A Letter Of Love And Rememberance To GG Allin

Dearest GG,

It's been over a decade since you passed from the large intestine of life and you are sorely missed, well by me at least. You were way more hardcore than Henry Rollins or Iggy. Marilyn Manson is a poser. You were the real deal. You were Alice Cooper's younger brother who escaped from the mental institution by chewing threw the straight jacket and the iron bars. Before Lady Gaga and her "Little Monsters" there was you. GG, you were scarier in your torn jeans, tats, bare chest and shaved head than any haute couture nightmare La Gaga could hope to wear. GG, you were the true Madman of Rock and Roll. A title that you wore proudly, along with the blood and feces. In five simple words: You. Didn't Give. A. Fuck. Oh GG, I remember the first time I saw you. Not in person. I read about you in some pulpy Rolling Stone-Spin wannabe rag. The article read like a police blotter, detailing your most recent performance and the carnage that ensued. I've never heard of a performer who would take a crap on stage until you. Spitting is one thing but shitting is a totally different animal. I'll admit I was pretty shocked by your antics but also extremely intrigued. Later that night, all I could do was talk about you to my family and friends. These conversations usually ended when I got to the crapping part, but you and your antics blazed a big hole in my mind and heart. GG, I truly admire that you had the balls to do some truly crazy, deranged fucked-up shit (pun intended) in the name of Rock and Roll. You've said that Rock and Roll is about freedom and it is. Freedom to sing about war and peace. Freedom to sing about God and the Devil. Freedom to sing about that person you want to screw or the person who screwed you over. Freedom to take a crap on stage. More importantly, Rock and Roll is supposed to be dangerous - the reason why Elvis was shown on TV from the waist up. GG, I get it, which probably makes me crazy too. But like you, I. Don't. Give. A. Fuck. Since you've been gone, With music acts like Nickelback and Panic at the Disco, Rock and Roll is as dangerous as a toothless eunuch. Some folks are relieved that you are not around but I'm not. If you ask me, you were our last chance at putting the shock back into Rock.

RIP GG,

Love,
K-R

They're Baaaaaaaaack! Favorite Album Covers of the 1960's Volume 1

Well fam, it's been a while since I've done the album cover thing. I've missed posting them as much as you probably missed seeing them. Now without further ado, here are my favorite albums this time from the 1960's.

Van Morrison. Astral Weeks.The wonderful album cover for this masterpiece captures the wonderfulness that is Van Morrison. Moody. Melancholy. Beautiful.

The Beach Boys. Pet Sounds. This deceitfully simple album cover masks the brilliance that lies within.

The Velvet Undergound and Nico. This self-titled album cover, designed the Andy Warhol, features the most famous banana in music history. Having this album is like owning a piece of art.

Robert Johnson, The True King of Rock and Roll

Before, Elvis, Hell, before Little Richard, there was Robert Johnson, the true originator and pioneer of this thing we call Rock and Roll. Before Jim, Jimi, and Janis, Gram, and Brian, Robert Johnson was the first Rock and Roll casualty. He died at the painfully young age of 26. There is the Faustian legend that he sold his soul to death in exchange for his talent but before Tupac and Biggie and the "No Snitching" Movement, Johnson was the first musician to die under suspicious
circumstances. Allegedly, Johnson was poisoned by a jealous man whose wife as fooling around with Johnson. From the Mississippi Delta mud, Johnson dug deep and created art that pierces the soul. With his acoustic guitar and haunting voice, Johnson crafted a catalogue of music that generations of musicians are still emulating. Before Jimi gave Rock it's psychedelic colors and shot it out of the stratosphere, Robert Johnson constructed Rock's template. For all this, I proclaim Robert Johnson the true king of Rock and Roll. I hope present and future Rock and Roll fans will continue to pay homage to this great man!

Battle of the California Girls! Whose Version PWNS Katy's or Dave's? You Decide!

As y'all know, Katy Perry is representing for the girls from Cali with her hit song and candyland-on-acid-video California Girls. However, I can't help but be reminded of "Diamond" David Lee Roth's epicly campy cover of the Beach Boys' ode to the West Coast girls and his video that was just as eyepopping, which begs the question: Whose version of California Girls PWNS Katy's or Dave's? Feel free to chime in!

Me and DADT Lady Gaga

I've said before that I am not a big fan of Lady Gaga. I went as far as calling her the George W. Bush of music out of frustration with her stale dance tunes and gimmicky need to shock for the sake of shock, which she recently demonstrated with that um meat dress she wore at last Sunday's MTV Video Awards. However, La Gaga won major points with me with her rally in Maine to support the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy that is attached to a military spending bill scheduled for a vote in the Senate tomorrow. I am a feverent supporter of equal rights for all Americans, which includes same sex marriage and the right for homosexuals to serve openly in the military. On this issue, I stand in total agreement with her and I applaud her courage in speaking out against blatant discrimination. This courageous act impressed me more than the most outrageous outfit in La Gaga's wardrobe. However, I'm still working up the nerve to buy The Fame Monster. I'll keep y'all posted when I do...right after I purchase my copy of The Mars Volta Rock Band video game.