TransVocalizers — Wayne/Jayne County at Max’s Kansas City

Music Review

Those of you out there who might just be music purists, or even audiophiles, it’s not news that vinyl records are coming back. Not only has the market for original release 33 1/3s and 45s increased in the last five years or so, but more and more new projects are being released on vinyl as well.

All of this makes me kind of happy. I’m one of those people who has really missed “record albums,” as I was used to calling them. I miss the art work that could be more detailed on the larger format, but mostly I missed the actual sound. For those of you who grew up listening to music only on CD, I know you’ll probably not understand the true difference between digital and analog recording. Being a working musician, what I missed most with CDs was the absence of the highs and lows of the entire frequency spectrum that digital recordings just didn’t have. I won’t go into the technical side of this, but let’s just keep it simple and say that I’m not alone in being glad that 331/3s and 45s are making a comeback.

Okay, that’s a long introduction to this review. But it’s necessary in order to get to how I came across Max’s Kansas City 1976. My wife and I are both record collectors and I have some truly rare items in my collection. Recently, we found an actual record store in Fort Wayne, Indiana that’s an amazing place. Everything in it is hand selected by the owner, and I’ve not found anything that wasn’t in pristine condition.

It was during a recent trip to Fort Wayne (where I always spend more money than originally intended) that I came across Max’s Kansas City 1976. We’d already tallied up close to $100 in vinyl gems when I found the album in a bin marked “new arrivals.” The record cover is a black and white photo of the exterior of the famous club, Max’s Kansas City, in New York City, and included is a listing of the bands on the record. The first artist listed is Wayne County and The Back Street Boys. I have found that this particular project is also available on CD, released in 1996, but finding it on vinyl was a treat. Of course, it made it home with us that day.

Jayne County

For those of you who might not be familiar with Wayne/Jayne County, who was profiled in our companion Perpetual Change column in April, 2000, here is bit of background. Before taking on the name Jayne full time, Wayne County was well known in the scene in New York. She was a regular at the Stonewall Inn, and was a participant in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. She also worked as an actress, both independently and for Andy Warhol.

In 1972, she formed her first band, Queen Elizabeth, which is often regarded as one of the seminal punk bands of the era. They were signed to David Bowie’s management company, Main Man, but no records were released. By 1974, she formed Wayne County and The Back Street Boys. (NOT to be confused with the “boy band” Backstreet Boys. County’s Backstreet Boys was an actual band that plays instruments.) The band line-up was: County, lead vocals; Greg Van Cook, guitar; Elliot Michaels, bass; Jett “Bingo” Harris, drums. County, along with this lineup of musicians, also played regularly at New York’s other premier punk venue, CBGBs, as well as Max’s. By 1977, County moved to London and formed another band, The Electric Chairs.

Max’s Kansas City 1976 is actually a compilation that also features Cherry Vanilla and Her Staten Island Band, The Fast, Suicide, The John Collins Band, Harry Toledo, and Pere Ubu. The album title is also the title cut, sung by County and The Backstreet Boys. It’s pure punk and lyrically is a who’s-who of acts that were current favorites at Max’s: The New York Dolls are mentioned, then County goes to sing .”. . . I see Patti Smith/and I see Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.”

Part of the song is kind of spoken word, with County spitting out the names of other acts such as Blondie, The Ramones, Heartbreakers, Cherry Vanilla, Mink DeVille, Talking Heads and even The Psychotic Frogs. She closes out the tune by half singing/half speaking: “I ain’t talkin’ about San Francisco, I ain’t talkin’ about Los Angeles, or Detroit City . . . I’m talkin’ about Max’s Kansas City/Better not forget to bring your masquerade mask and your ego trip/’cause you’re gonna need it.”
The next cut on the album that County has is the short (less than two minute) tune Creme In My Jeans. The song is not much more than .”. . . you make me creme in my jeans/every time you pass by/can’t you see the gleam in my eye?” Very fast punk, and very, very short, ala The Ramones.

Jayne and a fan.

County’s third cut is Flip Your Wig, which once again is pure punk, but this time built around a very solid group of guitar riffs. Basically, the song is wry commentary on very bad fashion sense, especially with lines like:

“You really flipped your wig
I can’t believe you walk the street that way
You’re wearin’ everything but a lamp shade.”

Max’s Kansas City 1976 is of course a very dated sounding record. I don’t know if the CD sounds much better, but then again that’s part of the charm of a true analog recording on vinyl. And in all probability, I doubt there was much of a recording budget to begin with. Nonetheless, I”m glad I have this copy — it’s truly a piece of history. Not only does it serve as a very brief look at the start of the punk scene, but it also is some of the first recorded work of Wayne/Jayne County, who is a true pioneer in drag, transgender activism, and an icon to the community.

Jayne County and The Back Street Boys performing Max’s Kansas City 1976.
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While the actual LP version of Max’s Kansas City 1976 probably impossible to find, the CD is not. Plus, County’s other albums are also available, and can be found on most music online outlets such as amazon.com. We were wanting to offer downloads of a couple of these songs, but I don’t have the necessary software to transfer from the medium of an LP to a digital download. I’ll look into it and see if we can’t offer that in the future. For now, there are also plenty of Wayne/Jayne YouTube videos.

ALSO THIS MONTH

Storm Miguel Florez

Storm Miguel Florez finally is making it to the Ivy Leagues. Well, actually, Florez will be performing at Yale University, New Haven, CT, on November 8th for their Trans Week. Also, Florez’s current video, I’ve Been To Manhattan will be screen in San Francisco, November 8-11, as part of the SF Transgender Film Festival.

David de Alba

TGForum would like to offer a further reminder that David de Alba will be presenting his Judy Garland Tribute Concert on November 11th at The Onyx Theater in Las Vegas, NV. David is purposely keeping the ticket price to $10 to help those in the community who have been hit hardest by the economy. (For more information visit David’s website, or The Onyx Theater, 953 East Sahara Ave., #16, Las Vegas, NV 702-732-7225)

NEW MUSIC

The Origin Of Love MIKA

British singer/songwriter MIKA has recently released his third studio album, The Origin Of Love. During a promotional interview for the project, he stated that this album would be “more simplistic and less layered” than his last release, 2009’s The Boy Who Knew Too Much. (Other previous released include another album, Life In Cartoon Motion, 2006, and the EPs Dodgy Holiday 2006; iTunes Festival London, 2007; Songs For Sorrow, 2009, and iTunes Live London Fest ‘09.)

However, listening to The Origin of Love, it’s hard to see how MIKA’s music could be more layered. While the album mostly moves from pop to dance material, there are a few moments that are unexpected. But the layered, keyboard/synth feel is found throughout.

The dance tracks on the project include the title cut, Origin of Love, Stardust, Overrated, Emily, Celebrate,  and Love You When I’m Drunk.

[mp3j track="Origin-of-Love.mp3"]

This last mentioned tune, . . . Drunk, is a fun pop/dance tune, almost a novelty tune in a way. It’s also one of the better, outstanding tracks on the project. The song has some great lines, such as:

“I don’t want to be that guy
To look in the face and lie
Some one has to say this first
Even if the words may hurt
I only love you when I’m drunk” ( and later . . .)
“I may be a little bit drunk but I know what I’ve got to do
‘Cuz when I get a little more sober I know I’ll be over you.”

The pop tunes that really stood out to me, compared to the rest of the album, are Underwater and Make You Happy.

Underwater does live up to MIKA’s claim for simplicity, at least at the beginning of the tune. You can actually hear MIKA’s voice without all the programming. He’s probably stretching himself a bit here, but the song is one of the project’s better production moments.

Make You Happy is the other outstanding track. What I want to mention is the remix of this song that appears as the last cut on the project. Usually, I regard remixes to be a bit of a waste but this version is better than the original. While it’s very orchestrated, almost somewhat over-programmed, it is nonetheless the most musically appealing and interesting tune on The Origin Of Love, and also another of the better production moments. Visit MIKA’s website and also Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, iTunes, and Amazon.com.

Tags: featured, History, music, Musician

Category: Music, Transgender History