Andy Shernoff was always the main creative force behind one of New York’s best bands ever, the Dictators. He wrote the material and sang the leads. In the royal line of succession for NYC bands in the ’70s, they came along right after the birth of the New York Dolls. Every bit as raw, noisy and in-your-face as the Dolls, there was one thing the Dictators didn’t share with David Johansen and Co.: their sense of fashion. Rather than climb on the glam bandwagon, the Dictators dressed in leather jackets, jeans and T-shirts and paved the way for the punk revolution of 1977. Shernoff is doing the solo thing these days, with a new single called “Are You Ready To Rapture?” He’ll also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Shernoff: I’ve always been fascinated by history, and walking thru Palmyra is a transcendent trip back in time. This city of Roman ruins is located in an oasis on an ancient caravan route in the Syrian desert. It is desolate, vast, astoundingly beautiful and surprisingly well-preserved. Amazingly, this UNESCO World Heritage site full of antiquities has absolutely no security. Evidently one of the advantages of living in an oppressive third-world dictatorship is a lack of crime.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79pKgXLCBlE
