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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i remember being at (the sadly now defunct) independent record store VINTAGE VINYL in NEW JERSEY sometime in the mid-2010s, most likely back home on summer vacation from one of my overseas teaching assignments, and having this experience that hadnt happened before or since: i asked the clerk what band was currently being played. turns out it was a MISSOURIAN band i knew existed from reading magazines like ALTERNATIVE PRESS over the years but had never investigated until then. it was a group called THE GET UP KIDS and the song i later learned was "WHEN IT DIES" off of their comeback fifth album THERE ARE RULES (QUALITY HILL, 2011).
and it was like LOVE at first listen. i ADORE that band and especially that record, although SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT (VAGRANT, 1999) is also a key listen. i think what makes them so enchanting is their MELODIC SONG-CRAFT and singer MATHEW PRYOR's EARNEST yet-ever-so MELANCHOLY vocal delivery. this band deserves a longer write-up with their offshoot projects (REGGIE AND THE FULL EFFECT, THE NEW AMSTERDAMS) and extensive discography, but i just wanted to do my part to spread the gospel of THE GET UP KIDS. not that they need my help.
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parodies by nacrowe
it seems every time i become completely jaded by music i reach for INDUSTRIAL bands like THROBBING GRISTLE, FRONT 242, EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, SISTER MACHINE GUN, CABARET VOLTAIRE, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY or SKINNY PUPPY to essentially reset my expectations anew. there is just something so invigorating about music that discards convention and attempts to remove the HUMAN ELEMENT entirely, creating ideally something MECHANICAL and devoid of nuance and sensitivity. of course, even in that INTRIGUING pursuit those human embellishments still find their way into the composition, but the attempt in and of itself is LIBERATING.
i definitely got drawn into this genre via the INDUSTRIAL METAL variant that became popular in the 1990s thanks to bands like MINISTRY, FEAR FACTORY, KMFDM, RAMMSTEIN and of course NINE INCH NAILS. i think there is something about the booming DISSONANT NOISE of METAL guitars that blends seamlessly into the highly SYNCOPATED RHYTHMIC PATTERNS of INDUSTRIAL MUSIC that just makes the HYBRID SOUND an INTOXICATING and OVERWHELMING LISTENING EXPERIENCE. it can also be DANCEABLE which is awkward territory for METAL in general, but oddly it works. like any genre, things do become STALE over time and GENRE CONVENTIONS calcify into GENRE ORTHODOXY, both on the part of the players and the audience, but one band that continues to take chances both in terms of TONE and PRESENTATION is MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT. their whole DEBAUCHED, SEXUALLY-LIBERATED vibe definitely utilized the ROTE stability of the RHYTHMS into something else entirely: a FREAK, idealized future vision of a world devoid of government world orders and corporate overlords that allowed for individuals to effectively pursue pleasure unencumbered by OPPRESSIVE social structures and religious institutions. an EDEN in essence. the ROBOTIC nature of the music is somehow inverted to be something inarguably LIBERATING and REVOLUTIONARY. MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT is easily on of my favorites of the genre. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from 2020 (just before the pandemic) on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to various INDUSTRIAL bands. enjoy! 
photo & text by nacrowe
i really have to watch myself when driving while blasting this record from my stereo system, since it slowly creeps up and then you being to notice that you are now 20 miles an hour faster than usual.
recorded in the wake of the untimely passing of former vocalist BON SCOTT, AC/DC's BACK IN BLACK (ATLANTIC, 1980) is both an acknowledgement of his influence and one of the truly great second acts in music history. its hard to imagine what it must have been like for new vocalist / lyricist BRIAN JOHNSON when he stepped foot in that BAHAMAS studio, knowing full well how BELOVED and sorely missed his LEGENDARY predecessor had been to the global ROCK AND ROLL community. and to carve out his own legacy in the process is just so incredibly INSPIRING, with STUNNING classic tracks like "SHOOT TO THRILL," "HELL'S BELLS," "YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG" and, of course, the ICONIC title track "BACK IN BLACK." the quality level was maintained and did not dip through the transfer of vocalists and remains the gold standard of such transitions to this day (i.e. PINK FLOYD, ALICE IN CHAINS, JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, etc.). its hard not to listen to this record and not feel inspired to go out and live life no matter the obstacles. as i mentioned before SCOTT's presence is all over this record and there are more than a few references to DEATH and the GRIEVING PROCESS, especially on "HELL'S BELLS" and "BACK IN BLACK." whats so compelling is that ultimately the concept of ROCK AND ROLL and its embedded 'take no prisoners' mantra (which SCOTT shared) is where one finds both RESOLUTION and ABSOLUTION. it is through music and the community built on it that we all TRANSCEND our individual circumstances and even DEATH itself. the music makes us IMMORTAL. the fact that BACK IN BLACK exists and is such a SLAMMING album for the ages is the biggest testament of LOVE and RESPECT for their departed friend that could ever be expressed, as it furthers his legacy and the passion he shared with his audience. it really is a SINGULAR achievement. to this day, every time AC/DC perform it is a proclamation of their brotherhood and remembrance of not only SCOTT, but more recently MALCOLM YOUNG as well. i have to mention that sonically this record, like all AC/DC projects, does not deviate from the tried-and-true formula of previous releases as it is all very much rooted in BLUES open-chord riffs played in that pocket just behind beat. its such a simple yet REFINED sound and it has a SPARTAN appeal that endures to this day but has not been matched by generations of ROCK AND ROLL bands. like most lovers of ROCK AND ROLL, BACK IN BLACK is a SEMINAL record that is worthy of all the hype and more than a little admiration for the fact that it even exists at all. its required listening. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
with all the enduring and entirely understandable global HYSTERIA centered around the CORONAVIRUS pandemic, it got me considering WESTERN CULTURE's relationship to DEATH. the idea that we FEAR and DELUDE ourselves against its existence and when it does occur in close proximity, we use it to MYTHOLOGIZE in order to OBFUSCATE it and make it more CONCEPTUAL and ABSTRACT. fool ourselves in order to make DEATH seem more MANAGEABLE. during my time in eastern countries like JAPAN and MYANMAR and even non-BUDDHIST influenced countries like ALBANIA and NIGERIA there seemed to be a more PALPABLE, PERSONAL relationship to the idea of our eventual passing as a part of life. something as NATURAL as any other part of the cycle that shouldn't be hidden or shied away from.
in his famous film dealing with the nature of DEATH and the FUTILITY of attempting to negotiate with it, INGMAR BERGMAN's THE SEVENTH SEAL (AB SVENSK FILMINDUSTRI, 1957) revolves around a medieval knight stricken with the PLAGUE confronting DEATH (personified in human form) on a beach. DEATH is INEVITABLE and the knight knows it, but he is trying to fight it anyway. why? because tempting FATE is what we do as humans. when have we ever accepted a role in the NATURE ORDER. our tendency is to define and redefine our role, consequences be DAMNED. its probably been that way since the advent of agriculture or language or PRIMITIVE tools that allowed small bands of humans to efficiently consolidate FINITE labor and resources. at some point our CLEVERNESS allows us to think that we have some type of POWER over the NATURAL world, but really we are just shepherds overseeing it. when i watch this film i read it as our collective inability in WESTERN CULTURE to accept our fate. its odd for me because during my time overseas i've seen funeral processions with boxes being carried through busy streets (ALBANIA) or human remains cremated in public view (NIGERIA) and the end result is that, I feel, these cultures are better inoculated to deal with DEATH / FATE because they see it. they smell it. DEATH in their experience is COMMON, VISCERAL and TACTILE. in the WEST we are cutoff from the consequences of our collective choices. the CRUELTY of the meat industry or the INHUMANITY of our prison system. its all out of view and out of mind. in these countries i've visited DEATH is a CONSTANT reminder. perhaps if we had more HONEST relationships with our FEARS, we wouldn't feel a need to exert such effort in attempting (with complete FUTILITY) to control over them. we'd understand their role and move on. maybe. 
photo & text by nacrowe
i used to love teaching this book.
THE OUTSIDERS (VIKING, 1967) by S.E. HINTON was a YA text particularly well-suited for initiating PRODUCTIVE dialogues with middle school students about the topic of ECONOMIC INEQUALITY. by definition my students were WEALTHY as the school they attended was able to hire a foreigner like me to traverse halfway across the globe to teach them. but what was interesting was how they initially self-identified themselves as being a member of the POOR and UNDERPRIVILEGED OUTCAST class of students in the novel, not the RICH ELITE. without fail that dynamic persisted regardless of the geographic context i found myself in, whether i taught THE OUTSIDERS in VENEZUELA or even MYANMAR. maybe that observation says something about the nature of kids at that age, when they are awkwardly leaving one developmental stage and entering another. it was always fun to debate them and having them come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, the WEALTHY kids, not the OUTCASTS. more than that, being part of said PRIVILEGED status came with responsibility and a sense of empathy for those in more unfortunate economic circumstances. normally LAZY teachers will utilize this novel as an opportunity to introduce kids to 1950s GREASER CULTURE and have them dress in poodle skirts and white shirt and jeans getups. i found that beyond SUPERFICIAL and essentially a wasted opportunity. sadly that was how i was taught the book in grade six in NIGERIA. dont get me wrong, i adore DOO WOP and ROCKABILLY as much as the next person, but what makes this book such a unique treasure is its INNATE capacity to make us examine our own INHERITED SOCIETAL BLINDSPOTS. at its core this book is about "otherness" and how one becomes the "other" in an "us versus them" mentality. in VENEZUELA you had the CHAVISTAS and the OPPOSITION politically duking it out, cutting families in half and not speaking to one another in many cases. in MYANMAR you had the ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE BUDDHIST nationalists and the small MUSLIM population they effectively were DELIBERATELY ETHNIC CLEANSING during my stay. having kids decipher and closely examine their own INHERITED prejudices is a DANGEROUS thing, but i'd argue its a discussion worth having. and that conversation has REAL VALUE. arguably now more than ever. i can only imagine what teaching it now in the UNITED STATES is like. then again, maybe that is why educators stay surface level and stick to the poodle skirts. much safer that way, but nothing learned or gained either. again, i adored teaching this THE OUTSIDERS for the opportunities it provided in fostering INTENSE but REWARDING discussions that i learned quite a bit from my students about their CULTURE and vice versa. the 1983 FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA movie adaptation is GARBAGE though. sorry not sorry. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i think its fair to say that METAL fans are a pretty conservative lot. they know what they want and are disappointed when their favorite bands make stylistic choices that deviate too far from their core expectations, which tend to be related to things like TEMPO, TECHNICALITY and extreme DISSONANCE (i.e. BRUTALITY). there is not much room for evolution in that constraint, but such is the case with METAL fandom.
what i like about the ongoing series 11 GREAT NON-METAL ALBUMS FOR METALHEADS on the REVOLVER magazine YOUTUBE channel is how it showcases the DIVERSITY of appreciation by actual METAL musicians. so far this includes NEIL FALLON OF CLUTCH, STEVE VON TILL of NEUROSIS, KIRK WINDSTEIN of CROWBAR / DOWN and RANDY BLYTHE of LAMB OF GOD. their choices range from expected like-minded AGGRESSIVE genres like FUNK, HARDCORE, OUTLAW COUNTRY, INDUSTRIAL MUSIC, DELTA BLUES, PROGRESSIVE ROCK and ROOTS REGGAE to more EXPERIMENTAL stuff like POST PUNK, JAZZ, FOLK MUSIC, GOTH ROCK, KRAUTROCK, AMBIENT MUSIC and even DISCO. it just goes to show that INSPIRATION comes from anywhere and that ultimately FORM is less important than CONTENT. i remember when i was an english teacher living and working abroad i made a point of attempting to learn and understand local customs and folklore if possible. exploring that which i didnt know made my classroom all the richer for having made the attempt, even if i didnt utilize such knowledge in the classroom. i can only imagine that a songwriter must similarly have their antennas up for new IDEAS and JUXTAPOSITIONS all the time in an effort to make their own craft that much more COMPLEX and ROBUST. hopefully this series will shed light on such outside passions that will lead metalheads to explore the greater world of music beyond NWOBHM, GRINDCORE, METALCORE, SLUDGE, DEATH, BLACK and THRASH METAL. sadly i doubt it. 
photo & text by nacrowe
NO DOUBT was always an ALTERNATIVE ROCK band with some serious NEW WAVE leanings (especially 2 TONE SKA groups like MADNESS, THE ENGLISH BEAT and THE SPECIALS), but on their fourth major label record RETURN OF SATURN (INTERSCOPE, 2000) they really took that proclivity into new territory. it should be stated that despite this being their fourth release, in reality it was the follow-up to their COMMERCIAL breakout TRAGIC KINGDOM (review linked HERE) album which with its FUN, UPBEAT (and slightly SARDONIC) vibe rode the third-wave ska craze of the mid 1990s to international acclaim and turned GWEN STEFANI into the second coming of DEBBIE HARRY. that record was a trendsetter in no large part to its context of being completely out of place in terms of tone and sentiment during the tale end of the GRUNGE era.
with RETURN OF SATURN, a reference to the approximately 29 years it takes the earth to orbit the sun, STEFANI is a savagely INTROSPECTIVE and remarkably self-flagellating meditation on AGING, unfair expectations regarding APPEARANCE, RELATIONSHIPS as she herself was approaching thirty during the writing process. these themes are all over tracks like "MAGIC'S IN THE MAKEUP," "BATHWATER," "SIX FEET UNDER," "MARRY ME," "EX-GIRLFRIEND," "ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER," "STARING PROBLEM" and especially "SIMPLE KIND OF LIFE." the fact that sonically such EXPOSED sentiments were presented with a LUSH, SYRUPY NEW WAVE pop sheen a la celebrated bands like THE CARS, TALK TALK, ADAM & THE ANTS and THE GO-GO's only made the harsh juxtaposition that much more COMPELLING. relative to the rest of their catalogue, RETURN OF SATURN both sonically and lyrically is a bit of an outlier and in my opinion their STRONGEST creative effort to date. in 2000 i was a junior in high school and i had just moved to KUWAIT. RETURN OF SATURN was absolutely part of the soundtrack for that era in my life. that palpable sense of disconnect from yourself that STEFANI was working through made sense to me as i was navigating a seemingly HOSTILE foreign culture, even in retrospect. i've been lucky enough to have been to other MUSLIM countries such as JORDAN, EGYPT, TURKISH CYPRUS and even parts of PALESTINE, but KUWAIT was special in how hostile it felt to foreigners, even the AMERICANS that insured their survival against SADDAM HUSSEIN some ten years before my arrival. it was a CONFUSING time that only became more so the next year when 9/11 happened during my senior year in KUWAIT. i just remember feeling OUT OF THE LOOP socially, culturally, sexually, linguistically, emotionally and so on. STEFANI sings about her biological time clock rather explicitly, but in all honesty that felt like a shielded sentiment aimed at the HOPELESSNESS of finding a suitable mate and life partner. obviously her past relationship with bassist and talented songwriting collaborator TONY KANAL was front of mind for much of the audience, but the real target of such was BUSH frontman GAVIN ROSSDALE, who in retrospect decades later was a poor choice. it is that voiced desire for CONNECTION in a seemingly DEMORALIZED situation that connected with me as a teenager. subsequent NO DOUBT releases, and even STEFANI's solo career, feel like tired retreads of the MAGIC-IN-A-BOTTLE that was TRAGIC KINGDOM. which is unfortunate. with RETURN OF SATURN their was a moment where the band produced a SOPHISTICATED and EVOCATIVE record that really touched a nerve and humanized their lead singer as a fully dimensional lyricist and songwriter, rather than an anachronistic caricature of GENERATION X femininity. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
back when we were filming our live music performance series OFF THE M in NEW YORK CITY, one of the standout acts we came across and recorded was the TALENTED BROOKLYN POST PUNK outfit HONDURAS who had a real knack for juxtaposing ANGULAR guitar textures while maintaining a traditional MELODIC sensibility with a NIHILISTIC edge. to my ears, their performance i saw that night at MARKET HOTEL sounded like UNDERGROUND INDIE ROCK music celebrating the end of the world. frontman PATRICK PHILLIPS has a distinct stage PRESENCE and CHARISMA that is equal parts DAVID JOHANSEN, IAN CURTIS and LUX INTERIOR.
it was a real bummer that we never got to utilize their footage as part of the series. i recall their performance of "BORDERS" was particularly STRONG the night. not even sure what they have been up to recently since the pandemic, when they were actively participating in the GEORGE FLOYD protests and even documented police brutality in NEW YORK CITY during the TRUMP administration. in 2021 the band apparently changed their name to NAMESAKE. here's looking forward to new music from PHILLIPS and company. either way, HONDURAS / NAMESAKE is well worth checking out. 
parodies by nacrowe
for me the experience of listening to anything MAX CAVALERA has been involved in over the years (i.e. SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, NAILBOMB, KILLER BE KILLED, PROBOT and of course SEPULTURA) is akin to snuggling in a warm familiar blanket. the minute i hear that POWERFUL SNARLING, SNEERING, VICIOUS beast of a voice, i am instantaneously transported to being a GLEEFULLY nodding-in-approval twelve year-old, when i first heard CHAOS A.D. () off a tape an older middle school friend had at the time. CAVALERA's presence and PASSION for music was also an interesting primer for BRAZILIAN culture writ large, which interestingly is not far removed from that of the WEST AFRICAN culture i was immersed in when i first became aware of his music.
and i think it is that ENTHUSIASM and unadulterated JOY in getting lost in the music that separates him from most in his peer group, i.e. classic 80s THRASH METAL bands like SLAYER, TESTAMENT, MEGADETH, EXODUS, ANTHRAX, DEATH ANGEL and METALLICA, DEATH METAL bands like OBITUARY, DEATH and MORBID ANGEL, BOLT THROWER and NAPALM DEATH as well as GROOVE METAL bands like PANTERA, WHITE ZOMBIE and their later acolytes in MASTODON, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA and the like. with the exception of maybe DIMEBAG DARRELL, CAVALERA in my opinion singularly personified the transcendent escapist ABANDON that only great METAL provided. and did i mention that the dude is still a DIEHARD fan of the genre and, like ROB HALFORD of JUDAS PRIEST, seemingly loves paying it forward to the next generation of musicians. CAVALERA is a veritable METAL ambassador and elder statesman at this stage in his career nearly four decades in and has yet to loose his footing in the least. here's hoping he keeps the streak going as undoubtedly the man has given so much HAPPINESS to my life and that of my brother who is also a huge fan. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode from late 2020 (during the pandemic) on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to the vast catalogue of MAX CAVALERA. enjoy! 
photo & text by nacrowe
TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE SATELLITE HEART (WARNER BROS, 1993) was a bit of TRANSITIONAL record for THE FLAMING LIPS when it came out in the early 1990s.
for one it is the first record to include both guitarist RONALD JONES and drummer STEVEN DROZD in the fold. JONES would last one more record before DROZD took over on guitar ever since and became the prominent secret SAVANT-LEVEL multi-instrumentalist, composer and co-writing partner to band leader WAYNE COYNE ever since. given such personnel shifts, this record marks what i would consider the beginning point in the evolution of the band as it has existed sonically and conceptually ever since, which is to say that they shifted from being a JANE'S ADDICTION inspired BUTTHOLE SURFERS retread to a band that pushed the genre and audience experience further with each successive recording that has only gotten WEIRDER, FREAKIER and LESS PREDICTABLE over the intervening years. having been signed to WARNER BROS in the midst of the pre-NIRVANA rumblings of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion (i.e. JANE'S ADDICTION, FAITH NO MORE, THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, etc), TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE SATELLITE HEART was their improbable second major label release. somehow someway it managed to include the equally unlikely novelty radio hit "SHE DON'T USE JELLY" which essentially allowed the band some leeway with WARNER BROS to pursue more EXPERIMENTAL sounds and concepts on later releases, if barely. and i really believe that tension is at the heart of what makes THE FLAMING LIPS so great. they have managed to create objectively weird releases that have garnered enough crossover appeal to satiate a cutthroat major label environment that is not looking to support artist development. if anything, THE FLAMING LIPS had the luck of being at the tail end of a recording industry with a longer leash than today. with tracks like "PILOT CAN AT THE QUEER OF GOD," "TURN IT ON," "SHE DON'T USE JELLY," "CHEWIN' THE APPLE OF YER EYE," "BE MY HEAD," and "SLOW NERVE ACTION" coupled with a decidedly haphazard PSYCHEDELIC and handmade DIY aesthetic to their visuals created quite a synergy that played well in the anything-goes zeitgeist of the 1990s. this record felt at home amongst emerging EXPERIMENTAL cultural forces at the time including BECK, TRICKY, CIBO MATTO, CORNELIUS or even the BEASTIE BOYS. in retrospect im still amazed that something this UNORTHODOX was even released on a major label. period. the follow-up CLOUDS TASTE METALLIC (WARNER BROS, 1995) was even more sonically DISSONANT and conceptually OPAQUE before the band ditched guitars (mostly) and came up with their first magnum opus THE SOFT BULLETIN (WARNER BROS, 1999). but to understand those later records and the evolution of the band, the plot really began with TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE SATELLITE HEART and the influence of DROZD, who remains today one of the most critically UNDERRATED musicians and songwriters of his generation. the dude is a revelation. definitely check out TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE SATELLITE HEART and every subsequent FLAMING LIPS record. they are all most definitely worthy of your time, irrespective of your interest in ALTERNATIVE ROCK, INDIE ROCK or AVANT GARDE music. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i found the documentary WARREN ELLIS: CAPTURED GHOSTS (SEQUART, 2012) about the NOTORIOUS BRITISH graphic novel writer to be quite a bore. my interest for watching this film came from reading his work in TRANSMETROPOLITAN (VERTIGO, 1997-2002), RED (WILDSTORM, 2003-2004), and THE AUTHORITY (WILDSTORM, 1999), all three are INTENSE, THOUGHTFUL comic book series that utilize TRANSGRESSIVE scenarios as a means of prodding the reader's sense of HUMAN DECENCY. in essence, WARREN ELLIS is producing MODERN ALLEGORIES and MORALITY PLAYS, utilizing familiar narrative forms while pushing them to their ethical limits. in contrast with his creative work, which i found to be quite CONTEMPLATIVE and entirely THOUGHT-PROVOKING, this documentary which follows him basking in his own TIRESOME attempts at SELF-MYTHOLOGY just came off TRITE and BANAL. to be perfectly honest, i had a difficult time staying awake throughout.
it is important to state that this film came out years before reports of SEXUAL COERCION allegations were brought on by multiple women in the summer of 2020. since then he has been something of a PARIAH within the industry and has effectively been BLACKLISTED in the wake of said claims. i think this documentary is interesting in how it presents a REVERED cultural figure and the lengths to which peers and acolytes rationalize and contextualize aggressively DEVIANT and unapologetically DEBASED behavior. i found the BRAZENNESS of these justifications by lackeys to be pretty SHOCKING, even in the wake of DONALD TRUMP. its a situation entirely reminiscent of MARILYN MANSON and how his public and private persona fed into one another and led to his DOWNFALL, which likewise included SEXUAL COERCION as well as false-imprisonment and grooming allegations. none of it felt like a surprise in that an army of misguided apologists attempted to justify such as part of his art in some VILE and absolutely WARPED perspective. its truly BIZARRE in that you even have JOSS WHEDON (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, TOY STORY, THE AVENGERS) expressing opinions on said behavior, himself someone in just a few short years after the recording of this film will be publicly alleged to have utilized his authority on set to coerce sexual favors from subordinates. just proves the power of celebrity and the gender power imbalance that is still very much a feature of western society, despite our attempts to point fingers at other parts of the globe. it should be noted that ELLIS has since come out and apologized from what reports i could gather, but the documentary i am interested in would be the 2022 version of his personal narrative, not this 2012 version. especially given the nature of his work and the SAD legacy of his personal choices, he may be an ideal candidate to eloquently shed light and poignant insight into the CORROSIVE mindset of TOXIC MASCULINITY and the societal structures that encourage such to metastasize and flourish. or not. 
photo & text by nacrowe
i first became aware of artist JAY HOWELL via his CRUDE yet singularly EVOCATIVE CLASSIC TALES animations for VANS where prominent athletes and musicians recount extreme events from their lives. basically everyone from KEITH MORRIS (CIRCLE JERKS / OFF! / BLACK FLAG), ANDERSON .PAAK, DARRYL JENNIFER (BAD BRAINS) and ROBERT TRUJILLO (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES / OZZY OSBOURNE / METALLICA) to SCOTTY CRANMER, ELIJAH BERLE, JEFF GROSSO, TONY ALVA, GEOFF ROWLEY, CHRISTIAN HOSOI and so on. what i loved about these figures was how DISFIGURED and CREEPY they were, with flapping stick limbs and bulging facial expressions these GROTESQUE humanoids felt like the perfect avatars for athletes and musicians that live outside the normal guardrails of society, both physical and moral.
so of course i sought out his equally MAKESHIFT zine anthology PUNK'S GIT CUT (LAST GASP, 2015) just to get a sense of where this dude is coming from. and for that effort i am still quite lost because this publication defies definition. most of his graphic work is HASTILY-CONCEIVED SHARPIE notes of nonsensical scenarios meant to prod and titillate with references to UNUSUAL methods of SELF-HARM, SEX and BODILY FUNCTIONS. id say it was SOPHOMORIC in nature if the actual drawings werent so damn PRIMITIVE and RAW. if anything those drawings convey an ANARCHIC sense of PATHOS and PERSPECTIVE that far outruns the text that contextualizes them. in HOWELL's rudimentary work i see nods and echoes of work by another NOTORIOUS CALIFORNIA artist in RAYMOND PETTIBON, who similarly takes delight in the IMMEDIATE and RANDOM juxtapositions of image and text. my favorite section of this anthology is "THE DARK WAVE" narrative about a BLACK METAL singer tripping balls during a concert and then running into a forest graveyard and ultimately surfing a coffin before aliens presumably accost him in the ocean. just the LAWLESS humor, ABSURDITY and the just plain RANDOMNESS of it all was thoroughly enjoying. i look forward to seeking out his other more recent publications. definitely check out the work of JAY HOWELL. its hard to believe this dude has done work for NICKELODEON for children's programing. nothing more INSIDIOUS then that i guess, then again i was raised on PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE so who knows. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ive been rewatching CONAN O'BRIEN clips for months now and basically rediscovering the COMEDY GENIUS that is comedy writer BRIAN STACK in the process. i just gradually came to realize that he was at the heart of many of my favorite sketches that are absolutely RIDICULOUS. over his 18 years following CONAN on all three of his shows iterations, STACK created and played on so many great sketches like "THE INTERRUPTER," "STEVE ST. HELENS," "JOE GALLIANO," "THE FANTASTIC GUY," "THE SLIPNUTZ," "THE GHOST CROONER, "INAPPROPRIATE RESPONSE CHANNEL," "TWO GUYS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION," "BULLET-PROOF LEGS," "WIKIBEAR," "HANNIGAN THE SALESMAN" and "FRANKENSTEIN WASTES A MINUTE OF OUR TIME" among many others.
what makes STACK so funny is his unflappable FEARLESSNESS and ability to fully commit to being irredeemably ABSURD, no matter how JUVENILE or BRILLIANT the material is. if im having a bad day, my go to move for the longest time was to watch anything NORM MACDONALD-related. that still stands but now trying to find classic STACK sketches on CONAN is close behind. STACK has been writing for fellow SECOND CITY alumni STEPHEN COLBERT on his LATE SHOW program on CBS since taking over for comedy legend DAVID LETTERMAN in 2015 and is celebrated for his voice over reoccurring sketches like "GOD," "CARTOON DONALD TRUMP" and "THE GHOST OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN." if you are not familiar with his work, definitely check out some of the clips below from both CONAN and COLBERT. BRIAN STACK is most definitely worth it. 
photo & text by nacrowe
as ive' written about before concerning RUST IN PEACE (review linked HERE), my introduction to MEGADETH was during my middle school years when my family lived in NIGERIA. for whatever reason, METALLICA, SEPULTURA, PANTERA, WHITE ZOMBIE and MEGADETH were the groups the kids a few years older than me listened to and not THRASH METAL peer bands like ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT or SLAYER (which in retrospect is quite odd). i am almost positive i first heard YOUTHANASIA (CAPITOL, 1994) from my older friends at the time.
i consider this album to be last of the three CLASSIC records put out by the definitive MEGADETH lineup of DAVE MUSTAINE, MARTY FRIEDMAN, DAVE ELLEFSON and NICK MENZA. the other two being the aforementioned RUST IN PEACE (CAPITOL, 1992) and COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION (CAPITOL, 1992). once you get into CRYPTIC WRITINGS (CAPITOL, 1997) things get a bit screwy and MUSTAINE really bit hard on his longstanding personal obsession with mimicking the formula paved by his perceived nemesis in his former band METALLICA. the cool thing about these three CLASSIC lineup albums is that the their song-craft and TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY hold up rather well to other peer bands from the same period. i'll be generous and diplomatic by saying that MUSTAINE's singing voice is an acquired taste (one that i can tolerate in small portions). standout tracks include "ADDICTED TO CHAOS," "TRAIN OF CONSEQUENCES," "A TOUT LE MONDE" and "RECKONING DAY." all of them have a more STREAM-LINED aesthetic without sacrificing AGGRESSION or technical VIRTUOSITY. its a pretty solid effort whose formula was unfortunately abandoned on subsequent releases. at my school in NIGERIA there was a dearth of substitute teachers, so my mom would sometimes sit in for the high school math teacher. she's a former university math professor. i remember hearing from her how the kids would try to get her to let them play "A TOUT LE MONDE" in the class because somehow it would help them with their FRENCH class next period. pretty funny. i never really understood why the chorus of that song was in a foreign language anyway. MUSTAINE is a rather CONSERVATIVE dude with pretty REGRESSIVE views on immigration and foreign policy in general, which makes a song written and sung partly in FRENCH a CURIOUS choice to say the least. all that being said, do i recommend YOUTHANASIA? i dont know, maybe. its a SOLID MEGADETH album and MARTY FRIEDMAN's solos are generally COMPELLING and TASTEFUL. that said, a DECENT MEGADETH album still probably fails in comparison next to a SUB-PAR METALLICA or SLAYER record, which was the case at the time (i.e. LOAD / RELOAD and DIVINE INTERVENTION). so... yeah, check it out if you are really into THRASH METAL, otherwise i'd advise any number of other more COMPELLING METAL records from the same era that are more worth your time by the likes of PANTERA, NAILBOMB, TOOL, DARKTRHONE, KORN, FEAR FACORY, SEPULTURA, HELMET, DEFTONES, AT THE GATES, KYUSS, TYPE O NEGATIVE, ENSLAVED, NAPALM DEATH, KILLING JOKE, SOUNDGARDEN, BOLT THROWER, EMPEROR, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, ALICE IN CHAINS, MACHINEHEAD, TESTAMENT and WHITE ZOMBIE among many others. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
a couple months back i was researching the extended roster of CARPARK RECORDS in preparation for a DEER GOD RADIO episode on the independent record label that specializes in EXPERIMENTAL AMBIENT MUSIC and INDIE ROCK. it was during that process i became acquainted with NEW JERSEY's own MEMORY TAPES, stage alias of multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter/record producer DAYVE HAWK.
the sound of MEMORY TAPES is a LO-FI blend of AMBIENT DANCE MUSIC and UNCONVENTIONAL found sound textures with a distinctly HAZY SHOEGAZE aesthetic. listening to HAWK's music makes you feel NOSTALGIC, as if it was a touching soundtrack for a preciously obscure indie film that was never created. i just know that when i discovered MEMORY TAPES after listening to several bands, i was immediately taken by the warm yet distant EMOTIONAL resonance of his songs. definitely worth checking out. 
parodies by nacrowe
ive been on a huge SHOEGAZE kick as of late. been reading the new memoir by LUSH front-woman MIKI BERENYI (review to come shortly) which got me down the rabbit-hole reinvestigating bands like RIDE, SWIRLIES, PALE SAINTS and CHAPTERHOUSE in addition to newer bands like ASOBI SEKSU, NO JOY, THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART and DIIV. ive pretty much been listening nonstop since my senior year of high school to SLOWDIVE, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, THE CATHERINE WHEEL and LUSH. that year was when i largely jumped into the EXPERIMENTAL waters of 80s POST PUNK and early 90s SHOEGAZE and largely havent looked back since.
​ there is something innately SEDUCTIVE about being washed over and smothered in repeating seasick waves of delayed distorted reverb. its a romantically HYPNOTIC guitar tone that is very much both ETHEREAL and MANTRA-LIKE as it envelopes and passes over your senses. ive always found the sound to be incredible dream-like and even NOSTALGIC as it makes you consider past EMOTIONAL states both good and bad that the sound has evoked. when employed poorly it sounds like nonsensical unstructured mush, but when conceived and composed intelligently in a great song it is something to be marveled at. it feels almost ALCHEMICAL in nature. examples of such include "WHEN THE SUN HITS" by SLOWDIVE, "WHEN YOU SLEEP" by MY BLOODY VALENTINE, "SWEETNESS AND LIGHT" by LUSH and even the more recent by "HARE TAROT LIES" by NO JOY. definitely encourage anyone interested to seek out those specific tracks. lightning in a bottle in my opinion. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC dedicated to SHOEGAZE bands past and present. enjoy! 
photo & text by nacrowe
the BEASTIE BOYS' fourth record ILL COMMUNICATION (CAPITOL, 1994) was a bit of an ARTISTIC and personal WATERSHED moment for the group as it showcased a newfound capacity for individual EXPRESSION unheard of on previous releases. when the group released LICENSED TO ILL (review linked HERE) some eight years before in 1986, HIP HOP was in its infancy and the three members were still in their early twenties. most of that record was created as an inside joke with SNARKY asides meant to lampoon types of people they grew up with and saw around them in NYC. even the tour with its SOPHOMORIC stage props and inflatable phalluses was meant as a joke rather than some huge political statement. but over time they came to understand that their crowd wasnt in on that joke and perception was becoming reality. if you act like a dumbass with CHAUVINIST lyrics ("BRASS MONKEY" especially), then people are going to assume you are a dumb MISOGYNIST.
what is so revolutionary about ILL COMMUNICATION is how the band owns their past mistakes and moves forward with GRACE and CONTRITION, something that is utterly unheard of before or since in the often crudely anti-female world of HIP HOP. right from the get-go on opening track "SURE SHOT," ADAM YAUCH memorably quips that "i want to say a little something that's long overdue / the disrespect to women has got to be through / to all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends / i want to offer my love and respect to the end," which is a completely TRANSFORMATIVE statement that altered their public persona for the rest of their career. this new understanding of the weight of their actions and the influence it had on their audience defined what causes (MILAREPA FUND, ASPCA, TIBET HOUSE US, FOOD BANK FOR NEW YORK CITY, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, LUNCHBOX FUND, RATIONAL ANIMAL) and events (TIBETAN FREEDOM CONCERTS) they promoted and associated themselves with from here on out. in essence they transitioned to the role of engaged PROGRESSIVE activists. this legacy continues to this day as TRUMP supporters during the height of MAGA-dom in 2016 decided to use swastikas to desecrate a BROOKLYN park named in YAUCH's honor in his old neighborhood. previous to the recording of ILL COMMUNICATION, YAUCH became a practicing BUDDHIST chose to make this new found perspective explicit on the upcoming album. famously all three members of the BEASTIE BOYS were raised JEWISH and it really says something about AD ROCK and MIKE D to embrace their friend and colleague at this moment. from what ive read and heard in interviews, their response was that of course their friend had found this new thing he felt passionately about and wanted to share and for them that was enough. they loved and supported their friend and in the end became ENRICHED with an education about BUDDHIST precepts, history and culture. this transformation can be best heard explicitly on the track (my favorite) "BODHISATTVA VOW." for the uninitiated, in the MAHAYANA BUDDHIST tradition one who attains enlightenment has the opportunity to avoid the cycle of rebirth as they have already attained a state of karmic purity. the bodhisattva vow is that they will voluntarily jump back into rebirth to assist all other sentient being in reaching that state first before they themselves depart. its a vow of complete SELFLESSNESS and service to all others before the self in the most profound manner possible. given this perspective, the ALEX GREY artwork GAIA prominently displayed in the middle of the liner notes furthers this profound sentiment of the INTERDEPENDENCE of humanity with the natural order. it really is quite the TRANSITIONAL record. in addition to "SURE SHOT" and "BODHISATTVA VOW" other NOTABLE tracks include "ROOT DOWN," "SABOTAGE" and "GET IT TOGETHER." it would be criminal negligence to no mention that this is the second of three records co-produced by MARIO CALDATO JR, the other two being CHECK YOUR HEAD (CAPITOL, 1992) and HELLO NASTY (CAPITOL, 1992). as a TALENTED multi-instrumentalist and composer, his production duties were INVALUABLE to not just the SEAMLESS nature of these recordings (as such were often SAMPLE-HEAVY of varying quality source material), but to EMPOWERMENT of the group itself. often each member would record at home to their own devices that would be compiled and worked over by CALDATO, essentially streamlining the workflow process. i think that this one key reason that the album is such an ECLECTIC affair. speaking for myself, ILL COMMUNICATION is the definitive BEASTIE BOYS record as it showcased a VARIED sonic aesthetic and MATURE, INCLUSIVE worldview that informed the second half of their career and ultimately their legacy as a group. one of my favorite HIP HOP records ever and most definitely required listening for anyone interested in anything from EAST COAST HIP HOP to ALTERNATIVE ROCK and beyond. RIP ADAM YAUCH. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
the relationship between sleeve ART and the MUSIC it promotes has always been an INVIGORATING yet SUBTLE art, especially to music lovers like me. when seeking out an unfamiliar record by unknown ARTIST, seemingly you were always attempting to accurately surmise what the MUSIC would possibly SOUND like given the cover sleeve ARTWORK. most times this was a fool's errand but a fun one. the MAGIC of this interplay between SOUND and VISUALS is now largely lost given the MODERN advent of mobile streaming and various TECHNOLOGY-enabled distribution vehicles that make AUDIO content (as well as VIDEO) available instantaneously. there is no risk in purchasing a record, since commonly in recent years there is no record and consequently there is no purchase anymore (just watch it on YOUTUBE).
the documentary 23 ENVELOPE (BBC, 1985) is short documentary regarding the design firm 23 ENVELOPE, which was made up of graphic designer VAUGHAN OLIVER and photographer/videographer NIGEL GRIERSON. their partnership lasted from 1980 to 1988 and was celebrated for its CREATIVE work with BOUTIQUE BRITISH independent label 4AD and their stable of EXPERIMENTAL artists ranging from COCTEAU TWINS, PIXIES, LUSH, CLAN OF XYMOX and THIS MORTAL COIL to DEAD CAN DANCE and XMAL DEUTSCHLAND. what ties their PHOTOGRAPHIC and TYPOGRAPHIC work together is a commitment to all things and ABSTRACT. their work carries with it an ETHEREAL, OTHERWORLDLY quality that makes it feel very much up for interpretation, much like the MUSIC it serves to introduce. their work is also LYRICAL in the sense that it has an EMOTIONAL RESONANCE despite its OBTRUSIVE nature. too often with commercial COVER ART the images being displayed do not hold up AESTHETICALLY without explicit reference to the MUSIC. famous examples where this is not the case include ANDY WARHOL's iconic THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO (VERVE, 1967) cover, RICHARD KERN's early collaborations with SONIC YOUTH, as well as the images PETER SAVILLE provided for both JOY DIVISION and NEW ORDER at FACTORY RECORDS. these NOTABLE examples standout as ARTISTICALLY compelling statements outside of their commercial associations with the TRANSGRESSIVE and INNOVATIVE MUSIC they were commissioned to promote. the whole discussion regarding the role of ART and MUSIC is endlessly FASCINATING for me since at its core it serves a MARKET FUNCTION of differentiated what crassly very much is a PRODUCT for general CONSUMPTION. but the core INTEGRITY of INTENTION at display with this documentary in reference to the work of OLIVER and GRIERSON proves that more can be accomplished and render this PRODUCT as INDESPENSIBLE to the right constituency. that interplay between ARTIST and PATRON, MARKET and CONSUMER will never be figured out as they are uneasy bedfellows. 23 ENVELOPE voices this dynamic brilliantly and is a relevant documentary definitely well worth checking out. RIP VAUGHAN OLIVER 
photo & text by nacrowe
it is difficult to not read PAUL AUSTER's fantastically ABSURDIST novel MR. VERTIGO (VIKING, 1994) and not come away with understanding that it is a complicated ALLEGORY for the AMERICAN DREAM set in the milieu of the MIDWEST (complete with references to baseball, gangsterism, the KKK, roadside attractions and circus life) in the first half of the twentieth century. narrated in first person through the eyes of WALTER CLAIBORNE RAWLEY, we see his journey from a discarded juvenile delinquent from the wrong side of the tracks in ST. LOUIS through a most UNUSUAL life journey that sees him transition from a levitating act as WALT THE WONDER BOY through turns as a gangster, night club owner, factory worker and ultimately a small business owner.
what i found interesting is that the constant throughout this ATYPICAL narrative is the consistency of PERSPECTIVE with WALT. he remains PRACTICAL throughout. he does not become fazed by the work needed to gain flight as a child as taught by his trainer, caretaker and surrogate father MASTER YEHUDI, nor does he become particularly overwhelmed by being kidnapped or the DEATH of loved ones. when he transitions into the CHICAGO underworld and works his way up, that as well seems to be more about SURVIVAL than any MORAL IMPERATIVE on his part. i wonder if AUSTER was attempting to say something about the MATURITY of the UNITED STATES during this same period in which we pretty much transcended our EUROPEAN forefathers and took hold of the century ECONOMICALLY, POLITICALLY and CULTURALLY on a global scale beginning in earnest after WORLD WAR II. unlike the nations that played a part in our birth, we have no deep history or entrenched set of ideals that have been past down for centuries. our ETHOS is mainly one of UTILITARIANISM, of finding whatever works and suits our needs. at the end of the narrative, WALT doesnt attempt to justify his choices. he merely just states that such are what they are. and maybe that is what the AMERICAN DREAM was all along, an excuse to just succeed on your own terms, choose your own adventure. by whatever means necessary and damn the consequences or externalities on anyone around you. i found this book to be quite BLEAK and NIHILISTIC in its implications despite its setting and trappings of classic AMERICANA. if anything, the seeming lack of moral guardrails works both ways but that wreaking aftertaste of moral DEBASEMENT doesnt seem to subside. WALT as an old man isnt diminished or uplifted by his former glories, he merely just survived them. maybe as a nation that is the best we can hope for. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the iconic SOUTHERN HIP HOP duo OUTKAST!
​ ​​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! 
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