Show #72 January 21, 2012

Rock On Donna!

Donna- 10cc Donna 7"
Are You Ready- Mike Read Shake Some Action Vol 8 (UK and Ireland)
Love Song To Myself- Walter Clevenger and The Dairy Kings Love Songs To Myself
Heart Attack- The Pets Misdirection
Laugh- Rubber City Rebels Rubber City Rebels
Just Fine- The Windbreakers Time Machine (1982-2002)
I'm Numb- Pointed Sticks Part Of The Noise
Be What You Gotta Be- Motors 1
^Hold On Loosely- .38 Special The Very Best Of The AandM Years
Merry-Go-Round- The Producers The Producers/You Make The Heat
Do You Wanna Love Me?- Paul Collins King Of Power Pop
Ex Lion Tamer- Wire I Am The Fly Single
Big Cities- Pushtwangers Here We Go Again
Pity- Rooney Eureka
*All Wound Up- 4/4 Systematic 7"
*Don't Think Twice (If You Can't Think At All)- 5-15 Shake Some Action Vol 6 (All Around The World)
*Me And My Desire- 999 999
*Giving It All- 20/20 Giving It All 7"
No You Don't- The Sweet The Collection
I Know What You Did Last Night- Helmet Boy Helmet Boy
Flaming Torch- The Only Ones Special View
For a While- Van Duren Are You Serious?
Ret Liv Dead- Teenage Fanclub Thirteen
You Will Pay- Yeh-Yeh Shake Some Action Vol 1 (UK)
>5 Star Rock 'N' Roll Petrol- The 101'ers Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited
Wide Awake (And Fading Out)- Pills Wide Awake With The Pills
Highly Inflammable- X-Ray Spex Germfree Adolescents
Shy Girl- The Innocents No Hit Wonders From Down-Under
Fat Chance- Tommy Tutone Tommy Tutone
It's Getting Better- Squire Big Smashes
Way Out- The La's The La's
Private Heaven- Utopia Utopia
Respectable Street- XTC Rag & Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts and Leftovers
Lonesome Lane- The 45's Couldn't Believe A Word 7"

^Power Pop Prototype: #27 Billboard Hot 100 2/28/81

*SacroSet: Bands By The Numbers

>Power Pop Prototype: 1976

David and Cyrinda

Steven Tyler's new pop-culture celebrity status just doesn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and I always have, even after learning he stole his signature scarves on the microphone stand thing from David Johansen of the New York Dolls (which somehow seems worse than his subsequent theft of Johansen's wife, Cyrinda Fox). In the past week I've defended Tyler's much maligned performance of the National
Anthem at the Patriots/Ravens game last weekend (Go Pats!). What's more, I even like the Diane Warren-penned "Aerosmith does Celine Dion" song "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" from that crappy asteroid movie.

Aerosmith are Boston boys and we love them for it. Everyone in the Boston area has an Aerosmith sighting to share. In the 80's I once saw Joe Perry shopping for housewares with his wife at the Ann and Hope store at the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, Mass. In the early 90's, drummer Joey Kramer moved to Duxbury, Mass where my mom lives and within a few years he was followed by guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. The first time my sister Sarah saw Joe Perry in town he was with his wife Billie pushing a shopping cart down an aisle of the A and P in Hall's Corner. The best part is that they were both in total rock and roll gear, he in leather pants and she in a huge white fur coat.  That is just awesome! People in Duxbury were proud of the Aerosmith guys and very protective of their privacy. While Kramer and Whitford have since moved away, Joe Perry is still in town and has done a lot for the community over the years, among other things, paying for a new town animal shelter.

In any case, I feel Aerosmith belong to the rock and rollers, which is why Steven Tyler on American Idol doesn't feel right. The band will always have a special place in my heart, because they were a pretty big "first" in my life. I enjoyed a short lived notoriety in Jr. High (what we called "Intermediate School") as "the kid who goes to rock concerts." A few weeks before my 13th birthday I heard a commercial on the radio for an Aerosmith concert at the Providence Civic Center on October 30, 1977. I asked my parents for tickets for my birthday with very little hope that I'd be going. My birthday came and after pizza and cake I opened presents that I can't remember, though I'd guess there was a record and a sweater in there somewhere. Opening my final present (a card, oh well) I was SHOCKED to find myself looking at two tickets to see Aerosmith on their "Express Tour." They were the Ticketron tickets with the blue and red design (at right is the closest thing I could find on the web). When I got to school the next day I told Mike Klein in home room that I was going to the concert and soon word spread.For the first time I had status and though it was short-lived, it was an experience I'll never forget.

Providence 10/30/77

The Aerosmith concert was amazing- I went with my neighbor Tommy Harrington and we had great seats on the floor about 25 rows back. In fact, we were only one person away from catching a Joey Kramer drumstick. My father drove us to Providence and waited outside during the show. I realize now what a sacrifice that was because with the pride of a true Bostonian he described Providence as "an armpit." (Interestingly, this is the same phrase Dad used to describe Worcester, Mass after waiting for my Cousin Rich and I outside a Worcester Centrum concert a few years later). I think he said he spent that night in Providence in a Burger King- all so I could go to my first rock concert. He was an amazing guy.

Aerosmith played all the hits from the first four albums that night and a few new songs that hadn't been released yet. I really liked one of the new songs so I thought I'd be cool and ask the clerk at the Hanover Mall Musicsmith about it, even though I knew it hadn't come out yet. Unfortunately I misheard the title at the concert so when I asked him about Aerosmith's "Charlie The Lion" he looked at me like I

Draw The Line

was a moron. When the album came out in December I was horrified to see that the song is called "Draw The Line" (the record's title track!!) not "Charlie The Lion-" a mom-like mistake I never made again.

You can download tonight's show below (Right click and "Save Target As"):

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #72

Show #71 DEDICATION SPECIAL January 7, 2010

Happy New Year to Charlie and ALL KINDSA GIRLS!!!

All Kindsa Girls- The Real Kids Real Kids
Jody- Silver Sun Disappear Here
My Sharona- The Knack Get the Knack
Lorraine- Durango 95 Lose Control
Belinda- Ben Folds & Nick Hornby Lonely Avenue
Keep On Knocking- The Cars Move Like This
Enola Gay- Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Urgh! A Music War
Diane- Material Issue International Pop Overthrow
She Walks The Night- Matthew Sweet Modern Art
Angela- New Math Die Trying 7"
Mother Mary- Foxboro Hot Tubs Stop Drop and Roll
Christabelle- Sorrows Love Too Late
Melody- Kevin K The Best Of Kevin K - New York, New York
Ronnie- The Rubinoos Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About
*Unkind- Sloan The Double Cross
*The Summer Place- Fountains Of Wayne Sky Full Of Holes
*Adamant- The Wellingtons In Transit
*Tribute to Charlie- Cute Lepers Adventure Time
*Sorry- The Smithereens 2011
Lolene- Mad Turks Cafe Istanbul
Red- Hoehn & Duren Blue Orange
Jesamine- Squire Big Smashes
Poison Flower- Urge Overkill Rock & Roll Submarine
Glendora- The Slickee Boys Gotta Tell Me Why 7"
Stella- Ida Maria Fortress Round My Heart
Mary Annette- Doug Powell Four Seasons
Paula- The Golden Horde The Golden Horde
Wicked Annabella- The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society
Dolly- The Lyres On Fyre
Dianalee- Nerf Herder IV
52 Girls- The B-52's The B-52's

*SacroSet: My Top 5 Albums of 2011

The first show of the new year is my DEDICATION SPECIAL where I play all the dedication songs from the previous twelve months. I also highlight what I think are the best releases from the prior year. All in all, 2011 was a pretty good year for Power Pop. New LP's by old friends from the 70's (The Cars), 80's (The Smithereens, Urge Overkill) and 90's (Sloan, Fountains Of Wayne, Matthew Sweet) joined upstarts from the 2000's (Cute Lepers, Wellingtons) on the ALL KINDSA GIRLS playlist. Since I initially envisioned the show would be centered in the late 70's/early 80's, all this new music is a huge bonus.

It's funny how getting older changes your perspective on things. When I was in college I remember railing against the Rolling Stones for refusing to get out of the way and make room for new rock & roll bands. Now, I'm heralding a 2011 release by The Cars, led by 62 year old Ric Ocasek. Furthermore, I share the sentiment the Cute Lepers' express in "Tribute To Charlie" from tonight's SacroSet. The song is an ode to the great Charlie Harper. Just to clarify, they are NOT talking about the character "Charlie Harper" played by Charlie Sheen on the TV show Two And A Half Men (who lived and died a douchebag). They are talking about Charlie Harper, lead singer of British punk band UK Subs, pictured above. He is 67 years old and has been singing with the group for 36 years!

