Spunky Onions, Boy!

Spunky Onions - Bill Davis (& the Legends)

RedBoy XXXII

Currently Watching...

HEAD -1968

"In this 1968 film, the Monkees valiantly attempted to deflate their own myth. The plot is, essentially, about demystification. Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith - with the aid of writer Jack Nicholson (the only credited author due to legalities)- tackle such topics as filmmaking, the media treatment and madness of the Vietnam War, Davy Jones' "way with the ladies", and, most importantly, commercialization. Each group member is presented in a unique light - in every case shattering the image that had been produced by the "media machine". The Monkees went out on a limb with this film by creating an almost surreal work with a loosely bound "plot". Their younger fans, unfortunately, simply missed the point. Because of the poor publicity of the film at the time of its release, older teenagers had no clue what "Head" was trying to say. As a result, its box office showing was disastrous. "Head" is more for the film enthusiast than the casual Monkees fan in some respects. The soundtrack does, however, feature some of the finest and most sophisticated music of the group's career. And yes, they DO play their own instruments on the tunes, but receive assistance in composing and performing from the likes of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Carole King."

Marcus Antonios on Healthcare Reform...

Gaius Cassius Longinus: You might wish as you will. We yet have the Senate behind us and all the men of quality.

Marcus Antonius: And I… have an angry mob… that will roast and eat your men of quality in the ashes of the Senate house!

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc."

Word.

Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday to You. Happy Birthday Mr. Thomas Edison's Frankenstein...

Guess who turned 100 years young today?

"Frankenstein is a 1910 film made by Edison Studios that was written and directed by J. Searle Dawley. It was the first motion picture adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The unbilled cast included Augustus Phillips as Dr. Frankenstein, Charles Ogle as the Monster, and Mary Fuller as the doctor's fiancée.

Shot in three days, it was filmed at the Edison Studios in the Bronx, New York City. Although some sources credit Thomas Edison as the producer, he in fact played no direct part in the activities of the motion picture company that bore his name.

For many years, this film was believed to be a lost film. In 1963, a plot description (reprinted above) and stills were discovered published in the March 15, 1910 issue of an old Edison film catalog, The Edison Kinetogram.

In the 1950s, a print of this film was purchased by a Wisconsin film collector, Alois F. Dettlaff, who did not realize its rarity until many years later. Its existence was first revealed in the mid-1970s. Although somewhat deteriorated, the film was in viewable condition, complete with titles and tints as seen in 1910. Dettlaff had a 35 mm preservation copy made by the George Eastman House in the late 1970s."

"Won't You Tell Your Dad Get Off My Back?"

"Tell him what we said bout' 'Paint it Black'. Rock & Roll is here to stay, come inside where it's okay...and I'll shake you..."

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

"Doctor Said I Smell Like I's Been Baptized in Silver-Satin Wine."

I buy a lot of novelty records. It's a sickness, not unlike collecting every record w/ the word "bongo" in the title, or every song that has a "pt. 2". I'd be the first to admit that most novelty records are only good for a listen or two before the novelty wears off (clever), and you can only take so much of the Dickie Goodman break-in shtick (Insert 50's era top-forty sound-clip taken out of context)before suffering a psychotic break.

One of my favorite novelty discs eschews the predictable flying saucer invasion for a little Amos & Andy esque Tate ET Tate; where the shiftless 'Cornbread' is always getting the better of straight-man, 'Biscuits', all set to twelve bars of some sweet-back rhythm and blues.

First things first, I'll go for the obvious - this thing has Thunderbird product placement all over it (See: Two Birds, One Stone & and What's the Word), a fact which I find both socially irresponsible and totally awesome (Don't judge me)! Plus, Big Time Spender and the requisite Pt 2 (See, told ya!) gets extra points for not only 'weed' references, but the infinitely rarer 'heroin' acknowledgment tossed off so casually. Some copies of 'Spender' supposedly come w/ a sticker over the 'E' in Maske (Printing error)though I aint ever seen one (Can someone confirm?)

