Confessions of a Fuck-Up Artist!

Though I certainly enjoyed 'Only Theatre of Pain' & 'Catastrophe Ballet' - 'Ashes' remains my favorite of the Rozz Williams fronted Christian Death albums (which for me are the only ones really... sorry Valor). When I was stationed at NAS 1 in Sicily (back in the Nav), I would wander through the streets of Sigonella blasting this on my Walkman. I can't say why exactly, but 'When I was Bed', quickly became my favorite track off 'Ashes'. Maybe because of the way it oscillates between the crunch of Deathrock fueled guitar riffs before drifting back into these sensous ghost moans and gothic choir chants that perfectly reflected the mood swings of a lonely 18 year old me drifting around Europe on borrowed time.

Okay, time to get ready before I head out with my buddy Johnny Lawless, for an evening of decadent hell-raising!

Heading out to do some work and make some money. Here's a little traveling music by way of Johnny Cash and Eazy E!

Actually I think the Watchmen movie would've been much improved if it had a scene where Doctor Manhattan began singing the 'Galaxy Song' to Silk Spectre when they were on Mars. Of course I also think having Rorschach sing 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' (from 'The Life of Brian') would've been sheer genius.

I've had this song stuck in my head all night since Vee played it for me yesterday. For one thing I've always been fascinated by the myth of the great ghost trains rumbling through the depths of sleeping America. Second I love the juxtaposition of mid-west hip-hop flow with rag-time piano rhythms:

There's a little psychobilly goblin that hibernates in my soul. When that lonesome Autumn wind comes a knockin' on the door - up out of a leopard print lined coffin it jumps - reeking of stale whiskey after shave and molded black leather jackets. First things first; it releases a stream of fresh howling banshee piss into a recently emptied grave. Then with a switchblade comb made out of human bone it sculpts a pompadour slicked back with siphoned gasoline and bacon fat. Brushing his fangs with a severed finger of a toothbrush, it gargles cyanide and blood whilst muttering Poe verses into a broken mirror bought with seven years of bad luck. Next it werewolves down a candy worm and warm beer breakfast. Then the restlessness kicks in. Hung-over hungry for haunted surf guitar solos, B-Horror Movie thrills and righteous tattooed vampire pussy - the beer bellied goblin hops into its Big Daddy Roth tricked out monster hearse. With a rev of a hell fire engine the ride bucks and shudders under the power of 5000 phantom horses. The muffler dragon belches a sputter of brimstone. The goblin slip slides an old mixed tape into the stereo and stamps the pedal down a crush of it's elevated boots.

A speed demon bullet bursts out of my skull, the diminutive lil'bastard cranks up the radio (whose knob is a severed nose) and with a shrieking cackle, ricochets a wink off the rear view mirror at you. Side one clicks, hisses to life and the speaker crackles the goblin's soundtrack -

1994's ghost has been knocking on my door! For some reason I've been in a 'Cop Shoot Cop' mood here of late. Maybe it's because I've been feeling all aggro and retrostalgic these last few days. Been spinning CSC (along with Big Black, Jesus Lizard and the Skatenigs) solo skanking in the basement while the hounds bay at me in confusion. Only at night, choking on holy smoke do I finally unwind into some old Psychic TV or Nick Cave.

Here's my favorite two tracks off the Cop Shoot Cop set (both from the LP 'Release' if I'm not mistaken):

Poetry: I like to think of this first video as a glimpse at my imaginary 1950's girlfriend. We'd lay in bed chain smoking tea while listening to be-bop and Lenny Bruce on the hi-fi. Later she'll leave me for saxophonist from Kansas City and I'll be stuck with the debt she racked up from her dealer. The broken heart and broken leg well worth the price of tiger dancing naked with her in my Greenwich Village loft.

Dance: This clip is from the 33rd Annual Henchman's Ball - a gala event where hired muscle and rent-a-goons take a break from getting beaten up in the service of low rent mod supervillains to indulge in a bit of choreographed fun. Keen listeners will of course recognize the song from the movie Ghost World.

Art: Part 3 of Early Abstractions, a Kabbalistic Kollage or art-school wank? You decide...

Music: It's been awhile since I've heard any decent new surf-guitar music. The last thing I really got into was a Satan's Pilgrims best-of compilation that I chanced upon in the used section last year. Sometimes I just need to hear something that sounds like it was on the soundtrack to a delightfully bad midnight movie... and Messer Chups delivers the goods in a style reminiscent of Man... or Astro-Man? with a slightly darker edge to it. Enjoy!