ROCK & ROLL is here to stay!

In 1982 & 1983, it was possible to see live the following acts:

Thomas Dolby/Oingo Boingo/Missing Persons/Go Go's/Wall of Voodoo/Big Country/English Beat/Sparks and of course, many others...

...WITH PAID ADMISSION TO MAGIC MOUNTAIN! Can I get a witness? Okay, maybe it wasn"t ALL of these bands, but it was a lot of 'em, and some of the bands performed weeks apart from each other. It was a time when it seemed some brand-new new-wave band would step up, one week after another, to make sure there was a band playing at Magic Mountain on Friday night!

My happiest memory of the Magic Mountain concerts was me clapping loudly enough all by my self to piss off Rob Lait!

Not to get TOO nostalgic, but another very fond memory is of Sparks at the Santa Monica Civic in June of 1982...

BUT, not since those heady days have I seen a "wave" (unfortunate word that, with all of its baggage) of music to match the incredible tunes coming out of what seems to be EVERYWHERE, right now!

Part of it is my own ignorance; the bands that have moved me of late that have only entered my consciousness in the last 10 - 12 months are SNOW PATROL, THE KILLERS, THE THRILLS (thanks j!), MUSE, JEM, KINGS OF LEON, STERIOGRAM (thanks garr), & FAITHLESS. Very old acts doing Very cool new stuff are BAD RELIGION, THE CURE, and MORRISEY.

Anyway, would love to get less prosaic memories of LA's music scene (Magic Mountain shouldn't count) posted here...or your impressions of hot new tunes...from either side of the mic...

The Blogging Godfathers

If I don'ts writes nothin', no ones will comes.


In my second blog entry, I pay tribute to the people that made this outlook on the clusterfuck possible. Bear with me as I figure just how I can use this medium to maximum effect. I know that I will post things here that I hear on the radio (here, here!) that I consider worthy of note, for example, Rush Limbaugh attacking Kerry/Edwards as rich powerful white guys...I guess I will bring forth the thing that I love so dearly: The Absurd. I am going to keep it as simple as possible, or else this hobby will take over my life...BUT, be warned that I do want to post pics, so a move may eventually be called for...

I met John Whisler at Walser's in 1990; we (his family & I) have been close friends ever since, and from the beginning it has felt to me like I have known him since I was a kid. His blog pays tribute to the TV horror hosts of yore, and gives him a canvas on which to express his remarkable insights into just about everything.

I have known Loren since 1985; I would describe him as a new millennium rennaisance man. He can do anything, and often does. His blog tracks a group of interests that could only collect inside his massive skull. His intellect is beyond my ability to estimate, and he possesses more courage than intellect.

Jeff Koga exploded into my consciousness at some point in 2003; I kept seeing the name "Koganuts" in e-mails coming out of the Compound. I met him for the first time in this year, or maybe late last year. I just learned that he's been around the Compound for 9 or 10 years. By the way, if you are a regular at the Compound & you haven't met me yet, PLEASE call ASAP to arrange a meeting, at 976-TUGME. Anyway, when Koga is attentive to his blog (time has not allowed him to of late), it's a thing of wonder, especially if you are fond of scantilly clad/non-clad women.He's also a gifted photographer, and his blog features lots of great shots that are his own. His blog is the be-all/end-all of blogs.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I am not including the addresses of these blogs because I didn't ask for permission to do so. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE GODFATHERS and you want the addy to be known, please post it in a comment!

Okay, swallow it, your second dose of my mashing of the english language between my fat fists, dropping it onto the ground and kicking it into a shape that communicates something vaguely communicative. Did it go down well? Are you feeling better?

And in the end...

...everyone will have their own blog. Welcome to the endtimes, my friends. Unfortunately, we cannot look to the Bible or any book in existence for insight as to how it will all play out. But, obviously, it's beginning! So, you're here, & somehow you knew to bring a folding chair and binoculars. I say to you: let's watch...& if appropriate, act.