American Dogs in Europe- Stage Diving Daisy's Revenge

More than ten years ago I met a young woman who criticized my life choices. I presented the story in a song by ADZ called Stage Diving Daisy. The song was not a put down, but unfortunately was interpreted that way. I considered it more of an homage to the spirit of punk rock. However, the woman's voice, presented by none other than Josie Cotten, was sardonic and witty, and the song, while brilliant, did not accurately express its intention of celebration. In any event, it caused confusion.

I decided to try to restate the song by celebrating the young woman's growth as a human bein. Where she was once a young rebellious punk rock woman, she has followed her interests and is now has a PhD and helps people. 

Like me, she grew up in public, but she was the last of a generation that would grow up in printed word, as opposed as electronic media. 

Daisy's Revenge is simple, write your own rulebook. No need to explain, justify, or follow others. You are your own leader.

DAISY’S REVENGE

There was a time I was unaware

I’d lock my gaze on everything and glare

For no other reason than my will to be free

There was no power higher than the power in me

No need to justify

Or tell the truth when you look them in the eye

It’s our future, we have the tools

Might be there game but we make the rules.

In measured steps I’d play for time

In metered texts I’m looking for a rhyme

These riddles never made sense.

If I can’t break down walls, I’ll jump the fence

CD track 4

EP side two/ track one

Released on Concrete Jungle Records, Germany (click here)

Released August 3, 2012

Song by Song, Album by Album

I have decided to go through  catalogue on album at a time and explain what each song is about, as well as to share the lyrics for each. There is usually a back story, and I see no reason to let that all die with me. 

I have released lots of albums, and EPs, and even a single now and again. I wrote lots of songs, so I would imagine this will keep my busy for a long time. I think I will stick with songs I wrote the lyrics to, but I will share impressions and stories regarding others' songs, as well.

More than likely this will continue to be an online diary, as no one but me seems to read it anyway, ha ha. So, let's see if I can actually make this happen.

Sister Goddamn

Sometime around 1991 or so I was approached by Amy Wichman (formerly of the band KAOS- remember "Alcoholiday"?) to join her new project- as their singer; they would later become the Mini Skirt Mob. We began tracking some demos (the woderful Elmo Jackson and the Starfish Six cassette) with Bruce Duff, while Amy's band politely rehearsed without me (I suspect that Amy hadn't gotten a group consensus on my participation).

Both Amy and Bruce had played in the Jeff Dahl Group on the "Scratch Up Some Action" and "Vomit Wet Kiss" LPs (as well as on the later released live album) and after Jeff went solo they were both outjamming with other musicians. I was without a band, everything I was working on kinda fizzled out.

The demos Bruce, Amy, and I recorded eventually morphed into a band with Mat Young who had played drums in the Flower Leperds, Pinups, and Abandoned with me. The band would eventually become Sister Goddamn, named after a variation-combination of  the Velvet Underground's Sister Ray and the Bette Davis's book Mother Goddamn. 

We would end up playing together for five years, recording two albums (Portrait in Crayon, and Folk Songs of the Spanish Inquisition) for Triple X and Bitzcore, and then morphing into ADZ around 1996. By the time the second Sister goddamn CD was recorded Amy lefte the band (She recorded three songs before she moved on.) Three women finished out the album, with only the awesome Sylvia LaCroix actually seeing the band through to the end. In the summer of 1995 I went to Europe for the first time, doing double vocal duties with both ADZ and Sister Goddamn. We recorded both bands' sets at the Melkweg in Amsterdamn for an album that was never released.

I was watching this video, somehow recorded on a budget of zero by a guy that usually made videos for the Flaming Lips. How Bruce figured this one out is anyone's guess. I saw it posted, and it made me smile. Amy had such a joy de vivre. She would always peer over he cat eye glasses and say , "Indeed" like a snobby old battle  axe, and the Starfish 6 joke, which revolved around the mysterious disappearance of  the elder Elmo Jackson (thus reducing the Jackson 6 to the Jackson 5) combined with our absolute conviction that Bruce (Brooooooooose) was really Jacque Cousteau in hiding- was endless hours of uncontrolled laughter, while Bruce patiently stared at us and wondered if we'd both lost our minds..... 


I really miss her. 


To you, Amy. 









(These photos were taken at the sessions for Portrait in Crayon circa 1992 at Pendragon Studios, El Segundo, California. In the pics are Bruce, Amy, Mat, myseldf, and engineer Wild Bill Krodel. These photos most likely were taken on Bruce's camera.)