photo manipulation by nacrowe
full disclosure: i'm a diehard LOS ANGELES LAKERS fan.
my youth in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA was spent in the strange im-between doldrum years that marked the post-MAGIC JOHNSON era and the pre-KOBE BRYANT era. i grew up idolizing players like NICK VAN EXEL and TERRY TEAGLE, although i always disliked ELDEN CAMPBELL. that last bit is probably due to the fact that as a 3rd grader at a charity auction i asked him for an autograph and he asked me for $50. wasn't worth it then and its still not worth it. BYRON SCOTT, CHICK HEARN (R.I.P.) and all the previously mentioned players were cool and signed willingly which totally made my year. so that's just some context. back in the mid 90s i played in a league called NJB that was geographically covered (i believe) HAWAI'I, CALIFORNIA (southern and the central valley), NORTHERN ARIZONA and parts of NEVADA. needless to say i was pretty good and was an all-star center and prospect going into middle school. now spoiler alert: i ended up moving to NIGERIA for middle school and never returned, basically abandoning any chance of playing southern california basketball, a decision i am still very comfortable with. i was at an NJB conference with my dad when i ran into KURT RAMBIS and spoke with him for a few minutes. first off, totally nice guy and i knew who he was immediately by his thick horned-rim glasses, plus he played with my man MAGIC a few years earlier. basically i talked to him about the fact that i loved basketball but that i wasn't digging all the parents living through their kids, that basically that outside pressure (not from my family) was making it not fun anymore. essentially i was describing LAVAR BALL before he was a thing. for me i had a hard time with the idea that my identity was wrapped around my being an athlete and that teammates had parents that would make them cry after games we lost. the whole thing had an air of desperation and was pathetic looking back on it. RAMBIS said he totally understood. funny thing was that he was there to address a roomful of THOSE PARENTS shortly thereafter. being a former teacher i still cringe at the way parents take over their kid's games. this AAU circuit that has taken over competitive youth sports is next-level exploitation and make me depressed to consider how much they are crushing kids love of the game. it all just strikes me of ego, hubris and misplaced love of self. coaches and parents need to get over themselves. then again i don't have kids so what do i know.
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watch the latest installment of THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC where hosts Vince and Reed talk about Vince's recent run of Mexico dates and dive deep into some classic electronic music.
as always, you can access past episodes of THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW via the DEER GOD website as well as those of MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST and DEER GOD RADIO. 
photo by nacrowe
rounding off our series highlighting members of the DEER GOD TEAM is our consulting manager and frequent collaborator, MAGIE SERPICA. originally from BROOKLYN, she has been a staple of the arts, business and advocacy communities in STATEN ISLAND for years now.
her interests are wide-ranging, as he is a talented visual artist and musician, as seen in her work with fellow SHAOLIN native THERINA BELLA in their acoustic, riot grrrl outfit DOLLTITS. a TATTOO ARTIST by trade, MAGIE was recently voted STATEN ISLAND's "best tattoo artist" by local paper SI ADVANCE and has recently opened her new THE BLACK LODGE TATTOO shop. i have a hard time keeping up with her whereabouts and activities, as she is constantly planning ART INSTALLATIONS and providing painting/drawing classes in association with PROJECTIVITY, but your best bet is to follow her instagram linked here, as well as listen to her weekly MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC radio show with co-host JEN GALLO called MAKE HER SPACE where they interview (mostly) female guests from the local arts and social justice communities in STATEN ISLAND and beyond. us here at DEER GOD are happy to be involved with her and look forward to continue to collaborate with her on future projects. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
legendary german film director WERNER HERZOG is renowned for chasing extremes. at times his singular obsessive focus to get a shot has resulted in bypassing moral boundaries other directors would have long abandoned or outright not even considered.
his transgressive reputation is based in part on his self-produced films AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972) and FITZCARRALDO (1982), both statrring KLAUS KINSKI and both dealing with the extreme emotions of obsession and mania. here i will go into FITZCARRALDO, but no doubt I will cover the former in another later entry. FITZCARRALDO relays true story of a fanatically industrious irishman attempting to build an opera house in the peruvian rain-forest despite several seemingly insurmountable technical obstructions. the climax of this film is the physical traversing of his steamship on land uphill so that he could traverse the PACHITEA RIVER from its neighboring UCAYALI RIVER. this is the height of insanity and HERZOG filmed it with the help of locals, some of whom died while making the film. in much the same way that the real-life FITZCARRALDO exploited the local population for his own ends, people have often leveled the same criticism at HERZOG himself. if anything, this is a singular film with an epic performance by long-time collaborator KLAUS KINSKI in the title role. i'm absolutely ambivalent with this film in the same way i am with capitalism in general. i recognize fully that day laborers have toiled over the most of the food i eat, have been underpaid for the clothes i wear and bear the environmental burden for the technology i use and ultimately discard. i know there were costs and by consuming the product i am supporting its methods of production. i explored this dilemma earlier in my written piece on the artistic merits of LENI REIFENSTAHL's nazi propaganda films. with regards to FITZCARRALDO, i chose to view it as emblematic of the faustian bargain we are all a part of when tacitly buying into, pun intended, capitalism and its brutal, debased, inhumane underpinnings. i highly recommend this film because it is artistically and morally complicated. you are amazed yet terrified by its production and real-world consequences. 
art by nacrowe
watch HERE for our most recent episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC which explored the golden age of country and the modern americana movement that rediscovered that rootsy appalachian vibe. under no conditions did we ever consider playing any of that commercial pablum that passes itself as modern country. that stuff is utter shit.
​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST and THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW are available here at the DEER GOD website. 
collage by nacrowe
earlier this summer i did a DEER GOD RADIO show on a topic i am particularly passionate about, INDIE ROCK.
i've spotlighted several bands in this genre (LA LUZ, JAPANESE BREAKFAST, EL GUINCHO, GIRL IN A COMA, DRAB MAJESTY, GRAHAM COXON) with several more planned in the coming weeks (WARPAINT, LA VIDA BOHÈME, THE COATHANGERS, IRON REAGAN, ANA TIJOUX, BATTLES, LE BUTCHERETTES). i've also written several book reviews on this topic (GIRL IN A BAND, LOVE ROCK REVOLUTION, MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM) with have several more lined up (SET THE BOY FREE, THIS BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE, CLOSER YOU ARE, HUNGER MAKES ME A MODERN GIRL). all due to the fact that this is arguably my favorite genre. for me what edges it above METAL and HARDCORE is the experimental aspect of it, the fact that like HIP HOP, it is a form that at its core challenges the musician and listener alike to seek new sounds. this fact makes it infinitely intriguing to read about and explore as people came to it from different viewpoints along gender, class, geographic, political lines that ultimately complicated and strengthened the fabric of the by definition open community. looking back, this was one of my favorite playlists yet. i see this specific show as being a sister piece to a previous episode dedicated to 1980s HARDCORE, since both were concurrent scenes that supported and in many cases had a similar DIY ETHIC surrounding it. if anything, i see MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC as a community built on that same ethos of independence, integrity and passion. if the artwork didn't clue you into the playlist, you can always catch that at the episode's page HERE. take it all in and enjoy this show. i definitely had fun with it. 
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nicholas
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