Tattoos

I’m suffering writer’s block this particular weekend, so I’ll keep it short and brief on a fairly minor topic: tattoos.

These days it seems that almost everyone has a tattoo.  Moreover, the abundance of “sleeve” or all over deals is even more prevalent than it used to be.  It’s reached the point where “distinguishing feature” would be “NO tattoos” at all, though I confess I do know lots of people with none, however it’s 50/50 instead of 90%. 

Notables.   Bon Scott (AC/DC) had several on his arms, including a parakeet.  Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) has Eddie.  Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath) has that strange oriental dragon coming down his chest, plus the OZZY he did on his fingers when he was in jail.   Scott “Wino” Weinrich (St. Vitus, The Obsessed) has a fairly eclectic array that is probably the most interesting, but as of this moment I can’t recall the individual tattoos.

My own.   I’m weird: I have ONE tattoo.  My dad died suddenly in December 2004, which led me to “bucket list” this abruptly.   Since I was big into Firebirds at the time (still am, just lack the $$ to buy all the ones I want or renovate the two I have) I got the ’73-77 Screaming Chicken on my upper right arm, in dark blue and light blue.  Actually, I also like the '67-69 Indian type design, but the Trans Am version is cooler.

That was it.  One and done.  It’s only visible if I’m topless or wearing a tank top; a short sleeve shirt obscures it completely. 

They talk about “don’t get a tattoo” if you’re in certain lines of business.  I’m a lawyer:  I don’t go to court topless or wearing tank tops.  Wearing a suit and tie in court, the only exposed parts of my body are my hands, neck, and face, none of which areas are prime locations for tattoos.   And a Firebird is hardly an offensive symbol, except maybe to Judge Mustang. 

Does it hurt?  Nominally it’s a needle stitching your skin with ink, but although it’s not a pleasant sensation, I can’t call it painful either.  The sheer numbers of people with tattoos all over their bodies should be a clue that the procedure doesn’t hurt as much as you think it would – otherwise no one would have tattoos. 

Removal.  The prevalence of tattoos has spawned a related industry: tattoo removal.   Not an issue in my case.

Cool?  Back when only sailors and criminals had them, I suppose it might have been.  Now they’re so ubiquitous it’s hard to notice unless the design is particularly special.  Swastikas, of course, stand out immediately (see “American History X”, and Charles Manson).    Please, use your best judgment - to the extent you have any.

Brian vs Axl

Recently I had the immense good fortune to experience what will possibly be the second to last AC/DC concert, and the last in my area, at the Verizon Center in DC.  Many thanks to my brother Matt, who took me to the show.  Amen!

The concert was originally scheduled for March 17, but had to be postponed when singer Brian Johnson was advised by his doctor to quit touring or lose his hearing.  After much confusion, the band agreed to have the infamous, erratic, and heretofore unreliable Guns N’Roses singer W. Axl Rose take over.  This was even more remarkable as he had also reconciled with his former GNR bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, and was touring with the revamped GNR at about the same time.  So there was ample speculation as to whether this would work.  Now we know.

The band went on around 9 p.m. and played for a solid two hours, not counting the encore.  Now that the tour is over I can disclose the setlist without ruining it for anyone:  Rock Or Bust, Shoot To Thrill, Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be, Back in Black, Got Some Rock’n’Roll Thunder, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Rock’n’Roll Damnation, Thunderstruck, High Voltage, Rock’n’Roll Train, Hell’s Bells, Given The Dog A Bone, If You Want Blood (You Got It), Live Wire, Sin City, You Shook Me All Night Long, Shot Down in Flames, Have a Drink On Me, T.N.T., Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock, and (encore) Highway to Hell, Riff Raff, and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).  The last show in Philadelphia added “Problem Child” to the encore.

As the setlist indicates, the band dipped deep into its Bon Scott repertoire to our immense surprise and satisfaction; as Matt noted, in Johnson’s absence the band was free to play more of Bon Scott’s material.   I found Axl’s inter-song banter somewhat unintelligible and obtuse – similar to Ian Gillan – but his vocals and delivery were spot on, both for the Johnson material, but also for the Scott material, though with regard to the latter he appeared to be doing his own impression of Johnson singing Scott’s material.  Well, I can’t and won’t complain.

Brian vs. Axl.  Let me start by saying that I have always been somewhat ambivalent about Axl Rose.  With regard to his singing ability, Rose has a refreshing variety of singing styles, not just one.  Appetite For Destruction, Use Your Illusion (I & II), and GNR Lies, (and, for that matter, Chinese Democracy) show his impressive range – leave aside his myriad attitude problems and other eccentricities, as a singer he is VERY good.  

Contrast this with Brian Johnson, who from Back In Black to Rock Or Bust has a grand total of ONE singing style, a raspy shriek which has not improved over the years.  He could not sing “Ride On”, much less “Patience”, “Used to Love Her”, “Sweet Child O’Mine”, or “Estranged”, and his delivery of Bon’s songs is barely adequate and NO improvement.  So as singers, Axl is clearly superior to Johnson.

As musicians?  By that I mean, showing up on time, getting along with your bandmates, cooperating in the studio and on tour, and overall doing what you have to so the band puts out albums and tours effectively.  By that standard Johnson was clearly superior.   Axl, for all his talent, seemed to degenerate into a spoiled child for many years.  Chinese Democracy took far too long to come out and was at best mediocre when it did, although Use Your Illusion should really be condensed down to one superlative, classic album instead of two albums with some excellent songs and lots of inane filler.  It took Axl all this time to surgically remove his head from his ass and get back with Slash and Duff, each of whom were capable of putting out material and touring with other bands while Axl was …doing what?  

Meanwhile, Brian Johnson sang on Back in Black, For Those About To Rock, Flick of the Switch, Fly on the Wall, Blow Up Your Video, The Razor’s Edge, Ballbreaker, Stiff Upper Lip, Black Ice, and Rock Or Bust, and until his doctor pulled the plug on him, reliably toured all those albums without any fuss or bother.  I suppose his blue collar upbringing in Newcastle instilled a strong work ethic which I have to admire.  As a musician, Johnson clearly beat Axl.

As persons?  I read Johnson’s book, Rockers and Rollers.  This was written BY him (with some assistance), not an expose by someone else intended to make him look bad.  Yet it makes him look bad.  He prattles about Geordie (like we care), his rare mentions of AC/DC are put-downs of Angus and Malcolm, and he brags about racing cars as a hobby – without mentioning Nick Mason.  Overall somewhat of a jerk, but even so, not nearly as petulant and spoiled as Axl.  In that regard I’d call him a bit better than Axl. 

When the AXL decision was announced, a substantial outcry went up.  Axl? In AC/DC?  I suspect 90% of that opposition was because it appeared that Johnson - who up to this point was 100% reliable, as noted above, for 36 years - was being summarily dismissed due to factors beyond his control and the heretofore ne'er-do-well, spoiled child Axl was given the job in his place.  Certainly, viewed in that context it looks unfair to Johnson and an equally inequitable windfall to Axl.  "The show must go on" sounds awfully harsh, but recall that Johnson replaced Bon in mere months, so he was also the beneficiary of his predecessor's bad luck.  But I believe that, notwithstanding his prior track record, Axl delivered the goods and got the job done.

Brian vs. Bon.  Maybe a bit unfair, but I’ll do it anyway.  Bon’s voice was much better than Brian’s, by far.  No contest.  In terms of material, look at the Bon albums.  High Voltage (US/Europe and Australian), TNT (Australian), Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (US/Europe and Australian) Let There Be Rock, Powerage, and Highway to Hell.  All decent albums, with the last three being superb classics.   Six albums from 1975 to 1979 – just four years. 

Brian Johnson’s era has 10 albums from 1980 to 2014, 34 years.  Of these, one classic, two are very good, and the rest are highly mediocre, including two stinkers, Fly on the Wall and Blow Up Your Video.  Fortunately for us fans, the band mostly tended to ignore the crap in concert, giving up sets which were 40% Back In Black, 40% Bon Scott, and only 20% new stuff no one wanted to hear.  

Fortunately, this time around, Axl & Angus – supported by Stevie Young, Cliff Williams, and Chris Slade – played plenty of stuff we wanted to hear.  With the cannons roaring, this band literally went out with a bang.    

Still Not on DVD

Two movies are STILL not out on DVD.

AC/DC “Let There Be Rock”. I mentioned this film earlier in my blog. This was a film that came out in Paris in 1979, showing one of the band’s last performances with original singer Bon Scott, at the Zenith. This place is up far northeast Paris, and we’ve seen several concerts there, unfortunately not this particular one.
AC/DC were touring their album Highway to Hell, possibly the best of their original Bon Scott albums. By now Brian Johnson has been with the band for 27 years, far longer than Bon Scott, but somehow Bon is the classic singer. The movie not only shows the band in concert – in top form – but also has several interviews with various band members. Bon gets to show his abundant charm, wit, and Scottish accent, even speculating that if there was a war, AC/DC could put on concerts for the troops. Malcolm Young, the rhythm guitarist, kicks a soccer ball around a field. Phil Rudd, the drummer, drives a Porsche 928 around a lake, chased by a biplane. Angus Young, the lead guitarist, even has a few words to say and scribbles a cartoon of himself.
This is one of the better rock movies out there, of a great band, playing a great concert, at the peak of their career, with some stunning extra footage in the middle. WHY is this not on DVD??

Beatles, “The Compleat Beatles”. A fantastic documentary, narrated by Malcolm McDowell, best known for his performance as Alex in the film “A Clockwork Orange.” The band’s history is told from Liverpool, the early days at the Cavern and in Hamburg, the rise of Beatlemania, the transition period of Revolver, the masterpiece Sgt Pepper, and even their breakdown and breakup are well-told. George Martin, the producer, is articulate and eloquent; various other musicians – including Billy Preston and the Beach Boys – give their two cents worth, and the way the whole thing is put together is fantastic, even without any actual interviews with any of the band members themselves. It’s stunning how they make it work even without John, Paul, George or Ringo involved.
We can now see the low-budget monstrosity “Magical Mystery Tour” on DVD (as Monty Python might put it, all the imperfections of the original film are now in crystal digital clarity!!). We can see the extended idiotic music video with great music but a stupid plot, known as “HELP!” on DVD. But when it comes to the best possible documentary on one of the best possible bands....it’s still VHS.
Why, when much lesser product by each band is out on DVD, are these two films still stuck on VHS? It’s oversights like this that force us to keep our VCRs instead of switching over completely to the DVD format. Argggh!!!!!!!!