Tuesday, October 27, 2009

More fun for All Hallow's Eve

There is absolutely no doubt I will be playing this song for the Halloween Obscuro! special:



Now that I have a better idea of what this special evening will entail, it pleases me to give some more information:

Tune in to WIDR FM this Thursday night from midnight til 2 am for Bizarro Jerry's Devil's Night Spectacular. Aside from the prerequisite Halloween novelties, the show will feature clips from numerous horror films, frightening metal music, atmospheric horror film scores, gothic shit, serial killers singing, and of course, The Misfits. Don't call and request "The Monster Mash" because that shit's gay and I won't play it.

To conclude the mid-week post, here's a list of 5 horror films that will be getting some serious play while kids bang on my door expecting candy and don't get any.

1. Basket Case, 1982
The original low-budget bloodbath. This came before the onslaught of similar Troma films. A dude helps his deformed siamese-twin brother kill people and then get their revenge on the doctors who separated them. Aside from the obvious hilarity that ensues, this movie is really gritty and cool-looking.

2. 976-Evil, 1988
The only horror film directed by Robert "Freddie Kruger" Englund (well, until 2008's "Killer Pad")....and I wonder why? The plot is pretty stupid (an automated telephone 'horror-scope' machine becomes possessed by the devil and gives people evil power...but if they start to have second thoughts, the power starts attacking them through payphones and shit like that) but it's got some funny characters and scenes, some really stereotypical 80's bullies (everyone loves those!) and not a single appearance by the man himself. "That's what the plastic's for, asshole!"

3. Phantasm, 1979
A classic in the genre of 'little kid heroes' horror films. Young kid has to save his brother (and the whole town) from a crazy undertaker known as the Tall Man who is turning corpses into weird midgets and having them work in his alternate universe. Don Coscarelli is the king of turning fucked-up storylines like that into serious films (for reference, see "Bubba Ho Tep.")

4. The Dentist, 1996
This is a really stupid movie. Seriously. A dentist who's not actually a dentist (he just wants to be like his father) goes around hurting 'patients.' I don't really remember the plot too much, just that it's really bloody and has some good one-liners. Shitty movie = get stoned.

5. Redneck Zombies, 1987
Filmed entirely on an 8mm video camera, this movie is the definition of 'friends making a movie and not caring how it turns out.' Despite the horrible acting and weak plot (dumb rednecks stumble upon a barrel of nuclear waste and mistake it for a 'fancy European' mash still, then become zombies after drinking it and terrorize some campers) this film has fantastic gore effects. It's surprising how realistic this stuff is considering the budget (or lack thereof), and some of it is downright stomach-turning. Plus, the music written for the film is terrible and hilarious.

Enjoy the rest of the week, and check out some Obscuro! podcasts if ya want.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Playlist for 10-23-09...pretty damn good show!

Yup...put on a pretty fine show last night...a wide variety of strangeness, and some pre-Halloween fun. You can download the podcast here, and I strongly recommend it. Here is said playlist:

Oct 23 - 1:52 AMAfflicted ManGlue SniffingThe Afflicted Man's Musical BagNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:50 AMKrackhouseBurger King TownThe Whole TruthrequesticalYese/d
Oct 23 - 1:47 AMEddie MurrayStepping High DanceSongs in the Key of Z, Vol. 2Noe/d
Oct 23 - 1:45 AMCardiacsThe Obvious IdentityArchive CardiacsNoBizarro Jerrye/d
Oct 23 - 1:41 AMThe Electronic HoleThe Golden Hour IIS/TNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:39 AMWalrusGirl Like YouSongsNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:35 AMOliverGetting FruityStanding StoneNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:32 AMPalmer Rockey?? Who cares, really?Rockey's StyleNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:27 AMDebrisLeisurely WaitingStatic DisposalNoBizarro Jerrye/d
Oct 23 - 1:26 AMAlien CityBetween the Lines (Ruby's Blues)S/TNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:24 AMResidentsLizard LadyDuck Stab/Buster and GlenNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:19 AMLee HazlewoodHey CowboyCowboy in SwedenNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:16 AMChromeSun ControlThe VisitationNoe/d
Oct 23 - 1:07 AMMadrigalStoned FreakoutS/TNoBizarro Jerrye/d
Oct 23 - 1:01 AMSecret Chiefs 3The Electromagnetic AzothLeft Hand of NothingnessrequesticalYese/d
Oct 23 - 12:58 AMThe BachsMinister to a Mind DiseasedOut of the BachsNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:54 AMBill Bissett and th Mandan MassacreTh Book is Insyde Hr HeadAwake in th Red DesertNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:48 AMBarbie and KenNobody Taught MeBarbie and Ken SingNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:45 AMLittle Howlin' WolfE.T. Blues7"s Vol. 1NoBizarro Jerrye/d
Oct 23 - 12:40 AMFrank ZappaIt Just Might Be a One Shot DealWaka/JawakarequesticalYese/d
Oct 23 - 12:36 AMBig StarBig Black CarThird/Sister LoversNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:31 AMSimon FinnBig White CarPass the DistanceNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:24 AMBitter Blood Street TheatreKyrosVol. 1Noe/d
Oct 23 - 12:22 AMEmmanuel DilhacLe Rognon de SilexEntre Ombre et LumiereNoBizarro Jerrye/d
Oct 23 - 12:18 AMGoreChainsaw (Live)Hart Gore/Mean Man's DreamNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:15 AMFrankie LaineThe Cry of the Wild GooseHell Bent for LeatherNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:09 AMOliverCat and the RatStanding StoneNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:03 AMDead Raven ChoirA Rosebud in JuneMy Firstborn Will Surely be BlindNoe/d
Oct 23 - 12:00 AM

Creepy John ThomasThis is My BodyBrother Bat Bone
NoBizarro Jerrye/d

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

'Alternative' soundtrack to your holiday season (Halloween, that is)

Here's a nice little list (complete with listening samples) of some spooky music you can play to freak out your guests/trick-or-treaters this Halloween. It's not your traditional 'ghoulish laughter/church organ' combo, but it'll get the job done.

First, this fucked-up album:
I'm not really sure who Don Bradshaw-Leather is, but this is some pretty wacked out stuff. Kind of like the soundtrack to an imaginary horror film, the music ranges from atmospheric electronic stuff to spacey psychedelic jamming. It's a double-LP, but only has like, 2 songs or something. Here's side one of the first record, aka "The Distance Between Us, Part 1."

Next, we've got some black metal:
Not just any black metal, though; the blackest of ALL metal. That's right--Burzum from Norway. This shit is intense, creepy, and wholly evil. Check out this background info about its one and only member, Varg Vikernes, if you don't believe me. With all the pagan mythology that went into this, it's the perfect soundtrack to fall as a whole. While in prison, Varg recorded some atmospheric synthesizer albums that are actually pretty Halloween-y, but Filosofem is the classic. Check out the song "Jesus' Tod."

Of course, some Residents:Basically any album by this group is going to be creepy, but Duck Stab is where they perfected the creepy electronic pop that makes up about 1/3 of their recorded output. Sure, anybody interested can know who the Residents are nowadays, but they'll always be the eyeball-clad weirdos to me. Listen to "Hello Skinny," one of the creepiest tunes here.

This one's pretty good too:
These fellas and lady are Coven, a mid-60's psychedelic band that slightly resembled Jefferson Airplane. They were also practicing witches and warlocks (those terms are right, I think?) and wrote a lot about that sort of stuff. Their album is called Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls. DEFINITELY Halloween-y, especially the final track which is supposedly a live recording of a Satanic mass. I'll probably save that one for the Halloween show I'm putting on next week...but, here's the tune "Black Sabbath."

And, finally:
What Halloween would be complete without novelty folk tunes about vampires? The one and only Robbie the Werewolf put out this album titled Live at the Waleback in 1964. Apparently this guy was some coffee-shop beatnik and didn't put out another album, but this one's enough anyhow. Some songs are parodies of folk tunes that were popular at the time (i.e. the Kingston Trio, whose tune "Greenback Dollar" was the basis for the song I'm posting here) and some are Robbie's own creations. Regardless, it's all good monster-loving fun. Here's "Vampire Man."

That's it for now. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night (Thursday) from midnight til 2 am for another edition of Obscuro! And of course, tune in next week for the Halloween extravaganza, which will feature spooky music of all kinds.

Here's the Obscuro! podcast page.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Playlist for 10-16-09, featuring guest DJ selections by Matt Wood


Aside from my usual collection of tunes, this show featured cuts by Kalamazoo performers, strange children songs and other weirdness courtesy of Matt Wood, who was 'ghost' hosting the show with me....didn't start doing the 'cutout bin classics' like I promised, but that will begin next week. Anyhow, here's the playlist:

Oct 16 - 1:57 AM Armand Schaubroeck Steals Scene 12 - Mental Breakdown A Lot of People Would Like to See Armand Schaubroeck...DEAD!
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:52 AM Sound Ceremony School S/T
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:49 AM Harry 'the hipster' Gibson Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphey's Ovaltine? Drug Songs 1917-44
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:47 AM Cockadoodledoo and Mother Goose, Too King of Spain S/T
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:46 AM Cockadoodledoo and Mother Goose, Too Crooked Man S/T
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:44 AM Cockadoodledoo and Mother Goose, Too Pussy S/T
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:40 AM John Strand Remembering Laci Laci Peterson Tribute Album
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:36 AM Bobb Trimble Night at the Asylum Iron Curtain Innocence
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:30 AM Fresh Maggots Frustration S/T
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 16 - 1:26 AM The New Creation Yet Still Time Troubled
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:20 AM DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince Twilight Zone ...and in This Corner
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:07 AM Raven Back to Ohio Blues Back to Ohio Blues
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:04 AM Nearl Burris The Sissy Song 45 rpm single
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 1:02 AM Arles Pretty Girl ??
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:58 AM Fifty Foot Hose God Bless the Child Cauldron
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:57 AM The That's Pap Smear S/T
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 16 - 12:53 AM Exuma Damn Fool Exuma II
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:44 AM the tinklers elenor bumpers casserole
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:43 AM the tinklers norman meyer casserole
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:39 AM Jandek The Way That You Act You Walk Alone
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:34 AM Harry Perry Skate Dance ??
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:28 AM Residents Seasoned Greetings Meet the Residents
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:24 AM Aphrodite's Child Altamont 666
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:17 AM Sapat Lovely and Free Mortise and Tenon
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:15 AM Stomach Pains A-Bombs ??
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:11 AM Wild Man Fischer Circle An Evening With...
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 16 - 12:08 AM Bent Bolt and the Nuts Mechanical Man 45 rpm single
No
e/d
Oct 16 - 12:01 AM This Heat Horizontal Hold S/T
No
e/d


You can download this podcast here, and check back in a few days for a mid-week post, probably featuring a download or something. The image at the top is Harry Perry, a California street performer whose music we played on the show.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Mid-week post = Obscuro! Non-obscure mixtape Vol. 1

Instead of trying to find something interesting to post about that's somewhat related to the Obscuro! program, I decided to make a little mixtape of all the things I would like to play on the radio but can't because of my 'rigidly structured' show. As you can tell, a decent chunk of it is more metallic than not, and that's because I listen to a lot of metal. Maybe you'll find something here you like. Anyhow, the tracklist is as follows:

1. Pentagram - Lazylady from "First Daze Here" compilation
2. GG Allin - You Hate Me and I Hate You from "Banned in Boston" compilation
3. KRS-One - Black Cop from "Return of the Boom Bap"
4. Earth and Fire - Wild and Exciting from "Earth and Fire"
5. Sunny Day Real Estate - Rodeo Jones from "LP2"
6. gONNA gET gOT - I'm Tryin' from "My Microphone"
7. Eyehategod - Hit a Girl from "In the Name of Suffering"
8. The Cure - Mr. Pink Eyes from "Join the Dots" compilation
9. Antipop Consortium - Silver Heat from "Arrhythmia"
10. Blue Cheer - Out of Focus from "Vincebus Eruptum"
11. Lemonheads - Clang Bang Clang from "Creator"
12. Esham - 666 from "KKKill the Fetus"
13. The Frogs - La Da Da Da, La Da Da Dee, La Da Da Dum Dum from "Bananimals"
14. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath from "Black Sabbath"
15. Anal Cunt - Being a Cobbler is Dumb from "I Like it When You Die"
16. Down - Hail the Leaf from "NOLA"
17. Acid King - Electric Machine from "Busse Woods"

download this fine compilation here.

check out Obscuro! podcasts here.

Be sure to tune in for the program this Thursday night, midnight til 2. It'll be the first episode in the 'Kutout bin Klassics' series.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Playlist for 10-9-09, featuring Stephen David Heitkotter's album "Heitkotter"

Last Friday's show featured an interesting record indeed. Steve Heitkotter, once a drummer for a late-60's garage band in California called the Roadrunners, cut this album presumably in his basement with a couple other guys. During his time in the aforementioned band, his contributions included incredibly solid drumming and a b-side titled "Pretty Me," which I also played on the program.

