From the Modern Drunkard Magazine archives:

It may have already happened to you.

A friend or family member invites you over for a drink and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by the uptightest of your loved ones, trapped in an emotional ambush, pinned down with accusations that you, yes you, dear drunkard, are a monstrously diseased person. A person with a problem so horrifically out of control they are forced, yes forced, to confront you and make you change.

Now, there are those who secretly welcome interventions, either out of a selfish craving for attention or a repressed desire to stop drinking. If you are reading this magazine, however, you are most likely neither, and this article is for you.

“Listen, the rumors of my sobriety are greatly exaggerated”

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Keith Richards confirmed that those stories about he and Ron Wood quitting drinking together were too good to be true.



Is anyone shocked?

Abe Vigoda is alive...

... and today's his 89th birthday!!!

Abe Vigoda grew up in New York City, the son of a tailor. He first appeared on stage at the age of 17. After serving in World War II Vigoda studied acting at the American Theater Wing. For years he played small roles on stage, screen and television. He is most recognized for playing Detective Fish on the ABC sitcom, Barney Miller.
In 1982 People magazine mistakenly reported Vigoda's death. Those rumors still persist more than 20 years later.

Abe was even in a Super Bowl ad this year.

"I had to start drinking to understand some aspects of country music."

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Hank Williams III: Drunkard Of The Month

(from the Modern Drunkard Magazine Archives)

For seven decades the legendary Williams family has sang about the bottle. Now it’s Hank Williams III’s turn.

First taste: I was four or five, I remember sticking my finger in a glass and licking it off.

The usual: Jack and Coke. When I’m on stage it’s whatever they got.

Drunkest on stage: I probably just fell down from trying to rock out or head butting some friends.

Why we must drink: To not be sober. I had to start drinking to understand some aspects of country music.

The bar on the bus: Fridge full of beer and a bottle of Jack Daniels a show.

Ever get sick of answering questions about your grandfather? Still not sick of talking about Sr. I’ll never get tired of it.

Best city to booze in: Wherever I have the most friends that are buying and wanting to show us a good time.

Why the hooch and heartbreak left country: The radio stations and CMT and bullshit Music Row killed country. There needs to be more outlaws today.
Drinking songs: Couldn’t tell ya how many drinking songs I know but I know a few, I would say.

Three musicians (living or dead) you’d like to go on a bender with: Sid Vicious, Jerry Lee Lewis, and GG Allin.

Describe the evening: I’d say a drunk punch fight.

Are you going to do a “wide release” hellbilly album? Don’t know. Curb Records is in the way. He needs to be killed.

Drinking ritual: No drinking rituals, just bottoms up. If you’re into drinking, fucking knock it back, go crazy. If you’re not, more power to ya.

How long have you been a vegetarian: Nawww, I eat meat. I’m skinny enough as is. Fuck the veggie shit.

Drinking on the road: I love the road when I’m healthy and hate it when I’m too sick too party, which is like every 6 weeks. I’m sick as fuck but no matter what the show must go on.

Line from a drinking song that best sums up life: I drink to think.

You can check out Hank’s country music at hank3.com and his side
project with Philip Anselmo from Pantera at superjointritual.com.

—Interview by Nick Esposito

"I missed out on human relationships. But looking at relationships that I’ve seen along the way, I don’t think I’ve missed much.” - Lemmy Kilmister

Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister: Vampire of the Sunset Strip

Lemmy Kilmister may be the most indestructible rocker alive. At 63 years old, he still spends nearly every day he’s not on tour swilling bourbon at West Hollywood’s legendary rocker hangout the Rainbow Bar & Grill — and his band still plays about 150 shows a year. Rolling Stone’s Mark Binelli put in some quality time at the Rainbow (and Kilmister’s nearby apartment, stocked with a mind-blowing array of WWII and Nazi memorabilia) for a profile of Motörhead’s singer/bassist.

For Binelli’s full story, pick up the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands now.

Lemmy's stated aim was to "concentrate on very basic music: loud, fast, city, raucous, arrogant, paranoid, speedfreak rock n roll... it will be so dirty that if we move in next door to you, your lawn will die."



"What's the use of a cry for help, if no one hears the screams?"

After Dark - July 10, 1969

Today's Date In Music History:The Grateful Dead performs at the Playboy Mansion
- for clarification, July 10, 1969 was the broadcast date, the show was actually recorded on 1/18/69. Sorry for any confusion.

The clip begins with a conversation between Jerry Garcia and Hugh Hefner.



Also of note for this date in music, are the birthdays of Messrs. Arlo Guthrie and Bela Fleck.

Drinking w/ Bob:New York Post Cartoon

From Bob's blog:

"I'm sick of hearing about the New York Post. Last week they published a freaking cartoon with two cops shooting a freaking monkey. Underneath the cartoon the caption read... Now you're going to have to find someone else to write your next stimulus bill.

Are you freaking kidding me?!

Are you telling me know one at the New York Post saw this and said, maybe they're going to think we're talking about Barack Obama? Of course they did! They didn't care! They wanted a controversy. And they got it. Al Sharpton and the NAACP were stupid enough to fall right into their trap.

Al Sharpton started screaming about it. What did he accomplish? I'll tell you what he accomplished. Before he started screaming, maybe ten or twenty thousand people saw this freaking cartoon. After he started screaming... MILLIONS of people, all over the freaking world, saw this freaking cartoon.

You think people are gonna stop buying the Post now, because Al Sharpton's crying? No! I guarantee you, more people are going to buy the Post. I'm buying two freaking copies a day! This was the greatest freaking marketing scheme since Paris Hilton put Rick Solomon's balls in her mouth on a freaking sex tape.

Are you freaking kidding me?!!

Al, did you freaking notice, we have a President who's half black? The Governor of freaking New York is half black and blind. The freaking Governor of Louisiana is from India and the Governor of Alaska is a woman. And you're going to play the freaking race card? That ship has sailed my friend!

Nobody takes Al Sharpton seriously. The guys a clown! Do you realize, we had the first African American run for President this year. Was Al Sharpton anywhere to be seen? Was he campaigning with Barack Obama? Was he up on the freaking pulpit with Barack Obama? No! This guy was a freaking ghost. They told him to disappear. I think they locked him in a freaking closet. The only mistake they made is after the election, they let him out!

If anybody knows Al Sharpton, give him a message from me. This is America Al! The last I checked, we have freedom of speech. We have freedom of the press.
If the New York Post wants to publish a cartoon with two cops shooting a freaking monkey and compare it to Barack Obama. They have a right to do it.

If you don't want to see it. Don't buy the Post, YOU FREAK!!!"

(click Bob's photo for the video. You know the drill.)

If you've missed it, here's the cartoon:

Abe Vigoda is alive...

... and today's his birthday!!!

Abe Vigoda grew up in New York City, the son of a tailor. He first appeared on stage at the age of 17. After serving in World War II Vigoda studied acting at the American Theater Wing. For years he played small roles on stage, screen and television. He is most recognized for playing Detective Fish on the ABC sitcom, Barney Miller.
In 1982 People magazine mistakenly reported Vigoda's death. Those rumors still persist more than 20 years later.

Strange Brew

A list of the world's strangest liquors, which includes Pizza Beer, Snake Bile Wine, and a concoction called 'Yogurito', has been compiled by Travel & Leisure.

via Coast To Coast AM

VIEW THE SLIDESHOW

Bettie Page, RIP

A legend has passed.

Betty Page (April 22, 1923- December 11,2008)

“I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn't trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn't think of myself as liberated, and I don't believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn't know any other way to be, or any other way to live.”~Bettie Page

Before Playboy, Penthouse, and pornography hit mainstream culture, there was pinup queen, Bettie Page. Her image was cutting edge. Page challenged the conservative 1950s, earning both a cult underground following and a Senate Committee investigation on juvenile delinquency.



Page was born in Nashville, Tennessee.She was her high school salutatorian and attended George Peabody College on a scholarship.By 1948, she moved to New York and tried to start a career in acting. While in New York, she hooked up with an amateur photographer that changed her life. Jerry Tibbs is credited with being the first to notice Bettie's potential and was the inspiration for her “Bettie bangs” hairstyle.From 1952 through 1957, she posed for photographer Irving Klaw for mail-order photographs with pin-up, bondage and sadomasochistic themes.In 1954, Bettie began working with former model turned photographer Bunny Yeager. It was Yeager who photographed Bettie's most famous images in leopard print. Yeager also later submitted photographs to Hugh Hefner and Bettie was featured as the Playboy centerfold and Playmate of the Month for January 1955.
At the height of her popularity, Bettie disappeared. But in 1979 and 1982, Page (a diagnosed schizophrenic) tried to stab several people to death and was institutionalized.

Page died on December 11, 2008, having been on continuous life support since a heart attack in early December.

Watt Honored

Bassist Mike Watt was presented with the Bass Player Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award this past Saturday night!
A blue-collar hero in an art-school world, bassist and conceptualist Mike Watt has been a huge presence on the avant-rock scene since the dawn of the '80s — when he, guitarist D. Boon and drummer George Hurley formed the Minutemen.


Watt is now the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen projects.

Though Watt has not had much mainstream success or visibility, he is often cited as a key figure in the development of American alternative rock: the Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their hugely successful Blood Sugar Sex Magik to him.

Below is Watt, with violinist Chris Murphy, performing "Blues For Bukowski".

Here's a link to a past post on Mike Watt.

"It’s a three-pronged attack: you feel good because stress is released, self-image is elevated, and your inhibitions get the old heave-ho."

via modern drunkard magazine

Calling All Drunks!

via Modern Drunkard.

Top 10 Places to Hear Authentic American Music

This list of musical destinations, provided by USA Weekend, looks beyond the obvious.

Cover Browser

Cool website lets you explore galleries of 1,000's of covers, from comic books to pulp to magazines.The list of "Worst Album Covers" is a great place to start!