With the recent passing of Malcolm McClaren and the Runaways biopic now part of the zeitgeist, it got me wondering: who are the rock'n'roll rebels this generation will be making Hollywood biopics about 30 years from now?

Every revolution (sonic or otherwise) has its group of defacto leaders, outcasts, and radicals-and punk rock was no exception. "The Runaways" documents many of then burgeoning 70s West Coast punk scene larger-than-life personalities like manager/full time scumbag Kim Fowley,  influential DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and of course, the teenage members of the all-girl Runaways. As the film illustrates, like any good revolution, its leaders too often become complacent or lured by fame and fortune; in the case of punk rock, the "movement" eventually became hugely profitable and as dangerous as the sneer on Avril Lavigne's lips. So where do some of the movie's cast of characters fit into the current rock'n'roll pantheon of heroes, freaks and yes, rebels?

As the biopic chronicles, the Runaways' members splintered after their implosion in 1979, with Joan Jett having the most chart success. Vocalist Cherie Currie starred in a few movies, penned a book and took up (chainsaw!) woodcarving  while guitarist Lita Ford released a number of solo albums and scored minor radio hits with Ozzy Osbourne ("Close My Eyes Forever") and the ultimate dumb party anthem "Kiss Me Deadly" at the end of the 80s. If you've seen the movie, you might've laughed out loud at the irony of Ford being shocked and offended at the sight of Currie's scantily clad magazine layout, when her entire subsequent solo career was spent in low-cut leather one piece pantsuits (much to the pleasure of horny 15 year old mulletheads). After a long absence spent raising her 2 sons, Ford recently reemerged as a tattooed jingoist in heels, pandering to her wannabe-biker fanbase with "Wicked Wonderland."

After floundering artistically in the late 80s with guitar based AOR, the 90s found Joan Jett rediscovering her punk roots, producing Bikini Kill's "New Radio" Ep in 1994 and serving as a Riot Grrl icon ever since. Clearly its Jett who has emerged as a punk rock matriarch in black eyeliner--continuing to release her own albums--and others, including Cherie Currie-- on her own label Blackheart Records.

The Runaways biopic reminds us all how much things have changed since those halcyon days. The spirit of these icons still inhabits a select few of the artists making music today. Which begs the question, when the smoke clears decades from now, which of our current "rebels" will still be standing? If you're gut is as big as mine, it's probably telling you that not many of the post-Nirvana celebrities still bilking their careers today to the Hot Topic masses (that means you Billy Corgan) will be still be upright.

I have my list, how about you?

Scott Crawford is BLURT's Founder and Editorial Director and was the founder, Editor in Chief and Art Director of Harp. He likes drooling dogs and gummy bears. Email him at scrawford@blurt-online.com

Show him the MONEY: it's Swedish rocker Moneybrother.

By John B. Moore

Old punk rockers don't die they just pick up acoustic guitars and go the singer songwriter route.

Unless you're Swedish and then, apparently,  you finally give in to your R&B jones, rechristen yourself Moneybrother and record a fantastic hybrid of blues, soul and rock-a-billy with a little bit of left over punk rock rebellion.

In 2003, not long after his put his band Monster to sleep, Anders Wendin decided to go it alone under the moniker Moneybrother. He churned out record after record of fantastic white boy soul in Europe while over here in the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, we just had to make do with pirated YouTube clips of the songs that were never being released in the U.S.

That is until Bladen County Records decided to finally take pity and toss a bone to America with the State-side release of Moneybrother's latest "Real Control."

On the eve of his first U.S. tour, Wendin was kind enough to answer a handful of questions over e-mail, discussing his decision to ditch punk rock, entertaining the umpteenth comparison to Joe Strummer (including mine) and slagging Coldplay for good measure.       

So you started out in punk rock bands. Do you ever miss playing that type of music?

Yes. Screaming at the top of your lungs for an hour is good for therapeutic reasons. But, and with big love to all punk bands out there, I decided a live show could be more interesting if you threw a little of everything in there. Like screaming one song, whispering the next. This sounds pretty basic, but think about it; very few artists work that way. To me a good record or a good show should not be like an hour of aerobics.

Is your approach to songwriting different now versus when you write more punk records?

No, basically it is the same way of writing songs. It is pretty much just a matter of using less guitars and maybe slow it down a little from time to time.

You've had a lot of success in Europe. How excited are you that your music is finally being released in the U.S.

Very much. You know, I read the books and saw the movie, now I get to go myself. All my friends that are in Swedish bands have been over here. Me, I stayed at home and did hard work there. Now it is time to get over here and continue working. For me music is a great tool of meeting friends. When people like my stuff, most of the time we got something in common. I'm excited to see how people in the U.S. are gonna react to my music. In my opinion, and I know every single artist says this, I got my own thing going. You might think it sounds like a bunch of other stuff when you are listening to Moneybrother, but if you want to pick up something like it from any other artist that is recording and touring this year it is gonna be a lot harder than if you wanna pick up something that sounds and looks like...hmmm... Coldplay.

So that answers my next question about whether you plan to tour the U.S. when this record comes out.

Yep. Doing a few weeks tour with Against Me! in April, and hoping to keep touring here all year. Will have to do a bunch of festivals in Europe this summer though. 

Are there plans to release your previous records in the States?

No, I think for business reasons it is gonna be hard. My label in Europe was never very interested in releasing in the States, and now they closed down.  

Your vocals sound amazingly like Joe Strummer on some tracks. Were you a fan?

Of course! Who's not? I love him, but he is not the greatest singer I know. If I could choose, I much rather sing like Ray Charles. I heard people comparing me to Strummer for years. It used to bother me a little, but nowadays I'm not bothered.

My apologies then. When Monster broke up, why did you decide to go solo rather than just putting another band together?

If you know exactly what kind of music you wanna play it is a waste of time having some bass player telling you which direction he thinks you should go. A band is a great thing.  You get a dynamic that is bigger than just yourself and you always have the guys there to tell you when you suck, but I decided I'd let myself suck if I wanted to. 

What's next for you?

Oh, this American release is keeping me occupied for the rest of the year. My goal is to make tomorrow a little bit different then today. That is my focus.

Sunday, April18, and we were there.

By Scott Dudelson

Also see Day 1 (here) and Day 2 (here)...

(above) Jonsi

B.O.B.

Big Pink

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Deerhunter

De La Soul

Julian Casablancas

Matt & Kim

Mayer Hawthorne

Mute Math

Pavement

Spoon

Sunny Day Real Estate

Thom Yorke

Yann Tierson

Yo La Tengo

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles; you can view his Blurt blog here. Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Friday, April 16, and we were there.

By Scott Dudelson

(above) Baroness

Alana Grace

Avett Brothers

Deer Tick

Dillinger Escape Plan

Echo & the Bunnymen

Gil-Scott Heron

Grizzly Bear

Hockey

Iglu & Hartly

Imogen Heap

Jay-Z

Jets Overhead

Kate Miller-Heidke

LCD Soundsystem

Little Dragon

Perry Farrell

POS

Public Image Limited

Ra Ra Riot

Street Sweeper Social Club: Boots Riley

SSSC: Tom Morello

Them Crooked Vultures

The Passion Pit

The Specials

Vampire Weekend

Yeasayer

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles; you can view his Blurt blog here. Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Out ‘n' about in the City of Angels with Blurt's roving shutterbug (4/1 - 4/14).

By Scott Dudelson

(above and below) The Church  - Live @ The Roxy (www.theroxyonsunset.com) - 4/5

Gin Wigmore - Live @ Hotel Cafe (www.hotelcafe.com) - 4/3

Brian Posehn  - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Slash & Lemmy Kilmister - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Slash, Lemmy Kilmister & Dave Grohl - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Scott Ian (of Anthrax) - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Slash & Andrew Stockdale (of Wolfmother) - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Slash - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Rob Zombie - Live @ Revolver Golden Gods Awards (www.revolver.com) - 4/8

Butch Walker & The Black Widows - Live @ El Rey Theatre (www.theelrey.com) - 4/12

Malea McGuiness - Live @ Dakota Lounge (www.dakotalounge.com) - 4/13

Dave Grohl (w/Them Crooked Vultures) - Live @ Club Nokia (www.clubnokia.com) - 4/14

Josh Homme (w/Them Crooked Vultures) - Live @ Club Nokia (www.clubnokia.com) - 4/14

John Paul Jones (w/Them Crooked Vultures) - Live @ Club Nokia (www.clubnokia.com) - 4/14

Them Crooked Vultures - Live @ Club Nokia (www.clubnokia.com) - 4/14

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Saturday, April 17, and we were there.

By Scott Dudelson

(above) Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros

Band of Skulls

Beach House

Camera Obscura

Corinne Bailey Rae

The Dead Weather

DEVO

Faith No More

Girls

The Gossip

Les Claypool

MGMT

Muse

Old Crow Medicine Show

Porcupine Tree

Portugal The Man

Shooter Jennings

Temper Trap

The Raveonettes

Tokyo Police Club

White Rabbits

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles; you can view his Blurt blog here. Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Glamour Magazine and the Domino effect: ask Dr. Coco for all your style, cosmetic and psychological needs...

By Coco Hames

I used to subscribe to a magazine called Domino, a home decorating magazine tailored toward people just like me: desirous-of-fancy-alas-non-wealthy creative types who read books and cook and travel and like their living space to reflect all of those things.  An objet from a market in Paris, a rug that you can make from a large swath of fabric purchased from Pearl River Mart for $40, a paint color EXACTLY replicating that from the cupola of that beautiful church you've never been to in Greece, contact info for print makers who make cheap but super chic versions of your favorite art, etc.

This was a really fun magazine for me and like-minded wannabe-homebody friends, especially because I live on the road; it always goes that way, when you're at home you dream of travel, and when you're on the road you read Domino and think of home -- the grass is always greener, I didn't invent this concept.  Anyway, I loved this magazine, looked forward to (and saved) every issue, referencing them again and again, basking in their very specific-to-my-kind-of-gal stories, ideas, home improvement projects.  You want old farmhouse beams on your ceiling but live in a rented studio apartment in the city?  No problem!  Domino would show you how to make your own faux beams for a fraction of the cost of moving to a real farmhouse or having to pay someone else for the materials and labor.  Awesome!

Of course, eventually, to my great disappointment, Domino curbed their DIY-aesthetic and got heiress-level high and mighty (presumably to salvage some unknown percentage of their readership that actually purchased the things they featured in their magazine) and so therefore became irrelevant to me (like Elle Decor, too fancy, what is a $4,000 sconce?) and, just after doing so, went out of publication.  Domino is owned by mega-zine corp Conde Nast, and so, when they stopped printing and distributing Domino (they're not even digital anymore, dominomag.com now routes you directly to another, more important Conde Nast publication), as a consolation, they started sending me THEIR choice of a seemingly comparable publication geared toward "my" demographic: Glamour Magazine.

Let me tell you about Glamour Magazine.  Sometimes in this world, you are subtly being sold your life: your decisions, your selections, your purchases.  And other times, as evident in magazines like Glamour, they don't even seem to be trying to be smooth about it.  Advertising, advertising, advertising.  And do you know what it means?  Well, if you read this blog, you're probably on Blurt trying to see if THEY'VE been bought and sold, hoping they haven't been, hoping for some honest and educated information about music and artists.  Right?  I think?  I'm pretty sure?  So if you already know what Ms. Magazine is or Adbusters, shit like that, then this isn't news to you, that magazines like Glamour are little more than simple vehicles of paid (by whom, it's usually worth investigating...) advertising, marketing to young women and girls, influencing pretty much EVERYTHING they do and EVERY dollar they spend.  When, where, how much, on what...

This isn't news to me (as I respectfully assume it's not news to you), I'm aware of it from every billboard and "news" source, I'm very sensitive, it's basically why I can't go to malls.  But let me just give you a breakdown of the current issue of Glamour.  When it comes in the mail, I usually just chuck it out without even taking it out of its plastic wrapper (it needs the plastic wrapper, you see, so all off the additional advertising pamphlets don't fall out during transit) because I am PRETTY sure I'm not going to need to need/see/read anything featured in there.  But other times, like today, I'm in the studio all day, and I like to bring as much girly stuff as I can (Greg Cartwright remarked on Poni's and my addiction to Cuteoverload.com, I am not ashamed!) so I brought the Glamour along today.  So let's go through it:

THE MAY 2010 ISSUE OF GLAMOUR MAGAZINE!  ON STANDS NOW!

The cover model: not a model at all (apparently a dying art, modeling, in these days of reality television, which brings me to the cover model actually) is a young lady named Lauren Conrad.  Do not know who she is.  Find out that she's a huge celebrity from (you guessed it, or already know it) reality television.  She evidently has a book out, too!  A book!

Number of pages of salacious and scented paid advertising before you even get to the table of contents (not counting the cover): 10

Topics we get to read about include "Seven Sexy Things to Do With Your Hair", "Glamour Asks, Men Answer: What's the Best Date Outfit A Girl Can Wear?", and then the requisite (and presumably redeeming?) serious stuff about one woman's dedication to improving human rights laws (good!) another a story about a girl who used to be a boy (very important, hopefully will help people).  See, I'll step away from being a dick for just a moment because yes, whatever the venue, it is important that voices are heard and stories are told, and that no one is made to feel alone, I'm a big proponent of anything that opens things up, shines lights in dark corners, joins lonely voices with other lonely voices so they're neither of them lonely anymore, BUT!  Insufficient in the context!  I digress!  Moving on!

For instance, a particularly skin crawling (and recurring!) column belongs to a "guy" named "Jake" who blessedly takes us confused girls aside and, thank GOD, tells it like it is.  THIS guy.  Or writer, whomever this writer is, to whatever gender (however you want to go and define THAT... another college course offered at the Univeristy of Coco: Lunar Campus) the writer belongs... let's see what they have to say this month... ahem... 

"He Thinks You're Hot.  Don't Argue!"  Let's see... blah blah blah... something about things going swimmingly well with his new girlfriend "Strawberry" (people withhold their names all the time in magazines, make up new ones, "Strawberry"... puuuuuuke...) what else... "Jake" is lending a shoulder to cry on to a guy friend who broke up with a girlfriend because SHE kept saying how stupid SHE was... yes, yes, I can see that getting very annoying, what else... oh, yikes, here I'm going to have to do a direct quote:

"His tale of woe made me think of an old flame I'll call Jessica [whom we shall call Rhubarbara]. She's tall, blond and gregarious, with a smile like white lightning.  We had a string of perfect nights together that included, in between listening to Steely Dan's Aja on vinyl at my apartment, amazing sex." 

Ummmm... okay, what else, what else... boring details of that failed endeavor ensue, AHHH yes, and then he reiterates how men DO find "voluptuous" women attractive, silly, not just girls who look like "a rail"... ugh, sorry, I'm bored now.  Then they conduct wholly unveiled market research about birth control, whether the reader is "normal" about it, and asks statistically what the reader uses, how regularly, etc.  Yes!  And some numbers (supplied by whom, I wonder?) against which the reader can compare herself, nail-bitingly fascinating, I'm on the edge of my media prescribed self-loathing seat, here's some more of my money, am I normal yet??

I know!  Let me take on an advice column!  I am a very practical person with some life experience.  Dr. Coco Motion answers YOUR real life questions:

Dear Dr. Coco,

What is a cheap radiance booster for my skin? 

