Slav o Se

Nashville blog magnate and author of Being Good, Todd A, has his own blog now. I don't know how long he's had it (I'm sort of slow to find these things sometimes), but rest assured the creator of the immortal literary character Slav o Se has some entertaining thoughts.

Marriott and Murfreesboro

More on why I'm glad I left Murfreesboro - The city voted yes to pay for the majority of the costs for a convention center. At least the district that voted at my old elementary school, Mitchell-Neilson, voted against it. Look for the taxes in the 'Boro to go up and up and up. But never fear, in a few years when the convention center is built all of these rich folks will come and pump so much money into the local economy. There has got to be so many better things for the city of Murfreesboro to spend their money on. Man, I wish I had some Brookln Bridges laying around I could sell. Mark Pirtle, who owns an office complex that will be next door to the convention center said in the article that, "I don't think we can think about this project as an amenity," he said. "It's a necessity. The community will be quite pleased when they see the response to the center and how much it's used. I believe the response will be overwhelming." I found it very telling when I drove around Murfreesboro last weekend (I was in town to visit my mother) that the YES signs were in the yards of those people most likely to benefit financially from a convention center. I know I didn't see any signs around the January Street area. But that's okay, cause Murfreesboro is getting a Marriott. Just wait 'til Murfreesboro figures out that the Supreme Court has gutted the Fifth Amendment protection to private property ownership. The whole city can become a convention center maybe.

Happy Birthday

I was on the road yesterday so I didn't get to post a very important message:

Happy Birthday to my wife, Mo. I wish we could have partied together yesterday, but we'll celebrate this weekend. Fer sure!

Nike Apologizes...Their Products Still Stink

Nike is apologizing for appropriating the iconic Minor Threat album cover for their own nefarious reasons. No word on whether they will ever apologize for all of the ugly shoes they've manufactured over the years.

Pick Of The Week

A review I did of 'Round About Midnight last week was picked by the Blogcritics editors as one of the best written pieces of the week. Hit the link and scroll down and judge for yourself if the review is worth reading.

We're Just A Nike Threat!

Stories like this one from Pitchfork Media make me glad I don't wear Nikes. I hope Ian McKaye introduces some Nike executives to his shoes; preferably boots in the rear.

CD Review: The Soviettes - LP III

Rock and roll has been proclaimed dead so many times its refrain is the broken record of our times. It may have been surpassed on the charts by hip-hop, but it's holding its own when it comes to television commercials. "Blitzgrieg Bop" has been used so frequently to push products it makes one wonder if everybody in advertising used to wear a leather jacket and mohawk back in high school. This could demonstrate the timeless power of rock and roll to one person and to another one it might prove that rock is nothing more than a cadaver being picked clean by the vultures of commerce. I just find it funny that you rarely hear dinosaur rock used to promote goods. Punk rock and alternative music is where it's at. If rock is dead, then we might as well slam dance in the sarcophagus cacophonous with Minnesota punk rockers The Soviettes.

The Jolt cola rush of their new album LP III will make you completely forget about post-modern theorizing on the relative health or zombie status of rock and roll. Frenetic X-Ray Spex meets the Adolescents beats played with total abandon makes for so much ear candy there's barely room left in your head for your brains. There are 14 cuts that blaze by in less than 30 minutes which means you can listen to this record 3 times in a row before your buddy has made it through whatever latest 85 minute modern rock extravaganza is being foisted on the world as the new big thing. What I really love about The Soviettes is that like the credits say: everybody sings! It makes for exciting punk rock and it doesn't hurt that the band knows how to write choruses that snap out whip smart and sticky in your memory.

So celebrate the death of rock and roll with some real live rock and roll. You'll find yourself singing along with Susy, Danny, Sturgeon, and Annie before a half hour is up Do the "Paranoia Cha Cha Cha" with The Soviettes LP III from Fat Wreck Chords. I promise you, you’ll be glad you did.

Liberals and their pro-corporation views

Now I've seen it all. Daily KOS has a post applauding the Supreme Court's decision to allow government even more power over private property: The city of New London had used its eminent domain power to condemn a large privately-owned piece of land, giving it to a private development corporation for the purposes of economic development. This article almost seems like it was written just because the justice's that opposed this ruling were O'Connor, Thomas, Scalia, and Rehnquist. When the government condems your house just so a new check cashing place can be built remember who stood against big government. When a pristine habitat could have been saved except for this ruling, will the environmentalists applaud Souter, Ginsburg, Kennedy, Breyer, and Stevens. Governments had the right to use eminent domain for public projects before this ruling, now anybody with enough cash to bribe the elected officials have more power than ever. At least most of the commentators at KOS realize this.

Rex L. Camino On The Cedar Bucket

Murfreesboro blogger, Rex L. Camino, has more on the big cedar bucket incident at the Blog Of Doom. Who knew that the bucket was so vital to Murfreesboro's economy. I thought the city made most of its money through high taxes and traffic tickets.

Why I Moved From Murfreesboro

I grew up in Murfreesboro, TN, but I moved to Smithville 5 years ago. When I run into people I haven't seen in awhile they will often ask me why I moved out of Murfreesboro. Basically, the town got too big without any of the advantages of being big. The town's main thoroughfares are always clotted with bad drivers and if I wanted that I might as well live in Nashville. Of course, some of why I can't stand the city I grew up in is simply the result of time coming along and erasing much of what was memorable about the city in my youth. I'll admit that. My wife is from Smithville and while the town isn't perfect....meth addicts anyone, I can enjoy the small town atmosphere that Murfreesboro once had. And if I want to go to the big town of Nashville, it's just a little over an hour away.

The only reason I bring this up is because I was reminded of just why I dislike Murfreesboro - some idiots went and burned up the big cedar bucket at Cannonsburgh the other night. I guess there's a chance that who did it came from out of town, but I bet it'll turn out to be some stupid local kids.

I'm Good

Well, whatever was going on with Technorati script has righted itself. I know they're busy remodeling everything over there so it was probably a momentary snafu.

I know I'm just being petty but thoughts are sparse today for some reason. Summer's dread is whapping me upside the head good. Summer's as an adult just aren't much fun. Heat without freedom is just oppressing. Maybe I need to take a sick day and find an old ice house to hang out by. That's what I used to do as a kid when I visited Mississippi every summer. One of my cousins lived right down the street from the town ice house. It was modern in that they actually sold Slurpees there, but they didn't mind us just coming by to cool off.

Whassup With Technorati

What the heck's up with Technorati? Their little button has now become some huge border thing making my blog look like crud. This will undoubtedly require some investigation on my part which sucks. It's the first day of summer and I'm already lazy as can be.

Bad Hair Day Among Other Things

I combed what little hair left on my balding head back today and damned if I don't have a Don King look going. Maybe I'll promote some fights today between my co-wokers for good measure.

The weekend went by in a blur. There was a wedding to attend Saturday and my two daughters were flower girls. They did a great job and were adorable in their dresses, but it didn't take long for them to spill food all over them at the reception. Meatballs are really not food that should be served after a wedding.

Sunday the two flower girls went to play with their friend down the street and they came back smelling of gasoline. It appears that they were pouring it into a cup and slinging it at each other. I'm beginning to wonder about the other little girl's parents. Are they watching out for the kids at all? It might have to come down to only letting the kids play at our home. I'm sure they'll still get into mischief, but I know it won't involve gasoline.

Later on we all went out to eat for Father's Day. Then I went to a book store and decided to buy a copy of Maximum Rock N Roll magazine. Probably because it had a story on The Carbonas. That's the name I wanted to use for the first band I played guitar in, but for some reason we ended up being Michael Landon's Ghost instead. I leafed through it last night and noticed it had a column by Ted Rall. Ugh! I can't stand that no talent cartoonist hack. I was thinking I should have bought the Mojo with Oasis on the cover instead when I noticed a column written by a Erika Ransom from Boston. I have reason to believe she came from Murfreesboro where she used to do a fanzine called Sky Flying By. I've sent her an email so we'll see it my hunch turns out to be true.

I got some good music recnetly that I need to review soon; The Black Halos, The Sharp Things, The Soviettes, Salim Naroullah, and the Moonbabies. A good mix of punk and pop.

Wally's Old Record Collection Part 5

Wally's Old Record Collection Part 5

Here it is: the final installment of my look back at my record collection circa 1986.
We'll make a journey from Rain Parade to Woodstock with some punk rock, metal,
and crap in between.

133. Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip
134. Raunch Hands - Rauncho El Grande
135. Raunch Hands - Learn To Whap A Dang
136. Lou Reed - Transformer
137. REM - Murmur
138. REM - Reckoning
139. REM - Fables Of The Reconstruction
140. REM - Life's Rich Pageant
141. The Replacements - Let It Be
142. The Replacements - Tim
143. Repo Man Soundtrack
144. Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
145. Screaming Blue Messiahs - Gun Shy
146. Secrets - Success Without College
147. Shadow 15 - Far Away
148. Shockabilly - Vietnam
149. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
150. Sixteen Candles Soundtrack
151. Billy Squier - Don't Say No
152. Billy Squier - Emotions In Motion
153. Billy Squier - Signs Of Life
154. St. Elmo's Fire Soundtrack
155. Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power
156. Styx - Paradise Theater
157. Sweet - Desolation Boulevard
158. Television's Greatest Hits (TV Themes)
159. Billy Thorpe - Children Of The Sun
160. The Times - Hip Isn't It
161. Peter Tosh - Legalize It
162. U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky
163. Ugly Americans - Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed
164. Van Halen - Women And Children First
165. Van Halen - Diver Down
166. Suzanne Vega
167. Velvet Underground & Nico
168. Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat
169. Velvet Underground
170. Velvet Underground - Loaded
171. Violent Femmes
172. Roger Waters - The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking
173. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
174. White Animals - Lost Weekend
175. Who - Live At Leeds
176. Who - Quadrophenia
177. Who - Who Are You?
178. Woodstock Soundtrack

Instead of writing about a few of these records - how about a few words on all of them? Rain Parade is a good artifact from the Paisley Underground that has stood the test of time. I bought both Raunch Hands records after reading a glowing article about them in Spin magazine. I was duped. I was a huge Velvet Underground fan so the purchase of the mid-line Transformer by Lou Reed was a given. REM? I was once one of their biggest fans defending your music to my punk rock friends. My punk rock friends turned out to be right. Stipe's voice is nails on a chalkboard to me now. The Replacements albums have only gotten better, especially Let It Be which I bought on the recommendation of future Nashville Scene movie critic Jim Ridley. I went to Mississippi during the summer
of 1985 just like always to visit my grandmother. Halfway through the trip my mother
decided to visit her sister who was living just north of Memphis in a tiny town called Mumford. There wasn't much to do in Mumford so my cousin Lisa suggested we rent some movies. The very tiny store had Repo Man on the shelves and I watched it several times before we returned it. Rocky Horror was really big with my crowd for a few years. I don't know why I bought the Screaming Blue Messiahs album. The Secrets record was something I bought from the bargain bins. It would have been better left there. Shadow 15 were an incredible Nashville band with a dark punk rock sound. I wish they hadn't been so short-lived. Shockabilly was something I bought after reading an article somewhere. The album wasn't all that good, but I liked to subject my friends and enemies to its weirdness. The Simple Minds record was another bargain bin find that I should not have wasted my money on. The Sixteen Candles Soundtrack had a Patti Smith song on it, but I really bought it because I was infatuated with Molly Ringwald. Now for Billy Squier:
I truly liked Don't Say No and I still do. I think it's a good slab of heavy duty power pop. Emotions In Motion was pretty much junk and Signs Of Life was a gift of crap. I hate to admit all of my "Brat Pack" purchases but here's the St. Elmo's Fire Soundtrack staring me in the face. Man what dreck it includes; one mention of John Parr and David Foster is enough. I must have been drunk when I bought it. With the bad there is good: Iggy & The Stooges Raw Power is as close to transcendance as rock and roll gets. Play it loud, indeed! I bought Styx's Paradise Theater back in 8th grade after I found $40 just laying on the ground at a local shopping center. I used the money for that record, which was huge at the time, a new pair of tennis shoes (Pony's), plus a trip to a carnival. Strangely enough; years later I would lose $40 at a gas station. Sweet were and are awesome. Everybody should have a record by them in their collection. I was a huge television watcher so it made sense to buy a TV theme song album. Plus, being nicknamed Wally, I had to have the "Leave It To Beaver" theme. Billy Thorpe's "Children Of The Sun" tune was a staple of rock radio in the 80's. The Times were a decent alternative band from Louisiana. I liked to pretend I was a dope fiend back then so I bought Legalize It by Tosh to protect my false reputation. U2 were already the biggest band on the planet in the college rock
scene and Under A Blood Red Sky was dirt cheap. The Ugly Americans album was horribly bad punk rock. Van Halen might not have been punk rock, but they were still my favorite group. I only had two records by them, but I had everything else on tape. I got the Suzanne Vega record at the Port O'Call record store in the 'boro. I still listento it every now and then, plus Suzanne is a cool lady. At the start of my senior year of high school I met this guy who found out I liked The Doors. He told me that Morrison was a lightweight compared to Lou Reed and that I should find "Venus In Furs" and listen to it. The VU albums were all being reissued in 1985 and I was soon hooked on the Underground. The Violent Femmes first record is truly one of a kind. I got the Roger Waters album just because I thought it was collectible. My first and only foray into collector scum land. The gravel in Tom Waits's voice was scary at first, but I got used to it quick. The White Animals
were already Nashville legends by the mid-80's and Lost Weekend is one of their best albums. When I was working at Phonluxe Mike Gray told a story about a girl he once knew who sold all of her record collection off except for her Who records. That's pretty cool. Finally, we get to the end of my list and what do we find but the soundtrack to the biggest hippie fest
of all time; Woodstock. I got it for the Sly and Family Stone and Who songs. I'm sure we've reached an understanding there.

