Vintage Violence

The Love Man

King Rocker

Butthole Surfers 'Dust Devil'

Anthrax on Married with Children

Good Lord, I’m even starting to bore myself by continuously harking back to the halcyon days of movies and TV in the 80’s/90’s, bemoaning the murder of prosthetic make up and special FX by the evil CGI companies, and the lack of great comic character based sit-coms like Sledgehammer and Married With Children.

It was when I was taking the load off my mind by browsing through the hundreds of classic Al Bundy clips on youtube this week that I happened upon a classic episode of Married With Children that had completely escaped my memory. The episode ‘My Dinner with Anthrax’ saw stunted loser kid Bud Bundy win a radio competition to have classic thrash band Anthrax come over to his house to play at a party he’s organised during Al and Peggy’s anniversary vacation to Florida. A massive snow storm ensures that the only people who make it to the throwdown are Bud, Kelly and weirdly hot next door neighbour Marcy, who the guys from Anthrax think is a dude. Anthrax try to skip the date, but Bud holds them to the contract, so after getting high consuming some of Peggy’s “food” from the fridge, the band play ‘In My World’ and trash the house. We’re talking bottles over heads, guitars through drywall and Al’s beloved Highschool Football Trophies getting annihilated.

“You kids should be ashamed of yourselves, throwing a party while I was stuck down in a swamp having sex with your mother!” Al Bundy.

Nina Simone Biopic on the Way

Nina Simone is to be the latest music legend to get the Hollywood treatment, with filming due to start on ‘Nina’ this autumn. Simone, for those unfamiliar with the details, was a multi talented singer and musician, who skipped through and conquered varied genres like a kid playing hopscotch. Most associated with Jazz, Simone was dabbled in soul, R&B, classical, folk, gospel and op with effortless class and grace. She was also a vociferous Civil Rights activist, supporting violent action more in line with the Panthers and the Nation of Islam, that with peaceful integration approach of Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, she openly discussed her wish that her people arm themselves and form their own state!

Following a divorce from her husband/manager, Simone returned from a stint in Barbados to find herself with a huge US tax bill in the 70’s. Skipping town to avoid paying the bill, she fled back to Barbados (where she had an affair with the Prime Minister), before moving on to Europe, seeing out her final days in France. Diagnosed with breast cancer, Nina Simone passed in her sleep on the 21^st of April 2003.

A pretty worthy story to tell, especially considering that Nina was diagnosed as being schizophrenic, then bi polar, in the 60’s. A look back over ‘The High Priestess of Soul’s’ career, many wonder whether living through these conditions may have steered her remarkable life down the route that zigzagged from genre to genre and country to country, through extreme and public views on race and integration, to a final lap in exile.

Oh yeah, they’ve booked Mary J Blige in to play her. They’ll make her “ugly”, she’ll win an Oscar.

New Jimmy Page Book from Genesis

Led Zep guitarist and actual Rock God Jimmy Page is the latest in a selected line of celebrated talents to get the Limited Edition treatment from Genesis Publishing. Genesis, if you don’t know, creates exquisite limited edition, lovingly made and depressingly priced, signed autobiographical photo books. Jimmy joins the publishers list that includes Clapton, Bowie, Spielberg, Richards and Shankar, who have all featured in the celebrated series. For Jimmy’s part, his handcrafted tome features 650 unseen pictures from his personal archive, bound lovingly in leather and Perspex, with a silk and leather slipcase to keep it in the condition that a £395.00 book should remain in.

Got the Bones to spare? Go buy it HERE and then come around to mine so I can shed a tear over its beauty.

'Hey Jude' Flowchart

by Sarah Goldblatt

Download: Underworld ‘Scribble’

Essex boys Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, aka Brit dance legends Underworld are back in business with their first work in 3 years. ‘Scribble’, from their 6^th studio album out this summer, is a free offering from the boys and co-producer High Contrast, and it’s waiting for you now over at www.underworldlive.com .

Download: The Cure ‘Alternative Rarities 1988 – 1989’

Painted Goth legends The Cure are shaping up for release of a loaded Deluxe Edition of ‘Disintegration’, their eighth studio album, by launching www.thecuredisintegration.com, where they’ve offered up a stack of demos, pictures, liner notes and a stream of 2 new songs ‘Tuned Out On RTV5’ and ‘Fuknnotfunk’.

More interestingly, they’re also streaming a rarities album of unheard demos and live tracks, which some naughty boys over at  Chain of Flowers have put up for a sneaky download. If you are feeling equally fiendish, you can get it HERE.

Check below for the tracklistings.

NWA ‘Straight Outta Compton’: Expletive Only Mix!

Like your Gangsta Rap tough? Ever thought that NWA’s seminal game changer ‘Straight Outta Compton’ is a little weak, a bit soft? Wanna hear it with everything BUT the explicit content edited out?

You’re in luck Player! Go Here!!

Happy Birthday Stevie Wonder!

Welcome Out Gucci Mane

Gucci Mane was today released from The Big House after serving 6 months of a 1 year sentence for a "parole violation'; a stint that halted his snowballing career last year following the release of awesome 'The State vs Radrick Davis".

