ANTEBELLUM BLOG: SUSAN LIVES

ANTEBELLUM BLOG: SUSAN LIVES: All Los Angelinos who have spent time in the Melrose/ La Brea area are familiar with this lady. Some call her "THE LAVA...

Finally saw Fritz Lang's "M"!

Finally saw Fritz Lang's early pre-Hollywood German masterpiece, "M", starring ultra-creepy Peter Lorre as the villain in a twisted performance that would define movie creeps for decades to follow. The boilerplate of weirdo eccentrics and sociopaths. Wow. Checked it out from the NYC library in midtown and was thoroughly impressed. Despite feeling so contemporary in ways, it was released in 1931. Gorgeously filmed in B&W, it is based on the true story of the serail killer Peter Kurten, otherwise known as the "Vampire of Dusseldorf". It is so ahead of its time on many levels, not least of which is the whole "CSI" angle of the criminal investigation and the mob hysteria. Great, early epic and a sign of things to come for Fritz Lang who made his "sound" debut with this scorcher. You know a child killer investigation has gotten out of hand when the city's criminals band to together to stop the murderous fiend before he "ruins their reputations". "Metropolis"" might be better known but "M" gave me the chills. You will never listen to Grieg's, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" the same way again. NOW I know why it has become such an ideal Halloween tune. Scary stuff.

"The Catch"! Montana to Clark!

The most famous play in San Francisco 49ers history happened 30 years ago today. Joe Montana to Dwight Clark to beat the dreaded Dallas Cowboys to advance to our first ever Super Bowl. Which we also won. Enjoy it Niner fans. We're back in the playoffs now too.

The Low Line

The Low Line

R.I.P. Mars Bar ~ (East Village)

The wrecking ball had been hovering over its ragged rooftop for months, with permanent closure slated for some time at the end of this summer. We had gone in for drinks a couple of times lately to pay our respects as a part of the long, slow goodbye. It would be a summer of last hurrahs for a bona fide, dyed in rot gut NYC dive bar. One of the last "Manhattan Mall" resistors dug its heels in at the S.W. corner of Second Ave and 1st st, grimy on the inside and covered with graffiti on the outside, as neighbors like CBGBs surrendered to development over time. August would be the time for old regulars and curiosity seekers alike to pull up a wobbling stool, order a drink, load up the juke-box, and soak in the pre-gentrification atmosphere before the whole corner was razed. A new condominium was inevitable. Not to mention a Jamba Juice. Or a Bank of America.

But yesterday, the Department of Health stepped in early and pulled the plug on that glorious hardcore juke-box and the Mars Bar in general. Citing numerous violations in the "bar/restaurant" (what kind of sick asshole would consider that even a partial restaurant?) including "850 fruit flies". My, aren't we specific DOH? Are you sure there wasn't "851"? In bed with the developers in some way, I'd imagine, the DOH deprived an East Village institution of its last go round in a Bowery district that has now been completely stripped of its soul. And a juke-box that made room for for Hank Williams Sr and the Dead Boys has gone dark, for good. So, watch your back "Lucy's", "Sophies", "Max Fish", and "Holiday Bar". America runs on Dunkin'.
NYT coverage here.

R.I.P. Mars Bar.

Now, hear this Robert Zimmerman!

The "Super brain", as David Bowie dubbed him on his 1971 opus, "Hunky Dory", has turned 70 years old this week. He has survived the 60's, hype, motorcycle crashes, stress, Jesus, and watching one of his sons wallow in the mediocrity of straight ahead soft rock in The Wallflowers. I also found out something interesting this week about Mr. Dylan. He actually collaborated on lyrics of all things on his "Desire" album. Yes, I was surprised to learn this myself. The man with "a voice like sand and glue" as Bowie put it, worked on several songs on his mid-70's album with the late Jacques Levy. I had a lovely chat with Mr. Levy's widow at my wife's art gallery last night and I could hardly believe it when she told me that Bob & Jacques co-wrote the lyrics to "Hurricane" about the falsely imprisoned boxer, Ruben "Hurricane" Carter. You have probably seen the film about the subject starring Denzel Washington, who delivered an astonishing performance as the "Hurricane". But it is an amazing song, narrative in structure, which was apparently what Mr. Levy brought to the table as a veteran of the theatre. He had worked with the young Sam Shepard at LaMama and even directed the Broadway production of the nudist classic, "Oh, Calcutta!". So, give "Desire" a fresh spin, and happy birthday Robert Zimmerman. Please continue to surprise and delight us.

"Song For Robert Zimmerman"

~ David Bowie ~


Oh, hear this Robert Zimmerman 
I wrote a song for you 
About a strange young man 
called Dylan 
With a voice like sand and glue 
His words of truthful vengeance 
They could pin us to the floor 
Brought a few more people on 
And put the fear in a whole lot more 

Ah, Here she comes 
Here she comes 
Here she comes again 
The same old painted lady 
From the brow of a superbrain 
She'll scratch this world to pieces 
As she comes on like a friend 
But a couple of songs 
From your old scrapbook 
Could send her home again 

You gave your heart to every bedsit room 
At least a picture on my wall 
And you sat behind a million pair of eyes 
And told them how they saw 
Then we lost your train of thought 
The paintings are all your own 
While troubles are rising 
We'd rather be scared 
Together than alone 

Ah, Here she comes...etc. 

Now hear this Robert Zimmerman 
Though I don't suppose we'll meet 
Ask your good friend Dylan 
If he'd gaze a while 
down the old street 
Tell him we've lost his poems 
So they're writing on the walls 
Give us back our unity 
Give us back our family 
You're every nation's refugee 
Don't leave us with their sanity 

Ah, Here she comes....etc. 

Radiohead &"The King of Limbs" reign as the record industry dies

My account of Radiohead's latest game of mystery and second release in their post-major label career, "The King of Limbs" can be read here in The Brooklyn Rail. Now that the dust has settled a little on the abrupt release of their 8th full length LP we can re-examine the whole frenzied internet freak out with a bit of remove.

The Universal Sigh has hit the streets

And Uncle Todd was there to get a nice warm copy at
Broadway & Spring this afternoon. The line snaked* around the corner from Broadway East to Crosby then South again. The people need their Radiohead news. Unfortunately
there was no update on the missing Egyptian Cobra from the Bronx Zoo. Its
a 20 inch adolescent so its bound to be hiding anywhere...

Charlie Sheen Mad Libs! Enjoy it trolls!

You remember Mad Libs right? You throw a bunch of verbs, nouns, adjectives and pronouns etc into the master computer and out comes a personalized and zany paragraph to laugh about with your classmates. Now VF mag has come up with a Charlie Sheen tigerblood version. Now you too can devise your own lunatic ravings with mystical beasts, violent love and epic party behavior.
Winning?! Actually, Sheen was officially canned by Chuck Lorre, CBS & Warner Brothers today so that remains to be seen but his shoes will be impossible to fill. The only actors debauched enough to keep the character on the edge where it needs to be are all in "Charlie's korner and not with the trolls". These producers have officially cut off their noses to spite their collective faces and killed the golden goose. They didn't give a shit until Sheen mocked them in the press. But NOW they have morals.

Stark-Raving Mad Libs! Part Deux: vanityfair.com

#BI-WINNING MAD LIBS!

Butterflies

John Malkovich has a can of Hamms and a *very* bad trip...

Butterflies feat. John Malkovich from Gentleman Scholar on Vimeo.

Radiohead ~ Spinning Plates

Phil Selway ~ "By Some Miracle"

Paul Haggis Vs. the Church of Scientology: newyorker.com

This is one of the craziest stories you will read this year. Or any.
Paul Haggis has guts coming out against his former "church" mates.
I hope he stays safe and sound but if some weird accident befalls this brave guy... you will know why.

Paul Haggis Vs. the Church of Scientology: newyorker.com

Le Poisson Rouge: November 09, 2010

Le Poisson Rouge: November 09, 2010

Rolling down from the BK Heights to Bleecker Street tonight to see what Vincent Gallo does when he's not making his own peculiar brand of cinema ~ ala "Buffalo '66" and "Brown Bunny". His band RRIICCEE will take the stage of the former Greenwich Village institution, The Village Gate, which has been reincarnated as Le Poussin Rouge.
This is one of those occasions where I literally have no freaking idea what's in store for us this evening. Somehow I feel that boredom is virtually guaranteed not to set in. Disquieting unease perhaps. But boredom? Not with Vincent Gallo.

