Month: April 2019

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Dumbo Redux

I know that we all ride hard for Tim Burton, but I haven’t even seen this yet. Am I kicked off the blaaaaaaaaaaagh?

”Ho-hum until it takes a turn toward the fascinatingly weird, the movie is a welcome declaration of artistic independence for Burton, who often strains against aesthetic and industrial restrictions. Watching him cut loose (more recklessly than his flying baby elephant) is by far the most unexpected pleasure of this movie, which dusts off the 1941 animated charmer with exhilaratingly demented spirit.”

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Mott Returns

One of the great live bands of all time back in action last week in Boston.   I’ve sampled through this a bit:  at around 1 hr. 6min. there’s a good version of Jerkin’ Crocus that segues into a red-hot One of the Boys.  U.S. leg of this tour, their first in 45 years, wrapped up last week with no dates in the south.  Sad.  They were huge in Memphis before almost anywhere else.  But I get it, times have changed.

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Clueless Gamer

Conan reviewed Grand Theft Auto 5 for his Clueless Gamer segment way back in 2013. Still funny. And relatable.

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A Monster Science Created – But Could Not Destroy!

The Frankenstein Monster’s skull, possibly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Every detail is perfect, from the flat metal plate on top being held in place by clamps to the wires running down the back of the skull to the neck bolts. My favorite part is the unevenly placed lid, haphazardly attached as if the person who made it didn’t know quite what he was doing – or was in a hurry. The little baroque nameplate on the base is a lovely touch as well.

Discovered amongst several other skeletons in a burned out castle in Darmstadt, Germany this strange skull is all that remains of what is believed to be the creation of Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. While somewhat crude in its design, the function of the skull was to enable repeated surgeries as well as to act as a conductor for electricity. A rudimentary iron skull cap is riveted to heavily calcified bone growth and a bulbous forehead. Wired from the skull down to the base, are the two neck electroconductors.

Sculpted and hand finished by professional artist Thomas Kuebler, this Frankenstein skull with spine is cast in solid resin chosen for its resemblance to actual bone. It measures about 15 inches from the top of the skull to the wood base, and the skull is about 9 inches from the top of the skull to the mandible. No detail has been missed in this mysterious and very rare piece of horror history. It is a must have for Frankenstein fans and horror enthusiasts or the collector of oddities.

This guy sold at auction for $1275.00.

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Well Are You?

I had this poster when I was a kid, only recently discovering that it was created by Tom Shadyac, the director who now lives in Memphis. We ran into him at [REDACTED] when we were buying tile for our bathroom remodel. Small fucking world.

Remember the poster Are You A Preppie? It was printed in 1979 by University of Virginia undergrad Tom Shadyac, who went on to film school at UCLA and later directed Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Evan Almighty. The poster was wildly popular when it came out. I have to wonder whether it might have inspired Lisa Birnbach’s more in-depth anthropological treatment in The Official Preppy Handbook, which appeared one year later.

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Oops

Let this be a lesson to you early adopters.

Samsung’s futuristic Galaxy Fold is launching this month, and the device has already made its way to a select group of reviewers and influencers. During the run-up to the device’s launch, there were concerns about the durability of the folding display, and now after just a few days with the public, the device is already experiencing problems. There are numerous reports of Samsung’s $2,000 device breaking after a single day, sometimes due to poor durability, other times due to user error.

Check it out.

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Sweet Tooth

I’d forgotten all about this song; it popped up on my YouTube home page.  It must have gotten some decent airplay in the day, or I wouldn’t likely have heard it.  It wasn’t as big as Little Willy, Ballroom Blitz, FOTR or LILO, but it might be as good as any of them.  Although it gets a little busy in places, it has a great hook in the chorus.  Verses are strong as well.  I’m wondering if John Lydon got his Anarchy in the U.K. snigger from the opening.

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Home Sweet Home

You’ve all probably heard this, but you may not have seen this genuinely creepy video.

I’ve been here five hours, made six bad decisions …
I’ve been kicked out of Sweden, I’ve been busted in Spain
And New York I don’t care to discuss
But the things that I find fit to do in this town
Would turn my poor mammy to dust

Pretty much. The soul of this town was created early on by riverboat workers and whores. It can be repressed here and there, but it’s always lurking somewhere. You can hear it in everything from Sun rockabilly to Big Star 3rd.

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For Local Bastards

This evening Jody Stephens will be chatting about his favorite topic, nachos.  Just kidding!  Big Star, of course.  I  won’t be attending, but passing along in case any of you local bastards are interested.