Jake the Snake & Alice Cooper

Jake "The Snake" Roberts turns 65 today! Here he is hanging out with Alice Cooper and pet python Damian in a true Rock ‘n’ Wrestling moment! They made a perfect pair; Jake the Snake was supposed to be as evil and demented as people thought Alice was during his '70s heyday as the king of shock rock. Alice escorted Jake to the ring for his WrestleMania III match against the Honky Tonk Man. Roberts lost the match, but Alice got a chance to terrorize Honky’s manager Jimmy Hart with Damian after the match and that ruled! Do you know what also rules about their post-match encounter? Remember that before he was involved in wrestling, Jimmy Hart had a previous life as the vocalist for '60s moptop rockers the Gentrys! Remember the song “Keep on Dancing”? That is Jimmy Hart’s old band! Two eras of rock music collided in the ring that evening, proving once again that wrestling is rock 'n’ roll and rock 'n’ roll is wrestling!

Good Girls Don't, But I Do: Remembering Raooul

Do you remember when it was okay for punk rock bands to be of barely adequate skill at their instruments? Plenty of bands found their sound through a complete lack of proficiency—it is what punk was about; making mistakes and learning in public. Some of those mistakes have inspired future generations of inept musicians to give it a go themselves. RAOOUL committed six songs of gloriously bad punk rock trash to vinyl in 1993 and upstart East Bay punk kids have been thankful ever since. Fresh & Nubile was proof that it was still possible; that a band of 14-year-old girls could have a laugh and a say. They did have things to say under the din too. “Anna Joy” features the line “It really ain’t anarchy if it’s okay with your mom/It really ain’t rebellion if it’s just Primus instead of New Kids on the Block,” a poignant lyric in 2020 when more parents are taking their kids to their first punk shows at Gilman Street than in previous eras. “Good Girls” declares sexual freedom and agency while “I Had Richie Bucher” inverses the scenario women face when being objectified by men by using an older boy established in the punk scene for sex and discarding him in the end. This 7-inch is perfect; it leaves you wanting more. One of the East Bay’s punkest releases of the decade by far.

RAOOUL have taken a few more guitar lessons prior to recording 1994’s split LP with London minimalist trio SKINNED TEEN, but seem to have misplaced their inspiration in the process. Although the tunes are decent, they lack the sense of fun and enthusiasm that make Fresh & Nubile such a triumphant classic. RAOOUL broke up before this record came out, but guitarist Molly Schnick and drummer Phyllis Forbes would go on to form the TOURETTES with Janelle Hessig and OUT HUD with members of !!!. Vocalist Melissa MacArthur would contribute guest vocals on older brother Gavin’s band SCHLONG’s Punk Side Story album.

SEE ALSO: The Tourettes, Out Hud.

Movie Review: Touch of Evil (1958)

DIRECTOR: Orson Welles. CAST: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Joanna Cook Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver, Valentin de Vargas, Mort Mills, Victor Millan, Lalo Rios, Michael Sargent, Phil Harvey, Joi Lansing, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mercedes McCambridge.
This Orson Welles suspense thriller has more of a problematic history than that of Citizen Kane; it is another story of Welles waging an unsuccessful battle against the Hollywood studio to realize his artistic vision. Fortunately, viewers have the opportunity to see both Welles’ directors’ cut (finally released in 1998) and the original theatrical release as edited in-house by Universal Studios. Charlton Heston is a Mexican narcotics detective who witnesses a car bombing take place during his honeymoon in a small border town. His assistance in the ensuing investigation sees both he and his wife ensnared in a web of abduction, murder, and police corruption on both the Mexican and American sides. Charlton Heston later regretted his poor acting choices—he admittedly does not ‘play Mexican’ very well—but the rest of his performance is fine. However, this film belongs to Orson Welles in his role as the slovenly American police captain with a good-cop reputation built on dishonesty. Touch of Evil’s camera work and cinematography are things of legend that influenced an entire generation of great directors and filmmakers. Another film for film lovers.

Andre the Giant

Andre the Giant would have turned 74 today and I can't think of a better way to celebrate his birthday here than sharing an iconic George Napolitano shot of the Eighth Wonder of the World! How many photos exist of Andre with attractive women in his arms? I don't know, but it is a good day when I find another one!

Movie Review: Over the Edge (1979)

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Kaplan. CAST: Michael Kramer, Pamela Ludwig, Matt Dillon, Vincent Spano, Tom Fergus, Harry Northrup, Andy Romano, Ellen Geer, Richard Jamison, Julia Pomeroy, Tiger Thompson, Eric Lalich, Kim Kliner, Lane Smith, Bill Whedbee.
Those of you who name The Breakfast Club or something similar as your favorite teen movie should see Over the Edge, as it is a more realistic depiction of teenage alienation. These kids are not all right in New Granada—they are getting high, having sex, and committing juvenile crimes out of boredom in a planned community that has nothing to offer its youth. Their parents are apathetic and ignorant to their needs, caring more about chasing the American Dream than raising productive children. Fourteen-year-old Matt Dillon debuts as the worst of the bunch, a longhaired troublemaker doomed to fall at the hands of the local police sergeant. His unnecessary death compels New Granada’s adolescents to raise havoc in a fiery conclusion satisfying every rebellious kid’s revenge fantasies. Dazed & Confused wishes it was this cool. Real-life events inspired this story; particularly a San Francisco Examiner article published in 1973 about the unusually high juvenile crime rate in the planned suburb of Foster City, CA. Although Over the Edge is good visceral fun, it also makes necessary statements about suburban communities disregarding its troubled youth. Prophetic too—ironically, much of the filming took place in a Colorado suburb just 15 miles away from where the Columbine High School massacre took place twenty years later.