Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut

One of the great misses of horror cinema is Clive Barker's Nightbreed. The film, like the novel Cabal on which it's based, has one of Clive Barker's most idea-rich, archetypally dense storylines; it also boasts some very creative creature effects and a just terrific performance from David Cronenberg, as a murderous psychiatrist. He's perfectly cast, and, I'm told, had some input in writing certain scenes, which makes the film relevant to Cronenberg's own body of work; there's stuff about the mind being made flesh (in the act of murder, it happens) that will be familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge of Cronenberg's themes. That's not the only reason I'm fond of the film, though: Nightbreed is a profoundly punk film, in its attitudes towards authority and monstrosity, and touches on homophobia, racism, and the position of the Other in society. No other film has made the monsters the good guys in quite so interesting or rewarding a way; it's on the level of meaning that the film is at its most interesting. Sadly, these meanings are obscured by an hour long action scene that passes for an ending and various clunky edits that leave you feeling like vast swaths of dialogue are missing from the film; while it wants to leave you cheering (for the monsters!), Nightbreed leaves you weeping, for having so much potential for greatness, and falling so far short.

Imagine my excitement and surprise to discover that a) the film never really was structured according to Clive Barker's wishes, and that the finished product reflected ample meddling to make it more "commercial"; b) that a restoration has taken place, with Barker's participation, drawing from the best sources available to people without access to the negative, and has screened in many cities already; c) that this restoration is substantially LONGER, truer to Barker's original novel, Cabal, and has won the approval of many fans; and d) there is a petition you can sign to urge Morgan Creek to allow the restorers access to the original elements so there can be a full, proper revisitation of the film, for Blu-Ray and DVD purposes. See the Occupy Midian website for more, and please, folks - SIGN THAT PETITION! I haven't seen "The Cabal Cut" of Nightbreed, but I know this - it can only be an improvement on the theatrical version!

John Lurie, Down by Law: Vancity screening Tuesday

Apropos of the upcoming Cinema Salon screening of Down by Law on Tuesday, there's a very interesting, short interview with John Lurie on the Criterion website. One of my old interviews with Mr. Lurie is online here...

Just a thought...

When highly media-oriented, attention seeking madmen go on killing sprees, doesn't it seem kind of contrary to public interest (not to mention antisocial, cynical, and just generally a bad idea) to grant them daily media coverage? Isn't that sort of reinforcing what they've done and thereby encouraging others to do the same? Wouldn't a wiser resort be a sort of "cone of silence" imposed on the offender, such that, save for a brief report on their crime, their presence on cyberspace and in the media sphere would be completely erased?

I actually didn't feel this way about the Unabomber - because at least he wrote a pretty interesting book! - but reading about Breivik generally sickened me, and this Batman kid - I just don't give a fuck about this guy, you know? I'm offended, saddened, and disgusted at having to see his photo every time I go to the news; sorry as I feel for his victims, his is in no way an interesting or useful example of humanity, nothing I need held up in front of me. Plus who the fuck decides to call shit like this news? People are ACTUALLY DOING THINGS IN THE WORLD - accomplishing things, creating things, discovering things, advancing the cause of humanity; shouldn't we be devoting attention to positive things, reinforcing behaviour we actually want to encourage, rather than sloughing through the morbid trough of the lunatic-of-the-month club?

RIP Chris Marker

A confession: the shooting death of a giraffe in Chris Marker's Sans Soleil was so upsetting to watch that I have avoided revisiting the film. I should amend that, but haven't yet; I cannot say that I know Marker's cinema as well as I should. Yet I must acknowledge his passing, at age 91.

Vancouver/ Victoria punk on eBay

Hey, some seller has posted the Spores singles, "Meat BiProduct" and "Narcs In My Pants," on eBay. He's also got Nomeansno, Red Tide, the first Payola$ single, an I, Braineater single... some cool stuff...!

RIP R. G. Armstrong

Who even knew that, at least up until last Friday, R. G. Armstrong was still alive? Since he appeared to be a grouchy fifty year old in films made in 1975, I wouldn't have guessed it. R. G. was one of those character actors who elevated any film he appeared in, with a face full of character, total conviction in his voice, and the capacity to dominate pretty much any scene; perhaps his greatest moment in film is holding the shotgun on Billy (Kris Kristofferson) in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, as immortalized on the back of Bob Dylan's soundtrack album above, but he even brings class to dreck like The Car, where he plays a mean-tempered white trash wife-beater with such style that you end up liking the guy. As noted before, once someone makes it past 90, it seems more appropriate to replace mourning with a "holy shit, man, you had a good long life"-kinda attitude; but my respects to those who knew him.