I hope you've enjoyed this blast from my past done to honor the memory of my high school graduation twenty years ago. It's fun to visit the past for an hour or so, but the present is still where the best things are always happening.

Number One Hit Song

My friend, bmarkey, from Big Green House left Blogcritics.org a few months ago, but he's back doing reviews and stories for Number One Hit Song. His first gig there is an interview with legendary rock producer Marty Thau so be sure to check it out.

Teen Acne Pays Off

I bet this is news (acne helps prevent coronary disease) that Clearasil hates to see. I should have a very healthy heart then, because it was zit face city for me during my sophomore and junior years of high school. I have to wonder though, why do people study things like this? I guess the thirst for knowledge knows no bounds.

The Big Time

You know you've hit the big time when Nashville Zine does a blurb about you. I am truly humbled.

Blog Of Doom

One of my favorite new Nashville area blogs is Rex L. Camino's Blog Of Doom. Stop by and spread some Soulfish Stew his way.

Punk Photos Exhibit

Theresa Kereakes of Punk Turns 30 fame will be coming to Nashville to exhibit her vintage punk rock photos at Grimeys. The opening party is June 24th, from 6-8 PM. Don't miss it.

I Was There First

The Coldplay backlash is in full effect, but remember...I was there first as this Soulfish Stew post from August of 2004 shows.

Dragula CD Now Available - Former Members Retaliate

My old band, Dragula, has a compilation CD for sale now.

Front Cover


Back Cover


If you like lo-fi garage rock, order one today. You can sample the songs at Goblinhaus and at My Space.

In what's shaping up to be the best battle of the bands since Van Halen's 5150 fought it out with David Lee Roth's Eat 'Em And Smile, The Exotic Ones, featuring two former members of Dragula, have also released a CD, Atomic-Age Tales For Monster Kids. It's a 6 song EP and you can find out how to get it by visitng the E-1's website. They'll be playing a show at the 'Boro on June 23rd with Kentucky ghouls, The Codenames, opening.

Wally's Old Record Collection Part 4

This installment will be a rather short one as we go from New Order to Queen. What was I listening to in 1986? This 4th part of the records I owned in 1986 should give you some idea.

108. New Order - Low-Life
109. New York Dolls - Night Of The Living Dolls
110. Ted Nugent - Free For All
111. O.M.D. - Dazzle Ships
112. Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon
113. Ozzy Osbourne - Ultimate Sin
114. Charlie Parker
115. P.E.A.C.E. punk rock compilation
116. David Peel And The Lower East Side - Have A Marijuana
117. Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes
118. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes
119. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Pack Up The Plantation
120. Psychedelic Furs
121. Psychedelic Furs - Talk, Talk, Talk
122. Robert Plant - Principle Of Moments
123. The Pogues - Red Roses For Me
124. The Police - Outlandos d'Amor
125. The Police - Regatta da'Blanc
126. Prefab Sprout - Two Wheels Good
127. The Pretenders
128. The Pretenders II
129. The Pretenders - Learning To Crawl
130. Pretty In Pink Soundtrack
131. Public Image Limited - This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get
132. Queen - Jazz

Blogger Sucks, Go Read A Movie Instead

Well, the blogger help desk has never gotten back to me, so I don't have a clue why it's warping portions of my punctuation marks when I copy from Word files. I even tried copying in plain text, but it still messes the posts up. So since blogger sucks right now, go read the script of your favorite movie at Script-O-Rama. The Ferris Bueller script is particularly interesting.

