The Barman's Rant

Straight James on The Chosen Few

2011-02-15T22:43:00.000+11:00

So it's been a while between drinks. Let's resume with this post on Retro Kimmer's blog, in which james Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges talks about his brief membership as a membe rof The Chosen Few, the early band for Ron Asheton.

Retro: Kimmer: GUITARIST JAMES WILLIAMSON ON "THE CHOSEN FEW"

Clapton is Imperialist Dog

2010-12-14T13:03:00.002+11:00

It's true I tells ya. There had to be a reason the onetime Bluesbreakers and Yardbirds guitarist crossed over to the side of mainstream, middle-of-the-road boredom and became a snore. It couldn't just be the paychecks from tripe like "Tears In Heaven".

Slowhand is a shrill for Team America and the CIA. WikiLeaks has the lowdown here.

New Two York Dolls album

2010-12-14T06:30:00.000+11:00

Are you excited about the prospect of a fifth album by the band going by the name of the New York Dolls? Lot's of people aren't after the underwhelming "Cause I Sez So". It had its moments but they were buried under dross.

Live, the Two York Dolls are a formidable unit - due in no small part to the magnetic presence of David Johansen - so let's hope "Dancing Backward In High Heels" isn't another letdown. It must be said that the cliched title isn't doing it any pre-release favours.

No hairy Bundy moment for Harry

2010-12-13T14:57:00.000+11:00

So current Australian tourist Debbie Harry of Blondie was nearly abducted by serial killer Ted Bundy back in '70s - or so the current round of social media chatter would have it. The story has been around a while. By the looks of this we can safely say that ol' Ted wasn't there - "In The Flesh". Debbie wasn't in the best of health back then so maybe she mixed him up with Son of Sam.

You too (U2) can be an annoying bunch of vacuous stadium twats

2010-12-02T09:03:00.000+11:00

Down the years, my indifference to U2 has steadily grown into contempt. Once upon a time I didn't care. Now I loathe.

It’s not that they’re musically regressive (lots of great music is), boring or safe (although they’re both usually hanging crimes). It’s the pomposity and dour self-importance that grates the most.

You can always accuse stadium bands of duplicity on sustainability issues - this blow from Australian online news and opinion blog The Punch lands a right-cross square on the jaw – but in the end the biggest crime U2 commits can be expressed best in colourful vernacular: They’re up themselves. So far up themselves that a nurse adminstering a suppority might struggle to work out into which end to insert it.

So Bono's fought for social justice. So did Mahatma Gandhi but I bet he didn't spend most of his time telling people about it. And I agree that Bono wrote two shitty fund-raising songs, one of which will be dredged up ad infinitum this festive season. He shouldn't keep reminding us in every interview by claiming to hate them.

What sort of a misnomer is The Edge for a guitarist who doesn't have one? The Blunt is more like it.

Vale Australian veteran of the road Pat Pickett

2010-11-30T17:00:00.000+11:00

A message from audio engineer Greg Clarke. Feel free to pass on:

Our beloved mate Pat Pickett has passed on after a brief illness than none of us, including Pat expected.
Pat is an icon of the Australian music industry, and had history with ACDC, Midnight Oil, The Models, Spy vs Spy, and The Screaming Jets, among many many other bands, and in many roles such as FOH and monitor sound engineer, system engineer, production manager, stage manager, truck driver. Originally Pat was from Melbourne, and in more recent years he was based in Sydney. You name it Pat did it, and in inimitable style. He took young bands and crew under his wing, and he showed them the ropes so they would never forget him.
Let’s remember Pat at his memorial service, which will be held at the South Chapel Rookwood on Tuesday the 7^th of December at 10:30 am
Rookwood Memorial Gardens and Crematorium
Memorial Avenue
Rookwood Necropolis
Phone 02 9746 8945
Despite the fact that Pat had a terminal illness, he was completely independent and working right up to the week before he died. His rent was paid up in advance, but unfortunatley Support Act have been unable to help out as they don’t cover funerals.
A bank account has been set up for those able to contribute to the funeral expenses. We are aiming to raise at least ten thousand dollars. Any amount remaining after all the expenses are met will be given to Pat’s family.

The banking details are as follows:
Pat Funeral Fund
Commonwealth Bank
BSB 064121
Account 10245472
Any queries regarding this can be directed to myself at admin@audioboffin.com or Geoff McGowan at geoffmcg@optusnet.com.au

Now He Wants To Save Your Dog

2010-11-26T07:41:00.000+11:00

Iggy Pop is involved in a campaign to limit human medical experimentation on animals. Who would have pegged the Pop to be an animal activist? More here.

The night NY punks got a New Rose

2010-11-09T06:42:00.003+11:00

Can't say I've ever been a glued-on Damned fan but this piece about their American debut at CBGB's in the Huffington Post is pretty good reading. Author Binky Phillips nailed the excitement of that night alright, and wrote another piece about coming face to face with Johnny Rotten here that you need to check out.

Fleshtones roll out another one

2010-11-08T06:41:00.000+11:00

The Fleshtones are alive and well and about to unleash another album, this time produced by Lenny Kaye. There's also a compilation and a double-album re-issue ("Hexbreaker" and "Speed Connection") out on Aussie label Raven. Read all about it in this Keith Streng interview.

Ramones hit new heights

2010-10-21T14:44:00.001+11:00

New York authorities are considering putting the Joey Ramone Place street sign out of harm's reach. It seems the signage has been popular with thieves. Speculation in this coverage is that tall basketballers won't be deterred.

It's a Jihad So We Can All Hate Justin Beiber

2010-10-11T16:14:00.000+11:00

Beware, it's a thinly-veiled promotional tool and the link under the YouTube points to a site launching some crap online game. Anyway, the clip should waste a few minutes of your time - and isn't that what the Internerd is all about?

Cheetah Chrome tells all

2010-10-06T23:13:00.000+11:00

Well, that's an assumption. I'm fairly sure it's spot on but if you, like me, can't wait to read the Dead Boys guitarist's autobiography you can read interviews like this.

Rock and Roll Walks in Sydney

2010-09-30T13:42:00.000+10:00

Sometimes city councils spend money on good things. Here's a rundown on something you might want to put your hand up for if you're in Sydney in October. The "Frank" is my mate Frank Cotterell of Mojo Music in York Street, formerly of Waterfront Records.

This year's City Of Sydney guided tours - as part of the annual Art & About Festival - takes us to the streets of the CBD, Kings Cross and Surry Hillls.

Your host - Mojo's own Frank Cotterell - has enlisted a very special guest for the walks this year- Ian Hartley. Ian has been involved in the Sydney music scene since the mid 60's - as a musician playing harmonica with such bands as The Throb; as a writer and publisher of legendary zine Spurt; as a promoter of countless cutting edge clubs and venues; and as the owner of the original Skin Deep store in the Crystal Palace Arcade.

Hear tales of the first Beat club in Sydney, visit where the Beat Generation hung out and where The Beatles stayed. Revisit venues where you could do The Twist, The Stomp and The Pop. See venues where AC/DC and Radio Birdman played their first Sydney shows, and The Easybeats their last Sydney show.

From the beginnings of rock'n'roll in the mid 50's, through the next 30 years, hear tales from the underground and the rock 'n' roll underbelly.

Both walks are free.

CBD Tour:
Sunday 10th October
Time: 6pm
(Meet outside The Basement 7 Macquarie Place, Sydney) Bookings: 02 9265 9141

Kings Cross / Surry Hills Tour:
Sunday 17th October
Time: 6pm
( Meet under the Coca-Cola sign, Kings Cross )
Bookings: 02 9265 9141

Things were better in the old days

2010-09-17T05:39:00.001+10:00

The scary thing is that thousands will read this and not have the faintest idea that it's all about them.

Thanks to Tim Napalm Stegall for the heads-up.

The Stooges and Satanic messages

2010-09-16T23:13:00.002+10:00

I'm sure there must be some of that stuff in this version of Dog, played backwards. Enjoy:

That review of their All Tomorrows Parties show is coming. TJ Honeysuckle came through with the goods. His review is a cracker and I don't think he even had to sneak it through Australian Customs by secreting it in a condom and swallowing it. Some photos are being sourced.

Subterrannean Homesick Google

2010-09-09T09:54:00.000+10:00

I like watching popular culture and technology collide even if appropriation of an icon gets a bit close to the bone. I'd rather see Google using Bob Zimm than Bono.

Meanwhile, back at ATP

2010-09-06T16:39:00.000+10:00

It's been quiet around here but we've been busy, not sleeping, and when fellow fan Rohan Sullivan sent this link to a New York Times review of Iggy & The Stooges, Mudhoney and the Scientists (there's a triple whammy) at ATP in upstate New York last weekend, well what's a poor boy going to do?

My only regret is that the Times has done away with its stylistic kink of referring to everyone mentioned in its pages as "Mr" (even scumbag rock and rollers.) Reading a review of the performance of a certain "Mr Pop" would have been extra cool.

The I-94 Bar is anticipating the arrival of a review of the ATP shebang in the near future. (You on the line, TJ?)

The Village Stooges

2010-08-13T11:32:00.001+10:00

You'd have to be a village idiot not to laugh out loud at this one. James Williamson of Iggy & The Stooges posted this on Facebook:

Ok, this is the last straw....Mike Watt our bass player writes a blog/diary of all his random thoughts and experiences as filtered through his unusual consciousness....well he's gone too far now...he made the comment that I had tried to force him to wear a "wife beater" t-shirt....and additionally had forced him to shave off his moustace....I just want to set the record straight that I never told him anything of the sort...He was wearing a flannel shirt in 100+ degree heat in St. Petersburg and I simply suggested that he'd be more comfortable in something like a t-shirt and one of the other guys suggested a wife beater.....anyway, not they are running with the "James is trying to turn the Stooges into the Village People theme....this photo is the latest....revenge will be sweet.

Whose side are you on?

2010-08-13T11:09:00.000+10:00

I-94 Bar columnist Earl O'Neill has upset a few people with his column on the upcoming Australian Federal election in which he expounds about why most rock and roll people lean to the left. Or maybe they're the most vocal? Read it here and flame him via the link in his byline. You might end up in his next column.

Kill City re-issue on the way

2010-08-13T07:06:00.000+10:00

It's out in its re-mixed and re-mastered glory on September 19. It'll be on Alive Natural Energy through Bomp. You will need it. Here's the obligatory YouTube plug.

Truly an under-rated classic, "Kill City" was the album Iggy and James made while the singer was on weekend leave from the psych ward. It contains songs that would have been on a post-"Raw Power" album if Iggy & the Stooges (let's get the branding right) had made one and has always suffered from sonic limitations.

What does this knob do?

2010-08-09T07:31:00.000+10:00

The powerful thing about the Internet is that it transmits concepts and iconic images around the world in an amazingly short time.

Standards of taste vary from country to country and we were never contribute to one of these virtual chain letters that pushes around a photo of dubious taste.

Especially if it involved a pitch-corrected, musically tedious artist like Kylie Minogue.

Hey, Thanks, I Still Hate

2010-08-07T08:41:00.001+10:00

You may not give a shit about John Lydon's reformed Public Image Limited as they trek around the UK, copping good reviews for their shows, or the news that they're considering recording a new studio album.

The revelation that PiL is in trouble for considering playing shows in Israel might not rate highly on your radar, or the nugget that Lydon tried to take the Sex Pistols to Iran.

But you have to love the comments streaming into this online story on the Mojo magazine site - because you just can't keep a good hating punk down. There's some pure gold.

Famous Places and Faces Episode 167

2010-08-07T04:30:00.001+10:00

You may have heard of Abbey Road in London. Some band recorded there in the '60s and '70s. A lot.

But did you know the studio has a webcam of the famous pedestrian crossing where said band shot a cover photo? There are minutes of amusement in this one. Find it here.

Chris Klondike Masuak Instore

2010-08-05T15:27:00.000+10:00

Facebook | Chris Masuak Instore
Mojo Music is downstairs at 32 York Street in Sydney. Bring drinks. And it's free.

Celebrity Stoner John Sinclair

2010-08-03T04:06:00.000+10:00

Where else would ex-MC5 manager and spiritual adviser John Sinclair be blogging than for something called Celebrity Stoner?

It looks like an online version of the old High Times mag. You'd be showing your age if you remembered that. Interestingly, the big fella's having his collected works published sometime this year.

