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Suburban Voice fanzine/blog

Al Quint


Last Updated: 5/30/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 26
Sign: Virgo

State: MASSACHUSETTS
Country: US
Signup Date: 7/16/2005

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009 
(note: this was also posted on my personal blog but in case you missed it.... and since it's music related, it made sense to post it here, as well)

I got quite a response to that bulletin I posted earlier today. The one featuring John Lydon/Johnny Rotten in a TV commercial for butter. I said some argued it was dead a long time ago. Here's the video:



I got quite a wide array of comments. More comments than I think I've gotten from any previous bulletins. Here's a sampling:

--"at least this is funny. When bands like War-Zone, Judge tried to play country and metal......that was even funnier. Punks Still Not Dead AL!!!!"

--"I know they supposedly kicked Glen Matlock out of the Pistols for being a Beatles fan, but it's a little-known fact that it was actually due to a falling-out he had with Johnny after the latter saw him spreading margarine on his breakfast toast."

--"I still like The Sex Pistols, but this is really really sad! I felt the same way when I first saw The Osbournes, and today I still love Master of Reality."

I got a lot of emails about it, as well. For the record, it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. No, I don't think punk is dead--whatever punk means these days. Actually, everyone has their own definition and I suppose theirs is no less valid than mine. It's just that mine is correct! OK, seriously, to me it's about being an individual, forging your own path and, at its core, it's anti-authoritarian. Which is why I think the whole "conservative punk" thing is ludicrous. But, hey, that's just my opinion. I mean, being contrarian to the contrarians may be punk. It worked well for the FU's in the 80s, after all. But, in their case, they weren't really conservative. Honest! It was just trying to get a rise out of people. John Sox reads my blogs so if he wants to expound further, then he has my invitation. Incidentally, if you want to check out FUs' guitarist Steve Grimes's entertaining band history, read it here. I don't want to turn this into a discourse one what is or isn't punk, whether it's dead or not. It's more a case of being amused by this ad and, as someone pointed out to me in an email, seeing Johnny get chased by cows is pretty funny. Or surreal. Or both.

But the music was co-opted from the beginning. If the Pistols were a ruse (and they probably were), they were good at it and created some classic rock 'n roll that I still love listening to 30 years later. Sure, everyone's heard "God Save The Queen" (the song that was my "punk rock conversion experience") or "Anarchy In the UK" a million times but they had some underrated songs as well--for example, "Did You No Wrong," the flip of "GSTQ" and the heavy, crushing "Satellite," which was the b-side of "Holidays In The Sun."  And I did go see them on that reunion tour in '96. The tickets were free and I don't know if I would have paid for it or not but I'll admit I was curious. I do remember having a good time. I recall one guy was so excited that he planted a kiss on my cheek when he walked by me. Hey, if you got it, you got it!

Actually, if I wanted to see a reunion, it'd be the "classic" lineup of PIL--Lydon, Wobble, Keith Levene and Martin Atkins, playing songs from the first two albums and maybe a couple from "Flowers Of Romance." Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to not check them out on the "Second Edition" tour in 1980, although I did go to the in-store at the old New England Music City store in Kenmore Square (it's now Campus Convenience, for you folks familiar with the area). I didn't have or get the LP then (much like I didn't get Motorhead's "Another Perfect Day," as mentioned in my last blog) but did get 'em to autograph the inner sleeve of my "Public Image" record:





I definitely didn't appreciate them enough then. I did have the single and liked some of what I heard ("Annalisa" was a mix-tape favorite ca. '79) but I didn't really embrace them until later in the decade. Much like "GSTQ" was my punk epiphany, hearing "Poptones" while driving home from a concert (probably some metal show since I was with a friend of mine whom I went to those shows with) on one of the college station. I was a bit tired, the road seemed endless and repetitive and Keith Levene's repetitive guitar line on that song fit the mood perfectly. All 7 minutes and 46 seconds of it. Not every moment on that album nor the first are mesmerizing but there's enough to put it in the essential category. I can't really say the same about "Flowers Of Romance," since "Banging The Door" is the only song that really blows my mind on that record. After that, when it became John Lydon and whoever, it was almost all shite and, by the time I saw them in '92 , I don't think they did any early material and it was wretched. Incidentally, that show was with Big Audio Dynamite II (Mick Jones from the Clash's awful band), Blind Melon and Live--it was one of the WORST shows I've seen in my life. Why did I go? Faint hopes for PIL at least being semi-worth seeing. Nope...

And PIL were manipulators, as well. They weren't a band, they were a corporation. Lydon said the song "Public Image" was the death of rock 'n roll or something along those lines. Actually, Steve Jones and Paul Cook's post-Pistols band The Professionals did an answer record, of sorts--"The Magnificent," with a mocking of the guitar line from "Public Image." It was also by far the best song from their highly-uneven repertoire.

One of my favorite PIL stories ties into that whole "rock is dead/we're a corporation" concept--their infamous show at the Ritz in NYC in May of '81 where they played behind a screen and when the audience realized they weren't going to lower the screen nor play a standard set and when Lydon started taunting the audience, there was quite the visceral reaction. Read this account of the show. I think you'll get a laugh out of it.

But is Lydon's commercial the final death knell? Nah. For me, it was when the Buzzcocks' "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" was used in a fucking AARP commercial:



... only a bit over 16 months until I can get my own AARP card. Hooray!
6:46 AM 
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Friday, August 22, 2008 
... I don't mind if people post comments to promote their various projects. Just make sure if it's advertising a record/CD/etc... it'd be nice if you sent a copy for possible review/airplay. Address is on the page. Thank you. 
7:23 AM 
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Sunday, November 18, 2007 
... I just got a friend request from someone. His profile is set to private, I added him and then took a look at his page. Under his musical choices, there were photos of different bands and record covers and one was Skrewdriver's "Back With A Bang." So I deleted him immediately.

I'll be blunt. I look at profiles when friend requests get sent. If I see any sketchy/racist musical choices on your page or sexist/homophobic/xenophobic garbage, you're no friend of mine, I don't WANT you as a friend nor have anything to do with you.

thank you and goodnight
11:32 PM 
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Tuesday, November 13, 2007 
I seem to be getting more questions lately about when there will be another print issue of Suburban Voice. I keep saying "soon," "it'll happen," etc. I still don't know exactly when. The main obstacle right now seems to be transcribing the interviews. Also, some of the interviews that I did awhile back are hopelessly out of date and somewhat irrelevant, since band members have left, broken up, etc. So when I DO publish a new print issue, it'll be newer material. Perhaps a few of those older interviews will see the light of day on the on-line SV page.

So, to bring people up to date:
1) Yes, there will be at least another print issue, probably more than one but let me get the next one out and then we'll see
2) No, I don't know when
3) I appreciate everyone's support. It actually motivates me to get my ass in gear


8:52 AM 
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Friday, October 19, 2007 
I guess it's the '00s. For the second time, instead of a record or CD, I've received a plastic credit type card where I'm directed to a site to download the item instead of receiving a physical copy. When I got the first one, for a split 7", I couldn't even get the fucking code to work. I didn't bother following up with the label because, to be honest, I wasn't that interested and I look at MP3s only as a convenience for my player. When I'm home, I'll play the vinyl or CD. When I'm out and about, I'll listen to the MP3s but it's not an adequate replacement.

Today, the card was for a DVD with extra audio tracks. I downloaded a couple of the video pieces and can't get it to play. And, since I don't have a DVD burner, I'd have to watch it on my small computer screen at my desk. No thanks. I may end up asking for a "real" copy but I'm not even sure if it's worth the bother.

I guess this is new paradigm, the new form of delivery. I guess those who say CDs and DVDs will eventually be obsolete aren't kidding. There's no craft here, just product. It's not any sort of tangible artisitic form. Christ, this is even worse than advance-type CD's or advance tapes I used to get back in the day.

When I was a kid, when I'd buy an album, I'd toss it on my record player and sit back in my beanbag chair and scrutinize the album cover, the lyrics. It may sound weird but I always liked the smell that came from a freshly-opened record album. The thrill of removing the shrink wrap, wondering what treasures awaited. Or whether I'd be disappointed--I still remember being disappointed and underwhelmed with Bad Company's "Straight Shooter" album after the first one barely left my turntable from approximately the fall of '74 until the spring of '75. And the packaging wasn't nearly as cool. It was thinner, although there was a cardboard stock inner sleeve. The first album had a nifty gatefold sleeve. Sure, it was just their mugs on that gatefold. But if it's just an intangible digital download, then something is definitely lost. Come to think of it, just about all of it is lost.

I will never review these types of packages. If labels want to send an electronic press kit so I can check out a band and decide if I have any further interest, that's OK. If that's the whole thing, I'll pass.

This is the reason that, even though I do a lot of SV stuff on-line now, I still want to produce a tangible print issue. I'm not looking forward to what it's going to cost to print and, more frightening, to ship copies to distributors and mailorder customers. I imagine that's why so many people give up the ghost and go completely digital. And I suppose that's why some of the labels do it now--because they're probably also taking a beating on mailing costs and figure it's not worth it.

It's still regrettable... and while I embrace the new technology and methods of communication, I never want to abandon the older methods. Now excuse me. It's time to flip over the LP on the turntable.
6:11 PM 
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Tuesday, October 09, 2007 
Just to reiterate a few things about music reviews. I'm happy to accept vinyl, CDs, even CD demos and tapes for review. But I don't review "advance" packages without the booklet/insert or with one of those cardboard covers that just has a blurb about the band on the back. I don't review CD-R promos of a record available on vinyl. I don't review MP3s. If you don't want to send something out before making sure that I'd be interested in reviewing it, then you can give me the option of listening to MP3s and, if I'm interested, I can request a "finished" copy.

On a slightly different note, if you're going to post comments for your label/band, then it might be nice if you send a copy for review--or at least ask me if I'd be interested. Even if I'm not, I won't delete the ad. Otherwise, I think that's kind of leech-like.

That said, thanks for everyone's support!
6:23 PM 
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007 
Here it is... four pages of crap. Done on a manual typewriter by an impressionable 22 year old and run off at my dad's work. Total print run (two printings): probably 90-100 copies.







9:08 PM 
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007 
... I've been getting birthday wishes on here. Actually, it's not my own birthday (which is February 12) but the birthday of Suburban Voice, originally Suburban Punk. I forget the exact publication date but it was the end of August/early September 1982. And it's now been 25 years, which boggles my mind. So, thanks to everyone for the well-wishes. And, to celebrate this anniversary, I'm going to scan and post the first four page issue of the zine. It's pretty bad but just in case you want to see it and maybe print yourself a copy...

thanks everyone!

-Al
8:44 PM 
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Friday, July 20, 2007 
... hold on there, buddy. It's just a two page zine but the material won't appear on my blog. I did it for the Warkrime/Rabies show happening in Cambridge this weekend and I won't even be able to go. That's basically what the piece I wrote for it is about.

But if you don't make it to the show or don't live near here, fear not. It can be yours for the small cost of one stamp. Send it to :

Suburban Voice
PO Box 2746
Lynn, MA 01903

oh yeah--the real thing will come out eventually. Promise!
12:44 AM 
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Thursday, November 30, 2006 

Some misguided () person has come up with the crazy idea of creating a Wikipedia entry for SV. You can see it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburban_Voice

and Operation Phoenix Records has archived some of my issues in the PDF format:

http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/archivespage.html

10:10 PM 
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