Better Things

To all of my friends in the great expanse...
Happy New Year and best wishes for a HEALTHY, HAPPY and PROSPEROUS New Year.
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Here's wishing you the bluest sky,

And hoping something better comes tomorrow.

Hoping all the verses rhyme,

And the very best of choruses to

Follow all the doubt and sadness.

I know that better things are on the way.


Here's hoping all the days ahead

Won't be as bitter as the ones behind you.

Be an optimist instead,

And somehow happiness will find you.

Forget what happened yesterday,

I know that better things are on the way.


Its really good to see you rocking out

And having fun,

Living like you just begun.

Accept your life and what it brings.

I hope tomorrow you'll find better things.

I know tomorrow you'll find better things.


Here's wishing you the bluest sky,

And hoping something better comes tomorrow.

Hoping all the verses rhyme,

And the very best of choruses to

Follow all the drudge and sadness.

I know that better things are on the way.


I know you've got a lot of good things happening up ahead.

The past is gone its all been said.

So here's to what the future brings,

I know tomorrow you'll find better things.

I know tomorrow you'll find better things.


Toonage:
David Gilmour - High Hopes (Live)
Fountains Of Wayne - Better Things (Kinks Cover)
Descendents - Hope
Bob Mould - Wishing Well (Live)
Grateful Dead - Sunshine Daydream (Live Closing of Winterland)

An Ends To A Means

In the final accounting of the recent travails of the Nomad clan:

• Kitty Nomad is still hanging on for dear feline life. The tumor on his side has blown wide open, and while it is coverered with a shirt, we know the meds we feed him will soon lose their effectiveness. The vet says that it makes no sense to cut away his flank and sew it up, as the trauma would kill kim. For now, he is still friendly, social, and most importantly, hungry... so we pray that perhaps the 2 inch gaping hole in his side will somehow seal and he can make it through the end of year.
• Princess Nomad is firmly entrenched with the Twilight series of books. Between that and this, she is as happy as can be hoped for while awaiting the endgame for her pet.
• Nazz Junior is destroying all comers in Halo and Left For Dead on the XBOX 360. He has also developed an enthusiasm for Johnny Cash music, thanks in part to this movie. Nazz Junior is specifically enamored of The Man In Black's tales of murder, revenge and prison. Like father, like son!
  
• The Missus is trying to keep it all together in the face of feline doom. Thankfully, the shock is past, for now the grim waiting game continues.
• Yours truly is laid up with a bad back. Possibly this has been caused in part by the stress of work and finances. Luckily, a regiment of this and this have enabled him to combat the pain somewhat. Unfortunately, this has caused him to recently engage again in wasted posting. Oops!
  

On the plus side of the ledger... THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS have got the number one seed in the NFL Play-offs.

So, along with the total consciousness the Dali Lama promised me on my deathbed, I've got it all under control. Which is nice.

Or something.

Gunga La Gunga, you mofo's!!!!!!!




Toonage:
Joey Ramone - Garden Of Serenity (live)
Johnny Cash -Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog (live)
Social Distortion - Another State Of Mind
Quickie - Medicated (Just To Get By)
The Cramps - Bop Pills

There Ain't No Sanity Clause

More job horrors on the way in '09. I get the word yesterday that the Grim Reaper will be whetting his scythe the first week of the new year. And I will be wearing the robes and wielding the death staff to a friend of mine. As I am discussing this with one of my staff, the prez of our company comes by dressed as Santa with not a care in the fucking world.

Rome burns. Nero fiddles.

As an added bonus, the real Reaper will be paying a visit to the Nomad household soon enough as our beloved cat is on his last days due to cancer. We are hoping he makes it past this weekend (and Princess Nomad's birthday) before we have to put him down.

Merry fucking x-mas.

Toonage:
Crucial Youth - Christmas Time For The Skins
Joey Ramone - What A Wonderful World
Fear - Fuck Christmas
The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas
The Vandals - Granpa's Last Christmas

Damn Damn Damned

The Damned Live at Coney Island High around 1999

I just got kicked in the balls so hard at work that it's only my happy pills keeping me from opening up a vein and, well, Bleedin' Out. At least I still have a job.

What's the old line about cleaning up elephant shit at the circus? Well, at least it's show-biz!

The Damned are coming to our fair town on New Years Eve .... which sucks, since I can't see em that nite. They're also playing to the north and south of N.Y.C.... hope to catch one of those!

Anyway, here are some candid pix of Mr. Vanian and the good Captain from a few years ago backstage at Coney Island High. We had a great time stealing their Jack Daniels and discussing vegeterianism with Captain Sensible.

And here's Nazz with the Cap!

The good Captain, with his pre-show beer. He had a bottle of Jack. That is, before we took it!

The Captain in his full glory. Later of course, he was bare assed naked.

Dave Vanian putting the final touches on his well coiffed personage.

That's my pal Vinnie with the Captain.

Toonage:
The Damned Live At The House Of Blues 2001 (the whole show!)


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Now playing: Damned - So Messed Up
via FoxyTunes

shitFACEdBOOK

As Princess Nomad has been urgently requesting to be able to sign up for Facebook, we have belatedly acquiesced to her pleas. Negotiations revolved around us having her password, as well as yours truly joining, the better to keep tabs.

Apparently, we were the last two people in the Western world to become members, as everyone and their Uncle Bob is on as well.

After a couple of weeks of tinkering, I have already become somewhat bored of yet another timesuck. However, the lure of pissing away hours on the site and looking up people I haven't seen in years has proved alluring. On the other hand, as I do not use my real name, no one can find me, unless they know my "nom de cyber". Which works fine.

I have investigated old acquaintances from High School and College, and I am amazed at how old THEY have all gotten (as they post their pix). Often, they post em of the wives and kiddies too. I have no urge to contact any of em, as I figger I would have made the effort years ago if I had any interest in re-connecting. In fact, whenever I get Alumni pleas for $$$ or reunion info, I always mark the envelopes "Return to Sender- deceased".

Anyway, one thing that has happened a couple of times to me is the phenom of "wasted posting", in which I have commented on friends "walls" on Facebook whilst hammered.

This apparently happened last nite, while under the influence of a heavy duty sleeping aid. I had no recollection of it, until I got an email today from JW expressing outrage over what I posted. And I had no idea what it was, until I was informed of the moronic utterings I had deemed fit to cyber-post. I also posted some bizarre shit integrating a hallucination involving a classic rock legend with an 80's alt-rock icon.

So, the lesson to be learned is, put the keyboard away when your "under the influence". Because the Internet is forever. or something.


Toonage:
The Damned - Silly Kids Games
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored
Black Flag - Wasted
Ciccone Youth - Into The Groovey
The Cynics - Waste Of Time

Ride Johnny Ride

Still doing the car dance, but here's our version of the Misfits classic Bullet fromthe A7 reunion. Get yer moshing shoes on and Ride Johnny Ride!!!

Buying A Car Blues

Talk about bad timing... I am in the market to buy a car. I have a leased auto that expires in January and my choices are to:

a) - buy the car outright (but it will cost me almost as much to buy it used as a new car would)
b) - buy another car (yecch... major $$$$)
c) - lease another car (cheapest option, but then I will be doing this again in 3 years)

In this economy, the last thing I want to do is spend money, as who the hell knows if this will turn into a full blown depression. Better to be the ant these days, than the grasshopper.
I was hoping that the local crooks (ie car dealers) would have better deals since no one is stupid enough to buy a car these days. But it's the same old song and dance. Bait and switch, high pressure, absurd offers. I have been doing this as much as possible via e-mail, but unfortunately, facetime is required.

I know this isn't life or death, but it is a pain in the arse!

Speaking of life or death... here's the only known footage from our performance at the A7 reunion at Knitting Factory this past weekend. DV rocked the vox and geetar, J-Lo was the beastmaster, and your humble narrator tried to remain standing and not drop the 4 string.

Warning- video was shot on a cell phone, so the sound is pretty poor. Plus, it's our ballad!

The place was packed, and I spoke to peeps who had come in from as far as California for the show. By midnite, the street was littered with drunken Punks trying their best not to puke on themselves.

