Having more in common with the MC5 than the British Invasion groups, Coventry, England’s raw and explosive The Boys Blue shoulda been contenders. This 1966 performance on Italy’s Studio Uno TV program is dynamite. Lead singer Jeff Elroy (looking a bit like Arthur Lee) had a great voice, cool moves and star power. 

The Boys Blue released one single in 1965: “Take Heart”/“You Got What I Want.” The record failed to become a hit and the band faded into obscurity. Too bad. These guys had IT.
 

 
Rock impresario, record producer with the Midas touch and the unquestionably the most boring and wooden TV presenter of all time, Don Kirshner, known to millions as the host of late-night 70s TV show, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert has died at the age of 76 of heart failure.

In the 1950s, Don Kirshner was co-owner of Aldon Music, a New York-based music publishing company that employed or had under contract, many of the most important songwriters of the “Brill Building” school, including Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. Throughout his long career Kirshner was most closely associated with Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, Carole King, Kansas and of course, The Monkees and “The Archies.”

In 1973, he produced and hosted Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, a 90-minute syndicated show that featured bands that you never would have seen on American television otherwise. On Rock Concert, America first saw acts like Sparks, Queen, Marc Bolan and T-Rex, Kiss, Cheap Trick, The New York Dolls and many, many, many others. It ran until 1981. Kirshner’s notoriously uncharismatic stage presence was mercilessly lampooned on Saturday Night Live by Paul Shaffer.

Below, the Ramones on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert in 1977. Where ELSE would you have seen this on American TV at the time?
 

 
You don’t say, Lord Jim (if that’s really who you are). I would have never guessed.

“After a couple of days, your friends will think you always had a head of natural hair.”

(via Everlasting Blort)

 
Five foot one and 240 lbs.

Shocking video of a grossly overweight Iggy Pop performing “Lust For Life.”
 

 
Actually, this is Dutch actor Frank Lammers doing a spot on imitation of what Iggy would look like if he morphed into late period Elvis.

 

 
 
 

 
More at Cinesex and X-Rated

 
According to the gospel of Saint Anthony H. Wilson, Manchester, England, was the center of the universe during the 1980s and 1990s. Not only for its music, its talent, its imagination, and sheer brass neck, but also because it had the Haçienda, the fabled night club where you could see Madonna one night and William Burroughs the next.

Designed by Ben Kelly, The Haçienda opened its doors on Friday May 21st 1982. Owned by Factory Records and New Order (the latter plowed most of their earnings into the venue), it was given the Factory catalog number FAC51. The mix of who played there reads like an A & R man’s wet dream and included, New Order, The Happy Mondays, The Smiths, OMD, The Birthday Party, Husker Du, The Stone Roses, Oasis, James, Echo and The Bunnymen, A Certain Ratio, and Divine, amongst others. Mike Pickering, Graeme Park and Dave Haslam were host DJ’s, and in the late 1980s and 1990s, the club was the catalyst for Madchester - the music and drug fueled Second Summer of Love.

Yet, as it is said, all good things must end and the Haçienda closed down in 1997; and the club was demolished to make way for “luxury apartments” in 2002.

When Peter Hook (legendary bass-player with Joy Division and New Order), guest-blogged on the NME back in 2009, he recalled his top 10 Haçienda memories. At number three, was William Burroughs performance at The Haçienda, October 1982, of which Hooky wrote:

“That was one of those nights when there was hardly anyone in but it was quite intense because of what William Burroughs was doing. The funny thing was that one of Joy Division’s first gigs abroad was with William Burroughs, a William Burroughs evening in the Plan K in Belgium so we had a little bit of history with him ‘cos he’d told Ian to fuck off when he asked for a free book. Even at The Haçienda I didn’t ask for a free book either. I was as scared of William Burroughs as he was.

Burroughs was always impressive when presenting his work on stage, and this clip, posted by orange object, is a great piece of pop and literary culture.
 

 
Previously on DM

Divine performs in front of stunned punks in Manchester, England, 1983

 
Thanks for clearing that up, the Mirror! It all makes sense now. 

(via Das Kraftfuttermischwerk)

 
I’m pretty sure most people have seen this incredibly creepy John Wayne Gacy-esque Mr. Rogers clip before. However, I had no idea how many “evil’ Mr. Rogers videos existed on YouTube! If you’re curious to see more (sure you are), I’ve compiled a few for your viewing pleasure below:

Mr. Rogers is an Evil Man
Mr. Rogers: Private swimming lessons with an underage minor
Slug: Crawl (aka Here and Now)
Scary Mister Rogers
Mr. Rogers: Hugs From Hell
Mr. Rogers’ Satanic Neighborhood
Mr. Rogers LOL
Howard Stern on Mr. Rogers Quotes

(via Certified Bullshit Technician )

Left to right: Donald Cammell, Dennis Hopper, Alejandro Jodorowsky & Kenneth Anger.
 
Cinematic shaman Alejandro Jodorowsky discusses his work. Taken from the over five hours worth of extras that will come with the much-anticipated re-release of Santa Sangre on DVD and Blu-ray by Severin Films on January 25th. Pre-order a copy of Santa Sangre.
 

 
I deliberately avoided putting this video in yesterday’s Haunted Retro post because I think it deserves a post all of its own. It represents visually what War, Pink et al represent musically. It’s indecipherable without being shoe-gaze, it’s psychedelic without sounding like it came from the Sixties. It’s lo-fi, it’s esoteric, it’s fun - everything this imagined genre should be. It’s from the album Horribles Parade on Sacred Bones, which you can get here, and if you want to hear more here is the Gary War MySpace. Broadcast fans will find much to like in this:
 

 
This letter from Jack Kerouac to Marlon Brando in which Kerouac pitches the idea of a movie version for On The Road starring Brando was auctioned by Christies for $36,000 a few years ago. A check Jack can’t cash.

I’m praying that you’ll buy ON THE ROAD and make a movie of it. Don’t worry about the structure, I know to compress and re-arrange the plot a bit to give a perfectly acceptable movie-type structure: making it into one all-inclusive trip instead of the several voyages coast-to-coast in the book, one vast round trip from New York to Denver to Frisco to Mexico to New Orleans to New York again. I visualize the beautiful shots could be made with the camera on the front seat of the car showing the road (day and night) unwinding into the windshield, as Sal and Dean yak. I wanted you to play the part because Dean (as you know) is no dopey hotrodder but a real intelligent (in fact Jesuit) Irishman. You play Dean and I’ll play Sal (Warner Bros. mentioned I play Sal) and I’ll show you how Dean acts in real life…we can go visit him in Frisco, or have him come down to L.A. still a real frantic cat.  All I want out of this is to able to establish myself and my Mother a trust fund for life, so I can really go around roaming around the world…to write what comes out of my head and free to feed my buddies when they’re hungry. What I wanta do is re-do the theater and the cinema in America, give it a spontaneous dash, remove pre-conceptions of “situation” and let people rave on as they do in real life…The French movies of the 30’s are still far superior to ours because the French really let their actors come on and the writers didn’t quibble with some preconceived notion of how intelligent the movie audience is…American theater & Cinema at present is an outmoded dinosaur that ain’t mutated along with the best in American Literature.

Come on now Marlon, put up your dukes and write! ...signed in blue ink Jack Kerouac
 
Thanks 3 A.M.

 
“The Words That Maketh Murder” is the single from PJ Harvey’s new album Let England Shake which will be released on February 15. Of what I’ve heard of the album so far, this is sounding like Harvey’s best work in years. I do so want to love it.

Rough Trade has released “The Words That Maketh Murder” on 7 inch vinyl. Got a turntable? Get the single here.
 

 
Shot in New York City in 1986 by Dutch filmmaker Bram van Splunteren, Big Fun In The Big Town contains a motherlode of amazing footage of Schoolly-D, DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Biz Markie, Jam Master Jay and more.

Check out Doug E. Fresh beat-boxing Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France” on a Harlem street corner.

I look at the new rock ‘n rollers…it’s a shame what they did to it, and I hope that rap don’t go that same route – where they take the rawness away…just then make it too pretty! I don’t think rock ‘n roll was meant to be pretty. Rock was meant to be bad – just like rap” - Schoolly-D

In English with Danish Dutch subtitles.

This shit is golden.
 

 
A peek into the future of the Internet as featured on a mid-1960s episode of the BBC’s Tomorrow’s World.

“Every home will have its own terminal plugged into a central brain.”
 

 
Well, well, well, at long last the LA City Council has actually done something I can respect: On January 5th, they adjourned a meeting early in honor of the passing of Don Van Vliet, AKA Captain Beefheart and presented this certificate of (??) at the recent Beefheart symposium in Los Angeles.

I guess any excuse to get off early with that lot, but the sentiment is appreciated (and at least they weren’t at work further messing up the medical marijuana situation in the city!)

Via Michael Simmons/Gary Lucas