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Rip It Up, Issue 200, 1 April 1994, Page 31

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A month or so ago, I started this column with good music zine intents. I was going to write about all the great shows that were happening, all the wonderful music entertainment experiences I’d had. Trouble was we had that earthquake which seemed far more exciting and I managed to miss all the good shows. It started late last year when I blew off a Nirvana/ Butthole Surfers gig at the LA Forum (I even had free tickets and a parking pass courtesy of a New Zealander with the unenviable task of road managing the Buttholes - my one big music scene connection). Strange thing to do, as both bands can be superb live and apparently were. I think the concept of negotiating traffic was a little much. Then there was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at the UCLA. Nusrat is a Pakastani with one of the most incredible voices you’ll hear, very pure and powerful (He has some great stuff out on Peter Gabriel’s World Music label). The trouble in this was case tickets. My student ID-bearing buddy went north which meant $8 tickets were now $25. Tickets caused a problem with Liz Phair too. She played at the Troubadour, which is a sort of industry hangout that record companies buy out happily to guarantee a receptive crowd. With a critic’s fave like Ms Phair there was no hope but at least it wasn’t much to miss as she really hates playing live. Christmas brought the usual rash of multi-artist benefits with the likes of Courtney Love, Firehose, X, Henry Rollins and the Obsessed proving old punks don’t die, they just get a social conscience (and a worrying urge to go acoustic). I pleaded poverty due to the season and appeased my social conscience with toy donations. The New Year rolled in with the usual barrage of gunfire (60 plus

firearms arrests in 12 hours, mostly folks firing into the air) and a Jon Spencer Blues Explosions show. Now I highly recommend Mr Spencer’s work. The Extra Width LP(Matador) is truly fine, and I’ve seen ’em live and smokin’ before - a definite must see. I think I missed them as I was still sulking over the cancellation of Tom Waits’ annual New Year’s eve show. This was supposed to be a semi-secret thing at the fatal Viper Room, which added a certain espritto the whole affair. I missed NikTurner’s Hawkwind because they're coming back and I really will try to see them as exGhrome man Helios Creed is doing the guitar thing, and apparently Mr Turner is totally insane which sounds fun. The Troubadour played host to Morphine, another band the journos love and again tickets were impossible to find. They did a second show at a coffeehouse venue called Jabberjaw but it’s the sort of place I’d only go to at gunpoint (not so unlikely given its location). I just plain forgot that Bootsy Collins was playing and some vague anti-profiteering principles kept me away from the Rev Horton Heat. The guy used to play two sets for $5 at King King, a fine local dive, so there was little chance I’d pay sls to see him along with another local act at the Whiskey. By now my motto was “they’ll be back” (I’m not wrong. Rev. Heat plays in a week or so with the Flat Duo Jets and Nik Turner brings drug damaged rock back to LA soon). I do promise, however, that I’ll be a better semblance of a journalist in the coming weeks. Hell, it's going to be hard to find an excuse for missing NRBQ let alone when they play with Sun Ra’s horn section. I guess that makes up for not going to the Viper Room.

FRANK RIZZO