80s Punks / 00s Fedorans

[Salv]

That's what I'm talkin' bout.

I was discussing Stiff with a friend at work the other day, and we spent a while going through this exhaustive (and exhausting) Stiff discography. Of the first 40 or so Stiff singles the only ones I'm missing are Buy 13 - The Adverts' One Chord Wonders and Buy 23 - Ian Dury's Sweet Gene Vincent. What a great label!

The title of documentary (If It Ain't Stiff...) comes from a range of T-shirts that Stiff were selling, the politest of which read If It Ain't Stiff It Ain't No Use To No-One - the one I bought included the dreaded F-word...

 

[LizzieMaine]

You folks may as well be speaking some obscure dialect of Flemish.

I liked my dad's Glenn Miller records, and thought vintage was cool because I liked old movies almost obsessively.

But I did like Talking Heads. Er... were they in a "scene?"

My sentiments exactly -- I was a teenager in the late '70s, and I might as well have been living on another planet. We didn't have scenes in my town, except for the ones made by my uncle when he came home late smelling of booze...

I did own two Devo albums though. I was going thru a phase and thought the hats were neat.

 

[Salv]

I did own two Devo albums though. I was going thru a phase and thought the hats were neat.

Devo were a great band. They were one (in fact the first) of a whole slew of bands from Akron including The Numbers Band, The Bizarros, The Rubber City Rebels, Tin Huey, Jane Aire & The Belvederes, Rachel Sweet and The Waitresses. The "Akron sound" got a fair amount of press coverage in the UK, with Stiff signing Devo and Rachel Sweet and releasing a compilation album of Akron bands.

 

[Barry]

I saw Radio Birdman just a couple of weeks ago. It was their 7th show in the USA - not 7th this year/tour but 7th total. They were heavily influnced by the MC5 and the Stooges.

I had a great time listening to the "oldies" (their word not mine) and the new songs as well. I cannot say that I knew about them until the last several years - I heard a punk band from Sweden covering some of their songs in a medley.

Barry

 

[Senator Jack]

Don't rub it in, Barry. Was going out to see Birdman earlier this month, and had to cancel last minute.

Went to the English Beat ExSKAvatranza last night - though the only original member was Dave Wakeling. Lynval Golding of the Specials played with him and they had Pauline Black of The Selecter (who didn't sing enough songs). The last ska show I went to was Madness back in the late 90s and boy have things changed since then. Even the skinheads were polite and apologized for bumping into me. So while I was dancing I felt concious and had to apologize to everyone I knocked elbows with.

Great show, by the way, as they did all the best from the first album, plus the hits. They also did a few Specials songs, and Pauline Black did about five Selecter. We only had to sit through one Dave Wakeling 'this is the sort of crap I'm writing now' song, that most regrouped bands are fond of these days. (Like The Zombies.)

Would love to see that Stiff documentary. Wonder if there's an internet video link to it somewhere.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[jake431]

Don't rub it in, Barry. Was going out to see Birdman earlier this month, and had to cancel last minute.

Went to the English Beat ExSKAvatranza last night - though the only original member was Dave Wakeling. Lynval Golding of the Specials played with him and they had Pauline Black of The Selecter (who didn't sing enough songs). The last ska show I went to was Madness back in the late 90s and boy have things changed since then. Even the skinheads were polite and apologized for bumping into me. So while I was dancing I felt concious and had to apologize to everyone I knocked elbows with.

Great show, by the way, as they did all the best from the first album, plus the hits. They also did a few Specials songs, and Pauline Black did about five Selecter. We only had to sit through one Dave Wakeling 'this is the sort of crap I'm writing now' song, that most regrouped bands are fond of these days. (Like The Zombies.)

Would love to see that Stiff documentary. Wonder if there's an internet video link to it somewhere.

Regards,

Senator Jack

I toured with the Specials in the 90's when they released a new album. the bass player, Horace (who if memory serves wasn't an original member, I think he might have been in English Beat? I can't remember now) - nice guy and he loved himself some Denny's for no good reason.

-Jake

 

[Senator Jack]

There was Horace Panter and Sir Horace Gentleman. Were they the same guy?

Were you part of the opening act for The Specials, Jake?

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Barry]

I toured with the Specials in the 90's when they released a new album. the bass player, Horace (who if memory serves wasn't an original member, I think he might have been in English Beat? I can't remember now) - nice guy and he loved himself some Denny's for no good reason.

-Jake

That's pretty cool. I remember going to see the Special Beat (I think that's who they were at the time) at the 930 club in DC. This must have been 1990. Ranks up there with one of the best shows I have ever seen.

I did miss the recent tour with Dave Wakeling and I'm kicking myself for that.

This thread has brought back some great memories....

 

[jake431]

There was Horace Panter and Sir Horace Gentleman. Were they the same guy?

Were you part of the opening act for The Specials, Jake?

Regards,

Senator Jack

To be honest, not sure if they are the same guy - we're talking 1997-98 here, and the details from this far vantage point are a bit fuzzy to me. But yes, my band, the Eclectics, was the opening act. The Denny's conversation I remember took place in Portland, Maine for whatever reason. I was fortunate to get a chance to tour with some good bands - The Specials, The Skatalites, some okay bands - Bim Skala Bim (great guys though) and whole slew of other not at all traditional ska bands (as we were not traditional either).

Sorry for the OT digression...

-Jake

 

[jake431]

That's pretty cool. I remember going to see the Special Beat (I think that's who they were at the time) at the 930 club in DC. This must have been 1990. Ranks up there with one of the best shows I have ever seen.

I did miss the recent tour with Dave Wakeling and I'm kicking myself for that.

This thread has brought back some great memories....

The 930 club was a great place to play in DC.

-Jake

 

[deanglen]

It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.


dean

 

[jake431]

It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.


dean

Thank you, Bon Scott. We miss you.

-Jake

 

[MudInYerEye]

I lived, ate, and breathed hardcore from 1983-1988. It saved my life. I went to two or three shows a week during that period. I still retain many friends from them bygone days. I treasure the memories.

 

[Lee Lynch]

Okay, I know there are more than a few of us that are from this era and scene. The trailer brought me back to my youth. Who's going to see it?


http://www.sonyclassics.com/americanhardcore/

Regards,

Senator Jack

I might see it on my own time, and subject no one else to it, lol. Still a fan of the Misfits, S.O.D., Dead Kennedies, early Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc. I can't stand what is considered "punk" now...it's all a parody of punk, and very fake.

Most of my musical time is now spent with classical, though.

 

[Elaina]

I came via goth too. Back in the Goodwill Grunge days, I ran across 15 dresses from the 30's-40's for $5. And I wore them to school, and I never really went back.

Except for the 20's flapper stage I went through.

My brother is 10 years older and was the poster boy for 80's punk...and is a Hell's Angel now. I don't think he owns a suit. He turned into a grup.

Elaina

 

[Salv]

If anyone is interested in seeing the Stiff documentaries I mentioned earlier PM me as I may be able to help.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I’m definitely going to see American Hardcore, I’ve always loved this music, albeit the "softer" bands mostly-- Ramones, Joy Division, The Clash—great stuff.

I was slightly too young to catch the punk scene (although I did see Husker Du while I was in high school) but a friend of mine's brush with fame is that Dave Vanian lept off the stage and stole her drink during a Damned show at the Living Room in Providence, RI.

I was (am still) way into Talking Heads, but they’re more New Wave than punk. In college the two albums I nearly wore out were More Songs About Buildings and Food and Ella Fitzgerald sings the Jerome Kern Songbook—was I presaging my punk/lounge split even then?

 

[dfrancis]

Cool. Obviously, I'm not from this era. The thing is I'm not too sure that anyone born smack in the mid 50s fits an era. It was all very confusing. One day your wearing Weejuns then there was that whole Mod thing with the Monkees... flag Bro Beatle boots. Then I think we all went back to Collegiate, very button down: and then the late 60s early 70s happened, and somewhere in all that I was wearing engineer boots, sporting a DA, and carrying an Italian stiletto. So... who knows what was going on.

I do remember being a fan of the Angry Samoans. I have the Stiffs Live album and the box set, and my friends and I were tuned into that whole scene from the advent of the Who's Quadrophenia (Mods and Rockers anyone?) on to about 1983 or 84 when my taste in music mellowed out a lot. Well, there was Smash by The Offspring... and Astro Creep 2000 that stuck around for a couple years. Call it a mid-life crisis.

The movie looks interesting. I like period films, like "Do the Right Thing," "Summer of Sam," "American History X," and 'American Me,' etc., more so than documentary films about an era. Woodstock is still fun to watch, but that was about an event within an era.

Liked the music - never did any slam dancing. Not intentionally anyhow.:rage: