Julian Cope's Rant against Rock Reunion Tours

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From this month's "Address Druidion" on his own website, www.headheritage.com....

And what of all these rock re-unions? What constitutes a re-union nowadays? The new line seems to be we wanted to get back together but Phil couldn’t do it because he’s too busy with his second hand oil and fat business, so we got Plug in from Snotgobbler to fill in (well, they was playing the same post-punk circuit as us at the time so it’s no weirder than Foxton joining Stiff Little Fingers). Is this the future way? Rocket From The Tombs just got ‘back together’ for the first time since 1975 and one of the two main protagonists Peter Laughner is long dead. Left the planet in 1977. C’mon, shouldn’t this so-called re-union at least acknowledge who or what informed the ur-drive of that band? Should getting Richard Lloyd in from Television be an acceptable option – I woulda thunk Tom Verlaine and Peter Laughner would be turning in their graves (Laughner’s grave is the real deal, Verlaine’s is merely artistic, but allow me my fucking metaphor…puh-leeeze!). So shouldn’t this re-united bunch at least be called Laughner from the Tombs? And Kiss are now touring with some guy wearing the Space Ace’s make-up!!! Wow, our very own Kiss tribute band right within the real thing! And what about the Stooges with a new bass player, when James Williamson is washing dishes just around the corner from their rehearsal space. And where’s fucking Scott Thurston? Who the fuck is this Mike Watt, apart from some nice guy who won’t barf on Iggy’s stage. I’m sure his provenance in underground rock history is so very sound but SO THE FUCK WHAT? Am I the only one not suckered into these re-union things? Here’s a few re-union rules I’ve drawn up and want adheret to or I’m gonna McCarthy-izes your Siamese asses, and book you suckers for failure to rock:

1. No substitutes unless the original is dead.
2. No substitutes just because the replacement played the same scene
3. No re-unions at all unless your kids’ school fees depend on it.
4. Must feature at least one original unless yooz the Blues Magoos.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Julian should post on ILM!!!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Point taken, but offense taken also:
Who the fuck is this Mike Watt...?

And I was just thinking time was about ripe for an RC Mob 1-off reunion.

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Julian's lack of awarenss of the estimable Mike Watt's contributions to music is unforgivable, given that Cope's a tireless champion of musical esoterica to begin with (and it's not like the Minutemen/fIREHOSE are particularly obscure).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

..but in 1984/1985 when Minutemen were at their peak - Julian Cope was singing with a turtle shell on in his back ..and probably too drugged out of his mind... to known about them.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

awww, he's just upset that he missed out on Mission of Burma

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Considering Dave Alexander is dead, based upon Cope's rules of engagement, I don't see a problem.

It isn't like Ron Asheton was very happy being demoted to bass in the first place.

― earlnash, Monday, 8 September 2003 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm mostly not interested in the music history of what I call the minor details (who played what on what album, what did they wear, what did they almost OD on...The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was almost all pathetically dull for me). What about the MUSIC!
I remember seeing Wire for the first time (during their first "reunion"?...The Ideal Copy), and a band of teenagers opened for them, playing Pink Flag. It was great! Probably better than Wire would've done (they admitted as much). So why worry about whether its a reunion or not. What about bands who've never broke up, but have played their songs way too many times?

(If Julian Cope blankly sat there with his arms folded at the Stooges show I saw a couple of weeks ago, THEN I'd say he's lost it!)

― peepee (peepee), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

And what about Nigel Tuffnel rejoining Spinal Tap? It was a reunion of sorts, but the band sucked without him. Free Jazz Odyssey indeed.

.. and do reunions without the original drummers count?

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

From the Prestwich Advertiser:

THREE decades after taking their blistering, glammed-out sounds to the top of the charts, 70’s rockers T-Rex are preparing a comeback of sorts this weekend... in Radcliffe.

A revised line-up of the glitter-studded, stadium-conquering rock beasts will headline Radcliffe’s first music and comedy festival on Saturday at the town centre’s bandstand.

Original member Paul Fenton will join Alan Silson from Smokie in reviving the spirit of original frontman Marc Bolan, who died in a car crash in 1977.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 09:38 (twenty-one years ago)

brrr

― willem (willem), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 09:45 (twenty-one years ago)

TS: Lynyrd Skynyrd vs Molly Hatchet vs Allmann Brothers
(maybe down south they're all like, "What the hell, Yankees think we all look alike anyway")

― dave q, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 10:04 (twenty-one years ago)

So I take it we won't be seeing any Crucial Three reunions anytime soon? Aww, such a pity.

― kate (kate), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

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