Charlie Harper was the first person I ever interviewed for WERS, my college radio station. We met backstage at a club called Spit on Lansdowne Street in Boston. The person at the station who set up the interview told me to expect the drummer or, at best, UK Subs guitarist Nicky Garratt. Needless to say, I was very impressed to see lead singer Charlie Harper walk into the room. More than a little nervous, I stumbled through the first few questions while Charlie did his best to put me at ease. It ended up being a pretty good interview- he even turned me on to Hanoi Rocks, described as "a gay heavy metal group from Finland," a band I grew to love. (For the record, I don't think the guys in Hanoi Rocks are gay but I once personally witnessed lead singer Mike Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy's sharing of a microphone devolve into a big sloppy tongue kiss. The look of shock and disgust on my girlfriend Sue's face was just priceless...) Anyway, my "over 40's get off the stage" tune has changed since college and I'm in full agreement with the Cute Lepers "Tribute To Charlie" when they sing:

Most of my heroes will die rockers
I know Charlie Harper will die a rocker!

This is not just talk on my part as I still strap on the guitar myself a few times a year as a member of The Dadz. In fact, my profile picture comes from the first Dadz show:
That show is a great story that I'll get to in a future post.

I've been putting together year end lists of my Top 5 movies, albums, TV shows, etc. since 1999. If you're interested in past selections you can check out the blog Rick's Top 5 Lists Along with the five albums in tonight's SacroSet, my 2011 Top 5's include:

TOP 5 MOVIES

Win Win (wrestling with your demons, literally)

Crazy Stupid Love (title says it all)

The Guard (Irish Independent)

Hugo (cinephilia)

Higher Ground (the miracle of faith)

TOP 5 DVD'S

Attack The Block (aliens vs. outsiders)

Beginners (we all get a do-over)

Together “Tilsammans” (Swedish fishbowl)

The Battle of Algiers (modern warfare in 1966)

Dogtooth “Kynodontas” (alternative child rearing techniques)

TOP 5 ALBUMS

Sloan- The Double Cross (XX marks the spot)

Fountains Of Wayne- Sky Full Of Holes (a return to form)

The Wellingtons- In Transit (Power Pop Lives…in Australia!)

Cute Lepers- Adventure Time (Mr. Nix’s opus)

The Smithereens- 2011 (New Jersey’s finest)

TOP 5 BOOKS

A Visit From The Goon Squad- Jennifer Egan (Nobody beats the goon)

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky (Charlie says…)

The Hunger Games Trilogy- Suzanne Collins (May the odds be ever in your favor)

The Lonely Polygamist- Brady Udall (Mo marriages, mo problems)

Pygmy- Chuck Palahniuk (nobody writes like Chuck)

TOP 5 TELEVISION/CABLE SHOWS

American Horror Story (the house always wins)

Treme: Season 1 (a dead city rises)

Happy Endings (Chicago’s finest)

Justified: Season 1 (Harlan County Confidential)

Louie (brutal/hilarious honesty)

Feel free to comment with Top 5's of your own- I'm always looking for material for next year's list! You could also post a comment over on my facebook page.

You can download tonight's show by clicking the links below (right click and "Save Target As"):
Hour 1
Hour 2

Show #70 CHRISTMAS CRUSH December 17, 2011

Merry Christmas Carol!!!

Carol- Cleaners From Venus The Stopping Train
Xmastime Again- The Pointed Sticks Xmastime Again
Waiting For Christmas- Adventures Of Jet Electric Ornaments: An Idol Records Christmas Collection
Christmas, Bring Us -The Grip Weeds HiFi Christmas Pty 2
I Want A Guitar For Christmas- Kenny Howes Xmas With Coffee Robots
All I Ever Want (Under The Christmas Tree)- The Cute Lepers A Blackheart Christmas
Christmas Morning- Jim Babjak's Buzzed Meg Christmas Songs
It's Always Christmas At My House- Huntingtons Santa Claus & The Power Pop Criminals
^Father Christmas- The Kinks Father Christmas 7"
December 25th- Desmond Reed Xmas Redux Three
Xmas Song- Rash Of Stabbings Xmas Song
She Feels Like Christmas Day- The Critics Yuletunes
Merry Xmas Everybody- Slade Merry Christmas Everybody
Underneath The Christmas Tree- Bill Lloyd Yuletunes
*Xmas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It)- The Dogmatics A Midnight Christmas Mess
*Christmastime Here (Could Never Be Like That)- Wednesday Week A Midnight Christmas Mess
*Merry Christmas- Plan 9 A Midnight Christmas Mess
*Christmas Dance- Johnny Rabb A Midnight Christmas Mess
Christmas Vacation- Descendents I Don't Wanna Grow Up
All The Right Reasons- Dressy Bessy Little Music
Holiday Spirit- The dB's Christmas Time
Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas- Eels Useless Trinkets...
Join Us For Christmas- AlternativA A Night In Starlight
Joseph, Who Understood- The New Pornographers The Spirit Of Giving
>She's Coming Home- The Wailers Merry Christmas
Christmas On The Beach- Irene Swedesplease Christmas Mix
The Elf Song- The Vacancies A Blackheart Christmas
Christmas With You- The Spring Collection Santa Claus and The Power Pop Criminals
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't- Osaka Popstar Osaka Popstar and The American Legends of Punk
Christmas In New York- Kyf Brewer It's About Christmas
Christmas Is My Favorite Time- The Malibus Keep An Eye On...
The Christmas Wish- Kermit The Frog A Christmas Together

