MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! Introductory sections of my forthcoming book about THE FLASHCUBES

Originally planned for a far-too-optimistic late 2025 publication, my forthcoming book Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES has been mired in development, but it is indeed still developing, and may yet make it to retail before the end of 2026. Please note that I am not under oath.

In the mean time, I'm proud to present the first public appearance of the book's introductory sections, which will lead into the interviews. 

Ya ready? Awright! It's 'CUBES tonight!

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A really, really loud introduction

I wasn't there. But I know something happened. September 1st, 1977. A new band took the stage for the first time. Expectations were likely modest, probably more modest than the members of the band. They were determined to make something happen. And you can't make something happen if you're not willing to lean forward. Guts. Bravado. Belief. 

Action!

It feels all right now
It feels all right now
It feels all right now
It feels all right now
HOLD ME TIGHT...!

And just like that, the sweaty air of The Brookside--a waterlogged bar sinking slowly into a marsh in the Syracuse, New York suburb of DeWitt--was pummeled by a high-volume wall of noise. It was a song by the Beatles...but it wasn't the Beatles, nor an incredible simulation. 

September 1st, 1977. It felt new. It felt exciting. It felt freakin' loud, deafening, but still somehow melodic. Punk rock with AM Top 40 aspirations and Tiger Beat delusions, an all-night stand aiming for American Bandstand with quixotic intent, rock 'n' roll unafraid to shove its irresistible hooks directly into your ringing, reeling ears.

Most of us weren't yet familiar with the phrase "power pop." But here it was, pop with power (and how!). For the very first time, performing their very first song, a DIY power pop band called the Flashcubes were on stage.

It feels all right now!

The thunderous racket notwithstanding, there were but four Flashcubes: Guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin, bassist Gary Frenay, drummer Tommy Allen. They opened with a cover, a Trojan horse breaching the gate to make way for rockin' pop originals written by Gary, Arty, and Paul. They played. They practiced. They played more, and more, and more, and traveled to gigs in Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Boston, and the capital of the world, New York City. They shared bills with the Ramones, the Romantics, the Jam, the Police, the Runaways, David Johansen, Joe Jackson, Artful Dodger, the Scruffs, the Fast, 999, and so many others. In each heady situation, the Flashcubes deserved to be there. They got better and better and better. Tighter. As a live act, the Flashcubes were as good as anybody.

And the Flashcubes recorded. Demos. A studio single in 1978. Another single in '79. An appearance on a Bomp Records compilation album. A buzz beyond compare. Bright lights. The Flashcubes were going to be rock 'n' roll stars.

It...didn't happen.

Conflicting POVs forced Paul Armstrong's departure from the Flashcubes in the summer of 1979. The Flashcubes dimmed their own bright lights one year later. End of the line.

But not the end of the story. No one--no one--knew it at the time. But the Flashcubes' story was just beginning.

This book is that story. A story told in the words of the Flashcubes themselves, and in the words of others who were there to witness the birth and growth of a power pop legend. 

Does "legend" seem too strong a description? Man, it's not my description, but mere acknowledgement of the many pundits, music people, and fans who now routinely refer to the 'Cubes as legendary. In 1980, the Flashcubes were a failed, soon-to-be-forgotten band. In the forty-five years since then, they've regrouped, preserved their '70s recordings, created new recordings, released albums, won awards, brought their bright-lights buzz in-person to Los Angeles, and to freakin' Japan. Their 2023 album Pop Masters made many year-end Top Ten lists, and at this writing there is still more to come. The Flashcubes made something happen. That is the stuff of power pop legend. And it's a legend that must be told.

It feels all right now!

It's time to meet the Flashcubes.

SING FLASHCUBES IN REVERSE

2024: The Flashcubes' album Pop Masters wins the SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Award) for Rock Album of the Year. Bassist Gary Frenay and guitarist Paul Armstrong accept the award in person, on behalf of themselves, guitarist Arty Lenin, and drummer/producer Tommy Allen.

Weird, I guess. Because the Flashcubes broke up in 1980. Hell, Paul Armstrong was out of the group in 1979. Forty-four (or forty-five) years later, and the Flashcubes win an award for their new album...?!

Suffice it to say that the separation didn't work out. 

During their original lifespan, the Flashcubes self-released two singles, and nothing else. One of their singles, Arty's ballad "Christi Girl," scored a berth on a compilation album issued by the Southern California label Bomp Records. A record deal with any label--any label--proved elusive. As a commercial entity, the Flashcubes had failed.

But since disbanding in 1980, the original Flashcubes eventually regrouped. Live shows. New recordings. Appearances--many appearances--on compilation CDs. Their first-ever show in Los Angeles. Two Japanese tours. Three new albums, three archival albums (one of which was a double set pairing the best of the Flashcubes' latter-day recordings with a 2007 live show), and two live albums (one live in Japan in 2002, one a blistering Syracuse show from '79). There was even one more single in there somewhere. Awards and Hall of Fame honors. Mentions in magazines, books, and a zillion online posts. Respect. And an ongoing explosion of Syracuse noise.

Doesn't seem like the arc of a failed rock band, does it? No, this is a success story on its own DIY terms. 

The late '70s musical revolution variously called punk and new wave rock 'n' roll--the movement that gave the pop world the sounds of the Ramones, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Elvis Costello, and Talking Heads--hit Syracuse loud 'n' proud when the Flashcubes debuted on 9/1/77, blazing through their incendiary rendition of the Beatles' "Hold Me Tight" before a smattering of puzzled drunks who had no mortal clue of the history they were witnessing. 

From their humble (if noisy) origin at The Brookside in 1977, the Flashcubes lit the spark of the Syracuse new wave rock 'n' roll scene, inspiring new groups and delighting delirious, giddy fans. They burned a hole through the roof of every venue they played, from The Loft in Middleville to Max’s Kansas City in New York, blazing a rock 'n' roll trail from Syracuse to Boston to Detroit to Cleveland, to CBGB's, and later to L.A. and Japan. From being named The Syracuse New Times' Band Of The Year in 1979, to winning the SAMMY for Best Album in 2012, to being inducted into The SAMMYs Hall Of Fame in 2013, into The Power Pop Hall Of Fame in 2019, and winning another SAMMY for Best Rock Album in 2024, the Flashcubes have demonstrated why they are known internationally as one of the greatest power pop groups of all time. 

Creation is born of passion. Before they became Flashcubes, before they'd even met, Tommy, Paul, Gary, and Arty were dedicated music fans, in love with the irresistible sounds of pure pop and rock 'n' roll. The Flashcubes story starts there. 

Okay, lads! Tell us about it.

Let’s begin with a look back at how you became music fans to begin with....

,,,And THAT will be where the story starts to unfold. Stay tuned. And keep your lights BRIGHT.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.

My Two Books-In-Progress: A short story collection, and a history of The Flashcubes

            As I've mentioned many, many, many times in previous posts, I currently have two books I hope to complete and publish this year: A short story collection called Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies, and an oral history of my favorite power pop group, Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES. I have a number of other potential book projects assuming spitball formation after that, but those two are the ones I want to prepare for retail before 2026 clocks out for the year.

The short story collection will be out first. Last week, my paid supporters got a sneak peek at the introductory paragraphs of two more stories written for Guitars Vs. Rayguns!!: "Navigating" and "GUITARS VS RAYGUNS!! Live At BudoKHAAAAAAAANNNNN!!" I've since changed both titles--to "Lone Star Falling" and "GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Return To Uranus" respectively--and I finished the GvR! short earlier this week. On Thursday, I completed the first draft of "Lone Star Falling," and I have a current gut feeling that it's the best story I've ever written. I pity the story that has to follow "Lone Star Falling" in the book, but I've started work on that story, too. When that story's done, I think the book as a whole will just need final tweaks before I declare it ready for the world. The previously-announced May 30th publication date is a little unlikely, but not out of the question.

The Flashcubes book was originally planned for publication in 2025, but the amount of time and attention needed to get the Flashcubes tribute album to market just made it impossible for part-time writer me to work on the 'Cubes book at the same time. With the tribute album accomplished, my own pressing personal need to concentrate on a fiction project made Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! the immediate priority. I know I'll be lucky to sell a couple dozen copies of it (if that!), but it's the realization of a dream that dates back more than fifty years. I can't overstate how important the short story collection is to me.

Then, Make Something Happen! can finally take center stage in my schedule. I will always regret the fact that I couldn't complete the Flashcubes book before 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong passed away last month. But nor do I see a set of circumstances where I could have finished it sooner. The book is a lot--a lot--of work, work I delight in doing, but still more work than any other project I've ever attempted. Most of that work is still to be done. But by God, I will make this specific something happen, and it will be something that does the Flashcubes' legacy the justice it deserves. 

In the mean time, next week I will be offering the first public look at the Flashcubes book's two introductory sections, the parts that will appear in the book right before we get to the interviews. Here's to bright lights that never fade.

In 2027, as I hit my 67th birthday, I will probably reduce my day-job commitment from full-time to part-time. I have at least three novels I want to write. I have an exciting collaborative project that I pray won't be derailed by my extended delay in getting around to it. I have things to do.

Guess I better do them.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.

THE FLASHCUBES WITH MIKE GENT: Reminisce

This is a bit of enthusiastic hype I wrote on behalf of my favorite new track of 2025, "Reminisce" by the Flashcubes. "Reminisce" was the first track and first advance digital single from my passion project Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. Hey! There's a video for it, too! 

"Reminisce" also earned a berth on my all-time Hot 125, so it's safe to say I kinda dig it.

The Ramones remembered rock 'n' roll radio. KISS vowed to rock and roll all night. The Bay City Rollers promised a rock 'n' roll love letter. Power Pop Hall of Famers THE FLASHCUBES were there, and they saw it all. And now? They wanna reminisce.

From the bright lights/small city of Syracuse, NY, THE FLASHCUBES burst onto the music scene in 1977, influenced equally by '70s punk and '60s British Invasion, pure rock 'n' roll and the shared crucible of AM Top 40 radio when AM Top 40 radio friggin' ruled. THE FLASHCUBES burned a hole through the roof of every dingy or glitzy club they ever played. They shared the stage with everyone from the Ramones and the Runaways to the Romantics, the Jam, and Eddie and the Hot Rods. They wrote original songs (including their much-anthologized 1978 single "Christi Girl") that lived up to the flash of their inspirations, and that incandescent flash led to the 2025 various-artists compilation album Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, gathering classic Flashcubes tunes as covered by the likes of Graham Parker with Mike Gent, the Verbs (featuring Megan Voss and Steve Jordan) Sorrows, Tom Kenny and the Hi-Seas, the Spongetones, the Peppermint Kicks, the Kennedys, and other stalwarts of indie rockin' pop. The Flashcubes of 2025 are the same four guys as the 1977 model: Force-of-nature drummer/producer TOMMY ALLEN, guitarist/provocateur PAUL ARMSTRONG, bassist/pure pop visionary GARY FRENAY, and guitarist/freewheelin' dreamer ARTY LENIN. The Flashcubes, bless 'em, recorded three new songs for their own tribute album, because who in their right mind would even try to stop them?

"Reminisce" was written by Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong, and recorded by the 'Cubes with special guest Mike Gent of the Figgs. The rock rolls like it's still 1977 at CBGB's or Max's Kansas City, and the lyrics look back in wonder at the heady buzz of the Flashcubes' blinding brilliance under the bright lights in the late '70s. The music struts and commands like a Flashcubes song oughta, and the chorus is just magnificent, jaw-dropping, a compelling incitement to raise the ol' fist and be there like you wuz there. And if you were there, "Reminisce" reminds you what it was like. Hey-ho. Let's GO. It's reminiscing time. Come on, let's rock 'n' roll with THE FLASHCUBES!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.

This week's Wednesday

Wednesday is my day off from retail work, which makes it my designated day to record my parts for each week's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio and to try to get around to doing whatever else needs doing. I always run out out of Wednesday before I run out of Wednesday things to do.

The road to this week's Wednesday runs through Monday and Tuesday. That's...yeah, that's how calendars work. Got it. But much of what I would normally do on this week's Wednesday was addressed by action--and ADVENTURE!--in the preceding two days.

Mindful of a couple of commitments on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, I asked Dana if we could program this coming Sunday night's radio show on Monday night instead of Tuesday night. Done! Setting the playlist early also gave me the opportunity to record my parts on Tuesday, giving me a little bit more elbow room to accomplish other Wednesday stuff on Wednesday.

The results were way better than last week's experiment with Tuesday recording, which were compromised by trying to record back announcements late at night without, y'know, yelling. I'm a rock 'n' roll DJ! I've GOTTA yell! IT'S MY JOB! This week, after finalizing the playlist in the afternoon, I recorded back announcements in my parked car, yelling to my heart's content. Mission accomplished. It's gonna be a terrific show, with new music from P. Hux (covering Raspberries), Jim Basnight, the Hellflowers, and the Sonny Wilsons, a few recent releases we haven't played before (Nick Piunti and the Complicated Men, Strawberry Alarm Clock, the Len Price 3), a new archival release from the Chesterfield Kings, a Ramones track we've never gotten around to programming over the past 1309 shows, and a lively mix of new 'n' old by Sorrows, the Chelsea Curve, the Selecter, Color Me Gone, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Blondie, Vegas With Randolph, the Half/Cubes, the Buzzcocks, the Go-Go's, the Shirts, Carlene Carter, the Spongetones (also covering Raspberries), Buddy Holly, the Kinks, King Elvis I, and more. I do so love co-hosting a great radio show, and I dig getting the damned thing completed ahead of schedule.

On Tuesday night, my friend Dave Murray and I had a joint in-person author event at the Brewerton branch of Northern Onondaga Public Library. The staff could not have made us feel more welcome and valued--Authors! VALUED!!--and Dave and l are so grateful for all they did to make it so. It was particularly gratifying to see how invested Adult Services Librarian and event coordinator Susan Cutri was in promoting and facilitating the whole thing. We felt like big shots. We had a small but engaged audience, giving us both an opportunity to talk about our books and the experiences that forged them, to chat and exchange questions and answers, and to encourage one audience member to follow her dream of publishing a book of her poetry. We even sold some books! HuzZAH! Big, big thanks to everyone involved. Dave and I have another in-person event coming up next month: Monday, December 15th at NOPL's North Syracuse branch, with special added auxiliary author Paul Canavan. Be there!

On to this week's Wednesday. I had to get to the DMV to renew and upgrade my driver's license. As much as people complain about their own DMV visits, I've almost always found the folks working there to be courteous, friendly, and professional, and that was certainly true of this visit. Granted, we all wish these things could go a little faster, but c'mon--it's the DMV, not a Ramones show. Website issues made it impossible to schedule an appointment beforehand, but I was greeted and welcomed as a walk-in shortly before 11:00 am, and my task was completed within the hour. (It would have gone even faster if the agent assisting me hadn't suddenly felt ill, forcing him to pause, apologize, and arrange to leave his post immediately. Hope he's okay.)

We stopped at Comix Zone to pick up my fresh funnybook supply--Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, Birds Of Prey, and JSA--before returning home, where we decided we would remain for Wednesday's duration. I had a tele-medicine appointment set for 2:00, and I had more than an hour open to catch up on a few little tasks and get a tiny bit of writing done before the session commenced. I continued those efforts after the tele-chat ended at 2:20, then joined Brenda for a comfort-food early dinner of spinach quiche and New England clam chowder. Then it was back to the computer for whatever else I could accomplish before the cloudy and rainy gloom of the afternoon slipped into range of the coiled darkness of post-Daylight Savings dusk.

Freed of the need to do any Wednesday work for the radio show, I was able to spend some time on the long process of editing initial interview transcripts for my projected 2026 book Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES. This editing process is slow-going but vital, and it's important that I get through the transcripts on hand before continuing with the many additional interviews the project requires. This exchange from my preliminary interview with 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong illustrates the sheer energy I want this book to convey:

CC: Time waits for no one. How were the crowds initially at the Brookside? How receptive were they to the Flashcubes' gigs in the early days? 

PA: Well, I gotta say, I did get laid at that first gig. 

CC: [laughs] Hey!  

This is going to be one hell of a book. There's a lot of work to be done, but it's gonna be worth it.

Also on Wednesday: This blog passed its 1,900,000th view. Fingers crossed that we hit two million clicks before Boppin's tenth anniversary in January.

One more thing to note about the evening before this week's Wednesday. You've all seen the news of the blue wave that buoyed the hopes of so many of us across this land. In the commentary for our most recent radio show, I wrote about how America broke my heart one year ago this week, a wound I said may never heal. Effective with the election results this week, it's starting to feel like healing might be possible after all. Long way to go. But there's a light above the path now, a light I couldn't sense until now. This land is our land, emphasize on our land, for all of us. On this week's Wednesday, I allowed myself a moment to smile at the possibility of better days to come.

Feels good, man. Here's hoping it feels even better very soon.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.

This Week's Wednesday

Wednesday is my day off from retail work, which makes it my designated day to record my parts for each week's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio and to try to get around to doing whatever else needs doing. I always run out out of Wednesday before I run out of Wednesday things to do.

There were a couple of commitments today, one scheduled at 11:00 am and the other at 4:00 pm. I woke up way too early, but stayed in bed and managed to doze and fall back to sleep. When I got up around 8:15, I felt far more rested than I would have if I'd risen two hours before.

Communion with my morning coffee is a nearly religious experience. Sins are forgiven. Penance is achieved. Whatever fulfilling or discouraging path the day chooses to travel thereafter, the trek begins with the blessing and benediction of my 20-ounce travel mug full of hot coffee, two creams, two Sweet-N-Low. It ain't coffee if it ain't hot. Brenda joined me for a quick breakfast of pistachio muffins. I had time to settle my weekly banking before we left the house at 10:15. 

There are three sure things in life: Death, taxes, and road construction throughout Central New York. We'd given ourselves forty-five minutes for a commute that should normally take less than twenty-five minutes. We made it to our appointment on time, but with little elbow room to spare.

On our way back home, we stopped at Comix Zone, where I loaded up on the latest issues of Action Comics and Ancestral Recall, plus the debut issues of Amazing Spider-Man Torn, DC K.O., and Harley Quinn X Elvira. I started work on the radio show around 1:00.

I had finalized and annotated the playlist Tuesday night, based on the weekly planning call with Dana. Changes from phone call to implementation were minimal--reducing the next-to-last set from eight tracks to six tracks, and swapping one Vibeke Saugestad Band track for another VSB gem in the final set--both moves necessary to fit the show within its three-hour slot. The recording process ran without incident, my at-home session bookending a lunch-break date with Brenda for Buffalo chicken sausage sandwiches. 

The show was finished just in time to send to Dana before Brenda had to prep for a 4:00 phone call. The call itself accomplished its goal in less time than we'd allotted for it, so Brenda and I went out to get groceries. We needed to make purchases at two different stores, so we started with bulk items at BJ's, made a quick stop home to stash those purchases before grabbing a (disappointing) dinner at Chipotle, and then we hit up Wegmans to clear the remainder of our grocery list. While at Wegmans, I received a message from Dana that the file for a Real Kids track I'd picked for airplay was unusable; I corrected that upon my return to stately Cafarelli Manor.

By then it was already early evening. Brenda and I watched a little bit of TV--Bridge Street and Jeopardy!--before calling day's end.

Before bed, I took a little time to tweak a couple of blog pieces and review some current and near-future projects. I have resumed work on my book about the Flashcubes. Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES was originally intended for Summer 2025 publication, but the amount of work it needs could not coexist with the amount of work necessary to complete the recently-released compilation album Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. The book and the album were originally conceived as companion projects to be released at roughly the same time; that was a fantasy, and the audio project seemed the more immediate priority. 

The Flashcubes book will be an oral history of the band, and I conducted some of the initial interviews over, I dunno, the past year and a half. Transcribing interviews is drudgery, and it remains drudgery even with the use of transcription software. Over the weekend, I thought of an effective shortcut I could try, an obvious approach that should have occurred to me a lot sooner, and which streamlines the process without compromising its accuracy. On Sunday, I pulled up the transcript of my interview with 'Cubes guitarist Arty Lenin, and tried the new approach to edit the interview's first few pages. I declare the experiment a success, and I'm moving the Flashcubes book back to active and ongoing status. 

Make Something Happen! is one of at least two books I intend to publish in 2026. If that's fantasy, at least it's a plausible fantasy. The other book is my short story collection Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies. Writing fiction is not the same exercise as writing stuff that I'm (presumably) not just making up outright. I do think I can get both of those books completed for publication in '26.

After those two, my next major project carries a working title I, [Redacted] [Redacted], and it's a potentially fascinating collaboration with another creator. This will be unlike anything I've ever attempted. It's an exciting prospect, and it could connect with an audience beyond anyone I've reached in my past work. (Not necessarily a larger audience, mind you--let's not get crazy.) I only hope my inability to squeeze it into my dilettante schedule until deep into 2026 doesn't cause my collaborator to lose patience and dismiss me in favor of another co-writer. I would totally understand if that happens...but man, I would be bummed. I really hope I get to see this one through.

Me doing research for a future book

After those three books, I can finally look to what's on the back burner: The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 2) (probably not before 2027) and two novels, Meet The Frantiks! and The Copperhead Kid (or whatever title I settle on using). Meet The Frantiks! will require me to write lyrics for a bunch of make-believe rock songs, but that's fun.

Hell, writing in general is fun. I once joked that writing is the easiest hard work I've ever done. Even when I said that, I knew it wasn't really a joke. Writing's what I do, even if it is just a sideline for the retail work that pays the bills and funds my clandestine war on crime. Dorothy Parker said something to the effect that she hated writing but loved having written. I love both parts of the process. 

That process renews on next week's Wednesday.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.

Homecoming: GOLDMINE Magazine interviews me about THE FLASHCUBES TRIBUTE ALBUM

As many of you know, I was a freelance writer for Goldmine magazine for twenty years, 1986-2006. My Goldmine experience was a very important part of my development as a writer, and whatever notoriety I've managed to establish over the decades was built in large part from that experience. You can read my memoir about my road to Goldmine here.

Given Goldmine's importance in establishing who I am and how I came to be, it was quite an honor when current Goldmine Contributing Editor Warren Kurtz contacted me for an interview about my recent project Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes.

HOMECOMING! 

For his piece on my Flashcubes tribute album, Warren selected his five favorite tracks and asked me questions about each of the five. He mixed my quotes with his own commentary, provided proper context, and pulled it all together for your rockin' pop perusal:

21 Artists Pay Tribute To The Flashcubes On New Album

I conducted a number of interviews as a Goldmine contributor (most notably the 1994 Ramones interviews that later became the basis for my 2023 Ramones book), and I have in turn been interviewed by several media outlets since my Goldmine days. It is such a thrill to be interviewed by the magazine that made me. Big thanks to Warren, to everyone at Goldmine, to Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome at Big Stir Records, and to the Flashcubes and all of the talented artists that collectively made something happen.

And now that you've read about this too-cool album....BUY IT!

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A Tribute To THE FLASHCUBES

Gold, I tell ya. GOLD!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.

Release Day! MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A TRIBUTE TO THE FLASHCUBES

                             

After more than a year of prep and behind-the-scenes work, today is the official street date for Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. This labor of love gathers 21 great acts to cover 21 great songs written by members of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. We bolster the tribute tracks with three brand-new studio originals recorded by the 'Cubes themselves, with all of these assorted bright lights shining together as one.

The great Michael McCartney, host of the venerable radio show The Time Machine on Mana'o Radio KMNO-FM in Maui, was nice enough to devote nearly an hour of airtime  Make Something Happen! this past Saturday. For a limited time, you can still hear Michael chat with me about the project, our comments nestled all comfy 'n' cool amidst a number of tracks from Make Something Happen! Michael pulled a double on-air shift on Saturday, so the Cubic portion of this show is archived under the name The Past, The Present And The Forgotten. For the next week or so, you can access the September 6th edition of The Past, The Present And The Forgotten via Mana'o Radio's Listen On Demand option; just specify the show (The Past, The Present And The Future) and the date (September 6th). My portion of the show stretches from the 34:29 mark (commencing with the Kennedys' cover of the Flashcubes' "Walking Through The Park") through the 1:31:21 mark (the conclusion of a spin of my favorite Turtles track, played in memory of Mark Volman). Can't thank Michael enough for the attention and indulgence. Michael! You da MAN!

Now: MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! You can read my liner notes and acknowledgments here, you can view extensive track-by-track supplemental liner notes here, and you can buy your very own copy of Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes directly from our friends at Big Stir Records, via Bandcamp, from our other friends at Kool Kat Musik, and from a variety of resources accessible right here.

I am still exhausted in the aftermath of putting this record together. SO worth it. I could not be prouder of the result. Now it's your turn to grab and enjoy. Operators are standing by. 

You know what to make of it.

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN!
A TRIBUTE TO THE FLASHCUBES
CD/Digital, September 12, 2025
Big Stir Records BSR-0146

1. THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce
2. sparkle*jets u.k.: Make Something Happen
3. LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Gone Too Far
4. CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: No Promise
5. GRAHAM PARKER AND MIKE GENT: Pathetic
6. JOE GIDDINGS: You're Not Grounded
7. BALLZY TOMORROW: Five Personalities
8. THE FLASHCUBES: The Sweet Spot
9. THE KENNEDYS: Walking Through The Park
10. MEEGAN VOSS AND STEVE JORDAN/THE VERBS: I Need Glue
11. DOLPH CHANEY: Girl From Germany
12. POP CO-OP: Wait Til Next Week
13. THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Muscle Beach
14. TOM KENNY & THE HI-SEAS: Welcome To The Working Class
15. THE CHOOSERS: Christi Girl
16. HAMELL ON TRIAL: Got No Mind
17. THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police
18. THE FLASHCUBES: If These Hands
19. ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Bad Dream
20. THE MAYFLOWERS: Born To Cry
21. SUPER 8 FEATURING LISA MYCHOLS: When We Close Our Eyes
22. CALLAN FOSTER: It's You Tonight
23. SORROWS: Radio
24. THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young

ALL SONGS WRITTEN OR CO-WRITTEN BY THE FLASHCUBES.

Compiled and produced by CARL CAFARELLI
Executive Producers: REX BROOME, CHRISTINA BULBENKO and MICHAEL SIMMONS
Mastered by MICHAEL SIMMONS
Package Design by MARGIE FINER
Cover Illustration by KAME (Japan)
Liner Notes by CARL CAFARELLI

This is a SYRACUSE NOISE production, in association with THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO WITH DANA & CARL

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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. You can read about our history here.