I Hear Your Music & Read Your Words
A Righteous RANT About A Few of My Creative Friends
Apologies for this long-overdue post, but I've been dealing with some complicated family matters. Finally, coming up for air. Here’s my latest.
Some artists wear many hats and suffer no diminished returns when releasing other art forms. Recently, a handful of my writer and painter friends—essayists, poets, and fiction writers—have shared new music with me, and it is quite noteworthy and well worth listening to. I’ve been blessed to have collaborated with all of them at some point in time over the years.
PREACHER BOY (aka Christopher Watkins)
I met Preach in New York a few decades ago. His charisma and chops were undeniable. He contributed tasty banjo and dobro to some of my favorite songs on my fourth album, Elevened. When he left, our city was left with a music void. His move to the Bay Area allowed him to expand his artistic reach and, in the process, release some amazing boho music. Sure, the Tom Waits influence fits, but he's his own person. He is well-read, erudite, and a profoundly deep thinker.
Recently, he expanded his "alternative blues" to incorporate some of his literary works. His latest double vinyl album, Ghost Notes, which features 18 original songs, is accompanied by a standalone book entitled Ghost Notes: Songs and Stories (Coast Road, 2025). In it, he shares in-depth insights into the writing process and the meaning of his songs. Moreover, he even shares the instruments he plays and explains the reasons behind his choices.
One of my favorite songs, "Scene of the Crime," explores anger —a theme that runs through many of his songs. According to Chris, it's one of the angriest songs on the album.
"the song of myself, sung by a fool
and performed by a mime
tuned to a bell with a crack in the back
that is still made to chime."
Moreover, Chris states that it is a song of "anger solidarity," railing against the "rucksack gumshoes" and trying to sort out what went wrong. And who really are our enemies? (I often pondered that every single day.)
After a break to focus on writing poetry (courtesy of a grant to live and write in Jack Kerouac's former house), Preacher Boy returned to releasing original music. He's released over a dozen albums since 1995. I encourage my readers to delve deeper into his catalog—there are many gems to be mined.
Robert is a poet, critic, and dynamo in the music biz. He has written, produced, and curated music events throughout Manchester, England. He knows most of the outstanding musicians from that city, too. I was first introduced to him by Hayden Wayne, a former keyboard player for Jobriath, and we became fast friends. Over the years, he has shared his dozens of volumes of poetry (The Bad Press) and carefully curated music projects with me. His work is extraordinary—emotional depth and imagery abound. His lyrics for his music and those of others—John Howard, Cecilie Anna, etc. always evoke a delicate, melancholy reaction whenever I hear them.
Do You Remember - The Selected Poems Of James Lyons, a long-lost English poet who died far too young. Besides the book of his poetry, Robert produced a tribute album, The James Lyons Project - Do You Remember?, using his poetry. I provided a track that recounted the lost souls aboard the Titanic's fateful voyage, entitled "The Last Hour (The Titanic)." Other notable artists included Bill Fay, John Howard, and Sharon Lewis, among others.
For Those Who Wander By (Think Like A Key Music) is his latest collaboration with singer-songwriter John Howard, and it's a magical, must-hear album. "Losing Myself In Others" is one such sumptuous track on said album, and my favorite. The ballad follows the story of Irish humanitarian and rebel Sir Roger Casement's forgotten poet godson Roddie Ward, who shot himself in France in 1922. Rob found his 1920s book of poetry, Poems & Sketches (The Medici Society, London), and thus began this ballad of personal tragedy. As Rob stated: "The line 'losing myself in others' entered my mind and I thought that's what suffocated Roddie Ward, the loss of others, a slow but gradual asphyxiation, combined with a sequence of events to which he was an innocent bystander." (For more backstory, read this article by Rob.) One senses a Bowie-like command of John's piano and vocal delivery. It's a slow, haunting burn. The background choir adds the requisite tone to the proceedings. It is one of Howard's most remarkable performances and songs. Kudos to my friend Rob for adding his lyrical magic to the proceedings.
Robert is currently curating a Jobriath double tribute album. Some very notable artists have signed on to share their cover songs, including Morrissey, Momus, Ann Magnuson, Marc Almond, Dana Gillespie, Pat Dam Smyth, Clay Hips, Jeff Duff, John Robb, That Joe Payne, Tim Arnold, and yours truly. Later this year, Dr. Wilde's Twilight Adventure, a concept album by the German progressive rock band Argos, will be released. The album is inspired by the sex scandal surrounding Oscar Wilde's father, William, and features his lyrics.
Ah, what can I say about Tony that many of you may not already know? To put it simply, he's a force of literary nature, and I am a fan. His critically acclaimed books on Keith Moon, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Clash, R.E.M., The Smiths, Wilson Pickett, and Eddie Floyd, amongst others, are rightfully lauded biographies. His memoir, Boy About Town, is a personal favorite and a must-read. His early fanzine, Jamming, and current home on Substack have not diminished his sharp and evocative grasp of detail, while conveying considerable emotional breadth. He recently retired from his role as a director and mentor at the Rock Academy. I first met him at Limelight, a church that had been converted into a hip live music and club venue, where he booked my grunge/punk band, Bastards of Execution (BöE, pronounced "boo"). Over the years, we'd run into each other at concerts all over NYC and became friends. We now both live in the Hudson Valley and continue to socialize, sharing our love of music, pop culture, and wine.
But Tony is not just a writer. He's a musician, too. (And a marathon runner, skier, explorer, podcaster, and wine expert.) His first band, Apocalypse, a trio formed in south London when they were sixteen, first opened for The Jam at the Rainbow, and they did so again a year later. As a five-piece, they did about twelve dates with them during their last two tours, including two nights at Wembley with Big Country. Moreover, they were their last-ever support band at the Brighton Center in December 1982. Tony's band disbanded in 1984. But he and his best friend, Tony Page, from that band, remained friends.
