Quiet time.

Hmmm, not sure if there is a whole lot going on- apart from that Russian Roulettes/Fancy Boys show mentioned below. But that's OK. I'm not feeling 100% right now anyway.
There's every chance that free pizza and an extended happy hour at the Tote, with Myles Gallagher djing, will get me out of the house for a while tonight:

Or there's always a movie. A restored version of "Dogs In Space" is screening at ACMI on Saturday, as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, and director Richard Lowenstein is hosting the debut of his new documentary, "We're Livin' On Dog Food", on Sunday.

I have seen "Dog Food" already and it is excellent. Sadly, I think both of those sessions have sold out, though.

The Posies tell how to make a living from music

An interesting link from Aussie musician James Dilger of The Reactions and The Sole Stickers.

"The Posies' members were barely out of their teens when they got a major-label record deal and saw their power-pop records storm commercial radio. But that was 15 years ago, and they've been absent from the airwaves for a while now. Still, they've managed to continue making a living with music, even through fluctuations in the industry and in their own careers."

More here.

Let the Snuggie Choir into YOUR life

The Snuggie is one of those late night TV/home shopping network wunder products that's really a piece of crap. It's not even The Emperor's New Clothes, more like a dressing gown worn backwards, made in a sweat shop in South-East Asia and sold through low-cost channels at heavily marked-up prices in vast numbers. Never mind the quality, feel the width.

Its migration from the US to Australian morning TV has spawned this appalling promo. Thanks for Michelle Nicol for the tip:

And there is a response to the Snuggie, also on YouTube:

Shows

Here's a list of gig's i'm going to here in Melbourne, if you can-you should too.

6/8 - Stained Sheets zine #2 launch - http://www.messandnoise.com/news/3678478 -
Wasted Truth, Zond, Repairs, Bits Of Shit, Ivens @ Birmingham.
The zine if free. Entry is $8.

7/8 - Royal Headache, Deafwish, The Focus & Late Arvo Sons @ Old Bar. $10.00

8/8 - Royal Headache, Bariken (JPN), UV Horses, Bamodi (Perth) @ Birmingham. $10

9/8 - Primitive Calculators, UV Repairs, DJ's Brain Children @ Newtown Workers Club. $10

enjoy.

Shows

Here's a list of gig's i'm going to here in Melbourne, if you can-you should too.

6/8 - Stained Sheets zine #2 launch - http://www.messandnoise.com/news/3678478 -
Wasted Truth, Zond, Repairs, Bits Of Shit, Ivens @ Birmingham.
The zine if free. Entry is $8.

7/8 - Royal Headache, Deafwish, The Focus & Late Arvo Sons @ Old Bar. $10.00

8/8 - Royal Headache, Bariken (JPN), UV Horses, Bamodi (Perth) @ Birmingham. $10

9/8 - Primitive Calculators, UV Repairs, DJ's Brain Children @ Newtown Workers Club. $10

enjoy.

Poster of the year.

Look, I don't really care whether you go along this show on Friday night or not:

I just wanted to get that poster up here is all.

The Truth About Michael Jackson

Two Australian journalists (using the term loosely) have lifted the lid. Baseball is not your friend.

David Byrne gives U2 both barrels

The ex-Talking Head on Bono and Co's latest tour:

"Those stadium shows may possibly be the most extravagant and expensive (production-wise) ever: $40 million to build the stage and, having done the math, we estimate 200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe for the duration."

More here. Can you tell I think Bono's a twat?

Hydromatics = Hi-Energy

They're probably past tense but who can tell? The Hydromatics remind you how great hi-energy rock and roll can be.

There's a live DVD in the wings. Maybe its release will be the catalyst for a re-animation.

Iggy duets with his granddaughter

At least that's what it sounds like to me but Jemina Pearl isn't a household name where I come from. I know she's on Thurston Moore's label and you can cop an earful of her collaboration with Mr Osterberg here.

The Pop sure gets around.

I guess this must suck badly, then

Another Dee Dee cash-in.

By Christ, this is worth diarising

The New Christs are undertaking an Australian tour (well, East Coast at least) and that's news in itself. Here are the dates:

Friday August 7th – The Espy, St Kilda
Saturday August 8th – The Tote, Collingwood
Friday August 14th – The Step Inn, Brisbane
Saturday August 15th – Del Plaza, Gold Coast
Sunday August 16th – Winsome Hotel, Lismore
Friday August 21st – Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills

Support on the Brisbane and Gold Coast shows is Mick Medew & The Rumours.

