Read it here.
-D. M. Collins
my very, very long interview with Jimmy Espinoza of Thee Midnighters is up at L.A. RECORD. April 16, 2013
My Three O’Clock interview is up on L.A. RECORD. April 6, 2013
This one was a pleasure. Please read.
-D. M. Collins
David Markey – excerpts from We Got Power! at a Rrose in a Prose February 2, 2013
It was a busy month for me, not just with writing, but with a lot of life stuff. I’m just now getting around to posting about our most recent Rrose, which is sheer negligence on my part, because these were some of the best writers we’ve had yet.
It was particularly special to have David Markey, an acquaintance of mine I’ve known for a couple years and who’s made some of my favorite documentaries of all time, including The Reinactors from a few years back. Here he is, reading a chapter from his and Jordan Schwartz’s new book, We Got Power!, a collection of essays, photos, and xeroxed flyers from the days in the very early 80s when these two young kids were putting out the definitive punk fanzine that celebrated L.A.’s burgeoning hardcore scene and the golden greats of Quincy and Three’s Company with equal enthusiasm.
My favorite part here is when he just goes into a huge long list of all the bands that played at the time, name after name after name, making his memoir veer temporarily into a realm that, for me, evoked one of those “I’m just going to name a bunch of cool things I like, all in a row” braggadocios favored by MIKE the PoeT. That said, you can see in the clip how effective it was in getting the audience to perk up and listen. Mere lists, especially long ones, can sometimes have more overwhelming magic than thoughtfully arranged poetry. Perhaps that makes Dave a “lexicon devil?”
I didn’t do this interview myself… September 23, 2012
Check out this rerun of a fantastic interview with Nocando, as done by Chris Ziegler, at L.A. RECORD. I’m so excited to have Nocando as a part of this month’s Rrose in a Prose event!
my Turbonegro interview is up on L.A. RECORD August 31, 2012
I didn’t transcribe this myself, so it’s very warts-and-all. If you ever wondered what my interviews look like without my fascistic editing process, read this.
I almost feel guilty. But Jason Heath, your record earned this… August 27, 2012
First of all, let’s get this out of the way: I have a great old friend named Jason Heath who I used to DJ for back in the day at Club Snack Sac at Zen Sushi. I have many fond memories of hoisting entire crates of records up a wooden ladder into the quasi-tree fort sound bay thing they had there in the upper room. He’d book bands like Sex Pistols tribute bands and weird math rock thingies and the Partridge Family Temple, and I’d spin records between his bands. I think I got him laid once. This review is not about that Jason Heath.
It’s about Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls, and ironically Heath is not a greedy soul. He’s actually a stand-up, righteous dude who loves charity and community and by all standards, he probably has a killer playlist on his iPod.
But somehow, through friendships with Hollywood types, perhaps, or because he has his eyes set on fame, he’s come out with an embarrassment of an album, and I cannot in good conscience say anything good about it at all. It would be better if the album was full of mistakes and songs that attempted grand things and spectacularly failed, but instead what we have is warmed-over retreads of 80s rockers. It’s sad. Sad sad sad. And I couldn’t help but say so in no uncertain terms:
… it hurts me, after hearing so many great country and country-infused bands this month, to know Jason Heath is oblivious to the fact that he’s reinvented the same sound John Cougar Mellencamp made on his late 80s hit “Cherry Bomb” except, you know, with less oomph to the lyrics and spread over an entire album. Hey, dude, Jason, when you find yourself in a studio doing things like smoothing out the shrillness of an accordion line and making sure the snare drum isn’t too bombastic, it might be wise to take a step back and make sure you’re not ironing out the peaks and valleys and leaving us with nothing but Kansas. (Do I mean the state, or the band? It doesn’t matter.)
Anyway, the review is here.
my Mountain Cult review needs an explanation… August 14, 2012
I’m an old-school fan of punk rock. Like, Lenny Kaye/Lester Bangs “punk.” The Troggs. The Seeds. Big-browed, primitive caveman ugga-bugga rock.
So guys (and I’m talking to you, Mountain Cult), when I say the word “retarded,” I mean it with the utmost praise. I love it. The album. I love the album. And also retardation.
my return to the Garage, AKA the Virgil July 19, 2012
Tonight I am DJing an event with dublab at the Virgil. For those who know me, I used to DJ every week at the Garage, many, many years ago, and then had a set once a week at dublab. So for me, DJing a dublab event at the Virgil is a super double-backed reverse return to my much younger self!
If you want to see me with a youthful glow, or give me a youthful blow, come out to the Virgil tonight.
I like A Place to Bury Strangers’ newer-ish EP June 23, 2012
… and I talked about it a whole durn bunch here.
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