May 29, 2009

Beyond and Back (and back again!)



Yee-haw! Going to see X tonite, gonna see X tonite! X-cited???? Fukkin A!
How many bands from my Punk golden years are still around and still intact with their original line-up and still rawkin' the shit out of it? Aside from X, I can't think of any. Can you?



I wrote this thing up about X a couple of years back, so rather than repeat myself, please click here, if you want the in-depth write-up.


Toonage:
X live at My Fathers Place, Long Island 11-12-83

May 28, 2009

In The Ghetto (in the ghetto)











As the snow flies
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
A poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto
And his mama cries
'cause if there's one thing that she don't need
it's another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto

People, don't you understand
the child needs a helping hand
or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me,
are we too blind to see,
do we simply turn our heads
and look the other way

Well the world turns
and a hungry little boy with a runny nose
plays in the street as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto

And his hunger burns
so he starts to roam the streets at night
and he learns how to steal
and he learns how to fight
In the ghetto

Then one night in desperation
a young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car,
tries to run, but he don't get far
And his mama cries

As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
face down on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto

As her young man dies,
on a cold and gray Chicago mornin',
another little baby child is born
In the ghetto

Toonage:
C.I.A. - In The Ghetto (in German!)
The King - In The Ghetto

May 26, 2009

Scenes From A Weekend



Thanks to the economy, we got an (unpaid) day off on Friday, so a four day weekend was spent thusly:


There was a kick ass military air show at the beach- lots of thrills and chills as everything from old style bi-planes to Thunderbirds were doing there thing int he skys above. There were some people actually protesting the event, claiming that the show was celebrating war. Now, I ask you, gentle readers... is this taking the whole anti-war thing a little too far?


My punk band Dirty Pillows ended up playing a show in the bowels of Long Island Saturday nite. What made this so egregious was that we performed at a shit-hole bar that I used to drink in when I was underaged, millions of years ago. Back then, it was Top 40 cover band Hades. As we haven't even seen each since January, the prospects of us playing well were dicey. However, after an hour practice the nite before, the "old magic" was back, and three out of the four of us were dead on. Three chord songs do have their advantages. Our other bandmate, the less said the better. I played the show pretty sober (no free beers, and the bar wanted $5 for a can of Miller Lite- no way!). We actually drew a few people (outdrew every other band in fact), and of course got beat on the money. What a surprise. I actually played much better than I usually do (hmmm sober = playing well (what a concept!)). And I got to sing and play on a Ramones cover we whipped up ten minutes before we went on.

Got a nice big blood blister on my finger as a remembrance of things rocked.
Well, it wasn't as bad as Pete's hand, but it still is nasty!


Started to put the pool back together... lots of marine sealer needed. And there were no dead mammals or birds in the water. Hopefully it'll be ready to jump in by this weekend. And you're all invited to the pool party! Bring your own Absinthe.


So, after 4 days of getting totally baked by the sun and intoxicants, it's back to work time.


And how was YOUR weekend?




Toonage:
The Dirtbombs- The Sun Is Shining
The Jam - Here Comes The Weekend
Teengenerate - Wild Weekend
Johnny Thunders - Seven Day Weekend

May 20, 2009

Read Undead


Summer's here (almost) and the time is right for dying and reanimating in the streets (or something).

Maybe it's due to the swine flu mania (which is really hitting my New York environs again), but I have been really into apocalyptic fiction and Zombie stuff as of late. Additionally, I got a nasty case of Poison Ivy, and I am feeling a little less than human.

Here's some stuff to check out:

The Stand (expanded edition) - Stephen King: Just re-read for the umpteenth time. I just never get tired of it. The first 150 pages or so are going to be the blueprint for whatever virus eventually does us in. Captain Trips, indeed.

Breathers, A Zombies Lament: S.G. Browne
: A clever tale written from the point of view of a sentient zombie. Being a Zombie isn't all fun and games, y'know.

The Living Dead - Anthology: Collected stories from authors such as Steven King, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, and many others. Runs the gamut from old West tales to future vision.

Day By Day Armageddon: JL Bourne: A diary of sorts written by a military man on survival after the dead start walking the earth.

The Walking Dead - Robert Kirkman: A series of graphic novels using "Romero rules" zombies. Completely vicious and NOT for children.

