Computer Blue

 

I'm probably not going to do a full 7-day Prince thing here, because it's been super difficult for me to post seven days in a row for a while. Still, one wasn't enough. I've come to realize that, although I consider Prince a major musical force, and I LOVE some of his music, not all of it is for me. I tend to stop after the 80s - the New Power Generation is all great on paper, but it just doesn't do a lot for me. I think that's the jazz and modern soul vibe that comes into his work at that point. The Prince that really affected me did so because of its strange Punk (more in ethos than sound)/Soul/New Wave hybridization. Nowhere is that more dominant than on the iconic Purple Rain record, which I've argued elsewhere is the Philosopher's Stone album of the 80s.  The entire record still blows me away, nearly forty years after first hearing it as a kid. One of the tracks that I've really grown to appreciate is "Computer Blue."

This song always just blows me away. It has such a strange structure, and where it starts compared to where it ends circumvents all logic, but really feels inevitable. 

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Watch:

I was never really much of a Christina Ricci fan - nothing against her, but my first and maybe (?) only exposure to her before was Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, and I hate everything about that movie - except the set design, which isn't nearly enough to save it - so that's probably what sticks in my craw. But Yellowjackets changed that, as her Misty Farmer is a BRILLIANTLY executed character. So, seeing a new Horror movie on the horizon with her kind has me interested:

Man, I hope this as good as it looks. Love the 50s kitsch - which Ricci is just perfect for - juxtaposed with what looks like some kind of slimy Demonic horror. Also, this one's directed by Chris Sivertson, who broke into Horror and cinema in general collaborating with Lucky McKee on the original All Cheerleaders Must Die short back in 2001, and then remade it with McKee in 2013.

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Playlist:

The Mysterines - Reeling

Alice in Chains - Sap

Kate Bush - Running up that Hill (single)

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain

Prince - Dirty Mind

Prince - Originals

Anthrax - Among the Living

Goatsnake - Black Age Blues

Sepultura - Quadra

Testament - The Legacy

The Jesus Lizard - Goat

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Card:

It can be difficult to maintain enthusiasm, however, persistence and a good attitude pay off.

12 Days 'til Halloween

I know a lot of folks are up in arms about Michael Graves' political leanings. Being a person who dislikes staunch adherence to either party, I feel like there are good people on both sides - although these people are the ones who definitely get noticed the least, as they're not running their mouths preaching the kind of hate and intolerance now trafficked in on both the Left as well as the Right. Either way, I haven't ever looked into Mr. Graves' political philosophies because I don't care. I love the two records he did with the Misfits and after that, well, for me he just fell off the face of the planet, which I am 100% okay with. I rewatched George A. Romero's Bruiser recently, and the Graves-era-Misfits make a cameo in, and the bonus features on the disc reminded me that the late, great Mr. Romero directed this music video for the band. How absolutely perfect, no?

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31 Days of Halloween:

I haven't watched Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning since I lived in Chicago, around the time it was released direct to video circa 2004, and in keeping with this year's attempt to watch some of the more under appreciated films in my collection during 31 Days of Halloween, I knew this would be a great undertaking. 

Here's the thing: when I first saw this, I did not want to like this movie. 

Why? 

Because it will ETERNALLY disappoint me that we got Ginger Snaps Back and not a proper Ginger Snaps 3, as in a continuation of the story started in the first film and carried through the second. Ginger Snaps 2 is one of the best sequels I have ever seen, and I SO very much wanted to know what happened next after that insane cliffhanger that changes every facet of Brigitte's story. Ghost's (a very young Tatiana Maslany) actions really throw the story to that point on its back, and the fact that the third movie didn't follow up on that was devastating. But after that initial watch, I have to admit, after rewatching Snaps Back, I'm once again resolute that this film stands on its own as a great reinterpretation of the original story.

After Orphan Black - also created by John Fawcett -  and Ms. Maslany blew up, I felt a slight reinvigoration of hope that maybe we'd get a proper conclusion to the original Ginger Snaps timeline, however, that hope is now essentially long gone. So Snaps Back is what it is, and I guess I'm okay with that.

I guess.

1) Tales of Halloween: Sweet Tooth/The Wolf Man (1941)

2) From Beyond/Monsterland: Port Fourchon, Louisiana/Tales of Halloween: The Night Billy Raised Hell/Tales of Halloween: Trick

3) Mulholland Drive/Creepshow (1982): The Crate

4) Waxwork

5) Synchronic/Bad Hair

6) Dolls

7) Lovecraft Country Ep. 8/Tales of Halloween: The Weak and the Wicken/Tales of Halloween: The Grim Grinning Ghost

8) 976-Evil

9) Repo! The Genetic Opera

10) Firestarter/George A. Romero's Bruiser

11) The Haunting of Bly Manor episodes 1 & 2/Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

12) The Haunting of Bly Manor episodes 3, 4, and 5/House of 1000 Corpses

13) Masque of the Red Death/Creepshow (2019) Episode 7/Creepshow (1982)

14) The Haunting of Bly Manor episodes 6 and 7

15) The Haunting of Bly Manor episodes 8 and 9/Roseanne (88) season 2 and 3 Halloween Episodes

16) The Mortuary Collection/Roseanne (88) season 4 Halloween Episode

17) Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning

18) Lovecraft Country episode 9/The Haunting/Roseanne (88) season 5 Halloween Episode

1999's The Haunting is an absolute stinker. The house gets five stars. The film gets one. Not even gonna put a trailer here.

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Playlist:

The Ocean - Phanerozoic II

Van Halen - 1984

Various - Twin Peaks: Music from the Limited Event Series

Dead Swords - Enders

Skinny Puppy - Last Rites 

Fear Factory - Demanufacture

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Card:

The fiery part of fire denotes activated Will, which fits, as I'm back in the swing of writing and it's going very well. The idea that I may finish writing two novels in one year is pretty great, and a total esteem boost when I need it most.

Isolation: Day 71 David Lynch Fire (Pozar)

I haven't much time to hang out here lately, and since I've been away, David Lynch has started releasing daily Los Angeles weather reports, and now he's dropped a short, hand-drawn film!

**


NCBD is back! A light week for sure, however, it was murder waiting an extra two months for the final chapter in Bone Machine, the current storyline in Rick Remender's Deadly Class. It still bums me out the SyFy adaptation was cancelled, but the book remains one of the strongest titles I read on a monthly basis.

Now that Diamond is distributing again, I can't wait to watch Marcus and friends' lives splinter as he returns to King's Dominion and all hell breaks loose.

**

Playlist:

Stevie Wonder - Greatest Hits of the 70s
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
They Might Be Giants -Flood
The Darts - I Like You But Not Like That
Arpeggiators - Freedom of Expression 7"
Cybordelics - Adventures of Drama 7"
Metal Master - Spectrum 7"
White Lung - Paradise
White Lung - Sorry
Kensonlovers - Keep Rolling (Single)
Ween - GodWeenSatan Live New Hope, PA 9/14/01
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Revocation - Deathless
Revocation - Teratogenesis

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When driven by an intense sense of righteousness, beware of making foolish decisions. 

I'd never really thought about which card I am, or even if there is one card that best represents me. I think this is the one. That said, I believe I drew this to remind myself of the slow slide away from my more compassionate qualities. This has been an ongoing recent insight, as the overflow of stupidity and selfishness that abound in the world at the moment drive me to sometimes frightening degrees of malevolent thought. Simply put, I very strongly dislike the human race as a whole. The last two months have made me slip closer to actively hating it. Maybe that's an oxymoron, considering how many individual humans I love and adore - there's A LOT - but it seems to be the case, and I find myself needing something spiritual to blanket my frustrations, even if it's just a more regular dose of marijuana, Stevie Wonder, and David Lynch. I'm tempted to start meditating again, however, that often leads to deep-level experiences that might not be so pleasant at the moment. Either way, I need something to mellow me out, before The King of Wands draws the Ten of Swords.

New Chromatics!

You can order the digital version of the new album Closer to Grey HERE. Not sure if there's a physical one looming, which would be a shame, because the album art is a fantastic take on old Giallo poster art.

K and I saw IT Chapter Two last night. I had a few issues, but overall I really dig it. Very horrific, with a nice mix of jump scares and sustained fear, my real issue was simply that it felt light on plot and more a succession of scenes where Pennywise attacks but doesn't really harm all the characters. Of course at some point that stops being true, and the filmmakers offset that with a healthy dose of new children who serve as fodder for the monster, so I'm wondering if upon second viewing this might flow better for me. Regardless, this isn't a negative review - I dug a lot of what the film does.



The score is pretty cool, too. Benjamin Wallfisch hits a sweet spot that seems to draw on a lot of horror's greatest composers; this track reminds me a bit of Pino Donaggio and Joey Bishara, a pedigree guaranteed to get a result from the audience.


**

31 Days of Horror:

10/01: House of 1000 Corpses/31
10/02: Lords of Chaos
10/03: Creepshow Ep 2/Tales from the Crypt Ssn 1, Ep 1
10/04: IT Chapter 2, AHS 1984 Ep. 3

**

Playlist from 10/04:

Type O Negative - Dead Again
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen
Bauhaus - This is for When (Live)
Opeth - In Cauda Venenum
Type O Negative - The Origin of the Feces

**

The reminder I needed today to stop and pay attention to the moment. Not the surface moment, but those things going on below the surface, which I have very much been losing sight of lately.

The Color Out of Space West Coast Premiere

There's not even a trailer yet, so all I can give you at the moment is this beautiful poster image, which is quite indicative of the film. I attended the West Coast Premiere of Richard Stanley's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Color Out of Space last night at Beyondfest. A great film! I stayed up late putting together a quick, under five minute review of the film for The Horror Vision, you can link to it below. In a nutshell, as with several other movies of late, I liked The Color Out of Space just fine for the first two acts, with only one or two small gripes, but when the third act rolled around, it cinched the entire film together for me and I ended up really liking it. Specifics at the links below:

The Horror Vision on Apple

The Horror Vision on Spotify

The Horror Vision on Google Play

**

New Foals! Like the first Part in this pair of albums, they sound as lush and haunting as ever.

New album, that second part of Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost drops October 18th, pre-order HERE.

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Recent Playlist:

Sausage - Riddles Are Abound Tonight

Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II

Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

Air - Talkie Walkie

Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth

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Card of the day:

Fire of Fire. Charge forward, pick your battles, and focus Will and Intellect. I'm taking this as confirmation I should finish something I've been hesitant to, a story that has languished in a state of perpetual 'almost finished' for some time. One last charge, then it hits the idea limbo for the foreseeable future.

2019: Soviet Soviet Live on KEXP

Soviet Soviet performing Fairy Tale, the lead track from their 2016 album Endless, live on KEXP!

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Congratulations to all my HWA brothers and sisters who won awards last night at the Bram Stoker Awards! Mike Glyer has a list of the winners up on HERE, on his Fanlight Zone website. Check it out!

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Kind of addicted to the A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night OST. I'd never seen the film before; despite countless recommendations it seemed to remain perpetually on the list. That changed this past Friday when Joe Bob Briggs showed it on The Last Drive-In. LOVED it. Loved it so much, but I need to have an immersive viewing, one without JBB's wonderful sidebars, which I love and can help ease the way for a movie like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, but which impede the full effect of something like Ana Lily Amirpour's B&W, Arthouse Vampire masterpiece.



Also, the OST is chock full of unbelievable music, pretty much all from artists I am - for the moment - unfamiliar with. Lots of new music heading my way, which always makes me happy!

Playlist from 5/11:

Faith No More - King for a Day
Various Artists - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night OST
Prince - Sign O' The Times
Lovett - The Wind OST


Playlist from 5/12:

Faith No More - King for a Day
L7 - Scatter the Rats
Blut Aus Nord - What Once Was
Godflesh - Pure

Card of the day:

The Fiery aspect of Fire - Pure Will. Which is what I will need to get through the day, I think. Long work weekend, followed by a rough Monday morning so far. I'll do what I always do - put my head down and charge through, stealing any moments I have along the way to work on Ciazarn, a growing obsession now that I've found the voice for it.

2019: May 8th - The Lodge Trailer

I've been hearing great things about this, however I also heard great things about Severin Fiala and Veronica Franz's previous film, Goodnight Mommy, and I absolutely hated that, so I am going into The Lodge with manageable expectations.

For the record, I found Goodnight Mommy to be a very well-made film, with fantastic visual and aural aesthetics, however, the 'twist' was obvious from the first scene and the film played out pointlessly cruel. Much of it was just in very poor taste, in my opinion.

**

Damn it Mondo, another record I cannot resist drops tomorrow at noon:

**


Playlist from 5/07:

Chasms - On the Legs of Love Purified
Atrium Carceri - Cellblock
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
Le Butcherettes - bi/MENTAL
Twin Temple - Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound... Satanic Doowop
Lustmord - The Dark Places of the Earth
Lustmord - The Word as Power
Ghost - Meliora

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Card of day:

From the Grimoire: "The Fiery aspect of Fire. Pure Will. Creative Power that can tip into imbalance if one is not careful." See that horse? if the Knight is sitting wrong or ill-prepared, he's falling off.

2018: November 6th

I'd never heard of Ghost Cop until the most recent newsletter from comic's scribe Warren Ellis, which you can subscribe to HERE and which will make your life better. The Eponymous EP is excellent, really atmospheric electronic music that reminds me of a lot of the more electronically inclined groups and artists I submerged myself in during the 00s. Look for some of that stuff to float back up to the surface of my listening habits.

If you visit Ghost Cop's bandcamp, their new album is up for pre-order.

Lots of Deadwood news yesterday, and as it so happens, the moment K and I finished 31 Days of Horror, we jumped directly back into season 2, so this is perfect timing. This is K's first go-through with Swearengen and the crew, my second or third. I figured out I'd previously watched roughly the first season and a quarter multiple times, but I don't think I've ever gone through the entire cycle more than the first time, which was after it aired. This might be my favorite non-Twin Peaks show folks. Swearengen is easily one of my favorite characters, but the idea of revisiting these folks ten years down the line show continuity wise with a movie is bittersweet; still not sure why HBO/Milch didn't just keep going in the first place. It's always difficult to go home again. Twin Peaks did it well, by becoming something the original show was not. In my head, I consider Season Three of that show more a new 18-hour DavidLynch movie than a revival of Twin Peaks, which it certainly is in some respects but... I digress

Looks like almost the entire cast is coming back for this Deadwood movie, and I don't want to sound like I'm not elated to have a chance to see these folks again, it's just timing, you know? Still, excited.

Playlist from 10/05:

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Preoccupations - Eponymous
Preoccupations - New Material
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Ghost Cop - Eponymous EP
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Tom Waits - Swordfish Trombones

Card of the day:

Fire of Fire - Pure, communicative leadership. Ideas. Can represent highest idea - again, exactly what I'm aiming at with Shadow Play, and book one is where it starts. It doesn't matter that this is 8 years since I started it (with a year off in the middle, which made me a much better writer), it has to be perfect so it sets up the bigger picture, which is kind of so big - to me - it feels unwieldy.

2018: August 22nd

My musical day yesterday was an interesting dalliance in a lot of what I spun in the mid-00s. This song... takes me somewhere. There's a definite tone there, one that I miss, but one that puts me in a totally different headspace from the one I need to be in to write what I'm writing. Hence 'dalliance.'

Playlist from 8/21:

Doves - Lost Souls
Chris Connelly - The Night of Your Life
Chris Connelly - Pentland Firth Howl
Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat
Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing
Atlas Moth - Coma Noir
Atlas Moth - The Ache of Distance
Chris Connelly - Artificial Madness
John Carpenter/Alan Howarth - Big Trouble in Little China OST

I missed out on scoring tickets to the LA-Premiere of Panos Cosmatos's Mandy at the Egyptian, as hosted by the Beyond Fest crew. First world problems, I know.

Card of the day:

An abundance of enthusiasm and intelligence that can quickly sap the heart from things. I think this is exactly where I was last night with my writing. Luckily, I recognized the futility quagmire, closed up shop and had a beer. This morning? I drove to work in silence (as I do when I'm having problems with massaging plot) and figured out where my problem was. Thanks Knight of Wands!