ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS

YOUR MAGAZINE IS NOT A CROOK

What the hell, let’s reprint this baby verbatim and go for the gusto. From the Chicago Tribune: “One would think that political committees would be very careful choosing names ever since Richard Nixon’s Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) became rather notorious. A new group in the 4th and 5th Wards pushing a second term for [Chicago Mayor Harold] Washington has renamed itself (surprisingly enough) Committee to Re-elect the Mayor, or CREEM for short. Okay.” We’ll just add that “Okay” is a Tribune euphorism for “Heee.”

In a tragic oversight, the last issue of CREEM neglected to proudly announce that this magazine has relocated to Los Angeles, which is a city in the Southwestern part of the United States. Happy locals agree the editors look very handsome here ...

.. .This just in: the 1987 edition of The Guinness Book Of World Records will note that Manowar, those gods of metal ’n’ Marshalls, are the official loudest band in the world. They were clocked in at 160 decibels, thus displacing previous loudees, the Who, who had held the high honor with a pitiful 120 decibels.

My Tree Update: As you know, Capitol Records has released the first four Beatles’ albums on CD. Their plans are to continue the series in their original British Parlophone form—thus eliminating Yesterday & Today and Magical Mystery Tour. The fate of Beaucoups Of Blues, unfortunately, remains unknown.

Spandau Ballet’s latest, Through The Barricades, entered Italy’s charts at #1.

Italy hasn t won a war during this, or possibly any, century.

Time for our Beer Desk to get a word in: that new Replacements album is slated for an April 6th release—remind us to tell the Beer Desk about lead times and stuff—and that the ultra-legendary ’Mats have recorded a hefty 22 songs for consideration, Jim Dickinson (Big Star, True Believers) producing. This, we feel, is good.

Have you ever wondered why Kansas resumed what we’ll call their career? This Bureau has, and—astonishingly— we’ve been sent a piece of paper that purports to explain this greatest of mysteries. Founding member/drummer Phil Ehart says this: “We did a lot of research and asked people all over the country if they would want us to record again. The response came back so resoundingly positive.” The He’p Desk be looking into a recount.

Chris Stamey’s first LP since ’83, It’s Alright, should be out jes’ about now. Drummer Anton Fier and guitarist Richard Lloyd are guest players, and Scott Litt (known about this globe for his work with the dB’s, Katrina & The Waves and Supertramp) produced several tracks. Look for it on the Coyote label.

THEY’VE STILE GOT | SOMETHING TO SAY

Once-and-present Monkee Micky Doienz let this news out during a recent interview on a Chicago radio station: an ail-new Monkees’ film is slated for a Christmas release and—as widely rumored—will star all the original Monkees, including Michael Nesmith. Doienz himself will direct the movie. And, in other news from the time warp, Doienz, Peter Tork and David Jones will release a new Monkees’ album shortly—on which, according to Micky, Nesmith may also participate. No reaction from Paul, George or Ringo at press time.

We're pleased to report the BBC has banned Wang Chung s videagj for "Everyone Have Fun Tonighf^B from Britain's airwaves. This hamKm nothing to do with this Bureau's impeccable taste—not at cMr-bui, rather, with this Bureau'll publicspirited attitude. It seems that the blacklisting of thehit vid (directed, as you know, b^Godlay & Creme, who have cooknames) is the based on thefoplnlon of a doctor.. After givina the thing a look, he evidently decided that the "splltsecond-.editing that produces a bizarre, animated effect as the viewer-watches the duo twitch their way frfr§>ugh a performance of the song" c^m induce fits in epileptic people

According to Jack Hues, onehalf of the famed Chung"It's absolutely ludicrous. The BBC feels the video has too many frames per second." To which Feldman adds: "What can we say? They told Mozart his music’had too many notes and look what i for his career."

As for this Bureau, we're still trying to get a handle on the idea of ^ split-second editing.

Land O’ Goshen: Marianne Hatfield, the editor of Rock Rag Plus, has been forced to leave her home in Goshen, Indiana (pop. 19,665) due to threats on her life and her children’s lives. It seems some of the town’s citizens have taken umbrage at her fanzine and possibly rock music itself, inspired by local preacher Rev. Paul McGechie of the fundamentalist First Assembly Of God Church. McGhechie, like many, has characterized rock as Satan’s music, although this Bureau would like him to consider Prince, Bruce Springsteen and A.J. Pero as viable alternatives. Be all this as it may, Hatfield has received numerous phone calls accusing her of being “in league with the devil,” suggesting that she’ll “burn in hell,” and that she should watch out for her children. When she went to the Elkhard County Sheriff’s Department for protection, Bud Moore, an employee there, told her:

“Get out of town. If they burn you out or bomb you, don’t look to us for help.” Wonderful. Also fleeing this most American environment has been Rodney Nausbaum, who owned a record store there—he says that students from the local fundamentalist Goshen College regularly harassed his customers to the point of exasperation. As we go to press, Vinnie Vincent and his band are scheduled to meet wtih Goshen’s mayor, Max Chiddister, to speak on behalf of Ms. Hatfield’s fundamental Constitutional rights, which certainly seem to have been misplaced somewhere.

Tragedy! Andy Taylor was unable to join David Lee Roth’s tour in early January, as previously planned, partly because of his commitment to lay down some tracks on that album by that group he quit . . . not to mention his own solo LP, which has a title, we’re fairly certain. “Unfortunately, sometimes things take longer than you expect them to,” our guy said—adding: “But I’m dying to get out there and play live.” Rock ’n’ Roll News will avoid the obvious here.

NO CRITTER TONIGHT IN MY COFFEE

So what goes on in West Virginia? Not counting—of course—the famed Critter Dinner, which this magazine will certainly keep you posted on.

Well, here’s some news from Charleston in that same state: ’twas January 25th, and Poison were doing their last opening date for Ratt at the Civic Center there, when they .. . they started doing strange things, that’s what.

According to our roving correspondent, the guys in Poison were several sheets to the breeze as they started their set; halfway through their first song, they began squirting slime, shooting beers and throwing pies at each other in the spirit of merriment that is metal itself! Wearing Ratt T-shirts, they proceeded to introduce the headliners when—and here is whimsy!—Ratt’s own Robbin Crosby came out onstage.

Read on! About a dozen girls joined them and, great gosh a’mighty, they were topless. Poison described the girls as “fringe benefits” of rock ’n’ roll, and who are we to argue? In any case, the future starlets got down on their knees and “simulated sex,” as we like to say in magazinedom. They also massaged a two-foot dildo. Then, during their last song, a slew of local girls auditioned in front of the stage, too. What we mean to say is they also took off their shirts.

Well, boy howdy, wha’chall make of this? And, more interestingly, what did the powers that be in Charleston, West Virginia, make of it? One city councilman called the incident “disgusting,” and there is now a movement afoot in that town to start rating rock concerts. Some have gone so far as to suggest that bands send “previews” of their shows to a review board.

While these plans may be premature, our roving correspondent passes this on: “Needless to say, Poison will not be back in Charleston.” More grief for the Heee Desk, say we.