Pensive Wino

The bidding war for for Keith's memoirs gets expensive.
read more

Jett Boy/Jett Girl

Joan Jett Sings The Replacements

Stone Phoneys

from the album Sow's Ear

Hammerin' Bonds

I'll be cheering when Bonds hits home run number 756, steroids or not. It's been 33 years since Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record and it's time for a new home-run king. The fact that he may have "cheated" makes it all the more interesting. If anyone is to blame it should be MLB for not testing and letting the Steroid Era go on. Sure Barry may act like an asshole but I feel sorry for him. It's too bad he can't enjoy being one of the greatest hitters of all time.

Aced Latte

If only they could make a decent latte.
That would really shock me!

white lou / white pete

pete and repeat

Free Coffee

enter here

But seriously, if you have to buy a latte you might want to try
starbucks

A Wicked Bad Time

I love Newbury Comics. Earlier this week I went to the store in North Attleboro where I purchased You're Gonna Miss Me, the Rocky Erickson doc, and a used copy of Out Of The Grey by the Dream Syndicate. This weekend it was time to take my kid to Sherwood Plaza store to spend his birthday gift certificate and buy a few more items for myself.
Great trip. So far I've found Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out, which nobody really needs unless you're a true Sell-Out fanatic. I guess I've been reading my Rolling Stone Summer Of Love issue too much because the Jefferson Airplane bin caught my eye. There were about five copies (new and used) of Surrealistic Pillow and I think I've found the out of print one with both the Stereo and Mono versions on one disc. I'm not sure. This is a used CD and I've always checked out used LP's before I buy them so I decide to take a look at the booklet. No sooner than I opened the resealable plastic folder I'm surrounded. No, I'm not really surrounded, but a clerk runs over and says "you have to bring that to the counter to open it". Now these Newbury Comics types are usually pretty cool so I tried to say " i just wanted to see if this was the mono/stereo version" but before I could get it out he interrupted me and says " yeah that's how people steal CD's" and then threw some hippie- be cool and bring it to the counter- bullshit at me. First,I'm 42 years old and don't think I look like a thief (must be the long hair and the Red Sox hat) and second, I'm not gonna bring it to the counter when you're standing right in front of me. I'm buying the thing anyway. This guy isn't gonna ruin my "wicked good time" But he did. I don't mind the fact that I can't open a used CD, I just like to finish a sentence and be treated like a customer instead of a crook. Just another reason to shop online I guess.

amazon.com
itunes
ebay

Starting Over Again

The Raspberries will release their first album in 33 years- Live On The Sunset Strip-on July 31st.
If you don't already have their 4 classic LP's this might be a good place to start.

take a listen

Summer Of Drugs

The latest issue of Rolling Stone in which Jann Wenner tells you how great his acid days were is some mighty powerful stuff.
Wait... before you order out for that sheet of imitation Owsley you may want to watch this.

Waiting For Harry

Pere Ubu with Debbie Harry and David Sanborn

Ripped Pants

Peaches and Avril Lavigne's songs
Uploaded by skyllo

Avril's at it again. This time she sounds like fellow Canadian Peaches.

Anyone Can Play Guitar

Madonna kicks out the jams at Live Earth

Let The Music Do The Talking

I saw the first version of the Joe Perry Project open for Rossington Collins and they were fine. I believe Joe sang Jailhouse Rock while another vocalist handled the rest of the songs. It was average Joe but nothing could prepare me for the Project that played at Westboro Speedway in 1983. It was a very hot day but I didn't need Cowboy Mach Bell, looking like an poor man's Dee Snider, repeatedly screaming "It's fucking hot out here" trying to get the crowd excited while the band plodded through mediocre material, some of which hadn't been released yet. The low point - in the middle of a new tune Joe Perry says"this is for my friends from Milford" then proceeded to play the intro to Dream On while the band rambled on with the rest of the nameless song. Next time let the music do the talking. Luckily Aerosmith reformed shortly thereafter.

this was originally written as an e-mail to the Boston Herald

Get Off Of My Cloud

POWER POP SHOWDOWN
The Rubinoos have filed suit against Avril Lavigne claiming Girlfriend sounds a lot like I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.
avril myspace
rubinoos myspace

no comment yet from the Stones or Ramones

Acoustic Piece

Ecstatic Peace records will be releasing Trees Outside The Academy-an acoustic based solo album by Thurston Moore- on September 18th.
read all about it

Declaration

read this:
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

you are now free to have a beer and light a sparkler

grab some tunes

almost 4th mixtape - SVB
life liberty pursuit of happiness- Fuel Friends

Walk Outside

It's The Fourth Of July

A Gayla Celebration

Go Fly A Kite. You've heard the expression and that's just what we did. Cool and windy day, Cape Cod, perfect. The fifteen dollar Flying Machine lasted about five minutes before it hit the ground. This was shortly after Dick Wagner (my uncle, not the legendary guitarist) boasted of his extreme kite-flying skills. What to do. Luckily, my trusty sidekick brought the BABY BAT. You know, that 1970's model kite that I bought in a joke store for two bucks. Ten minutes and three rolls of string later, the bat was flying at an altitude of approximately 1200 hundred feet. It was true, he was the great kitesman he claimed to be. Hours later we decided to cut the bird loose instead of spending the night reeling it in. So long, we thought, but the string caught the trees and the BABY BAT was still flying well into the darkness of night. Could still be there today. If you cross the Bourne Bridge take a look and let us know.

Starship Troupers?

On a hot summer night in Boston Morrisey had a meltdown and bailed out on his show while Paul Kantner couldn't take the heat across town.
Boston Herald reports:
Amazingly, about the same time Morrissey was wilting last night, Starship was overheating. Complaining about the lack of air conditioning, Paul Kantner and several other bandmembers walked offstage, abandoning singer Marty Balin, who was forced to stretch three ballads into 20 excruciating minutes. Eventually Kantner cooled off enough to come back and finish the show, but he was still boiling when reached by phone yesterday. “We played at the worst venue imaginable yesterday,” he griped. “What a dive. The only reason our manager booked it was because we wanted to play the NBC Morning show in New York City.”
Yeah, that must be the reason.

Bourne In The USA

Maybe it was the Jackass style photos we took of ourselves with the fireworks. I don't know. This year was going to be the biggest display yet. We had them all lined up, boxes and boxes of the finest imported fireworks a lot of money could buy.
A few rockets and a roman candle or two and they were already cheering across the bay. One big box-boom-we were on our way. I walked the yard to check the view and that's when the spotlight hit me. I knew it was the cops. I ran to the beach as fast as I could and they hid the 'works twice as fast as that. But there was no big chase scene, no arrests, just a polite request to stop the show. "Did You Know Fireworks Are Illegal In Massachusetts?" Yes sir. And that was the end of what would have been the biggest display to date. Couldn't ruin a good day though. Sparklers and Snakes will have to keep us amused.