Consumer Digest

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Down near Manhattan's Union Square I happened by a shoestore that had this shoe in the window. It took me surprise.

When I was a youngster, punk rock stuff was hard to find, you had to go to strange stores in far-away places in order to get it. When I finally could drive I would go all the way to Zed Records in Long Beach, California...an almost hour long drive from Buena Park. But it was worth it. It was worth it.

Zed's had the best punk rock records around, the only store where you could get esoteric 7" records and demos from bands that played around, but didn't have a label yet. It was awesome. So, it's pretty strange to see a Circle Jerks shoe in a Manhattan store window. Even stranger when I think that the record cover it's based on is over 25 years old.

Soft Focus With Ian Svenonius

Wow, this is pretty good. Ian Svenonius, formerly of The Nation of Ulysses and currently of The Weird War, does a sort-of talk show with punk, hardcore and avant-pop musicians. His interview style is a performance to behold in itself, coming off as a sort of pretentious punk intelectual, a Dick Cavett for the hipster/hardcore set. But as the interview with Ian MacKaye (The Evens, Fugazi, Embrace, Minor Threat) shows he knows how to get a good conversation going, despite the schtick. The clip above is only one part of four, so go here to watch the rest of them. More interviews with Henry Rollins, Chan Marshall, and Genesis P. Orridge. Both MacKaye and Rollins are heroes of mine, so I love this kind of thing.

The Hardcore Show #8

After a brief hiatus of a couple of weeks I finally got it together and posted a new Hardcore Show. I don't have anything to write about this one that I didn't say in the intro, so if you really want to know the truth, I'd advise listening to the show. And if you've never heard Mickey Katz before, do youself a favor and click on the link.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Van Morrison, Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber – I Wanna Go Home
Dave Miller and Jeremy Wakefield – Steel Crazy
Dizzy Gillespie – Lady Be Good
Slim and Slam – Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
Uri Caine – Cohen Owes Me Ninety-seven Dollars
Mickey Katz – Bagel Call Rag
Charlie Parker – Night in Tunisia
Charlie Chesterman – Goodbye To You
Betty Carter – Heart and Soul
Tin Hat Trio (w/ Willie Nelson) – Willow Weep for Me