Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Bad Boys at Church by Lucas Loveless Bad Boys at Church by Lucas Loveless. David Walliams' recent novel, Bad Dad, features a Rolls Royce in a high speed car chase, a break-in to return stolen cash and a gay female vicar who marries the hero’s aunt. It was the 2nd bestselling book of 2017. Only that dastardly Jamie Oliver beat him! There are a lot of children reading Bad Dad. How could a Christian parent help their child to read it with their eyes open to the world it vividly depicts? David Walliams is a children’s publishing phenomenon. In 2017, he was the author of five of the top 20 bestselling books in the UK. That’s out of all books, not just children’s books. He is the author of all 5 of the 2017 top 5 bestselling children’s novels! Children are really enjoying reading his novels more than any others. As David Walliams has said, “Most of all I want these books to be enjoyed by kids, because I feel like I just want to encourage kids to read.” What a great goal! He is succeeding. Bad Dad is the story of Frank, a child who loves his car-racing Dad very much. His Dad is imprisoned for being the getaway driver in a bank robbery. As the title hints, this is a novel exploring the line between right and wrong. While our hero shows forgiveness, kindness, sacrificial service and rejects the love of money; the reader is also asked to decide what real goodness is. Addressing the judge in court towards the end of the story, Frank asks, “Would a bad dad want to put food on the table for his son? Would a bad dad want to scrape money together to buy his son a present for Christmas?” Walliams has written Frank, his young hero, as sympathetic and kind. Walliams is neither sympathetic nor kind to Christians. The vicar is despised by Frank’s Dad, “Whatever you do, don’t let that blasted woman in!” Church is an institution to be feared, “[Dad] hadn’t been to church since he was a child, and the thought filled him with dread.” The Vicar’s efforts at ministry are seen as pathetic, “Every day the vicar would stuff a new leaflet through the letterbox. She would dream up more and more bizarre ways to encourage people to come to church.” But despite her efforts, Sunday Services are invariably empty; “Reverend Judith had not been able to conjure up many worshippers, even though it was Fathers' Day. There was just one old dear sitting halfway back, her faulty hearing aid letting off a high-pitched whistle.” Christians are portrayed as unpopular and socially awkward, church is pitifully unpopular and heroic people stay well clear of both. Walliams presents Frank’s single aunt with pity for her situation, “The lady had never been married, nor to Frank’s knowledge ever had a romance. He guessed she hadn’t had many hugs in her life.” Elsewhere Franks ponders, “It was such a sad thought, to have lived a whole life without love” while the aunt acknowledges, “My whole life has been ruled by fear. Maybe that is why I’ve never been kissed.” Eventually in the last pages of the book she marries. Celibacy has been presented as sad, pitiful, restricted and loveless while same sex marriage is a natural, freeing and fulfilling experience. When asked about the decision to feature a same sex marriage in Bad Dad, Walliams said, “My best friend [Matt Lucas] is gay. He got married to his partner. My son was the ring bearer at the wedding and I was the best man. There were loads of kids there. It was fantastic. I thought, ”Fingers crossed these children won’t have any prejudice.“ If I had gone to a wedding between 2 men or 2 women aged 10, 11, 12; I wouldn’t have had any sense of prejudice. There would be no reason to feel like that. So I’m pleased with that. I hope people respond to it in a positive way. I mean it only in a positive way.” Walliams meant this aspect of the novel to be “positive.” However he feels less positive about those who don’t agree with his perspective on same sex marriage: “We know there are people out there with prejudices, who sometimes disapprove of things, normally it’s the adults. We’ve got to move forward haven’t we? Towards love and acceptance. There might be people who resist it. But ultimately hopefully opinions will change. They’ll be brushed aside. As we go towards a much kinder way of living our lives.” Walliams wants the next generation to embrace his progressive liberal values, while also holding to the more culturally acceptable traditional Christian values of forgiveness, hope, generosity and love. Walliams expects the worst of Christians. Raj, the lovable shopkeeper in The boy in the dress, observes, “You know the irony, Dennis?” proclaimed Raj. “Those people who are so quick to judge, be they teachers, or politicians or religious leaders or whatever, are normally up to far worse themselves!” Will Christians be as judgmental, as hypocritical and as unloving as Walliams expects us to be? There is an alternative. We can read this book with our children, particularly over 8‘s, as an opportunity to discuss these issues and opinions, that surround us in our modern world. We can take the chance to explain why we choose to be different to Walliams’ characters, while also showing kindness and respect to those who we disagree with. When we see Aunt Flip’s sad and lonely singleness, we can ask our children about our single friends. How do we care for them? How does our church help single people? Are they more sad than our married friends? This might be the first time that we have discussed homosexual marriage and relationships with our children. We might prefer not to. If we don’t, others will. But what do we say? Tim Keller wrote in The reason for God, “For a love relationship to be healthy there must be a mutual loss of independence … For a Christian, it’s the same with Jesus. The love of Christ constrains. Once you realise how Jesus changed for you and gave himself for you, you aren’t afraid of giving up your freedom and therefore finding your freedom in him.” We can explain to our children that as Jesus made hard decisions for us, that made his life harder, so we make hard decisions for him that make our lives harder. We choose to live the way he asks us to. It is better for us and for others that we do. Sometimes it is harder. Sometimes it is not how we would choose. As Walliams portrays Christians as odd and the church as pathetic, we can tell our children that too many of our churches are almost empty, while some of our brothers and sisters are a little odd (remembering that we are all a little odd!) There is more to say. There was another time when people were tempted to stop meeting together and the writer to the Hebrews (10:23-25) encouraged them, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We could turn to these verses and ask why it tells us to keep going to church. Some did stop meeting together, but why will we keep going? One day “the Day” will come when Christ returns to bring his friends to Heaven. What will that gathering be like? Will it feel embarrassing? We want him to find us still encouraging one another and meeting together. At the end of this novel, Frank’s father has been released from prison, he has forgiven his mother for walking out on the family, the gangsters are in prison and his aunt is happily married, leaving Frank to say to his father, “I’ve got nothing left to wish for. All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, was you. My dad.” Frank in this fictional novel finishes the story with everything put back together. That’s how children’s novels should finish. Life rarely reflects these fictional novels. Parents would do well to turn straight to Jesus. He is the one who puts everything back together. He is the one who came for the poor, the imprisoned and the hurting. Dennis would identify with all of these. Yet, this is no fiction. There will be a day when all those children, who live under horrendous burdens, will know total freedom, through faith in Christ. When faced with the next wildly popular children’s author, let us not leave his books unread. David Walliams‘ books allow our children to hear the voices of society in language they hear all around them. Let us offer them Biblical answers to Walliams’ aggressive agenda in gentle language that they can understand. The Mystery of Rhoda Abbott Revealed. Rhoda Abbott was a survivor of one of the most tragic maritime disasters in history, the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic in April of 1912. Rhoda Abbott, better known in Titanic lore as Rosa Abbott, never actually used the name Rosa. The White Star Line passenger manifest is the only instance when Rhoda’s name was ever written as Rosa. Her birth certificate, marriage certificate, census data in the United States and England, passport information, and death certificate all have a given name of Rhoda. How interesting that the notoriety of the Titanic disaster and the misspelling of her name placed her in history as Rosa and not Rhoda Abbott. Therein, lies part of the reason that Rhoda was so elusive to researchers for so long. Rhoda survived the disaster physically and had the distinction of being the only woman to survive that fateful night actually in the cold water of the Atlantic. All the other women survivors were occupants of Titanic ’s lifeboats. Rhoda survived physically, but suffered mentally for the rest of her life. She had suffered a difficult separation and divorce in 1911 from her husband, Stanton Abbott, a former United States middleweight boxing champion. Drained by the stress of the divorce and then the loss of her two sons in the Titanic disaster, a chronic asthma condition caused by her Titanic experience, and a relatively loveless second marriage which was plagued by sporadic unemployment and illness, and finally the care of an invalid husband for many years until his death in 1938, added further to Rhoda’s mental suffering. The final phase of Rhoda’s life was spent alone in war ravaged London during World War II. The passport pictures shown in the article reflect the internal anguish she dealt with her entire life. Rhoda Mary Hunt was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England on January 14, 1873, the daughter of Joseph Hunt and his wife, Sarah Green Hunt. Her childhood was spent in Aylesbury and in later years in St. Albans, Hertfordshire where the family moved when Rhoda was a young woman. It was from St. Albans that she emigrated to the United States in 1894. She arrived in Providence, Rhode island and soon after married a professional boxer named Stanton Abbott, who was born in London and emigrated to the United States in 1893. The marriage took place in early 1895. This phase of Rhoda’s life was perhaps her happiest when Stanton’s career took off as he became the middleweight boxing champion of the United States. Two beautiful sons were born into the family- Rossmore Edward on February 21, 1896 and Eugene Joseph on March 31, 1899. Rhoda settled into a satisfying domestic life as wife and mother. She was an active and devoted member of Grace Episcopal Church in Providence during that time. She doted on her boys and watched them grow into handsome and personable young men. However, Stanton’s success gradually caused a rift within the family, and by 1911 the marriage had deteriorated to such an extent that the couple had separated. Rhoda decided to return to England with her sons and live with her widowed mother in St. Albans, her father having died there in 1898. Sailing aboard the Olympic , she arrived in England in August of 1911. Rhoda supported herself as a seamstress, and Rossmore worked as a bootmaker. Eugene was a student at the Priory Park School in St. Albans. Life was not easy for the family in England, and the boys became very homesick for their former life in the United States. Rhoda realized that the boys were American, not English, and that they would prosper better in the United States with all its advantages, than in England. She bought tickets to return to Providence in April of 1912, and was elated when her accommodations were changed, due to the national coal strike in England at the time, from an older and smaller liner to the magnificent, gigantic Titanic , being touted as the “most luxurious ship ever outfitted”. The family traveled to Southampton by train and boarded the fabulous Titanic early on sailing day, April 10, 1912. After boarding, Rhoda and her sons found their accommodations in the family cabins at the far aft of the ship, and the boys took off to explore the huge ship as Rhoda unpacked clothing and prepared the cabin as their home for the next few days. Rhoda made the acquaintance of Amy Stanley, Emily Goldsmith, and May Howard who had cabins nearby. The voyage was quite uneventful with the boys roaming the corridors and decks of the huge ship and Rhoda passing the time by conversing with the English ladies in the adjoining cabins. The family had just retired for the evening on Sunday night, April 14, when they were awakened by a sudden jolt and then a dreadful squealing and scraping sound coming from the side of the ship. They knew something was wrong, but the boys sensed an “adventure” and wanted by go up on deck to find out what had happened. Rhoda preferred caution, and waited for a steward to some into the hallway and was assured that all was well and that she should go back to sleep. Much to their dismay, Rossmore and Eugene were pushed back to their bunks and tenderly