the ramones

Marty Thau Dead

Feb 172014

I coulda had Marty Thau Presents 2×5!

I’m seeing reports that New York punk impresario Marty Thau has died at 75. Official reports are far and few between, however, in this electronic age, in which almost anyone who’s ever striven to be anyone merits a flurry of “he/she was a great (wo)man…” tributes. I cannot sincerely attest to the greatness of Marty Thau, but he seemed like an interesting person around whom cool artists gathered. He seemed at least as interesting as that spoken-word 1-hit wonder poet Maggie Estes, who sadly passed away at the age of 50 and who had a fling with MTV in the early ’90s, so let’s give it up for Marty Thau.

Andy Shernoff Asks, “Are You Ready to Rapture?”

Posted by Mr. Moderator

May 152011

As the last week of the world as we know it gets underway, Friend of the Hall and Townsman Andy Shernoff, whose band The Dictators‘ “California Sun” graced our recent spring sun celebration episode of Saturday Night Shut-In, contacted The Back Office to inform us of pending return of the “Zombie Jew,” our Lord and Savior—and now light’s out closer—Jesus. Are you ready to rapture? Andy Shernoff’s urgent message to humanity follows:

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/01-Are-You-Ready-To-Rapture_.mp3|titles=Andy Shernoff, “Are You Ready To Rapture”]

You can catch Andy’s last scheduled performances ever, beginning Thursday, May 19, at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash at Irving Plaza through a Stooges‘ Fun House tribute show on June 25.

If Andy’s calculations are off and the world keeps spinning beyond Saturday’s 5-month countdown, you can keep up with his activities by clicking here.

Ra-moaning

Posted by machinery

Dec 122010

So, I’ve never been the hugest Ramones fan. I found their brand of 3-chord rock to be kind of timid. Well, I picked up their greatest hits CD at a flea market Saturday, thinking “OK, now I’ll have a chance to hear their best, hand-picked by folks who know much better than me.”

Well, I’m hear to report that after the first 3 songs that covered most of their biggies, ie, “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Judy’s a Punk,” “Beat on the Brat,” the CD–with another 20 songs and bonus–simply sounded like it was on skip. EVERY song was EXACTLY the same–wow, they go G to A to E. Then G to E to A. Or, wow, the more adventurous E to A to F. All played with the SAME lackluster drum sound, the same doo-woopy vocal hooks, and the same guitar wash. It really started to give me a headache. I was almost embarrassed for them.

I know people say that the Ramones are the god fathers of punk–and that the Pistols would be nothing without them–but damnit, the Pistols, the Undertones and every Minor Threat wannabe band has done more with the formula than these so-called pioneers.

So, are they the most overrated band in the history of music? Can’t believe they played at the same time as Television, Richard Hell, etc… and never picked up on the spikey, loudness of it all.

Anyone want a free Best of Ramones CD?

The Rock Town Hall Interview: The Dictators’ Andy Shernoff

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 102010

“Mr. Mod, you got a problem with my hat?” (Photo by Ragephoto.)

A few weeks ago we received an e-mail from Andy Shernoff, founding member of The Dictators and a longtime rock ‘n roll agent provacateur. It turns out Andy was an occasional reader of Rock Town Hall and wanted to let us know he was coming to Philadelphia with his rock memoir/solo show, When Giants Walked the Earth: A Musical Memoir. You can read our little write up of that show and follow some links to the man’s very cool career here. Let’s just say that the The Back Office staff and I were thrilled and honored to learn that a guy who’d had his hands in so much of our shared musical heritage knew what went on in these hallowed halls. With the palms of our hands red from high-fiving, we asked Andy if he’d answer a few questions for us. Andy glady agreed before realizing what kind of piercing, nerdy questions he’d be getting from the likes of us. Nevertheless, the man took a deep breath and gave it his rock-~~nerd~~sage all!

Andy brings his When Giants Walked the Earth tour to The Rosebud Bar in Somerville, MA, outside Boston, this Saturday, July 10. I encourage our Boston-area Townspeople to attend. But that’s not the only place you’ll be hearing (and have been hearing) him in the coming week: “I just did a cool deal…,” he tells me, “Major League Baseball is using The Dictators’ version of ‘California Sun’ to promote the All-Star Game. This recording is from the demo that got us our first record deal and was the very first time I ever stepped into a recording studio. Truly bizarre!!”

Among his other activities Andy plays with The Master Plan, a party-rock supergroup that includes Keith Streng and Bill Milhizer from The Fleshtones and Paul Johnson from Waxing Poetics – and that features contributions from Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner, who recently represented Australia in the Rock Town Hall World Cup of Rock ‘n Roll.

But enough of my yapping, let’s get on with our chat with Andy Shernoff…after the jump. Continue reading »