Cinematic Sacriledge, Nasties, Snake Plants & Felony: Link Update Round-Up

There are fewer things in life sweeter to me than variety. Chalk it up to a general joie de vivre or a severe case of clinically undiagnosed ADD, I like to shake things up on a fairly continual basis. This is crystalline in its obviousness when you scan through this latest update round-up.

For starters, my piece on Jean-Luc Godard's controversial 1985 film involving themes of religion and family, HAIL MARY, can be read in the latest issue of the best magazine dedicated to VHS subculture, Lunchmeat. 

In the spirit of Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day, the fantastic Actually Huizenga (whose work I have written about before on Dangerous Minds) has released a non-album single called "Red, White, Black & Blue." Even better is that it's a duet with Murphy Maxwell and has a corresponding photo shoot by brilliant photographer, Socrates Mitsios. I got to write about it as a collaborative effort of sorts for the fashion-travel-art-sex magazine, Live Fast. They are great and so is Actually. Definitely check it out.

Speaking of Dangerous Minds, I got to recently cover one of my absolute favorite composers ever, the criminally underrated Mort Garson. The man's an electric music pioneer and had one of the most unique careers in the history of modern music.

Being both a big fan of free speech, documentaries and director Jake West, it was only a matter of time I would delve into Severin's superb three-disc set, VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE. (You can read my piece about it over at Dangerous Minds.) Even if you're not a horror or exploitation film fan, you will still love this vital documentary whose issues are as vital now as they were back in the 80's.

One of my favorite slasher films, GRADUATION DAY, recently got a spiffy release courtesy of the always fabulous folks over at Vinegar Syndrome. It's tight little gem with some key surprises and an appearance by one of the most unique bands that came out of the New Wave scene, Felony. You can read about all of that and more right here.

So there you have it! There is much more where that came from, so keep your peepers peeled, your mind open and in the meantime, have a great evening!

© 2014 Heather Drain

Mondo Roundup: The Respectable Edition (Aka We Miss You, Dave Brockie)

With the arts, “respectability” always seems to be tied to having a huge hateful aversion to the pleasure-center of our brain. This entails anything that makes you giggle, chortle, moan or even shriek out of fright. If you feel these emotions and all of their fun based kin, then it is NOT art. Which you know what? Is total, foaming-at-its-fetid-mouth-bullshit. It's this kind of elitism that I rally against, especially since it denies so many really good and even brilliant artists the respect and examination they deserve.

Now this rant is nothing new from me, but with the recent passing of GWAR front man and founder, Dave Brockie, it feels more important than ever. Especially after seeing someone online act like they couldn't or shouldn't mourn because basically GWAR didn't make “serious” art. Which is really sad. First of all, Brockie died way too young at age 50 and was, by all accounts, an incredibly sweet, funny and smart guy. I never knew him personally but always was impressed with him in interviews, loved GWAR in general and even made sure to note his badass turn as a sleazy cook in the independent film “Hackjob” when I had to review it a few years ago. (Seriously, while the film itself had some issues, Brockie singing an R-rated version of the Kiss disco-mutated song, “I Was Made for Loving You” is heart warming.)

Whenever things can turn weird and dark in your real life, sometimes it is bands like GWAR that help you get through it. We all love Leonard Cohen but you gotta have the light hearted yin to the melancholy yang. Laughing, rocking out and getting in touch with your inner Beavis can be tremendously healing. It's also important to keep in mind that no one in that band was or is dumb and provided the crude and Grand Guignol with a cheeky sense of knowing. The world is a little less bright without Dave Brockie in it, but the man has left behind a legacy of one of the most colorful bands to have emerged out of the punk/metal scene that, despite what some may have you think, actually did make some really good music.

The beauty of this world is that there is plenty of room for every stripe of creative expression. Remember kids, Marcel Duchamp once said that you can point at anything and call it art. And if it was good enough for a genius like Duchamp, then it should be good enough for all.

In others news, keep an eye out for upcoming articles, both here and abroad, covering artists ranging from Alejandro Jodorowsky to Actually Huizenga to Duke Mitchell and many, many more.

In the meantime, feel free to indulge in some of my recent article and podcast madness. Enjoy!

The Projection Booth Episode 158: SMOKER (Guest hostess duties with the always great Mike White & Rob Mary. Guests include David Christopher, Sharon Mitchell, Susie Bright, Ron Jeremy.)

The Cotolo Chronicles: Generating Godzilla Episode (Frank Cotolo & I discuss all things bright and Kaiju.)

 How To Get Girls Through Hypnotism: The Story of Gleaming Spires (Dangerous Minds)

Modern Day Puck: A Bobby Astyr Double Feature (Paracinema "Notes from the Backroom")

Red, White & Blue Sleaze: Al Goldstein's Infamous "Midnight Blue" (Dangerous Minds)

© 2014 Heather Drain

Weekly Mondo Round-Up: Dome of the Spheres Edition

Hello cats and kittens, welcome to a new feature for Mondo Heather. While I'm sure all of you love reading the same articles again for over a month, you deserve some fresh content on a more regular basis. So think of this as a weekly peek into the colorful and occasionally schizoid miasma that is both my life and brain. Sprinkle in some self-promotion for my non Mondo-writing and your ready to strap on your saddles shoes and go!

Something I like to do, especially whenever I'm working on any sizable projects, is throw on a film in the background and then some additional music. Basically, a multimedia melange a go-go. Last night, it was Fellini's classic 8 1/2 with my Ipod mix playing. (We're talking everything from Love & Rockets to The Residents here.) It was a great match and it lent itself well to getting art stuff done. The latter included a collage art book, fashioned from a formerly religiously-themed diary that I got for free back in my retail day job years. I started this back around 2004-5 and finally finished it earlier this week. Writing is always and forever my main love, but the visual arts are an eternal close second. It's tentatively titled “Dome of the Spheres,” inspired by the obscure and lyrically weird song of the same name. It has been one of those projects that I was not sure that I would ever actually finish, so it feels sweet to have the bloody thing done. Woo for productivity!

Speaking of which, the piece covering the “SoftRock” series, created by Actually Huizenga and her partner-in-crime Socrates Mitsios, is finished and live on DangerousMinds. I think Huizenga is one of the most interesting figures, not to mention ballsiest, in music and video out there right now. Most pop tartlets flirt with the whole sexy-girl thing, but Huizenga uses sexuality as a device to be both cheeky and explore some rather dark human territory. 

 One new kid on the film distribution block that is already knocking my socks off is the Vinegar Syndrome. They first came to my attention as the fine folks releasing “The Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis,” which includes “Black Love” and “Linda & Abilene,” two films that I NEVER thought I would ever get lucky enough to see. Looking at their small but already growing library, they are one of those rare companies whose entire library is covet-worthy. I'm looking forward to writing about some of their titles in the near further, both here and abroad. Keep your peepers peeled. 

As a whole, this has been one weird week. Some of it stressful, other parts extremely wonderful. No matter what, art and life are what it's all about. 

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