That's where the story gets kind of strange: Mr. Heitkotter was apparently institutionalized for some reason I have not been able to uncover very shortly after recording this disc in 1971. So soon after, in fact, that only about 10 copies of this LP even exist. Most of them were sent out to radio stations in California, and probably didn't receive much airplay due to the music contained within.

Upon contacting a knowledgeable source, I was told that Mr. Heitkotter is STILL in the psych ward, and in very bad shape. I was also informed that it would be useless to try and contact him because his family is very against having anything to do with his record, and will not allow it to be re-released (even though offers have been proposed.) All this adds up to a good story, but how is the actual music?

Strange, to say the least. It sounds to me like Mr. Heitkotter's trio consists of two guitars, drums and vocals. He is the drummer, songwriter and vocalist on all tracks, although the two guitarists are unknown (one of them absolutely shreds.) The songs are filled with bizarre rhythms and repeating patterns that imply a certain amount of improvisation--but nobody could have completely improvised shit this intense. The LP is comparable to other releases by troubled musicians (i.e. Skip Spence's idiosyncratic songwriting on "Oar), but literally sounds like nothing else. The vocals provided by Mr. Heitkotter sound to be those of someone who can croon like a motherfucker when he's not completely breaking down.

In other words, despite some disturbing off-key ranting, there are some really interesting melodies here. I dunno; if you like Captain Beefheart or any early 70's experimental stuff, you'll probably get into this.

Get it here. As a bonus, Steve's song from the Roadrunner days is also included.

Or, get the podcast for the entire show.

Playlist:

Oct 09 - 1:57 AM The Spoils of War Now is Made in America S/T
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:53 AM Peter Grudzien White Trash Hillbilly Trick The Unicorn
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:52 AM Dion McGregor The Diet The Night World of Dion McGregor
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 09 - 1:47 AM Randy Holden Fruit and Iceburgs Population II
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:45 AM Jack Starr My Love for You is Petrified Born Petrified
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:40 AM The Roadrunners Pretty Me 45 rpm single
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:26 AM Stephen David Heitkotter Fly Over the Moon Heitkotter
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:20 AM Stephen David Heitkotter Cadillac Woman Heitkotter
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 09 - 1:15 AM Stephen David Heitkotter Quaker, Dog Got Away Heitkotter
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 1:04 AM Stephen David Heitkotter I Don't Mind Heitkotter
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:58 AM Stephen David Heitkotter Hangin' All Night Heitkotter
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:52 AM Mike Rep and the Quotas Steppin Fetchit is Dead Stupor Hiatus
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:50 AM Bob Jacobs The Illustrated Man Songs for a Sideshow of the Mind
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 09 - 12:47 AM Kenneth Higney Night Rider Attic Demonstration
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:44 AM Bob Log III bump pow! bump bump bump bump pow! One Man Band requestical Yes
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:40 AM Gary Wilson Chromium Bitch You Think You Really Know Me
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:35 AM The Strange Twelve Boats Souvenir Album
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:29 AM Kaplan Brothers Happy Nightbird
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:28 AM Vyto B Secret Automatic Vaudeville
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 09 - 12:25 AM Virgin Insanity Thursday Matinee Theme Song (I Got Your Love) The Odometer Suite
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:21 AM Bruce Haack Word Game The Electric Lucifer
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:18 AM Sun City Girls The Flower Torch of the Mystics
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:13 AM Simply Saucer Mole Machine Cyborgs Revisited
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:09 AM Thirsty Moon Rooms Behind Your Mind S/T
No
e/d
Oct 09 - 12:05 AM Bob Vido High Speed Songs in the Key of Z, Vol. 2
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 09 - 12:01 AM Bill Clint Mama I'm a Baby The Crying of a Generation
No
e/d


Next week, I will be ending the inclusion of full-length albums in the show. Instead, I'll be featuring 3-4 cuts off some of my favorite 'Cut-Out Bin Classics.' These are albums that I've purchased from outlet malls or pawn shops for cheap. Often, the same albums will end up in numerous cut-out bins because nobody wants 'em.

Such records include the only LP by the Killer Shrews--a band consisting of one Mekon, one guy from Pere Ubu, and another guy who I can't remember. Another is Yall So Stupid's album "Van Full of Pakistans," an oddball hip hop LP similar to the Pharcyde, but funnier and sloppier. Tune in next Thursday night, midnight til 2 to find out what the first classic will be!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Unbelievable Syncopation: The magic of the one-man-band

For this mid-week post, I've got three performers who all took the same approach to very different types of music. How many people can play two-to-three instruments at once while singing? Probably not many. How many people were able to master this technique while writing some REALLY fucked-up songs? Only three that I've found:

Abner Jay
Probably the most well-known of these talented outsiders. He used to tour the country selling records out of his car and playing his quaalude-slow rhythm and blues on a banjo and a drumset rigged with foot pedals (not to mention some fantastic harmonica playing as well). With his deep and soulful voice, he tackles such subjects as why young people use drugs, why HE uses drugs (namely cocaine) and how the mule and cotton is the backbone of American culture. As humorously outrageous as they are depressing, Abner Jay's songs sometimes sound the same but fuck it, I'll sing along anyhow.

Hasil Adkins
The 'wild man' of rock and roll, Hasil taught himself to play his guitar and drums at the same time (also rigged with foot pedals) after hearing Hank Williams on the radio and, upon seeing that no other musicians were credited on Hank's recordings, figuring that he must do it all himself at the same time. Instead of the old-timey country and western sound you might expect, Hasil actually pioneered a sound bordering on rockabilly and punk back in the 1950's. He recorded all his tunes with a cheap reel-to-reel in his shack/home and often talks about some pretty fucked up stuff. This includes cutting off his girlfriend's head so she doesn't eat anymore hot dogs, comparing a one-night-stand to a 'dying can of that commodity meat,' and doing various dances which he makes up and usually have to do with chickens. This stuff is raw, entertaining, and definitely rock and roll.

Jack Starr
Like Hasil, Jack Starr plays proto-punk rockabilly and was active beginning in the 1950's. I'm not sure if he played all the instruments at once, but it sounds like it. His recordings are even more horror-centric than Hasil's, most likely from his experience as a special effects/costume wizard for B-movies! I can't find much info about him, but he's got one compilation of tunes (pictured above) that range from crazy garage stompers to ballads. (p.s.--I've attached a download link for this album to the picture above because it's really hard to find)

That's it for now...there will probably be another full album this week, which I will make available as a download here. Be sure to tune into 89.1, WIDR FM Thursday nights from midnight to 2 am for the program.


Sunday, October 4, 2009

Playlist for 10-2-09

Oct 02 - 1:54 AM White Boy and the Average Rat Band Oriental Doctors S/T
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:52 AM Al Duvall William Knave ???
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:47 AM Eddie Callahan Santa Cruz Mountains False Ego
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:45 AM Philemon Arthur and the Dung Henning i sin pressening Musikens historia del 1 och 2
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:41 AM Red Krayola Sheriff Jack God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 02 - 1:37 AM Christopher Montgomery Paper Connecticut Elegy
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:33 AM Silver Apples Program S/T
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:26 AM Yahowa 13 I Thought I Am Savage Sons of Yahowa 13
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:23 AM Jr. and his Soulettes Rock N Roll Santa Psychodelic Sounds
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:18 AM Debris Blue Girls Static Disposal
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 02 - 1:11 AM Magma Thaud Zaia Kobaia
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:08 AM Comus Drip Drip First Utterance
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 1:02 AM Alex Chilton My Rival Like Flies on Sherbert
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:57 AM Night Sun Living with the Dying Mournin'
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:53 AM Jandek Forgive Me Six and Six
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 02 - 12:50 AM Sound Ceremony Our Song S/T
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:46 AM Sound Ceremony Tobacco Man S/T
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:42 AM Charles Manson Garbage Dump LIE: The Love and Terror Cult
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:39 AM Electric Eels Refrigerator (Alternate Version) The Eyeball of Hell
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:35 AM Chris Bell Better Save Yourself I Am the Cosmos
No Bizarro Jerry e/d
Oct 02 - 12:30 AM Jerry Rayson Mama Lim Papa Limbo The Weird Thing in Town
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:23 AM Simon Finn Jerusalem Pass the Distance
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:18 AM This Heat Cenotaph Deceit
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:14 AM Religion for Retarded Lessons 13 and 14 Religion for Retarded
No
e/d
Oct 02 - 12:12 AM Mars Tunnel 78+
No Bizarro Jerry e/d

Get the podcast here. Unfortunately, I forgot to start the recording until the 2nd hour of the program, so I think it starts right around the Electric Eels tune or something.