“I Need a Vacation” by Jim Bakus
https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=461268539285
This is the b-side of Jim Bakus’ “Delicious” single from my not-so-vast record collection. The a-side is legendary, the b-side is still pretty good to.
Author: Robert Gomez
Rock Stardom for Dumbshits
Leave it to The Phantom Surfers to release an instrumental surf record without any music, singing, talking or audio of any kind. I believe in some higher circles of society these types of records are called books, but what do I know. Rock Stardom for Dumbshits presents itself as a step-by-step guide to making it in the music industry. Bands are offered advice on how to sell-out and compromise everything they believe in for the near-impossible chance of making a living as a rock musician. Of course, it’s all a big goof! This is The Phantom Surfers after all. In actuality, the book is a funny and cynical look at just about every tier of the music industry: from the long-haired sound guy at the club to the money-grabbing record company suits. It’s a fun, albeit short read that ends on a semi-serious note by detailing how Lookout Records screwed The Phantom Surfers (and just about every band on the label) out of a bunch of digital distribution money.
Sing and Play the Three Doctors and Other Sounds of Today by Zip Code Rapists - LP
Before Gregg Turkington was creating anti-comedy as Neil Hamburger, he was, along with guitarist John Singer, creating anti-music in Zip Code Rapists. This album rides the fine line between genius and stupidity. The first side contains one of my all-time-favorite songs about the best never resting, “The Best Never Rest,” as well as the hysterical, historically-challenged “Presidents Song.” The second side is mainly comprised of a live recording where the band mostly apologizes for their existence before covering Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” I have never done drugs, but I assume this record would sound even better if I was stoned out of my mind.
When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish
Martin Gardner died around the time this book was released. Like many of his books, it compiles articles and essays that he has written over the years. This volume lacks much of the consistency of his other books. As usual, he still manages to hit some of this favorite topics: mathematics, pseudo-science, religion, and his overly-enthusiastic love of G.K. Chesterson. Personally, I think he is at his best when he is looking for paradoxes and puzzles within the framework of these broader areas of interest. That was truly his area of expertise, and when he strays from that it can feel like he is just indexing facts without much insight. Despite the lackluster quality of this book (and the fact that it ends on the sour note of his pro-socialism politics), he will be missed.
Friday Foster
You know you are in trouble when the most convincing performance in your film is by Isaac from The Love Boat. Despite the skin and swears, this is a made-for-TV quality blaxploitation film. It is uncommonly low on action, and the acting and dialogue is painful. Even Eartha Kitt disappoints.
Liberal Rage
Oh my. Most of my buddies on Facebook lean leftwards and I am anticipating an explosion of liberal rage come Tuesday evening. They can’t seem to shut up talking about Christine O’Donnell, or whoever the right-wing boogeyman of the moment happens to be, while completely ignoring the main gripe of over-reaching government that is going to swing this election. I will try to document the “gosh, Americans are stupid” and “Somehow this is still Bush’s fault” nonsense and publish it here. If the Democrats pull off a miracle and keep the house, I will be knee deep in standard liberal gloat. Either way, should be fun.
Movie Week Continues
My Halloween movie fest continued last night with a re-watching of Mother of Tears, the third film in the Three Mothers trilogy. When I first watched the film I pondered if it would get better on rewatching. Nope. It was actually more painful on the second viewing. What a rambling mess of a film with awful acting and dialogue all around. No screengrabs for this film. It doesn’t deserve that level of respect.
Stills from Kill Baby, Kill
My Halloween movie fun-run continues with Mario Bava’s Kill Baby, Kill. Not really his finest work, but it is memorable for the scenes of the ghostly child at the windows.
This is a very creepy still, but, in the context of the movie, it doesn’t come off as eerie as it could. I’m probably the 9000th person to post this screenshot on the Web, but any Kill Baby, Killpost must include it.
The film is filled with more great compositions such as this one in which a young girl is compelled to impale herself with a sconce.
Italians sure do love their spiral staircases. As a note to budding architects who work in cities with high counts of maniacs and vindictive ghosts: a simple straight flight of stairs is probably a bit better in emergency situations. Oh, and avoid the metaphysical endless room loops.
Gub by Pigface - CD
The first full-length record from Martin Atkins all-star review. Very drum centric as one would expect—on many of the tracks it seems like drums and vocals are about all they could muster. This band is, almost by definition, self-indulgent and quality is a bit of a crap shoot. Sometimes they are great, often times they are an audio endurance test.
Stills from Inferno
My plans to watch a bunch of horror movies in the run-up to Halloween have not been going to well. I did manage to re-watch Dario Argento’s Inferno the other day. I have always considered this to be one of Argento’s weaker films of this era, but the more I watch it, the more I like it. It has much of the wonderful colored lighting, expressionist sets and dynamic compositions that made Suspiria so great. Also, despite the flawed and incoherent plot, there are plenty of memorable scenes.
For some reason I especially like this scene where our hero, Mark, gets bewitched during his musicology class by The Mother of Tears…
This is only a brief cameo from the third mother, but it’s very effective. Too bad the actual movie about her, Mother of Tears, was so mediocre. They should have just looped this scene for 90 minutes and released it as a feature.
Inferno takes it its time in getting to the main villain, Mater Tenebrarum, but the scene in which she reveals her true identity is one of my favorites in Argento’s entire body of work…
Mark, don’t be lured into her fiery trap!
Without giving away the surprise, the shot above is so, so well done. Apparently, this is some of Mario Bava’s special effects handiwork. Good stuff. I encourage anyone who appreciates films simply for their beauty to check this film out.