Dear Friends,
It really is good to be home.
Last night, I spent some time with Michael, Tracey, Ryan, Jeff, Angela, and a good number of old friends. It was nice for the soul. I love being around my brothers.
I miss Rhondi, of course, but knowing I have other people who love me and want to hang out is the best. I miss Rangeley, too, and it’s always weird being back here in such a completely different environment, but this is my 11-month home.
Lucky me. I get to have an 11-month home and a 1-month home. Some people don’t even have a home or hate the home they live in. While I’ve had a few places where I lived that I didn’t really love it and extended periods as an adult where I didn’t have my own place or where I lived didn’t feel like “my” place, I don’t know that I’ve ever really hated any place I lived that much.
*****
I have NSK practice today. I don’t think I’m really letting anything out of the bag, but there is going to be a surprise appearance coming up.
Yesterday, I rocked with my buddy, Aarron, and his buddy, Dave, in the afternoon. That was fun. Aaron and I have been talking about doing a project called Philo Beddoe for a while now and we had our first jam. We shall see where it goes, but no matter what, it’s going to be fun.
Life is too short to not have fun playing music.
*****
I remember reading about something called a “glory hole” in an old copy of Penthouse magazine when I was probably too young to be reading such things. It always kind of weirded me out that someone would stick their johnson through a hole in a wall (or something similar) and the person on the other side would do whatever they wanted to it.
Then I heard the 1991 record, Gloryhole, by Ed Hall and I viewed the concept in a completely different way. It became one of my favorite records in the early 90s. I championed Ed Hall to anyone that would listen. I told people, you should really give Gloryhole a try.
I thought it was funny then.
Just like I thought the names of the songs on Gloryhole were funny. The first track is called “Rachel Hourglass” and that is followed up by “Hortense Buttermilk.” Now that “Hortense Buttermilk” is a pretty awesome song. I’m so glad I got to see/hear them play it multiple times.
Ed Hall was a kick ass live band. I saw them the first time at the Mason Jar and then at the Art Cage and then at The Nile. There was probably another place in there, too. Maybe Hollywood Alley or Boston’s…I can remember, exactly, but I loved seeing them live.
At the Art Cage show, Gary Chester, the guitar player, handed me his guitar at the end of their set and I proceeded to make noise with Lyman Hardy (drums) and Larry Strub (bass) for about five minutes or so. I was using all the guitar tricks I knew, and Gary came over and started detuning the strings. It was super fun.
“Luke Flukenstock” was another one that they would tear through live. It is a big, noisy riff. It’s funny, though, when I listen to the record now. It doesn’t seem nearly as sophisticated to me as it seemed to be back then.
This is definitely one of those records that inspired me to make noisy punk rock music. They had such a great stage presence that I was really in a lot of awe of them, but the music is pretty darn simple (but still great) to my ears now.
The songs on Gloryhole are pretty meaty. “Bernie Sticky” is a heavy, noisy mess of great drums and guitar/bass heroics for five and a half minutes. There is a lot of meat on the bone, as they say.
I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. They were clever dudes, though, and loved having a good time with the audience live, so I guess I got caught up in it. I remember seeing them at The Nile and I went into the bathroom to take a leak before they went on and they were all in there getting painted up. They seemed to have so much fun.
They came out and had all the lights in the place turned down. They had some big blacklights on the stage with them so the body paint they used made them look so freaking great. All orange and green and purple. Quite the spectacle and they could back it up with their sound.
This record, Gloryhole, came out on Trance Syndicate after their two previous were on Boner, which were both great. Boner put out the best stuff, but so did Trance Syndicate. Ed Hall would also go on to put out a few more on Trance Syndicate, too, before they finally called it quits.
Some of the songs on Gloryhole just ooze that Austin weirdo sound. I wish Ed Hall would have gotten more traction nationally, but it just wasn’t meant to be. They didn’t have the huge stage show or the full-on gnarly chops of the Butthole Surfers, but they were right here.
“Guido Obrien” is one of my favorite tracks off of Gloryhole. It’s got a little bit of darkness to it and an unrelenting drum beat. I also dig how the vocals are kind of there but also a bit rough around the edges. Super noisy and nice to my ears.
The band was prone to little whimsical bits of weirdness, too. “Buster Enamel” is a perfect example of this. A toy piano starts it off going faster and faster until the band kicks in with this big, noisy guitar riff. This was another one that sounded great live, but it’s also making me wish I could see them one more time.
“Sandra Gubernatorial” ends things with a very weird version of “Beth” by Kiss. It’s awesome. Way better than Gene Simmons could have ever imagined. I used to put this song on mixed tapes a lot back in the day.
You should listen to it now. I dare you. Just poke it through.
*****
See you tomorrow.
AI Hall.
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