45YRS AGO TODAY

20YRS AGO TODAY

This month marks the 45th anniversary of the publication debut of EXPOSE! magazine (1980). The final print issue was Feb 1990.


DECEMBER 1980 ON THE WORLD STAGE Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician's New York City apartment. The beloved world famous 40yr old musician was shot several times in the back as he entered the Dakota, his luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side opposite Central Park, at 11PM. He was rushed in a police car to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His wife, Yoko Ono who is understood to have witnessed the attack was with him. A police spokesman said a suspect was in custody but he had no other details of the killing, stating "this was no robbery" and adding that Mr. Lennon was probably shot by a "deranged" person. Witness reports say at least 3 shots were fired and others have claimed they heard 6. There are also reports that Lennon staggered up 6 steps into the vestibule after he was shot before collapsing. Jack Douglas, Lennon's producer, said he & the Lennons had been at a studio called the Record Plant in midtown earlier in the evening and Lennon left at 10:30PM, planning to have some dinner and then return home. The Dakota was the site of the 1968 film 'Rosemary's Baby' and has long been the residence of many high-profile celebrities including Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, Boris Karloff, Paul Simon, Joe Namath, Jack Palance, and Gilda Radner. The Lennons apparently left their limousine on the street and walked up the driveway when the gunman opened fire. It is unclear whether the man had been lying in wait in the entrance to the building for Lennon or whether he came up behind him. Witnesses describe the gunman as a "pudgy kind of man", 35-40yrs old with brown hair, and may have been an autograph seeker who might have mingled earlier with other bystanders. Former band members, Paul McCartney, guitarist George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr are thought to have been informed of Lennon's shocking murder. Fans have already begun arriving at the scene, many in a state of disbelief still unaware Lennon has died. Lennon is survived by his wife, their son Sean, and his son Julian from a previous marriage.

This was the Los Angeles punkers' 5th album released shortly after the success of their previous album's 'No Control' tour. ATG was the last record to feature drummer Pete and also one of the 1st releases to feature songs written by other members other than the usual duo of singer Greg and guitarist Brett. With it's melodic & frenetic pace balanced by quick off-the-mark vocals, catchy trademarked multi-harmonies, metronomic beat and pragmatic intellectual lyrics (largely poetic reflections on progress tackling disorder) rife with 'check-your-dictionary' wording which is not surprising coming from Greg's UCLA master's degree and Cornell's PhD, the album's rigid but exuberant textured tone in fairness is a very repetitive formula and has been stiffly criticized by many as boring but it's still a polished delivery, and anthemic with edges of ominous that also saw their hit single '21st Century Digital Boy' re-recorded 4yrs later & with a video on their 8th album, 1994's 'Stranger than Fiction' (the song is a playful homage on KING CRIMSON's '21st Cenutry Schizoid Man' from 1969). ATG was the band's first 100,000 seller, and was re-issued in Apr 2004 with new cornfield/missile art. Happy 35th Anniversary.

Their most dissonant & industrial record, their first as a trio, and first without original singer Snake.

Congrats Grey Cup champs.

45YRS AGO TODAY

Happy 45th Anniversary to a career-defining & critically acclaimed classic that arguably stands as the band's best album, if not their strongest contender. AOS's signature title track with its legendary rumbling bass intro & rollercoasterish driving pace was their perfect self-statement of not wanting to be defined by any singular label: it was just pure loud, hard, speedy, adrenaline-induced rock & roll. The trio was emerging as one of the foremost contributors in British heavy music (a pre-cursor to/of the NWOBHM alongside IRON MAIDEM, SAXON and DEF LEPPARD) in a watershed moment whose style was rounded out with a fresh biting sound that even when slowed down still displayed a pulsing energy. The album cover of them dressed as wild west gunslingers also suited their punkish motif as outlaws. AOS was the band's 4th album but 1st to receive US distribution, is consisitently featured on all-time/best-ever lists, and has been influential & inspirational to countless metal bands. R.I.P to Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke.

“If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away but if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth.”
35YRS AGO TODAY

TROLLHUNTER (2010)
Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen, Hans Morten Hansen, Robert Stoltenberg, Urmila Berg-Domaas
Directed by André Øvredal
Released October 29, 2010 (Happy 15th Anniversary)
Thomas, Johanna, and Kalle are 3 college film students in Norway making their way into vast mountainous hinterland to film a documentary about illegal bear poaching. While checking out a dead bear and strange-looking tracks, they interview hunters and Finn Haugen, the head of the Norwegian Wildlife Board. The students are pointed towards another hunter, Hans, who prowls around in his battered Land Rover that is mysteriously scratched up from large claw marks. Traveling by ferry along the fjord coastlines, and driving on rainy countryside roads, the 3 seek him out in hopes of an interview and upon finding him are automatically rebuffed, but set off on foot following him nonetheless. Having picked up his trail to a campsite, one night in a spooky forest, after seeing mysterious flashing lights and hearing roaring, Hans comes bolting out of the dense woods, right at them shouting "TROLL!!!", and Thomas is attacked & bitten by a large creature. Escaping in Han's truck, and patching up Thomas' wound with duct tape, the trio find their own vehicle completely wrecked, and Hans admits that he is not a bear hunter but infact hunts trolls (as the only single licensed person allowed to do so in Norway) as part of a secret government branch. Shocked and skeptical but excited, when the students again ask to film Hans' seemingly adventurous "work," (having already scrapped their original project idea and switched gears to make him their new subject) he again refuses but then relents, allowing them to tag along as observers. Agreeing to obey his instructions, they coat themselves in "troll stench," a disgusting excretion of slime meant to mask the smell of Christian blood(!) which trolls can sniff out at ease.

After ensuring the trio also don't believe in God or Jesus, Hans whips out a large, hood-mounted, flash strobe lamp that high-beams potent UV rays (ala sunlight) which turn trolls into stone (ala Medusa) or sometimes causes them to explode. The group venture back into the forest and are chased by a 3-headed troll known as a Tusseladd (or Tosserlad), which Hans kills and sledgehammers into rubble. Afterwards, he bitterly grumbles telling the trio he's sick of the hazardous job, and of risking his grizzled life for peanuts from his tightwad taskmasters; with Hans now wanting the students to expose the truth, in part to his own complex atonement for long-participating in bringing the trolls to near-extinction. Finn arrives with a team known as the TSS - Troll Security Service, to plant a dead bear carcass (scapebears(!) imported from Poland) and fake tracks, and warns the students to cease & desist with their filming, threatening to confiscate their tapes, but without doing so. Hans tells the students that Finn's job (as the bureaucrat) is to keep the existence of trolls hush-hush and come up with cover stories, while his sole task (as the civil servant) is to kill any trolls that stray from their boundaries toward the population (power lines are really electric fences to keep them penned in). It just so happens there has been an unusual spike in hostile troll activity with the dangerous creatures venturing out further from their normal native territories. Needing a blood sample for study, Hans wears a crude pots & pans homemade suit, and looking like a knight stepping into a Monty Python sketch (and would further have Tony Stark laughing heartily), sets a trap on a bridge by using some sheep, a goat, and bucket of blood as bait which lures a troll known as a Ringlefinch.

Physically smashed around, he successfully obtains the sample, and takes it to a TSS veterinarian (a softy who really cares about the plight of the trolls and speaks of their Vitamin D deficiency) and is told it'll take several days before the results come back. The group visit a farm with several uprooted trees scattered about, and apprehensively follow troll tracks into an abandoned mine leading into a deeper cave. When a pack of trolls (mountain kings known as Dovregubbens) suddenly return, the group hide out of sight to the sound of ungodly snoring and horrendous toxic farting. Trapped and scared stiff in the world's worst-ever wind chamber, a trembling Kalle confesses he is a Christian to which his scent is discovered. Found by the trolls, the group flee in panic from the lair but Kalle is killed. The duo become a trio again with Malica joining them to take over as camerawoman. Since she's a Muslim, Hans is perplexed as to how the trolls will react to this. Finn returns, this time to direct Hans north to "fix" the troll problem, and the group uncover evidence of a giant troll on the loose known as a Jotnar. As Thomas falls ill, the troll blood sample is revealed to contain rabies thus explaining their erratic and threatening behavior. Unlucky Thomas has been infected from being bitten earlier, and after several attempts in pursuit, Hans kills the massive Godzilla-sized Jotnar using a rocket-launched shell that turns the troll into stone. Once back on the highway, Finn and his agents show up again, this time intent on taking the students' footage.

