TSOL Singer Jack Grisham Has New Book Out; Exploring Run for Senate in 2012

This is Jack. In my car.

Jack Grisham, lead singer for the popular 80’s punk/goth band TSOL, has a new book out.

“An American Demon: A Memoir” is a sometimes touching, mostly cringe-worthy book  detailing the evolution of Grisham’s life. Between dysfunctional family issues, the 80’s punk scene, religion, surfing, addiction, and cross-dressing, Jack’s neurotic story-telling combined with his unabashed hilarity makes this a “must-read” even for non-punk fans. Buy the book at Amazon.com.

In other Jack news, our hero is exploring the possibility of running for the senate in 2012 under the social-democrat platform. In 2003, he ran for governor of California but lost to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Old punks remember that during the the early years of TSOL, Grisham was an outspoken anarchist, and his lyrics were often highly critical of the government. Songs such as “Abolish Government/Silent Majority,” “Peace Thru Power,” and “Property Is Theft” were standard in TSOL’s song sets. Grisham later changed his anti-government stance, stating, “What I realized about anarchy is that we are not responsible enough to be anarchist. There’s no way possible. We’re not responsible enough to be that. That’s a heavy concept.” For those paying attention, yes this came straight from his Wikipedia article, but I wrote most of his Wiki it so it’s cool.

LA/OC folks… go check out Jack’s book release party in Long Beach on May 1st. Details here.

Here is a young Jack with TSOL making a fashion statement. Now decades later, he still dresses with flair and still has that crazy head of hair!

Back to Death Blogging… Elizabeth Taylor has Died

Bye bye!

Actress Elizabeth Taylor has died at 79. The cause of death was heart failure.

Yes you probably already know this, and like me, you have probably never seen a movie she was in. But what I do know is that she was married like a million times, a good friend of the late Michael Jackson, and was branded on a perfume that is sold in high-end department stores but smells like a cross between dead flowers and sulfur.

The big question is… When the fuck is Zsa Zsa going to die? At least I have her in my death pool.

Arrest Warrant Sought for British Minister of Defense for Threats Against Gaddafi

By Ro Hurley
March 21, 2011 10:00 PM CT

LONDON, England – On Tuesday, March 22, 2011, Muammar al-Gaddafi’s  attorney Giovanni Di Stefano will appear before the London Magistrates Court to seek an arrest warrant against Liam Fox, Britain’s Minister of Defense.

According to the British newspaper THE DAILY MAIL, Fox reportedly called Gaddafi a “legitimate target” and threatened a “Bunker buster” aimed at Gaddafi’s hideout in Tripoli.

While preparing documents for tomorrow’s court appearance to officially request a warrant of arrest against Fox, Di Stefano stated,

“We cannot allow this kind of behaviour which is contrary to the law of the land since 1861. It falls well outside the ambit of any UN Resolution and wholly without merit. I will seek his immediate resignation as a person now subject to a criminal charge.”

Today U.S. General Carter Ham stated that air strikes will slow within the next few days due to lack of participation and support by Libyan rebels who initially started the revolt against Gaddafi and his military.

Colonel Gaddafi’s Attorney Appeals to UN Claiming Misuse of Security Council Resolution Against Libya

Muammar al-Gaddafi at the AU summit

LONDON, England — As the U.S. and European allies begin airstrikes against Libya, Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s attorney has contacted the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon requesting intervention over the US and UK’s abuse of the UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

In a letter to UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, Attorney Giovanni Di Stefano  protested the attacks against Libya claiming,

“We must ask that action be taken on this forthwith because it seems to us that both recidivist countries are simply sponsoring a civil war, supporting those that oppose Col. Gaddafi and pretending with the similar masquerade of hypocricy exhibited in the Yugoslav conflict and Iraq for their own gain and purposes.”

Along with the letter sent to Ki-Moon, Di Stefano forwarded a letter previously sent to International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo citing crimes against humanity by the U.S. and U.K. in their alliance to force a regime change in Libya.

Even though thousands of regime supporters have gathered in Tripoli along with the Libyan military in order to receive weapons and defend themselves against the U.S. and U.K. invasion, President Obama stated,

“Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians our coalition is prepared to act, and to act with urgency”

Besides the U.K., other U.S. allies are currently  positioning forces to join in the strikes against Libya. Such allies include Italy, France, Canada and Denmark. Germany is standing by but has not yet deployed forces to assist in the strikes against Libya.

Free Online Documentary Films

When you get a chance, check out topdocumentaryfilms.com. I’m a documentary addict, and this site has hundreds of commercial-free films to choose from.

My favorite so far… Outlaw Comic: The Censoring of Bill Hicks. It’s completely worth sitting through Janeane Garofalo’s pretentious babbling to hear Hicks call Rush Limbaugh a “scat-muncher.” Even Al Franken didn’t have the cojones to do that.

Thai Start-Up Airline Looking for Ladyboys to Service Customers

New Thai airline PC Air is recruiting flight attendants. Applications are accepted fro all genders – male, female, and katoeys (Thai for “cross-dressing males” and also “trans-gendered” individuals).

Using the slogan, “I Believe it’s ‘My Way,'” this ballsy new direction opens a new employment options for Thailand’s “third sex” claimed the company’s CEO Peter Chan. Hiring requirements are as follows:

• Thai nationality
• Age not over 27 years old
• Bachelor degree graduated in any field
• Height not less than 160 (female), 170 (male) with proportional weight
• Excellent communication skills – both Thai and English
• Smart personality with positive and caring attitude
• Able to swim (minimum of 50 meters)

Bachelor’s degree?

Blow Popped at LAX With “Anomaly in His Pants.” Luckily, no Crack was Exposed.

Ok so this happened in early December but I don’t know how I missed it. I’m writing about it now solely to showcase my HILARIOUS headline-writing skills.

December 2, 2010: Rapper Kurtis Blow was ticketed at the TSA security checkpoint at LAX after body-scanning technology detected “an anomaly in his pants.”  The TSA determined that a closer look at the small package in his pants was necessary. The anomaly turned out to be less than one ounce of weed – not enough to detain him. So Mr. Blow was ticketed and sent on to his flight.

Good thing the anomaly in his pants was so small.

Drummer Alex Kirst Killed in Hit and Run Accident

Alex Kirst (far right), the drummer for the iconic 1990’s band The Nymphs, was killed on January 13 in a hit-and-run car accident in which he was a pedestrian. He was 47 years old.

The Nymphs time was sadly short-lived as trouble with their record label Geffen along with some band member’s battles with drugs and alcohol lead to their early break-up in 1992. Since then, Alex and his guitarist brother Whitey Kirst played occasionally for punk-rock godfather Iggy Pop. Whitey said in a statement,

“I’m devastated. Just devastated. He was my big brother. He’s dynamite. He’s great. I loved playing with my brother, and since I was a kid, I always wanted to do that and I got to do that.”

Check out their only release in 1991 called “The Nymphs”.

On a personal note, In the 1990’s The Nymphs sold out every venue they played. I remember waiting in line with Mike Watt (The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Iggy and the Stooges), Raymond Pettibon (artist), and Ricky Sepulveda (Guitarist for Lawndale and Nervous Gender) at Raji’s on Hollywood Boulevard when all of a sudden the fire marshal came to shut down the venue. We all scattered and ended up drinking in a seedy TV bar where the “ladies” were interested in Raymond and Mike Watt. They ignored me, and they hated Ricky.  But then again, most women hated Ricky.

 

Musician Gerry Rafferty Died

Gerry Rafferty, lead singer/guitarist for the Scottish band “Stealers Wheel” then later a solo artist has died at age 63. The cause of death was liver failure brought on by years of excessive drinking.

Rafferty was best known for his songs, “Baker Street” and “Stuck in the Middle.”

 

5 Years Ago Today: House of Freaks Singer/Guitarist Bryan Harvey, His Wife Kathryn, and Daughters Stella and Ruby Were Murdered

It was New Year’s Day 2006 when the Harvey family Bryan (49), Katheryn (39), Stella (9), and Ruby (4), were brutally murdered in the basement of their home.

Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott (Hott is a family name – not a stage name) were a popular indie musical duo from Richmond, Virginia called “House of Freaks.” I first ran across them circa 1986 at McCabe’s Guitar shop in Santa Monica where (I think) they opened for fIREHOSE and I became an instant fan. When their first album “Monkey on a Chain Gang” came out, I loved it so much it became the only album I have ever purchased in vinyl, cassette, and CD. To this day, it is one of my top 5 favorite albums (tied with Love’s self titled album). Here is one of the few videos I could find on the band.

The killings, dubbed the “Richmond Spree Murders”, were committed over a 7-day period by ex-cons Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Javon Gray.  Dandridge and Gray brutally murdered seven people including the Harvey family. Ultimately they were caught and are both confessed. They were both sentenced to death and are currently waiting on the court appeals process.

If you knew Bryan or Kathryn Harvey, or have photos of them and are willing to release them for publication, please call (310) 439-9979 to leave a message or email me at editor@zzzlist.com.