If you want a copy of the latest New Christs album "Gloria" (or the Mick Medew & The Rumours CD) then hop on over to the I-94 Bar Shop.

Beefheart's Ten Commandments For Guitarists

If you play guitar you could do worse than read Electric Mud: Captain Beefheart's Ten Commandments For Guitarists. So there.

What most of us missed last weekend

Two Groovies with the A-Bones:

Pizza Hut Calling

Fancy copping a look at Mick Jones' leftover pizza boxes from his days on the road with The Only Band That Matters? I can't help but feel that the B.A.D. man was the Bill Wyman (as in ephemera-gathering pack rat) of the Clash. All is explained here.

A good night, a good cause.

Hmm, there's a bit of a tussle for show of the week this weekend.
On Saturday, Sin City, Sixfthick and X are at the Corner. The combined power of these three will probably demolish the place, and at only $17.00, it's a bargain.

HOWEVER, that may leave you too hungover to do the right thing on Sunday, and head along to the Tote for the "Hold Hands!" public radio benefit.

A bunch of local labels- Mistletone, Unstable Ape , Chapter Music, Sensory Projects and others have combined to put together a massive bill of acts, with all proceeds going to support public radio stations in both Melbourne and Sydney- sorry, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Canberra. Merch and CDs from all the labels will be available. There is also soup involved. It all kicks off around 3.00pm.

Someone bring them to Australia!

We are now entering the Commercial Zone: Party with these Playboys

An unashamed plug for the launch of the latest album on I-94 Bar Records. The album is out in the first week of August, the show is on August 15.

This CD is primo stuff for fans of fuzz and Hammond organ throb. We're taking pre-orders here and you can read more about the Intercontinental Playboys here. Stay posted for sounds, but meanwhile here's a taste of what to expect:

William Shatner does Rocket Man

The 40th anniversary of man walking on the Moon deserves a musical tribute and this is it. Props for Joy Cornish for the heads-up.

Drunk & Disorderly Episode 23

Just in case you were wondering why it was quiet around here, there's a stack of new CD reviews live at the Bar and the latest episode (number 23, no less) of the Drunk and Disorderly Podcast is available here. You can also click on the title of this post.

Here's the tracklist:

Drinking Much Too Long - Russian Roulettes (R & R/Off the Hip)

It's Not Your Fault - Sonny Vincent With Members Of Rocket From The Crypt (Sonny Vincent With Members Of Rocket From The Crypt/We Deliver the Guts-Cargo)

I Love Your Neurosis - The Nervebreakers (We Went And Recorded It Anyway/Brutarian Quarterly)

Hardly a Sane Man's Wallpaper - Apa State Mental (The Reunited Heavy Metal Sounds of Apa State Mental/The Mighty Kong)

The Escape - Radio Moscow (Brain Cycles/Alive)

She's Bad - Nathaniel Mayer (Why Won't You Le Me Be Black?/Alive)

It's All Getting Too Much - The Intercontinental Playboys (Hymns of the Flesh/I-94 Bar Records)

New Bully In The Town - Laughing Clowns (Live at GoMA/Prince Melon Records)

You Can't Sit Down - The Purple Hearts (Before Birdmen Flew/bootleg)

Liberty Lovers - The Dacios (Monkeys Blood/Solarsonar)

American Bandstand - The Seat Belts (We Went And Recorded It Anyway/Brutarian Quarterly)

Big Shot - Bunt (Birdland/Turbo Nun)

Surfin' Armageddon - Jukebox Zeros (Rock 'n' Roll Ronin/Rank Outsider)

Slappin' My Balls - The Meatbeaters (Carry On Tuggin'/Pressed Meat)

Special Kind of Man - Apa State Mental (The Reunited Heavy Metal Sounds of Apa State Mental/The Mighty Kong)

Grammar of Misery - The Barracudas (Mean Time/Big Time)

Down & Out Downunder 3

Episode 3 is up. All Aussie, all Rock Action and all here.

James Williamson returns to live music...without the Stooges for now

His rejoining the Stooges still isn't finalised with a planned rehearsal put back from July to August but James Williamson is stepping onto a stage and playing guitar live for the first time in 35 years in San Jose, south of San Francisco, on September 5.

