2015: The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers or Where do we go from here?

Things have been awfully quiet 'round these parts recently, and I'm not completely sure thats going to change much in the immediate. I'm reserving the right to play it by ear.

In the meantime, the end of this calendar year is turning out to be quite the doozy with Lemmy leaving the building, and just a few minutes ago, John Bradbury of the Specials going as well. Life is hard, and then it gets harder.

If you're so inclined, please keep up with my current goings on at my much more active places:

Facebook

eBay

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube
Tumblr 

Otherwise, vote for Bernie Sanders.

Wednesday night: Hell & Sante at McNally Jackson, Soho NYC

 

This just in from Richard Hell:

Tomorrow is the final reading/signing event I have scheduled for my new book Massive Pissed Love: Nonfiction 2001-2014 (the latest press for it is at Paper magazine).

At 7:00 PM tomorrow, Wed 18 Nov, Luc Sante - whose juicy, meticulous, and, as ever, piercingly put, new book is a study of the poor person's Paris, largely in the 19th century, entitled The Other Paris  - and I, will commence an evening comprising short readings by each of us, then a discussion with each other about our books, then a Q & A, then book signing.

The event takes place at McNally Jackson bookstore, 52 Prince St. in Manhattan. Their listing of it:

http://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/mcnally-jackson-live-richard-hell-and-luc-sante.

Thursday night: Bowery Mission Women's Program Benefit / Mudd Club Rummage Sale

MUDD CLUB RUMMAGE SALE - BENEFITING THE WOMEN’S PROGRAM of THE BOWERY MISSION

Steve Mass by Kate Simon

Featuring famed treasures and priceless trash collected from an elite of couturiers, rock stars, artists, luminaries, bigwigs and significant somebodies

Thursday, November 19th

7:30 pm – 10:30pm

Roxy Hotel

2 Avenue of the Americas, New York City

Honorary Chair:

Steve Mass, a.k.a. Dr. Mudd

Co-Hosts:

Glenn O'Brien, Maripol & Paul Sevigny

Host Committee:

Victoria Bartlett, Richard Boch, Jeffrey Deitch, Phoebe Fitch, Eric Goode,

Kim Gordon, Deborah Harry, Kim Hastreiter, David Hershkovits, Pat Irwin

Daryl Kerrigan, Humberto Leon, Debi Mazar,

Patrick McMullan, Robert Molnar, Kate Pierson, Lisa Rosen, Lola Schnabel,

Kate Simon, Anna Sui, threeASFOUR & Linda Yablonsky

Tickets

Platinum Circle $200: 7:30 – 10:30

Entitles holder to 10% discount on all sale items. Live Music, Kate Pierson & Pat Irwin of B-52’s, Lenny Kaye of Patti Smith Group, special guests, Dance Music, Open Bar & Curated Hors D’oeuvres. Complimentary Entry to Backstage Hawaiian Love Shack Party on White Street, 10:30-2:00.

Gold Circle $100: 7:30 – 10:30

Live Music, Kate Pierson & Pat Irwin of B-52’s, Lenny Kaye, of Patti Smith Group, special guests, Dance Music, Open Bar & Curated Hors D’oeuvres.

Gold Circle ticket sales end 3pm November 18th.

CLICK EVENTBRITE LINK FOR TICKET OPTIONS

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/mudd-club-rummage-sale-event-benefitting-the-bowery-mission-womens-centers-tickets-19262318112

*$50 is the non-tax deductible portion of each ticket. Sale items are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Art Work & Items Donated from the Ateliers, and Attics of,

Agnes B

Allan Tannenbaum

Anna Sui

Brett De Palma

Bill Komoski

Bob Gruen

Bobby Grossman

Chris Stein

David Godlis

Deborah Harry

Dike Blair

Duncan Hannah

Eric Goode

Ericka Beckman

Pat Place

Maripol

Fred Schneider

George Dubose

Glenn O’Brien

Humberto Leon

Hunt Slonem

James Nares

Jeffrey Deitch

Izhar Patkin

Jim Jarmush

John Miller

Kate Pierson

Kate Simon

Keith Sonnier

Kim Gordon

Lisa Rosen

Lola Schnabel

Marc Jacobs

Jo Shane

Richard Boch

Patrick McMullan

Paul Sevigny

Phoebe Fitch

Ralph Pucci

Robert Molnar

Sally Gall

Steve Mass

Sting

Timothy Greenfield Sanders

Tom Otterness

Walter Robinson

William Coupon

Billy Sullivan

More names, more art, more rummage added everyday!

Tonight In NYC: MARCIA RESNICK BOOK SIGNING PARTY

Tuesday, November 10th, 2015

6:30 - 8:30 PM

Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project

6 East 1st Street

New York, NY 10003

Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project and Insight Editions invite you to meet punk legends photographer Marcia Resnick and writer Victor Bockris at a book signing, slide show, and reading from their new book:

Victor Bockris & Marcia Resnick, 1977

Punks, Poets, and Provocateurs : New York City Bad Boys 1977-1982

Photographs by Marcia Resnick

Text by Victor Bockris

Featuring rockers Joey Ramone, David Byrne, Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger; poets William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg and provocateurs John Waters, Andy Warhol and John Belushi among many other stars of drop-dead glamorous New York nights – presented here for your personal inspiration and pleasure.

Resnick's magnificent series of portraits of the cutting edge artists from three generations combined with Bockris' enlightened texts give us this first portrait of the beat punk age.

Be sure to join us for Marcia’s full exhibition at Howl! Happening this February.

News from the desk of Richard Boch: artist, writer and former Mudd Club doorman

As I continue work on my Mudd Club chronicles, an enduring labor of love, I find that history occasionally does repeat itself. November 2015, leaves are falling, and another chapter is writing itself; I'm once again working with Steve Mass! That's the short of it. From the offices of the Mudd Club Rummage Sale Host Committee, to benefit the Bowery Mission Women's Program, here's the rest:

Steve Mass, aka Dr. Mudd, the genius behind the legendary Mudd Club (1978-1983) where nightlife was truly an art form, quietly slipped out of New York at the turn of the millennium, when downtown was still in the shadow of the twin towers. He moved to Berlin. There things were, perhaps, more like the New York he loved than what New York has now become. And now, as suddenly as he vanished, he has reappeared to the joy of all Mudd graduates turning up in lower Manhattan on White Street just a few blocks from the legendary 77 White Street site of the Mudd Club. Steve is now back in town to have a huge birthday party/Bowery Mission Charity event.

It’s funny to see Steve, in many ways the ultimate New Yorker, visiting the city today. He’s like a tourist from another dimension, full of wonder and bemusement. His presence stands out as a magnificently preserved specimen from another time: a perfect prankster idealist hoping to make the world a better place and have fun doing it. During the late 70’s, early 80’s, the heyday of the Mudd Club, Steve was such a very generous host to the young creatives pouring into a then desolate Tribeca helping to facilitate a magical design laboratory where you could work and get by on very little money. The Mudd Club was THE creative epicenter. This contributed in no small way to today's boom in art, music and film. It is all part of the Mudd's legend and lore. At that time talented people didn’t need to have a full time day job to get by. Still it was difficult for many talented young people, especially women, who were changing the world against the odds. Steve recalls the greatness of the late Gia Carangi, Edwige Belmore, Tina L’Hotsky, Anya Phillips, Sara Charlesworth, Abbijane Schifrin, Anita Sarko and the difficulties they faced. And they were the successful ones.... although ultimately suffering tragically.

Today it is so much harder to eat, to keep a roof over one’s head in this city. It is not surprising that there are many college educated and once employed homeless in New York City. Now fortunately there is a program which sponsors vulnerable women at The Bowery Mission. Their Women’s Center provides residential private accommodation for women suffering from homelessness due to the many pitfalls of the city including domestic violence, addiction, financial exploitation, job loss, and health crises.Therefore we are asking for your help in reaching out to friends, Mudd Club members and habitues as well as their descendents and heirs and to ask them to participate in the MUDD CLUB RUMMAGE SALE.

As a friend of the Mudd Club we ask that you and your friends lovingly donate an historic work of art, photographs, couture treasures, accessories, memorabilia, designer sample and/or cultural curios (hopefully from the Mudd Club days but any period is acceptable) in memory of our youth, friends lost and the special lives we now live. In addition we are asking you to purchase tickets to the event and if possible make a donation to The Bowery Mission. 

