ROCKA ROLLA

2011-08-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

1999 Kenosha County Fair Demolition Derby

2011-07-04T09:11:00.003-07:00

It was around ten o'clock on a Sunday morning and the wind was burning my eyes. The smell of the exhaust from the 258 engine coming through the hole in the hood was turning my stomach. I was cruising along at about seventy miles-per-hour on Highway C, about halfway out to the county fairgrounds, located just outside of Wilmot, Wisconsin. The car I was driving had no windshield, no exhaust, no running lights, nor a radio. The hood, roof, and trunk lid had holes cut into them; the car resembled something out of "The Road Warrior." I hoped to high hell that I wouldn't encounter a cop, especially one of those county boys because there was no possible explanation that would save me if I was caught; I was a fucking criminal. But maybe, just maybe, the fact that I was driving a demolition derby car would save me from sitting in the county jail.

I was lucky enough to remember and borrow a five-gallon gas can and fill it. The two-gallon marine tank strapped in the backseat, which served as the car's fuel source, had went dry on me. I steered the car to the side of the road and coasted to a stop. I climbed into the back seat and filled the tank and replaced the cap and hose. I hopped back up front, lit the joint I had in my pocket, cracked open a beer and I was back off. I figured if I'm going to get caught, I may as well have some fun.

I was about a mile outside of Wilmot, which pretty much consists of a gas station, two bars, and a church. I saw another race car on a trailer in front of me. It looked to be a mid-eighties station wagon, painted white with black lettering. I waited for an opening and passed the rig running about 110. The driver gave me a thumbs-up sign. I had been getting a lot of that since I had left the garage. People love a good car wreck and it was obvious that I was going to be involved in several very soon. Either that, or people just gave me looks of disbelief, shaking their heads and looking away. Some people just don;t possess a sense of adventure, I guess.

The county boy directing traffic into the parking areas from the highway definitely did not have a sense of adventure. He did a double take when he saw me, and then his face turned from a beet red to a shiny purple.

"YOU CAN'T DRIVE THAT CAR ON THE ROAD! IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY REGISTRATION! YOU'RE NOT PLANNING ON DRIVING THAT CAR HOME, ARE YOU? NEXT YEAR BRING THE GOD DAMN THING ON A TRAILER! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?"

I just waited for my turn to enter the fairgrounds, looking at him shrugging, my hands in the air as if to say, "Why are you yelling at me?"

No registration? Hell, the car would break twenty different safety codes, not to mention the flagrant disrespect for the registration laws that he mentioned. Drive the car home? I doubted it, as I was, after all, driving the winning entry for the 1999 Kenosha County Fair Demolition Derby, a hastily modified 1976 AMC Matador.

The cop waved me through, shaking his head and muttering something to himself. I considered giving him a couple of bucks for a tip, but I still had to pay the registration fees for the race. I eased the car through the parking lot towards the pits. The gate-keeper waved me off to the side and I parked. I shut down the motor, hoping to hell that it would start again. As I climbed out through the window, a small group of people began to surround the car, racers and race enthusiasts alike.

"Yer sick, buddy..... that car was a classic..."

"Dude, how could you? I would have given you a grand for this car!"

"Nice ride, man, you'll win for sure...."

I walked up to an official-looking guy satnding by the entrance gate to the track. He was listening to a stock car race on a small transistor radio.

"Where's your pass?" he asked. I shrugged and he pointed me towards the registration booth. With no line in sight, I signed right in. It cost twenty bucks to enter the race and another ten for a pit pass. The lady asked to see my drivers license and made me sign a release form that stated that I was on my own if I got injured. Not once, at any point, did she ask to see a title for the car, which means, for all intent purposes, that I could have stolen the car and put it in the race. I pondered this as I made my way back to my car.

As I walked closer, I could see the work that was still to be done in order to qualify for the race, but I wasn't worried. I had made it past registration without any hassle, of the police nature or otherwise, and I had a few hours until the first heat. Plenty of time.

I climbed into the car and held my breath as i turned the key.

(to be continued)

1999

2011-07-04T09:11:00.001-07:00

It was around ten o'clock on a Sunday morning and the wind was burning my eyes. The smell of the exhaust from the 258 engine coming through the hole in the hood was turning my stomach. I was cruising along at about seventy miles-per-hour, about halfway out to the county fairgrounds, located just outside of Wilmot, Wisconsin. The car I was driving had no windshield, no exhaust, no running lights, nor a radio. The hood, roof, and trunk lid had holes cut into them; the car resembled something out of "The Road Warrior." I hoped to high hell that I wouldn't encounter a cop, ecspecially one of those county boys because there was no possible explanation that would save me if I was caught; I was a criminal. But maybe, just maybe, the fact that I was driving a demolition derby car would save me from sitting in the county jail.

I was lucky enough to remember and borrow a five-gallon gas can and fill it. The two-gallon marine tank strapped in the backseat, which served as the car's fuel source, went dry on me. I steered the car to the side of the road and coasted to a stop. I climbed into the back seat and filled the tank and replaced the cap and hose. I hopped back up front, lit the joint I had in my pocket, cracked open a beer and I was back off. I figured if I'm going to get caught, I may as well have some fun.

I was about a mile outside of Wilmot, which pretty much consists of a gas station, two bars, and a church. I saw another race car on a trailer in front of me. It looked to be a mid-eighties station wagon, painted white with black lettering. I waited for an opening and passed the rig at about one-hundred miles-per-hour. The driver gave me a thumbs-up sign. I had been getting a lot of that since I had left the garage. People love a good car wreck and it was obvious that I was going to be involved in several very soon. Either that, or people just gave me looks of disbelief, shaking their heads and looking away. Some people just don;t possess a sense of adventure, I guess.

The county boy directing traffic into the parking areas from the highway definitely did not have a sense of adventure. He did a double take when he saw me, and then his face turned from a beet red to a shiny purple.\

"YOU CAN'T DRIVE THAT CAR ON THE ROAD! IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY REGISTRATION! YOU'RE NOT PLANNING ON DRIVING THAT CAR HOME, ARE YOU? NEXT YEAR BRING THE GOD DAMN THING ON A TRAILER! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?"

I just waited for my turn to enter the fairgrounds, looking at him shrugging, my hands in the air as if to say, "Why are you yelling at me?"

No registration? Hell, the car would break twenty different safety codes, not to mention the flagrant disrespect for the registration laws that he mentioned. Drive the car home? I doubted it, as I was, after all, driving the winning entry for the 1999 Kenosha County Fair Demolition Derby...

The cop waved me through, shaking his head and muttering something to himself. I considered giving him a couple of bucks for a tip, but I still had to pay the registration fees for the race. I eased the car through the parking lot towards the pits. The gate-keeper waved me off to the side and I parked. I shut down the motor, hoping to hell that it would start again. As I climbed out through the window, a small group of people began to surround the car, racers and race enthusiasts alike.

"Yer sick, buddy..... that car was a classic..."

"Dude, how could you? I would have given you a grand for this car!"

"Nice ride, man, you'll win for sure...."

I walked up to an official-looking guy satnding by the entrance gate to the track. He was listening to a stock car race on a small transistor radio.

"Where's your pass?" he asked. I shrugged and he pointed me towards the registration booth. With no line in sight, I signed right in. It cost twenty bucks to enter the race and another ten for a pit pass. The lady asked to see my drivers license and made me sign a release form that stated that I was on my own if I got injured. Not once, at any point, did she ask to see a title for the car, which means, for all intent purposes, that I could have stolen the car and put it in the race. I pondered this as I made my way back to my car.

As I walked closer, i could see the work that was still to be done in order to qualify for the race, but I wasn't worried. I had made it past registration without any hassle, of the police nature or otherwise, and I had a few hours until the first heat. Plenty of time.

I climbed into the car and held my breath as i turned the key.

2011-07-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

Aerosmith?

2011-03-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

People still laugh at me when I tell them that at one time, Aerosmith was actually the baddest band in the land, albeit briefly. But they were, briefly in the early 70's while the Dolls and Iggy and Lou Reed we strung out, Pink Floyd had discovered soap, and Bowie was getting away with murder.

Back In The Saddle

Lord Of The Thighs

Come Together

I Ain't Got You

Mother Popcorn

The Black Flag logo in popular culture

2011-03-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, just about every punk I know has the Black Flag bars tattooed on them (it was among my first, indeed). Just how far has the band's logo permeated into popular culture? Below is some compelling evidence that it is perhaps the most widely-recognized band logo EVER.

My Bacon

Bacon Flag

More Bacon Flag

Bacon Flag (still life)

Hot Dog Flag

Hot Dog Flag (detailed)

Atlanta Flag

Zack Flag

Balearic Flag

Pac Flag

Black Sabbath Flag

Seinfeld Flag

Pabst Flag

Loko Flag

Gaga Flag

Fries Above

Dr. Flag

Cat Flag

Black Out

Beach Flag

Cheese Flag

Beiber Flag

Snack Flag

Yak Flag

Brak Flag

Pack Flag

Motorhead- doing a Stones cover- and a KICK ASS Stones at that..... yawn

2010-04-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Wreckage

2008-10-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is off of the first Rollins Band album, "Lifetime." Here, Hank and the boys are in the year 1988. Not sure of the location, but I believe this is right after Theo Van Rock got involved.

Chris Haskett- guitar
Andrew Weiss- bass
Sim Cain- drums
Henry Rollins- throat

This is the only version of this song that I can even find on teh internets..... and it's on youtube, go figure......

I take a look around me and it makes me mad
Another friend of mine in rehab
Try to pull himself from a plastic bag
He's calling from the Halfway House he says he's doing fine
Says he got himself out just in time
Says his friends would have let him turn blue and die

Someday becomes yesterday
Your life goes and crawls away
You gotta take it on the Black Train, Jack
You can't even feel the fire burning your back

Her boyfriend left her broken and alone
She took some pills and crawled to the death zone
Her mother found her just in time
She strapped to a bed in psych ward doin' fine
Aww girl, what happened, what happened, what happened to you
What's going on? What's going on?

Someday becomes yesterday
Your life goes and crawls away
You're walking hand in hand with a death trip
You can't even feel the power in it's grip

Sometimes I wanna take you by your shoulders and shake you
You've got to open your eyes, man, how long will it take you
Running through life blind, man, what a waste
Shot down and neutralized, man, what a case
What happened, what happened to you?
What's going on? What's going on with you?

Someday becomes yesterday
Your life goes an crawls away
You've got to take it on the Black Train, Jack
You can't even feel the fire on your back

I don't wanna die in the wreckage
Don't wanna go blind in the wreck-age
Don't wanna go down in the wreck-age
Don't wanna get stuck in the wreck-age
Sometimes it's all I can see
The wreckage is all around me
The human wreckage, the human wreck-age
To you, I say goodbye
goodbye-
goodbye-
goodbye-
goodbye-
bye-bye----
bye-bye-----------------

In A Rut

2008-09-12T14:23:00.001-07:00

Amazing.

Rose Tattoo

2008-04-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Formed in 1976, Rose Tattoo is often compared to AC/DC. While Harry Vanda and George Young, who also worked with AC/DC, produced their first four albums, they have their own distinct sound, helped in no small part by Peter Wells' slide guitar work.

They were a huge influence on the glam/sleaze metal scene of the Eighties. Wells died in 2006 from cancer. A new version of the band has recently been working on material.

Rock And Roll Outlaw

Nice Boys live 1982

2008-04-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start when it comes to the Ramones. My friend played me Rocket To Russia when I was like eight and I've been a huge fan ever since.

This is as a good place to start as any. This song is about Johnny and Linda.

Meatmen Live 1982

2008-04-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Some more from the Kings of Rock And Roll. This is why I love Youtube, new stuff like this pops up from time to time.

This is from 1982, I think from the Lansing Local Access TV show, but I may be wrong about that.

Fun Time

2008-04-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Iggy and David, from what I believe is the Dinah Shore show in 1977.

Iggy Pop- Bored

2008-04-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

Kommando Vollsaufen

2007-06-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Some cool old-school German street/beer punk I found on youtube.

The Meatmen

2007-05-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Tesco Vee was perhaps Michigans greatest rocker, next to Iggy Pop, of course. Here are four classics from The Meatmen.

I Want Drugs

Razamanaz and Pope On A Rope

Come On Over To Mah Crib

Hot Rails To Hell

The Stooges: Best. Tour. Rider. Ever.

2007-05-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here is some pure comedy gold. Even TSG says it is the most entertaining concert rider they have come across. I love how they keep it basic, when it actually comes to the sound and lighting. Brilliant.

The Cramps- Like A Bad Girl Should

2007-04-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the last bastion of true Rock and Roll, The Cramps are easily in my top five of all time Great Rock and Roll bands. Here is a video that didn't get played on MTV.

Hunter S Thompson interviews Keith Richards

2007-04-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

It took me a few plays to understand what they are saying.

Rock and Roll High School

2007-04-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest bands to ever exist playing one of their most prolific tunes. Back in the early 80's, my family had rented a VHS movie and this video was on the tape after the movie, thus introducing me to punk rock. Distributors often put trailers and soundtrack songs on tapes after the movie during the advent of rentals. Of course, I wanted to be Dee Dee as soon as I saw this.

X Ray Specs- Oh Bondage, Up Yours

2007-04-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bands of the first wave of UK punk, X-Ray Specs were everything a great rock band should be.... loud, obnoxious, dancable, and garish. This cut is a bit raw, which I think makes it even better than the polished versions.

Plasmatics- Masterplan

2007-04-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

What can I say about The Plasmatics that hasn't been said before? Wendy O is my dream girl.......

BAD NEWS

2007-04-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now how can you get anymore Rocka Rolla than the Bad News video for 'Warriors Of Ghengis Khan?' From the British tv show 'The Comic Strip.' (Bonus points if you know what TV show these guys were in before).

Meatmean- I Want Drugs

2007-04-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Tesco and the boys are one of my all-time favorites.

Dead Flowers

2007-04-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

How can you get any cooler than this? Keif, Ryan Adams, Hank 3, and Willie Nelson singing 'Dead Flowers' as the Lost Highwaymen. This has always been one of my favorite Keif songs as well.