Showing posts with label The Hand of Doom Tarot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hand of Doom Tarot. Show all posts

Monday, March 24, 2025

Chapter 49: Ash, Pain and Blood


I turn 49 today. Happy to still be here, slightly confused at how that's possible. Fuck it - let's listen to some Flying Lotus!

Even at a curt 1:24, "Blood and Pain" stands out as one of my favorite tracks on an album full of favorite tracks, Flying Lotus' 2021 Yasuke. I'd kind of lost track of this man's music for a few years when I discovered this record last year, and it brought me flying right back. 




Watch:

Speaking of Flying Lotus, this past Thursday night, K and I sat at our local big box theatre and watched Flying Lotus' new film, Ash.


I wish I could tell you that I loved this as much as I love the man's music, but that's not the case. Do I regret seeing it in the theatre? Absolutely not, and in fact, I'd encourage others to support it as well. Just know what you're getting into.

Ash is slow and somewhat cumbersome in its dissemination of the story. It's meant to be that way because of where the characters are, but it takes making us feel what they do a bit too literally. Slow is never a problem with me, if the film has strong legs to stand on. But things here wobble; there's some convenience in the writing and some ambiguity that doesn't feel purposeful. Also, Ash substitutes - probably out of budgetary necessities - flashes of FX for anything of real depth, which is fine if it's not the only technique you're using. But here, we're indoctrinated with these kind of "nightmare, body-horror" flashes early on, fragments of main character Riya's damaged memory of events that led to the death or disappearance of her ship's entire crew. Later in the movie, we get some action, a fight for survival, and the FX opens up a bit, but it still feels right in line with what we had earlier. Limited.

Now, to play my own devil's advocate, while everything I mention above feels like a weakness, I can say there's also a strength and a healthy dose of hope here, as well. Everything I'm describing feels like a weakness because this is a movie on a big screen in a theatre. But can we not shift our bias and look at this as, "Holy smokes - this is basically a relatively new filmmaker being given not only a chance to make a pretty large-scale film but have it distributed nationwide? I mean, I saw this at a Regal in Clarksville, for fuck's sake. That's kind of staggering.

Granted, Ash is considerably more advanced than films like Skinamarink or The Outwaters - two films I give props to but fucking hated - but its distribution jackpot owes a lot to them*. So I guess all this is to say it's not really a surprise that Ash found a wide release, but even with its shortcomings, the hope is this will further develop Flying Lotus' career so that maybe next time, he'll have the budget and insight to really blow our minds. 


* And yes, I'm aware both of those films owe their shot at the big screen to the massive success of Damian Leone's Terrifier 2; however, if you want to take it even further back, I'll bring up my absolute shock at seeing films like Hatching, You Won't Be Alone and Lamb in my local AMC theatre post COVID lockdown. 


Read:

The same day that we went to Nashville to see The Straight Story at the Belcourt Theatre, we made our first visit to Jack White's Third Man Records.


I'm not a Jack White fan. The White Stripes were a much-needed breath of fresh air at the time Elephant blew up, but White's meteoric rise to stardom afterward kind of baffles me. I think I can trace my cynicism back to the moment I saw the DVD It's Going to Get Loud on a shelf at Borders. This is a video that hoists White up as a peer with The Edge and, even more incredibly, Jimmy Page. I can't say I ever watched this video, but its very existence rankled me, and from there, whatever tidbits of information that have trickled down to me about the man have just reinforced that opinion. Well, except one.

His records stores.

From all accounts I'd read, Third Man Records is a bastion of old-school record store glory in an age devoid of such places. Add to this innovations like converting an ice cream truck into a mobile record shop and I almost want to cry. I mean, what an unbelievably cool idea! Literally bringing the music to the people. 

I knew Third Man was in Nashville, but I hadn't been yet, so when my cousin asked if we could visit while he was in town, I assured my wallet all would be well and set the controls for 623 7th Ave South.

The moment I stepped inside, I fell in love with the place.

Wall-to-wall vinyl, all gorgeously packaged and displayed. So many items unique to this store, and just a general sense of reverence for physical media. Yeah, it didn't exactly alter my opinion of White as an egotist when, for the entire forty-five minutes or so we were inside, all they played on the overhead speakers was White's music. That's fine, though. I mean, flaunt it if ya got it, I guess, right? Especially when you maintain a place like this (named after my favorite black and white movie, no less)

Other than the records I purchased, I also picked up an issue of Maggot Brain, Third Man's quarterly music magazine.


