Stupefaction

Movie of the Week: John Joseph of the Cro-Mags (2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

LES documentarian Clayton Patterson interviews longtime punk/hardcore/vegetarian/yogi/etc man, John Joseph, in this piece for Noisey. For those interested in more, check out John's books, The Evolution of Cro-Magnon, and, ahem, Meat Is For Pussies (A how-to guide for dudes who want to get fit, kick ass and take names). Also Patterson's documentary on the Lower East Side and chronicling it, Captured.

It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:51:00 +0000

Source

Movie of the Week: Malcolm McLaren, Artful Dodger (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

A lot of people have a lot of things to say about McLaren, and he could talk bollocks with the best of them, but mark my words...one day he'll be acknowledged as a great artist.

Hat tip to Glen Friedman

Movie of the Week: Iggy Pop

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:08:00 +0000

Who knows if we'll ever see the Stooges documentary director Jim Jarmusch has spoken about? While we wait, here's a recent & decent film about Mr. Pop and company. Iggy is a good man...

Hat tip to Flaming Pablum

This weekend in London - We're Not Here To Sell Clothes: The Making of BLITZ Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:06:00 +0000

Launching a new book, As Seen in BLITZ: Fashioning '80s Style, by Iain R. Webb's, there will be a series of special events over the weekend at the ICA in London: A pop-up show in the ICA Theatre curated by former fashion editor Iain R Webb, a series of talks with special guests, and film screenings.

Contributors include Leigh Bowery, Amanda Cazalet, Boy George, Princess Julia, Nick Knight, David LaChapelle, Paul Morley and Anna Piaggi. Featured designers include Bodymap, Judy Blame, Dean Bright, Comme Des Garçons, Jasper Conran, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Katharine Hamnett, Hermès, Pam Hogg, Marc Jacobs, Stephen Jones, Calvin Klein, Andrew Logan, Issey Miyake, Franco Moschino, Rifat Ozbek, Antony Price and Vivienne Westwood.

For more info visit the ICA website, and the official Blitz Magazine Facebook page.

Order As Seen in BLITZ: Fashioning '80s Style here.

Happy birthday Jonathan Richman!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:46:00 +0000

Source

Before & After: Album Art 8

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:48:00 +0000

Before - Students swing to a jazz band in a bamboo-lined student center in Vienna, February 1959. Shot by Volkmar K. Wenztel:

Courtesy of This Isn't Happiness and National Geographic

After - "The Beat Escape" by Fingerprintz, Virgin Records, 1981:

Long one of my favorite record covers, I've never seen the original until today. Leave it to Pete at TiH to dig it up. I've always loved the song as well. It takes me right back to 1981, and listening to the WNYU New Afternoon show in my bedroom. Classic! Here's the song:

Well?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:49:00 +0000

Trainspotting with the Smiths

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:45:00 +0000

Source

Marlene Dietrich, Burt Bacharach, and my father

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:47:00 +0000

My father

Recently a friend of mine posted a video on Facebook of German movie & cabaret star, Marlene Dietrich, singing Pete Seeger's "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" Now, there's something funny about this very beautiful, if a little cold & stiff (not unlike Nico), Germanic woman singing folk & pop songs. And the accent always topped it off. I've always found it funny. But Dietrich was quite a recording & concert (especially cabaret) star in her time...

After the laughter subsided, I told him my father - who, before settling down as a writer was a real life Broadway stage manager - had stage managed Dietrich in the first of two Broadway stints in 1967. She'd repeat the show again in 1968 before bringing it to television in the 70's. Anyway, it got me thinking, and I asked my dad to share his memories about the show and working with Ms. Dietrich. I hope you enjoy this:

AN EVENING WITH MARLENE DIETRICH
By Daniel Broun for Stupefaction

To be a star on Broadway – to see your name above the title of the show – means that your name will sell more tickets than the name of the show. In the 1967-8 season some of the biggest stars on Broadway included Judy Garland, Ingrid Bergman, Melvyn Douglas and Burl Ives. Then, on October 9th, perhaps the biggest name to appear on the New York stage that season opened for a limited run of six weeks. She was Marlene Dietrich, film star and international celebrity then sixty-six years old who, if you were close enough to shake hands with her, looked forty-five. I can vouch for her appearance because I was the stage manager for An Evening With Marlene Dietrich, and I’m sure I shook hands with her when we started rehearsals, just as I’m certain that I did not shake hands with her at the end of the run. By then we weren’t speaking to each other.

Dietrich was an international celebrity whose friends included Ernest Hemingway, Noel Coward, Orson Welles, Gary Cooper, and John F. Kennedy. Her 1967 show on Broadway was to consist of an hour-and-a-half concert of 21 songs, most of which she’d sung in films. Her performance was arranged and conducted by composer Burt Bacharach who called Dietrich his “girl singer“ and led a 30-piece onstage band.

Bacharach proved to be a charming, talented man who often got to the theatre early – before I or anyone else did, in fact– – and composed new tunes. New songs by Burt Bacharach were and still are surprising and delightful.

My job as stage manager was to oversee everything that took place during the show – to supervise light and sound cues, to maintain order and quiet backstage, to solve any emergency that arose during a performance, and above all, to keep Marlene happy. I was equipped with a headset that kept me in touch with stagehands all over the theater, and most of the time I succeeded at calling the cues and tending to Marlene’s wishes, one of which, quite properly, was to prevent pictures being taken by members of the audience, especially by anyone using flashbulbs which crazes actors and anyone who has paid big money for tickets. Notice of this prohibition is both announced over the public address system before the curtain goes up and is printed in the Playbill. Nowadays, notice to silence cell phones is also given. But such notices are sometimes ignored.

One night, someone in Dietrich’s audience decided to disregard the ruling and began to click and flash away which, quite rightly, infuriated her. When she came offstage for a moment during her curtain calls she stopped at my desk and screamed at me to go out into the audience and stop the person taking pictures.

As it happened, as stage manager of Dietrich’s show I didn’t need and didn’t have an assistant whom I could either send out front to handle the problem or hand my headset to properly call cues for the rest of the show. So I handed the headset to her so that she could call the cues herself. My job was not as important as hers; still, it was necessary and, if ignored, would certainly have been noticed.

This incident occurred a few weeks before the end of Dietrich’s limited Broadway run, and during this period she and I never spoke to each other. We never spoke to each other again. We communicated with each other, by way of her dresser, but that was all, until closing night when she gave me a pair of gold cufflinks inlaid with precious stones. I still have them but have never used them.

The following theatrical season, Dietrich performed on Broadway again, and asked the producer to hire me again as stage manager. I was busy, however, and said no.

Just Because: Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:18:00 +0000

Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner

Stupefied: The Steve Harvey Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Medium Medium, 1981, by Eugene Merinov

This week's edition of the Stupefied playlist comes from longtime friend, Medium Medium's drummer, Steve Harvey. Best known for the neo-funk post punk of "So Hungry, So Angry," Steve and the guys have been fairly active over the years, and have never stopped making music of some sort - whether with Medium Medium, or in other projects.

Following several reunion shows over the last few years, here's what Steve had to say about current events: As for promotion, we recently compiled some tracks for a cassette-only release due soon on My Dance The Skull in London. It’s a compilation of demo and radio session recordings from the very beginning of the band to early 1981, featuring the original lineup of the band (not me – I joined in summer 1981). Most of it is previously unreleased, and would only have been heard if you saw the band live at that time. One track was so obscure that no one could even remember the title! It also includes the original punk version of “Guru Maharaji.”

We currently also have the two vinyl split-LP releases on Der Schöne-Hjuler-Memorial-Fund of live tracks from 2008 and 2009 recorded at Echoplex in Los Angeles. I think copies can still be found online, and we have some – contact us directly. They feature original artwork, numbered and signed; every one is unique. (See part one here, and part two here.)

We hear that a couple of other small labels might be interested in live and obscure tracks from our back catalog. We’re also working on some new studio tracks. We work very slowly, but they might see the light of day this year, if we can find an outlet for them. They include previously unreleased material plus two covers: The Temptations’ “Ball of Confusion” and King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man.”

And let us not forget Steve's kitschy jazztopian-elevator-ukelele-punk-with-a-mellotron cover band, Sartre's Lobster. In his spare time, he writes for Pro Sound News, amongst other outlets.

BIG thanks to Steve for the great list...be sure to check out his notes about each track below!

(Continued after the jump)

Medium Medium, 1981 and 2008: John Rees Lewis, Graham Spink, Alan Turton, Andy Ryder, Steve Harvey. Graham is not in the second shot.

1. The Teardrop Explodes – Reward

Joyous. I must have played this twice a day for months. I worked for a production sound company, SSE Hire, between MM tours and had the great pleasure of seeing the Teardrops multiple times while babysitting the PA rig when they did a weeklong residency at Liverpool’s Pyramid Club, Christmas 1981. Bless my cotton socks…

2. Comsat Angels – Independence Day

In 1977 or ’78 I saw a band called Radio Earth at a pub in Nottingham and booked them for a Sunday night gig at my college. I think we paid them £35. Mik Glaisher’s drumming was an inspiration. The following year they changed their name to Comsat Angels and in 1981 released this, which rarely left my turntable for the following year.

3. David Bowie – Stay

Hard to pick just one track from such a constantly evolving artist, but “Station to Station” is a favorite album. What great players he had during this period: Dennis Davis, George Murray, Carlos Alomar, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Earl Slick (MVP on this track).

4. Siouxsie and the Banshees – Spellbound

The Banshees’ concert in Nottingham in 1981 still stands out in my memory. The light show was one of the most inventive I can remember seeing, and guitarist John McGeoch was a revelation. Budgie was definitely an influence on my playing at the time, pre-MM.

5. Talking Heads – The Great Curve

“Remain in Light” is one of my top 5 all-time favorite albums. In 1982 we learned that we had a good shot at opening for Talking Heads at a big venue in Holland, along with the Tom Tom Club and U2. The Alarm’s record label apparently promised “tour support” and got them the opening slot instead. I only recently discovered that The Alarm never showed up for the gig.

6. Ministry – Work For Love

“With Sympathy” is up there with the great synth-pop albums of the era. Ministry opened for us on our March 1982 U.S. tour, before they were signed. The van bringing our backline equipment from New York was totaled on the way to meet us at O’Hare Airport so we ended up using Ministry’s gear. The Gun Club opened for both bands in Minneapolis.

7. Brian Eno – St. Elmo’s Fire

From “Another Green World” – Best. Album. Ever. I first heard Roxy Music on John Peel’s radio show, and got to see them in 1972 and ’73 while Eno was still with the band. His first four solo albums, especially, are classics.

8. Roxy Music – The Bogus Man

Roxy Music was a life-changing experience for many people of my age, especially musicians, I think. They might as well have arrived from a different dimension. Plus, they completely bypassed that period in every other band’s existence where you had to run around in a Transit van playing every toilet in England, making them the envy of us all. They were probably the first rock artists to put as much emphasis on fashion (through Anthony Price) as music (as did Bowie, too; Grace Jones and Madonna would follow suit – pun intended – later).

9. Aswad – Warrior Charge

Syn drum! British reggae has a sound all its own, and Aswad was one of its pioneers. They were especially notable for creating dub effects live through their playing, not just effects. MM played numerous gigs with reggae artists (this was the era of Rock Against Racism) before I joined the band, including Aswad, Prince Far I and Creation Rebel.

10. Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse

Kids today don’t know this, but back in the day certain record labels had reputations for quality and innovation. With some labels you could almost guarantee that any release would be great. Look at Island Records: the Cool Ruler himself, of course, plus Grace Jones, Aswad, Roxy Music, Eno, King Crimson, 801, Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Fairport Convention, Ultravox, B-52s, Free, Mott the Hoople, U2, King Sunny Ade, Third World, Kid Creole, Tom Tom Club, Steel Pulse, Sly & Robbie, Shriekback. In other words, the sound of my youth.

11. Can – Vitamin C

We only recently learned that there are 3 artists that all 4 members of the current MM lineup appreciate: Can, Capt. Beefheart and King Crimson. Can’s Jaki Leibezeit and Kraftwerk/Neu drummer Klaus Dinger were among my early idols when I first started learning to play in 1973.

12. C Cat Trance – Dreams of Leaving

Rees (singer, sax) left MM at the end of 1981 to form C Cat Trance, with original MM drummer Nigel Stone. They pioneered the amalgamation of world music with indie rock, borrowing melody lines and rhythms from North Africa and the Middle East, especially Turkey. I played on one album, co-produced a single and toured with them as driver, tour manager and percussionist. I love the internal rhymes on his lyrics on this track.

13. Gang of Four – To Hell With Poverty

Jon King and Andy Gill came to see us play at a club called 1st City in Manhattan in June 1983 (I think that was the one Joey Ramone also attended). Not long after they called to ask if I would audition for Go4. They’d just completed “Hard,” using programmed drums. We were on the verge of disbanding anyway. According to my diary I auditioned at 2pm on Monday, July 25th, at Atlanta Rehearsal Studios on Chalk Farm Rd. in London. Steve Goulding (The Rumour) got the gig. Andy called to tell me I was their second choice. He probably told Dave Palmer (ABC) the same thing; still, that was nice of him.

14. Skyy – Call Me

When we toured the U.S. in the early ‘80s we listened almost exclusively to R&B radio (as it was then called) in the van, especially KISS FM and WBLS in New York. This track is just one great example: it could as easily have been Shannon (“Let The Music Play”) or Luther Vandross (“Never Too Much”) or SOS Band (“Just Be Good To Me”) or The Time (“777-9311”) or…

15. Miles Davis – E.S.P.

Oh, so many choices. I have more albums by Miles than any other artist. I grew up listening to jazz; my parents listened to a lot of Dave Brubeck and took me to the first concert I can remember, Errol Garner, when I was still very young. Over the years I’ve seen Dizzy, Blakey, Mingus, Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, and on and on…but never Miles.

16. Billy Cobham – Stratus

Already a fan of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, I discovered Cobham’s first solo album as an import at a local record store in Leicester, where I grew up, in 1973. I knew I was never going to play like him, but he’s always been inspiring. Whatever he played it was always funky. Guitarist Tommy Bolin is fantastic on this album.

17. King Crimson – Lark’s Tongues In Aspic (Part 2) (see video below Spotify playlist)

As prog as prog can be. More metal than the most metallic metal. And one of my favorite rhythm sections, growing up: John Wetton and Bill Bruford.

18. Massive Attack – Angel

Massive Attack, like King Crimson, are masters of dynamics. They’re sublime on record, and live they are a wonder to behold. I love almost everything they’ve done, and everything they stand for.

19. Underworld – Rez

I’ve been a fan since 1994’s “Dubnobasswithmyheadman.” Their “RiverRun Project” is currently in heavy rotation when I take Tilda the dog for her walks.

20. LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean

We reformed in 2004 for a couple of shows, and have played a handful more since. In 2007 we contacted LCD to see if we could open for them. James Murphy’s manager very generously replied that he had a policy of not playing with his heroes and influences (Tim Sweeney had already warned us this might be his answer). In ’08 and ’09 we got to play with some of our contemporaries, including A Certain Ratio, Section 25, The Raincoats and Pylon, which was fun. We’re always open to offers…

Daze of Future Past, Leeds (1981)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:56:00 +0000

Movie of the Week: The Search For Robert Johnson (1992)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Here's a very decent 1992 doc about the mysterious Robert Johnson. No original Johnson recordings are used, but narrator John Hammond does a good job in his renditions. "Honeyboy" Edwards and Johnny Shines also appear, as well as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Thanks to T. Tex Edwards for this one.

Make Yourself Uncomfortable (1981)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:33:00 +0000

Promo poster for The Cramps' Psychedelic Jungle, IRS Records, 1981. Source.

The Shop That Punk Built: An appreciation of Trash & Vaudeville in the NY Times

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:06:00 +0000

Trash & Vaudeville in 1983 through the lens of Godlis

Despite the lukewarm-at-best reviews, the new punk related fashion show at the Met is doing one thing of great benefit to many folks in my social circle: It's enabling more exposure for a lot of people who have been doing their thing for years (writers, photographers, artists, designers) without much mainstream acknowledgement:

James Wolcott mentioned yours truly & Dangerous Minds in the May issue of Vanity Fair magazine. The Marc Jacob's owned Bookmarc in the West Village just opened a pretty widely publicized photo exhibit by many of New York's classic rock & roll photographers. And quite a few other events & stories have popped up either through planning, or serendipity. In fact there's been too many to keep up with.

Trash in front of Trash by Tim Broun

A couple of days ago the NY Times published a story about Trash & Vaudeville - the long time rock & roll clothing store located on Saint Marks Place just east of 3rd Avenue. It was nice to see, and I was glad to read a succinct history of the storied establishment. When I was 14 or 15, and making my first trip into the East Village, Saint Marks was definitely the destination - a beacon of sorts - and always has been. No matter how long I'm away from the neighborhood at any time, inevitably I'll find myself drawn to the block whenever I'm near. As long as the street, and at least Trash & Vaudeville are there, I'll know everything is ok. Of course, the same was said about CBGB, but it was too late by the time we knew it was going. Trash & Vaudeville is still here. Lets appreciate it now!

Lou Reed’s 1972 ode to hustlers, transsexuals and transsexual hustlers would alter Mr. Webb’s life. “A friend asked, ‘Do you know what it means?’ ” he recalled. “I did without knowing it. I knew I was a boy that had to leave to go somewhere.” Read the entire story here.

Movie of the Week - 12 Years of DFA: Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic (2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:49:00 +0000

Here's a nice short about DFA Records, from the new Red Bull Music Academy. Narrated by Marc Maron, it features music and appearances from James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Holy Ghost!, The Juan MacLean, Shit Robot, Sinkane, Yacht, and many more!

Music included in the film:

"House of Jealous Lovers" - The Rapture
"Losing My Edge"- LCD Soundsystem
"Bluegrass Showdown" - Al Capps
"Hold On" - Holy Ghost!
"Snake Bite" - Jee Day
"Electric Ska" - Les Vegas and C.J. Webbe
"Space Race" - Shit Robot
"Spaghetti Circus" - Still Going
"Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major - Andante"
"Orange Alert (DFA Remix)" - Metro Area
"Deceptacon (DFA Remix)" - Le Tigre
"Shangri La" - Yacht

Just Daisy! Daisy checks out the Just Chaos! opening at Bookmarc

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:44:00 +0000

Our pal, Daisy, who usually checks in once in a while with her Letters From London, happens to be in NYC this week. Last night she attended the opening of the Just Chaos! photo show at Bookmarc in the west village. Here's what she had to say:

Met lots of punk rockers last night - ahem… maybe I shouldn't have started with the word "MET". Did you read the reviews of the Gala at the Metropolitan Museum's annual fundraiser Costume Ball the other day? Someone on TV actually asked Vivienne Westwood who she was wearing, and they didn't mean her Bradley Manning jewellery.

I read about the Gala in the Costa Coffee lounge at Heathrow. They have free newspapers. The Times of London loved it: "Crowns are the new Tiara's," they wrote. The Daily Mail hated it (probably because Lady Diana is dead and couldn't be there).

I am a bit confused about it all. It's not like the designers were meant to re-create 1976, were they?
I thought Madonna's outfit with her signature crucifix on her bottom was trying hard, and please, someone, give Sarah Jessica Parker something to eat.

Bookmarc is a clean and bright corner bookshop owned by Marc Jacobs. Yes the fashion designer. I am glad he has a bookshop. He used to work for Louis Vuitton. Now there are 200 Marc Jacob stores in 80 countries. This show was organised by Roberta Bayley who invited Punk Photographers: Janette Beckman, Stephanie Chernikowski, Laura Levine, Julia Gorton, Eileen Polk, Marcia Resnick, Lee Black Childers, Danny Fields, Godlis, Bobby Grossman, Bob Gruen, Chris Stein and Joe Stevens, to put a few photos each in the store windows and amongst the punk rock literature inside.

Sofia Coppola tins of wine and Pelligrino were served.

Because I had been a little thrown by the torrential rain in the morning, but decided to visit the local thrift shop to see if they had anything interesting, $15 got me a pair of red tartan trousers. Perfect!
I didn't see a pair of converse at the show but I did have a wonderful time - this included:

John Leyland & Andy Schwartz

Speaking with John Leyland (nee SPIN now NYT) about going to the punk show at the Met. We both hoped the Gala was successful even if the punk exhibit fails. I saw Leee Black Childers (another Warhol Factory man) but we couldn't chat because he was being interviewed all evening pretty much.

Randy Haecker

I admired Laura Levine's photographic career and she told me how she organises events at her shop upstate called The Mystery Spot.

Randy Haecker told me he's working on a Clash Box Set (I forget how many discs but there are quite a lot). He had a Marc Jacobs bag and when asked to show-and-tell he didn't produce a shirt or a tie, but a book, nicely wrapped, by photographer SHEILA ROCK. Sheila just had a book launch in London.

I met a real-life ballgirl for the Phillies baseball team: Ms. Ronnie Norpel. She's even written a book called Baseball Karma & The Constitution Blues.

Howie Pyro & Jahn Xavier

I met Howie Pyro who told me his punk rock flyer collection is still up in the Bowery Electric and will be for a few more weeks.

I stood with Jahn Xavier who could name most of the people on the sidewalk from his youth - and I mean YOUTH. He was 16 when he played bass for Richard Hell.. he named the CBGB's waitresses amongst others...

My Smoking Life

I met a Jewish-Norwegian man who had given up smoking three days ago. WELL DONE. I may have said, it's a bit of a mystery why we smoke, isn't it? And he produced a typed - on a TYPEWRITER - paper - why he liked smoking.

The Huff Post team lead by Mark Sax were on the sidewalk.

Handsome Dick Manitoba and Handsome son Jake were present.

Handsome Jake & Handsome Dick

It was warm. It got dark. Godlis took a last look at the window before heading off to his neighbourhood.

Someone said, "I can't believe I'm nearly 60."

"You have such great skin."

Someone else said, "That's because we don't go out in daylight. Rock and roll isn't a daylight thing".

I hopped the uptown train with a good friend. We talked about Dylan, and people we knew, and how we are going to raise some funds of our own, without mentioning google, internet, like it was 1976.

See more photos of the event here.

From left: Julia Gorton, Laura Levine, Bob Gruen, Godlis, Stephanie Chernikowski, Bobby Grossman, Marcia Resnick, Roberta Bayley, and Leee Black Childers.

Movie of the Week: Made in England (1966)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

According to the poster, this is about 40 minutes of French television from 1966. It includes The Merseys, Georgie Fame (always welcome around here) with some Memphis-style horns, the Who, one very hip French DJ, and some other treats. The Georgie Fame footage looks to be from a similar collection of footage from the Ram Jam Club that we saw back in January when I posted this amazing film of Junior Walker and the All Stars. Otherwise I've had difficulty digging up any info on this. Maybe Bedazzled knows?

Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD to be published in September

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD, the first & only book on the legendary UK post punk label will be published in September, and is available for pre-order now.

Still operating today, the label was founded in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, and for much of its classic period (which was quite lengthy) the distinctive artwork by Vaughan Oliver pretty much defined the label. Luckily for us he designed the book cover as well. It's difficult to think about the great records by Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Dead Can Dance, and many others, without remembering the entire package. And now we'll be able to read all about it!

Pre-order Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD here.

Hitler digs vinyl

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Source

3/5's of the Velvet Underground is better than none at all: Amazing footage of Lou, John & Nico at Le Bataclan 1972

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:09:00 +0000

This is amazing and a must see for fans of the Velvet Underground - fantastic footage shot in France in 1972. It marked the occasion of the first appearance together of Lou Reed, John Cale & Nico, since the break up of the band that these three appeared on stage together. Recordings have been bootlegged over the years (now available legally), but I've never seen the footage. Just amazing! Unfortunately I can't post it here as embedding has been disabled, but you can see it here on YouTube.

Put it in the trash, dad...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:58:00 +0000

Taylor Mead RIP

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Broun) — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:47:00 +0000

Taylor Mead - RIP. This morning Bowery Boogie is reporting that underground artist, actor, and Warhol superstar, Taylor Mead has passed away at the age of 88. He was a sweet guy, and I think I can speak for a a fairly sizable group of friends when I say I'm truly sad about it. RIP indeed, Simple Country Girl.