Punk Turns 30

Did anyone know, back in May 1978, when this photo of Belinda Carlisle was taken, that she would become a pop superstar? Did anyone know that Elvis Costello, with whose cardboard cut-out Belinda is posing, would go on to enter the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, and be considered in the pantheon of songwriters alongside the likes of members of the Beatles? I saw Belinda work very hard to get to where she got. She had self-determination from the moment we first met when we were on our respective high school forensic speaking teams (for the record: I was a debater, Belinda performed Dramatic Interpretation) back in the early/mid 70s. You may think this is a truly goofy outfit Belinda is wearing, but if you go back to the pages of Vogue from those days...everyone who wanted street cred was wearing some big top over leggings and stiletto heels. Seriously. Charlotte Caffey and I met in 1976, in a line waiting to see The Ramones from as close to the stage as we could get. She was not ...

What is punk rock's not-so-guilty pleasure? Country music. Yup. Consider The Dils, pictured above...who together with another bonafide punk, Alejandro Escovedo (The Nuns) formed Rank and File, a true progenitor of the country-punk genre. The other night, I went to see Chip Kinman's new/current band, Pacific Coast Highway, which owes more to Rank and File, and Cowboy Nation (another Kinman Brothers band)than to the Dils. It was jam-packed with punk rockers from back in the day enjoying the present day's twang as much as they all enjoyed the decades-ago's thrash. The crowd included Target Video's Jackie Sharp, a long-time Kinman colleague, and music writer extraordinaire (a man with good taste and a conscience) who, as host of Indie 103's Watusi Rodeo, also hosted the evening's event, Chris Morris. It was pretty obvious that the country thing had always fit hand in hand with the punk thing. X were no strangers to roots rock and boasted Billy Zoo...

Mick Collins, of the Dirtbombs, Blacktop, Gories, and all around cool dude. Keith Richards, of the Rolling Stones, an Expensive Wino and Wingless Angel, and all around true icon of all things rock n roll. Also born on this date, but nowhere near as notable, nor as important to me as the above-pictured: Josef Stalin, Jacques Pepin, Alan Rudolph, Chas Chandler (RIP), Anita O'Day (RIP), Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg, Ossie Davis, Christina Aguilera, Katie Holmes, rapper DMX, Ossie Davis, Ty Cobb and artist Paul Klee. NOW.... go Xmas shopping and buy some of those records listed in the post below!

This is a picture sleeve I shot (thanks to the Kessel Brothers ) oh, something like 26 years ago or so....its so not punk that its punk.... But this is my real Xmas card to you: What do you want for Xmas? There are a ton of great records out there...you should get them, or make a list for the people who have asked you what you want. There's a tendency to remember more vividly the records that were released later in the year - I wonder if that's why labels do that vis a vis the Grammys.... of course they do! Here are mainstream records and records on labels so indie, they aren't on a lot of radars....but they are the ones that I really love, and like the "High Fidelity" character that each of us is, here is MY LIST OF TOP RECORDS, 2006. 1. Bob Dylan - Modern Times 2. The Beatles - Love 3. Jack Oblivian - Flipside Kid 4. Kid Congo Powers - Solo Cholo 5. Viva L'American Deathray Music - In The Meantime 6. Good Night Loving - Cemetery Trails 7. The Alarm Clocks -...