photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
TIM ARMSTRONG really does not need any introduction. or further publicity from blogs like this for that matter.
he has long been a MODERN PUNK ROCK legend. this was his legacy even before his much-CELEBRATED long-term band RANCID got off the ground in 1991 due to his previous participation in the likewise ICONIC SKA PUNK outfit OPERATION IVY. much like his peers in GREEN DAY, BAD RELIGION, NOFX, PENNYWISE, SUBLIME and THE OFFSPRING (maybe), the personal narrative of ARMSTRONG is arguably synonymous with the narrative of the genre itself. that being said, ARMSTRONG's TIM TIMEBOMB & FRIENDS project is a USEFUL vehicle that allows him to temporarily park the ambitions of his legacy project in RANCID and deep-dive into his eclectic appreciation of REGGAE, FOLK, ROCKABILLY, NEW WAVE, COUNTRY, DUB, CLASSIC ROCK, AMERICANA, and all things SKA, as well as outside projects such as his musical ROCKNROLL THEATRE film series. it also allows him the ability and freedom to collaborate with outside musicians. at this stage in the game ARMSTRONG is such a BELOVED SONGWRITER, no doubt due to his penchant for MELODY and the deeply PERSONAL / AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL nature of his LYRICAL CONTENT, that a project vehicle that allows him to branch out of his pocket and further develop his artistic potential sans the self-imposed genre confinements of PUNK ROCK feels like a WELCOME and APPROPRIATE thing. and much DESERVED. much like every RANCID release has delivered the goods, i likewise look forward to TIM TIMEBOMB & FRIENDS releases since it provides a perspective on where his heart is at during the current moment. definitely worth checking out.
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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK (MAGNOLIA, 2016) is an absolutely FASCINATING documentary about the TRANSCENDENT and often MERCURIAL mystery that is the state of being an ARTIST. the late ENGLISH PHOTOGRAPHER MICK ROCK of course is a cultural legend, mostly due to the GROUNDBREAKING visuals he produced during the 1970s GLAM ROCK scene in the LONDON as well as the work he created for PROMINENT MUSICIANS in SYD BARRETT, DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP and LOU REED. in particular BOWIE and REED were close confidants and collaborators during that period. THE STOOGES' RAW POWER (COLUMBIA, 1973), LOU REED's TRANSFORMER (RCA, 1972), DAVID BOWIE's PIN UPS (RCA, 1973), QUEEN's QUEEN II (ELEKTRA, 1974), RAMONE's END OF THE CENTURY (SIRE, 1980) and SYD BARRETT's THE MADCAP LAUGHS (HARVEST, 1970) are some of the ALBUM OVERS ROCK is most famously associated with, but he went on to have a lasting IN-DEMAND career right up until his passing in 2021 that saw him create ICONIC PORTRAITS of everyone from DEBBIE HARRY, JOHN LYDON, MADONNA, ROXY MUSIC, JOAN JETT, R.E.M., OZZY OSBOURNE, TALKING HEADS and BOB MARLEY to MILEY CYRUS, JANE'S ADDICTION, SNOOP DOGG, THE MISFITS, JOSH HOMME, MOTLEY CRUE, KAREN O, DAFT PUNK and LADY GAGA. ROCK was a SINGULAR VISIONARY whose vast CATALOGUE speaks for itself.
but that is not what makes this film so COMPELLING. ROCK was a CAMBRIDGE-trained STUDENT of modern and medieval languages who was absolutely obsessed with SYMBOLIST POETS such as ARTHUR RIMBAUD, CHARLES BAUDELAIRE and LORD BYRON. in DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP and especially LOU REED he was drawn to their COMBUSTIBLE energy that was both intellectually STIMULATING, yet completely DEBAUCHED. they were this generation's truth-sayers and poets in the flesh and ROCK's PHOTOGRAPHY would essentially come to serve as the PROPAGANDA arm of that movement. what i found INTERESTING about ROCK's process were the lengths he went through, namely yoga and drugs, to get outside of his CEREBRAL mind and get INSTINCTUAL. the CELEBRATED mid 20th-century FRENCH photographer HENRI-CARTIER BRESSON wrote and spoke effectively about capturing what he called 'THE DECISIVE MOMENT,' when the ARTIST adroitly manipulates the MEDIUM to the extent that they bend it to their will unconsciously. ROCK talks in the film about how his subject by definition is the most INTRIGUING thing in the world, irrespective of the ACTUAL REALITY differing. he is almost channeling the SUBJECT and taking what is being given, and guiding them in the process without being CONSCIOUS of such, as evidenced by the PHOTO SESSIONS filmed for this documentary. the fact that a man so WELL-READ and EDUCATED felt compelled to pursue a PROFESSION that is about being immediately RESPONSIVE and IN-THE-MOMENT sans intellectual forethought is an absolutely CAPTIVATING dichotomy. the film delves into his inability to turn off the forward momentum and the chasing of said muse through late night cocaine benders, orgies and crazy nights that turned into days or even a week of SLEEPLESS bodily abuse. it all caught up when he had several heart attacks in his early 40s which saw him re-evaluate his life choices and pursue a more MODERATE path forward, which found him married and with a family in STATEN ISLAND of all places. much like DAVID JOHANSEN, ROCK was a fixture on the north shore but was given his space and privacy. i know he sold signed copies of his ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHS of DEBBIE HARRY, DAVID BOWIE, FREDDIE MERCURY, IGGY POP and LOU REED and i believe even donated a few for a fundraiser for the non-profit internet radio station i am involved with in STAPLETON. i never met him but i know people from the station that did. he was just another guy. a dude with a monster talent and one of the most coveted and INTIMATE back CATALOGUES of CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT PHOTOGRAPHS ever, spanning everything from PROGRESSIVE ROCK, GLAM ROCK, PUNK ROCK, NEW WAVE, GLAM METAL, POP and so on to the present. it should also be noted that the CINEMATOGRAPHY is also absolutely STELLAR throughout. a fitting first-hand testament to the late great creator of IMAGES. SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK is most definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
along with LIVING COLOUR's VIVID (EPIC, 1988) and R.E.M.'s OUT OF TIME (WARNER BROS, 1991) albums, another INDELIBLE early musical memory and PROMINENT record from my childhood was FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS' THE RAW & THE UNCOOKED (I.R.S., 1989). its funny to me, because in college i became familiar with 2-TONE SKA and got really into THE BEAT, having absolutely no clue that guitarist ANDY COX and bassist DAVID STEELE were later members of FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS. both bands had exquisitely conceived and executed SONGWRITING with BOUNCY, PUNCHY rhythms and immediately MEMORABLE MELODIES and HOOKS. as POP albums go, THE RAW & THE UNCOOKED is nearly FLAWLESS.