James will play with country-rockers the Careless Hearts at the Blank Club.

"Get there very, very early as it's a tiny place. Also be nice to me (as) I'm very, very old," James says. "But I'm kind of rockin' pretty hard these days." So there.

Check out the Careless Hearts here. They're a little different to the Raw Power Stooges but that shouldn't be a surprise. James' guitar tastes are quite eclectic these days with a focus on slack key guitar.

In case you were wondering, after a long career as a Sony electronics executive, James is retired and spends his time between his home north of San Francisco and a holiday place in the Hawaiian Islands.

And look-out below. It's James with ex-Pistol Steve Jones (left) at a recent Iggy show in L.A. Robert Matheu took the happy snap.

A handy guide.

There seem to be a few bands around town at the moment with vaguely similar names. It's not as bad as the great wave of Wolf/Hand/Bird acts of a while back, but regardless, here's a handy guide, to make sure you don't end up at Pony when you should be at the Birmy.

Wasted Truth are an awesome noisy two piece.
Truth From Facts are an awesome noisy trio, with an album due soon.

Mother and Father are the first act signed to new Melbourne label Z-Man Records.
Mother and Child do not have a record deal. Nor, it seems, a MySpace page.

Useless Children are a fine noisy bunch of youngsters, with a six-track EP out.

Brain Children are Mikey Young and Max Kohane, and they have an EP out too, on Aarght! Records. It looks like this:

Not to be confused with Baby Brain , by the way.

I can't find much info on Racing Daphne or Scott and Charlene's Wedding, but here are some pics that turned up in image search:

Make of that what you will.

Aussie in punk rock shock in Indonesia

And they used to throw claims of militarism at Radio Birdman. Indonesia's latest punk rock discovery uses gun-shaped guitars, wears camo clothes and is fronted by an Australian. They sing songs about KFC, religion and the local army. More here.

Punksalia have a MySpace too.

Having the hots for Nirvana

I suppose it's playing into their hands linking to the story but national yewf broadcaster Triple Jay annually compile a list of the Hottest 100 songs of the year. This time it's the Hottest 100 Of All Time and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" tops the poll.

Sunday soup.

Well, the Oakleigh Bowling Club is chugging along nicely. The place was packed, the Wagons show was great, and I ran into the author of this article there, too. I don't know who was more surprised.
Anyway, they are running a series of Sunday shows over the next few weeks:

I have been to gigs where a CD, 7" or (many years ago) a flexidisc has been included in the entry price- but never before have I seen a bowl of soup offered as part of the deal. Considering that Charles Jenkins sold out the Corner last week, it may be a good idea to get a ticket for his 26th. July show early.

So what's the genesis of this?

It's got me stuffed how they'd get 10 discs of this together. Thinking about who'd buy it is scarier.

The Coop avoids going Under Their Wheels

The English press is always interesting when it collides with rock and roll. The British establishment can never work out whether to embrace rock and roll or claim its corpse has been found naked in a hotel room in bondage gear with a plastic bag over its head and an orange in its mouth. Pity their best music always gets swiped by the Americans.

Here's a sample of reportage from Alice Cooper's recent visit to the UK:

- A crazed English Alice Cooper fan was convicted of assault using a false leg after he bashed a fellow concert-goer who told him keep to his own seat. At least no-one used a (decapitated) bat as a weapon.

- Alice has been reunited with a bag containing 300 horror flicks from his personal collection after it went missing at Heathrow Airport. Beats watching those diabolical in-flight movies.

- The British press (well, The Guardian) has exposed the Coop’s stageshow as a morality play and in true tangental style has told Alice that it’s time to give up. More here. No surprise there. The Guardian doesn't approve of anything much.

First French Woman in Podcasting speaks to Laughing Clown Jeffrey Wegener

Annie from Marseille runs a distinctly Australian podcast. Here's her interview with the drumming maestro Jeffrey Wegener.

Fear (Late At Night) - Exploding White Mice

One of the best things out of Adelaide in the '80s. If you click through to the actual YouTube site you can read some entertaining comments. The one about the Hilton Hotels staff Xmas party is especially good.

