Kick Out The Jams Muthafucka!

Perfect songs #1 - collect the set!

The wigglin guitars girl The crash of the drums Make you wanna keep-a-rockin' Till the morning comes Let me be who i am And let me kick out the jam Yes, kick out the jams I done kicked em out !!!

Blurting And Bangs-ing

Currently, I am reading Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste: A Lester Bangs Reader.

For those who don't know, Bangs was the best rock critic of the 70's... back when rock n roll supposedly still meant something. His treatises/battles/ruminations on Iggy and Lou Reed in Creem Magazine as well as other rock rags are classic. Long after he was fired from Creem he was still winning best rock writer awards in the mag!

The "fatherly rock critic" in the odious movie "Almost Famous" was based on him.

Reading this (also recommended is his collection: Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung) has made me feel totally inadequate. The writing, both in a stream of conciousness/drug fueled rampage and PASSION are so beyond the scope of anything that is produced today. Bangs was a guy who could postulate on the Pro-Christianity of Black Sabbath and in the next instant both praise and condemn Keith Richards for his drug abuse.

And, from the amazing Persons Unknown (Punk e-books and articles) blog, immediately go and download THE RAMONES COMICS... a collection of awesome gags, graphics and tributes to Da Brudders.

Christ, do I ever miss the Ramones.

Readage:

A Lester Bangs batch of links

Toonage:

Holly And The Italians - Tell That Girl To Shut Up

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - I Write The Songs

Jawbreaker - The Boat Dreams From The Hill

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye

Thank you, President Bush

Whatever your many and countless faults, failings and mistakes, we have not been attacked since 9-11-01. As a New Yorker, whatever steps you have taken to keep my family and myself safe over the past 8 years are greatly appreciated. And Good Riddance!

Godspeed to President Obama to do the same (and fix our economy, restore our world standing, end the war, etc).

Toonage:

Beatles - Goodbye (rare outtake)

Ramones - Glad To See You Go (live 1976)

The Methadones - Say Goodbye To Your Generation

The Muffs - Saying Goodbye

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye (live 1995)

If The Thunder Don't Get You...

Hey kiddies, here's some advice from yer Uncle Nazz.

Don't take your sleeping pills until AFTER you get home!

Unlike what I did last nite, which was to pop an Ambien before I began my drive home from band practice. I figgered it would kick in right after I got home.
However, I did not take into account my empty stomach OR traffic. Which resulted in me driving the last highway stretch with one eye shut tight since I was seeing double! Additionally, I overshot my driveway and knocked over some flower pots. This morning, I was picking flower petals out of my car's front grill.

How ironic that now that I am on the straight and narrow, I still can't avoid these types of mishaps. At least I used to have the excuse of booze and other things that warn you to stay away from large machinery.

These days, it's nothing but good intentions.

I have been sober for 5 weeks and 2 days. That's 37 days with nothing but Dr. prescribed meds coursing through my bloodstream. No booze. No nothing. And that's despite being in several environments with open bars as well as band practices where intoxicants have been known to flow freely. And I haven't felt the urge to partake at all. No meetings. No higher power. No soul searching sessions. I just say no. Yeah, that's it. Just say no.


Do I feel better? Well, I certainly have gotten my shit together with-out the "self-medicating". I've (as the experts say) "levelled-out". The difference in my personality is certainly apparent to my family and co-workers. Between what's going on in work, and the country as a whole, this past month would have had me normally on the bender from hell. Can you say "nu-cu-lar"?
And I am down close to 20 lbs due to the lack of alcohol and a serious loss of appetite.
It still bothers me that I had to make such a major change in my life... but I find I respond better with "all or nothing" decisions better. As my buddy said "you were a professional for decades, it's time to retire and let the young ones play".

Or something.
We'll see how this goes...


Bookage:
Iggy Pop - Open Up And Bleed


Toonage:
NOFX - Getting High On The Down Low
Crucial Youth - I'm Straight
Jeff Buckley - Grace (Live WNEW radio)
Buzzcocks - Boredom (Live 1977)
Minor Threat - Straight Edge (demo)



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