Greetings Y'all!
So what's been happening punk-wise in the Hammer lately? I'd have to say Rebel Time Records and Schizophrenic Records/Hammer City Record Store.
Between Randy and Craig they have really been pushing the local punk scene to get off our asses. Talk of books, compilationdownloads, punk school, the return of Gunnar Hansen, and Rebelfest raising money for G20 police victims, it's been quite a second half of the winter. Hopefully this momentum can be maintained
and we can get bigger and stronger!
Rebelfest raised money for the great unwashed protesters at G20, as well as getting the word out about the free download compilation put out by Rebel Time. Rebelfest Vol.1 is available at rebeltimerecords.bandcamp.com/ . The first night of the highly successful weekend was headlined by yours truly and the Steeltown Spoilers. Craig is thinking of writing a Hamilton-based punk history book, as many were underwelmed at the documentation of our local scene in the Toronto-centric Treat Me Like Dirt. Go for it Craig!
Your humble narrator is debating whether to give up his weekly hour on CFMU (93.3 fm, Mr.Gould and the Kid Show) and step into the present with a series of youtube videos explaining the connection between different punk subgenres and the bands that make those styles interesting.
I have spoken to many young punks and have been somewhat surprised by the lack of knowledge about bands that aren't really that far off the beaten track. For example, I had a call in request on my show, "Could you play, oh what are they called? Dr.Chud played for them." You mean the Misfits? Weird. I would have thought that with the Internet generation the young kiddies would be able to track down all sorts of bands and stories that took me years to figure out with only the aid of fanzines and word of mouth. Overall, this doesn't seem to be the case. So, I have begun talks with a couple people to see what can be done about launching Hamilton Punk School on the web. Stay tuned!
I also have to give a tip of my hat to the upbeat folk band The United Steelworkers of Montreal who played the Local 1005 picket line in the afternoon before playing the CFMU Fundraiser at This Ain't Hollywood. Although they aren't punks (but Flipper the bass player, formerly of the Gutter Demons is psycobilly through and through), their working-class sensibilities certainly warrant honourable mention amongst these pages. To the best of my knowledge they are the first act to play the picket line since Pete Seeger back in 1946!
Ah, 1946. What a time that must have been to be alive in Hamilton. Although there have been books, songs, and even a play about Stelco's first strike. I still don't think that the solidarity of most Hamiltonians and the hatred of those who didn't stand fast, has yet to be accurately portrayed. I (and the rest of 1005) have been down on the picket line since early November. One day, I had the chance to meet one of our pensioners, Sparky. He worked for over 40 years in the blacksmith shop at Stelco, and was a picketer during the strike of '46. He told me about throwing rocks, being arrested (twice), and his friends breaking the legs of an overly zealous policeman. For me the shocker was when the conversation turned to the scabs. The company, in its efforts to not recognize the Steelworkers Union, offered triple time pay 24 hours a day while the strikebreakers were locked inside. Sparky said to me "One real bad guy snuck in to scab, you know who that was? Lincoln Alexander!" Wow. Now this is just one man's statement, but he was there and not me. I have checked Mr. Alexander's timeline, and although he doesn't mention being a scab in his autobiography, it could have happened, and I have no reason to doubt Sparky. I feel like a jerk for getting my copy of the Linc's book signed. Oh well.
To all (nine) of my faithful readers, please support your locked out Steelworkers as they try to protect Canadian values from American monopolies. Honk as you drive by the Wilcox gate on Burlington Street, or even better, drop off pizza!
Last, but not least, there will be a fundraising concert for Local 1005 hardship fund on April 9th at This Ain't Hollywood. The Steeltown Spoilers are headlining.
Cheers!
The Hamilton Kid
March 20, 2011
January 03, 2011
"No!" and "No!" again. Get used to it ...
Hey Everybody!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season, and equally enjoy sticking their
face back on the grindstone to keep our social betters in their Escalades and
tax-sheltered mansions.
My apologies for being quiet for so long. Aside from quitting smoking, I have resolved to be a more diligent blogger in 2011 ( or as I like to call it, 2000 lemons). I think for expediency I won't try to list all the cool bands that blew through town since my last entry. But I did thoroughly enjoy getting to see the Avengers again, as well as the Sadies, DOA, and the Canadian Subhumans (their openers, local band Coffincheater were pretty good too).
Although I like a good time as much (or more) than the next guy, there is some serious trouble afoot in our fair city, and despite what a few might expect from a punk music blog, I intend to address them.
Ever since I started working at Stelco (1999), I couldn't help but draw a comparison between the state of the company to the well being of the city as a whole. As the years have rolled by I saw more and more abandoned buildings at work and throughout the city. The only difference is that at work (with the exception of the ancient Blacksmith Shop, rumoured to be the last pre-Stelco building) they haven't knocked the buildings down. But the same as in the city/bar, older friends at work inform me of what used to occupy vacant lots and parking areas.
Over there used to be the Open Hearth, the Spike Mill, the 12/10 Mill, etc. Conversely, downtown there used to be Canadian Canners, Robinson Cone, Fearman's Meats, and Tallman Brass.
The same kind of cruise control mentality have gotten both the Steel Company (of Canada) and the City of Hamilton in deep doo doo.
With the purchase of Stelco, by the nefarious US Steel, things have certainly changed at work for the worse. John Surma, CEO of US Steel, insists that the unionized workers of Stelco not only sell out their predecessors by giving up pension concessions, but also sell out what I call "the unborn worker" (someone who hasn't been hired yet). As they are to be put on an entirely new (and cheaper) pension plan. So far, the response of the Union and the majority of it's members
is a flat out "NO!". Keep in mind too, these are things that were fought for over the years, and are supposed to be given up before US Steel will even begin to negotiate a new contract.
Negotiate indeed.
On the City's scene, Bob Young, owner of our beloved Tiger Cats, seems to have attempted the same kind of power play. Trying to bully the citizenry, and city council, into accepting a new stadium site that suits him and no one else. Although, it looks like we have lost the oppourtunity to build a new stadium with all sorts of government money, I still think no new stadium is better than one that would hurt the city in the long run. City Council says "NO!". For the first time ever, I'm proud of
those folks. Bob Young's arguments are full of just as much garbage as US Steel's. He complains that people aren't coming to games because there is no parking. Well, people do go to games, and have gone to games for the last 80 years, with no parking! He just wants to maximize his investment and milk the community a little more. In a way I hope he moves the team to Aldershot. Then the city
can sue him for using the name "Hamilton", since they will be operating outside the city limits. Maybe then Bob Young can enjoy a nice quiet game watching the Aldershot Tiger Cats play someone in an empty stadium.
The same is true down on Burlington Street. US Steel was the first company to be worth a billion dollars way back in 1903. That was when the Wright Brothers invented the first plane! The company is worth numbers that us average Joe's can't even fathom. And yet they cry poor. Our pensions are too big.
Bigger than their workers in the States. Well, guess what this ain't the States! They knew what they were getting into when they bought us. Then they told the Spectator that our pensions were safe with them.
Lies, lies, lies. US Steel are the company that used to hire the Pinkerton's (company still exists under a different name) to burn down Union Halls while meetings went on.
Hey Surma! Give Bob Young a call! See how easy Hamiltonians get pushed around. We say NO!
Whether we call on the ghosts of 1946 on the picket line, or our first pro football fans way back in 1869, you play our way. Go ahead, pick up your ball and go home. Our heads are held high!
See ya soon!
The Hamilton Kid!
July 02, 2010
A festive day
Isn't it great to live here? It is, or maybe more, it was. The 51st state, where our flags are made in China,
and our factory jobs are traded for ones in Walmart. There is a reason for protest, there is a reason for revolution.
Over a billion on security, that's worth using at least! The Sun (garbage) the other day had a picture of the Police Chief of Toronto, wading through a crowd of angry people, on his way to answer for Police action during the G20 Summit. He's smiling, while all these Torontonians are screaming. Please tell me you can see it now. They work against what we have (and have decimated what we had). They work for the Rockefellers of the world!
Anyway, a little positiveness before more stupid reality. Thank you very much to those of you who supported this year's Joe Strummer tribute. We raised $2,000 to help the Tivoli get back on its feet. The free Art Crawl shows at This Ain't Hollywood, will now have a $2 cover charge. The money will go to "Toonies for Tivoli" to help aid its revival. And, unfortunately, your humble narrator is the only one trying to help. Except those directly involved.
I was pleasantly surprised at seeing the Diodes play live, as I was not a fan of their studio records (too polished/commercial wannabe). But the live performance gave a better perspective of what the band was like way back when, before iPods, or Intelevision even.
But even better (and older) was the New York Dolls' performance in Burlington at the Sound of Music Festival. Normally I wouldn't go to Burlington to see a show, but I had never seen any version of the Dolls before, and they made it worth it. Better than most reunion-type bands, their newer material is almost as enjoyable as the old classics that everyone was so eager to hear.
Lou Molinaro, who booked them into the festival, should have explained the playing field a little better to the band. Three songs in, singer- David Johansen, asked the crowd "How many of you people here are from Burlington!?!". He expected an easy cheer from the crowd. He was greeted with boos and jeers and shouts of Noooo! Despite being confused where his audience came from, it was a very entertaining experience. Oh, and Hamilton should seize Burlington. They've had a free ride on our backs for way too long!
So back to the depression of nonmusic related happenstance. While everyone started to get a jump on their Canada Day revelry I was at work, helping to produce tonnage of steel. At 12:50 am, Canada Day morning, I saw for the first time a blast furnace "blow out".
Breathe easy my friends. In twenty years it won't be so easy.
Politicians aren't worth fighting, it's the companies!
Your pal and sentinel.
The Hamilton Kid
March 29, 2010
WILL THE TRIBUTE NEVER CEASE?
Ahoy hoy y'all! This is the Hamilton Kid broadcasting from the heart of the city, or what's left of it.
I would like to shout from the roof tops that we will be honouring the late, great Joe Strummer once again this year!
Our eighth straight year, and now bigger and better! Couldn't get enough last year? The janitor pushed you out with his broom at the end of the night? Well, now you can get a double shot of Hamilton Strummer madness. This year's event has been expanded to two nights! April 2nd and 3rd, Good Friday and Great Saturday! At This Ain't Hollywood!
With a total of 20 bands doing their own renditions of Joe Strummer and Clash related material. Admission is $7, which will be donated to help rebuild the Tivoli Theatre on James Street North. Any and all are welcome.
Viva Joe Strummer!
"Getting a bad rap"
Hee hee ha ha! Hiddy-ho neighbours!
You may think I'm in a good mood, but I always get a laugh when I here this one. Well, I'll let you read it for yourself. This is a comment from my previous blog entitled "Droogies Unite:"
"I'm amazed that you some how think "you" saved or are saving "the scene" don't let your ego fail you boy!
I'm also amazed how you blame Pittsburgh for the demise of Stelco, look in the mirror, buddy, any intelligent person knows the Steel Workers Union failed Stelco...Where is your leader now! Oh he's writing books! In closing is this a crying Marxist blog or a music scene blog? Put that in your Stelco and smoke it"
— John
Oh John. I can't let this slide. When I was asked to contribute to this website it was on the understanding that I could pretty much write whatever I want, and I do. Now John doesn't seem to know me very well, does he, my dear enamoured readers. I didn't think that anyone would take me literally, that I thought I was saving the scene all by my lonesome. I thought it was pretty obvious that I sometimes like to use a bit of artistic flair while writing my little ditties on here. By the omission, John does seem to think it
entirely plausible that I did in fact go to war, while building what is This Ain't Hollywood, and maintaining my job at The Steel Company.
Now for the Stelco comments our poor misinformed friend John makes. I always get a wise old smile whenever I hear the theory espoused that the union at Stelco brought on its demise. I smile, because the speaker is showing his ignorance. No one who has worked at Hilton Works for any length of time would ever go out on such a slender limb. Did the union spend $200 million on the Plate Mill to shut it down and sell it to India? No. Did the union refuse to update the electrical on the Strip Mill to keep it going? No.
Did the union think it was a bad idea to update the Rod Mill, and reinforce the Pickle Lines? No. You see, those are business decisions, and it has been made clear to me on many occasions by my superiors, that union members have no say in business decisions. I am just machine # 70069, and I'm supposed to do what I'm told. I am baffled by the theory that a union would work to destroy a company so that the members would lose their jobs, and not be able to pay union dues anymore, thus killing USWA Local 1005. Does that sound like something "any intelligent person" would think?
Now John (and I really like that his name is the sort of nondescript "John"), seems to get a little confused in some of his comments.
I blame Pittsburg for shutting down what had then become U.S. Steel - Hamilton Works, because that's where the decision came from. U.S. Steel's head office is in Pittsburgh. I can guarantee you the call did not come from the union hall on Kenilworth Avenue. Since Stelco's creation in 1910, it had never actually shutdown everything until the spring of 2009. Yes, over the years, production halted when the union would go on strike. But everything would be put on "hot idle", like your computer on sleep mode. To actually lock the gate, and hang a sign saying "Gone Fishin' " (I know the sign thing didn't really happen John) was unheard of before last year.
The most confusing part is the book authorship thing. To the best of my knowledge, "my leader," union local #1005 president Rolf Gertsenburger has never written a book. But when the company was named Hamilton Steel for a short time, then CEO Courtney Pratt wrote "Into the Blast Furnace: The Forging of A CEO's Conscience". The tale of the ethical quandary of a CEO selling Canada's last independent steel manufacturer to a multinational corporation, while standing to personally make tens of millions of dollars in the process. I can't make this stuff up folks.
So, John. I hope that you are sufficiently honoured that I, the Great Hamilton Kid, took the time to pick apart your groundless accusations. I don't like being called a Marxist, but I am of the left. As any good political punk should. I will try to talk more about bands and stuff in the future.
If I feel like it.
Your pal,
The Kid
ps. I'm not really much of a kid anymore either. HA!
January 18, 2010
Droogies unite!
Oh my droogies. I have neglected you. Please forgive your humble narrator for being away so long.
But I went to war, and now I'm back.
Although, you can't be too angry with me. I was out trying to save the scene. I have never been so exhausted
in my life. What have I been doing? Bartending, DJing, bouncing, plumbing, demolition, construction, counsellor
to the troubled, and the band even played a couple times. One night I bumped into Robert Gordon in a keg room.
Another night old Strormin Norman solved a Rubik's Cube behind his back in 3 minutes. Mickey deSadest was
impressed. And we both have our names in gold on our leathers, courtesy of old Curly on King Street (RIP). What
else can I say. People are out there trying to help turn things around, but not enough. Everyone get out there and
do something! The least you could do is buy a Lakeport Pilsner or Frank's Venom down at This Ain't Hollywood.
Drinking for charity, what a concept!
Thanks to Pittsburg the wheels are ready to fall off of Stelco. I rode on a train a to hell and back down there for 3 months
(and I mean Stelco trains not the TH&B). Trains are cool. Being a Switchman is cool. But I'd rather stay inside and be an
award winning, all-star button-pusher. I'm dying to tell you about how crazy things are down there right now. But US Steel
is watching.
On a totally different topic, type in the words Hitler and steel into the search on Youtube.
The Century is coming down. Brutal. Jim Morrison said it best, "Save our city!". Wouldn't an old time general strike,
followed by revolution be nice right about now? If only.
I would talk longer my mates, but I must tend to the heartbeat of the city. Both the music scene and the steel mill.
Hamilton will rise again!
May 06, 2009
April 14, 2009
The Steel Company of Canada
There has been some cool music stuff lately, but that's not really my headspace right now.
What's important is the Steel Company of Canada ("The Steel Company" to any of you oldtimers out there, or Stelco to the rest of us).
I wonder if people realise the importance of what has been happening there in the last 2 or 3 years. First the history lesson, then I'll bring it back to today.
The industrialist of the late 1800's and early 1900's was a bit different than the CEO's we know today. They were completely ignorant in their attidues to the working class, but at the same time they had achieved prosperity in very young countries. Building an industrial base went hand in hand with nation building. So, despite the disdain the likes of a Rockerfeller or a Huey Hilton in Stelco's case, might have had for the average Joe working man, they were still very patriotic. They wanted what was best for the country ( the number of industrialists — or their sons — in Hamilton that were war vets is astounding). In this same patriotic mindset, two steel companies were formed. In 1903, an amalgamation of smaller steel companies gave birth to the United States Steel Company in Pittsburgh. The first company worth a billion dollars in the world. This is a part of the heart that would form the economic powerhouse of the 20th century the we saw in the States. Up here in Canada, there were two ideas that were prevailing back then that are sadly lost today.
1. We are Canadians! We gained our independance in 1867. We started later as a country than the U.S., and there is a huge population disparity between the two nations. But every time we get around Canada Day the press is full of "what does it mean to be Canadian?", is it hockey or maple syrup? Is it bilingualism or health care? Before any of those things existed (except maple syrup), there was one defining thing that made us Canadian. We are not Americans! And implicit in that is that we are better than Americans. We stood by the Queen. I'm a descendant of United Empire Loyalists who were people who came up from the States that were on the losing side of the American Revolution. We are better than that rabble. I know that when you get down to the bone we are all the same. But it was forces from Hamilton that stopped American regiments in Stoney Creek during the War of 1812. Out numbered 5 to 1, I might add. But we knew how to get things done. And it's only in modern times have we lost our way.
2. In 1903 we were a very young country, 36 years old in fact, and we needed to let go of Mom's apron and fend for ourselves. We needed an industrial base, to create wealth, and produce for ourselves what we had been importing from England and the States. One facet of this was the steel industry. To the best of my knowledge, steel manufacturing in Canada started in and around Montreal in the early 1800's ( Stelco still has ties with Lachine, Quebec). But due to Hamilton's prime real estate at the head of Lake Ontario, raw materials can be shipped here by boat much easier than most places, as well as our availability of running water and electricity early on, this became the home to the bulk of Canadian manufacturing. Seven years after the creation of US Steel, the Canadians responded with the Steel Company of Canada, an amalgamtion of various independent steel mills that had sprung up in Hamilton because we were on the vanguard of technology back then! To me the 20" Mill is the best remnant of this time. As Stuart turns into Queen Street, down by Pier 4 Park, there stands the shell of old-timey steel making.
When it closed in 1990, it was the oldest operating steel mill in North America. It started in in 1853, and was long before Stelco. It was also a manual mill, which is totally unheard of today. This means that a man with long tongs has to manipulate a piece of hot steel spagetti into a "mill", that will help shape it into the desired specs. On the west side of Queen, on what is now vacant land, was the 10" Mill and I believe the 4" Mill, predating even the ancient 20" Mill.
Now after the implosion of Stelco, that I am personally convinced was orchestrated from the inside. We open the doors to the Americans, and give up one of the companies that was (and is) vital to our nationhood. Stelco is closed for the first time in 99 years. What does Canada have left? No more Stelco, Dofasco, or Hudson's Bay. Our major breweries have been sold off. No more canning of our Niagra fruitbelt produce. Borje Salming got into the Hockey Hall of Fame for pete's sake (Swedish, homosexual, men's underwear designer, who couldn't stay on his feet. That's why he got 500 stitches across his face.)! What's left Canada? And all this happened before the so-called Great Recession. The bigwigs in their suits have a huge hate on for us. The men with their curly moustaches and monacles never would have stood for this. It's their weaselly descendants that have made a mint selling off what Canadians had built. Now we are subservient to foreign overlords. And everyone has electricity and running water now. How will we ever reclaim our rightful position in this country? And how will this country retain it's rightful place in the world? Don't ask Harper, to him, everything is going according to plan.
Buy Canadian!
The Hamilton Kid
ps. Every Monday, there are boys from USWA Local 1005 at the corner of King and James. Last Monday, I was stuck in traffic near the intersection. There were a couple 20 year old girls stuck in their car a few lanes over. They were leaning out of their car yelling "1005 sucks!", and "we don't care about your pensions!" If I was ten years younger I would have snapped. It took all my strength to not get out of my Studebaker (made in Hamilton) and put that great big car jack through their windshield. I truly fear for our future.
February 07, 2009
Well, I've been out and seen some shows and talked to people, and went to the grocery store, and shovelled, just like the rest of you.
Punk Rods at the Absinthe were great on Hallowe'en. It's the first time that I've been there that the crowd behaved like I would want them to, chests crushed against the stage, fists pumping, and sweat flying. Great! Why can't it always be like that?
Had a pretty good time on New Year's Eve (otherwise known as my birthday!), made it out to the Casbah for the Sons of the Hammer. What I got to see was great, but too packed. I can handle crowds, but there was a point when we said to hell with this, and headed over to the nearly empty Lionshead. I would review Tim Gibbon's set from that night, but by the time we got to the Lionshead, I was sufficiently polluted, so we won't go there.
I missed the Magic Christian (old-time super group with members of Blondie and the Flamin' Groovies) show at the Absinthe, but heard it was a great time, and on a Tuesday night! I also made it to Martin Verrall and the Black Spring CD release at the newly opened Touche bar. Heavy weather lessened the turn out, but what a show. I spent most of it next to Johnny Blitz (Dead Boys), who has recently come back to town. One of the guitar players, Clint, was in his own little world, and part way through the third song pearl harbour jobbed everyone else in the band with the head of his guitar! Scattering the band, and causing a 15-minute break, as the rest of them tried to calm him down, and figure out what the hell was happening. I felt for Martin Verrall, but what a great thing to see. I purchased the CD "Escape Show", but have not really been able to get past the first song, "Song of Stone", it is so awesome!! Martin is what I think any Hamilton musician should be like. Depressed, angry, slightly off kilter. That's Hamilton baby! We ain't got much to be happy about.
Both the Lorrainas and the Poisoned Areos have reformed and will be playing the Hanky Panky Panty Party tonight at the Absinthe. But you won't have the pleasure of seeing me there, as I will be in the bowels of Stelco slugging away.
There are rumours floating around that Agent Orange will be playing Touche, and that the UK Subs will be coming too. I will let you know more as I find out, keep your ears peeled!
Strummer night will be upon us again soon, Good Friday, April 10th, as always. Venue hasn't quite been decided yet, as I've been hoping to take the show to an unusual room.
Almost got it figured out, but not quite yet. And cheers to my protege Alex from Sunday Detox for taking over the "musician wrangler" duties from me.
If you can't wait until Good Friday, check out Los Mondo Bongo at the Casbah March 16th. They are a travelling Strummer tribute band with members from the Mescaleros, Simple Minds, and the Alarm. Should be pretty good.
In trying to find an interesting venue for Strummer night, I have entered several strange back rooms along James North. Bars and halls that are upstairs or way in the back (with old Portugese guys wondering "who the hell is this guy?"). Some of them are pretty neat, but have been scratched off the list for one reason or another. The one with a real airplane hanging from the ceiling would have been neat. But the one I had my heart set on is above the Harvest Moon Chinese restaurant just south of York. I'm told it was called the Red Mill theatre at one point. Very Victorian with twenty years of Asian touches added, pretty neat. Ok, this is what makes it so Hamilton, ha. And the guys who have it now don't have clue (oh please tell me how big a shot you are in toronto, all the bars and clubs you've owned there, what are you, 22 ? Get me outta here! sorry, anyway...).
Canada had prohibition before the States did, and in different eras, for different purposes, there have been many tunnels carved out under our formerly fair city. Rumour has it that there was a tunnel connecting the Tivoli to this Red Mill Theatre. I believe this would be for someone like Al Jolson to leave his legitimate performance at the Tivoli, and head over to the booze can/speakeasy up the street to play for a wilder crowd (and probably better money). Another rumour has it that there was a second tunnel that led from the Red Mill to the building on King William that now houses Thai Memory restaurant. Way back when, King William was our Chinatown. It is believed that on the second floor there was an opium den. This is pre- televison, pre-radio, just about pre-everything. A couple years ago, someone ripped down the ceiling in the upstairs of Thai Memory and found this great dome ceiling with all sorts of paintings on it. Hit the pipe, lay back in your chaise lounge, and stare at the ceiling. What a great end to a night of debauchery. Didn't have to go outside once. Cops would never know. Hah! That's pretty Hamilton if you asked me.
One last thing. Ever hear the phrase "He don't know shit from Shineola"? It's old, I don't know where I picked up, some older people seem to remember it, but no one really knows what it means. I always assumed that Shineola was a place.
Well, in the course of my local history studies, I came across an entry for Edwin Dalley (Graham Crawford who runs HIStoryand HERitage lives in Edwin's old house). Edwin Dalley took over the family firm of F.F. Dalley that existed on James North where the Shopper's Drug Mart is now (Ughh, the present). They made all sorts of consumer products, but were best known for "2 in 1 shoe polish". I found that in 1925, F.F. Dalley was sold to the Shineola company from the States. Shineola certainly sounds like it was a shoe polish maker too. So, if you don't know shit from Shineola, you know what your shining your shoes with!
HA!
Over and out!
The Hamilton Kid
October 27, 2008
Hey hey Y'all! Hope your all doing all right. Well, I assume that just about anybody reading this is already aware of the passing of Mr. Frank Venom. I think that anybody growing up here as a teenager in the eighties rather than the seventies was either a Forgotten Rebels fan or a Teenage Head fan. Not to say you couldn't be both, but you liked one more than the other. I was, and am, a Rebels fan. I was already a Rebels lunatic long before I bought a Teenage Head album. I did get into them, and definitely enjoyed seeing them live, but, despite their critical acclaim, the Rebels spoke to me more because they seemed in a closer vein to the Sex Pistols than the Head. Anyway, no one can deny that Teenage Head were/are a great band and I think Frankie was an extremely good example (possibly the best) of a Hamilton rock star. Talented, angry, and kind of nuts. I wasn't really surprised when I heard that he had died, because ever since I started paying attention to him, I thought Frankie had a death wish, a slow burn out with a bottle. In a way I was kind of happy for him because he finally made it. But what stinks is that I will never get to seem him onstage again. He was good.
I got kicked out of a big Teenage Head show at Club 77 a few years ago (the last time I've been physically escorted out of an establishment, but hopefully not the last). I was right near the stage, when I hacked up a terrible loogie (thank god for cigarettes). I pushed a couple people near me away so I could spit it on the floor. I still don't know how it happened, but instead of it going straight down, it came out of my mouth on a 90 degree angle and hit Frankie
in the thigh. He didn't notice, but some old geezer next to me did and waved at a bouncer. I might give a bouncer trouble, but not a whole mess of them. And before I knew it, I was on the sidewalk, with the former drummer of Spittle, who had also got kicked out for something.
I had this thing where I didn't want to get to know the Head guys, or Mickey DeSadist, very well because I was afraid of becoming their friend. I didn't want to loose the fan admiration and be buddies. I have finally given up on that with Mickey, but Frankie was more of a serious deal. I think he could be very friendly if the mood struck him, but I knew he could also be a bastard, so most of the time I gave him a wide berth. I did speak to him a few times, even made him laugh. But normally, if I saw him at the bar I would order two or three beers, and send one over to him. He would look at me and I would give him a nod, and he would nod back, and we would just leave it at that. My condolences to Gord, Steve, and Jack (and even Nick, wherever he might be). Frankie was, if nothing else, Something Else!
On a more positive note, lets talk about the scene. I attended the last James Street Art Crawl, largely because my friends Lynn "Buckshot" Bebee and Kerry Wade unveiled their clothing studio in the Sonic Unyon building to the public that night. We also caught the tail end of what seemed like a pretty crazy fuzzed out set at Mex-I-Can. I don't recall who the performers were. We stopped in at the new antique/collectible shop White Elephant (very cool old television, not for sale) and Mixed Media next store. You've got to hand it to Dave Kuruc, he's an extremely proficent instigator. He started this Art Crawl thing, and I saw a lot of bodies walking up and down James, even at 11 at night, that were obviously not the regular denizens. Kudos to Kuruc! The evening ended with about twenty of us taking over Copper John's karaoke night.
Now, this brings me to something else. Copper John's. Ugh. It is currently called Copper's Corner Bar and Bistro (I guess microwave pizza counts as a bistro), what a place! In my previous post I mentioned that a new punk friendly venue would be happening on James North and this is it. I'm not the kind who shies away from putting my money where my mouth is, and so here I go, taking the plunge as a entrepreneur. As you should know, I hate the destruction of our older buildings downtown (the latest casualty was the building just south of Leon's Furs, now for sale as an empty lot, why?). So me, Lou Molinaro (fellow Jamilton blogger) and an unnamed party are purchasing the Copper John's
building and turning it into a place for us Corktown ex-patriots. I have neglected to spill the beans before because there are hiccups that we are still dealing with, but suffice it to say, I think the deal will go through. It will be known as "This Ain't Hollywood" (a la Rebels) and we're in for a penny, in for a pound.
I think that if anyone else would buy it, it would be torn down (handyman's dream as they say). And I just can't stand my town being ripped apart. I am lucky enough to have friends that are willing to back me up and make a stand against the wrecking ball. As far as I know, the building has been a bar since it was built in 1893 (originally the Mackenzie House), and is the last of many old time bars that used to dot James North (ie. the International, and the Jamesville). Hopefully we get things figured out in time for Cheetah Chrome on Nov. 22nd.
Lastly, had a pretty good time at the Responsibles cd release party at the Absinthe on Saturday. It was my band's (The Steeltown Spoilers) first show since opening for D.O.A. in the spring, and it was our first show with new guitarist Chris Crash (surprisingly we broke our streak of aggro with each show, funny eh?). The Responsibles are way better than was indicated by the mediocre turn out. We did have to split our potential audience with the Zombie Walk and their subsequent show at the Casbah.
This entry is way too long already, so I am stopping now.
Cheers to all, and buy a beer from me in November!
the Hamilton Kid