Mickey Leigh speaks

Mickey Leigh was Joey Ramone's brother and member of his own bands like Stop and was a guitar sideman to Lester Bangs in the writer's combo, Birdland. He still looks after Joey's interest, organising the annual Birthday Bash.

He'll be releasing a book about his life as a brother to a Ramone late in 2009. It may cause some ripples judging scuttlebutt over the years. Mickey and his mum, Charlotte, always seemed to be at odds with various surviving Ramones.

Read more in this interview here.

Dee Dee book goes to court

Ex-Ramones manager tries to block publication of Vera Ramone's book about her late ex-husband Dee Dee? Another day in the continuing (after)life of the Bruddas. It's breaking news and you can read it here.

Hitler finds out Michael Jackson has died.

You expected something serious? Sorry, the guy sold millions of albums but quantity does not always equate to quality.

Danny Fields tells tales

Jim Morrison was an asshole whose bandmates had nightmares because they were worried he was still alive...Jim Osterberg lost his looks and tried to get him sacked...

Uber-starmaker Danny Fields reflects on his rich past in music in the first of a two-part interview at Thirsty Media's e-presence here.

Various Artists - Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 (Boxed Set) - at Rhino

Coming down the pipeline: Various Artists - Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968 (Boxed Set). There are some sound samples there and the full track listing (which they've omitted) is:

Disc 1: On The Strip
1. “Riot On Sunset Strip” — The Standells
2. “You Movin’” — The Byrds
3. “You I’ll Be Following” — Love
4. “Dr. Stone” — The Leaves
5. “Go And Say Goodbye” — Buffalo Springfield
6. “Zig Zag Wanderer” — Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
7. “Gentle As It May Seem” — Iron Butterfly
8. “Candy Cane Madness” — Lowell George & The Factory
9. “If You Want This Love” — The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
10. “Baby My Heart” — The Bobby Fuller Four
11. “All Night Long” — The Palace Guard
12. “It’s Gonna Rain” — Sonny & Cher
13. “For My Own” — The Guilloteens
14. “Take A Giant Step” — The Rising Sons
15. “One Too Many Mornings” — The Association
16. “Time Waits For No One” — The Knack
17. “Take It As It Comes” — The Doors
18. “Pulsating Dream” — Kaleidoscope
19. “Tripmaker” — The Seeds
20. “The People In Me” — The Music Machine
21. “Saturday’s Son” — The Sons Of Adam
22. “Eventually” — The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
23. “Swim” — Penny Arkade
24. “The Third Eye” — The Joint Effort
25. “Girl In Your Eye” — Spirit

Disc 2: Beyond The City
1. “Jump, Jive & Harmonize” — Thee Midniters
2. “Back Up” — The Light
3. “To Die Alone” — The Bush
4. “Get On This Plane” — The Premiers
5. “Little Girl, Little Boy” — The Odyssey
6. “Hideaway” — The Electric Prunes
7. “Listen, Listen!” — The Merry-Go-Round
8. “She Done Moved” — The Spats
9. “Grim Reaper Of Love” — The Turtles
10. “See If I Care” — Ken & The Fourth Dimension
11. “He’s Not There Anymore” — The Chymes
12. “Back Seat ‘38 Dodge” — Opus 1
13. “Eternal Prison” — The Humane Society
14. “Revenge” — The Others
15. “Come Alive” — Things To Come
16. “Acid Head” — The Velvet Illusions
17. “Guaranteed Love” — Limey & The Yanks
18. “Love’s The Thing” — The Romancers (aka The Smoke Rings)
19. “Underground Lady” — Kim Fowley
20. “Pretty Little Thing” — The Deepest Blue
21. “You’re Wishin’ I Was Someone Else” — The Whatt Four
22. “Hippy Elevator Operator” — The W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band
23. “That’s For Sure” — The Mustangs
24. “Tomorrow’s Girl” — Fapardokly (Merrell & The Exiles)
25. “Everything’s There” — The Hysterics
26. “Our Time Is Running Out” — The Yellow Payges

