"OH, HOW DELICIOUSLY DANGEROUS"

You know how, a few years ago, you started seeing well-off middle aged women with their highlighted shag Quatro-cuts, and their accessorizing (pre-fab distressed jeans, scarfs, boots, etc.) and you're sure they think that they're pulling it off? (There's a male version of the poseur-rocker too, usually with a Harley or something suitably "dangerous.") Imagine that same brand of clueless-ness, in the mid-sixties when they find out that that crazy Campbell soup artist is staging a happening, with droning music, a weird light show and dancers with whips.

At the time, Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable probably seemed like the hippest, "let's be daring" thing going. Today, it's interesting in an anthropological sense, but not nearly as threatening. Granted, there had to have been some genuine freaks at the shows, you know that with Warhol's name attached to it, there were more than a few rich wives and their "not-so-sure-about-this" husbands. This is all just speculation (because, to be honest, I'm too lazy to research), but I'm willing to bet that Warhol's crew of crazy kids (Velvet Underground , et al) genuinely thought this was some sort of mind expanding freakout statement. And Warhol may well have been laughing all the way to the bank. Even if he didn't make much on the actual shows, it paid dividends in what it did for his brand/image, and that's gotta add to the value of traded art.

Whatever, we still look to it as a reference point. And it's thirteen minutes of some noisy-ass shit.

Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable with The Velvet Underground at UbuWeb (1966) VIDEO
Two more clips! at Plaztikmag (1967) VIDEO

THE SLITS LIVE 2010

If you would have told me thirty years ago that I'd be posting a link to a legal download of a May 2010 live set by the Slits, recorded at a festival in Barcelona, I would have asked if people got there in flying cars and jet packs. Seriously, it seems so odd to even be mentioning the Slits long after they were the goofy kid sisters of the UK punk scene. But, listening to the between song comments of this set, they still seem like goofy kid sisters. And therein, to me, lies the appeal.

I found the link to the set on WFMU's Beware of the Blog, always a deep well of esoteric shit. They posted the set, among others, on the Free Music Archive, a site with legal downloads of all sorts of oddball acts, including one by the Almighty Defenders, a stuporgroup made up of Black Lips, King Khan & BBQ (which gives me the excuse I've been waiting for to post the photo below of the Black Lips in North Ocean Beach, significant only because I pass by that very spot every night on my way to a swim).

~ NOTE: ONCE AT THE FMA SITE, CLICK ON THE DOWNWARD POINTING ARROW TO THE RIGHT (NEXT TO THE "+" SIGN) TO DOWNLOAD ~
The Slits, Live at the Primavera Sound Festival
The Almighty Defenders, Live at the Primavera Sound Festival
The Free Music Archive

RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIME

One thing that continually amazes me, because I'm of the pre-internet generation, is the ability to find people with like tastes, halfway across the world. There are a few blogs that I always check out, and two I link to quite often are Diddy Wah (UK) and Spread the Good Word (France). The hosts of these two sites seem to have tastes parallel to mine, which means that I'm constantly finding stuff that, for one reason or another, I've never added to my physical music stash (not to mention, getting turned onto stuff I've never heard).

"Right Place, Wrong Time" is one that I've always loved. A hit for Dr. John in the seventies, it's probably his best known song, and, as far as I know, the only one to chart. The fact that it did is kind of amazing in itself. The intro is killer, with a clavinet (I think) starting for a couple measures, followed by the drums and horns, then the bass and congas, and finally the guitar. An excellent cut of funky seventies New Orleans gumbo. Turn it up, loud and crank up the bass!

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time, and I Been Hoodood mp3s at Diddy Wah
The Meters - Right Place, Wrong Time mp3 (+ 2 others) at Ear Hole
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Right Place, Wrong Time at Soundtracks.cz

SURF MUSIC FOR KILLJOYS

"...summer is ruined. Now you have to share your summer vacation with everybody. I hate to share my time with working slobs. Summer has had it. You have to share it with everyone else. Now I hate summer: for four months out of the year now, I have to sweat it out.” ~ Miki Dora

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
The Belairs - Mr. Moto mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
The Pyramids - Penetration mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Miserlou mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Let's Go Trippin' mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
The Sentinals - Latinia, Tor-Chula, Exotic, The Bee mp3s at Rock n' Roll Ichiban
The Chantays - Pipeline mp3 at Everybody Taste
The Lively Ones - Surf Rider mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Video:
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Miserlou, from a "A Swinging Affair" (1963) at YouTube
The Chantays - Pipeline, from the Lawrence Welk Show (1963), at YouTube
The Ventures - Diamond Head and Caravan, from Shindig (1965) at YouTube
Dick Dale's advice for up and coming musicians, at YouTube