ive gone a paragraph now without mentioning vocalist ROLAND GIFT, who is undoubtedly the secret weapon of the band and the absolute first thing i noticed when i heard the band as an IMPRESSIONABLE five year-old in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. its difficult for me to describe his VOCAL AFFECTATION other than to say GIFT was blessed with a RARE, EMOTIVE quality allowed for an ability to express deeply felt wells of EMOTION. as much as more UPBEAT 2-TONE SKA revival numbers like "GOOD THING" and "SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY" are rightfully CELEBRATED, this UNIQUE character of his VOCALS is best experienced on more subdued and highly AFFECTING tracks like "AS HARD AS IT IS," "TELL ME WHAT," and "I'M NOT THE MAN I USED TO BE." i really feel strongly that those last three songs are just total face melters and upon listening to them instantaneously take me back to my early childhood experiencing the EMOTIONAL POWER of music firsthand by a TALENTED outfit that had recently come out and were not inherited from my parents' collection of ELVIS COSTELLO, BEATLES, NICK LOWE, WHO, ANIMALS and STRANGLERS records (all of which i adored). that GNAWING hollow that comes with the DESPAIR and LOSS of FALLING OUT OF LOVE or LEAVING A RELATIONSHIP in "TELL ME WHAT" especially got me as a child as it reminded me of that feeling of ISOLATION when my parents left me with a babysitter. and i guess that is sort of my point, this album for me has qualities that go beyond the LYRICS or PRODUCTION VALUES (all of which are STELLAR). for me it is SINGULAR record that has a DIVERSE array of STRONG EMOTIONS that is brought to bear by the INCREDIBLE COMPOSITIONS themselves. all of the songs are ESSENTIAL in my opinion, even their cover of BUZZCOCKS' "EVER FALLEN IN LOVE," but the STANDOUT tracks outside of those aforementioned include "I'M NOT SATISFIED," "DON'T LOOK BACK," and "IT'S OK (IT'S ALRIGHT)." production-wise it sounds like the late-NEW WAVE era it was conceived in, with SAMPLED DRUM LOOPS and SYNTH PADS all over, but the quality of the SONGWRITING is never in doubt. and it still holds up more than thirty years later. THE RAW & THE UNCOOKED by FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS is definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
this is something i recently came across that i thought was PRETTY COOL. ROLLING LIVE STUDIOS is a HOLLYWOOD RECORDING STUDIO and EVENT SPACE that specializes in PODCASTS, LIVESTREAM EVENTS and all things DIGITAL in a ONE-STOP-SHOP platform. they even have an APP! back in 2020 during the pandemic they did a charity fundraiser for SAVE THE CHILDREN by celebrating what would have been DAVID BOWIE's 75th birthday with an all-star pay-er-view LIVESTREAM EVENT that included the likes of LIVING COLOUR, COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT), DAVE NAVARRO (JANE'S ADDICTION), TAYLOR HAWKINS (FOO FIGHTERS), YUNGBLOOD, DURAN DURAN, NOEL GALLAGHER (OASIS), MACY GRAY, GLEN MATLOCK (THE SEX PISTOLS) and BILLY CORGAN (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS) and ALICE COOPER among many others.
LEGENDARY COLUMBIA RECORDS A&R man, RUTGERS ALUMNUS (my alma mater), MTV VJ and 120 MINUTES host, as well as LONG-TIME MUSIC FAN and TIRELESS PROMOTER of all things ALTERNATIVE ROCK, MATT PINFIELD sat down with several of these artists for SHORT-FORM interviews about their ADORATION of all things BOWIE for a promotional segment called ROLLING LIVE WITH MATT PINFIELD. definitely worth checking out as well as his ONGOING PODCAST series IN A LONELY PLACE WITH MATT PINFIELD. i know the dude had some health issues in recent years so just sending out all my LOVE and GOOD WILL from one former RUTGERS radio DJ to another. photo & text by nacrowe
one of the earliest music memories i have is riding with my father as a child in his HONDA ACCORD listening to music to and from his work in a neighboring town in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. it was on those small excursions that was introduced to everything from BRITISH INVASION bands like THE BEATLES, THE ANIMALS, THE WHO and so forth to PUNK / NEW WAVE / INDIE ROCK bands like THE RAMONES, JOHN HIATT, THE STRANGLERS, NICK LOWE, TALKING HEADS, ELVIS COSTELLO and especially THE SMITHS / early MORRISSEY. in and amongst that cohort of artists was THE POLICE and the DISTINCT, INDELIBLE memory i have is of those ICONIC flange and reverb-drenched open chords to "WALKING ON THE MOON" by THE POLICE on their second release REGGATTA DE BLANC (A&M, 1979).
