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:

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Otherwise, vote for Bernie Sanders.

The Stupefaction Network

 

From time to time I feel the need to remind folks where we can be found online. It seems we've grown a bit since the last time I did this. Anyway, if you care, here's the scoop:

You are here. 

You can also go to:

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Contact Stupefaction via email here

Related:

The Vinyl District Record Store Locator app - here 

Eugene Merinov Photography - here and here 

James Chance - here and here and here

Walter Steding - here

Other: 

Liquid Liquid, 99 Records, The Archive of Contemporary Music, The Big Takeover magazine, The Vinyl District, The Fluid, Perfect Sound Forever

Now contributing at Bedazzled!

 

I'm happy to announce that I'm now contributing to the mighty Bedazzled. It'll mostly be ephemeral items as I've published here for a long time...thanks to Spike for asking! See my first post here.

A work in progress

Patell & Waterman's 33 1/3 countdown playlists

Over the next few weeks our FoB©, Patell & Waterman, will be running guest playlists of so called New York songs in anticipation of the publication of their contribution to the series of album-themed books, 331/3.

Playlist number one is by another FoB©, Marvin Taylor, Director of the Fales Library over at NYU, and contains:

Klaus Nomi, “Lightning Strikes”  
Dean and the Weenies, “Fuck You”
Blondie, “Heart of Glass”
B-52s, “Rock Lobster”
Glenn Branca, “Hallucination City: Symphony for 100 Guitars”
David van Tieghem, “Ear to the Ground”
Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
Richard Hell and the Voidoids, “Blank Generation”
Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock”
John Sex, “Hustle with My Muscle”


Playlist number two is by yours truly, and contains:

Serge Gainsbourg, “New York USA”
Lou Reed, “Coney Island Baby” (Live)
Bush Tetras, “Too Many Creeps”
Charles Mingus, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”
Justin Townes, Earle “Harlem River Blues”
Honorable Mention – Tom Waits, “Midtown” (no video available)

Jeez...Marvin listed ten. I could have done more. Oh well. I was glad they asked me. Set your mouse to  http://ahistoryofnewyork.com/ and enjoy some good sounds...

1967

If you haven't visited It's All The Streets in a while I suggest you do. Signed DC is really on a roll.

Of note - Yr Heart Out, Paul Gorman blog, Kate Simon book

I just wanted to point out a couple of things worth investigating.

Friend Kevin, over at Your Heart Out, has a new issue of his free ezine ready for your perusal entitled Skimming Stones. You can download it here.

As he describes it: After some revealing romps in the archives of The Pop Group and the Mad Professor’s Ariwa label it’s time to explore some related roots and branches. So, if you’ve even a passing interest in, for example, On-U Sound, Jah Wobble, Disco Dub Band, Dennis Bovell, lovers rock, afro rock, pub rock, The Fabulous Stains and Snatch, you will have a lot of fun exploring this particular pop tract.

Paul Gorman on his couch with friend

 Also, Mr. Paul Gorman, that great gumshoe at the crossroads of fashion, music, art, and all cool culture, has yet another blog to add to his already impressive list of online business. This would include the must reads The Look, and Reasons To Be Cheerful at BarneyBubbles.com. Head on over to PaulGormanIs.com and hit the subscribe button.

Wailers having fun at the hotel on tour for Exodus, by Kate Simon

Lastly, Kate Simon, she of the amazing photographic eye, has one of those incredibly beautiful, luxurious, and expensive books available from Genesis Publications in the UK - Bob Marley: Rebel Music. There are a couple of different editions available, and it's obviously essential for any serious Marley fans out there. Check it out here.

Wailers at the Lyceum Theatre, London, by Kate Simon

Ghosts of Max's Kansas City and other news

FoB©, Paul D, graciously pointed the way to some new memoirs being penned by long time music writer, Ed McCormack. As Paul describes it, Ed, who covered the NY rock scene for Rolling Stone in the early 70's, is writing his memoirs and serializing them over at Gallery & Studio. A New York native, and longtime resident, anyone interested in the music of the city in the 70's, and beyond, would be well served to check out his excerpts. Read them here.
_______________________________

In other related news, Steven Kasher, of the Steven Kasher Gallery (who hosted the grand Max's photo exhibit a few months ago), has an interview over at PMc Magazine promoting the recent Max's book, Max's Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll. Read it here.
________________________________

Lastly, infamous music magazine, Rock Scene (no strangers to Max's Kansas City and it's environs), lives on in a couple of places. There's a blog, called Rock Scenester, painstakingly scanning & posting every issue of the magazine they can find. Visit them here. Also, the brand is, apparently, now owned by a fellow named Mark Weiss. It lives on in an online version which you can visit at RockScene.com.

Links: Updated & Restored

For those who care, I've updated and restored the links page. Just click on the FoB© tab above, and away you'll go!

This just in...PleaseKillMe.com now live

This news just in from TATSOL: A website has just been launched for Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain's Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk.

Get 'em here: www.pleasekillme.com

Coming of Age with Josh Alan Friedman

Friend of the blog(©), Joe Bonomo (author of some great books) has just posted a terrific interview with another FOB(©), Josh Alan Friedman (also the author of some terrific books, including his latest, Black Cracker). The last time I mentioned Josh was last month when I was talking about his fun and nostalgic tome, Tales of Times Square.

