What can we say? The Big Dipper post got us very sentimental. And honestly, it’s not every day you see The Embarrassment perform in somebody’s back yard, right?
Don Caba-rotzmann’s Massaker “Dick Schlaf”
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So I’m sitting here trying to write the introduction to the Rock Bible. I know, real important stuff. iTunes shuffles up with "Schlaf" by Caspar Brötzmann’s Massaker and I was taken back to a time back in 1995 when I was swearing up and down (in a pre-internet sense, that is) that Don Caballero shamelessly cribbed from Mr. Brötzmann for their righteous jam "Dick Suffers Is Furious With You."
I’ll let you decide. There’s absolutely no shame in cribbing from other artists and I don’t know what the exact intent of this posting is. I’m still buddies with Don Cab, but I’m sure they’d admit to a bit of you-know-what.
What is it? Talent borrows, Genius steals? I don’t know. I do remember around 1994, a very pluckish Caballero at my house in Athens obsessing over all of the Massaker albums at the house.
No matter how you slice it, both bands fucking rule.
Anyway, I think I’m gonna take another crack at the intro to the Bible. Wish me luck.
Caspar Br?tzmann Massaker – Schlaff
Don Caballero – Dick Suffers Is Furious With You
Canadian Chefs = Wreckless Chefs
Posted Wednesday 11.28.07
I genuinely went "oh my god!" when I watched this. Not for the squeamish.
Big Dipper Catalog Gets Reissue Treatment!
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Ah, the good ‘ol days. The late 80’s. The Homestead and SST catalogs reigned supreme, and Big Dipper was a big part of my life.
Now, with the assist of the generous souls at Merge, the four piece from Boston is getting all dolled up for a whole generation of kids that will be much wiser for knowing about this group.
Read about it here.
Now if we could only get the Volcano Suns this kinda treatment, I’d be a happ(ier) boy.
Ask Ted Leo Anything!
Posted Tuesday 11.27.07
Last night on the way to dinner, the wifey and I were listening to "Shake The Sheets" and she said when she grows up, she wants to be Ted Leo’s drummer. She also said she wanted to be Sleater-Kinney. This isn’t so much a segue as much as a mini-anecdote. There.
So I just found out Theo Leo is doing a Q&A with "normal" non-journalist types via the Washington Post.
Should prove to be interesting. Or rather, a hell of a lot more interesting when Teddy had to share a stage with the hot-wind fueled Perry Farrell at Lollapalooza this past year.
SURVEY: Most “Extreme” Slang For Fart
Posted Friday 11.23.07
This idea came out on the Comedians of Comedy tour, but seems oddly appropriate at this time of year. Eugene Mirman’s harshest euphemism for a fart was "Shit Wind", but last night Teasley’s old lady suggested "Anal Mist" and I think it buried Eugene’s suggestion.
Seeing as how it’s Thanksgiving night and I’m digesting about 4 pounds of turkey, 3 different kinds of casserole, 2 carrot cakes and cranberry compote, I think it’s time to get "extreme".
Leave suggestions in comments. Winner gets a "We’re All In This Together" t-shirt.
Earles & Jensen “Just Farr A Laugh” Sign To Matador!
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We’re all so very happy for Andy and Jeff for being Matador’s first intentional comedy signing (H.P. Zinker doesn’t count). The press release is below. We don’t often post things like this, but these are close buddies to Chunklet! Congrats!
PRESS RELEASE!!
Earles and Jensen Present: Just Farr A Laugh Vol. 1 and 2 will be released February 19th on Matador Records. It will be the first comedy release for the legendary indie label; a past and current home to Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, The Ponys, Interpol, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mission of Burma, and The Unsane. The double CD set constitutes the world’s greatest collection of prank phone calls. Included in the package will be a book (not booklet) of drawings, photographs, and writing, all courtesy of multiple contributors. It’s a virtual who’s who that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but nonetheless creates a wonderful companion to the recorded works.
Bleachy, absurd celebrity impersonations, pop-cultural clusterf**ks, total insanity – the whole gang is here…a 150-minute assault on your funny bone.
If you are a fan of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, Yes’ Tales from Topographic Oceans, the Hampton Grease Band’s Music To Eat, The Mothers of Invention’s Freak Out, Husker Du’s Zen Arcade, the Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime, TFUL 282’s Mother of All Saints, and wish there was a prank call/comedy version of these wonderfully indulgent, macro masterpieces, well, it looks like February 19th is going to be your lucky day. That last sentence is a thinly-veiled way to say that unless you are promotionally serviced by Matador Records or rank amongst the contributors, don’t expect a burn or freebie.
A short list of artists that contributed drawings: Mike Aho, Archer Prewitt, Devendra Banhart, Mark Henning, Ian Marshall, Gavin McInnes, Jake Oas, Aurel Schmidt, Matt Sweeney, and Megan Whitmarsh.
Don’t know ‘em? Look ‘em up. Some of these people can be found on the Internet.
The entire list of writers that contributed forewords: Gregg Turkington (AKA Neil Hamburger, comedy genius, writer, Warm Voices Rearranged), Matador co-owner/co-founder Gerard Cosloy, David Dunlap Jr. (writer, Washington City Paper, Memphis Flyer, funny guy), and master humorist/writer Neil Pollack (books: Alternadad, The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature, Never Mind The Pollacks: A Rock and Roll Novel, editor/contributor: Akashic’s Chicago Noir).
All of the must-be-seen-to-be-believed photography is by Geoffrey Brent Shrewsbury. Seriously, it will blow your mind.
Otherwise, the respective introductions and thousands upon thousands of words of track-by-track commentary are provided by Andrew Earles and Jeffrey Jensen.
Who you are dealing with:
Along with writer Ian Christe and artist Steve Keene, Jeffrey Jensen founded modern day Brooklyn NYC around 1992, during the Dinkins administration. He has written or directed the films The Low Down Dirty D.A.W.G.S. (1999), Street Boogie (2001, shelved), and Graceland Too: The Movie (still in production). An accomplished artist, Jeff is known for his puppet shows, intricate nightlight dioramas, and evenings of vast entertainment, as well as anything else you could possibly think of. With his incredibly magnetic personality, Mr. Jensen has left a lasting mental imprint on anyone lucky enough to have spent over an hour in his presence. Jeffrey has played in many bands, including The Closet Case, The Jewish, The Star Spangles, plus he was the bass player for Homestead Records recording artists Smack Dab. He drives a 1982 Chrysler Lebaron, contributes regularly to Vice Magazine, and was accidentally shot with a .22 rifle when he was 13-years-old.
Andrew Earles is a writer and loosely-defined humorist that lives in Memphis, TN. His words regularly appear in The Onion A/V Club, Spin, Harp, Paste, Magnet, Vice, Paste, Chunklet, and The Memphis Flyer…among others. He founded The Cimarron Weekend in 1997, co-publishing and co-editing said argument-starter with David Dunlap Jr. until 2001. Four or five people like to claim that it was a great zine. From 2001 until late 2006, Andrew was a regular contributor to Tom Scharpling’s The Best Show on WFMU. As far as books go, his essays have appeared in the now out-of-print Lost In The Grooves (Routledge) and remainder table favorite, The Overrated Book (Last Gasp). He is a core contributor to The Rock Bible, to be published by Quirk in 2008. Most of his attempts at live comedy have failed miserably. Andrew is a proud Southerner and amateur, wanna-be outdoorsman that loves to fish, act like he knows a lot about animals, and walk around in the woods. He sometimes has a smart mouth, yet against all logic, has yet to receive that long-overdue ass-whomping (not an invitation). This is his blog: www.failedpilot.com
Jeffrey Joe Jensen and Andrew Scott Earles are Leo’s, reliably carrying all of the negative and positive baggage of that particular sign. Amazingly, and unknown to the duo until several years ago, they share the exact same birthday of August 15th.
Way to go, guys!
Predator: The Concert . . . The Update Sequel!
Posted Wednesday 11.21.07
Well, feedback seems to be overall positive to the first clip to Predator: The Concert (aka Grizzly 2) so here’s the "concert" clip from the movie.
I’m off to Louisiana for a few days of R&R (and turkey, duh). I’m backed up with email and other "real" work, but when I get back, expect a lot of updates.
Predator: The Concert . . . The Update!
Posted Monday 11.19.07
So good. So pure. So kind. So impossible…..
It started as a simple inquiry. Predator: The Concert. A movie that was filmed and never released. I asked people at Kim’s Video, 5 Minutes To Live, Nick Bougas, hell, even Brian Turner at WFMU if they had a lead on this. It seemed like a red herring. And then, fate turned a cheek and now you get to witness one of the musical sequences. More will be posted, but right now I’d like to gauge interest before putting more up. (Massive props to Billy C for this.)
Watch it, if you dare!
QUASI FOLLOW UP!!! Watch this trailer for "Teeth" if you dare. Holy ba-jeez!
Philly Boy Roy vs. Patton
Posted Saturday 11.10.07
I was lucky enough to be filming when PBR rushed the stage, killed with his Philly-centric jokes and broke cake with Patton. Is this the first documented video of Roy? I reckon so.