The Lost Footage: KISS Live at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan, May 16, 1975.

Hey kids, remember the rock group KISS? 

No, not the current pair of flaccid yentas and day-hire imposters trading under the name—I'm talking about the group born from the fertile New York streets of the 1970s. The one that unwittingly managed to blend the rust-belt bombast of Grand Funk Railroad with the street smarts of the New York Dolls and wrap the whole thing up in kabuki-themed Evel Knievel production with just the slightest touch of Alice, Iggy and Ziggy mixed in to satisfy the elitists.  

Well, that KISS only lasted for about three years, starting in 1974 with the eponymous debut album and blowing the doors off the finish line with 1977's Love Gun, their sixth long-player in under 48 months. Sure, they put out music for decades after that, but like most underdogs who actually get what they want, success forever changed them.

That of course necessitated the firing of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, two modern-day Bowery Boys straight out of central casting whose careers would've hit a brick wall at the Lincoln Tunnel without the drive and organization of Paul and Gene. Unfortunately, the pair took 75% of the personality and all of the humor and street credibility out the door with them. 

But back in '75, they were still cocky, aggressive, and white hot. And like other bands of the era, they knew if they could take Detroit, the undisputed ground-zero for high-energy rock and roll, they could succeed anywhere. So the band and manager doubled down and decided to record a live album at Cobo Hall. 

Now, nearly fifty years later, a video artifact of that landmark gig in May of 1975 surfaces without explanation. 

There's some missed cues, the tempos sway, the guitars are slightly out of tune and are plugged directly into the amps, and I think you can hear Peter's kick pedal occasionally. In other words a perfect scenario for teen nirvana.

It's pretty great.

1:04 Let Me Go, Rock & Roll 

3:24 C'mon & Love Me  

6:57 Firehouse  

12:40 Deuce  

18:59 Rock & Roll All Nite  

24:42 Quick glimpse of the banner from the back cover of Alive!  

25:49 Black Diamond

George Carlin's American Dream | Official Trailer | HBO

Not sure if I'm a bit naive or just feeling nostalgic, but I really, really, really, need to see this as soon as possible. At his best, Carlin could meld the gross absurdity of life with the frailty of the human condition and mine it for laughs like few others.

Abandoned Detroit - The City of Neglect

Still hungry for more Detroit ruin porn? Follow along as Bob, aka Detroit Unseen, takes you on a journey documenting the spectacular ruins of Detroit and his personal recovery from drug addiction.
There's no shortage of web sites and short films documenting the rise and fall and current revival of Detroit, but the city's legacy is vast and star-crossed enough to support yet another take on the subject. It could benefit from some tighter edits, but there's a pandemic on and it's not exactly like most of us are pressed for time.

From the filmmaker: 

With Detroit you take the good with the bad, recognize the good as it comes and preserve the good that has come before. Many that enter the City of Detroit can sense the urgency of change and the spirit of reinvention. We certainly understand this, and the photos represent what we have seen along the way. The Flag of Detroit contains the two Latin slogans “Speramus Meliora” and “Resurget Cineribus” meaning “We hope for better things” and “It will rise from the ashes.” The prophetic phrases originally created in reference to the great fire of 1805, ring true more now than ever. We take these slogans to heart everyday as we go out and explore our great city.

Supercut of Two Lane Blacktop Set to Pink Floyd's "One of These Days" is Sublime.

 

Get the Criterion Collection release of Two Lane Blacktop here. 

There’s No Such Thing as a Wrong Note–Art Tatum

Brother Ryan A. Bunch weighs in on the reluctant legacy of the Glass City's musical influence:

"Art Tatum’s dilapidated childhood home sits on City Park Avenue along the Dorr Street Corridor just on the outer edge of downtown, a total wreck, abandoned for decades. Out front, a gleaming bronze historical marker notes the sad relevance of the gaping hole in the foundation, the overgrown lot, the paint long-past chipping. The only splash of color offered on the drab scene is a few muraled boards guarding the long-open windows painted by teens from a nearby junior high school a few years ago. This is the perfect metaphor for Toledo music. We can’t talk about what is without talking about what was."

Take the  deep dive here:

You’re Never That Far From Toledo: a survey of music, history, grandiose complacency, and talent export in the Glass City—by Ryan A. Bunch

 

Oscar-Winning Chase Scene from Bulitt Re-imagined for a Shelter in Place World

"You believe what you want. Look, you work your side of the street, and I'll work mine."

Courtesy of Daytona-Rockledge Speedway. Click on through and check out all their videos.

