Category: From the archives…

You may have noticed that I’ve taken about a month off from Beat This

recently.  The reason was simple, I busied myself taking care of things

intensively that called for my complete attention at the time, my lack of a

home, and I’m proud and pleased to say that at long last I’m lolling on the

floor of my new home curled up with a keyboard and surrounded by boxes and

honestly I really couldn’t wait to get back to my writing schedule.
Yes indeed i am back and honestly I’ve got a ton of things to write about, a

few of which happened during my break and a few things happening currently.

But first and foremost I was overwhelmed with utter sadness and disbelief

when I heard that Lux Interior the incredible front-man for the psychobilly

institution The Cramps had shuffled off this mortal coil after living like an

immortal for 60 years of good rockin’, creating a band in 1976 that remained

as brilliant as their first recordings, for a life-span of 35 years and

enough LPs to choke a horse, each just as good as the last and maybe funnier.

Now Lux has left us for the graveyards he’s always sung about.  With the

news of his death my thoughts immediately went out to Poison Ivy, his wife of

37 years and the hottest dominatrix to ever play rockabilly guitar with a

sexy raw and stripped naked style that perfectly set the stage for lux’s

manic performances and unforgettable vocals.  He’s the voice I hear when

rockabilly is ever mentioned, and his vocal on the song “All Tore Up”

stutters and pops better than Elvis could a wanted. And Ivy, well she can

make a guitar sound like a chicken, a fly or a swamp with moss growing on it.

Together they made rockabilly dangerous and scary again.  They met hitch-

hiking and were together from that day on, and this world is a far better

place with The Cramps.  I also think that Lux is one of the few dynamic

performers whose onstage antics and full tilt madness in the live realm came

even close to Iggy Pop at his finest.  Few really tore it up like them,

bleeding at the sets end, just going a bit further than a human ought to.
One of my favorite Cramps songs is now especially poignant when you

consider the lyrics:

Well when I die don’t you bury
me at all, Just nail my bones up on
the wall, Beneath these bones let
these words be seen, “This is the
bloody gears of a
boppin’ machine”
rock on
roll on
Raw Bones
Well I still got all the rythm in these
rockin bones.

It’s Just like when Curtis Mayfield died and I insisted that readers go out

and buy some of his music, the same goes with The Cramps.  They have a vast

catalogue of great stuff and much of it you just need to know and love, and

many of you do already I’m certain.  How can you not love “Human Fly” “The

Way I Walk” or “People Aint No Good” with a chorus sung by a group of

children simply acknowledged on the liner notes as The McMartin Pre-School

Choir?  How cool is it that they played live in a State Mental Hospital in

Napa in the late 70’s just because they wanted to?  Who can resist the
call of “Lets get Fucked Up”?  I cant believe that Lux is gone, but in
some ways he isn’t. It’s just too bad we’ll never get the chance to
see him tear it up at the Filmore on Halloween again with a microphone
shoved down his throat, naked from the butt crack up, a light coating
of spilled drinks and blood covering his torso. Long live Lux
Interior.
The next most important rocking item that happened during my absence

from these pages was the brief west coast reunion tour by The Murder City

Devils.  They were a great Seattle band from about maybe seven years ago who

were just so good they simply couldn’t go on.  When they sold out two shows

held on the same date at The Great American Music Hall without a single

mention in any of the papers it really struck me profoundly that I wasn’t the

only one who loved this band with a certain passion and hard-edged lust.

These shows sold out in minutes.  I guess their pretty solid body of work—

four main full length releases had really captured the ears of many more

people, impacting them more during the post-break-up years that were

punctuated with one seattle-only reunion show around the five year mark.  I

was just a bit surprised by this wild surge of popularity, and couldn’t think

of a more deserving exciting band to be enjoying such attention.
The sudden reunion could have been viewed as a bigtime cash-in ploy,

as the band was marketing a special box set vinyl only limited numbered

edition package of their four main records and loads of unique goodies,  like

old set lists, original artworks, stencils, polaroids, etc and calling the

box set Feather Bed Whiskey Blanket, to be sold one per person  for $150.00

only at the live shows on the mini-tour.  In addition to this Sub-pop had re

-released all their catalogue on black and white marble vinyl to be sold at

the shows for all the vinyl enthusiast of which I am not.  I was however

thrilled at the prospect of getting a new copy of one of my all time  fave

rock and roll t-shirts by them that had ended up in tatters or lost and I

did—it’s a rather enduring image in the history of fashion but i love it and

had to have it again.  I may just get it tattooed on my arm soon actually.

The essence of The Murder City Devils has always been an almost mythological

rock and roll personification or a collective distilled purity of spirit and

chaos and rebellion and danger and sex.  Live they’ve always given a little

bit more in performance than a lot of bands do, they hit it hard and head

straight for over the top, spicing things up with antics like lighting the

drum kit on fire or the guitarist approaching an audience member for a same

sex make out while he plays and a general enthusiasm for alcohol and hardcore

partying. Certain of their songs clarify their enthusiasm for artists that

just give their rock and roll all in a way that inspires and makes life worth

living, namely “Johnny Thunders” and the ultimate tribute to Iggy Pop,

“Broken Glass,” which is definitely a crowd favorite as Spencer screams the

lyric, “I like the sound of you rolling in the broken glass.” They consider

it a respectful duty to bring awe and intensity to a rock show, and
this has always come through in spades with the Murder City Devils,
along with a lot of heart.  As Spencer says in the song “Dear Hearts”,
“I’ve got a preachers mouth/ and a rock and roll heart.” I’ve never
found that absent from any of their records or shows ever.  I’m glad i
got the shirt because mine was completely drenched by the shows end
and theirs is a

name I’ll wear proudly, especially after witnessing their set that
night. Plus it was dry.

They were always good but this night they were stunningly in command
and goddamned shattering.  They delivered with a frightening intensity
a perfect set of all their best songs and nothing had mellowed or gone
soft with age.  They all looked great, vocalist Spencer Moody
especially with his new dignified Captain Nemo-like beard.  No one had
seemed to age much at all really, Leslie on keyboards was still
beautiful, they all looked spry and lean and energetic and my favorite
devil, guitarist Dann Galucci was as always the lean irresistible
tattoed bad boy guitar god that i could go super fanatic on at the
drop of a hat.  Great kisser too. Anyways, being a part of this
assembled throng of hardcore MCD fans was needless to say astonishing.
I was completely shocked at the crowds roaring along with the lyrics
in unison, the wave of motion born simply of folks screaming along
with every word.  It was one of the most intense and focused crowds
i’ve braved the front of for a long time and i met a very nice young
man up there, 20 years old who was such a huge fan.  I told him the
first time i saw MCD was there at the Great American Music Hall
opening for Nashville Pussy.  He said he heard about that show but
back then he really wasnt old enough to see bands unless they were all
ages.  I felt a little old but thrilled that the young people had
obviously tuned in to this great band for all the right reasons.  It’s
nice to bond over rock and roll, in fact its great.
Now I’m off to catch some excellent shows presented by the Noise Pop
Festival–you’ll be hearing about it soon–at weekly intervals again.