EARLY TOM WAITS: LIVE

Above photo by Virginia Curtiss (1974)

Back when I was in high school, I had a buddy whose Dad was really into folk music. For a few years running, he'd pile his son, me and my brother, into his car and take us out to the San Diego Folk Festival. I don't have many memories from the shows we attended, but I do remember that it was the first time I'd heard of Lou Curtiss and his record shop, Folk Arts (then at the end of India St., where Gellato Vera is now). To those not from the San Diego area, Lou Curtiss is probably not a familiar name. But, if you lived here, you'd likely know that he's been championing roots music for a long, long time. He opened his record store and organized the first San Diego Folk Festival in 1967, and just kept going. He later helped book music for the early Adams Avenue Street Fairs and, after that, the Adams Avenue Roots Festival. He writes a column for The Troubadour, and has a radio show, "Jazz Roots," on the local jazz station (heard live on 88.3 FM and online, Sundays from 8:00 to 10:00 Pacific Time). All this and he's an active archivist and researcher for the Smithsonian and Library of Congress.

Folk Arts was, and still is, a magnet for those looking for out-of-print recordings. Shop visitors run the gamut; past customers include Muddy Waters, Horace Silver, R. Crumb, Joan Baez, and local boy-done-good Tom Waits. Waits, a store regular back in the day, said of his friend, “Lou Curtiss is a heroic curmudgeon, entrepreneur and keeper of the flame.” Which brings us to the impetus for this post. When I ran into a post on Captains Dead, with Tom Waits from the 1974 Folk Festival, I had to post a link, for a few reasons. The fact that this is early Waits, without a full band, accompanying himself on guitar and piano, was reason enough. Then, there's chatter between songs, which is really, really, funny in places. And the excellent quality of the recordings didn't hurt. The big reason, though, was to publicly thank Curtiss, for doing what he does, humbly, and without tooting his own horn, for so many years. He's every music lover's cool older brother. The man is a local treasure.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Tom Waits at the 1974 San Diego Folk Festival at Captain's Dead NOTE: As of 11/8/11 these links are dead, but the ones on the link below are still live:
Another live Tom Waits set from 1979, 20 mp3's at Captain's Dead (Right click song titles to download)
Folk Arts Rare Records, Curtiss' record store
The 4th annual SD Folk Festival mp3s at Folk Arts, Sam Chatman, Sam Hinton, Merle Travis and others
Samples from the Lou Curtiss Sound Library
"Lou Curtiss keeps American roots music alive here" at SignOnSanDiego

Above photo of Tom Waits by Virginia Curtiss (1974)

PARIS, NEW YORK, NASSAU, AFRICA

Sometimes you just sort of gravitate towards someone's music, without really over-analyzing why you like it. Lizzy Mercier Descloux is like that for me. Her first solo album was on ZE Records (home to the Contortions and James White & the Blacks), which is how I may have first become cognizant of her. Or maybe it was because she was friends with Patti Smith and Richard Hell. It certainly wasn't because she was French and easy on the eyes. Regardless, her first record flopped, and when it ended up in cut-out bins, I took the plunge; and I've been listening to her music ever since.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Lizzy Mercier Descloux- Funky Stuff mp3 at Waves at Night
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Mission Impossible mp3 at Cover Freak
Lizzy Mercier Descloux -Fire mp3 at PopDose
Lizzy Mercier Descloux- Larousse Baron Bic mp3 at Clumsy & Shy
Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Patti Smith and Nicky Skopelitis - Morning High mp3 at the Cargo Culte
Richard Hell on Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Lizzy Mercier Descloux at Wikipedia

SALAD BOWL OF SOUL

Here you go. A mish-mash of soul music, some old, some new, some weird. What had started as a quick post about Eli "Paperboy" Reed's newest single "Explosion," became a couple hour long troll for random soul shit. First, about Reed: Up until now, everything I've heard of Reed's has been straight up soul, even his reworked version of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." He's got an extraordinary voice, and his band is reliably retro, and the new one, "Explosion" follows that pattern. Though a bit of a faster paced Reed, he's still sticking to the formula (which must have been working because he's now signed with a major). But then I just ran smack dab into a oddity. Reed on a track by, of all people, Basement Jaxx. Make of it what you will. (A reminder: there's a little comment link below that is begging.)

Another current/retro soul act, Kings Go Forth are, well, more than a little influenced by Curtis Mayfield, though there's a little early Gamble & Huff thing going on too (think Archie Bell & the Drells "I just Can't Stop Dancing"). They're based in the soul hotbed of...wait...Milwaukee? Having never gigged beyond Indiana before being signed, leave it to Luaka Bop to get them. Semi-related: There was a thing in the New Yorker recently, about Go Forther Andy Noble in an NYC record store.

