CHATTERBOX

The King Blues... Best up & coming band!

2009-03-14T11:46:00.004Z

Check out The King Blues... They're the best band I've heard in ages! It's anarcho-political neo-punk with elements of The Clash, The Specials, The Levellers and Billy Bragg, mixing up folk, ska, reggae, rap, punk and doo-wop with anti-capitalist, brutally honest "get off your arse" and "reclaim our streets" lyrics, fused with gritty working class love poems.

...and if that doesn't sound to you just like the sort of thing you've been looking for, then I guess that you're just part of the problem!

The King Blues website

The King Blues MySpace

Listen to The King Blues: 'What If Punk Never Happened'

What If Punk Never Happened

Well on a cold Tuesday morning, I was walking into town,
Had my headphones blaring, didn’t notice what was around,
I crossed the road, a car swerved and nearly ran me down,
Looked in the driver’s seat, I swear to God it was Doc Brown,
He said “Are you Michael J Fox?” I said “No I’m Jonny Fox”,
He said “Close enough, get inside,
I’m taking you with me to see another time,
A place you could only have dreamed in your mind,
An alternative reality situated just outside of Clapham,
So strap yourself in,
Cos where we’re going you don’t need roads,
To get to where punk never happened”

We landed in a concrete desert, rubble as far as the eye could see,
I says to Doc “Where we goin’?”
Doc says he’s following me,
We found the only building in the city that was left standing,
It was my local venue,
I know cos I recognised the landing,
And there’s a gig on tonight! This town ain’t so bad,
I got everything I need, right here in this pad,
So I pulled out a bottle and took a heroic swig,
Made myself comfortable and got ready for the gig,

Well an hour after doors and there was still no-one there,
The soundman was on acid, the fucking long hair,
The bands never showed cos they didn’t see the point,
When all the kids are at home still smoking a joint,
They won’t go out and do nothing, not on your nelly,
They’re just watching the telly and then feeding their belly,
Their parents listen to The Beatles, while they listen to Nirvana,
Cos Green Day and The Pistols, well they never heard either,

They got long sleeve T-shirts and they never shower,
They still believe in flower power,
The hippy dream’s faded but they got nothing new,
So they wear flares and slippers and burn incense sticks too,
The kids would rather skate than go out and smash the state,
While their parents sit still and meditate,
Action’s at a low when people just don’t care,
They zoned out to their surroundings, the anger’s not there,

And I’m stuck in this hippy, grunge reality,
Where the buildings are crumbling down from apathy,
They grab you at school when you’ve just turned 13,
And show you your brand new, life long routine,
You can sleep and work, and work and sleep,
So you can save up the money to buy a new jeep,
So you can sleep and work, and work and sleep,
Then sleep. Then work. Then work. Then sleep.

I pulled a fanzine out my back pocket, held it in my hands,
And watched the colours slowly fade away,
The words bled right off of the pages til it had nothing left to say,
I banged on the jukebox but it was useless,
It had no good records on,
Not even something weak like ‘The Best Punk Album In The World Ever Volume 1’,
Outside the windows, I saw the excavators coming to tear the place down,
No-one stopped them, for there is no community left in this town,
There’s no-one around to fight Margaret Thatcher,
The power of the flower just couldn’t match her,

Too strong was the will of Parliament to cause damage,
That with no punk rock everything went unchallenged,
Land got knocked down to build more land,
That got knocked down again for a couple more grand,
With no punk the protests were full of throwbacks calling each other comrade,
Of course the young folks’ attendance started to fade,
So it was easy for the police to move in, they were trusted,
And that’s when the whole damn town got busted,

They moved CCTV cameras in everywhere,
But the people were too apathetic to care,
They made them carry ID cards to state where they’re from,
As if by being born they had done something wrong,
They shipped all the poor folk to live out in the edges,
So the rich folk could move in and peer over their hedges,
“But before you leave, you’d better build our homes,
There, we’ve done you a favour, now you’re on your own,
This ain’t your home no more, go find somewhere new,
I know you ain’t got the money, cos it’s me who employs you,
I know everything about you, what you eat, how you dress,
Your hobbies, your turn-ons, your email address,
While I had you working in the dark, you didn’t realise,
That I completely stopped your ability to organise,
I didn’t let you have a reason to communicate,
I banned punk rock knowing you hippies would seal your own fate,
I controlled everything you wrote, everything you created,
I distracted you with advertisements so you forgot what you hated,
I fed your dark side, kept you consuming and competing,
And like a dog that doesn’t know when to stop eating,
You took it all, oh and long was it my intention,
You could have beat me if punk rock was your invention”,
Instead the city will be sold to the highest bids,
If only Sham 69 had of united the kids,

