This Is The Way The World Ends

Just got back from a memorial mass for a friend's sister. A fitting end to a horrid year. As I am not a Roman Catholic myself, I was very interested in the rituals of another "point of view". The Priest was wonderful (the guy was my age and I could certainly see myself having a beer or six with him). He told the tale of Lazarus but debunked it somewhat and, despite the fairy tale prayer-speak, was able to convey to THIS heathen that it's all about love.

Fucking-A!

The missus and I came out of it as unconvinced as ever in organized spirituality, but, as always, grateful that there is a panacea for those in psychic pain; however hollow it might be.




The Hollow Men
T.S. Eliot


Mistah Kurtz—he dead.

A penny for the Old Guy

I

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us—if at all—not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men.

II

Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death’s dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.

Let me be no nearer
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer—

Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom

III

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.

IV

The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.

V

Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Humbug

And good tidings for all. My holiday wish is for us all to have a fuckload better year in 2010 !!!!!!

Joey Ramone's Last show



Toonage
The Damned - There Ain't No Sanity Claus
Crucial Youth - Christmas Time For The Skins
Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)
Ramones - I Believe In Miracles

Attn: Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame - Eat Shite

So the Schlock and Troll Hole of Fame has announced their electee's. Big Farking Deal. I still hold that any Rock N Roll Hall of Fame that has Billy fucking Joel in it is automatically illegitimate.

So, who's this years' honorees?:

The Stooges: Score one for rawk. These miscreants should have been inducted the day they decided to invent this museum. Too bad Ron Ashton and Dave Alexander won't be there to enjoy it. Hope somebody brings a jar of peanut butter. And some Heroin.

ABBA - Well, if you have to one Swedish Pop band to get hot looking Nordics to visit the Hall and then toplessly bathe on Lake Erie... i suppose Abba is as good as choice as any.

Jimmy Cliff - And if you need a movie star who wasn't even a rastafari and he happens thru the movie to introduce Reggae to the masses... well that's OK by me too.

The Hollies - And the de rigeour British Invasion band (what's next Hermans' Hermits?)

And the writers: DAVID GEFFEN; BARRY MANN & CYNTHIA WEIL; ELLIE GREENWICH & JEFF BARRY
JESSE STONE; MORT SHUMAN; OTIS BLACKWELL - No problem on them.

The Sex Pistols "no thank you" letter

Who did I leave out? Kiss? No, shot down. Rush? Nope, shot down, The Damned? The Buzzcocks? The Replacements? The Jam? aaaaarrrggghh

Fucking Genesis got in. Fucking Genesis got in. Fuck you Rock n roll hall of fame.

Eat shit Jann Wenner.

Iggy And The Stooges give Madonna the treatment.

Punk Rock & Trailer Parks

I just read and was completely overwhelmed by the graphic novel: Punk Rock And Trailer Parks. You might know the author/artist, Derf from his work on The City and other alt-comics. Additionally, he penned the classic: My Friend Dahmer (yeah- about growing up with Jeffrey Dahmer).

Punk Rock And Trailer Parks tells the story of a geek named Otto; A high school nerd in 1980, living outside of Akron, Ohio. Otto, gets tall, discovers Punk Rock and intersects with The Ramones, Joe Strummer, Wendy O Williams, Stiv Bators and others. There's tragedy, pathos, lunacy, pregnant holy-rollers, comedy and cartoon tits. What more do you need?
Derf intro's the tale as "it's not a true story... but it could be." And parts of it should resonate in all of you, especially if you're readin' this blog to begin with! As Derf wrote to me, regarding where "Otto" would be today: "Otto is out there somewhere, probably running an illegal music file-sharing site, living under an alias and dodging Music Industry lawyers...."

So go buy it! Support art. And punk rock!

Click here for a nice interview with Derf

I'm Not There

Thanks to all that have sent good vibes my way. It is much appreciated.

One byproduct of my new unemployment is the opportunity to "better" myself. I have been stone cold sober for 10 days and hitting the gym.

Another is that I am taking on-line free courses at MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Amazing that they just give this stuff away.

So, I'll be fit, healthy and well educated on the dole!

I have been networking and have some prospects.. but HOPE IS THE MOST SEDUCTIVE DRUG OF ALL!

And it has been nice to spend extra bonus time with Mrs. Nomad... it's sort of like being in our retirement years, but we can still do things!

Yesterday, I saw the Bob Dylan psuedo-bio flick I'M NOT THERE. Wow. It was breathtaking. As confusing, convuluted, masked and intiguing as the man himself. It's loaded with classic Dylan tunes as several actors (Richard Gere, Kate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger) depict Dylan-esque characters at different times of his life. For example, Kate Blanchett handles the 1965 amphetamine laced Zimmy incredibly.

Highly recommended.

Blindsided & Backstabbed

Laid off. Reduced In Force. Blindsided. Backstabbed. And fucked.

My worst (non familial) nightmare happened this past week. The bullet with my name on it caught me square in the back. Right now I am experiencing alternating scenarios of the Kubler Ross 5 stages of dying.

The one that Kubler Ross never talks about is terror of the future. How will I support my family? How will I pay my mortgage?

My (old) company is circling the drain, but this still came as a complete shock. I had about a 2 hour warning when I was able to decipher the smoke signals. I had spent the last couple of weeks trying to save someone's job. Guess what? That "someone" was spared and took MY job. I will give the bastards credit...they hid it well and the knowledge of my corporate beheading was kept to a very select few. The "package" that they offered me might have well have been shit wrapped in an old cardboard box. Still trying to negotiate a better one. After a decade and a half, I deserve better.

The hardest job is finding one.

Cheesy Ennui

Strange days. There are some very dark storm clouds at the old veal pen. I know a little too much for comfort, and am hoping that I survive this onslaught.

In addition, I blew out my back again this weekend. Our main television crapped out and I had to carry it out to the garbage and than bring our old one up from the basement. These are the old solid state picture tube cathode ray monsters, not those dainty flat screens. For a few minutes I actually contemplated consumerizing and doing the purchase thang, but sanity prevailed. The missus and I promised each other that xmas 2010 will be the target date for any new frivolous expenditures. That's if we still have jobs, of course.

Our band has hit some sort of ennui as well. We just can't seem to all get together and work on these new songs.

Some of us hooked up this weekend and we came up with a new one "The Ballad Of John List". It's very much in the Damned/Stooges vein. But we've got 6 songs that we have to finish up. 6! Plus, we're still waiting on the final mix of our video for "Kids Go To The Woods, Kids Get Dead".

One thing I can recommend is the new destucto-porn flick 2012. Horrible dialect, cheesy acting, complete improbabilty and the total annihilation of Planet Earth. Perfect holiday fare!

Here's some cheesy music that for some reason is sticking with me.

Toonage:

Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama Out

Tenacious D (with Ben Harper) - Under Pressure (Queen cover)

10cc - I'm Not In Love

Three Dog Night - Shambala

T-Day

Three for Thanksgiving Day. It's been a tough year and I pray for all of us that it starts to get better.

J. Mascis is Gawd

Noise is for heroes!

or something. A major omission in my musical history was keerected Sat nite as I witnessed pure guitar noise fury with Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth.

It was going to work out perfectly... Dino Jr were the support, so I could engulf myself in them; and when I ran out of patience with Sonic Youth, it would be out ta door and heading home.

Except that Dino Jr only played 50 freaking minutes!!!!!! Yeah, they were fantastic, J. Mascis drenching the crowd with wave after wave of guitar bliss, whilst Barlow and Murph held the riddim. But I wanted more. Much more.


J. Masic is our alt Neil Young. Look at the long white hair, hear the guitar distortion, feel the off kilter vocals. Hey, the following vids aren't exactly hi qual audio... but you get the drift!

Pieces

Little Fury Things

And Sonic Youth were really entertaining too! I actually made it through their entire set and wanted more! Kim Gordon is (almost) Gawd too. Jeez... I hadn't seen Sonic Youth in many years and that's a mistake I won't make again. Me likey the Sonic Youth.

Cross The Breeze

Toonage:
The entire Sonic Youth Set 11/21/09 can be found here!
(thanks to NYC Taper)
A whole lot of Dinosaur Jr live shows can be found here!

And On The Farm He Had An Aneurism

A couple of quickies...

The excellent site Music Ruined My Life has turned me on to this gentlemen named Frankie Turner. Sorta an angrier Billy Bragg/Ted Leo. I am quite impressed. See for yourself:

We recorded again this weekend... a demonic, demented version of the old children's' staple "Old McDonald". And yes, it's for another movie... about a satanically possessed "speak and spell". I'll post it as soon as we finished mixing.

Yeah, I play bass, but this guy REALLY PLAYED BASS!

And lastly, I suppose it is important to know that our new soon to be hit was recorded under the influences of this and this!

Semper Fi, muthafuckas!

No Peace In The Valley

Hit another number on time's odometer this weekend. Possessed by a feeling of relief more than anything else these days. I still have a job (yes, we had yet another bloodbath at the veal pen last week), health, family, etc.

Challenging days ahead for sure.... apparently, the biggest growth market in psychiatry is in the spouses and children of working folk. The anxiety level has escalated to epidemic proportions with kids worrying that mom or dad will be out of a job.

Something is gonna give at work... too many suits walking around being shown the environs. Are we for sale? Who isn't? So we sit and hope the scythe is whetted at another site.

Good times. Good times.

How can I explain to those that weren't there

Of the days and the nights and the trouble we'd share

An old man's tale's at the end of the bar

I shoulda finished before I made it this far

Toonage:

Buzzcocks - Everybody's Happy Nowadays

P.I.L. - Happy

Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years

The Kinks - Get Back In Line

What Happens In Vegas...

...stays in Vegas. Or something.

We survived our Halloween excursion to Sin City. It could be called "From Big Elvis to Coolio in three drunken days."

This is "Big Elvis"... down to 400 lbs from his original 800 lbs!

Three solid daze of booze, broads, rock n roll, horror and fun! We ended up doing virtually everything on our list. Some of the hilights were the Fangoria Magazine Trinity Of Terrors, the best bar in Vegas: THE DOUBLE DOWN; where we consumed much ass juice and did not puke, and the Halloween weirdness on the Las Vegas Strip.

We dressed as disco zombies... complete with silver foil disco shirts and much blood and gore. Our back story was that we were on our way to Studio 54 and were killed by zombies. And we deserved it. Why? Because we were going to a disco!

Disco Zombie meets the Oral/ Anal Girls

We also took in the club scene at the Hard Rock Flesh and Fantasy Ball. That was weird multiplied by a million. Old Nazz invented a dance move called the sway and topple. It's when you drink so much that you sorta fall into people. Punk rock!

Freaks!

Oh, did I mention that we spent the entire three days with a total of 5 hours of sleep? The only was to avoid a grievous hangover? STAY DRUNK!

The view from our room

We gambled a little bit and did the snake diet... one meal a day.

And our last bizarre encounter was at a 5 am $5.99 steak and eggs casino restaurant, where Coolio sat at the table next to us and was completely out of his mind .

Oh... in case you didn't know... there are hot girls everywhere in Vegas... they must grow em in a field somewhere!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to go back!

Toonage:
Chuck Berry - Too Much Monkey Business
The Cramps - Dames, Booze, Chains and Boots
Three Aces And A Joker - Booze Party
Dropkick Murphys - Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced

----------------
Now playing: Green Day - Welcome To Paradise
via FoxyTunes

Viva Las Vegas

Heading out to Las Vegas this Halloween weekend with my buddy (who is also the drummer from my band). A boy's weekend of debauchery as the Caterwaul Of Sound rhythm section invades Sin City for the very first time. Additionally, we will be heading to the Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors convention. Why? Because, aside from whoring our band and the movie we just did the theme song to; we're gonna meet John Waters, George Romero (plus they are screening his new movie- Survival Of The Dead, Roger Corman, Bruce Campbell and a coffin load of Vampire-Stripper wannabees!

As I have never ventured to Lost Wages (the land of the silicon enhanced single mom's) before, the last couple of weeks have involved planning last seen during the Allied storming of Normandy during D-Day.

Because the success of this venture revolves around the 4 P's:
Planning
Preparation
Passion
and, of course...
Perversion!

And, as we don't gamble, our money can be spent in far more interesting ways. Like Big Elvis... a 300 lb Elvis impersonator.

