Subcultural Cooking Shows

Happy Sunday afternoon, y'all! As soon as I get through posting this, I'm probably heading to the neighborhood bookstore, for distraction's sake (as well as getting me outta the Temporary Denver Napalm HQ!). (Shit, even some exercise might be nice, eh?) But before I get into this, I should let you know there was an exchange of Facebook messages with my UK colleague John Robb, another punk rock vet with a couple of notable bands under his belt (Goldblade and The Membranes) and a parallel career as a rock journalist (check out his excellent recent histories of both punk and post-punk). (Actually, I haven't read the latter yet, so perhaps I shouldn't be calling it "excellent." John, think you can send me a signed copy so I can check its' excellence?) Anyway, before I get too Rev. Norb in these diversionary, parenthetical tangents, the point of this now-rambling paragraph is that John has asked me to do a blog for his excellent musical/cultural site, Louder Than War. Which means, at least a twice-a-month, A Heartful Of Napalm will be a part of Louder Than War. I can't say I'm more pleased for the opportunity to spread the Napalm Disease farther and wider. Thanks, John!

Now, about food....

Some of you who follow me either on Twitter or Facebook already know that, much as I love Denver, steady, solid employment's been scarce. Shit, I transferred my longtime political fundraising job here, and was let go after three months! I keep saying living punk rock in the '80s prepared me well for surviving in the modern economy. Part of DIY living is rejecting the urge to scarf burgers at McDonald's (or whatever) and learning to cook on your pitiful resources. (I've even been teased, in my search for recipes from my more talented-in-the-culinary-department pals, that I should start a series here called "Cooking With Napalm." Give me a chance to actually get good at this first, please.)

Thankfully, all us lumpen-whatevers have some fine resources at our disposal. And I don't just mean killer cooking blogs like Kimberly A. Morales' excellent Poor Girl Eats Well (for which I have my longtime pal Melia to thank, and which also works if you happen to not be a girl), or my particular favorite, Cooking For Assholes (which should work even if you're not an asshole). (Man, do the jokes get cheesier by the minute or what?!) For one thing, thanks to the magic of YouTube, there's now a whole shitload of alternate universe cooking shows available to us Anthony Bourdains-in-the-making. One of my faves for the past year is actually hosted by a fan of "Radio Napalm," a Las Vegas-based boots-n-braces type named Eddie Petro, hosting a show called The Skinhead Gourmet. It's pretty simple: Eddie, his cropped head, and his Doc Martens shows you how to prepare something inexpensive and tasty, as killer Oi! and bootboy reggae blasts in the background. (I've done the cat's Olde E Fried Chicken, and I would say it's my own lack of skill that made it turn out weird!) Why don't ya try out this SHARP's Menacing Mac 'n' Cheese to start?

Eddie's got some serious competition, however, from a new upstart from what I've always felt was a shitty musical world. (Personal opinion. It's my blog - fuck off if you disagree.) *ahem* But seriously, how can anyone - even a confirmed carnivore like me - not instantly fall in love with The Vegan Black Metal Chef (yet another Melia recommendation)?

Not sure I want to either go vegan, and I really hate cookie monster satanic metal. But damned, if I don't want some of that Pad Thai!

Okay, enough of this web-nerd shit. I need to seriously go from URL to IRL. Enjoy your time in the kitchen. Coming soon: More '80s Indie Crunch, and my thoughts on Bob Mould's book. Let it rock, Irregulars!