Agony Shorthand
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Tuesday, December 28, 2004
AIN'T THAT JUST THE DICKENS.....
Last night, while perusing the latest issue of UGLY THINGS, I read one of the funniest single articles I've come across in some time. First I had to hire someone to flip through the umpteenth Misunderstood article for me, but once they were done and I'd paid them their $59, I found myself cackling over this Phil Milstein-penned appreciation of this bombastic fake hard rock band comprised of NRBQ roadies (not unlike the bombastic fake misogynist punk/metal of Black Flag's roadies NIG HEIST) called THE DICKENS. Just like you and your friends probably did over a case of beer back in the day, NRBQ concocted this inane idea for a fake band with stupid names and dumb song titles, but their concept was so laugh-out-loud ridiculous that they actually pulled it off and recorded a 45 for a major label (!). Here's Milstein relating the band's concepts for their stage shows:
"...Another Dickens concept had the band entering from above, suspended on cables like Peter Pan, while, according to Placco, "big theatrical fans would blow us out over the audience, and would blow the audience out of the theatre." Shows were to be brief: "Half a song, or one song, or just no song at all," he continues. "We might blow up the equipment before the audience even got there."
So I thought I'd encourage you to get Ugly Things to check it out (which you should do anyway), but as it turns out, the article is right here, from a Phil Spector site called Spectropop. Enjoy. (And by the way, can someone get working on a Milstein writings anthology?).
Last night, while perusing the latest issue of UGLY THINGS, I read one of the funniest single articles I've come across in some time. First I had to hire someone to flip through the umpteenth Misunderstood article for me, but once they were done and I'd paid them their $59, I found myself cackling over this Phil Milstein-penned appreciation of this bombastic fake hard rock band comprised of NRBQ roadies (not unlike the bombastic fake misogynist punk/metal of Black Flag's roadies NIG HEIST) called THE DICKENS. Just like you and your friends probably did over a case of beer back in the day, NRBQ concocted this inane idea for a fake band with stupid names and dumb song titles, but their concept was so laugh-out-loud ridiculous that they actually pulled it off and recorded a 45 for a major label (!). Here's Milstein relating the band's concepts for their stage shows:
"...Another Dickens concept had the band entering from above, suspended on cables like Peter Pan, while, according to Placco, "big theatrical fans would blow us out over the audience, and would blow the audience out of the theatre." Shows were to be brief: "Half a song, or one song, or just no song at all," he continues. "We might blow up the equipment before the audience even got there."
So I thought I'd encourage you to get Ugly Things to check it out (which you should do anyway), but as it turns out, the article is right here, from a Phil Spector site called Spectropop. Enjoy. (And by the way, can someone get working on a Milstein writings anthology?).
