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i always found it interesting when watching films related to warfare that seemingly 99% of them portray such as a glamorous activity. dont get me wrong, i understand the necessity for armed conflict and i am fully aware that there is a sense of camaraderie that comes from it. i also understand the potential for honor and valor in safeguarding your fellow soldier and the importance of securing specific mission objectives. i get all that. but on a fundamental level, the act of organized destruction by state actors is something to be avoided, not celebrated. if only for the suffering and death that follows, most often for those to whom only unfortunate circumstance has rendered them culpable. i've seen the repercussions of such in locales such as KOSOVO, CAMBODIA, NIGERIA, BOSNIA, CYPRUS, VIETNAM and elsewhere and the consequences are the same. nothing good comes from wanton suffering.
nothing. and that is why on some foundational level, famed 20th century REALIST writer ERNEST HEMINGWAY understood such and incorporated it into his famed WWI novel A FAREWELL TO ARMS (SCRIBNER, 1929). this novel is centered around the love affair between an ambulance driver and a nurse who meet and ultimately fall in love during his recuperation. in typical biographical fashion, this scenario plays on a similar experience HEMINGWAY himself experience during WWI in ITALY. spoiler alert: the nurse and her child pass away at the close of the book and the driver is isolated, both in terms of the physical loss of his potential family, but also emotionally and spiritually depleted. its a great metaphor for the real consequences of war, as there are never real winners. war is inherently pyrrhic by nature as it leaves everyone morally and spiritually barren. and i cant think of an exception. i cant come up with an armed conflict that has not extracted a severe cost in capital and the more precious commodity of human suffering. maybe someone out there can? for me A FAREWELL TO ARMS is a seminal expression of that primal understanding that armed conflict is a necessary yet consequential activity that deserves a respect not paid when seen through the rose-colored lenses of warmongers and profiteers who perpetuate propaganda in the films we watch and news we consume. deciding on conflict as a course of corrective action is a sacred decision that leaves no one unblemished and ennobled. by falling into it we descend into its own deceptive logic and nobody is the better for it. stating anything else would be a deception. a lie and a big one at that. and us AMERICANS, we love our big lies. 
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join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the early ROCK N ROLL icon BUDDY HOLLY!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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join us TONIGHT at 10PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the stellar MUSIC PRODUCTION career of PHARRELL WILLIAMS!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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despite growing up in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and actively listening to the massively influential local ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio station 106.7FM KROQ out of LOS ANGELES, i didnt come across BAKERSFIELD's KORN until i was living in NIGERIA shortly after their second album LIFE IS PEACHY (EPIC, 1996) came out.
the three things about this record that stood out to me as a preteen were the self-scathing, almost T.M.I. lyrics of JONATHAN DAVIS, the pronounced bass of FIELDY that served more of a percussive than melodic function and the down-tempo, down-tuned dual guitar attack of guitarists HEAD and MUNKY. i think the sound of KORN can be described as a brick wall falling on top of you; it is one cohesive, machine-like unit repeatedly pummeling your senses with wave after wave of claustrophobic yet strangely hypnotic massive grooves. examples of this on LIFE IS PEACHY include "GOOD GOD," "NO PLACE TO HIDE," "TWIST," and "ASS ITCH." a big reason for the visceral impact for these songs is the aggressive production work of ROSS ROBINSON, who is historically celebrated for his ability to motivate (or coerce) stellar performances from his clients. along with KORN's debut, LIFE IS PEACHY is another defining example of this ability, especially with regards to DAVIS. i have always had an odd appreciation for DAVIS' work since (much like his peer KURT COBAIN) he is definitely not playing it safe in his role as a METAL frontman or falling into cliche tropes of aggressive masculinity the genre is famous for. if anything, his aggression is aimed inward and his lyrics and performances are almost public sublimations for the immense pain he went through growing up an artistic kid in the conservative cultural backwater that is BAKERSFIELD. on later albums this scatting style of singing he trail-blazed on the first two KORN records comes off a bit forced, rote and even hackneyed, but on LIFE IS PEACHY it still carries a compelling sense of authentic ethos and aggression. like other GENERATION X icons like BILLY CORGAN, it is a bit disappointing to see DAVIS degenerate into a conservative parody of himself as a closet conservative since he was a bit transgressive and progressed the METAL movement forward with his lyrical subject matter (which included topics like CHILD ABUSE, SELF-LOATHING, BULLYING, SUICIDE, DEPRESSION and SELF-ISOLATION). listening back i can look past the more cartoonish tracks on this record (like "PORNO CREEP" and "A.D.I.D.A.S.") and see an emerging group influenced by hybrid bands like FISHBONE and FAITH NO MORE trail-blaze new sonic terrain that propelled the band its peers forward for the rest of the decade. LIFE IS PEACHY is most definitely a record worth revisiting. 
