Shock Confessions

[Andy Climax]

Right! We all know the music we dig and love. We all love the 'Gnarl' we all love 'dat Beat!' BUT...... I have one huge confession to make tho! I've never ever liked the Randy Alvez song 'Green Fuzz' not even when Lux an Ivy gave it 'the treatment' Just never got into it or got it. Any other confessions out there??? Brothers and Sisters... 'Kick out the Jams'. Gerr'it off yer chest.

[John Battles]

Yes , and as James will tell you , I was at that Arlington Heights County Fair (Whatever it was.) show, too ,  and Mitch only did , liek 3 songs , but , he sounded great , as did Lindsay , and Spencer Davis ALWAYS COMES THRU , IF BRIT BLUES IS YOUR THING. The surprise treat for James and our friend , Pat , was seeing JIMY ROGERS AND THE MAUDS.  wORDS FAIL ME. cONSULT YOUTUBE.    I think the fever the Shadows of Knight had on that Little Steven show was Steven personally telling 'em , can that 80's Rock shit and get back to The Garage !!! i DID'nt see that show . My friend , Rocco ,  and  I were there , but , we got the word that some of The Stones (Who were also playing that night.) might turn up at Ian MacLagan's gig. It turned out to be no rumor , but  , they did'nt show , it was 20  degrees below solid frozen balls , and The Stones were playing outside. Call 'em Dinosaurs, that was the ice age for them. I'm sure they spent the rest of the night in a sauna. I figured , worst case scenario , we still see Ian MacLagan do a great show , and that's what happened.
James Porter said:

I was at the Shadows of Knight show that John mentions. It was at the tail end of the summer, IIRC, at an outdoor festival. Jim Sohns was the only original left. The only actual Shadows songs performed were "Gloria," "Oh Yeah" and "Shake." The rest of their set was fleshed out by cover versions of such asskickers as "This Diamond Ring" and "Sunday Will Never Be The Same." Yikes. That'd be like the Yardbirds covering Chad & Jeremy songs. My hopes were fairly high - the only other time I saw them, it was on a Little Steven garage revue, and they sounded like they got "the fever" back. By the time of this outdoor show, they had reverted back to being a cheesy oldies band. For shame. As for Mitch Ryder, the only time I saw him was, again, at a county fair oldies revue with Spencer Davis, Mark Lindsay and Rare Earth. Under the circumstances, he kicked much ass.
 
John Battles said:

Shadows of Knight have had a reputation for being terrible , or , at best , mediocre , for decades , in Chicagoland. They just did a rare (And free) show in Chicago proper a few months ago , About 3 blocks from my place. Thank God I had a family function to go to ! Jimy Sohns owns the name , so it's always been him and whoever is backing him. Joe Kelly sits in on occasion , or he used to. They're in that documentary on Garage Rock with Sky Saxon , which has it's moments , they're at least doing some of the right songs .  Did Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels do a reunion show ? Mitch may have just been using the name. In more recent live footage I've seen of him , he was killin' it , but , I have'nt seen him do a full set in nearly 20 years , usually with Johnny "B' Badanjek , from The Detroit Wheels on drums and Rob Gillespie (Powertrane , Rob Tyner Band.) on guitar. I've seen Mitch at least a half - dozen times , he was always great , even , and especially , when he was playing to 15 or 30 people.   But , I've heard he's done some bad , or just fair , shows , too.....       If you meant the Greenfuz show at The Ponderosa Stomp , MY GOD! THAT WAS PUTRID !! We all love that record for the cruddy sound , but , those guys sounded like they had'nt even practiced. Plus , the Southern Boogie Rock covers did'nt help. I wanted to love it..........
 
Howie Pyro said:

the worst reunion of a 60's band was The Shadows of Knight oh my god...the worst! Very similar were Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (who i didn't go see but they were in a festival i was at...seriously everyone, even normal people were running to get outta there! Right up there with those 2 were The Green Fuz, woah, so bad the promoter "punished" them & forced them to come back & play Green Fuz all the way through without introducing the band all the way through it to get to their "important" blues ramblings...i do have a tape of it and it has a running commentary from my friend Todd Abramson that is fucking hysterical...I also saw the Shaggs & thought it was mind blowingly great...

