parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the experimental and expansive brutal soundscapes of POST METAL!
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

i want to start by stating emphatically that the BIZARRE statements and actions of MORRISSEY over the past few years has been completely DISORIENTATING and beyond DISAPPOINTING.  the idea that he is sympathetic to the XENOPHOBIC and REGRESSIVE objectives of far right RACIST groups like UKIP is a DISGRACE and his legacy will be affected because of such associations.

and he will deserve such. 

which is a real pity, because growing up i was in essence raised on THE SMITHS and the early cycle of MORRISSEY records, especially the BONA DRAG (HMV, 1990) compilation.  a vintage poster of this album cover was adorned proudly in my childhood bedroom and i still have a copy of the corresponding HULMERIST (EMI, 1990) videocassette that included various music videos from this record.  so that is my basic bias when it comes to me and the BONA DRAG record: i did not like this record growing up, i absolutely LOVED it.

as with THE SMITHS' catalogue, the lyrics of MORRISSEY are a world unto themselves, with oblique references BRITISH KITCHEN SINK dramas and independent cinema history, as well as writers, poets and actors, all of whom seemingly convey an alternate vision of MASCULINITY.  lyrically and visually there is an ascetic at play against the tropes of 1970s ROCK N ROLL that sought to wipe away the sorry old vestiges of CHAUVENISM, pompous complexity and stale FANTASY elements that came from that period and matriculated out into the 1980s INDIE ROCK scene.  the MASCULINITY presented through MORRISSEY was one of a more empathetic, coy, bookish and inherently vulnerable model that effectively spoke to a new generation of music fans and alienated minorities, especially the gay community.  the fact that MORRISSEY has betrayed this image in later life and revealed himself to be strident anti-immigration conservative with a quixotically revanchist view of ENGLAND is made so much more galling and ultimately hurtful due to its incongruity with his previous image.  again, its beyond DISORIENTATING and DISAPPOINTING.

concerning the track list, honestly, everything on here is stellar.  as i've written before, my brother and i were basically raised (and most likely indoctrinated) on THE SMITHS/MORRISSEY, THE STRANGLERS, THE KINKS and THE BEATLES, especially in our early years growing up in SOUTHER CALIFORNIA before we moved to NIGERIA in 1996.  i can still remember watching the "INTERESTING DRUG," "THE LAST OF THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS," "NOVEMBER SPAWNED A MONSTER" and "OUIJA BOARD, OUIJA BOARD" music videos on VHS (we didn't have MTV) back when it came out during first grade.  other notable tracks include "HAIRDRESSER ON FIRE," "PICCADILLY PALARE," "SUCH A LITTLE THING MAKES SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE" and "LUCKY LISP."  of course i had no idea about the playful coded language behind "PICCADILLY PALARE" (or the title BONA DRAG itself) for the majority of my years listening to it going into my late 20s.  for me the draw of MORRISSEY is as much about his crooning singing style and conviction to the material as the words themselves.  even if i wasnt privy to the actual meaning of his words, they seemed to be executed with intense sense of intention.  i believe that it is that INTENTION and AUTHENTICITY that made him such a compelling figure with a certain purity that seemingly allied him with the concurrent stateside HARDCORE movement, which ironically promoted similar ideals regarding VEGANISM, NONVIOLENCE and COMPASSION.  again, it is this authenticity and intention from which he created his art that made his fall that much harder to stomach for diehard fans like myself.

i should also mention the two transcendent tracks on BONA DRAG, which at the very least maintained the quality of his SMITHS catalogue and are among his most celebrated compositions, i.e. "SUEDEHEAD" and "EVERYDAY IS LIKE SUNDAY."  taken together those two tracks are the anthems of my youth and the soundtrack to countless drives with my father as a young child.  through the music video for "SUEDEHEAD" i was introduced early to JAMES DEAN, which further led me to MARLON BRANDO, MONTGOMERY CLIFT and the golden era of AMERICAN cinema.  i dont know whether my cinephilia is rooted in this song, but it definitely got me on that path.  in my household "EVERYDAY IS LIKE SUNDAY" was essentially our collective "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN," that interior sense of bliss that comes with blocking out the whole world and sticking to your guns.  it is probably the best composition MORRISSEY ever wrote, solo artist or frontman of THE SMITHS.  it is such a great song that it hasnt been ruined by overzealous MORRISSEY fans flailing pathetically about at live shows.  if anything, i feel a sense of transcendence every time i hear it.  it is very much a temporary reprieve from my corporeal existence, even if it is depicting the need for personal catharsis that would come with nuclear apocalypse of a lonely, seaside beach town that is past its prime.

it should be noted that producer STEPHEN STREET and guitarist VINI REILLY (THE DURUTTI COLUMN) are the key collaborators on the stateside BONA DRAG compilation, which included key tracks from MORRISSEY's debut VIVA HATE (SIRE, 1988) album as well as various non-album singles.  STREET would famously discard his longstanding working relationship with MORRISSEY after a dispute over the royalties and writing credits surrounding VIVA HATE.  it is hard to blame him.

if you are going to listen to one MORRISSEY album, BONA DRAG is it.  i believe it is required listening for anyone interested in POST PUNK, NEW WAVE, INDIE ROCK or ALTERNATIVE ROCK, even in spite of the fact that MORRISSEY is a complete asshole.

mirroring the structure of his twelve-part composition MUSIC IN TWLEVE PARTS (1971-1974), which concerns itself with structural elements like REPETITION and VARIATION, GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS (KINO, 2007) provides a multi-faceted look at the life, career and cultural impact of the legendary AMERICAN modern MINIMALIST composer PHILIP GLASS.

what i especially appreciate about this film is its structure.  you get a glimpse of the man from varying perspectives including that of his immediate family, peers including film directors (GODFREY REGGIO, MARTIN SCORSESE, WOODY ALLEN and ERROL MORRIS), artists (CHUCK CLOSE) religious teachers (BUDDHIST, QI GONG and TOLTEC) and mentors (RAVI SHANKAR) as well as intimate collaborators that are a part of his creative team including conductors, sequencers, producers and fellow pianists that help bring his compositions to life in an efficient manner.  contrary to the popular imagination of a composer sequestered away in solitude in an ivory tower, here is presented an engage artist that is very much in the moment and of a community.  this makes sense, having read his memoir WORDS WITHOUT MUSIC (review linked HERE) where he graciously contextualizes his achievements and career amidst these varying poles of influences.  in his memoir he goes out of his way to show the rich PALIMPSEST of layered experiences that were enabled by various teachers and mentors along the way.  his personal narrative irrevocably intertwined with theirs.  it is refreshing that such a sentiment is foreshadowed in this documentary, which came out less than a decade before his memoir.

the film itself takes place while GLASS is creating his 8th symphony as well preparing his recent opera WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS (based on the J.M COETZEE novel) for its opening in GERMANY.  its interesting that a documentary which is very much concerned with themes related to COMMUNICATION and CULTURAL APPRECIATION includes a composition concerned with issues related to STATE OPPRESSION and COLLECTIVE SUBJUGATION, which was very much on the mind of everyone at the time given that it was only a few years after the invasion of IRAQ under fabricated pretexts.  the opera was very much concerned with COMMUNICATION as a state-sponsored tool for OPPRESSION.  seems fitting that an artist so willing to listen and collaborate would be the perfect vehicle for such themes related to INTOLERANCE, HUBRIS and NARCISSISM.  definitely quite the juxtaposition.

​GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS is definitely worth watching, especially for those interested in the subtle art of creation and collaboration.  required viewing in my opinion.

when the COLONIES were established, particularly MASSACHUSETTS, there was a lot of inter-religious bickering and "dialogue" between JOHN WINTHROP and his PURITAN subjects.  what THE WORDY SHIPMATES (RIVERHEAD, 2008) by SARAH VOWELL presents is how much of our nation's values and identity is formulated in this heated and highly idiosyncratic discussion amongst newly migrated uppity JESUS FREAKS that were too moralistic and strident to find a home in ANGLICAN ENGLAND.

these arent the founding fathers as the CONSTITUTION was still more than a century in the future, this was literally one of the first proto-AMERICAN communities.  and already their discussions about, for instance, the role of the state in religious affairs was of paramount concern and would shape a nation and a national discussion that continues to this day.  and that is of interest due to the fact that in current AMERICAN politics there is this quixotic notion/fantasy that the farther back you go, the more CIVILITY reigned.  this is of course not true.  RHODE ISLAND was founded ROGER WILLIAMS, a religious refugee from the MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY, due to his incompatibility with their less conservative CALVINIST government.  all these people left for the NEW WORLD in the hopes of establishing a new CHRISTIAN UTOPIA, its just there was a fierce debate and disagreement about which UTOPIA to strive after.

there is also the dynamic brought up by VOWELL that with the democratization of political power came a parallel democratization of RELIGION.  as CHRISTIANITY fragmented from CATHOLICISM into various PROTESTANT sects, there inevitably followed further splintering therein in the NEW WORLD.  this schism at the micro level accounts somewhat for the modern AMERICAN phenomena of being suspicious of those with power, intellect or both.  enter the figure of ANNE HUTCHINSON who because of her gender was effectively routed out of the MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY for exhibiting all the skills, knowledge and charisma needer of a religious leader.  HARVARD COLLEGE in fact was essentially created to train male. clergy in response to HUTCHINSON.  again its interesting that the table for these series of unfortunate cultural dynamics were set by the mid 17th century, well before insurrections, tea parties and talk revolution.

if anything, that sense of MORAL RIGHTEOUSNESS (along with the political malleability of the bible) would see itself manifest in, funny enough, the doctrine of MANIFEST DESTINY and the effective rationalization of the genocide of native peoples that survives to this date.

THE WORDY SHIPMATES is a very interesting book that really gets at the root of the peculiar values found in the greater AMERICAN consciousness.  well worth reading for all HISTORY buffs and those curious about our cultural and sociopolitical origins.

there was this moment in the fall of 1995 when my family made this huge decision to move from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to AFRICA.  i was only 11 at the time and looking back its most definitely the most identity and consciousness-shifting moment of my life.  in many ways, that move shattered my self-image and my connection to past attachments related to AMERICAN culture and attendant mentalities.  in essence i have ever since been a THIRD CULTURE KID to date with all its associated pros and cons.

and the soundtrack to that transition was FROGSTOMP (MURMUR, 1995) by second-wave AUSTRALIAN ALTERNATIVE ROCK band SILVERCHAIR.  i first heard this record through the "TOMORROW" video on MTV at a friend's place in the  TUDOR CITY neighborhood of midtown MANHATTAN, where we stayed for a week before flying to GERMANY and later connecting to NIGERIA.  in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA we didnt have MTV or cable television for that matter, so this was a new experience.  i remember during this same trip first becoming aware through MTV of other artists like the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ("AEROPLANE"), JOAN OSBORNE ("ONE OF US"), MARIAH CAREY ("FANTASY"), THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ("LUMP"), SKEE-LO ("I WISH") and ALANIS MORRISETTE ("ONE HAND IN MY POCKET").

i think what separated SILVERCHAIR from those other artists i was exposed to was their aggressiveness and their age.  DANIEL JOHNS and company looked just a little older than me and they totally ripped.  when i moved to NIGERIA there was another CALIFORNIAN that lived on my compound that had a copy of FROGSTOMP, where i discovered tracks beyond "TOMORROW" like "PURE MASSACRE," "ISRAEL'S SON," "SHADE" and "SUICIDAL DREAM" (the latter of which my middle school band covered).  for a pre-teen they seemed pretty accomplished as songwriters and their music both melodic and hard-hitting. 

i know they often get lumped in with other second-wave ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands like BUSH, LIVE, COLLECTIVE SOUL, EVERCLEAR and CANDLEBOX that got signed and became successful in the wake of NIRVANA.  and as evidenced by their debut FROGSTOMP alone i can seen why critics would lump them in with those other largely derivative acts.  whats cool about SILVERCHAIR and DANIEL JOHNS in particular, is how quickly he shed this sound and really explored his natural songwriting talent with a breadth and depth beyond his post-GRUNGE contemporaries.  the follow-up FREAK SHOW (MURMUR, 1997) was more of the same but once the band came through with NEON BALLROOM (MURMUR, 1999) and later DIORAMA (ATLANTIC, 2002) and YOUNG MODERN (ELEVEN, 2007) there was a shift to broader, more expansive orchestrations less reliant on guitars and lyrical themes that were more self-reflective and effacing than the outward-facing critical dirges that marked the first two records.  JOHNS is a fearless songwriter who later dove headfirst into his warped sense of self-identity brought on by a global celebrity culture that robbed him of his individuality, resulting in his taking control through food and becoming an ANOREXIC.  its harrowing and courageous to be that bare and i feel his career has long been criminally underrated.

FROGSTOMP to me is that initial spark that blew up.  it spoke to me at a young age and still does.  makes me consider how ive transitioned over the years, even during that fateful transitional period between moving from CALIFORNIA to AFRICA in late 1995.  regardless, FROGSTOMP is definitely worth checking out again.​

i recently came across the TORONTO-based ALTERNATIVE ROCK band DILLY DALLY was taken aback by how POWERFUL and uber SNARLY frontwoman KATIE MONKS's vocals were.  i havent heard vocals that RAW and MELODICALLY UNHINGED (in a good way) since coming across HOLE and BABES IN TOYLAND back in the 1990s and THE DISTILLERS in the early 2000s.  you really get this overwhelming sense of lived experience and the CATHARSIS that comes through creating and playing music. 

man i hope i get to see them play live one day.  DILLY DALLY is definitely worth checking out.

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the  ALTERNATIVE ROCK icon COURTNEY LOVE!
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

while their debut KILL EM ALL (MEGAFORCE, 1983) had a ferocious and immediate spit-in-your-eye aggression and the follow-up RIDE THE LIGHTNING (MEGAFORCE, 1984) a growing compositional and lyrical sophistication, to many fans MASTER OF PUPPETS (ELEKTRA, 1986) is the definitive METALLICA album.  in many ways it marries the aggression and sophistication of their previous two releases into a cohesive yet brutal statement dealing with themes regarding ADDICTION, from DRUGS ("MASTER OF PUPPETS"), RELIGION ("LEPER MESSIAH") and SELF-IMAGE ("WELCOME HOME (SANITARIUM)") to our seeming cultural need for AGGRESSION and DOMINATION with regard to foreign conflicts ("DISPOSABLE HEROES").  in my interpretation, this record is about the price we pay at both a societal and individual level for our dependency on PROPAGANDA and SELF-DELUSION.  and it still holds up.

i very much see this record in tandem with its aforementioned predecessor RIDE THE LIGHTNING in terms of its track-listing, subject matter and even its artwork.  both albums have highly orchestrated opening tracks that devolved in to barn-burning torrents of absolute aggression ("FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE" vs "BATTERY") as well as CLIFF BURTON-penned instrumentals ("THE CALL OF KTULU" vs "ORION") that showcase his musical dexterity as well as compositional chops.  my personal preference is towards RIDE THE LIGHTNING, but many consider the title track "MASTER OF PUPPETS" to be among the best tracks METALLICA ever produced, if not the definitive track bar none.  this track is epic in its conception, as it has multiple sections that seem to mirror the stages related to ADDICTION and RECOVERY.  the aggressive parts are sonically beyond brutal as if to aurally express the bowels of SHAME, GUILT and SELF-HATRED that come with the pursuit of one's addiction while the middle interlude section with its down tempo and soaring dual guitar leads presents a sense of HUMILITY and COMPASSION towards oneself and gives a sense of HOPE that RECOVERY is an option.  again, this is just my interpretation since the song could be about ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR writ large, but its musical and compositional complexity gives it that deeper MEDITATIVE quality that renders it anything but one-dimensional.

sadly MASTER OF PUPPETS is the last METALLICA record recorded with the late great BURTON, who passed away while touring this record in NORWAY in a freak bus accident.  in many ways the METALLICA that came after is a different band entirely since BURTON was such a key contributor to the band and was arguably responsible for their sophisticated compositional aesthetic that made them standout from both their THRASH METAL counterparts and the NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL bands that predated them.  their seminal yet problematic next offering ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (ELEKTRA, 1988) is a more compositionally complex yet less coherent statement, which really provides an apt metaphor for the band's state of mind post-BURTON.  he is dearly missed to date, but in many ways MASTER OF PUPPETS is his lasting statement and legacy within the broader musical community, well beyond the confines of METAL.

rest in power CLIFF BURTON.​

NEW ORDER was notorious for their OBLIQUENESS and SECRETIVE nature, especially with regards to their relationship with the press.  which can best be described as "complicated."  given how such took the death of their friend and former JOY DIVISION bandmate IAN CURTIS and ran with such, their reticence makes perfect sense.

this effective prohibition on press interactions makes the very concept of a documentary about their career a seeming PARADOX in and of itself.  how do you create a film that investigates a subject that by definition does everything in its power to reveal nothing.  such is what makes the self-produced NEW ORDER STORY (WARNER, 1993) documentary, which came out the same year as the  REPUBLIC (LONDON, 1993) LP, such an intriguing artifact.

in terms of construction, the structure utilized revolves around the knowing SUPERFICIAL ARTIFICE of a tacky game show hosted by KEITH ALLEN to bring up topics such as the death of CURTIS, the formation of NEW ORDER, the meaning of their lyrics and artwork and their relationship with MANCHESTER through their HACIENDA nightclub.  requisite intercut interviews with their manager ROB GRETON, business partner TONY WILSON and visual artist PETER SAVILLE as well as the likes of BONO (U2), NEIL TENNANT (PET SHOP BOYS), producer QUINCY JONES and writer JON SAVAGE, all of whom attest to their greatness at one point or another and sadly are largely not interesting in the least.

there is a lot of SARCASM and SARDONIC FLAIR, especially with how each individual member is presented in separate interviews, but in the end you are still left wondering who or what is NEW ORDER.  which i guess was kind of the point.

if you would like further insight into the band, id point you towards bassist PETER HOOK's two memoirs UNKNOWN PLEASURES: INSIDE JOY DIVISION (IT, 2012) and SUBSTANCE: INSIDE NEW ORDER (DEY STREET, 2017) regarding his time in both iconic bands (reviews linked HERE and HERE). 

skip this documentary entirely.  it is bollocks!

relationships are complicated.  ive always felt that there is something intrinsically narcissistic about ROMANTIC LOVE in general given that you pursue someone because of how they make you feel.  when i started reading about BUDDHISM years ago before i moved to JAPAN this point was brought up again and again in different texts and it has long stayed with me.

the graphic novel SHORTCOMINGS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2007) by ADRIAN TOMINE is an extended meditation on the nature of a crumbling relationship and the undergirding reasons / desires / projections / obsessions that make breaking up so difficult.  in essence there is that shared IDENTITY and sublimated EGO in that of another that is shattered and discarded.  to some extent reading about the protagonist BEN TANAKA and his self-obsession felt like the dialogue in a WOODY ALLEN or INGMAR BERGMAN film where you know this clinging nature is only pushing the object of his desire away.  he is so self-concerned and incapable of addressing the needs of his partner MIKO that he is basically manufacturing a self-fulfilling prophecy for his own alienation.

i think one particularly interesting aspect of SHORTCOMINGS is how it examines inter-racial relationships from a CONSERVATIVE ASIAN perspective.  specifically the ingrained CHAUVINIST notion that how somehow dating an ASIAN woman is seen as less exciting or revered than that of a CAUCASIAN woman for an ASIAN man.  this idea of a "white prize."  that somehow if a CAUCASIAN male dates an ASIAN female that something is amiss but not the other way around.  the graphic novel definitely dives deep into notions of TOKENISM, ORIENTALISM and POST-COLONIALIST thought in a very organic manner.

TOMINE is a deft writer who has a profound ability to subtly expose uncomfortable truths in an organic, unforced manner.  i am looking forward to become more acquainted with his writings moving forward and highly suggest SHORTCOMINGS to anyone interested in thought-provoking writing, irrespective of an interest in comics or graphic novels.  it is that good. 

its always cool to see products utilized in context, and the ongoing EARTHQUAKER SESSION live performance series showcases mostly upcoming talent sweating it out in intimate venues with what are presumably EARTHQUAKER DEVICES pedals, though such are not explicitly shown (so who knows?).  documenting bands for product promotion is nothing new, but where this series really elevates above the competition is the shear breadth and depth of acts involved, running the gamut from SHOEGAZE, R&B, SLUDGE METAL, FUNK and delicate INDIE ROCK to COUNTRY, CLASSICAL MUSIC and even experimental AMBIENT / PROGRESSIVE instrumentals.  there are also non-traditional gear setups (including a violin rig) which is alway cool to see.  it is also exquisitely professionally shot and the sound recording is mixed incredibly well (which is not always the case with similar series).

past participants include BORIS, SPOTLIGHTS, COVET, TIME CAT, RELAXER (featuring EARTHQUAKER DEVICES founder JAMIE STILLMAN), CHELSEA WOLFE, SUDAN ARCHIVES, MARCUS ALAN WARD and SAFE WORDS among many others.  definitely worth checking out, irrespective of its company tie-in.

i remember first hearing the debut THIRD EYE BLIND (ELEKTRA, 1997) record my freshman year of high school.  for most people entering high school is a major stage in their life, but for me it was probably a bit more intense.  it marked my first time away from my family for any extended period of time as i was attending a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND while they stayed half a world away in NIGERIA.  a fresh start in an unfamiliar setting (which is probably a good a title as any for my life story come to think of it).  boarding school was tough.  i was bullied by upper class-men while the dorm heads looked the other way, you know "boys will be boys" or some bullshit.  i was lucky though, others my age had it much worse, even this happened while i was there.  it was alienating being around students whose parents were dignitaries, film directors, royalty, senior government officials or the heads of state and industry; the level of privilege my peer had was positively suffocating.  i was happy to leave after my sophomore year to rejoin my family, then stationed in the MIDDLE EAST.

the soundtrack to those two years was that debut THIRD EYE BLIND album.  i know the songwriter and frontman STEPHAN JENKINS was writing about personal themes related to DRUG USE, ABUSE and SUICIDE all throughout, but for me it felt like the central concern was LONELINESS.  maybe that was because id listen to the gorgeous ERIC VALENTINE-produced LUSH, REVERB-DRENCHED sonic landscapes on those frozen bus rides to and from classes surrounded by empty snow blanketed farmland.  this record sounded so BEAUTIFUL and RICH that it only made the experience of listening to it that much more EMOTIONALLY RESONANT.  to this day hearing songs like "LOSING A WHOLE YEAR," "THE BACKGROUND," "THANKS A LOT," "NARCOLEPSY," "GOD OF WINE" and especially "I WANT YOU" bring me right back to 14.

moving to NIGERIA was the turning point of my life, when my perspective and identity as a naive SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAN ended.  surviving two years of boarding school in a sometimes abusive environment was similarly a moment of personal PROGRESSION and AUTONOMY.  but looking back i just see a lonely kid who felt like his whole life up to that point was marked by continually being in the wrong place at the wrong time, losing more than just a year in the process. i havent been back to NEW ENGLAND since and have no plans to, even before the pandemic.

i still listen to this record regularly even though im glad im i dont have to be that teenager anymore.  thank god.  great record that should be celebrated.  definitely worth revisiting and checking out again.

formerly a member of the "garage goth" band THE BLACK BELLES, singer-songwriter OLIVIA JEAN's solo material feels very much within the THIRD MAN RECORDS cannon in that it sonically acknowledges the past with its MINIMALIST BLUESY, ROCKABILLY-inspired textures while maintaining a MODERN RETRO-KITSCH visual aesthetic.  the whole package feels very on-brand JACK WHITE.

that being said, OLIVIA JEAN is a talented songwriter with serious guitar chops to boot.  definitely looking forward to keeping an eye out on her and whatever future projects she pursues.  most definitely worth checking out.

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the legendary career of DAVID BYRNE and the TALKING HEADS!
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

i first became aware of the FUGEES in the summer of 1996 when i saw an advertisement for their second album THE SCORE (COLUMBIA, 1996) on a billboard in KING'S CROSS STATION in the LONDON, which was the connecting hub we used to connect to a northern line that took us to HATFIELD where my relative lived at the time.  my family spent a month with this relative in ENGLAND two years in a row and it is a period i look back on with much fondness.  this was also the summer i discovered BRITPOP as OASIS and BLUR were at their commercial peak in ENGLAND during this period.  just a great time to be a kid.

of course ironically the FUGEES are not from ENGLAND, they are from NEW JERSEY where my family spent the rest of the summer and his been based out of for the past few decades.  famously FUGEES members LAURYN HILL, WYCLEF JEAN and PRAS are the children of HAITIAN immigrants and their sound is a mix of SOUL/R&B/HIP HOP with an empathetic lyrical bent towards the underprivileged and economically dispossessed.  it makes total sense that they cover BOB MARLEY's "NO WOMAN, NO CRY" on THE SCORE given its similarly concern with the hardships of the underclass.

my recollection of THE SCORE was how massive tracks like "READY OR NOT," and "FU-GEE-LA" were during my middle school years in NIGERIA.  i remember seeing those videos all the time on M-NET, which was a major television station out of SOUTH AFRICA.  it is safe to say that THE SCORE was a big deal well across the AFRICAN DIASPORA, which is not the case with lots of popular AFRICAN-AMERICAN artists, interestingly.  their iconic cover of "KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG," a NORMAN GIMBEL-penned tracked made famous by in 1972 by ROBERTA FLACK, was essentially a middle-school dance staple.  which is really odd in retrospect given its obsessive lyrical bent.  

look back at THE SCORE, it was the obvious starting point for the massively successful solo careers of LAURYN HILL and WYCLEF JEAN, but in terms of quality only THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL (RUFFHOUSE, 1998) approaches its cultural impact.  for me the standout tracks are undeniably "READY OR NOT" and "FU-GEE-LA" which standup to anything else from that era.  still great songs.

THE SCORE is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are interested in socially conscious HIP HOP.  they werent associated with the movement, but if you are a fan NATIVE TONGUES artists like A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, BLACK SHEEP, THE JUNGLE BROTHERS, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, THE PHARCYDE or DE LA SOUL, then the FUGEES are most certainly worthy of further investigation.

noted 19th century RUSSIAN composer, conductor and virtuosic pianist SERGEI RACHMANINOFF has a reputation for constructing compositions that are a bit DOUR and FATALISTIC in nature, but BBC presenter TOM SERVICE in his documentary THE JOY OF RACHMANINOFF (BBC, 2016) attempts to challenge that critical conceit by closely examining the LIFE, CAREER and lasting GLOBAL IMPACT of the famous ICONOCLAST.

the film goes to great lengths to outline the political upheaval and cultural headwinds that defined RACHMANINOFF's life.  he was born into a life of privilege and wealth as a member of the aristocracy of mid-19th century RUSSIA, only to see it abruptly dismantled during the BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION in his mind 40s.  he would live his life in exile in EUROPE and the UNITED STATES with nostalgia for a former RUSSIA that was now a relic of history.  to compound this sense of ISOLATION, RACHMANINOFF is famous for his emotionally-wrenching piano concertos, hymns and symphonies that draw from the same deep well as fellow RUSSIAN ROMANTIC composers like NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV and towering musical icon PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY.  unfortunately for RACHMANINOFF his time abroad found him completely out of place in the time of MODERNISM with the EXPERIMENTAL DISSONANCE and challenging compositions of IGOR STRAVINSKY and CHARLES IVES (among many others) being en vogue at that moment.  RACHMANINOFF was essentially creating within a FRAMEWORK and a LEXICON that was seen as outmoded during his lifetime.  so essentially he was geographically and culturally ISOLATED for much of his life.

so where is the joy?

SERVICE seems to argue that in his music there is an embedded sense of catharsis and relief that comes with acknowledging and reflecting on the most INTENSE and searingly PAINFUL aspects of life.  this deeply felt sense of fatalism is also uniquely RUSSIAN in nature he argues.  the joy of listening to RACHMANINOFF is taking in those moments of SOLITARY BLISS that come after experiencing the swells of EMOTION and DREAD that preludes them.  you also get the sense that there is a hard fought sense  of AUTHENTICITY in experiencing these emotions through his music, due to the fact that they were written with a BITTERSWEET sense of intense NOSTALGIA that came with his geographic and cultural DISLOCATION.

not sure i am convinced with the argument, but this was an enjoyable film that further wetted my appetite to further explore the work of RACHMANINOFF in the future.

there is evil and then there is SACKLER FAMILY evil.

EMPIRE OF PAIN: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SACKLER DYNASTY (DOUBLEDAY, 2021) by PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE is a cautionary journey into the depraved depths of boundless GREED that marked the IMMORAL behavior of the SACKLER FAMILY and the pharmaceutical business, PURDUE PHARMA, that they owned and operated over three generations.  this operation was so successful in its peddling of addictive opioids in part due to the BRAZEN nature of their incapacity to showcase HUMAN EMPATHY or any SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY to their fellow man, instead hiding behind a fig leaf of false LIBERTARIAN-inspired dogma that is all to apparent in similar MORALLY CORRUPT CAPITALIST ENTERPRISES (i.e. tobacco and firearms).

but the outrage i felt reading this book is not limited to the SACKLER FAMILY and their unethical marketing of OXYCONTIN (and VALIUM before it) for widespread, common use.  its tentacles went much further into the the very heart of the CORRUPT INCENTIVE STRUCTURES that are the basis of our federal LEGAL, POLITICAL and MEDICAL systems.  every system failed.  multiple times.  it seemed that the whole capitalist system enabled this company to reek PHYSICAL, MORAL and PSYCHIC DESTRUCTION on the most DESPERATE and VULNERABLE elements of our society and profited unimaginably.  and its not even a DEMOCRAT or REPUBLICAN issue, since everyone has blood on their hands over multiple administrations of inactivity.  that and members of each have taken money from them and/or worked  on their behalf (MARY JO WHITE and ERIC HOLDER of the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION to name only two prominent PURDUE PHARMA attorneys).

what also made EMPIRE OF PAIN so compelling, aside from its flawless construction as it expertly unveiled layers of interweaving depths of CORRUPT BUSINESS PRACTICES and IMMORAL BEHAVIOR over generations and geography, is how it is just as much concerned with the appearance and presentation of POWER and INFLUENCE.  these ill-gotten gains were seemingly symbolically laundered through the name rights of institutes and galleries associated with numerous prestigious museums (THE MET, LOUVRE, TATE MODERN, NATIONAL GALLERY in LONDON, BROOKLYN MUSEUM, SMITHSONIAN, GUGGENHEIM, BRITISH MUSEUM and the AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY) and universities (HARVARD, COLUMBIA, OXFORD, NYU, TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY, YALE, CORNELL and TUFTS).  this "philanthropy" was a bid for immortality and a fraudulent display of MAGNANIMITY for cultural and educational concerns that was really based in basic, primordial instincts towards POWER and INFLUENCE.  the fact that these institutions allowed such to happen just shows the vacuous nature of their INFLUENCE-PEDDLING to begin with.  nobody is spared in this narrative.

well, actually there are a few heroes.  namely the artist NAN GOLDIN who utilized her unfortunate experience with OXYCONTIN and its community of survivors to chasten and call out the SACKLER FAMILY and those institutions that enabled them.  her leadership is one of COURAGE and DEFIANCE and all those enabled virtues devoid from any member of the SACKLER FAMILY.  there is also MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY and her NEW YORK counterpart LETITIA JAMES, as well as attorneys from across the country who tirelessly went after the family members themselves, even after the shell-game involved with the BANKRUPTCY COURT shenanigans of PURDUE PHARMA.  their efforts are honorable and well within the scope of the public trust that defines their position.

the sad part about EMPIRE OF PAIN is that you are hoping that this constant craven display of INHUMANITY over many generations in one family is an anomaly in our system, a blip, but deep down we all know that this isnt the case.  in fact, PURDUE PHARMA and their EXPLOITATIVE shell-game of an operation is our system.  their bending and subordination of our LEGAL, FINANCIAL, POLITICAL and JUDICIAL structures to seek their needs and not the publics is as AMERICAN as BASEBALL or JAZZ. 

this book really made me reflect on my own individual responsibility in the enabling of these types of structures and practices.  the clothes i wear, the car i drive and the food i consume are all made available through unsustainable and exploitative practices on my behalf.  i dont know how we exit our COMPLICITY as passive consumers within this complex system which seeks to generate consumer and investor value at the expense of limited resources and undervalued labor.

it just feels like this level of EXPLOITATION is bound to happen again and again on repeat because the incentives are there at every level to perpetuate such.  again, seemingly we are all COMPLICIT.  i just dont see this changing.  ever.  it is like JELLO BIAFRA riff on the PATRICK HENRY slogan which sums up our collective ADDICTION to CONSUMER CULTURE, damn the consequences, "give me convenience or give me death."

this is an excellent book, probably the best thing ive read since starting this blog a few years back.  absolutely highly recommended.

join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the multi-talented BRITISH pop chanteuse CHARLI XCX!
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i remember obtaining PANTERA's FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (EAST WEST, 1994) album on a school trip in HEATHROW AIRPORT en route to a SEA CAMP trip in the FLORIDA KEYS.  the international school i attended in NIGERIA had these foreign trips they sent the middle school kids on each year (6th grade was SPACE CAMP in FLORIDA, 7th grade was the aforementioned SEA CAMP and 8th grade was a FRENCH TRIP to SWITZERLAND and FRANCE).  it was that kind of school.

the whole experience was pretty GNARLY as it took over 24 hours to reach the FLORIDA KEYS after two international flights and a long drive south from MIAMI.  i mention this because i will always associate the SLUDGY, ANGULAR, almost SERPENTINE RIFFAGE of DIMEBAG DARRELL and the overall aqueous production of FAR BEYOND DRIVEN with that long bus ride over those tiny two-lane bridges looking over the ATLANTIC OCEAN from my window from key to key.  tracks like "SHEDDING SKIN," "HARD LINES SUNKEN CHEEKS," "SLAUGHTERED" and "25 YEARS" had such GROOVE and SONIC DIMENSION that it very much felt empowering and all-encompassing.  especially for a teenager intimidated by life itself having witnessed from a distance the cruelties of life abroad in a third world country with all the political corruption and economic dilapidation on daily display.  listening to FAR BEYOND DRIVEN always gave me a false sense of control, which is probably the highest compliment i ever give a record.  to my ears it is the heaviest PANTERA record bar none, especially when considering the staggering aural BRUTALITY of "STRENGTH BEYOND STRENGTH," "THROES OF REJECTION," "5 MINUTES ALONE," "I'M BROKEN" and especially "BECOMING."

that is not to say this record is perfect.  there are cringe-worthy lyrics to songs like "USE MY THIRD ARM" and "GOOD FRIENDS AND A BOTTLE OF PILLS" that probably should have been edited out on the cutting room floor.  they just come of PETTY and MISOGYNISTIC, which is probably where singer PHIL ANSELMO was mentally at the time.  and it is that tension between the SUBLIME MUSICALITY of DARRELL and VINNIE PAUL and production of TERRY DATE with the uncompromising yet uneven lyrical contributions of ANSELMO that defined the band. 

more than 20 years after their breakup i still have a complicated appreciation for PANTERA since some of their antics have not aged well (the CONFEDERATE ICONOGRAPHY, the quasi-EXTREME RIGHT PROVOCATIONS and FALSE SELF-IDENTIFYING VICTIMHOOD, the blatant, unapologetic MISOGYNY).  like most people i lay all that negative energy at the hands of ANSELMO, whose more caustic and morally depraved contributions came during periods of DRUG ABUSE and DIVORCE.  what people choose to celebrate is the work of DARRELL, who on every PANTERA record and especially FAR BEYOND DRIVEN was an immaculately tight and divinely inspired guitar player.

this record is most definitely worth checking out but be aware going into it that some of the lyrical content is MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE, something of which other surviving band members have conceded over the years (like bassist REX famously in his tell all book).  dont say i didnt warn you.

i am a totally sucker for a melodic hook and a catchy chorus and BRIGHTON's confrontational POST PUNK-inspired INDIE ROCK band DREAM WIFE more than fit the bill.  their music unapologetically skewers NORMATIVE CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS regarding women while encasing such stinging CRITIQUES in CONCISE ANGULAR COMPOSITIONS that bring to mind the the best traditions of groups ranging from BIKINI KILL, X-RAY SPECS and TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB to even GANG OF FOUR.

its hard for me not to heap praise on this band since they are RIGHTEOUS, INTELLIGENT and so downright CATCHY.  whats not to love?  DREAM WIFE is definitely worth checking out.​