Forefathers

Earlier, I was talking about the Dream Syndicate, and how seminal they were for me. Of course, there were other bands that were seminal for me- bands like the Clash, Black Flag, Agent Orange, TSOL, MIA, 7 Seconds, The Dils, Los Plugz, Z'Ev, Christian Death, Joy Division, Wire, The Effigies, Big Black, Die Kreuzen and Killing Joke. Today, I'm writing about another band, The Chameleons, and the story is part of why I'm writing about them.
There is a lost path to people today. I think the new paths are better, but that still means this bears explaining. If you were a freak, as opposed to a hippie, punk, hesher, or anything remotely mainstream, like me you had to learn certain skills. The first was mastery of thrift stores, and bargain bins. You had to teach yourself how to find things that would hold your interest in the things that failed to hold the interest of your better adjusted peers. There could be no guidepost, because you already knew about yourself that you couldn't feign the interest others had at more readily available tastes. Maybe you were a freak because of bizarre habits, or maybe because you had a vision, there was no way to tell. For example, I had nothing against religion or government, per se- I wasn't trying to defy either. I simply could not adapt. I thought Ronald Reagan was a vile man, and I found the notion of a pope absurd. I simply was looking for something better. I got shunned and I got attacked for not seeing other people's views as better than my own, and so I learned to be defiant, but I'm not defiant by nature. (When I did rebel it was to be a socialist, not an Anarchist; the difference was that I believed then, as I do now, in the power of a society. I'm not enough of an individualist to believe in the necessity of Anarchy). So, I had the habit of combing through the discount bins. As in, I would be more likely to find something good not just at the regular thrift store- no, I'd head for the stuff that the thrift store couldn't sell, easily. That's where I found The Chameleons' Script of the Bridge- selling for 10 cents, in 1987, in a thrift store discard bin in Prescott, Arizona. So, I can safely say, I'm probably the only fan the band had in Northern Arizona. The copy I got was a promotional copy that was still sealed. No one, and I do mean no one was willing to take a chance on this thing. So, it was for me.
I brought it home, and the liner notes were the first thing to catch me. They were intimate, and familiar - like a letter from a friend. I was intrigued by this, and so I put the record on. There were many records that I wouldn't even play- I just got them because the cover was funny or cool, or strange. I was immediately hooked.The music had the martial regimentation that I liked in New Wave bands like Joy Division and Killing joke, but it was lush and layered in an almost pastoral way that was unfamiliar. It was like what would later get called "dream pop" or "shoegazer", but with a new wave 4/4 tom tom beat. It had elements of Ennio Morricone's soundtracks, but without sounding nostalgic. It had elements of Television's dual guitar interplay (as opposed to the more heavy metal concept of duelling guitars)but it clearly wasn't improvised. To cast a 21st century look back, imagine if Pelican were trying to play Psychedelic Furs songs, in collaboration with Interpol. That's why it was so seminal to me- in the late 1980's, all alone, and freakish, I had a note from the 21st century, and it was warm and inviting- friendly, even. It was like the heart warming letter you hope to find in your father's things, after he passes on, telling you that you'll be set up ok by the time you're his age- only finding that letter 25 years before he could have possibly written it.
Less poetically, The Chameleons use the same reverb-heavy production familiar to fans of 1980's post-punk (easily up there with Simple Minds, or Sisters of Mercy, if not up to U2 or Big Country's echo-abuse) combined with the icy cold synths of say Caberet Voltaire or Human League, and then add a very light folk touch, like The Waterboys or New Model Army- but then remove quite a bit of the gothic pretension- they're not trying to be dark like Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus- and replacing it with a lyrical romantic woundedness. What I mean is that unlike, say, Christian Death, this isn't music about Scary Monsters and Super Creeps; it's more or less about teenage angst and alienation, pretty much directly. The melodies are simple and anthemic, and Mark Burgess' voice is husky, and pleading, if off key on the higher notes ( not entirely unlike Ian Curtis, but not as sonorous).