An interesting side story is about the Kings Go Forth album cover. There's been much ado about eccentric, primitive, outsider and oddball art. Little has been celebrated about the artistic music-loving hyper-prolific teenager. I encourage you to read the story of Mingering Mike. Because, this is pre-computer music geek godhead.

There's a couple Otis Redding cuts here, because they're from a new album, recorded live at the Whiskey a Go-Go, and because they're Otis.

And then, there is Wayne Cochran. "The White Knight of Soul," poster child for weird white soul dudes. The dollar bin James Brown. That's him, at the top of of the post, with the big hair. Crazy looking; check out his moves on the YouTube clip.

And, because it's her due, Sharon Jones. She's finally getting the attention she deserves, this time on the network news. Good for her.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Explosion mp3 at Dr. Mooney's 115th Dream
Kings Go Forth - One Day mp3 at Far From Noise
Kings Go Forth -Now We're Gone mp3 at Aquarium Drunkard
Kings Go Forth - I Don't Love You No More mp3 at KEXP.org
Kings Go Forth at Luaka Bop
Soul Slam: Andy Noble goes to a record store, at the New Yorker.
The Home of Mingering Mike
Basement Jaxx with Eli "Paperboy" Reed - She's No Good mp3 at Audio Drums
Otis Redding - Satisfaction and Security mp3s (live) at the Adios Lounge
Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders - Get Down With It mp3 at The Soul Girl
Wayne Cochran and the C.C.Riders - Going Back to Miami video at YouTube
Wayne Cochran bio at Roctober
Sharon Jones on CBS News (6/6/10)

ANDREW W.T.F.

I've always had a soft spot for Andrew W.K., despite being somewhat indifferent about his music. His debut leaned heavily on simplistic headbanger anthems, but, still, you kinda knew there was something different about the guy. First off, he was always wearing a white T-shirt and white jeans, pretty much the complete opposite of what you'd expect. And there was his preoccupation with songs about partying: "Party Hard," "Party 'til You Puke," and "It's Time to Party,"...the kind of stuff that makes "Margaritaville" look like a May Pole dance. That was just an initial impression, but enough to keep him on the radar.

Shortly after hearing his debut (and it's subsequent relocation to the "can't see this ever bearing repeated obsessive listenings, so might as well sell it" pile), I was lurking in a record store, talking to a shopper (that's a person who actually buys things) who said that he had hung out in Andrew W.K.'s trailer at a recent Warped Tour show, and that he was a really, really nice guy. He elaborated, adding that a fan had come up to the trailer door and, while conversing with W.K., happened to mention that he was having trouble paying his rent. Without being asked, W.K. got out a checkbook and wrote the kid a check.

Every subsequent thing I've heard about him has been just as confounding. He's obsessed with Johan Sebastian Bach, he produced Lee Perry (?!?), toured with a string quartet, appeared as a motivational speaker, and hosted a kid's show on the Cartoon Network (the awesomely named "Destroy Build Destroy"). That's just a few, but still a pretty big bag of tricks.

There really are no two sides to Andrew W.K., there are a zillion sides. He's got a lot of quirks; enough to keep things interesting, if not always listenable. Here's a few:

Exhibit A: The party songs: "It's Time to Party," "Party Hard," "Party 'til You Puke," "Party, Party, Party," "We Party (You Shout)," "Big Party," and "The Party God;" seven variations on a theme, mp3s at Metal Bastard

Exhibit B: The Tiny Desk Concert: Two long improvisations, a very different version of "I Get Wet," and a beautiful cover of Jimmy Webb's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," all with just vocals and electric piano: The Andrew W.K. Tiny Desk Concert (video) at NPR.org
Exhibit C: Destroy Build Destroy at the Cartoon Network and YouTube
Exhibit D: Andrew W.K. on Bach at NPR.org
Exhibit E: "Wolf Eyes Rule" mp3, a song by a band, Wolf Eyes, that he produced, guesting on vocals, at The Walrus
Exhibit F through Z: The Further Misadventures at the Andrew W.K. Official Site

DENNIS HOPPER 1936 - 2010

The dude seemed everywhere. For the last several decades, he was always lurking somewhere. In a movie, at an art opening, Cannes, taking photos, hobnobbing with A-list artists, Venice... Even though he was known primarily as an actor, he really was one of us, and by that I mean culture junkies. The difference was that he created and digested. He never really stopped either. Even when he wasn't working on a film, Dennis Hopper was taking pictures, making art, or hanging out with like-minded friends.

