JOHN NORTH WRIGHT: UPDATE

We first wrote about outsider musician/would-be screenwriter John North Wright here last June. Today I received a note from FCJ, who writes, "In February of 2004, John North Wright passed away from complications related to leukemia, in a Hawaii hospital. John moved to Hawaii shortly after the release of his last album, White Widow...his personal site and related mp3 sound files were removed from the audiogalaxy servers on the day of his death. Songs from his final album are available to hear at
http://www.myspace.com/ripjnw

Friends Kill Friends issued a DVD of their "hit" movie, Suck the Cool Right Out, with a couple JNW-related bonuses. In addition to the original documentary, a segment of John reading his "Skatin' For Satan and Scratching for Survival" poem before a live audience as well as a recording of a play based off of John's works have been included."

I'm sorry to hear of his passing. But kudos to the Port Huron, MI crew for preserving his crazed rambles - there's some amazing stuff on the MySpace page, from old acoustic "hits" like "Teenage Volleyballers" to some of his last recordings performed on sub-Casio electronics, such as:

John North Wright "Down In The Land Of..." - Has something to do with Satan's, er, "schlong."

Mucho thanks to FCJ.

'TARD-TRONICA!

Say, friend, do you think electronic dance music is sterile, repetitious, and dull? Is that what's getting you down, friend? Well, if anyone was crazy enough to hire me to spin at an electro night, I'd play no-good, low-down, tasteless lunatics like:

Leslie & The Lys: The reigning queen of 'tard-tronics. You may have chuckled at the video for "Gem Sweater," her ode to Midwestern fashion victims, but her live show blows it away. Leslie is a vision in big hair, blue eye shadow, and gold pants, and video clips between songs are a hilarious peek into Middle American culture - infomercials describing how YOU can attach sequins to your sweater, preachers describing the evils of slam-dancing, and plenty more. And she does her own stunts.

Leslie and the LYs: "Gem Sweater"

mmmmyeah: "Chavfeat": This catchy bit of idiocy regarding a girl with a host of diseases is found on this completely uninformative site. (Thanks to DaDa Hokmayen for the tip!)

Captain Ahab, Los Angeles' contribution to the genre, also have no shortage of tasteless humour - check out their filthy sex rap "I Can't Believe It's Not Booty" on their MySpace page.
But "Girls Gone Wild" is genuinely great. It's actually somewhat sympathetic to those exhibitionistic video girls.

Captain Ahab: "Girls Gone Wild"

DJ Scotch Egg was profiled here before we had even heard his music. His album's now out, and he recently played here in L.A. with Captain Ahab for what was billed as a night of "Retarded Electronics." Mr. Egg is a Japanese fellow whose "instrument" is a tricked-out Gameboy which he plays while screaming obcene rants about how much he hates KFC. Could I make this stuff up?

DJ Scotch Egg: "Scotch Chicken"

You've heard of IDM? I'll take 'TDM.

THE HAUNTED BALLROOM

Weird music doesn't end with Halloween. Autumn is upon us, and as the weather gets chilly and the leaves fall, haunting mood music is perfectly appropriate all season, not just Oct. 31.

"The Caretaker" makes eerie greatness out of old '20s and '30s dance band records, playing up the inherent spookiness of old 78s by smothering them under tons of effects (echo, delay, etc), and sometimes sloooowing them down to create the soundtrack to a "Haunted Ballroom." Songs from this 1999 release such as "One Thousand Memories," "Haunting Me" and "Thronged with Ghosts" actually sound like their titles. The follow-up album "A Stairway to the Stars" features more dreamy ambient melancholy nostalgia:

The Caretaker - "It's All Forgotten Now"
The Caretaker - "Masquerade Ball"

LINK-O-RAMA: Star Trek Edition

- MaidenWine: amazingly comprehensive and handsomely designed site dedicated to the musical stylings of Leonard Nimoy. Apart from a detailed history of his musical career, it also has a fascinating newspaper & magazine clippings archive (Nimoy performed at Hollywood Bowl on the same bill as Edward G. Robinson and Richard Pryor? OH for a time-machine.)

- Record Robot, meanwhile, has been posting a lot of Nimoy's old tuneage lately, from the albums "The Way I Feel," "The Touch Of Leonard Nimoy," "The New World Of Leonard Nimoy," so you've got plenty to listen to as you read MaidenWine's archived Nimoy interviews from teeny-bopper mags like "Co-Ed."

- William Shatner rarities unearthed! The almighty YouTube is featuring Shatner performances of songs not on his legendary "Transformed Man" album - songs not heard since their original performance in the '70s. A remake of Harry Chapin's "Taxi," in particular, is a major addition to the Shatner canon - five spellbinding minutes describing an encounter between a cabbie picking up a fare, who just happens to be an old flame. He starts off fairly relaxed, by 2:37 pulls out the crazy facial expressions, and the "stoned" finale is simple can't-miss classic. I recorded the audio for your mp3-ing pleasure:

"Taxi" - live on Dinah Shore's daytime variety show.
"Taxi" mp3

"Keep It Gay" video - Actually singing for 23 inexplicable seconds; with Mike Douglas
"Keep It Gay" mp3

"How To Handle A Woman" video - An all-too-brief 1:22 Barry White-style love rap; don't know what show this is from, but dig Shat's puka shell necklace
"How To Handle A Woman" mp3

"It Was A Very Good Year" video - You may know Bill's recording of the Sinatra hit, but this performance on "The Mike Douglas Show" adds a welcome visual dimension, from the psychedelic intro to an amazing array of facial expression close-ups.

"Incubus (excerpt)" - Esparanto was a failed attempt to create an international language, but at least one film was shot in it. Not a music clip, but you gotta see Shatner in this b&w 1965 supernatural creeper. It's as strange as it gets - imagine if Bergman directed for AIP.

CALLING ALL FIENDS!

Katya from Oddio Overplay sez:

"Halloween is meant to be scary, right? Year after year we dust off the old silly 1950s and 1960s novelty records. While they are fun, they not at all frightening. Oddio Overplay put the challenge to musical artists the world over to create Halloween music that is "frightening, damaging and disturbing." No "Monster Mash," instead creepy soundtracks to a fiendish Halloween. They succeeded with CALLING ALL FIENDS! Some of these pieces will creep you right out of your skin."

CALLING ALL FIENDS!

And while we're at it:

"Night of The Alive Dead" - Whodini's "Haunted House of Rock", The Classics IV's "Spooky" and an instrumental remake by Howard Roberts, little bits of the "Night of The Living Dead" soundtrack & Beastie Boys "Alive," all served over a techno beat stompin' enough to raise the dead.

Hypocritical Disclaimer

You know, Spinal Tap weren't really that bad. If they had been a real band, they would have certainly been considered kitschy, but no more so then any number of real head-bangers. And, c'mon, "Big Bottom" is far more clever then most metal tunes: "How can I leave this...behind?" Classic! Some real bands, however, truly make me wonder. Case in point: Hypocritical Disclaimer.

The website of these Fargo, North Dakota (!) metal/noise mysterios may not have any info on the band whatsover, but it does have plenty of righteous manifestos, e.g.: "We are not music, but a way of life. Our sounds in whole are not for entertainment but are here for an alternate source of living." It also claims that they have many types of fans. Do they really have fans? And what are they like?

Seriously, the amount of drugs it must take to create music this messed-up (they make The Butthole Surfers sound like N'Synch) could medicate entire nations.

Hypocritical Disclaimer: "Filth More Mess"
Hypocritical Disclaimer: "Mastuh"



Thanks to Nick Trey!

James Blunt, You're Pitiful

Weird Al Yankovic's latest album, "Straight Outta Lynwood," will NOT be including his parody of "You're Beautiful," the sap-fest by Oprah's fave new singer James Blunt. LAME. C'mon, everyone (well, except Prince) let's Weird Al do his thing with their music, even when it's ridiculing the song, ala his "Achy-Breaky Heart" parody: "Don't you play that song, that Achy-Breaky Song."

"You're Pitiful" is, actually, not making fun of Blunt or the song, so what's the problem? Didn't you just get here, Blunt? Weird Al's been in the biz for decades - he OWNS you. He could probably have you killed if he so desired. Killed in nasty ways.

Actually, it was apparently Blunt's label that put the kibosh on it. As Al sez here: "James Blunt could still let me put it on my album if he really wanted to, but he obviously doesn't want to alienate his own record company... and my label could release the parody without Atlantic's blessing, but they don't really want to go to war with another label over this."

So Al's put it out over the inter-webs. Take that, suits!

"Weird Al" Yankovic: "You're Pitiful"

This is the greatest crime against parodies since Phil Collins refused to allow Mr. Methane to stink up one of his songs.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Australian tabloid fodder Peter Andre and his wife Jordan recently recorded a duet version of the song "A Whole New World," apparently for an upcoming Christmas album. Peter is a professional singer in that boy-band psuedo-r'n'b style. His wife is famous for...er, being his wife. Remember in "I Love Lucy" how Lucy always wanted to sing at the club with Ricky, and Rick never thought it was a good idea? Now you know why:

Peter Andre and Jordan: "A Whole New World" - Not bad for the first minute or so, until she starts singing. WOW.

To make it even more cruel, the vocals are way up in the mix, like the infamous Linda McCartney tape. The Andres, embarrassed by the leak of this song, are claiming it's a hoax. Uh huh.

OKTOBERFEST!!

It's that time of year - put on your leiderhosen, call the beer-wench over, grab a stein, and chicken-dance along to a kind of punk-oompah version of Nena's Eighties smash "99 Luftballons." It's by an Australian professional music sevice, Autopilot Productions, who claim it was done for a corporate event. Huh?! Wouldn't mind working for that company...

Autopilot Productions: "Oktoberfest"

Max Raabe is a German performer of a very different sort - he's dedicated to keeping alive the Weimer-era cabaret tradition. However, when he's not reviving the likes of Kurt Weil, he's doing covers of current pop songs in the style of 1920s Berlin. Nothing released in America yet, but German Amazon lists many albums, like "Hitpalast," in which he smoothly croons hits by Abba, Tom Jones, Britney Spears, etc. Now THESE Queen songs should be played at ballgames:

Max Raabe: We Will Rock You
Max Raabe: We Are The Champions

"A DUMB GUY SHOT MY POOP WITH A GUN..."

So singeth Tammie & Scotty, who were ages 14 and 9 when they recorded a four "song" tape in Detroit circa 1992. These acapella ravings fell into the hands of a Chicago-based radio show, "Hump Day Dance Party" who are hosting a remix contest. Songs about the joys of yelling, the fear of water, and the dangers of excreting in parking lots are awaiting your treatment. Of course, it may not be possible to improve on such wonders as

Have You Ever Been to a Parking Lot?
or
Silence is Golden - Or is it? All 4 tracks here.

UPDATE Nov. 5: Here's "Silence Is Golden" mixed with Ministry's "Stigmata"

RIAA: "I Love Noise!!"

ASIAN POP OLDIES pt.2

Another site dedicated to groovy Asian-a-go-go sounds of the '60s, Tofu Magazine's Asia Beat focuses on Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore 1964-1969. Not nearly as many mp3s available as Asian Pop Oldies, but check out the record cover scans!

"The Beatles concert in Hong Kong in 1964 marked the birth of the golden age of the Hong Kong pop scene. From 1964 to 1969, a great number of bands appeared. They sung in English, as Cantonese and Mandarin songs were considered to be old fashion. These bands normally did cover versions of songs from the UK or the US..."

And KidG sez, "Much of Singapore's music scene back in the 60s & 70s died when the govt clamped down hard on musicians due to the drug connection. Basically in their eyes, long hair hippie = drug junkie. Although it's not as serious as China's Cultural Revolution, much of Singapore's creativity when it comes to music died during that time."

Asia Beat

Our Gang!

What do you get when Michael Jackson and Gary Glitter get together and have some children over? Why, a lovely tune by UK's Bingo Starr, of course!

Our Gang! (Original Von Trapp Ending) - many, many MJ and GG songs mixed quite wickedly with selections from "The Sound of Music." If loving this song is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Never heard of Mr. Starr before today, but he's got a lot of ace tunes, actually. "Horny As In A Morning Sunrise" makes great use of a scratchy old cha-cha record.

Thanks to Pilchard!

AVERAGE HOMEBOY pt2

Yes!

Denny Blazin Hazen sez: "Guess what? After climbing into the attic last week, I found the Original Recording of my Average Homeboy Video which includes the Intro and missing 3rd Verse!"

Average Homeboy - will try to make an mp3 of this classic available soon.

BRIDE OF MONSTER MASH-UP

"Bride of Monster Mash-Up" now available! A various-artists free download album of old records remixed/mashed-up that's scarier then a Republican boy-lover's e-mails! (All right, maybe not THAT scary...)

Features music from M4M faves like dj BC, Dj NoNo, Pilchard, Cheekyboy , DJ Earlybird, Essexboy, Solcofn, AberNstein and lots more: podcasts, videos, a bonus collection of leftovers, even a shop for shirts'n'stuff. The organizers really went nuts.

WARNING: I'm represented as well, "singing" a song called Cannibal Zombie Mom over trashy '60s rockers The Standells and The Ventures. But the rest of the album's really good.

If you don't want to bother downloading each individual song, you can listen to a mix of the whole darn thing:

Mix Of The Whole Darn Thing

LINK-O-RAMA

A collection of miscellany, including albums I've been meaning to pick up for a while, but who knows when that'll be:

Maxence Cyren: French classical pianist does instrumental versions of electronic faves from the likes of Depeche Mode, Aphex Twin, Massive Attack, etc. Quite lovely.

Teddy and the Frat Girls: From Post-Punk Junk, a site that usually offers more artsy rock like The Fall, Magazine, etc., comes this 1980 collection that makes quite a case for hillbilly punk, and not just the tongue-in-cheek stuff like Mojo Nixon or Southern Culture on the Skids. The homemade sound of the recording, primitive one-chord guitar and obscenity-laden howl of a female "singer" screaming about laxatives is actually one of the more disturbing things I've heard lately. In other words, I love it.

Musics In The Margin: Outsider-music collection features our old pals Wesley Willis and Daniel Johnston, as well as a number of unknown (to me) European artists. Interesting review here.

Your Dogs Horoscope

J.M. Nasim – The Psychedelic Jew's Harp - "As an ancient shamanic instrument, the Jew's Harp continues to be used for healing by the peoples of Mongolia and Siberia...The Jew's Harp's power as a courtship instrument from Bavaria to the Philippines alludes to a potent psychosexual association." A New Age guy plays a jew's harp thru electonic effects processors - hey, maybe some hippie music is cool!

Music From The Voids Of Outer Space

Space Brother, host of KillRadio.org's Radio Mysterioso, hepped me to some amazing stuff recently, such as the music of legendary UK eccentric Desmond Leslie. Leslie's bio includes such as highlights as being a RAF fighter pilot, punching out a film critic in front of millions on TV for dissing his wife, co-authoring one the first books about UFOs, living in Castle Leslie, and creating electronic/tape music in the 1950s. This music was never widely released, but a recent CD entitled "Music Of The Future" compiles his bizarre, fascinating Space Age sounds. Some were allegedly recorded for a film called "The Day The Sky Fell In," some from a collection called "Music From The Voids Of Outer Space."

Desmond Leslie: "Play In/Mercury, Fleet Messenger of The Gods" - Quothe Leslie, "My MUSIQUE CONCRETE is meant to be enjoyed."

I could not find any info whatsover on this Space Age rock/Latin oddity, but it's a, er, blast:

Sam Space and the Cadettes: "Take Me To Your Leader Cha Cha"



Big astro-thanks to Space Brother!

BOB VIDO: THE GREATEST FRIDGENOMETER OF ALL

Quothe Ren & Stimpy: "Happy happy, joy joy" - The Bob Vido album is now available. And you can get the whole thing for $10 on iTunes (it doesn't appear to be available anywhere else). If you're new to Vido's wonderful weirdness, here's my original post about him.

It's a Two-For-Tuesday! Two short songs I stuck together, both had me chortling out loud:

"Las Vegas Jubilee/Girls Delight" - From side one, the "song" side, as opposed to the beserk instrumental side of the album...

Now THIS is what those VH1 "Diva" Specials Should Be Like...

Wing has been busy since we last visited the Chinese/Kiwi songbird - she has two new albums, including a (be still my heart) Elvis tribute. It's everything you want and more - her trademark thick accent, high warbly vocals, and Casio-phonic production.

Wing "Suspicious Minds"

Hello, Autumn is, for now, a young lady named Bethanne from Lansing MI. But she hopes to start a band to play her songs. She claims as influences The Beatles, rappers G-Unit, and '70s punk, but I'll be darned if I can hear their influences, except perhaps the spirit, if not sound, of punk - her no-fi confessionals possess nothing in the way of traditional melody or song structure, but plenty of Shaggs-ian sincerity. Unlike, say, Rhonda or Sondra Prill, she isn't full of herself. Quite the opposite - self-deprecating songs like "You Broke Me" and "Never Getting Married" highlight some serious esteem issues.

Hello, Autumn "Superbubble" - who needs three chords when you've got one note.

And, hey, speaking of Rhonda, bet you'd like to hear another one of her songs. You don't? Too bad.

Rhonda "My Dress Code" - Don't worry, it's over in less then a minute-and-a-half.

THE RAT PACK'S BACK

Two new bits of "tech-xotica" music from RIAA:

"I Only Hustle For You" - Sinatra does The Hustle (Van McCoy); beats and Brazilian percussion courtesy of BossaCucaNova.

"Kick Bob Marley In The Head" - Dean Martin sings with little alien munchkins over Marley's "One Love." Kinda trippy.

Sammy Davis Jr. gets on a bus. Bus driver says, " Go to the back of the bus"! Sammy says, "But I'm Jewish!" Bus driver says, "Get off the bus!"

An old piano-bar lounge singer named Buddy Worth told that joke during one of his shows. That was in the early '90s; don't know if he's still around.

UPDATE: These songs are now available on the album "Tech-xotica!!"

CRAPPERS DELIGHT mp3s

I recorded the audio from the Wendy's training video, and Denny Blazin:

Wendy's training video rap

Denny Blazin Hazen - "Average Homeboy"

Enjoy!



Er, perhaps that's not the right word...how about

Withstand!

CRAPPERS DELIGHT pt2

In all the hubbub over YouTube, I have yet to hear about how it has become one of the greatest sources of strange and outside music. I mean, that's the important thing, right?

Wendys Training Video - learn how to make burgers via a hysterical, vintage-'80s rap song. Classic.

Another one I might rip the audio from to make an mp3.

FUNKY MUPPETS pt 3

Now that Phil'n'Dog's website is back up, we can take you back to the UK, year: 2003, and revel in the splendor that IS "Gay Muppet Bar." After Electric 6 released the acapella to "Gay Bar" there were jillions of mashups and remixes of it, but crossing it with the Muppet Show theme was the most, daddy. (And for some reason I'm not able to link to the mp3 - check their site under "Music.")

PROG-LOUNGE: BLUES FOR PLUTO

So Pluto can't sit in the dining room with all the grown-up planets - it has to sit at the rickety card-table with the kids. And I can't find any songs about Pluto. Are there any? On this page of mp3s, not even any of these wonderful late-'50s "Space Songs" for kids mentions the former ninth planet. Hell, even Uranus gets its own, albeit crappy, song: "Journey To The Seventh Planet," the theme song to a delightfuly bad '50s sci-fi flick*.

At least Frank Sinatra mentions Pluto (in the most disparaging of terms) in this excerpt from his most bizarre recording, "Reflections on the Future," from his 1977 3-record set "Trilogy." All of the third disk was a conceptual song-cycle by Gordon Jenkins, who practically invented the concept album - my 1949 copy of his New York-themed "Manhattan Tower" is the oldest LP in my collection.

Frank Sinatra - "Reflections on the Future (excerpt)" - a groovy trip thru the solar system; and when he sings "Uranus is heaven" he doesn't pronounce it the way you would have.




*Big thanks to the awesome Essential Ghouls Record Shelf

HALLOWEEN DAMAGE

Last year I pointed your way towards the "Ghouls With Attitude" collection of vintage Halloween tuneage. Katya from Oddio Overplay (hosts of the collection) sez:

"Everyone can still download that 2-CD set and the Martinibomb cut at OddioOverplay.com. Also, we have a scary project in the works for this year. All are invited to join us!

Boogity!"

"Ghouls With Attitude" was goofy fun, but they want genuine hair-raising chiller-thrillers this year. And to get you in the mood, they've compiled:

"Halloween Damage" - Spectacular hour's worth of horror soundtrack action.

Crapper's Delight: HC Strache

DJ not-i writes from Vienna:

"The head of an anti-foreigner right-wing party in Austria has made a rap song to reach out to, err, i guess young voters in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The title is "Österreich zuerst" ("Austria first"), sort of a variation on "Deutschland über alles." The lyrics are of course political in a very bad way ("If you don't want to be integrated, I've got a travel destination for you: Go back home, have a good flight, we have enough unemployment here.")

Anyway, you're not missing much if you don't understand German. The wackness of this guy's flow is obvious to the speaker of any language.

As you can imagine, the Austrian hip-hop scene figure he wants beef and are busy cooking up various dis songs. Hell, i might even produce something just to make more fun of this clown."

Neo-nazis always start with immigration, don't they? It's a good mainstream issue that they can use to get their foot in the door.

HC Strache: "Österreich zuerst" - Sorry I ever said anything about Average Homeboy!

THE "IN" SOUND OF JEAN-JACQUES PERREY

Legendary '60s Moog-master Jean-Jacques Perrey, 77 years young, is performing live for the first time on the West Coast this week, in support of his new album, due in September. We first wrote about it here last year.

He's performing along with his new cohort Dana Countryman of "Cool & Strange Music" magazine fame, who's also writing the maestro's biography. See them Saturday night in Seattle (oops, bit too late), at San Francisco's "Recombinant Media Labs" the 29th, and two shows in SoCal: a free(!) event at Analogue Haven in Pomona on the 30th, and the spot your intrepid reporter will be on the 31st: The Knitting Factory in Hollywood. Also on the bill: master thereminist Sukho Lee of Seksu Roba, & DJ sets by Otis Fodder of the Bran Flakes. "His show here - his first ever in Los Angeles - will feature a wealth of Perrey's anecdotes and stories as well as his one-of-a-kind music."

The cultural event of the year, no? I'm off to take my best space-suit to the cleaners - see you all there.

The worst sound in the world

Do your democratic duty and vote for what you consider to be the worst, most unpleasant sound you've ever heard. All in the name of science. Strangely enough, they don't use anything posted here.

The worst sound in the world

To whit: "Fingernails scraping down a blackboard…the scream of a baby…your neighbour’s dog barking: what’s the worst sound in the world? BadVibes is a new science project from Salford University that aims to find out just that. People can log on to the BadVibes website at http://www.sound101.org/ where they listen and vote on a collection of awful sounds, use the horrible sound mixer and even download horrible sound effects as ringtones.

But as Professor Trevor Cox from the University’s Acoustics Research Centre explained, there’s a serious side to the research as well. "The idea behind the project is to get people thinking about the complex way we listen to and interpret sounds. For instance, you can find out why we find the sound of retching horrible. By examining people’s voting patterns we will learn more about people's perception of horrible sounds. We hope to learn about what is the worst sound in the world, and maybe why it is the worst sound. It has been a lot of fun putting together the website, but I’m glad I no longer have to edit horrible things like the sound of my snotty nose!"

The project also includes an exhibit which is at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester from 7th November, and the results from the website voting will be analysed over the next six months."

Warm Bananaphones and Funky Muppets

You probably don't listen to too much children's music if you don't have to. But dig:

This one and (possible only) mashup by PF (who may or may not be from San Francisco) is one of my favorites, a LOL-out loud funny pairing of two of the most unlikely songs to ever be conjoined: The Normal's 1977 dark, droning, proto-industrial classic "Warm Leatherette," and kiddie-music star Raffi's typically cheerful, wholesome "Bananaphone," with a bit of Japan's noise combo Melt Banana thrown in for good measure. It all makes sense. Really.

PF: "Warm Bananaphone"

Another kiddie classic, "Mah-Na-Mah-Na," originally by Italy's sleazy soundtrack maestro Piero Umiliani, popularized by the Muppets, and recently remade by Cake, gets a funny, funky new life thanks to Boston's mash-meister Lenlow:

Lenlow: "Kanye Mahna" - Mr. West's "Golddigger" lesson, now aimed at the pre-school crowd; never too soon to learn about the ladies, eh, Kanye?

If you prefer the Muppet's version, Reading, UK's Pilchard gotcha covered:

Pilchard: "Macamuppet" - in which Animal does the Macarena with the Doors.

So what do professional musicians think about all this "illegal" activity in the music world? Well, Weird Al Yankovic's new album, "Straight Outta Lynwood" (release date: 9/26/06) features a track entitled "Don't Download This Song." Quothe his publicist: "...we are offering "Don't Download This Song" as a free unprotected MP3 in order to generate as many downloads as possible."

Weird Al Yankovic: "Don't Download This Song" - "You might end up in jail like Tommy Chong..."

Denny Blazin Hazen: Average Homeboy

Anyone remember Dee Dee King's album, "The Spotlight Kid"? As Dee Dee Ramone, the late, great Douglas Colvin was one of the world's greatest rock'n'rollers. As Dee Dee King, however, he was one of the world's worst rappers. But that album was "Fear Of A Black Planet" compared to the video output of the self-described "average homeboy" Denny Blazin Hazen, an unpretentious, painfully sincere Midwestern white rapper, e.g.:

"For recreation I
Like to shoot hoops
but not until I've eaten
all my Fruit Loops"

"Average Homeboy" - delivered with as much visual pizazz as is possible on a home editing system.

Again, I can make an mp3 available off the video if you sickos so desire.

HAND-FART MUSIC pt2

Some of you may recall the post last year about The Three Tendons, those clever chaps who make rude music by squeezing their hands together. A new master of manualism, Robert Wilson, was featured in this NPR radio piece, featuring tunes like

"Happy Birthday"

Some pretty incredible videos were posted as well. Gotta laff at:

"William Tell Overture" - Anyone want me to post mp3s of music taken from these vids?

Big thanks to Stymie!

MORE AND MORE NERD-CORE

Been out of state, then catching up at work, but - have no fear! - I'm back. So to make up for my absence, here's a heap o' new atrocities:

Super Mario: The Opera - Written last year by Jonathan Mann (also the voice of Mario), and performed at Los Angeles' CalArts, this isn't your grandpa's opera. Mostly-acoustic rock is more like it, with a sizeable cast playing the various characters.

"Space Crackers" is a similiarly nerdy concept from the Boston band Clawjob, but this isn't your grandpa's space-opera. Crunchy hard rock is more like it, with a sizeable cast playing the various characters.

From "Mario," "Conversation With God" has lovely, lush orchestration, complete with sitar, and existential dialogue between Mario and God, who is actually playing the video game. Huh?! (Thanks to Roman for the tip!)

"Space Pass" from "Space Crackers" features Ramones-y pop-punk, with a '50s kitsch sci-fi angle. Good fun.

THE GREAT RICHARD NIXON

Did anyone have more song-poems written about him then Richard Nixon?

A helpful Maniac emailed me this morning to remind me that on this day in 1974 a disgraced Nixon resigned as President of the United States and ask, "Wasn't there a song-poem about Nixon?" Well, Rodd Keith sang one on the "American Song-Poem Anthology," but there was plenty more - this page has seven, count 'em, seven mp3s available that sing Tricky Dick's praises, as well as dealing with other issues of the day such as the Vietnam War.

Although most would agree that this was truly a dark day in American history, Nixon still had his supporters - at least one song, "Richard Nixon in '76," was clearly written post-Watergate. I wonder if that lyric writer would still feel that way about Nixon now that more taped conversations have been released over the years, revealing Nixon in all his anti-Semetic, devious, dishonest glory. (Actually, he might like him even more!)

Gene Marshall, staff singer for Preview Records of Hollywood, seems to have been the go-to guy for Nixon song-poems, and most of these lyrics were written by one man, the clearly obsessed John Montague. Unfortunately, there's no mp3 available for "We Want Dick, We Want Dick, We Want Dick," and it's flip side "We Want Dick And Spiro, We Want Dick And Spiro, We Want Dick And Spiro."

SONDRA PRILL BLOWS KISSES TO THE UNIVERSE

Oh, this is big news.

Some of you may recall the post about Sondra Prill on Otis Fodder's 365Project. The audio to three of her songs were posted, but some saint has posted the entire oevre of Florida's public-access TV queen, 24 short video clips in all, on YouTube, documenting not only her singing (wildly uninhibited, and not bound by conventional standards of pitch), her Bride-of-Frankenstein hair and performing style, but also her, ahem, comedy talents. She plays several characters, although the biggest character would be Ms. Prill herself, who sadly hasn't been heard from much in the last 15 years.

Every clip is a jewel: decimating everything from "The Star-Spangled Banner" to Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love," singing a duet with a guy injesting helium (!?), wearing fake plastic breasts, awkwardly flirting with an interviewer, serenading a visibly-uncomfortable caterer who happened to be on the set...the hits just keep coming.

I recorded the audio from a couple of these magical musical moments. I don't know why.

"Nasty Boys" video - Sondra does Janet Jackson with her trademark arsenal of facial expressions; you'll laugh, you'll cringe.
"Nasty Boys" mp3

"Pump Up The Jam" mp3 - proving that it is possible to rap off-key.
"Pump Up The Jam" video - Technotronic's hit set on the beach, with Sondra clad in...what the hell is that? A chain-mail bathing suit?

MORE NERD-CORE: FIRST BAND ON THE WEB

Listened to all those Dr. Who fan songs from last week? Then you should be ready to geek out on this:

A group founded by a secretary with no previous musical experience that sings about science has automatic outside-music cred, but this group can make an actual claim to history.
"Les Horribles Cernettes are the one and only High Energy Rock Band. They sing about colliders, quarks, microwaves, antiprotons and Internet," quothe their website, but they're not your usual nurds - these ladies can honestly boast to being not only the first musical group with their own website, but a picture of them was the first image on the internet. Founded by a secretary at CERN Labs in Geneva, Switzerland, they have a '60s girl-group style, even if the lyrics are incomprehesible to the layman.

Les Horribles Cernettes: "Antiworld" - "He stood up and he walked on the air...With a smile on his face he said "come on hon"/Then we jumped in hyperspace/And inversed my polarity" Aaah, so romantic...


Thanks to The Bobo!

"I wonder what a Kazoo would sound like if it was put through a wah-wah pedal?"

Haven't we all asked outselves that question at one time or another? Fortunately, two British guys calling themselves Ed Kazoo and Jim Wah (WahKazoo) decided to tackle this most pressing of concerns by doing just that. And what does it sound like? Well, as this version of the "Dr Who" proves, it sounds like a sick duck. I imagine a very drunk Donald Duck staggering around a pub singing along to a jukebox when I listen (and giggle uncontrollably) to:

Ed Kazoo and Jim Wah: "Dr Who"

Ed Kazoo and Jim Wah: "(I'm The) Urban Spaceman" - didn't think the Bonzo Dog Band could sound more silly then they already do...

I discovered these guys on this Dr Who remix page which features, apart from the expected techno remixes, some real oddities, like this sped-up acapella version of the theme done in the style of that infernal Crazy Frog. Ha!

Glenn Mullan: Doctor Who - Framster Who

Tech-xotica!

RIAA (Rockin' Internet Art Alternatives) present Tech-xotica!! - Afro-Latin mash-ups & Tiki-beatz for summer. Some old, some (like these) are new:

"It's Like That Summer Samba" - Run-DMC go bossa-a-go-go with Wander Wanderly.

"Armageddon It On (or The Gaye-Pride Apocalypso)" - Bill O'Reilly, Jerry Falwell and a gerbil get it on with Marvin Gaye over the calypso sounds of Blinky and the Roadmasters and M.I.A.'s "Galang" riddim.

"Laid Bamba" - Los Lobos does it with amorous Brit-rockers James.

It's been so frikkin' hot lately, however, I'm ready to post some Christmas tunes...

PRE-SCHOOL ELECTRONICA

A University of Kentucky music professor who invited Boston's djbc to speak at a seminar gave bc this recording of the prof's 7-year-old son, DJ French Fry, who performs solo on a MicroKorg synth. Pretty trippy stuff, and, as it's an instrumental, I have no idea what significance the title has. But I do know I'd like to hear this kid jam with Eyeball Skeleton.

DJ French Fry - I Wonder Why Elephants Have Trunks?

And here's the djbc d'n'b remix that will no doubt propel French Fry to Moby-like heights of stardom. Hey French Fry, when you hit it big, don't forget us little people!

Passion Boys make music about sexy ladie and nice music also, Yes!

Meet Hungary's belated contribution to '80s techno-pop, Passion Boys: "Szia (hello)! We Laszlo and Gyorgy come from small village is call Bataszek, very near from Budapest. We are make some music very much like name Passion Boys. We like make music about sexy ladie and nice music also."

As they say in their song "Passion Boys are Firemans":
"hello, fireman?" "yes." "I feel there is something burrrrrning." "yes." "can you come right away?" "yes, we comes."

Hey, they speak English better then I speak Hungarian: "Real music like is best from 80s. Not like modern rapping musics and no love music of computer mans...Funny story: when boy Miklos is too fat an we name he Miklos Meatlof like famos USA fatmans singer, Yes!"

Their latest tune is "Robot Sexie Time": "We make song about two robot is fall into love for first time an after make sexie!! Is for Miklos becasue Miklos is not have girl friend for so many time an is spend so too many time look picture of sexie robot like new foto!!!"

All this and more is available from their MySpace page. I think I'm the last man on earth who isn't on MySpace. This almost makes me reconsider.

TAMMY FAYE SINGS!

Singing christian puppet records. Need I say more?

Disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, make-up victim wife Tammy Faye, helium vocals, her puppets Allie the Alligator and Susie Moppet, 6 songs no longer then a minute-and-a-half long available here.

"Praise The Lord" for such terrifying/hilarious entertainment.



Thanks to punkrecords.org!

SYD BARRETT

As I'm sure many of you have heard by now, Syd Barrett has died at age 60. Syd founded what I call the first Pink Floyd, as opposed to the second, Waters & Gilmour-led "Dark Side of the Moon"/"The Wall" Pink Floyd. The first Pink Floyd were, for a brief period in the late '60s, the wildest band in England, roughly equivalent to the Velvet Underground in the U.S. - an amazing discovery for someone like me, a typical raised-on-punk kid who thought Floyd stood for all that was pretentious and dull.

Syd was the first Floyd: singing, songwriting, guitar, heck, he gave the band it's name. When Syd became too acid-damaged/mentally ill to perform with Floyd he went from rock star to one of the first prominent outsider musicians, recording devasting solo albums that were as much musical therapy as art. After 1970, he never recorded again.

I used to listen to the first Floyd album "Piper At The Gates of Dawn" and his solo album "The Madcap Laughs" obsessively. The differences are stark. "Piper" is the world through Syd's eyes: a colorfully-produced wonderland of gnomes, living scarecrows, and spaceflight. The imagery, though phantasmagorical, is lucid.

Pink Floyd: "Arnold Layne" - who else was (is) writing songs about a clothes-stealing cross-dresser?

"The Madcap Laughs," recorded some years later, is like watching a patient through an observation window as he pathetically tries to play a guitar and sing. The meaning (if any) of the now-jumbled word-salad lyrics may befuddle the listener, but the pain comes through loud and clear: there's nothing romantic about mental illness. It's hell, like any other serious disease.

Syd Barrett: "Dark Globe"

Barrett's influence is truly inestimable: his songs have been covered by David Bowie, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rockets, REM ("Dark Globe," actually), the bands Baby Lemonade and Gigalo Aunt are named after his songs, Sid Vicious was partly named after him, and Robyn Hitchcock practically built his career on Syd's style. But, ultimately, his legacy goes beyond his music - without trying, but by simply being allowed to be himself, he paved the way for the punk DIY and outsider music traditions.

Totom: "Waving My Cactus In The Air" - not as pornographic as it sounds, it's actually Paris' mashup master totom expertly fusing Syd's "Waving My Hands In The Air" with The Pixies' "Cactus."

KOOKY KOVERS pt2: PASTEL VESPA

My GAWD, it's hot here in Los Angeles. If I can't be at the beach, then I'm chillin' to some kool 'n' kooky kover songs from the likes of Pastel Vespa, a swingin' Brazilian blonde babe now living in Australia. Ms. Vespa interpets the likes of Metallica, The Sex Pistols, and Prince with perfect '60s bossa-nova style. Compared to Nouvelle Vague (whose new album is getting blogged all over the place so you don't need me to tell you about it), she's got more toe-tappin' energy, and, of course, more authentic Brazilian flavor.

Pastel Vespa: "Blue Monday": never heard anyone else covering New Order and Joy Division at the same time - "Love Will Tear Us Apart" gets cleverly worked in.

Pastel Vespa: "Livin' on A Prayer" : the Bon Jovi hit; which gets me to wonderin' why all those '80 hair bands were usin' so many apostrophes in all the titles of the songs they were playin' and singin.' You just knew an album or song was gonna suck if it had apostrophes in the title. Would The Clash write a song called "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"?


Big thanks to Turquoise Days!

KOOKY KOVERS pt1: CREEPY CLARINETS

One writer described the bass clarinet as sounding like "... an old, unhappy Jewish man with the flu." Despite (or perhaps because of) this, classically-trained Edmund Welles formed a bass-clarinet quartet - no other instruments allowed - and proceeded to cover songs like:

"Creep" - Radiohead have never sounded so creepy. My fave of the bunch, but you might like:

"Wild Boys" - Duran Duran have never sounded so listenable.
"Big Bottom" - You Spinal Tap fans can sing over this one: "My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo/Gonna sink her with my pink torpedo..."

Mr Welles & Co. also cover Nirvana, Black Sabbath, The Doors and the Pixies, as well as blues, jazz, classical and original musics.

YANKEE DOODLE HOMO

July 4th: Independence Day, America's most patriotic holiday. Time for that self-described "Yankee Doodle Homo" Mark Harris to sing of god and country in his own inimitable fashion.

As fans of Howard Stern's syndicated radio show have known for years, Harris propelled himself to semi-stardom by marrying aging (and soon dead) veteran performer Martha Raye, whose name and good works he commemorates (exploits?) in his campy cabaret show "Mr. Martha Raye" - he sings his self-penned showtune-style fingersnappers and regales audiences with jokes and anecdotes ranging from celebrity gossip to true tales of his own plastic-surgeries (he had a "testicle-lift"?)

Mark Harris is truly a portait of a man in denial: of his own utter lack of talent, the fact that he has not attained the superstardom he so clearly thinks he deserves, and of the fact that the conservative politics and religion he espouses have nothing but contempt for people of his orientation. Fascinating! An Ed Wood for our age.

Mark Harris "Remember The World Trade Center" mp3 - a high-kicking show-stopping 9/11 tribute tune.

You think that's tasteless? Check out the self-aggrandizing video - scenes of planes hitting the towers, mixed with footage of what appears to be one of Harris' cocktail parties, and pictures of Martha Raye. WTC; WTF?!?

Meanwhile, rx has just released a video of his classic George Bush-singing-U2 tune "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and not a moment too soon. Have an unsafe and insane Fourth!

SMASH-UP DERBY

You are all hereby directed to meet me this Sat. night July 1 at BootieLA in Los Angeles. It's the first anniversary of the all-mashup club, one of the few legal (for now) outlets of illegal music. No matter how controversial other forms of music have been, they've rarely been illegal (except for the 2 Live Crew). Hey, it's like the good old days of Communism! Remember the illicit thrill of listening to that smuggled-in Beatles album?

To celebrate, they've got alot lined up, such as drag-queen Princess Kennedy singing Kelis' "Milkshake" while handing out real milkshakes. And Smash-up Derby , America's only live mash-up band, will be playing a set. They have mp3s on their site, but of course they can't quite adequately convey lead singer (and Bootie dj) Adrian's glam persona.

Smash-up Derby: Talking Franz - The Head's "Burning Down The House" sounds great when sung over Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out"

So go. You can tell your astonished friends, "I drank a drag-queen's milkshake."

HOLOPHONIC SOUND

You've heard how stereophonic sound moves from left to right, but nothing can prepare you for the creepy phenomenon known as holophonic sound. Wear headphones as you listen to:

Holophonic test: Someone's shaking a box of matches not only to your left and right, but up and down, behind you and in front of you...

Now they're cutting your hair...

...now they're blow-drying it...

Science gone too far?!?

MENSTER PHIP AND THE PHIPSTERS

Not to be lazy, but Trouser Press's description is so succinct I'll just, er, borrow, their description:

"In their parents' basement in suburban Fairlawn, New Jersey, during the early '60s, Kenny Collins, his brother Richie and various friends and relatives pounded out rudimentary but undeniably infectious rock with their loosely constructed "band," Menster Phip and the Phipsters, recording delirious originals...surreal-to-the-point-of-unrecognizability covers ("Land of 1000 Dances")...and even a bogus commercial for Great Shakes (remember them?) on a two-track reel-to-reel deck for their own amusement. Though the group never performed publicly or released any recordings in its lifetime, tapes eventually found their way to Hoboken's Telstar label, which redressed history's injustice by releasing a 20-song collection as Phip City!."

Menster Phip and the Phipsters "Angels Up In The Sky" - Is this wonderful tune an original? If so, it's a pity we never heard more from the Phipsters.

Thanks to The Hound!

No, Thank YOU

In a ghastly display of David Lynch-ian surreal horror, newcaster Connie Chung "sings" Bob Hope's old theme song "Thanks for the Memories" while astride a piano on the final episode of her MSNBC show she co-hosted with her hubbie Maury Povich. She tunelessly wails sarcastic, bitter new parody lyrics, clumsily tries to dismount from the piano, and generally discards any remaining traces of respect the American public has for her as a journalist. Hard to believe she once co-anchored the evening news with Dan Rather. Would anyone at the BBC ever do something like this?

Connie Chung "Thanks for the Memories" (video) - Gee, I wonder why her show was cancelled?

I know not everyone has the software to record audio from videos to mp3 so here's some iPod-melting monstrosities from our recent YouTube posts: Annoy your friends! Torture your neighbors! Get fired from your DJ gig!

David Lee Roth: "Jump" bluegrass version, live on the "Tonight" show - mp3
Connie Chung: "Thanks for the Memories" - mp3

JOHN NORTH WRIGHT THINKS THEY'RE OUTASIGHT

In 1995, The Phoeniz (AZ) New Times received a demo tape from one John North Wright. The tape began with the growly voice of a middle-to-senior aged man announcing, ""Hi, I'm John Wright. Uh . . . all these songs are copyrighted 1985, words and music by myself. Uh, conceptually, they form the songs for a, uh, rock video opera I have written in my mind. It's set mostly in Hawaii and the Orient. It's called Teenage Volleyballers." What follows is an interminable tuneless guitar & voice meditation on, yup, teenage volleyballers, with little to say about them except that they're "out of sight."

Obsolete slang, hilariously inept music, and a generally creepy pedophile-ish aura all come to together to create the stuff of outside-music legend. A Phoenix musician who read the article asked for a copy of the tape and announced he would actually learn and perform all the songs, while the New Times attempted to track down the mysterious Mr Wright. As this article reveals, however, Wright was not to be found. This fan site even transcribed the lyrics and figured out the chords (such as they are) to "Teenage Volleyballers" so you can play and sing it yourself.

UPDATE: go here for the music (Sorry, didn't realize that Angelfire doesn't allow direct linking to mp3s)

Mr. Wright, please come forward - the world waits your "rock video opera."

Well, at least I do.

UPDATE 7/18/06: Great to get a comment from the New Times editor who helped discover Wright. Turns out Wright was from Michigan and sadly passed away a few years ago. But here's his web page, chock-full of psychotic ranting. Unfortunately, the song is off line. Anyone got it?

DAVID LEE ROTH GOES BLUEGRASS

Music Video For Maniacs: David Lee Roth performed a bluegrass version of his old band Van Halen's '80s hit "Jump" on the "Tonight" show recently. I don't know why.

David Lee Roth "Jump."

His sense of pitch is all over the map, his radio show was cancelled, he was considering quitting music to work as a paramedic. Watching his continued attempts to maintain a show-biz career should be fascinating, in that car-wreck sorta way.

MUSIC FOR DOGS

No, not music about dogs - there have been plenty of classics in that catagory, from Elvis' historic "Old Shep" to George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" - but music for dogs. Dogs have been man's companions for millenia. Since when did we decided that they needed music? Well, according to Thai dog groomer and trainer Anupan Boonchuen, "music improve(s) the mood of dogs he grooms." And so he launched:

DogRadioThailand.com - "...The programming on dogradiothailand.com is mainly Thai pop music, but Boonchuen plans to expand offerings in which the disc jockey will "talk to the dogs in Thai," and canine listeners will be encouraged to respond. "If we play a slow song, we may have the DJ howl," he said, "because dogs howl, too, when they hear sad sounds."

Get with it, Thailand! You're way behind the kooky New Age crowd here in Los Angeles: "Songs To Make Dogs Happy" (listen here) "is the first qualitatively and quantitatively researched musical CD, based upon 200 canine participants' responses to what THEY would like to hear in songs! The Laurel Canyon Animal Company and Dr. Kim Ogden, a nationally known Intuitive Animal Communicator, worked together to create music dogs love to listen to!"

Scroll down The Laurel Canyon Animal Company's website and you'll also find music by, and for, parrots, cats, Koko the gorilla ("Most of the song lyrics are taken from conversations with Koko. She personally reviewed versions of each song before the recordings were finalized"), and...pink dolphins of the Amazon? "Music of the Pink Dolphins" required no less then three animal "communicators": "...a musical adventure directed and guided by the the Dolphins themselves...People who spend time with Dolphins experience an amplified sense of intuition, wisdom, compassion, peace and higher guidance." Ya think, say, eminem's music has ever been able to "attune your intuition"? Arf.

THE FIRST REMIX?

Excellent new weird-music blog Dinosaur Gardens (contributers include Mr Evolution Control Committee, and the guy from the great local (L.A.) Space Age theremin-a-go-go combo Seksu Roba) posted a 1968 recording by the father of Minimalist composition, Terry Riley, that just might be considered the first remix of a pop song: "...the proprietor of a local discotheque asked Riley to compose a piece to be played in his club, and Riley obliged  —  but with a version of Harvey Averne's "You're No Good", a single off Averne’s 1968 Atlantic LP Viva Soul..."

The result is 12 minutes of tape-looped lunacy, with sine-wave and Moogs thrown in here and there as well. Was this actually played at the disco? And did anyone dance?

And who knew there was a soul-man named "Harvey"?

Terry Riley "You're Nogood"

A CELEBRITY TRIBUTE TO THE PIXIES

For you Pixies fans who want some spit-Pepsi-on-computer-screen laffs, check out Matthew's Celebrity Pixies Tribute page, which features the tunes of Mr. Black & Co. as performed by the likes of

Prince "Hey" Hey, I like this as much as most of Prince's own recordings

Jimi Hendrix "Vamos"

The Beach Boys "Levitate Me" - a "Pet Sounds" outtake?

As with Gabba, the group we covered last week, the humor lies somewhat on your familiarty with the group being satirized, in this case, The Pixies (dig Jimi's intro to "Vamos"), but the impressions and performances are good enough to tickle even non-Pixieheads. The Sinatra-ized version of "Monkey Gone To Heaven," however, is partly amusing because he doesn't sound anything like Frank, and the synthesized horn section makes it all sound like a really bad lounge act. Even when it's bad it's good.

ABBA ABBA WE ACCEPT YOU...

If British quintet Gabba simply played Abba songs in the style of the Ramones, that would be amusing enough. And sometimes they do do that, but other songs are more like pastiches of both groups' styles merged into an inexplicable whole, with references to numerous songs combining to form what I guess one could call original compositions. Such as "Hej Ho Disco", available from their MySpace space.

British dj Bud The Weiser has put together a swell 20 minute mix of Gabba tunes here (second one down). Listen sharp - there's numerous quotes that only a real Ramones fan will pick up on, but even if you just arrived on planet Earth recently and know nothing of Da Bruddahs, or those Swedes, the hi-NRG rock'n'disco should have you slammin' around the house anyway.

ROLL OVER, CHUCK BERRY

Bellybongo, as some of you may know, is a rare-album mp3 site run by a Scandanavian guy, and is highly recommended to fans of '60s/'70s audio oddities. But Mr Bongo really outdid himself with this album by The Note-Ables, a '70s quartet from parts unknown, USA, who are indeed noteable for their almost complete lack of skill in any area of singing or instrumental performance. Neil Sedaka, Glen Campbell and The Beatles all get steamrollered by an out-of-tune guitar/accordian attack that resembles The Shaggs on speed. Old swing tunes merge into what is allegedly the surf classic "Pipeline," but sounds more like a very wrong version of "Wipeout." The band sounds like their having a great time, however, and their energy level and enthusiasm is infectious.

The Note-Ables "Roll Over Beethoven" - The opening moments contain some of the most inspiring guitar work heard in years.

But who is "Shikowski"?

HAPPY ROBOT MUSIC

Ian Sherwin of Birmingham, UK seems like a decent chap: according to his website, "He has worked with a wide variety of schools and groups, and has a lot of experience working with young people with learning difficulties and behaviour problems. Ian mainly works with young people introducing them to using computers and software to record and produce original music." So why does he do such terrible things to toys?

By taking exisiting electronic musical and sound toys like Speak and Spells and rewiring them ("circuit-bending") Sherwin takes wholesome artifacts of childhood and warps them into noisy unpredictable electronic musical strangeness that might frighten your kids. Or enthrall them. I wouldn't mind having a "glitch-switch" or a random-sound button on my synths.

"Speak and Math"
"Talk n Learn Animals" - "This is the lion: SKRREEEEEECH!!!"
"My Little Keyboard"

Like what you hear? "Please get in touch if you would like to pre-order any of the units featured on this page" and he'll make one for you.

Now when's he gonna jam with Toydeath?

KID'S POW-WOW SONGS

One of the most unexpectedly wonderful albums I've bought recently is "More Kid's Pow-Wow Songs" by a Native American group, The Black Lodge Singers. I say unexpectedly because I don't know much about American Indian music and had never really listened to it too carefully, but how can you not like hearing songs about Scooby-Doo or Spongebob Square Pants sung in traditional drum-and-chant style? Apart from the novelty value, the performances - really soulful singing and compelling rhythms - are terrific.

Not surprisingly, the group, led by Kenny Scabby Robe (Scabby?) of the Blackfeet people, is one of the most popular trad groups on the pow-wow (intertribal gathering) circuit. The fact that he recruits band members from among the ranks of his 12 (!) sons certainly means he's aware of what the kids are into - this is volume 2, with hopefully more on the way. Can I request the "Speed Racer" theme?

Black Lodge Singers: "Kid's Pow-Wow Songs Medley"

2 .TP CISUM SDRAWKCAB

The guy I wrote about recently who sings "Stairway To Heaven" backwards asked that it be removed from the inter-webs. Yeah, well, who needs him? Thanks to Maniac mwmiller, we've got something you might like even better, so go to this-here site:

Bill Lamphier's Mystery Tune

ART LIKES HIS MOTHER

It's Mother's Day soon here in the US of A, and I can't think of a better salute to our mommies then a tune by Madison, Wisconsin's most famous outsider, Art Paul Schlosser, who we first met here. I don't if Mama Fab would really appreciate it, though - she never seemed too amused when I would play my 12" of Mr. T's rap song "Treat Your Mother Right." But it's the thought that counts!

Right...?

Art Paul Schlosser - "I Like My Mother"

UPDATE: Big thanks to that legend "anonymous" for this swell video of Art Paul performing "I Like My Mother" live on the street.

GUYS SINGS "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" BACKWARDS

A Dutchman who obviously has a lot of free time on his hands named Jeroen Offerman learned how to sing Led Zep's "Stairway To Heaven"... backwords. It took him three months. Then he videotaped himself singing it and played that backwords. Just the kind of utterly pointless behaviour that makes life worth living!

"Neveah Ot Yawriats"

SO I SAW DANIEL JOHNSTON LAST NIGHT...

...perform for free - free! You can't beat that! - at Amoeba Hollywood. And it was, quite simple, utterly wonderful. If you've been put off by the possibility it will be just a freak show, forget it. It was 35 minutes of top-notch tunesmithery performed albeit a bit clumsily at times, but I couldn't imagine it any other way. He doesn't play that way to be indie-cool or low-fi or whatever. He's playing the best he can, and he even apologized a couple of times for his nervousness and "amateurness." A large supportive crowd would have nothing of it, however.

Before the show, the store actioned off an original Johnston artwork to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. It depicted many brightly-colored skulls and captions proclaiming that the Devil is "a drag." It went for $550.

Having just seen the documentary film, "The Devil and Daniel Johnston," I was prepared for the worst - it depicts his mental condition as deteriorating. But the Daniel I saw last night looked fairly healthy, hair neatly trimmed, sporting an oh-so-hip goatee, and a "Hi, How Are You" tee-shirt. He was in good spirits as he performed solo guitar and piano renditions of songs that, in other hands, probably would have been done in a jangly-guitar '60s pop style. The ghost of his beloved Beatles and three-chord classics like "Needles and Pins" seemed to haunt the compositions played last night, even as he dropped in lines like "I'm just a psycho trying to write a song." He good-naturedly put in time at the autograph table later.

Some may have been disappointed that he didn't have a nervous breakdown on stage. Ah well, they just had to make do with one fine tune after another, like:

"Frustrated Artist"

TEA PARTY: VINTAGE REEFER SONGS

I certainly was surprised to see the news that Mexico is planning on legalizing drugs for personal use. Any drug: heroin, pot, LSD...hell, snorting elephant tranquilizer, for all I know. It should be an interesting experiment: will they now have to worry about illegal Americans crossing the border?

Which reminded me of this page that features some great vintage jazz recordings. Some of the greatest legends in jazz, like Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Ella Fitzgerald, sang weed's praises. Now, I don't indulge in anything heavier then a martini, so I'm not endorsing anything here. I just love the spooky feel of jazz recordings of the '30s and '40s - the far-away sound of low-fi 78s, and hipster slang like "viper" (pothead), "blowing gage," and "smoking tea."

The Barney Bigard Sextet: Sweet Marijuana Brown
Bea Foote: Weed

UPDATE: Or not. As Scott pointed out in his comment, now Prez Fox is reconsidering.