One of the greatest - ever? Could be. And so the preceding
announcement in preparation for the inimitable Mr. Thunders and his
"talking" guitar, with the overall theme being self-destructive, blues-based,
soul-drenching, hard rock, here going back to 1984 and Belfast, Ireland
where Thunders and crew shook the crowd to its knees on a jarring and
jerky rock and roll panic! This reproduction possesses a certain
amateurish charm, not so much by way of the performers but the overall
quality where Thunders' voice basically overrides everything else, his
Jagger-like drone a finer example of drunken babble that's ever been
presented.
Opening the "Pipeline" to get things rolling-stoned as it
were, Thunders' spews forth past classics like "Countdown Love," Little
Bit Of Whore," which must've really gotten fired up. Hard to tell, but
they're out there. And how about "Too Much Junkie Business?" One thing I
noticed about them is the general lack of pretentiousness, seriously
funny, but never overblown, this was a night of drunken debauchery set
to frayed power chords, and between song banter that would've put the
world's greatest "stand ups" in stitches.
So, you kick with your left
foot - or is it your right? - as he ignites the crowd and their supposed
Irish heritage. Tongue in cheek would be a good place to start in
deciphering old Johnny's vocal ability, but the phrases he drips out of his
guitar really tell the story above all else. Check out the subdued
version of The Ramones' "Chinese Rock" and the knee-slapping variety of
"Copy Cat" or the soiled version of "In Cold Blood," and all this time
I'm wondering how Chimes behind the kit's keeping in step without
falling over the side of his seat!
Stick around for what turns out to
be part two where the likes of "Alone In A Crowd," "Eve Of Destruction,"
which got a nice friendly greeting from what by this point must have
been a rabble-ready group of rowdies filling the seats and aisles, and
the old Boyce and Hart, Monkees made famous, charity classic "I'm Not
Your Steppin' Stone."
Not only is Thunders skilled in the art of
imprecision, there's absolutely no one who can put their own identity
and unique fashion to someone else's song quite like he can! Johnny
Thunders is an acquired taste, plain and simple - the poor man's Jagger
and Richards. He's an underground phenomenon who managed to unearth enough
listeners to generate quite an impressive buzz around the on again off
again circuit of punk rock and Brit. pop.
"Belfast Nights" is a blurry
eyed look at a performer who not only feels for you, but "hopes you feel
for yourself," as the return of "Pipeline" kicks in before revisiting
that damnable "Chinese Rock" for a second and third time.