Ticket sales:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mudd-club-rummage-sale-event-benefitting-the-bowery-mission-womens-centers-tickets-19262318112

Obituaries of Note: Anita Sarko, Joe Moss, Mark Murphy

Anita Sarko - RIP

Joe Moss - RIP

Mark Murphy - RIP

Movie of the Week: I Thought I Told You To Shut Up!! (2015)

ithoughtitoldyoutoshutup.com

facebook.com/IthoughtItoldyoutoshutup

New Books of Note: Suicide, Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Lou Reed & Flexipop!

The season of consumption is fast approaching, so I have some catching up to do. Here are some book of interest that have recently come across my radar, and may interest you.  First up is Suicide: Dream Baby Dream, A New York Story by old Bleecker Bob's running mate, and long time UK journalist, Kris Needs. I'm looking forward to this one as there's only been one prior Suicide bio, and it really sucked. I won't even mention the title here. Read an excerpt from Needs' book, and an interview with him over at the Quietus now.

Next up are a couple that you very well may know about already. We have Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello. The review from the NY Times is tentative but curious, and makes the book sound interesting.

And of course there's Patti Smith's new one, M Train, which the NY Times gushed over. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Smith's but I absolutely loved Just Kids, so I'm looking forward to this one as well.

Dirty Blvd: The Life and Music of Lou Reed, by Aiden Levy, is a brand new title I only found out about by coming across it in my local book shop. After leafing through it, I decided to take a chance on it, and brought it home. I haven't gotten to it, but my hopes remain optimistic. 

Lastly, we have Flexipop! The Book brought to us by the same folks who published the magazine back in the early 80's. It was always a fun magazine as each issue came with an exclusive flexi-disc, and bands like Kajagoogoo sat comfortably next to Infa Riot. It was all over the place, and definitely didn't take anything too seriously. Mail order from their website, and receive a special bonus issue, as well as a brand new flexi-disc with music from Spandau Ballet and Marc Almond. 

On The Scene: Tame Impala at Terminal 5, 10.7.15 by Liz Maher

Still sweaty from their Radio City show, Australian 1-5 piece, Tame Impala pounded Terminal 5 with a light show worthy of any Friday teen metal night that ever went down at the Hayden Planetarium. From our seating we were spared the gimmicky stage show and instead focused on the impressive menu of pedals and fuzzboxes TI’s white coated roadies arranged for Kevin Parker on a Persian carpet. Parker took the stage barefooted and used his toes to squeeze various gadgets throughout the night, often forgetting he once played guitar.

A full house of worshipping TI fans licked up Parker's dance-psych wizardry as though it were acid soaked stamps printed on images of superheroes. Fans sang along to most songs, swaying and yelling for Parker as he drenched them with Poland Spring his brand of holy hallucinogenic water.

The Kev's pedal fetish comes in a sumptuary array of pedal porn, both left and right boards. A garage band this is not. He seems to use a Boss heavy metal delay on most songs and an Electro-Harmonix phase shifter for the TamImp signature sound, which is really about goofing the universe and making your world appear to flicker. Sophie Sleigh-Johnson from These New Pilgrims has a show where she stands and delivers her Chthonic Index at Focalpoint in London: Focal Point Gallery - Current Exhibition. You should check up on this before you have the same old thoughts you have always had and will again always have had. Really, there is so much more to say, but it is all footnotes about obscure peds, mostly non-tube little gee-gaws, do-dads, and jabberwockies dreamed up by geeks in a Roald Dahl fantasmagoria of applied techi-crunchi toe-jam lickin' on the magic Persian carpet delight. Kev is a true ped-o-phile, but remember kiddies, it is all about the flicker, not the means of mental abduction.

Tame Impala does not fall into the classic mold of psych music - more of a molly rush than the traditional 13th Floor Elevator acid variety. That being said, Tameye’s musical peers and critics consider Parker's project as one of the most influential bands since Zeppelin. Forget Nirvana, White Stripes (who, according to Jack White, everyone copies), Jay Z, Dav Gagguetta and fill-in-more. Rising stars of Brooklyn-based alt bands, Sunflower Bean penned a devotional ode in their honor.

Did I post a review of the Sunflower Bean gig here? No. Here it is: Minor chords emphasized like Coldplay, only Sunflowers do it better with less annoying personalities. Julia Cummings is promising but needs to find more of her own voice to keep up. She sounds like she's afraid to sing in public. Loads of potential there.

Back to Tame I. Parker evolves psych by steering clear of the stale high-treble and Rick formula that would only result in a 13th generation psych bar band. Parker blends club music technique with trance pounding distortions that appeal to today’s music buyers. It’s a brilliant marketing scheme where Parker gets it both ways-alt cred and mainstream income.

Parker’s lyrics continue to cleverly reveal so many universal truths - about himself. He flaps his arms a lot and thanks the crowd often but doesn't interact much beyond that.

No stranger to pop music, Parker saw the limited appeal of a one piece and gave up the bliss of solitude to transition to a five man for Currents. He seems to have lost muscle tone in the transformation though. Cause he’s a man of course.

The evening’s setlist was almost a mirror image of their Radio City show with the insertion of Oscilly and Walk On. Settled into TI’s current transition theme, Parker stuck mainly with Currents material vocals and foot pedaling, using his guitars mainly as cool props. Shimmery waves of reverb and other fun noise gimmicks muffled Parker’s sinewy vocals. Live, their performance amplifies the psych connection that outshines their recordings by parsecs.

Toward the middle of the night, a strategically placed Elephant perked up the crowd after a rather introverted Less I Know the Better. Cause I’m a Man is my new feminist anthem. It explains so much.

As wayfaring as TI’s choreographing is intentioned, everything that happened so far was anything Parker controlled skillfully executed without undermining Parker’s mock Yessuz serendipity. From the uniformed roadies to the merch, TI/Parker is the new rock god of the universe.

James Chance on Noisey: Still Incorrigible After All These Years

James Chance by Dawid Laskowski

James Chance and the Contortions are performing at Trans Pecos this Sunday (9/20) during the day (along with Ex Models and Dreamcrusher) as part of Trans Pecos’ September Sunday afternoon concert series.

James sat down recently with Noisey contributor, Zachary Lipez, for a chat. Read it here.

New Book of Note: Massive Pissed Love by Richard Hell

The season will soon be upon us...plenty of new & interesting books to read are coming. I'm sure I'll be checking out the new Chrissie Hynde book at some point, but first I'll be sure to read this new one from Richard Hell which was literally JUST announced. 

Massive Pissed Love: Nonfiction 2001-2014 will be available October 12, in paperback only. For you New Yorkers, the launch/reading/signing will be at the Strand on October 14, followed by a reading at Book Court in Brooklyn on October 27, and then an evening with Luc Sante at McNally Jackson on November 18.

Order it here, or buy it at your favorite independent book store. 

Trash & Vaudeville Leaving St Marks Place After 40 Years!

Trash & Vaudeville circa 1980. By Michael Sean Edwards.

BIG news out of the East Village this morning via EV Grieve! After 40 years, Trash and Vaudeville will be moving around the corner and down the street. They'll be leaving St. Marks Place for a new spot on East 7th between First Ave and Ave A. Get the full story over at EV Grieve.

Trash in front of Trash. By Tim Broun.

Like A Gang of Four reared on Groucho, Chico and Harpo as much as Karl: The Three Johns announce 3 Disc collection!

One of my favorite unheralded bands of the 80's, The Three Johns (who were, indeed, 3 men named John: Jon Langford of the Mekons, John Hyatt, and John Brennan) have announced the release of Volume - a 3xCD box featuring two of their great albums, plus singles and B-sides. Over 50 tracks in all...and even a fanzine! Continue to read for the full scoop, and place your pre-order directly with the band here:

PRE-ORDER NOW FOR A 8/21 RELEASE

The Three Johns – Leeds original Death Rockers! – JOHN HYATT, JON LANGFORD and JOHN “BRENNY” BRENNAN, release their entire back catalog from 1982-1987 on CD for the first time. VOLUME is a 3 CD boxed set of all the singles, B-sides, 12 inch bonus tracks and the ATOM DRUM BOP and WORLD BY STORM albums in their complete original form. Digitally re-mastered by guitarist JON LANGFORD it contains over 50 art-metal disco classics including previously unreleased tracks from the mid-80s when the JOHNS ruled the roost on the post-punk indie circuit in the UK, Europe and the USA.

This definitive collection reveals the band at their creative peak, featuring raucous drum machine driven anthems like DEATH OF THE EUROPEAN, MEN LIKE MONKEYS, AWOL and NEVER AND ALWAYS (their 1987 collaboration with producer Adrian Sherwood). The box includes an exclusive THREE JOHNS fanzine called GET SEXY 2 created by James Brown of Loaded and NME fame.

Like A Gang of Four reared on Groucho, Chico and Harpo as much as Karl.

- Simon Reynolds, NME 1986

They're my favorite new Brits in years. - Robert Christgau, Village Voice 1984

The Three Johns by Ian Tilton

New Order's new album, Music Complete, to be released in September on Mute

New Order has announced the release of their new album, Music Complete, out on September 25, 2015.
 

The long awaited album will be New Order’s first full studio release since 2005's Waiting For The Siren's Call, and their debut for Mute. Music Complete finds the group revitalized, and where the group has previously pushed toward electronics or guitars, here the two are in balance. Music Complete also marks a return to the studio for Gillian Gilbert; this is her first album with New Order since 2001's Get Ready.

The album will be released on CD, download, black vinyl and limited edition clear vinyl. In addition, there will be an exclusive 8-piece deluxe vinyl collection that includes the album plus extended versions of all 11 tracks on colored vinyl – Pre-order HERE.

New Order is: Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert, Stephen Morris, Tom Chapman and Phil Cunningham.

Music Complete is produced by New Order, except ‘Singularity’ and ‘Unlearn This Hatred’, both produced by Tom Rowlands, while ‘Superheated’ features additional production by Stuart Price. Long-term collaborator Peter Saville provides art direction.

Live dates to be announced soon…

Audio of the Week: Ride, Recorded Live For BBC 6Music, 5.20.15

They're back, and sounding good. Very good.

Setlist:

Seagull
Daydream
Twisterella
Cool Your Boots
Chelsea Girl
Dreams Burn Down
Time of Her Time
Taste
Vapour Trail
Drive Blind
Leave Them All Behind

Tom Waits on Letterman, 05.14.15

Tom Waits' 10th appearance on Letterman over the last 32 years...not bad, and the new tune, "Take One Last Look" - apparently written especially for Dave - sounds great. I have no idea why George Clooney was handcuffed to Dave, but it makes for a suitably absurd scenario.

Ex-Libris: New music from Mick Jones:

A nice surprise this morning with news of some new music from Mick Jones. Recorded at his home, Ex-Libris is a collection of six tracks meant to accompany the opening of Jones' Rock & Roll Public Library opening in Venice. I dig the relaxed, I'm-only-recording-this-for-myself, vibe of it all.

Available on 180 gram vinyl, and limited to 1000 copies, visit the Vinyl Factory for ordering information.

Before & After: Danzig (2015) vs Elvis (1968)

Before - Elvis Presley Comeback Special (1968)

After - Glen Danzig Legacy Special (2015)

The Pop Group & Sleaford Mods to release split 7" June 18th thru Freaks R Us

The single features "Face To Faces" a raw alternate version of a track featured on the forthcoming Sleaford Mods new album, and "Nations," a track taken from Citizen Zombie, The Pop Group's critically acclaimed first new studio album in some 35 years.

The Pop Group have just returned from the first leg of their world tour which took in Japan, New Zealand, Australia and North America, culminating at three incendiary performances at SXSW. The band will soon resume its tour with dates in the UK ahead of European gigs. See tour dates for both bands below.

The Pop Group's upcoming UK shows:

MAY

5th - Brighton - The Haunt

6th - Norwich - Arts Centre

8th - London - The Dome, Tufnell Park

9th - Sheffield - Plug

10th - Glasgow - CCA Arts Centre

11th - Liverpool - Kazimier

JUNE

12th - Birmingham - Supersonic Festival

21st - Ramsgate - Ramsgate Music Hall

27-29 - Glastonbury - Glastonbury Festival

Sleaford Mods also have a run of UK dates starting in May. Their dates are as follows:

MAY

14th - Norwich - Waterfront Studio

15th - Manchester - Academy 2

16th - Leeds - Brudenell Social Club

23rd - Brighton - Concorde 2

JUNE

4th - Sheffield - Leadmill

5th - London - Koko

27-29 - Glastonbury - Glastonbury Festival

Reqiuem For A Dream: Patti Smith Inducts Lou Reed 4.18.15

If you're reading this in an email, click the headline above to listen to Patti Smith's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech for Lou Reed.