When Black Monday Comes

In the spirit of the recent holiday shopping mania just concluded (and, also, as a tribute to the beloved CRASS COMMERCIALSIM segments over at Eschaton), allow me to simply mention again that Floor Your Love --

-- the superb newly re-mastered and redesigned CD by The Floor Models (featuring a bass player whose name rhymes with Sleeve Nimels) can be ordered over at the website of ZERO HOUR RECORDS over HERE.

To paraphrase the old Mad magazine: $9.95, cheap.

Needless to say, they make lovely Christmas presents.

And because I love you all more than food, here's a bonus track that didn't make the cut but which I'm inordinately fond of anyway. (I posted it here a while back, but in case you missed it..)

The song is "Fade Into Grey," a different studio take of which appears on our album. This version was recorded semi-live at WBAI-FM circa 1983; ace 12-string player Andy Pasternack edited out a dramatic, sort of Police-like middle section that worked better on stage and replaced it with sitar samples from The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," thus giving the tune a delightfully cheesy faux psychedelic feel.

As I said, I'm inordinately fond of this one, albeit now with a layer of bittersweet; Andy e-mailed me the MP3 of this in May, which was the last time I heard from him before his unexpected and tragic death in September.

In any case, go buy a copy of the CD in his honor. How's THAT for crass commercialism?

Have a Very Guess Who Post-Thanksgiving Weekend!

And in tribute to the original inhabitants of our noble republic, i.e., the people the Pilgrims stole it from, please enjoy Burton Cummings and the rest of those loveable canuckleheads with their stirring renditions of both the venerable oldie "Running Bear"...



...and their own perhaps less politically troublesome hit "Rain Dance."



You know, some days I find myself thinking that those guys were like the greatest band ever.

Then I usually get over it.

In any case, see you all on Monday.

Walking in Memphis

Because nothing says Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody! like a deeply embarrassing Elvis Presley song...



..co-written by Ed Wood's girlfriend Delores Fuller.

True story: The 45 of this...

...was actually on the jukebox at my college snack bar, and one night I loaded it up with two dollars worth of dimes and played the song 20 times in a row. As an experiment to see how fast I could clear the place. Pretty damn fast, if memory serves, BTW.

In any case -- Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!!!

I Could Be Wrong, But These Clips May Be the Greatest Things in the History of Television

From 1977 and his ill-fated variety show (it lasted exactly four episodes)...

...please enjoy comic genius Richard Pryor as he invents death metal. (Don't blink or you'll miss a shot of Sandra Bernhard in the audience.)





I should add two things.

1) This predates Spinal Tap by seven -- count 'em, seven -- years.

And

2) That isn't actually the funniest bit from the Pryor show.

THIS is.



Words fail me.

Your Tuesday Moment of Words Fail Me: Special Nothing New Under the Lucky Old Sun Edition

Purportedly from 1962 -- although experts tell me it's actually from somewhat later, circa 1964 -- please enjoy ultra rare footage of Brit rock pioneer/legend Screaming Lord Sutch (doing business with The Savages) at Liverpool's fabled Cavern Club.



Say what you will about Sutch...

but I think it's pretty obvious that the guys from GWAR...

...ripped him off for pretty much their entire act.

Your Monday Moment of Words Fail Me: Special Master Thespians Edition

A blog friend writes:

The below video, produced by Adrian Bliss for the comedy network Dead Parrot, provides a dramatic reenactment of an actual (and perfectly typical)
YouTube comment war: an empty and vile back-and-forth that originated beneath a popular One Direction video. The simplicity of the concept is
brilliant and its execution is flawless.

To which I can only reply -- ditto!

Seriously, I could give two shits about One Direction or any current boy band, but this is out of control hilarious -- it's like watching two immature teenage girls portrayed by Sirs Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson.

[h/t Richard_thunderbay]

Happy Kennedy Assassination Day

I don't know if I've told this story before, but on this day 50 years ago, at Teaneck High School, I heard the news over the PA during a next to last period study hall.

"The president has been shot."

And my first thought was -- who the hell would shoot Timmy McBride?

Who was the student council president.

That's how unthinkable the idea of JFK having been murdered was, kids.

Music posting resumes on Monday.

Angst for the Memories

Taking a day off.

For obvious reasons.

The Ghosts of Versailles

Not sure how I think about this purely as a conceptual art project, but somebody has commissioned portraits of how our dead rock heroes might look today, i.e. if they hadn't died tragically young.

For example -- Kurt Cobain.

Bob Marley.

Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys.

The Lizard King.

Janis Joplin.

Keith Moon.

John Lennon.

And some guy from Tupelo, Mississipi.

The ghoulishness aside, I think the Marley is right on the money, i.e., he looks like George Clinton. And the Joplin works for me too; she would have been a very cool old broad.

The Dennis Wilson and the Morrison are barely recognizable, on the other hand, but that may be the point.

And I like the fact that the elderly Keith Moon is definitely wearing a hairpiece.

Your Tuesday Moment of "Le Heh"

A friend finds this cartoon somehow reminiscent of moi.

Something about the hat, I imagine.

[h/t Marcellina]