Ramones Are Not Dead

Adelaide filmmaker Suzy Ramone is set to debut a short movie about her Ramones tribute band, the Ramonettes. The full story of "Ramones Are Not Dead" is here.

It omits the fact that the Ramonettes ranks include Andrew Bunney, a former member of the Exploding White Mice who were tagged by many (unfarly as it turns out) as a Ramones tribute act. That's Bunney and the other Ramonettes pictured above.

Ted Nugent and a Great Moment in Media Interviews

I'm in debt to Tony Slug (ex-Hydromatics, now in new US-based band The Consultants) for this gem:

Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan , was being interviewed by a French journalist and animal rights activist. The discussion came around to deer hunting.

The journalist asked, "What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?'"

Nugent replied, "Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, 'What am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the French."

The interview ended at that point.

Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin

Dead at 68. Details here.

Sid Vicious as Elvis crooner?

Putting his client in a cabaret revue at the Sands in Vegas was Malcolm McLaren's plan to raise a defence fund kitty for accused murderer Sid Vicious, according to the man himself. I don't think so.

More Cramps

There's a nice ode to Lux Interior and the Cramps here.

Ed Kuepper's guitar

I never knew it was on display here. As it should be. If the Saints largely sucked at their recent ATP and Don't Look Back reformation shows, it wasn't down to Ed.

In memory of Lux Interior

R.I.P. Lux Interior of the Cramps

Rumours have been about online all morning. Damn it, it's true. The official statement:

Lux Interior, lead singer of The Cramps, passed away this morning due to an existing heart condition at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California at 4:30 AM PST today. Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy’s contributions with The Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music.

The Cramps emerged from the original New York punk scene of CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, with a singular sound and iconography. Their distinct take on rockabilly and surf along with their midnight movie imagery reminded us all just how exciting, dangerous, vital and sexy rock and roll should be and has spawned entire subcultures. Lux was a fearless frontman who transformed every stage he stepped on into a place of passion, abandon, and true freedom. He is a rare icon who will be missed dearly.

The family requests that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Pistol a future Stooge?

He's out of a gig with the demise of his radio station employer and the canning of his Jonesy's Jukebox program and we haven't heard much of the Pistols playing live lately, so is this L.A. Times article a pointer to Steve Jones signing on with the Stooges? Scroll down for the key info.

Records Fairs

These are wonderful places to go people-watching.

The downside of living in Australia is that there isn't the critical mass of events, geek collectors or genuinely collectable artefacts. The circuit's well-established and the same old faces (and unwanted records and CDs) keep turning up.

You thought "High-Fidelity" was just a movie? The record fairs at Parramatta Town Hall or the Glebe Community Centre (both in Sydney) say otherwise. For every relatively well-adjusted, budget-aware browser there are three smelly, Coke-bottle wearing OCD patients whose Army surplus backpacks make negotiating the crowds twice as tough.

What keeps people coming to record fairs? Surely eBay's slashed the guts out of the marketplace. Maybe not. There's still a sub-culture of people who need the tactile feel of an LP sleeve between their fingers. A few of them lok like they crave huiman interaction. Plus, postage often makes the real cost online album procurement prohibitively expensive, at least when you're buying from offshore.

The bottom line is that attending a record fair brings with it the thrill of the chase, the remote possibility that you might just stumble across something like a mint copy of the Psychosurgeons' blood-stains "Wild Weekend" 45 or a test pressing of "(I'm) Stranded" on the original Fatal label.

Perfect Noise Forever has a great piece on record fairs here. Smell the geekdom.

X-Aspirations re-issue

X's seminal 1980 album has been re-issued on CD by Aztec Music. I think Ken from Forth Worth likes it.

R n R's Ugliest Men

What? No Hank van Helvete? Here.