^Power Pop Peak: 1977 (Didn't chart but I remember hearing it on rock radio)

*SacroSet: A Midnight Christmas Mess

>Power Pop Prototype: 1965

Here's a cool thing- type "rock and roll Santa" into Google images and you'll have a wide variety of pictures and clip art to choose from. It was a tough choice, but I went with the picture above because there's something about the way he's positioned his back leg that I find hilarious.


I'm lucky that Christmas has always been a happy time in my life. When I was a kid my dad would drive the family to Boston to see Santa. We'd park in the garage under Boston Common and step out of the elevator into a Christmas wonderland- it seemed like every tree was festooned with a thousand lights. From the Common it was a short walk to the Jordan Marsh department store. My mother told me that the "real" Santa was at Jordan Marsh and all the others were "helpers." The line to see Santa seemed endless but we were patient because there was so much to see in his Enchanted Village.  You'd get your first taste of the Enchanted Village in the display windows outside. Each window featured a tableau of moving figures in some winter or Christmas activity. This was nothing compared to the larger Enchanted Village on the sixth floor of the store. It was a walk through this magical old-timey town all done up for Christmas.

Like a lot of kids, I was initially freaked out by the people in the Enchanted Village, especially the children. Yet, I think this initial fear only added to their allure later on because I still remember several scenes today. The ceiling lit like a starry night sky also made a lasting impression. (Interestingly, I have no memory of the "eight set Lionel electric train display" mentioned in Wikipedia.)

The Enchanted Village closed in 1972, when I was eight years old so it's amazing that I remember anything about it. Macy's, which bought Jordan Marsh, Filene's and seemingly every other department store in America, resurrected the Enchanted Village for a few years in the 90's before the city took it over. It now resides at the Jordan's Furniture store in Avon, which I find ironic because for years Barry and Elliott of Jordan's ended their radio commercials with "not to be confused with Jordan Marsh."

This is my third Christmas radio show, the second named "The All Kindsa Girls Christmas Crush." In the past I've tried to stick mostly to positive Christmas songs but this year I decided I would open it up to darker music. This decision lead to the selection of Midnight Records' A Midnight Christmas Mess for tonight's SacroSet. I used to love going to the Midnight Records store on West 23rd Street in New York City, right across the street from the Chelsea Hotel. The store opened in 1978 and was owned by this French guy named J.D. He sold all kinds of underground rock and roll, but specialized in psychedelic and garage rock, stocking a lot of European imports you couldn't get anywhere else. The store's success lead to a record label and the 1984 album A Midnight Christmas Mess.

Maybe it's a New York thing, but a lot of the songs on the record are pretty bleak, from LA group Wednesday Week's

The Dogmatics

yearning for a New York City Christmas to Plan 9's lament about homeless old people and hungry children. My favorite song on the record is Boston band The Dogmatics' "Xmas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It):"

It's the 20th of December
The rain is coming down
Kenmore Square's deserted now
The college kids have left town
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time

Down in Filene's Basement
I'm shopping for a friend
A holiday is nothing
If you have no money to spend
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time

Standing in front of the Pine Street
You got nowhere to go
Your standing there on the sidewalk
Your feet are getting cold
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time

The Christmas lights on The Common
They don't look so pretty to me
There's no such thing as peace on earth
Peace and harmony
And it sure don't feel Christmas time
It sure doesn't feel like Christmas time Oh no....

Growing older you realize that Christmas is a hard time for a lot of people and this song brings the point home. The line about "standing in front of the Pine Street" really gets me. The Pine Street Inn is the oldest homeless shelter in Boston. Since 1980 it has occupied the old central fire station, an iconic piece of Boston architecture thanks to a 156 foot tower that looks like a medieval castle and is clearly visible from Rt. 93, the main road to the south. Whenever I'm in town the Inn tower reminds me that while a lot of people are suffering, there are also people who've made it their life's work to help.