"There are moments that I've had some real brilliance, you know. But I think they are moments. And sometimes, in a career, moments are enough. I never felt I played the great part. I never felt that I directed the great movie. And I can't say that it's anybody's fault but my own ... I am just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City and my grandparents were wheat farmers. I thought painting, acting, directing and photography was all part of being an artist. I have made my money that way and I have had some fun. It's not been a bad life."

He really did just about everything...but music. Which made it hard to justify this post, on a music blog. But, my hesitation was quickly overridden when I found an mp3 of my favorite line from "Blue Velvet" (see link below).

Dennis Hopper (re: beverages) mp3 sound bite, from "Blue Velvet"
(I would turn this one up all the way, so the whole office can hear it.)
The Byrds - Wasn't Born to Follow mp3 (from "Easy Rider") at Groovers Paradise
(NOTE: The quote above was lifted from Groovers Paradise)
Roy Orbison - In Dreams mp3 (from "Blue Velvet") at Fuck Yeah, Go Team
Steppenwolf - The Pusher mp3 (from "Easy Rider") at KinoSport
More Blue Velvet soundbites at LynchNet
Dennis Hopper : Photographs 1961 - 1967 at Taschen Books
(Check the index to skip to his photography)
Dennis Hopper article at the N.Y. Times
Dennis Hopper obituary at the N. Y. Times

STONES AT CHESS

The Stones were just getting their wings when they entered Chicago-based Chess Studios in 1964, and they had to have been humbled. In the first two days alone, they were visited by Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters; three men without whom they may not have had careers.

They recorded at Chess on four dates (three in 1964 and one in 1965), netting 20+ cuts, mostly covers. Captain's Dead recently posted 25, including alternate versions of "Time is on My Side" and "2120 South Michigan Ave." Go get 'em.

Rolling Stones Chess Sessions mp3s and zip file at Captain's Dead
(NOTE: Right click on titles for mp3s)
Chess Records, with roster of artists, at Wikipedia
History of Chess Records

I'M TRYING TO COOL IT, I SWEAR

Listen up. I don't ever do back-to-back posts about the same artist, but in this case an addendum to my last post wasn't going to do it. It was lacking the one particular song that really made me drool. I'll try not to overstate this: "Baby You Crazy" is the best new rock n' roll song I've heard in a very long time. If it doesn't grab you, then I give up. Mantovani has won.

Everything about the song is dead-on. The vocals, the instrumentation, the production, the lyrics,...hell, even the length of it. If this doesn't get you to put aside your adult issues for a couple minutes and relish complete rock n' roll abandon, there is no hope.

Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Baby You Crazy mp3 (Note: Right click title to save) at Licorice Pizza (Ignore, if you will, the somewhat stupid look of the photo that accompanies their post. I can get past it, so you should too.)

RELIEF IS HERE

Nick Curran & the Lowlifes are the hottest shit I've heard in a while. I should probably leave it at that... Really, I'm surprised that I never heard of them. At first listen, they reminded me of Don & Dewey, an early rock n' roll duo (and label mates with Little Richard). That's probably a little obscure as a reference point, so in trying to come up with something a little more universally understood (rather, less obscure), I narrowed it down to Gerry Roslie (from the Sonics), fronting a hopped-up Blasters, and recorded in an old vintage studio.

As it turns out, I only had to go to their MySpace page to see it all spelled out for me, with the "Official Nick Curran Cocktail Recipe." They name all of the ingredients, and I wasn't far from the mark. Amongst others, they name Little Richard, Glenn Danzig, Gerry Roslie (!), Johnny Watson, Cliff Gallup, Angus Young, 50's B.B. King, and Johnny Ramone. No mention of the Blasters or Don & Dewey, but guess what? Curran is pals with ex-Blaster Phil Alvin, who (of course), covered Don & Dewey's "Justine." So the circle is pretty much complete. (Okay, that's a stretch...) Seriously, if you like high energy, somewhat irreverent, old school rock n' roll, with someone who isn't afraid to shred his vocal chords, this is it.

Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Kill My Baby mp3, and interview at MOKB
Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Five videos at Electro Groove Records (NOTE: Start with the last one, "Baby You Crazy,' loud.)
Streaming preview of latest album,"Reform School Girl," (again check "Baby You Crazy") at Electro Groove (bottom of page)
Don & Dewey - Justine mp3, Little Richard - Lucille mp3, and about two dozen other songs the Blasters have covered at Beware of the Blog

Nick Curran & the Lowlifes MySpace page

PROTO GEEK COOL

Oooh yeah, Kraftwerk. The band that always had your rock-only friends scratching there heads ("you like this shit?"). Say what you will, no one has been able to fully replicate their sound: German, mechanical, synthetic and oddly soothing. It's hard to say when they first became acceptably "cool." Back in 1974, when a severely edited "Autobahn" was played on FM stations, stoners and proto-geeks delighted. A few years later, when Bowie and Iggy were recording in Berlin, they were gushing all over them. Bowie went as far as naming a song after Florian Schneider, one of Kraftwerk's co-founders ("V2 Schneider"). Then there was Afrika Bambaataa sampling them in "Planet Rock," an early rap milestone. (It pretty much started the whole "where the fuck did they get that?" brand of unlikely samples). And there's one somewhat refreshing reason to like them: they're not fame whores. They do what they do, exceedingly well, without excessive flash. They pretty much keep their mouths shut and let everybody else try to make sense of it. Those smart passive-marketing Germans...

I came across a handful of videos on Mojo's site, and, if you're into Kraftwerk, a couple of them are noteworthy. There's an early one ("Tanzmusic") when the were still using regular instruments (Florian on flute!), yet still sound like Kraftwerk (pretty amazing how contemporary even that sounds). There's a clip from Top of the Pops, of them playing "Autobahn" (with some slightly annoying voice-over narration). But the humdinger in my book, is just a short part of the "Showroom Dummies" video. Are you ready for this? At 2:07, it's 24 seconds of...Kraftwerk dancing! It's fucking hilarious, had me in stitches, all ten times I watched it. It's some sort of constrained "running man" dance. While they may have been trying to dance like machines, all I could think of was "Wow, they even invented bad dancing."

Kraftwerk's Greatest Clips at Mojo Magazine's site
Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express mp3 at Loft and Lost
Kraftwerk (early) - Ruckzuck mp3 at The Walrus (+ two Neu!)
Kraftwerk - Man Machine mp3 at Golden Bloggen
Kraftwerk - Radioactivity mp3 at KinoSport
Kraftwerk's Official site
List of sampled Kraftwerk cuts at The Kraftwerk Influence
I Believe the Truth is Out There, another fan site

CHECKIN' IN WITH WANDA

I was entering a chain book/music store about seven years ago, when I was stopped dead in my tracks. Over the sound system, usually reserved for bland current releases, they were playing what sounded like Wanda Jackson. It was "Let's Have A Party," a song I knew well, but it was a different version, so I asked one of the clerks what was playing, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was, indeed Wanda Jackson, and that it was a new release. The album, "Heart Trouble," was a return to rock n' roll for Jackson, who for the past several decades had been singing primarily country & western and gospel. After a look at the back cover, and seeing the song listing included collaborations with, amongst others, Dave Alvin and the Cramps (actually just Lux & Ivy), I headed straight to the register. While it wasn't quite as energetic as her records from the late 50's and early 60's, her voice was remarkably the same. (And the addition of Lux & Ivy on "Funnel of Love" makes it sound ten times creepier than the original, which, of course, made it worth the price of admission.)

Since then, she's has been back out playing live, enjoying her "old fart is hip again" period. Well, good for her. Like a lot of my friends, I've dug her for decades (crazy, considering our introduction was well after her "Rockin' With Wanda" days), so it's kinda comforting to hear that familiar voice again. Especially if you thought she'd thrown in the rockin' towel for good. Now comes word that Jack White has produced some new material. The only one I've managed to find is a cover of Amy Winehouse's "You Know That I'm No Good", that sounds exactly like you'd expect, if you know the song and you know Wanda Jackson. In other words, it sounds like Jackson backed by the Daptone horns (which doesn't bode well for White's originality, but sounds swingin' nonetheless).

If you don't know Wanda Jackson's music, you better run yourself right down to the record store and pick up one of the budget priced reissues of her early work. This is essential stuff we're talking about. Oh, and if you're already a Wanda freak, did you know that you can get an autographed 8 x 10 at her website for a paltry seven bucks? Go on, git!

Wanda Jackson - You Know That I'm No Good and Whirlpool mp3s at Tastes Like Caramel
Wanda Jackson - Fujiyama Mama, My Big Iron Skillet, Honey Don't mp3's at 27 Leggies
(Download links at top right of second screen)
Wanda Jackson - Funnel of Love mp3 (right click) at Clumsy & Shy
Wanda Jackson's Official Site
Wanda Jackson's channel on YouTube
Wanda Jackson at the Smithsonian Channel

A GOOD SINGER, A GOOD SONG, AND SOME STONES

It's worth the click, guaranteed. Here's a really nice, no...beautiful cover of the Stones' "Salt of the Earth" by Bettye LaVette. And because I can't leave well enough alone, an assortment of Stones stuff.

You may have heard that "Exile on Main St." is getting reissued, with bells and whistles (some with dubious overdubs). They didn't ask me, but that's an album that, short of remastering, I wouldn't have fucked with. You can get a taste of one of the doctored unreleased tracks "Plundering My Soul" below. Though the better link is the 15 outtakes of various origins at Captains Dead. But do get Bettye.

