Sad news this morning is that drummer Chuck Biscuits died last weekend of throat cancer at the age of 44. He was a past member of D.O.A., Danzig, Samhain, Social Distortion, and briefly the Circle Jerks. He also laid down the drum tracks for Run-DMC’s Tougher Than Leather album.

In 1982, Chuck was a member of Black Flag—the greatest rock band/emotional malfunction ever—during a particularly intense period of their history. He recorded a scrapped version of their My War album that was never released officially due to the band’s crippling legal problems at that time. He did play live, including this blazing scene-stealing performance atop atop a shining drum riser at New York’s The Ritz in September 1982. Note that Chuck is wearing a fedora for about 10 seconds during the beginning of “Can’t Decide”!

I could easily be overlooking someone, but despite countless close calls I believe this is the first loss of a past member of Black Flag. R.I.P. and condolences to his peers and close persons, and he joins his deceased brother Dimwit from D.O.A.

UPDATE [6:45PM ET]: Only death is fake? Now the source of this news is recanting based on new evidence. Follow the mystery through the Internet if you dare… I’ll report back when the case is closed.

UPDATE [The next morning]: The moral of the story is that if you want to pull the wool over the eyes of the Internet, just invoke the name Chuck Biscuits and people will believe anything. Someone has been hoaxing Crawdaddy writer James Greene for six months, pretending to be the legendary hardcore drummer (with throat cancer, no less, so telephone calls would be impossible). Well, Chuck Biscuits’ brother drove to see him with his own eyes yesterday, and he ain’t dead yet.

FULL (?) STORY

Hope you enjoyed the video!

Eddie Van Halen let one rip last night on some TV sitcom. The show stars Charlie Sheen, and I think each week the plot involves a setup where Sheen ends up needing to go to the bathroom very badly. This week his relief is delayed because Eddie Van Halen is already in the john with his guitar, writing new material to play with Roth, Alex, and Wolfgang.

EVH: “That’s called ‘Two Burritos and a Root Beer Float’.”

Okay, boss!

Here’s a video of Michael Jackson with his brothers on the Jacksons Victory tour in 1984, joined onstage by Eddie Van Halen to play the guitar solo in “Beat It.” This is the best tribute this death metal demo blog can muster — and why not, it’s public shred and excess at its finest! Rest in peace, zombie king.

I’m stunned at how well this video delineates our relationship, myself and each and every one of you anonymous blog surfers on an individual basis, and also the relationships of our forefathers and foremothers before us. Play this almost-soundless video on endless repeat while listening to these demos!

Thanks Jack Drury!

Wow, Chthonic has a weird new look. Did the Taiwanese black metal band play a show with Australia’s furnitureheads Portal or something? Just reminds me of a comical Asian horror film I just saw about out-of-control hair extensions. Yes, in fact it’s called Exte: Hair Extensions, have a good time watching the trailer.

Considering that every film directed by Takeshi Miike is better than 98% of anything else, and that Deadly Outlaw Rekka is one of his best five movies, I’m surprised that his cinematic homage to Japanese proto-metal freaks Flower Travellin’ Band isn’t better known. Here’s a clip of the first five minutes of the film, set entirely to FTB’s eerie “Satori Pt. I.” I always describe this song as King Diamond singing for Slayer in 1971. Joe Yamanaka and Yuya Ichida from FTB also appear as gangsters in the movie.

I tried to see the reunited Flower Travellin’ Band in New York last winter, but they didn’t show. I guess I’ll catch them on the spritual plane.

What can I tell you about the eerie, hooded Australian phenomenon Portal? Their cosmic puddle of death metal sounds to me like Morbid Angel with all the bones removed, like the spinal columns were stripped so the nervous virtuoso flesh could find some kind of awkward new balance. The bizarre occult spirit borders on the ridiculous, but for now it’s mysterious, complete with furniture installed as headgear and at least one frayed and severed noose worn around the neck. I never expected the band to be so good live, either.

The door is open—walk through.

Thanks, Drassogh.

I’ve already sold my ticket for next week’s Throbbing Gristle show at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn, their first ever in New York, because I’m going to see and support my longtime friend and bandmate Fritz Welch HERE. Besides, I’ve unofficially sworn off oldies acts.

Anyway, I had an intense TG experience at the BAFICI film festival in Argentina last week. I was locked down for a daily screening of the Mellotron documentary, but I saw a few other movies — notably a set of experimental black and white travelogues that F.J. Ossang shot along the Portuguese seaside and joined to ominous Throbbing Gristle tracks like “Hamburger Lady” and “Convincing People.” My earholes were invaded by that pulsating hypnotic goo, and my terror nodes were stroked by those haunting elemental images and subliminal 6-6-6 patterns. I even had a morning dream about the rounded stone formations — before I knew anything about these films.

Here’s Silencio, sliced into three parts; it starts after a two-minute preamble. Sure, the cinematic experience is better than the YouTube video, so check local listings until forever.

UNICEF must have consulted Discharge before commissioning this anti-bombing TV spot starring the Smurfs.

Thanks, Sarah!

“Smash Your Face” from the infamous Blacktask EP.

I saw this band at the Penny Arcade in Rochester, NY in October 1985. How about you?

UPDATE: Well, embedding is disabled for these four clips, so double-click on the YouTube logo and be off with ya! See you soon…