Here's wishing you an Enchanted Village Christmas along with hope for a better tomorrow to those having a Pine Street Inn Christmas.

Download link for this week's show is below (Right click and "Save Link As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #70 CHRISTMAS CRUSH

Show #69 November 26, 2011

For Dianalee... with a big thanks to friends past and present!

Dianalee- Nerf Herder IV
I Wanna Thank You- Sloan Navy Blues
Blame It On The Kids- The Pets Misdirection
Formal Letter- The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers
Second Hand Man- John Keaney Nashpop: A Nashville Pop Compilation
Ash & Earth- Velvet Crush In The Presence Of Greatness
New Promotion- Hubble Bubble Hubble Bubble
Everywhere- Translator The Best Of 415 Records
^Thank U Very Much- The Scaffold Thank U Very Much
Can't Hardly Wait (Tim Version)- The Replacements All For Nothing
Lipstick- Advertising Advertising Jingles
One Look At You -The Smithereens 2011
Rustle- The Tories Wonderful Life
If It's Not Too Much- The Keys The Keys Album
*Thank You- Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias Heads Down, No Nonsense, Mindless Boogie
*Thank You- Barry & The Remains The Remains
*Thank You- Lost In Kostko Extended Play
*Thank You- The Redwalls De Nova
*Thank You- Descendents Everything Sucks
Heaven- The Del-Lords Johnny Comes Marching Home
On Every Page- Jimmy Silva & The Goats Heidi
Niteliner- Urge Overkill Rock & Roll Submarine
Good As Gone- The Vacant Lot ...Because They Can
Out There In The Night- The Only Ones Special View
Runaway- The Adicts Smart Alex
>Thank You Friends- Big Star Big Star's 3rd: Sister Lovers
I Can't Do Anything- X-Ray Spex Germ Free Adolescents
Thanks- Arrows First Hit

^Power Pop Peak: #69 Billboard Hot 100 2/10/68

*SacroSet: Songs Called "Thank You"

>Power Pop Prototype: 1978

"Thank You For The Music," ABBA really hit the nail on the head with that one:

So I say
Thank you for the music,
the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it,
I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

Not a day goes by that I don't listen to or think about music- it has been a constant presence in my life. My friend Ted Maguire called in tonight and when asked what he was thankful for, "music" was his immediate response. I've known Ted since high school and it was music that brought us together. Same story with my friends Frank and Jim. (In fact Ted, Frank and Jim were also the first people I was in a band with back in the Maguire's basement in Duxbury.) Cousin Rich is a blood relative but music has always been our common language as well.

The bands I loved were a huge part of my identity growing up. My music tastes painted a picture of how I wanted to see myself and be seen by other people. I was a shy kid so I let the music do the talking. Rather than join the ranks of Springsteen and J. Geils Band fans, however, my friends and I loved The Ramones, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Buzzcocks, etc. While our love of this music set us apart from 99.9% of our high school classmates, it also helped forge life long friendships. And really, how many friends do you really need?

Another important factor in my friendship with Ted, Frank and Jim was their rejection of drugs, alcohol and using the word "party" as a verb. This further distanced us from our high school peers. I had started drinking and smoking pot years earlier at age twelve but at sixteen I'd had enough. This lead to a falling out with my best friend Paul, which was hard because I didn't have many friends at school. I'd "quit" before (it was what you said for two weeks after getting busted by your parents), but this time it stuck, largely because I had started hanging out in Ted's basement. My new friends all had their own drunk stories but mocked Duxbury High School's drinking culture and our classmates who seemed to make obtaining/consuming alcohol their life's work (as I had six months earlier).

Interestingly, I've only known one woman who was as wholeheartedly devoted to music as Ted, Jim, Frank, Cousin Rich and I. One woman who could fiercely debate a band's worthiness or spend as much time in a record store. One woman who would fight her way up to the front row at a show no matter how gnarly the mosh pit. I met Michelle my first week at Emerson College in Boston. She made quite an impression: spiked hair, leather jacket, punk rock t-shirt, bondage pants, combat boots, and a f**k you attitude that could peel paint. Michelle loved hardcore (Discharge, Minor Threat, Battalion of Saints, etc.) which was new music to me at the time (I had Black Flag's Jealous Again, but that was about it). She was a sophomore and had been at all the 1981 hardcore shows at Gallery East and the Media Workshop. The local hardcore scene received national exposure the following year with the release of the album This Is Boston, Not LA on Newbury Comics' Modern Method label.

Michelle and I had a mutual friend named Howard, a ranting English contrarian sophomore. Just as he had turned his back on the music he brought from home freshman year (famously throwing a Spandau Ballet single out the 8th floor window of the Charlesgate dorm), Howard was done with hardcore a few months after I got to school. Luckily for me, I was there to stop further vinyl destruction and he gave me his singles by Minor Threat, SOA, Infa Riot, Anti-Pasti, Discharge, The Necros and a few other bands. I would see several of these groups play in the coming months, often buying more singles from members of the band out of their van after a show. It was very exciting taking the T out to some middle of nowhere teen center or VA hall (hardcore was first and foremost all ages music) with Michelle, Howard and a few other friends to see some band tear it up. Minor Threat were the best, The Meatmen were the funniest and Boston's Proletariat were the most intense.

I doubt I would have had the strength to keep my high school no drugs or alcohol pledge in college if Michelle and Howard hadn't been devoted adherents to the Straight Edge philosophy introduced by Washington D.C.'s Minor Threat in 1981. I was inspired by songs like "Straight Edge:"

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and smoke dope
'Cause I know I can cope
Laugh at the thought of eating ludes
Laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
Always gonna keep in touch
Never want to use a crutch
I've got the straight edge

and "Out of Step"

Don't smoke
Don't drink
Don't f**k
At least I can f**king think

I can't keep up
Can't keep up
Can't keep up
Out of step with the world

As the songs show, Straight Edge means no drinking, smoking, drugs or promiscuity. The funny thing was that by the time I got to Boston in 1982, a lot of the kids with Straight Edge X's on their hands on the cover of This Is Boston, Not L.A. had gone back to drinking and smoking pot. There were even rumors that Springa, lead singer of Boston Straight Edge stalwarts SS Decontrol, dropped acid. In any case, my new friends at Emerson remained loyal to the Straight Edge, helping me do the same. While I bet few use drugs, I may be the only one of my Duxbury or college friends that continues to avoid alcohol (admittedly I fudged it a little on the "no casual sex" tenet in my early 20's). I haven't thought of myself as "Straight Edge" in 25 years yet, while the superiority complex and preaching are long gone, the label pretty much still applies today.

Talking about my wife Jaime in the last post I referenced taking the "terrifying plunge into 'more than just friends.'" It's terrifying because the stakes are so high- if the newly defined relationship doesn't work out, you could lose a close friend. I learned this the hard way with Michelle at Emerson. My closest friend freshman year, by that Spring she wanted to take the relationship to the next level. I really cared for Michelle, just not in the same way but I went along with it anyway. Even writing this today, I have no idea why I did, because it was a colossal mistake. Over the summer I brought her home to Duxbury and got a stern talking to from my father about my "foul-mouthed girlfriend" (Dad was okay with her combat boots, but nobody drops the f-bomb in front of my mom). In August I broke up with Michelle, over the phone no less, and it was AWFUL. We tried to rekindle our friendship at school in September but it was awkward as hell, especially when I started seeing my next girlfriend Sue around Christmas.

The next year I heard Michelle's mom won the Massachusetts Megabucks lottery for $16 million or so. Despite my friend Carl's assertion that she was going to hire a hit man to kill me, I was happy for Michelle and her mother. About five years after this I was walking down Boylston Street with Jaime when she made a comment about "the homeless girl up ahead." Much to Jaime's dismay, I responded "oh, I used to go out with her." Sure enough, it was Michelle, though what Jaime had mistaken for "homeless" garb was actually high-end fashion. All kidding aside, I feel lucky that I don't have many regrets in life, but I'm ashamed of the way I treated Michelle. Who knows, had I been a better friend we still might be arguing about music today.

I've known many people who seemed to love music when they were younger (I've always thought of the musical "sweet spot" as age 16-24) but their interest in music has fallen off over the years. I know this is not the case with Ted, Frank, Jim and Cousin Rich and I bet the same goes for Michelle. Tastes may evolve but our overall passion and commitment to music remains consistent. So to all my Duxbury and Emerson friends I dedicate tonight's Power Pop Prototype, Big Star's "Thank You Friends:"

Thank you, friends
Wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you
I'm so grateful
For all the things you helped me do
All the ladies and gentlemen
Who made this all so probable

Thank you, friends
I rejoice to the skies
Dear ones like you, the best I do
As far as can see my eyes
All you ladies and gentlemen
Who made this all so probable

Without my friends I got chaos
I'm off in a bead of light
Without my friends I'd be swept up by the wind

Thank you, friends (thank you, again)
Dear dear friends (I wanna thank you again)

You can download tonight's show below (Right click and "Save Target As")
Hour 1
Hour 2

Show #68 November 12, 2011

 

For Dolly in Ye Olde Boston Towne.... 

 

Dolly- The Lyres On Fyre 

Talking About The Weekend- Seventeen A Flashing Blur Of Stripped Down Excitement 

Johanna Beach- Hawaii Mud Bombers Mondo Primo 

She's Only Cool- Cotton Mather Kontiki 

Words- The A's The A's 

Late Nights with the Power Pop- Matthew Sweet Modern Art 

Runaround- The Lambrettas Beat Boys In The Jet Age 

Ain't No Use In Tryin'- The Finders Calling Dr. Powerpop

 ^Just What I Needed- The Cars The Cars 

Losing Your Cool- Paul Collins King Of Power Pop 

Still Around- Slaters The Big Black Bug Bled Black Blood 

Noisy Song- Cute Lepers Adventure Time 

The Devil Has Work For Idle Hands- Psycotic Pineapple Where's The Party 

Every Time I Ask You Out- D-Day Too Young To Date 7"

*At The Rat- Willie Loco Alexander Boom Boom Band Live At The Rat 

*I Don't Want To Know Your Name- Susan Live At The Rat 

*Boy From Nowhere- DMZ Live At The Rat 

*Better Be Good- The Real Kids Live At The Rat

Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart- Fountains Of Wayne Sky Full Of Holes 

Nights With You- The Heats Have An Idea 

Don't Tell Her- City Lights Blackout EP 

How Much More- The Go-Go's Beauty And The Beat 

Rebel Rousers- The Reactions Love You E.P. 7" 

Rachel Rachel- Richard Taylor Rachael Rachael EP

 ^Rendezvous- The Sidewinders The Sidewinders 

Just A Number- The Last Stand Shake Some Action Vol 1 (UK) 

Bear With Me All The Way- Van Duren Idiot Optimism

The Seeker- Sunnyboys Love To Rule EP 

Suburban Paradise- The Agents Need The Girl EP 

Blame It On The Kids- The Pets Misdirection 

The Fenway- Jonathan Richman Rockin' & Romance

 

^Power Pop Peak:  #8 Billboard Hot 100 9/27/19

 

*SacroSet: Live At The Rat 

 

^Power Pop Prototype: 1972 

 

Nostalgia is funny.  It's one thing to pine for an earlier time in your life but you know you're getting older when you yearn for a place that doesn't even exist anymore.  I remember my dad reminiscing about Scollay Square in Boston: freak shows, boxing matches, vaudeville comedy acts and especially the burlesque houses he was always trying to sneak into as a kid. In the mid-70's a guy named Rik Tinory released a song called "Remember Ol' Scollay Square" that includes the verse:

 

Remember ol' Scollay Square All the dancin' ladies were there Doin' bumps and grinds, people in long lines 

Remember ol' Scollay Square Four ladies chain across the ring 

Turn and chain them right back home again  

Promenade go 2 by 2 I sure hope that you 

Remember good ol' Scollay Square 

 

Scollay Square was bulldozed in the 60's to make way for the godforsaken hellscape of Government Center, an excellent example of Soviet era architecture, only less warm.  In fact, on wind chill days I believe it is among the coldest places on the planet. 

Jonathan Richman sums it up in his song "Government Center:"

 

Well we've got alot alot of hard work today

We gotta rock at the government center

To make the secretaries feel better

When they put those stamps on the letters

 

We won't stop until we see secretaries smile 

And see some office boys jump up for joy 

We'll tell old Mr. Ayhern, "Calm down a while,  

Sir, that's the only way the center is ever gonna get better" 

 

Replacing Scollay Square with Government Center- now that's adding insult to injury.  All these years later, I know what my father was feeling when he talked about Scollay Square because that is exactly how I feel about Kenmore Square today. 

 

One of the things that helped me endure the suburban high school torment was thinking about moving to Boston for college. Cousin Rich and I had been making monthly record buying pilgrimages to Boston for years and I couldn't wait to live there.  From Fensgate, a former hotel that was my Emerson College dorm, it was a short walk to Kenmore Square, home at one time to record stores New England Music City (a chain, but one that sold singles by Boston rock bands), Planet Records (a cool indie store where Barrence Whitfield was often working behind the counter), Strawberries (a lame chain store), and Nuggets (a past its prime institution that remarkably is still there). Kenmore Square was also home to my favorite pizza place, Captain Nemo's. Of all these landmarks however, the one I was most excited about was Boston's infamous rock & roll club The Rathskellar a.k.a. The Rat. 

