An Interview with TOM HAMILTON of Little Triggers: Rock’n’Roll’s Highest Hope

An Interview with TOM HAMILTON of Little Triggers: Rock’n’Roll’s Highest Hope

By Nancy Neon / FFanzeen, 2022
Images from the Internet

Nancy Neon: Tell us about your early group, The 45's.
Tom Hamilton: The 45's were my school band that I started when I was about fourteen. We started out playing at the school disco. We were a rhythm and blues outfit and loved playing loads of Dr. Feelgood songs, the old Rolling Stones' covers, a bit of The Small Faces, and loads of The Beatles as well. We played around pubs and clubs in Carlyle and around the North of England. We played around caravan parks. We played everywhere from night clubs to pubs Then we started getting a bit of a name around the UK from the videos we put online and started. playing all over the UK. We played France and Belgium with Elvis Costello. We played with McFly and The Stranglers. We played with some members of The Damned. We recorded a full album's worth of material and loads of singles. We were offered a deal by Sony/BMG, but we broke up before we could sign anything.

Nancy: Tell us about your Cavern Club residency.
Tom: I play there about twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on what's going on. I play load of Beatles' songs and songs by other acts who played there in the ‘60s like The Who, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, etc. That is the music that I love so it is perfect for me. I have been playing the Cavern for about a year now.

Nancy: How did you meet Wilko Johnson (of Dr. Feelgood), and how did he end up giving you one of his guitars?
Tom: I met Wilko Johnson backstage at a one of his gigs in Kendall. I was 14 or maybe younger and my mum got me backstage to meet him. He let me play his guitar and we had a conversation about music. The 45's opened for him in Glasgow and he joined us onstage in Canvey Island [this is the place where Dr. Feelgood hail from! – NN]. He gifted me with a guitar at a Blues festival in Yorkshire. Fender had just come out with a special Wilko Johnson black Telecaster with a red scratch plate. It was one of his personal ones which I still have. That's pretty cool, I think.

Nancy: Did WJ give you any advice about the pitfalls of being a young rock 'n' roller?
Tom: No, he didn't give me any advice. We just talked about music. I was just in awe having one of my heroes right in front of my face.

Nancy: Tell us about the equipment you use to get that really huge sound with a 2-piece group.
Tom: Live, I use all British-made Vox, Martin, and Orange amps. I have an octave pedal because there's no bass player, just me. So, we have the bass sound coming out of one, sometimes two. That's how I split it. Then I have a cleaner one and a fuzzier one for the guitar bits depending on how I'm feeling or the size of the venue. If the venue is small, I use two amps or if it is really tiny, just one. For recording, I don't use any of my own amps, I use a great ‘70s Marshall combo that belongs to the studio: the Motor Museum in Liverpool, just right around the corner from my house. The Artic Monkeys recorded their first album there. Oasis recorded their first single there. It is a great studio and we know the producer, Al (Groves) very well, so it is a real collaborative effort. As far as our process, we record a load of demos then cherry pick the best bits and try to make good songs out of those.

Nancy: After hearing you sing " Whatcha Gonna Do About It" by The Small Faces, I can see how much of an influence Steve Marriott's voice is for you. Who else influences you as a performer? How about as a guitarist?
Tom: Small Faces are my second favorite band of all time. I love the way The Hives perform with loads of energy. Steve Marriott is the main voice I aspire to; him, Robert Plant, Mike Harrison of Spooky Tooth, Stevie Winwood...I also love Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding, but I don't try to sound like them. As a guitar player, it is Hendrix. He is the main one for me really.

Nancy: What inspired you to start writing your own songs?
Tom: I don't know why The 45's switched from being a covers band to writing and playing originals. It just sort of happened. I am influenced by anything that I can steal and get away with. That's my writing process [laughs].

Nancy: Any parting words?
Tom: Thanks for having me and I hope you all enjoy the tunes!

 

An Interview: Shades of Cool Radio and Beyond from IAN WAGNER

An Interview: Shades of Cool Radio and Beyond from IAN WAGNER

By Nancy Neon / FFanzeen, 2022
mages curtesy of Ian Wagner
www.facebook.com/shadesofcoolshow/

 

Nancy Neon: What made you get into radio, Ian? Did you start with one show and grow? Or did you always intend to build a full fledged 24/7 network?
Ian Wagner: I have always loved the concept of radio, even when I stopped actively listening. I had a local college radio show for several years named Shades of Cool, which was curtailed when the pandemic happened. That jump-started my long-dormant plan to start an Internet station. Shades Radio started and continued as the home of the flagship. Shades series featuring my wife/co-programmer Becky and me. Everything else was built around that over the course of the two years that we have been online.

NANCY: Congratulations to Becky and you and all your DJs for your second anniversary of Shades of Cool Radio Network. Are you planning anything new and different for the coming year?
IAN: The station is constantly evolving, and all the series that we air hopefully will as well, and I hope to add more this year. The station is also a vehicle for a book project that will hopefully be finished in 2023.

