in spite of its title, the LOOKING FOR JOHNNY: THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY THUNDERS (CHIP BAKER FILMS, 2014) DOCUMENTARY is not a FAWNING HAGIOGRAPHY in the least.  instead it is a SOBER ASSESSMENT rooted in the COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE of PARTICIPATING PEERS, SCENESTERS, FORMER BANDMATES, MANAGERS and HANGERS-ON of the COMPLICATED LEGACY of the UNDENIABLE ROCK AND ROLL ICON that is JOHNNY THUNDERS and the PUSH-PULL DYNAMICS of his LEGENDARY CAREER that was seemingly as much a SUBCONSCIOUS ACT of SELF-SABOTAGE as it was REVOLUTIONARY.

born and raised in QUEENS by a SINGLE MOTHER, THUNDERS was always searching for ACCEPTANCE and LOVE through by initiating his own COMMUNITY, whether that was through BASEBALL as a CHILD or later ROCK AND ROLL as an ADOLESCENT in the WAKE of THE BEATLES and the BRITISH INVASION.  his INNER DRIVE and CREATIVITY drew others too him throughout his LIFE and that ATTRACTION was DOUBLE-SIDED as he was always fundamentally UNSURE of his CONNECTION to PEOPLE, especially after he became a HARDCORE DRUG ADDICT throughout his ADULT LIFE.  THUNDERS is such a TRANSCENDENT FIGURE in ROCK AND ROLL since his BRAVADO, STYLE and ATTITUDE as a GUITARIST for the PROTO-PUNK BAND THE NEW YORK DOLLS set the stage for all SUBSEQUENT VARIATIONS thereof in its WAKE.  their work stripped the BLOATED ROCK AND ROLL CARCASS back to its DIRECT, SEXUALLY POTENT, SUBVERSIVE BASICS as a VEHICLE for SOCIAL CHANGE and CONFRONTATION with the SOCIETAL STATUS QUO, rather than the PLATFORM for impossibly TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP with no HEART that it became in the 1970s with the advent of PROGRESSIVE ROCK.  TRANSGRESSIVE, CONFRONTATIONAL, SEXUALLY UNRESTRICTED and effortlessly REVOLUTIONARY was what THUNDERS represented to the CULTURE in the early 1970s every bit as much as fellow SEMINAL SONGWRITERS and his DIRECT CONTEMPORARIES in LOU REED and IGGY POP of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND and THE STOOGES respectively.

all that seemingly got sidelined again and again due to his MULTIPLE CHEMICAL DEPENDENCIES, specifically to HEROIN.  such caused him to be SPORADIC and UNRELIABLE, especially with those that personally relied on him such as BANDMATES and FAMILY.  ultimately his DEATH in NEW ORLEANS in 1991 at the early age of 38 was under MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES and his AUTOPSY confirmed he suffered from ADVANCED STAGES of LEUKEMIA, at the very least one can infer that he could have been more PROLIFIC had he laid off the SMACK.  as such he is part of that WARPED LEGACY of being part of that UNDISTINGUISHED PANTHEON of CELEBRATED JUNKIE ROCK AND ROLL LUMINARIES who's PREMATURE PASSING was powerfully influenced by their COPIOUS DRUG USAGE.  this includes everyone from JIMI HENDRIX, LAYNE STALEY, DARBY CRASH, OL DIRTY BASTARD, JIM MORRISON, CHET BAKER, SID VICIOUS, KEITH MOON, HILLEL SLOVAK, DINAH WASHINGTON, NICK DRAKE, GRAHAM PARSONS, SHANNON HOON, MIKE BLOOMFIELD, SCOTT WEILAND and FRANKIE LYMON to GG ALLIN, WAYNE STATIC, JUDY GARLAND, PHIL LYNOTT, BRAD NOWELL, PAUL GRAY, WHITNEY HOUSTON, PIMP C, DEE DEE RAMONE, TIM BUCKLEY, BON SCOTT and KURT COBAIN among seemingly COUNTLESS others. 

and its just SAD.

you can see in this FILM what JOY THUNDERS brought to the WORLD and the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY he built up around his MUSIC, whether with THE NEW YORK DOLLS or THE HEARTBREAKERS or any of his other ARRAY of LATER PROJECTS.  inasmuch as those other, mostly MALE, names on that STUPID LIST it just feels ultimately like a WASTED OPPORTUNITY.  especially with someone so TALENTED, CHARISMATIC and COMPASSIONATE outside of his ADDICTION.  and that seems to be the POINT.  whatever their CAUSE, whatever their REASON, DRUGS ultimately overtake everything else and we are all collectively left POORER in the PROCESS.  it bugs me that the dude that created something as BEAUTIFUL and ENDURING as PUNK ROCK, which was EFFECTIVELY crafted in his IMAGE has the DISTINCTION of being just ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL FATALITY from DRUGS.  such devalues his LEGACY in some way and that ASSOCIATION no doubt served as a DANGEROUS EXAMPLE for SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS, just like the MODEL of KEITH RICHARDS had no doubt done so for THUNDERS.

back when i was teaching ENGLISH LITERATURE there were often times i was required by a CURRICULUM to teach a pre-MODERN TEXT, most often by the likes of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE but once i a while GEOFFREY CHAUCER.  my PREFERENCE was the LATTER.  there is something FOREIGN and instinctively REMOTE about the MIDDLE ENGLISH of THE CANTERBURY TALES that instigated an INTRIGUING RESPONSE from my STUDENTS.  at first they couldnt believe that this was in fact written in ENGLISH. this was not due to the WORDS themselves being a bit ARCHAIC yet COMPREHENDIBLE, but rather that their USAGE and STRUCTURE took some getting used to, almost like the CONFUSING modern-day  EXPERIENCE of talking with an AUSTRALIAN speaking in DIALECTA. 

that LINGUISTIC DISTANCE and OPACITY spurred a sense of REVERENCE for the TEXT itself as an ARTIFACT or RELIC of the PAST.  it is lost on none of my STUDENTS that the INCOMPLETE 14th CENTURY EXTENDED POEM written PREDOMINANTLY in VERSE that is THE CANTERBURY TALES is the first MAJOR LITERARY STATEMENT in the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, written about a RETINUE of PILGRIMS en route from LONDON to CANTERBURY in order to pay RELIGIOUS RESPECTS to the MARTYRED SAINT THOMAS BECKET at CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.  CHAUCER, a DIPLOMAT and MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, had a KEEN EYE for PHYSICAL DETAILS and his OBSERVATIONS about the WAYFARERS is a MASTERCLASS in INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION, showcasing their INTERIOR MOTIVATIONS, WORLDLY ASPIRATIONS, PSYCHOLOGIES and even MORAL CONTRADICTIONS in pursuing this PILGRIMAGE.  all of that is well and good, but again, the LANGUAGE is so ELEVATED and DIALECTICALLY OPAQUE that my STUDENTS were caught OFF-GUARD at times by the DECEIVING TONE, which could be referencing RIBALD SEXUAL, VULGAR and even SCATALOGICAL DESCRIPTIONS and OBSCENE HUMOR.  that DISCONNECT was something i never prepared my STUDENTS for ON PURPOSE and always welcomed them discovering that this TEXT was anything but ENLIGHTENED and REFINED (which it was) as advertised, but could also be quite LEWD and INDECENT.  in other words it was a TEXT that despite its seemingly ARCHAIC STRUCTURE and PRESENTATION felt quite ALIVE, CONTEMPORARY and even counterintuitively ACCESSIBLE to my STUDENTS.

watching that PROCESS unfold as my STUDENTS got in the swing of things and went about deciphering the PILGRIMS as CHAUCER unfolded each TALE dedicated to such, searching for TELLS and CLUES that were BAWDY in NATURE was something that they UNEXPECTEDLY enjoyed, having dreaded the TEXT at FIRST GLANCE.  i remember when i first read the same TEXT in HIGH SCHOOL my TEACHER ruined such discovery by explaining such DETAILS FIRSTHAND, which killed the TEXT for me.  THE CANTERBURY TALES is definitely worth reading if you are UNFAMILIAR with such.  you also get a sense of how LANGUAGE is constantly EVOLVING and that the very CONCEPT of ENGLISH as an UNWAVERING STANDARDIZED SYSTEM by many CONTEMPORARY CONSERVATIVE-LEANING CRITICS is an ABSOLUTE MIRAGE and ACADEMICALLY BASELESS NOTION consciously devised to effectuate REVANCHIST and quite often MALIGNANT POLITICAL OUTCOMES.

REALITY, HISTORY, LANGUAGE and EXPRESSION are much more COMPLEX. THE CANTERBURY TALES is EMBLEMATIC of such and is well worth revisiting when one forgets or loses sight of such.

CULTURE is currently in such a WEIRD, TRANSITIONAL PERIOD right now with the advent of SOCIAL MEDIA-enabled INFLUENCERS and greasy POLE-CLIMBING, ALGORITHM-chasing CONTENT PROVIDERS CALLOUSLY seeking out ENRAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT and effectively edging out TRADITIONAL MEDIA, JOURNALISM and the CACHE formerly given to EXPERTS writ large.  what is left is a TOXIC SWAMP of BOTTOM-FEEDERS and HACK-JOBS peddling UNINFORMED OPINIONS, HALF-BAKED THEORIES, STRAIGHT-UP GOSSIP and HEARSAY as well as INTENTIONAL MISINFORMATION. 

and that goes for everything from POLITICS and SPORTS COMMENTARY to HIP HOP JOURNALISM.  maybe its because we are in the AGE of TRUMP and our COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS has been HACKED and MANIPULATED by MALEVOLENT OPPORTUNISTS and MENDACIOUS MALCONTENTS, but it seems without question this DRAKE / KENDRICK LAMAR beef (and specifically the IMPETUOUS ACTIONS of on AUBREY GRAHAM) have functioned along a PARALLEL LANE to that of the seemingly NEVER-ENDING AMERICAN CULTURE WARS.

​which brings me to RAP LATTE,  a PODCAST hosted by VETERAN JOURNALIST TOURÉ and PIERRE DESROSIERS, a.k.a. KING GREEN, of the ECLECTIC VIRGINIA-based ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP BAND RDGLDGRN.  what they bring to the TABLE are INFORMED CONVERSATIONS surrounding CULTURE based on a core CONTENT KNOWLEDGE and EXPERTISE that comes from EXPERIENCE and PERSPECTIVE, both from a STUDENT OF THE GAME and an INSIDE PRACTIONER of such and the COMPLEX PRESSURES and MACHINATIONS of the INDUSTRY.  i find their DISCUSSIONS REFRESHING due to their INNATE SUBSTANCE, QUALITY OF THOUGHT and utter lack of GIMMICKRY and THIRSTY ATTENTION-BATING that comes with attempting to hack the ALGORITHIM through UNECCESSARY CONTROVERSY and CALCULATED SHOCK TACTICS.  TOURÉ and DESROSIERS instead come across as CLEAR-HEADED ADULTS in a VERITABLE sea of DESPERATE, WINING MEMBERS of the MANOSPHERE (i.e. DJ AKADEMIKS, ANDREW SCHULZ and the like) that make up their SUPPOSED COMPETITION.  for me, RAP LATTE is part of an ALTERNATIVE CONSTELLATION of THOUGHTFUL, TEMPERED VOICES i turn to when i seek out an ENLIGHTENED OPINION on MATTERS related to HIP HOP CULTURE and ADJACENT TOPICS.

definitely worth checking out.

i distinctly remember being en route to a BOSTON CELTICS GAME, which was a SCHOOL-sanctioned ACTIVITY with the SUPERINTENDENT chaperoning no less, when our school van came in RADIO earshot of the LOCAL MODERN ROCK STATION 99.4FM WBCN out of BOSTON and the NEW LIMP BIZKIT SINGLE came on UNANNOUNCED through the STEREO.  what i remember most about my first time hearing "NOOKIE" was not the JUVENILE LYRICS about SEX and RELATIONSHIPS or the even the MASSIVE CHORUS, it was that UNORTHODOX OPENIN GROOVE that seemed to have come down from some FUNKY, INTER-DIMENSIONAL SPACESHIP that SEAMLESSLY blended both HIP HOP BEATS and some WEIRD, infectiously MELODIC HYBRID GUITAR / BASS LINE.  it sounded like a highly IDIOSYNCRATIC yet thoroughly WELL-CONSTRUCTED, RECORDED, MIXED and PRODUCED PIECE of POP SONG-CRAFT. then like everything else LIMP BIZKIT-related, REPEAT listens got ruined by VOCALIST FRED DURST and his MORONIC, UNWAVERING MISOGYNISTIC LYRICS concerning WHITE MALE AGGRIEVEMENT, arguably the most NON-RELATABLE SONG TOPIC ever.

but just the idea that my INTRODUCTION to SIGNIFICANT OTHER (INTERSCOPE, 1999) was something i didnt IMMEDIATELY AURALLY IDENTIFY as the BAND just proves what a SONIC DEPARTURE it was from its PREDECESSOR, LIMP BIZKIT's DEBUT THREE DOLLAR BILL, Y'ALL (INTERSCOPE, 1997).  PRODUCER ROSS ROBINSON (KORN, AT THE DRIVE-IN, SEPULTURA, GLASSJAW) on that DEBUT made his IMPACT spurring largely CONFRONTATIONAL SONGS that slashed with AGGRESSION and ATTITUDE, his VERITABLE CALLING CARD, and made the LISTENER notice on PURE ENERGY alone.  on the FOLLOW-UP, PRODUCER TERRY DATE (PANTERA, DEFTONES, SOUNDGARDEN) provided a SOUND that was distinctively more MUSCULAR with CONSIDERABLE HEFT and SONIC WEIGHT that presented the BAND more as a ROLLING FREIGHT TRAIN rather than a FERAL WILD ANIMAL as before.  this SONIC AESTHETIC of more TRADITIONALLY STRUCTURED and RECORDED SONG-CRAFT can be seen on the MAJORITY of SIGNIFICANT OTHER's TRACKS such as "SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT," "TRUST?," "9 TEEN 90 NINE," "I'M BROKE," "BREAK STUFF," and "JUST LIKE THIS."  the result are more MEMORABLE SONGS that rely more on MELODIC SOPHISTICATION and SONIC JUXTAPOSITION of TEXTURES than PURE, UNBRIDLED AGGRESSION as before.  that is not to say that WES BORLAND's IDIOSYNCRATIC WEEN and PRIMUS-indebted GUITAR STYLINGS are all ABSENT on SIGNIFICANT OTHER, as "RE-ARRANGED," "DON'T GO OFF WANDERING" and especially "NOBODY LIKE YOU" showcase his SPECIAL ABILITY to build and develop a MOOD through ODD INSTRUMENTATION and UNORTHODOX PLAYING TECHNIQUES.  the dude is a SONIC WIZARD and ULTIMATELY the SECRET SAUCE of LIMP BIZKIT's APPEAL well beyond his CREATIVE MAKEUP and ELABORATE GETUPS.

but i think SIGNIFICANT OTHER and the NU METAL GENRE in general has to be seen in the CONTEXT of the CULTURE in the late 1990s when WIDESPREAD FILE-SHARING was not a thing and RECORD SALES were at their PEAK.  MTV was KING and specifically the LIVE MUSIC VIDEO REQUEST SHOW TOTAL REQUEST LIVE (MTV, 1998-2008) was very much a MAKE-OR-BREAK PROPOSITION for the WIDESPREAD COMMERCIAL SUCCESS of POP, HIP HOP and ROCK ARTISTS alike.  part of the reason that somewhat PEDESTRIAN TRANSGRESSIVE ACTS like KORN, EMINEM and LIMP BIZKIT gained TRACTION was that they were the SONIC and SOCIOLOGICAL POLAR OPPOSITE of the BUBBLEGUM POP ARTISTS dominating at the time including most notably BRITNEY SPEARS, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, N'SYNC and THE BACKSTREET BOYS.  in that ENVIRONMENT a MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD ROCK AND ROLL GROUP would not suffice to translate the CHURNING and EVER-BUILDING RESENTMENT that MANUFACTURED POP was dominating the CULTURE.  thus the NEED for METAL that was SIMPLISTIC yet OVERLY-AGGRESSIVE and complete with VAPID MACHO POSTURING. 

arguably SIGNIFICANT OTHER and its TRACKS "NOOKIE" and "BREAK STUFF" embody that SENTIMENT better than anything else from that PERIOD.  this ASSOCIATION all but metastasized in the PUBLIC IMAGINATION when LIMP BIZKIT played the second night of WOODSTOCK 99 and the ENERGY UNLEASHED caused MASS INJURY and even was the SOUNDTRACK to several later reported SEXUAL ASSAULTS in the CROWD.  in a SENSE they were an EASY TARGET.  correction: FRED DURST, his IMMATURE LYRICS and MOOKISH, IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR on stage that needlessly resulted in WANTON PHYSICAL HARM to CONCERT ATTENDEES and PROPERTY DAMAGE made him an EASY TARGET.  and he hasnt outlived that quite yet no matter how many outside ELEVATED FILM PROJECTS he produces and directs in a CYNICAL ATTEMPT at PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION.  ultimately such is the ENDURING LEGACY of SIGNIFICANT OTHER as far as i can tell, which sucks because musically WES BORLAND, JOHN OTTO, DJ LETHAL and SAM RIVERS never sounded so ON POINT and INNOVATIVE as they did on this PARTICULAR RECORDING.

