tell you about in a coupla weeks time so stick the date in your diary now...in fact just go to the tattoo parlour and ink your skin so you don't fergit it. FRIDAY 3rd JUNE at The Castle, Finchley Road NW11 8DG Doors £5 from 8pm - 1am with WILD MUTATION, THE PHOBICS and SPECIAL BRANCH.

WILD MUTATION are: SPIZZ (Vocals - SPIZZENERGI),
SHANNE BRADLEY (Bass - NIPPLE ERECTORS/THE MEN THEY COULDN'T HANG),
TONY MORRISON/Sharron Slutt (Guitar - LONG TALL SHORTY/Angelic Upstarts/Kiria),
MARC PEARSON (The man with the Star Guitar THE GLITTER BAND and Y.T.D.S),
ALEX KARL GOLD (Drums - WUTARS)
JENNY DRAG (BV's & Guest Vocal - The Priscillas)

Running times SPECIAL BRANCH on stage at 8:15, THE PHOBICS on at 9:15 and WILD MUTATION ABOUT 10:30

IT'S PART OF A WEEKEND OF CELEBRATIONS FOR MICK RONSON'S CANCER CHARITY SO BRING SOME MONEY.

What a stellar line up - eh kids? The other bands will be kicking out a bunch of selected covers and favourites for your pleasure, while we will provide a run through of our soon to come out on vinyl album DEPTFORD CALLING and anything else we can get away with. Sounds blinking good to me.

I was looking for something to post on here and came across this curio that Deborah Frost flagged up on fb. One of the comments mentioned David Roter so that clinched it...

Severe winds and horizontal rain plus an ash cloud reprise. No tangible sign of the apocalypse although it would be hard to tell with the initial 5 months of 2011 providing a fair old dollup of what could be construed as hell. Maybe the Mayans can be trusted to get it right? However, I’d rather that none of us would have to suffer any more per se than we do already so a swift exit would be preferred.

I’ve been interested in the pictures that have been beaming from Puerto Del Sol in Madrid. That’s my sauntering area where I amble through to and from the Wurlitzer, El Sol or wherever. I hope the actions of the protesters can elicit some improvements in their situation but these are peculiar times where the greedy bastards in all sectors of society are hanging on like grim death to their spoils. They don’t seem to realise that the weight limit for the baggage to the destination we’re all headed is zero.

Mr Duff went out last night...

Ted Chippington and The Nightingales. Two names that anyone who began listening to John Peel at the same time as I did will remember with some affection –even if, like me, you can’t be sure that they were actually as good as you remember them being. Last night, I had the opportunity to test my memory and my teenage judgement and am pleased to report that I’ve nothing to be ashamed of.

I turned up at Sneaky Petes with high hopes. Comments from colleagues who’d attended the previous night in Glasgow concluded “if only Frankie Boyle and that Sonic Youth were a tenth as good”. That assessment pretty much nails it – in respect of The Nightingales for sure.

They began as they continued with a serious twin guitar row backed by a rock hard glam rock bass drum stomp. In fact, if I can think of anything to compare them with it’s those jaw-dropping ‘junk shop glam’ records that Robin Wills regularly posts on his PUREPOP blog. And when - by song three, Robert roared “I didn’t know I loved you til I saw you rock’n’roll”, I knew I was on the right track with such thoughts. It’s not all ramalama rabble rousing though, there’s a fair bit of Beefheart and something that I can’t name but that is pretty damned rowdy, mixed in. The last time I saw a band kick up and maintain this kind of mania was The Oh Sees. Now, Robert Lloyd’s vocal delivery is a good deal more droll and a bit less unhinged than John Dwyer but sonically speaking, the action is comparable. On last night’s evidence at least, The Nightingales are that rare beast in these days of everybody knowing everything, a band that has been truly overlooked. We should consider ourselves lucky that Robert Lloyd still feels the need to come out and make his noise.

Ted Chippington, sadly sans his showbiz drape suit, opened and gave us a rough 20 minutes of what we’ll have to call material, although it’s still unlike any other comedy material you ever heard. The closest he got to a recognisable joke was “I was walking down this road and this bloke came up to me and he said ‘hey I’m addicted’. I said, ‘You probably are mate.” The highlight (his version of Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - recast as Chirpy Chirpy Cockney - aside) was a tape he played of an unidentified British punkrocker embarrassing himself with his inarticulacy on US radio. If anybody who knows who that was, I’d be delighted to know.

Oh and if you’re in Edinburgh or Glasgow scratching your head and wondering how you never heard about this then the reason is because - as far as I can see no one knew – I saw NO publicity around Edinburgh or on the net at all. The Nightingales told me that they got a call from the promoter at noon yesterday (the day of the show) to say they were pulling it so the band took the reins themselves. There was about 20 people in the room but those 20 people saw a great show. The Nightingales achieved victory in the face of incompetence and indifference, I think that may well be a decent summing up of their whole story. Go see them tonight if you're in Hull, they deserve better than they got in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Thanks to Paul Johnston...

I don't think I ever saw this before... thanks to Al Milman via FB.

Like the darling buds of May, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. returns this week to its last-Thursday-of-every-month residency at the always colorful Otto's Shrunken Head. Ah, so sweet the smell...

THURSDAY, MAY 26th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD /
538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in Manhattan / Two freshly cut shows, starting at 8pm sharp and ending at 10pm / With DJ "Son of Scratchy", salty snacks, and no cover!

Horticulturally yours,
Michael

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

Pffffff... guess that I thought maybe it'd be all over so I'm not prepared.

I saw "Source Code" yesterday afternoon and kind of liked it. It was like a TV show pilot and much better than expected. Today I saw "How I Ended This Summer" and it was arduous. Beautifully composed but not entertaining plus, anybody who knows me will be familiar with my non-capacity for fish or indeed seafood in general. There are several aspects of the film that horrified me more than anything that might be construed as graphic in any realm.

I'm listening to the first episode of The Mike and Judy Show, it's great. Like having the old SCREW paper on the cyber-wireless and nowhere near as offensive as the trout action in this afternoon's movie.

Handsome Dick Manitoba is on the episode that will "air" later today.

Dealing with cable service providers makes my heid nip. The latest saga is that my phone service was gubbed AGAIN. Plus the continued red rag that is dealing with call centres on another continent – that’s what really has me considering changing who has my business. This however throws up multifarious things that can go pear shaped and most often just ends up in my doing nothing. The concept being sticking with (the) status quo.

Service in general, through all corridors of existence, would appear to be on a downward trajectory. Expectation that is already scraping the ground has pretty much come to a grinding halt. There is the odd glimmer here and there though and the case in point is my gas and electricity supplier. Their centre is based around 40 minutes from the bunker and this morning, I had an exchange with a lady there who sorted out my account matters in literally minutes. Even if it ended up that I had to pay a little more then I would to get this level of service.

Going to try and sort out some pre-rupture music stuff. Probably after I come back from seeing “Source Code” at the Hippodrome if there’s time. And if there’s not, WTF?

I’m thinking that maybe I should write a couple of paragraphs about Lady GeeGaw too. After all. she needs all the publicity she can get. Actually, I have no problem at all with her “music”, or her really but everywhere I fucking turn this past few days there she blood was. One aspect is that her machine can fairly put in the column inches. It all sort of niggles me but being that this skin seems to be thinner than ever, it doesn’t take much. See you on the flipside of the pictures – I wasn’t that enamoured with Zowie’s “Moon” but this one looks like a big budget episode of “Chuck”.

RIP - Kathy Kirby

“Peace brother (or sister), take a hand”... or not as the case may be. Not sure what time zone the malarkey is supposed to kick off in but wish you all good things with your judgement nonetheless. Here's hoping it hasn’t happened in Australia and out that airt already...

Thanks to Eugene for this symphonic take on The Stooges and especially dig the way "Dirt" morphs into "Smoke On The Water".

Ms Laura Cantrell on WNYC (yesterday)... thanks to F for the heads up.

More Ramones, thanks Martin.