Presidential Pumpkins Pic

Fittingly, both Bush and Kerry have already rotted enough to warrant a new home in The Punk Rock Kitchen's backyard trash can:

Peel Cessation

Just a quick note about John Peel's death. While it's sad 'n' all, there is something good that's come out of it: his all-time fave tune, The Undertones' classic, Teenage Kicks is gettin' a lot of airplay, and hopefully introducing lots of mainstream-only music listeners to some real music.

A Message from Mariman -- The Kids DVD

Hey guys --

How cool is this? I sent a message to Ludo Mariman, lead vocalist of the kids (now and originally), to ask for permission to stream their tune, This Is Rock 'n' Roll on The Punk Rock Kitchen site. He said it'd be cool with him. But here's the better news: the band will be releasing a DVD of their trip to NewYork by the end of the year!

Jack 'o Lantery and Politcal Hackery

Being a bit of a politics junkie, I typically dig talk radio talking head ranting and raving and the like. But these days I just can't take it. I mean, when my man David Cross denies his comic roots in favor of voicing weak comments like "we need a smarter president," and one of my all time fave actors, John Cusak takes his political punditry on the road to stump for Kerry, it makes me wanna scream! It's worse than Spicoli goin' to Iraq.

Needless to say I needed to release a little aggression. So, I decided to take a carving knife to Bush and Kerry. Yup, I carved their caricatures on a couple of pumpkins. Fittingly, the Kerry pumpkin kept rolling around until I gave it a stable platform, and the head of the Bush pumpkin was all mushy and rotted!

I'll post a pic soon.

Hypocritical Happiness and Contributing to Consumerism

I'm all tingly inside 'cause I just got notice of the very first Cookie Chaos! order through PayPal. Very cool. I'm still in talks with that big-time retailer and should have official word from them soon about testing the book in their stores. In the meantime, I'll be gettin' the Cookie Chaos! promotion in full gear soon (ads in hip pubs, on Google, and of course I'll be doin' the eBay thang and selling it in small gift and book stores, too). Hey, despite the fact that I'm contributing to consumerism and mass commercialization, I can take solace in the fact that Cookie Chaos! is utilitarian and promotes good things like punk rock and making homemade goodies!

Apple Goodness and Dwarves Debauchery

I'm not sure why it just popped into my head, but for some reason I'm recalling that old McDonald's commercial with the retarded kid workin' the pie station. At some point in the spot, he announced, "Pies Up!" Hey, it's funny. So sue me.

So, on the agenda this weekend: Team America tonight. I've been psyched for this flick for a couple months now. I'm going to try not to get too tipsy before we head to the theater so's I remember all of it.

As for Saturday, we rented a car and plan to go apple picking. I grew up doin' it and it to me, autumn ain't autumn without that rancid fallen apple scent wafting up from beneath my boots. When I was a kid we used to go to this place (Western New York somewhere) called Murphy's Orchard. They had this immense, ancient black labrador retriever who'd always be panting even on the chilliest fall day. He'd also always have a colony of flies taking up residence in his fur. They had this massive vat where they'd dump all the fallen, bruised apples and then press apple cider. But the coolest part of the day was the way home. We always stopped at this awesome roadside popcorn stand (the only one I've ever seen) called Bye's Popcorn. They sold the most incredible popcorn -- huge, soft puffy kernels. We'd get buttered/salted and my fave -- carmel corn! Oh man, that shit was good. The place we're goin' tomorrow has a winery, too, with hard cider. Love it.

Just in case the apple picking extravaganza instills too much homespun sap into me, I'll be sure to dirty down my system at the Dwarves show Sunday night. Blood, guts 'n' sodomy. Aw yeah.

Punk Rock Kitchen's Gettin' Recognition!

Wow. Who knew a silly little cookie cookbook could cause such a stir? The Punk Rock Kitchen's Cookie Chaos! has already received interest from a cool online punk music/merch store, a record label, and get this -- a very hip national mall retailer! Yep, they all might want to sell Cookie Chaos! Nuthin's definite yet, but I got a good feelin' about stuff so far....In the meantime, of course, Cookie Chaos! can be purchased online at PunkRockKitchen.com.

