Popstatic Blog

Bad Meaning Good #17: Doris Wishman Vs. Chesty Morgan

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:08:01 +0000

It was 1974 and in a titanic meeting of the artistic minds, cinema auteur Doris Wishman and the infamously-busted Chesty Morgan forged a collaborative tandem for the ages and left us with two of the most memorable sexploit features the world will ever know... And that is what we will be celebrating come the evening of Monday September 6th. Ladies and gentlemen, come one, come all and feast your eyes on the following...

Showing first, from 8-10: 'Deadly Weapons'

Showing second, from 10-Midnight: 'Double Agent 73'

We're proud to announce that this is without a doubt the most unrepentant, shameless trash we'll have shown at Bad Meaning Good to date. It'll be a festival, er, rather a breastival (I wish I hadn't just wrote that), of base and tasteless delights. It also goes without saying that we're always hard at work in efforts to bring you further and further down the rabbit hole of cinematic crudeness and we are of course delighted that you're along for the ride.

See ya on the 6th!

Psych Out Opening Party

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:43:01 +0000

Alright... So, last Friday night was the opening for mine and Won Kim's 'Psych Out' gallery opening at The Beer Run Gallery in Pilsen. Now that some of the dust has settled and my mind is nearing operational levels once again, I thought I'd chime in with an update of the evening's festivities...

First and foremost I'd like to thank anyone and everyone, friends, family and otherwise, who were able to make it out to the event. It was nothing short of an absolute success and you all are the reason why. I can't express how happy we were to have such a great turn out and to sell as much work as we did so we sincerely thank every one of you.

I had our good friend Santi over at The Vast Difference come by to take some photos for us so here are a few highlights below and something of a narrative of what was on-hand for the evening. (For a more expansive collection of photos, click here for the Flickr set.) ...

The view from the outside.

It was blazing hot inside the gallery but a mostly lovely evening outdoors.

The four big pieces all in a row.

Psych Out Update #1

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:11:00 +0000

So here's an update on my upcoming 'Psych Out' show I'm doing with Won Kim... You may remember I blogged about it here last week. I've decided to post an update with some pics of a few pieces of finished work that will be included in the show. I'm super excited about the show and hope any and all of you can attend! Pics below...

Bad Meaning Good #16: Keeping It Real Edition

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:01:00 +0000

Tonight we'll be launching into the latest installment in our ongoing Bad Meaning Good odyssey... And it shall be FRESH!

Showing first, from 8:30-10: 'Body Rock'

Showing second, from 10-11:30: 'Rappin'

Bring your sheltoes!

Psych Out

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:42:01 +0000

Big news on the art front: On Friday August 13th I'll be hosting my first ever art opening and it will go down at The Beer Run Gallery in Pilsen. This is big news for me for a number of reasons but is namely a big step for me as a fine artist and as a professional who has, since graduating with a BA in Illustration 5 years ago, made little use of my more hands-on artistic talents.

The show has been titled 'Psych Out' and will feature exclusively new and original, collaborative works that I've done with my friend and collaborator Won Kim (aka the spectacularly talented Revise CMW). The show has been given its title because of its dramatic aesthetic departure from Won's signature and established painting styles, but also because of the general psychedelic look and nature of the work itself.

I'm incredibly excited about the opportunity and am expecting a riot of a time to be had by all at the opening itself. Additionally, ALL of the art will be for sale and can be bought on either the night of the opening or during the gallery's weekly hours (Fri-Sun 12pm-8pm), or otherwise by appointment (to schedule an appointment call 312.226.4220).

All info pertaining to the event should be visible on the flyer above but here are the basics:

Psych Out
Friday, August 13th 2010
at The Beer Run Gallery (1104 W. 18th St. Chicago, IL 60608)
From 7-11pm
Free beer will be provided by Goose Island Clybourn.
Music will be provided by my fellow Bad Meaning Good collaborator and selector extraordinaire DJ Intel.

I will of course have more info to come on the subject of the show and will perhaps be posting some photos of completed work as the event nears. In the meantime, and by all means, feel free to add comments or get a hold of me via the contact form if you have any questions at all about the event.

I hope to see you all there!

Get Get Down 07/28/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:32:01 +0000

Holy smokes!!! It's been more than a month since I last chimed in on ANYTHING on this blog... Really weak stuff on my behalf, I can't lie.

The good news is that I've got a huge gang o' new shit to drop on your various asses out there, starting with tonight's monthly 'Disco Obsession' edition of GGD at Berlin. From here on out we'll be hosting Disco Obsession on the last Wednesday of every month and will be playing the night in collaboration with Berlin mainstay and ongoing disco night resident DJ Pervy. Per usual, you can expect all disco, new and old, all night long.

See you all out tonight...

Bad Meaning Good #15: Chuck-on-Chuck Edition!

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:43:01 +0000

Alright people, the coming month's Bad Meaning Good event is set in stone... Or rather, is stabbed, shot, fire-bombed, rocket launchered, run over by a car, kicked in the face, hip-tossed, and thrown through a window.

Yes, July's Bad Meaning Good will feature two cinematic high points for two of the 1980's very most prolific action stars. Ladies and gents, I present to you the Bad Meaning Good "Chuck-on-Chuck" extravaganza of 2010!

Showing first, from 8-10pm: 'Lone Wolf McQuade'

For serious folks, 'Lone Wolf McQuade' is absolute cinematic ownage. Norris paves a path of unrelenting destruction in this movie and never wavers on his quest for sweet, sweet justice and revenge. Best yet, he comes to blows with both the much beloved David Carradine AND a wheelchair-bound, little person crime boss. This movie pretty much has it all. It wants to be a western. It wants to be a kung fu flick. It wants to be an explosive, one man show-type 80's action flick... Guess what... It dramatically succeeds at all three!

Showing second, from 10-Midnight: 'Death Wish 3'

Let's be honest here folks, 'Death Wish 3' needs no introduction. It may very well be the best film ever made. Charles Bronson pretty much wages war on the streets of NYC and what follows is positively some of the very most ridiculous action bad-assery that has every graced the silver screen. Just the thought of beginning to try and describe the awesomeness therein gives me a headache... There may indeed be language that both exists on this planet and has the capacity to properly capture the cinematic essence of 'Death Wish 3' but let me assure you, my grasp on English is not capable of doing so. It's quite simply TOO awesome.

Can't wait to see you all there! More info to come...

Tomorrow night at Smartbar

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:23:01 +0000

Tomorrow night I'll be playing an opening slot with Junior Boys at Smartbar. I played alongside them when they last played Smartbar about two years ago as well and remember having a fine time. This will most likely be one of the only sets I play this year in Chicago where I'll be able to really stretch out and work some proper techno tracks on a big soundsystem so I'll of course be coming to the table with some choice musical goodies and am very much looking forward to it.

See you all tomorrow night!

Get Get Down 06/16/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:24:01 +0000

After missing last week's GGD event, I'll return with a vengeance this week with the help of co-resident/conspirator Mr. Zebo and I'm hoping for a hot one. Evidently last week was the best turnout we've had in quite a while (it figures that'd be the one I miss) and since it's such a lovely day today, I'm expecting big things for tonight as well. The party rages from 11pm til 4 in the AM. See ya there!

Bad Meaning Good case study #17: 'After Last Season'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:55:01 +0000

In April of 2009, myself and DJ Intel launched the 'Bad Meaning Good' monthly movie event at The Burlington in Chicago (which takes place on the first Monday of every month). The idea behind the night is to screen cult classics, exploit movies, unintentional comedies and every other kind of film we collectively decide is so bad that it's actually good. In the ongoing search for the perfect 'Bad Meaning Good' film I've decided to take on a weekly (or AT LEAST once-per-week) blog entry in which I'll review, summarize and rate bad movies of every variety imaginable. The goal is to reach somewhere in the range of 75-100 posts within a year, at which point I'll look for a place to publish a first volume of 'Bad Meaning Good' reviews in book form. Stay tuned...

Bad Meaning Good case study #17:
'After Last Season' (dir. Mark Region)

Summary:
'After Last Season' is a baffling, ultra lo-fi, would-be technological thriller unlike anything I've ever seen. The film deals with a pair of young interns researching neuroscience in a quest for answers regarding a rampant serial killer. Ultimately though, if you could imagine how 'Primer' may have turned out if it were directed by a schizophrenic 12 year old in 5th grade AV lab, you might begin to understand the forces at play here.

To make sense of the film's "plot" is an utterly frustrating endeavor and I'm not even sure the film's director could make a good case for the its narrative logic (let alone its nonsensical pseudo-scientific logic). Most of the film sees its two central characters, a man and a woman, using crude transmitters that while placed on their respective temples, grant them a one way, stream-of-consciousness brain "feed" of sorts. By that I mean that when these two are experimenting with the transmitters, they are both fed a kind of visual representation of one of their brain's thoughts which appears to them in the form of primitive 3D motion graphics (the transmission goes one way, meaning that only one of their brain's activities can be visualized at once). The majority of the film alternates between the real world that is the two of them sitting in a sparsely decorated room with their eyes closed and the representational world of the mind which consists of ugly, animated shapes moving around unintelligibly.

There are also some tangential plot lines and characters that come and go (mostly at the beginning of the movie), many of which I'm unable to logically connect to its main story. Believe me when I tell you there's some serious Ed Wood-ian shit going on here and an overarching sensibility of disconnect from both expository coherence and basic human communication. Sitting through the film in its entirety was at times an excruciatingly perplexing experience, full of so many head-scratching moments that it actually kinda made my brain hurt.

I'm just gonna face the facts: I haven't the faintest fucking idea what this movie was about. I'm not sure anyone involved in its production really did either. In the case of analyzing "bad" movies though this is of course a non-issue... Because if there is any fun or enjoyment to be derived from 'After Last Season' (and my initial sense is that there is very little), it is without a doubt BECAUSE the film is so ludicrous and unfathomable.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
This film is so badly, spastically edited that it at times feels almost surreal or like a kind of outsider art. There are incessant cuts and edits, often within shots of the very most dull and simple conversations, and the film stocks and lighting fx are in a near-constant state of flux. There are shots of digital still frames that linger uncomfortably long and they even at one point made use of what I think was a green screen of an apartment hallway (as if there weren't an available hallway to shoot in). There was also a still frame of a building with text layered over it in post-production which I think was meant to convey that the building had big, block-y text attached to its exterior. Needless to say, this particular viewer was not fooled by the effect.

The lighting is often stifling and obnoxious, and the majority of the movie is lit with spotlights that leave huge shadows hanging off every object or person in the frame. Additionally, most scenes appear to be shot in unfinished rooms, leading me to believe these spaces may not have had electricity or lighting of their own and that the constant spotlighting may have been done out of necessity. What's worse is that the spaces often have exposed dry wall, errant 2x4's and unfinished ceilings. (Where the fuck do buildings look like this?! ) From one scene to the next it's completely ambiguous as to whether the characters are in public, work-related, or residential spaces and generally the viewer's sense of space is suffocatingly claustrophobic and devoid of natural light. It felt like it was filmed in some kind of hellish, insane asylum constructed out of budget-level Home Depot odds and ends.

There are props EVERYWHERE in this movie and in a bizarre twist of scientific logic, these props are often moving, being pushed about by an invisible force (a force which could be described as "loosely explained" at best). On top of that, basic objects like, say, a table, are often visibly just cardboard boxes with a makeshift cloth draped over them. Little to no effort is made to disguise this stuff and they even at one point submit an entirely unconvincing MRI machine that was clearly handmade out of foamcore, sheeting and other artificial materials.

... And all of this goes before we've even begun to speak about the acting or the script or any other of the hundreds of puzzling decisions made in the creation of this film. I don't even know if there are words available to describe some of it; it really is that particular breed of rare presentation that needs to be seen in order to be "understood".

I'm ultimately so confused by what I've seen in 'After Last Season' that my words feel like a futile attempt at reconciling the experience. This movie, however clinically and comprehensively awful it may have been, was definitely unlike anything I've ever encountered in film and for that reason alone, I feel like it must have some merits. When I think I better understand what those merits are, perhaps I'll chime in again. Until then, I'll have no choice but to remain amazed, a little bit embarrassed, and with an hour and a half of my life lost in the ether.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
4.0/10 (... Though this admittedly useless rating is surely subject to change over time and further examination.)

Get Get Down 05/19/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:25:01 +0000

Tonight brings along the latest in our ongoing Get Get Down saga and the special, monthly 'Viva La Vinyl' edition of the night to boot. We'll be welcoming Alinka for her second GGD session and the going's finsta get good. The sun's been shining like a muthabitch on this fine and lovely Wednesday and we're expecting all thing's to be at full speed tonight.

Next week, for the last GGD of May, and the 'Disco's Revenge' edition, we'll be welcoming everybody's favorite local musical lunatic Chrissy Murderbot. Believe me when I tell you this dude's crates are among the deepest of any enthusiast I've ever encountered.

... Until then, I'll see ya in clubland.

Bad Meaning Good #14: Frank Henenlotter edition!

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:57:01 +0000

Fresh off the success of this month's Rudy Ray Moore-centric edition of Bad Meaning Good, we've deliberated and decided for the month of June to air a serious double whammy from famed 80's director Frank Henenlotter and it's gonna be a blast!

Henenlotter is one of my favorite exploit directors of all time and we even aired his very own 'Basket Case' at Bad Meaning Good last November. I love 'Basket Case'. And really, everybody should. For this go-round, we'll be showing two of his other much-beloved cult classics...

First off, from 8-10pm: 'Frankenhooker' (Tagline: "A terrifying tale of sluts and bolts." - Seriously, one of the best taglines EVER.)

Next up, from 10pm-Midnight: 'Brain Damage' (Given Bad Meaning Good case study treatment here before.) Seriously, 'Brain Damage' might be one of my favorite exploit movies I've ever seen. Check the trailer below...

More information to come...

Get Get Down 05/12/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:48:01 +0000

This week's installment of Get Get Down will feature the talent's of Ghetto Division's DJ Rampage and we're of course expecting it to be yet another killer party for the GGD ages. You know the drill, bitches! The party starts at 11pm and goes til 4am and you can drink the shit out of some PBR for the low price of $2 per beer. I'd call that a special deal. I'll see ya there tonight...

Bad Meaning Good case study #16: 'Frankenfish'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:12:01 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #16:
'Frankenfish' (dir. Mark A.Z. Dippe)

Summary:
"We are FUCKING fish food!" ... You're damn right, you are. The Louisiana bayou is being run amuck by a mysterious, underwater presence. A great white? A bullshark? Could it be... Frankenfish?!

This made for tv & direct to dvd movie aired on the Sci Fi channel in 2004 and stars Tory Kittles (is it me or does that name sound like a breakfast cereal?) and China Chow, as forensic and biology experts respectively, sent to the bayou to investigate an unsolved murder, only to be terrorized by giant, mutant fish instead. The recipe is as follows: head over to your local Aldi, take one part 'Tremors', add a dab of generic brand 'Anaconda', sprinkle in the requisite influence from the 'Jaws' school of culinary sea-menace and VOILA!... Frankenfish it is!

These movies always play out more or less the same way. What you get are a bunch of stock players mostly running around and buying time in advance of their inevitable deaths and a whole lotta genre tropes to spare. In this case we've got the straight-shooting lead and his fish-out-of-water (no pun intended) assistant, we've got the local voodoo-lady mystic-type (this is Louisiana after all), a pair of hippies for whom we mostly hope the fish reserve the very most gruesome comeuppance, we've got a subplot about Asian gangsters (we know they're Asian because they eat Chinese food), a tattooed, river-dwelling local badass with a no-nonsense attitude, the altogether decent and sheltered local girl in need of rescue, the obnoxious city slicker, and even more to go around.

It may have been because I watched it after a night of plentiful drinking (highly recommended I might add) but as far as I could tell, beyond the fact these Frankenfish are supposed to be a delicacy abroad, we never really learn why it is they were genetically engineered to act and perform the way they do, only that they were. But really, does it even matter? We've been sold on the idea that some huge-ass motherfuckin' fish are gonna be eating people and while sitting down to watch this movie, you'd be best served to invest yourself in little else.

It's a given that one can expect much in the way of budget level CGI, a serviceable number of decent one-liners, a budding love story, and performances which could be described as modestly capable at best. Approach the proceedings with a humble and unpretentious attitude and this one'll be a breeze.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
It's been my experience that made for tv and direct to dvd schlock of this variety is rarely as good as 'Frankenfish'. The movie was briskly paced and delivered on it's cover photo's promise of sweet-ass, motherlovin' fish action (which is a rarity among similar bargain bin movie finds). Generally speaking, these sorts of movies rarely cash the check written by their cover photos and goofy pun titles so that was refreshing as well. Overall I enjoyed the thing far more than I expected to.

The CGI fish are blatantly, obviously just that: CGI fish. However, they look good by adjusted standards and always justify their screen time. They can breathe both under and above water (Favorite line: "They must have a vestigial air lung!") so we get them kicking ass in both venues, which is a nice change of pace. All around, I'd give the beasties an A.

Additionally, there are some positively BRUTAL kills in this movie. I'm talking beheadings, shotgun blasts to the face, dudes being thrown into boat fans... They even bust out the old "person reaching out of the water for help gets pulled out only to reveal the lower half of their body has been ripped off" trick! (I love that one.) This is fine stuff.

What else do we have? CGI payoffs? Ummm... YES. I'll be damned if that wasn't a giant rubber alligator I saw in the first act. There's also some richly contrived gangsta conversation to be heard, an implied lesbian subplot, a woman who wears what appears to be a some sort of fitted bee hive cover on her head, some eccentric (and possibly gay?) bio-engineers... This movie's got it all.

Ultimately, this is some quality, quite entertaining and fun horror-stupidity. I'm not sure whether or not my extremely low expectations going in led to an inflated sense of its value but ultimately, it's one I'd recommend for those of you looking for some inspired stupidity to get you through an hour and half. Pair this one up with 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon' for a stellar water-beastie, maritime-themed double header of superior idiocy.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
7.0/10

Get Get Down 05/05/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:32:01 +0000

Tonight we'll be welcoming Alex Zelenka to Get Get Down for another round of the ol' shake-shake-dance-dance if ya know what I's gettin' at. The weather is beautiful... The sun is shining... The booze will be flowin' aplenty... If you're planning to be out tonight, you know where to be.

Additionally, I done whipped up a flyer for the entire month's programming at you can feast your eyes on it below...

Woot Woot! Lots of good fun to be had on Mondays in the month of May!

... Until then, I'll see ya in clubland!

Bad Meaning Good 13: The Rudy Ray Moore Edition!

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:15:01 +0000

Alright people, the time has come! Bad Meaning Good #13 goes down tonight and wow, do we ever have something special planned...

Tonight's exercise in cinematic ineptness will be devoted to the one and only man, myth and legend Rudy Ray Moore! The man otherwise known as Dolemite is a legend of the black exploit movie and the cinema at large!

Showing first, at 8pm will be 'Disco Godfather':

"Alright, alright! Put yo weight on it!"

This movie is straight-up, batshit lunacy. We're talking some of the very worst, most ridiculous kung fu sequences ever committed to film... We're talking PCP freak-outs that touch on previously unexplored levels of unintentional surreality... Rudy Ray is complete and utter ownage in this one! "If you crave satisfaction, this is the place to find that action!"

After that, at 10pm we'll be showing my personal favorite in the Rudy Ray/Dolemite canon, 'The Human Tornado'!

I mean, for real... Listen to the man positively kill this radio spot:

... A trailer for the ages!

"BITCH, are you FOR REAL?!"

And seriously, here's a little sample of some of the action:

... The man is a force of nature equally adept at taking out baddies as he is satisfying the lady folk in the bedroom. Just listening to him sputter obscenities is a totally joyful experience in and of itself. I don't even know what to say about 'The Human Tornado' because it's kind of the best film ever made... Without a doubt it's positively one of the single funniest films I've ever seen. It's a completely silly, often totally offensive tour de force of low budget film-making genius. Just some good ol' tasteless fun in the tradition of Bad Meaning Good's past!

Can't wait for tonight! I'll see you all there...

