Happy 43rd Birthday New Hope for the Wretched!

The Plasmatics album New Hope for the Wretched came out 43 years ago today on Stiff Records.

Let's hear a track.

The Metal of My Hell - I Speak Machine

A year or so back I went to see Gary Numan with my buddy Rachel. The opening act was a single human begin backed by her husband on production - I Speak Machine.


I was really, deeply impressed by the performance. This is possibly the best song by I Speak Machine but it's far from the only good one. Great stuff, and I really hope they'll perform again near me soon.

The Brevity of Rock-and-Roll - the Great Heathen Army

Want to get a good understanding of the basics of the Great Heathen Army invasion of England, the campaigns of Ivar the Boneless, Alfred the Great, and Edmund the Martyr?

Take 40 minutes and watch these two videos:

Battle of Ashdown, 871 ⚔️ Alfred the Great takes on the Viking 'Great Heathen Army' ⚔️ Part 1/2

Battle of Edington, 878 ⚔️ How did Alfred the Great defeat the Vikings and help unite England? Pt2/2

Or spend 3:33 and listen to Barbarian by The Darkness. Dave Barry had it right. Leader of the Pack is basically an opera on a compressed scale. Rock and Roll does it faster, if not better. Here is your 3:33 Viking History Lesson.

I'm sure I've said this before, but this video launched my fandom of The Darkness. I loved their early stuff, but then moved on. Years later I had a wild hair and just took a look at what they were up to, discovered Barbarian, and I was off. I haven't regretted a minute of it since.

I Like the Cover Better - Hi-Standard - Can't Help Falling In Love

The original of this song is pretty sappy, but also just flat-out good.



The cover?

Well, it just makes me happier. I love the thick accent but clear enunciation of Ken Yokoyama.





Just as a sidebar, I had a sweetheart when I was younger that I was totally enamoured with. It didn't end up going anywhere useful, except that she really hated Elvis. I didn't think much of him. But just to be annoying to her - boys'll do that to girls they like - I started to turn up Elvis whenever he'd come on the radio instead of switching him off. In the process, I started to really appreciate his voice and presentation.

Favorite Punk Guitar Riffs

Someone I follow on Instagram asked for favorite punk guitar riffs. I had opinions. This isn't exhaustive, but it's what came to mind at the moment I saw it:


The Ramones - Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
The Damned - New Rose
Rancid - Avenues and Alleyways
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
Television - See No Evil
Misfits - Last Caress
Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
The Saints - Stranded
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
The Undertones - Gotta Getta



With some more thought I'd have included:

The Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
The Blue Hearts - Owaranai Uta

and of course, the song this blog is named for:

The Dictators - Who Will Save Rock and Roll?

Tom Waits - Going Out West

You might remember this song from Tom Waits as the song that plays as Brad Pitt and Ed Norton head downstairs at Lou's for a meeting of fight club.

Best comment on this video? "This song is the physical form of whiskey" - I can't argue much with that.

Hawkwind - Kings of Speed (Live)

A nice live version of Kings of Speed by Hawkwind: