We Never Learn- The Gunk Punk Undergut 1988-2001

What would YOU call the punk music scene of the late 80's through the new millenium? This period was largely underground; as the original wave's of old school (Ramones, Dead Boys, Clash), college (Husker Du, Replacements), and hardcore (Bad Brains, Black Flag) had either self-imploded or been destroyed by outside pressures. The original garage punk scene was fizzling. Grunge was gearing up, hair metal was thankfully starting to die and rap was omnipresent.

What were all the mutants to do?

Eric Davidson, lead singer of the uber awesome NEW BOMB TURKS has written the definitive history of the descendants of the time between the original hopes of punk and the emergence of the New School bands like Rancid and Green Day with We Never Learn- The Punk Gunk Undergut, 1988-2001.

The Dwarves make this site not safe for work

Davidson lived through the time and his band, along with such reprobates as The Mummies, The Gories, The Dwarves, Supersuckers and a million other bands; crisscrossed the USA, Europe and even the Far East; inflicting their alcoholic three chord furnace blasts of the rawk. The songs were rude, the players (and crowd) were wasted and the music was loud and nasty.

That's the blueprint for rock n roll.

The New Bomb Turks in Las Vegas 2000

We survived many of these shows during that time. For me and my buddies, we were past the point of thinking that being drunk was a novelty or that it was "cool". No- we drank because we had to- it was part of our fabric. Same thing with vicious rock n roll. We were there because we had to be! And that's the feeling that we got from these bands as well. They played and drank because that's what they had to do.
It wasn't really a "scene" and from my alcoholic memories, it didn't seem that there were an cliques- it was just a revolving series of fucked up people and fucked up bands.

That is... fucked up people and fucked up bands that could rock the shit out of you.

The Mummies in a pensive moment 1991

The strengths of We Never Learn are in the writing- Davidson is an expert on the subject and either part of most events or knew the people responsible. The book flashes from interviews to recollections to conventional historical prose. The book reads similarly to The Replacements history "All Over But The Shouting", where the "close to the action" stories also flesh out the story.

This book fits on your shelf right next to American Hardcore and Our Band Could Be Your Life.

Oh yeah, if you buy the book, you get a link to download a cd's worth of classic toonage from the bands in the book. 20 songs- and I only owned one of 'em beforehand. So you can melt the wallpaper whilst you read.

Whaddya waitin' for????

Bite Marks On My Stomach

The New Bomb Turks blew the roof off of the place- pure rawk n roll madness. As an added bonus, after the show, there was an open bar serving free Bushmills! Oh, and after the bands, the place became a LESBIAN CLUB. I'm talkin' hundreds of sapphic sisters getting down. Unfortunately, they were for the most part NOT "lipstick lesbians", they were more of the "I want to look like a teenage boy" crop. Oh well, it was still fun to be around... despite the withering glares that J-Lo and I received as representatives of the "we have real facial hair and cocks" brigade.

As I got "looser", I got friendlier to the "we hate men brigade". The local alt newspaper was celebrating "gay pride week" and had a picture on the cover of three mostly naked guys. So, I kept lifting up my shirt and telling the "gals" that I was one of the models. At one point, a femme got down on her knees and took a bite out of my stomach! Hard. Not as hard as a Romero Zombie would have, but I still have teethmarks on my mid riff! Hope I don't get rabies.


It's been awhile since I posted up some of the cooler stuff that has both hit my mailbox and also been discovered on my forays into the gaping musical maw of the 'net. Here's some stuff to check out. Click on the band/song for the toonage...

Red Hot Rebellion - "For The Benefit Of Evil" : Definitely has the Cheetah Chrome Dead Boys geetar riffs. I also get some Supersuckers and Candy Snatchers flavor from it. Plus they rip off the Ramones logo. Music to drink canned beer by. More info: http://www.redhotrebellion.com/

Leaf Hound - "Stray" " These guys are from like from 1970, but still around. Their album "Growers Of Mushroom" is sposedly highly collectible . Total Zep/Nuge/Stoner Rock. Chris Cornell had to of worshipped at the altar of lead singer Pete French. Long ass nasty guitar solos and blues bass. Music to play in the back of your 1971 shag rugged fuck-mobile van with a hot blonde waif servicing yer every need.
More info: http://www.leafhound.net/

The Melvins - "The Water Glass" - It's The Melvins. 20 albums in and they still kick ass. Nuff said.
More info: http://www.themelvins.net/

Guitar Wolf - "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" - Fuck me with a chainsaw, daddy-o. You got the Japanese legends covering The Clash in broken English. And the part of the song where The Clash sing the original lyrics in Spanish are emulated in what might be Esperanto.
More info: http://www.guitarwolf.net/

Destroy! Oh Boy!

