Hey, Sportsfans! Welcome to Roctober's Special First Anniversary ish-shew. To celebrate were throwing a spectacular All Baseball Rock and Roll bash. Come On in and you'll meet Ballplayers who Rock, Rockers who play ball and even a player and ump who just have Punk rock attitudes! And as a special party favor for YOU...Baseball Reject cards. Swap ‘em, flip ‘em, love ‘em, don't rip ‘em. Unless that's what you gotta do. Wait...what's that ? Why it's the National Anthem. That means its time to get this show on the road. Play Ball, Baby!

HATFER, COVE R by MARCUD > OUT runqnend “TAKE Teg TO THE BRAWL GAM On

BY JAKE AUSTEN CONTENT). g> ee acres

Roctober # 5. Spring 1993. Roctober is

published 6 times a year and is available for $1 or $5 for a six issue subscription from 1423 E. 53rd St. #2 Chicago IL. 60615. Write us and let us know what you think! And, hey...ROCK ON! wooo!

D TE ee ee ee ee JAKE AVS

ee Te os on$5 | From PUNK PRETTY an

OE poo ark ben = PRO PITCHER - - - F.

this Zine by PAUL SUPER

Mi dedi cated € umpire WHO ONT (IVE A SuTr

m 10 Danny by Jake Ausren

Me URTAUGH) THE ADVENTURES oF ROLAN? * LIFETIme| SteiceE |... ba

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137 Eme reon Place : 3 Rfor - ra Oy Jonna. E grembis Faby | ou s : | Brooklyn <NY : 1120 reel ©2544! vor. Eng) ebect tiumpcr dink fe ha OE eS ESN be :

WHITE BOY POEME ... P99

by FAUL WEINMAN

ROCKING WHITE SOX. ..F10 partie i Sg 5 alle

ey JAKE ASTEN

THE ADVENTURES OF ROWLAND

0, JOHN €. =o M42 me MIGHTY MIGHTY BossT oe INTERVIEWED fp _

OLINE SH, y CAR RUE

BASEBALL CARD OTOKY.. Pp. bY by SAMMY DAYIS, Tr.

e#{ Baseball Recordings & Sheet Music \,':

Looking for phonograph records and original sheet music that relate to the sport of baseball. Records can be from any era; including cylinders, old 78's, 45's, or 33's.

Types of records wanted:

songs sung by baseball players Team Theme Songs

Music about baseball players “Casey At The Bat”

Comedy

Movie Soundtracks Biographical Sketches

Interviews with baseball personalities

Radio Broadcasts/Transcnptiur.. “Take Me Out To The Ballgarme-” Public Service Announcements Picture & Photo Discs

Team or Player Highlights Instructional records: How To

Send me a note indicating the Title. Artist. Rom. Condition‘o!l record & sleeve and your asking grre

Even tf you only have information about baseball music (or would like to ask cd flew quesi«x «ns drop mea hne | will respond to all inquines

BaSebai Reject Packet by Jona.£

ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC Nyy

iTHe BALLAD OF ROY ACUEF ei OY TAK afd tre beok Roy Acuge ;

NANCY FA Smokey Mt. Bor

Vs Sa JAKE hug ltrs RieW PAT

as N _ ARTHVR LEE PAPE ON RECorp pig P by JAMES PORTER

7 0 | BLACK Jackiacks.... f. 19 i by PAVEL C “STRaMc eur TRE. - 86K

CHARLEY PRIDE

Before becoming the Jackie Robinson of Country Music, Pride was inspired

| by Jackie Robinson to play pro ball with the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro

Leagues, amongst other teams. after a tryout with the Angels ; and some time in the Mets minor f) league system, pride went the route that his popular between g singing was leading him.

innin

BILLY RAY CYRUS drifted through three

colleges and "majored in indiciciveness and baseball," When his dream of being a pro

"Reat on the brat, beat on the brat, failed it left him with an achy-breaky | \ | beat on the brat with a baseball bat." heart. The rest is history.

Nirvana

A new novelty activity at some big league | ¢¢: parks lets the crowd vote by applause for 8

the next half inning. Last summer at an Angels/Yanks game in Aneheim I sawa

crowd pick Nirvana's "Codeine'over some-& thing like a Frankie Valli oldie and a ‘ Springsteen tune. ‘

JOAN JETT

Joan not only played a big Comiskey Park’ ‘See “Rockin' White Sox article) —

In '68 Detroit ace McClain put the lights out on

many a team, going a phenomanal 31-6, and then headed to the spotlights of stage playing his

M swinging organ music in Vegas amongst other

M places and recording a few LP's. Too mich Vegas

m rubbed off on Denny, though, and he eventually *ended up in prison for bookmaking, extortion,

" Joansharking and cocaine. Hopefully, now he's

concert playing a different tune.

but I hear she's a big time Oriole's fan. ei nay

OCR wr hOLe

Shadow's singer Jim Sohns ahe. el oi Aga |

was a minor league teammate ae f

of Dave Kingman, but his pits CRaee with a Chicago based team ie . ouldn't come with the Cubs, 3 rane but with his Northwest &2 va Suburban band, whose aaa «=American version of wi

4 Van Morrison's “Gloria" was vaemastil in 66. s ORESTES DESTRADE _

The Cuban bom slugger , now ~ | with the Florida Marlins, was ! such a smash in his four seasons |: with The Seibu Lions of the | Japanese Pacific league that @ & 4 he left behind not’ only a legacy Gags, of 154 home runs, but 4 Japanese Gati.2- “rock group J J i named after % 4“ him. %& FORMER PEANUT

The smooth Country superstar, still just about the most popular C&W star in Africa, was led to crooning after a VE career ending injury NOOR ar 1! RE B® | . with a St. Louis ROCHESTER §--——~—C—— Cg oan 6s Cardinals farm team. : “eee §86AhCreplica of his INGS GAMES BREDW ae ee making her baseball movie uniform stands in his “Girljoc Tennessee museum. da ti athletic feel for the game.

SNONM nglas

| According to the zine Madonna demonstrate

' d baby they never left! , In the 1800's band concerts accomponied baseball games-an af Well maybe they did for a century or so,- -but baby they're back! Last year I just missed

dome by “Amenca's #1 apa seeing an after game concert in The Seattle Mariners King ) ae, Party Band", The Romantics. I'm not sure if they do a ballpark tour, but I'm CONWAY a pretty sure that The Beach Boys, who I didn't see play after a Yankees game itty owns nunor league

because of like, a $1Q extra charge per game ticket, do play those venues semi-regularly.

baseball teams.

a thing, about baseball."

Last April me and my friend Jake went to see the Chicago White Sox play the Red Sox at Fenway Park. But, other than seeing a good ball game, Our main intention was to meet Scott Radinsky,.

Q gO0d pitcher for the White Sox and former

| = frontman of the now defunct Hardcore band Scared t

Stratght. Scared Straight was one of those early to mid-80's California hardcore bands that was

on Doug Moody's mostly 7" record label Mystic Records which I‘m pretty sure doesn't exist any- more. Anyways, me and Jake stood by the Chicago bullpen with the Scared Straight 7" in hana waiting for Scott. When he came running over to the bullpen after warmups we yelled to him and held the record up. When he saw it he looked real suprised and said “Where did you guys find that?" We talked to him awhile, and the rest of his team mates were really interested in seeing the record with the picture of Scott shirtless and bald on the back. Scott seemed really out of touch with the music scene considering he asked me if SSD and the -FU's were still playing around. I guess he's

cee : - just really busy with his baseball carreer. So me Gr» and Jake talked to Scott a bit more about baseball —— and Rock music then we went back to our seats and

watched the game with our autographed copy of the Seared Straight 7". A true baseball punk rock story.

I'd like to add a few things to this excellent tale. First of all, I'm pretty sure that Mystic records , does exist still and that Scott's records are available for $3 for the Scared Straight 7" and $7 for ¢ <4 the LP. The Address is Doug Moody Mail Order P.O. Box 2314 Carlsbed, Ca. 92008. Also I'd like to

= = 1 add a few cool things I've heard about Scott. First of all, as a big league rookie (straight out of single "A" ball) Rad rode his dirt bike to Comiskey Park for day games! I heard on the radio once that after the last game of the season in Seattle one year he actually tried to ride his bike home from Washington to his Simi Valley, California home, but wiped out along the way. I don't know if that's true, because baseball announcers love to make fun of players that they label "Flakes". A "flake" can be anyone who is alittle different than the norm, or who doesn't conform to Baseball player stereotype, Bill "Spaceman" Lee being the classic example. Just being a left-handed reliever makes you a candidate and Scott Radinsky's Punk Rock past is real fuel for the fire. The same announcers said he got in a bar fight around that time and got stabbed with a fork. This about a man who sang "Unity" and "Drug Free"? Well, I don't know. One of the coolest things about Scott, by the way, is that when he warms up in the Bullpen he takes a running start before pitching. Too bad you can't do that in a game.

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Everyone Was Down %n in a Horrible slumo. Rowland Se ) Roo! aco) POs Wop . BOS 0 ¥( Booo! ————H 0d © (vy P oa ‘ O oO 4 , og OK OO'SOS 0° eee Pep App eee

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Rowland socked 4 Youn rippers an collected thirteen r.b.j.'5, while the Braves creamed the £x po s by “y Score 't 15 +o 8. Rowland was Amazing.

Can of Yams atte bim I!

HINKING TO BREAK DRUG

ITS BY REPLACEMENT ITH POSITIVE ACTIVITY LAYING BASEBALL, WHITE OY TAKES THE YOUNG MEN

OPF THE STREETS TO HAVE SOME INFIELD PRACTISE -

UT HE SOON FINDS THATs

1st. - they fall to ground, sniff chalk froa foul lines

IGNORING WHITE BOY'S PEP UT THE - PAS

TIME, THEY TAKE THE " pRO- TECTIVE ZIP-LOCK COVERING FROM THE BALLS & GO BACK TQ THEIR OLD WAYS IN THE ST WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO GO DOWN ON HARD GROUNDERS

DISGUISED AS DWIGHT GOODEN, R WHITE BOY HANDS PRES. BASEBALL TO BE AUTOGRAPHED AT WS, BUT IS SLIPPED A I0U WRITTEN ON COVER AUTHORIZING FUNDS 4:

A. 99% million $$ & nomeless apts.

B. 993 million, $$ 4 job training

Gs 992 million $$ minority educ.

The End

PRES. UNLOADS ONE WICKED CURVE, AND THE BALL ROLLE DOWN THE DRAIN IN RIGHT }

* ’ * \

Fs,

* + * f a i ” Ss ¥.

zal created their own tradition of toured si unrest, innovation and surprises Smithere 2 that mirrors that same tradition good gig

As two of America's greatest in Rock. I'm not saying that this group lil

: tive a

as a4 e's . 3

a ? om. | , y 4 é ee Th ahoooe : nas i a Be ap Ad : ; ‘Bt : : ‘ . r S ft aattedlatfen ce hce Pa Sn lee eters i Ook every few years have as a bas?

passions and innovation, is intentional situation, or the —_ weren't f “ Baseball and Rock and Roll work of a few individuals. the all B mma) have fatefully crossed roads Sometimes History and the member,

countless times on the modem Muses justtake over. __ leaguer).