Jackson Not Guilty, Yawn

No surprise here. Money rules the world and Jackson had enough money to buy better lawyers than the state of California can afford. It's why poor people go to jail and most rich folks get off, regardless of guilt or innocence. Now if Jackson manages to tick off the federal government like Martha Stewart did, he might do some time. I'm betting he leaves for Europe now where his eccentric lifestyle will no doubt be praised by most Euro-weenies. My own personal opinion of him is that he hasn't cut a good record since "Billie Jean".

Blogger Is Ticking Me Off

Sorry for all of the scrambled up posts, but blogger is not allowing me to copy and paste my posts for some reason. Anything I've copied and pasted is messed up and I don't know what to do to fix it beyond going in and completely redoing each post manually. If anybody out there has a clue on how to fix things, let me know.

CD Review: No Use For A Name - Keep Them Confused

Sometimes I think groups hit the big time thanks to sheer persistence. They hang around the perimeter of stardom releasing an album every year, touring constantly, and they treat their loyal fans well. The Flaming Lips quickly come to mind as one of those sorts of bands that just kept trying until somebody decides they might as well let them in on the big game. No Use For A Name are hoping they can be the latest overnight sensations that took over a decade to make it with their latest Fat Wreck Chords release; Keep Them Confused.

They will be going out on the road this summer with the WARP Tour which should give you a good idea of the style of music No Use For A Name (NUFAN) likes to play if you are unfamiliar with them. We're talking leavened and sweetened punk rock in a style I dubbed twizzler rock many years ago since the music was sweet, but the lyrics were tougher than most bubblegum songs. It's a good portion of the sound of the modern rock charts as Green Day, Blink-182, Good Charlotte, and Sum-41 have all seen their bank accounts turn green over the last decade with their catchy songs and punk posturing. NUFAN's new one should please their current skate rocking fans even though it is slightly slicker than previous albums, but will it go over big with the kids who buy their music at department stores?

Keep Them Confused begins with the sticky, sweet pop of "Part Two" and then heads for emo land on "There Will Be Revenge" before going for the jugular with "For Fiona", the first single from the album. It is an archetype of pop punk meeting emo with its hushed instrumentation at the beginning before launching into the Jimmy Eat World type verses. It's a good song, but it all sounds so formulaic these days. Somewhere I hear Mike Love going, "so what if it's formulaic, remember my rule: don't mess with the formula!" NUFAN maintains some hardcore punk credibility with "Bullets" which tackles Christianity and "Killing Time" which is an anti-war song that pulls no punches. My favorite track was "It's Tragic" which has a rocking intro that's pleasantly aggressive.

Keep Them Confused ultimately is more filler for teenagers ticked off at the world hoping they can finally learn how to ollie over the trashcan in the driveway. It's neither great nor is it bad. If you're a NUFAN fan you're going to like the album. If Keep Them Confused gets enough airplay this summer it could be a hit and while I don't usually wish for mediocre music to rise to the top of the charts, it would be pretty cool if NUFAN's persistence paid off in a big way.

Slow Friday

At least it's slow here at Soulfish Stew. All I've done is add some links to the sidebar (yo, Mike at Half-Bakered...how about a link at your site) and clean up some dead links. Never fear, I'll be hitting you with some reviews next week, plus there's another installment of my old record collection to keep ya amused.

Is It Indie Or Not?

I've got a few more major label releases to review through the promo pipeline, but once those are finished I'm going to stick to my promise of going indie (although I reserve the right to buy releases by major label artists at independent used record stores...which is how I've purchased most in my collection anyways). It can be hard to tell if a release is free of the RIAA imprint, so I have found something that will always let me know whether a CD is okay or not. Go visit magnetbox and try it out.

L-I-V-I-N in Nashville

Alright, alright, alright, did you know that D. Wooderson is making his home in Music City. Visit Hits From Da Blog to see for yourself. It's one damn good blog.

CD Review: Doleful Lions - Shaded Lodge And Mausoleum

Rick Sims of the mighty awesome punk band, The Didjits, used to like to yell, “Let's see the sign of Satan” between songs. The Doleful Lions latest CD, Shaded Lodge And Mausoleum, is what popped that memory into my head. Shaded Lodge And Mausoleum's lyrics were inspired by the San Francisco Bay area metal band Von who once put out a demo record named Satanic Baby. The Doleful Lions atmospheric folk music is similar to John Martyn and The Incredible String Band and is actually more sinister sounding than Von's black metal. Yep, Jonathan Scott and David Jackson have concocted a rather Lovecraftian brew.

The horror show vibe begins on the very first track, “Sham Magic In The Night Gallery”, which, as the liner notes point out, was recorded on Halloween. Summoning the devil has never sounded so pretty. “Strange Vibrations” is a creaky, claustrophobic, buzzing, and humming flight of fantasy that would likely appeal to Black Sabbath fans just as easily as folk music fans. The big dark angel himself gets namedropped on the very mellow “The Ghost That Haunts Your World Will Disappear” and like in Milton's Paradise Lost Lucifer is a rather sympathetic character. The Doleful Lions have their own “Satanic Blood” song and it's as sacrilegious as it sounds, although it's also, intentionally or unintentionally, funny since it has such a bright and sunny sound with a tune that sounds similar to the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”.

So if you're into lyrics like this from “Slip Inside The Gateway”: “If apparitions creep outside your door, and the crawling chaos pours across your floor, if the darkness of the void invites you in, and the evening phantoms penetrate your skin, just let it all come down, hear the bells of doomsday pound”, then Shaded Lodge And Mausoleum should be just your cup of black tea. The album is available through Parasol Records.

The Party Animal

Spoilt Victorian Child is waxing rhapsodic over the imminent re-release of The Party Animal on DVD and why not – the movie is a little known 80’s college party flick obsessed with sex and featuring one of the best soundtracks this side of Repo Man. It is an absolute blast of a movie as long as you remember to turn off your brain while viewing. I don’t know if I would have liked the movie as much if not for its soundtrack which was filled with music I could have swore had been lifted from my own record collection. There were songs from R.E.M., The Fleshtones, Chelsea, The Untouchables, and many by The Buzzcocks.

I wouldn’t even have seen the movie at all if I hadn’t made a visit to Cookeville around 1988. It was summer and DD Blank and I were bored. When a couple of our old high school friends invited us to spend a weekend in Cookeville we decided to take them up on their offer. Clyde and Wildman were both attending Tennessee Tech and had an apartment off campus. DD, I, and another friend, Smooth, made the trip up I-40 ready to party as only college age knuckleheads can.

Clyde and Wildman told us we were going to take it easy on Friday night as they had made plans for us to go hiking at Fall Creek Falls State Park first thing Saturday morning. So they decided to go rent a movie late Friday night. We might not have been going out, but we were still drinking plenty of beer. By the time Clyde went out to find us a movie it was after 9 PM and the only store open that had movies to rent was a convenience store. They brought back The Party Animal which just looked stupid to me and DD. We were both up on our punk rock, intellectual high horses and while the movie isn’t exactly Citizen Kane it turned out to extremely funny and DD and I were stunned by how cool the soundtrack music turned out to be. So I can’t wait to see the goofy movie again as it will remind me of friends I haven’t seen in years, plus it’s just damn funny.

As for the rest of the weekend? We stayed up late Friday night watching the movie, got up around 6 AM on Saturday and we headed to a local donut shop to fuel up for the hike. The hike down to Fall Creek Falls is quite the incline and we all learned that DD was part mountain goat that day. We left the park late in the afternoon starved so we stopped and had a late lunch at the KFC in Sparta, TN. The rest of Saturday was spent drinking at some local Cookeville college bar whose name completely escapes me. I just remember the beer came in huge pitchers and that we shot pool most of the night.

Boycott The RIAA

Boycott The RIAA has linked to my posts on the Oasis Don't Believe The Truth promo CDR I received from Epic Records. I would like to clarify that my beef isn't with Oasis (even though the album was mediocre), but with the major label record companies.

Wally's Old Record Collection Part 3

We’ll make it halfway through the alphabet in this latest installment of Wally’s Old Record Collection as we go from G to M today. The following is from a list of records I made during the year 1986.

69. Generation X
70. Germs - Rock N’ Rule
71. Gone – Let’s Get Really Gone
72. Green On Red – Gravity Talks
73. Green On Red – Gas, Food, Lodging
74. Green On Red – No Free Lunch
75. Hüsker Dü – Metal Circus
76. Hüsker Dü – Land, Speed Record
77. Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade
78. Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising
79. Hüsker Dü – Flip Your Wig
80. Hüsker Dü – Candy Apple Grey
81. Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast
82. Iron Maiden – Piece Of Mind
83. J. Geils Band – Freeze Frame
84. Jason & The Scorchers – Fervor
85. Jason & The Scorchers – Lost And Found
86. The Jesus And Mary Chain – Psychocandy
87. Jet Black Berries – Sundown On Venus
88. Joy Division – Closer
89. Joy Division – Still
90. Nik Kershaw – The Riddle
91. The Kingsmen Vol. 3
92. Kiss – Double Platinum
93. Kiss – Music From The Elder
94. The Knack - …but the little girls understand
95. Jerry Lee Lewis
96. Nick Lowe – Labour Of Lust
97. Long Ryders – Native Sons
98. Long Ryders – State Of Our Union
99. The Best Of The Lovin’ Spoonful
100. McKenzie Brothers – The Great White North
101. M.D.C.
102. Minor Threat – Out Of Step
103. Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime
104. Motörhead – Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
105. Motörhead – What’s Words Worth?
106. Motörhead – Iron Fist
107. Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes


Notables:

Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade was an audio equivalent of The Bible for me. I made a tape of it and took it everywhere with me on the chance I’d get to play its sonic brilliance to somebody. Bob Mould, Grant Hart, and Greg Norton forged an entirely new sort of music together – whole chords played on the guitar run through a wall of distortion, while the bass and drums were a cauldron of melodic noise. I can thank a positive review in Creem magazine for leading me to such a great record.

The Number Of The Beast was a must have for a metal fan during the 80’s. It was loud, crude, and mildly Satanic, plus Iron Maiden had their great mascot Eddie for shock value. My senior year of high school I took a sociology course and during one of the 6 weeks we had to endure a fake marriage. We had to come up with a career and list all of the money we would theoretically make and spend. I chose being a radio disc jockey for a career which led to this exchange between me and the teacher: “So, what kind of music would you play?” “I would play heavy metal like Iron Maiden’s 22 Acacia Ave,” I answered. There wasn’t that many metalheads around, but somebody in the class giggled. “What’s so funny,” asked the teacher. I replied, “I assume it’s because the song is about prostitution.” Such innocent times they were.

Bob and Doug McKenzie – I wonder how many people thought they were actually brothers, eh. The single “Take Off” had been a moderate hit in 1982, but I didn’t think they were all that great. I got to hear the entire Great White North album in 1984 and it changed my life you hosers. Well, maybe it didn’t change my life, but getting to hear it all the way through for the first time was an experience. I went to see Dokken, Y & T, and Twisted Sister at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. I rode up to the show with several acquaintances. It was me, Booger, and TC for sure. I think Smooth and GR went too, but I’m not positive. All I know is that there were five of us crammed into TC’s Nissan Pulsar that he drove like an absolute maniac. Great White North is 45 minutes long, which is how long we were in the car since the album ended just as we pulled back into Booger’s yard after the concert. TC’s average speed had to have been 95 mph. Luckily; I had Bob and Doug to get me past my fright of the drive. I realized that their comedy was a beauty, eh, and those who didn’t like them could just take off. As for the Twisted Sister concert – I thought it was funny at the time, but in retrospect it was just very bad.

Kara And Shrub's Hauntcon Experience Up

Kara and Shrub over at Goblinhaus have finished their coverage of Hauntcon held in their backyard in Dallas. Make sure to read about their encounter with Michael Berryman of The Hills Have Eyes fame, and make sure you don't lock your dog in your car during the summer.

The Copyright Extenders Are At It Again

First it happened over here when Disney's little rat, Mickey Mouse, was about to fall into public domain. Never mind that the creator had been dead for decades. The Disney corporation deserves that copyright money forever! Well they didn't get the copyright extended forever, but it now is 90 years. So the UK has decided to outdo the US by extending copyrights to 100 years. I guess Sean Lennon won't have to worry about getting a real job anytime soon. Slashdot has plenty of comments on this incredibly crappy deal for future generations.

More Wasted Money

It seems that teenagers aren't getting enough sleep according to this study. The conclusion seems to be it's all because those evil schoolteacher begin so early in the morning. I know this will sound suspiciously cranky and old, but back in my day I'd stay up until 12:30 AM watching Late Night With David Letterman and then get up at 5:30 AM to catch the school bus. Maybe that explains the bags under my eyes today, but seriously - why don't the teenagers just go to bed earlier? Problem solved, no need to throw more wasted money at it. Although I bet the teenagers will still be moody.

New Oasis Album Is A Smash, after all

First, if you haven't read my post, Watermarks, Paranoia, & Greed, please do so.

Okay, after reading that post you can understand why I had to smash the promotional Oasis CDR that Epic sent me. I don't want the recording industry sending their goons after me. Here are the as promised pictures:



I may not have totally destroyed it, but there were plenty little aluminum shavings I had to sweep off the driveway. Now Epic and Oasis can rest assured that this critic won't be distributing their precious music to the world for free. Who would want it anyways?

Z-Boys

The movie Lords Of Dogtown comes out today, but before you go see it, you need to visit Z-Boys.com which continues to do a phenomenal job of documenting the Dogtown history. If you don't do anything else, read the archived Craig Steyck articles - they are some of the finest pieces ever written on skateboarding.

More Tunes From My Old Band Dragula

I posted some more old stuff from Dragula at myspace including John Hudson's classic "I Drink Your Blood I Eat Your Skin" perfect for weddings and summer parties.

I Don't Really Work For The Weekend

I don't spend all week plotting what I'm going to do on the weekend. Sure there are parties sometimes, although they are usually kid's birthday parties. This weekend we've been invited to a pre-wedding party for a couple we know...it's not really a shower so pre-wedding party will have to do. Generally I don't do much of anything on the weekend. I don't go shopping since that requires money. We don't go our to eat either...see previous sentence. I work around the house some. I read books. I play outside with my kids. I listen to music and play my guitar. Which makes me an outcast. I am constantly asked by people on Fridays about my plans for the weekend...."whatcha' gonna' do this weekend" and I rarely have anything to say back. I'm not going to the lake, I'm not going to Dollywood or Six Flags, I'm not going swimming, I'm not going to the mall or out to eat. I'm going to take out the trash, mow the grass, watch some cartoons, listen to some punk rock or power pop, write a new song, and chase the children across the lawn. It might sound dull to all of those norms out there who always seem to doing something big, but my life's party enough for me.

What's Cooking?

This scary promo picture for Soulfish Stew, that's what!



I've left the date tag on the pic so you'd know it's up to date. I need to get the Soulfish wife to take some snaps of me on my skateboard still popping ollies at 38. Of course she's more likely to take pictures of me busting my ass like I did this past weekend when I tried an old school power slide.

If That Wasn't Enough Punk

Here's some more great punk rock links:

Punk Turns 30

Punkrockers.com

Downloadpunk.com

The Punk Vault

Strange Reaction Punk Rawk

Punk rawk enthusiasts should definitely check out Strange Reaction if they haven't already done so - it's a killer site. I've added them to the sidebar for easy access.

Chicken Yoghurt On Live 8

Here's a little of what Chicken Yoghurt had to say about yesterday's big Live 8 announcement:

Geldof, in actual fact, says the concerts aren't to raise cash but awareness and political pressure instead. Which still isn't a good enough excuse. If this isn't about feeding already bloated egos then why can't Elton John, Madonna, McCartney et al put their money where their mouths are and pay for a massive advertising campaign instead.

It looks like Live 8 is just a good chance for some celebrity's to get exposure and make themselves feel good. I'm a big fan of the work Geldof did with the Boomtown Rats, but he really seems like he's reaching here. Maybe they want to just raise awareness instead of money this time around because it's not like you can steal awareness, which is apparently what happened to most of the money raised by Live Aid.

I bet many of the perfomers on the Live 8 list probably make more in a year than the GNP of many of the Third World nations this event is supposed to help. I'm sure the poor would rather see Elton John and the rest open up their wallets instead of their mouths.

John Peel Radio Shows

I'm not sure of the legality of these downloads. I also can't speak for the quality of them since I haven't listened to them, but if you are interested in old John Peel Radio Shows you can visit John Peel Tapes. It's good to see his memory will live on.

Hip Hop Is Played Out

You know hip hop is completely played out when conservative columnist Pat Buchanan starts using hip hop slang. From his column on McCain's Mutiny:

For dissing his colleagues and Frist, and leaving Bush's Supreme Court nominees subject to a filibuster gauntlet and death by a thousand cuts, McCain is being hailed as the conscience of the Senate. But the ball is now back in the court of the majority, Frist and President Bush himself.

I thought I was misreading this at first, but no, there it was - the term "dissing" as plain as day. I'll grant that the word is old enough to be a daddy, but when the elderly start writing it in a column you know that hip hop is done.