Bettye Lavette - Salt of the Earth mp3 at BrooklynVegan
Exile "outtake" "Plundering My Soul" (streaming) at Never Get Out of the Boat
15 Stones outtakes at Captain's Dead (outtakes orgins here)
Jimmy Fallon Announces Stones Week on Late Night
A guide to Stones bootlegs at a fan site

WESLEY WILLIS' ETERNAL JOY RIDE

A lot of you may know him, or know of him. Wesley Willis was an incredibly prolific artist, and musician. And he had a lot of friends. A lot. Everywhere he went, he made friends. And it's pretty certain that most people that came in contact with him, remember meeting him.

A brief description of Wesley Willis doesn't really say it all, but it says a lot. He was 6'5", over 300 lbs, and almost child-like in his world view. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the late eighties, heard voices in his head and took medication to temper his demons. He drew street scenes incessantly (in ball point pen and felt tip markers), and recorded over 50 self-produced CDs. He loved rock n' roll, fast food and the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago. He toured a lot, sometimes with a band, sometimes by himself. There were times that he had no permanent address, sleeping on the couches of friends instead. He had no bank account, but at times had thousands of dollars in cash in his pockets.

When he passed away in 2003, there were online tributes all over the place, with a wide mix of people posting comments. Some viewed him as novelty, or as an outsider artist. Some quoted from one of his many, many, songs. Some wrote about his prolific art output. And some remembered Wesley, the person. The demographics were all over the place. It was obvious from reading the comments, he was loved; even by those who shared only momentary contact. There's a new documentary about him, "Wesley Willis's Joy Rides," in which one person totally nails it. He said "You could see peoples' hearts through their interactions with Wesley Willis."

In another segment of the documentary, they interview the manager of the Chicago art supply store that Wesley used to shop at. The manager is recounting a conversation that he had with the stores owner. When asked by the owner "Do you think Wesley is a good presence in the store?" he answered yes. Elaborating, he added,

"In India they call them "muss" [sp?], which means "a God intoxicated person,", somebody who acts abnormal, somebody who acts crazy, but they're not crazy at all. They're, in fact, so in love with God, so in love with life, that they act imbalanced. I told him that he might be one of these types of people. One of the criteria for recognizing if someone is a muss, as opposed to someone who is mad, is the effect that they have on people around them. Usually a mad person,...you want to keep away, and they have sort of a disturbing effect. Whereas Wesley had the opposite effect. He could uplift people, make people feel good about themselves, and people liked to be around him."

While there is no doubt that his output is worth notice, having known Wesley and having seen his effect on people first hand, I'm convinced his legacy will prove to be his ability to interact comfortably with people from all walks of life. Whether you were a child, a geriatric, well-known hipster or totally anonymous wallflower, Wesley treated you with respect. His verve was contagious, and after meeting him, it was hard not to take stock of your priorities. Wesley was the embodiment of the whole punk rock ethos, and his disregard of criticism bears a lesson for all of us.

About the links below:
Released last year, "Wesley Willis's Joy Rides" is an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with Wesley, and revelatory enough for those who knew him well. After viewing it, I looked online for Wesley resources, something I haven't done since he passed away. I was astounded to find another short on YouTube, filmed in 1988, showing a considerably slimmer Wesley, drawing on the street, before his many Wesley-isms, before his music, before his fame, but with his good will and friendly manner firmly established. I also ran across another page with single mp3s from over 25 of his CD's. Mind boggling in it's scope, it's roughly 500 songs. There's also 23 more mp3s on Alternative Tentacles site. And, finally, a high resolution gallery of over 100 Wesley drawings.

Wesley Willis's Joy Rides trailer at YouTube
Wesley Willis: Artist of the Streets: Early 10 minute short from 1988
Wesley Willis CD Repository: mp3s of over twenty five Wesley Willis CDs
Alternative Tentacles: 23 mp3s (use the "Biographies by Artist" drop down menu to get to Wesley's page).
The Art of Wesley Willis at Flickr
Interview with filmmaker Chris Bagley at Viceland Films
Audio interview by high school students
Audio interview by Howard Stern Part 1 and Part 2

HOW TO STAY IN BUSINESS

The Sensational Big M.R. and His All Bitchin’ All Stud All Stars (Click here for full size)

It's Record Store Day today, and it got me thinking. I've been to a lot of record stores and have had a lot of record store experiences. By far, the event that still amuses me to no end is the day that me and about eight other guys went into a record store and shoplifted. Let me clarify: we didn't shoplift a record. We literally shoplifted a shop.

It was about 1979 and the record store was Monty Rockers, run by one of the scenes more colorful figures (and everybody's cool older brother), Dan McLain. He was a musician and scene ringleader, and a partner in the record store. Few people realized that the store was not wholly owned by him, because his partner was the money man and never, ever, there. Dan was the music brains, and what he lacked in business acumen, he made up for in his contagious enthusiasm for music. (I once saw him get an entire party singing along with "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" by Harry Belafonte. With every "That's right! The Woman is-uh-Smart-er!" his beer would be raised, and his arm would swing, anointing everybody who was shouting along).

After a year or two of struggling, his partner had enough of McLain's relaxed style of business and decided that he would take control of the store. So, he had the locks changed and he hired someone to work the store. All was in place for a takeover, or so he must have thought. But he was dealing with McLain, someone much more likable and, for many, the reason they shopped at that particular record store in the first place.

So McLain figured, without finances, he would still need some sort of leverage to keep the store. The best solution he could come up with was to simply take the store back. In broad daylight. So, he rounded up about eight or ten guys and had us all meet at "the Meade house", where a handful of them lived. I arrived on my Honda 90 and passed out "M.R. Task Force" badges. Some of the guys had baseball bats, so they were cast as the heavies. And I do mean cast. This was a rag tag group of music freaks and most were not all that tough. But the guy working at the store didn't know that. He's never seen any of us, except McLain, so it was an opportunity for all of us to get our Eastwood rocks off.

McLain as Country Dick Montana

Soon after meeting up, we got into a fleet of vans and trucks and drove to the store. Once there, one of the guys with a bat when right over to the phone and cut the line. He then stood next to the incredulous new hire, and while slapping the bat to his hand said "This store belongs to a friend of mine" in a gruff Bronson-like voice. I found it hard to keep from laughing, because the guy with the bat was so far removed from tough guy, I was unsure if he could pull it off (forgetting that he was in a SNL-like comedy group and fully capable of keeping in character).

We loaded up racks and records, and while we couldn't get everything, we were all knowledgeable enough about music to get the good shit. The store was left with absolute crap. The sort of shit small record stores have to keep the racks filled. I have no idea what transpired in the days that followed, but McLain was able to retake control of the store and eventually found a new partner who understood his style and actually liked music.

To give you an idea how important that store was to the scene, not long after the shoplifting incident, when McLain ran into financial difficulties, a benefit spaghetti benefit/backyard concert was held. It sounds quaint, but it was a was a modern day punk rock barn raising, featuring the best bands in the scene (among them the Zeros, the Crawdaddys and the Penetrators). That store was genuinely loved, and not because of the inventory. Like most good record stores it was dependent on a social vibe, a secret ingredient that cannot be bought or sold, only shared.

McLain would later assemble an all star band comprised of members of San Diego bands, deemed the Sensational Big M.R. and His All Bitchin’ All Stud All Stars. A few years after that, he became "Country Dick Montana" and utilized the same musical magnetism that made the store a popular hangout to propel the Beat Farmers to semi-fame. In 1995, he died onstage from a heart attack, while doing what he did best, whipping up a frenzy.

The Sensational Big M.R. and His All Bitchin’ All Stud All Stars: Who Do You Love, Beat Generation, and Burnin' Love mp3s and lengthy story at the Che Underground

Behold the Economic Solo - another post about Dan McLain, Gene Vincent and Monty Rockers

McLain's fanzine: Snare (complete issue scan)

WHADDYA CALL 'EMS

I'm a candy mouth, I'll admit it. I can cuss with the best of 'em. But I had to think long and hard about how I would address one of my favorite music genres. Verve Records, on one of their compilations referred to it as "the beat of burlesque." Debbie D. at Beware of the Blog refers to them as "rock 'n' soul shakers." But most people familiar with this type of music refer to them as "titty shakers." I've got no problem with the unsavoriness of the term. My misgivings about using it has to do with the fact that, well, it's not all that clever. Doesn't quite have the old school panache that old school strip music warrants. An example: Jerry Lee Lewis once referred to strip clubs as "jiggle clubs." Now, that's an excellent example of a panache-laced strip-related slang term. But the Killer isn't some record geek trying to think up a name for a compilation. Old school panache of all sorts runs through his veins.

Whatever you want to call them, there's a something about the late 50s to early 60s instrumentals that fall into the "titty shaker" category. They usually feature a honking sax or sleazy sounding organ, usually have a good beat, and quite often have just a couple words in the way of vocals. (Think, "[ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom..] Chicken Fat!") Another nutty thing is that the lion's share of "titty shakers" are by complete nobodies. Bands that made a few instrumental records that were used in jiggle clubs and forgotten until years later when "titty shaker" afficionados brought them out of obscurity. Regardless of the origins, the purpose, or the artists' level of fame, when you play several in a row, you're transported to a different time. Before lap dances, before full frontal, and, hell, before exposed nipples. But, alas, the men were always dogs.

