| Day 277: Memoirs of a scary movie |
[06 Oct 2008|01:11pm] |
Every year when it is autumn, I cannot help but to think about my childhood fascination - Sammy Terry.
Many of you have probably seen previous posts about how much he was THE GHOUL in Indianapolis folklore. Every kid in the '70s spent every Friday night at Midnight with one eye peeking out of the covers to watch Sammy Terry pop out of his coffin and babble on with his enchanting and creepy diatribes before announcing the horror film for Nightmare Theater.
He would show films like The Bees about a gazillion times. Whenever it would come on, I would always be bummed because, once again, I would have to watch the craphole of a film when I really wanted to see a mummy film or some kind of creature flick. But one night was different. The TV screen went dark, then this would happen:
If that was not enough to scare the bejeesus out a kid, then the movie that followed would. And until last night, I could not remember what the movie was. The only thing that was left drilled into my conscious was a crawling hand and a guy with no eyes and blood running down his face practically popping out of the television. Hell, for all I knew it was The Crawling Hand.
Saturday night, I went out for a while to a beer tasting party. It was an awesome time seeing everyone there and trying out different beers, one a home brew. I hadn't drank beer in a while, trying to stick only to wine for my alcoholic pleasure, not because I'm a snob but because I'm trying to get into shape and doing what I can to cut the carbs and cals. Anyway, great party. I got back around Midnight and decided to watch a film I had DVR'ed a week ago. It was a Peter Cushing film called And Now The Screaming Starts. I started it up and decided to go make some popcorn.
Even though it was not a Hammer film, it started up all the same with the British Victorian style with actors who are over-accentuating their Shakespeare style. It's the night of a couple's marriage and they arrive at this old family castle to consecrate the marriage. As they are ascending the steps to the bedroom, the husband is going by each painting and naming who they are. The wife turns her head and looks across the room at a painting as sinister organ music blasts out. I looked up just as she started walking to it and a hand comes out of the painting at her.
"Could this be?" I thought. "No, it can't be what I think it is."
Then as the popcorn finished popping, I saw it. The bloody hand was crawling across the room. This was it! This was THE movie. I had finally found it after all of these years. Of course, all I can find on youtube is the radio spot.
After all of these years, it's really not a bad film for what it's worth. But it still gave me the heeby jeebies as I could feel not only my mind going back in time to about 25 years ago but to feel the essence of Sammy Terry somewhere in the ethers giving his hideous cackle that would wake the dead.
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| Begone, zombies, begone! |
[01 Nov 2006|12:30pm] |
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music |
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Peggy Lee - Fever |
] |
I have boarded up my LiveJournal to keep the zombies out!
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| Day three |
[15 Sep 2006|08:28am] |
| [ |
music |
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hacking, sniffing |
] |
I'm sick. Sick, sick, sicky, sick. Probably a bacterial infection, but I'm no doctor. Therefore I am on my way to see one. Yesterday I slept about 18 hours. Today, I hope to get close to that.
I'll let you all know if I'm still alive, but I'm hoping this weekend will be nothing but me and a bed.
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| The game is afoot! |
[26 Aug 2006|12:46pm] |
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music |
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the dripping of my hair from a shower |
] |
Looks like the magazine is taking off. I'm working on my first article on the Australian band Cut/Copy, with a side feature on the Fabric Live series. I am also set to interview Thrill Jockey's Califone, and I have someone who is going to do an article on Xiu Xiu. Then someone has submitted the beginning of a continuing comic series.
I'm hoping to have this thing done and out by October/November. It's looking promising so far.
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| Finally something that may spark an intellectual post |
[09 Aug 2006|10:41pm] |
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music |
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Mus - Nautila |
] |
I have some new finds today, thanks to work's library oversupply.
I was able to obtain a copy of:
1. Proper Merimee's "Carmen." Oxford World's Classics
2. Ludwig Von Mises' "The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science" (kind of like the WWF of Economic Science).
3. Franco Venturi's "The End of the Old Regime in Europe, 1768-1776"
4. John Milton's "The Major Works." Oxford World's Classics
I also borrowed some goodies:
1. I'm a fan of kitschy lists and as a companion piece to the "1001 Albums You Have To Listen To Before You Die" and the "1001 Movies You Have To See Before You Die," I now have the "1001 Books You Have to Read Before You Die."
I also raided our Criterion Collection and grabbed:
1. Salesman; and
2. Tokyo Olympiad
Comments will follow the viewings.
I also really should sit through "Night and Fog" tonight for a discussion tomorrow, but I am dreading the immense sadness of this film. It was the first to be shot after the demise of the Nazi regime and the closing of Auswitz.
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| Insomnia's got a hold of me. |
[08 Aug 2006|12:51am] |
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music |
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My cat purring |
] |
I keep singing that Black Flag song, but instead of "Depression," I change it to "Insomnia."
Went Downtown tonight, had some drinks and went to Hollywood Bar and Filmworks to see Clerks II and get our geek on. It was actually a good sequel. I'm not in any shape to give a critical synopsis and will have to do so tomorrow. For a Monday night, Downtown was actually bustling with people.
I'm going to go through some more books, and hope that I can fall asleep soon. Lots to do tomorrow, and maybe I can create some form of intelligent posting.
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| An old friend payed me a visit last night |
[07 Aug 2006|09:34am] |
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mood |
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wide-eyed |
] |
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music |
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Alejandro Escovedo - As I Fall |
] |
My insomnia is back.
I normally do not do this but with some quick coercion from a friend, I dosed up on Tylenol PM (she suggested Nyquil, but I ran out earlier this year when I had what felt like a case of the bird flu. Okay that's a meer exaggeration, it was really the flu.), and finally fell asleep. In the mean time, I started moving my books from the garage to a makeshift room, which will then be organized and put back in my library. I now have piles of books everywhere. Since I began this job in the world of academics, I have collected a number of historical works that are essential to my research. In addition, I have a mass collection of trashy sci-fi paperbacks from the '70s and '80s, mostly from the DAW science fiction publisher. And I mean trashy as in trashy, not trashy as in bad condition.
Now half of my house looks and smells like a vintage used book store. I assume I will not get any sleep tonight, and I can begin the organization process. If I think that's bad, wait until I try to re-alphabetize (yes, that's geeky) the thousands of CDs and vinyl I own. I may drown in my own consumption.
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| The Night |
[06 Aug 2006|12:54am] |
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mood |
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moodless |
] |
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music |
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Phutureprimitive - Submerge |
] |
It's 1 a.m., or sometime near that. I've lost the conception of time. I can't seem to sleep, which is bad news since I'm up in six hours to ride, this time it's 25-miles. It's dark in here, as I've only lit a few candles. I am trying to relax to the smooth grooves of some out-of-space, electro-dub sounds. It is giving me food for thought to create my post-modern listening/reading room. It has been in my mind for a while, and it's almost time to make it happen.
Tonight was a stop at this new restaurant called Adobo, which translates to over-priced, gourmet Mexican food, at least that was how I looked at it. Nestled in a strip mall in the ritzy part of the city, and across the way from where I work, it was a strange Acapulco-style acid trip. Watching the sun go down as posh post-modern salsa grooves echoed around us, it was a pure Miami Vice moment. And in case you were wondering, I will be playing the part of Crockett, thank you very mucho.
The service was horrible, but the food was pure sex. I have no idea if this restaurant is a one-stop shop, or a chain-reaction across the country. And I'm not sure if Caifanes playing over the loud speaker as faux paintings of Frida Kahlo peer at you was a Spanish idea of a "Fear and Loathing" moment, or if they were flaunting their coolness exasperating Mexican culture and boasting a dose of rock en espanol. I can see through their infiltration. Back to the food. We had the gaucamole salsa, which was diced and mixed right there at the table. I had Empanades (I think that is what it was called. My mind has shut down an hour ago), which is masa, cheese, epazote, and spices stuffed in a tortilla pastry and cooked in sauce. Add a nice tequila blanco, and you have ecstasy. About as close to ecstasy as I can get right now.
After that, it was a trip to the pool hall to play some billiards and kick down a couple pints of Guinness, in which they have on slow tap there. I dominated the table, with some great play, as Coltrane rocked out over the jukebox. Yes this place has its equal amount of jazz as it does rock in their jukebox selection. After an hour, it was a trip back home.
My friend has not been doing well mentally. I think I have done my job to help him out as much as I can. He is better, laughing, more focused. I'm starting to think this is my purpose in life. Nothing else.
I am going to try and sleep, get up and ride. The earlier I can ride, the earlier I can make it back and watch Doctor Who. I have really learned a lot since yesterday. The role between the Doctor and Rose are becoming more intertwined as they slowly grow closer together. And I am guessing, after the next episode, Rose will have replaced my Buffy fetish. White T-Shirt? Hell.Yeah.
My head is filled with the chaos of ideas like a swarm of bees about ready to attack.
Good night lovelies.
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| Interactivity is a beautiful thing |
[28 Jul 2006|11:27am] |
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mood |
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moodless |
] |
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music |
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Tanakh - Like I Used To |
] |
Since ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) danithesquirrel and her post on the photo meme, I have been thinking about this.
And not to steal her thunder because her idea is an exceptional one, and I cannot wait for the results, but it inspired me to recall a project called 42 Things (or 45 Things, I cannot remember the exact number.) So based on that conceptual photo series project from years past, here is where you come in.
Post one word - it can be a thing, an emotion, or whatever (no explanation, just the word). Then I will have to take a photo of my interpretation of that one word. I will compile them all together and post them, and then I welcome discussion, questions, or feedback on it.
Just remember I am not a professional photographer, nor am I even amateurish, but I hope it will be a fun and productive idea.
It will be a way to give me a creative outlet, or a creative kick in the butt if you will, and it may also be a way to get to know me and my world better.
And be sure you check out Dani's photos when they are posted. She is a better photographer than I will ever be with more creativity and perspective in her index finger than I can conceive.
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| Digging my own grave |
[26 Jul 2006|03:54pm] |
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mood |
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moodless |
] |
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music |
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Nayked Raygun - Rat Patrol |
] |
I've decided and, fuck it, I am going to do the 61-miles in Southern Indiana sometime in September. You only live once, right? And what do I have to loose, anyway. I mean what's a dozen or so four-mile climbs up steeple-shaped hills anyway.
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| ...And freeze! |
[26 Jul 2006|01:30pm] |
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mood |
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moodless |
] |
| [ |
music |
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The Cure - Like Cockatoos |
] |
Here is my wish to modern-day TV, bring back the freeze frame.
Watching episodes of The A-Team has made me realize what I have been missing for so many years. It started in the '70s with what I recall as a defining moment in my life. Jim Kelly is walking through a parking lot. Out of nowhere surfaces a bunch of thugs hiding behind parked cars. Kelly gives the look and whooopah, fist to the face ... and freeze. The funkiest funk music kicks in and there you have Black Belt Jones.
I remember when I first saw that scene, I threw my chair. Nothing else was as exceptional an action sequence as that. It was beyond bad-asssss, or however many "s's" it takes for Sweetback to identify as badass.
If you recall at the end of every episode of The A-Team, the signature A-Team theme song would cue up and rolling through the credits are action scenes that freeze at the wrong time, either in a fuzzy grain moment or when there was no action sequence to begin with. I mean how exciting is it to see Col. Hannibal Smith freeze frame right at that moment when he's smoking his cigar, and bam! the credit pops up in a oversize block print.
Bring that back people! Action films and television is just not the same without that defined freeze frame action that either builds into a defining moment or recaptures the essence of the episode, or non-essence if you are referring to the A-Team.
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| Health tidbits |
[26 Jul 2006|10:15am] |
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music |
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Surf Session At Sunset - Powerjive |
] |
In an article about 99 health tips for men that include nutrition and excercise, here are some I found rather interesting.
1. If you do plan on eating fatty foods, pop a combination of C and E supplements and chase them with a glass of O.J. It keeps fatty deposits from sticking to arterial walls termporarily.
2. If you eat a nut, eat almonds. They possess a cellular structure that actually inhibits the body's absorption of the nut's fat.
3. Cherry juice acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory for muscles.
4. If you want better crunch results, flex your tongue. While doing sit-ups, tuck your chin in so you make a double chin, and gently press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. It will reduce spinal discomfort.
5. If you suffer from lower back pain, the best way to strengthen the muscles down there is to throw a frisbee.
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| I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead |
[23 Jul 2006|01:27am] |
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mood |
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disintegrated |
] |
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music |
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Morphine - The Night |
] |
I started out at 9 a.m. with a 23-mile bike ride. I continued with a trip to the Illinois border and spent a continuous nine hours helping a friend move stuff back to the city.
My muscles are screaming out for sympathy!
It's 1:30 a.m., I just finished another chapter in The Watchmen graphic novel, and I'm soothing my pain with a glass of tequilla and a Morphine album. I may eventually make it to bed, but then again, I may never move again.
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| Chord |
[20 Jul 2006|05:37pm] |
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mood |
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exasperated |
] |
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music |
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Mexican radio |
] |
It is over.
I'm drinking.
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| While I'm posting photos |
[13 Jul 2006|09:57pm] |
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mood |
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Still full |
] |
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music |
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Dub Narcotic Sound System - Bone Dry |
] |
This happened a few weeks ago. It was the first day of my cycling training, and on the way back I ran into a problem. My chain came off while riding, forcing my shoe out of the clipless peddle, and the force shoved my leg back into the teeth of the crank. My leg looked and still looks like I was bit by an animal.
The photo is here, but behind the cut for those of you not able to handle seeing images of a bloody leg. Luckily I was only a couple miles back to the house because it stung all the way home. It wasn't fun wiping the grease out of the wound.
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| Please help me? |
[13 Jul 2006|05:52pm] |
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mood |
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still tuckered out |
] |
| [ |
music |
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some kind of rockabilly about blue suede shoes |
] |
Can all of you good folks who like food and cooking recommend me some recipes or things I can do with two dinosaur-sized zucchini? Let's rule out anything obscene right now. Sticking it where the sun won't shine will only make the zucchini rotten.
And let's also rule out zucchini bread. My mother has graciously planned out six loaves of that stuff, so I will be breaded out before fall.
Thank you!
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| Killing time until it's time. |
[07 Jul 2006|01:14pm] |
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mood |
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Dreaming of 5 p.m. |
] |
| [ |
music |
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Bill Evans Trio - Solar |
] |
I just returned from a literature buying craze. I've been focusing on ancient history so much, I need a break and spend less time on it and more time on my trashy science fiction and penguin classics. Here's what I bought:
Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Books. Thanks to rattybad1 and his dissertation on Kipling, which I hope he will share because the ideology behind it is extremely fascinating, I thought I would pick up some Kipling myself and get started reading through his works. What a better way than with The Jungle Books.
Robertson Davies - Fifth Business. The first novel of the Deptford Trilogy, this novel is about a man who discovers that the marvelous is only another aspect of the real. I'm intrigued.
Giovanni Boccaccio - The Decameron. This thick chunk of a book takes place in 1348 and is about a group of wealthy patricians who take refuge from the plague and spends their time telling each other stories. Along the way, they experience human nature.
Daniel Defoe - A Journal of the Plague Year. Speaking of the plague, this novel depicts the accounts of the Great Plague of 1665.
Tadeusz Borowski - This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. And speaking of tragedy, this short novel is based on concentration camp stories showing atrocious crimes becoming an unremarkable part of a daily routine.
Theodor Fontane - Effi Briest. Effi is a 17-year-old heroine who lives ina world where sexuality and the will to enjoy life are stifled by narrowmindedness and circumstance.
Wallace Stegner - Angle of Repose. This book is about Stegner's grandparents' journey across America's Western frontier, and a portrait of the American family.
Being that I am knee-deep in Season I of House M.D., I find it only appropriate to begin with Defoe's novel and backtrack to Boccaccio.
But first, before I do any of that, I need to finish reading through The Watchmen graphic novel that danithesquirrel so kindly let me borrow. I will have comments about that upon finishing the book. Isn't there a movie on this coming out this year?
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