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Chairman Ralph's Ministry Of Truth

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Bio And FAQs

So what do you want to know, exactly? Crack open a beer, put your feet up on the couch, and feel free to check out the goings-on here.
Latest Archive
OUT NOW: LATEST RELEASES
May 8, 2023

DESPERATE TIMES: ISSUE #2
ANYHOW, ANYCLUB, ANYWHERE: THE RISE & FALL OF SAFARI SAM'S (95 pp.)
"Roll the credits in your mind for this story, which has played out since the dawn of DIY (in general), and punk rock (in particular): Anykid in Anytown USA doesn't like what's happening there. Maybe they don't hear their type of music, hope to carve out room for something else...or simply want something else besides the standard issue profit-mongering water hole.

"Whatever the reason, Anykid gets Anyclub up and running. Anyclub survives the initial growing pains (hit or miss bookings, spotty audiences, official and unofficial sabotage). For awhile, everyone has a more interesting place to go. Then, sadly but surely, the obstacles start piling up -- too many to overcome in short order.

"The doors slam shut, and the lights go out, leaving Anyclub to live on, in people's memories, and a big black hole in the local scene once more. Roll the credits: wash, rinse, repeat."

Two-plus years in the making, 95 pages, our first theme issue, chronicling the rise and fall of Safari Sam's, the long-gone, yet warmly remembered, epicenter of punk rock, deep in the heart of Republican Central (Orange County, CA)!

For two dizzying years (1984-86), Gil Fuhrer and Sam Lanni lived that story, as co-owners of a venue that hosted the local and US debuts of Jane's Addiction, and The Jesus & Mary Chain, became a reliable stop for some of alternative rock's best-known names (fireHOSE, the Minutemen, Social Distortion, Sonic Youth), and a slew of local acts that sprang up in their wake (El Grupo Sexo and Exobiota, The Final Tourguides and The Fad, The Satellites and Satan's Cheerleaders).

But that's not the full story. 
While Safari Sam's established itself as a hotbed of great rock 'n' roll, spoken word and theatrical performances, it's also the story of a conservative social culture, constant harassment from city bureaucrats and cops, and a force that proved too strong to overcome...gentrification. It's a story that was relevant then, one that plays out today, all around the nation. 

Now, read it for yourself, and draw your own conclusions. Featuring extended interviews with Gil Fuhrer, and three of the key players in the scene that sprang up around Sam's (Jeff Beals, Holly Day, Dee Madden).

Available
Directly from the author, $10 (postpaid). Contact me for the PayPal link, or visit amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/Desperate-Times-Anyclub-Anywhere-History-ebook/dp/B091PRFTJ9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1617787002&refinements=p_27%3ARalph+Heibutzki&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Ralph+Heibutzki

DESPERATE TIMES #1 (46 pp.)
"Capturing the strong outsider spirit of 1970s punk in look, feel, and written expression, Chairman Ralph’s new zine, Desperate Times, is a must-read for lovers of music on the margins of rock... In black and white throughout, with design elements that recall cut-and-paste zines photocopied at Kinko’s, Desperate Times #1 will leave you desperate for more. –Gina Murrell, Razorcake

Featuring articles on the Swedish artist Hemliga Bosse, and his 7" single ("New Image Every Day"/"Aldrig Mera Ensam"), Paul Shand/The Numbers (and their self-titled EP), the Jam's second album (This Is The Modern World), "New York Dolls Stories" (onstage history lessons with Sylvain Sylvain), and an interview with Paul Gray, discussing his experience of working with Johnny Thunders (So Alone).

Available
Directly from the author, $10 (postpaid). Contact me for the PayPal link.

MY LIFE AS A VAGRANT (Kindle Direct Publishing)
"Your punk band may crash and burn, but you'll never have a better time before your dream runs aground. The Vagrants are no exception, as Ralph Heibutzki learns in 1989, in six dizzying months of playing bass with them. Like so many other bands, their story ends with the usual kiss off: "So near, and yet so far."

"You've never heard of the Vagrants, who never got out of London, never got signed, never put out a record, never played more than a handful of gigs to pockets of garage-punk fanatics. Yet for these prisoners of rock 'n' roll, the dream often seemed tantalizingly in reach.

"Follow Ralph around London in this short sharp shock, 28 page recollection, as he learns six and a half songs in an hour, meets x-members of the Clash, and shreds what's left of his hearing, as he and his bandmates wait for their rock 'n' roll ship to finally come in."

Available
https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-As-Vagrant-Strummer-ebook/dp/B08HJ491Z5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ralph+heibutzki&qid=1600296877&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Still a "bubbling under" best-seller on amazon.com, eBay and many other online outlets near you. (Photo by: Ralph Heibutzki) Just one of many places where you can find the Chairman's non-newspaper-related work.
CHAIRMAN RALPH: THE LITERARY RUNDOWN
Feb 8, 2013

In real life, Chairman Ralph is always on the go as a published author, freelancer for local, regional and national magazines, newspapers and websites, and self-publisher of DIY media, like chapbooks and 'zines.

Ralph's nonfiction debut, UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE LIFE & TIMES OF DANNY GATTON (Hal Leonard: 2003), won broad acclaim as the first in-depth biography of Washington, D.C.'s late instrumental guitar underdog -- known to fans as "The Humbler," and "The Master Blaster Of The Telecaster" -- and has remained a "bubbling under" bestseller ever since.


He also is co-author, with Mark Andersen, of WE ARE THE CLASH: REAGAN, THATCHER, AND THE LAST STAND OF A BAND THAT MATTERED (Akashic Books: 2018). The book details Joe Strummer's bold bid to reinvent the Clash, a/k/a The Only Band That Matters without co-founding guitarist Mick Jones, and drummer Nicholas "Topper" Headon.

WE ARE THE CLASH picks up the story from Jones's sacking in the fall of 1983, and follows it through a Cold War era driven by the right wing policies of President Ronald Reagan, and his British counterpart, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The authors reinterpret Strummer's artistic struggles to soundtrack those events, and their impact on the Clash's controversial final album, Cut The Crap (1985).

Ralph's other publication credits include articles, features and reviews for the All Music Guide, BASS PLAYER, DISCoveries, GOLDMINE, GUITAR PLAYER and VINTAGE GUITAR. He also publishes his own 'zine, Desperate Times, which mixes social and political commentary with poetry, music interviews and reviews.


During his career, Ralph has profiled numerous topflight artists and performers - from blues (Luther Allison), to funk (George Clinton), heavy rock (Eye Empire, Halestorm, Sick Puppies), '60s pop-rock (Tommy James), punk (Iggy Pop, John Lydon, Henry Rollins, Bob Stinson) and beyond, no genre nor trend is beyond his reach.

When not committed to these activities, he's also an accomplished spoken word writer-performer whose work has been featured in THE CHIRON REVIEW, and stages like the Artpost Gallery's Poetry Marathon (South Bend, IN), The Acorn Theater (Three Oaks, MI), and The Livery (Benton Harbor, MI), among others.

He contributed a version of "Beyond The Pale" (Big Audio Dynamite) to Recutting The Crap: Vol. I (Crooked Beat Records: 2018), for which he wrote the liner notes. He also keeps his hand in as a rock 'n' roll packrat/eBay seller (ID: biggreenfrog2002).

CHAIRMAN RALPH: THE MUSICAL RUNDOWN
Feb 8, 2013

I fly several musical flags of convenience, with "Punk Rock Troubadour" being the most common. My agenda is pretty simple: it's live 'n' direct, no holds barred, with one guy and his guitar -- no tricks, no gimmicks, everything played sharp, hard, and straight to the point. The original '77 punk explosion and '60s Beat Mod culture form two major cultural reference points for this approach.

My lyrical faves include Greg Ginn, Ian Hunter, Iggy Pop, The Ramones, and Joe Strummer...you get the idea. If you're unhappy with the status quo, spiked with a heady dose of sarcastic insight, you'll definitely enjoy what I do! My subjects range from difficult bosses ("Fetch 'N' Step"), to tribute ballads about the concertizing of The Only Band That Matters ("I Saw The Clash"), and our desire for escape from our current political insanity ("Move To Finland").

My shows are like fingerprints: no two are alike. Some nights, I throw in '60s and '70s-style spy themes ("Action Budgie," "Samurai Budgie") and appropriate covers, done in my style ("Julie's In The Drug Squad," "To Have & To Have Not")...depending on my mood, the crowd and the room I'm working, in that order.

Since 2005, this agenda has been refined and upgraded through nearly 150 live shows, plus assorted home recordings (some of which are posted on the "Featured Songs" or "Spoken Word Tracks" sections of this website), which form a body of work that continues to grow. For a more detailed description of the proceedings...see the "FAQs".