Most people who've met John Sinclair tell stories about toking up with him. I was planning to catch him live while in Ann Arbor a few years back. He was in town for the annual Hemp Fest and was playing the Blind Pig.

I arrived in the Eight Ball Saloon (downstairs from the Pig) quite early and got caught up drinking with some people, who will remain nameless. Someone messed up the times and we missed the Sinclair show completely. By the time I got to meet him I doubt he could understand a word. It was down to my Australian accent and nothing to do with the 15 Pabst Blue Ribbons I'd thrown down.

King of Men spruiks for the Stooges

2010-08-02T05:59:00.003+10:00

You see some lame online promotions and you see some winners. This concept is pretty cool (and I'm not saying that because it involves Handsome Dick Manitoba and Iggy % the Stooges.

The idea is simple (the best ones usually are): Film a clip of yourself asking a question of Iggy & the Stooges about the "Raw Power" album. The best will feature in a documentary which, at a guess, would be all about the band's forthcoming All Tomorrow's Parties gig in upstate New York in September.

Here's HDH hisself, doing the pitch from his bar in Manhattan:

More details here.

Jack Rabid and The Big Takeover

2010-08-01T16:57:00.000+10:00

There's a great local paper story about Jack Rabid, publisher and editor of The Big Takeover magazine here. Rabid's left Manhattan for the relatively less gentrified climes of Brooklyn, which by all accounts is where the club scene and underground bands are these days.

Chockful of reviews and interviews and diverse in its tastes, The Big Takeover is published bi-annually and is the thickness of a small phonebook. It's one of a handful of mags worth tracking down, along with Ugly Things and Bucketful of Brains, the latter of which I never see as copies don't seem to make it to Australia.

Six Ft Hick make a movie

2010-07-28T22:40:00.000+10:00

Soon to screen on Australia's ABC. Here's a sneak look:

Dive-bomber hits target in War Against The Jive

2010-07-25T07:10:00.000+10:00

The Kings of Leon are a rather harmless sounding lot. You'd question whether their bass player deserved what happened to him in St Louis on Friday night, when a passing pigeon shat in his mouth three songs into their show.

You'd gag too if one of those pesky birds used the back of your throat as target practice, but would you cancel the whole show? Harden the fuck up, lads. Maybe the mainstream bands of today are being paid back in spades for the sins of Ozzy Osbourne (a dove and a bat in his case) and Alice Cooper (a chicken).

Oh no! Hank Van Helvete is now ex-TBNGR

2010-07-13T15:34:00.000+10:00

You'd never know it if you hadn't seen it on Australian music news site Undercover and the online outlet for Unbelievably Bad zine, as all other reportage online is in Norwegian, but the Apocalypse is upon us and Hank has cut and run from Turbonegro. Not to become a Scientologist (although those rumours keep spinning around) but to dry out, good and proper.

Whether that draws a line under TBNGR is uncertain (although Unbelievably Bad seems to think it's a done deal.) Seeing Hank recently spent time in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, perhaps it was time to hang up the denim jacket.

Have you tried Marky Ramone's pasta sauce?

2010-07-03T04:53:00.000+10:00

Me neither and at $A100 for a case of 12 jars, it'll probably be The End Of The Century before I do. Find out WTF we're talking about when you visit The Great Man's website if all that clunky Flash animation doesn't faze your browser.

It looks very much like Marky's culinary sideline will be funding a legal case to recover a coupla mil of allegedly unpaid royalties from his days with the band.

His onetime replacement Richie Ramone tried the same thing according to this interview but gave up because of a statute of limitations. I repeat: "WTF"? Unpaid royalties for albums that are still selling are unpaid royalties, whatever way you cut it. Mind you, when it comes to behind-the-scenes shitfights and the Ramones, there seem to be no sunset clauses.

Whatever happened to...

2010-07-02T17:01:00.000+10:00

...Iggy Pop and the Trolls guitarist Whitey Kirst? Find out here. Few people would realise that he was one of the Ig's longest-serving sidemen. I reckon "Skull Ring" was a pretty good effort, the odd weak celebrity collaboration notwithstanding.

No Future For You, Significant Other

2010-06-26T09:48:00.000+10:00

Marketing is a relentless practice these days, fuelled by the explosion of new media channels, but the appearance of a dating site for punks is a minor surprise. If there's no future, why do you want to hang out with a partner? Maybe nihilists do need love and if punkmatch.com had existed back when Sid was around, he wouldn't have ended up with Nancy.

Down And Out Down Under Episode 6

2010-06-25T07:31:00.001+10:00

It's been a ridiculously long time between drinks but the latest episode of the all-Aussie podcast from the I-94 Bar is here.

Citadel hits "The Spot"

2010-06-18T14:15:00.000+10:00

Citadel Mailorder has a blog (called The Spot) and you should check there for news about the Live In Texas album from Radio Birdman.

CBGB RIP

2010-06-17T20:57:00.002+10:00

Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the brand owners? Not much value in a brand without some substance.

Sydney Opera House bans King Khan and BBQ. WTF?

2010-06-17T13:08:00.002+10:00

The main reason I didn't opt-in for the recent Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson-curated Vivid Festival shows by King Khan & BBQ and Boris at the Sydney Opera House was the venue. Low art does not belong in gilded cages run by high-brow turds, so why does this not surprise?

This reminds me of Australian Idol

2010-06-10T18:25:00.002+10:00

A Wink's As Good as a Knob

2010-05-26T09:56:00.002+10:00

I guess reunions are whatever works best, given the unavailability of various member sof old bands due to death, disability or other commitments, but I can't help but think Mick Hucknall fronting the Faces is very strange indeed. And Glen Matlock on bass? Maybe that works.

Presumably Ron Wood (who is on board) is still away with the pixies, mindset-wise.

Nine-foot colon killed The King

2010-05-10T15:05:00.003+10:00

This has the whiff of something strange about it - or it's a promotion for fibre.

For those with Suspicious Minds - or anyone who thought Elvis was full of shit - his personal physicians, Dr Nick, reveals the real cause of his death.

The mention of on-stage accidents makes you wonder why The King had such a predilection for white jumpsuits. Only on Fox News!

Sonically Speakin', Everyone Has The Right To Bare Arms

2010-05-06T05:52:00.000+10:00

If you have no idea who that is, you're probably in the wrong place.