There's a sequel to this which I have yet to pick-up, mostly out of laziness. As it is my copy of 'spender' could use an upgrade, but to be honest, this kinda low-brow shit sounds better behind a bacon sizzle and a styrene fizzle, plus , you really don't have a choice...I'm just sayin'.

Big Time Spender pt 1 - Cornbread & Biscuits

Big Time Spender pt 2 - Cornbread & Biscuits

Mo' Taters, Momma

Woke up to my brain trying to escape through my right eye the other day (See: Chronic Migraines), yet the weather was such that after weeks of snow-bound dementia I’d be damned if I didn’t make it out into the sun to photosynthesis even a little (Gotta get that Serotonin flowin’). After and large coffee and self administer injection of Sumatriptan I made it down to a local record store, passing the time before it opened (Run by teenage punks- one can never truly count on it opening on time, and on a Saturday morning no less!) in an adjacent antique-shop. Pouring over the records there, it occurred to me that I had shuffled through all this crap before, several times in point of fact, and was just about to abandon ship when the familiar feeling came over me; every time I pass on a stack of records somebody dives in and come up w/ doubloons, so I grabbed a random stack and shuffled through…the result: Mo’ Taters.

Popularized by Crypt comp series Las Vegas Grind, this kinda late-in-the-game R&B is now generally referred to as a ‘Titty-Shaker’, though desperate attempts to quantify and categorize such a broad stroke of music seems woefully inadequate (Gothabilly and Surfabilly are two ridiculous subgenre’s that spring to mind). Unbeknownst to many, the Earthworms (Great name!) are actually Oliver Sain (of ‘Bus Stop’ fame) and his little protégé, Little Milton though one doubts he stayed very ‘little’ for very long, what w/ all that starchy intake of his (If his proclivity for Potatoes were to bear-out as the song suggests)

Be it Titty-Shaker or just plain old R&B; call it what you like, just don’t call Tater’s later for dinner, or else run the risk of a side-dish mutiny; the streets flowing w/ the chicken-gravy of the non-believers.

Look for the aptly named flip ‘Fish Tale’ on an upcoming BFTRB soul mix. Until then, pass the taters…

Mo' Taters - Earthworms

The Passing of a "Legend".

Charles Pierce, writer/director of the 'Legend of Boggy Creek'and the 'Town That Dreaded Sundown' died of natural causes. He was 71.

Charles Peirce is perhaps best known as the originator of the 'Documentary Style' horror film, 'Boggy Creek' in particular setting the stage (For better or worse)for modern films such as the Blair Witch Project', as wll as the recent sucess, 'Paranormal Activity'

Hey Chuck, when you make you way to the great unknown, tell Sasquatch me and Paulie K. says wazzup!

R.I.P. Charles Peirce

RedBoy XXXI

Be...the 23rd Rocker!

I’m sendin’ this one out to Mr. Brainpang, as he is somewhat of an authority on mad genius where musicality is concerned.

Just when I think I’ve plumed the very depths of self-styled outsider music, the bedrock beneath me gives way and I find myself in the company of yet another schizophrenic with a guitar, only this time he’s plugged in and he’s co-opted Roky Erikson’s mullet.

That last comparison, in particular, is fairly accurate for if I had to explain D.C’s Butch Willis and the Rocks, it would be that through some as-yet unknown providence, not one, but two Roky Erikson’s just happened to develop organically and wholly independent of one another on opposite sides of the continent; the prior, having become the poster child for psychedelia; the latter, being perhaps most famous for practically burning down a local cable access show with a faulty smoke machine (See: Below)

Makes me wonder if Henry Rollins will get around to replacing ole’ Butchee’s teeth as well.

Seriously though, the two sound identical, actively deal w/ the same neurological impairments and are generally singing about nothing that resembles reality as I understand it.

What makes this revelation even stranger is that the enclosed tracks were discovered on a sleeveless LP in a Redbank NJ thrift shop, far from its native DC and wholly out of place amongst myriad copies of the Firestone Christmas album and Psalms for Children. How did it get there? What kind of financial hardships would prompt someone to jettison this jewel of dementia for pennies on the dollar when it cultural value is immeasurable? Either way I am willing to take the blessing as it comes, though the journey says much more than the ultimate destination. Even the albums title ‘Of’ evokes mystery; walking a fine line between brilliant existentialism and the kind of head scratching that continually moves us record misanthropes forward…albeit by shorts steps.

I will now give you a moment to mentally prepare yourself…

Ready?

Short Steps - Butch Willis (& the Rocks)

Be the 23rd Rocker - Butch Willis (& the Rocks)

I Want'a Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star - Butch Willis (& the Rocks)

Currently Watching...

HAXAN (1922)

"Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen's obsession with bizarre lighting effects reached its apotheosis with his 1922 masterpiece Häxan. Beginning in a deceptively sedate fashion with a series of woodcuts and engravings (a technique later adopted by RKO producer Val Lewton), the film then shifts into gear with a progression of dramatic vignettes, illustrating the awesome power of witchcraft in the Middle Ages. So powerful are some of these images that even some modern viewers will avert their eyes from the screen. Though obviously a work of pure imagination, the film occasionally takes on the dimensions of a documentary, a byproduct of the extensive research done by Christensen before embarking on the project (incidentally, the director himself can be seen in the film in a dual role as Satan and the Doctor). Häxan marked a parting of the ways for Christensen and the Danish film industry; thereafter, he confined his activities to the German cinema, before answering Hollywood's call in 1928. A separate version of this film exists, with a shorter running time, retitled Witchcraft Through the Ages and released in 1968. It features narration by the legendary Beat writer William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) and a score by Jean-Luc Ponty."

RedBoy XXX

Your (Fourth) Chance to Do the Hump!

Reposted by popular request...and then subsequently reposted again, initially because Divshare's ass sucks canal water, but subsequently because of my own incompetence. Regardless, I bring you...

Igor's Lament - Tony & the Monstrosities



Igor's Party - Tony and His Monstrosities

Round and Around and Around and Around and Around And Around and...

There is a man who twists alone.... Though others might box step or (Gasp) swing languidly to the syncopated style of the Madison, this enigmatic individual twists with reckless abandon, twirling a path through a cold and incalculable stellisphere; the providence of brilliant maniacs and insane fools. There is a man who twists alone...for solitude is the Damoclesean (???) sword that forever hangs above the gyrating head of this humble folk hero. His is the thankless role of the fool, the hopeless, yet necessary fulcrum against which all truth and cosmic mystery shall be brought to bear. There is a man who twists alone...Yea, though we should know him by word or deed, he is forever an enigma, a microcosm of centrifugal force tearing a hole through the very fabric of existence. He shall be here long after we have passed into dust, for he is the lone twister.

Hosanna unto him.

Lone Twister - The Lone Twister

Special thanks to Greg for entrusting this gospel to mine hands.

P.S. Is it just me or do the vocals have this weird Mercedes McCambridge/ William ' Friedkin's Exorcist vibe goin' on

P.P.S. Around and Around and Around and Around and Around And Around and...

RedBoy XXVIV

Promethean Hubris, or...Fire In A Bottle

Oh, boy…

I know I said regular posting would commence shortly -- what w/ the new stereo acquisition and all-- but allow me to give you the brief rundown of the whore that is lady luck and her unfailing ability to kick me in the teeth.