Ronald McDonald on Vox

So, the Hot Snakes show was pretty fuckin awesome -- probably the best I've ever heard them play. The sound at the venue, NorthSix, is really good, which definitely contributed. Oh, and their new drummer ain't too harsh on the eyes, neither. There was one odd occurrence, though. This tune on the new album, Plenty for All is my fave of all the new songs. It's much more poppy and melodic -- more accessible you could say -- than their other stuff, and I'm a sucker for that poppy shit. Many fans, including me, petitioned them to play it. But evidently one of the band members, Rick, doesn't like playingit. Well, they played the tune (as the first of a few encores, I think) and it seemed as if all the ballsy energy they exuded on all other songs was sapped from them. It was weird. It seemed like none of them wanted to play it. They just didn't do justice to the song and I felt lame for requesting it. Oh well....

We hoofed it over to Trash Bar and caught the tail end of the Spits show (we just waltzed in without paying which was cool). The lead singer was dressed as Ronald McDonald, wig, lipstick 'n' all. The rest of the band were all in black with black crap all over their faces, most of it sweated off by the time we got there. The crowd was pretty rowdy, but good-spirited for the most part. It made for a good spot to polish off my flask of 30-year-old bourbon my brother got me a while back.

Unfortunately, the band had to put an end to the ruckus to make way for some lame karaoke thing that about three people showed up for. Man, I hate that crap.

Freelancers Don't Get No Day Off

So, I guess it's like a holiday today or something. I've been freelance writing for the past 4 years, so the whole holiday thing has little impact on me. I do have a Columbus Day story, though. When I first moved to Jersey, I lived in Hoboken right across from Maxwell's (which apparently was pretty happening about 10 years before I moved there and before Hoboken turned into a haven for white baseball-cap wearin' douchebags). Though it's changed quite a bit since its gentrification, Hoboken still boasts a large Italian community. You know, it's the kinda town where you can still find little neighborhood Italian men's clubs, or bakeries that have been sellin' the same selection of fig-filled and sesame-studded cookies for the past 80 years. They also naively continue to worship Frank Sinatra despite his total disregard for his hometown.

So, the mile square city's residents may not have been especially receptive to my little act of Columbus Day protest. Yeah -- on my way to work I decided to plaster mock WANTED posters up and down Washington Street and in the PATH station that read something like, "WANTED: Christopher Columbus for violence against indigenous peoples, genocide, blah blah blah." Needless to say they were all torn down by the time I got back from work in the city that day. I was lucky I didn't get my knees cracked in the process.

Hot Snakes and The Spits in B'lyn TONIGHT

This is the reason I moved to the NYC area, man. Tonight there are tons of shows going on. I plan to hit two in Brooklyn -- The Hot Snakes and The Spits. If you know Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypt or -- ya gotta reach way back for this one -- Pitchfork, then ya might know The Hot Snakes (featuring Rick from Pitchfork and Jehu and John from Rocket and Jehu). Their third album, Audit in Progress (the name displaying some election-year prescience, perhaps?) just came out and it's f-in great. As for The Spits, well, they're just a bunch 'a goofballs who dress up in silly costumes and play some ol' fashioned punk rock. Ya can't beat 'em. The last time I caught them they were dressed as zombies. Sadly, more entertaining than Shawn of the Dead which I had much higher hopes for.

Any way, another great local B'lyn band, Crimson Sweet is playing tonight, too, but I don't think I'm gonna be makin' that.

One thing's fer sure: I'll be a stumblin' grinnin' fool tonight....

The Punk Rock Kitchen Is Open for Bitness

Hey guys! The Punk Rock Kitchen is officially open. It was once just the figment of my bourbon-drenched imagination, and now IT'S ALIVE!

I intend for this here blog to catalogue the daily trials and tribulations of selling a silly little self-published book online (my one-of-a-kind creation, Cookie Chaos -- The ultimate punk rock cookie cookbook). But more than that, you're bound to find musings about NYC rock shows I've attended, dumbass whiskey-induced mishaps, and of course, tales of coooookie chaaaaaos....