So
I’m standing on the corner of walk and don’t walk, minding my own affair, when
I get a phone call. My ears were immediately treated to squeaks and shrieks of
feedback, noise, and a faint voice in the background menacingly chanting; “I
stick it deep inside, I stick it deep inside… ” It was The Stooges live at Jones Beach, and my NYC Tiki bar chanteuse Nell
felt like reaching out and touching me.
LA punk legends The Dickies rolled through town last Wednesday to play a loud ‘n’
fast show at the Bug Jar. Singer Leonard Graves Phillips was bitter, bitchy,
and in rare cynical form as he fielded questions from the audience, molested an
inflatable doll, and played the roll of punk rock ventriloquist with a plush
penis puppet. Despite the fact that the majority of the band is new blood, The
Dickies still pulled it off classic and real.
It was The Blastoffs and The
Shakletons that got the ball rolling. The Blastoffs are the perfect
marriage of their components: the speed and might of Dead Blue Hand and the
drunken slop ‘n’ sleaze of The Grinders. The Shakletons, though apologetic for
not having any new material, still sounded fresh, brash, rude, and tight. You
have no business being in front of the TV when either one of these bands is
playing.
You ever have a song get in your
head and haunt you for weeks? Thelonious
Monk‘s“Ugly Beauty”(circa 1967)
has been running through my head for about eight days now offering some seldom
enjoyed serenity. Even when some drunk loser on a bicycle collided with me —
on 490 — the tinkling of Monk’s ivories in my head kept me from strangling
the jackass.
You wanted the best, you got the…
well… Kiss. Now don’t get me wrong,
I’m a huge Kiss fan and have been since the fourth grade. It just seemed a
little tired at Darien Lake last Saturday when Kiss opened for arena rock
granddaddies Aerosmith. Kiss got up
and did their best Kiss for approximately 18,000 rabid fans. Kiss fans are
kinda like hockey fans weaned on comic books. Lots of dudes dressed up like
their heroes including Eric Thayer,
who now gets to dress up like Ace
Frehley and play with the band — “Look Ma, I’m in Kiss!” Apparently Ace
just can’t say “no.” Kiss’ stage show was a sensational pyrotechnic
extravaganza. How was Aerosmith going to follow that? By bringing the rock.
With virtually no frills, Aerosmith
blasted out from behind the red velvet curtain with the opening classic “Mama
Kin”, followed by “Toys In The Attic.” Utilizing all of the stage and the
thrusts, lead singer Steven Tyler pranced, preened, wailed, invoked, incited,
and drove the crowd wild. Very few have ever come close to this band’s energy.
Sure, Kiss has the show, but Aerosmith has the songs. Tunes penned close to 25
years ago still sounded great.
Sunday was the fourth annual Lyell Avenue Music Festival; a day of
live music that complimented the beautiful day and the family atmosphere. Kids
ran around, vendors vended, and everyone washed the sunshine down with plenty
of ice-cold beer. Highlight performances included Shinbone Alley with a
powerhouse female lead, Sarahi in all their merengue hip-shake and beauty, and
The Legendary Dukes, who floored me with a soulful rendition of John Hiatt’s
“Have A Little Faith In Me.”
My pal Ernie just got me the new Joey Ramone doll. He doesn’t talk or
have kung fu grip or anything like that, but he’s so cool. Stop by the office
and pay your respects, he’s lording over my desk as we speak.
And speaking of The Ramones, The King Biscuit Flower Hour has just released the
Ramones NYC 1978. It was recorded a
few months after the classic live album It’s
Alive and sports virtually the same set list and mistakes. As I popped it
in the dash Ernie protested, “It’s gonna be terrible.” I countered, “No, it’s
gonna be great.” Sure enough, we were both right.
I’m 36 years old, and I’m still
buying Ramones records and playing with dolls.
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2003.
