Queer Clubbing This Easter!

Myself and fellow Trash-O-Rama DJ Polly Esther will be djing at Homoelectric tonight (Good Friday) @ Legends in Manchester.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=328076350495&index=1

We will be on at 11 - 12 in The Piano Bar with Jo Good (BBC 6music) and Zoe McVeigh (Hooker/Bollox/Bad Dancer)

We will be playing 60 minutes of twisted electro, rock n roll and punk, be there!!

Fujiyama Mamas: Women In Rockabilly

Following on from Women in Psychobilly I felt that I should also highlight the women who were tcb (taking care of business) a generation before their psycho sisters!!
These women had balls, new how to use em and new how to stand on em too!! Check em out!!


Charline Arthur


Rose Maddox


Jean Chapel


Janis Martin


Barbara Pittman


The Collins Kids


Patsy Cline


Sparkle Moore


Wanda Jackson


Bunny Paul


June Carter


Anita Carter

Manchester, So Much To Answer For??

Well, I`ve lived in Manchester all my life, under the grey cloud of baggy and the acid era of the Hacienda and it seems to
me that people in general and the music press have a very limited view of what the Manchester music scene is about.
To quote Dan Le Sac & Scroobious Pip "The Smiths - Just a band", now I don`t mean that really because
I genuinely love The Smiths and I think that the greatest Manchester music has came from these 4 working class lads from
the suburbs but as Tony Wilson once said "this is Manchester, we do things differently"
It seems that every new band nowadays (see Hurts, Delphic, Courteneers, Twisted Wheel, etc) , be they
from Manchester originally, by proxy or just influenced slightly by Moz and co
they get tagged with being Manchesters finest band and are generally regarded as being forward thinking.
I don`t think that ripping off or paying homage to your favourite bands is very forward thinking to be honest so I`ve compiled
a little list of my favourite current Manchester musicians who, Tony, do things very differently!

First off is that great bard Sir Ste McCabe. Now Ste is not actually from Manchester but he hasn`t come here from Liverpool and
started quoting Shaun Ryder! He`s a true original pop punk pioneer, male feminist and queer rights activist!!
A one man band with an electric guitar and a drum machine and backing track, what more could a DIY icon need!!



"To Poor To Be Gay"


His first record Hate Mail is a DIY frenzy of 11 3 minute or less visceral diatribes on Manchester and English culture.
Released on the fabulous Cherryade Records in 2008 (www.cherryademusic.co.uk) the album starts off on the left foot
with Queer Clubbing and ends on the beautiful Rant (By The Seaside). Songs that are attacking
the gay scene in Manchester (and anywhere for that point) , especially the drugged up,
sex obsessed, bitchy area known as Canal Street. Receiving abuse in an area where everyone is `accepted` unless you`re a
stereotypical queen into Hi-NRG music and ketamine! Queer rights and views seem to be out in this area now unless
the issue is lack of drugs or your favourite bar or sauna closing down!

"back stabbing is in, solidarity is out, now it`s only drinking borders that we march about and
when the homophobes come to take us out they will leave when they see you scratching each others eyes out"

The album also features attacks on Middle England, thick Scouse scallies, growing up in northern towns being gay,
stereotypes, Daily Mail, and `queer pride`

On to Ste`s second release, also on Cherryade, we have Murder Music. This was released in 2009, a year after
Hate Mail (2 albums in a year!!) This release continues in the same vein however, has much darker overtones as the `victims` of his attacks
this time are people such as The Pope, people with one track views on religion, Christians, Americans, the old testament,
the quran and generally anyone with very old fashioned, dark ages views on homosexuality!

Kicking off with the the title track Murder Music, through a collaboration with David Hoyle (The Divine David) in Militant Disco,
songs about Toilet Scrubbing, homophobic attacks and finding God this album is a fine example of the forward thinking
Manchester DIY scene and Ste is at the head of it!!

You can listen to Ste on his Myspace page:

www.myspace.com/stemccabe

Ste also runs a bi monthly club night at Taurus on Canal Street called Pussy Whipped. Kicking Canal Street up the arse,
the true queers, dykes, feminists and punks are taking over!!

This features dancing with the Trash-O-Rama DJs, a raffle and fabulous bands at every event. The next Pussy Whipped is 21st May.

Next up is the wonderful feminist riot grrl beat combo the Vile Vile Creatures.


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"This is what a Feminist looks like"


Now the VVC`s haven`t released anything in the way of albums, which is a crying shame and absolute travesty as
this band really should be committed to vinyl!! Check out their myspace www.myspace.com/vilevilecreatures for tracks.
The VVC`s are an all grrl pure punk pop band challenging the stereotypes set out by the music industry in a way that Ke$ha could only
dream of! Think Erase Errata vs Le Tigre vs Sonic Youth in a triple threat ladder match while battling armies of zombies!!

The VVC`s are currently on a hiatus but please do check their myspace for news on upcoming gigs.


Will & Rick are an experimental due focusing more on the mental side of that word. Appearances of this duo are few and far between
but you can view their wonderfulness on youtube and on their myspace, just search Will & Rick or go www.myspace.com/willandrick

I won`t try to describe what Will & Rick are about as the only words I could come up with were `tour de force` and that sounds shite
but they play instruments as strange as Theremins, Musical Saws and Balalakas and sing songs about darkrooms,
bears, toothless granny prostitutes, Amsterdam, daddies, kinky sex and glory holes so as I said before, go check em out and make
up your own minds!





Other worthy mentions go out too Tingle In The Netherlands - www.myspace.com/tingleinthenetherlands
Kid Voodoo - www.myspace.com/kidvoodoouk
The Vipers - www.myspace.com/thevipersuk (now split up but check out Nathans new band The Pulsebeats)
The Medicine Bow - www.myspace.com/shambolicmajesties
Dangerous Aces - www.myspace.com/thedangerousaces
Brittle Stars - www.myspace.com/thebeardsuk

And finally my favourite Glam Disco, Punk Trash, Transvestisism loving quartet The Bad Taste Barbies www.myspace.com/badtastebarbies



"Sieg Heil Jeremy Kyle"


Lead by the wonderful Kurt Dirt (formerly of Kurt Dirt & The Loverats) this band have been trashing Manchester for the last year
and with songs hailing the Fuhrer Jeremy Kyle, odes to Cindy Wilson and mental illness and Death Glam Discos this band
of juvenile delinquents with a drum machine are well worth checking out!!

Bad Taste Barbies are supporting The Glitter Band and Angie Bowie @ Satans Hollow in Manchester on Saturday 17th April, get tickets here:

http://www.seatwave.com/the-glitter-band-tickets/manchester-satans-hollow-tickets/17-april-2010/perf/311835

Don`t Mess With My Ducktails!! A brief history of the thinking mans hair cut.

"If you mess with my ducktails I`ll get so mad with you"

So I`ve been wearing my hair in a quiff for a few years now, I`ve messed with it a bit over the years and have toyed with flat tops, slicked back short back and sides style, Morrissey style boufant, the psychobilly mohawk and the traditional long slicked back sides pulled back into a DA that I currently sport. The quiff must be my favourite hairstyle that I`ve ever had and seeing as though I`m massively into 50`s style and music it`s a very fitting addition to my look as well as being absolutely essential!!

DJ Johnny Trash

It`s very difficult to live with

a quiff these days and this is mainly due to the `youth` of today! Not a day goes by that I don`t get called Elvis when I`m walking down the street and this is a regular `insult` (I `` the word insult as I`m a massive Elvis fan and to be honest it`s quite a compliment!) However, the best `insult` I must have had threw at me by any of todays hip and happening follwers of fashion must be when I was walking down Oxford Street in Manchester a few weeks back and a group of knuckle dragging Oasis types walked past and shouted `huh, there`s The Wild One`.
Now, I took this as a compliment but I`m sure that as cool as the Brando is in that film, he never actually quiffed his hair in that part??

Anyway, I chuckled to myself and walked on, chewing imaginary gum and strutting like I was Johnny Strabler himself!!

"Driven Too Far By His Own Hot Blood! "

Now, aside from jibes aimed at my choice of hairstyle from local youths I`m pretty proud of my look as it does get a bit of attention and people in the know do usually have nothing but nice words to say about it!

The greatest compliment I`ve ever had would be from the legendary guitarist Boz Boorer who claimed when we met him a few years ago that my hair was better than his!!

Don`t mess with his duck-walk!

I`d hazard a guess at saying the style came to prominence in the 40`s as if you watch any old movies from this era you will see the beginnings of the style. Men of the time either had no hair at all or some form of quiff and the style was seen as pretty much mandatory.

