There Was a Time

Great ideas, like pizza and bar-b-que wings, always arrive in the nick of time.
Cancer's Horrorscope June 1995

Well as the holiday comes barreling in like an Axl Rose cat howl (I promise, I'll get off the GnR kick...), I am trying a new approach from my usual 'holiday duck and cover'. I am actively trying to shop NOW instead of at the last minute. Not always successful (I bought myself 2 presents already...), I am really trying to embrace the season. Today's December Rain (Sorry, again...) has put a bit a damper of the brief snow dropping we received over the weekend. Yesterday it was 20 something degree-- as I type this, it is forty-freakin-seven degrees! Weird, for sure. But we got some of the holiday decorations up, some lights strung inside and the evergreen tree will be bringing the outdoors in in matter of days. The kids love the holiday, so it is tough to be my usual scroogey self.

So then, what better way to 'salebrate' the holidays? A Summer Slack! You know when it's snowy, ya get nostalgic for the Summer and visa-versa. So I give you:

Slack issue #16- The Summer Fun Issue (#2) June 1995
(published 06.09.95)

Like the mysterious photo below of the 3 great record stores that once graced Elmwood Avenue that are no longer around, this issue of Slack signaled a riff in the time space continuum. There was a 6-month gap between issue #15 and this one and the signal of the end drawing near was starting to be heard. There was going to be four more issues after this one, stretching out until March 1996, the following year.

But anyway... this issue has some good writing in it, strangely overwhelmed by ads, which was never a thing with the Slack. The advertising, in truth, barely paid the printing bills as I was spending my own cash at the copy store often. But the kids trudged on, drank beer and reveled in being different, eh? Square Pegs (thank you Waitresses), misfits, outcasts, weirdos, smokers, heavy drinkers, all of ya... well you get the picture.

The Summer issue includes a boxy photo essay of Elmwood Avenue, which looks in these photos, exactly like it does today with the Poster Art, the 24 Store, the Elmwood Lounge (mentioning Lance), and the Towne Restaurant. In fact, the only businesses referenced that have gone missing are the 3 records stores-- and it is a crying shame. RIP- Home of the Hits, the old NWR up by Utica and the Apollo Records, where I bought a lot of my hip-hop 12"s that I am still playing today. Paid in Full- Six Minutes of Madness, anyone....?

This issue includes the start of a new Slacker in Space (which we never got to see the end of 4 issues later), a Raisin Blowme story on Drive-Ins, a Tony B Grateful Dead Summer Vacation story and some Bitter Boy Summer in Buffalo Tips. The Cool Like Dat music section features a big story on the Scott Carpenter and The Real McCoys 2AM Tragedy record-- the band maybe at its high point?, the 1st Tricky LP, and a Scotty piece on local space-rockers Spawn.

Another interesting thing in this issue is ad for the Friendship Festival 4-day rock-n-roll show put on by ICONcerts featuring a stunning who's who in 1995 Canadian rock. And believe you me, there was a time, mmmm around 1995 I believe, when the Canucks up North supplied this fair Queen City which a good dose of musical talent. A time when CFNY gave us all we needed. I am not kidding. Days 3 and 4 of this 4-day rock fest included 26 mostly Canadian bands- a few that you might remember: Barenaked Ladies, Moxy Fruvus, The Waltons, the Wild Strawberries, Rheostatics, 54-40, The Watchmen, I Mother Earth, Pure, Odds, The Gandharvas, the Tea Party, hHead, Headstone and click on the ad (to the right -->) for a full page version to see for yourself. Meanwhile the US contributed day 2 with Ted Nugent and Bad Company. I should mock them, right? I have been listening to GnR for days, what is wrong with me?!?!

Download PDF here:
Slack Magazine n. 16, the Summer Issue (4.1 mg)

Don't forget these issues already up (3 more to go)!:
Slack Magazine n. 18, The Two-Year Anniversary! issue
Slack Magazine n. 15, The Local Music Issue
Slack Magazine n. 14, The Cartoon Issue
Slack Magazine n. 13, The Food & Beverage Issue
Slack Magazine n. 12, The One-Year Anniversary Issue
Slack Magazine n. 11, The True Crime Issue
Slack Magazine n. 10, Summer Fun Issue
Slack Magazine n. 9, The Dead Rock Stars Issue
Slack Magazine n. 8, The Beer Issue
Slack Magazine n. 7, Slack Goes to The Movies Issue
Slack Magazine n. 6, The Buffalo Issue
Slack Magazine n.5, The Slack TV Issue
Slack Magazine n. 4, SEX in the '90s Issue
Slack Magazine n. 3, The Politico Issue
Slack Magazine n. 2, The Travel Issue
Slack Magazine n. 1, The Debut Issue

Welcome to The Jungle

We don't stop playing because we grow old,
we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw

Take that to the bank!
Axl Rose

I am having mixed feelings about the 'new' Guns and Roses LP (and yes, it is available in vinyl format). I mean, 1st of all, it isn't GnR- and hasn't been for some time. The band broke up in the nineties- well I should actually say, Axl fired everyone in the band and made them sign contracts so he could keep using the name. At least that is what Slash's bio tells us.

The reviews are in, 1/2 good, 1/2 bad. Rolling Stone gave it 4 stars, Pitchfork Media trashed it. I have listened to most of it online and am mixed myself. I mean the title track rocks, but there seems to be a lot of ballads on it which kinda suck. The record took 14 years to make and rumour has it, some 12 million dollars- for crying out loud! How many records have been worked on that long- it should be a rock and roll masterpiece.

And then there is the almost 50 year old Axl. I should relate to him as an old guy who likes to rock myself. But there is something disturbing about the new larger Axl, the corn row hair he has been sporting for the past few years, and the fact that he pretty much dresses the same he did in 1990- open shirt/vest, scarves, mirror sunglasses. Well, I guess I kinda do too-without the mirror sunglasses, but maybe a more sophisticated version of myself in 1990. And if you see the video for Chinese Democracy (which is really some other older GnR footage played along to the music).. well it is rockin', yet really off-putting a bit.

Buckethead or Bubmlefoot? Does it make a difference?

Well I avoided a trip to Best Buy last night, where I might have tricked myself into buying the record. I am not sure I want to give Axl my money. I didn't buy it, and I feel relieved this morning. Instead I listed to CFNY's Thursday Thirty ( number 12 was Chinese Democracy, by the way...) following another Sabres loss and enjoyed the new Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Kings of Leon (now they seem like a band that can rock). So no GnR hangover, thank goodness. Maybe I should just stick to the Appetite 4 Destruction and live in the past... a gentler time when the band shunned electronics, rocked hard, before axl was known as a complete ass, when Steve, Slash and Duff were still in the band.

I like the new logo, though.... I should just enjoy the time when GnR was really GnR.

EPILOGUE: I bought the record (12.07.08) and I like it. I think you have to be an old guy to really like this stuff. I have read posts and posts on this LP. I have read the hate and the love, the 'it's not G-n-R' and the 'axl is the man' cries from the fans and the enemies... whatever, I like to rock with this shit really loud! So FU!