TV Party Tonight! Part Six: Random Stuff from Great Rock Docs - Colin G.

Before diving into tonight's TV Party, I'd like to shout out Pencilstorm movie critic Rob Braithwaite for successfully watching and reviewing 366 movies in a single year. If you haven't checked it out, click here for a starters guide, and click here for his and Ricki C's top ten movies of 2016. Great stuff. Please share it with your movie-loving friends before the Oscars. 

Along those lines, this week's TV Party will focus on great moments from the best rock docs. I'm no film expert but CD1025 Brian Phillips and myself did host a three year rock n roll movie series at the Gateway Film Center called "Reelin' and Rockin," so I have a little background in the area.  Click here for a recap of the first two years   

Still, thanks to everybody who chipped in with ideas online to knock the rust off my brain. I couldn't always find the scene I was looking for but I gave it a good try. Whatever, it's late, I've had beers, it's time for a TV PARTY!!!!!!!!!! Engage rabbit hole.... NOW.

So let's start with the best. "Hail, Hail Rock n Roll" is a must watch. And the behind the scenes footage is ESSENTIAL viewing.  The League Bowlers used to recreate the moment below before playing Oh Carol. I think the crowd thought we were really fighting. Ah, good times. 

Good thing the guys in Brian Jonestown Massacre never backed up Chuck. "You broke my sitar, motherfucker." I think I have a pretty good idea where Mr. Berry would have broken that sitar. 

A part of the movie "Dig!" by Ondi Timoner. Anton Newcombe is on stage with his band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, when they start to swear and fight... to finally leave the stage. KEEP MUSIC EVIL.

Pretty dark stuff, which obviously takes us to the darkest scene from the darkest rock doc ever. I recently finished the book Altamont. and it's the perfect companion piece for Gimme Shelter. Lots of things went wrong. Oh, and could somebody please get that dog off the stage? 

At the start of "Under My Thumb". Some of the Hells Angels got into a scuffle with Meredith Hunter, age 18, when he attempted to get onstage with other fans. One of the Hells Angels grabbed Hunter's head, punched him, and chased him back into the crowd.

But Gimme Shelter wasn't all bad doses and pool cue beat downs at the hands of the Hells Angels. There were fun moments too. I LOVE this scene. Just another band loving their brand new song.  

Fragmento del Documental "Gimme Shelter"

Moving on.. I couldn't find just one good scene from this Ramones doc. but it's one of my favorites. Put a camera on Johnny, Dee Dee, Joey or Tommy and it's always cinema gold. 

Ramones: The End of the Century   Watch it now..

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003) Official Trailer #1 - Documentary Movie HD Subscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u43jDe Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/1QyRMsE Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt The story of the punk rock band The Ramones.

Speaking of pure gold, Keith Moon is the gold standard of pure cinema gold. Again, I couldn't find just one good scene from The Kids Are Alright (the movie of the same name mucks things up) but this is a really great compilation of Moon stuff with many from the famous Doc. 

Interviews by Keith Moon - drummer of British band The Who

And thinking of dysfunctional but talented people..  This scene of the late, great Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy trying to finish a mix is cringe-worthy and brilliant.  I thought the editing process in this flick was unfair to Jay. I wrote about it once. Click here to read When Wilco Stopped Being a Band and Became a Brand.  Great movie though. 

This movie and the Dylan auto bio "Chronicles" made me a bigger fan of Bob than his records ever did. The guy was fearless. 

More from Spitfire - http://bit.ly/1eM7XPi Renowned director Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan chronicles the career of the singer and songwriter during the tumultuous years between 1961 and 1966. Dylan allowed Scorsese to have access to hours of footage that had never before been made public, including a number of live performances, and footage of Dylan in the recording studio.

Along those lines, I was never a big Metallica fan until I saw this movie. Still not sure I count as a real fan of the band, but I am a fan of Lars Ulrich after watching this. Actually, the book of the same name explains how Lars had final cut, and he left in the less flattering stuff, much to the dismay of the band's management who were afraid it would hurt the band's carefully-crafted tough guy image.  Who wants to watch a metal band go through therapy together? Turns out, everybody.  Mucho respect amigo.  

Uploaded by metallivideo on 2010-10-31.

Ok, I'm trying to find the scene from Tom Petty Running Down a Dream where Tom curses out some sleezy A&R guy trying to get a song placed on the Roger McQuinn album he is working on. I don't seem to have the skills to find it, but here is the trailer and the whole flick is fantastic. And how the hell did they get all that early film footage? I don't have video of my son's last birthday. 

© 2007 WMG Runnin' Down A Dream DVD Trailer

To wrap up, shout out to Biggie on this one. The Making of Pump by Aerosmith was released only on VHS before reality TV became a thing. Watershed watched it in the van many, many times back in the day. Part 3:  It's fascinating watching a band as big as Aerosmith still battling their company-man producer who is obviously only interested in turning out profitable product under budget and on time.  "I think we should focus on the A list..." 

http://z13.invisionfree.com/Mama_Kin_Bootlegs/index.php

Part 4: I miss this Steven Tyler. 

http://z13.invisionfree.com/Mama_Kin_Bootlegs/index.php

              Colin Gawel has to go to bed now. He has to open Colin's Coffee in the morning.

TV Party Tonight! Part Five: a YouTube Rabbit Hole w/ Mark Linkous of The Dancing Hoods and Sparklehorse - by JCE

Click here for TV Party Tonight Part Four: The Neighborhoods.

I thought about a film I had heard of which was going to be about Mark Linkous, who is best known for his band Sparklehorse, but who I loved because of his earlier band, the Dancing Hoods.  I also had a connection to Mark from way back due to some mutual friends.  The film I was searching for is called “The Sad and Beautiful World of Sparklehorse” but the film is not available on You Tube. The movie trailer looks interesting:

http://www.indiegogo.com/sparklehorse... Follow on Twitter: @sadsparkle Mark Linkous, the driving force behind the band Sparklehorse, was the man who literally died and came back to life. His existence mirrored his mesmerising and unique music. He was at once a humble, modest man; the epitome of a Southern Gentlemen.

Undeterred, I searched for all things Mark Linkous and this is where my rabbit hole got deep.  Before I proceed, if you don’t know, Mark Linkous took his own life in 2010 after some substance abuse issues and a long battle with depression.  His death saddened many people, as he was a gentle soul to be sure.

Mark Linkous was originally from Charlottesville, Virginia.  One of my best friends from my days in Charlottesville was an early member of the Dancing Hoods with Mark, but he was not in the band for long.  I believe the Dancing Hoods relocated to New York or somewhere and that is where they found some limited success.  I got to meet Mark a few times.  Once was when he was back in town after the Dancing Hoods released the amazingly good record “Hallelujah Anyway,” which was their third release on Relativity Records.  Mark actually stopped by my house with some other mutual friends.  I got to talk to him about my love for the Dancing Hoods and he signed my cd for me.  He was a very introspective guy, quiet and humble.  I recall not looking at what he signed until after he had left, and it said, “John, I saw her standing at the art room and I said have a nice baby.  Be happy, live. I’m an old man already.  Love when u can.”  

It was an odd collection of words, but it fit Mark and what I perceived as his mood at the time. 

My Mark Linkous rabbit hole included a bunch of songs that I really love, starting with “Torn Away” played live on this appearance on a show called The Cutting Edge.  Does anyone recall this show?  I don’t.  Mark is the guitarist on the left:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dancing-hoods-mn0000672283/biography , Mark Linkous (guitars, vocals), Bob Bortnick (vocals, guitar), Don Short (drums), Mike Garacino (bass)

My favorite track on Hallelujah Anyway is called “Baby’s Got Rockets”:

Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, Don Short on Drums. Mike Guaracino on Bass & Bob Bortnick on Vocals/Guitar. 2nd Video for MTV. From album Hallelujah Anyway

Finally, my favorite Dancing Hoods song from my favorite Dancing Hoods record, their second record, 12 Jealous Roses, is called “Pleasure.”  You need to listen to this song by watching one of the other YouTube posts of the song which is just good quality audio.  This video was apparently taken by pointing a camera at MTV back in the day.  I like that it shows you the actual video they created, but the audio is horrible.  “Pleasure” is an excellent song, trust me.

The first video for MTV of Dancing Hoods featuring Featuring Mark Linkous of Sparklhorse and Eric Williams on bass, Don Short on Drums and Bob Bortnick on vocals/guitar

After watching too many Dancing Hoods videos, I moved on to Sparklehorse, still completely lost in my Mark Linkous rabbit hole.  Sparklehorse made some very bizarre and atmospheric music that people loved, but to a large extent, it is not my cup of tea.  I do absolutely love two Sparklehorse songs from the record Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot.  Those two songs are “Someday I Will Treat You Good” and “Rainmaker.”

