Band business card - 1982(From the Umlaut Archives)
In the meantime: HERE.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Dynamic Duo
It was a good week for Old Metal in S.F.: First it was Schnitzel and then 3 days later it was:
Carcass / Death Angel / Suicide Silence
The Grand, San Francisco
March 26, 2009
Umlaut was shocked when Carcass announced another U.S. Tour on the heels of last year's trek. The band hasn't toured in over 10 years and now they won't go away; they're like Grindcore Zombies or something.
This was one of those ridiculous Metal shows with 7 (SEVEN) bands on the bill and a 6:30PM start... Fuck that! Umlaut stayed on his couch as long as possible and didn't arrive at the venue until about 9:15PM, so we were able to miss 4/5 of the support bands who would have annoyed me... but unfortunately we did see a couple of songs by the 5th support band (Suicide Silence), who are one of those annoying new Metal bands who do all of the annoying things that annoy me about all of those annoying new Metal bands... but I don't wanna come off sounding like too much of a jaded old Metalhead so I'll just leave it at that.
Anyway.....
Local heroes Death Angel were amazing when I saw them last year, but since that triumphant night they had a significant personnel change with original bassist Dennis Pepa leaving the band in January. While this show was only a one-off appearance on the heels of a just completed Australian Tour, it was also their first hometown show with new guy Sammy Diosdado holding down the bottom end. Dude, it was weird seeing a white guy onstage with Death Angel after all those years of 100% Filipino ultra-violence... but that was forgotten once they started playing.
Death Angel are one of my favorite live bands.. The lads just come out and DO IT with no bullshit... They came onstage, played a slow buildup, and then SLAMMED into a Thrash Metal groove that got a pit going immediately... and The Pit didn't let up for the entire set. It was obvious most of the crowd were DA fans, but it was cool seeing some of the new Metal kids getting schooled in how Metal should be done. The set closing 'Kill As One' pretty much summed it all up, man. Also, seeing Death Angel after the annoying support band reminded me that the majority of the new Metal bands today simply do not have a clue about songwriting.. There, I said it.
Question: Who are THE most crushing band to emerge from the streets of Liverpool, England?? The Beatles? A Flock Of Seagulls? Badfinger? The La's? Ladytron? Echo & the Bunnymen? Frankie Goes To Hollywood?
Answer: None of the above. THE most crushing band from Liverpool is Carcass.
Given the fact that Umlaut missed most of their set last Fall, it made me happy that Carcass came back to town so soon. Jeff Walker is from the "foot on monitor" school of bass players, and it was cool he gave props to the Bay Area's Metal history in between songs and commented how Carcass had supported Death Angel in Liverpool years ago. Daniel Erlandsson was a good choice to fill in on drums for the Reunion Tour and I like his pounding work with Arch Enemy, but the guy is so robotic in his playing it's inhuman, but that does fit into the Carcass vibe. Of course, the band's main attraction is the twin guitars of Bill Steer and Michael Amott and it's easy for me to get put into a headlock by their crushing tone and fluid playing. For the second time in a week, I was angry that so many people were at home pushing plastic buttons on a fake guitar instead of standing next to me supporting legitimate Guitar Heroes... The harmonized guitar soloing in 'Heartwork' ranks right up there with my favorite 6-string moments.
The set was enhanced by an appropriate visual presentation to accompany each song, with some nice use of lovely archival autopsy and medical research footage; the band's name is Carcass after all. I think if fellow Liverpudlian John Lennon came back to life he'd want to play with Carcass, mainly because he'd be all decomposed and undead now. Maharishi's transcendental meditation wouldn't do him any good at this point, but some METAL surely would.
It was an interesting night of contrasts having an old school American Thrash Metal band and an old school British Grindcore band on the same bill; Thrash Metal's groove versus Grindcore's blast beats... but the thing both bands have in common is old school musicianship and stage presence. Total value for money, man... and a valuable history lesson for the kids in attendance. Yes, there will be a quiz. To quote Carcass: "Prolific food for thought.. Contrasting fed with force.. Abstraction so choking, so provocative.."
If you bought one of every Death Angel merch item you would have paid around $150. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Umlaut was back at Casa de Umlaut at 12:30AM; a surgically precise 3 hours of Metal with most of the fat trimmed off so that it was an all killer, no filler night... exactly the way I like it.
Click HERE to see Ray's Carcass pics from the show.
On another note, Umlaut recently received this e-mail from Chatty Kathy:
I've never heard of lots of the bands you write about but your blog is still really fun to read! It's like how I skim the obituaries every day. I didn't know these people, but once in a while there's an awesome obituary. Sometimes the peoples' lives weren't even that remarkable but obviously someone in their family is a very talented writer.
Best feedback ever.
Carcass / Death Angel / Suicide Silence
The Grand, San Francisco
March 26, 2009
Umlaut was shocked when Carcass announced another U.S. Tour on the heels of last year's trek. The band hasn't toured in over 10 years and now they won't go away; they're like Grindcore Zombies or something.This was one of those ridiculous Metal shows with 7 (SEVEN) bands on the bill and a 6:30PM start... Fuck that! Umlaut stayed on his couch as long as possible and didn't arrive at the venue until about 9:15PM, so we were able to miss 4/5 of the support bands who would have annoyed me... but unfortunately we did see a couple of songs by the 5th support band (Suicide Silence), who are one of those annoying new Metal bands who do all of the annoying things that annoy me about all of those annoying new Metal bands... but I don't wanna come off sounding like too much of a jaded old Metalhead so I'll just leave it at that.
Anyway.....
Local heroes Death Angel were amazing when I saw them last year, but since that triumphant night they had a significant personnel change with original bassist Dennis Pepa leaving the band in January. While this show was only a one-off appearance on the heels of a just completed Australian Tour, it was also their first hometown show with new guy Sammy Diosdado holding down the bottom end. Dude, it was weird seeing a white guy onstage with Death Angel after all those years of 100% Filipino ultra-violence... but that was forgotten once they started playing.