Get Get Down 04/28/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:11:00 +0000

Tonight we'll be welcoming none other than our good friend Scotty Brandon, local selector extraordinaire of the Chicago Workgroup. It will be our monthly 'Disco's Revenge' edition of GGD so you can expect the disco and nothing but the disco all night long.

As for the coming month, we've got yet another solid lineup prepared for May and we're very much looking forward to it all:

05/05 - Alex Zelenka
05/12 - Rampage
05/19 - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Featuring special guest Alinka
05/26 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Murderbot

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Get Get Down 04/21/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:51:00 +0000

Tonight we give our 'Viva La Vinyl' edition of Get Get down another go and will be featuring local favorite and newly-Christened Smartbar resident John Simmons. As is usual we'll be offering $2 PBR's and the party's finsta rage from 11pm-4am.

The remainder of the month is as follows:

04/28 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Scotty Brandon

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

A Sad Day For Music Everywhere

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:06:01 +0000

It's with a great deal of sadness that I learned today of the death of one of my all-time favorite rappers, Guru of Gang Starr. Guru was one of the most distinctive voices in rap history and was the voice at the forefront of some truly great music. His contributions are undeniable and he will be missed.

Here are my ten favorite Guru moments in no particular:

Gang Starr - "Ex To Next Girl"

Gang Starr - "Just To Get A Rep"

Gang Starr - "Code Of The Streets"

Gang Starr - "Full Clip"

Gang Starr - "Work"

Gang Starr - "Skillz"

Gang Starr - "Manifest"

Gang Starr - "Blowin' Up The Spot"

Gang Starr - "You Know My Steez"

Gang Starr - "Moment Of Truth"

R.I.P. Guru!!!

"We all must meet our moment of truth..."

Tunes that make my face go like this...

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:39:00 +0000

Ok, so I figured I'm well overdue to blog about something other than either shitty movies or who the guest dj is at mine and Zebo's Wednesday night weekly party (something I should really be doing daily to be honest). So, I'm gonna get right into this thing and say a few things about some of the tracks that are floating my proverbial boat at this very moment. Without further ado...

Caribou - "Odessa"
As far as I know, this is the first leaked track off the new Caribou full-length 'Swim' which I believe has yet to see proper release but should soon enough. There's really not a whole lot to say about this dude that hasn't been said at length already... He makes fantastic records and I've been a huge fan since day one, be it via his Caribou or Manitoba projects or otherwise. This particular tune doesn't so much hit the target that is my personal tastes so much as it incinerates the target completely. Left-field circus disco with that proper, dusty, analog sound ingenuity? Yes, please. Call it whatever you like... I'll call it awesome.

Nino Ferrer - "Looking For You"
I recently bought this compilation put together by the Dirty Soundsystem guys called 'Dirty French Psychedelics' focused on, you guessed it, forgotten French psych obscurities from years past. The whole thing's pretty fantastic but upon initial impressions, this is the one that's been on repeat. Just a beautiful, sublime song... And also obviously a real influence on Air's 'Virgin Suicides'-era stuff.

Hot City - "If That's How I Feel"
If you're into dance music of any variety and you're not feeling all these young dudes coming out of the UK right now who are doing all this post-Garage/dubstep hybrid shit (Hot City, Roska, Untold, L-Vis, etc.) then you're missing out on some pretty exciting stuff. Industry folk are always looking to tag stuff like this with new genre labels (thusly giving it a near-instant expiration date) but I've always subscribed to the notion that if the shit bangs and is in the classical Garage/2step/UK bass music lineage then I could give a shit what it's called... Ultimately it's gonna get some bump from my end. In that regard, Fabric's 'Elevator Music' comp. pretty much knocks it out the park. Check out the whole thing, it's wicked.

Annie - "Songs Remind Me Of You"
I LOVED the first Annie record. LOVED it. Listened to the absolute, everloving, motherfucking shit out of it. Thinking about it now, I'm totally shocked I let her new one slide by me with such little fanfare. Truth be told, it came out last year and I still haven't heard more than about 2 or 3 tracks from it. That being said, I'm not entirely ready to vouch for the entire thing but am 100% certain that I love this particular track. I think it was produced by Richard X who's a producer I really admire and as Italo-revival music goes, this one is pretty fucking spot on. Great synth melodies, strong pop composition and the kind of retro sensibilities to make a motherfucker strap on the rollerskates and get all Rainbo roller rink on that ass (you Chicagoans should know what I'm talking about).

And lastly, anything by Max Cooper.
For serious, what kind of shit is this dude smoking? If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if someone took a degree of audio micro-managing and meticulousness to rival 'Tri-Repetae'-era Autechre and spat it through the filter of some proged-out, Border Community-type shit then you might start to get an idea of what this dude is about. I haven't heard a track from this guy over the course of the past year that I thought was anything short of absolutely fantastic. He's making smart, pretty, head-y music for that special time in the early hours when the sun's coming up, the only folks who remain on the dancefloor are the very most devoted, and you're ready to give them them that single most memorable, musical moment of the night's adventure. Next time I have that very opportunity, I know who's tracks I'll be reaching for...

Enjoy!

Get Get Down 04/07/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:18:00 +0000

Tonight our homey Marco Morales joins the gang for his first GGD adventure. Come through and join the party if you're out and about wanna hang with some of the city's finest.

As for the rest of the month, in typical GGD fashion, the programming remains characteristically bad ass:

04/14 - DJ's Hess and Pr3-Frosh
04/21 - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Featuring special guest John Simmons
04/28 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Scotty Brandon

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Get Get Down 03/31/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Tonight we'll welcome Diamonds of The Glamour to our weekly Get Get Down party adventures and it's gonna be a hot one. The weather is finally beginning to turn around and what better way to complement the summer-y vibes we experienced today than with a little bit of French house (or rather, a lot of it). We'll be focusing this evening's proceedings on the classics sounds of France and all that it has since inspired. Rest assured, it's bound to get rowdy tonight.

Stay tuned because next week I'll be announcing all of April's guests to boot...

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland.

Bad Meaning Good case study #15: 'A Night To Dismember'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #15:
'A Night To Dismember' (dir. Doris Wishman)

Summary:
The directorial career of Doris Wishman is among the very most prolific of any woman in the history of the cinema and is itself a singularly eccentric body of work unlike any other. Much has been made of her reputation as the "female Ed Wood" and while that summation is of course too reductive to adequately tell the whole story, it's at times hard to deny some of the similarities between the two and their mutual go-for-broke artistic sensibilities. While I generally try to stray from this particular brand of descriptive, anecdotal shorthand while attempting to define a person's entire career, this is perhaps one of those rare instances where, in the very most basic terms, the expression might actually be useful on a purely conversational level. Because like Wood, Wishman's films seem to defy narrative and aesthetic logic in such extremely baffling ways that they become their own kind of outsider art form occupying a kind of bent-logic universe unique unto themselves. Additionally, and like with Wood's films as well, we're all better for the viewing experience at the end of the day.

Having spent the bulk of her career creating nudist and sexploitation features in the 60's and her own kind of sex-comedy camp films in the 70's, Wishman made her stab at slasher-styled genre filmmaking in the early 80's with 'A Night To Dismember'. The film revolves around an American family (the Kent family) and a series of bizarre, interwoven murders among their various members. Truthfully though, the less said about the film's messy and incoherent plot, the better. The real reason to watch the film is to revel in its aesthetic shortcomings (and believe me, they are ever-present) rather than concern yourself with the details of its story.

The myriad production problems Wishman experienced while making this film are well documented but apparently (and to keep it brief), through some unfortunate case of industry foul play regarding the production company involved, much of Wishman's original footage for 'A Night To Dismember' was either stolen or destroyed (she explains this in a riotously entertaining audio commentary track accompaniment on the dvd), leaving the film to be cut exclusively from out-takes, spare parts and leftover footage and meaning that she had to create an entirely new narrative based around unwanted footage alone. While the performances and production values of her final product and her rich history of directorial ineptness lead me to believe that her intentional version of the film would itself have been an undeniable camp classic, the end result that is 'A Night To Dismember' is perhaps the most breathlessly discontinuous and unintelligible film I've ever watched.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
'A Night To Dismember' reaches stratospheric levels of ineptness that border on the transcendent. I honestly doubt I'm equipped with the vocabulary to truly clarify the experience. It is such an outright mess of conflicting film stocks, contradictory music choices, senseless production decisions and confusing sequential details that the whole thing integrates into its own unique kind of nightmarish and dreamlike, dark comedy unlike any other I've ever seen. 'Blood Freak' is the only film I know to tread such similarly elusive territory of near-psychadelic shittiness.

The film has the look of something that was created at least a whole decade in advance of when it actually was and employs a narrator for its entire duration. As far as I could tell, the narration was never better suited as an expository device than the actual action might have been if left to play out by itself and the horribly edited audio and voiceovers were so comprehensively detached from the reality of what was taking place on screen that the cumulative effect resulted in something akin to a surreal hallucination or a bad drug experience. Both spoken words and significant visual cues are often obscured by bad editing and the sound quality of both the dialog and the music are slapped together in a style so abrasive that the film demands a constant state of remote-controlled volume regulation on the behalf of the viewer.

While watching the film I experienced a kind of immutable internal curiosity over how such an oddity could exist; or how such a group of people could come together with the mind to intentionally create something like 'A Night To Dismember'. The reality of the matter is that movies like this one cannot be created intentionally; they are both in practice and by definition the compounded byproduct of circumstantial failure and technical incompetence; the kind of which, given the heavy financial investments required to bankroll a film of any variety, are seldom unveiled for the world in such gloriously, outrageously artless fashion. It is unclear to me how to define such a thing but the end product is itself undoubtedly a kind of amazing, unintentional art form that cuts to the core of what the 'Bad Meaning Good' movie night was made to celebrate. I loved the film and would call it an absolute, undeniable camp classic equally qualified for both party viewing and academic dissection alike.

It's not easy to come by but if you can get your hands on it, 'A Night To Dismember' is an unforgettable cinematic experience. Highly recommended.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
9.5/10

Below: The original trailer.

Bad Meaning Good one year anniversary!

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:09:01 +0000

This coming month, the twelfth edition and one year anniversary of our Bad Meaning Good movie event will go down at the Burlington. We'll be featuring the two film triumphs commonly known as 'Hard Rock Zombies' and 'Rock N Roll Nightmare', two of the most batshit insane pieces of cinematic joy I've had the privilege of experiencing.

Lots more info to come...

Get Get Down 03/17/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:00:01 +0000

Tonight we've got Chicago heavyweight and one of the finest selectors around, Diz joining us for my birthday edition of GGD! It's gonna be good one, folks! Party rages from 11pm onward...

The rest of the month goes as follows:

03/24 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Bald E.
03/31 - Diamonds of The Glamour

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Get Get Down 03/10/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:50:01 +0000

This week we welcome local jocks Pickel and Kool Hersh for this week's installment of GGD. It's the first beautiful day of the year so we're expecting big things!

The rest of the month goes as follows:

03/17 - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Featuring special guest Diz
03/24 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Bald E.
03/31 - Diamonds of The Glamour

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Bad Meaning Good case study #14: 'Brain Damage'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:15:01 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #14:
'Brain Damage' (dir. Frank Henenlotter)

Summary:
'Brain Damage' is the second film from famed cult director Frank Henenlotter and the 1988 follow-up to his much-beloved 'Basket Case'. While 'Basket Case' has endured a larger and more renown cult status over the years (I, for one, have made my case - no pun intended - for the film before on this very website), I was shocked to find that 'Brain Damage' might somehow be the better of the two and that Henenlotter's bag of tricks is indeed full to the brim with inspired grotesqueries of surreal proportions.

In brief summary, both films deal with innocent and seemingly uncorrupted young men who become subservient to the fiendish and murderous needs of biologically perverse monsters... And the similarities don't stop there. Additionally, in each of the films, the protagonists find themselves retreating into the depths of 1980's NYC's sleazy underbelly and shacking up in fleabag motels in order to mask their newly-acquired homicidal tendencies on society's fringes.

This film though is a kind of sci-fi/exploit crossbreed that shares thematic connections with stuff like Stuart Gordon's Lovecraft adaptation 'From Beyond' and borrows a good deal of inspiration from some of David Cronenberg's very grossest biological horror moments. Make no mistakes about it though, 'Brain Damage' deals with terrors of an entirely different breed and the specific terror at play in this film is a heinously repulsive creature named 'Aylmer'; a tadpole-like, phallus-monster from antiquity with the power to transform ostensibly normal folk into drug-addled degenerates acquiescent to his needs. And what exactly are his needs, you ask? Human brains. The character latches onto people in parasitic fashion and injects a blue fluid through the back of their necks and onto their brain, causing them to hallucinate and experience something akin to an opiate-induced euphoria. In return, he expects them to provide him, or at least lead him to the human fodder from whom he sucks the brains out, allowing him to carry on his vicious cycle.

In short our hero, a young man named Brian, is unwittingly enslaved by Aylmer's "juice" and plunges into a downward spiral of death and depravity. Will he escape the creature's grasp or become just another among the many whom Aylmer has ruthlessly subjugated throughout the ages? This is the dilemma at hand.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
Henenlotter's got a real gift for hilarious sleaze and in that regard, this one is a real hoot. Additionally, the Aylmer character is such a nauseatingly charming little fucker that despite his unquenchable bloodthirst, you'll begin to root for him and anxiously await his next killing. His first screen appearance is such a laugh-out-loud, rewind-inducing, WTF! sort of moment that alone, it justifies the viewing of the entire film. Aylmer also serenades Brian in a motel room and generally provides more delirious laughs and whimsical magnetism than I had previously thought possible from an obviously fake, rubber monster of his ilk.

In one particularly memorable sequence, Aylmer prompts Brian into an underground punk club called 'Hell' (the kind that probably only existed in 1980's Manhattan) where Brian, high on the juice, catches the eye of a trampy, young lady on the dancefloor. Little does she know, as she drags him out to the alleyway for an unsolicited beej on the low, that Aylmer is eagerly awaiting her arrival from the inside of Brian's pants. What follows is perhaps cinema history's very most obnoxiously tasteless and repulsive blowjob death sequence... The kind that once viewed, will sear itself onto your brain for the remainder of your lifetime. Whether or not this is a good thing is perhaps a matter of opinion but um, yeah... I laughed. A lot.

There's also a truly disgusting spaghetti and meatballs (er, rather "brainballs") dinner scene, a super gnarly ear-removal hallucination, a number of brain sucking deaths on the behalf of Aylmer, a hilarious impromptu diatribe on the history of the creature, and enough brain-eating to satisfy the needs of a half dozen zombie flicks combined.

For fans of exploit, sleaze, gross-out horror and gritty 1980's NYC trash, this one is a must. For fans of 'Basket Case', it's nothing short of an absolute imperative. For the rest of you, I'd urge you to approach with caution... This one does not go down easy.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
8.5/10

Get Get Down 03/03/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:56:01 +0000

Tonight we welcome Mister Joshua of the Chicago Workgroup for another go-round of the GGD party funtimes. Per usual, the party starts at 11pm and goes until 4 in the AM... And is FREE of charge all night long.

The rest of the month goes as follows:

03/10 - DJ's Pickel and Kool Hersh
03/17 - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Featuring special guest Diz
03/24 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Bald E.
03/31 - Diamonds of The Glamour

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Nic Cage as Everyone

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:35:01 +0000

In honor of one of my very favorite American actors currently working, I'm dutifully bringing to your attention the gloriously awesome Nic Cage as Everyone blog... It's really quite simple and self-explanatory: you click the link, have a browse, and laugh. A lot.

A few of my favorite examples below:

Nic Cage as Young Albert Einstein

Nic Cage as Turbo & Ozone

Nic Cage as Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

... And there's a whole lot more where that came from. Additionally, since we're on the subject, check out this reel of highlights from Cage's awesomely unhinged and over-the-top performance in the remake of 'The Wicker Man'...

"HOW'D IT GET BURNED??!!"

Get Get Down 02/24/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:35:01 +0000

Tonight at Get Get Down we'll be welcoming DJ Weaponry of the Chicago Workgroup for the third installment of our disco-intensive 'Disco's Revenge' edition which runs on the fourth Wednesday of every month.

As for the coming month, we've got a gang of awesome guests in store for March:

03/03 - Mister Joshua (Dialogue Inc./Chicago Workgroup)
03/10 - DJ's Pickel and Kool Hersh
03/17 - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Featuring special guest Diz
03/24 - 'Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Featuring special guest Bald E.
03/31 - Diamonds of The Glamour

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Get Get Down 02/17/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:25:01 +0000

Tonight in Zebo's absence, we'll be doing something of a low-key Chicago Workgroup showcase for our 'Viva La Vinyl' edition of Get Get Down and will be featuring the selecting talents of Ross Kelly and Mister Joshua. The three of us will of course be playing nothing but wax all night long and the party will rage on from 11pm to 4am per usual.

The remainder of the month's programming is as follows:

02/24 - DJ Weaponry (Chicago Workgroup)

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Popstatic shown the love on Dialogue Incorporated Radio

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:20:01 +0000

Super rad news on the DJ front... My latest 'Kaleidoscope' mix has just been featured as the guest mix for esteemed local taste-maker Mister Joshua's Dialogue Incorporated monthly radio show.

Those who've been following Dialogue Inc. for the past year and a half or so know that the radio show is always, consistently full of all kinds of interesting selections from across the musical map. Additionally, Mister Joshua is always providing a sharp literary voice to complement the selections and frames the music in an always interesting context with each new month.

You can catch Dialogue Inc. here.

And you can catch the radio show itself here.

Get Get Down 02/10/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:52:01 +0000

It's with great disappointment I report that our guest for tonight's edition of Get Get Down, Jesse Jamz from NYC, will not be making it tonight due to the weather issues we're all currently experiencing... However, Zebo and I will of course be holding it down as we ever so capably can and the party will rage on, as it always does, until 4 in the AM.

You know what to do about it.

The remainder of the month's programming is as follows:

02/17 - Ross Kelly (Chicago Workgroup)
02/24 - DJ Weaponry (Chicago Workgroup)

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Bad Meaning Good 11

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:28:01 +0000

On Monday March 1st we'll be hosting our 11th Bad Meaning Good event at The Burlington and will be showing the 2nd of Andy Sidaris's "Triple B" action features; the infamous 'Hard Ticket To Hawaii'. You can read my Bad Meaning Good case study on 'Hard Ticket To Hawaii' here.

Here's some additional info about the film as well:
'Hard Ticket To Hawaii' on IMDB.
'Hard Ticket To Hawaii' at All Movie.
... And here are some choice screenshots on the French site Nanarland - Which, though I don't speak or read French, appears to be a similarly-minded website with regard to trash cinema in general.

Also, and again, thanks to all of you who made it out last week for 'The Apple'. I think we'd all agree it was a DAMN good time and I, for one, am super excited for the next go round!

More news to come...

In the meantime, check out this choice skater death sequence from the film:

Bad Meaning Good case study #13: 'Hard Ticket To Hawaii'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:42:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #13:
'Hard Ticket To Hawaii' (dir. Andy Sidaris)

Summary:
From 1985-1998 Andy Sidaris directed 12 movies known as the "Triple B" collection (short for Bullets, Bombs, and Babes); a series of light hearted, budget level and pseudo-softcore/sleeze, action B-movies. 'Hard Ticket To Hawaii' (1987) was the second of the series and is, true to "Triple B" form, full to the brim with gratuitous nudity, campy dialog, breasts, explosions, off-road vehicles, breasts, recognizably late-80's neon attire, Playboy playmate "actresses", breasts, sleezy drug traffickers, breasts, laughably ridiculous props, breasts, and um... Breasts. This thing was shamelessly and squarely aimed at the video rental and late-night cable markets and it comes loaded with the kind of extremely high volume of per minute stupidity and low-budget filmmaking daftness that you'd expect from both similarly minded films of its era and from the series at large.