NANCY: Tell me about your current line-up.
IAN: The station is on 24/7, always serving up some great music. Currently we have 16 series including:

• Shades Of Cool on Wednesdays, 7-9 PM EST, featuring Becky and me, playing a diverse range of coolness from all eras;
• Blitzkrieg Pop every other Thursday, 2-4 PM EST, featuring Danielle Tort, [with a] diverse playlist, detailed discussions.
• Cookin' in the Soulful Dimension on Thursday 8-9 PM EST, featuring me delivering an hour of the best in sampledelic soul/funk/jazz/library/score grooves;
• Good Times in Studio 55, on Fridays 9-10 PM EST, featuring Becky and me and an hour of the best in rare vintage disco gems;
• Mondo Radio a Go- Go, on Fridays 10 PM- 1 AM. EST, with John Rippey and me. Three hours of psychotronic madness from the worlds of movies, TV, and music.
• Uncle Bob's Record Store-on Saturdays 12 noon to 6 PM EST, featuring Bob Stewart [with] vinyl spins from the vast collection of a vinyl guru., featuring detailed chats on vinyl collecting
• Kandy Says-on Saturdays, 7-9 PM EST, featuring Kandy Kabot (aka Nancy Neon), [with] 2 hours of great themed sets, and sometimes Kandy recites verse as Urban Boho and Kandy Warhol. Both her selections and her verse define cool;
•  Flying in the Stereo Dimension on Saturdays, 9-10 PM EST, featuring me, an hour of swirling, reverbed, psychedelic muzak and sunshine pop from the mid-‘60s to the mid-‘70s;
•  Formless-Saturdays, 10 PM. to 1 AM EST, with Cral Skinner. [which is] three hours of artful ear damage in a diverse field of sound, the genres liquid, but red hot!
• Afternoon Tea with Lovely Becky-on Sundays, 3-4 PM EST, an hour of mellow vibes to drink your tea by, from the Queen of Cool;
• Soundtrack Sunday, Sundays, 5 PM 12 midnight EST, featuring Mookie Shapiro, Heather Matthewson, and me [for] seven hours of the best in film and TV scores and soundtracks;
• The Day After the Sabbath, on Sundays, noon to 1:30 PM EST, featuring Kevin Solomon Stevens, each week a devastating set of hard rock, deep psych, heavy, obscure gems from the ‘60s and the ‘70s;
• Jazz Sides on Mondays, 7 -9 PM EST, featuring Bob Bowser, each week a chill listen through classic jazz LP sides, with much chat and context provided;
• Wax Victim on every other Monday, 9 PM to midnight EST, featuring Jason Loftin with a listen to and detailed chat about rare vinyl, painstakingly transcribed and restored from the collection of the host;
• Gage Against the Machine, on Tuesdays, 7-10 PM EST, featuring Gage Winslow, who delivers a mindbending and unbound set of music every week; and
• Tiki Tuesday: most beautiful island, exotica, and mod jazz sounds to grace your week.

NANCY: What radio stations did you listen to growing up? Who were your fave DJs and why?
IAN: In Los Angeles, where I grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there were many great stations, DJs, and formats still active. My folks were music heads, collectors, and musicians. So, the dial was consistently spun from AOR, Classic Rock, to ‘50s/’60s oldies, to New Wave, to college stations and beyond. Rodney Bingenheimer's show on KROQ was an influence on me as anyone living in that area at that time period. I have always preferred DJs that combine relatively unfamiliar music with recontextualized hits and favorites. My goal is to follow that path.

NANCY: I don't know a lot about your background except you were in a band contemporary with my fiancé, Jeff Kabot's band, The SuperKools, and that you seem to be equally as knowledgeable about films as you do about music. Did you ever have a public access show?
IAN: I grew up suffused in art and pop through having parents who were already into everything cool, and took me to movie theaters several times a week, including revival houses. As soon as I could, I began making music and playing in bands, mostly in the '90s and ‘00s. In Los Angeles, I have been on public access stations, but I was performing as a member of groups

 NANCY: Tell me about your brushes with greatness, like meeting [Quentin] Tarantino. What do you think about the way QT uses music in his films, almost like the music is a character of its own? Do you think Kenneth Anger was the first to have such a focus on music?
IAN: Growing up around and in the music/film industries, you just meet famous people and artists as a matter of course. I have many cherished memories of those times including hang outs and chats with many folks I admire, including Quentin. I think that while Quentin is influenced by Scorsese, the greatest of them all in terms of recontextualizing music in the context of films, Quentin has his own gift for uncovering lost gems and utilizing them expertly. Anger was certainly among the very first to use "found" music and familiar music in this way. The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1969) were the first big bang in terms for this style.

NANCY: Who are some of the musical artists that you thought you'd never see, but did?
IAN: I saw Zappa, KISS, The Clash, The Who, and others before the age of ten. A few that come to mind are The Raspberries reunion, and small shows by Prince and Laura Nyro.

