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More signs that the APOCALYPSE is imminent!  The sudden rise of Donald Trump as a contender for the U.S. presidency was one of them and Axl Rose stepping in to replace the retiring Brian Johnson in AC/DC was another one.  Talk about standing the hard rock world on its head!

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I confess, I wasn’t thrilled when I first read the Internet rumors earlier this year that this union might take place.  AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses are two incredibly different sounding bands and Rose singing for AC/DC seemed like a horrendous fit to me.  I mean, c’mon, Axl isn’t qualified to replace Brian Johnson, he doesn’t sound anything like him.  Rose’s nuanced “Sweet Child O’ Mine”-style is soulful and complex compared to Johnson’s gravely, whiskey-soaked roar.  It would’ve made more sense to go with someone like Tom Keifer of Cinderella or perhaps even go the Journey route and find an unknown Johnson clone who could mimic him.  I was willing to allow that yes, since both Rose and AC/DC are two of the most powerful forces in rockdom, the combo did work as a brilliant casting move, like when they teamed King Kong up with Godzilla back in ’62.  But that was all it was:  a dumbed-down commercial gimmick that’d appeal to the uncultured masses but otherwise would be a musical disaster that’d fall flat on its face the moment the curtains opened and the “For Those About To Rock” cannons began firing.  This was a blatant example of apples and oranges, two very unique styles that wouldn’t go well together.

Another nail in the coffin was that Axl Rose had broken his foot in an accident when the rumor began circulating thus he’d surely be crossed off the list as a potential fill-in for Johnson.  Ever see a singer perform with a serious injury?  It doesn’t happen.  That’s a primary reason why shows are postponed and rescheduled, because of lead singer health problems.  Plus, a front man’s physical mobility is a crucial component of his performance, especially in rock -- he has to be able to move around and put on a show for the audience.  And as well, Guns N’ Roses had just announced that THEY were reforming with the original members for some shows (a colossal event in itself by the way!).  Axl couldn’t be in BOTH bands at the same time.  It’s completely unprecedented for the lead singer of a major band to moonlight in another big band and juggle both groups simultaneously.  This stuff just doesn’t occur for Christ sakes!

But then it happened.  I was as wrong about this as I was when I thought Def Leppard was going to hire another drummer after Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident in 1984.  First Axl was seen leaving a rehearsal with AC/DC in Atlanta and then a Lisbon, Portugal concert took place with Axl at the helm despite his foot injury.  The singer of AC/DC doing a show with a broken foot???  That must look lame as hell, I thought.  Then the videos began surfacing on YouTube.  I eagerly logged onto the video site to check out the footage.  The first one I saw had been shot by a concertgoer on a cell phone up near the front of the stage.  I could see Angus playing and I heard Axl’s unmistakable voice and, yes, I could feel the electricity.  Then the camera panned to the left -- and there was Axl!  I could only see his head through the crowd and he had this wide-brim hat on that looked really cool.  Let me see his body, I thought.  Is he really up there singing with a broken foot?  Then he came entirely into view and yes it was true, he WAS singing with an injury.  But “lame” is not a word I’d use to describe what I saw -- it was quite the opposite in fact.

Axl was seated in this massive armchair with his left leg elevated on a platform that cradled his broken foot while he held his microphone in his hand and sang like a fucking maniac.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; Axl was singing with a pissed-off vehemence I’d never witnessed before.  He was on FIRE as though he was possessed by the devil, gesticulating wildly with his hands, looking as if he was about to start levitating into the air as he sang.  I got the impression he was fueled by the exact same charged exhilaration the audience gets when they hear AC/DC perform.  AC/DC pushing their singers hard is nothing new:  they pushed Bon Scott so hard he ended up in the grave.  Axl sounded terrific, better than he ever had in GNR.  But then, not only is AC/DC probably a better band than GNR, they’ve got a way better catalog of songs too.  But was what I was seeing really AC/DC?  Of course not!  Even though it was billed as an AC/DC concert, it was the Axl Rose Show with a group of high-caliber musical assassins backing him up.

Also, to call the apparatus Axl was seated in merely an armchair is the understatement of the century.  What he was perched in was this elaborate BULLDOZER-SIZE ROCK GOD THRONE!  My God, he looked like a fucking king up there on stage!  It was showbiz at its best.  Positively stunning!

So in case you missed it, 2016 was the year that a MOMENTOUS event took place in the hard rock universe, an event bigger than Led Zeppelin reforming to play at Live Aid or Van Halen reuniting with David Lee Roth, that event being Axl Rose’s ascension to the top of the heap when he took over the singing duties in the legendary AC/DC from Brian Johnson!  Long live the new king of rock!

More proof that the BC government’s fraudulent property tax scheme is a lawyer swindle:  this year when I went to the bank to pay the tax I was told I had to report to the courthouse (!) in order to apply for the homeowner grant discount.  There’s no question in my mind that property tax in BC is a scam perpetrated by the Bar.  The Christy regime calls itself the Liberals, but the Lawyers is more like it.

I see that the Sears outlet in town has closed its doors.  That was extremely sad to observe for a couple of reasons.  Firstly it means there’s only one place left to purchase appliances now, that place being the Brick.  No question, the Brick is a stellar operation, but alternatives for consumers are always nice.  But also, Sears had been in PR for a long time, since 1965 in fact, thus making it a heritage store, one of the few businesses from the town’s glory days that was still around.  I’ll never forget the Sears catalogs that we got every year when I was a kid, especially the Christmas catalog with all the toys that looked so awesome.  Thank you for your fifty-one years of great service in Powell River, Sears!

I was also disappointed to hear that the annual summertime Sea Fair festival has been dissolved too.  That’s a shame.  Sea Fair is as traditionally inherent to Powell River as the pulp mill and when Sea Fair dies a big part of Powell River dies as well.

Speaking of the glory days, it often amazes me to recollect the great diversity of shops Powell River had in the ’70s and ’80s when I was growing up here.  There were toy stores, pet stores, hardware stores, magazines shops, record stores -- just tons of shopping options.  My God, there was even a fucking drive-in theater here at one time!  It astonishes me to think that when I was a kid, on a Saturday afternoon I could go into town with my dad and come home with an Aurora Wolf Man model he’d bought me at a model store and then that night we could go see a triple feature at the Sliammon Drive-In.  Sometimes when I’m in McDonald’s I’ll gaze at the mall and go back in time in my head and remember all the many, many stores that were there.  It’s hard to believe that this is even the same town as the one I grew up in and in many ways it isn’t.

There’s a really poignant landmark in Powell River everyone should take a look at -- the memorial dedicated to deceased Powell Riverites located at that viewpoint platform on Marine Avenue about a mile south of the Westview ferry terminal.

I didn’t even know it existed until someone mentioned it to me since you can’t see it from the street.  I went down to take a look and -- wow! -- I was just blown away by how extensive it is.  People are able to pay tribute to their deceased loved ones by having a plaque with the name of their relative mounted on the wall.  The memorial is comprised of rows and rows of these plaques.  I was stunned by how many plaques are on display -- there are hundreds of them!  The people of Powell River have really gotten behind this commemoration in a big way.  So many names.  I spent an hour reading through the rows and rows of plaques, recognizing a few of the names I saw.

This Place Rocks!  This is my occasional feature where I mention a business in town I like and this month I want to say something about Money Mart.

About a decade ago I was plunged into total financial crisis.  All my bank accounts had been infiltrated and emptied out by the federal government.  They stole everything and the asshole banks did all they could to assist them.  I was stuck, I couldn’t go anywhere near a bank.  So I turned to Money Mart -- which I think was called The Cash Store at the time -- for assistance.  This was my first time approaching one of these so-called “payday loan companies” and considering how that sector gets trashed by the news media (who support their competitors -- the government-backed banks) I wondered what it would be like doing business with them.  As it turned out, I found them to be extremely helpful.  I was provided with a safe alternative to the treacherous banks and they helped me get back on my feet financially.  I’d recommend their services to anyone.  We’re very lucky in Powell River to have this alternative to the banks should they be needed.

Local Roller!  Next month it’s a “River City Q&A” with the sexy and tough Dee Laureta, star player on Powell River’s roller derby team the Pow Town Brawl Stars.

Dee talks about her excitement for roller derby and we also get into a bunch of other hot topics too including being hassled by the cops, death waves and even the eventual fate of mankind.  You’ll really see Dee’s excellent attitude bursting through in this spirited interview -- she brought the same lively enthusiasm she employs in the rink to our conversation.

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