I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: February 7, 2024] Joe Jack Talcum

I was so excited to hear about  this show as soon as it was announced.  When Scott Thompson came to PhilamMOCA in 2022 I completely missed it until after it had happened.  So I was psyched to get in on this before it sold out (and a second show was added, but without a musical opener).

I didn’t know who the musical opener was going to be until day of the show where I saw it was Joe Jack Talcum from the Dead Milkmen!  I had somehow thought it might be someone from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, although it makes 100% more sense that it was a local Philly fella.

I have never seen The Dead Milkmen even though I’ve been a fan forever.  I’ve also never seen Joe Jack in any context, so this proved to be a fun, if simple introduction.

He sounded much the same–slightly off-key and really into his songs.  He played acoustic guitar and harmonica and he sang five Dead Milkmen songs and 1 original.

I recognized the first song which was from the final Dead Milkmen album that I seriously listened to.  It made me want to relisten to the album.

Then he went way back in time to 1987 for the really dark song about nuclear waster “Watching Scotty Die,” a song that I never imagined I’d hear live.

He played a new song that was autobiographical called “Record Store,” that was about spinning records at home rather than going to a party.

I didn’t know “Albert Square,” because I didn’t know they put out a new album in 2023. I’m curious to hear what their new music is like.

I recognized “Mongoose,” but I assumed it was a very old song.  And yet it was from “Not Richard But Dick” which means I listened to that record more than I realized.

Then he put in a new harmonica and played a weird melody.  He paused, muttered, oh, it’s upside down and then played “Punk Rock Girl.”  I hoped he would play something popular and I was pretty excited to hear him whip through this song.  It was funny that he messed up words (but quickly recovered) and he played the harmonica solo that matched the guitar solo really well.

It turned out that Mojo Nixon died tonight the announcement came sometime when the room was singing “if you don’t know about Mojo Nixon, your store could use some fixin.”

And that was that.  20 minutes of Dead Milkmen and then he was off, making way for a Kid in the Hall.

1. The Secret of Life ≅ 
2. Watching Scotty Die ‰
3. Record Store ℵ
4. Albert Square Ø
5. The Woman Who Was Also a Mongoose ⊗
6. Punk Rock Girl £

‰ Bucky Fellini (1987)
£ Beelzebubba (1988)
≅ Soul Rotation (1992)
⊗ Not Richard, But Dick (1993)
Ø Quaker City Quiet Pills (2023)
ℵ 2023 single (solo)