Grand Funk Railroad on Playboy After Dark

Hugh Hefner's recipe for a good time: Tony Randall, Barbie Benton, and Grand Funk Railroad. I dare you to come up with a more volatile trifecta of ingredients for achieving maximum hedonism. The perfect salve for our troubled souls in these trying times.


Fun Fact: Mark Farner infamously used a Messenger brand guitar, which featured an aluminum and magnesium neck and a built-in boost/distortion circuit. While little is known about this short-lived, west-coast based luthier, we do know the guitars used De Armond pickups, designed and manufactured right here in Toledo, Ohio. Pictorial evidence indicates Farner replaced the De Armond pickups with humbuckers somewhere along the line.

Amazon wants me to tell you that I might get paid a tiny stipend if you click on a link and buy something from them

Mark, Mel, and Don: The Rise and Fall of Grand Funk Railroad

Times Square, New York City, June 14, 1970.

Quarantine got you down? Why not check out Peter Makowski's condensed account of when three working-class yobs from Flint, Michigan, tapped into the national zeitgeist and briefly ruled the world?

Excerpted from Grand Funk Railroad: The Forgotten Story of a True American Band

"But the fact that the media played absolutely no part in Grand  Funk’s success turned out to be a major selling point to their audience. Critic/documentary maker, native of Detroit and bona fide Funk fan Michael Moore once said: 'People loved this band because some record company didn’t concoct it; image consultants didn’t choreograph it. This was a people’s band that just wanted to rock. A hard-driving, industrial rock’n’roll band that related to the average hard-working American.'

Indeed. There was a huge, ignored and uncatered-for audience in the U.S. Midwest who worked nine to five, paid their taxes and every weekend partied their brains out on a mixture of ripple wine, grass and barbiturates. While the middle classes had the privilege to protest about Vietnam, these poor bastards were actually being shipped out there to fight. This was a pissed-off generation who simply wanted to rock’n’roll. Grand Funk came to the rescue." –Peter Makowski, Classic Rock  / Louder

Now surf on over and read the complete story on LOUDER

 

John Brannon Crowd Surfing at Circle Jerks Gig in Detroit 06-06-82

With the Circle Jerks officially back in the saddle and the news that Detroit's favorite Fun Boy Three tribute band, the mighty Negative Approach, will be firing up the van and strapping on the jackboots in order to accompany Morris, Hetson, Schloss, and Associates on the majority of the dates, I figured this photo would make a timely addition to the long-dormant PDGB blogroll.

Long story long, the day started in Ann Arbor, where we stole a Rick Springfield promotional standup from the dearly missed Schoolkids Records, with every intention of giving to the Circle Jerks. We did, they played, and Keith utilized the cardboard Rick as stage prop while the crowd partook in the usual sweaty shenanigans that culminated in JB getting in some epic crowd surfing runs. NA, of course, opened the show, and now the Circle Jerks are reuniting for a tour to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Group Sex, their influential first release. Concerned the punkness needed a little extra shove to send it over the edge, they invited Negative Approach and Adolescents along for the ride. Now shaping up to be the Old Punker event of the summer, the tour dates are below. Sadly, at this point it doesn't look like the fellas will be venturing East of the Mississippi, but we're confident there are more dates to come.

Ford v Ferrari Trailer Released

The story of when two wealthy auto scions, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari, went to war on the race track to settle a grudge. Caroll Shelby and Ken Miles made it happen. If any genre of non-documentary action film has consistently failed to deliver on the promise of capturing the excitement and the quirky human aspect of its principals, it's automobile racing. The exception, of course, is Ron Howard's Rush, which though quite popular internationally barely made blip on the radar of American viewers. Historically, the problem is not the on-track action sequences–Steve McQueen's Le Mans offers some of the most realistic on-track and driver's point of view motor racing sequences ever recorded and basically re-wrote the rule book for automotive action photography–but the script. Whether fictional or historically accurate, the backstory rarely lives up to its potential, the off-track segments of many motor racing films simply interludes to string the action sequences together. We sincerely hope Ford v Ferrari,  which is scheduled to premiere on November 15, 2019, breaks this unfortunate tradition.