GIRL FRIDAY is an INTRIGUING LOS ANGELES-based INDIE POP GROUP that was formed when GUITARIST VERA ELLEN and BASSIST LIBBY HSIEH met up while attending UCLA.  their SOUND is EXPANSIVE yet firmly rooted in a UNIQUE VOCAL PRESENTATION that sees most of the BAND take the LEAD at some point.  come to think of it, i cannot recall another MODERN BAND outside of the PROGRESSIVE METAL OUTFIT MASTODON where every MEMBER sings.  the fact that GIRL FRIDAY also maintain a COMBINED SONIC and LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE filled with a BROODING SENSE of UNEASE and ISOLATION, mirroring my own PERSONAL EXPERIENCE of living in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, just endears them that much more to me.

definitely a BAND worth checking out.

parody & text by nacrowe

early on when doing the DEER GOD RADIO show on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC i would get some LIGHT-HEARTED FLACK from other DJs about being from NEW JERSEY.  when i lived OVERSEAS and ran into AMERICANS this was a SIMILAR THEME.  my OPINION was always id take it from LONGSTANDING CULTURAL HUBS like CALIFORNIA or NEW YORK, hell maybe even STATES i somewhat respected like MICHIGAN, WASHINGTON, ILLINOIS, MASSACHUSETTS or OREGON, but that was about it.  i was NOTORIOUS abroad for going HARD after my FELLOW COUNTRYMEN, especially in front of FOREIGNERS.  thinking back, these FOOLS specifically came from LOSER STATES like NEVADA, TEXAS, FLORIDA, IOWA, OHIO, GEORGIA, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, ALABAMA, WEST VIRGINIA, LOUISIANA, ARIZONA and SOUTH CAROLINA.  for some reason they all thought they could come at me for being from (sort of) NEW JERSEY.

now full disclosure, at this point in my life ive spent more time living in NEW JERSEY than any other STATE, but my ACTUAL RELATIVES from the JERSEY SHORE dont consider me a LOCAL by any stretch of the imagination.  i lived in CALIFORNIA until i was 12 and later went back my senior year to graduate HIGH SCHOOL from there.  ive also lived in NEW YORK and MASSACHUSETTS for several years each along with SEVERAL COUNTRIES during my FORMER CAREER as an INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TEACHER.  but the GARDEN STATE has been a home base for more than two decades now, so i pretty much consider NEW JERSEY my ADOPTED HOME STATE at this point.

so when some SORRY STATEN ISLANDERS poke at me somewhat GOOD-NATUREDLY and OPENLY DISPARAGE NEW JERSEY, i felt i needed to publicly set the RECORD STRAIGHT on who is actually CULTURALLY RELEVANT.  the only ENTERTAINERS of note that STATEN ISLAND has produced include HIP HOP LEGENDS WU-TANG CLAN, SINGER DAVID JOHANSEN (THE NEW YORK DOLLS) and COMEDIAN PETE DAVIDSON in my opinion.  tell me im WRONG.  im looking well past CHRISTINA AGUILERA, CARMINE APPICE and BLACKIE LAWLESS (W.A.S.P.).  it is not even FUNNY how such does not compete with the likes of NEW JERSEY, so i made a show to highlight all the NOTABLE MUSICIANS over the years that have hailed from GARDEN STATE well beyond the RECOGNIZABLE marquee names like FRANK SINATRA, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, WHITNEY HOUSTON and BON JOVI.  im talking about PUNK ROCK ARTISTS like PATTI SMITH, THE BOUNCING SOULS, DEBBIE HARRY (BLONDIE), TOM VERLAINE (TELEVISION)  and THE MISFITS, HIP HOP MAINSTAYS like REDMAN, NAUGHTY BY NATURE, SZA, THE FUGEES, JOE BUDDEN, THE SUGARHILL GANG and ICE-T, ICONIC JAZZ MUSICIANS like COUNT BASIE, TONY BENNETT and SARAH VAUGHAN, INDIE ROCK BANDS such as YO LA TENGO, EZRA KOENIG (VAMPIRE WEEKEND), TED LEO, THE FEELIES, SCREAMING FEMALES, KAREN O (THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS), METAL ACTS such as LORNA SHORE, ZAKK WYLDE (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY), OVERKILL, MONSTER MAGNET, GOD FORBID, DEADGUY and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, FUNK LEGENDS like GEORGE CLINTON and KOOL & THE GANG, POST-HARDCORE OUTFITS like THURSDAY, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, LIFETIME, SAVES THE DAY, ARMOR FOR SLEEP and MIDTOWN as well as MODERN POP STARS like HALSEY, NANCY SINATRA and THE JONAS BROTHERS. 

and the list goes on.

its all just EMBLEMATIC of the fact that the TRI-STATE AREA HISTORICALLY and ECONOMICALLY sees a lot of ACTIVITY and TRAFFIC through the centuries and that with a MASSIVE POPULATION comes with it a SIZABLE TALENT POOL and a STEADY FLOOD of AMBITION.  its just CURIOUS how so LITTLE of it finds its way to STATEN ISLAND.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the MUSIC of NEW JERSEY.  enjoy!

moving to NIGERIA in the fall of 1995 was UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL EVENTS of my life in retrospect and a TREMENDOUS PART of that RE-EDUCATION was much FIRSTHAND EXPOSURE to OUTSIDE COUNTRIES including the UNITED KINGDOM where i had RELATIVES.  for at least two summers moving forward part of the YEARLY RITUAL was going to ENGLAND for a few weeks to complete REQUIRED MEDICAL CHECKUPS and SHIPMENTS of FOOD and SUPPLIES that would be sent in bulk via TANKER to WEST AFRICA.  just so happens that such coincided with the ARGUABLE HEIGHT of the BRITPOP CULTURAL MOVEMENT with PROMINENT ENGLISH BANDS like BLUR, OASIS, PULP, SUPERGRASS, ELASTICA and SUEDE taking the CULTURAL REIGNS in ENGLAND from the relatively WANING INFLUENCE of the AMERICAN ALTERNATIVE ROCK MOVEMENT.  ADJACENT to such was the CONCURRENT EMERGENCE of EXPANSIVE TRIP HOP ACTS like PORTISHEAD and MASSIVE ATTACK and more SONICALLY AGGRESSIVE ELECTRONICA BANDS like THE PRODIGY who had an absolutely MASSIVE RECORD with their THE FAT OF THE LAND (XL, 1997) RELEASE.

up to my INITIAL EXPOSURE to THE PRODIGY, ELECTRONIC MUSIC in GENERAL was not a part of my LISTENING DIET at all.  years later i would discover SYNTH POP, AMBIENT MUSIC, POST PUNK, HIP HOP, DRUM AND BASS, ELECTROCLASH, ACID HOUSE/MADCHESTER, KRAUTROCK and EXPERIMENTAL INDUSTRIAL ARTISTS that fully embraced SYNTHESIZERS, DRUM MACHINES, SEQUENCERS, LOOPS, PADS and SAMPLING and arguably the only RELATED ELECTRONIC MUSIC i was FAMILIAR with up to that POINT was the JOHNNY MARR / BERNARD SUMNER COLLABORATIVE ELECTRONIC PROJECT through my father who was and still is a MASSIVE SMITHS fan.  its FUNNY to me because i only became aware of THE PRODIGY, not through my time in ENGLAND, but through a KNOWLEDGABLE LEBANESE CLASSMATE in NIGERIA.  i bring all that prologue up just to present a SENSE of how ENORMOUS the CULTURAL PENETRATION of their THIRD RELEASE, THE FAT OF THE LAND, especially considering that none of us had MTV OVERSEAS and this years before the INTERNET became a VIABLE THING.  this was strictly through LITERAL WORD OF MOUTH and the PHYSICAL MUSIC PRESS at the time which is pretty INCREDIBLE.

what made THE FAT OF THE LAND so REVOLUTIONARY was how it took the SONIC AGGRESSION and ATTITUDE of PUNK ROCK and created a SEAMLESS HYBRID with the INCORPORATION of impossibly QUICK BREAKBEATS and AGGRESSIVE-SOUNDING novel SONIC TEXTURES through SAMPLING and LOOPING.  yes, it is true that 1990s PEERS like GARBAGE and BECK as well as EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS going back to the NO WAVE and KRAUTROCK SCENES of the 1970s innovated these TECHNIQUES far before THE PRODIGY popularized them, but never had both PUNK ROCK and ELECTRONICA been melded so FLAWLESSLY.  and it made IMMEDIATE SENSE once you heard it, specifically TRACKS like "FUEL MY FIRE," "NARAYAN," "MINDFIELDS" and the SINGLES "BREATHE," "FIRESTARTER" and the EPIC "SMACK MY BITCH UP."  all of which were intensely HARD-CHARGING and somehow expansively PSYCHEDELIC at the same time.  just a WICKED COMBINATION.  looking back it feels EMBLEMATIC of where the CULTURE was at the time, with the walls that effectively defined GENRES being DISREGARDED and torn asunder.  such is so PREVALENT in the decades since that the NEWER GENERATIONS of FANS in the INTERIM dont even consider GENRE as a CONSIDERATION anymore. 

now its just a VIBE THING.  and when you look at the FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES in EUROPE over the past decade or so, THE PRODIGY is a MASSIVE DRAW who usually outperform and out-spectacle TOP-SHELF METAL ACTS like SLIPKNOT, SLAYER and METALLICA.  never really understood why their APPEAL was a bit more MUTED in the UNITED STATES, maybe its because they didnt fit neatly into a GENRE PRESCRIPTION, RADIO FORMAT or FESTIVAL SLOT that all need to be PREDETERMINED for AMERICAN AUDIENCES (who lets face it, arent that SOPHISTICATED) to properly digest.  i feel kind of PRIVILEGED that THE PRODIGY were one of those BANDS i cam to know ABROAD in their PROPER CONTEXT.
​
definitely a LEGENDARY ACT well worth checking out, and no better STARTING POINT then THE FAT OF THE LAND before devouring their EXTENSIVE CATALOGUE.

given the centennial of its FOUNDING, the RECENT BAUHAUS 100 (BBC4, 2019) DOCUMENTARY is an especially POIGNANT EXAMINATION of the ENDURING CULTURAL and POLITICAL LEGACY of this early 20th-century MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SHOOL that was so FUNDAMENTAL in shaping MODERNIST THOUGHT with its INTENTIONAL BLURRING of the lines between CRAFTS and the FINE ARTS.  although only lasting for fourteen years between 1919 and 1933, the BAUHAUS was a REACTION to the CRUDE HORRORS of WORLD WAR I and the need to provide NEW IDEAS for a NEW CENTURY in order to manifest a new sense of FREEDOM from the past.  in the decades since this UNIQUELY GENERATIONAL EXAMPLE has served as a PROMINENT BEACON of CREATIVITY and ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL to the point that an INSURGENT VANGUARD of CONTEMPORARY EXTREME RIGHT-WING ELEMENTS in GERMANY (no doubt taking their cue from similar SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS the world over in places like HUNGARY, ISRAEL, POLAND, AUSTRIA, ITALY and the UNITED STATES) are seeking to mollify and effectively blunt its CONTINUED IMPACT.

my CONCEPTION of the BAUHAUS prior to seeing this FILM was heavily influenced by the REFINED and AUSTERE MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE of VISIONARIES like WALTER GROPIUS and LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE, both FORMER DIRECTORS of the SHOOL, but i failed to understand how fundamentally the MOVEMENT was based on a BREAKDOWN of the PERCEIVED BARRIERS between the DISCIPLINES.  when GROPIUS founded the SCHOOL he brought together an especially ECLECTIC and ACCOMPLISHED FACULTY that included everyone from WASSILY KANDINSKY, PAUL KLEE, LASZLO MOHOLY-NAGY, OSKAR SCHLEMMER and MARCEL BREUER.  part of the PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION was a FOUNDATIONAL COURSE that STUDENTS would take upon arrival before specializing in other DEPARTMENTS, a CONCEPT now widely adopted by most HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.  a BYPRODUCT of this approach was that STUDENTS of VARYING INTERESTS would have a COMMON LANGUAGE of UNDERSTANDING that helped bridge hitherto SEPARATE DISCIPLINES and led to some FRUITFUL COLLABORATIONS that COMBINED METALWORK, ARCHITECTURE, PAINTING, GRAPHIC DESIGN and TEXTILES. 

as much INNOVATION was being harnessed at the BAUHAUS, it was always in a PRECARIOUS SITUATION politically given that the SURROUNDING COMMUNITY didnt understand such.  to them it was an ELITIST and SEXUALLY-DEVIANT INSTITUTION filled with POLITICAL and SOCIAL DISCONTENTS that aimed to displace TRADITIONAL GERMAN CULTURE, or so RIGHT-LEANING POLITICIANS and NEWSPAPER EDITORS argued such.  by the time of the rise of the THIRD REICH, the WRITING WAS ON THE WALL and the SCHOOL DISBANDED, only after moving twice from WEIMAR to DESSAU to BERLIN.  each time its funding shifted as well from being GOVERNMENT-SUBSIDIZED to being MUNICIPALLY-SUBSIDIZED to being PRIVATE.  BAUHAUS 100 argues that this GLOBAL SCATTERING of the FACULTY of the BAUHAUS after sustaining UNRELENTING PRESSURE from the NAZI REGIME is what made the MOVEMENT so IMPACTFUL as FORMER MEMBERS secured REVOLUTIONARY ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS from the UNITED STATES, SWITZERLAND, ENGLAND, ISRAEL, FRANCE, the USSR and so on.  had this FACULTY all stayed in GERMANY its unknown what their LEGACY would have been.  speaking of which, the FILM makes the other ASTUTE OBSERVATION that the STUDENT BODY was by no means a MONOLITH, with some of their ALUMNI going on to make an IMPACT in the ARTS, while others providing TECHNICAL INSIGHT for the THIRD REICH itself. its a MIXED-BAG.

the DOCUMENTARY also addresses the ENDURING CRITICISM that the PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL and SOCIAL ASPIRATIONS of the BAUHAUS MOVEMENT, which sought to impart BEAUTY as a FOUNDATIONAL CONCERN in the REFINED PROCESS of creating an object to the betterment of SOCIETY, had failed in doing such given that its most IDENTIFIABLE ACHIEVEMENTS, the aforementioned INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTURAL WORK of GROPIUS and MIES VAN DER ROHE, were merely REFASHIONED, SUPERFICIAL AESTHETIC CHOICES for CORPORATE AMERICA and its OVERPOWERING INDUSTRIAL MIGHT.  such a critique fails to take into CONSIDERATION the amount of EXPLORATION, INGENUITY and EXPERIMENTATION that went into such a GENERATIONAL MOVEMENT by dozens of supremely TALENTED ARTISANS and THINKERS, often under EXTREME CULTURAL DURESS and POLITICAL SCRUTINY.  as it stands today, the BAUHAUS signifies a sense of ARTISTIC, POLITICAL, CULTURAL and even SEXUAL FREEDOM that was too PROGRESSIVE for its time, but serves as a BEACON of a POSSIBLE UTOPIA that comes with the MARRIAGE of ART and TECHNOLOGY that may still be in reach.

or not.

depends on if we let this MODERN REVANCHIST, NEO-FASCIST WELL-SPRING of MALCONTENTS that promote MISPLACED NATIONALIST RHETORIC with BALD STREAKS of RACISM and CULTURAL INTOLERANCE to take the POLITICAL REIGNS of POWER.  feels like HISTORY is repeating itself no doubt to the detriment of us all.

the BUBONIC PLAGUE PANDEMIC of the MIDDLE AGES was a DEPLORABLE time of UNTOLD, WANTON AGONY, PAIN and DEATH with no PALPABLE SENSE of REASON or PURPOSE, just UNADULTERATED OLD TESTAMENT JUSTICE.  yet the REAL SUFFERING, as made CLEAR and examined in JULIA GFRÖRER's MINIMALIST but highly EVOCATIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL LAID WASTE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2016), was a BURDEN of the LIVING.  finding CONNECTION and COMMUNITY in a FRAUGHT LANDSCAPE of INCREDIBLE DESPAIR and DISRUPTION is what makes us HUMAN and defines our SPIRIT as a SPECIES.

in LAID WASTE we are met with AGNES, a YOUNG WIDOW who is tasked with tending to her SIBLINGS after both of her PARENTS PASS AWAY from the BLACK DEATH.  those PATERNAL BINDS of DUTY and RESPECT dont disperse with the EXASPERATION of one's MORTAL COIL, if anything such CONTINUED HARD WORK and DILIGENCE  is a TESTAMENT to their ENDURING LEGACY as a FAMILY UNIT.  no REWARD, no HIGHER MEANING, just SURVIVAL.  and in this SCENARIO CONTINUED SURVIVAL equates to CONTINUED SUFFERING.

and the AUSTERE ARTWORK and MINIMAL DIALOGUE in MULTIPLE PANELS  throughout LAID WASTE showcases by GFRÖRER a PRETERNATURAL LEVEL of CONTROL over TONE that results in exposing the EMOTIONAL GRAVITY of what it must have felt like to survive the BLACK DEATH.  it had to have seemed quite ABSURD and even ARBITRARY to be ALIVE as if it was all up to HAPPENSTANCE and BALD, RANDOM CHANCE, which only further inflames the RESULTING TRAUMA and PIERCING SENSE of SURVIVOR's GUILT for all those who PERISHED.  also, with FAMILIAL, COMMUNAL and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS now newly cut off, there is an OPPORTUNITY and RISK for the DEVELOPMENT of NEW CONNECTIONS.  and this seems to be GFRÖRER's BROADER POINT in this DARK, VOLATILE and largely APOCALYPTIC NARRATIVE, that even in a SITUATION rivaling that of an EFFECTIVE ARMAGEDDON the PROSPECT is always there to rebuild FRESH and ANEW.  again, it is part of our very COLLECTIVE MAKEUP as HUMANS.

GFRÖRER is a supremely TALENTED WRITER and VISUAL ARTIST and LAID WASTE is a SUBLIME GRAPHIC NOVEL well worth checking out.  id dare say it is GENUINE ACHIEVEMENT in achieving a NARRATIVE of RARE OPTIMISM and HOPE for the FUTURE in spite of its AGGRESSIVELY BRUTAL THEMATIC ELEMENTS.

not sure if most people are aware of this FACT, but ASSUMING BLUE COLLAR SUBURBAN QUEENS is where NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSICIAN and 20th century AMERICAN ICON LOUIS ARMSTRONG spent the last 28 years of his LIFE.  this was an absolutely LEGENDARY TRUMPET/CORONET PLAYER that performed ABROAD for FOREIGN DIGNITARIES and ROYALTY as a global CULTURAL AMBASSADOR on behalf of the UNITED STATES, pre and post CIVIL RIGHTS ERA, and much of his ADULT YEARS was spent living in and amongst the PREDOMINANTLY WORKING-CLASS COMMUNITY of CORONA.  he literally could have lived anywhere, but much like ELVIS PRESLEY in MEMPHIS, he CONSCIOUSLY chose not to isolate in a GATED NEIGHBORHOOD but instead made himself relatively AVAILABLE to the PUBLIC in a MODEST TOWNHOUSE on 34-56 107th street.

its one of my FAVORITE HISTORIC SIGHTS in NEW YORK CITY.

the STORY goes that he was coming back from a TOUR and took a cab from PENN STATION with an address his NEW WIFE LUCILLE WILSON, his FOURTH, had given him.  apparently part of the deal with them getting married was that they would settle together in a HOME in the CITY.  if you know anything about ARMSTRONG, you will know that he had suffered through quite the TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD largely in ABJECT POVERTY and NEGLECT and came to MUSIC as a means of ECONOMIC SUSTENANCE through playing in the BROTHELS of the STORYVILLE section of NEW ORLEANS as a KID.  it should come as no surprise therein that he had issues with FIDELITY and TRUST in his first three marriages, his FIRST WIFE being a PROSTITUTE, and STABILITY was something he never had, even as a WORKING MUSICIAN constantly on TOUR.  that is until he arrived that night in CORONA to see WILSON and their NEW HOME. 

he never left.

they never had any CHILDREN themselves but the COUPLE were a LONGTIME FIXTURE of the COMMUNITY and were highly involved in the lives of his NEIGHBORS and FRIENDS.  you get the sense that ARMSTRONG found himself among REGULAR PEOPLE in NEW YORK CITY.  he's even buried amidst his PEERS in nearby FLUSHING CEMETERY.  his HOME is now a MUSEUM and ARCHIVE and is listed as both a NEW YORK CITY LANDMARK and a NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.  most definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

what i love about his STORY in QUEENS is that PEOPLE from outside tend to think of NEW YORK CITY as a MONOLITH.  all those MANHATTAN SKYSCRAPERS and the MYTHOLOGY surrounding the VARIOUS districts (be they WALL STREET / BROADWAY / UNITED NATIONS) and so on, but what they fail to realize is how much of a PROUD TRADITION of WORKING-CLASS PEOPLE living their lives is at play and at the heart of what the CITY is really about.  and ARMSTRONG finally making his SOUGHT-AFTER EDEN in this setting itself, in HUMBLE CORONA of all places, just feels like EMBLEMATIC of that REALITY. 

ARMSTRONG may have been born a SON of NEW ORLEANS, but he unquestionably lived and died a TRUE NEW YORKER.

even though its a SOUNDTRACK to the RICHARD LESTER-directed MUSICAL COMEDY CYNNICALLY cross-promoted to EXPLOIT their GROWING GLOBAL FANBASE, in my ESTIMATION their THIRD RECORDED EFFORT A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (PARLOPHONE, 1964) is the EFFECTIVE STARTING POINT of THE BEATLES as a generationally TRANSCENDENT CREATIVE ENTITY, not least of which is because it is their FIRST ALBUM to be comprised ENTIRELY of ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS by the SONGWRITING DUO of JOHN LENNON and PAUL MCCARTNEY.  sorry folks, no GEORGE HARRISON SONGS on this one. previously on their first two ALBUMS PLEASE PLEASE ME (PARLOPHONE, 1963) and WITH THE BEATLES (PARLOPHONE, 1963) nearly half their SONGS OFFERINGS were COVERS of STANDARDS and POP HITS of the day.

given that A HARD DAY'S NIGHT was still very much EARLY DAYS in their much-STORIED CAREER pre-RUBBER SOUL (PARLOPHONE, 1965), before they branched out both SONICALLY and THEMATICALLY with their SONGWRITING, many of these TRACKS including "I'M HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU," "AND I LOVE HER" "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT," "CAN'T BUY ME LOVE" and "IF I FELL" are still very much of the ROMANTIC and LOVE-themed VARIETY.  the HIGHLIGHT of these SONGS is not necessarily LYRICAL, but the SOPHISTICATION and EARNESTNESS of the MELODIES, notwithstanding the MAGICAL VOCAL INTERPLAY of LENNON and MCCARTNEY.  INTERESTINGLY, and this is a THROUGH-LINE for much of these EARLY BEATLES PUPPY LOVE TRACKS on SEVERAL RELEASES, there is an EVIDENT VEIN of MISOGYNY in SPECIFIC A HARD DAY'S NIGHT TRACKS like "YOU CAN'T DO THAT," "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER," "TELL ME WHY," "I'LL BE BACK" and "THINGS WE SAID TODAY" which are centered around ISSUES of GENDER POWER DYNAMICS and CONTROL.  to say such are PROBLEMATIC in a CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT is putting it very LIGHTLY, but back in the early 1960s this TYPE of TOXIC MALE AGGRIEVEMENT over supposedly UNFAITHFUL or SUBSERVIENT-enough LOVE INTERESTS and/or FEMALE COMPANIONS was no doubt the NORM.  its more than a little CRINGE-INDUCING to take the SONGS at FACE VALUE given the MASSIVE GLOBAL CULTURAL PHENOMENON that continues UNABATED to this day that is THE BEATLES, but im just being HONEST here.  i love this ALBUM, but i recognize that the LYRICAL CONTENT that is the VEHICLE for those ENCHANTING MELODIES are not PERFECT by any means.

which is HUMOROUS because, again as a FILM SOUNDTRACK, this ALBUM was meant to be LIGHT-HEARTED and FUN.  reportedly the highly UNCONVENTIONAL and NONSENSICAL title itself originated from a RINGO STARR-concocted MALAPROPISM regarding the need for more sleep given how understandably HECTIC their SCHEDULE was at the time.  arguably only ELVIS PRESLEY had dealt with SIMILAR PRESSURES of THE BEATLES as everything they did is the first link in a chain that SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS have studied and learned from, both MUSICALLY and in TERMS of the BUSINESS.  you also have to remember that their ENTIRE CAREER in the spotlight was less than a decade long and that each ALBUM was essentially the NEXT BATCH of WRITTEN SONGS that calendar year, notwithstanding STANDALONE non-album SINGLES with B-SIDES released every few months.  the fact that these RECORDS, especially the early ones, are so CONSISTENT and MELODICALLY and COMPOSITIONALLY VARIED and SOPHISTICATED is a TESTAMENT to the BAND as QUALITY MUSICIANS and SONGWRITERS.  not to be an APOLOGIST, but the fact that some UNFORTUNATE CHAUVINISM crept in as well to me is ANOTHER SIGN of how QUICK the CREATIVE PROCESS was and how LITTLE TIME they had to SECOND-GUESS THEMSELVES.  it is nothing like the CURRENT 2-3 year RECORDING-TOURING CYCLE that most MODERN GLOBALLY SUCCESFUL ACTS adhere to in order maintain their AUDIENCE's ATTENTION.  THE BEATLES released thirteen ALBUMS in seven years, from 1963-1970. 

its INSANE.

and more so than their INITIAL two EFFORTS, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT is the first stop on that EFFECTIVE TRAIN that CULTURALLY altered everything in the 20th century and provided the QUINTESSENTIAL MODEL of what ROCK AND ROLL was moving forward.  saying that, obviously its much RECOMMENDED if not REQUIRED listening in my OPINION.  just try to look past the CRINGEY PARTS.

BEAK> is an especially EXPERIMENTAL BRISTOL-based KRAUTROCK TRIO featuring MEMBERS of PORTISHEAD, SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS and MOON GANGS that expertly blurs the line between ELECTRONIC MUSIC and PSYCHEDELIC ROCK in a highly IMPROVISATIONAL form of MUSIC.  their ALBUMS are largely SPONTANEOUS JAMS edited after the fact as a means of providing SEQUENCING for later RELEASE.  while that UNCONVENTIONAL PROCESS of COMPOSITION might seem ANTITHETICAL to ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC and more akin to something like JAZZ, the RESULTS are pretty INNOVATIVE and SPECTACULAR, if not altogether AVANT-GARDE in NATURE.  the NEAREST ANALOGUE to them i have come across are the likewise highly TECHNICAL NEW YORK CITY-based BATTLES which have a SIMILAR PROCESS and OVERALL AURAL AESTHETIC.

either way, BEAK> is most definitely a BAND worth checking out.

parodies & text by nacrowe

until recently ive had a JOB that was PHYSICALLY DEPLETING and just a GRUELING ORDEAL that required me to deal with being OUTSIDE for SPELLS in the COLD, especially during the winter, utterly DRENCHED from what my JOB REQUIRED.  the few breaks id get over TIME id just learn to COMPLETELY ZONE OUT and RECHARGE while listening to MUSIC, the more EMOTIONALLY and EXPERIENTIALLY TRANSPORTIVE the BETTER.  in essence i was attempting to not think about the rest of my SHIFT.

certain TYPES of MUSIC was GREAT in this regard, especially LO-FI AMBIENT MUSIC such as APHEX TWIN or BRIAN ENO, TRIP HOP like MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD or surprisingly even MODERN PROGRESSIVE METAL like TOOL, GOJIRA or MASTODON.  after much trial and error another particularly STRONG CANDIDATE was the EXPERIMENTAL ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band RADIOHEAD and the SHIFTING SOUNDSCAPES of their highly EVOCATIVE DISCOGRAPHY from THIRD ALBUM OK COMPUTER (PARLOPHONE, 1997) onwards.  it kind of STAGGERING how EFFECTIVE their MUSIC was in MENTALLY TRANSPORTING me away from my IMMEDIATE SITUATION and ive been trying to discern ever since what are the ELEMENTS of their SOUND that make such the case.  it could be that they just write STELLAR sonGS and that VOCALIST THOM YORKE has one of the most UNIQUE SINGING VOICES in ROCK AND ROLL, less a SWAGGERING, ALPHA-MALE FRONTMAN STEREOTYPE and more a MEEK, INSULAR, EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED AVATAR of deeply SUPPRESSED emotions coming to the FORE.  i find it IMPOSSIBLE to not IDENTITY PERSONALLY with just the SOUND of his VOICE.  its almost like a VOICE in my head that tells pierces through the BULLSHIT and evokes my actual EMOTIONAL and MENTAL STATE.  when you listen to CHRIS CORNELL or ROBERT PLANT you are confronted with thinking about their STAGGERING GIFTS, ON-STAGE PERSONA or OVERPOWERING VOCAL PRESENCE.  with YORKE i find you are thinking about how you felt when your cat DIED as a child.  his VOICE  just takes you there.

same goes with the LUSH and UNORTHODOX SONIC COMPOSITIONS courtesy of the INTERPLAY between GUITARISTS ED O'BRIEN and JOHNNY GREENWOOD.  i find that when i listen to RADIOHEAD SONGS i am not thinking about the PROCESS of making SOUNDS as with CELEBRATED VIRTUOSOS like RANDY RHOADS, EDDIE VAN HALEN or even CONTEMPORARY INNOVATORS like TOM MORELLO, instead you are just ENVELOPED and MESMERIZED by the SUBLIMITY of the ORCHESTRATIONS and SONIC TAPESTRIES themselves.  case in point for me is that EVERY TIME i hear "AIRBAG" or "LET DOWN," "EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM)" or "HOMESICK SUBTERRANEAN ALIEN" off of OK COMPUTER i am IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED back to being on that bus in the SWISS ALPS i was on back in 1998 during a SCHOOL TRIP shortly after i bought the ALBUM in ZURICH on an ORGANIZED excursion abroad with the FRENCH department.  i may be PHYSICALLY DEPELTED and WARMING UP from the COLD, but MENTALLY im off somewhere deep in the mountains looking at SNOW-CAPPED OBLIVION.

and then im back to WORK.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the INFLUENTIAL ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band RADIOHEAD.  enjoy!

the PITTSBURGH-based MAC MILLER was always an INTRIGUING CASE to me since i long-considered him a bit of an ARTISTIC and LYRICAL LIGHTWEIGHT.  when he came out in the 2010s he was largely INDISTINGUSHIABLE from a seeming LITANY of CAUCASIAN PARTY RAPPERS like ASHER ROTH that were seemingly CYNICALLY promoted towards COLLEGE CAMPUSES with their overly BOASTFUL BRAND of EMPTY-CALORIE HIP HOP that again seemed more geared towards entertaining a CROWD than CLASSIC LYRICISM or anything of NOTABLE SUBSTANCE.  making matters worse, in interviews from that EARLY PERIOD MILLER would always reference BIG L and NAS as KEY INFLUENCES which seemed to only exaserbate the DISCONNECT between his PERSONA and his WORK.

his late period SELF-PRODUCED SWIMMING (WARNER BROS, 2018) ALBUM was the RELEASE that made me reconsider MILLER and think about him in LEAGUE of his more EXPRESSIVE and SONICALLY EXPERIMENTAL CONTEMPORARIES in KID CUDI, SZA, VINCE STAPLES, JOEY BADA$$, SCHOOLBOY Q and so on.  i am aware that his CAREER TRAJECTORY was UNEVEN and one of receding into himself and his ADDICTIONS in his later years and really diving into his CRAFT, often collaborating with OBSCURE and CELEBRATED MUSICIANS alike as a BUDDING HIP HOP PRODUCER of note.  a more COHESIVE EFFORT than his PREVIOUS THE DIVINE FEMININE (WARNER BROS, 2016) ALBUM in terms of PRODUCTION and THEME, TRACKS like "SELF CARE," "HURT FEELINGS," "SO IT GOES," "WHAT'S THE USE?" and "SMALL WORLDS" off of SWIMMING have a SOPHISTICATED FEEL and more MATURE LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE that is more INSULAR, HONEST, SELF-CRITICAL, VULNERABLE and by EXTENSION more RELATABLE as a LISTENER. 