A cinephile cries: Sorcerer, Phase IV - please restore and re-release!

(This is what happens, I blog one thing, get re-attached to the blog, and then suddenly there's ten other blogposts spring to mind...).

Thanks to Tom Charity for sharing this interview with William Friedkin, about the sorry state of film distribution and the ongoing decline of 35mm as a format. Sorcerer is probably #1 on my list of films I'd like to see a decent restoration and a new, appropriately widescreen DVD/ Blu Ray of (maybe #2 after Saul Bass' Phase IV with the restored ending, recently rediscovered and screened in LA...). Surely both of these films deserve Criterion treatment!

Lamb of God cancelled due to MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE?

Weird and disturbing (and news to me, though not exactly fresh off the press): Lamb of God's upcoming show in Vancouver has been cancelled because the singer, Randy Blythe, is in jail in the Czech Republic for manslaughter, after (apparently) pushing a 19 year old fan off the stage in 2010; the fan fell, developed head injuries, and later died, and when the band returned to perform a Czech show, Blythe was arrested. I have not seen video footage of the act - don't know what the circumstances were - but this sounds like a horrible move, and someone needs to sit Czech authorities down and patiently explain to them that:

a) rock concerts are rowdy, violent things
b) rock fans know this and for the most part like it that way
c) accidents can and do happen
d) holding bandmembers accountable for those accidents can only be bad for rock concerts
e) (...especially if you want bands to continue to tour through the Czech Republic!)

Scratch closeout, Strugglers, Down By Law (the film AND the band)... a few brief things...

I'm in the midst of what may prove a momentary patch of non-enthusiasm for blogging. Working on paid stuff, trying to figure out what the next phase of my life will entail, looking for very light film entertainment for Ma and I to keep the summer heat at bay, and kinda sad about how many cultural institutions about Vancouver are dropping off the map for good.

Scratch Records closeout sale finishes this weekend, 70% off stock on Saturday, 80% Sunday, then that's it, storewise. Scratch have always been my favourite local record store to shop, at least until their ill-fated relocation to crack dealer row. I learned about a lot of great music bugging Keith downstairs at the original Cambie Street location; he was the man who turned me on to Jandek, Daniel Johnston, Borbetomagus (whom he described as music to clean house to), the Sun City Girls, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and who-knows-what-all-else. Haven't been able to shop there much lately - their weird, one-day-a-week hours haven't meshed so well with my suburban relocation - but all the same, I'll miss Li'l Scratchy, the best record store mascot ever.

Carson Books and Records Broadway location closeout persists til the end of August - I gather that stuff is down to 60% off (though you may have to buy a few items to get that rate). Lots of books and records left, though - tons of jazz, blues, folk, rock, reggae, even a couple small punk and metal boxes (ask where they are if you don't know, stuff isn't exactly labelled!). I'll pull a shift there Saturday night for old time's sake, for all you stalkers out there. Feel free to ask me to spin records, if there's stuff you want to hear. My fondness for Carson's has more to do with personal matters (I've done business with Tim as a bookscout for years), but they still are a great little shop, entering their final month of business.

With losses as big as these, we gotta be grateful that there's still stuff happening to feel good about. Mr. Chi Pig was in amazing form at the SNFU show the other night; it was one of the best sets I've heard from the present lineup of the band, and (having written in The Straight that the band couldn't possibly be long for the world) I was happy to stand chastened at how much energy they put out. Truly humbling, and VERY entertaining, as was an insane opening set by The Strugglers, with Bert from the Little Guitar Army seeming truly possessed on vocals (horrible audio, but there's a clip here - the band also did inspired versions of "Sonic Reducer" and "Pay to Cum"). I didn't realize they'd ever released an album, and now I NEED it. GREAT bad cellphone photo:

Punkrockwise, what else is there to say? Y'all are going to see The Meatmen on August 9th, right? (See my plug for the Touch and Go anthology below - if you're at like me, this book is a must-own and will be an endless source of amusement. Plus note that advance tickets for this gig are ridiculously cheap - a mere $6!). Also, I'm going through a huge Gary Floyd phase at the moment, catching up on all those great Sister Double Happiness albums I ignored at the time, so I'm very happy to note that Alternative Tentacles has reissued The Dicks albums on vinyl and CD - something that was long overdue.

