Fillmore Jive | Duluth Music, Politics and Ramblings

I managed to hijack a copy of Please Kill Me: the Uncensored History of Punk this morning and--with the help of a pot of coffee--managed to devour about seventy pages. I've been through the Velvets, a bit on the Doors (ugh!) and am now smack dab in the middle of the MC5 and the Stooges (fuck yeah!). What I've learned so far is that Nico managed to make the rounds with just about everybody (except for the MC5).

Easily the best passage comes from Wayne Kramer and Iggy Pop on the MC5 house in Ann Arbor:

"I was walking up to our house one day and I heard KABOOM! And then all these sirens, coming from just a couple blocks away.

I said to Pun, 'What did you just bomb?'
He whispered, 'The CIA.'
I said, 'Right on!' Power to the people!'

He had tossed a bomb at the CIA recruiting office at the U of Michigan. It didn't kill anybody. It just blew a hole in the sidewalk and freaked everybody out."
-Wayne Kramer

"...sometimes I'd have to walk two or three miles to the [MC5's] Trans-Love house to get a sandwich, because I didn't have any money, and they would never say, 'Hey, don't eat that sandwich.' And their girlfriends would sew my pants.

So they were a decent bunch of guys--a nice bunch of guys to have around to blow up your local CIA recruiting office."
-Iggy Pop

Civil disobedience. So is this going to happen in New York or what? I have my doubts, but you never know.

I sincerely hope that people don't die and that the message--you cannot stifle this discontent--is strongly felt by those in attendance.

Maybe I should be there.

It's so hard to reconcile "real life" with what you think you should do sometimes.

Though I realize that I'm not an activist in the "go yell things and wave a sign" sense of the word, I still wonder.

I suppose I'd rather talk to people and get ideas moving than get arrested or beaten up by cops just looking for a target.

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James | 8/23/2004 10:20:00 AM

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

You've Got To Hold Steady In Wind Like This

So, today I bought a new Hold Steady 7" and a one-sided white label Radiohead song called "Head of the House."

I really like The Hold Steady, but this 7" is pretty bland. The A-side, "Milkcrate Mosh," kind of plods and doesn't really explode like the best tracks off ...Almost Killed Me. The B-side is a marginal cover of Led Zep's "Hey Hey What Can I Do." For my money I think that I'd rather hear The Hold Steady rip up a Thin Lizzy track.

I first heard the Radiohead white label at Predicate's place while drinking absinthe with Brian. The only thing that really registered was the jungle beat, techno feel and seriously fucked with vocal. Now that I've gotten it home and listened to the record a bit closer I've realized (mostly from the piano sample) that it's a remix of "Everything In Its Right Place." My thoughts were confirmed by a quick internet search. Apparently the song was a staple in DJ Sasha's sets a year or two back.

About two weeks ago I began assembling a rough outline for the book that I'm planning on writing. I've still got some major questions to figure out before I begin (perspective, one day vs. more than one day, characters) but I think that I've got a pretty solid foundation. Whatever. We'll see where I get on this one.

I've purchased tickets for a couple of Ohio GBV shows in October that I'm very excited about. Tobin Sprout (or, Tobin the Sprout as he's billed) is opening the first show in Columbus, so that should be pretty cool. Hopefully--since it's the "last tour" and all--Tobin the Sprout will get up there and play a few with ol' Bob. I think that'd be swell.

That's about all I have to report at this time. If I think of anything else, I'll let y'all know.

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James | 8/18/2004 08:53:00 PM

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

The Green Lantern Lights the Path Towards Redemption

Absinthe. I drank some yesterday and really enjoyed it. The intoxication is lucid, with an almost narcotic effect of floating, but without the tired feeling of NyQuil. I really enjoyed it and could feel the absinthe the rest of the night, even after downing a run drink, one whiskey drink and about five beers.

On the five beers: I may never go to the Buena Vista again. Not only was I disappointed that a friend from Nebraska who was supposed to show up didn't, I could barely see anything due to all the cigarette smoke. I won't even comment on the crowd there (ok, the girl in the very tight, white jeans with the really big chest who everytime she took a pool shot exposed her turquoise thong with a butterfly design was mildly interesting, like a car crash you shouldn't be excited by), except to say that socially they do very little for me.

I can't wait to sit down by myself with a stack of records and have a couple drinks of absinthe. I think that may be the makings of a great thing.

Big thanks also go out to Predicate and Brian for the Chinese food and conversation. It's always a pleasure.

Now I'm going to listen to this HUGE (90 Tracks!) Fall compilation that a friend gave me last week, go to the beach, then go sell liquor to the loonies. Cheers!

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James | 8/17/2004 10:51:00 AM

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Oh Yeah, I Forgot To Add That

4a. M. Night Shymalan has got to drop the Hitchcock worship right now. I think that it's gotten to the point of ridiculousness.

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James | 8/14/2004 10:23:00 AM

The Boys, Nay Men, Are Back In Town And It's Cold

That title makes me cringe, but hey, it's been a while. So since it's been quite a long while since my last post I feel some pressure to make this one count; though it'll probably just be another in a long line of disappointments and shoddy work.

To tell the truth I've just not been able to bring myself to write anything in this forum for whatever reason. Maybe it's due to my occasional bouts of "dark thoughts" that drive me to creative and real life gridlock or maybe its just a general malaise that's overtaken my being. I guess that it's a bit of both, but I'm drunk now, so who cares.

What I've done since last you read:
1. Watched The Hold Steady. Conclusion: They're a very good band and so are The Plastic Constellations
2. The Village was an ok movie. I mean, the theme was pretty apparent to anyone with a pulse who occasionally reads the newspaper, but the first half didn't gel even though you understood why some of it was done the way it was after seeing the second half.
3. Other than not wanting to pay more taxes and liking a Christian God a whole lot, I still don't understand American conservatives.
4. The Shaky Ray/Pizza Luce golf tournament was bad for my body. I drank vodka Red Bulls from 10am until 4pm, tried to sleep from 4:15pm until 6pm (and failed miserably) and instead drank at Pizza Luce from 6pm until 12am--making a complete fool of myself the entire time. However, I did win a crappy Epic compilation CD since our team came in 2nd place. Wey hey!
5. I feel bad for PMC3 and her husband because of the laughable people and horrible in-store music they're dealing with this Bluesfest weekend.
6. I'm finally going to drink that wonderful bottle of absinthe this Monday.
7. I really like Here Come the Warm Jets and have finally warmed up to the Fiery Furnaces' Blueberry Boat.
8. Seriously, Blueberry Boat takes at least three or four listen to be able to stand, but after that it's totally worth it.
9. I'm going to see GBV in Columbus and Cleveland in October.
10. Tickets to their "final" show at the Metro are being scalped for three hundred and ten fucking dollars apiece.
11. R.I.P. Rick James
12. I've forgotten everything else, though I'll be sure to let you know tommorrow if I remember. Thanks for caring.

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James | 8/14/2004 12:24:00 AM