December 03, 2005

Christmas Lights Sequencer From Hell

Animated Christmas lights-KenzoMerry Christmas, Con Ed; or, I'm Glad I Don't Live Next Door to Them.

3-minute video (Windows Media) (Or here or here) (Music is "Wizards of Winter" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra)

(Artist neighbor unknown)

VARIOUS UPDATES:
Another arrangement on the same house, with Jingle Bells audio by (brace yourself) Barbra Streisand: 2-minute video (Windows Media)

(Users of better operating systems can view Windows Media video using the open-source video player VideoLan (a.k.a. VLC).)

The light arrangements are by Carson Williams on his Mason, OH house.  The show ran four hours a night at low volume, simulcast via low-power FM radio for drive-bys, and used 16,000 lights and the Light-O-Rama sequencer.

Or, play Pong on the side of an office building using your cell phone.

(Thanks to Barrett Golding and others for more info!)

UPDATE 12/5/05: How to make the EXACT same display on your own house using Carson Williams' sequencer file.

Yet another UPDATE 12/8/05: Williams has pulled the plug on the light show at his house, due to traffic problems and accidents in front of his house.

November 09, 2005

Secos e Molhados, Next Big Thing for '73

SecosmolhadosBy anybody's standard, 700,000 records sold is a huge success.  By Brazilian standards, that's just incalculably enormous.  32 years ago, the Sao Paolo band Secos e Molhados ("Dry & Wet Goods") sold 700,000 copies of their eponymous debut record (shown, left), and still nobody outside Brazil knows who they were - not even WFMU.  Let's start knowing.

Ney_5

Secos e Molhados "Sangue Latino" and "O Vira" (wmv movie, 18M)

The most important thing you can do for yourself today is watch this video, which ends on the frame you see to your right  Go do that, then come back and I'll tell you more about them.

When I first heard the debut Secos & Molhados album, I endured several months of confusion trying to figure out who's the woman singing, and why isn't she on the album cover?  Well sir, "she" is Ney Matogrosso, and he is indeed on the cover.  No, he doesn't sound like a feminine guy, and he's not singing falsetto - he sings like a girl!!  And it's totally beautiful, and these songs are mostly achingly sweet.  The confusion lingered as I got hung up on the disconnect between the sound of the songs and the look of the total freaks who, it seems, are performing them.  And then along came Wolmar.  He's my fave dealer of Brazilian esoterica at the annual WFMU Record Fair, and he actually had some video footage - lots of it.  And now the pieces are coming together.  Go listen to some songs:

Cabecas_3O Patrão nosso de cada dia (realaudio link)
O Vira (realaudio link)
Rosa de Hiroshima (realaudio link)

Jump the flip if you're interested in a little bit of history on the band (which is remarkably scarce in English).

Continue reading "Secos e Molhados, Next Big Thing for '73" »

October 25, 2005

What's Behind The Mask?

Lagbaja In the spirit of the Halloween season, let us not forget that peculiar entity that Orionsingselvis2_2seems to cross all cultures: The Masked Musician!

Most of the popular references include The Residents, Kiss, Buckethead, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Insane Clown Posse and the recently signed Mushroomhead. But there have been a string of artists working in disguise that are just off the radar, including -

Nash The Slash, he of prog group FM and many solo projects, Cast In Bronze, the mysterious Carillon player, Orion, the cabalistic Elvis impersonator, Nigeria's outrageous Lagbaja, and Afrobeat Ensemble's Kaleta, to name a few. Click Here to be serenaded! (wmv)

Castinbronze_1                        Kaleta_1                        Residents     Nashtheslash_2                          Mushroomheadgif_1_1

October 14, 2005

WFMU Record Fair Approacheth November 4th, 5th, and 6th!

Rf_splash_2I suspect that most of you, like all of us here at WFMU, are pretty irresponsible about curbing the endless jones for acquiring more music. Do you visit foreign cities or remote college towns and casually try to sniff out the local record shops? Do you find it hard to resist thumbing through those boxes of stoop-sale vinyl that languish so helplessly on the curbsides of Carroll Gardens and Jersey City? Have you ever climbed INTO a dumpster because someone told you there were records in it?

Well, we have.

It should come as no great shock to you that every WFMU on-air personaility has a litany of vinyl or CD scoring tactics and stories that could easily be likened to peg-legged sailors swapping tales in some burnt-out bar stinking of vinegar and pipe tobbacky. That's part of the reason we cooked up the annual miracle that is The WFMU Record & CD Fair. And it's coming up again in just a couple weeks!

To set your imagination in motion, I could tell you about the indcredible Records & CDs I've scored in my years as a die-hard attendee of the Record Fair, or I could tell you about the amazing assortment of live bands that have graced the Record Fair stage. (Can I get a Metal Urbain? Is there a Cul de Sac in the house? Ladies and gentlemen, would Oneida, The Evolution Control Committee, Isaiah Owens, Dan Deacon, The Pontani Sisters, People Like Us, The Pretty Things, Flaming Fire, The Demolition Doll Rods, Brother JT, Laura Cantrell, and The Chocolate Watchband please approach the concession stand?) Or I could just tell you about the massive outpouring of WFMU-flavored love that this annual event has become. In so many ways, the Record Fair is the social event of the season for music scene elders, novices, band members, hipsters, weirdos, DJs, and even a celebrity or two because they already know what you're going to find out on November 4th, 5th, and 6th!

Continue reading "WFMU Record Fair Approacheth November 4th, 5th, and 6th!" »

October 13, 2005

The Secret of Lil' Markie Revealed

Lilmarkie_bigVideo: Quicktime file of Large Happy Man holding Lil' Markie captive inside his body.
MP3s: 17 Lil' Markie tracks below the jump.

Listeners to Kenny G's show or Irwin's old show Incorrect Music may recall the pleadings of a certain helium induced duck-child named Lil' Markie, as he begged his mother not to abort him (Diary of An Unborn Child MP3), or his drunken Daddy not to feel so bad about killing him (Story of An Alcoholic Father MP3). As bizarre Christian Kiddy records go, the Lil' Markie material stands alone.

But something never felt right to me about Lil' Markie. For one thing, he looked human, but he sounded suspiciously like a puppet. But there were no strings to be found. From the sound of it, Markie carried himself like a well respected leader of the  Christian Puppet community, but unlike Lil' Joey, Lil' Harry or Lil' Jackie, not only were there no strings, there were no hands up the back, no hinged dummy-jaws. Nothing to suggest puppetry. It didn't make sense. To my mind, the helium duck-child voice was not of human origin.

Now at last, the mystery is solved. The other day on the Bomarr blog, this video surfaced (Quicktime file). In it, you will see video footage of a Large, Happy Man singing the Large_happy_manpraises of Jesus. But that's not the strange thing. About halfway through the video, the voice of Lil' Markie emerges from The Large Happy Man.

This is visual proof that The Large, Happy Man swallowed Lil' Markie whole and is now exploiting him on tours of churches around the United States!! When Lil' Markie sang Use Me (MP3), he didn't mean this! The actual identity of the Large Happy Man has not been verified, but he claims to be one Mark Fox.

Ignore Mark Fox's preposterous claims and jump below the fold for Otis Fodder's MP3 collection of Lil' Markie tracks, plus other Lil' Markie links. Thanks to Otis, Bomarr, and Pea Hicks.

Continue reading "The Secret of Lil' Markie Revealed" »

October 11, 2005

L.A. "Sunshine" Jefferson

La_sunshine_jeffersonThis past weekend I was digging through the dusty record collection at Chicago's freeform radio station WZRD. Rotten Milk, a longtime WZRD DJ, foisted an odd cassette from the collection into my hands: L.A. "SUNSHINE" JEFFERSON - LIVE LONG, BE STRONG (DON'T DO DRUGS). I began to salivate as I scrutinized the bizarre cover of a headless torso with no hands rendered in an infantile scrawl.

The cassette contains one song, "LIVE LONG, BE STRONG (DON'T DO DRUGS)", a pretty catchy funk jam accompanied by a Casio, a pretty lady, and a bit of old-school rapping.

Google search on L.A. "SUNSHINE" Jefferson turns up nothing. The zip code on the cassette reveals it is from South Side Chicago.

L.A. "SUNSHINE" JEFFERSON - LIVE LONG, BE STRONG (DON'T DO DRUGS) (mp3)

September 26, 2005

Wouldn't It Be Nice—

A_2
if Brian Wilson called you on the phone? He will, if you just donate $100 or more to Hurricane Katrina relief through his web site, brianwilson.com. He'll also match your donation dollar for dollar. I figured probably you'd give the money and then get one of those auto-tape calls, like the ones from political candidates that are always clogging up our answering machine at election time, but no—Brian says he will call to say hello, or even answer a question if you've got one. Do you have a question you'd like to ask Brian Wilson personally? I can think of a couple. But you've also got to have the $100.

September 23, 2005

All for the Cause

Usa_for_africaIn the wake of disaster, who reacts with a speed, power, and fury that no government or charitable organization could ever equal? Who’s PR posse punches the clutch and shifts into 5th before even the President’s people can dig up a bewildered child, an eyedropper, and a photographer? Sure, we may sigh with sympathy upon reading devastating headlines and send money to a charitable organization, but only the proper spokesperson can move us... to collectively... burst into song.

I was floored upon reading that Prince hastily recorded not one, but TWO songs for Katrina relief just 5 days after the storm hit New Orleans (less time than it took Sean Penn to get down there with his leaky boat). Meanwhile, Jacko is still collecting a high-profile cast for his Katrina charity single. It sure ain’t 1985 anymore, but in the coming weeks pop music’s A-listers will prove whether a modern-day charity celeb coagulation a-la-USA For Africa is still possible.

Below is a truncated history of charity song superhits (a more extensive list is here):

India-Pakistan War Refugees
- “Bangla Desh” by George Harrison, The Concert for Bangladesh, 1971

Ethiopian Famine Relief
- “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (real audio, click to hear the song played backwards from an archive of Mark Allen's show) written by Bob Geldof for Band Aid, Ethiopian famine relief, 1984 (Band Aid II took place in 1989, Band Aid 20 in 2004)
- “We Are the World” (click to download a teensy snippet in MP3, courtesy of Brian Turner) USA For Africa, famine relief, 1985
- “Tears Are Not Enough” Northern Lights (Canada), 1985
- “Stars” Hear ‘N’ Aid (heavy metal supergroup), 1985
- “Everybody Wants to Run the World” Tears for Fears, Sport Aid, 1986
- “Running All Over the World” Status Quo, Sport Aid, 1986

Apartheid
- “Sun City” (real audio, from an archive of Evan "Funk" Davies' show) Artists United Against Apartheid (incl. Steve Van Zandt, Bob Dylan), 1985

Disadvantaged Children
- “Perfect Day” (real audio, from an archive of Strength Through Failure with Fabio) by Lou Reed for Children in Need, 1997

AIDS
- “That’s What Friends Are For” Dionne (Warwick) and Friends, 1985
- “What’s Going On” Christina Aguilera, JLo, Britney, Bono, etc., 2001

- “The World Is Ours” Missy Eliot and Justin Timberlake, 2004

Bosnia
- “The Little Ones” Cat Stevens, 1998

Sept. 11

- “What More Can I Give” by Jacko, never released (producer made gay porn)

- “El Ultimo Adios” Christina Aguilera, Gloria Estefan, John Secada, et al., 2001

- “Freedom” Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, etc.
, 2001

Poverty/Hunger (G8 Summit)
- “Every Bomb You Make” (adaptation of "Every Step You Take") by Sting, at Live 8 concert, 2005

Hurricane Katrina

- “SST” by Prince, 2005

- “Brand New Orleans” by Prince, 2005

- “From the Bottom of My Heart” MJ, 2005

Venture below the fold for a grip of (un)savory celebrity PSA MP3s and other tripe...

Continue reading "All for the Cause" »

September 16, 2005

A Romantika Hangjai

JenikaIntroducing the wobbling warbling of wunderkind


Janika!


via szanalmas

September 13, 2005

Alien Nation

MP3s: Ronald Reagan - speech to UN mentioning aliens (excerpt) | Roswell Radio Broadcast from 1947

AbductionThis site is dedicated to kids who have been abducted by aliens. Read up on the abduction process, why the green men want us, how a thought screen helmet can protect you, and check out plenty o' drawings by children, post-abduction. Oh, and their factoid list states that aliens do not use radio nor can they understand our languages when they are transmitted via radio, so you'll want to stay on our good side until judgment day. (via del.icio.us)

This rendezvous with our interplanetary pals reminded me of a friend who attended college at UC Santa Cruz: he signed up for a course called "Anthropology: Culture and Religion" and became mighty suspicious when the reading list included The Field Guide to Extraterrestrials. Although he failed to read the course's subtitle ("Alien-Nation and Outer Space") before enrolling, I believe the semester-long investigation of ufology (official university-sanctioned term) prepared him well for our day of reckoning.

August 30, 2005

Bronwyn's iPod Shuffle

Hello, Everybody—nsya.

There’s lots of things I don’t have, money being probably the main thing because if I had some money I might get some of the other things I don’t have now. Then I would have those things, but I wouldn’t have the money any more.

One of the things I don’t have is an iPod Shuffle. But if you go to the web site that explains how to automatically fill up your Shuffle with your favorite corporate listening product, you will see that Syncitunes_1Bronwyn's device is copying a tune called “Tonight We Fly.” I wanted to hear what that song sounded like, so I googled it and found a reference to a group called Divine Comedy, but I couldn’t find any links to that song or any little samples of it. I did find a record company called Divine Comedy that has lots of stuff I think I’d really like to hear. Maybe we can get them to send some things to Program and Music Director King Brian at WFMU. But even if I did have some money, I don’t think I would trade it for an iPod Shuffle, because if I were listening to real music I might not be able to hear the songs that are always on in my head.

Thanks for reading my irregular blog entry, and MGB.

August 11, 2005

You're fuckin' pretty loud, New Jersey!

Because it's an utter act of criminal negligence that this is not readily available via a quick google search,Cronos we hereby present to you the mentally-defying sounds of the between-song banter that tumbled from the mouth of Venom vocalist Cronos when his band played at City Gardens, (Trenton, NJ).

Venom - Spoken Excerpts Recorded live at City Gardens (Download MP3) (Not safe for work)

Backstory: In 1986, Black Metal legends Venom played what some thought of as an unlikely bill with Rollins-era Black Flag at famed punk dump City Gardens, in scenic Trenton, New Jersey. The club was a magnet for all types of unsavory social elements -- skinheads, criminals, bikers, leather-studded punks, people who liked Meat Beat Manifeto, and so forth. Anyway, the punkers, metalheads, and general thugs who turned out for the show not only got to witness two of the more badass bands of the era sharing a stage, but were also treated to some of the most (unintentionally?) hilarious between-song stage banter ever, courtesy of Venom's knuckle-dragging vocalist Cronos.

Continue reading "You're fuckin' pretty loud, New Jersey!" »

August 04, 2005

Cymraeg Ceraint Deilyngu Yn Deall

In a previous post, I solicited WFMU anagrams.  Now I'll propose another: 

Welsh Friends Merit Understanding.

Believe it or not, we've got a pretty strong Welsh contingent here:  Wales may claim myself (myfi), Brian Turner (Durniwr), Evan "Fwnc" Davies, Gaylord Fields (Barciau), and Bronwyn Carlton (no change). There may even be others, and I wish they'd stop hiding.

Sheep_at_fence_1Ha ha ha, sheep at a fence - oh yeah, never heard THAT one before!  Ah, but frankly I'm not here to foster understanding and warm relations between Us Welsh and everybody else - not in that way, anyway.  We revel in your misunderstanding.  No, I just like the language, and since You People are always with the "what the, whaaa- it's all consonants?!", I thought maybe I'd address it... a little bit.

Back in the day when just about every DJ we've got took to mangling the band name Gorky's Zygotic Mynci on the air, I gained a reputation as the guy who knew how to pronounce it.  I had, after all, just returned from a trip to Llangollen, (mp3) host of the annual Eisteddfod, (mp3) where I learned how to pronounce both of those words.  Click on 'em to hear me say them, then look below the fold where I'll teach you how to do it too.

(By the way, "Gorky's Zygotic Mynci" actually contains no Welsh words, it's just all nonsense -- I think.)

Conwy_castle_1

So anyway, there I was, just back from Conwy Castle on the North Sea, and nearly every day I'd hear someone on the in-house intercom going "Scott, will you please come to the main studio and tell me how to say 'Merched yn neud Gwallt eu Gilydd', or 'Iechyd Da'".  It was a hoot - I even got a Welsh phrasebook.  I haven't picked it up since 1998, but I still have it.  Now along comes Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals with his "Chwarae'n Troi'n Chwerw" and his "Yr Atal Genhedlaeth", and I don't feel like such a smartypants anymore.

Ha ha ha, sheep at a water fountain... Fountain_sheep
 

Continue reading "Cymraeg Ceraint Deilyngu Yn Deall" »

August 02, 2005

Saturn, Your Other Home for Hippy Noise

Saturn_1 Saturn Electrostatic Discharges is neither an STD nor the name of one of WFMU's 2-6 a.m. overnight radio programs. It is, from what I have crudely gathered a bunch of radio racket that occurs when lightning is in Saturn's atmosphere. Then there's those hot gases which seem to really stir shit up, allowing scientists from the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn to study just what the hell those 3 rings (conveniently called A, B and C) are doing there. Fascinating as that may be, we just like the creepy noise. Here's a source for your space audio fix, and here's a recent recording (mp3) from our most blingingest neighbor in the solar system.

July 27, 2005

Abandoned Amusements

Hv_eAbandoned amusement and theme parks left for nature to reclaim.

This site contains a stunning series of photos of an abandoned Japanese amusement park. The first few pictures of a rotted roller coaster are especially creepy as they were taken in the morning fog. page 1 - page 2 - page 3

Suzy Poling, an Oakland photographer, has a great photo series of an abandoned theme parks called Hidden Village. She also features a spread of old delapidated theatres: Palace of Mold

Defunctparks.com features many snapshots of parks in their heyday alongside the current state of rot: Rocky Glenn Park in Lackawanna County, PA - Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA - Idora Park in Youngstown, OH - Chippewa Lake Park in Chippewa Lake, OH .

IllicitOhio.com made a trek to the PTL's Heritage USA.

Pacific Ocean Park decimated through time.

SantaHere is a promotional film for Santa's Village (mov. file) from Extinct Attractions, a site that preserves Disneyland's and Disney World's past through interactive DVD documentaries. They also archive information, pictures and sounds of theme park rides, attractions and brochures. Browse around a bit, they have a few more video clips.

Take a listen to Goosy Goosy Gander (mp3) and The Happy Dragon's Tongue (mp3) - they are part of a collection of field recordings from theme park rides and attractions recorded and compiled by Melinda Simon and Mark Fay and released as "Songs for Little Ones" on Dish Recordings in 1997.

July 26, 2005

This Jandek Must Die, and WFMU Revealed.

ReadyfthsmallDespite the nicey-niceys you always hear on the radio, behind the scenes we can be a catty bunch.  As a listener, I used to imagine WFMU was some idyllic collective in common pursuit of a pure appreciation of art and culture.  Fuckin' hippy.  Ultimately, my perverse nature got the better of me, and I peeked behind the curtain - and summarily got my big notions pricked, toute de suite.  These People can't even get it together to enjoy a nice game of softball!

I have learned and gained much from the barbs, goofs, put-downs, cheap-shots, derision and humiliation WFMU DJs regularly inflict upon each other, but one recent near rumble illuminated something that's being lost to all of this: The Mystery. 

The subject of the scuffle was Jandek.0758small_5

Oh boy... Should he or Shouldn't he have gone public?  Many think shouldn't.  Others think should, for a variety of reasons. Most think it's a pointless argument that is utterly irrelevant to the man himself and offered only for the distraction of critics, fans and DJs.  I'm with the Should Nots, but I should note that my opinion is based on a position of indifference.  The last time I played Jandek on the air was August 20th 2001, and it was as part of a collage, fer cryin out loud!

Nope, never really been a fan - but the one thing I could always feel excited about concerning the elusive representative from Corwood Industries was the absolute mystery that surrounded him.  One time, Irwin said this:

"...imagine a subterranean microphone wired down to a month-old tomb, capturing the sound of maggots nibbling on a decaying corpse and the agonized howls of a departed soul desperate to escape tortuous decomposition and eternal boredom." 

There you go!  Now imagine that while looking at this picture (hidden!)

0744smallNo no no no no, that's not what Jandek music looks like!  Jandek music looks like Jandek album covers, some of which illustrate this here blog post (and all of which live here.)  And one time, Jandek said this: 

"It's probable that your crafted story would be more interesting than any other. Intrigue goes a long way sometimes." 

In fact, I think he was talking to Irwin.  So yeah, I agree with that Jandek.  Oh, maybe you've never heard Jandek.  If that's the case, click any one of these words to hear a different Jandek song played on WFMU.

I shall now reveal some WFMU Mysteries for you, and you won't like it!  Look below the fold, then remember the halcyon days when you had to rely on your own crafted story...

Continue reading "This Jandek Must Die, and WFMU Revealed." »

July 01, 2005

Vintage Old Codger Archives Now Online!

Old Codger radio programs from the 1990s are being archived online. The Codge (a.k.a. Courtney T. Edison), the station's longtime irascible mascot, Codgerdoes not know these relics are preserved on the web -- and would not approve. He scorns all archival media except 78 rpm discs, which he professes to play "like they're goin' outta style." Despite beggary and threats, the Codger (he claims he's old enough to have been pals with Mark Twain) has never been given a regular program. However, since the early 1990s he has on various occasions filled in for The Hound, Irwin, and Laura Cantrell's Radio Thrift Shop. He lives in an East Orange bunker, surrounded by his precious 78 stacks. He's a cranky mutt, who taunts listeners by sneering, "I've got shoes older than you," while sputtering contempt for WFMU management and DJs.

The Codger -- who still hosts the occasional fill -- refuses to spin compact discs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, or any format except 78 plattersColumbiadiscjpg, which he lugs to the station in a rickety shopping cart. He abuses studio equipment, and disregards station protocol with impunity. Once asked by a female staffer what he wanted for Christmas, he replied, "My house needs a dishwasher and a doormat. Which would you prefer to be?" The libidinous Codger is notorious for on-air come-ons to female admirers, smirking that he loves "younger women -- age 45 or 50," though he draws the line at "40-year-old jailbait." Though never married, Edison has been linked romantically to hefty torcher Sophie Tucker, vaudevillian Effie Cherry, actress Ida Lupino, R&B siren Nellie Lutcher, and TV sitcom vixen Betty Rubble.

About 35 Codger programs exist. Many new ones have just been posted for online listening. By the end of the summer, we expect to have all programs online.

If you want to call the Codger at home, he always touts his private line on the air. Since 1890 he's had the same phone number -- "6."

June 20, 2005

Treasure Trove of Found Sound Vocal Workouts

Karaoke200

MP3s: 30 of 'em, below the fold.

Back when WFMU's Professor was still producing The Audio Kitchen - the greatest found sound radio program of all time - he threw together a compilation for WFMU's record library called Sing Along With The Music. It featured 21 tracks of people singing along with music, usually in the privacy of their own homes. Those are the first 21 tracks I've included below, and I've added nine more that seem to fit in with the theme.

While it's easiest to refer to most of these recordings as karaoke, it's not that simple. Karaoke usually takes place in bars, with an audience. What sets most of these recordings apart is that they were, for the most part, recorded at home, usually without the intention of an audience ever hearing them. This gives most of the recordings a refreshing lack of self consciousness. Of course there are exceptions. Moritz' version of Bohemian Rhapsody (mp3) definitely sounds like a karaoke performance, and Biz Markie's version of Benny and The Jets (mp3) was intended to have an audience. Those singalong tapes were how Biz built his early career.

Continue reading "Treasure Trove of Found Sound Vocal Workouts" »

June 10, 2005

Language Removal Contest

Language_4Here's an end-of-the-work-week audio contest for you. Below are links to ten mp3s of ten famous people speaking, with all of the actual language removed from their speech. All that remains are the interjections, gutteral noises, yawns, screams, background sounds, denture-clacking, tongue flapping and other sonic ephemera that accompanies normal speech. It's not as hard as you might think - various tracks contain all sorts of audio hints as to the speaker's identity. The first person to identify all ten speakers correctly wins a WFMU T-shirt and double CD of live music from WFMU. Put your guesses into the comments section.

The mystery speakers are: Maya Angelou, Phillip Glass, Elton John, Thelonius Monk, Marilyn Monroe, Henry Rollins, Susan Sontag, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Steinem, and Malcolm X.

And here are their MP3s to download: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten.

MP3s courtesy Language Removal Services.

May 28, 2005

The Demented Leftist Cabaret of Kollektiv Rote Rübe

Scherben_1Here are the mp3s of an album called Paranoia by the mysterious German band known as Kollektiv Rote Rube. The album was released in 1976, and was a collaboration between Kollektiv Rote Rube and the better known German band Ton Steine Scherben. At least that's what I think; this band has been a real mystery to me since receiving the cassette from a friend of a friend nearly 20 years ago. If any German speakers can provide their best guesses at the track titles or any other information, please add it to the  comments section. Kollektiv Rote Rube appear to have been a Munich-based theater group who collaborated on this album with Ton Steine Scherben. Beyond that, I dont know much but there is information online in German about them, and they are listed as a musical influence on a Nurse With Wound page. My favorite tracks are the disturbing number five, eight, ten, fifteen, sixteen & the filthiest song I can play on the US airwaves, number seventeen (immer wieder fickin?).

Happy listening: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen.

May 26, 2005

ODB Tries Out For The Part of Mister Ed

Mr_edMP3: ODB tries out for the part of Mister Ed.

Odb_back_1Last year, when Ol' Dirty Bastard died, there had been rumors about him possibly doing the the voice of Mister Ed in the Fox TV remake of the series. Then today in my inbox arrived this mp3 (right-click to download) of the alleged audition. Is it true? Did Dirty really try out for the role of talking horse? And while you research the possibilities, experience ODB's interpretation of Phil Collins Sussudio from Brian Turner's show of 11/23/04 (streaming realaudio).

May 24, 2005

Sweet Young Children Grab Bag

Child_1_1The Genius Kids (mpg) - an astounding video of a North Korean girl playing xylophone backed by a band of violins and melodicas.  via Rob Pongi, who also does a zany dance party meets Uncle Floyd show  in Tokyo.  Browse around his site, there are many other wonders.

Mini-Pops - Disco Medley (mp3) - an odd and severely grating children's record from the 80's.  This is the "Disco Medley" which includes "YMCA" and "In the Navy".  A creepy leering adult voice backs up the children on "Celebration".

Raooul - Possessed (mp3) - Raooul was an East Bay Lookout band from the early 90's comprised of 14-15 year old girls.  Their music, which they called "Jail-bait Core" is a limping screech that always make me laugh.  This is from a Very Small Records comp...their split LP on Lookout might still be in-print.

Babies with Respiratory Problems Choking (mp3) - Someone gave me this tape years ago.  The only information  on the tape is a hand scrawled "Child". 

Fatty Jubbo, Age 11 (mp3) - A recording of me, age 11.  I was obsessed with Malcolm Jamal Warner, dildos and heavy metal.  I pronounce "Fetish"  FEEETISH.

University of Michigan Inpatiant Therapy Program - Oh Come All Ye Faithful (mp3) -  From a record of a Children's Psychiatric Hospital Christmas Concert (oh...it's never too early).  This was taken from the wonderful Pastor McPurvis Vinyl Orphanage mp3 Talent Show website.  Pastor McPurvis posts a new album every week of amateur and vanity press records.

May 23, 2005

Soundtrack for Torture

Sonicwar_1MP3s: The More You Sell (retail motivational training from The Happy Listener's Guide to Mind Control) and Kris Jensen's Torture.

In November 2003, one of our DJs received this e-mail from a WFMU listener stationed in Iraq:

Hi, I'm currently deployed to Iraq and recently discovered your program. Since then My tank crew and I listen whenever we get the chance. The reason I'm writing is that we have been looking for anything we can find by happy flowers, not just because I think My Skin Covers My Body is the greatest record of all time, but also It's perfect for Psychological Warfare. Well, the only song we have here is Charlie Got a Haircut and we've used it so much, we can't stand it. Basically I wanted to check if you know somewhere we can score some Happy Flowers we can then load onto an Ipod to use on the Iraqis. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Continue reading "Soundtrack for Torture" »

May 17, 2005

I am Anger and I am Lies.  I am Cheat.  I am Steal.  And I am Murder.

Larsony

Renounce!

RENOUNCE!


[thank you Cake & Polka Parade]

May 11, 2005

Space Sounds

Ever wonder what a magnetosphere sounds like? Me neither. But now you can actually hear one, on the Space Sounds site, where you can also tune in to the actual audio of black holes, cosmic debris, tweeks, whistlers and more. Warning, the site also peddles a line of swag. How people can do that is beyond me. What I want to know is how these sounds were recorded in the vacuum of space.

She Be She Strike - Long Version

TumasiquissaMP3s: 30 Minute version of She Be She Strike and three songs from Inuit singer Tumasi Quissa: Iyagaaluit, Irngutapiga Qiayuapeomat and Niaquvinialuit.

A few weeks ago, I posted five excerpts from a legendary underground cassette called She Be She Strike,  which captured some amazing radio from an Eskimo janitor and his friends who allegedly took over a Canadian radio station when the regular staff went on strike from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (or CBC - "She Be She"). The original post is here. A few people asked me to post the full unedited version, so I'm putting that up now (MP3, right-click to download). Two people from the CBC stumbled onto the original post, and they're trying to get the tape translated from the original Inuktitut. I'll report back when there's info about these tapes from the good folks at the CBC. 

The 30 minute version is rich with Eskimo radio goodness, but listening to it again makes me realize that there is an even longer version that this 30 minute version was made from. I heard that on WFMU in the late Eighties, but there's no trace of it now...

Continue reading "She Be She Strike - Long Version" »

April 30, 2005

Conet Project MP3s

SpyHard core WFMU Listeners are probably familiar with The Conet Project, a four CD set of shortwave recordings of "Numbers Stations." Now the entire set can be downloaded directly from Irdial, here. Numbers stations have been used by various international spy agencies to communicate with the agents in the field. A typical numbers station will repeat an endless series of numbers, only a tiny portion of which actually carry any meaning. It's the needle-in-a-haystack approach to secure encryption. Via One Man Safari.

April 28, 2005

She Be She Strike

Inuit_accordian_3Eskimo Radio MP3s: Ayatollah Khomeini, You Are My Sunshine, Labatt's Beer Ad, Heart of Stone, Marijuana Humor.

The story and the tapes began circulating around the cassette underground in the early-eighties: an Inuit Radio station operated in Northern Canada by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was vacated by its regular staff due to a CBC strike, and the station was temporarily programmed by its Eskimo janitor and his buddies. The phrase "She Be She Strike" (CBC Strike) can be heard repeatedly on portions of the tape which are not excerpted here, but the truth may never be known until the language can be identified and a native speaker translates the entire recording, hint hint.

The story isn't too far-fetched though; the CBC operates dozens of Inuit radio stations through it's Northern Service, and the record shows that they've had their fair share of strikes over the years. You can listen to some of the Inuit stations over the net these days, like this daytime-only station (Windows Media feed).

Continue reading "She Be She Strike" »

Logo-Rama 2005

  • Winner (T-shirt): Gregory Jacobsen
    We received such an outpouring of extraordinary listener artwork submissions for our recent logo design contest that we just couldn't keep it all to ourselves.

    Hold your champagne glass high, extend your pinky, turn up your nose, and take a stroll through this gallery of WFMU-centric works from the modern era.