You might recognize Wilko Johnson's as Ser Ilyn Payne from Game of Thrones, but that role's small potatoes compared to his musical legacy. As the lead guitarist and song writer for the British pub rock band Dr. Feelgood, Johnson's choppy, percussive style of playing is considered to be one of the earliest influences of the early UK punk scene. When you listen to Joe Strummer hacking away with his axe in The 101ers, you're hearing Wilko.
In this brief video filmed back in 2012, Wilko demonstrates the ins and outs of the fierce, economic playing style that helped give rise to The Sex Pistols and The Clash. I've been a fan of the man for decades and, last week, was fortunate enough to spend a good chunk of time chatting with him. Look for my interview with Wilko to pop up on the site at some point in the near future.
Image courtesy of Abigail Elizabeth Photography Read the rest
I was so thrilled to discover this last night. Ahead of the forthcoming release of the remastered, expanded edition of the Ramones' iconic 1978 album, Road to Ruin, KEXP premiered a "fully-realized" version of S.L.U.G., a rare Ramones track that previous only appeared in demo and bootleg form.
Rhino Records is preparing to release a new deluxe edition of the Queens, New York outfit’s landmark fourth album Road To Ruin on Sept. 21, featuring a remastered version of the original album, a new stereo mix, and a disc of newly unearthed recordings – primarily outtakes and alternate versions of the classic tracklist. Fans will be particularly excited about two two previously unreleased tracks “S.L.U.G.” and “I Walk Out.” Fans can now stream the former below ahead of the deluxe edition release.
Savvy Ramones die-hards will be quick to point out that a demo of “S.L.U.G.” previously appeared on a 2001 expanded edition of Rocket to Russia as well as the Weird Tales of the Ramones compilation (and some bootlegs), but the version we’re hearing today is the first time we’re hearing a fully-realized version of the long lost track.
[H/t Ryan Zellman] Read the rest
Punk rock never dies. Read the rest
In case you haven't heard, there's a big punk music festival happening in Oakland, California this upcoming holiday weekend. It's called Burger Boogaloo and our highest-ranking "filth elder," Mr. John Waters himself, is emceeing it for the third year in a row. Burger Boogaloo is a popular event 'round these parts and this year will be no exception, as Iggy Pop headlines, along with the Buzzcocks and X.
In a recent interview with Jeremy Tarr of Fodor's Travel, Mr. Waters shared his thoughts about the event. Here's what he said about seeing punks in the audience:
"It's punks of all ages. It's from nouveau punks to punk nostalgia, which is pretty great to watch... Some of them I see are older. You never thought punks could be oldies but badies – not oldies but goodies. It's just exciting to see a grandmother pogo dancing as much as it is to see a 14-year-old kid being a punk for the first time. "
And his familiarity with the musicians in the 2017 lineup:
"Some of them I've never heard of and I don't know. That's what I like so much … But, I know John Doe and X. I've known Iggy for years. Iggy was in my movies. I've become friends with Shannon [Shaw, lead singer of Shannon and the Clams] and that gang. I am a fan really... Though, I think probably being the oldest person there – I don't know – how old is Iggy? I don't know who's older.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/kingfirley/playlist/2EOmcCja09zTPTYQ0SagEh
Scott Harding's 11-hour Spotify playlist of punk rock starts in 1965 with "Goo Goo Muck," by Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads (I thought The Cramps wrote it until now), follows with bands like ? & The Mysterians, the Stooges, MC5, the Velvet Underground, The New York Dolls, and others before moving onto familiar names. Lots of good stuff in here.
[via Open Culture] Read the rest
Leonardo Faierman points us to an article he wrote for BlackGirlNerds about a crowdfunding campaign for a biopic on female punk rock icon Poly Styrene. The Indiegogo ends tomorrow and is very close to its goal at the time of this blog post. Read the rest
Quartier Latin in Berlin. Rose Bonbon in Paris. Hammersmith Palais in London. Some of the most iconic punk and rock clubs of the 80s and 90s are remembered by patrons and musicians, juxtaposed with shots of what they became after closing.
Bonus video: an edit of Last Man in Hammersmith Palais, outlining the venue's storied history.
• Loud Places (Vimeo / Mathy & Fran) Read the rest
In September 2015, Piers Morgan interviewed John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) for a one hour special. Lydon was smart, funny, and very entertaining.
He was entertaining when Tom Snyder interviewed him in 1980, but in an entirely different way:
Someone with more editing skills than me should make a video of the old and new Lydon having conversation with himself.
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Remember when MAD magazine was still making fun of hippies well into the late 1970s? Dangerous Minds' gallery of stock photos of punks going wild in streets has a similar vibe.
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We are thrilled to announce that our friend
Coop, famous rock poster illustrator and fine artist, is joining us at our
Weekend of Wonder extravaganza, September 18-20 in Riverside, California.
Cindy Wilson, founding member of The B-52s, has recently been performing with Glenn Phillips and his band at small venues in the Atlanta area. In this clip, she performs the classic song Hero Worship from the B's eponymous first album from 1978, and totally rocks it out. Read the rest
[Video Link: "The Uukhai Documentary," dir. Odmandakh Bataa]
Michelle Borok is a culture-blogger from Los Angeles who has expatriated to Mongolia, where she is raising a family. She shares word of a really cool project there that could use your help:
This new film by Uukhai, a Mongolian skateboarding association, sheds intimate, honest and unpretentious light on a growing community in Ulaanbaatar. The video features interviews with skaters involved with the organization, and tons of footage of street skating shot this summer.
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