Dear Friends,
Day three of “Idiotgate” was uneventful. I moved the kid to the very center of the room, right in front, and I think it was an effective move. He’s kind of on an island by himself. I also got in touch with mom. I’m guessing he didn’t have the best night last night.
I don’t want him to suffer. I just want him to learn that this ‘wannabe tough guy’ schtick is not going to work or help or turn out well. He might have the fortitude to back it up eventually, but not yet. Hopefully he never does get the balls to back it up or he will end up in prison.
Fuck. I don’t want that for any of them. Those places are not going to get any better any time soon. They will only be overcrowded and places where people go to get chewed up, spit out, or killed.
*****
Heading to Boston again on the red eye. It’s going to be wet, supposedly, and cold. Well, the cold is a given. It will be nice to see Rhondi, though.
We have so much to do over the course of the short time I will be in Maine that I’m guessing it won’t feel much like I am there at all. I’ve never been there in late November before so hopefully I will get a taste of what it might be like if we were to ever live there for a winter.
I remember what it was like to be there in late January. That was pretty darn cold and pretty darn white. The snow was everywhere the weekend I was there.
As I was talking to Rhondi yesterday on the way home from work, I realized another thing that I will miss about Doug. He was the voice of reason that she would listen to on things and I could count on him to help her see all the sides of a situation. She’s a pretty level-headed person, but he could speed up the process sometimes.
I’ll miss that. I’m sure she will, too. Way more than I ever will.
Dear Universe… please bring Rhondi some peace. She’s stressing about leaving Maine right now and I don’t blame for stressing one bit.
*****
It blows me away that Paul Weller was just turning 19 when In the City came out in 1977. The songwriting on The Jam’s debut record is so crisp and, well, fucking righteous that it just makes me laugh out loud to think he was just a baby. He was just a couple years younger than Bruce Foxton (who is one of the best goddamn bass players ever) and Rick Buckler, so kudos to all of them, really.
I thought I had written about the last of my pilfered records, but this was also lifted ever so gently from Tower Records in the Fall of 1984 or the spring of 1985. I’m pretty sure that was the era when I was loading up my cassette collection with records I thought I might like. I had scene the video for “That’s Entertainment” and “Town Called Malice” and decided The Jam were a band I could hang my hat on.
There was zero disappointment when I popped In the City in my cassette player. The first part of side one is rockin’ and takes no prisoners. When I got to “Away from the Numbers,” though, I was hooked. This was the Jam that I had seen on MTV. These were mods.
I’ve mentioned my affection for mod culture in previous writings. The Jam were kinda the coolest of the cool when it came to mod music and embracing them took me a step closer to achieving my closet mod status. A skinny tie and a tapered pair of suit pants later and I could look the part from time to time.
It’s funny to think about now when I listen to In the City that one of the least ‘punk’ sounding songs on the record was the one that really got me. “Away from the Numbers” is also the longest track on the album, too. I think it has a lot of Who influence in it and that’s always a soft spot for me.
Of course, 15-year-old me loved the “Batman Theme” cover. It’s a scorcher. Then side two kicks in with the rockin’ title track. “In the City” is another scorcher. I sing it with all the resolute bitterness, too. Weller’s guitar riff in the opening and Foxton’s bass run are fucking perfect.
Maybe “In the City” is my favorite song. I don’t know. I’m waffling here as I rock out to it and try to type. The smile on my face will not go away, that’s for sure. So damn good.
I’m thinking maybe I like side two more than side one, on the whole. “Sounds from the Street” is a total Who-style song. As is “Non-Stop Dancing.” I can see the young mods in the UK dancing up a storm to this one back in the day. Time machine, please.
I think Weller’s guitar sound on this record is brilliant. Whoever mixed this record deserves a kiss on the cheek. I’m guessing that person is probably no longer with us as it was 48 years ago, but hopefully they are still around. Everybody can be heard clearly and the power trio thing just rules here.
There were certainly some feelings of jealousy when the late, great Stevie D. told me about seeing The Jam at Celebrity Theater with BeBop Deluxe back in ’77 or ’78. How great would that have been, especially knowing they would have been playing this record and possibly stuff from This is the Modern World.
There are those moments of straight up rock and roll on In the City. “Takin’ My Love” is a perfect example of this style shift. The Jam could totally rev it up when they wanted to and I have always loved that about them. Weller could borrow from the Who and The Beatles and make it his own, but he could also rock some straight up Chuck Berry sounding stuff, too.
“Bricks and Mortar” ends the record on a really high note. It’s got a nice little edge to it and Weller flexes his growing songwriting muscles here. It’s really fun to start here with In the City and listen to the band’s discography. You can hear them grow as a band and become one of the greatest bands of all time.
This is not a reach. The Jam are one of the all-time underrated bands. God bless’em.
*****
See you tomorrow.
Pretty rad, AI.
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