Flaming Pablum

...And A Happy New Year!

Have a great one. Gabba Gabba. 

2019 is Dead

Well, it's that time of year again. Sure, we have two whole days left, but for all intents and purposes, 2019 is over. As such, let's go ahead and dust off this old thing. Away we go...

What did you do in 2019 that you'd never done before?

I’m really wracking my brain, but I’m not coming up with anything.

Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Nope, as discussed here, I gave up my umpteenth attempt at a Dry January in 2019 after only ten days, citing any number of arguably ridiculous and weak-willed rationalizations for doing so, and here we are again. This year, however, there is a new variable.

Shortly after this past Thanksgiving, I scheduled a long-overdue appointment with my primary care physician. I’d been neglecting to take care of certain things, investigating a few others and I’d been recently perplexed by the way in which my left foot was seemingly no longer feeling the way it used to. There was no pain involved, but it seemed to fill my shoe in way that felt simply … different. I can only describe it as being akin to the sensation wherein your sock is sort of bunched-up, and you feel an excess of crowding at the toe. Of course, I immediately assumed I had gout, given my affinity for beer. Or, more correctly, given my foundation in Catholic guilt, I immediately felt I deserved gout. In any case, preoccupied with this assumption, I figured it was prudent to go have it checked out.

As it turned out, I do not have gout. I’m told that if I did indeed have gout, I’d bloody well know it, as the pain involved is said to rival similarly acute maladies like Kidney Stones (which I have experienced). This all said, my doctor couldn’t really explain my weird foot/toe problem, which was a bit frustrating.

On the plus side, I got a reasonably clean bill of health — no egregious deviations from normal in most capacities. On the minus side, he did suggest my blood pressure was a bit high, going on to suggest that a sharp curtailing of alcohol would invariably do me some good. So, while not quite “doctor’s orders,” I am taking that to heart, so to speak, and endeavoring to once again swear off the suds until I go back and see my medicine man for a follow-up visit in …. dear lord …. late February.

Mind you … it’s not January YET!

Watch this space.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not just yet, but one of my sisters-in-law is preggers and due in February.

Did anyone close to you die?

Mercifully, no one in my immediate family left us this year, although the mother of a dear friend of mine did, which was and remains quite upsetting.

What countries did you visit?

As documented here, the we spent a glorious five or six days in Paris this year, which I highly recommend.

What would you like to have in 2020 that you lacked in 2019?

A different president.

What date from 2019 will remain etched upon your memory?

Don’t know that there was a single, isolated date of significance, but last week, just a day before Christmas, we learned that our son was accepted, “early decision,” at the high school of his choice. We are very proud.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

While I’m exceptionally proud of what my children have accomplished, I don’t think I particularly excelled in any specific capacity in 2019. I'm just trying to adopt, adapt and improve, as they say.

What was your biggest failure?

Too many options to choose from.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

No illnesses that I’m immediately aware of, but I did manage to lacerate my own tongue once or twice (as detailed here).

What was the best thing you bought?

Probably the flight tickets to Paris back in early October. Beyond that, I bought my son a guitar for Christmas, which he’d asked for upon returning from summer camp. I’m all for it. We’ll see how it goes. Watch this space.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Once again, I’d cite my children. While, yes, both now in their teenaged years — and all the things that said age entails — they both take their schoolwork very seriously and routinely earn high marks on their respective report cards. Admittedly, there is now much more eye-rolling and attitudinal pushback than ever before, but I cannot complain, and remain very proud of both of them.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Pretty much the entirety of the Republican party and everyone who still slavishly supports the Trump Administration, regardless of the growing glacier of damning evidence of its unprecedented corruption.

What did you get really, really excited about?

I got to see Killing Joke three more goddamn times, this year, which was quite unexpected, given the lengths I had to go to to see their 40th Anniversary tour in 2018.

Where did most of your money go?

Renovating the kids’ room, the Paris trip and the looming reality of paying two tuitions for my budding high schoolers.

What song will always remind you of 2019?

I hate to say it, but if there is a single song that reminds of 2019, it’s invariably one by someone like Lizzo. There were several songs I was fired up about this year (see list here), but I can’t name one that singularly screams “2019” to me.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

I wonder if I suffer from a bit of that seasonal melancholy, as I’m somewhat inexplicably blue quite often, these days. By the same token, that might also have something to do with how speedily my children are growing and how old I’m feeling.

Thinner or fatter?

I have it on sound authority that I have actually lost weight, although I couldn’t even begin to tell you how or why that is the case.

Richer or poorer?

Trying to live and work in Manhattan while simultaneously trying to feed, clothe and educate two children leaves one feeling always poorer.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Earning. Paying closer attention to certain things.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Drinking beer on my couch. Shirking various responsibilities. Procrastinating. Sounding off unsolicitedly about stupid shit. 