and on a purely EMOTIONAL level, that song is THE POLICE to me. that EXPERT use of SPACE by guitarist ANDY SUMMERS and the POLYRHYTHMIC but TASTEFUL, LAIDBACK GROOVE of drummer STEWART COPELAND with PUNCTUATED PULSES promoting a PROPULSIVE forward MOMENTUM by singer/bassist STING. i dont know if its REGGAE per se (the album in english translates to white reggae), but it is a DISTINCT SONIC AESTHETIC in the history of ROCK AND ROLL, with no real precedent outside of the JAMAICAN DUB TRADITION. COPELAND for one, having grown up overseas as a THIRD CULTURE KID in places like EGYPT and LEBANON (his father being involved with the CIA), has a renowned ability to incorporate COMPLEX POLYRHYTHMS that are distinctly rooted in AFRICAN and ARABIC TRADITIONS he experienced as a child and young adult. SUMMERS likewise had a NILES RODGERS-esque affinity for INTERESTING JAZZ INVERSIONS and VOICINGS for TRADITIONAL GUITAR CHORDS that made his sequences feel UNIQUE and EXOTIC. STING has always been a mystery to me as his BRASH VOCALS are what keep the band tethered to street level in a sense. it makes all of these sonic muso TEXTURES feel grounded in POST PUNK EXPERIMENTALISM and not the possible opening prelude to an extended PROG ROCK song. it is entirely ironic to me that his later discography followed the unfortunate trajectory of PAUL SIMON in exploiting WORLD CULTURES rather than TASTEFULLY curating them into a COHESIVE ARTISTIC STATEMENT a la PETER GABRIEL. in THE POLICE all of these DISPARATE DYNAMICS played to their STRENGTH and on singles like "MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE" and "WALKING ON THE MOON" off of REGGATTA DE BLANC, this was parlayed with striking results. i am aware that as personalities, COPELAND and STING in recent years come off as SELF-CONGRATULATORY, NARCISSISTIC pricks. i for one am a huge fan and student of SUMMERS' GUITAR PLAYING and specifically his penchant for utilizing UNIQUE CHORD VOICINGS throughout their catalogue. if anything, stay for that and try to forget about the other two. if anything, that in particular is definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
it is increasingly DIFFICULT to look at the state of things and not come to anything but the UNFORTUNATE conclusion that the world has completely DEGENERATED at that hands of MANKIND over the past fifty years. in the UNITED STATES there has been a clear demarcating line over decades that has seen PUBLIC EDUCATION ATTACKED AND DEFUNDED, THE CLIMATE MORE POLLUTED (MORE PLASTIC THAN FISH IN OCEANS, GLOBAL WARMING), INCOME INEQUALITY MORE PRONOUNCED and the RISE OF AUTHORITARIANISM. it is almost as if HUMANITY has DE-EVOLVED. and that is the treatise of the recent DEVOLUTION: A DEVO THEORY (DEAD HEART FILMS, 2021) documentary centered around the philosophical underpinnings of the creative work of iconic POST PUNK / NEW WAVE band DEVO, with interviews with surviving members GERALD CASALE, MARK MOTHERSBAUGH and BOB MOTHERSBAUGH as well as FREEDOM OF CHOICE (WARNER BROS, 1980) producer ROBERT MARGOULEFF and the generationally talented late-career drummer (and noted DEVO superfan) JOSH FREESE. the group began as an art project by CASALE and MARK that was a reaction to the COMPLIANT BEHAVIOR, MINDLESS CONSUMERISM and rampant IRRATIONALITY they saw in AMERICAN culture around them in OHIO at the time. both were students at KENT STATE UNIVERSITY and CASALE himself found himself in the middle of the MASSACRE that happened on MAY 4, 1970 when NATIONAL GUARD soldiers fired live rounds upon a group of VIETNAM WAR protestors, KILLING four students and MAIMING nine others. understandably for CASALE, this was a profoundly TRAUMATIC and LIFE-ALTERING event that made him question his upbringing and the core of his AMERICAN identity. watching and reading the media responses that contextualized and/or justified the MURDER of his fellow students as INEVITABLE left a lasting impression on him. political interests and the propagation of PROPAGANDA was real thing. DEVOLUTION was REAL. only a DEVOLVED SYSTEM would allow such a TRAVESTY to happen. unquestionably this event served as the impetus for initiating DEVO in earnest. the SAD fact is that over the next forty years, their postulation that humans were DE-EVOLVING has come to fruition. right now the AMERICAN population is DISTRACTING ITSELF with technology, HATRED for their fellow countryman and GREED and SELF-INTEREST is RAMPANT. CASALE sees a widespread BUSINESS CULTURE that is founded not on EMPATHY or MUTUAL BENEFIT but on the most BASE, DISHONEST and DISHONORABLE of human values. there is a basic disconnect given the rampant INCOME INEQUALITY at the current moment that feels like an IMMINENT powder keg ready to explode and effectively dismantle the whole AMERICAN experiment. we are out of touch with our HUMANITY, our connection to each other, our written and fought-for constitution and our fundamental values of EMPATHY and BROTHERHOOD as a nation. everything is WARPED. its obvious to point out DONALD TRUMP since he is the physical