Review and pics–Die Mannequin at the Park Theatre, Nov 30 2009

– text by eugene osudar/photos by Dawn McLenehan and Britt Weber

this is punk rock
school
101
all ages
gig
130 people at The Park
on a Monday night
and i’m guessing
101 of them
are in high school
some in middle school

and they don’t know
jack
crap
about what to do at a gig

but then again,
i was 15 years old
when i saw
Elvis Costello
and The Attractions
in 1978

and it was
my first concert
my most memorable concert
and i didn’t know
jack
crap
about what to do at a gig

let alone
new wave
punk rock

and the older ones
at The Playhouse
sure didn’t either
we all sat in our seats

as the music and power
anger and intensity
viciously coursed
rattled
and rearranged rib
cages
ours
yours and mine
bones
like brittle
busted
candy
soul
sweet kisses

so, here’s what i wrote before
care failure hit
the stage

heroes and heroines
poets and musicians

singers and screamers
mad genius dreamers
guitarists who bend
and make
notes
sing like neil young’s
whammy
squeals
oh(D) to the elegies of
bob stinson
paul westerberg’s words
like Charles Bukowski
lucid and real
digging into your guts
you bloodshot
punk nuts
Billy Bragg
Patti Smith
Joey Ramone
Bob Dylan

metal ain’t my thing
it usually bores me
grinds me into dust
sleep dust
yawning dawning
forgiveness
there are exceptions,

the exceptionals,

Motorhead
AC/DC, Bon Scott
cuz Bon Scott was punk

and i remember that first time
i saw
Metallica

for 65 minutes
the perfect set
time length,

they moved me to believe
they were the best band ever
that melding of metal and punk
and speed and anger and power
and then they kept
on playing
and drove me into the ground
boring me utterly

i gave the King of Snore Bore
two chances
Ted Nugent
(wo)man, he’s more boring than
Perry Como
that’s saying much

i’m here to see a rock n roll
vixen
trash queen
Die Mannequin
Care Failure

i hear she’s hot
she’s the show
she’s the bomb
she’s nuclear
she’s fissionable
material
(s)explicit
delicious
hard
nails

bits of Joan Jett
and Courtney Love
if only
she was Patti Smith

there will Never be
one to touch Patti.
the untouchable
genius
beauty
power
intensity
fragility
poetess
tiger
lion
feline
kitty
yum

so, i talk to the Park’s
sound man
what are they like?
he’s non-committal
offers a Marilyn Manson
comparison

i’m here for her
i hear she’s something
special
she’s so young
she’s the show

and he sparkles
he literally lights up
yes! she’s
nice (that’s a good thing)
she’s relaxed
cool
despite so many technical
problems
during sound check.

no prima donna.

she’s something special

and those tech probs
persisted
during the real set
that megaphone
never worked and i didn’t care!
her voice
her throbbing
screaming
roaring
and
singing
moved me just fine

right to the front of the stage
and though
i had no intention
to

i danced.

i was saving it for later
for The Hidden Cameras
but she moved me
and those kids
needed
to see what it is
to be free.

to be a kid
at the legal
tender
age
of 46.

and she rocks.
she drew me in.

the drummer roars
and bangs thunder
lightning stick bolts

and the guitarist
right in front of me
played his part’true
and that’s just fine

cuz care failure’s the show

certainly not anthony
bleed’s great flying gobs
across the stage
eight, nine, ten feet
giant looooogerz
launched from
his
bad attitude

cuz he didn’t get
the kids needed
to be on the stage

he’s not the show

she’s.
The Show.

and she knew
those kids
are her future
her kids
growing up
hard and true
to Care Failure
wherever she
takes them.

Joan Jett
Courtney Love

just real nice.
you can feel it flow
from her.

she sput
tuttered
onto the stage
crawling
dragging
herself
and then
leaping
onto stage
stacks
miming gun
shot victim
didn’t work
for me

blood lips
blood mouth

Die Mannequin
doesn’t need that

in 73 minutes
she smoked me
and stroked me
purred me
meowed me
and made me
RoaR
like a big cat
leo
that i am
dancing
Lion,man,Boy
in my Holy
F#ck shirt

Die Mannequin setlist

The Other Traffic
Americvnt
Locking Elizabeth
Do It Or Die
Orson Wells 2012
uh-oh
Suffer
Dead Honey
Autumn Cannibalist
Poppies
Fino Bleed
Bad medicine
Don’t Say Motherf#cker
Father Punk
Whipper Snapper

she’
s a rocker
she’s compelling
a diva
a punk rock
princess
a natural front
person
drawing you
in
to the show
she’s the show

i made my way down
from the back
through the seats
squeezing
and finding room
by the side
and watching
her

and each song gets better
until Elizabeth
takes us into
a different place
so intensely
passionate
a hot hot song
disturbing
subject matter

and from hereon
every song
is intensely
hot
and driven
by her punch drunk
staggering
all around the stage
giving us her ass
shaking it

her uh-oh
moaning and groaning
grunting
going into the audience
during Dead Honey

she spits at the crowd
(she wants it back)
(no one obliges)

asking kids to step
on stage
during Autumn Cannibalist

she’s taking the kids to school

giving them a lesson
in letting go
in being punk
and 20 kids surround her
they don’t move
frozen
sculptures

some with mohawks
all in black
(now that’s really
ho-hum
Perry Como)
get a new uniform
kids
wear colors!
be colorful
black is boring!

she pulls her t-shirt up
to the little boys
gyrates
and finally,

the kids begin to move

to bang around
pinball
styling
slamming flippers
bumping
and spinning
and crowd
surfing
and diving

Poppies she gives her guitar
to a girl
who poses for pics
Care goes into the audience
she gets the kids to sing
and roar
and let go go go
moaning

there’s one girl on stage
who gets it
and begins to want it
to be a Punk Rocker!

Yes!

there’s a punk rocker
on the stage
and it’s a girl

Care Failure inspires
punk rock girl fires
the flames
sweep over her

care takes the guitar
and re.enters
the song
and totally rocks
the mess around
into Fire

Don’t Say Motherf#cker
Care takes the mike stand
and plants the base
to her groin groans
hard metal strap-on
rock n roll

hot song!

and into still
hotter
Father Punk
she’s the hotter
hot heat
she goes into the audience
and they’re all moving
she’s givNerrrrrr
schooled and graduated
these kids have changed

okay, they’ll still wear black
but i can see
they’ve found a heroine

a leader
a punker
to follow
and a few
girls and some boys
will be inspired

just like the high school
girl
i talked to right after
who’s a singer
forming her own band
she was pumped right up

just like i was
jetting out of The Playhouse
in November
1978
after seeing Elvis Costello
and The Attractions

and ready to be
punk.

and i didn’t mention anything about
the last couple of songs
the writhing on the floor
bassist popping her
and how she took
the drum
sticks and hammered
everything
behind the kit
she’s just punk
!
she’s The Show
showing the kids
anyone can
Be Punk!

Do It Or Die!

care failure, lead vokes, guitar
anthony bleed, bass
stacy stray, guitar
daz, drums

Die Mannequin
Park Theatre
November 30.