Friday, July 30, 2010

A Tribute to My Top 30 Favorite "Oddball" Quotes from Movies... Part 1

There's nothing I love more than a bitchin' one-liner from a totally radd movie... From classic comedies ("Go back to your home on Whore Island!" from "Anchorman"), kick-ass action flicks ("Get to the choppa!!" from "Predator"), and, of course, horror flicks (the classic, "Groovy." from "Evil Dead 2"), there are boundless amounts of epic quote-age from all sorts of movies. The certain lines I enjoy are the quirkier ones. The ones that are just plain weird, but also pretty hilarious...

The following are 10 (out of 30) quotes that aren't the most frequently used or referenced by fans, but are still pretty awesome and noteworthy...



1. "Are you on PCP?!??"
from "Return of the Living Dead" (1985)

During one fateful shitstorm of a day, hapless mortuary attendant Ernie Carltonbruner fears the worst as he opens his front door of the mortuary to find a trio of weirdo punkers... Brandishing a gun, he rapidly points it at them and utters this immortal line. I always crack up heavily to this great, bizarre line. But hey, PCP was the "in" drug during those days...



2. "Ho, ho, ho... no dickie, no washy..."
from "The Toxic Avenger" (1986)

One of the great cult classics, this flick is full of zingers ("I always wanted to cornhole me a blind bitch!"), but this one is my all-time favorite. For some reason or another, dear old Toxie decides to dispatch of a tiny, seemingly innocent woman by shoving her into a dry-cleaning machine at the local laundromat. Hilarity ensues, as does this radical line. I love Toxie...



3. "Hey, this is a private residence, mann..."
from "The Big Lebowski" (1998)

It was either this or the "human paraquat" line. The whole damn movie is quoteworthy!!! I've always loved this line, though. All The Dude wanted to do was relax in his tub, and smoke some ganj... but then these freaky Nihilists show up with their "marmutt" and invade his delicate personal space. They obviously didn't care. They believe in "nu'ting!!"



4. "Is this the Cocksucker Residence??"
from "Serial Mom" (1994)

In a awesomely hilarious sequence, seemingly normal well-to-do homemaker Beverly Suckphin viciously prank calls her neighbor and unleashes a slew of righteous obscenities including this kneeslapper. My all-time favorite of all of John Waters' films, as well as the best line in that movie...





5. "I like to suck big dicks... Hmmmm... Hmmmmmm.... I can't get enough of 'em! Are you satisfied??"
from "Heathers" (1989)

Oh, Kurt and Ram. They were mature. They were "Seniors." But that didn't stop them from making some unfortunate geek confess an unspeakable act (near a church, no less...). The utterance of this unforgettable line was beyond hilarious. And the look on Ram's face during this "confessional" was priceless...





6. "You'd think I'd at least rate a Michelob..."
from "River's Edge" (1986)

Poor Layne. After covering up the murder that his dim-witted buddy performed earlier, all he wanted was some appreciation... in the form of beer. Instead, he got a generic brand that was "warm, even!" He can't catch a break... Crispin Glover owned that role of Layne, the hapless leader of a group of teenage outcasts who decides to help his "friend" who murdered his own girlfriend. And if a nice Michelob isn't the nicest form of friendship, I don't know what is...



7. "Do something, DAMMIT!!"
from "Night of the Creeps" (1986)

Obviously, there are tons of great lines from this classic 80s zombie flick ("Thrill me!!"), but I always tend to seriously crack up with this one. Poor Cynthia just witnessed the horror of seeing creepy slugs spewing out of her boyfriend's mouth, in which he then got shotgun-blasted to the head and burned alive by his ginger-haired competitor Chris ("Nothing personal..."). Frozen with fear, Chris pleads with her to use the flame-thrower on the surrounding crowd of zombies drawing near, by uttering this line. I don't know what it is, but there is just something about this line...



8. "I used to like these guys..."
from "Repo Man" (1984)

Oh, the melancholy of Otto. His favorite and once promising Hardcore band the Circle Jerks have turned into a bleedin' lounge act!! And it is hilariously reflected by this line from the Punk Cult classic...





9. "Fuck that shit!! Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!"
from "Blue Velvet" (1986)

Don't give Frank fucking Booth a pussy Heinekin!! Give him the good shit, dammit!! This is my favorite line from the David Lynch classic featuring the awesome performance of the late Dennis Hopper as Booth...





10. "You're a pain, Taffy. A pain in my big asshole!!"
from "Female Trouble" (1974)

The strained relationship between Dawn Davenport and her nutty daughter Taffy is fully realized with this memorable quote from John Waters' landmark movie of equal parts hilarity and "disgustitude"...

Runner-up: "Have another pretzel for Chrissake..."



God, I loves that movie...

Anywho, stay tuned for Part Deux, kiddies!!!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Saluting the Top 10 Punk Movies of All-Time



I've been on this "Punk movie" kick lately. Over the past few days, I've been watching the shit out of these beauties. I love Punk films. I wish they would make more of them (especially nowadays). There have been some good recent ones, like the recent Darby Crash biopic "What We Do is Secret," and the really recent biopic "The Runaways," which I saw this week (and it wasn't too bad...). The main appeal of Punk movies is that they all usually have really great songs on their soundtrack, and it's fun to watch a really great movie that has an equally great soundtrack that I can identify with. Even the Tom Green sick-fest "Freddy Got Fingered" had a pretty rockin' soundtrack. And I loved the skatepunk movie "Lords of Dogtown," but the soundtrack was full of classic rock hits (which isn't too bad either...). Much love also goes to great Punk documentaries like "New York Doll" (a touching story of the last days of Arthur "Killer" Kane), and the entertaining story about the Minutemen, "We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen." I wouldn't say Punk movies are my favorite kinds of movies (that belongs to Horror, of course...), but I love watching me a kickass Punk movie now and then...

The following is a list of my Top 10 Favorite Punk Movies of All-Time:

1. "SLC Punk!" (1999)

The first time I watched this seminal film, I was enthralled. From the beginning credits featuring the Punk classic "Sex and Violence" by The Exploited, I knew I would love this movie. Following the exploits of the memorable characters of Stevo and Heroin Bob, and the many misadventures they get into in their much-hated Mormon Mecca of Salt Lake City, Utah, this movie had it all. It was tragic, hilarious, dark, romantic, edgy, in-your-face, and full of great Punk classics!!! This is one of my favorite films of all-time. It's one of those films I can always watch, and never get tired of...

Music Highlights:
1. "Kill the Poor" Dead Kennedys
2. "Cretin Hop" Ramones
3. "1969" The Stooges
4. "Amoeba" Adolescents
5. "Look Back and Laugh" Minor Threat



2. "Return of the Living Dead" (1985)

A rare instance where a flick is a true Horror classic, AND a true Punk classic!! Featuring tunes from The Cramps, The Damned, and TSOL, this flick makes me wanna "PARTY!!!" Two dummies "accidentally" unleash a toxic gas from a canister that contains a dead body (happens every day, right? I wish.). The gas is unleashed into the air, causing an "acid rain" storm, which rains on the parade of a gang of punk rockers that are partying at a cemetery nearby... Seriously, this kind of thing happens every day!! The fit hits the shan, unstoppable zombies rise from their graves for some cranial lunch, and some of our Punkers are indeed in for a bogus night... I LOVE this movie!!! It's one of my ultimate favorite Zombie flicks, and I literally love it to death! Filled with memorable characters like Trash, Suicide, and Scuz, amongst others, and filled with awesome one-liners ("Are you on drugs?? Are you on PCP??!?"), this movie is a classic on so many levels!!

Music Highlights:
1. "Surfin' Dead" The Cramps
2. "Nothin' For You" TSOL
3. "Dead Beat Dance" The Damned
4. "Take a Walk" Tall Boys
5. "Eyes Without a Face" Flesheaters



3. "Rock and Roll High School" (1979)

I love me some "Ramoneys," and I love this movie!!! Riff Randle is My Dream... Seriously, why weren't there any tubular Ramones-loving chicks in my high school? What a shame... This classic told the tale of my favorite Ramones fan trying to score tickets to their upcoming concert, all the while avoiding the dreadful Dictatorship of her new high school principal Miss Togar at Vince Lombardi High. Featuring some classic Ramones tune-age, as well as Punk classics like "High School" by MC5, "Teenage Depression" by Eddie and The Hot Rods, and "Rock & Roll" by Velvet Underground, the soundtrack to this movie is BEYOND awesome!! The movie, is of course, an ultimate cult classic, and P.J. Soles most definitely captured my heart as Ramones-lover Riff Randle, who, with The Ramones' help, blew up her school at the end!! THAT IS PUNK!!!!

I love you, Riff Randle...

Music Highlights
ALL of the great Ramones hits, like "Blitzkrieg Bop," "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Pinhead," "I Want You Around," and, the title of the damn movie!!! Awesome stuff!!!

Classic scene:





4. "Decline of Western Civilization" (1981)

As far as Punk documentaries go, this one is the ultimate one. Classic bands like X, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Fear, and The Germs perform live and in-your-face in this raw expose' on the Punk scene in L.A. Director Penelope Spheeris (who would later on achieve success with "Wayne's World," amongst other films) interviewed many of the members of these bands and captured some raw performance footage that is unmatched compared to other Punk docs. She also interviewed some "actual" punkers in a very memorable sequence. The live soundtrack is as great as the film, and the film remains a true cult classic that is in dire need of a DVD release...

One of my favorite scenes...





5. "Repo Man" (1984)

No, I am not talking about that shitty Jude Law movie (fuckers...), I am talking about this wacky Sci-Fi, Action, Comedy Cult Punk Rock Classic!!! You had Punks, Drunks, UFO cultists, "Intense" moments, Criminals, Weird theories, the fuckin' Rodriquez Brothers, Beer, "Sushi," more Beer, and Repo Wives!!! Yay!! Starring Emilio Estevez, before he got all "Mighty Duck-ed," this flick was a classic of epic proportions!! Featuring songs from such bands like Black Flag, Fear, Iggy Pop, Suicidal Tendencies, and even an epic "live" performance of the Circle Jerks, this is another cult classic I can watch over and over again!!!