Finding that Chameleons record really was a seminal event for me- it validated my chosen path of finding things of value in the discarded that are greater than things which others covet. It introduced me to epic sweeping vistas of music I wouldn't otherwise have found. It gave me a secret key to music to come ( I listened to the Shoegazer, dream pop, post-rock, and Nugazer fads through the filter of the Chameleons- because all of those scenes share sonics with one or another Chameleons songs) and it literally spoke to my then-present as a really alienated young man. If you're lucky, your musical forefathers did the same for you.

Just tell them I was....

I've been doing the blog thing since 1997, you'd think I'd be better at it, by now. However, the first blog with this name was at Vox, which is now going under. I don't like retreading, so I'm not going to import all those posts, but if you liked something I wrote between 2007-2010, you might want to go over there and save it, or whatever. Here's the first post, cut and pasted, just to prove I was there:
I've got no idea
Mar 6, 2007 Post a comment
This might be a first post, a last post, an only post, an outpost, I don't know. I'm just seeing if I like Vox.

The Twilight Sad

OK, so I mentioned them a few posts ago, but I think they deserve a few more sentences. The Twilight Sad is a really caustic little bunch of noisemakers- which is why I like them. First there's the name, which I'm thinking may be a sarcastic reference to the godawful Teen Vampire franchise,and the fans of that crap- like- "not really sad, twilight sad", but then there's also the lyrics which skewer any kind of sentimentality. On top of that the visual style is a kind of cut-and-paste design like Barbara Kruger's nasty little bits of Agit-prop. Overall, the feeling is cold, bitter and sarcastic like the sharpest of the New Wave 1980's.
But, this stands in contrast to the music which is like a more noisy amalgam of shoegazer, folk, and skronk- like My Bloody Valentine getting molested by Steel Pole Bathtub. The effect is like some neo-goth Emo kid getting beat up by a gang of industrial meatheads. This is bad, dark, evil music riding a cool anthemic wave of noise. What better sound track for Fall, right?

Classic

Blurt Magazine ( the online version of what was once Harp magazine) has a piece by Fred Mills (who I remember from our shared Tucson days, though I imagine he remembers me not at all) on one of my all-time favorite records- The Dream Syndicate's Medicine Show. Follow the link, go and read. A few things to add, though- First Steve Wynn is not just a huge musical hero to me, he's also one of the most subtle, literate songwriters in any Pop idiom. I taught high School English, very briefly, and when I did, Steve's were the only lyrics I used in the classroom. Not Dylan, not Springsteen- Wynn, because his were better for showing characterization, metaphor and allusion. He writes songs like other people write short stories. Sure, Dylan writes poetry, and Springsteen has some great images, but take this verse from The Medicine Show's "Merrittville"
Matthew with the pug nose/
Caught me with his sister in the wheatfield/
Got a couple buddies/
Tied me up and threw me in his Oldsmobile/
I said "Matthew are you crazy?"/
As he started closing in for the kill/
Matthew slowed the Olds to 10/
Left me here to die in Merrittville/

The whole story is right there- it's like a James Ellroy book in a few lines.
Second, that music- it's panoramic rock with country, psychedelic, blues and Jazz touches. There are bits that get echoed in bands as diverse as Wilco and Isis. The music is still completely current. I would listen to it again, in a heartbeat, over against the Arcade Fire or whatever hype of the moment is going down. It's some of the finest music you can hear- deep and dark, and rootsy and cutting edge. Many of the songs sound like a bar band made up of slumming jazz and blues artists, trying to kick heroin while they play garage rock. Tell me that's a sound you'll hear often!
Third, and finally- in terms of Biography- in 1984, I was still completely, fully about hardcore Punk rock, and "death Rock". I only saw the Dream Syndicate by mistake, one night, when they were playing after the first, very- Velvet Underground inspred record was out. So, I thought they were a slightly goth noise band- like Non playing Chris D songs. So, I was blind-sided completely by the record. It's amazing that a kid like me would like it- it's got very little to compare with either the Circle Jerks or Christian Death, which is where my head was at. Imagine, for a modern comparison, some kid who's a huge Slipknot fan putting on a Sparklehorse CD. It opened me up, such that I could get into huge new amounts of music- I would never have given at least half of my favorite music a chance if it weren't for The Medicine Show. So, maybe it'll do something similar for you.

