7 Days of Ozzy - Day 3: Diary of a Madman

 

It's been a couple decades since I've listened to Diary of a Madman. This one was omnipotent in my life for a few years back around the end of High School/beginning of College. Not sure if the entire album will hold up, but I know the title track does.

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Cast:

The second episode of my new Southside 90s podcast went up today:

This is a project I'd wanted to do for so very long; all my life-long friends from High School and I gathering periodically to tell the tales that, well, when we tell them, people don't believe them. But they're all real. Seriously. This week's ep is largely focused on a house we hung out at first semester of Junior Year, a two-story in a rich subdivision where adults were almost never present, and when they were, they didn't stop us. 

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Watch:

Holy shite:

Have I mentioned how much more I like Amazon's version of The Boys than I do the comic? Nothing against Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson; this is totally a case of being able to improve a story with the hindsight that comes after a decade since its completion.

 

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Dollar Bin:

You know what I find A LOT of in Dollar Bins? Issues from Marvel's failed late-80s New Universe line:

I'm not interested in all the books from that particular experiment, but anything pertaining to The Star Brand, The Pitt or the surrounding narrative that encompassed the four titles that survived after that first, failed year. These are pretty easy to come by these days, and that surprises me a little. I don't read Jason Aaron's Avengers book, but I know he's integrated The Star Brand into the modern 616 continuity over the last few years. I'm curious if anyone has updated Spitfire - basically the Iron Man of the New Universe, except with a woman in the armor (long before that was fashionable, to boot!), DP7 (mutants), or Justice, which I can't compare to a regular Marvel 616 book, as I don't think I ever read it or at least don't remember it.

These are total nostalgia bombs for me, but also, The New Universe's arrival dove-tailed with my blossoming interest in the non-G.I.Joe comics in general and Marvel Universe specifically, so there's something about it that is integral to my love of the medium.

And as I've said before, post-Pitt New Universe is dark AF.

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Playlist:

The Mysterines - Reeling

The Bronx - The Bronx (II)

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)

The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir

The Ruby Friedman Orchestra - Gem

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Card:

I'm pretty sure this either has to do with something I thought I was done with. Modern Life is Rubbish, indeed. 

Isolation: Day 172 Jeremiah Sand's long lost Album

 Well, I would have never expected to be posting a track off Jeremiah Sand's debut album Lift It Down, out October 30th on Sacred Bones Records. You can pre-order this psyche-folk insanity HERE. 

I'll probably be skipping this one, however, I definitely appreciate the ridiculous level of detail that's gone into pulling this from the fictional world of Mandy into our own.

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NCBD: 

Not a lot out today. However, chomping at the bit for this one after just reading issue two a week or so ago:

Next, there's a couple new books I'm curious about (I know, I know. Wasn't I the guy saying I was done buying monthlies just a few, well, months ago? Yeah). First up, Lonely Receiver from Aftershock comics. Written by Zac Thompson, one of the two writers of Her Infernal Descent, which I loved, and art by Jen Hickman. This one sounds really interesting and taps into something I've been meaning to write a story about myself: AI life mate dolls. 

From the solicitation: 

"Catrin Vander, a lonely video producer, buys an Artificial Intelligence partner that's meant to bond for life. After ten years together, her holographic wife suddenly discon-nects without a warning. The breakup drives Catrin to the point of near insanity. She's alone for the first time in years and reeling from a loss she can't comprehend. Set in the new future, drenched in pastels and sunshine, LONELY RECEIVER is a horror/breakup story in five parts."  

Sound good? Yeah, I think so, too. 

Finally, I've always been hesitant to engage with any of the newer iterations of the John Constantine books that DC has put out over the years. Constantly starting/restarting, renaming, endless turnover on of the moment creative teams - what's all of it mean for a character as old and storied - and beloved - as John Constantine? Usually just a watering down of his legacy. 

That said, I have an interesting feeling about this one, perhaps based on the facts that, A) they've gone back to calling the book Hellblazer, B) it's a limited series, C) Darick Robertson.

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Playlist: 

Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower

Oh Baby - The Art of Sleeping

Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Windhand - Eternal Return

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Card: 

 

Four chapters into Shadow Play Book Two, and yeah, it's a new journey alright. This is the first book I've written off an outline - a comprehensive outline whose word count may actually end up rivaling that of the finished product. I've been having back issues, so I'm by the time this post goes up, I've probably taken the day off work and am hip deep in writing.

2019: July 27th - Shellac The End of Radio Live 2004

It's been a few weeks since Shellac dropped The End of Radio, a really nice collection of live tracks culled from Peel Sessions in 1994 and 2004. Being that the band's 2007 album Excellent Italian Greyhound just might be my favorite of Shellac's records (or it's tied with 2000's 1000 Hurts), and I think Greyhound has one of the best opening tracks of all time, this is my favorite on this new album. The Martina Navratilova aside near the end of this performance makes me so happy I can often hardly stand it.

You can order The End of Radio on Vinyl - as it was meant to be heard - from Touch and Go Records HERE.

I really need to see Shellac live again. It's been a while.

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I'll admit that I fully expected to hate Amazon's adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys, but after watching one and a half episodes last night, I can tell you that is most definitely not the case. In fact, so far, I LOVE it. Karl Urban remains a perfect actor, in my book.


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Playlist from 7/26:

Primus - Frizzle Fry
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Grand Duchy - Let the People Speak
Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Numenorean - Adore

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Card of the day:

Being that I've ended up working Tarot into Ciazarn considerably more than I expected, I'm going to continue interpreting these draws that occur while I'm on a writing streak with it as direct influences on the story and/or characters. In this case, I have two 'set pieces,' but I believe I need two more in order to have a solid first act.

Teaser Trailer for Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys

Courtesy of NYCC. Props to my good friend Chris from DwC and the Thirsty Crows for tipping me to it's release. After watching all I can say is...

I'm in.

As a series, I really liked The Boys at the start, but felt it became a bit blah in the middle. Then, about a year before it's end, Butcher stabbed someone to death for killing something special to him and the book became a juggernaut of awesome until the end. Hoping the show might streamline and smooth over some of the complacent parts.