Fridays

The show "Fridays" was a shameless rip-off perpetuated by ABC in the early 80's to capture the audience demo of NBC's "Saturday Nite Live". It might be best known for being the launching pad of "Seinfeld's" Larry David and Michael Richards. Also notable was a totally surreal stint by Andy Kaufman where  Kaufman "breaks character" and a fistfight took place (later revealed to be a ruse).

However, I remember it as being a great source of live performances from some of my favorite bands.
The Clash, The Jam and The Plasmatics all had notable gigs on the show. The Plasmatics show (in the heyday of their hyped nihilistic glory, was especially entertaining). I still get chills watching The Clash.









List of bands that performed on Fridays:

• The Four Tops
• AC/DC in their debut American TV performance with Brian Johnson as singer
• The Beach Boys
• Pat Benatar
• Gary U.S. Bonds
• The Boomtown Rats
• Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, the cast members danced to Stars Fell on Alabama
• The Busboys
• The Cars
• Chubby Checker
• The Clash in their debut American TV performance
• The Tubes
• Devo
• Dire Straits
• Graham Parker and the Rumour
• Heart - backed by the Tower of Power horn section
• Huey Lewis and the News
• Ian Hunter with Ellen Foley and Mick Ronson
• The Jam
• Jefferson Starship
• Jim Carroll
• Journey
• Kenny Loggins Band - appeared on the first episode
• Kim Carnes
• King Crimson
• Kiss (their performance appears on the second disc of their Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991 DVD box set)
• Randy Meisner
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• The Plasmatics
• The Pretenders
• Quarterflash
• Rockpile
• Scandal
• Sir Douglas Quintet - appeared on the show that featured Andy Kaufman
• Split Enz
• The Stray Cats in their debut American TV performance. At the time of their appearance they had yet to be signed by a record company. There was a crawl at the bottom of the screen inviting offers from record companies.
• Franke and the Knockouts
• The Blasters

Bumpin' Uglies

It's my birfdae dis weekend. I'm gonna shave my head. And get drunk. And feel sorry for myself. That's my presents to myself.
My presents to YOU are below:

Here's some music from bands that you should research, fall in love with and support. They play both kinds of music: Punk & Rawk.

Action 45- California based mofo's who can actually play play their instruments. Sorta like Social Distortion meets Cock Sparrer. There's alot going on in the music... all of it good. Anthemic and tight. Sorta like the way you wished Green Day would sound. Best of all, lead singer Deuce X. Machina wears a hat better than anyone. Except for me.

Song: Action 45 - Bastards Of America

Action 45 Website

Kitty And The Kowalskis - Kitty has got more punk rock in her blood than pretty much anyone. She's been killing it in NYC for many years and is cool enough to have been a Ramone. Her voice always reminded me a bit of Debbie Harry, but her band has got a lot more balls than Blondie ever did.

Song: Kitty & The Kowalskis - Joey's Song (guess who it's about!!!)

Kitty And The Kowalskis Web Site

OFF! - I know, I've written about em before. Too bad- They're great. Total old skool punk rock (Decline 1 era)- Here, former Circle Jerk Keith Morris does a tribute to the legendary leader of The Gun Club.

Song: OFF! - Jeffrey Lee Pierce


OFF! Website

Yeti Girls - Poppy ala the fabulous Ramonesy brothers. I think they're German. Kind of fey vox, but the lyrics are nasty and the hooks are there. Plus, they get bonus points for a band name that must have come after many bong hits.

Song: Yeti Girls - Love Letter Girl

Yeti Girls Website

The Jam - Of course you know who The Jam are. This demo (just Paul Weller and guitar) of Thick As Thieves chokes me up. We all have friends who we disconnected with; much to our horror, disappointment and sadness. Right?

Song - The Jam - Thick As Thieves (demo)

The Jam Website


Semper fi, muthafuckas!!!!!

Life Is..

... Very Short And There's No Tiiiiiiiiimmmmmmme, For Fussing And Fighting My Friends.

I dunno, some old band sang that a while back. Hey now, thanks for all of the advice on how to deal with Mr. Asshole former boss. And the answer was... D- I ignored the lunch request and responded to his query about football (the 'merican version). I am sure he figured the implied message.

I could not have sat across from him without strangling him, so what would be the point in that? The highest road would have been to lunch and smile, but I am not that evolved I guess. So, discretion being the better part of valour, much smarter to just let it fly by and move on.

Hey, I haven't posted any music to download lately, so here's some... komplete with komments (try to figure out that reference!)

The Jam - Dead End Street (Kinks kover) - Paul Weller & company being the ultimate mod-ficianado's and covering multiple Beatles/Who toonage, here's a nice 'un.

The Damned - Plan 9, Channel 7 - From the Radio One sessions - That's not Unlce John, right? I get all that Brit radio shaowage mixed up. Hey - Pirate Radio wasn't a bad movie at all incidentally!

Debbie Harry & Chris Stein - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Ramones cover) - A sweet acoustic version recorded at the last show ever at CBGB's. I miss Joey. Alot.

The Dictators - I Just Wanna Have Something To Do (Ramones cover) - The Bronx boys do the Queens boys. And when in NYC, you MUST go to Manitoba's!

Some guys from Liverpool -We Can Work It Out (from Ultra Rare trax) - J,P, G & R on an alternate version.

Bat Babe

As a young pup, I was really really really into comics. Mostly the EC and Warren Horror stuff and Marvel. In fact if anyone wants to buy my collection, lemme know! Aside from a rather unhealthy fixation on Red Sonja and Vampirella, I was enamored over the flesh and blood version of Batgirl on the 60's Batman reruns that would be broadcast every night.

I have no doubt that you did too.

Here's a tribute to the lovely BatGirl.

Librarian by day, Bat-Babe by night.

Here's an unaired pilot for a proposed Batgirl TV series.

And Batgirl goes on the soapbox in this PSA for Equal Rights.

And sadly, the death of Batgirl... though in the print version of the comics, I believe she is crippled by The Joker

Toonage:

The Who - Batman

The Jam - Batman

Posterity

Weapons of Mass Destruction

We busted our cherry last nite and left a musical legacy. Caterwaul Of Sound hit the recording studio. We laid down the tracks for our soon to be hit single The Love Theme to Kids Go To The Woods, Kids Get Dead.

Most of the band, being noobs to the studio scene, were fascinated with the process. Scratch tracks? Overdubs? Multiple takes???? Crazy man, crazy.

And the biggest debate took place over what the "secret backwards message" would be. One hint... we actually didn't make it (too) satanic!

Next step is to shoot the video.

One more page for the scrapbook of madness!

Here are some more unlikely themes...

Toonage:

Redd Kross - Overture From Tommy (The Who cover)

Husker Du - Theme From The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Jam - Batman Theme

The Slickee Boys - Theme From Exodus

Weezer - Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard

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Now playing: Kiss - Deuce
via FoxyTunes

Scenes From A Weekend

Thanks to the economy, we got an (unpaid) day off on Friday, so a four day weekend was spent thusly:


There was a kick ass military air show at the beach- lots of thrills and chills as everything from old style bi-planes to Thunderbirds were doing there thing int he skys above. There were some people actually protesting the event, claiming that the show was celebrating war. Now, I ask you, gentle readers... is this taking the whole anti-war thing a little too far?


My punk band Dirty Pillows ended up playing a show in the bowels of Long Island Saturday nite. What made this so egregious was that we performed at a shit-hole bar that I used to drink in when I was underaged, millions of years ago. Back then, it was Top 40 cover band Hades. As we haven't even seen each since January, the prospects of us playing well were dicey. However, after an hour practice the nite before, the "old magic" was back, and three out of the four of us were dead on. Three chord songs do have their advantages. Our other bandmate, the less said the better. I played the show pretty sober (no free beers, and the bar wanted $5 for a can of Miller Lite- no way!). We actually drew a few people (outdrew every other band in fact), and of course got beat on the money. What a surprise. I actually played much better than I usually do (hmmm sober = playing well (what a concept!)). And I got to sing and play on a Ramones cover we whipped up ten minutes before we went on.

Got a nice big blood blister on my finger as a remembrance of things rocked.
Well, it wasn't as bad as Pete's hand, but it still is nasty!


Started to put the pool back together... lots of marine sealer needed. And there were no dead mammals or birds in the water. Hopefully it'll be ready to jump in by this weekend. And you're all invited to the pool party! Bring your own Absinthe.


So, after 4 days of getting totally baked by the sun and intoxicants, it's back to work time.


And how was YOUR weekend?




Toonage:
The Dirtbombs- The Sun Is Shining
The Jam - Here Comes The Weekend
Teengenerate - Wild Weekend
Johnny Thunders - Seven Day Weekend

And A Storm Is Threatenin'

One of the advantages AND disadvantages of being Management is that you find out the magnitude and date of when the bomb is going to be dropped. While the names of most of the soon to be extinguished may not be divulged, the knowledge of what's soon to come makes one crawl into that bottle of whiskey without much haste.

My industry is in dire straits currently (and NO, I am not in the stock market). Serious cuts will have to be made for us to survive.

Everyday brings more horrible news about companies cutting hundreds and sometimes even thousands of jobs. The most current news is that 1.2 MILLION Americans have lost their jobs in this latest (don't call it a) depression. 240,000 lost their jobs last month! And 300,000 more are projected to lose their jobs in November.

Anybody wanna buy an apple?

Toonage:

Big Star - Holocaust (demo)

Minutemen - This Ain't No Picnic

Soul Asylum - Never Really Been

The Jam - Smithers-Jones (non lp version)

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Let's Make The Water Turn Black

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Now playing: Grateful Dead - Bertha > Good Lovin' 5/5/78
via FoxyTunes

Shuffle To Slave

I feel like beating a puppy to death with a sack full of kittens.
Instead,
With apologies to the good folks at Slave To Shuffle, here's the next five up on the queue with pithy comments included.

Black Sabbath - After Forever - One of those songs from my acid drenched youth. Coming right after "Sweet Leaf", Ozzy sings about the consequences we all face after becoming worm food. Singing about God's payback being a bitch? Maybe Oz got a bit nervous after singing NIB on B.S. 1? Spirituality and a killer bass line from Geezer Butler. Jeezus, Master Of Reality is sooooooo fucking great.

L7 - Hanging On The Telephone -The chicks in L7 had bigger balls than any of the boys in Blondie. And they were all a whole lot hotter than Debbie Harry! Bonus- L7 was a band called "Camel Lips" in John Waters' Serial Mom.


Replacements - Sixteen Blue (outtake from Let It Be sessions) - Big surprise the'Mats came up. Not. Never one of my favorites, but I know alot of the kids identified with this song back in the day. With the ballads, I preferred "Unsatisfied". And "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out". Yeah, ballads. Or something.

The Jam - That's Entertainment (Live) - A huge hit in England. I loved the frikkin' Jam. Even got to see the band back in the 80's on their last USA tour. " Lights going out and a kick in the balls -That's Entertainment".

AC/DC - Shot Down In Flames - The only AC/DC that matters to me is the Bon Scott version. I respect that they have kept it going, but Brian Johnson has always sounded like he's trying too hard. As a result, his singing comes across as a pale, screeching impersonation of the master. I will always be indebted to AC/DC because, along with the Ramones, I can always figure out how to play their bass lines.


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Now playing: Minor Threat - Small Man, Big Mouth
via FoxyTunes

Two Riders Were Approaching

This might be a reason to stick around until 2009



Bookage:
Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Toonage:
The Replacements - The Ledge (Live NYC 7-27-87)
Pink Floyd - Waiting For The Worms (The Wall demo's)
The Jam - Just Who Is The 5 o'clock Hero?
Hole - Doll Parts




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Now playing: X - Year 1
via FoxyTunes

Perception vs Reality?

Closer than close

you see yourself

A mirrored image

of what you wanted to be.

As each day goes by

a little more

You can't remember

what it was you wanted anyway.

Private Hell... The Jam



The other day, it was past quittin' time at work, and as I was headin' out for a nite of hijinks, I had changed out of my corporate asshole attire and into my preferred mode of dress (ie: Punk Rock T Shirt and Jeans). One of the women who report to me (whom I have about 15 years or so on), did a double take. When queried, she told me that it was strange for her to see me in anything but corp-asshole threads. Since I am pretty loose at work (or so I thought) and I am always cranking r and r toonage out of my veal pen, this assessment disturbed me.

I've been with my present captors for over a decade, when I started here, I was a ponytailed, drunken, fuck-up. As I slimed my way up the corporate ladder, I always figgered I kept my mojo. Sure I have a position of power, responsibility and even greater aggravation. But aren't I the same idiot that stage dived at Minor Threat shows? Didn't I just get tossed out of a club a couple of weeks back?

As I look around at the influx of new worker bees, I realize that I am "THE MAN", the guy that people who see me around think is "Mr. Uptight Corporate Douchebag".

Most of the people I converse with at the job are the higher level people...and that's not even on work related topics for the most part. Even on the day to day sports bullshit, it's the big boys I tend to socialize with.

Is this a function of rank? Or is it because of common age? At a company event last year at a bar, I sat down next to some of the lumpen proles and they looked at me like I was their creepy old dad!

Meanwhile, there is little doubt to me that my post 9-5 life is as irresponsible and whacked out as their's.

I have a tie on as I type this (J. Garcia), a button down shirt (covering a Pete's Wicked Beer T) and Slacks (that are actually threadbare at the cuffs). My shoes have holes in them. Playin' on my iTunes is the Breeders' new album.

But, it's painfully apparent that on the outside, I am a ghost.

I was always an asshole, now I am a corporate asshole.

How the fuck did this happen?

Toonage:

Grateful Dead - Big Boss Man (live from Birth of The Dead)
The Kinks - Mr. Big Man
The Descendents - When I Get Old
The Jam - Private Hell (live 1980)
Cracker - Teen Angst

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

How strange is the lot of us mortals!

Each of us is here for a brief sojourn;

for what purpose he knows not,

though he senses it.
But without deeper reflection
one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.

Callimachus

Coming up on a milestone b-day and thinkin' and drinkin' in reflection. Lot of water has washed old bridges away and many friends and family that I went into battle with are gone. Some extremely close friends have died years too early and others have either drifted into the ether or are really only reachable by digital means due to distance (both mileage and emotional).

I suppose that's all natural, what with real life intruding and family/jobs/timing all throwing a spanner in the works. But I never expected to be so seperated by my droogs due to time and mortality at such an early age. People who you think are gonna be there forever. And they never are.

Toonage:

Ramones - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (live)

Paul Weller - Thick As Thieves (live 2007)

Led Zeppelin - Ten Years Gone (live)

Backyard Babies (w/ Joey Ramone) - Friends

Stiff Little Fingers - Wait And See

Betrayed - Self Oppression

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream

I am accustomed to sleep and in my dreams

to imagine the same things that lunatics imagine when awake.
~Rene Descartes
"Meditations on First Philosophy"

Having some real sleep related issues as of late. I have always been a very vivid dreamer. But lately, it's been a nite at the frikkin movies everytime I get shut eye. And the dreams are so intense that I'm more tired than ever when I wake up. As an added bonus, I am having trouble differentiating my dream state from reality with regard to my memories. There have been quite a few times where I think back to events and I am sure that things I dreamed about actually happened.
Whether is is stress related or brought on by a significant reduction in my consumption of intoxicants is up for debate.

But that's all my cross to bear, not yours. You benefit from my soporific albatross by getting access to the Bleedin' Out Dream Mix. You got to download the whole thang. While it won't incur slumber, it'll rock ya in yer pyjama's.

Toonage:

1. Roy Orbison - In Dreams
2. Aerosmith - Dream On (live 4-15-07)
3. The Barracudas - I Saw My Death In A Dream Last Nite
4. Black Sabbath - Tomorrow's Dream (live 1973)
5. Bob Dylan - All I Have To Do Is Dream
6. Cheap Trick - Dream Police
7. David Bowie - Moonage Daydream (demo)
8. Gang Of Four - We Live As We Dream Alone
9. Go Go Gorillas - It Was A Nightmare
10. The Hookers - Runaway Nightmare
11. Hot Tuna - Serpent Of Dreams
12. Husker Du - Reoccurring Dreams
13. Jawbox - Airwaves Dream (Buzzcocks Cover)
14. Mamas And The Papas - California Dreamin' (live Monterey 1968)
15. Pink Floyd - Julia Dream (live 8-11-1968)
16. Screeching Weasel - You'll Be In My Dreams Tonight
17. The Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much To Dream Last Nite
18. The Jam - Dream Time (live 1980)
19. The Jam - Dreams Of Children (live 1980)
20. The Stepmothers - Where Is The Dream
21. Weezer - I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams
22. Yo La Tengo - Dreaming (Blondie Cover)

100 Years of Punk Rock (sorta)

Wow-

100 posts. I am not real big on marking such portentous events, but wtf. It's been fun, and the cyber banter with you folks has been peachy keen.

I've put together a compilation with some of my favorite bands and tunes (plus a couple of tracks from crews I was in). It's all Punk Rawk, well, because I am so freakin' punk rawk.

Hope you enjoy em...

Toonage:

1. The Vandals - Jackass
2. Replacements - Gimmie Noise
3. The Rants - Big Mistake (live NYC 2006)
4. The Jam - Thick As Thieves
5. The Damned - Wait For The Blackout (live hollywood 2001)
6. The Damned - Dozen Girls
7. The Clash - Death Or Glory
8. The Clash - All The Young Punks (demo)
9. The Clash - Clampdown (live nyc 1981)
10. Stiff Little Fingers - Johnny Was (John Peel Show)
11. Soul Asylum - Never Really Been
12. Replacements - Another Girl Another Planet (live NYC 1986)
13. Replacements - If Only You Were Lonely
14. Rancid - Olympia
15. Ramones - Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio
16. Ramones - All The Way (demo)
17. Ramones - Bonzo Goes To Bitsburg
18. Pennywise - Bro Hymn
19. NOFX - The Longest Line
20. Joey Ramone and Holly Vincent - I Got You Babe
21. Ism - I Think I Love You
22. Husker Du - Turn On The News
23. Husker Du - Celebrated Summer (live NJ 1985)
24. Generation X - 100 Punks , Kleenex (live sheffield UK 1978)
25. Dirty Pillows - I Won't F#ck Your Sox, Bugs (live NYC 2005)
26. Dead Boys - All This And More (live nyc 1978)
27. Circle Jerks - Put A Little Love In Your Heart

Click here for the whole kit and kaboodle!

Make Mine Marvel!

When I was a kid, you could either be a DC Comics loyalist or a Marvel Comics true believer. We were all firmly entrenched in the Marvel camp.

I absolutely loved the old EC comics like Tales From The Crypt and Haunt Of Fear. But they were collector's items by the time I was a kid. The reprints are great however.

Spiderman, The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four and The Silver Surfer had it all over the DC stable. Besides, Superman was a giant pussy and never killed anyone. And this was before Batman became "The Dark Knight" and became more of a vigilante. But Marvel had The Punisher and he was actually looking to shoot the bad guys. And Marvel wasn't afraid to kill off characters like Spiderman's girlfriend Gwen Stacy. Of course, then they had to clone her and Aunt May must have almost died about 300 times, but still; Marvel kicked ass. And Doctor Strange was THE acid comic. He's even on the cover of Pink Floyd's Saucerful Of Secrets

And, the girls in Marvel comics were ridiculously hot (yeah- I know they weren't real; but when you're 14 years old...)

I like the current threads in Spiderman alot... he absolutely kicked the shit out of Kingpin a few issues back and seems to be going into a "vengeful retribution" phase.

Now that I have kids, I get to relive my old comics plus check out the new stuff. The Marvel Zombies line is bad-ass, if a bit silly. Some of the Marvel character movies have been disappointing as well. But, all in all:

MAKE MINE MARVEL!

Toonage:

The Jam - Batman theme

Ramones - Spiderman

Queen - Flash

Foo Fighters - My Hero (acoustic)

Down By Law - Superman

Goldfinger - Superman

The Incredible Hulk TV Theme

The words I thought I brought I left behind

Never mind
All over but the shouting, just a waste of time
Never mind
All over but the shouting, just a waste of time
Never mind
Never mind
Never mind
Never mind
The words I thought I brought I left behind
So never mind


Toonage:
Replacements -Never Mind
Face To Face - A.OK
Wilco - Hate It Here
Husker Du - Indecision Time
The Jam - Thick As Thieves (live 3-15-80)

Friday Grab Bag- Unclehood

I am about to become an Uncle for the first time. My brother and sis-in-law are about to bring forth child number 1 into this cold hard world. So, in tribute to this wonderful event, here are some songs that are sorta relevant. Congratulations to mi' familia' !!!!!!!!!!!!

Toonage:

Grateful Dead - Me And My Uncle

(live 9-3-77)

The Jam - Aunties And Uncles

Uncle Tupelo - Willin'

(Little Feat Cover)

Cheap Trick - Welcome To The World

Altered Images - Happy Birthday

Pizzicato Five - Baby Love Child

and from the So Much Younger Than Yesterday bootleg, here is an excellent Rolling Stones live show from Honolulu Hawaii in 1966

Rolling Stones: 7-28-1966 Honolulu