tucked in for the night by their mother. About 12:15 A.M., Rhoda and the boys were suddenly aroused by a steward opening their door and shouting, “all passengers on deck with life jackets”. The real seriousness of the situation was not realized as Rhoda and the boys casually dressed and put on life jackets. They entered the crowded hallway and followed the human chain moving forward, passing through an opened watertight door which opened to a stairway leading to the deck above. They joined a large group of third class men, women, and children in the second class saloon area of the ship. Only women and children were being allowed beyond the gate standing before the group. Somehow, Rhoda managed to get her two young sons through the gate overseen by several crewmen. They next climbed a steel ladder onto the stern end of the boat deck and were led slowly forward, moving carefully so as not to trip over discarded ropes and debris remaining from the previous launchings of lifeboats there. Meanwhile, as the group edged forward, the last of the distress rockets was fired from the bridge area of the ship. They finally reached one of Titanic ’s last lifeboats, Collapsible C, just as it was being loaded. Only women and children were being allowed through a group of crewmen responsible for loading this boat, the last to be launched from the starboard side of the ship. Rhoda watched anxiously as Emily and Frankie Goldsmith, May Howard, Sarah Roth, Emily Badman, and Amy Stanley all were passed into the lifeboat. No men allowed was the rule, and she knew in her heart that her beloved sons would be left behind. As her turn came to enter the boat, her maternal instinct took over and she clasped her sons to her body and stepped back into the background on the boat deck. Amy Stanley remembered the sadness she felt as she watched Rhoda step back to join her sons and perish, if need be, with them. Collapsible C slowly scraped along the side of the Titanic into the dark Atlantic waters at approximately 2 A.M. leaving Rhoda, Rossmore, and Eugene standing on the sloping deck of the Titanic with the seawater inching ever closer and closer to their position on the deck. Meanwhile a group of crewmen had been frantically trying to launch Collapsible boat A, sitting atop the roof of the officers quarters. The lashings had been removed and the boat was in the process of being readied for boarding when Titanic made her final plunge. The passengers and crew waiting to board Collapsible A, Rhoda and her sons included, were swept from the deck instantly. The mother had just enough time to clasp her sons hands before they were swept into the maelstrom created by the sinking liner. She struggled to keep them with her- but to no avail. They were swallowed by the unmerciful sea. Struggling for her own survival and gasping for air, Rhoda tried vainly to locate her sons in the mass of humanity surrounding her in the freezing waters. Just as she was about to give up, a strong hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She was pulled into Collapsible A which was nearly swamped and riding low in the water with over twenty people either in the boat or hanging onto the gunwales. As the hours wore on, hypothermia took its toll. One by one, the dead were carefully lowered over the side. August Wennerstrom, one of the collapsibles’ occupants, later quoted- “All the feeling left us. If we wanted to know if we still had legs left, we had to feel down into the water with our hand. The only exercise we got was when someone gave up hope and died, whom we immediately threw overboard to give the live ones a little more space and at the same time lighten the weight of the boat. “ When Officer Lowe finally arrived in Lifeboat 14, only 13 had survived the nights’ ordeal- Rhoda being one of them. Following transfer of the living, Officer Lowe set Collapsible A adrift, leaving the dead on board. Rhoda was nearly unconscious during the transfer back to the Carpathia, but Lead Fireman Thomas Threlfall cared for her until she was lifted onto the rescue ship. Rhoda was semi-delirious for much of the Carpathia’s trip on to New York City, but her friend Amy Stanley gently cared for her. She soothed and comforted a distraught mother who could not comprehend the loss of her handsome young sons. Upon arrival in New York, Rhoda was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan where she became one of the last survivors to be discharged. She lived with respiratory problems