North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?"

Nice parody of the 80s cheesetastic Band-Aid charity record. Listen for:
Arcade Fire's Win & Regine + Redd Kross' Steve McDonald + Beck + R.E.M.'s + Joey Waronker + Buck 65 + Rilo Kiley's Jenny & Black + David Cross + Roky Erickson + Devendra Banhart + Sloan's Chris Murphy + Elvira, Mistress of the Dark + Smoosh's Asya & Chloe + Feist + Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore + Gino Washington + Sparks' Russel Mael + Les Savy Fav's Syd Butler + Subtitle + Islands' J'aime + Sum 41's Stevo + Malcolm Mclaren + Tagaq + Peaches + That Dog's Anna Waronker + Postal Service's Jimmy Tamborello + Wolf Parade's Dan & Spencer + Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O

VICE Records put this thing out last year as a download for UNICEF.
Find out more here: Link

Enjoy!

Bat For Lashes - "What's a Girl to Do?"

More Spookies! Nataha Khan's ethereal voice over a smooth groove. Witness, all in one take:
1) Sweet Masks!
2) Hand Claps!
3) Sweet Jumps!

This video is very spooky and cheesy and Donnie-Dark-Tastic!

Happy Halloween!

Aesop Rock - "Coffee"

Happy Halloween from Aesop Rock. The newest video from None Shall Pass is Grindhousey and Spooktacular. Cameo in the last verse from my favorite Mountain Goat John Darinelle.

This should be your first stop for last minute Halloween costumes:
"The Brides of Transylvania"
"The Grendel Brothers"
"The Rebellion (Earth's Last Hope)"
"Chainsaw Kid: Zombie Exterminator"

We don't need no walkie talkies.

T-A-K-E-N-O-P-R-I-S-O-N-E-R-S

Halloween Countdown: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

History goes like this: Henry Lee Lucas (1936-2001) was one of the most notorious serial killers in recent history. (Wikipedia Article) He confessed to 3000 murders (most of them he had an alibi for) but more realistically he killed 350. His preferred victims were drifters who would not be missed. HLL was probably a psychopath (the sequel to Henry was subtitled The Mask of Sanity, a reference to the classic text on psychopathy by Cleckley from the 1930s. (Link to PDF of The Mask of Sanity). HLL's death sentence was commuted in 1998 by then Texas governor George W. Bush (!!!) based on the premise that his conviction was for a murder he confessed to but did not actually commit. HLL spent much of his time killing with an accomplice Ottis Toole, who, some speculate, kidnapped and killed Adam Walsh (son of John Walsh of America's Most Wanted), but died in prison in 1966 of cirrhosis before he could be charged.

So. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer follows the exploits of these two friendly, prosocial dudes. I hesitate to call this a horror film, (given its more reasonable place as a true crime film), but the callousness and bleakness and nihilistic tone of this film can only be be described as horrific. The scene that has shaken me since I first saw this thing is the home invasion scene. Not for the weak of stomach. Henry and Ottis invade a home with the purpose of raping and killing the inhabitants, and videotape it. Absolutely chilling, and made more so by the image of the two watching the tape later for gratification. I cannot recommend this for general audiences, but, if you want to watch something horrific for Halloween, this is probably it.

Trivia: Michael Rooker, who played Henry, also played the Sheriff Grant Grant from Slither, a more lighthearted horror film from 2006.

Review: Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

I cannot stop listening to this album. Spencer Krug is one of the hardest working dudes in indie rock. Current bands: Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, Sunset Rubdown, and (likely a one off) Swan Lake. Random Spirit Lover is an obtuse, baroque masterpiece, like much of his earlier stuff, but this album really transcends all my expectations. Vaguely fantastical lyrics mostly seemingly chosen for how they will sound coming from his yelping maw, this album kills me every single time I hear it. Standout tracks include the opener, "The Mending of the Gown", which includes the doozy:

"It was the tender mending of this slender gown that brought me bending to the ground."

And then from the ?Irish Sea Shanty? "Upon Your Leapord, Upon the End of Your Feral Days."

"‘Cause you’re the one who’s riding around on a leopard; (ba-da-dum)
You’re the one who’s throwing dead birds in the air.
And you’re the one whose wild hide will weather
In the weathering days
To a leather made soft
So princes can lay down their princely white heads! OF HAIR!
Say goodbye…
Say goodbye to your feral days.
Say goodbye—bye-bye-bye.
Your highness is holding your chains."

Listen for ramshackle glockenspiel, piano, cymbal crashes, and noodly guitar.
A masterpiece that threatens to capsize from pretentiousness, but doesn't quite. Impossible to do it justice without a listen. Glorious.

Tracks (from Jagjaguwar)
"Upon Your Leopard, Upon The End of Your Feral Days"
"Winged/Wicked Things"

BONUS TRACKS!
From Swan Lake's Jagjaguwar release "Beast Moans"
Find them HERE
"All Fires" - I heard this track more than many others last year.
"The Freedom" - Dan Bejar (Destroyer) wounds my soul.

Re-Animated

Dressed up as Herbert West, Re-Animator this weekend to attend the ACAC Halloween Cover-up, followed by a midnight showing of the Re-Animator at Market Street Cinema. So. Didn't update my blog like I wanted to. Consolation prize = pictures.

Halloween Countdown: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Ah. The classic, the true original. This movie blew me away when I finally sat down and watched it end to end. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was loosely based on the story of Ed Gein, the famous Wisconsin killer and necrophiliac (as were Psycho and Silence of the Lambs). Follow a group of kids traveling through Texas who run out of gas and into the arms of a family of cannibals. Enter the infamous misunderstood giant Leatherface. The original film had a grim nihilistic tone marked by a near complete absence of blood. Tense, terrifying, and darkly funny (witness Grandpa trying to knock out a girl with a hammer using his cattle-felling slaughterhouse smash). This film set the scene for a string of bleak horror films in the 70s, including Wes Craven's Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes. Definitely the granddaddy of serious horror films in America. Ignore all the silly sequels (except for the Tobe Hooper-directed TCM 2, a vastly underrated comedy horror starring Dennis Hopper). This movie is the real deal.


Bonus Trailer: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

Halloween Countdown: The Devil's Rejects

One of the most disturbing movies I've seen (the week is not over). Rob Zombie's follow up to House of 1000 Corpses (a vastly inferior movie). This film follows the exploits of a family of psychopaths on the run. This movie features Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, the rottenest clown you'll ever see, Bill Mosely (Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) as Otis, and Sherri Moon Zombie (Rob's wife) as Baby. Look for: a gun in a woman's underwear, a friendly pimp (Ken Foree, from Dawn of the Dead), a girl wearing her boyfriend's face, and a classic escape scene to the tune of Freebird. This film will challenge the strongest stomach, and, to be honest, owes a huge debt to Q. Tarantino. But, this film is not to be missed.

Halloween Countdown: Death Proof

Next up is Q. Tarantino's masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, Planet Terror was a tasty first course in Grindhouse, and those trailers (especially "Thanksgiving" by Eli "Hostel" Roth) were like little delicious appetizers. But Death Proof was the filet mingon of that double feature. Kurt Russell plays Stuntman Mike, a former stuntman who kills hot girls with his car. Plenty of tension building Tarantino dialog at the beginning makes you care about about chicks. Especially the incandescent Sydney Portier as Jungle Julia. This movie is a slasher film ripped apart and stitched back together into something new. The music is boss, especially the particularly delicious "Chick Habit" in the trailers. The last half of the movie is pure Grrl Power Revenge Fantasy, as the girls, this time stuntwomen themselves, flip the situation. The 18 minute-no-special-effects car chase at the end is harrowing. Best Chase Scene Ever Period. I walked out of this film breathless at the power of cinema as spectacle. I demanded that Jenni see it, ASAP, and she did, and loved it. Do not miss this movie.

Lansing, MI: We are ready for zombie attack!

When it comes to then Armageddon...and how do you know you are in the Armageddon? Oh yeah. ZOM-BIES! - Patton Oswalt

Well if you ask the police and emergency management personnel in Lansing, Michigan, they are ready for the Armageddon. Full story below, with a print-and-clip handy pocket sized "How to Survive a Zombie Attack" cheat sheet.

Quotes by Max "The Zombie Survival Guide", "World War Z" Brooks.

Link

Halloween Countdown: Re-Animator

So since Halloween is coming up really really soon, I thought I'd go ahead and start a new feature. For the next 7 days I'm going to feature some of my favorite horror films, in no particular order.

First up is Stuart Gordon's classic Re-Animator. Somewhat loosely based on (and much campier than) the source story Herbert West, Re-Animator by the greatest horror writer ever H.P Lovecraft, Re-Animator fits best into the horror comedy mold. Cheesy, gory special effects punch up the story of Herbert West, a medical student banned from university in German for his questionable involvement in the death of his mentor. He enrolls in Miskatonic Medical School in Arkham, Mass and begins to develop his experimental Re-Agent, which will allow the resurrection of the dead. He enlists the reluctant help of his roommate, and the inevitable story of the dangers of man's hubris in the realm of the gods ensues. Buckets of blood, decent special effects, and the overly zealous mad scientist Herbert (played by Jeffery Combs) make this a must see.

And if you haven't seen it, you are welcome to come with me to Market Street Cinema on Saturday night, October 27. Gordon and Combs will be in Little Rock as part of The Full Moon Horror Convention for a Midnight Showing of the original cut of Re-Animator. I, um, may be in costume as Herbert West.

Best. Picture. Ever.

Yes. This is Yours Truly, allowing Gisele to bask in my presence.
Someone said I look like a wet psychiatrist.

OVERDRIFT!!!!

If you like:
1) Illegal Street Racing!
2) Alternate Dimensions!
3) Dinosaurs!
4) PEOPLE YELLING ALL THE TIME!
5) Anime!
6) Archeology!
7) Fake Moustaches!
8) Energy Drinks!

And don't like:
1) Driving Straight!

then you will love Overdrift!

Just watch it already!

DUKE OUT!

LINK! (for more from the Duncan Bros!)

Casanova #8 Free!

Go to the myspace comics page to read the entire Casanova comic book #8. Heavily influenced by 60s Jim Steranko Nick Fury comics, James Bond, Kurt Vonnegut, and Brit Pop, Casanova is one of my favorite comics right now.

The story involves a top secret super spy organization, an evil twin who goes to an alternate universe and takes the place of the good version of himself, orgone, sexbots, Berserkobots, flying casinos, and W.A.S.T.E. (Pynchon reference).

Monthly from Image. $1.99

Link

How to Get a Human on the Phone

Ever have a hard time figuring out how to get an actual human operator? The helpful folks at Get Human will help you out. Find at their site a database of the quick hacks to get through the tech support B.S.

Examples:

Visa F 800‑847‑2911 Press 0 at each prompt; ignoring messages.
NetFlix F 888‑638‑3549 Press 0 at each prompt.
Cingular Wireless (AT&T) F 800‑331‑0500 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

OK. So a lot of them are just hammer on the 0 key. But there's helpful stuff there too.

Link (Via LifeHacker)

How To Have Somebody Committed

Seems like every day someone asks me how to take care of an insane person. Most of the time it's 'crazy' in the perjorative sense, but occasionally it is work related. I'm looking at you Captain Jones.

The Explainer from Slate Mag (always an enjoyable column) has the lowdown, which varies slightly from state to state.

Link

!!! Show Review

If you weren't dancing, your ass was broken.