Fanatics!
I am sending in these notes a little early. It is Wednesday night here in Kathmandu Nepal. In the morning, I am heading off to Shanghai China and don’t know what my internet situation will be there. Not to doubt the power of the information highway of China, I have heard they have one, not all that encumbered by the free flow of information, which may very well speed things up! Nonetheless, not knowing what I am heading into and knowing that this connection works now and then, I am sending these notes in to you now. I have picked up some cool music here that I will get into the mix as soon as I can. I have our 12-19-09 show planned already as I will be flying in only a few hours before air time and want to hopefully have all the notes up and online before I come staggering into the KCRW Rok Mosk. On 12-26-09, I will incorporate some of the things that have come in since I have been out in the world, hopefully, some interesting things to play for you.
I have been in Kathmandu for a few days now and it’s been interesting. I have been doing a lot of walking. Hours a day, all over the old part of the city, which is the most active and interesting to me. This city seems to be pretty touristy, lots of shops selling local art and lots of backpacker youth walking about. I think this is a great young person’s destination. It’s very different than most places you will end up and people are friendly enough and you can get around fairly easily.
I was lucky to get here a day before the Unified National Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist imposed a nationwide general strike on pretty much everything. No cars on the road except for police, military and ambulances. If you were at the airport trying to get into town, I don’t know what you did. I walked all over the place on that day and saw people with their luggage unhappily humping it to destinations all over the Thamel neighborhood. I checked in on a Communist demonstration that was at the most, two hundred people, a few flags and a public address system that consisted of a single bullhorn. It was pretty cool to walk on the streets and not worry about getting run over. In a lot of the neighborhoods here, the street and the sidewalk are indistinguishable. Cars and motorbikes whiz by, emitting brain damaging beeps from their horns.
Now, about tonight’s show. I think you will find it pleasing to your ears as you get your weekend on. Check out that cool cowbell hit by Bill Ward on the Sabbath track! So cool. Weeks ago, I took KCRW’s very own DJ Liza Richardson to an Ozzy Osbourne function and of course introduced her to Ozzy and Sharon as you would do. The icing on the cake was that the one and only Bill Ward himself was at the event. As Liza and Mr. Ward were shaking hands, I told her how lucky she was to be meeting such a top shelf musician and undisputed heavyweight Rock God! I can’t find a weak link in this eclectic and altogether wonderful musical chain that is tonight’s show. The more I listen to this set on my little player I have out here with me, the more I like it. Hey, I just sounded like Adrian Belew from King Crimson’s track Indiscipline! The Die Haut / Nick Cave track is one of Cave’s bestest vocals, so glad this one finally got re-issued. In fact, you get a double dose of Mr. Cave as he re-appears in an earlier incarnation later in our show. The Need, rare track. Thanks to Ian MacKaye for turning me onto that one. We have not played a TV Smith solo track for awhile so tonight we listen to one of my favorite TV solo moments, hope you dig it! I love this show! I wish I could somehow be live with you in the Mosk to lay it on you.
I will be back with you live next week. It’s going to be a good one with some brand new Fall, thanks to Dan Trice and many other gems so until then, don’t behave yourself and STAY FANATIC!!!
--Henry
E-Mail address for Henry: HenryOnTheRadio@AOL.com
01. Black Sabbath - The Wizard / Black Sabbath
02. Dinosaur Jr - Almost Ready / Beyond
03. The Other Half - Mr. Pharmacist / Nuggets
04. Dion & The Belmonts - The Wanderer / Runaround Sue
05. Discharge - It's No T.V. Sketch / Singles
06. Team Doyobi - Summit Melody / Choose Your Own Adventure
07. Chrissy Zebby Tembo - Lonely Night / My Ancestors
08. The Fall - Mr. Pharmacist / Bend Sinister
09. The Don - Soul Dracula / Thai Beat A Go-Go Vol. 03
10. Roky Erickson - The Interpreter / Gremlins Have Pictures
11. Die Haut And Nick Cave - Stow-A-Way / Burnin' The Ice
12. The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop / 05-12-76 Cambridge MA
13. The Saints - Nights In Venice / (I'm) Stranded
14. The Quinns - Oh Starlight / Winley Records
15. Meat Puppets – Away / Up On The Sun
16. Minutemen - Case Closed / Bean Spill
17. Roscoe Mitchell Sextet - Ornette / Sound
18. Thein Than - Jasmine Bush Of Gold / Princess Nicotine
19. Suicide - Surrender / A Way Of Life
20. Beauty Pill - The Cigarette Girl From The Future / title same
21. The Blood Brothers - Nausea Shreds Yr Head / Young Machetes
22. The Need - Let Them Eat Valium / Single
23. Tomorrow – Hallucinations / Tomorrow
24. Silver Apples - Whirly Bird / Silver Apples
25. TV Smith - We Want The Road / Immortal Rich
26. Sort Sol – Interpreter / Fog Things
27. The Birthday Party - King Ink / Prayers On Fire
28. The Middle Class - Situations / Out Of Vogue EP