alexrosas2022-07-16T15:17:45+00:00July 8th, 2022|Uncategorized|
Like mute metal newsboys on a corner, newspaper racks are the slot machines of journalism. You put your money in and take your chances that there’s news you want to peruse. Slot machines, and piggy banks. When you own a newspaper with racks you have little cash stashes all over town. Run short in the video store because the girls forgot to bring back the DVD for a week … Take some change out of the rack out front. I pay for lots of things in quarters.
alexrosas2022-07-08T16:32:42+00:00July 7th, 2022|Essays|
©2022 By Burt Kearns Joe Friday was a fictional Los Angeles police detective, created and portrayed by [...]
alexrosas2022-07-07T17:49:13+00:00July 7th, 2022|Uncategorized|
©2022 By David Hershkovits M. Henry Jones, who passed away on June 16 at the age of 65, was a [...]
alexrosas2022-07-06T17:22:39+00:00July 6th, 2022|Essays, True Crime|
THE REAL WORLD OF THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ©2022 By Nils Grevillius Operating in the shadows, Counterintelligence [...]
alexrosas2022-07-02T05:25:47+00:00July 1st, 2022|Music|
alexrosas2022-07-16T15:20:36+00:00June 26th, 2022|Music|
(Or: How a Jewish Mariachi Trumpeter Turned a Chicano Rock ‘n’ Roller into an Easy Listening Pop Crooner) | Born in Los Angeles, a high school classmate and friend of Brian Wilson, rock ’n’ roll tenor and devotee of Ritchie Valens, teenage Mexican-American Ezekiel Christopher Montañez got a name change to Chris Montez and at nineteen had a Top Ten record in 1962 with Let’s Dance. Meanwhile, in another part of L.A., A Jewish singer, songwriter, and trumpeter named Herb Alpert formed a record label called A&M, and inspired by a group of mariachis at a bullfight in Tijuana, recorded a song called The Lonely Bull. The single hit the charts alongside Let’s Dance in the fall of 1962, and also made the Top Ten.
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:30:35+00:00June 23rd, 2022|Music|
In 2009, Ray Davies toured America to promote The Kinks Choral Collection, which featured new studio recordings of some of Davies’ finest songs backed by the Crouch End Festival Chorus. He performed with the chorus at Town Hall in New York in November. Six of the songs from the classic, underrated Kinks’ album Village Green Preservation Society were included in Davies’ “choral collection.” On the forty-ninth anniversary of the release of Village Green Preservation Society, we present the following exclusive interview with Davies, conducted on Nov. 11, 2009 by Legs McNeil and Stacey Asip, in which Davies talked about his family, his working class roots and the early days of being a Kink. This version is condensed from a much longer interview.
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:33:35+00:00June 17th, 2022|Essays|
Dunc had it all; the charm, the clothes, the looks, the brains, the talent, and more importantly, he was not an asshole. He didn’t need an entourage, he enjoyed going to see his friend’s work, and he enjoyed explaining why he liked something or did not like it. He was extremely accessible and his take on “the work” was inspiring. And his manner was classy, in an unpretentious way; more Mid-West down home. And his smile was infectious.
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:32:02+00:00June 15th, 2022|Music|
The Senders lead singer, talks to Legs about his memories of Johnny Thunders and the New York Dolls, Nancy Spungen, Sid Vicious, CBGB’s, Blondie, Richard Hell and more…
alexrosas2022-06-12T21:00:18+00:00June 12th, 2022|Fashion|
©2022 By Amy Haben Brooklyn’s best vintage destination is helping the environment while serving up unique looks. [...]
alexrosas2022-06-07T16:42:13+00:00June 7th, 2022|Music|
©2022 By Burt Kearns (So Elvis is alive. There’s a lot of talk about that new Baz Luhrmann [...]
alexrosas2022-06-07T04:39:15+00:00June 7th, 2022|Music|
Gene Krupa is easily one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, elevating the role of the jazz drummer from sideman to soloist to superstar. His energetic playing on Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” remains a standard-bearer 80+ years later, and The Drum Battle he recorded with Buddy Rich in 1952 is as dizzying today as it was upon release. But Krupa’s towering influence has not been confined to jazz and swing drummers. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that he was a major inspiration for some of punk rock’s most important timekeepers, including Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Rat Scabies of the Damned, and Lucky Lehrer of Circle Jerks.
alexrosas2022-06-06T18:59:27+00:00June 6th, 2022|Music|
©2022 By Chris Zappa Remembering the legendary Ramones bassist. 999 Anyone who has ever listened to [...]
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:29:27+00:00June 3rd, 2022|Music|
Ernie Brooks is a very likable fellow who was raised in New York and Connecticut by intellectual, liberal parents, which explains why he became a civil rights activist down South during the violent “Freedom Summer” of the early 1960s. Ernie’s a Harvard graduate who studied English literature, poetry, and rock 'n' roll, along with his college roommate Jerry Harrison, who later became the keyboard player for the Talking Heads. A chance encounter with Jonathan Richman led to a wild ride as one of the founding members of the legendary Modern Lovers, perhaps the greatest alt-rock, pre-punk, indie band that no one has ever seen.
alexrosas2022-06-02T21:44:48+00:00June 2nd, 2022|Books We Love, Music, True Crime|
A Special Guest: Nikolas Schreck Visits Legsville! Nikolas Schreck is a singer-songwriter, author & filmmaker who, likes Legs, did extensive research into the dark side of the 1960s.
alexrosas2022-06-01T15:12:56+00:00June 1st, 2022|Music|
The classic album made in exile takes an inevitable journey to Main Street where it remains relevant fifty years on.
alexrosas2022-06-01T14:55:21+00:00June 1st, 2022|Essays, True Crime|
This was the 144th day of 2022. There have been more mass shootings than days in the year. Let me clarify that: there have been more mass shootings in America than days in the year. This is the only country in the world that can claim that dishonorable distinction. Think about that
alexrosas2022-05-25T23:06:40+00:00May 25th, 2022|Books We Love, Music|
A Product of Legsville: A Legsville Oral History - Legs McNeil Talks with Bobby Grossman
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:29:16+00:00May 24th, 2022|Music|
Arturo Vega was the most optimistic, jubilant and fun pal anyone could wish for. If it wasn’t for Artie, Joey Ramone and I would’ve starved to death in those early days. He used to give us each a buck fifty so we could each buy a quart of beer and a pack of cigarettes. Joey smoked Winstons; I smoked Marlboros, at 75 cents a pack.
alexrosas2022-05-19T16:42:32+00:00May 19th, 2022|TV & Film|
When you think of an axe murderer what vision comes to mind? I bet it isn’t a frail, Christian mother wearing oversized glasses and a tight perm. This is why Hulu’s series, Candy, intrigues us so much. Based on the true story of Candy Montgomery (played by Jessica Biel), a suburban mom from Wylie, Texas who killed her lover’s wife by hitting her 41 times with an axe. Shockingly, Candy got away with it claiming self-defense.
alexrosas2022-05-19T01:43:47+00:00May 18th, 2022|Comedy, Essays|
Bobcat Goldthwait comes out and introduces the clips that Jerry brought, and the clips are running. There's the famous dance down the stairs from Cinderfella. There’s him doing the incredibly famous boardroom bit from The Errand Boy. And I'm watching Jerry look at himself. He was seventy-six, overweight and nobody knows who he is anymore, and he's looking at the twenty-six-year-old version of himself when he was super-famous. And I see Jerry look out at the half-full crowd, and then Jerry fell to the ground. And I think he’s dead.
alexrosas2022-05-18T13:19:40+00:00May 18th, 2022|Essays, Music|
This article was originally published by Chris Zappa on Medium in 2021 under the title, “I Just Can’t Even With Eric Clapton Anymore.” Chris has graciously given Legsville permission to republish it, and I encourage other music lovers to read Chris’ work on Medium as well as sign up for Zappagram, the mother of all music newsletters, which he runs on Substack.
alexrosas2022-05-15T15:45:01+00:00May 15th, 2022|Essays, True Crime|
©2022 By Lillian Glass – Director/ Producer, Body Language Expert, Communication Expert | "First of all, she is once again copying Johnny's style as she too is wearing a vest under a blazer just like Johnny is wearing and has been wearing throughout the trial."
alexrosas2023-05-17T17:20:01+00:00May 13th, 2022|Music|
Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Sam Butera revolutionized Las Vegas, the lounge scene and 20th century popular music when they launched their spectacular act in December 1954 at the Sahara hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
alexrosas2022-05-13T15:26:56+00:00May 12th, 2022|Essays|
Leon felt the muscles in his arms spasm after tearing down the Snake Girl tent in less than an hour. A job that usually took three other men two hours and a half-pack of cigarettes, he could do alone in fifty-three minutes.
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:29:05+00:00May 12th, 2022|Music|
In one of his many interviews, John Lennon called it the most exciting day of his life. I rather doubt it, but then I grew up with the Elvis that was making movies like “Clambake” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” so I was never impressed. Like Lennon, I loved Elvis’ early Sun Records stuff and believed Presley went to hell when he joined the army. Still, I would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall the night the Beatles finally met Elvis. I hope you enjoy this!
alexrosas2022-05-05T22:14:25+00:00May 5th, 2022|Music, Video Of The Month|
"For me, Rock n' Roll is about freedom. It's about the freedom to express your feelings very loudly in public. And for me, the idea of expressing your feelings is what life is all about. And the bands I follow have that message." - Bob Gruen
alexrosas2022-06-02T15:53:27+00:00May 5th, 2022|Fashion|
Watching this was like watching someone herding cats. Live streaming this is not the way to go as there are a boat load of security trying to steer the attendees around the red carpet. In addition there are what can only be referred to as “Dress Wranglers” moving overdone, ridiculous trains around after every turn and step. | ©2022 by Suzy Dooley
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:28:54+00:00April 30th, 2022|Essays, Music|
Cynthia was truly an original thinker and a meticulous goofy artist who took the job of casting rock stars’ erect “rigs” extremely seriously while never losing her sense of humor about the job at hand. Join me now as we listen to Cynthia Plaster Caster’s story….
alexrosas2022-04-29T17:01:16+00:00April 29th, 2022|Fashion, Music|
So Punk, what are you going to wear? I’m already thinking about Fall 2022. I have just seen my first glimpse of tourist winter white flesh revealed. I witnessed for a mere nano second the stretch marks and imperfections, back fat and butt cracks! I’m ready to see the coats back on and the sins of our unhealthy diets swathed and draped in almost anything.
alexrosas2022-04-29T17:01:41+00:00April 29th, 2022|Books We Love, Essays, Music|
Excerpted from CORPORATE ROCK SUCKS: The Rise and Fall of SST Records by Jim Ruland. Copyright © 2022. Available from Hachette Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
alexrosas2022-04-30T15:55:21+00:00April 29th, 2022|Essays|
On April 29, 1992, jurors in Simi Valley, California acquitted five Los Angeles police officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King. Los Angeles citizens responded to the news with a display of widespread civil disobedience and destruction that became known as the Los Angeles Riots. The evening the violence began, Burt Kearns, a producer of the syndicated nightly tabloid magazine series, Hard Copy, was sharing a pizza with correspondent Rafael Abramovitz at Santopietro’s restaurant. Thirty years later, the following is adapted from his memoir, Tabloid Baby.
alexrosas2022-04-29T17:02:17+00:00April 27th, 2022|Books We Love, Essays|
After consuming magic mushrooms in Basel, Switzerland, I ran into Albert Hofmann, the chemist who catalyzed the psychedelic era. | By John Horgan on April 19, 2014 (Reprinted with John Horgan’s Permission) | © 2022 Scientific American, A Division Of Nature America, Inc.
alexrosas2022-04-29T13:34:15+00:00April 27th, 2022|Music|
Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Sam Butera revolutionized Las Vegas, the lounge scene and 20th century popular music when they launched their spectacular act in December 1954 at the Sahara hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The story of their success has never been told in full, and never accurately – until now. Based on long-hidden interviews with the principals and extensive research, Burt Kearns reveals how all the parts fell into place, long before that historic debut. In Part One, we meet the man who answered the call of The Wildest, the key player without whom this success story would never have happened.
alexrosas2022-04-26T21:58:32+00:00April 26th, 2022|Essays|
Johnny’s body language is open and his tone is appealing. He is articulate and his drawing out his articulation and pacing time is engaging. He comes across as in control and level-headed in his delivery and appears to be credible. While many of the revelations are shocking, he openly describes his experiences with Amber and holds nothing back. He is also credible in the fact that he openly admits his flaws and embarrassing issues as well.
alexrosas2022-04-22T13:50:55+00:00April 22nd, 2022|Books We Love, Music|
Here’s something I discovered over the last couple of years: Tell somebody you’re putting together a book about music and their response is usually something like, “Cool! I love music.” Tell them it’s a book revolving around punk drummers and the response is more like, “Damn. I hate math.” | ©2022 by S.W. Lauden
alexrosas2022-04-29T17:03:17+00:00April 21st, 2022|Comedy, Music, TV & Film, Video Of The Month|
©2022 by Legs McNeil | Legsville welcomes comedian, actor, writer & director: Bobcat Goldthwait. A Legsville Oral History.
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:28:09+00:00April 20th, 2022|Narrative Oral History Of The Month|
Contradictory evidence was immediately destroyed, photographs were stolen, and FBI interviews were altered to complete the picture of Sirhan Sirhan as the sole assassin.
alexrosas2022-04-29T17:03:43+00:00April 14th, 2022|Comedy, TV & Film, Video Of The Month|
©2022 by Legs McNeil | Legsville welcomes comedian, actor, writer & director: Bobcat Goldthwait. A Legsville Oral History.
alexrosas2022-04-13T22:21:16+00:00April 13th, 2022|Comedy, Music|
Gilbert Gottfried was a fearless, hilarious, and truly great comedian. He also was a horror movie expert, a keeper of show business tradition and a gentle, humble man. Oh, and he was also a Ramone! Here’s the classic from USA Up All Night. 1-2-3-GIL!
alexrosas2022-04-29T17:04:27+00:00April 6th, 2022|Essays, Fashion, Music|
The punk rock stylist and fashion icon has passed away in her home in Seaford on Sunday. Jordan styled the Sex Pistols, managed Adam and the Ants, worked at Vivienne Westwood’s famous store, Sex and starred in the film Jubilee by Derek Jarman. The actress, model, artist and vet has been mourned by the masses on social media.
alexrosas2022-04-04T20:16:01+00:00April 4th, 2022|Music|
I’d heard that something had happened to Frank Sinatra's grave. That someone defaced the memorial to the most important musical artist of the 20th century. Attacking Sinatra? This was like taking a wrecking ball to Graceland. Reading about it was one thing. I had to see for myself.
alexrosas2022-04-04T17:56:49+00:00April 4th, 2022|Music|
George Jones’ drunk daddy used to wake him up as a child in the middle of the night and make him sing for him and his buddies or get a beating. Maybe that harsh pressure helped create a country diamond. Maybe it just created a mean SOB who also happened to be able to sing.
alexrosas2022-04-13T22:21:45+00:00April 4th, 2022|Video Of The Month|
Joe Coleman is a world-renowned painter, writer & performer who’s exhibited for four decades in major museums throughout the world
alexrosas2022-04-02T15:51:26+00:00April 2nd, 2022|Music|
©2022 By Chris Campion | Behold… the transfiguration of Iggy Pop, during a legendary Stooges show at Ungano’s, New York City, which was recorded by Danny Fields and heavily-bootlegged for years.
alexrosas2023-03-29T14:27:56+00:00April 1st, 2022|Music|
When I was doing a reading tour of the south last winter, I became friendly with Johnny Puke, from Charleston, South Carolina, where he books and manages the Tin Roof, a fun, dumpy punk club. Johnny told me that he was with G.G. the night he died and I thought it would be an interesting story to get on tape.
alexrosas2022-04-13T22:22:11+00:00March 31st, 2022|Video Of The Month|