It’s a brand new year and the beginning of a brand new decade and
this is my first column of the aforementioned auspicious increment of
time, 2010, a year I never thought I’d see when I looked at a shiny
new penny’s date in 1968 and started imagining the coming years, the
70’s, 80’s, 90’s and “What comes after 1999?” I asked, being six years
old and just starting to grasp the concept of years, decades,
centuries, the future, olden-time-y days, Abraham Lincoln, when
Grandma was young, etc.  “The year 2000,” my Mom said, “Then 2001,
2002, 2003 and so on, thats the future, like on The Jetson’s when
people drive space-ships and have robots to do the housework.”
Excited by this cool notion of the future I asked if I would be alive
for all of that.  She said, “Maybe you’ll live to see some of those
things I would guess, but I probably wont see the year 2000.”  I’m
sure she said this because back then the year 2000 just seemed to be
completely out of our reach, too far in the future to imagine, the
blanket embodiment of a perfect futuristic utopian civilization all
wrapped up and defined by that four digit number marking a year and
various antiquated ideals of technological advancement, political
harmony, ecological preservation or on a darker note, mind control,
post nuclear apocalyptic savagery, over-population and depleted
natural resources.  I assumed I wouldn’t make it there either but I
didn’t lose any sleep over this thought or worry my young mind into
childhood psychiatric analysis.  I just accepted it.
Well, its 2010, we are a decade post-millennial and I’m still here
and so is my mother and nothing much has turned out at all like  we
thought it would 40 years ago.  This really doesn’t surprise me, it
seems mankind has always had it wrong, dead wrong with their
assumptions and predictions for the future and/or the events that
signal the beginning of the end, The Rapture, Nostradamus’
predictions, the Mayan calendar’s mysterious endpoint in the year
2012, the melting of the polar ice caps throwing the planet into
cataclysmic gravitational chaos, nuclear war with North Korea,
terrorist attack on the US, Tsunami and Hurricane devastation and on
and on and on.  Some think that the election of Obama as President is
a key sign that Armageddon is near.  It’s true, I’m just saying is
all.  My point is for years people have always had pre-conceived ideas
about the future and what it would hold in store for us and having
lived for 47 years, a decade into the second millennium, things have
never turned out quite like people thought they would.  Nobody really
knows what to expect or anticipate from the future, no one has this
special talent or gift and here at the beginning of 2010 I think it is
important to face the future with that thought in mind, that anything,
and I mean anything can  happen, good or bad, right or wrong,
anticipated or never in one’s wildest dreams.
This applies to short periods of time as well as centuries.  For
instance, back in the 80’s here in San Francisco who would have
believed that this city, known worldwide as the ultimate Gay Mecca,
the queerest of all destinations, would become so decidedly not queer
presently in the “noughties” or the 00’s?  All places go through
changes as time marches on, this is undeniable, but never did I think
that the omnipresent homosexual identity SF is more well known for
than rice-a-roni or sourdough bread would have become as squelched,
trimmed down, tucked away, sanitized, silenced, regulated, complacent,
assimilated and in denial of ever existing as it is now or seems to be
moving towards with each passing day?  Why is it that the Gay History
of  this city, the individuals who devoted  their lives and work
proudly defining and fighting for gay rights and mobilizing gays into
a political entity and shaping a place desirable and safe and
welcoming for queers to belong and be proud of  are largely unknown to
younger gay people or downright disrespected and forgotten?  Certainly
the film Milk brought awareness of that portion of SF gay history to
the masses which was a great achievement but one movie wasn’t enough
to stop the continuing slow fade on Gayness in general in this city.
Who thought that in the year 2010 gays would still be fighting for the
right to marry and have it be recognized as a legal civil union just
like heterosexual couples, and that we would still be as far away from
that day as we were decades ago?  Who anticipated that the enlightened
liberal evolved progress of humanity by the year 2010 would be serving
up a conservative fundamentalist backlash against a particular
minority here in the US where all are supposed to be equal?  The
political climate at this present date is far from resembling anything
like advanced or futuristic or fair or just, any of the qualities one
might have anticipated or projected for this era 20 years ago.
Progress has not been made really.  Robots aren’t cleaning our houses,
we’re not whisked from place to place by high-speed-monorails, our
diseases are not cured but necessary drugs to control them are ringing
up profits the medical multi-conglomerate counts on with no shame and
ethically unchallenged, and as time marches on and economic crisis
takes its toll, the Gayness of San Francisco is being systematically
whittled away, forced out and forgotten.  Bars and businesses slip
away all the time, replaced aggressively by non-Gay businesses all too
often.  Surges of anti-gay forces and shut-outs and attitude are
rippling through certain neighborhoods.  I never thought this was what
the future held for San Francisco. You just never know.
Sadly at press time my friend Mister Nancy called me from her
workplace, The Wild Side West, a neighborhood bar out on Cortland Ave
in  Bernal Heights which is one of the oldest gay-owned bars in the
city, opening in Oakland in 1962 then relocating to SF in 1977 at its
present location.  This charming out-of-the-way bar boasts a huge and
beautiful backyard garden big enough to get lost in, created by owner
Pat Ramseyer who ran this business for 40 years with her lesbian lover
who died   about a year ago.  Nancy called to tell me that Pat
Ramseyer, at age 75 had also just passed away that afternoon.   This
lesbian owned and operated bar and Pat’s longtime endeavor of keeping
it running for over 40 years was something that existed sort of under
the radar or off the beaten path of the queer bar scene but
nonetheless an honorable achievement.  If you have never been there
you really should choose it for an afternoon of drinking in the
amazing garden she created there.  A Memorial service will be
announced soon and the bar will continue its quiet comfortable legacy
as a neighborhood bar that in Pat’s words, “Just happens to get a lot
of lesbians.”  There’s a rich history there that should be recognized,
and who doesnt enjoy cocktails in an amazing garden.

I’m a former resident of South of Market, where I resided upstairs from a popular bar on Folsom Street for 10 years.   Though I moved from the neighborhood about five years ago I still work in Soma and have for over 12 years at two popular bars that I consider to be fine establishments run by exemplary employers who have enriched the vitality, community and fun of a neighborhood known for its vibrant active gay nightlife for decades.   In the mid 90’s when the AIDS epidemic had taken it’s toll on numerous gay businesses and the nightlife was dwindling in the south of market area a new bar appeared and rapidly rose to popularity, bringing new life to the neighborhood with a simple festive attitude and the re-introduction of rock and roll music as the featured style of music in a gay bar.   That bar was The Hole in the Wall Saloon and it unquestionably brought the whole south of market bar scene back to life, achieving a world renowned reputation as the San Francisco gay bar to go to and a bar truly unlike any other anywhere.  As an employee I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told this over the years.

When the owners of the Hole in the Wall Saloon later acquired The San Francisco Eagle, they brought new life to that historic meeting place for our extended gay and leather communities as well, maintaining its regular Sunday tradition of money –raising benefits for various community groups.  As well as this community minded effort, during a time when artists and musicians were being forced out of this city by high rents on both rehearsal spaces and homes and as live music venues in San Francisco began to fold, the Eagle started presenting live music on Thursday nights, rapidly becoming a sanctuary for local and touring bands. This lent some hope and positive energy to a daunted scene, and  Thursday nights continue to create a friendly space where many bands love to play.

I feel like I’ve said all of this before about these bars but I’m saying it now to lend a bit of background to a current situation faced by the Hole in the Wall.  The owners John Gardiner and Joe Banks recently bought a property on Folsom street with plans of relocating the Hole in the Wall.  The bar’s current location is a rented space in a structurally problematic building so they want to move the business to a new space which they own and can design and plan from the floor up to suit the business they created.   This process requires attaining construction permits, zoning approval, proper business and liquor licensing and specific permits for operation, all of which the owners have methodically and legally set about doing.  As soon as these processes were set into motion a certain Soma resident and business owner who holds a seat on the city’s Entertainment Commission and is chair of the SoMa Leadership Council seems obsessively bent on squelching every effort of this relocation and anything having to do with the Eagle and the Hole in the Wall.   His name is Jim Meko  and he has launched an all out campaign against both establishments, nit-picking through the history of both bars for the slightest infractions in the past, inventing permit violations that had never appeared or occurred to the business owners or authorities, organizing other neighborhood residents to parrot his complaints and submit requests for discretionary reviews and motions to reject the transference of licenses for the relocation, not to mention personally berating John Gardiner and Joe Banks, characterizing them as “bad bar owners” and urging attendees at a neighborhood meeting, “Do not trust these guys!”

Speaking as one of 21 current employees of one or both bars I would like to point out that these “untrustworthy and bad bar owners” have without fail provided a safe, sane and systematic place of employment for over a decade for many of us.   They have also provided all of us employees as well as a few of their partners with full health insurance coverage, paid vacation time, and an annual employee retreat. This sense of allegiance has prevailed since the opening of the Hole in the Wall and has built a place of employment that goes well beyond just that. As far as bars go, you would be hard-pressed to find another one that treats its staff as well or a staff as committed and loyal.   I think these simple facts speak volumes on the characters of Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Banks and their integrity as bar owners and businessmen.

The statements made by Jim Meko resemble the reaction of someone throwing a temper tantrum in the face of things not quite going their way, like a child who isn’t going to let anyone else have fun unless it is done his way.  These statements are also slanderous, untrue, and indicate that there are probably many more off-the-handle , uncalled-for falsehoods where that came from.  It really makes one wonder just where all of this negativity and obsession are truly coming from. But it doesn’t stop there. This man seems to want to stanch and harass any sense of fun, community, history or freedom to convene in the entire South of Market area, especially if it has anything to do with the Eagle or the Hole in the Wall.  For someone who has resided in Soma since 1977, when Folsom was known as “the miracle mile” , why has Jim Meko endeavored to continue the down-sizing of that miracle mile into less than a block of gay businesses, primarily the ones which people historically choose to go to have fun and enjoy themselves?

As a person who holds a seat on the entertainment commission, what portion of this cities population is this man representing in his obvious and merciless attacks on these businesses?    He certainly doesn’t have the people who work there in mind at all, the ones who would soon be without jobs.   This clearly doesn’t concern him.  Nor does he consider the numerous organizations that have relied on the Eagle as a meeting place to stage benefits for fundraising, and this is a very long list representing several facets of the community.   Then there is the gay community who enjoy going out to bars, and you can’t deny their existence and history but it seems one man is actively trying to do so. His influence doesn’t simply stop with Soma, he has tried to curtail similar businesses in several San Francisco neighborhoods from North Beach to the Castro and has actively battled with the organizers of The Harrison Street Fair, the newest annual soma based event drawing a large international Bear subculture to the area.

Is this the city that San Francisco shall become, void of any sense of night-time revelry, drinking and the enjoyment of music?   That’s clearly the intention of Jim Meko, that and perhaps some local political position that will ensure his power to more effectively continue destroying the nightlife culture, and dare I say the gay culture and community of this city.   Who would have ever thought a gay man would want to do that to San Francisco?  Are we our own worst enemy?

Though the battle at hand currently involves the relocation of the Hole in the Wall, you can tell by this individuals selfish blind determination that he’s dead set on doing anything to interrupt and harass the operation of any endeavor involving Gardiner and Banks.  In doing so he is attacking one of the qualities that has made San Francisco a desirable destination for gay people everywhere for decades and definitely one that keeps many residents here and many visitors returning.   The demise of the Hole in the Wall would indicate a change in San Francisco that I would have never anticipated and the beginning of the end of a fine and spirited nightlife unlike any other.   I don’t think our city is willing to say goodbye to this institution or this ideal.

If you would like to voice your opinion or concern on this matter letters can be sent to:    President Dwight Alexander

San Francisco Planning Department

1600 Mission St. Fifth Floor

San Francisco, CA  94103

Letters should be short and to the point and I urge you to send them soon. The hearing on this matter is on May 10^th beginning at 1:30 room 400 at city hall.

I have been a DJ at the Hole in the Wall Saloon for almost 12 years, spinning several hundred nights of rock and roll music in a bar that I first entered because I walked by its open door one night and heard they were playing rock and roll.  For gay bars in San Francisco around 1994 this was a very unusual circumstance, and one I had to investigate and almost instantly embrace.  I had tried to create a small handful of one night a week clubs featuring rock and roll music at several different venues in the city over the years with varying degrees of success but most of them lasting 6 months or less.  There seemed to be a core of gay people who definitely liked rock music but it never seemed to be enough to support an ongoing club.  If a bar had a dance floor the proprietors generally wanted to see it full and Rock and Roll just didn’t fill a place up with dancers like disco and techno and rave type music did.  Eventually I found myself dj-ing in a neighborhood bar at Fillmore and Fell called The Casa Loma which was basically a straight dive-bar with predictably shady owners.  I went to work there one night and found the doors chained shut.  I don’t think it ever re-opened.  So the night that I stumbled into The Hole in The Wall and was met by unapologetic, undiluted rock music, I knew I had found a new home away from home, a place that played the music I had longed to hear in a gay bar for years.  It was so refreshing and actually kind of emotionally fulfilling.  The place radiated a certain warmth and excitement for all of those queers who craved a place to go out and hear something besides dance music.  Quite naturally I wanted to work there and I lived near-by and quickly became a regular patron, so eventually it came to be and I started spinning there.

This aesthetically radical approach in creating a new gay drinking establishment quickly caught on.  San Francisco seemed starved for something different and here was this high spirited rock and roll renegade biker bar with a clientele who were ecstatic to finally have a place to their liking.  Soon the bar was packed, festive, a constant celebration of rock music and a definite new scene to be reckoned with.  People who had tired of going out to bars suddenly found reason to return, lines started forming outside on the weekends.  The place was a blast and a not-to-be-missed feature of SF’s nightlife and the most consistent element or inspiration has always been the music.  DJ Crisco, owner Joe Banks, Eugene, Billy, Doug Hilsinger, Bryon Frye, Riley, Dennis, myself and a few others over the years have remained true to the original idea, respected the rock and built the soundtrack this bar thrives on.  Since it has been nearly 12 years of working at the Hole, I started thinking about all of those shifts and all of those songs played, and the many that stuck out in my memory as defining specific moments or moods that were distinctly Hole in The Wall.  Of course it would be impossible to name them all and there were many other DJ’s involved but here’s some of the songs most indelibly stamped by that dirty little biker bar that rocked some life into a dismal scene about 13 years ago.

“Faggot” by Korn: such a hard crunchy metal song written by a guy who was tired of people assuming he was gay.  The word faggot is repeatedly screamed more times than any other song ever.

“I Just Wanna Have Something To Do Tonight” by The Ramones: best ramones song ever.

“Drown Soda” by Hole:  The long live version—one of the most powerful Hole moments, lots of dirty guttural screaming about fucking entire states and cities.

“A Better Man” by Gary Floyd Band:  Sexiest blues song about sucking off young dirty sailor boys you meet at the video arcades.  Gary is a genius and the voice of experience.

“Coke Whore” by Stone Fox:  in some ways this is one of the greatest rock songs of all time with Jorjee screaming “When was the last time you called me a whore?”  I used to love it when this band would pay a visit to the bar.  Four of the hottest girls alive.

“Personal Jesus” by Bomb:  A great cover by an unforgettable dangerously talented local band.  Two members were also employees of the bar.  I may as well include the songs “Madness” “If I Were a Gurl” and “Healthfood and Heroin.”  Bomb ruled and always holds a special place in the heart of the Hole.

“I’ll Keep On Holding On” by The Detroit Cobras:  A great song by a great band fronted by Detroit’s finest vocalist.  This one never fails to get people happy.

“Mildred Pierce” by Sonic Youth:  Beauty builds, beauty explodes—its frightening.

“Prime Mover” by The Leather Nun:  Often forgotten Swedish band—sexy thick guitar heaven.

“Rock and Roll Nigger” by Patti Smith:  Got in a fight about this one once with an offended customer and decided to never play it again.  Then she came out of retirement and I said fuck it, it plays again.

“In and Out of Grace” by Mudhoney:  This song just rules—pure aggression and vocalist screaming, “Oh God how I love to hate.” Must include “Touch Me I’m Sick” and “Drinking For Two”  Mudhoney was the definitive seattle band.

“Kerosene” by Big Black:  “Theres kerosene around/set me on fire.”

“Stop Breaking Down” by The White Stripes:  A Peel Session that proves beyond doubt that Jack White is a madman on guitar.

“White House Girls” by Ed Hall:  Such a great mind bending psychedelic texas treasure.  This song is  hard and sexy and funny plus its about the butthole surfers.

“Sweat Loaf” by The Butthole Surfers:  One of the bartenders told me that whenever I play this song people consume drinks double-time.  I should also mention “22 going on 23” for its overwhelming psychotic  bleakness.

“I’m Mad” by Butt Trumpet:  Bands with butt in their name for $50, Alex.  This one makes it in here less for their name and more for the lyrics.  “You’re a motherfucker and I hate you/ fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you!”

“Too Bad About The Fire” by The Jesus Lizard:  such a creepy manic lament about living in a crack house.

“Third Uncle” by Doug Hilsinger and Caroleen Beatty:  brilliant cover of the Brian Eno song by one of our star employees.  This cut earns immediate status.  Eno himself loved it.

“Got the Time” by Anthrax:  this is a cover of a Joe Jackson song treated in the pure metal thrash style you would expect.

“Nausea” by X:  Lots of X songs would make it on here but this one uses the word retarded so I chose it.

“Mentally Retarded” by The Riverdales: “I’m not mentally retarded mentally retarded mentally retarded mentally!”

“The Final Stretch” by The Oblivians:  Gospel influenced alcohol fueled raw and intense song about meeting your maker.  The Oblivians have another song called “Big Black Hole” that works for its namesake.

“She’s A Ho” by Tragic Mulatto:  Truly challenging musical insanity.  This one scares people.

“Dirt” by The Stooges:  When I first heard this song played at the Hole I knew beyond a doubt that this seven minutes of pure raw sex and hardcore sentiment was the definitive song for the bar.  It’s the perfect fit—a moment that was meant to be—the perfect theme song.  As I draw to a close for now I’m thinking of so many other songs that need to be included to reflect the proper legacy of  brilliant rock and roll that built this bar from the ground up, and continues to evolve and change.  It’s monumental.  Music always is.

Boy was that Gossip show at bottom of the hill on Saturday great!   You know, the one I’ve been telling you all about for months now.  Yeah it was a promise fulfilled essentially, a stellar performance by one of the best bands on the planet.   Hands down this trio of super-talented individuals create a solid sound with nothing lacking, no holes, no aching for another musician to fill them out, three is quite enough for this band to be complete.   I used to think that with such a powerful performer like Beth Ditto handling vocals in her inimitable way the rest of the picture was easy to complete but tonight’s show really opened my eyes to just how incredibly brilliant the other members of this trio are.   It’s hard not to be bowled over by the sincere, soulful, undeniably, gutsy blues/rock genius of  Beth’s voice, she’s a star among stars whose voice ranks up there with some of the greats like Etta James and Koko Taylor, yeah she’s that good.   When she sings its like a revelation, theres more purity and spirit going on in just a moment than most contemporary vocalists can muster in an entire studio recording.   However, tonight , as with their previous stop here in January, Beth raises the bar pretty high as usual but the guitarist Nathan has proven to be an astonishing instinctual player himself, aggressive and succinct and powerful, effortlessly providing layers and depth to the guitar sound that seem to defy physical possibility, like for instance where does that oh so solid bass-line come from when they don’t have a bass player?   How does he manage to make that on top of those tasty percolating scratchy guitar riffs that serve as a precise counter-rhythm to the drummer who clearly means business with her steadfast and precise drumming, simple and powerful, bringing up her third of the chores in creating this highly accomplished sound with zeal.   It continues to astonish me when groups of three or even two people can create such a full and complete sound, especially without the aid of a bank of electronic equipment, but even certain electronic groups impress me with their richness of sound and creation of complex layers and musical depth.

From the very first time I saw the Gossip about five years ago one of the things that really made a distinct impression on me was the inherent sexiness of their music.   It wasn’t something they smacked you in the face with or worked in an obvious way, it was just there, something that smoldered increasingly from the first note to the sweaty satiated end of the set, something just grabbed you by the hips in a very primal way, leaving you undulating and breathless, exalted.   With their latest records’ decided lean towards a more rhythmic and danceable approach  (something I saw described recently in a snotty more indie than indie   blog as “when the Gossip went disco,”) this sexiness has evolved to an almost feverish new level, another quality each member seems to equally burn with in their own way.   I mean music is a lot like good sex it seems to me, and the gossip are knocking out a very sexy set of songs.  Every time I see them they just get better and better.   They really are one of the best bands on earth I think, and by now its no secret that I feel this way considering the amount of Beat This column inches they’ve gotten  in the last five years, but how can I not write about them when they are?   It’s simple.

I’m trying to finish up this column early so I can enjoy a carefree two day retreat to the Russian river with all of my fellow employees at the Hole in the Wall and Eagle, something we do annually as a staff after the hectic and very busy Folsom street fair weekend—a nice quiet relaxing rejuvenating and contemplative time will be had by all I’m sure, and if you believe that then go ahead and continue doing so.

Theres a couple of shows looming in the distance this month that I would like to point out.   One band that I’ve been going on and on about besides the gossip are coming to the bottom of the hill on October 24 and that is Awesome Color a three piece from Michigan who are one of two bands signed to Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth’s new record label Ecstatic Peace and are also the best new band I’ve heard in a long time.   Search for them on My Space and YouTube to get an idea of what they’re like, I personally cannot stop listening to their debut record.  It’s been my favorite of the summer months so I’m very excited to see them finally.   Also on the same bill is the other band signed to Ecstatic Peace and they are Nashville’s Be Your Own Pet who I’ve seen once before and was very disappointed in their performance but apparently they just got a new drummer who is even younger than the bands median age of 18.   Perhaps this time they’ll live up to all the great advance press they’ve garnered and wont seem as sloppy and insolent and snotty as they did when I saw them.   Incidentally the drummer was the one I wanted to slap the most and now he’s gone.  Awesome Color will rule the night I predict.

