Wreckless Abandon

After seeing Wreckless Eric in 1980 at New York City’s Bottom Line, I walked out with my ears ringing and headed for the subway, Penn Station, and the LIRR. That was great. I’d like to see him again.

Flash forward thirty years.

Thumbing through the concert listings in Metroland, this jumped off the page and grabbed me by the ear: Wreckless Eric is coming to Valentine’s on November 9. Some of you are now saying, “Who the f*** is Wreckless Eric?”

Wreckless (Mr. Eric?), AKA Eric Goulden, was among the groundbreaking artists Stiff Records signed in the late 70s along with legends like Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and Madness. As a college radio geek, his songs were a staple of my show, and he was, no doubt, also loved by my six listeners.

So how can I possibly miss this? Valentine’s is a wonderfully grimy place to see music, and here’s hoping that on the verge of my 49th birthday I can stand elbow to elbow with other over-the-hill punks, music nerds, and assorted old folks, reliving my misspent youth.

He’ll be appearing with his wife Amy Rigby (no slouch, herself) and is sure to sing this popular favorite, Whole Wide World:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SncvMas6qF0]

And another, the wonderful Take the Cash:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHC5PoR-eE4]

8 thoughts on “Wreckless Abandon

  1. So- since I don’t read metroland as much as I used to- I went to the Valentine’s site and TA-DAH Pete Case (of the Plimsouls) November 5. If I didn’t know better I’d swear JB Scsott’s was still around…

    1. Was never a big Plimsouls fan. They always struck me as self-conciously “new wave.” Hey… I should have been a music writer!

    1. We’ll always have the rock n’ roll — and as I get older, new drugs are coming into my life.

      One of the most memorable shows I’ve ever seen was Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe appearing solo at the Palace.

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