Isolation: Day 18 RIP Krzysztof Penderecki

I first heard Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima in the mid-to-late 90s. I was dating a classically trained violin player, and she was involved in a college performance of the piece. She talked about how different the piece was from a player's perspective. This is anecdotal, as I've only ever heard it from her, but apparently when Penderecki wrote the music for the piece, he had to devise an entirely new way to notate the passage where the players hit the bodies of their instruments. When she played me the piece, I was floored - I knew this! Of course, I didn't know it as a whole, but I'd heard passages of it for years as they were used in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, a film I have been obsessed with for most of my life (less now, much more at that time). I had her make me a copy of the piece, and although it never led me to seek out more of Penderecki's compositions, I've loved Threnody ever since. Sunday morning, Mr. Penderecki passed away. Interesting that, only a few hours before his death, I rewatched Twin Peaks: The Return episode 8, which also utilizes this piece - to great effect, might I add. I wanted to post something here, as a memorial, and because composition is often best expressed in the moment, I went with a performance of the piece instead of the standard, studio recording.

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Three of us at The Horror Vision did our first remote podcast session on Zoom this past Saturday, and it turned out pretty damn good, so there will be more episodes more often. That goes for Drinking with Comics as well, which I've decided to spin-off an audio-only version called Drinking w/ Comics: The Conversations. First episode of that will be up by the end of the week. In the meantime, check out The Horror Vision's first installment of Quarantine Guide:



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Five episodes into Season Three of Ozark and it is glorious. Between this and Outsider, I am now a card-carrying fan of Jason Bateman and his work.



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Playlist:

Slayer - Live Undead/Haunting the Chapel
NIN - Ghosts V: Together
Pale Sketcher - Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed
Pearl Jam - Gigaton
Steve Moore - Frame Dragging

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Card:

Failure to achieve a goal. That feels like what I'm up against at the moment, as my new schedule and the overall aesthetic of Shelter-in-Place combine to make me a lazy bastard. I'm still writing, but it's been difficult to drag myself up into my chair and actually put in the time to write. You'd think I'd be all over this, and I was at first, but currently, everything is a chore.

Mindful Habitation:

Build a new routine out of the bones of your old routine. It can be done, it just takes an initial investment of energy to build-up the inertia that will keep the thing moving once you get it shambling along on its own two feet, so to speak.

Isolation: Day 16 - The Return of Joe Bob Briggs!

Man, this could not come at a better time! I cannot wait for weekly event viewing with Mr. Briggs.

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I've been on a reading tear. I finished my re-read of Inferno, the mini series that ran through all the X-books in 1989. I even through in the What If...? Issue that contemplated what would have happened had the X-Folks lost to S'ym and Madelyne Pryor. Mr. Sinister remains my favorite X-Villain, however, it's unfortunate that Mr. Claremont never had the opportunity to fully explore his backstory. I know subsequent X-writers did, however, I don't know that I'd ever be interested in reading beyond Claremont's X-Men again. Louise Simonson works well writing X-Factor inside Claremont's domain, and I don't want to belittle what she did, but really, she began as Claremont's editor on the books, so it makes sense that when he had to hand the reins of one book over to someone, it would be her. And Ms. Simonson's contributions are fantastic. I even like a bit of what Fabian Nicezia added closer to the end of Claremont's tenure, but most of what other creators did at that time grew organically out of the seeds Claremont had laid. Who knows? Maybe I'll find the one of those Sinister-related trades on sale for Kindle at some point and take a chance. I know they took him back to the Victorian era - an immediate 'Pro' for me, however, the subsequent convolution of all things X after Claremont and the editorial insistence on 'Status Quo' just makes me want to pretend the characters were part of a finite series. (Although Morrison's stands on its own as a three-volume masterpiece, and I suspect that may be just about up for re-read as well).

Possibly my favorite splash in the entire series

Next up was the complete Alien/Predator/Prometheus Fire and Stone saga, which was pretty awesome. 

One of my favorite elements of this was when the construct Elden - similar model to Bishop or David from the films - is injected with the Engineer's Life Accelerant "Black Goo" and begins an evolutionary journey that sees him become something almost as monstrous and distressing as the Xenomorphs themselves. Check this out:

More wonderful Nightmare fuel from the Alien Universe!

Next, the first installment of Warren Ellis' 2016 serial novel Normal, which I've had since its release and which I've just realized, is now only available as the collected novel. So, apparently in order to continue, I'll just have to pick that up, which is no problem, as it's readily available on Kindle:

Although I won't be doing the rest of Normal just yet, as reading the first part awakened in me a rabid desire to re-read Charles Stross' Atrocity Archives, which I believe I first read back in... 2007 or 2008, and which has perpetually been on my mind since setting up a Feedly account a few months ago and following Stross' blog (HERE).

If you're unfamiliar with Stross, his Laundry Files books follow an employee in the IT department of a company that deals with Necromantic Arts and Lovecraftian Elder Gods the way Silicon Valley companies deal with Technology. It's fascinating, and I'd been meaning to re-enter Stross world for sometime. I'm only a few pages into this re-read, but I may do more of the series afterward.

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Playlist:

The Birthday Party - Mutiny/The Bad Seed EP
Fenn - Epoch
Balthazar - Fever
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
Tennis System - Lovesick
Spotlights - Love and Decay
Various Artists - The Void OST
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Me and That Man - New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1
NIN - Ghosts V: Together
Rammstein - Eponymous

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No Card.

