What Wred's Reading: Close Up Magic

I stumbled across this gem while doing some maintenance on the blog.  The author, Eddie Willson, and I had exchanged zines or whatnot at some point, and I had really enjoyed reading his novel The Black Car Leaving.  He had that novel online for a long time, but it seems to have disappeared as of late.  Fortunately, you can still find Close Up Magic, Eddie's short story collection, available as an ebook.  I've enjoyed reading a story a day.  His subject matter tends to be life in modern England usually from a working class intellectual perspective.  Plenty of heartbreak and humor within, all told well in Eddie's usual shorthand, charming style.

NOIFF 2018!

My buddy Mark Justice is showing some of his films at the 2nd Annual Northern Ohio Indie Film Festival, which is being held on October 13, 2018 in Lorain, Ohio USA. I don't know which of his films are showing, but I am in all three of them, so you can catch me on the big screen there one way or another. Unfortunately, that's the only place you'll catch me because I can't make the event. I hope to catch it next year, however!

"Big Daddy Pane (Take 2)" by Yeast?

This is the second take of "Big Daddy Pane" from the Slippery Rock University tv show in 1994 that Yeast? played.  They get fancy with the camerawork in this one, and the take is a bit better in that we start together and I don't pull off the microphone too many times while singing.  This was one of the four tracks from the Dick Bennett 7".  We recorded the record right after our other guitarist Chris quit--he was actually supposed to be at the recording session, but he never showed up--and before our new guitarist Drew joined, and we were still in power trio mode at the time of the tv taping.  The song was inspired by Dave and I meeting a guy named Kevin at Mama Joe's in Kent, Ohio USA.  Mama Joe's was a pizza place that used to let the local hardcore bands play in the basement.  They stopped soon after one of the bands wrecked the basement.  I was there for that show, and that band--I don't remember the name now, something Youth?--started punching the crowd and then wrecking their own equipment.  After they wrecked their own equipment, they proceeded to destroy the basement of the venue.  Most of the crowd fled.  Dave and I would peep our heads around the corner of the staircase only to have to duck when a projectile flew past us.  Finally, one of the pizza workers came downstairs and discovered the chaos and called the police and that was the end of the show, and of shows in general there if I remember correctly.

It remains the most nihilistic performance that I have ever seen.  I don't know what the band thought they were doing.  Out G.G. Allining G.G. Allin?  In any case, in the midst of all that insanity, this guy named Kevin entertained Dave and us with a story of how he just got out of jail.  From what I recall, the song basically does recount Kevin's story.  He stabbed a hippie.  He drove the hippie to the hospital.  He went to jail.  His mom sent him cigarettes.  He was afraid of being anally raped.  He also was quite generous and did just keep offering us cigarettes and beer.  I don't know whatever became of Kevin, but I hope he stayed out of jail.  I hope the same for all of us.

Yeast? TV Interview

This is the interview segment from The Hart Rock Cafe show that Yeast? appeared on in early 1994.  I don't recall why I end up being the only one interviewed.  It could have been that Damon and Dave just didn't want to, or that the show's producer only wanted one of us to talk, or that there simply weren't enough seats.  In any case, I got to do the talking.  I am happy that I was reasonably articulate and answered the host's questions.