OK, I am up late on a Friday night, and just happened to run across a very interesting TV show about the Sex Pistols:

Never Mind the Sex Pistols, an Alternative History

Alan G. Parker (the Sex Pistols researcher who directed it), also directed/produced: Who Killed Nancy, which was a very well-researched documentary about what went on during that horrible week in New York City at the Chelsea Hotel.

Anyhow, Parker's TV show features Glen Matlock, Malcolm McLaren, Boogie (the Sex Pistols road manager), Parker and many other people close to the early punk rock scene in 1976. They tell the unvarnished truth about all things Sex Pistols, who everyone with a brain regards as one of the greatest rock bands of all times. This TV show does not diminish that. it just sets the record straight. 

For whatever reasons, these films haven't found a big market in the USA. But since Parker's latest film was picked up by Ovation TV, I would recommend checking their listings to see it. I don't want to overstate how much I liked it, but I now feel vindicated about my criticisms of the Pistols over the years. Look, the Pistols were a great band, they deserve their spot in history, and the English punk scene was more interesting than what was happening in NYC.On the other hand? Well, blah, I am too tired and bored to get into it all. Suffice to say that this TV show reveals some things that a lot of punk rock fans might not have known about. If I am wrong? Please email me.

And if your cable system doesn't currently get Ovation? DEMAND IT on your cable system. It's one of the best TV channels out there, they always feature great programming about art, media and culture, you would have to be a Deadhead not to enjoy it.

 

I'm not on Facebook. I refuse to join. I look at it as "The Home of People Who Aren't Currently Very Busy and Not Doing Anything Very Important and Have a Lot of Free Time on Their Hands." Yes, a lot of famous people are on Facebook, but guess what? Most of them hire assistants to run their Facebook page. So to me, it's mostly a bunch of BS/PR and shit-shoveling/ass-kissing. The New York Times compared social media to disco-shit a few months ago, and you know what? It fits.

I've been too busy to deal with social media lately, with the upcoming "Best of PUNK Magazine" book, it's been an unbelievable amount of scanning, writing and proofreading. Now there's the stuff I am doing for the CBGB film. No offense to those of you who have all the time in the world to indulge in the endless drama, politics and blah-blah-blah that is Facebook... But I have avoided it like the plague. All I hear about is how "this person said this on Facebook" and "that  person said that on Facebook." Get a grip. You can stop the drama by ignoring it.

The weirdest thing to me is that whenever I criticize FB to people who use it a lot? They all admit that it's horrible. No one defends it. But the worst thing is that people don't seem to realize that there's a lot of spying and privacy intrusion that FaceBook takes for granted. I wish more poeple would join with me and avoid FaceBook. It's more like "FaceSpook."

I wish Facebook would just shrivel up and die, so that maybe people would read books, watch important films and TV shows, and otherwise improve themselves. Facebook is just gossip fodder. I know, everyone tells me "I have to be on there for promotion and publicity." But to me? Facebook just plain sucks.

I am only bringing this up because I hear that a bunch of "Facebook movie critics" are already complaining about how bad the CBGB Film is going to be. Hello? They haven't even started filming it yet, you morons! But these cretinous critics are already saying it's going to bomb? Cheezis H. Whiz.

I am doing some stuff for the film, and everyone involved with the film is painfully aware that it's going to take a minor miracle to meet everyone's expectations, so they are all working overtime and then some to make it as authentic as possible. The film-makers have reached out to me and many other people to try to make this thing work.  This thing is a labor of love. It's not a major Hollywood production, like the recent, awful "Rock of Ages" movie. It's a small group of filmmakers/artists who want to tell the story of CBGBs in their own way.

Will the CBGB film be perfect? Of course not! Will there be fodder for critics? You better believe it. Will it maybe be a great film with amazingly-talented film actors who will elevate the story of the original club to new heights by presenting it in a way that most people would not expect? Well, I think this is what they are going for, and it is a distinct possibility. Alan Rickman, who I think is one of our best film actors, is playing Hilly. 'Nuff said.

There are a baker's dozen of great rock movies: The Girl Can't Help It, Gimme Shelter, Rock 'N' Roll High School (which was trashed on its release), etc. Fill in the blanks. It's way too early to see what this film will be. 

I doubt these "Facebook movie critics" will ever produce anything of any worth on their own, but I bet they will do a great job of trashing the film, and then criticizing anything else in sight. On the other hand, they are in a perfect position: If the film sucks, they will be the first to say: "I told you so." If it exceeds expectations? These chickenshit weasels can crawl back to their burrows and pretend they never said anything.

My warning to you all: These are the same people who would have trashed the Ramones and Blondie in 1976, The Misfits in the early 1980s, and whatever else before it gains acceptance. They still ignore The Bullys, 50kaitenz and Peelander-Z. All they do is criticize things to make themselves look bigger and better. But they are tiny little nothings. So wait until the film is released, please, and make up your own mind.

Watch out! PUNK Is Coming!

I drew this record cover for a kids' punk band a while back, and I want to make sure it doesn't go unnoticed. Basically I agreed to do it because one of my childhood idols, Jay Lynch, drew their first record cover, which was a take-off on "Road to Ruin"!(Well, in fact, so is my record cover--these guys LOVE the Ramones!)

 

Honestly, Jay Lynch is such an amazing underground cartoonist, his "Nard 'N' Pat" comic strips that appeared in so many UG comix back in the day destroyed my mind! So when he asked me to do a cover for The Boogers? I had to say "HEY! HO! LET'S GO!" (and I have to 'fess up-Jay did a better job than me.)

This whole "kids/punk/rock" thing is a bit over my head. I never had kids, although I like 'em and all (from a distance) I don't want 'em, either... But for some weird reason, punk rock parents love to see their kids dressed in punk clothing, listening to (a safe version of) punk rock, and indulging in other rock 'n' roll weirdness.I think some punk parents fantasize about a mosh pit, filled with screaming children, bouncing around while listening to the music they loved a few years ago.... OK with me. No problem..

I have to admit though, The Boogers are as good (probably better, really) as any punk rock band that ever sent me a CD, and I really liked working with them.

Ever seen those other (mostly awful) kid-rock bands? Well, basically, if I had a choice between The Wiggles, The Doodlebops, and The Boogers?

I will pick The Boogers every time! 

And you all nose I got that one right!

Wipeout!

On your shirt!

Whoo-hoo! Gotcha! 

It seems like a lot of people are talking about the upcoming CBGB film. From everything I've seen, people are excited and curious about the casting so far. Me, too!

 

I love the fact that big names like Alan Rickman, Malin Akerman and Johnny Zalecki are in this movie. I am actually, in real life, honestly and truly a fan of their work. 

The guy playing me is Josh Zuckerman, an up-and-coming actor who already has an impressive list of credits, and apparently best-known for his work for the Desperate Housewives TV show. 

 

He's not an exact match for me physically, but that's not important. No one knows, nor cares, what I looked like in the 1970s. But you know what? From the research I've done so far? He's a lot like me. More important to me is that the producers were convinced that he was the best person to portray me during the readings. I've read some message boards about him and apparently a lot of chicks dig him. Good enough for me!

I have to admit the film people have knocked me out in our meetings. These Unclaimed Freight people are truly dedicated to making this film capture the original spirit of the club. And their track record looks good to me. They will bring a lyricism, and a different perspective to CBGBs, and maybe a few things we didn't expect.

This is such a tall task, I can't believe anyone would even want to try to do it! But from everything I've seen so far, they will do the best job anyone could expect... Although I am sure a lot of people will bitch about this, that and the other thing that they DIDN'T do. Well, there are limitations in trying to make a film like this. And what they will do should out-weigh the rest. Most importantly, the end-product needs to stand on its own--outside the context of capturing every nuance of the CBGB scene. A film like this needs to tell a story. And from what I have seen so far, they're doing a good job.

Josh Zuckerman called me recently about how to play me in the film, and we had a long, long, long talk about everything. Everything! I get the feeling that everyone involved in this project is likewise devoted to attempting to bring the CBGB scene to life, and it's a passion project for everyone involved. Which is a good sign, right?

Who'da thunk it, back in 1979, when the scene was dying and it looked like no one would ever care about what we did? ... Especially since there wasn't a whole lot of interest for a long time afterwards. I think a lot of us from the CBGB scene are amazed that a feature film about the club is being made... Unfortunately, not everyone from back then is being portrayed. So I feel like one of the lucky ones.

Anyhow, one question Josh asked me piqued my interest. He asked me what films in the 1970s inspired me. Even back in the 1960s I was a true "film freak," and my good friend Dave Hargett (RIP), always seemed to know about the important films screening in New York City. We saw everything, from "Pink Flamingos" at the Elgin Theater to "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein" at a mainstream movie theater. So I made a short list of films that everyone should see,to understand the 1970s. Films nowadays mostly suck so bad, so it's important to remember a time when artists had control of the media and some real good, thought-provoking and interesting stuff--films, art, magazines, media of all kinds--was available to the public.

My most inspirational, top films list:

1. El Topo

This film was, and still is, just crazy. No one had seen this level of violence before in a movie. It's a psychedelic spaghetti western with heavy spiritual overtones. Alejandro Jodorowsky, a Mexican cartoonist, has always been a hero and a role model of mine. He not only showed that cartoonists can explore other mediums, but that we could be rock stars while doing it. 

Jodorowsky has made other films, notably The Holy Mountain (which just might be an even greater achievement than El Topo).Check them out when you get the chance! They re so much more interesting than the digital dreck that studios are dumping into movie theaters nowadays.

 

2. The Devils

 

This Ken Russell film (which I think is his best--saying a lot since this guy directed a lot of great films throughout his career), was probably his most controversial, and did a lot to test the limits of the censorship assholes back in the day. This film not only opened my eyes as wide as they could go, but also inspired me to check out world history. I could not believe that a film this sick, crazy, depraved and twisted could have anything to do with the real history of the events back then.

Well, after reading the original Aldous Huxley novel,and reading a lot of history about Europe in the Middle Ages... It's probably mostly true.

3. Fellini Satryicon

 

I think this film had a very profound effect on rock 'n' roll at the time. The portrayal of sexual decadence and the decline of the Roman Empire made for an obvious comparison to what was happening in the good old USA at that time, so it helped inspire the whole glam-rock scene.

I was already a big fan of Fellini before I saw this movie, of course I remain one to this day. No offense to John Waters, but Fellini's work speaks for itself--he inspired a whole new generation of nuttiness. He created filmmakers like John Waters.

I think that Fellini did everything and more than Waters before to show weird decadence onscreen before that other guy/girl who ever picked up a camera, and was a much better filmmaker to boot. It is sad that this film, which has a richer cultural context than John Waters' films, is somehow neglected. And I bet John Waters would agree with me.

4. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

 

I first watched this film at the end of a four-film marathon that began at midnight at the Elgin Theater in the mid-1970s. The film appeared around 6 am, and the person I went to the theater with kept insisting that we should leave, but my eyes were glued to the screen. This film, which starts out as your standard rock musical, becomes sicker and more perverted with every minute. I had never seen lesbians onscreen before, had never seen a man with boobs before, had never seen mainstream pop stars smoking pot and doing so many bad things before... And the fact that Roger Ebert wrote the script for Russ Meyers? Priceless.

5. Freaks

"I Don't Wanna Be A Pinhead No More" was taken directly from this film, folks!

 

As I remember, this film had been censored for many years, so as a result there were many screenings once the ban was lifted. For instance, I remember seeing this at my high school auditorium in 1972! Kids went nuts for this movie, it spoke to everyone. So it was no surprise to me when the Ramones borrowed the lyrics "Gabba, Gabba, we accept you, one of us" from that film a few years later for one of the best songs on Rocket to Russia.

Others:

Island of Lost Souls (Devo: "Are We Not Men?" comes from this film),  Faster Pussycat! Kill, Kill! (Russ Meyer's triumph), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (obviously), Alphaville (Debbie and Chris always wanted to remake this film back in the day), Serpico (another neglected film that was so iconic in the early 1970s), Phantom of the Paradise (early Brian DePalma rock 'n' roll film that referened the glam movement), Dog Day Afternoon, Mean Streets, Andy Warhol's Trash, Heat, etc. Also: Hell's Angels on Wheels, Beach Blanket Bingo, etc.

How did I do? Did I miss anything?