GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man presents:
Episode 20: SPENCER “SPENNY” RICE talks Rasslin’ with Mike and Marco D’Auria
Anybody who knows Kenny Vs. Spenny already understands that Spencer Rice is an aficionado of wrestling. He may not be the best wrestler (Kenny won that competition by cheating), but Spenny is the real fan. He knows the names, the places, the stories. I’m proud to present the one and only Spencer Rice, tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock.
Joining me will be another diehard wrestling fan: Marco D’Auria from the Contrarians! We also have a video submission from John Clauser (The Contrarians), and some notes from the 1950s from my dad.
“Let’s talk rasslin’!” said Spenny. And talk we shall. Tonight!
Friday May 19 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
Written and posted on Facebook in 2010 after Ronnie’s death. Reposted here for the first time unaltered. Rest in peace Ronnie.
My exposure to Dio was initially due to MuchMusic. They played the video for “Holy Diver”, and I was quite frankly into ANY metal video where the band and/or singer had a sword and was on some kind of mission. (See: “Queen of the Reich” by Queensryche and “Can U Deliver” by Armored Saint for two more videos of this genre from the exact same time period).
However that song was undeniable. I remember having it my head for an entire day in 8th grade. It was the only thing that made some days tolerable. As much as I hated my grade 8 teacher and classes, it was always OK because I constantly has this kick-ass song playing on repeat in my head.
I sit here listening to the live version of “I” from The Devil You Know album. Dio did it again, this time with Black Sabbath. Yet another one of those songs. You only have to play it once, its impact was immediate, and suddenly you could have it playing non-stop in your head while bored to tears in class.
There was no other like Dio. When it came down it, his lyrics were pretty simple thematically. I mean, killing dragons, stopping robots from taking over the earth, fools sailing away…but underneath it all, they had this hidden theme: Don’t take bullshit. In a way that’s all Dio’s songs were ever about, from “The Last In Line” to “I” to “Stargazer”. None of these songs had any characters who ever took any bullshit.
Dio was like that. He was no-bullshit. Dio wore his wizard’s sleeves. Dio had a freakin’ dragon on his album cover in the year 2002! Who else did that? Not many and certainly nobody who got front racked a the local record stores like Dio did. But Dio didn’t care. Dio had his own sound, and he brought that sound to both Rainbow and Black Sabbath. There is a common denominator in the sounds of those albums and it is intrinsically Dio.
And who else can claim such a hardcore resume? Elf, Rainbow, Black frickin’ Sabbath, and Dio itself! Not to mention some of the totally unsung stuff he’s done, not least of which was Hear N’ Aid. Google the video, you’ll understand completely. Nobody else can claim that they’ve done what Dio’s done.
But more than that, Dio has been there with us. Dio’s been at wedddings, funerals, on roadtrips, in basements and bedrooms all over the world. Wherever you were rocking out to “Holy Diver” or “Rock and Roll Children” or “Neon Knights”, if you’re a Dio fan then you know what I’m talking about. If there was one constant in rock, it’s been Ronnie James Dio. You knew he’d never sell out and he never did. He wore his metal on his (wizard’s) sleeves and he made it OK for you to do the same. If you felt like crap because you were the only kid in school with a Black Sabbath T-shirt, Dio’s lyrics and message always said “It’s OK, because you’re onto something that they can’t see.”
Man, I’m gonna miss Dio. Like most of you, I have every album, every Sabbath album, every Rainbow album…I’ve known “Die Young” for 25 years. Now there will be no more. I don’t know if metal has ever suffered a loss like this before. This is certainly one of the biggest losses the genre has ever experienced, and I am including Hendrix in that body count. After all, Hendrix was a spark, here and gone before anybody got to know the man. Dio though…we’ve been following Ronnie James Dio’s career and music for most of our lives. But no more. Now we go on without Dio, yet no matter what…”WE ROCK”.
RECORD STORE TALES #1061: Musical Flashbacks and Flame Throwers
I know how to pick the tunes.
Trip up: Of course, it had to be High Noon by the Arkells. Had to be. That album has become too important to me. And so we played and I sang along, and really struggled and failed to hit the one “ooo ooo ooo” in “Never Thought That This Could Happen”. One of many signs of my aging body this weekend.
Three day weekends are really special. Sure, we didn’t get to finish everything we wanted to. But we did have fun. For the first time, we checked out a local shop called the Beef Way. We picked up a delicious tomahawk steak and some apple pie jam. Highly recommended. We are all done with Robert’s Boxed Meats in Kitchener. For the second time, he sold us steak that had gone bad. Never again, Robert! Beef Way has our money now. Guy was super helpful.
When we arrived on the front porch, it was all about the music once again. I captured some on video for you to enjoy, and I hope it gives you that “being there” feeling. The idea this weekend was, once again, to travel back in time. Listening to albums in the place I first heard them: the cottage. Priest…Live! Misplaced Childhood by Marillion. White Lion’s Big Game (who Jen understandably confused with Bon Jovi). This time it just made me glow.
The biggest deal about this weekend was the unprecedented spotting of wildlife! I managed to capture all of it either on photo or video. There was a beefy raccoon. We had a turkey. There was a beautiful skunk. Best of all, our fearless little chipmunk friend returned to visit us on both front and back porches. On Saturday we had a Lego session, and he came right out to help.
A word about Lego: It sure has changed a lot since we were kids. Now there are angles for every degree and orientation, slopes we never had before, lots of pieces that have both right and left-handed counterparts, and building techniques that involve going sideways just as often as upwards. It was challenging for both of us. But we’re both making progress! And I thought we’d be done in a weekend….
If YouTube allows the music, then check out my picks.
KEEL – The Right to Rock (1985, 2000 Metal Mayhem Music/bonus track)
From the Gene Simmons Song Factory, heeeeere’s Keel!
Let’s talk about the bonus track first. Anybody could tell you that “Easier Said Than Done” was a Simmons song, just from one listen. Surely enough, scan the liner notes, and it’s Gene and Mitch Weissman, whom fans know from 1984’s Animalize album. Like many Gene Simmons productions, The Right to Rock bears his name on a few writing credits. “Easier Said Than Done” is right down mid-80s Kiss alley. What about the remix? Structurally, it is unchanged. The drums sound different, and on a whole the track sounds a little brighter.
That’s it for extras. The booket is only a single fold-out, with no lyrics. It has a note from Ron Keel, indicating that this is the first CD issue of the album outside Japan.
The rest of the non-Simmons songs are basically reworkings of tracks from Keel’s first album Lay Down the Law. That album, like Ron Keel’s debut with Steeler (featuring one Yngwie J. Malmsteen) were on Shrapnel. For the A&M Records debut, they pulled out the big guns. They got Gene Simmons in all his wig-ness, and put out a very corny but tremendously fun music video.
It is “America 1989”, and rock and roll is outlawed. “Those who are apprehended suffer severe consequences.” Can our young teenage Keel lookalike get away from the rock police? Quiet Riot did something similar with their “The Wild and the Young” video a year later. It’s corny fun.
The song too is corny fun. I guess it’s a classic now. It has that stock heavy metal riff that you need: something Motley Crue or the Scorpions would be comfortable with. It has that rebellious rock theme that was so prominent in the 80’s. It has a shout-along chorus. “You got it! The Right to Rock!” Hey, I grew up in a Catholic school. I know what this is about. “Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life!” I had a teacher call me out on the first day of school for wearing a Judas Priest T-shirt. I could relate to this song in a big way when I was 13.
It should be noted that Gene Simmons, as a producer, is not known for his sonics. The Right to Rock sounds pretty good for the period, but the drums ring shallow and weak. There’s not much presence for the bass guitar, and the backing vocals are the typical rock mush. That’s what you get with Gene behind the console.
“Back to the City” has a good Priest-like chug to it. I think Keel were going for something middle of the road with their music, like Priest-meets-Scorps-meets-Crue-meets-Kiss. If so, this hit the mark. Ron’s vocals are overwrought but that’s his style. If you don’t like that kind of vocal, you won’t like Keel.
Kinda stinky is “Let’s Spend the Night Together”. You know, I still gotta give the guys credit. They have made this into a pretty fine pop metal song. If you didn’t know the song, you’d assume it’s an original, in the pop metal genre. So from that perspective, I think it’s kinda cool. Stinky and cool — like good gorgonzola.
“Easier Said Than Done” was written by Simmons/Weissman, the same team responsible for much of the Animalize album. The lyrics even reference “Russian Roulette”, a song title Gene had been toying with for years. (A song called “Russian Roulette” was finally released on Sonic Boom.) So, guess who “Easier Said Than Done” sounds like? That’s right — it is a dead ringer for Simmons-style Kiss. And it’s actually a pretty good song. The problem is Ron’s Gene impression. I can’t help but chuckle at his dead-on Gene vocals. I dare you to refrain from a giggle yourself. Same deal with “So Many Girls, So Little Time”. Kiss fans will recognize that’s a line recycled from the Kiss song “Burn Bitch Burn”.
Onto side two, “Electric Love” is a Keel original, but you immediately notice that the song isn’t as immediate as the two previous Simmons tunes. “Speed Demon”, another original, sounds exactly as the title implies. Quality-wise, it’s only at “Priest outtake” level (Defenders of the Faith era). Then it’s back to Simmons outtakes, with “Get Down”, the weakest of the Simmons songs by a long shot. “You’re the Victim (I’m the Crime)” is a Gene-like title, but this too is a Keel tune. It’s in the same vein as “Speed Demon”, and the same level of quality.
It’s fun to revisit The Right To Rock periodically…but sparingly.
A wise man once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” MarriedandHeels declined to participate for her scheduled time slot. I booked this afternoon off for her. So, this week’s box of chocolates includes some sweet surprise guests! Jex Russell co-hosted, and harpist Grace Scheele dropped by for a bit to talk about her cassette tape Landings. The end result is one of my favourite shows! Top ten?
Max the Axe’s garage sale scores were the main focus of the show, with a second on cottage stories and musical memories. We told the previously unrevealed tale of Max’s carbon monoxide detector collection. We tributed the man himself with song after song, going over two hours!
Best of all: a first. A chipmunk visiting the show, captured on camera, live. Twice.
Addendum: Here’s the funny thing. MarriedandHeels was still welcome to appear on this show, and declined to show up. Why? Because she scheduled her own stripshow at the same time on OnlyFans. However, the gods disapproved, and she failed due to technical issues! She could have joined me, but karma and the universe worked together to spite her. Oh well! Hope she enjoyed her day at home alone, not making any money or having any fun with us.
Life is like a box of chocolates indeed! I say, eat on. The No More Heels tour of 2023 begins!
It can now we said: This episode was supposed to be for MarriedandHeels. I booked the afternoon off FOR HER. And now we have to go on without her. Thanks a lot.
Today I need to take it easy, so we’re going back to basics. My first solo show in years. I want to do it in the afternoon, not evening, so it’ll be 3:00 PM E.S.T.
I’ll be reading from Tim Durling’s book Unspooled. I have my treasures from Max the Axe’s garage sale to show. We have a demo of the Kenwood tape deck featuring the music of Grace Scheele. I’ll be unboxing new discs, and otherwise just winging it! Hope to see some of you then. I know it’s not an ideal time, but I don’t want to be broadcasting live during sunset! So afternoon it is.
Friday May 12 at 3:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
When I reviewed this album six years ago, I rated it 4.5/5 stars. For whatever reason, I’ve been playing this a lot over the last two weeks. Like a lot lot. Today I’d give it a solid 5/5. High Noon by the Arkells has reached that upper echelon of albums that somehow, someway, have become so important to me that losing this album would be like losing an arm. It’s in my soul now. It’s part of me. That’s not easy to do, especially for newer music.
I love the spirit. The defiance. The anger! “Oh you’re just a boy, a little banker boy, everything’s a game and everyone’s your toy…” A pretty scathing indictment of the wealthy who prey on the vulnerable, a practice which singer Max Kerman refers to as “Fake Money”. It’s so upbeat that you don’t pick up on the anger until you actually listen to the words. But when you do? Hooboy! Though the song sounds like a celebration, the lyrics cut like razors.
Then there’s the very-80’s “Come To Light”, a brilliant rock song with a Bowie beat. There’s a tension built from synth and drums. Then the piano delivers those hooks! Kerman’s vocals are as impassioned as ever (“Impassioned” being his middle name, according to some reports). Virtually every song could be a single, and this one was the first of four. Another simply superior upbeat celebration follows, called “Cynical Bastards”. You have to love that title! Once again the keys are the dominant hook-deliverer, though the chorus itself is pretty damn awesome. Even the lyrics are catchy! “If the 80s were tough, the 90s were mean!”
Another serious favourite is track #4: “11:11”. You ever heard about that superstition that you’re supposed to make a wish when the clock shows 11:11? A slower, more contemplative song, this beauty is all about meeting a sweetie at a bar. “You made a wish at 11:11, I held your hips at 12:34,” goes the fabulous chorus. “There was a kiss just waiting to happen, a cab was waiting just outside the door.” A slower but still bright number called “Never Thought That This Would Happen” is one of most poetic yet colloquial songs about a one-nighter that I’ve ever heard. “And I never thought that this would happen, and you got all weird after the weekend. Sometimes you make out with an old friend, and I’m rounding first and I’m sliding into second…” It’s also the only song on the album that exceeds four minutes.
Sometimes I wonder if these girls that Kerman is singing about know the songs are about them.
“Dirty Blonde” is another very 80s upbeat rocker, very much like 80s Elton John, but harder. Just as many hooks though! “What Are You Holding On To?” has a completely different vibe, happy and danceable. This is followed by the uber-catchy “Hey Kids!” and the single “Leather Jacket”. “Leather Jacket” is one that strikes home lyrically in many ways. “You call me up from a pay phone, I say hang tight I can drive you home.” Been there done that! But my favourite line? “You call me up from a pay phone, and I said, ‘Who the fuck uses a pay phone?'” Regardless, “Leather Jacket” is instantaneous, flawless and passionate.
Just two more songs remain in this journey. “Crawling Through the Window” slows things down to a strong digital pulse, with dark chords backing it. Brilliant lyrics here describing a shitty old apartment. “There were carpets in the bathroom, man, what the fuck’s a vacuum?” Again it sounds like there’s a real story here. Finally the dance rock of “Systematic” ends the album on a surprising, but no less catchy note.
Mastering engineer – Harry Hess! By all means, get this album. Get it. Play it. Play it again. Fall in love. I did.
Five years ago I wrote a partly informative, partly comedic, article about the number 666. With hindsight it’s kind of amazing that it took five years to get a WTF comment out of it. Please welcome “pairunoyd” to the show with this doozy:
March 31, 2018: 3312018 = 666 * 4973. 4973 is the 666th prime number: 3312018 = 666 * the 666th prime number. Kobe Bryant died 666 days after the prime 666 date. His highest scoring game, 81 pts, was his 666th regular season game.
mikeladano.com 