J America's highways of history. cele : Sox care fg Surely no Major League team ¢ | extendec sre BEAL SS has taken the entrance ram es §=—9)1 he wz oom 0 ae, onto the twolane Baseball/Rock - wieeewe § §6and neve Paweeewes and Roll expressway as often as Wee youcan fascy p<» ‘We the Chicago White Sox. It y Be SONgs Wi A ® seg one that es = ™~ helped h aD, team that plays 5 minutes from Three 1 ravers WhO wear OF pitcher v e ‘ 3 > the historic Chess and Vee Jay sare ch Daa entioned Back I can't

eS Gee ae soap tet = the in Black uniform have also been music cz Uo onc Aercricn The Sop have Victims of Rock and Roll baseball a Nase tet ar one oe fk ave Pneumonia. Jack McDowell rock car one this by sharing players (see separate article) and Wayne (but hops wibRec-by mneng Rick Elvasofietensvion ane Ser a Scott Radinsky of the Say that integrally, by having a history — Scared mommy are three Chisox athletic,

that, intentionally ornot, hurlers who know a bullpen hurt the «

embraces and intertwines with — warmup from a soundcheck. Californi

BeOS: that thing called Rock and Roll Though many ballplayers have helped Jz

: . The shower === age ; made records over the years, demo an: Jack McDowell _ At times this was apparent they have usually been novelties out to be oe just by looking at the teams. like "I Love Mickey" by McDowe oi | Has any baseball team ever Mickey Mantle and Theresa pretty an

| _ been more attune to the twang Brewer. These fellows are teammat of surf guitar than the "70's Sox — Gifferent, attempting to have swinging

when they played in big baggy musical careers that aren't just the §

shorts on hot days? And has related to baseball. Thatis, Lee May

| any team ever seemed more their songs aren't about baseball, this ish, «

a Heavy Metalesque than the and their careers don't consist of career wi

| current team when they forsake playing on field shows between seventies a} the Lord's day by playing their games of double headers. career w: oat Sunday games in special ass-- That's not to say that their two still perf

iS = kicking solid black uniforms? — careers are unrelated. The er at : { re (n fact, I'd say that just the fact \4cDowell recordings are made an impor a re A fr A that the Sox, unlike other teams possible by his baseball SOXRO

who conform to the notion of earnings (he records on his own the team: “tradition” meaning staying one, vanity label, "Quality Start") Roll era: 2 of accepted way, constantly and the success, albeit limited, had been —_, an change there entire uniform and that his group has had canbe — Sox", the Recordings of interest to Sox fans are partially attributed to his fame speed, nc "Freetown" (cassette only) by Jack McDowell, "Extendagenda" (LP) by View (Cassette/CD), ")

To Be Wild" bv Scared Straight who also appear on the compilations "Partyanimal", "N: and leased indy albums ol orgart music. Arthur Lce Maye's discography 1s too long to list t

“ieee 2 SO cir pla . d the Sox" by the sa at 9 wood in the zine. Other records about the Sox and their players are ’ Baseball an x" by E BIN Ny sleeve, "Doby at the Bat" by Fatman Humphries, "Doby's reps nf fos ee gin ae 1) tri historical Black player/manager Larry Doby. "Go, Go, Go Sox” by Bob Elson, , Go, ° oaks Late tribute to Minnie Minoso, "The White Sox Song” by Shay Torrent and lhe White Sox Stomp" b by Main Source on: Boyz"N"The Hood soundtrack features the line "Fuck Red and White, I got on Black Sox". Two

team are "Red Necks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer" by Johnny Russell and “Dirk Wears White Sox" by Adam and

z, >. » ees e * 4. 168 . PIS es

4 DWARDS

anything to make them happy, ' Widely appreciated. James including Sending a midget up Brown sang "Say it Loud' I'm to bat and installing outfield Black and I'm Proud" and wore fences that went hi gher when an afro. Though many White

the other team batt d lower Black and Latino players wore ul player. View once wasn't until the Glam decade of when his team sate (for easier their hair long, the big, proud

porting the the 1970's, and the arrival of homeruns). Never. in his afros were some of the most 1s, Which is a pretty populist owner Bill Veeck that opinion, did the game walter attention commanding sights on iat would be out of a Comiskey Park led the baseball because of his promotions. the field. Oscar Gamble, who that's league if it world into the culture of Rock = Thay was, at least, until July 12, Played for the Sox in '77 wore the novelty effect of from whence it has never 1979. Veeck's S66 convinced Perhaps the most famous one. sball band (the third —_ returned. KISS style him that it would be a cool idea Another player of that era, Dick ee Plemel, isa minor pyrotechnics were introduced to to haye a promotion where Allen was seen by many-white 1 fact Edwards White the game with the construction obnoxious DJ Steve Dahl of _fans saw a flake because of his was probably of The Exploding Scoreboard, 7), Loop FM98-"Where indignant and demanding

y being in View. In which lit up and sent fireworks Chicago Rocks" (the only Chi behavior (smoking in the called up by the Sox _ off at every Sox homer. town station that still has a dugout, making the Sox let his layed an inning, but Nowadays even the indoor Roctober motto in October) brother play on the team,

t he played a few dome stadiums use fireworks. yong blow up disco records _ tiring after his best ever Jack. Itmusthave Speaking of KISS, if anyone between games of a double Seasons to raise horses), but case that the star believes KISS should never header against ironically(?) the any Black Southsiders saw ited him around. have taken off their makeup, Motown Tigers. Though it was him as a hero for these very

y that Radinsky's Just take a look at recently only 98 cents (FM98) anda —-4Cttons which were read as_

er was helped by his mandatorily retired Disco record for the pyre thumbing his hose at the white e, since his punk octogenarian White Sox clown aqmission many teenage Rock baseball establishment. He ‘began, and possibly Andy. Believe me, it's nota lovin' Discs haters bumrushed also was one of the best players ily not) ended before pretty thought. Veeck also the turnstiles. During the first of his time. .

laying pro ball. I can recreated Woodstock type game outfielders had to wear Many big stadium concerts

fact that he was a commune life with the Bleacher were played at old Comiskey iscular guy didn't Shower, that fans could use Berney railed oe park. In '66 the Beatles played Js of his frontinga | during the game. With the Instead of going peacefully, the # and 18 years later the man een combo. Rad hiring of Nancy Faust (see between game bomb blast who owns all their tunes would ‘out, playing on his separate interview) a page was became a (surprise) Teenage celebrate his Victory tour there, lying Scared Straight added to the music books of all Riot with five thousand drunken When Michael and the Jacksons backup band ata live sports when she played Steam's white youth pouring onto the Put the exploding scoreboard to gig, pre VIEW. It's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him field and partying. Being a cool Shame. The first concert I ever

ing that three Goodbye" when a pitcher got guy, Veeck would not allow the S@W was at 35th and Sheilds. would also be the boot. Some Rock concert (probably bloodthirsty) cops to From the left field stands I saw tusic men, but that's innovations of that time were go onto the field and bust heads, The Fixx, Flock of Seagulls, the ‘for you. Arthur achieved even without the and simply pleaded over the PA fabulous Joan Jett and the profiled elsewhere in teams approval. It was well and waited for the crowd to Blackhearts who the hipper Jed his baseball understood that the last row in disperse. Of course the field ‘oo epee

: aS rE

the Sox in the the upper deck of every Sox was fucked up, and game two -._-~ cigs ae ut his long R&B home game smelled like teen — igo not be played. The Sox f° =): . = far from over, as he __ spirit, "70's style, thanks to the had to forfeit and lose a Major ns in LA. smoking of The Evil Weed. But League baseball game because faye played in was _the day that Veeck's most of out of hand Rock and Roll

it ime in historical Baseball/Rock and revelry. The unstoppable force . history. Though Roll moment occurred was the — Enown as Rock met the

f the early Rock n' day the cannabis left the upper immovable object called

te 50's early 60's) deck and hit the playing field. — paseball head on. At that

1own as the "GoGo The day of Disco Demolition. intensity, it was a sure equation lickname referred to Veeck was the king of for disaster.

0ots and dancing. It promotions and stunts. He Also of note during the late

3 Drink, You Drive, You Die" (LP) and "Bor sixties and early seventies was core" and "Covers". Nancy Faust has recorded the Black Pnde movement. some info follows the article on him elsewhere Though it took place in every ' Terry Cashman, sporting a Ron Kittle picture aspect of African Amencan life | fa and "The Robbie-Doby Boogie" by Brownie at the time, and politics and

te Sox" by Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers, academia were probably the immyYancey. "A Friendly Game of Baseball" most important, Music and

ox relateu discs tnat have notning to do with the Sports were probably the most

‘ANUS. Discography info partially from the excellent book

han thou, morun, probably own very Phil Collins record, suburban commuter fans with he lawn tickets actually »00ed!), The Police and the last ninute fill in local, young, Ipstart combo Ministry, in what vas certainly their biggest gig

o date. It was the first time I ‘ver smelled marijuana and it vas a perfect way for me to be nitiated into a life of Rock and <oll life of live gigs hopping | wound clubs, theatres and rig a arsine tadiums to see, hear and play ak a Glee <ock shows: with my familiar | ee ae | tiend Comiskey Park holding ny hand. A very fitting thing Of it to do, because in the 76 fears that park existed it 1oused... The Rocking White ¥OX.

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CS: DID YOU PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THE BALLGAME TODAY?

Nate: No I didn't except we were down there because that's where our practice space is. I couldn't find parking.

CS: IT'S ON LANDSDOWNE STREET? NATE: NO, IT'S UNDER “STORE 24°. CS: DID YOU EVER HAVE ANY WEIRD RUN INS WITH RED SOX FANS?

NATE: Not really, except they steal parking all the time.

It's definitely distracting.

CS: I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I THOUGHT I WAS REALLY PUNK ROCK AND HUNG OUT IN KENMORE SQUARE...

NATE; Yeah.

CS: ...AND ANY NIGHT THERE WAS A GAME IT WAS THIS REALLY TENSE THING WITH US STARING AT THEM AND THEM STARING AT US AND BOTH THINKING WE OWNED THE PLACE. NATE: I remember that Kenmore thing, yeah.

CS: AM I IMAGINING THAT?

NATE: It was a huge thing.

CS: THERE WAS A REAL, TANGIBLE TENSION THERE?

NATE: I think so, I mean between Punk rockers and anybody where

Belly and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. e Albert of the Bosstones wrapped in a

at bit on MIV about the big Boston rock shindig that takes ent bands all playing the same night at different clubs.

Green Monster, co pignabadge One side of the street is lined with clubs,

summer nights the saus hungry rockers.

Some of the bands i : Blatorticn. included in this year's wrnx

spoke to Nat

foot tall left field wall legendary for robbing powe age vendors stick around after the game to sell grea

night were Porno for Pyros, On the evening of the 1993 Season blanket in his home in Samerville.

place every spring? There Most of the performances the other is Fenway Park's xr hitters of homeruns. on

sy dogs to sweaty ravers and

Helmet, Therapy?, Social Opener at Fenway I

BY CAROLINE SHIRLEY

they're trying to hang out there's tension. But I spent most of my time in Cambridge. CS: HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN THE BOSSTONES STARTED?

NATE: Me and Joe, the bass player started in grade school. CS: IN GRADE SCHOOL?

NATE: Yeah, I was like, twelve and then we uh, got Dickie, when I was like thirteen.

CS: DID YOU ALL GO TO SCHOOL TOGETHER?

NATE: No cause Dickie was much older. We practiced actually right by the practice space we have now, and I played an ashtray, Joe played bass. I played guitar too, but Dickie sang. We'd‘write songs down there.

CS: WHAT WERE THE FIRST SONGS LIKE?

NATE: “A Little Bit Ugly” was our first song, I think.

CS: WAS IT PUNK STUFF OR WAS IT SKA STUFF?

NATE: It was both. We did Punk Rock stuff until Dicky joined and then we started doing Ska, cause he was into it. Then we got a whole band together and

BOSTON BRAVES HAT

hey, tote

ae ae: FREEN MONSTER"

started playing out. We would play places like Chet's Last Call, the sleaziest club in Boston, right above the Pussycat Theater. We'd play the Rat on like Tuesday nights. We were terrible. The biggest show we got was opening up for Fishbone. That was so unbelievable, ‘cause they were like our idols at the time.

CS: WHAT YEAR WAS THIS?

NATE: 1987. Anyway, things got really long winded and we were running out of steam, 30 we broke up. We got back together in 1990, and recorded ‘Devil's Night Out’, which Curtis from TAANG (records) picked up. And this year we signed with Polygram.

CS: HOW'S IT GOING WITH THEM? NATE: They're treating us really well, letting us do what we want. My mom took pictures for the first release, and we produced it ourselves and recorded the songs we wanted to record.

CS: THAT'S REALLY COOL.

NATE: Yeah, it is. And now that MTV and people are getting into it, they are even more happy, and are inclined to give us even more control.

LICHMOND S° >.

CS: HAS MTV BEEN ON YOUR TAIL? NATE: Yeah, we were on The Week in Rock this week, and I guess they are going to play our video, supposedly.

CS: IT SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE REAL SLIPPERY AT MIV.

NATE: I think what it is at MTV and at big labels is that the nature of that business is to make money, bottom line. There's no individual who takes the blame for anything that goes on. So everyone's manifesto is “How much money can I make?" or “How can I keep my job longest?” In a way I can forgive major labels and MTV more than, like, Taang for screwing us over, or SST for suing their bands. Those people are more directly responsible. Big companies are about making money and actually getting paid. This is the first time were getting paid.

With indies there's a lot of political and ethical stuff people talk about all the time, but the reality of it is that when you switch from being a student in a band to just being in a band, you realize that you've got to pay your rent and bills and stuff, and you realize how much your labels making, and your making nothing and it becomes really clear what you have to do.

CS: DO YOU THINK THAT'S DIFFERENT THEN IT WAS LIKE TEN YEARS AGO?

THE PHANTON

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NATE; No. I think that, ten years ago, all the bands that were considered really cool and are now really big were on major labels, like The Clash or the B- 32's. And the bands that were on indies were on labels they started themselves. Like Minor Threat started Dischord, and all the X-Claim records around here. You know FU's and SSD and all those guys were, so they were kind of running their own businesses. Now it's just like the indies are farm teams to major labels. CS: SO WHO CAME UP WITH YOUR NAME? NATE: Dickie came up with "The Bosstones", but there was some Doo-Wop group from the sixties with the same name. We didn't even want to deal with any future problems so Joe came up with “Mighty Mighty". I think he got it from that Commodores song “Brick House", CS: THAT’S A GREAT SONG. WHAT OTHER BAND NAMES DO YOU LIKE? NATE: I'm kinda getting down on the single word name thing. I really want to start a band just to get in on it. That's not to say that single name bands are lame or anything. CS: WHAT IS IT THAT'S su APPEALING ABOUT A ONE WORD NAME? ‘NATE: Well you go "Oh- I know what scene there in." Came, Spore, Pavement, Swirlies... CS: DO THE SWIRLIES COUNT? THERE PLURALIZED. NATE: That‘s true. Nirvana, Belly... CS: THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. YoU HAVE A GOOD NAME.

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NATE: Yeah, I Like the name. EMILY: Except when people say “MMB‘s".

CS: OH, MAN THAT'S BAD.

EMILY: Weren‘t you just saying that you thought some band had a good name?

NATE: unmm, THERAPY?, with a question mark.

CS: HOW DID THE PLAID THING GET STARTED?

NATE: I think Dickie had made a banner that was on plaid material, and we kind of all had plaid stuff. During the few years that we were broken up everything just sort of mutated and grew...like say you did a painting that just sucked, and you had three years to just talk about it, and in those three years it just became the greatest thing, you had a reason for every little thing that was going on. Then we came back together and had this kind of Manifesto to go by. But it was all kind of built on weird stuff from the past.

CS: DO YOU THINK MAYBE IT'S GONE A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR, LIKE ALL THE KIDS THAT COME TO YOUR SHOWS IN PLAID SUITS?

NATE: Yeah, well I want to make everyone so sick of it, you know. I think we have to really overdo it before we can change and have it be effective. Were trying not to shy away fram what we've created. It's not like there's a thousand bands running around in plaid, tacky leisure suits.

CS: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CONVERSE COMMERCIAL. HOW DID IT HAPPEN? NATE: They were scouting around

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illustration by Eric Nix

Boston, and went through like 50 bands or something. Then we got it, and we were like “oh, my god, do we really want this?" But we did it and it was cool. It could have been really bad. It seemed really surreal at the time, this litde Punk rock Ska band doing a national commercial spot. People were calling Taang, and couldn't believe it was the same It was too weird, coming out of the Boston hardcore scene. That was part of the fun of doing it, that we were not pledging allegiance to the indie flag.

CS: WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE BOSTON BANDS?

NATE: SSDecontrol were my favorite, The FU's, Jerry's Kids, Stranglehold,

the early Gang Green, Skate to Hell. At

the time I wasn't really into the bands that were coming out of the hardcore thing. I couldn't really relate to Hiisker Dii. Although now I dig Bob Mould, and try to rip him off as much as possible.

CS: WHAT WAS THE WEIRDEST SHOW YOU EVER PLAYED?

NATE: The weirdest bill we ever

played was the 92 Bosto ic Awards. It was us and tenes aylor

and Marky Mark, The New Kids on the Block...

CS: DID YOU GET TO MEET JAMES TAYLOR?

NATE: Yeah, and I met Aerosmith. Joey McIntyre from the New Kids came up to us and said "Saw you guys at the Avalon, you guys are great, I love you guys.” This was at the Boston Music Awards last week. And Steve Tyler was like, "What's up guys, I love your sneaker commercial...Attitude, Attitude, Egoww!"

CS: THAT'S INCREDIBLE!

NATE: Yeah, they're really cool. They're really aware of the local scene. CS: THAT'S GREAT. YOU WOULDNT EXPECT THEM TO BE. NATE: The last year, 92, I went up to the bass player, cause we had covered "Sweet Emotion". I was like “Uh, hi, I'm from The Bosstones" and before | could say ‘we covered your song’ he goes "Yeah, | have your CD, man I'm really into it.

So that was like the weirdest bill. The

eirdest show was in Jike South

Carolina in a Holiday Inn. We also played a frat party with 172 kegs. Oh, but we had another weird show down in Miami. The show had just ended, and we were outside getting air because the

South is so hot. These two skinheads were fighung. One guy was like "I'm

gonna beat you up bla bla bla." The other guy was like "Ah, your a loser” and walked away, so the first guy is all pissed off or something, and he punches this big plate glass window, thinking he was going to be all tough and walk away. And everyone is staring at him at this point. I guess he hit an artery and he's spurting blood all over the place. All of a sudden some kid grabs him and wraps a Bosstones shirt around his arm. At first the kid was all tough, but within minutes was like, “Call my mother, call my mother...she has money, take me to a good hospital.” So the sirens show up, and who else but the show "Cops". And they are all there, filming the whole thing...and everyone's mugging for the cameras and they pull the kid into the ambulance. I don't know if it ever got aired.

CS: DID YOU KEEP THE SHIRT? NATE: Net but we have a picture of it.

The setting; Harlem , New York, 1938. A seven year old Sammy Davis, Jr., already a seasoned performer on the Black Vaudville circuit, yust wanted to get some comic books to celebrate getting his first movie part, with Ethel Waters in “Rufus Jones for President". What he got instead was a cruel, but important,

lesson in life.

those?”

nobody’d answer.

“Y’wanta trade?”

I went downstairs to the candy store below our apartment to buy comic books. Some kids from the neighborhood were sitting at the table in the back. I walked over to them. “Hi.” They were looking

at cards with: pictures on them. 1 watched for a while. “What're

One of them looked up. “You kiddin’?” [I didn’t answer. “Boy, anyone don’t know what these is must be pretty dumb.”

“Well, it ain't dumb just "cause I never saw somethin’ before!” I looked around the table hoping to find someone who'd agree with me but they all just shook their heads like I was too stupid to live. | was dying to walk away but I knew if ! said, “Well, so long,”

“These're baseball cards, dopey! Where y"been all your life?”

The most any of them bad was about a dozen. I had a ten dollar bill in my pocket. The bubble gum the cards came in was a penny apiece. I bought a hundred of them.

They all stopped talking. I played it big, pulling the cards out of the packages, piling them into one tall stack. The boy who'd first called me dumb came over and looked eagerly at my cards.

“Sure. Whattya wanta trade?”

He picked out three. “I'll take these.”

“Okay, but what'll you give me for ‘em?” I didn’t care but I didn’t want to look dumb again. He handed me three of his cards and I looked at them as if I knew one from the other.

“Fair ‘nuff?” he asked. I nodded. He shouted, “Trade’s off 'n no trades back!” and all the other kids burst out laughing. He grinned. “Boy, you really are dumb. Anybody who'd give up a Babe Ruth or

‘ an _ a Lou Gehrig for less’n five cards—boy, that’s the dumbest thing |

ever saw.”

\| = This time I even felt dumb. I ran out of there leaving my cards on |) the counter. I closed the door to my room and played a record, loud,

so Mama couldn’t hear me crying. I sat on my bed, mad at myself 7 for running out like that and for letting them get the best of me in the first place. And to make it worse I hadn't gotten the comic books. I hated to face them again but they weren’t going to keep me from getting what I wanted.

— From Sammy's book "Yes | Can"

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THERSBASEBALL THAN SING

__ fn early summer 1929, Roy went on a fishing trip at the invita- Gon of a fairly well-off friend, Ross Smith. For two weeks they Fiuhed at Soldier Key in Florida. Roy, unaware of the dangers of the (ropical sun, became so badly blistered that at night he could not lie down but had to sheep sitting up under a canvas shelter.

In baseball, his favorite sport, Roy was the team’s star pi & slcaeiey eaariara cutie ’ ’ pitcher. ; : a6

He had an excellent curve, lots of slow pitches, and fine control. Roy o ae ai a os me a a on ae neers

ear es a i cant ane arms and legs immediately cramped to such violent extent that Pp y P ns, usually in the outfield, between pitching three of his teammates were ‘required to pull them «traight again. He assignments. He hit some of the longest homers ever made in the thought he was dying, right there in the dugout. parks at Knoxville, and newspaper reports of some games referred to oo him as “Home Run Acuff." Roy loved the game and planned on a career in professional baseball, then professional coaching.

Somewhere in the cusp of baseball and popular music exists the profession of Ball Park Organist. Amongst the practitioners of this unique calling Nancy Faust stands head and shoulders above the rest as Baseball's premiere organist. Famous for her musical puns about players names (playing "Ina Gada Davida" when Pete Incaviglia is up for example) and for introducing "NaNaNa Kiss him Goodbye" to pro sports, Nancy has blessed White sox fans with her presence for 24 years, and she just signed a six year contract. A “date” with Nancy is a musical ride through Pop,

Classical, Ethnic, Rap, Count: , Traditional and anything else you can think -

‘Nancy is a Roctober favorite, so at a recent Sox nomestand | spoke to her in her booth

Black Sabbath's “Iron Man" ,

Never one co retrain from playing

(which,as always, is amor est the fan's seats so chat all Pale Hose rooters can befriend Nancy) about her thoughts on the

baseball/Rock and Roll connections. And this is how it went...

When you were starting out playing the organ there were a lot of records out with wild organ playing on them, like "96 Tears" by? and the Mysterians...

Nancy: Oh yes, un huh... Did you play in a band? Nancy: No I didn’t. I always played alone and I didn't do the Rock stuff so much. I[ did dinners | banquets, I played "Pretry Music” like the kind in books.

You always played by yourself? Nancy: Yes, I always play alone. (The Twins batter Chuck Knoblach is announced. Nancy plays the Good and Plenty candy “Charlie says..." song)

What do you think the connection between baseball and Rock Music is?

Nancy: Well, some kind of music, organ music? I think it's a traditional sound, and I tell you, when you hear a television commercial or a radio commercial that has a baseball theme you'll hear an organ in the background. It's tradition. Rock music is something that's crept into the scene as Rock music became popular. You just start hearing things at the ballpark that are popular.

Do you think some people resent hearing Rock music at the park?

Nancy: Some of the purists might. But they have to appeal to more than just the purists. (As the White Sox are about to go to bat Nancy plays the American Bandstand theme with a boffo ending to psyche the fang up.) I think some people, a lot of people resented organ music and finally chat was accepted as tradition. Then they might start resenting canned music but I think they'll realize it's part of the package too.

How would you compare your performance to a Rock concert?

Nancy: That would probably be a lot more stressful because all eyes are on the Rock musician. They're there entertaining while I'm background. All eyes are on the players.

But there's pressure on you.

Nancy: I'm pretty used to it. If I had to perform on a stage I'd be pretty rattled.

What would you say are some of your best Rock song... Nancy: Oh you mean like some of the DOORS scuff, "Light My Fire" when we need a boost...oh golly “Iron Man". (There is a Sox hit Nancy plays the ever popular

Write to Nancy c/o The Chicago White Sox 333

W. 35th St. Chicago, Il. 60616

tune that climaxes in the crowd participatory “Charge”. Craig Grebeck is announced and Nancy plays inspiring Bullfighting music. Suddenly the runner on first break for second and after a successful steal his speed is paid tribute to with a speedy perky segment from Chopin's “Revolutionary Etude”. Grebeck gets a hit and after the runners round the bases Nancy plays "I Get Around".)

Do you collect records?

Nancy: No. | try to record them. I record off the radio and if | can't gec it | buy the cassette.

You don't listen to music as just a

pastime? See Mie Nancy: | enjoy calk radio. [ listen te to Steve (Dahl) and Gary (Mcir).

That segues us nicely to the big Rock/Baseball Convergence/Disaster. You were here for Dahl's “Disco Demolition” promotion.(See “Rockin' White Sox" article) What would you say happened? Why...(The crowd erupts for an RBI. Nancy celebrates with “When The Saints Go Marching In". George Bell is announced and Nancy plays "Meet George Jetson”) Well, you're job has to do with baseball and music coming together, but that was just the opposite...

Nancy: | think those were a lot of fans that weren't inte baseball, but juste came to have a good time and to show they disliked Disco.

Can you tell us your perspective?

Nancy: I kinda sat there in a state of disbelict. 1 was up high. I was seeing small fires in the outficld and | realized that it could get out of hand.

Were you playing a soundtrack to the event?

Nancy: No. Maybe at first | was. Pretty soon Bill Veeck got on the PA and I realized that this was pretty serious.

Were you scared? Nancy: A little bit. Fear came over me. Excuse me. (The inning over, Nancy now plays the Jeopardy theme

(Oo

accompany a game on the Jumbotron Diamond

Vision scoreboard. Kirby Puckett ts announced for the Twins and Nancy plays "There's a Hole in the Bucket” Get it," Buckec", “Puckett")

Is N

there anything youd like readers of Roctober to hear? ancy: Well if there's a song that they feel is

appropriate for me that can tie in with baseball, Ud like

{to

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AKIAUR LEE MAYE ON RECORD

. by James Porter

Just like with le who to criss-cross sais armas acting, people will give you a hard time if you try to do both misic and sports. In some cases it‘s understandable why-- no one will confuse °The Superbow] Shuffle* for a seminal old- school Rap disc, and on the other side, people naturally thought Marvin Gaye was out to lunch for trying out for the Detroit Lions (at the age of 30). An examination of the career of Arthur Lee Maye reveals that as a basebal) player or an R&B singer, the man definitely had what it took. First of all, as a ballplayer, Lee Maye was no slouch. A respectable lifetime batting average of .274 is highlighted by three .300+ seasons and 44 league leading doubles in '64. He played for such colorful teams as the Milwaukee Braves, The Houston Colt .45's/Astros (Where he was among the first to play upon the newly named “Astro Turf), The Indians, The Washington Senators and the White Sox of the early 70's. But even before he was rocking big league pitchers he was making hit 78's and 45's. These were the days before big leaguers averaged over a million dollars a year, and when playing pro ball meant you were going to have to find another job that would let you have six months off a year, so Maye had to keep up his musical career throughout his hardball career. And even though the Tuscaloosan born outfielder may. not be one of the most outstanding players in the record books, he did make same outstanding short players in some record collections. Personally, I always had a vague idea of Arthur Lee Maye-- as mich as I love early R&B and Rock & Roll, Maye to me was always just another name on some various artist R&B collection. I mean, even when you honestly like the music and seek out al] the obscure music you can, same people are just bound to get lost in the shuffle, right? Can’t buy everything! However with a little help ia Jake and a collector in New York named Michael Brown(see ad on p.3) I was able to hear, via tape, a few of the singles he made over the years, and it's an impressive bunch. I don't have dates for all the songs, but judging from the technology and the songs themselves, I'd

guesstimate that hey run from about 1954 to the late sixties. (NOTE: I know this article may seem a bit excessive to some since I'm not writing about someone who--ahem--gets “played on the radio” a lot---haw haw--- but last I looked this was Rocktober, and not Rolling Stone, a magazine that's gathering moss by the months, so on with the show!)

The one song that Maye was identified with most was "Gloria" (not the Shadows of Night/Van Morrison or The Doors Songs), which is considered something of a West Coast Doo- Wop standard. Nice romantic music of the kind you can expect to hear on Richard Pegue's Saturday night Dusties show on Dusty Radio 1390 (AM, for those of you who don't know but would like to)in Chicago, during his monthly "Way, Way, Back” nights. Sounds really good next to something like “Earth Angel” by the Penguins. But like that Penguins cut (plus just about every R&B single of the time), if you cut a drooling ballad on one side of the 45, you made a hellbound rocker on the other, BO we also have "Oh Rooba Lee", @ musical takeoff of "Mary Lou", the old Young Jessie/Ronnie Hawkins song. Original material wasn't as mich a priority as it would become years later, the ways of molding recording stars were mich different from today, and the business seemed to focus more around songs than artists. When Billboard magazine listed

their Top 40 chart for the week, you'd see a song followed by the original artist , trailed by about five or six other jokers who tried to get a cut of the action with records of the same song. Three of Maye's singles I've heard (°At My Front Door" b/w “Honey Love*, "Sincerely* b/w “Sh-Boom" and °Gee° b/w "Only You") are pretty much note for note cover versions of the day's R&B hits. If you've never heard the originals, Maye’s versions might as well be, and if you have, these versions are quite redundant. Probably my hands down favorite on the tape is "A Fools Prayer*. Arthur Lee Maye did quite a few slow, almost sentimental sounding numbers like many a doo—wopper of the era, but here he turns off the hokey waterworks and jumps headfirst into same heat. Back then, artists who worked in the vocal group style either went for a poppy style that was like a (slightly) soulful version of what white pre- Rockers like Patti Page or Rosemary Clooney were doing, or they went back to the church for a decided Gospel influence (like the Five Royales or Hank Ballard and the Moonlighters). Myself, I’ think they both have their merits, don‘t get me wrong, but my money goes with the latter style, and "A Fool's Prayer” is a good standout example of that. The singer/narrator is in a desperate situation, and any song of this caliber needs to be beefed up with some intensity. The single “Halfway* b/w “I Can't Please you" was done on the Lenox label (owned by Kenny Roger's brother!) whose biggest claim to fame was R&B singer Esther Williams doing Soul versions of Country songs, and this 45 (which sounds like ‘62 or ‘63), the top half anyways has that same Country-Soul sound--~a moody, Gospelly Soul number with this tinkling Patsy Cline-piano and a twangy bassline (the forerunnner of the popping bass sound that funk guitarists used from late ‘70's on?) . Brook Benton and Joe Henderson (not the Jazz musician) had hits with this kind of sound in the early sixties, and "Halfway ranks with the best. “Can't Please”® on the other hand sounds like the producers had New Orleans on their minds, and this is a pale recreation of that sound. Many of the post-50‘s discs he made were pretty mich mirrors of the styles of the day, and “Only a Dream” is one of the least

scessful, ripoff or tne ifters early style (“Under the wdwalk", “Up on the Roof", ae the most part Maye stinued to make great records years and styles passed, and though he's generally entified as a fifties artist, made better records after at time than Jackie Wilson, o, great as he was, made some uly forgettable Soul records g opposed to the earlier R&B yle) in the early ‘70's. “I'm ppy & in Love” b/w “Moonlight” und like a later early-60's w York street corner Doo-Wop und (yes, there is a fference!), "Loving Fool" is _uptempo dance number, like e Coasters or the Olympics (a ior man's Coasters, but still a eat group!) would do, and “At e Party", a weak version of a -eat song by Texas ballbusters .g Sambo and the Housewreckers wailable on a great various tists compilation «lbum ylled-of course-AT The Party!) really love “How's the World reating You", where the arrator tries to get back sgether with an old flame, and 3 a must for anyone who has ried to carry on after a reakup(the unwanted, avoluntary kind). The 1969 ong “He'll Have to Go° brings aye fully into the Soul era. his is an excellent soul ersion of the time honored ountry standard. Fans of rthur Alexander, the celebrated 0's singer who worked in the ame vein, will love this. Arthur Lee Maye (Sometimes, m records and baseball cards lilled as Lee Maye, and on ecords sometimes as Arthur Lee laye and The Crowns) is upposedly living in LA and itill performing. There are 4 umber of LA R&B stars from the 10's, like Johnny Otis and lichard Berry, who are still \live, well and active (and ven wealthy, as Berry recently ron back the rights to Louie,Louie", the great Rock standard he wrote and originally -ecorded), and so the sossibility of Maye still doing shows is not totallv out of the uestion. At least I hope it sn't. All in all, Maye may rove to have been the truest aseball/Rock & Roller of them 11!

‘ne album currently in print is THE GOLDEN GROUPS, a various artists comp, (Specialty), on cassette and Vinyl, featuring "Gloria", “Cool Loving" and “Don't You Know I Love You So". Maye repro 45's are available

BLACK JACKLACKS

by Paul Crayton

A few years ago my band The Farmers opened up for Jack McDowell's band at the Park West here in Chicago. McDowell is the ace of the White Sox pitching staff and his band is called View. After the performances I spoke with a couple of ladies about the show. They said they were Sox fans. They had seen View three or four times and said that each time the opening act was better. I ama Sox fan and a Jack McDowell fan myself, but it doesn't take much to recognize that View is not a very good band.

As I listen to the View C.D. called "Extendagenda", I am lulled by the blandness of the music. It's like R.E.M. without the creativity. McDowell picks and strums a guitar ina folky-sixties style. It's totally generic. No surprises. Jack doesn't realize that being straight forward and direct is utterly boring in Rock. Ironically the control and level headedness that are his bread and butter on the pitching mound are the things that limit him in the recording studio. There needs to be some craziness. Melido Perez, a moody, erratic pitcher formally of the White Sox would probably be a better Rocker. He's more unpredictable.

In Jack's Rock and Roll

defense I should mention that his demo tape, which features rawer, scaled down versions of two songs that are on the C.D. is much petter. “Free Town” and

fran Norton Records, PO Box 646 Cooper Station New York,NY 10003. Write for a catalogue. OR...just send a blank tape and three stamps to Rocktober, and I‘ll dub the tape we have for you.

Dice ie nee me "The Singers™ are almost haunting on this tape and much more listenable. The lyrics seem more interesting and cryptic than bland in this type of presentation. McDowell used to make the White Sox play this version of "Free Town" over the PA

system before every home game he pitched. Unfortunately he showed really poor Rock judgment in his overproduced, average sounding "improved" versions. Maybe in the future he'll scale back down.

Once a friend of mine reached down into the bullpen and handed Wayne Edwards, a pitcher who plays drums on "Extendagenda" passes to see the Farmers at the Metro. McDowell showed up but didn't stay for my set because they had a game the next day. I guess if you're going to strike out Major Leaguers you can't Rock ‘n' Roll all nite long.

-Paul Crayton is a guitarist and vocalist for The Farmers, whose two-Flying Fish albums "Rock Angel” and “Volcano” are excellent examples of American Rock and Roll music. Check ‘em out!