Life, Death and Dennis Hopper by The Waterboys -Out now !!!

 Finally ! On April 4, the most expected album (in any sense, and for me in special) by Mike Scott's The Waterboys is out. I announced here on Jan. 8 2025.

What a Treat !!! 25 songs (you can find 'em all on Youtube here, spotify and other patforms), featuring an array of guests, from Steve Earle to Bruce Springsteen and Fiona Apple. 

Vignetes about Golf (Hooper's latter passion), The Last Movie (his doomed film), Andy (Warhol), Michelle (Phillips), Frank Booth (from Blue Velvet), Terry Southern (who wrote Easy Rider), etc. Including a fake trailer for a biker movie, "Freaks on Wheels", a la Tarantino's latest films. 

Post-modern, cool, eclectic, funky, groovy, mad -as Sir Dennis was ;) A wonderful heartfelt tribute, about the times and of Wild Pop Americana and one of True Legends of the Movieland (und more). 

Reviews here:

MOJO -4 stars

Uncut -4 stars

Under The Radar  -75 %

Rolling Stone 

Metacritics -78 %

**** 1/2 out of FIVE. 

Life, Death and Dennis Hopper Track List 

(where there are links you find the videos). 

1. Kansas (featuring Steve Earle)

2. Hollywood’55

3. Live In The Moment, Baby

4. Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights

5. Andy (A Guy Like You)

6. The Tourist (featuring Barny Fletcher)

7. Freaks On Wheels

8. Blues For Terry Southern

9. Memories Of Monterey

10. Riding Down To Mardi Gras

11. Hopper’s On Top (Genius)

12. Transcendental Peruvian Blues

13. Michelle (Always Stay)

14. Freakout At The Mud Palace

15. Daria

16. Ten Years Gone (featuring Bruce Springsteen)

17. Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend (featuring Fiona Apple)

18. Rock Bottom

19. I Don’t Know How I Made It (featuring Taylor Goldsmith)

20. Frank (Let’s Fu*k)

21. Katherine (featuring Anana Kaye)

22. Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper

23. Golf, They Say

24. Venice, California (Victoria)/The Passing Of Hopper

25. Aftermath

 

RIP Val Kilmer

First time I saw him in Top Secret back in the early 80's video days (& nights).

My favorite Val Kilmer part is in Mann's masterpeice of American Noir- Heat

with a soft spot for Mamet's Spartan.

He was blamed for the catastrophe that was Island of Dr. Moreau, with a mad Marlon Brando and a Mini me. Richard Stanley is over that one, John Frankenheimer is gone, like Marlon and Val now.

Val was cool in Ron Howard's Willow (sword & sorcery way before LOTR & epigons la GOT).

He was Iceman, "the wingman" in Tony Scott's seminal Top Gun. Also his last part on screen was in Top Gun 2, a cameo where he became Admiral Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.

He was a beautiful crazed Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors

Val did a Batman (Forever)

A Simon Templar-The Saint (in Moscow)

Doc Holiday (in Tombstone).

-also Kill Me Again & Thunderheart (thx, Andrei ;)

A great comeback film, with Robert Downey jr. was Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, that me and Andrei saw in the world premiere in Cannes in 2005. And we loved it !!!

and a great parodic part in McGruber (2010) as the evil baddie ;) Cunth. 

Long suffering from throat cancer he made a comeback in the headlights with the intense documentary VAL (2021) , in the official Selection in Cannes Film Festival. He died, age 65, on April 1st 2025.

RIP Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain for me was Edmond Dantes, Aramis, Jason Bourne, the Shogun and my faved, Allan Quatermain. Twose two cheesy movies from the late '80's, featuring young Sharon Stone and James Earl Jones, Herbert Lom and Henry Silva. B movie Heaven & Royalty. Unfortunately the second Quatermain flick was such a flop they never completed a Trilogy :). 

The character, an Indiana Jones adventurer, but more Camp, was based on the  H. Rider Haggard character from his Pulp novels. Ironically, Indy was inspired originally also by Alan Quatermain. The character was resurrected for Sean Connery in the malignant The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/LXG (2003), which convinced Sir Sean to retire from acting...

Richard Chamberlain was more one of my mother's favorites, than mine. She watched the Thorn Birds on the video dayz (& Nites;) 

He died March 29th 2025 at 90 years of age. RIP...

Jose Ramirez@Transilvania Blues Nights -28.03.2025

Jose Ramirez - 28 martie 2025, Rockstadt, Brasov, ora 20.00

Pentru prima oară în România și la Brașov, ”Bad Hombre”, Jose Ramirez vine la clubul Rockstadt din Brașov pentru un concert unic, vineri 28 martie 2025, la ora 20.00!

https://www.facebook.com/events/492695487183106/

Jose Ramirez este considerat artistul latin Blues #1 din lume, nominalizat la Blues Music Award în 2021 și 2023, locul 2 la International Blues Challenge organizate de The Blues Foundation în Memphis, Tennessee. Născut în Costa Rica, Jose a fost pasionat de stilul Chicago West Side Blues. A cântat alături de Keb' Mo', Ronnie Baker Brooks, Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Jimmy Johnson și Anson Funderburgh. Muzica sa este diferită de blues-ul tradițional, are influențe latine, Soul și Rhythm‘n Blues. Este primul artist latino-american care a semnat un contract cu faimoasa casă de discuri de jazz și blues din Chicago, Delmark Records, în 2022, cu albumul “Major League Blues”, apoi cu label-ul Blue Crawlfish, pentru al treilea album al său, “Bad Hombre Live”, care a ieșit alături de un film documentar omonim despre ascensiunea sa ca artist. Deja în “Major League Blues”, Jose Ramirez ”Bad Hombre” și trupa sa, vin acum la Transilvania Blues Nights !!!

https://joseramirezmusic.com

"Jose Ramirez is such a tasty guitarist, it's so refreshing " - Shemekia Copeland

" Be Warned, this cat is like Gasoline & Matches: EXPLOSIVE ! "-Jack Sullivan - Blues Music Magazine

" The most Soulful and Heartfelt Blues since Robert Cray burst onto the scene all those years ago" - Stephen Foster BBC

https://rockstadt.ro/event/jose-ramirez-transilvania-blues-nights-at-rockstadt-28-martie/

Preț bilete: 100 de lei în pre-sale pe rockstadt.ro, 130 de lei in ziua concertului.  Un eveniment marca Transilvania Blues Nights recomandat de Rock FM și Zile și Nopți.

Sponsori: BCR, Butan Gaz, Dräxlmaier Group, Tehnic Mihor, BitDatamining, Brasov Old Town Apartments.

Parteneri culinari: A-Ha Bistro, Coliba Haiducilor

here's Jose's wayfer for this gig: