tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50536352644510001602024-03-14T01:03:09.382-07:00Savage AestheticDHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-87432601079885090442014-09-30T06:01:00.002-07:002014-09-30T06:01:58.417-07:00sub23a<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Be sure to head on over to the <a href="http://sexbombsleeves.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Sex Bomb</a> sleeve gallery that I've assembled on Tumblr. At present, I have exhausted my stash of sleeve examples so do not hesitate to send scans of your copy to sub23a-at-gmaildotcom. Spread the word, baby. Yeah.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-14995971043336304642014-02-17T16:16:00.001-08:002014-02-17T16:16:19.731-08:004. <div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Maximum Rocknroll</i> Number 4, Jan-Feb '83</div>
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A last minute news story makes for an interesting cover to <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/mrr-archives-004/" target="_blank">this issue</a>. Not sure what was originally planned, but it was cleared to make room for a brief article about a recent punk riot. A punk outside of a TSOL show in LA threw a bottle at a passing cop, who then escalated by calling in backups, including a helicopter, who sealed off Sunset Blvd in the area surrounding the club. Punk was not new anymore but was at its peak threat to society — media exploitation, attacks from the Religious Right, police brutality all very real in Punk circa '83. These themes all come up repeatedly in the magazine, alongside the editors' constant political guidance and challenges to their readers to have a coherent, radical belief system.</div>
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The cover also features the "Top 100 Records and Tapes (of) 1982", which takes the space of the typical shitworker top tens section that is absent. Curiously, the list does not contain records/tapes but songs, democratically listed in alphabetical order and no band appearing with multiple entries. It's a great list which has plenty of <i>not-quite ready for their own record but soon to be household names</i> appearing via demo tape or compilation (<b>Adrenalin OD</b>, <b>Butthole Surfers</b>, <b>Die Kreuzen</b>, <b>Poison Idea</b>, etc). </div>
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After the cover story, the first bit of content in the issue is this "Survey for Women" in which MRR is soliciting the opinions about women in punk. The zine took a clear initiative to reach out to and embrace the full diversity of the punk scene. Likewise, a priority was to address and confront any instances of sexism, homophobia, racism in the scene. 60+ pages later, the Record Reviews sectionfeatured no fewer than 3-4 records listed in this issue wherein the reviewer is taking the band to task for questionable lyrics (<b>Lost Generation</b>, <b>Silly Killers</b>, <b>Descendents</b>, <b>GG Allin</b>+). </div>
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Issue four had a particularly great run of band interviews. <b>Crucifix</b> seem in early issues to be seen as a bit of a joke among locals for their love of <b>Discharge</b> and over the top punk look ("We feel that if you're going to be a Punk you might as well look like a Punk") but get a glowing review here after the release of their 7". <b>Code of Honor</b> are one of my favorite bands, but so oddly professional in old interviews. Their LP was probably a misstep, but certainly was not a mistake. I dig their semi-schitzephrenic response below:<br />
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Also interviewed were a young <b>Poison Idea</b>, NY's <b>False Prophets</b> (from Avenue B!), <b>Toxic Reasons</b>, <b>Reagan Youth</b>, a very long and intense discussion with <b>Articles of Faith</b>, so many more. <b>Crucifucks</b> has a pseudo-interview done in a questionnaire style that did include the following bullet from Doc Dart: "<i>Cops: I hate them - there's no excuse for them. I'd like to kill more than one. They won't fuckin leave me alone</i>". But the centerpiece of the issue was V.Vale's conversation with Frank Discussion of <b>The Feederz</b>. They discuss (and reprint) Frank's infamous "Bored of School" flyer which was allegedly distributed in Phoenix area schools, sabotage in the workplace, historical radical movements and parents. It's a mandatory read. The intro mentions their upcoming EP, <i>Soon to be Picturesque Ruins</i>, which I assume morphed into <i>Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss?</i></div>
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There are scene reports galore, of course. The most interesting bits were the complaints in the Northern California scene that there were too many shows going on at the time (12-14 the prior month!). On the other hand, you had the Dallas/Fort Worth where HC was just starting to come into its own. <b>Hugh Beaumont Experience</b> and <b>Stickmen with Rayguns</b> both got some serious column inches, which struck me as funny since both bands seem out of place in '83 but I guess the region was just running a couple years behind. The issue had features on punk in South Afric, an intro to nihilism, and another anti-punxploitation piece, this time about the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpYd7bOn52M" target="_blank">Quincy episode</a>.</div>
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As noted above, the reviews are commenting not only on the music but taking bands to task for questionable lyrics and attitudes. This issue had the now-legendary review of the <b>Authorities</b> single in which Tim Yo calls them out for use of the word "niggers" (or was it "piggers"? <a href="http://www.kbdrecords.com/2006/07/05/authorities-soundrack-for-trouble-ep-7/" target="_blank">Listen</a> and decide...and read the comments where the debate was revived 20+ years later).<br />
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Hmmm, let's see... issue had reviews of <b>Blitz</b> "Voice of a Generation", <b>Cock Sparrer</b> "England Belongs to Me", <b>GG Allin</b> "No Rules", <b>Authorities</b> 7", <b>Big Boys</b> "Fun Fun Fun" 12" (MRR did not approve of the funk!), <b>Crucifix</b> "1984" 7" ("unexpectedly great"), <b>Dead Kennedys</b> "Plastic Surgery Disasters" LP (approached by Tim with apprehension and respect), <b>Descendents </b>"Milo Goes to College" LP (called out for homophobic line), <b>Flipper</b> "Get Away" 7" (assholes who make great music), <b>Husker Du</b> "Everything Falls Apart" 12" ("even if they can't play Risk that well, they sure can play music!"), <b>Negative Approach</b> 7", <b>Toxic Reasons</b> LP, <b>Tar Babies/Mecht Mensch</b> split tape, plenty of regional comps/tapes. Most of the "World" section was German and Canadian with the notables being <b>Neos</b> 7" & return of the Finns <b>Lama</b> & <b>Kohu 63</b>.<br />
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And last but not least, this fun lil' rebuttable by Tim & Jeff in response to a flippant comment made in a <b>Flipper</b> interview. Can't we all just get along?</div>
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The <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MRR003_Nov-Dec_1982.pdf" target="_blank">issue</a> that MRR went global. Until this point, the gang has clearly embraced the international appeal of punk but the scope of coverage lived in a funnel that was roughly Regional>National>UK National Acts ('77 hangers on/Disorder/Crass)>International DIY(very little covered until this issue). But with issue #3, the folks in SF received a care package from Finland that must have blown minds. International DIY records had, until this point, no worldwide distribution network, no magazine to promote to likeminded folks 5000 miles away — by and large, they existed only in the scenes that bore them. And Vote's care package to MRR may have changed all of that. Suddenly, the MRR folks were exposed to a large chunk of records that were as good or better as what they were doing at home; that, as best as they could tell, existed with the same Leftist leanings; that existed as a DIY enterprise. A thriving, brilliant hardcore scene. The Top Tens gushed all over this stuff, rightfully. It is pretty funny that MRR tries to claim the Finnish sound as their own despite the Finn's claim that they were primarily influenced by UK bands: </div>
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And if this is was going on in Finland, what else was out there? If they weren't already, this is where MRR becomes the public record for hardcore releases — the place where every band in every country could go to let the world know they exist, and where their peers could throw $2-$3 in the mail to the other side of the world to check them out. </div>
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The anti-MRR backlash that will never die begins in the letters section of this issue. Maybe there was some of it in prior issues, but the first letter here is classic and could have been written at any time over the last 30+ years. Dave Insurgent writes in that he is psyched to find the magazine as left-coast kindred spirits. True to their word in the first issue Tim posts the magazine's finances showing that it is, this far, a break even endeavor.</div>
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In this lil' corner, they manage to slip in some art (a nice Winston Smith graphic) and some humor. Not just the dry old folks at the protest anymore, eh?</div>
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Besides the Finnish spread and additional record review section, this issue is fairly similar to the previous issues with other content. Bale has a two-page article advocating for DIY as the solution to "rockstaritis". The Desperate Bicycles legend has surely grown over the decades but as documented <a href="http://www.hyped2death.com/Kugelberg100.html" target="_blank">elsewhere,</a> their influence was immediate and Bale quotes them within — <i><b>It was easy, it was cheap, go and do it!</b> </i> He was writing at a point when major labels were starting to look for a hardcore breakout and bands like the Misfits and Damned were beginning to mimic a classic rock touring structure and others like Dead Kennedys and Black Flag were trying to find something more ethical/equitable/sustainable. His five point plan to combat rockstaritis: <b>1)</b> Realize that punk musicians are people, therefore anyone can do it. You can do it. Kill the pedestals. <b>2)</b> Abandon groups that lose touch of DIY roots. <b>3)</b> Transfer your support onto newer groups who are in touch. <b>4)</b> Pay no mor3e than $5 for a show*. <b>5)</b> No fixed guarantees — a percentage of the door is the ethical thing to do.</div>
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Clearly, the zine was doing wonders for the SFHC marketing department. The scene report here is a who's who of bands moving to or thinking about moving to the Bay Area. NOTA writes in with a one-band scene report for Tulsa (<i>"We have one hardcore group (which is me and the boys)..."</i>). Plenty of locals are interviews: Intensified Chaos, The Lew, Capital Punishment, The Afflicted, plus near locals 7 Seconds and The Wrecks. I should mention this pretty funny review of a Crucifix/Discharge show:<br />
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But let's throw out everything mentioned so far, the real gem of the issue is the NY scene report which was a review of a show by Lucifer's Imperial Heretical Knights of Schism / Blood Clot / MDC / Reagan Youth. The openers were an unknown act featuring singer Mike (Beastie Boys), drummer Dave (Reagan Youth) and friends and were clearly there to provoke. Named after a Rastafarian principal, their set began with Mike reading from a pamphlet entitled, "What is Rastafari?" while the band made some noise behind him. Not too thrilled with this act, members of the Bad Brains emerged to announce that Schism's set was over. Dave Insurgent and the Bad Brains contingent argued until Dave MDC joined in to call out Bad Brains for their shitty treatment of Texas punks among other indecencies (their actions directly led to the demise of 171A Studios and Rat Cage records). At this point Dave and Schism were pelted with eggs thrown by the Rastas. <i style="font-weight: bold;">Where the hell did they get eggs from????</i> </div>
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There were no shortage of demos reviewed in this issue as kids around the country were beginning to see the magazine as a vehicle to expand their hometown into something more visible. Great, great bands coming out of the woodwork this way: Crucifucks, NOTA, No Thanks, Poison Idea... Also one for The Gerbils "GM Working Man" in Detroit described as thrash with Screamers-like synth. A total unknown to me, but I NEED TO HEAR THEM NOW!!!! Finland reviews include Bastards, Kaaos/Kadgers, Kohu 63, Lama, Riistetyt, Rattus, first 3 Terveet Kadet records. We also see that Anti-Cimex have submitted their first single for review (and get compared to SF's War Zone!) as have Jezus & the Gospelfuckers. Some devestating stuff.</div>
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The zine ends with a punk's story of going to the movies to see "Class of 1984" and the audience reaction to them. The move, starring Michael J Fox among others, is perhaps the most exploitative of any movie from the era, painting punks as racists, rapists, a new organized crime family. I saw this movie very recently and was shocked...I can't even imagine seeing it as a punk in '82.</div>
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*That's about $12 today. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Volume 1, Issue 2 of Maximumrocknroll takes some small but logical steps from the premier issue, expanding on its political coverage and building more of a presence as a national magazine. In a series of articles & interviews, the staff further establish themselves as the elders and they are heavily invested in using their status to steer the young punks toward DIY, ethical behavior, leftist politics, anti-goonery. It was a pivotal moment—media sensationalism was simultaneously publicizing the scene as the place to be for boneheads and giving media bigwigs dollar-sign eyeballs as they schemed over "the next big thing" and looked for bands to sign or punxploitation media to produce. And here are the elders, some old enough to remember the hippies and their eroded idealism, with boots firmly planted in the ground saying over and over again, "Not on my watch." </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was laughing to myself reading through the Top Ten lists and noting that every single list included "Not So Quiet on the Western Front" in the number 1 or 2 slot. This was not even the case in the first issue(!) and my cynical side (do I have another?) stepped in to wonder if they were capitalizing on an expanded national audience to give themselves a plug. Then at at the bottom of the page I noticed good ol' Tim Yo was one step ahead of me: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, it <i>is</i> one hell of a record. The lists are still very US/UK-centric<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2014/01/2.html#note1">1</a></sup>, just a lone appearance by Lama on Ruth's list, Terveet Kadet on Jeff's, and some non-punk (SPK, Birthday Party, Heino) scattered throughout to represent the rest of the world. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">John Silva lists Grandmaster Flash "The Message" in his list and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ruth doubles down on the Black Humor LP, having reviewed it in the first issue and been called out in the letters section of this one for promoting a reactionary band. She expands her view in the letters as well, declaring the band brilliant. Agreed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Scene reports have expanded beyond Northern California and have reports from Boston, NY, DC in addition to the local scene. Hüsker Dü and the Rejectors have featured interviews alongside some by locals Rebel Truth & Deadly Reign. Hüskers were still a new band and talk a bit about the reactions they receive from dumbfounded audiences on their tour. They were in the heart of their <i>play 30 minutes non-stop at full intensity</i> phase<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2014/01/2.html#note2">2</a></sup></span> and no one knew what to make of them. They interviewed a local sheriff, Mike Hennessey, who was a big supporter of the scene ("I like watching <a href="http://sexbombsleeves.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Flipper</a> but sometimes listening to them is a chore"). In so many of the early MRR interviews there is an intense curiosity from the interviewer to learn what it's like <i>out there</i> in other scenes. It was a chore, even for the most dedicated to track down and hear all of the bands they'd heard of and these interviews tend to display an element of that. With today's instant gratification, it's barely an issue anymore but that feeling of discovery is such a brilliant thing and nice to see it emerge as a theme in these early issues.</div>
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The most insightful interview presented was with Dirk Dirkson, local punk promoter who was involved in the SF scene from day one. He adds yet another <i>elder statesman</i> voice to the chorus when discussing the changes the scene has undergone over the years. The initial scene had a great knack for the visual, due in large part to the SFArtInstitute punks present in the first wave. As younger kids came in, 13-14 year olds they could not bring the same level of maturity (aesthetic & otherwise) that the first wave of SFAI punks did which was a marked change. Dirkson also gets into some bottom line economics for the kids—when shit at his clubs get fucked up, he has to fund their repairs and that comes out of the door; when half the audience sneaks in, it's harder to meet overhead; etc—and notes that he's $30K in the hole from years of running the club. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This issue features a series of articles that tackle world-issues from the zine's punk/left standpoint —"Media Distortion", feminism and punk rock, punk as dada, an anti-corpotation/anti-Bechtel scribe, a short column from Bale about the Israeli occupation and subhuman treatment of Palestinians, and a Ruth Schwartz breakdown on different financial models of the band/label split (and which are exploiting the band). Mindblowing stuff that really takes you out of last night's show and places you into the real fucking world. In the comments of MRR's <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/mrr-archives-002/" target="_blank">archive of this issue</a>, Jerod Poore notes that he was the cover model on this issue, taken at a Tim Yo organized protest. The photo was done in one shot and that's all they had as bank guards rushed out to break it up after seeing his pose. Even the most topical issues written about herein are still more or less relevant; some names & details need updating but themes still extant, sadly<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2014/01/2.html#note3">3</a></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></div>
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Reviews were a bit thin on this issue, perhaps having stocked up for an impressive and robust section in issue#1. Jeff's opening screed responds to those whose feelings were hurt by criticism in the first issue. Still very few non-US/UK releases and for the most part (a lone Lama single, some SPK), the UK releases tend to be bigger distributed titles by older bands still hanging on (Blitz/Chelsea/Chron Gen/Lurkers/etc). Notable reviews of the Beatie Boys (loved it), Conflict (AZ)'s demo ("great value"), Die Kreuzen demo ("formerly The Stella's"–<i>who knew?!?!</i>), Ejectors "Hydrohead", Faith/Void split (Void described as "SOA meets Led Zeppelin"...<i>dingdingding</i>!), Nihilistics 7", Replacements "Stink", Toxin III, "Unsafe at Any Speed", "NY Thrash" (Tim Yo called Timmy Sommer to task, "No excuse for including macho Misfits-clones like THE FIENDS and leaving the great REAGAN YOUTH off this compilation").</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup>I always think of MRR's beginnings in an explosive 3 issue arc. #1 is intensely local. By issue #2 they are getting more submissions and exposure to a wider slab of the US. And then—a fucking missile arrived from Finland in time for issue #3 and really, really made it an international zine. Of course, it was always local but became a worldwide platform for punks to meet, exchange ideas & music, so on. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup>Their best phase (see: "Land Speed Record" & "Ultracore" bootleg).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><sup><span id="note3">3</span></sup>J</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">erod's comment on the MRR website by reiterating that the issues they were protesting continued far beyond that time; the issues Tim Yo & friends were protesting in 1982 are still every bit as valid now. </span></span></span></div>
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Tim & the gang come out of the gates swinging and with a chip on their shoulder. Very clearly, MRR establishes itself as a reaction to a scene becoming apathetic & violent, a theme introduced in the opening manifesto and returned to repeatedly throughout the issue. The magazine challenges their local scene, urging the punks to be better than the hippies, and takes them to task for inattentiveness to the world around them. Run by older folks with a vision who see punk as a political vehicle, they come out fiercely DIY and unapologetically leftist. More than once they take on the established punk bands booking shows with a flat fee guarantees as an example of punk done wrong.</div>
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Beyond that, this debut issue establishes a template that has endured to this day. <b>Letters:</b> "This is your scene, tell us what's on your mind." A place for the readers to gossip, spew angst, talk highfalutin political rhetoric, dis multinationals, so on. A good place for banter between the punks...separate letters in this issue cite vandalism in both positive and negative terms. <b>Ads:</b> In a way, the news of the world. New releases for sale, upcoming releases teased, stores/zines/demos/records/labels highlighting their wares. An essential component of the zine. <b>Scene reports:</b> An open forum to write about your scene. This first issue focuses on the same Northern California locales that were covered on the "Not So Quiet..." comp. Show reviews, band & venue news, so on. The clip below featuring Santa Cruz's Young Alcoholics is particularly awesome. </div>
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<b>Columns:</b> Op-eds from the folks running this thing. Peter Urban notes that the SF scene has long been political and gives a history lesson on the subject. Again, some strong and repeating themes in this one. <b>Band Interviews:</b> QAs with the folks making all this noise. This issue talks to MDC (and gives a lot of space to reprinting their lyrics - blunt, political, driving in a non-bonehead visions of punk), Minor Threat (a touring band! This was early enough in the making of the HC touring circuit that the regional differences in local scenes was a huge novelty and they spend some time comparing regional dance moves before moving on to "Straight Edge").</div>
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<b>Top Ten Lists:</b> Always fascinating and an essential reader's companion to see what's unanimously awesome but also to help pinpoint whose tastes overlap with yours. MRR was still very local and I believe Jeff Bale's inclusion of a Headcleaners record was the only non-North America/UK hardcore release (Ray Farrell has some international noise/industrial releases represented as well). <b>Zines:</b> Here just a listing of contacts for zines from around. Was pleased to find a couple from very nearby my current apartment. So many truly classics were listed here: Xiphoid Process, Wild Dog, Tough & Go, Propaganda (Finland), Offense, Sub Pop, Smegma Journal, Sick Teen, Hymnal, Conflict, Coolest Retard... a who's who of some of the best ever.</div>
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<b>Record Reviews:</b> In ways, the most important section of the zine. An uninterrupted spread cataloguing the history of punk from this issue onward. Starting here, if it didn't hit the review pages of MRR it probably didn't exist. Bale gives a brief introduction to his theory on reviews—they will be short, blunt, to the point; defines some terms—<i>Thrash Punk</i>, <i>'77 or "Classical" Punk</i>, <i>Heavy Metal (HM) Punk</i>, so on. The early reviews sections split out by geography, so USA had its own section, UK had one, and an incredibly brief "Other" section included only the Headcleaners & Neos with a note saying the "Other" records are hard to get but "I like what I've heard". The floodgates had not quite opened for the MRR staff; one can only imagine the minds blown in the ensuing months. <br />
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Reviews in this first issue included the Black Humor LP (worms enclosed? A sad way to discover that my copy is incomplete! Gotta find them worms), Code of Honor/Sick Pleasure 12", Flipper LP, Fartz 7" (Bale's favorite record of '81), Heart Attack "God is Dead" 7" ("First thrash song from the Big Apple"), Hüsker Dü "In a Free Land", MDC LP, Minor Threat "In my Eyes", October Days "West Coast" 7" (a personal favorite—overlooked gem from Connecticut), 100 Flowers 7" (not the Urinals, sez the reviewer), SSD "Kids" 12", Zero Boys "Vicious Circle" LP, and the seminal comps "Boston not LA" and "Flex Your Head"...plus so many more. The UK reviews come down particularly hard on the burgeoning UK82 scene...boneheaded glue sniffing does not pass with the MRR review crew. They do, however, endorse Disorder's "Distortion to Deafness," branding it a classic, and Rudimentary Peni's first two EPs. Some random reviews follow below.<br />
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The current crew of MRR has lovingly scanned and made available a PDF version of the zine, which can be viewed <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MRR001_-Jul-Aug_1982.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. On the anniversary of its publication, founder Jeff Bale wrote up some <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/mrr-archives-001/" target="_blank">thoughts</a> about the magazine and his personal transformation from thrash-punk to the grown-up he is today. </div>
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<br />DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-65670881185550580192014-01-05T13:42:00.001-08:002014-01-05T18:39:08.840-08:000.<i>Maximum Rocknroll</i> Vol. 1 No. 0<br />
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MRR's debut fanzine, which was an insert to their <i>Not So Quiet on the Western Front</i> compilation album and not actually a zine proper, is a pretty fierce proclamation that "We Are Here." <i>We</i> - the Northern California Underground / the entity of MRR / punks in general... All still running strong, still inspirational forces, still rad beyond belief most of the time (can't all be rad all of the time).<br />
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But before the album—and <a href="http://radio.maximumrocknroll.com/" target="_blank">still</a> to this day (although not continuously)—Maximum Rocknroll was a weekly radio program which in the early days aired Tuesday nights on Berkeley community radio station KPFA. Hosted by a gang of fanatic record collectors and dedicated to the most maximum of rocknroll, the show was and is an important resource to hear punk, proto-punk, hardcore, and any related genre or proto-genre. Michael LaBash has been running an essential blog that makes many of the early radio programs available as MP3s. It is simply mind blowing that he was able to tape, retain, and digitize all of these, so please spend a few weeks over at his <a href="http://mrnrpodcast.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://i2.wp.com/maximumrocknroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/0001-Tim_and_Gang_kpfa1979.jpg?resize=504%2C346" target="_blank">Tim & The Gang</a> (Tim Yohannon, Ruth Schwartz, Jeff Bale & cohorts) made a ton of early color xerox fliers to advertise the program, which are easily among the finest of early punk ephemera:<br />
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The vaults of the MRR website has a few more examples of early MRRRadio fliers, which you can find <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/more-from-the-mrr-radio-archives/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/more-radio-flyers-from-the-archives/" target="_blank">here</a>. I have a copy of one more, which was used as letterhead by Tim sending a note to a Los Angeles record store. A nice note, and prime example of his legendary record collecting habits.<br />
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<i>Not So Quiet On the Western Front</i> was a thorough and awesome documentation of the local scene. The fine folks behind the radio program assembled 47 bands from the region and crammed them into two LPs. Comps as this tend to have the "gimme your shortest song" mentality in an effort to get as much on as possible, and I do not know if MRR took this approach but they managed to have a pretty good OPS+ with very few duds. Crucifix, Code of Honor, Church Police, <a href="http://sexbombsleeves.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Flipper</a>, MDC, Dead Kennedys plus a million—er, 42, more—present quite a diverse punk ecosystem.<br />
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Vol. 1 No. 0 itself gave each band one page to use as their insert. Some graphics, contact info, lyrics, not room for much more. Just a quick "here we are, this is what we're about, we took a graphic design class & have access to some history books —check it out!". (MRR's archives dug up <a href="http://maximumrocknroll.com/may-i-have-the-next-thrash/" target="_blank">this</a> early draft at cover art when the comp was going by the name "<i>May I Have the Next Thrash?</i>"). But more important than that, by naming and numbering the insert, the compilers were announcing that their scene was more fluent and vibrant and brilliant than just an album. It was worth a bi-monthly broadcast to the world. "<i>Listen to us now, then pay attention to us hereafter...</i>"<br />
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DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-74310115547054066432012-12-23T21:28:00.004-08:002012-12-23T21:28:58.291-08:00Santa.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-50gmj_GAfMk/UNfnq6VvPUI/AAAAAAAAAJY/kDX833F2Vsw/s1600/Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-50gmj_GAfMk/UNfnq6VvPUI/AAAAAAAAAJY/kDX833F2Vsw/s320/Santa.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Was thinking about<a href="http://killedbycrafts.blogspot.com/2009/05/arizona-driving-tour-day-seven.html" target="_blank"> Santa Land </a>today. Beautiful Arizona...thinking about another trip yonder. Merry Xmas.</div>
DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-5496125850675010942012-12-10T07:10:00.000-08:002012-12-10T07:12:53.623-08:00Readers.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EGnKg1c83a4/UMXqrEwENtI/AAAAAAAAAIc/7aLyKe2-JBI/s1600/IMG_8719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EGnKg1c83a4/UMXqrEwENtI/AAAAAAAAAIc/7aLyKe2-JBI/s320/IMG_8719.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Badger wishes all a Happy Hanukka! </b>I missed out on tickets to see Yo La Tengo's residency at <a href="http://maxwellsnj.com/" target="_blank">Maxwell</a>'s this week in honor of the holiday so Badger and I have been spinning that Cider EP and catching up on some reading/viewing instead. A shame since <a href="http://twitter.com/TheRealYLT/status/277938510156161024/photo/1" target="_blank">last night's show</a> looked especially great. </div>
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Alas, it's muggy and gross outside in NY and preferable to hang inside in PJs with a mug of coffee. Here are some of the things that have been entertaining me...</div>
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<b>Black Flag commercial for Rip City Skates.</b> Black Flag's complete and total media blanketing is part of their charm. They were not only a brilliant band; not only inspirational for the sheer awesomeness of their label, touring, and overall DIY philosophy; their association with Raymond Pettibon and his influence on their image; but they inhabited any nook of media they were allowed. No better example than this video (and the "Crass Commercialism" side of <i><b>Everything Went Black</b></i>).''</div>
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Here are a couple of examples of SST tuners, Ginn's pre-Flag (coexisting at the beginning) hobby.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/magazine/jack-white-is-the-savviest-rock-star-of-our-time.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank">Jack White's New York Times profile</a></b> was a fascinating read. I'm a fan of both Jack's music and philosophy about music, so this long-form profile was a great peer into his aesthetics.</div>
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<b><a href="http://deadspin.com/5901123/10-years-of-newspapers-declaring-that-mariano-rivera-is-too-old" target="_blank">Mariano Rivera</a></b> is set to return next year, thankfully. I don't know what life will be like without him. This old article breaks down a decade of pundits declaring him too old. I'm certain more will pour out in April and beyond, and just as certain the authors will eat their words.</div>
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<a href="http://www.offbeat.com/2010/11/01/the-ozzy-osbourne-t-shirt/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">A tale about high school, OZZY, and discovery</a>. A fun little tale that brought back a lot of memories, or at least hazy recollections, about my high school experience. No Ozzy for me (Sabbath came later, still not on the Crazy Train) but a lot of this hit home. </div>
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<b>Nirvana on Top of the Pops</b>. I'm not sure why, but I've spent a lot of time listening to Nirvana and thinking about their arc. Could they have imagined they'd hit they way they did? I doubt it, and it's understandable how they'd end up so uncomfortable with the world they ended up in. So it's cool to see them take little jabs at their situation as with this video. As WFMU <a href="http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/01/kurt_cobain_doi.html" target="_blank">explains</a>, BBC asked the band to mimic their instruments and play the instrumental track from the album while Kurt performed a live vocal track. This awesomeness was the result.</div>
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And now a couple of photos from Friday's <a href="http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/" target="_blank">Occupy Sandy</a>/<a href="http://www.tunneltotowersrun.org/" target="_blank">Stiller Foundation</a> <a href="http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/11/ted_leo_tom_sch.html" target="_blank">benefit</a> that Tom Scharpling & Ted Leo put together.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3KAzIbyakzs/UMXrJr4vr9I/AAAAAAAAAIo/tFGgeEPRneE/s1600/IMG_8665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3KAzIbyakzs/UMXrJr4vr9I/AAAAAAAAAIo/tFGgeEPRneE/s320/IMG_8665.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Auctioneer John Hodgman inspired the crowd to bid about $7-8K on the packages offered.</b></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M59s95b0TZs/UMXrKb0xRuI/AAAAAAAAAI0/GABcLVPY9k4/s1600/IMG_8705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M59s95b0TZs/UMXrKb0xRuI/AAAAAAAAAI0/GABcLVPY9k4/s320/IMG_8705.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Kristen Schaal & Brooke Shields showing off their "Brooke Shields eyes".</b></div>
DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-32236373705062309622012-11-21T15:12:00.000-08:002012-11-21T17:10:26.691-08:00Sandwich day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Despite what you may think, this lovely view was not plucked from a travel brochure or photo site, but is the scene outside my window just now. It's a nice, sunny fall day and we've switched up our normal <i>get the hell out of town</i> Thanksgiving plans and have instead opted to spend the week sleeping in, sitting around listening to records, reading and maybe tackle a project or two <sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/11/sandwich-day.html#note1">1</a></sup>. Tonight is <a href="http://thechrisgethardshow.com/" target="_blank">Sandwich Night</a>, a holiday more meaningful than the one tomorrow and S is in the next room <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/356829/chocolate-sandwich-cookies" target="_blank">preparing</a>. It smells so festive. And now, a random selection from this afternoon's playlist:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W54A0eTod9U/UK0zvn41UOI/AAAAAAAAAHY/xG7k-Cwko3w/s1600/IMG_8484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W54A0eTod9U/UK0zvn41UOI/AAAAAAAAAHY/xG7k-Cwko3w/s320/IMG_8484.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Towncraft</b> (Richard Matson, 2007)<br />
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So much more fulfilling than American Hardcore or most other <i>pastiche of talking heads</i> styled tales of music scenes past. Towncraft weaves a narrative around Little Rock, AR's punk scene which blossomed sometime in the late 80's. That's no typo, by the way, as there was shockingly no underground music activity in the state before then, as the <a href="http://www.collectorscum.com/volume3/south/#ar" target="_blank">Discography</a> can attest (putting 'Punk in Arkansas' on about the same timeline as 'punk in Central America'). <br />
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Little Rock had a small, welcoming community full of kids going out of their way to make something happen. The movie depicts an underground where every kid has a zine and probably a band, all hands are on deck running benefit shows and working towards something great. After a couple of bigger bands left town, those who remained decided they needed to document what they had and worked together to issue a compilation album, "Towncraft". Plenty of time was spent talking to members of Chino Horde and Soophie Nun Squad (which reminded me how much I dig Nate Powell's comics... I've got some catching up to do as he's continued to draw since I picked up my last). (Econochist were mentioned as one of the bands who split town to move to the big city and get "signed" although the use of that term w/r/t Very Small and Ebullition seems a bit loaded).<br />
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Interestingly, one of the early punks on the scene was Matt Besser, who would move to Chicago and then New York (now LA) who would go on to found Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, which is very much a DIY enterprise and their philosophies are rooted in the punk scene ideals<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/11/sandwich-day.html#note2">2</a></sup> .<br />
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The film has a great <a href="http://www.towncraftmovie.com/" target="_blank">website</a> which has a ton of info including scans of zines, including one in which Besser unkindly reviews Crucifucks "Wisconsin" (which, as everyone knows, is a fucking fantastic album).<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9FjUdZQdDOA/UK1TvGukSoI/AAAAAAAAAH4/_elt_HEyZ_E/s1600/IMG_8486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9FjUdZQdDOA/UK1TvGukSoI/AAAAAAAAAH4/_elt_HEyZ_E/s320/IMG_8486.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>N.O.T.A. </b>"Live at the Crystal Pistol" LP (Prank)<br />
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I think this is NOTA's finest moment. Originally released as their demo, this is blistering, raw hardcore captured in peak form. I love the proper NOTA releases that followed, but "Crystal Pistol" has the rage turned up to 11 with the fidelity down around 7 (which is the correct formula for HC). Curiously, the aforementioned Arkansas entry on the Collectorscum discography notes that NOTA guitarist Russell is an Arkansas native so this musical selection was a nice, unintended accompaniment.<br />
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<b>John Waters</b> "Role Models" book<br />
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I always find it interesting to get a glimpse into the mind of a genius—what turns them on and inspires their creativity. Naturally, I knew this book was going to be a winner before I flipped it open, but Waters did one better. With his essays, he presents a deeply personal autobiography by looking at his role models and how they fit into his life. He avoids the obvious choices and goes with unexpected (Johnny Mathis) and obscure (pornographer of Marines, Bobby Garcia). The book is well researched; Waters tracked down and talked to most of his role models, a process which lead to more questions than answers. He is forced to explore aspects of their lives he'd rather not and reconcile against the what he originally found inspiring.<br />
