I Still Believe

OK Kids;

We here at the Brothers McC wear our hearts on or sleeves. We do it proudly and without apology. Sports, Film, TV, Politics, Religion ... you name it, we have an opinion about it. And, for the pricer of a pint, we're happy to tell you it ... all night long if we must.

But it's music that burns the hottest and deepest in our souls. And even through the three of us find plenty of common ground, there are still the acts that make us travel our separate ways. Knowing, in our hearts, that the other two brothers are idiots for not 'getting' what is so plain to see. Luckily ... this is not one of those cases. re: The David Johansen Group.

There was a time when there was no better band on the planet (with the humbled exception of one Mr. Springsteen) than The David Johansen Group. My brother and I would travel near and far to watch this band total destroy any and every stage that it stood upon. The songs were great, the music was loud & brash, and the band's live show felt like a runaway train, rolling downhill and closing in fast on a bridge that was out. No one knew what was gonna happen next ... and that's what made it all fun.

Well, the Senior Member of the Brothers McC dove back into those waters a few nights ago. And, without his permission, or permission from Major League Baseball, I will rebroadcast his thoughts.

I still believe.



David Jo In Trenton

I am leaving for a Thanksgiving run to Rhode Island in six hours. I just got back from seeing "An Evening With David Johansen" at The Trenton War Memorial. It was David and a four piece combo including Brian Koonin (Scott - you'd recognize him from early-mid 80's David Jo shows) as musical director. The entire crowd (80 to 100 graybeards) was seated on the stage. It was crazy intimate and the sound was fantastic (as possibly Scott, Reber and Michael could attest).

Of all the rock stars pushing 60 plus, I can only think of one who provides a bigger rush for me than David Jo, and that's Bruce. I believe David Johansen to be an incredibly under rated singer. He gets bashed for gruffness, but the guy can sing. Whether handling scuzzy glam rock, a menacing bossa nova reinvention of "Melody", classic blues or torchy jazz, David Jo brings heart, humor and soul to every note.

Opener "Funky But Chic" (schwing!) set my heart racing and my little fingers texting. I mean, it’s only the opening song on one of the five greatest rock and roll records ever made. I immediately thought of all the magical nights chasing David Jo around the quad state area of PA-NY-NJ-DE. From The Bottom Line (nothing like seeing DJ on his home turf) to The Fast Lane (Scott and I saw 1979 into 1980 with two shows and no dates, but at least that girl at our table flashed her tits at us at midnight) , from Ripley's (where I sang "Reach Out" with David Jo at one show and he personally shook the hand of every audience member at another) to Glassboro State College (with Blondie, Elvis Costello, Moon Martin and Marie O'Donnell), and from Alexander's (the drunkest show ever) to The Tally Ho (the Tally-fucking-Ho!), I remembered all the nights celebrating real rock and roll with the ultimate fun junkie. And mostly I thought of Scott, Beth (yeah we're still tight - don't even think about it) and Jim McNulty, because they shared many of those nights with me. And I had wished so much that they were there with me tonight. And if it's true you can't go home again, then it's just as true that it pays to get out the house once in a while.

The first (actually only) text was to my sister Beth and it said simply "Funky But Chic". And she knew. And I knew she knew. David Johansen held a mystical quality for us. He was an iconic legend but also the life of a party you couldn't believe you were invited to. It's similar to the feeling experienced at The Hold Steady shows over the last couple of years, but deeper and drunker and crazier, because being 22 and king of the world is a combination that just can't be beat.

I was aware of The Dolls but in 1972 they weren't my band. They were an exotic diversion with an allure and mystique that as a 15 year old went way over my head. But in May 1978, WMMR dj David Dye interviewed David Johansen just as his self titled debut was released and he was in town to play The Tower opening for Patti Smith. I remember David Dye played “Frenchette” (and I am forever in his debt) and later remarked to David Jo that it was a “great, dumb song”. Even though I had just heard the song for the first time, I knew what David Dye meant but I also thought that was selling the song short. David Jo politely disagreed, for the song is nothing less than the celebration of rock and roll. When all else fails and “we can’t get the kind of love that we need or that we want, let’s just dance”. Let’s rock and roll because there’s really nothing else to do. Because in 1978 and 1979, I needed David Johansen. I needed something to believe in. And I needed fun.

In Almost Famous, I always think of that first David Jo album when Sapphire (yeah Sapphire) talks about the band-aids and how they “truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band so much that it hurts.” For the first time in a long time, I felt that pain tonight.

So who’s with me this Saturday for “An Evening With David Johansen” in New York?

p.s. In typical Teek Time fashion, I got to the Tower that night in May 1978, got in line to buy a ticket and the guy in front of me was some record company mook with a mullet, who got his comps and then held one extra up and said “who wants it?” I still had hops back them and snagged that free row SS (about 20 rows back) bad boy. My concert karma was ON.

For those who have read this far, and seriously who would except Beth, Scott and McNult, below is tonight's set list. I scribbled it on a bunch of white space on an ad in the Sports Illustrated I brought to read because the concert going life of 52 year old rocker can sometimes be a solitary one. GEEEEEK!

And if you’re wondering why I sent this missive to you, it’s because all of you, at one time or another, believed or continue to believe.

Funky But Chic
Plenty of Music (Dolls – One Day)
Melody – slow vamp bossa nova
Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker)
Making Rain (Dolls – ‘Cause)
Rope (The Let Go Song)
Eight Men, Four Women (O.V. Wright) “I am crazy to sing this one”
Maimed Happiness (Dolls – One Day)
Better Than You (Dolls – ‘Cause)
Big City
Temptation to Exist (Dolls – ‘Cause)
Crazy For Love
New Song (“Don’t make me wonder”)
Justine
You Don’t Know What Love Is (Billie Holiday)
I Ain’t Got Nothin’ (Dolls – One Day)
Donna
Bohemian Love Pad
Frenchette
Take A Good Look At My Good Looks (Dolls – One Day)
Lookin’ For A Kiss
My Reverie (Sarah Vaughn / Tony Bennett)
Animals Medley

And I’m now leaving for RI in five hours. If I didn’t at least need a wee bit of sleep, I could have kept writing until dawn.

p.p.s. Don't forget to check out Teenage Kicks Top 100 of the decade.

http://teenkicks.blogspot.com/