One 'Harvey' to Rule Them All

I went to meet my male friend for coffee this afternoon. As we sat at the counter in our Starbucks, he turned to me, looking exasperated.

"Man, have you been reading all the articles and stories on Twitter today?"

I reply that no, I've been too busy to even check Twitter. I ask him what articles and stories he's referring to.

"My Twitter feed is full of women sharing their stories of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and it's shocking. It's like every female I follow, and then some, has been a victim at one point in their lives and I'm just in, well, shock. I'm ashamed of my gender, to be honest. With all these actresses coming forth about how Harvey Weinstein acted towards them, its encouraging other women to speak about about their experiences. I'm sad to think that every women that I value and have in my life has experiences some kind of sexual assault or harassment. Is it really like that?"

Yeah, unfortunately it IS really like that.

I like to consider myself lucky in that I've never once experienced any sort of sexual assault or harassment in the work place by someone in a position of seniority over me.  Sure, there's been one or two employees whose behaviour probably walks the line, but I've never felt like I've been victimized. In fact, being a female in a very male orientated business like radio and music, I was very lucky that I started out in a place like UMFM. UMFM prides itself, and rightly so, on being a safe place for all people - regardless of age, sex, gender, religion. Everyone is welcome and treated as an equal.

But the truth is there are tons of Harvey's out there. It's easy to find men who are okay with using their positions of power to get what they want sexual.

It's sad, sick, and true.

When I first started DJ'ing, there were very few female in my city who were getting behind the decks to spin. It was rare to see women at record sales and conventions who weren't dragged there by their significant others. During that time, I ran into my fair share of Harvey's who felt it was okay to objectify me, make lewd or rude comments, or even worse, corner me in dark areas of clubs to tell me how much they loved my set and looking at my 'tits' as I bent over to change the records between songs. Many a night, I was scared to walk with my records to my car after the bar had closed. Again, I was lucky. I had a very close crew of male friends and DJ's who I trusted and who, on many occasions, either stood up for me, escorted me to my car, or who drove me home themselves to make sure I arrived safe and sound when I was too scared to walk home alone.

With more and more women present in the radio/podcast/DJ scene, I find I feel more empowered. I don't put up with rude or sexual comments from people. 

But that is the problem, isn't it? 

The Harvey's, they are still out there, engaging in this shitty behaviour.

They still come up to me in clubs to make horrible comments, and try to grab at me. They still send unsolicited dick pictures to my Instagram or Twitter direct messages. They still think it's okay to treat women in this manner.

It never was and never will be okay.

Women are taking a stand more and more, and sharing their stories of abuse and harassment. I think it's amazing to hear and see. And I think it's about bloody time as well. The more we empower and encourage and support each other, the easier it will be for us to talk about our experiences. The easier it is for us to talk about our experiences, the easier it will be for us to call out shitty and horrible behaviour when it happens. The easier it is for us to call out shitty and horrible behaviour in the moment means that we are fixing the root of the issue and correcting horribly inappropriate behaviour at the source.

If we keep doing this, the sooner we will all be working towards a place where this shit is not longer tolerated or acceptable.

I kind LOVE that idea.

Love,

Penny xx

The World is Falling Apart, So Morrissey is Having a Bed-In

The world has always been a kind of fucked up place. Here in Canada, I live in my own little bubble of safety and normality - there is no imminent threat of war, I'm not afraid of our economy suddenly having a massive aneurysm and keeling over dead, and I am not (for the most part) discriminated or in danger for just being who I am, a woman. 

But if I look beyond my safe bubble and the more I expose myself to, the more I just want to crawl back into my bed, pull the sheets up over my head and stay there until the world gets back on track again.

Part of me is glad we are not recording new episodes of Maximum Rhythm and Booze right now. Every episode would be a rehash of all these terrible things going on all over the world - subway explosions, crazies running cars into crowds of people, racist and bigoted rallies ending in deaths.

Stop the world, man. I want to get OFF.

With things being so off centre these days,  the fact that Morrissey unleashed his first tweet on the world didn't come as much of a shock as I would have thought. I logged onto Twitter while having my morning coffee on Tuesday, September 20th to see that everyone I follow and their dog had re-tweeted Mozzer's first every 140-characters-or-less musing:

I never really thought it was cryptic. Morrissey, the king of depressing songs, spent the day in bed. Big fucking surprise there. I can't say I blame him, with the way the world is going these days. Fuck, move over Moz, is there room for one more? 

I only realized something big was going down with his next tweet:

First thing that ran through my mind was "Or what can... AZ? Oh! Oregon, Washington, California..." The second was "Shit, Moz. No WPG? For fuck sakes..." It was pretty obvious by now to me, and the other masses of Morrissey fans that something was up.

Soon after all that, my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feed (not to mention my inbox, text messages) were flooded with Morrissey's new single, Spent the Day in Bed.

Morrissey's last single, Kiss Me a Lot was last released in 2015. To be honest, it didn't make much of an impact on me - I actually had to google it to refresh myself with the song and, I hate to say it, I found myself shutting it off about halfway through.

There is something about the new single that made me sit up and take notice - the lyrics, the melody, and the overall vibe reminds me of something that The Smiths might have put out later in their career.  Replace the keyboard with that distinctive Johnny Marr guitar sound and boom, here is the Smiths of 2017. 

I'm not afraid to say, I like the single. A lot. It's the first thing Morrissey has put out in years that has really made me sit up and take notice. Since I'm being honest, You Are The Quarry was really the last Morrissey album that I listened to from start to finish. That was 2004.

Maybe it's because I can relate to the song. The world is a fucked up place at the best of times but as of late, it seems to have sunk to a whole new level. I was speaking with my Maximum Rhythm and Booze co-host Warren Peace about this just today, lamination that the political climate all over the world is in such a horrible and constant state of flux that spending the day in bed sounds like a pretty good and viable option. I guess Warren and I aren't the only ones feeling the weight of it. Morrissey is all in for each and everyone of us having our own Bed-In for Peace. 

It's getting cold here in Winnipeg and as everyone on Game of Thrones would say, 'winter is coming.' With the weather change, it won't take much to convince me to shut off the TV, turn off the radio, crawl into my bed and escape from the fucking nightmare that is the world around me.

The only thing that would make all this better is if WPG was on that list of cities. C'mon Moz...

Love,

Penny xxx

Maximum Rhythm and Booze...with The Remains' Barry Tashian!

The Good (Penny), the 'Brawd' (Jonny) and The Ugly (Warren) are back with the NEW Maximum Rhythm and Booze featuring 60's Garage Rock legends, The Remains. America's greatest 'Lost' Band!

Even as a Beatles-obesessed boy, I was fascinated by The Remains, a band who were handed the chance of a lifetime opening up for The Beatles on their '66 US Tour and then literally,disappeared. I could only dream...only imagine how I would feel in the same position. Sharing the same stages. Shea Stadium. Candlestick Park.

So,The Remains. 1966. These are lads now, remember. Months after graduating Uni. Everything they own shoved into a VW van, a few $ for food and off to NYC. Happened be in the right office at the right time when the call came through to the manager they had just hired to help them climb the musical ladder to greatness. "We need an opening act for the Beatles tour."
Not too dissimilar to the story of The Beatles themselves. The stars aligning and you just happen to be in the exact spot where the universe needs you to be. 

So (not surprisingly!) they agree to do the tour, sharing some very intimate time with the FABS. A side not often exposed. One-on-one chats in small planes. Sharing personal thoughts on Vietnam and the social unrest in the US at the time. Remember, this tour was right on the back of Lennon's comments to Maureen Cleave in the London Evening Standard where he claimed The Beatles were bigger than Jesus. It was PANDEMONIUM in the southern US states and following death threats, bomb threats from the KKK etc, they were genuinely scared for their lives.
Barry tells of greeting Lennon as he took a seat beside him on the small chartered plane heading to Tennessee.
"Morning John, how are you?" Barry asks.
"Ask me after Memphis," Lennon replies, his voice laced with genuine anxiety. 

Again...perspective: Here is Barry (Tashian) of The Remains- a 21 year old boy- on a Lear Jet with the largest band in the world seeing and hearing things the press were never privy to at the time. He became very close with George Harrison who took him to a party in LA with rock royalty. The Birds, The Monkees, The Mammas and Pappas. He was dropped back to the hotel squeezed into David Crosby's silver Porche with George, all high and in their prime. Six months before, he was playing in a pub!
You can't make it up!

During the tour, they appeared on 'Hullabaloo', and The Ed Sullivan Show- both MASSIVE at the time. The ad in the NY Times actually said "WATCH them on NBC TV's 'Hullabaloo', SEE them at Shea Stadium, HEAR them on Epic Records." Exposure that was tantamount to anything that had come before or since to create THE next big thing right? Wrong.

So then, the album must have just been crap, right? That's why they floundered? Wrong again. Their cult classic self-titled album is absolutely BRILLIANT and is now widely regarded as one of THE seminal garage rock albums of the 1960's. Recently re-issued for Record Store Day here in the states, get it. Trust me. Download it, steal it...whatever it takes.

So what stopped this band short of becoming household names and rock legends? I've wondered about this myself since I was 12, so I was eager to find out.
I'd highly encourage giving the new MR&B a listen to hear Barry's take on it all rather than my 'Felonius Spunk' paraphrased version. He's very open. Lives with no regrets and actually went on to have a successful career himself in music beyond that magic summer in '66.

Imagine though, you're on stage at Shea. Thousands of screaming fans (not yours, theirs) but who cares right? You're in the moment. Experiencing something impossible to convey to anyone outside of the 4 members of your band and the 4 members of the band who will take the stage after you and then, take the world. You play that gig and then 6 weeks later it happens. The 'coming down'. The hangover from the 'drunken' summer. The realization that, however big The Remains become, they will never, ever achieve that or feel that again. 

The effect that has on a 21 year old mind in the reason why The Remains packed up their guitars keyboards and drums after Candlestick Park and, after a few weeks of taking stock of the future ahead of them, were never heard from again.

SHOW SETLIST:

1. Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate

2. The Jam - Going Underground

3. The Ruts - Babylons Burning

4. James Brown - Think

5. Smash - Coming Home

6. Paul Sindab - Do Whatcha Wanna Do

7. The Remains - Why Do I Cry

8. The Remains - Once Before

9. The Remains - Diddy Wah Diddy

10. The Mootherhood - Soul Town

To REALLY Kick Goldman in their Sachs, First Occupy Jermyn Street

God bless 'Anonymous.' I mean it. And no, I'm not saying that for fear of this site being hacked, or my back account emptied and my subscription to porn hub made public - nothing. Believe me, when they publicly declared cyber war on ISIS*, the irony that 76 virgins were the ones sitting at their keyboards waging that war wasn't lost on me. It was a ballsy move and as a result, I have a lot of respect for geeks with attitude.

It's the ones running around on the streets in hoodies and throwing day-old Brussel sprouts at hedge fund managers that rub me the wrong way.
I really believe the Occupy London or Occupy Wall Street movement of old would have done a lot better if they had been dressed like Steve McQueen or Paul Weller rather than Guy Fawkes.

Less about "V" for Vendetta and more about "T" for Tailor.

Dressing better than the man interviewing you gets you on the 'inside,' close to the cogs of the machine and that can really affect change. Mods understood this and still do. Ignoring the plastic spoon lodged in their mouths since birth, they dress 'above' whatever hand life may have dealt them and stand out in a sea of  Topman tat, H&M hispters and the X-Factor-Fed populace. Thread count was always their way IN and a pathway OUT of their social economic status.

The premise is quite simple, really. If one was inclined to be subversive and wants to stick it to 'the man; by Lynching Merrill, or kicking Goldman in their Sachs, who has a better shot? "Shaggy the Chav" in the hoodie chanting in the street disguised as the creeper exploiting Natalie Portman's daddy issues, or the broker... Staring down from his office window at the protesters below, taking positions with millions of his corporations dollars? Case in point - Barings Bank. They collapsed in 1995 after suffering losses of 827 million pounds ($1.3 billion) resulting from poor speculative investments, primarily in futures contracts, conducted by an employee named Nick Lesson.

So TELL ME, who brought the machine to a grinding halt ? Guy Fawkes or Guy in a Suit?

Clothes matter. Style matters. Want to dress better than the boss? A grey Prince of Wales check cashmere- wool blend suit with pocket square, sky blue tab collar shirt with french cuffs, navy knit tie with white polka dots and tie bar with a pair of black oxford lace ups or monk strap shoes should do the job. Before you know it, you'll be puking in the stall next to his after your three day bender while he sits rigidly, making his morning movement with a copy for the FT. Oh, and make sure your shoes match your belt and watch strap. Coordinate to infiltrate, that's my ethos.

Julius Caesar was killed by Senators, not the plebeians. Infiltration is key (hence why institutions such as intelligence agencies exist). Access from within. Knowing that getting close enough to the tractor beam to 'pull the plug' requires a Stormtrooper's swagger (and sharp white metallic duds) to make it past the guards and blend in.

Anonymous, as much as I love what you stand for, if your scruffy molotov cocktail-chucking street legions were truly serious about effecting change of some sort, I think they've missed their mark. After all, one can hardly plant a cherry bomb in the executive washroom if one does not have access to the keys, can one ;)

Occupy Wall Street? Sure, but first occupy Jermyn Street. Sort out a few good made to measure shirts (I recommend Two-Ply Pima cotton oxfords with 3 7/16" button down collar), a couple of sharp ties and a decent suit.

Peace Out...

*It should be noted ISIS 'martyrs' that since Lemmy arrived, there are no longer 76 virgins to be had in heaven.

Maximum Rhythm and Booze - The Vapors Reunion Special with David Fenton!

As The Vapors prepare to reunite after a 35 year hiatus, frontman DAVID FENTON joins us with exclusive insight into the reunion mini-tour and to clarify once and for all if "Turning Japanese' really is an euphemism for, well...you know wank what!

Plus, after a fortnight in France, hundreds of pints and one too many chocolate croissants, intrepid co-host and proud Red Dragon, Jonny Owen reports LIVE from the UEFA Euros 2016!

Also, the usual barely sober banter, trademark rants and great tunes courtesy of The Undertones, The Jam, Les Sharks, Toots and the Maytalls and more!

SETLIST:

1. The Undertones - Teenage Kicks

2. The Jam - All Around The World

3. Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston

4. The Vapors - News at Ten

5. The Vapors - Turning Japanese (Peel Sessions)

6. David Bowie - Queen Bitch

7. The Mads - On The Bus

8. Les Sharks - Mongo

9. Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen

Don't Tell Anyone...But I Love K-Tel

By Penny Lane

Wow, 2016. Just...wow. I think this year will go down in history as not the year the music died, or the arts died, but just the year that everyone up and left us. It seems every week since the year started the news agencies are publishing in memorandums and obituaries for a wide array of celebrities.

In case you have been living under a rock, lets have a quick run down of some celebrities whose stars faded to black in 2016:

• Actor/Comedian Garry Shandling - March 24 at age 66

• Hockey legend Gordie Howe - June 10 at age 88

• Boxer Muhammad Ali - June 3 at age 74

• Musician Prince - April 21 at age 57

• Former First Lady Nancy Reagan - March 7 at age 94

• Author Harper Lee - February 19 at age 89

• Actor Alan Rickman - January 13 at age 69

• David Bowie - January 10 at age 69

I could go on and on, really. The list is lengthy.

Warren and I joked on a recent episode of Maximum Rhythm and Booze that every time we take an unscheduled hiatus from recording (which we took a few at the start of 2016), someone seems to keel over and die on us. Now, with me being the most organized of the show hosts, it's rare for me to miss a show - mostly it was due to Jonny's crazy schedule or Warren's inability to have Siri update his calendar for him (will those two every get along?). It's a cold day in hell when we have to postpone an episode of Maximum Rhythm in Booze because of me. So when I had to postpone recording an episode of the show in late April, I wondered - who would be next? Who would Maximum Rhythm and Booze send off to the great abyss?

Turns out I killed local Winnipeg legend and K-Tel founder Philip Kives!

Now, I know a good lot of you are scratching your head, all thinking 'who the fuck is Philip Kives and what the hell is K-Tel?"

Philip Kives is the amazing man who brought you the Miracle Brush, the Veg-o-matic and, best of all, K-tel Classics.

K-Tel Classics littered the record collections of every adult I knew growing up. They were as common as snow in winter and misquotes in the summer here in Winnipeg and were often my first introduction to much of the music I enjoy today. The first record I remember listening to over and over again was the now-cringe-worthy Mini Pops album, which featured a cover of the song Morning Train that I have memories of singing while skipping down the school hallway while I was in Kindergarten:

As odd and bizarre that this song, nay the whole concept of Mini Pops is now, I do have to give credit where credit is due. K-Tel helped culture my taste in music. Mini Pops aside, I often found myself listening to one of the many K-Tel compilation albums which gave me my first introduction to groups like T-Rex, Louie Armstrong, The Kinks, Sadie Shaw, Status Quo, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and more. Heck, the album Daffy Dances has a permanent place in my record collection and often gets pulled out at DJ nights and parties. With tracks like Dee Dee Sharps' Mashed Potato Time and Bob and Earl's Harlem Shuffle, how could I not?

Will my love of K-Tel lessen my 'credibility' as DJ? Probably. Will the fact that I've taken Daffy Dances to various clubs and have spun almost all the tracks on that album at Mod gigs put me in low standings with those who only thing you should DJ tracks off of the original 45s at Mod do's? I'm positive it will.

But you know what? I don't care. I owe a lot of my musical knowledge to Philip Kives and K-Tel records.

Go polish your Vespa or Lambretta while you debate again whether Mods wear trainers or not. I'm going to be in the kitchen making noddles out of cucumber with my Veg-o-matic while dancing around my kitchen to side two of Daffy Dances (which has a great cover of Land of 1000 Dances by Cannibal and the Headhunters).

RIP Philip Kives...

xxx PL