But Thomas runs away with the camera and when he drops at the side of the road, a truck stops next to him just as the tape cuts out -- with the driver presumably the finder of his last roll of film. An ominous epilogue states the 3 students disappeared never to be heard from again. With a slight compatibility to DISTRICT 9, this mockumentary blends the found footage stylings of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and CLOVERFIELD, both of which at their most tiresome have their ingredients of being limited, anemic and pedestrian. Thankfully, that narrow bad rap is not the case here as people talk about trolls, search for trolls, and big pay off -- they find trolls. A lot of them. Further adding troll history and giving us various types, names and sizes that visually, instead of being seen through the poor quality of irritating shaky cam and awash in pitch dark with infrared, we get solid sequences in firm steady shots with sharpness. All while glimpsing great landscapes of Norwegian scenery that would do tourist promotion proud. And then there's the physical appearance of the trolls -- a striking creative look of top-notch CGI fx that is highly impressive, first-rate, and particularly shown very well in the night. Forget anything resembling small, runty, cute Disney-esque, mohawked rainbow goblins, or Middle-Earth faery tale fantasy: these nocturnal, mythical creatures here of Scandinavian folklore are colossal, big phallic-nosed, grotesquely malformed, wart-ridden, ferocious hairy beasts, ready to stamp the unfortunate living shit out of everything beneath them, and chow down on some livestock or humans when they get the munchies.

Aside from a little sluggishness, a few loose ends, and some bland acting, TROLLHUNTER is full of regional inside jokes thanks to various cast members being comedians whose dry humor banter was heavily improvised. The gruff, tired and unfazed Hans who becomes the focal point, and is paired with the students who are in over their heads, is a recipe for witty balance. But it's easy to see how this can be lost in droll translation, and while the emphasis is on the characters, the movie for many might be a mixed bag as it oddly makes the absurd tongue-in-cheek content & context seem far more dramatic and serious, for as the tone of credibility & realism is played straight, it is left for the viewer to find the amusement in the proceedings. A perfect example is the movie's meta ending of Norway's then-Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a press conference about the country's power lines. When he admits to having "trolls," this was actually a real clip in which he was infact speaking about oil fields and energy production, but the snippet was cleverly dubbed & spliced into the finale to seem like an unexpected, plain slip-of-the-tongue remark now holding an explosive and scandalous revelation for public record. And the stunned look on Finn's face who instantly turns to Stoltenberg is priceless. TROLLHUNTER is imperfect but still one of the far better, smarter, and more inventive found footage entries in this horror subgenre that is all too easily, and continually knocked for restrictive trappings and stale output.

The North Carolina band's 2nd album which saw their direction take a sharp turn from hardcore punk towards crossover thrash after singer Eric Eycke left, with COC now a trio. The album comes off as an exact moment of the merging, sounding like 2 EP's as the 1st side of the record has the dark & gloomy metal approach while the 2nd side has a more beefed up rawer punk edge. It's a bit of a peculiar pairing with the raging combo rather sloppy & sometimes plodding, but each half is a manic counterpunch to the other; shared warped organs of fusion between 2 styles with the anatomy's grimy marriage full of distorted vocals & SABBATH-inspired breakdowns. Happy 40th Anniversary.

R.I.P. Ace Frehley. 1951-2025.

Easily hailed as one of the greatest live albums (if not all-time # 1) in metal history and certainly one of the band's best-ever live outputs. LAD was recorded during the band's extensive World Slavery Tour in support of their 5th album, Powerslave. In total, a whopping 189 shows were performed in 23 countries in a period of 331 days -- starting in Warsaw in Aug 1984 and ending in California (Irvine) in Jul 1985. LAD is a fantastic double vinyl release comprised of 2 shows (Long Beach,CA and London's Hammersmith Odeon) and the set list is a treasure chest of classic cuts perfectly performed in a searing sonic assault of mastered musicianship. The album artwork of lightning-struck mascot Eddie was another classic piece by the band's artist Derek Riggs, and the record's gatefold sleeve was a visual eye candy feast of photos showing Maiden's massive stage in the Egyptian theme, band member close-ups, lighting, and pyro fx which were further brilliantly on display in the superbly edited LAD video release. [The original LAD cd version only featured the first 13 songs due to length restrictions but on the 1998 & 2020 remastered reissues, the proper full lengths were restored. The original length was not restored on the 2008 dvd re-release and instead features a bonus disc containing part 2 of an ongoing documentary series covering the band's history, promo videos, various concert footgae, and a gallery of photos & art]. Some have criticized singer Bruce's singing as lagging on these shows but in defense he was fighting a cold at a number of these concerts (and still delivered like a god), fell ill resulting in some cancellations, and was so mentally exhausted from the tour's punishing schedule that he contemplated quitting Maiden at the tour's conclusion where any lesser singer most certainly would have. Though his creativity was affected, he thankfully recovered from burnout and the much needed rest also marked a significant change in the band's sound. LAD is a flawless highlight in the band's discography, and whose global fan praise alone makes the album an instant classic. To simply call it excellent doesn't do it enough justice -- it's essential. Happy 40th Anniversary.

