A valentine's day mix tape

This is my annual Valentine's day playlist. If you remember, last year was about guilty pleasures. This year is cooler and more romantical. I hope you dig. the real cheese of Valentine's day playlist ber, last year was about guilty pleasures. This year is both cooler and more rom

my top albums of the 80's

This has nothing to do with sales or air play.  As always this blog expresses my worthless opinion.  The 1980's were a strange and wonderful decade musically. We had some of the best and worst that could ever fit into a radio dial.

As a high school/college student.  the world of pop music had gone south.  It was all bad metal and hair bands.  Most of the folks I knew had retreated into the annals of classic rock.  There were the occasional recognitions of Punk and New Wave, but for the most part I was busy being entirely too angst ridden and listening to David Bowie's Hunky Dory and the first Boston album to care.

This does not mean that I wasn't listening to music made in the 1980's.  There are hundreds of songs released in the decade that I own on 45 rpm.

In the 80s, I was prone to insomnia.  I used to stay up late and listen to vinyl through a pair of Nova 16 head phones.

The albums that saved be during the decade are listed below in no particular order.

1. Let's Dance-David Bowie
2. Songs from the Big Chair-Tears For Fears
3. Love and Hope and Sex and Dreams-The BoDeans
4. Little Creatures-The Talking Heads
5. So-Peter Gabriel
6. Spike-Elvis Costello
7. Boomtown-David and David
8. Robbie Robertson-Robbie Robertson
9. Indigo Girls-Indigo Girls
10. Zenyatta Mondatta -The Police

 I've included on track from each album.  I hope you like it

Retro TV Thursday-Theme songs and such

Today on Neo Retro Crash we explore the weird and wacky world of television theme songs.  As far as I can tell there are three separate categories of television theme song,  

Category one:  Put the premise of the show into the theme song.  I call this the Sherwood Schwartz theory.  The best examples of this theory would be Gilligan's Island and the Brady Bunch.  This spilled over into other classic shows like Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and the Beverly Hillbillies.  It is a trend that spilled over all throughout the history of television.  Maude, The Jeffersons, and Good Times also follow the rule of the Musical these song premise placement.  From Car 54 all the way through to The Fall Guy, and Dukes of Hazzard.  The premise is right up front.  The most obvious of these is probably the theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Category two: The spirit of the show.  Some theme songs try not to telegraph the plot of the series.  It is their intent to express the feel the the show has.  I consider it the musical appetizer that whets the palette for a show.  Friends, Cheers, Perfect Strangers, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley and Bosom Buddies (the original theme) are examples of the opening theme expressing the shows attitude and spirit.

Category three: The bad ass instrumental.  This happens all too infrequently, but shows like Taxi, Barney Miller, Home Improvement, and Night Court lured us int to their television world with really cool instrumental theme songs.  

There have been successful theme songs in every category, some of them even breaking into the pop charts and radio airplay.  Hiding the premise in the theme song seems to be the most prevelant and longest lasting form for television themes.  It does not guarantee the success of a show.  A stupid premise can still kill a series, so can bad writing, poor acting, or even a art blind television executive.

Clever theme songs with a dominant premise presence couldn't save My Mother The Car or It's About Time, but may have helped Mr. Ed.  It saddens me that show creators feel the need to dumd down television for the average American viewer.

Some of the best television shows have had themes that telegraphed nothing. Law and Order, Northern Exposure, Sanford and Son had brilliantly written instrumental themes.

If you check out the videos, I've collected some of the most memorable television themes.  Some are crappy themes from crappy shows to the best of the best,  Remember this is an incomplete playlist and totally base on my worthless opinion.

until next time, Toodles kids.

Grab Bag Wednesday: Whatever happened to Freakies Cereal

Growing up when I did, there are certain pop culture things that I remember...nobody else doe, but I do/  It being October, the stores are filled with Halloween themed things.  It is the time of year when every supermarket in the Country is stocking the classic monster cereals.

I like a nice bowl of Boo Berry as much as the next guy, but it doesn't make me hearken back t my youth as much as my old man's inconsistent oatmeal.  The year was 1975 and I was 7 years old.  Like every good 7 yr old. I wanted everything I saw on the television.  What I saw was the Freakies.

The Freakies were the product of drug addled hippies moving into new careers in Advertising.  These strange cereal spokes-things were both groovy and terrifying.  They had acid induced marketing written all over them,  The original Freakies lived in a tree and spent much of their time concerned about their ancestral home and...cereal.

The usual stuff I steal from Wikipedia.

The Freakies were made up of seven creatures named Hamhose, Gargle, Cowmumble, Grumble, Goody-Goody, Snorkeldorf and the leader BossMoss. In the mythology of the Freakies, the seven went in search of the legendary Freakies Tree which grew the Freakies cereal. They found the Tree, realized the legend was true, and promptly took up residence in the Tree which then became the backdrop for all the TV spots and package back stories. In 1987, a new Freakies cereal was made, depicting the characters as aliens from another planet. Boss Moss and Grumble were still the same, but the other characters were replaced by new ones, named Hugger, Sweetie, Tooter and Hotdog.

I know very little of the replacement freakies that were redesigned by people liike me to sway a new generation to eat weird cereal products, but it seems to me they strayed from the mythos.  I know it's bizarre to be concerned about the marketing mythos of a cereal, but somethings aren't supposed to change.  Cereal mascots get updated all the time.  Even the Monster cereals have had makeovers, but they are still the same basic cartoon.  Tony the Tiger is still a tiger,  Toucan Sam, is still a snotty toucan,

The overhaul on the Freakies came with character changes.  the group abandoned their tree.  The new 80's Freakies were from space and wore Hawaiian shirts.  they probably listened to Wham instead of the Grateful Dead.  

I watched a piece of my childhood crumble and fade into obscurity.  No one remembers the Freakies and their tree hugging ways.  The death of the Freakies may have led to the rise of clear cutting in the forest and strip mines, and global warming.  We may never know.

For me it was more than a keeping up with the times, it was the abandonment of the values that could have saved a planet.  Sadly, in my life, I;ve seen the shift from trees are good to  greed is good.  I don't think we've ever recovered.

That's right, I just took some nostalgic reverie about breakfast cereals and made it into a minor social commentary.  Today's moral, things change, but not always for the better.

Super Monster Tuesday: Marvel makes men into monsters into heroes

I realize, that I've missed a few days, and I apologize, but somedays the muse bites and leads me on a path not appropriate for this blog and I must go elsewhere to flex my angst.

Today we must talk about the great lost achievement of Marvel comics.  Much more often than DC, Marvel has tried to create heroes out of things that should be monsters.  They may be the only comics to ever try to explore the particular emotional mindset of what it means to be trapped in a monstrous form..

Ben Grimm:- the Thing
Trapped in his monstrous form, Grimm is an unhappy yet reliable member of the team. He trusts in his friend Reed Richards to one day develop a cure for his condition. However, when he encounters blind sculptress Alicia Masters,  Grimm develops an unconscious resistance to being transformed back to his human form. Subconsciously fearing that Masters prefers him to remain in the monstrous form of the Thing, Grimm's body rejects various attempts by Richards to restore his human form, lest he lose Masters' love. Grimm has remained a stalwart member of the Fantastic Four for years. The Thing first fought the Hulk early in his career, with many such further clashes over the years. Not long after that, he is first reverted to his human form, but is then restored to his Thing form to battle Doctor Doom.

The Hulk
The Hulk first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 (cover dated May 1962), written by writer-editor Stan Lee, penciled and co-plotted by Jack Kirby, and inked by Paul Reinman. Lee cites influence from Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Hulk's creation:

It was patently apparent that [the monstrous character the] Thing was the most popular character in [Marvel's recently created superhero team the] Fantastic Four.... For a long time I'd been aware of the fact that people were more likely to favor someone who was less than perfect.... It's a safe bet that you remember Quasimodo, but how easily can you name any of the heroic, handsomer, more glamorous characters in The Hunchback of Notre Dame? And then there's Frankenstein... I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Frankenstein monster. No one could ever convince me that he was the bad guy.... He never wanted to hurt anyone; he merely groped his torturous way through a second life trying to defend himself, trying to come to terms with those who sought to destroy him. ... I decided I might as well borrow from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well — our protagonist would constantly change from his normal identity to his superhuman alter ego and back again.

