David Liebe Hart: Artist & Creator

David Liebe Hart believes he was abducted by aliens, hosts a public-access TV program called "The Junior Christian Bible Story Puppet Show," draws pictures and performs music for tips on the streets of Los Angeles, and is looking for a woman.

He has recorded 2 albums: the first (Christian Hymns and Songs of Praise) featured his religious songs from his tv show and was recorded on a tape recorder at a friend's apartment. Taken in small doses, I find the hypnotic droning songs strangely compelling. And this, like many Angeleno's, was my first exposure to Hart's weird world - flipping thru the tv wasteland, I chanced upon the incredible sight of a ventriloquist's dummy named Chip The Black Boy in an already-dated Jeri-curl wig apparently lip-synching to an odd religious song, but not coming close - the dummy's lips rarely synched up with the song being performed, as this video demonstrates.

"Public Access" is his fine follow-up, recorded with a sympathetic soul named Adam Papagan, who had added more sonic color to Hart's previously no-fi production. The song's lyrics, however, are entirely by Hart, and they deal with such subjects as his lack of success with women, people who won't let him play his music, space aliens, his nice apartment, his church, racism, the importance of public-access television, show-biz folks he has worked with (Gary Marshall "used" him, and Robin Williams won't return his calls) and, in the 13-minute "Story of David Liebe Hart," his entire life's journey. He remains upbeat and optimistic and looks forward to a long life and future songs. From his web site: "He is also looking to meet young, attractive, single women. If interested and you meet these qualifications, please call him at 213 3810791. If he is not there, leave a brief message and what you'd like to say with your return phone number and the best time he can call you. Say it slowly and clearly and repeat it twice, and he will return your phone call as soon as he comes in. (serious calls only)."

The album's opener is a dandy minute-long statement of purpose; "Korendian Honk" is a disturbingly sincere ode to aliens, complete with an actual phone message intro announcing his plans to visit the "Korendians."

David Liebe Hart: Artist and Creator
David Liebe Hart: Korendian Honk

MY TRIBUTE TO TONY ALAMO

Today's mp3 is the most spectacularly awful music I've heard in a while, a kitsch epic. But there's more to it then just that.

That's because today's music is by the infamous Tony Alamo, in the news yet again, this time for kiddie porn. The FBI raided his Arkansas compound. Sure, he's in the South now, but I remember when we had him here in Los Angeles. I discovered one of his tracts on a school bulletin board over 20 years ago and have been following the man's exploits ever since.

The tract was a conspiracy theorist's wet dream, claiming that the Catholic Church controlled all the major media outlets, and told every big business and politician what to do. As someone raised as a Catholic, I was outraged! What! I exclaimed, Where's my major tv network or magazine that I can control?!? All the years we spent on parochial school, going to church every Sunday, giving who knows how much money to the collection basket - why weren't we in on the conspiracy? Not fair!

Alamo used child labor to make ugly jackets for rich idiots, was wanted on tax charges, and fled town, leading the FBI on a cross-country chase that, at one point included stealing his dead wife's body from a tomb and carrying it with him while still on the lamb!

Like so many religious/cult leaders, he makes music, much of it country, with gospel-style vocals, all dominated by Alamo's warbly baritone. Doesn't get much better then this tune, which might be a more recent recording, judging by his aging voice. He bellows out the lyrics like a drunk hollering "Wind Beneath My Wings" at a karaoke bar, while the increasingly bombastic music overwhelms the listener, like a Phil Spector production for the deranged.

Tony Alamo: My Tribute - To God Be The Glory

His website is a monument to paranoid madness. A supposed Jesuit oath claims that, in their war against non-Catholics, Jesuit priests are sworn to '...hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crush their infants' heads against the walls," and an interview with a mafioso claims that "Bush, the Pope and other top Vatican and U.S. government leaders had prior knowledge and help organize 9/11...to get their hands on all the gold that was hidden below in the Twin Towers." Golly! No wonder the powers that be are always persecuting Pastor Alamo.

King Of The Road - A Bastard Pop Tribute To Dean Martin

Compiled by DJ Clivester, "King Of The Road" is a brand new variety show mixing Dino with rock, electro, reggae/ska/dub, kooky samples, excerpts from Rat Pack shows, even some swing. My favorite might be this gem from Austria's DJ Schmolli, giving Mr. Martin a '60s soul groove:

DJ Schmolli: My Girl Is King Of The Road

And then there's this mutation, featuring a barnyard's worth of Beatle-besotted animals backing Nancy Sinatra, Dean, and a spot of the Beach Boys.

RIAA: "I Saw Her Things (Pet Sounds mix)"

The whole woozy cocktail party, inc. 14 tracks and artwork is here:

King Of The Road - A Bastard Pop Tribute To Dean Martin

ROAD MUSIC

The Honda car company cut grooves into a California highway so that it produces the "William Tell" overture (aka the "Lone Ranger" theme) as you drive over it. Saw this video on the news last night and found it on Advertising Age's website:

My Tires Must Be Flat, the 'William Tell' Overture Sounds Out of Tune

Japan already did this last year, as this article reveals. There's something rather flatulant sounding about the music in the video. A similar concept, an "asphaltophone," was created in Denmark in 1995, and Korea has a road that plays "Mary had A Little Lamb."

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The California road was supposed to be paved over yesterday so I guess I missed it. Cool idea, hope more music like this gets created. How about a big area out in the desert somewhere with lots of these grooved song-roads, all in tune with each other, where anyone can go and drive around on 'em all day?

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BARACK 'N' ROLL

Regardless of what you think about Barack Obama's politics, you must admit that the man is a pop-cultural phenomenon. Has there ever been an American politician who has had so many tribute songs written for him? I've been collecting as many of them as I can find, figuring they're going to be a weird piece of history. And, believe me, it doesn't get much weirder then this one.

Don't know who Buddy Lewis is, but this tune is the funniest, retarded-est bit of Barack 'n' roll I've heard thus far. Because Obama is of mixed race, he did a parody of Cher's '70s hit "Half Breed." Tasteful, eh? Wait, it gets even better: he sounds like a middle-to-old aged Texas trucker, his karaoke backing track is pure cheese, and the video is ridiculous (I recorded the audio from the video). His lyrics are funny, and he sounds like he's having a good ol' time.

Bucky Lewis "Half Breed" mp3
Bucky Lewis "Half Breed" video

I won't describe this one - you just gotta hear it. Not as "outsider" as "Half Breed," but still very odd and funny:

Clare and the Reasons "Obama Over The Rainbow"

"Half Breed" got me thinking - if Obama is only half black, why is he called "black"? If you're half-white, couldn't we just as easily call him "white"? Let's try it! We'll get everyone asking:

Is America ready for a white president?

Won't he just be pushing the "white agenda"?

MORE MUSIC FOR WEIRDOS

He promised, he delivered. Last June, a Maniac of the highest order named Chris made available a treasure-trove of musical sickness for all of you good people, and said there might be more on the horizon. Sho' 'nuff, he's compiled another CD's worth of novelty, outsider, groovy oldies, celebrities, New Wave oddities, mashups, and unclassifiable audio oddities.

Music For Weirdos Volume 5

Thanks again, Chris!

A Kaleidoscope of Meaningless Ectoplasms pt.2

We first wrote about filmmaker Ed Wood here, but let's get into his 1953 feature debut, "Glen or Glenda." "Plan Nine From Outer Space" is the film Wood is most famous for, but "Glen or Glenda" might be my favorite. It's not genre sci-fi/nudie/exploitation like Wood's other stuff. Actually, I don't know what the hell it is. It's usually described as a ground-breaking look at cross-dressing. Well...sort of. Documentary realism is mixed with pure surrealism that doesn't really have anything to do with the subject, such as the weird devil guy (pictured), a taunting little girl, and Bela Lugosi in a mad scientists' lab. These characters don't seem to be real figures in Glen's world, or even figments of his dreams, but rather are symbols of...something.

Wood isn't ranked with the film world's prime surrealists, but these scenes are pure David Lynch, complete with ambient drone soundscapes. Divorced from the visuals, they make for fascinating listening.

"Bevare!" (Bela Lugosi)
"Pull The String" (Bela Lugosi)
Little Girl

Contrast the above clips with this amusingly straight-faced narration describing Glen's dilemma:

Glen or Glenda narration

UPDATE: LARGE HADRON RAP

Thanks to this page, we now have a good quality mp3 of the particle physics rap song we wrote about here, as well as the lyrics, and the vocal track (!) for you remixers/mashupers. I took down the crappy quality mp3 and uploaded the good quality mp3.

THE FLY: THE OPERA

Playing now in Los Angeles until Sept. 27. David Cronenberg (!) directs; conducted by Placido Domingo(!!); music by Howard Shore, who did the score to "Ed Wood", among others. Not a musical, not a joke, but an actual fat-ladies-in-Viking-hats opera. About a dude who turns into a fly. Could I make this stuff up?

Cronenberg, of course, directed the '80s film remake, but the opera's set in the '50s, a la the original Vincent Price film.

The Fly: The Opera

No word yet about a soundtrack album, and there's no music on the website (except heard in the background of some documentary clips) so here's a classic piece of early '60s rock'n'roll sickness inspired by the film:

The Monocles: "The Spider And The Fly"

French lounge combo's weirdly sultry femme fatale Cramps remake:

Nouvelle Vague: "Human Fly"

There's even a song saluting the sequel to the original '50s film, by '80s horror rock legends:

The Misfits: "Return of the Fly"

Finally, a killer spooky surf instro from one of Northern California's premier '60s garage revivalists:

The Mummies: "The Fly"

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!!

The '90s cartoon "Ren and Stimpy" was great for many reasons, and one is the music. So I was delighted to read that some industrious fans have compiled two volumes worth of music used in the show for your free downloading pleasure - an absolutely ridiculous seven (7) hours worth! It's mostly '50s library scores of every possible genre, from noir to ethnic to sci-fi to (of course) cartoonish silliness. Haven't heard all of it (will I ever?) but a lot of it seems to be cheerful suburban background music, full of post-war Space Age optimism, perfect for school documentaries.

I couldn't find any mention of him on the show's imdb page, but I think I read somewhere that WFMU's Irwin Chusid was the music consultant. Can anyone confirm this?

Ren & Stimpy Production Music Part 1
Ren & Stimpy Production Music Part 2

This treasure trove comes to us courtesy to two pretty rad looking blogs: DigitalMeltd0wn and Secret Fun Blog. While listening to the music, you might want to peruse the incredible archives of '50s ad art at Plan59.com. I recently blew at least a half hour of work time checking out pics like this one:













Yet another big thanks to solcofn!

THE CHRISTIAN RAMONES

"All-acoustic hybrid of evangelical Christianity and the Ramones." Can this possibly be for real?

The Christian Ramones

"Gabba-gabba pray."

REFORMAT THE PLANET

Very nice documentary video up for only one week about the chiptune scene, those brave souls who make music out of the lowest of low-tech electronics, e.g. Gameboys.

Blip Festival: Reformat The Planet

Man, I loves them bloopy bleepy sounds.



Thanks to J-Unit 1!

I'LL TAKE LAS VEGAS pt2: BRITNEY SPEARS

Britney live in Vegas. Her vocal mic. Only her vocal mic.

If you watch the video, there's enough dancing, costumes etc. to (partially) take your mind off the vocals. But listening to just the audio is reminiscent of that infamous Linda McCartney tape.

Britney live (vocal mic only mix) - video
Britney live (vocal mic only mix) - mp3

By way of historical comparison, here is Linda singing with her hubby's band Wings:

Linda McCartney (vocal mic only mix) - Hey Jude

I'LL TAKE LAS VEGAS

Just came back from Las Vegas, and it's changed quite a bit since the last time I was there a few years ago. Almost all traces of Rat Pack-era Sin City are gone from "the Strip," from what I could tell. Fine dining used to consist of crappy $3.99 buffets, and shopping used to be for souvenir clocks using dice for numbers. Now star chefs and their expensive restaurants and Rodeo Drive-level shopping malls bring in more money then gambling. Speaking of gambling, you don't even use coins for the slot machines any more! I brought a roll of quarters that I never used - the one-armed bandits now take paper money and credit slips, which means no more chingchingching sounds ever time somebody hits the jackpot. In it's place, music is piped in everywhere. Sinatra? Elvis? Forget it - modern rock rules, from hair metal to such unexpected tunes as the Velvet Underground's "Who Loves The Sun" and The Strangler's (!?) "Golden Brown."

Free lounge performances are apparently a thing of the past, too. Lounges that used to feature dudes in tuxedos belting out the standards now sport djs playing modern dance music.

A few classic performers are still making the scene: Tony Bennett, Steve Lawrence, Wayne Newton, and Tom Jones, who we caught at the MGM Grand. Sir Tom was great. His voice is as good, if not better then ever. He rocks, funks, swings, and fills his show with flirtatious comments and gestures that make the ladies squeal every time. Not bad for a dude in his late sixties.

But what's up with his new look? Fake tan, beard. I was expecting: but got something closer to this:

Here's a repost of a lounge singer's original ode to Vegas:

Mike Hudson - I'll Take Las Vegas

and a slew of brilliant and/or hilarious lounge versions of rock hits performed by totally unknown (well, except for Louis Prima, of course) performers' private press releases that were probably only available at their shows (often autographed), which I have lovingly ripped from vinyl. I've been collecting these for years, searching used record store bargain bins, garage sales, and thrift shops.

Chet DeMilo - Sunshine Superman
Louis Prima - Mrs Robinson
Carmen D'Oro - Something
Vic Caesar - Norwegian Wood
The Jose Maria Band - Light My Fire
Dick Burns - Bad Bad Leroy Brown/All Of Me
Candi - Philadelphia Freedom
Deb Hyer - Proud Mary
Wayne & Marin Foster - (Can't Get No) Satisfaction

There are a lot of place-themed hotels in Vegas: Paris, New York, Egypt, etc. How about a Las Vegas-themed hotel?

CHINATUNES, MY CHINATUNES

Today features the most offensive recording I've ever posted! Why? Well...

With the eyes of the world fixed on China right now because of the Olympics, I thought I'd post some early recordings, from the first half of the 20th century, that reveal various Western attitudes towards the Chinese.

The earliest recording I know of regarding China or Chinese people (I'm no expert) is a comedy routine circa 1900-1 that is one of the most awful, mean-spirited examples of ethnic humor you're likely to hear. And it was one of the big hit records of the day! But it does provide insight into the place of the Chinese immigrant in century-old America - as lower class servants of mainstream society, toiling away in laundrys. Taken from the crucial collection The 1890s, Volume 1: Wipe Him Off the Land.

Cal Stewart "Uncle Josh in a Chinese Laundry"

The Chinese may have been initially treated as an exploited working class, but, man, those "Chinatowns" they were establishing in major cities like New York and San Francisco were pretty cool - a heady dose of "mysterious" Eastern culture rarely experienced on American soil. The song "Chinatown My Chinatown," written in 1910, was recorded about a bazillion times in the first half of the 20th century, from the days of vaudeville right up through the '50s exotica era. Al Jolson, one of the biggest stars of the day, was famous for his blackface routine, but here he plays it straight, swinging hard with groovy backup singer gals.

Al Jolson "Chinatown, My Chinatown"

Another popular feature of Chinese communities? Opium dens, where the jazz hepcats would hang out passing around an opium pipe - "kicking the gong around" - for days on end. Cab Calloway used that phrase in "Minnie The Moocher" with most people having no idea what he was singing about.

Louis Armstrong "Kicking the Gong Around"

If a cowboy came a-ridin' up to Chinatown on his horse, he might have been heard playing this version of "Chinatown, My Chinatown" on his gee-tar, from the collection Western Swing: Hot Hillbilly Jazz and Blues (1935 - 1947).

Milton Brown & his Brownies - Chinatown, My Chinatown

And then there's this song, from the album "Novelty songs (1914 - 1946) Crazy & Obscure," about, er, a yodeling Chinaman. I don't know why.

George van Dusen "The Yodeling Chinaman"

WHO'S DOWN WITH LHC? (YEAH YOU KNOW ME)

From Scientific American's website: "You know a science experiment has arrived when a rap song extolling its virtues just hit YouTube. After 14 years, CERN, the European particle physics lab near Geneva, is getting ready to switch on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), designed to seek out new particles including the long-awaited Higgs boson and the possible source of dark matter as well as study the differences between matter and antimatter. The lab says it plans to send the first particles through the LHC's 17-mile- (27-kilometer-) diameter ring in early September and gradually bring it up to full speed over two months.

In honor of the impending start-up, Alpinekat, aka Kate McAlpine, a science writer for CERN, has produced a five-minute rap video starring herself and friends dancing in the bowels of the machine. McAlpine's rap, written during her 40-minute bus commute from Geneva to CERN, gives a rhythmic tour of the mysteries of modern physics and the workings of the LHC, noting that "the things that it discovers will rock you in the head."

Alpinekat: Large Hadron Rap (mp3)
Alpinekat: Large Hadron Rap (video)

Quite a funky tune, actually. This page also features the lyrics, and an acapella version for you remixers/masher-uppers.

This is actually not the first time CERN's musical side has been featured here. Two years ago, we wrote about Les Horribles Cernettes, "The First Band on the Web."

JO STAFFORD IS NO LONGER STAYIN' ALIVE...

...ah, but her music will live on.

Jo Stafford, one of the great Big Band/pop/jazz singers of the '40s and '50s, recently passed away at age 90. Though she recorded some classic sultry torch ballads with a honey-hued voice that made servicemen ache for home, she had another, slightly anarchic side to her that you won't find in the recordings of, say, Billie Holiday or Peggy Lee - a twisted side project she did with her husband, bandleader Paul Weston.
As "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards," she was the nasally, slightly off-key vocal half of the world's most inept lounge duo, while her hubbie was the accompanist, always attempting lush, beautiful piano stylings, and never quite getting there, like what Liberace would sound like after being pushed down a flight of stairs.

One of the motivations for the act was that they were secretly taking the piss out of their boss at Columbia Records, the notorious schlock-meister Mitch Miller. If he ever caught on, he never admitted it.

At first, Stafford and Weston wouldn't own up to the fact that they were Jonathan and Darlene. Their first album had liner notes claiming that they merely discovered the Edwards working a lounge in New Jersey. But the truth quickly came out and they became a novelty music sensation, even winning a comedy Grammy in 1963.

The humor was subtle - smart-alecks would put on their records at parties, and if you weren't paying attention, they sounded almost competent. But after a few too many flubbed notes, party-goers would choke on their martinis and ask, "Uh, who is this...?"

Historians take note! They were probably the first lounge parodists, preceding Richard Cheese, Bill Murray's "Nick" character on "Saturday Night Live," and, believe it or not, The Beatles - "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" was one of the first lounge parodies recorded. But Jonathan and Darlene started in the late '50s, after Stafford's mainstream singing career was winding down.

Most lounge satires emphasize the smarmy nature of the performers, but there was a naive sweetness to Jonathan and Darlene. You felt sorry for them. They were really trying to put on a great show, but everything was going wrong.

The Edwards made one last record, a single in 1977. It's one of the best song parodies ever. The Helen Reddy cover is funny, but The Bee Gees demolition just absolutely kills me.

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards "Stayin' Alive"
Jonathan and Darlene Edwards "I Am Woman"

Lots more of the Edwards' output can be found here, courtesy of the Cheese Factory.

A VERY FINE ADVENTURE

Twink The Toy Piano Band creates a pastel pink audio candyland that, as demonstrated on his latest album, the aptly-named "A Very Fine Adventure," serves the odd task of creating children's music for adults. That is, music with all the cuteness and innocence (and toy instruments) of children's music without the annoying repetition and simplicity that real children demand (or have forced upon them) in their Barney singalong CDs.

I've written about Twink a few times here, so regulars will know what to expect with his latest: as usual, it's all instrumental (another trait you won't find too often in actual children's music). And, as usual, you get excellent album packaging/graphics, and well-crafted songs that are amusing without being overly jokey, and a surprising variety of musical moods and textures, from the soundtrack drama of "Lost in the Mysterious Mist" to the raucous distorted (!) toy piano rock of "Flytrap," to any number of songs of lite techno and groovy funk. The album's opener is appropriately dreamy and toe-tappin.

Twink - Three Bunnies In A Balloon

When I posted the article "Play An On-Line Toy Piano!" earlier this year, I asked for anyone who uses it in a recording to let us know. And we have one: a very silly British bunch called REET! feature a bit in their version of the "Chip 'n' Dale" theme.

REET! - Chip n Dale

Their entertaining MySpazz page has other goodies, like a video-game sounding 8-bit instrumental, a hard rock version of the "Cheers" theme, a very good bit of brooding atmospherics, and original comics. Make an album, guys!

UFOetry

If believers in the UFO cover-up at Roswell are correct, an advanced race of superior beings came countless light-years across the universe to planet Earth...but didn't know how to land. Roswell was a US Army air field that was performing top-secret experiments and aircraft testing at the height of the Cold War, so if anything crashed it would, of course, be a security breach that would not be explained to the public. All of which makes the case for genuine alien contact at Roswell pretty shakey. Even a number of UFO believers dismiss it.

But don't tell that to UFOetry! He's a Los Angeles-based musician who just performed his multi-media show several times at that New Mexico city as part of their annual festival of all things flying saucer. The festival is all in kitschy fun, but Mr. UFOetry seems quite sincere.

UFOetry "Roswell"

He doesn't just sing about UFOs (actually, he doesn't really sing at all - he dramatically speaks the lyrics in true Shatner-esque fashion). One of his other songs is about another conspiracy theory: we never went to the moon. These conspiracy theorists must think that the American government is highly intelligent and super-organized to pull off this kind of hoax. They have a lot more faith in our politicians then I do!

UFOetry "We Never Went To The Moon"

MUSIC BY ROBOTS: JAMES HOUSTON

James Houston is a recent graduate of Glasgow's School of Art. His final project is an incredibly ingenious version of Radiohead's "Nude" aka "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)" performed on obsolete machines:

Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer - Guitars (rhythm & lead)
Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
HP Scanjet 3c - Bass Guitar
Hard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX

James Houston "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)" (mp3)

Or better yet, check out the video on his page.

Don't be put off by the long intro - after one minute things get rockin'.

MUSIC BY ROBOTS: THE TRONS

Music not touched by human hands: from New Zealand comes The Trons "...a completely self playing robotic junk band! They are made mostly from old computer and mechanical parts and play original songs using an array of old amps and instruments. They now have five gigs under their belt..." playing nice Velvetsy rock (with turntables):

The Trons "Sister Robot" (mp3)
The Trons "Sister Robot" (video)

Pretty durned amazing stuff. Musicians: robots will be taking your jobs soon! Why hire some greaseballs in tuxedos to play your wedding when you could rent some bitchin' robots?

Thanks to AudioPornCentral!

It's SURFADELIC, Man!! (pt.3: USA Today)

No, not the newspaper. I mean some contempo sounds returning us to the States, after our last globe-trotting exercise.

New Wave legends Devo, believe it or not, released a surf album in 2001 as "The Wipeouters." True, they're from Ohio, but they've been here in LA for so long that they seem to have soaked up enough sunshine to make an excellent, mostly instrumental collection of wild 'n' wacky guitar rock, with touches of exotica, electronica, and cartoonish sound effects. There aren't any songs on the order of, say, "Mongoloid" or "Beautiful World" but, somewhat to my surprise as I had written this band off by the mid-'80s, it's an entertaining album I've played almost as much as their old classics. They even sample the "Shut Up Little Man" guys!

The Wipeouters: "Surf's Up On Goon Island"

The Bonedaddys are a veteran LA club band with strong ethnic/exotic influences whose latest album features a song mixing surf guitar with African drumming. Which I think is a dandy combination.

The Bonedaddys: "Continental Drift"

RIAA, the Mad Dogs of Mashups, have a new 10 song summer collection called "Radical, Intense & Awesome!!" that goes beyond the usual acapella vs instrumental formula. Some songs might have 10 sources crammed into 3 minutes, plus campy movie quotes and Spike Jones-ish sound effects. Like this one, which features '60s e-z, '80s rap, '90s house, Wire, the Bay City Rollers, the Dead Kennedys, and Bob Marley:

RIAA: "It Is Such A Good Saturday Night"

Have an unsafe and insane Fourth!

It's SURFADELIC, Man!! (pt.2: Surf-xotica)

Jeez, I'm practically writing a book here! Let's just start with the music this time so we can get a-rockin' and a-rollin' before I start yammering. Here's some weird, exotic '60s (except for the contemporary group Boom Pam) rock influenced by surf music:

INDIA: "Jan Pahechan Ho" by Mohammed Rafi, for the film Gumnaam (The Anonymous); from Bombshell Baby of Bombay

PERU: " Vacilando Con Ayahuesca" by Juaneco Y Su Combo from Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru

JAPAN: "Kanjincho" by Takeshi Terauchi and the Bunnys from Seichô Takeuchi-Bushi

ISRAEL: "Gross" by Boom Pam from their self-titled album. Saw these dudes open for The Ventures last year - they use a tuba.

THAILAND: "Fawn Ngeo" by Johnny Guitar from Thai Pop Spectacular 1960s-1980s

To repeat from part 1: the Rock 'n' Roll Mafia would have you believe that rock 'n' roll had died by the end of the '50s, and thanks to Dylan, The Stones, The Beatles, etc, it was rescued in the mid-'60s. A glance at the American top 100 charts for 1960 and 1961 might lead some to think that. Almost none of the big '50s rock pioneers are represented, except for Elvis, of course, and Roy Orbison, but only after he switched from rockabilly to lush orchestral ballads. There's plenty of teen music, but most of it is of the lightweight pop variety e.g.: Connie Francis, Frankie Avalon. And there's lots of EZ pop, and country. But take a closer look: there's plenty of sweaty rhythm 'n blues, groovy girl groups, early soul and Motown action. Looks pretty rockin' to me.

Ah, but that's black music. That's not rock 'n' roll! The rock critical establishment doesn't just have a white-boy defintion of what's considered rock, do they? Why, that would be, well, kinda racist, wouldn't it? Perish the thought!

Even by the white-boy defintion of rock, the surf wave that broke by 1961 disproved that theory of history. Suburban youth with electric guitars were popping up all over Southern California, due to a confluence of influences: early rock instrumentalists like Link Wray and Duane Eddy, mariachi (due to the all-pervasive Mexican influence on California culture), Hawaiian, and Western musics, and the surf lifestyle. Take Wray's slow, dark grind, or the lazy clip-clop rhythm of Western guitar instrumentals, give it a jolt of adolescent energy, drench your guitar in reverb to make it sound "wet," and voila! You're now playing to thrilled teenagers who are rushing out to buy guitars and start their own bands.

And not just in America. Surf music provided an entre into rock for musicians of other cultures and countries, from Europe to Australia, from Asia to South America, where they would often meld it into their own traditions, producing the weird and wonderful hybrids we're featuring today.

I first started getting into India's "filmi" Bollywood soundtrack pop during the late '80s/early '90s, a time when Los Angeles' Indo/Pak community had grown to the point where there was now a weekly TV program showing music clips from Indian films, and grocery stores were popping up all over town selling cassettes. These tapes were often really inexpensive, like 99 cents, so why not visit one of these curry-scented shops and get some mysterious (to me) cheap entertainment? I was surprised to hear the occasional strong surf influence, but have become less suprised the more I hear it popping up all over '60s (and post-'60s) music, from Thailand to Peru.

Which makes sense, when you think about it - instrumental music holds no language barrier. All that Dylan-esque wordplay so beloved by the Jann Wenner-types doesn't mean much to a non-English speaking population. But cool rockin' twangy guitars and high-energy dance beats? That's a party in any language.

JET-SET SUITE

Remember when air travel was fun and glamorous? Here's a mix done for the Peter Nelson Show of swinging '60s swank rudely mixed with all manner of odd noises and voices, propelled by boomin' beats. Note the dialogue between The Big Bopper and The Electric Six. You'll larf!

"Jet-Set Suite"

Includes:
PanAm commercials, Mel Torme "Jet Set," The Wild Magnolias "Somebody Got Soul," Eazy E "Eazy - Chapter 8 Verse 10," "The Naughty Stewardess" movie ad, Anaconda "Cuban Beach," Ming & FS "Madhattan Bound," Esquivel "Whatchamcallit," the crypto-Beastie Boys "Your Sister's Def," Alphaville "Jet Set," Astrud Gilberto "Fly Me To Brasil," Joe Walsh "Meadow," Enoch Light & the Light Brigade "(Sittin on the)Dock of the Bay," Moby "James Bond Theme," Stevie Wonder "Superstition," The Big Bopper "Chantilly Lace," Electric Six "Gay Bar," Mason Williams "Classical Gas," from "Akom: The Art of Possession," Komeda, Beastie Boys "Shake Your Rump," Manu DiBango "Soul Makossa," Tom Jones "Sex Bomb," Flipper "Sex Bomb," B-52s "Rock Lobster," Henry Jacobs "Lowdown on the New Line," additional beats, synths, sounds.

Earliest Known Computer Music

This article from the BBC tells the story, and has audio, of the oldest known piece of computer music, a 1951 medley of "God Save The Queen" (not the Sex Pistols song)/"Baa Baa Black Sheep"/"In The Mood." Now that's my kind of techno.

Ferranti Mark 1 computer

It's SURFADELIC, Man!! (pt.1)

The Rock 'n' Roll Mafia would like you to think that surf music never happened.

If you subscribe to the Rolling Stone/Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame/Baby Boomer critics world view, there was Elvis, Chuck Berry, etc, then rock died in 1960. Then, in the mid-'60s, Dylan and the Beatles "saved" it. Uh, yeah. Right.

Actually, if anything, surf music saved rock. When The Bel-Aires and Dick Dale made their 1961 debuts, reinvigorating rock 'n 'roll with a fresh, exciting new sound and instantly inspiring countless musicians, the charts and airwaves had gotten fairly rock-free. Even some early rockers like Bobby Darin thought that rock was a fad that had run it's course, so he put on a tux and switched to adult pop.

The Rock n' Roll Hall of Shame thinks nothing of inducting scads of obscure doo-wop groups, cheesy British Invaders, and decidedly un-rocking hippie folkies. Why the antipathy towards a music that would seem to embody rock's greatest virtues? I have a few theories:

- East Coast bias. That's where the critical establishment is based, and that's where most of the above-cited doo-wop groups that no-one's heard of come from. And I am in no way opposed to obscure doo-wop - I'm just asking for a little equal time.

- Instrumental music doesn't sit well with rock crits; it doesn't have any lyrics to quote and analyze, and you know how they love to do that. They are writers, after all, not guitarists.

- Surf is the one kind of rock 'n' roll that draws inspiration from nature. Even if there are lyrics, they often refer to man's place within a natural setting, and not just the beach. Dick Dale has said that, apart from surfing, wild animals like big cats also inspire his guitar playing. There's a lot of outer space-inspired surf music. The most famous album produced by a surf group is "Pet Sounds," recorded after the Beach Boys stopped singing beach party songs. Once the themes went back to familiar teen/romance subjects, it became acceptable for critical consideration.

But enough yackin', less talk, more rock! Behold! "Surfrealism" going way beyond the usual Ventures twang for your maniacal beach party needs. From such masters as Luis Bun-swell. And Surfvador Dali (all right, I'll stop now):

The SG Sound is my discovery of the year. Yes, another lounge revivalist mixing surf, spy, bossa, a-go-go etc. might not sound so original anymore, but this LA boy's strengths are many: good songwriting (much appreciated, in an genre that often favors style over all), excellent production, fun without being overly jokey/smirky. From the Planet Twist ep:

The SG Sound: Jump The Shark

From a 1982 Rhino Records comp "Rhino Brothers Greatest Flops" comes this mysterious one-off, a version of The Chantay's surf standard done on traditional Indian instruments:

The Bombay Beach Boys - Pipeline

Another total obscurity: an Asian Moog album from 1973 featuring an electro version of the Bel-Airs classic:

The Carmets: Mr. Moto

"The Thurston Lava Tube is a psychedelic, experimental surf instrumental group from Leicester, England." This really is great, even if you're sick of the Beatles:

The Thurston Lava Tube: "I Am The Walrus"

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra: "Get Ur Freak On" - Yep, covering Missy Elliot inna John Barry-goes-surfing stylee; another cover that improves on the original.

From an album called "Jesus Christ Surferstar" (could I make this stuff up?):

Susan & The Surtones: "Everything's Allright"

Stay tuned for part 2!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

From this article in the LA Times: "I spent an entire career at the major labels," [Larry] Jenkins [head of CBS Records] said, "and I learned a lot of what to do -- and a lot of what to avoid. I thought, 'What if we went into this where we'll only sign artists who are really talented?"

GO LAKERS!

Once again, it's Lakers vs Celtics in the National Basketball Association championship, which reminds this long-time Lakers fan of an album I've had since 1980, released through Denny's Restaurants. I had asked my mom as we drove by our local Denny's if we could stop in and get me a copy. Thanks, Mom!

The album is highlights of the 1979-80 season, when the Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers for the world title. It's hosted by the late great Chick Hearn, who was really, if ya ask me, a spoken-word artist who just happened to work as a basketball announcer. Hadn't heard this album in ages, and a few things struck me as I was recording it to mp3:
- swingin' library music
- there's some wobbly audio of game broadcasts, as if the tapes were stretched too thin
- the 76ers were a classic big-Afro '70s team, with players like Julius "Dr. J" Erving, and the backboard-shattering Darryl Dawkins, who came up with all kinds of George Clinton-like names for his dunks, e.g.: "Chocolate Thunder." The Lakers, featuring here the rookie phenom Earvin "Magic" Johnson, would be the dominant team of the '80s. This was like New Wave and rap pushing aside disco and hippie-rock to signal the start of a new era.

Lakers Magic side 1
Lakers Magic side 2

MUSIC FOR WEIRDOS

Chris Swank, a very kind and generous Maniac, has compiled four-count 'em-FOUR cds worth of wonderful tuneage: novelty, outsider, garage rock, celebrities, New Wave oddities, mashups, space age/Moog, and general weirdness, including plenty of songs that were originally posted here, but have since gone off-line.

He put these together just for his friends and fave bloggers, but has agreed to make it available for all y'alls. Be sure to thank him in comments!

Music For Weirdos vol1
Music For Weirdos vol2
Music For Weirdos vol3
Music For Weirdos vol4

A Kaleidoscope of Meaningless Ectoplasms

A recent ad running on Colorado radio by the conservative religious group Focus on the Family is the funniest thing I've heard lately. Apparently, a law was recently passed in that state to allow trans-gendered people to use public bathrooms, resulting in this bit of unintentional hilarity:
Focus on the Family ad

Could John Waters have done any better?

This actually dovetails quite nicely into my current interest in the literary and biographical side of the film world's most famous trannie, Edward D. Wood, Jr, pictured here starring in his own cinematic plea for cross-dress tolerance, "Glen or Glenda." I've been a fan of his films for ages, but never read any of his books until recently. I whole-heartedly recommend his novel "Killer in Drag," an outlandish bit of pulp brilliance that's easily as entertaining as any of his films. His non-fiction movie-world expose "Hollywood Rat-Race" is also quite wonderful. Check these quotes:
"Actually, there is no Hollywood any longer. It's become a kaleidoscope of meaningless ectoplasms which abound between reality and the unreality."

On writing: "...why don't you give up before you get started? And that's not sour grapes! That's good, sound advice, which few of you will take...but sound advice all the same."

"You'd be surprised how many of the boys prefer girls' clothes and the girls who prefer boy's clothes! And I mean big stars, directors, producers, and writers!"

"Nothing is stranger then the strange itself."

And thanks to the definitive biography, "Nightmare of Ecstasy" and The Church Of Ed Wood website I've been able to compile a tour of...(drum roll please)...Ed Wood's Los Angeles!
- 4477 HOLLYWOOD BLVD. (Wood's office from 1947- ?)
- 5271 Bakman Ave., North Hollywood (His World War II play "Casual Company" was performed here, but it's an office building now; I live around the corner.)
- Santa Monica Boulevard near Western: "Plan 9 From Outer Space" shot at Quality Studios. (The entranceway is located next to the Harvey Hotel.)
- KFWB/Ted Allan studios, Yucca & Argyle: where "Bride of the Monster" shot
- 6136 Bonner St, North Hollywood 91606: apartment from 1965 to 1970
- Yucca @ Cahuenga: apartment of his final years
- 5636 Laurel Canyon Blvd, #4: apartment he died in 12/10/78 (also around the corner from my house - I didn't realize I lived on hallowed ground.)
- Criswell's apartment: Selma Ave. and Cassil Place, Hollywood, CA
- Criswell's Burial Spot: 10621 VICTORY BLVD. NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA. Valhallah Memorial Park
- Tor Johnson's Burial Spot: 23287 SIERRA HWY. NEWHALL, CA. 91321
- Bela Lugosi's Home: 5620 HAROLD WAY, L.A.
- Bela Lugosi burial spot: HOLY CROSS CEMETARY, 5835 W. SLAUSON AVE, CULVER CITY, CA 90230

As you make your tour, listen to some choice excerpts from Ed Woods' films, featuring the great performer Criswell:

Orgy of the Dead - opening
Night Things
Furs and Fluff
Ghouls Feast
Orgy of the Dead - End

POSTSCRIPT (6/02/08): Just saw the greatest thing: in a drugstore downtown the ugliest drag queen you've ever seen - tall, gawky, badly dyed hair, hideous lip liner - in a heated discussion with a ghetto sista - short, fat, cornrows. Imagine Herman Munster in drag arguing with Shirley from "What's Happenin'?" God, I love LA.