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parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the conscious-expanding sounds of aural shaman JIMI HENDRIX! perfect for our 100TH EPISODE!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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parodies by nacrowe
join us tonight at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the criminally under-appreciated singer-songwriter HARRY NILSSON.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
much like listening to one of his classic songs from the 1960s heyday of CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, JOHN FOGERTY's memoir FORTUNATE SON (LITTLE BROWN AND COMPANY, 2015) has an authentic hand-made, earnest and straightforward fell to it that belies an attention to craft despite its relative unadorned, plainspoken nature. sometimes with legacy artists you wonder who their audience is given that they are reliving, and us through their words, their salad days. some are attempting to recast their career in a new critical light (cough, cough, PETE TOWNSEND) while others are explaining their life experiences and shedding light on those that paved the way (KEITH RICHARDS and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's memoirs are great examples of such). i would put this memoir in the later category, the music of FOGERTY is and integral part of the greater musical narrative of AMERICAN CULTURE and his greatness as a preeminent songwriter precedes itself.
and i wanted to get that legacy out of the way early in this entry. my biggest takeaway about FOGERTY from this book outside of a clearer appreciation for his suffering caused by being exploited by one of the most famously lopsided deals in music industry history, as well as the repeated betrayal of his bandmates (including his older brother TOM); outside of those things what comes across is his passion for the folk traditions of AMERICAN CULTURE. maybe that comes from growing up poor in a crowded divorced household in the NORTHERN CALIFORNIA nowheresville of EL CERRITO where images of DAVY CROCKETT and the old WILD WEST of the 1800s spurred an imagination prone to escapism. it may have come from film and TV serials and songs his mother would sing to him in early childhood or family lakeside trips when his parents were still together. for whatever reason that APPALACHIAN musical tradition (COUNTRY, HILLBILLY and FOLK MUSIC) had a profound influence on the themes and texture of the songs he wrote and performed in CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL and beyond. it goes without saying also that the cross-pollination of such with the BLUES that brought on GOSPEL-influenced DOO WOP and R&B and later early ROCKABILLY and ROCK N ROLL all found its way in the melting pot within his wild imagination. the fact that he became part of that great tradition for him is one of the great joys of his career. an example of such is related when he speaks about the common misinterpretation of "there's a bad moon on the rise" line in the song "BAD MOON RISING" which has been repeatedly misidentified as "there's a bathroom on the right." he states that because it is so commonly heard that way for so many years that in concert at least half the time he uses the bathroom line. he's in on it and gets it and celebrates it. i found that beyond charming. and for me this memoir is really about that passion for AMERICAN MUSICAL TRADITIONS. unfortunately the vehicle he used to gain notoriety had a TRAGIC HERO-esque flaw, he was surrounded by unscrupulous opportunists at his record label as well as within his own band. FOGERTY states matter-of-factly that the worst thing that ever happened to CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL was THE BEATLES, since everyone in the band thought could be in THE FAB FOUR. there is this longstanding fantasy amongst audiences that bands are democracies. that each contribute to the total success of the bands creative output. this is the exception, not the rule. FOGERTY was CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL. he wrote the songs, largely oversaw the production of their records, even managed them. it was his singular focus, drive and creative ambition that made them a success. this created a dynamic where the others became jealous of his stature and reputation. and that was the downfall of the band and it had long-lasting consequences on FOGERTY in terms of his relationships, sobriety, and mental/physical well being. it took him years to get out of that ever expanding spiral of shit that seemed to consume and drag him under. the fact that his bandmates, long after their breakup, seemed willing to sell their soul to the record company that exploited them all just compounded the tragedy here. it was literally FOGERTY against them all. i appreciate that FOGERTY wrote his memoir after he came to terms with record label and former bandmates. and by that i dont mean legally, but just in terms of their hold on his spiritual real estate. such was instead pushed aside by the efforts and unbridled love and loyalty of his second wife JULIE. it would almost sound corny to hear of their love story (with FOGERTY crying during an early date watching CINDERELLA with his wive's child from a previous marraige) if you didn't understand the level of loneliness and psychic detachment this man suffered. its all instead very touching. i thought this was a very affecting memoir and really played the balance of well of focusing on the depth of his suffering while also showcasing the efforts of those who embraced him unconditionally and ultimately brought him around to see himself of being worthy of such love. i highly recommend this memoir to anyone interested in CLASSIC ROCK or 20th CENTURY AMERICAN CULTURE in general. also you really get a sense of the IAGO-lke depts of greed and inhumane depravity that is SAUL ZAENTZ and his immoral colluders at FANTASY RECORDS. may they be reviled evermore. amen. 
photo & text by nacrowe
im writing this review having completed the book on election night 2020 still unsure of how we proceed as a nation. we are at a crossroads that very much reflects our where we are as a nation and what we value. it very much feels like the soul of AMERICA is up for grabs, or whatever is left after four years of TRUMP.