And another domino of fatherhood falls this Saturday as the tribes split up for a nite of “punk” rawk. Princess Nomad is off to the Bamboozle Roadshow (the alt/emo/newpunk festival). She will be our intrepid correspondent as she will report on the bands. Your humble tour guide will be in another county, catching the NEW BOMB TURKS!

A MOMENTOUS EVENING FOR SURE.

The princess has been to 20 or so shows in her time ranging from the N Syncs and Britneys and Demi Lovatos. And responsible father I am, I have escorted her to a few punk fests (a couple of WarpedTours come to mind). But, despite her abandoning me last year for her friends and leaving her loving Daddy plus his buddy forlorn in the beer tent (OK, we weren’t forlorn, we were actually pretty happy to be be drinking icy cold beer on a 100 degree day), she has never been without a grown-up somewhere in the surroundings. My 16 year old daughter… adrift amongst the Hot Topic masses. Woe is me.

Daddy-O will be far more irresponsible than my little cupcake; as the New Bomb Turks will FUCK YOU UP, even without John Barleycorn. Of course, the demon stuff never hurts! Christ, the Turks are just plain nasty. It's that middle America white trash roch n roll that has a direct line from The Trashmen through The Stooges through The Dead Boys through The Replacements. One leaves their shows and needs to peel a layer of skin off. Musical hydrochloric acid. Fuckin A! Your ears hurt, your eyes bleed, and your bones crumble.

Or something.

So, it’s a line-up of bands for the under 21’s like Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Forever The Sickest Kids and Boys Like Girls… versus... the New Bomb Turks, Live Fast Die, and The Ex-Whites.



No contest!



ps... I love this version of Joy Division's "The Drawback"

Rehab Is For Quitters

Step 1:

We admit we are powerless - that our lives had become unmanageable.

-- Nope, that's not right at all. I have the power to change my behaviour anytime I choose to. And, my "hobbies" are what give me power over the unmanageable.

Readage:

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO - EDGAR ALLAN POE

Toonage:

SupperBell RoundUp - All Your Bottles Run Dry

Jane's Addiction - Pigs In Zen

Replacements - Treatment Bound

New Bomb Turks - This Place Sucks

Dancing To The Organ Grinder

As a corporate executive whore, I have attained a certain level of assumed expertise in my chosen industry. There have been some nice awards and recognition, which have undoubtedly resulted in continued employment; if not the financial rewards that I should have received by this point.

However, in these uncertain times, in which my industry has been hit especially hard, employment is a very, very, very good thing.

The trade-off is that occasionally I have to involve myself in being interviewed for trade magazines, and participate in conference panels. These events go against my inherent anti-social, unfriendly and negative attitudes.

Most of my discomfort is due to the old "self doubt" gremlin, whispering in my ear. The "emperor has no clothes" feeling, that I'll be exposed for the fraud that deep down, I know I am.

To wit:

A few months back, I sat on a panel of industry leaders (I was the joker in the deck) for the Keynote Address at a conference and spoke about my business.

Here's some advice: It's probably not a good idea to use the term "corporate overlord" when speaking to a group of, well, corporate overlords.

While some at my place of business might feel that I am Mr. Executive Douchebag; I was blown away and exposed as a little twerp. I am pretty sure that the guy sitting next to me was wearing a suit that cost more than my car did. These guys were movers and shakers, and I was pretty much shaking the whole time.

It was an extremely long 90 minutes; and I noticed in the Q & A that no one was askin' me anything! Or coming up to me afterward. The moderater thanked me and told me I did a fine job. Yeah. Sure.

The really scary thing is that I keep getting invited to speak at these things!

So, today, I have another one to do. I'm on a panel with a couple of people that can run rings around me in knowledge. They'll be a couple of hundred people in attendence. I am expecting a disaster.

But you know what? I am totally relaxed about this one. It might be the certainty that, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if I crap the bed or not. Or, I might FINALLY realize that I might be a moron, but that doesn't neccessarily mean that everyone else in my field isn't a moron either.

We're in such trouble in our industry, that we're all holding on for dear life.

I'll do my shpiel, it'll be over, and I won't look back on it.

I hope!

Toonage:

New York Dolls - Don't Start Me Talkin'

Lagwagon - A Feedbag Of Truckstop Poetry

Ween - What Deaner Was Talking About

New Bomb Turks - Bullish On Bullshit

Raving And Drooling...

