You can grab this and a bunch of other Ten Athlone goodness directly from their site HERE.
From the Street Trash E.P. by Ten Athlone.
Watch:
Ryan Kruger's Street Trash is, indeed, fantastic. In fact, it's jumped the top ten line and landed somewhere in the center. It's goopy, gory, bombastic and a lot of fun. Also, the characters are fantastic!
I really can't say enough good things about this one. It's true to the 80s Exploitation roots, not over-done production-wise, walking a line between bare bones and full-bore, which is great. It leads to fantastic practical FX right in line with the original and a very DIY underbelly that endears the film and its characters to you even more.
Ryan Kruger's Street Trash is a $4.99 rental on Prime at the moment. If you're a fan of Pschyo Goreman and/or Hobo with a Shotgun, definitely give it a try. If you don't know either of those films but you want to get your weird on, this will do nicely.
Read:
My reading has been sporadic at best of late, but I've failed to post about it here. After blowing through Laird Barron's new collection, Not A Speck of Light (from Badhand Books HERE), I side-stepped directly back into his previous collection, 2016's Swift to Chase.
Barron's work brings out the obsessive in me, and I'm reading these stories with the Laird Barron Mapping Project never more than a click or swipe away. There are all kinds of weird connections I've felt the edges of previously but not fully grasped. Also, somehow I never really understood the concept that some of the stories take place in what is called Barron's Antiquity Universe, so I'm gearing up to read all of those in a row soon. But first...
As I finish the last few pages of Swift's final story Tomahawk Park Survivors Raffle, I'm also about halfway through Ivy Tholen's new Slasher novel Mother Dear:
Once again taking place in the town of Belldam, Texas, Mother Dear is rife with the kind of under-the-radar social commentary I've come to expect from Ivy's books. The characters - while unlikeable - are so perfectly engineered that they feel like archetypes and actual people I know all at the same time. The opening death is magnificent, and the insidious manner these spoiled, rich folks burrow into my brain via their "first world, 1% problems" reminds me a bit of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho in approach, if not actual execution.
Playlist:
John Carpenter - Lost Themes IV: Noir
Ghostland Observatory - Sad Sad City (single)
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Blood Lust
Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Card:
Today's card is XII: The Hanged Man.
My big take away with this card has always been Four points over one, or reason triumphs over spirituality. Dark ages begin or dreams tripped up by rational thought. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, and I think this card is especially dependent on those around it in a pull.
In his The Book of Thoth, Crowley writes extensively about this card. A lot of it is the usual impenetrable associations to Elemental forces, initiation, and Astrological forces. One idea that stands out is sacrifice, but not just standard sacrifice. Sacrifice as a form of Baptism or Death. This is, after all, the card of the "Dying God."
It'd been a while since I'd seen a clip of Ghostland Observatory playing in the drums/guitar combination; thought I'd share, seeing as their music has slipped back into my rotation.
NCBD:
Let's talk about yesterday's pull. Started out, I thought this would be a light week. As often occurs, though, I came home with more than I bargained for:
GIJOE: ARAH has the oddest publication schedule! Every so many months, it takes an extra month off between issues. Not really a complaint so much as an observation; I still haven't actually put this on my pull list, so my interest buoys at best. Still, with Larry Hama at the helm, despite the 200 issues I missed, I'm enjoying reconnecting with this one, especially in the midst of this "Battle for Springfield" total clusterfuck storyline. Allegiances shift, enemies become allies, and this issue set us up for a Destro vs. Serpentor Khan mano y mano next issue - bring it on!
First issue picking Oni Press's EC Comics Epitaphs From the Abyss up monthly. Loved the series so far, figured I'd stay on for a while. Another I haven't actually added to my Pull, so I might have to do that tonight.
Loved the first issue of this. Notice how Batman on the cover looks an awful lot like Keaton's Batman from 1989. Interesting. I've talked about this one a bit on Drinking with Comics and The Horror Vision - maybe my cohost is just rubbing off on me, but it's so nice to have short, left-of-center Batman stories to read here and there. Also, I'm sure at some point Bruce has squared off with some kind of Lycanthrope before, but this is the first time I've seen it and so far, kinda fantastic.
Speaking of the Dark Knight...
I finally got my hands on a copy of Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer's The Bat-Man in First Knight issue #2. I had grabbed the first off the shelf back in March and dug it, however, this one slid right off my radar after that and it wasn't until last month when I visited my Chicago shop that I located issue three. But what the hell can you do with the first and last of a three-issue series? So it was with great excitement I saw issue 2 on the shelf at Rick's yesterday. Can't wait to read this entire series. Batman in the 30s, no tech, pure detective. Very cool.
Next, and I had no idea this was a thing until I saw it on the stands...
