my new homepage

hey MOGWorld bloggers - i figured for the '06 i'd start a personal webage aside from the myspaces of the world...

check it out and let me know what you think...but please keep in mind that it's a rough design...

http://www.geocities.com/amargosa69/PersonalWebsite.html

The Best Shit

I'm the late one this year, so I'm gonna give you the quick version of my 2005 BEST OF. As per the last few years, I have picked a #1 Best Of for the year and then everything after is in the usual no particular order. I've no doubt I've missed a bit here, but I have been thinking about this a bit, so here goes:

ALBUM:

1. DOVES "Some Cities" (this one creeped up on me as the year progressed to be my album of the year)
2. LEANDRO FRESCO "Luz Sin Calor"
3. DK7 "Dismantled"
4. OASIS "Don't Believe The Truth"
5. HALLOWEEN ALASKA "Too Tall To Hide"
6. NEW ORDER "Waiting For The Sirens Call"
7. GREG DULLI's "Amber Headlights"
8. REVENGE "LIVE: NO PAIN NO GAIN"
9. JOHN CALE "Black Acetate"
10. FLAVIUS E "Conjunction"
11. MIA "Arular"
12. IAN BROWN "The Greatest
13. COLDER "Heat"
14. The Best of 16 VOLT
15. DEPECHE MODE: Playing The Angel

The Most Anticpated Records of 2006: Razorlight, Chemlab remixes, Cerati, Morrissey, Muse, aggression remixes, and of course, what I hope wil be called KASABIAN 2. Also, if the Roken album actually sees the light of day in 2006, I will personally buy it for Brandt. EDIT: G rightly points out that also on the anticipated list are new albums from Richard Ashcroft (which I actually heard most of and why I didn't put it here) and of course the Twilight Singers...

FILM:

1. BATMAN BEGINS/REVENGE OF THE SITH (tie)
2. CONSTANTINE
3 KISS KISS BANG BANG
4. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
5. ELECTION
6. SIN CITY
7. WEDDING CRASHERS
8. 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN
9. SERENITY
10. SKELTON KEY
11. SPL
12. TRANSPORTER 2
13. LORD OF WAR
14. 36 Quai des Orfèvres"
15. HARRY POTTER

Special Mention: ROBIN'S BIG DATE
My fanboy sense tingle in 2006 for SUPERMAN RETURNS, CASINO ROYALE and X3

GIGS:

1. JOHN CALE at St. Ann's
2. DOVES at Beyond the Narrows
3. KASABIAN at Beyond the Narrows
4. IAN BROWN at Webster Hall
5. OASIS at MSG
6. GOLDFRAPP at Nokia
7. BAUHAUS at Nokia
8. RAZORLIGHT at Bowery
9. KASABIAN at Bowery (both nights)
10. NEW ORDER at Hammerstein
11. Gallo/Sean Lennon at Tonic
12. DURAN DURAN at MSG
13. U2 at Meadowlands
14. DIE WARZAU at Don Hills
15. ELBOW at Hiro

DVDs:

1. BATMAN BEGINS/REVENGE OF THE SITH (tie)
2. CONSTANTINE
3. UNDECLARED
4. GATCHAMAN box sets
5. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
6. ECW
7. WRESTLING SUPERSTARS OF THE 80'S
8. SIN CITY DELUXE
9. MOONLIGHTING Seasons 1 and 2
10. AMERICAN GOTHIC
11. DURAN DURAN Live in London

TV:

1. MY NAME IS EARL (*TV SHOW OF THE YEAR*)
2. 24
3. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
4. NYPD BLUE final Season
5. SMALLVILLE
6. SOUTH PARK
7. CLONE WARS
8. BOSTON LEGAL
9. WILL AND GRACE
10. ENTOURAGE

Extra:

Videogame of the year was THE HULK
Surprise of the Year was the aggression reunion
Disappointment of the year was still the lack of a HF album
Wrestler of the Year is Samoa Joe
Trip of the Year was Japan/San Fran/San Diego/LA
Cartoon of the Year is Teen Titans
Man of the Year was Vincent Cassel
Woman of the Year was Robin
Kid of the Year was my Nephew
Villian of the Year was Anus Mcanus
Hero of The Year was me of course

Happy New Year

F

The OTHER remix album

As fate would have it, the Chemlab remix disc, ROCK WHORE VS. DANCE FLOOR (by the way, that title came about when Jared used that phrase in an Email and I wrote him back saying "that HAS to be the remix album) of which I spent the year plus putting together, is finally available for pre-order. This is Invisible's "press release" on it:

NEW CHEMLAB REMIX ALBUM!!!

This week we are getting ready for the upcoming release of Chemlab's "Rock Whore vs. Dance Floor" CD, the remix companion of 2003's "Oxidizer". The CD is now available for pre-orders in the Ui Web Store, and while the CDs will not ship until late January, if you order the CD now, you will get a free download of the first two tracks from the album right away!

And here's the final tracklisting:

Track Listing:

01. Monkey God [Monkey Scratch Mix] - by Needleye
02. Atomic Automatic [Our Glitch Mode Squad is Dangerous Mix] - by Cyanotic
03. Black Snake [Gun Remix] - by Terrorfakt
04. Scornocopia [Glitchstar Mix] - by Christ Analog
05. Binary Nation [Renegade Mix] - by The Aggression
06. White Room [Cash for Oil Remix] - by Cubanate
07. Scornocopia [Scorpio Remix] - by Die Warzau
08. Megahurtz [Caliopenis vs. Cocktopus Remix] - by Adam Grossman
09. Binary Nation [16 Volt Max-Out] - by 16 Volt
10. Queen of Despair [Lay Back and Rock Mix] - by .mnpltr.
11. Megahurtz [mindFIELD Aurora Mix] - by mindFIELD
12. Force Quit [Lickthevelvetpouch] - by Ipecac Loop
13. Scornocopia [London Sin-Phony Orgasmus Mix] - by Dave Suycott
14. Binary Nation [Demento Mix] - by Kill Memory Crash
15. White Room [Haloblackattack Remix] - by haloblack
16. Black Snake [Tenderbender Mix] - by Meat Curtain
17. The Moon [Suture Remix] - by Deadliner

INV/UI are doing another one of their ticket "offers", which I normally would never post here, but since it means tickets to see the aggression as well, I feel obligated to whore it up a bit:

CHEMLAB SHOW IN NEW YORK CITY!!!
We have a limited number of FREE TICKETS to the Chemlab show in NYC on January 7th at the Downtime with Re-Inforced, Ascension of the Watchers (Fear Factory, Killing Joke, Still Life Decay), and The Aggression. The show begins at 9pm, and is 18+. In order to get the free ticket to the show, you must make a $15 purchase from the Underground Inc. store (the face value of the ticket), and add the ticket to your cart before checkout. There are only 12 tickets available.

Anyhow, it's a nice feeling to start 2006 with two releases that have occupied the last couple of years of my life. Now we gotta get the other stuff out!

F

My Best of 2005 (in no particualr order)

Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself
Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Sigur Ros - Takk...
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Halloween, Alaska - Too Tall To Hide
Clue To Kalo - One Way, It's Every Way
Cass McCombs - PREfection
The Killers - Mr. Brightside Remixes
Billy Corgan - The Future Embrace
Autechre - Untilted
Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak Of It Again
Alarm Will Sound - Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin
AFX - Analord 12"'s

- Ash

The Best Of 2005

Because it's Christmas, I'm in Chicago and I have a whole morning to kill drinking coffee and listening to music, I wrapped up my year-end best of lists for your enjoyment. Happy holidays!



BEST ALBUMS OF 2005:
01. M.I.A. — Arular (XL)
02. Dead Meadow — Feathers (Matador)
03. The Tears — Here Come The Tears (Independiente)
04. Broadcast — Tender Buttons (Warp)
05. Leandro Fresco — Luz Sin Calor (Casa Del Puente Discos)
06. Delia Gonzalez And Gavin Russom — The Days Of Mars (DFA/Astralwerks)
07. Stars — Set Yourself On Fire (Arts And Crafts)
08. Echo And The Bunnymen — Siberia (Cooking Vinyl)
09. John Cale — Black Acetate (Astralwerks)
10. Doves — Some Cities (Heavenly/EMI)

BEST SINGLES OF 2005:
01. The Tears — "Refugees" (Independiente)
02. Doves — "Black And White Town" (Heavenly/EMI)
03. New Order — "Waiting For The Sirens' Call" (Warner)
04. Broadcast — "America's Boy" (Warp)
05. Stars — "Ageless Beauty" (Arts And Crafts)
06. Cass McCombs — "Sacred Heart" (PREfection)
07. Out Hud — "One Life To Leave" (Kranky)
08. The Arcade Fire: "Neighborhood Number Three (Power Out)" (Merge)
09. Death Cab For Cutie — "Soul Meets Body" (Atlantic)
10. Echo And The Bunnymen — "Stormy Weather" (Cooking Vinyl)

Honorable Mention: Kasabian — "Club Foot" (BMG)

BEST ALBUM TRACKS OF 2005:
01. Leandro Fresco — "Top Less" (Casa Del Puente Discos)
02. The Tears — "Autograph" (Independiente)
03. Oasis — "Turn Up The Sun" (Big Brother)
04. Dead Meadow — "Such Hawks Such Hounds" (Matador)
05. Amusement Parks On Fire — "Solera La Reina" (V2)
06. John Cale — "Woman" (Astralwerks)
07. Echo And The Bunnymen — "Of A Life" (Cooking Vinyl)
08. Halloween, Alaska — "Drowned" (East Side Digital)
09. New Order — "Who's Joe?" (Warner)
10. Oasis — "Love Like A Bomb" (Big Brother)

Honorable Mention: MIA — "Ten Dollar" (XL)

BEST REISSUES/LIVE SETS/GREATEST HITS:
01. New Order — Singles (Warner)
02. Kraftwerk — Minimum-Maximum (Astralwerks)
03. Chris Connelly — Lounge Ax, Bottle, Elsewhere — '94/'01 (Self-Released)
04. Diplo — Money Studies: Mr. Wes Pentz Live In Montreal 2004 (Hollertronix)
05. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds — B-Sides And Rarities (Mute)
06. Cocteau Twins — Lullabies To Violaine (4AD)
07. Slowdive — Souvlaki (Sanctuary)
08. Morrissey — Live At Earl's Court (Attack/Sanctuary)
09. Various — DFA Records Holiday Mix 2005 (DFA/EMI)
10. The Young Gods — XX Years: 1985 - 2005 (Play It Again Sam)

Honorable Mention: Ian Brown — The Greatest (Polydor)

BEST GIGS OF 2005:
01. Kraftwerk (Hammerstein Ballroom, June) *
02. New Order (Hammerstein Ballroom, May)
03. Diplo (Rothko, June)
04. Oasis (Madison Square Garden, June)
05. Dead Meadow (Mercury Lounge, March)
06. John Cale (St. Ann's Warehouse, November)
07. MIA (SOBs, June)
08. Doves (Bowery Ballroom, March)
09. Kasabian (Bowery Ballroom, May)
10. Bauhaus (The Nokia Theatre, November)

* Huge props to Ash whose idea it was to see this gig!

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2006:
01. Morrissey: Ringleader Of The Tormentors (Attak)
02. Kraftwerk: Der Katalog (Astralwerks)
03. Gustavo Cerati: TBA (BMG)
04. The Twilight Singers: Powder Burns (One Little Indian)
05. Kasabian: TBA (RCA)
06. Roken: TBA (Label TBD)
07. New Order: TBA (Warner)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

May you all have a wonderful year and don't let any crepe intimidate you!

That time...

It's been a fun week of old friends and long walks. The lawyer/agent/advisor dropped in for some brunch on Monday with Irene and myself on Monday. I skipped Jury Duty for this, so that should show you how highly regarded the L/A/A is here at MOGworld by myself and the S.O. Anyhow, we chatted the morning away while dining on the lovely French brunch at Les Halles (where we brunched with said L/A/A's sister just a few weeks ago). It's good to be able to just take some time and catch up with the old school. Speaking of the L/A/A and the old school, please direct your attention to the following website: www.myspace.com/virustwentythree. This is a good for a laugh thanks to my only pal Leo.

The transit strike kicked in on Tuesday, which made the walk to Jury Duty a chilly experience. Because I know that area downtown so well, it's easy for me to navigate and time it properly, so I was making it down there in under 45 minutes. However, the mornings have been rather fucking freezing. The way back isn't so bad as it's usually warmer in the afternoon and I make the various pit stops (New Green Bo, the DVD stores etc.)

Tuesday saw the former lead singer arriving from his OTHER home in Delaware where we will be joining him and his family in the new year for a few days. He writes, he makes babies, he has a good life. A long evening at Poetessa where we talked shop, ate and drank well and argued over Star Wars. His son's first words will be PREQUEL if i have anything to say about it. This was a very fun evening in which I lent him a series of films by my favourite HK director Johnnie to.

Speaking of Johnnie To, I finally saw his long-awaited new film ELECTION, which centers around two gangsters and their quest to become elected chairman of their "society" (read "triad"). It's an awesome and fresh exploration of the underworld, and it's code of ethics which is undercut by a shocking ending that honestly freaked me out. To's "Deniro" Simon Yam again stars and the other Tony Leung (the taller older one, not the handsome fucker from Infernal Affairs and 2046) finally impressed me after like 20 years. Louis Koo, star of my fave film last year THROWDOWN (also a Johnnie To film), is in this as well, but is underused. Supposedly there is a 3 hour version of this movie and a sequel in the works (which might explain the abrupt ending). Also, I was VERY happy to see the legendary David Chiang (star of all the great 70's Shaw Bros costume dramas). Great filmmaking. Johnnie To is the most unique director on the planet right now. His range is astounding.

The OTHER great Hong Kong movie of the year is called SPL and also stars Simon Yam. This time though, he plays a cop who teams up with his successor as squad leader, played by the slightly gay yet insane martial artist Donnie Yen to take on his rival, a gangster played by the my childhood hero Sammo Hung. The movie wasn't as action packed as I had hoped, but when there's action there is FUCKING ACTION and is intense as fuck. I jumped out of my seat several times. It's brutal and the fighting has gone to a new level. It's basically an 90's HK action movie with modern sensibilities and better storytelling. The actors are great and for the first time in ages, I was truly excited by the action I was seeing. No doubt with Sammon Hung and Donnie Yen involved, the shit is off the chart. This is getting released in the states and totally deserves it.

Now I must leave you as Uncle Duty begins yet again tomorrow...My your holidays be bright and wonderful.

F

AT LAST.

The new Aggression CD, "Revisionist History", will be officially released on 12/27/05 on Digital Brothel Records. The CD features Remixes from Cyanotic, Converter, Needleye, Vtg, and many more. It's a real booty shaker.

CDs are in stock, and even though it's early, CDs will begin shipping as the orders roll in. So, get your shop on!

http://www.digitalbrothel.com/shop.html

-Rob

PS: Please add DBR as one of your friends on myspace. http://www.myspace.com/digitalbrothel

Sing Your Life

You would think after an afternoon of Karaoke (aka aggression rehearsal) the last thing I would want to do would be to sing covers while drinking all evening. However, my girlfriend's girlfriend came to town from Boston to spend her 30th birthday with us. After a very enjoyable Cuban dinner, and some erratic planning (which Lurch, the evenings organizer, handled like a fucking pro) we found ourselves in a Chinese karaoke bar...Instead of getting in depth or getting into what a rip off this place was, I will let the photos do the talking:

The Birthday Girl


Nicole Kidman (Lurch). Ewan Mcgregor (G) start things off with a bang. It can't get gayer than this...


Yet it does!!


You won't see a singles ad for this man in Billboard anytime soon..


The Ladies, The Ladies...(and some guy who was wayyyy to into this for his own masculinity)


"THE KAMIKAZI GOD...HIS HATE'S INSIDE YOOOOOOOOU"

He can't dance, but he sure can sing, Good God, it's EVAN!


Dan Hamill and unknown "friend" (This is a Queens thing).

The duet EVERYONE was waiting for, Evan and the Kidd!


Three Dicks singing Dickie...


Lurch's attempt to sing through his armpit ultimately proved to be frustrating and rather sweaty..


Hey Budday, it's Murray! ("I'm gonna drink some free beer and get the fuck out our here as fast as possible")


We're obviously in the wee hours of the morning now...


And finally, a little something for the ladies...


A fun evening that if I recall ending quite early in the morning today in McDonalds with me drinking beer and eatin fries before dancing in front of a full cab for my girlfriend's amusement. Good times. Happy birthday to SK. Hopefully she had a good time and didn't beat anyone.

F

The Cowboy Way

You know, I had to read this blog just to remember what the hell I have been doing and where I left off. This required considerable thought. This Jury Duty thing is really fucking me up. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it quite a bit, and there are some really goood cases, but there's just so much I need to get done and believe me, being that close to Chinatown isn't helping as I have been eating well and buying too many DVD's. The potential transit strike was (and is) a looming threat and a cause of unnecessary stress at the moment. Combine all this with Christmas shopping, releasing two remix CD's, designing aggression Tshirts for the gig, rehearsing for the gig, and all the usual work and family related stuff and you have a busy existence. As always, I don't mind, but it's hard to get a decent sleep at the moment and with the impending arrival of coolest nephew on the planet for Christmas this week (this time with his mother), rest is not in the cards. This coming week also sees MOGworld cameo appearances from Lawyer/Agent/Advisor and Original Aggression Singer turned father of 2. These are welcome visits.

Irene and I took a quick walk in the rain last night to see The Donnas at irving. I know, you're thinking "Frank, why the fuck did you go see the Donnas" and you're right. However, my dear friend, Chicago's own Paris Trout is their tour manager and he dropped a line to say hello and we wanted to steal a few minutes to catch up. So, I didn't pay for the Donnas, and I'm sure this is kinda obvious, we're favourites during THE GOLD STREET YEARS. Anyway, they are ok live, nothing great, I'm not rushing back to see them, but the guitarist, though totally unoriginal in what she plays, is a fucking superstar. A total monster on the guitar. She needs to do a solo record ASAP. Anyway, "poor" Paris has to spend most of his time on the road with these ladies, which as I'm sure anyone would agree, is a better playing job than doing sound for Acumen. Paris is a hardworking motherfucker and a genuinely nice guy living his dream. He's earned all his success and I wish him more. He's all growns up now.

I'm a Christmas present shopping machine, I'm excited to be ahead of schedule and not doing this two days before said holiday. I can rest easier knowing the kids have toys, Irene has clothing and Danny has HAVOC on DVD. Yes, asshole, I got you something.

F

Indie Cock Rock

So I'm watching "Last Laugh '05" last night on Comedy Central - mostly for the sake of catching DCFC who were scheduled to play. The vocals were real shaky and Ben's acoustic guitar was messed up, so towards the end of "Soul Meets Body", he rips off the guitar (to the screams of excited fans) and throws it to the side. After the tune, he picks it up, smashes it and then kicks it across the stage. I immediately thought of Ash...

Cowboys and Geishas

It's been a busy week as you've been reading. Jury duty has been robbing me of my mornings, which is usually when I get the bulk of my work done (reading, music, E-mails, etc.) So I've been cramming quite a bit. Luckily, we have been able to catch up on some movies.

First, Irene and I went to a screening of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, from the man who brought you the HULK (seriously). By now you have heard about this film I would think. It's the "gay cowboy" movie, but it's a lot more than that. It's a subtle and expertly told love story between two men in a time and place where men where MEN and anything else resulted in fates worse than death. While I thought the first half moved a bit slow, it was intentional, and it made the second half that much stronger. Very quickly, the "gay" thing doesn't matter because it's about two human beings who are soulmates unable to live the life they want together. It's a risky movie and in my mind, it paid off. The emotional weight of these two men trying to live "normal" lives (wives, kids, etc) is very powerful and very moving. Easily one of the best films this year and Heath Ledger, who I've never enjoyed or thought much of, is incredible in this movie and easily deserves an Oscar Nomination. The valuable lesson learned, however, is this: No man, gay or straight, can deny sex with Anne Hathaway (by the way, I'm going to try and have G do a guest review of HAVOC here soon). Anyway, Ledger at least deserves a nomination, if not the Oscar itself.

I never read the book MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (for the record, I don't read books), so I have nothing to compare the movie against, but I thought it was a bit slow, sometimes too slow, and never really build momentum. It just sorta plods on and it's a shame cause there are SO many good actors in this movie. Let's face it, Zang Ziyi is going to be the biggest female Asian star on the planet soon. Her English has improved tremedously and she commands a screen like few actresses can. Danny is now in love with Gong Li cause he loves dominating bitches and she too is excellent in this film. Unfortunately, like in BATMAN, The Watanabe is underused cause here is another Asian star who reaches out from the screen and grabs you by the lapels and commands you to give your total focus. He's amazing but sadly not in the film enough. I walked out of the film and never really thought of it again other than I was excited all of these great actors (including Michelle Yoeh) were getting work in Hollywood films and being treated with respect.

I'm sorry these reviews aren't too in depth, but thats what Lurch is for.

F

A Musical Journey

Depeche Mode. Legends. There's no doubt of this. How many times have we seen them? 5 times? 10 times? They're just awesome. Their catalogue stands the test of time and by all convention, they should be long gone. There is no logical explanation for their selling out every arena on this planet (literally) still let alone two nights at Madison Square Garden other than they are simply fucking awesome.˙So this time with a good, upbeat, solid album called PLAYING THE ANGEL, the excitment for DM was at a fever pitch morseo this year than previous tours. For the record, unlike every other tour I go to see, I successfully avoided hearing anything of the setlist before the gig so I could go into it spoiler free (a miracle). Special thanks to my LA friends who saw them a few weeks ago for staying true to the gag order.

Things started off well. I liked the 50's kitchy sci-fi set. Only Anton Corbijn could get me to like that kinda shit. Their video displays also were super. DM had great intro music, which many of you know I'm a sucker for. It set the tone and they busted out the first two songs from the new album. Ash immediately pointed out that A PAIN THAT I'M USED TO came across like VIOLATOR era DM, which is obviously a good thing. You gotta do the new songs, thats the business. They thin went into JOHN THE REVELATOR, which is a decent song with the energy the previous few DM albums had been lacking. However, the lack of backup singers beyond Gore and that annoying fucking keyboard player (more on him in a bit) took away from this song (All of the new songs, musically, came across much better live than on the album. I attribute a lot of this to the fact that biggest drawback to the new album was the lack of live drums, something I believe both Brandt and Michael Ex-Saintface agree with me on)

The first obvious thing is that Dave is so insanely on that it's shocking. He's a million times better a singer and frontman now than he was during their heyday. He's got his confidence back in a big way. On the hits tour he seemed hesitant, on the Exciter tour the material seemed to slow him down. This time they have it right. Dave is a beast and a handsome one at that. He's got, as Danny Boy would say, IT. Unlike other stars with drug problems, Dave is MUCH better clean than he ever was on drugs. Kudos.

Wisely, they then busted out a few classics (QUESTION OF TIME and POLICY OF TRUTH) before going into a slowed down version of PRECIOUS. I actually liked this because it made sense as they went into an awesome version of WALKING IN MY SHOES from there. After, the new track SUFFER WELL (one of Dave's tunes, all of which I'm a fan of on the new CD) came across much better than it did on CD with better programming and live drums. Let me state here that DM's drummer, Christian Eigner, is excellent (and also Dave's co-writer) and really kept things together.

They had momentum, they had the crowd and then they let Martin take centerstage. I have no other way to say this other than the two songs Martin did here sucked the life out of me. His gimmick is old, he just looks tired and his solo songs on this new album, and I HATE to say this, blow. Between that solo album last year and his solo songs on the DM album this year, the guy just lost it. I hate typing this but its true. Dave's songs have a life and energy and if I have said this once I sad this a dozen times, Dave should have been allowed to write half the record.

Here's where I have my biggest complaint, and it's the same complaint from the last few tours. This keyboardist they have, Peter Gordeno, is quite frankly, the worst. There were noticably missed parts, technical errors etc. and this wasn't the first time I've heard of this problem with him (friends of ours from Seattle said the same thing). Unlike this awesome drummer, the shit he plays is weak, the embellishments he tries take away from the songs, and worst of all, he acts like he's "in" the band. And none of this was more obvious during the solo stuff with Martin. He looks like the love child of Yanni and Peter Gallagher.

Dave came back to do an super version of his tune I WANT IT ALL, but it was the wrong tune for that spot, they needed something to get the momentum back. Happily the remaining third of the set were the hits, which I am grateful for, but it seems to be the same hits they play every year. Again, not a complaint, but busting out stuff like STRANGELOVE or IN YOUR ROOM or ITS NO GOOD would have been a bit more diverse than the same exacty versions of WORLD IN MY EYES and I FEEL YOU. Don't get me wrong, all of this was fun, but I wanted a bit of a changeup. However give them props for throwing PERSONAL JESUS and ENJOY THE SILENCE in the main set. And again, Dave carried this like a general going into war. He focused on his singing and shook his ass like a man. This man is a rock star and has the talent to back it up. I'd also like to add that Fletch, who has done little to none musically for the last 20 years to the point where he makes Mike Hess seem musically prolific, was fucking awesome with his new "listening to my headphones" gimmick as if he were a DJ. Hilarious. I respect that.

The encore started off poorly with a GREAT song SOMEBODY, ruined by the Elton John treatment of this douche keyboard player and Martin. I never saw Matt so mad in my life. Seriously. Well, at least in this country. Anyhow, the big "surprise" older than old song was JUST CANT GET ENOUGH was short, sweet and fun, but and I think this photo sums up Ash's reaction The remaining encore songs were EVERYTHING COUNTS and NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN were solid, fun, but again, reliable and the same versions we've heard since Alan Wilder left. Then, inexplicably, they stayed on and did the closing track from EXCITER, which is called GOODNIGHT LOVERS. I dig this song, but they should have done it second to last instead.

And that was it. I know this sounds like a lot of complaining but its not. Do I love Depeche Mode? You bet. Will I got back when they supposedly tour again next year? You bet. But I would have preferred a riskier set (delving further into BLACK CELEBRATION and some of the older singles would not have killed them) because they have a fucking amazing frontman who can carry this band another decade or two just based on his talent. They will now tour the next year plus and make tons of cash and they deserve every penny of it. The new album is good, the show is good, but what is next? Honestly guys, it's time to either get Alan Wilder or Flood back and give Dave more control. It's time to take some risks. They have what it takes. And when they do come back, I'll be there.

F

Ho-mode

If anyone runs into the members of Depeche Mode sometime soon, please give them this message: "Phone Alan."

The Alan in question is, of course, Alan Wilder, the band's former keyboardist and in-house virtuoso whose departure in 1995 precipitated Depeche's slide into stadium-sized mediocrity. But while his former bandmates have had a decade to acclimate themselves to Life After Wilder, it appears to have been a futile exercise: His absence was as tangible as ever at Madison Square Garden last night, when the 2005 incarnation of Depeche played the first of two sold out shows promoting their new album, "Playing The Angel."

True to form, a large contingent of the MOGpac — F, Irene, Matt, Ash, Lurch and myself — shelled out obscene amounts of money for this show, hoping that the band might have finally found its way out of the musical wilderness. Our expectations were buoyed by the fact that the album isn't bad. Sure, it never had a chance of living up to the marketing hype — billed as a return to the "Violator"-era sound that elevated the group to iconic status — but it was a marked improvement over 2001's fabulously dull "Exciter." Adding to the excitement was singer Dave Gahan's renewed passion for the group, no doubt partly driven by his new role as a songwriter, a first in the band's 25-year-history.

And Gahan, to one's surprise, has lost none of his vigor as a performer, despite the best efforts of middle age, comfort and sobriety. His stage presence is so intense and commanding that the big screen projections — a staple of stadium shows for the poor saps in the nosebleed seats — are practically rendered moot. More importantly, Gahan can actually can sing, and when he does he fucking means it. The man is justifiably a star.

But not even Dave's persona was enough to elevate Wednesday's show beyond passable, a problem that comes right back to Wilder. It's not only that Depeche is musically adrift without his musicianship, his stoic professionalism or his acute sense of production values. It's that while Wilder was in the band, he provided a vital counterweight to the group's prima donna, songwriter and guitarist Martin Gore.

Everything wrong with Depeche's latest show smacks of Gore's aesthetic: every conceit, every outrageous costume change, every schlocky visual. He walked onstage Wednesday evening in an outfit that resembled a Roman warrior crossed with a Chelsea rent boy on club night. Never one for subtlety, Gore's costume included a pair of diminutive black angel wings. You know, like the album? Nevermind.

Compounding the embarrassing visual spectacle was the set, a cartoonish amalgam of curved steel and blinking lights that could have been plucked directly from a sci-fi b-movie or the production lot of Star Trek. The coup de grace was the giant silver "space egg" hanging behind Gore, replete with neon lights that flashed words like "sex," "love" and — in case you missed the first reference — "angel." Having seen U2's "lemon" gimmick in person, I was afraid it would hatch at any moment. And I am ashamed to add that the blame for this design probably lies at the feet of Anton Corbijn, the band's longtime artistic director and a favorite of mine.

But it was the music itself where Gore's bombastic presence inflicted the most damage. The two hour set included three songs where Gore sang lead, much to the delight of many screaming girls who were overcome with memories of prom circa 1989. And while he belted out the slow dance numbers, he crippled the show by relentlessly chipping away at its momentum. No doubt, the good songs were great: "Everything Counts," "Walking In My Shoes," "Never Let Me Down Again" and "A Question Of Time" packed as much punch as ever, although Gore fucked up another classic — "Enjoy The Silence" — by adding a terrible Chic funk guitar to a jam during the song's bridge. In the interest if candor, I will be the first to admit that I never liked Gore or the fey persona that his fans adore. But Wednesday's show confirmed what I always suspected: Martin is an insufferable putz, and when he isn't kept in check, the band he founded suffers for it.

I The Jury

JURY DUTY occupies my mornings at the moment. Grand Jury no less, which is actually kind of cooler than regular jury duty because you hear lots of cases and you dont decided if anyone is guilty or not, just if they go to trial or not. I can live with this. I can live without some of the people on the jury, but this is life. However, for all the inconvenience this causes, the courthouse is literally a 4 minute walk from New Green Bo, so I'll be drowning in Sizzling Rice Soup for the rest of the year.

I big FUCK YOU to Lurch who hasn't or somehow lost the blog entry that detailed our Friday night that included a very drunk G, the legendary Murray, a styrofoam fight on 14th Street, several lesbians and a chick who looked like Ed Norton. As per MOGpac rules, the drunkest is getting pushed into the nearest pile of trash, and Danny was the winner this week:



So last night, Irene, Philip (my stylist, seriously), and several others made it to the Nokia to check out Goldfrapp's US appearance this year. For the record, I am not too educated on this band beyond their first album, which is super and the new album, which Irene plays a lot and I like a lot. Honestly, I got the tickets for Irene, but man, was I glad I did. I know I was in for a fun night when we hooked up with current and former members of Saintface who were giddy in a way that can only be compared to me at an advance Star Wars screening. Anyway, they come on with a full band, and they were fucking excellent. The sound was crystal, the presentation was incredible and dang this chick can sing. Anything a human being can play was played: drums, guitars, bass, violin, you name it. Why the fuck is the fucking weak ass Bravery opening for Depeche Mode and not this? Theyre on the same fucking label for fucks sake, Mute (who's boss, Daniel Miller, was chatted up for a bit by Peter Saintface.) Anyhow, this was a pleasant surprise and one of the best gigs I saw this year for sure.

My dear old friend Chris Connelly has a new CD out called "Lounge, Ax, Bottle, Elsewhere - 94/01" which is a sweet disc of rare tracks, demos and live tunes during his solo career available only on his website www.chrisconnelly.com. The tunes on this rival his best work and he just simple never fails. Having met him when I was a tender yet INDUSTRIAL (rrrr) teenager, he remains a sweet guy who lives for his music. Also, the late great William Tucker pops up here, which is an added bonus). Music this good is why I will not be attending the "Revolting Cocks" gig next year. What I woulda paid to see Connelly open for Cale this year in Chicago!

F

Ego. Justified.

The aggression rehearsed again today. It was quite possibly the fiercest, tightest and mega in the entire history of this band. It's gonna detonate and detonate like a motherfucker. In the meantime, Rob at DBR reports the following:

"The Aggression's new CD, "Revisionist History", is up for preorder at the DBR Shop. $12US, shipping & handling included (for North America). 15 tracks with Remixes by Vtg, Cyanotic, Converter, Needleye, etc. The Cyanotic remix can be previewed on the DBR Myspace Page. I'll try to have some other clips up on one of the sites soon. The CD is estimated to be in my possession before the end of the year, so I've set the tentative release date as 12/31/05. CDs will start shipping as soon as I have them in hand. Any questions, just ask. Thanks for your continued support!"

GET THAT SHIT.

F

P.S. Welcome to the blog Damon (Robin's S.O.). Also there was an extremely entertaining evening to report about last night, but I think Lurch will be guest blogging. Special kudos to Irene who bought me the new series of Star Wars Kubricks AND had the magical Kubrick fattouch and bought a set that contained the variant chase Han Solo Endor figure. GENIUS.

1/15/06

BUSINESSMOZ

Brandt points out this:

Statement from Morrissey
30 November 2005

Statement from Morrissey:

The latest statements from M Joyce on a BBC 6 radio interview as faithfully reported on the MorrisseySoLow site have been brought to my attention and I feel I should make this reply as an attempt to put the matter straight.

1. From '83 to '87 M Joyce happily and willingly received 10% of Smiths recording royalties.

2. In '89, as is documented, Joyce sued Morrissey & Marr for 25% of Smiths recording royalties.

3. In '96, Joyce took his claim to court - and on the basis of the 1890 Partnership Act the judge awarded Joyce 25%.

4. In '97, M Joyce was paid 215 thousand pounds from me, and 215 thousand pounds from Johnny Marr.

5. In '99, Joyce appeared on British television and made the statement: "There was no contract saying we were gonna get 25%."

6. In 2001, as a final payment of back royalties, Johnny Marr paid Joyce 260 thousand pounds, plus "costs." At this time I was in the US and was not served with court proceedings, so Joyce obtained a Default Judgment. He then put forward a claim from me for 688 thousand pounds - well above and beyond the amount Johnny Marr was ordered to pay. In my absence, the figure was not contested.

7. Since 2001, and because of the Default Judgment against me, Joyce has taken out Third Party Orders against the following societies: my personal bank account in England, Smiths royalties from Warner Music, my personal PRS royalties, my personal PPL royalties, and he has attempted to seize UK concert fees from venue to venue. This money, to date, totals 700 thousand pounds. This figure is in addition to the figures mentioned above.

8. By grabbing the full total of Smiths royalties from Warner Music (and this means that when the public buy a Smiths CD in the UK, the royalties go to Joyce, and have done so since 2001) Joyce has knowingly deprived Andy Rourke of his 10% Smiths royalties, and has deprived producers John Porter, Stephen Street, Grant Showbiz and Steve Lillywhite (for "Ask") of their entitlements. Joyce did not declare to the courts that others - namely, the above - were also beneficiaries to the Warner Music royalties.

9. In 2001, Joyce attempted to seize both my mother's house and my sister's house by claiming that I had taken my assets out of the UK; he made this claim even though he had direct access to all of the above – which are in the UK. Joyce eventually dropped both of these claims due to lack of evidence, and he refused to pay the 150 thousand pounds that it had cost me to defend his groundless claims. Joyce also dropped his claim as co-composer with Johnny M on Smiths compositions, and Joyce also dropped his claim for Producer royalties on Smiths recordings, and Joyce also dropped his claim for a share of Artwork payments given to me for providing Smiths record sleeves. There were, in fact, no payments to me for Smiths Artwork. Joyce made a further claim for 25% of all Smiths t-shirts sold during the '83 to '87 period, even though there was no evidence that any royalty for t-shirts had been received by either myself or Johnny Marr.

10. In legal fees alone, Joyce has cost me 600 thousand pounds - this is quite apart from any payments made to him, and is quite apart from any money seized by him. In total, Joyce has cost me 1 million, 515 thousand pounds. This is an approximate figure - it could even be higher.

11. The Joyce action is continuous. Because of his Default Judgment he continues to take my royalties, and the royalties of others mentioned above, from Warner Music - consequently I have not received record royalties since 2001.

12. Since 2001, the money claimed by Joyce is charged, to me, at 100 pounds a day in interest.

13. During the Smiths' lifetime, when Joyce willingly took a 10% royalty, he did not contribute towards any expenses of any kind, did not take on any Partnership duties or responsibilities, and he received his 10% as gross earnings.

The point I wish to make is this: Joyce is not poor, unless, living as he does in the Cheshire green-belt, he lives beyond his means. Somehow, he appears to believe that he should have equal financial status to both myself and to Johnny Marr, even though Joyce has done dramatically less than Johnny and I to attain the positions we now have.

Joyce is not poor because of one reason - me. His career now is the fictitious position of an unpaid ex-member of the Smiths. He has also pursued all of his claims on Legal Aid.

I don't make this statement in search of sympathy from anyone, but I wish that the people at MorrisseySoLow who support Joyce would at least get their facts right before they say anything. Even with his 10% share, Joyce was wealthy. Now, he is extremely wealthy.

What more does he want?

I have fought the Joyce action as much as I could over the years, but the simple truth is that, under British law, the word of a judge will not be overturned. In the absence of any evidence from the 1980s, the judge in this case relied upon the Partnership Act of 1890 to help Joyce win his claim. Joyce has exploited the judge's final verdict in order to get as much as he can from me, from Johnny Marr, and also from Andy Rourke.

Finally, Joyce does not have the legal right to sell unreleased Smiths material - it belongs to Warner Music. Joyce did not pay for the recording time under which any demo material was recorded. Furthermore, Joyce cannot sell any unreleased work by Johnny Marr or Andy Rourke without, at very least, their permission.

Thanks for reading this,
MORRISSEY.