go retro with edna million

90s Retro

The definition of retro:
ret·ro (rĕt'rō)    adj. 

1. Involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past; retrospective: “As is often the case in retro fashion, historical accuracy is somewhat beside the point” (New York Times).
2. A fashion, decor, design, or style reminiscent of things past.

So, I am defending my post before I begin ... on the music of the late 80s - early 90s, which I played a lot of Thursday night at my DJ gig (I didn't say it was GOOD, I only said it was REMINISCENT, RETROSPECTIVE). Playlist will follow, but first, some highlights:

YouTube videos:
Paul Lekakis - Boom Boom (Let's Go Back To My Room)
Veruca Salt - Seether
Breeders - Cannonball

Songs:
Violent Femmes - Kiss Off
House of Pain - Jump Around (Amazon Sample)

Playlist (I took a lot of requests last week) - shown with *R*:
Misirlou    Dick Dale & his Del-Tones
Happy Birthday    "Weird Al" Yankovic
Tequila    The Champs
Don't Let's Start    They Might Be Giants
Say It Ain't So    Weezer
The Globe    Big Audio Dynamite II
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough    Michael Jackson
Bar-B-Q    Wendy Rene
Move It On Over    Hank Williams
Lover's Rock    Johnny Horton
Smoky Mountain Rain    Ronnie Milsap   *R*
Viva Viva Rock 'n' Roll    Chuck Berry
Mmm Mmm Mmm    Dave Lewis
Sophisticated Boom Boom    The Goodies
Mon ami noir    Planètes
What A Way To Die    The Pleasure Seekers
Accusatory    The Hentchmen
We're Only Gonna Die    Bad Religion    *R*
High Class    The Buzzards
I Wantcha For My Little Girl    The Milkshakes
Glamorous    Jesus Lizard
Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe    Whale
6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Edit)    Sneaker Pimps
B-Boys Makin' With The Freak Freak    Beastie Boys
Pressure Drop    The Maytals
Under Pressure    Queen & David Bowie     *R*
Every Day Is Halloween    Ministry
West End Girls    Pet Shop Boys
Goo Goo Muck    The Cramps      *R*
Boys Wanna Be Her    Peaches
The Days of Swine And Roses    My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
Oh Bondage Up Yours    X-Ray Specs
''Woo Hoo''    The 5.6.7.8's
Broadway Jungle    Toots & The Maytals
Boom! I Got Your Boyfriend    Salt N Pepper
What A Man    Linda Lyndell
Let Me Go    Joan Jett
Cannonball    The Breeders
Hey    Pixies
Been Caught Stealing    Jane's Addiction
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)    Digable Planets
Baby's Got Sauce    G. Love & Special Sauce
I Can't Stand The Rain    Ann Peebles
Groove Is In the Heart    Deee-Lite      *R*
Cars That Go Boom    L'Trimm
Le Disko    Shiny Toy Guns
Deceptacon    Le Tigre
Cherry Bomb    The Runaways
GO!    Tones On Tail
Summer Holiday & Me    The Jessica Fletchers
Mirror in the Bathroom    The English Beat
Don't You Want Me    The Human League
Never Say Never    Romeo Void
Super Sex    Morphine
Every Dog Has Its Day    Tommy Ridgely
Do Me    Jean Knight
Peek A Boo    Siouxsie & The Banshees    *R*
William, It Was Really Nothing    Smiths     *R*
Touch Me (I Want Your Body)    Samantha Fox
She Bop    Cyndi Lauper
Joy N' Pain    Rob Base
One Way    Bloodhound Gang
Shoop    Salt-N-Pepa
Bust A Move    Young MC
Wild Thing    Tone Loc
Going Back To Cali    LL Cool J
Unbelieveable    EMF
PYT Pretty Young Thing    Michael Jackson
Ms. Jackson      OutKast    *R*
Land of 1000 Dances    Wilson Pickett
Do The Funky Penguin (Part 1)    Rufus Thomas
I Ain't Gettin Any    The Monks
Smiling    Operation Ivy
Insane in the Brain    Cypress Hill
Got Your Money(Dirty)    Ol Dirty Bastard
Tony The Beat    The Sounds
Gangsta's Paradise    Coolio    *R*
If You Leave    OMD
You're Pretty When I'm Drunk    Bloodhound Gang

oh HELL yeah.

Whale - Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe

The System / a.k. The Girl Getters

I've been meaning to post about this film for a while. I bought the DVD from The Video Beat about a year or more ago, but probably didn't watch it until this past winter, a few months ago, and again this week. I'm a big Oliver Reed fan and thought the plot sounded like it could lend itself to some fun scenes. Being the kitschy 50-60s youth subculture fan that I am, I was really pleased. If you're going for a film critic's perspective, you won't get one here because I went into this film wanting exactly what it delivered.
First - it delivered Oliver Reed at the height of his bad-guy appeal and charm. Oh yeah. This film is the epitome of why I always like Oliver Reed in films, even when he plays a bad guy he oozes charisma ... sex appeal .. something Oliver Reedish. Amazingly enough this film was only four years before he played Bill Sykes in Oliver! the musical, and he plays both parts wonderfully, it's amazing to imagine him generally the same age in both films, though, he seems MUCH younger in The System. (I hate the alternate title The Girl Getters shown on the video box in the picture here, The System is a much better title and fits with the theme song "(Get Into) The System" sung by The Searchers. It also works better with the plot of the film which has more layers to it than "Girl Getting".)
Second -  the music, the clothes, the scene, the flip-talk, the haircuts, beautiful girls, the guys are attractive, a great little piece of 60s mod culture captured in this film. It isn't all glossy and made out to glamorize the youth, but it captures the good and bad aspects of their lifestyles.
Third - interesting dual plot. You can get into the fun stuff, the "system", the parties, the girl-getting, but there's a deeper thing going on. Without giving away the entire film, Reed's character finds that there may be another truth to his lifestyle living on the beachfront, that instead of preying on the tourists, maybe they are the ones being used by the tourists, this statement can be appreciated not just within their small confined experience but in wild lifestyles in general where those who tend to believe that they are the ones doing the taking end up emptier at the end of the day and may actually be the ones who have been used. Some pretty emotionally volatile scenes and good acting, nice shots, the beach scene at the end with the torches is exceptionally good.
Fourth - now I admit I'm not old enough to have lived during the time the film was shot and can say for sure, but I can imagine this as a much more accurate picture of youth culture in the 60s (at this particular kind of setting) than many other films that claim to be representative of the era.

I have to now correct every single review I have seen on the web about this film.
Brief synopsis on The Video Beat website: says that the group of guys use their cameras to pick up women - Oliver Reed is the only beach photographer in this group of guys, the other guys have various other jobs throughout this resort town in strategic places to meet women.
Hal Erikson, All Movie Guide: I don't think this guy even watched this film. First he says that "Oliver Reed plays a girlie-magazine photographer". No, he plays a beach photographer, taking pictures of tourists and selling the photos to them. "One of the group, jealous of Reed's success, uses their "system" to hoist the leader on his own petard." I don't even know what movie this guy was watching now. This doesn't happen on purpose, it happens but not because of a jealosy or rivalry, He also writes that "Michael Winner ... displayed his utter contempt for the pretty young people he depicts." I'm not sure what gave this reviewer the idea that this director had utter contempt for the young people he was depicting. Certainly the film doesn't show that - rather he shows a deeper emotional turmoil underneath the free-wheeling party lifestyle and shows the pain and heartache that goes with the swingin' wild young party lifestyle, making who might normally be characters without depth, basic predators without conscience, who the audience is normally unable to identify with into the protagonists - real, vulnerable, as much in need of love as the people they vow they are so unlike. In addition, if this guy knew anything about Michael Winner's history and personal life they would probably find that to be an absurd comment to make. Winner was known in the beginning of his career as a "young" director - making hip films for youth culture - he also has no problem with "pretty young people" seeing as he has probably dated or slept with the prettiest and youngest in cinema - from Joan Collins to Sophia Loren, Jenny Seagrove, and currently Paola Lombard (30 yrs younger than he is). He has also been quoted as saying "When I tell people I've slept with more than 130 women, they are appalled but, you know, I've been doing it for 55 years so I don't think that's bad going!".  I have to say my favorite quote from Michael Winner that I've found is this:  “I think it's rather an insult to dogs. Men are awful: arrogant, nasty creatures.”

Believe it or not, Amazon (VHS avilable only, get DVD from The Video Beat) may have one of the most accurate synopsis I've seen, in all it's basic simplicity, "In a seaside village, a group of local young men mingle among the seasonal tourists in search of sexual conquests. Near the end of one summer, the leader of the group, Tinker, a strolling photographer, aims to conquer a fashion model from a well-to-do family, but he finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. The tables thus turned, Tinker begins to see that maybe it's not the tourists who are being used in these sexual games." 

Zero 7

This song has been on repeat in my headphones all day today and yesterday. I slept with it on repeat last night.

This song makes me want to make-out.

radio show update

I'll be posting bar playlists on my radio show page instead of here. Why not?

I think my radio show is moving from Tuesdays to SUNDAY nights from 11-1am, or 10-12, I forget, something like that.

Leave a comment on the radio blog if you would like to be added to my email updates for radio show stuff - we should be web streaming again soon so my friends from far away can listen in and I'm working on creating some podcasts eventually. There is one radio show you can download already, more to come.