These have all of the elements. Almost all ten, bona fide whatever you want to call thems on a Debbie D post at Beware of the Blog. And, Ms D, my hat is off to you for callin' 'em how you sees 'em.

Rock 'n' Soul Shakers, 10 prime mp3s at Beware of the Blog
Tittyshakers.com, streaming "titty shakers," forum and requisite postulating.

NO KOOKS, NO GOONS

Because I bodysurf. Because there's a lot of surf music, but not much in the way of bodysurf music. Because summer's right around the corner. Because our President bodysurfs. Because the hosting blog is held dear to the Trastos heart. Because it's just so damn weird to come across a sung called "Bodywompin'" by a band from Fresno, on a blog from France. Because the same post has the same band doing a suitably twisted cover of "Exotic." For these reasons and others, I felt compelled to post a link to a post with somewhat limited appeal. Thank you Rev. Frost.

This one's for Tim, Ted, Tryka, Gildea, Ables, Sundberg, OSPAC, and the entire Rutherford clan.
Hear them here:
Jim Waller & the Deltas: Body Wompin', Exotic, Surfin' Wild mp3s at Spread the Good Word
Obama bodysurfing in Sandy Beach shorebreak.
(In case you're wondering, a friend of mine with 30+ years of bodysurfing experience saw him in action and gave him a passing grade.)

RECORD STORE DAY IS SATURDAY

Record Store Day is this Saturday, so I'm setting the wayback machine to 1977. But it's more because of the records that drew us to the stores, than the stores themselves. That's because, after years of major label domination of "cutting edge" music, the DIY mentality of punk rock had pulled the independent label movement right out of the mud. Though the indies never really went away, there were just very few of them. But when punk hit, it was as if someone was cutting a path through all of the bullshit. Deals were made on handshakes (or clinking beer bottles), artists were given control, and distribution avenues grew. It was one of the most important, and longest lasting, aspects of original punk rock movement. Nowadays "punk rock" is for the masses, a sound and a look, more than it is a movement, way of life, or DIY business model. Sure, there's still indie punk labels, but what's disconcerting is that a lot of the music is too derivative, too much the same, too punk rock.

In 1977, all these punk labels started popping up in L.A.. Notably early were Bomp (who put out the first Weirdos and Zeros 45s) and What Records (the first Dils and Germs records),; but, by far, the one label that had it down, and released the bulk of the significant shit, was Dangerhouse. I can remember eagerly waiting for the first crop of Dangerhouse releases to hit Monty Rockers, my record store of choice. I mean that literally. I was there when they were delivered. So, that's the segue to Record Store Day. A stretch, I know.

Within a five month period, Dangerhouse released 45s by the Randoms, Black Randy & the Metro Squad (two), the Avengers, the Dils (their second), the Weirdos (their second), the Alleycats, and X. Just a few months later, amongst others, they released 45s by the Deadbeats, the Bags, and the Eyes. At the very least, there are a half dozen landmark punk records in that bunch. And, notably, they're not all really punk rock. Because it wasn't just about a look or a sound. I mean, jeez, the Alleycats were a sped up rock band that had been playing biker bars. X's John Doe & Exene started out as poets. The Weirdos were just loud ex-art school guys. The Dils were really just aggravated, well-versed, ex-rock guys. And the Deadbeats were a total fucking freakout. Nevermind the fact that the Screamers were never properly recorded, they were undoubtedly on the Dangerhouse wish list, what with former Screamer David Brown being one of the labels principals. So just listen to some of the songs on the pages below. Really, at least just listen to the Deadbeats' "Brainless," and think of that the next time you see a kid in a black hoodie and skinny jeans.

This post at 7 Inch Punk has:
The Avengers: We Are the One, I Believe In Me, Car Crash
The Dils: Class War, Mr. Big
Randoms: ABCD, Let's Get Rid of New York
Black Randy & the Metro Squad: Trouble at the Cup, Loner With A Boner, Sperm Bank Baby

This post at 7 Inch Punk has:
The Weirdos: We Got the Neutron Bomb, Solitary Confinement
The Alleycats: Nothing Means Nothing Anymore, Gimme a Little Pain
X: Adult Books, We're Desperate
Black Randy & the Metro Squad: Idi Amin, Say It Loud Pt 3, Say It Loud Pt 13, I Wanna be a Narc

This post at 7 Inck Punk has:
The Deadbeats: Kill the Hippies, Brainless [HIGHLY recommended], and three non- Dangerhouse songs

Dangerhouse history & discography at Break My Face; Pt 1, and Pt 2
An exhaustive history, with interviews and side stories.

Record Store Day official site