Geek Weekly #9

The Ike Turner Advocate by Walter Daniels

First, I must vent on a particular peeve of mine: I like to ask folks who their musical favorites are or which genres they favor. Routinely, people tell me their tastes are "ECLECTIC' or "I listen to everything."

I am not sure--maybe my status as an obscure musician carries a lotta heft. However, I've decided EVERYONE would like to think their tastes are varied--or, dare I say it, ECLECTIC! When people tell me they list to "everything", I question them about three genres: jazz, classical and opera. I hardly ever have to ask about the European jive, since so few people listen to jazz--discussion over (one of the Steely Dan dudes says, "Americans despise jazz). My own tastes? Not eclectic. I listen to dead people A LOT! I've yet to read it, but R. Crumb has an essay entitled "To Be Interested in Old Music Is To Be a Social Outcast."

Now, loyal readers of Geek Weekly might be wondering: "Why is this man the Ike Turner Advocate?"

Many, many people saw the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got to Do with It? I saw it and thought it stunk. But the audience really dug the movie and the story cemented Ike Turner as a brutal wife-beating druggie that shoves cake in people's faces. So, in the wake of this dreadful film, I found that saying anything positive about Ike Turner was considered to be approval of wife beating and cake-shoving.

I do not practice or approve of wife beating. But in the movie, Angela Basset looked like She-Hulk. She coulda whupped the tar out of Ike.

I was reading the liner notes of a Bobby "Blue" Bland CD collection and found out that Ike Turner had played a small role in his career. I was shocked. I knew Ike had played piano with the Howlin' Wolf, I had heard some of the truly rockin' guitar instrumentals that he had recorded, and naturally, I had heard various Ike and Tina Turner Sides. But this was an important historical wrinkle in R 'n' B.

Thankfully, I'm not alone in appreciating Ike Turner. John Waters, creator of Peggy Gravel from the film Desperate Living, also prefers the music Tina Turner made with Ike to the flaccid Euro-crap that took Tina to the top of the charts in the 80's. Can't figure out why Tina doesn't have a record deal these days--I guess her fans--you know, the ones with ECLECTIC tastes-- have moved on. Maybe that is the real definition of eclectic--not really exploring the work of an artist--but zigging and zagging all over the place.

Since Ike's career before Tina Turner is sometimes overlooked, it's easy for some to think of him as a parasite. The biopic shows the Ike and Tina revue with another guitarist besides Ike. I'm curious, was the filmshowing a historical truth, or did they add the other musician to diminish Ike Turner?

Ike Turner is one of the artists at this year's South by Southwest and though it is possible his "Revue" could suck, I wanna check it out. I've heard good things about recent appearances and it could be quite groovy. So, why not be a social outcast and check out this true rock n' roll legend?

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Drop Trou by Helen Wheels

The following screed was received by the Geek Weekly offices several weeks ago, and while we don't really listen to music around her these days, our interest was piqued. Ms.Helen Wheels, a woman of no small experience in Austin's rock world, wanted to call to our attention the impending debut of a new, all-female rock quartet called Drop Trou. Not only out to rock, in teh manner of fed-up chicks everywhere they had come up with a manifesto to go along with their rock. "Words are big, let's see your twig." is their rallying cry, and here's their story.

Meet Drop Trou, a maelstrom (no pun intended- pleeze) of female torment aiming to throw a wrench into the scrotum of society. Some may shrink back from the fiercely demanding sexual nature of this quartet, but, as lead vocalist Despina Wilzmatsha says, the real motive of Drop Trou is to "let the boys stand in our boots for a moment, and see if they are comfortable." "Men who used naked chicks to promote their musci should realize what a turn-off this is for us," says Despina. The gals of Drop Trou wonder if these guys know that the underlying message they send to women is that this music is men's music, made by men for men; the adult equivalent of the boy's clubhouse with "No Girls" scrawled across the door. Thus Drop Trou places men on the same totem that women have been placed on since the end of matriarchal age, and hopes that for one moment men may feel the alientation that many women experience when encountering their self-styled "harmless" use of female nudity.

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Lead Vocal: Despina Wilzmatsha

Despina is a Scorpio. She immigrated to America at the age of 17 as a mail-order bride. Her American captor, oops husband, died mysteriously in an unexplained boating accident, but Despina's spirit remains strong. She met her Drop Trou colleagues at a protest outside the annual music convention. Her favorite weapon is the atom bomb. Her musical influence: the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

Guitarist: Bela Laholiday

Bela has a Ph.D. in Euclidean geometry, but prefers to spend her time constructing elaborate sculptures from hemp. Her favorite weapon is a good aze; Arabian stallions make her shiver.

Spring 2001

Bassist: Jenkiss Pansdown

Jenkiss has toiled for years to achieve recognition in a man's music world. Acknowledged, even by men, as a top-flight musician, her favorite weapon is her own forked tongue. Her main influence is the Bride of Frankenstein, and her chief claim to fame is her sexual experience with Ted Nugent.

Drummer: Hadeet Updoear

Hadeet came to the States to study American Government, but became disenchanted with her studies following the recent presidential election. Now she teaches kindergarten, and practices her drums in her spare time. Hadeet has played with many bands around town. But the even that shaped her current fury was a practice session where her male bandmates took turns throwing live cockroaches at her while she played. Her favorite weapon is a feather (with a whip behind it), and she fantasizes about waving her scent (after playing drums for three hours) under the nostrils of men in chains.

Geek Weekly #9

two great rock minds confer: Britt Daniel interviews Gerard Cosloy

We would like to welcome a new GW contributor, Britt Daniel. You know him as Spoon's frontman. He was supposed to write about somebody else for us, but at the last minute, came through with this contribution from the road. Matador used to put out his records but they unfortunately didn't get around to that in this email interview. They did talk about GG Allin and fighting, though.

So is this "techno" stuff the future of music? I try not to pretend that I know what constitues the future of music, but either way, I'm pretty sure it isn't confined to one specific genre. Before you discovered punk rock what did you listen to? Rock minus the punk. What are your parents' favorite Matador bands? I've never asked them. They try to take a cursory interest in what I do for a living, but I wouldn't call either of them a big fan of contemporary music. What Conflict cover story do you regret doing? "Techno: The Future of Music" What's Stuart Murdoch eat for breakfast? A big bowl of truth. How did Matador lose the bidding war for Courtney's "femme punk supergroup?" Sorry, which of the Wilson sisters is she starting a band with? How did you get involved with GG Allin's band? Most young people growing up in New England had the same icons casting a large cultural shadow; Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, GG Allin, etc. As a long time fan of GG's skinny-tie brand of power pop, I interviewed him for my fanzine, and was asked by Mykel Board to assist in the recording of a cassette for the ROIR label. This experience was so fruitful for

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