KELCE (9.14 FILMS, 2023) has to be one of the most RIVETING sports documentaries i have ever come across, right up there with HOOP DREAMS (KARTEMQUIN, 1994), SENNA (STUDIOCANAL, 2010) and WHEN WE WERE KINGS (POLYGRAM, 1996).  and i say that not from a fan perspective, because 1) i am not a fan of the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES or their supporters and 2) this film is not a hagiography of the much REVERED and almost certainly CANTON-bound center JASON KELCE.

if anything, this film is a case study in STRUGGLE and DETERMINATION.  as an UNDERSIZED OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, KELCE was not recruited out of high school and was a walk-on at the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, which meant he basically had to OUTPERFORM others starting at the bottom of the depth chart.  he fought and CLAWED his way into being a late (sixth) round draft pick for the EAGLES and fought unceasingly to maintain a roster spot for more than a decade and well into his 30s.  on televised games, one can only assume the DAMAGE inflicted, and KELCE doesnt flinch in showcasing the MID-SEASON PHYSICAL TOLL on the PLAYER, even as he is in the moment playing and keeping up with his YOUNG DAUGHTERS.

and that REVERBERATING impact that the game has on FAMILY LIFE is arguably the most POIGNANT aspect of this film.  undoubtedly JASON SACRIFICES for his FAMILY, but the same or more could be said about his WIFE KYLIE who holds down the home front as her HUSBAND PUSHES, BLOCKS and PUMMELS his way through games on sunday and at practices during the week.  the scene that absolutely guts me in this film is when JASON returns to his FAMILY's hotel room having just lost SUPER BOWL LVII a few hours earlier, arguably one of the BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL LETDOWNS of his career, and his mind is completely on his DAUGHTERS and their needs.  undoubtedly he was DISAPPOINTED and dealing with the MENTAL, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL and SPIRITUAL ramifications of that LOSS, but such was set aside for the immediate needs, albeit adorably GOOFY ones, of his small CHILDREN.  i dont know how you watch that and not come away TEARY-EYED.  ditto the footage of him on the field after the LOSS congratulating his BROTHER and telling his MOTHER to go celebrate with TRAVIS.  just such a MATURE and GENUINE act of LOVE on such a public stage.

for me this film is about MASCULINITY.  JASON embodies virtues of SELF-SACRIFICE, TEAMWORK and LOVE OF FAMILY.  and that also includes his little brother TRAVIS, who followed the trail he blazed to the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATTI, and found himself unable to play do to a THC POSITIVE DRUG TEST at the SUGAR BOWL that year.  TRAVIS LOST HIS SCHOLARSHIP and was unable to play beside his BROTHER on a big stage.  it was JASON who basically supported TRAVIS unconditionally and helped smooth things over with the team and the school to allow him back into the fold.  that sense of LOYALTY is not lost on TRAVIS in this film, who saw their playing against each other in the SUPER BOWL as something they uniquely shared as BROTHERS, irrespective of who won.  you can tell the extent that TRAVIS looks up to his BROTHER and cherishes being an UNCLE to his CHILDREN.  one would think that JASON would be living vicariously through TRAVIS, with all his celebrity and public adoration, but it seems quite honestly the other way around throughout the film.

i cant go without mentioning "the speech."  JASON made arguably the most FAMOUS celebration speech in the aftermath of SUPER BOWL LII against the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS days later on the steps of the PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART near the ROCKY statue.  there after a parade dressed as a MUMMER, a TRADITIONAL MIME that have their own LONG-RUNNING NEW YEARS DAY parade, JASON gave a speech about underdogs and PHILADELPHIA that ended with him telling the world to F-OFF if they didnt like the city.  ICONIC.  but it also seemingly fit the man as well, a cast-off that fought his way tooth and nail to success while also being the CONSUMMATE TEAMMATE, FAMILY MAN and (dare i say it) ambassador for the CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE.

i consider this film to be ESSENTIAL and a modern CLASSIC.  most definitely worth checking out.

i remember visiting a CHILDHOOD FRIEND of mine in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA way back in the summer of 2001, before our senior year of high school.  at that point it had been years since my FAMILY moved to NIGERIA of all places and i did stints there as well as two years at a NEW ENGLAND boarding school and another year at an INTERNATIONAL school in KUWAIT, where my FAMILY was then situated.  this was a PRE-INTERNET, PRE-STREAMING, even PRE-DOWNLOADING era where my ability to learn about NEW MUSIC OVERSEAS was through CASSETTE MIXTAPES through FRIENDS and FRIENDS OF FRIENDS.  being back in ORANGE COUNTY visiting my old FRIEND was a wakeup call and an EDUCATION because he was plugged in with his ear to the ground and i learned all about bands id never heard of, everything from  local 80s HARDCORE bands like T.S.O.L., AGENT ORANGE, DR. KNOW, CHANNEL 3, THE GERMS, WASTED YOUTH, THE MIDDLE CLASS, D.I., ADOLESCENTS and FEAR to more sonically extreme bands like THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, CONVERGE, BOTCH and THE LOCUST.  i say all this because in the intervening years i'd traveled throughout AFRICA, EUROPE and the MIDDLE EAST and i came to learn that what i missed out on culturally back at 'home' was the most explosively FRANTIC sounds ever by a bunch of MANIC MUSICIANS dressed as insects.

i mean at the time i had no way of even comprehending a MUSICIAN like JUSTIN PEARSON or the bands he'd been a part of up to that point.  but that was my INTRODUCTION to him and THE LOCUST way back and for whatever reason ive always identified their sound with 9/11 given that their first self-titled THE LOCUST (GOLD STANDARD LABORATORIES, 1998) album was what i was listening to at the time.  regardless, i recently came across PEARSON's FRAUGHT and likewise UNRELENTING FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY (SOFT SKULL, 2010) memoir that conveys a lifetime of SEVERE ABUSE, NEGLECT and TRAUMA.  from his time in ARIZONA where he dealt with the PAIN of watching his mother get routinely PUMMELED by his FATHER, to his DEATH / MURDER under DUBIOUS circumstances that saw his FAMILY relocate to SAN DIEGO and the cycle began a new with his EVENTUAL STEPDAD.  you listen to THE LOCUST or some of his other projects like SOME GIRLS, HEAD WOUND CITY, SWING KIDS or even much later with SATANIC PLANET and DEAD CROSS, and that jagged, DISSONANT SONIC ASSAULTS with UNYIELDING, SPASTIC ENERGY and head-turning ABRUPT TEMPO SHIFTS makes absolute total artistic sense.  GALLOWS HUMOR is a CONSTANT throughout this book as PEARSON deals with a bevy of NEAR-CONSTANT lineup changes and COMMITTED yet DOOMED ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS. 

you very much get the sense that the main theme throughout is no doubt  survival by any means necessary as PEARSON, being an only child, showcases much RESILIENCE and SELF-RELIANCE to function and push despite the odds of co-running an INDEPENDENT label (THREE ONE G RECORDS) that seemingly specializes in CHALLENGING, UNCOMMERCIAL MUSIC.  from what i could gather his MOTHER, his label co-owner ALLYSIA EDWARDS and his dog GEE GEE are the triumvirate that make up his extended UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEM.  ROCK N ROLL memoirs are traditionally written by those that had a certain level of SUCCESS or NOTORIETY, so reading FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY is a bit of a OUTLIER in that its subject is somewhat OBSCURE with a dedicated but relatively SLIGHT CULT FOLLOWING.  and i think that is what makes it truly COMPELLING as a read, since PEARSON very much gives you an unadulteratedly BRUTAL PERSPECTIVE of the drive involved in surviving at the margins of the RECORDING INDUSTRY with your wits somewhat intact.

if anything PERSEVERANCE and SELF-CONFIDENCE involved is almost QUIXOTIC in the extreme, but that is what makes the topic so INTRIGUING.  i recommend FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY to anyone interested in learning about what true DIY ETHICS entails from the perspective of a WORKING MUSICIAN and INDEPENDENT small business owner.  in spite of all the PAIN and TRAUMA, id argue this book is evidence that PEARSON is very much living his dream.

im kinda on the fence about this. 

the musical and lyrical ENCYCLOPEDIC website GENIUS has long had this ongoing interview series on their YOUTUBE channel called VERIFIED in which PROMINENT SONGWRITERS explain the LYRICS to their HIT SONGS.  the variety of said offerings is STAGGERING an covers every genre IMAGINABLE and skews heavily on recent MATERIAL with NEW and EMERGING ARTISTS.  LEGACY ARTISTS need not apply unless they have brought something NOVEL to the table worth explaining to a DIGITALLY NATIVE CONSTITUENCY that has no time for REHASHED past glory days or you-should-been-there moments.

my contention is not with the ARTISTS, its with the CONCEIT itself.  i just dont think that LYRICS are a PARAMOUNT concern when it comes to enjoying MUSIC.  when i am listening to MUSIC i am participating in a COMPLICATED INTERACTION that includes EMOTION, PSYCHOLOGY, MEMORY and AESTHETICS, often all at the same time.  to have the LYRICIST come out and pour over what their CREATION means to them is largely IRRELEVANT to the ALCHEMICAL PROCESS of contextualizing MATERIAL to your own PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.  in a sense the TRACK is no longer theirs, it instead belongs to the PUBLIC.

that beings said, some of these are INTRIGUING regarding the CREATION PROCESS for these ARTISTS.  where their heads were at, what they were feeling, how the CONCEPTION and RECORDING of this SONG affected them is all COMPELLING information.  but that is where i tend to draw the line.  any context after that which seems to limit the scope of a SONG seems COUNTERPRODUCTIVE in my mind, but they can do what they want.

not sure what i make of it still, but its an INTERESTING series to dabble in once in a while.

LIMP BIZKIT's sophomore release SIGNIFICANT OTHER (INTERSCOPE, 1999) was such an UNEXPECTED global CULTURAL PHENOMENON that it effectively put the band at the forefront of the now ESTABLISHED NU METAL movement of what was essentially HIP HOP-inspired HYBRID of ALTERNATIVE METAL.  and you get the feeling that the band wasnt entirely ready for such attention. 

if anything the IMMEDIATE follow-up release, the JUVENILE and nonsensically titled CHOCOLATE STARFISH AND THE HOT DOG FLAVORED WATER (INTERSCOPE, 2000), for all intents and purposes felt like something of a CASH-IN and a RUSH JOB.  whereas SIGNIFICANT OTHER for the most part lyrically dealt with UNSOPHISTICATED THEMES related to romantic relationships and the fallout when such goes south, albeit from a decidedly MISOGYNISTIC and IMMATURE perspective, on CHOCOLATE STARFISH frontman FRED DURST seems to be pulling at straws on what to talk about.  written, recorded and released a year after their breakthrough release, CHOCOLATE STARFISH resorts to UNORIGINAL LYRICAL CONCEITS like relying on LAME ALLUSIONS to other people's songs (i.e. THE EAGLES' "LIFE IN THE FAST LANE" on "LIVIN' IT UP,"  THE WHO's "MY GENERATION" on "MY GENERATION," the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE theme song on "TAKE A LOOK AROUND") as well as INSULAR MUSIC INDUSTRY complaints regarding MUSIC CRITICS and UNSUPPORTIVE rival MUSICIANS (i.e. TRENT REZNOR on "HOT DOG").  in short, it is OBVIOUS that DURST ran out of ideas.  all that is missing is a song about the road to complete the LYRICAL DOWNWARD SPIRAL into total UN-RELATABLE NARCISSISM.

the funny thing is though, the actual BAND never sounded better.  in particular GUITARIST WES BORLAND on tracks like "BOILER," "FULL NELSON," "THE ONE," "MY WAY" and "LIVIN' IT UP" with much DEXTERITY and TOUCH that brings a VULNERABLE FINESSE and an INTENSE MUSCULARITY to both ETHEREAL INTERLUDES and BONE-CRUSHING detuned CAVEMAN RIFFS that propel the songs forward.  much the same for DRUMMER JOHN OTTO and BASSIST SAM RIVERS, who have to be one of the most criminally OVERLOOKED and critically UNDERESTIMATED RHYTHM SECTIONS in ROCK N ROLL writ large.  i lay that all that blame at the feet of DURST, whose aforementioned UNINSPIRED LYRICAL CONTENT on CHOCOLATE STARFISH is the main deficiency of this release and arguably much of the BAND's catalogue.

for me, their are certain sections on most of these songs that i enjoy, but the lyrics are so KNUCKLE-DRAGGINGLY DUMB that it kind of ruins it for me.  the two exceptions are "BOILER" and "THE ONE," which feel like the most CONSTRAINED and therein COHERENT songs on the album.  "BOILER" is all harmonic and DISSONANT FEEDBACK until it explodes into a KILLER GROOVE with lots of FEEL.  "THE ONE" is STRAIGHTFORWARD song-centered around a DYNAMIC DELAYED GUITAR EFFECT that is both ENTRANCING and highly MELODIC.  both find DURST singing about RELATABLE EMOTIONS regarding DIFFERENT aspects of being in a relationship, the INSPIRED OPTIMISM about the opportunity opening up and the DISGRUNTLED CONFUSION and EMOTIONAL rollercoaster that comes with such being swept out from under your feet.  not exactly WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS, but the LYRICS are DIRECT and largely serve the song.

unfortunately CHOCOLATE STARFISH suffers from an EXORBITANT amount of filler that ever the STELLAR LIMP BIZKIT RHYTHM SECTION cant save from OUTRIGHT MOCKERY.  i detested "MY WAY," "ROLLIN'," "MY GENERATION," "TAKE A LOOK AROUND" and the SCOTT WEILAND co-write "HOLD ON" when they came out, and thought they were beyond CRINGY, and nothing has changed in the two decades plus since.  obviously this album would have much benefited from not being released and instead reevaluated and reconsidered in an EXTENDED WRITING PROCESS, but i get it, they struck while the iron was HOT.  i just wonder if BORLAND's subsequent exit from the GROUP could have been salvaged if this record didnt SUCK half as much as it did.

in my opinion CHOCOLATE STARFISH is MEDIOCRE.  the OBVIOUS career highlight is SIGNIFICANT OTHER although the recent STILL SUCKS (SURETONE, 2021) is surprisingly worth checking out.  but yeah, outside of two STANDOUT tracks, this album is a hard pass for me.

ok, first off im well aware J. COLE doesnt need my help getting his name out there.  dude is quite established as one of the great MODERN lyricists in HIP HOP.  in fact currently there is a much publicized reshuffling of the hierarchy regarding his supposed rivals in KENDRICK LAMAR and DRAKE.  to my ears they are three completely SEPARATE ARTISTS. 

DRAKE is undoubtedly the CONTEMPORARY KING of CROSS-BRANDING and MARKETING HIP HOP within a decidedly POP CONTEXT, which is no DIG at all.  its a DIFFICULT balancing act to be that POPULAR yet still maintain a semblance of DIGNITY and CONTROL over his PUBLIC IMAGE, which he has done and should be praised for such since everyone benefits from an EXPANDED audience base.

LAMAR is to my ears is the MODERN-DAY SAVANT, who like JOHN COLTRANE, APHEX TWIN, JIMI HENDRIX, LOU REED or BJORK helped expand the LEXICON of the MEDIUM through his SONIC, LYRICAL and CONCEPTUAL EXPERIMENTS which will undoubtedly stand the test of time, even the less COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL ones.  i feel like with LAMAR he is not really playing to today's audience, but a FUTURE one that will appreciate his GENIUS in line with those aforementioned TIMELESS musical PIONEERS.

but in J. COLE i am most IMPRESSED.  with DRAKE i'll admit i was never a fan of his music, too much HUBRIS and BRAVADO. and dont get me wrong, im a big follower of LAMAR's ARTISTRY, even did a recent radio show focused on him.  but J. COLE is bringing something different to his elegantly word-smithed verses: VULNERABILITY.  the rappers i admired growing up were usually either pretty IDIOSYNCRATIC or directly HONEST and UNAFRAID with their lyrics, people like RAKIM, Q-TIP, ANDRE 3000, ODB, MF DOOM, TALIB KWELI, KILLER MIKE, GURU, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, EMINEM, DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, PRODIGY, MOS DEF, and CHUCK D.  what connects them is that they all had a UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.  i relate to J. COLE in that he speaks about his STRUGGLES the DISTRACTIONS of FAME, MONEY, ATTENTION, WOMEN, PUBLIC PERCEPTION, EXPECTATIONS and the very REAL IMPLICATIONS of such one his MENTAL HEALTH and sense of IDENTITY.  the fact that he is next-level ELOQUENT and able to verbally HYPER-ARTICULATE such depth of EMOTION in its most pure FORM is a REMARKABLE GIFT beyond belief.  for my money he is the current greatest rapper alive and in the lineage of other CONSCIOUS rappers that came before him.

much is made about his APOLOGY for getting SUCKED DOWN into the LYRICAL FRACAS with his supposed rivals, but nobody gives him his due for being a MATURE, FUNCTIONING ADULT.  says more about us and what we expect from our entertainers than him, undoubtedly.

if you are UNFAMILIAR, J. COLE is absolutely worth checking out.  that goes for his entire catalogue to date.

parodies by nacrowe

like ive said before, i am an ABSOLUTE SUCKER for MELODY.  for me there is nothing better than listening to a song that is DIRECT, SIMPLE, HONEST and just slays with KILLER HOOKS. 

such was absolutely the case when i came upon BEST COAST's debut CRAZY FOR YOU (MEXICAN SUMMER, 2010) more than a decade ago.  every song on that album deserved to be a single, but i recall just being floored the first time listening to "BOYFRIEND" and "CRAZY FOR YOU," which both shared an UNBRIDLED OPTIMISM in its SOUND, PRESENTATION and LYRICS albeit with a twinge of heartbreak on the horizon.  there is always that COMPLICATED understanding when things are going absolutely SPECTACULAR that the potential for a DEVASTATING loss is OMNIPRESENT like a SWORD OF DAMOCLES.  that the rug might be slipped from right under you.  with their debut, SINGER-SONGWRITER BETHANY CONSENTINO's lyrical muse was a BURGEONING relationship with NATHAN WILLIAMS of SAN DIEGO EXPERIMENTAL INDIE ROCK band WAVVES.  all of that RISK, WORRY, CONFUSION, FAITH, APPROBATION, SELF-ASSURANCE and JOY that comes with finding a ROMANTIC PARTNER.  for me at least CONSENTINO really laid all of that mixed-bag of EMOTIONS on the line with that record with those SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MELODIES in the same TRANSCENDENT tradition of the BEACH BOYS, THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, LOVE, THE BYRDS, FLEETWOOD MAC and THE GO-GO's.

the SECRET weapon of BEST COAST is undoubtedly the less PROMINENT and FORWARD-FACING of the duo, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST and RECORDING ENGINEER BOBB BRUNO.  much like with any great pairing, each plays off of the relative STRENGTHS of the other.  and with BRUNO there seems to be a PRETERNATURAL ability to find AURAL HOOKS in AUGMENTED waves of SOUND.  his background was in much more EXPERIMENTAL and DISSONANT fair, but such a resume allows for some INTRIGUING SONIC DYNAMICS and UNCONVENTIONAL TONES to find their IDIOSYNCRATIC way into these more TRADITIONAL POP songs.  for one, he usually plays a BARITONE GUITAR, which is usually associated more with METAL than ALT COUNTRY / SHOEGAZE / INDIE ROCK fair BEST COAST specialize in.   for my part, i seek out videos online of BRUNO's regarding his RECORDING PROCESS and INFORMED opinions concerning GEAR, especially ODD, VINTAGE AMPLIFIERS and long-since DISCONTINUED GUITAR PEDALS.  that stuff never gets old and its INTERESTING to hear how such seeps into the REMARKABLE SONIC TAPESTRY that is BEST COAST.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the INFECTIOUS LOS ANGELES-based INDIE POP duo BEST COAST.  enjoy!

in the lead-up to the GLOBAL CULTURAL EXPLOSION that was BRITPOP in the mid 1990s, there were a few INFLUENTIAL preceding scenes that would later coalesce into that DIVERSE and POTENT MUSICAL MOVEMENT.  among them were the CONCURRENT SHOEGAZE and ACID HOUSE scenes of the late 1980s, both of which introduced NOVEL RHYTHMS and SONIC TEXTURES to the more TRADITIONAL INDIE ROCK SOUND of yesteryear.  post-SMITHS and pre-OASIS there was another INNOVATIVE and absolutely SEMINAL likewise MANCUNIAN band that very much bridged that point of connection in this much ESTEEMED lineage, THE STONE ROSES.

all the ELEMENTS were there.  a CHARISMATIC SHAMAN-like singer/poet in IAN BROWN whose URBAN SWAGGER and INDELIBLE, LAID-BACK, MANSPREAD POSTURING presaged LIAM GALLAGHER and evoked the LYRICAL OSCAR WILDE-isms of MORRISSEY.  a SINGULAR SOUND that very much incorporated the CYCLICAL RHYTHMS of the homespun MADCHESTER SOUND with a decidedly INTERIOR sense of SCALE and a tinge of PSYCHEDELIA that emotively and sonically marked the SHOEGAZE MOVEMENT.  their eponymous debut THE STONE ROSES (RCA, 1989) very much split the TRADITIONALIST POP SENSIBILITIES and POETIC lyricism of THE SMITHS with the more EXPANSIVE SONIC AESTHETICS and NONSENSICAL, somewhat SURREALIST, LYRICAL LEANINGS of OASIS.  key tracks include "I WANNA BE ADORED," "SHE BANGS THE DRUMS," "I AM THE RESURECTION," "WATERFALL," "FOOL'S GOLD" and "ELEPHANT STONE."

unfortunately due to internal conflict, THE STONE ROSES IMPLODED and never reached their full POTENTIAL.  in retrospect many see their potential career trajectory in that of the later OASIS, who even consciously mimicked their achievements in matters such as a holding a likewise MASSIVE outdoor concert at KNEBWORTH.  for me the NEAREST CULTURAL ANALOGUE to THE STONE ROSES is the likewise LEGENDARY and massively INFLUENTIAL BAY AREA SKA PUNK band OPERATION IVY who likewise IMPLODED after one national stateside tour despite their UNMITIGATED CREATIVE BRILLIANCE.  their example is one of never capitalizing on or living up to the POTENTIAL of their one single full-length, ENERGY (LOOKOUT, 1989).  sure, other bands came along and evolved their SOUND, but it was a TRANSFORMED MOMENTUM that forever rendered them a footnote in someone else's narrative (i.e. RANCID. JAWBREAKER, GREEN DAY, DANCEHALL CRASHERS, SUBLIME and NO DOUBT).

the debut THE STONE ROSES album is a SEMINAL release by a much BELOVED and REVERED band that pointed the way to the future, even if they did not live on as a unit to take advantage of their CULTURAL ANALOGUE and the decade of music and culture that thrived on it.  most definitely worth checking out.

LEGENDARY SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE was in a good place back in 2011 when this IN-HOUSE retrospective documentary GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE (NEXT ENTERTAINMENT, 2011) was released.  at the time he was SOBER for nearly half a decade after years of ALCOHOL ABUSE that was pushing the limits of his FAMILY LIFE.  and that hope that comes with RECOVERY is really what the film is about, placing it in the context of a LIFE'S NARRATIVE in which all his SUCCESS, PASSIONS, FEARS, ANTICS, OBSESSIONS, SELF-ABUSE was a COMPLICATED EXPRESSION of a SUFFERING individual with little regard for himself, and the toll such took on not one, but two sets of FAMILIES.

the story of OSBOURNE and by extension that of the FOUNDATIONAL METAL band BLACK SABBATH is practically COMMON musical history knowledge at this point.  growing up dirt POOR in the ENGLISH WORKING-CLASS section of ASTON in the long-economically suffering MIDLANDS industrial outpost of BIRMINGHAM, the members of BLACK SABBATH found each other and their sound while attempting to escape the fate of their comrades whose DISMAL options included prison, the nearby factories or the army.  however IMPROBABLE, somehow they wondered into FAME and NOTORIETY with an INNOVATIVE sound and unflinchingly RAW lyrical PERSPECTIVE that has yet to come out of FASHION in the more than half century since.  DRUGS and ALCOHOL took over and effectively neutered the band, with them castigating and firing OSBOURNE eventually at the end, although they all admit they were just as worse for wear as he was.

being reborn with a SOLO CAREER by finding his MANAGER, who later became his second wife, in SHARON ARDEN, and that of KINDRED musical spirit and MULTI-TALENTED MUSICIAN in RANDY RHOADS, lifted his CAREER and PUBLIC PERSONA to new limits.  ROADS of course perished in a FREAK  PLANE ACCIDENT and not too long later his MARRIAGE DISSOLVED with his first WIFE THELMA RILEY, the MOTHER of his first two CHILDREN.  the IMMEDIATE LOSS of both his FAMILY and his FRIEND and SONGWRITING PARTNER was absolutely DEVASTATING and OSBOURNE could not handle such.

ARDEN at some point later in the filming thinking about their own struggles in the 1980s with three SMALL CHILDREN in tow, mentions that for OSBOURNE the DRUGS, CASUAL SEX and LEGENDARY tales of UNHERALDED DEBAUCHERY was a shield to protect himself from REALITY.  the REALITY being that he had a low-self esteem despite his success and that everything he cared about he lost eventually.  in ARDEN and his SECOND FAMILY there is a theme that their mutual love and his eventual ability to love himself helped with their collective RECOVERY after years of TRAUMA and NEGLECT.  in fact, it was OSBOURNE's son JACK becoming sober in his early 20s that set him on a track to pursue his RECOVERY.  effectively the thought that his own YOUNG SON at such an earlier point in his development had the INTERNAL FORTITUDE and GUMPTION to take on REAL ACCOUNTABILITY and fight for SOBRIETY shamed OSBOURNE into following suit.  and thank god he did.

of course this was not a happy ending by any means.  from 2012 to 2016 OSBOURNE admitted to having a fling with his hairdresser, a circumstance that nearly ended his marriage.  in 2019 he was diagnosed with PARKINSON's DISEASE, only years after JACK was diagnosed with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS in 2012.  OSBOURNE very recently even learned of his second induction into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, the first as a MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH and this time as a SOLO ARTIST.  lots of ups and downs, but the OSBOURNE clan carries on.

there were quite a few NOTABLE interview participants in GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE, including his surviving siblings and all five of his children from both marriages, every MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH in TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD as well as former MEMBERS of his solo band in RUDY SARZO (QUIET RIOT) and ROBERT TRUJILLO (METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES).  similarly additional PROMINENT MUSICIANS interviewed include JOHN FRUSCIANTE (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), HENRY ROLLINS (BLACK FLAG), BRANDON BOYD (INCUBUS), TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE) and undoubtedly the most EXTRAORDINARY of them all, PAUL MCCARTNEY of THE BEATLES.

if there is an epitaph for OSBOURNE, let this documentary be it as it contextualizes the ups and downs of his CAREER and battle with ADDICTION with that of his FAMILY LIFE.  im sure he would want his PERSONAL NARRATIVE told in no other manner.

the GRAPHIC NOVEL BEZIMENA (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2018) by SERBIAN cartoonist NINA BUNJEVAC is a HARROWING quasi-PARABLE that deals with the FRAGMENTED MINDSET and WARPED SELF-DELUSIONS of a serial SEXUAL PREDATOR.  with full page panels lovingly depicted with almost DRAFTSMAN-LIKE PRECISION in STARK black-and-white that almost seems more indebted to early PHOTOGRAPHY than subsequent COMIC BOOK visual traditions.  it similarly relates a sort of CRISP REALISM and TANGIBLE AUTHENTICITY that effectively invites the reader to take in the situation as fact, regardless of the FANTASY gender-switching and inter-dimensional time-and-space traveling elements that bookend the NARRATIVE.

the crux of the STORY is manner in which the MAIN CHARACTER devolves from a SOCIALLY INEPT, SELF-INVOLVED child to the sort of VOYEURISTIC, MALIGNANT NARCISSIST that has lost all touch with REALITY and any sense of MORAL CLARITY.  finding a SKETCHBOOK outside when peeking in on a FORMER CLASSMATE taking a bath, the main character sees SEXUALLY EXPLICIT DRAWINGS therein the showcase a series of events in which he has sex with her FRIEND and household MAID on separate nights.  for him such a BOOK bypasses the realm of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY or FREE WILL and goes straight to carrying out its DESCRIPTIONS word-for-word in REAL-LIFE.  only later do we find out that his VICTIMS were NOT CONSENSUAL, but FEMALE CHILDREN he brutally MURDERED after SEXUALLY ASSAULTING them.  the SKETCHBOOK nothing more than a child's RUDIMENTARY drawn DEPICTIONS of a trip to the zoo, where he worked.  that SKETCHBOOK was the key to a SELF-PERPETUATED PERMISSION STRUCTURE that enabled him to move forward his DARK IMPULSES without risking PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE to his INNERMOST sense of IDENTITY and MORAL CONSCIOUSNESS.

BUNJEVAC explains in the afterward about her PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with the DISTRESSING TOPIC of SEXUAL ASSAULT, having gone through it twice back in SERBIA, including once with someone that was entrusted as a GUARDIAN.  BEZIMENA is told from the PERSPECTIVE of the PERPETRATOR, but the DAMAGE is MUTUAL regarding the VICTIM.  that lost sense of PERSONAL AGENCY and PHYSICAL AUTONOMY.  or TRUST.  perhaps the EXPERIENCE of seeing the situation from the other-side is a means of coming to terms with her LOSS.  as lyrically written and beautifully depicted as this GRAPHIC NOVEL was conceived, such only made the TRAUMA inflicted that much TORTUOUS and DEPRAVED to consume as a reader.  and maybe that was part of the point, that people who inflict this sort of HEINOUS MORAL OUTRAGE on others are by definition involved in a double con on both the VICTIM and themselves.  hard to make sense of the truly DEPRAVED and IRRATIONAL.

i found BEZIMENA to be a PROFOUND GRAPHIC NOVEL.  definitely worth checking out but i advise that it does hold some ADULT CONTENT with GRAPHIC SEXUAL DEPICTIONS inside so probably should be not viewed by minors.  up to parental discretion regarding that i suppose.

over the past week i practically binge watched all four seasons of the BRITISH period COMEDY series BLACK ADDER (BBC1, 1983-1989) starring ROWAN ATKINSON as well as a list of TOP-NOTCH CHARACTER ACTOS including everyone from TONY ROBINSON, HUGH LAURIE, STEPHEN FRY, MIRANDA RICHARDSON and IAN MCINNERNY.  the BASIC conceit of the series is that each of the four seasons take place during a DIFFERENT era in BRITISH HISTORY with the "BLACK ADDER" and what are presumed to be his DESCENDANTS being the only RECURRING CHARACTERS, of sorts.  the eras are roughly the FEUDAL MIDDLE AGES, the ELIZABETHAN ERA, the NAPOLEANIC ERA and WORLD WAR I. 

with the exception of the first series, the BLACK ADDER FIGURE is an OVER-EDUCATED and intellectually CURIOUS SERVANT of the ROYAL MONARCHY / ARISTOCRACY who despite his NUMEROUS attempts and INGENIOUS plans is largely the VICTIM to the whims of HISTORY.  in the first series he is the DIMWITTED and seemingly always PLOTTING spare heir of a FEUDAL king attempting to leverage his RANK and INFLUENCE to grasp at POWER.  in totality, the series is a HUMOROUS lambasting of both the COURT CULTURE and FALSE PIETY surrounding AUTHORITY, as well as the coordinated system of SUPPLICANTS and SYCOPHANTS that enable such to flourish UNABATED.   in the first three series the MONARCHY as an INSTITUTION is the OBVIOUS target of much of the IRE behind the HUMOR, but in the final season it is the BRITISH ARISTOCRACY and the COMMISSIONED OFFICER base that come from their RANKS that serve as the subject of some of the most BITING and AFFECTING critiques of the series.  this supposedly ELEVATED class of URBANE INTELLECTUALS and WELL-TO-DOS were cut off from reality so thoroughly, as ADROITLY portrayed by FRY, that the PEDESTRIAN INSANITY of knowingly sending a SUBSERVIENT OFFICER to their NEEDLESS DEATH in trenches for was deemed an HONORABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS as it didnt challenge the STATUS QUO.  this INNATE DOCILITY with regards to AUTHORITY and POWER and how such mercilessly intertwines with FORCED FEELINGS of NATIONAL IDENTITY comes off as distinctly BRITISH in nature.  that one should feel honored to DIE for their CROWN and COUNTRY, however SENSELESS and WANTON the circumstances.

it is that SPECIFIC relationship between the POWERFUL and the POWERLESS that makes each BLACK ADDER series such a COMPELLING viewing.  none more so than the closing scene of the final season which is one of the most emotionally AFFECTING and HONEST televised moments i have ever witnessed with how it handled the HORRORS OF WAR.  and the UTTER FINALITY of the closing of a long lineage of BLACK ADDERS for no CONCEIVABLE MILITARY ADVANTAGE.  just BLIND CRUELTY and SAVAGE INHUMANITY at the hands of an UNCARING HIERARCHY concerned more with APPEARANCES than the ACTUAL lives of REAL PEOPLE.  its all just so damning of BRITISH CULTURE and the supposed HUMANISTIC VALUES they attest to exhibiting as a VIRTUOUS BEACON to the rest of the world.  COMPLETE BULLOCKS indeed.

undoubtedly this is one of my FAVORITE television series ever.  ESSENTIAL viewing no doubt.

society moves fast and and of the mainstays of my childhood that seemingly has evaporated from our NATIONAL COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS is the CULTURAL POWER of the TIE-IN MOVIE SOUNDTRACK.  it kind of makes sense why, given that PROMINENT artists were financially incentivized to part with a PROMISING B-SIDE to uplift a CULTURAL ARTIFACT for an UNPROVEN PROPERTY.  i mean, the OBVIOUS RISK is that the FILM might suck and now you are permanently associated with it.  just makes you look like a PHONY SELL-OUT, or at least that was the MINDSET at the time.  also over time these SOUNDTRACKS had little to no connection to the FILM at hand, instead they acted more as a side REVENUE STREAM than a SYNERGISTIC ART PIECE in and of itself.  in the age of SINGLE DOWNLOAD SALES and DIGITAL STREAMS, the concept of a MOVIE SOUNDTRACK album is a TOTAL ANACHRONISM and a CULTURAL VEHICLE that has little VALUE.

or maybe not.

one of my FAVORITE FILMS growing up was WAYNE'S WORLD (PARAMOUNT, 1992), based on the PROMINENT MIKE MYERS and DANA CARVEY fronted RECURRING SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SKETCH which featured two ENTHUSIASTIC yet DIMWITTED HARD ROCK music fans hosting a UHF TELEVISION SHOW from a suburban ILLINOIS basement.  in terms of music, this FILM very much excelled in how it utilized the CATALOGUES of QUEEN, ALICE COOPER, THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE and even GARY WRIGHT in featured scenes that forever transformed their relationship to the public.  such included the ICONIC multi-part, group lip-syncing of QUEEN's epic "BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" from the COMPRESSED hatchback confines of a 1976 AMC PACER, or the LUSTY hip-gyrations of GARTH to HENDRIX's "FOXY LADY" or even the OTHERWORLDLY daydreamed imaginations of WAYNE toward his beloved to the LIGHT, INTOXICATING sounds of "DREAMWEAVER."  all these songs were absolutely INTEGRAL to the INTERNAL WORLD OF THE FILM.  even live tracks from the film like "FEED MY FRANKENSTEIN" and "BALLROOM BLITZ" served their purpose as exemplars of the POWER of ROCK N ROLL as a performance in a live setting.

i choose to see the WAYNE'S WORLD SOUNDTRACK in retrospect as not so much as a CALCULATED cash-in vehicle to meant to supplement the FILM's earnings, but as an extension of the experience of the PROJECT itself.  other PROMINENT examples of similarly devised SOUNDTRACKS that truly extend the FILM EXPERIENCE includes those of THE BIG LEBOWSKI (GRAMERCY, 1998), TRAINSPOTTING (POLYGRAM, 1996), PULP FICTION (MIRAMAX, 1994), O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (TOUCHSTONE, 2000), LOST HIGHWAY (OCTOBER, 1997) and even the recent GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (MARVEL, 2014-2023) trilogy of decidedly NOSTALGIC "MIXTAPE" series.  my guess to why such has died as a culturally VIABLE vehicle is that with the advent of MP3s, SOCIAL MEDIA and OMNIPRESENT STREAMING, music just doesnt live on the same PEDESTAL for most people as it once did.  i still see it that way, i have a radio show and a blog where i regularly celebrate and write about such, but i am aware of my OUTLIER STATUS.

the CULTURE moved on.  but i still feel that the WAYNE'S WORLD SOUNDTRACK is an ESSENTIAL release from a relatively recent but utterly BYGONE era.

recently i was introduced to the INVENTIVE POP SONG-CRAFT of one CECILIA DELLA PERUTI, a.k.a. GOTHIC TROPIC.  her take on SONGWRITING has a CONFESSIONAL yet HYPER-MODERN, GENRE-DEFYING AESTHETIC that makes sense once you are aware that she formerly toured as a MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST for BECK and CHARLI XCX respectively.  her ability to craft MEMORABLE MELODY LINES out of seemingly DISCORDANT ELEMENTS also makes sense given her pedigree as the daughter of an OPERA SINGER and a JAZZ COMPOSER.  as a listener, i am just impressed when someone is able to make something STRUCTURALLY and SONICALLY CLEVER sound IMMEDIATE and EARWORM-Y.  anyone can imitate CAPTAIN BEEFHEART or THROBBING GRISTLE, but few can make truly EXPERIMENTAL music sound PALATABLE and INTOXICATING a la BJORK, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, GARY NUMAN, MIKE OLDFIELD, CHELSEA WOLFE, DAVID BYRNE or MIKE PATTON.

GOTHIC TROPIC is detinitely worth checking out.

parodies by nacrowe

although often critically MALIGNED as the more commercially viable offshoot of the PUNK ROCK explosion, NEW WAVE was arguably the vehicle that transformed and influenced CULTURE well beyond its more VOLATILE cousin's notoriously BRIEF late 70s heyday.  PUNK was a bit of a PRIMAL SCREAM, a palette cleanser that reset the deck on what was musically VIABLE to its core constituent parts.  POST PUNK was the EFFECTIVE YEAR ZERO resetting of those pieces sans the need to pay homage or even acknowledge previous TRADITIONS as NEW TECHNOLOGY both in the recording studio an in the new array of SYNTHETIC SOUNDS available allowed for a permission structure to experiment and create without LIMITATIONS. 

my understanding is that NEW WAVE is a bit of both.  it utilized these NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES and the FREEDOM they provided while also be conscious of the pre-PUNK TRADITIONS that came before, i.e. the BRITISH INVASION.  the amount of bands that are associated with the NEW WAVE tag often have little sonically to do with one another, their association often only being from the same era.  and it is that variety of INFLUENCES and SONIC AESTHETICS that make this period such a FRUITFUL and INTRIGUING one to revisit.  it should also be mentioned that the advent of MTV and the proliferation of MUSIC VIDEOS similarly added a new mode of EXPRESSION that mainlined FASHION, CHOREOGRAPHY and CINEMATOGRAPHY into the vocabulary of music aficionados on a GLOBAL scale.

ive always wondered what the advent of MTV would have been like had the pre-PUNK trajectory of VIRTUOSO musicians and evermore musically SOPHISTICATED (and BORING) catalogues made their way into the world of MUSIC VIDEOS.  its INTERESTING to consider, but the diversity of material within the NEW WAVE movement was perfect for its time and place as nearly anything went, for good and bad, and MUSIC CULTURE seemed to be expanding on a MASSIVE scale for the first time, effectively connecting scenes to each other and creating a new promotional vehicle to STARDOM.  of course a backlash to such ensued, i.e. the twin concurrent UNDERGROUND HARDCORE and COLLEGE ROCK / INDIE ROCK movements of the 1980s, but such blowback was informed by enormity of NEW WAVE nonetheless.

i was born in the 1980s so i am particularly biased in favor of NEW WAVE as it was what i grew up with until my preteens when the related SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK PHENOMENON exploded.  for me those two scenes inform the musical upbringing of my childhood and i hold such dear for completely NOSTALGIC reasons. 

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating NEW WAVE bands and artists.  enjoy!

NOTE:  unfortunately there was a technical snafu with this episode for the first hour, so make sure to start watching it at the 1:04:00 mark.  all apologies!

its INTERESTING to look back at the debut BLUR album LEISURE (FOOD, 1991) given the incredibly DIVERSE and ACCOMPLISHED discography of not only frontman DAMON ALBARN, but also guitarist GRAHAM COXON.  undoubtedly the band is a PIVOTAL and wildly INFLUENTIAL BRITISH CULTURAL SONGWRITING institution well beyond their BRITPOP association not unlike THE KINKS, T.REX, THE JAM, ELVIS COSTELLO, THE SMITHS, DAVID BOWIE, THE WHO, XTC, THE CLASH and THE BEATLES transcended GENRE before them. 

but this is not the album to start with.

to my ears LEISURE is the sound of a young ENTHUSIASTIC band getting acquainted with the RECORDING PROCESS and finding their bearings while sounding rather DERIVATIVE.  all the hallmarks are there, a little MADCHESTER-esque ACID HOUSE beat here on "THERE'S NO OTHER WAY" (apparently a favorite of KURT COBAIN) that wouldnt sound out of place on a HAPPY MONDAYS, PRIMAL SCREAM or THE STONE ROSES track and a bit of ARTFUL SHOEGAZE DISSONANCE there on "SHE'S SO HIGH" a la LUSH, RIDE or SLOWDIVE.  what shines through on those two singles is the QUALITY songwriting, the MEMORABLE guitar lines of COXON and the GENERATIONAL CHARISMA of ALBARN.  compared to subsequent releases this album does not hold up beyond those two singles, with ALBARN even stating (probably overzealously) that it was one of the two BAD albums he ever made, the other being THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995).  i think that assessment is a bit HARSH, but relative to their peers in OASIS, SUPERGRASS, ELASTICA and SUEDE, all of whom had CLASSIC debut albums, LEISURE is undoubtedly somewhat of a slow start of out the gate.  but the growth both MUSICALLY and CONCEPTUALLY in-between this and their sophomore album MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH (FOOD, 1993) is TREMENDOUS and showcases a considered and THOUGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE of BRITISH CULTURE brought on by the TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE of EXTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL TOURING that put their sense of SELF-IDENTITY in context.  such would be CREATIVE fodder for several records, if not the whole career of the band and numerous outside ALBARN and COXON projects.

i would not state that LEISURE is an essential BLUR release, but it has two great singles and gives a UNIQUE look at a SEMINAL band during its brief NAIVE phase before a long STORIED, CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT TRAJECTORY. 

it is INEVITABLE when a MAJOR STAR plays for a SMALL market TEAM that people start questioning their MOTIVATION for seeking out greener pastures elsewhere.  when GENERATIONAL BASKETBALL TALENT GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO signed his super max deal in 2017 right before the MILWAUKEE BUCKS first championship in fifty years, there was much MISUNDERSTANDING in the NATIONAL media about his REASONING.  similarly there has in recent years been much talk about his older brother THANASIS inclusion on their lineup.  within this context, it is DIFFICULT to not see the CAPTIVATING recent GIANNIS: THE MARVELOUS JOURNEY (IMPROBABLE MEDIA, 2024) documentary as a rebuttal to such by providing CONTEXT and an absolutely RAW and HARROWING PERSONAL NARRATIVE that showcases his UNWAVERING COMMITMENT to family literally against all odds. 

some PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES play fearing the possibility of losing, whereas ANTETOKOUNMPO fears his FAMILY being back in ATHENS as UNDOCUMENTED NIGERIAN IMMIGRANTS struggling to eat day to day.  to some extent i knew the rough outline of his PERSONAL NARRATIVE but this film really hones in on the details of the EXTREME nature of his DESTITUTE EXISTENCE on the verge of SOCIETY battling HUNGER below the POVERTY LINE.  what comes across is that he survived solely because of the SELFLESS INTERDEPENDENCE of his FAMILY, which included his PARENTS and three BROTHERS.  GREECE saw an influx of IMMIGRATION during his LIFETIME and EXTREME NATIVIST organizations such as the FASCIST RISING DAWN political party literally attempted to exterminate such from the streets on sight.  one of the more BRUTAL and DISTRESSING stories of the film showcases ANTETOKOUNMPO and THANASIS creating games to entice his younger BROTHERS to move faster as to literally avoid RISING DAWN DEATH SQUADS at nighttime in ATHENS. 

when he became a RECOGNIZED BASKETBALL prodigy, NIGERA offered him a passport which likewise found GREECE doing the same in order to keep him on the NAITONAL TEAM.  such regard did not extend to his PARENTS or his young BROTHERS unfortunately.  when he was drafted by the BUCKS in the 2013 NBA DRAFT and moved to MILWAUKEE it took months and much POLITICAL wrangling to get his PARENTS visas to the UNITED STATES.  the BUCKS owner reached out to SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY to personally take on the project himself and sort out the details with the GREEK GOVERNMENT.   apparently ANTETOKOUNMPO told the BUCKS ORGANIZATION that playing without his FAMLY was not an option.  his SOLE MOTIVATION for playing landed squarely on the ability to  uplift his IMMEDIATE FAMLY from POVERTY and better their COLLECTIVE situation, both materially and security-wise.  if they couldnt make it work he wanted to return to GREECE, which is INCREDIBLE.

what becomes CLEAR throughout the documentary is how ANTETOKOUNMPO deals with his business is related to a PROFOUND sense of LOYALTY and TRANSPARENCY towards those that reciprocate such with him and look out for the interests of him and his FAMLY.   the BUCKS uplifted his FAMLY from a DESTITUTE EXISTENCE of EXTREME POVERTY in a backward country that ostracized them and didnt recognize their contributions to SOCIETY.  its a UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP.  the question now is that in the wake of a championship has that debt been paid by ANTETOKOUNMPO and then some.  will he move on to another team for the next phase of career having given MILWAUKEE a taste of SUCCESS.  much like when LEBRON JAMES left the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS with the city's BLESSING the second go-around after securing a title, i wonder if the same LOGIC applies with ANTETOKOUNMPO.  i cant help but think it does and that any future time he visits the city he will be nothing but further embraced as a much BELOVED ADOPTED SON.  i just dont see that playing out any differently.

he is an all-time player with a likewise ALL-TIME WORK ETHIC and ability to elevate those around him with his POSITIVE SPIRIT.  he is the PERFECT SPORTS embodiment of the region if there ever was one.  have to say i was pleasantly surprised by how WELL-DONE this documentary was, fully expecting an overly SENTIMENTAL hagiography lacking an nuance.  i consider GIANNIS: THE MARVELOUS JOURNEY a CLASSIC SPORTS documentary that is absolutely ESSENTIAL viewing.  most definitely worth checking out.

i felt a bit LET DOWN after reading author DAVE THOMPSON's biography PERRY FARRELL: THE SAGA OF A HYPESTER (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1995) about the SEMINAL ALTERNATIVE ROCK ICON PERRY FARRELL of JANE'S ADDICTION, PORNO FOR PYROS and LOLLAPALOOZA fame.  i should note that the book, which was published in the mid-1990s (no doubt as a cash-grab) begins and concludes with FARRELL's performance with PORNO FOR PYROS at WOODSTOCK 94, which was in support of their self-titled PORNO FOR PYROS (WARNER BROS, 1993) album.  it was also before the reunion of JANE'S ADDICTION at the conclusion of the millennium and the two albums since so if anything this narrative and conclusions therein presented are understandably PREMATURE in nature.

all the same, it is more than DISAPPOINTING that THOMPSON's thesis is one which dismisses FARRELL's success as the result of him being a MASTER MANIPULATOR OF THE PRESSER and the seller of UNSUBSTANTIATED HYPE.  NOTHING'S SHOCKING (WARNER BROS, 1988) and RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL (WARNER BROS, 1990) decades later stand FIRM and largely UNPARALLELED as COLOSSAL, era-defining ARTISTIC and CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS of the first order and set the table for what has transpired over the next few decades (including FAITH NO MORE, NIRVANA and the like).  my hope was that this book would share some insight into the origins of some of these INDELIBLE TRACKS or the relationships between band members, their management and/or their producer.  to that extent, major players like DAVE NAVARRO, ERIC AVERY, STEPHEN PERKINS and DAVE JERDEN are barely mentioned, as if they are bit players in this story.  unfortunately THE SAGA OF A HYPESTER is mostly concerned with the PROMOTIONAL GAMBITS of FARRELL and the published criticisms of his projects over time, which i have to say is the LEAST INTERESTING aspect of his life narrative.  the fact that local rock critics nationwide did not understand his ART on vinyl or in a live setting makes total sense, the DUDE is one of one.  even back in the mid-1990s when this was written those opinions and contexts are largely DULL and IRRELEVANT.

in essence THE SAGA OF A HYPESTER is more than a LETDOWN, its a MISSED OPPORTUNITY.  i feel like i gained little knowledge by way of his process or the meaning behind his ART, which i assume is why most people would even bother with this book.  the fact that he spearheaded LOLLAPALOOZA and innovated the CONCERT-GOING EXPERIENCE is likewise in THOMPSON's MYOPIC view without CULTURAL MERIT and full of what amounts to SHAMELESS HYPE.  in retrospect i can at least take solace that his thesis was proven INCORRECT, that FARRELL is a universally RESPECTED ALTERNATIVE ROCK VETERAN and SUPPORTIVE ELDER STATESMAN on par with NEIL YOUNG, BOB DYLAN, IGGY POP, DAVID BOWIE and LOU REED.  his continued engagement with the youth in terms of locating and promoting EMERGING bands with LOLLAPALOOZA even among his peers puts him in SINGULAR regard as he repeatedly puts that CREATIVE ENERGY back into the CULTURE, back into the musical and artistic communities, back into the very wellspring of creativity like an eternal resource.  this book degrades his PERSONA as well as his achievements, even as far as they stood back in the mid 1990s.

this book is NOT DEFINITIVE, ESSENTIAL or even worthy of further mention.  best proceed and read the much better WHORES: AN ORAL BIOGRAPHY OF PERRY FARRELL AND JANE'S ADDICTION (DA CAPO, 2006) for a more THOUGHTFUL, EXTENSIVE and FAIR take on this ALTERNATIVE ROCK icon.

parody by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the SPANISH EXPERIMENTAL HIP HOP / LATIN MUSIC  producer EL GUINCHO!
​
​​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 always find it INTRIGUING that RUSH's MUCH-HERALDED eighth studio album MOVING PICTURES (MERCURY, 1981) is considered such a CAREER-DEFINING highlight given that it within the SCOPE and CONTEXT of their catalogue it was something of a TRANSITIONAL record.  SYNTHESIZERS and KEYBOARD PAD SOUNDSCAPES were always a SUPPLEMENTAL ELEMENT on previous records but COMPOSITIONALLY and STRUCTURALLY were more of an additional ORCHESTRATED layer on top of the CORE GUITAR, PERCUSSION, BASS and VOCAL ELEMENTS.  at their core RUSH were always a TECHNICALLY-PROFICIENT PROGRESSIVE ROCK band that utilized their abilities adroitly to aurally embellish on and help establish the MOODS and NARRATIVES of their almost LITERARY LYRICAL CONTENT.

interestingly on "TOM SAWYER", SYNTHS are introduced as an INSTRUMENT more than on equal terms with the other AFOREMENTIONED ELEMENTS.  this would be a harbinger of what was to come throughout the 1980s as the next several releases would find ELECTRONIC SYNTH-BASED MUSIC at the forefront of their new TRANSFORMED SOUND.  MOVING PICTURES is the beginning of such and arguably when that more equal balance was at its peak.  that said there are several more TRADITIONAL RUSH tracks that represent some of the STRONGEST SONGWRITING of their career in "LIMELIGHT," "RED BARCHETTA," "VITAL SIGNS" and the ICONIC INSTRUMENTAL "YYZ."  those tracks in particular almost represent a last hoorah of a certain approach to SONGWRITING that would not be revisited until the 1990s when the band transitioned into more of a legacy act. 

​thing is, i really appreciate bands that are willing to INNOVATE and follow their own CREATIVE IMPULSES, dramatically altering their STYLE and SOUND damn the consequences or UNEVEN reactions from a HARDCORE fanbase.  and believe me, RUSH fanatics are opinionated about their almost NERDISH obsession with the VIRTUOSIC TORONTO three piece.  obvious MODERN examples of such include that of METALLICA, LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, RADIOHEAD, BRING ME THE HORIZON and AFI.  its not even about whether the NEW SOUND was quality or not (not everyone can be DAVID BOWIE), more just the very idea that they were willing to take the risk of not being stuck in a CREATIVE RUT a la the RAMONES, AC/DC, MOTORHEAD, SLAYER and so forth that have effectively recreated the same record their whole career.

more than any particular song, MOVING PICTURES is EMBLEMATIC to me of the need for artists to expand their SONIC PALETTE and explore, sometimes consciously shedding a SIGNIFICANT portion of their fanbase in the process.  this go around it worked out CREATIVELY and commercially, but on subsequent releases like SIGNALS (MERCURY, 1982) and GRACE UNDER PRESSURE (MERCURY, 1984), such is up for SERIOUS debate. 

​if anything MOVING PICTURES is an ESSENTIAL album by a LEGENDARY band well worth checking out.

just gonna start with the OBVIOUS here. 

CHINO MORENO is a singularly TRANSCENDENT FRONTMAN who basically positioned himself as the ESSENTIAL link in the CULTURAL CHAIN, along with his much REVERED IDOL and direct antecedent MIKE PATTON (FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE), connecting EMOTIVE POST-PUNK SINGERS like MORRISSEY (THE SMITHS), IAN MCCULLOCH (ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN), PETERY MURPHY (BAUHAUS), ROBERT SMITH (THE CURE) and IAN CURTIS (JOY DIVISION) to MODERN highly EXPERIMENTAL POST-HARDCORE SINGERS such as DARYL PALUMBO (GLASSJAW), ANTHONY GREEN (CIRCA SURVIVE, SAOSIN) and CEDRIC BIXLER-ZAVALA (AT THE DRIVE-IN, MARS VOLTA).  MORENO of course is RENOWNED for his work with the ICONIC SACRAMENTO ALTERNATIVE ROCK outfit DEFTONES, but in recent years has sought out side-projects that have extended his SONIC PALETTE, including the POST METAL band PALMS (with BRYANT CLIFFORD MEYER, AARON HARRIS and JEFF CAXIDE of ISIS), the SHOEGAZE / TRIP HOP outfit TEAM SLEEP and the decidedly INDUSTRIAL / DARK WAVE ELECTRONIC ​duo ††† (CROSSES).

the beauty of a GENERATIONAL TALENT such as MORENO, (again, like PATTON) is that he can excel in any genre situation he finds himself in, and his listening habits reflect a wide breadth of such GENUINE APPRECIATION.

at first glance CROSSES may come across as a CURIOUS creative decision but fans of MORENO are well aware of his ADMIRATION for early SYNTH POP bands like DEPECHE MODE and later DREAM POP acts like the COCTEAU TWINS.  both of these INFLUENTIAL bands utilized the EXPANDED palette of ELECTRONIC TEXTURES to create AMBIENT and MELANCHOLIC soundscapes that seemed to evoke a heightened EMOTIVE plane.  such seems to be the ARTISTIC ETHOS of CROSSES, if any.

now MORENO is a known entity, but his LOCAL SACRAMENTO BANDMATE SHAUN LOPEZ of INFLUENTIAL POST-HARDCORE outfit FAR is a bit of a HIDDEN GEM.  dude is the main COMPOSER and MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST that on three EPs and two full-lengths has created an IMMERSIVE world of sound that is as MOROSE and DESOLATE as it is SEXY and INVITING.  it is basically the seemingly PERFECT sonic counterpoint for the most commercially VISIBLE non-DEFTONES project his FAMOUS BANDMATE has been identified with.  has LEGENDARY and universally REVERED as MORENO's main gig is, CROSSES lives up more than favorably to the EXPECTED and INEVITABLE comparisons.  if anything, this venture for over a decade is more SLEEK and consciously MODERN in its APPROACH as well as PRESENTATION, and undoubtedly much of this is due to the OVERFLOWING CREATIVITY of LOPEZ in this context.

definitely worth checking out.  no doubt.  this band is absolutely SICK.

photo & text by nacrowe

i was aware of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM's second SOUND OF SILVER (DFA, 2007) release, but it wasnt until visiting my cousin [a RECORDING ENGINEER] at his RECORDING STUDIO in GREENPOINT one summer after returning from abroad that i became privy to the idea that their frontman's [JAMES MURPHY] record label, DFA RECORDS, was a major CULTURAL FORCE worth exploring.  to me SOUND OF SILVER was the DANCE SOUNDTRACK to dealing with GRIEF, which seems on the face of it like a COMPLETE OXYMORON, but a song like "SOMEONE GREAT" is acutely HEARTBREAKING while being CATHARTIC with a substantial VISCERAL weight.  it basically transformed my opinion of the EMOTIONAL possibilities of DANCE MUSIC.

my cousin was a MASSIVE proponent of their SELF-TITLED LCD SOUNDSYSTEM (DFA, 2005) debut and especially the TRACK "LOSING MY EDGE," which was about getting older and feeling like your time has passed you by with all these younger generations of kids creeping up and taking over.  to my taste that song lyrically was a bit PRECIOUS and SELF-IMPORTANT about what was an INSULAR MUSIC SCENE, but i took note.  if anything, that INTIMATE sense of being part of a NASCENT CULTURAL MOVEMENT and spurring along COLLECTIVE creativity seems to be the MOTIVATING ETHOS of DFA RECORDS.  there are so many strong DANCE-inflected EXPERIMENTAL BANDS on their roster over the years including HOLY GHOST!, BLACK DICE, HOT CHIP, THE CRYSTAL ARK, SHIT ROBOT, HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR, YACHT, GUERRILLA TOSS, THE RAPTURE, FACTORY FLOOR and the aforementioned LCD SOUNDSYSTEM. 

it seems rather daft that i held such a REDUCTIVE opinion about DANCE MUSIC for so long.  i imagine that such was INHERITED and comes from the INTRANSIGENT CULTURAL BAGGAGE associated with the internalization of the DISCO SUCKS movement writ large and the FALSE SUPERIORITY of supposedly "real" ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS over their SYNTHETIC brethren.  nevermind the AWFUL ANTI-HOMOSEXUAL, ANTI-BLACK, ANTI-LATINO undercurrents that came with that REVANCHIST CULTURAL MOVEMENT which seemed to be clinging to an idealized (and undeniably CAUCASIAN) concept of AMERICA that was already an ANACHRONISM.  when i think of DFA RECORDS and similar labels of its ilk, i think of REVOLUTIONARY MUSICIANS that are assisting in shedding the last vestiges of that HORRENDOUS legacy and allowing EMERGING generations to take in EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS sans PAST CULTURAL BULLSHIT.

and for that i thank them.  even if it feels like the OVERWHELMING forces of CULTURAL REGRESSION are winning the war at the moment.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating DFA RECORDS.  enjoy!