Shit From an Old Cardboard Box, incl. Uncle Wiggly Tour Diary

Unused Bar-Mitzvah Thank-You Note, summer 1977 - I had a lot to be thankful for, considering that I received a green Vistalite 5-pc. Ludwig drum kit, with a chrome snare and Zildjian cymbals (my drum hero at the time was John Bonham, who had an orange Vistalite kit), all for singing a little Hebrew in shul.  I also chose the paper grade, color and typeface for these notes; how, um, epicene for a 13-year-old boy.

Lo-Fi Live Gig Flyer, designed by the late Terry Folger - I still maintain that I was the first person to use the term "lo-fi" in a public forum.  Lo-Fi, begun in 1986, was a weekly half-hour segment of my WFMU show, devoted to home-cassette recording artists, comprised solely of contributions solicited via the mail.  Many of the performers that evening went on to be good friends and collaborators of mine.  Many of these bedroom-rock Gods still perform or exist in some form today; others were one-offs or have since faded into obscurity.  Here are web links for some of them:  pHoaming Edison, Jolly Ramey, Jet Screamer, Ray Zinnbrann (aka Ray Brazen), Azalia Snail.  The group S!T!O!I!N!K! included members of Fly Ashtray, the latter having just released a fantastic new CD.  The great Modern Day Carpetbaggers (also see this) were in attendance that night, but did not perform.  Bad Jack and the Rope Trick were a Berger/Folger collaboration, complete with a tasteless name, backing tapes blasted through the P.A., McCartney and Wings covers and surgical masks worn throughout the set.  Oddly enough, this flyer was addressed to R. Stevie Moore in Terry's hand, and was either a duplicate, or was never sent.

Xmas postcard from my future wife, circa 1994 - Though I rarely responded to her regular, thoughtful and often hand-designed correspondence, the gal still up and married me in 2000.  Thanks again for that.

Teen Beat Records 10th Anniversary Banquet Invitation - This event was held annually.  We performed one year, attending two years in a row, seated both times at what I like to think was the "grownup's table," with Bridget Cross (of Unrest), and Brendan Canty, Guy Picciotto and Joe Lally (of Fugazi).  You haven't lived until you've attended a dinner banquet with Butch Willis.

Jeffies 1994 - The year I won honorable mention as Programmer of the Year.  The Jeffies were compiled and awarded by avid WFMU listener Jeff Grieco; not sure what year he stopped presenting.  Many other interesting entries herein.

Doctored Bacardi Ad - One evening, I decided to show Bacardi just how transparent their advertising methods were (I didn't need a college course in media manipulation to do it, either.)

Uncle Wiggly tour diary - undated excerpt, typed out here for readability: "Raleigh, NC - Fallout Shelter - Because of club's name, a certain 2-line couplet from (Don McLean's) "American Pie" has been stuck in my head all day.  If reading this brings it to yr. mind as well, I pity you.  Playing once again with Earshot (Cape Cod) & locals Metal Flake Mother."  Crossed-out section reads: "Foreseeable problem: We just don't ROCK like these 2 other bands; rumors of a local skinhead battalion showing up cause some apprehension.  Everybody wants to be liked y'now..."

(Metal Flake Mother) turn out to be quite good, stirring up my warm feelings for Link Wray, Ventures & James Bond music.  Show turns out to be the best so far for us, climaxing w/our psychedelic breakdown of War's "Low Rider".

We part ways w/7-piece Earshot, w/whom we've played 1st 3 shows of tour, quite by accident.  Bass player Erik abruptly & somewhat violently French kisses me goodbye @ the last minute—I remain in shock over this for a few hrs."

We stay @ home of Nina, Fallout Shelter's sweet & adorable promoter, who pays us our guarantee despite less than terrific turnout—Nina's cat Hobbs & I bond deeply & he climbs on my head most of the night, hence a somewhat light & fitful sleep."

I have an incest dream in which I have a sister who looks like Madonna in the "Borderline" video, but w/dark hair.  She calls me in from the backyard to do the deed.  I can only hope that I wasn't exclaiming "do me!" & "baby baby" out loud in my sleep, as Nina was sleeping just a few feet away across the room."

For my previous post along similar lines, see Shit From and Old Glove Compartment.

Comments

[Ray Brazen]

Bill, it's been too long. Welcome back to the blog. Thanks for the links, the memories, and for making me spend 15 whole dang minutes of my hard-earned free time absorbing every word. Please don't make me wait another six months for your next post, y'hear?

[Krys O.]

Eggcellent post!

"Preserve your memories. They're all that's left you." - Paul Simon, Bookends

(Though I am troubled by the Madonna image in your dream. Not the incest but Madonna, ick.)

[Anonymous]

Hey Bill,

Reading this blog posting makes me remember hanging out in the basement of your house on Mt. Pleasant Ave back in the day when you had Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell poster hanging on the wall. Never thought back then you would really make it in the music biz.......

That was a lifetime ago...........

An old friend from West Orange...........

[Listener Steve]

And how about some more "what's on my playlist" for us hungry punters?

[R]

AND YOU LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT!

[Wooden Thomas]

You must have seen the Madonna playboy photos. The black and white ones of her posing nude that were released circa 1989.
That dream shows how in touch you are in a healthy way with you feminine side.
Of coarse being an only child you would want to have a sybling ,one chosen by your subconscious but not one of your sisters that are friends from reality that searved as sisters to you , you know "sistahs" . Madonna Ciccone circa "border line " video with brunette hair , + think about that nice feral pubic hair from the PLAYBOY issue and WHO COULD BLAME YOU?
Those pix and her terrible acting in "Desperatly seeking Susan" still haunt my chill Subconscious basement and warm my Libido's creeky attick of lust to this day.
You a boy who came into your developmental years in the 80's.Of course you yelled out in your sleep. Maybe you did'nt vocalise it phonetically but you must have grunted some noise for Madonna of the early 80's really fucked with our heads . By "our heads" I mean you , me , Mike Watt, Tim Johnsin of the Bloody Snowmen, and Henk Rollins.
She is the sister I never had and would very much liked to have gotten it on with back then.
Actually I was really into the Bangles...
OHHH How I still love them!

[TJK HAYWOOD]

The Lizmar lounge, Wow That was 19 years ago! I remember telling you that you looked alittle like Mitch Easter and you were not happy about it, but I thought it was a complement because Mr. Let's Active was cute and talented.
I remember I gave you a hand painted tee shirt that night and you held it up to the audience and told them to breath it in and let it vaccuum in your mind... ..something to that effect.
That was the first time I ever met TKF too, he seemed taller in my memory of my first impression than he did in the reality of subsequently becoming his friend, that's a strange phenominon with me , there are others who I have met who seemed taller when I first met them, but you were not one of them, I think that you have grown in reality and in my heart.

You showed me across the invisable bridge made of audio sound waves that connects over the Hudson from the Suburbs of Wierd NJ into the Big town.And those sound waves were made up of WfmU's Lo Fi radio show, "Thanks again for that!"
Sorry I missed your Bar Mitzva .