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<b>I've got some new friends.</b><br />
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<sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup> Fixed the drawers on our dresser so they open without a fight, addressed overflow of books by building some new shelving, etc.<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup> Saw Chris Rock & Aziz Ansari at Whiplash at UCB on Monday night for free. It was great.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-44256906450392246192012-04-18T18:15:00.002-07:002012-04-18T18:18:32.812-07:00It's better that way.<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Another post rescued from the obscurity of my drafts...unfinished, but better to put it out there than just delete. We caught Jandek at the Flywheel in Easthampton, MA on October 1, 2011.</i><b><i><br />
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<i><b>You May Not Get All The Answers You Want.</b></i><br />
<i><b>It's Better That Way. </b></i><br />
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The tail end of a rainstorm was lingering over Amherst when we arrived. It was after noon on a Saturday, overcast and wet but not really raining anymore, so there was a bustle about town as people were starting to emerge and run errands. As Sarah and I meandered around the region we noticed a buzz. This is a small enough metropolis that nothing goes unreported on the gossip line and being out on the town is all it takes to be in the loop. Over the last few days, we heard, The Representative From Corwood Industries<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/04/its-better-that-way.html#note1">1</a></sup> was seen at Whole Foods, eating in Amherst, and as we made our rounds he was currently in the middle of an extended rehearsal. Every few minutes, it seemed, we overheard yet another update as someone onsite made a call out to the world, or ventured in with word from the rehearsal. <br />
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During the week leading up to Jandek's performance at the Flywheel, we'd theorized that we could be in store for anything. Considering Western Mass has a population of local musicians into noise, experimental, and avante garde, it would most likely be some sort of loose jam. Massive weirdness; formless songs. We thought we'd figured out the mystery.<br />
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The band made their way to the stage at the exact time the show was advertised to start. Each musician walked to their instruments, quietly fiddling with their gear for a moment before beginning as a unit. Instantly, our expectations were shattered. Jandek, it seems, was a more fluid and interesting project than we'd given credit. The Man in Black pounded away on a fretless bass. He was accompanied by a pedal steel guitar, banjo, violin, and, on a few songs, female vocal counterpart. Tonight's performance was good ol' country music.<br />
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Of course, Jandek playing country is still Jandek. For two hours, the band played a set of structured, memorable songs full of distinct melodies, yet it was absolutely within the Jandek canon. The sound was eerie, like a warbly, well-worn cassette of country tunes. TRFCI's bangs on the bass provided a humming buzz. The band seemed to speed up or slow down unpredictably at times; displayed a surprising tenderness, especially when joined by Betsy Nichols on vocals; even showed a touch of humor, as when TRFCI (already wearing a Stetson) put on his glasses and sang, "A cowboy doesn't wear glasses"<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/04/its-better-that-way.html#note2">2</a></sup>.<br />
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The set was mesmerizing and the mysterious loner at the center let on, just a bit, that after 30 years and twice as many albums, he may not provide any answers, but his vision is as robust and fascinating as ever. Since emerging from the shadows he has performed a stunningly diverse series, approaching many genres with his distinct aesthetic voice. And in doing so, his story has become more mysterious. It's better that way.<br />
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<sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup>Herein known as TRFCI.<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup>Or whatever the exact lyrics were...this is ballpark.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-31511857181941045402012-04-06T03:34:00.000-07:002012-04-06T03:34:56.426-07:00Play ball.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SRgQlSLkGm4/T37FiGA3TWI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/r-vBJgwMFaM/s1600/IMG_4603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SRgQlSLkGm4/T37FiGA3TWI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/r-vBJgwMFaM/s320/IMG_4603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To celebrate the start of the baseball season I picked up four packs of <a href="http://www.leftfieldcards.com/" target="new">Left Field Cards</a>. Beautiful and clever, these are ideal for folks trying to reconcile their inner seven year old baseball card obsessions with later in life design interests. Besting Topps and Upper Deck in style, Left Field has thus far released two series thus far - the first depicting bizarre player injuries, the second players with edible names. Brilliant.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UmN9JfgBOgc/T37Fhiw4i9I/AAAAAAAAAHE/Fkhn-9UR6u4/s1600/IMG_4606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UmN9JfgBOgc/T37Fhiw4i9I/AAAAAAAAAHE/Fkhn-9UR6u4/s320/IMG_4606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-10873751768631808842012-04-04T17:12:00.002-07:002012-04-04T18:26:46.742-07:00Rid the Home.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DRSG6EBRhdw/TsRqXbhzlpI/AAAAAAAAAFk/idIQh3Xq5eM/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DRSG6EBRhdw/TsRqXbhzlpI/AAAAAAAAAFk/idIQh3Xq5eM/s320/IMG_3730.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A find among the many poison bottles at a recent antique mall trip.</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
A quick one to prove that I'm still alive at this late date. I'd had a couple of posts drafted last fall that never got finished and had the bright idea 'round January that they could be consolidated into some sorta year end yee-ha. Now that the calendar has flipped into April I think it's 'bout time to clear the docket, quality be damned, in bullet point form:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>The <a href="http://sexbombsleeves.blogspot.com/" target="new">Sex Bomb Archive</a>, just one of the many endeavors that I procrastinate working on, had a string of daily updates during the recent advent season. I'd love for the updates to run continuously, but my supply was exhausted and am currently in reload mode...so if you know of a Sex Bomb Sleeve, please send over to the address on that site.</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div><ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AX1GHyrI9aA/TuGFL3r0eHI/AAAAAAAAAGA/xVuR4RsLlQ4/s1600/IMG_4083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AX1GHyrI9aA/TuGFL3r0eHI/AAAAAAAAAGA/xVuR4RsLlQ4/s320/IMG_4083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><li>Listened to <b>Vile</b> "Solutions" LP last night. I suppose the band's schtick has nagged me over the years, and where it was once a regular listen it has become harder to be enthusiastic about in my old age. "<i>They're just trying to piss people off</i>" doesn't win me over quite the way it once did<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/04/rid-home.html#note1">1</a></sup> but it didn't take more than a couple of revolutions to be instantly reminded just how impressive this is. A seriously top tier HC gem from a group who by all accounts did not belong to any scene and existed in the margins...but they bested most of their scene contemporaries.</li>
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</div><ul><li>Last summer's big reveal of the second section of The Highline was an overcrowded, well vendored<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/04/rid-home.html#note2">2</a></sup>, architectural delight. But to say that this particular park is worth a stroll is analogous to saying DiFaras<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2012/04/rid-home.html#note3">3</a></sup> is worth the trip: obvious. More interesting to me was the decision to leave--and prominently feature--this Revs/Cost piece. With a small meadow and seating below, this is one of the few places to congregate without feeling pressure to keep up the pace. It is, of course, the highlight of the park.</li>
<li>Have you heard Tyvek yet? The kids are raving.</li>
<li>There's <a href="http://metrotimes.com/food/punk-chef-1.1258988" target="new">this</a>, too. I can't wait for out trip our to Detroit this summer.</li>
</ul><ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Nj1kouPbEI/TuGUeW_h5pI/AAAAAAAAAGc/mBj8L1iBIM4/s1600/IMG_3635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Nj1kouPbEI/TuGUeW_h5pI/AAAAAAAAAGc/mBj8L1iBIM4/s400/IMG_3635.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><li>I've mentioned before that I adore <a href="http://www.firstandfifteenth.net/" target="new">ESPO</a> so I will not belabor other than to say we swung by his beautiful <a href="http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/sep/14/espo-paints-love-letter-brooklyn-macys-garage/" target="new">Love Letter to Brooklyn</a> and would encourage all to do likewise.</li>
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<ul><li>Richard Serra's sculptures are miraculous, among the most impressive structures I've caressed. His most recent entanglement, which ran last fall at Gagosian, may have been the most impressive that I've seen. </li>
<li>Like I said, quality be damned...another docket clearing post coming tomorrow, then back (beginning?) to business.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<br />
<sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup>The number one google search of this album returns a page with a review that sums up how I felt about the record when it was still new to me. I'm conflicted these days, but I think I stand by much of what I wrote then (aside from the writing itself, which is tough to read ten years later without the opportunity to edit mightily).<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup> Seriously, only the finest NYC food carts are featured but I do believe <a href="http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/" target="new">Blue Bottle Coffee</a> ought to double their operation as the wait on the day of our visit was excruciating, and it would be just plain wrong to be within 10 blocks of a Blue Bottle operation without indulging.<br />
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<sup><span id="note3">3 </span></sup><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vG_uKSeFslY/T3zW9Sj7uXI/AAAAAAAAAGs/viATKwNEftg/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vG_uKSeFslY/T3zW9Sj7uXI/AAAAAAAAAGs/viATKwNEftg/s320/IMG_3622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-26773591990889227772011-09-16T15:39:00.000-07:002011-09-16T15:39:25.964-07:00end.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Summer is over. Back to work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jS8ZgvXmHgo/TnPOmfV-OwI/AAAAAAAAAEk/SNoRkvAjHkw/s1600/IMG_1893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jS8ZgvXmHgo/TnPOmfV-OwI/AAAAAAAAAEk/SNoRkvAjHkw/s320/IMG_1893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IKIBmI8ObAA/TnPOrYgd7OI/AAAAAAAAAFU/znS_DG3TufA/s1600/IMG_3375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IKIBmI8ObAA/TnPOrYgd7OI/AAAAAAAAAFU/znS_DG3TufA/s320/IMG_3375.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHHo5fnSmLc/TnPOrqEW5NI/AAAAAAAAAFY/UTc_1x0DwzU/s1600/IMG_3395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHHo5fnSmLc/TnPOrqEW5NI/AAAAAAAAAFY/UTc_1x0DwzU/s320/IMG_3395.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-28690118089258119972011-07-24T20:19:00.000-07:002011-07-24T20:19:30.953-07:00Sunday Playlist.<b>The Ones</b> "Tightrope"<br />
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I threw on <i><a href="http://www.terminal-boredom.com/kbd.html" target="new">Staring Down the Barrel</a></i> this afternoon which is mind-bogglingly good straight through but after hitting The Ones track I stayed there for a while, getting up to start it over a couple-two-tree times<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/07/sunday-playlist.html#note1">1</a></sup>. This song —<a href="http://punkbusinessmanager.com/2010/05/22/the-ones.aspx" target="new">listen here</a>—ranks with The Dogs "Slash Your Face" or "Sonic Reducer" in the pantheon of monster riff air guitar jammers. It loses points on the G45 scale for being a new discovery, thus no legacy, and on the P45<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/07/sunday-playlist.html#note2">2</a></sup> scale for having no pic sleeve, but on music alone it is absolutely one of the best.<br />
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</div><b>"The Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983"</b> compilation (Stones Throw 2004)<br />