During the war years and throughout the 50`s in mainly the U.K and US these hairstyles were seen as stylish and versatile and a few variations cropped up, such as the buzz cut or flattop and even stars of the big screen wore their hair in these styles so the average Joe was up there in the style stakes with the Hollywood gentry.


" You`re tearing me apart!! "

Your Rockabilly and Rock and Roll musicians also saw the style as a must as artists in America rocked buzzcuts, flattops and slick greaser quiffs just like the man on the street.

" Er, gimme a number naught on the back and sides and take a little of the top. Thank ya very much "

In the UK and Europe you basically had the mandatory short back and sides slicked side parting type of quiff however, a small group of rapscallions were also knocking about down the Kings Road, in cafes all over the country and bringing up families in back to backs in Northern England, the likes of the Teddy Boys rocked flamboyant hairstyles to match their painstakingly high Brothel Creepers and Drape Suits however, the style was a little over the top but was still seen as very hard wearing, stylish and suitable for every day wear.



" Pub? "

Every man and his dog wore their hair in one of these styles and the music of the time showcased some great variations, through rock and roll and rockabilly both black and white artists all pulled a comb through a greasy main on a daily basis. Elvis was obviously the main focus here and poster boy for the quiff throughout his whole career but I`d say as well as the rockabilly icons that adorned many teenage girls walls and made their panties drop I`d say my fave exponant would be the one and only Tutti Frutti man Little Richard:

" Woooooooo!! "

The hairstyle seemed to disapear in the 60`s in America due to hippie types and mop top scousers growing the hair long however the buzzcuts worn by official types like above were still present while in the UK the Mods attacked Brighton and kicked against the Rockers who were still rockin the style with pride but it was seen more as a revivalist thing and outdated:



The 70`s saw punk, glam and disco which brought many crazy variations to the style in the UK and yet again it kind of became non existent in America apart from with Astronauts and Army seargents still sporting the buzzcut.

Now in the 80`s the style evolved. Popular icons such as Morrissey gave the quiff a new lease of life with wild pompadours gracing Top of The Pops every week as well as the covers of magazines and newspapers all over the world, giving the youths of a disapointed and disenfranchised UK a haisrtytle of their own to match the soundtrack of misery and dispare.


Rockabilly evolved in the 80`s too with bands such as The Polecats, Stray Cats, Meteors, The Cramps creating new genres such as Neo rockabilly and Psychobilly and the quiff was reborn and reintroduced into the UK as a popular style:


The style got wild within these genres and ranged from crazy pompadours sported by the likes of Brian Setzer and alien flat tops worn by the psychos of The Klub Foot club.


Ever ebbing and flowing, the style slipped away as we crawled into the 90`s through grunge, acid house, baggy and britpop in the early days and was a rarity in music as bowl cuts, curtains and generally unkempt hair was the norm.

However, Morrissey was still here and the rockers of the 80`s were still going strong at revivals in Brighton, Hemsby and the like.

Nowehere to be seen in the 00`s I don`t think, aside from Morrissey still whoring himself out and then turning into a silver fox extradicting himself to Rome and surrounding himself with canines and Passolini! Plus the likes of Mark Kermode, Marc Lamarr and David Lynch were still showing off a proud hair full of grease.

So to today, where is the quiff? Well, it`s on the catwalks and in fashion magazines being worn by GIRLS!! Not that there`s anything wrong with that but personally I think you need the attitude to go with quiffing your hair and I really don`t think wags on a night out at the Living Room have very much attitude!! :

We need to reclaim the quiff and add that vital ingredient - music!! La Roux sports one but her music is shite!! Glasvegas are poster boys for the style however so have faith dear reader, like minded souls are there and are walking down your street in the clothes that they went out and chose for themselves!!

So come on boys, reclaim the quiff! Grow your hair long or pointed, get the hairdryer out, wax, pomades and hairspray and carry a comb!!

A few helpful links:

http://www.myspace.com/tibstreetbarbers

http://www.myspace.com/motherkutter

You can catch DJ Johnny Trash in action @ The Corner in Fallowfield @ Trash-O-Rama every 2nd and 4th Friday:

www.trashoramamanchester.webs.com

www.myspace.com/trashoramaclub

www.twitter.com/trash0ramaclub

www.myspace.com/tigermask1