 

After discovering The Real Kids first album (which included my radio show's namesake song "All Kindsa Girls"), Cousin Rich and I went looking for more and soon discovered Live At The Rat. The record had come out in 1976 and included all of the great Boston rock & roll bands of the time (the word "punk" hadn't caught on yet and in any case, never felt right with this music). Live At The Rat kicks off with an introduction from Boston college radio legend Oedipus (who went on to program powerhouse commercial rock station WBCN) and Godfather of Boston Rock Willie "Loco" Alexander (who replaced Lou Reed in a late era Velvet Underground incarnation). An amazing document of its era, Live At The Rat is in my opinion far superior to New York counterpart Live At CBGB's, which didn't include the leading lights of the its scene (Ramones, Blondie, Television, Dictators, etc.) as they had already been signed to major labels. In fact, Live At The Rat preceded debut releases of The Real Kids, Willie "Loco" & The Boom Boom Band, Thundertrain, and the amazing DMZ (pictured below on The Rat stage).  

Reading in The Boston Globe about 2am street fights between patrons of The Rat and the disco across Comm Ave (called "Narcissus"- what a perfect name), in what the paper dubbed "The Battle For Kenmore Square," only added to its infamy. This was in the late 70's before my time, but The Rat was still standing when I got to town in 1982 and I'm proud to say my band No Idea played there several times:  

No Idea was Pete Levine (bass, vocals), Frank Prosl (drums, vocals), Jim Harris (lead guitar) and me on rhythm guitar/lead vocals. (After seeing The Clash in hats in the London Calling photo sessions I started wearing them on on stage). It was incredible playing at The Rat- the sound and lights were fantastic for a club that size. If sound man Granny and the light guy were in the right mood, you could have an amazing show. Those light banks on the side you can see in the top pictures were brighter than the sun and you could actually feel the heat on your face- what an incredible feeling. 

 

The last time I was on stage at The Rat was in 1989 or so. I was playing bass in a band that was listed as "Gravel Pit" though Carl the drummer and I had never agreed to the name (which another Boston band used later on). We were first up on the bill at a reunion show of Boston Rock heroes Unnatural Axe and it was an incredible show. My mom came, so did my girlfriend Lisa and "work friend" Jaime (who would soon replace Lisa) as well as this anal retentive friend Jaime dragged along. Seeing The Rat through the eyes of Jaime's friend really reminded me what an underground cavernous, urine-smelling, sh*thole my beloved club really was- after a while I'd just forgotten. The best part was when this woman had to go to the bathroom, dragging Jaime with her of course, they found the toilet overflowing with the seat broken in half and sticking up out of the bowl! (I LOVE that story.) 

 

 

Jaime and I went to The Rat many times. In fact our terrifying plunge into the abyss called "more than just friends" was after a Zulus show in December 1989 ("first kiss to first $%*$ in 45 seconds" she later joked).  The Rat was even part of our wedding as my bachelor party started at the Hoodoo Barbecue, the restaurant upstairs. 

 

Boooooooo!

 

The Rat closed in 1997, replaced by monstrosity The Hotel Commonwealth.  While the hotel isn't as ugly as Government Center, it pretty much completed the gutting Kenmore Square started by the Barnes & Noble @ Boston University store (enveloping the space once occupied by the disco Narcissus).

Mr. Butch in front of Captain Nemo's

B.U. cops even "relocated" Mr. Butch, a homeless dude dubbed"The King Of Kenmore Square," to Allston. Unlike Scollay Square, Kenmore Square still technically exists, yet it is a mere shadow of its former self. Even so, I'm thankful for The Rat, Captain Nemo's, Planet Records, Mr. Butch and all the unforgettable times I had there. 

 

Rather than end this post on a downer, I'll conclude with the
lyrics to the first song in tonight's SacroSet: Willie "Loco" Alexander & The Boom Boom Band's "At The Rat." 

 

(spoken) "You know this song's about Boston. Boston Rock & Roll started right here with Barry & The Remains back in 1965. The stage used to be over there but it's here now and we're still here...so is rock & roll in Boston." 

 

Down in Kenmore I saw her standing there at The Rat  

She took off my hat sat down on my lap at The Rat  

She was my B.U. baby and I don't mean maybe at The Rat 

  

Under the Citgo sign she was looking so fine at The Rat 

Everybody goes crazy baby save me save me at The Rat  

Down in Kenmore Square, all the bands play there at The Rat 

 

(spoken: "Don't they now, oh everybody sing!") 

 

Let's go to The Rat (4x)  

Down in Kenmore Square, all the bands play there at The Rat Oh yeah, oh yeah 

Here's the link to stream this show, to download, right click and "Save Link As:"

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #68