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Yep, it's another one of these, albeit not, this time, by Nelson Sullivan.
Exhumed by Flaming Pablum pal RB Korbet and slapped up on Facebook, I took one look at this and knew I had to share it here. It's long, so take your time with it. Maybe more extrapolation later. Enjoy!
Generally speaking, if this blog gets over 500 pageviews during the course of a single day, that's pretty phenomenal. That's just the way it is.
Odd, then, that my pageview count today is 1668 … and climbing. The list of recent referrers, however, gives absolutely zero indication of any single post folks are interested in, nor any discnerible pattern out of the ordinary whatsoever.
I mean, I guess I'm pleased for the views, but I am still stumped.
Must be the Russians.
Inspired by CNN's "American Dynasties" series, which is seemingly just an appetizer for the forthcoming motion picture, "Chappaquiddick" (about, presumably, the late Ted Kennedy's infamous aquatic activities), I've had this song in my head on endless repeat, of late. I was pleased to find that the proper video can still be found on YouTube, so here it is.
While already established as titans of British indie "C86" rock (long boring story -- Google it), I didn't hear the music of The Wedding Present until 1989, when my friend Rob B. returned from a trip abroad raving about this amazing single he'd heard, and you can read the rest of that sleepy saga on this ancient post.
Almost -- sweet jesus -- THIRTY YEARS LATER, "Kennedy" remains one of my favorite-ever songs, right up there with "Eighties" by Killing Joke, "She Sells Sanctuary" by the Cult, "Loose" by The Stooges and all the rest of'em. While only really obliquely about the Kennedys - and even that's arguable - it remains an entirely perfect song. If you're looking for something more specific about the Kennedy family, might I suggest "Bullet" by ye olde Misfits, another favorite.
Press play.
As is often the case, I've had a lot of original things I've been wanting to bring to fruition here, but life keeps getting in the way, so to speak.
In the short term, I'm always scouring and setting things to one side, as they say. Here comes one of those things now.
I cannot say I was aware of this film when it evidently came out during the balmy, comparatively carefree days of 1997, but it certainly speaks to a lot of this blog's primary topics.
Here's the quizzically titled "Don't' Bring Your Dog," a documentary about the "New York Underground." This was directed, apparently, by a German gentleman named Oliver Schwabe. Here's what I've since learned about Mr. Schwabe:
After an apprenticeship as photographer, Oliver SCHWABE (1966, Germany) studied Media Arts in Cologne and New York. He works as a cameraman, photographer, film maker and video artist, and made several short films together with Christian Becker.
Oddly, this will be the second German documentary about New York noise-rock I've posted about here, the first being this one. Without further ado, here is "Don't Bring a Dog."
I'd been writing up a whole big post about this last week, but then my computer crashed and I lost it. Oh well.
As such, I'll dispense with the usual amount of needlessly purple prose and cut right to the chase.
Remember back at the end of last October, when Mike Stuto announced that he was closing the doors of his East Village bar HiFi (formerlly Brownie's) not because of any spiraling rent problem, but basically because the neighborhood -- in its contemporary iteration -- was showing no need nor affinity for any semblance of rock'n'roll-themed bar? Today's East Village-goers want boozy brunch squawk, not feral punk rock. Yeah, that was indeed a bummer.
Well, turn that frown upside-down! Jesse Malin has taken possession of the former HiFi, and is turning it back into a live music venue called Coney Island Baby.
In the lost version of this original post, I went into detail about how I'd previously sold Jesse a bit short in previous entries over my lukewarm affinity for his band D Generation. That quibble notwithstanding, Malin should be commended for his tireless campaign to preserve the punky spirit, ethos and character of the East Villeage via a string of endeavors like GREENDOORNYC, Coney Island High, The Black'N'White Bar, Bowery Electric, Niagara and, most recently, Berlin. Little by little, Malin has been fortifying little strongholds of resistance, if you will, in a neighborhood otherwise engulfed by gentrification, like he's playing a giant game of "Risk."
Will it work? Will the rockers return to 169 Avenue A --- especially in the wake of the erection of mega-complex, Steiner East Village just up the avenue a few steps? Rarely do rock clubs and new, residential high-rises play nice together, as "quality of life" issues will surely follow (the very scourge that helped put an end to Jesse's fabled St. Marks Place venue, Coney Island High). Time will tell.
I, for one, am rooting for it, and looking forward to hearing live music in that room again.
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