That ought to give you something to chew on!

and, here's the entire original Night Of The Living Dead!!!! :




Toonage:
The Cramps - Zombie Dance (Live)
The Dickies - Infidel Zombie (Live)
Misfits - Astro Zombies
Lars Frederiksen and The Bastards - Army Of Zombies
The Zombies - Butchers Tale (Western Front 1914)



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Now playing: The Cranberries - Zombie
via FoxyTunes

May 18, 2009

More Damned

Well, The Damned show last week was amazing. Almost like The Punk Floyd, with all the jamming and groovy lights. Here's a treat, over the weekend The Damned performed live on WFMU radio and through the efforts of some good folks at the Official Damned site, here's the show in all it's glory.

Toonage:

May 14, 2009

Damned Damned Damned

My bro Vin and The Good Captain - NYC February 1998

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HOW DO...
HEY BABE, WHAT'S HAPPENING!

cue bass intro!
Nazz Nomad with the Good Captain
Yippie kye yay mofo's, THE DAMNED are tonite.

How pumped am I? How about up to 11!
The Damned May 9, 2009 - Poughkeepsie

Old Drac and the Good Captain, along with the other Damned du Jour, playing in NYC! Wooooooooo hooooooooooooooooo!
The two survivors, yours truly and DMV, along for the ride. Toasting our fallen comrades, Kim and Vin. How many shows over the years? Gone but never forgotten.
We will do our best to carry on.
In darkness there is no sin
Light only brings the fear
Nothing to corrupt the eyes
There is no vision here
At first you may find it strange
But do not go away
The darkness holds the power
That you wont find in the day
Toonage:

May 11, 2009

The Stork Is Dead


As Nazz junior is now in 5th grade, part of the school curriculum is "The Changing Me". Yep, the system is now authorized to teach our children about puberty.

For those parents who dissent, their precious children can be excused from these classes.
Of course, once the cat is outta the bag with little Billy or Mary's peers, there's no way that they're not gonna hear about it.

Mixed feelings on all this.
10 and 11 year old children might be a tad too young to get the news that the stork is dead. On the other hand, younger kids better know this stuff, since alot of em are into the "exploration" phase already.

The Nomad's have never been very secretive about this stuff, especially as how Princess Nomad "crossed over" a couple of years back. So last summer, I explained the full monty to Nazz Junior.

Of course, I really didn't do the scientific route... I took the "pencil into a sharpener", "pole into a hole" course. And the "all women are bad" (updated from my daughter's training of "all boys are assholes and will use you and break your heart" shpiel).

Which wasn't exactly what I was supposed to be doing. It was supposed to be the "puberty chat", not the "how to get laid" lesson.

The school training went well... we were invited to the school a couple of weeks earlier to hear exactly what the kids would be learning.

And for my son and all his friends to learn the scientific stuff together was a good idea, since there is strength in numbers and this way they could all get freaked out together.

Now, of course, my son throws this stuff out at the most inopportune times, to get a rise out of us. Like talking about wet dreams at the dinner table.

I'm so proud!


Toonage:
The Cramps - What's Inside A Girl
Meatmen - Becoming A Man
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Sodomy
MC5 - I'm A Man
Neil Diamond - Girl You'll Be A Woman, Soon




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Now playing: Redd Kross - Hard Luck Woman
via FoxyTunes

May 5, 2009

No Trouble In The Heartland


Feeling good lately. Feelin' 7-up.

Made an executive decision a couple of weeks back to go on a major bender. If this guy can do a never ending tour, than I can turn Pro and just stay wasted for as long as I can. Day 13 of my Charles Bukowski streak. I've gotten past the roadblock of the morning hangover as well... channeling the fogginess into a placid plateau and the interior hummmmmmming sound that encompasses me like a velvet blanket (or something). Work has settled into something akin to Buenos Aires after the Bugs blew it to bits with that giant Asteroid.

Feelin' great in fact. Saw this guy last nite. Yeah, it's all hokey show-biz shtick but the mofo does fucking rock it hard. What is he, 70 years old and he still brings it every freaking nite. Of course, at this point the Jersey girls have morphed into Jersey Grannies; passing Jersey soccer moms about 10 years ago on the road past MILF and possibly now at the GRILF stage.

But, it's all about the rawk... and sposedly, I've got a couple of shows coming up with various pursuits and it looks like we are heading into the studio to record a song for a horror movie.
That would be sweet. Sweeter than the show we are sposed to play at some Lawn Guyland college cover band bar... wait'll they get a load of us!

Plus, shows from dese guys, and dese guys (and gal) on the horizon... I loves me some punk rock.



Toonage:
The Damned - Blitzkrieg Bop (w/ Joey Ramone!) - Live 1988
Turbonegro - Hobbit Motherfuckers
Nashville Pussy - I'm The Man
Slayer - Richard Hung Himself

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Now playing: Jerry Lee Lewis - What's Made Milwakee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)
via FoxyTunes