Music Video (remastered with CD sound) in its entirety. The beginning title sequence was added after remastering the audio. Excellent article about Mark Linkous ("Band of Brothers," Style Weekly 04/21/10): http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/band-of-brothers/Content?oid=1368172

October 1996 Directed by Mark Linkous, produced by Scott Minor

Mark Linkous had some other bands as well.  One I recall was The Johnson Family, who I saw play in Charlotte, NC when I lived there.  I have a demo cassette of a great song he made with my friends in Charlottesville.  I didn’t know him well, but I know he was a good person and a brilliant musician, so my TV Party is a tribute to Mark.  - JCE

TV Party Tonight! Part Four: The Dictators and The Neighborhoods - by Ricki C.

paraphrased from the Ricki C. interview, 1/10/2017

Q. Nowadays, you’re almost better known as a roadie than as a performer, how did that happen?

A. Truthfully, I’m probably a better roadie than I am a rocker.  I’m too OCD to be a rock & roll star.  I want everything to run on time and the wires never to be crossed.  Also, I’m really, really lazy.  I never seek out gigs anymore.  They just fall in my lap.  Somebody asks me to open, and I open.  Otherwise I just stay home, feel sorry for myself and write Pencilstorm columns about The Dictators and The Neighborhoods.

I thought I’d stay true to myself for my first crack at TV Party Tonight! (read part three here) and stick with bands I know like the back of my hand.  The Dictators and The Neighborhoods are two examples of my “The Five Best Bands That You Never Saw” theme.  (i.e. Bands SO FAR outside mainstream rock & roll the casual rock fan might not have ever even seen them on YouTube, let alone on Saturday Night Live or the late night Jimmy-shows.  EVERYBODY has seen The Who and Bruce Springsteen, NOT everybody has seen The Dictators or The ‘Hoods.)  (The other three bands in that category – for those of you scoring at home – are Romantic Noise/The Buttons, Willie Phoenix’s 1978/1979 bands; Brownsville Station, who I wrote somewhat at length about a coupla weeks ago, but could write WAY more at length about if someone gave me the slightest provocation; and Mott The Hoople.)

But I digress, let’s rock……… 

This clip comprises The Dictators entire set at Little Steven’s International Underground Garage Festival August 14th, 2004, on Randall’s Island in New York City. I was at that show. (In fact at the 5:17 mark, the guy with brown hair & a black t-shirt next to the white-haired guy wearing a red & white baseball cap, that’s ME.)

The Dictators performing at LITTLE STEVEN'S UNDERGROUND GARAGE FESTIVAL NYC August 14, 2004

for much more about The Dictators, click The Dictators on Growing Old With Rock & Roll

The Neighborhoods in their 1979 rock & roll infancy on some Boston cable-access TV show.  (And MAN, what I wouldn’t give if Columbus had been a big enough city in 1979 to have a program like this that would have videotaped Romantic Noise in their prime.)

The Neighborhoods performing "Arrogance" in 1979 on Boston TV show.

Next decade, ‘Hoods in 1983 at The Channel in Boston (the second or third greatest rock club I have ever been to in my entire rock & roll existence).

The Neighborhoods performing "Real Stories" on a Boston TV show.

And finally, David Minehan & the boys from 2010, rockin’ the 21st century………

The Neighborhoods perform "W.U.S.A." at the Paradise in Boston, MA on 10/24/10.

for much more about The Neighborhoods, click The Neighborhoods at Growing Old With Rock & Roll

Bonus Dictators, for the truly hard-core, with time on their hands and rock & roll on the brain.

This was the edition of the band I witnessed opening for AC/DC at the Columbus Agora, 1977. 

Dictators - Full Concert Recorded Live: 7/30/1977 - Winterland (San Francisco, CA) More Dictators at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.com Subscribe to Music Vault: http://goo.gl/DUzpUF Setlist: 0:00:00 - Science Gone Too Far!

Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) House Show Review - by Jeremy Porter

Concert Review
Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) House Show
Ann Arbor, MI
Monday January 16, 2017

Going to a rock show sure has changed, eh? If you’re not filming every other song on your damn iPhone, you’re stuck watching the show through the damn iphone screen of the guy in front of you. Alright, I admit, I’ll take a couple photos at a show if the moment seems appropriate, especially if I’m planning to write about it, but I like to think I am not part of the problem. A couple pics, then put the phone away, enjoy the band and live in the moment. 

Maybe I’m just trying to stay positive, but it seems like we might be slowly, collectively starting to realize that some of the magic of a live show is lost when your gadget stands between you and the stage. It seems like we might be seeing less of that (?). And we’re starting to see a backlash - a (somewhat) new trend of “living room shows” where musicians who have obtained a respectable following play a tour of private homes and other non-venues, hosted by fans, for fans. They’re the Uber and AirB&B of rock shows. You’re not going to see ads in your local weekly rag or posters at the record store, but if you’re on the band’s email list or follow them on social media, you’ll probably hear about it. Pat Dinizio from The Smithereens was doing it years ago. Will Johnson (Centro-Matic) and The Bottle Rockets (among many others)  have been doing it more recently, and this month, Craig Finn from The Hold Steady did a 12-date tour of intimate living room shows.  

I talked myself into going pretty soon after the Michigan show was announced. I’m a sucker for anything limited edition, limited engagement, limited release, limited whatever, and this seemed to me like it could be a special event. I’ve been a Hold Steady fan for years, admiring not only their great songs, but their Midwestern themes and vibe, and their commitment to building a community around the existence of their band and the music they play. I’ve never been one for fan clubs (except Trick International, where I proudly carry card #1824 and get a great Christmas card every year), but The Unified Scene is a positive force for positive people through music. This show was a pretty easy sell.  

So I pulled the trigger on the $30 tickets and then found that the show would be held at a Christian church in Ann Arbor. Not exactly a house, but still an interesting setting. They sold about 60 tickets and the upstairs “Sanctuary” room was comfortably full. We got seats right up front, talked to our host Luke (his wife is the pastor), and sat down as Craig loaded in his guitar and a tiny PA.  At 8 pm sharp the iPod house music was turned off and Craig gave a little intro to the show and a quick plug for his upcoming record and went into the music.  

The setlist was heavy on new material from the forthcoming We All Want The Same Things album, and the title was a theme that kept coming up from song to song. He played “Jester & June”, “Preludes”, “God In Chicago”,  “Tangletown”, and “Be Honest” from the new record and the material seemed fresh and inspired, more so than his previous 2 solo releases.  He also played “Mission Viejo” from his Minneapolis-based Lifter Puller days, and ended with “Certain Songs” from The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me. Other than an alternate take on “Maggie I’ve Been Looking For Our Son”, a favorite from his first solo record, that’s the extent of the setlist as I can remember, though I may have missed something.  

Between each song he took a couple questions from the audience, often using his answers and stories to set up the next number. Questions and banter ranged from songwriting influences and techniques, poetry, locational and age themes in his music, and the recording of and approach to the new material. The setup for the debut “single” from the new record “Preludes” was especially interesting, with a backstory around the Asian gang in his old neighborhood that was the inspiration for the made-in-Detroit Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino, and how they’d soup up their Honda Preludes. It was more like sitting around a living room with one of your favorite songwriters than going to a show.  

That’s what the real story is here, after all. The songs and the singer, the room, and the audience, together sharing a special, common experience. I planned to take a photo or 2 for this story, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull my phone out and ruin the purity of the experience. I wouldn’t dream of it. I realized a couple songs in that that was the point, that was a big part of what made it special.  When it was over, it was over.  No YouTube clips, no photo stream, just the memories. It was liberating and I felt somehow cleansed. It seemed appropriate that it was in a church. 

Sometimes you want to go to a club, see your friends, drink whiskey, and have Bob Mould melt your face off. I love that, and those days aren’t over for me, but it’s a different kind of intense to sit in a quiet room and listen to Craig Finn talk to you about his new songs, and then play them - for you. Rock and roll is alive and well, my friends.  It’s there for the taking and it’s being served up in fresh new ways. Go to a show.  

Craig Finn’s website: http://www.craigfinn.net/
Pre-order We All Want The Same Things here:  http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/craigfinn2

Colin Gawel on the TV! WOSU-PBS "Broad and High" Thursday, 8pm

Hey folks, WOSU-PBS is doing a little feature on Colin this Thursday on "Broad and High." The program airs Thursday, January 26th @ 8pm on WOSU-PBS. It also repeats Sunday, January 29th at 11:30am. Or you can watch it online after the fact by clicking here. Tune in and spread the word. Thanks!  

 Click here to visit Colin bio page with videos, press and more.. 

On the next Broad & High, catch up with Columbus musician and coffee-shop owner Colin Gawel; warm up with a visit to Petali Teas in Alexandria, Ohio; and, explore the story behind a literary classic. Thursday at 8 p.m. on WOSU-PBS! (Episode airs 1/26/17. Find all episodes online at www.wosu.org/BroadAndHigh.)

