When I was a lad we had a drawer in the kitchen we called the Junk Drawer; in it we placed scissors, string, Scotch tape, fuses, and various other items that had no other good permanent home. That's the idea here; this is where I put everything that someone might find interesting or useful that doesn't belong anywhere else on the site. Much of this is for amusement. Pretty much all of it, actually. This is something that has been perplexing me for over a decade. Back in the early '90s, two bands that couldn't be further musically from the Godfathers of Goth, were seen in videos wearing Bauhaus T-shirts. Here, Peter Cetera of Chicago wears a Bauhaus T-shirt, featuring the cover art of the "Bela Lugosi's Dead" 12" in Chicago's video for "You're The Inspiration." Why? I have no idea, but it's interesting to note that Cetera is the bass player in the band (although he's just standing around without an instrument here) and "Bela" has the most famous three-note bass line in modern musical history—precisely the kind of bass line Mr. Cetera presumably wouldn't play. Which is more weird--Peter Cetera or the New Kids on the Block? Here we see Jordan Knight (I think) wearing another "Bela Lugosi's Dead" T-shirt, this time one featuring the back cover art. This from the New Kids' "The Right Stuff" video. If you've ever said to yourself, "I really like Head of Femur, but I just wish I had a 3-D picture of Femur's drummer/keyboardist Ben Armstrong from about eight years ago," well, then today's your lucky day. Go find your 3-D glasses and click the image for a larger version. (Seriously, this is a genuine 3-D image. Sadly, I never took any more!) This clip (2MB, QuickTime format) from Argentina is for a fabric softener and takes a new look at the cute furry mascot category of laundry ads. It's very funny, and the more you watch it, the funnier it gets. Be sure to have your sound loud enough that you can hear Softy's cries of pain as he's loaded onto the stretcher. Next we have this hilarious MP3 of an actual radio spot that aired in a rural Texas market in the Fall of 2002 for Don's Liquor. I can't tell you any more than that; that's really all I know. But great gravy is it funny. Here's a picture I took in London while walking around the neighborhood near Abbey Road Studios. (Click for a larger version.) Here's another picture from the same neighborhood. 740 yards? That's got to be some kind of record! From time to time I think it's useful to consider how ridiculously sexist advertising used to be. Not that there isn't plenty of sexist advertising today, it's just not as funny as it used to be. Case in point: this cigarette ad from the 1970s, which features a man who has big plans for his wood. (Click the image for a larger version.) Shortly after Joey Ramone's death due to cancer, Duffy's Tavern hosted a Ramones tribute show to benefit the American Cancer Society. About six or seven groups performed, and I got together with the ex-members of Sideshow, Rich, Pawl, and Bernie to play 5 songs. Pinhead (15MB, QuickTime format) was our closer, and unfortunately after five songs, the borrowed bass amp that Bernie was using couldn't stand the onslaught of the rock, so the video captures the problems of a failing amp as much as it captures the spirit of the show. Note the sign that I hold at the end is based on the sign Joey holds aloft on the back cover of the Ramones' 1979 It's Alive album. That album, along with Leave Home, indoctrinated me into the world of the Ramones when I was just 12 years old, and I've never been the same since. The world is fortunate that when the pretentious rock exemplified by "artists" such as Journey or Emerson, Lake, and Palmer needed a kick in the ass, it was Joey Ramone who did the kicking. This is my small tribute to him. Home | Music | Similar-Sounding Songs | Now Playing Gentlemen's Apparel Links | Junk Drawer | FAQs | Contact