Living Sickness/Live Review Page

Review(s) from Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival

Little Steven came on stage to kill some time before presenting the next band. 
He was so gracious and excited, and he really just seems like he's probably the
nicest guy in the whole world. He introduced The Fuzztones, who all stood on
 stage with their backs to the audience, all wearing matching black vests with
their logo on the back. As Little Steven whisked off stage, he patted one of the
go-go dancers on the ass. Then the Fuzztones started and were incredible! 
They hammered out "Bad News Travels Fast" on all Vox equipment, including
teardrop guitars, and I was blown away.
- Stop and Listen

HOME : NEWS : STORY 
Viva Las Vegas Shakedown! 2000 
Las Vegas' "Garage Rock Woodstock" 


Cavemen crusaders the Fuzztones 

Los Angeles' wild and hairy raunch rock kings the Fuzztones, 
led by the ageless Rudi Protrudi, provided much of the opening 
night excitement with their organ-drenched stomps. The band 
further confirmed their frightful image while trouncing through 
the casino all weekend looking like cavemen and later causing
grief for a hostess at a buffet who tried to seat them in a section 
where they would be safely out of the way of vacationing families. 

-Jim Freek 
Rolling Stone (!) 

ADDENDUM 
Well, if all 3 events move to LA, you can bet there will be less 
people attending. I for one will not go. One of the beautiful things 
about these events being held in Vegas was the price of Hotels, Food, 
and Cocktails. It's a damn shame that a few assh*les wrecked 
everything. But I gotta say this, I knew this was gonna happen. 
Just a matter of time before a genius buys a plane ticket, event 
ticket, rents a hotel room, and decides to urinate on a sofa.

Deke deke@dauntlessproductions.com

In Garage66@egroups.com, Jeff Kopp wrote: 
> Ouch, this isn't good news, folks. Supposedly there is no LV Grind 
planned for next year, anyway. But all the Vegas Weekenders are 
in turmoil because of hotel damages caused last weekend. There 
will be a Shakedown next year, they just don't know where yet. 
No doubt, there were more than enough assholes at the weekend. 
Thanks to them, there will be no Las Vegas Shakedown 2001 at the 
Gold Coast. Here are some of the reasons: 
1) A lot of drunk idiots harrassed a lot of the tourists and 
regulars. For no reason. 
2) There was over $15,000 in damages we had to pay for hotel 
damages. Broken toilets, people urinating on furniture, etc. I really 
don't understand why people do these things. 
3) The Gold Coast is known for having bowling tournaments. 
One league thought the crowd for the Shakedown was so obnoxious,
 they said they would never come back, if the Shakedown was to return. 
4) Some girl had the bright idea of giving some guy head in the elevator. 
Only to be caught by an elderly woman, who nearly had a heart attack. 
I hope you know, you're on video tape! 
5) Bradley, from the Weaklings, who also happens to be a 
friend of mine, really caused the most damage. Body surfing through
broken glass was not the smartest thing to do. This incident really upset 
the hotel. 
6) Plenty of drug busts. About 15 people arrested for cocaine and pot
 possesion. 
7) Several fights broke out, and yes, a few people were  arrested. If 
 you are going to spend money on a plane ticket, hotel room, weekend
 pass, and all other costs, why would you risk anything, by fighting? 
Security didn't put up with any bullshit, and rightfully so. Some people
 had the nerve to ask me to help them get in after they got kicked out.  
Sorry buddy, I'm not the one who decided to fight. 
8) I've pretty much lost face with Tom Ingram to a certain  degree. This 
episode has even put Viva Las Vegas at risk, with the owners. 
The 50, or so, idiots have cost us dearly.  On the bright side, it was a 
great, historic weekend. People had so much fun, and couldn't get enough. 
The responsible crowd behaved really well. 
Tom, Barney, and myself, had a meeting yesterday, and felt 
that the event was successful enough to continue, but definatley at a
different location. Perhaps one that was not connected to a hotel, and was 
used to live rock music. There was even talk of moving it to Los Angeles. 

Ralph Carrera

30.04.2003 - 11:20 Uhr

Morgen geht in London die 'Make Fuzz, Not War'-Tour der Sixties-Punk-Legende The Fuzztones zuende. Gestern fand eines der raren Deutschlandkonzerte im Dortmunder FZW statt. Beim nächsten Mal auf keinen Fall verpassen!

