parodies by nacrowe
there is something about the OPTIMISM of REVERED NEW WAVE band THE CARS that always gets me. not sure where it comes from, but their SIMPLE MELODIES and INCREDIBLE MUSICIANSHIP always leaves me in a good mood. when you watch their music videos its immediately apparent how UNORTHODOX a frontman RIC OCASEK was, all GANGLY and AWKWARD, but there is a CHARM no doubt. a certain PASSION and SELF-BELIEF in one's ability to communicate POSITIVITY and PLEASURE that transcends the music. and i dont know where it comes from.
i dont like NOSALGIA or false manufactured memories of the past, but i do appreciate GENUINE HOPE and JOY. and i get both of those from THE CARS who remain one of my all-time favorite bands, even if they are from BOSTON. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired on new year's eve 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout THE CARS' catalogue. enjoy!
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parody by nacrowe
when i think about how i got into HIP HOP, there is pretty much two eras: before hearing the WU-TANG CLAN and after hearing the WU-TANG CLAN. i was somewhat naive about RAP in general during my early years in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, but when i arrived in middle school to NIGERIA i learned about a whole host of artists ranging from CYPRESS HILL, NAS, TUPAC SHAKUR, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. and so on. it was an EDUCATION to say the least and alongside my EXPOSURE to WEST AFRICAN artists like FELA KUTI, KING SUNNY ADE and LAGBAJA, it provided a foundation for APPRECIATING the COMPLEXITY of modern music from across the AFRICAN DIASPORA.
enter the WU-TANG CLAN. i was in boarding school in MASSACHUSETTS and the mixed-race son of a UMASS professor who lived next door had an ENTER THE WU-TANGE (36 CHAMBERS) (LOUD, 1993) poster proudly displayed in plain view from the hallway. remarkably somehow the WU-TANG CLAN never made the journey to NIGERIA. still boggles my mind. hearing them for the first time really triggered something in my UNDERSTANDING and APPRECIATION of HIP HOP from there out. the idea that the objective was to have the most CLEVER people spitting the most CLEVER shit over the most CLEVER production possible. in WU-TANG you had all of that, with ten MCs tagging themselves in one after the other, attempting to outsmart and essentially outcompete their fellow bandmate. it was POETRY as a sport envisioned through the LEXICON and VISUAL ICONOGRAPHY of KUNG FU films as stand-in metaphors for the black experience in STATEN ISLAND. there was literally nothing out there as INTELLIGENT and CREATIVE as WU-TANG in any genre. that debut is one of those turning point records that hasnt been topped since in my opinion. and just for the sake of honesty, i worship at the high altar of A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, my all-time favorite HIP HOP group, along with PUBLIC ENEMY, OUTKAST, THE PHARCYDE, GETO BOYS, DE LA SOUL and the BEASTIE BOYS. but in reality none of those groups produced anything as TRANSFORMATIVE as WU-TANG's debut. its a PERFECT record. period. as if that wasnt enough, there is also the less spoken about BUSINESS SAVVY and GENIUS of WU-TANG CLAN. signed to LOUD RECORDS, a subsidiary of ZOO RECORDS (of GREEN JELLY and TOOL fame), the label in essence had the rights to the catalogue of the band but not its members, which allowed all of them to sign deals with various labels, such as DEF JAM (METHOD MAN), MCA (GZA), EPIC (GHOSTFACE KILLAH, CAPPADONNA), LOUD (INSPECTAH DECK), ELEKTRA (OL' DIRTY BASTARD), BMG (RZA), PRIORITY (U-GOD), RCA (RAEKWON) and NATURE SOUNDS (MASTA KILLA). in essence this mean that most of the conglomerates at the time had a financial stake in the WU-TANG enterprise, supporting one in essence raised the profiles of the others. previous to this arrangement, all solo careers of PROMINENT members were pre-arranged to be developed and promoted by the same management and label as the main group, which effectively straddled momentum. this INNOVATIVE arrangement WU-TANG employed is now commonplace in the industry and has led to more OPPORTUNITY and DIVERSIFICATION of risk in the music business pre-NAPSTER and widespread internet-enabled file sharing. i find myself always going back to the WU-TANG CLAN debut. you hear a verse you love and then find out that the next few hours is all about GHOSTFACE KILLAH's SUPREME CLIENTELE (EPIC, 2000) or FISHSCALE (DEF JAM, 2006) or maybe even OL' DIRTY BASTARD's RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS (ELEKTRA, 1995). its a ride that is worth repeat visits. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired more than three years ago. the playlist includes music from throughout the WU-TANG CLAN catalogue, both the group and its members' various solo and outside projects. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
i grew up on ALTERNATIVE ROCK from the 1990s. i wasnt even in elementary school yet when the 1980s ended, along with it the INFLUENTIAL contemporaneous HARDCORE and INDIE scenes that are still very much CELEBRATED decades on. my entry to to that discussion was the FAMOUS SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE scene that sparked the 90s with SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and NIRVANA being among the first records i ever received as a child before i became even a decade old. looking back its almost like being informed about previous PUNK ROCK, GLAM ROCK, NEW WAVE, POST PUNK, PROG ROCK and even BRITISH INVASION movements via a cultural bank shot. it was NEW music once or twice removed from those veritable scenes, but something uniquely SEPARATE at the same time.
decades on now i see ALTERNATIVE ROCK as the beginning of GENRE-LESS music. it seemed all manner of PRODUCTION TECNIQUES and ideas were being thrown in the mix, from SAMPLING and BEAT-MAKING utilized in both HIP HOP and INDUSTRIAL circles, new sonic TEXTURES were experienced with bands and artists like BECK, GARBAGE and NINE INCH NAILS that embellished and expanded upon the TRADITIONAL textbook of what a ROCK AND ROLL band sounded like and could get away with. i also always think of music within a social context and while some listeners doggedly clung to OUTMODED identities based out of geographically LOCAL variations of PUNK, INDIE and HARDCORE scenes, i grew up more or less around people that could appreciate multiple DISPARATE genres and cultural movements ranging from FUNK and R&B to HIP HOP, PUNK ROCK and extreme METAL. in essence it was all the same VIBE, but DIFFERENT expressions. decades on you have artists that seamlessly split the difference between various UNRELATED genres and have no issue garnering a MASSIVE audience, which to my perspective showcases the OPEN-MINDEDNESS past down by the ALTERNATIVE ROCK generation that was less interested in PURITY and more concerned about songwriting and sonic INNOVATION. at least that is my sense of the musical and cultural EVOLUTION that took place during my conscious time on this planet as an ACTIVE listener. some may disagree and thats alright. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired almost exactly four years ago. hard to believe ive had a radio show that long! the playlist includes music from throughout the ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement of the 1990s. enjoy!
parody by nacrowe
my senior year of high school was CRAZY. as ive mentioned many times before, i was in KUWAIT while my parents were stationed there for work until 9/11 happened and i was sent off to finish the rest of the school year in SACRAMENTO where a relative resided. as soon as the year ended and my graduation was over i bolted to NEW JERSEY where my family had a place that we stayed during the summer in between overseas stints. it was during this time when i was enrolled at a local community college that i first came across the NORWEGIAN ELECTROPOP duo ROYKSOPP and their TRANSFORMATIVE MELODY A.M. (ASTRALWERKS, 2001) release. i should mentioned that other NOTEWORTHY artists i discovered during this period were LADYTRON, GOLDFRAPP, AIR and THE KNIFE. outside of DEPECHE MODE, NEW ORDER and maybe SUICIDE i was not particularly well versed in ELECTRONIC MUSIC writ large, much less a NORDIC variant. but what caught my ear was that BITTERSWEET sense of MELANCHOLY and NOSTALGIA that is through-line with all their collaborations and their entire catalog.
i felt i had discovered a PERFECT POP album. tracks like "IN SPACE," "SO EASY," "A HIGHER PLACE" and "SPARKS" are all so effortlessly CINEMATIC with a widescreen scope that seemed to encapsulate the collective emotion of all of humanity. it was ELECTRONIC MUSIC but it wasnt exactly DANCEABLE, it was more DOWNBEAT and almost exclusively INTROSPECTIVE in nature. the singles "POOR LENO" and "REMIND ME" where the first time id ever heard anything remotely like that and it was beyond CONTAGIOUS. it felt like new ground and really made me go back with gusto and seek out like-minded artists over the years like CUT COPY, M83, HOT CHIP, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, HOLY GHOST! and TORO Y MOI. the third record JUNIOR SENIOR (WALL OF SOUND, 2009) with tracks was a welcome reminder of ROYKSOPP at the top of their collective songwriting and production powers with powerhouse tracks like "VISION ONE," "THIS MUST BE IT," "HAPPY UP HERE," and "THE GIRL AND THE ROBOT" providing a more UPBEAT counterpoint to their debut. i obsess over both records to date and wish to promote them as much as possible. definitely worth checking out. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired relatively recently last year in late 2022. the playlist includes music from throughout ROYKSOPP's INCREDIBLE catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
ive been a TRICKY fan since i first discovered MASSIVE ATTACK my senior year of high school. as ive written before, that was a CRAZY year since it started out with me living and attending school in KUWAIT where my family was stationed at the time. 9/11 happened and i was quickly shipped off to live with a relative in a WHITE BREAD suburb of SACRAMENTO. my solace at the time was books and the now DEFUNCT chain of EXCELLENT local record stores called DIMPLE RECORDS. over that year i discovered everything from SKINNY PUPPY and BAUHAUS to APHEX TWIN and PORTISHEAD. it was a pretty MISERABLE year all told as i felt understandably quite ISOLATED from friends and family, but in terms of discovering music, authors and films, it was arguably the most PRODUCTIVE period of my life.
i was lucky enough to see TOOL play at ARCO ARENA that year with ADRIAN "TRICKY" THAWS opening (with MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD in tow!) in support of his recent BLOWBACK (ANTI-, 2001) album. during this period TRICKY even cameo'd in the ELABORATE and deeply ALLEGORICAL TOOL music video for for the title-track "LATERALUS" off the recent LATERALUS (VOLCANO, 2001) album. i remember the crowd was DISINTERESTED and multiple people in my section openly feeling comfortable in public yelling out the N-WORD at him. my low opinion of SACRAMENTO and its inhabitants really hasnt shifted since. my hope is to never return there for anything, ever. my first TRICKY album was the ICONIC MAXINQUAYE (4TH & B'WAY, 1995), which i bought at the LEGENDARY TOWER RECORDS in SAN FRANCISCO on my last day in CALIFORNIA after high school graduation before flying home to NEW JERSEY to meet up with my family. by that point i was familiar with TRIP HOP acts like MASSIVE ATTACK, PORTISHEAD, THIEVERY CORPORATION, DJ SHADOW and SNEAKER PIMPS, but with TRICKY there was a real PALPABLE sense of synesthesia between the HAZY atmospherics and his deeply personal songwriting. whats more, he had this ANGELIC female singer named MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD (whose solo material over the years is well worth checking out on its own merit) sing what presumably are his parts written in his voice. to have a woman speak from the first-person perspective was initially deeply JARRING but really gets at the UNIVERSALITY of TRICKY's perspective as a narrator in his own sonic universe. it also gets at the work of famed psychologist CARL JUNG and his description of the ANIMUS / ANIMA phenomena at the heart of the human psyche. in essence we all have parts of our psyche rooted in the other sex: ANIMUS is the unconscious MASCULINE SIDE of a woman and ANIMA is the unconscious FEMININE SIDE of a man. such is so deeply ingrained that it transcends our conscious psyche. on some level TRICKY is playing with this idea and it works BRILLIANTLY as TOPLEY-BIRD feels like an alternate aspect of his personality commenting on a fleeting EMOTION from an ETHEREAL distant plane a la a GREEK CHORUS. i found the whole thing completely INTOXICATING and very much shifted my expectations of what GREAT music could sound like and the need to push limitations. TRICKY is one of my favorite artists and i am always looking forward to his latest work, irregardless of whether it hits me as hard as MAXINQUAYE did that first time. the dude is on his own trip and he's exploring realms of sonic artistry that i feel only a few others have ever truly thought to explore: people like KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN, KATE BUSH, JIMI HENDRIX, LOU REED, BJORK, SCOTT WALKER, CHELSEA WOLFE, PHILIP GLASS or even FRANK ZAPPA. people that bend music to their will and not the other way around. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired in early 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout TRICKY's SINGULAR catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
i get it.
some people are sick of the sight of DAVE GROHL. in recent years he has been omnipresent in documentaries related to anything and everything ROCK N ROLL. lazy journalists refer to him as "the nicest guy in the music industry" (which makes my lizard brain immediately counter with, yeah, to journalists) and he has become something of the TORCH BEARER for the HUMAN ELEMENT in music writ large during an era of PITCH CORRECTION and DIGITAL MANIPULATION in the production of music. so i get the eye rolls and shirking at yet another testimonial to his supposed GREATNESS. what gets me about GROHL is his capacity to be INCLUSIVE to musicians. he's collaborated on COUNTLESS projects for other artists (MELVINS, EARTHLINGS?, TENACIOUS D, KILLING JOKE, THE PRODIGY, DAVID BOWIE, NINE INCH NAILS), been in numerous bands (NIRVANA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FOO FIGHTERS, SCREAM, THEM CROOKED VULTURES) and initiated projects designed to showcase the talents of others like PROBOT (LEMMY KILMISTER, MAX CAVALERA, KING DIAMOND, WINO, CRONOS), TEENAGE TIME KILLERS (JELLO BIAFRA, NEIL FALLON, MATT SKIBA, RANDY BLYTHE) and the SOUND CITY soundtrack (LEE VING, PAUL MCCARTNEY, RICK SPRINGFIELD, CHRIS GOSS, STEVIE NICKS). oh yeah and he made the FOO FIGHTERS record an album of straight-up FUNKY BEE-GEE covers. you should be dancing, indeed. its one thing to be an advocate for a community, another entirely to put ENERGY into being a CREATIVE RESOURCE for them to access. GROHL, given his unique cultural cache and commercial success with NIRVANA and FOO FIGHTERS, has time and again leveraged such a platform to spotlight those around him and causes he believes in. i just dont see it as SELFISH. the man has gone through more than his share of suffering from the very public premature passing of his friends and former bandmates that would crush less a person. hes carried on the spirit and legacy of his friend KURT COBAIN for decades and i imagine the same will be the case with TAYLOR HAWKINS. all i can say is godspeed. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired at the end of 2021. the playlist includes music from throughout the DAVE GROHL's infamous catalogue. enjoy! photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
with the E. JEAN CARROLL case now in the rearview and former DISGRACED president DONALD TRUMP forever officially legally branded a SEXUAL PREDATOR, it has come to my attention yet again that the "LOCKER ROOM TALK" video we shot over five years ago with our friends in DOLLTITS is still as RELEVANT as ever. i cant even adequately express how proud i am with the project and what it meant to do something CREATIVE and THOUGHT-PROVOKING during such a BLEAK and DEPRESSING time in our nation's recent history.
of course all credit goes to DOLLTITS, especially THERINA BELLA, for writing such a COMPELLING song which cleverly utilized TRUMP's DEMENTED ramblings from his INFAMOUS ACCESS HOLLYWOOD tape and contextualized them in a three and half minute pop song. much like the lawyers for CARROLL in her civil defamation suit, DOLLTITS let TRUMP do the heavy lifting in parading his WARPED MISOGYNY for the whole world to see. i feel grateful to the group for allowing me an outlet and opportunity to channel my immense FRUSTRATION into a fitting visual counterpoint to their PROVOCATIVE song (along with the INSTRUMENTAL technical assistance of co-director LJ AVALOS). its the first extended video i ever edited in totality and while some of the cuts make me cringe ever so slightly since my skills have greatly improved over the years, the TONE and MESSAGE i stand 100% behind. even though the group is no more i am certain that THERINA and MAGIE feel a similar sense of pride looking back at the experience. special thanks is also due to JON CARAMANICA of THE NEW YORK TIMES for giving the song and video mention in his column (link HERE) and providing some initial widespread publicity. it just feels like that song and that video is the gift that keeps on giving as the ACCESS HOLLYWOOD tape as a CULTURAL ARTIFACT just seems like it will never die. so much of what TRUMP has done to DEGRADE and TARNISH our POLITICAL DISCOURSE and sense of NATIONAL IDENTITY has disappeared down our COLLECTIVE MEMORY hole as we futilely attempted to understand and come to terms with the next offense of the man or one of his goons. but not that tape and his UNRESTRAINED affirmation that for male celebrities SEXUAL TRANSGRESSIONS are not just socially ACCEPTABLE but in essence explicitly ENCOURAGED. what a CREEP. glad to play my (very) small role in culturally bringing the bastard down. hopefully with all this current LITIGATION and potential future INDICTMENTS swirling around him, he will never come close to power again. here's hoping at least.
parodies by nacrowe
its funny how when you are a child you just sort of accept things as they are without questioning motives or thinking too deeply about comparisons, because well, your frame of reference is so LIMITED. everything is essentially a NOVEL EXPERIENCE. since i remember being alive the music of DAVID BYRNE and the legendary NEW WAVE band TALKING HEADS has been a part of my existence. as ive written before, i am almost certain that LITTLE CREATURES (SIRE, 1985) was played throughout my early childhood as it was the soundtrack to my parents learning how to care for a child for the first time in the late 1980s. i remember understanding from an early age that a lot of the songs were about regular people and the ROADS they travelled on and the BUILDINGS they entered. INFRASTRUCTURE in other words. its a very un-ROCK N ROLL topic and still a bit jarring.
its no secret that BYRNE attended both the MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART and THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN and that his music essentially splits the difference between CIVIL ENGINEERING and EXPERIMENTAL SONGWRITING. his influence endures to this day in countless ANGULAR POST PUNK and INDIE ROCK bands that choose to experiment with both FORM and SUBJECT in their songwriting, i.e. everyone from BECK, OINGO BOINGO, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, R.E.M. and VAMPIRE WEEKEND to SUFJAN STEVENS, BLONDIE, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, DIRTY PROJECTORS, THE B-52's and recent collaborator ST. VINCENT. BYRNE also utilized outside musical forms in his compositions such as most notably early looping grooves that were inspired by NIGERIAN AFROBEAT icon FELA KUTI. in fact my familiarity with TALKING HEADS made my cultural transition to living in LAGOS in the mid 1990s less musically jarring as the underlying beat and groove was fairly similar. but what always gets to me about BYRNE was the idea that his songs were about people from a third-person point of view that had some DISTANCE from the subject. there is a certain OBSERVATIONAL quality to it that lacks INTIMACY, almost like an alien writing a report back to the mothership about mankind without having to be directly involved with it. in recent years BYRNE has talked openly about his AUTISM and such may be connected to his lyrical outlook, but im not entirely sure. to me that DISTANT perspective is quite liberating and almost reminds me of that famous HARRY LIME (played by ORSON WELLES) speech in THE THIRD MAN (LONDON FILMS, 1949) where his character is on a giant ferris wheel in post-WORLD WAR II VIENNA looking down at the people below asking if in the wider scheme of things any of them would be missed if they were squashed like the ants they resembled. alright, maybe the SOCIOPATHIC element is not as pronounced (except maybe in "PSYCHO KILLER"), but there is something to the wider perspective of life through that conscious MACRO perspective on humanity and the large scale SYSTEMS and INSTITUTIONS that enable our species to thrive en masse. again, very un-ROCK N ROLL but at the same time incredibly COMPELLING to think about, which is why TALKING HEADS are a continued touchstone in my listening habits from early childhood to date. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired over a year ago. the playlist includes music from throughout the TALKING HEADS's celebrated catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
with so much POP MUSIC in the digital age feeling manufactured and the end product of an extended marketing and research investigation, its REFRESHING to come across a TALENTED songwriter with global POP ambitions that sounds like themselves over an extended catalogue. such is the CAMBRIDGE native CHARLOTTE EMMA AITCHISON a.k.a. CHARLI XCX.
i came across the BRITISH singer-songwriter CHARLI XCX when her debut TRUE ROMANCE (ATLANTIC, 2013) came out just over a decade ago. that release had an UPBEAT energy with a TRIPPY and SURREAL bend to it that was seemingly OUT-OF-STEP with the more outlandish output of LADY GAGA and her acolytes in RIHANNA, MILEY CYRUS, KATY PERRY and NIKKI MINAJ who all seemed bent on out-crazying each other on the visual front for attention. what set CHARLI XCX apart from this crowd was her focus on songwriting with a slew of memorable tracks in "GRINS," "YOU - HA HA HA," "BLACK ROSES," "TAKE MY HAND," "YOU'RE THE ONE," "WHAT I LIKE," and especially "NUCLEAR SEASONS." totally dug her debut. i was teaching in VENEZUELA when her follow-up SUCKER (ATLANTIC, 2014) came out which was more PLAYFUL and direct and less TRIP-HOPy with songs that dealt with SELF-EMPOWERMENT themes. STANDOUT tracks include "NEED UR LOVE," "BREAKING UP," "BOOM CLAP," "FAMOUS," "LONDON QUEEN," "SUCKER," and most noticeably in the ANTHEMIC "BREAK THE RULES." these songs had more concise arrangements with MEMORABLE melodies often tinged with SELF-EFFACING HUMOR and BRAVADO to spare. it also felt AUTHENTIC to her SONGWRITING PERSONA and INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE. often times with POP STARS you get the feeling that it is all just a theatrical exercise for them, inhabiting on roles in songs that are divorced from their essence as INDIVIDUALS. cant say that about CHARLI XCX since nothing feels forced or performative on her records. in that sense she is less akin to that aforementioned list of peers that are in the BRITNEY SPEARS industry mold (minus LADY GAGA who writes her own material) and more in league with the more AUTHENTIC company of SONIC AUTEURS like PJ HARVEY, LORDE, BJORK, TAYLOR SWIFT, AMY WINEHOUSE or even MADONNA. at least in my opinion. her hot streak since those two releases has continued unabated with FUN and INTOXICATING album and non-album tracks like "1 NIGHT," "USED TO KNOW ME," "BLAME IT ON YOU," "1999," "GOOD ONES," "BEG FOR YOU," "ILY2," "YUCK," and "5 IN THE MORNING." but my favorite track of hers bar none is the revelatory non-album single "BOYS" and its INGENIOUS music video (also directed by CHARLI XCX) that basically flips the script on the MALE GAZE. instead of half-naked women vamping it up suggestively for the camera (a posture and approach she no doubt is familiar with), on "BOYS" there is a seemingly never-ending cavalcade of shirtless men fulfilling female PIN-UP TROPES from EATING PANCAKES, HOLDING PUPPIES, PILLOW FIGHTING, WASHING CARS, LOUNGING IN BED ON SATIN SHEETS, DRINKING MILK and PUMPING IRON to CHILLING WITH STUFFED ANIMALS, RIDING ON INFLATABLE FLAMINGOES, EATING ICE CREAM and WIELDING CHAINSAWS. all in front of supposedly "feminine" pastel colored backdrops. of the exhaustive seventy-five men included some notable participants include OLI SYKES (BRING ME THE HORIZON), DIPLO, STORMZY, MARK RONSON, WIZ KHALIFA, CARL BARAT (THE LIBERTINES), JOEY BADA$$, CHROMEO, EZRA KROENIG & ROSTAM BATMANGLIJ (VAMPIRE WEEKEND), MAC DEMARCO, WILL.I.AM (BLACK EYED PEAS), BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER (FC BAYERN MUNICH), G-EAZY, FRANK CARTER (GALLOWS, PURE LOVE), TY DOLLA $IGN and JOE JONAS (JONAS BROTHERS). i just love the fact that the music video is UNAPOLOGETICALLY playing the same game historically imposed on female entertainers by switching up the game and exploiting some quality MALE BEEFCAKE in the process. feels like a concept that was a long time coming and it is done with more than a healthy dose of INTELLIGENT HUMOR and nudge-nudge, wink-wink SELF-AWARENESS. im always looking forward to her next release, probably the only POP STAR i feel that way about. especially now that she has completed her deal with ATLANTIC RECORDS and has all her options seemingly available to her a decade into a STELLAR career. stay tuned. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired a little over a year ago. the playlist includes music from throughout CHARLI XCX's catalogue. enjoy!
parody by nacrowe
i was first made aware of the BIRMINGHAM INDIE ELECTRONIC duo BROADCAST via a coworker at a bookstore i was employed at shortly after undergrad. the dude a few years older and acted a bit WEIRD to me, which in retrospect may have been due to some insecurities related to my having attended and completed college. something he didnt pursue. whats interesting is that he was my first real encounter with a "hipster" as he refused to listen to anything remotely CONVENTIONAL or MAINSTREAM. youd have thought being around college radio people (having had my own show for two years) would have given me some manner of experience with this type of person, but no. turns out the college radio people were a pretty DIVERSE, OPEN-MINDED bunch of MUSIC NERDS. like me or so i thought.
what was interesting about this coworker was the music he was into, which in retrospect was rather BULLETPROOF if not slightly ARCANE at the time. INDIE groups i hadnt come across (probably because i didnt read INDEPENDENT online music blogs) like STEREOLAB, THE MAGNETIC FIELDS, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, DANIEL JOHNSTON, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, PIZZICATO FIVE, THE HIGH LLAMAS, MERZBOW, AIR, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL, THE APPLES IN STEREO and of course, BROADCAST. the from his discography i was familiar with included THE FLAMING LIPS, THE JESUS LIZARD, THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS and OF MONTREAL. what drew me to BROADCAST was the HAUNTED, CINEMATIC feel of the music and the EMOTIVE vocals of the late TRISH KEENAN. this was music that felt like it was composed while watching one of those early-to-mid 1960s ANNA KARINA led JEAN-LUC GODARD films. there is a deep sense of URBANE SOPHISTICATION and deep INCONSOLABLE SORROW that is unique to BROADCAST. its an absolutely INTOXICATING dynamic and persists throughout their discography. i wouldnt call them DEPRESSING, but their is an INTROVERTED posture to their music that feels mired in that SUNLESS, cloudy emotive state while maintaining some psychological distance from it. its a feeling that is incredibly well-articulated while not resorting to cheap pity or blame. almost as if this wave of grey DREARINESS is a state of being or consciousness. much like AMBIENT artists like early APHEX TWIN or SEAFEEL or EXPERIMENTAL sound artists like BRIAN ENO, i can drift off listening to BROADCAST and feel fully enveloped in their aural landscapes of experiential GLOOM. seems like a valid response to the state of the world as any other expression ive come across. helps me acknowledge and confront such on an unspoken, unarticulated emotional level, similar to listening to JOY DIVISION or DRAB MAJESTY. cant recommend BROADCAST with any more VIGOR or PASSION. they were a truly great band that deserves more attention and accolades. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired a year ago. the playlist includes music from throughout BROADCAST's all-too-brief recorded catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
not sure whats been going on in the DEFTONES camp post-COVID with their unceremonious firing of bassist SERGIO VEGA (QUICKSAND) after years of service following the untimely passing of original bassist CHI CHENG, not to mention founding guitarist STEPHEN CARPENTER's outing himself publicly and repeatedly as a VACCINE DENIER and CONSPIRACY THEORIST to the point that he wont tour in EUROPE(?). its getting a little RIDICULOUS. having lived in the CULTURAL BACKWATER of SACRAMENTO briefly my senior year of high school, im all too aware that sometimes with some people you can take the person out of SACRAMENTO, but you can't take the SACRAMENTO out of the person.
its all very confusing for what has to be one of modern AGGRESSIVE music's most BELOVED and INFLUENTIAL groups who have long outlasted the shelf life of their peers in the 1990s, influencing 2000s METALCORE and POST-HARDCORE for starters. they are one of the few groups whose albums get ever more WEIRD and EXPERIMENTAL as they push forward with each new release (only other example i could thing of in modern ALTERNATIVE ROCK / INDIE ROCK was THE FLAMING LIPS). maybe that is the growing influence and maturing songwriting arc of frontman CHINO MORENO over the past 30 years, but it is something to behold. the band has long been a balance of seemingly opposing forces with a singer that channels HARDCORE, POST PUNK, NEW WAVE and ALTERNATIVE ROCK influences ranging from THE SMITHS, DURAN DURAN, FAITH NO MORE and the BAD BRAINS to a guitarist that straight up cosplays on his instrument like he is the sixth member of the IMPOSSIBLY HEAVY SWEDISH PROGRESSIVE METAL outfit MESHUGGAH. but it works. and has for decades. my hope as a fan is that with all the seemingly ERRATIC activity coming from their camp as of late, that there isnt something deeper, more FOREBODING going on. if anything they have been the model of CONSISTENCY and QUALITY CONTROL throughout ever step of their career and discography. not one bad or subpar album. DEFTONES have spoiled us as fans and for that i am GRATEFUL. i just want the gravy train to remain in motion unabated, but im concerned. it feels like something is up. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired around the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during the pandemic. the playlist includes music from throughout DEFTONES' revered catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
there is something REFRESHING about the manner in which RECORDING ENGINEER STEVE ALBINI goes about his business. too often people, me included, lionize PRODUCERS as if they are MOSES navigating clueless bands through the RECORDING PROCESS and to the promised land. at best, some producers have HUMILITY and perceive themselves as COLLABORATORS or vehicles for artists to utilize in realizing their vision. with ALBINI he strips all of that pomp and circumstance to the core, instead viewing himself as a COMMON engineer attempting to capture the live sound of the band with no input or outside manipulation. being a musician himself as a founding member of the SEMINAL CHICAGO noise rock band BIG BLACK and later projects such as SHELLAC and RAPEMAN, ALBINI wholeheartedly believes in enabling the artist. as a RECORDING ENGINEER (he scoffs at the title and never refers to himself as a "PRODUCER"), ALBINI believes in a STRICT division of LABOR whereby creative decisions are the sphere of influence of the artist and the tracking of which is his.
he is known for recording quickly with MINIMAL if no overdubs altogether, which leads to music that has an IMMEDIATE, UNVARNISHED quality such as CELEBRATED albums like PJ HARVEY's RID OF ME (ISLAND, 1993), PIXIES' SURFER ROSA (4AD, 1988), HELMET's MEANTIME (INTERSCOPE, 1992), NEUROSIS' TIMES OF GRACE (RELAPSE, 1999), THE BREEDERS' POD (4AD, 1990) and arguably most famously NIRVANA's IN UTERO (DGC, 1994). he also charges a SET RATE with NO FUTURE POINTS on the album. in this way he sees his work as a form of LABOR akin to a plumber or electrician. he comes in, completes his SERVICE, and lets the artist keep the results with no strings attached. what is AMAZING is that there is almost FANATICAL PURITY to that WORKINGMAN ETHOS as ALBINI has refused time and again to leverage his position to create FINANCIAL WINDFALLS for himself and his family. again, as an artist himself, such GAINS would be perceived at the EXPENSE of his clients and result in a COMPROMISED DEBASEMENT of the RECORDING PROCESS. in his perspective, such would be a blaring CONFLICT OF INTEREST. for him, his experiences and IMMENSE abilities are a resource for use by the creative community with NO ELITISM or expectation attached. the more i think about it the more REMARKABLE his BUSINESS ETHICS are. ive made no qualms about hiding the fact that i am currently enrolled in business school pursuing an MBA. everything there is seemingly done with the end objective of extracting as much ECONOMIC VALUE from any product or service as mathematically and ETHICALLY possible, with an emphasis on the former. it is not that ALBINI's method is an anomaly in the music industry, it feels like an outlier in general. i cant even begin to imagine how much MONEY he left on the table with IN UTERO alone. but thats kind of the point. FINANCIAL CONCERNS will come and go, but art lives on forever. best to maintain and ensure the PURITY of that PROCESS and let the other matters come to its own equilibrium and conclusion. ALBINI is someone i am continually FASCINATED by both musically and ETHICALLY and i find myself coming to terms with his since of BUSINESS ETHOS all the time. ​ ​embedded below is the second DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, which originally aired a little over three years ago. the playlist includes music from throughout STEVE ALBINI's 'PRODUCTION' catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
i was listening the today to long-time noted tech journalist KARA SWISHER's interview with biographer WALTER ISAACSON​ about ELON MUSK, the subject of an upcoming, as yet untitled book. for those who dont know, ISAACSON trades in narratives about INNOVATIVE SCIENTISTS, POLITICIANS, PHILOSOPHERS and ENTREPRENEURS who left their mark on society; everyone from BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, LEONARDO DA VINCI, HENRY KISSINGER and ALBERT EINSTEIN to JENNIFER DOUDNA (pioneer of GENE EDITING and CRISPR) and STEVE JOBS. his work leans towards HAGIOGRAPHY and his arguably UNCRITICAL approach spares things like the CHARACTER FLAWS and PROBLEMATIC viewpoints of his subjects in order to shed light on the achievements that differentiate them from their peers.
SWISHER admittedly takes ISAACSON to task for glossing over the TROUBLING aspects of MUSK's NARCISSISTIC personality and SOLIPSISTIC worldview, such as his wanton CRUELTY on TWITTER, punching down on less POWERFUL people with repeated VILE HOMOPHOBIC, MISOGYNISTIC, TRANSPHOBIC, XENOPHOBIC and RACIST garbage. he's beyond a troll. he's an ASSHOLE of TRUMPIAN proportions and ISAACSON is SYCOPHANTIC towards him because he has a space ship and manufactures electric cars. it got me thinking about how as a society we treat this class of ENTREPRENEUR differently, going back to HENRY FORD, HOWARD HUGHES and THOMAS EDISON. that in a sense we are all COMPLICIT in this whitewashing of history and that over time MUSK will be no different. a century from now his net positives for humanity related to TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT in SPACE EXPLORATION and BATTERY STORAGE CAPACITY will supposedly outweigh the copious MISANTHROPIC BILE he continually spews upon the most VULNERABLE populations on TWITTER. according to APOLOGISTS and ENABLERS like ISAACSON. when issues like this are raised i always think about my own COMPLICITY in the matter. being a participant in a CAPITALIST SOCIETY, by definition i am benefiting on the EXPLOITED LABOR of some NAMELESSS, FACELESS person in a faraway land. unlike most AMERICANS, ive seen this dynamic at play up close in SOUTHEAST ASIA, LATIN AMERICA, EASTERN EUROPE and WEST AFRICA during my time overseas. its the underbelly of CAPITALISM nobody wishes to acknowledge. in a way the same goes for music and film. there are countless ASSHOLES in each industry that have done some terribly MONSTROUS things and we are all COMPLICIT, knowingly or unknowingly, in their cultural ascension by admiring and taking to heart their creative work. the second DEER GOD RADIO episode was about this very COMPLICATED dilemma of attempting to compartmentalize the artist from the art. i dont think we differentiate such, but we do and in the long arc of history the films of WOODY ALLEN and ROMAN POLANSKI and the music of R KELLY, MICHAEL JACKSON and CHUCK BERRY will undoubtedly outlive us all. i am in SWISHER's corner but ISAACSON sadly might be on to something. and thats TRAGIC and UNFORTUNATE. i just try to think past and ignore DEGENERATE MISANTRHOPES like MUSK who ironically have MARTYR COMPLEXES and EPIC DELUSIONS regarding personal crusades and corporate missions to save humanity. just leave me out of it! ​embedded below is the second DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, which originally aired this week five years ago in march 2018. the playlist includes some unquestionably SENSATIONAL music created and performed by some truly UNSAVORY and AWFUL human beings. enjoy! NOTE: this veritable shitlist of musicians does not include THE CRAMPS. ​viva POISON IVY y LUX INTERIOR para siempre!
parodies by nacrowe
being introduced to the DEAD KENNEDYS and the ENIGMATIC, politically STRIDENT cultural FOLK HERO that is JELLO BIAFRA in high school was a complete revelation and game changer. it would be another few years before i got my head around 1980s HARDCORE after being introduced to such by a childhood friend, but to me the DEAD KENNEDYS were OUTLIERS in that movement. with the exception of maybe D.O.A. and BAD RELIGION, their ability to cut through the noise and deliver scathing RIGHTEOUS diatribes related to BRAZEN POLITICAL CORRUPTION, MINDLESS CAPITALISM and DISASTROUS FOREIGN POLICY decisions, both past and present, was second to none. what set them apart in my estimation was BIAFRA's bold penchant for CAUSTIC satire and EAST BAY RAY's adoration and clever reinterpretation of traditional SURF guitar motifs. the DEAD KENNEDYS sounded utterly UNIQUE and their SCATHING lyrical content was presented with a certain amount of HUMOR and performative glee and gusto that made it that much more MEMORABLE then that of their cohorts during the same period who sounded like an incoherent angry populist mob.
by the time i discovered the DEAD KENNEDYS in 1999 through other DJs at my high school school radio station, i had already lived in NIGERIA for three years and bore witness to the intersection of GLOBAL POLITICS and INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE. SANI ABACHA was the dictator during my time in LAGOS and he ruled at times with an iron fist, killing political opponents and prisoners (often in public) with no regard for human rights any semblance of a fig leaf for judicial due diligence. it was a hopelessly CORRUPT and DANGEROUS situation that was reinforced with funds from the petroleum industry, of which my family was a part of. i dont blame them for providing for us, but i came out of the experience with the notion that the world is very COMPLICATED, with many competing NATIONAL INTERESTS and AGENDAS. with a figure like BIAFRA, whose name interestingly is a reference to the former breakaway NIGERIAN republic, there is a certain unflinching gaze and distinct perspective on how to make sense of these COMPLEX issues. if anything he is shedding a light on said INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS (KHMER ROUGE, BUSH OIL WARS I & II, SEPTEMBER 11th, AFGHANISTAN, JANUARY 6th, etc.) and foreign policy decisions in an INTELLIGENT, THOUGHTFUL and (yes) ENTERTAINING manner that tasks his audience to research and inform themselves and not become a thoughtless drone mouthing off stale copy provided by corporate media interests. in a sense BIAFRA is a secular prophet pointing the way to a better state of affairs where we are not isolated by our complicity with mobile digital platforms and political parties, instead advocating for a more INTIMATE, FORGIVING and ultimately EMPATHETIC relationship with our local community. such could serve as a point of reference for the world, rather than the threat of ECONOMIC and POLITICAL VIOLENCE via our military and long-held INSTITUTIONAL HEGEMONY through the likes of the UNITED NATIONS, WORLD BANK, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND and so on. do i agree with JELLO BIAFRA on everything. most of it yes, some probably not but that isnt really the point. his perspective is something i cherish and seek out to make sense of the UNITED STATES' position (both past and present) in the world, much like the wider chorus of NOTABLE voices that includes that likes of JON STEWART, N SCOTT MOMADAY, TIMOTHY SNYDER, HOWARD ZINN, ALEX HALEY, HEATHER MCGHEE, ROBERT MASSIE, JOE SACCO, NOAM CHOMSKY, GEORGE CARLIN, LEA YPI, HENRY ROLLINS, MISHA GLENNY, RACHEL MADDOW, RICHARD DAWKINS, MARK TWAIN, BARBARA DEMICK, RICHARD RHODES and so on. im glad he's still around and as VITAL as ever. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the winter of 2021 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of JELLO BIAFRA and the DEAD KENNEDYS, as well as most of his side projects and collaborations of the years. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
ive been thinking about the whole concept of second chances recently. in so many places ive been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to spend time in abroad, life is a STRUGGLE and is quite basically about SURVIVAL. being such COMMUNITY bonds are TIGHT and there is a definite give and take in terms of ones ability to differentiate themselves and assert their INDIVIDUALITY. the upside is that being part of a TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY you are LOVED, VALUED and considered a part of the fabric of SOCIETY which gives one a palpable sense of PERSPECTIVE and PEACE with their surroundings.
i dont find that in AMERICA. you are free to be whomever you wish to be, but beyond your immediate family you are largely on your own in a CUTTHROAT business and cultural environment where your VALUE is COMMODITIZED along the lines of what financial gain you can effectuate with future potential collaborators. PIRATE CAPITALISM it feels like, where one feels SOCIALLY ISOLATED and CULTURALLY DISTANT from those in within the confines of their own immediate surroundings. whenever i stare to long into this particular sun i keep thinking about the idea of DAVID BOWIE and his fascinating career. one where he was constantly altering and expanding his sound, literary and cultural influences as well as presentation. before the modern conceptualization of avatars and curated social feeds projecting one's INNERMOST ASPIRATIONS, there was BOWIE and his MAJOR TOM (SPACE ODDITY), ZIGGY STARDUST (ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS), THE THIN WHITE DUKE (STATION TO STATION) and HALLOWEEN JACK (DIAMOND DOGS) characters lighting the way to render the whole concept of AUTHENTICITY mute. will the real SLIM SHADY please stand up, or does he even exist in the first place? maybe that is the answer. in a our POSTMODERN world there is no need for the INDIVIDUAL. we are all just providing data entry for UNTHINKABLY IMMENSE DATA SETS that will eventually spit back ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-enabled facsimiles of ourselves sans our COLLECTIVE HUMANITY. the world we are entering feels like a conceit to an UNWRITTEN BOWIE song. kind of makes sense that his last CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT was through the avatar of THE BLIND PROPHET (BLACKSTAR) on his final release days before his death. knowing the future isnt the same as experiencing it. i just adore that PESSIMISTIC and rather NIHILISTIC tone that marked his final incarnation and put a stamp on his WILDLY CREATIVE recording career as a FEARLESS and PEERLESS cultural innovator. i feel like in the end you are defined by your ability to CREATE and SELF-DEFINE, outside of financial valuations and one's place as a COMMODITY in a grand IMPERSONAL marketplace. but that is a MENTAL PRISON one has to navigate on their own. i look to BOWIE, as well as LOU REED, BJORK, SUN RA, MF DOOM, PRINCE, GEORGE CLINTON, DAMON ALBARN and even EMINEM as prophets of INDIVIDUALISM and SELF-LIBERATION in that regard. none of us are defined, we are always in the process of BECOMING. there will always be another opportunity. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the summer of 2019 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of DAVID BOWIE from just about every phase of his career. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
my gateway drug to LOVE AND ROCKETS and by extension BAUHAUS and POST PUNK in general was the LEGENDARY ALTERNATIVE ROCK band JANE'S ADDICTION. i worshipped then and still do at the alter of DAVE NAVARRO and his HYBRID style that finds the balance between AMBIENT sonic textures a la ROBERT SMITH and DANIEL ASH and the more standard technical heroism of JIMI HENDRIX and JIMMY PAGE. when i was turning at 18 and found myself living with a relative in SACRAMENTO shortly after 9/11, leaving my family behind in KUWAIT, i basically dove headfirst into all things POST PUNK and GOTH ROCK as well as EXPERIMENTAL AMBIENT MUSIC and even TRIP HOP. in terms of discovering music, this was one of the most FERTILE and FORMATIVE eras of my life.
and discovering ASH specifically was a revelation both in terms of the EMOTIVE and highly AFFECTING soundscapes he produced, but also in terms of his NONTRADITIONAL approach to guitar. utilizing delay, reverb and a handheld device known as an E-BOW (which magnetically vibrated the strings creating a DRONE-like effect) he was able to conjure COMPLEX aural landscapes that reminded me of INDIAN MUSIC of all things. the use of droning notes is something that has been widely adopted and become more conventional in recent years, especially with POST ROCK andPOST METAL outfits ranging from MERZBOW to SUNN O))). within a POST PUNK context with the likes of BAUHAUS and LOVE AND ROCKETS this DRONING backdrop is cut up with SPASTIC drum patterns and ANGULAR bass and guitar lines that make for INTERESTING textural and compositional juxtapositions that challenge the listener. once you are aware of such, it is noticeably easy to see the through line with later ALTERNATIVE ROCK guitarists like KIM THAYIL (SOUNDGARDEN), JOHN FRUSCIANTE (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), and the aforementioned DAVE NAVARRO (JANE'S ADDICTION). all three share a love of DISSONANCE, odd time signatures, DRONING notes and ANGULAR guitar riffs. discovering ASH was an education in learning about where these POWERFUL guitar elements i grew up on were sourced and divined to perfection. beyond all that, whats COOL about ASH's solo career is how he took that SIGNATURE sound and further developed it by incorporated LATIN rhythms in the mix. those DRONING notes and start-stop guitar lines work like a charm in the midst of the push and pull swing that makes SALSA, CUMBIA and SAMBA so infectious. ASH essentially made DANCEABLE POST PUNK music, which seems like a contradiction in terms, but there you go. ASH is someone i am constantly going back and listening to both as a guitar player and as an ACTIVE listener attempting to glean something useful from a NONTRADITIONAL master musician with his own voice and approach to instrument. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from around FEBRUARY 2020 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of DANIEL ASH from every phase of his career. this is also one of two shows that my father was a guest on which makes it extra SPECIAL for me. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
im probably biased because i came of age in the 1990s, but it seems that all the great songwriters of that era essentially crystallized the most effective aspects of previous genres. KURT COBAIN seamlessly bridge the gap between late 70s PUNK ROCK, 80s HARDCORE and 80s COLLEGE ROCK / INDIE ROCK. think the SEX PISTOLS meets BLACK FLAG meets R.E.M. and THE PIXIES. with TRENT REZNOR the same could be said for 70s INDUSTRIAL MUSIC, 80s SYNTH POP and NEW WAVE with a bit of POST PUNK thrown in. think SKINNY PUPPY meets GARY NUMAN meets DEPECHE MODE meets THE CURE. and so on down the pantheon of great 90s songwriters.
you cant really say that with BECK. his influences are so varied and the synthesis of such disparate elements so coherently IDIOSYNCRATIC that he has developed a POSTMODERN pop aesthetic that is entirely his. seamlessly blending everything from FOLK, REGGAE, HIP HOP and R&B to INDIE ROCK, COMMERCIAL JINGLES, POST PUNK, LOUNGE MUSIC, PROGRESSIVE ROCK and even MUZAK, BECK is singular among his peers for pioneering such a style that in retrospect feels like the DEFINITIVE musical expression of the 1990s. COBAIN, REZNOR, VEDDER, LANEGAN, CORNELL, STALEY / CANTRELL, YORKE, ALBARN, GALLAGHER, COCKER and so forth all updated pre-established templates for a new generation of listeners while BECK seemingly created a new template in and of itself. and that is the fun of listening to new BECK material as it has come out over the past 30+ years. there is always something new being added or subtracted from the mix and wild shifts in genre, presentation and source inspiration are to be expected, much like with BJORK. he literally has conditioned his audience so that he could release nearly anything and itd be artistically valid at this point, which is quite the feat in the age of digital marketing and micro-targeting audiences within audiences. the dude is definitely savvy in that regard. its difficult to not hear his influences in EXPERIMENTAL recording artists ranging from M.I.A., CIBO MATTO, THE DANDY WARHOLS, GORILLAZ, THE MARS VOLTA, CORNELIUS, GRANDADDY, TERA MELOS and ST. VINCENT among many others. ​​embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from around CHRISTMAS 2019 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of BECK from throughout his CELEBRATED catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
the thing ive always appreciated about ROB ZOMBIE is how he takes all these DISPARATE elements (KUSTOM KULTURE, GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM, HORROR FILMS, COMIC BOOKS, MONSTER MOVIES, EXPLOITATION FILMS) and synthesizes them into an AESTHETIC that is identifiably his own. in fact when i was in college and learning about FILM MOVEMENTS and directors it was always fun to learn about the ESOTERIC source material for much of his songs and promotional videos, i.e. auteurs like RUSS MEYER, JACK HILL, ROGER CORMAN, JAMES WHALE, GEORGE A. ROMERO, WILLIAM CASTLE, ROBERT WIENE, KUCHAR BROTHERS, HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS and ED WOOD JR.
it has always struck me how CONSERVATIVE METAL, as with PUNK ROCK, actually is with audience expectations that are often MYOPIC and ANTAGONISTIC towards any sense of progression or INDIVIDUALITY. they want the cheap thrills and will tolerate deviation only to a certain point. with WHITE ZOMBIE, ROB was on a different level both in their nascent EXPERIMENTAL, noise-rock phase as well as the later full TECHNICOLOR, PHANTASMAGORICAL, all-or-nothing GROOVE METAL phase for which they are famous and of which setup and informed ROB's solo career to date. the fact that his professional trajectory inevitably pointed towards a film directing career, and that such actually panned out is INCREDIBLE. their is a definite sense of continuity no matter the era of his CREATIVE OUTPUT you dive into and when i feel jaded like ive heard or watched everything, i take not of what OBSCURE film or artist he's referenced in a song or video and start exploring again. its fun and a CULTURAL EDUCATION in and of itself of which i am thankful for. im glad he's still doing his thing. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from HALLOWEEN week 2021 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of WHITE ZOMBIE / ROB ZOMBIE from throughout his extensive catalogue. enjoy!
photo & text by nacrowe
its hard for me to overstate how foundational the music of R.E.M. was for me as a music listener, as some of my earliest memories of experiencing new music was both the OUT OF TIME (WARNER BROS, 1991) and MONSTER (WARNER BROS, 1994) albums. ironically it was the former record that got me interested in playing guitar as a first grader. its ironic because that was the specific album in their discography where guitarist PETER BUCK essentially abandoned the instrument in favor of mandolin.
i think with those initial OUT OF TIME singles like "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE" and "LOSING MY RELIGION" there was a sense of both pop abandon and real pathos in the LYRICS, MANNERISM and VOCALS of singer MICHAEL STIPE. its interesting that he was one of my earliest introductions to a 'rock singer' given his AMBIVALANCE to fame and his highly IDIOSYNCRATIC presentation that showcased a COMPLICATED figure with strong ideas and a seemingly UNDEFINABLE sexuality, this in addition to his obvious INTELLIGENCE and CHARISMA. STIPE was (and still is) a real MERCURIAL and COMPELLING figure, especially for a curious seven year old. when MONSTER came out the tone was more SOMBER and AGGRESSIVE with singles like "STAR 69," "BANG AND BLAME," "WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KENNETH?" and "CRUSH WITH EYELINER." all the guitar feedback and lyrics about DISLOCATION, strained relationships and potential VIOLENCE was a world away from "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE" and was more in keeping with the NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM songs i heard on the radio station 106.7 FM KROQ out of nearby LOS ANGELES that bordered ORANGE COUNTY where i lived growing up. both visually and aurally, MONSTER was a major record for me growing up and was somewhat of an introduction to the aggressively REFLECTIVE and SELF-DISPARAGING aesthetic of ALTERNATIVE ROCK much as OUT OF TIME was an introduction to the PLAINTIVE, direct songwriting stylings of INDIE ROCK. whats interesting to me as an adult looking back is how arguably the STRONGEST R.E.M. record ever made, AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (WARNER BROS, 1991), which came out between OUT OF TIME and MONSTER, was not in the mix for me during that period. until discovering it later in my late teens i had no memory of the record whatsoever. back in the early and mid 1990s there was no SPOTIFY or YOUTUBE, just the tail end of a national cassette trading network that i was not privy to at that age. i was literally only aware of what was on the radio and what my parents, usually my father, added to their CD collection. getting compact discs was a REVELATORY ritual up until the birth of MP3 trading and disc burning that began when i was in high school in the late 1990s and later the adoption of the iPod that came about a few years into the new millennium. prior to such i was TRANSFIXED to the ARTWORK and details of PACKAGING and their connection to musical content. that experience with OUT OF TIME and MONSTER was as TRANSCENDENT an experience as the music itself in many ways. that eye to visual ICONOGRAPHY, TYPOGRAPHY, LAYOUT and GRAPHIC DESIGN vocabulary in general was an education in and of itself and my earliest VIVD memories of experiencing such, again are probably those two records (as well as LIVING COLOUR, SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM releases from that same period). i find it more than amusing that since i began parodying album covers in an effort to promote my regular DEER GOD RADIO show at nonprofit radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, the only pushback i ever got back was from 'angry' R.E.M. supporters. i was told on INSTAGRAM by a random person that STIPE didnt take kindly to people stealing from him and would sue me to oblivion. my hope and expectation is that if he did discover my promotional parodies he would be delighted by them as a LOVING homage to a band i ADORE and have respected since childhood. i certainly make no money from such and nor does the station. all that being said, R.E.M. please dont sue me. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the spring of 2022 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the music of R.E.M. from throughout their extensive catalogue. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
i was thinking the other day about WHITEWASHING in AMERICAN culture over the years. how ELVIS PRESLEY unfairly gained undue adulation with the general public that was probably more appropriately due to LITTLE RICHARD and CHUCK BERRY. same dynamic could be argued with EMINEM, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, BENNY GOODMAN, BEASTIE BOYS and so on. seems to be a bit of a tradition that a genre or style only gains mainstream acceptance and critical recognition once a white musician does it with some competency. i dont know about BENNY GOODMAN (whose music i am not a fan of at all - much prefer DUKE ELLINGTON), but the majority of these artists were all steeped in the musical traditions that they pursued and had the utmost respect for the artists that came before. for EMINEM this means explicit shoutouts on tracks mentioning the likes of celebrated lyricists like RAKIM, 2PAC, NAS, ANDRE 3000, JAY-Z, REDMAN, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., LL COOL J and ICE CUBE among others. my problem is not with the artists but with the general public's COLLECTIVE AMNESIA towards and HISTORIC DISREGARD towards BLACK CULTURE until a white body inhabits such. its bullshit.
this led me to thinking about the 2-TONE SKA movement out of the UNITED KINGDOM in the late 1970s at the height of THATCHERISM and the VILE, RACIST, ANTI-IMMIGRANT perspective that her government embodied. since the post war era there had been a massive influx of immigrants from THE CARIBBEAN, known as the WINDRUSH GENERATION, who worked in northern factories alongside their CAUCASIAN counterparts and grew to establish a similar working class lifestyle. this close racial proximity in both living and work contexts saw cultural and musical innovations from JAMAICA, part of THE COMMONWEALTH, find active listenership in ENGLAND from both their descendants and their white counterparts. SKA, ROCKSTEADY and later REGGAE became a facet of BRITISH culture not dissimilar from other inherited artifacts like tea (INDIA), polo (IRAN), baked beans (UNITED STATES), ST. GEORGE (SYRIA), tennis (BASQUE), penny farthings (FRANCE), marmalade (PORTUGAL), pubs (ANCIENT ROME) and fish and chips (SPAIN). that penchant for CULTURAL APPROPRIATION is a distinctly BRITISH tradition in my opinion. whats cool about 2-TONE SKA is how it explicitly indicates in its names its roots as the common meeting point between two cultures and musical traditions. in the face of the AUSTERE domestic and seething ANTI-IMMIGRANT policies employed by MARGARET THATCHER and the rising tide of RACISM that such engendered in the larger culture and body politic, these musicians showcased an ALTERNATIVE vision that valued INCLUSION, COOPERATION and celebrating DIVERSITY. these bands include iconic BRITISH multi-ethnic acts such as THE SPECIALS, THE BEAT, THE SELECTER, BAD MANNERS and THE BODYSNATCHERS as well as aligned all-CAUCASIAN acts like MADNESS among others. it is nearly impossible to not see 2-TONE SKA as a distinctly POLITICAL act within the BRITISH context it was birthed under. i think people today, especially in the UNITED STATES, just see it in retrospect as derivative dance music that takes its cues from JAMAICAN culture. they dont see the intent or evolution of a sound. dont believe me, just listen to third-wave AMERICAN ska bands from the 1990s (like LESS THAN JAKE, REEL BIG FISH, CHERRY POPPIN' DADDIES, BUCK-O-NINE, VOODOO GLOWSKULLS and THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES) that took the sound but none of the politics and made something VIBRANT, SOPHISTICATED and INTOXICATINGLY ENGAGING to something BLAND and easily DISPENSABLE. of course there are a number of bands that thoughtfully (like EMINEM) paid homage to the history of the form and felt comfortable further INNOVATING on top of such. i want to give a shoutout to the modern bands i feel are in keeping with the true legacy of 2-TONE SKA such as the FISHBONE, DANCE HALL CRASHERS, THE SUICIDE MACHINES, NO DOUBT, THE SLACKERS, THE AQUABATS, GOLDFINGER, STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO, CATCH 22, THE AGGRO-LITES, THE INTERRUPTERS and SAVE FERRIS among others. i just wish AMERICAN audiences would care more about issues related to CULTURAL APPROPRIATION and WHITEWASHING. maybe as our country becomes less white this unfortunate dynamic will shift in a generation or two. here's hoping! embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from the fall of 2019 on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to 2-TONE SKA and the thoughtful hybrid bands that came thereafter. enjoy! ​RIP TERRY HALL. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
May 2024
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