Taking Sides: August Darnell vs. David Johansen

The Kid Creole version of There But for the Grace seems pretty rare...I've never seen the vinyl. I also never said or implied that it was better then the Machine version...they are extremely different, which is what makes the Kid Creole version so interesting. The first time I heard it a friend played it very lout when we were DJing together and it blew me away.

TS: Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places vs. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

The Kid Creole version of There But for the Grace seems pretty rare...I've never seen the vinyl

http://www.net3-tv.net/~woo-ze/kccoconuts.htm

Looks like there's a bunch of different vinyl configuations of it, though. (The one I have is the Ze 7-inch from 1981-- a "live" version of "There But For the Grace Of God Go I" on the "Z side" and "He's Not Such a Bad Guy (After All)" on the "E side.")

I think it's "with all the cards of fate that Mother Nature sends."

That makes the most sense even though it doesn't sound like he's actually saying that. He better write these down before he forgets them himself seeing as how not even his band members know what the hell he's singing.

It's never occurred to me that the Dolls lyrics I have trouble making out...should make me like those albums less than I do

Well, it works both ways. Imagine discovering that "Jet Boy" includes an insightful analysis of Foucault's
Les mots et les choses. I'd learn how to do cartwheels and I just KNOW you'd love it even more, xhuxk!

I've never seen the vinyl. I also never said or implied that it was better then the Machine version

No, you pretty much implied it. J/k. I was just agreeing with the Strut choices.

The Kid Creole version of There But for the Grace seems pretty rare

it is indeed. I have the Antilles 12" with no picture sleeve. I don't recall finding it in the bins so I must have purchased it via mail order.

TS: Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places vs. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Definitely the former although I retain shreds of affection for the DKs.

i've seen a ton of the creole 12" version of "there but for the grace" and passed on it every time, it isnt a patch on the ass of the machine one. i love august darnell, he is one of my favorite artists. he had a role in michel gondry's recent "be kind rewind" which was unexpected, but it makes sense considering his aesthetic.

It's incredibly difficult to find copies of the DavidJo albums 'round these parts. I need to hear the first one.

I hope you made good on this. I hadn't listened to it in years and then we were talking about it a week or two back so I replaced my copy that's still back in California, and it came in the mail earlier this week and wow. Just wow. Such a wonderful album.

I only just found out August Darnielle (ok, it's Darnell really), isn't his real name either!

I would've loved to see the Kid Creole version of There But for the Grace of God Go I.

How hard is this to find these days, just out of curiosity? I've got it on a 7-inch, but it wasn't orginally on any of Kid Creole's albums, was it?

It was on:
Free 7" single w/ Off the coast of me, w/ "He's not such a bad guy", Yellow "taxi" style label
NME Cassette
Free 7" single w/ 7" of "Stool Pigeon", same as the other 7" but with green "Z" label

I have all three, so it never seemed all that rare to me.

Of course I'm a sucker for this kind of eighties compromise between synths and sleaze, but, man, he's such a compelling singer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riyFR3hJTyo

this thread is exhibit A in the case against poll threads

and exhibit B in the case for David Johansen's first solo album.

You’re credited for really revitalizing the lounge-singer format, but today it seems more popular than ever. Does that make you feel like you need to find a new frontier in your work?

No, it doesn't make me feel like I need to do that, but if something occurred to me and I liked it, I would pursue it. Lately I’m thinking about a dance-band kind of a thing. I have this friend, Jonathan Toubin [of New York Night Train], he’s a disc jockey. Sometimes he’ll have guest disc jockeys at his dances. I’ll go to Brooklyn Bowl and play records with him, and I love the way that everyone is dancing. There’s a certain type of music that he plays that are B-sides of '60s boogaloo records or whatever they are, and I was thinking, It would be great to play this music live and have people dancing, because most of the time when you play you just stand there and have people look at you. People used to dance at the Dolls shows. Dancing is so good for you, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

http://www.vulture.com/2016/01/David-Johansen-buster-poindexter-cafe-carlyle.html

A list. So many good songs and productions!

Coati Mundi "Me No Pop I" is great. I wonder if Darnell wrote that one?

No room there for Did You Have To Love Me Like You Did by The Coconuts? Great groove and lyrics - about the pitfalls of following through on bi-curiosity?

I remember watching the Carson show when this happened

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

I watched that clip on Saturday before posting my list.

always thought David Jo was hot as fuck

I first became aware of him circa '79 when he would lipsync his latest single on New Jersey's beloved UHF kiddie semi-parody The Uncle Floyd Show, on which he would grin and say "It's maaaahvelous to be here, Uncle Floyd" in his Staten Island croak.