[TipplerMario]

I don't think this will be shocking but, I hate everything The Velvet Underground did with Nico, I hate it, I can't stand it, is it her voice, idk, I just don't like it.

[John Battles]

"vot are yew SENK? ZHOU DON LAHK MAH SINKING?"Nico.

They're one of those bands , despite their exalted status , I think it's OK to like or don't like. I liked 'em  , then I did'nt , now I do. It took a VILE for Nico's VOSS to grow on me . 
 
TipplerMario said:

I don't think this will be shocking but, I hate everything The Velvet Underground did with Nico, I hate it, I can't stand it, is it her voice, idk, I just don't like it.

[Alison]

I just don't like The Doors, Radiohead, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Who, The White Stripes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Robin Hitchcock, The Grateful Dead, LCD Soundsystem, Minor Threat, The Strokes, Doo Wop music, Half Japanese, the Mooney Suzuki, Wilco, Roxy Music, Animal Collective, Kiss, Pere Ubu, modern Rockabilly music, Bad Religion, Beat Happening, DMZ, Belle and Sebastian, Can, the Chesterfield Kings, ska music, Black Flag, They Might Be Giants, Elliot Smith, The Hives, the Blues Magoos, Pussy Galore, Cabaret Voltaire, AC/DC, the Residents, Big Star, the Dead Kennedys, the Yeah,Yeah,Yeahs, the Black Keys, Mark Sultan, Husker Du, Rap music, Pearl Jam, Captain Beefheart, the Dwarves, Led Zeppelin, or the Black Lips.

Whew! Nice to get that off my chest.

[John Battles]

That's a very diverse cross - section of stuff to not like. In a majority of cases , but , not all of them , I agree wholeheartedly. Ofcourse , I have to ask , what kind of band calls themselves Animal Collective or Neutral Milk Hotel? Or LCD Soundsystem ? I dunno.
 
Alison said:

I just don't like The Doors, Radiohead, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Who, The White Stripes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Robin Hitchcock, The Grateful Dead, LCD Soundsystem, Minor Threat, The Strokes, Doo Wop music, Half Japanese, the Mooney Suzuki, Wilco, Roxy Music, Animal Collective, Kiss, Pere Ubu, modern Rockabilly music, Bad Religion, Beat Happening, DMZ, Belle and Sebastian, Can, the Chesterfield Kings, ska music, Black Flag, They Might Be Giants, Elliot Smith, The Hives, the Blues Magoos, Pussy Galore, Cabaret Voltaire, AC/DC, the Residents, Big Star, the Dead Kennedys, the Yeah,Yeah,Yeahs, the Black Keys, Mark Sultan, Husker Du, Rap music, Pearl Jam, Captain Beefheart, the Dwarves, Led Zeppelin, or the Black Lips.

Whew! Nice to get that off my chest.

[dave]

I think most (but not all) music made since Bush stole the Presidency is crap, esp. in various punk genres. (It's just a handy reference point :D )

And yes, I would love to be proven wrong.

Been some killer metal, though.

[Andy Climax]

Not sure if this has proven you wrong mate, but wot a tune and band.

dave said:

I think most (but not all) music made since Bush stole the Presidency is crap, esp. in various punk genres. (It's just a handy reference point :D )

And yes, I would love to be proven wrong.

Been some killer metal, though.

[dave]

Cute, it's got that inept feel to the music, be good wit some Norton novelty stuff.

Love the video and the Super-8 look.

[Tersicore]

Hey John,

"It's never been cool to like The Fuzztones" Where??
Do you mean here in GHP? or in the USA? 
In Europe is always been cool to love The Fuzztones and we still love them!!
And I´m sure I can speak for the most.
They shaped a whole generation here. Me included! :)
..and their gigs are still great!!

John Battles said:

Yeah , exactly. I'm not saying everything Childish did was shit , but , he was the "Garage " act that people who know nothing about this music gravitated toward in the 90's , in particular. A couple of carefully curated comps , like the one Sub Pop did , might cast him in a better light , but he did more records than Frank Zappa 20 years ago.

Chesterfield Kings , I liked to a point. They were always inconsistent , live. They could be great, or terrible. I never bought any of their records , except a bootleg from the first tour i saw them on , in '88.      Fuzztones , I still like. Maybe not everything , but "Salt For Zombies" was probably the best thing they ever did. It's never been cool to like The Fuzztones , which kind of makes me like them , more. There's very GOOD FOOTAGE On YOU tUBE  of their recent gig in Italy.   I kind of felt I was being put on with The Mummies , tho' I can take a joke. People take them seriously , now.   When I saw The Gories , in 1990 , opening for The Gibson Bros. , I was the only person standing in front of the stage . Everyone else was in the rear of the club.... I knew they were on to something , but their legend loomed larger in death. Now that they have reformed , they're playing to hundreds of people a throw, many too young to have seen them the first time around. And , they were kind enough to ask me to open for them , two years ago. I sort of felt like they must have , in 1990 , but , WE WERE ALL THERE TO HAVE FUN. There's still this innocence about The Gories. They are not Rock Stars , and they do not have a master plan. "It's Rock'n'Roll , and the message is DO IT ! TO IT !".
dave said:

Can't stand the Fuzztones or Chesterfield Kings, in fact most 80s 'garage bands' just make me cringe. Didn't like new stuff 'til the Mummies/Gories for the most part.

Oh, and John, I'm with ya about the Childish thang. You could prolly make about 4 compilation LPs of related stuff, but jeez, enuff!

[Tersicore]

One more confession:
I can´t stand Jazz-music!!
Except for some influence in bands like Lounge Lizards or other few No-Wave bands.
Mea culpa, sorry!

[John Battles]

Well , specifically , in The US. I KNOW THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN HUGE IN EUROPE. It's just always been cool to call 'em a Music Machine wannabee in the clothing department (When their look leaned just as heavy on The Cramps and The Ramones , I always thought.). So , they don't sound like they're playing guitar with their dicks , and Rudi can sing  ,  that makes 'em BAD? In the 80's , Garage meant , copy Pebbles songs ,or Brit R'n'B ,  not much else. Today , it means all kinds of things that have NOTHING to do with Garage , and some things that do. Rudi's still doing what he 's always done , the way The Cramps and The Ramones still did their thing , dig it or don't.        

 
Tersicore said:

Hey John,

"It's never been cool to like The Fuzztones" Where??
Do you mean here in GHP? or in the USA? 
In Europe is always been cool to love The Fuzztones and we still love them!!
And I´m sure I can speak for the most.
They shaped a whole generation here. Me included! :)
..and their gigs are still great!!

John Battles said:

Yeah , exactly. I'm not saying everything Childish did was shit , but , he was the "Garage " act that people who know nothing about this music gravitated toward in the 90's , in particular. A couple of carefully curated comps , like the one Sub Pop did , might cast him in a better light , but he did more records than Frank Zappa 20 years ago.

Chesterfield Kings , I liked to a point. They were always inconsistent , live. They could be great, or terrible. I never bought any of their records , except a bootleg from the first tour i saw them on , in '88.      Fuzztones , I still like. Maybe not everything , but "Salt For Zombies" was probably the best thing they ever did. It's never been cool to like The Fuzztones , which kind of makes me like them , more. There's very GOOD FOOTAGE On YOU tUBE  of their recent gig in Italy.   I kind of felt I was being put on with The Mummies , tho' I can take a joke. People take them seriously , now.   When I saw The Gories , in 1990 , opening for The Gibson Bros. , I was the only person standing in front of the stage . Everyone else was in the rear of the club.... I knew they were on to something , but their legend loomed larger in death. Now that they have reformed , they're playing to hundreds of people a throw, many too young to have seen them the first time around. And , they were kind enough to ask me to open for them , two years ago. I sort of felt like they must have , in 1990 , but , WE WERE ALL THERE TO HAVE FUN. There's still this innocence about The Gories. They are not Rock Stars , and they do not have a master plan. "It's Rock'n'Roll , and the message is DO IT ! TO IT !".
dave said:

Can't stand the Fuzztones or Chesterfield Kings, in fact most 80s 'garage bands' just make me cringe. Didn't like new stuff 'til the Mummies/Gories for the most part.

Oh, and John, I'm with ya about the Childish thang. You could prolly make about 4 compilation LPs of related stuff, but jeez, enuff!

[Tersicore]

Is it possible to call them "a Music Machine wannabee"-band just for a single glove used by a young Rudi, while on the other hand, still today, you have bunch of bands wearing bones-chains a la Fuzztones? Are they Fuzztones wannabee bands?? I´m confused...  
(but hell, it may be!.. ;)

Unfortunately my english is not that good, so I´m not sure to understand the rest.. BUT accidentally, I did compare them as well to Cramps or Ramones (or Gun Club or a few more)  in the past, just, not in their look!! But in their vigor? In their generate of energy live?  in the (lot of) gigs i´ve been witness, (since  mid 80s)?.. their coolness, their singularity?
Hell! Yeah! Nobody can tell me they are a "cover-band"!! They are TOO special!!

John Battles said:

Well , specifically , in The US. I KNOW THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN HUGE IN EUROPE. It's just always been cool to call 'em a Music Machine wannabee in the clothing department (When their look leaned just as heavy on The Cramps and The Ramones , I always thought.). So , they don't sound like they're playing guitar with their dicks. that makes 'em BAD? In the 80's , Garage meant , copy Pebbles songs ,or Brit R'n'B ,  not much else. Today , it means all kinds of things that have NOTHING to do with Garage , and some things that do. Rudi's still doing what he 's always done , the way The Cramps and The Ramones still did their thing , dig it or don't.        

 
Tersicore said:

Hey John,

"It's never been cool to like The Fuzztones" Where??
Do you mean here in GHP? or in the USA? 
In Europe is always been cool to love The Fuzztones and we still love them!!
And I´m sure I can speak for the most.
They shaped a whole generation here. Me included! :)
..and their gigs are still great!!

John Battles said:

Yeah , exactly. I'm not saying everything Childish did was shit , but , he was the "Garage " act that people who know nothing about this music gravitated toward in the 90's , in particular. A couple of carefully curated comps , like the one Sub Pop did , might cast him in a better light , but he did more records than Frank Zappa 20 years ago.

Chesterfield Kings , I liked to a point. They were always inconsistent , live. They could be great, or terrible. I never bought any of their records , except a bootleg from the first tour i saw them on , in '88.      Fuzztones , I still like. Maybe not everything , but "Salt For Zombies" was probably the best thing they ever did. It's never been cool to like The Fuzztones , which kind of makes me like them , more. There's very GOOD FOOTAGE On YOU tUBE  of their recent gig in Italy.   I kind of felt I was being put on with The Mummies , tho' I can take a joke. People take them seriously , now.   When I saw The Gories , in 1990 , opening for The Gibson Bros. , I was the only person standing in front of the stage . Everyone else was in the rear of the club.... I knew they were on to something , but their legend loomed larger in death. Now that they have reformed , they're playing to hundreds of people a throw, many too young to have seen them the first time around. And , they were kind enough to ask me to open for them , two years ago. I sort of felt like they must have , in 1990 , but , WE WERE ALL THERE TO HAVE FUN. There's still this innocence about The Gories. They are not Rock Stars , and they do not have a master plan. "It's Rock'n'Roll , and the message is DO IT ! TO IT !".
dave said:

Can't stand the Fuzztones or Chesterfield Kings, in fact most 80s 'garage bands' just make me cringe. Didn't like new stuff 'til the Mummies/Gories for the most part.

Oh, and John, I'm with ya about the Childish thang. You could prolly make about 4 compilation LPs of related stuff, but jeez, enuff!