"I appreciate the irony of the DIY site punkcast being taken down by arguably the originator of punk style using entirely establishment means." - Joly MacFie

"Sorry to say the punkcast YouTube account is currently suspended.

As you may know it contains around 700 clips, mainly of the NYC music scene, but also of local internet related events including public hearings of the NYC Council's Committee on Technology in Government. It has had approaching 3 million views.

YouTube has a policy of suspending accounts of repeat copyright offenders and I just got my 3rd strike.

Almost laughably it was a DMCA takedown from Richard Hell over some footage I shot of him talking about his next record at a book signing a couple of weeks back. I plonked a mic in front of him and told him I was shooting for webcast, The clip was of conversation as I waited for him to start reading. He didn't say anything in particular beyond what went out in his recent press release about the record i.e. it's redubbed version of an old record that he wasn't happy with. I posted it with a link to his pr. Thought I was being helpful. I'd earlier posted a similar clip of him reading from his new book, and his co-author even posted it on his blog.

I've filed a counter-notice and, if and when the account get's re-instated I'll remove the clip..." [Joly MacFie of Punkcast.com]

Joly may not even realize (well he will after reading this) that the clip (or one of the related ones) was even posted on Richard Hell's official site...well IT WAS until this morning when it was removed. It is of course possible that Richard himself didn't do this, but someone at his label, publisher, etc... A peak at his Wiki page reveals associations with "Sire, Warner Bros., Red Star, Matador, and Rhino".

The record that Richard describes in the disputed video is his remake of 1982's Destiny Street ("originally released in 1982 on Red Star Records, and was reissued in 1995 by Razor & Tie"). The album, Destiny Street Repaired (which is public knowledge), will feature new vocal tracks and music that includes guitar work from Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and founding Voidoid member Ivan Julian. The record will come out on September 1st through Insound (the online store that is also the label in this case).

The rest of the note from Punkcast, (UPDATE: ) AND a letter Richard Hell wrote to Joly in response, below...

Continue reading "Punkcast YouTube account suspended by Richard Hell (who is releasing "Destiny Street Repaired" on Insound)"

Bowery Poetry Club, Sep 7 2008

As part of the 2008 Howl Festival in NYC's East Village, a panel discussion on the topic 'Unrest in the 70s - US vs UK' at Bowery Poetry Club, directly opposite the old CBGB premises, brought together a number of punk veterans from both sides of the pond.

Panelists:
Richard Lloyd (Television)
Ari Up (Slits)
Cynthia Sley (Bush Tetras)
Judy Nylon (Snatch)
Walter Lure (Heartbreakers)
Arturo Vega (Ramones)
Steve Garvey (Buzzcocks)
Moderator: Mary Harron

Punkcast taped the entertaining (especially Ari Up) panel - all 60 minutes of it, and uploaded it to YouTube. Check it out below....

Continue reading "Howl Festival Punk Panel 2008 (60 minute Punkcast video)"

Last night (september 19, 2006) after the early Emily Haines show I ran over to Stereo (formerly Coral Room) to catch Flipper at the "American Hardcore" movie premiere party. I wasn't sure what type of crowd to expect, so was happy to see a line outside that looked a lot like the one outside Gorilla Biscuits' recent CBGB show. Flipper were amazing, and I'm so happy to have caught them after missing all the other shows they played over the last year. Their age, enthusiasm, and heart-pounding songs reminded me of seeing Gang of Four.

I didn't actually see the "American Hardcore" movie, but someone told me there's a scene where Flipper's Bruce Loose denies Moby's involvement with the band. That's humorously followed by a clip of Moby claiming to have played with Flipper. So after seeing Moby at the bar earlier, it was no surprise that he would be the special guest joining Flipper on stage during their approximately 30-minute set (what else is new).

Joly wrote in the comments:

At the afterparty, sponsored by Vans and Dos Equis, there was no free champers, but there was free beer. Flipper played and were joined by Moby (!) on bass for Sex Bomb. He wouldn't stop playing and had to be thrown off stage by the band so they could get on with the next song.

Steve Buscemi was there with his Brooklyn musician son Lucian and Lucian's two friends. Though standing pretty close to Steve in the mostly-non-existent pit, I wouldn't have left the show with an actual picture of him, so thanks Bruce Loose for jumping into the crowd and creating the perfect opportunity.

After the show Bruce went on a rant about our rights, and not being able to smoke inside. Someone yelled out something about hippies that Bruce mistook for someone calling HIM a hippie. Ends up the yeller was none-other than Brooklyn Ski Club Matt.

Continue reading "Flipper, Moby & Steve Buscemi @ Stereo, NYC | pics"

Joly 'Punkcast' MacFie (in a Communion T-Shirt) tapes Akron/Family Saturday night (January 14, 2006) @ Knitting Factory in NYC. Check out the (old) article about him in the Village Voice.