If only the 4 Skins had told us ACAB,
If only The Ramones had let us know we were a happy family,
If only The Buzzcocks had shown us how to do it ourself,
If only Crass had shown us there are things more important than wealth,
If only The Vandals had shown us it was OK to smile,
If only The Dead Kennedys had helped us put our government on trial,
If only Rancid had played live, and brought with them that vibe,
If we had Sick Of It All and Madball we could put them all on the frontline,

If we had GG Allin we’d have learned it’s OK to be hated,
If we’d have had The Refused then we could have innovated,
If we’d had Poison Idea then they couldn’t push us over,
If we’d had Minor Threat then we could have done it sober,
If we’d have had Against Me we could have done it all unplugged,
If we’d had Operation Ivy we could have done it then fucked off,
If we had The Blitz, The Clash, Disorder, Propagandhi,
The Exploited, NOFX and anyone that’s handy,

There’s a lesson to be learned, one that I will take home,
When I return to my normal reality zone,
Punk rock has the power to change the world,
It lies in every single punk rock boy and girl,
So don’t let anyone tell you you’re not worth the earth,
These streets are your streets, this turf is your turf,
Don’t let anyone tell you that you’ve got to give in,
Cos you can make a difference, you can change everything,
Just let your dreams be your pilot, your imagination your fuel,
Tear up the book and write your own damn rules,
Use all that heart, hope and soul that you’ve got,
And the love and the rage that you feel in your gut,
And realise that the other world that you’re always looking for,
Lies right here in front of us, just outside this door,
And it’s up to you to go out there and paint the canvas,
After all, you were put on the earth to do this,
So shine your light so bright that all can see,
Take pride in being whoever the fuck you want to be,
Throw your fist in the air in solidarity,
And shout “Viva la punk, just one life, anarchy”.

Born To Loose

2007-03-24T20:49:00.000Z

Fifteen years ago, in a time before Mayor Giuliani, New York City’s Lower East Side was alive with squalid music dives oozing fresh, young and exciting Rock’n’Roll bands, the likes of which the world hadn’t seen since the Ramones burst out of the same neighbourhood some twenty years earlier.

Amongst this new wave of young, loud and snotty kids stood out a female-fronted band called Loose, who soon became known as The New York Loose after legal proceedings from an unknown band of the same name. Brijitte West, the group’s singer, songwriter and driving force, had cut her Rock’n’Roll teeth playing in bands alongside the likes of Dee Dee Ramone. But by the early 90s she was ready to go it alone and was preparing to give the music scene the kick up the arse it needed!

The New York Loose were true to Rock’n’Roll’s uncompromising musical principles mixing up New York City references with their own Lower East Side experiences to create a unique portrait that lay somewhere between the city’s historical collision with violence, tragedy and beauty, and the Ramones’ song book. They sounded like Joan Jett fronting the New York Dolls… or put another way, Blondie (before they discovered disco) updated, fuel injected, asexual and fully equipped to take on the next foreboding millennium with a late 20th Century punk rock, cynical, hard-edged attitude.

Now they're back after a 10 year absence and ready to play some UK tour dates in support of a new compilation album called Born To Loose that collects together their first three 7” singles, the Flipside sessions and a whole load of other rare and unreleased songs!

So if you missed The New York Loose 10 years ago or, if like me, you’ve just been missing them for the past 10 years, then it’s time for all you ‘Monolith Kids’ to 'Looesn Up', shake off those ‘Late 20th Century Blues', slap a 21st Century smile across your face and make sure that you don't 'Trash The Given Chance' this time around!

"Through your brand new shades You might not see the sharks"

2006-03-19T17:54:00.000Z

Due to the anarchic way I like to do things, I’ve found myself in a bit of bother recently regarding the content of the Jesse Malin area on my website. This has resulted in a change of URL address from www.jessemalin.co.uk to www.highlonesome.co.uk.

There will also be some changes to the content of the site which I’m still working on but I wanted to get the website back up & running. You may find that some pages are blank & there may be some old links that I’ve not removed which do not work anymore. I’m sure most people will appreciate that with a website that has grown this large, it is extremely hard to keep on top of every link, particularly when you start deleting pages that are linked to many other pages!

I hope everyone continues to enjoy the website despite the changes.

"The Prince & the Pea"

2006-02-23T20:49:00.000Z

Amazing though it may seem, we can in fact tell apart those among us who have a divine right to rule over everybody else, by their ability to detect surreptitious attempts to hamper their celestial comfort…

Just like the Princess in Hans Christian Andersen’s fable about the Princess & the Pea where her status as a real Princess was confirmed by her ability to feel a pea right through twenty mattresses and twenty eider-down beds, Prince Charles has disclosed in his recently published diaries that while taking the outward journey to Hong Kong on a British Airways 747 jumbo jet, mistakenly travelling Business Class instead of First Class, he displayed the same talent: "It took me some time to realise that this was not first class(!) although it puzzled me as to why the seat seemed so uncomfortable."

He then discovered dignitaries, including Edward Heath, Douglas Hurd, "the new Foreign Secretary Robin Cook", and Paddy Ashdown, were all "in First Class immediately below us".

"Such is the end of Empire, I sighed to myself," Charles wrote.

Vive la Revolution & Power to the People!

"You're gonna wake up one morning and know which side of the bed you've been lying on!"

2006-01-17T17:31:00.000Z

HATES: The Ruling Class / Flares / Shaving / Beards & Moustaches / Tony Blair / Margaret Thatcher / Tracksuits, Trainers & sports clothing particularly on non-sporting people / Hunting / The Conservative Party / POP STARS who are thick and useless / Capitalism / Hippies / YES / Consumerism / Leo Sayer / Poverty / David Essex / Golf / Top Of The Pops / A passive audience / Arse lickers / Corrupt councillors / The Stock Exchange / Driving / People who think politics has nothing to do with their lives / Shopping / Rave / Competitiveness / Led Zeppelin / Rap / Patriotism / Indiscipline / Drug dependency / Cars / E.L.P. / Liars / Antiques of any sort / Religion / Charity / The Middle Class / Landlords / National Front / Censorship / The job you hate but are too scared to pack in / Rich boys dressed as poor boys / Mobile phones / Misleading information / Sport / Thieves / GOLD: It’s a good conductor but other than that it has very little practical use! / Hierarchies / The House Of Lords / The Sins Of America / Oxford University / WAR

LOVES: D GENERATION / Eddie Cochran / Beans on Toast / Rude Boys / Dr Marten Boots / NYC / Kutie Jones and his SEX PISTOLS / The Working Class / The Tube (80s UK music programme) / This country is run by a group of fascists so said Gene Vincent in a 1955 US radio interview / France / Liberty / Hairspray / Tight Black Jeans / FREE RADIO stations / Brothel Creepers / Trade Union Movement / Jello Biafra / Roobarb (the cartoon dog) / Joan Jett / Trains / Lenny Bruce / Honesty / RAMONES / A good night's sleep / Dogs / Cats / Self-Discipline / Drugs / Bang & Olufsen / Vinyl Records in picture sleeves / Socialism / Iggy Pop / Frogs / Penguins / Human Rights / Animal Rights / Pizza / Vampire Nation / Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols / Justice / Dastardly & Muttley / Animal Farm (George Orwell) / Drainpipe Trousers / Dancing / Coffee / Tea / The Peawees / Karl Marx / Communism / William Blake / The French Revolution / William Klein / Defamatory religious cartoons / Class War / Anti-Vivisection / Imagination...

Based on the early Seditionaries T-Shirt. I've left in some of the original Loves & Hates & added some of my own... Watch the lists grow!

"I don't care about long hair, I don't wear flares!"

2005-10-22T11:31:00.000Z

I've been moping around for months complaining that there are no good new bands any more...

Well, maybe the UK music scene has just turned a corner!

Check out these two bands:

ARCTIC MONKEYS - They're from Sheffield, they've just completed a Sold Out UK tour & have just released their first single 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'.

TEST ICICLES - They're currently touring the UK & are about to release their second single on Monday, & their debut Album 'For Screening Purposes Only' at the end of the month... Also, take a look at TEST ICICLES MySPACE

...At last, a band that don't wear flares! I was beginning to think that Punk Rock had never happened!

"Friday night is The Tube night"

2005-09-02T15:21:00.005Z

For those who don’t live in the UK, or those who are too young to remember the 80s (or even those who were too old to care at the time), then The Tube perhaps doesn’t mean anything more to you than the thing that you’re left with at the end of your toilet roll. But for those of us who don’t fit into any of the above categories then The Tube was the greatest music television programme in the world, in the history of television!

Now for those of you who don’t believe me, then I have proof… they’ve just released a 2-disc DVD set of the first series. It opens with the first episode of The Tube on Friday November 5th 1982 & the first band to ever appear on the programme are Sunderland’s Toy Dolls playing ‘She Goes To Fino’s’… Now try & tell me the music was shit in the 80s! It’s like everything else when people reminisce about the 80s. People think it was a wealthy period of our history, but we didn’t have “loads-a-money”. For fuck’s sake, there were 4 million people unemployed here in the UK, & 32,000 miners lost their jobs overnight. If you think George Bush is a Nazi then you should have lived under Margaret Thatcher’s regime. She was like George Bush but with the brain to put her evil plan into effect! She should be hung NOW for her crimes to humanity! I know I’m getting sidetracked here but it’s just so difficult to talk about the misconceptions of the 80s without mentioning politics, because music & politics were so closely entwined back then… The Specials - ‘Ghost town’; The Jam - ‘Going Underground'; The Beat - ‘Stand Down Margaret’. I guess it was a more socially aware time.

But hey, back to The Tube. For the benefit of those who have never heard of the programme, it was broadcast live from Newcastle every Friday night from 5:15pm until 7:00pm. They had three stages in a large television studio, & a live audience. It was presented by Jools Holland (ex Squeeze), Paula Yates & Muriel Gray. Bands would perform 2 or 3 songs live & often continue playing long after the show had finished being broadcast! It was the programme you watched as you got ready to go out on Friday night with hair straighteners in one hand & a can of beer in the other. You’d have one eye in the mirror & the other on the TV, & it was what you talked about to your friends all night when you got down the pub! The hippies may have had The Old Grey Whistle Test in the 70s, but The Tube was for the new generation, the new order. This wasn’t boring old farts swapping tedious dope-induced anecdotes with one another. It was what Rock’n’Roll was all about, amphetamine propelled, messed up, wild & anarchic, but beautifully presented.

And back to the notion that the music was shit in the 80s… If that’s what you think, then it’s your own fault for watching Top Of The Pops! This first DVD anthology of series 1 of The Tube proves my point entirely, boasting such bands as the aforementioned Toy Dolls, The Jam (in their last ever live appearance!), The Go Gos, X, Iggy Pop, Twisted Sister, Bad News, Southern Death Cult, Thin Lizzy, Stiff Little Fingers, Madness, The Undertones & U2…

& the greatest thing is that the show ran for 4 years. So there’s still so much to look forward to in the future… Remember PIL’s amazing performance of 'Anarchy In The UK' in November 1983, or the Toy Dolls’ triumphant return in 1985 when they almost topped the charts with 'Nellie The Elephant'? The Jesus & Mary Chain at the time when all their shows were ending in a riot, Hanoi Rocks, The Cult, The Cherry Bombz, The Cramps… the list goes on & on. I think every band except the Ramones played The Tube!

The Tube Anthology - Best of Series 1 is available from www.amazon.co.uk for £25.49 but if you check out 'Used & New' you can get it brand new for just £14.89 from 'market plus'. That's what I did & their service & price was great!

Fast Lane Roogalator

2005-08-25T19:47:00.000Z

I've just discovered this band called Fast Lane Roogalator. If you have a broadband connection I strongly recommend that you check out the video below of their song 'Sweet Dreams Baby'... You can visit their website www.fastlaneroogalator.com for more info & to hear more music clips... then go & buy the album!

FAST LANE ROOGALATOR Video: 'Sweet Dreams Baby'

"Sometimes I wonder if the devil put his number on you"

"I'm in search of a scene"

2005-07-19T19:35:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago a local pub close to where I live called The Three Nuns hosted a small one day festival in their car park. The headlining band were The Queers… But the surprise of the day came when a local band from Nottingham called Teenage Casket Company got up to play an acoustic set which included an acoustic version of the D Generation song ‘Hatred’ from the album Through The Darkness. Needless to say that it made my day & it also went a bit further in proving my point that if you play D Generation songs acoustically, then there isn’t really much difference between Jesse’s solo work & the stuff he was banging out with D Generation… Remember, a musician never changes his spots, just his guitar!

You can see a video of Teenage Casket Company performing their full electric version of ‘Hatred’ at the Derby Vic by clicking on the link below:

Teenage Casket Company - 'Hatred' (live at The Vic 09.06.2005)

"Any town at all
Down on main street or the mall
As the new year's eve dropped
He was beaten by the cops
Full of hatred..."

“It’s still Rock’n’Roll to me”

2005-05-06T15:46:00.000Z

So, PoGo A Go Go is a year old! As you’ve probably noticed, there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done to the website. I’ve done practically nothing to the Ramones Rockaway Beach section. That’s because the site seemed to grow, & I didn’t realize when I started the website a year ago how much time it would take to put it all together… I have managed to keep on top of the Guitar Mafia section, although there is still a lot of work to do on that!

I’ve recently updated the Jesse Malin Unheard Music & D Generation Unreleased Tracks sections to include music clips of most of those songs that were never released commercially, or are now really hard to find. As a fan, I think it’s really interesting & important to be able to see & hear the progression of your favourite artist as the songs develop. This is especially true in Jesse’s case: he had had some previous limited success with Heart Attack & D Generation, then had a 3 year period of writing & recording with many great songs falling by the wayside, while others continued to get reworked, before finally finding the formula that has brought him his long awaited & much deserved solo success.

My original website, where all my inspiration & ideas for PoGo A Go Go stem from, was hosted on the Rock City [the rock club in Nottingham, UK] website over 5 years ago, & was called ‘Other Music From The Underground’. That had grown out of the monthly column of the same name that I wrote for the Rock City Review magazine. But, as with everything, in time the people I knew at Rock City left & my website disappeared from the World Wide Web leaving me with only one option, to buy my own web space!

I have tried to approach the website from a fan’s perspective & to ask the questions that I, as a fan, want answering, as well as trying to include content that most people might never see or hear otherwise... Because of all my punk influences, I want the website to replicate that underground feel & excitement that you find in all the great fanzines. I hope I’ve managed to achieve this so far…

I’d like also to say a big THANK YOU to all the people who have written to me [either via the Guestbook or to me personally], sent me stuff, let me borrow things or traded with me, in order to allow me to get my hands on the material that I’ve built the website around. And of course, thanks to all the bands & musicians that I love for sticking with Rock’n’Roll, & for putting up with my constant pestering & searching questions.

“…STAY TUNED FOR MORE ROCK’N’ROLL!”

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”

2005-04-09T14:17:00.000Z

I’m not sure how many of you managed to catch Richard Bacchus on his recent UK tour, being that the furthest north the tour managed to reach was Leicester, but for those who’d like to do a bit of catching up then I’ve written a review of the shows I attended as well as some photos from Leicester & Nuneaton. I’ve also added a couple of live music clips of Ricky performing ‘Waiting For The Next Big Parade’ at Leicester & ‘Capital Offender’ at Nuneaton.

Other recent site updates have included a review of the first time I saw the Ramones live, way back in 1985, & my review of the most influential album of all time, Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols. I’ve also found some time to add a bit more content to the Jellybrain section of the site. Check out Vincent Cushing’s Brown Eye On The World… But remember, it’s not for the politically correct readers out there!

Talking of politics, all you people in the UK who are about to get the opportunity to vote on who will be governing us for the next 5 years, please don’t let Tony Blair’s recent stupidity - backing George Bush in Iraq - lead you into believing that we need another Tory government. Remember that the Tories are EVIL & have no regard for the working classes.

Last week when the general election was announced, Michael Howard (the Tory leader), said, “let’s wipe that grin off Tony Blair’s face”. That is not a policy. Call me old fashioned, but I thought we were voting for political parties on their policies, not on the basis of childish threats! Don’t let these political fascists fool you with their dumb schoolyard comments. What’s Michael Howard’s next big statement going to be? “My deputy prime minister is bigger than yours”…? Or, “My shadow chancellor is going to get you!”. The Tories only have one real policy & mission, & that is to maintain the position of the Ruling Classes in this country. You may like to think that you’re not working class, but believe me, if you are not born into the Ruling Class, then you are just fodder for them & can never be anything other than working class. Those of you who consider yourselves to be middle class are just the blinkered generals, happily obeying orders for a few extra scraps thrown to you by your masters.

“Who ever puts their hands upon me to govern me is a usurper, a tyrant & I declare them my enemy”

“I’m not the same as when I began”

2005-03-05T12:00:00.000Z

I think even Jesse himself feels that his move from band member to solo singer-songwriter has changed his musical direction, but I’m afraid that I just don’t feel that change at all. When I heard PCP Highway, when I heard Bellvue, & when I heard the 169 EP, everything just naturally connected back to that first D Generation album for me. The subjects, the heartfelt passion & the attitude was exactly the same. In fact, the first time I heard the 169 EP I just thought that this is what 'No Way Out' would have sounded like when it was first strummed out & worked out by the band, before they added all the electric guitars and drums. It was like listening to the bare bones of the songs before any of the fleshing out had took place, & as a big fan I found that very exciting. I think Jesse performing 'Capital Offender' acoustically bears this theory out.

I accept that Jesse’s music has moved on to a higher standard, particularly lyrically, but to me, the sentiments & emotions are just the same. I think Bellvue’s To Be Somebody could have easily been the fourth D Generation album; it included songs like ‘Downliner’, ‘Basement Home’ & ‘Brooklyn’, all of which have since become what are considered to be Jesse Malin classics. I feel it’s a big thing for Jesse to have dumped the big hair & big shoes, & if that helps him to sell to a wider audience then that’s great. I want him to be successful & to be able to continue to keep producing great music. But I also feel that the image, the stage interpretation of the music, & the album sleeves are just as valid forms of art as the songs themselves. Of course I would trade all those things for the music every time. But what I’m saying is that D Generation’s debut album sleeve would sit very nicely as the cover art work for 'New World Order'. It just wouldn’t do Jesse’s sales figures much good… Jesse hasn’t changed as much as you might think. I don’t think he could if he wanted to. He’s too passionate & honest to be able to do that effectively…

I guess I just miss the ability to be able to go to a Jesse show & have a good old bop to some of my all time favourite songs without people thinking I’ve just been let out of the lunatic asylum. Or worse still, thinking that I don’t belong at a Jesse show if I want to react to his music in that manner!

"You never listen to a word that I said
You only see me for the clothes that I wear
Or did the interest go much deeper
It must have been the colour of my hair
Public Image"

The Fine Art Of Self Destruction

2005-03-04T01:05:00.000Z

My brother died on Tuesday… Pretty dark subject I know, but I think talking about it can only help. I was 10 years old when I wrote what I think was the first poem I ever wrote down, that is, I got the words out of my head & put them on to paper… Don’t panic, I’m not going to get all emotional and write some soppy poem about all my grief, it’s just that that first poem was called ‘My Brother’. I don’t even have those words any more, & I can’t remember them. Basically, he was 11 years older than me, he was a builder by trade but also an artist in all the work that he produced... he didn't just build, he created things with feeling and passion. He loved motorbikes (he rode a Harley & a Ducati) & fine clothes. If you ever see me wearing any decent clothes then they’ll be what he gave to me. He was very generous. He didn’t like much Rock’n’Roll beyond Rod Stewart but he did understand the importance of Rock’n’Roll in my life enough to drive out to Nottingham’s Rock City at 2am in the morning just to pick me & my friends up from our first proper Ramones show when we were all too young to drive (and too young to be at Rock City!).