NANCY: What are some artists you regret not having seen?
IAN: I wish I had been a few years older so I could have seen Elvis. I think I have seen everyone that I could have possibly seen from the late ‘70s on.

NANCY: If you could cohost a radio show with anyone, who would it be and what format would you have?
IAN: It would be my partner, Becky, doing exactly what we do on the Shades of Cool series. But for fun, I'd pick Bob Dylan, just spinning and discussing whatever came into our minds.

NANCY: What is your proudest moment of having created such a great network?
IAN: Any time that I hear that someone has been moved to check out or buy anything I have spun on the station, and any time I am moved to do the same by something one of my series' hists have spun. That makes it a worthwhile endeavor. Also, Becky's moving musical memorial to her late mother was a proud moment.

NANCY: For people who don't know you, you grew up in Los Angeles, and now live in Greensboro, North Carolina. What kind of culture shock did you experience?
IAN: Intense culture shock, like waking up on the moon! It took years to establish a base of friends and activities here, but Greensboro and the outlying cities definitely have a charm of their own. Certainly, a friendlier and less hectic environment overall, though it does remind me how spoiled I was in Los Angeles, having a choice of a wide range of interesting activities. I had a record store for several years and since then have worked on creative endeavors at home. But my favorite escape is heading to Durham to see classic films at the Carolina Theatre and checking out records in Soul Relief in Greensboro.

NANCY: Any parting comments, Ian?
IAN: If you feel the call, and have an hour or two to spare, please check out Shades Radio Network. It is a small community of likeminded people and openminded music freaks to which everyone is invited to participate in. Hope to see you there! We can be found on Facebook and Instagram as well.

Interview: Kabot and Neon – “Pleasant Screams” Radio Podcast

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2021
All images by Nick Zedd; from the collection of Nancy Neon

“Pleasant Screams” Radio Podcast
http://jeffandnancy.airtime.pro/

To be honest, I have not yet met Boston musician Jeff Kabot, who fronted The Superkools through all its incarnations, and The Downtowners. His co-conspirator for the “Pleasant Dreams” podcast, though, is Nancy Neon, and we have been good friends since the days of hanging out at Max’s Kansas City, frequently seeing bands like The Heartbreakers, and eating at the original Dojo’s on St. Marks Place.

Thing is, there is probably no one I trust more with music than Nancy. Her tastes have always been precise, and she has turned me on to some of my favorite bands, especially both the 1960s and ‘80s garage sounds. The music she has fixated on in the time I have known her has included the likes of The Chesterfield Kings, DMZ/Lyres, Bob Dylan, Jakob Dylan/Wallflowers, Marc Bolan/T.Rex, and said Heartbreakers. Heck, way back in the day, she was president of the North Carolina chapter of the Wayne County Fan Club, before forming numerous fanzines, including New Age and Groove Associates.

Now Nancy and Jeff have joined forces and have set up their own podcast radio station called “Pleasant Screams” at KABT FM 100.9 Hollywood, that focuses on, according to the site’s keywords, “Garage, Punk, New Wave, ‘60s-‘70s Pop, Rock Steady, Folk, Blues.” On one particular episode, they covered the likes of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, The Miracle Workers, The Swinging Neckbreakers, Timebox, Elvis, Mad Violets, Love, The Seeds, The Remains, The Ramones, Blur, The Breeders, X-Ray Spex, James Brown, even the Monkees, and of course, Dylan, Lyres and The C. Kings (my fave cut of theirs, “She Told Me Lies”). Not a clinker among them.

I sent Jeff and Nancy some questions to answer and comment on which to respond, so here they are:

FFanzeen: What were you guys working on before KABT?
Nancy Neon: When I met Jeff in April 2016, his band The Downtowners had been rehearsing for two years. I said "I gotta get you some gigs." I got him two gigs with Chris Horne, formerly of The Brood. One gig was with her cover band, The Flipsides. The other was with her all-girl band, Tiger Bomb;-both were a blast at the Bayside Bowl in Portland, ME. The band also was honored and flattered to play David Bash's IPO. The Downtowners played live on Brian Young's “Crash Course,” for The Ravers at Tufts' WMFO, as well as getting positive reviews in the legendary Boston Groupie News.

FF: Why radio? Why now?
Nancy: While the COVID-19 pandemic has been tragic on many levels, it has had a positive effect on our creativity. I have been bugging Jeff for almost 5 years to do a project or projects together, like writing songs and doing a radio show. Now we have done both.
Jeff Kabot: It started with Nancy wanting to do a radio show. When I started looking into the software, I found it would not be that hard to do a whole, automated station. Living in a seven-story building made it feasible, logistically. 

FF: What niche are you trying to fill?
Nancy: We created or are creating the station that we love; that we would want to listen to all the time.
Jeff: We are not shooting for a particular demographic except our friends and likeminded people on social media. Basically, we are creating a station we would like, and if others like it, that's great.

FF: How do you choose the songs for “Pleasant Screams,” as well as your general playlist?
Jeff: Nancy puts together the playlist for “Pleasant Screams.” As far as the general KABT playlist, I program songs that I like, and have liked throughout my life. There is some quirky stuff, but these songs have resonance for me as someone whose life was shaped by radio from my earliest memories.
Nancy: For “Pleasant Screams,” I pick out 20 songs for each of the two hours. The last four songs of the first hour is a segment called the "Scream Spotlight," highlighting songs people send us or tell us about. I pick a cool instrumental to close the show. That is the format, but if you listen and you know me, you will see there is a lot of free association going on. 

FF: I notice you go beyond the most familiar tracks by the artists you choose.
Jeff: We like to introduce listeners to music they haven't heard or don't often hear.
Nancy: While being known or popular is not an automatic disqualifier for me, I am always on the lookout for lesser-known artists and deeper cuts from known or lesser-known artists.

FF: Do you find yourself disagreeing on which songs to include?
Jeff: No, our tastes are similar enough to be compatible, but dissimilar enough to complement each other's. This broadens the variety for our listeners more than if we were clones as far as our musical tastes.
Nancy: Jeff Kabot has the most impeccable music taste of anyone I have ever known. I hope and believes he feels the same about me. 

FF: Where do you see KABT going?
Jeff: Tonight is only our tenth episode of “Pleasant Screams.” I hope the shows continue to sound better, include features, and expand our listener base.
Nancy: I hope to parlay “Pleasant Screams” and KABT into a horror hostess gig where I can successfully shill for a wide array of mass marketed “Pleasant Screams” merchandise!

FF: What would you like to add?
Jeff: I would like to thank: Shelly Ganz of The Unclaimed, Hyper Loop recording artist Art Guy, Bobby Hart of Boyce & Hart, Daryl Hooper of The Seeds, Paul Kopf of The Seeds and Strangers in a Strange Land, James Lowe of The Electric Prunes, Vince Melouney of the Aztecs and The Bee Gees, Barry Tashian of Barry and The Remains, and Tony Valentino of The Standells. 
Nancy: I would like to thank Jynx Lynx & Dino Sorbello (with the CDs Feel Free and Real Surreal), and Jonathan Lea of both the Jigsaw Seen and the Dave Davies Band, for the beautiful rock 'n' roll care packages. Also, I want to thank my artistic co-conspirator, Kabot. Whereas many men have promised me stardom, Jeff has delivered the goods!

MARC BOLAN and T. REX: Manchild of The Glamrock Revolution

Text by Nancy Neon Foster / FFanzeen, 2020

Images from the Internet

As I unwrapped the gift, the album cover radiated a golden glow. The photograph was of a figure playing guitar in front of a gigantic amplifier. The guitar player was surrounded by an electric halo. There was something reverent, even religious about the image. Now, I would call the cover of T. Rex’s Electric Warrior iconic. The cover was designed by British art group Hipnosis, based on a photograph by Kieron “Spud” Murphy.

The mystique of this album cover art and the poetic rock’n’roll seduction within changed me and my life forever. I had recently turned 14, but I was still a sheltered child until T. Rex thrust teenhood upon me for the very first time. T. Rex brought color, sparkle, fun, and glamor. Before Marc Bolan burst out, fully formed majestically from his own brow, rock’n’roll meant Elvis Presley and the Beatles, seemingly safe-as-milk music that your mother and grandmother could love. T. Rex was the private territory and personal property of teenagers.

There were no Glamrock boutiques in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1971, so, I had to use my imagination and creativity to remake myself from a little antisocial nerd-bird to the first glitter girl on my block. I pincurled my hair, wore rhinestone earrings and necklaces borrowed from mommy’s jewelry box, put together strange ensembles from vintage finds, and changed from a Coco Baroque or Too Too Bamboo-lipped mod doll to candy apple-lipped glamrock vixen. At concerts, grown ups called me “acid queen,” although I had barely kissed a boy (a birthday kiss!!!) and I had not touched any drug! When a sweet, innocent former Girl Scout hears T. Rex, there is no turning back.

“Bang A Gong” hit the US airwaves in July 1971, and that was T. Rex’s only Top Ten hit in the US. It sounded like sex, even if I didn’t know exactly what sex was. Those "dirty and sweet” power chords and the explosion of the percussion’s primal boom shot through my head, my heart, and my body.

“Bang A Gong” was often referenced by many bands over the decades, most notably on the first Oasis single, ”Cigarettes and Alcohol.” The single sounded like Johnny Rotten fronting T. Rex, a perfect amalgam for me in the Britpop ‘90s. This proved how much staying power T. Rex had, and when you hear the song today it still sounds fresh and exciting.

Some of my other long-time favorites like Paul Weller of the Jam and Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream count Electric Warrior as among the greatest. Weller said it is “one of my all-time favorites. The guitar playing is really unique – you know the sound instantly.” Gillespie said “’Bang-A-Gong’ is one of my all-time favorite pop songs. When I was growing up, singles were an art statement. T. Rex was changing all the time. As a fan, you wanted to know what they wore and whether you could follow them to that new place.”

