Axl dresses sensibly for a Rio rain storm...

Recently I got ahold of the Axl Rose Band live at Rock in Rio, from October of 2011. It is horrible. A damn freak show in fact. The massive audience only go nuts when vintage tunes are played – especially anything from ‘Appetite’. Which begs the question: are this band still deserving of playing large stadiums around the world ? The answer is a definite no. Yes folks, out of sheer boredom over the new year break, I made the decision to reintroduce myself to GnR via this video – the ‘current’ GnR. It is true I did not hear Chinese Democracy. It is also true the last time I saw them live was at Wembley in 1991. That being said, I was curious to see what they looked and sounded like nowadays. My god they are a band of misfits – and I don’t mean the Bobby Steele variety either. Ironic that Motley Crue have been pushing the ‘freak show’  element for some time now, in order to stay in the rock spotlight. Yet, when it comes to overall weirdness, GnR have it nailed.
I think they only draw punters because of two reasons. One, as I have mentioned in a previous rant, are the kids too young to recall the halcyon days and want to say they’ve seen GnR. The other reason I think is that Rose was out of the spotlight for so long, and it was in fact this time period of inactivity which in fact enables him to still pull crowds (and has helped in prolonging his career).
Here are the worst bits from this show. They come on stage after midnight, which is Rose’s usual schtick. They kick off the set with something from Chinese Democracy, which was as much a fizzer as their pyro, when they hit the stage. Like Metallica, this band are so far removed from their original roots it is not funny. Rose is dressed in something like a yellow raincoat and detective hat. Good choice during a Rio de Janeiro rain storm, but not the individual I fondly recall who once wore denim, leather and a Rose Tattoo tee-shirt. Don’t give me that ‘artistic growth’ bullshit either, cos this is one band who have an attending crowd that solely want to hear the ‘hits’ . Why is it so hard for this guy to grasp this ? The band themselves are all fine players, but a rag-tag bunch nonetheless. Is that Dizzy Reed on keyboards ? He hung around long enough, so I guess he still deserves his shot. Pretty hard to be all bad-ass when you’re a keyboard player, but I digress (no keyboards needed in Hollywood back in 86 mind you !). The guitar player, with his beard and top-notch reminds me of Krist – that lean, dorky bassplayer from Nirvana (currently residing in the ‘where are they now’ file – though happily cashing large royalty checks til his dying day!). This freak would look more at home in that goddawful MTV-lovin’ act the Spin Doctors. Remember them ? (I wished I didn’t)  He even dons a Star Wars, Storm Trooper-type helmet at one point ! Nice one dork. Cannot recall Cocksy, Keef, nor Malcolm ever carrying on with this rubbish. He often has to lift the thing up to see his fret board ! There are two other faceless ‘dudes’
on guitars. Is one of them Bucket head, the dude who would sport the KFC  container on his head ? Would you have to pay royalties to the Sanders klan (ahem) for this nonsense ?  Are there three guitarist now ! Murray, Smithy and Janick you ain’t. With their wallet chains, dyed black hair, leather jackets, scarves and low slung axes, they strut and pose like they were the last rock stars alive. Sorry chump, that title goes to Dave Kusworth.  One kid even looks like Stradlin !This look is so tiring now. They remind me of Dregen-clones, who himself is one of the worst apists -  keenly eying Thunders, Perry and Richards videos as a youth before heading for the bedroom mirror. There’s one of you on every street corner. The drummer,  though competent looks like he belongs in Simon and Garfunkel, or the Robert Palmer band. A ‘nice’ environment !. Not pounding the beat for the former ‘most dangerous band alive’ ! I cannot overstate the importance of Izzy Stradlin to the sound, and overall structure of this once great rock n roll band. At one point, there are stage hands with brooms sweeping the stage free of water…or is this part of the GnR show nowadays. This is Spinal Tap.  I will restate my opinion: this band do not deserve to be playing big stadiums. Rocklahoma, the County Fair circuit – sure. But not big events like this. They are past it and have nothing new to offer. I would not see them if they were playing in my backyard.

...memories from the late 80's

Here is a flier from mid-1989 for the debut single from Sydney’s Candy Harlots. These A4 pink fliers were pasted around the streets of the CBD and it is an interesting time piece. Maybe you have one ! There is a story behind this. I know because I designed it. Do devout fans still make fliers ? I guess, though it ain’t quite the same. With modern technology, every kid seems to know their way around Photoshop so whipping up a flier would be a sinch ! My brother and I were heavily hooked on this band. I wanted them to success. Those shows, especially in 1988 – just after Leeno Dee joined were magic. They coulda been right at home on any big stage, yet here there were – shaking the walls of tiny, stinking, shitty pubs like the Lansdowne in Broadway ! For only a select few, they were a great secret – or “Sydney’s Biggest Live Secret” as was once written.  I can remember making this flier like it was yesterday. The band logo I hand drew and coloured in from their gig adverts I would see in OTS mag. The stars were stickers pasted on, and the letters were those ‘rub off’ kind you could buy at newsagents. A friend of mine knew a cartoonist, whom I supplied with a band photograph. I would later enlist her skills whilst working with Melbourne’s Girl Monstar. I was very happy with her finished sketch. So with my original A4 sheet all glued down, I purchased an amount of ‘glam’ pink paper, then risked my job by keeping the phoocopier hot ! My brother and I walked around   all the record stores, including the 2nd hand ones in the city and handed these fliers out. From memory the band were playing a gig at the Sydney Cove Tavern later that evening, and I recall putting one under the wiper of Easton’s red FJ. My favorite memory from all this is when guitarist Ron Barret gave me some merch later that evening to show their thanks. He was a sweet guy. I interviewed vocalist Mark Easton some time back on Rockbrat Radio where he talks about much of this time period. Great days !!! Great memories !!! There you have it. So if you think the passion for rock n roll runs deep in my veins via this blog, clearly, the signs of rock n roll adoration were pulsating around me long before this !

Show-Ya: One of Japan's greatest ever rock n roll outfits !

Being a girl-band geek lifer, it was only a matter of time before I zeroed in on Show-Ya.
Although I had picked up one of their CD’s some years back, they had vanished from my rock n roll radar – until I relocated back to Japan about a year ago. There is much to like about this band. They have been around for nearly three decades and this wealth of experience shows through in their live performances. It would be easy to describe Show-Ya as a band who outgrew their mid-80′s pop roots and evolved into a loud, leather clad late-80′s metal outfit – one who had their sights aimed at the lucrative US hard rock and metal market. This is true – and although they never did crack the U.S, they remain something of a rock and roll icon in their homeland.
They have a back catalogue crammed with loud, hook-laden hard rock tunage and have a large and loyal local fan base. This was evident at tonight’s show as tee-shirts had completely sold-out at their merch stand. Although remembered and much-loved here, bands like this are careful not to oversaturate their fan-base and play live only sporadically. I had last seen them on a steamy night in late September and here they were back at Blaze, for their final show of 2011.  Seeing live music in Japan is expensive. Show-Ya, at 5000yen ($50US) is indeed value for money, but you are then usually hit with a compulsory one-drink purchase of 500yen. If you add train fares, food, booze and merch – you won’t get much change from 10’000 yen. Shoganei ne. This venue is situated on the edge of seedy Kabuki-cho and some fans were lining up a good couple of hours before show time. This area is an ideal setting for loud rock n roll, and makes me think back to seeing bands in Sydney’s Kings Cross in the late 80′s. Anything you desire can be found here. It’s a mix of neon, brothels, hostess bars, clubs, pubs, pachinko, pimps, restaurants and more. You can even buy a foot massage performed by small fish or sit and drink coffee in a room surrounded by kittens. Only in Japan. So after a diet of burgers and that black mood-enhancer called Guinness, I once again dive into the Blaze live-house. The place is already packed and after an intro tape of Kiss, Zep and a totally unneccessary airing of Purple’s Smoke on the water, Show-Ya crash the stage at 5:30PM.  I am sure it is illegal for women in their mid-late 40′s to look this good. When I think of some of the swamp-donkeys I once worked with of the same age who’d wear sweat pants to the office, require two chairs to sit on and be on all kinds of benefits. FMD. That’s not a fair comparison is it ! Ha ! Show-Ya churn out a solid mix of great hard rock and metal and perform it damn well. All are amazing musicians and foxy vocalist Keiko Terada has a great stage presence. Strong vocals too. tonight I  was in the company of an old co-hort from NYC who happens to be a translator (he once knocked around with Johnny Thunders’ younger cousin but that story another time). His linguistic ability was very useful tonight as I got much of Terada’s between-song banter quickly relayed to me ! Seems that the band are in fact working on a new album ! Great ! It MUST be the festive season. Some of these new tunes were aired tonight and sounded very appealing to this old rock dog. Throw in many of the bands classics – such as Back To The Fire and Watashi wa Arashi and you had a memorable evening of fiery, she-powered rock n roll ! If you live in Japan and have a love for loud, melodic, guitar-fuelled rock n roll, I encourage you to seek out Show-Ya. You will not be disappointed.

Cannot rage for order in your cycling trunks....photo: Gutchie Kojima

Ratt's Stephen Pearcy attempts to start a fashion trend - complete with armadillo ! photo: John Harrell

A clear sign that hard rock and metal was in trouble in 1991, can be seen by looking back on the retarded fashion styles of many bands; many just trying anything new to cling on to their dwindling fame that little bit longer. One of the more disturbing pieces of stage apparel were the bicycle shorts. Okay – in classic rock-speak, they are essentially cut-off spandex, but nevertheless the emergence of them and growing trend among some vocalists had me scratching the ol’ brain. Queensryche’s Geoff Tate, Motley’s Vince Wharton, Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy, hell even the great Michael Schenker picked up on the habit. The fact that Candy Harlot vocalist Aiz Lynch copied the trend meant that it spread across the rock world – sadly. The worst culprit was Axl Rose – bike shorts and monogrammed baseball shoes were a far cry from his cowboy boots and the West Hollywood sleaze that’s for certain. Some two decades later I am still perplexed at this bizarre look. Fortunately, it was something which never lasted and is definitely best forgotten….

I so wish that the sessions recorded with Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen and Bun E Carlos had’ve made the final cut – because they sound much heavier than what was released. I ain’t complaining though – just my two cents worth and definitely nothing to get hung about.
As I write this I am moments away from firing up my beloved Honda and riding out into the grey skies of Eastern Japan. It really ain’t that far away from the Kanazawa region where the Lennon’s would spend vacations in the late 70′s. He is very well known in this country. A god – and rightly so. I will soon cast my eye skyward and smile – thinking of how much great music this one man left behind. Music which continues to make so many millions of people happy. What an amazing individual.