Kirby, commenting upon his influences in drawing the character, recalled as inspiration the tale of a mother who rescues her child who is trapped beneath a car. Lee has also compared Hulk to the Golem of Jewish mythology

The Ghost Rider
After a deal with the devil like character Mephisto to cure his Mentors Cancer, Johnny Blaze defeated the demon with the power of true love.  Johnny later learned that demons are spiteful

Blaze was unaware that Mephisto had bonded him with the demon Zarathos as an act of revenge for not being able to obtain Johnny's soul for himself. Johnny was transformed into a Ghost Rider, a leather-clad skeleton, his head cloaked in a sheath of flame, the night after Crash's death. While Johnny still had his soul, he was forced to punish the wicked and evil upon Mephisto's demands whenever needed. Whenever he was in the presence of evil he would transform into the Ghost Rider, to exact the devil's revenge, returning the evil to Hell. Blaze was not completely lost in the transformation however, and would also help the innocent when they were in danger

Sasquatch
Dr. Walter Langkowski is a member of Alpha Flight, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada of Polish Jewish origin and a renowned physicist, and a professor of both physics and biophysics at McGill University.  He is also a former football player for the Green Bay Packers.

He possesses the ability to transform into a super-strong, orange-haired beast resembling the legendary Sasquatch. This transformation is triggered by willpower. In his transformed state, Langkowski has increased strength, stamina, and resistance to injury. He also has sharp claws and is able to leap incredible distances.

These powers were a result of Langkowski's self-experimentation with gamma radiation. In an attempt to become like the Hulk, Langkowski bombarded himself with a gamma ray projector at his laboratory near the Arctic Circle. As a proposed explanation for why he transformed into an orange instead of green behemoth (as gamma-irradiated persons are usually affected), Langkowski assumed it had something to do with the Aurora Borealis.

However, unknown to Langkowski, it was not the gamma rays that turned him into Sasquatch, but the fact that his lab equipment opened a doorway between our world and the "Realm of Great Beasts." When this portal was opened, a mystical beast called Tanaraq invaded Langkowski's body and granted him his powers. Langkowski had to learn to maintain his own personality and intelligence when in the form of Sasquatch, and was very successful for a time.

Marvel even took a stab at more traditional monsters.  The conversion was not always well executed or thought ou, but you had to appreciate the attempt.  Marvel may be the first folks to try and create the good guy vampire.  I can't prove that it led to Twilight, but curse them if it did.

Morbius, the Living Vampire
Michael Morbius experienced a transformation by electrical shock treatment and chemical ingestion into a pseudo-vampire. As a pseudo-vampire, Morbius does not possess all the powers of an actual vampire, nor is he subject to all the traditional limitations and weaknesses thereof. He possesses a variety of superhuman powers, some of which are similar to supernatural vampires within the Marvel Universe. Due to his vampire-like condition, Morbius is forced to ingest fresh blood on a regular basis to sustain his life and vitality. How much blood he requires and how often he has to feed has not been specified in the comics. However, Morbius does not possess any of the mystical vulnerabilities that supernatural vampires are subject to, such as garlic, holy water, crucifix, or silver. Morbius has a strong aversion to sunlight, thanks to his photo-sensitive skin which prevents any protection from major sun burn, in contrast to "true" vampires that are incinerated by it, with the result that he can move in daylight but his powers are diminished and he will stick to the shade if circumstances demand him to be active during the day. Morbius also lacks the shape-shifting and weather-control powers, and the ability to control animals, of vampires. Like "true" vampires, Morbius does possess the ability to hypnotize beings of lesser willpower and bring them under his control, which can only be resisted by those possessing an extremely strong will. While briefly infected by the demon Bloodthirst, Morbius gained the ability to liquidize his body, moving through small spaces and stretching his limbs as needed.

Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night
The History Of Jack Russell is long and complicated and reads like the script of a bad Werewolf Movie.  Needless to say Jack Russel spent years on the road helping people out and ,during the three night of the full moon, turning into a savage Werewolf,

While reports of lycanthropy (becoming a werewolf) in the Russoff line stretch back many centuries, the first confirmed manifestation is Grigori Russoff in 1795. Dracula slew Grigori's wife Louisa after he refused to acknowledge Dracula's primacy upon his return to Transylvania. Grigori then ambushed and destroyed Dracula, but was turned into a werewolf by Lydia, a werewolf formerly imprisoned by the vampire lord. Grigori took a second wife, but accounts vary as to why lycanthropy failed to pass to his descendents. Sometime prior to May 1930, Grigori's descendent, Gregor, obtained the legendary Darkhold scrolls, binding them back into book form. Reading lycanthropy's origins in the Darkhold under a full moon triggered the dormant curse, turning Gregor into a werewolf. Gregor further transcribed much of the Darkhold into Grigori's diary, essentially creating a Darkhold copy, which he used as his own diary.

Gregor sold part of his estate — including Wundagore Mountain — to Jonathon Drew, who shared it with partner Herbert Wyndham (the future High Evolutionary). The Russoff werewolf slew Jonathon's wife, Merriem, and Wyndham designed a suit of silver-coated armor to protect himself, enabling Russoff's capture. Russoff stayed with the Evolutionary, who kept the werewolf safely contained for decades. Russoff eventually used the Darkhold to summon Chthon to cure him, and the Elder God nearly broke through the earthly plane; but Magnus the Sorcerer forced Russoff to banish Chthon, who lashed out with a parting blast that slew Gregor. Despite contrary accounts, the Gregor Russoff who stayed with the High Evolutionary seems to have been the grandfather (or great-grandfather) of Jack Russell. Having the same name and presumably using the same diary contributed to earlier confusion. It would seem more likely that the elder Gregor was the one who transcribed the Darkhold into the diary.

Decades later, another Gregor Russoff married Laura, the former girlfriend of his younger brother Philip. Jacob (later Jack) was born in Mediaş, Transylvania, soon after, and Laura was pregnant with Lissa within two years of marriage; however, when lightning struck Russoff's Transylvanian castle during a full moon, the werewolf Gregor escaped confinement and began attacking villagers. They tracked down and killed Russoff with silver bullets. Gregor's mother, Maria, was stoned and driven from the village, living with gypsies and learning magic. After Gregor's death, Laura found Philip - who had moved to Los Angeles, anglicizing his name to Russell - and they married after a year; Jack and Lissa remained unaware of Philip's past.

Approximately fifteen years later, the criminal Committee learned of Gregor's curse and blackmailed Philip, threatening to reveal his secrets. To protect Laura's name, Philip paid them but had second thoughts and canceled payment, causing the Committee to send Max Grant to kill Laura. Critically injured in a car crash on Jack's 18th birthday, Laura barely had time to tell Jack about his true father and the curse of the werewolf, making Jack promise not to harm Philip, before dying. Having inherited lycanthropy the night before, Jack slew Grant, but wrongly blamed Philip for some time. Laura left Castle Russoff in Jack's name, but Philip, the trustee, sold the castle to Miles Blackgar, who had it moved to an island off California's coast. Jack battled a motorcycle gang, infecting its members with lycanthropy.

Jack spent the next few years as a traveler, transforming on the three nights of the full moon into savage werewolf form. He learned of the Darkhold from Nathan and Agatha Timly, who briefly kidnapped the Werewolf and met grisly ends. Befriending writer Buck Cowan, Jack sneaked into Blackgar's castle and stole the Darkhold, encountering Miles Blackgar and his daughter Marlene, whose petrifying power slew both Blackgars. After fighting off the deformed Cephalos' plot to drain his power to stabilize Cephalos' form, Jack had Father Ramon Joaquez translate the Darkhold. The priest died after being possessed by the Darkhold's former custodian, 12th century Mad Monk Aelfric, and the indestructible Darkhold vanished. Jack encountered Joshua Kane, who hunted the Werewolf, and his brother, Luther Kane, who offered to prevent Lissa from becoming a werewolf in exchange for Jack kidnapping billionaire recluse Judson Hemp; he met mentalist Swami Rihva, who sought the Werewolf's blood to reveal the treasure-map of the ancient sorcerer Kaman-Ru on his "Bloodstone"; the possessing demon Krogg; and Spider-Man and Moondark the Magician. Jack then fought the sonic-weapons of Sarnak, his first brush with the criminal Committee who wished to enslave the Werewolf.

Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein's Monster was built from human corpses by a scientist named Victor Frankenstein, in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, in the late 18th century. His efforts to fit in with regular humanity were futile due to his horrific form, and he was infuriated. Victor Frankenstein created and subsequently killed a mate for the Monster, who killed Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth in retaliation. After killing several people, the Monster fled to the Arctic. His creator pursued him, but died due to the cold. The Monster, anguished, tried to kill himself but only went into a state of suspended animation from the cold.