The story is about Donna and Taryn (played by Sidaris regulars Dona Speir and Hope Marie Carlton respectively), two oft-naked but always scantily clad cargo delivery babes who, while on duty, are incidentally made aware of a clandestine drug and diamond smuggling operation when they spot a diamond drop-off delivered by a remote controlled helicopter. With a portion of the diamonds in tow, they avert the baddies for whom the shipment was intended and opt to call in a pair of muscle-bound, DEA-working bros to help dispatch the drug ring and put a stop to the criminal syndicate plaguing the Hawaiian streets. It ain't all smooth sailing though, because during the fracas the two lose sight of the cargo they were meant to deliver, which turns out to be an incredibly deadly (and equally fake) mutant snake now on the loose. From there, it's island hijinks at full throttle and it won't stop until the fatcats controlling the Hawaiian drug underworld are either dead or behind bars.

The two mostly run around (on the job, mind you) sporting feathered bangs in butt cheek-exposing short shorts, knee-high boots and sleeveless vests, while wearing tool belts equipped with ninja stars and nunchucks and basically kicking the ass of all manner of faux-bad guys unfortunate enough to get in their way. The whole thing also goes down to the tune of some hilariously, brutally bad original songs and includes more than a serviceable amount of hammy dialog to prop up the less action-intensive moments. The whole affair is really, unapologetically about the boobs though and if you were to take a running tally that included the credit sequence that acts as a sort of bare breast highlight reel of the entire film, you'd easily be looking at an exposed breast quotient that tops the 20 mark.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
For those of us who like our laughs served with unhealthy doses of sleeze and baseless humor (and if you're reading this I'd bet you sure do), this thing is a brazenly good time. I would not call Sidaris the wittiest of filmmakers nor an ace script-writer by even the lowest of trash cinema standards, but he is an unquestionably solid, workmanlike one given the high volume and prolific nature of the "Triple B" series in total (and given the decidedly lowbrow nature of his work). It's also obvious that the bulk of the folks involved in the production were having a deliriously good time making this film and the manifest sincerity of such creative chemistry is something any fan of B-movies should appreciate. (As an aside, the film would make a riotously funny double feature with 'Samurai Cop'.)

There are some undeniably awesome gems of dialog idiocy in this one and you'll recognize this early on when Donna demonstrates her recognition of the cathartic and soul-cleansing qualities of topless hot tub time: "Let's unload and hit the jacuzzi... I do my best thinking there." The movie scored additionally side-splitting laughs from me when one of the male characters, in noting his high-powered prowess with the fairer sex, offered a post-coital sweet nothing to his lady friend in the form of the truly charming and timeless observation that "one man's dream is another man's lunch."

The movie also sports an abundantly absurd inventory of ridiculous moments that, to name a few, includes a blow up doll being shot out the sky with a bazooka, a death-by-harpoon-gun, a man riding a motorbike directly through the wall of a house, an outrageously profane tv interview with a pro football player, a spy in drag, a razorblade frisbee death, an edit of a dummy subbed for a man who was dropped from a building, a blatantly artificial hand puppet snake, a sumo wrestling match, a machine gun-toting baddie named "Shades" who likes to play frisbee on the beach, and a WHOLE LOT more...

If you're the type to stomach the excess, 'Hard Ticket To Hawaii' is a feast of vulgar delights.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
8.2/10

Top 50 songs of the '00's

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:12:01 +0000

(Photo courtesy of Shayna Fontana)

So... I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while and have now decided to make good on it. Here is a list, in alphabetical order, of my "50 favorite songs of the '00's".

I should start by saying that I don't think a list like this could ever truly be "accurate" or perfectly representational of my definitive favorites because my feelings about a lot of these songs can change on a near day to day basis. In other words, I could easily come up with another 50-100 songs that could replace any number of songs within this list and still hold true to my supposed "50 favorite"... But, with the mind that I should just churn out this post and sing the praises of some of my favorite music of the last ten years, I've decided that despite inevitably forgetting some equally great tunes, I'm just gonna throw this thing out there for the world as is.

Additionally, I'd like to stress that this list is IN NO WAY meant to be a definitive statement of any kind with regard to the "objectively" best songs of the decade. I think lists of that variety, while often being interesting conversational fodder, are flawed by nature given the inherent subjectivity of such things. With that in mind, I've decided simply to list them in alphabetical order to do nothing other than call attention to what I think are some really great songs.

I've also opted not to double up any of the artists, even if I thought they deserved multiple mentions, in order to diversify the list. For example, though I could realistically pick any number of Burial or Basement Jaxx songs from the last decade that I loved, I instead chose what I thought was the most immediately memorable song they made. Or, for example, though I could never really pick a favorite song off of The Avalanches' 'Since I Left You' LP (which was probably my favorite album of the whole decade), I decided to simply have the title track represent that album on the list because it most blatantly represents the spirit of the recording in full. In the instance of individual producers who did wildly varied work, and who I thought made amazing music and deserved mention in some way or another (like, say, Timbaland, Trentemoller or Ewan Pearson), I picked what I thought was their single production that had the biggest impact on me.

Also, I've decided not to add any content specific to the songs themselves. The fact is, nobody really needs me to tell them why a song like "B.O.B." is so awesome... It just fucking is and if that's not obvious to you then I'm probably not going to have any luck making that clear to you. I had originally started to write little 1 or 2-paragraph entries on each song though and frankly, became a little overwhelmed by the prospect of knocking out all 50. It was simply WAY too much work. But... Since I do have a head start on the writing, I've decided to let the popularity (or lack thereof) of this post decide whether or not I ultimately add the additional, song-by-song content. So... I'm gonna put it out there that if I get a mere 10 people to say in the comment section of this post that they'd be interested in hearing my additional and elaborated thoughts on each of these songs then I will go ahead and begin editing the post anew.

Without further ado...

Aaliyah - "More Than A Woman"

Air - "Playground Love"

Akufen - "Deck The House"

Antony & The Johnsons - "Hope There's Someone"

The Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"

Asobi Seksu - "Thursday"

[The Avalanches - "Since I Left You"]

Basement Jaxx - "Romeo"

Bent - "Magic Love"

Blonde Redhead - "In Particular"

Boards Of Canada - "Dayvan Cowboy"

Booka Shade - "Night Falls"

The Bug - "Skeng"

Burial - "Archangel"

Camera Obscura - "Hey Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken"

Caribou - "Melody Day"

Cat Power - "The Greatest"

The Chemical Brothers - "Star Guitar"

Cortney Tidwell - "Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan's Objects In Space Remix)"

Daft Punk - "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"

Death In Vegas - "Girls"

DJ Marky & XRS - "LK"

DNTEL - "(This Is) The Dream Of Evan & Chan"

Dungen - "Panda"

The Flaming Lips - "Fight Test"

Gui Boratto - "Beautiful Life"

Herbert - "It's Only"

Jaylib - "The Red"

Jay-Z - "99 Problems"

Lali Puna - "Faking The Books"

Layo & Bushwacka! - "Deep South"

Luomo - "Tessio"

M83 - "Kim & Jessie"

MJ Cole - "Sincere"

Mymy - "Fast Freeze"

Nathan Fake - "The Sky Was Pink (James Holden Remix)"

Outkast - "B.O.B."

