richard hell - pioneer or silly old fool

I saw him read from it just as he was finishing it at Cake Shop. With Colson Whitehead and a few other people. He was all humble about doing a reading, feeling out of place in this literary world, regardless of how small the event was. And he got really choked up, read two passages about Tom Verlaine and was in tears.

wow no kidding! those guys should just hang out and get a cup of coffee or something. they probably live two minutes away from each other.

there is a passage at the end of the book about them bumping into each other recently at a used book store.

The book is really great & maybe in a strange way, what all of his work has been leading to

Yeah, that passage about them at the bookstore is what he read. He was literally crying. Totally not punk.

punk rock died the day richard hell cried at a book reading

what, in his telling, happened at the bookstore?

(i am assuming tv was a cold dick to him)

Meaning to read this soon. Perhaps will vacate the thread to avoid spoilers.

OK, hung around to read the Dean Wareham review since I recently read his book and figured he'd be kind of the perfect person to weigh in and he is.

i saw hell cry once too. they had a memorial event for robert quine at the cbs gallery. hell sang his song "time" accompanied by ivan jullian. very emotional moment; tears down his face. at heart he seems like a nice guy.

Yeah, his relationship with Quine is kind of telling. Obviously they had their ups and downs but he really seemed to like the guy and when Quine passed away, I remember reading Richard's reminiscence in which he really made an effort to paint a portrait of his old buddy, whereas Quine's other famous collaborator, well...

whereas Quine's other famous collaborator, well...

??who?

Hint: It's not Andre Williams to whom I am referring

oh duh lou unless matthew sweet is an unheralded asshole i guess

It's a really good rock memoir - really forthright and honest and self-aware and mostly surprisingly humble. Nice clean writing too.

There's a bit in the book where he becomes aware of the Sex Pistols - "Four guys who look just like you" someone tells him - and I expected him to go into a rant about how he was robbed, but he goes on to articulate exactly why the Sex Pistols became huge while he's something of a footnote.

It fizzles a bit toward the end, naturally.

What a horndog though. Jeez louise.

totally gonna buy this

At Book Court tonight

Report back if you are going, please

Was walking right by when I typed that but I couldn't make it.

there are 2 films titled Blank Generation. How is the one RH wrote/acted in?

http://www.bam.org/film/2015/blank-generation

Not great, but good performance footage if you dig the Voidoids.

Lots of scenes of RH broodily walking around NYC at night, iirc.

Reading at Book Court in about half an hour.

Did you go? How was it...

Walked by beforehand but couldn't go unfortunately

so in the great destiny street v destiny street repaired debate - for a first timer with this rec its obv going to be the first one right? repaired got some decent reviews

There's a bit in the book where he becomes aware of the Sex Pistols - "Four guys who look just like you" someone tells him - and I expected him to go into a rant about how he was robbed, but he goes on to articulate exactly why the Sex Pistols became huge while he's something of a footnote.
― brio, Thursday, March 21, 2013 8:09 PM (three years ago)

I thought Malcolm Mclaren had wanted him to come over and front the band before Johnny Rotten turned up. So surprised he'd only hear about them once they were up and running. Obvioulsy his priorities at the time might have been different and he might have been more focused elsewhere.

Is it in England's Dreaming where several of the first wave UK punk bands are trying to make the direct nicks from Hell material in their songs once he's turned up in the UK?

I know i read it somewhere anyway.

What a timely revive, as I just read this 1997 PFS interview with Quine where he talks about the McLaren offer (talking about '75-'76):

After about a year, he'd come over to my house and listen to records. He was quitting the Heartbreakers at that point. He wanted to have his own band. He had an offer from England from Malcolm McLaren. We would have been the Sex Pistols. He wanted us to go there to start a band. I don't know why that didn't happen.

I was not aware of a repaired Destiny Street! Will check it out. At 220 grams, the Munster reissue of the original is the heaviest album I own.

Err, the "he" in that first line refers to Hell, to be clear.

Yeah I think the story is that Mclaren had these 2 yobboes i.e. Steve Jones and Paul Cook coming into his clothing shop to attempt to shoplift clothing. They'd been playing together for a while and wound up with the shop's Saturday boy Glen Matlock joining them on bass but they didn't have a frontman cos Jones didn't like his voice. But Mclaren was interested in seeing what he could do with them.

So even with it just being Hell, as I thought, there would have been some duplication of instrument players. Hadn't realised Quine was supposed to be part of the same deal

Can't imagine Malcolm McLaren wanting someone looking like Robert Quine anywhere near any band he was involved with.

Looks like the sourcce for taht info is an interview with Quine for Perfect Sound Forever that's been up for years.
I don't remember taht bit of it but it has been about a decade plus since i remember reading it.

That interview is an ur-text.

Oh right, was wondering if it was an original interview for the online zine but its done by the editor.

Not sure how long Quine's been dead though. Was it shortly afterwards?

Feel like it came out right about when he died yes.

RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS
CELEBRATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLANK GENERATION

40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Of The Influential Punk Album
Includes A Remastered Version Of The Original,
Plus Rare And Unreleased Studio And Live Recordings

Available On Limited Edition CD And Vinyl On November 24

http://image.e.wbr.com/lib/fe8e137075670c7572/m/1/Richard_Hell_Blank_Generation_40th_Anniversary_Deluxe_Edition_2397526_PR.jpg

LOS ANGELES -Richard Hell and the Voidoids' Blank Generation is an iconic album that has influenced countless rock bands with its image, its attitude, and its blistering performances. Released in 1977 on Sire Records, the album was received ecstatically by critics such as Lester Bangs and the New York Times' Robert Palmer (who called it one of the ten best albums of the decade), but as was the case with most original "punk" albums, it wouldn't get mainstream recognition for decades. Now its place in music history is secure as one of punk's most significant records. Recently, Rolling Stone magazine lauded Blank Generation as one of the "40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time," giving the innovative and literate band its well deserved credit on the cusp of its 40th anniversary.

This seminal album is being recognized on its 40th anniversary this year with limited edition double-CD and double-LP deluxe editions to be released on Record Store Day's Black Friday. BLANK GENERATION: 40th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION will be available at independent music retailers worldwide November 24 on CD (limited to 5,250 copies) for $19.98 and vinyl (limited to 4,500 copies) for $31.98.

Produced for release by Richard Hell, the album has been expertly remastered-by Greg Calbi of Sterling Sound, who mastered the original LP-as well as restored to its original 1977 track listing and sleeve imagery. BLANK GENERATION: 40th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION includes a second disc, with previously unreleased, alternate studio versions, out-of-print singles, and rare bootleg live tracks from the band's first appearance in 1976 at CBGB. The booklet also contains many previously unpublished photos of the band by Roberta Bayley (the renowned CBGB photographer who shot the LP's original cover), a revealing essay by Hell along with compelling images from his notebooks and private papers, and an extensive new interview with Ivan Julian by Hell.

After establishing his reputation as founder of legendary bands the Heartbreakers and Television, Hell went onto to lead the Voidoids which included Robert Quine (who later played in Lou Reed's Blue Mask band, as well as for Tom Waits, John Zorn, and many others), Ivan Julian (who would record for Matthew Sweet and numerous other artists) and Marc Bell ("Marky Ramone"). Along with the Ramones, Television, Blondie and Talking Heads, Hell and his band helped to define the early New York "first wave" punk scene. The song "Blank Generation" became a slogan and an anthem and later was emulated by the Sex Pistols for their track, "Pretty Vacant."

Such songs as "Love Comes In Spurts" and "Blank Generation" were originally recorded at Electric Lady Studios, but were re-recorded prior to release at Plaza Sound during Sire Records' transition to Warner Bros. Records in 1977. At Plaza Hell reworked the album, leaving behind alternate versions and outtakes from Electric Lady that now appear on the second discs of these deluxe editions. The music sounds as fresh and abrasive today as when it was first released.

Hell retired from music in 1984, refocusing on writing as his vocation. He's the author of two novels and several books of nonfiction including his acclaimed autobiography, I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp.

For more information about RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS please contact Jessica Giordano in the Rhino Media Relations Department at jess✧✧✧.giord✧✧✧@rh✧✧✧.c✧✧ or 818-238-6403.

BLANK GENERATION: 40th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION
CD Track Listing:

Disc One: Original Album Remastered
1. "Love Comes In Spurts"
2. "Liars Beware"
3. "New Pleasure"
4. "Betrayal Takes Two"
5. "Down At The Rock And Roll Club"
6. "Who Says?"
7. "Blank Generation"
8. "Walking On The Water"
9. "The Plan"
10. "Another World"

Disc Two: Bonus Album
1. "Love Comes In Spurts" - Electric Lady Studios Alternate Version
2. "Blank Generation" - Electric Lady Studios Alternate Version
3. "You Gotta Lose" - Electric Lady Studios Outtake Version
4. "Who Says?" - Plaza Sound Studios Alternate Version
5. "Love Comes In Spurts" - Live at CBGB, November 19, 1976
6. "Blank Generation" - Live at CBGB, November 19, 1976
7. "Liars Beware" - Live at CBGB, April 14, 1977
8. "New Pleasure" - Live at CBGB, April 14, 1977
9. "Walking On The Water" - Live at CBGB, April 14, 1977
10. "Another World" - Ork Records Version
11. "Oh" - Original 2001 Release
12. 1977 Sire Records Radio Commercial

LP Track Listing
Side One
1. "Love Comes In Spurts"
2. "Liars Beware"
3. "New Pleasure"
4. "Betrayal Takes Two"
5. "Down At The Rock And Roll Club"
6. "Who Says?"

Side Two
1. "Blank Generation"
2. "Walking On The Water"
3. "The Plan"
4. "Another World"

Side Three
1. "Love Comes In Spurts" - Electric Lady Studios Alternate Version
2. "Blank Generation" - Electric Lady Studios Alternate Version
3. "You Gotta Lose" - Electric Lady Studios Outtake Version
4. "Who Says?" - Plaza Sound Studios Alternate Version
5. "Love Comes In Spurts" - Live at CBGB, November 19, 1976
6. "Blank Generation" - Live at CBGB, November 19, 1976

Side Four
1. "Liars Beware" - Live at CBGB, April 14, 1977
2. "New Pleasure" - Live at CBGB, April 14, 1977
3. "Walking On The Water" - Live at CBGB, April 14, 1977
4. "Another World" - Ork Records Version
5. "Oh" - Original 2001 Release
6. 1977 Sire Records Radio Commercial

weird, they left out the alternate "R+R Club" that was on the old CD version

No!! I love that version!!

Didn't Richard Hell regret switching the versions?

I'm surprised there isn't further discussion about this. I was reluctant to pick this up because of the complaints posted elsewhere, but the CD version is still easily found and I came across a really good used one for $10. The package is pretty nice but I have to agree with many of the complaints I've heard. Leaving aside minor quibbles that shouldn't be dealbreakers for most people:

1) The bonus tracks are inadequate. I'm glad they separated them out into a separate disc, and for historical reasons it's nice that the original LP as released has been restored with the reinstatement of the "correct" version of "R+R Club," but as mentioned, the bonuses leave out the alternate "R+R Club" found on the old CD (and I've seen quite a few writers and critics who prefer that version). They also leave out the two bonus outtakes found on the same, older CD, and even though they include the Ork EP version of "Another World," they left off the other two tracks from the same EP. As is, the entire two CD set clocks in well below 80 minutes, so there was certainly plenty of space left to include these tracks.

2) The sound is much worse than expected. This is due to the mastering - lots of compression, excessive treble boost - but it's even worse for the bonus tracks because very poor sources were obviously used. For example, the Electric Ladyland outtakes sound like cassette dubs. That's especially disappointing because Richard Hell decided to re-record the album at Plaza Sound when the release was delayed, and though some of the original Electric Ladyland recordings remained on the album, many believe the Plaza Sound recordings in general were inferior to the Electric Ladyland recordings (albeit still great). Then there's the Ork EP version of "Another World" - it sounds very poor as well. A year or two before this set was released, Numero Group in Chicago released an amazing box set of Ork recordings - it's worth getting for the hardcover book alone, but the discs include all three tracks from the "Another World" Ork EP. It's definitely mastered from a vinyl copy, but the track "Another World" sounds far better on that Ork box set than it does here. (The Ork set also sounds much better than the limited edition EP reissue from 1994, which got a vinyl and CD release.) Sadly, we'll have to presume the master tapes for that EP are lost forever, but at least the Numero Group did a commendable job remastering it. It's just stunning how bad the one track sounds a few years later on the Rhino anniversary reissue.

thanks for that breakdown, much appreciated. I haven't heard the newer 2CD, but I have the Numero Ork box, the 1994 7" EP Overground reissue, an OG US Sire vinyl LP, and the CD reissue from 1990 or so with "All The Way". I've never A/B'd the EP with the Ork version, will check that.

another missing piece is the Radar 7" version of "Kid With The Replaceable Head"

Listening now to something called “Time (Destiny Street Demos)” -Live - Bonus Track

his best song probably? prefer the outtake that was on a recent comp. here's a cover:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kzuNNBumAY

Maybe one day I will read his memoir, which I was reminded of again on one of the other threads.

TIL that Minutemen song was a cover.

!

I love "Time." It's definitely one of his great songs. He's made several great recordings but my favorite was collected on Spurts: The Richard Hell Story so it's possibly the one most people will hear anyway.

Maybe one day I will read his memoir, which I was reminded of again on one of the other threads.

It's really good, in maybe even preferable to Patti Smith's Kids. For the most part, I enjoyed her book, but I didn't like the mythologizing and Hell's memoir felt like a good antidote for it.