Amongst the unfortunately limited discography of myself and CARDBOARD BRAINS is 1998 digital compilation of all the vinyl releases. Above you can see the original, which has a BLACK spine.
Blog from the Canadian actor, writer, and composer, award winning recording artist John Paul Young. Lead singer of (The) Cardboard Brains.
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The Cardboard Brains White EP 1977
Cardboard Brains White EP 1977 When looking at the Blogger stats I see people around the world tuning into this blog and I would bet that so...
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
JOHN PAUL YOUNG and CARDBOARD BRAINS COMPILATION BOOTLEG!
Amongst the unfortunately limited discography of myself and CARDBOARD BRAINS is 1998 digital compilation of all the vinyl releases. Above you can see the original, which has a BLACK spine.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOOL
Tuesday, January 03, 2023
KIDNAPPED!
I’m just sayingThe initial purpose of this post was to discuss my kidnapping, robbery and attempted murder on Yorkville Avenue in Toronto on July 2, 2002 in broad daylight at 6:55 PM.I will explore this occurrence in vivid detail as soon as I can. And on the subject of my book, whether it be memoirs or autobiography, there is much ground to cover as an overview before I get down to it, so to speak.Previously on Wikipedia on the “CARDBOARD BRAINS” page, it states that “John Paul Young is currently in seclusion. Or when translated: hermitage. It since had been edited out, but was essentially accurate. I was indeed in seclusion from September 2002 on. No one knew where I was or how to contact me and that’s the way I wanted it. That is why Cardboard Brains guitarist had his friend and once Cardboard Brains alumni John “Sandy” Macfadyen fill in for myself as front man-vocalist when the sort of Cardboard Brains played at the Horseshoe Tavern for THE LAST POGO JUMPS AGAIN in 2006.I was nowhere to be found. Even on message boards and chat groups the rumour was that I was dead.Sandy Macfadyen as John Paul Young with Cardboard Brains at the Horseshoe Tavern 2006.I have been reticent to publish my thoughts and experiences for years even on Facebook. However, now I feel I might as well be bold and shout it out loud so to speak, and I have much to say. I have nothing to regret and as for my life experiences: That is my life and I chose to embrace them as part of my being.It escapes me at the moment, but someone once said we are the people we have met, the places we have been and the books we have read. This is my life and I chose to embrace it, including the tragedies, tribulations and triumphs. So be it.One of the reasons I was “in seclusion” was because I was arrested. Seven times. And imprisoned. Four times. And without committing a crime.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
MURDER MAYHEM AND MADNESS. MY MEMOIRS.
Friday, November 18, 2022
THE LAST POGO JUMPS AGAIN BABIES RUN MY WORLD NARDWAUR CARDBOARD BRAINS
Here I found “Babies Run My World” by Cardboard Brains as discussed in an earlier post. (As I write I’m listening to “A Song for Europe” by Roxy Music off, I believe the Stranded album.)
Wednesday, November 02, 2022
THE LIFE OF ERMIE SCUB! (Dog sitting)
Here we have on YouTube my 1980 LP THE LIFE OF ERMIE SCUB in its entirety. I had intended to post BABIES RUN MY WORLD (1978) released 1979 on BOMB RECORDS: THE LAST POGO (Live at The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto), but I couldn’t find it on YouTube. It’s somewhere in that cyber abyss of the likes of Harry Styles and Adelle. Or Adel or whatever.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
NARDWAUR THE EVAPORATORS CARDBOARD BRAINS
Around the early years of the season of my discontent I noticed a strange phenomena on the internet. Something called a Nardwaur and apparently a band called THE EVAPORATORS had somewhat of a hit song called CARDBOARD BRAINS. By about 2005 I had put the pieces together to learn that NARDWAUR, The Human Serviette, was a MuchMusic VeeJay and legendary interviewer had a band called The Evaporators and a song entitled CARDBOARD BRAINS a homage of sorts to my band.
In 2005 ( I’m Guessing the year, it was a blur) I was living on top of The Rex Hotel at Queen Street West across from the practice space we shared with John McLeod (Johnny and the G-Rays), down the street from The Horseshoe. It just so happened that I read in NOW magazine that the Evaporators were playing The Horseshoe that night, so I swallowed my beer and headed down to introduce myself to NARDWAUR.
He said in a gentlemanly fashion: “ It’s an honour!” Took a publicity photo with himself, yours truly and the bass player from THE EVAPORATORS. He gave me a copy of RIPPLE ROCK, The Evaporaors CD at the time. When I got home and opened it, I found it had loads of great liner notes on myself and CARDBOARD BRAINS. Which I would like to share WITH YOU NOW:
“ I would love to see Cardboard Brains play live. If I may turn the reins at this point to my friend Marc Coulavin who will now subject you to a short history of the real Cardboard Brains (not The Evaporators song!):
“ Deadly Alien Foam. That’s what you could be reading about here. It was one of the names the band considered before settling on “CARDBOARD BRAINS”. An interesting and humorously self-deprecatory name, compared to the more obnoxiously provocative ones chosen by their fellow musicians on the Toronto punk rock scene. Things like Arson, The Battered Wives, the Cads, the Curse, The Fits, the Forgotten rebels, The Poles, The Rage, Rex Chainbelt (after a cement mixer part!) The Sharks, Slander, Swindled, Teenage Head, Tyranna, The Ugly, The Viletones and ZRO4.
It’s also a clue they were slightly different from the rest. Although their first EP, a 7” bearing the legend “Cardboard Brains 1977” contains four blasts of primitive and raw punk rock, there are definitely shades of quirkiness. Both in the lyrics as on the presumably sarcastic “I Want to Be A Yank”, and the music. Certainly in the vocals.
“Their on-stage presentation was also out of the ordinary. Eschewing the ripped jeans and T-shirts aesthetic of his contemporaries, singer John Paul young favoured dressing up in costumes. On at least one occasion, he removed his clothes to reveal a Riddler-like turquoise body suit covered in question marks. Young also integrated his training as a thespian into their shows, displaying behaviour qualified as “pretty bizarre” by a third year performance studies student (who should know!), at Ther 1982 Sheridan College gig. A first year business student called them “danceable but weird.” Not unlike The Evaporators in some ways!
In December 1978, Cardboard Brains appeared at The Last Pogo, a two day event at the Horseshoe tavern marking the end of that establishments “New Wave” booking policy. Parts of these shows, including numbers by Cardboard Brains, were committed to celluloid and vinyl. the more adventurous bent of the group reveals itself further on these contributions, as well as their second outing, a four song 12” EP released in 1979. this is perhaps due to the departure of original bassist Paul Oconnel and drummer Richard Miller, who were replaced by John Thomas and Dave Richardson on The Last Pogo recordings, and by Patrick Gregory and Mickel Keena on the EP.
In 1980, Mr. Young went solo and produced a rather depressing concept LP entitled The Life Of Ermie Scub, The group reunited in 1981, with Young and guitarist Vincent Carlucci as the only original remaining members. This resulted in a live album recorded at new wave club The Edgar, issued the following year in a very limited edition of 441 numbered and autographed copies, by then their music had evolved into fully-fledged prog punk, years before anyone came up with a name for it…but that was also the bands swan song. Since then they have reunited for a few club dates, one of these being a retrospective compilation CD.
Young went into acting and composing for the movies. Carlucci formed Station Twang with Carl Tafel (a later Cardboard Brains alumnus, whose previous vehicle had been Terraced Garden). Patrick Gregory became a member of The Woods are Full of Cuckoos and the Lawn.
The Cardboard Brains version of The Monkees’ “Stepping Stone” off their first EP, appeared on the all-Canadian Killed By Death Vol. 26 in the mid-nineties, raising their profile accordingly. Someone anonymously issued a facsimile of that EP in the last year or so. Now you can look forward to the pleasure of a song called “Deadly Alien Foam” on your next Evaporators platter! Cheers!and now back to your host Nardwaur…Thanks Nardmeister!”
So those are the liner notes from Ripple Rock by The Evaporators featuring Nardwaur The Human Serviette.
Friday, August 05, 2022
SLOTH
Sloth.There is much for me to tell but most of the time I don’t feel like doing anything. I would like to post daily because the search engines like to sniff the keywords. This Apple Magic Keyboard is pretty neat but the space bar the is malfunctioning in that I must hit the shift key in between words.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
THE ELECTRO BEAT CARDBOARD BRAINS
Pauline Groen, John Paul Young and Vincent Carlucci the incarnation of Cardboard Brains that opened for The Stranglers. No drummer just one of the first LinnDrums.