On The Flipside

RIP Sammy Petrillo

2009-08-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Jerry Lewis impersonator and B-movie staple Sammy Petrillo is dead at 74. Sammy worked the clubs with Dean Martin impersonator Duke Mitchell before starring in the truly bizarre "Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla." He went on to act in Doris Wishman films, had a cameo in "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," invented the prank phone call record, and came up with the idea for "The Munsters."

You gotta give Sammy his props. It must have been a tough gig, especially when Lewis started siccing his lawyers on him. To put this in perspective, imagine being an Adam Sandler impersonator. On second thought, don't.

The Coulda Been Contendas

2009-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

While searching around for pix of the late Willy DeVille I came across "It Should Have Been A Hit" blog. It contains a plethora of '70s and '80s singles by such forgotten artists as Comateens, Henry Badowski, The Yachts, and Human Sexual Response. There's some not-so-obscure stuff here as well that didn't make the top-40. Do the Cadillac Walk.

Dizzy Dali Dinner

2009-07-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

From a 1941 newsreel, with typically unfunny commentary. As President Truman once said, "If that's art, I'm a Hottentot."

Get Well Soon, MCA

2009-07-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Best wishes to Adam Yauch, AKA MCA of the Beastie Boys, who announced he has cancer. Adam is a devout Buddhist, and I'm sure that will help him deal with it. Send him some good thoughts.

Avon Wild County Electric Guitar After Shave

2009-07-09T10:48:00.001-07:00

Avon gets hip with Electric Guitar After Shave. The groovy box was enough to entice me, but imagine my surprise when I opened it to find a guitar-shaped bottle with detachable neck! The after shave smells pretty bad after 40 years, but I can't imagine it smelled any better back then. Rock on.

RIP Sky Saxon

2009-06-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Lost amid the hoopla over MJ's untimely demise, former Seeds bassist and front man Sky Saxon died this week. He was 71. Sky's snarling vocals and powerful playing were hugely influential to thousands of aspiring garage bands around the world. He largely faded from public view and never achieved the level of fame that many nof his peers did. But unlike some of his contemporaries, like Roky Erikson and Syd Barrett, he didn't descend into mental and physical decline.

Sky joined the Source Family commune in 1970 and remained with it until his death. He continued to perform in various bands for the rest of his life.

Check out The Seeds on Casey Kasem's Shebang show from 1967

Big 3-Inch Record

2009-06-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

OK, Li'l Missy is way too excited about this mini record player. I imagine her playing what must be really short songs with crappy sound for about an hour before losing interest. I have to assume that Ohio Arts thought they were creating an entirely new market for pre-tweens. You start with the Mighty Tiny and eventually move up to 45s. Didn't happen.

BTW, my birthday is coming up. I'd love one of these.

The Genius Of Ernie Bushmiller

2009-05-18T12:49:00.001-07:00

These images come from a 1951 Nancy comic by the brilliant Ernie Bushmiller. The actual dates of the comics are difficult to determine, as Ernie had already been producing the strip since 1926. Also, Nancy comics always seem so be stuck in time, even when Ernie introduced beatniks and hippies into the strip. I wager some of these date from around WWII. Click on the images for a better look.

The bottom strip here shows off Bushmiller's clever use of wordplay. Ernie's clean, precise drawing style was the trademark of the strip. Note the archaic images of washboards and dunce caps (they show up frequently).

Mmm...Boople's Cookies and elegant popcorn.

The women's outfits and hairstyles are pure 1940s. The reference to white cord being hard to find has to be about wartime rationing.

Fireworks by mail! Impossible in this day and age.

More fireworks. Note the clever co-branding. "The Captain And The Kids" is pretty much the same as "The Katzenjammer Kids," as both were created by Rudolph Dirk. Dirk changed the name in 1915 after a dispute with Hearst. A version of "Katzenjammer" competed with the Kids until 1979!

Multiple Sidosis

2009-05-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

A short film by amateur film maker Sid Laverents, who died this week at 100.

Lucha Libre From The Archives

2009-05-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

I found this while cleaning out my attic recently. I was at this show in 1988. I went with my friends Bruce and Bruce. We got there about 20 minutes prior to the start. Oddly enough, the ring was still being set up. We sat there for a long time until finally the wrestlers started coming out. They turned out to be the same guys who set up the ring. Talk about a high-class operation.

The matches were fun, in the way that only Latino wrestling can be. The "Bloody"Dracula was more like The "Drunken" Dracula. We were even invited to have a drink with the wrestlers after the matches. Why we declined I'll never know.

About a year later we saw another match at Dickinson High School (my mother's alma mater) that featured lady wrestlers, midget tag teams, and a very old and very fat Sgt. Slaughter. Good times.

Serving Tips

2009-05-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

From a 1963 Amy Vanderbilt guide to entertaining:

"Now, I need someone to serve the meal. Hmm...child labor is an idea. On second thought, the little shit will probably report me.

I could also have old Uncle Tom do it. No, too politically incorrect.

Oh, fuck it. I'll do it myself.

Noise Fans Of The World Unite!

2009-04-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Fans of old school aural assault are rejoicing (one would assume) at the current Throbbing Gristle tour. The band, was formed in 1975 and broke up in 1981. The various members went on to form Psychic TV, Chris + Cosey, and Coil. This is their first full tour in almost thirty years.

Lou Reed performed his epic 1975 "Metal Machine Music" in its entirety in NYC this weekend. By one account I read, the venue was half-full, and several members of the audience walked out. They were probably expecting to hear "Sweet Jane" or "Heroine," but it's their own fault, as the poster clearly stated that "No songs will be played."

Now if only Nurse With Wound would get back on the road...

Let's Make A Motherf@%$in' Cake, Bitch!

2009-04-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite Icelandic kids show mashed up with my favorite potty-mouthed rapper? Pure heaven, I'd say.

I Beseech Thee, Please Find Me A Job

2009-04-16T09:56:00.001-07:00

I was searching the Google looking for the Patron Saint of the Internet, when I found St. Isadore of Seville. Apparently he was a scholar who was locked up for being lazy. So far, I can relate. He spent his time gathering information and compiling an index of over 1000 manuscripts, thus creating the first search engine.

There's even a prayer associated with him. Here's an excerpt with all the Jesus-y stuff removed:

[W]e beseech Thee that,
through the intercession of Saint Isidore, bishop and doctor,
during our journeys through the Internet
we will direct our hands and eyes
only to that which is pleasing to Thee
and treat with charity and patience
all those souls whom we encounter.

The BBC has a list of saints for modern-day concerns. There's a patron saint of television, alcoholics, and, I kid you not, serial killers. Catholic Online has a comprehensive list of patron saints for all occasions.

I'll Say She Is

2009-04-12T10:47:00.001-07:00

A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man

2009-04-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. I've been looking for a job and working on my website, among other things. I picked up a copy of Dick Cavett's interviews with rockstars at the library (times are tough). I was looking forward to his 1974 interview with David Bowie, which I had seen when it originally aired. It was as I remembered, with a sniffly, nervous Bowie gamely trying to answer Cavett's pointed questions.

Anyway, various parts of the show are available on YouTube, along with his bizarro appearance on Dinah Shore with Henry "The Fonz" Winkler. Here's a clip of the long-haired, puffy shirted David performing "Space Oddity" on an awards show in 1970. Apparently, his band in invisible. Enjoy.

Pictures Of Drugs

2009-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

From the National Institute of Chemical Dependency comes page chockablock full of drug info, including photos of drugs and drug paraphrenalia, and almost 2,500 phrases "relating to drug slang, street terms, street language, drug words, street drug slang." Now you can go to the copping zone to look for someone slanging schoolboy. Just watch out for the beat artists.

The Cramps Live at Napa State Mental Hospital 1978

2009-02-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lux and company perform "The Way I Walk" to an appreciative crowd. Dig the guy with the suit jacket and skinny tie.

Lux

2009-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Bye Lux. You rocked.

Send some good thoughts to Ivy.

RIP Rick Lopez

2009-02-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

My friend Rick passed away last week. We met some time in the early '80s. We bonded over music. Rick had the most insane record collection I'd ever seen. He was the kind of guy who drooled over Japanese imports. He was heavily into British art rock (Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus, Joy Division). He could groove to pretty much anything, but he was drawn to the dark side.

The last time I saw him was in 1995. He was married to my ex-wife and living in Brooklyn. They broke up a few years later, and he went into seclusion. He started getting ill around ten years ago and was by all accounts a recluse. I didn't think about him too much until I heard about his death.

I was in a melancholy mood today, so I put on This Mortal Coil, which along with Leonard Cohen is my go-to sad music. Rick was a huge TMC fan. These two are dedicated to him.

I hope he's hanging around with Ian Curtis right now.

Song To The Siren

My Father

Christian Bale Takes A Ride On The Crazy Train

2009-02-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Christian Bale's bizarre on-set tirade set to music by producer RevoLucian. Look for Babs around minute 1:37. It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it. I give it a 95.

Definitely NSFW.

Steel Tips Live @ CBGB 1977

2009-02-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

A short clip of a performance by the great Central Jersey punk band. Notable for Joe Coleman's self-immolation by firecracker.

Liz Renay's Paintings

2009-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

I'm insanely jealous of my NY friends who get to go to the Liz Renay exhibition at the Deitch Gallery. Not only does it cover her amazing career as stripper, actress, model, and gun moll, but it boasts several of her paintings.

The show closes tomorrow, but it lives on at the Deitch website.

Can't Find My Mind

2009-01-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

In the last two days I've subjected myself to Jack Hill's "Spiderbaby" and José Mojica Marins' "Hallucinations Of A Deranged Mind." Honestly, I'm a pretty peaceful person, but I like a jolt of cartoonish madness to chase away the Winter blues.

"Spiderbaby (AKA "The Liver Eaters," "Attack of the Liver Eaters," "Cannibal Orgy," and "The Maddest Story Ever Told") was shot in 1964 but not released until 1968. It concerns the Merrye family, who all have a disease that causes them to devolve into more primitive life forms. Three of the children are living in the house (the ancestors' remains are lovingly kept in the basement). The children, Ralph (Sid Haig), Virginia (Jill Banner), and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), get their kicks from trapping and killing innocent visitors. They are watched over by their chauffeur Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.), so you know there's trouble brewing. The amazing cast also includes Carol Ohmart and Mantan Moreland. Apparently, there's a remake in the works. God help us.

"Hallucinations" is a 1978 film cobbled together from censored and deleted scenes, as well as new footage. The film is a sort of condensed version of Marins' other demented classics ("Awakening of the Beast," "This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse"), with little plot and lots of torture, nudity, weirdo noises, and ultracheap FX. Marins' alter ego, Zé do Caixão ("Coffin Joe") presides over a sadistic hell where the damned are stabbed, pitchforked, eaten, stepped on, and generally not treated nicely. It's like Hieronymus Bosch made a home movie.

As Ghoulardi used to say, "Stay Sick!"

Groucho vs. Lord Buckley, Professor of Hipology

2009-01-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

"Hipsters, flipsters, finger-popping daddies, knock me your lobes..." The fun starts around the 2:00 mark.

For the love of God, call me!

2009-01-17T11:10:00.000-08:00

Apparently, all you need to be a Romanian game show host is great tits and a bad temper.

happynewyearok

2009-01-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've been terribly remiss in my blogging duties these past few weeks. Mostly I've been trying to get over the endless socializing that the holidays bring. I also got laid off from my job (yes, I've joined the ranks of the unemployed), so finding gainful employment has become a priority.

Meantime, my winter projects are to catalog all of my media (a daunting task), deal with my eBay empire, and figure out how to work this FaceBook thing. If I were truly motivated I'd be writing epic poetry, learning Serbo-Croatian, and building birdhouses. But I'm not truly motivated, and anyway it would take away time from blogging.

Happy belated new year everybody. See ya soon.

Required Reading

2008-12-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

A list of blogs to cuddle up with on these chilly winter nights. Your welcome.

13 Blog
Stills and soundtracks from horror flix of yore.

I'm Learning To Share
Super-fun scans of old magazines and books, vinyl rips, and other cultural effluvia.

PCL LinkDump
Scanning the blog-o-sphere for the latest and greatest.

The Percy Trout Hour
PCL's own Percy Trout, bringing you classic nudie pix and so much more. A real picker-upper.

WFMU's Beware Of The Blog
The bestest blog from the bestest radio station this side of the Atlantic.

Phyllis Gabor
Always fun and smart. Not a lot of posts of late, but what's there is cherce.

ChrisGoesRock
An ambitious undertaking from Sweden. Chris posts tons of whole albums by the obscure and not so obscure. Some times 3-4 a day. I've snatched everything from Trout Mask Replica to some Neil Young outtakes.

PhotoShop Disasters
Spanning the globe for really bad examples of photo retouching.

Dadanoia's Weblog
The divine Kahlo's daily dose of art.

Schadenfreudian Therapy
Boss sounds and cool links from PCL's Baikinange.

In Ed We Trust

2008-12-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this one yesterday. It's the website of The Church Of Ed Wood, which the author, Reverend Steve Galindo, swears (repeatedly) is totally serious. I'm not sure how well maintained it is (updates seem to have stopped in late 2007), but it's chockablock full of interesting information, sound files, photos, and other assorted Woodian detritus. You can even get baptized into the church. If you ignore the annoying flashing images it's a pretty fun site. And remember, it's totally serious.

Church Of Ed Wood

Bye, Bettie

2008-12-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

A Moment For Bettie

2008-12-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

Take a moment to send some good thoughts to Bettie Page. Bettie had a heart attack on Tuesday and is in critical condition in an LA hospital. Sources say the 85-year-old in a coma and is not expected to survive.

Stay strong, Bettie, and if you decide to move on to the big photo shoot in the sky, Godspeed.

No Solicitors

2008-11-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

I get a fair amount of emails asking me to spotlight bands and singers. Although I've done this a time or two, I don't want to make a habit of it. A lot of the stuff I'm sent is pretty good, but it's really not what this blog is about. And anyway, I don't have the time to listen to them all, and I certainly don't want to insult anyone by rejecting them. So I'd appreciate it if you folks could stop sending me your stuff. Thanks.

RIP Guy Peellaert

2008-11-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

Brilliant Belgian artist Guy Peellaert is dead at the age of 74. Most famous for David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" cover, Guy was the chronicler of rock and roll. He created amazing tableaux featuring rock luminaries in paintings that captured their personae in a way that photos never could. His book "Rock Dreams" blew my mind when it came out in 1974. You can check out some of the images from the book, as well as his comics and other illustrations at his website.

It Came From The Dungeon

2008-11-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

To all the trashaholics out there, I urge you to check out 13 blog, Music From The Monster Movies 1950-69. Your hosts Eegah! and Tabonga! provide screen captures (with witty commentary) as well as some choice music from the soundtracks of such films as "Psychomania" and "Las Vampiras." It also has what has to be the biggest logo in the blog-o-sphere.

This site is obviously pretty labor intensive, and the creators have been feeling a little under appreciated of late. So take a trip to monster land, and while you're there leave a comment or two. It would be a shame to lose this one.

Beware Of The Moog

2008-11-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

WFMU's Beware Of The Blog is offering 28 classic moog tunes for your listening and dancing pleasure. If you ever wanted to hear moog versions of "I Walk The Line" or "Polk Salad Annie," here's your chance.

The Triumphant Return Of The Beatles Project: Why Don't We Do It In Abbey Road?

2008-11-03T18:06:00.001-08:00

After a long hiatus the world-renowned Beatles Project is back with a re imagining of Abbey Road. It starts off with the post-Diana Ross Supremes doing a funky version of Come Together. Kojak himself does something with Something, followed by a jazzy recitation of Maxwell's Silver Hammer by Pernille Aidt. Geert Grote School sings a sweet version of Oh Darling. For an update on one of their members all growed up check out splogman's post about singer Floor. Mrs. Waylon Jennings does Octopus's Garden, and by the way, she's still not Lisa. Then comes Jette-Ives with a trippy I Want You (Shes So Heavy). Here Comes The Sun sounds great as in reggae style by the lovely Dawn Penn. Because is done in the only way that makes sense, as a Gregorian Chant by Schola Musica.

Then comes the fabled Medley. It kicks off with You Never Give Me Your Money by the never funkier Booker T. & The MGs. It segues into Sun King by the Bee Gees, who try their best to sound Spanish and fail miserably. Former Dead person Phil Lesh (who apparently has friends) does an admirable job on Mean Mr. Mustard, which was a jam (no, really?) that I cut down a bit. Manburger rips through Polythene Pam, and then Ray Stevens (yes that Ray Stevens) gives us She Came In Through The Bathroom Window. A lovely version of Golden Slumbers comes from the Brazilian singer Nonato Luiz follows. Then comes a rousing version of Carry That Weight in German by Karel Gott. The London Symphony Orchestra does The End, and the set actually does end with Her Majesty by Tok Tok Tok, complete with abrupt cut off.

Come Together - Supremes
Something - Telly Savalas
Maxwell's Silver Hammer - Pernille Aidt
Oh Darling - Geert Grote School
Octopus's Garden - Jessi Colter
I Want You (Shes So Heavy) - Jette-Ives
Here Comes The Sun - Dawn Penn
Because - Schola Musica, Martin Dagenais (Conductor)
Medley:
You Never Give Me Your Money - Booker T. & The MGs
Sun King - Bee Gees
Mean Mr. Mustard - Phil Lesh and Friends
Polythene Pam - Manburger
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Ray Stevens
Golden Slumbers - Nonato Luiz
Carry That Weight - Karel Gott
The End - The London Symphony Orchestra
Her Majesty - Tok Tok Tok

Why Don't We Do It In Abbey Road?

Rudy Ray Moore 1927-2008

2008-10-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Dandy's Rule, OK?

2008-10-06T09:36:00.001-07:00

I saw the final show of the Dandy Warhols 2008 tour at the Roseland Ballroom in Portland last night. And of course they rocked. Being the last night of the tour, as well as a home coming, the Dandys played an exuberant, 2 hour + psychedelic freakout, complete with a cool-as-fuck light show. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, so I won't go into details. Suffice to say, they did not disappoint.

New Look

2008-10-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

I figured it was about time for a face lift for this sorry excuse for a blog. So I spent about 5 minutes coming up with a new logo and layout. I mainly did it to fit in the cool new eBay widget that hypes my eBay store. I'm nothing if not shallow. As Sarah Palin would say "Gosh darn it, this is one fine blog, God bless ya!"

1910 Fruitgum Company: Hard Ride

2008-09-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hard Ride was the last LP from über-bubblegum band The 1910 Fruitgum Company. After a string of hit singles (1-2-3 Red Light, Simon Says, Indian Giver) and five sugary pop albums the band of studio musicians put together by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz decided to go in a different direction. This surprising collection of blues/psych sounds nothing like its predecessors. Naturally, their fans didn't like it, and it sank like a stone.

Too bad. Hard Ride is a wild collection of fuzzy guitars, noodly synths, jerky syncopation, funky horns, and profound lyrics. It reminds a little bit of Steppenwolf. I don't think it's available on CD, so dig in and feel the vibe.

Don't Have To Run And Hide
All These Things
(a) Eulogy, (b) Selub
The Train
Creations Of Simon
Collections Of Thoughts
(a) In The Beginning, (b) The Thing
Togetherly Alone (5 Movements)

Hard Ride (zip file, 84MB)

Check out all things bubblegum at Bubblegum University

Marcia Strassman: The Flower Children

2008-09-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a little tidbit from the Summer Of Love by Marcia Strassman. Marcia was a fledgling singer in 1967 when she recorded this little ditty about the Love Generation. It was a hit on the West Coast but failed to chart nationally. It was produced by Jerry Goldstein of The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy," "Night Time), who later worked with The McCoys, Tim Buckley and formed the funk band War.

"The Flower Children" contains such deathless lines as:

The flower children are blooming everywhere
Walking up and down the street, headed for somewhere

The flip side is a Phil Spector-ish number, complete with maracas, called "Out Of The Picture.".

Strassman will be more familiar to Americans as Gabe Kotter's wife in "Welcome Back Kotter." She has also starred in "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" and many other films and TV shows.

As for her singing career, Marcia recorded two other singles, "The Groovy World Of Jack And Jill" and "Star Gazer b/w Self Analysis" before calling it quits.

The Flower Children
Out Of The Picture

Nude Nude Nude!!

2008-09-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

A collection of over 1500 album covers with nudity from M. Patton.

Among his many lists (I assume it's a guy, but there are enuf obsessive female record collectors out there to put doubt in my mind) is one of more than 2500 album covers that spoof other album covers. And I thought I had a lot of time on my hands.

Thanks to Kahlo over at Dadanoias for this one.

Greatest Hits!

2008-09-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

I can't resist any greatest hits package from the 60s and 70s. These would include original artists comps and contemporary hits done by other artists. I buy them even if the records are scratchy. As long as the cover is intact I'll dig deep and pay the 50 cents or dollar. The covers have to have at least one of the following:

*Happy, dancing teens in mod clothing (even if the music is by Percy Faith)
*A title like "20 Top Tunes!" or "Super Happening Smash Hits!"
*Quasi-psychedelic design
*"Hits" by bands you've never heard of (The Beachnuts, anyone?)
*The phrase "As Seen On TV"

Although the ones from the 60s are generally superior, the 70s collections are not without their charm, especially the oldies comps. I've organized a couple dozen of my faves in a Flickr set. Enjoy.

Super Top Smash Hit Songs

Cover Shots

2008-09-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a good time waster. The Word magazine has set up an interactive app that allows you to pinpoint the locations of where hundreds of album covers were shot. You can even upload your own.

Who knew that Elvis' How Great Thou Art was shot in Cap Cod, or that Neil Young's After the Gold Rush was photographed in Philadelphia. Go figure.

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/album_atlas

The Greatest Hits of Twelve Tone

2008-09-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

187 hits on one great record!

Dealing With The Devil

2008-08-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

I picked up this gem at my local thrift-o-rama yesterday. It's a 1967 book on how to recognize and cast out Satan. Apparently, the old boy is everywhere. The book is filled with nifty illustrations like this one. Oh, and I for one would probably figure out that this was the Devil. the pointy ears and demonic expression kind of give it away.

The book is really one, long advertisement for the ANTI-SATAN KIT. Only 50 cents, and it comes with its own holder!

You can use it in your bathroom. You never know when the Devil might be hiding in the moisturizer. Take that, Lucifer!

Or your den. Watch out! Satan might be lurking in that potted plant!

It was a library book. Doesn't look like it was too popular.

Thirteenth Floor Elevators On Where The Action Is

2008-08-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

Roky Erickson and company poolside on Dick Clark's "Where The Action Is."

Who's Your Travel Agent?

2008-08-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Netflix has added a "Watch Instantly" section that contains a ton of cool stuff that you can enjoy without waiting for that pesky mailman to deliver it to you. Lots of cool docs on everything from Allen Ginsburg to The New York Dolls, classic TV (Astroboy, The Outer Limits, Dragnet), and exploitation flicks in all genres. You can snuggle up and catch "The Astro Zombies" in glorious streaming video. Note: It only works on a PC, and then only on Internet Explorer. And you have to download their video player. Still, totally worth it if you're a subscriber.

Pictured below are stills from the awesome "Dragnet '67" episode "The Big LSD," featuring "Blue Boy, the travel agent." "Travel Agent" was supposed to be a hip term for pusher, but I guess it never caught on.

PS, sorry about the lack of posts. I am incredibly lazy.

R. I. P. Larry Harmon

2008-07-04T12:25:00.001-07:00

Larry (Bozo) Harmon is dead at the age of 83 of congestive heart failure. Harmon didn't originate the character of Bozo The Clown, but he made it a brand and franchised it out to Bozo's all over the US. Bozo had a daily kids show in different markets around the country. Weather buffoon Willard Scott got his start as Bozo in the DC area. The show aired on WOR channel 9 in New York in the 60s. Bozo would select one lucky boy to be his circus assistant "Butch For The Day." Oh, how I longed for such an honor, much like the longing to hear my name mentioned in the "Magic Mirror" segment of "Romper Room."

There was also a truly lame Bozo cartoon, which I knew sucked even then.

Anyway, let's all sing the Bozo theme song:

I am such a funny clown
I like to travel round and round
The Circus is my home
I always seem to roam

In a rocket ship I soar
I explore the ocean floor
But you must know, I'll never go
Unless you come along!

Bozo, Bozo, always laughs, never frowns
Bozo, Bozo, Bozo the clown!

What's It All About, Gene Simmons?

2008-06-26T14:32:00.001-07:00

Here's a little oddity that I picked up in a stack of radio station promos. It's an "interview" with Gene Simmons, circa 1979. Simmons and Paul Stanley do the intro (over "I Wanna Rock And Roll All Night"), followed by announcer Bill Huie discussing the band's persona. Muddy audio clips of Simmons are indispersed with Huie's commentaries. At the end (over "I Was Made For Loving You") Bill injects a thinly veiled religious speech about "what's behind the mask." Huie apparently made a bunch of these discs for the Presbyterian Church Public Service.

I get the feeling that Paul and Jumpin' Gene were unaware of the church connection.

And that's what it's all about.

What's It All About

Tom Cruise Kills Oprah

2008-06-25T18:35:00.002-07:00

My Brother

2008-06-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I don't usually get too personal here, but I was rooting around some guy's garage yesterday, when I came upon a record I've been searching for for a long time. It's a weird 1969 concept album by Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons called ""Genuine Imitation Life Gazette." I've never listened to it. It's the cover that's important.

The 4 Seasons were from the same neck of the woods that I come from. They were, first and foremost, Jersey boys. For the cover of "GILG" they did a photo shoot in Military Park in Newark, NJ. My brother Tom was 18 at the time, and he cut school to go to the shoot. That's him sticking his head out of the crowd.

