it is difficult to overstate the importance of SOUNDGARDEN's fourth studio album SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) in my young life as a music listener.  unapologetically, i am most definitely a 90s kid and as such, as ive repeated on this blog before, was gifted both SUPERUNKOWN and PEARL JAM's VITALOGY (review linked HERE) in what had to have been christmas 1994.  i should also mentioned shortly after such my first record purchase was a compact disc copy of LIVING COLOUR's VIVID (review linked HERE).  so not a bad first foray indeed.  that being said i am emotionally tied to this album so this review will not be some pseudo-critical appraisal of its worth.  to me the experience of listening to this era of SOUNDGARDEN is akin to reliving my childhood.  so that is my bias.

compared to its predecessor, the similarly stellar BADMOTORFINGER (A&M, 1991), SUPERUNKOWN is more psychedelic and sonically expansive, incorporating nontraditional instrumentation (i.e. spoon percussion on "SPOONMAN") and their requisite odd time signatures that still manage to be highly contagious and earworm-y.  standout tracks include "4TH OF JULY," "FRESH TENDRILS," "HEAD DOWN," "FELL ON BLACK DAYS," "LIKE SUICIDE," "MY WAVE," "SUPERUNKNOWN," "LET ME DROWN," "SPOONMAN," "THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE" and of course the generational ALTERNATIVE ROCK anthem that is "BLACK HOLE SUN."  okay, i realize that i just named most the tracks on the album, but that is kind of the point here.  its a landmark album with many of the best tracks of their career, hands down.

growing up my personal favorite track was the title track, "SUPERUNKNOWN," which slowly builds from a mixolydian sounding eastern single note riff that expands and and enlarges until the choruses and guitar solos engulf the universe.  guitarist KIM THAYIL is an absolute wizard and is criminally underrated amongst his ALTERNATIVE ROCK peers.  the dude is an utterly unique and has a preternaturally deft ear for both crushing riffs and dynamic texture shifts.  that said, "SUPERUNKNOWN" itself is an absolutely epic track sonically that lyrically is about SELF-TRANSFORMATION and stepping into the unknown despite your personal MISGIVINGS, INSECURITIES and TREPIDATIONS.  that song alone has been the soundtrack to all my "fuck lets go decisions" over the years from joining PEACE CORPS in ALBANIA to any number of teaching jobs i took in quasi-safe locales ranging from VENEZUELA to MYANMAR. 

the brutally guttural guitar tone of "4TH OF JULY" has been immensely influential on the EXTREME METAL genre of DRONE METAL, particularly key bands like BORIS, JESU and especially SUNN O))).  that deep low-tuned guitar absolutely crushes and propels the listener on a slow plodding sonic dirge not experienced before, even by the likes of SLUDGE METAL bands like MELVINS or NEUROSIS.  lyrically the song is uses natural imagery to thematically espouse on concepts related to MORAL REBIRTH and PERSONAL REJUVENATION in the wake of some undefined debasing experience.  such a revelation is personally experienced by the narrator through a massive thunderclap and natural visual display that borders on the sublime.  i always interpreted the song as that moment when a transformative idea comes to conscious fruition from whatever subterranean depths and unknown processes it came out of.

i could go down the line here song by song but i wont.  suffice to say that SUPERUNKNOWN is required listening and is the ultimate showcase of the almost ALCHEMICAL ARTISTIC SYNERGY of these four talented musicians: all of whom are songwriters.  CHRIS CORNELL with his voice and songwriting abilities are a revelation unto itself, making him easily the standard bearer amongst his ALTERNATIVE ROCK peers.  what a generational talent he was.  BEN SHEPHERD likewise contributed one of my favorite tracks ("HEAD DOWN") and his ability for composing interesting arrangements and odd textural juxtapositions is the secret weaon of the band.  KIM THAYIL like i said before is a wizard and experimental riff meister of the first order (right there in my mind with DIMEBAG DARRELL of PANTERA).  and MATT CAMERON and his adroit and tasteful percussion choices throughout laid the groundwork for one of the most experimental and artistically successful ROCK AND ROLL albums ever.

but then again i am incredibly biased.

REST IN PEACE CHRIS CORNELL.

SHEPARD FAIREY is a celebrated RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN-trained GRAFFITI ARTIST / GRAPHIC DESIGNER best known for his "OBEY GIANT" urban guerrilla sticker/poster/stencil campaign and the ubiquitous "HOPE" icon he created in support of BARACK OBAMA's successful presidential campaign back in 2008.  inspired by the likes ROBBIE CONAL, BARBARA KRUGER, MARCEL DUCHAMP, ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG and ANDY WARHOL, FAIREY ventured out with his EXPERIMENTAL CAMPAIGNS that often played with REPETITIVE MESSAGING and the general public's capacity to be influenced and manipulated by such.

the recent documentary OBEY GIANT: THE ART AND DISSENT OF SHEPARD FAIREY (HULU, 2017) is very much concerned with fleshing out and introducing the career of FAIREY to a general public that is seemingly unfamiliar with STREET ART and its misunderstood code of ethics, which are often the target of overzealous police departments.  what comes across is the intent of his work, which is often POLITICALLY, CULTURALLY and SOCIALLY ACTIVIST in nature, and the inherent risk of utilizing forgotten derelict and abandoned building facades as his canvas.  there is a transition of sorts from the "ANDRE THE GIANT HAS A POSSE" SOCIAL EXPERIMENTALISM phase to his reactionary BUSH-era visual screeds against the war in IRAQ to his more recent, constructive post-OBAMA that advocates on behalf of a whole host of causes he believes in and provides free visual graphic work for (including CLIMATE CHANGE, MARRIAGE EQUALITY, PRISON REFORM, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, etc.).  in essence FAIREY is a master of PROPAGANDA, but he uses his powers for good in that he creates omnipresent visuals that promote and support an immediately identifiable VALUE SYSTEM that promotes CORE HUMANISTIC BELIEFS in INCLUSIVITY, DIGNITY, INQUIRY and DIVERSITY.

​i personally was unaware of FAIREY's legal challenges regarding the ASSOCIATED PRESS photograph he transformed into the famous "HOPE" icon.  the fact that there were two images and he misremembered which one he utilized and thus made a string of bad choices to cover up that mistake.  the documentary itself may be a mea culpa on his part as such apparently affected his CREDIBILITY and fundamentally questioned his HONESTY.  in my mind the whole charade feels like corporate overreach.  seems the ASSOCIATE PRESS was attempting to extract money and the ability to reach back and futilely attempt to control the ability of artists to transform what is essentially their INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.  feels equally ludicrous as the BOSTON police department arresting FAIREY on the opening night of his new showing at the prestigious INSTITUTE of CONTEMPORARY ART.  what a bunch of schmucks.  what i gained from those two misadventures is the cost of doing business as a famous GRAFFITI ARTIST.  that is the risk you run playing along the edge of legality.  not that im judging in the least.

OBEY GIANT: THE ART AND DISSENT OF SHEPARD FAIREY is an interesting career retrospective for a guy that is still young, only 52 as of 2022.  as long as he isnt incarcerated, im very much looking forward to his creative work and international ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS for years to come.  

in TRINITY: A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB (HILL AND WANG, 2012) author JONATHAN FETTER-VORM gets at the MORAL QUANDARY that was the MANHATTAN PROJECT and the creation of the ATOMIC BOMB during WORLD WAR II.  initially viewed as a purely SPECULATIVE and PREVENTATIVE MEASURE that would help end the war with GERMANY, its creation instead sparked a new age of global PARANOIA and the threat of global MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION.

at the center of the narrative is theoretical physicist and BERKELEY professor J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER who, along with GENERAL LESLIE GROVES (who previously oversaw the construction of THE PENTAGON) gathers a team and spearheads this national project.  part of what FETTER-VORM does exceedingly well in this graphic novel is literally illustrate the SCIENTIFIC THEORY and TECHNICAL WIZARDRY that came with solving COMPLEX PROBLEMS with regard to controlling this incredible NUCLEAR ENERGY.  it really cannot be understated how much INNOVATION and INGENUITY was involved in the conception and construction of the ATOMIC BOMB.

whats hard to stomach is how little it seemed that these scientists considered the MORAL IMPLICATIONS of their work, so caught up in the PATRIOTIC FERVOR and EXISTENTIAL state of affairs that WORLD WAR II presented.  even after its completion on a panel meant to analyze the POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS of their work, these scientists obfuscated and essentially passed the buck to their enablers in the political sphere.

i understand that science, much like the nature of reality, is inherently neutral and that all DISCOVERIES, INNOVATIONS and APPLICATIONS of APPLIED TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE are susceptible to the whims of people.  people who are innately FALLIBLE and prone to OUTSIDE PRESSURES and INTERNAL NEUROTICISM.  but when you are messing with NUCLEAR FISSION and the ELEMENTAL DESTRUCTIVE FORCES OF THE UNIVERSE, how could they be so NAIVE?

its an interesting dilemma that is expertly outlined by FETTER-VORM. and is beyond timely given the COMPLICATED GLOBAL POLITICS at play currently between THE WEST, RUSSIA and CHINA.  that said, TRINITY: A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB is an incredible MEDITATION on the line between TECHNOLOGY, SECURITY and RESPONSIBILITY and is most definitely worth checking out.

join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating SHEFFIELD METALCORE / AMBIENT / POP chameleons BRING ME THE HORIZON!
​
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, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

its been almost ten years ago now i was with my godmother, who is a music supervisor by profession, at an NPR radio program being recorded in some long hallway at LINCOLN CENTER watching the surviving members of MUSCLE SHOALS being interviewed as part of a promotional effort for an upcoming documentary.  famously the house band / studio musicians at MUSCLE SHOALS known as THE SWAMPERS played on legendary tracks by ARETHA FRANKLIN, WILSON PICKETT, ETTA JAMES, PERCY SLEDGE and even THE ROLLING STONES.  now MICK JAGGER, KEITH RICHARDS and company namely recorded three tracks off of STICKY FINGERS (ROLLING STONES, 1971) at MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND STUDIO in ALABAMA with THE SWAMPERS including perennial crowd pleasers "BROWN SUGAR" and "WILD HORSES."  during this NPR interview one of the participants was asked about which ROLLING STONES songs he was a part of and could only remember "BROWN SUGAR" and "YOU GOTTA MOVE."  my godmother turned to me and asked me which one he forgot, to which i muttered sheepishly "i think 'WILD HORSES' is the other song."  without hesitation she blurted out "WILD HORSES" in from our position in the back of the audience, heads turned around and then back to the dude on stage who nodded and said something to effect of, "yeah, 'WILD HORSES,' thats right."  my godmother then told me that she knew there was a reason she asked me to join her.  at that moment i was stunned and petrified.

STICKY FINGERS is a legendary ROLLING STONES album that was part of a string of massively influential generation-defining albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s that also includes the likes of BEGGARS BANQUET (DECCA, 1968), LET IT BLEED (DECCA, 1969) and EXILE ON MAIN ST (ROLLING STONES, 1972).  the band, being part of the BRITISH INVASION cohort of ENGLISH musicians (including but not limited to THE BEATLES, THE KINKS, THE WHO, THE YARDBIRDS, THE ANIMALS and so on), were all obsessed with the AMERICAN BLUES traditions of the deep south.  recording at MUSCLE SHOALS during a break on tour provided such an opportunity at a facility and team known for churning out the best BLUES and SOUL MUSIC of the era.  this record is also notable as it marks the introduction of MICK TAYLOR on a ROLLING STONES studio recording and the first since the death of founding member BRIAN JONES.

"BROWN SUGAR" is one of those CELEBRATED yet MISUNDERSTOOD songs. it very much should be regarded as more PROBLEMATIC and CONTROVERSIAL than it currently is.  originally entitled "BLACK PUSSY," its lyrics pretty explicitly talk about the middle passage from AFRICA of a women that was sold into slavery and then raped by her white master.  i mean end stop right there.  but somehow given the mood and feel of the song, many listeners dont consider the lyrics other than it being vaguely about female black sexuality, which is still PROBLEMATIC.  call me crazy, but i always assumed the song may have been about heroin, as there is a later long storied tradition of BRITISH songs that may possibly be about love or heroin, such as THE BEATLES' "EVERYONE'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY," BLUR's "BEETLEBUM," SUEDE's "SO YOUNG" and THE STRANGLERS' "GOLDEN BROWN" among many others.  despite its immense popularity the song has been retired in recent years due to JAGGER's unease with its subject matter as society has evolved over the past half decade.


"WILD HORSES" is similarly considered another classic first-tier ROLLING STONES song on par with "SATISFACTION," "GIMME SHELTER," "TUMBLING DICE" "RUBY TUESDAY" or "PAINT IT BLACK."  its a PLAINTIVE ballad originally written by RICHARDS that was born out of his TREPIDATION for going out on the road after his son was born.  there is some speculation that JAGGER channeled his relationship with MARIANNE FAITHFUL into the track, but at its core the song seems to speak to the sorry inevitability of the longing and HEARTACHE that comes with physical distance.  its not a road song but it kind of is.  i remember reading that this song had a big impact on the next generation of songwriters, especially with poetic upstarts like PATTI SMITH.  the ROLLING STONES did ballads from time to time but this one still stands out amongst their catalogue and is a crowd favorite.

my personal favorite song on the record is "BITCH."  like all the best ROLLING STONES songs, its just all GROOVE with just a hint of MENACE.  my understanding is that the song is all about JAGGER's LIBIDO.  the idea that love is a bit of an unnecessary trouble when he is interested in is getting down.  you cant say that the dude is not HONEST, i mean that is what JAGGER is known for.  and god bless him for that!

so yeah, dont let me be the first one to encourage you to check out STICKY FINGERS.  like the other much-heralded ROLLING STONES records from this period, STICKY FINGERS is pretty much an institution unto itself.  it is most definitely worth checking out.

this band is the truth.

i recently came across the AUSTRALIAN PUNK band THE CHATS online and was just immediately taken with their humor and cleverly arranged concise song construction which is in the tradition of not only PUNK ROCK (RAMONES) but also GARAGE ROCK (THE SONICS, THE STOOGES) and even CLASSIC ROCK (AC/DC).  singer/bassist EAMON SANDWITH is an absolute revelation as he passionately sings about the mundane aspects of life down under and somehow elevates them to something altogether transformational.

its so easy to feel jaded about the state of ROCK N ROLL and then something like this jumps out at you randomly and gets you excited about music all over again.

definitely check out THE CHATS.  i promise you they are worth your while. ​

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the talented songwriter and INDIE ROCK/SYNTH POP chameleon KRISTIN GUNDRED!
​
​​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!

one of the aspects i admire about DAVID BYRNE's songwriting is his capacity to write on a conceptually OBSERVATIONAL level at an EMOTIONAL DISTANCE.  he always seems to be writing about events and activities from a third-party party perspective without being involved in them.  coupled with BYRNE's angular AFROBEAT-influenced guitar work (which comes off oddly POST PUNK during an era that predated PUNK) and IDIOSYNCRATIC vocal delivery, the debut TALKING HEADS record TALKING HEADS: 77 (SIRE, 1977) makes for quite a UNIQUE and COMPELLING listen.  standout tracks include "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT," "PULLED UP," "UH OH, LOVE COMES TO TOWN," "NO COMPASSION," and the celebrated "PYSCHO KILLER."

for me the fulcrum of the album is centered around the OBSERVATIONAL DISTANCE seen in "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT" which celebrates all things URBAN DEVELOPMENT, CIVIL PLANNING and INFRASTRUCTURE that make our lives better.  there is even a shoutout to civil servants as extensive of the narrator's family.  lyrically its a very interesting song since it seems to champion MODERNITY and the underlying deliberate processes that make it happen, which are under the auspices and ordinances of local government.  its very much a song about COMPLEX SYSTEMS that benefit the individual and how one should feel EMPOWERED by such.  the norm within a ROCK AND ROLL context is to rally against perceived oppressive systems and advocate for change, but BYRNE here inverts that expectation which is even by today's standards very compelling and genuinely weird.

"PSYCHO KILLER" similarly is an IDIOSYNCRATIC examination of the mindset of a serial killer.  apparently the song was influenced by the outlandish stagecraft and persona of ALICE COOPER during this period.  with BYRNE being BYRNE, audience expectations surrounding this serial killer are completely subverted.  instead of being an object of commanding AGGRESSION and exposed VIRILITY, this STUTTERING, INSECURE serial killer is "tense and nervous" and just "can't relax."  moreover you get the sense that this individual is highly educated (as he/she speaks french), and that this inward capacity makes it difficult for them to deal with the truly abhorred aspects, sense he/she "hate(s) people when they're not polite."  in popular culture, serial killers are no different then action stars in that they are self-driven and impose societal change based solely on their own individual initiative.  in "PSYCHO KILLER,"  BYRNE instead presents an individual whose MISANTHROPY comes with wanting to be left alone and undisturbed.  personification of VIRILITY not so much.

as a former secondary english teacher i love BYRNE and his ability to subvert expectations on a lyrical level.  the fact that the music itself is BOUNCY, prone to quick changes in tempo and groove and highly influenced by AFRICAN and LATIN rhythms makes repeat listens inevitable.  there is a reason that BYRNE is so widely celebrated among INDIE ROCK bands for the past forty years.  and there is no better introduction then TALKING HEADS: 77.  definitely worth checking out.

i found the recent SEE KNOW EVIL (MADE TO MEASURE, 2018) documentary about the late ITALIAN fashion photographer DAVIDE SORRENTI to be quite touching.  the film is obviously meant to be a RECLAMATION of his public image in the wake of the cultural backlash to the 1990s media phenomenon known as 'HEROIN CHIC' that his work was retroactively (and incorrectly) attributed.

SORRENTI had quite the back story.  he suffered from a hereditary BLOOD DISORDER known as THALASSEMIA, which attacks the blood's production of hemoglobin and thus decreasing its ability to distribute oxygen throughout the body.    this condition is life-threatening and does particular DAMAGE to several vital organs.  SORRENTI spent his entire young life in PAIN, visiting hospitals for regular blood transfusions and sleeping hooked up to machines that added much needed oxygen to his system.  THALASSEMIA is the type of condition that the patient diagnosed with it, is more than aware they are likely not going to live much pass the teens, if at all.

so in essence the life he led was one that was very much in the moment with few guardrails or time to waste being shy or indecisive.  through his designer mother FRANCESCA and his model/photographer brother MARIO he was afforded access to the fashion industry of NEW YORK and carved out a niche as a street and fashion photographer in the INTIMATE and UNADORNED vein of LARRY CLARK or NAN GOLDIN.  his work showcased models in CONTORTED poses with DOUR, MELANCHOLIC expressions, often draped in VIBRANT colors that were just slightly out of focus.  the overall effect were AFFECTING photographs that projected a sense of internal PATHOS and portents of deep SUFFERING.  it is hard not to read these VISCERAL images and see the connection between his own experience of the world and that of this ominous but SEDUCTIVE imagined reality.  its almost like appreciating a CARAVAGGIO painting with the knowledge that for the artist those pictures of suffering martyrs and saints are projections of his own DOOMED sense of moral damnation.

the idea that his mother's well-intentioned efforts within the larger fashion community to address HEROIN usage in the wake of her son's passing led ironically to a mistaken national dialogue about glamorizing HEROIN in commercial advertising is TRAGIC.  that national conversation in the media WHITEWASHED his talent, his work and his creativity.  SORRENTI was only active over a three year period from 1994 through 1997 which also coincided with the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion coming from the northwest and a titanic shift away from marketing materials showcasing the female form as ample and athletic.  the FASHION INDUSTRY through the rise models like KATE MOSS, JAIME KING and MILLA JOVOVICH in response displayed a more streetwise aesthetic that had more attitude and personality than what was showcased in the 1980s.  in many ways we are still living in the marketing world of the 1990s in terms of visual aesthetics and SORRENTI was a part of that movement.  its just UNFAIR that outside political agendas smeared his work.

SEE KNOW EVIL is a compelling documentary irrespective of one's interest in PHOTOGRAPHY or FASHION.  its more about the ATTITUDE and INTENTION with which you live your life each and every day.  definitely worth checking out.

i read HERMAN MELVILLE's MOBY DICK (HARPER & BROTHERS, 1851) back when i was an undergrad at RUTGERS UNIVERSITY.  i was an english major and learned that junior year that because of my GPA i was eligible to purse an honors track, which meant more work.  and a lot of it.  so the context of my reading this book was in a specialized class meant to "prepare" you for writing a senior thesis, of which you had a year to research and write.  what the class in reality was meant to do was wean out anyone the department deemed ineligible to purse the track further.  it was intense.

and this book is INTENSE and ALL-ENCOMPASSING.  the plot of the book is pretty simple and uninteresting, famously dealing with a captain seeking a SPERM WHALE somewhere off the coast of NEW ENGLAND.  again, not that interesting.  the power of the book lies in its almost encyclopedic presentation of the vast myriads of ways that relationship can be understood.  MELVILLE essentially explores ad nauseam all the various CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, RELIGIOUS, EMOTIONAL, POLITICAL, METAPHYSICAL,  and ALLEGORICAL understandings surrounding the figure of the WHALE.  at least from a late 19th century coastal NEW ENGLAND perspective.  this includes everything from CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS ICONOGRAPHY to the ECONOMICS of SPERM OIL PRODUCTION and beyond.  literally anything and everything you would ever want to know about SPERM WHALES and its impact on AMERICAN society in the mid-19th century is presented at some point in MOBY DICK.

so the task of the reader in essence is in attempting to understand and balance all of the CULTURAL, EMOTIONAL, ECONOMIC, RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL, METAPHYSICAL and ALLEGORICAL implications of the situation when CAPTAIN AHAB seeks out his obsession.  i remember when i was teaching at STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL there was another teacher that taught this book and i would often sit in on those classes, just hanging out in the back listening  attentively while taking notes.  listening to these students fight over the meaning of CAPTAIN AHAB's obsession was ENTHRALLING, because depending on which section you cited, there were arguments and counterarguments aplenty.  there was no one definitive answer, just an overabundance of information to sift through and consider.  it felt similar to when i took a class on the OLD TESTAMENT in college in which everyone argued over the meaning of scripture.  it felt like a never ending stream of beautifully considered, compelling CONTRADICTIONS.

so that is why i still love this book despite its notoriety for being overly OPAQUE and annoyingly MULTI-DIMENSIONAL.  thinking about the MOBY DICK seemingly always makes me consider how our individual experience in life is but one LIMITED PERSPECTIVE of many and even attempting to draw meaning from such on its own is a truly COMPLEX, and somewhat FUTILE, endeavor.  who knows why we make the choices we do and what the specific interior COGNITIVE and PYSCHOLOGICAL machinations that cause such.  we are all ultimately prisoners to our own SOLIPSISTIC individual experience of reality.

i remember doing well in that class almost two decades ago.  but in the end why, you may ask, did CAPTAIN AHAB chase that WHALE?  i still don't know.

parodies by nacrowe

​check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POP PUNK icons BLINK-182!
​
​​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!

lets get something straight: there are no bad BEATLES albums. 

that said, the longtime critical knock against MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (PARLOPHONE, 1967) has been its supposed stylistic and conceptual in-cohesiveness.  such criticism is hard to dismiss outright, especially given that its predecessor, SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (PARLOPHONE, 1967), besides being a cultural milestone and landmark album, is arguably on the short list of greatest concept albums of all-time.  if not the greatest.  so there is that.

i look at it from a different tack.  where critics see in-cohesiveness i see eclecticism. THE BEATLES were constantly attempting to push the boundaries of their work in terms of PRODUCTION, SONG CONSTRUCTION and PRESENTATION.  each time they made an artistic breakthrough, such on celebrated releases like RUBBER SOUL (PARLOPHONE, 1965), REVOLVER (PARLOPHONE, 1966) and the aforementioned SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND, the subsequent release was an earnest attempt to break out of expectations both in terms of the public and within themselves.  so even SGT. PEPPER'S as an CULTURAL ARTIFACT became a gilded cage of a sort for THE BEATLES. 

that is why i totally love the fact that they embraced nonsense on MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR.  yes there are poignant INTROSPECTIVE songs with an observational bent like the PAUL MCCARTNEY-penned "PENNY LANE" and "THE FOOL ON THE HILL" tracks, but far and away the most enjoyable are more LEWIS CARROLL-adjacent psychedelic songs like "HELLO GOODBYE," "STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER" (which was a double A-side non-album single with "PENNY LANE" originally but has been included on subsequent rereleases), "BLUE JAY WAY," "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR" and of course most famously "I AM THE WALRUS."  the album is a soundtrack to a television film the band directed about a bus of BRITISH tourists being taken on a tour (presumably in ENGLAND near LIVERPOOL) with fantastical happenings taking place along the way.  its a ludicrous premise devised by MCCARTNEY with KENEY KESEY's MERRY PRANKSTERS exploits almost certainly front of mind, but what said premise did was free up the band to essentially create nearly anything on such a broad canvas without worry of it being THE BEATLES.  its almost an anti-concept concept album in a sense.  further releases, most famously THE BEATLES [WHITE ALBUM] (PARLOPHONE, 1968) had a subtext regarding the fragmentation and ultimately the  dissolution of the band.  MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR represents the last team effort of sorts, maybe due to the fact of the recent passing of their beloved manager BRIAN EPSTEIN (but who really knows?).

the FREE-ASSOCIATION, CODED NONSENSICALITY of the lyrics may be in part a result of the bands collective embrace of TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION and its focus on settling the mind into a state of restful alertness.  its a technique since made famous by famous adopters like DAVID LYNCH, MIA FARROW and even HOWARD STERN who swear by its creative benefits in allowing outside and internal noise to dissipate and allow uninhibited expression to prevail.  again, i cant imagine the constraints and pressures of being a member of THE BEATLES, notwithstanding a creative unit that had since lost their leader and primary support system in EPSTEIN.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is one of my favorite BEATLES albums, in part because of its IDIOSYNCRASIES and just plain WEIRDNESS.  dont ask me what its about, i couldnt tell you.

its difficult to not be engulfed and completely enraptured by the EMOTIONAL CATHARSIS that is the sound of BELGIAN POST HARDCORE outfit BRUTUS.  their music is just UNRELENTING and has a tendency to up the INTENSITY to higher and higher levels of sonic claustrophobia. 

makes total sense that members of this band were in a REFUSED tribute band as that legendary band likewise was renowned for the ability to annihilate their audience with their FEROCIOUS performances.  in BRUTUS the PASSION with which drummer/singer STEPHANIE MANNAERTS emotes her vocals is quite POWERFUL and is a driving force that further augments the potency of their music.  it is quite an achievement and something definitely worth checking out.

parodies by nacrowe

when i did an episode on the influential NATIVE TONGUES HIP HOP collective back the spring of 2020 i decided pretty early to expand from the core group of affiliated members DE LA SOUL, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, THE JUNGLE BROTHERS, QUEEN LATIFAH, CHI-ALI, MONIE LOVE, BRAND NUBIAN, COMMON, MOS DEF and THE PHARCYDE to also include like-minded peers such as BLACK MOON, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL, BLACK SHEEP and MAIN SOURCE as well as later acolytes like KANYE WEST, JURASSIC 5, THE ROOTS, N.E.R.D. and OUTKAST.


part of that was to showcase its CULTURAL and POLITICAL influence both at its peak as a movement in the early 1990s, but also as a common thread in modern HIP HOP that has continued unabated to currents artists.  had i had more time with the playlist i could easily have expended it to include the likes of SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS modern rappers like RUN THE JEWELS, LITTLE SIMZ, J. COLE, VINCE STAPLES, NIPSEY HUSSLE (R.I.P.) and KENDRICK LAMAR among others.  its a vein of a talent that marches all the way back to beginnings of HIP HOP with the likes of AFRIKA BAMBAATAA and KRS-ONE.

there are times where i feel jaded and bored with music in general and it is during those periods when i go back and listen to a lot of the artists highlighted on this episode.  the inventive WORDPLAY, HUMOR, SONG CONSTRUCTION and INCLUSIVE INTENT is still as powerful today as it was back then.  im not saying i wish that this era would repeat itself in our modern cultural climate, but i do feel that the values exemplified therein of EMPATHY, CURIOSITY and DIVERSITY would be most beneficial in what feels like a POLITICAL and CULTURAL MOMENT that we all are being squeezed together with an ever-tightening vice grip.  it feels like the UNITED STATES is hurdling fast towards a future fraught with peril and derision.

listening to NATIVE TONGUES artists, their peers and their acolytes still feels fresh and above else an act of hope.  or maybe i am being naive.  definitely.

following up the REIGN IN BLOOD (DEF JAM, 1986) proved to be a pretty difficult artistic dilemma for celebrated THRASH METAL titans SLAYER.  how does one even go about topping one of the most celebrated BRUTAL records of all-time?  do you make the next record faster, more concise, more extreme?  its very interesting that SOUTH OF HEAVEN (DEF JAM, 1988) instead took the opposite tack, it went SLOWER. 

aside from taking the tempo down more than a few BPMs is that fact that they experimented with lower tunings, the end result being a more plodding effort that put more emphasis on the INTRICATE mostly JEFF HANNEMAN-penned riffs, TOM ARAYA's powerful voice and quite frankly, the songwriting.  with celebrated tracks like "MANDATORY SUICIDE" and the title track "SOUTH OF HEAVEN" these adjustments created a more ATMOSPHERIC but no less SAVAGE sonic experience for the listener.  it very much feels like the remainder of SLAYER's career was a ping-ponging between the relative extremes of REIGN IN BLOOD and SOUTH OF HEAVEN, especially when you consider the next record SEASONS IN THE ABYSS (DEF AMERICAN, 1990) and the relative variety of tracks like "DEAD SKIN MASK" and "WAR ENSEMBLE."

like most METAL fans, i heard SOUTH OF HEAVEN after experiencing REIGN IN BLOOD.  i dont believe im alone in explicitly linking those two albums together.  originally i was taken aback by the style shift, but then quickly realized that the slower-paced tempos allowed for a deeper appreciation for a wider palette of sonic textures that netted a more BROODING, DELIBERATE and INTROSPECTIVE experience.  if REIGN IN BLOOD is just full-bore AGGRESSION, RAGE and MANIC BRUTALITY i.e. the mind of a SOCIOPATHETIC killer in all-out MELEE mode, then SOUTH OF HEAVEN is more akin to the internal machinations and dialogue of a WARPED mind in the process of meticulously planning such.  one is an unstoppable force of nature and the other feels all too human.  for me personally, the idea of WANTON, RANDOM VIOLENCE (like a volcano, tsunami or hurricane) is ironically less threatening than what goes on in the mind of a MISGUIDED person seeking DELIBERATE action against the world.  for me, that is the appeal of SOUTH OF HEAVEN as an artistic statement both sonically and lyrically, as the the two mutually reinforce the other.

definitely check out SOUTH OF HEAVEN, preferably in conjunction with its universally heralded predecessor.​

years ago when i was an secondary english teacher as a matter of necessity (i was tasked with creating an elective) i started teaching PHOTOGRAPHY.  the class very much dovetailed with the online school newspaper i also helped initiate.  there was some instruction regarding composition and light but the thing i always attempted to instill was the idea of capturing a MOMENT.  french photographer HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON even had a term for it, THE DECISIVE MOMENT.

in the recent documentary SHOW ME THE PICTURE: THE STORY OF JIM MARSHALL (SAMPSONIC MEDIA, 2019) you are presented with an all too human figure in legendary PHOTOGRAPHER JIM MARSHALL who despite his serious shortcomings created an almost MYTHICAL body of work in how well he captured intimate moments with CULTURAL ICONS as they were in the ALCHEMICAL process of SPIRITUAL TRANSCENDENCE and ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT.  being bombarded with his generation-defining photographs of the likes of MILES DAVIS, JANIS JOPLIN, BOB DYLAN, JIMI HENDRIX, JOHN COLTRANE, MUDDY WATERS, THE WHO, CHUCK BERRY, JOHNNY CASH, SANTANA, LED ZEPPELIN, B.B. KING, CREAM, THELONIOUS MONK, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE ROLLING STONES, JOHN LEE HOOKER, THE BEATLES, DUKE ELLINGTON, JOHN MAYALL, ARETHA FRANKLIN, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, DUANE ALLMAN as well as regular people during moments of POLITICAL STRIFE and PERSONAL COURAGE during the midst of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, it becomes apparent of his preternatural gift to anticipate the moment and capture it at its peak EMOTIONAL POTENCY.  my breath was taken away because i have had t-shirts and posters of several of what i learned were his PHOTOGRAPHS.  they are iconic 20TH CENTURY CULTURAL MOMENTS, no way around it.

and what makes this documentary so interesting is that for a man with such SENSITIVITY and INTIMATE capacity to capture such images, there was an alternate figure that inhabited the same body that harnessed a mountain of SELF-LOATHING, manic drug consumption and glowing adoration of the PHYSICAL INTERPERSONAL INTIMIDATION that came with gun-wielding.  its very much a JEYKLL and HYDE dynamic at play which allowed him unlimited access and deep TRUST on the part of his subjects and the manufactured fear and loathing of those who tried to get close to him.  growing up in a single-parent immigrant household with just memories of a brutally ABUSIVE father, it make sense that he had issues with INTIMACY outside of what he found in his viewfinder. 

but we are all the more enriched that his work exists and its interesting to consider how the medium itself has transitioned in recent years with the advent of SOCIAL MEDIA and the the proliferation of amateur photographers utilizing the camera phone in their pocket.  we are inundated and bombarded on a minute-by-minute basis with an unrelenting cacophony of poor PHOTOGRAPHY.  much like music, PHOTOGRAPHY itself has been DEVALUED since the advent and CULTURAL UBIQUITY of the IPHONE over the past two decades.  id argue such a state of affairs makes his work stand out that much more.  its interesting to consider that he left the field in the late 1970s once his access became limited by the CORPORATIZATION OF LIVE PERFORMANCES.  in true capitalistic form, even someone as brilliant as MARSHALL was DISPOSABLE and seemingly REPLACEABLE by know-nothing bean counters and invested parties who wanted to control all assets of wealth-generation, including event PHOTOGRAPHS.

so MARSHALL marks the end of an era of sorts.  its hard to believe that his kind will appear again, just given the state of the music business and the pervasiveness of SOCIAL MEDIA.  again, we are all enriched by his work and hopefully this documentary will shed some light on what to the public is an often invisible occupation.

this documentary is a revelation.  SHOW ME THE PICTURE is definitely worth checking out.

ever since i first saw the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy (AMBLIN, 1985-1990) back in my early childhood there was always that PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT EXPERIMENT about what, if anything, you would want to revisit in the past if given the opportunity.  would i spend more time talking with grandmother before she passed or maybe rewatch significant childhood moments from my past from a distance with the perspective of an adult?  despite the EMOTIONAL CHARGE and immense temptation of the idea, i always come back to "no."  the space-time continuum moves in one direction (i assume) and we are not PSYCHOLOGICALLY or EMOTIONALLY equipped to hand that sort of STRESS.  moving forward in time is difficult enough.

but cartoonist DANIEL CLOWES' in his vividly colored and insularly CEREBRAL graphic novel PATIENCE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2016) provides a character so utterly consumed by GRIEF by the death of his pregnant girlfriend that he is willing to risk all to alter that moment she was murdered.  part CRIME MYSTERY, part SCIENCE FICTION, at its core PATIENCE is all about the transcendent power of LOVE and how such a powerful connective force transforms our very sense of MEMORY and IDENTITY.  for JACK, the protagonist, this LOVE and its attendant emotions from is so strong that he is set off on an all-consuming course of SELF-VIOLENCE and SELF-DESTRUCTION to the point of SELF-ANNIHILATION that it very much makes you question the MORALITY of such a choice, even if the ends are somewhat redeemable.  i know i just described the tired motivation of virtually every STEVEN SEGAL or JEAN-CLAUDE DAMME plot ever devised, but in the capable hands of CLOWES this narrative is more of a MORALITY PLAY than a revenge thriller.  the focus is on the INTERIORITY of that MOTIVATION, rather than the SCI-FI or "whodunnit" aspects of the plot.

my thought is that there is more than a bit of an unhealthy sense of HUBRIS, EGO and even ENTITLEMENT in attempting to change the past.  out of all the possible past wrongs that could be rewritten, obviously it is to JACK's benefit for this wrong to be corrected so that he can enjoy the family that was taken from him.  i understand that, but for SOCIETY as a whole there are plenty of other actions that could be taken to provide a far greater UTILITY for mankind related to preventable WARFARE, DISEASE, POVERTY and the like.  possibilities are virtually endless, but the thing that gets me is that even these choices would have REVERBERATIONS and resulting OUTCOMES whose wake would inevitably result in more unintended CONSEQUENCES and unavoidable avenues and opportunities for HUMAN SUFFERING.  

i just dont see the cycle ever ending.  as much as we find connection with one another, we equally bring pain and SUFFERING to world.  it is unavoidable and i dont see any "fixing" of the past solving such a DILEMMA.  i really enjoyed PATIENCE for thoughtfully thinking its way through such a proposition.  definitely a compelling read worthy of investigation for anyone interested in compelling thought experiments.  definitely recommended.

join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the longtime independent EXTREME METAL label METAL BLADE RECORDS!
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even as audiences have grown more SOPHISTICATED and attentive to the details of production regarding such as things as video editing and special effects, the subtle and almost INVISIBLE fine art of the film score is often overlooked.  yet id argue that the film score is more EMOTIONALLY and PSYCHOLOGICALLY MANIPULATIVE than any visual trickery due to its often inconspicuous nature.  id also maintain that former OINGO BOINGO frontman DANNY ELFMAN is one of the most prolific, fun and imaginative film score composers in modern cinema, as evidenced by a compilation of mostly his prominent 1980s scores in MUSIC FOR A DARKENED THEATRE (MCA, 1990).

such notable titles include several scores from (longtime collaborator) TIM BURTON projects including PEE-WEE's BIG ADVENTURE (WARNER BROS, 1985), BEETLEJUICE (WARNER BROS, 1988) and BATMAN (WARNER BROS, 1989) as well as television themes for both THE SIMPSONS (FOX, 1989-present) and TALES FROM THE CRYPT (HBO, 1989-1996).  not to mention other scores for prominent projects ranging from WARREN BEATTY's film adaptation of DICK TRACY (TOUCHSTONE, 1990) and the RODNEY DANGERFIELD vehicle BACK TO SCHOOL (ORION, 1986), as well as his brother's EXPERIMENTAL indie film FORBIDDEN ZONE (SAMUEL GOLDWYN COMPANY, 1982).

the through line for me of all these works is his preternatural capacity to compose TRANSFORMATIVE music that transports and roots the audience in an alternate reality.  there is something both deeply SEDUCTIVE and almost SOMNAMBULISTIC about ELFMAN's ability to sonically express the often fantastical realms of the mind these character's inhabit.  its almost as if the viewer is caught up in an extended COLLECTIVE DAYDREAM rather than simple aural cues.  also ELFMAN and his playful IDIOSYNCRATIC sensibilities allow him great freedom to utilize NONTRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTATION, odd time signatures and even a meshing of styles that showcases an EXUBERANT, INVENTIVE embrace of varying music traditions. 

even at this beginning stage in his career it was obvious the seeming limitless potential that lay ahead for him which would become actualized in later legendary projects such as BATMAN: THE ANIMATE SERIES (FOX, 1992-1995), MEN IN BLACK (COLUMBIA, 1997), CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (WARNER BROS, 2005), GOOD WILL HUNTING (MIRAMAX, 1997),  MILK (FOCUS FEATURES, 2008) and especially THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (TOUCHSTONE, 1993).  im always fascinated by film scores and its ability to subconsciously sway our perception of visuals presented by a director, especially when done with a deft and COHESIVE sensibility.  there is no better modern example of such than ELFMAN and MUSIC FOR A DARKENED THEATRE is a great place to start. 

​his work is most definitely worth check out for film and television fanatics alike.

im an absolute sucker for melodic BRITISH INDIE ROCK bands with jangly guitars a la JOHNNY MARR, GRAHAM COXON, BERNARD BUTLER and the like.  LONDON outfit SWIMMING TAPES feel to me like a lo-fi hybrid of the POETIC VULNERABILITY and SONIC DISSONANCE of SHOEGAZE icons SLOWDIVE with the MELODIC SOPHISTICATION and POP SENSIBILITIES of TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB.

it all makes for an intriguing juxtaposition that makes SWIMMING TAPES well worth checking out.