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Posted by
zacharythax October 6, 2009 -
1,046 views
Just found a Holy Grail album for me for download on Amazon from 60's folk ingénue FRANCOIS HARDY. I read about it in the great must have book UNKNOWN HEROES OF ROCK 'N ROLL where it said that the former IT girl of Paris recorded an Iggy-like hard rockin' album at the age of 50 (!?) I'm listening to it right now.
GUILTY (MAYBE) PLEASURES
In heavy rotation right now is the new Beatles Mono Masters, EXILE ON MAIN ST. (the perennial fall atmosphere album), STICKY FINGERS, and the relentless violin, cello and piano sounds of the yet to be released album THESE ARE DIFFERENT TIMES by the Upton Trio. The Columbia, South Carolina Free Times called them "the punk rockers of chamber music." Insanely fast violin (the devil's instrument), elements of blues, Hoagy Carmichael-like tunes that descend into swirling freak-outs like Funhouse Far, far away from "easy listening". Snag it from Albany Records after Nov. 1 and show people ya got some klass!
I also liked (a lot) the YEAH YEAH YEAHS It's a Blitz and have trolled the old punks web zine for his incredible collection of old punk and new wave singles available for FREE download:
www.oldpunks.com
TV
TRUE BLOOD has turned out to be the trump card on just about every horror genre film coming out today that manages to be touching, gory, sexy, original etc. I also didn't miss an episode of the promiscuous pill-popping NURSE JACKIE. Edie Falco is great though I don't find her bonable in the least.
THEATERS
Coke and Army Recruiting commercials have kept me out of the theaters. The last time I went was to take the kids to the Tim-Burton-produced 9 which had cute rag-doll looking robots with human souls in an alternative post-apocalyptic future where the Nazis invented super robots that took over like in Terminator. OK for a kids movie and tries to be edgy but a little too much Disney-like cloying. I took three kids (10, 12, and 20) and asked the ticket girl for three children and one senior citizen. She didn't even look up or bat an eyelash.
I did have the immense pleasure of seeing a special event at the local Über-Cinema of Plan 9 from Outer Space being riffed on live by the Mystery Science 3000 guys. It was a great time even though the satellite signal kept crapping out (there was a rainstorm) and the opening stage acts were god-awful. It was in color and the added detail revealed more of Ed Wood's ineptitude than I had ever seen before. I imagined how people reacted to seeing this on the big screen for the first time in 1960.
In local news the old Fox Theater in Columbia, SC (where a friend of mine saw The Exorcist) is being renovated and turned back into an Art theater. They had a block party to benefit where the great local DJ Sindoolah spun Little Richard and Sonics records while psychedelic movies were projected on the side of the building(!?) The joint was crawling with smokin' hot babes, news reporters and even a mayoral candidate. What a town!
MOVIES
I finally had a chance to see John Water's fave BOOM!, which if you've seen PINK FLAMINGOS as many times as I have you've wondered about that poster. He calls it his favorite "failed art film." It's basically a filmed Tenessee Williams play on ostentation bizarre sets with unbelievable costumes. Elizabeth Taylor is the richest woman in the world and that she was the inspiration for Devine is obvious.
Recent great October and recommended double features for you, dear readers are:
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD--what this movie has that most zombie movies don't is great acting, underlying racial tension, irony and you know what? As much as you hate him--Mr. Cooper was RIGHT!
with
PSYCHOMANIA--British zombie biker flick at a time when there was no difference between hippies and bikers. They commit suicide because if you really, really believe you'll come back when you die, you will. If TRUE BLOOD made you want to be a vampire this will make you want to be one of these undead. I'm not sure the premise isn't really true, too.
CEMETERY MAN--Caretaker and his pal get involved with undead girls. Great cinematography and humor.
with
DERANGED--The TRUE story of Ed Gein (who PSYCHO and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE were based on) This flick in unbelievably demented, gory, funny and creepy.
