Romney & Ryan are evil motherfuckers. The Republikkkan party are total scumbags.

(Here's a picture of kittens- It's much nicer than a picture of Republikkkan scumbags.) If only the ground could open up and swallow the Republikkkan convention whole. Or, the floor could give way and they fall until they reach the Earth's molten core. I'm open to either option. Better yet, how's this: These cocksuckers cloak their lizard scales under the American flag and preach hatred, prejudice, sexism and THEY ARE BEING EMBRACED BY THE VERY SAME PEOPLE THEY ARE FUCKING!!!!!!!!! Ryan and Romney are fucking liars - you think they care about you? Yeah, sure they do. Out here in NY, we don't have a real say in the election. It's a democratic state and will vote Obama (thank G-d). You folks out there in the South and the Midwest: How can you live with yourselves??????? How do you not want to put the ebola virus in the water supply everyday and kill those fucking monsters???????

Gimme Some (Bass) Head

I'M NOT A MUSICIAN. I'M A PUNK RAWKER.  And I play bass guitar. Here's some really cool isolated bass trax from some bitchin' bassists. Behold the bassage toonage.

Just Around The Corner, There's A Bed Of Cold Pavement Waiting For Me

What a week.

I was a bit cheered up when I heard there was a hurricane headed toward the Republikkkan/Nazi/Fascist convention, but unfortunately, it did not "Katrina" the motherfuckers.

Tick Tick Tick.

Agent Orange / The Queers (and Billy Joel is the Antichrist)

So, a lovely Saturday found old Nazz circling Manhattan on a boat, whilst the dulcet toonage of Agent Orange and The Queers provided a lovely soundtrack. Part of the Rocks Off shows in En Why See, ya get to spend 3 hours on a boat and get your drink and freak on as kick ass rawk is performed. Beers were pretty expensive on board, but that’s why one pre-games before they get on the boat, of course.

Sometimes life is good.

Agent Orange were on my bucket list... having been a fan since the days of their “Bitchin’ Summer” and “Living In Darkness” elpees back in the days of vinyl. They might have been the first of the Cal Punk bands to bring the heavy surf thang into the scene--- lord knows I cut my teeth on their renditions of Mr. Moto, Miserlou, etc.

Looking none the worse for 30 plus years in the biz, Mike Palm and co tore through a couple of dozen songs, including many that were new that also kicked ass. But it was the oldies: ”Bloodstains”, “Breakdown” “The Last Goodbye” that got my moto runnin’. It was a nice touch when we went past the ruins of the World Trade Center and they dedicated “Too Young To Die” to the victims of that mass murder. It was even cooler when Palm played an instrumental so he could watch “us circle the Statue Of Liberty “.

Old Nazz was representing several friends who are no longer alive, so I had alot of Punk Rock on my shoulders to vent.

I succeeded.

 Picture taken off the back of the boat with the Statue Of Liberty in the distance.

Then, the greatest Ramones tribute band ever- The Queers, took the stage. Yeah, I know that most of their songs are theirs... shit, I was in a band that had all original stuff, and you know what? We were a Ramone tribute band too!  In fact we opened for The Queers once and Joe Queer told me how much he liked us. He...really...liked...us!!!!!!! Joe and his latest aggregation of Queers had the boat bouncing. At the end of the show, they brought someone up to play 3 or 4 Ramones songs as an encore. Yeah man- it’s Noo Yawk Fuckin’ Citee- you’d best be bringing out the Bruddahs!!!!!!!

Afterwards, my pals in the World Famous Kick Ass Punk Rock MetalLive Karaoke Band were doing a show.. with one very upsetting scenario- before doing their Live Band participation part, they, along with a couple of alt- rock mooks were going to play the entire Billy fucking antichrist Joel’s “Glass Houses” rekkid.

Well, golly gosh gee whiz, we missed that part since we were at a PUNK FUCKING ROCK show on a boat. But we showed up afterwards for the Live Band Karaoke part, where some Patriot made the following political statement.

After all, why should Pussy Riot be imprisoned in Russia when Billy Fucking Asshole Joel is free to live and not be in a gulag.

Rightful indignation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Punk Fucking Rawk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah...

Punk Fucking Rawk.

No Worries? Plenty Of Worries!

I don't know where the term "no worries" started. It mighta been due to that horrible 80's treacle/ballad by Bobby McFerrin. Or maybe it goes back to the hippie days. Or maybe it's Walt Fucking Disney's fault. Nonetheless, it's become part and parcel of the English language. It's a phrase that, even I, the eloquent Nazz have used on far too many occasions.

And... it's... complete... bullshit.

I (and I am sure you) have got more worries than ever.

Here's a catalog of mine:
money
my job
money
my family
money
health
money
the motherfucking republicans winning the election
money
trying to stay sober (13 days as of this posting)
money
The NY Giants/Yankees winning their respective championships
money

You get the picture.

The next motherfucker that says "no worries" to me is getting a punch right in the motherfucking throat.

Here's a song that makes me both proud and horrified that I live in a country where this shit can get dreamed and and created.
Fuckin' magnets.

Baby's Got Back / Don't Stop Believing @ The Movies

My buddy Angus Jr. did the following pieces of editing brilliance.







I've got strange friends.

The Reverse Robin Hood

So, the Repugnikkkans have selected a VP for Mitt. And he's a fiscal conservative who wants to give tax cutes to the rich and screw the poor.

What a surprise.

It doesn't really matter of course, by the time Romney died in office, this country would be so fucked by then that Ryan couldn't make it any worse.

In the last 2 elections, the Repubkikkkans have run a War Hero, a woman, a Mormon and a Catholic.

We live in strange times.

PS- Supposedly, the new Veep pick is a big Rage Against The Machine fan... somewhere, Tom Morello is rolling in his grave.

Not Grateful He's Dead - 17 Years Ago Today

The phone rang about 9:30. “Nazz, Jerry died” 

“What are you talking about” I answered.

“Jerry died!, it just came over the news!”

“Holy shit! I guess fall tour is cancelled!” I countered.

I immediately bolted from my office and went down to the NPR radio office a couple of floors down. Sure enough, I pulled a news release that gave brief details that Captain Trips had departed a few hours before. I still have the printed teletype announcement somewhere in the Nomad archives.

I called Mrs. Nomad and she said “Well I guess that’s why the radio is playing nothing but Dead tunes”.

The rest of the day was a blur… the messages on rec.music.gdead were flying faster than they could be read. I started getting calls from other heads, while my co-workers were buzzing about (it was not exactly a well kept secret that I was into the Dead).

Later that day, the missus and I went to Central Park… it seemed to make sense to us to go over to Strawberry Fields (the John Lennon memorial area). When we got there, the area was teeming with people, playing songs, weeping and wandering around in a daze.

At some point, MTV was interviewing people and they grabbed us for an interview. I must have been more lucid than the other people they talked to, because they recorded me and the missus long enough that they actually had to change tapes. I remember saying something about how that was the end of The Grateful Dead and it would be a “sham” if the Dead carried on without Jerry under the “Grateful Dead” brand.

The next morning I start getting calls from a lot of people telling me they had seen me interviewed on TV as part of the coverage. I also got a lot of shit from people for “dissing” the Dead for saying they shouldn’t carry on. In fact, people came up to me over a year later at shows and asked me if I was “that guy”.

Fucking hippies.

A couple of days later, (with the “official” wake happening in San Francisco), thousands of people gathered in NYC in Central Park again to celebrate and mourn Jerry. We brought Princess Nomad with us (she was a tot as you can see in the picture. I remember running into people we knew, including one of Mrs. Nomad’s old boyfriends. 

A few weeks later, someone told me that I had my letter about Jerry published in Rolling Stone. Only thing was, I didn't remember ever writing a letter to Rolling Stone. But, there it was!

I’ve been to dozens of Grateful dead “offshoot” bands since… Further, The Other Ones, The Dead, Phil & Friends, Ratdog, et al. But of course it hasn’t been the same. Sometimes the shows have been better than the Grateful Dead (much better, in fact). 

But it’s never been “as good”. When Jerry died, everything changed.

Chocolate doughnuts and heroin. It killed Jerry. Watch it, kids.

Oh, how I long for the days when my worry’s were only copping a ticket to the next Dead show!

RK + MC5 = :-)

Today is the day that the new Redd Kross lp “Researching The Blues” is released. Go to iTunes and buy it! It’s the perfect combo of power pop, punk and even a little glam. And, listening to it will make you very happy. 

Which, these days, is a very good thing. 

And I dig the first video from the album- back when they covered Kiss on “Teen Babes From Monsanto”, did they ever think it would come to this?

 Yeah, probably!

Additionally, you might enjoy this article on the making of the MC5’s “KICK OUT THE JAMS”. But you own that already, don’t you!