Tag: black

Posted on

Greetings from the 20th annual Zappanale Festival

For me the Zappanale fest already started in Berlin with Project Object playing at the DOT CLUB on August 13th. It was so awesome and my buddy Joe Jackson came and stood in the audience the whole time and watched. He said he enjoyed the show, the band was good but he said, as I said, the sound could have been better. The club is HOT as FUCK and smokey too- with bad sound. NOT good. But Project Object, of course, did the best they could do and nailed it. 

 

My good friends Dirk and Bully came to the show too and refused to accept free tix, they wanted to support the band! Snarky, a myspace Zappa group friend of mine came all the way from Virginia to see the show (and the Zappanale too)

Dirk, Bully, Snarky McBullhorn ^

Dot at the Dot Club. I felt at home here apart from the cig smoke, cough cough, I am NO fun, innit!? I LOVE the shirt I am wearing, my friend Robin Gelberg gave it to me, I treasure it. 

Oliver (in the middle) owns a bar called the Jansen Bar in Berlin and they have Frank Zappa night the first Tuesday of each month. Ike was happy to pose with Oliver and the Jansen bar bar-tender who swears he isn’t gay (inside joke). Check it out: http://www.jansenbar.de/

 Rather bad quality but here is a video of one  ^ of my performances at the Dot Club in Berlin

 

 

Not much time to write, just posting a few pics I took last night. The Zappanale gets better each time I come, I LOVE it (“it’s a way of life” 😉

 

 

To see the blog I wrote about the last Zappanale I went to two years ago, go to:

 

 

 

 http://drdot.blog-city.com/18th_annual_zappanale_1.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Bickford is here at the festival, if you don’t know who he is, you must not know the Frank Zappa film “Baby Snakes”. Google him, he is a legend- or just click link below:

http://www.brucebickford.com/index1.shtml

 Super cool dude ^

 

All of Jimmy Carl Black’s kids are here. Met them all and his widow is here too, will post pics asap. 

 

Project Object from behind 😉
https://vimeo.com/38247621

https://vimeo.com/38247621

 CREW SLUT at the Zappanale ^ (I knew a better quality version would turn up 🙂

 

 

 

And I FINALLY met the famous Paul Green. We run in the same circle, never had the pleasure until tonight- wicked fun guy..

 

 And it felt like MAGIC to be in between these two legends, Don Preston and Robert Martin (they just met for the first time tonight!)

Haven’t seen Don for two years, it is always a pleasure. Haven’t seen Robert since 1988! We had a LOT of catching up to do and he gave me 2 hours of fitness and advice about what to eat and what not to eat (he is a strict Vegan). He is 61 and is still ripped, you should see his abs. Check out his web site, you can see videos of him doing one legged squats, he is amazing!!  http://www.lookgreatnakedatanyage.com/

 

 

Robert’s shoes fascinated me to no end ^  I told him if they made them for women, they could paint the toe nail part red to make them sexier. ha. 

Eric Svalgard ^ and Eric Slick of Project Object

 

 

 Eric Slick and Robbie “Seahag”  ^  (Guitar for Project Object) 

 

Project Object fucking RULED!! I performed as “Mary” for them during Crew Slut and Wet t-shirt night. Always an honor. Ike Willis is in top form, Don kicks ass, Andre’ gets better all the time, Eric Slick on drums, wow! Robbie Seahag on bass, Eric Svalgard  the crazy blond on other keyboards and Robert Martin came out and did a few numbers like Whipping Post and NAILED IT!!! Gregg Allman would approve. 

Gotta sleep, ttyl

x

 ps. Here is me below as “Mary” for the Crew Slut song/performance (would love to see a video of that, it was hilarious!)

 

Thursday night at the Dot club and Friday night at the Zappanale I played MARY in the songs Crew Slut and Fembot in a Wet Shirt (still waiting for someone to send me some pics of that)

 

 

 

I was slinking around each Project Object band member during the song and in this shot ^ back to back with Robert Martin

 


Robert Martin again ^ and I

 

“Hey hey hey all you girls in these
Industrial towns
I know youre probly gettin tired
Of all the local clowns
They never give you no respect
They never treat you nice
So perhaps you oughta try
A little friendly advice
And be a crew slut
Hey, youll love it
Be a crew slut
Its a way of life
Be a crew slut
See the world
Dont make a fuss, just get on the bus
Crew slut
Add water makes its own sauce
Be a crew slut
So you dont forget, call before midnite tonite
The boys in the crew
Are just waiting for you
You never to get move around
You never go nowhere
I know yer probly gettin tired
Of all the guys out there
You always wondered what its like
To go from place to place
So, darlin, take a little ride
On the mixers face
Be a crew slut
Just follow the magic footprints
Be a crew slut
Hey, youll love it!
Be a crew slut
Its a way of life
I aint gonna squash it
And you dont need to wash it!”   FRANK ZAPPA

https://vimeo.com/38287559

Back again with more pics from Saturday night at the Zappanale:

 Project Object leader ^ and his lovely lady

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMFG, Roberts hands are AMAZING!! Wish he would do my feet 🙂

 

It is really hard to get good in concert shots. But I get some good in person pics. You can’t capture their music in pics anyways and my camera is too crap to make any decent videos of the shows

 

Eric Slick (drummer genius) on stage after his performance with Project Object ^ 

 

SUNDAY (last night of the Zappanale) below:

 

Was fun hanging out with Bruce again. He told many private things about himself, it was awesome to get close to such a genius mind. He is so kind and gentle; makes you want to protect him.

 

Ike and I have known each other for 21 years. His mind is still sharp as a whip and his sense of humor is as amazing as his voice. LOVE HIM!

 

 

Ah, to be a fly on the wall- wait, I was there. Super Fly. ha. 

The Zappanale is 4 days/nights of Zappa fun, but everyone is SUPER tired by Sunday night. Terry looked so fucking fit, wow. He claims he is “getting fat” but I didn’t see any on him.

 

Zappa alumni Sandwich part 2 (or 3?) keep em coming..

 

 

 Wolfhard is the founder of the Zappanale, started it 20 years ago. Super nice guy and he is a MASSIVE Zappa freak, he doesn’t do this festival for anything else but the love he has for Frank Zappa’s music. Thomas is the president of the Arf Society (google it, I’m too tired to write about it 😉

 

 

Wolfhard is rather shy and keeps to himself, not one to ask for pics or autographs, but he did want one with Bruce. They are both amazing people. 

 

 

 When I left the festival I noticed a rowdy bar still open in Bad Doberan and went in and it was PACKED with hard core Zappa fans (Zappateers). One of them, from the UK, had this hair cut goin’ on. Ha. 

 

Will TRY to ad more text and pics soon.

 

Haven’t really wrote much about the music. Not much to say apart from you can never get enough Frank Zappa music. Some were bored with Terry Bozzio’s 90 min drum solo set but hey, he IS Terry Bozzio and well, RESPECT! One thing that REALLY gets on my tits about the Zappanale is you have to listen to the same fucking songs over and over and OVER again because it seems to be impossible to controll what each band plays so they ALL play Frank’s top ten hits (I am the slime, dirty love, etc etc.) Project Object did the BEST version EVER of Whipping Post with Bobby Martin and hello? Some Austrian Band (Sex without Nails) did it the very next night. Jesus, have some fucking respect will ya? Give it up. I hate that. I think all bands should pick their songs from a Zappanale lottery 6 months before the festival and NO ONE should be allowed to repeat a song!!

What about Truck Driver Divorce? Or Lucille has messed my Mind up? There are HUNDREDS of songs to choose from yet we have to endure the same fucking songs repeatedly (which is ok if you are drunk and stoned out of your Zappa loving mind) but I am NOT so it bothers me and the other few sober cunts there. FOR FUCK SAKE!!! I asked the powers that be (Thomas and Wolfhard) about this and they said they DO try to control it BUT the bands “do what they want once they get up on the stage”. How can they play repeats? Are they retarded? Don’t they know how many SONGS Frank Zappa actually has? pfft. 

 

If you want a different view of the Zappanale, keep your eye out for Andrew Greenaways web site, he will surely cover it once he is back in the UK and sober: www.idiotbastard.com  

 

x 

 

Jimmy Carl Black’s lovely but very sad, widow “Moni”

 

Gong TORE UP the stage. They ROCK!

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Zappaween 2008 with Bogus Pomp (starring Ike Willis)

I have heard about ZAPPAWEEN the last couple years and never knew what it was exactly. I thought it was similar to the Zappanale but new. I skipped this past Zappanale (Frank Zappa tribute festival held every year for the past 19 years in Germany) due to a certain someone causing havoc for me. So I was itching to be around other Zappa fans and celebrate Frank and his music. I booked a flight and room and headed down to St. Petersburg, where ZAPPAWEEN is held. Robin and John (also avid Zappa freaks) met me there. I arrived a day early as they drove all the way from Atlanta (John flew to Atlanta from Chicago). I am NOT into road trips anymore (did enough of those following the Grateful Dead around for a few years back in the 80's ). 

 

I stayed at the Days Inn which I found online, not having a CLUE as to how that area is set up. I just wanted something close to the venue where ZAPPAWEEN takes place. Now you would think, having such an event, that happens once a year, that it would be bigger, you know, with a few Zappa tribute bands and perhaps tips on Bogus Pomps web site (they are the band that puts on ZAPPAWEEN every year) for Zappa fans who come to the area just for this event. But no. In fact, even up to show day (Nov 1st) their web site still didn't even have info on THIS YEARS Zappaween on it (I guess they are so busy they didn't get to it). I thought this event was a couple years old. But NO, it has been going on for FOURTEEN YEARS already. This surprised me as Robin, John and I were there a couple days early, HOPING to meet other Zappa fans and hang out with them, you know? BUT NO. NOTHING. 

 

I called a Zappa fan I know from Tampa which is rather close. I don't know him well, just an online Zappa buddy. I asked him "where do the Zappa fans meet down here?". He snapped at me "This is NOT ZAPPANALE DOT! This is ZAPPAWEEN and we don't meet up, it's just that one show and that is it!!". He was so snippy about it, Robin, John and I sat there in the cheesiest fucking bar ever with our jaws dropped at his response. Not just the tone (he continued to say "You should all be in bed, like I am, FUCKING!"). Oh, ok, whatever. So, let me get this straight. Zappa fans come from all over the world (one girl came all the way from Germany but we didn't meet her until the show started), yet no one organised a meeting point or pre-Zappaween party? Why? What the fuck. 