Finally got the Wharfedales dialed in a little over a week ago, and I was in the process of cueing up sonic garbage for this repository of knowledge when -- and I shit you not—my laptop blew the fuck up and took my Fisher w/ it. The long and the short of it: A short (Pun) in the laptop power supply caused a surge to the Fisher, which would have generally not been a problem HAD THE FUCKING FUSE BEEN SOLDERED CORRECTLY by the joker I originally scored this from (He swore he had his tech go over it w/ a fine tooth comb, natch). The resulting arc fried the laptop and blew the output transformer without even tripping the fuse! Don’t’ fret though. After two weeks TLC w/ MY tech (i.e. the guy I go too when the shit get’s too real for me), we’re back in business, and w/ the addition of a new old-stock Soundcraftsmen PE2217 and a venerable laptop (Thanks, Sissy!) we now have twice the rock (w/ half the fat and ten times the grease).

Yeah, it might sound like a huge hassle where-as solid state is a bit more dependable, but what can I say: I’m ole’ fashioned, and besides, you can’t make rock w/o fire, and you can’t make fire w/o the venerable vacuum tube.

Thanks to Dennis @ Central Jersey Repair for bringing me back from the brink of boredom.

Now, on wit da show!

Gold Standard For A Tin Ear

Having replaced my stereo receiver, of course all of the little imperfections inherent to my audio set-up have come fumbling at my head.

First up is a torn cone in one of my Sony speakers which galvanized me to get my ass on craigslist and see if any local color were offering something of note that perhaps would not result in my getting raped and killed at an area truck stop. One phone call and an unmarked panel-truck later and I was on my way home w/ a pair of 1960’s Wharfedale W60s (note: even the most firm price is negotiable, and no, I did not blow the guy). I tell ya, these speakers are sweet as hell, especially in the mids. They tend to get a bad wrap for their apparent lack of low end, but since I haven’t been listening to any Gabber Techno lately (or ever), it ain't no thang that a good sub-woofy won’t cure (to tell the truth they don’t even really need it). These walnut bastards are pretty smart lookin’ too. Hell, they even came with the original wood floor stands! IKEA would blush down to their bones at the lines of these space-age marvels.



As for the turntable situation, I usually slop 45’s around on a twin pair of coffin laden Stanton’s in the interests of throwing the odd shindig, but I have been on the lookout for a solid performer for more critical listening. At first glance, a BSR would hardly be considered a fitting candidate, especially their low end consol models, but I came across a BSR 710 at a local trading post (see: den of iniquity) and managed to point out enough flaws to talk the guy down to a more wallet friendly agreement. I realize and automatic platter-stacker might seem like a strange audiophile choice, but after replacing the needle housing for a modern equivalent and adding a more complimentary lube to the drive-train (yes, this monster uses a drive train not unlike the average car; and yes, I said “lube”) and this machine runs as quiet as the grave, and with a solid wood base, is as heavy as the requisite tombstone.

Next up is and dedicated EQ and a tube pre-amp. Anybody sellin’?

Note: Dig the periodical the BSR ad is from.

The Scream of the Butterfly!

I hate caterpillars. Every summer they used to form huge communal cocoons in my families peach trees. We burned em' out with torches (WD40 and a lighter) with no appreciable decline in the local butterfly population. The peach jam which resulted was none the worse either (really good on beer bread - by the by).

Even though I abhor their squishy little bodies, and their ability to inch their way up every exposed cuff and each unguarded plate of tatter salad, it's their body of musical work which is on the plate here, with just as many legs under it (How many legs does a Caterpillar have, anyhoo?).



Here, by request, is the Stranger's Caterpillar Crawl pressed on California's Titan record label (See: Surfmen) and like those fucking' writhing viper pits which hang from the aforementioned trees, this post is practically busting at the seems w/ bonus bugs.



Case in point; I actually prefer the Roommates 59' version to the original. It kinda has a seedy locomotive vibe to it (Think 'Ghost Train' by the Swanks), and as for the Caterpillar Song by the Caterpillars, what can I really say but fuck them Beatles...the Caterpillars are where it's at... provided they don't molest my peach trees any further (There's Brandy in them thar skins).

Caterpillar Crawl - Strangers

Caterpillar Crawl - Dick Dixon (& the Roommates)

Caterpillar Song - Caterpillars

RedBoy XXVIII