Not That Way Anymore
By Frank Secich
(High Voltage Publishing)
Circumstantial Evidence
By Frank Secich
(High Voltage Publishing)
So my good friends, I'm having some medical problems that are slowing down my productivity in every area of my life; I don’t get around much like I used to. So sorry I'm late, all my brothers and sisters and friends of the Revolution, but here in the shadows of balls-out, flock camera, no-due-process concentration camps, evisceration of the Fourth Amendment, torture gulags where underage immigrant girls are being impregnated by the homegrown masked Gestapo, tech Fascism and WW 3 - and pretty much everything Lords Of The New Church and The Wanderers spent all their most vital life force trying to warn us about, so it could all be avoided - is coming to life all around us.
If you're like me, you need and deserve some right-on downtime escapism, even if it's just into the pages of a great book or uplifting notes of a lifelong, cherished song. I don't listen to "Disconnected" all the time anymore, it's buried deep in my DNA like The Monkees and The Clash. When I put it on a few times a year, I wanna play it loud, and feel it with fresh ears and experience it like I did as a teenager. First copy I got was on white vinyl, I think me and Brian Morgan were record shopping at Magnolia Thunderpussy in Columbus.
It's among my all-time favorite records, and inspired all my songwriting,and world view really, the lyrics, melodies, Stiv Bstors' bratty vocals and mischievous heart. Frank Seicich's Beatlesque songwriting genius and the various kickass alumni of that extraordinary Bomp! Records Stiv Bators Band became my template for everything I aspire to, really.
My earlier songwriting efforts were really embarrassing with old Sears toy drum machines, shit about being queerbashed non-stop for trying to dress like Marc Almond, Little Steven, Stiv and Adam Ant in Ohio, and dragged over the coals by jocks, rich kid posers, bullshit dress codes, all the perils of growing up new wave in the flyover states, where they manufacture the cannon fodder fratboys, and future corrections guards of dumbfuck USA, USA! I slow-learned how to marry my righteous social rage about senseless cruelty and inequality, got mine culture, sports indoctrination red vs. blue false paradigm binary code "for us or against us", Sieg Heil, middle school popularity, seeking baseball cap, is he on the clock or off the clock, authoritarian Judge Judy, hate the poor bullshit to snappy, peppy melodies and some jokes. I got that shit from Stiv and Oscar Wilde, Bill Hicks and Richard Pryor.
I had to confess to Frank Secich, like 25 years ago, summa the stuff I'd given my boyhood idol Stiv all the credit for, summa that belonged to the recenrtly departed Cheetah Chrome, Peter Laughner, Frank Secich, TV Smith, etc. but what are ya gonna do? We live and we learn.
Onto Frank's books and they are really easy reads. They will make you smile and remember much sweeter and happier times, with light on the horizon and lots of places to run to, we still had all those bohemian enclaves carved out by our forefathers, ya know, CBGB and the Holiday cocktail lounge, The Rat and Bunrattys, the Whiskey and Rainbow and Coconut Teazer…you'll remember how great it was.
Growing up in the Reagan ‘80s, we may have gotten our asses kicked all over hell (well, okay, mostly just me) by every jock dickhead in the Tristate Area while their rich moms followed them around with wheelbarrows full of trophies, applauding them for abusing the weirdos with the smudged Robert Smith makeup, Johnny Thunders hair and The Cult on their Walkmans, but we had the best fucking music anywhere ever. And I know those motherfuckers who were there are lying if they say they had more fun with their rich yuppie friends, since then.
We all pissed and moaned about how sold-out MTV sucked so bad, but they played The Godfathers and Lords Of The New Church and The Cure and Duran Duran all day and night, and I know we were better for it. It was foolish of me to even dream that better world we were dancing to life in real time could be sustained forever, but I'm still here, a broken old man, doing my part! After 9/11, monopoly radio took 700 anti-war songs off the air, milked that gangster rap and buzzkill, kill yr self grunge cash cow until all the for profit prison shareholders were momentarily satiated, and then, replaced rock ‘n’ roll on the airwaves with bullshit garbage, producer driven Kabbalah pop, NFL and music awards bizarro "Eyes Wide Shut" rituals, people cashed big checks to tell you that Britney Spears, Lil Nas X, and Katy Perry and McDonna were the geniuses of our time, of all time. Kid Rock and Creed and Limp Bizkit and all that awful shit, gradually replacing it with Friends/90210 lifestyle programming unreality TV. I'm not into it, never have been, never will be.
If you're anything like me, you're gonna need these books that bring the wild and untamed spirit of Stiv roaring back to life! Their friend, the glamtastic photographer Theresa Kereakes, has also created a lavishly beautiful and elegant book, "The Immortal Stiv Bators", that you will treasure and keep on your coffee table to make your friends jealous. Read about it here.
Theresa has been experiencing some financial setbacks, so buying her book becomes a win/win for everybody, which was always an essential part of the Stiv Bators message. Rather than hiding out in our little elitist V.I.P. room at the gentrification bar, or sucking up to the racist jocks to appease your vicious mother-in-law, we can have way more fun and get more cool shit done, when we come together with likeminded souls, who share our values and a high tide rises all boats.
I've written three or four books addressing my heartfelt connection with the music of Stiv and Cheetah, Frank, and The Lords, probably won't see release anytime soon, but the urgency I'm feeling now is to get real focused and hopefully tonight, and get my own songs on tape and you will probably hear their influence walk through every song of mine, one way or another. I want everybody who loves Stiv Bators half as much as I do, every rebellious motherfucker within the sound of my voice to get these books that might help you remember how much groovier things were when we were in it together. I asked Brother Frank for a health update.
Hi JD! I'll start with some musical updates.
Anyday now, there will be a new single released by Virginia's classic punk outfit "The Candy Snatchers" led by wildman, frontman Larry May.
The single is "Gravy Train" b/w "You Don't Know What It's Like". "You Don't Know What it's Like" is a classic lost Blue Ash tune from 1972. Candy Snatchers really nailed it and Jim I love it man. I will attach a copy below.
In November for Record Store Day, Liberation Hall Records out of Boston are releasing a Stiv Bators & Dead Boys live album. It features shows in 1980 at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco by Bill Graham and a concert at Berkeley Square in Berkeley, California. The line-up on the record is Stiv, Zero, David Quinton, George Cabaniss and me. It will also have wonderful photos and Jimmy Zero liner notes.
In 2027 there will be the first new Blue Ash LP in 50 years. Jim Kendzor and I along with the Deadbeat Poets backing have been working oi it for seven years.
I am attaching some rough mixes below. We need to do 2 more songs as we have 1o finished so hopefully out by next summer.
I also have also started a new book tentatively titled "A Likely Story" and hopefully I will live long enough to finish it.
New Blue Ash songs below:
1. "Cousin Dickie's Shirt" (Secich-Kendzor)
2. Never Surrender" (Secich)
3. "Everywhere I Go" (Secich)
4. "You Don't Know What It's Like" (Secich-Bartolin) Candy Snatchers Blue Ash cover
6. "Sanitary George" Blue Ash Frank lead vocal
I messaged you "The Black Light Room" and "A Million Miles Away" as the files were too large. Peppermint Records will also release more Blue Ash rarities in 2027 and maybe a Club Wow LP as well.
Perhaps, in November, Jim and I will do more acoustic shows and booksignings and maybe some with Theresa as well.
Jake is doing great and he and Kyle will be getting married in early 2028.
Should be a fun year. I will send more Blue Ash takes later on as well
Thanks for everything, JD I really appreciate all you do to keep Stiv's and my music alive.
Love you man,
Frank
I love Frank too, for a million years. Get all his stuff.
- both books