 Drink a lot of water and sleep for 18 hours, take pills if you need to to get at least that amount of sleep, but not opiates, and mind your combos.  Be careful with the Xanax if you have or have had upper respiratory issues.  Then get up, have a cup of miso soup (don't boil the miso, you'll kill its valuable enzymes), drink some more water, shower, wash your face real good with a washcloth and mild cleanser, moisturize, and then put on, you know, makeup. 

Dear Dr. Coco,

How do I achieve the daring updos I'm seeing on the red carpet this season?

 It's all Bump-Its, dry shampoo, keratin-similar hair powders, hair pieces, bobby pins and hairspray, a lot of all of these things, all at once, don't be shy.  Also, you know, it won't look normal, like compared to your friends in your macroeconomics class, that's the whole point.

Dear Dr. Coco,

I'm finally going on vacation!  Got any tips for packing cosmetics?

Put them all in a vinyl, zippered bag, and bring everything, you don't know if you'll ever get home again, and if you're in a foreign country and you have to live there forever, you can show the indigenous pharmacists your existing products and they'll help you match them with that country's closest alternative, and that's what you might have to use forever. 

Dear Dr. Coco,

Is there a trick to picking the right sunglasses style for my face?

Depends on what's behind your face.  Select the largest and darkest sunglasses available that lend you the idea that no one can see you.  See La Dolce Vita. 

Dear Dr. Coco,

How can I repurpose my strapless dresses from something other than all my friends' weddings?

I don't know what this means. 

Dear Dr. Coco,

I can't afford a close friend's destination wedding.  I'd have to charge the entire trip!  What do I do?

Send as nice a gift as you can, with a nice hand-written card delineating your sincerest well-wishes, and do not attend.  Don't apologize, either.  Unless you've really gone overboard with the cocaine (you know who you are) it's not your fault you can't afford to attend her fancy wedding, and anyway, what if you're busy?  She's not the only person on the planet.  And don't feel bad.  And if she brings it up next time you see her, tell her fine then, you want that Le Creuset baking dish back, I don't care if she's used it already. 

Let me be perfectly clear: the onus is obviously not completely on Glamour Magazine.  Glamour Magazine is a generic foe, it could be any magazine, anything at all.  These things are more like symptoms of a larger cultural and financially-driven illness.  Aaaaaaand sometimes they show me cute shoes and tell me where to buy them because I don't know anything about fashion.  And also, if I had half a brain for business and/or any self-control, I'd beg Glamour and its glossy newsstand siblings to whore out my band and sell THAT with their relentlessly effective bright pretty colors and shiny exposed skin...

What is most important is that IF you are indeed conscious that you are in any way influenced by these types of advertising vehicles (we all are), PLEASE tell me that you don't blithely let them tell you what to do, and that you are AWARE that you are invariably (by various definitions) a member of a demographic that some COMPUTER somewhere is figuring out how to get money out of.  You do know that, right?  That's not even a conspiracy.  Just be aware of the reasons why you do what you do (and buy what you buy, you are your dollar) your intuition is all you need, don't get too distracted by all those bright pretty colors and shiny exposed skins.  Just go wear some pretty colors and expose YOUR skin.  Or don't.  Do what YOU want.  Doctor's orders.

***

Blurt "co-co-editor" and advice columnist Coco Hames fronts The Ettes - Hames on guitar, Jem Cohen on bass and Poni Silver on drums. Their Greg Cartwright-produced album Do You Want Power arrived in stores last fall, their music was featured in the Drew Barrymore-directed film Whip It, and you bet we've got a big feature on the band in the latest issue of BLURT.

The band is opening for the Dead Weather throughout April. Check out The Ettes' MySpace page for music and tour dates. They've also got a recently upgraded official website with all kinds of visual and auditory goodies you oughta check out.

I stayed in a trailer on the Colorado River during my trip to Austin for SXSW this year. For the first few days it was just me and a large family of turtles. The turtles would sunbake on the bank of the river and then when I came out each morning to the back porch they would all dive in to the river at once. I figure there were about twenty of them. I managed to do yoga each day first thing, which, as you may or may not know, really helps the day go much more smoothly than it otherwise might have.

A few days before leaving Nashville I'd had some strange physical incongruence. It felt like all the adrenalin had left my body. A friend assured me that the chest pain I was feeling was not a heart attack (!) and I immediately went on to a diet of bananas only for two days. That, with some natural enzymes from the health food store and I was back on track within a couple of days.  I now attribute this strange reaction to stress - stress of running my own record label - coming up with funding and just the simple tasks of organization and co-ordination - plus the outward stress that we are all feeling. It seems like even the planet is suffering this stress - what with the volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, freakish snow storms, power outages.... Is the world telling us humans to slow down, stop being so greedy, stop using up all the resources....

Now that the corporation has officially been declared a 'person' by the supreme court, how can we keep this 'person' in check? I think the term 'monster' would have been better suited. Are the big corporations  the man-made monsters we've been dreading all these years, our Frankenstein's Monster....

How to deal? I think the best start is to take control of our own eco footprint - eat less meat (you'd be amazed at how many resources it takes to breed cattle for all the meat eaters on the planet), use less plastic, grow more vegetables, eat less in general, car pool, be more conscious of love and less of jealousy, hatred and fear.

This is a start, I'm going to try it.

 annemccue.com

Highlights of what's been running through the speakers here at OUTLANDOS HQ the last month or so:

1. Luke Doucet and the White Falcon, Blood's Too Rich



I think I'm in love. Seriously. Massive man/guitar crush. He is wicked. Don't let the fact that he's Sarah McLachlan's guitarist spook you.

2. Broken Records, Until the Earth Begins to Part



Edinburg seven-piece (apparently, Edinburg is having an uberchic moment), old U2 meets one fierce violin.

3. The Silver Seas, Château Revenge



Yes, still on this one :-). Just can't seem to stop. [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

The thing about music is, whether you like it or not, it envelopes your brain. It is at times mathematical, poetical, political, historical and, you get the idea. A lot of –ticals at play here. I hate to lean so heavily on a cliché but how many times have you heard the words “soundtrack of my life?” Probably enough that you just cringed reading them, right? Understandably so. Platitudes aside, the fact is that most people can identify certain songs, albums, and artists with particular periods in their lives. Put on a record and sense memory kicks in. Suddenly you’re back in your first apartment, trying to figure out where to hang your weathered, signed-by-Fred-and-Toody Dead Moon poster, listening to “Old Shoes and Picture Postcards.” Or something like that. Point is, for better or worse, some songs are just ingrained in our memories, inseparable from our experiences. They are (go ahead and cringe again) the soundtrack of our lives.

That’s what this column is about. The songs that made lasting impressions, and the people they made the impressions on.  For as long as Blurt will allow me to, I’ll be interviewing fellow songwriters, journalists, novelists, actors, comedians, friends, and enemies about the songs that burrowed into their memories – about what the songs might mean, and what the songs mean to them. They will be interviews, in the most technical sense of the term, but, if I do my job right, they won’t be the kind of interview you’re used to.

The folks kind enough to lend their time and song choices to the interviews, you’ll have heard of (Jason Isbell, Matthew Ryan, Peter Case and Bill Janovitz, to name a few), but me you may not have. To that end, I’ll keep it simple. I write songs and make records. Maybe you’ve heard ‘em, maybe not. For the purposes of this column, that’s really neither here nor there. My job, as it applies to Blurt, is simply to allow some of my favorite artists and writers a platform to discuss some of their favorite songs. Where it goes from there, is up to them. Or, more accurately, up to the songs.

Hopefully I’ll see you around.

Kasey Anderson
Portland, Oregon
April 5, 2010