Nazia Hassan - Disco Deewane

Quite enjoying this right now. Might be good literal video material.

The Afghan Whigs

There are relatively few groups I miss from the 1990's but this one still makes me sad they split even though their output became somewhat weaker and more diluted toward the end of that decade. This is them performing at the peak of their powers and they still send shivers down my spine because they had it pure and simple. Particularly like the little dance step that Rick McCollum (lead guitar) does with his Fender Jazzmaster (cheers Nick ;). Marvel at the stony-faced composure of John Curley (bass) as around him the self loathing and charismatic frontman Greg Dulli luxuriates centre stage like a barely controlled cyclone. One of the most severely underrated bands of their generation, I'd advise you to watch this and then go out and buy Gentlemen (1993) forthwith. Listen and tremble.

Literal Videos

Take a music video and re-record the song explaining the visuals literally. In the hands of the inept this can be embarrassing but luckily the concept created by DustoMcNeato is remarkably funny when in his capable hands. His arguable successor is dascottjr whose creations are even more inspired and currently holds the torch aloft amid a sea of pretenders. Thanks to Nick for this :)

Darth Vadersehen Pet

Combine Geordies and science fiction and you get an unholy marriage that will only please those who get the references. Genius.

Hundred Highways - CCS (1973)

Cool as fuck jazz rock gubbins. Somewhere an HBO drama is missing the soundtrack for a great scene.

The Ocarina of Rhyme

Straight up love for these mashups of prime Nintendo Zelda tunage with hip hop stylings. Gotta give credit to Team Teamwork for mostly doing a nice job. Hear Link spit pure fire!!



It's available HERE

Z-Movies

For quite sometime now I've been obsessed with collecting awful VHS movies. It's a strange compulsion that in all honesty needs to be validated in some way in order to smokescreen the more obvious idea that there may be something deeply wrong with me. Yet I'm not alone and for fellow VHS collectors like myself there's no pleasure to be gained in gathering up the great films in that format. Oh no! It's all about the worship of trash and obscurity. The simple joy in knowing with absolute certainty that no DVD version exists is a thrill in itself. Or the insanely comforting ritual of watching the pre-film (and post-film occasionally) trailers with genuine surprise and interest because in doing so it can open up another world of desirable insanity, filth and coolness with a new batch of trophies to pursue. It's beautiful as it begets itself.

So what to look out for? It may not work for books but you can ALWAYS judge a VHS by its cover. Does it contain any of the following: ninjas, mutants, cyborgs/robots, post apocalyptic worlds, creatures, vehicles, hillbillies or Vietnam vets? These elements will guarantee a boner for all but the most discriminate of VHS collectors.


Alternatively as in many private press records it could be an awful artistic rendering with stylistically bland fonts, odd human perspectives and unappetizing still shots adorning the back. Its whole essence screams out that to actually watch this film would be such a gargantuan waste of time that the only solace you could take when it was over is that it took you considerably less time to watch it than it did the person to make it. Or actually possibly the other way round. To stick a film like this in your VCR means you have the heart of a lion but the ambition of a tramp.


When entering this world though you have to believe in failed ambition. That there's something fascinating about a glimmer of a great idea that's been executed so incomprehensibly poorly vis-à-vis the paradoxical lack of ambition/effort involved in alternatively just making a formulaic exploitation film. To enjoy these works is to willfully embrace the concept that somewhere and by some means, some guy/girl scraped together a little money and then set about crafting a celluloid turd that history probably would not bestow a footnote upon.
Collecting these films however is a more perverse art in itself. It is akin to being a member of a depraved elitist club whose single goal is to pride themselves on how rare, obscure and downright awful looking their new acquisition is compared to their last one or indeed those of their peers. I'm proud to say I belong in some form to this rogue, mutant community and I've posted about 40 or so VHS covers on MySpace and Facebook for others to cringe and wonder at. However after arrogantly believing I was a master for some years I have since learned that it is I who is truly the student after all. So good luck to you if you decide to take a walk down this idiosyncratic path. A path inexplicably shrouded in both light and shade, where there's honeysuckle in the air and dog shit on the floor. A path whose woods are lined with magic mushrooms and disused porno mags where out there, somewhere deep in the darkness, you swore you saw yourself riding a BMX to the video shop.