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June 30, 2005

The Parapolitics Journal

The esteemed british politics/parapolitics/"conspiracy" zine Lobster, has its 49th (Summer 2005) issue out. Robin Ramsay has been editing the mag outta his front room in Hull since 1983.

This latest issue has:

-- The Malcolm Kennedy case, by Jane Affleck

-- More election-rigging, by Garrick Alder

-- Michael Ledeen, Wolfowitz and the BAP, by Tom Easton

-- Re: ricin "plot", CIA, mercenaries, Iraq, open government, the Inquiries Bill, by Terry Hanstock

-- Jim Callaghan; the life and times of Solomon Binding, by Simon Matthews

-- Historical notes: Wilson and devaluation, 1964, by Scott Newton

-- On academics and the BNP, by Larry O'Hara

-- Fixing the Europe referendum; the US creation of "people power"; is the European "third way" fascist, by Tim Pendry

-- Iraq, Paul Foot and Lobster, by Robin Ramsay

-- PR, "persuasion" and the death of Nicola Calipari, by Corinne Souza

-- Book reviews

Robin Ramsay is also the author of the books: Conspiracy Theories, Who Shot JFK? and The Rise of New Labour, and co-author of Smear! Wilson and the Secret State.

13:29

June 26, 2005

Charlie don't surf -- but he has new records out!

Charles Manson (70) is still putting out records. He has about as many CDs on the market as Marilyn Manson, if you start counting. His latest one is called "One Mind", recorded in jail. The same label also sells "All The Way Alive" which is the remainder of his debut 1967 sessions that was not included on the "Unplugged" CD a few years back.

District Attorney Stephen Kay has retired, but Susan Atkins still didn't get parole on June 1st. Squeaky is up for a hearing in July. Sharon Tate's dad, Col. Paul Tate, passed away May 18th.

A set of knives that used to belong to Blue & Red around the time of the Ford assassination attempt are being auctioned off.

Get CM t-shirts, shorts and other merchandise from http://satanssideshow.com.

Recent dvd releases:

"Helter Skelter" tv film orig. 1976 version
"Helter Skelter" new 2004 tv film
Jim Van Bebber's "The Manson Family" unrated double disc

Adam Gorightly's collection of links at MansonMythos.

Peter Levenda, author of "Unholy Alliance" promises to reveal "the Twentieth Century mind-control experiments, the obfuscations surrounding UFOs, and Manson, and Sirhan, and November 22 in Dallas ..." in his 3 volume set of books "Sinister Forces". The dark shadows of Sidney Gottlieb and MK-Ultra looms large, as they also do in today's wartime interrogation techniques in Iraq and Guantanamo, as revealed in Jon Ronson's book "The Men Who Stare at Goats".

17:43

June 25, 2005

Mucho overrated stuff ... and picking up dirt from the street

Volume Two in Chunklet's series of the pretentious and overrated has been launched. It's like a 140 page book, and covers a lot of ground, almost too much. Like a 1000 unrelated overrated things, Mike Patton (you can't fool all the people all of the time...), overrated cover art, drummers (here they choose to shit all over Moe Tucker, whom I consider to be rock'n'roll's greatest drummer ever. Simple and effective. But opinions are like assholes ... stinky and full of shit.), cult filmmakers, cities, actors -- you name it.

The longest piece is reviews of hugely overrated but often terminally hip records. Ya know, utter shite like Beastie Boys "Ill Communication", Nick Cave's "The Boatman's Call", Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, Hole, Metallica's "St. Anger", My Bloody Valentine: "Loveless", Pearl Jam: "Ten", Radiohead: "OK Computer", RHCP: "BloodSugarSexMagick" et.c. Of course they also butcher a handful of records I like, but in an entertaining way. After all, it is possible to enjoy stuff while knowing it sucks in a multitude of different ways, like italian zombie movies.

Also, check out DIRTY FOUND, a special issue of the genius mag Found. Every issue is just notes and photos found in the street and mailed in by people. The dirty issue is of course all sexually related finds. Fairly embarrassing but sometimes very entertaining writings, photos and drawings, all anonymized whenever necessary, but some people might recognize their own and/or friends' weeners or muffins ...

19:22

June 22, 2005

Shock Cinema strikes again

The brand new issue of the cult film zine Shock Cinema, #28, has 6 interviews, pretty good for a zine that until a couple years ago ran no interviews at all, only reviews of obscure films. There are plenty of those as well, incl. a bit on the norwegian comedy "The Man Who Couldn't Laugh"(1968), starring Rolv Wesenlund. I don't think this one's subtitled, like the dope-film "Heaven & Hell" (reviewed in #27) but it doesn't matter, as it's mostly sight gags, meta-jokes (the film snaps...) and Pythonesque tricks (the man pops into some hole in the ground and comes out somewhere .. eh .. completely different.)

The i/v's are with the weird looking but effective character actor Clint Howard (brother of director Ron), director Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo), stuntman/actor Bob Minor (Foxy Brown, Coffy), director/producer Sig Shore (Superfly), producer Richard Rubinstein (both the old and new "Dawn of the Dead") and his brother, the composer Donald Rubinstein.

