Music, Guitars, wine and food oh, and travelling, oh and my family.....what else is there???
max's kansas city I no longer run the max's website...don't ask!
img src="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e54/bingandbong/maxs2 _std.jpg" ADDING BANDS - Listen, if you want to use my myspace as a free advertising board for your next show, please go somewhere else...OK ?
You WILL be deleted unless I either put the ad up for you, or you're in a very very cool band anyway.
Social Distortion - Don't Take Me For Granted Goldtop Heaven!!!!
Me w/ Steve Conte of New York Dolls backstage at Liverpool Academy, Oct 2006
Playing guitar back in the 1970's and early 80's brought me into contact with so many wonderful people.
I was asked to play with a huge hero of mine by her manager, Warren Heighway, when he saw me play guitar with a band at some club.
I was amazed...taken aback...it's not everyday that you get asked to play for one of your all-time faves, is it? I was given a copy of a couple of albums by Warren, to 'learn the songs as quickly as possible, Chris...'
I never did admit to him that I already knew most of them by heart..and anyway, I got some new, free Jayne County & The Electric Chairs vinyl in the bargain as well..
Well, we started rehearsing in Salford, then switched to Rochdale, as most of the guys lived there. There was a hell of a lot of interest from the Music media at the time, and Jayne had been doing some solo shows with her 'infamous' backing tapes...the Birmingham Phil-Whore-Monic Orchestra, she used to call it...and a tour of the UK was also on the horizon.
We recorded some songs for what would become some years later, her album ' Private Oyster' in a basement studio in Salford...mixed and re-mixed, then later, it was used as the basis for the Private Oyster LP.
We were scheduled to play a UK Tour and some NYC appearances too, one was a support slot for Alien Sex Fiend but when they heard that Jayne was getting rave reviews with her new band, they pulled out of the shows...
We also had some shows lined up with Johnny Thunders, but they didn't come off for whatever reason...Great Shame!
The whole band and management was a little hit and miss, in terms of it's organisation, and I got the feelin' it was done on the cheap...don't know why, and I guess I never will..but we coulda been soooooooo much better!!
The highlight for me was a return to Manchester, to play New Years Eve at the Ritz...
After all of the hype, and the initial media frenzy, the music press didn't rate the much lauded return to Rock 'n Roll, and slated us in their papers...Jayne wasn't for caring though
I heard from Warren some years ago, as Jayne played my hometown and I was on the Guestlist..it was nice to catch up with him again, but sadly, I learnt recently that he had passed a few years ago.
Johnny and the boys kickin' it out with Born to Lose and Chinese Rocks, at max's back in 1979..
My Interest in music ranges from Opera through to Punk - Having played guitar from being about ten years old, I have a total love of all things rock 'n roll, from Bill Haley and his Comets to the Comateens..
I played in various bands in the PUNK era, including a band called the Stiffs, not the one on my site, another one, they were far better though..Born in Salford, lived in Rochdale,lived in London, Leeds, stayed in NYC, toured all over, played in lots of Punky/Rock n Roll bands and eventually ended up playing bass and guitar for a band that became known as the Jayne County 5.
I played on various recordings, and I toured with the Jayne County 5, playing guitar for the max's kansas city legend.
I recorded with Jayne and some of the stuff has recently been released on her Let Your Backbone Slip CD..and I recorded some demo's for her album Private Oyster , although I wasn't playing on that one when it was finally released.
I also was a regular at the Hacienda, even during the 'Madchester' thing, saw Madonna there, hung out with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers there on the comeback tour in '84, as well as hanging out with many people that eventually became stars in their own right...you know who they are!!
I went to watch the Pistols, Buzzcocks, Ramones, Clash and Damned, as well as nearly every other punk band around, was and still am friends with many people from the scene, and from the NYC punk scene too.
One of the best ever gigs I was at was The Buzzcocks at Middleton Civic back in 1978, they were at their best then.as well as witnessing Johnny Thunders many exploits over the years at max's in NY and over here in the UK
I ran the max's kansas city websites for many years and am now returning to rock'n'roll once more, having settled down with family life and a regular nine-to-five,'Mr.I.T.' existance for many years.
I recently interviewed my friend Steve Conte from the New York Dolls when they toured Europe, that was fun, seeing them after all these years...they are still a GREAT rock'n roll outfit. The Interview is below..
My guitars range from a round back electro-acoustic for the softer side of me, a Gibson L6 for those mellow nights, a coupla 335's for the bluesman inside, a '59 JuniorTV for the rock animal and a new Tokai Goldtop.Amps, I'm running a Gibson 120W G70 2x12, no effects other than the onboard tremelo and reverb a go-go....the tremelo is amazing...
Jayne County always bugged her guitar players during my time with her to get a more 'shadowsy' sound...they didn't have a clue, they were hair and leather merchants, so I showed them all how to get the Twang!
I also have a brand new Fender 212R which is absolutely new, so I'm gettin' used to it right now
I also have some small Marshalls and a brand new Hartke Baby stack that kicks the proverbial outta many much bigger rigs in all dimensions.
These are some of my favourite recordings and I love them all for different reasons.
the Dolls’ are in town!
Not the ‘Pussycat Dolls’, or the ‘Goo Goo Dolls’, not the ‘Barbie’ or ‘Ken’, ‘Cindy’ or ‘Action Man’ dolls…the Freaking New York Dolls!
And right across the street lies the place where I’m heading to catch up with them as they sound check for their pen-ultimate European show, right here in Liverpool.
My long-suffering girlfriend Lynne is with me as we walk, hurriedly into the Carling Academy’s underbelly, the air is thick with the sweet smell of rock n roll, and I can faintly hear the sound of 1973 in the air too.
We head off in the direction of the New York Dolls’ dressing rooms.
I ask Stevie if it bothers him that people compare this line-up to the previous Dolls'..
S C - Well, it's inevitable in a way, because that's the Dolls' that people know for the past 30 something years, but at a certain point, I'm lookin' forward to people kinda movin' on and sayin', 'that was then, this is now!', I hope people will get to the point where they choose to accept that David and Syl wanna carry on with their careers, and they, y'now, chose us to do it with'. We're a freakin' great band!What was the audition like, and how did it all come about?
S C - What audition!!!?? I ate canteloupe at a diner with David...we met for lunch! He'd asked around New York, asked a bunch of guitar players "who should I call, we're putting the Dolls back together?" and everyone told him, "you gotta call Steve Conte Man!" I am friends with the guitar player from the Harry Smith's, and I told him, "Call him and tell him that I'm the guy for the job, tell him I play all the right sounds, all the right guitars.." It kinda happened that way..
I'm curious, as a former guitar player for Jayne County and the Electric Chairs, I ask Stevie about his early influences and was he a fan of the Dolls back in the day...
S C - Well, I used to be friends with Billy Murcia's brother Alphonse, and he used to chase me down the street shoutin', "Hey Man! You know who you look like...?...You look like Johnny Thunders"..I was very young when the Dolls first came out, maybe I saw them on Midnight Special or somethin', but I was young back then, and until Billy Murcia's brother brought their records over to my house, along with Criminals and Heartbreakers, which was around the late 70's...because I wasn't a fan, it made it a lot easier to step in and not worry about, replacing any of my heros, y'know?
How about your early influences as a musician?
S C - Well, I grew up listening to a lot of the Stones' music, Keith, and Chuck Berry, which is a lot of the stuff that Thunders' was listening to as well, so the whole thing was just easy to move into.
S C - Right now, I'm not playin' my old, old Gibson's, we have 'em in soft gig-bags, they go on planes, and..I'm not bringin' my old '59 out, so I'm using some new Gibson's, the white one is a Les Paul Supreme, and a Les Paul Classic Coppertop. They are exactly as they came, no alterations made, same pick-ups, same knobs, and they sound ok...They take a beatin', I give 'em a beatin' on-stage
Effects?
S C - For a while I was just using a Tremelo and a Reverb, and some other stuff, but y'know, I thought, "let's go real simple", so now I have one box, that gives me a little bit of crunch, and that's it, it's called a 'Power Screamer', by HBE, Home Brew Electronics, its custom made, so unless I'm playin' something a little clean, it's pretty much it...I use a 100watt Marshall Head, through an Orange 4x12 cabinet..it's a rental amp, so it's not my ultimate set-up..If I was nearer to home, I'd bring my '59 Junior, my '70 Les Paul Custom, my '67 plexi-head and my '70's 4x12 Marshall cab.
At this point during the conversation, I'm afraid I slip into guitarist/Muso mode, and start asking Steve about his favourite guitar, guitarist and guitar sound...
S C - Well, I'm not one of those guys that has a 'collection' as such, and I don't really have a favourite ...I have my '59 Junior, and I guess it all depends on which song I'm doing...I played a '59 Danelectro on the record, on 'Tommy' and I also played that on 'Gimme Love...'its kinda like a Tele, at the bottom, like a really meaty Tele..I use my Junior Cherry, and my '335 on a bunch of stuff, and that's about it, really! I used a 'Strat on one song that didn't make the album..
Oh yeah? Which song was that then?
S C - It was an extra track - Beauty School , have you heard that one?
Yeah, that was featured on the DVD that came with the record...
S C - Yeah! That's the one..maybe there's a little bit of footage from the studio..?..
I think David or Syl actually commented about the fact that a 'Strat is "So Un-New York Dolls" in the film..
S C - Yeah, but y'know, I just take my stuff along with me..I have my 'Melody Maker' with me, and there's some other stuff I have as well. I play whatever fits the song really!
Ok, I'm almost done now, and thanks for agreeing to do this Steve..
S C - No problem...
You're at the end of a month almost in Europe, and from what I've heard, you've absolutely gone down a storm here. This is the first time you've played Liverpool, right? and also, compared to the Meltdown re-union thing you guys did in London with Arthur, have the audiences surprised you in any way?
S C - Yeah, for sure! It's hard to say, because a lot of the places we've just played, the original Dolls didn't..like Berlin and Hamburg...Amsterdam was amazing, Bologna, Paris was unbelievable and tomorrow in Glasgow, I think, is sold out ..it's weird 'cos some crowds just kinda stand there, lookin' bored, but the majority have been WILD!!! Its great, there's a 'mosh-pit' goin' on at some shows, and the kids all goin' wild..it's great! For the finale, we do 'Trash', 'Personality Crisis' and 'Jet Boy'...they ALWAYS get the crowd going mad!!!
I find out later just how great this band are, and I can tell you, if you haven't seen them, make sure you do, ok?!!!
So, when you guys finally decided to record and get the show on the road, was there like a 'meeting of minds' to determine a 'look' for the new band?
S C - Well, You're right, in the DVD, David says that Syl wants to be Glitter and he wants to be Glam..but y'know, there wasn't anything to it, we just wear what we want, that's how they found each other back in the day, and in fact, when I joined the group, David just said [ adopts a Davy-Jo voice.. ] "Y'know Stevie...just wear what you want"..
Ok, I need a beer at this point, and realise that the guy needs to unwind before another show..
So, you play Liverpool tonight and Glasgow tomorrow, than its back to the US for a short and well deserved break, before you set off to conquer the states. The Dolls' were almost completely overlooked in the '70's over there, apart from New York, how do you see things opening up for you there on the back of the new record and the massive success of your European Tour ?
S C - Well, certainly, we hope we will be a hit..there's enough interest from the people who remember the band from the first time around, and the 'cult-status' that they created over the last thirty-odd years or so...we look out there, and we see kids of like 17 and 18 wearing T-Shirts of the original band, and it's just great to see.
Right, I'm done...I'm taking my girl for a drink and bite to eat before we get back to the show...I wanna thank you man, it's been a pleasure, and have a great show tonite!
S C - Chris, it's a pleasure! Enjoy the show..
The Doll's hit the stage, the place is packed, kinda reminiscent of max's back when....Stevie and the boys hit the stage with the legend that is....
''When I say I'm in Love, You best believe I'm in Love, L-U-V........
With the exception of Brian on the keyboards, who is no longer an item with the Dolls, this is a more rockin' sound altogether....shit! They're Good!!
I'm leaving it here....check 'em out if you wanna see for yourself, but trust me on this one...this IS the NEW York Dolls, and they are coming to get ya!
Chris Lynch - October 2006