Isolation: Day 13 - RIP Bill Rieflin

I've never been clear if Rieflin actually played on this particular song - he was in the incarnation of the Cocks for this record - but his mention in this, the title track from the album Linger Ficken' Good, always makes me laugh.

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Last night K and I watched David Lynch's Wild at Heart. It's been a while since I've seen this one, and for some reason, there are a lot of details that I always forget, but overall, while not my favorite Lynch film by any stretch of the imagination, I still love this flick.



Note: In choosing a trailer to post, I opted for the original, unrestored version over the remastered, Shout Factory. I did this simply because I remember this trailer so vividly from television the year of its release, a time when I was in the throws of my initial introduction to David Lynch and the then-airing second season of Twin Peaks. Something about the grain and vague picture really authenticates the memory for me, so while I'd rather watch a restored version of the film, this trailer 'lights my fire' more than the glossy one.

After Wild at Heart, we did indeed begin a rewatch of Twin Peaks: The Return. This will only be the second time I've watched the series, and I'm excited and trepidatious with going back to it. One thing that I feel is definitely going to enhance this go-through is the fact that I'm also re-reading Mark Frost's Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier, and watching some of the editorial/theory programming that popped up on youtube during and after The Return's initial broadcast run. Having access to information we did not during that initial run, I feel, will make a hell of a difference in accepting and understanding certain elements of the series that otherwise left me feeling a bit... unresolved. The most important video I've found for this is Wow Lynch Wow's brilliant examination of the Cooper/Mr. C connection. If you haven't seen this, dig into it before you go back to the series (or even if you just want to think about it after the fact). I am in complete and total agreement with this man's assessment here:



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Playlist:

Man Man - Future Peg (Pre-release single)
Steve Moore - Frame Dragging EP
Led Zeppelin - I

No Card.

RIP Stuart Gordon

To quote Tod Ashley, they're droppin' like flies right now. This one hits hard. I love Stuart Gordon's movies. I loved that I was able to see him in person - briefly - at the Steve Allen Theatre back in 2011, when he directed the Re-Animator: The Musical there. I love Re-Animator and Bride of Re-Animator (the latter admittedly had Brian Yuzna at the helm, but it was still Gordon's movie). I love From Beyond. I love King of the Ants. I love Dagon. I love his Dreams in the Witch House. This sucks. Rest in Peace, Mr. Gordon. Hopefully Herbert won't be stealing your remains and attempting to bring you back to life as some ghoulish creature of the night. But then again, if he does, it'd make a good movie!

Isolation: Day 12 - Anthrax Lone Justice

I'm not quite through posting about this one yet. Anthrax's 1985 Sophomore album Spreading the Disease has locked into my heart of late, and I'm finding it hard to get my fill of it. Every song is great, and what's really cool is this is Anthrax not fully formed as they will be by 1987's Among the Living. That's the album where I think pretty much everyone agrees the band solidified their sound for the next few albums (only to overthrow that again a few albums later by replacing Joey Belladonna with Stan Bush for the release of 1993's Sound of White Noise). But on Spreading the Disease we still have some of the young band's influences showing through, and both today's track 'Lone Justice' and yesterday's 'The Enemy' really show the Iron Maiden influence on these guys. I mean, listen to either of these songs and imagine Bruce "History Major" Dickinson singing over the top and you'll hear it right away. So cool, to see the primordial ingredients of one of the most iconic bands in Thrash history.

Speaking of history, I'm hearing Mr. Bungle's Raging Wraith of the Easter Bunny album should be out in fall, if, you know, the current crisis ends by then and the world that's left even slightly resembles what we have now. Which, hopefully, it will. More on those efforts in Mindful Habitation, below.

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Mindful Habitation:

Today is my 44th birthday. Holy shit, man! Forty-four. There were times I didn't think I'd get this far; I've always had sort of a prescient block on how to imagine aging (hence my Bowie article HERE), and in light of current events, well, you never know. Could be my last. Not that I'm walking around worried about that. I think we're all probably prone to a certain amount of on-again-off-again existential crisis at the moment, but generally I'm thinking I'll make it through to the other side of whatever this is shaping up to be. And so will all my loved ones, K and our family in both states I divide my consciousness between, but also, all the friends who probably don't know it, but who I carry with me day-to-day as a sort of live-in consensus. This is my world, and as long as they remain consistent, I can adapt. I'm not special; I'm sure most people have these lists and they're tossing dice against the Universe that when the dealer folds, they're holding the better cards. All we can do is sit at the table, employ the our best poker face, and try and beat this. It is going to take a bite out of our population, because it has to. The Planet's needs come first, y'all. However, play it smart and let those too stupid to pay attention or take this seriously be the ones weeded out. And that's the Mindful Habitation for today: I never thought I'd age into the kind of person who thinks the military needs to control things with a police state, but Jesus-Fucking-Christ, all these people still gathering in groups, still playing basketball at the park in large numbers, still not taking this seriously? STOP IT. If you don't? Well, then if Mother Nature has to thin the heard, I'm all for her starting there. The only problem is how many non-morons they might likewise infect. So - and this goes back to a life rule for me - minimize the number of morons in your life.

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I don't normally make much of a to-do out of my bday anyway, so this year won't be that different. I love to throw parties and celebrate my friends' reiteration renewal, but I prefer to let mine squeak by quietly. That said, I have today and tomorrow off, I ordered a growler of my favorite local beer (King Harbor Brewings' Swirly!), and K and I kicked off two days of marathoning stuff that I love last night with The Big Lebowski and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Been at least ten years since I'd seen either, and both hold up. Lebowski remains one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and Vegas, although darker with each subsequent viewing, always hits my heart with the weight of Thompson's profound insight into the Death of the American Dream. Today? Not entirely sure yet, but I may be starting a marathon re-watch of Twin Peaks: The Return in a little while. I might work up to that with a first viewing of The Conjuring 2, though, simply because I've still never seen it.





UPDATE: We watched the Conjuring 2. It's very well made shit. I didn't hate it, but total disappointment, because I maintain the original is fantastic, even if it does lose a bit of steam once they show us the ghost on top of the armoire. Still Number Two felt like a massive step backwards, despite some very fancy and expensive camera work.

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Playlist:

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Steve Moore - Frame Dragging EP

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Card:

A reminder, I think, not to let the day go by without some creative time. Think I'll dig back into my current project for a little bit, come up for air in an hour or so. Just to keep the juices flowing.

Isolation: Day 11 - Anthrax The Enemy

When I was a Freshmen in High School in 1990, I fell really heavy into Anthrax. I loved all the Titans of Thrash, but Anthrax was the one that I loved best, mostly because of how The Persistence of Time hit me. That was the first Anthrax album I bought/heard, and when I spread my allowance out over the next few months digging into their back catalogue, I fell even deeper in love. Among the Living is the obvious gem, but State of Euphoria, Spreading the Disease, and the I'm the Man EP all occupied a place of great thrall in my cassette collection. Since then, Persistence, Among, and State have all stayed in and out of rotation, but for whatever reason, Spreading the Disease was the album I never really went back to again after those teenage years. Last month, after seeing Mr. Bungle's thrash set, I went through a reawakening on the marvels of classic thrash, and ever since then, Spreading the Disease has been inching its way up into the top rotation spot in my daily playlists. And this last week or so - no irony intended - it's been the album that has soundtracked my thoughts.

I wake up everyday with one of the songs in my head. For a few days it was Medusa. Yesterday it was The Enemy. Today it was Gung Ho. I'm absolutely loving this record right now, it feels like one of the crown jewels of 80s thrash. It's always such a good feeling to fall in love with an album all over again.

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Last night, K and I watched Roger Avary's 1993 French Bank Heist gone wrong Killing Zoe. I saw this movie a lot when it came out on video; I'm pretty sure other than Reservoir Dogs, this was a constant with my friends and I. Dark, funny, and thoroughly possessed by that "Tarantino Crime Aesthetic," probably because Avary helped create that vision with his work on Pulp Fiction. If you've never seen this one, it's definitely worth a watch, and if, like me, it's been at least a decade, I definitely recommend a re-watch. Killing Zoe won't disappoint.



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Playlist:

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Beach Slang - The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Algiers - The Underside of Power
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

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Card:

Fours are solid, but in my opinion, sometimes misleading. I've had a few days off writing simply because of it was my weekend to work and it kicked my ass. Now though, I have the next two days off, so it's back to work.

Isolation: Day 10 - RIP Kenny Rogers

I'm not a huge fan or anything, but there's no denying the man is a legend. I know this is the obvious choice for people of my 'demo' to post as a tribute due to its presence in the Cohen Brothers' cult-favorite film The Big Lebowski. Regardless, I love this tune.

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Based on my fellow Horror Vision Host King Butcher's recommendation, I picked up a Blu Ray copy of 2011's Fright Night Remake two weeks ago, and finally watched it Friday night. I saw Craig Gillespie's remake of the classic Tom Holland 80s Vampire flick back when it was released theatrically and liked it, although I don't have a ton of history with the original, which I know I've seen in its entirety but not until way later in life - about time I revisit that already. I liked it even more second time through. The cast is top notch, and late-00s CG doesn't bother me so much, as most of the scenes that require them are awesome regardless.

And then there's David Tennant. Goddamn, that man is awesome.



**

Playlist:

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Chris Isaak - Heart Shaped World
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
Beach House - 7
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Beastmilk - Climax
Calexico - Even My Sure Things Fall Through

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Card:

It's a Swords kind of moment, that we find ourselves in, eh? But the Ten of Swords isn't a signpost as to where we're going, it's more a warning in my eyes, a warning that our negativity feeds itself and multiplies (10 is the initial multiple of 5, which is Swords is Defeat). Our ruinous thoughts and negative attitudes do nothing but perpetuate themselves and our misery. So...


Mindful Habitation:

As stupid as it sounds, smile when you're tempted to freak out. I've done this for years - when I can have the presence of mind to do it. Smiling releases chemicals that make you feel better. Sounds awful new age, but it works. Even if it doesn't work and this is a case of "if you've convinced yourself, that's great," I've always been okay with the so called Placebo Effect. As long as I get the end results I set out for, who cares if I tricked my brain into getting there?

Isolation: Day 8 - More New Me and That Man!

At this point, I'm not listening to any more of Me and That Man's new record until I have the full album in my hands (pre-order HERE), but I'm posting it here so I can go back to it, and so you, dear reader, can strike out into the territory I'm eschewing simply because I am such a fan of full album immersion.

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The best thing to come out of social media that I've seen since the Pandemic began? Right here:



Love these guys.

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Finished Black Stars Above this morning. Five Issues of creepy, nuanced cosmic horror. Here's one of my favorite images, from issue four:

This very much reminds me of Alan Moore and JH Williams III's Promethea. Jenna Cha's art, Brad Simpson's colors, and Lonnie Nadler's story work in such perfect synthesis. They have to, it's the only way to tell such a macro/micro story that delves into infinite cosmic territory. This page illustrates the beautiful way the creative team delivers the ineffable.

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Mindful Habitation:

As so many others are, Southern California is on Shelter-in-place. Weird, but really only in perception and big picture theory. Day-to-day won't be that different for many of us. I'm bummed to know this will halt a lot of businesses, the smaller ones especially. Many of those smaller ones are really using this to innovate and think outside the box. The Comic Bug remains purveyors of media via mail, delivery, or scheduled appointment (HERE for details). King Harbor Brewery is doing same-day local Growler delivery (HERE). These are examples local to me, however, I'm getting reports of this from friends all over the place, so if there's a business you love, reach out and see if they are working with similar innovations.

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Event Viewing:

Episode Four of Alex Garland's Devs landed last night, and it was quite the ride. The opening floored me with it's image/sound juxtaposition. Geoff Barrow and The Insects' score is overall fantastic, but in this particular scene, it was unearthly, layered, textured sounds arranged in a way that made the images bloom from the screen.

And Nick Offerman? Killing it.

Playlist:

Exhalants - Eponymous
Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Slayer - Live Undead/Haunting the Chapel
The Bronx - The Bronx (I)
Seefeel - Fracture/Tied (Single)
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh
Metatron Omega - Evangelikon
Myrkur - Folkesange

**

Card:

An agent of enlightenment. Reproductive force - not necessarily biologically speaking. I'm leaning more toward an interpretation that reinforces people are finally learning what needs to be done and doing it (even a certain douche celebrity decided to comply and close his shitty restaurant). Also, the gray skeins in the background speak to the illusory world losing its leverage as knowledge dawns. That's the Devil - the Morningstar, enlightener extraordinaire.

Isolation: Day 7 - Type O Negative - Open Air Festival 1995

As usual, Brooklyn Vegan has been killing it on curation and content during these trying times. THIS article, posted Wednesday, 3/18, runs down a list of several fantastic live shows currently available in-full on youtube. Of course, I went directly to the Type O one. I saw them twice on the October Rust tour - the shows are among my fondest concert memories - and this footage takes me back in a way I did not quite expect. With the tenth anniversary of Peter Steele's death on the horizon (April 14th), and with rain falling intermittently more than usual in LaLa Land, this landed at the perfect moment for me. Thanks Brooklyn Vegan, for all that you do!

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Two nights ago, K and I finished the second season of Netflix's Castlevania, which means we finally get to move on to Season Three, which I keep seeing referred to as "Psychedelic Horror." Can't wait for that, especially considering the way events played out at the end of Season Two. Written by legendary comics scribe Warren Ellis, Castlevania is pure joy for Horror/Comics/Video Game fans alike. Ellis' writing is top notch; think of when the mostly creator-owned writer steps into high level IP's like X-Books, Batman, or, if you're like me and fondly remember Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., and you'll get a ballpark sense of what a joy it is seeing this man play with super well-known toys. For a peak inside his process, go to Orbital Operations and sign up for his weekly newsletter. It is seriously one of the things in life I most look forward to reading every week, both for the process insights, and his unmatched aptitude as a curator of all things awesome! In the meantime, for only those who have finished Season Two, here's a clip of the penultimate battle that just blows my f*&king mind!



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Playlist:

The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
Antemasque - Eponymous
The Black Angels - Eponymous EP
SOD - Speak Spanish or Die
Chris Isaak - Heart Shaped World
Slayer - Decade of Aggression
Type O Negative - Origin of the Feces
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars

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Card:

I'm not sure how to read the common interpretation of "Seed to a Tree." In light of world events, I'm not sure if that's positive for us now, on this side of what this thing will eventually become, or if it's referring to the growth of COVID-19, or if we're talking about the mass culling of our population and eventual rebuilding phase. Another common interpretation here is that something will begin, but that's pretty much as eerily ambiguous as the other.

Let's hope future generations aren't as irresponsible as we (collectively) have been.

As more and more cities go into Shelter-in-Place, I'm having moments throughout my day where Science Fiction interlopes my daily routines and shows me where we very well may be going. Remember, the difference between Science Fiction and Fantasy is Science Fiction is - in its purest form - fiction based on the extrapolation of current Scientific Knowledge/Method. In other words, the Orwells, RAW's, and Huxley's of the world - not to mention the Gilliams -  have been warning us for decades. My company announced today they are drafting official documents for us in the event of checkpoints being erected to control non-quarantine compliance. I heard this and couldn't help envision a scene cobbled together from various fictional sources I've consumed in my life: I pull up to a police or military checkpoint, lower my window, and hand a gas-mask wearing official my papers, which they check over and hand back.

Wow. Yeah, that is most likely where we are going.

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Mindful Habitation:

It has never been my intention to make this blog political, primarily because there is no answer when it comes to politics. I detest both sides and long for the day when I can remove my support from either tired old institution we continue to placate. I thought that would be this year. Now - assuming we still have an election in November - I not only want Captain Hairdo out of office, I want to see him tried for Crimes Against Humanity. Because all the other shit was bad, but not that different from what the other side does. Now though, we have a 'leader' who is very much responsible for not only the loss of human life on a grand scale, but what is looking like it will be the end of 'this great nation.' No, I'm blaming him for the existence of COVID-19. But when you follow his words and sentiment, you see where the irresponsibility sets in, and why I make such strong accusations.

Some things to think about are HERE and HERE. Don't dwell in there too long, and don't fall down the Twitter-hole, but these are the things to remember when/if we have an election in November. I would like to see these people Tried in a Court of Law for Crimes Against Humanity. The difference here is, if you compare to, for instance, when Nixon fell from grace, his supporters believed he wasn't guilty until his crimes were proven. In this day and age, people can see proven facts and simply refuse they are facts. This goes back to what I have been saying since the "Alternative Facts" bullshit that began post inauguration. There is no such thing as Alternative Facts. THIS is Orwell's 1984, where the state decides reality, and it's fucking terrifying.

Isolation: Day 6 - Beach Slang's Tommy in the 80s

Holy cow am I in love with this song. From Beach Slang's 2020 record The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City, released this past January on Bridge9 Records. Buy HERE. Many thanks to my friend Jeffrey for kicking this one my way, as the entire record is awesome.

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Black Stars Above #5 comes out today. Or does it? At this point, I'm not sure if either the Comic Bug or Atomic Basement are open, or whether Diamond is distributing at all. So many things are locked down; what do you do? Well, if you're a fucking asshole, you go to Texas or Florida for Spring Break. If you're an even bigger, more famous asshole, you refuse to close your shitty hillbilly restaurant. And if you're the biggest asshole? You blame everyone else for the mess you might not have created, but that you sure as fuck helped spread. I am happy to announce I am now 100% A-political, and consider Capitalism as much a failed experiment as Communism. What's left? Well, if you're Mother Earth, you start trimming the virus choking the life out of you with a pandemic. Sad but true folks; nothing could be better for the planet as a whole than to have a couple billion people removed.

Anyway, here's to hoping no one you or I love gets removed, and come this afternoon, we can all go get some new comics. Unlikely, but I'll take it.

This book is so damn good!

**

Playlist:

Porridge Radio - Every Bad
Antemasque - Eponymous
The Black Angels - Eponymous EP
The Black Angels - Passover
Deafheaven - Roads to Judah
Various Artists - The Void OST
Beach Slang - The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Metatron Omega - Evangelikon
Zonal - Instrumental Playlist

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Here's today's card:

Yesterday's:

Monday's:

We're looking at a clear progression from Monday to today. Oppression kinda speaks for itself at this point, especially with Shelter-in-Place orders being handed out left and right. There's the Strength this is requiring/going to require to get through, and then there's the Queen, who indicates compassion for others, a mothering nature. We need that right now, and I'm happy that, for as many examples of complete human bullshit, there is an almost equal number of stories of compassion, civic-mindedness, and generosity. However, the Queen of Cups also opens the door for that gentle, compassionate nature to collapse in on itself, turning weakness and resentment. I'm not sure I've seen a three-day spread mirror the three days better.

Take care of people, and what's more - and I can't believe I'm saying this - if the order is to stay put and minimize your contact with others, fucking do it. These orders are not from the president - remember, he doesn't think the WHO's numbers are accurate - it's from the organizations and departments in the government that, despite Captain Hairdo's crippling of them over the last three years, are trying to deal with the strain this is going to put on Hospitals. Also, and fuck the human race for me even having to say this, regarding the fine folks working in groceries, hardware stores, wherever you're going for supplies, don't treat them poorly. They're heroes in this moment, and trust me, you would not want to be doing their job.

Happy St. Paddy's Day - Have Some Pogues!

It doesn't feel much like St. Paddy's, and I'm on call, so my usual gathering with friends to watch State of Grace is postponed. Still, what's March 17th without some fucking Pogues?

Enjoy!

Isolation: Day 3 - Seefeel Fracture

Caught this on Michael Stock's Part Time Punks on KXLU this past Thursday (there's a link via KXLU that archives the playlist for all Michael's shows HERE). Love it. Fracture is from the Fracture/Tied single on Warp Records. You can also find and support Seefeel through other releases available on their Bandcamp.

**

Seven episodes into HBO's The Outsider, and it has a hold of me good. Fantastic show that very much scratches the itch left over from True Detective Season One.



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As more and more public events are cancelled, it was inevitable the upcoming Deafheaven tour got postponed. Mr. Brown pointed me HERE, where the band is selling what was supposed to be their tour merch, as well as taking pre-orders for the double live album that was supposed to be recorded over two nights in Chicago, but will now be recorded live in-studio. As the craziness increases, you're going to see a lot of messages from independent artists about helping to support them and/or others like them. Take this seriously. I've always considered myself a 'patron' of the arts, especially as we've moved into such a decentralized paradigm for creating and distributing said arts. Now with this, bands who would have made the bulk of their income touring - because even a band like Deafheaven isn't being supported by their label enough for its individual members to actually exist in the real world - are going to be effectively cut off at the knees. You can't support everyone, but please, support those you can.

Here's one of the older Deafheaven songs I'm hoping ends up on the double live, which titled 10 Years Gone, I'm assuming is a career-to-this-point retrospective:



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Playlist:

Human Impact - Eponymous
Seefeel - Fracture/Tied (Single)
Various Artists - The Void OST
Beach Slang - The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Deafheaven - Roads to Judah

**

Card:

That's a bit disturbing in light of recent events. Or, I can interpret it as the hot streak I'm using all the media induced 'pandemic' paranoia to fuel re-writing something I will be releasing in a few months.

RIP Genesis P. Orridge

You timed it juuuuust right, sir.

Isolation: Day 1 - Human Impact This Dead Sea

The debut album by Human Impact dropped on Ipecac Records today. This one brings me back - there's a little Helmet, a little Quicksand, and an undercurrent of Industrial vibes that makes their sound mildly nostalgic while also cutting edge. Haven't heard anything like this in some time, and Chris Spencer's sweat-and-vitriol laced vocals feel pretty damn timely, while the world seems to curl in from around the edges, like an old photograph in a winter hearth.

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Nightmare fuel right here. Jesus, this looks insane, and the "bastard child of Ground Hog's Day and The Babadook" quote just seals the freakin' deal.


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Playlist:

Balthazar - Fever
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
The Birthday Party - Mutiny/The Bad Seed
Beth Gibbons/Henry Gorecki - Symphony No. 3
Drab Majesty - Modern Mirror
Eagulls - Eponymous
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Jaye Jayle - No Trail and Other Unholy Paths

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On this, the second time in three days I've pulled The Emperor, I'm reading on a more Macroscopic level. The Emperor is establishment, social order, social contract. Namely, all the things that feel like they are in jeopardy at the moment. I'm inclined to read this as a nod to the unwavering persistence of these systems we have set up - even though many of them are fucked up or in jeopardy in other ways - and that the current scare will subside without decimating our society. There's a host of conspiracy theories the Mulder in my brain keeps throwing at the back of my eyes, but I'm trying to acclimate to just believing everything will be, relatively, okay. Even if a lot is probably going to change by the end of the year.

JARV IS - House Music All Night Long

Apparently Jarvis Cocker is now JARV IS, and the new album Beyond the Pale is out May 1st on Rough Trade. Pre-Order HERE.

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NCBD was a huge one yesterday, simply because I picked up a handful of new titles I'd decided to add to my pull over at The Atomic Basement. The split that occurred between my Drinking w/ Comics co-host Mike and The Comic Bug co-owner Jun - both great guys - left me in a bit of a funk. The Bug is literally walking distance from my crib, and Jun is a friend of mine. So while I of course want to support Mike's new venture, I didn't want to do it at Jun's expense. Thus, I've added a handful of titles to my monthly pull and pretty much set an even balance at both stores. Here's what I grabbed at The Atomic Basement this week:

I'm reminded of Black Monday Murders, and hope that this undertaking isn't taking place instead of a continuation of that book. Regardless, insanely vast opening to what seems like it might be a small story in a massive world.

No idea where this is going, but it's as creepy as it is gorgeous.

I'm not sure how long these Joe Hill books are running, but so far, I'm really digging Daphne Byrne, so I figured I'd give Low Low Woods a chance as well.

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Two episodes into Alex Garland's new Hulu/FX series Devs and it's already established itself as a powerhouse; something that could totally change the Medium. AND - it's weekly, so it gives me some much-needed Event Viewing for the next few weeks, hopefully to get us right up to that next season of Joe Bob's Last Drive-In, although to my knowledge they haven't confirmed a date for that one's return.



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Devs put me in the mood for some more techy fiction, so I finally made it back around to Black Mirror and watched Black Museum. My favorite of the few episodes I've watched since Netflix brought this show back. Directed by Colm McCarthy, whose indie horror flick Outcast I wrote about here last year - and which I LOVED and is now on Prime so watch it! - Black Museum sets up something I would like to see return - Rolo Haynes' titular roadside attraction, the Black Museum. There are at least a couple dozen stories that could spin out of this, and Douglas Hodge's portrayal of Haynes was a sheer joy to watch, so hopefully this will recur at some point.




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Playlist:

Man Man - Beached (Single)
Fen - Dustwalker
The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose
Ghosts of Glaciers - The Greatest Burden
The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
Myrkur - M
Beth Gibbons/Henry Gorecki - Symphony No. 3
Neon Kross - Darkness Falls

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The positive break-up of structures and limitations.

New Music from Man Man!

From Man Man's forthcoming Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between, the band's first album since 2013's On Oni Pond. You can pre-order the new record from Sub Pop HERE.

As much as I love Man Man, they had completely fallen off my radar until, maybe two or three months ago, I went through a little jag with 2011's Life Fantastic. Then, a few days ago, Mr. Brown messaged me about the new record, and now I find myself quite anxious for May 1st and the first new record by the group in seven years.