Film-wise, one of Jim Jarmusch's most entertaining films, Down By Law, starring Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni, will get a Cinema Salon screening at the Vancity Theatre on Tuesday, August 7th. It occurs to me that I have never seen this film in the proper "church of cinema" environment, with an actual audience to share the experience with. As many times as I've seen this movie - a dry, hip, very funny film, beautifully photographed by Robby Muller - I think I might actually make a trip for the privilege of seeing it with people. There's an amazing John Lurie print viewable upstairs, en route to the balcony, by the way...

More to keep abreast of weird coincidences than because I'm a fan of their music, I must also note that Down by Law, the punk band, will be playing Funky Winkerbeans on August 11th. I personally find that Epitaph/ Vans Warped sound kind of grating - "punk as commodity" - but no doubt a whole generation of people have baby duck fondness for it, as their entry point into the music, and who am I to begrudge them, just because I started with the Sex Pistols, DOA and the Dead Kennedys?
Anyhow, this may be my last blogpost for awhile... just not feeling it. Have a good summer!

Time Zones Suck

I'm interviewing a prominent punk figure tomorrow about an upcoming concert in Vancouver, and had been thinking the time zones backwards: I thought he was three hours BEHIND me, but he's three hours AHEAD.   So, idjit that I am, the interview I thought I was doing at 2pm turns out to be at 8am. Fuck! Gotta set my alarm at 7 and hope for the best... I prolly won't even be able to grab a coffee. Grr!  

Scratch Records closing, record store sales ongoing

Looks like Scratch Records will be closing up shop for good - Keith Parry has announced on Facebook that it was the "third last day open" of the Scratch store, with 60% off all stock. Audiopile, on the other hand, are having their 10th anniversary sale this weekend. Somehow, it all kinda reminds me of "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" - Dylan's version doesn't appear to be on Youtube, but this is a faithful cover...

Almost forgot!

Darren Williams Eugene Chadbourne poster!

Eugene Chadbourne Vancouver Return! (Darren Williams interview)

Eugene Chadbourne by Femke van Delft, not to be reused without permission

Outside guitar/ banjo virtuoso Eugene Chadbourne returns to Vancouver on Tuesday, July 24th for a set with Darren Williams, Kenton Loewen and Dave Chokroun at the Kozmik Zoo (53 W. Broadway). Eugene recently released Stop Snoring, a House of Chadula CD recorded with Williams and Scott Henderson, recorded at Sea of Shit; it consists mostly of originals, plus a Rascals' song ("Groovin'") and a Sun Ra cover ("Theme of the Stargazers"); you can read the Downtown Music Gallery review of it here. Doc Chad will be returning to Vancouver Island for another recording session this time out - he tells me that he's "got an ambitious plan" that will preclude his talking to Nardwuar or playing side-gigs. (Last year's phone interview with His Nardness can be heard here). Since I've already bugged Eugene numerous times about his music - see here or here, for instance - I threw a few questions at saxophone player Darren Williams, pictured with Doc Chad and Kenton below at one of their past Vancouver gigs... I think that's Poib in the audience...

Photo by Femke van Delft, not to be reused without permission


Q: What are you and Doc Chad discussing playing this time out? The free jazz versus LSDC&W push-pull between you seems to be getting ironed out a bit - you've found a middle ground with Sun Ra and the odd Sonics cover...

A: The last time we played together there was more emphasis on his original tunes than before (and quite right, too!) I have been putting together a list of possible candidates for covers as well as some of the old chestnuts we have played in the past. I would definitely expect some demento Country & Western in there somewhere, that's inevitable, some 1960's garage rock, maybe an Ayler tune, and possibly (hopefully!) a few obscure covers from a couple of long defunct Canadian bands...

Q: What was the high point for you of the last Kozmik Zoo show? What was the weirdest point?

I thought the show was really well attended, and the crowd really dug what we were doing - that's always a rush for sure. I thought Eugene's original tune called "Feather" really came together, it just seemed to lock into place and not just because Kenton's drumming (though that certainly helped!) - definitely the gem of the show, for me anyway. The weirdest moment came when we played "Watusi Zombie" by Jan Davis. Eugene started playing it in the wrong key (or was he just taking me to the Mingus whipping post?) and the resultant harmonic embolism between the two of us ensured a speedy disintegration from there.

Q: What is something you learned about music itself from playing with Doc Chad?

A: Playing with Eugene and musicians like him is always affirming for me in terms of what music I play and how I do it. It hardly needs to be said that the audience for improv/ experimental/ avant garde (whatever you want to call it) music is always smaller compared to other revivalist or "popular" forms, so it's important as an improv/ experimental/ avant garde (etc.) performer to not only have perseverance but support in the form of meaningful collaborations, as well as supportive venues/ festivals. For me to play with someone like Dr. Chad, who has made a career out of playing this kind of music, I find it very inspiring and it makes me work harder.

Q: What is something you learned about being a musician from playing with Doc Chad?

A: That the saxophone can be used in Country & Western tunes. Eugene would appear not to have any instrumental biases and I think that's an approach that should be shared by everyone making music. Dr. Chad is a very generous performer to play with and there is much humour in his playing, not just his lyrics, but in his actual playing. It's reminiscent of how a lot of the Dutch musicians play, this kind of absurdism; so it's no wonder that Han Bennink and Eugene sound amazing together. I feel that it's a lesson and constant reminder to not take oneself too seriously as a performer.

Photo by Femke van Delft, not to be reused without permission

Vancouver Noise Fest weekend, plus Bison BC debut new songs!

Addendum: it's my understanding that Ejaculation Death Rattle have been added to the bill for Sunday. And yes, folks, that's Bison BC bassist Masa Anzai making noise Saturday at the Rickshaw! (He'll be making a rather different sort of sound with Bison on Friday, opening for 3 Inches of Blood at the Vogue. I'm told by a Very Reliable Source that Bison will be performing material off their upcoming album!). 

Attention Meatmen Fans!

Those of you eager to see the Meatmen at Fortune Sound Club on August 9th should take note that copies of the awesome Touch and Go hardcore punk fanzine anthology (read more on it on Tesco Vee's homepage) can be ordered in super-quick via Pulp Fiction books, at a substantial discount off the Canadian cover price (the website says "typically 30%," but I thought Chris said 20% today, while giving me, in fact, more than that; don't ask me to do the math, but the bottom line is that it was a damn good deal, with something like a three-day turnaround from when I placed the order and no shipping charges: beat that, Amazon!). The book is some 576 pages long, smells like 'zine ink (not too different from the Crass Records ink smell, actually), and is profusely illustrated (in inimitable 'zine fashion), with tons of punk-related articles by Tesco, Dave Stimson, and contributions from Henry Rollins, Ian Mackaye, and Keith Morris (among others). I'm particularly keen to read the Crucifucks reviews (26 is Tesco's homeboy, looks like)! Note: advance ticket sales for the Meatmen gig are only $6, and will get a lot more expensive come the show, so buy yours now! Meatmen song of the moment: "Pillar of Sodom," off their 1987 masterwork (and my fave Meatmen album) War of the Superbikes...

Beyond the Black Rainbow: last two days

Heads up, folks: today and tomorrow are the last two days to catch the theatrical run of one of the most unique, immersive, original SF films to emerge from Canada (certainly the trippiest). Made in Vancouver! For more, see my interviews with the cinematographer, Norm Li; the soundtrack composer, Jeremy Schmidt; and writer/director Panos Cosmatos. If you saw it on opening weekend, you know how rich, weird, and deep a vein this film swims in; it amply rewards repeat viewings, so go check it out again!

Chris Walter exclusive interview re: SNFU: What No One Else Wanted to Say

Chris Walter reads at The Cobalt, photos by Femke van Delft; not to be reused without permission


I did a kind of massive interview with Chris Walter for Big Takeover already, but he's willing to make time to give me some exclusive content for my blog... so here it is, another Chris Walter interview, about his newest and best band bio, SNFU: What No One Else Wanted to Say. Visit his website here for more information, and catch the present incarnation of SNFU at Funky Winkerbeans on Saturday the 21st, for Chris' booklaunch; he'll be on hand to sell books, priced at $15 (and the big guy is always more than happy to sign them; make no mistake, as imposing as a figure as he cuts, Chris is a pretty friendly, approachable dude).

Q: What do you love most about the music of SNFU?

A: I loved the whole package: the power, the riffs, the vocals, and the energy they put into live shows. SNFU blew me away when I first saw them at the Doghouse in Winnipeg in ’83, and I wasn’t surprised that they became as popular as they did. I was particularly shocked to see Jimmy Schmitz playing bass with them and jumping around all over the place. He’d been in a band with me just a year earlier, and he certainly wasn’t that good then. Jimmy learned because SNFU practiced like maniacs every day, and Pissed & Broke obviously did not. Still, I was dumbfounded by SNFU and it seemed somewhat surreal that they were from Edmonton. I mean, there were some good punk bands from Edmonton and Calgary, but SNFU were really good.