 

Let me try to explain to you how incredibly BORING St. Petersburg and Treasure Island (the actual beach area) IS. There are only THREE BARS on Treasure Island (all SUPER SMOKY) and walking into them is like walking back in time, and not a good time either. After hearing a few stories from "locals" we found out time seems to STOP when you escape to this area. No one was FROM that area, they are all from NJ, Chicago, Boston, etc, people who seemed to have ran away from the cold and their mundane busy lives. One waitress, who felt the need to tell us about all of her past husbands and addictions, was from NJ and has been there for 15 years. Her hair, clothes, make up and lingo that spat out of her pie hole were all set in that time, styled like life was 15 years ago. It reminded me of watching the Berlin wall come down November 9th, 1989 in Berlin. I watched the people come through the wall, dressed so old fashioned, as they didn't know any better. This was the same vibe. The music, hair, clothes, everything. It was so strange! We were all gob smacked. We just could NOT get over this time warp. Fucking BIZARRE.

 

Anyways, I still can't get over the fact, that after 14 years, there is no "where to go before and after Zappaween to meet other Zappa fans in St. Petersburg" web site or at least a tiny section on the Bogus Pomp web site "Zappaween Tips/stuff to do before/after". I guess I just am the type to see potential in things and wonder why no one else does. What harm could it do to have a pre-Zappaween party to get all excited for the show? Also, there is only ONE band at the Zappaween. One band, one show. So the whole Zappaween lasts about three hours. This would be worth the trip if you lived in the area. 

Anyways, the hotel I stayed in was frowned upon by the rental car dealer. They asked me where I was staying, I told them and they all stopped talking. They told me NOT to go out a lone at night and "it's very dangerous" in that area. DAM, you can never tell when booking online. Apart from the pubic hairs on my sheets left from last guest and half full can of coke left in fridge, it was ok. Vama, the manager (in the pictures above and below) treated me like a queen when she found out I do massages. I massaged her for free and she let me get away with everything. Front row parking, etc. The room only cost $50 a night, so I guess you can deal with some random short and curlies in your sheets ( I slept with jogging pants and long sleeved shirt on to avoid touching sheets). She even upgraded me after the first night to a suite and that was nicer. The maid was the problem. She weighed about 400 pounds, always had a cigarette in one hand and did NOT want to work. 

 

 

Vama ^ and I bonding 

I was so fucking shattered when I landed in St. Petersburg as I literally had TWO hours of sleep the "night" before. I was up until ten am, slept til noon (two full power hours) and then had to rush to airport. Rented a car and could barely drive I was so tired. On my way to hotel, I saw a Thai restaurant and stopped in to eat. It was PERFECT. "Thai Orchid" is the place to eat in St. Petersburg if you like Thai. I even brought Robin and John there the next night (I'm a creature of habit). After dinner, I was so tired I could barely see, but  instead of crashing when I got into the seedy room, I went out for a walk in the danger zone.I tucked my hair up under my hat and wore unattractive baggy clothes and headed out to stretch my legs. I was saddened to witness the poverty around me. I thought THIS is America? Sidewalks and streets haven't been repaired in years, in fact, bushes and weeds were growing out of all the cracks. 

Shop after shop, fast food joint after fast food joint were closed down, overgrown with bushes and trees. You could smell how desperate people have become in this area. The nasty hotels all along the road were housing for many family's. I could tell the people lived there, that they were not just passing through. Some places boasted "$33 per night or $150 per week" and of course they all offered an hourly rate (lots of ratty looking hookers lurking about outside of each hotel). HOWEVER, every few blocks was a brand spanking new, sparkling clean CVS or Walgreens. Oh LORD they are doing so well. Why? Because Pharmacy's will always do well, because the Government wants us all hooked on prescription drugs. The commercials never stop. I went into several of these CVS's and Walgreens on my nightly walks, mainly to buy Reese's peanut butter cups , but also because they are open 24/7 and safe. What a massive contrast: CVS every few blocks, obviously thriving, with a Walgreens directly across the street from each one, surrounded by obvious poverty. Tsk tsk. It makes me ill. 

One night after our boring fucking trek into the local bars (which turned UP the crappy music on the juke box and turned the Zappa and Hendrix we picked out down super low), Robin, John and I walked together to CVS (I think the peace pipe made us extra giddy) and we had a fucking blast in CVS. The woman behind the counter got to know me by now and I loved making her laugh out loud every night. This night, I told her I would give her $100 – or any other store employee if they could tell me the MEANING of what "CVS" actually stands for. No one in the whole freakin place knew what it meant. ROBIN DOES! How fucking random is that!! Robin KNEW!! It means "chorionic villi sampling" omfg. It's a test that is done that is done to check for birth defects. WOT???? Robin works in a woman's help center. LMFAO!!!!!! So, if you want to fuck with CVS employees, go and ask them what CVS stands for. 

 

 One advantage of me arriving so tired, is I went to bed at midnight and got up at TEN AM. I had time audition a new Dot Bot. Alison came to my hotel and massaged me by the pool side. On her massage table, out in the sun. It was lovely. I hired her, she is amazing. You will see her online very soon. She just massaged Jason Mraz for us yesterday. 

I did manage to get to the beach during daylight hours (beach was ten minute drive from hotel). I jogged along the beach and watched the sun set. It was breath taking. Made me want to move there, but then again, those bars, those freaky locals and that time warp effect woke me right up. If I ever go there again, I will surely stay RIGHT on the beach, which costs twice as much but the hell, you only live once. If you're gonna do it, do it right. 

 

 

 ZAPPAWEEN has an annual costume contest and ^ John dressed as Vito Paulekas (freak?) posing here with Robin in front of the State Theater. 

   
 I just dressed as Mary, the crew slut (or did I?) I love my Jetson Boots.   Robin and I lovin' life. 

 

 Jerry Outlaw's girlfriend, Deborah,  did 

a great job dressing up as Amy Winehouse

 

 

Zappa fan Dave Black  dressed "Potato headed Bobby" , posed with his cutie pie girl friend and Robin. 

 

 

Ike was the star of the show for sure. Everyone was scared he wouldn't show or whatever, like with the Zappanale (he missed the plane) but he was there, in full force and nailed it. He is a jolly soul. Smart as whip too, don't let that goofy grin fool ya. 

 "Not by the hairs of my chinny-chin-chin"

 Dan Campbell , violinist, fiddler and guitarist, was one of my favorite

parts of the show. At one point he was fiddling so fast, I swear I saw 

smoke. I couldn't help but imagining him wanking; thinking how good he

must be at it. I asked him after and he assured me he is a pro. 


 

 The Bassist looks like an older version of one of my ex-boyfriends, also 

a bassist. He was on fire. Seriously. 

 

 

 

Jerry O. and Shane Blank bending those strings ^

 

 A view from side stage ^

Byron Hogan, Cello player and Pat Buffo ^ (even though Pat is sporting

pig tails and a dress, he is so lumber-jack manly, he can pull it off and 

still make the ladies, including me, swoon. 

 
   Shane Blank , guitar prodigy, age 14, jammed with Bogus Pomp and jaws hit the floor. 

 

 

Mr. Zappaween himself, Jerry Outlaw, founder of Bogus Pomp. When I got into the gig, Jerry was on stage, changing guitar strings on his guitar. The audience was just chilling to the house music (led zeppelin, janis joplin and many other classics) while Jerry was sweating his balls off to get done in time. You can tell he has his plate full but works all year long to pull off Zappaween. To say the band was TIGHT would be a severe understatement. In fact, between Bogus Pomp and Project Object, ZPZ hasn't a snow ball's chance in hell at recreating Frank Zappa's music the way it is supposed to be played, like these two bands; with passion. REAL passion. Not just "I need to do this to pay my bills cause my own band doesn't cut the mustard" – passion. 

 

Dressed as the "Spider of Destiny" (google it) won the contest and won the guitar. 

 

Billy the Mountain came in second place I think… I found it strange they

didn't invite the costumed freaks on stage for voting. They were just called

to the front row; which was lame as no one but the band could see and judge

them. 

 
   This Tomb Raider babe had the men in a "petulant frenzy"

 

 Guest vocalist, Pat Buffo ^ impressed me greatly. His rendition of 50/50 and Zombie Wolf gave me goose bumps. The mother fucker can SING. He has his own band called Rebel Pride . 

 

Acting out "Dirty Love" (the way your mama makes that nasty poodle chew) -see the white poodle near my rump?

 

 

Ok, during the show, I received an email on my crackberry from Jerry Ford one of Jimmy (rip) Carl Black's best friends. The email came around 11pm and it said that Jimmy Carl Black had just passed away in his sleep. My reaction was LOUD, shocking and undeniable. In other words, I couldn't have hidden this emotion. Robin and John simotaneously went "WHAT? What's going on!??" The music was so loud, I couldn't hear them nor then me, so I just passed my crackberry to them to read. We all flipped out with watery eyes. What a downer. We were in between heaven (amazing Zappa tribute band) and hell (hearing of Jimmy, original Mother of Invention) passing. 

Matt Koegler , fellow Zappa freak suggested keeping that news to myself, as not to bring everyone down, but I just had to tell Ike. I mean, wouldn't all the Zappa fans want to know as soon as possible so we could all send him loving thoughts? I waited until Ike had a break and went back stage and brought him out side to tell him and show him the email. The above picture was taken a few minutes after, when Robin came outside to help console him. Perhaps the tears in my eyes prevented me from focusing my camera properly or perhaps my camera has just gone to shit. Not sure. 


 
   Holy FUCK! Some people have a lot of free time. Looks amazing doesn't it???

 So Ike decided he would announce Jimmy's passing when he got back on stage. He went on stage, whispered it into Jerry's ear and then Jerry broke the bad news. But instead of bringing everyone down, Jerry said it in such a way and dedicated the rest of the show to Jimmy, that everyone celebrated his life, rather than being bummed out about death. At least Jimmy wasn't suffering from the torture of the cancer any longer. RIP Jimmy, my friend. At least no one can sue him any more for playing Frank Zappa's music. Pffft!

 

Can you BELIEVE how amazing these pumpkins are? The carving must have taken HOURS. There were two of them at the show and they looked even better when the lights were out. They glowed. They seemed surreal. 


 

I am dam proud of that picture. Great colors, mood, yes!

The two love birds were alone on stage after the show, showing love and I just asked them to pose. So sweet. Poor Jerry must need a whole year to recover from all the stress and energy it takes to put on Zappaween. I think some of his friends should help out a bit more, like with the web site, and lugging the equipment in and out as I saw him doing most of the work, but maybe he likes it that way. 

 

 Although the actual Zappaween/Bogus Pomp SHOW was fun, I have to admit I prefer Zappanale. There are 4 days of Zappa-packed fun, with Zappa fans from all over the world (total sausage fest) and the scenery is gorgeous too. Zappaween is three hours of fun. No comparison. Fourteen years of Zappaween and still no place to hang out before the show? wtf? You know I love comparisons. So lets just say, you have two amazing lovers. Both well equipped. Both can make you cum. But one fucks you for four days, a four day fuck fest, you know the kind, were you stink of sex for days in a row. The other, comes in, makes you cum really fast and leaves. Zappaween is the quickie; Zappanale will make you sore for a few days. Both are fun. It's a matter of taste and time I guess. 

Ike and John after the show. The mood was somber again after the smoke cleared and Jimmy's name came up again. There was mad love for Jimmy at the show that night. He will never be forgotten. Such a talented sweet heart. Missed by many many fans, friends and loved ones. 

 

Comment from Robin:

 

Dec 6, 2008 9:55 PM
great florida/zappaween blog…will add a story or two soon…like how i had NO VOICE…and that DINER we went to at 3am…what a trip that was!! omg…our dr. dot massages at the pubic hair motel…with the highest *mildew* rating!!LOL! although blurry, i like the shot of ike and me sitting outside after learning that JCB had died 🙁 your previous poster is right, for such heavy news it was great to be with you and john and ike and all the fans…RIP jimmy…RIP frank… peace and music…robin

Posted on

Tiny up date

Regarding the Jimmy Carl Black memorial concert recently in London, from our friend and fellow Frank Zappa fan, Dave:
"Hi,

A concert for Jimmy in London certainly rocked.
Everyone in the place was so friendly that it seemed to be more like a party
where everyone knew each other, though they didn’t but soon did as it was very
laid-back and friendly, also packed out, which was nice.

It was sad at times with many a tear being shed but it then went into party and
music overdrive and rocked.
Even the security staff boogied!

Anyway, thought I would tell you as I know, in my heart, you were there in
spirit and I drank a few beers for you by proxy!!!

All the best,

Dave

P.S
Andrew has done a write-up at: http://www.idiotbastard.com/reviews.htm "

 

Also, I filled my gas tank up last night, er, this morning at 4am and my jaw hit the floor when the man told me I owed him $23!! WHAT?? This is half price of what it was a month a go. Obama is already having a great effect on the USA, yay!!

Posted on

Jimmy Carl Black…Death don’t have no mercy, in this land :(

During the Bogus Pomp show tonight (last night, November 1st) I received an email from Jerry Ford (close personal friend of Jimmy Carl Black) on my blackberry with the HORRIBLE news that JCB had passed away earlier that morning (October 31st- see below). I couldn't hide my initial reaction so my friends Robin and John, fellow Zappa freaks, noticed right away and we were all freaking out. I went to the side of the stage and told Pat Buffo, special guest singer and then when Ike Willis came off for a break I told him, as I thought everyone should know right away and Ike agreed. He dedicated the rest of the show to JCB and so we all did some mourning together, along to the amazing sounds of Bogus Pomp doing Frank Zappa songs, pretty much perfectly, with all their heart and soul in it. You could feel the love in the room. To receive that information and not pass it on would have been rude.

 I will do a massive Florida blog when I get back to NYC and find some time, meanwhile, below, the message I left on JCB's myspace page and the message from JCB's close friend.

 

peace

x

 

"I am gutted to hear you're gone. Hope you have fun up in Heaven jamming with Frank"   Dr. Dot

 

"It is my sad duty to report the news that JIMMY CARL BLACK has passed away. Jimmy left this earth around 11pm Germany (5am NYC)  time on October 31st. of cancer. Jimmy lived his life by the second, enjoying each and every bit of it , and still always had plenty to share with everyone he came in contact with. He enriched and inspired many many people's lives and opened so many artistic doors for the rest of us to walk through and reap the benefits. Although tears do run down my cheeks I know Jimmy would not want us to be sad. He has said to me many times how important his fans were to him and in his last days it was his family he was most concerned with. PLEASE visit The JCB Gift Shop at www. cafepress. com/jimmycarlblack and show your kind support to his family. A fantastic benefit concert is being planned for December 7th in California, please visit www. myspace. com/quotinprotestofboredomquotthehomegame for more up to date details. We will continue to keep you posted on the Inkanish Record Co. site as well. There is also a big benefit taking place in London on November 9th….. stay tuned for more details there too. Jimmy's son Geronimo and myself along with many of Jimmy's dear friends intend to keep Inkanish Records alive and thriving to keep Jimmy's music and high ideals alive. We also are going to do all we can to get Jimmy into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame where he has belonged for years! GOD BLESS JIMMY CARL BLACK AND HIS FAMILY! Jerry Ford  

Posted on

Foreigner in NYC

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

No, I am not a Foreigner in NYC, I mean the Rock Group FOREIGNER played in NYC last night at Gotham Hall..well, it wasn't open to the public, it was a private show and luckily for me the band invited me and my girlfriend Brooke to come and watch. The night BEFORE was also AMAZING. I don't even know where to start anymore, I have so much to write I am feeling rather swamped. I still haven't even finished my France, Rome and Florence blog yet! YIKES!!!!!!  Freaking out here!!

Let me jump back to this past December to my first Foreigner blog (click  HERE to read it) so you can get a feel of how much this band has been growing on me. Some of my friends wind me up telling me "enough with the FOREIGNER already!!!". ha ha. But I surely don't have to remind anyone that good old fashioned rock and roll bands are far and few in between and this band is not only amazing in concert, they are also fun as FUCK to hang out with; even the managers and crew are a blast to be around. Sigh. I have had NO sleep at all since Monday; since Foreigner rolled into town. Ha ha. 

 

My pal Tom Gimbel , rythm guitarist, sax player and backing vocals had some free time, as did the drummer, Brian Tichy and their tour manager assistant Eric so we all went to Arlene's Groceries for some LIVE karaoke. It was so surreal, I am still smirking about it right now as I type. I signed up to sing Back in Black and Brian  stepped in and took to the drums (you see, this is live karaoke, as in you don't sing to a tiny TV, you actually sing lead vocals with a KICK ASS band. They have this every Monday night at Arlene's ).

The guitarist ^  of the karaoke band is out of this world good. He's from Northern Ireland and has a very charming accent by the way (not that it matters, I'm just sayin')

 

I was kinda nervous about having a stand in drummer, I mean, did he even KNOW Back in Black? There were no rehearsals or anything but what the hell, he seemed overly confident, so we went for it. HOLY FUCKING SHIT can this guy play drums. Sigh. It sounded like we had all jammed together for years. He beats the shit out of the drums and the MC even said "that is the loudest fucking drummer I have ever heard in my life" heh heh. It was PERFECT.

Then Tom came on stage, took the mic (audience was now aware of the fact the Foreigner was in the HOUSE) and Tom sang "Hot Blooded" with Brian on drums again. The crowd was creaming their jeans. It was fantastic. I have videos of all this, and will post them ASAP. Again, I am swamped as FUCK. The house drummer was "not amused" at Brian playing two songs, but things got even worse after Brian chugged a few drinks and got antsy, like musicians do (the want to be on stage playing, NOT watching) so Brian went on stage again (without an invite ha ha) with some Mexican dude he made friends with and the dude sang "living on a prayer" by Bon Jovi and Brian, once again, tore it UP! He was PERFECT. I was swooning over his ability to just jump in on any song and NAIL IT. Improv at it's BEST! 

Tour manager/assistant Eric acts as baby sitter/buddy while out with the band ^ 

 

 

;

 Tom and Brooke ^

The band were all impressed that Brooke is an Opera singer. She is also a karaoke DJ on the side. When she sings rock and roll, it's like butter. The girl has amazing PIPES! (her "lungs" are pretty impressive too 😉

Mick ^ founder of the band, is really polite, friendly, calm…great guy!

Tom told us we had to dress REALLY nice as it was a Black Tie affair. He saw us and said "oh Lord! Lay low until the band starts and the lights are low, so all the wives (not wives of the band, wives of the rich business men there) don't freak out. Most of them were wearing what appeared to be prom dresses. ugh.

 

Jeff the Bass player is SUPER cool and is usually the one needing massage the most. 

Info about Jeff:

Jeff Pilson (born in Lake Forest, Illinois, USA) is an American bass guitarist specializing in the heavy metal music genre.

He was a member of popular 1980s heavy metal bands Dokken and Dio. He currently has his own progressive metal group called War and Peace, which was formed in 1993, releasing two albums: 1993's War and Peace and 2004's The Walls Have Eyes. He also works with his ex-Dokken bandmate, guitarist George Lynch in a two-member group called Lynch/Pilson.

He also played in the band Wild Horses (not to be confused with the British band of the same name).

Although he is a renowned primarily for his work as a bass guitarist, Pilson also plays guitar and keyboards.

He played a member of the band Steel Dragon in the 2001 film Rock Star as well as playing on the film's soundtrack.

Pilson is currently the bass player for seventies rock band Foreigner.

 

Tom in action ^

 

As I said, Tom told us that since it was a DELL computer private corporate show, for 400 people tops, we should lay low and let the ol' corporate, rich wives shine. We did….for MOST of the night. During "I want to know what love is" we couldn't take it anymore and slinked onto the dance floor, slowly moving towards the stage. There was A LOT of lighting in the place and it was a small hall, so the band could see EVERYONE on the dance floor. Brooke and I slow danced, DIRECTLY in front of the stage, grinding into eachother, squeezing each others buttocks but never cracking a smile. We gazed into each others eyes and ignored the whole room on purpose just to wind the band up. It was so fucking funny distracting the band with our loving slow dance (have you seen the film The Wedding singer? When Drew Barrymore slow dances with the young boy who grabs her butt the whole time?) – well that's what we were doing. It was hysterical. The band naturally told us ALL about it after, saying how hard it was to concentrate lol. I thought they would be mad at us, but we were tired of behaving for so long. heh heh. 