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when i listen to the music of MONTREAL DREAM POP/INDIE ROCK band MEN I TRUST i catch glimpses of MAZZY STAR, THE CARPENTERS, FEIST and maybe even a little THIEVERY CORPORATION thrown in the mix. they have a hazy bed of light keyboards and gentle guitar chords that breathe in and out of one another that provides the perfect sonic bed for singer JESSY CARON's whispered and softly sung incantations.
its an intoxicating mix and i recommend it to anyone interested in modern INDIE POP. definitely worth checking out. 
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check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the GERMAN INDUSTRIAL band KMFDM!
​ ​​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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i remember the moment i first heard PORNO FOR PYROS in middle school in NIGERIA at (oddly enough) my own surprise birthday party a NORWEGIAN female classmate threw at her parents' apartment. another classmate that was DANISH had brought GOOD GOD's URGE (WARNER BROS, 1996) on CD and i was blown away by the vocals on "TAHITIAN MOON." just utterly gobsmacked by how pure and angelic that voice sounded to the point that it almost defied gender. or even being human i had no idea that this was PERRY FARRELL, the same singer i heard in LOS ANGELES on the radio from his previous band JANE'S ADDICTION. i had utterly no clue about who FARRELL was or either PORNO FOR PYROS or JANE'S ADDICTION, i just knew that this was something unequivocally different than what i was used to.
and i've been going down the rabbit whole ever since. GOOD GOD's URGE was the second record by PORNO FOR PYROS, who themselves are arguably the most prominent splinter group of JANE'S ADDICTION, made up of frontman PERRY FARRELL and STEPHEN PERKINS. the outfit was rounded out by the classically-trained guitarist PETER DISTEFANO. the other two members of JANE'S ADDICTION, bassist ERIC AVERY and guitarist DAVE NAVARRO, formed the short-lived ART ROCK project DECONSTRUCTION before moving on to other projects. lyrically GOOD GOD's URGE covers themes related to love, rebirth and renewal and was written largely on surf trips to POLYNESIA. the record features MIKE WATT on bass and special guests DANIEL ASH, DAVID J and KEVIN HASKINS (a.k.a. LOVE AND ROCKETS) as well as NAVARRO and FLEA on selected tracks. standout songs include the aforementioned "TAHITIAN MOON" as well as "PORPOISE HEAD," "KIMBERLY AUSTIN," "100 WAYS," "WISHING WELL" and "BALI EYES." the general vibe is relaxed with lots of tasteful ambient electronic production layered over acoustic tracks that young could totally imagine being sung at a campfire after a day of surfing in TAHITI or BALI. its a real departure in texture and mood from its predecessor which seemed about more about the claustrophobia, excess and cycles of exploitation that come with living and working in LOS ANGELES. GOOD GOD's URGE finds FARRELL in a more reflective, spritual headspace which is something he explored more in his later solo recordings and other groups like SATELLITE PARTY and KIND HEAVEN ORCHESTRA. i remember hearing a rumor years ago that after his survival from cancer that there was a chance of PORNO FOR PYROS regrouping with DISTEFANO. that they even recorded material. my hope is that their reemergence will happen at some point. the band was totally underrated and are absolutely as seminal an ALTERNATIVE ROCK band as JANE'S ADDICTION. 