embodiment of this bloated LATE-STAGE CAPITALISM and its INSATIABLE GREED and CONSTANT NARCISSISM. not only that CASALE notes that the dude fully embraces and takes JOY in being an ASSHOLE. so where do we go from here? i dont know. it all feels pretty FUCKED. DEVO was, in fact, right. i'm a hardcore DEVO fan so of course i recommend DEVOLUTION: A DEVO THEORY, but what takes center stage here is not necessarily their MUSIC or cultural legacy. this film is not about that. it is about the POLITICAL IDEAS and PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS that underpin such, which are CONFRONTATIONAL as they THOUGHT-PROVOKING. at the very least, this documentary is asking its audience to not take them at face value and think for themselves. im certain the promotion of RATIONAL THINKING and THOUGHTFUL, INFORMED DEBATE is what they are seeking with this late-career film. likewise, im sure the promotion of such is what they objectively sought with their INNOVATIVE MUSIC and longstanding career. photo & text by nacrowe
THE STRAY CATS were always a bit of a CULTURAL ANOMALY when they first emerged in the late 1970s in the wake of the PUNK ROCK revolution. their SLICK look and AGGRESSIVE ROCKABILLY sound was decidedly inspired by the 1950s and thus their stateside commercial success in the 1980s made sense as RONALD REAGAN and his followers looked back to that specific era as a political golden era that was pre-CIVIL RIGHTS, pre-FEMINISM and pre-VIETNAM WAR. from today's PERSPECTIVE it is hard not to see THE STRAY CATS as a bit of an ANACHRONISM at best and an INNACURATE reading of the past at worst. the PROBLEMATIC CONFEDERATE FLAG tattoos dont help much either (looking squarely at you BRIAN SETZER). arent they from LONG ISLAND, anyway? what gives?
intelligently enough, LEGENDARY drummer SLIM JIM PHANTOM in his A STRAY CAT STRUTS: MY LIFE AS A ROCKABILLY REBEL (THOMAS DUNNE, 2016) memoir sidesteps and steers well clear of such MURKIER aspects of their LEGACY. all told, his book is an UPBEAT recounting of a decidedly CHARMED career that found him able to meet and befriend his heroes and ultimately POSITIVELY impact AMERICAN culture. the ROCKABILLY revival that they initiated was curiously in essence fully embraced by all factions of the BRITISH ROCK AND ROLL establishment in the early 1980s. PUNK ROCK peers in members of THE DAMNED, THE SEX PISTOLS, MOTORHEAD, THE CLASH and THE RAMONES as well as BRITISH INVASION luminaries such as GEORGE HARRISON (THE BEATLES), MICK JAGGAR, KEITH RICHARDS and BILL WYMAN (THE ROLLING STONES) all supported THE STRAY CATS from the outset as they found common ground in the TIMELESS music of CARL PERKINS, ELVIS PRESLEY, DUANE EDDY, JERRY LEE LEWIS, EDDIE COCHRAN, ROY ORBISON and so on. PHANTOM even makes a point that during the 1980s and into the 1990s that many former ROCKABILLY acts returned due to the NEWFOUND INTEREST in the genre. the fact that they were able to effect cultural change enough to bring popular interest back and even the potential for financial support to their heroes is an accomplishment PHANTOM cherishes. another is the 14-year run of his CAT CLUB bar and live performance space on the SUNSET STRIP, that saw numerous NOTEWORTHY collaborative musical weekly spectacles by PROMINENT musicians on its small INTIMATE stage. A STRAY CAT STRUTS feels a bit LIGHTWEIGHT and LESS THAN TRUTHFUL in places, given PHANTOM's CHEERY DISPOSITION, but that sense of ARTIFICE is a shield from the SORRY TROPES and CLICHES of musician biographies and rockumentaries alike. to publicly complain about being a ROCK AND ROLL star is not something PHANTOM is willing to indulge in as he is intimately aware of how LUCKY he is to have the SUCCESS he's endured and made the friends along the way that he has. i totally respect that, yet part of me would wishes he'd present material about those musical heroes that didnt quite live up to their image or even disappointed him in person. dude is a class act, i get it. thats just my only complaint, you need some shade to truly bring out the light. not sure id recommend this memoir but i definitely enjoyed reading PHANTOM's WILD STORIES and PERSONAL ANECDOTES about behind-the-scene happenings and tour stories. THAT STUFF NEVER GETS OLD. especially when its subject is JERRY LEE LEWIS, GEORGE HARRISON or LEMMY KILMISTER. i just wish i came out of this book with a BETTER UNDERSTANDING of THE STRAY CATS and yet they still remain a COMPLETE ANOMALY to me. maybe that is for the better, more MYSTERY. they are a one-of-one that subsequent generations of ROCKABILLY-inspired bands havent been able to match in terms of SONIC INTENSITY, STYLE, SONGWRITING and STRAIGHT-UP MUSICIANSHIP. they are a complete REVELATION in a live context, as i was LUCKY enough to catch them with a friend on a reunion date at PIER 17 in NYC pre-pandemic (linked HERE). so my argument would be to skip the memoir and just go see them play. the live show is all you need to know about their enduring INTENSE appeal to generations of ROCK AND ROLL fans writ large.
