Music Reviews: April 2018

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2018

Images from the Internet

Empty County

Die Alone

www.facebook.com/emptycounty/

There are only two songs here, but they spit guitar fire. Falling comfortably somewhere between rock and metal, they have a sound that could have mass appeal. I don’t know much about them, but with the right tweaking, I can see them going somewhere. The vocals by Steven Kuchinsky are solid New England, reminding me of so many rocker bands from the Rat period (like Stomper and Pastiche). It’s short and sweet, but this definitely gives the listener a nice taste of the band’s style. I’m looking forward to a full release.

Fire in the Field

War Bonnet

www.fireinthefieldmusic.com

There are a lot of rockers of various shades in this column, but Fire in the Field are a bit different in that while it’s, well, user-friendly, there is enough of a pop level that is appealing so that it stands out. High production values without overwhelming it, with some catchy melodies, you get the impression that they’re fun to see live. Sort of like if the Romantics were heavier, it’s a band you can headbang to, or just dance. That’s saying a lot. The songs are good, if a bit long, but more importantly they’re fun with just the right amount of noise thrown in. My drawback comment? The lyrics are included, but they’re small and white print on red background, so that it’s hard enough to read that even my $2 drug store classes aren’t helping.

Joe Black’s Blackenstein

Joe Black’s Blackenstein

Carved in Stone Media / www.joeblack.com

At first I didn’t understand the name of the band; I mean, I got the “Black” part, but “Blackenstein” felt a bit like an appropriation. But now I get it. This is both a band and it’s also a collection of parts to make a whole. There is a sharing of musical sections and vocals (though Black wrote most of the tunes), including a number of additional players from various bands like the Joe Perry Project (Charlie Farren, who sings lead on a cover of “Care About You”). There is some consistency such as Black playing bass, Aart Knyff and Johnny Press sharing both lead and rhythm guitar. Some of the hard rock-style warbling vocals are handled by Jeffrey Baker. One of the enjoyable quirks on the collection is a cover of Black Oak Arkansas’ “Uncle Elijah” with Black on decent vocals. Knyff handles the vox on his own heavy rocker, “Over You.” All the songs are classic style rock with some strong metal edges, especially the last cut, “Blackenstein,” where drummer Simon Adamsson really gets to shine on a solo. While I prefer my rock style stripped down, this works well with more a more mainstream method that is full of musical gimmicks and production values that ae radio-friendly.

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers

L.A.M.F.: The Lost ‘77 mixes

Jungle Records / Track Records

There are a lot of influential albums floating around that formed punk, such as the Stooges and the Velvet Underground. But there were three biggies (in my opinion) as far in influence that came out of the New York Scene that fostered punk around the world: the New York Dolls first album, the Ramones first LP, and arguably L.A.M.F. had the most lasting impression of even those other two. And, that release originally had a terrible mix thanks to the good intentions of drummer Jerry Nolan. There have been a number of different versions of the album since then, and this one is from 2017. From the first distorted note of the opening cut, “Born to Lose” (also known by its fans as “Born Too Loose”), you know you’re hearing something different just by the line “Living in a jungle / it ain’t so hard / Living in a city / It’ll tear, tear out your heart.” There’s not a bad song here, each being powerful fuelled by Thunders and co-singer/guitarist Walter Lure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen bassist Billy Rath speak on stage (his cigarette would have fallen out of his mouth…). Nolan is generally recognized as one of the great drummer of the scene. There are some that remain favorites of mine, such as “All By Myself,” “I Wanna Be Loved,” “Chinese Rocks” (written by Dee Dee Ramone, but released by the Heartbreakers first; Nolan’s drummer here is amazing), “Get Off the Phone,” “One Track Mind” (adapted from Richard Hell’s “Love Comes in Spurts,” co-written with Lure), “I Love You,” “Let Go,” “Can’t Keep My Eyes on You,” and a cover of “Do You Love Me.” To me, what made the Heartbreakers (and hence this album) so special is what also made the Who so exceptional is that all the band members were pretty much playing lead concurrently. Even after not listening to the original for quite a while, I was singing along, and missing Max’s Kansas City. I Love this collection, and could wax on about it quite extensively. Oh, before I forget, it comes with a really nice booklet with an article by Nina Antonia (who wrote the Thunders bio) and an explanation about each song along with the lyrics.

John Lee Hooker

The Modern, Chess & Veejay Singles Collection 1949-62

www.acrobatmusic.net / www.mvdaudio.com

If you’re really into modern music history, you have to admit that when it comes to genres, whether you like a musician or not, it’s nearly impossible to realistically say that someone is “the best.” There is, however, a pantheon of musician in most fields, and it would be hard to argue that when it comes to the recordings of guitar-based blues, John Lee Hooker is near the top. This 101-song, 4-disc collection that lasts 214 minutes, is a good example of just why Hooker is so important to the field. Hooker is a master of the blues (acoustic) guitar, whatever the style, from the slow “my girl done me wrong” style to solid boogie, and into early rock’n’roll. It’s not fer nuthin’ that blues rock guitarists cite him, such as Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Hooker is the real deal. I don’t think I have the space to scratch the surface in averring just how amazing this collection is in that pantheon. Hooker was a game changer, and these discs are the proof of how he helped change the face of music. While Hooker never lost his blues touch, over time you can hear the rock’n’roll rhythms emanating out of his six-string and vocals, though usually more in the boogie mode. These are classic documents looking backward into rock history. It also comes with a comprehensive 24-page booklet that explains each song, what was recorded at which session, and so forth. Quite a stunning and wonderful – albeit a happily time-consuming – assemblage that is guaranteed to thrill those who are blues fans.

Perfect Defect

Perfect Defect

www.sonicnightmusic.com / www.mvdaudio.com

Built on a solid and heavy bottom sound with Dirk Van Tilborg’s bass and Patrick Johansson’s drums recorded together live in studio – and then overlayered with some flashy guitar (both lead and rhythm) by Mitch Bernstein and lower-register vox by Gary Brown. It’s effective and different than most high-pitched airy metal as it’s more sludgey; I like a sound you can wade through more than one that sounds like it’s coming from on-high, or as I like to put it in Marshall McLuhan terms, more cool than hot. The songs, however, sound decent, but I cringed a bit at the retro lyrics, such as “Bros before Hoes / Hoes droppin’ low … / I’m the one you need / Make that booty bounce for me” (from “Rollin’ With G”) and “Too drunk to take your clothes off… / That ain’t no way to treat your man” (from “Treat Your Man”), and this is the two opening cuts. Uff-da. “Love Song,” which is solid Southern Rock (they are from that region) a la Black Oak Arkansas-style nasality, has a similar dick-rock theme. Now, I’m not dissin’ the band, there’s some really good stuff here, like the ballad rocker “Used to Believe,” but so much of it is more “I can’t get no sleep / Even masturbation doesn’t help me,” from “I Got Needs.” Unfortunately, as much as I like the general sound, the lyrics don’t work for me as so much of them are unimaginative and repetitious in over-sexualized masculinist mode. Lyrics included.

Positive Negative Man

Broken

CPR Records (ancient-pistol@hotmail.com)

With a name that sounds like the title of a They Might Be Giants song, it’s hardly surprising that Positive Negative Man presents a kind of chaotic and dissonant front. Oh, that’s not an insult, hell no. The songs are borderline No Wave (closer to Mars than Teenage Jesus and the Jerks), but one of the aspects I find interesting is that with all the noise, it’s all done with standard rock’n’roll equipment (guitar, bass, drum, voice), yet there are enough squelches to keep any electro fan happy. Most of the vocals are pretty straightforward as are the core of the songs; they’re just played over the racket. They refer to themselves as a “post-punk pop experiment,” and I would not argue with that at all. Sometimes it’s the guitar as lead destructor, other times it’s the bass, such as with “The Ice Queen of Space.” Though no two songs are alike, their approach seems to be, though. While this may not exactly be my playlist style, and I did have trouble making out most of the lyrics, the last song, “Just Don’t Think” is extremely catchy and has lasted with me well beyond the initial playing.

Sidney Green Street Band

Half Live

www.facebook.com/sidneygreenstreetband/

The meaning of the title is that half the songs on the CD are recorded in a studio in Brooklyn, and half are recorded live at the Great Notch Inn, in Little Falls, NJ, at 12 in total. These guys do a bit of country rock but more on the AOR spectrum. That being said, the first song on the studio side is a bit different than the rest, focused on “Muscle Shoals” studio releases. Then the country kicks in with the cleverly named “Last Beer and Testament” and the heartbreak-focused “One Alone.” After a lusty “Next Time,” they turn a bit towards the bluesy “Don’t Make That Girl Cry.” The last cut on this “side” is the overlong but decent Southern Rocker “Stayin’ All Night.” Most of the live cuts are enjoyable country rock. There is a strong emphasis on all the songs of electric guitar. If you’re into this kind of sound, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Review: L.A.M.F. Live at the Bowery Electric

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2018

Images from the Internet
Note: there are no ads on this page, so no profit is make from use of images

L.A.M.F. Live at the Bowery Electric

Directed by James L. Reid and Margaret Saadi Kramer

Jungle Records / Industrial Amusement Inc. / MVD Visual

47 minutes + 22 minutes extra, 2017 / 2018

www.mvdvisual.com

There are always raging question, such as “Who was the first punk band?”, or “What was the first punk release?” For me, a more important question is “Which is the most influential punk album?” Yeah, there are lots of them, such as The Stooges, The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Ramones, The New York Dolls, and Never Mind the Bollocks. The simple answer is… I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure near the very top of the list is the Heartbreakers’ L.A.M.F., originally released in 1977.

Richard Hell-era Heartbreakers

The Heartbreakers were Johnny Thunders (vox, guitar), Walter Lure (vox, guitar), Billy Rath (bass) and Jerry Nolan (drums). Of them, Walter is the sole survivor. He’s been playing with his own band, the Waldos, for decades now. For the 40th anniversary of L.A.M.F.’s release, he decided to play the album from beginning to end. Of course, it couldn’t be as the Heartbreakers, but he and Jesse Malin put together an all-star group and named it after the album to be played. For this gathering at the Bowery Electric during November 2016, Walter is joined by Clem Burke (drums) of Blondie, Wayne Kramer (guitar) of the MC5 and Gang War (in which he was a member with Thunders), and Tommy Stinson (guitar, vox) of the Replacements and Guns ‘N Roses. In one form or another, I have seen all of them play, including guests Cheetah Chrome (guitar, vox) of the Dead Boys and Jesse Malin (vox, guitar). The sole newbie to me is vocalist rocker Liz Colby.

The new line-up played three shows at this venue, all of which sold out, and this DVD is a compilation of the best of it. They played the album from start to finish. While I wasn’t there, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to view this. Plus, the visuals and sound are crystal clear (with the exception of a few fuzzy images here and there), unlike the muddled original pressing of the album, thanks to Nolan’s tinkering.

Let’s face it, part of the charm and importance of the Heartbreakers isn’t the band’s music al clarity. The playing is sloppy, the vocals are equally so, and the songs range from pretty silly to drugged out bashing. But it was a combination that so incredibly powerful for just those reasons. I loved to go see the Heartbreakers. When they were there, they were a force. That is sort of what I was expecting: sloppy yet stormy. And that’s just what this is, thankfully.

Stinson takes the lead with “Born to Lose,” which has the great lyrics, “Living in a jungle, it ain’t that hard / Living in the city it will tear out your heart.” One of the names often given to this Thunders’ masterwork is “Born Too Loose,” and Stinson plays it just that way, screaming up into his microphone in modified-Lemmy fashion. The man can’t sing to save his life – not that Johnny was a stunning vocalist, but had a discernible and unique sound that was endearing. But Stinson has the energy and heart, matched by Kramer’s excellent guitar riffs. He also covers the next song, “Baby Talk” which doesn’t quite have the chantable chorus of “Born...” Damn, I can’t help but compare it to Johnny’s (both recorded and live), and the melody of the song gets lost here in the way he raspily shouts it.

I have been a fan of Walter’s since the first time I saw the Heartbreakers. Not surprisingly, he seems really at ease with one of my fave songs off the album, “All By Myself” While I always preferred the Live at Max’s version over the L.A.M.F. one, that’s not to say it’s any less great. Here, the retired Pharmacist and Stockbroker is in fine form, even though occasionally his voice sounds a bit scratchy. Shit, I’d still go to see him play at a moment’s notice. I smiled all the way through it, and even mouthed along with the song (well, I did that with most of it, but don’t tell anyone).

For the next two numbers, D Generation’s Jesse Malin (and co-proprietor of the Bowery Electric) hops up on stage, doing well to channel Johnny in the raucous “I Wanna Be Loved,” and the ballad “It’s Not Enough.” Jesse is vocally sloppy in a similar way to Johnny, so it’s a great fit.

For the first time at this point in the DVD, it’s easy to spot that there is a visual melding all three shows together as he dressed differently for each of the three shows, even though the sound is continuous from one of them. The cut-and-pasted images would be continued throughout the show.

I was at this show

While DeeDee Ramone wrote the song, and the Ramones also sang it, it was the Heartbreakers that first brought “Chinese Rocks” to the studio, and it’s rare to hear me say it, the Heartbreakers did it better. Again, I’m a fan of the Live at Max’s take, in which Walter adjusts the lyrics (i.e., making it not radio-friendly), and 40 years later, with Walter and Tommy at the vocal forefront, it still kicks ass. For this number, Kramer plugs in Thunders’ actual guitar. I’d like to add that Burke does well matching Jerry Nolan’s stand-out drumming on the song.

“Get Off the Phone” is another Walter classic, and I use that word sincerely. Walter handles it with aplomb – as always – again getting everyone to sing along. More than Thunders, Lure usually wrote songs whose choruses are more enjoyable to sing along with – said with no disrespect to Thunders’ who wrote some great numbers as well, of course.

Picture disc L.A.M.F.; I have it

Malin is thankfully back doing his best Thunders with “Pirate Love,” bringing up Cheetah Chrome to join in. Chrome is an excellent guitarist – always has been – and I’m glad as time has gone by, more people recognize it (and while you’re at it, check out his excellent autobiography, Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boys’ Tale, but I digress…).

“One Track Mind” originally was a Walter Lure/Richard Hell composition, beginning its life as “Love Comes in Spurts.” After Hell – err – left the Heartbreakers, Walter changed the song around a bit and came up with another strong piece that was one of the Heartbreakers’ tunes on heavy rotation in the old Max’s Kansas City days. It definitely holds up (as does “Love Comes…” but I guess this isn’t the time or the place for that). And yes, I sang along. Kramer takes on Thunders’ guitar break, with Walter taking over at the end. This shows something important about what made the Heartbreakers so special. Kramer is a stunning guitarist, but he is quite clinical, without Johnny’s sloppiness. Walter is as loose as ever, and the contrast here puts firmly why Walter and Johnny were so great together as they complemented each other. Here, the sharpness of Kramer and the looseness of Walter sounds a bit strange. Wonderful, but strange.

Wayne Kramer and Liz Colby

I miss Johnny singing with Joy Ryder (d. 2015); usually they did “Great Big Kiss.” I bring this up because Liz Colby brings a dose of feminine rock to Johnny’s “I Love You,” a solid song that blasts, and she is up for the task, giving it an occasionally smoky, bluesy texture. She also made me think, “Wow, Johnny never jumped around the stage as much as she does”; then again, he usually couldn’t. He was more of a stage roamer with his tongue often doing the most movement.

                                                                                                

Cheetah comes back on both guitar and vocals knee deep with “Goin’ Steady.” While it is not as rough as Stinton’s, Chrome’s gritty voice matches the sound and the mood of the song, doing the Heartbreakers proud. Same can be said about Kramer, who takes the lead for “Let Go,” a powerhouse of a number. The rave up has a great chorus, especially when the band sings along.

Appropriately, Burke sings “Can’t Keep My Eyes on You,” which was a contribution to the album by drummer Nolan. Of course the song is about fashion, as that was one of Nolan’s (many) specialities. Burke’s vocals are a bit rough around the edges, buy hey, so was Nolan’s. Still a great song, though, and it gets the respect it deserves. Same with Kramer taking on the Thunders cover of The Contours’ “Do You Love Me,” which is a high-energy song to end the set.

Walter, Cheetah, Tommy, Clem

For the extras, there is a 3:08 minute interview with Clem Burke about how he came to be included, and his fandom of the Heartbreakers, especially Jerry Nolan. Next up is 3:29 of Jesse Malin who also discusses his love of the Heartbreakers and Walter in particular. For 3:10, Stinson fuckin’ talks about how fuckin’ important the fuckin’ record is and how fuckin’ drugs fuckin’ influenced it. In other words, he doesn’t really say that fuckin’ much that the whole fuckin’ world doesn’t already fuckin’ know. Walter’s bit is 4:41, and he discusses the place of the Heartbreakers in the local musical spectrum of its time, and his relationships with other Heartbreaker members. Last up is Wayne Kramer at a full 7:04, who waxes poetic on how Beethoven, Charlie Parker, rappers, etc., were punks, and how ignorant he was about the Heartbreakers’ music, even though he knew some of the songs as he was in a band with Thunders and played some of them live before.

I’m amazed at how young so much of the audience is in these three sold-out shows, and yet they’re singing along. That shows the power and influence of the Heartbreakers. My only annoyance – and this shows my age more than anything else, is how much of the view is blocked by people taping the show on their cellphones. Either get the pro cameras higher (if that’s possible or even realistic), or have a no taping policy. Yeah, I’m a curmudgeon about this, because I want to see the musicians through the lens of either my own eyes or the camerapeople, not the blue glow of the cells.

Just sayin'...

Now if I had a choice between seeing the capture of this reunion show or something like Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, about the last show of the Band, there is no question in my mind that I would plug in this. The odds are better of my not falling asleep with Uncle Walter and Co. I care more about being told to get off the phone than finding out about the night they driving old Dixie down. Hands down. Now how about a Rent Party show, Walter?

Bonus video (not included on this one):

Book Review: Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan’s Wild Ride; by Curt Weiss

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2018

Video from the Internet unless indicated

Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan’s Wild Ride – A Tale of Drugs, Fashion, the New York Dolls, and Punk Rock

Written by Curt Weiss; forward by Chris Stein

Backbeat Books; Hal Leonard LLC

294 pages, 2017

ISBN: 9781495050817

www.backbeatbooks.com

In my opinion, the punk rock that is generally acknowledged by the mainstream as Punk Rock officially started with the Ramones. However, the role of both the proto-punk New York Dolls and paradigm-changer the Heartbreakers cannot be under-appreciated for bands like the Ramones to have existed, and more importantly, to succeed.

The first time I saw the Dolls play, it was just after guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan had left the band, I’m sorry to say (I started in the scene in Spring of 1975). For me, my love affair of the music of Johnny and Jerry started at CBGBs in early ‘76, at the premiere of Amos Poe’s film, Blank Generation. The band that opened that night, with the tiny stage still on the left side of the club, was the Heartbreakers, when the “lead” was still Richard Hell. I found the musicianship kind of rattling and lovingly sloppy. Johnny style of guitar and Hell’s bass playing was all over the map, but they could do that because of the consistency of Jerry’s drumming.

After Hell was ousted, I saw Jerry in many different incarnations, including the revamped Heartbreakers with Thunders and Walter Lure up front (probably the band I’ve seen live more than any other), the Rockats, and the final time at Johnny Thunders’ memorial just a few short months before it was Jerry’s turn to join Johnny one more time.

Johnny and Jerry,
pic (c) Robert Barry Francos

It’s true that Johnny received more relative fame than Jerry. Hell, Walter was technically a better guitarist and just as enjoyable onstage as Johnny, but Johnny had that danger element that Walter lacked (not meant as an insult; I’m looking forward to someone doing a book about him as I find Walter fascinating), and Jerry was so consistent and excellent, that it almost worked against him for standing out. However, other musicians knew how good he was, including the author of this book, Curt Weiss, a drummer in his own right.

There are definitely some themes that flow through the Jerry Nolan story, such as style, women, music, temperament, and especially drugs. It’s hard to underestimate just what a lynchpin hard drugs were to the New York scene on the Lower East Side, which is one of the reasons why I would go see these bands and write about them, but did not hang out with them very much; they scared the shit out of me. This book does not shy away from it, and rightfully so.

Depending on whom you talk to, Jerry Nolan was either a really nice guy or a complete self-absorbed shit. Johnny had a reputation of being more on the asshole side, but Jerry could be either, depending on what his needs were, what he could get out of you, or what condition his state of fix was in at the moment.

The term “Wild Ride” is appropriate for Jerry’s life, and there was so much about him I did not know, such as his being a member of the Suzi Quatro band early on (I saw them in 1975, after Jerry left, opening for Alice Cooper at Madison Square Garden), his relationship with Bette Midler, and that’s only the tip of the story.

Told in mostly chronological order, right from birth, Curt manages to avoid many of the traps of biographies (and autobiographies) that seem to follow the same path: troubled youth, find an instrument, bunch of bands, hit the big time, and then fun and trouble brings it all down. Yeah, there is some of all of that here, but it’s kept interesting. I like how rather than quoting people by saying “Joe Blow recalls that…” and similar passages, Weiss breaks it down to simple “Joe Blow: quote”. It may not be as literary, but it’s certainly more effective. My one complaint about this, though, is that after the person is quoted later, even if it’s dozens of pages than being introduced, he just uses the first name. As someone familiar with the scene, I usually knew who he was quoting, but a casual follower, with this many people interviewed, it’s easy to get lost in the names of who is who. My rule of thumb would have been if the person isn’t mentioned in 10 pages, give both names as a reminder. Perhaps I’m nitpicking?

Still, the book and especially the story kept me drawn all the way through. There is no doubt in my mind, and Weiss also makes this pretty clear that he holds the same belief, that Jerry tended to blame others for his own lack of success, but that falls straight into his own lap. Or vein, anyway. Jerry hated sloppy drug users, but he did not see past his own blinders. Sure, he could play under the influence better than, well, just about anyone in his bands, but that does not mean when he wasn’t on stage he wasn’t sabotaging himself at every turn. That’s why managers of his bands always warned other managers about him, another consistent theme in the book.

One of the more powerful and interesting motifs here is the relationship between Jerry and Johnny. Someone mentions near the end of the book how they were like an old married couple, and that’s pretty accurate. Johnny was always his best when he was backed by Jerry – but I want to add that Johnny was especially effective when he shared a stage with Walter more than anyone else, in my opinion; their verbal putdown exchanges were part of the reason to go see them perform. With Jerry and Johnny though, it was more their between gigs interactions that made them the best of friends and the worst of enemies, sometimes at the same time. Walter has told stories about how Jerry would beat the hell out of Johnny if he was acting up or sloppy-drugged. Yet, it was obvious when they worked together in front of any crowd, it was a bond that was hard to break. Even at times when they despised each other, they would still find a way to play. And it was a joy to watch.

As enjoyable as the book is, there is some controversy about it, such as questions about the means Weiss used to get some of the information. He made some of the people mentioned and quoted in the book not too happy, one in particular threatening to take legal actions. The question here is one of whether the ends justify the means. I’m not going to judge one way or another.

My other issue with the book is that there is a certainly level of assumptions, with Weiss stating things like “Jerry felt that…” or “Jerry thought that…” That’s solid Victor Bockis territory. Second hand “feelings” are untrustworthy, and I would have preferred if he had more often used the style on page 231, where he has the direct source of Swedish musician Hank Eriksson quoting Jerry saying, “Don’t worry about it. It’s rock ‘n’ roll.” Other people quoting him is not the same as assuming what Jerry was thinking or feeling, unless a direct source is given.

Jerry at Johnny's memorial concert,
pic (c) Robert Barry Francos

Towards the end of Jerry’s life – and the book – is where Weiss makes the most assumptions, mostly about his relationships and his means of death. I’m not saying Weiss is right or wrong, I don’t know as I do not have the direct sources, but in this case when he states on page 256, “There was no doubt…”, it is still an assumption on his part, unless someone in the medical field or someone close to him told him directly, and he can use that person as a citation.

To be fair, I have read an “Advance Uncorrected Reader’s Proof,” so I’m not sure what has been changed between this and the final printing. Heck, I don’t even know if there are photos added. What I do know is despite all the possibly rightful controversy over this biography of arguably one of the best drummers to every hit the rock’n’roll skins, it is an enjoyable read, and an important piece about someone, under different circumstances, would (and should) be on everyone’s list of important musicians in his field.

Review: Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2017

Images from the Internet

Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy

Directed by Danny Garcia                  

Chip Baker Films / MVD Visual

94 minutes, 2016

www.chipbakerfilms.com

www.mvdvisual.com

I’ve certainly been in the same room with Sid and Nancy, especially the latter considering the sheer number of times I’ve seen the Heartbreakers, her band of choice before latching onto Sid. But my strongest connected and contributing memory is coming home from a show (if I remember correctly, the bands were The Fast and Crayola) in the late 70s, after the break-up of the Sex Pistols and before Nancy’s death, and seeing an inebriated and stumbling Sid kicking a guy passed out on the sidewalk on 8th Street, between McDougall and Sixth (Ave of the Americas, to those who don’t know better). Needless to say, I walked on, without talking to him. About a year later, he and Nancy were legends and newspaper fodder.

It makes sense that this documentary was made by the same people/director as the excellent Looking for Johnny: The Legend of Johnny Thunders [reviewed HERE], because Thunders and his band the Heartbreakers were a key catalyst in the lives of Sid and Nancy. Y’see, Nancy Spungen was a Heartbreakers’ friendemy/groupie who joined in with the band in its proclivity for hard drugs. These bits of fact, mentioned as raindrops at the beginning, including the elements of the Heartbreakers going to London to tour with the Sex Pistols, thereby opening up an opportunity for Nancy to go to the UK to get herself a Sex Pistol (much in the way the story goes that Linda Eastman did the same with the Beatles, and ended up with Paul).

There is a bit of irony in the whole story of the Pistols and Heartbreakers, as the Pistols famously wrote a derogatory song about the Heartbreakers (or New York Dolls, depending on how you read the lyrics) in a song called “New York” (“You're just a pile of shit / You're coming to this / You poor little faggot / You're sealed with a kiss”) to which the Heartbreakers responded with their own “London Boys” (“You're telling me 'shut your mouth' / If I wasn't kissing, you wouldn't be around / You talk about faggots, little momma's boy / You sit at home, you got a chaperon / You need an escort to take a piss”); you didn’t think in-song insults started with rappers, did you? After all that, Thunders and Vicious became good buds at some point.

The introduction of these elements led to a drug shitstorm that would rock the music scene as the Heartbreakers (and Nancy) introduced the use of heroin to Punk’s British Second Wave. Nancy, of course, latched herself onto Sid, but with all the tenuousness of the violence and mind/physical altering substances of their relationship, it’s hard to argue that they loved/needed/were dependent on each other (much as Linda and Paul were an actual couple beyond how they met). With Nancy holding the needle and the dime, she brought Sid into a world he may never have explored (though that is debated in the film), and eventually to New York.

As the film demonstrates through a large number of oral history interviews with varying memories and opinions about what would happen between the death of Nancy and that of Sid on Feb 3, 1979 (exactly 20 years after the crash that took the life of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson). The general consensus seems to be that Sid could be a sweetheart or a terror, depending on the day or what was flowing through his system, but Nancy was just a horrendous human due to mental problems, substance abuse, and a “whiney” voice that could shatter glass. Her mom, Deborah, tried to explain it in a defensive and angry, self-serving auto/biography, And I Don’t Want to Live This Life (the book goes unmentioned, and Debbie is only brought up once).

To get down to the nitty-gritty, the film is extremely well put together with a very limited budget. I have always enjoyed different theories types of documentaries, that doesn’t try to come any real conclusion by itself, or have an answer in mind, and that uses the interviews to support ideas, rather than coming to one on its own. While one of the two trailers included in the extras claims it does, I’m happy to say it doesn’t really. However, it does posit a bunch of credible theories and lets the viewers come to its own possible choice of solution. The latter part of the film sometimes feels more like a murder mystery than a narrative, which I feel is a plus.

There are so many people from the period present, especially in the New York Scene of the 1970s, from fans to musicians, that experienced the Sid/Nancy phenomenon first-hand. Some include Walter Lure, Rockets Redglare, Cynthia Ross, Donna Destri, Lenny Kaye, Andy (Adny) Shernoff, photographer Bob Gruen (who went on the bus with the Pistols for their US tour), the late-great Leee Black Childers (who owned a leather jacket back then I truly envied), Howie Pyro (of The Blessed and D Generation, and who infamously snorted some of Sid’s ashes), Hellin Killer (who was with him the night Sid died), Sylvain Sylvain, and so many others. It also includes the one person I really wanted to hear, which was “Neon” Leon Matthews, a musician and fellow Chelsea Hotel resident that disappeared for a number of years after Sid died (only to resurface decades later in Europe). For a long time it was believed he held the key to the answer to what happened that night, and I am really grateful to be able to hear his side of that night.

Wisely, the interviews are intercut and short, so no one story goes on long enough to become burdensome to anyone who doesn’t really know these people talking about their affiliation to these two desperate and media-legendary victims. Also, the stories themselves are interesting and keep apace. Hearing the differences in opinion and events makes for conversations on what happened with the viewers going after the film ends. My only gripe is that the names are only shown the first time the talker is presented. I knew most of them, but the few I didn’t got lost on me as I heard more of their involvement. Also, it is a pleasure that everyone who talks had some direct action in the events, rather than hearing from journalists who report their indirect opinions on second-hand stories (as I hypocritically do at the end of the review).

As for the budget, well, it’s pretty easy to see the constraints, and I’m saying this as a positive considering the achievement and fascination of the film. For example, we see a B-roll of the Pistols playing live, and the Heartbreakers’ “All By Myself” is playing on the soundtrack. In fact, there is no Pistols music at all, and only a quick live snippet of Sid at Max’s; Sid’s “My Way” and “C’mon Everybody” is mentioned, just not heard. There are some pretty infamous clips though, including the drugged out Sid & Nancy in bed from the film D.O.A. (1980). The big head scratcher for me is that we don’t hear Johnny Thunders’ elegy for Sid, for which this film is named.

Other than the two trailers mentioned previously, there is also a Heartbreakers music video for “Take a Chance” that is linked to the film through clips. But the standout for me is the 18-minute extra of interviews. There are five, and it was right to take them out of the film due to their length and as they don’t really contribute to the story; however they were among my favorite anecdotes, especially the one by Donna Destri. Definitely watch it all of this extra all the way through. And did I mention the DVD comes with a free film poster?

So, yeah, the director/producers certainly achieved what they set out to do, and it makes sense that they preceded this with one about Thunders. I’m really looking forward to what’s next (I’m hoping one about Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys, though I haven’t heard anything about it).

And, for what it’s worth, here is the version of the story as I heard it at the time, though I can vouch for none of the validity: Sid and Nancy were expecting to have a big drug deal go down, and so they gave much of their valuables to friends for safeguarding; Johnny got Sid’s jacket, which he wore from then on, in good faith (i.e., he never sold it for, well, let’s say rent). The drug dealer gave them samples, enough to knock out Sid, and then made a move on Nancy; she rejected him, and he stabbed her. When Sid found out what happened, he felt guilty that he had passed out, and then left her to go to his methadone appointment in the morning, saying to the police, “I killed her,” meaning he didn’t protect her. The cops heard it as a confession (parts of this are echoed in the film).

Who know what would have happened if Sid had cleaned up. Would he be famous rather than infamous? Ponderous thoughts.

DVD Review: New York Dolls: Lookin’ Fine on Television

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2011
Images from the Internet

New York Dolls: Lookin’ Fine on Television
Directed by Nadya and Bob Gruen
MVD Visual, 2011
70 minutes, USD $14.95
MVDvisual.com
The opening shot of this documentary / concert mash-up is of the whole band (early drummer Jerry Nolan era) sitting on a hill in a park (Central? Flushing Meadow?), and lead guitarist Johnny Thunders – long hair aflowin’ with that wisp on top – starts talking about how the band got together by his first meeting bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane, to which vocalist David Johansen gives a snide “That’s not how we started…” As Thunders flicks a ciggy-butt at him, rhythm guitarist Sylvain Sylvain starts in with his own interpretation to the story. Through their thick outer borough accents (Queens, Staten Island, etc.), this complete practice in ridiculousness is the perfect way to start this documentary about arguably (pun intended) one of the most important bands to come out of the New York area in the first half of the ‘70s.

The New York Dolls were tempestuous at best, wasted at worst, and brought something new to the rock and roll table. A mixture of glam, rock, and their own personalities in both style and playing, they are (rightfully) considered influential to nearly every band that came after them, whether directly or indirectly (i.e., influencing bands that influenced others).

As with the ill-fated Sex Pistols tour of the States, noted scene photographer Bob Gruen was along for the New York Dolls’ career ride as they started hitting their stride (just after the passing of drummer Billy Murcia, who is mentioned often in talking head moments, but never seen), as was Nadya Beck, the two directors and cinematographers of this release.

Over the period of a few short years, Gruen and Beck filmed (remember, this is pre-video) the band in performance a number of times on either (or both) 16mm or 8mm. Because of this, we now have a historical document of not only their two official albums of the period (New York Dolls; Too Much, Too Soon), but what they were like in performance as well.

Rather than just showing one version of a set or another, Gruen and Beck took a single live track, and overplays it with footage from a number of shows all cut up together, doing a masterful job of lining up the music with the action, including Johansen’s vocals. By doing this, we have a new soundtrack to our lives (i.e., NYD fans, who are now legion). Plus, we get to see the boys in action with both the consistency of their moves (e.g., clapping above their heads during “Jet Boy”), as well as the originality of others (e.g., standing in different spots). It’s also interesting to compare them then to the newer, reconstituted version of the band of the twenty-first century. Johansen still has the chops, but he’s physically not as limber (and yet is still a joy to watch).

Even for their infamous appearance on the Old Grey Whistle Test programme in the UK, rather than the usual footage that can be seen elsewhere, we get to see it from the side stage through Gruen’s eye.

Between each of the songs (see the list below), there is an interview segment; well, actually it is a few segments that are cut up and put between numbers. Some are of the group, such as the opening salvo, and others include a solo with Johansen (interviewed by Lisa Robinson) in what looks like possibly south Florida or sunny California, where he talks about things like how he makes up the lyrics to “Who Are the Mystery Girls?” each time, riots at shows, and dealing with connected club owners.

Also spiced into the songs are backstage shots of the band, including the girlfriends (Cyrinda! Michelle!), them doing their infamous gangster dress-up, and traveling to California. Also, there’s a clip of Johansen and Dorothy inviting the viewing audience to their Halloween show, followed by both shots of them preparing, and the NBC news report by Tony Hernandez!

In one show, Arthur Kane is shown standing beside the drums, sometimes with Nolan’s girlfriend Michelle, singing along to the songs, but not playing. According to producer/Dictator extraordinaire Andy Shernoff and Austin musician Thom Tex Edwards, it was roadie Peter Jordan, filling in while Arthur’s arm was in a cast.

So, lots of music, some fun stuff mixed in-between, and a document of an amazing band in their prime.

For the extra, there’s an 8-minute clip from 1976 of David Johansen standing outside CBGBs interviewing Lisa Robinson (not the other way around, as it says on the box), completely dissing the club. Then along comes ex-Dolls (by then) member Johnny Thunders who crashes in, giving Lisa an out, and JT and David Jo have a fun time sparing with each other, raising topics like the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty’s appropriation of the name (I had the argument with Petty directly in 1976), and discussing the ‘Breakers upcoming tour in the UK with the Sex Pistols and the Damned (where Nancy Spungeon would show up and…).

Get this. You know Morrissey will…

Tracks:
Lookin’ For a Kiss
Babylon
Trash
Bad Detective
Vietnamese Baby
Bad Girl
Chatterbox
Human Being
Private World
Subway Train
Personality Crisis
Frankenstein
Who Are the Mystery Girls?
Jet Boy

Book Review: Trouble in the Camera Club, by Don Pyle

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2011
Book cover from the Internet
Band photos © Don Pyle


Trouble in the Camera Club: A Photographic Narrative of Toronto’s Punk History 1976-1980
By Don Pyle
Introduction by Steven Leckie
ECW Press (Toronto), 2011
300 pages; USD/CDN $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-55022-966-0
ecwpress.com
troubleinthecameraclub.com
donpyle.com

Every scene instigation has its photographer. In Buffalo from the ‘70s on, it was Eric Jensen. In Boston in the ‘80s, it was Peter Parka (aka Rocco Cippilone). In New York, well, there were many, including myself. Perhaps someday, my book will come.

One such photographer and fan to the nascent New York scene was Mariah Augier [d. 2005], with whom I was acquainted. By the early-‘80s, I had lost touch with her. Years later, around 1996, I ran into her at a party for a mutual friend and we started talking about “the days.” She said something to me that changed my entire perspective of my photographs: “When I started taking photos,” paraphrasing what Mariah stated, “I was just doing it for fun. Years later, I realized what I had wasn’t a collection of pictures, it was a body of work.” I identified with that. Obviously, on his own, so did Don Pyle.

Pyle was a music-obsessed teen with a new camera who pointed his lens on whatever bands he was interested in, which turned out to be just about everyone that matters in the Toronto scene, and more. Hot on the heels of Liz Worth’s excellent book, Treat Me Like Dirt: The Oral History of Punk in Toronto and Beyond 1977-1981 (in which Pyle is not only often quoted, but his photo is on the cover, a self-shot piece which also appears in Camera Club, and, in part, to the right of this paragraph), comes this unofficial and welcomed companion.

Actually, referring to this book as “a photographic narrative” is a bit of an understatement. Yes, there’s over 300 of Pyle’s photos, but there is so much more, such as 200 other images of ticket stubs and show flyers, and sometimes scalding, other times self-reflective – and occasionally self-depreciating – stories of what led him to certain bands, and what turned him off about others. There are the occasional pictures of friends, some of his early and experimental shots of the city, all on levels of varied expertise: he was learning to work a 35mm camera by photographing shows, much as I was; his first was Iggy supported by Bowie, mine the Ramones at CBGBs. Similarly, he also starting out taking pix with a cheap instamatic (him: Ramones and BOC; me: Roxy Music, and stalwarts of the NY scene like the Cramps, Dead Boys, and Wayne County). Heck, we even both took some shots off the television of the same program (Joan Jett and Kim Fowley on The Tomorrow Show). I get the feeling that if we had lived in the same town at the same time, we may have been friends.

Though he was in Toronto and I was in New York, apparently we saw many shows of the same tour (e.g., Gary Glitter, the Troggs, Iggy Pop), and it was interesting to hear him describe what I was feeling back then (such as how bad and boring the Police were on stage). Fortunately for him, he also got to see way more of Toronto’s local bands than I did. While I saw the Dave Rave period Teenage Head, he followed the original Frankie Venom Kerr (d. 2008) era, along with the Viletones (great band, and Pyle took a lot of shots of them; the lead singer, Nazi Dog – aka Steven Leckie, wrote the brief intro to this book), the Diodes, the Curse, the Demics, the Ugly, and so many more that I would have loved to have seen, but have to rely on stills like these, and their released vinyl (which often, according to Pyle, did not live up to the live band performances).

So, you’re not familiar with the Toronto sound and bands? It doesn’t matter, because Pyle’s interest went beyond that, as he took his camera to shows by international groups that were touring, like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, 999, the Stranglers, the Runaways. Then there are the amazing shots of some of the New York bands that made it up there, like the Ramones, the Heartbreakers (Johnny and Walter, but no Jerry), Blondie, the Patti Smith Group, the Fast, David Jo and Sylvain, and the Dead Boys.

While I realize I have woven myself into this review (more than usual, anyway), it’s because I feel an affinity for the period, the photos, and the Pyle’s process and story. After going through the book and reading all the text (which alone would have been enjoyable), I went through it again just admiring the images. Sure, there are blurry shots (like me, he did not use a flash for a long time), weirdly composed ones, and just plain lucky ones, but mostly he innately presents the performer in the action that gives the photos life, rather than just some shots of a band in concert or backstage.

As the ‘70s turned into the ‘80s, Pyle started to lose interest in being behind the camera, and instead chose to be on the stage in bands with brilliant names like Crash Kills Five (vox) and the Juno Award winning Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet (drummer) who played the theme song to the Kids in the Hall show; he also became a music producer (the Sadies, John Doe, Iggy Pop, Andrew Gold, etc.). While Pyle may have left the camera behind, but he also left a legacy that we can still enjoy.

This collection is a superb entranceway to the Toronto scene, and yes, beyond.

Below are some samples of the photos in this book.

Viletones


Sylvain Sylvain


Runaways: Joan Jett


The Curse


The Diodes


The Heartbreakers: Johnny Thunders


Iggy Pop