Rebekah and David Ian McKendry have a comic from Dark Horse? I grabbed this after seeing their names and I can tell you, this might be my favorite first issue of the year. Really cool story that has all the markings of a great cult film but in comic form. Here's the solicitation blurb from League of Comic Geeks:
"At the center of the Mojave Desert, at the crossroads between hell and gone, lies Barstow.
Agent Miranda Diaz is in this godforsaken land on the trail of a missing agent. He's a man she's never met, and yet her name was the only clue he left behind. Something dark... something demonic... lurks beneath this oddball town, but can Miranda unravel the mystery before all hell breaks loose?"
As good as that sounds, I don't think it quite does the book justice. This reminds me a bit of David Lapham's Lodger and a bit of Alex Cox's Repo Man construction-wise. Really interesting, and I'm dying to see where it goes.
Finally, I'd forgotten about Mark Spear's Monsters entirely until I saw issue two on the shelf last night:
I haven't had a chance to read this one yet, and honestly, the first issue came out back in September, so I should probably one-two them, however, the art continues to baffle and astound me.
Watch:
Not sure how I neglected to post this one here yet, but I am really looking forward to Ryan Kruger's Street Trash!
This is up as a rental on Prime for $4.99, and I'm aiming to sit down with it before the week's out. One of my most eagerly anticipated films this year.
Playlist:
Ghostland Observatory - Paparazzi Lightning
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Drug Church - Prude
Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Sepultura - Lookaway (single)
60 Songs That Explain the 90s - "What's Up" 4 Non Blondes
4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
Zombi - Shape Shift
Deafheaven - 10 Years Gone
Opeth - My Arms Your Hearse
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
From sElf's 1999 masterpiece Breakfast with Girls, which has been in regular rotation at our house of late. Driving back from Chicago today. Saw Deafheaven and Interpol last night. My first time at Salt Shed. Pretty nice venue (I wasn't in love with Deafheaven's sound). Tired A.F. Probably start the drive with this one.
New music from The Jesus Lizard! This non-album single follows in the wake of this year's Rack, the band's first album in 26 years. Hoping for an E.P.
Watch:
I continued Noirvember last night with my first-time viewing of Jules Dassin's 1948 TheNaked City.
I have to say, this eventually won me over, but I didn't love it. I think the expectation set by notoriety and my previous obsession with the John Zorn album may have led me to believe this would be something more than it is. Darker. Also, it doesn't help that this is essentially the template for all of the Bug Bunny cartoon Noir trope lampoons, from Muldoon down to the narrator. Still, as the story evolves, it grows more endearing. Released four years after Double Indemnity, though, I was expecting sharper teeth.
Playlist:
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Nell' ora blu
The Jesus Lizard - Rack
Antibalas - Where the Gods Are in Peace
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Moon Wizard - Sirens
PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
This past Wednesday, Godflesh's seminal album Streetcleaner turned 35! That's three-and-a-half decades since this blistering slab was released upon an unsuspecting world.
Watch:
Last night, I showed K Fabrice Du Welz's 2008 film Vinyan. Homework for an upcoming episode of The Horror Vision Presents: Elements of Horror.
This is a favorite from the 00s, a film I own on DVD but haven't watched in quite some time. I think I originally saw this via Netflix back in the USPS days, immediately purchased a copy, rewatched, then did not watch again until a viewing in 2021 that I have no memory of (but posted about HERE. THIS is why I maintain this site!). Regardless, the film has stayed with me quite clearly ever since; it's a haunting journey into loss and madness, and Rupert Sewell and Emmanuelle Béart give powerful performances that really drive home the horror of their situation - which keeps getting worse. Basic synopsis from IMDB
"A couple are looking for their child who was lost in the tsunami - their search takes them to the dangerous Thai-Burmese waters, and then into the jungle, where they face unknown but horrifying dangers."
Even without children, the setup strikes me as particularly horrific, but when you add in the 'we're in over our heads and probably in terrible danger" of the approach the characters take, contracting local gangsters to take them into Burma, the tension continually increases.
Playlist:
The Cure - Songs Of a Lost World
Neon Nightmare - Faded Dream
Godflesh - For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Feel the Knife - So Raw... So Nasty... So Hideous
Dreamkid - All Thriller, No Filler
Dreamkid - Daggers
Frankie & The Witch Fingers - Data Doom
Godflesh - Streetcleaner
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
The High Confessions - Turning Lead Into Gold with the High Confessions
USSA - The Spoils
Self - Breakfast with Girls
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Vol. 1
Card:
Today's card is the Ten of Wands, affectionately dubbed "Oppression" by Mr. Crowley.
First, I finally made a list to keep track of what cards I'm using for the study. As I suspected, looking back at the entries since I began this at the beginning of August, I've retread several cards multiple times. My next post will examine what that might be trying to instill in me, for today, we'll just continue on the current course.
The Ten of Wands is an easy card in my head - Tens are the association of Malkuth, the Earthly plane. So we are oppressed by the physical realm, whether that means the limitations of our bodies, our money or lack thereof, whatever.
Let's take it a bit deeper, though.
In The Book of Thoth, Crowley goes on about all kinds of things I don't give a toss about feeding into my interpretation. One thing that hits home, though, is this:
"It is a Will which has not understood anything beyond its dull purpose, its "lust of result," and will devour itself in the conflagrations it has evoked."
Maybe we didn't need that entire quote because the idea I want to hone in on is the "lust of result." Anyone who has studied Chaos Magick knows this as the enemy. Whatever you want to achieve, your lust of result will get in the way. This to me, fits in perfectly with the idea I set out above, the kind of 'shackled by Malkuth," because what is that lust of result if not Malkuth exerting itself upon us?
I had never heard of Glass Beams before the incomparable KEXP put them in my feed. Kind of akin to Thievery Corporation's The Mirror Conspiracy if Spoon wrote it. Check out their Bandcamp HERE. Also, I have to say if you're not following KEXP on YouTube, you're missing out.
Watch:
I caught the trailer for Heart Eyes before Smile 2, and I'm definitely giving this one a chance.
Love that f*cking mask!
NCBD:
Light week this week.
Astrotrain! I love how they've made this character a big deal in the Energon Universe and I'm curious how he ties into the second part of the Starscream's origin arc.
I have to say, I am far less excited about this than I thought I'd be. Still, I'm sure good things are coming that I just can't quite see at the moment.
Playlist:
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
Oranssi Pazuzu - Live at Roadburn 2017
Oranssit Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi
Ministry - HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
FACS - Still Life in Decay
Mr. Bungle - California
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Yesterday would have been Ennio Morricone's 95th birthday. Sadly, the legend left us back in 2020, but here at the onset of Noirvember, I couldn't pass up posting the title theme from his score for Sergio Sollima's 1970 Città Violenta, AKA Violent City.
Watch:
So yeah, I have so much fun with 31 Days of Horror every year that I've decided to pick up on another month-long theme for viewing. That's right - Noirvember is officially underway!
This is the first time I remember hearing about this one, courtesy of an article on Bloody Disgusting last week. It sounds perfect for the early darkness of November (which is totally f**king with me this year, for some reason). We kicked this off last Friday night with a screening of The Cohen Brothers' stunning debut, Blood Simple!
I love this film. So stark, brutal and just dark, man. DARK! Every performance is a gem; so many little Cohen Brothers flourishes help endear this one. Perfect example - the incinerator out back of Julian's bar. I would argue this is as much a Horror film as it is Noir, but there's no need to argue because no matter how you classify Blood Simple, it's a powerhouse and a classic, perfect for kicking off Noirvember! (Also, I love how much this poster reminds me of my favorite poster for Lucio Fulci's House By the Cemetery).
Next up, Billy Wilder's 1944 seminal classic Double Indemnity!
Nothing I can say about this film that hasn't been said a million times by people far smarter than me. A masterpiece and seminal Noir that sits right up alongside Sunset Blvd. Stanwyck really brings it; she's seductive, cold and evil. And MacMurray - it's hard to believe he was largely known for comedies up to this point. He's just perfect (if a skosh overcooked). Plus, Edward G. Robinson as Keyes - one of my favorite characters in film history.
Doc:
I absolutely love Drug Church's new record, Prude, so when a short making-of documentary popped up in my YouTube feed, I cracked a beer and hit play.
Prud is a serious contender for my favorite album of the year, and although I only recently learned that Patrick Kindlon - who I was familiar with from writing comics - is also the singer of the group, I know very little else. Sometimes, learning anything about a band is a bad thing. With Drug Church, however, you can just tell by their lyrics that these guys walk it like they talk it. And filmmaker Dookie Meno did a helluva a job with this. Highly recommended.
Playlist:
The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
Melvins - Tarantula Heart
Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Data Doom
Dreamkid - Chrissy (single)
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
Morphine - The Night
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust
The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
Swans - The Seer
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot!
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
John Carpenter - Lost Themes IV: Noir
Card:
Today's card:
From the Grimoire:
"Break the cycle! Pattern interrupt (is) a definite counter to this card's presence. Physically write down the object/cause of anxiety."
That's a HUGE part of this card for me. It's not just a meaning; it's a tactic. Not a lot of how I have learned to interpret the Tarot gets that pragmatic, but I'd like to get there. Beyond that, in The Book of Thoth, Crowley says, "instability in the very foundations of Matter. This reminds us of the 'intense strain' of physical existence.