and severe bouts with asthma for the rest of her life as a result of her Titanic experience. Her recovery from the effects of her Titanic experience was very slow. The experience had left her physically and mentally drained and she spent many months grieving for her lost sons. In a letter written to Emily Goldsmith in early 1914, she still reminisces about her sons. She writes- “I read by the papers the terrible weather you are having. I suppose Frank enjoys it. I know my little fellow used to when he was alive. I have his sled now that he used to enjoy so much, bless his little heart. I know he is safe in God’s keeping, but I miss him So Much.” Her life seemed to have come to a dead end- her reason for living had ended. Other letters to fellow survivor, Emily Goldsmith Illman and her son Frankie, chronicle her life during the period of 1912 to 1914. She had married a longtime friend, George Charles Williams, on December 16, 1912. He was originally from London and was born on November 20, 1875. He emigrated to the United States in 1906 and lived in Jacksonville, Florida most of that time. Though a silversmith by trade, he found jobs only in other fields of endeavor, and during most of their life in Florida was a bookbinder. It was decided that they would live in Jacksonville as the climate would be more conducive to Rhoda’s chronic asthma and respiratory problems. They lived at several different locations in the Jacksonville area between 1913 and 1928. In 1928 they were living at 33 West 18th. Street, their last address in the United States. In August of 1928, George and Rhoda left for England to settle his father’s (John S. Williams) estate in Barnes, Northeast Surrey, London. Shortly after their arrival in London, in September of 1928, George suffered a debilitating stroke which totally incapacitated him and left him an invalid to be cared for the remainder of his life. Rhoda dutifully cared for her husband for the next ten years, until his death on June 5, 1938. She was now free to return to the United States which had been her plan all along. She had kept contact regularly with friends, Clifford Pike and P. E. Renfroe of Jacksonville, who kept her abreast of the local happenings, and were noted in her passport applications as those to be notified in the event of death or disability. Her periodic passport renewals in London always included her intention to return to the United States to live. In August of 1938 she was granted a passport back to the United States and stated she would be leaving England within six months after the sale of her late husband’s property at 47 Cleveland Road, Barnes, Surrey, London. Unfortunately, World War II. broke out in Europe at this time, and the British Financial Restriction Act made it impossible to remove her assets out of England. She stated in her passport renewal in April of 1941 that “it is my firm intention to return to the United States at the end of the War to reside permanently.” Her American citizenship had been acquired when her husband became an American citizen on September 2, 1919 in the District Court of the United States in Jacksonville, Florida. Rhoda’s final passport renewal was on October 11, 1943 and was valid for one year. She again stated at this time that “I fully intend to return to the United States after this war for permanent residence, as I do not wish to travel during war time conditions.” At this time, she stated that she had no family ties or business, property or other interests in the United States. It would seem that she gave up the attempt to return after this date. She continued to live at 47 Cleveland Road in Barnes, Surrey Northeast, London until her death due to heart failure as a result of hypertension on February 18, 1946. Her nearest survivor was a niece living in St. Albans, Hertfordshire with whom she had a distant relationship. Rhoda died a lonely old woman in a location far distant from the one that she wished to live her last years in. She had been cheated in life of all that she loved, and even in death was cheated on her one last desire, to return to her home area and friends and to spend her last years where she had found what little happiness she had in her adult years. How ironic to survive one of the most tragic ocean disasters of our time and never really be able to find joy and happiness beyond it. Rhoda’s words on one of her postcards to Emily Goldsmith Illman in 1914 come to mind. She stated, “ I have so envied you with Frankie, and me losing both mine, but I trust that they are letter off out of this hard world.” She seemed to have developed a fatalistic attitude that kept her from really enjoying life beyond Titanic ’s demise. Rhoda Mary Hunt Abbott Williams certainly led a life unfulfilled due to her tragic Titanic experience. References 1 Echoes in the Night by Frank J.W. Goldsmith 2 Echoes in the Night by Frank J.W. Goldsmith. Text © Robert Bracken 2004. Images courtesy of the author and Shelley Dziedzic The author is treasurer and a trustee of the Titanic International Society. Bad Boys at Church by Lucas Loveless. GARY LUCAS' longtime band GODS AND MONSTERS just returned Oct 2015 as the house band performing 6 sold-out shows in Australia as part of "A State of Grace: The Music of Tim and Jeff Buckley"—a multimedia show featuring vocalists Martha Wainwright, Steve Kilbey (The Church) and others celebrating the great music of the Buckleys, father and son. Gary was the Music Director and arranger for this show, and plans are afoot for more international appearances with the project next year. 5 Star Review of "The Ordeal of Civility" from Music News.com (UK)!! Video for "SWAMP T'ING" by Jill A. Black up now!! A vinyl version of Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters' album "The Ordeal of Civility" was released on 5nakefork Records (5F-058), distributed by Sony/Red! "The Ordeal of Civility" receives 4 STARS in MOJO!! Check out Gods and Monsters blazing version of Abdullah Ibrahim's "Bra Joe from Kilimanharo" live at CMJ. Check out the Gods and Monsters music video for "LuvzOldSweetSong" up on YouTube now. See "Fata Morgana" in HD from the Gods and Monsters 20th Anniversary Show in June 2010. "THE THINKING MAN'S GUITAR HERO. AN UNDERGROUND ROCK FAN'S DREAM TEAM" —The New Yorker. "THE GROUP IS MIND-BLOWING!" —Time Out New York. "YOUR BAND IS REALLY AMAZING!" —Mike Lang, founder of the original Woodstock Festival, after seeing Gods and Monsters perform at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on October 6, 2007. Gods and Monsters is an avant-rock supergroup / jamband playing intense psychedelic rock. Featuring guitarist extraordinaire and Grammy- nominated songwriter Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley) on guitars and vocals; Billy Ficca (Television) on drums; Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers) on bass and vocals; Jason Candler (Hungry March Band) on alto sax; and Joe Hendel (Latest Show on Earth), trombone and keyboards. Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) occasionally joins the group live on stage and in the studio on keyboards, and has performed with the band in Russia, Holland, NYC, Oberlin College, and at SXSW in Austin Texas. A hit producer (Live, OAR), Jerry Harrison has just finished producing Gods and Monsters new studio album, "The Ordeal of Civility". Check out a clip of "Swamp T'ing" here — a track from the forthcoming Gods and Monsters live DVD/CD. Check out a rave review from Variety of Gods and Monsters live here — and reviews of the band live at SXSW 2007 here. Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters album "Coming Clean" was unleashed on Mighty Quinn Records in the US, Canada and Japan; on Side Salad/Universal in the UK; in France through Productions Speciales; in the Benelux through DAWA Records; in Russia on Exotica Music; and in Germany and Scandinavia. It has received uniformly excellent reviews worldwide, with 4 star reviews in MOJO, Uncut and Record Collector, a rave from David Fricke in Rolling Stone, and raves in Krinein (France), Crossroads (English translation), Tokafi.com and blogcritics.org. Below are excerpts from some of these reviews: "GARY LUCAS IS ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST ORIGINAL GUITARISTS IN AMERICA—A MASTER SYNTHESIST OF DEEP BLUES, AVANT-ROCK AND MADRIGAL-LIKE FOLK WHO WAS A VITAL MEMBER OF CAPTAIN BEEFHEART'S LATE- PERIOD MAGIC BAND AND AN EARLY MUSICAL PARTNER OF THE LATE JEFF BUCKLEY. LUCAS IS ALSO A SONGWRITER OF ESTABLISHED INVENTION—HE CO-WROTE BUCKLEY'S SIGNATURE SONGS 'GRACE' AND 'MOJO PIN'—AND HIS LATEST ALBUM 'COMING CLEAN' MADE WITH HIS BAND GODS AND MONSTERS IS AN ACTION-PACKED INTEGRATION OF HIS GIFTS. HE PLAYS ASTOUNDING GUITAR THROUGHOUT, BUT ALWAYS FOR THE SAKE OF THE SONG." —Rolling Stone, 11/16/2006. "4 STARS—LUCAS' SONGS CARRY HIS CHARACTERISTIC WARMTH AND WIT. AND THE BAND—WHICH FEATURES BILLY FICCA FROM TELEVISION ON DRUMS, EX-MODERN LOVER ERNIE BROOKS' BASS, AND ONE-TIME TALKING HEAD JERRY HARRISON ON PRODUCTION DUTIES—ARE A FORMIDABLE UNIT. HIS GUITAR PLAYING IS SUPERB THROUGHOUT—WHEN HE LETS FLY IT'S BREATHTAKING." —MOJO (UK), 10/2006. "4 STARS—HIS PLAYING CAN BARELY BE CONTAINED, SPEEDING AND BURNING WITH INTENSITY AT ALL TIMES." — Uncut (UK), 12/2006. "4 STARS—RISK-TAKING HAS LONG BEEN A FULL TIME JOB FOR GARY LUCAS. GODS AND MONSTERS ARE A SUPERGROUP FROM THE NEW YORK UNDERGROUND IN MUCH MORE THAN NAME. 