In 1995, Bar/None released The Devil
Lied To Me, the posthumous solo album of Country Dick Montana, drummer (and flamboyant personality) of the Beat Farmers. The Beat Farmers had been a part of the Bar/None
family before Country
Dick died. I have a great memory of a
Halloween night hanging out
with Country Dick at the Halloween parade on 6th Avenue in the West Village. Dick had fun for a bit, but then wanted to go
out drinking. We
went to Coyote Ugly in the East Village.
I left around midnight, leaving
Country Dick to his throng of new lady friends.
The next day I had
an interview set up with the band at High Times Magazine. Of course it
took place at 4:20 pm. That night, the Beat Farmers had a
show at Tramps. Dick fell down while
singing, got up, pointed a finger at Steve Bloom, the editor of High
Times, and yelled "It's your fault!" Well,
4:20 must have lasted until
5:20!
When Dick died, Bar/None threw a party to celebrate his life. I had a budget of $100 for this party. Impossible! Susan Darnell
(the other publicist at Bar/None) and I went to a grocery store and bought
beans, hamburger meat, buns, and pickles.
Then I asked a brewery in Hoboken
to donate a keg of beer for the cause.
Didn't get that, but got
a
discount. I had met a kid somewhere (at a club?) who lived in the East
Village who agreed to let us use his
backyard for a party. People
came from all over the country! Mojo Nixon
played, and the other Beat Farmers came and played. Big-shot journalists (including Geraldo Rivera) - true fans - were there too. All the musicians played and it was a
beautiful tribute - and all on a hundred dollars!
I felt sort of bad for the kid who let us use his yard for the party though;
we helped him clean up, but over 100 people had come and, well, it was kind of
trashed.
Country Dick Montana - http://www.bar-none.com/country-dick-montana/
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