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It was the best of times and the worst of times…remember that one?
This time out however we’re talking about Saturday’s Rainmakers show at Knuckleheads in the East Bottoms, not the French Revolution. And while it was clearly the age of foolishness, it was hardly the age of wisdom.
Not according to the Kansas City-bred, Chicago shock jock Erich "Mancow" Muller.
"It was fantastic," Mancow says of the show. "I tell you, Bob Walkenhorst‘s hair was gray – which is startling – but they’re still a great band. They’re as good as they were in 1986."
When the Rainmakers took the stage Saturday, Mancow was Johnny on the Spot.
"And the first thing Bob did when he walked out was reach down and shake my hand," Mancow says. "I was front-and-center with my belly against the stage and quite honestly, I was surprised he recognized me."
The story behind the story being that Mancow wrote a column here before the concert discussing issues he’d had with Walkenhorst over the years and speculating that the Rainmakers lead singer’s surley disposition may have cost them the fame and fortune they so richly deserved.
There’s more…
"Towards the end of the show the band played a song Bob wrote about somebody he hates called ‘Like Dogs’ and then he came over afterwards and said, ‘It’s not about you, Mancow.’
"I think we’re going to let bygones be bygones. I mean, we’ve had a contentious relationship."
As for Knuckleheads, it’s now become Mancow’s favorite music venue.
"There’s just something great about that place," Mancow says. "It’s just a powerful venue and a perfect place to see the Rainmakers. As U2 is to Red Rocks, the Rainmakers are to Knuckleheads. I mean, they unbuckled the Bible Belt and let it all hang out.
"The fact is that Knuckleheads is a treat, however the crowd there is not a treat. I’ve traveled the world and when it comes to America, the East Coast has people that are ugly but brilliant. The West Coast has people that are beautiful but stupid. And the crowd at Knuckleheads around midnight is a combination of both – ugly and stupid – at least they’re fat.
"Buddy, it was a great show and I met some really great people. But the majority of people there are just fat dummies – drunk and stupid and dancing and spilling drinks on themselves. The high-fiving motherfuckers that wore their hats backwards in college and are now trying to relive their glory days at Knuckleheads but those days have passed. They’re the same kind of guys who used to put Rohypnol in drinks and rape fat sorority girls while they listened to Jimmy Buffet. That’s the Knuckleheads crowd."
Which brings us to opening act, the Russian-American Red Elvises.
"They may be the single worst band I’ve ever seen in my life and I see two to three bands a week," Mancow says. "But I absolutely love Knuckleheads and I’m flying back for Southern Culture on the Skids (tonight). I saw David Allan Coe there and I’m going to fly back in again for Merle Haggard."
As for the prospect of Knuckleheads attracting a younger crowd, don’t hold your breath, Mancow says.
"Look, I don’t know the owners of Knuckleheads, but their logo is the Three Stooges on Harleys and you’re not going to attract young people with the Three Stooges on Harleys."
Yes,
welcome to the midwest, a lot of the people are fat AND stupid. Holy shit, what a relevation!!!!!
What an astute little observer you are! You get a gold star little manchild!
Birds of a feather?
In other words, the crowd at Knuckleheads is Mancow’s target demo. Stay in Chicago you ball licking shit for brains.
Oh hell yes!!! Mancow giving us a lesson on what is cool….LOVE IT!! Nice fuckin goatee, douchebag!!! I worked at the station that tried to bring this asshole back to KC in the 1990’s. He was a know-it-all, prick then and nothing has changed. Suprised nobody has beat the piss out of this guy. Not and original, creative bone in his body. He rips off EVERYTHING!!!! Keep giving him attention though, Hearne. It’s great for his low self-esteem issues.
Was he really expecting a young crowd at a Rainmakers show? WTF?
I don’t recall him expressing his expectations but…
He did have his eyes wide open while he was there
Dude, I resnt that…..
is it OK that Im FAT… but have a MENSA level IQ? Can we still play together? That hurt me deeply…
Sure man,
don’t worry I have a storage tank upfront too so I guess I fit half of manatee’s description of KC people.
And what the hell is he talking about anyway, that DB lives in Chicago and the last time I checked Cheecago was not LA LA or New Yawk, plenty of overfed corn stuffers there also. Open up them eyes, peckerwood.
mandouche
I remember when Mancow was funny but that has been a couple of decades ago now. If you listen to him currently he is just a hyper-paranoid conspiracy-theorist who is decidedly not funny. When you dog people, especially a city as a whole, some one is bound to take offense and he might just get his ass kicked next time he’s at Knuckleheads. He should go ask Steve Bono how we take it when you talk shit on us. To top it all off he’s from fucking RAYTOWN!!!
My experience of Rainmakers fans differs
I’ve seen the Rainmakers live now 8 times since the reunion. Each time I’ve been surrounded by friends. Many friends.
Yes, some of us Rainmakers fans are fat. And some of us are wispy little things. My Rainmakers fan friends come in all shapes and sizes. And while some may come across as “drunk and stupid” when having a good time during the show, I know these people, I’ve talked to them, discussed a variety of subjects; the people in that crowd are no dummies. Intelligent, thoughtful, caring people, who like music with thoughtful lyrics, but when it comes to seeing the Rainmakers live, they want to let loose and have a good time. And nothing wrong with that.
I’m Not Sure
That any 50ish man wearing a goatee and nerd ‘fashion’ glasses should make comments on others appearances. And maybe you should attend some shows other than those featuring bands whose heydays were 25 years ago and beyond. As an old guy, I’m often at alot of those same old fogey shows at Knuckleheads, but Frank has been doing his darndest to bring in a more diverse group of acts in recent years, some that attract a much younger-skewing audience as the recent Band of Heathens and before that the North Mississippi Allstars would attest to. I seriously doubt that you’re going to see a bunch of svelte 20-somethings at David Allen Coe or Merle Haggard.
Why??
Why is Erich getting press around here? It seems he just can’t get over his self-coined “contentious relationship” with Bob. Apparently Bob has forgotten about it as I’ve not heard him speak in the press about it for 15+ years. Erich taking shots at the folk is KC is really ironic since he’ s hick like a lot of us (Go HHS Wildcats!). I’m sure he wants us to be up in arms about the comments he made about KC folk.. Gotta attack someone else to make yourself feel superior, huh? What a sad little fella.