'COMING CLEAN' TREATS ALL WHO VENTURE ITS WAY TO AN UNSETTLING RIDE THROUGH A LANDSCAPE OF EXPRESSIONISTIC BLUES CREATIONS, ART-ROCK, AND BURSTS OF RAMPANT PSYCHEDELIA. REVELATORY IS THE WORD." —Record Collector (UK), 12/2006. Gods and Monsters has been Lucas' baby since 1989, and has featured such luminaries as Jeff Buckley and Matthew Sweet. In Gods and Monsters, Lucas' exceptional songwriting talents get a thorough workout, and with the help of Ernie, Billy, Jerry, Jason and Joe, Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters becomes an all-out jam, blowing the roof off of virtually every show they play. Gods and Monsters Live in Moscow: Gary's Birthday Party, Gods and Monsters June 20th 2008 NYC. For bookings please contact . Gary Lucas put the first version of Gods and Monsters together in 1989 as an all-instrumental aggregation, who made their debut at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in Prospect Park. Envisioning a loose collective of instrumental (and later vocal) provocateurs along the lines of groups like Material and The Golden Palominos, Lucas dubbed his band of merry pranksters Gods and Monsters from a line of dialogue in the 1932 horror film classic "The Bride of Frankenstein" (mad scientist Ernest Thesiger toasts the equally mad Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive): "To a new world of GODS AND MONSTERS!" — a line of dialogue that Gary sampled and played during these early shows). The group then featured two bassists, Paul Now and Jared Nickerson, and drum ace Tony "Thunder" Smith (Jeff Beck, Lou Reed, Nina Hagen). Realizing that despite the positive response he received he would need to develop his songwriting in order to expand his audience beyond the rock / jazz / experimental / instrumental crowd, Lucas began writing his own twisted brand of art-pop songs and bringing in male and female singers (and even a rapper and scratcher!) to augment his live shows. The results can be heard on two albums he recorded for Enemy Records, 1992's Gods and Monsters ("4 stars," Rolling Stone) and 1994's Bad Boys of the Arctic ("Lucas reinvents Led Zeppelin III," Guitar Player), reissued as the compilations Operators are Standing By (Knitting Factory) and Level the Playing Field (Last Call). Among the talented members who have passed through the ranks of Gods and Monsters are singers Rolo McGinty (Woodentops), Matthew Sweet, drummer Keith LeBlanc, Sonya Cohen, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Dina Emerson, Richard Barone (The Bongos), Jeff Buckley, and longtime drummer Jonathan Kane. The title song of Jeff Buckley's album "Grace" and the first track "Mojo Pin" were both co-written by Gary Lucas who also played on both tracks. Both were originally in the Gods and Monsters songbook of 1991-92. "Grace" was recently named the #1 Modern Classic Album in MOJO magazine over albums by U2, Radiohead, and others. Images by UK artist supremo Paul McGowan for the Gods and Monsters studio album "The Ordeal of Civility", out now on Knitting Factory Records: l-r: Jason Candler, Gary Lucas, Ernie Brooks, Richard Dworkin photo by Jesse Winter in Long Island City NY. photo by Jesse Winter in Long Island City NY. photo by Jesse Winter in Long Island City NY. l-r: Jason Candler, Ernie Brooks, Gary Lucas, Billy Ficca, Joe Hendel photo by Shivers. Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters, December 2010 photo copyright by Michel Delsol. l-r: Gary Lucas, Jonathan Kane, Ernie Brooks photo by David Bias. Gods and Monsters 20th Anniversary Show—Gramercy Theater NYC 6/11/09 l-r: Ernie Brooks, GL, Billy Ficca, Jason Candler, Joe Hendel photo copyright by Michel Delsol. l-r: Gary Lucas, Ernie Brooks, Billy Ficca, NYC, 10/2004 photo by Dave Bias. Movie times + Tickets near. Reserve your tickets now! If your plans change, it’s easy to refund or exchange your tickets! All Refunds/Exchanges must be completed before posted showtimes. REFUND – Receive your entire order amount minus non-refundable convenience fees refunded