Drag a comb through your quiff, swallow a fistful of bop
pills and rock around the cock – at Cockabilly! Wednesday 13 April 2016 in the
louche surroundings of Bloc Bar in Camden! And every second Wednesday night of
the month thereafter!
Leather boys, gay greasers, cry-babies, prison wives and
juvenile delinquents of all ages are welcome at Cockabilly - London’s only
regular queer rockabilly night! With DJ Mal Nicholson and I (Graham Russell) spinning
all your favourite rancid vintage sleaze classicks! Think rockabilly,
rhythm and blues, surf, punk and tittyshakers! Daring and virile! Chains,
whips, knives and leather belts all swished around together in bone-jarring
rock and roll! Way-out sex and sin for those who like it that way!
The Bloc Bar: 18 Kentish Town Road London NW1
8-midnight
FREE
/ DJ Mal Practice (left) and I at the 13 April 2016 Cockabilly at Bloc Bar. Photo by Pal /
The April 2016 installment represented the second-ever Cockabilly at our sparkling new venue – Bloc Bar in Camden. Happily this time (courtesy of Bloc Bar’s boss man Wayne Shires) we got their DVD player and projector fully operational so I could play my collection of atomic-era homo porn. The continuous grainy fifties and sixties beefcake homoerotica on the big screen (think sexy vintage baby-oiled body builders scantily-dressed as centurions, slaves, sailors, bikers and prisoners endlessly wrestling) proved a hypnotic visual backdrop to some pretty blistering DJ sets by Mal and I. It was great to get some glitches ironed-out. We even got the trademark Cockabilly sign perfectly positioned on the DJ booth! Now all we need is people to come and support Cockabilly’s vision of squalid rock’n’roll filth!
Anyway, here is what I played:
Jane in the Jungle - The 5,6,7,8s
Road Runner - The Fabulous Wailers
He's The One - Ike and Tina Turner
Boss - The Rumblers
The Big Bounce - Shirley Caddell
Hoy Hoy - The Collins Kids
Let's Go Baby - Billy Eldridge
Lucille - Masaaki Hirao
The Batman Theme - Link Wray and His Wraymen
That Makes It - Jayne Mansfield
Bombora - The Original Surf-aris
Atomic Bongos - Lydia Lunch
Adult Books - X
Cretin Hop - The Ramonetures
Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad - Wanda Jackson
Club Delight - Jack "Big Daddy" Jolly
Viva Las Vegas - Nina Hagen
Wipe Out - The Surfaris
Female Trouble - The Melvins
Beat Party - Ritchie and The Squires
Three Cool Chicks - The 5,6,7,8s
Big Bad Boss Beat - The Teen Beats
It's a Gas - The Rumblers
Harley Davidson - Brigitte Bardot
Woo-Hoo - The Rock-A-Teens
How Much Love Can One Heart Hold? Joe Perkins and The Rookies
Killer - Sparkle Moore
I Got Stung - Elvis Presley
Jim Dandy - Sara Lee and The Spades
Whistle Bait - Larry Collins
Like A Rolling Stone - Mamie Van Doren
Somebody Put Something in My Drink - The Ramones
Beat Girl - Adam Faith
Fever - The Delmonas
Margaya - The Fender Four
Intoxica - The Centurions
What's Inside A Girl? The Cramps
Go Wild in The Country - Bow Wow Wow
Gostaria de saber (River Deep Mountain High) - Wanderlea
Previously in blog posts I have irresponsibly and sensationally speculated on the homosexuality and / or bisexuality of Billy Fury and James Dean. This time, let’s focus on parasitic, doomed (and very cute in a greaser rough trade way) actor Nick Adams – who may or may not have had intimate knowledge of both Elvis Presley and James Dean. The account below is from the essential Facebook page Gay of The Day, which I highly recommend you follow. They profiled Adams - a true casualty of Hollywood Babylon, dead aged 36 - on 28 July 2015.
/ Nick Adams and Elvis in 1956 /
"Every big star needs a best friend, someone to carouse with, someone with whom they can talk, let their hair down and (most importantly) procure some occasional fellatio to ease the stress of a hectic showbiz career. Today's "Gay of the Day" was more than happy to meet those needs, as long as it furthered his own career. Hanger-on turned actor Nick Adams (1931-1968).
"As a teen Nick couldn't hold down a job, but somehow still managed to have money. After dinner he'd be out all night and come home with wads of cash. Luckily his parents didn't ask too many questions, for he was cruising the bars and pool halls of Jersey City and hustling his tight teenage Ukrainian ass. He told his father he wanted to act "for the money" and despite his dad's pleas to listen to reason, Nick hitchhiked to Hollywood. Once there, he did ANYTHING to get a job. He crossed paths with both Jack Palance (who gave him his professional name, his birth name was Nicholas Adamshock) and Henry Fonda, both of whom had the the same concise advice for him: "Take acting lessons". Meanwhile he got a job tearing tickets at the Warner Theatre since premieres were held there. He figured he could rub elbows with the Hollywood elite and make some connections (he was fired for putting "Nick Adams" on the marquee). It was around this time that he met James Dean. They both were cast in a Coca-Cola commercial. But Adams got drafted and wouldn't see Jimmy for another four years until they were acting together in Rebel Without a Cause. Once reunited they were thick as thieves and soon Adams started blabbing around town that they were fucking. Adams also started escorting single actresses to premieres (particularly Natalie Wood) and getting his picture in all the magazines. Adams then became the paid companion of Elvis Presley, a position he'd assume for many years. They behaved rather indiscreetly and their unusually close relationship raised many eyebrows. In fact, when Elvis' mother died Nick was the only person he wanted to see. Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, figured Adams was effective at scratching a particular Elvis itch and a happy Elvis was a profitable Elvis. Adams was still a supporting actor in movies, but his parts were getting larger (he's the butt of some gay cracks in Pillow Talk). However, television was where he'd make a name for himself.
"For three years he was the star of the television series The Rebel (1959-1962). It was also around this time that he became a husband and father. After the show ended, he was nominated for an Oscar for Twilight of Honour (1963), which led to nothing. He couldn't get decent work and blamed his sexuality. He groused to Hedda Hopper "No one's buying this" (his marriage) and filed for divorce. His last years were spent in Japanese monster films and cheap European productions. He was found dead in his home, his body coursing with Michael Jackson levels of sedatives. Some theorize he was murdered because he had a big mouth and a lot of dirt on supposedly straight stars, particularly Elvis. I highly doubt Col. Parker had him eliminated. Adams was very morose in his final days and was no doubt medicating his disappointment. He probably just overdid it."
/ Nick Adams and Elvis in 1956 /
Further reading:
Read all about the sordid antics at previous Cockabillies here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Follow my sensual and depraved tumblr blog (also called Bitterness Personified) for all your retro, kitsch and vintage homo porn needs! Warning - it contains adult situations! NSFW and never will be!
Most importantly: upcoming Lobotomy Room-related dates!
/ Throw on a blonde wig! Borrow a chihuahua! Put a wiggle in that walk! Coo and squeal like a sex kitten-gone-berserk! /
Wednesday 27 April 2016: As host of the regular monthly
Mondo Trasho punkabilly club night Lobotomy Room, I – Graham Russell - will
occasionally crash
Fontaine’s free weekly film night and screen a rancid title
of my choice, with an emphasis on the cult, the queer and the camp! The
Lobotomy Room Goes to the Movies selection this month is –
The Wild, Wild World
of Jayne Mansfield!
Rated “X” upon its release in 1968, the ultra-trashy faux documentary
chronicles the kinky globe-trotting misadventures of Hollywood sex kitten-gone-berserk Jayne Mansfield. Watch agog as kitsch
icon Mansfield - the punk Marilyn Monroe, revered by John Waters and Divine
(and “the face” of Lobotomy Room) - visits
the hedonistic “sin spots” of the world, encompassing topless go-go clubs, gay
bars, drag queen beauty contests and nudist colonies, usually accompanied by
her pet Chihuahua!
The low-budget Wild, Wild World was in production 1964 - 1968. Bear in mind Mansfield died in 1967. Part of the fun is spotting how the
producers cobbled things together after Mansfield’s death in order to complete
the film. Watch for the (many) shots of a body double filmed from behind wearing
Mansfield’s disheveled blonde wig. And
the sound-alike who delivered the voice-over narration (nailing Jayne’s
breathless babydoll coo) deserved an Oscar!
In an eerie unplanned coincidence, April marks Mansfield’s
birthday (she was born 19 April 1933). Let’s make the night a celebration of
all things Jayne! Come dragged-up as Jayne Mansfield and / or accompanied by a
Chihuahua – get a free cocktail.
As usual: arrive circa 8 pm to order your drinks and grab
the best seats. The film starts at 8:30 pm prompt
!
Events page
Friday 29 April 2016: Revel in sleaze, voodoo and rock’n’roll - when
incredibly strange dance party Lobotomy Room returns to the Polynesian-style
basement Bamboo Lounge of Dalston’s premiere Art Deco vice den Fontaine’s!
Friday 29 April! With sensational special offer cocktails on the night!
Lobotomy
Room! Where sin lives! A punkabilly booze party! A spectacle of decadence! Bad
Music for Bad People! A Mondo Trasho evening of Beat, Beat Beatsville Beatnik
Rock’n’Roll! Rockabilly Psychosis! Wailing Rhythm and Blues! Twisted
Tittyshakers! Punk! White Trash Rockers! Kitsch! Exotica! Curiosities and other
Weird Shit! Think John Waters soundtracks, or Songs the Cramps Taught Us,
hosted by Graham Russell (of Dr Sketchy and Cockabilly notoriety). Expect
desperate stabs from the jukebox jungle! Savage rhythms to make you writhe and
rock! Now with vintage erotica projected on the wall for your adult viewing
pleasure! Come for the cocktails - stay for the putrid music and dirty movies!
Admission:
gratuit - that’s French for FREE!
Lobotomy
Room: Faster. Further. Filthier.
It’s
sleazy. It’s grubby. It’s trashy - you’ll love it!
A tawdry
good time guaranteed!
Events page