Die Erwartungen waren nicht groß. So gut wie gegen Ende der 80er würde es ja wohl kaum werden, wo man doch gehört hatte, dass Mainman Rudi Protrudi vor ein paar Jahren noch seinen Lebensunterhalt damit bestritt, dass er in irgendeinem Venloer Laden die Gläser einsammelte. Wurde es aber doch. Ein proppevolles Freizeitzentrum West feierte ihre alten Helden, die sich 1980 in New York aufgemacht hatten, der Welt die Botschaft zu überbringen, die gestern Abend auch auf Rudis T-Shirt prangte: 'Real Men Play Vox!' Und ja, da waren sie wieder, diese seltsam geformten Vox-Phantom-Gitarren, die man sonst bei keiner anderen Band zu sehen bekommt. Der alte Kern der Band kam erstaunlich frisch und gutgelaunt rüber, die Kettchen mit den aufgereihten Knochen standen ihnen immer noch ausgesprochen gut.

Noch besser aber war der warme und differenzierte Sound. Man spürte deutlich, dass hier routinierte Musiker am Werk waren, die an ihrem Job noch immer größte Freude haben. Das groovte, rockte oder waberte ausufernd psychedelisch vor sich hin. Mit dem Song "Get Naked" präsentierte die Band einen vielversprechenden Vorgeschmack auf das neue Album "Salt For Zombies", das ab Mai über die Homepage www.fuzztones.net und hoffentlich auch bald über ein gutes Label erhältlich sein wird.

Aber vornehmlich ging es gestern natürlich nicht um die Zukunft, sondern um das Huldigen der Tradition. Für beste Stimmung sorgten da vor allem die alten Hits ihres famosen ersten Albums "Lysergic Emanations ": "Gotta Get Some", "She's Wicked", "Highway 69" und natürlich "Bad News Travels Fast". Die beiden The Sonics-Covers "Strychnine " und "Cinderella " gab es dann bei der Zugabe, die die Band wegen der indiskutablen Luftverhältnisse an den Rand des Kollaps brachte. Aber die Fuzztones haben schon Härteres überstanden, und so wurde die eigentliche Sperrstunde des FZW genüsslich überzogen...

Autor: Dirk Siepe

Translated below into English by Angel DelRio

04/30/2003 - 11:20 am

Tomorrow in London, the "Make Fuzz not War" tour of sixties garage-punk legends the Fuzztones comes to an end. They made a rare appearance in Germany yesterday at the Dortmunder FZW. Be sure not to miss them the next time around!

Expectations were pretty low. Nobody thought it was going to be like the late 80's, when it was said that frontman Rudi Protrudi made ends meet for a few years by picking up empties in some divebar in Venlo. They were wrong. At the Freizeitzentrum West, which, by the way, was packed, Fuzzheads celebrated their heroes of yore, who originally came together in New York in 1980 to spread the message, appropriately displayed on Rudi's T-shirt, that "Real Men Play Vox." And there they were again, these strangely formed Vox Phantom Guitars that aren't seen being played by any other band. The original core of the band seemed surprisingly fresh and enthusiastic, and their bone necklaces still look exceptionally fitting.

Even better was their warm, crisp sound. You could really feel that these were experienced musicians at work here who still really enjoy what they do. It grooved, rocked, or lulled magestically psychiadelically through space and time. With the song "Get Naked," the band gave a promising taste of the Fuzz to come, namely the new Album "Salt for Zombies," which will be available starting in May via their website www.fuzztones.net and will hopefully be picked up by a deserving label in the near future.

But yesterday it wasn't about the future, but rather about honoring a tradition. Good vibes were supplied most of all by the classic hits from their renowned first album "Lysergic Emanations": "Gotta Get Some," "She's Wicked," "Highway 69" and, of course, "Bad News Travels Fast." Both The Sonics' covers "Strychnine" and "Cinderella", played as an encore, almost made the band collapse, due to the unbearable lack of ventilation in the venue. But the Fuzztones have survived much, much worse, and the show thankfully continued well past the venue's normal curfew.

by Dirk Siepe

BARCELONA 2003

HOLA FUZZFANATICS EN MARZO O ABRIL DEL 2003 ESTUVE EN EL CONCIERTO DE FUZZTONES EN LA SALA BIKINI BCN, FUE UNA PASADA UNAS 150 PERSONAS PERO EL CONCIERTO FUE SUPER FAMILIAR TOPE FUZZTONES REMEMBER Y NEW FUZZTONES FUE MUY AGRADABLE RECORDAR VIEJOS TIEMPOS.RUDI UNA PASADA CON LA GENTE Y EL BAJO UN ESPECTACULO CON PATAS MUY MUY MUY BIEN FALTAN MUCHAS MAS GIRAS EN EUROPA DE FUZZTONES Pere Perez Veciana