There are too many great lines from poems & songs to choose just one to sum up the way I feel… So all I’d like to say is, “you are always in my thoughts & my heart with love, John Alexander Smith XXXXX”

Beware the devil apathy, for he will steal your freedom as you sleep

2005-02-11T22:13:00.000Z

Well, Guitar Mafia has been updated with 2 new sections: Richard Bacchus in ‘How You Gonna Ball' & Danny Sage in ‘Declaration’. Ricky & Danny were the guitarists in D Generation & are now working hard on their own solo projects. New music clips can be heard in the respective ‘Sounds’ sections for those who are curious as to what they’ve been up to these past few years. Richard Bacchus will also be back in the UK in March for his second UK tour this year! …See Richard Bacchus ‘Shows’ for more information.

On a completely different note… The thing I’ve found most annoying since Jesse’s new-found glory is the continual whining from some quarters regarding Jesse’s politics. For fuck’s sake, politics is one of the main reasons why Jesse & D Generation stand above everything else that is happening in Rock’n’Roll. These are good, honest views articulated in a very clever way… Maybe that’s what bugs these people, maybe they’re right-wingers who don’t want the truth out there! …But, probably even worse than that, they’re apathetic idiots who don’t like to think too hard. I guess life’s easier if you don’t think about everybody who’s fucking with you, & how many people you have to exploit across the undeveloped world just to provide you with the lifestyle you’ve become accustomed to.

Fuck, the reason most people even bother to get out of bed in the morning is the result of a political effect on their lives! And the sad thing is, which I think Jesse realizes, and which is why he rants about politics so much, is that YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT, or even care, as long as the bills get paid and you have enough money at the end of the week to buy some cheap imported throw-away rubbish that you feel you just couldn't live with out. Oh, & a few pints of course, to numb the monotony of NOT THINKING!

DON'T LIKE POLITICS?! I'd say you don't understand what you're listening to. There's plenty of manufactured bands out there if your musical taste is for something a little tamer. Songs about girls & cars are great, but even Eddie Cochran had the ‘Summertime Blues’. So thankfully, Rock'n'Roll has always been, and hopefully always will be, political!

Remember, nothing in life is free, somebody has to pay (& I don’t mean in cash).

“They know the cost of all things, but the value of none.”

…Don’t like my view?! Or maybe inspired by it?!! Leave a comment. I promise I will not delete it, how ever opposite or offensive. Or better still, get a blog & get an opinion!

"When The Angels Sing"

2005-01-29T15:59:00.000Z

Well, Jesse’s last night of the UK tour at London’s Islington Carling Academy turned out to be a great night, even if Jesse does always appear a little nervous every time I’ve seen him play in the capital. It must be said that Richard Bacchus looked rather smart in his new purple shirt and gold tie, & tonight he played ‘Long Lost Debbie’ which I think was missed out of the set in Leicester.

I guess for me, the highlight of Jesse’s set was ‘Love Streams’ with its newly added Boomtown Rats ‘Someone’s Looking at You’ intro & outro… I’m not sure if it was Jesse’s intention to emulate the Boomtown Rats, but that’s what it sounded like to me! Other musical highlights of the night were Ricky & Jesse’s duet on ‘Capital Offender’ (apparently only the second time on the tour that Jesse & Ricky did this together, the other night being at Leicester), Jesse’s take on Cher’s ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves’, and The Clash’s ‘Death Or Glory’. I don’t imagine there are many other musicians around throwing as many different influences into the mixing pot as Jesse does… Christ, it’s pure genius how the man gets away with it sometimes! I also believe that Jesse hinted that he may not be able to stay away from the UK for a whole year, although I doubt we’ll be getting another tour this year.

I did note also that Richard Bacchus will be back in the UK on March 23rd to play a show at the Camden Underworld. There’ll be more news on that when I have it!

It was great to see & speak to a few new and familiar faces too, & a BIG THANKS to Rich for the loan of the D Generation video, I’m off to watch that now…

Dreams can come true!

2005-01-26T23:56:00.000Z

Well it’s getting close to Jesse’s last UK show for this year (if you believe what you read!)… What about the UK summer festivals Jesse? And then you’ll need a couple of warm-up shows before and after to make it worth your while coming over! Surely Jesse will not be able to stay away for a whole year?!