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I was fascinated to discover this collection of early CT hip hop. I shouldn't be surprised that this scene existed but when the "early hip hop" synapses fire in my mind I think "Bronx"—a specific locale as opposed to "New York" which often means "Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, Long Island, Connecticut, Northern Jersey, & Westchester/Putnam/Orange Counties". But here it is, proof positive that the scene had arms that reached outside of the borough borders. This collection is centered around New Haven and Bridgeport, many songs touched by Mr. Magic, including the standout "Get Up (And Go To School)" by Magic's nephew Pookie Blow<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/07/sunday-playlist.html#note3">3</a></sup> . I will be petitioning The Hall of the Guitar Solo to include Pookie's kazoo solo as it deserves to be admired alongside "Band Aid" and "All Wasted". In "Rappin' With Mr. Magic" he shouts out a roll call of cities around the state, including some towns that seem hard to imagine a vibrant scene of any sort, let alone graffiti/music (sorry, Ansonia). Stylistically, the tracks featured here are very similar to their Bronx-born cousins: re-appropriated disco beats looped and rapped over; shout outs and hand claps; "c'mon party people...", "'til the break of dawn", "throw your hands in the air", and more of the cliche-yet-essential call-out lyrics that are, really, perfect.<br />
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<b>Cider</b> 1st EP (<a href="http://www.nostages.com/clevo.html" target="new">Non-Commercial Records</a> 1994)<br />
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I picked up this spare a while back and wanted to give it one last spin before sending on to its new home.<br />
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<b>Gary Glitter </b>"Hello! Hello! I'm Back Again" 7"<br />
<br />
A while back I was listening to this album of Post-Regiment demos. It was mostly B- takes on their A+ songs, but tucked in was a cover of this Gary Glitter song. After I couldn't get it out of my head for a week I decided to pick up a copy of GG's original. So good.<br />
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_____<br />
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<sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup>No typo, just thinking about Terre T's in studio interview with Veedee, which is one of the best.<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup>As I recall, this only existed in old emails unless one of the parties involved spun it out into the real world but was our toying around with the G45 scale to fit punk better...add a slash for pic sleeve, maybe another for early/late for the trend. Actually, not sure if sleeveless helps or hurts the cause but I suspect that planned sleeve never distributed is a bonus.<br />
<sup><span id="note3">3</span></sup>Pookie was apparently of no relation to Kurtis but I believe any confusion on that point was deliberate by PB and/or Magic.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-80570486817200321152011-07-23T21:31:00.000-07:002011-07-23T22:13:57.204-07:00S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night!!!Right now I am:<br />
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a) Listening to X! Records "Shiftless Decay" compilation LP. Good record all around, especially on the tracks by Tyvek & Little Claw. Detroit is a curious place...I' don't think I've ever been to the city proper yet, S & I sometimes talk of it as a place to live. It has the right things going for it: cheap real estate = artist used real estate = venues, galleries, interesting happenings. Plenty of cool art and bands, many of whom are showcased on this album. We'd intended a detroit trip this summer but it'll have to be put off until next year.<br />
<br />
b) Clearing out my reader. I've been away for most of the last week, out in Southern California. It was a great time: I love the region and couldn't even begin to recite the amount of cool shit we saw/did/etc. But I am behind in all things current, such as email, twitter-reading, blog-reading, so on. Bless the reader for collecting all of what I've missed out on. May I recommend recent posts by <a href="http://www.shit-fi.com/content/dangerous-rhythm" target="new">Shit-Fi</a>, my man <a href="http://www.wardmagazine.com/" target="new">Zach Malfa-Kowalski</a>, the brilliant photographer <a href="http://lovebryan.com/sandy/2011/07/we-who-wait/" target="new">Sandy Kim</a> (whose book is apparently out of print yet NOT on my bookshelf...please help if you can), oh, many more, but I'm a speed-reader tonight as I try to get caught up so no more recommendations.<br />
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c) Eating ice cream out of my baseball helmet. Yes. At the ballgames you can buy a helmet full of ice cream and I do. Tonight the menu is mint-chip which is a sure-fire indication that the Gal is out of town as she'd never approve of my mint-chip choice. Also, in her honor I've decided to make whipped cream, but I have no concept of what constitutes a "little bit" of vanilla as I obviously used "a lot". Come home soon, please.<br />
<br />
d) Thinking about <a href="http://www.blankcityfilm.com/" target="new">Blank City</a>, which I saw last night at <a href="http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/" target="new">Jacob Burns Film Center</a>. We'd initially been scared off by the thought of yet another film about the lower east side glory days, but I was pleased to find that this had a different slant and is focused not on the bands these folks were in, nor on the cable access shows they made, nor the articles they wrote. I know about all of the above...but I am in the dark on their films, which are featured here. Super 8 and lo-fi, sometimes narrative, sometimes not but seemingly always of interest. I cannot tell a lie: I sat through most of the movie wondering what my movie should be. No decisions have been made but stay tuned and drop a line if you want in. It'll be HUGE.<br />
<br />
e) Listening to <a href="http://mocm.ca/Music/Title.aspx?TitleId=300430" target="new">Siggy Magic and the Hey-Ho Band</a> on Smash the State V3 (I'm a slow writer...expect 2 or 3 more "listening to..." entries before this is over). Fucking Siggy Magic. Brilliant. Oh boy, I need it. Please...somebody?<br />
<br />
f) Still thinking about Blank City. I love that John Lurie goes on record that he will always hate Basquiat for selling out and making money cool within their scene. Also, Jarmusch's tale about dragging a sleeping-bagged JMB out of the camera's eye as he slept on the floor while JJ filmed Stranger Than Fiction.<br />
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g) Balancing household monies. I am ahead.<br />
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h) Debating what to do tomorrow. Today I missed out on: the films of Errol Morris at AMMI, Times New Viking in the park, Brown Sugar at the punk house, Psychedelic Horseshit at another punk house, Estrogen Highs in New Haven, the films of Lumet at Walter Reade. What will I miss out on tomorrow? Psych HS is playing a free show, there are more Errol Morris films, etc but there is so much more cleaning to do at home.<br />
<br />
i) Listening to "One Chord Punk Rock Song" by Da Slyme. Canada's Urinals? Last track on STS3, next album up is...<br />
<br />
j) Listening to degenerates set off fireworks. I fucking love it when degenerates set off fireworks. Also, listening to Smash The State V2. Did I mention that I'm sorting though comp LPs at the moment trying to decide which are keepers and which can go. It's actually a tough decision as it comes down to a fundamental issue on the reissue comps: is it necessary to keep a comp that bootlegs multiple tracks from other comps but includes cuts otherwise unavailable? It is the reference library vs. living space question. Usually, I am on the side of living space but with comps it is different. And then my inner dialogue shifts..."Really, at this point, isn't this all available in shitty MP3 anyway? Aren't your emotional ties to a vinyl refereance library of obscure punk rock by way of bootleg compilation outdated?" No decisions have been made, but...<br />
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k) Getting tired. Sick of the blog neglect and plenty more to come here but for now, g'night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UUbR8nX55Fk/TiuftLoTX8I/AAAAAAAAAEA/YArSx1wcUkg/s1600/IMG_2909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UUbR8nX55Fk/TiuftLoTX8I/AAAAAAAAAEA/YArSx1wcUkg/s320/IMG_2909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-75979563588068234762011-06-07T20:18:00.000-07:002011-06-08T03:22:11.446-07:00Tuesday night.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzfXZjOhITc/Te6tQEYo7-I/AAAAAAAAADU/4_lWKJre5sY/s1600/IMG_1795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzfXZjOhITc/Te6tQEYo7-I/AAAAAAAAADU/4_lWKJre5sY/s320/IMG_1795.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Always so goddamn busy. I suppose that's the way it goes. Now playing: Post Regiment, first LP. Was listening to an album with their 1988 and 1990 demos earlier and was underwhelmed. I've got to hear the songs in their proper form, out of infancy and into something memorable. And so, these Post Regiment albums will get some play tonight. Unbelievably great stuff. Up soon: the big game. Good guys versus bad guys. Thats how I see it, the rest of the world sees The Worst versus Nearly as Bad. Go <a href="http://devildick.blogspot.com/2008/09/worst-expect-worst-mutha-005.html" target="new">The Worst</a>! Up a little later: <a href="http://www.friendsoftom.com/" target="new">The Best Show on WFMU</a>. It's the best!<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/06/tuesday-night.html#note1">1</a></sup><br />
<br />
But tonight is not about tonight. Here are some places I've been since recently...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0gm90WRwm4/Te6w7qzki1I/AAAAAAAAADY/tcX4DWQvsGw/s1600/IMG_1766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0gm90WRwm4/Te6w7qzki1I/AAAAAAAAADY/tcX4DWQvsGw/s320/IMG_1766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>Walter De Maria "The New York Earth Room"</b><br />
I must admit that part of the reason I felt the need to visit the <a href="http://www.diacenter.org/sites/main/earthroom" target="new">Earth Room</a> was an obligation to the artist and my desire to experience as much of the Earthwork sites as I can. After becoming entranced by Robert Smithson we made the trek to <a href="http://www.nostages.com/jetty1.html" target="new">Spiral Jetty</a> and became obsessed with Smithson, <a href="http://www.diacenter.org/" target="new">Dia</a>, and all who shared his aesthetic vision. As such, <a href="http://www.diacenter.org/sites/main/lightningfield" target="new">Lightning Field</a> and de Maria by extension, piqued our interest. While a trip to New Mexico is inevitable, we decided to visit Earth Room in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan to examine De Maria's vision. There's not much to it: a Manhattan loft filled with soil. All livable terrain in an open room is filled with about a yard of soil. Visitors know, EXACTLY, what they'll see upon entrance; however, the scene is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/19/AR2009051903443.html" target="new">arresting</a>. One cannot help but sit, mouth agape, at the scenery.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H3ptEO7nPks/Te7ce3k0PqI/AAAAAAAAADc/7kdFgOfLyCM/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H3ptEO7nPks/Te7ce3k0PqI/AAAAAAAAADc/7kdFgOfLyCM/s320/IMG_1784.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b>"Under Influence of ESPO" <a href="http://www.mayslesinstitute.org/" target="new">Maysles Cinema</a></b><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DQdqJJtfWT0/Te7dZzmEavI/AAAAAAAAADg/0FznZASj8j8/s1600/Scan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DQdqJJtfWT0/Te7dZzmEavI/AAAAAAAAADg/0FznZASj8j8/s320/Scan.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
That's ESPO walking down the aisle. The MAN, Philadelphia turned NYC graffiti legend who was open-minded when the art world came running and made some films while making bona fide gallery art. During his turn at Maysles, Mr. Powers screened a handful of films ranging from vintage footage of late 60s-early 70s era Philly wall art to camcorder footage of teenybopper ESPO & co. to a mini-doc of the grown up man doing his hometown good by organizing some strategic & awesome wall art around the city. Truly brilliant and inspiring stuff.<br />
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<br />
<b>Citizen's Arrest</b> at some giant rock club, Greenpoint, NY<br />
<br />
Unreal. Mind you, I HATE a) band reunions b) rock clubs and c) apathetic crowds...nonetheless, I couldn't ask for more. CxA was older, out of shape, and presumably as energetic as ever. Their jumps were not quite as high as <a href="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/336852.jpg" target="new">photos circa 1991</a> would lead you to believe and the in between song dialogue ("Is everybody having a good time tonight?", ad nauseum) was not that of idealistic youth BUT when the music started we may as well have been on Rivington<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/06/tuesday-night.html#note2">2</a></sup>. The crowd was clearly there for Tragedy-to the point where I wonder if most have ever heard CxA, but even their potted-plant enthusiasm did not deter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-77lF4Fto0K4/Te7joD2wLfI/AAAAAAAAADk/CZcHntOqgJE/s1600/IMG_1828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-77lF4Fto0K4/Te7joD2wLfI/AAAAAAAAADk/CZcHntOqgJE/s320/IMG_1828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/" target="new">WTF</a> with Marc Maron: <a href="http://www.thebellhouseny.com/calendar.php" target="new">Bell House</a></b><br />
<br />
Having heard all episodes of this podcast, including a few live events, it is not without experience that I declare this the best of all. <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/BS" target="new">Scharpling</a>, Wyatt Cenac, Kevin Allison, Horatio Sanz, Sam Lypsite...even Ted Leo<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/06/tuesday-night.html#note3">3</a></sup>. With Tom baiting Marc and Wyatt comforting him with cupcakes, the lineup was built to feed off of the host.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lzukElkVFs/Te7m4VMCe3I/AAAAAAAAADo/JmVtHp45rOI/s1600/IMG_1914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lzukElkVFs/Te7m4VMCe3I/AAAAAAAAADo/JmVtHp45rOI/s320/IMG_1914.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.stormking.org/" target="new">Storm King Art Center</a></b><br />
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One of our favorite destinations. Located up in New Windsor, NY, Storm King is a massive plot of land dotted with some of the best modern sculpture including works by Calder, Serra, and many, many more. It took the better part of the day to explore the grounds and get a feel for the art. The only downer was the old-timey crowd of snooty donors. <br />
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I've been up to more but the Good Guys lost, the Best Show is nearing completion, and my gal is hinting that it's time for bed. Enough! Never enough time. I'll leave you with few more photos from Storm King.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5_cKrwk8874/Te7olLOgkzI/AAAAAAAAAD8/pGSDBfYWKUY/s1600/IMG_1945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5_cKrwk8874/Te7olLOgkzI/AAAAAAAAAD8/pGSDBfYWKUY/s320/IMG_1945.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LRh2zpTJflo/Te7m91nGi3I/AAAAAAAAADs/f9luTY7MD2w/s1600/IMG_1880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LRh2zpTJflo/Te7m91nGi3I/AAAAAAAAADs/f9luTY7MD2w/s320/IMG_1880.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wiZIKV956aQ/Te7nDlIKcqI/AAAAAAAAADw/ZjRUgq7yW3U/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wiZIKV956aQ/Te7nDlIKcqI/AAAAAAAAADw/ZjRUgq7yW3U/s320/IMG_1838.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L48dr45Lw3s/Te7nRrZHLBI/AAAAAAAAAD0/S__MRP7DfHQ/s1600/IMG_1893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L48dr45Lw3s/Te7nRrZHLBI/AAAAAAAAAD0/S__MRP7DfHQ/s320/IMG_1893.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k7DPUS-Dv54/Te7nWBq0oQI/AAAAAAAAAD4/9Zz-uV2jXlE/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k7DPUS-Dv54/Te7nWBq0oQI/AAAAAAAAAD4/9Zz-uV2jXlE/s320/IMG_1847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup>It will be Wednesday night before I actually finish this post. Bear with me.<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup>No complaints about the lineup, who were brilliant, but did this lineup ever play live during the first go-round? Leo on guitar, Kahan on vocals, etc. Perfect execution.<br />
<sup><span id="note3">3</span></sup>As much as I hate RUSH, Ted & Marc's a cappella take on 2112 was almost bearable.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-4850265145579578902011-03-19T07:32:00.000-07:002011-03-19T07:32:49.238-07:00A stroll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Last Sunday, <a href="http://killedbycrafts.blogspot.com/" target="mew">Sarah</a> and I went for a walk to the abandoned Kingsbridge Armory. We missed our bus on the return trip and decided to cut through nearby Woodlawn Cemetery, which we had been meaning to explore anyway. I had my <s>camera</s> phone with me so I took some pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PPFpWiSJ2nA/TYS9iMBZ-JI/AAAAAAAAAC4/Zyim2-2SLx0/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PPFpWiSJ2nA/TYS9iMBZ-JI/AAAAAAAAAC4/Zyim2-2SLx0/s320/IMG_1417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WIGOxURxZbg/TYS9lsJ-CzI/AAAAAAAAAC8/N3QDDBu1SLA/s1600/IMG_1432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WIGOxURxZbg/TYS9lsJ-CzI/AAAAAAAAAC8/N3QDDBu1SLA/s320/IMG_1432.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gp5UYU7Nsog/TYS9oM2_5CI/AAAAAAAAADA/03ddyL9SXFc/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gp5UYU7Nsog/TYS9oM2_5CI/AAAAAAAAADA/03ddyL9SXFc/s320/IMG_1419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GC3_BgLAkhQ/TYS9rMw9qdI/AAAAAAAAADE/1d2iBi-GuBU/s1600/IMG_1425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GC3_BgLAkhQ/TYS9rMw9qdI/AAAAAAAAADE/1d2iBi-GuBU/s320/IMG_1425.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XQnT5DjaCM0/TYS9tVqPMII/AAAAAAAAADI/M7tfIGS_N-o/s1600/IMG_1414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XQnT5DjaCM0/TYS9tVqPMII/AAAAAAAAADI/M7tfIGS_N-o/s320/IMG_1414.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-7921186012304681372011-03-11T23:16:00.000-08:002011-03-11T23:22:14.717-08:00Running on empty.<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Woodlawn, NY— This place is under water, KO'd by the second rainstorm of the week. The river has overflown and taken over the highway, a beautiful sight that I intend to explore up close in the AM if it has not receded, but a fucking nightmare for my life as a commuter. The trek to work this morning was bad but coming home was nearly intolerable, sanity saved only by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/gangoffourripoff" target="new">Mordecai</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/potlucksandwitch" target="new">Sandwich</a>, and <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/BS" target="new">The Best Show on WFMU</a>. Sleep has been minimal over the last few days and a curious combination of <a href="http://www.peets.com/" target="new">Peet's coffee</a>, <a href="http://www.anchorbrewing.com/" target="new">Anchor Steam Beer</a> and a collection of Templars tracks from their splits are what's keeping me going <sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/running-on-empty.html#note1">1</a></sup> It's sad to think that it was not too long ago that I could pull off a late night followed by a 6AM start without a hitch; alas, it's gotten harder with every new gray hair. Still, it's worth the pain.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During Wednesday night's benefit for <a href="http://showpaper.org/" target="new">Showpaper</a> at the <a href="http://www.dctvny.org/" target="new">Old Firehouse</a><sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/running-on-empty.html#note2">2</a></sup>, Sic Alps had some technical issues to deal with. The process of setting up the backline shared by their tourmates Magic Markers was prolonged when the mixing board that they run their vocals through was fried. As the smell of burning circuits permeated the air, I <a href="http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/gervais-david-brent.jpg" target="new">quipped </a>that at least we were in the right place to deal with a fire. Hilarious.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eventually the Alps abandoned their attempts to fix the mixing board and turned things over to Magik Markers, who had been slated to go on next. Firmly in the camp of "heard about but never heard", I was curious to see how the Markers held up to their reputation...or whatever bastardized version of their rep has made its way to my old-man ears. Of course, what played out was not at all what I was expecting. Instead of a sloppy burst of noise, I was assaulted by one of the tightest rhythm sections I've had the pleasure of witnessing. Ever. They were accompanied by a gal on guitar who convincingly played the part of idiot savant. She fumbled over the guitar as if she had no idea what she was doing. But that was clearly not the case, as she manhandled her instrument. Enhanced by a bevy of electronics and pedals, Magik Markers belted out a dichotomy of mess and proficiency, its form defined by the machine-like duo but personality owned by the structured chaotic guitar. I've been converted.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PPNJ0b4id3c/TXrNLUnv_lI/AAAAAAAAACw/kkYb9Vbb3S4/s1600/IMG_1343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PPNJ0b4id3c/TXrNLUnv_lI/AAAAAAAAACw/kkYb9Vbb3S4/s400/IMG_1343.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back to Sic Alps, a favorite in our household for a dog's age. These guys have added a member, a second guitarist whose role is presumably to enable his counterpart to not play the guitar and concentrate on singing without losing any of the tune. It's OK by me. But backing up... The band lost their mixing board and had to go to Plan B and send their vocals through the house PA. The soundman was walking them through their check. "Guitar please." Strum strum. So on. "Kick drum." The band stood there looking at each other for a moment. After blurting out "Fuck it, let's just go," the drummer leaped onto his stool and immediately launched into an incredible drum solo to kick things off. Keith Moon incredible. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erE8WTngaAY" target="new">Animal</a> incredible. A moment of brilliant turmoil which gave way to a robust set.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sic Alps accomplish what few others do in combining lush melodies with breakout explosive jams. They teeter on the edge for a spell and then explode</span><span style="font-size: small;">–bodies flail into the microphones, drums assaulted. Pick up the pieces and set things up enough to do it again for 3 minutes. Long enough to get in one or two memorable hooks, to leave an impression most folks are incapable of, then a burst of energy before cleaning up and moving onto the next memorable hook. A fantastic set. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1RSEULx5Ckc/TXrQCmC4AVI/AAAAAAAAAC0/zcu80bO-r4c/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1RSEULx5Ckc/TXrQCmC4AVI/AAAAAAAAAC0/zcu80bO-r4c/s320/IMG_1356.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thursday night we headed out to see Marc Maron at a taping of his <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/" target="new">WTF podcast</a>. I encountered Maron's show not too long after joining the podcast culture (which was, admittedly, years after the rest of the world jumped in). With fond recollections of his standup via Comedy Central, I anxiously dove into the series. It has become more <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/arts/09maron.html" target="new">obvious</a> with each successive episode, but Marc's podcast is not standard fare. He probes deeper, with more introspect, than any of his peers and in the process not only gets his guests to open up but talks about his own life with more honesty than most can muster in therapy. And we can relate</span><span style="font-size: small;">–this set was preceded by a cast of dozens approaching the stage in eucharist-like earnesty to deliver presents<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/running-on-empty.html#note3">3</a></sup> to the host. Thank You's for talking about your life with the honesty that we find hard to reflect upon ourselves.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marc's panel for this taping (the second of two that night) featured the charismatic Sarah Vowell, Chuck Klosterman, Eric Drysdale, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader. Hilarity ensued, really. As first panelist up, and by definition the longest guest on stage, Vowell initiated a lively conversation about the history of Hawaii, then kept up with comically timed comments and yawns during subsequent guests (after various audience members felt the need to chime in with absurdly trivial additions to the conversation, she announced "it feels like we're sitting in a room with the internet"). Hader's tale of Danny McBride's stoned trek in a car service stole the show. As was told, the real-life Kenny Powers defied his limo driver's order not to smoke marijuana en route. When confronted, he acknowledged his gaff, accepted his banishment of the service, and made arrangements to meet his pals at Denny's on foot. Game, set, match. Kenny Fucking Powers!</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">_________________________________________________________________</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup> Sad to say, but the artwork on many of the Templars records is as bad as the music is good. I need to start collecting these records exclusively as test presses. Sleeveless by design without the weight of "missing" part of the package.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span id="note2">2</span></sup> Aka DCTV, a media arts center housed in a historic former fire station. The exterior is ridiculously beautiful and ornate, while the interior resembles a vacant school gym overtaken by invasive student artists (think overhead projectors + paper mache<sup><a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/running-on-empty.html#note2a">2a</a></sup>). Sadly, no <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79eIhxG3CK8" target="new">firepoles</a> in sight. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span id="note2a">2a</span></sup>Seriously, they could not leave the paper mache 8-sided die alone. Every few minutes someone would readjust the position of this artifact. That it was opaque, and thus barely being projected onto the wall very effectively, did not seem to factor into the equation.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span id="note3">3</span></sup>Oddly enough, the most memorable gift of the night was the most generic: a Whitman's sampler. I think the grandma of boxed candy reminded us all of plastic-covered couches. Which is just funny.</span></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-68820801903963192192011-03-05T12:06:00.000-08:002011-03-05T12:06:46.302-08:00Innings.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z3uGzb_Fdu0/TXJC_tRHu_I/AAAAAAAAACs/KAoaKWjzNBY/s1600/IMG_0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z3uGzb_Fdu0/TXJC_tRHu_I/AAAAAAAAACs/KAoaKWjzNBY/s400/IMG_0287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The first spring training games started up last weekend and I found myself squared with the TV set during lunch easing back into a familiar routine. The bad guys faced off against the assholes, and, as always, I rooted for the bad guys (it's been that way since I was a kid, blame grandpa and Donny B). Old familiar faces took to the plate, giving their first go of the year. Brilliant to watch, even with the fellows giving 50%. That's part of the excitement, the slow build of camp as we watch the veterans crawl to life and the kids explode out of the gate.<br />
<br />
I never did get totally into the swing of things last year as far as The Game was concerned. Real life stress and distractions loomed over my head with enough weight to keep me from getting too comfortable or carried away with the season. I did not put in the requisite time at <a href="http://billjamesonline.net/" target="new">Bill James Online</a><sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/innings.html#note1">1</a></sup>, the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UVfkYlocoCY/TBJYhhiRjNI/AAAAAAAAA4o/3PwXvd0CANg/s1600/The+Fordham+Baldies.jpg" target="new">Fordham Baldies</a><sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/innings.html#note2">2</a></sup> never did recover from their early season slump, plus my team found new ways to piss me off. It's all forgotten now, and watching live from my living room in NY, was as engrossing as ever. I had to split to run some errands and when I got back at the tail end of the outing, the field was covered with guys not named Manny wearing 99 on their backs'. These kids, totally unfamiliar even to me even as a guy who tends to dip into minor league blogs and scouting reports of the young'ns, were going at it full force.<br />
<br />
Young kids on the cusp of living out their dreams who will, in all likelihood, end up back at home all too soon and will spend the rest of their lives talking about how close they came. I'm envious. One of the cable networks was showing <a href="http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/beyond_the_multiplex/feature/2009/04/03/sugar" target="new">Sugar</a> this winter, which I think tells that story as well as it's been told on film. The eponymous star is scouted as a teen in the Dominican where he signs and is brought up through the ranks of a big league team. This is <i>the dream</i> but the story is anything but glorious. Pulled away from his family and brought to play in small town Iowa, Sugar is boarded with a Bible Belt American family whose allegiances are with God, America, and their local team. And so he struggles with language and culture, attempts to find comfort with the locals who, despite sharing a love for the sport, are absolute aliens to him. The intense smiles and <i>Jesus is looming in the back of my mind</i><b> </b>chit chat of the youth group teens would bewilder even those of us who get the subtleties of the language so it's no surprise that the character misreads some of this as romantic interest. <br />
<br />
This is the setting in which the hero is faced with honing his skills, growing from kid player into pro. The massive uphill on-field battle actually becomes the most familiar thing around. And in this tale, Sugar cracks. He had too much working against him to perfect his curve and to adjust to life on the road away from family. After dropping out of the league he ends up in New York, working in a wood shop as he had back home, and playing in a pick-up league in the park. His teammates have similar stories to his.<br />
<br />
Sarah and I often spend summertime weekends exploring one park or another and gravitate towards ballgames when we pass them. Men on the diamond, decked out in uniform, playing as if their salaries were on the line while their families and passers-by like us watch on. Perhaps many are like Sugar who had a shot once and keep going still, even after life has moved on. Or like number 94, who hit a two run homer in my team's loss last week and has spent most of the last ten years in Mexico trying work his way into the radar of a big league team. He was almost the hero in spring training game number 1 and I'm rooting for him to make a mark over the next few weeks but time has a way of running out as players close in on 30. The sparse spring training crowds fade into 50 of us crowded around the fence in Inwood Hill Park as the men on field carry on exactly as they always have.<br />
<br />
_____<br />
<br />
<sup><span id="note1">1</span></sup> Subscription required, kids, but worth every cent of the 300 cents/month fee. I believe there was a note recently that they were planning to open up some of the content from behind the firewall to the public, which'd be swell, but the fee is a mere pittance so subscribe away.<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2 </span></sup>These Baldies, of course, being managed by me via an app and acted out by millionaires on the field, not being managed by Terror and acted out in front of a recruiting office. If I could find a decent Woodlawn related gang name I'd consider changing for this year, otherwise two stops on the train doesn't make me too much an impostor.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-52767333490535561452011-02-19T11:45:00.000-08:002011-02-19T18:53:42.099-08:00no title.There has been radio silence here on the blog lately, but things at Savage Aesthetic World Headquarters have been as hectic as ever. For instance:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://nostages.com/clevo.html" target="new">Dismantled</a>, a discography of Clevo hardcore that I've compiled and managed over the years has been updated to include the latest batch of records from the scene as well as new images of some earlier variations that I've picked up recently.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.terminal-boredom.com/TOC28.html" target="new">Terminal Boredom</a> has a new issue up, or mostly up, with some random contributions from me.</li>
<li>We have also been rewatching <a href="http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/07/freaks-and-geeks-pilot.php?page=1" target="new">Freaks and Geeks</a> which, while not productive, has been awesome and has cut into time that may have otherwise been spent writing.</li>
<li>Mostly I've been digging through records trying to pare down the collection again, a time consuming and fun ritual in which I dedicate weeks every year to seeing what can be lived without and inevitably rediscover some gems in the process. Some future blog fodder has been found and noted.</li>
</ul><div>I should be back up and running on this here site with some regularity in short order. In the meantime, dig what the mailman delivered this week. The Quotas single was purchased sleeveless for 14€ plus post back to the US and paired up with a sleeve within a few hours. <a href="http://minimumtillagefarming.blogspot.com/search?q=jim+shepard" target="new">Vertical Slit</a> — not as cheap but happy to have. Still need to track down a copy of <i>Slit & Pre-Slit</i> but for now the bootleg will serve as a place keeper. I should note that it really is a shame that the <a href="http://foreverlowman.blogspot.com/" targer="new">Forever Lowman</a> blog kicked the bucket as Al Gore invented the internet for content like that. Regardless, be sure to dig around on FL and Minimum Tillage Farming for plenty of Jim Shepard. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w1NOmHDNis4/TWAWhwJfd4I/AAAAAAAAACo/NH_16u960TQ/s1600/IMG_1256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w1NOmHDNis4/TWAWhwJfd4I/AAAAAAAAACo/NH_16u960TQ/s400/IMG_1256.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-30862164887664266782011-01-09T10:25:00.000-08:002011-01-09T19:13:07.854-08:00Saturday playlist.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSn2mX_hQqI/AAAAAAAAACU/R_MqmHHAl9o/s1600/IMG_1166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSn2mX_hQqI/AAAAAAAAACU/R_MqmHHAl9o/s400/IMG_1166.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div><b>"Wormtown '78"</b> compilation (Beast, 1979)</div><div><br />
</div><div>I picked this up as a curiosity; sleeveless stock copies of this notoriously rare compilation have been available over the last year and I suppose I figured I might as well give it a shot. I had no real expectations—<a href="http://wormtownpunk.blogspot.com/" target=new>Worcester, Massachusetts</a> was not the type of place, one would think, to incubate a great rock'n'roll scene. Of course, one would be wrong; it turns out that Worcester is among the population of small and mid-sized American cities with early punk scenes that outshone their metropolis brethren. The four bands—Crazy Jack & the Heart Attaxs, Blue Moon Band, The Towel, Hooker—on <i>Wormtown '78</i> share a thuggish bar rock sound with loud, scuzzy guitars that plant this firmly in punk territory. Sex Pistols and Ramones influence is clear, but this still comes across as meaner, more blue collar. The Towel, who otherwise have no releases, steal the show for me. A duo with guitar and vocals only have a sound reminiscent of Mike Rep & the Quotas or Teenage PHD's without the weirdness in the songwriting; these tracks read as earnest if underdeveloped stabs at rock and roll. In totality, it is a brilliant comp, showcasing a scene with an original sound that was mostly lost in American punk. Just fantastic stuff.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Protex</b> "Strange Obsessions" LP (Sing Sing, 1980/2010)</div><div><br />
</div><div>When we were out in Los Angeles, we spent a good amount of time at <a href="http://www.cinefamily.org/" target=new>Cinefamily</a>, which was hosting a weekend of screenings in honor of the amazing <a href="http://www.punksonfilm.com/" target=new>Destroy All Movies</a> book. One of the films we caught was Shellshock Rock, a snapshot of Belfast punk circa 1979. What was so compelling was that it was a portrait of a scene looking to avoid chaos, using punk as a vehicle for light-hearted fun in contrast to the dire politically charged reality of their surroundings. Perhaps this helps explain the Belfast aesthetic—energetic but extremely melodic, music for a spikey haired sock hop. This collection of 1979-1980 recordings from Protex, previously only rumored to exist, is exemplary of that sound. It's not the type of thing that gets many listens by me, but when the mood is right this one'll be tough to beat. Next dance, anyone?</div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSn3lG0vaQI/AAAAAAAAACc/CKBZNnXw-Ws/s1600/IMG_1168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSn3lG0vaQI/AAAAAAAAACc/CKBZNnXw-Ws/s400/IMG_1168.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div><b>The Tix</b> s/t 10" (Lunar Lab, 1980)</div><div><br />
A friend and I recently found ourselves chatting over a coffee and stuffed french toast breakfast at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/city-island-diner-bronx"target=new >City Island Diner</a> on a miserable, rainy morning. He mentioned that he'd recently revisited this Houston record and had been spending a lot of time with it...then was kind enough to point out a copy for sale and recommended that I try it out for myself. You can see why this release was overlooked among the sea of monster punk gems in Texas. The band clearly viewed themselves as new wave, but their organ driven sound is much more at home with, say, Desperate Bicycles than Gary Numan. Pukekos blog has a track up, <a href="http://www.pukekos.org/2009/12/tix.html" target="new">here</a>, so check it out.<br />
<br />
<b>Tyvek</b> "Nothing Fits" LP (In the Red, 2010)<br />
<br />
Proof that their endless demo-ing and reworking of songs pays off. "Nothing Fits" showcases a totally aggressive take on the band. This one's as raw and angry and as powerful an album as I've heard in a while. The entire thing builds up to "Blocked" which about halfway through starts kicks into a guitar riff that, although different, kind of reminds me of the second half of Disclose's "Nightmare or Reality".<br />
<br />
<b>Estrogen Highs</b> "Friends and Family" LP (<a href="http://grameryrecords.blogspot.com/" target=new>Gramery</a>, 2010)<br />
<br />
A sleeper candidate for year end top ten lists. This is a stellar album, leaps and bounds better than the first album both in terms of ambition and execution. These kids are really hitting on something. See them on <a href="http://terminal-boredom.com/forums/index.php?topic=30176.0" target=new>tour</a> now. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSn8MZ8L7NI/AAAAAAAAACg/jKXOX-nU3FE/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSn8MZ8L7NI/AAAAAAAAACg/jKXOX-nU3FE/s400/IMG_1169.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>Public Image Ltd</b> "Public Image" b/w "Cowboy Song" (Virgin, 1978)<br />
<br />
I was dismantling a broken photocopier while this was playing. Classic stuff that makes for great background music for such an activity. I think I got the damned thing working again (it did take the next album as well...I'm not that fast).<br />
<br />
<b>Destruction Unit</b> "Eclipse" LP (Eclipse, 2010)<br />
<br />
