Cool Rock Doc - Solidbodies, The 50 Year Guitar War

Rock and Roll history has definitely been dominated until recently by the battle for supremacy between the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster. Yes, their domination has diminished somewhat in recent years but there was a time when, as a fan or guitarist you were either a Les Paul dude or a Strat guy.

The film Solidbodies documents this battle and it looks really cool. Check out the trailer on the film’s website at http://www.solidbodiesthemovie.com/.

Later.

Mark

Rock and Roll Report TV Presents: Dig!

This is a pretty cool rock doc about the rivalry (whether for real or just in the head of Anton A. Newcombe is up to you to decide) between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre called Dig! The brand new Snag Films has made this and a bunch of other documentaries available for free. Look for more rock docs as they are made available.

Mark

Rock and Roll Report Film: Waking Up Dead - The Trailer

The film Waking Up Dead is a sobering look at the life of former Saigon Kick/Skid Row drummer Phil Varone. It’s not all guitars and glory on the road…

Ramones DVD Details

Well the upcoming Ramones DVD It’s Alive 1974 - 1996 will be well worth it with more than four hours of rare and unreleased performances. Set to be released on October 2, 2007 by Rhino Records this double-DVD features what looks like a shitload of cool stuff. Check it out:

Disc 1
CBGB — New York, NY (9/15/74)
1. “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”
2. “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement”
3. “Judy Is A Punk”
Max’s Kansas City — New York, NY (4/18/76)
4. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
5. “53rd & 3rd”
The Club — Cambridge, MA (5/12/76)
6. “Chain Saw”
Max’s Kansas City — New York, NY (10/8/76)
7. “Havana Affair”
8. “Listen To My Heart”
My Father’s Place — Roslyn, NY (4/13/77)
9. “I Remember You”
10. “Carbona Not Glue”
CBGB — New York, NY (6/11/77)
11. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
12. “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
13. “Beat On The Brat”
14. “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”
15. “Rockaway Beach”
16. “Cretin Hop”
17. “Oh Oh I Love Her So”
18. “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”
The Second Chance — Ann Arbor, MI (6/26/77)
19. “Rockaway Beach”
20. “Carbona Not Glue”
The Ivanhoe Theater — Chicago, IL (7/6/77)
21. “Pinhead”
22. “Suzy Is A Headbanger”
The Armadillo — Austin, TX (7/14/77) Early Show
23. “Commando”
24. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
The Armadillo — Austin, TX (7/14/77) Late Show
25. “Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy”
26. “53rd & 3rd”
27. “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”
Liberty Hall — Houston, TX (7/15/77)
28. “Loudmouth”
29. “I Remember You”
30. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
Liberty Hall — Houston, TX (7/16/77)
31. “Oh Oh I Love Her So”
32. “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”
Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert — L.A., CA (8/9/77)
33. “Loudmouth”
34. “Judy Is A Punk”
35. “Glad To See You Go”
36. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
The Camera Mart Stages — New York, NY (9/3/77)
37. “Swallow My Pride”
38. “Pinhead”
39. “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
It’s Alive, The Rainbow Theatre — London (12/31/77)
40. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
41. “I Wanna Be Well”
42. “Glad To See You Go”
43. “You’re Gonna Kill That Girl”
44. “Commando”
45. “Havana Affair”
46. “Cretin Hop”
47. “Listen To My Heart”
48. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You”
49. “Pinhead”
50. “Do You Wanna Dance?”
51. “Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy”
52. “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”
53. “We’re A Happy Family”

Disc 2
Musikladen — Bremen, Germany (9/13/78)
1. “Rockaway Beach”
2. “Teenage Lobotomy”
3. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
4. “Don’t Come Close”
5. “I Don’t Care”
6. “She’s The One”
7. “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
8. “Cretin Hop”
9. “Listen To My Heart”
10. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You”
11. “Pinhead”
The Old Grey Whistle Test — London (9/19/78)
12. “Don’t Come Close”
13. “She’s The One”
14. “Go Mental”
Top of the Pops — London (9/28/78)
15. “Don’t Come Close”
Oakland, CA (12/28/78)
16. “I’m Against It”
17. “Needles And Pins”
San Francisco Civic Center, S.F., CA (6/9/79)
18. “I Want You Around”
19. “I’m Affected”
20. “California Sun”
The Old Grey Whistle Test — London (1/15/78)
21. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School”
22. “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?”
Top of the Pops — London (1/31/80)
23. “Baby I Love You”
Sha Na Na — L.A., CA (5/19/80)
24. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School”
Mandagsborsen — Stockholm, Sweden (10/26/81)
25. “We Want The Airwaves”
TVE Musical Express — Madrid, Spain (11/17/81)
26. “This Business Is Killing Me”
27. “All Quiet On The Eastern Front”
US Festival — San Bernardino, CA (9/3/82)
28. “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?”
29. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
30. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School”
31. “I Wanna Be Sedated”
32. “Beat On The Brat”
33. “The KKK Took My Baby Away”
34. “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”
35. “Chinese Rocks”
36. “Teenage Lobotomy”
The Old Grey Whistle Test — London (2/26/85)
37. “Wart Hog”
38. “Chasing The Night”
Obras Sanitarias, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2/3/87)
39. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
40. “Freak Of Nature”
41. “Crummy Stuff”
42. “Love Kills”
43. “I Don’t Care”
44. “Too Tough To Die”
45. “Mama’s Boy”
Provinssirock Festival, Seinajoki, Finland (6/4/88)
46. “I Don’t Want You Anymore”
47. “Weasel Face”
48. “Garden Of Serenity”
49. “I Just Want To Have Something To Do”
50. “Surfin’ Bird”
51. “Cretin Hop”
52. “Somebody Put Something In My Drink”
53. “We’re A Happy Family”
R.I.T., Rochester, NY (10/8/88)
54. “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio”
55. “Wart Hog”
Rolling Stone Club — Milan, Italy (3/16/92)
56. “Psycho Therapy”
57. “I Believe In Miracles”
58. “I Wanna Live”
59. “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)”
60. “Pet Sematary”
61. “Animal Boy”
62. “Pinhead”
Top of the Pops — London (6/29/95)
63. “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”
River Plate Stadium — Estadio Antonio V. Liverti — Buenos Aires, Argentina (3/16/96)
64. “I Wanna Be Sedated”
65. “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”
66. “Blitzkrieg Bop”

Later.

Mark

A Preview of the Upcoming Film “All Grown Up”

What happens to punks when they grow old? Do their ideals go in the attic with their Damned records and ripped jeans or is there something more to the culture? This is what the upcoming independent documentary All Grown Up looks to answer. All Grown Up is a documentary about older punks in the punk scene and how, contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a phase! I briefly chatted with executive producer Andrea Witting of the film to find out a little more about it.

Rock and Roll Report: How do you define punk since to a lot of people it is a stereotype that is not always favourable. What is a punk and how does punk culture differ from more mainstream culture?

Andrea Witting: This is a hard question because for me there is no definition of a feeling – and that’s just what it is. How would you define being in love? For everybody it’s different – it’s the same thing with punk. It’s not what you look like, where you shop, or what you do for work – it’s what’s in your heart. It’s something that you feel everyday that you can’t explain but it’s always there and it never goes away. To be a punk you don’t have to listen to punk music or have a Mohawk or be outrageous – you just have that feeling. Punk isn’t something that started in the 70s, it’s something that started in the beginning of mankind – it just wasn’t labeled punk until the 70s. The media portrays it as something negative because if they did news segments or articles on what it’s really about then people wouldn’t care because they just want to see controversy. I think the difference between being into punk as opposed to the mainstream is that we think more about things (not to say that there aren’t people who think the same way we do who aren’t into punk). We don’t believe everything we’re told and we don’t take life for granted. Most of the punks I know have fun living their lives for them and not for somebody else whether it’s a boss, government, or any type of authority.

RRR: Your film is about older punks and how they have not abandoned the ideals of punk. For some people punk is a phase but for others it obviously lasts a lifetime. What is the appeal in the punk culture? Is it the music, the cloths or something deeper?

AW: For me it’s definitely something deeper. I agree there are people that get into it and then drop out but I don’t think those people were ever punks in the first place. Sometimes people try new things and it doesn’t work for them (and that’s totally fine), but punk isn’t something that you can grow out of. It’s who you are – it’s what’s inside of you and nobody could ever possibly grow out of that. You may stop listening to the music for a while, dress differently, and change who you hang around with – but once a punk always a punk. I think the reason why it appeals to so many people is because it’s a place where finally people can be themselves and not be scared of what others will think of them. Here you don’t need approval from anyone else but yourself – it gives you confidence, self belief and independence. If that’s not appealing then I don’t know what is!

RRR: This film is indie in the true sense of the word. How have you approached making this film?

AW: I think this can be answered in a couple different ways. For funding I worked 80 hours a week for the past two years to save up enough money for equipment, travel, and other necessary expenses. Everyone involved with the movie has been extremely supportive and devoted their time because of their love for the cause. For the European interviews I found friends of friends of friends who were interested and I consequently traveled around Europe for 3 months bouncing to and from everyone’s houses. Since it’s such a tight-knit family it was easy for me to find people.

RRR: When is “All Grown Up” scheduled to be released? How do you plan on distributing it?

AW: The release will be in the beginning of December of this year. I’ll be distributing it with my company, Psyko Punk Productions and it will be available for purchase directly from me through the website. I’ll also be sending it out to tons of different punk shops all over the world so that we can reach the farthest corners of nowhere with it! I already have some connections with places in South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, and Russia to name a few outside of the US.

RRR: Anything else that you would like to add?

AW: Yes! Thank you so much for the opportunity to spread the word about this even further! I hope that you guys all enjoy the movie and if anybody ever has any questions or comments please feel free to send them my way at allgrownupthemovie@yahoo.com! Thanks again

You can get more information on the film at http://www.allgrownupthemovie.com. They also have a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/allgrownupthemovie

Here’s the trailer for a bit more of a sense of what the film is about.

Led Zeppelin in Full Flight on Video

Alright, alright! 3/4 of Led Zeppelin are reforming for a special one-off concert on November 26th and I suppose the question has to be: will this be more like the Page/Plant tour, which I thought was great or the Live Aid/Atlantic Records reunion which everybody agress was horrible.

I personally think that they will pull out all the stops and rehearse like bastards for this sucker knowing that this is probably the last time they will ever play together. I certainly hope so as I remain a huge Zeppelin fan despite the fact that I can’t remember the last time I listened to them.

NME has put together a very cool Top 10 Led Zeppelin Video Moments that you can use to revisit their glory days. At least in Novemeber Page won’t be all strung out on smack!

Later.

Mark

Heavy Metal in Baghdad

Blabbermouth has an excellent piece on an interview done with Suroosh Alvi, the director of the documentary film Heavy Metal in Baghdad. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival focuses on the band ACRASSICAUDA (Latin for “Black Scorpion”) which is the only heavy metal band in Iraq (can you imagine?). You can download the trailer in quicktime format here.

Did you know that Iraq is the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis? I know that I didn’t.

Update! The band are currently in hiding in the US for fear of their lives if they go back to Iraq. Read all the details in the Rolling Stone Rock and Roll Daily article Iraqi Heavy Metal Band Ask for Help as They Fight to Survive.

Later.

Mark

Rockin’ With Hef

During the Swinging Sixties, few people swung more than Playboy magazine publisher, Hugh Hefner. In 1969, Hef offered the public a chance to vicariously experience a piece of his swinging lifestyle by launching a TV show called, “Playboy After Dark.” Set in his penthouse, or possibly a studio tricked out to look like one, “Playboy After Dark” was essentially a big cocktail party presided over by a very genial Hef.

A typical show featured a mixed crowd of fifty or sixty people milling around or lounging on couches drinking, smoking, and carrying on like they were having a great old time. The older guests wore suits or evening gowns, while the young people favored bell bottoms, paisleys, love beads, and headbands. There was always a celebrity guest or two to be interviewed, as well as some of the popular musical acts of the day, including Deep Purple, Steppenwolf, James Brown, The Grateful Dead, and Iron Butterfly.

Clips of some of the musical performances are now available on Youtube, and they provide some tasty little nuggets of pop culture history. It’s positively surreal to see a very clean-cut Hef in his tuxedo “rapping” with the musicians and self-consciously uttering the occasional “groovy” and “far out.” Interestingly, some of the artists played live while others lip-synched for some reason. Either way, though, it’s a lot of fun to watch some legendary names in rock and roll, often sporting some truly wild get-ups, back in their early days. To check them out, go to Youtube.com and search for “Playboy” and any of the band names listed above. Enjoy!

By Wayne Wayne, the world’s foremost authority on the legendary band The Modest Lads

Mods and Rockers Film Festival 2007

The 8th annual Mods and Rockers Film Festival will take place July 13 - August 1, 2007 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Film highlites include the rarely screened What’s Happening! The Beatles in the USA, acid comedy Skidoo, Led Zeppelin Live at the Royal Albert Hall, Monterey Pop (celebrating its 40th anniversary), Don’t Look Back and more. Plus there will be a huge, free open-air concert including a cover band that will recreate the sites and sounds of some of the best from Monterey Pop.

Always a good time so if you are in LA in July you should try and check it out. All the details are at the Mods and Rockers website at http://www.modsandrockers.com/.

Later.

Mark

The SxSW Bigger Picture Film Series

SxSW is touring America this summer and fall with an amazing concert film series called The Bigger Picture. Featuring everything from concerts in intimite club locations to full scale productions, the film features concerts by bands like The Polyphonic Spree and The Bravery with more bands and locations to be added.

Check out the full schedule and line-up at their website http://www.thebiggerpicture.us/sxsw.html

Later.

Mark

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