Richard Bacchus told me it is possible that he will be back in the UK by the spring. So 2005 is not as gloomy as it might at first appear.

And if Jesse is taking some time off to write and record a new album, then maybe I’ll have more time to add the content to the sections of the site that I still haven’t completed! Also, there will be some new updates to Guitar Mafia that will be quite exciting for all the DGenerates (D Generation fanatics) out there.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to sign the Guestbook, email me or say hello at a show, particularly the very perceptive ones amongst you who realized how much time it takes to put together and run the site… I’m glad you all appreciate it, I definitely enjoy doing it and I hope you have all found the info informative and useful!! I actually started the site about 5 years ago when Rock City (the Nottingham club) gave me my own web space on their website, but that fell apart as the club went through a bit of a change! Back then it was D Generation and a bit about PCP Highway… Who’d have thought back then that 5 years on, Jesse & Ricky would be doing a sell-out acoustic tour of the UK?! Dreams can come true… See you in London.

Jesse & Ricky Live in Leicester!

2005-01-22T15:00:00.001Z

I discovered this Blogger diary thing on Richard Bacchus’s website & thought, hey, what a great way to quickly get something off your chest & out there in a very informal way!

And as it was Richard Bacchus who introduced me to Blogger, where better to start…

I went to see Jesse Malin & Ricky Bacchus last night at the Charlotte in Leicester. Ricky's set was BRILLIANT (as was Jesse’s of course) & I hope that people give him the same support & respect on this tour that they give to Jesse. Last night's audience were great except for one twat during Jesse's set who interrupted Jesse continually and when Jesse politely asked her to calm down she disappeared for a couple of minutes before returning from the ladies toilets with a wet toilet roll which she threw & hit Jesse with mid way through ‘Almost Grown’. She then made a quick exit before someone gave her the slap she deserved! In fact, I thought Christine, Jesse’s keyboard player, was going to do just that when she left the stage just after the incident. I do think the audience could have been a little bit more appreciative of Ricky's set, though. I know it’s difficult when you’re not sure of the music but I think Jesse has made a great choice with his support acts for this tour. Pacific Ocean Fire, the first band playing last night, were great, too.

Ricky played 'Age Of Confusion' & 'Waiting For The Next Big Parade' from his D Generation back catalogue. Ricky also joined Jesse for his encore and the pair belted out 'Capital Offender' which was just FANTASTIC for an old DGenerate like myself!

Ricky is selling his acoustic solo album 'The Bicycle Diaries' for £6 & some great Richard Bacchus T-Shirts for £8... That's value! & the CD is BRILLIANT! I'm sure that if you like Jesse's music then you'll love Ricky's CD. It has acoustic versions of 'Age Of Confusion', 'Long Lost Debbie' & 'How You Gonna Ball', which is my favourite.

Oh yeah, Ricky also told me he thought about playing 'Luckiest Girl' (one of the songs he wrote for NY Loose) but he didn't! …Which is a shame as that's another great song only heard by very few people. Maybe the final show of the tour in London would be a good night to slip it into the set!

You can hear the rough demos of Ricky's CD on his website

Jesse is also selling his new DVD Star•Smile•Strong on the current tour, priced £15. Play.com have the DVD advertised for £7.99 including postage but the release date is listed as 28th January, & of course you can't get it signed! One Little Indian are also selling it for just over £8 plus postage... So the choice is yours!

I bought a copy last night at Leicester but have not yet watched it from beginning to end. From what I've seen so far, Jesse has done a great job! My only criticism is that there are no bonus features. I was really hoping that the promo videos would be on there! Maybe we've got another DVD to look forward to... The Jesse Malin Videos Collection! Jesse did say last night at Leicester that when he returns to the USA after this tour, he will be filming a promo video for 'Since You're In Love'. Maybe a little late as the single was released in the UK 2 months ago, but I'm sure we'll appreciate it none the less!

Well, I finally got to meet Richard Bacchus & I had songs dedicated to me by both Ricky and Jesse… Christ, life doesn’t get much better than this!

…See you all in London on January 28th.