Best debut album

@mitchagain 

Mark Eitzel: "60 Watt Silver Lining"

Wow, now there is a blast from the past. I knew Mark when he lived in Columbus and a member of ‘The Cowboys’, a sorta punk/‘new wave’ local band at the time. I still have their only 45 released at that time. In fact, we were sitting in Crazy Mama’s (a club in the OSU area) on High Street, he gave me the 45, (which he had a bunch selling them at the club), and as we sat and talked, wrote a rambling little note on the 45 cover, and signed it ‘Billie Lee’, the name he went by with the Cowboys. That 45 is worth some bucks, but may be more so as he signed it.

Eventually he and others put together another band called The Naked Skinnies (which another friend of mine played drums), I have their only 45 from that time as well, and they soon moved to San Francisco. It was there that he eventually formed The American Music Club.

Mark was/is incredible. Obviously a gifted writer, but also, a very nice guy if you could penetrate his personality. A very interesting mind to listen to, either through his music or by talking to. A larger than life personality even back in the ‘old days’.

@bkeske
Thanks for the Mark Eitzel stories! His concert monologues are legendary. I can only imagine what he is like to talk to. I lived in Ohio for 3 years in the 80's, and my job frequently had me on High Street near the OSU campus. There was a great record store in that area that I think was called Singing Dog Records.

One of my favorite concert stories happened in Columbus. I went to the Agora Ballroom to see The Psychedelic Furs. Right before the show started someone walked up to me and asked "what I thought the first song would be?" This contest idea had never occurred to me, so I went with the first song that came to mind, which was "Into You Like a Train." Turns out I was right; and, the bewildered look that he gave me was priceless!

@mitchagain

Yep, Singing Dog Records was right around Crazy Mama’s. Popular record Store at the time, along with Moles Record Exchange further north on High Street. ‘We’ (my friends, I included), put on a performance at Singing Dog with an ensemble we called The Null Set, which was basically an avant-garde performance art group which played on the surfaces in the store, among other things. Fun times back then, and very creative things going on.

I saw the Psychedelic Furs at the Agora in Cleveland (the original Agora). I always liked that band. But, saw many great shows at the Columbus Agora over the years as well, including The Band (sans Robertson) the night before Manuel killed himself. That was a shocker, but glad I saw them before that happened.

Anyway, back to the original subject...