and i think that SHIFT in TONE is KEY.  previous to SWIMMING in my ESTIMATION MILLER was still in the PROCESS of AMASSING CULTURAL ATTENTION and largely playing the INDUSTRY GAME.  this ALBUM represents his first REAL RISK as an ARTIST, fully committing to a NEW AESTHETIC that likely alienating many of his CORE AUDIENCE who presumably sought him out for more HIGH-ENERGY, PANDERING MATERIAL that would sound ACCEPTABLE on a WORKOUT PLAYLIST. 

with SWIMMING and its likewise EXCELLENT (and HEART-RENDING) POSTHUMOUS JON BRION-assisted FOLLOW-UP CIRCLES (WARNER BROS, 2020) RELEASE, it felt like the BEGINNING of a NEW CAREER CHAPTER was EMERGING for MILLER.  one in which he no doubt would come to be DEFINED by had he survived past 26.  instead it is another one of those GREAT 'WHAT-IFS' in MODERN CULTURE.  i hear SWIMMING now more than a half-decade after his UNTIMELY PASSING and it just feels like a LOST OPPORTUNITY, all the AMAZING ART he had still yet to conceive and contribute, as it felt like he had finally found his CREATIVE VOICE.

SWIMMING remains a HEART-BREAKING ALBUM that is much RECOMMENDED alongside its SIMILARLY-THEMED FOLLOW-UP, both of which have largely cemented his LEGACY as a HIP HOP ARTIST of NOTE.

the PERSONAL NARRATIVE of BRAZILIAN METAL ICON MAX CAVALERA is one with such PHENOMENAL HIGHS and absolutely DEVASTATING SOUL-CRUSHING LOWS that it is DIFFICULT to comprehend how he persevered quite HONESTLY, given that he endured the DEATHS of MULTIPLE close FAMILY MEMBERS, the UNFORESEEN BETRAYAL of hist FIRST BAND SEPULTURA and the founding of a second LEGENDARY GROUP in SOULFLY.  with the RELEASE of SOULFLY: THE SONG REMAINS INSANE (ROADRUNNER, 2005) DVD, which is largely a LOOSE BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO that includes LIVE TOUR FOOTAGE, MUSIC VIDEOS and NEW INTERVIEWS with the man HIMSELF, this is effectively his FIRST OFFICIAL STATEMENT to his FANS on the STATE of his LIFE and CAREER four ALBUMS into his NEW PROJECT.

for me (and i say this as a long-time DEVOUT FAN), the initial HANDFUL of SOULFLY ALBUMS are pretty INCONSISTENT, which makes ABSOLUTE SENSE given that CAVALERA was intensely interested in transcending the TRADITIONAL THRASH METAL SOUND of SEPULTURA and consciously incorporating other INFLUENCES such as REGGAE, HIP HOP, DUB and INDIGENOUS MUSICAL TRADITIONS from around the GLOBE.  in my opinion these EFFORTS became COHESIVE beginning with his FOURTH ALBUM PROPHECY (ROADRUNNER, 2004) and continued on UNABATED on DARK AGES (ROADRUNNER, 2005) and the LATER SAVAGES (NUCLEAR BLAST, 2013).  i think that when he released THE SONG REMAINS INSANE he knew full well that he delivered a CREATIVE and IMPACTFUL METAL RECORD for the ages in PROPHECY and that such was as good a time as ever to look back at his STORIED CAREER.

what comes across in spades throughout this FILM is how much of a TOTAL FAMILY AFFAIR SOULFLY is, not just with the MUSICIANS and the FANS, but literally his KIN being showcased OUTRIGHT on TOUR, in MUSIC VIDEOS and at home.  and that VIBE continues with the OUTSIDE and often OBSCURE MUSICIANS he collaborates with during RECORDING SESSIONS, sharing his PLATFORM to uplift the PROFILE of others in a GROWING NETWORK of FRIENDS around the WORLD.  the METAL COMMUNITY can often feel pretty INSULAR and CONSERVATIVE in NATURE, expecting their HEROES to never evolve or alter their SOUND beyond that of their GLORY YEARS (i.e. THRASH PEERS in METALLICA and SLAYER), which makes CAVALERA that much more FASCINATING given his EVER-SHIFTING PALETTE of SONIC AGGRESSION that assimilates NEW TEXTURES and IDEAS into his UNIQUE, INCLUSIVE VISION.  at one point he even mentions that he is like a METAL DIPLOMAT for the WORLD, which makes ABSOLUTE SENSE.

given his EFFORTS in the two decades since PROPHECY and the SHEER AMOUNT of MUSICIANS hes brought into his CREATIVE FOLD, the DUDE should be called the METAL AMBASSADOR to the WORLD.  SEPULTURA soldiered on and never really strayed from their CORE MUSICAL IDENTITY with CONTINUING DIMINISHING RETURNS, but CAVALERA just extended the VIBE of what made his FORMER BAND once GREAT and in the PROCESS transcended it. 

there is no better HOMAGE to his BELOVED and DECEASED STEP-SON DANA than creatively FLOURISHING in his WAKE.  and this VIDEO is a TESTAMENT to that LOVE and CONNECTION with his FAMILY, both BLOOD and MUSICAL.

HEY, WAIT... (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2001) by NORWEGIAN CARTOONIST JOHN ARNE SÆTERØY who goes by the MONONYMIC pen name JASON is UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most AFFECTING GRAPHIC NOVELS i have ever encountered and its UNIQUE ABILITY to cut so deep is a RESULT of its EXPERT ECONOMY of SPARSE VISUALS and DIALOGUE within its MINIMALIST PANELS.  although little is being said in each from, the RHYTHM and LULL of the organically DEVELOPING CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIP is ADROITLY mimicked to the POINT that when TRAGEDY erupts and that CYCLE is BROKEN, well, its SHOCKING.

in fact, the DEATH of the PROTAGONIST's CLOSE CHILDHOOD FRIEND after what amounts to a JUVENILE FREAK ACCIDENT leads to a SEVERELY-ALTERED LIFE TRAJECTORY of REGRET, SHAME and ISOLATION that is likewise mimicked by the JOYLESS, EMPTY TOIL of ADULT WORK LIFE and CIRCADIAN SLEEP CYCLES.  then the PROTAGONIST effectively drinks himself to DEATH. 

what makes this all so EARTH-SHATTERING is how the TONE DRAMATICALLY SHIFTS midway through the NARRATIVE and becomes something much more SINISTER and SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, almost akin to a HUBERT SELBY JR NOVEL or an INGMAR BERGMAN FILM.  considering the LATTER the MANNER in which this GRAPHIC NOVEL expresses deep REGRET  and endless INTERNAL CONSTERNATION about PAST EVENTS and a LIFE left UNFULFILLED in an almost SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY is eerily REMINISCENT of BERGMAN's CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE WILD STRAWBERRIES (AB SVENSK FILMINDUSTRI, 1957) in which an ACCOMPLISHED and RESPECTED ACADEMIC looks back at CHOICES he made in his YOUTH regarding the PURSUANCE of his CAREER and not LOVE with DEEP REMORSE and GUILT.  its TRAGIC because there is NOTHING one can do, THE PAST is DONE.  set in stone.  you get the SENSE that JASON is mining SIMILAR TERRITORY here and almost concluding that we are all the INEVITABLE RESULT of PAST TRAUMATIC EVENTS that are PERMANENT and LIFE-DEFINING.  furthermore the NAIVETE of YOUTH cannot save you from being SCARRED in this MANNER as DEATH, PAIN, SICKNESS and ISOLATION comes for us all in this LIFE experienced in our INDIVIDUAL CORPOREAL REALITY. in HEY, WAIT... this SHIFT just happens ABRUPTLY, much like in REAL LIFE.  LITERALLY one MOMENT you are PURE, the next you have been CORRUPTED by the WORLD.  LOSS OF INNOCENCE.  growing up.

its UNAVOIDABLE.

for me this all comports with my LIVED REALITY and SENSE OF SELF as DEFINED via TRAUMATIC EVENTS throughout my DEVELOPMENT, whether they be related to HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS, PAIN (PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL or otherwise) or even VICARIOUSLY through DEATH.  what i fail to take in from all this is any KIND of REASON or WIDER MORAL UNIVERSE at play.  it all just seems ARBITRARY and the COLD HARD FACT OF LIFE that there is no LARGER EQUILIBRIUM at play and that LIFE just moves on.  you merely survive and move forward until you dont.  just like in HEY, WAIT... where no LESSON is LEARNED, no TRUTH REVEALED.  just DEATH. 

this GRAPHIC NOVEL is a GUT PUNCH and one of the most EXPERTLY DEPICTED and EMOTIONALLY-WROUGHT NARRATIVES i have experienced in quite some time.  it is an ABSOLUTE MASTERSTROKE of the COMIC BOOK MEDIUM no doubt.  much RECOMMENDED.

photo manipulation & text by nacrowe

i think i first became aware of the VETERAN JOURNALIST & CULTURAL CRITIC JOHN HEILEMANN via his CABLE DOCU-SERIES THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH (SHOWTIME, 2016-23) back during the first TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.  shortly after that i believe he was featured in LIZZY GOODMAN's BOOK on the early 2000s ROCK REVIVAL scene out of NYC called MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM (DEY STREET, 2017).  such gives you an idea of the guy's RANGE and BONAFIDES as a POLITICAL and CULTURAL OBSERVER, as his credits also include being a FORMER STAFF WRITER at NEW YORK, THE ECONOMIST and WIRED as well as a RECURRING TALKING HEAD on various CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL and CULTURAL TALK SHOWS, respectively.

so when i learned that HEILEMANN had recently began his own NATIONAL AFFAIRS PODCAST, IMPOLITIC WITH JOHN HEILEMANN, i was game to check it out.  part of what makes him a GREAT GUEST on CABLE SHOWS like MORNING JOE (MSNBC) or REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER (HBO) is his QUICK WIT and PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to TERSELY summarize on-the-spot the NATIONAL MOOD or ZEITGEIST in a SNAPPY, MEMORABLE SOUNDBITE.  for someone pushing sixty, he is especially WELL-VERSED and ADROIT at speaking the MODERN TIKTOK LANGUAGE of MEMES. 

but that GIFT doesnt exactly translate when being tasked with being the INTERLOCUTOR, not the INTERVIEWED EXPERT.  maybe i am professionally SUSCEPTIBLE to this TYPE of CRITIQUE, given that it was a HURDLE i myself had to conquer as a FORMER TEACHER, but i find his QUESTIONS to be LONG, MEANDERING and overly LOQUACIOUS as if HEILEMANN TRULY ADORES the SOUND of his own VOICE.  and i get it, sometimes while asking a QUESTION to a guest he comes up with in REAL-TIME a newer BETTER QUESTION that he then includes.  PROBLEM is the LONGER and more COMPLEX the QUESTION is, the POORER the RESULTING ANSWER is by DEFAULT.  the RECIPIENT is UNSURE which of your MULTIPLE QUESTIONS / COMMENTS / CONSIDERATIONS to respond to. 

worse, sometimes his QUESTIONS just feels like a SETUP for a GUEST to respond only to get a further TANGENTIAL MONOLOGUE from HEILEMANN HIMSELF, as if he is the GUEST on his OWN PODCAST.  maybe it is because the PARTICIPANTS he books tend to be AMIABLE ALLIES and COLLEAGUES, but it also seems that HEILEMANN adjusts his VIEWS and OPINIONS based on the GUEST being interviewed.  far too many times, CONTESTED POINTS are UNCRITICALLY ACCEPTED as TRUTH, or COMMON KNOWLEDGE, only to be supplanted by ANOTHER EXPERT on ANOTHER EPISODE.  again, HEILEMANN is a very CLEVER DUDE with a SHARP TONGUE and CURIOUS MIND, i just wish he'd stick to being a TELEVISION GUEST or an INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST because PODCASTING may not be the best fit. 

that and whoever is producing this thing should really consider the UTILIZATION of a POP FILTER as those PLOSIVE SPEECH SOUNDS are APPARENT on his and GUEST's VOCALS and are pretty DISTRACTING.  not sure whats going on over there at PUCK.

never has a more UNLIKELY on-paper PAIRING as the LEGENDARY DEAD KENNEDYS' FRONTMAN JELLO BIAFRA and the unruly BACKWOODS NORTH CAROLINA PSYCHOBILLY MADMAN MOJO NIXON meshed so well in PRACTICE.  the SARDONIC, TONGUE-FIRMLY-IN-CHEEK, COWPUNK PRAIRIE HOME INVASION (ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, 1994) RELEASE seemingly does the IMPOSSIBLE in finding both COLLABORATORS CREATIVELY FIRING-ON-ALL-CYLINDERS with neither apparently compromising in terms of SONIC AGGRESSION or politically STRIDENT LYRICAL CONTENT.  it is an ABSOLUTE BEST-OF-BOTH-WORLDS SITUATION and an ALBUM for the ages.

like a lot of things concerning HARDCORE and PUNK ROCK, i was clued into PRAIRIE HOME INVASION back in the summer of 2001 on a visit to ORANGE COUNTY catching up with a CHILDHOOD FRIEND who became something of a CONNOISSEUR of the GENRE in the half decade since i departed SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  during that INTERIM i was very much into the DEAD KENNEDYS but was NAIVE about BIAFRA's NUMEROUS PROJECTS and COLLABORATIONS after he left the BAND.  my FRIEND changed all of that, clueing me into his SPOKEN WORD ALBUMS as well as CONVENTIONAL HARDCORE EFFORTS with D.O.A. and NOMEANSNO and his more SONICALLY ADVENTUROUS INDUSTRIAL-tinged MINISTRY COLLABORATION with LARD.  as much as i appreciated those RECORDED EFFORTS, it was PRAIRIE HOME INVASION and UNRELENTING COWPUNK TRACKS like "WILL THE FETUS BE ABORTED," "LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL," "BUY MY SNAKE OIL" and "CONVOY IN THE SKY" that caught my attention.  it was as if BIAFRA took the BITING, BITTER, DOWNTRODDEN, UNDERDOG ETHOS of TRADITIONAL early 20th century MURDER BALLAD SONGWRITERS like JIMMIE ROGERS and HANK WILLIAMS and reanimated such into the MOLD of HARDCORE with its JARRING SCREEDS against SOCIETY rather than the INDIVIDUAL as with CLASSIC COUNTRY MUSIC. 

for his part NIXON, along with his BACKING BAND THE TOADLIQUORS, has never sounded so ENERGIZED and full of VIGOR.  dismissed as something of a NOVELTY act at worst or a CULT ARTIST at best, the fact that this RECORDING is BIAFRA-fronted really allows his MUSICALITY and TAILORED SONGWRITING to shine through the mix and prove his HUMORLESS DETRACTORS wrong.  speaking of such, its always been WEIRD to me that somehow incorporating HUMOR into your WORK is MISGUIDEDLY interpreted by PROFESSIONAL MUSIC CRITICS as being somehow UNSERIOUS, LIGHT-WEIGHT or DISPOSABLE.  if anything the INCORPORATION of such provides NEEDED LEVITY and an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the INNATE COMPLEXITY of the COLLECTIVE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES and CONFLICTING UNDERSTANDINGS one might bring into a COMPOSITION.  i mean if it was good enough for COLE PORTER, why isnt it good enough for NIXON. i'll never know or fully understand that CRITIQUE.

definitely required listening for any FAN of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK, PSYCHOBILLY, COWPUNK or EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC writ large.  PRAIRIE HOME INVASION will not disappoint.

SAMUEL SHEPHARD, a.k.a. FLOATING POINTS, is a BRITISH ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCER and COMPOSER who is something a RENAISSANCE MAN, given that he has bridged the HEADY GAP between JAZZ, CLASSICAL MUSIC and MODERN ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION and has collaborated with the likes of CARIBOU, THUNDERCAT, the SAN FRANCISCO BALLET, the LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and AVANT-GARDE FREE JAZZ ICON PHAROAH SANDERS.  that and he holds a PHD from UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON in NEUROSCIENCE and EPIGENETICS.

so yeah, dude is ACCOMPLISHED.  it kind of makes sense that his ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPOSITIONS are so INVENTIVE in NATURE, as if you are experiencing a vivid CINEMATIC JOURNEY for the first time.  for some reason i can imagine being on a TRAIN watching the COUNTRYSIDE undulate GRADUALLY from one FORM into another.  there is something distinctly ETHEREAL and DELICATE about such that i find CAPTIVATING. a SINGULAR ARTIST worthy of further INVESTIGATION.  definitely check out FLOATING POINTS.