Suzie Thundertussy - Junie Morrison

Junie Morrison , the Father of Funk, the whole funk nothing but the funk

A seesaw song about sleeping with an LA groupie that promises fame, delivers and then disappears. 

An abrupt introspective journey from the pains of trying to make it -- to the abundance of stardom galore.

painting the pain and passion.

it grooves, confuses, hurts and uplifts. 

longing/legacy

sullen/stardom.

crush on it. 

Killing the Second Dog - Marek Hlasko

I found this book last July at A House of Our Own in the Eastern European fiction section. I'd never heard of it but it had a strong title and a nice cover and maybe 100 pages max; a low risk buy.

I ran a quick google search in the bookstore and learned that Marek Hlasko lived through the war in Warsaw and bounced around in Germany, Paris, Los Angeles and Israel until he died at 35 from a mix of alcohol and pill overdose. 

He has this brutal quote on his wiki page that goes: " it is obvious to me that I am a product of war times, starvation and terror; it is the reason for the intellectual poverty of my short stories. Simply, I cannot think up a story that does not end in death, catastrophe, suicide or imprisonment. Some people accuse me of pretending to be a strong man. They are wrong" 

He was a drunk and a vagrant for most of his short life and was thought of as a Polish James Dean. This book is the first of a para-autobiographical trilogy series about his life as a vagrant.

It's about two guys playing out their regular scheme as gigolo's in Israel to con single woman out of cash. It's also about the introspective space between his expectations of life versus reality; and an effort to explain the external reasons of his internal turmoils. 

He is buried in Warsaw and the inscription on his grave reads:

 
" His life was short, and everybody turned their backs on him ".

Whores' Glory - Michael Glawogger- 2011

I watched this a couple nights ago after chatting with Jenna about 70's NYC street hustlers. 

It's a "cinematic" documentary triptych by Michael Glawogger that shares a questionably intimate insight into the culture of prostitution in Bangkok (Thailand), Faridpur (Bangladesh), and Reynosa (Mexico). 

Each part shares some unique cultural aspect via the perspectives of the brothel managers, sex workers, and clients. Its soundtracked by early 2010's Coco Rosie and PJ Harvey although John Zorn is incorrectly credited on the Wiki page cuz he worked on the soundtrack of another Michael Glawogger film. 

The Wiki page also says the film was received "with respect" and was praised for its "non-judgemental " stance toward the sex workers but I don't buy that. There's an intimate scene in the Mexico segment where 2 women are sitting on a bed together passing a crack pipe back and forth exposed and high. 

I'm sure the Director learned quickly how he could also participate in *their* commerce to capture from this "non-judgmental" view-point. That was obvious to me. 

Either way, I cant say I "respect" it although that doesn't mean I disliked it. I just think the critics were being lazy or feeling generous in those specific reflections. 

I thought there were a few heartbreaking insights but no more or less than that. 

(this is not a rec's blog! I reserve the right to write aimlessly for myself here about whatever I want) 

spoonfed hybrid - 1993 - 4AD

 

dont even know where to start with this album...

there's early 80s pop influences throughout, shoe gaze, goth rock with some classical string and piano motifs laced in. There's hardly any drums on here and it's mostly carried by backing synths and guitar melodies that keep the beat. I think there's some hand-drums in there.. congas, some shakers, a record scratch; it's all weird and wandering. 

I cant get over the 3rd track on this album. It's called "Tiny Planes" and I thought I had this song clocked as an instrumental until a brit voice came in, locked eyes and twirled me on the dark danse floor. 

its seductive and every song that follows makes the whole album harder to place. might be my favorite discovery of this month

cover to cover.

give romanse a chanse. 

spoonfed hybrid- 1993 - 4AD full album