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The unsinkable Mike Edison — former High Times Publisher, Screw editor, Hustler correspondent, and professional wrestler of no small repute — is hitting the road to promote the new paperback of his outrageous memoir, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World.
This week he began his “I Have Fun in Brooklyn Tour”, a five-neighborhood odyssey that he promises will be “more fun than the circus”. He’ll be blogging his adventures here. (See below for dates.)
Is That a Bomb in Your Bra Or Are You Happy to See Me?
Andy Shernoff is so tough that he took his last vacation in Syria.
That’s not a joke. Given the choice between a week on the beach in Bermuda or wandering around the axis of evil flirting with terrorists, he boarded the first plane to Damascus, a brave move for a Jew from Queens, even if he did go to high school with Johnny Thunders.
Last night, however, he was back safely in Brooklyn, where he lives, helping me turn what could have been an uneventful gig at a book store into a wild beatnik happening. (Thanks to the minimalists at the Delta Science Institute for the clip!)
I’m lucky to have Andy playing guitar with me this week. Andy is the bass player in the world famous Dictators, one of the best and funniest bands ever to come out of New York City. Their first record GO GIRL CRAZY is a classic and went a long way in helping rock stay good and dumb, just the way God meant it to be.
I got in some trouble for saying this last night. Well, it just came out kind of wrong. I was telling Andy (in front of the crowd at Book Court in Cobble Hill) that his band inspired me more for their attitude and presentation than their songcraft, which could sound kind of insulting if you garble the message as badly I did. Sixteen shots of Jimmy Jackass Juice will do that for you.
For the record, the Dictators have lots of great songs, especially STAY WITH ME which is a fucking classic and is so big and so much fun it deserves its very own juke box, with maybe one or two other singles from Sam and Dave nuzzled in their just to keep it warm. It is that good.
Speaking of Sam and Dave…
But the best thing about the Dictators was that in a land of self-important rock snobs (I’m talking abut 1975 when they got started, but we might as well be talking about this week) they never took themselves too seriously. How could they with a singer who calls himself “Handsome Dick” and whose greatest influences are White Castle hamburgers and professional wrestling? As anyone who knows me can testify, these are a few of my favorite things.
Here are some of the words to another Dictator’s classic, MASTER RACE ROCK.
Hippies are squares with long hair
And they don’t wear no underwear
Country Rock is on the wane
I don’t want music, I want pain!
We’re the members of the master race
Got no style, and we got no grace
Sleep all night, sleep all day
Nothing good on t.v. anyway
No wonder the Ramones loved these guys!
I have been friends with Andy and this so-called “Handsome Dick” for many years, but I’m not jaded. I’m still a fan. Kicks just keep getting harder to find, but having one of these giants playing behind me is a genuine punk rock thrill. Thanks, Andy.
# # #
The next gig on the I HAVE FUN IN BROOKLYN is SATURDAY, JUNE 6th at PETE’S CANDY STORE in Williamsburg, starting at 7 pm. Edison will be joined by the Rocket Train Delta Science Arkestra featuring a meaty array of punktacular luminaries, including Jon Spencer, Hollis Queens, Michael Chandler, and Dean Rispler. Expect more X-rated hijinks and sordid story telling!
For complete details, more MP3s, to read an excerpt from I Have Fun, dig some comics, and check out the infamous bong guitar, please visit him at www.mikeedison.com.
OTHER UPCOMING GIGS
>> SATURDAY MAY 30th, METUCHEN, NJ – RACONTEUR BOOKS (8 pm) with the EDISON ROCKET TRAIN
>> WED, JUNE 3, CHICAGO – QUIMBY’s (7 pm)
>> WED JUNE 10th, 7 pm, Frank’s Cocktail Lounge (Ft. Greene) with the Delta Science Arkestra featuring Jon Spencer and Heavy Friends, with Special Guests
>> SAT JUNE 13th, 3 pm, Freebird Books (Redhook) — Afternoon cookout with the Rocket Train All-Stars!
>> SAT JUNE 20th, 3 pm, Roberta’s restaurant (Bushwick) End of tour party, broadcast live!
>> FULL DETAILS AT www.mikeedison.com
