Vintage Sleaze: Arcade Cards

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Auto Erotica

Music of the Revolution.

Red-shirt security guards, one wearing body armor stolen from the army, watch over Rama IV Road outside of their fortified enclave at Lumpini Park. (Photo: Kenneth Todd Ruiz / reporterinexile.com)

If you've been paying attention to world news, you know that crap's getting serious in Thailand right now. The country's teetering on the brink of civil war as protesters from the UDD (also known, unironically, as Red Shirts) have occupied central Bangkok and are engaging in deadly firefights with the Thai army. But because this is Thailand, the Land of Smiles, even full-on revolution requires a dance beat. A journalist buddy of mine who is on the ground there has found time in the midst of covering the fighting to post a trio of Red Shirt anthems that are actually kind of groovy.

The songs date from before last week's government crackdown on the protesters, and their joy offers a counterpoint to the horrible scenes of bloodshed coming out of Bangkok now. If only the world's political differences could be settled by dancing instead of shooting...

Old Mother Riley

Brit readers, bear with me. If you know your Kinks songs, you'll know that line. But most Americans aren't familiar with Mother Riley because these films were never shown here, well, not as far as I know. I first stumbled across them while working in a film archive. I couldn't believe it! Of course I loved the drag factor but Arthur Lucan was a physical comedy genius. There's a wiki page now, of course, so you can read more. Here's a long clip (I couldn't find a good shorter one) but there's plenty more on the youtubes.

And here's the Kinks doing "The Village Green Preservation Society" in 1973.

The Aperitivo experience

Fritz Lang, Dr Mabuse der Spieler, 1922

Hello dear listeners.
We, at the Aperitivo's headquaters, created a very special place with no moral, no rules at all, where scientists or so called can experience whatever they want to. This is the Aperitivo experience.
This week with a great Sun RA song, psyche vibes from Gonja Sufi, Iranian sitar groove, John Carpenter synth action, Jean Pierre Massiera insane disco and a lot more fantastic delights.

KIss caress and more until next time.

The Kidoodlers

If you love novelty music like Spike Jones and the Hoosier Hot Shots-- the hokier, the better, right? you'll love the collection of rare recordings from 1930s band The Kidoodlers at Twindowlicker. You'll get a vintage video and 30+ tunes, all played by a band who used toy instruments to back up their crooning and harmonizing. Plus, now I have an earlier version of my beloved song Oh By Jingo!

Grottu's Pad

Grottu Orloff is a little alien from the planet of Mars who has a wonderful collection of photos and magazines and whatnots that will surely please you. Go visit Grottu's new blog and tell him I sent you, yes?

Dingdingingdingdingdingding

Speaking of museums of niche interest, while I was connecting at SFO twice last month or saw I beheld the tools of early automated illegal gambling - aka slot machines.

Let me say I detest casinos. They suck. Name anything about them, it sucks even if it's like, say R.E.M. playing the Borgata - they then suck, and so on....

But these early gambling appliances were fascinating- ingenious in their configuration, metalcraft, and design. And next time I'm back on the left coast (which is quite often now) I'm goin' to Big Joe Welch's American Antique Slot Machine Museum, in San Bruno, where 90% of these came from and somewhat fittingly, does not have a website.

Artist Josh Ellingson has taken quite a few better photos than I of some of the machines, mainly because I used my cell phone, so tough.

I was particularly worked up about the art on the punch boards - a form of gambling apparently still in use legally in Washington State in the form of "Pull Tabs"

Still the holiest of divahs?

Pat Boone - Holy Diver



The best Holy Diver version according to PCL's poll in 2005: The holiest of divahs

Time for a new poll?

Achy Breaky Ha Ha Ha

Hasil Adkins - Achy Breaky Ha Ha Ha, available thanks to Revenant Glint.



Song of Death

Vent Haven, not Heaven

Vent Haven Museum in Ft. Mitchell KY features over 700 ventriloquist dummies, as well as mucho memorabilia on all things dummified. Hey Yuma, ROAD TRIP, I know you love the little dummies, wanna meet me there this summer? Maybe Percy Trout will come up and join us there.

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

RIP

Since Holy Diver was the hymn of 80s Heavy Metal and the passing of Ronnie James Dio I think it's only right to salute him in the most proper way.
Ride the Tiger Ronnie!


Pat Boone - Holy Diver

WTF, Andrej Šifrer?

I had no idea Yugoslavia had been researching human/heifer skin grafting, is that what's going on here on this album cover? Honestly, I know I need new glasses, but I am completely at a loss to figure out what this is meant to depict. If you can stop retching long enough to download the corresponding music, stick with the A side "Majhni psi" which sounds to me like an outtake from Rocky Horror, except I wouldn't even know because I am probably the only living human under the age of 80 (and I just barely fit in that category) that has never seen that movie.

het cocktail trio - oe ie oe a a

Car Accident Songs: "The Beginning of My End"

Here's a real oddity: a soul ballad car accident tune. The Unifics are one of my favorite 70s soul groups and "The Beginning of My End" starts at the end: the funeral.

No video, just audio.

"I wasn't too sure at first just what the doctor meant/when he informed me that there had been an accident."

Dance with Arjune Popo

"Many people love the way you bouncing....you bouncing like a scorpion....oh honey moon girls, you better dance and whine..." at least I THINK that's what he's singing...."Oh Honey Moon Girls" is officially my song of the week!!! Everyone needs to hear it!

Dance with Arjune Popo! And when you figure out what his song "When I Bounce Up Dollary" is about, clue me in, k?

Bruce Haack on I've Got A Secret

Bruce Haack on I've Got A Secret (Flash Video 02:02). "...Composer Bruce Haack demonstrates his electronic instrument the Dermatron on a 1960 episode of the CBS quiz show, I've Got A Secret, while Praxiteles Pandel plays the piano. The Dermatron was a theremin played on skin instead of air.

Also... Bruce Haack (recording as Jackpine Savage)... Funky Little Song (.mp3 audio 03:39). From the album Together (1971, Dimension 5).