Tom was 9 years older than me, and I alway thought he was the coolest person I knew. He was a teenager in the '60s, and there's nothing cooler than that. He always had great taste in music. I remember him getting mad at me for changing the radio in our bedroom to the teenybopper WABC. He preferred the much more boss WMCA, home of the Good Guys.

He introduced me to so much great music, mostly through my listening to his records without him knowing. Early on it was Motown, Sam Cooke, and The Beatles. Later on it was Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, The Family, Zappa, and King Krimson.

When it was time to deal with the draft, Tom joined the National Guard, where he learned to be a mechanic. After he got out he smoked a lot of pot, drove around in a beat-to-shit van, lived on a boat and a farm, and generally raised hell. When I hit college we started hanging out together, taking road trips fueled by coffee, cigarettes, cocaine, and God knows what else. I took him to see The Cramps in Trenton in '81, and he showed up in a white leisure suit, which in retrospect was pretty punk.

Unfortunately, Tom never know his limits when it came to drugs, or anything else, for that matter. He became a junkie, and contracted HIV around 1983. Most anyone else would have faded away within a few years, but Tom was indestructible. He survived several bouts of pneumonia, got run over by a car, got arrested several times on drug charges. He managed to get himself together, got married and had a son. He survived for 25 years, dying last month at the age of 57.

A few years before he died he fulfilled a lifelong dream of buying a house in Central America. Ironically, it may have been there that he contracted the virus that finally brought him down. I hope he's somewhere smoking a joint by a palm tree, grooving to Bob Marley. For me, at least I have record cover.

Say Goodnight, Dick

2008-05-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

You bet your sweet bippy.

R. I. P. Will Elder

2008-05-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Cartoonist Will Elder died yesterday at the age of 86. Elder was known for his wild parodies of other comics, wicked caricatures, and jam-packed frames. He worked for Mad Magazine, along with Trump, Humbug, Help!, and Playboy. His characters included Melvin Mole, Goodman Beaver, and probably best known, Little Annie Fanny. I always thought that innocent, buxom Annie was much sexier than the actual women in Playboy, which I guess says a lot about me. Anyway, thanks Will!

Read more about Will here

Babies Dream Big

2008-05-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

I just got hipped to "Babies Dream Big" by Brooklyn musician and composer Alan Wilkis. OK, I got the word from Alan himself, but so what. The CD is pretty cool and should appeal to devotees of Casio-based, early 80s synth pop. Alan cites Kraftwerk, Johnny Cash, Van Halen, and Frank Zappa, among many others, as his influences. Sounds to me like a lo-fi cross between Todd Rundgren, George Clinton, and The Dazz Band. Alan has a lovely falsetto voice, and his songs would not have sounded out of place on 1970s/80s top-40 radio. In other words, my kind of music.

Don't take my word for it. Cruise over to Alan's MySpace page and hear for yourself.

Bar Guide

2008-05-07T13:17:00.001-07:00

I don't know what makes this book authentic, but it's pretty hilarious. Written by Ted Shane and illustrated by the immortal VIP, Bar Guide has recipes for such bygone drinks as The Kitchen Sink, Oppenheimer's u235, and Oh Nurse! The recipes have smirky one-liners to go with them. For the Yachting Club Special: "Put on your yachting cap, lash her to the mast, and go down the old Hatch." Published in 1950 by True, the men's magazine.

I tended bar for 10 years, but I never quite got the hang of the bottle-in-the-mouth trick.

Albert Hoffman 1906-2008

2008-05-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

The Beatles Project #4: Ordinary Obvious Tour

2008-04-27T18:21:00.001-07:00

Here's number 4 of The Beatles Project, some fine interpretations of Magical Mystery Tour. I guess that because it's one of their trippiest outings (what was John on when he wrote the lyrics to "I Am The Walrus," and how can I get some?) the cover versions here are pretty out there.

We open with the immortal Cheap Trick doing a raucous version of the title cut. "The Fool on the Hill" is given an appropriately winsome, pan flute and vocal treatment by Fernando Diaz. "Flying," the only instrumental the band did(?) is taken on by electronic artist Yomano. Colin Newman does an angst-ridden version of "Blue Jay Way" that brings out the creepiness of the song. Les Merseys do "Your Mother Should Know" in French, followed by a wacky, nearly 11 minute jazz take on "Walrus" by The Colin Towns Mask Orchestra. Another French cover, this time of "Hello, Goodbye" by Les Intrigantes precedes The Better Beatle's bizarre reconstruction of "Penny Lane." Thanks to WFMU's Beware Of The Blog for this one. Go here for an even wierder version of "Elenor Rigby." A spacy "Strawberry Fields is done by Signs, and then Dr. Zing does a straight ahead cover of "Baby You're A Rich Man." A lovely, electronica version of "All You Need Is Love" by Gabriela Vega closes out the set.

Ordinary Obvious Tour

Happy Birthday Bettie Page!

2008-04-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Pinup goddess Bettie Page turns 85 today. Judging from a fairly recent photo, she still looks great. To honor the great lady I suggest you put on your best leopard skin bikini, cut your hair in bangs, and give yourself a good spanking.

check out the official Bettie Page website, with lots of info and stuff to buy. While you're at it you can book your ticket to the Bettie Page Halloween Theme Cruise 2008, which sounds a hell of a lot more fun than Holland America.

Jon Arbuckle, Pathetic Loser

2008-04-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big fan of that lasagna-eating little bastard Garfield. So I'm thrilled that there's "Garfield Minus Garfield," a website in which the mangy feline has been removed, revealing "an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life." It's like Ingmar Bergman channeled his angst to the funny papers. Check it out now, before Jim Davis sues.

Dig The French Scene

2008-03-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've just been hipped to a new blog dedicated to recent French music. It features nice histoires of people like Vanessa Paradis and Raphaël (with lots of video clips), coverage of the French Music Awards, links to French Musique-related sites, and more. Oh, and it's in English, which is nice for people like me (see my lame attempts at speaking French above).

http://www.frenchscene.net

Still Yet Another Version Of Hey Joe

2008-03-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

An appropriately funky take on the old garage war horse done by the Wicked Pickett.

Wilson Pickett - Hey Joe

The Dis-Advantages Of You

2008-03-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

I confess that I didn't have much hope for this one. But I loved the cover, so home it went. I did a little research and found out that The Brass Ring was a wannabe hip instro act in the Tijuana Brass mode. Leader Phil Bodner, and accomplished reed man, was a sort of poor man's Herb Alpert. They scored a minor hit with "The Love Theme from the Flight of the Phoenix." "Music to Watch Girls By" was also used in a diet soda commercial (Tab, I think).

And hey, guess what? It's pretty good. It features the usual hits-of-today and movie themes (back when movies had themes). U.S. readers will remember the title cut from the old Benson & Hedges cigarette commercials on TV.

Unfortunately, that's not Phil on the cover. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the "Now Sound" of Phil Bodner and The Brass Ring.

The Dis-Advantages Of You

Dolly Goes Mental

2008-03-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

A tearjerker from Dolly's 1972 album "That's The Way I am." Dolly sings from a mental institution, where her man put her to get rid of her. There's an awesome talkover in the second verse, as well as the deathless line "It's not my mind that's broken, it's my heart." I wonder if she wore that outfit in the looney bin.

Dolly Parton-Daddy Come And Get Me

C'mon Now!

2008-02-27T17:58:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went to an estate sale in Portland that advertised "lots of records." They weren't kidding. There were a couple thousand in a room about the size of large walk-in closet. About six record geeks and I were falling all over each other, rifling through some dead guy's vinyl.

I managed to score some nuggets, and I was just about to leave when I spotted "Surfin' Hootenanny" by Al Casey. We had a good laugh over the title, which suggests The Ventures, unplugged, doing "Tom Dooley." Boy were we wrong.

Turns out that Al was a session man that had previously worked with Duane Eddy, among others. The record was produced by Lee Hazelwood (who wrote half of the songs) and features Leon Russell on organ and Hal Blaine on drums. The vocals are by The K-C-ettes, who were really The Blossoms, and included Darlene Love. And the music rocks. Wild instro-garage rock, echoey guitars, smoking drums, and some sweet girl group harmonies.

And check out the swingin' board game on the back cover. Click on the image for a closer look.

Here it is for your listening and dancing pleasure:

Surfin' Hootenanny

Some New Additions

2008-02-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the delay in posting. I've been in hibernation. Another Beatles cover post coming soon!

Aren't they dreamy?

Anything with a hippie chick and computery writing on the cover is OK by me.

Jackie Gleason + Salvador Dali = genius. I wish Max Ernst had teamed up with Ray Coniff.

What I wouldn't give to have been at this meeting of the minds.

Sigh...

This is beyond disturbing. Must be all that sugar.

The Beatles Project #3: Sgt. Pepper's Redux

2008-01-12T17:22:00.001-08:00

Here's the third installment of my ongoing (and seemingly endless) recreations of Beatle's albums. I think this one flows pretty well. It starts off with a spirited instro version of the title track by Thomas Reimer, followed by a rereading of "With a Little Help From My Friends" by longtime Beatles obsessive David Peel. Joseph Jaime gives us an appropriately tripping electronica take on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." Fionn Regan's reading of "Getting Better" makes it sound like things aren't. Jack Convery does a nice banjo and harmonica job on "Fixing a Hole." Closing out side one is Eric McFadden, doing "Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite."

Side two starts with an earnest Anthony Newley trying to sound cool on "Within You Without You," with intro and outro by Tony Randall. "When I'm Sixty-Four" works well as an acapella version by The Bison Chips. Les Merseys, a 60s-era French Canadian cover band does "Lovely Rita" (in French). Next is a revved up disco version of "Good Morning Good Morning" by Paul Nicholas, Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees from the truly God awful late-70s movie "tribute" to the Beatles. Les Rolling Bidochons give us a French version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)," and the whole thing wraps up with a beat jazz, spoken word rendition of "A Day in the Life" by Steve Piccolo, Gak Sato, and Luca Gemma.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Thomas Reimer
With a Little Help From My Friends - David Peel
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Joseph Jaime
Getting Better - Fionn Regan
Fixing a Hole - Jack Convery
Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite - Eric McFadden
Within You Without You - Anthony Newley
When I'm Sixty-Four - The Bison Chips
Lovely Rita/Jolie Rita - Les Merseys
Good Morning Good Morning - Paul Nicholas, Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) - Les Rolling Bidochons
A Day in the Life - Steve Piccolo, Gak Sato, Luca Gemma Rock

Sgt. Pepper's Redux

Update

2008-01-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

I'm still getting over the whole holiday thing, which is the reason I've been slow to post. I want to resume the Beatles Project, but I want to make sure I get only the finest cover versions for my faithful readers. I'm close to having "Magical Mystery Tour" done, but I'm having a hard time finding cover versions of "Flying" (which to my knowledge is their only instrumental). Anyone?

Sgt. Pepper Cover Revealed

2007-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

A guide to the characters on SPLHCB from the Oxford Dictionary Dictionary of National Biography, via WFMU's Beware Of The Blog. Somehow they missed Shirley Temple, but there were still some surprises. There's a lot of interesting info on the website, too.

Sgt Pepper

Devolver Update

2007-11-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you who downloaded the recent Revolver covers LP, I have a new (and great) version of Good Day Sunshine by Os Rubis. It's an instrumental from Brazil. Dig it.

Os Rubis - Good Day Sunshine

The Beatles Project #2: Devolver

2007-11-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

Here's installment number two of my ongoing recreations of Beatles albums. This one features two non-english versions (Taxman in Portuguese, Yellow Submarine in Dutch), soul covers of Got To Get You Into My Life, Good Day Sunshine, and Tomorrow Never Knows, I'm Only Sleeping as an upbeat ska number, and some other interesting tidbits. A special shout out to Funky16Corners for the soul sides and to Menno Sijbrandij for hipping me to Collectors Corner, where I got the Karin Kent version of Yellow Sub. Thanks, guys! Oh, and a special belated thanks to Guuzbourg, the creator of the fantastic Filles Sourires blog. Keep 'em comin'!

Devolver
Taxman/Chame o Taxi - Meire Pavão
Eleanor Rigby - Booker T. And The M.G.'s
Love You To - Glenn Mercer
I'm Only Sleeping - Suggs
Here, There and Everywhere - Claudine Longet
Yellow Submarine/Jelle zal wel zien - Karin Kent
Got To Get You Into My Life - Four Tops
She Said She Said - SpoDeeODee
Good Day Sunshine - Lou Rawls
For No One - Pablo Gonzalez
I Want To Tell You - Jimmy & The Rackets
Tomorrow Never Knows - Junior Parker

The Strange Experience Of Music

2007-11-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

The Strange Experience Of Music is a website devoted to international garage, psych, and just plain wierd music from the 60s. This month they're offering an Italian Nuggets collection for download, along with stuff by The Parade, Hamilton Camp, and the Cryan Shames. It's in French, but the music needs no translation.

The Strange Experience Of Music

The Beatles Project #1: The Not So White Album

2007-11-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the first installment of the Beatles cover project. I'm starting with their most challenging release. Not only is The White Album their longest (30 songs), it also has some of their wildest experiments. I didn't expect to find all of the songs, but thanks to eMusic, Funky16Corners, and various other blogs I managed to track down cover versions of even the most obscure songs.

I wanted to find covers that weren't too close to the originals. Some of them are really surprising: "Helter Skelter" works great as a bluegrass song, "Ob La Di-Ob la Da" is even cooler in Portugese, and bossa nova is a natural choice for "Sexy Sadie." The biggest surprise was not only that there is at least one cover of "Revolution #9," but that it's an amazing, note-for-note a capella version.

Enjoy.

Back In the USSR - Ramsey Lewis
Dear Prudence - OHN
Glass Onion - The Link Quartet
Ob La Di-Ob la Da - Ed Carlos
Wild Honey Pie - Part Chimp
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill - BeatleJazz
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Laurence Juber
Happiness Is a Warm Gun - Bobby Bryant
Martha My Dear - Happy Baby
I'm So Tired - Elliott Smith
Blackbird - Roar Engelberg
Piggies - Theo Bikel
Rocky Raccoon - Lena Horne & Gabor Szabo
Don't Pass Me By - Will Taylor and Strings Attached
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road - Les Boréades
I Will - Daniel Johnston
Julia - Waltari
Birthday - Zuki
Yer Blues - The Beat Generation
Mother Nature's Son - U.K's Session Musicians
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey - Orchestra Harlow
Sexy Sadie - Damills
Helter Skelter - Henhouse Prowlers
Long Long Long - Tanya Donelly
Revolution - The Fab Five Band
Honey Pie - Giuseppe Milici & Mario Schiavone
Savoy Truffle - They Might Be Giants
Cry Baby Cry - Krystel
Revolution 9 - The Durham Ox Singers
Good Night - Starbugs

The Not So White Album

An American Family

2007-11-07T07:01:00.001-08:00

Some clips from the groundbreaking 1971 PBS program "An American Family." Probably the first TV reality show, "AAF" was a multipart cinema-verite documentary about the Loud family of Santa Barbara. Parents Pat and Bill try to cope with their five kids: Lance, Grant, Kevin, Delilah, and Michelle. They agreed to have their lives filmed over the course of one year. During that time Bill and Pat separted and decided to divorce. Lance moved to the Chelsea Hotel and took up with the East Village drag scene and the Warhol Factory crowd. The rest of the kids tried to cope with being hip and affluent during the late Viet Nam era.

Lance went on to be a journalist as well as the lead singer of The Mumps. He died in 2001. Here he is describing his siblings:

and hanging out with Holly Woodlawn:

More clips via Subterranean Cinema
Subcin's AAF page, with more info on the show.

Sex For The Deaf

2007-10-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

TV sex promo with translation for the deaf. Keep your eyes on the signer. Who know sign language was so hot?

Positive Proof That White People Can't Dance

2007-10-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Beatles Project

2007-09-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to put together some collections of cover versions of Beatles albums. The idea is to compile each of the band's albums with covers from diverse performers, in the order they appear on the records. Some of the songs are easy to come by. Others are a little more tricky. And there are some that I don't ever expect to find.

Now I have a lot of Beatles songs. I have more versions of "Yesterday" and "Michelle" that I know what to do with. What I'm lookng for is the more obscure covers. I'm finding some interesting versions of songs like "Rain" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," but there are a lot of gaps in my collection.

If you happen to have a version of "Paperback Writer" or "Taxman" (or whatever) please send it to me. I'm open to any and all covers: serious, kitschy, great, or just plain bad. Foriegn language covers are most welcome. Once I get each album together I'll post them here. Either send them to madcatjoey@hotmail.com or let me know where you have them posted.

I'm In The Moog For Love

2007-09-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Some hip, swinging moog music from Keith Droste. It's from that heady time when electronic music looked like the wave of the future. Most moog music turned out to be a lot of noodling blips and bloops, and it never really caught on. Still, it made for some interesting sounds.

Even at the time moog music was being viewed as a gimmick. From the liner notes:

Before you toss this album back in the bin thinking it's just another one of those cutesy moog things, heed this worning. You're making a terrible mistake.

Check out the treatment of "Michelle," "Aquarius," and originals like "Pressure Cooker." It may not have been all it claimed to be, but it's pretty cool.

Aquarius
Walk On By
When You Come Along
Moog In My Soul
Sounds Like Love
T'aint Necessarily Soul
Michelle
Smoke Gets In My Moog
Star Spangled Moog
Pressure Cooker

Big Band Moog

Sex Education For Trainables

2007-09-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a bizarre early-70s film about how to teach the mentally challenged about sex, courtesy of The Smoking Gun. Pretty mild, but definately NSFW.

Sex Education For Trainables

2007-09-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

T. G. I. M .

2007-09-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

God I love Mondays, only because I get to see Phyllis Gabor's latest post. Phyllis and I have similarly trashy tastes, and if I weren't already married and didn't live thousands of miles from where ever the hell she lives, I would ask her to marry me. Then we could join our collections together and rule the world.

I've been shamelessly ripping off PG's "here-are-my-latest-flea-market-finds" posts for some time now. She takes the time to photograph and lovingly comment on her newest additions. Plus, she gets waaaay more comments than I do, which means either she's more popular or my readers are lazier (you know who you are).

So, with apologies to Phyllis, here's my latest post-weekend, Goodwill orgy dispatch. I hit the Eugene thrifts yesterday, and came up with some gold. I also found some stuff that made me want to cry (an Esquivel and two Martin Denny's in horrible shape).

Here's a very Nixon-looking Ed Sullivan looking none too pleased. I can't imagine why, because the record's great. C'mon, Ed!

Ah, that's better.

I love the outfits, the double-neck guitar/mandolin, and Rose Lee sittin' on a suitcase, but what I want to know is where can I get that bitchin' Dodge van?

This is the 2nd record I've bought this year that has a nude woman with a brass instrument on the cover. This will probably lead to my frantically searching record bins for more.

I love the biker bitch cover, but what I really want to see is the cat fight that ensued after the picture was taken.

I can't resist any album that touts "The Now Generation."

Surprise! It turns out to be cleancut, Bible-lovin' teens fighting to the death. I can't figure out if the large-headed gal is cheering or warning them of the evils of tug-of-war.

Hipster Heaven

2007-09-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the Basic Hip Digital Gold website. They have dozens of exotica, soundtrack, moog, and just plain weird LPs available for download. At only $1.50/record, and they take PayPal. Can't beat that.

Basic Hip Digital Gold.

Asia Extreme

2007-09-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

Sundance Channel is back with a new season of its Asia Extreme series. AE is a collection of sicko Hong Kong and Korean exploitation films. This week it's Danny and Oxide Pang's "The Eye 2." Check out the September lineup at http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500240260

The New Portables

2007-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

The guy has no feet, and the girl has what appears to be a devil horn on her head. Note that they're dancing, but the there's no record on the turntable. "The New Portables" would be a great band name.

Pulps a-Plenty

2007-08-24T14:27:00.002-07:00

Some Friday pulps to get your hearts racing.

Love the triple image and the computery writing.

Standard use of a prop to partially obscure the dame's attributes.

I'm developing a fondness for these photo covers. Not as lurid as the illustrations, but pretty good none-the-less. Note the oversized phallic symbols in the first two.

How great is the name "Tiger Mann?"

Some classic Prather novels. Shell Scott's white hair and eyebrows always sort of creep me out, though.

Vibra-Finger Massager

2007-08-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

For the gums, of course. Click on the pic for a better look.

The Wonders of Stereo

2007-08-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

4 cuts from "Stereo Spectacular," a 1963 sound effects promo record from Audio Fidelity. Side one is a narrated journey into the world of stereophonic sound. Side two features a variety of songs and, oddly, 3 straight sound fx (Bugle Calls, Motorcycles, and something called "Medium War"). Included here are "El Gustito" by El Hombre Mexicano, "Tamale Wagon" by The Dragsters, "No More Tomorrows" by The Teemates, and "Jes' Fruggin'" by an uncredited vocal group.

Stereo Spectacular

The Golden Age of Female Anxiety

2007-08-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Some magazine covers from the early 60s. No wonder sales of tranquilizers skyrocketed. Note the Marilyn lookalike. That issue was published one month before she checked out. Go twist crazy!

Stars With Huge Heads

2007-08-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

From the May 1959 issue of Dig Magazine. Click on the image for a better look. Apparently, Tim Considine is a horse.

Lee Hazelwood 1929-2007

2007-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning

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Tom Snyder/PiL 1980 Interview Part Two

2007-07-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Tom Snyder/PiL 1980 Interview

2007-07-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Veteran chain smoking newsman/talk show host Tom Snyder died yesterday at age 71. Tom had a late-night show in the early 80s called "The Tomorrow Show." Being a night owl in the pre-vcr age I regularly stayed up to watch Tom interview all manner of oddballs. One memorable show featured "Can't Stop The Music" producer Alan Carr and John Lydon (nee Johnny Rotten) and Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd. Here's part one of the interview:

RIP Tammy Faye

2007-07-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Tammy Faye La Valley Bakker Messner passed away quietly in the company of her family. Actually, I don't know how quiet it was, or whom she was with. I only know that she was a televangelist unlike any other. She was flashy to the point of charicature. She didn't speak in tounges or do faith healings (she left that to Jim). When the scandal hit she didn't go all Jesusy on us. She went back to public life and worked her fame for all it was worth. So, a quiet moment for a great lady: preacher, singer, puppeteer and gay icon. She will be missed.

For an example of her fine singing check out my post of two of her songs.

This Just In

2007-07-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's not that I'm particularly lazy (although I am). I've just been doing other things. I'm back in SF for a few days to see old friends and raid the thrifts.
Got some boss wax that'll be showing up at an eBay auction near you. Back in the Great Northwest this weekend, where I'll be resuming my blogging duties. I like to think that people are out there just waiting for my next post. Hope springs eternal.

Bubblegum Machine Is Back

2007-06-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it never really went away. I just assumed it went out of biz, because there weren't any new posts for the longest time. I happened to see a link to it at Dadanoias the other day. Martin Lampen is a British author (he's set to publish a book on British "cuisine" in October) who, well, I'll let his "manifesto" do the talking:

If it's ever been on K-Tel or Ronco, it's in. If it features hand claps, cow bells, syrupy orchestration, walls of sound, wrecking crews, sha-la-las, toothy teen idols, candy-based metaphors for carnal acts or lyrics about hugging, squeezing and rocking all night long, it's in.

Anyway, each week Martin graces us with two fine lesser-known tracks from obscure (and sometimes not so obscure) artistes from bygone eras. Each track is accompanied by text that sometimes veers off into discussions about food, cult films, prescription drugs, and anything else his free-associating mind can come up with. All this wrapped up in a sugary sweet pink wrapper.

bubblegum machine

Welcome To Twangsville

2007-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Twangsville (not to be confused with Teensville). Here's a couple of nutty vocal numbers from Duane Eddy. They're from the 1965 LP "Twangsville," which was co-produced with Lee Hazelwood. Dave (later David) Gates of Bread fame arranged two of the songs. The liner notes (by Rod McKuen!) call Twangsville "...a swinging musical never-never land." I want to live there.

Shindig
Do It

Happy Birthday, Nancy Sinatra!

2007-06-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today is Nancy's 67th(!) birthday. To me she will always be the high-stepping, go-go boot-wearing, blond goddess she was in 1966. To celebrate, let's all don a mini dress and thigh-high white boots, frost our hair, and strike up a rousing chorus of "Some Velvet Morning." Happy B'day, Nancy!

It Was The Third Of June

2007-06-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is the day that Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe" takes place. That makes it a holy day of obligation. You are required to listen to it at least once. On vinyl. If you don't have it, find a copy. I have two.

Here's a bunch of new album covers for ya to enjoy on a sleepy, dusty, delta day.

Nothin' like some old slave tales told by a blue dog with a southern drawl.

Just relaxin' in the tub with a trombone.

It's a Columbia Master Work.

Mr. Rogers goes country.

I had no idea God was a redneck sheriff.

I've never heard of the Lundstroms. I'm sure they're big in Japan.

Bettilu and Jay W. And it's signed!

The Long And The Short Of It

2007-05-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Apropos of nothing, here are some lists of the longest and shortest songs ever recorded. They were compiled by kabouter, who appears to be a Belgian who likes compiling lists. Astute readers will note that the short songs tend to be by death-metal bands, while the longer ones are by prog-rockers. Coincidence? I think not.

Shortest Songs Ever

Longest Songs Ever

Longest Songs Ever (Vinyl Only)

Party Time

2007-05-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Now this is my kind of wingding!

From the golden age of body painting.

It's the battle of the big hair. In the event of a tie, Connie's boobs make her the winner.

I thought this was Mrs. Miller, but it's almost as good.