Rock-a-billy
artist, Hasil Adkins, dies April 27, 2005 11:47 AM MADISON, W.V. Rock-a-billy
artist Hasil Adkins, a one-man band whose screaming vocals and freestyle approach
to rhythm landed a cult following, has died. He was 67. Adkins' body was found
yesterday at his Madison home, where he lived alone. The cause of death has not
been determined but it does not appear suspicious. Guitar, harmonica, drums, foot-rhythm
instruments -- Adkins played them all. Known to his fans as The Haze, Adkins struggled
for decades to get noticed. In a 2002 interview, he said he mailed out thousands
of tapes and records over a 30-year period while fishing for a record deal. Adkins
was the original star of Norton Records, a label built around the primal recordings
he produced beginning in the Eisenhower era. Adkins claimed to have written more
than seven-thousand songs. He first emerged in the 1950s, only to disappear again.
European fans kept the rock-a-billy rage alive, and when the Cramps did an early
1980s remake of "She Said," Adkins' records suddenly became hot again. His other
hits included "Poultry in Motion," "Chicken Walk," "The Hunch," "Chocolate Milk
Honeymoon," and "Boo Boo The Cat." April
9th, 05
"ONE-MAN BAND" MEANS CUNNILINGUS
I just did a search
on Google.com, to find other one-man bands, and I came across a surprising discovery:
According to the Sex-Lexus Sexual Dictionary, One-Man Band is defined
as, "Cunnilingus performed with the tongue on the clitoris and the thumb
on the vagina and labia. See cunnilingus for synonyms."
Oh, you don't
believe me? Click this link to see your yourself! SEX-LEXUS.COM April
6th, 05
ROLLER DERBY COMES TO PHILADELPHIA
I'm very excited. A bunch of the girls on the roller derby league broke away from
the existing league to do their own thing. I had originally thought that it was
all the girls that left, but I just went to a meeting for the Penn/Jersey league,
and it looks like they have a full group of girls. So, it looks like Philly is
going to have two different women's roller derby leagues. That's fucking amazing.
I just hope they both progress at the same rate so they can be bouting each other
soon. Roller Derby fuckin' Rules. I'm not taking sides-fuck it! It's just a game,
right? My loyalty lies with some ugly guy with missing teeth! -TG April
3rd, 05
RACISM IN PHILADELPHIA
For those of you that don't know, some girls in Philly are organizing an all-girl
roller derby league. Long before I began skateboarding, I was a roller skater
on Caln Roller Rink's speed skating team, so I have been helping to coach the
girls with their skating. The rink that we've been going to, Cross Keys in New
Jersey, is going out of business, so I was scoping out some other rinks. Last
night, I found one in North Philly. I hopped on the orange line and got off at
the Allegany Street station. I was the only white face around. -so what! It's
the year 2005 and blacks and whites have been equal for decades now. As I walked
the three blocks from the train to the rink, an African-American gentleman in
a white mini-van attempted to hit me as I crossed the street, just missing me
by about a foot. He then yelled out his window, "Go home Cracker!" then
took off. Once I got to the rink, I was greeted not so much by violence, but rather
with dirty looks, and comments such as "What choo you doin' here?" Fuckin'-A!
I just came to have fun! I felt so uncomfortable, after about only 3 or 4 laps
around the rink, I unlaced my skates, put on my shoes, and left. On my way back
to the train, unknown to me, the same gentleman in the mini-van was waiting for
me. This time as I was crossing the street, he clipped me with the front fender,
and threw me about 10 feet. While I was on the ground he threw the van into reverse
and tried to run completely over me. Luckily, I rolled out of the way, and ducked
into a corner bar where I called the police, which by the way, never came! I went
to the emergency room, but there were way too many people there, so I just came
home! My face is all scuffed up, and I think I rebroke my ribs. My friend said
I'd feel worse today. She was right! One final thought: How is this any different
from what the KKK does down South, and why are people so afraid so speak out against
it? Racism is wrong no matter what color you are! -TG March
28th, 05
BACK IN FLORIDA
We made it back to Sarasoda safely. I slept for a good long while, but now I'm
refreshed! Today, I'm going to the beach with Joe & Radah. The weather is
so nice. I can't wait to get there. I'm done writing. I'll beging writing again
when I get back home to Philadelphia! -TG March
26th, 05 - 11:22am
EL PASO, TX
I am so happy we went to El Paso! I was skeptical since none of the shows have
payed out too well, dispite good turn outs! Since we had no guarantee for the
El Paso date, since it was so far away, and also sincethe show on the way back
fell through, I was hoping to skip it all together. What a mistake that would
have been!The kids all went apeshit! A couple of kids told me that I was the only
reason they came out to the show. Wow! They came just to see little ol' toothless
me! It really makes me feel good when I can play a country song to a bunch of
young punk rock kids and get the same positive reaction as the other full bands
on the bill! It was amazing to hear that many kids singing along with me. I had
perm-a-grin during the entire set! I can understand kids singing along to some
of the cover songs that I play, but what was totally unexpected was that by the
second chorus, they were also singing along to my songs! Holy shit! The local
band that we played with, Hallowed Ground, blew us away! They sounded like early
AFI (Proud Of Ya era) The lead singer, Vincent, even looked like a young Davey
Havoc! Westayed with Vincent'sfamily. His mom prepared us spectacular vegan enchaladas,
with salad, and tortillas & salsa! I don't know about the rest of the crew,
but I had the best night's sleep of the entire tour! I almost forgot to mentiontheir
Chiuaua. He was the cutest little dog ever. It would look as us with the most
adorable eyes ever! They seemed to say "Please reach down and pet me.",
but as soon as we would, he would snap at our hand! Such a vicious little shit!Oh,
and my God, that tiny dog had the biggest fuckin' balls ever! Fuckin' huge! They
were draggin' on the ground! It's now 42 minutes past midnight, and we're still
driving. Even thought the road is about as shitty as the roads throughout Louisianna,
I'm pretty sure we're still in Texas! This fuckin' state is so fuckin' large,
it's rediculous! It's amazing how dark it get's out here. Being someone who lives
in a major city, and who grew up in a highly populated suburb, it's hard to imaging
what "dark" actually looks like! The only light I can see it the light
from my cell phone screen, by which I'm writing, and the headlight. There are
no other cars on this stretch of Highway 10. It feels really odd - like something
from the Twilight Zone! There aren't even any visible stars - just about three
different shades of pitch black in every direction. I am the only one that brought
a book of CDs, so wee keep playing the same ones over and over again. At least
they are good ones! The new Social Distortion just finished it's third consecutive
full playing. Joe desided to change it up a little bit, so now we're listening
to Mike Ness's Cheating At Solitaire. What a brilliant album! Damn, my ass hurts
from sitting so long! I need to get out, run around the van for five minutes and
have a cigarette. We're not allowed to smoke in the rental van, so I really look
forward to the truck stops. At the last one, I bought a really cool bolo tie with
a Long Horned Steer head on it. There were two things I really wanted to buy while
I was in Texas: a new black felt cowboy hat, and a bolo tie! I'm set now! OK,
it's now 1:07 am on Sunday morning, and it's about time for me to take overthe
driving for the next 5 or 6 hours, so I'll write more when I wake up after my
shift! -TG March
25th, 05
CACTUS HUNTING
We're still in the van-making our way from Dallas to El Paso. We left 12 hours
ago. My legs are falling asleep. The drive is long but at least the scenery is
beautiful. We are driving on 10 West through a valley with huge mountains on either
side of us. There are all kinds of cacti around, but we have yet to see the cool
kind that are in all the old Tom & Jerry cartoons. I really want to see one
of them. Maybe closer to El Paso. -TG March
24th, 05
DALLAS, TX
On the road again. We're in the van leaving Austin, on our way to Dallas. I can't
wait to see where Kennedy bit the dust! Last night we played at The Red Eye Fly,
in Austin. The crowd was very receptive. It was a pleasure to perfor for another
one-man band, Austin local, Steve-The Ghostwriter. We traded CDs at the end of
the night and were rockin' out to it on the way back to Ben's house. (Man Steve
is quite a harp player.) Speaking of Born To Lose, Wow!, what an amazing band!
I can't believe these guys aren't signed! Every one of their songs is an anthem!
We're listening to their CD right now-fuckin' amazing! Not only are they an incredable
band, but they are incredable people as well! I can't begin to explain how nice
they were to us. They gave the Tri-Fives their entire cut of their door payout!
Who EVER does that? Simply amazing! The hospitality we've been shown has been
second to none! Hey boys-Next time you're in Philly, you're stayin' with me! Hopefully
I'll be able to treat you as well as you treated me! Austin fuckin' Rules! Billy
and Joe keep hitting the curb when we make corners in the van. I'm afraid that
they are gonna run over someone's toes. I think they are just doing it on purpose
now, 'cause I keep bitching about it. I just hope one of thoese Southern cops
don't see them do it. We still have barely enough money for gas, let alone bail!
Tonight's show was the best of the entire tour. Dallas! Fuck yeah! Once again
this show was chawl full of hard core bands, so it's wasn't exactly "our
crowd", butI was received very well by all the kids and other bands. I feel
really bad, because two girls-Hillery and Angel from the Weezly Wombats came to
the show just to see me, and I had already gotten off stage by the time they got
there! Sorry ladies! On our days off, the Tri-Fives and I were sitting around
with acoustic guitars and were jamming out some of my songs. Tonight I joined
them during their set and played "Born To Die Alone" together. That
song has never sounded better- EVER! -TG March
22nd, 05 12:22PM
AUSTIN, TX (MORE)
I hate the fuckin' waiting game! Apparently, the Born To Lose guys are hungover,
and are resting up. They said they'd call Billy when they woke up and left the
house. I'm just sitting in Jack In The Box, eating a Jumbo Jack, with my thumb
up my ass. I'm so fuckin' bored. All there is to do is write in my diary! I wish
we were in town a few days ago, because from what I've heard, the Austin Roller
Derby team is amazing. I was looking through the Austin Cronicle and found out
there are a lot more teams than I had originally thought. I already knew of the
Hellcats, and the Holy Rollers, but just found out about 3 more teams-The Hustlers,
The Hotrod Honeys, and The Honkeytonk Heartbreakers. HELL YEAH! I am so excitedfor
Philly to get up to speed with the other leaguesaround the country! We are gonna
fuck shit up! Hostile City Represent! Man, I'm boredNothing to do but sit and
write!If I sit for too much longer, I'm gonna get warts on my ass!I'm down to
less than $60. and everything I want to do costmoney. I'm just trying to figure
outhow the Hell I can get my shit backhome without having to pay a shitload of
additional money, like I had to on the way down! Oh My Lord! I love the way the
girls down here talk. A lot of people don't, but I find it really sexy! What's
wrong with me? March
22nd, 05
AUSTIN, TX
We never got hold of Born To Lose last night, so we slept in the van again! We
all stink pretty badly and could definitely use a shower. It is 6am and I am wide
awake. I'd like to say that I have no idea why, but I do. I'm awake 'cause I had
to piss really badly, and I was freezing cold, even in my leather jacket, so I
opted to walk to the Jack In The Box and get some breakfast. The sun is coming
up right now and it looks absolutely beautiful. OK A COUPLE HOURS LATER NOW. We
are sitting ain an artsy-fartsy coffee shop. I ordered a Stewarts Black cherry
soda, and a hot barista. I just got the soda, but I did get a smile. We're still
waiting around for the guys in Born To Lose to call. Apparently they called at
1:30am last night, but Billy turned off his cell phone! We could have had a hot
shower and at least afloor to sleep on. Damn, that front seat is far from comfortable!
I don't understand why people turn their cell phones off. The only reason mine
is ever turned off is on the Airplane and in the movie theater, but it's so rare
that I'm ever in one of those situations that I'm almost always reachable. My
dad is the same way-shutting off his phone! If he's nopt at work or home, I can't
get hold of him! Ah shit what else can I write about... Well, the title track
of the Tri-Five's new CD is "We Won't Back Down", so this is their We
Won't Back Down Tour", but since every once of us has had bowel problems
this past week, I've dubbed it the "We're All Backed Up Tour! The weather
has been amazing (except for at night), not that you really care about that, but
it makes me pretty happy! I feel like this is more of a vacation than a tour.
It rained pretty hard when we first got to Austin. We ran one block from the van
to a little taqueria for breakfast and when we allgot to the shelter oftheir porch,
we all looked as if we jumped into one of the rivers. I'm sorry I'm jumping around
a lot. I'm sure it might be a little confusing, but there are so many thing I
want to write about. Last night I w- oops, I already wrote about last night, nevermind!
Another thing that I've been noticing on the road is the different types of birds.
I don't want to sound like a fuckin' hippy, talking about nature, but when you're
sleeping in a van, and you wake up to bird calls that you're not use to hearing,
it's a little strange. I wish I kept a tour diary on my previous tours. I'm sure
there are a lot of stupid things that I've forgotten, like birds. We're only half
way through the tour, but I already miss home. That's probably just 'cause I miss
sleeping in a real bed. I miss my girl too, if you can actually call her "my"
girl, but that's a whole other story. I can't wait to hold her again! I need to
go to the store and get some postcards and a new pen. This one is just about done!
I'll write more later. -George March
21st, 05
NEW ORLEANS/ BLACK HALOS/ POOL/ ETC.
This is the first time I got to write since the second day I've been down South.
I'm sitting in a Denny's in San Antonio, TX (This diary entry was written on the
back of the reciept for my coffee!) Last night the Tri Fives and I played a show
at a goth club with the Queers, The River City Rebels, and to my surprise, The
Black Halos too! My Ex-Roomate Steve (from Kid Dynamite) gave me one of their
CDs a few years ago, and I fuckin' fell in love with their sound, but there was
no info about them at all on the inside of the CD packaging. As far as I knew,
they could have been broken up! The only thing that totally sucked was that I
totally missed their set. The show was set up similar to a Warped Tour, Ozzfest,
or Lollapalooza type festival- several stages going at the same time. I was playing
at the same time as The Halos. I don't think I'll ever get to see them! Oh well!
The day before was super fun! We had a day off. Normally a day off on tour sucks,
but this particular day off, we spent in New Orleans! Wow! What a fuckin' town!
I started drinking at 11am and didn't stop until way past midnight! I'm not even
much of a drinker, or at least I wasn't before I left for this tour! God Bless
Lone Star Beer! Tonight, or rather today, was once again, a day off. We spent
the day hanging out in Austin, TX. We were hoping to meet up with the Tri-Fives
friends, Born To Lose and stay with them. They apparently just got off tour today,
so they are probably either resting of fucking their girlfriends! Hell, that's
what I'd be doing! (A FEW HOURS GO BY) As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in the
van in a parking lot that we will most likely be spending the night in if Born
To Lose doesn't get in touch with us soon. I just bought a new cowboy hat. Damn,
I'm such a tourist! The only thing I'm missing is a Hawaiian shirt and a camera
around my neck! After our day of shopping, we went to the Showdown Saloon where
I met a guy named Andrew. We were playing pool for a while and then he invited
me to enter a 9-ball tournament at another pool hall. It only cost $5. to enter,
but the payout for first prize was like $500. or more. Since Mike from The Tri-Fives
and Billy's girlfriend, Heather were both under age, and couldn't even hang out
with us, they went back to the van to rest. I chose to do my own thing. I hopped
in a car with a total stranger, (Andrew) and went with him to a pool hall called
The Warehouse in the middle of no where!! (I know, really smart, George!) I played
very well, but ultimately lost two games after winning 15 matches (OVER 30 GAMES)
and didn't place in the tournament! I sure had a lot of fun though. I'm back in
the van now, so obviously everything worked out and I'm safe. I can't wait 'til
tomorrow's show. Good Night! -George March
17th, 05
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
I'm still in Sarasota, staying with Billy and his girlfriend, Heather, before
the tour actually begins. We actually have a show tonight. We are playing at an
Irish pub here in town. Yesterday kinda sucked. Billy had to work, and heather
was at school all day, so I was stuck at their place all day, with their dog,
Roufus. Nothing special happened: I watched a bunch of DVDs; School Of Rock, Simone,
Men In Black 2, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm just about all movied out! Last
night, when Billy got home from work, we went to some bar and shot pool. Some
local guy that looked like he was hitting on someones grandma kept playing me.
Every time when I beat him, he'd insist that I'm not playing by the right rules,
so we'd play again. Each time, he'd tell me some other bullshit rule, and every
time I'd beat him. It was really annoying. He just couldn't stand losing to some
ugly toothless kid from the North. By Billy's account, I beat him 15 times. On
the last game of the night, I flubbed the 8 ball-shooting it straight toward the
pocket, but just leaving it there. I was so worried that this jackass wouldn't
let us leave until he beat me. Whatever! He won the last game, so now he can go
tell all his buddies how he kicked my ass all night long on the pool table, and
how he's so cool. Some people take pool very seriously-too seriously. These people
are generally the same people that beat up theis sons for not winning the school's
big football game. Damn, I hate that shit! I just play for fun, and never for
money! If I make a bet with someone, it's for a beer! Anyway, it's raining today.
It's still warm out, but wet. I kinda wanted to go to the beach. Oh well. The
show that we're supposed to play today is outside, so I don't know what's going
on with that yet. I suppose I'm just going to watch some more DVD's. 'Til tomorrow,
TG March
15th, 05
FIRST DAY OF TOUR
Last
night I was tieing up all my loose ends. For those of you who don't know, I own
a silk screen printing company. That is something else that I do completely by
myself. The last time I went on tour, I told all my customers that they would
have to wait until I got back from tour for me to print their job, and I shut
down the shop during the entire tour. Obviously, that didn't make a lot of people
happy. This time I am still accepting jobs while I'm away, and my good friend,
Fat Matt, is handling everything. I'm a little nervous leaving my shit in someone
elses hands when I can't even supervise progress, but Matt fuckin' rules and I'm
sure everything will be amazing. Anyway last night I didn't get to bed until 4am.
I woke up this morning at 9am to get ready to hop on my flight. I got to the airport
around 11:30am or so. My plane wasn't supposed to take off until 1:30pm, but I
fly so seldom, I'm unfamiliar with the airport and their policies. It's a good
thing I got there that early. I just made my plane. I had to deal with so much
bullshit regarding my baggage. My drums and hardware were all packed in a foot
locker with all my merch. The locker was too heavy, 84lbs! They charged me $80.
to put it on the plane. That was half of the money I planned on having for the
next two weeks. I sure as hell better sell some merch, or I'm not gonna be eating.
One the plane, I had to sit next to some fuckin' dickhead that kept farting the
whole time. It pretty much sucked! I met up with Billy Anti at the Tampa airport
at 4:30pm and went to a bar. I hadn't eaten all day, so I got lunch/dinner -whatever
you want to call it. I had Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with noodles, and beans.
I cost mor than I should have spent, but by golly it was good. That was at the
Press Box in Tampa, if any of you are hungry. After getting back to billy's place,
we wen't back out to two different bars. The first, Paddy Wagon, which is an Irish
pub, and Shakespears which is an English pub. I shot some pool and drank a bit
and totally passed out. I was a tired little boy. (I am actually writing this
entry on 3/16. It's 10:28am, and I'm signing off to greet this beautiful, tropical
day! -TG February
28th, 05
TICK TICK TICK RECORDS COMPILATION
David, from Tick Tick Tick Records contacted me about contributing tracks for
his new compilation of Philadelphia bands. I just recorded two songs, and can't
stop playing them over and over again. I'm so happy with the quality of the recording.
It's weird-we recorded straight to the engineer's computer. I've never EVER recorded
like that. I've always gone to tape. I've never had an easier time recording.
I
don't want to say I'm gonna abandon my analog roots, but I am most certainly more
open minded to digital recording now. I recorded "Don't Fuck With Me"
and a brand new song called "Train Wreck." This compilation is going
to be amazing. In addition to the one-man band, the comp will also include some
of Philadelphia's biggest names: Jukebox Zeros, The Minks, The Bad News Bats,
Helen Back & The Str8 Razors, to name a few. Now for the pathetic part of
the diary entry: It snowed very heavily today, and once again cabs were scarce.
I wasn't able to use my skateboard to lug the equipment due to the snow, so I
put it all on my sled. Luckily, I only had to drag the gear 9 blocks, as opposed
to the 21 blocks that I pushed it to my last La Tazza show. February
24th, 05
HEARTBREAK
It's so amazing how the absence of a friendly voice can make the difference between
a good and miserable day. I suppose this is retrobution for not returning calls
when we first dated. I miss you so much. -TG February
19th, 05
SHOW/ VIDEO
Friday
night's show was super fun. The place was packed! Fucking awesome! The bands were
great too. My old friends Six-Gun Republic and The Blue Suede Bombers were sick
as usual. I made some new frineds too; The Buzzards, and The Lone Sharks-both
were terrific bands as well. I danced all night with two pretty little ladies.
Damn, I love to dance! That doesn't make me gay, does it? For a packed night,
the owner told me that he had no money for me! What the fuck! It figures! Sean,
from The Blue Suede Bombers gave me some cash out of pocket, so I was able to
get back home. I hate shady club owners! Why are there so many of them? Whatever!
Today
I started filming the music video for "Born To Die Alone". It's gonna
be great once it's done, but there is so much bullshit work just trying to get
the shots just right. Shit!
I'm gonna pass out. I'm fucking tired good night! -TG February
14th, 05
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
I
have no girlfriend, but the girl I'm in love with is out of town, so my only VD
date is an appointment at the free clinic, to piss in a cup and have some blood
drawn. Should I bring flowers? -TG February
13th, 05
LAST NIGHT'S SHOW
Last
night was a mess! I called a cab to take me to my show. I was on hold for five
minutes or so. When they finely picked up, they lady on the phone asked me what
section of Philadelphia I live in. I naturally told her "South Philly." The lady
said, "Sorry, we're closed. Please call back in an hour!" WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT
SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So anyway,
with no ride and only 15 minutes to get there, I piled all of my equipment (except
my amp) on my skateboard. I figured if I was out on the street, I could flag down
a cab. NO DICE! I ended up wheeling my gear all the way to the show, at Front
and Chestnut. That's fuckin' 21 blocks! Talk about ghetto! The stuff only toppled
off once, when I decided it was probably safer to push the stuff down the sidewalk
instead of down the side of the street. I hit a fuckin' crack in the sidewalk.
So after that shit I just wheeled it the rest of the way in the street. Then I
got to 2nd and Chestnut, which is paved in cobblestone! Even though it was an
old school skateboard, with big-ass wheels, they weren't big enough to handle
cobblestone. With only one block left to go, I chose the sidewalk, which was much
smoother that that God awful street. The only problem with that section of the
sidewalk is that along the way, there are two big grooves in the pavement, for
water drainage I think. Getting over those was a bit of a pain in the ass, especially
since I had to walk past a bunch of rich guidos, and thier slutty little girlfriends,
waiting in line to get in some douche bag club on that same strip. They were just
laughing at me. In retrospect, I'm sure it was pretty amusing, but it sure would
have been nice if instead of heckling me, they could have helped me over those
two little grooves. Yeah, like that would ever happen! I forgot to mention the
fuckin' chickenhead that was following me, bugging me to let her bang my drum.
It's no wonder why I fuckin' hate people so much. Anyway the show went well, once
I got there. Full Blown Cherry was amazing, as always! Los Gordos Locos, which
I think translates to "Crazy Fat Guys", was also a pretty damn good band! I think
they must have lost weight or something, because they in no way resembled Sloppy
Seconds! I danced all night long with my old dance partner/ex-girlfriend. I've
definitely noticed that my endurance had risen since I cut back on the smoking.
I usually could only dance one or two songs before getting tired. Anyway today
is a beautiful day, so I'm going to go to the skatepark. -TG February
12th, 05
POACHED
WAITRESS!
I went to the Broad Street Diner with my room mate, Alex,
after a couple beers at the bar. Yummy! The dumb-ass waitress not only didn't
know what poached eggs were, but in her sheltered life, she had never even heard
of them before.
Waitress: "How do you want your eggs?"
Alex:
"Poached."
Waitress: "Scrambled?"
Alex: "No, poached."
Waitress:
"I never heard of that before. I don't think we can do that here."
Me:
"Tell you what, just write 'poached eggs' on the ticket, and we'll just see what
comes back! It'll be like a big surprise for us all!" Alex
got her poached eggs, the waitress got a nice tip, and everyone left happy. -TG February
4th, 05
QUITTING
SMOKING , AND GOING NUTS!!
OK!
It's 2:47pm and I am totally going nuts! I haven't had a cigarette since 8pm yesterday.
Ahhhh! 9:43pm,
The twitching got to be more than I could handle. I had half a cigarette. Not
giving up. Just needed to calm the fuck down. It didn't really work. I have eaten
more candy than I have in a long ass time and I think I'm gonna be sick. -TG February
3rd, 05
NEW
RECORD, VIDEO, & BAND!!
OK!
Where do I begin? I haven't written anything in almost a month. It's not because
I've been lazy. It's been because I've had so much shit on my plate lately. So
what's going on in Georgeland? Well, for starters, though I haven't yet signed
any contract, I will be recording a new solo album with @ntidote Records, from
Colorado. I am very excited to be working with them. The title for the album is
not yet set in stone, but will most likely be something like "Toothless George
& Friends", which is what I'm gonna call it until I figure out a better
title. Instead of recording the entire album as the one-man band, I will be having
several of my friends' bands backing me up. One band for each song. Then you can
all hear how my country and rockabilly songs are supposed to sound. Some of the
bands that I will be recording with include, Cisco Jeeters, Gas Money, and Six-gun
Republic, as well as some heavy hitters, that I plan to keep secret until it happens,
so as not to jinx it. I
went into the studio last weekend and recorded two songs as the one man band;
"Born To Die Alone", and an new song that I am very proud of, called,
"I'm Leavin' Today". I will be mixing both of those songs this coming
Monday. The
reason for recording the songs is not for a new CD, or even compilation tracks,
but for something I've never done before, and quite honestly, something I never
thought I'd ever do-shoot a music video! That's right your favorite toothless
friend is shooting a video! Damn, that sounds weird just saying it! I am currently
going over the storyboards with the director, and will begin shooting in the next
couple weeks. The video will be for "Born To Die Alone". When it is
completed I will probably just put it on this site. It might be added to a enhanced
CD of my new record on @ntidote, but I haven't even discussed that with them yet.
I guess we'll just have to see how it turns out first. In
addition to all this other bullshit that I am doing, I am also starting a new
full time band. We are called The Poison Hearts. Matt Fester, from my old band,The
Bedrockers, is back with me on drums. I am on bass guitar, and Rick Camaro, formerly
of The Union Dead, it killin' it on the guitar. We are still looking for a fourth
and final member, an organ or piano player to be specific. We have chosen to go
that route instead of having a second guitarist, because we feel like it will
totally round out the sound a lot better that another guitarist ever could. If
you are a rocknroll key player, or know someone that can play their ass off, please
contact me. This band is so fuckin rocknroll it hurts! Finally,
I quit smoking about two hours ago, and it fuckin' sucks. I was enjoying a coffee
and a cigarette at my favorite cafe, and overheard a woman saying that her father
died at age 36 from a heart attack. She mentioned that he was a heavy smoker and
it definitely contributed to his death. I am going to be 30 in June. I know it
is all in my mind, but this birthday is kinda a big deal for me. Every day I count
another gray hair, and it's been bothering me a bit. 36 is not really too far
away. I don't think I want to die in six years, so I've given it up. Please wish
me luck. I have a feeling I'm gonna need it! Damn, I'm Jonesin' so hard, and it's
only been two fuckin' hours! Ahhhh! -TG January
8th, 05
WHOA!!
Barbie
is juicy! -TG January
1st, 05
HAPPY
NEW YEAR!
Ok,
so I've never ever been able to keep new year's resolutions, so this year I made
it really easy: I made a resolution to finish off the entire bottle of champagne
by myself, since I didn't have anyone to celebrate with (a.k.a. make-out with!)
I'd like to say that I was in rare form, but recently it's been becoming the norm.
Just think-I used to be a Straight Edge kid when I was younger! The only time
before this that I ever kept a new year's resolution was about five years ago
or so. My girlfriend at the time made me make the resolution not to eat McDonald's
for a year. We ended up breaking up that year, but I kept up that resolution for
the remainder of the year anyway. I just ate Burger King, and Wendy's instead.
That's probably cheating, but the resolution was McDonald's only, not fast food!
I'm such a junk food fanatic. Anyway back to the champagne... The whole bottle
gone whoo hoo! Back in October, I took my dad to a punk rock kereoke night at
The Pontiac Grille. A little background one that: My dad love's kereoke. He actually
used to own a kereoke company called Starmaker Productions. I have always hated
kereoke. He always was trying to get me to come to kereoke with him. One night
he actually got me to go. I told him then that I was going to get him back. If
I ever found a punk rock kereoke night, I was taking him. Well I found one! My
friends Fatt Matt, Chubb Rock, and Butters started a punk rock cover band, but
didn't get a singer, so they do it kereoke style. People from the audience sign
up and sing with the live band. It's really a great idea and super fun! Anyway
I sent my dad and MP3 of one of the songs the band knew and gave him the lyrics.
Before we went down to the Pontiac he practiced the song with me accompanying
him on guitar. I helped him with the parts he had trouble with and got him ready.
When we got there, he signed himself up, "Toothless Dad - I Turned Into A
Martian/The Misfits." Don't you know he won first place that night! One of
his prizes was a $50. gift certificate to my favorite bar, Tattooed Mom. Since
he never makes it to Philly, he gave me the gift certificate for Christmas! All
I wanted for Christmas was my two front teeth, but I suppose I'll settle for booze!
I spent the $50. last night! I suppose this entry is a bit long winded but I don't
give a fuck! It's about 8:16pm right now and my headache is finely gone! God damn
Mummers making a racket so early in the morning! Don't they know that most of
the city is hungover, and doesn't care about their stupid parade anyway. I think
I'm gonna go get a beer from the fridge! Good night, and Happy New Year! -TG December
12th, 04
DICKS
AND BOOBIES!
Ok,
so tonight I played a show at La Tazza, here in Philly. There was a guy there,
named Ben Edwards. He sings and plays guitar for a lounge band that plays all
Misfits covers, called The Ben Edwards Trio. Every time he comes to see me play,
he stands right up front with his dick hanging out. I don't know what his deal
is, 'cause I'm pretty sure he's straight, and it's not like his cock is an 8th
wonder of the world, or anything. Anyway, I called him on it tonight! I stopped
in the middle of whatever song I was playing, and announced to the entire club
his name, what band he's in, and what he just showed me! I think I successfully
embarrassed him! Now, maybe he won't do it anymore! Anyway, two lovely ladies
from London felt bad that I had that disturbing image stuck in my head, so they
both came right up front and show me some boobies-nice boobies, not like the ones
mentioned in my last diary entry! I like boobies! I really do! So thanks to them,
I won't have nightmares about Ben's penis, dancing around my head like a sugarplum
fairy! Time to go to bed and dream about big, bouncing, beautiful breastages!
To quote The Bloodhound Gang: "Hooray For Boobies!" Good Night! -TG
December
10th, 04
TOOTHLESS
GEORGE DRUNKEN MESSAGE!
ok
so I tried to call you just a second ago cause im really loaded, like really!
and i promised to give you a drunken message since you always leave me the best
drunken messages! . but i just got the busy signal. i'm so disappointed. anyway,
i met up with some friends at this totally horible afterhours bar that has ultra
skanky strippers. ehk! i may have tol=d you about this place already but if i
havent her goes the girls there are over weight thats not to say that they are
a little chubby. that means that they are full on plump and round! one girls is
even prego-like 6 months. saggy boobs everywhere, oh and rotten teeth. now i know
i'm not one to talk about fucked up teeth but mine didnt rot the fuck out of my
skull so i think i can talk about this without calling the kettle black. this
one chicky-poo oh my god-you'd think she was opperating a fuckin meth lab out
of her mouth. i can understand teeth being a little yellowed i'm a smoker so i
understand that but fucking black? what the fuck it's like that gag chewing gum
you get at spencers. Fuckin-A! did i mention saggy boobs blah. holy shit we're
talking about tuckin' nipples in front pockets! geez! I don't wanna sound full
of myself but i think i'm a good enough guy that i shouldnt have to PAY to see
titties so I fell really ripped off when these girls want tips. I'll pay you to
put it away! anyway after that I hitched a ride to the diner and got a sangwhich
and a coffee then the waitresses invited us to go to some party, so we went and
I got drunker and drunker. and now i'm drunk. i forget what i was saying shit.
well anyways the beers at the afterhours place were expensive so i just stuk to
jose cuarvo. i figured since they were smaller than a beer theyd be less money
but when i cashed out i owed$46. bucks fo an hour of dinking. what the fuck i
don't drink that much - do i? anyway i'm drunk. did i mention that i'm drunk?
so i hopped in a cab with Richy and I got home. The only problem is that I forgot
about my car. I can't remember if it's at the diner or at the stip club. I know
it's not at Tattooed Mom's cause I remember driving back from theer ...wait that
was last night. fuck. anyway. call me tomorrow but not before the ass crack of
noon cause I have a feeling i'm not gonna wayk up all bright eyed and bussy tailed.
Please remind me that I need to go find my car, cause I can't afford another ticket.
ok time to pass outnow. g'nite. November
26th, 04
TOOTHLESS
GEORGE BARRED FROM
EMERGENZA MUSIC FESTIVAL!
There is nothing
I hate more than when people don't take me seriously. I got an email from the
Emergenza Musical Festival that said they wanted to book my band. I filled out
their stupid little registration form and sent it in. I just got a phone call
from them that said they wanted to set up an interview with my whole band. I then
told the lady that it was just me. She said that they festival wasn't for solo
artists. I told her that I wasn't a solo artist, I am a BAND! She wasn't havin'
it. She said there has to be at least 3 people in a band to participate. I was
thinking about asking my two room mates to play a wooden block, and an egg shaker
with me-Just so I could be in the festival, but I figure it would be more fun
to talk shit on them instead! Those fuckin' fuck-fucks are just scared that I'll
make all the other bands look like shit! Let the boycott begin! -TG November
21st, 04
DEAD
MILKMEN REUNION SHOW!
My friend, Billy from Anti-Anti, flew into
town from Florida, for the weekend to see the Dead Milkmen reunion show with his
new band, The Tri-Fives. (They will be linked to this site soon.) Anyway they
totally surprised me with an extra ticket to the sold out show! It was an amazing
show! They started the show with Punk Rock Girl. Joe forgot the words, but it
didn't matter 'cause the whole audience was singing along. It seems like everyone
was coming out of the woodwork for this show-my other friend Barbie, from The
Whoa-Babies, drove down from Long Island, just for the night. I feel like such
a jerk; I didn't even recognize her with her hot new haircut. Anyway it was a
wonderful time, spent with good friends. Nothing exciting to tell. Maybe next
time! -TG November
16th, 04
TOOFLESS
GEORG KANT SPEL!
My gud freind wuz brakeing my baws tonit about
awe ov the misspellings throughwout the websight, so just fer her, I yoused the
spell cheker on this paige, cuz the wherld akchually duz revallv around her! Just
kidding. Have fun in London! Don't worry about your cats! They'll be safe withe
me! -TG November
13th, 04
STABBING
& KNIFE FIGHT AT DEL. SHOW!
OK, so you want to hear about my
crazy night? I thought so! My friend Paul, the Satanic Mechanic, was going to
help me put a new fuel pump in my car yesterday morning, but since it rained,
we nixed that idea. Anyway, I had to take the train to the show last night. First
of all, I hate taking the train anyway but last night was particularly sketchy:
There was some sort of argument in the back of the car I was in and it escalated
until someone got stabbed. There was fuckin' blood everywhere. The conductor stopped
the train, and the cops boarded. They began questioning everyone in that car.
"Did you see what happened?" and "Are you hurt?" God damn
it! It seams like everyone on that train had something to say about the incident.
I guess that they didn't realize that the more they said the longer the train
would be stopped! What should have been a 45 minute train ride from Philadelphia
to Wilmington, DE turned into about an hour and 45 minutes! Bill from Say-Ten
Records picked me up at the station and drove me to the show. I was so late that
as soon as I walked through the door of the club, I was ushered right onto stage,
without even getting a drink. Because All I could bring with me was my guitar
and a duffle bag of my harmonicas, and shirts and CDs, I used the house drum kit
which means I used a bass drum and hi-hat, instead of the normal bass, and snare.
They didn't want me to hit the snare with a kick pedal -oh well. The show was
fun none the less. There was a whole shitload of separate fights at that show.
A knife was wrestled awayfrom one brawler after he atempted to slash another show-goer!
I crashed at Bill's house and woke up to a pit bull trying to hump my head. I
can't wait to see what the rest of the weekend has to offer me! -TG October
28th, 04
HALLOWEEN!
There
is really nothing interesting to say right now. I'm playing at The Phoenixville
YMCA on November 6th, which should be fun. Halloween is coming up, and I have
absolutely no plans whatsoever. I was thinking about dressing up like Optimus
Prime (from The Transformers) but I don't feel like walking around in a cardboard
box.-TG
October
12th, 03
BEDROCKERS
LAST SHOW!
Today
was the first day that I haven't been a part of a band in over two years. The
six year saga that was The Bedrockers has now come to the end of the final chapter.
Reflecting back on my years with The Bedrockers brings warm feelings to my heart.
Though there were hard times, as there always are, most of my memories are pleasant.
When I think of The Bedrockers, I think not so much about the music, but of the
people whom we met along the way. The people that have brought a smile to our
face, the people that have enriched our lives, and the people that we will forever
consider our friends. I would rather not mention anyone, than write a list and
forget someone. Our friends know who they are, and if they ever forget what they
mean to us, we'll just have to remind them again. Our friends ARE The Bedrockers! A
few people told me that I should write something in this diary about last night's
show. They should know better! Shows like last night's only come around every
once in a great while and it's always something really special when they do! There
is no way in Hell that I would not write about it! So, here goes... Let
me first state that we couldn't have hoped for a better last show! A lot of kids
asked us why, being a Philly band, we did not play our last show in Philadelphia.
We have always had a hard time getting on descent All Ages shows in Philly and
we did not want our last show to be 21+. They ALWAYS suck! We have a much better
time playing for the kids because they still give a shit! Even though a bunch
of underage kids do drink, they have not yet lost the passion for the scene. Most
of the 21+ crowd just sit back and talk about the way it was when they were young
and how much it sucks now! I think the reason it sucks so much for them now is
because they are content going to the same bar every night and spending their
rent money on one more beer instead of supporting up and coming bands! From what
I could tell from our show last night, the punk rock scene is stronger and more
alive now than it has ever been! For me punk rock is and has always been about
friends, about having fun, and about not letting anybody else get in your way
of the pursuit of either! I saw all of those elements last night! What more do
you need? Politics? Fuck politics! The only thing politics create is drama and
disarray! There
is no better feeling than playing a show to a packed room unless the entire room
is singing along to all the words with you. Words that meant enough to you to
write them down in the first place. When you see that your words and your music
mean so much to that many people, there is no better feeling! I have been all
over the country, played thousands of shows, in several bands since the late '80s,
and have never had a better feeling than last night. The
Bedrockers are done, but it is my hope that we may have sparked a desire in a
few of you to start a new band yourself and pick up where we have left off. We
are passing along the punk rock torch to the next generation of kids and trust
in them to keep the flame lit. We have written our place in the history of punk.
You are the future! Thank you! It's been a blast! -GH 
(L
to R) Matt Fester, Ed Rocker, George Halflings, Brian Prozac
October
10th, 03
MORE
FUCKED UP TEETH!
Last night I got drunk with my new room mate, tom,
and
a bunch of our friends. We we boxing in the living room. Tom has two pair of boxing
gloves so what the hell! Anyway, I was sparring with my friend Sweet Bobby and
he got me with a really good uppercut. I slammed my upper and lower teeth together
and chipped two more teeth. That's the price of having fun, I guess! I called
up the dentist today and they said I had to wait 'til Monday to schedule an emergency
appointment! Monday! I have to wait three days to schedule an "Emergency"
appointment! How fucked up is that? Bobby got it just as bad as I did, so I'm
not whining about it. Just felt like sharing. His jaw is wreaked! He's gonna feel
that for about a week! Fun! Fun! Fun! Anyway, I'll see you all at tomorrow's show!
-GH October
5th, 03
KEG
PARTY!
I suppose I should write something about the show/keg party
last night, but I'm too hung over! I'll get to it in a little bit! -GH
OK,
I had time to work off my hangover. So you want the scoop on the party? On Tuesday,
the movie company that was supposed to show up and film for their new movie called
me up and told me they would not be able to make it. Apparently their tractor-trailer
jack knifed and they couldn't get their equipment there. That actually wasn't
really a big problem. We don't really need a film crew to have a good time. The
problem was that they were supposed to be supplying the beer and the pudding for
the pudding wrestling. I had to figure out how the hell we were going to get money
for the night. I went into overdrive! We did get the beer money so the party went
on. We couldn't find enough pudding for the event so we got ketchup instead! Whoo
hoo! The Dusters went on first. It was their first show. We went on second. There
were a bunch of kids jumping up on the stage and helped sing along! It was super
cool! I always have thought it's really cool when kids sing along. It just makes
it more fun for everyone as far as I'm concerned! Omegalord played right after
us! During the middle of their set the cops came and broke up the party. The fuckin
cops got on the mic and told everyone to get out-that the party was over, then
those fuckin' assholes smashed two of our microphones in half. Bad Luck 13 didn't
even get to play before the cops got there! Imagine that-this time the cops fucked
shit up-not Bad Luck! It kinda sucked. I was really looking forward to seeing
them. I was talking to Laura Lee from Bad Luck 13 and she was saying that she
was really disappointed that they didn't get to play. She said she actually had
butterflies before the show and how she hasn't had that feeling in a really long
time. I haven't either. God, I miss that feeling! I will see you all at the YMCA
on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to that show. I'm sure I'm going to have
the butterflies before that show. I'm going to bed. Good night. -GH October
3rd, 03
REHERSAL!
Tonight
we had our first practice session since our disastrous tour. It's been over a
month of not playing together. I can't remember having this much fun at band practice.
It was just awesome to play with my best friends again. We are all looking forward
to our last two shows! Shit is going to be absolutely crazy! Tomorrow night is
the big ass keg party! Hope you can all make it out! We're all getting loaded!
I ain't foolin' y'all! -GH September
25th, 03
THE
TOASTERS!
I went out tonight to pass out flyers for the Keg party
on October 4th. One of my stops was the Pontiac Grille. I think I probably stayed
there a little too long because I missed the rest of the stops on my round, but
I'm glad I did! I just witnessed the best show I've seen in at least 10 years!
The Toasters from NYC! The true kings of American Ska! I know a lot of Bedrocker's
fans are not big ska fans, which is to be understood considering all the "ska-core"
crap that has been polluting the scene in recent years, but The Toasters are an
amazing band and I truly feel that you are really missing out on something special
if you don't check them out! Don't get me wrong, I've seen a shitload of amazing
shows like AFI a few months ago or the Kid Dynamite reunion shows, but as good
as they were they can not compare to the show I saw tonight. I had a smile on
my face during the entire set and to top that off I was actually dancing! It takes
a lot to get me to dance at a show! Tonight was their first night of their tour
and they were playing like it was their last! Truly an amazing performance!
A
little side note: I met Ruby, their singer up at the Asbury Park Warped Tour.
He was walking around wearing a sign board selling Toasters CDs and I was walking
around with a cardboard sign as well (see our photos page) we both had quite a
laugh with each other. They are some of the nicest guys I've ever met and arguably
the best musicians ever! Props to The Toasters! -GH September
17th, 03
THANK
YOU!
I just want to thank everyone who has signed our guestbook
since the news of our break up. Thank you for all of your kind words. It really
means a lot to us. At times we often wondered if people actually gave a shit about
us since we had such a rough time this past year. Now we are certain they do.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! -GH September
15th, 03
BEDROCKERS
BREAKING UP!
After six years, four vans, and countless cases of
Pabst Blue Ribbon, the Bedrockers are calling it quits! This is not a joke. We
kind of wish it were, but everything must come to an end. We have reached the
end of our road. Ed is ready to settle down and is no longer willing to tour.
Since we will not be touring, Say Ten Records has revoked their decision to release
our full length album. Matt, Brian, and I will continue playing the same punk
rock you have come to expect from us, we will just be doing it under a different
name. Ed is the only original member of the Bedrockers, and though we all feel
that we have put just as much into the band there has always been a feeling that
it was Ed's band. Out of respect, we have decided to chose a different name for
our future project. We are all very disappointed, but see this as an opportunity
to start something even better! I don't really have too much more to say now,
but I will continue to keep you up to date with any new developments as they happen!
In the mean time please check out our shows page. We have three more shows that
we will be playing and hope you all can come out. Thank you for your continued
support over the past six years. -GH August
28th, 03
TOUR
VAN CATCHES FIRE!
Whether or not you believe in God, I'm sure you
will all agree that someone, somewhere, really does not want The Bedrockers to
tour. Tonight Ed came down to my house to see if he could get the "Ram Rod"
running so that we could swap the engine out of it to put in the "Antivan".
Everything looked good. We were leaking a little coolant, but we figured if temperature
gage went up, we'd just fill up the radiator again. We got it running and started
to make our way down to Delaware to the other van. On the way, the van stalled
and I pulled off the side of I-95. I noticed what I thought was steam coming off
the engine. I thought the engine just over heated. No big deal. I got out of the
van to raise the hood and let the "steam" vent off and expedite the
engine cooling off. That's when I noticed the flames in the engine compartment!
No fire extinguisher to be found anywhere! We had emptied contents out of the
van several months before. I sat on the side of the highway as I watched the 20
foot toxic flames completely consume the entire vehicle! Traffic was stopped for
about an hour while firefighters battled the inferno. A very sad day for the Bedrocker
family. So needless to say, we won't be able to swap engines now! (That is Van
#4 down the crapper!)
If anyone knows where we can find a 318 ci. Dodge/Chrysler
engine or if you have one for sale, please contact us. Someone up above might
not want us to tour and may try to stop every chance he/she gets, but we refuse
to give up! Viva La Bedrockers! GH  IN
LOVING MEMORY OF THE "RAM ROD"
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE!
