parodies & text by nacrowe
the first BIG CONCERT i ever went to was OZZFEST 99 at the PNC BANK ARTS CENTER in NEW JERSEY. i went alone. i was fourteen at the time and my PARENTS didnt allow my YOUNGER BROTHER to attend. which in retrospect was a BUMMER since the lineup that year was really something. aside from the absolutely LOADED MAIN STAGE of BLACK SABBATH, DEFTONES, SLAYER, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, ROB ZOMBIE, STATIC-X and PRIMUS, there was also the SECOND STAGE that was headlined by FEAR FACTORY and had this STANDOUT, MASKED, matching-uniformed-overalls-wearing, EMERGING ACT out of IOWA called SLIPKNOT on their FIRST NATIONAL TOUR. my BROTHER did end up attending OZZFEST 2000 and OZZFEST 2001 and got to see PANTERA before they imploded shortly thereafter, but OZZFEST 99 was arguably the STRONGEST LINEUP that festival ever amassed.
initially i was a bit OVERWHELMED by it all: the AGGRESSIVE PEOPLE, the LOUD MUSIC, the PUNGENT smell of MARIJUANA, the UNEASY FEELING that i was VOLUNTARILY entering a potentially VOLATILE SITUATION. but the TRUTH is once i saw a BAND in action playing the SECOND STAGE (in front of an OPEN FIELD unlike the LAM AMPHITHEATER SEATING in front of the MAIN STAGE), and witnessing firsthand a DUDE falling in the MOSH PIT and being immediately helped back up i realized i was in a relatively SAFE PLACE with an ENTHUSIASTIC COMMUNITY of MUSIC FANS. my TRIBE basically. but the MUSIC itself was SENSORY OVERLOAD, especially ROB ZOMBIE, whose STAGE PRODUCTION was INSANE. im talking MULTIPLE SCREENS, UNEXPECTED EXPLOSIONS, DEMONIC GO-GO DANCERS, FLASHING NEON '666' SIGNS and so on. could not have been more FUN for a TEENAGER. it was an INSTANT and SEAMLESS CONVERSION to the OVER-THE-TOP world of METAL. looking back it feels like METAL hasnt really had that COMMON TENT in decades to rally around, instead dissipating after the END of OZZFEST into an evermore COMPLEX ARRAY of CLIQUES and SUB-GENRES. that was what made OZZFEST work was that you had a TRANSCENDENT CULTURAL FIGURE like OZZY OSBOURNE (and more importantly the BUSINESS ACUMEN of his WIFE / MANAGER SHARON) taking the whole GENRE under his wing again and unifying the FANBASE. but i dont even know who could pull that off in the 2020s when AMERICAN SOCIETY is in a completely DIFFERENT PLACE and the DIVISIONS in CULTURE, GEOGRAPHY, ECONOMICS and POLITICS are on the very verge of splintering the NATION apart from the INSIDE. maybe its time for OZZY and SHARON to do more than his fair share and UNIFY the LOST METAL TRIBES once again. or not. they've already done enough quite honestly. embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the many METAL BANDS that have played OZZFEST. enjoy!
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photo & text by nacrowe
in high school i got into DEVO and in college i discovered KRAFTWERK. for whatever reason, those TWO BANDS that are completely SEPARATE both in terms of AESTHETICS and INTENTION are connected in my IDIOSYNCRATIC, EXPERIENTIAL TRAJECTORY as a MUSIC FAN.
DEVO is very much utilizing FORMAL COMPOSITIONS with highly IRREGULAR ARRANGEMENTS and ELECTRONIC SONIC TEXTURES as a means of jarring its AUDIENCE into an ESCAPIST REALM / MINDSET that is meant as a PARODY of CONTEMPORARY CONSUMER CULTURE and CAPITALISM more broadly via its likewise FABRICATED WORLD of TELEVISED ADVERTISING. they were very much a heady ARTISTIC, MULTI-MEDIA RESPONSE to an apparent DOMINATING, ALL-CONSUMING corporate takeover of most ASPECTS of AMERICAN LIFE, a PERSPECTIVE that has only grown evermore PRESCIENT in the decades that have followed. KRAFTWERK on the other hand was part of a GENERATION of GERMAN MUSICIANS that sought to create a NEW CULTURAL "YEAR ZERO" that took no CUES or INSPIRATION from what came before, as such led to the rise of FASCISM and the THIRD REICH ultimately. so no VEILED REFERENCES to FOLK TRADITIONS or CELEBRATED GERMAN CLASSICAL COMPOSERS like BEETHOVEN, BRAMS, SCHUMANN, STRAUSS, HANDEL, MENDELSSON or especially WAGNER, nor RELATED AUSTRIAN COMPOSERS such as MOZART, BRUCKNER, SCHOENBERG, HAYDN, SCHUBERT or MAHLER. so the utilization of SYNTHESIZERS, SEQUENCERS and the like was a means of politically drawing a line in the sand and establishing a NEW PARADIGM moving forward. that sort of FOCUSED INTENTION based on SOCIO-HISTORICAL CONCERNS of liberation from a tainted past is what makes KRAFTWERK and their KRAUTROCK PEERS so COMPELLING. and an entirely DIFFERENT ANIMAL from DEVO, whose SENDUPS of AMERICAN CORPORATE CONSUMER CULTURE was a PRODUCT of a DIFFERENT ERA, having came out more than half a decade later. what makes THE MAN-MACHINE (KLING KLANG, 1978) ALBUM such an INTERESTING listen is how despite its CONSCIOUS DESIGN as MUSIC devoid of the HUMAN ELEMENT, such is still in spite of itself quite EMOTIVE and even MELANCHOLIC in DELIVERY. in terms of LYRICS, the RECORD outright references MODERN SCIENCE FICTION LITERARY TROPES based around TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES and openly questions the embedded UTOPIAN IDEALS associated with such. specifically i am speaking of TRACKS like "SPACELAB," "THE ROBOTS," "THE MAN MACHINE" and "METROPOLIS" that are concerned with ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SPACE COLONIZATION and a FUTURE WORLD of TECHNOLOGICAL WONDER that renders HUMANS OBSOLETE and ripe for EXPLOITATION. i always find it INTRIGUING how the VISUALS associated with THE MAN-MACHINE make EXPLICIT REFERENCE to the pre-NAZI period of the UFA (and LEGENDARY FILM DIRECTORS like FRITZ LANG), the REVERED GERMAN MOTION-PICTURE PRODUCTION COMPANY. in a SONG like "THE MODEL," you get a BITTER sense of ROMANTIC ISOLATION that it is DIFFICULT to discern if such is from a SYNTHETIC or ORGANIC PERSPECTIVE, a ROBOT or a HUMAN or perhaps more fascinatingly, something in between. maybe MACHINES do have an EMOTIONAL CAPACITY, since they are but an EXTENSION of US. in the CURRENT AGE of GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, this line of INQUIRY and EXPLORATION is still beyond PRESCIENT and RELEVANT to our CONTENTIOUS LIVED EXPERIENCE coming to terms with a TECHNOLOGY (much like NUCLEAR WARFARE, CLOUD COMPUTING and SOCIAL NETWORKS beforehand) that is beyond our COLLECTIVE CAPACITY to effectively rationalize and CONTROL. THE MAN-MACHINE along with COMPUTER WORLD (KLING KLANG, 1981) and AUTOBAHN (PHILIPS, 1974), i find myself constantly returning to the CATALOGUE of KRAFTWERK for AURAL INSPIRATION. the EXECUTION of their VISION is UNMATCHED and wholly its own thing, which has INSPIRED EVERYONE from APHEX TWIN, BIG BLACK, DAFT PUNK and U2 to RAMMSTEIN, DEPECHE MODE, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, NEW ORDER and DAVID BOWIE. required listening in my opinion. photo & text by nacrowe
much as SOUND CITY (ROSWELL FILMS, 2013) was a CLOSE EXAMINATION of the ANALOG RECORDING PROCESS as a FOUNDATIONAL, EQUALIZING EXPERIENCE for MUSICIANS , the more RECENT WHAT DRIVES US (ROSWELL FILMS, 2021) is a COMPANION DOCUMENTARY that similarly finds DIRECTOR and FOO FIGHTERS FRONTMAN DAVE GROHL investigating the TOURING EXPERIENCE as a BEDROCK PURSUIT that both galvanizes and connects all WORKING MUSICIANS regardless of GENRE or STATUS. as HENRY ROLLINS of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK ICONS BLACK FLAG made FAMOUS with his GET IN THE VAN: ON THE ROAD WITH BLACK FLAG (2.13.61, 1994) MEMOIR, the EXPERIENCE of TOURING endlessly throughout the country in a CONGESTED, OVERLOADED, FAR-TOO-INTIMATE PASSENGER VAN of some VARIETY was a VERITABLE RIGHT OF PASSAGE. it is an ARDUOUS yet REWARDING PROCESS that all SUCCESSFUL MUSICIANS from a pre-internet age, until recently, went through at some PHASE in their CAREER and connects EVERYONE from U2 to AC/DC, SLAYER to DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG to THE BEATLES.
and GROHL makes that INTERCONNECTION between GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS intimately CLEAR as day with what has to be one of the most ECLECTIC and beyond IMPRESSIVE INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT LIST i have ever witnessed, including all THEN-CURRENT MEMBERS of the FOO FIGHTERS, BRIAN JOHNSON (AC/DC), THE EDGE (U2), FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), ANNIE CLARK (ST. VINCENT), PETE STAHL (SCREAM), IAN MACKAYE (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI), EXENE CERVENKA (X), STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH), DAVE LOMABARDO (SLAYER), D.H. PELIGRO (DEAD KENNEDYS), BEN HARPER, SLASH & DUFF MCKAGAN (GUNS N ROSES), KIRA ROESSLER (BLACK FLAG), TONY KANAL (NO DOUBT), CHARLIE GABRIEL (PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND), JENNIFER FINCH (L7) and MIKE WATT (MINUTEMEN) as well as MEMBERS of EMERGING BANDS RADKEY and STARCRAWLER and even RINGO STARR (THE BEATLES). yes, he even got a freakin' BEATLE to talk about the CRUCIAL ETIQUETTE of admitting when one has farted in the VAN to avoid DISCONTENT and ARGUMENTS therein. GREAT STUFF. but the CENTRAL QUESTION is why? why leave literally EVERYTHING behind? and why bother with all that HEADACHE and UNCERTAINTY. WHAT DRIVES US seems to argue that the ANSWER lies in BOTH. you RECORD and put out a PRODUCT (maybe) and then take the SHOW on the road as a PROVING GROUND of sorts. putting your CREATIVE EFFORTS into action and possibly experienced that EUPHORIC MOMENT of having a genuine RECIPROCATED REACTION from a PAYING AUDIENCE. the TOURING EXPERIENCE completes that CYCLE and is at the very essence of what it means to be a MUSICIAN. its probably the same REASON SAILORS for centuries took to the UNKNOWN, with its INHERENT PHYSICAL and FINANCIAL RISKS, in search of GLORY. pre-FILE SHARING and STREAMING was the IDEA that TOURING supported ALBUM SALES, but such EXPECTATIONS have been completely INVERTED for the past two decades whereby NEW RELEASES are an EASY EXCUSE to TOUR as extensively as possible and hopefully make a PROFIT to live off of in the PROCESS. that is the DREAM at least. it seemed before that there were a few TRAJECTORIES at play. first, you stayed at the VAN-level of TOURING your ENTIRE CAREER, which is undoubtedly the vast majority of MUSICIANS. the next is that you rise to a somewhat COMFORTABLE LEVEL of TOURING with LONGEVITY right above the VAN-level, which is the case with MIKE WATT or X for example. thereafter there is the ladder of COMFORT up to SHARED BUSES and SEPARATE BUSES and the like for massively PROFITABLE TOURING OUTFITS like NO DOUBT, GUNS N' ROSES, U2, METALLICA or AEROSMITH. WHAT DRIVES US interestingly makes the COGENT POINT that no NEW ACTS in the past twenty years have reached that TOP-LEVEL , ELITE STRATA, instead being somewhere in that decidedly more MODEST, MIDDLE GROUND. at least before in THEORY there was the NOTION that TOURING in a VAN might lead somewhere. now not so much. which is why i felt the most IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVES in the FILM were that of EMERGING BANDS in RADKEY and STARCRAWLER, who both see TOURING devoid of CREATURE COMFORTS for months on end in IDEALISTIC TERMS. the DIY-level TOURING EXPERIENCE is a means of proving their INTENT and their CRAFT to the MASSES. in spite of their being more DIGITAL COMPETITION in the ENTERTAINMENT SPACE, the almost ELEMENTAL, VISCERAL EXPERIENCE from both the PERFORMER and AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE cannot be replicated online or shared in a file. it is an ELUSIVE once-in-a-lifetime MOMENT that has the POTENTIAL to change lives. those two young BANDS seem to be TRUE BELIEVERS no doubt. and that is the OBJECTIVE and the payoff. and the REASON to leave home and TOUR despite all the OBSTACLES, CHALLENGES and off-stage BULLSHIT. it is a BELIEF in the POWER of the MUSIC itself. BOOK REVIEW | "CATCHING THE BIG FISH: MEDITATION, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND CREATIVITY" BY DAVID LYNCH10/28/2024 photo & text by nacrowe
i was introduced to TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION more than a decade ago when i was working as a TEACHER in VENEZUELA. it was my second year there and the SCHOOL was basically IMPLODING. the ADMINISTRATION and the other EDUCATORS didnt see eye to eye and the WHOLE THING was a HUGE MESS. as an OLIVE BRANCH or FACE-SAVING MEASURE, the SUPERINTENDENT at the time invited in MEMBERS of the DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION to instruct the whole FACULTY over a weekend in TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION. it didnt work in terms of the SCHOOL, as SEVERAL TEACHERS subsequently QUIT in very short order, but as an INTRODUCTION to the world of MEDITATION it was FRUITFUL for me as i was shortly about to depart for JAPAN and utilized the TRAINING as an entry point to the ZAZEN SESSIONS i later EXPERIENCED at ZEN BUDDHIST TEMPLES.
so that is where i am coming from when i plainly state that CATCHING THE BIG FISH: MEDITATION, CONSCIOUSNESS AND CREATIVITY (TARCHER, 2006) is in essence DAVID LYNCH's intensely PERSONAL EXAMINATION and EXPLANATION of the many BENEFITS of TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION and how such is involved in his CREATIVE PROCESS as a PAINTER and FILM DIRECTOR. in this form of MEDITATION a WORD is provided that is REPEATED in SILENCE as a MANTRA that over a PERIOD induces an ALTERED CONSCIOUS STATE that effectively allows the USER to disassociate from their WAKING MENTAL STATE filled with PEDESTRIAN WORRIES, TASKS, PREOCCUPATIONS, DISAPPOINTMENTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, COMMITMENTS and so on. for a TEMPORARY PERIOD you are just BEING IN THE MOMENT, emotionally and psychologically SETTLED and ALIVE. LYNCH attests that such a STATE is an APT VEHICLE for expanding and exploring one's DEEP WELL OF CONSCIOUSNESS and that through DISCIPLINE and ROUTINE PRACTICE one can garner the ABILITY to make more IMPACTFUL CONNECTIONS and access BIGGER IDEAS. since you are not being IMPRINTED by the UNHELPFUL FILTER of NEGATIVE EMOTIONS and FEELINGS of SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, rather you are acting and reacting with a sense of PURITY. one can see how this EXPANDED CAPACITY may be DESIRABLE for a CREATIVE like LYNCH, who sees CREATIVITY as an ITERATIVE PROCESS that reveals itself over time, one DECISION at a time. each CHOICE thus sets a CONDITION that further DECISIONS are a RESPONSE with or against all the way down the line. this is how LYNCH views his PAINTINGS to function, as well as with his FILMS and their many INTERCONNECTED DECISIONS regarding everything from CASTING, LIGHTING, DIALOGUE, PLOT, SET DESIGN, et al. in his ESTIMATION, if one is in the RIGHT MENTAL STATE than they are chasing an IDEA with a FOCUS UNMOLESTED by OUTSIDE, IRRELEVANT INTERESTS. MEDITATION for him is a VEHICLE to maintain that sense of PURITY and EXPANDED CAPACITY to being open to NOVEL IDEAS, not unlike catching fish in an ocean. in this MANNER, all DECISIONS are done with PURE INTENTION and thus are definitively CORRECT, irregardless of OUTSIDE INDUSTRIAL or COMMERCIAL CONCERNS that OTHERS may hold as IMPORTANT. it is an INTRIGUING WAY to consider the CREATIVE PROCESS and how one maintains a VISION despite the OUTSIZED INFLUENCE of the world of BUSINESS INTERESTS, especially of the CORPORATE VARIETY. how REASONABLE or QUIXOTIC a vision i cannot make a CLEAR, DISCERNING JUDGEMENT because the PROOF is in the pudding as LYNCH is one of the most CELEBRATED living FILM DIRECTORS RENOWNED for FILMS like ERASERHEAD (LIBRA, 1977), BLUE VELVET (DE LAURENTIIS, 1986), THE ELEPHANT MAN (PARAMOUNT, 1980), LOST HIGHWAY (OCTOBER, 1997), MULHOLLAND DRIVE (UNIVERSAL, 2001), and the TRANSFORMATIONAL TELEVISION SERIES TWIN PEAKS (ABC, 1990-1991). DUDE must have done SOMETHING RIGHT along the way. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
seems like just about everyone has a PODCAST these days.
add to the list one JOEL MADDEN, VOCALIST of 2000s MARYLAND POP PUNK ICONS GOOD CHARLOTTE and ALL-AROUND LOS ANGELES SCENESTER. his PODCAST ARTIST FRIENDLY WITH JOEL MADDEN is a one-one-one EXTENDED CONVERSATION / INTERVIEW FORMAT where MADDEN basically reconnects with FRIENDS from the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY over the years, whether they be from METAL, ALTERNATIVE ROCK or HIP HOP COMMUNITIES, or even other WORLDS like COMEDY and FILM. it is never in doubt how WELL-CONNECTED and LIKED MADDEN is regarding his GUESTS, but what stands out to me about this PODCAST is not the IMPRESSIVE CATALOGUE of PAST INTERVIEWEES, which include BRANDON BOYD & MARK EINZIGER (INCUBUS), LIL WAYNE, VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE (INSANE CLOWN POSSE), RAFA (PRAYERS), CLAUDIO SANCHEZ (COHEED & CAMBRIA), MORGAN LANDER (KITTIE), PETE WENTZ (FALL OUT BOY), JACOBY SHADDIX (PAPA ROACH), MIKE HERRERA (MXPX) and so on, but rather how BANAL, INARTICULATE, UNINQUISITIVE, UNINFORMED and just laughably SELF-REFERENTIAL MADDEN is as an INTERLOCUTOR. it is SHOCKING how POOR of an INTERVIEWER he is. no matter the QUESTION, it all seems to be about him. he just comes off as being particularly NARCISSISTIC, INARTICULATE and UNCURIOUS INDIVIDUAL who maybe sees this PODCAST as a means of generating ATTENTION as his music career has SLOWED-DOWN considerably throughout the years. i routinely leave these CONVERSATIONS with a LIMITED UNDERSTANDING of COMPELLING novel INFORMATION unlike the music-related NO DOGS IN SPACE PODCAST, the SST RECORDS-centric YOU DON'T KNOW MOJACK PODCAST, the DISCHORD RECORDS-centric END ON END PODCAST or MADDEN's own PUNK ROCK PEERS in FAT MIKE (NOFX) and his FAT MIKE's FAT MIC PODCAST, DAMIAN ABRAHAM (FUCKED UP) and his TURNED OUT A PUNK PODCAST or MIKE HERRERA (MXPX) and his NAMESAKE THE MIKE HERRERA PODCAST. there are just so many BETTER OPTIONS with PREPARED, KNOWLEDGABLE and INTELLIGIBLE HOSTS that seem emotionally and intellectually ENGAGED in the TOPIC. i just get the sense from MADDEN that he is just coasting and riding on VIBES with these INTERVIEWS, or worse, using these other ARTISTS to prop up his PUBLIC PROFILE. which oddly feels FITTING for his IMAGE as a hopelessly MEDIOCRE FRONTMAN who once sought further CELEBRITY in the HOLLYWOOD party scene two decades ago. this PODCAST the WOULD-BE VEHICLE to CULTURAL RELEVANCY. i am fairly OPEN-MINDED and will watch or listen to almost anything once, and even i was wondering why i was listening to this after a while. just painfully TERRIBLE STUFF not worth revisiting outside of PRIOR INTEREST in a PARTICULAR GUEST. photo & text by nacrowe
SIDE PROJECTS from KEY MEMBERS of PROMINENT BANDS are always a FASCINATING VEHICLE to parse through as a MUSIC FAN. one sometimes wonders what CREATIVE WEIGHT is being pulled in that seemingly MAGICAL ALCHEMY of VOICES that make-up TRANSCENDENT RECORDS. at least i know i do. such is why the many 1990s ALTERNATIVE ROCK GROUPS associated with MEMBERS of JANE'S ADDICTION (PORNO FOR PYROS, BANYAN, DECONSTRUCTION, THE PANIC CHANNEL and POLAR BEAR), NIRVANA (including SWEET 75, FOO FIGHTERS, EYES ADRIFT and 3RD SECRET), QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (including THEM CROOKED VULTURES, MONDO GENERATOR, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL), PEARL JAM (including MAD SEASON, HOVERCRAFT, THE ROCKFORDS) and BLUR (GORILLAZ, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE QUEEN, THE WAEVE, ROCKET JUICE & THE MOON, THE JADED HEARTS CLUB) are so INTRIGUING. they reveal another wrinkle about the ARTISTRY and CREATIVE SPARK of each PARTICIPATING MEMBER.
and THE RENTALS, which was initially a DECIDEDLY NEW WAVE / POWER POP SIDE PROJECT / SONGWRITING VEHICLE for WEEZER BASSIST MATT SHARP, showcases such TALENT in doves on his DEBUT RETURN OF THE RENTALS (REPRISE, 1995) ALBUM. in hindsight, given his EVENTUAL DEPARTURE from WEEZER and his LEGACY as the other MAJOR SONGWRITING TALENT in that BAND, it should be NOTED that while THE RENTALS was conceived and executed he was still very much a MEMBER of the GROUP between their ICONIC SELF-TITLED WEEZER (DGC, 1996) and PINKERTON (DGC, 1996) RECORDINGS, which so happen to mark his SOLE CONTRIBUTIONS to their DISCOGRAPHY. longtime FOUNDING WEEZER DRUMMER PAT WILSON even contributes PERCUSSION to RETURN OF THE RENTALS. given that those first two STORIED RECORDINGS are so intensely cherished and beloved by SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS of ALTERNATIVE ROCK fans the world over, eclipsing their SUBSEQUENT decades of releases, such makes RETURN OF THE RENTALS an INTERESTING HISTORICAL DOCUMENT beyond its own MERITS as a GREAT POP RECORD. i think WELL-INTENTIONED but definitely OVER-ZEALOUS WEEZER DEVOTEES over-analyze such for hints at what was to come. not that i care, but i just wanted to state and establish such as an OBVIOUS FACT for the UNINITIATED. in contrast to WEEZER's MELODIC and markedly less AGGRO NEW WAVE-inspired INTERPRETATION of ALTERNATIVE ROCK, RETURN OF THE RENTALS has a more RETRO SYNTH-dominated TRADITIONAL POP SOUND that recalls NOTEWORTHY 80s ACTS like THE CARS and BLONDIE. this NOSTALGIC SONIC AETHETIC is most effectively heard on TRACKS like "PLEASE LET THAT BE YOU," "WAITING," "THE LOVE I'M SEARCHING FOR," "MY SUMMER GIRL" and "FRIENDS OF P." the 90s was an INTERESTING TIME when consciously POST-MODERN acts like BJORK, TRICKY and BECK juxtaposed SONIC TEXTURES, INSTRUMENTATION, PRODUCTION STYLES, TEMPOS and GENRES at will. THE RENTALS was not a part of that EXPERIMENTAL LINEAGE in my opinion as this particular SOUND was not a PASSING INTEREST for SHARP but an AUTHENTIC EXPRESSION as SUBSEQUENT RELEASES will attest. on RETURN OF THE RENTALS, another NOTABLE DEPARTURE from the SOUND of WEEZER is the almost EXCLUSIVE use of FEMALE BACKING VOCALS. this is INTERESTING because a MAJOR ELEMENT of the ORIGINAL SOUND from the FIRST ITERATION of WEEZER was SHARP's UNIQUE FALSETTO BACKING VOCALS which have not been replicated to any MEANINGFUL level of SATISFACTION in the intervening years since. that he would not carry such a TALENT over to this PROJECT is an INTRIGUING CREATIVE DECISION. is a gem of a 90s POP RECORD that is well worth investigating, irrespective of your INTEREST LEVEL in WEEZER or ALTERNATIVE ROCK. although if you come at it from that direction, as i have, in brings along with it a TANTALIZING what-could-have-been CAREER TRAJECTORY of AMAZING SOUNDS that never made it into a WEEZER RECORDING. that probably should have been. one can only DREAM. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
my INTRODUCTION to JPOP BANDS was largely through my experience teaching in JAPAN for a year nearly a decade ago now. while the TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP and PRODUCTION QUALITY was usually quite SUPERB regarding their ROCK N ROLL ACTS, there always seemed to be something to be desired in the OUTCOME. sorry to say it INEVITABLE came off a bit SOULLESS and MANUFACTURED. and i dont believe the LANGUAGE BARRIER is necessarily to blame for such as ive been exposed to COUNTLESS PERUVIAN, SENEGALESE, THAI, GERMAN, FRENCH, NIGERIAN and COLOMBIAN GROUPS over the years that have been able to effectively translate that UNIQUE SPONTANEITY and COMMANDING ENERGY that all GREAT MUSIC has despite speaking in a FOREIGN non-ENGLISH TONGUE.
recently i came across the KOBE-based W.O.D. who has a VARIED SOUND that straddles the SONIC BORDERS between DOWN-AND-DIRTY, FUZZED-OUT GARAGE ROCK and the EXPANSIVE SOUNDSCAPES of PSYCH ROCK. very COOL STUFF that is delivered with PRESENCE, PERSONALITY and a VITAL SENSE of URGENCY. one of the better STRAIGHT-UP JAPANESE ROCK BANDS i have come across in a long time and absolutely RECOMMENDED listening for fans (and critics) of the JPOP UNIVERSE.
parody & text by nacrowe
without doubt, DEATH GRIPS is the most EXCITING GROUP to come out in the past two decades. the only other EMERGING BAND ive found myself nearly this INFATUATED with during that same period is DRAB MAJESTY, which is a completely DIFFERENT VIBE, more DOWN-TEMPO and MOODY to DEATH GRIP's UNBRIDLED SONIC EXPERIMENTS and DYNAMIC, BIT-CRUSHING, FIST-BUMPING, GENRE-OBLITERATING AURAL TERRORISM.
when i even consider LIKE-MINDED BANDS from the past, all i can think about are NO WAVE INNOVATORS like SWANS and BUSH TETRAS as well as LOU REED's deliberately ANTI-COMMERCIAL METAL MACHINE MUSIC (RCA, 1975) release the spurred on later EARLY INDUSTRIAL ACTS such as THROBBING GRISTLE and EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN. its all that plus CONFRONTATIONAL / NIHILISTIC HIP HOP with a POLITICAL EDGE a la PUBLIC ENEMY or DEAD PREZ at their most INCENDIARY. that is to say that DEATH GRIPS is a wildly INNOVATIVE BAND with no real PRECEDENT and anything you can point to as a POSSIBLE REFERENCE POINT is likewise beyond GNARLY, EXPERIMENTAL and BADASS. the SACRAMENTO-based TRIO is made up of ZACH HILL, arguably the GREATEST DRUMMER of this (or maybe even any) GENERATION, KEYBOARDIST ANDY MORIN and VOCALIST STEFAN BURNETT, a.k.a. MC RIDE. on TRACKS like "GUILLOTINE (IT GOES YAH)," "KNOWN FOR IT," "THE FEVER (AYE AYE)," "GET GOT," and "NO LOVE" the BAND just seams to completely revel in SONICALLY ASSAULTING its AUDIENCE with UNREPENTANT DISSONANCE and WHITE NOISE while surreptitiously embedding, however SUBTERRANEAN, a PALPABLE sense of MELODY. its just INSANE that SOMETHING so POWERFUL and outright CONFRONTATIONAL and COMPLEX on a SONIC LEVEL maintains any semblance of STRUCTURE and MELODIC COHESION enough to manually tap or head-bop a RECOGNIZABLE BEAT to. its an INTRIGUING DYNAMIC that is quite the ACHIEVEMENT and sounds in its entirety like NOTHING i can immediately point out. its a ONE-OF-ONE SITUATION. likewise the corresponding TRANSGRESSIVE ARTWORK is just as ABSTRACT and tangentially RELATED to the MUSIC. what it provides is a VIBE and a CREATIVE ASSERTION that what you are about to EXPERIENCE is not for the faint of heart. after an unremarkable year living in the suburbs of SACRAMENTO my senior year of high school back in the day, i was absolutely convinced that NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE (besides DEFTONES) would ever come from that CULTURAL BACKWATER. it was just too CONSERVATIVE and BORING. decades later CHELSEA WOLFE, HELLA (featuring ZACH HILL), TERA MELOS and DEATH GRIPS have proved me WRONG MULTIPLE TIMES over. obviously i was gravely MISTAKEN. regardless, DEATH GRIPS is an EXPERIENCE. definitely check them out, especially their DEBUT ALBUM THE MONEY STORE (EPIC, 2012) as well as their previous SELF-RELEASED MIXTAPE EXMILITARY (2011). you will not be disappointed. photo & text by nacrowe
FOLLOW THE LEADER (EPIC, 1998) was an ABSOLUTE GAME-CHANGER of an ALBUM. the BAKERSFIELD-based ALTERNATIVE METAL BAND KORN up until this third album were a bit of a DERIVATIVE MR. BUNGLE act whose UNDERCOOKED SOUND on their two previous EFFORTS, KORN (EPIC, 1994) and LIFE IS PEACHY (EPIC, 1996) - both produced by ROSS ROBINSON (SEPULTURA, GLASSJAW, SLIPKNOT, AT THE DRIVE-IN) - seemed more about TRANSGRESSIVE LYRICAL CONTENT, an OVERLY-DRAMATIC PANTING SINGING STYLE and a seemingly UNPOLISHED and highly IMPROVISATIONAL SONGWRITING AESTHETIC.
my initial introduction to KORN was during my middle school years in NIGERIA through a CLASSMATE from LEBANON and those first two ALBUMS were a VERITABLE SOUNDTRACK to living abroad for the first time in what was undoubtedly a highly VOLATILE environment under a particularly DEVASTATING military dictatorship. in other words, KORN fit that VIBE well with their aggressively FUNK RHYTHMS and unambiguously CONFRONTATIONAL LYRICS regarding RETRIBUTION from the PERSPECTIVE of the VICTIMIZED and UNDER-APPRECIATED. the SONIC and LYRICAL AESTHETIC of those INITIAL RECORDED EFFORTS captured lightning in a bottle in terms of VIBE and ENERGY. but conversely they always felt a little HAPHAZARD and OFF-THE-CUFF, which is something that was addressed on FOLLOW THE LEADER. my sense is that FOLLOW THE LEADER was their first MATURE EFFORT as a BAND fully in COMMAND of their COLLECTIVE VOICE. the PRODUCTION was BEEFIER and more DIRECT while maintaining an EXPERIMENTAL EDGE utilizing to GREAT EFFECT EERY and ODD MODULATING EFFECTS ping-ponging between GUITARISTS BRIAN 'HEAD' WELCH and JAMES 'MUNKY' SHAFFER's DUAL GUITAR ATTACK. part of this is due to the ENGINEERING WORK of TOBY WRIGHT, RENOWNED for his PRODUCTION with ALICE IN CHAINS, FEAR FACTORY and SEVENDUST and among OTHERS, and the result is that the guitars are absolutely MASSIVE and CRUSHING on particularly STANDOUT TRACKS like "FREAK ON A LEASH," "IT'S ON!," "MY GIFT TO YOU," "GOT THE LIFE" and especially "DEAD BODIES EVERYWHERE." FIELDY's BASS GUITAR, always more of a PERCUSSIVE ELEMENT than a MELODIC one on PREVIOUS RELEASES, here maintains that line but does deviate into more INTERESTING (and ironically TRADITIONAL) territory on "RECLAIM MY PLACE" and "CAMELTOSIS" where it covertly propels the MELODY along. but where this ALBUM really SHINES is in the TRANSFORMATION of VOCALIST JONATHAN DAVIS who tempers back his distinctively IDIOSYNCRATIC and HISTRIONIC SINGING STYLE a bit and provides a more DIRECT and EFFECTIVE LINE OF COMMUNICATION to his AUDIENCE. in middle school DAVIS was almost an AVATAR of BLIND RAGE and FRUSTRATION whose PERSONAL DEMONS were so ALL-CONSUMING that they devoured his ability to effectively verbalize those INTENSE EMOTIONS in any COGENT MANNER. on FOLLOW THE LEADER, which is KORN's post-FAME RECORD for all intents and purposes, DAVIS directs such BILE at the HOLLOWNESS of SUCCESS and CELEBRITY CULTURE ("GOT THE LIFE") as well as the walking all-out FREAK SHOW that being part of that COMMUNITY entails ("FREAK ON A LEASH"). that is not to say that it is all DISMAL and SELF-DEFEATING as their is some HUMOR involved with shoutouts and features with their PEERS and TOUR MATES in LIMP BIZKIT and ICE CUBE and a COLLABORATIVE REIMAGINING of "EARACHE MY EYE" with none other than CHEECH MARIN HIMSELF. FOLLOW THE LEADER came out during my freshman year of high school and it felt REFRESHING and COHESIVE relative to their PREVIOUS OUTPUT, as well as the litany of BANDS that followed suit in the years since their 1994 DEBUT. in terms of the SO-CALLED NU METAL MOVEMENT, the only other NOTABLE RELEASE that reached this level of IMPACT and INFLUENCE was the PHENOMENAL LINKIN PARK DEBUT ALBUM HYBRID THEORY (). in my ESTIMATION, those are the two HIGH-WATER MARKS of the GENRE. it felt like KORN were onto something SPECIAL and the years since have provided further EVIDENCE of such given their INFLUENCE over other SEMINAL ACTS in SYSTEM OF A DOWN, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, SLIPKNOT, EMMURE and BRING ME THE HORIZON, all HYBRID GROUPS that juxtapose GENRE ELEMENTS to GREAT EFFECT. as for KORN, FOLLOW THE LEADER also marks their COMMERCIAL and ARTISTIC PEAK as SUBSEQUENT RELEASES have mostly sought to recreate FRUITLESSLY the UNIQUE MAGIC of this RECORD with DIMINISHING RETURNS. definitely an ESSENTIAL RECORD by a CONSEQUENTIAL BAND worth revisiting again and again. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
watching the recent RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY ALL UP IN THE BIZ (MASS APPEAL, 2023) about the LIFE and CAREER of the LATE LONG ISLAND RAPPER BIZ MARKIE is a veritable CULTURAL HISTORY of the EMERGENCE of HIP HOP with many PROMINENT early LUMINARIES paying homage in the process. given that he was such an INTER-GENERATIONALLY BELOVED FIGURE whose IMPACT far exceeded his IMPRINT on the GENRE, which is CONSIDERABLE, his EARLY DEATH at 57 in a BALTIMORE hospital during the COVID era was COMPLETELY SHOCKING. his PASSING followed a lengthy hospital stint that originated with a STROKE followed shortly thereafter by a DIABETIC COMA.
much of his LEGACY revolves around his CHARACTER. always a PRANKSTER and always up for a GOOD TIME. his REAL-LIFE was quite DARK with his MOTHER PASSING AWAY at an early age and a FATHER that put him up in the FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. much of his CHARACTERISTIC HUMOR and LEGENDARY WILD ASIDES was a means of DISTRACTION from feelings of NOT BELONGING and DIMINISHED SELF-WORTH. being POOR and BLACK on LONG ISLAND was a STRUGGLE (BIZ having been born in HARLEM) and his METHOD of relieving TENSION and addressing ADVERSITY was a contagiously FLAMBOYANT and completely DISARMING SENSE of HUMOR. you dont get the SENSE that such was a COMPLETE ACT since BIZ seemed preternaturally PREDISPOSED to bouts of DEEP EMPATHY and COMPASSION, but there is a PERFORMATIVE ASPECT such nonetheless and its COMPELLING that such followed him through his ENTIRE LIFE, in and out of the SPOTLIGHT. what is also INTRIGUING is how he shared the ATTENTION on STAGE, even during the early days of HIP HOP, and helped get TALENTED and fiercely COMPETITIVE ARTISTS he met along the way their FIRST OPPORTUNITIES in the GREATER COMMUNITY. the FILM specifically lists LYRICAL LEGENDS BIG DADDY KANE and RAKIM as such BENEFICIARIES. just on that alone his HIP HOP BONAFIDES are UNTOUCHABLE. the ARTISTS, COLLABORATORS and ADMIRERS that participated and paid HOMAGE to the BIZ include ICONIC PRODUCERS MARLEY MARL and PRINCE PAUL, RAPPERS DARRYL 'DMC' MCDANIELS (RUN-DMC), RAKIM, BIG DADDY KANE, DOUG E. FRESH, ERICK SERMON (EPMD), FAT JOE, DAVE 'TRUGOY THE DOVE' JOLICOEUR & KELVIN 'POSDNUOS' MERCER (DE LA SOUL), DJ JAZZY JEFF, and MASTA ACE, as well as DESIGNERS DAPPER DAN and BENNY THE JEWELER, and COMEDIAN (and PROUD BROOKLYNITE) TRACY MORGAN. and NICK CANNON. i have to admit that in my COMPLETE NAIVETE, i only became aware of the HIP HOP LEGEND in the late 1990s via his INVOLVEMENT with the BEASTIE BOYS' HELLO NASTY (CAPITOL, 1998) RELEASE. it was during his post-CAREER DJ phase when he became more of a BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRODUCER, COLLABORATOR and DJ-for-hire of the HIGHEST ORDER. BIZ was part of a GENERATION of HIP HOP ARTISTS that preceded my own. but instantaneously on record he came off as this TALENTED, GREGARIOUS, LARGER-THAN-LIFE FIGURE who lived for HIP HOP. and to me that CRAZY, CONTAGIOUS ENERGY is the DEFINING TRAIT of the LATE, GREAT BIZ MARKIE. INDUSTRY PEOPLE call him the "CLOWN PRINCE of HIP HOP" but i feel like he opened the doors for a WHOLE COHORT of IDIOSYNCRATIC LYRICISTS to find their way and be accepted as EQUALS in the GENRE, and from the outset. i am talking about PECULIAR INDIVIDUALISTIC ARTISTS like OL' DIRTY BASTARD, ANDRE 3000, KOOL KEITH, TYLER THE CREATOR and DANNY BROWN. BIZ created that LANE. never mind the fact that THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, NAS, WU-TANG CLAN, JAY-Z, DE LA SOUL and BEASTIE BOYS all are on record as having let know their ABUNDANT PRAISE. dude was a SELFLESS INDIVIDUAL that wanted to make sure EVERYONE around him was ENJOYING THEMSELVES, even when LIFE was NOT PLEASANT or FAIR. to me that sense of COMPASSION, EMPATHY and LOVE was his REAL GIFT to the WORLD and will undoubtedly be his LASTING LEGACY. in a GENRE that seemingly seeks out and consciously profits of of the ELEVATION of TIRED TROPES around NEEDLESS CONFLICT and lionizing TOXIC MASCULINITY, BIZ MARKIE stood as a RESPECTED ELDER STATESMAN that seemingly EVERYONE could agree on and believe in. photo & text by nacrowe
i had an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE of a time TEACHING ANTIGONE, one of the three THEBAN PLAYS attributed to the ANCIENT GREEK TRAGEDIAN SOPHOCLES in the LATE 5TH CENTURE BCE, during my BRIEF TENURE TEACHING at my former high school in KUWAIT. part of this was STRUCTURAL since i was supposed to WORK from LESSON PLANS and utilize FORMAL ASSESSMENTS provided by two SENIOR TEACHERS. that never happened as i was never given such, for what REASON i still havent the FOGGIEST.
but that wasnt the WORST of it. in essence i was supposed to TEACH a TEXT that was inherently about the CONCEPT of FATE versus FREE WILL in a CULTURE that disregarded outright and even FORBADE such talk. over there it was always some VERSION of the REFRAIN "if ALLAH wills it, such will be done" that permanently parked the CONVERSATION firmly in the FATE corner. and then there was the CENTRAL PLOT TRAJECTORY that in essence revolved around INCEST. so there i was, in a country that FORBADE DISCUSSION of, much less ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, of the whole ARGUMENT of FREE WILL and then i was supposed to TEACH ANTIGONE without mentioning the FACT that the MAIN CHARACTER decides to GOUGE HIS EYES OUT due to learning that he unknowingly KILLED HIS FATHER and PROCREATED MULTIPLE TIMES WITH HIS OWN MOTHER. without question it was the WORST EXPERIENCE of my TEACHING CAREER, with NO SUPPORT from my SUPERIORS and a TEXT that was wildly INAPPROPRIATE, INCOMPATIBLE and strikingly OUT-OF-POCKET for the INTELLECTUAL FRAMEWORK and CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT i was WORKING within. i was UNQUESTIONABLY set up for FAILURE is how i look back at it well past a decade later. i still shake my head and wonder what was the point of teaching ANTIGONE in KUWAIT if you cant address it on its own terms? just choose another TEXT. i first read ANTIGONE back during my sophomore year of high school (in the UNITED STATES) and aside from its more outright TRANSGRESSIVE and DRAMATIC aforementioned PLOT ELEMENTS such as PATRICIDE and INCEST, at its core is a META-NARRATIVE surrounding our INDIVIDUAL CONTROL over our own LIVES. ESSENCE versus EXISTENCE. NATURE versus NURTURE. as individuals are we SELF-MADE and EVER-EVOLVING based on KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE and INTUITION or are all our ACTIONS PREDETERMINED at birth, fixed in stone as part of our NATURAL INHERITANCE. as a TOPIC, such is perennially FRUITFUL for classroom DISCUSSION as STAGGERING modern SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES in GENETICS and our INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING of the HUMAN GENOME has pushed the DEBATE FASCINATINGLY further and further towards regarding what we, in fact, INHERIT and how much of our INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR, PREDILECTIONS and even PERSONALITY is a PREDICTABLE and REPEATABLE OUTCOME based on our GENETIC MAKEUP. i worry about where the UNITED STATES is heading because i fear that the DISCUSSION is due to be CLAMPED DOWN and DISREGARDED soon enough by our own TRUMP-aligned REVANCHIST CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST-influenced EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS that wish to tow a similar NARROW and INTELLECTUALLY STUNTED LINE as i experienced in KUWAIT as both an EDUCATOR and a STUDENT. and that deeply DEPRESSES me. its not like INCEST and PATRICIDE is anything new under the sun, i mean, ANTIGONE is more than 2,400 years old at this point. but that is where we seem to be heading as a SOCIETY i FEAR. regardless of the IMPENDING TRUMPOCALYPSE, too many AMERICANS NATIONWIDE have already adopted this line of THINKING. it feels sadly INEVITABLE. i very much hope im WRONG. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
there is SOMETHING about INTERVIEWS with WESTERN BANDS in FOREIGN COUNTRIES, especially JAPAN and SOUTH KOREA, where a lot of the PRETENSE and BULLSHIT gets dropped. its totally UNDERSTANDABLE given the FICKLE and JADED NATURE of the AMERICAN and BRITISH MUSIC PRESS, where seemingly UNINSPIRED RESPONSES to ROUTINE LOADED QUESTIONS are UNNECESSARILY PICKED APART and OVER-ANALYZED for FALSE GATEKEEPING NARRATIVES regarding SUPPOSED AUTHENTICITY and INTENTIONALITY. that or its a PUBLICATION licking the ARTIST up and down in essence for ACCESS to their AUDIENCE for clicks and ad revenue.
its all a game. that is why its so REFRESHING when you come across SOMETHING like THE QUESTION INTERVIEW SERIES by the ONLINE JAPANESE MUSIC PUBLICATION TURN TV. you can tell that the MUSICIANS are trying to ANSWER their QUESTIONS HONESTLY and with a sense of RESPONSIBILITY, knowing full well that they are REPRESENTATIVES of a MUSICAL COMMUNITY, SCENE and CULTURE that they are in effect introducing and acquainting their JAPANESE FANBASE with. its pretty COOL STUFF and the MUSICIANS INTERVIEWED are PAST and CURRENT INDIE ROCK HEAVY-HITTERS, BANDS like SLOWDIVE, IDLES, JAPANESE BREAKFAST, FONTAINES D.C., WEYES BLOOD, TIM BURGESS (THE CHARLATANS), RIDE and THE LINDA LINDAS. and you can tell the FEELING is MUTUAL, which is always NICE. definitely a FUN (and INFORMATIVE) INTERVIEW SERIES well worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
the IMAGINATIVE, INNOVATIVE and highly IDIOSYNCRATIC GUITAR PLAYING of WES BORLAND is undoubtedly a MAJOR ELEMENT in the CRUSHING yet at times ETHEREAL SOUND of JACKSONVILLE NU METAL OUTFIT LIMP BIZKIT, one which was sorely MISSED when he UNCEREMONIOUSLY DEPARTED the BAND in 2001 after the TOURING CYCLE for their IDIOTICALLY-TITLED CHOCOLATE STARFISH AND THE HOT DOG FLAVORED WATER (INTERSCOPE, 2000) RELEASE. as much as the TALENTED and FORMIDABLE RHYTHM SECTION of DRUMMER JOHN OTTO and BASSIST SAM RIVERS was more than CAPABLE of establishing and maintaining a SOLID GROOVE, in BORLAND's ABSENCE there was a COMPLETE DEARTH of MEMORABLE RIFFS that defined the GROUP's SOUND. such was the case on the MEANDERING, FORGETTABLE and thoroughly SUBPAR RESULTS MAY VARY (INTERSCOPE, 2003) ALBUM with BORLAND REPLACEMENT MIKE SMITH of SNOT.
for his part BORLAND went in FULL PURSUIT of NUMEROUS PROJECTS that all maintained a decidedly EXPERIMENTAL EDGE including BIG DUMB FACE, EAT THE DAY, THE DAMNING WELL and BLACK LIGHT BURNS. along with his BROTHER SCOTT, BIG DUMB FACE is an ONGOING (up to present day) ECCENTRIC, MULTI-GENRE PROJECT in the CONCEPTUALLY ABSURDIST yet highly TECHNICAL VEIN of BANDS like WEEN and PRIMUS. this PROJECT is basically BORLAND's ID run completely amok with no stone left unturned with deliberately CONFOUNDING yet GALVANIZING RESULTS. EAT THE DAY was another more STRAIGHT-AHEAD PROJECT with SCOTT that was designed to replace LIMP BIZKIT as BORLAND's main CREATIVE VEHICLE but despite much TIME, EFFORT and countless FRUITLESS AUDITIONS to secure a COMPETENT VOCALIST, this ELUSIVE PROJECT just never quite panned out. likewise, THE DAMNING WELL was a SUPERGROUP of sorts that also didnt pan out which brought together BORLAND with FILTER SINGER RICHARD PATRICK, NINE INCH NAILS GUITARIST DANNY LOHNER and the UBER-GIFTED A PERFECT CIRCLE / THE VANDALS / DEVO DRUMMER JOSH FREESE. for all intents and purposes, BLACK LIGHT BURNS is an EFFECTIVE SOLO VEHICLE, with BORLAND serving as both frontman and MAIN SONGWRITER with FORMER DAMNING WELL PARTICIPANTS in LOHNER and FREESE, along with PRODUCER ROSS ROBINSON (SEPULTURA, KORN, GLASSJAW, THE CURE, AT THE DRIVE-IN), serving as KEY COLLABORATORS on this decidedly SONICALLY AGGRESSIVE and INDUSTRIAL-indebted BAND. to date BLACK LIGHT BURNS for many FANS is his most musically and artistically REALIZED EXPRESSION to date. so why join LIMP BIZKIT? who knows, but i feel part of it was the TEPID RESPONSE from his FORMER AUDIENCE in terms of RELATIVE RECORD SALES and CONCERT ATTENDANCE. i cannot imagine releasing ART as UNCOMPROMISING and BADASS as the debut CRUEL MELODY (I AM: WOLFPACK, 2007) ALBUM and not have such an IMMEDIATE CULTURAL IMPACT as with more MEDIOCRE EFFORTS with LIMP BIZKIT in the past. all this is to say that when LIMP BIZKIT reunited with BORLAND for THE UNQUESTIONABLE TRUTH (PART I) EP (GEFFEN, 2005), from the jump with the SURPRISE PERFORMANCE MUSIC VIDEO of "THE TRUTH," it was obvious the RIFFS and ENERGY was back tenfold. VOCALIST FRED DURST is still very much a LIABILITY, but the INTERNAL CHEMISRY is definitely there. for whatever reason, be it INTERPERSONAL or ALCHEMICAL, this VERSION the band is where all the MEMBERS realized they needed to be. for BORLAND it must have been such a HEADY EXPERIENCE to come to the REALIZATION that DURST, in spite all of his FLAWS, has SOMETHING that cannot be QUANTIFIED and is likewise a VALUABLE ASSET within the CONTEXT of LIMP BIZKIT. in spite of his efforts to the contrary, a BEGRUDGING RESPECT for the LEGACY of the BAND was put in place that has resulted in two SUBSEQUENT RELEASES in GOLD COBRA (INTERSCOPE, 2011) and STILL SUCKS (SURETONE, 2021) that likewise mine that UNIQUE ARTISTIC JUXTAPOSITION between the VERBALLY PROFANE (and KNUCKLE-DRAGGINGLY DIMWITTED) with the sonically SACRED, ETHEREAL, ANGULAR and BRUTAL AURAL LANDSCAPES of the one SUPREME GUITAR WIZARD in BORLAND. THE UNQUESTIONABLE TRUTH (PART I) is not the DEFINITIVE LIMP BIZKIT RELEASE but is an important TRANSITIONAL ALBUM that found the BAND reconnect and reestablish their MUSICAL CHEMISTRY. such is apparent on "THE TRUTH" and "THE PROPAGANDA" specifically. definitely worth checking out but not ESSENTIAL with regards to their catalogue. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i was going through an UNFORTUNATE PHASE recently where i was FEELING pretty DISGRUNTLED about the CURRENT STATE of HIP HOP and the seeming INANITY of MODERN CULTURE with its SOCIAL MEDIA-indebted EMPHASIS on VAIN SELF-BRANDING, HOLLOW, ATTENTION-SEEKING GIMMICKS and LAME MARKETING SCHEMES as opposed to AUTHENTIC ARTISTRY and some IOTA of HUMILITY. i kept thinking back to MCs from my childhood (i.e. BUSTA RHYMES, JAY-Z, BIG PUN, TUPAC, MADLIB, ANDRE 3000, EMINEM, BLACK THOUGHT, NAS and Q-TIP) that even at their most BRAGGADOCIOUS always seemingly maintained some SEMBLANCE of a RESPECT for the LINEAGE and TRADITION of the ART FORM itself, knowing full well that they were the CONTEMPORARY STEWARDS of such.
i kept trying to think if there was ANYONE more RECENT that i had FORGOTTEN that was firmly in that SAME CULTURAL VEIN. and then it hit me, i remembered those INCREDIBLE mid-to-late 2000s RECORDS by the ENGLISH RAPPER and PRODUCER THE STREETS such as ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL (LOCKED ON, 2002), A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE (LOCKED ON, 2004) and EVERYTHING IS BORROWED (VICE, 2008). what always struck me about the MUSIC of MIKE SKINNER was his VULNERABILITY. even more so than his HYPER-LITERATE RHYME SCHEMES and his identifiably LAIDBACK BRUMMIE FLOW, it always felt like his THE STREETS PERSONA was centered around his CHARACTER-BUILDING RESPONSES to LIFE's SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENTS and FAILURES. things i knew i could relate to like FEELINGS of INADEQUACY related to LOVE, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, FRIENDSHIP and the STRUGGLE to stay EMOTIONALLY AFLOAT. when i devoured those EARLY RECORDS during my undergraduate and post-collegiate years, such OPEN DISCUSSION of REAL STRUGGLES hit me as unquestionably AUTHENTIC and even COURAGEOUS, as most MCs are more optimistically (and understandably) FOCUSED on the COME-UP then the INEVITABLE COME-DOWN. remembering of those RECORDS made me go back and revisit his CATALOGUE as well as appreciate more RECENT QUALITY OUTPUT in NONE OF US ARE GETTING OUT OF THIS LIFE... (ISLAND, 2020) and THE DARKER THE SHADOW THE BRIGHTER THE LIGHT (679, 2023). all this to say that THE STREETS is definitely worth checking out.
parodies & text by nacrowe
i always found the IDEA of GOTH ROCK very COMPELLING, just that NOTION of basing a WHOLE SONIC and VISUAL AESTHETIC around what is essentially at its ROOT a FEELING.
in the AFTERMATH of the LIBERATING CULTURAL EXPLOSION that was PUNK ROCK, which effectively EMANCIPATED a GENERATION of WOULD-BE MUSICIANS from being OVERLY-CONCERNED with INCONSEQUENTIAL MATTERS like TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP, COMPLICATED THEORY and ADVANCED TECHNIQUES, there came a WAVE of bands that pushed the SONIC ENVELOPE utilizing more TEXTURAL, ANGULAR and EXPERIMENTAL GUITAR-BASED SOUNDSCAPES. that MOVEMENT was POST PUNK, which incapsulated a whole SWATH of BANDS of VARYING STRIPES that included EVERYONE from WIRE, GANG OF FOUR, THE FALL, PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED and THE STRANGLERS to the decidedly more DOWN-TEMPO, MOODY and INTROSPECTIVE songs of a SUBSET of BANDS loosely tagged as GOTH ROCK that included the likes of JOY DIVISION, THE CURE, SEX GANG CHILDREN, CLAN OF XYMOX, BAUHAUS, SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES, CHRISTIAN DEATH and THE SISTERS OF MERCY. there is plenty of VARIATION within that COHORT and no doubt none of them thought of THEMSELVES as GOTH ROCK, much less POST PUNK, as such TAXONOMIC DECISIONS are ARBITRARILY concocted by SELF-IMPORTANT CRITICS and JOURNALISTS alike, but there is SOMETHING there in terms of IMAGE and SOUND as such has been EXPLOITED by GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS ever since in SEVERAL GENRES like INDUSTRIAL MUSIC (NINE INCH NAILS, SKINNY PUPPY, MINISTRY), SYNTH POP (GARY NUMAN, DEPECHE MODE, VNV NATION), NO WAVE (SUICIDE, SWANS), PSYCHOBILLY (THE CRAMPS, DEMENTED ARE GO, TIGER ARMY, NEKROMANTIX), DARK WAVE (DRAB MAJESTY, TWIN TRIBES, COLD CAVE), PUNK ROCK (THE MISFITS, AFI, T.S.O.L., ALKALINE TRIO) and even HIP HOP (FLATBUSH ZOMBIES, LIL PEEP, XXXTENTACION, DIE ANTWOORD, LIL UZI VERT) and POP (LADY GAGA, AMY LEE). as a MUSIC FAN, i just love the LINEAGE and the EVOLUTION of that FEELING and how it plays out over TIME. its not about EDWARD GOREY, JHONEN VASQUEZ or TIM BURTON necessarily, although more RECENT BANDS definitely take a VISUAL CUE from all three. its more that IDEA of FEELING OUTSIDE of SOCIETY, for whatever reason, and taking OWNERSHIP of that SELF-IMPOSED STATUS. i find GOTH ROCK in that sense in all of its subsequent PECULIAR PERMUTATIONS and UNINTENDED MANIFESTATIONS to be quite EMPOWERING. no need to adjust and accept the whims of the MAJORITY, instead locate and nurture your own COMMUNITY of LIKE-MINDED THINKERS. to me that ELEVATION of the INDIVIDUAL is what GOTH ROCK is at its core all about. that and maybe a little bit too GENEROUS a helping of MASCARA. embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating GOTH ROCK. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
HOLE's BREAKTHROUGH sophomore major RELEASE LIVE THROUGH THIS (DGC, 1994) was the very EMBODIMENT of a PRIMAL SCREAM exorcising of all things PRIM, PROPER, POLITE, NURTURING and ACCOMMODATING associated commonly with MODERN FEMININITY. as a VEHICLE for SINGER-SONGWRITER COURTNEY LOVE, herself a YOUNG MOTHER at the time of COMPOSING and RECORDING of said ALBUM, that RECORD and its PALPABLE SENSE of CATHARSIS seemed to revolve around the PUBLIC ADOPTION of traditionally MALE GENDER EXPECTATIONS through her UNMITIGATED DISPLAY of BOLD, BRASH and UNAPOLOGETIC CONTROL and AGGRESSION in a ROCK N ROLL setting. LOVE's COMBATIVE PERFORMANCE throughout LIVE THROUGH THIS and its INCENDIARY LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE provided EVIDENCE of a MAJOR new TALENT and POETIC VOICE that was every bit the ARTISTIC and CULTURAL EQUAL of her ALTERNATIVE ROCK and PUNK ROCK MALE PEERS, up to and including her HUSBAND KURT COBAIN of NIRVANA FAME.
regarding COBAIN, every MUSIC FAN is aware that he PASSED shortly before the RELEASE of LIVE THROUGH THIS, which FAIRLY or UNFAIRLY has PERMANENTLY COLORED its CRITICAL RECEPTION and PUBLIC PERCEPTION ever since. an UNFORTUNATE part of that EXTENDED BACKLASH is the UNFAIR and patently INCORRECT NOTION that COBAIN secretly wrote said HOLE ALBUM, or at least played a major part in its composition. the OPPOSITE is actually TRUE, as COBAIN's LYRICS IMPROVED and became more POETIC and THOUGHTFUL through his ASSOCIATION with LOVE than the other way around. just look at the QUALITY DIFFERENCE between NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991) and IN UTERO (DGC, 1993) as EVIDENCE. if anything, the INTELLIGENCE and ELEVATED LYRICAL TALENT of LOVE has always been on DISPLAY, and the understandably delayed FOLLOW-UP CELEBRITY SKIN (DGC, 1998) is another case in point. whereas LIVE THROUGH THIS was about UNADULTERATED SONIC and LYRICAL AGGRESSION concerned with exorcising one's GENDER and the UNJUST SOCIETAL PREOCCUPATIONS with such by the GREATER COMMUNITY, CELEBRITY SKIN is a decidedly more SELF-CONSCIOUS, COMPOSITIONALLY REFINED and LYRICALLY DISTANT AFFAIR that takes more of a teaspoon-of-vinegar-amidst-multiple-pounds-of-sugar SONIC APPROACH. more CHEAP TRICK than THE GERMS, this ALBUM is consciously a CLASSIC POWER POP ALBUM in the vein of the LUSH SONIC PRODUCTION reminiscent of BANDS like ELO, THE BYRDS, THE GO-GOs and THE BEACH BOYS, a COMPLETE DEPARTURE from LIVE THROUGH THIS which seemingly channeled all things AURALLY F'ED UP, DISSONANT, UGLY and GNARLY a la BLACK FLAG, VOID, T.S.O.L. and THE SEX PISTOLS. and that SONIC POLISH and SHEEN, courtesy of PRODUCER MICHAEL BEINHORN (SOUNDGARDEN, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, MARILYN MANSON, SOCIAL DISTORTION), was the PERFECT COVER and VEHICLE for LYRICS that were every bit as BITING and UNAPOLOGETIC regarding GENDER ROLES and PRESCRIPTIONS as perpetuated by a BIASED and ENTRENCHED MEDIA CULTURE that KNOWINGLY and ACTIVELY profited off of such in the UNITED STATES. CONCEPTUALLY and LYRICALLY on tracks like "REASONS TO BE BEAUTIFUL, "PETALS," "USE ONCE AND DESTROY," "BOYS ON THE RADIO," "AWFUL," and the especially the title track "CELEBRITY SKIN," id attest firmly that CELEBRITY SKIN is arguably more LYRICALLY INCENDIARY than its more SONICALLY RAW PREDECESSOR. but PEOPLE commonly miss that NUANCE and INGENIOUS BAIT-AND-SWITCH because they are understandably entranced by how GORGEOUS and LUSH that SONGS are. no doubt part of that DELIBERATE POLISH and SHEEN is due to KEY COLLABORATORS in SONGWRITING PARTNER BILLY CORGAN and NEW BASSIST MELISSA AUF DER MAUR, who replaced the DECEASED KRISTEN PFAFF. CORGAN was an INSPIRED CHOICE as this PROJECT allowed for him to channel his INNER RICK NIELSEN as a CHEAP TRICK fan (and fellow ILLINOISAN) of the first order, focusing on MELODIC HOOKS exclusively that wouldnt necessarily work within the CONFINES of his MAIN GIG, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. LOVE and CORGAN go way back and even once dated when both were UNKNOWN MUSICIANS. with regards to AUF DE MAUR, her haunting yet sweetly MELODIC BACKING VOCALS provided for much of the SONIC DIFFERENTIATION between this INCARNATION of the BAND with its PAST RECORDED EFFORTS. such is heard to STRIKING EFFECT on "PETALS" in particular. id even argue that given the conscious SACCHARINE NATURE of the PRODUCTION on CELEBRITY SKIN, it is her BACKING VOCALS that provide for that EERY SENSE that all is not as it appears SONICALLY. that on a PURELY AURAL LEVEL, this OVER-SWEETENED CONCOCTION may have turned for the WORSE and become something UNTHINKABLY DISGUSTING and truly HARMFUL in the PROCESS. and that is how ive come to think of CELEBRITY SKIN in general in the years since. given that this is the first HOLE ALBUM CONCEIVED and RECORDED after the PASSING of COBAIN, the POWER POP AESTHETIC seems APPROPRIATE given the delta between her VOLATILE LIVED EXPERIENCE and the PUBLIC's UNFOUNDED, UNREALISTIC and ultimately PARASITIC PERCEPTIONS surrounding FAME, STARDOM, SUCCESS and CELEBRITY CULTURE. and this was obviously in a pre-SOCIAL MEDIA ERA. CELEBRITY SKIN only becomes more PRESCIENT in that regard as the decades fly by. to address such DISPARITY and the INHERENT HYPOCRISY of that firmly ENTRENCHED and absolutely UNREALISTIC CALIFORNIA FEVER DREAM in AMERICAN CULTURE, especially on a track like "MALIBU," feels like the APPROPRIATE EXPRESSION of where her head was at, as well as where the OVERALL ZEITGEIST was during that pre-9/11 MOMENT in AMERICA right before the turn of the millennium. if anything, the two decades plus since then have only proven further through the CONTINUED IDOLATRY of the MEDIOCRE, SUPERFICIAL and INANE FIGURES like the ENTIRE KARDASHIAN CLAN that we have not progressed one iota as a CULTURE since the RELEASE of CELEBRITY SKIN. if anything we've DEVOLVED in the interim. an ESSENTIAL ALBUM by a SPECIAL TALENT. CELEBRITY SKIN is much recommended not only with regards to HOLE's CATALOGUE, but in the WIDER CONTEXT of the STATE and TRAJECTORY of ALTERNATIVE ROCK in the 1990s. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
THELONIOUS MONSTER was one of those BANDS ive been reading about for years when parsing through books about the INTIMATE LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK and proto-ALTERNATIVE ROCK UNDERGROUND scene in the 1980s that featured LIKE-MINDED and more commercially SUCCESSFUL GROUPS in FISHBONE, JANE'S ADDICTION and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. with their CONSTANT LINEUP SHIFTS and UNEVEN RECORDED CATALOGUE that never truly distilled their POWERFUL yet ECLECTIC LIVE SOUND, due in part to the DESTRUCTIVE CHEMICAL and PERSONALITY ISSUES surrounding their POETIC yet ENIGMATIC and highly VOLATILE FRONTMAN and SONGWRITER BOB FORREST, THELONIOUS MONSTER is a bit of an ALSO-RAN that many from that period saw as the CREATIVE UNIT with the most ARTISTIC POTENTIAL, compared in the press to the likes of THE BEATLES and THE NEW YORK DOLLS.
BOB AND THE MONSTER (PASSION PICTURES, 2011) is a CAPTIVATING DOCUMENTARY that follows FORREST through his PERSONAL NARRATIVE surrounding ART, FAME, ADDICTION and RECOVERY, and how he came out the other side as as SERVANT to others caught in the FRAUGHT CYCLE of DRUG DEPENDENCY. especially FELLOW MUSICIANS. FORREST for his part is CANDID and OPEN about his PERSONAL WEAKNESSES regarding SUCCESS, were he essentially sold out his BANDMATES when his BIG MOMENT came (along with the SIZABLE FINANCIAL ADVANCE) of securing a major record deal he so deeply desired as an IMPRIMATUR of his STATUS as a MAJOR WRITING TALENT in the vein of his HEROES. FORREST for his part got caught up in the MYTH of COPIOUS ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION and HEROIN USAGE as a vehicle for CREATIVE INSPIRATION that so many others of his generation tragically fell into as well (EVERYONE from KURT COBAIN, JOHN FRUSCIANTE and RIVER PHEONIX to CHRIS FARLEY and PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN). this FILM does a good job of not GLAMORIZING such USAGE, but employs SUBSTANTIAL TIME and ENERGY to describing the depths of his ADDICTION (as well as the TRAUMA of learning as a TEENAGER that his PARENTS were his GRANDPARENTS and his OLDER SISTER his MOTHER) as a means of establishing the SECOND PHASE of his LIFE as a NONTRADITIONAL RECOVERY COUNSELOR for ARTISTS and MUSICIANS. and this is where the FILM gets a little FUZZY for me. i understand that given his BACKGROUND and REPUTATION as a FORMIDABLE SONGWRITER and MUSICIAN, he is able to COMMUNICATE effectively in a DIRECT, NO-BULLSHIT MANNER with CREATIVE TYPES with COMPASSION that dismantles a wall of MISTRUST, TRAUMA and INSECURITY regarding navigating a REALISTIC PATH to RECOVERY. that is his GIFT. that same PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to emotionally CONNECT with STRANGERS on a DEEP LEVEL that made his MUSIC so CAPTIVATING is the same CAPACITY that makes him a RELIABLE, HELPFUL PRESENCE in someone's HARROWING MOMENTS of unfathomably BLEAK DESPAIR and loss of AGENCY surrounding DRUG ADDICTION. but he is not a LICENSED PROFESSIONAL. he is an ADVOCATE. the MOMENT the FILM introduces DREW "DR. DREW" PINSKY into the mix is where it all loses me. that CHARLATAN a decade later was a STRONG PROPONENT and ENERGETIC PARTICIPANT in a RIGHT-WING MISINFORMATION regarding COVID and the CUTTING-EDGE mRNA TECHNOLOGY that led to its RAPID DEVELOPMENT and widespread DEPLOYMENT. the GLOBAL PANDEMIC was the HEALTH-RELATED EVENT of a LIFETIME and PINSKY FAILED big time. so yeah, by being associated with that QUACK made me reevaluate FORREST and the UNDERLYING MESSAGE this DOCUMENTARY was selling. that is not to say that i dont i appreciate his SKEPTICISM of the PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX and the ADDICTION RECOVERY INDUSTRY as a whole, but in the end he is just a FORMER ADDICT with GOOD INTENTIONS, and again not a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL. you really wonder how those under his ASSISTANCE may have been better served seeking out more EDUCATED CARE. regardless, i found BOB AND THE MONSTER to be an INTRIGUING FILM about a COMPELLING PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION and EVOLUTION from EXCESSIVE NARCISSISM to HUMBLE ALTRUISM. the PROMINENT MUSICIANS that participated in INTERVIEWS is likewise IMPRESSIVE, including COURTNEY LOVE (HOLE), STEVEN ADLER (GUNS N' ROSES), GIBBY HAYNES (BUTTHOLE SURFERS), KEITH MORRIS (BLACK FLAG / CIRCLE JERKS / OFF!), SCOTT WEILAND (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS) and FISHBONE MEMBERS ANGELO MOORE and NORWOOD FISHER, JANE'S ADDICTION MEMBERS ERIC AVERY and STEPHEN PERKINS and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS MEMBERS ANTHONY KIEDIS, JOHN FRUSCIANTE and FLEA. not to mention other EPITAPH RECORDS FOUNDER BRETT GUREWITZ (of BAD RELIGION fame) and the LATE THE MASQUE venue OWNER and WRITER BRENDAN MULLEN. i have no doubt that such see his TRANSFORMATION as nothing short of MIRACULOUS and EVIDENCE of anyone's CAPACITY to RECOVER and EVOLVE to a HIGHER STATE of HUMANITY. and for me that is the MESSAGE of BOB AND THE MONSTER. its just UNFORTUNATE such got MUDDLED with the INVOLVEMENT of PINSKY. he's a DOCTOR, should know better. photo & text by nacrowe
GRIEF is a POWERFUL EMOTION. the HUMAN PSYCHE is a BATTLEFIELD were CONTENTIOUS MEMORIES and the WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA MOMENTS and EXPERIENCES of LIFE are endlessly replayed, with UNDERSTANDABLE SHAME and GUILT leading to USELESS EMOTIONS like REGRET. part of being HUMAN is dealing with CONSEQUENCES of having a CONSCIOUS and a DECENT MEMORY. it molds you. it defines your SELF-IDENTITY.
in the abundantly LYRICAL and POIGNANT GRAPHIC NOVEL THE RETURN OF THE HONEY BUZZARD (SELF MADE HERO, 2016) by DUTCH CARTOONIST AIMÉE DE JONGH, a STRUGGLING BOOK SHOP OWNER under immense ECONOMIC STRESS in the AFTERMATH of the GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS finds himself coming to terms with the EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL REPERCUSSIONS of a series of TRAUMATIC EVENTS from his CHILDHOOD. a CHILDHOOD FRIEND who was MERCILESSLY BULLIED, ACCIDENTALLY FELL from an ELEVATED SCHOOL ROOFTOP before our PROTAGONIST and DIED before being able to exact REVENGE on his REPEATED TRANSGRESSORS with a STOLEN GUN. as an ADULT bearing witness to a WOMAN in a WOODED RAILROAD CROSSING COMMITTING SUICIDE by an ONCOMING TRAIN in his IMMEDIATE PRESENCE. in both cases he did the RIGHT THING, but the GUILT still took on a life of its own. in the AFTERMATH of his FATHER's PASSING, the SHOP OWNER unable to make such financially VIABLE MOVING FORWARD is TRIGGERED into another PANIC ATTACK. this time with HALLUCINATIONS. the NARRATIVE EXPLICITLY makes REFERENCE to the LITERARY GENRE of MAGICAL REALISM, which utilizes FANTASTICAL NARRATIVE ELEMENTS that effectively blur the line between ILLUSION and REALITY, FACT and FICTION. DE JONGH in this GRAPHIC NOVEL utilizes said ELEMENTS and provides a completely PROJECTED and SELF-AFFIRMING, SELF-HEALING DELUSION that consoles the SHOP OWNER into coming to terms with his TRAUMA and its ASSOCIATED GUILT and REGRET. part of this is done through the ORNITHOLOGICAL EXAMPLE of the HONEY BUZZARD, a MIGRATORY BIRD that during the NORTHERN WINTER MONTHS will travel to a DIFFERENT PART of AFRICA than its PARTNER returning the NEXT SPRING to their COLLECTIVE NEST. if one DIES than the other moves on, fiding a NEW PARTNER. the DIFFERENT AFRICAN DESTINATIONS is a SURVIVAL MECHANISM so that both are not KILLED by the SAME NATURAL DISASTER. there is an INSTINCT to acknowledge the PRESENT and MOVE FORWARD despite the pain without CLINGING to the PAST. it is a CONCEPT that the SHOP OWNER is seeking to RESOLVE. i think most of us are.
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the SEMINAL and EVER-EVOLVING ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band RADIOHEAD!
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! photo & text by nacrowe
the AMERICAN CULTURAL ICON and VERITABLE FOLK HERO JOHHNY CASH was NOT IN A GOOD PLACE in the early 90s. in recent years he had been DROPPED unceremoniously by a quick SUCCESSION of RECORD LABELS, all of whom were in UNSUCCESSFUL in reestablishing his POPULARITY and REVERED CULTURAL STATUS as an AMERICAN SONGWRITER of the first order, mostly due to their putting him in MUSICAL SCENARIOS that didnt play to his ARTISTIC STRENGTHS. instead chasing TRENDS spun out of NASHVILLE and its POLISHED, WHITEWASHED AESTHETIC that was ANTITHETICAL to the AUTHENTICITY CASH embodied in his DEEP BLUES, GOSPEL and FOLK ROOTS.
enter RICK RUBIN, a NOTED RECORD PRODUCER and FORMER DEF JAM RECORDS LABEL HEAD CELEBRATED for his ECLECTIC ear and PRODUCTION WORK up until that point with SEMINAL RELEASES by the likes of RUN-DMC, THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, LL COOL J, DANZIG and the BEASTIE BOYS. his APPROACH with CASH was one of providing him the FREEDOM to return to his early SINGER-SONGWRITER ROOTS. just his VOICE with his GUITAR playing his SONGS. it sounds so BASIC, but for RUBIN the work of CASH went beyond the MUSIC INDUSTRY and was almost more about documenting MUSICAL HISTORY. he wanted those UNRECORDED SONGS to be put on wax for POSTERITY in as PURE a FORM as possible, UNMOLESTED by soon-to-be DATED PRODUCTION TRENDS and TECHNIQUES that effectively ROBBED this ARTIST of his VOICE in previous years, as had been the case for literally decades and led to his EFFECTIVE EXODUS from the CENTRAL NEXUS of AMERICAN CULTURE he had from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s. AMERICAN RECORDINGS (AMERICAN, 1994), this SPARE RECORDED EFFORT released on RUBIN's then RECENTLY-CONSTRUCTED RECORD LABEL of the SAME NAME, was something of a CREATIVE BREAKTHROUGH in its UNRELENTING FOCUS on the GRAVELLY, AGED SINGING VOICE of CASH with its MINIMAL PRODUCTION that often consisted with just his RUDIMENTARY strummed GUITAR CHORDINGS as SUPPORT. along with four ORIGINAL TRACKS and a few FOLK STANDARDS, CASH also covered SONGS by the likes of LEONARD COHEN, NICK LOWE, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON and LOUDON WAINRIGHT III in a TEMPLATE that would play out with the rest of the SERIES of RECORDINGS with RUBIN, as well as the fitting closing to his career as a SONGWRITER, PERFORMER, RECORDING ARTIST and AMERICAN ICON. for me the STANDOUT TRACKS are "THE BEAST IN ME" and the MURDER BALLAD "DELIA'S GONE." there is just something so HARROWING and TRAGIC about CASH's WORN SINGING VOICE lamenting on the DIGNITY and LIGHT of DAILY EXPERIENCE WASTED on a life of IMPULSIVE SELFISHNESS and CALLOUSNESS towards that of OTHERS. there is an EMOTIVE WEIGHT there that CASH embodies that endears him to LISTENERS GLOBALLY irrespective of GENRE CONSIDERATIONS. there is a reason why AMERICAN RECORDINGS firmly replanted CASH at this LATE STAGE in his career firmly back within the CULTURAL ZEITGEIST of the 1990s. with his THEMATIC LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS of ALIENATION, ISOLATION and DEEP DISSATISFACTION with HIMSELF and the world around him, the ALTERNATIVE ROCK NATION at the time adopted him in essence as a MUCH-REVERED ELDER STATESMAN not unlike LOU REED, BOB DYLAN, DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP or TOM PETTY before him. the COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY caught up eventually but NASHVILLE has always been on its own TRAJECTORY that has more to do with DUMBED-DOWN FANTASY NARRATIVES revolving around RURAL LIVING than the more MUDDIED and HARD-LUCK FOLK TRADITIONS from which it spawned at the turn of the 20th century. nobody should be surprised by the FICKLENESS and DISLOYALTY of the COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY that he basically helped initiate, but his CONTINUED STATUS as a TRANSCENDENT ROCK N ROLL ARCHETYPE on par with ELVIS PRESLEY, JIMI HENDRIX, KURT COBAIN, JOHN LENNON, PRINCE or DAVID BOWIE is not even something i bet even he foresaw. and AMERICAN RECORDINGS was INSTRUMENTAL in that RESURGENCE of his near MYTHIC PUBLIC IMAGE. an absolutely ESSENTIAL RECORDING by a CONSEQUENTIAL ARTIST. much RECOMMENDED. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
February 2025
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