I ain't one much for them Yahoo music group chat things but sometimes I am amazed by what floats to the surface. For instance, a site dedicated to Bum-Kon? I thought that was pretty cool! And the fella what moderate's it seems to have his head far enough away from his ass that it ain't a bunch've gratuitous dick-swinging. But hey, we're talking about Bum-Kon for fuck sake! Any interest in 2006 would be cause for celebration in my book (if I was them). And that's what I liked about the one post that I've swiped here for y'all to peruse. This Blaine fella don't seem like the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but he has connected some dots to Hank IV & one of'em leads back to the Colorado scene of yore & lo & behold, directly to the heart of the Centennial State's most prolific hardcore band. You can run, but you can't hide! Take it away, Blaine-
Bum-Kon Singer On The Loose Again. Hank IV=Killer Because Of It.
Yeah, hey everybody, Blaine Boyington checkin in (aka Blayne Binary back in the day. Shout out to Crutches: dude, them smokes at that Happy World/JFA show in '84 saved my life. Thanks bro). It's been a while since anybody's posted on the Bum-Kon site, like over a year now. I guess there hasn't been much activity or nothin. Can't say I know what anybody's up to these days. Personally things have been rough; I just got back into town after servin a stint in Alameda County Prison for passin bad checks. I didn't think anybody gave a shit about that stuff these days but the judge said it was the same as identity theft so away I went. And since I didn't have no fixed address, they figured I was trouble. Does anybody out there remember when Marty of Rok-Tots said the same shit to me back in '83? Man I should listened to him but I was young & stupid! Prison is a bummer dudes & that's straight up. My advice-don't get caught. The dudes inside are for real & give a whole nother meaning to the name bum-con. My punk ass didn't have a chance. But I tried to see my time philosophically. The things I was forced to do, I looked at them as "personal favors". I sure as hell didn't wanna do any of it, but my "friends" "insisted" & so I "helped". A lot of times I would shut my eyes & recite the lyrics to 'The Draft' or 'Slow Death' (as I interpreted them) in my head. It was brutal. But every cloud has a silver lining. I was "sold" to this nice enough, slightly older dude who helped me get my shit together to get out. He was getting sprung soon & told me he had a place on Polk St. in SF where I could hang till I got back to Denver. Man, gettin outta there, I felt like the dude in 'Midnight Express'. It was unreal. I wasn't sure I'd ever have freedom again. My "friend" ( I was told to refer to him as "Johnny") set me up in this one room efficiency like he said he would & it was right down the street from this place called The Hemlock that did live music. I was stoked. One night we went & saw this local band Hank IV. Very tight, very good, & the singer looked so familiar. I mean, not instantly recognizable, more like in a John Walsh, computer enhanced, here's-what-they-look-like-now kinda thing he does on 'America's Most Wanted'. It was Bob McDonald from Bum-Kon! Only the greatest singer outta 'Rado since Jello Biafra. And whoa, check out his moves; part Sally Can't Dance era live Lou Reed herk, part 'She Lost Control' era Ian Curtis jerk, part Jack LaLanne dedication, part Robbie Robot spazz arms from 'Lost In Space', part Robert Shields in sweat-face. Awesome! The rest of the band was killin too, the twin guitars were like the sonic attack of Bailey/Kuepper from prime era Saints, the bassist was throwin down solid & the geezerly dude on drums looked like he was wound pretty tight too. His arms & feet couldn't stop! It was great. Afterwards I was building my courage up to talk to Bob & in my mind I wanted to thank him for all the great Bum-Kon records, shows & parties, but I could see he had no idea who I was & besides, it seemed like those days were long behind him. And who could fault him for that? I know we're all solid fans & I wanna say their records will always have a special place in my heart & while those days are over, at least Bob McDonald is still rockin! Dudes, Hank IV need the Bum-Kon support hookup! It's not hardcore, not like we remember it, but it's snazz all the way. As they willingly acknowledge, their drama is definitely ripped from plot lines akin to Country Teasers or Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments & yeah, if this was the ass end of 1986 all over, I could see these guys w/a release on Homestead. "Johnny" bought a copy the lp which featured a cd version inside that I played the entire busride back Rocky Mountain way. Like I said it's no Bum-Kon but nothing is or ever will be again. Those were special days bros. Bob McDonald helped make them happen then, he's making them happen again. Go to the Hank IV Myspace page & check out the slurred, smelted, panic assault of 'Hole In My Eye' & tell me you miss Frantix. But hey, the whole of 'Third Person Shooter' rumbles and rakes with such a grizzled nuance that I might just be movin back SF way to see if they want a roadie or cocktail manager. Or maybe Bob would need a personal servant or house boy. Did somebody just mention Heaven?
Contact Hank IV via; http://www.hankiv.com/
or www.myspace.com/thehankfour
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