Marky Ramone "Punk Rock Blitzkrieg"

Punk Rock Blitzkrieg by Marky Ramone tells the story of his journey from the burgeoning NY scene of the 70’s on through to the present.  From his early music beginnings of being signed to Neil Bogart’s first label, to Wayne County, the man who took gender bending to a whole other place.  Under the management of MainMan, Bowie’s people at the time, interesting anecdotes of how rumors went around that MainMan only kept Wayne on their roster so Bowie could knick ideas from Wayne.  When that band didn’t pan out, Marky went on to join Richard Hell & The Voidoids, who in many ways would inspire the UK punks when their Sire Records debut was released.
Once he hooked up with The Ramones, let the games begin.  Talk about a disfunctional bunch of bandmates, whether it be pulling knives on each other, stealing girlfriends, or Joey’s OCD condition, Marky tells it in a way with a ray of humour. 
His own battles with alcoholism, led to a wake up call when he was told he could no longer be in the band.  The final straw, finding himself in a furniture store, and it wasn’t to buy a new sofa.  His father’s stern words left an impact, and it was time for AA. 
His second chance at a healthy life would eventually coincide with a second chance in The Ramones. 
It’s a captivating book from a stand up guy who’s been through the high’s and low’s and has found a comfortable place on the other end of it all.  How many artists can say they recorded with Phil Spector?  How many can create a movement?  This one has lasted, influenced countless others, a musical legacy that continues to be as strong as ever.  This book is a must read for any self proclaimed music aficionado, or those wanting a history trip through the roots of punk/rock and New York City.

Xmas edition/Eric Stacy interview Dec 2015

They were the band Elektra didn’t expect to do well.  A #1 video on MTV (back when it meant something still), Top 40 single, countless tours with the big boys, Faster Pussycat left their mark.  But as colorful a ride as it was, Eric Stacy tells us in this interview tales of some rough patches, including how some band members had to take odd jobs after Whipped wasn’t able to supersede it’s previous release.  More importantly though, this was a band that came up during the last great days of the Sunset Strip.  Their singer opened up a night club, and the Cathouse would become as infamous as the band itself.  If you ever wondered what a night out with Taime and Co. was like at their hotspot, listen on and find out.  We also come closer to solving the ever present golden question... Taime as a blond vs. black.  Eric shares his thoughts on this and more.  Get it here

GLAMBONE!

Podcast episode/Free episode

Biters, Nashville show 11/21/15 Scott Weiland tour

We're living in a time where people attending a show are either embarrassed or scared to show emotion.  Oh is it ok to clap?  I better look over my shoulder and see if anyone's looking at me.
Dude, you're at a rock show. 
The setting at City Winery is like dinner theater.  As the Biters played, opening the show on their current trek with Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts, this is what the band faced on their Saturday night show in Nashville.  Table seatings, eat your steak or scallops while trying to watch the band.

That didn't stop the Biters from ripping through their set and serving up their rock n' roll exactly how you'd expect.  Tuk, owning the frontman role, he doesn't back down from talking to the crowd, razzing them to get a reaction, it's not calculated, it's straight from the lip and in the moment.  Maybe the majority of dudes there were in their seats just to hear some STP, so be it, but what I noticed after Biters set were people hitting their merch table, and then presenting vinyl LP's at the band to grace with their autographs.   That right there is called converting.  Otherwise known as kicking ass and taking names.  As David Bowie would sing "all you've got to do is Win."

Alice Cooper/Dennis Dunaway - Snakes Guillotines Electric Chairs!

Seems like I read these autobios one after the other these days.  Some blur together, some end up being quite forgettable.  My expectation of Snakes Guillotines Electric Chairs! the book from Alice Cooper original bass player Dennis Dunaway was “here’s a guy who probably has some great stories to tell.”  Maybe because his time away from the group allowed for a more genuine reflection.  The book certainly delivers. 
He paints tales of high school in the early 60’s, and how Vince Furnier’s ability to adlib a story and garner attention was set in motion right from the start.  Asking fellow student Glen Buxton to play guitar in the school talent show, thus becoming the Earwigs.
What’s most compelling is their time spent in L.A., those early years of rubbing shoulders with everyone from The Doors to Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin to Hendrix.  Can you imagine?  One gets the sense of being there in the moment of when new music and bands were coming up, and the excitement of the pursuit of it all.
Dennis tells vivid memories of this.   My favorite is when they befriended the GTO’s, which he refers to as “this group of rock n roll wenches,” one of whom was Miss Pamela, later to become Des Barres.  The GTO’s lived in the basement of Frank Zappa’s home...in which Alice plainly asks one of them if she can get Frank to give them a record deal.  And how the whole band shows up at his house one morning, storms in, sets up gear right in front of his bedroom door and begins their onslaught.  To which Zappa somewhat amused asks to get his coffee first.
The making of all the classic records and how the songs came to be is relived in fine detail here, as is the tours and how they would become one of the biggest bands in the world.  And then how it would all unravel, with the name Alice Cooper solely being identified as one man instead of one group, making it easier to push the guys out of their own band.  These stories and more keep the reader’s interest high.  It’s an entertaining read from start to finish.  A book about love and loss, triumph, and ultimately friendships that never die.

