Jack Rabid and The Big Takeover

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

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

Dive-bomber hits target in War Against The Jive

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

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?

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...

...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

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

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"

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

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?

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