Based heavily on Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans (2009), A.J. Baime's exhaustively researched and comprehensive account of the all-out assault by the Ford Motor Company to beat Ferrari at Le Mans, the trailer for Ford v Ferrari appears promising. (FTR, reports of Baime's dissatisfaction with the Hollywood's treatment of him and his work are beginning to surface.)  Starring Christian Bale as Ken Miles, the Shelby test driver and racer who helped develop the Ford GT40 Mk II, and Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, it certainly has no shortage of Marquee actors to bank on.--AW

No word on if Matt Damon used N.O.S. cans of Carrol Shelby's Pit Stop deodorant before shooting his scenes.   
Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Josh Lucas, Caitriona Balfe, John Bernthal

The Official Trailer for Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood" Looks Amazing

The trailer for Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood appears to confirm what we already suspected: The work blends touch points in history with film and pop culture references to artfully craft a pastiche guaranteed to trigger the sensibilities of viewers who either experienced the era or wish they would have. Look for it to hit theaters on July, 26, 2019, nearly fifty-years to the day after the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders that serve as a time marker in the movie.  Ordered by Charles Manson, the murders and their aftermath would reverberate through Hollywood for decades to come and remain a defining moment for many of a certain age.

We're especially digging Cliff Booth's (Brad Pitt) classic white "Champion" T-shirt. Champion Spark Plug was based and operated in Toledo, Ohio, by the Stranahan family from 1910 though 1989. Still in operation, it is now owned by Federal Mogul.--AW

Check out the partial cast below: 
Leonardo DiCaprio
Brad Pitt
Margot Robbie
Kurt Russell
Timothy Olyphant
Dakota Fanning
Luke Perry
Margaret Qualley
Al Pacino
Bruce Dern
Emile Hirsch
Scoot McNairy
Damon Herriman
Austin Butler
Lena Dunham
Nicholas Hammond 
Mike Moh
Rumer Willis

Boy Howdy! The Story of Creem Magazine Premieres at SXSW 2019

Watch the trailer below:

Boy Howdy! The Story of Creem Magazine attempts to capture the wild, irreverent, and occasionally dangerous life and times of the assorted weirdos, freaks, and artists who, despite their worst efforts, somehow managed to produce "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" for two decades only occasionally missing a downbeat. Based in Detroit, Creem suffered from little of the starstruck ass-licking and elitism that began to permeate many its coastal-based competitors during this period. Instead, Creem shot from the hip, lampooning all with equal abandon, while maintaining the insight and integrity that were hallmarks of the publication. This approach endeared the mag to readers and performers alike, many of whom made it a point to visit the Creem offices whenever possible. Although much of that early chutzpah was gone by the mid-80s, the magazine soldiered on in its original format until 1989.

  
Notable alum include Lester Bangs, who would later refer to Detroit as, "rock's only hope," Dave Marsh, Robert Christgau, Nick Tosches, Cameron Crowe, and Chuck Eddy among many others. The "Boy Howdy" icon was designed by R. Crumb.

Helmed by director  Scott Crawford (Salad Days) and produced by JJ Kramer (the son of magazine founder Barry Kramer), Boy Howdy!'s next stop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, at the Fillmore in Detroit where it will open the 2019 FREEP Film Festival.--AW

UPDATE! The Carpenters Had a Sweet Custom Van and I Want to Do Bong Hits in It Right Now

"Powered by... Bear"

UPDATE 2/15/2019: Thanks to the efforts of PDGB reader Benjamin Kleschinsky, we finally have some clarity regarding the mysterious "Powered By Bear" tagline painted on the Carpenter's van:

"I did a lot of research about this photo, and as it turns out this photo was tampered with. Above the word "Bear" was another person, the actual Bear. "Powered by Bear" referred to their road manager who drove the van that carried their equipment, their first cousin Mark Rudolph. I have linked the original photograph scanned onto computer. Many thanks to the many people who helped me find the answer."

We'd like to echo Benjamin's comments and extend a hearty PDGB thanks to the people who assisted him in solving this pressing matter. Now with further delay, here is the actual unedited photo:

The image can also be viewed on Kleschinsky's Flickr page.

Who is this "BEAR," and why was he chosen to power Karen and Richard Carpenter's van? We can tell it's a Ford Eonoline and appears to be wearing AAR wheels, but so many questions remain: What was the extent of Bear's involvement? Did they own an actual live bear that could drive? If so, did his big paws make it difficult to handle the tricky one-two shift of the old three-on-the-tree column-mounted shifter?  Did Donny and Marie have a custom van? What about The Cowsills? Were Richard's business-casual elephant bell denims custom made? Do you think Karen would bogart a roach? Would people ignore pleas to, "Don't come a knockin'," if the van was, in fact, "A-rockin'?" Which is more depressing: Rainy days or Mondays? If you know the answers to any of these questions, please share in the comments.

Fun Fact: Before Richard found stardom with his sis, he was fired from Disneyland because his music was considered to be, "too radical."