Haven't heard from Ib for quite some time. He's taken time out to write two books: A Reign on Chimney Poets, a volume of short stories from on & off the Bleachers; & Safe as Milf, a volume of poetry. I heard from Ib today, letting me know that SaM had been released September 28th. You can find both on Amazon...search Ian Begg. They both are available there for Kindle, the latest in book form as well or you can go directly to siblingshot.com. I believe there are even a few signed copies left to purchase.
Although Ib is a dyed-in-the-wool Glaswegian, one of his favorite bands is American alternative band Thin White Rope. I am posting this for him, for all of you, & it fits perfectly into the theme I have going. Weird October. They are definitely on the weird side but hopefully as with the rest of the weirdness going on here, you find them to be fantastic as well.
Ib, this one's for you, brother.
Thin White Rope took their name from William Burroughs's description in The Naked Lunch of male ejaculation. From the opening song on their very first record, "Down in the Desert" from Exploring the Axis, a sun-baked, looping Tex-Mex groove of intense heat & shimmering mirage, TWR set the template for the sonic & emotional themes they carried on throughout their short history (I've added it here as a bonus track to set things off right).
Thin White Rope, powered by the twin guitar attack of singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Kyser & lead guitarist Roger Kunkel, were a tragically under-appreciated band from California. Unfortunately for us, they never really rose to the level of appeal that surrounded other US breakout alternative bands. Their sound proved much too idiosyncratic for the masses, but now almost 30 years after the band's swansong, those eccentricities are exactly what keeps them so listenable & makes them so memorable.
Their five albums roamed over desert rock, warped psychedelia, fucked-up country, jangle-pop, & lysergic blues. They covered Jimi Hendrix, Can, Suicide, Jimmy Reed, Duke Ellington, the Byrds, Hawkwind, Lee Hazlewood, & Marty Robbins.
I have chosen their sophomore effort Moonhead to showcase here. This is the 1989 re-release with the remastered long cut of "Take it Home" & 4 additional tracks not on the original Zippo version.
Not Your Fault
Wire Animals
Thing
Moonhead
Wet Heart
Mother
Come Around
If Those Tears
Crawl Piss Freeze
Waking Up
Valley of the Bones
Atomic Imagery
Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
Take it Home (long Version)
Sittin' on the bleachers with a wet heart,
NØ