On November 11 the elusive Dr. Octagon will play mezzanine in support of his latest LP The Return of Dr. Octagon, one of my favorite discs of the year.   I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this artist with a live show but I bet it will be fun. Also this month at the Yerba Buena center we’ll see Diamanda Galas perform DEFIXIONES: Orders From the Dead on Oct 19 and 21.  these performances are likely already sold out as she hasn’t appeared in the bay area in about ten years or so and she has a huge and loyal fan base here and truly there’s nobody quite like her.   So there ya go, now I’m out of here for some well deserved rest and quiet time in a natural environment!

Well, the holidays are upon us once again which means it is time for that year end round-up of   all of my favorite records of 2006.  Since the advent of online music blogs and their heightened effect on the grand scheme of whether a young band might suddenly become an overnight million-selling sensation, the top 10 list has become an almost mandatory blog feature, often cropping up half-way through the year as a mid-term report and then escaping like a cat out of the bag as early on as October and November, ready to be aggregated by other blogs existing specifically to link the readers to virtually every top ten list in existence on the worldwide internet.   All that information just a few keystrokes away, and each list specific, precious, and double-dipped in pretense and importance, predictable to unpredictable and almost assuredly propelling a couple artists or groups from indie superstardom to industry heavyweights.   Bloggers have realized that their opinions really can matter after all so prepare for an astute online folley of  lists of every band you should love and buy and defend and never doubt their importance.   I love the newfound expertise and authority but by comparison, my list might seem downright tame, dull, uninformed and insensitive.  Yeah, that’s right, void of   Joanna Newsom, Sufjan Stevens, TV on The Radio, The Knife, the Hold Steady, M. Ward, Thom Yorke, any bands boasting a brother and sister or works based on mathematical concept, a singular location or Christmas.   And no Scissor Sisters either.  So here we go from the bottom up.

10.     Madonna—Confessions on a Dance Floor: you know, its not really the LP that I like so much, I’ve maybe heard the entire thing once. It’s the single “Hung Up,” that really got under my skin, along with her network television concert special on the night before thanksgiving.  I was endlessly blown away.   She is unparalleled in the area of creating a cathartic live spectacle, a show you will never forget.  She proves this again and again.  How does she do it?  She adopts and eats little African babies
11.       Morrissey—Ringleader of the Tormentors: He made a striking and brilliant

comeback with You Are The Quarry and wasted little time following that up with an even stronger record inspired and enhanced by his new residence in Italy and his collaboration with legendary soundtrack composer Ennio Moriccone, whom he has now embarked on a new project with.   This disc was also produced by Tony Visconti who did such great things with David Bowie.  I have a friend who hates the Smiths and Morrissey and he actually likes the first and best cut “I Will See You in Far Off Places.”   Not unlike Madonna, Morrissey has developed his showmanship a great deal as well over the years, and rest assured, no living creature was harmed in the making of this peculiar and grand superstar.

8.       The Young Knives- Voices of Animals and Men: This British trio have intrigued me first with a series of singles and an EP of quirky complex and manic little angular pop songs with an edge. With their first full length release they hit all the marks running.  There’s a lot of pure talent going on here, at times bringing to mind the clever wit and songwriting skills of Andy partridge of XTC and the quick sting of the Buzzcocks or the Jam.  Great vocal arrangements and harmonies, articulate to furious would-be anthems of teen angst and dark humor from three book-wormish looking schoolboys.   Theres a lot going on here.
9.       Priestess—Hello Master: There is just something cool about four long haired guys in a Canadian metal band called Priestess.   It’s a gender identification thing that most metal bands would say, “No fucking way are we gonna be calling this band Priestess, that’s fucking gay.”   I think it’s a cool as fuck name and the more I listen to this disc the more interesting and powerful it becomes.  Their take on a basic heavy metal sound is replete with subtle  aberrations in timing and structure that are unique, reaching out into a prog-rock sort of territory but without the furry boots, double-necked guitars and live three record sets.   This band came recommended by a member of my favorite local group Dirty Power, and oddly enough they share some stylistic similarities.  You know how some cities choose a similar sister-city in another country in a public relations gesture?   I think Priestess and Dirty Power should do that—be sister bands.  They could record a cover of “I’ll Be Your Sister” by Motorhead.   That is so gay.
10.       The Eagles of Death Metal—Death by Sexy: This record is just so fucking fun!

Jesse Hughes, guitar-slinging frontman for EODM and old pal of Queens of the Stoneage figurehead Josh Homme, who produces and also drums for the band, knows fully well where the reckless heart and unyielding fun in rock and roll can be found.   If Death By Sexy doesn’t take you there, you must be dead already. Wearing several influences clearly on his sleeve he takes you on a joyride of dirty blues boogie, hooks you with guitar riffs that wont let go, stings you with his pure rock scream falsetto and delivers it all with enough glam rock swagger and rock star strut for two bands.   He plays like he was legendary before he even started.  Listen and believe it.

5.       The Presets—Beams: I’ve gone on and on about this electronic duo from         Australia several times this year, first on the basis of this incredibly appealing record with its lush multi-layered production qualities and big beat driven sound. Their songs felt complete and dynamic and irresistibly catchy and danceable.   Then I saw them a total of three times, once at the folsom street fair and they undeniably tore it up live.  I’ve never found a predominantly electronic act to be this effective and appealing.
6. Arctic Monkeys—Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am Not:   This young band from Sheffield, England started distributing their own music over the internet for free and at live gigs as well and created such a buzz that this LP, their first, became the fastest selling debut record in British pop music history. The hype was massive and the proof resounded clear as a bell from the first song to the last on this disc. The Arctic Monkeys delivered an edgy pop/rock masterpiece revealing a songwriting talent that rates up there with many greats to their fore.  The music was astonishing, full of pop sensibility yet seldom skipping the chance to progress rapidly to a louder faster and harder sort of crescendo, an exalted rush of honest youthful urgency with an uncanny sense of order and expertise for a band of four boys still in their teens.   I haven’t grown tired of this disc yet.
7. Electric Eel Shock—Beat Me: I’ve written a lot about this band as well this year.   They are a Japanese power trio that gives new meaning to that term. I’ve never seen a group that pours more energy into a performance than these rock and roll lifers.   Their songs handle rock and roll as if it were sacred, the purest force in the world and they honor it vehemently and without irony.  Lemmy of Motorhead  thinks they are the shit.  No argument here.
8. The Gossip—Standing In The Way OfControl:   I think I promised to not write any more about The Gossip for awhile as they have been the most prominent subject in my columns this year and there are only so many ways one can describe their greatness.   I’m just pleased that with this disc, their finest to date, they are finally getting some widespread and well deserved attention.  They have videos on MTV now, and they never thought that would happen.   If you don’t own this record and love it, I might think you were a loser.
9. Awesome Color—s/t:This band of three youngsters originally from Michigan, now New York have produced the one record that feels so completely unadulterated and genuine in spirit that I find it difficult to stop it after just one song.   Allowed to play for its entire length and you can really feel this disc take off and soar with some of the greatest rock records of all time.  Specifically I’m thinking of The Stooges Funhouse, arguably the finest rock and roll record ever, because Awesome Color have some kind of weird affinity with that landmark.  They don’t ape it or reproduce it but somehow they seem to channel its force or spirit so perfectly the two discs can be played back to back and it just sounds great and makes perfect sense.   It’s so mysterious to me, this magic they’ve created, two guys and a girl, three instruments and all that music.  It reminds me why I place such importance on rock and roll in my life.   Its all right here. Just listen to it.  You’ll know why this is my favorite record of the year.

 

I hope all you Christmas shoppers took my top ten list from last week with you as a guide for giving the gift of music this year and marched out to a slowly-dying-everything-must-truly-go-final-sad-sad-holiday season-ever Tower Records store to let the impoverished, shivering Dickensian soon-to-be-jobless help limp down the aisles of dwindling stock, past the ghosts of Tower Christmas past and dodgers with fingerless gloves waiting for grey gruel in a bowl and grab some of those liquidation prices from the former music media super-store as it rasps out its final “and God bless Tiny Tim.”   It really is sad, but I thought the chain had passed on like a month ago, hit its final note and closed its doors.  Instead they have remained to continue liquidation, like a lingering illness, driving home the actual reality of a truly Tower-less world in our near future.   I remember one very sad Christmas day when I was still a teenager and suddenly isolated from all my family for the holiday then devastated by the news that my new boyfriend’s room mate was actually his partner of many years.   He was the doctors wife and I was just a gullible teenage mistress.  Inconsolably heartbroken I demanded that a friend take me to Tower records in Concord and I bought more records, all for me, than I ever have in my life.  Many were imports, among them Iggy Pop’s The Idiot and David Bowie’s Heroes—real cheery stuff but helpful ultimately on that Christmas day when all roads led to the only place that could make me feel better

Yet another Tower Records memory that marks a happier time was when Sonic Youth promoting their new album, Goo, played a live show at 12 noon in the parking lot of   Tower on Columbus Street.  They arrived distributing donuts to the crowd and Thurston Moore approached the microphone and said, “This song is our first single from the record and its called “Suck My Motherfuckin Dick” and Kim Gordon stepped up to the mic and echoed “Suck My Mother Fuckin Dick.”   They played almost all of the new LP out in the bright sunlight of lunch hour, catching many of the weekend punks in their downtown work clothes.  It was beautiful.  I’ll miss Tower.  For some reason walking into any Tower store always felt like you walked into musical Mecca,  you might even see a movie star or some real punk rockers.  I’ll miss not going to the Tower Records in every city I visit.  I kind of wonder why the chain is disappearing.   Is it really the result of downloading music illegally that has finally showed it’s predicted losses for the music industry, taking one of the largest music retail outlets as a casualty?  Who really knows, and how might this affect some of the smaller independent record stores?  Hard to say, but giving the gift of music for Christmas could be a slightly cheaper option and a nice chance to say goodbye to a regular shopping haunt.   Let’s not forget the video/dvd portion of Tower Records also, boasting one of the biggest and best magazine and alternative ‘zine selections not to mention limited edition creepy and ghoulish doll collectibles, Emily the Strange merchandise, and horror movie action figures, Kiss dolls, the works.   I didn’t even mention the vast Criterion Collection of great  landmarks throughout film history available there on DVD.   These many things shall be missed when Tower finally shuts its doors, and remember shoppers, the gift of music rarely fails to please.  You know what to do.

Just after I featured my top 10 records of the year last week, I started thinking and remembering some blaring examples of greatness that I had left out of my list completely, forgotten things released very early in the year, and a lot of random moments that definitely rate but just happened to slip my mind.   The one release I should be most punished for failing to include was the Bellrays LP, Have a little Faith.   The riverside California based combo who have been around forever and get stronger all the time with their maximum rock and soul sound and the absolutely incredible vocals of Lisa Kekaula, hit a more versatile stride into some outright funk and soul excursions with horns and string arrangements yet their garage band/punk fury edge takes its rightful place here too.   I saw them on a late night talk show, their national television debut and they knocked the crowd back with a short sweet and uncommonly sexy performance that gave me chills.   Lisa is a force of nature—astonishing and beautiful.  One of the best live bands in America hands down.

Another favorite from this year was the Drones follow-up record to their critically acclaimed Australian music prize-winning best album of 2005 Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By, the more somber but no less intense and darkly menacing Gala Mill.   Recorded on a remote farm in Tasmania, this disc concentrates on some of the darker points in the history of Tasmania as a former penal colony.  This four piece band can gradually build up a song from whispered hushed tones to raging explosive passion that takes your breath away. Guitarist/vocalist Gareth Liddiard sings with such fervor and raw emotion its frightening and unhinged, plaintive and gorgeous placing him in such fine company as Neil Young and Kurt Cobain and fellow Australians The Beasts of Bourbon.   The Drones might not be for everyone but their stark desolate and brutal evocations envelop the listener and take you on a journey through several searing layers of honest emotion.   This band is genius.

The Melvins, have just released a new LP called Senile Animal and there are two long final cuts, “Mechanical Bride” and “A Vast Filthy Prison” that are pure unadulterated melvins —loud drums, slow beat, hooky heavy guitar at sludge-pace and shouted lyrics. 7 minutes long each ,14 minutes of unapologetic awe-inspiring sludge-core heaven.

I was recently turned onto a Funkadelic  record from 1975 called Hardcore Jollies and it was a revelation to me.   How did I miss this vital visceral psychedelic romp, the hard pumping sexy funky bass covering the low end while a literal army of guitar playing madmen rip through an un-ending celebration of rock and roll heroics—solos that sting with virtuosity yet have an unpredictable sense of direction, Hendrix-like intensity and more rock and roll swagger than you thought a funkedelic could muster up.   So intrigued by this I investigated several early LPs by them and found tons more of this incredible mixture of styles and mad skills.  Funkadelic has got it going on and had it going on 30 years ago. Amazing.

I was completely overjoyed when I found out online that Beth Ditto vocalist for The Gossip, arguably the best band on the planet, has won the number one position on the NME’s annual Cool List, a list of the 100 coolest people on the planet.  It seems that the Arkansas native and her incredible band have at long last made their mark on the consciousness of the British people, or at least the British music press, with their incredible third full length LP Standing in the Way of Control, a breakthrough disc that found the trio, armed with a new drummer, growing as a musical force in somewhat new directions yet never straying from the heart of their original blues/punk rock/gospel soulfulness.  It really cracks me up when I hear some indie kids describe the release of this disc as “when the gossip went disco.”  I’ve been a fan of the gossip for five years and I can’t tell you one time that I’ve seen them live when it wasn’t clearly undoubtedly about dancing.  SITWOC is a natural extension of their already consistent sound and philosophy, snapping right into place with their body of work as their most accomplished, accessible and irresistible recording to date.  It’s no wonder and totally about time that the rest of the world take notice outside of  the queer/indie/alternative/punk rock ghetto because we’ve got a band here that is phenomenal, and their latest record is on fire.  I think it is only fitting that the rest of the world know the joy that we’ve been experiencing for years.  It’s high time that everyone witness the immense talent and pure heart of an outspoken and beautiful fat lesbian with one of the most compelling voices in rock and roll and an attitude of acceptance and support and belief in ones self that she has tirelessly preached and encouraged in others at every show.  It thrills me endlessly that the world is now this much closer to knowing that the Gossip are just about the best thing ever.  It makes me smile to think that all those queens hanging out in the Castro at the Midnight Sun watching videos of Gwen Stefani and Beyonce are now grooving to the Gossips’ “Listen Up” a dance anthem if ever there was one complete with Beth Ditto inciting a dance party in a teen girls bedroom while she sings and dances and coyly nibbles at a slice of pizza. It’s all over MTV as well, which is even more of a surprise. Here in the age of the Olsen twins and Nicole Richie and anorexia rehabs and counting ribs on the red carpet, I cant think of a better kick against the pricks, nor one that sounds as good as this.  But the best thing about Beth Ditto being named the coolest person on the planet by NME is the simple fact that I’ve known she was the coolest person on the planet for a few years now.  I love it when that happens, and for what its worth, I told ya so.  It’s like the song says, “You better listen up!”  It also bears mentioning that Beth is the first ever female to top the list and one of an unprecedented five in the top 10 this year.

One of those women, the number three position was the outspoken Lily Allen.  This young singer rose to stardom very rapidly with a number one hit album in England over the summer that is still producing hit singles and gaining popularity worldwide.  I find her record to be a very pleasant pop music experience, stylistically revisiting the ska revival of the early 80’s and lots of dub influences.  She covers an old song by the specials as well as a song by last years golden boys, The Kaiser Chiefs and her own songs are quite clever, talking about pimps and crackwhores  and violence in the streets of London.  She’s spoken quite frankly and openly about drug use and partying and her videos are quite fun.  The one for the song “Smile” tells a fun little story about meeting up with an ex-boyfriend, and while she’s meeting him for tea she is simultaneously having some thugs trash his flat, even scratch up his records. He goes to the bathroom and she slips laxative into his tea and they bid farewell politely.  He goes home, finds his place trashed, lunges for the bathroom and finally is last seen at his DJ job trying to play his records, none of which work.  Lily just Smiles.  She’s not your everyday pop confection, this Lily Allen, she’s bolder and sassier and you can tell she’s not just your fabricated pop star, she speaks her mind and deals with situations in her songs that are definitely gritty or touchy subjects.  I like her, and so does Karl Lagerfeld, who met with the star and it looks like she is going to be the new face of Chanel for 2007, a big deal for a little girl barely out of her teens who is known for wearing tennis shoes instead of high heels.  But anyways, Lily was apparently approached by NME regarding this cool list story and asked if she would take part in a photo shoot for the cover with the other females in the top 10 and she agreed to do the shoot, excited about the prospect of women being a stronger force in the music world, etc.

Well when she went out to pick up the magazine she was thoroughly dismayed to find that Muse were on the cover instead and the cool list story had been reduced and not the main cover feature.  This set her off and she placed a rant about it on her myspace page. She’s yet another artist whose MySpace band page was an instrumental tool in her quick rise to fame, so she felt comfortable enough to really go off there.   It read in part: “Conor McNicholas, the editor of NME, said he was pleased that the Cool List was full of women who had brought “new energy” to the music world.

“This year’s Cool List is a testament to the raft of hugely talented women who have taken hold of the music scene in 2006,” he said. “From Beth to Lily to Karen, they’ve brought new energy to a scene dominated by men. They’re also living proof that you can still rock a crowd when you’re wearing stilettos.”

I mean how fucking patronising ” you can still rock a crowd wearing stilletos ”
Is that all we are , stilleto wearing people , is that all he could say ,that we brought a ” new energy” to the music scene . Don’t make me sick , wev’e always been here you arrogant prick , this was your chance to actually show you meant it . And instead you put Muse on the cover . Cause you thought that your readers might not buy a magazine with an overweight lesbian and a not particularly attractive looking me , on the front . Wankers .

You should take your heads out of you New Rave arses , and actually think about your responsibilities to youth culture , and to women in general .”

Like I said, she’s very outspoken. I think she had some valid points regarding this list story and I’m glad she expressed them but at this point she should know the press and their curious way of presenting things.  But I must applaud her for speaking her mind.  You wouldn’t have heard anything like that coming from any of the spice girls now would ya?  I doubt it.  And as for the rock a crowd even wearing stilettos comment, I know Beth Ditto more often rocks the crowd barefoot.  I thought everyone knew that.

I was completely overjoyed when I found out online that Beth Ditto vocalist for The Gossip, arguably the best band on the planet, has won the number one position on the NME’s annual Cool List, a list of the 100 coolest people on the planet.  It seems that the Arkansas native and her incredible band have at long last made their mark on the consciousness of the British people, or at least the British music press, with their incredible third full length LP Standing in the Way of Control, a breakthrough disc that found the trio, armed with a new drummer, growing as a musical force in somewhat new directions yet never straying from the heart of their original blues/punk rock/gospel soulfulness.  It really cracks me up when I hear some indie kids describe the release of this disc as “when the gossip went disco.”  I’ve been a fan of the gossip for five years and I can’t tell you one time that I’ve seen them live when it wasn’t clearly undoubtedly about dancing.  SITWOC is a natural extension of their already consistent sound and philosophy, snapping right into place with their body of work as their most accomplished, accessible and irresistible recording to date.  It’s no wonder and totally about time that the rest of the world take notice outside of  the queer/indie/alternative/punk rock ghetto because we’ve got a band here that is phenomenal, and their latest record is on fire.  I think it is only fitting that the rest of the world know the joy that we’ve been experiencing for years.  It’s high time that everyone witness the immense talent and pure heart of an outspoken and beautiful fat lesbian with one of the most compelling voices in rock and roll and an attitude of acceptance and support and belief in ones self that she has tirelessly preached and encouraged in others at every show.  It thrills me endlessly that the world is now this much closer to knowing that the Gossip are just about the best thing ever.  It makes me smile to think that all those queens hanging out in the Castro at the Midnight Sun watching videos of Gwen Stefani and Beyonce are now grooving to the Gossips’ “Listen Up” a dance anthem if ever there was one complete with Beth Ditto inciting a dance party in a teen girls bedroom while she sings and dances and coyly nibbles at a slice of pizza. It’s all over MTV as well, which is even more of a surprise. Here in the age of the Olsen twins and Nicole Richie and anorexia rehabs and counting ribs on the red carpet, I cant think of a better kick against the pricks, nor one that sounds as good as this.  But the best thing about Beth Ditto being named the coolest person on the planet by NME is the simple fact that I’ve known she was the coolest person on the planet for a few years now.  I love it when that happens, and for what its worth, I told ya so.  It’s like the song says, “You better listen up!”  It also bears mentioning that Beth is the first ever female to top the list and one of an unprecedented five in the top 10 this year.

One of those women, the number three position was the outspoken Lily Allen.  This young singer rose to stardom very rapidly with a number one hit album in England over the summer that is still producing hit singles and gaining popularity worldwide.  I find her record to be a very pleasant pop music experience, stylistically revisiting the ska revival of the early 80’s and lots of dub influences.  She covers an old song by the specials as well as a song by last years golden boys, The Kaiser Chiefs and her own songs are quite clever, talking about pimps and crackwhores  and violence in the streets of London.  She’s spoken quite frankly and openly about drug use and partying and her videos are quite fun.  The one for the song “Smile” tells a fun little story about meeting up with an ex-boyfriend, and while she’s meeting him for tea she is simultaneously having some thugs trash his flat, even scratch up his records. He goes to the bathroom and she slips laxative into his tea and they bid farewell politely.  He goes home, finds his place trashed, lunges for the bathroom and finally is last seen at his DJ job trying to play his records, none of which work.  Lily just Smiles.  She’s not your everyday pop confection, this Lily Allen, she’s bolder and sassier and you can tell she’s not just your fabricated pop star, she speaks her mind and deals with situations in her songs that are definitely gritty or touchy subjects.  I like her, and so does Karl Lagerfeld, who met with the star and it looks like she is going to be the new face of Chanel for 2007, a big deal for a little girl barely out of her teens who is known for wearing tennis shoes instead of high heels.  But anyways, Lily was apparently approached by NME regarding this cool list story and asked if she would take part in a photo shoot for the cover with the other females in the top 10 and she agreed to do the shoot, excited about the prospect of women being a stronger force in the music world, etc.

Well when she went out to pick up the magazine she was thoroughly dismayed to find that Muse were on the cover instead and the cool list story had been reduced and not the main cover feature.  This set her off and she placed a rant about it on her myspace page. She’s yet another artist whose MySpace band page was an instrumental tool in her quick rise to fame, so she felt comfortable enough to really go off there.   It read in part: “Conor McNicholas, the editor of NME, said he was pleased that the Cool List was full of women who had brought “new energy” to the music world.

“This year’s Cool List is a testament to the raft of hugely talented women who have taken hold of the music scene in 2006,” he said. “From Beth to Lily to Karen, they’ve brought new energy to a scene dominated by men. They’re also living proof that you can still rock a crowd when you’re wearing stilettos.”

I mean how fucking patronising ” you can still rock a crowd wearing stilletos ”
Is that all we are , stilleto wearing people , is that all he could say ,that we brought a ” new energy” to the music scene . Don’t make me sick , wev’e always been here you arrogant prick , this was your chance to actually show you meant it . And instead you put Muse on the cover . Cause you thought that your readers might not buy a magazine with an overweight lesbian and a not particularly attractive looking me , on the front . Wankers .

You should take your heads out of you New Rave arses , and actually think about your responsibilities to youth culture , and to women in general .”

Like I said, she’s very outspoken. I think she had some valid points regarding this list story and I’m glad she expressed them but at this point she should know the press and their curious way of presenting things.  But I must applaud her for speaking her mind.  You wouldn’t have heard anything like that coming from any of the spice girls now would ya?  I doubt it.  And as for the rock a crowd even wearing stilettos comment, I know Beth Ditto more often rocks the crowd barefoot.  I thought everyone knew that.

It’s Monday evening and I’m in a big panic because I cant really think of anything to write my column on.   Unfortunately there were a couple shows I really wanted to see last week but poor planning and obliviousness and my own hedonistic proclivities seriously cut into the time I try to set aside for simple music appreciation.   I completely slept through an opportunity to see my very favorite current band, Awesome Color play at Bottom of the Hill last Tuesday and I’m still kicking myself for it. I was told that it was a very under-attended show, which surprises me considering the press Awesome Color and the headliner Be Your Own Pet are getting and the indie credibility of being on Ecstatic Peace records, the new label run by Thurston Moore the godhead godfather of indie crossover art-punk with his own beloved band Sonic Youth.   Perhaps there was some unexplainable energy vortex preventing music lovers from arriving to their chosen point of destination that night.  Yeah, I’d like to think it wasn’t simply my fault, that there was some other cosmic or paranormal element that kept myself as well as others away from our chosen musical destination.   It’s easier that way.  I can only hope they’ll return to sf real soon.  I cant get enough of awesome colors eponymous debut disc

Another event that I was more or less clueless about until the day before and I had to work that night and I couldn’t trade shifts with that short of notice was the San Francisco debut of the incredible group from the early 80’s post punk New York No Wave scene, ESG.   Yes, the group of  the four sisters Scroggins, whose parents bought them instruments to keep them out of trouble in the south Bronx over 26 years ago, who rose to fame through gigs at Paradise Garage and captured the attention of British producer Martin Hannet of factory records, finally played San Francisco.   The new touring group of ESG now features a couple less original sisters, replaced by daughters and cousins so they’ve kept it in the family and have released two new LPs with that highly influential trademark minimal funkiness intact.   It’s an interesting fact that next to James Brown, ESG are one of the most widely sampled groups in all of  rap and hip-hop music.   I’d give my eye teeth to catch them live and I completely let the date slip by without even noticing.  I played from their catalogue liberally that night at work and realized more than ever what a totally unspoiled and natural talent and sound these girls created and continue to create and what an impact they’ve had on music and how many of my current favorites definitely name them as influences.   I cant believe I missed my chance to catch them perform.  I think I may have thought it was the other ESG who is a rapper, as this ESG certainly don’t tour very often at all.   I’m anxiously awaiting any reports on the show from anyone I know who went.

I’m almost sort of thinking that seeing the diamanda galas show the previous weekend sort of negated all the other musical events I was planning on taking in for awhile.   It was so outstanding and so unusual yet completely satisfying on so many technical levels.  My mind is still reeling on that one.

Which leads us to the present time, Monday night and so far I’ve written about two shows I missed!   Woo hoo!  That’s some cutting edge music journalism for ya.  Hmmmmmm.  Lets see…what else should I talk about?   How my room mate keeps coming out of his room where he is deeply engrossed in PBS to tell me that the catastrophic and inevitable reversal of the magnetic poles for this planet is overdue by 40,000 years and that its already starting to happen and he’s oddly overjoyed by this, how people will suffer countless tragic effects, death from exposure to elements suddenly intensified, rivers will reverse their flow, birds will migrate to the wrong place and die, stuff like that.   He returns a few minutes later to share that the next Nova program is a long special on the Yellow Fever.  He can hardly contain his glee.   He loves plagues and diseases. He’s bouncing around the house giggling in excitement.  He is of course the one who took me to see diamanda galas, bless his little black festering heart and itchy feverish swelling brain.   Freak.

Often I turn to the internet for worthy topics to write about at times like these and when I did that tonight I checked into two of my favorite blogs for punk rock music downloads only to learn that they have posted their final entries and are closing up shop.   Strange Reaction and Dressed For The H Bomb both provided tons of hard to find rare hardcore and punk rock relics, often transferred from vinyl to mp3s and distributed them unless requested not to by the artist.   I caught so much great music from both of these blogs, some old familiars and lots of bands I’d never heard before.  Their posts were teaming with background and information on the bands and were rich with links and directions to find out more.   They did such a service to forgotten bands they seldom were asked to stop distributing songs, if anything people were pleased to see their old band getting some attention.   They were great blogs and I believe Dressed For The H-Bomb is still up and running for a while longer.

Finally, right at press-time I learned that Courtney love is going to be in town Friday at 7pm for a book signing at Borders Books on King street.  Her combination diary/scrapbook/memoir entitled Dirty Blonde is published by Faber and Faber and promises not to be a kiss and tell.  Also in Love’s future is an appearance in a classic play in London’s West End and the release of her second solo record, produced and co-written with Linda Perry.  Love will likely sign to Perry’s Custard Label and a tentative title for the disc is “How Dirty Girls Get Clean.”   She’ll always be a dirty girl to me, of course, even if her new bid for success works out without numerous legal incidents, and I think it will. It’s always a pleasure to see how any public appearance by Courtney will play out.