1986-2003 | A
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE "RAM ROD":
1986
. Rolls off the assembly line.
1989 .
Ed & George's father bought van.
1989-1993 .
Several family trips including a few all the way to Florida. (Ed
& George fought the whole way)
1994 .
Father loans van to George to use for his new band, The Halflings. (never
to get it back again)
1995-1996 .
The Halflings take van on three continental U.S. tours. Hitting every State except
Washington and Oregon 3 times.
1997 . Kid
Dynamite uses van for first few shows. Strychnine Babies use van for 2 shows.
1998-1999
. Collects rust.
2000 . Fuck
Bomb uses van for 2 shows. George uses van to make deliveries for his silk screen
company.
2001 . The Bedrockers give van
gets nick-name "Ram Rod" in Denny's Parking lot in Johnstown, PA
2001-2002
. The Bedrockers take "Ram Rod" on several trips out to Columbus,
OH before getting title to Chevy van.
2003 .
(8:30pm) Went out in a Blaze of Glory! |
August
16th, 03
BAND
ILLNESS-SHOW CANCELLED!
Last night we were supposed to play at Rex's
in West Chester, PA. We all showed up on time and were ready to start loading
in our amps and other shit when all of a sudden Brian got sick in the parking
lot. We attribute that to the nasty pizza from the parlor next door to the club.
Brian left to go home, which was the best decision considering his current state.
We were thinking of going on anyway as a three-piece but all of the amp heads
were in Brian's car. (We took separate cars again 'cause the van is still fucked!)
I think it's better that we didn't do it without him. It just wouldn't have been
as good as it should be. I want to apologize to all of the kids that came to see
us. We'll make it up to you-we promise! In the meantime I'm pretty sure that last
night's show was the last show of the tour. There is no way in Hell we are going
to drive down to Florida in three cars-especially the way the rest of the tour
went. I think it's best that we cut our losses, come home to regroup, and plan
a better tour! We can chalk this tour up to "paying our dues!" Hopefully
there won't be too much more to pay! We're broke! We are going to take a month
off from playing shows to write some new songs for our upcoming full length album
on Say-Ten Records. That is to say that we are not going to be seeking shows out.
If we are asked to play a show here and there we probably will, but we are not
going to be playing a lot. We won't be away from the game for too long, and I'll
do my best to keep you all up to date with any new developments! Thank you to
all of our old friends who have stood by us since the beginning, to our new friends
that we met along the way, and to the friends that we have yet to meet! It is
for you that we do this thing we like to call The Bedrockers! -GH August
13th, 03
VAN
UPDATE!
After Ed replaced the water pump, he performed a compression
test on the engine and determined that the block was cracked! For those of you
that don't know the mechanics of an internal combustion engine-that basically
means that the engine is fucked! When we have time, Ed is going to come over to
my place to check out the engine in the Ram Rod. I have a feeling that engine
is also shot but it's worth looking into. If it is good, we'll be able to meet
up with Anti-Anti in Florida and finish out the tour. If not, who knows? Knock
on wood and keep your fingers crossed. -GH August
11th, 03
BROTHERS
PSYCHICLY CONNECTED!
This entry has nothing to do with the tour
I just really think it's a crazy story and thought you all might be interested.
Back in 2000, I was playing drums in a band called Fuck Bomb. I went into the
music store to buy a new set of drum sticks and impulse bought a black Epiphone
335 Dot hollow-body guitar. (Most people impulse buy little things-Not Me!) The
interesting part of the story is that on the exact same day, when Ed was still
living in Columbus, OH- without talking to each other, he bought the exact same
guitar! Color and everything! How's that for some brotherly mojo? The back up
guitar that Ed has on stage when we play is actually mine! It's really weird!
When Ed and I were younger, he and I pretty much hated each other! Now we're best
of friends, and are finding that though we still have many differences, we're
more alike than either of us care to admit! -GH August
10th, 03
ASBURY
PARK WARPED TOUR!
Ed didn't get a chance to fix the van the other
day so we took two cars up to the Asbury Park Warped Tour. Another day of fun
for all of us. I was standing around with a sign that read "BAND ON TOUR!
VAN BROKE DOWN! PLEASE HELP!" We made enough money from that to buy a
new water pump. Let's just cross our fingers and pray that the water pump is the
only thing wrong with it! I just made up a new Bedrockers Award. This one is for
"Best Tour Van". That award goes to The
Phenonenauts from Oakland, CA. I'm not even going to describe it for you-you
just have to check out their site and see for yourself! It is pretty amazing!
They are a damn good band too! We left the Warped Tour early to head to New York
City to play a show up at The Continental. We recorded the set to CD straight
off the sound board and it sounds really good! We'll probably put that up on our
Password Protected page in the future for all of our fans that bought the "Suck
Knob" CD-to hold you over until the new album is released! The Continental
is where we all surprised Ed for his birthday! Nothing was said all day and he
thought we all forgot him! Hell No! We all got pretty ripped that night! Matt
was hanging out the car with the door open, yelling at people on the way home!
Man that guy can throw 'em back! Thanks to Heidi, our bartender. She made our
visit extra special! We'll see you all in Philly tomorrow night at Club 218! It'll
be nice to be back home! -GH August
9th, 03
VAN
TROUBLES-SHOWS CANCELLED!
Son of a bitch! Today we were supposed
to play at the Warped Tour in NYC during the day and a night show at The Pussycat
Lounge, but the water pump in The Antivan (*see diary entry for 7/24/03) busted
on the way up, so we had to cancel! I was really looking forward to that night
show. The Pussycat Lounge is a strip club (if you couldn't tell from the name)
and they were holding a wet T-shirt contest right before we went on. Like I said
yesterday, we loves us some titties! Damn it! Tomorrow we're driving to the Asbury
Park Warped Tour and a night show at The Continental in NYC in a car! Hopefully
we can borrow equipment when we get there, cause it wont fit in the car with all
of us! I'm going to drink myself to sleep now! -GH
P.S. Tomorrow is Ed's
birthday! Be sure to give him "birthday punches!" (He turns 50! Ha!)
August
8th, 03
PHILADELPHIA
WARPED TOUR!
Thanks to everyone that came to support us at the Warped
Tour today. We had tons-O-fun! I think we were the only band there that didn't
have a tent over our merch table. I'm not sure about the other guys, but I've
got sunburn really bad. Thank you to the two girls that were showing their tits
for dollar bills at our booth. We made almost as much money from you as we did
selling our merch. I feel like such an asshole for forgetting your names, but
hope you enjoy the free CDs and shirts. To those of you that were not there, we
didn't ask them to do it-they volunteered, so don't think we're any more creepy
than any other guy! We loves us some titties! Ahhh... Finely reaping the benefits
of being in a rock-n-roll band! Now all we need is a good drug habit to round
out the package! Thanks also to the cute girl working at the concession stand
for sneaking us food! You rule! It was a long day and I'm bushed! Good night!
-GH August
1st, 03
MORE
VEHICLE PROBLEMS!
Last night we drove up to Club Culture in upstate
New York only to find that the show had been canceled due to promoter error. The
promoter was super cool about the situation. He paid us gas money out of pocket
and even offered us the floor of the club to crash. The floor would have much
better than where we did crash. On the way back home, only about and hour away
from comfortable beds and tons of food, one of the brand new tires on Anti-Anti's
trailer ripped to shreds. Of coarse there was no spare! Some of the guys went
off in our van to get a new tire while the rest of us waited by Anti-Anti's Suburban
and trailer, guarding it with baseball bats. We couldn't get a tire that late
at night so we had to sleep in the vehicles again. Now I've got a stiffy! My neck
that is! -G. Halflings July
27th, 03
ROCK
STAR TREATMENT-CLEVELAND OHIO!
The first really good show of the
tour. The other shows were good, but this one was really good! We played at a
place called Peabody's in Cleveland, Oh. Matt & Phillip from Teen Idols were
telling me about it last night. I think it's much better than they described it.
I'm not even going to try to describe it because you still won't get it! Anti-Anti
and us combined all of our equipment so we had 2 full stacks of speaker cabinets
on Brian's side of the stage, and 3 full stacks on Ed and my side of the stage.
Damn that looked good! All we needed to complete the look is a pair of spandex
pants and pyrotechnics! Hail Satan! Rock N Roll! Matt, the promoter at Peabody's
and the entire staff treated us like kings. We got the VIP room. That was nice.
I like to be supportive of bands we play with, but during an all day show with
23 bands, it's nice to get a little peace & quiet. We got fed! We got paid
without an argument. We left happy!
-GH July
26th, 03
BEDROCKERS
CRASH TEEN IDOLS SHOW!
We originally had a day off, so we went to
hang out with our friends in Columbus, OH. We found out that the Teen Idols were
playing at Bernie's so we all headed down there. Apparently one of the bands on
the bill dropped off at the last minute so we actually got to jump on the bill.
We only played four songs but everyone seamed really happy with our unannounced
appearance. I know we certainly had fun! I've been itchin' to buy a Rickenbacher
bass for a long time now but never have enough money. I got to play Heather's
Ric bass tonight! God Damn! That sounds good! Does anyone want to buy a kidney
from me? -GH July
24th, 03
BEDROCKERS
GET NEW VAN!
Another show getting ripped off by the promoters. I
think we need to start breaking out those baseball bats we brought with us! We
played with Johnny 3 who will remain good friends for a long time. One of their
girlfriends was house sitting/ baby-sitting a 17 year old girl and we all crashed
at her house. No parents and a baby-sitter to make sure a 17 year old girl doesn't
get into any trouble in a $300,000. home! All was good. We were very respectful
of her home and I don't think there was any sign that we were even there when
we left. The other really good thing about this particular day is that we got
a new van! The main problem with the last van we had is that we didn't name her,
so let this be official. Because of our gratitude to Anti-Anti for helping us
out when we broke down, to honor them we have named our new van THE ANTIVAN!
The new van is so much nicer than the old one. It is a 1984 Dodge Ram conversion
van with a refrigerator, a stove, and a fold out bed! The headlights work, the
inside lights work, oh and the horn works too! We're steppin' up! Today is definitely
a better day! -GH July
23rd, 03
VAN
BLOWS TRANSMISSION!
No comment on the events that transpired at
the show today, but I think it's safe to say that this entry will make the kids
in Michigan City, IN cheer like the Middle Eastern assholes did when the WTC came
crashing down on 9/11! About an hour after leaving the show, we pulled off to
the side of the Interstate to let Anti-Anti catch up to us. Ed put the van in
park while we waited. When we finely saw them coming 'round the bend, Ed popped
it into gear and took off. About 15 minutes of driving at 70 MPH had passed until
the engine started clunking. Apparently the van was only in 2nd gear, not "Drive"
like our prindle (PRNDL) indicated. The engine was fucked! We were fucked, and
Anti-Anti somehow got 10 miles ahead of us! When they finely got back to where
we were, we started to take all of our gear out of our van and managed to pack
it all in their trailer. It was a tight fit but we all managed to fit in their
Suburban. We left our van on the side of the road in Indiana with a red spray
painted message- "Fuck Michigan City!" and "Fuck Detroit!"
It was like losing a family member. We spent months getting this van ready for
the tour. All down the toilet! It was a good thing we had a whole case of Sierra
Mist to drink or we might have killed each other. -GH 
IN
LOVING MEMORY OF OUR 1984 CHEVY VAN
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE!
2001-2003
July
22nd, 03
MICHIGAN!
Two
shows today: One in Flint, and the other in Detroit. When we got to the show in
Flint the venue was unlocked and no one was there for about an hour. It's a good
thing we're such honest upstanding citizens, or there entire sound system could
have been in the van in no time flat. What a weird feeling. The venue, The Local
432 was a huge multilevel building filled with piles of what looked like trash
upstairs. Trash? Why would someone be throwing away an Atari Jaguar? or a Nintendo
64? The building had a squat feel to it, right down to the feeling I was gonna
get scabies from sitting on the couch. It was actually really quite nostalgic
for me. Here I go with another one of my youth stories... Back when I lived in
the suburbs with my grandparents, I took the train into Philadelphia to a Bikini
Kill show. The show was over way past the time the trains stopped running and
I was stranded in Philly with no where to stay. I ended up crashing with some
kids I met at the show in their squat house. It was actually quite nice. It was
an abandoned health spa/gym. (It's actually a high priced gym for yuppies now
right at 5th and Spruce I think) There were tons of couches to sleep on, linens
in the closet, multiple bathrooms, and pay phones. The phones were connected so
we were able to receive incoming calls and one kid, Murph, had an automatic dialer
so we could make free outgoing calls too. We had everything for free and were
loving life. The main problem with this place was that we only had electricity
when the traffic light was red. You'd think that the blinking lights from inside
the building would have called the attention of the police, but it wasn't that
at all. We got busted when two of us were outside trying to hook up the plumbing
to a neighbors outside water faucet. Luckily I was a suburban kid with a job and
came to the city with a little money. I was down at the Wawa buying food when
the cops raided the building. Anyway The Local 432 in Flint, MI reminded me of
that place a lot. The last thing we saw when we were leaving Flint was a homeless
guy trying to spange money off of us. The first thing we saw when we pulled up
front the club in Detroit was a homeless guy trying to sell us a French horn for
$3. Does Michigan have a lot of bums, or is it just that our shows are in smack
dab in the middle of the ghetto where ever we go? The crowd at Alvin's in Detroit
was very lame, especially for DETROIT ROCK CITY! Everyone was sitting on their
assess. Tommy from Anti-Anti called them on it. He said something to the effect
of "I thought this was Detroit ROCK City, not Detroit SIT ON YOUR ASS City!"
That comment was kinda funny and rolled off the crowds shoulder. He then proceeded
to say "Fuck Detroit!" NOTE TO SELF: Do not
put down the city you are in if you are a tourist!
We all high tailed it out of there! Another life lesson learned the hard
way! -GH
July 21st,
03
SULLIVAN
IL !
Hello from the road! Last night we me up with Anti-Anti in
Sullivan, Il. The joking around and ribbing each other began almost right away.
The show was not much to write home about but the hospitality was second to none!
Last night the guys from Alienz Lie got us drunk and put us up for the night and
this morning their guitarist's girlfriend, Heather made us all French toast eggs,
and the best coffee ever. Right now I'm at the free library using their computers.
Everyone keeps shooting me the dirtiest looks because my cell phone keeps ringing
and it has the loudest most obnoxious ring ever. I think I'm typing too loudly
also. Fuck 'em! That's how us city boys type. Ha! OK I'm outta here. Everything's
going well so far. I'll keep you all up to date as much as possible. -George July
12th, 03
WHOA-BABIES-LONG
ISLAND NY
Last
night was the first long trip in the van since we built the loft in the back.
We had one extra person in the van that is not going on tour with us and it was
more than comfortable. The long drives are going to be no problem on this tour.
I can't wait to go! Ed hooked up a power inverter in the van so now we have normal
electrical outlets which means now we can plug in the Playstation! Hells Yeah!
We finely got to play with The Whoa Babies up in Long Island after what seams
like years of talking about it! I really like them a lot. They are doing the whole
Screeching Weasel/ Queers thing, and doing it well! The opened up with The Queer's
instrumental, "Squid Omelet" and it was dead on! I thought I was listening
to the Grow Up CD until I peeked my head around the corner and saw them playing!
The crowd was very docile. Just a little toe-tapping and head nodding, but I think
this just had to do with the "Sorry, No Moshing!" signs posted around
the room. Vincent, the sound guy from what I understand (but I could be wrong)
runs sound for free, just because it's fun! I can't name one kid that is going
to do that let alone a grown man! Props to you Vincent! You're a good man and
I wish there were more people like you. After the show, We went to a diner with
The Whoa Babies and their younger sister. It was funny as all Hell listening to
the three sisters interacting with each other about "secret boys" and
the playful name-calling "You Germ!" It was very cute. Oh they were
disappointed that we didn't play "I Jinxed Myself", but they didn't
call it out either. If anyone reading this wants to hear a particular song, by
all means call it out! If we still know whatever song you call out, we'll play
it! We know "Jinx". See you on tour! -G. Halflings July
6th, 03
PLAYED
FOR THE FOOL-AGAIN!
I have a feeling that I need to start writing
more than "The show was fun." or all of you will get bored and stop
reading this part of the site. It seams that our shows just continue to be more
and more fun, so I'm gonna try in the future to stop with that phrase as it is
starting to feel redundant. If it wasn't fun, we wouldn't do it! Instead let me
tell you about how I got played for a fool at Saturday's show.
When we got
done playing, and after shaking ten-thousand people's hands and thanking them
for positive comments, I bellied up to the bar for a beer. A very attractive punk
rock girl came up to me and asked me to buy her a beer. Jokingly I replied, "I
just got done playing! You should be buying ME a beer!" We shot the shit
for a little while and she was very touchy-feely with me the whole time, even
though I was soaking wet from sweat after playing. I eventually gave in and bought
her a tall frosty glass of to good stuff-Pabst Blue Ribbon! Here's the
down side of the story. As soon as she got her free beer, her fuckin' boyfriend
came up to talk to her. She then focused all of her attention on him and completely
ignored me! I feel so used! Son of a bitch! What a fool I am! I'm always a sucker
for a pretty girl. One day I'll learn. Wait-no I won't! -G. Halflings
P.S.
The show was fun! June
29th, 03
OUTSIDE
SHOW IN THE WOODS!
Yet another show at the Phoenixville YMCA. This
time the show wasn't in the gymnasium-it was outside in a campground under a pavilion.
I personally think there were way too many bands. I never did like those all day
shows. There are just too many bands to watch. I get a little burned out after
four bands so I was hanging out near the creek in the woods a lot of the time.
Living in the city, that's something I never get to do anymore. It was peaceful
and beautiful. It reminded me of my childhood. Growing up, we had huge woods behind
my grandparent's house and my friends and I used to steal wood from a housing
development the were building to build our tree house. I think half the reason
for building the tree house was so we could get girls to come over there and make
out with us. It never worked! Go figure? For some reason girls don't like tree
houses? The other reason was so that we could do things our grandparents wouldn't
approve of without them knowing, like smoking. We were too young to buy cigarettes,
but we found this rope that we could sorta smoke. It wasn't anything like a real
cigarette but we didn't know any better. We thought we were the coolest shit ever.
Smoking rope ended almost over night when we tried to smoke nylon rope! We weren't
that bright. Our lungs filled up with the toxic nylon fumes and we though we were
going to die! Sometimes I look back on my childhood and wonder how the Hell I
got this far! -G.H. June
18th, 03
NEW
SONGS!
For the past few months we have been so booked with shows
that we haven't had the opportunity to hold band practice, which is why we have
been playing the same songs for so long. Well, you'll be happy to hear that we
just had two practice sessions this week resulting in two brand new songs. One
of mine and one of Ed's. Ed's song, "Take it Away" is along the same
lines as "Code Blue" and "Jail Bait"-really good shit! You'll
love it! My song, "Five Bucks Ain't Enough" on the other hand sounds
completely different from anything we've done in the past. Some people who have
already heard it compare it to Kid Dynamite. I have a feeling that a lot of elitist
punks are going to have a problem with this song because it deals with the financial
aspect of playing music. Let me straighten this out before it is addressed by
any of them. Punk rock is about the music! It's for the kids! I believe that wholeheartedly,
but when you have to pay for rent to practice, van insurance, and gas to get to
the shows, whether you want to admit it or not -you need to make money if you
want to keep doing it! I don't want to do anything else! This song is about being
ripped off. I don't want you to think that we are only in this for the money.
We do what we do because it's in our hearts! With all that said I'll let you judge
for yourself. Below are the lyrics. -G. Halflings Five
Bucks Ain't Enough
Two-hundred bucks just
to rent your hall for an all age matinee
you've got to cover the cost of the
beer sales lost
but you weren't gonna be open anyway
Seventy of it goes
to the sound guy which I can clearly see
and let's be generous and say that
fifty gets paid
to the door guy that let all his friends in for free
There's
no sign of the promoter when the show's done with and over
five bucks ain't
enough to fill the tank and get us home A
hundred kids showed up and paid the five bucks that's three-hundred after your
fee
and with no one else to pay, no jock security, what happened to all the
money
twenty bucks split between four bands
this ain't a punk rock show
man it's just a big fuckin' scam
There's no sign of the promoter when the show's
done with and over
five bucks ain't enough to fill the tank and get us home
You
know who you are and we know where you fuckin' live!
June
17th, 03
DEFINITION
OF "SUCK KNOB ON ZERO"
I
was at a party on Saturday night and someone asked me a question that we are always
being asked: What does "Suck Knob on Zero" mean? A lot of people guess
that it has something to do with sucking cock. Though we have nothing against
homosexuality, we ourselves are not gay, and that definition is not even close
to the actual meaning of the title.
In a recording studio or at a club, the
sound board has many knobs controlling things like volume and tone. It is a running
joke with soundmen that there are two additional knobs: The "Talent Knob"
and the "Suck Knob." When we were in the studio recording that CD, if
one of us would screw up our part, the rest of us would ask Darren, the recording
engineer to turn up the "talent knob" or we would ask him to turn the
"suck knob" down. So "Suck Knob on Zero" is just a tongue-in-cheek
way of saying that the CD does not suck. Now, don't ask me that question ever
again! -G. Halflings
June
9th, 03 at 3am
DUMB
DRUNK BLONDE GIRL
I went to Tattooed Mom's with my friend Eva.
There was this crazy, drunk blonde girl there that obviously wanted to go home
with somebody. She took a liking to me. After Eva left Mom's, I headed down the
street to a club called Fluid to ditch the blonde. They have a weekly party there
called "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control", which is amateur go-go dancing
and punk rock DJs. Pretty fun shit. While
I'm down there, that crazy blonde girl showed up and was all over my jock. I let
her know that I was not interested and she got all weird. Through the course of
the night she just got drunker and drunker. At the end of the night she asked
if I would drive her car to the after hours bar, since she was too drunk to drive.
Sometimes I'm just too fuckin' nice. I agreed to drive her and the whole time
she was belittling me, so in the middle of Lombard Street, I stopped the car,
pulled the keys out of the ignition and through them God know where, and left
her there. There's only so much shit I can take, ya know? She might get a ticket
or even get her car towed, but at least she won't drive home drunk and kill herself,
right? Maybe I'm not too nice, maybe I am? I don't care. She got what she deserved!
I've got to stop caring about people so much. Whatever? Good night! -G. Halflings June
8th, 03
BIRTHDAY/HARRISBURG
PH
First of all thank you to everyone that made my birthday such
a fun night. Thank you all for the shots of tequila. I feel like a jerk, 'cause
I can't remember everyone that bought them for me, but I'm sure you understand.
Thanks again and please forgive me.
Last
night we played a 21+ show in Harrisburg, PA. Forget everything I've ever said
about 21+ shows. This show was crazy. I've never seen the drinking crowd have
more energy that an all ages crowd. How unexpected! As a rule, I prefer playing
for the kids but I was very happy with everyone that came out last night. The
only thing that sucked about the evening was that they made Prozac sit in the
van when we were done playing because he's underage. I understand, but it still
sucked. -G. Halflings June
5th, 03
BIRTHDAY
ANNOUNCEMENT
Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm gonna get smeared.
Meet me at Tattooed Mom's and buy me a beer! -G. Halflings May
28th, 03
TOOTHLESS
GEORGE PLAYS SOLO SHOW
I just played my second solo show without
The Bedrockers. The first time I did it, I thought I was super sick because I
had a sore throat and could hardly speak let alone sing. This time I learned the
true meaning of being sick! Though I had my voice, I had a list of other symptoms
that made me wish for that sore throat-the worst being that because of all the
mucus I've been sucking back up my nose when I've been without a tissue, I actually
had snot (at least I think it was snot) coming out of the corner of my eye! I'm
still having difficulty opening that eye! (Maybe I should be more picky when choosing
groupies after the shows! Ha! Yeah right!) I'm sure you probably didn't want to
hear that in detail, but I have no shame and don't really care. This is MY diary
entry not yours! I like the diary because it helps me remember shit I forget.
Since the accident when I lost my teeth, my memory has not been the same. I never
want to forget about boogies coming out of my eye! How classic is that? Who know
if I'll ever be able to do that again? Even though it kinda hurts, I wish I could
do it on command! What a great party trick that would be! If it doesn't stop by
tomorrow, I promised Ed I'd go to the doctor, even though I have no health insurance
and cant afford it. Cross your fingers 'cause even though I'm broke, I can't break
a promise! I'll tell you all about the time I shit my pants some other time. I
have no shame, but I also have no waking bone in my body! I'm off to bed. Good
Nite! -G. Halflings May
24th, 03
BEDROCKERS GO ON WITHOUT SINGER!
Apologies
go out to the kids that came to see us on Saturday in Reading. An explanation
for those of you that were not there: Ed drove separately and ran into heavy traffic
in addition to getting lost, and was consequently late for the show. We had to
start without him. We played about 5 songs before he got there. The show must
go on, right? I was singing all of Ed's parts-forgetting words and repeating verses.
When he finely got on stage all was right in the world, but I wanted to take the
time to apologize anyway. We did our best with the situation and hope that we
never have to do it again.
-G. Halflings May
22nd, 03
PROZAC TRADES FAVORITE SHIRT!
I was breaking
Prozac's balls about how he only wears his Say-Ten Records shirt at the shows,
which is not completely accurate, for a long time. At our show up in Long Island,
NY there was a kid wearing an M.C. Hammer T-shirt. Brian wanted it! Then came
one of the funniest things I've ever seen-Brian offers the kid his favorite shirt,
plus $2. for his shirt. They both got topless and swapped shirts in the parking
lot! I guess I'm gonna have to start breakin' his balls about that M.C. Hammer
shirt now! -G. Halflings May
20th, 03
NYC GROUPIES-LADY UNLUCK!
First of all let
me explain my entry on May 10th. Matt said that he really wanted to write the
entry for that show since he is so opinionated on it. I left no comment to leave
room for his writing. I'm sure he still plans to write an entry, so keep an eye
open. The reason I am bringing that show up now is because of a funny email we
received from one of the bands we played with at that show, Lady Unluck! They
really reminded me of Vice Squad which I have always loved! They just sent this
image with their email and I thought it was just too damn funny to keep to ourselves!
Hey Ladies, I enjoyed watching you play too. I'm sure we will share the stage
in the future! I'm looking forward to it! -G. Halflings
May
12th, 03
I'M NOT A ROCK STAR!
Before I go to bed tonight
I just wanted to share funny story: I saw my good friend Melissa Pine at the Stray
Bullets show tonight. (They were awesome by the way!) She was telling me that
she had a dream about The Bedrockers last night. She said that in the dream she
went to see us play some show. She was telling all the kids at the show that she
KNOWS The Bedrockers (as if that's something special) and no one believed
her, and then they made her leave. I just think it's weird that such a good friend
is having dreams about us becoming unapproachable rock stars! If you see me getting
too big for my britches, kick my worthless ass-please! Egos are for Divas and
Hip Hop phonies! Fuck them! We play Punk Rock! Thank
you! Good Night! -George Halflings
P.S. Hey dream-kids, Melissa does know us
and we love her! Now leave here alone and let her have nice dreams! May
10th, 03
No Comment! -George Halflings April
27th, 03
ROCK N ROLL WEEK!
Start with a Wednesday show
with my personal favorite Philadelphia band, The Sugar Skulls. Some band that
was named after their singer opened the show. Everyone hated them. I felt bad
for the dude, but seriously the were painful to listen too. To top it off no one
knew who they were or whether or not they were supposed to be playing or not.
Whatever?
Friday was at a crap bar with two really cool bands, Decontrol,
and The Pulls. I enjoyed them, but two of the deuchbags in the audience I had
to chase out of the bar with my bass over my head. There are mixed feelings about
whether I should have actually hit him. It was probably a stupid thing to do,
but at the time I was really pissed off. Oh well. All's well that ends well, right?
Last night we played in West Chester. These kids had all of us cracking
up while we were trying to play. One kid was doing some crazy contortionist routine
- walking on his hands with his legs wrapped around his head. Some other kid was
pretending to swim in the "pit" on the ground! You really had to be
there. It doesn't sound nearly as funny as it was. Afterwards Prozac, Bill from
Say-Ten Records, our "Merch-Boy"- Johnny Directions, and I all went
to Beth with the French last name's house and danced to Sesame Street Disco, and
some really good Duke Ellington records! What a good time that was!
Today
we all got together and painted our van, so it doesn't look so bad now! It was
an all day project and I'm bushed now, so I'm going to bed! Good night! -George
Halflings April
21st, 03
TRANSPLANTS SONG IN COMMERCIAL
This has absolutely
nothing to do with the Bedrockers. I just thought it was a little funny. I was
watching TV last night with my hand gently cupping my balls, when all of a suddenly
a Garnier hair products commercial came on. A Transplants song was playing in
the background. The song fit well with the commercial, but Garnier obviously has
never seen Tim Armstrong's mohawk! Besides dreads, a charged mohawk has got to
be one of the most hair damaging styles ever, but what the fuck - it was only
the soundtrack! It would have been way more funny if Tim was actually pictured
in the commercial shaking his head to show how silky-smooth and how full of body
and shine HIS hair is! Of coarse it would also have to end with him saying
their catch phrase (in his Mouth-Full-O-Marbles-Voice)
"Garnier -
Because I'm worth it!" (oops I think that's Loriealle) O.K. Maybe it's
not that funny, but at 4 AM when you're totally drunk it doesn't take too much
to amuse! -George Halflings April
14th, 03
999 SHOW/FRAT PARTY
What a fun-filled weekend!
This weekend began for us on Thursday night when we played with 999 at the Pontiac.
Apparently 999 snuck into the country illegally, as tourists, and the customs
dept. confiscated their equipment. We let them use our gear and as a result, since
they fiddled with our knobs during their pre-show sound check, our "Suck Knob"
levels during our set were cranked to 11! God, we blew chunks! It was fun nevertheless.
I guess every band has to have bad shows, to make the good ones that much more
special! Ed made a funny comment to me the other night about how when we were
younger listening to all of those "Punk & Disorderly" type compilations, we never
ever thought we'd actually be playing with any of those bands. It's just kinda
cool, I guess. I never really stood back and took a look at what we're doing.
I just usually fly by the seat of my pants. Rezillos and 999 out of the way! Bring
on Cocksparrer! Friday and Saturday we played with another Say-Ten Records band,
The Pseudo Dropouts! What a nice bunch of guys! They're super good! Any of you
people reading this should really check them out! My only complaint is that no
one thought to show them around Philly. Instead we hung out in crappy-ass Delaware!
Damn it, I hate that fuckin' place! Saturday night we went to some frat party
down there! I wanted to leave as soon as we got there. Some deuch-bag told me
that I looked "just like Fonzie" thinking he's being cleaver, as if no other fuck
face has ever said that shit! Let's be a little more creative, you fuckin' cretin!
It was once said, (and I forget who said it) that it is better to be quiet and
have people think that you are stupid, than open your mouth and remove all doubt!
Isn't college supposed to make you smart or something? I couldn't believe the
dimwitted conversations I had to struggle to stay awake for. Some girl actually
rambled on for about 45 mins. about how she loved being in her sorority, like
I give a shit! If that's your thing, good for you! I just can't see paying money
just to be someone's friend! I kept making fun of her and she didn't even realize
it! I kept comparing her "sisterhood" to Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs! Beth, if you
read this don't be too upset! You, Marie, and the girl that actually lived at
that house were really nice, and are probably the only reason I didn't snuff it
right then and there! Your other friends are big duds though! Sorry! Sunday I
saw Kid Dynamite! That is the best show I've been to in a long time! I was super
upset because tickets sold out right away and I didn't get one. Luckily I got
in on their guest list. I would have been really upset it I had missed that show!
If you can imagine in your minds eye the most perfect show ever, it was the Kid
Dynamite show! If you kids don't know about Kid Dynamite you are really missing
out and are probably in a sorority or frat! -George Halflings
March
23th, 03
HUMILIATE THE PASSED OUT DRUNK GUY!
After
the show last night, Matt and I went to some girls house in NE Philly with the
Neutrinos. By the looks of the house, the party started way before we got there!
After a few hours of drinking, some kid passed out. Bad thing to do at a party
with us. I feel really bad for this kid! He got wreaked! When he wakes up tomorrow
he's gonna find: toothpaste in his hair, bottle caps stuck to his face with catsup,
a mustard mustache, open packs of soy sauce in his socks, a mayo filled condom
down his pants, and the result of countless games of tic-tac-toe on his arms and
body. The king daddy of all mischief doers has to be Johnny from The Neutrinos.
He shoved his finger up his ass and dug out a nugget. He smeared it on that dudes
neck. I don't even know who that kid was but I feel for him! I'm sure Matt is
gonna add to this story! What a crazy night! Johnny, you are not coming to any
of my parties anymore! -George Halflings March
18th, 03
BROKEN RECORDS SHOWCASE
It's already Tuesday
and I've just recovered from this past weekend. We played at the Broken Records
showcase show in West Chester, PA. It was the first show they had ever put on.
They thought it was chaotic, but I think they did a great job. We've played a
lot of disorganized shows in the past. This show doesn't even come close. The
hall was a good size and had descent acoustics. I thought we were going to be
setting up in a gym since it was a community center. (For those promoters that
don't know, gymnasiums suck for acoustics! We're not playing basketball, we're
playing punk rock!) I don't think we've ever had to sign so many damn autographs.
I was really pleased with the crowd. We've never played West Chester before so
I didn't know what to expect. There were a couple kids that actually drove 2 hours
just to see us. I think it's great, but in the back of my head I'm thinking "Who
the Hell do these kids think we are? It's not like we're rock stars or anything!
We're just four kids that write stupid songs in our bedrooms!" In any case
I certainly hope things continue to go as well as they are right now. I'm having
a blast! -George Halflings March
14th, 03
WORK WORK WORK
"All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy!" The same goes for me! I've been workin' 12 hour days
all fuckin' week long and have been going to bed every night at around 8pm. (not
much of a rock n roll lifestyle) Tonight I'm going down to Tattooed Mom's and
getting completely shit faced to catch up on the drinkin' I missed this past week,
then I'm sleeping all day tomorrow! Hey Ed, if you see this make sure you wake
me up in time for the show! I'll see you kids in West Chester tomorrow night!
-George Halflings March
11th, 03
EYELINERS SHOW
We just played at the North
Star Bar last night, with one of my personal favorite bands, The Eyeliners. I
met them at one of their first shows when my old band, The Halflings, were on
tour back in '96. We had played a record store during the day in New Mexico, and
went to a club at the other side of town to catch up with our good friends, The
Crumbs. The opening band (whom had just changed their name from Psycho Drama)
blew me away. It was the Eyeliners! We have kept in contact since then and have
always been saying how cool it would be to play together. Something always happens,
but this time, after seven years of talking about it, we finely got to play together.
Thanks to Eva for hooking that up for us! See you all soon enough! -George Halflings March
3rd, 03
NEW WEBMASTER/NEW CONTEST
Where Should I start?
OK, well Ed taught me how to edit parts of the website so there will certainly
be more updates than before, as if once a week wasn't good enough for ya. This
is my first entry in the Diary that he didn't have to retype onto the site. Cross
your fingers and hope I don't fuck up! We finished mixing the new song for the
Wonka Vision sampler CD. We still have not chosen a name yet, but are certain
one of you will come up with something good. The contest is still open, so keep
those suggestions coming. We just have to master the song then it's out of our
hands. We are really looking forward to that release as I'm sure a lot of you
are. Because there are only going to be 1000 of them pressed, and are sure to
move quickly, we are discussing options so that everyone gets to hear it. Not
just the lucky thousand. We will keep you up to date on that as we get more info.
I guess that's enough for now. Sleep tight kiddies! I'm off to bed! -George Halflings
PS Just saw Sahara Hotnights the other night! Fuckin' Killa! If you don't know
about them, find out! February
11th, 03
NEW BEDROCKERS SONG!
We haven't been telling
you anything in the Diary since last year so I guess you don't know what's up
with us. We are going to be featured on an upcoming CD compilation that Wonka
Vision Magazine is putting out. We recorded a brand new song for the CD and I
just heard the mixed version tonight for the first time. It's really insane. My
room mate says it sounds like old Dropkick Murphy's. I don't hear it, but everyone
is entitled to their own opinion. It's super fast and has a lot going on in the
song. The only trouble is we don't have a name for the song yet and the deadline
for getting the song to Wonka Vision is coming up. I sure don't want to call it
"Untitled"! That would suck. Ed put a new contest on the website so maybe we can
get some song title ideas for you. Anyway, just know that this song is "off the
hook, yo!" -George Halflings February
8th, 03
SKATEPARK SHOW!
OK I have a new favorite place
to play. Sound Waves in Reading, PA. This place is set up in the back of the Wooden
Waves Skate Park building. The park is amazing. It's got a super nice wooden bowl
with a hip and everything. OK back to the venue. It's got a rock star stage, with
a rock star sound system, and rock star lighting too. We couldn't help feeling
like rock stars, especially since there were about 400 screaming kids at the show.
We played better that night than any other night I can think of. Every thing about
that show ruled, we even got paid. What's more, I didn't have to hunt the promoter
down. He came up to me to settle up. That shit never happens! Chalk that up to
him being in a band, Anthrophobia, and knowing what a pain in the ass that shit
is. I hate the business side of music! I really do! After the show was over we
drove out to The Creep House (Creep Records) for a house warming party for Greg
Boil. House warming my ass! Those motha fuckers were just looking for an excuse
to get drunk! Ya can't fool me! Let me tell you-those guys can throw a party.
I didn't get to bed that night until 7am and everything that happened there is
staying between those who were there. Let's just say that everyone left with a
smile on their face! Yo! Arik! I had a great time. Can't wait 'til the next one!
-George Halflings February
7th, 03
DEAD CITY PSYCHOS
We haven't been making entries
in the Diary for a while so I think I'll just make a few to try and catch up.
Friday night was a blast! Another show at The Pontiac. We might as well be their
house band as much as we play at that place. Ha! I love that place. It'd be nice
if we got paid, but I guess this is what you call paying your dues! If you don't
know who the Dead City Psychos are, you are missing out! They are phenomenal!
One of my personal favorite Philly punk bands. Think KISS meets the MISFITS! This
was our first time actually playing together, which seams kinda weird since we're
all such good friends. (I used to play with Eric, their lead singer in The Strychnine
Babies back in the day.) All the other bands were good too, I just was really
excited to play with DCP. After the show Matt and I went to a party and got drunk.
Ho-Hum! -George Halflings December
8th, 02
HALFLINGS
REUNITED
Another trip to Columbus under our belts. This trip was
of particular importance to me because that show was the first time I had played
in front of Matt Drastic (Teen Idols) & Donnie Switchblade (The Rumblers) since
they both quit my old band, The Halflings, over 6 years ago. I actually had butterflies
before we played. I haven't had butterflies since I was a kid! Since the demise
of that band, I have pretty much been spinning my musical wheels while I've watched
them both become very successful with their music. I'm not even embarrassed to
admit that I've been envious of them. You bet your ass I wish I was where they
are. Imagine being in band from the time you were 14 and then all of a sudden
your only creative outlet is taken away. Trust me-you go a little nuts! Now that
I have that outlet back I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I
never lose it again! I'm pretty secure with who I am and don't think I have to
prove myself to anyone, but if there were someone, it would have to be Matt &
Don. Getting compliments from them meant more to me than any others The Bedrockers
have gotten. -GH P.S.
It was kinda flattering hearing kids requesting a Halflings reunion. I'm not against
it, but I wouldn't count on it anytime soon. I doubt they even remember the songs.
Donnie
Switchblade, George Halflings, & Matt Drastic - Berkeley Square, 1995
(Photographer
Unknown)
November
16, 02
ROCKNROLL
WEEKEND!
Friday morning, after playing a fun show at the Balcony
the night before, I was contacted by The Pontiac asking us if we wanted to play
a show the next day. Talk about giving us notice. The
line up was one of the best in town bills we've every played. It was the first
time we finely got to play with our friends Dead Empty. The Tracks also played.
Their guitarist told me that night would be the last for their singer and that
he would be taking over on vocals. I think it will be a change for the best. The
band I want to focus on is the headliner, Channel 3. Going into the show, I really
had no idea who they were or what they sounded like. I knew I'd heard of them
before and I knew they were pretty big, judging by the buzz around the city. Before
they played their merch guy gave me the last CH3 button they had, which I promptly
placed in my jacket pocket. When they took the stage they let it all fly. They
managed to play at break neck speed while actually playing well, something I rarely
see or hear. After they show when we were talking with them we realized these
are truly some pretty descent guys, but didn't realize just how amazing they were
until after being stiffed on some money from the door, they handed each of the
opening bands $60. They refused to take it back after every attempt we made. We
finely stopped trying when Mike, the singer said that if we didn't take it he
would burn it on the front steps of the club! I can't speak highly enough about
that band's character. A touring band from the complete opposite side of the country
who after just getting screwed out what they were promised, took out of what they
did get and gave to those who did not get anything! Wow! If all the world had
the same ideals as Channel 3 there would certainly be less problems. When we got
in the van to go home, I pulled that CH3 button out of my pocket and stuck it
on the lapel of my jacket where it will stay. I
respect you guys very much and as our licensee plates say "You (will always) Have
a Friend in Pennsylvania." -GH November
10th, 02
SKATEPARK SHOW!
Last night we played at the
X-Games Skatepark in The Franklin Mills mall. The thought of playing at a mall
conjured memories of New Kids on the Block, back in '87. (for all you youngsters,
think N'sync or Backstreet Boys) I remember accidentally going to the King of
Prussia mall on the day that NKOTB had been scheduled to perform. The sound screaming
girls was enough to send the deafest of senior citizens to the infirmary for brain
damage. Though I knew we would not be playing on the same stage that children
go to sit on Santa's knee, and that the mall wouldn't be completely packed to
capacity, my mind couldn't help wandering back to that dreadful day. The stage
was set up on the deck of the six foot quarter pipe overlooking the entire park.
I was hoping that the skaters would be able to grind the coping on the edge of
the "stage" but due to insurance liabilities the entire side of the park was roped
off. That and the struggle of hoisting our equipment up the steep transition of
the ramp aside, the night was one of much enjoyment. Needless to say that I was
on my skateboard, but what was unexpected is that Ed was actually skating too.
I don't think he's been on a skateboard since he was in middle school. It was
nice to bond with my brother on a different level other that the band for a change.
I support the X-Games Skatepark for promoting all age punk shows. Hip Hop has
become had far to big an influence on modern skateboarding and I'm happy to see
punk rock working it's way back into the mix. I wish them continued success. Last
but not least, I want to apologize to The Young Werewolves for spelling their
name wrong on the flyer and thank them and Brom Bones for sharing the stage with
us. I look forward to playing with you both again. -GH August
30th, 02
COLUMBUS OHIO
What a fucking show! First time
we saw the Jeffs with John Slak and it was great. Kinda like the band Slak with
different musicians. 'Hello Ethan' opened with a great set and '48 in the Basement'
kicked ass. After them, we played every song we knew, broke 1 bass and 2 guitar
strings, were covered in sweat and beer, drank 2 30 packs at the after party and
woke up feeling like shit. All in all it was a great weekend.
-GH August
12th, 02
CD
PRE-RELEASE PARTY!
We're
gearing up for another trip to Columbus, Ohio, for a show at Bernie's. This will
be our unofficial CDEP 'Pre-Release' party with our friends The Jeffs, 48 in the
Basement, and Hello Ethan. It goes without saying, this show will kick some fuckin'
ass. A
shame to anyone who missed the Aug 7th show at the Fire. Resident Weirdo were
unbelievable. Great rock'n roll from FL. Baleen were... interesting.
-GH June
10th, 02
PHOENIXVILLE PA
We just
played at the Pheonixville YMCA with Neutrinos, Daytime Prowlers, Cougars,
Ruin 59, and The Big Crap Scare. All the bands played awesome and we had a great
time. None of my equipment was working for some reason, though, and my brother
bashed his head with his guitar, but it still kicked ass.
-GH
6-10-02
Punk Rock Prom - Phoenixville YMCA
(Photo by Bill from The
Neutrinos)
May
27th, 02
SKINHEAD BBQ!
The party
at Sab's was fuckin' killer. First time I saw Bad Luck 13 and it was crazy. They
say it was more bloody last year and someone almost died, but it was still cool.
Breakin chairs and lights and bats over peoples heads. My
kid brother, Paul, was at this show. He just started going to shows recently and
didn't really know what to expect. Imagine his surprise when he and the entire
audience were doused in gasoline. Now, imagine his terror when Bad Luck 13
Riot Extravaganza started shooting firecrackers into the flamable crowd! It's
all fun & games 'til someone loses an eye-no one is blind so I guess we all
had a fun time! -GH May
22nd, 02
BAND
UPDATE!
What's
going on? We've just added about 7 shows. Check out the list on our shows page.
We've changed our minds and decided to release the songs. We're mastering the
recordings and are throwing in a bonus track we've been wanting to release. We're
now working on the cover art and so far it's looking good. Can't wait for the
party/show this weekend. Peace out, yo!
-GH May
2nd, 02
RECORDING
FINISHED!
This
weekend, May 5th, we're finishing up recording 4 songs: Breakdown, Jailbait, Code
Blue, and (Fuck Up) The Metermaid.
-GH April
3rd, 02
BEDROCKERS HEAD IN TO STUDIO!
We're
gearing up to go into the studio on April 19,20, and 21 to record some songs.
-GH
March
28th, 02
MARCH MADNESS!
Well,
March has been a great month. We played three kick ass all ages shows and wrote
some new songs. From your feedback at the shows, it seems you like them. Hell,
who needs mics when the audience drowns you out on the chorus to 'Fuck up the
Metermaid'?!
-GH Thursday,
February 28th, 02
BEDROCKERS
ON THE RADIO!
We
played a live set on Pat Duncan's radio show on WFMU. They've recorded and archived
it in streaming RealAudio format for you to listen to if you missed it. Click
here to check it out. It's
a recording of the entire show, we start at 00:47:45
-GH
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