dimland radio 4-20-13

It's Happened Again

Yet again our country is stunned by a senseless act of terror against innocent bystanders.  This past Monday, during the Boston Marathon, two bombs went off killing three spectators and wounding more than 170 others. 

As I recorded this show, the suspects were still at large.  Thanks to the efforts of the Boston Police, the Watertown Police, the FBI, and one very courageous citizen, one suspect has be apprehended and another has been killed.  Unfortunately, one police officer has been killed during the process of bringing the evildoers to justice.

I echoed Craig Ferguson's sentiment as he commented about the US and the world being subjected to this senseless violence yet again.  I stated, again, that I have no answers, no magic solution to this kind of insanity.

I mentioned two people who have helped me keep from giving up on humanity: Patton Oswalt and Mister Rogers.  Patton posted a message of defiance and hope, noting that those who are good in this world will always outnumber those who commit these acts of evil.

 

Mister Rogers, although he died several years ago, he nonetheless has left us with comforting words to help us through these moments of inexplicable violence.  I cannot express just how much I miss Fred Rogers.

And just as an aside, you will note that neither Patton nor Mister Rogers invoke a god.  I don't mean to stir anything up here, just pointing out it is possible to give comfort and hope to others without invoking the supernatural.

Alex Jones Is An Extraordinary Piece Of Human Garbage

I suppose I should try to be understanding toward Alex Jones due to what is likely his suffering some kind of mental illness.  I'll try, but it ain't easy when his sick mind sees deep and dangerous conspiracies behind every event, especially tragic ones.

 

The smoke from the bombs had hardly cleared before this slimeball took to the Twitterverse to suggest our government was somehow behind this madness.  He seems to believe every event is a "false flag" meant to further some evil agenda.

It's a good thing I don't believe in hell, because if it did exist I'd wish for a special place in it for scum like Alex Jones. 

 
Never Found In The 80s:  Let's Active

Another in my guest blog series on the Stuck in the 80s blog.  This time I posted about the Never Found in the 80s artist Let's Active. I featured their not a hit song Every Word Means No.  It's a bit of alternative pop that should have found a larger audience.

Most Unfortunate News

More sad news, although much less tragic than the bombings, from this past Monday (April 15th).  It was on that day, Brian Dunning ended his long battle against charges of wire fraud.  Brian plead guilty as part of a plea bargain of which we have no details.

This is very unfortunate, because Brian is such a luminary in the skeptical movement.  His podcast, Skeptoid, and his vodcast, In Fact..., have been helping to spread critical thought for many years.  But because of this legal action, he will now have the taint of being a convicted felon.  This gives him something in common with scumbags like Sylvia Browne and Kevin Trudeau, who, in my opinion, do nothing but leech of human gullibility and fear.

I'm told by a reliable source that Brian is making an effort to ensure that Skeptoid will continue should he be sentenced to prison time.  At this time, it seems likely he will be going to prison.

Such a shame.

Dimland Radio Science Heroes

Fortunately, I was able to uplift the show's spirits, if you will, by announcing three more Dimland Radio Science Heroes: The Tampa Bay Times, Tim Nickens, and Dan Ruth.

They were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for their editorial series on the anti-fluoride activities in Florida.  A city council in the Sunshine State had been successful in getting the fluoride out of their municipal water.  This is a bad thing.  Fluoride is a benefit to us in its ability to help prevent tooth decay, especially in children.

But there are those who erroneously fear that the chemical is cancer-causing or is some kind of mind control.  Well, Dimland Radio's Science Heroes helped to right the wrong and get the fluoride back in the water.

Movie Recommendation: None This Week

 

I wanted to have time to dedicate a song to Martin Richard, the eight year-old killed in the Boston Marathon bombing.  An image of Martin has been making its way around the internet.  In what is now an example of sad irony, the photo shows Martin holding a placard he had made asking for peace and "no more hurting people."

I played Pete Townshend's Stop Hurting People in honor of Martin and the others who lost life or limb in this past Monday's act of senseless violence.  You had to be listening Saturday, as that was the only way you could hear the song.  I cannot include it in the download of the show.

Peace.

Music heard on the show (Whenever Possible, I Will Link To The Song)...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'Buck Hill' by The Replacements & 'Every Word Means No' by Let's Active
Second ad break bumpers: 'This Wheel's On Fire' by Siouxsie & the Banshees & 'Why Did I Fall For That' by The Who
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

concert memoirs pt. 15 - souxsie & the banshees, let's active, the church, the cramps & the screaming blue messiahs

Souxsie & the Banshees

5/25/86 Orpheum Theatre w/John Ticket Price: $13.75

Here was one of the rare shows not taken in at First Avenue. John and I had come to prefer shows at First Avenue or, to a lesser extent, the Cabooze. It was easier to get a good view of the act and not have to put up with the assigned seating nonsense. And, of course, the ticket prices were lower. But, Auntie Souxsie was worth shelling out the $13.75 for the balcony seats at the Orpheum.

So, we the folks (John and I included) in the cheap seats were all doing our best to dance in our confined seating area, when Auntie Souxsie got a little upset. She didn’t appreciate the apparent sedentary nature of the audience. She said something along the lines of, “I hope your wheelchairs are comfortable.”

“Oooo, Auntie wants us to dance! Well, look up here! We’re rockin’ the balcony!”

Let’s Active
7/6/86 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: $4.00

Ok. We must have liked this band, because this was the second time we’d seen them. I still can’t remember a thing about the show.

The Church w/A Few
7/9/86 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: $7.50

This was our second time seeing The Church. We really liked these guys. Their early shows were pretty damn good. They were tight. They had good balance in their sets, which was something they lost in their later shows. These shows they had the right mix of mid-tempo ethereal songs to excellent fast paced rockers. Their later shows were too dominated by the slower, moodier tunes. But I’ll relate more on that later on in this series.

One thing I really liked about Marty Wilson-Piper (one of the band's two guitarists) was he had his rock star thing going all the time. The rock star hair, the jumping around, winking at the gals and give them the up-nod. He must have had a lot of “Backstage Betties” in those days. The rogue.

The Cramps w/The Screaming Blue Messiahs
7/22/86 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: $7.50

The title of this segment ought to give you a clue as to my take on this show...

This was a special Club Degenerate concert night featuring The Cramps. So, yeah, The Cramps were The Cramps were The Cramps. Punkabilly, whiskey drinking, leather, Lux Interior’s ass hanging out of his pants, etc., etc., etc.

They were entertaining enough, but the truly transcendent act was the opener. I’m not exaggerating (ok, maybe a little)... The Screaming Blue Messiahs blew The Cramps right off the stage! This is one of those shows that stands out as a true gem. If you weren’t there you really missed something.

This was one of the very best shows I have ever seen. A three piece band that absolutely kicked ass. They were so amazing. I knew, at most, one of their songs (‘Wild Blue Yonder’) before seeing them play. That didn’t matter, because despite my ignorance of their material, I was blown away.

The rhythm section was fantastic. They kept the songs together while lead guitarist/vocalist Bill Carter attacked his guitar. He even dropped it to the stage and danced on it at one point. And when he played it, he was incredible. He had a rather unique finger-picking style. The sound those guys made! You should have been there.

Because they were the opening act and most of the people there were more interested in seeing The Cramps, there was plenty of room at the front of the stage. John and I and a growing number of folks were down front and were being greatly entertained by this fairly unknown band. I say unknown because a fellow approached me and asked, enthusiastically, “Who are these guys?!”

My mind went blank. I couldn’t remember, at first. I told him I didn’t know and we went back to basking in the glory of these musical masters. Then I recalled the Club Degenerate night from the week before when, at the end of the night, Kevin Cole reminded us that the next week would feature The Cramps and The Screaming Blue Messiahs.

I went over to that fellow and told him who they were. He shouted, “These guys are f@#&ing great!”

Indeed they were. You should have been there.

Now two things about The Screaming Blue Messiahs...

First is something admittedly a bit silly. Bill Carter is almost a dead ringer of the 80’s era pro wrestler, Baron von Raschke. Look at the photos below. Bill is on the left. What do you think?

Second, this band should have made it bigger than they did. They released three full length albums (‘Gun Shy’, ‘Bikini Red’ & ‘Totally Religious’) over a five year period (1984 - 89) and then they were done. They vanished.

I find it a little sad that if they are remembered at all it will likely be for their one “hit”, ‘I Wanna be a Flintstone’. It’s very good song, but, let’s face it, despite the fantastic sound it’s essentially a novelty song.

Oh, well. At least I was there.

concert memoirs pt. 7 - x, the church, red hot chili peppers, general public & let's active

X w/Soul Asylum

10/15/84 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: Unknown

Another show at the famed First Avenue. We were still getting a hang of the place. We were looking forward to seeing Soul Asylum, a local band that had some good buzz. John had heard they did a cover of Sex Pistols’ ‘Bodies’, but they didn’t play it that night.

John remembers some fellow in the crowd shouting, “Loud Fast Rules!” Which, of course, was Soul Asylum's original name.

What I remember is Dave Pirner having difficulty with his guitar strings. He kept breaking them. Normally, musicians play through a string break, but, for some reason, Dave couldn’t do that. He would stop and hand the guitar to the tech and wait for it to be restrung or for another guitar. And the rest of the band stopped playing. It made things appear very amateurish.

That’s how I remember it, anyway.

John and I planted ourselves at the side of the stage and stood on the first level up from the main floor. We were very close to the front, close enough to see behind the screen to watch the folks setting up the stage.

We were at Billy Zoom’s side of the stage. He took his spot behind the still lowered screen, while a couple of gals were peeking under it to catch a glimpse of the stylish guitarist. He would playfully slip the toe his boot out toward them and give the girls a thrill.

We were still a little leery of the slam dancing, so we didn’t venture onto the main floor. This turned out to be a smart decision. As John reminded me, it was a very violent crowd. We had a couple of punks jump past us just to join the scrum. They nearly sent us flying in order to get to the pit.

X was tight and rockin’. I didn’t know much of their stuff, but it was cool to see them.

The Church w/Summer of Love
11/14/84 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: Unknown

This was my 20th birthday and I didn’t even try to get in free.

You will probably notice that many of the early shows that we attended found me awfully ignorant of a lot of the bands’ music. This was mainly because John and I were just finding these bands, buying some of their stuff and then going to see them right away. After some time we’d learned a lot more about the bands we were seeing. Especially those bands that we would see several times.

The Church is a good example of one of those bands. What I knew of The Church was the song ‘Electric Lash’ and some of their album ‘Remote Luxury’. John bought that album after asking the record store manager about them. She told us that they were “one of your best new wave bands.”

Impressive.

Well, they were very good live. I seem to recall that there was an extra guitarist with the group. Every time that we’d seen them since it was just the four members of the band.

I didn’t know much of what I was hearing, but it didn’t matter. Their material was so good that I liked it immediately. Some bands can do that, but they are rare.

The one thing I remember about Summer of Love, the opening act, is that I was intrigued by the very pretty woman who played the cello.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
11/21/84 First Avenue w/John & Kelly Ticket Price: $2.00

This was waaaay before that annoying, incredibly overplayed Bridge song.

John picked up their first album because it was produced by one of our guitar heroes, Andy Gill. It’s an odd little album and I really dig ‘True Men Don’t Kill Coyotes’. Very funky.

John and I brought our friend, Kelly, along to this one. I’m not sure why. It was a good thing we did though, because the club was pretty empty that night. The Peppers needed all the audience they could get.

I recall Anthony Kiedis saying that the critics thought the band was a joke. “That’s because we are a joke!” was he proud response. Aim for those stars, Anthony!

We hung in there for a few songs and left. I’m not sure if they wore shirts. Probably not.

General Public
11/22/84 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: $5.50

John knew this band better than I, but I still enjoyed the show. They played a mix of their current stuff and some of their old English Beat material. General Public was formed by at least two of the members of English Beat, Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling.

Ranking Roger was sporting that striped hairdo and hopping all over the stage. The audience was doing a bit of hopping, too. They really got hopping when General Public played ‘Save It For Later’, the big hit for English Beat.

Let’s Active
11/26/84 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: Unknown

Here’s one of those shows that brings nothing to mind other than I think it was in the 7th Street Entry. It’s not that they weren’t a good band, I just don’t remember anything.