Also out now is the 100th issue of the UK mondo weirdness magazine BIZARRE. They look back on what's been up in the previous years, so it's a huge potpurri of dwarves, freaks, disease, death, fetishes and general misshapen-ness. Great intro if you have managed to avoid the mag so far.

00:17

June 12, 2005

Look back on Anger

While waiting for his films to be released on dvd, Kenneth Anger fans can feast their eyes upon the recent book by Alice Hutchison, simply titled "Kenneth Anger". It's a large format, 256 page book with many beautiful color stills carefully selected in co-operation with Anger himself.

This being the first fully authorized book on Anger, you will not find the same scandalous stories that you've already read in Bill Landis' very entertaining biography "Anger", a book that gives Anger much the same treatment that he did his subjects in the "Hollywood Babylon" books. Hutchison's book gives a wealth of details on all his groundbreaking films, including lost and unfinished ones, and puts them in the cultural context of the times they were made. Somewhat daringly the book announced several new films to be finished by 2004. We know now that this didn't happen, and no one's surprised, as Anger has not released any new works since "Lucifer Rising" in 1980.

The latest news on Anger is that he attacked a desk clerk at his residence, and subsequently got arrested on May 26th.

Another, smaller book on Anger is Vol. 1 in Creation's "Persistence of Vision" series: "Moonchild".

Also, any fans of Anger should get the new official "Lucifer Rising" soundtrack CD, that comes with liner notes by Michael Moynihan and many extra tracks by Bobby Beausoleil's bands The Orkustra and The Magick Powerhouse of Oz.

Anger profile.

Review of
Beausoleil soundtrack.

on Jimmy Page's version of the soundtrack.

20:48

June 11, 2005

Zine roundup

The mega zine boom of the 90's is over, and most titles have disappeared as printed entities. Some may still be present on the web. A few titles are still published in paper form, although several years may pass between each issue.

Among many zine fanatics' favourite is Johnny Marr's (no, not the Smiths dude...) MURDER CAN BE FUN, now out with #19, a "Musical Mayhem" issue. Get back issues from Marr himself, or order a bunch from Atomic Books. #19's centerpiece is an article on the fascinating and murderous swing star Spade Cooley, who beat his wife to death. Complete with shopping tips for Cooley CDs. Fanatical teenage fandom is tackled in "Dying for David Cassidy". Also: The rise and fall of The Band, jazz singer Frank Rosolino who shot his kids and himself, and a look at the christian backward masking hysteria from 1966 thru 88. Recommended for fans of black humour and the macabre.

Another rarely produced, unique item is Sean Tejaratchi's CRAP HOUND, a series of clip art collections published in the 90's. They are now coming back thru readingfrenzy.com, as copies from the original print run fetch about ten times the cover price. First #5, originally from '97. Wonderful b&w collages of Hands, Hearts and Eyes. You may never use any of this art for anything, but the mag is a great piece of art in itself. He's working on a new issue (#7) of "Church and State", and there are plans to reprint #2&3 (Sex & Kitchen Gadgets), #4 (Clowns, Devils & Bait) and the classic #6 (Death, Telephones and Scissors). Words can not do Crap Hound justice. You have to see for yourself.

Yet another zine that has come and gone a lot since the early 90's is BRUTARIAN, also available from Atomic. The latest, #43(!!!) has good interviews with Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) and Ed Sanders (author of "The Family" and member of The Fugs). Also a bunch of reviews of other zines, wherein they say nice things about my Bo Vibenius i/v in Cinema Sewer. And film and music reviews and a load of fiction stories I'll probably never read or comment upon. (#44 is also out now, with Larry Buchanan, The Roolettes, Diamanda Galas, The Incredible String Band, plus reviews, movies, books, music and more.)

21:26

June 10, 2005

Film fallout

The very sporadically published but excellent film zine Cashiers Du Cinemart has a new issue out (#14). Contents this time around is "The 50 Best Modern Midnight Movies", Black Shampoo Reunion: Interview w/John Daniels and Greydon Clark of Black Shampoo semi-fame, Toronto Film Festival, interview with low budget director and comic book artist John M. McCarthy, Jodorowsky, Shock Treatment, Mishima, Shuji Terayama, Patrice Rohmer, Catwoman, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Change of Mind, the super obscure, ultra low budget student film Wizard of Speed and Time, Supersize Me, author John D. MacDonald, The Ultimate Film Fanatic, jury duty, Star Wars auditions, and shitloads of reviews of music, books and movies.

The magazine's editor Mike White is strongly critical of Hollywood hype, fiercely opinionated and the mag certainly has a voice and identity all its own. Strongly recommended, but beware that this beast takes years to read!

More traditionally orientated cult film fans who like gore could do worse than to pick up the latest issue (#6) of Ultra Violent. Interviews with Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust, Carnivorous), Hideshi Hino (Guinea Pig!), Don Edmonds (Ilsa - She Wolf), Mariano Baino, Mike Mendez and Gorman Bechard.

Also: Something Weird Video (great i/v with founder Mike Vraney), Nunsploitation films, obscure Brazilian treats and 15 pages of reviews. Well above average standard for this sort of publication.

To keep an eye on movie mags, from the insane and obscure to the relatively mainstream, check out The Site of Movie Magazines.

16:40



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