Rock n Roll!



Toonage:
Dictators - I Live For Cars And Girls
Cramps - Sado County Auto Show
Angry Samoans - Hot Cars
UK Subs - I Live In A Car
Panther Burns - Once I Had A Car

NYHC Lives! (again)

(nope, we aren't on the flyer!)

A7 was THE place in the early 80's to get your real hardcore punk rock fix in New York City. The club itself was a little shithole across from Tompkins Square Park in Alphabet City in Manhattan. Unlike clubs like CBGB's and Irving Plaza, A7 pretty much was all hardcore punk, all the time. Bands like the Beastie Boys (yes, they started out Punk), Ism, Kraut, Reagan Youth and Heart Attack (Jesse Malin's old crew) would play there, along with whatever outta town bands were in the area.
I don't think the place could hold more than 50 people, but they'd pack em in. I dimly remember a dog (a German Shepherd?) present often as well.
Anyway, the place closed 'round '84; but there is a huge show at the Knitting Factory this Saturday that will be a reunion of sorts with many survivors of the old scene scheduled to play. Of course, many participants no longer have to shave their heads, as Mother Nature has seen to make em natural skinheads!

Well, yer Uncle Nazz is actually playing this show! My bro DV and Caterwauller-in-Arms J-Lo are The Betrayed, and we will be going on somewhere between 11 pm and midnite. We'll be playing all your favorite Betrayed toonz too!

I am really looking forward to seeing some folks that I haven't seen since the 80's!
Big fun! ~ (or something!)


Toonage:
ISM -A7
The Betrayed - Betrayed By You
Misfits - Bullet
Beastie Boys - Riot Fight
Bad Brains -Big Takeover

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Now playing: Black Market Baby - Potential Suicide
via FoxyTunes

Meme Meme Meme Meme Meme

I have been challenged by our friends at The New Disease to complete this Meme. I am a virgin to these types of things, but here goes, I'll try anything once!

1. Five names you go by:
a) Mr. ********
b) Rico
c) Nazz
d) Dad
e) R***

2. Three things you are wearing right now:
a) Black Men's Button down dress shirt (covering a ...)
b) Joey Ramone Black T-Shirt
c) Black fake Dockers pants

3. Two things you want very badly at the moment:
a) Terrorism to end
b) My cat to get healthy. He's got a nasty tumor that is not going to get better.

4. Three people who will probably fill this out*:
a) Zooma (but I think he's pissed at me for my Pro-Bama rantings!
b) Mark at Pig State Recon
c) My pal Just Watchin'

* But I do not put an onus on them to do so, though I'm sure their answers would be better than mine.

5. Two things you did last night:
a) I shaved after debating whether to grow my goatee out to a full Rabbinical student beard for the winter as has occasionally been my custom.
b) An Ambien so I could get some sleep and not worry about the hellish work week ahead.

6. Two things you ate today:
a) Blueberry Low-Fat Yogurt for breakfast
b) A mixed salad with tofu, grape leaves, egg white, beets, chick peas and kidney beans for lunch.

7. Two people you last talked to on the phone:
a) Mrs. Nomad (making sure I haven't jumped out a window)
b) Princess Nomad (she wants an iTouch for her combo B-day/Holiday present)

8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
a) Practice for our SHOW AT KNITTING FACTORY THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!
b) Give the "Come to Jesus" talk to a couple of my staff whom seem a bit ungrateful to still have a job.

9. Two longest car rides:
a) Florida to New York the day after the 9-11 attacks
b) NY to Boston one July to see the Grateful Dead. The "trip" (draw your own conclusions) due to holiday summer traffic took 7 hours!

10. Two of your favorite beverages:
a) Guinness Stout
b) Bourbon (and I am not very choosy!)

And finally, a clip from a favorite movie.
The life of a Repo Man is NEVER boring!



Toonage:
The Who - I Don't Even Know Myself (Live at Leeds)
Run DMC & Living Color - Me, Myself, My Microphone
Aha - Take On Me
Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - All By Myself
Bowling For Soup - Sick Of Myself (Matthew Sweet cover)