Planning on a Hunter Thompson-esque expedition.... only without the grapefruit. I hate grapefruit!

Of course, my lovely bride has completely approved of the voyage... circumventing any potential disasters by granting me full access for the weekend. She knows, that since I am such a douchebag contrarian, that by telling me that I can do anything; that I will do nothing!
Had she warned me that she would John Wayne Bobbit me if I came home with even a strip club matchbook; than I would have went hog wild.

By telling me that I can do anything I want, I won't do anything!

She is MUCH smarter than me.

Toonage:
Dead Kennedy's - Viva Las Vegas
ZZ Top - Viva Las Vegas
Elvis Presley - Viva Las Vegas



----------------
Now playing: George Harrison - Beware Of Darkness
via FoxyTunes

No More Soupy

Soupy Sales died. That's a bummer. He was Punk Rock for kids back in the 50's and 60's and 70's. Hopefully, when the Grim Reaper showed up, Soupy hit him in the face with a pie. Rest In Peace Soupy, you were truly an original!

Obit here

On another note, I have been sober and straight for 7 days. Part of which is due to overindulgence and a need to get clean for a big weekend coming up. The other part is due to this nasty cold that everyone in New York seems to have. If I start getting hungry for brains, someone please shoot me in the head.

Toonage:
Motorhead - Killed By Death
The Pixies - Wild Honey Pie (Beatles cover - Live BBC)

Booze & Blood, F#ck Yeah!

Well, we shot the music video for the Love Theme To Kids Go To The Woods, Kids Get Dead and what a bizarre experience it was.

We all thought it was going to be a quick little "one take" shot... but it ended taking about 7 hours!

We jumped in a van (note to you kids... when a guy drives over with a van and says: "hey, jump in and you can be in a video" be very careful!) and made about an hour ride to the site for the shoot. When we got there, it became apparent quickly that this was the real thing. Assistants were hanging tarp, setting up lights and all this other movie stuff.

As we were "THE TALENT" we were told to chill. So, we watched Blacula and drank Absinthe and 40 ounce Buds (and other kinds of buds too), until we were called to the set. I can see how a guy can get into alot of mischief just waiting around.

Basically, we played the song to a backing track as a full band two or three times and then we each did a solo version of the song for close-ups.

I learned right there that I am NO ACTOR. I was totally self conscious and unable to "project". But then again, I'm just the bass player, so I am spozed to be a bit stoic, right?

Than came the real fun, as the director bathed us all in torrents of blood (most of which was fake blood) and body parts, and we ran thru the song a few more times. The blood totally blinded me and I ended up trashing my contact lenses.

I crashed at my buddy's place as we didn't get done till close to dawn and I was in no condition to drive home.

Of course, walking to one's car in the light of day on a busy street whilst covered in blood is certainly an attention getter as well!

I highly recommend it.

I can't wait to see the finished product and will dutifully post it here!

Toonage:

Replacements - Seen Your Video

Turbonegro - Drenched In Blood

Candy Snatchers - Color Me Blood Red

Punk-tober

As some of you might know, I play bass in a couple of bands of the Punk genre. My lack of musical ability makes my choices perfect. Bass (4 strings, 2 less than guitar), and Punk (even I can play 5 notes) and of course, my ever sunny disposition.

My ever understanding wife has given me free reign to exorcise my demons in this manner, bless her little heart.

One of my bands, Dirty Pillows; has got a gig on Long Island in Amityville (yes, the home of this) tomorrow (Sat Oct 17), if anyone is in the environs. It's for a pet shelter - a good cause if there ever was one!

The neat thing about this band is that we play 2 or 3 times a year live, and practice about that much as well. Hey.. it's punk rock. Furthermore, as most of what we do is, ahem, "influenced" by The Ramones, as long as one of us can remember to count to 4, we're set.

Last nite we had our first and only practice for the show. We literally ran thru the set once and we were perfect (also sober... which MIGHT have helped). It's nice to be able to get together with some laid back people and not have any drama in a band. We have about a 20 year span between the oldest and youngest people in the band, and maybe that helps as well.
After running thru the set, we had a lot of time left, so we played some elongated 12 bar blues thang (which I named "The I Can't Bang Jennifer Aniston Blues") and some old Pete Seeger stuff.

And my other band, Caterwaul Of Sound, is shooting an actual music video tonight! Lots of blood and gore and bad taste will be involved.

Punk rock... it's what's for dinner.

Hey... check out this progression...

Toonage:
Green Day - Another State Of Mind (Social Distortion cover)
Social Distortion - Ring Of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)
Johnny Cash - Hey Good Lookin' (Hank Williams cover)
Hank Williams - Your Cheatin' Heart

I Wanna Rock N Roll All Weekend!

"Dad, can we go see KISS this weekend before they die?" asked Nazz jr.

"No sooner said than done, son"; I replied.

So after an ebay negotiation, we were off to see Knights In Satan's Service at the world's most famous arena.

Unlike other shows, of course, I would be the responsible parent. As a result, as the smells of ganja wafted and beers were drank around me, I remained the sober one (as of course did Nazz jr). Here's where things get weird... they had some sort of contest that you could enter if you were going to be the "designated driver" and I entered it.

And we won!

Right before the show begins a couple of arena personnel come to our seats and hand us a gen-u-ine KISS program.

Irony, thy name is Nazz.

It was a great show of course... exactly what you would expect from Gene, Paul and the other mooks. Explosions, Paul's raps between songs, lots of stuff from KISS Alive. Nazz jr was sporting dad's old KISS ARMY t-shirt and laughing at the handful of folks dressed in their "komplete Kiss kostumes".

The openers, Buck Cherry were pretty good too. They even covered Deep Purple's "Highway Star".

This was the night after seeing Bob Weir in a trio set-up which really showcased three things:

1) He can actually play guitar

2) He still can't remember lyrics with-out a teleprompter

3) Deadheads are getting older and more annoying as the years go on.

The biggest cheer went up when (on a small screen), The Yankees beat the Twins. Woo hoo! This show was at a converted bowling alley called (duh) Brooklyn Bowl. Great venue, lotsa microbrews, and no, I most decidedly did not win the designated driver award!

Toonage:
Here's a couple of Scandanavian covers of KISS!
Peck - Rock N Roll All Nite
Skellington - Love Gun

and, straight from the West Coast:
Redd Kross - Deuce

and the originals themselves:
Kiss - Deuce (demo version)

Jon-Benet Jackson

Anyone catch the new South Park last nite? It was all about the hype around dead celebrities. Funny stuff. You can watch it here.

The big target was Michael Jackson, and his desire to be a young white girl.

I didn't even know he died!!!! Where was I when this happened? Did it even get covered in the media?

Reminds me of this riddle:

Q- What's the difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson?

A- One walked on the moon, and the other fucked little boys.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Toonage:

Jackson Five - ABC

Jackson Five- I Want You Back

Jackson Five - The Love You Save

I Am Kelly's Liver

Awrighty now, as part of the official Nazz Nomad Rocktober celler-bration, the missus and I are gonna see MISS KELLY CLARKSON too-nite! Why? Because she fucking rules, that's why! Did ya evuh aktually HEAR HER SING?????? Like a combination of nightingales and angels. For real.

Yeah, long time readers of this here blog know that I ain't b.s.-ing when I laud the majesty of Ms. Clarkson. I don't care if she won American Midol or Best In Show or what-ever, she's got the pipes. And the songs too. I can admit that I have gone on stage at Punk Metal gigs and sung (sang?) Since You Been Gone. And loved it. Because I am fucking punk rock!

Oh yeah, Missus Nomad is going to be very very very happily attending this show with me and imbibing for three or four hours beforehand. Which will only pay benefits in the "good hubby" department for me. And what's the big deal about marital relations with a little puke on the breath anyway!

My buddy took his wife to see Pink last night and it wasn't because he wanted to hear 18,000 teenagers singing whatever the hell Pink sings. It's because one little nite of taking one for the team tends to equal about ten nights where the wifey looks the other way, dig?

I think I missed my calling. I should be a marriage therapist!

Start Choppin'

Zombieland comes out tomorrow and I am psyched. The Nomad clan will be seeing the matinee on Saturday and we can't wait!

It can't be as good as the two greatest "funny" zombie movies ever (Shaun Of The Dead and The Passion Of The Christ), but I am sure it will be kick ass. The zombies in Zombieland don't follow the "Romero rules" (ie- slow, shuffling ambulatory sacks of meat). On the other hand, Woody fucking Harrelson is the star. And unless you're gonna get Kurt fucking Russell as Snake fucking Plisskin to kill zombies, old Woody is a great pick! If he's half as bad ass as he was in Natural Born Killers, than Zombieland is gonna rule.

In other walking dead news, imma gonna see Bruce Springsteen Friday nite at Giants Stadium. The Boss in New Joisey. I feel 30 IQ points dumber already!

Toonage:

The Bellrays - Dream Police (a kick ass cover of Cheap Trick - GET IT NOW!)

Dinosaur Jr - Start Choppin'

Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is?

Everything (Should) Turn Grey

I saw a woman yesterday with the most amazing hair. It was grey. It was so grey that it almost had a purple tinge to it. Ya'll remember grey hair on women, doncha? It was prevalent before every femme over the age of 11 decided that the only way that a guy was gonna know their true hair color was by checking the rug. Well, this woman didn't care, it was gloriously long and unadulterated. Bless her little follicles! And she was pretty damn sexy.


Ms. Nomad is still mildly encouraging me to do the grey be gone thang as of late. I ain't budging. I am follically challenged enough thanks to heredity and mother nature's infinite and cruel jests as it is. Besides, the grey in my hair doesn't bother me. The grey in my beard, well that does bother me. I can't trim those suckers out quick enough.


Aaahhh vanity, thy name is Nazz.

(Jerry did NOT use Just For Men!)

Toonage:

Agent Orange - Everything Turns Grey

Spazzys - I Wanna Cut My Hair Like Marky Ramone

Funboy Three - The More That I See (the less I believe)

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies (live 1973)

This Ain't Red Rocks

I got hooked up with U2 tix for Giants Stadium and it even includes an open bar. Not quite an acolyte of the band, but they're certainly a guaranteed good time in concert. Could even venture that they are a transcedent experience. It's quite a treat to be able to lose yourself in a shared feeling. . First saw em in the early 80's before Bono turned into Jesus junior. In fact, a long time ago, in a hairstyle far far away, I sported the same mullet as Bono and even drew quite a few comparisons. It never got me laid, though.

So in honor of the show, here's a poem:

I saw Bono in my grilled cheese
I saw Bono in the chrome of a 57 T-Bird
I saw Bono in the tea leaves in my cup
I saw Bono in my mirror
I saw Bono in my mirror
I saw Bono in my mirror
I saw Bono in an old tortilla
I saw Bono healing the sick
I saw Bono in the background of Black Sabbath’s first album cover
I saw Bono in my alphabet soup
I saw Bono in a cumulous cloud
I saw Bono in the hearts and minds of all
I saw Bono in my mirror

Toonage:

U2 - Glad To See You Go - (Ramones cover - live Cork Ireland 10-5-79)

U2 - I Will Follow (live London 1982)

U2 - I Remember You (Ramones cover - 12-5-00 NYC)

U2 - Unknown Caller (live Paris 7-11-09)

C is for Cookie

A friend of mine gave me a chocolate chip cookie yesterday. This was a special cookie, provided by the state of California. As such, it contained "medicine". California is (I believe) the only state in the union that allows weed to be "medicine".

"Wait until after work, Nazz", I was advised. Yeah, right. I attacked it like I was the cookie monster.

About an hour later, I felt it coming on. The high lasted about 6 hours. As my dedication to science is so great, I refrained from any other intoxicants during this time. The buzz seemed to be alot more "spacy" rather than physical. However, I did pig out a whole lot once I got home, so I guess the posit that it increases appetite was true. Maybe it's some sort of "munchie strain".

It's absolutely absurd that medical marijuana is not available for consumption by anyone who needs it. Don't even get me started on why the shit is illegal to begin with. The drug war is a complete failure. Let's use our resources on helping people, not persecuting them.

And for your Friday... here's a poem:

Tina Louise

You always seemed

like too much work

And MaryAnn was low maintainance

And when we finally met

Over drinks and madness

You were too old

And you still wouldn't fuck me

Toonage:

The Clash - Janie Jones (live NYC 6-4-81)

The Beatles - What's The New Mary Jane (unreleased)

Neil Young - Roll Another Number (6-18-84 Reseda California)

Mickey Hart - Granma's Cookies

A Modern Man's Regimen

Morning- happy pill.

Get to work - several cups of coffee

Lunch

After lunch - more cups of coffee

Pre Train - beer

On Train - beer

Post Train - bliss

Home - Beer

Dinner

Post Dinner - Beer

Nite - Sleeping Pill.

Rinse, Repeat.

Sorta like my very own 12 step program, but I missed one rung somewhere.

Nobody seems to know what's going on lately. Reminds me of this scene:

Toonage:

Rhythm Devils - The Beast (Apocalypse Now sessions)

Replacements - Beer For Breakfast

NOFX - I Am An Alcoholic

5,6,7,8's - Edie Is A Sweet Candy

In Memory

Could it really be 8 years since that awful day when everything changed? I am a born and bred New Yorker and every day, when I take the subway, the last stop is still called World Trade Center.

My brother and one of my best friends were involved in that tragic day.

My brother had worked at the World Trade Center up until June of that year; when a family tragedy caused him to re-evaluate his life and he left the firm he was employed by. That company, Marsh, lost 295 people that day. My brother would have been murdered had he not quit. Many of the murdered were his friends.

My buddy was actually exiting the subway (he went to work late that day since it was an election day in NYC) when the attack happened and was nearly killed by a piece of the first plane's wreckage. He spent the rest of the morning watching people jump to their death, before going home and cleaning the dust composed of human remains, concrete and debris from his apartment (his windows had been open). He was never the same after 9-11. He passed away almost three years ago, but as cliched as it sounds, part of him died the day of the attack.

Whatever your politics or religion, there can be no justification of this crime.

No music today. Just don't feel like it.

Spaced

Your tax dollars at work. And a whole lot better than spending it on some war!

More trippy shots from the Hubble Telescope can be found here!

Toonage:

Grateful Dead - Dark Star - (Avalon 10-12-68)

Dead Kennedys - One Way Ticket To Pluto

William Shatner - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Spirit - Space Child

Abbey Roadkill

I don't believe in Beatles
- John Lennon

Oooooohhhhhh it's Beatles day! Big Fucking Deal. Let's all suck at the teat of The Lord God Of Merchandising and queue up for remastered (for the hundredth time) Beatles albums (and then downsample em to 128 and play on our Ipods) and our Beatles video game.
Hey junior, buy yerself a real guitar instead of following some virtual relics on a blinking light plastic piece of crap.

And that commercial making the rounds for the game with the images of the deceased (but still raking in money for the estates) John and George make me want to puke.





Toonage:

John L - God (unreleased demo)
George H - Art Of Dying (unreleased demo)
Detention - Dead Rock N Rollers
The Damned - Help (original single)

My Poem For This Extended Weekend

Life is pain.
What's the point of going on?
Holy shit, look at the tits on that chick

Bat Babe

As a young pup, I was really really really into comics. Mostly the EC and Warren Horror stuff and Marvel. In fact if anyone wants to buy my collection, lemme know! Aside from a rather unhealthy fixation on Red Sonja and Vampirella, I was enamored over the flesh and blood version of Batgirl on the 60's Batman reruns that would be broadcast every night.

I have no doubt that you did too.

Here's a tribute to the lovely BatGirl.

Librarian by day, Bat-Babe by night.

Here's an unaired pilot for a proposed Batgirl TV series.

And Batgirl goes on the soapbox in this PSA for Equal Rights.

And sadly, the death of Batgirl... though in the print version of the comics, I believe she is crippled by The Joker

Toonage:

The Who - Batman

The Jam - Batman

Rehab Is For Quitters

Step 1:

We admit we are powerless - that our lives had become unmanageable.

-- Nope, that's not right at all. I have the power to change my behaviour anytime I choose to. And, my "hobbies" are what give me power over the unmanageable.

Readage:

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO - EDGAR ALLAN POE

Toonage:

SupperBell RoundUp - All Your Bottles Run Dry

Jane's Addiction - Pigs In Zen

Replacements - Treatment Bound

New Bomb Turks - This Place Sucks

Circling The Drain

Business is bad. Really bad. I had to put my corporate executioners mask on yesterday and lay off a really good guy who I have worked with for fourteen years.

Feels like we're circling the drain here, so the only hope is to hold on as tight as I can for as long as I can and hope it turns around.

So, when times get tough, the Nomad's get going. Gettin' outta Dodge City for a spell. Hopefully this will keep me out of the insane asylum a while longer.

and if I don't see you, for a long while, I'll try to find you... left of the dial.

Toonage:

Husker Du - Live Trenton (City Gardens) 1985

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Now playing: The Clash - I'm so bored with the USA
via FoxyTunes

Dirty Pillows & The Queers

Oh snap, my band Dirty Pillows (not to be confused with my band Caterwaul Of Sound) is playing with THE QUEERS this Tuesday night (Aug 25) on Long Island. Considering my band and The Queers both are, ahem, inspired by The Ramones, it's should be a Gabba Gabba good time for all. And it's 16 +, so Dateline NBC can do an expose (or something).

I think this is the only known footage (unearthed in the ruins of a bombed out church) of old Nazz's band. Extra points if you recognize the song.

And here's something by The Queers...


Off to the beach...

Blurting And Bangs-ing

Currently, I am reading Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste: A Lester Bangs Reader.

For those who don't know, Bangs was the best rock critic of the 70's... back when rock n roll supposedly still meant something. His treatises/battles/ruminations on Iggy and Lou Reed in Creem Magazine as well as other rock rags are classic. Long after he was fired from Creem he was still winning best rock writer awards in the mag!

The "fatherly rock critic" in the odious movie "Almost Famous" was based on him.

Reading this (also recommended is his collection: Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung) has made me feel totally inadequate. The writing, both in a stream of conciousness/drug fueled rampage and PASSION are so beyond the scope of anything that is produced today. Bangs was a guy who could postulate on the Pro-Christianity of Black Sabbath and in the next instant both praise and condemn Keith Richards for his drug abuse.

And, from the amazing Persons Unknown (Punk e-books and articles) blog, immediately go and download THE RAMONES COMICS... a collection of awesome gags, graphics and tributes to Da Brudders.

Christ, do I ever miss the Ramones.

Readage:

A Lester Bangs batch of links

Toonage:

Holly And The Italians - Tell That Girl To Shut Up

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - I Write The Songs

Jawbreaker - The Boat Dreams From The Hill

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye

Our Maiden Voyage

Figured it was time to inflict a little more ugliness on the site.

By clicking this link (or below), you will be able to download Caterwaul Of Sound's debut single... (Love Theme to) Kids Go To The Woods, Kids Get Dead.

This is the theme song (duh) to a great little indie horror film of the same name.

Yep, it's old Nazz's band with our first (soon to be) top ten single. Hope you enjoy it and let me know (that's what the COMMENTS button is for!) if it's a thumbs up for your next dance party!

We're hard at work on some new heartwarming songs that will be sure to make your next holiday gathering (or romantic evening) extra special.

Toonage:

Caterwaul Of Sound - (Love Theme To) Kids Go To The Woods, Kids Get Dead

Kitty

Rest in Peace.

Kitty was the best cat ever.



We hope you are out of pain and in a better place.

Love, Your Family.

40 Years Gone

I am on Woodstock overload. Ancient history.

Amidst all the self congratulatory bullshit regarding the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, it does not appear be noted anywhere that the two Presidents spawned from the "baby boomer" generation are the narcissistic Bill Clinton and the truly evil GW Bush.

Nice going, flower children... I'll stick with my Gen X Obama!

Black Holes In The Sky

Stopped doing the acid/schroom/mesc thing a loooong time ago. Figured I was skating on far too thin a patina of icy sanity already.
Probably one of the better decisions I have made in a life full of wrong turns.

The LSD experience opens a door that can never be completely closed. It's close to 20 years since I last ingested any of that stuff and I still don't think I've made it back completely.

With all of the exterior plus interior madness since... no regrets.




Toonage:

Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs (whole album)



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Now playing: The Kinks - Dead End Street
via FoxyTunes