Self- Reference

So, I never look at stats. It never even crosses my mind that some folks might read this stuff and take it all that seriously. However, today I did look at the stats- it appears that, far and away, I've got more dEUS fans than anybody else reading this.
Excellent! While I'm still not the biggest fan of the pre-millenial work by the band, that stuff is not bad at all. That having said, the last two Cd's, especially Vantage Point are just phenomenal. I can respect what a band like Radiohead or Mogwai are doing, but it's nowhere near the pleasure of a band that can combine such high-minded conceptual ideas with the commercial pop appeal of a band like Coldplay, or U2, or what-have-you.
While my writing might not be all that polished (I rarely edit this whatsoever, so spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and typos abound) I really hope that you who've come here from places like the iSuffer community will look at a few of the other posts, because you might (just maybe) find some other thing that amuses you, or entertains you. I really think that virtually every band, TV show, Book or movie I've mentioned has some value, and if I can serve any function, I'd like for it to be that I introduced someone to some new pleasure.

Couple of newer bands

So, Paste magazine just went under. I guess that's too bad, but really, everything is temporary. The whole culture will not last, and that's a good thing, because everything is evolving, and we just find our evolutionary dead end, then, die there. Then, our corpses provide the fertilizer for the next stage. Still, I'd prefer it if some ancient baby-boomer worshipping rag like Rolling Stone or Relix or something bit it, first. Paste might have been more pretentious than Pitchfork (and that's mighty pretentious, indeed) but it was at least trying to do something new.
Blogs are all but dead, and Wired even says the Internet is Dead (so does Prince) so I know my cul de sac is right here, but I'm good with it. I am not trying to bring the next level about, I'm just talking about what I like.
That same sense permeates two new-ish bands I've been listening to, the past day or so- M.I.L.D. and Zed. Both would have been revolutionary 20 years ago, but now, are a bit traditional, and seem to enjoy the thought of settling into middle age.
M.I.L.D. play a kind of New wave styled punk/Rock hybrid. Which is, they play a bit too fast for traditional blues rock, but it's still a boogie. The edge is smoothed off, making it more "New Wave" than punk. So, what's the attraction? The singer. He's got a really odd voice- very nasal and very teutonic. He sounds like a german Peter Murphy trying to do a mark Burgess overemotion. Very odd, and compelling. But then check out the pictures- Dude has FABIO hair, and is wearing mandatory Euro-capris. I am intrigued.
Meanwhile, Zed play fairly standard Kyuss-inspired Stoner rock, with some Clutch-inspired Blooz. But, you know what? They're just snotty and reckless enough that I'd say they have the rock. Sure, Stoner Rock is a certain dead end. It's basically the commercial end of sludge metal, filtered through the prism of early 1970's signifiers, but infused with a bit of a snotty teen rebel stance, it can be more fun than the latter day Grunge metal. What I'm saying is that musically, they may not be offering anything more worthy than Soundgarden, but they sound like they're having more fun than Alice in Chains could ever understand. I think they know, just like I know, that they're making no evolutionary leaps, here- but they're really enjoying their cul de sac.
I'd suggest you give both a listen, and decide for yourself. That's got to be better than looking at this virtual page!

TV stuff

There aren't many TV shows I like, and most of what I do like is pretty much winding down. As an example- the last sit com I liked is How I Met Your Mother, and it's suffering from the same thing as what killed both The Simpsons and Married...with Children: part of the appeal of some of the characters was that they were mildly outlandish, but, in order to exploit that outlandishness, as time goes by, they get painted into a corner. Homer can only be so stupid until he's not relatable, Bart can only be so much of a juvenile Deliquent until he's not lovable, Al Bundy can only be so miserable, Kelly Bundy can only be so much of a bimbo, and so on. Well, Ted can only be so much of a hopeless romantic, Barney can only be so glib, and so on. In the latest season, Ted was only relatable at times, Barney was just a cipher for punchlines, Marshall existed to be a punchline, and I cannot care about them, anymore.
Other shows, like Rescue Me or Lost either have finished, or have announced their end. Likewise, most of my favorite shows are so far in the past that I've seen them allthe way through more than once.
That leaves really light fare- like Burn Notice or True Blood. Shows that I enjoy but only for superficial reasons.
So, I'm left enjoying only singular episodes of shows I'm otherwise uninterested in. One really good example was Anthony Bourdain's "Beirut" episode of No Reservations. Truly it was riviting watching a country fall apart as self-absorbed media types- the people doing the show- have to come to terms with the fact that their show means nothing when faced with real life. You've got them hanging around, bored in a posh hotel while bombs are dropping, and you can see them almost make the connection that what they usually do- going to the third world and copping a meal- is actually the same kind of colonial exploitation that Victorians engaged in. A kind of "aren't these savages romantic as they show the proper fealty to us, their superiors" exoticism. But, in this episode they have to confront that the "savages" have agendas that leave the show entirely aside. It's not even an afterthought. That was decent TV. (I was also fascinated due to my time in the Middle East- but let's leave this at Pop Culture)
I think I'll be OK when TV finally snuffs it for good, because other avenues are much better anyway....

Listening to to them Do the Pop

I've never made a secret of my love for the vicious raw rock and roll from Australia. I've talked about You am I, The Angels, Radio Birdman, Rose Tattoo and so on. But I've not come forward on probably the biggest "godfathers" of real rock from Oz- The Saints. That might be because I'm not all that fond of most of their output. However, that having said- the first three records are some of the best punk rock to be found anywhere. They called them "the most primitive band", and that's not far off. This is rock so utterly raw and lo-fi it makes the Dead Boys and Pagans sound positively Quadrophonic. This is about early Misfits levels of Lo-fi. But the songs are closer to The Stooges on Raw Power and The Clash on their self-titled debut. It's exactly what Punk Rock, ideally, is about- real creativity and talent that isn't confined by economics, inexperience or expectations. So, while I would not suggest you get every Saints record you can find, I would say that a punk rock fan would probably go nuts for (I'm) Stranded, Eternally Yours, and Prehistoric Sounds.

Tomato or Tomato

The Missus and I went to a Tomato Fest today-and I can't have tomatos. It was fun. Was it worth 50 bucks? Probably not, but I liked going out to a farm.I'm not about to replace the folks at Homegrown evolution, or anything, but I do care about local food, and I do believe in supporting more sustainable models for food. Tell me when they have a Sausage and Potato festival!

M I A

Yes, I used to be much more into hardcore and Punk rock. I really was a big fan of a few bands back then that I still like. Some you probably have heard, like early Black Flag, the Clash, and The Buzzcocks, but some are somewhat lost to time, like Die Kreuzen and M.I.A.. I saw M.I.A. at least a dozen times at places like Safari Sam's and Fender's ballroom. I still like them, even if, sadly, the lynchpin member, Mike Conley, died in a freak accident a few years ago. ( and yes, in one of my earlier incarnations as a music journalist I did an interview with Nick the guitarist that features on their website). But for all you NoFX, and Bad Religion fans out there- M.I.A. is/was the secret ingredient. Seriously, the first band I heard to do the fabled "OC sound" of southern California punk rock was M.I.A., followed up by another under-rated band, Shattered Faith. If you like southern californian pop punk, you still owe it to yourself to hear them out.