40YRS AGO TODAY

Their amazing 5th album was a return to take-no-prisoners blinding speed after the midpaced effort of the previous 'South of Heaven' which was criticized as luckluster. SITA was the last to feature the original line-up with ferocious human tornado drummer Dave who left for a 2nd time (the 1st in 1986 over money disputes) and would return in 2006 for 'Christ Illusion' (to which he would again leave in 2013 over business disputes with the band then firing him). With the commercial success from 2 hit singles (also both videos with heavy airplay) and next co-headling the Clash of the Titans tour (with ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and ALICE IN CHAINS in North America, and with TESTAMENT and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in Europe), the album was a cohesive mature evolvement in the band's pioneering career that saw them a perfect killing machine at the height of their peak who were firing on all cylinders. Produced by Rick Rubin, it is also generally regarded as the band's most accessible record -- a frenetic onslaught of complex memorable guitar riffs, varied mid tempos, furious percussion with inventive fills, and singer Tom's aggressive charging vocals of grim dark lyrics that instead of the aura of earlier satanic themes, dealt with real life horrors such as violence, war & murderous carnage through a critique that displayed they were not about promoting nihilism or death but rather holding up a mirror to corruption and the ghoulish social ills of suffering & cruelty that carry out destruction. A top tier release, SITA was certified gold in 1992 and felt by many as their last hurrah having marked the end of an embodiment in the classic thrash era. Happy 35th Anniversary.

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H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O
OCT 6, 1981: On the 8th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Islamic extremists assassinate Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Cairo as he reviews troops during a military parade. The gathering was an annual grandiose victory celebration to commemorate the Army's successful crossing of the Suez Canal, and its early advances against initial Israeli defeats. After a controversial Mar 1979 Peace Treaty (from the Camp David Accords summit of Sept 1978 as an established framework involving US President Jimmy Carter) which was condemned by many in the MidEast as a betryal, Egypt was suspended from the Arab League (and not reinstated until May 1989). While Sadat had released activists from prison who had been jailed by former President Gabdel Nasser, the last months of his rule were marked with internal turmoil that saw Jihadists calling for his overthrow. After a failed coup back in Jun (believing Russia was conspiring with Syria & Libya to incite an uprising), he ordered crackdowns which made him further unpopular. During the parade as air force jets flew overhead, soldiers in a passing truck towing artillery jumped out to which Sadat stood and saluted. The soldiers threw grenades and opened fire into the stands with a hail of bullets lasting for 2 minutes. Sadat was hit & fell to the ground as chairs were thrown around him in the panic to shield him. Inspite of his deep-layered security and 8 bodyguards, he was airlifted to a hospital where he died 2hrs later. 10 others were killed outright (including a Chinese engineer, a General from Oman, and the Cuban ambassador to Egypt). Of the 28 people wounded were Ireland's Defense Minsiter, the Belgian ambassador, and 4 American military liaison officers (Sweden's amabassador escaped harm). Of the attackers, one was killed and 3 others injured & arrested. In conjunction with the assassination was a failed insurrection in Upper Egypt by rebels which collapsed after a day when paratroopers restored government control. Upon trial, most of these anti-Sadat militants received light sentences serving only 3yrs imprisonment. In the Apr 1982 criminal trial for those involved in the assassination, 19 people were brought before the Court with 17 jailed, 5 executed and 2 acquitted. Sadat's death was greeted positively by a majority of Arab heads of state regarding him as a traitor. His funeral was held on Oct 10 which was attended by several prominent Western leaders. On Oct 14, Vice President Hosni Mubarak was sworn in as the country's new President to which he remained in office for 30yrs until the Jan 2011 Egyptian Revolution forced his resignation in Feb. He died in Feb 2020.

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O
OCT 5, 1970: The Public Broadcasting Service is founded after having first been established in Nov 1969. As a non-commercial station based in Virginia, PBS as a nonprofit organization is predominantly funded by member station dues, telethons & pledge drives, donations from private foundations & individual citizens, and corporate sponsorships -- while also being tied to public school districts and entities owned by US state governments. From the first mergings with TV channels in New Jersey/New York (WNET), WGBH (Boston), WNED (Buffalo/Toronto), and further distribution including Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington-DC, Detroit, Chicago, Kansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, New Orleans, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco, PBS's fledgling profile was considerably raised in May 1973 with its coverage of the US Senate Committee Hearings into the President Richard Nixon/Watergate scandal which for 7 months drew huge public interest. The long line of programs have included educational fare and kids content like Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, The Electric Company, Barney & Friends, and Curious George; news shows such as Frontline, PBS News Hour, Amanpour and Company, Nightly Business Report, and Washington Week; science/nature/history content such as Nature, Nova, and Secrets of the Dead; documentaries from Ken Burns; Masterpiece Theatre; American Experience; The Lawrence Welk Show; The Dick Cavett Show; BBC sitcoms, police & period piece dramas; Antiques Roadshow; Great Performances; Austin City Limits; Independent Lens; Julia Child's The French Chef; and Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting. The company's first logo was designed in Sept 1971 and then changed in Sept 1984 with ongoing variations beginning in 1989. In 2011, the first promotional breaks & identification spots were incorporated starting with the first slots airing after 15min. segments. For the high praise PBS has garnered for the network's reputation & show variety contributing to cultural fabric, it has also faced criticism through accusations of slanted political/ideological bias. In May 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (14290) to end federal funding for PBS and its radio counterpart NPR (National Public Radio) alleging unfair news coverage & defamation, repeatedly calling them "the enemy of the people". By Sept, this had amounted to a $1.1 billion descrease and a 21% drop in revenue. In national surveys afterwards, the vast majority of Americans were against the move by the White House (who also went after CBS TV & 60 Minutes, MSNBC, Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal) saying the 2 outlets were among the most trusted media institutions in the country. To date, PBS has memberships with 354 TV Stations in all 50 US states, 4 US territories, 6 countries and throughout Europe -- all via express broadcasting rights by access on cable/digital/streaming services.

55YRS AGO TODAY

40YRS AGO TODAY

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H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O
OCT 3, 1935: Known as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War (the First being from Jan 1895 to Oct 1896 which derived from a Treaty territorial dispute & imperialistic ambitions) Italy invades Ethiopia as part of its fascist expansionist policy. Without a declaration of war, 200,000 soldiers attacked from the colonial possessions of Eritrea and Italian Somaliland to which the poorly armed Africans were no match against modern/mechanized weaponry. As Italian progress was initially slow & cautious, ironically, Nazi Germany had sent Ethiopia arms & munitions over their frustration of Italy's then-objections to Adolf Hitler's attempt to integrate Austria. When the Ethiopians counterattacked in Dec 1935, Italian resources were sapped and as they depended on German economic aid, they dropped their blocking position on Austria which would pave the way for Hitler's Anschluss in Mar 1938. In Mar 1936 as the Italians resumed their offensive they won decisive victories and their bombings brought world criticism for their use of poison mustard gas -- which was authorized by Benito Mussolini -- dropped on civilians, in clear violation of the Geneva Convention laws against the targeting of non-combatants. As the Emporer Haile Selassie went into exile, the capital of Addis Ababa was captured in May, and the provinces of Eritrea, Italian Somaliland & Abyssinia (Ethiopia) were united to form the singular Italian province of East Africa. After sailing to Djibouti, Gibraltor and then Britain, Selassie addressed the League of Nations in Jun where he appeared on newsreels throughout the world condemening the military aggression and criticizing the international community for its non-intervention. He finished his speech warning, "It is us today. It will be you tomorrow". With imposed sanctions lifted, the fighting ended in Feb 1937 with some 200,000 estimated casualties and rebel guerilla activity (the Arbegnochs) continuing resistance until 1941. As the Italians had committed massacres and war crimes such as destroying hospitals & churches (alongside the Ethiopians using banned dumdum bullets), the aftermath saw their next invasion against Albania in Apr 1939.

10YRS AGO TODAY

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O
OCT 2, 1967: Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as America's 1st black justice of the US Supreme Court by Chief Justice Earl Warren (whom back in Sept had finished the Warren Commission's controversial final report on the Nov 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy). Having previously been chief counsel for the NAACP beginning in 1936, Marshall was the architect & executor of the legal strategy that forever ended the official era of American racial segregation. From 1938-61, he had argued more than a dozen cases before the Court, successfully challenging Jim Crow separatism -- most notably in public education as with his groundbreaking victory in May 1954's Brown vs. Board of Education of Topkea, Kansas that was a landmark decision that outlawed state-sponsored segregation in school classrooms, declaring the doctrinal practice of "separate but equal" unconstitutional. In Sept 1961, Kennedy nominated Marshall to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. In Jul 1965, President Lyndon Johnson appointed him as the first black Solicitor General and then nominated him to the Supreme Court in Jun 1967. Along with setting up the Legal Defense Fund, he further helped change laws by fighting workplace discrimination based on race & sex, once called jazz great Louis Armstrong "The number one Uncle Tom! The worst in the U.S.!", challenged whites-only juries, battled prejudicial restrictions/preventions that barred the renting/buying of homes, stood up for unions, tackled censorship in pornography, was staunchly anti-death penalty, advocated for prison law libraries, and defended the polarizing practice of affirmative action that brought big backlash. Marshall retired in Oct 1991 & died in Jan 1993.

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O
OCT 1, 1919: The 1st game of the 1919 World Series is played between the underdog Cincinnati Reds vs. the heavily-favored Chicago White Sox. The Reds won 9-1 and would go on to win the Series taking 5 out of 8 games. Before long, much suspected rumors of a fix having grown louder & more persistent would be published resulting in a convened Grand Jury in Sept 1920 later indicting 8 Chicago players of conspiring to throw the Series. Hated club owner Charles Comiskey was forced to suspend the 8 men and promised to run them out of baseball if the plot allegations proved to be true. [In a fanciful gesture of solidarity, New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert had sided with Comiskey & Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee (all labeled 'The Insurrectionsits') against the American League's President Ban Johnson during the League's troubles and over his dictatorial rule. As a result of the joined faction's shared discontent that proposed moving their teams to the National League, Johnson ousted all 3 from the Board of Directors]. In Jul 1921, a motion to quash the indictments was denied and as jury selection began, details of the 'Black Sox' scandal broke publicly in newspapers across the country with gamblers William 'Sleepy Bill' Burns and Abe Attell subpoenaed to testify including New York underworld kingpin Arnold Rothstein who was beleived to have been the criminal mastermind. Chicago were the unlikely & unhappy AL champions and the schemers had used the team's disgruntlement to their advantage -- having been poorly underpaid, at odds with one another all season, cheated out of bonuses and mistreated by Comiskey. The conspiracy was led by their ringleader 1st baseman Arnold 'Chick' Gandil who had been involved with payoffs in 2 crucial late season doubleheaders to the Detroit Tigers in 1917 allowing the White Sox to win the AL pennant. The players at first received small sums of money through intermediaries to lose some of the games intentionally but were stiffed out of remaining payments resulting in a motivation to now win the Series on the level. While under intense scrutiny from numerous instances of suspicious play/errors on the field, the new mission for victory proved unsuccessful and their open complaints afterwards saw authorities forced to prosecute. By the trial's end in Aug 1921, gangster Rothstein was already exonerated (after bribes & having blamed a fellow associate), and signed confessions by 3 of the players along with the waivers of immunity mysteriously disappeared from the Illinois State Attorney's office. [The most famous confessed participant was outfielder 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson who would later recant and whose role remained in serious doubt as he protested his innocence for the rest of his life. And the famous phrase of "Say it ain't so, Joe" supposedly spoken from a heartbroken child who tugged on his coatsleeve in an encounter outside of courthouse steps is thought to be either misattributed or invented by reporters. After playing semi-pro ball, in Oct 1949 on the 30th Anniversary of the 1919 Series, Jackson gave his only interview in Sport magazine with his account of his involvement and saying the exchange with the young boy had never happened. He died in Dec 1951 in South Carolina at 64 and was the first of the 8 men to pass away]. After 3hrs of jury deliberation, a not guilty verdict was returned -- also stemming from a tacit agreement in which the 8 players had agreed not to criticize major league baseball or Comiskey. Jubilant celebrations took place at a nearby restaurant but inspite of the no convictions & the happy outcome of elated vindication, the damage had been done as the shame, taint & ugly stain of the whole sordid Black Sox ordeal shook the public's trust in America's favourite past-time and seriously harmed the sport's integrity (it would take Babe Ruth to restore it). Shortly after the verdict, hardline baseball Commissioner Kinnesaw Mountain Landis (a former federal judge & staunch racist) who had been appointed with extraordinary absolute power in which his decisions couldn't be reversed, responded to the scandal by immediately banning the 8 players from baseball for life despite their acquittal. None of them ever played pro ball again and in the decades afterwards, a sympathy was bestowed on the disgraced 8 for their rotten treatment at the hands of Comiskey & the unfairness of Landis. Gandil also played semi-pro ball in the aftermath and first told his version of events in a Sept 1956 Sports Illustrated issue, and again in a Los Angeles Times interview in Aug 1969. Both times he denied any wrongdoing and he died in Dec 1970 in California at 82. The Black Sox scandal was reconstructed in the very detailed 1963 non-fiction book 'Eight Men Out' by Eliot Asinof which was further dramatized in the 1988 film adaption starrring Michael Rooker as Gandil, and D.B. Sweeney as Jackson.

Happy 45th Anniversary to one of punk's most important albums. This was the Los Angeles hardcore band's debut of 14 tracks clocking in at 15min. Formed & fronted by singer Keith, 4 of the songs were from early 1979 sessions with his previous band BLACK FLAG, and meant to be for that band's debut but he left and the tapes were shelved until he joined CJ the same year. The short snappy songs are speedy, tight & riddled with hooks whose topics tackle politics, paranoia, rage & wanting to get laid all in a catchy puerile manner like THE ANGRY SAMOANS. The band's profile was especially heightend in the 1981 'The Decline of Western Civilization' documentary that helped increase their popularity. [Also featuring BLACK FLAG, X, THE GERMS, and FEAR, the film gained some notoriety after the LAPD's then police chief Daryl Gates wrote a letter of complaint demanding that the film not be shown again in the city]. The album's cover is a stylized graphic taken of crowd members after a CJ/ADOLESCENTS gig at a skatepark. Members of THE GERMS were in attendance but not in the photo and skater Tony Hawk had been present but left before the picture was taken. CJ's iconic 'dancing skanker' mascot is also one of the genre's most recognizable logos. Keith struggled with drug & alcohol addiction but sobered up in 1988, and that same year saw the cd re-release of GS paired with their next album, 1982's 'Wild in the Streets'. CJ reunited in 1994 with their last studio album made in 1995, and the band peforming in reunions with their most recent touring alongside the DESCENDENTS. In 2010, Keith formed the band OFF! which broke up in 2024. Founding guitarist Greg (whose previous band RED CROSS took their name from the crucifix masturbation scene in The Exorcist, and would later change their name to RED KROSS in 1982 to avoid a lawsuit from the International Red Cross) joined BAD RELIGION in 1984 but after stepping away from touring in Apr 2013 due to subtance abuse issues, officially confirmed in Apr 2014 that BR had kicked him out.

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the publication debut of BROADSIDE magazine (1965). The last print issue was Mar/Apr/May 1974.


OCTOBER 1965 ON THE WORLD STAGE A 525yr old map which purportedly proves that Vikings discovered America touched off a battle royal on the eve of Columbus Day between scholars and Columbus partisans. Yale University scholars announced that they will place on display a yellowing vellum (animal skin writing paper) that has been declared authentic after 8yrs of scientific investigation. The map, drawn 52yrs before Christopher Columbus' discovery of America, states that Norse explorer Leif Erikson and his companion Bjarni Herjólfsson discovered Vinland which is clearly depicted in the position of the Canadian coast. Scholars have called it "the most exciting cartographic discovery of the century" and say they intend no offense to Columbus but the head of the Italian Historical Society, John La Corte, blasted Yale for releasing the map saying the university's report "had the flavor of absolute prejudice." He added, "This thing should never have been put out before Columbus Day, the day honoring the man who colonized the New World. We very much regret Yale's doing - even if it is true, and it isn't." Displayed in the Yale Library in New Haven,CT was a map of the world drawn around 1440 which shows many Europeans knew America existed atleast 4 decades before the doughty Italian navigator set out on his famous voyage to the west which was financed by King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain. "Vinland" was the name given by Erikson after his discovery in 1000AD after his daring departure from Greenland where his father, Eric the Red, presided over a flourishing colony. Two generations of academics have accepted Erikson's claim to the discovery of America as entirely bona fide, as principally set forth in the classic of Norse literature, "Saga of Eric the Red." But as this visit is centuries before Columbus' own, there has been a controversial lack of genuine documentary proof that could compel the world to give Erikson his just due. Now they have it. The map was discovered in a medieval manuscript picked up by New Haven rare book dealer & antique collectore Laurence Whitten during a tour of European book marts to which he purchased it in Switzerland in 1957. It was then donated to Yale alumnus by philanthropist Paul Mellon. Investigation revealed that the map was probably drawn by Vincent de Beauvais, a Dominican friar in France, from information gathered at a meeting of churchmen from all over Europe from 1431 (the year of Joan of Arc's heresy trial ending with her burned at the stake) to 1449 (that saw the Mongolians defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty army, ending with the Emporer captured & deposed).

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H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y  T O
SEP 28, 1867: Toronto officially becomes the capital of Ontario with the province having been newly created by Confederation earlier on Jul 1 -- which was the creation of the Dominion of Canada set forth by the British North America Act to unite with the separate colonies of Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as joined provinces in an ambitious aim that would become the foundational structure for a federal system. Toronto's earliest activity began with the First Nations Iroquois indigenous from the 1200's to 1500's, and French explorers & traders landing on the shores of Lake Ontario in Sept 1615. The Fort Portneuf trading post built along the Humber River in 1750, and the trading post named Fort Rouillé in 1751 -- on what is the present grounds of the CNE -- have both at various points been called Fort Toronto. After the Seven Years' War of 1756-63 saw New France (French North American territory including Canada) ceded to the British, the city having been previously called York (after the Duke of York), changed to the Town of York (to also distinguish it from New York City) which became the capital of Upper Canada in Aug 1793. (Jul 1793 had seen the establishment of the Fort York military fortification for the British garrisoned there). The Town of York was a heavily contested site during the War of 1812-14, was renamed Toronto after the city was incorporated in Mar 1834 with William Lyon Mackenzie as the first Mayor, and became a central point of prominence during the Rebellions of 1837-38 where a provisional government was set up. The actual name is likely derived from the Mohawk word 'tkaronto' meaning "where there are trees standing in the water". The namesakes of its downtown major arterial streets (King, Queen, Yonge, Dundas, Bloor) were 2 British royal monarchs, 2 influential British politicians, and an inkeeper/brewer who co-founded Yorkville. During his 1842 North American tour, author Charles Dickens described visiting Toronto as "full of life, motion, business and improvement. The streets are well-paved and lighted with gas". With Toronto's inhabitants made up largely of colonists from the UK and their descendants, during the American Civil War of 1861-65, the population's black citizens grew from the settlement of freed & escaped slaves by the Underground Railroad. As the city became an important connective regional center through expanding east-to-west train travel and on the British & American commerce markets, a profitable mining boom in northern Ontario began in 1903, and the financial sector competed with Montreal as American business opted more for branch offices in Toronto. WWI and WWII impacted the city tremendously as it was a mighty hub for armed forces recruitment & national mobilizations for overseas deployment. The post-war influx of demographic-changing immigration into suburbia in the 1950's resulted in the surrounding districts now unified as the 'Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto' in Apr 1953, and the city experienced an increase in the thriving urban sprawl of the 1960's & 70's. With a further boom of industry in the 1980's, in Jan 1998, the unified Municipality was scrapped for a brand new amalgamation of the 6 boroughs that now formed the singular concentrated 'City of Toronto' which has emerged as both Canada's largest city & economic mecca, as well as being one of the most multicultural & entertainment-driven cities in the world.