I had my Bad Manners show ruined by some skinheads Saturday night. "Skinhead!", you say. Yeah, but keep in mind these skinheads were not the racist Nazi skinheads that many people believe are what all skinheads are. In fact, some of these skinheads were Chicanos. Confused yet?
Well, what I have discovered down here in Los Angeles is a fascinating sub-culture of working class Hispanic youth that are enthralled with the British working class youth/fashion movements of the late 70's-early 80's. Skinheads, Rock-a-Billy (or PsychoBilly), and Oi! Punks with Spanish surnames abound in this city. I don't know enough about it to know why this is or how it started, but there is a sizable Chicano following for these styles, often crossing over from one to another. Another strange thing is that many of them are fervent followers of Morrisey and The Smiths; they now pretty much make up his fan base here in Southern California--but that is a whole other story.
Many skinheads are known as S.H.A.R.P.s, which stands for skinheads against racial prejudice. It is an actual organization,but many Skins who are not officially part of it identify themselves as such. This working class youth movement began in England in the 1960s and was originally an outgrowth of the mod movement. The skins were more or less the poorer mods who couldn't afford all the latest fashions than the more well off peacock-ish mods could and they tended to be from rougher backgrounds and thus more gang-oriented and prone to violence.
The Skins favored Dr.Marten steel-toe boots, straight-leg Levi jeans or Sta-prest trousers, button-down shirts, Fred Perry or Ben Sherman polo shirts and braces (aka, suspenders), and flight jackets or blazers. They were rabid fans of the Jamaican music they heard from their Caribbean immigrant neighbors: ska, rock steady and early reggae.
When reggae began slowing down the tempo of the music and started singing about Black Nationalism and Rastafarianism, the Skins could no longer relate to the music and thus their connection to Jamaican music ends by about the very early 70's. Their was a skinhead revival in the late 70's that was parallel to the punk movement and found Skins following certain harder edged street punk groups as well as forming the core fan base for the 2 Tone revival of ska in the late 70's-early 80's, a more uptemo, punk-infected take on the genre.
Bad Manners was one of these groups, though they never actually recorded for the 2 Tone label. They were a strictly-for-fun 9 piece ensemble who recorded ska-pop orginals as well as covers of old ska, reggae, 50's R&B and novelty songs. They were and continue to be led by Buster Bloodvessel, a bald, 300 + pound mountain of a man who liked to revel in his own girth and stick out his considerably large tongue a lot. Between 1980 and 1983 they amassed 12 chart hits and were seen as a lightweight alternative to some of the more earnest socio-political messages being articulated in song by The Specials, The Selecter, and The (English) Beat. When the ska craze in England died down, so too did Bad Manners popularity. They tried to move away from their ska roots and released a dreadful pop album on the Portrait label called "Mental Notes". That flopped and in the 20-odd years since they have been a cult act who have toured the world playing the old hits and r eleasing a string of forgettable ska-oriented albums and countless compilations, re-recordings and live albums.
Which leads us finally to the show itself. I arrive at he Knitting Factory's main room, which is a dark and fairly unremarkable performance space with a back bar and an upstairs balcony that is closed off for tonight. Buster (now the only remaining original member) is holding court near the bar: chatting with fans and taking photos with them. In every single photo op he sticks out his tongue. I have seen Bad Manners a couple times before, but that was up in the college town of Chico, California and it is now a good 15 years ago. Buster appears much shorter than I remember him, considerably less than six feet. What is really surprising is how much weight he has lost. He is much more svelte than he has even been in his life. I'm thinking he must of had gastro-bypass surgery.
Bad Manners take the stage at 10:30 to their traditional opener "Echo 4-2". Buster hits the stage and they proceed to move through the same set they have been playing for years. I think only a couple new songs are ever added to the format of hits and live favorites from the first four albums. A couple of things from their late 80's attempt at a serious comeback are now live staples, including "This is Ska", "Sally Brown" and "Skaville UK".