At first I was sort of put off with the direction that Destruction Unit had taken over the last couple of releases. His first EP is an all-time favorite and completely aggressive. It's what I think of when I think of Destruction Unit, so when he started to release music that was more introverted and thoughtful it took me a but to regroup. I'm there now and can appreciate this new, moody take on Destruction Unit. Still the same band, just growing up a bit.</div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-15479245392943732832011-01-03T12:25:00.000-08:002011-01-03T17:25:33.443-08:00movie night.<div style="text-align: justify;">We had a bit of a lazy weekend, in a sense, for the most part staying indoors working on various projects, catching up on <a href="http://core.ecu.edu/ENGL/parillek/dctitles.htm" target="new">reading</a>, making the season's last batch of <a href="http://eatmakeread.com/2010/12/22/holiday-treats-chocolate-peppermint-pretzels/" target="new">Xmas snacks</a>, and spending plenty of time curled up on the couch watching TV. The bulk of this was spent watching the brilliant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Tambor" target="new">Jeffrey Tambor</a>, first during our own New Years Eve screening of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20060219000608/http://imnoscar.com/" target="new">Arrested Development</a><sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-night.html#note1">1</a></sup>, and again during IFC's marathon of the Larry Sanders Show<sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-night.html#note2">2</a></sup>. Somewhere in there, Sarah mentioned having never seen Over The Edge.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSIPKKuZ04I/AAAAAAAAACE/bGkTsAQdiGE/s1600/overtheedgerare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSIPKKuZ04I/AAAAAAAAACE/bGkTsAQdiGE/s400/overtheedgerare.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image borrowed from the very cool <a href="http://subtletyinexcess.blogspot.com/" target="new">Subtlety In Excess</a> blog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unlike <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSItO1bvzsI/AAAAAAAAACQ/6vwb6NYjv6A/s1600/ramones.jpg" target="new">Rock and Roll High School</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF5u-5X6Bjs&feature=related" target="new">Ladies & Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IzCyp-dwbs" target="new">Repo Man</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG7ukESxFP8" target="new">Dudes,</a> and others from the era's canon of teen rebellion films, none of the kids in 1979's Over The Edge identify themselves as punk rockers. This is not only curious considering it was an exploitation film conceptualized during the earliest wave of punxploitation but also because the film was directed by Jonathan Kaplan, who had a previous credit as a director of <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/who_killed_bambi_-_a_screenpla.html" target="new">Who Killed Bambi?</a> having replaced Russ Meyer for a spell before the film fell apart completely. But despite that technicality, this is most definitely a punk film<sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-night.html#note3">3</a></sup> —and a well worn VHS copy should be a staple among my peer group<sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-night.html#note4">4</a></sup> .<br />
<br />
The characters are largely stereotypes (the stoner, the bad guy cop<sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-night.html#note5">5</a></sup>, absentee parents, the mute<sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2011/01/movie-night.html#note6">6</a></sup>) with very little personality but the people are very real to me. I knew kids who made pseudo-bombs with firecrackers and matchheads while babysitting themselves after school, who practiced petty vandalism for fun, who wanted to lock their parents in a PTA meeting and trash the parking lot and I knew the lazy cop whose job was to give these kids a hard time and make them feel subhuman. That the kids were played by kids (not so much actors) whose lives were probably not far off those of their characters makes this all the more real. The movie would have been a wreck with any more skill or depth; like the best punk, it works as a punch to the gut, a raw emotional outburst.<br />
<br />
Why this is such a classic is that, despite all else, it conveys the feeling of what it's like to be an afterthought, stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do except sit around with others in the same situation. It nails what it is like being young, unable to articulate your feelings any way other than to just hate your surroundings; not knowing what you want or what a better situation looks like, just knowing that things aren't right, that you want out, and that the only semblance of escape is to lay back on your bed, headphones on, blasting "Surrender". Only here, the kids do not surrender, they band together and fight back.<br />
<br />
Apparently, the "based on a true story" line at the beginning of the film is, sort of, true. Its authors were inspired by an article in the SF Examiner in the early 70s about packs of rowdy teens, reeking havoc on their town. With that as the nugget of truth at the center, they beefed up the story with death and explosions. Though the article itself seems to be MIA on the world wide web, Vice Magazine was apparently able to dig it up as it is quoted in their amazing <a href="http://www.viceland.com/int/v16n9/htdocs/over-the-edge-134.php" target="new">oral history</a> of the film.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSInj-CtJ7I/AAAAAAAAACI/bCAL2c6cTNo/s1600/stripes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TSInj-CtJ7I/AAAAAAAAACI/bCAL2c6cTNo/s400/stripes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We also caught <a href="http://www.whitestripes.com/film/film.html" target="new">White Stripes: Under the Great White Northern Lights</a>, which was showing on TV. The film documents their extended tour of Canada and their attempts to make it a memorable and unusual journey. With impromptu free gigs, including a session of "Wheels on the Bus" on a public bus, visitations to schools and Inuit nursing homes, it seems as though they succeeded. In the middle of the film is an interview session in which Jack is discussing his self imposed limitations—<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;">limiting aesthetics to red and white, using old and temperamental gear, performing as a duo, so on—</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;">and how those limitations exist to force creativity, they exist to force him to find a way to work around them to come up with something interesting. Limitation as a conduit to creativity is something that I think about often and wholeheartedly endorse, and hearing Jack's rant made me appreciate the band even more than I had before.</span><br />
<br />
____________________________<br />
<br />
<sup><span id="note1">1 </span></sup>I was really hoping to link to imoscar.com here, but the site included a robots.txt preventing archive.org from hosting. Curiously, they did not include this on imnoscar.com, a site that I didn't know existed until five minutes ago. <br />
<br />
<sup><span id="note2">2 </span></sup>I'm still not sure why they chose to start their airing with season six. Perhaps it'll make sense to me after I watch the first five seasons.</div><br />
<sup><span id="note3">3 </span></sup>I'm thinking that there's a case to be made for this non-punk PUNK film genre with Over the Edge, The Warriors, A Clockwork Orange, Dogtown & Z-Boys, and some others. Proto non-punk PUNK would include Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Pink Flamingos, George & Mike Kuchar, etc. Am I getting carried away?<br />
<br />
<sup><span id="note4">4 </span></sup>A peer group who has borrowed heavily from the film when conjuring up imagery or themes for their bands: New Granada and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theritchiewhitesband" target="new">The Ritchie Whites</a> borrowing their names, Area 51(among others) sampling dialogue, and the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomchinesemillionaires" target="new">Chinese Millionaires</a> ode "(You're Alright) Richie White". Remind me what I'm forgetting (I know there's a lot).<br />
<br />
<sup><span id="note5">5 </span></sup> Named "Doberman"! No subtlety at all; I love it.<br />
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<sup><span id="note6">6 </span></sup> I haven't figured this one out yet, but he sure is a cool kid.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-82171631540335796852010-12-31T06:45:00.000-08:002010-12-31T07:15:06.625-08:00Sex Bomb.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TR3okCNqieI/AAAAAAAAACA/i4Fp47A1aMg/s1600/kicktokill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TR3okCNqieI/AAAAAAAAACA/i4Fp47A1aMg/s320/kicktokill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TR3okCNqieI/AAAAAAAAACA/i4Fp47A1aMg/s1600/kicktokill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Free from Christmas duties, my elves have been diligently working away on the <a href="http://sexbombsleeves.blogspot.com/" target="new">Sex Bomb</a> blog. Combining my love for the handmade, Flipper, record collecting, and fish this was a natural archive project to take on. The blog exists to display variations of the one of a kind sleeves that housed the first press (red vinyl) copies of Flipper's "Sex Bomb" 45 on Subterranean Records and gets updated periodically throughout the year when enough gather up. You can expedite the process by sending a scan or photo of you copy of "Sex Bomb" to <a href="mailto:sub23a@gmail.com">the Sex Bomb team</a>. A new round of posts have been ongoing and will last through next week. Enjoy.</div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-62768685984719564082010-12-25T08:24:00.000-08:002010-12-25T08:29:36.323-08:00Kill This Myth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TRYN6bih3BI/AAAAAAAAAB4/gXJcEIcrd6I/s1600/801205f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TRYN6bih3BI/AAAAAAAAAB4/gXJcEIcrd6I/s400/801205f.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>G'day. Assuming 'good person' status, y'all should have woken to bundles of gifts this morning. I know I <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheaprewards/5290042505" target="new">did</a>. But it is important to remember that today is not about getting the good stuff, it's about...preaching. And no one preaches better than Miss Velma. We were introduced to this gem at a <a href="http://www.lightindustry.org/" target="new">Light Industry</a><sup> <a href="http://savageaesthetic.blogspot.com/2010/12/kill-this-myth.html#note1">†</a></sup> screening a couple of years ago and it has become as important as <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Black_christmas_movie_poster.jpg" target="new">Black Christmas</a>, <a href="http://www.mrchocolate.com/" target="new">hot cocoa</a>, and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sxtyfoursquares/3308968670/" target="new">Candy Cane Joe-Joe's</a> to our yuletide ritual. Enjoy!<br />
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<sup><span id="note1">†</span></sup>:Absolutely one of the finest institutions going in New York, Light Industry never fails to deliver, screening the finest in odd, obscure, and otherwise unseen cinema.DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099039796289032409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053635264451000160.post-73675550199930260642010-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:002010-12-16T11:00:20.174-08:00Frat Cars.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fratcars.com/" target="new"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x3rqdERGwuY/TQpM16WmBiI/AAAAAAAAABs/_MQKCXB053c/s640/999999a.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I am an obsessive list maker and keep, at all times, a legal pad full of too-small-to-read items that I <i>need</i> to get done. Some are short-term and only last a few hours but others hang around for years as I hope to find the time, motivation or resources to tackle. Or to motivate others to tackle.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">After reviewing the massive archive of <b><a href="http://www.soundonsound.org/" target="new">Big Boys</a></b> fliers being held at a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/20/us/death-waco-overview-scores-die-cult-compound-set-afire-after-fbi-sends-tanks.html?ref=branch_davidians&pagewanted=all" target="new"><span id="goog_943904349"></span>compound</a> in Texas, my pal <a href="http://www.ryanrichardson.com/" target="new">Ryan</a> and I decided that in terms of historical and artistic value, not to mention sheer volume, the collection should not be limited to those invited to view the private holdings of the <b><a href="http://www.breakmyface.com/" target="new">Break My Face Institute of the Arts</a></b>. We hatched a plan to spread the word, dividing the labor so that I got the shitwork tasks of scanning fliers, deciphering dates and venues, and organizing chronologically. All Ryan had to do was register a domain and get them up, an easy feat considering his <a href="http://www.strangesisters.com/" target="new">vast</a>, <a href="http://www.gayontherange.com/" target="new">vast</a> experience at such endeavors. I finished my part in the spring of 2006, one of my last important tasks to do in Austin before splitting town and moving back to New York. Every six months or so I'd drop a line to my accomplice to see how the other side was progressing just to let him know that I hadn't forgotten. I got a phone call the other day to let me know he hadn't either, and that in a fit of inspiration he'd been up all night pounding out lines of code. So that's the story. I urge you to spend a couple of hours with <a href="http://www.fratcars.com/" target="new"><b>fratcars.com</b></a> as it is a truly amazing collection that spans the life of the band and provides a glimpse into their scene and how it evolved. Some brilliant artists are featured, including band members <a href="http://www.timkerr.net/" target="new">Tim Kerr</a> and <a href="http://randybiscuitart.wordpress.com/" target="new">Biscuit</a>, but also <a href="http://www.wedigdixon.com/" target="new">Dixon Edge</a>, Control Rat X, David Yow and more. I'm glad to have finally crossed the longest outstanding item off of my to-do list.</div><br />
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