LONDON GARAGE REVIEW MAY 2003

It was 11 years since The Fuzztones had played the UK and the excitement was overwhelming at seeing the "Tones" in such a long time, plus the bonus that Deb was back! There were rows of smiling faces from ear to ear all around!! There was no messing as Debs went straight in to the organ intro of "I Never Knew" and Rudi the "King of Cool" came on the stage playing a Tambourine and chucking it up in the air and catching it. They were BACK!!! Next they went into "In Heat" and Batlord and Gabe were well into it! Gabes was wearing a Turban and reminded me of "Kid Congo Powers" from the early "Cramps" days. Batlord looking menacing and getting low-down like a stick insect with a guitar and attitude. Lucky young Rams on the drums looking well pleased to be there too! Then came the first new one "Johnson in a Headlock" Fantastic!! Rudi mentioned about some wanky review•in the NME about the last time they played and a Freddie Mercury comparison? What does the NME know about anything? Later on in the set, Rudi got his guitar head in a Tripping guys mouth; maybe it was all a bit too much for this punter?! Later came the old favourites, 9 months Later, Heathen set, 1,2,5 ,Bad news and Ward 81. The highlight song for me was the very last one Blacklighting light, an awesome song, drenched in feedback and unbelievable highs and lows all in one song. FanFuzzingTastic!!!! Chris Matthews.

Reviews from recent "KILL THE FUZZTONES" Tour

THE FUZZTONES LIVE CONCERT 4 Oct. 2003, Athens, Greece at Gagarin 205 Club. The place was packed by 1500 anxious people. It felt like ages since last March when The Fuzztones visited Athens and now they were back to start for once again their Europe-Tour from this haunted theater! Rudi Protrudi appeared on stage with the exactly same bowl haircut and bone necklace that used to wear almost 20 years ago, which is responsible for the great Fuzztones reputation in this town since the eighties. The place nearly went down from the first notes of "Cinderella", which was picked to perform first. Jordan Tarlow was here too on guitar and second came "Action Speaks Louder Than Words". The Fuzztones nearly performed the whole new album and the crowd loved it. "Johnson In A Headlock", "This Sinister Urge", "Group Grope", "My Brother The Man", "What Ever Happened To Baby Jesus" etc. and also the Tones classics "1-2-5", "Strychnine", "Bad News Travel Fast", "She's Wicked" were performed by the band. Sometime in the middle of the live, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere And The Raiders appeared on stage and took the microphone for a special live appearance with The Fuzztones in Athens, in front of a crowd that nearly went crazy! They wouldn't perform any other song for the start but "Steppin' Out". They also played "Louie Go Home", "Kicks" and "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" plus a couple more but the greatest moment of this special appearance was "Louie Louie"! I got shivers down my spine² The Fuzztones closed their live performance with "Ward 81" and Rudi announced that he had a dream that this was the night that he would meet the girl of his life² I don't know if he did but the girls (and guys) did meet this long awaited new CD outside the hall for sale and they did vanished them all! Thank you Fuzztones! Caveman Thee Cave

I enjoyed your great show and Rudi's charismatic personnality at the gig in Paris. I like yours news songs specialy the slow one with tension inside. It's allways a pleasure to hear Strychnine, Cinderella... played by the Fuzztones in concert. I need to see the shows likes yours because today it's difficult in France to hear and to see a good band like you. -Christian, Men in the Moon

hey igor, the paris show was fuckin' great. it was fun to hang with you guys, and i hope that the rest of the tour goes well. the pictures of the night will come soon. all the best, wilson.

Hey here is FREAK Rainer! I was at the concert in the ARENA in VIENNA in AUSTRIA at the 28 October.2003, the amazing guy who was shaking hole the time when you was playing(FUZZTONES). I only won't to tell you that it was my best concert i ever been in my hole life. And i here this psych/garage music only since 3 years and i am facinating about the time. I hope you remember, it would be nice when you come back to vienna at any time and play the psychedelic fuzzguitar again with combinating keyboard maybe i can arange a cool afterhour at least... but you now rudolph, you was great. One week later i was writing to Sky Sunlight Saxon about your concert. Also a picture from me so you can remember! Bye to you all and see you later aligator! LE FREAK PS: My english is not very well but i think can check this sentence out!

Subject: wonderful concert in Rome yesterday night! Thank you so much for the wonderful concert you took yesterday in Init , Rome !!! The atmosphere we were involved in was really magical : spirals of charming sound surrounded us without hesitation. I took you some pictures , black& white film , and as soon as i develop them , i send them to you bye arianna p.s. we are two girls ,we were sitting near you in the restaurant eating pizza