The Party Starts Now (May 21, that is)

2010-05-05T06:23:00.001+10:00

Buy a ticket in advance on moshtix.com.au and collect a free, recorded-on-the-night album. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Promises are made to be broken

2010-05-04T23:20:00.002+10:00

That's why Iggy's 'no stage-diving rule' had to go when the Stooges played London last weekend. This report tells why. Our own review by Pete Craven is here.

How to break up a band

2010-05-01T06:00:00.001+10:00

Thanks to Grrtch Wood from The Deep South for this gem. I could name a few bands I know in which this guy may have played but I'd pay with my life.

Ex-Television guitarist Richard Lloyd now manages KISS

2010-04-30T16:05:00.001+10:00

Surely it's the only explanation for this?

Adventures of Watt are a Hoot

2010-04-30T08:31:00.001+10:00

Ex-Minutemen and now Stooges bassist Mike Watt is one of rock and roll's coolest gentlemen. We've corresponded over the Inetrnerd and met once, amid noisy and hectic circumstances at a makeshift gig in Sydney a few years ago. He was playing bass with a couple of local kids from a punk band called Gallucci in a Mexican restaurant.

The place was packed (it was the eve of the Stooges' Big Day Out show and this was an unannounced gig.) The show - a bunch of Stoioges classics with Steve Mackay adding sax - was done on the fly with little rehearsal, but Gallucci's star bassist Watt was the glue. He worked with his temporary bandmates to hold it together.

Offstage, Watt had no bullshit about him either - despite all he's done. Humility is his middle name. I wish we'd had time for a proper chat. In the end, I was honoured to buy him a couple of beers.

Watt's commitment to his music and the people around him is legendary. So is his blog, Hootpage.

If you're a fan of the Stooges you should hop over to Hootpage to read his tour diary. It's full of Watt's idiosyncratic and colourful personal language and self-deprecating humour. His podcast interview with James Williamson is worth the download, too.

Amdre Williams has a blog...and a cologne

2010-04-30T08:26:00.002+10:00

The Black Godfather has entered the Internerd with a blog. He's pushing a new album, a European tour and a line of cologne. That stuff must be the shit; Andre's a killer with the ladies.

Go see the blog here.

It was a St Valentine's Day Massare

2010-04-22T20:39:00.002+10:00

st valentines masssacre
Originally uploaded by Yorrick (bonehead)

Here's a great set of pix from the recent Hitmen tour with Niagara from Richard Higgins, a photographer from Wollongong.

This shot is of Klondike and onetime Hitmen bandmate Brad Shepherd (he's the one with hair) who now goes around with the Hoodoo Gurus, and it's them rocking out on "TV Eye" behind Niagara on the last gig of the run at the Gaelic Club in Sydney.

Click on the caption link to see more.

They Say It's His Birthday

2010-04-22T12:06:00.003+10:00

His Igness turns 63 today. Who woulda thought that possible? At a guess, he's having a day off with a glass of fine wine as the Stooges don't play again until Spain on the 30th.

The Return of Flipside

2010-04-15T05:10:00.000+10:00

Remember when paper zines ruled the punk rock world and were the main form of communication between geographically disparate scenes? One of the best was American punk magazine Flipside which has returned from the dead in digital form. Click here for a free copy.

Four Screaming Tribesmen, one stage

2010-04-13T21:47:00.006+10:00

Last Friday's Niagara & the Hitmen show at the Step Inn, Brisbane, brought together four ex-Screaming Tribesmen in Mick Medew, Chris Masuak, Murray Shepherd and Tony Robertson. Who knows what will happen from here? The song is "Ice" and Johnny Kannis always wanted to sing it live. Thanks Rossy for the camera work.

November 22nd, 1963

2010-04-07T21:43:00.003+10:00

THat's not today's date. It's a classic song from Destroy All Monsters, covered by New Race and now reprised by the Hitmen, backing DAM/Dark Carnival singer Niagara on an Australian tour. Here they are playing it at East Brunswick Club in Melbourne last Sunday:

If you missed them there's every chance they'll play it again at the Step Inn, Brisbane, on Friday, the Great Northern at Byron Bay on Saturday and the Beer Garden at Surfers Paradise on Sunday. After that, it's The Crest at Sylvania on Friday, April 16 and The Gaelic Club, Sydney, on April 17. After that, Jackie can hold onto JFK's brains. Tour's over.

On the road with Simon Chainsaw

2010-04-07T09:17:00.002+10:00

Ex-Vanilla Chainsaws mainman Simon Chainsaw has legged it out of his idyllic adopted home of Brazil to tour through a springtime Europe. Full dates at the I-94 Bar in the Living Eye section but for those not lucky enough to get to the gigs, Simon's uploading a daily videoblog of his adventures.

Part one is below, click through to view the rest of the series at YouTube.

Niagara & The Hitmen hammer Melbourne

2010-04-06T07:25:00.004+10:00

The Barman's Rant blog has been quiet because it's been busy on other fronts. Tim Cashmere's story is curious in its underplaying of the Hitmen mini-set but he nails it in the end. Niagara is unique and the Hitmen are one of Australia's last rock and roll bands. Get yourself to a Queensland or New South Wales show or regret it.

Put another dime in the jukebox, Obama

2010-03-27T17:06:00.003+11:00

Jackie Fox of the Runaways (who's now a lawyer) reckons Obama is a doppleganger of Joan Jett. Now who says the legal fraternity s out of touch? I like this piece. Thanks for spotting it, Retro Kimmer!

Exile on Deluxe Re-issue Street

2010-03-25T07:37:00.002+11:00

I hate to be a street team for the Abko label but this may be very special. One disc contains a bunch of unreleased songs.

If you need to ask Who? you're reading the wrong blog

2010-03-23T09:08:00.002+11:00

Nice interview with Strait James in Pommy rag The Guardian here.

Kim Fowley and the Art of Girl Band Management

2010-03-19T16:37:00.007+11:00

I have no idea if the new Runways bioipic is any good but you can't deny reviews like this, involving manager Kim Fowley, attract attention:

Fowley likes the marketing potential of Jett’s all-girl rock band and starts putting together the package. Soon, he becomes their preposterously self-important guru and sleaze-ball Svengali: “Not women’s lib, women’s libido,” he screams. Fowley puts them through his version of rock ’n’ roll boot camp, teaching them to scream “I want an orgasm” while tossing dog turds and bottles at them to prepare them for hostile audiences.

Yes. Sounds like compulsive viewing. The Barmaid's gonna love this one. More here. I'm off to spin Fowley's wonderful "Outrageous" album.

Hall of Lame: Final Thoughts

2010-03-18T13:14:00.002+11:00

Let's bask in the reflected glory of the Stooges' induction one more time and consider some news that recently popped up. A read of The Hounbdblog's latest entry reminded me that I'd seen these kernels a few days ago on the unofficial Stooges forum:

1. Rhino Handmade will be issuing the first Stooges LP with more alternate takes and the unheard song "Asthma Attack". Twenty six tracks, it's said.

2. The same label has a Live at Ugano's tape in their possession.

I'll let The Houndblog have the last word on the Hall of Lame broadcast. I watched a download but he got to watch it with Danny Fields.

The Good Guys win

2010-03-16T22:33:00.002+11:00

Yes, I do want a limited edition deluxe version of the Raw Power re-issue

2010-03-15T12:07:00.003+11:00

At $A67 it seems like a reasonable deal. All those bonuses. But there's a sting in the tail and you don't get to know about it until your're 90 percent through the order process. Sixty bucks shipping to Australia? Don;t worry folks, there will be a "budget edition" and it's going to set you back considerably less on Amazon.

Whatever gets you through the concert

2010-03-15T11:52:00.002+11:00

Rock and roll is all about things that occur from the waist down. A good show has been known to move grown men to tears, although this guy's reaction to a Jimmy Barnes show might take some beating. It puts a different spin on the title of one of Barnes' recent albums. "Double Happiness", anyone?

How to Fix The Hall of Lame

2010-03-11T07:19:00.004+11:00

That's the title of this thoughtful Village Voice piece. As the Voice notes, it's all about context.

The committee picking inductees does itself no service with some bizarre omissions and downright lame inclusions. Do you want them spelt out?

Meanwhile, the Stooges are about to be inducted. Don't care? The Ig remains sceptical - understandably so after seven unsuccessful shots. As Stoogeologist and ace photographer Robert Matheu said in an email yesterday, en route to the ceremony: "Having the Stooges in gives them some credibility now- you can quote me on that!"

Powertrane no more?

2010-03-10T13:24:00.002+11:00

The word is that Powertrane, the Real Rock and Roll band led by Michigan's Scott Morgan, is in the past tense.

No official announcement but Scott is said to be focussing on his solo band and forthcoming release on Alive. A pity to see Powertrane go after a nine-year run but here's something to remember them by, from Don Was' online music TV channel.

Raw Power on Aussie breakfast TV

2010-03-10T05:56:00.002+11:00

Did anyone see media whore/breakfast TV weatherman Grant Denyer on Sunrise yesterday wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Mick Rock's Iggy shot from the cover of "Raw Power"? It looked like a designer knock-off (read: bootleg) and I'll bet my right one that the clueless celebrity has no idea.

The Doors to Schools of Learning Might Remain Closed

2010-03-06T06:58:00.005+11:00

Dateline: Florida, 1963. Thanks to the folks at Mojo (the magazine) there's evidence that the pre-Doors Jim Morrison was not a crash hot actor. This appears to be some sort of public education film telling teens that the university place of their dreams doesn't await them unless they knuckle down and study.

Jimbo, soon to be a Lizard King, was then just the 20-year-old son of a US Navy Admiral who made it into film school at UCLA. Someone now needs to uncover a long-buried anti-drugs public service ad and life will be complete.

No News is good news

2010-03-03T16:34:00.003+11:00

For those of you not in Ostralia, the local media has been flooded this past week with horror reports from Whitney Houston's train-wreck local tour.

Tales of an unwell Whitney scarcely able to hit a high note and taking 15-minute "costume change" breaks have been contrasted with images of pissed-off fans walking out in protest after forking out 200 smackers a ticket.

As the tour became more of a disaster, the louder were the screams of defence from the promoter, who was desperately justifying why Houston should be given a "fair go".

Prompting similar thoughts about the way Baby Boomer icons on their last career legs are toured in out-of-the-way (i.e. Not The USA) countries in the hope of turning a buck comes the news that Huey Lewis and The News are non-starters for an Australian tour. Huey (why do I laugh when I type that name?) is citing the pressing need to finish a new album. Must be one important record.

On the other hand, near non-existent ticket sales would have nothing to do with this, would they? Or maybe the wails about Whitney are forcing a re-think about audience gullibility.

Huey fans, flame away.

Hitler's record collection

2010-02-28T06:49:00.000+11:00

I shit you not. Doesn't sound like he had exciting tastes.

Raw Power is sure to come running for you

2010-02-27T20:07:00.001+11:00

The always erudite Houndblog is right onto the "Raw Power" re-issue, taking us through his advanced copy of the package here. Anybody not going to grab a copy?

Exile on Bonus Track Street

2010-02-27T18:46:00.002+11:00

Unearthed Stones tracks from the massively muddle-headed "Exile" recording sessions? It says so here. Did Keef nod off and lose them behind the lounge?

Oh my. God.

2010-02-24T09:30:00.002+11:00

The long-lost Melbourne teenage band's entire recorded output, plus live stuff, is being re-issued by Afterburn Records (same folks who did Bored!'s re-issue) on CD. Check out the contents:

DISC 1

FOR LOVERS ONLY LP
1. Gunk
2. Headin' For The Id
3. Golly Wolly Golly Wolly Hoo Hoo Ha
4. Sook
5. Snake Charmer
6. Talkin' Rude On The Telephone
7. Blistered Mind
8. She's Hungry
9. Half-Ass
10. Bone Dry
11. The Day They Buried Hemensley
12. Dominatrix
13. Life's So Hard
14. Love You To Death

MY PAL 7''
15. My Pal
16. A Man Without A Woman Is Like A Nun Without A Jackhammer

ROCK IS HELL Mini-LP
17. Rockin' Marky
18. Human Abbreviation
19. Magic Crayfus
20. Meat Cleaver Boy
21. Chockablock Rock 'n' Roll (unabridged version)
22. Rok Zombi
23. Wormsweat
24. Tommy The Toilet

DISC 2

COVERS
1. Real Cool Time (Stooges)
2. Strutter (Kiss)

LIVE (GOD's Final Show 30/9/1989)
3. Gunk
4. Headin' For The Id
5. The Day They Buried Hemensley
6. Rok Zombi
7. Talkin' Rude On The Telephone
8. Blistered Mind
9. She's Hungry
10. Half-Ass
11. My Pal
12. Meat Cleaver Boy
13. Human Abbreviation
14. Snake Charmer
15. Chockablock Rock 'n' Roll
16. Love You To Death

Hear Roky's new song

2010-02-23T07:31:00.002+11:00

I feel unclean pushing anyone in the direction of oh-so-cool hipster e-zine Pitchfork but how else are you going to hear "Goodbye Sweet Dreams", a track from Roky Erickson's new album? Thanks to T Tex Edwards for the heads-up.

Game on

2010-02-18T10:38:00.000+11:00

Tickets on sale today at Moshtix.

S.F. Sorrow must have hated his parents

2010-02-17T07:32:00.000+11:00

It’s fun to backtrack and listen to some music that hasn’t been on personal hi-rotation for a while, especially if it involves re-discovering an old classic, but it always raises more questions. For example, the Pretty Things have been spinning in the I-94 Bar of late. Which raises the query, Why did the Sorrows name their kid “S.F.” and what did his initials stand for?

It's all a bit Moon Unit Zappa to my way of thinking and probably led to S.F. ultimately losing the plot, as the storyline of the album reveals.

Kim Salmon readies for release

2010-02-16T10:04:00.002+11:00

And speaking of Kim Salmon...

I've been giving "Sin Factory" a bashing over the last few days and it's still a magnificent piece of work. Kim Salmon has another line-up of the Surrealists behind him these days and an imminent album. I'm reliably informed it's nothing like "Sin Factory" in the commercial stakes.

Patrick Emery penned an interview you can read on Oz music site Mess & Noise here.

Baby, Please Don't Arrive

2010-02-16T09:29:00.004+11:00

Here's a story about an AC/DC fan and mum-to-be hanging on and getting value for money from her ticket. Kudos to the journo for the lead par about it being a long way to the cot.

Welcome back, Roky

2010-02-16T07:32:00.002+11:00

The fact that he's recorded a new studio album with Okkervil River means Roky Erickson's return to the "real" world (or at least a version of it) is complete. More info and a track-listing here. Hope it's good.

If you're in the area

2010-02-14T22:35:00.002+11:00

I was once accused of writing a disparaging, haircut-obsessed live review of Voodoo Lust in a national rock weekly 25 years ago but it wasn't me.

When too much Raw Power is never enough

2010-02-12T09:03:00.003+11:00

April 27 needs to be marked in your diary. Here's why:

RAW POWER: LEGACY EDITION by IGGY AND THE STOOGES
(Columbia/Legacy 88697 56149 2)

Disc One: RAW POWER (recorded September-October 1972, originally issued February 1973, as Columbia 32111) Selections: 1. Search And Destroy • 2. Gimme Danger • 3. Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell • 4. Penetration • 5. Raw Power • 6. I Need Somebody • 7. Shake Appeal • 8. Death Trip.

Disc Two: “Georgia Peaches” (Live At Richards, Atlanta, Georgia, October 1973, all tracks previously unreleased) Selections: 1. Introduction • 2. Raw Power • 3. Head On • 4. Gimme Danger • 5. Search And Destroy • 6. I Need Somebody • 7. Heavy Liquid • 8. Cock In My Pocket • 9. Open Up And Bleed • Bonus tracks: 10. Doojiman (previously unreleased outtake from Raw Power sessions, 1972) • 11. Head On (previously unreleased CBS Studio rehearsal performance, New York City, 1973).
__________________________________________________________________

RAW POWER: DELUXE EDITION by IGGY AND THE STOOGES
(Columbia/Legacy 88697 65714 2)

Disc One: RAW POWER (recorded September-October 1972, originally issued February 1973, as Columbia 32111) Selections: 1. Search And Destroy • 2. Gimme Danger • 3. Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell • 4. Penetration • 5. Raw Power • 6. I Need Somebody • 7. Shake Appeal • 8. Death Trip.

Disc Two: “Georgia Peaches” (Live At Richards, Atlanta, Georgia, October 1973, all tracks previously unreleased) Selections: 1. Introduction • 2. Raw Power • 3. Head On • 4. Gimme Danger • 5. Search And Destroy • 6. I Need Somebody • 7. Heavy Liquid • 8. Cock In My Pocket • 9. Open Up And Bleed • Bonus tracks: 10. Doojiman (previously unreleased outtake from Raw Power sessions, 1972) • 11. Head On (previously unreleased CBS Studio rehearsal performance, New York City, 1973).

Disc Three: Rarities, Outtakes, & Alternates from the Raw Power Era Selections: 1. I’m Hungry (outtake from Raw Power sessions) • 2. I Got A Right (outtake from an early aborted Raw Power session) • 3. I’m Sick Of You (outtake from an early aborted Raw Power session) • 4. Hey, Peter (out¬take from Raw Power sessions) • 5. Shake Appeal (alternate mix version from recently discovered alternate mix reels, “The Embassy Reels”) • 6. Death Trip (alternate mix version from recently discovered alternate mix reels, “The Embassy Reels”) • 7. Gimme Danger (alternate mix from the 1996 Iggy “violent” remixes) • 8. Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (alternate mix from the 1996 Iggy “violent” remixes). (All tracks previously unreleased except tracks 3, 7, and 8.)

Disc Four: DVD – The Making Of Raw Power, produced and directed by Morgan Neville (featuring interviews with Iggy Pop, James Williamson, Scott Asheton, Mike Watt, Johnny Marr, and Henry Rollins; plus performance footage from James Williamson’s first reunion concert with Iggy and the Stooges, at Festival Planeta Terra, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2009).

Bonus Japanese 7-inch 45 rpm single reproduction: Side One – “Raw Power” b/w Side Two – “Search And Destroy”

So...the original mix - finally mastered to CD properly, I'd guess - plus a stack more good stuff. Fifteen previously unheard tracks. Smart people would bookmark this site. That would be you?

