Motorblog Paul Hadwen RIP: Just heard from MHB Simon (Nomis) Baurley of the sudden passing of Paul Hadwen. Paul was the main instigator behind the original Motorheadbangers fanzines which he and Helen Taylor published through the early years of the Fan Club. Identified by the 'comic' style artwork which Paul drew in conjunction with MHB Chris Harris, these two artists gave those early fanzines a very distinctive and appealing style, which I for one admired very much.
Paul was also responsible for the 'comic strip' style artwork featured on the inner sleeve of the 'Another Perfect Day' album.
The last time I met with Paul personally was on the UK Hammered Tour, where he was busily drawing and then etching with a soldering iron the 'oak leaf' design on Lemmy's 'Rickenbastard' bass, gifted to him by Phil Campbell. Especially for Lemmy, Phil had a replica 'Rickenbacker' headstock plate made to read 'Rickenbastard,' hence, the guitar's name. (For reference, ironically, Lemmy is playing this guitar on the cover of the 'Better Motorhead Than Dead Live At Hammersmith' CD, and a close-up of it is featured on the cover of the insert booklet for the same album).
Whenever we met, Paul would ask: "Are you still writing those fan club envelopes by hand? That used to drive me fucking crazy!"
Paul also made a brief, backstage appearance in the Motorhead TV documentary, 'Live Fast - Die Old.'
Paul died of pneumonia and was found by a friend at his Leeds home last weekend; he was 50 years old.
Service will be at the Lawnswood Crematorium, Leeds at 15.40 on Friday, 3rd August.
Flowers were sent on behalf of the Fan Club.

Thanks to Nomis for his help.

Motorblog 'Motorhead' Motorhead: The album that saved Motorhead from extinction has been officially re-released - On Vinyl!
When I opened the package the smell of the 100% freshly pressed vinyl was like the return of a long-lost friend to my sensory perception - every record shop you used to walk into had this wonderful fragrance lingering within - and by Jimminy Cricket, when you get an album like this the nostalgia just comes flooding back.
So, you don't have a record player any longer?
Then you'd better get one again, 'cos the clean crispness of CD has gotten your ears used to that awfully sterile sound, THIS is how we listened to the old Chiswick album - and some!
But rather than me wittering on endlessly and having to type out the whole deal, click http://www.lamf.biz/ just to see the incredible package, (and a Limited Edition Package at that), you get when you order your copy!
And don't hang around...just in case...

Nice one Pilly!

Motorblog Australia & New Zealand Dates: for Motorhead, with Rose Tattoo as Special Guests are:-
October 3rd - Convention Centre, Brisbane, Australia.
October 5th & 6th - Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia.
October 7th - Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, Australia.
October 10th & 11th - The Forum, Melbourne, Australia.
October 13th - The Barton Theatre, Adelaide, Australia.
October 16th - Challenge Stadium, Perth, Australia.
October 20th - TSB Stadium, New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Motorblog Kelly Johnson: Has a Tribute Page at http://www.myspace.com/kellyjohnsontributepage and the Eulogy Tracey Lamb read at the Funeral http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=208444322&blogID=291668291

Motorhead Dates For November / December: The dates listed in the August fanzine have now been added-to, so this is the full itinerary:
November 20th Rodhal, Holland; 22nd Haus Ausensee, Leipzig, Germany; 23rd Stadthalle, Elmshorn, Germany; 24th Pier 2, Bremen, Germany; 26th MCB, Stuttgart, Germany; 27th Palladium, Koln, Germany; 28th Zenith, Munich, Germany; 30th Thuringenhalle, Erfurt, Germany.
December 1st E-Werk, Saarbrucken, Germany; 3rd Columbia Halle, Berlin, Germany; 4th Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark; 5th Spektrum, Oslo, Norway; 7th Nojesfabriken, Karlstrad, Sweden; 8th Liesbershallen, Gothenburg, Sweden; 9th Annexet, Stockholm, Sweden; 11th & 12th Jahalli, Helsinki, Finland; 13th Teatri, Oulu, Finland.

Motorblog 'Lost' In The Nicest Possible Way: Our son, Steve, started bringing this series of DVD's back from 'Blockbuster' after hearing colleagues at work talking about it; and of course, Jane and I get into the viewing. It's quite an amazing series with fabulously written characters and an absolutely intrigueing plotline and, those numbers, man, how they weave in and out of the plot, too. Apparently, so Steve said, the week these numbers were divulged when the series was actually aired on TV, so many people played them on our Lotto, if they had won, each would have received about £200 each!
But I won't give too much away, except to say if you enjoy intrigueing stories like 'The Usual Suspects' and 'Jacob's Ladder' etcetera, try a box set of 'Lost,' obviously starting at the first series, and I think you'll find it rather excellent, too.
I must say here, though, each episode lasts for 40 to 41 minutes, and it's on TV for an hour; which means there's 20 minutes of darned adverts to put up with! Aaarrgghh! Thank goodness for 'Blockbusters,' (the ad's drive me nuts, anyway; largely, insurance and loans, it's like the same record playing on the radio too often), and the box set of the 4 DVD's inside it costs just a fiver for the week. Bargain!

Motorblog Fanzine To Post Box This AM (Thursday 19th UK Time): For the August edition, this is early, I know, but there are reasons - the girls at my local (Upton) Post Office. A lot of our stamps are no longer stamps, they are printed labels, hence, Post Office's don't hold much stock of actual stamps any more. A supporter of my local PO, I get the Fan Club stamps there twice weekly and for the three big mail-outs per year as I like to think it helps as so many of the so-called 'village' Post Office's get closed down, supposedly due to lack of revenue or lack of use.
So, with this 'shortage' of stamps, they said I had to order them and it'd probably take a week to get them through, (what, in this day and age?) Ever keen to get the fanzine out on time, as it always is, I adjusted the printing to suit, (from mid-month delivery to collect at the end of the month, to start of month delivery to collect in the middle of the month), just in case. Well, I've accommodated my Post Office girls in this way three times now, and each time they haven't had to order the stamps, they've had them there on the day - somehow - European MHB's will notice they have no less than five stamps on their envelope - so that's how 'Somehow' works!
But this will change, as my girl's have clearly been giving me the runaround, (don't women always do that!), but I'll be reviewing the November 14th gig on the Autumn tour, so the December issue will have to be printed mid-month, like it or not, for end of month mail-out; but this time, it's earlier than early as a special summer treat for you.

Motorblog Kelly Johnson's Funeral: Will take place on Tuesday July 24th.

Motorblog Girlschool's Kelly Johnson: Passed away over the weekend after her long battle with spinal cancer. As a Fan Club, I will be sending a card and flowers, and also offer our sympathy to family and friends at this time.
http://www.girlschool.co.uk/

Motorblog Fast Eddie Clarke Interview: OK, I admit I stole this from Jimmy's Motorheadbangerblog, but... http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=987 it's better to have two chances than one, or...none

And there's another which MHB Fredric Lonnfjord did about the beginnings of Motorheadbangers for Get Metal, which you may like to take a look at? http://www.getmetal.com/article/articleview/1294/1/6/

Motorblog The George Chin: photo print offer detailed in the April fanzine is still open, log on to http://www.georgechin.com/ or email The Man at george@georgechin.com with the heading 'Motorhead Print Offer.'

HMV mailed yesterday to say my pre-order for the Monday 16th release of the 'Better Motorhead Than Dead - Live' CD had been despatched. Would have been good to have it so early, but the postal strike today f**ked that up! It must be said, though, how much a part of the peripheral scenery the postman are, and when they're not around, like today, you miss them.

Bloatermog Drew Carey: MHB Tim Shockley, (from Chicago), found Motorhead's appearance on The Drew Carey Show, original air date 24th October, 2001. Apparently there was some debate on the imotorhead.com Message Board about the song the band played, which, after the dust had settled, was agreed as a slightly different version of 'Stage Fright / Crash And Burn' from the 'We Are Motorhead' album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxU4ef2o7h0

Motorblog: Da Vinyl Iz Da Fing: If you've dumped the record player, well, you'd better get a new one because vinyl is back!
Well, in Germany, it never went away, and if you collect Motorhead albums and didn't know this, you've missed out, because all their SPV albums have been released on vinyl there.
But, even as we speak, and reitterating my Motorblog journal entry from sometime back in April, No Balls Records have pulled off another perfect coup with their release of a 7" purple (poiple if you happen to be in America) vinyl, 4 track EP titled 'Ramones Solo Performances.'
Side 1: has 'Good Rockin' Tonight' as played by Lemmy Kilmister, Danny B Harvey, Slim Jim Phantom and Johnny Ramone plus 'Viva Las Vegas' as played by Danny B Harvey, Slim Jim Phantom and again, Johnny Ramone.
Side 2: has 'Cherry Bomb' by ex-Runaway Cherie Currie, the MC5's Wayne Kramer and Marky Ramone, plus 'Jump In The Fire' by Dee Dee Ramone.
The tracks are officially licensed from Cleopatra Records and the single is a Limited Edition pressing of 500 numbered copies, the first 100 in splattered vinyl. It's available from http://www.no-balls-records.com/ so, whether you have a record player or not, go get your copy right now!

Motordog Writing History Before It's Happened: Just got back from ordering the digipack edition of 'Better Motorhed Than Dead - Live' the 30th Anniversary double CD, from HMV, [out on Monday, July 16th, my wife Jane's Birthday!] (where Motorheadblogger, Jimmy - My Mate Marmite - http://haggischorizo.blogspot.com/ ), recommended it's the cheapest, at £8-99 (well, what do you expect, HE IS a Scotsman!), which is including postage and thus saving us a lot of dosh.
Then I looked at it on Amazon to double-check the saving, only to see some guy had reviewed the album already!
How?
Well, he was at the show, as I was, (and maybe you were?), so I thought, 'Fuck it! I'm gonna review it BEFORE it's released, too!' So it's on there, if ya care to look...So the both of us have kind of out-deja vu'd deja vu...

Motorblog Girlschool's Kelly Johnson has been suffering from spinal cancer for a number of years. Only now made public, you can send her a 'Get Well' message by clicking girlschool@hotmail.com - go on, IT WILL make a difference.

Motorblog My Newsworthy Writing Tutor: My ex-writing tutor, (but still a close friend of the family), Pam Fudge, has a whole page feature just inside the back page of the just-published July/August edition of 'Writers' Forum,' in a piece titled 'Writing Rooms.'

Also: One of my writing fellows from Pam's get-togethers, Veronica Ryder, has a short story published in the current issue of 'Take A Break Fiction Feast;' we're pretty good, us lot here in Dorset, you know!

Motorblog Vicar's In Glass Houses: In the paper today, the Star I think, some Vicar or member of the Clergy reckons this bad weather is with us because the gay and lesbian population has drastically increased. Seems he's forgotten about how many Member's of the Church are or have been convicted as paedophiles, so if the weather was based on their 'loss of faith,' it'd be raining cats and dogs and howling a gail on a permanent basis!

PS: If you enjoy the truth being told about the Clergy, please read 'The Smoking Vicars' within the 'Essays' section of http://www.alanburridge.freeuk.com

Motorblog Jooly: A new month and time to recommend taking another look at Joe Petagno's updated site at http://www.petagno.dk/index.html (now with a 'Click to Buy' facility); and MHB 086 Steve Hoare's fab new Motorhead site at http://www.motorheadengland.co.uk/ and Norweigan MHB 1957 Kent age Julnes has also done his own thing at http://www.motorkent.piczo.com/
Jane and I spent a great (if wet and windy) Saturday evening with Steve and his wife, Claire, when they visited us here in Poole yesterday over an eat-all-you-can for a set price Chinese meal. They are a fabulous couple, and Steve also has http://www.myspace.com/stevethehatuk