Tough Questions for Tough Jews: Ross The Boss Breaks His Silence

The hard-rocking Hailstorm is a year old now, there’s continual web chatter regarding a Dictators reunion, and Ross “the Boss” Friedman is heading to South America for a number of shows. Ever the gentleman, Ross took a few moments to answer the important questions that everyone has been asking:

Cliff: A guy walks into a house of ill repute and says, “I want a punk girl.” And the Madame says, “We only have metal chicks.” Is this a problem?

Ross: House of ill repute? Never been to one! Hahaha! To me there’s only two types of music. What are they? Good and bad. To me, good is good, so there would be no difference in my mind. Besides, when the lights go out, who cares?

Cliff: Have you played South America before?

Ross: We played in Venezuela last summer in a baseball stadium.

Cliff: What are you listening to when you’re not playing music?

Ross: I tend to listen to my old favorites—classical, blues, old-school metal, punk and real country.

Cliff: With you on lead guitar, assemble the perfect band, dead or alive.

Ross: Great question. Hmmm… Geezer Butler on bass, John Bonham on drums, Jim Morrison doing lead vocals, and Jerry Lee Lewis on keyboards.

Cliff: And now the million-dollar question--You played with Andy Shernoff in May at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash. What’s it going to take to get the rest of the Beatles back together?

Ross: Sad to say, the Dictators as we know them won’t play in the very near future. But the new band “Manitoba” will make its debut at The Don Hill Benefit at Irving Plaza on December 15.

Cliff: And what a show that will be. Salute!

Got Meth?

A photo from the recent Aardwolf Publishing party. That's Peppi Marchello (The Good Rats) in the middle, and Richard Manitoba (aka Handsome Dick of The Dictators) on the right.

Murder Inc.

"Big" Peppi Marchello, Hank "The Chin" Magitz, "Fatty" Eric Austin, "Gentleman" Gene Colan, Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba

photo by: Jim "Don't Mention My Name on the Internet" Reeber

New Meth

The new book is in. If you haven't ordered it yet, visit Aardwolf Publishing.

The book's unveiling (unleashing? uncaging?) will occur "officially" at Manitoba's Bar in NY City. You don't want to miss this party. Stay tuned for details.

Mike Henderson: Art Worth Owning

The extraordinary young artist Mike Henderson has just finished 150 unique sketched-on bookplates for the new Hank Magitz book, which he also illustrated (and ya'll know how much I dig mean old Magitz). The book's introduction is by Dictators' frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba and the cover is by Kelly Freas. What're you waiting for?!

Be a smart cookie: Don't just get this book because I tell you it's a great read--get a sketched-on bookplate before young Mike becomes a household word and you're forced to pay ten-times what they're going for now to some bottom feeder on Ebay. I was getting sketches from Jim Steranko and John Romita Sr. and Gene Colan 30 years ago. Know what they're worth now?

Speaking of Colan, here's the master weighing in on young Henderson: "Mike has caught my imagination. There's a drama there that is compelling. His linework is economical and sharp yet one sees all the curves. There's magic in that!"

Order here.

Kelly Freas Covers Meth

My new book is finally being solicited. And it features a cover by the sensational Kelly Freas art by Mike Henderson, a foreword by Bob Duggan, an introduction by punk-rock legend Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba and an afterword by the brilliant Avram Davidson. And Aardwolf Publishing is offering it with a money-back-if-not-delighted guarantee. How's that for confidence?

Order it here.

Still Handsome After All These Years

Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators (and late of the MC5) will be writing the introduction to THE WHOREHOUSE MADRIGALS. I am choked with delight. The book, from Aardwolf Publishing, will feature a cover by award-winning fantasy painter Kelly Freas. It is scheduled for February 2010.

I will have a handful of lettered copies, signed by Dick, artist Mike Handerson and myself. Want one?

Handsome Dick gets Snaked

After many late nights rethinking, reworking, and rewriting the SNAKED treatment, I'm finally sending the dark little stepchild to Richard Saperstein for further taming. No more second guessing for Mistuh Meth--I have other eggs that need hatching...

While it's the director's call, I've suggested certain songs-sequence tie-ins, including the credit roll, that I believe are ideal; one is the brilliant "In the presence of a new god" by The Dictators. I phoned Handsome Dick Manitoba (pictured with the other 'Tators) to give him a heads up and we ended up talking about Iron Man and Steve Ditko. If you haven't heard this band in a while, my droogs, you owe it to your ears.