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BLIND IDIOT GOD, WIDER, VINELAND
12/10/1994, CBGB, NY Vineland: Jon Fine, the genius who brought us the disposability that was Bitch Magnet, has paid his dues and is now a "vet". Sporting no less than five shirts during the evening (Gore! Don Caballero! Peers, all), Jon told many jokes and let us know that his mom had arrived to see him play. This is indie rock. Indie rock's insipid charm would like to reflect community spirit, but trying to get Juliana Hatfield to suck you off is only a community of two. David Lee Roth went crazy after losing his hair, but at least he didn't lie about his needs. Bob Bannister is also in this band, but he's quiet and probably full of self-loathing, which is twenty steps closer to punk rock than Jon Fine'll ever get. On the other hand, Bob didn't smash his guitar over Jon's head, so fuck him too. Wider: RIP James Lo, art-rock hero to the Kids. Who didn't want to be in Live Skull when they were growing up? Now the dream's over, dead, kaput. Hard living and debt have forced our Jimmy into Wider and now, god help us, Chavez. Next time I turn around he'll be selling dung patties in the street or drumming for Vineland. What you need to know about Wider is this: Wider have broken up. That's what you need to know about Wider. Blind Idiot God: They've got enough equipment to make me think they're being financed by the Trilateral Commission, the CIA and Option magazine, which is fine by me as long as they don't declare martial law and blow up my motherfuckin' house. Their dub would get them knifed in Jamaica, but it's their static whirl-o-matic rock that puts the swing in my dick. The bassist and drummer keep pushing the merry-go-round faster while the guitarist sits in the middle, eyes closed, using the centrifugal force to shoot his paint-thick riffs all around the yard. I think I saw a black helicopter take them away after the show. -J. Marlowe |