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Feb 8, 2013

AND THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NAME IS...? Well, my last name's long enough -- but the Chairman Ralph name is taken from an Iggy Pop lyric ("I'm bored, I'm the chairman of the bored"). A lightbulb clicked off, and the rest is history.

DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE, ALREADY. If pressed, I'll say, "folk-punk," since I've played both types of bills. Previous flags of convenience have included "left-field folk," and "modern alternative folk"...which is my way of saying, "Here's one guy and his guitar, no tricks, no gimmicks, everything played straight to the point."

WHAT KIND OF STUFF DO YOU PLAY, THEN?
My own songs talk about what's happening today. My targets range from idiot bosses ("Fetch 'N' Step," "I Get Paid The Same") to the breakdown of our political system ("Nothing Works Anymore"), the ways that people use and lose each other like so much Kleenex ("I Fired The Dog," and "My Cousin Kevin," one of several co-written with my wife, Lisa).

Depending on my mood, the crowd and the room, I'll also throw in '60s/'70s-style instrumental themes ("Action Budgie," "Budgie Is A Spy"), improvised medleys of classic rock tunes and commercial parodies, plus classic Brit band covers by Kevin Ayers ("I Don't Depend On You"), Billy Bragg ("To Have And To Have Not"), the Clash ("Clampdown," "Koka Kola"), the Who ("The Kids Are Alright"), and beyond.

WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?
Personally speaking: my biggest influence is my late friend, Anthony Salazar, who taught me those first chords (A, C, D) and helped me to take it from there. Without him, I wouldn't even be holding a guitar, let alone playing one. After he died in '05, I figured it was time to get serious about what I did, without losing the fun. Every show that I do is for him, in a way.

Musically speaking: there's too many list in such a small space, but after Tony's input...the Year Zero dynamism of the Clash, Sex Pistols, Stiff Little Fingers and their related postpunk offspring (Basement 5, Gang of Four, Joy Division, PiL, the Slits -- to name a few) made the greatest imprint on my brain.

From the spoken word side: Attila the Stockbroker, John Cooper Clarke, and many of the Liverpool Poets (Adrian Henri, Roger McGough) exert the strongest gravitational pull on that side of my creativity. They took the form back from the dusty academics, and gave it back to the people -- as did classic Jamaican DJs like Big Youth, Dillinger, Mikey Dread, I Roy, and U Roy...that's enough validation for me!

WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE PLANS? There's never been a grand master plan: I don't have to conquer the world by lunchtime. To find out what's currently happening...check the "Communiques" section, or my Facebook page, for the relevant nitty-gritty on whatever project I'm pursuing.

WHAT DO YOU DO ON YOUR DOWNTIME? I've covered a lot of ground as a newspaper editor, reporter and author, too, so let's put it this way -- when I'm not performing, recording or covering an event, I prefer to be home! Wouldn't most of us?

YOU MAY HAVE CAUGHT ME AT...
Feb 8, 2013

Thanks to the stages that have let me do my thing, in no particular order: Hillsdale Annex (Hillsdale, MI), Manifesto! (Niles, MI), Bizarre Bazaar Festival (Grand Rapids, MI), Coldwater Community Resource Center (Coldwater, MI), The Darkroom (Chicago, IL), Expressions Cafe (Benton Harbor, MI), The Hillsdale County Coalition For Peace & Justice Festival (Jonesville, MI), Thunderbird Cafe (Jackson, MI), The Nomad Bookhouse (Jackson, MI).

You may also have caught me recently at:
Art In Motion (Niles, MI)
Artpost Gallery (South Bend, IN)
The Chocolate Cafe (St. Joseph, MI)
Downtown South Haven (South Haven, MI)
Elkhart Public Library (Elkhart, IN)
Expressions Cafe (Benton Harbor, MI)
International Festival, Minority Coalition Of Cass County (Cassopolis, MI)
Krasl Art Fair (St. Joseph, MI)
Maple City Market (Goshen, IN)
Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library (St. Joseph, MI)
Six Degrees Resale Store (Benton Harbor, MI)
The Oak Room At The Citadel (Benton Harbor, MI)
The Livery (Benton Harbor, MI)
Manifesto! (Niles, MI) Third Saturday (Three Oaks, MI)

All content, words and music: � Ralph Heibutzki (except where noted). For specific questions about permissions or quotations, please contact the administrator of this website (me!).