In the 1890s, heat revived the Monster and he wandered again. He searched for the descendant of Victor Frankenstein and finally ended up in Transylvania. The Monster clashed with Dracula, and his vocal cords were injured. Vincent Frankenstein finally found him and tried to give him a new brain, dying in the process as he was shot by an angry maidservant before the Monster could kill him. Frustrated, the Monster returned to a state of suspended animation.

At some point, the Monster was temporarily pulled out of time to serve in Kang the Conqueror's Legion of the Unliving to fight the Avengers.

The Monster eventually emerged from suspended animation in a glacier to the modern world. He was aided by Victoria Frankenstein, a distant relative of his creator. This woman was kindly, and repaired his vocal cords.  The Monster joined Victoria Von Frankenstein and her mutant charges, the Children of the Damned, beings who were mutated by Basil and Ludwig Von Frankenstein's failed human experiments.  The Monster allied with Spider-Man against the Monster Maker, Baron Von Shtupf and his pawn the Man-Wolf

Jukebox Saturday: One of the albums that saved my soul- Bob Mould's Workbook

I'm sure every music fan has spent the night involved in a rousing session of "Top 5".  It usually starts with the classic Desert Island Top 5, and then digresses into more specific categories.  I'd list my entire Top 5 here, but that would eliminate future installments.

I don't know if I have a desert island top 5.  I prefer to think of it as the top 5 albums that saved my soul.  Albums that got me through the tough times and heart breaks.  All you other freaks who see the Universe through the hole in the middle of an LP understand where I'm coming from.

One of the albums that saved my soul was the first solo album by Bob Mould.  Workbook is a masterpiece of Melancholia, Heartache, Pain, Regret, and ultimately redemption seen through the post-punk soul of a brilliant songwriter.  The album is sincere emotion with an unfiltered purity, that (for me) reminds me of my place in the Universe.

Take a minute and listen to the full album.  It is an amazing work from beginning to end.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Bob Mould; except where indicated.
"Sunspots" – 2:04
"Wishing Well" – 5:10
"Heartbreak a Stranger" – 5:50
"See a Little Light" – 3:31
"Poison Years" – 5:23
"Sinners and Their Repentances" – 4:04
"Brasilia Crossed With Trenton" – 6:37
"Compositions For the Young and Old" – 4:39
"Lonely Afternoon" – 4:27
"Dreaming, I Am" – 4:16
"Whichever Way the Wind Blows" – 6:25
"All Those People Know" – 3:41 (Workbook 25 bonus track)
The 25th anniversary edition "Workbook 25"  features a bonus live disc from the Cabaret Metro in Chicago.

AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine


Arriving after years of sonic bombast in Hüsker Dü, the reflective, acoustic nature of Bob Mould's first solo album, Workbook, was a bold statement of renewal. Like all of Mould's work, it's an intensely introspective record, finding him purging demons left over from the dissolution of Hüsker Dü. Instead of relying on raging guitars, Mould explores a wide variety of styles, from pure pop ("See a Little Light") to reflective folk laced with cellos. It's an astonishing array of styles, and the songs are among Mould's finest. For many observers, the record established him as a major songwriter, but it also established a way for underground post-punk artists to mature -- echoes of Workbook could be heard throughout the '90s, from R.E.M.'s elegiac Automatic for the People to Nirvana's use of cellos on In Utero and Unplugged. But Workbook remains a stunning work of individuality, marrying a distinctive body of songs with an original musical vision. Occasionally, the production is a little too pristine, but the power of the songs cannot be diminished.

film fan Friday: 12 bodies in the basement

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Not Rated | 118 min | Comedy, Crime | 23 September 1944 (USA)

A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

Director: Frank Capra

Writers: Julius J. Epstein (screen play), Philip G. Epstein(screen play),

Stars: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey
As important as It's a Wonderful Life has become to the Christmas season, I believe that Frank Capra's most important holiday contribution Is the Halloween Classic, Arsenic and Old Lace. 

 If you've only seen it on TV, you haven't really seen it.  The story involves murder and insanity.  It also involves marriage and a guy who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt.  It's funny and weird, and creepy.  I will admit that it is steeped in the Americana of it's time, and some of the attitudes are old fashioned.  None of that is enough to change the film's status as classic

This film is full of some of the classic things that make Capra films what they are.  There is humor and schmaltz and people following their personal passions, all these things lead to trouble of a dark and wacky nature.

For me it's a Halloween classic.