I See the Nothingness Around Me

OK, after those last couple posts, who thinks we need something that’ll kick open the door and stand up & shout at all the bats out there swooping around in the night? Yeah, me too, and this’ll do it.

• Modernettes, “I Can Only Give You Everything”

It’s circa 1982 and it came from Vancouver. Big-sounding it is, and maybe full of itself as it works up its courage, but it’s never pompous. John Armstrong, who was known as “Buck Cherry” when he was in the Modernettes, (co-)wrote it, and frankly I’ve come to think that the world owes him a living for it. But since the world is a mess he still had to work for one: he wrote for the Vancouver Sun for years and wrote a memoir a few years back. Buy the rock-solid Modernettes comp Get It Straight here, and for a recent & thorough & very engaging update on what Armstrong’s up to lately, check out this Vancouver Courier story from last month.

Armstrong borrowed his title, of course, from that old garage stomp by Them, covered countless times by countless other garage stompers. Here’s a recent (i.e. less than a decade old) version by the Mooney Suzuki. Man, their mighty volcano roar out-MC5s the MC5, and I don’t care if that’s blasphemy because it’s true.

• The Mooney Suzuki, "I Can Only Give You Everything" (buy here)