When punk arrived in
the mid 70s, its charter was to shake the establishment and give the finger to
all that it stood for. Aim was also taken at bands taking months to record an
album that were needlessly complex. They were seen as being part of the
“machine”. In 1973, along came San Franciscan band The Tubes. They had punk
attitude, but were not content to play 2 minute stripped-back punk songs. Their
songs were making fun of middle America’s consumer obsessed society and its
conservative values (haven’t we come a long way since then………right????) They
weren’t angry, though. They were definitely laughing while pointing that
finger, and doing shows that were part rock show, part theatre, all supposed to
make your parents feel uncomfortable. They weren’t quite punk, they weren’t
quite glam….what were they?
For Love
That Album episode 113, I am joined by the marvellous writer and podcaster
Heather Drain to discuss our love of The Tubes, the nature of theatrical rock
(and what defines it), how the band evolved, their live shows, and their
discography. In particular, we spend time talking about their debut self titled
album from 1975, inclusive of its thematic elements, the music and its
inspiration, an iconic song abut bored rich youth and another about their bored
rich parents. In the eighties, the band found some level of commercial
popularity (with great songs), but at a cost.
If you’re
not a fan of The Tubes before listening to this episode, I like to think our
conversation will at least make you interested to give their work a try. My
gratitude goes to Heather for being giving of her time and bringing some
fantastic insight. Make no mistake, folks – she’s going to be on the show a lot
more going forward.
Eric’s
Album I Love segment follows with another theatrical band that had things to
say, The Atomic Swindlers. Tune in and hear why this was his choice for this
episode.
You can
download the show from iTunes (search for “Love That Album podcast”) or from
the website at http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com
I urge you
to read Heather’s writings about music and film at http://mondoheather.com.
You can also find her works at Diabolique Magazine on line: https://diaboliquemagazine.com/author/heatherdrain/
You should
also check out every episode she’s on (well every episode period) of Mike
White’s Projection Booth podcast: http://projection-booth.blogspot.com/
You can
send me feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join
the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum.
If you’d
consider writing an iTunes review or recommending the show to a friend, we’d be
immensely grateful.
If you
enjoy what you hear, please tell a friend or ten to tune in.
Right click to download episode 113 here.
Right click to download episode 113 here.