Fast forward to this decade, and it was time to reignite the musical magic and thus form a new band, The Dear Boys. In 2022, they released their single, "Yes Men." That was followed by "(They Say) Don't Waste Your Vote," released in time for the UK elections. And in October 2024, they released another throwback single that has lost none of the bite and snarl of their earlier work. Their third double A-side, "Gone Viral/Scan Me," continues their astute observations about this mad "modern world" and all of the trappings that threaten to swallow us.
As Tony rightfully states: "It's been an incredible process, writing songs all over again and realizing that not only can we still do it, but that they're good!"
His other music project with his partner Paula Lucas, Hudson Palace, put out two conceptual Virtual 7" double A-side cover tunes in the last few years, and their first original single, “Holding Hands With Strangers,” will be released on Friday.
For more of Tony's observations and criticism, subscribe to his most excellent SubStack page; you won't be disappointed.
My friend and totally unique Popaganda artist, Ron English, has always functioned full-on as a multidimensional artist, photographer, billboard guerrilla artist, toy designer, songwriter, and producer—a Renaissance dude for my generation. If he’s not creating his extraordinary pop art collisions of high-brow art and pop culture absurdities, he's crafting long players that feature songs about the creatures that inhabit his make-believe worlds. And many of them have been released as vinyl collectibles. (I own several of them and original artwork, too.) His last gallery show opened in May 2023 at Allouche Gallery (77 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012) in New York. Now You See It explored his immersive world and featured a series of oil paintings inspired by his intricate technique of set building, some of which were on display.
However, Ron has always been a big fan of music, and many of his paintings feature motifs borrowed from iconic rock musicians. His series of KISS paintings is fantastic. His "zipper banana" album art, a spoof of Warhol's Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers cover for The Dandy Warhols' Welcome to the Monkey House, is a classic. He collaborated with singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, which was weirdly wonderful. And he was part of the Butthole Surfers' Texas posse back in the day. I was honored to have graced his very first album, English 101 (Unkulunkie Records, 1994), which featured 17 songs about the artist. Ron's epic painting, THE ANTI-WARHOL, graced the cover of that CD. And my band, The Dusty Diamonds, played a few of his NYC loft parties, too.
Over the years, I've written about him and conducted audio and video podcast interviews for my website CultureCatch.com. During SXSW 2015, my FuelFX team created the world's largest AR target featuring his Smiley Skull face on the side of a building in Austin, TX. We created a scavenger hunt, à la Pokémon Go, using his outrageous artwork as AR (augmented reality) pop-ups all over the place. Check out the video for his Ron English PopApp here.
And so, here he goes again with yet another compelling musical romp. Earlier this year, he released Ron English's Area54 Earth—ten songs to ponder while orbs and drones fill our skies. Friends or foes? You decide! (This made me so very happy on so many levels.) This album will augment a full-sized spaceship installation now in production. It's about a group of aliens looking for the ultimate party on Earth. Party on, ET!
Ron is relentless with his output. I confess, even as a friend, it's difficult to keep up with him. His output would make anyone in our age group stagger! Worth exploring his world every single day.
STEVE HOLTJE
I've known Steve for decades. He's an unparalleled musicologist, scholar, writer, editor, label head (ESP-Disk), composer, musician, producer, and DJ. We met years ago while working for the New York Review of Records magazine. We shared similar interests and tastes in music, although his knowledge of jazz, classical, and avant-garde music surpasses that of every music nerd I've ever known (or will know) and me. His eclectic music collection (CDs, vinyl) also dwarfs mine. He was my deputy editor when I was promoted to editor-in-chief at Creem Magazine in the early '90s. When Prince hired me to publish and edit his magazine, New Power Generation, I hired Steve. When I started my online smart culture site, CultureCatch.com, he joined me yet again. Besides his chops as an ace editor and astute writer, his love of music is truly inspiring. He introduced me to the brilliant jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, and over the years, he has released several of his albums on ESP-Disk, including his most recent, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (2024). Moreover, Steve is enthusiastic about sharing the soon-to-be-released album Realism, a guitar duo by Joe Morris and Elliott Sharp. He also produced the album.
When I asked him about his music, he suggested checking out his brilliant piano, keyboard, and composition work with his free jazz, classical, and Krautrock outfit, Caterpillar Quartet.
He is currently in three active bands (playing keyboards and trombone): Phantom Honeymoon is a duo with Theremin player Alexandra Beneski. They've recently released an EP, Interstellar Underpass, with a limited-edition vinyl release. What You May Call It, a quartet with saxophonist Chris Kelsey, drummer Charles Downs (a.k.a. Rashid Bakr), and guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Rose Tang (album coming out later this year). Thirty-Three Chords and the Truth, a duo with Tang (I also add some recitations).
As a true fan, Steve has plenty to say about new music and emerging acts, and his astute reviews can be found in Jack Rabid's must-read music magazine, The Big Takeover, as well as his social media posts and eclectic DJ sets in clubs throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan. As Steve pointed out, "Every year is better because we have more music than the year before. That a millennium of music is available to us for listening is amazing."
love the tip of the capto those you have worked with. Its a great way to tell the story of music.
This is fantastic. I am familiar with many of the artists you feature but my knowledge of their vast creative output is quite limited, and I also didn’t know your collaborations with them either! I probably could focus the rest of the year with just these artists and be more than filled to my eyeballs with sonic and literary treasures.