its interesting because these are the types of all-or-nothing existential stakes that inform the songwriting perspective of legendary musician and NEW JERSEY's favorite son, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN as expressed in his autobiography BORN TO RUN (SIMON & SCHUSTER, 2016). he is one of those unique songwriters that is able to collapse the personal into the political without diminishing either, in fact their collision empowers the music with a definite edge that marks his best work in the tradition of BOB DYLAN, PETE SINGER, HANK WILLIAMS and others in the FOLK and early COUNTRY narrative traditions. but make no mistake he is also a ROCK AND ROLL lifer, part of a generation that was old enough to be of age for the BRITISH INVASION and appreciate the BLUES forebears that preceded (when they were still alive and touring late career), as well as take not of later revolutions like the PUNKS, HIP HOP and beyond. there is a definite narrative to his music that parallels that of his family, his relationships, his evolving sense of national and masculine identity and his status as an AMERICAN. what i take from this book is his preternatural ability to self-evaluate and have the confidence and courage to trust his sense of self. that compass doesnt always do him well, flawed as it is by a self-identity plagued and complicated by a childhood marked with a absentee father prone to fits of outburst and isolation. this left a son that was left to believe that love and affection were conditional and needed to be earned. it almost feels like a metaphor for the payoff of performance in general. what i admire is his ability to look inside and write about themes and people he knew, making organic connections with a local NEW JERSEY audience. throughout BORN TO RUN he acknowledges his limitations as a vocalist but such only motivated him to double down on his craft with blue collar workmanlike zeal. his success was earned with blood and sweat. now full disclosure: i live in NEW JERSEY. i am a child of CALIFORNIA and have lived abroad for more than a decade (NIGERIA, KUWAIT, ALBANIA, MYANMAR, CYPRUS, VENEZUELA and JAPAN), but since the age of twelve the only geographical constant were the summers i spent staying with relatives along the JERSEY SHORE and later relocated to LONG BRANCH and MIDDLETOWN. it just so happens that such are ground-zero for the story of SPRINGSTEEN. i have cousins that have lived in FREEHOLD and SEA BRIGHT and have had coworkers and friends that had apartments in NEPTUNE CITY, BRADLEY BEACH, BELMAR and ASBURY PARK. for me one of the great pleasures of this book, much like reading or learning about local film director KEVIN SMITH, is learning the history of my adopted home of NEW JERSEY. for me SPRINGSTEEN is a shaman who slips out beyond the ether and through mysterious sets of divinations produces tangible visions of ourselves as a nation, worts and all, set to a melody. it is a service he continues to provide. we are riding copilot with the king, the boss, as he circumnavigates our national psyche and the complicated emotions that abound. he provides a sense of a better future while taking not of the very real NOW. on election day with a future undetermined his work feels more relevant than ever. everything is up for grabs. all the marbles. just like his music. this is a phenomenally crafted book that is among the better written autobiographies by a musician that i have ye to come across. there is a lyrical bent to his prose that is deeply personal and right up there with that of LIFE by KEITH RICHARDS (review linked HERE). BORN TO RUN is definitely worth your time and investment, even if you are not an adopted son of NEW JERSEY. 
photo & text by nacrowe
legendary songwriter, musician and THE WHO creative visionary PETE TOWNSHEND is a hard one to pin down, especially after having read his memoir WHO I AM (HARPER COLLINS, 2012). on one hand he is on a shortlist of songwriters (others being JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, MICK JAGGER, KEITH RICHARDS and RAY DAVIES) that sparked the BRITISH INVASION in earnest and permanently transformed music in the ENGLISH speaking world in the 1960s. the scope and naked literary ambition of his rock operas including TOMMY and QUADROPHENIA sought to expand the concept of an album beyond a collection of songs that no doubt found adherents in everyone from PINK FLOYD to GREEN DAY. genius is thrown around quite a bit these days, but arguably the creative output by TOWNSHEND makes his case for him.
on the other hand he comes off repeatedly like a stuffy, pretentious, self-obsessed, pedantic, domineering asshole who literally goes on for hundreds of pages about the relevance of his solo albums and half-baked musical theater projects and, most damningly gives little to no space in this book to his bandmates. not to mention this mindset also led him to rationalize dumb decisions that led to his 2003 arrest for charges i wont go into. i don't know what to make of his devotion to ZOROASTRIAN mystic MEHER BABAR, who claimed to be god in human form. all i can say is that TOWNSHEND is a supremely gifted silly person, makes total sense why in later life he identified so much with BILLY CORGAN. full disclosure: i am familiar with the main records by THE WHO, but by and large i am a bigger fan of their contemporaries THE BEATLES and THE KINKS. not even close. not trying to take anything away from TOWNSHEND's achievements, but all the same just wanted to let you know where my biases lie. it would seem that most readers are searching for something beyond the recounting of events or achievements when consuming a memoir. they are looking for some insight into he mindset of the subject. TOWNSHEND painfully sets up his narrative by talking about the pain and isolation of being part of the post-WWII generation that had to break away from parents who, understandably, sought safety in conformity and limited ambitions after nearly being obliterated by the NAZIS abroad and at home. i would have loved for him to go into how his lyrical and musical content was impacted by such. his father was in a big band and TOWNSHEND as a child spent summers watching him play at beachside gigs for tourists. how did that affect his view of the audience/performer divide? was he jaded or excited by the act of performing? there are so many enticing nuggets he throws out there only to be disregarded in a never-ending avalanche of details about real estate, money, cars and boats and will-he-or-wont-he get divorced that just drag on and on and on. for me this memoir unfortunately suffered from his ego, which he fully admits is huge, since it seems he is trying to settle for posterity his role in THE WHO and the history of western music in the 20th century. don't get me wrong, he's there as a prominent creative and deservedly so, but by denying the reader anything interesting concerning his bandmates or collaborators just diminishes the power of his own personal glory, which is undoubtedly his goal in this book. i also found his need throughout the book to root the value of his work by the judgement of ROCK CRITICS to be lame, especially when he would throw demos at them for feedback. the fact that he also contributed considerable funds to build the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME is beyond pathetic. who gives a shit what JANN WERNER and his enablers think is good music. nobody cares about the ROCK HALL or THE ROLLING STONE magazine. good i got that out. overall, this book was a bit of a disappointment. if you are looking to get an insight into the BRITISH INVASION era or rock history in general, i would highly suggest you consider KEITH RICHARD's excellent LIFE (LITTLE BROWN & CO, 2010) memoir (review linked HERE) which both recognizes the efforts of unsung and forgotten heroes (i.e. sideman) of ROCK AN ROLL and also soberly waxes poetic about the evolution of the form from a knowledgeable firsthand perspective. 
parodies by nacrowe
tonight's new episode of DEER GOD RADIO at 8PM EST on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC is all about the expansive, singular, psychedelic, epoch-defining music of JIMI HENDRIX.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!
photo manipulation by nacrowe
HELLO CLEVELAND!
arguably the greatest parody film of all-time and the most painful for touring musicians to watch. i can't even count the amount of musicians in interviews i've read who namecheck this film as the most painful thing they've ever seen. SLASH himself said that THIS IS SPINAL TAP (MGM, 1984) ruined an entire GUNS N' ROSES tour for him since it hit the mark with such precision. where this film excels is in its mocking of the utter ridiculousness of nearly all forward-facing aspects of ROCK N ROLL, everything from album covers, lyrics, gear, stage set design to JESUS-complex surrounding musicians that drank the kool-aid on their image. in my estimation all the classic lines of this film have that core ribbing as its moral center. i remember once GENE SIMMONS saying that all bands (at the time he was referencing the then-current GRUNGE bands out of SEATTLE) were in the KISS business. they all sold records and merchandise. such is true. no matter how "serious" or "artistic" your band is and no matter how respected they are by those whose opinion carries sway, at the end of the day you are a product that is being sold. THIS IS SPINAL TAP showcases a band that didn't get that memo and seemingly trample over every fault-line a band has to negotiate throughout their recording and touring cycles. having been around musicians in studios to some extent, the ridiculous nature of it all has never been lost on me. that is what makes it compelling and not part of the straight world. the music is also classic. its obvious they are mocking specifically post-OZZY BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE and late 70s/early 80s METAL in general with their silly set designs and focus on the macabre. but my favorite song in the movie is their send-up of BRITISH INVASION-era songwriting in "GIMME SOME MONEY." never fails to make me smile. classic movie with classic lines that still stings its subjects. quite an accomplishment. 
parodies by nacrowe
i always feel like when you are listening to ROCK AND ROLL of any genre or era, inevitably all roads lead you to AC/DC. their sound is stripped of anything superfluous and just hits you over the head with the grace of a sledgehammer. to me it is the very essence of BLUES-based ROCK AND ROLL. i mean what more can you say that hasn't already been said about MALCOLM YOUNG (R.I.P) and his sublime rhythm guitar playing. it feels like he invented the notion of playing in the pocket. if you only listened to their grooves it'd be worth the price of admission alone, but on top of that you have ANGUS YOUNG and his legendary crafty lead work that never seems extraneous. BON SCOTT, BRIAN JOHNSON, i mean come on.
again, straight-up ROCK AND ROLL done absolutely right. no chaser. what more do you need on a thursday? past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, and THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW are available here at the DEER GOD website. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
with the advent of YOUTUBE there is a whole host of record producers that realized maybe the salad days of the recording industry are over and that one possible new avenue for revenue is creating videos about music production. producers RICK BEATO and WARREN HUART both come to mind immediately as they utilize their trained ears to inform the public about things like composition, tracking, mixing, panning and the various tricks of producing professional, well-recorded music.
i'll leave BEATO for another entry, focusing instead on an impressive sub-series HUART conducted on his PRODUCE LIKE A PRODUCER YOUTUBE channel where he interviewed prominent producers about noteworthy records they produced. this sub-series was called INSIDE THE SONG. the majority of what HUART does on his channel are long-form videos about the innards of recording studios and why owners chose various outboard gear and how producers go about utilizing such. the INSIDE THE SONG series is more accessible to a non-techie crowd and gets into how songs evolved throughout the recording process and what particular techniques are favored by each producer/engineer at the time. you also really get the sense of the amount of play involved in recording and how ideas evolve over time. super interesting stuff even if you are not a confirmed studio rat. especially such if you are a music junkie like i am. participants to date include producers/engineers DAVE JERDEN (JANE'S ADDICTION, ALICE IN CHAINS), MICHAEL BEINHHORN (SOUNDGARDEN, MARILYN MANSON), ULRICH WILD (STATIC-X), BRADLEY COOK (FOO FIGHTERS), SHELLY YAKUS (TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS, BLUE OYSTER CULT) and JACK DOUGLAS (AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK). definitely worth watching. 
photo & text by nacrowe
so when i think of extroverted ROCK AND ROLL showmen, the first two names i think of are DAVID LEE ROTH and the STARCHILD himself, PAUL STANLEY of KISS. if you have never heard his legendary epic "rock talk" rants in-between songs compiled in the very unofficial compilation PEOPLE, LET ME GET THIS OFF MY CHEST (linked below), do yourself a favor check that out. OH. MY. GOD. that and watching NORM MACDONALD clips on youtube are the only things guaranteed to bring me out of a bad mood.
STANLEY is pure kinetic energy and the ultimate frontman, as he seemingly has no bounds to his enthusiasm in the high church of ROCK AND ROLL. admittedly i am closet KISS fan, as anyone that knows me will attest. where others see a bunch of talentless charlatans, i see true believers in the redeeming power of music... plus they blow shit up. there is nothing deeper to explore in their music. LOVE GUN is what it sounds like, a song about his dick. and why not? so when i went about reading his memoir FACE THE MUSIC: A LIFE EXPOSED (HARPER COLLINS, 2014) i was at first taken aback but then quickly understood that as a child STANLEY was a nice little JEWISH boy from QUEENS that was painfully introverted. this was due to his being born with a congenital defect called MICROTIA that left him without a right ear, essentially giving him no peripheral hearing or ability to triangulate distance. the idea that through sheer will he became an influential musician just speaks to his drive. and for me that is the secret of KISS and their merchandising empire. along with GENE SIMMONS who likewise grew up in QUEENS an immigrant ISREALI who was made fun of for his accent during his childhood, you really get the sense that music and shameless self-promotion was their meal ticket out of NYC and unto bigger stages. were their songs good? meh. one thing i appreciate about this memoir is when STANLEY openly admits when their songs were shit, specifically whole swathes of the 1980s. i dont think i have ever read another musician be that dismissive of his own work in a memoir before. even SIMMONS stands by MUSIC FROM "THE ELDER" and other schlock they crapped out during those stale years. i appreciate that honesty. are there problems with this memoir? of course. MISOGYNY and NARCISSISM are pretty rampant and unchecked throughout this book. i don't know if he truly understands how full of himself he comes off at times. and his talk of sexual conquests is just as boring and disgusting as in SIMMONS memoir, but i guess that was the time and place. i wasn't there thankfully so i don't know. an aspect i really enjoyed was all the mudslinging at on-again/off-again original members PETER CRISS and ACE FREHLEY. he goes to great lengths to dismiss the basic "dog tricks" CRISS performs as drumming during their reunion gigs, not to speak of his inability to stand up for himself and hid behind his rotating array of wives. FREHLEY, much as in SIMMONS' book, comes off as a lazy drunk that had talent but wasted it. i sense some admiration of sorts deep down there but ultimately a resigned frustration at someone that did not share his drive or need to push his gift to his limits. SIMMONS gets pegged as a self-promoting charlatan who takes credit for the work of others, namely the business prowess of STANLEY and their manager. STANLEY views himself as someone that found happiness and joy in his second marriage and the redemptive power of children. ultimately he hopes for the same for SIMMONS. this book was probably 100 pages too long and it drags in places, but i thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading FREHLEY's book where i hear he rebuts STANLEY and SIMMONS about their claims of his supposed laziness and ANTI-SEMITISM. can't wait. 
parodies by nacrowe
given that the next DEER GOD RADIO show on SUNDAY MAY 24TH at 8PM EST on MAKERARKRADIO.NYC will be celebrating the BRITISH INVASION, it seemed as good a time as ever to revisit a show six months back that was dedicated to the musical and cultural legacy of THE BEATLES.
really what can be added that hasn't already been said about them? all i can come up with is that whenever i feel jaded about art or music, like everything has already been done before (and better!), i just go back and revisit the music of the FAB FOUR and i am taken aback anew by how fresh it still sounds more than half a century later. its still startling. any era of the band. still hard to believe they were only together 8 years. reading books, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts over the years it seems i can never learn too much about the group. their personal failures, political naivety and even trend jumping only adds to their mystique since (as i've said before) they did everything better than everyone else. anyway, enough of all that. enjoy THE BEATLES. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
ECHO IN THE CANYON (MIRROR FILMS, 2019) is a documentary about the mid 1960s LAUREL CANYON scene located just outside the SUNSET STRIP in the hills above LOS ANGELES that served as a sanctuary to FOLK-inspired ROCK AND ROLL musicians. musician JAKOB DYLAN of THE WALLFLOWERS conducts the interviews with luminaries such as BRIAN WILSON, ROGER MCQUINN, DAVID CROSBY, RINGO STARR, ERIC CLAPTON, GRAHAM NASH, STEPHEN STILLS, TOM PETTY, JOHN SEBASTIAN, MICHELLE PHILLIPS, LOU ADLER, JACKSON BROWNE and most compellingly, reinterprets the songs himself of BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD, THE BEACH BOYS, THE BYRDS and THE ASSOCIATION with a roster of modern musicians including FIONA APPLE, CAT POWER, BECK, JADE CASTRINOS and NORAH JONES. as i will discuss shortly, this continuing of the cycle of interpretation and experimentation is a genius stroke as that passing of ideas is at the core of how the scene developed and was nurtured by artists back in the day. very cool stuff indeed.
what i found most interesting about this period of music history was the atmosphere of experimentation that defined it with songwriters cross-pollination and contextualizing the sounds of peers in new concoctions, moving everyone forward together. prime example: THE BEATLES inspired THE BYRDS to take FOLK chord progressions and play them in a ROCK AND ROLL setting, which found them reinterpreting PETE SEEGER in a cover of his "THE BELLES OF RHYMNEY" which, in turn, influenced GEORGE HARRISON to interpolate that chord progression and 12-string RICKENBACKER sound in "IF I NEEDED SOMEBODY." just a cycle of ideas being ping-ponged back in forth across the pond by like-minded artists. 
and for me that is the crux of any healthy scene, irrespective of outside distractions like business, fashion and aesthetics. at its core this scene nurtured artists to spread their wings and take chances. as BECK points out in the film, this may be why most of these bands have multiple singers and songwriters. they are in fact supergroups in a sense channeling the best of what they have to contribute. just take the songwriters in two of the most prominent groups: BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD (NEIL YOUNG, STEPHEN STILLS), THE BYRDS (ROGER MCQUINN, DAVID CROSBY). its pretty amazing they stuck together as long as they did.
its a complete 180 now in terms of the media landscape where artists are afraid of being explicit about their influences for fear of being sued in the aftermath of the 2013 PHARRELL/ROBIN THICKE case concerning an interpolation of a MARVIN GAYE song. or maybe im wrong in that, maybe with the internet there is a bevy of experimentation going on beneath the surface, producers trading files with musicians and rappers, songs being remixed, ideas being shared in the same way those house parties in LAURAL CANYON helped spark such a rich tapestry of music from 1965-1967 at the outset of that scene (including others not interviewed like FRANK ZAPPA, JONI MITCHELL and JIM MORRISON) which obviously blossomed in the 1970s with acts such as CAROLE KING, JACKSON BROWNE and FLEETWOOD MAC among othes. something to consider. great film. 
parody by nacrowe
given his recent health issues and the very real likelihood that his touring days are now in the rearview mirror, i would like to revisit an early radio show i did back in JULY 2018 dedicated to the contributions of OZZY OSBOURNE, both as a solo artist and as a member of the genre-defining juggernaut that was BLACK SABBATH.
this man has brought so much joy to me and a lot of other people to such an extent that its hard to even put into words. just the butterfly effect brought about by this one musician is staggering. his influence on modern music cannot be overstated. i have future playlists already created that highlight the myriad of sub-genres of METAL, but perhaps the show i am most looking forward to is one dedicated to the participating bands on the now-discontinued OZZFEST traveling music festival he spearheaded in the late 1990s and early 2000s. great memories from my formative years there. much love OZZY. thank you so much. and if you have any interest in the fight against PARKINSONS, here is a link for ways you can get involved with the AMERICAN PARKINSONS DISEASE ASSOCIATION. 
photo & text by nacrowe
to say KISS is controversial is putting it mildly. virtually all my friends HATE this band and everything they stand for: crass commercialism, misogyny, dubious musical ability and heavy reliance on gimmicks. these points are all well taken, but my response has long been that unlike most bands, KISS are unapologetic about who they are, including all those aforementioned attributes. they aren't even concerned with mercurial things like authenticity or artistic credibility, they just want your money and to out-perform and entertain every band on any bill ever. ironically, you could even say they have a very working-class mentality despite their reputation. dare i say DIY PUNK ROCK ethic?
in fact, in his memoir KISS AND MAKE-UP (THREE RIVERS PRESS, 2001), GENE SIMMONS basically recounts his upbringing, career choices and life philosophy and sees about reminding other rock bands that everyone is in the KISS business. and for me that is the main takeaway of this book. all bands have an image that they are selling and every time they sell related merchandise (apparel, posters, etc.), they are inherently in the branding business. maybe KISS takes it to another level selling everything from condoms to caskets, but essentially its the same concept. a lot of this concern with money and capitalism can no doubt be traced to SIMMONS tight-knit upbringing by his single mother of HUNGARIAN JEWISH descent who was the survivor of her family from a concentration camp during the HOLOCAUST. they had little money and few prospects in ISRAEL, where SIMMONS was born and he oddly enough grew up isolated and obsessed with TV and especially AMERICAN culture. at 8 he immigrated to NYC and settled with his mother in QUEENS where he stumbled initially being fluent in the AMERICAN dialect, despite being fluent in 4 other languages. the torment of those years of being called slow and stupid by other kids for his speaking skills certainly contributed to his combative psyche and he makes no bones about the fact to him, money is purely a conduit to power and influence. an interesting thing about SIMMONS throughout the book is his disregard for the wider ROCK AND ROLL community. in his mind he was and always will be an outsider. he went to shows not to bask in the glory of the songs ore the communal atmosphere of the audience, but rather to take notes on set design, lights and stagecraft. there was no big message they were attempting to convey or specific consciousness they wished to express, which is incredibly interesting given the revolutionary ethos of the counter culture that has come to define rock music from ELVIS to NIRVANA. there is always a push and pull with culture that pushes the limits of what is acceptable in polite society. KISS in this respect is as shallowly corporate as PEPSI or DISNEY. they are completely populist in that they serve the audience they seek, which is the widest possible. i just find it interesting, and not in a pejorative way, that someone could be so completely fixated on extracting financial benefits rather than thinking of other intangibles as legacy or cultural influence. it is fascinating to me because ROCK AND ROLL is the bastion of social misfits and experimenters and SIMMONS isolated upbringing should have promoted such. instead he made artistic choices based on popularity, such as his work with people like CHER, MICHAEL BOLTON, DESMOND CHILDS, etc. fascinating book in that regard. the lecherous sex stuff as well as the infighting between band members bored me to no end. this book would not pass muster in the #METOO era since women are just used and discarded like tissue paper throughout his story. there seemed to be some cognitive dissonance between this behavior and his adoration and hopes for the future with the birth of his daughter. that was confusing. again, interesting read and recommended for anyone looking for a completely unique look at music not as a vehicle for expression, but financial gain. good luck. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
if you do anything creative (not that i am claiming to be such), there will come a point at which you feel like you've cornered yourself into a pattern and can't get out of self-imposed rut. during my teaching career this was something i was aware of an constantly attempting to shift from, even though the smart thing to do would have been to codify my plans and never experiement or stray away from that which worked before. sadly most successful educators i came across in the field did the later and not the former, which is partly why i am still so down on the profession.
maybe i blame CAPTAIN BEEFHEART. he is the ultimate tinkerer and was a gifted multi-instrumentalist/composer that is renowned for his solo recordings and vague association with FRANK ZAPPA and his merry band of musical freaks back in the 1960s and 70s. the dude was attuned to what was going on in the FREE JAZZ and AVANT-GARDE worlds as well as the then-current BLUES-based BRITISH INVASION-influenced music of the time. but he was unconventional. he was constantly messing with the formula. on his renowned TROUT MASK REPLICA (STRAIGHT RECORDS, 1969), which quite honestly is required listening for any music fan of any genre, he had his band play instruments they weren't familiar with in order to garner an "unbiased sound." in my family calling anyone "unbiased," whether they be a politician or critic, means they are unbiased by previous knowledge or in other words, completely clueless. i like to think that i strive for an unbiased opinion as much as possible diving into things i wasn't trained or schooled in, such as photo manipulation or video editing. when i was teaching i would have a skillset i was attempting to impart and would attempt to think of new ways that would benefit my students as well as me intellectually. remember, i taught in unfamiliar places such as MYANMAR, VENEZUELA, ALBANIA and JAPAN and i know from feedback over the years that that my former students enjoyed teaching me about their culture. to me those experiences are invaluable but would not have been possible without accepting and giving in to my ignorance. to that i thank and blame CAPTAIN BEEFHEART. his music as well as its production was unique and no doubt influenced countless musicians since such as JOHN FRUSCIANTE, DEVO, PJ HARVEY, THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, SONIC YOUTH, PRIMUS, THE RESIDENTS, MARS VOLTA, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and FAUST among many, many other freaks. 
photo manipulation by nacarowe
its funny how with everyone wearing beanies these days it almost looks like a scene out of the classic animated film THE POINT! (MURAKAMI-WOLF PRODUCTIONS, 1971). its even more interesting given that the children's film deals with themes related to identity and conformity, main character OBLIO wearing his unique cone-shaped hat to hide the fact that he doesn't have a pointed head like all the others in the POINTED VILLAGE.
this film was the brainchild of criminally underrated songwriter HARRY NILSSON and director FRED WOLF (ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS, DUCKTALES, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON), who both co-wrote the screenplay, and boasts an incredible list of voice actors that includes RINGO STARR, DUSTIN HOFFMAN, ALAN THICKE as well as various others that worked on everything from ROCKY & BULLWINKLE to THE BRADY BUNCH. im fascinated by films from the 1970s in general because it was the initial period when the creative albatross known as the production code was pretty much a thing of the past and with it the last remnants of the STUDIO SYSTEM. it also predated modern marketing (we can thank STEVEN SPIELBERG and GEORGE LUCAS for that - JAWS, STAR WARS, E.T.) so what you get is creatives taking on interesting projects without later shackles of focus groups, marketing strategies and the pressure of cross-platform media promotion. the stakes were lower but the products churned out were unique. now i originally saw this as a child and what hooked me then as well as now is the music. unlike DISNEY films, past and present, these songs are genuinely haunting and very much evoke the loneliness and desperation of OBLIO as he goes about his journey with his pet ARROW to find his point, because by law everyone must have a point. NILSSON had such a tender, lilting quality to his voice and the songs are just powerful. i remember them hitting me very hard as a child, with lines about teardrops falling into the ocean and being eaten by fishes that were eaten by other fishes, who in turn was swallowed by a whale who grew so old, he decomposed. blew my mind. lyrically its very out there and very much the result of a unique songwriter given full control at the height of his powers. i also love the message that you don't need a point to exist. such a deep movie that is far superior to the drivel thrown our way by DISNEY and the like. i cannot recommend this film any more passionately. its a favorite from my pre-elementary years and is compelling for both young and young-at-heart audiences. 
guilty as charged
photo & text by nacrowe
written at the turn of the millennium in a jovial, conversational style in first person, WHITE LINE FEVER: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY (CITADEL PRESS, 2002) by legendary MOTÖRHEAD frontman LEMMY KILMISTER is an engaging look back at a most interesting career in music and the legend's almost ZELIG-like ability to be connected to various cultural movements and figures over the years.
i would like to get the drawbacks of this book out of the way before i go all fanboy, because obviously the draw of reading this is to learn more about one of my all-time favorite bands, who really cemented the attitude of PUNK ROCK in a more technical METAL landscape, even if he was a precursor that ultimately transcended both scenes. the tone of the book feels like you are in the presence of a great storyteller at the end of a bar drag on about his life and the reasons for past decisions to date. this is a double-edged construction for a book since all bases are covered chronologically but can come off a bit forced and repetitive at times, especially give the life of a successful musician with the requisite recording and live performance schedules. about halfway through this book i had a good idea of how the trajectory of his narrative was going to pan out and the book didn't disappoint, which was unfortunate as you want the reader to not be lulled into boredom by being predictable. which is odd given the subject of this book. KILMISTER led an anything but normal life, even by ROCK AND ROLL standards. he was an ENGLISHMAN who grew up primarily in WALES to a single-mother and grew up in the 60s scene where he was able to see THE BEATLES pre-fame at the CAVERN CLUB, roadied for JIMI HENDRIX and found himself a part of the 70s PROG ROCK culture fronting HAWKWIND before ultimately venturing out with the PUNK/METAL juggernaut MOTÖRHEAD for the rest of his life. while this book does provide some interesting asides and stories about his upbringing and friends, famous and not, throughout his life, the tone of this book feels like that of a ROLLING STONE in the BLUES sense, in that he doesn't seem to stick too long to any subject before moving on to something else. this includes losing friends (and even a lover from his youth) to heroin. heroin is a drug he acknowledges despising because it took so many of his peers but often instead of diving deeper he glibly goes on about getting on with his life. on one hand you get the sense that you are listening to the ultimate ROCK AND ROLL survivor, but it feels like a lost opportunity in that these disappointments are what inform his decisions and trajectory as a major cultural figure for over 30 years (at the point of publication). as a reader i wouldn't mind if more attention were paid to such instead of giving it the same care as his many screeds against cliche fair like record companies and concert promotes. thats my gripe. i wish this book had been a bit more in depth on his life but really, this is his book to have written the way he wanted. i don't think this is the definitive MOTÖRHEAD book but i look forward to reading such when it is ultimately written. 
BOOK REVIEW | "THE HARD STUFF: DOPE, CRIME, THE MC5 & MY LIFE OF IMPOSSIBILITIES" BY WAYNE KRAMER12/16/2019 
photo & text by nacrowe
the MC5 was an explosive, powerhouse DETROIT rock outfit that both infused revolutionary politics with an unbridled, kinetic energy that made good on the promise of the recent BRITISH INVASION. if anything, their sound was the answer to how AMERICA does BLUES-based ROCK AND ROLL and paved the way for THE STOOGES, NEW YORK DOLLS and PUNK ROCK in general. kick out the jams, indeed!
and essentially that is the starting point for legendary guitarist WAYNE KRAMER's stellar memoir THE HARD STUFF (DA CAPO, 2018). while this book does dive deep into his career and cultural influence, its focus is far more concerned on how his experiences in federal prison in the 70s on drug charges informed his politics surrounding social justice and drug policy. first off i want to say that this memoir is remarkably well-written. cogent, thoughtful and very direct. in particular, his description of the lost promise and debasement of DETROIT from its post-WWII peak as an economic and industrial juggernaut to its steady fall from grace and how such affected long-simmering race relations (due to racist labor practices and union self-dealing) was artfully written. KRAMER expertly provides a vivid firsthand eyewitness account at the DETROIT riots of 1967 and how they were fueled by race resentment fear and resulted in a further distancing of the races by the subsequent WHITE FLIGHT to the suburbs, leaving the urban center destitute and long-suffering. you really get a sense of how destabilizing and demoralizing such was in the psyche of a young idealist. it basically set up DETROIT as a political metaphor for the 60s idealism and the frustrating limits of the AMERICAN DREAM, the very chaotic backdrop by which the revolutionary politics of the MC5 were born. the mismanagement of the MC5 and their inability to make good on their promise, for a variety of factors both external and internal, resulted in a career that flat-lined, which saw KRAMER fall into the seedy drug underworld of DETROIT that had shifted markedly from the late 60s into the 70s. if anything it became more corporate and opiates had taken over. his decent into a series of bad choices involving relationships, drugs and money resulted in KRAMER going to federal prison in KENTUCKY for a period in the mid 70s. a central argument from this book is the nature of recovery and rehabilitation and how such is seeded in hope. from his vantage point incarceration should be a place of providing opportunities and hope for inmates largely not equipped to function on the outside within the usual guardrails. they need assistance and providing them fear and discouragement only fuels their unsuccessful reintroduction to mainstream society upon gaining back their freedom. its hard not to see the WAR ON DRUGS as a colossal failure. this testimonial only one more drop in that ever-growing bucket. i just don't see MIDDLE AMERICA ever waking up from their slumber and seeming existential fear of the other. we need empathy and that is basically his realization. he caused damage from his choices and all he can do now is help others in this moment when possible. not in the future. now. this centering of the locus of control in his mind from longstanding macro structural failures of the AMERICAN political and economic apparatus (that the MC5 fought against) to making good personal decisions in the moment is quite the narrative arc. excellent read that i would recommend to anyone interested in the 1960s counterculture, PUNK ROCK, free jazz, revolutionary politics or rehabilitation. 
photo & text by nacrowe
i found the recent memoir RECKLESS: MY LIFE AS A PRETENDER (ANCHOR BOOKS 2016) by CHRISSIE HYNDE of THE PRETENDERS-fame to be quite an affecting read. not so much because of her deftly-articulated descriptive accounts of growing up working-class in the midwest and watching the landscape, economy and culture shift around her or even her ZELIG-like ability to be in the center of the hurricane for culturally significant events (KENT STATE shootings, center of UK PUNK explosion).
what really caught my imagination with this book was her emotional distance from her own narrative. i don't want to make too much of this but it would seem that she has persevered through several traumatic events including the aforementioned shooting, sexual abuse and the untimely deaths of her friends, peers and band-mates. the perspective of this story seems to be one of a survivor unemotionally stating events or at most commenting on them from a remote perspective, which seems odd. as a male reader, i don't want to project any expectations of how a survivor of trauma should behave, as that is not my place. all i am saying is that it was something i noticed and found interesting. i think what made this seeming omission that more glaring was the fact that this book pours an exorbitant amount of energy into describing her relationship with drugs. in fact, this book seems to be a cautionary tale about narcotics and how they effected her and those closest to her. to me this was probably the dullest aspect of the book, but i can see how it was vital in relaying her story as it was the basis for many interactions in various locales. as a reader and a fan of her music my interest was more in the relationships she had with band members, past and present, but seemingly the story ends after the second PRETENDERS album and sparingly little about her work with PETA or any advocacy work thereafter. the same for her relationship with RAY DAVIES. i suppose exposing one's relationship with drugs is one thing, but delving into complicated adult relationships is another. that was a missed opportunity in mind opinion, but most likely a deliberate one. my sense of HYNDE from reading her memoir is that she is a fiercely independent artist who takes risks aware but unencumbered by potential consequences. i can only imagine the chutzpah needed to leave AKRON for LONDON and making your way alone. it is more than remarkable. the fact that she collaborated with such a formidable list of musicians (MARK MOTHERSBAUGH, THE CLASH, THE DAMNED, etc.) during their formative years is a testament to her eye for talent and maybe just serendipity for being at the right place at the right time. the idea that her story may not resonate in a post-#METOO environment may also speak to her not wanting sympathy, or worse excuses, for her decisions or unfortunate situations she's encountered as a young woman. i read this memoir as someone who wants to own her past, not be passive participant in it. in summation this was a great read. especially interesting to hear her descriptions of growing up a boomer and how the cultural and political landscape shifted post-WWII into the 1960s to create a generational divide that has never truly healed. one of the best descriptions of this tension that i have ever come across. 
art by nacrowe
for those about to rock, you can watch HERE our most recent episode of DEER GOD RADIO dedicated to australian legends AC/DC.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, and THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW are available here at the DEER GOD website. |
February 2021
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