What I did find while digging around in Apple Music, was that Man Man released an EP in 2019, two songs, both of which are fantastic, but one I adore. Here's that song, too:



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Having been in something of a funk the last week or so, I left work a skosh early yesterday with the desire to do nothing more than recharge by watching a couple flicks. I went with Benson and Moorehead's Resolution and The Endless, the second of which I'd watched before, October 2018, and not really liked. The links for my micro reviews on Letterbxd are linked to each title, suffice it to say, I loved Resolution, and it is now my opinion in order to fully appreciate the themes and situations of The Endless, you have to watch them one after the other. Not necessarily in one sitting, but it helps. Both are exceptional films - I'm really kind of staggered by the elegance of The Endless and its metaphors, and now I can't wait for the two creators' next film, Synchronic, which seems as though it should have already been released, and which I'm pretty sure will deal with Flower, the hallucinogenic plant people smoke in both films.

Normally, I'd post trailers, but I think any pre-knowledge will ultimately take away from both films, so I figured I'd use the awesome poster art and be done with it. Resolution is currently streaming on Prime, and The Endless is on Netflix.


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Playlist:

Man Man - Cloud Nein (pre-release single)
Man Man - Beached (Single)
Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
Neon Kross - Darkness Falls
Thundercat - Dragonball Durag (pre-release single)
Parliament - Mothership Connection

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Lots of red, with authoritarian overtones. Mars. Pretty sure this is a sign to pull myself up out of my funk and get back to work.

Chelsea Wolfe - Highway

Always a good day when there's a new Chelsea Wolfe video. One of my favorite artists insofar as how she puts imagery to her music; there's always a visual representation of the hollow loneliness that permeates her songs. Not sad loneliness, but the kind you feel when you're out in the desert, dwarfed by the environment around you, and isolated from other humans.

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Kindle had a Dark Horse comics sale yesterday (it may still be in effect), and for $6.99 I picked up the Alien/Predator/Prometheus Fire and Stone collection. I've heard great stuff about this series, so I'm psyched to jump in, as while I enjoyed by recent viewing of Alien: Covenant for what it is, I would have definitely preferred if they didn't kill all the Engineers off between movies. I've said it many times now, as much as I love Aliens, the films are frustrating for sure, and nothing is more frustrating then their propensity in killing the most interesting characters OFF SCREEN.

Also in that sale, I scored the first Masters of the Universe Mini Comics collection for $5.00. This is pure nostalgia, pleasure reading. These comics are literally primordial Shawn, as I had MotU figures from the time of their initial release, and the accompanying mini comics were among the first comics I ever read, and thus are at least partially responsible for my continued love of the medium.

Also, my Uncanny X-Men re-read continues at a steady pace; I'm now up to Inferno, but I'm going to back track first and re-read the 1984 Magik mini-series first, as events in that series set-up the story that eventually culimates during Inferno. Also, and I'm putting this in print finally, my all-time favorite X-villains are by far Mr. Sinister, S'ym, and N'astirh.

Unbeatable when drawn by my X-Men dream-team of Silvestri and Green.

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Playlist:

Orville Peck - Pony
The Jesus Lizard - Lash EP
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers
... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead - X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
The Jesus Lizard - Liar
Belong - October Language
Testament - The Gathering
Allagaeon - Apoptopsis
Spotlights - Love and Decay
Somnium Nox - Apocrypha EP
The Soft Moon - Deeper
U2 - War

Superblood Wolfmoon and The Invisible Man!

There are two singles out right now from Pearl Jam's forthcoming album Gigaton, which you can pre-order HERE. Both songs are fantastic, but I feel like "Dance of the Clairvoyants" is the one everyone's talking about because of the Talking Heads-vibe that song has. I wanted to post "Superblood Wolfmoon" because it's also fantastic!

Here's where I offer my take on Pearl Jam. I've always respected them. I've always thought they make the music they want to make, and that's amazing in the era they started in and transitioned through. However, previously, my love of their music went like this: All of their debut, Ten. Both songs on the Singles soundtrack. About half of the follow-up Vs. About a third of Vitalogy, and then I tuned out. After Ten their ballads - the stuff that, through no fault of their own, ruled the FM airwaves while I was in high school - all just sounded like audio burlap to me. Drab, scratchy, and uncomfortable. Yet I applauded them for years when friends who were into them would play me their records. I just never really heard any of that stuff, some weird bug in my ear always turned the noise of my brain up and drowned out what was coming in through my ear. I've always wanted something to come along and push me into taking a walk through that now back catalogue, and these two songs may have done just that.

Thanks to Mr. Brown for always forwarding me the newest stuff when he hears it, and for Keller for curating youtube sessions that made me realize just what an unbelievably good person Eddie Vedder is; if I dive back into Pearl Jam's music now, it's largely because of knowing that.

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K and I ventured out to the local theatre last night and saw Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man. Loved it! Awesome use and sustaining of tension; great atmosphere of fear and helplessness, made especially palpable by Elizabeth Moss' teeth-grinding performance. Really hits the notes on that sweet spot that exists between horror and psychological thrillers - think Pacific Heights and Jacob's Ladder as an example. Oh, and Whannell was not lying; to those who said the trailer gives away the entire movie, that is most definitely not the case.



**

Playlist:

Spotlights - Love and Decay
Alice in Chains - Eponymous
The Jesus Lizard - Head
Pearl Jame - Gigaton (pre-release singles)
Pearl Jam - Vs

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I've been out of touch with my Craft for the last three days. Time to get back on that horse and ride.

Kacey & Willie

This one's been out there for some time, so I'm late to the game. During a back-and-forth listening session with a good friend on Wednesday, I discovered the Kacey Musgraves/Willie Nelson duet "Are You Sure."

