Badfinger VS Bob Dylan
New car commercial song plunders three more graves
Heh heh, as cool as it is to hear the Badfinger/Paul McCartney song "Come & Get It" in that new Buick Pontiac commercial every eight minutes, I can't help but laugh at how they leave out the more apropos lyric …
Why Jackson Browne Hates Former Reader Contrib Richard Meltzer, plus Local Website Review: Pepperland
A Tragical History Tour, plus some trippy 'toons and famous cartoon neighbors
WHY JACKSON BROWNE HATES FORMER READER CONTRIB RICHARD MELTZER The first time Jackson Browne was profiled Rolling Stone [June 22, 1972], Richard Meltzer did the interview. Meltzer had earlier written about Browne in 1968, for the San Diego based Crawdaddy …
Midnight Movies: A Local History, Part 1 - the '80s
MIDNIGHT MOVIES, A LOCAL HISTORY: The '80s Part 1 July 29, 1983, Ken Cinema: First Known “Shadowcast” Fan Participation at a screening of Phantom of the Paradise! The Rocky Horror Picture debuted as a midnight movie at OB’s Strand Theater in …
Judas Priest's Nostradamus - My Prediction, plus Swing Dancer VS Juno, Local Music Collector
Local swing dancer REALLY hates Juno
THE (NEWEST) RETURN OF JUDAS PRIEST – MY PREDICTION Judas Priest is putting the finishing touches on their double-album rock opera, “Nostradamus.” =sigh= Will I ever tell the grandkids about how I – along with a hundred like-minded miscreants - …
GigSanDiego - New Musician Resource Courtesy of Tubby Drummer Bill Ray
NEW LOCAL MUSICIAN RESOURCE On his website GigSanDiego.com, local drummer Bill Ray explains “Gig San Diego was created by professional musicians, for professional musicians. It is (currently) an open-registration format that caters to the musician who actively plays gigs in …
Backstage Moocher - Living Off Rock Stars, plus YouTube Gems: Weird San Diego
Offbeat views 'round town
BACKSTAGE RAIDER – HE MOOCHES MEALS FROM ROCK STARS “When Axl Rose found out I ate his sub sandwich, he was ready to kill someone,” says “Tweeter Donruss” (not his real name, ‘natch). He’s recalling for me one backstage party …
Backstage Diplomat - He Removes the Brown M&Ms, plus Local Website Review: Karaoke Kings
HE REMOVES THE BROWN M&MS – BACKSTAGE DIPLOMAT Brian Lewis didn’t hire the entertainment while serving as venue manager for Humphrey’s bar and concert showcase on Shelter Island. However, he feels the experience he gained there from 1990 to 1992 …
The Day Beach Boy Brian Wilson Got Busted in Balboa Park
Beach Boy bust, plus Saturday morning music television, pre-MTV
THE DAY BRIAN WILSON GOT BUSTED AS A VAGRANT IN BALBOA PARK SUMMER 1978: BRIAN WILSON was picked up by cops as a vagrant in Balboa Park... In late 1976, mercurial Beach Boy Brian Wilson was complaining about round-the-clock “treatment” …
The Day the Monkees Turned Del Mar Into Clarksville
THE DAY THE MONKEES TURNED DEL MAR INTO CLARKSVILLE 42 years ago (9-11-66), Del Mar was renamed “Clarksville” for the day, as part of a promotion for the Monkees TV show, which would debut the following …
Why Mexicans Hated Elvis, plus Celeb Sighting: Pam Anderson
Pam Anderson caught shopping at the Swap Meet.
WHY MEXICANS HATED ELVIS! May 1959: While Elvis Presley’s popularity in the U.S. was arguably at its all-time peak, Mexico was in the midst of a huge anti-Elvis backlash. Tijuana tabloids called him a racist and homosexual, after the singer …
Worst Musical Halloween Costumes Ever, plus Meet the Mansonites
Encounters with Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten
WORST MUSICAL HALLOWEEN COSTUMES EVER This year, Hannah Montana costumes are big, and more than a little creepy.... ******* AND JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE, HERE’S WHY YOUR PET HATES YOU and will someday kill you as you sleep: …
Backstage Rider Collection: 50 Rock Star Contracts, plus Virtual Balboa
BACKSTAGE RIDER COLLECTION EARTH WIND & FIRE are comprised of fourteen players and singers (including current bandleader Philip Bailey), earning around $28,000 per performance. That doesn’t include the cost of items appearing on the band’s backstage rider, with requirements for …
Judge Judy Takes On the Belly Up Tavern
JUDGE JUDY VS THE BELLY UP TAVERN So I was watching an afternoon repeat of Judge Judy (I like it when she yells at dumbasses), and lo and behold the episode involved the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. It …
Celebrity House Hunting in San Diego, plus Local Website Review: Mosh King
THE CELEBRITY HOUSE HUNTER “I am the Breadman, he is the Walrus, goo goo ka joob…” Real estate broker Jeff Paiste has squired several famous musicians around San Diego in their search for decent digs to lease or rent, including …
New Kids on the Block Versus Revolutionary Comics
Boy Band's litigious history with local company NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK VS REVOLUTIONARY COMICS (Here's one of the very first published comic stories ever drawn by superstar artist Stuart Immonen, later famed for his work on Superman, Supergirl, etc.) …
Komplete Kiss Komix Kronicles - Local Company's Kiss Comic Books
The Inside Story of a locally-produced Kiss comic book line
THE KOMPLETE KISS KOMIX KRONICLES I decided to compile a bunch of stuff I’ve done about working with Kiss on a comic book series, along with a bunch of never-before-seen artifacts from the Kiss Komix archives AND an article by …
Rock 'N' Roll Comics: The Inside Story of a Local Publishing Empire
I told Todd Loren in 1988 that I thought his newest brainstorm was the dumbest idea I’d ever heard Comic books about rock and roll bands? I'd seen it already. In the Seventies, Marvel Comics released two magazine-sized Marvel Super …
75 Secrets About 75 San Diego Musicians
We asked 75 musicos to tell us something few would know or guess ----- 75 SECRETS ABOUT 75 SAN DIEGO MUSICIANS GAYLE SKIDMORE: “One thing people are always surprised by is that I enjoy backpacking and surfing. I guess I …
Rocker Chicks Do San Diego, plus Browsing the Boards
“It’s not easy being a chick rocker,” says Vv Loveland of Scary Mary. “One time at Scolari’s, when I went up to play, this guy shows me his penis while I’m onstage. He was drunk and dancing and jiggling it …
Carnal Comics - the Inside Story, by Jay Allen Sanford
Local Comic Publisher Reveals the Secrets of Carnal Success I blame Gene Simmons. Yes, that Gene Simmons, bassist and founding dragonlord of Kiss. Gene was a fan of Revolutionary Comics Rock N Roll Comics line, which I began writing for …
Pacific Comics: The Inside Story of a Local '80s Comic Publisher
The Rocketeer and other famous '80s comics began right here in San Diego.... 1 – Pacific Comics: The inside story of a legendary local comic book company (including a history of indie comics and the Creator’s Rights revolution) 2 - …
Comics and Censorship: A Local-Centric Illustrated History
Don't Be Afraid, It's Only a Comic Book! DON’T BE AFRAID, IT’S ONLY A COMIC BOOK! How dangerous can a comic book be? Very, some would say. Dangerous to the imagination. Dangerous to literature. Dangerous to commerce. Dangerous to developing …
Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology: Inside Story of a Local Twilight Zone Spin-Off
Twilight Zone and Star Trek writer George Clayton Johnson presents... In the early ‘90s, I wrote and edited a comic book series called The Deepest Dimension Terror Anthology, the brainchild of original Twilight Zone writer George Clayton Johnson. It was …
Before It Was The Gaslamp: PS
More RE June 21st cover feature
The Reader's June 21st cover feature "Before It Was The Gaslamp" detailed the local life and turbulent times of Vince Miranda. In the '70s, Miranda ran a string of downtown grindhouse movie theaters and owned several flophouse hotels (as well …
The Birth of Image Comics - An Illustrated History
The inside story of a local powerhouse comic publisher ------ THE BIRTH OF IMAGE COMICS Image Comics took the Creator’s Rights revolution sparked by Pacific Comics in the ‘80s, and essentially changed the way comic books are made and how …
The Day Nirvana Played at Off the Record 10-24-91, plus YouTube Shat
Nirvana Does OTR, plus DIY ShatFest!
Nirvana Does OTR, plus DIY ShatFest! THE DAY NIRVANA PLAYED OFF THE RECORD: 10-24-91 Ticket and photos of Nirvana at OTR 10-24-91 Who doesn't miss the staple-infested LP bins of Off The Record's late lamented Hillcrest locale? Those beat up …
The Day Jimi Hendrix Came to Town 5-24-69: Noel Redding Interview
Hendrix Does Diego, plus the Kitsch Family Robinson
Hendrix Does Diego, plus the Kitsch Family Robinson THE DAY JIMI HENDRIX CAME TO TOWN: 5-24-69 May 1969: Two hundred years after Father Junípero Serra founded the first California mission on Presidio Hill, San Diego celebrated its bicentennial. The Ferry …
Star Trek: The Continuing Mission - Interview with Patrick McCray
Sith Apprentice co-star on the new internet Trek series
STAR TREK: The Continuing Mission “I don't know how long the story will last,” emailed Patrick McCray awhile back, “but the show on which I'm a producer, STAR TREK: THE CONTINUING MISSION, is a top story on the entertainment …
LOCAL JOCK SAYS HE WAS STALKED - A REAL LIFE "PLAY MISTY FOR ME"?
The dark side of audiological obsession formed the basis of the 1971 Clint Eastwood thriller "Play Misty For Me" (the actor's directorial debut). Portraying a jazz radio DJ for station KRML in Carmel California, Eastwood's character finds his life upended by a high-strung female fan who repeatedly calls his show to request her favorite song...
LOCAL JOCK SAYS HE WAS STALKED - A REAL LIFE "PLAY MISTY FOR ME"? With help from fellow Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics writer Spike Steffenhagen, I browsed a stack of local music-related lawsuit files and found a bunch of fascinating …
THE OB RANGER RIDES AGAIN: RETURN OF A ‘70S COUNTERCULTURE HERO
“We were going after the progressive rock or the album rock crowd,” says radio DJ and programming vet Gary Allyn about his early seventies on-air gig in San Diego.
THE OB RANGER RIDES AGAIN: RETURN OF A ‘70S COUNTERCULTURE HERO “We were going after the progressive rock or the album rock crowd,” says radio DJ and programming vet Gary Allyn about his early seventies on-air gig in San Diego. …
JIM McINNES: THE LAST DJ
"There goes the last DJ/who plays what he wants to play/and says what he wants to say/there goes your freedom of choice/there goes the last human voice/there goes the last DJ" -- lyrics from "The Last DJ," by Tom Petty
JIM McINNES: THE LAST DJ "There goes the last DJ/who plays what he wants to play/and says what he wants to say/there goes your freedom of choice/there goes the last human voice/there goes the last DJ" -- lyrics from "The …