GB-FALL/interview with Billy Rowe

It was Guns ‘N Roses, Poison, and Jetboy.  The Big 3.  They were leading the new wave of glam influenced rock after the previous “Big 3” Crue, Quiet Riot, Ratt opened the doors to the kingdom of hair & warpaint.  All these dudes hung out together, played shows together, competed amongst each other.  Why did one not climb as high as the other?  Billy Rowe has his thoughts about this.   As he tells us here, “fast forward 30 years later and the band is known for that mohawk.”  Was it detrimental to the band being accepted into the mainstream?  Billy sheds light on how the same people that wanted Jetboy for those reasons of being different also tried to change them.   Who could forget the image of Billy slingin’ his White Falcon over his shoulder either?  For those unaware, Mr. Rowe is the founder of his own boutique guitar company called Rock  N Roll Relics.  Prided in building and capturing the worn-in look and sound of vintage 6-strings, there’s Tele’s, Strats, and coolest of all - the Johnny Thunders TV model.  We learn more about his growing business, plans for production, as well as past and present happenings of Jetboy, right here in this podcast episode.




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Glambone says... MAKE SUM NOISE!

GB-STEVIE2015

Stevie Rachelle got his share of flak back in the day, “oh he’s just a Bret-wannabe” they would say, or that Tuff were a bunch of Poison clones.  But he always put his fist first, and never gave up.  His story is about finding a way to make what you do work.  When his style of rock wasn’t in vogue and magazines didn’t want to give him press anymore, what did he do...he thought of a way to generate his own public soundboard, and invented Metal Sludge, a website that became a community long before social media became the norm.  We discuss that and more in this interview.  When I think back, the band was always savvy in presenting themselves, whether it be hiring the best photographers of the time, or being entertaining with their telephone hotline messages, Tuff stood out among the rest.  They were dedicated.  Stevie tells us about the days of flyering the streets of L.A. from 3am til the sun came up.  The infamous Tuff Muff Mansion.  Organizing their own tours, all before the label deal came along.  He also voices out on his contemporaries or competition from the Sunset Strip era.  It’s all here in this podcast episode.


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Rock me till I burn...TO THE BONE!

GB - Tuk of July (Biters interview)

BITERS are leaving their mark everywhere.  They’ve been on a steady trajectory upward and this month sees the official label release of  “Electric Blood” on Earache
Records.  In this podcast episode, Tuk tells us about his hopes and dreams and also
the realities of what comes with the territory for a band like theirs.  From the beginning, The Biters had in place what most bands simply don’t...brotherhood.  A clear unity amongst each member that is more like a gang than anything else.  Tuk expresses his
gratitude for the many that wear the band’s logo on the back of their jackets, or that’ve tatted up their skin with an emblem of the band.  These are members of an Army.  People love this band.  If you don’t already, listen here to find out why you might too.
Most of all, what comes across vividly is that Tuk himself is a huge fan of music, and not afraid to let you know just what he digs, or cockblockin’ those influences to shine through in his own songs. This band certainly has a heart fulla rock ‘n roll.  One look at their new video for "Restless Hearts" says it all, it's like watching Richard Linklater's Dazed & Confused jam packed into a 3 minute 32 second song and dance.  This is the feeling I remember having when I was a kid, seeing a band that just embodies the epitome of cool.  They've captured that spirit.  Where's the fun in rock 'n roll?  I'll tell you where, it's where The Biters are. 







BITERS interview







Git'cha bone on!

GBJUNE2015 - Simon Daniels interview

Simon Daniels lost his mind in Brazil, long before he moved to America.  But the voice not only in his head has guided him, the voice in his throat very well has as well.  His journey to most of you that know of Simon begins in Los Angeles.  Forming the band Agent X, with guitarist Billy DeVette, they had the hooks and looks that quickly attracted music madman Kim Fowley into their circle.  He would produce a 5 song demo of the band, and as we find out here, was influencial in convincing them to turn their best tune into an anthem for the young, he named it “Rock N Roll Angels.”
Agent X however would find themselves on a hard road to heaven.  Simon soon after rebounded with Jailhouse.  The band looked and sounded great as a 4-piece, but when Rough Cutt approached him after Paul Shortino left the fold, it was Simon who suggested 3/5 of Rough Cutt merge with him and guitarist Michael Raphael and adopt the name Jailhouse, thus giving both bands a new lease on life. 
I witnessed Jailhouse at one of their headling Country Club shows way back when, and the impression has stayed.  They were solid.  Simon proved to be a bonafide frontman, rockstar in the making.
Subsequent bands later, Simon has signed in with Autograph, taking over the reins of Steve Plunkett, and going strong for the past couple of years now.  What appears to be non-stop touring, listen/download this podcast episode here and hear Simon talk about past, present, future plans.  And leave it to Glambone to throw in a special treat once again.

GB-April2015

If you think Mark Slaughter is a name to lump in with bands like Firehouse and the like of whomever else came late in the 80’s/early 90’s, think again.  With a 30+ year career as a recording artist, the man has earned his place in rock ‘n roll.  In this interview we backtrace his steps that got him here.  His band Roz Parade in 1985, living in Las Vegas and taking weekly trips into L.A. to absorb the scene, we learn of his audition with Rik Fox, which inevitably led to him meeting Dana Strum and his position with Vinnie Vincent Invasion.  The make-up was applied and boys are gonna rock, VVI was over-the-top glam.  Enter the days of Slaughter, “Stick It To Ya” was a record chock full of 3 1/2 minute gems.  Songs that weren’t released as singles like “Desperately,” “Gave You My Heart,” should have easily been singles.  Mark speaks out about the change in the music scene in the 90’s that wiped bands like his off the map.  And while his bandmates are moonlighting now as Vince Neil’s backup band, Mark retreated to his own project of making a solo record for the first time.  We chat about that and everything else in this podcast episode, you can listen or download it here.

GBSPRING-2015

The name implies rebellion, Blackboard Jungle schooled L.A. with their in-your-face raw power.  After the demise of Filthy Rittz at the tail end of the 80’s, head songwriter/bassist Britt Panella claimed his place on the Sunset Strip when manager meastro Kim Fowley took him and the band under his wing simply because he reminded the living giant of Jonathan from Electric Angels.  A lesson in rock ‘n roll would bestow the new band, a Rolling Stone article would spotlight them, but what happened along the way?  Enter 2015 and Britt and his gang is ready to celebrate their annual Blackboard Jungle reunion with another “one night only” show in Hollywood.  Its fanfare draws people from all over the world to reminisce and relive again.  In this interview, Britt tells us why he thinks the yearly reunion show has caught on so well.  He also makes no bones about his influence of Motley Crue.  In fact, my favorite photo of the band depicts the foursome standing in front of their apartment buliding, back against a landscape of trees & plants, much like the early ’81 Motley photo shoot Too Fast For Love era.  Coincidence or not?  Download and listen to the podcast here.

Fade To Strange

GB FEB 2015 episode

First time becoming aware of Salty Dog was seeing Bret Michaels sport a button on his shirt,  yellow with black face Courier type.  In this interview, former Salty bassist Michael Hannon talks briefly about his days signing with Geffen, but we backtrack before that and continue the Kery Doll saga as Hannon reflects on memories about playing with the shock rocker in the band Doll.  It’s a no-frills/no nonsense conversation.  Get it here.

Kim Of The Night Time World

Do you like good music, do you like to dance?

It’s a nice day for a Billy Idol book.  One of the latest in a rising wave of autobio’s, Dancing With Myself chronicles every step of the way in Idol’s nearly 40 year career span.  From seeing the Sex Pistols for the first time at 100 Club in London, befriending Steve Jones, almost becoming a member of Sioxsie and the Banshees, flat sharing with Visage’s Steve Strange  pre-New Romantic explosion, the small victories of Generation X, all before heading to NYC to go solo.  It’s all here, captured in these pages.  A confession about how Glen Matlock nicked the bass line hook of “Anarchy in the UK” from an Abba record, this amusement would stick with Idol, who embraced drumming and groove early on in his own songwriting, it would become apparent on “Dancing With Myself” and onward.  One of the coolest stories is how the band appeared on Marc Bolan’s show Marc, and when the band’s gear didn’t arrive in time, how Marc ensured their slot wouldn’t be canned.

Teaming up with Bill Aucoin as manager, his wild enthusiasm would enforce Idol’s own commitment of being true to himself, while also liberating it.  It was Aucoin who first brought Steve Stevens to Billy’s attention.  A collaboration between singer and guitarist that brewed with fresh excitement and energy, and continues presently.

The reaction to “Dancing With Myself” in the night clubs of NYC (back when an artist could slip the DJ a mix to be played right on the spot) would fuel the catalog of material to come.  From then on, “beat driven” tunes was what the desire to produce would be.

Yes, there’s the motorcycle accident, the years of drug abuse, orgy’s during recording sessions, but at the core is the story of how well crafted records came into shape.  Songs that have without question stood the test of time.  Does he get credit for it, probably not.  It’s overused and cliche’ to say Barry White puts couples in the bedroom, but is “Flesh For Fantasy” as sexy as it ever was?  You bet.  Does “Eyes Without A Face” still create a vibe and mood, with Sal Cuevas providing such a great bass track?  Absolutely.