Don't blame me because I was once in the Fuzztones! lol!

[John Carlucci]

So this email was forwarded to me by a friend. It came from a journalist friend of his from the UK after his son stumbled upon a video of The Fuzztones on youtube. I just had to share!,

For the record, even though I was once in this band... I side with the kid on this subject!!

• The album said singer is self praising only had 2 original songs on it.
• He introduced Garage to Europe? Really?? I mean c'mon there were already Garage bands playing there when we got there, for example The Last Drive, The Stomachmouths, not to mention the first wave of authentic 60's garage bands that started the whole thing.  This claim would be like Keith Richards claiming he invented the Chuck Berry duckwalk! 
• I was in this band when it was in its prime (major label, RCA) and that was 23 years ago. Since then there has been a revolving door of musicians, very few lasting more than a year or two...so celebrating the 30th anniversary to me is quite funny.
• Is he going to claim that he invented the wheel, sliced bread & the internet next?? lol!
• The black Phantom he's playing in the video is a stolen guitar. It belongs to Jordan Tarlow.... Here's the email...

My son was logged on to you-tube and he ran across the Fuzztones and he asked me and couple mates of mine who work for Mojo and NME if we had ever heard of them. My son showed us this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Bo5rFjIG4 and we could not stop laughing after listening to the lead singer, i forgot his name, tell the crowd that he was the first to ever introduce Garage music to the European audience. My son was very angry and so were my 2 mates when he nothing good to say about the Strokes, Hives and White Stripes. All 3 of those groups are my son's favorite. All 3 of those groups have made front pages of Mojo, NME and other music papers. 30 years in the business and they are still playing empty little clubs and they never get media coverage. Are they mates of yours? The reason i asked, aren't they an LA band? Was Kim Fowley ever the group's manager/producer?

My answer: No Kim Fowley was not the groups MGR or producer. No they are not an LA band. They were for a while when we were in the band. Nowadays, the Fuzzclones live in Berlin. 

So when you hear this kind of stuff, don't be mad at me. I'm appalled too.

 

[kopper]

What an arrogant, lying bastard. He's fucking delusional. Or insane. Who cares, anyway? The Fuzztones suck.

[hicksville hogwash]

The Cramps, The Milkshakes, The Sting-Rays, The Nomads (Sweden), The Chesterfield Kings.....  I know there are many more, but in Europe these cats came before..... hell, even The Undertones (a more garage than punk band) was covering Nuggets songs before The Fuzztones donned their black leather and bones and took the garage clique to a ridiculously almost metal pinnacle.

I liked that first album a little bit but for some reason the above always held my ears interest for way longer.

[Gringo Starr]

This is just so typical Rudi on so many levels. He fails to understand the importance of so many other bands from the 80's wave of garage greatness that played in Europe in the '80s.  His band was just one of them. The Fuzztones and Rudi in particular have ruined any kind of a legacy he might of had these days because of big-headedness like this. But this is certainly not news to many of us here. Bad news travels fast indeed.

[ixnayray]

I have never heard a Fuzztones song. That's all I got.

[dying slowly]

I think rudi got caught up in that whole 'only garage revival band on a major label' buisness and decided this made them the best and most important, to be fair i do like the fuzztones and the LA years particulaly

[John Carlucci]

Well thanks. Becaue I was part of the LA contingent. But to be perfectly honest, we got a major label deal despite Rudi. Jordan & I negotiated that deal, which of course he fucked up by alienating the whole band with his huge ego to the point where we walked away from the deal right in the middle of recording our second lp. 
 
dying slowly said:

I think rudi got caught up in that whole 'only garage revival band on a major label' buisness and decided this made them the best and most important, to be fair i do like the fuzztones and the LA years particulaly

[John Carlucci]

@ Gringo, I know exactly what you mean, and that's why I put this post up. When you are or were in a band with someone, you kinda get lumped in with them in a birds of a feather kind of way. I wanted to clarify that I and the rest of the band do not feel that way. Let's give credit to The Miracle Workers, The Lyres, The Pandoras, The Unclaimed, Thee Fourgiven, The Chesterfield Kings, The Outta place, The Mad Daddy's & especially The Cramps! Hell, even Stiv Bators played a Vox Phantom & covered Sonics songs before Rudi did!

[IDON MINE]

Oh ugh, Rudi...

[Planet Trash]

Great album though...

[Gringo Starr]

It's easy to crap all over the Fuzztones because of Rudi. I just gotta say here that I always had a cool time and easy friendship with you John as well as Jordan and even Mike. You guys were always really cool. Remember when Gary Wylde sang with the doppleganger Fuzztones in Hollywood and everyone thought it was Rudi?!

[John Carlucci]

Well that's why I had to say something. I didn't want people thinking we were all like that. Jason is also a great guy.That show we billed as The Phuzztones.That was so much fun. I remeber someone up front gasping, Holy Shit Rudi, what have you been eating! lol!! (those not in the know, Gary was a big dude)

 

lol! We broke up onstage at the Marquee in London & never had a farewell show in LA, so we did that for closure. We only played covers that night, so what the hell, we have as much right to play Screaming Lord Sutch & Sonics songs as anyone.
 
Gringo Starr said:

It's easy to crap all over the Fuzztones because of Rudi. I just gotta say here that I always had a cool time and easy friendship with you John as well as Jordan and even Mike. You guys were always really cool. Remember when Gary Wylde sang with the doppleganger Fuzztones in Hollywood and everyone thought it was Rudi?!

[Simon Taylor]

Yeah sad but true" Rudi Protrudi "ndeed !

But I still like the early stuff...

Si mon