TV Party - T
JOHNNY THUNDERS - Who’s Been Talking? {MVD} Recorded on THUNDERS’ last ever tour of Japan in 1991, this is reputedly his last ever filmed live shows before his untimely death. It was said THUNDERS was back on-track having beaten the drug problem and, sure enough, the performances here suggest the man was back on-form with still a heap to offer. Of course, New Orleans and the return of the drug problem ceased any further plans. While the music on the DVD is superb stuff, the actual package leaves a little more to be desired.
The show is filmed with several cameras at Club Citta in Osaka on April 3 1991. THUNDERS is accompanied by a full backing band - THE ODD BALLS - which consists of guitarist, bassist, drummer, female vocalist and a blazing saxophonist. As stated, THUNDERS really has it together as he and the band gnaw out opener, ‘In Cold Blood’. From there, you get about 20 other tracks including ‘Sad Vacation’, a great ‘Blame It On Mom’, a pacey ‘Too Much Junkie Business’ which follows one of the highlights, the sedate, retrospective ‘Society’. The show finishes on a couple of classics from the ‘L.A.M.F’ album. This being THUNDERS, there is naturally a few costume changes! The show kicks off with him in a cool ¾ length electric blue trench coat kinda thing with tartan dungarees beneath. As the show progresses he dons a leather jacket and cap among others. Only THUNDERS can get away with being so intrinsically rock ‘n’ roll whilst remaining resolutely Punk Rock! There’s a fair bit of drama to the arrangements with THUNDERS orchestrating moments of light and shade. The saxophonist fella trades solos with the guitarists here and there, but is most effective when filling out the music or soloing instead of a guitar. The encores demonstrate the great THUNDERS wit where, due to the general polite quietness of the Japanese audience, THUNDERS and band tip-toe on stage and whispers into his mic. Great stuff not just for THUNDERS obsessives, but also for the casual fan.
The packaging though has a few errors. For starters, of the 22 listed songs on the case, at least four are not included on the DVD - although there is a bonus as ‘Too Much Junkie Business’ slides into a raucous take on ‘Pills’ that isn’t listed. Toward the end of the show, THUNDERS says something akin to ‘Goodnight Tokyo’ - THUNDERS' wit I thought until reading the biography at the end that states this was recorded over three shows in Japan! The photo of THUNDERS on the back sleeve is also way out of the era the show was filmed during (a small issue but one that looks a bit tacky).
The biography itself is the only thing in the way of extras and it says little - it’s far from insightful but I guess it’s a good starting point for the curious.
Ropey packaging and missing songs aside, this is more than worth a watch. I’ve watched it half-a-dozen times already and get something new out of it each time. The fact THUNDERS is so on-form really does make all the difference. I’m not sure if there really is enough to attract the curious/ new fan, but for die-hards it’s pretty much mandatory. Go Johnny go.....
T.S.O.L. - The Early Years Live {MVD} Few bands of the early 80s HC scene were as imposing as the original T.S.O.L. The band had the sound, the presence and the willingness to experiment (ultimately leading to the simply hideous Hair Metal period of ‘Revenge’ etc). This DVD stems from when the band had partially shed its original Punk approach and brought in keyboard player Greg Kuehn to head in a vaguely Gothic sounding direction with the ‘Beneath The Shadows’ album and ‘Weathered Statues’ EP.
The main show is taken from the Flipside videos and was recorded in 1983 at an art college in broad daylight. Jack Grisham is theatrical as ever, dressed in an outfit more becoming of the New Romantic scene with baggy black pants, hat and an embroided waistcoat. It starts well, but by the second song the camera has moved to the side of the stage - to the detriment of the audio quality. The band’s popular status isn’t really evident here (maybe due to the environs) as most appear a bit bemused and the Punks don’t really start slamming around until ‘Superficial Love’. ‘Code Blue’ sees things really pick up and other highlights include ‘Forever Old’ and ‘Man And Machine’. The band don’t actually look very comfortable although they do exude attitude. There’s an interview with Jack after with talk of evading cops, getting spat in the eye by a huge glob of snot and how he finds stage diving funny if someone gets hurt.
The other live footage is from a Target Video of the same year (apparently), although Kuehn is absent and the sound is much harder (although seemingly overdubbed) with a crowd slamming and indulging in a decent circle pit.
Extras include a 40+ minute interview with Jack and guitarist Ron Emory (where, trivia fans, they are joined by Pat Brown of VANDALS song fame!). Issues discussed range from pay-to-play venues; accusations of selling out (even though the band played a heap of freebies and Jack was still living with his Mom); that all English bands are ‘arseholes’ (with BAUHAUS in particular being called ‘dicks’) that sing about 3-million unemployed; how happy they are to live in America; Posh Boy Recs get a good slagging and a confession from Jack that he bashed Posh Boy himself; the limits of HC and its small-minded mentality. Amidst the waffle, it’s an interesting interview. There’s also a 2007 clip of the band live doing ‘Abolish Government’ that’s hilarious. Jack calls a young Punk back to the stage for doing such a girly stagedive. Finally, there are a couple of readings by Jack from his forthcoming book, ‘An American Savage Reformed’, which are both dramatic and alarming in their intensity.
The negatives come in the packing. There’s no booklet, no indication of the venues where the shows were recorded, poor old Greg Kuehn doesn’t even warrant a mention and the track listing is incorrect.
Those looking for a high-quality, high definition recording are gonna be disappointed. Hell, this was part of the original Flipside Video Series filmed on nothing more than a camcorder. Fans of old though (who may even have seen the Flipside video before) will lap this up and the bonus of the interviews really adds a sense of intimacy to the scary world of the original T.S.O.L.
TURBONEGRO - The ResErection {MVD/ Bitzcore} I can’t think of many bands of late that incite such fevered addiction amongst its fans than TURBONEGRO. The band’s sense of cabaret coupled with incinerating Garage Punk Rock is unique and unparalleled. The fact the band split up only to reform four years later with a fan base even more obsessive than when it retired its make-up and sulphur-belching amps is testament to the band’s musical legacy rather than any kinda gimmick as is often employed by its shallow, image-is-all counterparts.
This enthralling DVD features a documentary - originally filmed for Norwegian television - that primarily highlights the fears, insecurities and surprising sensitivity behind the band’s frontman, Hank Herzog von Helvete, as he reunites after four years with the band that imploded due to the stress of his Heroin addiction and erratic behaviour.
The documentary traces Hank back to his quiet Norwegian home town of Lofoten where he tells us of how he met the band, or his drug addiction and of his life post-NEGRO. It then follows the reuniting of the band, rehearsals and finally the reunion tour. For a band of such seemingly confident individuals as TURBONEGRO, there are a surprising amount of nerves and insecurities displayed by everybody involved on more than a single occasion: Helvete’s fear of letting the band down again, the band’s fear of meeting Helvete, the collective stage fright before the shows. Of course, as history and the DVD proves, the fears were totally unwarranted as the band blasted back with great success... Which leads us to the music...
The core of the music is recorded at the band’s 2002 appearance at the Quart Festival. It’s a set of 11 tracks that mixes the pummeling intensity of latter day POISON IDEA with the Punk accessibility of THE MISFITS and the rock ‘n’ roll suss of prime time NEW YORK DOLLS. Visually, the band is firing on all cylinders and clearly relishing in the act of performing live in front of a massive and rabid audience.
Of the extras, you get two more live songs from other festivals, a couple of throwaway clips of Pal baking pizza and Happy Tom surmising, and an extensive photo gallery. To cap it all off, there’s a really neat 16 booklet that features some great photos and a piece of text that is more than the usual arse-licking itinerary of superlatives.
All in all, a really good package that combines an informative documentary with a blazing live performance, both of which keep you entertained on many repeated viewings.