A Light That Never Goes Out: Morrissey's Autobiography

I have always been a huge fan of Morrissey. The king of intellectual alternative rock.  I did prefer his work with The Smiths as opposed to his solo work. Because Morrissey is the enigmatic character that he has always been, I was eager to learn everything I could about him and analyze every lyric that he had ever written. He has always been notoriously strange, private, asexual, and sarcastic, while blessed with a razor sharp intellect that I believe could only be rivaled by Sting. Finally there is an official autobiography on the life of one music's most interesting artists. Please read on to learn more...

Ciao, Baby: The Cult

I can't remember the first time I heard The Cult. It may have been at a dance after a football game; I can remember dancing to "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Love Removal Machine" in the gym at Salpointe Catholic High School, but whether or not that's the first time I ever heard them I can't be sure. I really got into them (as I imagine other people did) when Sonic Temple came out in 1989. For reasons I'm not sure I can entirely explain, "Firewoman" became an anthem of sorts for me and also became my nickname among friends of mine. As much as I loved "Firewoman", I really loved "Edie (Ciao Baby)", and that song still holds some sway over me. The image of Edie that's used on the cover of Edie:  Girl On Fire is also the image The Cult used for the single. I think it's fair to say I would never have had any idea who Edie Sedgwick was without that song...it's still a beautiful melody, great lyrics and epic. There's plenty of other good tracks on Sonic Temple-"Sun King", "New York City", and "Automatic Blues" are some of my favorites.

Over the years I've picked up other albums of theirs, including Electric, which was the album preceding Sonic Temple. When I heard The Cult were coming to the Rialto and that they would be performing Electric in its entirety, I thought,  "Oooh...'Wildflower'? 'Love Removal Machine'? 'Memphis Hip Shake'? The cover of 'Born To Be Wild'? Yes, please!" But, I also thought, "Hmmm. These guys must be in their 50's now. Am I going to be sorry I saw them?" I posted my concerns on  facebook, asking if I should see them, and an old friend of mine said, "YES. You want to see them. They've still got it."

Less Than Zero

Less Than Zero is a 1987 American film based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same title. It stars Andrew McCarthy, Robert Downey JR, Jami Gertz and James Spader. The film is a cautionary expose on the 1980'S world of young wealthy college students and drug addiction of Los Angeles. The main draw of the film is that is a perfect time capsule of the music scene at the time. The pop friendly sounds of The Bangles covering Simon And Garfunkel, The headbanging hairband ballads of Poison and David Lee Roth, the classic rock (resurgence) of Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith and The Doors, the hardcore metal of Slayer and Danzig, the alternative rock of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cult and Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, the hip hop and rap of Run D.M.C., Public Enemy, and LL Cool J, and the classic melancholy rock of Roy Orbison. Keep reading to learn more about the film and it's soundtrack.

The Encyclopedia Of New Wave

If you have read any of my previous posts, you have probably noticed that I am a huge new wave connoisseur. If you enjoy new wave you have got to check out one of the library's recent acquisitions The Encyclopedia Of New Wave by Daniel Bukszpan. It is a solid who's who companion of many of the strongest acts of new wave rock who paved the way for what the world would eventually define as "alternative rock".