How did you spend Christmas?

Out at my Mom’s place in Quogue.

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

No clue.

Did you fall in love in 2019?

Already very much in love.

How many one night stands in this last year?

Zero. I remain happily married.

What was your favorite TV program?

I quite enjoyed “Succession,” I must say.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

There’s a certain accusation persistently thrown around by Trump and his slackjawed supporters that Liberal Democrats are driven by a judgement-impairing hatred for Trump. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi famously cited her own Catholic upbringing upon snapping at a reporter for suggesting same, claiming that her faith prevents her from harboring any hatred for anyone. That’s lovely and all, but being that I don’t hold any public office, and, despite also being raised a Catholic like Speaker Pelosi, am largely unencumbered by feelings of obligation to any religious dogma, I feel absolutely ZERO regrets about firmly stating that I genuinely HATE Donald Trump and his supporters with every fibre of my being. I’m not shy about it. I’m not ashamed about it. I think it’s healthy and, frankly, natural to express it. I won’t pretend otherwise.

What was the best book you read?

While I enjoyed “More Fun in The New World” by Tom DeSavia & John Doe and had higher hopes for Debbie Harry’s memoir, “Face It,” I have to say the book I probably got the biggest kick out of reading this year was my re-visitation of “The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories” by H.P. Lovecraft while dropping Oliver off at camp in location-specific Vermont this summer.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Last year was a banner year in that I discovered the one-two punch of rock majesty in the form of Daughters and IDLES. 2019 didn’t bring as much fruit in that department, although I was quite enthused about the band John (shit name notwithstanding) and was happy to acquaint myself with 2013-era Nine Inch Nails, who I’d unwittingly slept on.

What did you want and get?

The long overdue impeachment of Trump.

What did you want and not get?

The long overdue dismantling of Trump’s Administration, his ouster from office, his indictment, his conviction and his imprisonment.

What were your favorite films of this year?

As someone who has always harbored a fascination for the story of the Manson Family, I have to say that I was quite into Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 52, and spent it strolling the lovely byways of the Marais in Paris with my family. Again, highly recommended.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

For Robert Mueller to have more effectively and emphatically done his job.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?

Somewhere between “Is this inappropriate for a man my age?” and “Would one of the Stranglers have worn this?"

What kept you sane?

The necessity to provide for my family.

What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

None really spring to mind, I have to say.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Where does one begin?

Who did you miss?

Ric Ocasek, Daniel Johnston, Ranking Roger, Keith Flint, Steven Jameson, Vaughan Oliver and, most of all, Mark Hollis.

Who was the best new person you met?

Some new colleagues at work.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019

I don’t know if he made the phrase up, but a writer named Richard Carlson published a book in 1997 called “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff … And It’s All Small Stuff.” That’s pithy and clever and generically reassuring and all, but it’s also a load of bullshit. I’m not suggesting that you should frantically preoccupy yourself with all manner of daily minutia to the point of distraction, but I don’t think it’s at all prudent to tune out and skip the required reading in favor of the Cliff’s Notes either. By all means, keep life in perspective and prioritize accordingly, but pay fucking attention to the details, because therein is where you’re probably getting fucked or about to unwittingly fuck yourself. At two pivotal points in 2019, there were instances when had I just been paying a wee bit more attention, I might have saved myself a substantial boatload of trouble. In both cases, things worked themselves out, but in neither instance were those outcomes guaranteed. Before you hit send, re-read that e-mail. Keep your bankbooks in order. Don’t just take their word for it. Study your monthly statements. Follow up and follow through. Send prompt thank-you cards. And as the Ice Cube once sagely rapped, check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Song lyric that sums up 2019

It’s February
The world is wearing shorts
The world is wearing its heart on its sleeve
There’s bad news to report
But the president can’t read

- “The President Can’t Read” by Amy Rigby

Merry Christmas, Everyone

Have a happy one...

Seventeen Years Gone

It's hard to believe the great man's been gone that long, but here we are. As mentioned last year, the world needs voices like Joe Strummer now more than ever.

 

“Assembled into something, into something, into something…”

Musically speaking, I was pretty checked out in 2013. Though inarguably one of my greatest, lifelong passions, my thirst for cool new sounds had to be relegated to the way backseat while my immediate family grappled with a frenetic spate of deaths, illnesses and misfortune. All in all, it was a brutal year. We all have them, sooner or later.

As such, I invariably missed out on a lot of stuff that would have otherwise commanded my attention. While I’d always been a fan of Nine Inch Nails, even seeing one of their very first shows in New York City at a somewhat cheeseball club called Sonic’s in Chelsea in 1989, I had stopped paying attention to Trent Reznor’s doings by the time 2013’s Hesitation Marks rolled around. As a result, I missed out on the era of the band captured below.

I stumbled on this video quite recently, and was blown away to learn that the bass player to Trent’s right is none other than Pino Palladino (above), a truly storied performer who has played for everyone from Herbie Hancock and Eric Clapton to De La Soul and Peter Gabriel. Boasting a distinctive, fretless sound (not unlike Jaco Pastorius), Palladino’s signature tone is arguably best captured on “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” by blue-eyed British soul boy, Paul Young. I’m assuming Trent drafted the great man based on his work for the similarly inclined Gary Numan. In any case, he really brings some oomph to the proceedings.

I am seven years late to the table, but I think this is fucking amazing. Crank it.

Tidings of Great Joy

2019: My Year in Pictures

I usually wait until the week after Christmas to post this unwieldy thing, but then figured ... why wait?

As has been laboriously documented in the past, I take a lot of goddamn photographs. Some might say too many. If you already follow me on Instagram, you've invariably already sped by most of these while looking for pictures of other people's food or pictures of your exes or whatever it is you are covertly searching for.

Regardless, do please try to enjoy.

I also changed it to My Year in Pictures, as The Year... just seems a bit pretentious and overarching ... even for me. 

These are just some of my favorites.

Have a Missing Foundation Christmas!

Back in October of 2018, I posted an enthused little entry about how Peter Missing – he of Missing Foundation notoriety – was really taking full advantage of the Bandcamp platform as a means of exhuming and re-disseminating the recordings of his infamous collective. This was especially noteworthy for some of us, being that Missing Foundation’s records were frequently hard to come by. With copies of certain albums fetching princely sums on eBay, the privilege of actually hearing any of MF’s outpourings was becoming increasingly rarefied and almost solely reserved for the demographic of so-called “record collector scum.”

Via Bandcamp, however, Missing was able to showcase his entire audio archive, from incendiary soup to nihilistic nuts.

Since that earlier post, Peter’s only uploaded more of his music, most notably In a State of Mind, the original debut cassette by Drunk Driving, the band that would later morph into Missing Foundation. The songs of Drunk Driving – featuring drummer Bob Bert, also of Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Bewitched, Chrome Cranks and Lydia Lunch’s Retrovirus – displayed a bit more finesse and conventional song-structure than what would follow in Missing Foundation, but don’t be fooled – they’re still a damn long way from polished pop tunes. Hear that stuff here. I’m particularly fond of “Laughing Killer.”

The only reason I’m posting about all this again, however, is because Flaming Pablum pal and former Missing Foundation member RB Korbet posted a cut from the 1985 Demos collection that I thought was especially noteworthy.

Cryptically dubbed “Untitled 30,” herewith Missing Foundation having a vitriolic bash through “My Generation” in a manner that would probably make Pete Townshend’s bowels violently discharge. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ADDENDUM: The great Peter Missing wrote in to say that Bob Bert does not, in fact, appear on this particular recording, but rather fellow future-MF collaborator (and Flaming Pablum interviewee) Chris Egan did. Apologies for disseminating confusing and/or incorrect info. 

Christmas Music, You Say?

Let’s face some festive facts, shall we? Most contemporary Christmas music is tantamount to sonic root canal. Don’t even get me started. My feverish loathing for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” is well established, by this point, but it’s not just shrill Mimi. In Carey’s (anemic) defense, at least she had a hand in writing the fucking godawful thing – a stab at originality, when most artists seem hellbent on “re-booting” canonical favorites and holly-scented warhorses. I can’t even begin to pick my least-favorite of these, although I was in the Astor Place Kmart the other evening, dispatched on a mission to procure some thin-wire Christmas lights for our surprisingly diminutive tree (it looked bigger on the sidewalk, honest), and was subjected to a seemingly endless dance remix of Christina Aguilera’s nauseatingly melismatic rendition of “The Christmas Song” (“Chestnuts RooooOOOooOOOOAAsssting on an Oh-whoa-whoooooapen FiiIiIIIIIIIIRrrrree….” etc.) that almost made me sharpen up the nearest candy cane to bloodily plunge into my own eardrums. That shit sucks. You know it. I know it. Hell, Christina Aguilera knows it. Humbug.

My friend Alexandra posted the video for “Do They Know It’s Christmas” on YouTube – which I’ve discussed here now and again – and asked for everone’s submissions of favorite Christmas tunes. Without a second’s hesitation, the track below sprang to mind.

Sure, the Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” and Siousxie & the Banshees’ elegiac “Il Est N’est Le Divine Enfant” are both truly great, but I will forever swear allegiance to Fishbone’s frenetic tribute to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” because it’s simply goddamn incredible.

White Light, White Christmas

Here's Hoping You're Having a Very Velvet Holiday Season....