I primarily grabbed the issue because of the TVOTR article, but in slowly working my way through it over the last few days, this is the closest thing to when I used to read The Wire back circa 2008-2011. I LOVE this magazine for the same reason I loved The Wire or Heaven is an Incubator. Simply put, there are more words spent on bands and artists I have never heard of than those I have. That's super important to me because I am always looking for new music.




Playlist:

Blind Willie McTell - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (Vol. 1)
Sqürl - Third Man Records Session
Spoon - They Want My Soul
QOTSA - In Times New Roman
INXS - Kick
TVOTR - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Deftones - Ohms
Flying Lotus - Yasuke
Flying Lotus - ASH OST
Windhand - Levitation Sessions (Live)
Heilung - Lifa
Radiohead - Myxomatosis (single)
Radiohead - In Rainbows




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Four of Wands
• Ace of Swords
• VI: The Lovers

Being that it's my day of reiteration today, I'm viewing this spread as an indication of how to proceed for the next 365 days. What does it say? Well, I see a steady foundation and a healthy application of Will - moving forward with these two ideas as a basic tenant for the next year will provide an alchemical reaction. 

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Melvins 1983 - King of Rome

 
Holy F**K! I knew songs from this record had already dropped, but I kept missing it. Until now (Thanks, Mr. Brown!). I love this opening track and can only imagine it bodes well for the rest of the album. A little weird missing Dale, but after just (finally) watching the Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale, I'm picking up what Buzz and original drummer Mike Dillard are putting down.

Out April 18th, you can pre-order Thunderball directly from Ipecac Recordings HERE.




Watch:

A trailer for Michael Shanks' debut feature Together dropped the other day. I have not watched it; I've heard a few small things about this. Only vagueries, really, but enough to make me curious as all hell. And when I'm curious, I try to remember one simple fact: Trailers spoil movies. 

Still, I always post here for posterity's sake. So watch at your own risk.


I'm pretty sure I said it here before, but I love that Body Horror has become viable enough to be getting wide theatrical releases. Let's all go see this and make sure that remains a thing, shall we?




Playlist:

Angus MacLise - New York Electronic, 1965
Sqürl - Third Man Records Session
Pink Floyd - Ummagumma (thanks, Josh!)
Dinosaur Jr.  - Sweep It Into Space
Melvins - Hold It In
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
Flying Lotus - Yasuke
Melvins - Thunderball (pre-release singles)
Zonal - Eponymous (single)




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• IV: The Emperor
• Eight of Pentacles
• XI: Justice

Concentrate on the rules we've made, which are faltering, and you can move past them into the underlying, seemingly unconnected processes. It is here you will find the architecture that governs this existence.

Not sure what I'm going to do with that, but it just kind of came to me while thinking about each individual card and how they fit together. I really don't "read" tarot that way, but maybe a little woo-woo is needed to even out my constant overthinking and page-turning.


Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Powermad - Slaughterhouse

 
Over the last two weeks, I had the distinct pleasure of watching several of David Lynch's films I had previously missed on the big screen at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre. The Belcourt's retrospective on Lynch's work was comprehensive; a true celebration of the man's life and art.

I spoke about seeing Eraserhead/The Grandmother in a previous post, but this past weekend my cousin Charles and his wife Lauren came down to visit us, and Sunday afternoon, the four of us caught The Straight Story on 35mm. I'll talk about that below, but suffice it to say, for Monday night's screening of Wild At Heart, Powermad's "Slaughterhouse" rang EPIC on the Belacourt's sound system. I never got into this band back in the day, but I was definitely aware of them, mostly through ads in Thrasher magazine. 

Released in 1989, this would have come at the height of my "Skate or Die" phase; man do I miss that. The last time I rode a board was circa 2011 in San Pedro; the hills almost killed me, and I kind of backed off again after that, only to have a friend accidentally break it a year or two later.

How the hell did I get here from where this began? Oh yeah, Powermad!

The bit with Powermad doing backups for Sailor's Elvis serenade really clues you into Lynch's mindset on this film. There are times when I'd almost liken Wild At Heart to Lynch's version of a Farce. Sailor's singing and mannerisms, Marietta's, well, everything, and Crispin Glover's joyfully insane Del are all so far outside the realm of seriousness for a film that can still take itself very seriously, that they help make this one unique, even among the greater body of Lynch's work. 

The two images that stand out on the big screen are the sequences of roiling fire and Bobby Peru's teeth. Nightmare fuel, that.




Watch:

David Lynch's The Straight Story is an underseen masterpiece. I say that as a lifelong Lynch fan who, although I own the film on DVD, had only seen it twice before, and never at the Cinema. That changed this past weekend, and I can tell you that this film is a deeply moving character piece that wet my ocular sockets consistently from start to finish.  


Seeing this film on 35 mm was an entirely new experience; Lynch films on the big screen are heightened, almost altered states; few people who have experienced Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive in the cinema would contest that. Those are films that incorporate Neo Noir and Psychological Fugue/Horror elements that lend themselves to inducing altered states. The Straight Story is something else entirely. It is a story about family, love, and redemption. It is firmly rooted in the "real" world, so its altered state is a sharply emotional one. It's a beautiful and slightly disconcerting thing to let David Lynch lead you on a journey like this, but by the end, it makes you feel wonderfully alive.




NCBD:

Finally, after being pushed back several months, we have the finale of James Tynion and Joshua Hixon's The Deviant!


To say I've been waiting for this is an understatement. Thinking about sitting down this weekend and re-reading the entire series in one sitting. One of my favorite books in forever. 


I keep thinking this cover is an homage to an issue of Larry Hama's original GI JOE comic at Marvel, but that may not be the case. Either way, pretty cool. Maybe I'm starting to warm up to this book a bit more? We'll see.


Now that I know Epitaphs From the Abyss is ending at issue 12, I'm cherishing each one of these even more. And as I say so often with this book, LOVE this cover!


Güs! 'Nuff said!




Playlist:

Sqürl - Third Man Records Session
Melvins - Hold It In
Hangman's Chair - Saddiction
Vinyl Williams - Lansing (single)
Flogging Molly - Swagger
The Pogues - Hell's Ditch
The Pogues - Red Roses for Me
QOTSA - In Times New Roman
Sinéad O'Connor - The Lion and the Cobra




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE:

Grimm currently has a Kickstarter running for his ... And the Night Stares Back Vol. 2 coloring book, which features some of the art from the Hand of Doom Tarot. I backed this instantly, but there's no way I would ever apply color to Grimm's beautiful B&W art.


• V: The Hierophant
• Knight of Swords
• Five of Wands

Knowledge (or information) wrested from a perceived opponent can require Will to make work. 

This is straight-up on point with my work at the moment, where I actually feel like I have a bit of a "Moriarity" at the moment, and the knowledge they disseminate to me often feels occluded or guarded. Maybe even false.

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Live Deftones 2025

 
Courtesy of the Watch Your Head YouTube Channel, which I just subscribed to. Packed with Los Angeles fair, the channel describes itself as "South Central L.A. Locals Mainly concert videos, estate/garage sale treasure hunting, and raw and unfiltered daily street life videos."

Some really cool stuff, especially when I'm feeling homesick for my second home!

There's titterings of a new Deftones record on the way, and I'm hoping it soon. I haven't watched this full video yet, so not sure if there's any new material in here. We'll see. Just from the opening two songs, though, this must be career-spanning. 




Watch:

I love Flying Lotus' music, but thus far, I haven't cared for his theatrical outings. Kuso just felt gross for the sake of being gross, and his entry in the VHS series, "Ozzy's Dungeon" from VHS '99 was... I guess I enjoyed it? I don't know. It's not that I think the cinematic work FlyLo has done is bad, it's that I expect so much more. And when I saw the trailer for his new film Ash in the theatre recently, I got the feeling I'll finally be getting it!


Really just speechless that I get to see this in the theatre. So cool! Opens March 21st - can't wait!!!



Read:

I wanted to take a moment to say, A) I think my reading of yesterday's Tarot pull was right on, as when I arrived at the shop, there was exactly one copy left of both Batman: Dark Patterns and Mine is a Long Lonesome Grave, which I took to be a kind of 'reward' for my introspection. Not to rest on my laurels, I immediately put down to be subbed to both of those and The Hive - which interestingly enough had a stack of copies for issue #2 remaining, so either it's selling exceptionally well, and they ordered a lot, or the first issue did great and the second is dead in the water. Either way, I'll have my copies going forward.


Re-reading Lonesome Grave issue #1 and following it directly with #2, my initial excitement for this book is confirmed. This is a fantastic Revenge Story with what appear to be Black Magick or Voodoo flourishes. Southern Gothic A.F. Reminds me more than a little of Southern Bastards, a book I loved so much and which just disappeared. I haven't been this excited about a book in a while now. Looks like it's only four issues, but who knows. Maybe this will be like Into the Unbeing and have several iterations.




Playlist:

The Bronx - The Bronx (I)
The Bronx - The Bronx (II)
The Bronx - The Bronx (III)
The Bronx - The Bronx (IV)
D'Nell - 1st Magic
Razor - Armed and Dangerous
Foster the People - Torches
IDLES - Joy As An Act of Rebellion
Steely Dan - Aja




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Queen of Cups
• Page of Wands
• Two of Wands

Probing emotional depths can take an unprecedented amount of Will. To actually go deep and get to the issues that might be causing balance to waiver. 

A reminder of something I learned last week in an unlikely place: Interrogate Reality to the fullest extent of your being, and sometimes, that Reality is not the one around you, but inside you.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Live Drug Church for NCBD!


Live Drug Church from Glasgow, courtesy of David Tan Films. Do yourself a favor and check out their YouTube channel. I just found these folks, and they are packed with awesome multi-camera live show recordings!




NCBD:

Pretty decent pull this week:


I love Dan Watters' Batman: Dark Patterns series. The first storyline wrapped up last issue, so this is the start of the second, which will run to issue six and round out the series. 


One of those my DwC cohost Mike Shin holds for me at the shop in Chicago, so I'll have a bunch of Z News waiting for me when next I travel North. So much fun.


Have we ever gotten Void Rivals and Transformers in the same week before? We must have, but seeing this today feels exhilarating. Maybe it's just because...


... Bruticus is on the cover! I've professed my love of all Combaticons here previously I'm sure; in fact, I just pre-ordered the new Vortex figure from HasbroPulse last week. Can't wait until I have them all and can combine them into Bruticus, maybe chase my cats around with him.


I loved the first issue of Justin Jordan's Mine is a Long, Lonesome Grave and I'm coming back for more! Like I mentioned below, though, I neglected to add this one to my Pull (I think), so I may have to have the shop order me one. Either way, going forward, this is on the list!


Take what I said about ...Lonesome Grave above and apply it to the second issue of A.J. Lieberman and Mike Henderson's The Hive. A street-level crime story with some odd flourishes; I'm very intrigued to see where this one is going. Add it to the list!




Watch:

One of the trailers I've seen in the theatre of late that really catches my eye is Ryan Coogler's Sinners. Not the best title, but damn if this doesn't look fantastic.


The mythology behind Robert Johnson and the "Crossroads" has long fascinated me, and it seems like Coogler is doubling down on that here. There's just something about this era of American history when it mixes with the Supernatural. It really works for me. Can't wait to see this on the big screen!




Playlist:

Erik Truffaz - The Walk of the Giant Turtle
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
The Body - No One Deserves Happiness
New York Dolls - Dancing Backward in High Heels
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are In Peace
Metallica - Garage Days Re-revisited
Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Buster Pointdexter - Eponymous




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Ace of Swords
• 0: The Fool
• XVIII: The Moon

I think this Pull actually explains something that just happened while writing this entry, or at least helps me understand why it happened.

I had this entire post penned and saved, I opened a new window to download the picture of today's Tarot Pull and when I came back, large chunks of what I'd written were gone. Only, this wasn't a case of  "I forgot to save." I titled this entry last, but that is still here. Missing are my comments under the trailer for Sinners, the entire NCBD section, and all the tags I'd added. 

I'm sure this is just a weird glitch, but these are things we should pay attention to from time to time. In this case, I think I'm taking away that I've been continuing on my comic book life as before, and that's a mistake. With Diamond going or gone, the landscape is changing. I typically forget to put myself down for books to be added to my Pull, and thus, I miss stuff. Specifically, 

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

NEW GHOST ALBUM!!!

 

Holy smokes - the New Ghost album Skeletá is out on April 25th! Pre-order HERE!!!

I definitely haven't loved everything this band has done, but I root for them. Impera was easily my favorite since Infestissumam, and although I'm not crazy about this new song right off the bat, I can say that about two of the 'singles' on Impera. Regardless of my off-the-cuff opinion, the songwriting is here. STRONG melody on the chorus and a pretty ripping guitar solo. I don't love the video, but then, videos I do love are rare. I will say since Tobias Forge's sense of humor has infiltrated the band and all its ventures - it's on full display with this video - I long for the days when they felt a bit more ominous. But then, that was bound not to last. He's funny and always well-spoken, but I guess I prefer a little more solemnity to my Satanic Metal. 

Either way, SUPER psyched and I love that Ghost has taken to announcing their albums like two months out. It's literally right around the corner.




NCBD:

Small pull this week. STILL waiting on a bunch of books Diamond never shipped to filter in, so maybe some of those will arrive. Otherwise, this is it for NCBD:


I love this continuation of The Nice House on the Lake; however, just as with that first book, I'm behind on my reading. This happens to Tynion's books. They're better read in trade format, but for some of these, I just can't help but buy the monthlies. I guess it's because, at this point, there are so few monthlies I buy and I want to keep the habit alive. 


Solid Batman werewolf series that reminds me of something we might have found in an arc of the late 80s/early 90s Legends of the Dark Knight series.




Read:

So, I started reading Grant Morrison's Multiversity again. Back when this hit the monthly comic shelves in 2015, I tried for about four issues and gave up. I didn't really admit that I didn't like it, but my life was undergoing escalating turmoil and I was cutting down on my monthly spending in favor of saving my arse, so Multiversity got cut and I never really looked back.

A few months back, my Drinking with Comics cohost Mike Shinabargar gave me a copy of the collected trade paperback with the request we cover it on the show. We recorded yesterday - editing is still in progress - but I have to say, after re-reading the same four issues I read in 2015, I do not love this book at all. What's more, it's making me think I should just up and sell my Final Crisis HC and my Seven Soldiers of Victory complete set of monthlies on eBay because I am no longer the person who I was when I could muster fervor for GM delving into every single nook and cranny of the DCU - a comic book universe I have always held little to no interest in. 

But then I think, is this just me at this moment? You know the feeling; you tire of something, let's say an album or movie or comic book. Not just tire of it but grow disgruntled toward it. This isn't that weird inevitability that some things you love when you're a younger person you will grow to hate for idealistic issues. No, this is the fan inertia I had for GM wearing off a bit and me realizing the stuff I love from him - other than his masterpiece, seven-year Batman run - is his non-IP stuff. Especially non-DC IP, because the DCU is a deep well of superhero stuff that makes me cringe more than it makes me excited. 

I've committed to finishing this book, but man, at this stage, I think it's going to be very tough. Part of my issue is also very much what makes Multiversity a masterpiece accomplishment: when I was younger, the appeal to the Big 2's continuity (well, for me, the Big 1's) was the endless continuity to investigate. I mean, if felt like you could never get there. And with Batman, Morrison read every bit of continuity for one character and synthesized it into one spectacular narrative that incorporated all of it. That's what he's done on a larger scale with the entirety of the DCU, starting with his JLA run, into Earth 2, Seven Soldiers, Final Crisis, and finally Multiverity. As my cohost Mike brings up several times in the episode, this was the final word by the man who was on staff at DC for several years as their "Universe Consultant." That means it's amazing; it's a Mozart concerto of comics, but one I have very little time or bandwidth for in my life at the moment. Maybe never again.

Part of that, then, forces me to reflect that some of my inability to joyously engage with this book is I've gotten fucking lazy. It's not a good thing to reflect on, but I try to be self-aware of the zero-point fluctuation level. So there's really no failing with the artist, just the reader. Damn, when I started this, I didn't expect it to come out like this. 



Playlist:

Morphine - Yes
Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Nothing - Guilty of Everything
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Led Zeppelin - Presence
TVOTR - Young Liars E.P.
The Raveonettes - Blackest (pre-release single)
Ghost - Satanized (pre-release single)
Drab Majesty - An Object in Motion




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Queen of Pentacles
• Ten of Pentacles
• II: High Priestess

Low bandwidth. Lots of Feminine energy, which is almost always a good thing. Earthly matters. Fertile interests.

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Refreshing New Pork Beverage Now Available!!!

 

Still probably the strangest song I've ever heard. And honestly, I've heard some pretty strange shit.
 


Watch:

Okay, this trailer for the upcoming Freaky Tales movie gives me serious reservations, but it also looks like it could be a banger. And hey, great cast. I guess I just feel like this is sandwiching into the 80s revival thing a little too much, too late. Also, the title feels... weak.



Still, I'll definitely see this in the theatre and give it a go. I want to like all movies, especially genre ones with ancient artifacts, katanas and copious amounts of blood. 




Read:

Over the last two weeks or so, I read about 3/4 of a book I'm not going to name here. It's an independent book/author, and although well-written (mostly, as a hefty amount of spelling and grammatical errors abound), I can't recommend this one because it's just gross. So I jumped off and started David Wong's John Dies at the End.


At around 90 pages in, I am really enjoying this one, and it should be said, I've never been able to make it even halfway through the film adaptation. Wong's tone is so smooth and funny; funny as in 'odd' and funny as in 'ha ha.' I very much recommend this to anyone who digs a little sarcastic, oddball humor with their Horror from time to time.



Playlist:

Marilyn Manson - One Assassination Under God Chapter One
Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks Season Two OST
Various - Twin Peaks: Music From the Limited Event Series
Primus - Pork Soda
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
Childish Gambino - "Awaken, My Love!"
Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• 0: The Fool
• Seven of Swords
• Six of Swords

One thing I love about this deck is the imagery is all very meaningful to me in a Malkuth-kinda way. So it's possible on days where I don't really have the metaphysical bandwidth to dive deep into the occulted meaning of the Tarot, I can just see a spread like this and say, "Hey, pick up the guitar today and write a new song."

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Drinking with Comics Volume 4, Episode 50!!! Plus - Melvins!!!


Melvins 1983 (Buzz and original drummer Mike Dillard at it again. Pre-order the upcoming album Thunderball from Ipecac Recordings HERE.




NCBD:

Short pull this week, and I only just realized today is Thursday, not Wednesday, so I guess I won't be grabbing these until probably next week:


Good lord, that cover! Already 8 strong issues in, and Epitaphs from the Abyss is everything I want in a Horror Anthology comic. 


Love the cover, but still not really feeling this book. Fan inertia, take me away...


Due to the Diamond bankruptcy and subsequent fiasco, I still haven't acquired issue two of the McKendry's Barstow, so I'm hoping this is in my box today but honestly won't be surprised if it's not. 




Watch:

Speaking of comics, I've fallen out of the habit of posting Drinking with Comics here since I brought it back a little over two years ago, but Volume Four, episode 50 is a doozy! Mike Wellman returns to talk about his new comic strip, A Shadow Called Danger. He brings artist/director Bradley Rader along and Mike Shinabargar and I have a great time talking politics, the comics industry and Mike's sobriety! 


It was really good to have Mike back on, and the "Meeting of the Mikes" felt epic to this man who loves them both dearly!




Playlist:

Van Halen - 1984
Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Led Zeppelin - Presence
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Them Are Us Too - Remain
Dead Milkmen - Quaker City Quiet Pills
Yerusalem - The Sublime
Nothing - Guilty of Everything
GoGo's - Vacation
Dream Theater - Parasomina




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

Loud and clear.

The first or middle card here jumped out of the deck during the shuffle. I'm a touch hungover this morning, so everything feels slightly pained. I drank five or six beers last night and was thinking, "I should stop drinking five or six beers every night," and then the Nine of Cups. Here's a case where the image on the card - which is specific to this deck - spoke directly to me. The other two cards were pulled as clarification cards. 

Four of Cups (from the grimoire): "An emotional idea or institution that has grown beyond the original balance/harmony of its conception."

Page of Wands (from the grimoire): "Baggage."

Well, that's my drinking in a nutshell. Might be time to dial it back. Five or six beers a night every night is, me thinks, too much. 

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Exister Exhuma


As I wrote about last week, I'm really only now getting to know Exister, the late Luis Vasquez's final album. Go figure - the one that didn't make that big of an impression on me upon its first release has become my favorite. 




Watch:

I finally got around to watching Jang Jae-hyun's Exhuma on Shudder. This was on quite a few "Best of 2024" lists I saw and I must say, that ranking is well deserved. Here's a trailer that happily tells you very little of what to expect.


This felt more like short, episodic premium television series stuck together into a film, a bit like Demián Rugna's Terrified, so that's not a bad thing. I really enjoyed Exhuma, although I ended up breaking it into two viewings. The sad state of my life at this time is it's pretty difficult to garner 134 minutes to sit still and watch a film. Sucks, but it's my current version of reality. 

Highlly recommended. 




Read:

I found a pretty interesting interview with Weird Fiction/Horror Author T.E.D. Klein. This man's work was all but lost, with beat-up paperbacks from the 80s/90s going for absurd amounts of money on auction sites, so until a few years ago, I'd only ever read "The Events at Poroth Farm" (1972). Thanks to PS Publishing/Drugstore Indian Press's diligence in bringing Klein's work back into print, I finally acquired and read The Ceremonies in 2022 and loved it. Still haven't gotten around to Dark Gods, however, that'll probably happen this year.


Read the interview HERE





Playlist:

Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Deafheaven - 10 Years Gone
Drug Church - Prude
Drug Church - Hygiene
Nothing - Guilty of Everything
Entropy - Liminal
Sun O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
The Soft Moon - Exister
Ruin of Romantics - Velvet Dawn




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• IX: The Hermit
• I: The Magician
• IV: The Emperor

Hunker down and make some Magick!

Friday, February 7, 2025

Testament - Electric Crown


Earlier this week, I fell into a pretty hard jag listening to Testament's older records and it made me realize just how underrated these guys were, historically speaking. It definitely seems like their status has elevated with time, which is great
 



Watch:

K and I caught Heart Eyes at the local theatre last night, and while I've definitely grown a little weary of Michael Landon's 'quirky' tone, this is a super fun popcorn Slasher.


Heart Eyes is almost exactly 50% Romantic Comedy, 50% Slasher flick. That's a weird mix, but it mostly works. It's heavy on the 'cute' factor, which is where I occasionally lost my patience with the film, but mileage may vary. I think Josh Ruben's directing anchored this one from floating too far out into quirkyville. 




Playlist:

Dungen - Ta Det Lungt
Sunn O))) - Domkirke
Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
Revocation - Confines of Infinity
Mastodon & Lamb of God - Floods of Triton
Hangman's Chair - Saddiction (pre-release singles)
Hangman's Chair - A Loner
David Bowie & NIN - Back in Anger
Testament - The Ritual
Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind
Testament - Practice What You Preach
Chrystabell & David Lynch - Cellophane Memories
Various - Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Soundtrack)
The Soft Moon - Exister
PAIN - You Only Live Twice
Rammstein - Eponymous
Testament - Low
Testament - Souls of Black
Genevieve Artadi - Forever Forever
Blood Incantation - Absolute Everywhere
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Spotlights - Love & Decay
Foster the People - Torches




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


For whatever reason, I have zero perspicacity to interpret today's pull at this time, so I'll just leave it here for now and maybe look back later. 

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Saying Goodbye to The Soft Moon (One Year Late)


A week or so ago, I saw a post on social media that alarmed me - Luis Vasquez, the singular voice of The Soft Moon, died a year ago! I had no idea...

When I realized I hadn't posted anything from this band since the day after seeing them live in 2018, I guess it makes sense that they were far enough off my radar that I missed the news of Vasquez's passing in January of 2024 and for, you know, the entire remainder of the year. I was in L.A. for the entirety of January 2024, but pulling last year's Moleskin off the shelf, I see that I spent January 18th at Santa Monica Brewworks with my good friend Chris. Looking at my post from that day, I didn't find a serendipitous dalliance with The Soft Moon's music, and scrolling through their discography, I realized I'd kind of tuned them out after 2018's Criminal. 2022's Exister only shows up three times in my daily playlists on this page. 

It also makes sense that I never saw the short film "Stupid Child," a kind of tense noise interstitial for one of the tracks from Exister. This is possibly the most harrowing thing Vasquez had a hand in - the video to "Needs" is pretty fucked up, but I'd say this tops that easily. 

Glad I got to see The Soft Moon live. Great band that had so much more in them. Fuckin' Fentanyl. 




Watch:

K and I are currently rewatching Yellowjackets seasons one and two as prep for the new season starting on Valentine's Day. Rewatching, I realize there is so much of season two I somehow completely forgot. 

K typically conks out earlier than I do, so after she falls asleep, I've been continuing my first rewatch of Twin Peaks: The Return since 2018. 


I'd never watched The Return directly after the original series before, and honestly, I don't know that I'd do it this way again. There's such a marked difference between the two; every time I watch the original, I fall in love with it all over again, so to switch gears and jump headlong into the follow-up that is not really concerned with being a follow-up at all felt a bit jarring at first. In fact, after the first two episodes, I was starting to think I didn't like The Return. That feeling didn't last that long, though. By the time I got to episode three or four, my brain had caught up, and I had reemerged. 

There's so much about The Return that I love, but first, I have to remind myself that this is 100% a creative vehicle for David Lynch - really his last large-scale vehicle - and he used it to shoot what many TP fans felt was idiosyncratic content that had nothing to do with the answers and resolutions they'd been hoping for since the second season finale aired on June 10, 1991. Lynch famously did things 100% on his own terms (except with Dune, and look how that turned out), and continuing what he'd started and begrudgingly lost control of nearly thirty years ago was definitely not on his "to do" list. I've definitely spent some time wondering what might have been had the show continued, and as usual, those contemplations only yield one result: Better to leave 'em wanting more than to overstay your welcome. Still...


So it took a bit to recalibrate myself coming into this rewatch of The Return, but now I'm 100% in. Friday night, I watched episodes seven and eight, and I was once again struck by (of course) episode eight's absolute grandeur. I woke up the next day wanting to read some critical writing on the series. Happily, I found some excellent articles. 

First, this article HERE on the Wrong Answers blog, where Abigail Nussbaum makes some excellent points about what I have long felt is both the saddest and most remarkably compelling aspects of the series, namely how well it mirrors the disappointments of life. The lyrics to Eddie Vedder's contribution to The Return's soundtrack sums this up beautifully:



Next, Crypto-Kubrology's article on Medium reminded me of a theory I'd read about once before, shortly after the series aired. Namely, that episodes 17 and 18 may very well have been intended to be watched at the same time. 

As a huge fan of The Flaming Lips' Zaireeka, this idea makes me giddy with anticipation, and while Zaireeka has become all but impossible for me to orchestrate listening to properly, 17 & 18 will simply require I muster the wherewithal to carry the tv in my office downstairs and set it up next to* the one in the living room. I have at least three Blu-Ray players, so no problem there.

White The Return may be unlike the original Twin Peaks in most ways, one thing the two series share is the ability to reward repeated viewings with ever more mystery. 

*Although Cryto-Kubrology's screenshots make me wonder if the screens would be better served stacked as opposed to side-to-side, but I'll take what I can get. 



Playlist:

The Veils - Asphodels
Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
Frank Black - Cult of Ray
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Sleep - Dopesmoker
High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings
Various - Twin Peaks: Music from the Limited Event Series
Crime Weekly Podcast - Rey Rivera (part 2)
Laura Cannell - A Compendium of Beasts Vol. 1 EP
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot!
Amber Mark - 3:33am
The Soft Moon - Criminal




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• VI The Lovers
• Six of Pentacles
• King of Pentacles

Surface reads are always something I avoid, almost to the fact that sometimes I feel like I tend to resist instances where the cards attempt to convey something simply. I'll not make that mistake today. The Lovers is an obvious nod to K and I celebrating out 9th anniversary this past Saturday. Six of Pentacles is a reminder of the stability I have now, a goal I set and accomplished with no small degree of Will. And King of Pentacles is both a nod to giving more attention to everyday Earthly matters (Malkuth), and that I need to listen to more Sabbath; kinda slacking off lately.

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Deafheaven - Magnolia

 

So much music unfurled while I was doing David Lynch week and then in Chicago for three days. Shit, I haven't even mentioned the Frank Black Teenager of the Year 30th Anniversary I attended yet. I'll get to all that, but first - holy smokes! I'll tell you that, while I LOVE Infinite Granite, I was hoping that would prove a detour. I don't need the Deafheaven to only play brutal music, but to me, the mix they achieve on Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is perfect. Regardless of what we get on Lonely People With Power, out March 28th (pre-order HERE), "Magnolia" fills me with faith that, as my cousin Charles' friend Dave predicted, the band made Infinite Granite for them, and it had nothing to do with their overall ambitions/directions. 




NCBD:


This is a new Rick Remender book. I've missed out on the last few he's released; hell, I've actually not read anything he's done since A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance, so I'm due. I tried the first issue of a few series since then and didn't really 'feel it,' so here's hoping The Seasons moves the needle.


Published through Remender's Giant Generator, I grabbed the first issue of Dust to Dust and dug it, so I'm coming back for more. Unfortunately, this Diamond bankruptcy is killing my shop, and I've already heard this is outstanding, much the same as the latest issue of What's the Furthest Place From Here has been for weeks now. 


Also confirmed as delayed due to Diamond's BS. I'm still really on the fence with Mark Spears' Monsters, but I figure I'll round out the first four-issue arc and reassess after. 


This is one I'll need a full re-read on once it's all out, but I've been enjoying the hell out of this second Last Ronin series. I've said it here before, but the dystopian Frank Miller-isms of this series really scratch an itch. An itch for when Frank Miller wasn't a douche bag. 


This cover is the stuff from which dreams are made. 




Watch:

I caught the trailer for Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk's Hell of a Summer on the big screen last week, and it kinda blew me away. 


Yeah, it's more throwback, but I don't care. This looks fantastic.



Playlist:

Moon Wizard - Sirens
The Veils - Asphodels
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Nothing - Guilty of Everything 




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Remember your Art (XIV in Thoth) when bogged down in Earthly matters. Enlightenment lies in balancing the two. 

Friday, January 24, 2025

The Jesus Lizard's Yellowjacket's Season Three Trailer

Another new stand-alone track from The Jesus Lizard? Holy smokes - something's brewing.  




Watch:

Yellowjackets season three is right around the corner, and we have a new trailer! One I almost didn't post because of their choice of music - come on folks, do we really want to bring back the 00s trailer trope of using *ahem* drowning pool's let the bodies hit the floor? 


Very excited. Apparently, a lot of folks thought the second season dried the show out. I did not. Aside from the heartbreaking death I wish didn't happen (but 100% applaud the creators for having the stones to do so), I haven't a single complaint. 




Playlist:

Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks Season Two OST
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
Bohren and der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission
Zeal & Ardor - GREIF
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Nothing - The Great Dismal
The Cactus Blossoms - Every Time I Think About You




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Seven of Cups
• IV: The Emperor
• Page of Swords

Emotional stakes at the hands of perceived oppressors trigger impetuous reactions. Don't give in to the pull of chaos. Breathe.

Very fitting for multiple reasons, some having to do with work, others the point that the main character in Black Gloves & Broken Hearts actually uses a mantra I learned from my good friend Missi.

"Just. Breathe."