parodies by nacrowe
there is something about the OPTIMISM of REVERED NEW WAVE band THE CARS that always gets me. not sure where it comes from, but their SIMPLE MELODIES and INCREDIBLE MUSICIANSHIP always leaves me in a good mood. when you watch their music videos its immediately apparent how UNORTHODOX a frontman RIC OCASEK was, all GANGLY and AWKWARD, but there is a CHARM no doubt. a certain PASSION and SELF-BELIEF in one's ability to communicate POSITIVITY and PLEASURE that transcends the music. and i dont know where it comes from.
i dont like NOSALGIA or false manufactured memories of the past, but i do appreciate GENUINE HOPE and JOY. and i get both of those from THE CARS who remain one of my all-time favorite bands, even if they are from BOSTON. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired on new year's eve 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout THE CARS' catalogue. enjoy! photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i recently came across the SESIONES CON ALEJANDRO FRANCO televised live music and interview video series out of MEXICO and its seven seasons of performance footage from throughout the country. the participating bands are a murderer's row of PROMINENT LATIN and AMERICAN bands including the likes of THE DRESDEN DOLLS, BOMBA ESTEREO, THE XX, BEIRUT, MOGWAI, CHRIS CORNELL, OF MONTREAL, BLONDIE, PLACEBO, DINOSAUR JR, TEGAN & SARA, VIVIAN GIRLS, CAKE, ATERCIOPELADOS, CALLE 13, THE DANDY WARHOLS, SPOON, GOGOL BORDELLO, MORRISSEY and THE RAVEONETTES.
i should also mention that the VISUALS are SPECTACULAR with multiple positions expertly edited together seamlessly and the SOUND MIX is absolutely ON POINT (which is not always the case with these live music performance series sadly). definitely check it out and enjoy.
parodies by nacrowe
its funny how when you are a child you just sort of accept things as they are without questioning motives or thinking too deeply about comparisons, because well, your frame of reference is so LIMITED. everything is essentially a NOVEL EXPERIENCE. since i remember being alive the music of DAVID BYRNE and the legendary NEW WAVE band TALKING HEADS has been a part of my existence. as ive written before, i am almost certain that LITTLE CREATURES (SIRE, 1985) was played throughout my early childhood as it was the soundtrack to my parents learning how to care for a child for the first time in the late 1980s. i remember understanding from an early age that a lot of the songs were about regular people and the ROADS they travelled on and the BUILDINGS they entered. INFRASTRUCTURE in other words. its a very un-ROCK N ROLL topic and still a bit jarring.
its no secret that BYRNE attended both the MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART and THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN and that his music essentially splits the difference between CIVIL ENGINEERING and EXPERIMENTAL SONGWRITING. his influence endures to this day in countless ANGULAR POST PUNK and INDIE ROCK bands that choose to experiment with both FORM and SUBJECT in their songwriting, i.e. everyone from BECK, OINGO BOINGO, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, R.E.M. and VAMPIRE WEEKEND to SUFJAN STEVENS, BLONDIE, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, DIRTY PROJECTORS, THE B-52's and recent collaborator ST. VINCENT. BYRNE also utilized outside musical forms in his compositions such as most notably early looping grooves that were inspired by NIGERIAN AFROBEAT icon FELA KUTI. in fact my familiarity with TALKING HEADS made my cultural transition to living in LAGOS in the mid 1990s less musically jarring as the underlying beat and groove was fairly similar. but what always gets to me about BYRNE was the idea that his songs were about people from a third-person point of view that had some DISTANCE from the subject. there is a certain OBSERVATIONAL quality to it that lacks INTIMACY, almost like an alien writing a report back to the mothership about mankind without having to be directly involved with it. in recent years BYRNE has talked openly about his AUTISM and such may be connected to his lyrical outlook, but im not entirely sure. to me that DISTANT perspective is quite liberating and almost reminds me of that famous HARRY LIME (played by ORSON WELLES) speech in THE THIRD MAN (LONDON FILMS, 1949) where his character is on a giant ferris wheel in post-WORLD WAR II VIENNA looking down at the people below asking if in the wider scheme of things any of them would be missed if they were squashed like the ants they resembled. alright, maybe the SOCIOPATHIC element is not as pronounced (except maybe in "PSYCHO KILLER"), but there is something to the wider perspective of life through that conscious MACRO perspective on humanity and the large scale SYSTEMS and INSTITUTIONS that enable our species to thrive en masse. again, very un-ROCK N ROLL but at the same time incredibly COMPELLING to think about, which is why TALKING HEADS are a continued touchstone in my listening habits from early childhood to date. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired over a year ago. the playlist includes music from throughout the TALKING HEADS's celebrated catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
author F SCOT FITZGERALD is famous for having once quipped that there are no SECOND ACTS in AMERICAN lives. once you SELF-IDENTIFY and SELF-DEFINE yourself it is DIFFICULT to transition to an alternative in the PUBLIC PERCEPTION. i was a secondary school teacher and now im pursuing a business degree which could not be more different in terms of mission, sentiment or perspective. i can see it in my classmates. i still question whether i have shifted in the process or if i still see myself years after the fact as an educator. in some ways this blog and the bi-weekly radio show is a continuation of that previous WAY OF LIFE.
i enjoy it. when i think of the ENGLISH band NEW ORDER, they appear to be the prime cultural example of turning a page and pursuing your PASSION anew, irrespective of who you were before or how PUBLIC PERCEPTION has compartmentalized your identity in a tidy box. the ICONIC MANCHESTER POST PUNK band JOY DIVISION begat the DEFINITIVE NEW WAVE band NEW ORDER through a DEATH in the lineup. the death of IAN CURTIS ended one set of opportunities and HARSHLY and ABSURDLY opened others. you listen to the former's final album CLOSER (FACTORY, 1980), the tone and sonic aesthetic of the later's POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES (FACTORY, 1983) seems UNCONNECTED and completely ARBITRARY, but in fact its the same rhythm section. the band through COLLECTIVE PERMISSION or sheer PIGHEADEDNESS allowed themselves the ability to EVOLVE and TRANSFORM. forget DAVID BOWIE, the transition from JOY DIVISION to NEW ORDER is one of the most UNLIKELY and FRUITFUL musical transitions in recorded memory. for me it is an example to KEEP READING, KEEP LISTENING, KEEP COMMUNICATING and allow myself to not feel defined by my past. i hope that is the case for others as well. embedded below is the second DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, which originally aired a little over three years ago. the playlist includes music from throughout the CELEBRATED NEW ORDER catalogue. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
the follow-up to their absolutely STELLAR self-titled debut THE CARS (ELEKTRA, 1978), is another record CANDY-O (ELEKTRA, 1979) that likewise keeps the hits coming. being born in the 1980s, i feel like i was inevitably raised surrounded by and indoctrinated into NEW WAVE and POWER POP music, most of which today i am not a fan of. thats not the case with THE CARS, whom i absolutely adore for their SOARING pop melodies and TIMELESS song-craft. in fact id go further and state that i dont understand people who dont like THE CARS, along with other unassailably CLASSIC AMERICAN faire like the BUDDY HOLLY, THE BEACH BOYS, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, THE RAMONES, ZZ TOP or CHEAP TRICK. its almost un-AMERICAN to not like THE CARS.
the debut had ICONIC singles like "MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL," "JUST WHAT I NEEDED," "YOUR ALL I'VE GOT TONIGHT" and "LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL" that all seemed centered around the ESCAPISM of new relationships and the potential of future parties hitherto unexplored. traditional lyrical conceits no doubt, but what i like about the singles on CANDY-O is that they seemingly fixate on the risk and reward of getting involved with someone you deep down know is not good for you, who may leave you high and dry and heartbroken. same INCREDIBLE pop sheen with those amazing INTERWOVEN harmonies by BENJAMIN ORR and RIC OCASEK, but here there is a bit of a sinister edge thrown in the mix on BULLETPROOF tracks like "DANGEROUS TYPE," "IT'S ALL I CAN DO," "CANDY-O" and "LET'S GO." it makes getting romantically taken advantage of sound THRILLING and INVITING. for me, both THE CARS and CANDY-O are perfect ROCK N ROLL recordings for the ages, and dont sound dated in the least despite being released nearly 45 years ago. thats INSANE. i have to mention the artwork as the band commissioned ALBERTO VARGAS out of retirement in his 80s to create the album cover. they recorded the album out of the LEGENDARY CHEROKEE STUDIOS in LOS ANGELES and were surprised to learn that VARGAS still lived in the area. he had been making illustrations for HUGH HEFNER in PLAYBOY for almost twenty years after an extended sabbatical after running into trouble previously with the publication ESQUIRE in the 1950s (the postal service determined his work to be pornographic and denied such a postal permit). when THE CARS reached out to him, he had been retirement after his wife, who was his muse, model and inspiration for his paintings, had passed away. the female model for CANDY-O is drummer DAVID ROBINSON's then-girlfriend. arguably it is the most FAMOUS image VARGAS ever conceived and a fittingly flirtatiously EDGY cover to an absolute CLASSIC of an album. photo & text by nacrowe
given the similarities between his name and mine, i was basically indoctrinated by my parents from an early age by much of NICK LOWE's discography. which i am thankful for. this includes his incredible debut JESUS OF COOL (RADAR, 1978), which was renamed for the AMERICAN market PURE POP FOR NOW PEOPLE (COLUMBIA, 1978) over concerns of our overzealous religious sensibilities. god, how depressing is that? its almost like we cant take a joke (we can't).
despite his influential career, LOWE still feels to me like a criminally UNDERRATED songwriter who never really got his due amongst the music consuming public (unlike NEIL YOUNG, TOM PETTY, ELVIS COSTELLO, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the like). among musicians he is much beloved as his song "(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING" off of his sophomore album has been covered by everyone from ELVIS COSTELLO, AUDIOSLAVE, JOSH HOMME, THE FLAMING LIPS, CANDI STATON and WILCO over the years. at this point it is basically a modern standard. what draws me to his songwriting in general is his preternatural ear for vocal melodies and POWER POP-inspired hooks. not to mention SARDONIC insights into the mundane nature of daily life dressed up in LUSH orchestration and tight, thoughtful song constructions. standout examples from JESUS OF COOL / PURE POP FOR NOW PEOPLE include "SO IT GOES," "I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS," "NUTTED BY REALITY" and "MARIE PROVOST." all four songs ive heard throughout my childhood and are embedded permanently alongside songs from THE SMITHS, THE KINKS, THE STRANGLERS, THE WHO, THE ANIMALS and THE BEATLES. whats funny to me is i have no idea what they are specifically about. they seemingly are all full of OBLIQUE references to situations, histories and feelings by ENGLISH communities from over 40 years ago. if anything you get the sense that LOWE is deeply aware of the discrepancies and underwhelming aspects of the human experience, but does not wallow or feel deferential towards it. if anything, his HUMOR shields him, as well as the listener by extension, from taking it on full tilt. that gallows humor feels very ENGLISH to me. just take life as it comes but dont be afraid to laugh at your own misfortune. i have to get better at that. look into JESUS OF COOL if you are interested in smart, thoughtful NEW WAVE songwriting or just great ROCK N ROLL craftsmanship in general. definitely worth checkin out.
parodies by nacrowe
i first became aware of the ENGLISH NEW WAVE band DURAN DURAN when i the singles from their then-current album DURAN DURAN [THE WEDDING ALBUM] (PARLOPHONE, 1993) playing throughout DISNEYLAND's TOMORROWLAND as a child. its interesting because that album is a bit SUBDUED and sonically much of a down-tempo departure from the celebrated core elements of their earlier sound. i just felt "COME UNDONE" and "ORDINARY WORLD" were catchy songs and made an impact on me as a child.
for whatever reason DURAN DURAN don't get the credit they deserve as ACCOMPLISHED musicians or songwriters. maybe its because they were so globally MASSIVE and commercially SUCCESSFUL back in the 1980s and had lots of young female fans. i dont know, i wasnt there. like everything, i heard their music out of context when i was in high school living in KUWAIT of all places. what really struck me about their sound on records like their debut DURAN DURAN (review linked HERE) and RIO (EMI, 1982) was the FUNKY and PROPULSIVE bass lines of JOHN TAYLOR and the LUSH layered keyboard pad textures of NICK RHODES. the combination of those two brought a sound that was both KINETIC and CATCHY while being SOPHISTICATED and well-ORCHESTRATED. because of such i always considered DURAN DURAN to be INTELLIGENTLY constructed pop music. still not sure why this band doesnt get the attention or acclaim they deserve, but my guess is that the context of the 1980s was such that there were other "serious" artists during that era that had "SERIOUS" socio-political messages about the state of the world, i.e. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, U2, DIRE STRAITS, MADONNA, PRINCE and even THE SMITHS. for me, listening to DURAN DURAN is just fun and i dont overthink it. ​as GEORGE CLINTON once so astutely surmised, "FREE YOUR MIND AND YOUR ASS WILL FOLLOW." and that was the general fun vibe of this episode from two and a half years ago. photo & text by nacrowe
one of the aspects i admire about DAVID BYRNE's songwriting is his capacity to write on a conceptually OBSERVATIONAL level at an EMOTIONAL DISTANCE. he always seems to be writing about events and activities from a third-party party perspective without being involved in them. coupled with BYRNE's angular AFROBEAT-influenced guitar work (which comes off oddly POST PUNK during an era that predated PUNK) and IDIOSYNCRATIC vocal delivery, the debut TALKING HEADS record TALKING HEADS: 77 (SIRE, 1977) makes for quite a UNIQUE and COMPELLING listen. standout tracks include "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT," "PULLED UP," "UH OH, LOVE COMES TO TOWN," "NO COMPASSION," and the celebrated "PYSCHO KILLER."
for me the fulcrum of the album is centered around the OBSERVATIONAL DISTANCE seen in "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT" which celebrates all things URBAN DEVELOPMENT, CIVIL PLANNING and INFRASTRUCTURE that make our lives better. there is even a shoutout to civil servants as extensive of the narrator's family. lyrically its a very interesting song since it seems to champion MODERNITY and the underlying deliberate processes that make it happen, which are under the auspices and ordinances of local government. its very much a song about COMPLEX SYSTEMS that benefit the individual and how one should feel EMPOWERED by such. the norm within a ROCK AND ROLL context is to rally against perceived oppressive systems and advocate for change, but BYRNE here inverts that expectation which is even by today's standards very compelling and genuinely weird. "PSYCHO KILLER" similarly is an IDIOSYNCRATIC examination of the mindset of a serial killer. apparently the song was influenced by the outlandish stagecraft and persona of ALICE COOPER during this period. with BYRNE being BYRNE, audience expectations surrounding this serial killer are completely subverted. instead of being an object of commanding AGGRESSION and exposed VIRILITY, this STUTTERING, INSECURE serial killer is "tense and nervous" and just "can't relax." moreover you get the sense that this individual is highly educated (as he/she speaks french), and that this inward capacity makes it difficult for them to deal with the truly abhorred aspects, sense he/she "hate(s) people when they're not polite." in popular culture, serial killers are no different then action stars in that they are self-driven and impose societal change based solely on their own individual initiative. in "PSYCHO KILLER," BYRNE instead presents an individual whose MISANTHROPY comes with wanting to be left alone and undisturbed. personification of VIRILITY not so much. as a former secondary english teacher i love BYRNE and his ability to subvert expectations on a lyrical level. the fact that the music itself is BOUNCY, prone to quick changes in tempo and groove and highly influenced by AFRICAN and LATIN rhythms makes repeat listens inevitable. there is a reason that BYRNE is so widely celebrated among INDIE ROCK bands for the past forty years. and there is no better introduction then TALKING HEADS: 77. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
i will totally admit that NO DOUBT was my gateway drug to discovering MADNESS in high school back in the early 2000s. my junior year of high school in KUWAIT was a period when i felt totally unhinged from myself, partly because of my relocation to the MIDDLE EAST and, well, partly because i was in high school. so glad i dont have to repeat that year ever again. it was during this time that my family went on a winter trip to GREECE and in ATHENS i can remember buying my first DEVO, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE and MADNESS records.