Q: How do you feel about your new band bio?

I’m sure the book has its flaws, but it must better than my two previous biographies just for the amount of work I put into it. The learning curve is steep with the music bios, and I still have much to learn before I’m truly satisfied. With this one, I realized it was important to interview the roadies, merch guys, and even fans because they remember things the bandmembers tend to forget. For touring musicians, the stories all blend together after a while and become one long, noisy blur. Writing music biographies is much different from writing fiction, and I’m basically just faking it as I go along.

Mr. Chi Pig at Rock'n'Relief, photo by Femke van Delft, not to be reused without permission.

Q: Has Ty Stranglehold (who had plans to write an SNFU band bio himself) ordered a copy yet? (Has he said anything about being scooped?).

Ty hasn’t ordered a copy yet, and he will probably never be the president of the Chris Walter Fan Club, but I gave him two years to get it done, and he’d been talking about it for years before that. Finally, when I learned that Ty still hadn’t interviewed many of the key players, I decided to move forward with my project. In many ways, I was meant to write this book because I personally know many of the people in the story, and I’ve known Ken Chinn for more than thirty years. If Ty ever does get his book finished, I will surely buy a copy.

Q: I remember you actually having to explain to someone at the Cobalt (RIP) that he couldn't buy you a beer, because you don't drink anymore (you'd figure your fans would know this by now...). In lieu of offering you alcohol, then, what should fans of yours do to show appreciation at the book launch? (Besides the obvious "buy my books!"). Is there anything they shouldn't do?

A: Don’t put your drinks on the table with my books because they always spill and wreck my covers. I recently bought book stands so the books won’t be lying flat, but I still hate it when people put drinks on my table. At a launch in Winnipeg once, the legs of the table buckled on two separate occasions when kids in the pit banged into it. Somehow, I managed to sell most of those books, even though they were covered in blood and beer and scratched with broken glass. You can buy me drinks if you want, but I’ll just give them away to broke-ass punk rockers. It still feels weird to do that, but for me, booze opens a door I intend to leave closed.

Q: Anything we haven't covered somewhere already that you want to say?

A: Fuck, probably, but I’m burned out from doing so many interviews and can’t think of anything else. Generally, I don’t put as much work into publicity, but I’m touring with this book and need all the press I can get. I worked for an entire year to get to this point, but now I just wish all the promo and touring was done so I can start for real on the next book. Sometimes I feel like a shark, unable to stop moving lest I drown.

...End interview, this is Allan here. Just a brief testimonial: I read a proof of SNFU: What No One Else Wanted to Say and really enjoyed it. Chris Walter has a gift for getting down to the nuts-and-bolts reality of being in a band; the illusions, lies and hype that surround the music industry disappear completely and he offers a compelling, down-to-earth, non-romanticized story of the rise, fall, and ongoing afterlife of one of the best bands in Canadian punk. It's his thickest bio yet - maybe his thickest book? - but it's about as easy to read as potato chips are easy to eat. Since Goony lives in Japan now, this may be one of the last chances Vancouverites have to see SNFU perform. Come to the show, buy a book, and don't put your drinks on Chris' table, already! 

Propaganda: North Korean film comments on the west

Thanks go out to Cinema Sewer's Robin Bougie, who posts some real gems of Facebook (and I don't even particularly care about vintage porn!). He just shared a link to a newly translated critique of Western values circulating online, called Propaganda, which supposedly emerges from North Korea. This segment on the entertainment industry serves as a tantalizing appetizer, but the ambitious may want to start at the beginning... Spread the word on this, folks - this seems well worth the time...

A few more great Kinks songs

In gratitude to Ray Davies for answering a few of my questions, I have to post a few more links to favourite Kinks' songs of mine, while trying to eschew the obvious (I mean, y'all KNOW "David Watts," right? Even if just from the cover by The Jam; and surely you're familiar with "Victoria," with its playful Hanson Brothers variant. And lord knows I'm not going to chase down links for "Lola" or "You Really Got Me" or the other handful of Kinks songs that radio has so overemphasized over the years they've kinda been half-wrecked... EVERYONE knows those songs, eh? And if they don't, they have a pretty good chance of discovering them elsewhere).

