Treat Me Like Dirt

Liz Worth interviewed as many first wave Toronto punks as she could find. She organized their story telling into chapters based around event and ways to describe the scene. The result is an anecdotal story telling by the characters that made up that scene. It is brilliant because punk is an oral history and Liz uses their quotes to retell their stories. She doesn't re-write or paraphrase or even use rock journalism techniques. Instead she gathers quotes by the folks involved in the incidents and has them tell the story. There is always more than one story teller so they go back and forth and you get a perspective on the folk lore and legends of Toronto. Gary Topp, Colin Brunton, Steve Leckie, members of Teenage Head, members of the Diodes, members of the Ugly, and loads of other unsung bands that made up the scene. She hads done an incredible job here of bringing the stories back to life. And Gary Pig Gold of the Pig Paper assists in the editting and Ralph Alfonso publishes this on Bongo Beat Records so this has more than gone through the first wave filter of fact checking. You can be assured that the stories in here are accurate.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Mr. McGloob (Self-Released)

TEENAGE HEAD WITH MARKY RAMONE - Top Down (Sonic Unyon)
UV RAYS - Into the Night (Feral Kid)
RAVING MOJOS - Yeah-Yeah-uh-Huh (Self-Released)
NARCOLEPTIC YOUTH - 86 the Crap (Dr. Strange)
STATUES - Husbands and Wives (Deranged)
DANGERLOVES - Young Pretender (Static Shock)

TERMINALS - New York Girls (Self-Released)
MOTHERFUCKERS - Punk Like Skabby (Handsome Dan)
CONSTANT STATE OF TERROR – As the Net Closes in (Self-Released)
YOINASEETON POHJOLA – Nuorisomellakka ’90 (Tuska ja Ahdistus)
NO SUBSTANCE – Comfortable Disease (Self-Released)

FIX MY HEAD - Fuck Evan (Vinyl Addict)
THE BREAKS - 1907 (Firestarter)
RESOLVE - Break Free (Commitment)
TAKE CONTROL - Fuck the Consequences / In Step (Commitment)
BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Another day / Growth (Commitment)
SISTA SEKUNDEN - Idol (Instigate)

Studio 3 Session
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Mr. McGloob (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Limp Generation (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Hip Tail (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Stavrogin (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Nope (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Bull Tits (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Schadenfreude (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Dumb then Dead (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Cunt (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - A. Fish (CIUT)

URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Schadenfreude (Self-Released)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - Interview (CIUT)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION - A. Fish (Self-Released)

Flyer - Thursday June 29, 2006

The Screwed play the Horseshoe with the Raving Mojos and Deja Voodoo.

Zine - EXD, VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2

When I was first getting into the Toronto hardcore scene I would often see the Raving Mojos opening up for someone in town. Blair Martin wore this unmistakable tartan beret. Greg Dick does an interview with them as the first in a series of Toronto's original wave in our local scene. Another previously unpublished interview by Daragh hayes with Itlay's Negazione. This interview was done on the first date of their "Little Drummer" tour back in 1987. There was also an interview with Josh Boundy who was George Stromboulopolous' right hand behind Punk-O-Rama which was the only commercial punk radio show that aired on the Edge. Andy Nolan of Endless Blockade fame did a report on the Super Sabada Gigante fest which was a power violence fest back in 2003. There was a label profile on a label from Philly called Ed Walters. And also did a brief interview about Shank, his previous band from Scotland. There are reviews and show listings from February 2003.

Zine - Mute Elation

Mute Elation was a punk fanzine from Toronto. This issue looks like it came out at the end of 1986 based on some of the gigs that they covered and when those happened in Toronto. This was not the first issue as content alludes to continuing of features and written pieces in previous issues. There is a significant amount nof content dedicated to writing in the form of poetry and fiction writing and even an interview with a writer. But there is also lots of punk and post punk content. I really like that the issue starts out with a scene update on Toronto, which provides a snapshot of some things happening at the time. This report mentions the Forgotten Rebels, the Dundrells, The Daleks, The Purple Toads, Ameoba Quiche, and Bratty and the Babysitters.

There are extensive multi page reviews on gigs at the time starting out with Iggy Pop who played the Concert Hall on November 9th, 1986. The Rebels opened up that show and the reviewer is quite harsh on them. Iggy Pop's back up band doesn't fair much better, but Iggy gets credit. The review is followed by a review of the "Blah Blah Blah" LP.

DOA played at the RPM on October 2nd, 1986. I actually went to that show and took photos which I posted on the EXD blog. The review complains about the hardcore kids slam dancing and that wasn't such a big part of the show. The RPM was a huge place and there didn't seem to be the scale where kids could slam so it wasn't as bad as the reviewer makes it out to be. But the show was not the best DOA show I had ever seen either.

There is a glowing show review of a Shreikback show which sees a full page photo repeated on the back cover. This is also accompanied by a review of their Big Night Music" LP. Lou Reed played at Kingswood which was the outdoor venue at amusement park known as Wonderland out in Maple. There is also a show review of a Psychic TV show that took place at the Diamond Club (August 11th). The reviewer was disappointed by this show.

The main feature of this issue is an interview with Blair Martin of the Raving Mojos. It was after the Mojos had broken up and Blair had some great insight into a number of things. Blair writes about how the Brits re-interpreated the Ramones version of punk with a little too much theatre and as a result got the speed confused for wanting not to sing. Blair talks about being the original drummer for the Androids and filling on for Teenage Head for one tour on drums. It is an amazing piece. Blair had assembled a band with members of Youth Youth Youth, Living Proof, and Mick Slick, but I don't think they played out.

There is other local content that features a piece on Richard Carstens who I know as the guy who wrote most of the No Mind album. He was the guitarist in Funhouse, Afhaken, and Madhouse and at the time was playing in Sun Zoom Spark, which is the band that Alisdair from No Mind played in. Richard also writes some pieces in this issue. He wrote one of the only interviews I have read about Neon Rome. This is the band that John Borra of the Screwed started out in. The first half of this interview is a made up story by the singer about how the band met. The other interview I read in Nerve about Neon Rome had a similar fiction telling pattern. The interview does disclose that their album ad been recorded by the time and that Comfort Sounds had recorded it.

There is a piece on a new U.I.C. album titled "Our Garage", a review of Fifth Column's "To Sir with Hate", and a funny interview with Erica Ehm, who was a VJ on Much Music at the time. Great time capsule on Toronto.

This piece is courtesy of Dhaibid james archives. Dhaibid hosts Moondog's Ballroom on CIUT.

MRR - Toronto scene report

Vic Notorious gives us another great scene report with updates on Direct Action, BFG and the DMZ, Negative Gain, Sudden Impact, Raving Mojos, the Forgotten Rebels, the Questionable comp, and a comprehensive lists of bands, zines, and clubs along with photos. This is a great snapshot of the time back in October 1985. Click on the images to enlarge to a readable size.

Scene report - Toronto

This is a scene report about the Toronto hardcore scene that was in issue #16 which came out in August 1984. The Scene report talks about Direct Action, A.P.B., Chronic Submission, Silent Minority, Creative Zero, Raving Mojos, the Wild Things, and the Forgotten Rebels. The report was written by Vic Notorious. Click on the image to enlarge to a more readable size.

Raving Mojos "Live at The Turning Point" CD

1. Yeah-Yeah-Uh-Huh
2. Jumpin' Chicago Blues
3. Keep On Workin'
4. Eyes On You
5. Hi-Dee-Hi-Dee-Ho