Book Review: Punk Tees (Martin Popoff) - by JCE

BOOK REVIEW -- PUNK TEES: THE PUNK REVOLUTION IN 125 T-SHIRTS by MARTIN POPOFF

I will get to the book review, but first I have to give you the background on how I came to read this book.  The book was a Christmas present from my daughter.  She is 16 years old and she went out shopping on her own this year.  My daughter & I have a very close relationship, and one thing we both love is music.  We can talk for hours about bands we love and why, and even though we have a larger than normal age gap (I’m an older Dad), we have a lot of overlapping taste in music.  I take my daughter to rock shows all the time, and we have a ball. So when I opened this gift, which she was very excited to give me, it choked me up.  If you’re a father, you probably know what I mean.  In the card she wrote with it, she said “Thanks for being such a great Dad and for supporting me in the things I love, such as music...”  So let me wipe the tear out of my eye and tell you about the book.   

I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.  The book attempts to tell the history of punk rock through a series of write-ups about various bands and punk t-shirts.  There are some brief oral histories provided by people like Roberta Bayley, who shot the cover photo of the first Ramones record.  The book, for me, has a lot of positives, and a few negatives.  First, let’s get my criticisms out of the way.  The book is a nice, quick history of punk.  There’s discussion of punk fashion and such, but the t-shirts seem almost unnecessary.  Still, it’s a unique and clever way to present the history that is the subject of the book.  It’s a whirlwind tour of all the punk bands that are most well-known.  The t-shirt thing is a bit of a stretch though.  I think if the book had really been more of a punk t-shirt collector’s bible, with way more shirts pictured, it may have been more unique and interesting.  My other criticism is that there were only a few things I read in the book that I hadn’t read numerous times before.  But I have read a lot of biographies and books about music, so that’s more my fault than the author’s.

Let’s get to what is good about the book. I like the graphics, the color photos and the paper stock: it’s a high quality book.  It’s small, about 9” x 9,” which I kind of like.  It’s 192 pages with many photos, so it’s a quick, easy read.  As far as content, the best thing about the book is that they got it exactly right, as far as the history goes, at least in my opinion.  The author, Popoff, broke the book into four chapters, which are meant to cover distinct eras of punk.  He started with the Velvet Underground, MC5, New York Dolls and the Stooges, but he also references how in some ways, even earlier bands could have been considered punk.  He argues that The Who were punk in their own right and he tells you why he feels that way.  I think he got it right.  The t-shirt for The Who, with the target, really looks like punk to me.  The smashing of equipment and the music itself could certainly be thought of as punk.  The book also has some very specific dates in history, of certain shows and things like that.  There is an attention to detail in that respect, but the book is very general in nature.  Chapter one includes the Ramones as well.  

Chapter two covers the British heyday: citing the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned and many others, all of which are exactly the right bands to mention.  I remember getting punk tees in Georgetown as a teenager during this era of punk and thinking they were like a badge of honor to wear into my high school.  Since the book is supposed to be about t-shirts, it would have been nice if there were multiple examples for each band, but only one example per band is provided, and they are quite obscure examples, which maybe is a positive aspect.  Again, this chapter mentions virtually every band from that era that I know about, and a few I didn’t know about, which was a nice added bonus.

Chapter three is your post-punk or new wave chapter.  It covers a lot of bands including The Jam, Siouxsie and the Banshees, more of the Damned, Blondie, Lords of the New Church, etc.  Most of the chapter is pretty spot on, but some of the bands could easily have made it into chapter two.  The book seems to take the position that Pistols and Clash era punk was over very quickly, which is a valid argument I guess.

Chapter four moves on to hardcore and includes both oi! bands from Britain like Cockney Rejects and also American hardcore: Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedy’s Black Flag, etc.  This chapter relies mostly on California bands, but it cites Washington D.C., Boston and Minneapolis as vital hardcore scenes and includes Minor Threat, Gang Green, Husker Du and early Replacements.  The only shirt in the whole book that I actually own is the last one pictured, the Social Distortion skeleton shirt.

Bottom line:  Punk Tees is a nice book.  The concept of using t-shirts to tell the story of punk didn’t work all that well, because it’s not all that detailed as to punk history or t-shirts, it’s just a little of both.  But when your music-loving daughter spots a book on punk tees and identifies it as a perfect gift for her Dad, well that it makes it a great book in my opinion. – JCE