All seems to be going fine, when all of a sudden, the crowd starts moving in my direction and away from the front right-hand side of the stage. I look over and see two Mexican skins pummeling some white guy senseless. The music stops and security come over and grab the dazed victim, who is bleeding profusely from his lower lip, and start to escort him from the building. I am thinking that it will only be a moment before the guys administering the beating will get the same treatment. Nothing happens. The band start to play again and now one of the Mexican skins has taken his shirt off (for some reason,a classic tough guy move) that shows off his muscles and his 2 Tone man and English Beat girl tattoos. At this point you get the sense that he is not through kicking ass, and it takes just a few seconds before he starts attacking someone else in the crowd. The band stops again and security again make a feeble attempt to restore order. This mostly involves waving flashlights around . Once again they don't do anything to try and kick out the trouble makers.
Buster has left the stage momentarily, perhaps he is in discussion with the promoter over what is becoming of the show. He returns and make a plea for everyone to stop the violence and that what we need to do is show one another "luff". At least the guy is trying. He then strikes up the band to start playing a slow ska-reggae version of "Can't Keep My Eyes Off Of You", perhaps hoping the lilting lovers rock tune will mellow out the crowd. A white skinhead couple are dancing cheek-to-cheek right next to me when all of a sudden they are violently shoved by some other Mexican skin. They shove back and things seem to be unraveling quickly. At this rate,Ska-Reggae's message of racial unity may be forgotten pretty soon. I start sizing up which exit is closest and/or easiest to get to in case this thing blows wide open. I might be seen as a likely target for someone to get their Saturday night frustrations-jollies out on.
A Mexican skinhead girl (who looks like quite the bruiser, let me tell you) pushes her way through the crowd and wallops some other girl for no apparent reason. And in a unintentionally funny moment, Buster says from the stage, "That doesn't look like luff to me." No kidding, big man.
The security staff have had enough and I see one of them give to the finger over neck symbol to kill the show. The sound man gets on his mike and declares the show is over. Many people, including myself,are unhappy, but perhaps a little relieved too. This does not change the fact that we paid $20 and only got to see approximately half the show. People mill around not wanting to leave, while the security staff start waving their stupid flashlights around. People are screaming about refunds and a crowd gathers at the box office outside in a vain attempt to get their money back. That isn't going to happen any time soon, so I am out of there.
It is really sad that 95 or so people had their Saturday night ruined by the actions of maybe 5 morons. I abhor violence, but if it has to happen, then let it be for a reason. These idiots seemed hell bent on creating a violent confrontation just for kicks or as some stupid weekend ritual they go through all the time to prove how tough they are or as a temporary escape from their grim day-to-day lives. But now I'm being extremely speculative.
As I move east down Hollywood Boulevard, away from The Knitting Factory and that night's debacle, I see a couple of cop cars and an ambulance heading in the other direction. I'm pretty sure I know where they are headed.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Ghosts of Top Ten Lists Past
I was rummaging through some old boxes at my parent's house yesterday and I uncovered a list of top ten albums of the year that I had done in the mid-80's. These were the first and last top tens I did until 2000.
It is quite the time capsule of what I was into at the time. 85'-87' were pretty seminal years as far as my music fandom went. It may have been the peak of my music fan obsession. 80' and 81' were my Beatle years. 82'-83' had a lot of "new wave" like Elvis Costello,XTC, Talking Heads,Squeeze and Joe Jackson ;synth-pop (Heaven 17, Thomas Dolby and Thompson Twins, anyone?) ; new romantics (hello, ABC), Two-Tone (Specials, English Beat and Madness) and punk survivors like The Jam and The Clash. 1984 I started to embrace a lot of the rootsy American bands (Long Ryders, Three O'Clock, Dream Syndicate, Blasters,True West, Los Lobos,Green On Red, The Gun Club) that were making a name for themselves on college radio and starting to creep onto the fringes of the mainstream via modern rock stations like The Quake in San Francisco or KWOD in SacTown. British band like Echo and the Bunnymen, The Alarm, The Pogues and The Smiths figured highly in 84',too.
Concurrent with all of this, especially since about 84', was my interest in older music, "source music" as Guy Kyser once said. Through my buddy, Morgan Young, I learned all about the 60's American and British bands other than The Beatles, bands who became the backbone of my entire music collection and sensibility--though that other stuff I listened to is still a part of me too. On my own I investigated soul, funk, 50's rockers,rockabilly and some country.
Yet what is happening at the time is what you can actually experience first hand and so these lists document a time when I would obsessively follow these band and know everything about them I could (all that one could in the pre-internet stone-age),as if my life depended on it. I still love music, but it would never be quite the same again. I don't think it ever is once you are no longer a teenager.
Anyway, the lists are accurate I suppose. I am shocked that there is no Pogues on any of these lists (must of forgot them), as well as being baffled as to why Naked Prey made it twice; I don't remember much about those roots rocking dudes. No surprise to see my big four of that era all over these lists: Husker Du, The Replacements, R.E.M. and The Smiths.
Then, as is now, they are not the most cutting-edge lists you will ever see. They represent stuff that was maybe on the more popular and accessible side of what passed for "alternative" or "college radio" type music.More than half are on major labels. I can't pretend I was discovering the most obscure or hip bands back then or now. That said, these acts, with the exception of R.E.M., were hardly selling huge quantities of records. I guess my love of The Beatles has set me up for a lifetime of needing music that was catchy, hooky,song-driven. No matter the style, I think all of these records qualify as having that. Anyway, without further ado, here are those lists.
Top 10 1985
1) Husker Du- "Flip Your Wig"
2) Husker Du- "New Day Rising"
3) The Replacements- "Tim"
4) The Smiths-"Meat is Murder"
5) Green on Red- "Gas, Food, Lodging"
6) Shriekback- "Oil and Gold"
7) R.E.M.- "Fables of the Reconstruction"
8) Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers- "Rockin and Romance"
9) Billy Bragg- "Brewing Up With"
10) Camper Van Beethoven- "S/T"
Honorable mentions: XTC "Big Express"; Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper "S/T"; Jefferey Lee Pierce "Wildweed"; Jesus and Mary Chain "Psychocandy"; Channel 3 "Last Time I Drank", Talking Heads "Little Creatures".
Top 10 1986
1) Peter Case- "S/T"
2) Elvis Costello -"King of America"
3) Screaming Blue Messiahs- "Gun Shy"
4) Husker Du- "Candy Apple Grey"
5) R.E.M.- "Life's Rich Pagent"
6) The Cramps- "A Date with Elvis"
7) The Housemartins- "London 0 Hull 4"
8) Elvis Costello and the Attractions- "Blood and Chocolate" (In retrospect, should not be on this list)
9) The Smiths- "The Queen is Dead"
10) Naked Prey- "Under the Blue Marlin" (Still trying to figure out why they are here)
Honorable mentions: Billy Bragg "Talking with the Taxman About Poetry"; Let's Active "Big Plans for Everybody"; XTC "Skylarking"; The Redskins "Neither Washington Nor Moscow".
Top 10 1987
1) Husker Du- "Warehouse: Songs and Stories"
2) The Replacements- "Pleased To Meet Me"
3) The Meat Puppets- "Huevos"
4) R.E.M.- "Document" (This should not be on here either; first lame album of their career)
5) Warren Zevon - "Sentimental Hygiene" (He sticks out like a sore thumb. Great album despite the bloated 80's production)
6) Thin White Rope- "Moonhead" (Might seem like a nod to the hometown boys, but it really is a great album)
7) Dinosaur- "You're Living All Over Me" (Before they had to add the "Jr" to their name)
8) The Gun Club- "Mother Juno"
9) The Screaming Blue Messiahs- "Bikini Red"
10) Naked Prey- "40 Miles From Nowhere" (Again with these guys--why?)
Honorable mentions: Sonic Youth "Sister"; Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers "Modern Lovers 88' "; The Soup Dragons "Hang Ten".
It is quite the time capsule of what I was into at the time. 85'-87' were pretty seminal years as far as my music fandom went. It may have been the peak of my music fan obsession. 80' and 81' were my Beatle years. 82'-83' had a lot of "new wave" like Elvis Costello,XTC, Talking Heads,Squeeze and Joe Jackson ;synth-pop (Heaven 17, Thomas Dolby and Thompson Twins, anyone?) ; new romantics (hello, ABC), Two-Tone (Specials, English Beat and Madness) and punk survivors like The Jam and The Clash. 1984 I started to embrace a lot of the rootsy American bands (Long Ryders, Three O'Clock, Dream Syndicate, Blasters,True West, Los Lobos,Green On Red, The Gun Club) that were making a name for themselves on college radio and starting to creep onto the fringes of the mainstream via modern rock stations like The Quake in San Francisco or KWOD in SacTown. British band like Echo and the Bunnymen, The Alarm, The Pogues and The Smiths figured highly in 84',too.
Concurrent with all of this, especially since about 84', was my interest in older music, "source music" as Guy Kyser once said. Through my buddy, Morgan Young, I learned all about the 60's American and British bands other than The Beatles, bands who became the backbone of my entire music collection and sensibility--though that other stuff I listened to is still a part of me too. On my own I investigated soul, funk, 50's rockers,rockabilly and some country.
Yet what is happening at the time is what you can actually experience first hand and so these lists document a time when I would obsessively follow these band and know everything about them I could (all that one could in the pre-internet stone-age),as if my life depended on it. I still love music, but it would never be quite the same again. I don't think it ever is once you are no longer a teenager.
Anyway, the lists are accurate I suppose. I am shocked that there is no Pogues on any of these lists (must of forgot them), as well as being baffled as to why Naked Prey made it twice; I don't remember much about those roots rocking dudes. No surprise to see my big four of that era all over these lists: Husker Du, The Replacements, R.E.M. and The Smiths.
Then, as is now, they are not the most cutting-edge lists you will ever see. They represent stuff that was maybe on the more popular and accessible side of what passed for "alternative" or "college radio" type music.More than half are on major labels. I can't pretend I was discovering the most obscure or hip bands back then or now. That said, these acts, with the exception of R.E.M., were hardly selling huge quantities of records. I guess my love of The Beatles has set me up for a lifetime of needing music that was catchy, hooky,song-driven. No matter the style, I think all of these records qualify as having that. Anyway, without further ado, here are those lists.
Top 10 1985
1) Husker Du- "Flip Your Wig"
2) Husker Du- "New Day Rising"
3) The Replacements- "Tim"
4) The Smiths-"Meat is Murder"
5) Green on Red- "Gas, Food, Lodging"
6) Shriekback- "Oil and Gold"
7) R.E.M.- "Fables of the Reconstruction"
8) Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers- "Rockin and Romance"
9) Billy Bragg- "Brewing Up With"
10) Camper Van Beethoven- "S/T"
Honorable mentions: XTC "Big Express"; Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper "S/T"; Jefferey Lee Pierce "Wildweed"; Jesus and Mary Chain "Psychocandy"; Channel 3 "Last Time I Drank", Talking Heads "Little Creatures".
Top 10 1986
1) Peter Case- "S/T"
2) Elvis Costello -"King of America"
3) Screaming Blue Messiahs- "Gun Shy"
4) Husker Du- "Candy Apple Grey"
5) R.E.M.- "Life's Rich Pagent"
6) The Cramps- "A Date with Elvis"
7) The Housemartins- "London 0 Hull 4"
8) Elvis Costello and the Attractions- "Blood and Chocolate" (In retrospect, should not be on this list)
9) The Smiths- "The Queen is Dead"
10) Naked Prey- "Under the Blue Marlin" (Still trying to figure out why they are here)
Honorable mentions: Billy Bragg "Talking with the Taxman About Poetry"; Let's Active "Big Plans for Everybody"; XTC "Skylarking"; The Redskins "Neither Washington Nor Moscow".
Top 10 1987
1) Husker Du- "Warehouse: Songs and Stories"
2) The Replacements- "Pleased To Meet Me"
3) The Meat Puppets- "Huevos"
4) R.E.M.- "Document" (This should not be on here either; first lame album of their career)
5) Warren Zevon - "Sentimental Hygiene" (He sticks out like a sore thumb. Great album despite the bloated 80's production)
6) Thin White Rope- "Moonhead" (Might seem like a nod to the hometown boys, but it really is a great album)
7) Dinosaur- "You're Living All Over Me" (Before they had to add the "Jr" to their name)
8) The Gun Club- "Mother Juno"
9) The Screaming Blue Messiahs- "Bikini Red"
10) Naked Prey- "40 Miles From Nowhere" (Again with these guys--why?)
Honorable mentions: Sonic Youth "Sister"; Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers "Modern Lovers 88' "; The Soup Dragons "Hang Ten".
FTJ
Note: This show took place in January 2008.
Just wanted to tell you about the From The Jam show. Pretty great show from Bruce, Rick and the other two. This took place last Saturday at The El Rey Theater in the Wilshire District.
First up was Hugh Cornwell, formerly of The Stranglers. I was looking forward to seeing him, but I have to say that it was pretty underwhelming. He performed as a trio with a bassist and drummer. Most importantly, no keyboard player. This was unfortunately all too apparent on all the Stranglers material he played. Those Doors-ish keyboard touches were sorely missed on stuff like, "Peaches". His set would be one Stranglers tune, one undistinguished solo tune,repeat. So we got "Get A Grip", "Hanging Around", "Nice and Sleazy", "Peaches","Always The Sun", "Down In The Sewer" and some ho-hum solo work.However, Hugh did not seem that into it at all. He looked a little haggard and though he knows the Stranglers material is his bread and butter, I think he might be a bit bored with having to play them at this point. To make matters worse, his vocals were kind of buried in the mix.
Then came the main event--From The Jam! Bruce Foxton on bass, Rick Buckler on drums, some stand-in for Paul Weller on guitar, and some other dude on second guitar and occasional keyboards. They really nailed it in my opinion. The sound was perfect, the energy was there and the Paul Weller-alike did a credible job of imitating Paul's gruff vocals of that period.
They kicked off with "In The City" of course and proceeded to sail through the band's catalogue for about 90 minutes. It was hit singles like "Start", "Eton Rifles", "Down In The Tubestation","Town Called Malice","Strange Town","The Modern World", "When You're Young" that filled up the great majority of the set. They also threw in some album tracks like, "Little Boy Soldiers","It's Too Bad", "In The Crowd","To Be Someone","Pretty Green" and "The Gift". Bruce Foxton got to sing his two best Jam numbers, "Smithers-Jones" and "News of the World",as well as sing "David Watts" like he did on the Jam's version. They also threw in rare B-side cover of the Who's "So Sad About Us", which may say more about what happened to the original group than it does about their obvious debt to the Who's music. Thankfully such Bruce gems as "London Traffic" were not tackled.
Bruce Foxton (at least from 20 feet away) looked like he was beamed in from 1982. He had the same mullet hair, same build, same suit and two-tone mod shoes as he did back in the day. He also did the leaps and flying kicks of old, like he did on the back of second album. Rick, even from a distance, looks like he is getting on a bit, but the drumming was rock-solid and he seems to be in pretty good shape. I was disappointed that they didn't do "Funeral Pyre", with it's distinctive drum pattern / solo to spotlight Rick's talents. Bruce may have said hello but that was about it. Rick said nothing. The Paul Weller stand-in would introduce songs and mumble a few things in a heavy,and at times indecipherable,cockney accent, usually punctuated with a "Nice One!"
The crowd was pretty fired up as California crowds go and Rick and Bruce got rousing applause when they were introduced. They really seemed to be loving the adulation, especially Rick. I found it kind of heart-warming to see these guys get their due again, after all these years and particularly since Paul left them high and dry when he broke up the band. Weller wanted to move on and work with other musicians in other styles, which I suppose is his prerogative. However, he not only pulled the plug on the band when they were at their peak, but he has not even spoken to them since then. I know Weller is supposed to be kind of a dick, but come on! It was no surprise that Bruce and Rick faded out of the limelight pretty quickly, like within a year or so.
I am surprised that this alliance did not happen sooner, like 10 to 15 years sooner. Bruce was playing with Stiff Little Fingers for a time and Rick has been doing his Jam tribute band The Gift for a couple of years. This band is really The Gift + Bruce Foxton.
I'm not saying that I actually saw The Jam. Paul Weller was the voice, the song-writer, and the vision for that band. I saw him last year and he as that charisma that separates stars from the just regular guys, like his FTJ stand-in. Weller is open to performing a couple of Jam songs per show, but is unlikely to fully embrace that part of his career; he doesn't have to. So, this is probably the closest we will ever get to seeing the real deal and it ain't bad. It felt nice to contribute to the Bruce and Rick retirement fund. It was also worth every penny.
Just wanted to tell you about the From The Jam show. Pretty great show from Bruce, Rick and the other two. This took place last Saturday at The El Rey Theater in the Wilshire District.
First up was Hugh Cornwell, formerly of The Stranglers. I was looking forward to seeing him, but I have to say that it was pretty underwhelming. He performed as a trio with a bassist and drummer. Most importantly, no keyboard player. This was unfortunately all too apparent on all the Stranglers material he played. Those Doors-ish keyboard touches were sorely missed on stuff like, "Peaches". His set would be one Stranglers tune, one undistinguished solo tune,repeat. So we got "Get A Grip", "Hanging Around", "Nice and Sleazy", "Peaches","Always The Sun", "Down In The Sewer" and some ho-hum solo work.However, Hugh did not seem that into it at all. He looked a little haggard and though he knows the Stranglers material is his bread and butter, I think he might be a bit bored with having to play them at this point. To make matters worse, his vocals were kind of buried in the mix.
Then came the main event--From The Jam! Bruce Foxton on bass, Rick Buckler on drums, some stand-in for Paul Weller on guitar, and some other dude on second guitar and occasional keyboards. They really nailed it in my opinion. The sound was perfect, the energy was there and the Paul Weller-alike did a credible job of imitating Paul's gruff vocals of that period.
They kicked off with "In The City" of course and proceeded to sail through the band's catalogue for about 90 minutes. It was hit singles like "Start", "Eton Rifles", "Down In The Tubestation","Town Called Malice","Strange Town","The Modern World", "When You're Young" that filled up the great majority of the set. They also threw in some album tracks like, "Little Boy Soldiers","It's Too Bad", "In The Crowd","To Be Someone","Pretty Green" and "The Gift". Bruce Foxton got to sing his two best Jam numbers, "Smithers-Jones" and "News of the World",as well as sing "David Watts" like he did on the Jam's version. They also threw in rare B-side cover of the Who's "So Sad About Us", which may say more about what happened to the original group than it does about their obvious debt to the Who's music. Thankfully such Bruce gems as "London Traffic" were not tackled.
Bruce Foxton (at least from 20 feet away) looked like he was beamed in from 1982. He had the same mullet hair, same build, same suit and two-tone mod shoes as he did back in the day. He also did the leaps and flying kicks of old, like he did on the back of second album. Rick, even from a distance, looks like he is getting on a bit, but the drumming was rock-solid and he seems to be in pretty good shape. I was disappointed that they didn't do "Funeral Pyre", with it's distinctive drum pattern / solo to spotlight Rick's talents. Bruce may have said hello but that was about it. Rick said nothing. The Paul Weller stand-in would introduce songs and mumble a few things in a heavy,and at times indecipherable,cockney accent, usually punctuated with a "Nice One!"
The crowd was pretty fired up as California crowds go and Rick and Bruce got rousing applause when they were introduced. They really seemed to be loving the adulation, especially Rick. I found it kind of heart-warming to see these guys get their due again, after all these years and particularly since Paul left them high and dry when he broke up the band. Weller wanted to move on and work with other musicians in other styles, which I suppose is his prerogative. However, he not only pulled the plug on the band when they were at their peak, but he has not even spoken to them since then. I know Weller is supposed to be kind of a dick, but come on! It was no surprise that Bruce and Rick faded out of the limelight pretty quickly, like within a year or so.
I am surprised that this alliance did not happen sooner, like 10 to 15 years sooner. Bruce was playing with Stiff Little Fingers for a time and Rick has been doing his Jam tribute band The Gift for a couple of years. This band is really The Gift + Bruce Foxton.
I'm not saying that I actually saw The Jam. Paul Weller was the voice, the song-writer, and the vision for that band. I saw him last year and he as that charisma that separates stars from the just regular guys, like his FTJ stand-in. Weller is open to performing a couple of Jam songs per show, but is unlikely to fully embrace that part of his career; he doesn't have to. So, this is probably the closest we will ever get to seeing the real deal and it ain't bad. It felt nice to contribute to the Bruce and Rick retirement fund. It was also worth every penny.
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