III

I guess Conservative Punk would rather kiss neo-con ass rather than write a tribute for the "godfather of punk".

Hilly Kristal part II

Sure enough one equally politically-correct group has printed a tribute to Hilly. Sheesh, about the only difference between politically-correct groups is one is "anti-bigotry" and the other is sneeringly pro-war and pro-pollution.

Hill Kristol

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/29/america/NA-GEN-US-Obit-Hilly-Kristal.php

So he's dead. I'll bet the scum at ConservativePunk.com will write a 21-gun ass-kissing tribute for him. About how he "stopped Communism", no doubt.

Hilly Kristol lived for you. He died for you. He has seen the madness in your area...

Zoo

Just saw this docu-drama about men with apparently a bit of an attachment to animals, particularily horses. More specifically about the infamous "Mr. Hands" case. (I myself having seen one of the Mr. Hands films...) It's beautifully shot -- no, you don't see any horse action, hee-hee! -- with a rather annoying soundtrack. It's a bit silly when these people start to justify their debauched interests. But this sordid story does have plenty of dark spots...

Ike Yard

These days I haven't been able to buy records. Not much happening these days anyways. But after Tony Wilson's death I've been digging up various Factory reissues I've had in my collection for years. Also had been on Yahoo trying to find more info on Factory, what went wrong, etc.

I remember when the Ike Yard reissue came out on Acute and Brainwashed.com had some samples that I thought sounded terrible at the time. But only more recently I heard some longer clips of the band and they sounded alright, despite repeated comparisons to DAF (who I've always hated!) I'd say they're closer to Factrix than that really, or Suicide... So last night I plunked down $12 for the CD. And it looks as though they got back together for a new album(!)

That saying it's probably the last thing Factory-wise I'm getting, as I have all the Factory music I need. After hearing Tunnelvision on My Space. (Yecch!)

Today's music is too loud

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/xl/2006/09/28cover.html

Tony Wilson

I know I'm a little late talking about him. But I did have a fondness for early Factory Records stuff. Always had cover art that looked like Modern Art, and the music equally so. But if Factory ended like a dwindling party, then I couldn't stay. (Saying that as I never lived in Manchester England at the time...) Eventually things got dancy-er and Wilson wasted capital on things like the Hacienda and Happy Mondays. But you know all that.

Of course in the 70s and 80s nothing was really happening music-wise except Manchester, London and New York -- as well as other large cities had some good stuff going on. The past two decades have seen punk going mainstream and music with too much treble for it to be listenable. What have we got close to this legacy? Interpol? They may have had one good single or two but otherwise hollow...

Oh well. I imagine if there really is an afterlife Tony is at a bar with Ian Curtis while Billie Holliday is singing and Martin Hannett is at the sound deck...

Confessions of a 9-11 hitman?

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/rnr/389756978.html

Disgusting!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20070810/hl_hsn/cosmeticsurgerytvshowsgetviewerspondering

Republican Coward

http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20070807/co_po/flarepboballenfearmademeoffersex;_ylt=Ah_xXn9WjbDQOJGe7mGjEy4E1vAI

Above The Ruins

So all the ballyhoo that Stewart Home spewed about Sol Invictus only made me play that Above The Ruins album a few times. So it's mostly Joy Division/Magazine inspired fare about three years after that style died down. Frankly I found little of anything explicitly nazi about this record -- maybe "Progress" hints at some kind of rebellion and mentions "Marxism" but that's about it. Of course I only heard two songs by No Remorse -- err, "Adolf Hitler" being mundane three-cord punk with some half-decent solo guitar, and some boring tribute to Ian Stuart with cack "classic rock" guitar that made me think of a nazi John Cougar Mellon-dreck(!) Oi Vey...

Frank De Blaze

Is there any kind of cack-handled white-trash rock he doesn't like? Like his write-up in City on Midnight Creepers. On his description I was expecting something like the Brainbombs but hearing MC's My Space page it sounded like the same old punk-by-numbers. Are the Brainbombs the only true punk band left standing? Who seem to know punk is more than three chords and shite production with the treble turned up?

Defining Chutzpah

by Norman Finkelstein. Couldn't finish this book -- just made me too angry, though obviously not at Finkelstein!

Like father like son

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_on_re_eu/amin_s_son

Who said Zionism was a bad thing?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2140816,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

Stewart Home

Isn't it funny how some critics and writers turn their backs on something they once gave lip-service to? Like punk rock. I know that's old news but also not so old is his 180 degree turn on Death In June. Like I really give a fuck if Sol Invictus shared a member with bonehead band No Remorse. There's much worse things happening in the world now as it is...

Y'know I don't really like much of that yawnsome "neo-folk" stuff, much less the dumb apes that make up today's skinhead music (hate-core or whatever else they call themselves...) But I still like Death In June. At least they're more than just something designed to be controversal.