 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YGM'S New Release |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This release, a split single by Youth Gone Mad (Ena Kostabi) is one incredible piece of punk rock history. Now, let me explain something - I knew Joey Ramone on an acquaintance level, I am friends with Ena Paul Kostabi, I also am good friends with Cheetah Chrome (who appears on the b/w here) and most importantly in this case, I was very close to Lee Marie Rivera, who is now no longer with us. She's in punk rock heaven along with Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon, Stiv Bators, Rocket's Redglare and a whole pantheon of other great deceased punk |
|
|
|
|
|
rockers. Lee Marie was Cheetah's girlfriend for years, I always used to see them together back in the day here in NYC. Their relationship was truly self-destructive but I honestly believe their love was genuine. That is all I will say about their relationship because it is Cheetah's business and I have utmost respect. Anyway, Cheetah (who does guitar on the backside of this split single - this song is called, ironically, Youth Gone Mad and the band is called False Alarm!) The music is fantastic. Meatball Sandwich - which Lee Marie played for me back in 1996, the year it was recorded (written by Paul Kostabi and Joey Ramone in 1990) on an inexpensive cassette player along with Cheetah's song Used to Be Fun is an amazingly cool tune, really catchy with great hooks and an irresistible chorus (meeeeeeaatballllllllll sandwich...). False Alarm's song is equally cool and the production quality is great as usual on the whole thing.
Lee Marie's story unfortunately is tragic and very sad. She was hospitalized in the late 90s for an illness which was treatable and told what not to do in order to survive. She chose to leave hospital and that night died in her sleep... I miss Lee Marie very much, as she was a good friend of mine. In fact, we almost ended up as a couple in 96 but it wasn't in the cards, and she ended up with someone who was no good for her and in the long run contributed to her demise. So very sad. Lee Marie was an Old School punk from NYC (the Punk Rock Mecca - with CBGBs as its centre) who was in the legendary all-girl punk group Scab... this was in the early 80s and, along with Scum Goddess, another all-girl punk act, made the East Village punk scene great in those days. She was very happy to have recorded this duet with Joey Ramone, I remember her playing it for me in a park on 16th St in Manhattan. She also took me home that year (nothing happened) and showed me alot of hers and Cheetah's stuff from their tumultuous time together. I'll always remember her, she was a sweet girl who died much too soon - like so many, many other punks as we all know.
|
|
|
|
This text is dedicated to Lee Marie Rivera and Joey Ramone, who are now singing this song happily together and Dee Dee, Johnny, Jerry, Stiv, Sid, and all the rest of them are supplying the music. Punks are like a flame that burns bright but very quickly...
|
|
|
|
Michel Solis - "Feel Better Now" |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
A lot can be said about Michel Solis' various talents - website designer, incredibly gifted guitarist, highly skilled photographer/painter... and also an extremely clever songwriter with an effective vocal style. The two songs on the CD single "Feel Better Now" have received accolades from California to New York to Germany - and that's just what I've heard... and I have to say that I agree. The style has been compared to Ron Wood, as well as the Rolling Stones
(in their good stages) and even though I'm no big fan |
|
|
|
|
|
of the Stones or Wood's solo incarnations, I like this material. This is essentially a prelude to an entire full-length CD that will be released hopefully sooner than later - if I were you I would get my hands on this CD single from Wanker Records (Germany) as soon as I could. It is a catchy and hook laden pair of songs that go under a cleverly titled package here - go to Wanker's official website (on my links page) and hear what I'm talking about! |
|
|
|
Return to Homepage |
|