Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

I forget who sang "Some Days Are Diamonds" (Wait. Are things so off that I'm quoting John Denver? Dag) but he wasn't thinking of me, mine or my last week. Luckily the darkest clouds passed and some ills have healed. But when Icepack's sweetheart of the rodeo (that's me) wasn't challenged by having his mom (Lady Ms. Eda) rushed to the hospital for too many serious reasons, he got his heart broken by Friday night's passing of guitarist/teacher/friend Linda Cohen. For the uninitiated who missed CP's March 2008 music issue, Cohen was Segovia and Fahey rolled into one tiny beautiful ball, and an unwitting inspiration to Philly's current psychedelic folk scene. Before her funeral (Goldstein's, Broad Street) with her mom and dad, Kenn Kweder, Bobby Startup, Bob Ingram, David Carroll, Barbara Montgomery, Michael Tearson and other music scene friends in attendance, Cohen's oldest pal, Henri David, told me a story. "When I was 12 and she was 12, I became boyfriend and girlfriend with Linda Cohen. Since then, every holiday — Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter — we'd spend together with her family. They were my family. We even performed at the Second Fret coffeehouse together in like 1959 or '60. I played bongos and snapped fingers. She played guitars. We sang, screamed and read poetry. It was a hoot. She was a marvel." She still is. My heart's a bit busted at the week's happenstance. Still, there's some good. My mom's out of the hospital and bugging the heck out of my dad, St. Alfonso's Pancake Breakfast.

► Chris McDonough is out of the hospital, too. He's been out for a while now, actually. McDonough's the singer/performance artist/writer/bald guy from Philly Fringe Fest favorite the Absinthe Drinkers. He and his gal Kim Zelnicker were mugged outside Chris' then-new Christian Street condo. Chris got shot at close range in the gut and spent much time bedridden. "Getting shot sucks," says McDonough. "I don't recommend it at all. However, the love from family and friends is really what I will remember from this experience. So, I have a leather jacket with a hole in it, an impressive scar, and knowledge that so many people out there were pulling for me to come through." The first Absinthe Drinkers gig since the shooting occurs Feb. 2 at National Mechanics with the return of the in-hiding-till-now electro pop girl grooop Jill Rabbits. Bring gifts 'n' flowers for all concerned.

► Phil Lynott passed away before some of you punks was born, and he laid a lot of tracks that weren't the stupid hit "The Boys are Back in Town." So it's thrilling that the VH1 Classics label just found live stuff that Thin Lizzy recorded at Upper Darby's Tower and will drop Still Dangerous: Live at the Tower Theater Philadelphia 1977 on March 3.

► Whoowhee. As of Jan. 28, David Katz's Mémé restaurant at 22nd and Spruce'll have its liquor license. Booze up with his duck and let's rock. 

► Guitarist Gina Randazzo's Metallica-cover band can't get a break. First she had to change its name a bunch of times. "It's been a fight since day one, when we were originally billed as 'Metallicunt' and business interests on the promotion end of things threw man-sized baby fits," laughs Randazzo. "Then in May, Preston & Steve from WMMR had us on the air as 'CLITALLICA.' That morning, the mother of our teenage guitar player heard this and had a brain aneurysm in her car while listening on her way to the MMR studio. After streams of tears and a series of threats, we decided to go with 'Misstallica.' That's fine. But then, when Metallica got a Hall-o'Fame wag last week, they hyped up Jersey/Fishtown metal act Dillinger Escape Plan rather than Randazzo's harder rawer Misstallica. No worries. "The name game has become a running joke to us. We suit up, show up and kill 'em all, no matter what we're called." They'll do so at Johnny Brenda's Jan. 31.

► DJs Sazam and Jay Rockwell? Thank you for 12 years at Brasil's — the longest-running Latin and salsa night in Philly. We don't always express ourselves properly and we don't always come see you. But we appreciate it. And Joe Figueroa's "Simply Salsa Tuesdays" at the Reef celebrating two years? Break off a piece of that anniversary cake, too.

► The presto-change-o between Fork's legendary outgoing chef Thien Ngo and its incoming cooking captain Terence Feury happens right around 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at 12:01 a.m. Be there for the culinary vernal equinox.

► Before Philly filmmaker Lee Daniels (producer Monster's Ball, director Shadowboxer) found his still distributor-less incest-y new film, Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire with the jury prize and the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival (and its star Mo'Nique with a Special Jury Prize for playing a mean welfare mom), I spoke with both star and director from Daniels' hotel room. We talked about how Daniels freaks people out at every turn, personally and aesthetically. "He's fearless, Lee is," says Mo'Nique of Daniels' sartorial and tonsorial splendor as well as his artistry. "He walks with his shoulders back and makes no apologies for that vision." Daniels — who filmed Push with Philly crew folk — may value awards to a small extent. But he says the people whose opinions matter to him are few. "I only care what my mom, my kids and God thinks. If I cared what people thought of me I'd be in Hollywood making movies rather than on my own terms in my own town."

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)