Death Angel are one of my favorite live bands.. The lads just come out and DO IT with no bullshit... They came onstage, played a slow buildup, and then SLAMMED into a Thrash Metal groove that got a pit going immediately... and The Pit didn't let up for the entire set. It was obvious most of the crowd were DA fans, but it was cool seeing some of the new Metal kids getting schooled in how Metal should be done. The set closing 'Kill As One' pretty much summed it all up, man. Also, seeing Death Angel after the annoying support band reminded me that the majority of the new Metal bands today simply do not have a clue about songwriting.. There, I said it.
Question: Who are THE most crushing band to emerge from the streets of Liverpool, England?? The Beatles? A Flock Of Seagulls? Badfinger? The La's? Ladytron? Echo & the Bunnymen? Frankie Goes To Hollywood?
Answer: None of the above. THE most crushing band from Liverpool is Carcass.
Given the fact that Umlaut missed most of their set last Fall, it made me happy that Carcass came back to town so soon. Jeff Walker is from the "foot on monitor" school of bass players, and it was cool he gave props to the Bay Area's Metal history in between songs and commented how Carcass had supported Death Angel in Liverpool years ago. Daniel Erlandsson was a good choice to fill in on drums for the Reunion Tour and I like his pounding work with Arch Enemy, but the guy is so robotic in his playing it's inhuman, but that does fit into the Carcass vibe. Of course, the band's main attraction is the twin guitars of Bill Steer and Michael Amott and it's easy for me to get put into a headlock by their crushing tone and fluid playing. For the second time in a week, I was angry that so many people were at home pushing plastic buttons on a fake guitar instead of standing next to me supporting legitimate Guitar Heroes... The harmonized guitar soloing in 'Heartwork' ranks right up there with my favorite 6-string moments.
The set was enhanced by an appropriate visual presentation to accompany each song, with some nice use of lovely archival autopsy and medical research footage; the band's name is Carcass after all. I think if fellow Liverpudlian John Lennon came back to life he'd want to play with Carcass, mainly because he'd be all decomposed and undead now. Maharishi's transcendental meditation wouldn't do him any good at this point, but some METAL surely would.
It was an interesting night of contrasts having an old school American Thrash Metal band and an old school British Grindcore band on the same bill; Thrash Metal's groove versus Grindcore's blast beats... but the thing both bands have in common is old school musicianship and stage presence. Total value for money, man... and a valuable history lesson for the kids in attendance. Yes, there will be a quiz. To quote Carcass: "Prolific food for thought.. Contrasting fed with force.. Abstraction so choking, so provocative.."
If you bought one of every Death Angel merch item you would have paid around $150. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Umlaut was back at Casa de Umlaut at 12:30AM; a surgically precise 3 hours of Metal with most of the fat trimmed off so that it was an all killer, no filler night... exactly the way I like it.
Click HERE to see Ray's Carcass pics from the show.
On another note, Umlaut recently received this e-mail from Chatty Kathy:
I've never heard of lots of the bands you write about but your blog is still really fun to read! It's like how I skim the obituaries every day. I didn't know these people, but once in a while there's an awesome obituary. Sometimes the peoples' lives weren't even that remarkable but obviously someone in their family is a very talented writer.
Best feedback ever.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
This Week In Music Geek
Earlier this week in Umlaut's mailbox: The 25th Anniversary reissue of Suicidal Tendencies' debut album on Limited Edition 140 gram colored vinyl (natch) and CD with "expanded booklet" (natch)..
Umlaut remembers buying the original vinyl album with Big Wayne around when it came out.. I think at a Punk record store in Saratoga... I think (Wayne?). Are 25th Anniversary reissues Punk? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Berkeley 1984:
Umlaut remembers buying the original vinyl album with Big Wayne around when it came out.. I think at a Punk record store in Saratoga... I think (Wayne?). Are 25th Anniversary reissues Punk? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Berkeley 1984:
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Schnitzel
Destruction / Krisiun
Slim's, San Francisco
March 23, 2009
Achtung! What should we do before seeing a legendary German Thrash Metal band like Destruction to celebrate a birthday (Birthday Boy = Umlaut's brutha Dave...)?? Why, have a pre-show dinner at a place called Schnitzelhaus of course! Which was the plan..... except Schnitzelhaus decided to close on Mondays and not announce it on their web site (Dummkopf!). However, a backup German restaurant popped into our heads and the Umlaut crew ended up at Walzwerk instead. It was funny that we had a "backup" German restaurant: METAL! After our triumphant Teutonic meal, we few... we happy few.. made our way to Slim's.
Of course, given the METAL nature of the show, the Umlaut Nation was out in force.. so a shout out to Birthday Boy Dave, Lori, Timo, Johnny, Rich, Ray, Alan, Taija, Tom, and Gary... and Jenn was in the house but I failed to see her. DOH.
To be honest, I was mainly there to see the Brazilian Metal Gods Krisiun, who I've never seen before despite the fact they've been pounding Metal for almost 20 years now (I know, I'm a poser!). Question for people my age: Remember the first time you saw Metallica, Slayer, or Sepultura back in The Day and they had that hungry look in their eyes that said "Day jobs are NOT an option for us!".. THAT'S what you see in Krisiun's eyes onstage... and the fact that the band is made up of 3 brothers makes their "us against the world" vibe all the more legitimate.
Another question for people my age: Remember the first time you heard or saw Randy Rhoads play back in The Day? THAT'S how I felt watching Moyses play; I can't remember the last time I watched a guitarist's fingers literally blur across his strings as he stabbed an audience with notes. Unbelievable.. It made me angry that so many people were at home on this Monday night pushing plastic buttons on a fake guitar instead of standing next to me supporting a legitimate Guitar Hero like Moyses and his brothers.
Destruction has been around forever and they sounded alright, but after Krisiun's Brazilian juggernaut I simply could not get into the old Germans. I spent most of their set chatting with Old Metal Tom, who I've known for over 25 years (!); we even talked through the drum solo... I know... drum solo?! What year is this again? Sorry, but I like my CHEESE on some nice crackers with a glass of red wine and not onstage these days. However, I was paying attention when the Germans dedicated a song to Baloff, which acted as a nice segue into me introducing Birthday Boy Dave to Gary Holt, who I've known for over 25 years (!). Yes, there were quite a few old Metalheads in the house.
It was a bummer that Slim's was only half full for these two veteran bands. When you see seasoned bands like Destruction and Krisiun you realize just how crappy most of the newer Metal bands are these days. Note to new bands: If you're in a Metal band you should have long hair. No haircuts! Long hair is what separates METAL from the Punks and Jocks.. There, I said it.
If you bought one of every Krisiun merch item you would have paid around $120. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I just want to state publicly that I hope the rumors about Slim's closing are not true, but the fact that the club has to adhere to a volume restriction is not a good sign.
Click HERE to see Taija Lynn's Krisiun photos from the show.
Slim's, San Francisco
March 23, 2009
Achtung! What should we do before seeing a legendary German Thrash Metal band like Destruction to celebrate a birthday (Birthday Boy = Umlaut's brutha Dave...)?? Why, have a pre-show dinner at a place called Schnitzelhaus of course! Which was the plan..... except Schnitzelhaus decided to close on Mondays and not announce it on their web site (Dummkopf!). However, a backup German restaurant popped into our heads and the Umlaut crew ended up at Walzwerk instead. It was funny that we had a "backup" German restaurant: METAL! After our triumphant Teutonic meal, we few... we happy few.. made our way to Slim's.Of course, given the METAL nature of the show, the Umlaut Nation was out in force.. so a shout out to Birthday Boy Dave, Lori, Timo, Johnny, Rich, Ray, Alan, Taija, Tom, and Gary... and Jenn was in the house but I failed to see her. DOH.
To be honest, I was mainly there to see the Brazilian Metal Gods Krisiun, who I've never seen before despite the fact they've been pounding Metal for almost 20 years now (I know, I'm a poser!). Question for people my age: Remember the first time you saw Metallica, Slayer, or Sepultura back in The Day and they had that hungry look in their eyes that said "Day jobs are NOT an option for us!".. THAT'S what you see in Krisiun's eyes onstage... and the fact that the band is made up of 3 brothers makes their "us against the world" vibe all the more legitimate.
Another question for people my age: Remember the first time you heard or saw Randy Rhoads play back in The Day? THAT'S how I felt watching Moyses play; I can't remember the last time I watched a guitarist's fingers literally blur across his strings as he stabbed an audience with notes. Unbelievable.. It made me angry that so many people were at home on this Monday night pushing plastic buttons on a fake guitar instead of standing next to me supporting a legitimate Guitar Hero like Moyses and his brothers.
Destruction has been around forever and they sounded alright, but after Krisiun's Brazilian juggernaut I simply could not get into the old Germans. I spent most of their set chatting with Old Metal Tom, who I've known for over 25 years (!); we even talked through the drum solo... I know... drum solo?! What year is this again? Sorry, but I like my CHEESE on some nice crackers with a glass of red wine and not onstage these days. However, I was paying attention when the Germans dedicated a song to Baloff, which acted as a nice segue into me introducing Birthday Boy Dave to Gary Holt, who I've known for over 25 years (!). Yes, there were quite a few old Metalheads in the house.
The Guitarist > The Birthday Boy
It was a bummer that Slim's was only half full for these two veteran bands. When you see seasoned bands like Destruction and Krisiun you realize just how crappy most of the newer Metal bands are these days. Note to new bands: If you're in a Metal band you should have long hair. No haircuts! Long hair is what separates METAL from the Punks and Jocks.. There, I said it.
If you bought one of every Krisiun merch item you would have paid around $120. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I just want to state publicly that I hope the rumors about Slim's closing are not true, but the fact that the club has to adhere to a volume restriction is not a good sign.
Click HERE to see Taija Lynn's Krisiun photos from the show.
5 Years
For those who care, today marks the 5th Anniversary of this so-called "blog". I rant in this space for mainly self-centered reasons: Putting words together keeps my mind sharp and I like the game of "writing"; putting words together is a puzzle that is fun to me. The fact that quite a few people actually read this space still surprises me... but THE coolest thing about the past 5 years is that I've met alot of those readers, and a couple of them have become good friends.
You can check out my Favorite Seven posts (links on the right side of this page) but, for those who care, it all started with THIS post. Thanks for the support!
You can check out my Favorite Seven posts (links on the right side of this page) but, for those who care, it all started with THIS post. Thanks for the support!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Off The Rails
The exciting sequels to 24 Years Ago Today and The Menu and Diary Of A Madman.
I picked up a copy of Rudy Sarzo's book Off The Rails after being told about it by Umlaut friend Tom Vader; click HERE to read Tom's thoughts on the book.
I don't want to repeat what Tom said, but I agree with him 100% about the book. Generally I have a hard time reading biographies about bands because so much has to be pulled from the memories of people, which may or may not be completely accurate due to the passage of time and brain cells.
Sarzo's book is different because it's based on the journal he kept while on tour with Ozzy.. The book almost reads like a Metal version of Get In The Van with its details and insight into the day-to-day experience of being on a tour bus with Ozzy during his full-blown alcoholic days.
My only complaint is that the dialogue reads stiffly alot of times, but I'm sure that's due to Sarzo attempting to recreate conversations based on his journal entries. I liked how Sarzo conveyed how unpopular Metal / Hard Rock was in the early 80's. Eventhough he was only in his early 30's, Ozzy was considered washed up at the time and on that first Blizzard Of Ozz Tour they were playing to half empty venues and many shows were cancelled due to poor ticket sales. It was a different time... but that was my world, man. That was my world.
Ultimately, Sarzo's book is a tribute to his late friend Randy Rhoads; his firsthand account of March 19, 1982 is chilling. Umlaut was fortunate to have seen Randy Rhoads twice in concert, and I got a kick out of reading Sarzo's backstage accounts of these shows..
July 4, 1981 - Oakland:
Click HERE for Umlaut's account.
Sarzo wrote:
After we ended our set, we ran up the long tunnel that connected the stage area in the baseball field with the dressing rooms. I was half undressed as I reached our dressing room when I heard the event's stage manager yelling, "You guys have to come back for an encore, the audience is going wild and we're afraid we'll have a riot on our hands!" When we went back onstage and looked out into the Oakland Coliseum we knew that we were witnessing a defining moment in the band's short history as the crowd erupted with a deafening chant of "Ozzy! Ozzy!"
Wow.. Umlaut got nostalgic chills down his spine reading Sarzo's account of that show. I was down at the front on Rhoads' side of the stage and my teenage brain was overwhelmed by how great the band were... After all these years, it's nice to know the band thought the show was special too!
December 30, 1981 - San Francisco:
Click HERE for Umlaut's account.
Evidently this was the first night of the Diary Of A Madman Tour and Sarzo devoted 8 pages to it (!), detailing the pre-production activities and the show itself. Very cool, right? The best part is that he details the fiasco that happened at the end of the show, when Ozzy was supposed to emerge back onstage for the encores from under the drum riser riding in the palm of a huge gauntlet, but there was a malfunction and the gauntlet didn't fully extend and the encore was cancelled and the houselights went up... and the crowd booed.
Sarzo wrote:
The front steps of the drum riser raised slowly as the gauntlet crept onto the stage from below. Unfortunately, there was so much smoke on stage that Ozzy couldn't locate the "Hummer" sized gauntlet as he wobbled across the stage waving his hands through the smoke hoping to find it.
Frustrated with the whole fiasco Ozzy got off stage in the midst of boos from the crowd.
"Sharon, I can't find the bloody hand! There too much fuckin' smoke!"
"You get back out there and get on it! Sharon insisted.
"Fuck off! You do it," Ozzy said, heading back to the dressing room.
Boos from the crowd reverberated through the arena.
Hilarious, right!? Umlaut remembers the empty gauntlet, the smoke... and the boos.
The book is made even more legitimate by the inclusion of many photos by legendary photographer Ross Halfin. My image of Randy Rhoads was shaped in large part from seeing Halfin's photos as a teenager... and having his photos alongside Sarzo's words made this book even more compelling to me; I blazed through the 265 pages in 2 days over a weekend. Books: Is there anything they can't do?
Oakland Stadium - July 4, 1981
(Pic by Ross Halfin)
Flying high again.
I picked up a copy of Rudy Sarzo's book Off The Rails after being told about it by Umlaut friend Tom Vader; click HERE to read Tom's thoughts on the book.I don't want to repeat what Tom said, but I agree with him 100% about the book. Generally I have a hard time reading biographies about bands because so much has to be pulled from the memories of people, which may or may not be completely accurate due to the passage of time and brain cells.
Sarzo's book is different because it's based on the journal he kept while on tour with Ozzy.. The book almost reads like a Metal version of Get In The Van with its details and insight into the day-to-day experience of being on a tour bus with Ozzy during his full-blown alcoholic days.
My only complaint is that the dialogue reads stiffly alot of times, but I'm sure that's due to Sarzo attempting to recreate conversations based on his journal entries. I liked how Sarzo conveyed how unpopular Metal / Hard Rock was in the early 80's. Eventhough he was only in his early 30's, Ozzy was considered washed up at the time and on that first Blizzard Of Ozz Tour they were playing to half empty venues and many shows were cancelled due to poor ticket sales. It was a different time... but that was my world, man. That was my world.
Ultimately, Sarzo's book is a tribute to his late friend Randy Rhoads; his firsthand account of March 19, 1982 is chilling. Umlaut was fortunate to have seen Randy Rhoads twice in concert, and I got a kick out of reading Sarzo's backstage accounts of these shows..
July 4, 1981 - Oakland:
Click HERE for Umlaut's account.
Sarzo wrote:
After we ended our set, we ran up the long tunnel that connected the stage area in the baseball field with the dressing rooms. I was half undressed as I reached our dressing room when I heard the event's stage manager yelling, "You guys have to come back for an encore, the audience is going wild and we're afraid we'll have a riot on our hands!" When we went back onstage and looked out into the Oakland Coliseum we knew that we were witnessing a defining moment in the band's short history as the crowd erupted with a deafening chant of "Ozzy! Ozzy!"
Wow.. Umlaut got nostalgic chills down his spine reading Sarzo's account of that show. I was down at the front on Rhoads' side of the stage and my teenage brain was overwhelmed by how great the band were... After all these years, it's nice to know the band thought the show was special too!
December 30, 1981 - San Francisco:
Click HERE for Umlaut's account.
Evidently this was the first night of the Diary Of A Madman Tour and Sarzo devoted 8 pages to it (!), detailing the pre-production activities and the show itself. Very cool, right? The best part is that he details the fiasco that happened at the end of the show, when Ozzy was supposed to emerge back onstage for the encores from under the drum riser riding in the palm of a huge gauntlet, but there was a malfunction and the gauntlet didn't fully extend and the encore was cancelled and the houselights went up... and the crowd booed.
Sarzo wrote:
The front steps of the drum riser raised slowly as the gauntlet crept onto the stage from below. Unfortunately, there was so much smoke on stage that Ozzy couldn't locate the "Hummer" sized gauntlet as he wobbled across the stage waving his hands through the smoke hoping to find it.
Frustrated with the whole fiasco Ozzy got off stage in the midst of boos from the crowd.
"Sharon, I can't find the bloody hand! There too much fuckin' smoke!"
"You get back out there and get on it! Sharon insisted.
"Fuck off! You do it," Ozzy said, heading back to the dressing room.
Boos from the crowd reverberated through the arena.
Hilarious, right!? Umlaut remembers the empty gauntlet, the smoke... and the boos.
The book is made even more legitimate by the inclusion of many photos by legendary photographer Ross Halfin. My image of Randy Rhoads was shaped in large part from seeing Halfin's photos as a teenager... and having his photos alongside Sarzo's words made this book even more compelling to me; I blazed through the 265 pages in 2 days over a weekend. Books: Is there anything they can't do?
Oakland Stadium - July 4, 1981(Pic by Ross Halfin)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Fuse
The exciting sequel to I'll Never Talk Sh*t About That Band Again, For Whom The Bell Tolls, and Garage Days Revisited...
For those who know or care: This thing that Umlaut is going through with *that* band has new developments almost every day right now. Long story short: Look for some of Umlaut's old photos and memorabilia in the upcoming documentary Metallica: In Their Own Words:
Watch the world premiere of Metallica: In Their Own Words on Monday, March 30th on Fuse. Check your local listings, etc. etc. I will never talk shit about *that* band again. M.U.Y.A.
TO BE CONTINUED.
For those who know or care: This thing that Umlaut is going through with *that* band has new developments almost every day right now. Long story short: Look for some of Umlaut's old photos and memorabilia in the upcoming documentary Metallica: In Their Own Words:
Watch the world premiere of Metallica: In Their Own Words on Monday, March 30th on Fuse. Check your local listings, etc. etc. I will never talk shit about *that* band again. M.U.Y.A.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Garage Days Revisited
The exciting sequel to I'll Never Talk Sh*t About That Band Again and For Whom The Bell Tolls....
Against his will, but no doubt due to events that loom in the near future, Umlaut has been drifting back and forth with nostalgia about *that* band recently... back to times when cassette tapes were high fidelity and Napster was something out of Science Fiction.
The following outtake from a Master Of Puppets photo session was recently posted on photographer Ross Halfin's site: *That* band on the couch at the infamous Metallica Mansion.. The Metallica Mansion (despite what Joel Selvin says) was located at 3132 Carlson Blvd. in El Cerrito, East Bay, California..
(Pic by Ross Halfin)
Besides Umlaut, I know there are at least 10 people reading this who also sat on that couch. It was in that living room that Umlaut and a few others witnessed the band's first rehearsal with The Bassist. I wonder if the people who sit in that living room now have any comprehension of what went on in there...
Umlaut, Hetfield, Skitchy, and Gerald being METAL - 1983
Unfortunately the garage behind the house, aka THE GARAGE where most of Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets was written and jammed on, was torn down and replaced with some apartment units years ago.
The Metallica Mansion today..
(Courtesy of Google Maps)
It's kind of trippy that the bushes in front of the house are still alive today.. If only those bushes could talk.. what stories of METAL they could tell! I wonder if the people who eat in that kitchen now have any comprehension of what went on in there...
From Metallica's 1st Kerrang! interview - 1984
(Pic by Ross Halfin)
Besides Umlaut, I know there are at least 10 people reading this who also _______________ (fill in the blank) in that kitchen..... Also, and most importantly, the Metallica Mansion was the home of Clive The Wonder Dog. R.I.P. Clive..
"Lamb's blood painted door, I shall pass..."
TO BE CONTINUED.
Against his will, but no doubt due to events that loom in the near future, Umlaut has been drifting back and forth with nostalgia about *that* band recently... back to times when cassette tapes were high fidelity and Napster was something out of Science Fiction.
The following outtake from a Master Of Puppets photo session was recently posted on photographer Ross Halfin's site: *That* band on the couch at the infamous Metallica Mansion.. The Metallica Mansion (despite what Joel Selvin says) was located at 3132 Carlson Blvd. in El Cerrito, East Bay, California..
(Pic by Ross Halfin)
Besides Umlaut, I know there are at least 10 people reading this who also sat on that couch. It was in that living room that Umlaut and a few others witnessed the band's first rehearsal with The Bassist. I wonder if the people who sit in that living room now have any comprehension of what went on in there...
Umlaut, Hetfield, Skitchy, and Gerald being METAL - 1983
Unfortunately the garage behind the house, aka THE GARAGE where most of Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets was written and jammed on, was torn down and replaced with some apartment units years ago.
The Metallica Mansion today..
(Courtesy of Google Maps)
It's kind of trippy that the bushes in front of the house are still alive today.. If only those bushes could talk.. what stories of METAL they could tell! I wonder if the people who eat in that kitchen now have any comprehension of what went on in there...
From Metallica's 1st Kerrang! interview - 1984
(Pic by Ross Halfin)
Besides Umlaut, I know there are at least 10 people reading this who also _______________ (fill in the blank) in that kitchen..... Also, and most importantly, the Metallica Mansion was the home of Clive The Wonder Dog. R.I.P. Clive..
"Lamb's blood painted door, I shall pass..."
TO BE CONTINUED.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Bill Graham Presents
The somber sequel to Greensleeves.
In the course of typing the Greensleeves post, Umlaut found out that Bill Graham is buried literally 5 minutes from Casa de Umlaut; I basically drive past him every time I go to Target! For some reason, I thought Graham had been cremated and his ashes spread somewhere like Marin County or Hawaii... or maybe smoked out of a hookah by old Santana roadies.
Anyway, the Music Legend's final resting place was pretty easy to find at the Eternal Home Cemetery in Colma. Although I almost walked into his headstone because I didn't expect it to be right in front of me so quickly after exiting the Prius..
I was surprised that there was nothing music related carved into the headstone; no Steal Your Face... no song lyrics... nothing to commemorate what he did on Earth in the name of music. It also tripped me out that the Music Legend's grave is within yards of busy El Camino Real and just down the street from Target and Best Buy... with the constant sound of traffic acting as the soundtrack to his eternal slumber... although I suppose the traffic could also sound like the roar of a concert crowd if you close your eyes.. or are stoned enough.. I suppose.
Bill Graham with The Who - Oakland Stadium 1976
Bill Graham with Ronnie Van Zant - Oakland Stadium 1977
Bill Graham with Metallica - Oakland Stadium 1991
Yes, Umlaut likes cemeteries. Click HERE for some of his other visits with souls from the past..
In the course of typing the Greensleeves post, Umlaut found out that Bill Graham is buried literally 5 minutes from Casa de Umlaut; I basically drive past him every time I go to Target! For some reason, I thought Graham had been cremated and his ashes spread somewhere like Marin County or Hawaii... or maybe smoked out of a hookah by old Santana roadies.
Anyway, the Music Legend's final resting place was pretty easy to find at the Eternal Home Cemetery in Colma. Although I almost walked into his headstone because I didn't expect it to be right in front of me so quickly after exiting the Prius..
I was surprised that there was nothing music related carved into the headstone; no Steal Your Face... no song lyrics... nothing to commemorate what he did on Earth in the name of music. It also tripped me out that the Music Legend's grave is within yards of busy El Camino Real and just down the street from Target and Best Buy... with the constant sound of traffic acting as the soundtrack to his eternal slumber... although I suppose the traffic could also sound like the roar of a concert crowd if you close your eyes.. or are stoned enough.. I suppose.
Bill Graham with The Who - Oakland Stadium 1976
Bill Graham with Ronnie Van Zant - Oakland Stadium 1977
Bill Graham with Metallica - Oakland Stadium 1991Yes, Umlaut likes cemeteries. Click HERE for some of his other visits with souls from the past..
Greensleeves
I didn't know Art Abuse, but I knew who he was.. Art was the head of security for The Fillmore and The Warfield for years and was also a presence at all of the big concerts during the golden years of the Bill Graham Presents (BGP) era of Bay Area Rock.
Umlaut started going to concerts in the late-70's around the S.F. Bay Area and over the years and hundreds (and hundreds.. and hundreds..) of shows I came to recognize some BGP staffers.. They became part of all those shows for me from seeing them at all those venues; I never knew his name, but Art was one of those BGP Bluecoats who I saw at seemingly every concert I attended.
Rest In Peace Art Abuse. There will be a memorial concert for him on March 23rd at the Great American Music Hall featuring Steve Earle.
Thanks to Lauraloha for passing this along. Cue 'Greensleeves'.
For the newbies: Bill Graham would play 'Greensleeves' as the houselights came up at shows to let the crowds know the show was officially over.
Umlaut started going to concerts in the late-70's around the S.F. Bay Area and over the years and hundreds (and hundreds.. and hundreds..) of shows I came to recognize some BGP staffers.. They became part of all those shows for me from seeing them at all those venues; I never knew his name, but Art was one of those BGP Bluecoats who I saw at seemingly every concert I attended.
Rest In Peace Art Abuse. There will be a memorial concert for him on March 23rd at the Great American Music Hall featuring Steve Earle.
Thanks to Lauraloha for passing this along. Cue 'Greensleeves'.
For the newbies: Bill Graham would play 'Greensleeves' as the houselights came up at shows to let the crowds know the show was officially over.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
For Whom The Bell Tolls
The exciting sequel to I'll Never Talk Sh*t About That Band Again.
I was planning to keep this on the down low until after the event... but since so many people have gotten wind of it I'll throw y'all a bone.. sort of...
I'm not gonna go into any details about this right now.. Mainly because I'm still processing it.. I'm processing the magnitude of it... I'm processing a shitload of memories... I'm processing how it all started with a cassette tape I received in the mail 27 years ago.
All I will say is that I'm stunned and amazed how The Millionaire Rock Stars are treating this event.. I'm sure no other band has done what Metallica are doing to share this moment in their career with people from their earliest days.. There was a time when we were all just pimply-faced teenagers who lived for one thing: METAL.. and The Millionaire Rock Stars are honoring and validating those times. Amazing.
You can say what you want about this band, but not everything you want to believe about them is true. In many respects they are still that same band who we knew (or felt like we knew) back in The Day..
Anyway, that's all I'm gonna say right now... In the meantime, click HERE to read my old buddy Spidaman's take on this latest chapter in our lives.
TO BE CONTINUED.
I was planning to keep this on the down low until after the event... but since so many people have gotten wind of it I'll throw y'all a bone.. sort of...
I'm not gonna go into any details about this right now.. Mainly because I'm still processing it.. I'm processing the magnitude of it... I'm processing a shitload of memories... I'm processing how it all started with a cassette tape I received in the mail 27 years ago.
All I will say is that I'm stunned and amazed how The Millionaire Rock Stars are treating this event.. I'm sure no other band has done what Metallica are doing to share this moment in their career with people from their earliest days.. There was a time when we were all just pimply-faced teenagers who lived for one thing: METAL.. and The Millionaire Rock Stars are honoring and validating those times. Amazing.
You can say what you want about this band, but not everything you want to believe about them is true. In many respects they are still that same band who we knew (or felt like we knew) back in The Day..
Anyway, that's all I'm gonna say right now... In the meantime, click HERE to read my old buddy Spidaman's take on this latest chapter in our lives.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Pacific
Umlaut's Inner World War 2 / History Geek lost it when he read this report on Slash Film:
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and from the creators of “Band of Brothers”, The Pacific is a 10-part HBO mini-series which tells the intertwined stories of three Marines, Robert Leckie (played by James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda), during America’s battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.
Produced on a budget of more $150 million, and shot on location in Australia, the series follows (from an early press release) "The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain forests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day.”
THE PACIFIC is based on the books “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene Sledge, which was hailed by historian Paul Fussell as “one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war,” and “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie (recipient of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Annual Award), as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers. Continuing the World War II oral history work begun by his father Stephen E. Ambrose (author of the book “Band of Brothers”), Hugh Ambrose serves as a consultant on the miniseries.
The fact that With The Old Breed was used as source material is enough to sell me on this production. It's one of the most terrifying, riveting, and well-written books you could possibly read about the horror humans can bring upon other humans... and it has a back story that is just as compelling: The author (Eugene Sledge) kept a journal during his time in combat in The Pacific despite regulations that forbade Marines from doing so; Sledge secretly kept his notes in a copy of the New Testament. Sledge then spent the better part of 40 years turning his notes into a book. Ken Burns quoted from With The Old Breed extensively in his documentary series The War.
Also, according to everything Umlaut has read, the "right" people are involved in this production as well, which gives me hope this series will be done right... By "right people" I mean Spielberg to the Band Of Brothers crew to Stephen Ambrose's son.. By "done right" I mean the story will hopefully pull no punches... It will be violent.. It will be brutal.. It will be terrifying... It will NOT be politically correct. It should be offensive because war is offensive to any civilized, rational person; war is humans at their absolute worst and debased and it should not be taken lightly. War is not a bloodless video game, and hopefully The Pacific will be as eloquent and inspiring (and honest) as Band Of Brothers was in portraying these truths.
Click HERE to see a preview clip of The Pacific from Australian t.v... and for related Umlaut rants revisit:
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and from the creators of “Band of Brothers”, The Pacific is a 10-part HBO mini-series which tells the intertwined stories of three Marines, Robert Leckie (played by James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda), during America’s battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.
Produced on a budget of more $150 million, and shot on location in Australia, the series follows (from an early press release) "The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain forests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day.”
THE PACIFIC is based on the books “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene Sledge, which was hailed by historian Paul Fussell as “one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war,” and “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie (recipient of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Annual Award), as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers. Continuing the World War II oral history work begun by his father Stephen E. Ambrose (author of the book “Band of Brothers”), Hugh Ambrose serves as a consultant on the miniseries.The fact that With The Old Breed was used as source material is enough to sell me on this production. It's one of the most terrifying, riveting, and well-written books you could possibly read about the horror humans can bring upon other humans... and it has a back story that is just as compelling: The author (Eugene Sledge) kept a journal during his time in combat in The Pacific despite regulations that forbade Marines from doing so; Sledge secretly kept his notes in a copy of the New Testament. Sledge then spent the better part of 40 years turning his notes into a book. Ken Burns quoted from With The Old Breed extensively in his documentary series The War.
Also, according to everything Umlaut has read, the "right" people are involved in this production as well, which gives me hope this series will be done right... By "right people" I mean Spielberg to the Band Of Brothers crew to Stephen Ambrose's son.. By "done right" I mean the story will hopefully pull no punches... It will be violent.. It will be brutal.. It will be terrifying... It will NOT be politically correct. It should be offensive because war is offensive to any civilized, rational person; war is humans at their absolute worst and debased and it should not be taken lightly. War is not a bloodless video game, and hopefully The Pacific will be as eloquent and inspiring (and honest) as Band Of Brothers was in portraying these truths.
Click HERE to see a preview clip of The Pacific from Australian t.v... and for related Umlaut rants revisit:
- 3 Days Of The Geek (March 2007)
- The Good War > The War (October 2007)
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Saturday Night
Saros
El Rio, San Francisco
March 7, 2009
This show had those 3 magic words attached to it: "Album Release Show". I had not been to a show at El Rio in 3 years so, unlike most Umlaut gigs, this was not a surgically precise affair. Although I didn't roll out of Casa de Umlaut until after 10:00PM, Timo and I were still able to kill some time down the block at Cancun with burritos instead of catching the first band. Across town, Tom Jones was at The Warfield inspiring old ladies to throw their panties onstage.
As I type this I'm listening to the new Saros CD (Acrid Plains) and the songs are... elegant.. I can't say that Saros are brutal... but they are... elegant... The songs are finely crafted.. like jewelry hammered out by Elven artisans with silver mined by Dwarves many centuries ago but left in the cauldron a bit too long so that it's tougher and harder than other delicate things of beauty..... Errr.... or something like that. Anyway, for whatever reason, "elegant" was the first word that popped into my head.. so I'm running with it.
No offense to the El Rio staff... El Rio is a good bar... I like the patio area.. but the live music space is too narrow and "Rec Room" for Umlaut.. Yes it's Punk Rock, but Umlaut isn't Punk. Oh well.. guess I won't be showing my face at El Rio again anytime soon.. Free speech, dude!
The Rec Room was pretty full as Saros began playing at 12:19AM and burned their way through about an hour on the tiny, cramped stage. Although I've seen the band several times, I still get caught up in what great, seasoned musicians they all are.. The rhythm section of Tim (bass) and Blood Eagle (drums) bolts the music down beyond solid and Leila and Ben are a timeless guitar duo; melodic playing tempered with cool dynamics, but also heavy... and throw Leila's vocals on top of that, which flows back and forth between beautiful singing and METAL growling, and Saros easily sucks me into their dark world.
I have to admit that one of my favorite moments when seeing Saros is when Leila first steps to the mic and does her mic check by saying "Check" in her normal voice.. and she repeats "Check" as she works her way up to her METAL voice.. "CHHEEECCK!".. I don't know why I like it, but I do..
As I've said before in this space, I'm struck by how Saros reminds me of the great local Bay Area Metal bands that I saw in the early-80's during my youth... The local bands who didn't go on to become international Metal Godz like Metallica, but who weren't concerned about world domination anyway; they simply wanted to play their music... their METAL music.
Now for something completely different: Lori pointed out that I must be getting old because I looked for a proper place to put my empty beer can instead of merely throwing it on the floor like The Kidz, and she was correct in doing so. Getting old is a bitch, right? Oh, and as with any show involving METAL, the Umlaut Nation was out in force, so a shout out to Timo, Lori, Joey, Dave, Sven, Larry, and Billy.
I didn't to do a merch audit because Saros' merch table was in a pitch black corner of the patio; their merch guy used his iPhone to illuminate the table for me (HaHa!). No audit, but copies of the brand new CD were $12 and I got a free sticker.. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. The next morning Teri shot me a text about how great the Tom Jones show at The Warfield was; I don't doubt that it was great, but I stand by my decision to spend $7 on Saros vs. $70 for the Welsh Sex God... and no old ladies tossed their panties onstage at El Rio.
El Rio, San Francisco
March 7, 2009
This show had those 3 magic words attached to it: "Album Release Show". I had not been to a show at El Rio in 3 years so, unlike most Umlaut gigs, this was not a surgically precise affair. Although I didn't roll out of Casa de Umlaut until after 10:00PM, Timo and I were still able to kill some time down the block at Cancun with burritos instead of catching the first band. Across town, Tom Jones was at The Warfield inspiring old ladies to throw their panties onstage.As I type this I'm listening to the new Saros CD (Acrid Plains) and the songs are... elegant.. I can't say that Saros are brutal... but they are... elegant... The songs are finely crafted.. like jewelry hammered out by Elven artisans with silver mined by Dwarves many centuries ago but left in the cauldron a bit too long so that it's tougher and harder than other delicate things of beauty..... Errr.... or something like that. Anyway, for whatever reason, "elegant" was the first word that popped into my head.. so I'm running with it.
No offense to the El Rio staff... El Rio is a good bar... I like the patio area.. but the live music space is too narrow and "Rec Room" for Umlaut.. Yes it's Punk Rock, but Umlaut isn't Punk. Oh well.. guess I won't be showing my face at El Rio again anytime soon.. Free speech, dude!
The Rec Room was pretty full as Saros began playing at 12:19AM and burned their way through about an hour on the tiny, cramped stage. Although I've seen the band several times, I still get caught up in what great, seasoned musicians they all are.. The rhythm section of Tim (bass) and Blood Eagle (drums) bolts the music down beyond solid and Leila and Ben are a timeless guitar duo; melodic playing tempered with cool dynamics, but also heavy... and throw Leila's vocals on top of that, which flows back and forth between beautiful singing and METAL growling, and Saros easily sucks me into their dark world.
I have to admit that one of my favorite moments when seeing Saros is when Leila first steps to the mic and does her mic check by saying "Check" in her normal voice.. and she repeats "Check" as she works her way up to her METAL voice.. "CHHEEECCK!".. I don't know why I like it, but I do..
As I've said before in this space, I'm struck by how Saros reminds me of the great local Bay Area Metal bands that I saw in the early-80's during my youth... The local bands who didn't go on to become international Metal Godz like Metallica, but who weren't concerned about world domination anyway; they simply wanted to play their music... their METAL music.
Now for something completely different: Lori pointed out that I must be getting old because I looked for a proper place to put my empty beer can instead of merely throwing it on the floor like The Kidz, and she was correct in doing so. Getting old is a bitch, right? Oh, and as with any show involving METAL, the Umlaut Nation was out in force, so a shout out to Timo, Lori, Joey, Dave, Sven, Larry, and Billy.
I didn't to do a merch audit because Saros' merch table was in a pitch black corner of the patio; their merch guy used his iPhone to illuminate the table for me (HaHa!). No audit, but copies of the brand new CD were $12 and I got a free sticker.. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. The next morning Teri shot me a text about how great the Tom Jones show at The Warfield was; I don't doubt that it was great, but I stand by my decision to spend $7 on Saros vs. $70 for the Welsh Sex God... and no old ladies tossed their panties onstage at El Rio.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Run Run Run
What to do on an awful rainy day in San Francisco? Skychick and I decided to hit the de Young Museum and take in their current Warhol Live exhibition. As the exhibition's website says:Over the course of his meteoric career, Andy Warhol used the medium of music to transform himself from fan, to record album designer, to producer, to celebrity night-clubber, to “rock star.” Warhol Live, at the de Young from February 14 to May 17, 2009, presents the first comprehensive exploration of Andy Warhol’s work as seen through the lens of music. This exhibition brings together a wide variety of works depicting pop music royalty, including Elvis Presley, the Velvet Underground, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Liza Minnelli, Grace Jones, Deborah Harry of Blondie, and Michael Jackson. Major Warhol silkscreen paintings, films and sound recordings, album covers, illustrations, and photographs inspired by music and the performing arts will provide a visual and aural score to Warhol’s extraordinary work and life.
Of course, I can't deny Warhol's place in Pop Culture history, but I've always been indifferent about him as an artist... and while certain aspects of his world definitely inspired me in my Salad Days (specifically The Velvet Underground), I've never held his work up as godhead... Campbell's Soup Cans? Yawn. To be honest, I only wanted to get out of the house and the de Young's Free Admission Tuesday was the perfect thing to do as the rain poured down outside.
At first I was bemused watching hipsters, senior citizens, and tourists gawk at items such as old album covers behind glass (a concept that still befuddles me, since I have alot of those same vinyl albums at Casa de Umlaut..)... Some of the album covers were designed by Warhol (such as the iconic The Velvet Underground & Nico) while others were simply from his collection; evidently Warhol was an opera fanatic.. so I learned something new very early in the exhibition.
I was also bemused by the guy who looked like Andy Warhol.. from the unkempt bleached blonde hair.. to the thick rimmed glasses.. to his clothes... to his affected mannerisms as he "studied" each item in the exhibition.. Oh man, I had a sense of deja vu back to a Sci-Fi convention; I've never seen anyone at a museum dressed as an artist. Koo-koo for Coco Puffs...
However, my indifference changed when we entered the area devoted to The Factory and The Velvet Underground. Now this was COOL stuff: casual photos from parties at The Factory featuring the likes of Bob Dylan, Edie Sedgwick, and other iconic people from that scene. Some of the many films that Warhol shot in The Factory were shown in an alcove.. and next to the alcove were The Velvet Underground artifacts... which set bells off in my Music Geek head.
I was rather overwhelmed by this space... My inner Music Geek went postal over the poster from a Velvet's show at The Fillmore in 1969... and the side-by-side video screens showing each band members' "screen test" for Warhol was as close to a time machine as you can get. WOW.. Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Moe Tucker, Lou Reed, and Nico close up, each captured on a 4 minute loop of black & white 8mm film in 1969... Their faces caught in time... eyes blinking.. expressions.. I was completely mesmerized... and of course Nico was the most compelling since I couldn't help thinking how 19 years after that footage she was lying unconscious on a street in Spain next to her bike... but I can be morbid that way.... Sorry.
After this part of the exhibition, visitors were directed through a black curtain and entered a large darkened space... big pillows were placed on a platform / bench in the middle of the floor... black & white footage of the Velvet's projected on all of the walls... Velvet's music playing on a surround sound stereo... MAGIC... and against one wall were Sterling Morrison's Strat and Lou's Reed's Gretsch from those days. DOH!!!
Pic by UmlautThis was my favorite part of the exhibition by far; I haven't listened to The Velvet Underground in awhile and I could feel my obsession with them coming back.. and as 'All Tomorrow's Parties' played Skychick asked what song it was.. and then commented "It sounds like Jesus & Mary Chain.." Bingo, babe! On the flip side, I couldn't help but overhear a pair of young de Young security guards complaining about the music. HAHA... That 21st Century Music you listen to is gutless, kids!
Then came the area devoted to Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones... Love You Live concept art... Warhol's backstage pass from a '75 Stones NYC show.. live video footage of The Stones from that era. The space did a good job of putting Warhol in the context of The Stones, which I didn't really give a shit about before... which made me appreciate him.. which surprised me... because I find Campbell's Soup Cans overrated. I'd also forgotten that Warhol started Interview magazine... and I had a flashback to unpacking new issues of that publication back in the 80's during my time as the magazine buyer for bookstores.. Time travel is possible.
Anyway, long afternoon short, it was nice to have my jaded mind engaged by something that I was expecting to be indifferent about.. Note to self: DON'T BE SO JADED! As I'm typing this I'm listening to the fantastic The Velvet Underground - Bootleg Series Vol. 1: The Quine Tapes that features live recordings done in San Francisco in November and December 1969. The 8+ minute version of 'What Goes On' is blowing my mind all over again... for the first time.
"What goes on in your mind? I think that I am upside down.."
Andy Warhol with The Velvet Underground - 1967
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