With Electric Warrior, I was hooked. So, I started delving into the past for Bolan treasures and searched for the key to the alchemy that helped create the beautiful and perfect man-child with celestial curls, with his Les Paul as an integral appendage; the fact that Bolan compared his love interest to a car was no small part of the attraction. Bolan conjured lyrics that were equal parts cosmic poetry and rock’n’roll heart.

Marc Bolan’s roots included joining a psych rock group that dressed all in white called John’s Children, with an album and several singles, including “Desdemona.” Next came the folk rock psychedelia of Tyrannosaurus Rex that recorded four albums between 1968-1970. Bolan was on acoustic guitar with first Steve Peregrin Took and then Mickey Finn on percussion The band’s first single, ”Debora,” was released in 1968, and was included on their first album,  My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brow, was released in June 1968. Bolan’s warble was so exotic that the producer, Tony Visconti, thought Bolan was singing in a foreign language. T. Rex, released in December 1970, was the first album under the T. Rex name and bridged the gap between the folk rock psychedelia of Tyrannosaurus Rex and the power chord orgy and hysteria-inducing T. Rex.

Although this was six years after Dylan was booed by folk purists for going electric, Bolan experienced his own “Judas” moment when long-time supporter and personal friend John Peel dismissed the electric phase of his musical career as being a “sell out.” Like his hero Dylan, I doubt Bolan ever did anything to sell out. Bolan, from the earliest age, wanted to be a teen idol. Whatever Bolan did, he did it on his own terms and to fulfill his vision of his ideal self. Bolan, who was always assured of his impending superstardom, was an iconoclast who sought to please himself and his fans. In July 1972, The Slider was released. By this point, it was clear that Bolan was trying to concoct some magical, alchemical sound and spectacle for fans who knew about Presley, the Beatles, and Hendrix but were too young to experience them live. The rock’n’roll cocktail Bolan served up with splashes of Presley, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Beatles, the Who, and Hendrix, shaken not stirred for the coolest, most iconic superstar potion, like the visitor from Lord of the Rings reimagined as a Dylan coiffed vampire troubadour who rocked a Les Paul, not a lute. Such perfect pop, but so deliciously strange like a sweet drink with a bitter, yet addictive after-taste.

Was this really 48 years ago?! Bolan’s songs retain power and relevance, and have even more resonance for me today despite their being close to half a century old. Right now, we have the bad orange man failing to lead during a worldwide pandemic and we need songs like “Metal Guru.” It is comforting to me, imagining a futuristic extraterrestrial with corkscrew hair serenading me, freeing my body like Presley, and freeing my mind like Dylan. “Mystic Lady” seduces. “Buick Mackane” takes you by force. “The Slider,” ”Baby Boomerang,” ”Spaceball Ricochet,” “Telegram Sam” and “Baby Strange,” and the rest, are all a part of me on a cellular level. Every nuance of every song is in my DNA.

Tanx was released in January 1973, and was described as “interstellar soul,” which I believe influenced David Bowie’s Young Americans. Some wonder if there ever would have been a Ziggy Stardust had there been no T. Rex. I feel Bowie – as well as Prince – owe debts to Bolan musically, fashion- and image-wise. “Born to Boogie” and “Life Is Strange” stand out on the 1994 CD version of Tanx, along with other greats like “Children of The Revolution,” ‘Solid Gold East Action,” and “20th Century Boy.”

Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow released in February 1994 was celebrated by neither fans nor the critics. “Teenage Dream,” which reached #14 was Bolan’s last hit until “New York City” in 1975.

Light of Love was a US-only album in 1974, with 3 tracks from Zinc Alloy, with eight songs recorded at Music Recorders in Hollywood that would end up on Bolan’s Zip Gun, released in February 1975. Ken Barnes wrote in a Rolling Stone review, ”Bolan’s vocals still retain the amphetamine amphibian warble, but at times his snarl is tough enough to rival the Seeds, a considerable achievement.”

Zip Gun was Bolan’s tenth album. Bolan continued in an R&B-influenced vein, joined by Gloria Jones of “Tainted Love” fame. Futuristic Dragon brought a return to form in January 1976. “New York City” is a blast and ushered in the moment where Bolan reinvented himself as the “godfather of punk.” This phase saw him promoting punk era bands like the Jam, Generation X, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and  the Boomtown Rats on his television show, “Marc.” Moreover, Bolan booked a sellout show in London with the Damned.

Dandy in the Underworld, the eleventh album, was a swan song of sorts, about six months before Bolan left this mortal coil due to an auto accident just short of his 30th birthday. Great title, great photo, great songs-helping fans keep a little Marc in their hearts. Sadly, I never saw Marc Bolan live, but I asked a friend, Binky Philips of the Planets what it was like to experience the splendor of T. Rex in the flesh. Binky said, “I saw T. Rex at Carnegie Hall on February 27, 1972. I was crazy about their singles they had put out and I was intrigued by how Marc Bolan was a one-man Beatlemania in the UK. I’d been an Anglophile since February 9, 1964. So, I was well-versed on all things Brit. The Carnegie Hall show might have been the most exciting first ten minutes of any gig I have ever seen. The band hit the stage with every stage light blazing. Marc was wearing a satin jacket over a white t-shirt that had his own face covering his entire torso. I was just dazzled by that over-the-top ego trip. They launched into my own top five favorite T. Rex song, ”Cadilac”(no typo), a track relegated to a B-side and not on any album. I thought that was fantastically ballsy. The whole audience felt like it was on the verge of screaming like 13-year-old girls, the opening was so strong that Marc and Mickey and Steve and Bill just could not sustain the excitement. But T. Rex made a delicious ungodly noise that I can still hear in my mind’s ear.”

The delicious ungodly noise is what got T. Rex inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. I voted for the band and was excited more than any induction before. The event was supposed to be held May 5, but because of the pandemic, the festivities were rescheduled for November 7, 2020. Congratulations to drummer Bill Legend, the only living member of T. Rex. Congrats to Bolan’s son, Rolan, and his mother, Gloria Jones, and all the band’s family, friends, and admirers. Congratulations and thanks to Mark Feld Bolan, who is still the prettiest star.

I believe Bolan is grinning down from his “armor plated chair” (throne?) on the astral plane and there is an angel polishing his “hub cab diamond star halo.”

GUADALCANAL DIARY [1986]

Text by Nancy Neon Foster / FFanzeen, 1986

Introduction by Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2019

Images from the Internet

This article was originally published in FFanzeen, issue #14, dated 1986. It was written by the effervescent North Carolinian native Nancy Foster, now better known as Nancy Neon.

To be honest, I still am pretty unfamiliar with this Georgia-based band. They were mostly around for the period of 1981 through 1989, but have reunited on and off over the years. Often, they are compared to the scene that gave us quirky college rock bands like R.E.M., Pylon and Let’s Active. In total they produced one EP, four studio albums, nine singles, and a later live album. – RBF, 2019

Guadalcanal Diary has been lumped in with the Athens and Southeast scene. Yet, they are really a Marietta, GA, band with diverse influences that come together to make an arresting, hybrid. Some connect them with the Byrds-like jingle/jangle magic of R.E.M., others try to pigeon-hole them with the so-called country punk of Jason and the Scorchers and Rank and File.

Yet, Guadalcanal Diary defies categorization. Just as the Athens / Atlanta / Marietta axis is a crossroads where lots of transient influences and ideas meet, so is Guadalcanal Diary a blend of several styles. Whereas some bands sound like a variety show, jumping from one genre to another, they diversify without being incoherent; they’re stylized without being static or predictable.

I love the way they put the headbangers off guard with startling versions of Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher,” a decidedly non-headbanging, esoteric version of “Johnny B. Goode,” and a scathing, sarcastic rendering of Syndicate of Sound’s “Hey Little Girl.”

It is, however, their original material that really bewilders. Murray Attaway, the lead singer / guitarist’s command post is the eye of the storm. He stands at attention in the middle of the twin cyclones of Jeff Wallis and Rhett Crowe, who whirl dervish-like on either side.

They set up a scenario that is both musically and visually thrilling. Before their show, we had been talking about how someone who had been talking about how the dBs fail to push the audience past a certain point of excitement. I was coming out against histrionics and spoon-fed hysteria. They agreed, but they said that they, themselves, did not put an emphasis on entertainment. However, the spontaneous combustion that takes place onstage ignites because of their love for, and dedication to, their music. This isn’t choreography or rock star flexing, or self-parody.

We talked about how certain acts like Billy Idol had been reduced to a set of conventional poses, i.e., the pout and the fist. What you’re seeing with Guadalcanal Diary isn’t showbiz, it’s pure joy.

The band expresses some concern that their New York City Christmas Holiday ’84 debut had not ben auspicious. Yet, it was so inspiring to see them gradually win over the Peppermint Lounge Saturday night crowd, many of whom resembled “Dance Fever” outtakes as opposed to music lovers. Despite that obstacle, they bombarded the audience with their high-quality material. Pure Pop for Now People was “Pillow Talk.” Rhett Crowe was so powerful on bass, and despite what some myopic critics say about kudzu-covered confederate bodies, she is definitely female. Her grass skirt with t-shirt, lei, and cowboy boots was the fashion statement of the year. It’s the perfect embodiment of their cross-cultural pollination. It's what you wear to a “Watusi Rodeo.”

Being in a changing environment, experiencing the class of Old World Southern values and the modernization of cities like Atlanta is part of what establishes the tension in their music. When I asked whether being from the South brought a certain romantic and mystical element to their music, Rhett agreed. Religion is a big theme with songs like “Walking in the Shadows of the Big Man” (“Big Man” meaning God) and “Why Do the Heathen Rage?” The latter is highly reminiscent of fellow Southerners from Memphis, Big Star, circa 1974 [Big Star’s singer, Alex Chilton, sang “The Letter” and “Cry Like a Baby with the Box Tops – NF, 1986].

When asked if something about the water in Athens area makes great pop with a twist, the guys confided that once the B-52s made it, “lots of bands came out of the woodwork.” They are, as I am, amazed how every band with a Rickenbacker is called “Post-R.E.M.”

Other than their home state, they also share a producer with R.E.M., Don Dixon of Chapel Hill, NC. Dixon was suggested by their rec rod company, DB. They have played dates with the Psychedelic Furs, Beat Rodeo, the Bongos, R.E.M., etc. They get some of their best reactions in Rome, GA, Louisville, KY, Richmond, VA, etc.

One of the most unusual places they played was Greensboro, NC’s Secret Garden, which had a garden in front of the stage. Back to the show: the groovy Georgia quartet gradually won over the basically stoic audience. Enlightenment is usually a gradual process. Yet when Guadalcanal Diary moved in for the kill on “Trail of Tears,” it was musical cataclysm. Murray Attaway was especially moved and moving on this one. Maybe it was my own mist, but he looked misty-eyed.

Guadalcanal Diary accomplished a lot on their second New York City gig, especially for a band on an indie label with little exposure. Rave reviews of the album, heavy airplay for “Watusi Rodeo” and a push on their video is remedying that fast!

“Watusi Rodeo” was the rave-up of the night. Their Western influences (they did Johnny Horton, George Jones, etc.) showed on this hilarious portrait of a rodeo star doing his thing on a rhino, much to the dismay of African natives. Is this an exaggerated analogy of being a hardcore Southerner in the wilds of the North? It is culture shock for both parties.

As Jeff and Rhett said, “You can be wild in New York City and have no one give you a second glance. But once they hear a Southern accent, you’re an instant curio item.”

When I said that I thought it was a healthy trend for bands like R.E.M., Let’s Active, and themselves to stay in their hometowns instead of automatically moving to New York because of the changes it could cause in their perspective and the music, Rhett said, “I couldn’t live in New York City. It gives me claustrophobia. I think Southerners are very close to the land; very territorial. Like, my father lived his whole life in Smyrna (Georgia),” and they really want to keep the influences and change out. They would build a wall, if they could.

This was intriguing me. It was all becoming clearer: the world is changing so fast and vales are changing, too. In this modern world, the Old South seems like an ancient culture. It’s solid and secure. People like the music and are intrigued with the perspective because it’s exotic – all those snake handlers and faith healers. The Southern world seems as far away from cosmopolitan New York City as Hong Kong.

Guadalcanal Diary invites you on a trip into another world full of beauty, soul and mysticism.

Nancy Neon’s Notes: THE JACKETS’ Jack, Schmidi, and Chris Reveal the Spark That Fires Their Sound

Text by Nancy Neon / FFanzeen, Jan 2019
Images from the Internet

Kenne Highland of The Gizmos and The Boston Groupie News' Editor-at-Large explains what sets The Jackets apart from the current barrage of garage rock bands: he describes them as having "the gymnastics of the Monterey Pop era Who and Love It To Death Alice Cooper spider eyeliner, while playing The Kinks at Kelvin Hall feedback-inducing solos while crowd surfing." My introduction to The Jackets came with "Wasting My Time," 3 minutes and 53 seconds of pure Dionysian frenzy.

The band is based in Bern, Switzerland. The lineup is Jack Torera aka Jackie Bruschte on guitar and lead vocals, Samuel "Schmidi" Schmidiger on bass and vocals, and Chris Rosales, from Southern California, on drums and vocals. Jack’s and Schmidi's vocal interplay is distinctive, adding an extra layer of interest to the band's vocal arrangements. At the Cambridge, MA show, October 5, 2018, Torera's vocals were described by Jeff Kabot of The Superkools and The Downtowners as a "grittier Chrissie Hynde" or in a "Grace Slick mode.” As Michael Passman, garage maven and photographer in Austin, TX, remarked "Jack can scream!" Torera mixes up a potent elixir of rhythm and lead guitar prowess that hooks the fans. She is constantly in motion, kicking, gesticulating wildly, and even executing arabesques like a garage rock prima ballerina.

The Jackets 'songs are rebellious and defiant-Youthquaker anthems of autonomy. The Jackets cite their influences as The Music Machine, The Monks, and The MC5. The trio does deliver a kick out the jams level of impact, mixing ‘60s punk with ‘70s punk into a potent, irresistible, and addictive cocktail. I have never seen such a fierce band that is also full of good humor, high spirited fun, and full blast excitement. .No band has ever answered the "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" question so definitively-The good times are here and now with The Jackets.

Torera has a magnetic presence and binds the crowd together and pulls them into a tribal dance like a shaman. John Keegan, writer and photographer of The Boston Groupie News counted the show's highlights as "Keep Yourself Alive," "Hands Off Me," and "Freak Out.” For me, it was my first and favorite: the wild, frenetic "Wasting My Time,” the angry admonition to a bad boyfriend, "Hang Up,” the exhilarating "Don't Turn Yourself In,” and the autonomy anthem delivered as a pure punk assault, “Be Myself."

Michael Passman describes The Jackets as "raw fuzz like The Cynics, but loud like Billy Childish"(who helped make Toe Rag studios in London famous). Passman adds, "The Jackets’ record label, Voodoo Rhythm, is the best label as far as great bands go, including Jackets’ friends and tour mates, The Darts."

It has been two weeks since The Jackets show and I am still asking myself " Why did the band make me feel like a wild, uninhibited teenager again, and what made seeing The Jackets like hearing rock 'n' roll for the first time? " Mike Stax of The Loons and Ugly Things magazine responded, "The Jackets strip rock 'n' roll down to its basic, essential components. Then they build something fresh, something that is unique to their personalities and need for self-expression. It feels new because it is unique and free of cliché and gimmickry"

The Jackets’ drummer, Chris Rosales, explains the rock'n'roll kinship that brought together: The Jackets, with The Loons and The Darts with whom they toured and who helped bring The Jackets to the US,” of which Rosales says, "The connection is good ole rock and roll. As far as my connection with Mike Stax, I first met Mike when I was a regular at Greg Shaw's Cavern Club in the ‘80s. As for The Darts, we met in France a few years ago. Nicole Laurenne invited us to tour with The Darts and we just did it. Then there is the ”Little Steven Underground Garage” connection. So put that all in a pot and stir it vigorously, and that is how The Jackets came to the USA.

When asked what it was like to tour with The Jackets, Nicole, The Darts' singer, who was also brilliant and a personal fave in The Love Me Nots and Motobunny, said "Touring with the Jackets is the most comfortable, easy tour we've done to date. They are not only top-notch musicians but sweet and genuine people with a strong work ethic. They love Indian food as much as we do. We miss them so much. We know they burned Boston right to the ground." Buy The Jackets records, but absolutely do not miss experiencing them live because just as Kabot says, "Just when you thought it had all been done with three chord garage rock, The Jackets have not just reinvented it, they own it!.”



Jack Torera (guitar, vocals);"Schmidi" Schmidiger (bass);Chris Rosales (drums)  

Nancy Neon: Who or what made you want to be a singer?

Jack Torera: It was more of an accident when a friend convinced me to join their punk band when I was 19 to play guitar and sing. Shortly after that, we had a gig and it was like an explosion for me. There was this wild, raw thing that came out of me onstage that I didn't know before.

Nancy: And who influenced your vocal style?

Jack: Playing in many bands and many concerts over the years. I never had an idol or a certain style I wanted to achieve. I just do what I do in my own way and that is good.

Nancy: What artist or songwriter made you want to create your own songs?

Jack: Not a specific artist or songwriter. It was more the DIY movement and the culture from ‘60s garage punk bands... the idea that "everybody can play music" as long as it is authentic and direct from the heart. I always wanted to play my own songs. For me, that is what makes a band a real band.

Nancy: What songwriters made the most positive impact on your writing style?

Jack: A great inspiration for songwriting is Arthur Lee of Love and Sean Bonniwell of The Music Machine. I never get bored of their songs because they are varied which I like, and always sound authentic.

Nancy: Which musicians inspired you to play music?

Samuel "Schmidi" Schmidiger: I am originally a guitar player. My main guitar influences are Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, and Reverend Beat Man[Reverend Beat Man and his band The Monsters are The Jackets’ label mates on Voodoo Rhythm Records - NN]

Nancy: What bass players do you admire?

Schmidi: John Entwistle of The Who definitely inspired me as a bass player. I admire Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Robert Butler of The Untold Fables and Miracle Workers that introduced me to the world of Mosrite basses.

Nancy: How did you get your start as a drummer?

Chris Rosales: I started playing in my garage in the ‘80s. I had a record player next to my drum set turned up to the highest volume on one of those ‘70s portable record players. I would play along to The Seeds and The Doors because I was into the ‘60s garage rock revival of the ‘80s. The Seeds' drummer, Rick Andridge, had a very basic style that was easy to copy, like the beat on "Can't Seem To Make You Mine." From The Doors' drummer, John Densmore, I learned the Bossa Nova and single and double stroke drum rolls. The Sonics' drummer, Bob Bennett had a huge influence on me with the way he played that bass drum. But it was probably Ringo Starr, Mickey Dolenz, and my Dad – who was a jazz drummer in the late ‘50s – who influenced me aesthetically to want to sit behind a band and play drums.

Nancy: The Loons and The Darts helped bring The Jackets to the US. You are also tight with The Woogles and have recently toured with them. How did you get hooked up with The Woogles?

Chris: I met The Woogles in the early 2000s in Switzerland when I was playing in the Get Lost with members of The Miracle Workers [The Miracle Workers had their debut album, Inside Out on Bomp! Records and were based in Portland, OR and in Los Angeles, CA – NN] The Get Lost played a few gigs with The Woogles and we hit it off. I also got to know their drummer, Dan Electro while I was producing a podcast in the 2000's on the garagepunk.com network where he was also a podcaster.