 


 

Kelly ^ has a slight resemblance to Steven Tyler but I have never told him so. Rock stars hate being compared to other artist. 

Don't know why Brian has that look on his face. He must be tired from the night before- too much karaoke!

 Ahhhhhh, lovin' life 

 

Isn't Brooke cute? 

 

Uh, never seen a white bike like that before. Had to mount it.

After the show we all went to an Irish pub near their hotel as the Hotel Bar was lame as fuck and closed early. It's NYC, the place that "never sleeps"? I don't think so. Berlin never sleeps. NYC naps. 

Apparently Brooke makes me sweat ^

 

Eric got the karaoke bug too and sang some Chris Isaak for us. 

Brooke and Mike Bluestein Foreigner keyboardist ^  has a hell of a resume'

—————————————————————————————

 May 17th, 2008 (look how long it takes me to blog now a days)

Over the two days we hung with the band, they grew to LOVE my driving (and my JBL speakers/sound system) in my car. Some of them preferred to have me drive them to and from rather than hired vans. HEH! My stereo by the way, was louder than the gig. The band was tight as FUCK but the acoustics in that hall are crap. Lots of echo…so the band had to keep it down a bit. But I doubt they cared, corporate gigs (DELL) always pay well 😉

If the band is heading your way, you should try to catch their show. I have seen over 3,000 shows and they are one of the tightest bands live, ever. 

x

 

Thu 05/15/08 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre

Fri 05/16/08 Westbury, NY North Fork Theatre At Westbury

Thu 05/22/08 Visalia, CA Visalia Fox Theatre

Fri 05/23/08 Santa Rosa, CA Wells Fargo Center For The Arts

Sat 05/24/08 Stateline, NV Harrah's Tahoe

Sun 05/25/08 Stateline, NV Harrah's Tahoe

Fri 05/30/08 Torrington, CT Warner Theatre appearing with Bryan Adams

Tue 07/15/08 Augusta, ME Augusta Civic Center

Fri 07/18/08 Portsmouth, VA Ntelos Wireless Pavilion

Sat 07/19/08 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Sun 07/20/08 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park

Tue 07/22/08 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena

Thu 07/24/08 Selma, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Fri 07/25/08 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sat 07/26/08 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Centre appearing at "Alhambra Summer Jubilee"

Sat 08/02/08 Alhambra, CA Downtown South Second Street 

Fri 08/22/08 Detroit, MI Renaissance Center

Fri 08/29/08 Woodstock, VA Shenandoah County Fair

Sat 08/30/08 Atlantic City, NJ Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort

Wed 09/17/08 Livermore, CA The Concerts At Wente Vineyards

Fri 09/19/08 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery

Sat 09/20/08 Primm, NV Star of the Desert Arena

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Punk Rock is still alive and well in NYC

It's always fun to drop by Arturo's loft. After all, I have been dropping by in and sleeping over at Mr. Vega's lower East Side place since I was 15 years old. Artie always has new Ramones goodies, like these expensive collector's item skulls below. He is the Art Director of the Ramones and designed every Ramones album ever made, even the famous eagle with baseball bat logo on the skull at the right, in the picture below.

If you are really curious about Arturo and haven't heard of him before, just google: Arturo Vega. He is famous amongst the Ramones fans and alumni, etc. They signed their first ever record contract in his loft, so it's legendary and still an exciting place to hang. To know Artie is to love him.  

 

The loft is adorned with numerous art pieces by various artist, like Dee-Dee Ramone for example. He had a wild imagination, as you can see from the paintings below:

 

When Dee Dee came to Berlin, he stayed at my flat with his then wife Barbara. They spent an absurd amount of time coloring in fact (with crayons!). Lots of fun indeed. Did you ever read Dee Dee's book  "Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones" ? He is so cute; didn't have enough funds to edit it, so it's unedited and hilarious!

 

 

Arturo (on the right) and his room mate James (middle) and his lovely sister (was visiting from San Fran)

Picture I took of a picture hanging on Arturo's bedroom wall ^ Johnny Ramone & Arturo YEARS ago. Look how HOT Arturo looks! He is older now, but still looks healthy, fit and much younger than he really is.  Notice Johnny looks miserable, as usual.

 

So after hanging at the loft for a while, Arturo, Jasmine and I all went to a ^ book release party at the Alphabet City bar, 'Manitoba's' to honor the "Official Punk Rock book of lists" by Handsome Dick Manitoba & Amy Wallace.  The party was packed with familiar faces and lots of ambitious artists, writers, photographers and other folks in the music & literary world. I found a review of the party online, click  HERE to read it.  Handsome Dick is also the singer of the Dictators and a radio personality.

( I HIGHLY recommend clicking that link to read their report of the event, it's much more thorough than mine 🙂 

Dick, me and his gorgeous British born wife, Zoe ^  

Zoe is so incredibly sexy, you just get pulled in by her piercing blue eyes and luminous skin, then she seals the deal with her charming English accent and contagious smile. She was "thrilled" to meet me and shrieked loudly when introduced "Dr. Dot!? I know you, I've read your column for AGES! I LUV YOU Dr. Dot!" and proceeded to whisk me around, introducing me to new people and  people that already knew me, but I didn't know yet, like Eric, the Managing Editor of Penthouse Forum/Girls of Penthouse, who reminded me we already know each other from a 2 hour phone interview for a piece the Penthouse Forum did on me a year or two ago. "oooooh, I forgot about that" I sheepishly admitted.

 

Me and Eric Danville ^ 

 

Eric told me it's ok to spill the beans, to pass on the great news, that as of May, my sex/relationship column, "Ask Dr. Dot" can be found monthly in the Penthouse Forum. I am over the moon about this. This certainly helps ease the pain of having my naughty column let go from the NY Press thanks to their new, wholesome (word:Boring) image. Sigh. Penthouse Forum, here I come. 

 I got to chat with Mike Edison, Senior Editor of Backbeat Books and Hal Leonard Books, which was a thrill. The man is legendary. You couldn't swing a cat without hitting a cool, connected New Yorker. I should go out with Arturo more often, it's so fun and there are always great folks around. I do admit I spend too much time at karaoke bars, whoring the mic. Karaoke WHORE!

 

 

 The legendary Photogrpaher, Leee Black Childers (yes, it's with 3 "eee's) and Zoe  ^

 Click HERE to read ALL about Leee and his part of Punk & Rock and Roll history… Speaking of history, Zoe doesn't hesitate to let you know she is an ex-PORN star who is working on her memoirs. Maybe even a reality show. She's so attractive, I'm sure many would tune in. SCHWING!

< Leee, on the left, was HOT when he was a young man. 

It was GREAT to see my pal Monte again. I have known him (And Arturo) since I was 15. Monte, in case you don't know, was the Ramones road manager. He kept everything sane & as organized as possible on the road. He was always on the ball! I haven't seen Monte for a couple years (last time was at a party for Joey's Birthday celebration at CBGB's in 2002) yet the first thing Monte says to me when he saw me was "why did you remove me from your myspace top friends!??". LMFAO, that's so funny, myspace is taking over. "you're still in MY top friends!!" he continued. "Ok, ok, I rotate my top friends, but I promise to have you back up there by tomorrow" I swore to him. I made another snide remark about how I find it totally UNFAIR that his book "on the road with the Ramones" does NOT include my name at ALL. How could that be? I was dating Joey for 3 years and hardly ever missed a weekend show! (had to go to school Monday – Thursday, skipped Fridays to be with my Punk God). Well, we all know why I am not mentioned. I was only 15 when I started seeing Joey (I told them ALL I was 19). This seems kinda creepy now, but it wasn't back then, I looked 19, acted 19 and so, to them, I was 19. Anyways. What's done is done, I'm not in the dam book! Fine. I will just write about it in mine (again). Snap 😉

Close up of Monte's jacket. I'm sure it's a collectors item…

Many more pics from the party can be seen HERE 

 

I do have lovely pictures of Jasmine, but she's banned me from posting any pics of her and even mentioning her. I will get my face ripped off for even mentioning her name in this blog. Sigh.  Trying as hard as I can to NOT write about my lovely, talented, honest, intelligent daughter, but I have to respect her wishes. Hoping you don't think I'm SOOOOO wrapped up in my business and activities that I forget my Jasmine; it's just the opposite, I wish I could post ALL the pics I have of her, she's so subtle, shy, humble and sweet; but she doesn't want it, so I can't. She isn't a camera hog like her mum. How can that be? We are the same at some points but completely opposite at others. I respect her completely and that's why you don't see a parade of Jasmine pics/videos.

 

   

 Random shots I took whilst about town (town, I mean, CITY!). Isn't it funny when you say "I'm in the city" people still ask "what city?". I don't feel a slight bit of guilt when I say "THE city; NYC". If you haven't been to Manhattan, then you may not understand the sarcastic, presumptuous response. 

 

 
   

 

 Is it strange to be surprised when people ask "what city?" when you tell them you are "in the city" ? If you have never been to Manhattan, you may not understand that sarcastic, presumptuous response (THE city!)

 

 The infamous ^  Jonesy in front of the 24/7 Apple store on 5th ave    

                                                                   

Icy branches amuse me  ^

 

I made another little video in Manhattan. Click HERE to see it  

 

Times Square always makes for a good photo-op.

Not that I watch much TV (in Germany I NEVER watch any TV, don't even get one channel and if I did, I still wouldn't watch it) but here in the USA they are having a writers strike (enough already peeps, get the fuck back to work, be happy you have a job). TV sucks monkey balls at the moment, hence all the time for blogging. Animal Planet + Discovery Channel are the only things worth watching. "You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals, so lets do it like they do it on the Discovery channel" 

Posted on

Black Out Escapee

What does Janis Joplin have to do with the Black Out? As I left the chaos of a dark NYC behind me, I drove north in my vw black golf, listening to Janis, the pain in her voice as she belted out Kozmic Blues made me grateful that we are only having a power outage, others have had it worse.

Yes, NYC was crazy today, as you all saw on the news.This is my second LOG entree tonight, the first one somehow disappeard ( dont you HATE that??). So now I have to start all over again. I had to pack my bags in the dark today, and take a shower by candle lights, which would have been much more fun if I wasn't alone 😉