Posts Tagged ‘mickey finn’

Hello Lippy lovers!

Wow, it’s been a while since I checked in with you! The first of the year always flies by, with our back to back trade shows, and with the bulk of them passed, I decided to take a much-needed vacation from our beloved Lippy Land! Of course, workaholic that I tend to be, instead of relaxing on a beach sipping margaritas I headed out on a tour with my band, Cold Blue Rebels, for a tour of the Pacific Northwest which spanned 3 states and equaled 9 shows in 10 days!

The tour was shared with SOCAL’s the Rocketz and started on St Patty’s day in Oxnard CA, then a stand out performance at the world-famous Gilman St. in Berkeley, where every punk band has played over the last 30 years. This place is an institution which is all ages, non-profit, and aims to help keep kids off the street with affordable great shows and movie nights during the week. The crowd had lots of 12-13 year olds, eager to dance, mixed in with every age up to grey haired old punkers! Oddly enough, it hailed 4 inches in about 30 minutes, which was bizarre for Berkeley, but did not discourage kids from coming out to play! Although sales for plaid bondage pants have slowed recently at Lip Service, it’s clear they will return to popularity – as all the classic punk styles eventually do – with many kids that night enjoying their ’77 punk styles, most likely for the first time! Ahh to be young and discovering punk rock!!

On to Redding (CA), Salem (OR), Corvallis (OR), and 1 night off to party in Portland! The gang headed out to Devils Point, the first truly punk rock strip club I have ever heard of!! If you’re ever in Portland, you must check it out; fire breathing dancers and great Burning man style performers, it seems more like a club then a strip bar, with an equal mix of guys and gals plus bands sharing the stage on the weekends!

A great show at Queen of Hearts Saloon in Portland, then on to a show at Green River collage in Auburn, WA hosted by KGRG 89.9 DJ “The Pope” form Zorch radio, who did a great job and took good care of both bands. Down to Johnny B’s in Medford, OR, a great little Rockabilly/Punk bar, and a long white-knuckle drive down to Trinidad, CA for a gig at the Cher-Ae Heights Casino. That drive should have taken 3 hrs, but took 5 1/2 due to 175 miles of winding through the redwood roads in bad rain and fog!! They gave us 5 star treatment, which was great after days of bad road food and sleeping on promoters floors! Let me tell ya folks, 9 shows in 10 days covering 2500 miles is not a picnic and easily separates the weak from the road warriors!! Rock n Roll don’t pay like it used to and all should respect anyone willing to tough it out, even for a couple weeks!

Of course my Lippy Stretch Fuckin’ jeans and Service Greaser fit jeans held up night after night suffering brutal abuse. Spilt beer and fake blood can’t stop em’!!! I only brought 2 pairs to save space and, though a bit crusty (fabreez is da key), they still made my ass look good every night, LOL!!!!

We ended in Sacramento and then home feeling beat up, sore, and shabby, but somehow full of life at the same time!! Back to work and reality but, I must say, feeling very ALIVE!!! If you haven’t taken a road trip recently or ever (god forbid), do yourself a favor and get out there and do some traveling. There’s no excuse, you can do it in a weekend or a few days. Who knows, we might all be gone in 2012 anyway!! It’s never too late and you can even do it on a broke-ass budget. with summer coming, it will only be easier to sleep in your car, camp on the beach, and hotel prices are dropping lower all the time!

We meet so many cool and fashionable people in some of the most unlikely places and, sure, they might not be up to our Hollywood standards of the latest fashion craze, but how the fuck says we’re so cool anyway?!?!? I meet people with more spirit, heart and lust for life than on any given weekend at “said hot spot” in LA, and found myself actually wanting to have conversations with perfect strangers … imagine that! I managed to visit some of my customers’ stores while traveling, too, and some came out to see our band. I found a couple of new store potentials and spread some catalogs around for future Lippy customers!

Looking forward to a visit from Amelia X of Angelspit this week, who contacted me in need of some clothes for touring, plus will be meeting with a stylist to supply outfits for band Simple Plan. So, with Spring upon us and passing quickly, I say bring it on and let’s get back to what we do best in LA … showing skin, skimpy sexy outfits, spiked heels, fetish parties, outdoor concerts, Bats Day at Disneyland, trios to Venice beach … ahh not to sound like one of those California commercials, but seriously, we do ROCK!!!

Until next time, remember
Fashion+Music=Life!!!!!!
Learn it Love it Live it!!!
Mickey Finn

The Cold Blue Rebels’ “Blood, Guts N’ Rock & Roll” is finally available! You can pick up a copy at Amazon or download through iTunes.

Of course, there ‘s a killer party in the works. The guys are cooking up a frick’n insane night of Blood, Guts (REALLY … have you SEEN the live show?!?) and plenty of ass-kicking Rock n Roll! If you’re anywhere near LA on the 15th, you really want to make it to Bar Sinister for a sexy, gory night of psychobilly rock madness. Oh, and did I also mention, they’ll be giving out some choice Lippy swag, as well as a gift certificate for the webstore to the best Lip Service look of the night. So come on out, check out a badass rock show, do some rocking of your own in your hot Lippy gear. You might just find yourself with a nice little prezzie of more Lippy on the way home!

If you want to get a quick preview (plus a little something from Wednesday 13 of Murderdolls), you can download the first single, “Drenched in Black” at Box.net.
Preorder Blood, Gits & Rock N Roll

See you on the 15th!

Hey party people!

Mickey Finn here for the rock n roll update for the last couple of weeks! I can’t believe it’s already July. I began the month with a bang playing a guest set with the Cold Blue Rebels at the Key Club on July 2nd for the annual memorial show for one of Hollywood’s greatest drummers and fallen soldier, my friend Traci Michaels -RIP- of the Peppermint Creeps. Truly a beautiful human being, he left his mark on Hollywood and is dearly missed by all who had the lucky chance to encounter him. We had a blast in the old school bus turned into a dressing room behind the Key Club, partied the night away with the gang, and took some great photos in that thing!!!

The 4th had me making my annual trek to the beach with my moonlight loving friends and band mates! We raised some eyebrows, to say the least, and got a friendly caution from the beach cops on quads about smoking our Hookah on the beach! Apparently there is no smoking allowed! The overcrowded, mildly disgusting beach out at the Santa Monica pier left me missing my years spent cruising in Hawaii, but it was still a good time even despite the lack of fireworks!

This week I got a visit at work form my friend Sin Quirin who plays guitar for Ministry/Revco and is starting out on tour this week with The Lords of Acid!! He hung out for a couple of hours, enjoyed an LS-sponsored shopping spree, took some fun photos and we talked tales of tours and glorious rock n roll parties from years gone by to recent raging!!! Love that guy and can’t wait to see him tear up the stage this Friday @ Club Nokia.

Also this week I will get a visit from Angelspit’s Amelia X!!! In town for a few days, she will come down to Lippy Land to shop, hang out, and take some photos. I met her on the KMFDM tour and she was one of the nicest girls ever! Sometimes even I can’t believe how great my job is!! What can ya say, 25 years strong and LS is still deliverin’ the goods!! It never ceases to amaze me how many cool ass people are Lippy lovers!!

Well, gotta go. Hope to see ya out this Friday @ Nokia for Lords of Acid with Thrill Kill Cult and maybe after at Miss Kitty’s. Gotta get it while ya can kids, we only go around once!!

Until Next Time
Fashion+Music=Life
Mickey Finn

Holy Glam Rock Batman!!!

The M3 Festival in Maryland kicked ass this weekend!! 16 bands and 15,000 hard-core hair-heads gathered for 1 day of fun in the sun!! My band, Jetboy, played at 12 noon on the main stage as everyone was arriving and, despite the fact it was around 100 degrees, I still had a great time!! Highlights were great sets by Kix, Cinderella, Vince Neil, and Scorpions. It’s refreshing to get out of LA to a place like Baltimore. All the people I met were so cool and friendly, the vibe was truly great and violence or trouble was virtually nonexistent.

I got to hang out a bit with former LS designer Karen Shultz (still one of the best LS designers ever), who is an 80’s lover, and she texted me she was watching some 12 year olds bangin’ their heads to my song Feel the Shake!! All I can say is, if you haven’t dug deep and embraced your inner 80’s rocker, please do so. It was a truly glorious time and, of course, spawned the birth of our favorite clothing brand LIP SERVICE!!! Don’t be too cool … it’s just GLAM!!! Love it for its cheesy goodness!!

Also last week, I had a visit from my friend Wednesday 13 and the Murderdolls. They played at the Key Club Thursday night plus had a video shoot on Friday and needed some new clothes, so I hooked em’ up proper!!! Super nice guys! We hung out for a while and they told me some great stories about recent partying in Hollywood!! It’s great to see such an awesome band back together and I wish them all the luck and good fortune they deserve. Their show kicked ass and Wednesday came onstage in a Division LS military trench coat he fell in love with on his shopping spree!!

Well, needless to say, my 40-something year old body is wrecked from a decadent weekend of little sleep and massive partying, so I’m gonna leave it at that and crawl home after another day in the life of a Lip Service Rep/Rock Star!!!!

Incidentally, the LS Holiday line has an awesome Rock n Roll group called This Corrosion which is badass and would have fit into the 80’s rock scene perfectly!!!
Have a rockin’ week!
Fashion+Music=Life
Mickey Finn

Lord it was hard getting out of bed today. Good thing I work at Lip Service!! By the time I get in my car and on the freeway, I’m listening to Kevin and Bean on KROQ and plotting the moves for my day of bringing in sales. But sometimes my aging body lets me know I’m not the punk kid I used to be and rest IS sometimes needed! Oh boohoo, I know … well I’ve had my coffee and thought I’d start with a quick recap of last week’s sales trip and my weekend.

I flew into Eugene, Oregon Tuesday morning, picked up my rental car and drove over to Slash n’ Burn (findcoolclothes.com) to show the entire LS 2010 line including Summer/Fall, Costume/Lingerie and our new Holiday styles. This was a huge amount of garments but April and Stephan greeted me eagerly with warm smiles! Two of my favorite customers, they are true alternative fashion-heads who have a great website and also a store in front of their warehouse. They have a local guy who makes some amazing leather masks and bad-ass Steampunk goggles you must check out! They also carry some of the best alternative brands around, including Lip Service, and are a reliable and trustworthy site with great customer service!

After wow-ing them with the new line we finished our meeting, said our goodbyes and I packed my car full to the brim with my 6 garment bags to hit the highway again, heading north towards my next destination and hotel in Portland. Beautiful state up there and the drive, although plagued by rain storms, was nonetheless breathtaking as I passed through mountains rich with thick evergreen forests. I arrived late evening exhausted and, as luck would have it, there was an Indian food buffet right in front of my hotel so I didn’t have to give much thought to dinner and, after a fat meal, I retired for the night.

Day 2 and off to the Hawthorne Blvd area of Portland to visit Metro Body Piercing, Naked City, a new account called Dysfunctional Doll, who run a great Goth-specific website, and a whole slew of Lingerie/Adult stores to spread word about the new Lingerie/Costumes lines. Another long drive and across another state line up to Seattle WA and my next hotel. This time, not so lucky. My hotel is near the airport for an easy out Friday morning and the choice of restaurants in the area is slim at best! Sucks but not worth the fuse; a quick trip to Safeway and luckily there is a microwave in my room to heat up some comfort food! Sound boring?! Trust me, the times you get to or even feel like exploring or partying on sales road trips are far and few! Night 1 in Seattle and I’m in bed by 10:00!

With a full day ahead of me, I begin Thursday heading downtown and through a maze of stores and checks off my list. I end up at my last stop at Metro/Panache, which is a great store catering to a wide variety of alternative fashion from Goth, to punk to hipster club wear, shoes, lingerie, and some great local designers as well. If you’re ever in Seattle, check out Metro on Broadway, ask for Tom and tell ‘em Mickey sent ya!

Orders in the bag and another great sales trip under my belt Friday afternoon, I was on my flight from Seattle to Salt Lake City, then on to Las Vegas for a Gig at Diablo’s Cantina with my band the Cold Blue Rebels, with Three Bad Jacks, Guana Bats and my friend Sean Kama’s band. Also as a treat, right before our set, I got to see legendary skater Duane Peters’ new project The Great Unwashed. They were a cool-ass band, although I’m not sure Duane was really feeling the Diablo’s vibe at first. He seemed to get into it more as their set developed. A little bit old-timey/country, the band were obvious veteran players and the music was sweet. Duane played the railroad hobo character to a tee, and was every bit as convincing as Tom Waits ever was, but of course a lot more punk rock!!

This was our second time playing at Diablo’s and hats off to Steve, the club manager, who does a great job with the upstairs patio bar and treats bands with the respect we deserve! It is a class act, with all the bartenders and waitresses sporting tattoos and mohawks! Next time you do Vegas, hit Diablo’s. The food is great and the party rocks!! The Cold Blue Rebels rocked the stage, with the Zombie Rebel Dancers in tow this time, and we all got trashed and partied till the wee hours. We chilled by the pool at the Monte Carlo on Saturday and came home on Sunday, just in time to get a few hours of sleep before the Monday blues kicked in.

So there you have it, another chapter in the life of a Lip Service sales rep/occasional Rock Star!! I hope you all had a great week, too. Until next time remember…..
Fashion+Music=Life!!!!
Mickey Finn

Well, it has been a minute since I have gotten a chance to check in, and what a whirlwind it has been!!

May 25th I headed out to Arizona for a LS sales trip and 3 shows with my Psycho band the Cold Blue Rebels. My trip down to Tucson to my favorite AZ store, Hydra, was great and the Summer/Fall styles were a big hit! Margo, the owner, is super cool and her store is the best in the area. We stopped by an Ostrich farm on the way back and got up close and personal with the long necked dudes! Sometimes traveling can be cool when ya make random stops like that, although there is usually little time to see any sights :(

Fetish Falls, 42 Saints, and Naked Daves in the Scottsdale/Mesa/Tempe area are all great stores that carry LS, too. I also hit some of the many sexy Adult/Lingerie stores AZ has to offer, and got some orders for our new Fall Lingerie and Costumes. Fascinations, with multiple locations, Lingerie Super Store, and Adam and Eve are all great stores.

Each night we played shows with my band covering Scottsdale, Cottonwood, and Prescott, met tons of cool kids and spread the word about CBR and Lip Service clothing, handing out catalogs and stickers everywhere. The highlight was playing with The Quakes, the legendary band who are known for being 1 of the first Psychobilly bands from the US. All in all, a great and productive trip. I retuned home to load up my shit and move into my new house on Memorial day-UGH!!!! I hate moving but my new place is rad!

The rest of the week was busy and Friday found me heading to Fresno for a gig with my Rock band, Jetboy! Kids up there ate it up and it’s cool to see some youngsters with their parents, who have turned them onto Jetboy telling stories about the decedent 1980/90’s rock scene!! I am proud to front this band and, after 25 years, we still rock harder than most, delivering a great show every time! If you have not heard, our new record is available on ITunes, Amazon, and most other good download sites.

Saturday me and the Jetsters’ hooked up with our favorite production team, Jim and Mich from Plastic Hassle studios, and headed over to Bar Sinister to shoot the new Jetboy video in and around the venue, courtesy of Tricia Labelle. We also shot footage during sound check and of the live performance that night. This was our second time playing Bar Sin and both times were kick ass!! I always have a good time there but it’s best from on the stage! It’s always great to cruz around and see all the LS styles in the crowd, its all LA pride!! For the home town brand!!

Sunday left no time for rest as we headed to Marina Del Rey for a photo shoot with acclaimed rock photographer Glen La Ferman and he was amazing to work with. His walls are lined with album and magazine covers from years of filming everyone from Kiss to Bob Marley! An energetic guy who has been thru it all as a photographer, he kept us all cracking up fro the entire shoot. I would love to get him on board to shoot the next LS catalog!!

Back to work dragging my feet a bit today but after some coffee I dug into my morning emails. After I finish my column I will start packing up for my next sales trip to Portland/Seattle and, at the end of the week, fly into Vegas for another Cold Blue Rebels show at Diablo’s Cantina with Three Bad Jacks and Guana Bats.

I know its a crazy life and, actually, I was told twice last week by friends they wish they had my life, but truthfully I doubt many people could walk in my shoes. Sometimes I don’t know if I can!!
‘Til next time
Fashion+Music=Life
Mickey Finn

Jetboy shooting a new video and the show at Bar Sinister

Hello and, yes, I have survived another Hollywood weekend!

An evening of rock n roll debauchery at Bar Sinister turned out great when me and the Cold Blue Rebels invaded to rock out and mess up the stage with blood and guts (literally)!! DJ GingerFish supplied the beats to keep all the dancers grinding, and the Fet-play room was……….well playful. Big thanks to Trisha La Belle, who has been doing a great job providing the best parties in H-wood for all of us Fashion Freaks for many years and for putting up with us wrecking the patio stage on Saturday! The Zombie Rebel dancers were in rare form and Angelic had her guts ripped out live on stage! If you missed this show ya blew it ’cause it was a blast!

In Lippy news, this week marks the official launch of our Fall styles for preorders!! Stand-out groups to order before they sell out are, of course, the much anticipated “Step in Time” for all you Steamers! “Das Bunker” is a must-have for militant fashion fetishists! One of my personal favorites, “Pin me Up” for the doll to die for! Numerous new styles in our “Patent Vinyl and Vegi Leather Classics” category are adorned with custom buckles and spikes; stand-outs are the waist cincher, garter belt and a new guys’ top and trench coat! “Cyber Sniper” in black and neon pink is very next-level cyber wear. The new “Blacklist” styles are as great as always, with “Wicked Winter” wool and fur coats to keep you warm and snug. And then there’s “Brocade Piracy” in black or wine light brocade, with wine/black striped satin or black satin trims and satin shirts for guys and girls. This group has the best ruffle dandy guys’ shirt we have done for a long time!!

I am headed to Arizona next week for a sales trip thru Phoenix, Tucson and Scottsdale, and 3 shows with the Cold Blue Rebels (places and times are posted on our myspace page). I always love hitting Hydra Leather and More. If you’re in the area, check them out at 145 E. Congress, Tucson AZ 85701. It’s the best store for clothing and accessories in Tucson!

Well, that’s all for this week.
Remember … sex, drugs and rock n roll may not make ya live longer but it will keep ya smilin’ while you’re aive!
See ya
Mickey Finn
Fashion+Music=Life

Hey Lippy Lovers,

Any reptile lovers out there?!? Angelic and I are the proud grandparents of 22 baby bearded dragons!! Anyone interested in purchasing one $35.00 contact me mickey@theoriginalcult.com!

Never a dull moment around LS headquarters! We had a visit from rock hunk Josh Todd from Buckcherry!! All the ladies here were distracted from work and passed by the dressing room area many times as a not-too-shy JT flaunted flesh and tattoos while trying on his picks from the LS line, the Rocker and Junkie fit black jeans and the new SERVICE men’s line (his favorite!!). He’s a super cool guy and was nice enough to stop and chat for a bit about BC’s upcoming tour and the rock world. He was even nice enough to pose for a couple pics donning his new favorite SERVICE of Death shirt!! (shameless plug).

Also, today we had the stylist for Paramour come by for some goodies for upcoming shoots and appearances. We have been dressing them for the last few seasons.

This Saturday, come on down to Bar Sinister for my band the Cold Blue Rebels’ return, dead gogo girls, coffin, and more blood!!! Plus special guest DJ GingerFish from Marilyn Manson!! AND, if that’s not enough … FREE GIVEAWAYS courtesy of LIP SERVICE!!!! Spring is here and it’s time to stop hibernating and head to Hollywood for some fun!!

New Lippy Summer styles are on the way and will be in stock soon, with the Erotomechanics group being the hit of the Summer!! Cyber Geiger!!! Gotta love it!!

My bandmates form Jetboy were in town last weekend for some rehearsals and quick photos to show off our new rhythm section, Jess Reckless on Bass and Jessie Mendez on drums. We had a meeting with our booking agent to discuss our plans for summer dates and got belligerent at Jerry’s deli before heading down to the Roxy for some mild debauchery!

I’ll be heading to Arizona for an LS sales trip and CBR shows at the end of the month so, if anyone knows of cool stores that need to carry LS, please let me know!

Have a great week and come on down to Bar Sin this weekend!!
Fashion+Music=Life
Mickey Finn

Life in Lippy Land has it’s ups and downs like anywhere, and I do my best to report the ups to you, as we all have enough drama and bullshit in our lives to listen to anyone else’s whining!

But, can I just say, I am just about over this economy crunch!!

Its really fucking up the fashion world, with everyone looking for the cheapest deal and complaining about prices. Well, we have listened and, to help out our customers, we have lowered many prices, including our entire Jeans/Denim collection and introduced affordable new groups like “Batz n Bones”. Our quality, of course, remains great and our designers keep supplying the hottest new styles, such as our Steam Punk groups, which keep getting better and more popular. I think we are making the best of a bad situation and, until things get better and the economy improves, Lip Service is still the best cure for your flat busted blues!!

We received a surprise visit last week from one of my favorite punkers of all time the king of D.I.Y Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi. He was in town for a visit and, as it turns out, his wife is friends with one of our new Kill City designers. Since he remembered Drew from back in his punk rock days, playing for Americas Hard Core and Crucifix, they decided to stop by and say hi. He is truly a cool guy and it was a blast hanging out and talking old punk rock, touring and band stories with him and Drew!! I couldn’t help being a bit star struck, as were a few others from LS, and we couldn’t resist getting a photo in the parking lot to document the experience!

Our New LS Lingerie catalog mailer goes out this week so be sure to stop by your favorite LS retailer and make sure they order lots of it for Fall. The stuff is SEXY as hell and bound to please girls and boys alike!!

The new Jetboy Ep “Off Your Rocker” is starting to blow up and after an interview we did for an east coast radio station they posted the interview on their blog and received over 18,000 hits that registered for listening to the entire show!!! (Check out the interview!) We are Playing the M3 Festival on June 19th with The Scorpions and Cinderella and also a big festival in Kansas plus some local dates. A European tour is in the works now, too! Check the JetboyRocks website for tour dates and up to date info.

Cold Blue Rebels, my Psychobilly band, will play on May 7th in Bakersfeild with the Chop Tops. We are enjoying a rare weekend off this weekend, so maybe I’ll see you out and about or maybe I’ll just hibernate with my girl and some dvd’s!!

Until next time!
Fashion+Music=Life
Mickey Finn

Mickey is one busy cat this week, so I’m here to hijack his column (but just a little bit *heh*). For those of you who missed it, Jetboy tore it up at the Viper Room, supporting their new disc, Off Your Rocker! (available via iTunes). Of course, there was no way in hell the webmaster and I were gonna miss it, so we thought we’d grab a little something for those of you who couldn’t make it that night. Sadly, policies at the VR prevented the webmaster from getting some video of their kickass show, but I did manage to brave the rainy H’wood night, crowds, drunk club girls, and an over-exhuberent smoke machine to plop you right in the middle of the front and center action.

ENJOY!