Everybody's got a favorite label, right? Well, more than one actually but everyone's got some small record industry to support with a passion similar to his fave football/basketball/whatever anyway team! Of the "modern" labels White Trash Soul's darling is Norton! I know you know it but i need sometimes (OK, most times) to repeat myself. And Norton just marked 25! That's right, A quarter of century full of rock & roll. And rhythm & blues. And soul. And gospel. And surf... I have picked last week my latest copy of
Ugly Things fanzine. Actually a magazine now (or a pocket tome). I'm sure you all know Mike Stax's brainchild but as i said, i have to repeat myself. Ugly Thing's the last great fanzine til some other (hopefully) of the currents, start to characterize his self just like KICKS did, or Bomp! or Ugly Things... And i tell you guys & gals, it's a winner for one more time! And it has a 21 page tribute to the mighty Norton/Kicks empire! And i read this piece three times in a row before go further. So, i guess you all understand what should do next huh?
Anyway, i found a Norton tribute/interview on a cool zine of the late 80s/early 90s scene.
What Wave hailed from Canada (Miriam's homeland) and it was a very cool read. On issue 19 (came out probably in 1990 - but i didn't found anywhere a date to confirm this), Billy Miller gave an interview to the guys and i thought to scan those pages, as a good coincidence to celebrate the label that had/has in its arms "
A six and a half foot Cyclops drag queen, a pair of singing Siamese twins, an Indian with a lung, at least three murderers, the nation's number one art thief, the world's first wheelchair confined bad guy wrestling manager, a hillbilly who sings about the joys of chicken, cheese and decapitation, at least three pimps, an elephant thief, a convicted pornographer, about a dozen guys that wears turbans for no apparent reason, one guy who claims to be from Saturn and another who claims to be from Mars, and we even gotten to Kim Fowley"!
Happy Birthday and thanks a lot for changin' my life (in a way)!
-Click pics to enlarge-
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A great record label, I still play my Zantees LPs!
ReplyDeleteThanx for the plugz and comments about WW...Kelly Mulvey did that interview when she cornered Billy in NYC while on vacation. Think the pics of The A-Bones were when they played with Hasil in Hamilton Ontario Canada...that tour is mentioned in the Ugly Things story...Long Live Norton!!! That ish of WW came out in Oct 1990
ReplyDeleteHi Dave! Thanks for stopping by mate! I have to thank you cause zines like What Wave giving me the beat when i was in my late teens! From time to time i pull out of those plastic cases I'm having them in, and start reading them again. The other day i was lookin' at yours and i was wondering how might look this cool baby (your daughter, right?) with the Flamin' Groovies shirt, today? All the best!
ReplyDeleteErika, our daughter is now 21...there's a picture of her dancing on stage with Paul Collins Beat during their show last summer in London Ontario...That pic is up on facebook on the Radio What Wave page.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21164844915&v=photos&ref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=498279521076&set=o.21164844915&type=1&theater