ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-Cherry Bomb!

I braved an all age show two Wednesdays ago, and caught the Von Bondies at the Larimer Lounge. In the past, all ages shows I've caught there have been segregated - if you wanted to have a drink, you weren't allowed to leave the bar and bring it into the showroom. I was surprised to see that this time they were using a wristband system, allowing you to bring your drink in closer to the action. It seemed to work okay.

That said, this was the most annoying crowd I've been around in some time. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the kids who were irritating - it was the amateur drinkers. I had the misfortune of being surrounded be a group of people who, judging from their behavior, were all getting drunk for the first time in their lives. I was standing next to this group during the opening act, and made a point of moving away from them during the break. Unfortunately, by the time the headliners hit the stage, I found myself surrounded by this same group and it was too packed to reposition myself. Several of these people actually yelled to each other "Dude, I wanna party with you!" No, they weren't being ironic - it's not like they were yelling Free Bird at the band. Yeah, I remember my first beer…

Okay, the crowd was annoying, so how was the show? Great! It was the last night of their tour, and the Von Bondies were in great spirits (despite being stranded somewhere that day for 5 hours with a broken radiator). The tour was for them to test run material that they'll be recording soon, and they played 8 new numbers. They also featured plenty of the older tunes from Pawn Shoppe Heart and Lack of Communication. They've really developed into a solid live rock n' roll band, and I was glad to catch them again. I also enjoyed openers the Moaners, from Chapel Hill. They're a guitar and drums duo, somewhat bluesy - I picked up their LP Dark Snack, and it's good.

Keeping things on the underage tip, the li'l woman and I watched Edgeplay: A Film about the Runaways last weekend. The film was made by Vickie Blue, who was the bass player in the infamous “jailbait rock” group for their last 2 albums. Joan Jett, the most famous member, refused to participate in the making of the film and is the only former member not interviewed (she has always remained tight lipped on this chapter in her career). Unfortunately, she also refused to allow any music clearances, so none of the Runaways original tunes are featured. Due to this, the film focuses more on the emotional effect the experience had on all of the members. Singer Cherie Currie (who my wife described as “scary”) and drummer Sandy West (who ended up spending years working for drug dealers) come off as the most bitter. Guitarist Lita Ford doesn’t seem quite as bitter, but this may be due to the fact that she eventually found some success in the music business (granted, the stuff she put out was awful, but at least it was successful). This may also be due to the fact that she appears to be a little drunk in her interview footage. Bassist Jackie Fox has some bitter memories, but seems to have let it go better than Cherie and Sandy. Vickie Blue keeps her own interview comments to a minimum. Also interviewed is notorious manager Kim Fowley – say what you will about what an insane slime ball this guy is, I always find him entertaining and brutally honest. Interspersed with the interviews are home movies and some performance footage. The story is pretty interesting; the ladies all have some pretty amusing stories about growing up on the road and the parties. However, the constant blame placed on Fowley, the record company, sexual stereotyping, and lack of success as the cause of the member’s eventual emotional and substance abuse problems gets a bit tiresome. At some point you wished they’d take some accountability for their own screw-ups (and why weren’t their parents more concerned about their teenage daughters going on the road?). The two live songs (both covers which Joan had no copyright control over – the Troggs’ Wild Thing and the VU’s Rock and Roll), filmed during their triumphant Japanese tour (their career high point), leave you wanting more. Because of this, the film feels a bit like a missed opportunity. Overall, this is an interesting film and I enjoyed it. I just think it’s a shame that Joan refused to tell her side of the story or allow any of the old songs to be used. It leaves a hole in the story, and will likely hinder repeat viewings.

On the way home from dinner last night, we actually heard the Runaways’ Cherry Bomb on the classic rock station! The li’l woman immediately exclaimed “Hey! I learned all about this song!”