The task for 'Gucci Gucc' is to now try and regain some of the momentum that he built up before his incarceration. Step One of his plan: set up new label '1017 Brick Squad', a partnership with Warners and Asylum. Step Two: Form a new group with point men OJ Da Juiceman and Waka Flocka Flame called 'Brick Squad'.

Step 3: Stop calling everything "Brick Squad" and hurry up and release 'The Appeal', Goddamitt!!!!

Johnny Marr’s Guitar Collection

Manchester’s untouchable holy guitar man Johnny Marr may have teamed up with a complete asshole to form one of Britain’s finest pop groups ever in the 80’s, but his work rate as a hired gun since The Smiths dissolution in ’87 has largely passed without the fanfare his body of work deserves. A roll call of acts he’s recorded, produced and performed with: The Pretenders, Billy Bragg, Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, Oasis, The Petshop Boys, Black Grape, Jane Birkin, Talking Heads, Bryan Ferry, Kraftwerk, Crowded House, Simple Minds, Beck, Tom Jones, Girls Aloud, Pearl Jam, John Frusciante, The Cult, Sandie Shaw, Everything But The Girl, Tom Jones and The Cribs!

Over at Johnny’s official site, he’s giving you the chance to cast your eye over his “Guitarchestra”, a guided tour through a collection of guitars that he’s used throughout his impressive career, with insights on each. Check it here at www.johnny-marr.com

Free Omar Rodriguez Lopez & John Frusciante Album Download

Former At The Drive-In and current Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez Lopez is a machine. Volta albums, touring, side projects, solo albums, film production; the guy’s got a serious engine under his hood. A few years back, Rodriguez Lopez got friendly with RHCP guitarist John Frusciante, birthing a 7 track album, which the happy parents are now giving away ‘gratis’. There is an option for you to “pay what you like” however, with resulting $$$ going towards the ‘Keep Music in Schools’ programme. Get over to Omar’s site at www.rodriguezlopezproductions.com to make your choice.

Watch: Crass ‘There is No Authority but Yourself’

Crass? Yeah, that band of crusty Anarcho-punks that lived in a commune, graffitied the London Underground, conned that teen-girl magazine into carrying one of their songs as a cover mount flexi-disc, released a fake tape of a Thatcher/Regan phone conversation to the press, got Rough Trade employees to slot their records inside the sleeves of other bands at their distro warehouse, financed a Anarchist centre in London, squatted at the Zig-Zag Club, promised to break up in 1984 and did so at a tiny miners benefit gig in Aberdare, Wales.

Crass lived for seven furious years, a constant thorn in the side of Thatcher’s government, gave themselves a shelf life and died on cue. What better subject for a documentary? Too late, the Dutch made one in 2006.

Watch ‘There is No Authority but Yourself’ in its entirety below, and get Penny Rimbaud, Steve Ignorant and co’s autobiographical history of the band, their views on David Beckham’s Gaulitier designed ‘Crass’ t-shirt and how through their Thatchergate tape, they managed to leak top secret information on the sinking of the HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War and their subsequent courting by the KGB.

‘I Need That Record’ Trailer

Brendan Toller’s documentary ‘I Need That Record’ finds misty eyed musicians like Ian MacKaye, Mike Watt, Thurston More and (surprisingly) Noam Chomsky harking back to the good old days when their local stores were the hub of the artistic community, and lambasting the state of play which has seen the near extinction of the indie store.

Initially released on a limited DVD run for Record Store Day, ‘I Need That Record’ sold well enough to warrant an upcoming release through the US Major Chains; ironically the exact corporate giants that the film takes pot-shots at, hanging the blame for the decline of the independent record store at their doors.

Why not release the DVD exclusively through independent shops the second time around and actually back up the films holier than thou posturing? Why not CLICK HERE and ask Brendan for yourself?

Download: Game: Red Room Mixtape

Game! 20 Tracks! DJ Skee! Fabolous! Jadakiss! Jim Jones! Lil Wayne! Birdman! Busta Rhymes! Diddy! Bizzy Bone! Hurricane Chris! Nipsey Hussle! Free!

Download Here!

ArcAttack Will Blow Your Minds

The unbelievable video above is a performance by Texas based collective ArcAttack, performing with 2 custom built Tesla Coils and a robotic drumkit (out of shot), at this year’s SXSW Festival. Dressed in a chain mail Faraday Suit, Patrick ‘Parsec’ Brown passes back and forth through ½ Million Volt sparks, musically manipulating the electricity spewing from the Tesla Coils as his band play on in the background. Having taken 3 years to develop the technology, ArcAttack are now hitting the road with their show. Get your Dad to book them for your Bat Mitzvah, Kiddo!

www.arcattack.com

Henry & Glenn Forever

‘Henry & Glenn Forever’ tells the story of these two notoriously sweet rock dudes, as they navigate the rocky waters of their domestic relationship and come to terms with the inconsiderate antics of Satanist neighbours Hall & Oats. Billed as a “love story to end all love stories”, the back cover even features a lovely quote from Rollins himself “Has Glenn seen this? Trust me, he would not be impressed”.

‘Henry & Glenn Forever’ is written by (the soon to be murdered) Tom Neely and published by the stellar people over at Microcosm Publishing, “a nonprofit, collectively-run publisher and distributor of zines and related work”. Seriously, these guys rock at rock bottom prices. Head over to their store and check out their zine catalogue.