what drew me to MADNESS and specifically their debut ONE STEP BEYOND... (STIFF, 1979) record was just the bouncy, WHIRLING chaos that was their landmark singles "ONE STEP BEYOND" and especially "NIGHT BOAT TO CAIRO." i loved how the songs seemed to truly lift off and then ascend to further and further heights of brass instrument driven INSANITY. as a teenager i was caught up in my own world and MADNESS felt like the equally ARTISTIC ANTITHESIS to other stuff i was listening to feverishly at the time like the art damaged JANE'S ADDICTION and NINE INCH NAILS. being more than well-acquainted with NO DOUBT's TRAGIC KINGDOM (review linked HERE), as they were from my home area in ORANGE COUNTY (in fact ANAHEIM borders BREA), it made some type of COSMIC sense that their upbeat yet highly MELODIC sound was rooted in MADNESS' infectious cyclical POLYRHYTHMS and positive outlook. the other through-line for the two bands was an internal resolve to publicly acknowledge the roots of their 2 TONE SKA sound with that of its root material in JAMAICAN SKA and DANCEHALL traditions. doing so confronted the inherited COLONIAL MINDSET of their audience. largely the other third wave ska bands influenced by MADNESS and their 2 TONE peers in THE SPECIALS and THE SELECTER were absolute shit (notable exceptions: OPERATION IVY, DANCEHALL CRASHERS, GOLDFINGER, THE AQUABATS and SAVE FERRIS). this AMERICAN third wave largely divorced themselves from the HISTORICAL and POLITICAL underpinnings of the sounds and its roots and therefore largely created a LISTLESS sound unmoored from any sense of gravitas or genuine heart. SKA in their hands became BLAND (and largely LAME) party music. it is this unfortunate recent lineage of bands that i am attempting to separate MADNESS from with this review. i look at them as sonic innovators with an infectious sound that is as positive as it is inclusive. it is a distinctly BRITISH reaction to a lived THATCHER DYSTOPIA. one were revolutionary notions of racial integration and harmony between the classes was promoted and held in high esteem. in MADNESS i hear a sound rooted in BRITISH POLITICS and HISTORY that was constructed to confront issues surrounding such at the time. this was not trivial party music, per se. it was in fact music with a political agenda. and i believe that aspect of their sound is criminally overlooked. ONE STEP BEYOND... is a landmark album and definitely worth checking out.
parody by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the legendary ENGLISH ELECTRONIC BAND DEPECHE MODE!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. 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!
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the legendary career of DAVID BYRNE and the TALKING HEADS!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. 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
discovering DEVO on a family trip to GREECE was one of the highlights of my high school years. at the time my family was stationed in KUWAIT and the culture and school environment was culturally and socially CONSERVATIVE in the extreme. the band may have been a NEW WAVE / POST PUNK ART project that utilized a stilted, ironic, DADA-inspired visual and aural aesthetic to both critique and poke fun at the rigid hypocrisy corporate AMERICA, but for me at the time i felt like i was living in an absurd ORWELLIAN reality.
because i kind of was. everything about going to school and living in KUWAIT was absurd. reading about what amounted to honor killings in the english-language newspapers, being unable to mention non-MUSLIM or non-CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS, PHILOSOPHERS or LEADERS at school or being unable to hang out with my classmates in public without being harassed by KUWAITI men. it was an OPPRESSIVE environment where the innocuous was deemed TRANSGRESSIVE. i dont want to come off culturally insensitive here, as i can already assume some criticism from my past comments along the lines of "it is their country." this is true, but KUWAIT is rotten to its core in how it exploits foreign labor and oppresses non-ARAB MUSLIMS and limits free thought. there is no progression or forward momentum, its a stilted country that is well behind its direct EMIRATI competition for cultural hub of the MIDDLE EAST to which it aspires. anyway, that was the context from which i grew to love DEVO as they seemed to by a collective that seemingly identified a sense of freedom and discovery within its self-determined creative limitations. robotic drums and cold, stabbing synth lines seemed to accurately encapsulate the stark lyrical bent of MARK MOTHERSBAUGH throughout NEW TRADITIONALISTS (WARNER BROS, 1981) amid his lyrics regarding personal liberation from the REPRESSION of POLITE SOCIETY ("JERKIN' BACK 'N' FORTH"), SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS ("THROUGH BEING COOL"), GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS ("BEAUTIFUL WORLD") and INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ("LOVE WITHOUT ANGER," "RACE OF DOOM," "SOFT THINGS"). basically everything. even the title feels paradoxically both TRANSGRESSIVE and OPTIMISTIC, as if to look forward you must disregard and move beyond the past by creating new traditions, new ideas and new solutions. the obvious highlight of the album is "BEAUTIFUL WORLD" which is one of the most divinely TRANSCENDENT (and BITTER) songs of all-time. with its soaring synth refrain and upbeat lyrics that seemingly celebrate all the PROMISE, INGENUITY and potential for global SOCIAL HARMONY that mankind is capable of in an impossibly OPTIMISTIC fever dream, only to utterly subvert it completely with the line "it's a beautiful world for you. not me." "BEAUTIFUL WORLD" is the ultimate song about being completely disconnected from society, its tone and beauty only serve to fuel that sense of REJECTION, ISOLATION and a caustic sense of REPULSION at the outer world. without doubt my favorite DEVO song and probably top three favorite song of all-time (i'm also partial to THE ANIMALS' "DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD" since childhood and "RUBBER RING" by THE SMITHS). i could not advocate anymore strongly for the NEW TRADITIONALISTS album. required listening in my view, irrespective of your opinion of the merits of NEW WAVE, POST PUNK or even SYNTH POP. it is a TRANSCENDENT record that is most definitely worth checking out. parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the legendary career of DAVID BYRNE and the TALKING HEADS!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
March 2024
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