back to your original method (exclusions apply, click here for details). EXCHANGE – Receive your entire order amount as Fandango Credits that never expires saved to your active Fandango VIP account. Log in to your account to automatically apply your Fandango Credit to your next purchase. Tag Archives: donewaitingtv. They may have left Columbus to make it big in Chicago (and they’ve been doing a good job playing on some great bills and generating a buzz not only in the Windy City but on the world wide web), but Loyal Divide has not forgotten about their Buckeye past. It seems like they are playing here more now then they did when they were based in Columbus. I’m always at a loss on how to exactly describe these guys – they come from seemingly an indie rock (everything from The Cure to Modest Mouse ) background but have fully embraced technology and bring a Nine Inch Nails electronic flavor to their output. Electraplay Studio recently had Loyal Divide into the studio where they recorded “MDLD” which you can see below. Loyal Divide will be joined by LD, Boombox and Alpha Delta tonight at The Newport. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. Tickets are $20 at the door. Comments Off on Friday: Loyal Divide @ The Newport. Friday: Local H @ The Basement + new Scott Lucas & The Married Men Columbus tour date. “Dude, I love that one song, you know, the ‘Copacetic’ song. Yeah man, I LOVE Local H.” I imagine this conversation happens a lot in large part due to the blessing/curse of radio stations becoming fixated on 1996’s “Bound for the Floor” (did you even know that was the title of the ‘Copacetic’ song?) and, for all intents and purposes, making Local H a “one-hit wonder” despite the fact that the duo ( Scott Lucas and Brian St.Clair ) have been pumping out albums at a steady pace ever since then. Sure, they’ve had a bit of radioplay/success with songs like “All the Kids Are Right”, “High-Fiving MF”, “Eddie Vedder”, “California Songs”, etc., but call CD102.5 or 99.7 and request a Local H song and you’re most likely going to hear “Bound for the Floor”. Local H is currently putting the finishing touches on their 7th full length, Hallelujah! I’m a Bum , which will hit shelves this year. In preparation of that release, the duo is road testing songs and we should get to preview a number of those on Friday night at The Basement . Don’t expect a ton of deep cuts, so far on this tour they’ve been playing new stuff and greatest hits type material but you never know what they’re going to be pulling out so expect the unexpected. Scott Lucas’s other band (don’t call it a side project!), Scott Lucas and the Married Men , will also be releasing new material in 2012 – Blood Half Moon is due out in June and you can download the title track here. Scott Lucas and the Married Men will return to Columbus on June 17 for a show at The Summit, the same venue they played in February 2010. Check out their DonewaitingTV session here. Comments Off on Friday: Local H @ The Basement + new Scott Lucas & The Married Men Columbus tour date. Friday: Lydia Loveless CD release party @ Rumba Cafe. Not exactly a CD release party for a CD that’s been available to purchase both physically and digitally for a few weeks, Lydia Loveless plays Columbus on Saturday night for the first time since her badass twang-rocker Indestructible Machine was released by Bloodshot Records on September 13. While Josh Krajcik put Columbus in the national spotlight due to his 7-minutes (so far) of fame on the X-Factor (one of Loveless’s first shows was with Krajcik), glowing reviews have been piling up for Loveless, the introverted (at least when she’s not on stage) singer whose biographical tales of local stalkers, woebegone relationships with both bad boys and alcohol, and the reality of everyday life have struck a chord with music listeners worldwide. Welcome Lydia Loveless back to Columbus on Friday night when she makes an appearance at Rumba Cafe along with The Mooncussers and a solo set from Two Cow Garage’s Shane Sweeney . Copies of Indestructible Machine will be available at the show though you all certainly own it by now! Comments Off on Friday: Lydia Loveless CD release party @ Rumba Cafe. Video: Phantogram – “When I’m Small” Phantogram has just released an “official” video for “When I’m Small”. The duo played the song for us when they visited Electraplay Studio for our first Donewaiting session. Continue reading → Comments Off on Video: Phantogram – “When I’m Small”