Misfits-"Bullet" (1978)

RIP John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy

(May 29, 1917- November 22, 1963)



Here's a live version (sorry no footage, just audio) with Henry Rollins (Black Flag) singing along from 1982:

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1979)

I had never seen this flick before which made it hard to pass up for only $3.99 while bargain shopping at Ross recently. It took me a few sittings to finish watching this one in its entirety, but i am glad i did. My life just seems more complete now.

Director John Boorman (Deliverance) provides a visually impressive feature with striking special effects for 1979. The music composed by accomplished soundtrack virtuoso, Ennio Morricone, add both eerieness and suspense and sometimes even sound ethereal. James Earl Jones keeps it real as an African who was formerly possessed by the same demon, Pazuzu, that got Regan in the first Exorcist film (and still has a hold on her). Now the heat is on Father Lamont (R.I.P Father Merrin played by Max von Sydow) to exercise Regan again. Good luck.



This movie is generally panned by my horror-head friends and respected film critics alike, however Martin Scorsese went against the grain in saying, "The Heretic surpasses [the original]....the film deserved better than it got." (Maybe he said that after his The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) was banned in some states...)

This film is not as terrifying as William Friedkin's original and my mom probably wouldn't be as traumatized by watching it with me as she was that one. I might have to give this one another go with her.

Death at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin 11/7/09

I saw a lot of acts over the weekend. Some bands that i had seen before met my expectations like GZA(wait, he totally exceeded my expectations) and Melt Banana. Some other acts bored me to death (no pun intended) like Crystal Antlers, and i had to sit through a few WHY? songs again, ugh. I even got some (poppier) punk in like Face to Face, (old school) Youth Brigade and Fucked Up (maybe if i was fucked up i would've enjoyed them). I could hear Danzig's performance while watching the Whitest Kids You Know. I saw (and wanted to dance to)Vega and Neon Indian. I skipped out on Crystal Castles but heard from a well known devil's advocate that "hey, their show was really good". Unfortunately, I had to miss HEALTH to catch Mission of Burma (duh). I had never heard Broadcast before and they did something for me. I was curious about Neurot's Red Sparrows and thought they sounded heavy and good. Times New Vikings sounded raw just like they did last time i watched them play at the much more intimate Strawberry Fields in Denton. Saturday night's closers, the Jesus Lizard, killed it in front of an excited crowd. Their extended encore was fucking amazing.

As bummed as i was about not being able to see Flipper, i got the pleasant surprise (and my mind got blown) by an unexpected band that i didn't even realize was playing: legendary Detroit proto-punkers Death ( not to be confused with the legendary death metal act, Death).

Some of my friends had told me about them, but their music had never actually made it to my ears. What a blast these brothers were to see live. Their set started at dusk and they appeared on stage in secret society-like robes. As soon as they disrobed and started rocking, one could tell that they shared the spirit of fellow motor city rockers MC5 and the Stooges but managed to have more soul and technical prowess. Not that those other 2 renowned acts couldn't play (Wayne Kramer is fucking amazing and so is Ron Asheton R.I.P.) , they're just not black so they have a handicap, comparatively speaking.

I was intrigued to read that "the trio started out as an R&B band but switched to rock after seeing an Alice Cooper show." SICK!

These guys were definitely one of the major highlights of the weekend for me (and at least one other person i know). After i see how much money i have left over from a long overdue breakjob, I'm gonna order their re-released album ...For the World to See ASAP from Drag City.

The Jesus Lizard-"Mouth Breather" (1991)

I saw Scratch Acid when they reunited at the Touch and Go 25th anniversary festival in Chicago, September 2006. Shit was sooooo tight. In 2007, I saw David Yow sing for Qui. Shit was prettttt-y tight. But i have NEVER seen the Jesus Lizard. Everyone i know who has seen these dudes before speaks very highly of their live shows. Mr. Yow's vocal stylings and stage theatrics were very entertaining both times i had the pleasure of seeing him in the flesh. Add to that Duane Denison's unique guitar "riffs", David William Sims' gain-heavy bass lines combined with Mac's tough drumming, and you got yourself something incomparable to any other rock band around these days. Oh wait, maybe TOOL. (jk, totally jk).

Anyways, fucking Flipper CANCELED according to this site so it looks like i'll only be seeing 2 legendary acts at FFF instead of 3 this weekend. bummer.

Oh well, there will be plenty of other contemporary and current acts i'll be able to see. Just like with anything, though-they just don't make 'em like they used to....

Ziggy, Iggy, and Lou

I can't tell when this is from, but it sure is a classic photo.
T. Rex t-shirt is a nice touch.

Mission of Burma-"This is Not a Photograph" (1980)

Next on my list of legendary and influential bands to see at the aforementioned Fun Fun Fun Fest is Boston's Mission of Burma. I missed these guys a few years ago when they played nearby Austin, TX because i had to work an overnight shift on a Friday night, and i have always regretted it.

[Let me go ahead and mention that i have a good friend (like a brother, really) that tried to introduce me to MOB by letting me borrow a couple of their CDs around 2001 . I hate to admit that i regrettably did NOT listen to these CDs (probably because i was a younger, more arrogant asshole/douche and this was an unsolicited move on his part). Anyways, he always holds this over my head, but i think i should at least get points for admitting to him that i didn't even listen to them. AND, hey- i didn't ask to borrow them. I ended up getting down to them later anyways. It was inevitable.]

I thought it was great how Signals, Calls & Marches predated a lot of similar sounding current music i was listening to (i.e. Sonic Youth and Trail of Dead). Once i really started enjoying that EP i could NOT stop listening to it. Martin Swoop's tape manipulation/operation adds such textured layer of sound. (I understand that Bob Weston of Shellac has taken over the tape-op role in the band since their reunion.) Peter Prescott's drumming is so tight, and their racket always sounds so controlled that i can't wait to see what they can do live.


In addition to never seeing these post-punkers perform live, I still haven't even seen the 2006 documentary Not a Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story. I need a Netflix account. (I can only watch this stack of DePalma movies so many times....). Seeing these dudes live (i'm sure) will prove to be a much better use of my (limited) free time. I can't wait.