Wow , another one of those great "What ifs" in Rock' n 'Roll. I think Eric's sensibilities are just diverse enough ( Even if he stared in disbelief at me , when he'd mentioned Cliff Richard and Johnny Hallyday , and I replied that I liked 'em.) that he could have probably been in The Cannibals. But , his true calling was writing and singing what I call "Bitter Bubblegum".

 
Mike Spenser said:

Yes, I have the whole documentary as all Channel 4 gave me was a normal VHS tape of the show. I had a large party at my house the night it was first shown and taped it off the TV and my copy is better than the one the TV producers sent me! Anyway, I had a friend who also taped it and he sent me a CD which I use to pick parts out of if and when I need them. The program, with the adverts for the channel ran 30 minutes but in all it is about 25 minutes long. I don't think I can upload it complete on Youtube as Channel 4 would probably come down heavy on me. But I may try one day. As for Wreckless Eric, yes he did come down to audition for the early Cannibals, in fact it was just before I changed the name to the Cannibals, sometime around 1976. I was for him to play on but Pete, the other guitarist was against it so I decided to give it a miss. We auditioned the same day Tony Oliver and he wound up being in the Cannibals for a few years.

You betcha, Doc.

Doc Sanchez said:

So actually they are better but cheaper guitars than "normal" western guitars. Hence cool. Damn, I was wrong.

Thanks for the info!

So actually they are better but cheaper guitars than "normal" western guitars. Hence cool. Damn, I was wrong.

Thanks for the info!

Dancin' Bop Party Labor Day special today on the Wrekking Hours - all your favorite early rock, rockabilly, jump blues, jump garage & psycho jump dance tunes for the last big dance part day off of the summer!!

Tune in now till 6pm - live on 89.3fm in the Detroit area and under WHFR on any of your favorite online radio players & phone apps.

Chicago Psvengali of Psych , Steve Krakow , returns with his biggest issue , yet. It's $21.98 , all right? , but you get a CD (STEVE HAS BEEN DOING SOME AMAZING CD COMPS OF HIS OWN , WITH EXTREMELY RARE PSYCH AND EARLY HARD ROCK RECORDINGS.) , SEVERAL SHEETS OF HIS INFAMOUS "DAMAGED GUITAR GODS" TRADING CARDS , AS WELL AS FOLK GODDESS CARDS....SPEAKING OF GODDESSES , STEVE MEETS UP WITH SUSAN JACKS OF THE LEGENDARY POPPY FAMILY , AND , WHILE SHE MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME TRAFFIC - STOPPIC FIGURE , SHE STILL LOOKS LIKE A GODDAMN GODDESS! OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE INDEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH ARTHUR BROWN , RODRIGUEZ  (AM I THE ONLY PERSON ON THE PLANET THAT STILL HAS'NT HEARD HIM? YEAH , MOST LIKELY. HE'S DEFIED AGE , REMARKABLY , TOO , BTW.) AND A COOL , ILLUSTRATED OVERVIEWOF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS RECORD , THE LOLLIPOP SHOPPE , THE DAILY FLASH , KAK , BOB SEGER'S "NOAH" (IF YOU SEE A BOOTLEG, BUY IT. IT'S GREAT , BUT SEGER SEEMS TO DISAGREE HEARTILY.)AND MORE , MORE , MORE , LIKE A STATUS QUO (LIKE SOCCER , HUGE EVERYWHERE BUT AMERICA.) COMIC , DRAWN BY AVI SPIVAK , WHO DID THE NORTON RECORDS COMIC BOOK. THE 110 PAGER RAGER ALSO FEATURES PLENTY OF PSYCHEDELIC COMIC BOOK OVERVIEWS (WE'RE TALKING LARGELY MAINSTREAM FREAKOUTS , DC , MARVEL , ARCHIE...), AND NEW CONTRIBUTORS LIKE THE ALWAYS QUOTABLE BYRON COLEY.

My take on Commando, fwiw:

http://www.nosuchthingaswas.com/2012/03/i-never-wore-earplugs-that-would-have.html

    I read Melnick's book. I enjoyed it. I have'nt disliked any of these books you guys are talking about ( "I Slept With Joey Ramone" is painful on many levels , the unbelievable physical and psychological turmoil Joey suffered as a kid , and the (Previously undocumented) bullying and egotism that might remind you of someone else......).

Dee Dee's previous book "Lobotomy" bears more of his alternately sick and good natured humor.  I read another book , released posthumously , where Dee Dee claimed to have killed a man on an icy road , dragged his body into the snow , and hacked him to bits. Of course , he made it up , but he so casually tells the tale , with no disclaimer , as though he believed it , himself. 
 

i ENJOYED "COMMANDO" , MAINLY BECAUSE JOHNNY TELLS HIS STORY , IN HIS OWN WORDS , AND DOES'NT TRY TO PAINT THIS MISLEADING PICTURE ABOUT HIS ATTITUDES TOWARD WOMEN , HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JOEY ,  BEING A BULLY , ETC. . I DON'T KNOW WHY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET IT PUBLISHED.
 Glenn Armstrong said:

Commando was kind of unintentionally funny in a dead pan sort of way. A well designed book full of graphics and top ten lists. I enjoyed Mickey Leigh's book as well. It was very insightful on Joey Ramone's OCD condition, etc. I found Poisoned Heart a tad bitter and it showed a lot of the infighting amongst the band. Anyone read On the Road With The Ramones by tour manager Monte Melnick? 
 
Mark George Harrison said:

Just finished Mickey Leigh's book today and really enjoyed it, even shed a tear at the end. Not sure if I'll get the Johnny Ramone book, read one of Dee Dee's(poisoned heart) and found it very disappointing, none of the humour you expect from him.

Jersey City Mods said:

We liked "I Slept with Joey Ramone" and thought Johnny was portrayed as more interesting than the usual thug caricature he often gets.  We will have to check this one out as well.

Gotta add Tosches' Country, also.

I read "England's Dreaming" , recently , too. One of the most personal and in- depth takes on the early UK Punk scene. YES!! NO ROCK'N'ROLL BOOK LIST IS COMPLETE WITHOUT "HELLFIRE", or Tosches' "Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll".
 
Jon S said:

I see most of my favorites are mentioned here. I also enjoyed England's Dreaming by Jon Savage (on The Sex Pistols and punk), Passion is a Fashion The Real Story of The Clash by Pat Gilbert, The Dirt by Mötley Crue/Neil Strauss (of course) and I really loved Hellfire by Nick Tosches.

Anybody read Keith Richard's Life or the John Einarson's Arthur Lee bio?

MikeL , of all the books on your list , I've only read the Ramones book and "Please Kill Me".

I read more Rock books than I'll ever own up to , but , my favorite is still "The Life and Times of Little Richard". It's hilarious. But , there's a serious side , too. He deals with racism , homophobia ,and Pat Boone covering his hits before they could chart , without sounding bitter.

I'm reading "Violence Girl" by Alice Bag , in my spare time. It's highly enjoyable. She goes from her childhood in East L.A. , listening to British Invasion , Motown ,  Los Teen Tops and Thee Midniters , to going headlong into Glam (If you consider Elton John or Queen "Glam") , and , not much later , becoming a fixture on the L.A. Punk scene. The writing has a lot of humor and charm , and , you get the feeling she did not ever regret sticking her hand into the fire now and then.

"Heebie Jeebies at CBGBs" - A document of the "Secret" influence of Jews on Punk. Of course ,the likes of Joey Ramone , Lenny Kaye , Jonathan Richman, Lou Reed , Sylvain Sylvain , Chris Stein and The Dictators are all present and accounted for. Behind the scene impresarios like Seymour Stein , Genya Ravan and Hilly Kristal are duly noted , too , but didja know Malcolm Maclaren was Jewish ? I did'nt know that , either. Would that mean people should have been any less irritated by the "Ironic" use of swastikas in The Pistols' campaign ? Lydon , probably for this reason alone , was asked to be a spokesman for The National Front. He publically told them what they could do with their offer. Still , it all reads like shock tactics, today, just like Maclaren's previous attempt to salvage The New York Dolls' career by making them out to be the one thing you could'nt be in the states , at that time : Red Chinese sympathizers. 

Tommy Ramone only recently admitted to being Jewish , stating that he did'nt think anyone cared. Of course , being from Hungary , he had relatives who were imprisoned and/or killed in The Holocaust , and it seemed too painful for him to talk about it , until now.

But , did'ja know ,  that Alan Vega and Richard Hell are Jewish , too?

Hell refused to talk about it , being raised an Atheist , but , still , ethnically Jewish.

There were others , not mentioned here , Lydia Lunch , Lora Logic , the singer from Slaughter and The Dogs (Sorry , forgot his name.), the Dembling/North Brothers from The Comateens (Not a Punk band , but from the same scene in NYC.) and more......

It's a fun read. It deals with antisemitism ,but , makes the argument that Punk was supposed to be like that Jewish - American cultural milestone , MAD magazine . I always agreed with that.

'

I  THOUGHT "NEON ANGEL" WAS SURPRISINGLY GOOD. IF THE MOVIE HAD STUCK CLOSER TO THE BOOK , ADMITTEDLY , IT WOULD HAVE HAD A LIMITED RUN , AT BEST , BUT , IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE POWERFUL , EVEN THO' I TOOK THE MOVIE FOR WHAT IT WAS , AND ENJOYED IT.....I MET KIM FOWLEY , ONCE. THAT GUY NAILED HIS WHOLE PERSONALITY , AND , IN SO DOING , STOLE THE WHOLE MOVIE.  
 
MikeL said:

I'd also like to add "Neon Angel: Memoir of a Runaway" by Cherie Currie, which I just finished this past weekend, and "Rotten" by John Lydon.

And here is a look into their "wisdom" = band interview!

Of course , Mark , I'm a bit biased , as I'm in this book ( Treniers interview , with Col. Dan Sorenson , Mike Maltese , Ken Mottet and Dan Sorenson in a round table forum , backstage , before a typically sparsely attended , but , typically ass- kickin' Treniers show at Milt Trenier's fabled lounge , but , I wrote the article itself).  It's really hard to round it down to 10 best interviews , or even 50 best interviews , of the last 20 years in Roctober , but "Flying Saucers R'n'R" is a must - read for Roctber fans and newcomers alike.
Mark George Harrison said:

Just ordered this today, looking forward to it!

Just ordered this today, looking forward to it!

Been doing the same a lot lately-- seems like no one here cares at all about this stuff, but I'm scooping up Whispering Pigg 45s and the like on a weekly basis.

Rev. Norb said:

I found a crap-ton of great 45s in a local store's 20/$4.99 section...it took some digging, but i walked out of there with sixty great records, the highlights of which are "Let's Go ((Pony))" by the ROUTERS, "Raunchy" by BILL JUSTIS, "Don't Be Cruel" by the BILL BLACK COMBO, "Wayward Wind" by the CENTURYS, "Beat '65" by the SURFARIS, "Groovy Grubworm" by HARLOW WILCOX & THE OAKIES, "Sausalito" by the OHIO EXPRESS, and, of course, the immortal "Apples, Peaches Polka" by Green Bay's own ALVIN STYCZYNSKI. Nothing better than a bulk 45 run, i say! I love those instrumental records of the late 50's/early 60's; i prize those more highly than straight rockabilly or 60's punk records although all are cool and reet and such.

I found a crap-ton of great 45s in a local store's 20/$4.99 section...it took some digging, but i walked out of there with sixty great records, the highlights of which are "Let's Go ((Pony))" by the ROUTERS, "Raunchy" by BILL JUSTIS, "Don't Be Cruel" by the BILL BLACK COMBO, "Wayward Wind" by the CENTURYS, "Beat '65" by the SURFARIS, "Groovy Grubworm" by HARLOW WILCOX & THE OAKIES, "Sausalito" by the OHIO EXPRESS, and, of course, the immortal "Apples, Peaches Polka" by Green Bay's own ALVIN STYCZYNSKI. Nothing better than a bulk 45 run, i say! I love those instrumental records of the late 50's/early 60's; i prize those more highly than straight rockabilly or 60's punk records although all are cool and reet and such.

Thanks, Matt! Yeah, just released a few killer '60s 45s-- all garage monsters, authorized with picture sleeves, inserts, remastered sound and bands paid. Check 'em out here if you care: uglypop.bigcartel.com
As for favourite 45s, the last couple days, it's been The Merry-Go-Round's "You're A Very Lovely Woman" 45. Emitt Rhodes '66.

I've been listening to the new Ugly Pop 45s recently. I tried to start a topic about the label, because they are doing so much interesting stuff lately, but apparently I was denied or it takes a week + to approve such garage rock topics.

Anyway, the new Ugly Pop singles - Bent Wind, A Passing Fancy, and the Northwest Company - All obscure Canadian 60s garage bands that would have fit easily on any of the BFTG comps. Easily my favorite reissues of 2012.

John Battles said:

Wow , great sleeve art. "Kuk" , of course , is a classic. I have the single with the also - classic "Baja" ON THE FLIP.

Yeah, the U.S. release had "Kuk" paired with "Baja" instead of "Surf Party". Both great songs and long time favorites of mine. The U.S. 45 is somewhat infamous in Sweden since "kuk" in Swedish is a strongly vulgar word for penis and "baja" means to empty the bowels, haha.

I'm a proud redditor. I spend way too much time there. 

plus two live videos on YouTube

Nervous Shakes Do you wanna live at Dna

                      live aux Combustibles in Paris France (great club);

c'mon feel the noize!

Any glam rock fans out there can check us out: NERVOUS SHAKES; Our album is on Ratboy 69's blog and our latest vinyl single is on my GPunk page; That's if you like the Dolls/the Undertones/etc; When I was a kid, I saw the Undertones over here in Brussels and they did Gary Glitter 'Rocknroll part 2' Glam forever; Ivan Hold Her

Does that DVD show Mott back in their prime, or is it from their recent reunion gigs? Either way, I would like to check it out. I saw Ian Hunter in concert last year, and he still has it.

Mottey's Garage said:

Glam is OK by me, I do a glam podcast about once a month or so. And of course, Mott the Hoople, pioneer punks and later glam stars...have a special place in my heart. Just watch the Mott The Hoople DVD that came out last year...and I do recommend it

Glam is OK by me, I do a glam podcast about once a month or so. And of course, Mott the Hoople, pioneer punks and later glam stars...have a special place in my heart. Just watch the Mott The Hoople DVD that came out last year...and I do recommend it

We just pressed our first LP on DMS in the UK, and I can totally recommend them.. they did a great job and they're chep, fast and very thorough.

DMS Vinyl

Okay... i have switched things around a bit. I unscrewed and took off the top board of this contraption. While rummaging through recycled newspapers, I came out with the idea of filling up the hole on the bottom with newspapers to help muffle the sound while  screwing a board to the bottom, which turns the inbox into an actual box... asides from the cutout. Anyway, after miking this up with a delay pedal on a rockabilly setting, things sounded much better with a very bass ended sound. I still have the tamborine clamped on the front.  Anyway, i will make another video in a day or so showing the improvements of this stomp box.