Wow.

I know next to nothing about Ms. Musgraves, but when I saw Willie Nelson with her, I became instantly curious; while far from my bread and butter, Willie definitely fit a certain state of mind with me. I saw him live back in 2015 and he blew me away. As for this song, it's incredible. As Mr. Brown pointed out recently, she has a definite Patsy Cline/Loretta Lynn quality.

The video too, is shot in a throwback way that made me half expect to see a muppet sitting next to her when the camera began to pan to the left. It looks like 80s "live" television. Totally appropriate for the inner of the bar and feel of the song, which also harken back to a different era.

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A new episode of The Horror Vision went up this past Monday. This is our spoiler-free review/reaction piece to The Lodge (loved it - hear why), as well as a discussion that includes AHS Hotel, Netflix's Castlevania and October Faction, Joe Begos' Bliss, and 2011's Fright Night remake, as well as a handful of other titles we've viewed recently. Oh yeah, and this episode's Classic Corner is none other than Tibor Takacs' 1987 The Gate! We love this movie so much, we even sneak in some thoughts on the sequel.



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After finishing Chuck Wendig's frightening and timely Wanderers last week, a conversation with Ray from The Horror Vision prompted me to dig out a large part of Chris Claremont's run on Uncanny X-Men and begin plowing though it. I started just before the Mutant Massacre - which was about when I started reading X-Men back in the day - and plan on going up through Inferno. I might go past that, not sure yet. But I am SO looking forward to Inferno. It's been too long.

Also, the Sequart Documentary Chris Claremont's X-Men is now on Prime for free, so if you're a fan and haven't seen it, totally worth a watch.

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Playlist:

The Vines - Total Depravity
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
16 Horsepower - Low Estate
Zombi - Shape Shift
Worm is Green - Automagic
Greg Puciato - Fire for Water (single)
Greg Dulli - Random Desire
Mazzy Star - So Tonite That I Might See
Grimes - Art Angels
Led Zeppelin - I
Led Zeppelin - IV
The Jesus Lizard - Lash
The Jesus Lizard - Head
The Jesus Lizard - Pure EP
Chris Connelly - Sleeping Partner
Alice in Chains - Eponymous
Lustmord - The Dark Places of the Earth
Anthrax - Attack of the Killer B's
Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
Various - The History of Northwest Rock Vol. 2 (The Garage Years)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen
Grimes - Visions

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Hacking off pieces in order to gain the time/vantage to reflect. I pulled a 'mental health day' yesterday, not from my day job, but from writing. The current global situation has got me down, and I've realized despite all my declarations that I will not vote for either of the two parties in hogging the US political system, I am indeed going to be casting a vote for one asshole in November simply to keep the bigger (biggest?) asshole out of office. I also realize that this won't work and we most likely have four more years of... this. Unless of course, Captain Trips wins the day and purges the planet of a large enough amount of the human population as to inspire a total societal change in this country.

I won't hold my breath. Fuck jetpacks, where's our Common Sense?

The Lodge!

The new episode of The Horror Vision is up! As I mentioned yesterday, we start out with a Spoiler-Free review of The Lodge!



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Speaking of Horror, here's a couple of upcoming horror trailers that caught my attention last week. The first, Saint Maud, looks promising, but also kind of looks like A24 fishing for another Hereditary. Either way, I'll give it a chance, because we all know trailers can make movies look more like other movies even if the film doesn't (nothing against Hereditary, I'm merely suspicious of derivative material):




Scare Package looks like it will, like a lot of anthologies, be hit or miss. Based on this trailer, I'll definitely give it a shot:



Also, look at the poster art for this one. Love it!

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Playlist:

Hall and Oats - Greatest Hits
Odonis Odonis - No Pop
Greg Dulli - Random Desire
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Talking Heads - Fear of Music

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Might represent good news on the salary front. Which would be helpful in longer-termish plans I am making in my head.

Orville Peck - Queen of the Rodeo

I love the way, between this and the AHS 10 Cast announcement video published last week, Peck has swung back around and recaptured my imagination of late. Not that I ever leave the record very far behind - it's a staple and feels like it will be for the rest of my life - but it feels strangely timely again.

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Saturday night K and I, along with 3/4 of the rest of The Horror Vision crew went to the theatre and supported the big-box roll out for Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala's The Lodge. Fantastic film! I've jokingly been referring to it as the, "Feel good hit of the summer," simply to help me process just how damn dark it is, but overall, I really liked this one. Afterward, we recorded an episode of the podcast, so that'll be up in a couple of days or so.




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Playlist:

The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
Odonis Odonis - No Pop
The Smiths - Meat is Murder
Myrkur - M
Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
Bohren and Der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
Odonis Odonis - Post Plague
Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen
Boy Harsher - Careful
Anthrax - Among the Living

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A relaxing weekend, if a chilly one (I know, I know. I can hear my family and friends in the Frigid Midwest. Fuck me, California boy). Stability achieved after a stressful week on-call for Jury Duty. I got a lot of work done on Friday and Saturday, saw a great movie, and now it's time to use that clear head and march right back to work. Turning in a packet of docs to a collaborator today, hopefully we'll see some movement with that (eventually; long submission process), and it's back to my outlines for Shadow Play books Two and Three, which are more finished than not.