Punk Turns 30

It was on this date 23 years ago that Thin Lizzy bassist and frontman, Phil Lynott passed away. He was a formidable talent and fan of punk rock. We've often acknowledged him at Punk Turns 30 - and remember that night he jammed with the Plimsouls at the Starwood. You can read a tribute here: Hot Press Phil Lynott Anniversary Special from 2008 One year ago today, I embarked on the final year-long leg of my current touring exhibit, Unguarded Moments: Backstage and Beyond. Coincidentally, it was Plimsoul Eddie Munoz who picked me up from the train, joined me for lunch and random Hollywood picture taking before taking me to the airport so I could hit the road. The Unguarded Moments tour kicked off in October of 2007 and winds down at the end of this month. It is hanging at the Metropolis Gallery in Lancaster, PA. If you live in and around Central PA - or if you ever wanted to visit Amish Country and get a dose of vintage punk rock memories... you have until January 31 to do...

Drink all this information in: They are undisputedly THEE power pop superstars of the underground era playing together at last - Cyril Jordan, Clem Burke, Eddie Munoz and Paul Kopf. Together, the sum of the parts is Magic Christian. The parts have influenced so many bands and have carved out a special place in the annals of popular music. Individually, they were founding members of The Flamin Groovies, Blondie and The Plimsouls. Texan Eddie Munoz who plays guitar in the Plimsouls switches to bass in Magic Christian, forming a magic rhythm section with Blondie's Clem Burke, who is not just punk rock's Most Valuable Player, but if there is rock n roll royalty, he's Prince Charming, to be sure. Clem Burke and NY Doll Syl Sylvain, 2004 These guys are doing a tour of the East Coast starting next week - so mark your calendars Right Coasters!

Stiv Bators and Frank Secich, 1979, Hollywood, CA When punk rock pioneer Stiv Bators reunited with his childhood friend Frank Secich in 1979 to make power pop records, he had his finger on the pulse of the future of the new music, the post-punk movement that made the mainstream take notice. Sure, some marketing person started calling the more pop stuff "new wave" but its always been power pop. It goes back the Beatles, like it always does... and from the Beatles, we get a direct line to The Ramones, the unequivocal kings of American punk rock.... like it or not. The Ramones were not just NYC's favorite sons, they were almost every NYC punk pioneer's favorite band. Punk rock's Most Valuable Player, Blondie drummer Clem Burke wears his opinion on his back -- that Ramones t-shirt of his was a wardrobe perrenial back in the day. Clem has told me on more than one occasion that The Ramones are punk rock's Beatles. And he's right. Despite their power...

Earlier this week, BBC News ran an article with the headline that Rock Drummers are 'Top Athletes' and ran a photo of Blondie drummer Clem Burke wearing a mask that presumably is some kind of measuring apparatus. The article discussed things like heart rate / beats per minute and stamina and all that sort of thing - full of double entendres the likes of which you remember and roll your eyes over - you know, the "drummers do it with a beat" or whatever... Seriously, I encourage you to click the BBC article link. It will make you laugh and also nod in agreement that it does take a lot of energy to pound the drums in a punk rock band. Here are a few drummers... Tommy Ramone - the Ramones played through their live set super fast and without so much as 30 seconds between songs. While it was Dee Dee Ramone who always counted off One Two Free Four , it was Tommy who kept the clockwork like precision of the power pop punk legends marching Gabba Gabba Hey in perfect ...

Clem Burke They are one part Blondie, with punk rock Most Valuable Player, drummer Clem Burke and one part Plimsouls with guitarist Eddie Munoz playing bass, forming with Clem a rhythm section with the purest power pop/punk pedigree ever. On the front lines, Paul Kopf and the legendary Flamin' Groovy, Cyril Jordan. "They" would be Magic Christian, who are filling the weekend days and nights at SXSW with their expertly crafted tunes. Eddie Munoz Here's the schedule of the hardest working band from California: Magic Christian Mar 14 2008 3:00P Cheapo Records, In-Store Appearance! Mar 14 2008 5:00P The Ginger Man - The Dogfish Head Brewery Showcase Mar 14 2008 11:00P B.D Riley’s, SXSW Festival, With Muck And The Mires, Downbeat 5 and The Chevelles!! Mar 15 2008 1:00P Dog and Duck Pub - Pop Culture Press! Mar 15 2008 4:00P SpiderHouse Day Party! Mar 16 2008 4:30P Headhunters, John Warner’s Celebration Party! Billy Bragg is another old pal who's making an appea...

The Plimsouls Back in 1979 or so, The Plimsouls playfully posed with all these 6-packs of beer... they also posed under some bubble helmet hairdryers... goofy fun young band stuff... which they countered with their solid live performance and their music. Three decades later, the band's frontman, Peter Case has been nominated for a Grammy in the Traditional Folk category... OK - its not punk rock, but he's right there continuing to make music in a genre that also boasts other seminal punk rock heroes such as X's John Doe and Dave Alvin of the Blasters. If you're in Los Angeles, you can catch Peter playing a free show at the esteemed Getty... Peter will be making two concert appearances in Los Angeles in the next few weeks and both are likely to sell out pretty quickly so get your tickets asap! His free show at The Getty (Harold Williams Auditorium) on Friday, Feb.1st at 7:30pm requires reservations which will start being taken today! , Tuesday, Jan.22nd at 9am PST. C...

Although Blondie is associated with New York City and the CBGB and Max's scenes, the two most photogenic members... Debbie Harry and Clem Burke grew up in New Jersey... Since I have been staying in Jersey City since the beginning of the year, as I have driven back and forth between Newark Airport and Jersey City, I've passed Bayonne more than a few times and always think of Clem. I think of Clem as one of the most valuable players, not just of punk rock, but of the last 30 years of pop music. This image of Clem during a 1978 sound check at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA is a favorite on my Unguarded Moments: Backstage and Beyond Tour. If you're in NY, you can see the print in person - the exhibit at Magnetic Field is hanging throughout January! All of these photos were taken in April, 1978 when Blondie were touring the USA relentlessly in support of their second album, Plastic Letters , which had been released six months earlier, in 1977. The album was a smash ...

It just hit me this evening... some of the images I am showing of your punk rock heroes should be available to everyone who wants one! Its got to be a bummer when someone who's at the exhibit before you arrive buys all the Cramps pictures or beats you to the extended collection of Blondie members photos... SO - I'm going to give this a try just for you Atlanta... especially since it is so close to XMAS. You can PRE-ORDER from this selection of popular images... and that way, you will be sure to be able to take home an 8x10! Because I'm actually in transit, that's the only size I can offer right now.. but if this works, in the future, pre-ordering will become the way! Thanks to the immediate gratification of Paypal, you can BUY NOW and pick up at the show! These 8x10's will be digitally output on archival quality photographic paper (ie: silver! silver halide, to be exact) and are only $25! Joan Jett & Billy Idol Party Darby Crash on Guitar Clem Burke don...