The Sad and Beautiful World of Sparklehorse

Almost exactly eight-years-ago, I went to see Daniel Johnston and Friends perform in Glasgow. Mark Linkous, the driving force behind the musical project, Sparklehorse, was one of the Friends, meaning he acted as a support as well as Johnston’s backing band. As part of his support act he performed the Most Beautiful Widow, and unexpectedly Johnston appeared to sing the choru

THE FUZZTONE (Raisin’ A Ruckus) – by RUDI PROTRUDI

Rudi Protrudi invented garage, punk and grunge and got a hell of a lot of blowjobs along the way. He’s managed to burn just about all the bridges with his old band mates and collaborators. That sort of sums up this monumental, two book exercise in narcissism by the infamous front man of the Fuzztones.

Sick on You: The Disastrous Story of Britain’s Great Lost Punk Band (Andrew Matheson)

As it says on the cover, Sick on You: The Disastrous Story of Britain’s Great Lost Punk Band is “the disastrous story of Britain’s great lost punk band.”  Fronted by Andrew Matheson, and featuring Casino Steel, later of The Boys, the Hollywood Brats were British contemporaries, and in a way the mirror image of the New York Dolls.

A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton is depicted as a teenage pop idol, a troubled and misunderstood genius and a cult hero in the book, A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, from Box Tops to Big Star to Back door Man. That is pretty much the arc of this well-written and entertaining biography of one of rock’n’roll’s greatest mysteries.

The Damned: Don’t You Wish We Were Dead

This film will make you laugh, it’ll make you pine for a Damned reunion (more than you already were), and it’ll get the infectious tune of

“New Rose” jammed in your head even further than it was to begin with. Those first two Damned albums are still as astounding today as they were the day they were released. Now, its time for you to go out and school yourself on the Damned, catch this movie!

Cobain – Montage of Heck

As I wiped away my many, many tears whilst queuing for the toilet after the credits rolled on the latest Kurt Cobain documentary, I heard a fellow cinema-goer say the words, “I dunno, I was expecting something more…” I have no idea what else she could have wanted or expected from the film. I know that as a huge fan of Nirvana, grunge and Chad Channing’s style, that I am completely biased, but it really was awesome!

Whiplash

When I was doing my jazz course some of the top lecturers who came over on exchange would spend all night rehearsing in the studio. Most of the people I know use that time and dedication to create a scene, put on shows, write songs and make zines. This movie is interesting; it approaches music from a different angle.