High Voltage but I won't be flicking the switch to On

2010-02-10T15:48:00.005+11:00

From online marketing and media magazine Mumbrella comes news that the Auststereo radio network in Australia is launching a temporary digital station playing AC/DC music all day, every day. Besides the fact that I don't have a digital tuner and no-one I know does, this is vaguely interesting on an academic level but personally irrelevant.

You see, the love that much of the music-listening world lays on AC/DC remains one of life's greatest mysteries. Especially the way Americans lap them up. I just don't get it. Yes, the Ramones churned out many albums where the Song Remained The Same, but not on this sort of scale. Plus the Ramones' music was exponentially more listenable.

I don't care that much that vast armies of bogans (translation: downmarket suburban hillbillies) align themselves slavishly to the band. They have to follow something. I have friends in low places and am not averse to the odd bit of mono-brow culture myself.

Bon Scott had character - moreso than his successor Brian Johnston - but I'll bet he wouldn't be half as popular if he hadn't unfortunately expired in the manner he did. Suck more piss, and all that, even if other substances may have been at work. We'll never know.

As large as the stages are that AC/DC plays on, they are Just A Bar Band. They play Here's the rub: hugging, unexciting 12-bar blues inspired rock that says nothing. They're tight as a fish's arse, but they're a pub rock relic.

Admission: I read Aussie journo Murray Engleheart's bio on 'em and he kindly autographed it. It was a good read. I think there are a couple of their LPs lurking in one of the crates at home, dating from schooldaze. "Long Way To The Top" is an icon embedded into the Australian psyche. So are Men At Work. Big whoop.

You can like AC/DC. Love them to fucking death, for all I care. Leazve me out of it and don't make me listen to the vast majority of their records or this digital radio station, as brief as its life may be.

She's back

2010-02-09T23:11:00.001+11:00

Detroit art punk rock queen Niagara will team with iconic rock and roll soldiers the Hitmen for a seven-date Australia tour in April.

Niagara made a name as the femme fatale of Detroit bands Destroy All Monsters, whose ranks included late Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton. Destroy All Monsters released a string of singles and toured the US and England extensively in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, keeping alive the legacy of the Stooges.

Her next band was Dark Carnival, a travelling carnival of high-energy underground artists. Membership included Niagara and Ron Asheton, as well as Stooges drummer Scott Asheton and Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome as well as a string of Detroit musical luminaries. The band issued albums on French and Australian labels Revenge and Zeus, as well as US imprint Sympathy For the Record Industry

Since the ‘90s, Niagara has concentrated on her exploding career as a pop art painter and has dipped back into music only rarely. Niagara exhibits to vast acclaim around the world and her artworks command huge prices. She was recently commissioned to provide a design for a own line of Vans shoes. The tour will coincide with exhibitions at the Outre galleries in Melbourne and Sydney.

The St Valentine's Day Massacre Tour will promote the CD of the same name, released locally on Savage Beat/Shock. The album captures the one-off February 2008 show at The Crest Hotel at Sylvania in Sydney when Niagara was lured out of retirement, with the Hitmen as her backing band.

The show as a spectacular success, drawing a full house of rabid fans, some of whom travelled from overseas to be there.

Fans can expect more of the same with a two-hour show comprising a Hitmen set followed by a high-energy bracket from Niagara, reprising songs from Destroy All Monsters, Dark Carnival and the Stooges.

Niagara and the Hitmen proved to be a scorching combination last time out. Anything could happen – and will.

The Hitmen are one of the Australian rock scene’s most enduring acts, a Radio Birdman outgrowth who took underground music to the suburbs and towns.

They were re-animated by principal members Johnny Kannis and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chris Klondike Masuak in 2007, and have rallied old and new fans since with their back catalogue re-issued in deluxe packaging by Savage Beat/Shock.

Dark Carnival made it to Australia in 1991 for a 43-date tour with the Hitmen. Niagara’s 2010 gigs with the Hitmen shows brings that connection full circle.

Tickets for the “St Valentine’s Day Massacre Tour” are on sale from February 18 through venues, www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX

Niagara opens exhibitions at the Outre Gallery in Melbourne (April 1) and Sydney (April 8).

Special guest for the tour will be Gold Coast artist Hazel Eyes The Devil.

The “St Valentine’s Day Massacre” live album by Niagara & The Hitmen is out now on Savage Beat/Shock.

Niagara & The Hitmen
St Valentine's Massacre Australian Tour
with special guest Hazel Eyes The Devil
+ supports tba
APRIL
2 - National Hotel, Geelong
3 - Ding Dong, Melbourne
4 - East Brunswick Club, Melbourne
9 - Step Inn, Brisbane
10 - Hard Rock, Gold Coast
16 - Crest, Sylvania, NSW
17 - Gaelic Club, Sydney

Saints on Flashez

2010-02-09T00:12:00.001+11:00

Flashez was an Australian music TV show, not a man in a raincoat. This is worth watching.

Seven Ages of Self-Serving Bullshit

2010-02-03T13:18:00.003+11:00

The BBC receives wraps for the quality of its programs, many of them very worthy and authoritative. Here comes a kick in the arse.

Australian TV is currently screening a BBC production, “The Seven Ages of Rock”, chronicling the history of rock and roll over the past 50 years. Chief researcher and a frequent on-screen commentator is British writer Charles Shaar-Murray, who does know a thing about the subject, and it’s fleshed out with a generous number of interviews with principals. Unlike a recent documentary exploding so-called myths around the Rolling Stones that aired here recently, it features actual music from the bands it mentions. It’s also infuriatingly shallow and obsessed with the British take on things.

Yes, the Brits took rock and roll from the Americans and sent it back to them for a good part of the ‘60s and ‘70s, but if they’ve foisted this sack of shit onto the same market they deserve to be nuked. Any claim to balance are contextual correctness is laughable. The first episode covered the birth of rock and roll, and while I’m no mop top fan it was implausible that the Beatles wouldn’t rate a mention in connection with the British Invasion.

Did African Americans have anything to do with rock and roll’s origins via the blues? Evidently not. Inexplicably, it was also like Elvis Presley had never existed. Am I missing something?

NY punk is solely under-represented in any British exploration of punk’s beginnings on both sides of the Atlantic and while I carry no torch for the un-killable dinosaur that is Heavy Metal, how in Jimmy Page’s name can you plough through an entire episode devoted to that genre without the name Led Zeppelin cropping up? Effusive talking head Shaar-Murray went to ground for that program - and who could blame him?

From the cursory choice of opening theme music (The Damned's "New Rose" gets a look-in - the band does not) to the smug and self-satisfied summation at the end of each episode, The Seven Ages is a crock.

He Drank With Joey Ramone

2010-02-02T13:46:00.001+11:00

Beer roadie for the Ramones? You could have worse jobs. The biggest disappointment in this for me, however, is that they drank Bud.

The entertaining blog entry started as a review of "I Slept With Joey Ramo0ne", the bio by Joey's brother Mickey Leigh. That book is essential reading and a Bar review of it appears here.

Nice bloodlines

2010-02-02T13:19:00.002+11:00

Mark Sisto (The Visitors/Radio Birdman Minister for Defence) jamming with Gary Quackenbush (ex-SRC), Box Taylor (Powertrane) and Ivan Kral (ex-Iggy Pop sideman)? Check it out here.

Ten Top Rock 'n' Roll Novels by The Guardian

2010-02-02T05:52:00.004+11:00

Lists piss me off (even though the I-94 Bar runs a series of 'em to mark the end of each year.) But serious British newspaper The Guardian takes the cake. Rock and Roll novels with "Wuthering Heights" at number-five?

You knew this was going to be a load of old shit.

Check out her Tek-nique

2010-01-31T00:48:00.000+11:00

If you're into being inked and live in Melbourne, there's a young lady with the surname Tek who might be able to add some colour to your flesh. Check out here work here.

Spun out

2010-01-30T05:41:00.000+11:00

If the normally unreadable Spin magazine is going to claim to be relevant and review the return of the Stooges, you'd think they'd get some basic facts right. Like Ron Asheton being the original Stooges guitarist. A breath-taking faux pas. Don't forget to read the understandably irate comments - one of the posters appears to be the late Ron's sister Kathy.

When Elvis met Nixon

2010-01-30T00:26:00.001+11:00

You've seen the photo and heard the story, but not in this much detail. Go here.

Funhouse turns 40

2010-01-26T08:32:00.004+11:00

As the newly reconstituted Stooges consider putting their rep on the line to record another studio album and prepare to be inducted into the Hall of Lame, I thought you'd like to know that "Funhouse" is turning 40 this tear. Here's a great retrospective piece on one of the greatest albums of all time.

Turns To Hate - Powder Monkeys

2010-01-25T18:42:00.003+11:00

Back to work in more ways than one and the I-94 Bar is again open for business. THere's the odd giveaway running because it's our 10th anniversary. Time flies when you're having fun.

Let's start 2010 with some good news, after a string of bad stuff over the holiday break like the death of the Tote Hotel in Melbourne.

Ex-Powder Monkeys guitarist John Nolan has started digitising old footage of his legendary band and parts are finding their way to YouTube. If you don't know who they were, read this recent Comfy Chair posting by Jim Lewis.

On to the filmclip and word is you might be able to buy some of these shows as DVDs in the near future. That would be money wisely spent. Try this for size:

Merry Christmas From The Ramones

2009-12-25T05:21:00.001+11:00

A Parting Gift Before Hiatus

2009-12-24T14:13:00.004+11:00

January is down-time at the I-94 Bar. A couple of things will be up before year's end but this blog will be on va-ca. So whatever you're planning, have a good one.

Dave Laing from Savage Beat Records sent this trailer for the forthcoming Runaways movie. Looks pretty promising.

Public Image Limited

2009-12-20T07:37:00.003+11:00

First report of the initial PiL gig on John Lydon's post-Pistols band's reformation tour is positive. This YouTubeage supports the opinion. Was it 1985 when PiL came to Australia? I heard it was with a line-up made up of session hacks so I kept away.

New Gurus

2009-12-17T06:30:00.001+11:00

They've disabled embedding of the video so you'll just have to go here to see the new single.

Finally, a small justice

2009-12-16T10:48:00.003+11:00

Continuing our Stooges theme and the pilloring of the Rock and Roll Hall of Lame at every opportunity. Overnight it was announced that The World's Forgotten Boys have been announced as 2010 inductees. Finally! Along with ABBA and The Hollies!

It's the eighth time the Stooges had been nominated and the greatest tragedy is that they're going to cross the line without Ron Asheton on-board, at least in the physical sense.

I know the Hall of Lame is a joke, presided over by turds who don't know their arse from their elbow, but if the elevation/descent/enshrinement of a band as perfectly fucked up as the Stooges occurs then maybe, just maybe, people will sit up and take notice, and realise that they don't have to consume bland, soul-less music they're spoon-fed.

You got a better idea?

House band for hire

2009-12-14T22:51:00.004+11:00

Some guy named James Williamson turned 60 recently and look who he played with in the party band. That's host Scott Thurston on the far left, who turned over his Culver City, California, home for the event. You may know him from Tom Petty's band these days but many years ago he was in a more notorious outfit.

Continuing along the line that's Mike Watt on bass, Scott "Rock Action" Asheton behind the traps, Steve Mackay with his sax and (far right) Strait James.

Ring any bells?

Weddings and parties a speciality. Robert Mattheu took the photo.

Pass some Stones

2009-12-13T07:04:00.000+11:00

Here. No, I don't have the faintest idea either. Something to do with people who have lots of time on their hands.

Norwegian families spread Turbonegro love in Indonesia

2009-12-12T05:28:00.001+11:00

Here's a gem I found on the Turbonegro site. It's from reality show Den Store Reisen (The Big Journey) on Norwegian TV station NRK, in which families are shipped off to the jungles of Indonesia to live with the Mentawai tribe.

The song is "I Got Erection". I'm told by Queensland writer Andrew Stafford, who recently took a trip to Norway, that Tubonegro are quite mainstream up that way.

On a more serious note, TBNGR are playing a few shows in Europe with Euroboy declaring he's cancer-free after his recent run of treatment.

All I want for Xmas...

2009-12-11T05:16:00.002+11:00

...is an air ticket. That's not too much to ask, is it?

I would like the band (Iggy and the Stooges, that is) to refrain from playing Ig's solo stuff. As much as Strait James had a hand in "New Values" as producer and all, this is a Stooges show and they should perform Stooges songs. The insertion of "The Passenger" et al into their set in Brazil last month just didn't fit, after listening to a shoddy MP3 audio download of the gig.