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LOVE ROCK AWAITS YOU!
 "CHICKS-DRUGS-ALCOHOL-ROCK'N"ROLL!!! I KNOW WHAT I LIKE!"
Boss Of Bosses,
Zodiac Mindwarp,
lays it all out succinctly in the first verse of his killer
title track, "Rock Savage", so roll over Dr. Bob, and tell Bill W. the
news!
I so utterly loved "Jane In Blue" (and Helsinki Motorcycles, too, come to
think of it!) off the last album, "I AM ROCK", that I think I actually had
some cruel words with my Brother Sleaze when he unintentionally left my
contribution off his tribute to Z (I had intended to cover either "Jane In
Blue", or "Planet Girl", with one of my many disbanded rock groups, or
whichever hoodlums what wuz hangin' around) until SG patiently reminded me
that I was homeless when the comp. was being mixed and mastered, and
pretty much in a total blackout, the entire year before that. I love Z, of
course, I been a dedicated love reactor since, oh, 1987, or so. I recently
heard a copy of "Tattooed Beat Messiah" on used CD, though, and the dated
production just sounded insufferably crap, all canny and cheap, like
Faster Pussycat's first record, so I'm overjoyed the psychotronic love
commando is releasing new music again. Rumour had it Z was in the hospital
last year, and I was worried. He's like, the Godfather of Flash Metal
Suicide rock.
Word around the bonfire has it Dramarama's got a brand new studio album
in stores right now called, "Everybody Dies", so it's lookin' alot like
'06
is gonna be a better year for real rock'n'roll with heart, and guts, and
songs, than the all-time, dismal low of '05, the year everyone tried to
make
me like Green Day to no avail. I can name every contemporary band I've
sorta given a shit about recently off the toppa my sparking skull---uh,
Fat Nancy, TSAR, the Favours, Silver, Hurricane Party (I think they
changed their name
to Roadstar) and the Revolvers outta Germany...see? I'm already reaching.
You hear good things about Red Invasion, but I can't find their records
nowhere. The only album I thoroughly dug last year was Billy Idol's
"Devil's Playground", so I'm delighted to see the Old Guard steadily
reemerging to reclaim our music culture.
Am I the only aging jetboy left alive who's sortof a sucker for this
cagey old barbarian's sweeter, more cerebral, spaced-out, sentimental side?
I
mean there's just so, so many of those interchangable metal mooks milkin'
the whole moronic, potty mouthed, "all hat, no cow", hedonistic devil-hun
shtick who are all so obviously, green little phonies, that I tend to
gravitate immediately towards ZODIAC's smarter, more romantic, poppier
shit.
Having said that, it
was still refreshing to hear Zod's "Rock Savage"
manifesto in these neutered, dreary, straight edge hours. Z's one of the
last of the real rock savages, since Hunter Thompson sadly cashed in his
chips. We're an endangered species. Z's a sly devil, who sometimes, kinda
tends to lose his higher self in the outrage for outrage's sake cartoon
shockery of his hilariously perverse books, and can't decide whether he's
a
savior, or a menace, kinda like Alice Cooper in the 70's. He's not always
sure which side of the yin yang equation he's representing, and I see why
Black Halo, Billy Rebel, rents Z's bedroom slippered preeminence, and
righteously suggests on the Sleazegrinder msg. board, that Z ceases
glamourizing the duct taped sodomy of 13 year olds, but Z's a complicated
character. He's alot like a Jerry Lee Lewis from outer space, with a devil
on one shoulder, and an angel on the other. He hears the call of the Lord,
but still wants to play the devil's music-he's always wrestling with the
schizophrenic duality of his nature-he's part debauched super villain
and social deviant--part protective Father and "Love Will Conquer All"
rock
redeemer. Z's beyond our tawdry concepts of good and evil-he's the
Grooviest Of The Groovies!
"Rock Savage" is his best full-length album so far-it's brimming over
with this Northern Boy's suave crooning, and glammish, Spiders From Mars
style new wavey torch songs to lover's lost. Cobalt Stargazer, Zodiac's
longtime partner-in-grime; triumphantly, plays all these regal,
Ronsonesque, jeweled, guitar leads that bleed cosmic all over their glistening new
songs, and would remind summa my old cohorts of Generation X. The basic
drum machine really works wonders on this record. It gives the songs a
really
cool, stripped down, 70's Iggy Pop feel (Think: Party, Zombie Birdhouse,
New
Values.) A couple tunes remind me of Sour Jazz, with more hair on their
chest. This is exactly the kinda record I was always waitin' for Mindwarp
to
make. He's melded all his stardusted Bolan/Bowie melodies seemlessly with
his Motorhead/Stooges primal raunch, there's really great songs, and a
wonderfully listenable production. This album will be driving my
girlfriend
bats for months to come. If you've been craving some inspirational songs
of
shimmering, snarly beauty and untamed, belligerant, gutter-grace, I urge
you
to seek out your nearest "Rock Savage" as fast as you can. Our beloved old
scoundrel's in a really reflective and soulful state of mind on this.
Y'know
how I've been bitchin' and bitchin' about "where's the love rock?"
incessantly? The good news is Zodiac Mindwarp's bringin' it all back
again.
He's come down from the mountain top, all painted blue, naked, combat
boots, bone through the nose, with a message of love and harmony and hope
and redemption, for all us true believers. LOVE CONQUERS ALL! So Take
Heart, boogie children, ZODIAC MINDWARP ALREADY SLAYED THE KING OF THE
WOLVES: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
It's like Aslan's returned to Narnia. "Ahhh-oooooooh! Ahhhhh--oooooooh!"
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