Now that everyone has a smartphone, no one cares about remote control.
The remote control used to be a powerful object. Couples fought over it. Some televisions would not operate without one, necessitating a trip to the local Radio Shack for another “universal remote”. Dads would exact a stranglehold over the remote, and moms would hide it on purpose, feigning ignorance while secretly enjoying the resultant frustration.
Comments Off on The Mute Button
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Idiot's Delight, Nostalgic Obsessions
By the age of ten, I had somehow managed to view both Alien and The Shining. These formed the blueprint of what I understood of the “horror” genre, which I’ve loved ever since. I often bought issues of Fangoria and GoreZone in junior high, because I was intrigued by the pictures’ ability to sicken me, and amazed that magazines existed in stores that were nothing more than full-color gross-out photos. The work of technical-effects masters like Rick Baker, Tom Savini and Kevin Yagher was lovingly displayed like bloody Playboy centerfolds.
The good old days, when Corey Feldman was naught but Jason’s killer.
Comments Off on My First Necronomicon
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Idiot's Delight, Magazine Rack, Movies You Missed, Nostalgic Obsessions
Max Headroom was a science-fiction show I adored at 15. Aside from Matt Frewer’s stammering titular talking head, there was weirdness aplenty in every episode. A small nebula of minor characters fleshed out the dystopian setting, as they went about their bleak lives. One couple would make a permanent impression on this young viewer: Blank Reg and Dominique.
Comments Off on Big Time TV
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Late To The Party, Nostalgic Obsessions, Saturday Movie Matinee
“Great minds think alike.”
That and coincidence are the reasons why in 1984, This Is Spinal Tap had a counterpart from the UK, Bad News.
The runner-up in the pants-stuffing joke competition of 1980s mockumentaries.
Comments Off on Bad News, Worse Timing
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Idiot's Delight, Late To The Party, Movies You Missed, Nostalgic Obsessions, Saturday Movie Matinee, Thousand Listen Club, Worst Of All
Comments Off on ‘Til Tuesday
Filed under Comix Classic & Current, Faint Signals, Girls of BIUL, Nostalgic Obsessions, Thousand Listen Club
In 1994, a severely truncated version of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers was released to theaters nationwide, after a long and brutal production. It grossed about half its budget on opening weekend, and broke even in 2007. It was based on a story written by Quentin Tarantino, who was currently ablaze in Tinseltown thanks to Pulp Fiction. It starred former sitcom bartender Woody Harrelson, and Geoffrey Lewis’ daughter Juliette (the nymph in Scorcese’s Cape Fear remake), as mass-murdering marrieds Mickey and Mallory Knox.
Comments Off on Guiltiest Pleasure: Natural Born Killers
Filed under Bad Influences, Girls of BIUL, Movies You Missed, Nostalgic Obsessions, Saturday Movie Matinee, Thousand Listen Club, Unfairly Maligned
A harsh truth of reality: not every movie gets a sequel, and this isn’t a bad thing. Only one thing grants a movie a sequel; money.
Money and passion are often confused by consumers. They feel the same, in many ways, and they produce similar results. But for creative people, money and passion are completely different creatures. The latter is fuel, and the former is a means to an end. You can possess a passion; money, you can only hold. Continue reading
Comments Off on The Thankless Life
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Late To The Party, Movies You Missed, Nostalgic Obsessions, Saturday Movie Matinee
For an all-too-brief twelve episodes, there existed a program called Exit 57, from 1995 to 1996. If you enjoy sketch comedy, you already know about it. It was the first place most people saw this guy:
Comments Off on Lost Loves: Exit 57
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Girls of BIUL, Nostalgic Obsessions
You probably won’t believe this, but when I was a stage actor in the late 90s, I hung around with an actual carny. A guy who really did run off to join the circus as a kid, name of D.C.; a character so colorful, the memories seem like legends. We used to cruise the streets of Savannah in his gigantic box truck and pick up chicks. It was every bit as great as it sounds. Who amongst you can say you’ve been a carny’s wingman?
I have no idea where D.C. went after the century’s turn. Probably somewhere fun and awesome, relatively close to a beach or a circus. Backstage when we were castmates in a production of Brendan Behan’s The Hostage, he would signal an impending night of debauchery by singing “pound note, pound note.”
Comments Off on Hate Proof: Adam Ant’s “Goody Two Shoes”
Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Nostalgic Obsessions, Thousand Listen Club
You must be logged in to post a comment.