This is probably complete heresy to some, but I could never tell the difference between Garland Jeffreys and Gary U.S. Bonds (or, for that matter, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes). It’s just not my thing, man. In fact, the only song of Jeffreys’ I really knew, for a while, was “96 Tears,”…. which he didn’t even write (the original was by the vastly more entertaining Question Mark & the Mysterious).
Then, of course, came hardcore, and I became a slavish fan of the Circle Jerks (as detailed here), only to learn that the incendiary title track to their second album, Wild in the Streets, was a Garland Jeffreys cover. Go know.
In any case, Garland Jeffreys is indeed a much cooler cat than I’d initially believed him to be. That doesn’t mean I’ve since gone out and snapped up his records, but respect is due.
The only reason I’m bringing any of this up is because a friend of mind posted the video below on Facebook this afternoon, and it really fits the thematic bill of this blog, given its gritty depictions of late `70s NYC.
As inventive as that sounds, however, I believe a good nine tenths of this footage comes directly from a great VH1 documentary from a few years back called “NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell,” which, of course, I wrote about here.
In any event, it’s cool. Check it out.
Here, meanwhile, is the Circle Jerks’ cover of same (which I still greatly prefer to the original).
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