Our founder, Sir Bloody William Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William. He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This image was rumoured to have been commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!

Pointer   February 2011 SOTM

Pointer   Found a CD? Click here!

Pointer, small  Pointer, small   Home :: Contact :: Art :: Reviews :: Rants :: Misc. :: Fine Print :: Links
Rants >> Rant 56

:: Today's soundtrack: The Johnny Thunders "Can't Put Your Arm Around a Memory" ::


 Well, Arthur "Killer" Kane is dead at 55. Why should you care? Because he was the bassist for the New York Dolls, that's why. If your next question is who are the New York Dolls? I swear, I'll smack you silly. The New York Dolls are one of the original punk bands of the old school, man. None of this, New Punk or Punk Nouveau or Pop Punk you kids today listen to, no sireebob.  He was an artist in a band who played punk the way it was meant to be played, with no apologies, dammit!

So why all the sentimentality over a bassist that most of the people reading this won't have a clue about? THAT's just it. It seems that these are the years, that my generation, is going to have the unfortunate distinction of watching all of the old greats die off, and all of you youngsters out there are going to forget them, or never hear of them in the first place, and they will then fall into obscurity.

There are already TWO BEATLES DEAD! It will be a sad day indeed when the other two follow. When Paul McCartney dies, most of the world will mourn, but I will be reminded of the kids I went to school with who weren't introduced to the Beatles until the sixth grade and that was by our music teacher! Will the world forget Paul? I shudder to think.

But there are already so many greats who are dead. Let's bow our heads and vow never to forget those who have died within our lifetimes: Keith Moon, John Entwhistle, Ian Curtis, Frank Sinatra, Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash, Sid Vicious, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Freddy Mercury. And they weren't musicians, but artists nonetheless: Charles Shulz, Edward Gorey, Jim Henson, Vincent Price, Alec Guinness, Madeline Khan, Gilda Radner, Marlon Brando, Richard Harris, Charles Gray, George Burns, Bob Hope. Heaven help me for the ones I forgot, but that's just it; it's starting already!

It seems like an extra spit in the face that such talent had to die and yet the likes of Vanilla Ice, Steve Guttenberg, Tony Danza and entire casts of daytime soap operas are still alive and kicking. Why did you take Vincent Price when Corey Feldman is around, just waiting for a bolt of lightning to rightly smite him?

 It's only a matter of time before the likes of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Ian MacKellan or Richard Pryor make it on to the list. Those out there who are 15 years or younger probably don't know who these people even are! Please, for the love of Mike, watch a movie or listen to a song from before 1985, will you? If the youth of now is clueless, what about our unborn children? Will they know?

So, put on your Ramones/Queen/The Who album and go out and rent Young Frankenstein/The Muppet Movie/Star Wars: A New Hope and realize that when the apocalypse happens there will still be cockroaches, Twinkies and Keith Richards, but that's about it, so be sure to not only remember, but pass the love along.

William (lover of the classics)

comments powered by Disqus