Author Archives: Salvi C.

by Salvi C. | August 5, 2010 · 10:20 am

August 5, 1977: On the Road Again

On August 5, 1977, the Dictators opened for Bob Seger at the Merriwether Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. To hear band members talk about it, the 1977 opening slots were nothing but horrible experiences. No one was ever there to see them, and they were basically just a 30-minute cock-block. Not to explode a myth, but this show stands as evidence to the contrary. Sure, the sound quality is horrible, but the band is totally smoking, obviously having a fine old time for themselves, and the show is enjoyably flavored by the disgruntled comments of the startled patrons who were being pinned to the back wall by the extremely loud Dictators. It’s lots of fun, and one of my favorite bootleg shows.

The set list:

1.        Science Gone Too Far
2.        The Next Big Thing
3.        Young, Fast, and Scientific
4.        Disease
5.        Two Tub Man

Bob Seger, Handsome Dick Manitoba

— Salvi C.

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Filed under Dictators Assembled, Live, Live Review, The Cincotta Archives

by Salvi C. | July 31, 2010 · 1:00 am

One of the Top 5 45s of All Time

Let’s face facts: 45s are practically antiques, artifacts from another era. My nieces were in my apartment last week, and upon seeing a stack of singles, asked, “What are THOSE?” It’s a shame that the youth of today is missing out on the single greatest format for recorded music ever. The best song goes on the “A” side, the throwaway on the “B.” No fat, no filler. The format is all but dead now, reserved only for major-label vanity pressings, and otherwise kept alive by fans that double as indie label owners.

On this day in 1997, the Dictators recorded what not only might rank as their best track, but what might also stand as the last desert island tune to ever see release as a 45.

Since you asked, my top 5 45s ever would be, in no particular order:

1.        She Loves You
2.        Surfin’ Bird
3.        Rockaway Beach
4.        Glad All Over
5.        Who Will Save Rock and Roll?

It’s still available from Norton Records (www.nortonrecords.com), in case you’ve worn your copy out. But if you bought 5 copies like I did, the go dust off your turntable, set the volume on stun, and spin it a dozen times in a row. It’s the American thing to do.

— Salvi C.

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by Salvi C. | July 28, 2010 · 1:40 pm

We Waxed Our Bikini Zones for THIS??

July 28, 1990. In what has to have been one of the more bizarre bookings they ever played, Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom was the special musical guest at the 1990 United States Lifesaving Association’s National Lifeguard Championship in, or, more accurately, ON, Pompano Beach in FLA. Yes, there really is such a thing, and no, points are not added if you look like David Hasselhoff.

Someplace between the Junior Lifeguard Treasure Hunt, the Women’s Run-Swim-Run, (again, there really is such a thing) and the Senior Men’s Tournament, in which we presume the victims were instructed to drown very, very slowly, the band unleashed their brand of mayhem on the estimated 15,000 spectators and sun worshippers in attendance.

“The Party Starts Now” was getting heavy airplay all over Florida, and the boys were riding the unfamiliar wave of commercial popularity with a seven-gig tour of the state. Well, it turned out that the majesty of their rock was too much for the crowd to handle, as security had to shut the show down after only seven songs because they thought the over-enthusiastic crowd was on the verge of a musical riot. The band was all revved up, but at least they had someplace to go, as they played a second gig later that same day in Ft. Lauderdale.

— Salvi C.

Everybody Needs a Home

Homer has Moe’s. Arnold Ziffle had Hooterville. Peter Griffin has the Drunken Clam. Every boy, girl, woman, man and child needs a home, some place where they can let it all hang out, be themselves, and find themselves.

The Dictators had CBGBs. Love it or lump it, that hallowed dump was theirs. Between benefits, farewell shows, Joey’s birthdays, BBC broadcasts, DVD recordings and more farewell shows, they must have played there 75 times over the years. The very first time took place on this day in 1976, when they set the Monday attendance record at the club.

The show got off with a literal bang, as they blew the electricity in the middle of the first song! Manitoba said it all with “It’s just a simple fact of life — no place in the world can supply enough power for us!”

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Filed under Dictators Assembled, Live, Live Review, The Cincotta Archives

by Salvi C. | July 17, 2010 · 1:21 am

July 17, 1990: The Day the Party Started!!

Photo courtesy of Paul DiTomasso

On this date in 1990, Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom played their first gig in support of the then-freshly released “And You?” lp, opening for L.A. Guns at the Flagstaff Mountain Resort in Jim Thorpe, PA.

To quote J.P.: “It was a SHED.”

This excerpt is from a review of the show from BITD, written by George Smith for The Morning Call in Allentown, PA.

“Before the show, scary-looking “Handsome” Dick Manitoba of Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom hobnobbed with media types in the resort’s courtyard as teens peered enviously over a fence made of stacked chairs. Once his band hit the stage for a bumpy but satisfying 45-minute opening set, the singer’s personality unfolded on songs like “The Party Starts Now” and “Science Gone Too Far.”

“Can you be louder than me?” He asked the fans at one point.

“Rouarrghhh!” screamed a handful.

“Puny!!” laughed Manitoba.

Footnote: George Smith, under his non de plume of Dick Destiny, actually was a member of the Dictators briefly in 1976.

— Salvi C.

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Filed under Live, Live Review, MWK

by Salvi C. | July 13, 2010 · 1:00 am

Happy Birthday to Mark the Animal!!

33 years later, and he’s still scary:

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Happy Fourth of July!

All provincialism aside, has there ever been a more qualified band to play the 4th of July parade in NYC than the Dictators? What other band is so deeply proud of being from here in the USA? While you ponder that question, grab some pizza, some ice cold Coke, blast “I Stand Tall,” and enjoy your 4th of July celebration.

— Salvi C.

What a Drag It Is!

On this day in 1976, the Dictators played a short set at the 82 Club, a down-on-its-heels drag bar on 4^th St. between 2^nd Ave. and the Bowery. Glam and punk bands bumped elbows, and hopefully nothing else, on the club’s stage while the show “girls” danced in front of the band. Video footage from this gig sadly does not exist, but if it did, I think it would be more popular than a clip of Jesus Christ on roller skates.