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when i first came across SLINT's second record SPIDERLAND (TOUCH AND GO, 1991) record years ago, i remember how it had a visceral and immediate quality yet somehow simultaneously seemed opaque and inaccessible, almost like MARK ROTHKO painting. ROTHKO paintings hit you on an emotional level, for me at least, and leave you attempt to meet it on an intellectual level before you give up and just acquiesce to the art itself. that was how i felt about that album in general. much like JAZZ, it is a sublime moment in time with no discernible narrative or entry point other than the seduction of the music itself.
in the intervening years since its release the album and the band have manifest a cult following and a certain mystique, probably because by the time of its release the band had broken up and never toured it. BREADCRUMB TRAIL (2014) is a film that attempts to explore the band , the HARDCORE scene they came out of in KENTUCKY and of course the record itself. interviews with peers such as DAVID YOW (THE JESUS LIZARD), IAN MCKAYE (MINOR THREAT / FUGAZI) and JAMES MURPHY (LCD SOUNDSYSTEM), producers STEVE ALBINI and BRIAN PAULSON as well as TOUCH AND GO RECORD founder COREY RUSK and the band members themselves (BRITT WALFORD, BRIAN MCMAHAN, DAVID PAJO, TODD BRASHEAR and ETHAN BUCKLER. as much as these interviews are conducted with an eye towards transparency, its interesting to hear the band members discuss the creative process. if anything, the process is in-keeping with the dual DIY ethic of being prepared and putting your time into the craft while also recognizing the importance of being in the moment. there is a looseness to the record that comes with establishing a chemistry between players. again, it is almost like a great JAZZ combo, that unspoken connection. it was interesting listening to the members struggle to identify the spark or reason behind the record coming out the way it did. it just did. they had a weekend to record, they were prepared and just went for it. lightning in a bottle. and then just left it, purity intact. for me this documentary doesnt really affect my appreciation for the record. it just provides context to scene that helped influence it, bands such as KILLDOZER, BIG BLACK and THE JESUS LIZARD. that SPIDERLAND sounds nothing like such only further cements its uniqueness. that members of SLINT previously played in a straight-up METAL band as teenagers who opened for SAMHAIN on tour of all things was a pretty unexpected surprise as well. if you are a fan of INDIE ROCK or appreciate its influence on 90s ALTERNATIVE ROCK, then this documentary is well worth your time. BOOK REVIEW | "STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN: A LIFE WITH THE POLICE, POLO AND PYGMIES" BY STEWART COPELAND9/20/2021 
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i knew going into this book that renowned drummer STEWART COPELAND of THE POLICE fame was a bit of pretentious asshole, but man, his book STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN: A LIFE WITH THE POLICE, POLO, AND PYGMIES (IT BOOKS, 2010) really only confirms it. what drew me to his story in part was his upbringing abroad in LEBANON as a state department brat (actually his father worked for the C.I.A.). when youve grown up abroad as a THIRD CULTURE KID, as i have, you kind of seek out others as well. i was curious what effect being an AMERICAN abroad had on his cultural education and to what extent it informed his (admittedly phenomenal) drum skills.
sadly the structure of this book is rather jagged and arbitrary, small awkwardly worded vignettes about different experiences in his life that don't follow a specific timeline or present coherent a coherent narrative. this unfortunate structuring also makes it seem that things just happened around him, that he had no sway in his life's trajectory. what's worse, none of these stories are particularly "strange" in the least. moreover they just showcase his inflated sense of importance and privilege. for instance he goes to KENYA to the touristy MASAI MARAI region cavorting with giraffes and lions to film some shitty movie. he hangs out with pygmies and is involved with a group ritual that he fails to explain the significance of, outside of his own awkwardness in the procession. like i care about how he felt. what's worse is that he waxes poetic about his journey to AFRICA to discover roots of AMERICAN music. this really annoys me because, with all due respect, that tradition is rooted sub-Saharan WEST AFRICA, places like GHANA, NIGERIA, TOGO and CAMEROON were the slave trade was rooted for centuries. going to the most tourist-friendly part of AFRICA and then talking about roots is just pathetic. this book is a hard pass and i wouldn't recommend it to anyone, even if they are a fan of THE POLICE. im looking forward to ANDY SUMMERS memoir. hopefully he doesn't have his head nearly as far up his own ass as COPELAND. good grief. 
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i think everyone can appreciate a disruptor. someone that comes out of left fied and innovates to such an extent that an industry has to react in their wake.
in terms of sports i have written in the past about RODNEY MULLEN (blog entry linked HERE), a legendary skateboarder who found a way to incorporate (then-tragically unhip) freestyle elements into street skateboarding and basic birthed modern flat ground trick. what once was deemed outsider then became the very lexicon upon which the modern sport defines itself. i don't think its hyperbole to put AUSTRALIAN 3X BMX BIG AIR X GAMES champion RYAN WILLIAMS on that same level. in terms of action sports, SCOOTERS are looked at as a joke. a kid's toy. probably ironically the same way people used to view skateboarding and bicylce riding. currently FREESTYLE SCOOTER is still not an X GAMES event. but FREESTYLE BMX is. what's interesting about WILLIAMS is that being a FREESTYLE SCOOTER pro, he was able to incorporate various tricks into BMX that had never been attempted or considered before, things like BRI FLIPS, INWARD BRI FLIPS and my favorite, the FREE WILLY (SCOOTER-only). again, a new lexicon of tricks get incorporate into the sport from an overlooked and undervalued related sport. 
photo & text by nacrowe
about that voice.
historically critics have been quick to judge GEDDY LEE (RUSH) and BILLY CORGAN (SMASHING PUMPKINS) of having an irritating or unique, depending on your perspective, singing voices. either way they own them and made such an integral part of their band's sound, of which id argue made them stand out. in a good way. unfortunately i dont share that opinion of DAVE MUSTAINE of MEGADETH. while LEE and CORGAN both have naturally nasally vocal ranges which isnt their fault, MUSTAINE has this batshit off-putting shtick he appropriated from somewhere of doing these awkward voices that make him sound constipated. it comes off forced and just weird. and it doesnt sound cool at all, not even in an acquired taste sort-of-way like with LEE and CORGAN. while i do hate his singing and politics, which are generally regressive and staunchly conservative, what i do respect about MUSTAINE is his guitar playing and RUST IN PEACE (CAPITOL, 1990) is arguably one of the most cohesive and technically adept THRASH METAL records ever made. id put riffs off this record against anything off of REIGN IN BLOOD or MASTER OF PUPPETS. standout tracks include multi-part epics like "TORNADO OF SOULS," "HANGER 18" and "HOLY WARS...THE PUNISHMENT DUE." at its best, these particular songs showcase a musician with a preternatural dexterity and truly mesmerizing dynamic range on his instrument. not to mention that this is record has the classic lineup of MARTY FRIEDMAN, NICK MENZA and DAVID ELLEFSON. MUSTAINE himself makes great use of his "spider chord" technique that acts as a shortcut to multiple power-chord variations by utilizing all four non-thumb fingers in quick precision, almost mechanical-like succession. i remember first hearing this record on a compound in NIGERIA i spent my middle school years living in. this was the mid 1990s and in those pre-internet days. the music you discovered is largely whatever CDs were brought back from stateside return visits or trips other families took to EUROPE. i remember other students brought back early CYPRESS HILL, SEPULTURA, PEARL JAM, METALLICA, THE OFFSPRING, PORNO FOR PYROS and GREEN DAY records. amongst that mix someone brought back MEGADETH as well, which was how i came across RUST IN PEACE. in my naive opinion at the time, i thought "HOLY WARS...THE PUNISHMENT DUE" was insane and matched or outdid anything i heard off RIDE THE LIGHTNING and MASTER OF PUPPETS in terms of guitar playing. i didnt know anything about MUSTAINE's history with METALLICA at that point which is interesting. when i left NIGERIA and moved back stateside to attend high school in MASSACHUSETTS, i soon discovered SLAYER and that was kind of it for MEGADETH or METALLICA. ultimately that singing voice was too annoying. years later when i saw SLAYER play with MEGADETH and ANTHRAX in LONG ISLAND i remember thinking that MUSTAINE's voice sounded even worse live, cementing my opinion of the band. but those riffs man. can't knock his guitar-playing. its impenetrable and beyond reproach. 
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sometimes you come across a musician that is hard to pin down on first listen and seem wholly original yet strangely an extension of what you are familiar with beforehand. im thinking of songwriters and performers like BJORK and TRICKY who had antecedents in experimental ELECTRONIC MUSIC and HIP HOP, but took such influences to another new terrain.
thats kind of how i feel about KING KRULE, the creative project of ARCHY IVAN MARSHALL, that incorporates everything from TRIP HOP and INDIE ROCK to JAZZ FUSION and POST PUNK. its a heady eclectic mix but is cohesive through his unique persona and reflective yet opaque lyrics. KING KRULE is definitely worth check out. 
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check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the experimental music of ICELANDIC visual/recording artist BJÖRK!
​ ​​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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CYPRESS HILL was the first HIP HOP group i ever got into. i discovered them through a LEBANESE classmate when i was attending middle school in NIGERIA. looking back i find it hilarious that i learned about the seminal WEST COAST HIP HOP group after i permanently left the greater LOS ANGELES area. but thats how it went. my friend was really into DRUG CULTURE, which sadly was the case with many classmates i had while living in LAGOS, one of the biggest drug ports in the world.
oddly enough for a band so closely identified with WEED CULTURE, their self-titled debut album CYPRESS HILL (COLUMBIA, 1991) is not really all that concerned with marijuana. yes there are songs like "STONED IS THE WAY OF THE WALK," "LIGHT ANOTHER" and "SOMETHING FOR THE BLUNTED," but with songs like "PIGS," "HAND ON THE PUMP," "HOLE IN THE HEAD," and "HOW I COULD JUST KILL A MAN," the lyrical focus is more memorably attuned to the routine hardships of being a minority living in URBAN AMERICAN and the need for survival and community in a oppressive system that limits your ability to prosper within LAW ENFORCEMENT, HEATHCARE and EDUCATION frameworks. i dont believe CYPRESS HILL glorifies gang membership or activities, more just provide a window into the reasoning and mentality of those who join. and make no mistake, they join out of limited access to better opportunities and models of past success. i always found it interesting when conservatives or white people i know who outright dismiss acts like CYPRESS HILL and then turn around and patronize them and their community about how the choices they make. maybe it comes with having lived overseas, but i am not so quick to judge those with lived experiences i didnt share. such was the case when i was in MYANMAR, VENEZUELA, ALBANIA and NIGERIA over the years. i didnt grow up as a minority surrounded by racist LAPD cops attending failed overcrowded and underfunded schools. so all i can do is listen and attempt to empathize or at the very least, see the situation from their vantage point. and that perspective is the gift that CYPRESS HILL and other similar WEST COAST HIP HOP artists like ICE CUBE, TUPAC SHAKUR, KENDRICK LAMAR, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, SNOOP DOGG, THE PHARCYDE and TOO $HORT have given the world of music enthusiasts. it is why i keep going back and revisiting their early run of albums, especially their debut, which is well worth further investigation and essential for anyone interested HIP HOP or AMERICAN CULTURE write large. 
thank you CYPRESS HILL for retweeting this! so amazing!
photo & text by nacrowe
the story of AMERICAN comics basically revolves around two entities: publishers DC and MARVEL. that is until there was IMAGE COMICS, which was founded in 1992 by seven departing MARVEL artists including TODD MCFARLANE, ERIK LARSON, JIM LEE, ROB LIEFELD, JIM VALENTINO and MARC SILVESTRI. it was a huge risk as no previous artists were able to maintain control over their creations beforehand in the industry.
and it worked. THE IMAGE REVOLUTION (RESPECT, 2014) is the story of a company that basically blazed a path forward for writers and artists to bet on themselves at scale with the big players. now that we are nearing thirty years past the founding of IMAGE, it is absolutely heartbreaking to take in and stomach the fact that a legend like JACK KIRBY (legendary creator of THE FANTASTIC FOUR, THE X-MEN, IRON MAN, THE HULK, THOR, THE SILVER SURFER and even CAPTAIN AMERICA) was treated so badly by MARVEL that he had no claim to his creations and had to work to stay afloat until his death in his mid 70s. the industry historically is buttressed on abusing and exploiting its labor force, which it deems easily interchangeable. this is why all these artists leaving en masse was such a power move that still ripples in the industry to this day. its funny, i recently watched the documentary CHRIS CLAREMONT'S X-MEN (review linked HERE) about the longstanding X-MEN writer who took the fledging franchise on an unprecedented and immensely successful 17-year run, only to be unceremoniously replaced by two industry scabs, JIM LEE and ROB LIEFELD. those two really come across in that film as hungry up-and-comers with no sense of history or honor for the work that preceded them, instead pandering to tired tropes of hyper-masculinity and reductive female sexuality (from a male gaze) that played to a core male audience. and was financially lucrative for MARVEL. how ironic that it was these two that a few years later decided to strike out on their own in establishing IMAGE. even more so that they both left due to the bloated organizations each built under the IMAGE brand, LEE even departing for DC ultimately. its all ego with these two, no shame and no honor. also in this film LIEFELD is seen in recent interviews making fun of MCFARLANE's cadence and vocal affectation and just comes off as some immature, narcissistic egomaniac. the dude must have no sense of self-awareness. then again, it kinda makes sense why his work played to the lowest common denominator, since he comes off very much as the living, physical embodiment of the lowest common denominator. the real heroes are the remaining members that effectively made good on the paradigm shift in the industry with creators owning their creations by bringing in new blood like ROBERT KIRKMAN and his THE WALKING DEAD series. to date the IMAGE legacy has been one of promoting self-empowerment, whether or not such work with IMAGE or others that followed their credo. an interesting film that i think should be viewed in conjunction with CHRIS CLAREMONT'S X-MEN (RESPECT, 2018). 
photo & text by nacrowe
inspired by the political repercussions (and widespread FRANCOPHOBIA) that followed FRANCE's refusal to participate in AMERICA's fraudulent military misadventures in IRAQ in the wake of 9/11 (and the all-too predictable moronic backlash by AMURRICANS thereafter), LAFAYETTE IN THE SOMEWHAT UNITED STATES (RIVERHEAD, 2015) by SARAH VOWELL is a compelling examination of the FRANCO-AMERICAN relationship during the REVOLUTIONARY WAR through the journey of noted patriot, GILBERT DU MOTIER, the MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE.
what i love about VOWELL's writing style is her way of balancing the charm of an attentive first-person TRAVELOGUE with the well-researched heft of an almost academic piece of NONFICTION and HISTORY writing. her narrative voice is nuanced, commanding and (quite often) sardonic which allows her to tackle something as seemingly dry and quotidian as the REVOLUTIONARY WAR period and make it intriguing. as ive mentioned before, i took AP UNITED STATES HISTORY in high school and i was wholly unaware of how mistaken i was about the facts of that war. for instance, i never realized how malnourished, undertrained, unarmed and unsupported that CONTINENTAL ARMY actually was. essentially the individual colonies didnt see the need to adequately raise a decent military, which is maddening and counter to the narrative i was familiar with. case in point was the debacle of VALLEY FORGE which saw thousands of AMERICAN soldiers perish from exposure to the elements during a harsh PENNSYLVANIA winter. another example was the lengths to which the FRENCH NAVY essentially secured our victory at YORKTOWN after an offshore entanglement with the BRITISH NAVY. yes, the most crucial battle of the AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR had, you guessed it, zero AMERICANS involved. just incredible. this providing of FRENCH capital in terms of its LABOR, ARMS, GOLD and BLOOD is best personified in that of LAFAYETTE, a FRENCH teenage aristocrat who volunteered by his own expense because of his love of freedom (and hatred of the BRITISH), who proved himself a capable leader and essential partner in the war effort that birth this new nation. he risked life, limb and status in pursuit of the idea of this yet-to-be-realized nation. some (like me) would argue that the dude was an overzealous, bloodthirsty fanatic, but hey, he's arguably one of the greatest AMERICANS ever, and he's not even AMERICAN! so in essence i am thankful to VOWELL for writing this book so that i can sigh and cringe in an ever-more-annoyed state the next time i hear mention FREEDOM FRIES or the questioning of foreign allies. its so laughable it is quite depressing. and that is where im at. thats where ive been since the BUSH JR era. LAFAYETTE IN THE SOMEWHAT UNITED STATES is a great book on an oddly important subject that every AMERICAN should be better versed in (but wont, you know, because we dont read - or think critically). 
parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the ambient yet brutally emotive METAL of DEFTONES!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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join us TONIGHT at 10PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the pioneering AMERICAN independent label MATADOR RECORDS.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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usually film soundtracks are a cash-grab, but the iconic use of class AMERICAN GOSPEL, R&B, ROCKABILLY and even SURF MUSIC in PULP FICTION (MIRAMAX, 1994) by director QUENTIN TARANTINO transcends this sad industry practice. and i mean right from the jump with opening credits utilizing DICK DALE's "MISERLOU" to genius effect. it is probably the most effect use of music in film since JOHN WIILLIAM's score in STAR WARS (TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, 1977) and even BERNARD HERRMANN in PSYCHO (SHAMLEY, 1960). i'd put it right up there. full disclosure: my favorite score of all-time is PETE GABRIEL's evocative and global tapestry of score for THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (UNIVERSAL, 1988), but in terms of popular appeal and cultural impact i will yield to WILLIAMS and HERRMANN.
in a film that is high referential and more than subtly tips its hat to multiple genres, most prominently FILM NOIR and FRENCH NEW WAVE, the fact that such a wide-range of music styles feels authentic to the narrative and the chaotic world it inhabits is a testament to TARANTINO's skills as both a director and a curator. not once in the film does the music take you out of the moment, if anything it transparently embeds you further within the dark seductive depths of depravity that these four concurrent storylines regarding hitman, boxers, gangsters, petty thieves and hangers-on spiral around. it is a real sonic achievement. the only other director that i feel has a similar gift for effectively utilizing popular music in way that transforms it from its original context and bends it completely to the will of multiple memorable scenes is DAVID LYNCH and films like BLUE VELVET (DE LAURENTIIS, 1986), MULHOLLAND DRIVE (ASYMMETRICAL, 2001) and LOST HIGHWAY (ASYMMETRICAL, 1997). TARANTINO's music curation is also a key part of an overall cinematic aesthetic that has a sense of play in how it thoughtfully re-contextualizes the cultural baggage associated with disparate elements that also include dialogue, set design, editing, camera movements and even casting decisions. his movies are almost just as much about his love and meta involvement in the process of filmmaking as it is about the actual film itself. and that nerdom and intensely interior nature of his films are what make them so much fun and invigorating for movie junkies. and his use of music in PULP FICTION is a master class in said genius id recommend the music of this soundtrack, but my inclination is to encourage anyone to see their use in the film first. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
named after the MARLON BRANDO's motorcycle gang in the iconic film THE WILD ONE (COLUMBIA, 1953), BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB out of SAN FRANCISCO are an established INDIE ROCK band with a rootsy GARAGE ROCK sound that i highlighted in a past episode of DEER GOD RADIO.
what drew me to the band initially was the intensity and diversity of the songwriting of frontman PETER HAYES, which incorporated some wicked slide playing and a loose sense of timing that really propelled their sound and made it swing. this is not a band that is attempting to reinvent the wheel, but man do they do ROCK N ROLL justice with an earnest, straightforward approach and some killer songs. plus ive never seen them not wear black. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB is definitely worth check out, not to mention that other band named after BRANDO's rivals in THE WILD ONE. you know, THE BEATLES. |
October 2021
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