Music Highlights:
1. "TV Party" Black Flag
2. "Repo Man" Iggy Pop
3. "Let's Have a War" Fear
4. "Institutionalized" Suicidal Tendencies
5. "When The Shit Hits the Fan" Circle Jerks

"I used to like these guys..."





6. "Sid and Nancy" (1986)

Alex Cox, the director of "Repo Man," followed that classic up with this classic Punk ode to the doomed lovers Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon. Filled to the brim with classic Sex Pistols jams, not to mention the score, courtesy of The Pogues, Pray for Rain, and Joe Strummer, the music took a backseat to the tragic story of the romance between the former Sex Pistol and his walking disaster of a love mate. As they were addicted to each other, they were just as addicted to heroin. The terrific pairing of a young Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb cemented the tragedy and heartbreak of this story, as Sid allegedly killed Nancy, and later OD'ed himself. Either this is a story of true love, or a story of how dangerous "love" can be. The film remains a classic, and contains one of Gary Oldman's finest performances, not to mention a performance by a young Courtney Love, who almost PLAYED Nancy!!

Music Highlights:
Aside from the score, the various classics from the Sex Pistols debut album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" which is one of the greatest albums of all time!!!



7. "Suburbia" (1983)

Director Penelope Spheeris followed up her "Decline" with this gritty, hard-edged look at homeless punkers trying to survive in Suburbia. Featuring a cast of unknowns (including a young Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers), the acting wasn't the best, but the movie is a classic Punk film. The music is intense, the performances were raw, and the film took the Punk mantra "No Future" to a whole new meaning. The film also featured classic live performances from T.S.O.L., D.I., and The Vandals. Spheeris most definitely remains one of the greatest Punk movie directors (alongside Alex Cox).



8. "American Hardcore" (2006)

Based on the book by Steven Blush, this rousing, entertaining documentary traced the roots of the movement known as Hardcore from 1980 to 1986. From L.A., to New York, and from DC to Boston, many regions across the country were covered, and many bands were mentioned, including Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, T.S.O.L., Circle Jerks, DOA, Middle Class, SSD, Cro-Mags, and various other classic Hardcore bands. Many icons of Hardcore were interviewed such as Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris, H.R., and Jack Grisham, amongst others, which makes this a real treat for Punk and Hardcore fans...



9. "Punk! Attitude" (2005)

Another entertaining Punk doc, directed by Don Letts, this movie traced the entire history of the Punk movement going back to the early days with the Velvet Underground, The MC5, The Stooges, The New York Dolls, etc., to the 70s, where Punk exploded, with such bands like Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, etc. It also covered the Hardcore movement, as well as the Grunge movement in the early 90s. Featuring interviews from Henry Rollins, Chrissy Hynde, David Johansen, Jello Biafra, and various other Punk icons, this film put a nice "cap" on the Punk movement. I only wished it was longer...



10. "Wassup Rockers" (2005)

Larry Clark took a break from his grim storytelling in such gritty fare like "Kids" and "Bully" with this more light-hearted concept about a gang of Mexican skatepunk kids trying to find their way home from the weird, wild jungle of Beverly Hills to the "safe?" streets of South Central. Filled with great skateboarding footage from its cast of unknowns, and a krazy soundtrack full of Hardcore zingers, this is one odd, quirky, nutty little Punk odyssey that is a trip worth taking. I love the soundtrack. I listen to it quite often. I wanna fall in with my own gang of krazy skatepunkerz...

The trailer...



There you have it. Ten lean, mean, Punk Rawk machinez...

I enjoy them very much.

"No Future" never looked so awesome on film... OI!!!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Music is My Life!!! - 25 Songs That "Made" Me...



Obviously, music didn't "make" me in some underground lab (I wish...), but I feel this very strong connection to it. Sometimes it speaks for me when I can't, don't want to, or don't need to. This has been this way ever since I was very young. I remember being 12 or 13, and identifying with music from such bands as Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, etc. And ever since those early teen years, there have been a number of songs that have changed my life and "made" me the person I am today. In order to "make yourself," one must go through many things, like pain, heartache, sadness, despair, hate, rage, and many other emotions. Listed below are 25 songs that were there for me when I went through these things, and helped me out, and well, made me...

This list is in chronological order... from my teen years all the way up to now, this 26th year of my life...

1. "Lady Picture Show" by Stone Temple Pilots

One of the first bands I really got into was STP. This band later got me into the "Grunge movement" (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden...) of the 90s, and this particular song reminds me of my very first girlfriend. I met her, we talked on the phone a lot, but it didn't work out very well because she was from Chicago, and the whole "long-distance" thing didn't work out. She liked a lot of the same music as I did, especially this song, which was a hit at the time...



It had this sadness to it. I listened to it for quite a bit after the break-up.

2. "Danny Says" by The Ramones

During my early high school years, I was in love with The Ramones!! I was like Riff Randle, but, you know... a dude. I wore their shirts, I rocked some Converse, and listened to them constantly!! At one point I had this one girlfriend who I went out with on and off for a few years. I remember telling her how "I Want You Around" reminded me of her. She kinda laughed it off. She wasn't really a big Ramones fan. One time, though, I read her the lyrics to "Danny Says." I remember she liked it, which made me feel good. The song itself is about being on the road, and wanting to be back home with that "special someone." Listening to the song now, it reminds me of high school. Plus, the song is awesome...



3. "Sub-Mission" by The Sex Pistols

I love this song. I love how in-your-face and ominous it is. Well, they were the Sex Pistols. This song feels like a weird love song that some bleeding, heroin-addicted, "No Future" punker would write for a special lady. I remember asking out this one girl while this song was playing in my car. She was not exactly a punker, but she was a constant in my life for many years, and I guess you can say we "met" to this song. So I guess this is a love song, but it's also an anti-love song.

4. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult

My all-time favorite song by BOC, this particular song seems like a "death song," but it took me a while to figure out that it was a love song. When I was with this girl mentioned above, this was our unofficial "song," which made me happy, because I was glad it wasn't a lame-o country song or some Britney Spears shit. I'm still fond of this song, but I don't listen to it as much as I used to... but BOC still rulezz!!!

5. "Unsatisfied" by The Replacements

Man, too bad I didn't have a classic album like "Let It Be" to get me through my high school years!! Consequently, it wasn't until the Summer of 2003 (a few months AFTER I graduated) that I finally got the album, and loved it... The song I identified with the most was "Unsatisfied." That song really spoke to me. It was as if Paul Westerberg poured his soul out and transferred it into me!! I felt everything from that song. It still hits me, even today. Pure poetic angst...

6. "Nothin' For You" by TSOL

*Sigh* Another song I really feel "angsty" about... At one point in time I was really into the classic 1985 zombie flick "Return of the Living Dead" and its awesome soundtrack. Years ago, I didn't think too much about some of the lyrics, but in recent years the song definitely resonates, particularly this line:
"Am I still 24? Or am I starting to grow ol-ol-old!!!"

Eventually I did turn 24...
The tragedy of this story? I'm 26...

7. "House of Pain" by Faster Pussycat

For some reason, I always used to think that this song was merely a great 80s power ballad break-up song. I listened to it a lot following the break-up of a very long relationship. Little did I know that the song was basically a "I hate you, Dad!" anthem... much like "Cat's in the Cradle" was in that same respect. It's still a damn good song to brood to...

And, hey, I hate my dad...

8. "Still Loving You" by Scorpions

Another 80s power ballad that actually IS a break-up song!! I listened to this song heavily after said break-up. It is so epic and powerful. But, now I just think of it as a totally awesome song...



9. "Disorder" by Joy Division

The powerful, haunting opening track from their landmark album "Unknown Pleasures," this song is pure mood, doom, gloom, and beauty. I feel this song at my core. It was a very cathartic song to listen to after the aforementioned break-up. Joy Division's music really works. I only listen to them when I get seriously depressed.



10. "Hope" by Bauhaus

Another "Doom & Gloom" band, Bauhaus, the "Godfathers of Goth," ended their classic album "Burning From the Inside" on a pretty positive note with this song. Pure melodic, beautiful noise, the melodies were accompanied by these lyrics chanted over and over again:
"'Cause your mornings will be brighter, Break the line... Tear up rules... Make the most of a million times, no..."

A very beautiful... and yes, hopeful song...



11. "Living in Darkness" by Agent Orange

A nearly 5-minute long cascade into "dark punk," I totally identified with this song. Lyrics:

"I feel safe just being alone... Living in darkness, living in a world of my own..."

Need I say more??

12. "Reptile" by The Church

At one point in my life, I saw the video to this song on late-night TV. I forgot about it, but then I remembered hearing it at my workplace once. I HAD to find out who played the song!! Eventually I discovered The Church, and came across this classic song. A spiteful tirade against a former love, this song definitely spoke to me at the time of the aforementioned break-up.

13. "Prelude to Agony" by Type O Negative

After a break-up, one doesn't have to listen to melancholy songs ALL the time!! A little bit of Hardcore goes a long way. This 12-minute plus hate anthem of epic proportions, this classic Type O tune illustrates a graphic "payback" of a vengeful lover against his cheating ex. This song had it all: The Agony, The Ecstasy... and of course, the JACKHAMMERAPE!!!

This song was fucked-up... but also therapeutic.

14. "Everything Counts" by Depeche Mode

This song reminds me of my Aunt who passed away recently. She never listened to this band, but her daughter (my cousin) did. I think there's this great connection for me to this song and the two of them. I'll forever be reminded of them when I listen to this moody classic...

15. "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles

This was my late Aunt's all-time favorite band. And this was one of her favorite songs by them. It's a beautiful, majestic journey of a song, and I hope this is all she hears in Heaven...

16. "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam" by The Vaselines

A haunting version of the classic Bible song, this cover by The Vaselines is full of melancholy and sadness. This is another song that reminds me of my late Aunt...




17. "I Want the Angel" by Jim Carroll Band

Punk's greatest poet, Jim Carroll went nice and melodic with this song, which features a piano. The poetry was amazing, Carroll's delivery was intense, and the band was never better. This is another song that reminds me of my late Aunt. She was The Angel...



18. "You Can't Put Your Arms 'Round a Memory" by Johnny Thunders

This song is everything. It is love. It is hate. It is pain. It is loss. It is heartbreak. It is loneliness...

It will be played at my funeral...



19. "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" by X

This song had a definite message behind it. Every time I listen to it, I'm under its influence. Powerful, powerful song...

20. "What a Wonderful World" by Ministry

This amped-up, freakout cover of the Louis Armstrong classic manages to be a beautiful disasterpiece!! This song has the Power, the Passion, and it's balls-to-the-wall...

21. "Lonely Planet Boy" by New York Dolls

I "feel" like the lonely planet boy in this song... Featuring a brilliant saxophone performance, David Johansen's mourning vocals, and the guitar masterwork of Johnny Thunders, I will forever identify myself with this song...

22. "Endless Rain" by X Japan

This epic, searing masterpiece of 80s metal awesomeness, this track comes courtesy of X Japan, who are basically the Guns 'N Roses of Asia. This song has the ability to make me feel sad, yet hopeful at the same time...



23. "Amerarockers" by Scream

Most of these songs are "Bummer Songs" (which says a lot about my life...), but anyway, this song makes me feel great. When I'm sad, angry, depressed, etc., this song always puts a grin on my face. It is that great...



24. "Don't Change" by INXS

This song is all about angst... It also has this great message about not changing for anybody... I'm in love with this song. It also reminds me of a cousin of mine who tragically died a young teenager recently. RIP Jeremy...

25. "Promises" by Fugazi

This song is brutal and uncompromising. It's all about how words can be used for or against somebody. There's a great power and urgency about this song. And I most definitely relate to it right now. Ian MacKaye bled through this song...



There you have it. 25 songs that really define "me." Of course, there are many others, but these 25 pretty much sums "me" up...

And, as Chop-Top so succinctly puts it,
"Music is My Life!!!"

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Music is My Life!!! - T.S.O.L. Vs. TSOL




I love Punk Rock music... this is fact. In loving said music, I have been exposed to countless, countless different punk rock groups. There's the proto-punkers (MC5, Stooges, Velvet Underground...), garage rockers (Standells, Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators...), the fore-bearers (The Who, The Kinks, etc.), the fire-starters (New York Dolls, Dictators, Dead Boys), the LEGENDS (Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash), the post-punkers (Joy Division, Raincoats, Gang of Four), the Hardcore mo-fos (Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Black Flag...), the college rock punkers (Replacements, Husker Du, Sonic Youth), the Grunge Rock Gods (Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam...), the 90s revivalists (Green Day, Rancid, The Offspring), and the New Sound for the modern age (The Hives, The Strokes, The White Stripes...)!! There's many, MANY more genres to examine, but those were the main ones I was exposed to. And from being exposed to them, they exposed me to other great bands like X, The Germs, The Runaways, Buzzcocks, Misfits, Agent Orange, Bad Religion, Plasmatics, Fugazi, Dinosaur Jr., The Faith, Void, Scream, Government Issue, Flipper, Big Black, Mission of Burma... there are still countless others...

One of my favorite bands, however, is T.S.O.L., which stands for True Sounds of Liberty. Hailing from Long Beach, California, T.S.O.L. formed in 1979, during the so-called "decline" of the Punk Movement. However, the Hardcore movement was developing on the East and West coasts, and T.S.O.L. were very much a part of it. Beginning with such L.A. bands like The Germs, The Weirdos, Middle Class, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Fear, T.S.O.L. first started in the Hardcore scene. In 1981, the group released their first self-titled EP, and released their "Weathered Statues" EP a year later. The EPs contained such classics as "Superficial Love," "World War III," "Man and Machine," "Weathered Statues," and the landmark Politicopunk smasher "Abolish Government/Silent Majority"...



In 1981, the band released their undisputed masterpiece.... "Dance With Me."



A masterwork melding of Hardcore rock and gothic ambiance, the songs are now classics. Dark, powerful, energetic songs like "Sounds of Laughter," "Code Blue," "Love Story," "80 Times," "I'm Tired of Life," "Silent Scream," and the moody, death and doomy title track are all essentials to any punk fans ears.

Their best song...



In 1982, the band marginalized fans, but developed an interesting synth sound for their next record, "Beneath the Shadows." Known as their full name True Sounds of Liberty, this album was quite a departure from their earlier sound. While one of their signature songs "Code Blue" from their previous album was about necrophilia, not to mention that their "Love Song" was almost an anti-love song, most of the songs on "Beneath the Shadows" were about love...



From powerful break-up songs (the beautiful title track and "Wash Away), to more uptempo songs about love ("Send My Thoughts," "She'll Be Saying"...), to songs about isolation ("Walk Alone," "Other Side"...), to the wonderful piano-based opening tune "Soft Focus," these songs had power, passion, despair, longing, and beauty. I loved this album. The Hardcore-lovers not so much, but screw the haters. This is good stuff...



The band went through many changes after this album's release. Amidst turmoil within the group, lead singer, (the incomparable) Jack Grisham and drummer Todd Barnes left the band, splitting the group. They emerged in 1984 with new drummer Mitch Dean and new singer Joe Wood, alongside original members, guitarist Ron Emory and bassist Mike Roche. That year they released Change Today?, which was a difference in sound and style courtesy of the bluesy lead singer.

This is where the conflict arises. I am very much a fan of both versions of T.S.O.L., but my ultimate allegiance lies with the original line-up known as True Sounds of Liberty. The Joe Wood years (most of the eighties) were interesting, in which the band was basically referred to as TSOL with no periods. This reformed band released two great albums, the aforementioned "Change Today?" and their classic, 1986's "Revenge."

Here is a rare video for their classic, bluesy, dark anthem "Colors (Take Me Away)"



The "Revenge" album also gained some notoriety for having their song "Nothin' For You" featured in the immortal 1985 zombie classic "Return of the Living Dead."



This album retained a hard rock punk edge, yet was also gloomy, bluesy, and melodic. Songs like "Colors," "No Time," "Madhouse," and "Memories" actually "speak" to me. It's a great album to reflect to... It's a definite favorite of mine, but I still prefer the Jack Grisham era...

The band went on to release 1987's "Hit and Run," which was a hair metal album that shied away from everything the band was. I don't care if you became friends with Guns 'N Roses, TSOL!! You can still retain your awesome goth-punk edge!!

Another album was released in 1990 called "Strange Love," which received minimal attention. At this point, no original band member was involved, and Joe Wood was able to use the TSOL name. Many compilations and one memorable live album later, the original line-up decided to get back together...

Sadly, they had to do it without original drummer Todd Barnes, who died of a brain aneurysm at age 34.

They reunited, started touring on the Warped Tour circuit and released albums "Disappear" in 2001 and "Divided We Stand" in 2003. These albums signified a powerful, defiant return to form, especially "Disappear." All of the songs on "Disappear" are fast-paced, in-your-face punkers, and the album is a classic in its own right.



Songs like "Wasted," "Renounce," "Sodomy," "Crybaby," "Automatic," the title track, and the stand-out "Pyro" are indeed as relevant as their classic releases back in the early 80s...



The band continues to grow strong, Jack Grisham is still one of my idols, and they even decided to give away their music for free as a download in the form of their 2009 release, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Free Downloads."

I continue to listen to their music, and still retain my favor over Jack fucking Grisham. T.S.O.L., much like The Clash, Minor Threat, and Bad Brains, is a band that really "matters." I will love them 'till I die... maybe even after....

I leave you with this classic scene from "Suburbia"...



And, this memorable cover of Lou Reed's classic...



And, as Chop-Top so succinctly puts it,
"Music is My Life!!!"

Sunday, July 11, 2010

An Appreciation: The Predator Series



It has been two decades since an actually worthwhile "Predator" flick has been unleashed in theaters. I am of course discounting the two abysmal "Alien Vs. Predator" flicks that came out recently. Most even say that "Predator 2" was also a terrible film. I, however, beg to differ. Both "Predator" films have a uniqueness to them that I find appealing to this day...

Shall I explain?? But, of course...

For years, Robert Rodriquez wanted to get his own "Predator" project off the ground. This goes all the way back to the late 90s... Many years, and projects later, he finally got to visualize his concept of a "Predator planet." Opting out of directing, Nimrod Antal of "Vacancy" and "Kontroll" fame was hired to direct it. I have not seen this film yet, but it indeed looks promising. And being that this is a Summer practically DEVOID of horror, this flick is as close as I can hope to get. I do consider these films as more of being "Sci-fi Action Flicks" as opposed to "Sci-fi Horror" like the "Alien" series though. Either way, the "Predator" films were part of me from childhood, and I think some appreciation needs to be thrown their way, hence this segment...

"Predator" (1987)

This movie really needs no introduction. This flick was part of "The Unholy Quad" of crazy 80s action flicks that I devoured as a young child ("RoboCop," "The Terminator," and "Die Hard" were the others). Action movies were my thing back in my early years. Give me some ultra-violence, some cigar-chomping tough guys, some bitchin' one-liners, and I was a happy camper. They really don't make them like they used to...

Your basic plot: A rescue team on a mission to rescue hostages from guerilla d-baggs in Central America come across the ultimate hunter: the Predator. A seemingly indestructible alien with high-powered weapons, cunning survival skills, and an awesome set of dreads, he makes mincemeat of the team save for one. Yeah, you can't fuck with Schwarzeneggar! After all, he IS "Commando"...



Filled to the brim with kickass action, voracious gore, and a fucking catalog of awesome one-liners ("Get to tha choppa!", "Stick around!", "Knock, knock...", and loads more...), this film is indeed one of my all-time favorites. The cast is all sorts of badassery (Bill Duke, Sonny Landham, Carl Weathers, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, etc.), and the action is non-stop! From mega-producer Joel Silver, this film was directed by the great John McTiernan, who made the all-time classic "Die Hard" one year later. This gives him a "Total Awesomeness Badge" for all time.

Even though this flick isn't exactly "horror," it has enough skinless bodies, blood, and goreguts to make horror nuts happy. Additionally, the make-up effects job done by Stan Winston and Co. were mind-blowing!!!

Look at this purdy vagina-face...



Overall, this flick is a bonafide action classic. It's fun, gory, fast, furious, and remains one of the baddest-ass movies of all time...



Due mainly to Schwarzeneggar, the film made some nice bank at the box office, and a sequel was made three years later...



"Predator 2" (1990)

Briefly mentioned in the first film that the Predator is attracted to "heat" and "conflict," it is fully explained in this film by none other Gary fucking Busey!! Yeah. This time, the film's setting switches from the jungles of Central America to the urban jungle of Los Angeles in 1997! An all-out war is escalating between two gangs of ruthless drug dealers: The Colombians and The Jamaicans. What the hell? Jah teaches and preaches the peace, bros!! Maybe some Bad Brains will set you straight...



No, huh? Well fine!!! Continue with your power wars, you greed mongers!!!

Oh, wait. The Predator is in town. And he wants blood! Drug war blood!!! Not even Scarface can stop this gore-hungry, spinal cord-ripping bastard!!! Add to the mix a very persistent Danny Glover, a secret Special Forces unit headed by krazy Busey, a weirdo drug lord named King Willie, and of course, El Scorpio...

This guy...



"Come and get it!!! El Scorpio is reeaddy!!!"

This guy scared me as a young child. Even more so than the Predator...

Full of sicktastic gore, crazy action, a wild cast (Bill Paxton, Ruben Blades, Morton Downey Jr., Calvin Lockhart, Robert Davi, Adam Baldwin, etc.), and a couple of nice one-liners ("Who's next?", "I don't think he gives a shit," etc.), this movie, however, was not greatly received by audiences, and did some poor box office, which halted any future installments to be made. At first, I didn't like this film much either. But over the years, it has indeed grown on me, and has become a nice guilty pleasure. Additionally, the director of this film was Stephen Hopkins, fresh off his directing gig, "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child." Even though that was the worst "Nightmare" film (in my opinion), he really stepped up his game in this flick, and put a lot of style and visual flair behind it. He later went on to helm more high-profile flicks, like "Judgment Night" and "Blown Away."

Another special performance to note is the late, great Kevin Peter Hall's as the infamous title character. Portraying him in both films, he really brought the character to life, and made him a totally evil, malevolent presence throughout both films. Much like how certain stuntmen like Kane Hodder, Tyler Mane, and Derek Mears brought life to their particular roles, Hall really made his character into one badass motherfucker...

Overall, it was a damn good sequel that takes a lot of shit, but oh well. You only hate what you don't understand!!! Which is why so many people hate punk music. But that's a whole other can of worms!!

"Predator" easily gets a 5/5 (*****/*****)
Classic, classic movie. 'Nuff said.

"Predator 2" gets a 3/5 (***/*****)
Damn good follow-up! Great, gory fun!

A nice double feature of these two bad boys is highly recommended...

Friday, July 9, 2010

The Dead Next Door - Obscure Horror Month

Brandon Sites of Big Daddy Horror Reviews is running a month long series on Obscure Horror films. He asked various bloggers to take part including myself. Here is the link to my contribution on this subject ( http://www.bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/2010/07/dead-next-door-obscure-horror-month.html ). The idea was to spotlight films that other people might have missed in an effort to provide more viewing selections for horror fans out there who feel like they have seen it all. Make sure to check back each day as he will have a new obscure title spotlighted each day.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

An Appreciation: Rob Zombie's Halloween II



Obviously, this is not the sequel to original, seminal John Carpenter classic, but rather the further exploits of "Hobo Myers" in Rob Zombie's "Halloween" universe. I loved the "Halloween II" from 1981. In fact, I enjoy practically all the "Halloween" series, save for a few bad eggs (Parts 6 and 8, I'm looking in your direction...). Part 5 was kind of a snoozer, but it is still watchable. And even if Tina was uber-annoying, she had a hotness about her (and major FAIL for killing off Ellie!!)

Anyways, Rob Zombie's "Halloween" films are polarizing to many fans of the original series, and horror fans alike. Many fans love the films, some "like" them, some think they are "just okay." But, many many fans downright hate what Rob Zombie has done to the series.

Personally, I enjoy parts of his spin on "Halloween." A lot of what Rob Zombie put in was interesting and fresh, but what got me was that the second half was just a tired retread of John Carpenter's original. And... I like cussing. I have the mouth of a sailor going from port-to-port, but the language in this flick was just too much. In "Devil's Rejects" it was fine, but not these movies. But I guess he was simply putting his own "stamp" on it.

Here's an example of one such scene...



I actually thought that shit was pretty hilarious...

Anyway, it was the end of Summer last year, August 30, to be exact. I did something that I hardly ever do... watch two flicks in one day!! I caught "THE Final Destination 3D" at an early show, and was very, very disappointed. It was easily the weakest in the entire franchise, and I wasted a good 13 bucks... On the way home, disheartened, I went to a local theater to catch "Halloween II," and I was truly not expecting much...

From the opening scenes at the hospital, I was hooked in. Even when it was revealed that it was a dream, that was a nice, lean, taut piece of slasher mayhem!! Then the movie kicked in high gear, and we learn that Laurie is a punk, Loomis is a money-hungry d-bagg, Annie's kinda bitchy, Michael is NOT dead, but a hobo with krazy Grizzly Adams hair, that Rabbit-in-Red strip club is STILL open (yay!), and many bizarre dream sequences are abound, most of them include Rob Zombie's wife in her "Living Dead Girl" get-up whispering all sorts of nonsense about family. Yeah. All of that actually happened in this flick!! I went along for the ride, though, and when we finally got to the slaughter, that was quite a thing. Michael Myers was killing the fuck out of people!!! He was like a rabid animal!! He was relentless, furious, and totally sicktastic!!! Tyler Mane really unleashed something in this performance this time around. The gore was insane, the nudity was plentiful, and I really dug the cinematography, courtesy of "Crank 2" DP Brandon Trost. And, yes, the dirty language was still there, but I overlooked it. I know some chicks with some potty mouths...

I felt that this was truly Rob Zombie's "Halloween" film!! It had a crazy, dirty, sleazy "Grindhouse" vibe, from the nudity, to the gore, to the 70s-style camerawork, I was pleasantly surprised by the balls this flick had! It was almost like a "Splatterpunk" movie. The splatter was there, and there was a lot of "punk" in this flick as well. From the characters of Laurie and her friends, to the aggressive, "fuck-you" rage of Michael Myers, to the totally bitchin' soundtrack, this movie was punk as hell...

Speaking of the soundtrack, what a great selection of songs this flick had!! Aside from the John Carpenter cues and Tyler Bates' frenetic score, there were boatloads of classic songs in this flick!!!

Here's a brief listing of songs used in the movie...

1. "Nights in White Satin" Moody Blues
2. "Things We Do For Love" 10CC
3. "Kick Out the Jams" MC5
4. "Jackie Blue" Ozark Mountain Daredevils
5. "What's Your Name?" Lynyrd Skynyrd
6. "Am I Evil?" Diamond Head
7. "I Against I" Bad Brains
8. "Amerarockers" Scream
9. "Like Leila Khaled Said" The Teardrop Explodes
10. "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" Foghat
11. "Time to Die" Void
12. "Love Hurts" Nan Vernon
13. "The Chase is Better Than The Catch" Motorhead

Having these songs in the flick let Zombie leave an additional stamp on the film.

Here's an unused trailer that used one of these songs to a great effect...



Anyway, from the music, to the outrageous gore, to the crazy imagery, this flick was really something different. It was a mess, but it was a beautiful, bloody mess. I'd like to call it a "beautiful disasterpiece."

After initially seeing it, I didn't know what to think. All I knew was, that I wanted to see it again. And I did. I watched that flick three more times in the theater!! I figure there must be some sort of logic, as to why I watched it so many times like that...

And, I answer: Like I said earlier, this film had a great 70s/80s Grindhouse Slasher vibe going for it. It had a level of down-and-dirty nastiness that hasn't been seen since films like "Maniac," "The Burning," "Driller Killer," "Toolbox Murders," "New York Ripper," and other films from that era. I greatly appreciated that. This was almost Rob Zombie's crazy, uberviolent take on Slasher films, except that this was, in actuality, a franchise film. I can only imagine what fans would think if this was its own slasher, instead of being associated with the "Halloween" series...
Hmmm....

Despite the numerous (and at times, unnecessary) dream sequences, this film was a lean, down-and-dirty slice of slasher mayhem!! Myers was in fine form, slicing and dicing anyone in his path (seriously, how many times did he bash that poor stripper's head in? Why, Michael Myers? She was just trying to earn a living...). It was interesting what was done with the characters of Loomis and Laurie (I liked "Punk Laurie." She had my heart.), and there was some interesting appearances from Margot Kidder, Howard Hesseman, Chris Hardwick, and "Weird Al"!!

All in all, it was an interesting "experiment" from Zombie, but fans didn't really eat it up. The box office totals were sub-par, so the supposed "next" installment is consequently on hold. I, however, am quite amused that such a grimy, dirty, mean-spirited horror flick made it into theaters!!! It seems that the MPAA are a bunch of lazy bitches nowadays... Haha.

Anyway, "Halloween II" gets a 3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars (***1/2/*****)
It had its numerous faults, but I guess I have this weird, sick love for this movie...

"Do you find me sadistic?"

I'll leave you with a classic song from Motorhead that was used in the movie and rightly sums up just about ANY slasher flick...