No, we're going to share some songs you might NOT know, unless you're a Kinks fan like me. For all you smokers out there - check out "Harry Rag." Drinkers, meanwhile, should spend time with "Alcohol," and tea addicts with "Have a Cuppa Tea" - my parents' favourite Kinks' song, which I used to play on a crappy little cassette player when we went on drives in the car, in between listening to my Dad's Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and Charley Pride cassettes. I don't remember where I found a cassette of Muswell Hillbillies, as a kid - I was surely no older than ten, and seem to recall picking it out of a discount bin because I'd heard The Kinks on the radio or something - but I'm very glad I did. What a terrific album to start with this band (see also "20th Century Man" or - hell, every song on it is great, though its such a cohesive recording that none stand out as obvious "hits").

For those with a fondness for Calypso and Caribbean music, check out "Apeman" - my favourite Kinks' song in grade nine! (The studio version is a little more overt about the Calypso, as I recall). And for just really amazing songcraft, see "Arthur," off Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire).

One of the only things I remember from seeing The Kinks circa 1981-82 on the Give The People What They Want tour was that Ray ran on the spot while shaking up two beer bottles, then spritzed the audience from the stage at the Pacific Coliseum as they started "Low Budget," one of the best songs ever written about being kinda broke. (The other clear memory was that Davies joked that "You Really Got Me" was "a song made famous by Van Halen. I don't remember a single other thing from that concert, much as I enjoyed it.)

Cinephile fans of Wim Wenders' great neo-noir, The American Friend, starring Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz (an adaptation of a couple of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley novels) might recognize "Too Much on My Mind" as one of the songs that hapless Ganz sings to himself as the plot thickens around him.

Davies mentions in the interview linked above that Bobcat Goldthwait is working on a project based on Schoolboys in Disgrace - check out "No More Looking Back," off that album, a song that I have often returned to in thinking about people no longer in my life.

I'm pretty sure those are all Ray Davies compositions. Of course, his brother Dave is a songwriter too. Check out his "Death of a Clown." Here's hoping that the two brothers will someday reunite and tour with The Kinks again - I could not bear to put Davies through the mill of having to answer questions about that yet again. (I wonder if the dream Ray mentions at the end of our mini-interview inspired any of "Catch Me Now I'm Falling?" That's actually NOT a favourite Kinks song of mine, but it's relevant, and its so brazen in copping a riff from "Jumpin' Jack Flash" that it does merit a certain admiration).

The song that Davies says was inspired by a dream, meanwhile, is "Waterloo Sunset" - one of the bands' greatest moments ever. A live choral version is here, relating to The Kinks Choral Collection; the song also appears on See My Friends, where he sings it with Jackson Browne, though that one doesn't appear to be on Youtube. Both of those seem sort of biding-time albums from Davies, playing with his back catalogue, but I really can't say I object, since he does do fresh and interesting things with the songs. And I mean, who knew that hearing Jon Bon Jovi sing with Ray on "Celluloid Heroes" could be so much fun?

Finally, since I talk briefly about punk rock with Davies, check out two of the punkier songs in the Kinks repertoire - "Attitude" and "Add It Up." And since I mention Tom Holliston's fondness for The Village Green Preservation Society - an album I also admire, though not quite as much as Muswell Hillbillies - check out "Village Green" and "Village Green Preservation Society." Can't go wrong there (great live video for that last clip, too).

I'll leave y'all to explore Ray Davies' solo output on your own - look up Other People's Lives or Working Man's Cafe, for starters... And then go buy tickets and see Ray Davies at the Vogue later tonight. This is a rare opportunity to see one of the 20th century's great pop craftsmen performing live; unlike many of his contemporaries, he's a man whose muse is still fully-firing, despite being just shy of spending five decades in the world of rock (The Kinks formed in 1964). How can this not be an epic show?

No More Beyond the Black Rainbow, plus blog pause

Well, looks like I won't be blogging anything else re: Beyond the Black Rainbow. Other than a Chris Walter piece in the next week to plug the SNFU booklaunch on July 21st, I may be a little too preoccupied in the next while to write much. A friend is visiting, I've got work matters to consider (ie., finding a job), plus I've got to figure out how to live with the pigeons (the poor baby pigeon is huddled in the corner of my balcony while its stressed out parents rebuild the nest I wrecked; I'm going to let them go at it until the baby has flight, then I'm getting rid of the chair, scraping up the pigeon shit, and taking some preventative measures).