Disc 3: The Studio Scene
1. “Action, Action, Action” — Keith Allison
2. “The Rebel Kind” — Dino, Desi & Billy
3. “High On Love” — The Knickerbockers
4. “Fan Tan” — Jan & Dean
5. “Halloween Mary” — P.F. Sloan
6. “Somebody Groovy” — The Mamas & The Papas
7. “Daydreaming” — Thorinshield
8. “Just Can’t Wait” — The Full Treatment
9. “Yellow Balloon” — The Yellow Balloon
10. “The Times To Come” — London Phogg
11. “No More Running Around” — The Lamp Of Childhood
12. “Little Girl Lost-And-Found” — The Garden Club
13. “Mothers And Fathers” — The Moon
14. “My Girlfriend Is A Witch” — October Country
15. “Montage Mirror” — Roger Nichols Trio
16. “Flower Eyes” — Pasternak Progress
17. “Come Down” — The Common Cold
18. “Jill” — Gary Lewis & The Playboys
19. “Daily Nightly” — The Monkees
20. “Night Time Girl” — Modern Folk Quintet
21. “Don’t Say No” — The Oracle
22. “Tin Angel (Will You Ever Come Down)” — Hearts And Flowers
23. “Rainbow Woman” — Lee Hazlewood
24. “Poor Old Organ Grinder” — Pleasure featuring Billy Elder
25. “Baby, Please Don’t Go” — The Ballroom

Disc 4: New Directions
1. “Sit Down I Think I Love You” — Stephen Stills & Richie Furay*
2. “Splendor In The Grass” — Jackie DeShannon with The Byrds
3. “November Night” — Peter Fonda
4. “Roses And Rainbows” — Danny Hutton
5. “Lemon Chimes” — The Dillards
6. “Here’s Today” — The Rose Garden
7. “I Love How You Love Me” — Nino Tempo & April Stevens
8. “Words” (Demo) — Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart*
9. “(You Used To) Ride So High” — The Motorcycle Abeline (Warren Zevon & Bones Howe)
10. “Los Angeles” — Gene Clark
11. “Once Upon A Time” — Tim Buckley*
12. “Darlin’ You Can Count On Me” — The Everpresent Fullness
13. “I’ll Search The Sky” — The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
14. “Come To The Sunshine” — Van Dyke Parks
15. “Heroes And Villains” (Alternate Take) — The Beach Boys
16. “She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune” — Jesse Lee Kincaid
17. “Sister Marie” — Nilsson
18. “Last Night I Had A Dream” (Single Version) — Randy Newman
19. “Life Is A Dream” — Noel Harrison
20. “Marshmallow Skies” — Rick Nelson
21. “I Think I Love You” — Del Shannon
22. “Change Is Now” — The Byrds
23. “The Truth Is Not Real” (Single Version) — Sagittarius
24. “You Set The Scene” — Love
25. “Inner-Manipulations” — Barry McGuire

*Previously unreleased

Rhino do these things so well, it's likely that this will be an essential purchase.

Allen Klein dead

The ex-Rolling Stones and Beatles manipulator has shuffled off at age 77. Obits are not expected to be warm and glowing.

Slow coach.

Well, it's been a while- their launch tour for "The Rise And Fall Of Goodtown" started back on 8th May- but I am finally catching the excellent Wagons for the first time since summer on Friday night.

The Oakleigh Bowls Club may not be the hippest place in town, but it's friendly, cosy (only 240 capacity, all sold out) and cheap. "Goodtown" is a great record, too, by the way- but don't just take my word for it.

And then on Saturday, there's this, at the Corner Hotel:

Please join Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos for the
Blue Atlas Winter Ball, an epic night of entertainment as we welcome our special guests Clare Bowditch, Rebecca Barnard, Anna Burley, Abby Dobson, Spencer P Jones, Davey Lane,Tim Rogers, Ron Peno, Kerri Simpson, Cal and Van Walker along with the Blue Atlas Strings performing songs from the Charles Jenkins and the Zhivagos magnum opus "Blue Atlas".

Although I have an awful feeling that at a mere $20, that's sold out too.

If you have nothing to do on Sunday, why not head over to the Old Bar for their monthly garage sale? Admission is free, you can drink a couple of $10 jugs, and buy some crap that someone else is trying to get rid of.

God knows I still haven't listened to the four $1.00 CDs I got there last month.

The Walkman Turns 30 Today

Happy birthday Walkman! Ya got me through some long flights.

Born To Lose

The Lech Kowalski movie about Johnny Thunders has been up on YouTube since late 2008. I used to have a copy of this cut (there are several) on DVD but it was like Johnny - quite fucked up - and would skip. Here's all 100 minutes of it.