Horror

In chronological order, a list of horror movies I've seen in the past few years:

The Exorcist
Shivers
The Brood
Damien
The Fly (Cronenberg)
City of the Living Dead (Folci)
Possession
The Sentinel
Wicker Man
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
Rosemary's Baby
Cabin Fever
Deadly Spawn
Martin
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Edge of Sanity
The Beyond (Folci)
Blue Sunshine
House by the Cemetery
Natural Born Killers
Death Dream
Blood of the Virgins
The Thing (remake)
Shallow Grave
Curse of the Demon
Henry; Portrait of a Serial Killer

When 197 People Were Arrested for Protesting the War

music by M-R-S

Several Saucerfuls of Syd

Here is my report on the Piper at the Gates of Dawn box set.

First, a little background....back in the day, boys and girls, it took some searching to find this record. I found an Italian pressing (stereo) in a record store in Greenwich Village and for the next 20 years (count 'em!) that's the version I played until every nook and cranny of the record was imprinted on my brain....so when I put the mono mix in the stereo yesterday, it was one of those times when you're in a familiar place that's changed slightly...something is different, but is it you? is it the drugs? or both? the nicest part of the mono mix is how close everything sounds. everything is up front, immediate.

The reprints of Syd's notebook pages (why did he use a typewriter?) give a glimpse of someone playing mad riffs of images and words, already slipping off the reels, never to return. Poor Syd! while WE are still around let's blast our stereos in full psychedelic glory!

Sympathy for the Devil

"Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967 examines the dynamic relationship between rock music and contemporary visual art, a relationship that crosses continents, generations, and cultures. Since the late 1950s this unlikely hybrid of rhythm-and-blues and country music has had an undeniable impact on society while drastically changing with the times. Artists from the 1960s to the present have maintained a strong connection to rock, beginning with Andy Warhol’s involvement with The Velvet Underground (who released their Warhol-produced landmark album The Velvet Underground and Nico in 1967 -- the same year the MCA opened its doors). More recently, artists such as Slater Bradley, Raymond Pettibon, and Mike Kelley have created album covers and music videos for rock bands, while many noted rock musicians such as John Lennon, Bryan Ferry, and Peter Townsend have emerged from art schools. " at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art

Death Valley 69

Straight outta Starbucks!

Hip gnosis

"Sun: I've always wondered why hipgnosis was spelled hipgnosis [and is pronounced hypnosis].

Thorgerson: ...It was actually scrolled on our door by some passing narcotic person in the middle of the night. It was scratched on the door of our apartment, and it appealed to us. It's a nice word, but it was spelled on the door like that." interview with Hipgnosis designer Storm Thorgerson, creator of many famous Pink Floyd album covers.

From this weekend's Nutstock 5:

Make Music, Not War

I donated this autoharp to Operation Happy Note, a program run by a music store in Minnesota that sends musical instruments to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I figure this instrument is easy to play and I hope it will bring some soldier happiness and perhaps a few moments of peace.