Luke Haines

Luke Haines seems intent on becoming the new Julian Cope as one of the true great romantic Rock 'n' Roll literary mavericks. He's certainly hitting his stride. Here's a fascinating career overview interview where he describes his time in the late Eighties when being in a guitar band in the UK was a noble, creative, doomed enterprise as he paints it. Then onto the early Nineties when he set off with The Auteurs and he describes how his band along with Suede swam against the prevailing tide. He ends up outlining his vision on why he does what he does and how Rock and Roll has a duty to be brave, individualistic and non conformist. Also why Jim Morrison as the Lizard King was a truly wonderful thing. I'm with him there. Below this is a feature from The Quietus where his next project is outlined. New York in the 70s. Such a beautiful idea for the thousands like me still in thrall to that beautiful, romantic, poetic moment in space and time.

LISTEN: Luke Haines - Alan Vega Says
Laurie Tuffrey , March 11th, 2014 07:46

First play of track from new album NY In The 70s

 

 

'Luke Haines is set to follow up last year's Rock And Roll Animals with a new album, NY In The 70s, out on May 19 via Cherry Red. It's "a mythic re-imagining of the New York Rock n Roll scene 1972 - 1979", taking in nods to Lou Reed, William Burroughs and other staples of the period and marking the completion of a trilogy that takes in his previous record and 2011's 9½ Psychedelic Meditations On British Wrestling Of The 1970s And Early '80s. We've got a first play of album opener 'Alan Vega Says', which you can hear above, and while you're at it, read Haines' press release for the album, divided, of course, into three scenes, which bears republishing in whole:

Scene 1 – A Dorset Chalkhill, Britain 2014.
A gigantic mythical naked man awakens from thousand year kip. Chico, a messenger bird, is speaking in tongues and whispering a poem into the naked dude's chalky ear:
"Oh Little Johnny Jewel
He's so cool
He has no decision
He just trying to sell a vision"
Chico (something of a savant, bless) is reciting the lyrics to Television's seismic year zeroin classic 'Little Johnny Jewel'.
"He's just trying to sell a vision," repeats the messenger bird. With an ancient rumble, the naked dude stands up to reveal his true height of 180 ft.
"I am Cerne Abbus Giant, and Tom Verlaine is my main man," bellows the Chalk Giant. "I awaken from Dorset Hills as the seeker. The seeker of Mythic Muthafuckin' Rock n Roll. Show me the way to CBGBs in the 1970s Chico. We will bestride the Atlantic and I'll carry you on my fantastic 36 ft phallus. Climb aboard Chico."
"Oh my," says the bird.
 
Scene 2 – New York City. One year later
The Kaballistic order of OM AKA The Real Dead Boys, comprising of Alan Ginsberg, Jim Carroll, Stiv Baters, Johnny Thunders and Sid Vicious are holding an invocation, on 213 Park Avenue South. The chanting begins at 23.23pm:
Shalom Shalom - David Johanson
Shalom Shalom - John Genzale
Shalom Shalom - Jerry Nolan
Shalom Shalom - Killer Kane
Shalom Shalom - Max's Kansas City
Shalom Shalom - The Mercer Arts Centre
Shalom Shalom - Billy Murcia
Shalom Shalom - Syl Sylvain
On it goes until dawn, Shalom Shalom... Lou Reed... Shalom Shalom... Alan Vega...

Scene 3 – A press release from London, England. March 2014.
Luke Haines has made an album about the 70's Rock n Roll scene in New York City which is released on Cherry Red on Monday May 19 2014. A mythical re-imagining of a long gone age, by a man who hails from Surrey, southern UK. It is the third and final part of a psychedelic trilogy that began with 2011's 9½ Psychedelic Meditations On British Wrestling Of The 1970s And Early '80s. This one is for the real rock n roll animals.
Hail the Mythic
Hail the Muthafuckin'
Hail the Rock n Roll.'