RUSSIAN JOKE - Man was walking through Leningrad Square. Woman come to him and say, "Is that pistol in pocket or you are just happy to see me?" It was pistol. Man was KGB. Woman was never seen again.
The new edition of Russian Criminal Tattoo is out now, it's the third installment of this series, and, like the previous two, it's full of tons of great tattoo ideas you'll want to get yourself, but probably shouldn't. Packed with black and white photos of tattoos and the criminal maniacs who have them, and nice illustrations of many others, this book is a must for the discerning tattoo freak or any aspiring hoodlums on the make...
It's available in bookstores and online now, and a second edition of Volume 1 is available on pre-order as well.... Get the T-Shirt here.
While perusing the excellent "Nostalgia on Wheels" website the other day i came across a picture of a publicity pic (is that redundant?) for the classic Brando movie "The Wild One"... It reminded me of the cover of the cover (yes i know that sounds redundant but this time it's not) of "Town Without Pity" by the Phantom Chords, Dave Vanian's band... Here's Gene Pitney's version, from 1961..
Everybody knows the story of The Clash playing 17 nights in a row at Bond's International Casino in Times Square instead of their original 5 nights, but it's a great story, and makes for a fitting lead into my exciting "THEN and NOW..." photo series. I found a nice old picture of Bond's, and then went up to Times Square with my camera and tried to replicate the shot, but in its current form (obviously). Due to the limitations of my S.U.X. 2000 camera (i do have the PEN15 module) i wasn't able to capture THE EXACT angle of the old shot but as you know it's illegal to take pictures in Times Square so i feel lucky to be able to bring you this at all. So...
In an effort to broaden our cultural horizons i felt it was important to include some literature - a book review.
After all, wasn't it that famous NAMBLA member Alan Ginsberg, who said on 'Ghetto Defendant' by the Clash, "Do the Worm on the Acropolis - slamdance the cosmopolis - ENLIGHTEN THE POPULACE"?
So this week's selections are "The Black Leather Barbarians" by Pat Stadley, and "Get Your Cock Out" by Mark Manning.
As you can see, Black Leather Barbarians has enticing, heavy-duty cover art, basically saying, "Take me home - it'll be great, i promise!". But like cab ride home with a debutante who's had one too many champagne spritzers, SOMEBODY'S gonna be asleep before there's any fun to be had - but in this case it's you, the reader.
But "Get Your Cock Out" delivers in spades. It not only lives up to the cover art, but surpasses it, and could very well be the most obscene, disgusting, TITILLATING, and entertaining book i've ever read, and i've read alot - at least 25 or 26. Mark Manning (aka Zodiac Mindwarp) has hatched new genre of Ultra-Violent Futuristic Rock n Roll Sleaze/Druggie Filth/Groupie/Gay Commando Bike Gang "Noir", not too unlike a printed version of one of his records, and it i think we would all benefit if he wrote some more in this vein.
Sadly, G.Y.C.O. might be hard to find now. It was published by ATTACK! Books a few years ago, and i think i bought it at a Tower Records for seven frogpelts (American) but i think ATTACK! (and Tower) is no longer around, so good luck finding a copy.. :(
The Boys, from England, were always one of my favorite '77 punk bands - catchy tunes, clever lyrics, big guitars, they wore nice jackets - basically all the ingredients that make for success. Yet they arent nearly as well known as some of their contemporaries, and i always wondered why. I suspected that maybe they weren't taken seriously, as their songs border on full-on pop sometimes, but that didnt quite make sense if you think of Buzzcocks songs, or even Gen X, who were seen as teen idol (no pun intended) pin-ups by some. Or maybe they were considered too old, since a few of their members had been around for a while in other bands like the Hollywood Brats. But a little light internet research produced some info, in the category of "classic record-label idiocy", the kind that makes me feel sorry for the bands, but that i love to read about in their biographies.
In January of 1977 they signed a deal with the NEMS label. Polydor, a much bigger label, offered to buy it out, but NEMS wouldnt allow it. Their first single was released on the 30th of July. "First Time" reached #77 and was climbing in the charts with considerable airplay from John Peel on the BBC, and was named "Single of the Week" in Sounds magazine. But two weeks later, Elvis Presley died, and RCA, who distributed for NEMS, switched all their efforts into keeping up with the now huge demand for Elvis records. As a result, the Boys new album fell from the charts simply because no one could buy the record, as it wasnt being supplied to the record stores! Their next record, "Alternative Chartbusters", containing their most widely known song, "Brickfield Nights", as well as several other great ones, was released in February of '78, and once again NEMS bungled it with distribution problems, and the record wasnt available during the tour designed to promote it.
In a return to the studio that summer the Boys recorded 15 new tracks, but for reasons unknown, NEMS refused to pay the studio tab, and Rockfield Studios refused to give up the master tapes. After this debacle, the band literally had to go on strike until they were released from their 5 year deal with NEMS. They then signed with Safari Records and put out "To Hell With The Boys", my personal fave, and still got a warm reception, but it seems that by then the momentum (if you can call it that) had run out, and the subsequent singles/albums failed to make it into the charts.. WATCH THIS CLIP...
A bit sad for such a talented band, but not unheard of in the heyday of rock and roll. More stories along these lines include how Lee Childers, manager of the Heartbreakers, had to break into the defunct Track Records' offices in the middle of the night to get the L.A.M.F. master tapes, and the one about EMI record plant workers refusing to "handle" the Sex Pistols "Anarchy in the UK", because they found it offensive... Classic stuff.
Well its finally here - just in time for San Gennaro, the first official Lost At Sea single. Recorded in Tin Pan Alley right on 28th Street, with Michael Wildwood on the Gretch drums, Johnny Pisano on the Fender Precision, Charlie Chime on the Les Paul (r.i.p.), and Karl Monroe on vocals and the other Les Paul. Listen to it on the Lost At Sea myspace page (check the link up on the right) or download it (below) for half the price of Zeppole, ok?! F'in A.
