At Home He's A Tourist...

Had to break out Gang of Four's excellent debut album Entertainment! this morning as I was psyched to learn that the original band is back together and touring this spring. Yes! They will be coming through Oregon with a stop @ the Crystal Ballroom in PDX (Thurs. May 5th). I am definately going to do everything I can do to get my ass to that show. Those guys have always been one of my very favorite second wave English punk/new wave/post-punk/punkfunk (whateveryouwanttolabelthemas) bands from back in the day. I had some previous chances to see the later day version of the band (with Sara Lee on bass) but never did it for some reason or another. (some stupid job that wouldn't give me the day off, most likely) But now, I can finally see Messers Gill, King, Burnham and Allen pound out the agit-funk angularity that they are the true pioneers of. Coolio.

I remember buying the original vinyl of Entertainment! (along with a slew of other cool albums of that era) while on a quick trip to NYC one winter break...me and the boys loose in the big city, feelin' as cool as one could feel sans parents, and with money in our pockets. As per my usual back then, I dropped a wad of cash at a bunch of different record shops. Good times.
I'd say more about that album,but I think Greil Marcus did an awsome job in his essay I linked to above. I will say this...if you are a fan of Franz Ferdinand (and I am) and you don't own GoF's Entertainment! then you owe it to yourself to go out and get a copy of it NOW, just to see how much the Four influenced those Scottish lads. And to put the icing on the cake, it has been announced that the re-formed GoF's upcoming release will have an extra disc of re-mixes of re-recorded older tunes (stay with me here), and guess who is doing one of those re-mixes? That's right folks, FRANZ F'N FERDINAND. So there.

Really, no matter what, get yourself a copy of Entertainment! It Rocks in a very smart way. You won't be disappointed (unless you're a complete wanker).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a different musical note, I have been invited by my friend, David the Painter, to see "The Bob" (as in Mr. Dylan) in a couple of weeks (on my brother's birthday...Happy Birthday Doc!). This should prove to be a good time, especially since Merle Haggard is on the tour too. I hate to say it, but having seen "The Bob" a bunch of times in the past, and having sworn off him after seeing the god awful G. E. "I owe my career to Saturday Night Live- showboatin' mother scratcher" Smith play in his band at the end of the eighties, I'm actually more excited to see ol' Merle. If Bob decides to put on a good show, all the better (I hear he is in fine form once again, tho' I'll believe it when I see it). And if that damn G.E. Smith shows up, I think I'll scream and run from the building. As my old pal Tony Marroni used to say everytime G.E would mug for the camera between skits and commercials on SNL, "That asshole thinks he's in a REAL band." (and no, I don't think Hall and Oates qualify!)

I'll let you know what I think of the whole affair. If nothing else, it will be a night out on the town with some good chow, some fermented beverages, some high falutin' conversation, and good music to boot. Can't beat that with a dead peacock. (?)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dept. of Aha! I Knew it: Pitchfork Media just announced that they fake hip-hop and rap disc reviews...pimple faced emo geeks don't know shit about breakbeats and street poetry apparently...go figure!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------