Category Archives: Ross the Boss

by | January 16, 2010 · 12:04 am

‘Tators Tracker: Mid-January Roll Call Edition

Roll callDictators roll call!

In random order, and with info courtesy of our friends over at TheDictators.com, here’s who’s been doing what and where and when:

Thunderbolt Patterson

Handsome Dick Manitoba

  • Performing two songs at the Continental in NYC on Sunday night (midnight with CJ Ramone and Daniel Rey, 12:30 a.m. with Cheetah Chrome)
  • Interviewing Cheetah Chrome for his radio program
  • Wrote the introduction to Clifford Meth’s Whorehouse Madrigals, available now for preorder
  • Massachusetts teens record tribute tune
  • Caught by the New York Times catching the Care Bears on Fire with his son, Jake

Andy Shernoff

Scott Kempner

Ross the Boss

— DFFD123

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by | January 5, 2010 · 12:10 am

YouTube Tuesday: “Dude . . . Put Some Pants On”

What an enchanting way to kick off a new year and new decade: Sit back, crank up the speakers and behold the Dics and their afros performing “Search and Destroy” in a clip that hasn’t lost a lick of its kinetic charm in the nearly 33 years since it was filmed. Manitoba takes the mic like he was fired from a rocket, Ross stares his singer down for an unsettlingly long time, Mark the Animal rocks ferociously, Ritchie Teeter punishes his drum kit, Andy hides in the background like a hired hand, and the otherwise cool-looking Top Ten, he wears short shorts.

This video of the performance is a bit better synced than most we’ve found, which ups the enjoyment factor considerably. Also adding to the fun: the 250 comments on this poorly synced version of the video. Look out, honey, they’re using technology! I’ll save you some serious scrolling by reproducing my faves — complete with original spelling and punctuation, for the authentic experience — starting with the uploader’s intro:

Continue reading →

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by | January 3, 2010 · 12:50 am

All Hail Today’s Birthday Boy!

Ross

The DFFD Blog wishes Ross the Boss a very happy birthday today (Jan. 3)!

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by | December 17, 2009 · 1:02 am

Fingers and Steel, Baby! Our Picks for the Top 10 Ross the Boss Solos

Ross at CBGB

CBGB, New York City, Dec. 5, 2003

We here at DFFD are used to doing impossible things every day. Yesterday, we made a dodo egg omelet for breakfast. Today, we attempt something even more ridiculous: We’re rating the top 10 Ross the Boss solos. What’s that you say? “Outrageous!! It can’t be done!! It’s like going to the Louvre, and declaring this Da Vinci is way better than that Da Vinci over there!’” Well, pooh-pooh and hubba hubba, we laugh at your concerns, bwahaha. We’re doing it anyway.

Ground rules:

1. Dictators + MWK material only. The “best solos in Manowar” post will have to wait for another writer on another day. Fans of Shakin’ Street, Heyday or the Spinatras will also have to wait for their time to shine.

2. Since no 2 RTB solos are ever the same, we’re restricting things to studio or live albums, otherwise we’ll be here all week. Maybe you have time to go through 100 bootleg versions of “Two Tub Man” to find the best one, but I sure don’t.

3. No technical jibber-jabber is allowed. It either rocks or it doesn’t rock.

Without any further ado, show us where you live, Ross:

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by | December 15, 2009 · 12:46 pm

‘Tators Tracker: Media Giants Edition

C’mon, let’s rock ‘n’ roll with the Dictators — four of whom hit the radio waves this week:

Wednesday (12/16), 2 p.m. ET: Thunderbolt Patterson joins host Lou Molinaro live on Indi101 FM in Hamilton, Ontario, and simulcast online at http://indifm.ca. Featuring cuts from Thunderbolt’s The LP Is Dead.

Thursday (12/17), 8-11 p.m. ET: Ross the Boss guests on the Internet-based show Metal Meltdown.

Archived from Sunday, 12/13: Andy talks wine and song on the Mr. Cutlets Show.

And, last but not least, for your daily entertainment:

Weekdays, 8 p.m-midnight ET: The Handsome Dick Manitoba Program, on Sirius Satellite Radio, Underground Garage, Channel 25.

For a look at radio host HDM at work, check out this video clip of him interviewing Iggy Pop — the only man we dare not mock for rocking mandals.

[Edited to add: Congrats on that Hall of Fame thing, Iggy!]

— DFFD123

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by | December 8, 2009 · 12:56 pm

YouTube Tuesday: “A Veritable Punk Rock Aria!”

For you this YouTube Tuesday: A masterful performance of “Master Race Rock,” recorded live at NYC’s late, lamented Coney Island High on Dec. 12, 1997. Thanks to Boulevard07 for having the foresight and gumption to upload it to YouTube and Twitter user @netmeg for proving that something with a lame name like Twitter can be used in cool ways.

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by | December 7, 2009 · 12:51 am

The Dictators Holiday Gift Guide 2009

Every Day Is Saturday cover Because the DFFD Blog exists to serve you, the Dictators fan — and because nothing says “yuletide cheer” quite like the music of the Dictators — we want to help you fill your stockings with the latest in ‘Tators entertainment this holiday season.

If you made your way here, and actually stayed, chances are that you already have all of the Dictators studio and live albums and, most likely, a choice vinyl single or eight.

But if you haven’t yet picked up their latest — the odds ‘n’ sods album Every Day Is Saturday, released in January 2008 — go ahead now. We’ll wait. (You can thank us later.)

Amazon.com (U.S.)holly
Amazon.co.uk
iTunes

Now get one for your mom. (She can thank us later, too.)

The Dictators may not be making music together of late (bad), but its individual members have at least been keeping busy creatively (very, very good). Which leaves us, the fans, with — at least! — five times the material to keep track of in the quest to complete our collections (good and bad). And, let’s face it, not all this stuff is available at your local Wal-Mart, so you can probably use a little direction.

Without further ado, we offer you the Dictators Holiday Gift Guide 2009:

Continue reading →

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by | December 6, 2009 · 2:45 pm

Ross Le Boss et Shakin’ Street: Zee Albums

Shakin' StreetIn 1979 and 1980, the period between the end of the Dictators’ original reign and the birth of Manowar, Ross the Boss did yeoman duty as the guitar god for the French band Shakin’ Street. It’s time to give them a fresh listen.

The logical starting point is their self-titled 1980 album on Columbia. Singer Fabienne’s English as a Second Language vocals don’t always work, and there are points where the material doesn’t keep up with the playing. But RTB is killer throughout, and there are high points tune-wise, with “Solid as a Rock,” “No Time To Lose,” “So Fine” and especially “Susie Wong.”  “Susie Wong” is easily the best thing here, a beautiful tune with a nicely structured arrangement that winds its way to RTB’s best bits on the LP, where he’s sympathetic and muscular all at once. It’s simply a great song, and one of the best non-Dics things he’s ever played on. The highs more than compensate for the lows here, and overall this is a pretty solid album. Continue reading →

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