Flutterby™! : Scotch Night 2002-01-25 16:27:48+00

Scotch Night

2002-01-25 16:27:48+00 by Dan Lyke 9 comments

Scotch Night last night rocked! It was my fault that we ended up with a Scotch Night schism, half the group ended up at Beckett's in Berkeley, half the group at Hotel Mac in Point Richmond: Phil, Dori, Kiki, Nathan, Julie (of Neanderdolls fame) and me. Alas, Dori left a little early, and the discussion took some time to get going, but we ranged from porn on cell-phones (Phil has an awesome cell-phone+Palm device), Burning Man, relationships (Julie's days away from finalizing her divorce from Klaus Flouride), lube and condom brands, and the joys of children (yes, even I participated in that one). Oh yeah, and the joys of shooting bottle rockets out of one's ass. When we left I figured it was about 8:30 and it was 10:30.

Judging by your description the real Scotchnight happened at Beckett's and you had an afterburn party at Hotel Mac (sorry I missed it)

Kiki

wants to do Scotch Night

next week or the week after at the Odeon, where there may be still more bottle rockets shot out of asses. I'm promising nothing, of course.

And I can't believe I couldn't remember "Slippery Stuff". "Liquid Silk" was the generally accepted favorite lube, but "Slippery Stuff" seems gentler. Sample of two, your mileage may vary, et cetera and so on.

Just saw the mention of Klaus and divorce....it's gotta be 'cause of the snubbing of Jello, right??? Oh please....

I'm still debating on going to see the "almost" DK's on my birthday next month...

Report in on the almost-DKs, if you would; one of the things I realized while talking with Julie about the Neanderdolls

is that up here in Marin we don't have "concept" bands, and we have gigs rather than shows. But in terms of concept bands, I do still need to get Dylan to take me to a GWAR show.

Gwar is a lovely band to see aleast once. I did get to see Marilyn Mandon before they got "big" in a little club here in Atlanta. Hilarious!!! Band from 'round here that you may like is "Man...or Astroman?" - sci-fi/surf/punk/devo-ish...also, I would strongly suggest seeing Caroliner if they're still alive...Gwar without the blood...but all of the noise...

I'd be interested in hearing Klaus' side of the story (or his soon to be ex) since all I've read has been straight from Jello via Alternative Tenticles. I am torn between not going to see them on principle for screwing over Jello and wanting to cash in on Levi jeans <according to JellO> and going for the sheer "lookg at the car crash" kinda way. Sorry, but without Jello...it ain't the DK's...

You're right it's not the DK's without Jello...I don't think any punk would say differently. But...I have to take issue with automatically taking Jello's side in a dispute. I've had the distinct *displeasure* of meeting Jello on several occasions. I've had conversations with him, arguments with him, and on one occasion damn near had a fight with him.

The thing is about Jello...he *is* tremendously talented, and he *is* a punk rock icon. The problem is that punk rock icons aren't supposed to show up at the local club and lord their status over everyone...and Jello loves nothing better than to go to Gilman Street or wherever and hold forth about how the young'uns "owe their entire lifestyle" to him. Not to him and Dez Cadena and Poly Styrene and Keith Morris and John Doe and John Cale and etc etc etc. That really bugs the living shit out of me. It just seems a bit hypocritical to act like a rock star when you've made so many songs mocking the rock star mentality and the music industry as a whole.

I have a feeling that if you did a little digging into the story of why Jello won't be playing in the "reunion", you'd find that Jello probably wanted something unreasonable from it...the lion's share of the gate, billing as "Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys", or something like that. He's a shameless self-promoter and the main reason the band broke up. (Though Klaus and Ray had quite a bit to do with that as well). While it's true that it's not the DK's without Jello, the other members of the band had a LOT to do with their success...innovative guitar and bass work, supplying song concepts, steadying Jello's egomania...you name it.

On a side note, if I'd known how much spam I'd get from Alternative Tentacles, I would never have given them my email addy.

Dan, if I hear GWAR's in town, you just try to stop me from taking you...I can't wait.

That's why I said it would be nice to hear Ray & Klaus' reasoning. Yes, Jello is high maintenance (met him before too...nice to talk with for a couple of minutes then you just want to smack him)...but, I do believe that if it wasn't for hsm work after DK's broke up...none of the "yougins" would know who the hell they were. I was kinda surprised when Spin did their latest "most import bands thingy) that the DK's where not listed anywhere (okay, happy that Ramones made it #2). What other band has been charged with "distibution of hrmful mater" to children? Jello is a very good talker and I believe the only reason that people know who the Dead Kennedy's were. Yes Ray & Klaus were very important to the band...but they didn't have the showmanship/animal instincts that Mr. Biafra had/has. It's a real shame this couldn't have been a real DK tour...be there in a heartbeat...now I'm just wavering. Hell, atleast I did go see the Circle Jerks a couple of months ago...not bad for an old fart punk!

You're right, the DK's wouldn't have had nearly the impact they did without Jello, not only because of his charisma on stage and on vinyl but because of his cracked activist-on-elephant-crank sort of furious idealism. In my teens, he was one of my idols. The only part I disagree with in what you said above is that nobody would know who the DK's were if Jello weren't still doing spoken word. I haven't been active in the punk scene in a few years, but I know that *every* kid who showed up in the scene got adopted by older kids and the older kids passed on the wisdom of the past...the mix tapes that contain songs you will NEVER FIND AGAIN (I've lost most of my mix tapes and it's killing me).

Those kids didn't hear or learn to love the DK's because Jello did (very very good) spoken word gigs. They learned it because it was on my boombox while they were throwing up their lungs in my bathroom (on a good night it was in my bathroom). They learned it the same way I learned about Iggy and the Stooges...who were before *my* time. *shrug*

Definitely fair to say though that anyone else singing DK's songs is just wrong, and the tour is definitely one I'd give a miss to. Now if it was Ray and Klaus wanting to do music of their own...I'd go see that.

On the subject of the Spin thing...it's been really weird to me watching the music press decide who the most important punk bands were...and watching them miss some of the most critical. I mean Crass and the Exploited alone...never seen them mentioned. Rarely see Circle Jerks mentioned, Black Flag fares better. Adolescents? Never. Descendents? (The foundation of just about all today's bubblegum punk) Nope.

The mainstream music press seems to be fond of pretending to have been deeply involved in it all, and "in the know". And you know the thing is, how many people really know any better? It's just the old dinosaurs who can't quite decide when it's time to take out the piercings who are boggling at the gross omissions from those lists (and some of the things included...)

Spin is unusually cool for a mainstream music mag, hence the Ramones getting that spot. I think there's an unfortunate tendency though to tokenize punk, to reduce it to one or two bands that are hardly representative of the variety and vitality of the thing...that's the great regret I have, that I didn't do something...with film, audio...SOMETHING...to memorialize the thousands of live shows, the parties with impromptu performances, the fact that while other kids fantasized about getting to see their music idol from a couple hundred feet away, I got to get drunk with most of my music idols, because they were regular guys just trying to say what they had to say. Nothing but having lived it can pass that along I guess. The press has tried but mostly it's failed. I still haven't seen a good book on the subject. Only one good film, and it's a documentary. Well, ok...Suburbia was pretty good too...

Wasn't just spoken word that I was referring to Jello...work with No Means No, Lard, DOA, hell, even Mojo Nixon. He's also, with Alternative Tenticles (which growing up WAS the DK label) has brought along some great bands and given them an outlet (one of my favs was Crucifucks). Problem for the current "DK's" is that Jello is so prolific and bitchy that I've heard his side of the story hundreds of times...have heard nothing out of the rest of the band...

I'm still torn...I'd really like to go to the show...but....Love how big the ad has to be with all the caveats: "Dead Kennedys"...and dammit, I missed GWAR!

Also, If I start bragging that I just got Suburbia on DVD...that's not really a kewl ol' punk to mention, right? <grin>