Improv Everywhere hits the beach in Brooklyn ~ in tuxedos

I'm not sure how I thought this would go but it really turns out to be awfully difficult to swim in the ocean in formal wear. Tuxedos take on water in a hurry we discovered as we frolicked around in the Atlantic off of Coney Island in ball gowns, tuxedos and other evening wear. Outfits not particularly meant for a day at the beach. Check out the full report here at Improv Everywhere. I had the most bizarre tan line ever after this one folks. My face, hands, neck and ears were the only only parts of me with any color. I must look ridiculous naked at this point. Because normally I do not. Enjoy our day at the beach. The whole thing was like a normal day for Fellini but the local Russian bathers were a little bit stunned.

*The photo of me in the ocean was taken by Brian Fountain for Improv Everywhere.

Todd Simmons is the new "Brooklyn Events Examiner" for Examiner.com

Once again, Maximum Volume has encountered some competition for my time, energy and attention span (notoriously fleeting ~ WAIT! Let's change the subject. No, let's not) and this time it comes with an EXTREMELY prestigious title. So far, the feedback is that "Brooklyn Events Examiner" is up there with "Grand Poobah" and "Cruise Director" but I don't want us getting ahead of ourselves and jumping the squid.

LCD Soundsystem got the treatment over there at Examiner.com so please get over there and subscribe to my column. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes. literally. This metatarsal arthritis is not a lot of fun during the season. Oy vey.

We also got to say a few words about our favorite new Brooklyn band, Sleigh Bells. This summer shall belong to them. A boy and a girl making a shit load of noise. Imagine a chanteuse weaving it over an air raid siren with beats. You're getting close.

Murphy's Law is "Happening" again...

The law is basically, do it yourself, in your own studio, don't take YOURSELF too seriously but sweat the hell out of the process and more or less ~ to quote MC 900 Ft Jesus ~ stay "one step ahead of the spider". LCD Soundsystem is James Murphy's baby and he takes care of it. And in the process it appears that once again it will be sounds that he made that you won't escape this summer. Relentlessly funny + very freaking good is how he do. It is a balance previously pulled off by predecessors/influences of his like Talking Heads and Pixies to name but two. And dance. You can think, laugh and DANCE to this man's shit. And with the new record in the chutes ~ the first single "Drunk Girls" shall be ubiquitous ~ and heavy touring on the impending docket it will be the summer of LCD Soundsystem to some extent at least. Quite heavily I suspect. "This Is Happening" promises to be one of the year's finest records and it is streaming as we speak.

Do yourself a quick solid and trot over to that website of his and you can easily kill a day letting Murphy and friends entertain you. You can start with the Murphy/Spike Jonze directed video for "Drunk Girls" featuring puckishly naughty panda-noids wreaking havoc on the likes of poor Nancy Whang who's nearly blown away by a bullhorn at close range followed by an egg smashed on her dome. Murphy himself is badgered and harangued by the incorrigible creatures to the brink of hysterics. If this video doesn't raise your spirits you are lost.

But these pandas must be stopped. LCD Soundsystem will play FOUR shows at Terminal 5 at the end of May and they will be worth attending, venue be damned.

"This Is Happening", indeed.

Neon Indian “Strikes” in Williamsburg - Encore Magazine: New York

Neon Indian “Strikes” in Williamsburg - Encore Magazine: New York

Liars!

The Liars are lost at sea in this video from their new album Sisterworld.

I will never forget seeing Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Oneida in an abandoned lot in South Williamsburg below the bridge. It was then that I realized that a new rock scene was rising up in Brooklyn and soon enough (led by The Strokes) my hunch would be validated. Spring of 2001, I believe. Liars continue to experiment musically and skirt the edges of success. Thom Yorke has been a fan of theirs for years and with good reason. They do not compromise.

Radiohead says: SAVE RADIO 6!!!!!

So, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien has informed us (via Dead Air Space) that the BBC is planning to pull the plug on their most experimental/rock radio station, Radio 6 . I read that and realized that I had never listened to the station before but was instantly saddened to hear of it's impending doom. I logged on and they were playing The Clash ~ "Clash City Rockers". How many radio stations even play The Clash anymore? Then they went into some program called , "Disco o' clock" and the song "Bustin' Out". Good enough for me. I love nothing if not musical contrast. Scrolling around their site I noticed dj sets from the likes of Broken Bells, Gary Numan and Thom Yorke. Get on this my friends. It is too good to die!

If you are reading this, please do the very least and click on this Radio 6 link so they see increased web traffic. Apparently they have an operating budget of a mere 6 million pounds which is the cost of one lousy commercial in some cases.