... I fell on his neck with a screammmmmmmmmmmmm,

OK students, science test. Attempting to engage this posting under the variables of Ambien sleepy time helpers and a stomach full of Jim Beam. Twiin maladies being addressed are a nasty toothache (ring in the Bourbon) and insomnia due to work stress (ambiezzzzzzzz).

So intitial impressions are that my fungers refuse to typwe the keys that U am expecting them too. Whuch is very rude of my fungr i might mention. I treat yuo guys pretty well,,,manucure the pleasures of r flesh... help a brother out here.

Lifting weights still is effective- I guss dumbells mix well with dumbells. And the clang clang clang clangs on thru eternity.

The problem is that keys do continue to shift on the board, Lordy they are mobile. Little armies of prospective nouns, verbs and adjctivess that refuse to get to thier destiny!'

My hands are shaking alot. I feel like Katherine Hepburn on crank. I'm chewing a juicy grape into powder.

Toonage:
AC NewMan - HomeMade Bombs In The Afternoon
Husker Du - Tales of Psychic Warfare
New Bomb Turks - Id Slips In
The Mumps - Crocodile Tears

The Home Stretch

The home stretch. Less than three weeks before we get to vote for regime change. I can't wait.

How will the Repugnikkans steal this one? Voter fraud? Pre-programmed voting machines? Armed guards preventing voters from getting in? The possibilities are endless!

Whatever. Nevermind. As long as we still have rock n roll, how bad can things be? Oh yeah. Bad. Real bad!

But today was one of those days when the right batch of tunes came over the mp3 player on the commute in. The kind of songs where you get that feeling of "holy shit, I forgot what an awesome song this is". And then you hit reverse and play the fucker again and again, singing out of tune and messin' up all the words as the people around you think you're insane.

Yeah. Rock n Roll.

Toonage:

X - Poor Girl

King Khan And His Shrines - Land Of The Freak

Ramones - Pet Semetary

Run DMC - King Of Rock

New Bomb Turks - Chip Away At The Stone (Aerosmith cover)

----------------
Now playing: Social Distortion - Playpen
via FoxyTunes

The Queen Is Dead

Don't go be bad

Cause you been had

Don't go be sad

Don't go away mad

Just go away (go away)

O Don't ya know

Don't wanna see ya curse and pout

Pack it and move it

Ya spell, ya read O U T out

"Just Go Away" - Blondie

Sorry Hillary, I know you really really really really wanna be President.
I really really really really want to be a Rock Star. And pitch for the Mets.
But I can't play well enough. (Actually, I might pitch well enough to be on the Mets)!
And Hillary, you're just an unlikeable liar with delusions of grandeur.
Good riddance.
Oh, and make sure you drag down the whole Democratic Party with you and ensure that we get at least four more years of Bush's policy's. After all, it's better to destroy the whole country than bow out gracefully.
Try having a little grace. Perhaps you can still be an asset to this country by helping Obama win.

Toonage:
David Bowie - Queen Bitch (1972 BBC Radio Sessions)
Eater - Queen Bitch (Bowie Cover)
Green River - Queen Bitch (Bowie Cover)
Rolling Stones - Bitch (Acetate version)
New Bomb Turks - Bitch
The Specials - Little Bitch
Stiff Little Fingers - Just Fade Away
Blondie - Just Go Away

Apocalypse Soon

The other day was Earth Day and everyone had their 24 hour feel good moment. And now it's back to your regular programming. I especially like this rancid bag of pus, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is AGAINST Flourescent light bulbs and FOR leaded gas! At this point, why don't the Republikkkans just show their cloven hooves and horns and get it over with.

Meanwhile, gas is over four bucks a gallon, the war is still on and worst of all, freakin beer prices are skyrocketing.

It's the end of days, kiddies... so grab a seat and embrace the apocalypse.

Toonage:
Jerry Garcia Band - Save Mother Earth (live 1-19-72)
Dramarama - What Are We Gonna Do
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around (early take)
The Clash - Four Horsemen (Vanilla Tapes)
New Bomb Turks - Apocalyptic Dipstick

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Time to start drinking.

Toonage:
Replacements - You Lose (Live CBGBs 6-4-84)
Red Cross - Cover Band
New Bomb Turks - Sucker Punch
Frank Zappa and The Mothers -How Could I Be Such A Fool
Mudhoney - You Stupid Asshole (live Angry Samoans cover)