BLOG TO COMM

UGLY THINGS #55

Of course I ain't had the time to devour and digest ever tasty word of this much needed magazine, but I just hadda tell y'all about the fifty-fifth issue of UGLY THINGS before you heard about it onna streets 'n from the wrong type of people as well. 

Itza good 'un as usual, what with the standard scrutinizing of rock 'n roll (and other musics for uncompromising gormandizers) that continue to tingle our tastebuds this far down the line. Of course these delves into the past might make UGLY THINGS nothing but THE GOOD OLD DAYS for the twenties but hey, then again you don't have to put up with some 99-year-old's recollection of the Fourth of July 1928 festivities or fond memories of "My Funny Uncle Egbert And Those Strange Toys Of His" in these pages!

What you do hafta put up with is some rather decent rock 'n roll screeding (far from the professional puke often passing for criticism and downright appreciation seen for ages) and some of the better moments of musicdom being either revealed to you for the first time ever or just tossed back atcha because you were stupid enough to ignore it back when, as Lou Costello would say, "it was there for ya!"

Interesting bits of what I have read include the piece on the Brian Jones PIPES OF PAN AT JOUJOUKA album which is an album that has intrigued me in some strange ways. Always had the idea that this particular platter had some sorta occult powers to it that, in the wrong hands, could cause utter grief since when I got a bootleg CD of this 'un back '95 way (which was padded with some Brian Jones/Jimi Hendrix sitar/guitar throwaways I kinda like in their obvious chintziness) my Uncle had one of his big early Alzheimer's crises which kinda got outta hand and really marked the beginning of his downward spiral into mental collapse. At the time I actually got the feeling that the platter somehow triggered this unfortunate circumstance which really did cause a huge upheaval in the lives of all of those around him, kinda like the time when Brad Kohler was reading the Kenneth Anger biography and almost got his finger cut off blaming the book for this near-catastrophe. I think I'll hold off playing that PIPES disque until everybody I know around me is either dead, or if the ones who are still around deserve to go through little bitta agony themselves. I'm sure it's got the power.

The interview with Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick fame was grand not only because it cleared up a whole load of confusion regarding the guy's early career with such acts as Sick Man of Europe but for the pics taken back when Rick Nielsen was trying to look like Ted Bundy! Also keen was Phil X. Milstein's article on THE VELVET UNDERGROUND author Michael Leigh who had quite a history behind not only himself but the book he's famous for writing 'n for reasons he probably wouldn't want to be famous for! All I gotta say is, if that book was actually called SUBURBAN PANTY-HOSE CROTCH SNIFFING and Tony Conrad found a copy floating down some gutter would our favorite band been going around with that name? Sheesh, who knows what twisted turns music history woulda taken had that happened!

'n of course the reviews, which most of the time are far better'n actually experiencing the items they are talking about themselves! A pretty snat selection of items were up for perusal, and once again I found ONE ITEM that I actually dished out precious dinero for since the review really snizzled into my inner karmik whooziz or something even cornier'n that! Which platter you wonder? Well, keep tuned in and you'll read my opinion of it one of these days, and it's sure to be a lulu as well. But hey, there's so much in this section to go through and although I've already scoured the better writings from the likes of Bill Shute's and Jay Dobis's entries, well...there's loads more stuff I just haven't had the time to read as of yet (like the Cyril Jordan column) plus since I'm at an advanced stage myself I always turn to the death page first to see if my name's one it, but whatever my mortal state may be as long as I'm moving you can be sure that I'll be there to get the latest UGLY THINGS. 

And since who knows, I may not be as long for this world as I would like to be howzbout you guys covering some of those obscure faves of mine who deserve to get their stories told before they too enter into the sweet eternity? I can provide you all with a nice list starting with J.P. Kalfon/Crouille Marteau/Sugar Baby Bitch, Brian Sands, Brian James and Bastard, Mahogany Brain, the Czech underground of the seventies, the Velvet Frogs, Dagon and yes, YOU'RE WELCOME.