H     W    E    B    L    O    G  

 
August 31, 2005

Boyd Rice moves and shakes ... and stirs

Boyd Rice is in the process of remodeling a bar in Denver into a TIKI BAR. It had to happen. There's also a new "Boyd Rice Presents" CD out on the Discriminate Audio label. This time it's "The Very Best of Little Fyodor's Greatest Hits!"

Next year, Creation Books will publish a book on Rice's life and work by Brian Clark of Unpop Art fame.

Boyd Rice's article "The Holy Land Experience" appears in the latest issue of BIZARRE Magazine (#103).

13:08

August 28, 2005

Zombie and Zombies

Rob Zombie's follow-up to "1000 Corpses" is a high speed, ultra violent 70's horror tribute pastiche called "The Devil's Rejects". The movie looks great, has fantastic use of 70's rock music, and Zombie's wife Sheri Moon Zombie shows her asscrack a lot. And I mean A LOT.

There are face-skinning Chainsaw-like scenes and a body count that almost includes every single person in the film. Also starring Sid Haig (as Captain Spaulding), Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman (Hills Have Eyes) and William Forsythe. And Ken Foree, who was in the original "Dawn of the Dead" and the 2004 remake. Cameos by Mary Woronow, Ginger Lynn Allen and Steve Railsback (Helter Skelter, Ed Gein). Strongly recommended. But don't just take it from me:

"The family that slays together... stays together. If you like movies about redneck psycho serial killer families and don't mind a LOT of profanity, this is for you."
-- Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, THEMOVIECHICKS.COM

Official site: www.thedevilsrejects.com

Reviews at rottentomatoes.com

imdb: www.imdb.com/title/tt0395584

Cool merch: www.halloweentownstore.com

Another long awaited summer horror release was George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead", returning with a 4th part of his zombie trilogy 19 years after "Day of the Dead". The film is somewhat lacklustre and slow, but still better than most shit out there. So check it out.

Official site: www.landofthedeadmovie.net

Reviews at rottentomatoes.com

imdb: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/

18:10

August 24, 2005

Psychoactive Plants & Heathen Art

This just in from Dominion:

An incredible new reference work:

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications By Christian Rätsch. Foreword by Albert Hofmann. Translated by John R. Baker, with assistance from Annabel Lee and Cornelia Ballent. ISBN: 0-89281-978-2

Hardcover, 944 pages; 8.50 (width) x 11.00 (height). 797 color photographs and 645 b&w illustrations. Park Street Press, $125.00

The most comprehensive guide to the botany, history, distribution, and cultivation of all known psychoactive plants.

In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants -- those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness -- have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In "The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants" Christian Rätsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artifacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them.

The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives -- such as cannabis, datura, and papaver -- then presents 133 lesser known substances as well as additional plants known as “legal highs,” plants known only from mythological contexts and literature, and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca, incense, and soma.

The text is lavishly illustrated with 800 color photographs -- many of which are from the author’s extensive fieldwork around the world -- showing the people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world’s sacred psychoactives.

Christian Rätsch, Ph.D., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants. He is the author of Marijuana Medicine and coauthor of Plants of the Gods, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas, and Witchcraft Medicine. He lives in Hamburg, Germany, and lectures around the world.

Note: this book can be obtained for a considerable discount if bought through Amazon

An exhibit of "Heathen Art" opens in Portland, Ore., this week and will remain up until late September. Among many other interesting things, the show features two paintings by Michael Moynihan. Some further information on the artists and the show itself can be found at the link below.

HEATHEN ART Group Show

Madeline von Foerster, Michael Moynihan, Markus Wolff, Robert N. Taylor, Nicholas Tesluk, Bobby Beausoleil, Dennis Dread, Scott Rautmann, Jason Hovatter Craban, White Hart Forge, Juleigh & Dave Hobson, Uwe Nolte (Germany), Roberto A. Jaras L. (Chile)

Opening Thursday, August 25th, 2005, 6-10 pm. Optic Nerve Arts, 1829 NE Alberta, Suite 11, Portland, Oregon. 503-287-0339

More information about the artists can be found on the Optic Nerve Arts website: http://www.opticnervearts.com/upcoming.html

And down the same street a few blocks, a related concert will take place the night after the opening:

The legendary Folk Noir duo CHANGES, making their first West Coast appearance ... Changes rose out of the occult/satanic underground of the late 60s and early 70s. They reformed in the mid-90s and have since released three full-length albums. They can rightly be called important precursors to the Apocalyptic Folk and Wyrd / Psych-Folk revivals.

Changes website: http://www.nmia.com/~thermite

Supported by a special WALDTEUFEL performance, who will present 4 songs from the upcoming "Sanguis" 12" on Beta-Lactam Ring Records. All in the warm and intimate environs of a Portland pub.

CHANGES + WALDTEUFEL: Friday, August 26th, 2005, 21+, $9. Alberta Street Public House, 1036 NE Alberta, Portland, Oregon. 503-284-7665. For advance tickets, contact: dagaz@spiritone.com

17:36

August 20, 2005

They're going to eat you!

Italian cannibal and zombie movies are a strange breed. They're the bastard sons of the animal mutilating italian mondo documentary genre and the fallout from the success of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", released as "Zombi" in Italy, thus spawning fake sequels named "Zombi 2" (aka "Zombie Flesheaters"), "Zombi 3" et.c. There's only one book on this gut-munching, brain-eating, live-worm-infested genre: "EATEN ALIVE! -- Italian Cannibal and Zombie Movies" (Plexus, 2002, 256 pages.), edited by Jay Slater.

This book tries to take on all films within the title's definition, even including "Dawn of the Dead", as it was co-produced by Dario Argento and released in a different, italian cut.

The book suffers from including a wide variety of writers with sometimes very differing views on the ethics and aesthetics of this whole mess. Animal rights activists may not enjoy the animal torture in "Cannibal Holocaust", but there's no denying that the film still is a wholly alien, unique and creepy piece of work, with an original film-within-a-film structure later copied in "Blair Witch Project". To rectify the problem of different views, some films are reviewed by two writers. The book is fully illustrated, with a color section in the middle. I'd recommend the book because it's the only one on the subject, and it gives a nice overview of the films made, so fans can seek out titles they haven't seen.

Important titles in the genres:

Cannibal Holocaust / Cannibal Ferox / Deep River Savages / Last Cannibal World / Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals / The Mountain of the Cannibal God / Zombie Flesheaters / Eaten Alive! / Zombie Holocaust / Cannibal Apocalypse / Anthropophagous the Beast / Nightmare City / Porno Holocaust / The Beyond / Zombie Creeping Flesh / Demons

12:40

August 18, 2005

Jandek on Corwood on stage!

I just saw the dvd of the intriguing documentary "Jandek on Corwood", about the elusive, shadowy "outsider music" artist Jandek. Jandek lives in Houston, Texas and has released 42 albums of weirdly tuned, seemingly stream-of-consciousness guitar playing, with depressing mumbling on top. Starting in 1978 it was all vinyl, but all albums are now available on CD. All released on his own label, Corwood Industries. No press releases. No communication besides the actual records.

He gave a phone interview to John Trubee of The Ugly Janitors of America in 1985. Since then, complete silence. Astonishingly, this incredibly secretive artist started to play gigs last year, even overseas, and is following it up with even more this year. All the gigs have been with a set of additional musicians, and this seems to have given his introspective meanderings a little more flesh on the bone. A live cd from Glasgow is already out, and a dvd is planned.

Check out these sites for more info on the riddle of Jandek.

The film's site at www.jandekoncorwood.com

Review and i/v at http://earcandy_mag.tripod.com

Review on www.filmswelike.com

A Guide to Jandek at http://tisue.net/jandek, with full discography, live reviews and live photos!

Jandek article by Irwin Chusid

Mystery Man: Jandek by Douglas Wolk

15:43



This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?