Unit Training Film 1

I'd only known about early 80's "synthpunk" band The Units through their collaboration with Bill Nelson on their New Way To Move EP (1983). And since then I've not seen or heard anything from them... until now!

History of the Units is a recently released 21 track selection of their work. There's some cool stuff on it too. Sadly though, it won't sell many copies, and they'll remain an obscure itch on the backside of synth music history, but at least it's out there for people to stumble upon and enjoy.

Now tell me this music video isn't great! Found instructional film footage over Warm Moving Bodies...

Unit Training Film 1, Warm Moving Bodies (1980)

Carbon Credit

Mick Jones and Tony James are back!
From their forthcoming album - The Carbon Bubble, here's What's Up Doc? - a nice bit of thrash, accompanied by an excellent, fresh and funny animated video.

Carbon/Silicon - What's Up Doc?
I remember seeing Carbon/Silicon preview this song live at their Carbon Casino 9 gig in Hammersmith just before Christmas. At the time, it just passed over my head as a lot of loud concert noise. However, another new song, Unbelievable Pain, stood out as being something quite special. The Carbon Bubble sounds like it could be the album of the summer.

Surfin' Dead!

R.I.P. Lux Interior!
I'm betting he won't stay dead for long.

The Cramps - Creature From The Black Leather Lagoon

'The Ram' vs 'Maniac Miner'

A good weekend to go to the flicks. What film to see? I had two in mind, The Wrestler - critically acclaimed and something I'd been looking forward to for a while, or the no doubt soon to be critically shat upon, remake of a really bad film, My Bloody Valentine 3D!!! Choices, choices, choices.

Friday night, and I just had time to catch a late show. Always being a bit perverse in my decision making, I decided to plump for the film that was sure to be bad, but bad in 3D!!! Despite being certain, guaranteed, trash, My Bloody Valentine 3D was sold out. I couldn't get a ticket and, slightly disappointed, went in to see The Wrestler instead.

Of course, I really wanted to see The Wrestler anyway and sat down in a near empty screen 2 with a tub of Chunky Munkey. Low budget, and shot in parts almost like a reality documentary, you get skilfully drawn into the life of fading Wrestler Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. Mickey Rourke was made for the title role. He brings the required physical and emotional character strengths and weaknesses to the screen with such perfection that it's hard to believe he's not the real thing. Equally impressive are the rest of the cast - Marisa Tomei as his aging stripper friend, and his fellow (actual) wrestlers, who provide a real sense of community in the film.

After Director Darren Aronofsky's expensive 'flop', the love it or hate it (I loved it) The Fountain, The Wrestler is on the surface a dramatic change in style. No special effects, just the blood and sweat of the ring. But it is similar in that it's a slowly paced, moving look at aging, loss and the threat of growing old alone. Give Mickey the Oscar now!



So why was the screening for My Bloody Valentine 3D full whilst just a handful of people watched The Wrestler? Why would anyone want to see a remake of one of the poorest 80's slasher movies over seeing an acclaimed award winning feature? Easy. The idea of seeing a scary 3D movie on a Friday night out is more appealing to most youngsters than watching a movie about a sad old wrestler. Going out to the movies is for me mostly about being entertained, having a laugh, enjoying a thrill, escaping from the real world. And that is why I too was drawn to My Bloody Valentine.

Saturday night. Back to the multiplex and another late show...

This time I'd managed to get my ticket for MBV in advance and was ready to take in the whole popcorn experience - well almost, have you seen the price of popcorn! £3.25 for a small bag!! Outrageous. Anyway, into the packed cinema. A good trailer for the upcoming Friday The 13th remake/re-imagining, an ad with some guy pulling a rat out of his mouth after taking fake 'Internet pills', the mandatory Orange Mobile ad and then it was time to put on the 3D glasses...

Well, what can I say? My Bloody Valentine 3D was good fun and better than I'd expected. The script and cast, including genre veteran Tom (Night of The Creeps) Atkins, were above par for an American stalk 'n' slash. And hey, what's not to like about a gas mask wearing Maniac Miner swinging his pick axe into people's heads? And into the audience too! Once you got used to it the 3D was quite impressive. I'd seen the excellent animated Monster House a couple of years ago that used this 'REAL D' 3D process, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it comes over in a live action film.

So who won the bout? 'The Ram' or 'The Maniac Miner'. Two totally different films. Two different experiences. The Wrestler will rightly be considered a classic piece of moving making, but MBV 3D gains points for entertainment value. The result is too close to call. A score draw. Perhaps there'll be a rematch? The Wrestler 2 vs My Bloody Valentine 2 3D! Coming soon to a theatre near you...

"Cause they can't do it, like I can"

Well Sony may be cashing in on his forthcoming Superbowl half-time appearance with an unnecessary "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Greatest Hits" and Bruce may end up playing at Glastonbury this year (Noooo!), but things aren't all that bad...

There'll be a new album proper in 3 weeks time, and more than likely another tour starting in the Spring. Geez, I'm still a bit feeling a bit Bruced-out and broke after seeing so many shows on the last tour - However, my enthusiasm is starting to build up again thanks to a newly surfaced, fan made, DVD release called 'The Lowlands'. Capturing 10 songs from Antwerp and Amsterdam last year, it's been nicely shot on a HD camera and dubbed with a fine audience recording. Really fun to watch - especially when Bruce and the band dig oldies like this one out of the E Street vaults...

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - I'm A Rocker
23rd June 2008, Antwerp
That's got the old 'Bruce Juice' a flowing! OK, so I'm A Rocker is from my favourite Springsteen album, but any song that mentions James Bond, Columbo, Kojak, Mission Impossible and the Batmobile has to be classic in my opinion!

The Milk Of Human Kindness

Following last year's 'Six Strings For Sara', Bill Nelson has written and produced another new song to aid a children's Cancer charity.

The suitably tuneful 'A Million Whistling Milkmen' is available now and can be downloaded in FLAC or mp3 formats. All proceeds from the song's sale will go to the Sara's Hope Foundation.

More info @ www.billnelson.com

SHTOINK!

BRRRAPP! Ah, that's better. 3 days of stuffing myself silly over Xmas and I can only just manage to move off of the sofa. FFFRRRAAPFT!

It's OK though as I've been sitting down enjoying my Christmas presents - An electrical box with 'Blue Rays' in it or somethin' (sounds a bit like a porno), a couple of 'hilarious' books of footy annecdotes, and a large tin of crumbling shortbread biscuits - helpfully washed down with some Mulled wine. CHOMP CHOMPLE SLURP GLUP

My best treat of all though has been...

The Completely MAD Don Martin (Mad's Greatest Artists Series)
This large, very heavy, two volume set is just gorgeous, and incredibly funny. I may have mentioned it before that, as a kid growing up, my sense of right or wrong was pretty much defined by reading Marvel Comics, and that my sense of humour was fashioned from reading MAD Magazine!

MAD had great artists and writers like Sergio Aragones, Mort Drucker and Al Jafee, but it was "MAD's MADDEST Artist" Don Martin that stood out for me. His wacky genius hit my giggle button everytime and I spent hours trying to copy his artwork and drawing his characters - their strange ears, big noses, bent feet and the gawky way they walked - his use of onomatopoetic sound effects, brilliant and bizarre.

I remember creating a short strip about an intrepid Buck Rogers style space hero called 'Otho Bludge'. Otho had to save his girlfiend 'Vera Lynn' from I don't know what. Anyway, it was rubbish and full of bad puns - my poor attempt at being Don, but it made it to my school magazine and I think a couple of people liked it. Don Martin was my inspiration but sadly I had no real talent to take it further.

Don Martin was the funniest comic book artist of his time, and part of my soul. Thanks Don. I thoroughly recommend this amazing collection of his work.

Visit The Don Martin Dictionary of Sound Effects to hear SNAP PLOOBADOOF! (Wonder Woman Releasing Her Amazon Brassiere) and others.

Oh Blimey, It's Christmas

HHIBA! DYMMWIWA? Late nights at work and the curse of Facebook has meant that I've neglected this blog for a long time. It's not like there's been nothing happening! The Credit Crunchie, Harry Redknapp, Nelsonica, Light of Day, great gigs from The Godfathers, Carbon/Silicon and The Hold Steady, and hey Ben Folds was pretty good as well!

Time has just flown by, and now it's Christmas already. Hey kids, have you checked your Parents' wardrobe for presents yet? You never know what you might find. Just remember - Santa can be so good for you...

"Irresistible and enigmatic"

Back from my hols, with a new job and my PC muthafuddaboard temporarily coming back to life - I guess I've got no excuse not to continue on with this blog... So much rubbish to write, so little time and so few readers... Hell, here's a 15 second run through to bring things up to date since my last post:

Start new job. Take a well earned holiday! Jump on a plane - > Austin - "Don't Mess With Texas"/ Millions of bats/ Fantastic Fest: The Tingler!/ Estomago/ The Good The Bad And The Weird/ Austin City Limits: David Byrne/ Bobby Bare Jr (twice!)/ John Fogerty/ CSS/ Gnarls Barclay/ Beck and The Foo Fighters -> Dallas: 'JFK blown away'/ Longhorns -> NYC - Happily drunk in a Brooklyn bar watching Biden vs Palin/ Up close in Jesse Malin's intimate new Bowery club whilst his 'spoken word' + songs concert goes on and on and on for the cameras.../ -> Back to Blighty. Back to work :-(

Sigh, the clocks go back soon. Darkness and the recession are coming. Nothing much to look forward to now except Christmas... Hold on a minute, there's Nelsonica 2008 in York on November 1st - better than Christmas for Bill Nelson fans! Yay!

Bill Nelson - Mr Magnetism Himself
(1979 b-side) New video by YooToober 'Zobiemoro'

Rain, Rain Go Away...

Due to starting my new job a week later than originally planned, I've decided to come up to Bowness-on-Windermere for a few days

It's been raining, grey and grim at home - an ideal time perhaps for a quick getaway to southern Europe and some guaranteed sunshine... So being here in the Lake District - the wettest place in England - may not have been the brightest of ideas? Well, just staring out over the beautiful expanse of Lake Windermere on my arrival made the 5hr drive up the M1 & M6 worthwhile.

Yesterday, due to the rainclouds, any idea I might have had about doing some high level fell walking was soon washed away. However, I did manage to wander lonely as a (rain) cloud, taking a lovely 7 mile low walk around Borrowdale, just below Derwent Water.


In the afternoon, dried out, I drove to Honister Slate Mine and went underground on a very interesting guided tour, wearing a hard hat and head torch - not a trip for claustrophobes but fun for everyone else. After coming out of the mountain I was met with sunshine and a rainbow arcing across the far hills.


Invigorated, I jumped into my car and motored down the magnificent Honister Pass, surely one of the most stunning drives in the world, and then on to the gorgeous Buttermere and Crummock Water before heading back to my B&B in Bowness.


Today it has been really wet. A constant downpour. Keep your mouth closed or drown type weather. Undaunted, I went south to Ulverston, the birthplace of Stan Laurel, to visit the Laurel and Hardy Museum - a tiny but interesting little place.

It's an old building, just 3 small rooms covered in memorabilia and containing an even smaller little cinema playing a loop of classic L&H shorts. Well worth the trip. Apparently, the eccentric museum is going to be moving soon to a larger, newly built location. This may help attract more tourists and increase souvenir sales but I feel a lot of the existing charm may be lost.

'The Network's going down...'

'and my hard drive is corrupt'! Spooky how this happens just a few days after I was looking through PC World magazine at some sexy new kit.

Bollocks! Can't get my desktop to boot up... I'm impotent. Got a techie round, hopefully he'll be able to do something for £40/hr, but I doubt it. Let's see, my last backup was about a year ago... nightmare!

Backup your stuff kiddies ASAP. Now I'm back to my old dusty white box and Windows Me for the next few days...

Update: a day later and the old box died too! Coincidence? I'll just have to make the occasional post via my nokia n800 for the time being...

What a difference a day makes

There I was on Saturday evening feeling really low. How could I get so depressed over the result of a football match? Arrrgh! Oh God it was bad. I needed to get away. As darkness fell I scoured the 'Internets', searching for an escape...

Sunday evening, 300 or so miles away from White Hart Pain. I was in Falmouth. Sunshine glimmering across the blue water of the natural harbour. A Cornish '99', a stroll along the beach, then Pollock & Chips washed down with a bottle of 'Doom Bar'. Sublime. Depression passed, weather fine, outlook good (until the next home game at least).