WFMU's Beware of the Blog

The Curse of Brando Island

The ghastly Spectres which were doomed at last
To tell as true a tale of dangers past, 
As ever the dark annals of the deep
Disclosed for man to dread or woman weep. 

-- The Island, Lord Byron

In 1960, while on a scouting journey for locations for Mutiny On The Bounty, Marlon Brando visits the atoll Tetiaroa and falls in love with the former home of Tahitian royalty. Two years later, Brando marries his second Mutiny co-star, Tarita Teriipia, who played his Polynesian wife in the film and purchases Tetiaroa for $200,000 with the intention of making it his home. Little did Brando know what his island paradise would bring he and his visitors, for in acting, one not only brings himself to a role, but the role can transform the actor's real personality, permenantly -- a most dangerous game for friends and family of the 'Godfather' and 'Colonel Kurtz'.

Hear 10 Secs from Every Hit Song of the '90s

1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999

I watched part of The Crow last night (yeah, just part...we had to turn it off it was so bad) and was struck by how much of a solidified, historical aesthetic the '90s already has, just as much as the '80s or the '70s are a static time capsule of cultural silliness.  Yes, it was when I saw the faux-wet goth haircut of that "Craven" guy (real subtle name there, excellent foreshadowing) that I experienced the Proustian recollection and realized that I'm no longer "becoming a man", I'm just "a man".  The time of Jnco jeans and Darias is over.  And it was a simpler time, was it not?  No 9/11, no three simultaneous wars, no economic disaster and no Snooki.  Listen to these mp3s and pine for these more pastoral days of yore.  Read along with the clips here.

Find the rest of my "Ten Secs of _0s" column here, and listen to my radio show here.  Next up is the exciting conclusion...Every Top 100 song ever!  Plus I'll release the software I used to produce these chartsweeps along with a contest to showcase your supercut on my upcoming FMU marathon premium!

Entr’acte: The Rodeo Clown

 

So: Bullriding. You get on the bull in a chute, and the gate opens, and the bull comes out and bucks, and you stay on as long as you can, and then you fall off. Or, if you manage to stay on for eight (8!) seconds, then they blow a horn and you can jump off. And then what happens? You’re on the ground, in an enclosed area, with a pissed-off 2200-pound animal with big testicles, big horns, and also possibly ’roid rage. (There was a bull-doping steroids scandal in 2007.)  For your protection, they bring in the clowns.

TV Is the Government: The Underground Vaudeville of TV Party

By Gabriella Arrigoni - Collection: TV Party

Watch more on Network Awesome

Not always, actually quite seldom, is the distinction between art and absurdity a relevant one. And it certainly doesn’t matter when in a TV show you combine live music, in-studio party, fancy dress, videotapes, punk, disco, anarchism, new wave, visual arts, rap, interviews, phone-in sessions, shaky camera angles, crude advertising and live drug taking. All this featuring guests such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Lurie, David Byrne, George Clinton, Fab Five Freddy, Tuxedo Moon, Debbie Harry, Maripol, Iggy Pop, Chris Burden, John Feckner just to name a few. The uniqueness of TV Party, however, was not as a celebration of the apotheosis of the underground, but that this played out on the mass media it rebelled against.

Elvis To KLF: The Train I Ride Is Sixteen Coaches Long

Life with a three-year-old can find you focusing on on forms and representations of transportation you wouldn't otherwise. Trains, for example, hold a particular resonance with the developing mind that challenge their relative rarity compared to cars and airplanes. We've found ourselves meeting constant demands for all things trains by discovering the online world of obsessive documentarians of all things locomotive. Watching this narration-and-music-free modern footage of old-fashioned steam engines has caused us to consider the sensual impact the advent of train travel would have on the rural blues men who would incorporate the sound of trains into their music and use the eeire whistle of the coming train as a metaphor for all great changes in life, love and death.

Burgess Meredith, Singer / part four of four

Recently I tracked down Burgess Meredith's delightful autobiography, So Far, So Good, and was finally able to get a tidbit of information about his 1960 lp that I'm so fond of: Songs and Stories of the Gold Rush.  I've previously covered this album and parts of another one where he recites and sings at this blog, and now let's listen to the last four cuts of the batch and hear what Meredith himself had to say about the project.

Chuck-a-Luck      Here to See the Diggin's      My Government Claim      Burgess lp Outro

 

FUN Go! America! Celebrates New Jersey, on My Castle of Quiet, 12.18.2011

FUN—as I've come to know the Philadelphia-based combo, its sounds and membership, I realize how truly appropriate the name is for what they do. FUN are able to apply clever, inventive, fresh ideas to their improvised music-making, minus all the beard-stroking and pretentious, high-minded, music-conservatory-based conceptualization and back-patting that often accompanies similar activities.

For their FUN Go! America! tour, a 50-year project that involves one performance a year, each in a different state, on the very date that that state was inducted into the Union, FUN came to New Jersey on December 18th, to WFMU's Studio B, to render two unique, smartly conceived and individually distinct long-form improvisations. The concept of the tour alone is staggering, and relies upon FUN's members having access to interstate transportation, and living long enough, to execute the mass concept in its entirety.

 

There's A Super Genius In All Of Us

In February of 1990, I xeroxed 2 pages of the New Yorker magazine, to hold onto what I considered one of the funniest pieces of writing ever. It was titled Coyote V. Acme and was penned by regular New Yorker writer and NJ resident, Ian Frazier. In a nutshell, and I'll post part of it after the jump, Wile E. Coyote, plaintiff sues the Acme Company for product liability and the injuries he sustained over his career at Warner Brothers Entertainment. It's written in legalese and describes so well some of the cartoons and shenanigans involved, that you'll be able to be there with Mr. Coyote when he endures a violent feet-first collision with a boulder. Frazier published a book bearing the same name in 1996; a collection of his short humorous pieces, and has other books to his name, some humor collections like Coyote V. Acme, others full length adventures. I was reminded of the original piece the other day and wanted to share some of it, since it's been sitting xeroxed in my file cabinet in the FUN folder for decades. Ian's books are available through several online retailers. This time of year can be one of reflection and I'd like to look at the attempts of Mr. Coyote to capture his prey over the years, and the purity of his actions. Wile E. Coyote; Genius, and at some point in the Roadrunner cartoons, upgraded to Super Genius, was dedicated and single minded. He'd have made a great employee at the time of his upswing into the public eye. He was inventive beyond belief, and even when the same item would malfunction three radically different ways, he would remain a loyal customer of the Acme Company. Brick and mortars would die for a shopper like him! He is a reminder to all of us that perseverance and hard work pays off, or at least keeps you gainfully employed, and that there's a super genius lying in wait inside all of us. Perhaps it just takes an anvil to the head!  There was a response to the article published in 1995, I'm not certain of the source, which more or less takes the stand that since our beloved Mr. Coyote quite often looked directly at the camera before sustaining injuries that the Acme Company's products caused, that he was faking the extent of his physical damage. Imagine that!

"Where Rock Lived": What Corporate Radio Looked Like

Doc - Airplay

Watch More on Network Awesome

A day in the life of New York's WNEW-FM, Airplay follows DJ's, administrators and other employees as they go about the business of keeping America's most populous city entertained. Known for years by the slogan "Where Rock Lives", the station came into its own in 1967, when 102.7 FM switched formats from middle-of-the-road pop to a more daring progressive rock sound.

A Germs Whisky Christmas: Cruising For Oki-Dogs

December 23, 1979, Germs play the Masque Christmas Ball at Whisky-Au-Go-Go, performing what would be dubbed on-stage "art" by singer Darby Crash, self-proclaimed "Manimal" and possessor of "television and supervision," who read "every Bible story," and was educated in mind-control by public school Scientologists, an A+ hustler whose world-famous catchphrase was "buy me a beer" and whose demands for "beer and damage" do not go unheeded this night. Watch as Darby, spolight directly in his eyes, eats a lit book of matches, transforms into a panther, demands each audience member "hit the person next to you," sets fire to his (A+) lyrics (balls-on-fire-great teenage Blake) all before guitarist Pat Smear kicks a bouncer in the head (several times+) for crossing number one invisible line in rock n roll: the artists own the stage.

Hear 10 Seconds from Every Hit Song of the '80s

1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

I love the '80s because pop music culture was uniformly co-opted by capitalism throughout this decade.  In the '70s, you may have ended with wonderfully vapid concepts like disco, but you started with those pesky hippies trying to "change the world" with their "ideals".  In the 80s, we start with disco and end with dance music that has a slightly different groove, slightly different synth presets and slightly different haircuts.  The '80s is the decade that really proved American culture has nothing new to offer after the tremendous cultural explosions of the mid-century.  Now we're ready for our utopian future where music and culture need not change outside of acceptable parameters.  Enjoy the slow transition of dance music into grooves accentuating 16th notes and hairstyles accentuating a culture which had fully become out-of-touch with political realities.

Follow a song list along with the clips here.

Boris Karloff and Aesopus

Today some more of Karloff's Caedmon Records oeuvre with a visit to Aesop, "...who created an independent class of stories about animals, so that in a few generations his name and person had become typical of that entire class of literature. In course of time, thanks to his plain, popular manner, the story of his own life was enveloped in an almost inextricable tissue of tales and traditions, which represented him as an ugly hunchback and a buffoon. In the Middle Ages these were woven together into a kind of romance."

Storytelling In Japanese Art at the MET

Up through May 6th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is an exhibit entitled "Storytelling In Japanese Art" with a main focus on the Emaki, or Emakimono hand scrolls; some dating as far back as the 12th century. What's interesting about these pieces is that they are physically lengthy, so only certain portions of the scrolls are available for viewing at a time. The scrolls will be advanced during the length of the exhibition, so if you visit more than once, chances are you'll see different sections of the scrolls, which contain illustrations as well as japanese character text. Some are faded and reflective of their age, and some are in phenomenal shape considering the fragility of the medium. The exhibition also includes full views of some of the handscrolls on iPad displays in the beautifully crafted reading room. The current of the presentation of the pieces is very fluid - literally, with a fountain by Isamu Noguchi in the center of the route and a study/bamboo mat room.

When visiting the exhibition, we learn narrative was not only told on the medium of the scroll; visitors will see illustrations on screens, fans, cards, hanging banners, books, kimonos and porcelain as well. Some are showing one or two ideas as a story, and other pieces have multiple scenes and many utilize the stylized cloud formations to separate panels or sections of the stories that is present in Japanese art through the years. Take a look at some of the details of this show in the photos after the jump and see if it doesn't pique your interest!

And In the Middle of Negotiations - The Fabs' Last Stand

by Jason Gross

ED NOTE: After Apple Records had a fire sale of their items in April 1970, a collector named A.J. Weberstone came across a videotape labeled 'Final Meeting'. He was curious about this and told by Derek Taylor that he could view it and take notes only. Weberstone watched the tape and wrote down everything that he heard and saw there. Mysteriously, the tape was never seen or heard about after that. Weberstone died last year but in his papers were the notes that he carefully and thoroughly jotted down from the tape that he saw at the Apple offices. For the first time, we're pleased to present this important piece of Beatles history, looking into the dissolution of the band with an intimate, first-hand view.

-----

September 1969- Savile Row office of Apple Records

Scene: meeting room filled with 30-40 loud talky people, some in business suits, some in hippy gear; mood is a little somber. In the middle of the room are John, Paul, George and Ringo, looking tired and distracted. Yoko is also there, quietly sitting next to John.

Lennon: (loudly) Alright, that's enough! That's enough! (room quiets down). Everyone who isn't in the band is going to have to leave NOW. Come on then! (loud grumbling and arguing) I mean it, NOW! Get going! (more grumbling) Let's start with the barristers- all lawyers gone, now! (a dozen suited men file out methodically). Right, now the hangers-on, get on now! (a dozen hippies shuffle out). OK, now the groupies! (two forlorn guys slowly leave).

Harrison: (shaking his head) Sad, isn't it? Used to have much more than that.

Lennon: (to Yoko, solemnly) Alright mother, you too.

McCartney: (protesting) But she's the fifth Beatle! We wouldn't all still be together if it wasn't for her!

Lennon: (sighs, annoyed) I know, I know...

read the full transcript below...

CYBERPUNK’S NOT DEAD!

By Chris Cantino

Doc - CYBERPUNK (1990)

Watch more on Network Awesome

Marianne Trench’s 1990 documentary on the world of cyberpunk observes digital outlaws on the forefront of new technologies, fighting for freedom of information. Founded upon the spirit of the first cyberpunk novels by William Gibson, the movement is a networking hub for politically-concerned technophiles who poke around inside protected digital databases and occasionally wreak mayhem by inducing malicious software. Sometimes for fun, and sometimes to extract information, the hackers are concerned with increasing access to knowledge and generally throwing a wrench into the system. Often set in dystopic near-futures in which the lower class is dramatically underrepresented, cyberpunk (and sci-fi literature in general) helped develop the context in which we discuss the arrival of new technologies: with a guarded interest, and sometimes fear that they might eventually wreak similarly undesirable results.

Unfortunately, this cyberpunk prescience is starting to look less and less like fantasy. Gibson once described his fictional futures as “social Darwinism designed by a bored researcher who kept one thumb permanently on the fast-forward button,” where the ones calling the shots cut corners at the expense of the

Vintage Photos of a Herculean-Proportioned Record Store

Some of you may be aware of an era where vinyl just wasn't sought after by fetishists, but when it was THE way to hear music.  Voices of East Anglia has posted two great photosets (see one and two) of the "His Master's Voice" record store in the '60s.  A far cry from dusty dollar bins in the hole-in-the-wall record stores of today.  Thanks to Fabio for the tipoff.

The Savior of Rock 'n' Roll: GG Allin

By Thomas Michalski

GG Allin on Springer 

Watch more on Network Awesome

Merle Allin Senior was a deeply religious, and by all accounts, a deeply disturbed man, so when he decided to name his first child Jesus Christ Allin, the implication was clear: he believed his son was going to be a great man, perhaps even a savior. That the boy would end up being the self-proclaimed savior of rock ‘n’ roll instead had to be the furthest thing from his mind, except, of course, for the extreme lengths his son would go to recover the music’s soul. Only a few short years into the young boy’s life, he would be free from his tyrannical, frightening father and be unofficially rechristened G.G. (a nickname derived from his little brother and future band mate Merle Jr.’s stammering attempts at pronouncing “Jesus”) and plunge headlong into a life-long career -- or a crime spree depending on how you look at it -- that would make him a hero to some, and the most reprehensible villain to others.

The Lambeth Walk and Its Permutations

The Atomization of The Image

May you live in meme-ingful times.

Gallery: "Casually Pepper-Spray Everything Cop" meme. Endless pics. (Well, as of last count, 502.)

This collection of images is noteworthy for a number of reasons. Let's get the obvious ones out of the way first — sort of clear the quad of the passive resisters, as it were:

1. Holy Hell! There must be a LOTTA people out of work, or slagging off while AT work! (Duh.)

2. Humans are creative things, once given a fun theme to riff on.

3. Humans demonstrate a persistent need to distance themselves from the heinous.

4. Gee, that cop's had his share of donuts.

5. Lotta art majors among the out-of-work creatives mashing photos up...

JFK - The Greatest Of All (MP3)

 

Lee Roy Abernathy  -  John F. Kennedy The Greatest Of All 

Next week, of course, will mark the anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assasination on November 22, 1963 in Dallas.  Here is one of the many topical tribute songs about the death of the President, this one from my hometown of Atlanta.  Lee Roy Abernathy, who delivers the recitation on this 45, was a prolific gospel artist from Cartersville, Georgia.

Abernathy, who apparently liked cutting topical tunes, also recorded campaign songs for FDR and Eugene Talmadge, Georgia's governor from 1933 to 1937 and again from 1941 to 1943.  And in 1947, Abernathy released The Burning Of The Winecoff Hotel which detailed the nation's deadliest hotel fire ever.

Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for Kennedy's murder inside the Texas Theatre, located at 231 West Jefferson Boulevard in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood.  On the anniversary of Kennedy's death, the theatre will commemorate the occasion by hosting "JFK Day" and playing the same films that were running on the day of the assassination (War Is Hell and Cry Of Battle), along with some other thematic offerings.  More details on the event can be found on the Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog.