GABBA GABBA HEY! My Q & A about JOHNNY RAMONE for EL PAÍS

Have you seen journalist Jaime Lorite's recent article celebrating the legacy of Johnny Ramone? It appeared in the 15 Septiembre issue of ICON in the Spanish newspaper El País; if you missed it, you can read an English translation here. As part of his research for the article, Jaime contacted Rare Bird Books--publisher of my 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones--and the good folks at Rare Bird put Jaime in touch with me to answer a few short questions about Johnny. I was delighted to comply, and honored to be included. 

As a supplement to the published article, here is the text of Jaime's brief  Q & A with me. Jaime asks, and I answer:

1. Many assume that the creative part of the Ramones corresponded, mainly, to Joey and Dee Dee. How crucial was Johnny's role for the Ramones to exist as we know them?

Each of the four founding Ramones--Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy--played an important role in creating and establishing the group's approach. Joey and Dee Dee were the most prolific songwriters (though Tommy co-wrote "Blitzkrieg Bop" with Dee Dee), but we can hear the sound of the Ramones in all of their early recordings, regardless of whether the song was an original or a cover. A large part of that sound is defined by Johnny's guitar.

I don't think Johnny's guitar sound, that relentless--but still pop--rhythmic assault, had any real antecedent. The Stooges? The MC5? The New York Dolls? Hell, the Ohio Express? No, nothing predating the Ramones sounds like the Ramones. The minimalism was a group effort, facilitated by Tommy (and later intensified by Marky). The passion was Joey. The ragged, strung-out urban poetry was Dee Dee. The fast-and-loud presence was Johnny.

2. To what extent do you think there is truth to the belief about Johnny's limitations as a “three-chord” guitarist, despite his later great influence?

I have no reason to believe that Johnny Ramone was ever any more of a virtuoso than he appeared to be. I don't remember if it was Johnny or Dee Dee who told a journalist that the Ramones play to their level of ability. Eventually other guitarists supplemented or subbed for Johnny in the studio on the fancier licks...well, the fancier licks by Ramones standards. But this ain't jazz. We know of the long-standing conflict between Joey and Johnny, but it was Joey himself who stressed to me how important Johnny's guitar playing was to THAT sound, the Ramones sound. 

(Nor should Johnny's technical achievement be dismissed too quickly. I can't remember who said it or where I saw it, but a journalist once wrote in response to punters who believed any decent guitarist could play like Johnny Ramone: Oh yeah? YOU try it. Most guitarists would break a freaking hand trying to match what Johnny Ramone pounded out on his Mosrite guitar in the course of any Ramones live set, kind of like when Blondie's Clem Burke--an excellent drummer in his own right--tried and failed to keep up as a Ramones drummer. The Ramones played to their level of ability. That was not as easy a feat as it seemed.)

3. Beyond his tensions with Joey and the military discipline he imposed on the band, given that you dealt with him, what was Johnny Ramone like in short distances? Was he as surly as people said or was it more of an attitude? 

I never met Johnny--our interview was by telephone--so I can't comment on what he was like face-to-face. I've seen credible accounts of how...well, let's just say how difficult Johnny could be. Politically, we were polar opposites, and the tension between Johnny and Joey was evident in my conversations with both of them. But I tell you, Johnny could not have been nicer to me. Throughout our discussion, he frequently asked me what I thought of each individual Ramones record. He was taken aback when I said I liked the track "Something To Believe In" (his response was "You LIKE that...?!"), but he seemed genuinely curious and surprisingly pleasant. He was nice to me. My experience with him doesn't jibe with his public image nor with others' reliable accounts of how prickly (or worse) he could be. But yeah, Johnny Ramone was nice to me.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: More Crusin' Music, Powered By iPod

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio is simply too large a concept to be neatly contained within a mere three-hour weekly time slot. Hence these occasional fake TIRnRR playlists, detailing shows we're never really going to do...but could.

We've done this one before, and we're doing it again: A playlist collecting tracks my iPod shuffled through on a few recent commutes. The songs are presented in the precise sequence I heard them while cruising to and from my here and there in the Boppinmobile. 

And the result would make a kickass radio show. Evidence appears below. Radio on. Radio UP. Let's hit the road. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

PS: SEND MONEY!!!! We need tech upgrades like Elvis needs boats. Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at 
http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/

FAKE TIRnRR Playlist: More Cruisin' Music, Powered By iPod

EYTAN MIRSKY: Watching From The Balcony

THE KINKS: Sunny Afternoon

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS: 3 Small Words

MAD MONSTER PARTY: Death Valley Days

RASPBERRIES: Ecstasy

JOAN ARMATRADING: Drop The Pilot

--

CAST: Alright

THE RAMONES: I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You

MICHAEL NESMITH: I Am Not That 

THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR: Let Her Dance 

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: Radio Radio

THE BEE GEES: New York Mining Disaster 1941

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THE BEACH BOYS: Girl Don’t Tell Me 

THE WHO: So Sad About Us

SWEET; Hellraiser

SIMON AND GARFUNKEL: My Little Town

MICKY DOLENZ: Little Red Rider

THE KINKS: Dead End Street 

--

HONEY CONE: Want Ads

OWSLEY: I’m All Right 

MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS: Echo Beach

THE GO-GO’S: Get Up And Go 

JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please 

THE BEATLES: Lovely Rita

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THE STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK: Incense And Peppermints

THE MIGHTY LEMON DROPS: Inside Out

KISS: Tomorrow

EYTAN MIRSKY: Happiness

THE ELECTRIC PRUNES: Get Me To The World On Time

STEVE CARR WITH ARTY LENIN: I Want To Touch You In The Dark

--

CLUB WOW: Norman Green

THE GRIP WEEDS: Every Minute 

EAGLES: Twenty-One

THE MONKEES: I Don’t Think You Know Me 

THE WHO: Won’t Get Fooled Again 

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JOHNNY AND THE HURRICANES: Beatnik Fly

THE RAMONES: 7 And 7 Is

COCKEYED GHOST: I Hate Rock ‘n’ Roll 

JOE “KING” CARRASCO: Houston El Mover

COLOR ME GONE: Lose Control 

THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I’ll Be There 

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JIMMY SILVA: Weight Of Wind

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Save Me

CRABBY APPLETON: Go Back

THE SMITHEREENS: It’s Alright 

JUSTINE’S BLACK THREADS; The Other Side Of A Six Pack

THE BOX TOPS: The Letter

MOTT THE HOOPLE: Roll Away The Stone

COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: St. Valentine's Day Massacre

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MR. ENCRYPTO: The Last Time

20/20: Song Of The Universe

GUADALCANAL DIARY: Litany (Life Goes On)

DON HENLEY: The Boys Of Summer

THE FLESHTONES: Stop Fooling Around 

GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR: Nobody Hurts You 

SUGAR: If I Can’t Change Your Mind 

BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY; Piece Of My Heart 

AMY RIGBY: I Don’t Want To Talk About Love No More 

DANA & CARL talk about THE RAMONES on the ONLY THREE LADS podcast with BRETT VARGO and UNCLE GREGG

L-R: CC Ramone, Dana Ramone, Uncle Ramone, and Vargo Ramone

This week's edition of the superswell classic alternative podcast Only Three Lads finds its hosts Uncle Gregg and Brett Vargo chantin' Hey-ho, let's GO! in welcoming Dana & Carl as collective guest Third Lad. Or, as their fresh this-week-only hype says, "This week, there's not only three lads.

"There's 1-2-3-4!"

So yeah, we're talking Ramones here. Each weekly episode of O3L finds each of its assembled Lads (hosts and guests) counting down a personal Top 5 within a chosen classic alt-rock topic. Given the facts that A) Dana and I host a radio show named after a line in a Ramones song, B) my first book was 2023's Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones, and C) I routinely refer to the Ramones as the American Beatles, the greatest American rock 'n' roll band of all time, well, it was pretty obvious that the topic for our O3L appearance had to Top 5 Ramones Songs. That, my friends, is just the way the Carbona crumbles.

Over the course of our long and spirited chat with Brett and Uncle Gregg, we discuss our long-standing reverence for the Ramones, and veer off in a jillion directions to also talk about radio, Syracuse's late '70s/early '80s rock 'n' roll scene, pop passions (from the Bay City Rollers to the Gladiolas, Josie Cotton, the Linda Lindas, the Monkees, and more), the importance of digging what you dig, and my other book, The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). I had an absolute blast, and I'm reasonably certain like-minded listeners will find that unabashed enthusiasm infectious. We're like cooties with a beat!

Only Three Lads is available from wherever and everywhere you get your podcasts. And you can keep it beatin' with all us hoppin' cretins right here via Apple Podcasts, or check here for the podcast platform of your choice.

Thank you, lads! And now: TAKE IT, DEE DEE....!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here. 

Spanish newspaper EL PAÍS interviews me (among others) about JOHNNY RAMONE

Spanish journalist Jaime Lorite interviewed me as part of his research for an article about Johnny Ramone. The resulting piece appears in the ICON section of Sunday's edition of the Spanish newspaper EL PAÍS. It was an honor to be asked to participate. I thank Jamie for his interest in my recollections, and I thank Alexandra Watts at Rare Bird Books (publisher of my 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones) for helping Jaimie get in touch with me. Gabba Gabba YAY!

You can read Jaimie's article in an English translation here: https://elpais-com.translate.goog/icon/2024-09-15/quieres-tocar-como-el-te-romperas-una-mano-20-anos-de-la-muerte-de-johnny-ramone-el-guitarrista-que-cambio-el-rock.html?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&fbclid=IwY2xjawFVLA9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaIP4si_ZebSao2quRxquxck8-dMfLHZa4-TlHUUssovN2QQi_OpoO8lTQ_aem_K0vYgedIs-fOCQjRgk5DPA

And we'll have an entirely unrelated Ramones link for you in this space tomorrow.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1251

This week's spins of the Bay City Rollers' "Money Honey" and the Ramones' "Rockaway Beach" are offered with respect and gratitude for two weekly podcasts that recently deigned to give This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio the time of day (and more!). 

On Friday, I was a guest on Dedication--Fans Remember The Bay City Rollers with Laura Brady and Suz Rostron (and you can hear our li'l one-hour Rollersfest via Apple or Spotify). Laura 'n' Sue even devoted the hour preceding my Dedication Guest DJ spot to some of the tracks featured in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). That was a lovely surprise I was not expecting at all, and I am very nearly humbled. During my hour, we chatted and played my ten favorite Rollers tracks. I do believe my ten picks serve as a great BCR introduction to rockin' pop fans who may not already be aware of the splendor to be found in some of the group's deeper cuts. (And hits. I played some great Rollers hits, too.) 

Dana and I will be appearing very soon--this week, I think--on the classic alternative podcast Only Three Lads, chatting with O3L hosts Brett Vargo and Uncle Gregg about our favorite Ramones songs. This appearance has been in the works for months, and the resulting show should be well, well worth it. Beyond our four-way discussion of the Ramones' importance, we touched on so much of the delighted obsessions we share, from power pop to hosting a radio show.  As I say on mic in this week's radio show: A splendid time was bludgeoned into the craniums of all. When will you be able to hear the TIRnRR-O3L crossover? Keep watching the skies! And, um… especially watch the skies this Tuesday. We’ll be on O3L this Tuesday.

On Dedication, we talked a bit about the Ramones, and played the audio clip of Johnny Ramone telling me how the chant of the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" directly inspired the HEY-HO, LET'S GO! of the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop." On O3L, I think that Brett and I mentioned our mutual love of the Bay City Rollers. It's ALL connected. 

And it's all pop music.

There is so much great stuff all around us, from the past and the present, with a future stacking up more tremendous tunes even as we speak. Our passions unite us. Respect. Gratitude. Rock 'n' roll. Keep on dancing on a Saturday night, and every night. Hey-ho, let's go. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream, and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio

You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). 

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Volume 5: CD or download

HEY! Looking for something to read? Check out Carl's books Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones and the brand-new The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). You can also follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/ If you would like to receive links to each day's blog, please reply to this email.

TIRnRR # 1251: 9/15/2024

TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold.

ORBIS MAX: We Shall Rise Again (single)

AMY RIGBY: Hell-Oh 60 (Tapete, Hang In There With Me)

THE BANDWAGON: People Got To Be Free (Kent Soul, Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache)

THE GO-BETWEENS: Love Goes On! (Beggars Banquet, 16 Lovers Lane)

HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS: Alleyways (Kitten Robot, Unsubscribe From The Underground)

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: You Belong To Me [Capital Radio version] (Edsel, This Year's Model)

--

HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS: Queen Of Hearts (Kitten Robot, Unsubscribe From The Underground)

DAVE EDMUNDS: Girls Talk (Rhino, The Anthology [1968-1990])

DENNIS SCHOCKET AND CLIFF HILLIS: The Girls Are Back In Town (n/a, Pop, Girls, Etc.)

BRINSLEY SCHWARZ: Cruel To Be Kind (Decal, It's All Over Now)

1.4.5.: Are You Ready? (Northside, 3 Chords & A Cloud Of Dust)

CUB KODA: Looks That Way To Me (Blue Wave, Welcome To My Job)
--

THE ARMOIRES: Ridley & Me After The Apocalypse (Big Stir, Octoberland)

SPITBALLS: I Can Only Give You Everything (Castle, VA: Home Of The Hits/The Beserkley Story)

THE FLASHCUBES: You Got My Promise (Northside, Brilliant)

THE RUBINOOS: Government Center (Yep Roc, The CBS Tapes)

THE GREG KIHN BAND: Roadrunner (Beserkley, With The Naked Eye)

JONATHAN RICHMAN AND THE MODERN LOVERS: Back In The U.S.A. (Castle, VA: Home Of The Hits/The Beserkley Story)

--

THE MIXERS: Never Find Time (Kool Kat Musik, VA: The Direct Records Story Volume One)

BEN VAUGHN: Dark Glasses (Bar/None, Mono USA)

MILLIE SMALL: Killer Joe (Caroline, The Best Of Millie Small)

ESQUERITA: Rockin' The Joint (Collectables, Rockin' The Joint)

ELENA ROGERS: I Feel Alive (Eats Dynamite, Prelude To Whatever)

FRANZ FERDINAND: Evil And A Heathen (Domino, You Could Have It So Much Better)

--

HAWKINS-MACNEILL: Just Call Me (n/a, VA: Embers Of Aloha: A Maui Wildfire Benefit Project)

JOHNATHAN PUSHKAR: Don't Stop (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Jagger & Richards)

ELVIS PRESLEY: Viva Las Vegas (RCA, The Essential Elvis Presley)

THE GOLD NEEDLES: The Good's Gone (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Pete Townshend)

SLYBOOTS: Blindsided (single)

THE GRIP WEEDS: You're So Good To Me (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Brian Wilson)

--

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Money Honey (Arista, The Definitive Collection)

SWEET: Love Is Like Oxygen (Capitol, The Best Of Sweet)

THE HALF/CUBES: My Girl (Big Stir, Pop Treasures)

TALKING HEADS: Wild Wild Life (Rhino, The Best Of Talking Heads)

THE O'JAYS: Love Train (Epic, Love Train: The Best Of The O'Jays)

THE TEARDROP EXPLODES: Pure Joy (Mercury, Wilder)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

VAN HALEN: Dance The Night Away (Warner Brothers, Van Halen II)

THEE HEADCOATEES: Teenage Kicks (Damaged Goods, Punk Girls)

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Hello Operator (Big Stir, single)

TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS: Hanky Panky (Rhino, Anthology)

THE BUSBOYS: Minimum Wage (Rattlesnake Venom, Boys Are Back In Town)

TOMMY ROE: Dizzy (Varese Saraband, VA: Bubblegum Classics: Volume Two)

--

ROXANNE FONTANA: Some Have Fun (Sprezzatura, single)

THE MIAMIS: Open Up Your Heart [live] (Omnivore, We Deliver: The Lost Band Of The CBGB Era [1974-1979])

sparkle*jets u.k.: I'm Away From My Desk (Big Stir, Box Of Letters)

THE SMALL FACES: Grow Your Own (Decca, Small Faces)

THE ANDERSON COUNCIL: She Steals Candy (unreleased)

EIGHT TRACK STEREO: Zero Hour (Zero Hour, VA: Power Pop Unplugged, Volume One)

THE MONKEES: Tapioca Tundra [acoustic version] (Rhino Handmade, The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees [Super Deluxe Edition]

RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS: The Kid With Replaceable Head (Omnivore, Destiny Street Complete)

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THE RAMONES: Rockaway Beach (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)

THE TOURISTS: Blind Among The Flowers (Camden, Greatest Hits)

WONDERBOY: Girl Songs (n/a, Hero Isle)

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS: Runaway (Rhino, The Traveling Wilburys Collection)

LIZ BORDEN: Shake (Code 213, single)

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: Beat On The Brat (Demented Punk, VA: Dr. Demento Covered In Punk)

THE KINKS: Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (Sanctuary, The Anthology 1964-1971)

THE BEATLES: Hello Goodbye (Apple, Magical Mystery Tour)

--

XTC: The History Of Rock 'n' Roll (Virgin, Rag And Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts And Leftovers)

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

WE SHALL RISE AGAIN! We kickstart this week's proceedings with an invigmoratin' new single from ORBIS MAX, and then we keep right on a-risin' from there. Our rock 'n' roll radio ascent includes new, old, recent, and whenever-we-want irresistibles by AMY RIGBY, THE BANDWAGON, HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS, DENNIS SCHOCKET AND CLIFF HILLIS, 1.4.5., CUB KODA, THE ARMOIRES, THE FLASHCUBES, THE RUBINOOS, THE MIXERS, BEN VAUGHN, MILLIE SMALL, ESQUERITA, ELENA ROGERS, JOHNATHAN PUSHKAR, SLYBOOTS, THE GRIP WEEDS, THE HALF/CUBES, THE O'JAYS, LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS, THE BUSBOYS, ROXANNE FONTANA, SPARKLE*JETS U.K., THE MONKEES, THE TOURISTS, WONDERBOY, LIZ BORDEN, WEIRD AL YANKOVIC, and THE KINKS. PLUS! We salute the podcasts DEDICATION--FANS REMEMBER THE BAY CITY ROLLERS and ONLY THREE LADS with respective spins of THE BAY CITY ROLLERS and THE RAMONES. That's how we rise. Take off with us! Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, https://sparksyracuse.org/, streaming on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. The weekend stops HERE!

10 SONGS: 9/14/2024

10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single. 

This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1250.

sparkle*jets u.k.: Make Something Happen

POP CO-OP: Wait Til Next Week

THE KENNEDYS: Walking Through The Park

Three as-yet-unreleased tracks from a compilation album coming from Big Stir Records in 2025. We have little more to say about this at the moment, except to note that each of these tracks is stellar, and that one of them will be the album's de facto title tune. 

Beyond that?

Well. Wouldn't YOU like to know.....

THE HALF/CUBES: My Girl

Oh, this is splendid. Splendid AND sublime! The Half/Cubes, of course, are two of the Flashcubes--bassist Gary Frenay and drummer Tommy Allen--working with Randy Klawon and a legion of super guest-stars to remake a few ace rockin' pop tunes from the past. Some you know. Some you don't know. Hell, some I don't know. The result is their debut album Pop Treasures, one of this year's best records and the best covers album since the Flashcubes' own Pop Masters.

For their Pop Treasures rendition of Eric Carmen's "My Girl," the Half/Cubes enlist the aid of Darian Sahanaja (of Wondermints and Brian Wilson's band) to apply just the right balance of shine and oomph. Gorgeous! And I tell ya: I would love to hear the Half/Cubes take on the Flashcubes' 1978 debut single "Christi Girl," written by Arty Lenin. Bright lights illuminate pop treasures of their own.

(And keep an eye out for an upcoming This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio special, casting its spotlight on some of the individual tracks that so influenced the Flashcubes and the Half/Cubes. Brilliant!)

WAR: Why Can't We Be Friends?

I wrote this in 2020. Still applies:

"We can be friends. But politics do matter. What happens in politics affects all of us, as we determine the way our society should function on a day-to-day basis. Friends care about what happens to friends, about what happens to friends of friends. Friends don't vote with the specific shallow goal of making liberals cry again. Friends don't delight in the notion of progressive heads going all Scanners if America's Biggest Mistake somehow wins a second term. And friends, on the right or the left, don't gloat when the other side loses. That's crass and insensitive. We go high. That's what friends do. That's what everyone ought to do.

"Man, we don't have to agree on everything. We don't even have to agree on all that much. Why can't we be friends? At the end of all of this: Why the hell can't we be friends?"

2024 update: With that said....

None of the above should be misread as willingness to compromise my values. If our values don't mesh in some way, then maybe we shouldn't have been friends to begin with.

OASIS: Digsy's Dinner

Well, this would have been an eensy bit more of a statement if we'd had time to play "Rock 'n' Roll Star" or even "The Hindu Times," but you go to the airwaves with the playlist that fits into a three-hour time slot, not the playlist you wish fit into a three-hour time slot. I've never been much of an Oasis fan, but I've been taken aback by the backlash against recent news of their upcoming reunion shows. Jeez, man, dig what you dig. This reunion means a lot to legions of Oasis faithful, and I'm delighted on their behalf.

This is the only previous thing I've ever had to say about Oasis on this blog:

"In the mid '90s, a coworker named Bob Ketcham was hooked on the first Oasis album, Definitely Maybe, and he shared his enthusiasm with me. Or maybe it was the second album, (What's The Story) Morning Glory? I don't remember, because Oasis just left me cold at the time. My friend Chuck Higbie in Key West also tried to recruit me into the Oasis Army, but I was a resister, I was. The Flashcubes opened a late '90s live show with an ace cover of Oasis' 'Rock 'n' Roll Star,' and that was a bit of all right, awright. 

"One evening in 2002, my daughter and I were watching Top Of The Pops on BBC America, and I fell in helpless thrall to the then-new Oasis single 'The Hindu Times.' I didn't even mind when Oasis themselves turned up on a subsequent TOTP, and were introduced as 'The greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world!' Nonetheless, my favorite Oasis-related track is 'Birth Of An Accidental Hipster,' the fab song co-written by Noel Gallagher of Oasis with the Jam's Paul Weller for the Monkees' 2016 album Good Times!"

And yeah, for this week's Oasis spin, I wanted to say, "Tonight, I'm a rock 'n' roll star," but time restraints forced us to sub in the much shorter track "Digsy's Dinner." Guess we'll settle for saying, "Eat it, haters."

THE BUZZCOCKS: I Don't Mind

I'LL MIND IF I DAMNED WELL WANNA MIND...!!

ROY CRANK: Don't Kill That World I'm Living In

I wasn't familiar with Ukrainian performer Roy Crank prior to the current release of his ace number "Don't Kill That World I'm Living In." That track is paired with the Armoires' "Snake Island Thirteen" as Songs For Ukrainian Independence Day. And while this show is obviously gonna play TIRnRR Fave Raves the Armoires (see below), Crank's track is also good, really good. "Don't Kill This World I'm Living In" reminds me of Queen at their best, and I think a lot of other pop music addicts will likewise appreciate it. I'm gonna need to take a deeper dive in Roy Crank's body of work. Time to thrill that world we're living in.

THE BAY CITY ROLLERS: Yesterday's Hero

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE ARMOIRES: You Oughta Be Cut In Half

Pop music as manifesto. The Armoires' Octoberland is nothing short of breathtaking, a firm planting of feet and raising of banner on behalf of values and virtues that are even larger than the music itself. The album opens with "We Absolutely Mean It," closes with "Music & Animals," and threads the sentiments together with nine more tracks of resolute sincerity, empathy, and accomplishment. It is a whole-album experience, as all of the superb advance singles somehow sound even better in context. The influences, whether deliberate or God-given, unite pop, rock, folk, Americana, Europa, Broadway (no, really!), rural soul, California sun, and--to quote an older Armoires song title--Appalachukrania, blended to form a unique and sublime tapestry. The production just sounds amazing, so inviting and warm, enhancing hooks and melodies unwilling to shy away from deeper meaning, hummable tunes unafraid to embrace their own essential kickass identity. The Armoires absolutely mean it. 

I'm convinced.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

TONIGHT: My Guest DJ appearance on DEDICATION--FANS REMEMBER THE BAY CITY ROLLERS

Before the weekend and its giddy promise of S!A!T-U-R!D-A-Y! NIGHT!, I will be appearing as a guest DJ tonight--Friday, September 13th--in the final hour of this week's edition of Dedication--Fans Remember The Bay City Rollers. Dedication is a weekly Rollers-related radio show that airs in Scotland at Midnight on Fridays, shang-a-langin' its way through four hours of Tartan-clad tunes. Dedication hosts Laura Brady and Suz Rostron are as dedicated as a rock 'n' roll love letter oughta be, and it was an honor and a blast to participate in this week's Rollersfest.

My guest DJ hour runs from 3 am to 4 am in Scotland (10 pm to 11 pm Eastern), and it will present a ranked list of my top ten favorite Rollers tracks. In between songs, Laura, Suz, and I will discuss the Bay City Rollers' image, music, and legacy, and that chat will also touch on the Ramones, the Flashcubes, punk, power pop, teen identity, hipsters 'n' snobs, radio, writing books (like, for example, The Greatest Record Ever Made! [Volume 1]), and the importance of digging what you dig. It might even make passing mention of my teen infatuation with Suzi Quatro. It's MONEY, honey!

Dedication airs Fridays from 7 pm to 11 pm New York time on TD1 Radio 106.5 FM in Scotland's Central Borders, and you can listen live via this link. The weekly closing guest DJ hour is subsequently available as a podcast via Apple and Spotify. I'll post a specific link to my stint as Yesterday's Hero when it becomes available.

For now: JOIN US! Turn on your radio. We only want to be with you.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

Naming Fictional Bands (inspired by GWYNNE GARFINKEL)

A little while back, writer Gwynne Garfinkel posted of the difficulty in coming up with names for fictional rock groups, particularly the challenge of concocting a name that hasn't already been used by a real-life group.

Gwynne's post inspired number of responses from her Facebook friends, and it compelled my own so-called mind to start thinking of suggestions. So what the hello: Here are a bunch of potential names for bands that don't exist.

(NOTE: Since this is just a lark anyway, I did not check this list against any evidence that the name might be shared by some actual group, past or present. The list excludes a few faux bands--the Dustbunnies, the Frantiks, Guitars Vs Rayguns, Copper and the Pit Vipers, and the Butterscotch Peacemongers--already earmarked for appearances in my own work.)

Let's meet the bands!

45 Kisses [definitely an oldies lounge act with a female lead singer]

Abundance Of Zeros

Angel Season

Barista Conscription

Book Of Hate

Casual Stan

Cogsucker

The Cosmos For Dummies

Daggerfinger

Day-Glo Disguise

The Death Turrets

Empty Eyes

Evermetal

Final Smile

Flowers For Alger Hiss

Garage Soul

Hail Murray

Hollow Oath

Karma Pencils

The Ladies Who Lunge

Lapdancing With The Stars

The Lemming Pipers

Lend Me Your Tears

Let's Talk About Sects

Mañana Republic

Never Always

Onyx Engine

Passive Fanatics

The Path Not Shaken

Phantom Door

Pirate Message

Plastic Bullet

Rooster And Rust

Rubbish Warriors

Sampson And Da La-Las

School For The Dead

Second Hand Noose

Shout Until Heard

Sniper Bait

The Solidarity Boogie Band

The Sound Of Ice

Spillane Dame

The Unimproved

Use The Farce

The Verbing Exclamations!

I may yet take the Lemming Pipers back....

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.