"Josh Alan Friedman’s Black Cracker, an “autobiographical novel,” is a very funny and closely observed book about growing up as an outsider — in Friedman’s case as the only white kid in an all-black school in Glen Cove, New York in the mid-1960s. Against the background of civil rights and the shifting mores of the decade Friedman dramatizes with cinematic relish not only his unique childhood but a cast of local characters (in all senses of the word) that has lived inside of him for decades." Read the whole thing over at No Such Thing As Was.

The Pop Group - new website

It's nice to see things are getting serious in the newly reunited Pop Group camp. They've recently launched a new website, and there some goodies there to check out. Even though I've already posted about this, here's a reminder about their initial plans, and it sounds as if they're leaning towards continuing into 2011 which is excellent news.

The Pop Group return after nearly thirty years to play an four small club dates to "blow the dust off the old songs and pick up where we left off”

These initial dates serve as a brief introduction to a new generation of the band's signature caustic Molotov dub funk that manifested itself into only two albums that went on to sporn a whole genre.

Formed in Bristol in 1978, The Pop Group were for many the first and the last après punk band. After two seminal albums ‘Y’ and ‘For How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Murder’ the group split in 1981.

"There was a lot left undone,....we were so young and volatile....Let's face it, things are probably even MORE fucked now than they were in the early 80's.....and WE are even more fucked off !.

The 2010 line-up features all original members, Mark Stewart (vocals),
Gareth Sager (Guitar, Keys, Sax), Bruce Smith (Drums) and Dan Catsis
(Bass).

LIVE DATES:
SEP 09TH LOCOMOTIV CLUB 9, BOLOGNA. ITALY
SEP 10TH SPAZIO 211, TURIN , ITALY
SEP 11TH THE GARAGE, LONDON
SEP 12TH THE GARAGE, LONDON

Bookmark it: thePopGroup.net

In Brief - Items of Interest

Dangerous Minds reminds us of the great BBC doc about Rough Trade Records, "Do It Yourself: The Story of Rough Trade Records." Some of you may remember me posting about this last year.

Dangerous Minds also points the way to "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen" - a Canadian film from 1965.



Alan McGee discusses the new album from Dan Treacy and the Television Personalities, and his legacy in light of MGMT's "Tribute To Dan Treacy" on their new album.

Take a poll at the Guardian - Should Iggy start keeping his shirt on?

EV Grieve reports on whats become of the Avenue A storefront that used to house Etherea Records...and it's good news.


The Aquariam Drunkard reminds us about a longtime fave compilation series, Lux & Ivy's Favorites. And while you're over at the WFMU blog, don't forget "Seven Minutes In Deadwood."

Caught By the River remembers Roger Eagle, gone 11 years this week.



The blog over at Rocks Back Pages comes up with a list of 25 songs mentioning the Ramones.

PiL will be filming an upcoming Brooklyn show as part of a new documentary on the band.

And finally, Pampelmoose digs up a couple of very nice videos:

The Who perform "5:15" on ToTP 1973:


Fleet Foxes:

Lost and Found at the NY Nobody Sings

Be sure to visit the New York Nobody Sings to hear Alec Baldwin's compelling reading of Colson Whitehead's Lost and Found.

"No matter how long you have been here, you are a New Yorker the first time you say, ''That used to be Munsey's'' or ''That used to be the Tic Toc Lounge.'' That before the Internet cafe plugged itself in, you got your shoes resoled in the mom-and-pop operation that used to be there. You are a New Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now."

Nice...real nice

Please visit the New York Nobody Sings, and let us know if, like me, you think New York magazine was "inspired" - they ran this piece this week. I'd say so...

Rock Family Trees

Thanks to Joly for pointing this out, and all I can say is it's about time. For years now, I've been waiting for Mr. Pete Frame (he of Rock Family Trees fame), or for someone on his behalf, to start a website. It's the perfect subject & format for a website. Well, they're still a ways off, but progress is being made. Click on over to the Family of Rock for more!



Incidentally, a recent post there discusses the fact that it's been 30 years this month since the launch of Bow Wow Wow. I was checking that out, and clicked through to YouTube to watch the linked video. Looking around, I stumbled upon the video below which is video footage from the photo shoot for this notorious Bow Wow Wow album cover. Incredible!

Tom Waits - new site & new live album

Tom Waits' website has been refurbished & relaunched, and I must say it's a beaut. It has a full on discography, track streams, a great photo section, and more. Plus the layout & look of the site are very well thought out. For me, the best thing is being able to download an 8 track preview of his next release, Glitter & Doom Live (free eight track preview & pre-order available here), as well as the vinyl version of the Orphans set. There are also t-shirts for sale which must be the first time (at least that I know of) in which official tees from Waits have been widely available.

Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live from Anti Records on Vimeo

I know, I know

Things are pretty quiet around here right now. I am working on a post listing some of the cool books I'm looking forward to that are coming out this fall, but otherwise there just isn't that much going on.

In the meantime, please check out my current eBay auction right here. There are a couple of rare baseball albums there just in time for the playoffs. And early next week, I'll be listing a boatload of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab releases - both vinyl & CD. Including both the Beatles & Rolling Stones boxes!

Also, I have plenty of inexpensive, gently used CD's available on Amazon - click here.

And, of course, please visit Stupefaction's sister blog, the New York That Nobody Sings.

She's My Coney Island Baby

Click on over to the New York Nobody Sings for a quick trip out to Coney Island.

NYCNY

The New York Nobody Sings takes Daryl Hall out for a spin today.