Category Archives: pictures
Punk Rock =…
Rock and Roll Immortality! Rock and Roll emerged as a way for kids to rebel against their parents and their beliefs. As time went on, Rock died a slow corporate death. In the ashes of this tragedy, the rebellion was revived with Punk Rock. The Ramones, the greatest practicioners of the uprsing, brought Rock and Roll back to the youngsters and pretty soon they had something of their own, something that existed outside of the mainstream. Thus, without the constraint of corporate control, the fun and rebel rousing of the initial Rock boom can live forever through independent music. Thank God for Punk!
Chris
I LIKE POP MUSIC!
…For the most part. About 80-90% of the music I listen to I consider catchy, pop numbers, one way or another. I agree with Jay, the pop master, that when you get away from the basic pop song, you lose people. I dig primitive, guerrila sounds, like the Black Lips and King Khan. Usually, most of my modern favorites are lo-fi to some extent or another and quite noisy, at that. Basically, it boils down to what are you going to do with pop music that makes you stand out to me. I suppose I have a few favorites here and there that lack this quality, but most are cutting edge, even if they’re not the most original cats around, try and wrap that around your dome. Quality doesn’t equal clean production. Far more often than not, it means some slick shits are doing the devil’s work and doing a fine job. The public overwhelmingly has been conditioned to eat up pounds of sugar coated mindless,souless,balless, garbage from the biggest corporate cocksuckers known to mankind. Some seriously sick motherfuckers that I’m surprised haven’t become extinct yet- due to overload of the stomach, having been pumped too much santanic sperm. I don’t know, what happened when, but it’s been decades, long before this radical nerd was even considered for existence, of horseshit ramming down our throats, perhaps they’re slipping roofies in the kids meals at Micky Dees? Anyway, if one were to take a quick paroozle (yeah, idk the spelling Glen!) of my album collection, mainstreamers if any readin’, would probably think I’m crazy, totally mad, fucked in the head, when I say I like pop music… with the likes of The Stooges, Ween, No Age, Big Black, etc present. I’ve streamed and screamed for too long, I’ll leave y’all with a poppy favorite of mine.
Chris
Malcolm McLaren Dead at 64
Malcolm McLaren, the former manager of The Sex Pistols and the man who claimed to have invented punk, has died aged 64.
McLaren died in New York this morning after a long battle with cancer.
His spokesman, Les Molloy, said the impresario had been suffering from cancer for some time and he expected his body would be returned to the UK shortly.
An unashamed self-publicist, McLaren gained notoriety as manager of the Sex Pistols who were propelled to No 1 in the charts with God Save The Queen in 1977. Having brought together the roguish band members he went on to become a household name in his own right, entering into the public spotlight again in recent years when he stood for the newly created London mayoralty in 2000. His policies included the serving of alcohol in libraries.
Having dropped out of art school – McLaren said the experience taught him “that it is better to be a flamboyant failure than any kind of benign success” – he made a first foray into music management in the early 70s after convincing the New York Dolls to employ him as manager.
The band flopped at the time, but the experiment, complete with red leather and Soviet-style clothes, heralded the start of a career-breaking ground in fashion and music.
McLaren, who was born in North London, frequently professed to leading the capital’s avant garde art scene during the 70s.
He opened a shop in fashionable King’s Road 1971 with his then girlfriend Vivienne Westwood. The shop was renamed SEX in 1974 and quickly gained iconic status drawing in the “young, sexy, assassins” who would become the Sex Pistols.
The couple had a son, Joseph Corre, the co-founder of lingerie shop Agent Provocateur.
His reputation was carved by the success of the Sex Pistols and an eye for publicity stunts which would grip the British and American culture scene through the 70s.
McLaren also managed a number of other bands, including Bow Wow Wow before producing his own records including the much-sampled track Double Dutch from the 1983 album Duck Rock.
He continued to be involved in the culture and arts scene up until his death, earning him in equal measure acclaim as a doyen of music and design and criticism for his marketing of pop culture.
– http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/apr/08/malcolm-mclaren-dies-sex-pistols
A few days late with this story… but anyway, he was perhaps more of an exploiter of the arts than a practioner, but nevermind his bollocks for now, RIP Malcolm… maybe I wouldn’t have discovered the Sex Pistols without you.
Chris
Funny Pic of the Day
Chris
Cool Pic of the Day
Chris
Concert Review: Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Leisure @ Paradise (4/1/10)
Artists: Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Leisure
Location: Paradise Rock Club, Boston
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010
Grade: B+/A-
Act I: Leisure – They were ok, nothing special. Clearly, they had musical chops and they were decent performers, but the music just never came through for me. I didn’t hear great songs. In other words, the parts were better than the whole; for me, with a great band, live or on record, but especially live it’s vice versa.
Glen: Unlike Chris, I actually dug this band. As I said to him, I couldn’t really find a problem with their music. In other words, I might not have loved their brand of glam/dance rock, but I thought it was pretty catchy and the lead singer was a funny character. They reminded me of the Lovely Feathers with the keyboard and song structures.
Set List:
follow me
heartbeats
sway
other people
no other place
suez
outside
Act II: The Dum Dum Girls – Things start to heat up. I saw these girls last October, opening for King Khan & BBQ and honestly they didn’t floor me. Don’t get me wrong, I thought they were decent, but nothing notable. This time around, I appreciated their performance more. I don’t know if anything changed with them, so it was probably just me. Anyway, I really dug their vocals the most. Still, this time, they didn’t send me flying off my rocker, but I thought they did a good job and I enjoyed it. Not to mention, as before, their dress and body movements on stage both caught my eye. I love the head bobbing and almost elegance in their appearance. I mean they look rather attractive in their all black get up and it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes!
Glen: Of course, it’s hard to go without mentioning the DDG appearance unless one wears a blind fold during their performance. They played a tight set that showcased some new songs like “Bhang, Bhang,” my favorite “Jail La La,” “Rest of Our Lives,” and “Yours Alone.” Also played were older ones like “Catholicked,” and some other song that I can’t think of the name, but they’ve been playing for a while. Like I said in my review of their 2010 album I Will Be, the drum beats are absolutely fantastic, but like Chris said their voices are beautiful.
Act III: Girls: Ahh my favorite Girls are Guys! Of course, the band I came to see and they did not disappoint. The group opened with the classic, “Laura” and immediately all in attendance it seemed, began singing along. The music was nice and soft, almost warm? lol The lights were a flashin’ but slowly and matched the music perfectly. Singer/Guitarist, Christopher Owens modestly rocked out with his funky, moonwalking dance moves. He really looked fly, definitely flyer than Whacko Jacko. They continued the set with other Album classics, such as “Darling,” “Ghost Mouth,” and their signature number, “Lust For Life,” which unsurprisingly garnered the greatest reaction from the audience. They created one hell of a song transition, actually three song transition, from the soft, yet infinitely endearing, “Hellhole Ratrace,” into the noisy (a first for the evening), garage like, “Morning Light,” then finally into the Grease resembling, “Big Bad Mean Motherfucker,” which also generated large enthusiasm from the crowd, including a trio of femmes gyrating on stage. Girls also played about six or seven non-Album lol tracks, including the new song, “Substance.” This is sort of a criticism of mine, but not really. Let me explain… Well, I anticipated knowing all but one or two songs they would perform, three tops! This was considering, I knew and loved all of their record. Incidentally, I didn’t know any of the tunes that didn’t appear on their record. Ohh well, I suppose this is not their flaw, but a bad on my part as a fan. Anyway, they came back for a sound encore featuring the classic, “Lauren Marie,” a track I was waiting for all night! Overall, they were a fabulous live band and I recommend everyone to see them, if you get the chance.
Glen: Like Chris said that three song transition — Hellhole to Morning Light to Big Bad — was awesome. It will go down in the history books as one of the most memorable parts of a concert for me. My only response to them playing five or six non-Album tunes is that they toured behind Album last fall. They are probably getting ready for whatever is next and want to get a feel for the new material.
Chris
Classic Album Review: The Rich Man’s Eight Track Tape
Artist: Big Black
Full Title: The Rich Man’s Eight Track Tape
Year: 1987
Label: Touch and Go
Grade: B+
Tracks:
1) Jordan, Minnesota- 9
2) Passing Complexion- 7
3) Big Money- 7
4) Kerosene- 10
5) Bad Houses- 8
6) Fists of Love- 8
7) Stinking Drunk- 8
8) Bazooka Joe- 9
9) Cables (live)- 9
10) Heartbeat (Wire cover)- 9
11) Things to Do Today- 8
12) I Can’t Believe- 8/9
13) My Disco- 9
14) Grinder- 8/9
15) Ready Men- 8/9
16) Pete, King of the Detectives- 9
This record is a compilation consisting of the LP Atomizer (tracks 1-9), the single Heartbeat (track 10), and the EP Headache (tracks 11-16).
Comments: Having been a huge fan of Big Black’s magnum opus, Songs About Fucking, my thirst for pure fucking noise grew into dehyrdration. With RMETT I feel stuffed and then some! In terms of the chaotic nature of Big Black’s music, this compilation showcases head spinning material far more than SAF. Now, I’m not saying it’s better, but if noise rock is your thang, then you will really dig this piece. The whiplash begins with “Jordan, Minnesota,” a terrifying ditty about a child molestation ring in said community; Albini hollers, “This is Jordan, we do what like… this will stay with you until you die and I will stay with you until you die.” I’m still baffled as to why Disney never returned his phone calls to feature Big Black’s music on one of their film’s soundtracks?! Musically, Roland, the drum machine is hard at work throughout the record, complementing the chainsaw guitars, literally, these motherfuckers sound closer to chainsaws than most wimpy musician’s guitar playing. Other lyrical themes include domestic abuse (“Fists of Love,” “Stinking Drunk,”), the innocent hobbie of watching cattle slaughtered at a local ranch to pass the time (“Cables”), and racism (“Pete, King of the Detectives”), where Albini roars in his deliberately, white liberal hipster, offending lyrics, “I am Pete!… I’m a hard working man, I ain’t no drunkard, I ain’t no coloured man!” Don’t worry kids, it’s all good fun… Moving on, “Kerosene,” is the best track and by far Big Black’s greatest offering, in fact, I’d say it’s Albini’s “Let It Be,” with Shellac’s, his other band, “My Black Ass,” being a potential rival. Kerosene features everything that made Big Black kick ass and harsher than just about any other band one cares to name: musical intensity through violent, slashing, guitars, pounding drum beats, extremely morbid subject matter (some kiddies decide to burn themselves to dust because it’s “something to do”). Other notable treats include, “Heartbeat,” a catchy cover of the Wire number of the same name and “My Disco,” a tune that puts a whole spin (ha!) on said genre. Overall, this record is for the Ready Men, not for you wee, little pussy wussies out there, I insist y’all find some kerosene.
Chris
Me As…GG Allin?!
Credit to message boarder who goes under the moniker beanfumbley
Maybe this is funny pic of the day #2 for some of y’all.
Funny Pic of the Day
Isn’t really funny…it’s about an event: Thurston Moore giving little ones a lecture on noise.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 