Phoenix - "If I Ever Feel Better"

PJ Harvey - "Good Fortune"

Roots Manuva - "Witness" / "Witness Dub"

Schneider TM - "Frogtoise (Exploitation Edit)"

Sigur Ros - "Staralfur"

The Sleepy Jackson - "Good Dancers"

Squarepusher - "My Red Hot Car"

The Streets - "Weak Become Heroes"

Sufjan Stevens - "Come On Feel The Illinoise"

Trentemoller - "Miss You"

Underworld - "Two Months Off"

Wilco - "Jesus, Etc."

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - "Maps"

Get Get Down 02/03/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:51:01 +0000

Tonight we've got local fave DJ Midway joining the GGD fun, with of course myself and Zebo holding it down in the early going.

... And the rest of February is as follows:

02/10 - Jesse Jamz (NYC)
02/17 - Ross Kelly (Chicago Workgroup)
02/24 - DJ Weaponry (Chicago Workgroup)

Lots of good party action to come, people! Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Get Get Down 01/27/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:20:01 +0000

Tonight we welcome local favorite and chief Smartbar programming maestro Nate Manic for the monthly 'Disco's Revenge' edition of Get Get Down at Berlin... You know what to expect: top notch selections from one of the city's finest.

Additionally, we've got our next month's worth of guests sorted and February's looking awfully good:

02/03 - DJ Midway
02/10 - Jesse Jamz (NYC)
02/17 - Ross Kelly (Chicago Workgroup)
02/24 - DJ Weaponry (Chicago Workgroup)

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Get Get Down 01/20/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:57:01 +0000

Tonight marks the first go-round in our new, monthly 'Viva La Vinyl' edition of Get Get Down at Berlin. 'Viva La Vinyl' is as you probably guessed, a night devoted entirely to the maintenance and celebration of vinyl culture. Though Zebo and I are both the kinds of DJ's and general minds to embrace what we perceive as positive industry changes (be them technological or otherwise, ie. the proliferation of Serato Scratch Live), we are also old enough to have experienced the rave and underground music cultures that now inform our respective DJ identities. We both have relatively deep crates and though I can't speak for him personally, I know that I certainly never gave up the digger mentality and hobby of collecting and pursuing records. I still buy wax on the regular and don't anticipate that changing ANY time soon.

With that in mind, I'm super excited to embark on the 'Viva La Vinyl' expedition and VERY MUCH look forward to taking Get Get Down back to the kinds of parties where the night was dictated by the depth and taste of the DJ's mind and selections... Where I'll be creatively challenged to make due with what I have in my crates alone... And of course, where no Lady Gaga request could conceivably be tendered (because the thought of someone spending actual money on a Lady Gaga 12" is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard of)...

... And what better guest to launch this thing with than Michael Serafini, now the owner of Gramaphone, the brick & mortar record shop that, above all other shops, had the single greatest influence over my identity as both a record collector and musical mind in general. This is gonna be a good one...

So, I hope to see you all there tonight!

The rest of the month's programming is as follows:

Jan 27th - Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Guest Dj Nate Manic

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Bad Meaning Good case study rundown...

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:10:01 +0000

Behold:

Case Study #12: 'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez'
Case Study #11: 'Silent Rage'
Case Study #10: 'She-Wolves Of The Wasteland'
Case Study #09: 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon'
Case Study #08: 'Enter The Ninja'
Case Study #07: 'Future War'
Case Study #06: 'Rock N Roll Nightmare'
Case Study #05: 'Frogs'
Case Study #04: 'Time Barbarians'
Case Study #03: 'Howling III: The Marsupials'
Case Study #02: 'Basket Case'
Case Study #01: 'Mother's Day'

More to come...

Bad Meaning Good case study #12: 'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:58:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #12:
'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez' (dir. John Bacchus)

Summary:
'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez' is an utterly joyless and astonishingly bad, direct-to-DVD feature released in 2006. It deals with two separate and centuries-old, supernatural gangs: the "Bloodz", a mobilized, high-society outfit of vampires and the "Wolvez", a bottom-feeding, fringe-society-dwelling outfit of werewolves. Taking more than a few pages out of 'The Wire' handbook, the movie seems to be trying to make some kind of statement about societal decay or class warfare or something like that... It's all incredibly unclear because there really is not one redeemable characteristic in this mess and at the end of the day, between the actors, production folks, and viewers alike (or really, ANYONE who even THINKS about 'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez' in any capacity at all), everybody is worse off for the experience.

The "action" is sparse and the pacing beyond labored. Most scenes were filmed in what appear to be empty, or at least minimally decorated apartments and retail spaces which paint a color spectrum of dull flesh tones, bland off-whites and light grays as a backdrop for the film's feverishly boring dialog and vaguely expository sequences. The film has all the visual flair of a Holiday Inn conference room.

Evidently, the battle between the two New York gangs has been waged over centuries of bloodshed and in an attempt to catalyze the growing, organizational strength of the Bloodz' various business enterprises, Bloodz leader Asiman opts to launch a ceasefire in a sort of bargain bin variation on the way Stringer Bell played diplomatic chess in 'The Wire'. What follows is a whole lot of back-stabbing from both sides of the ball game and a soap opera season's worth of trite melodrama, none of which offers anything warranting comment or revision. The script is full of a seemingly endless barrage of generic street-isms (I think the expression "Time is money." is uttered, without a hint of irony, no fewer than 6 or 7 times in the film) and the whole experience is so completely uninspired and lame that its admittedly slim 84 minute run-time more often than not felt torturous and downright sadistic.

Perhaps the film's worst offense though (in a very long list of them) is that no one involved seemed to be having any Goddamn fun. I mean, for fuck's sake people, you're making an extremely low-budget, straight-to-DVD movie about vampire and werewolf street gangs... Could we all just lighten up a little bit and not take this thing so seriously? Additionally, and as far as I'm concerned, it should be no mystery to anyone that if you as a director are unable to make even the most low-rent, girl-on-girl vampire action in ANY WAY hot or even remotely fun to watch, then that should be a sign that your film is a consummate, infernal failure from cinematic hell.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
Ugh. Not at all. Skip it people, I beg you. This one is not worth your time.

Oddly enough, there is one brief moment in the film that treads delicately close to the tipping point of becoming a fantastic comedic premise. It was a moment that required just the slightest amount of cool-headed, directorial and script-writing whimsy in order to blossom into something legitimately funny... And then with all the gentle and poised restraint required to incinerate an ant farm with a nuclear warhead, the idea was promptly dispatched, falling eons short of its potential evolution.

Said idea involved Loup Garou, the head of the Wolvez, employing an etiquette coach to help him overcome his brash, unrefined werewolf ways in order to create the facade of relative sophistication required to step up to bat against the vampires on a business level. What happens though is that the etiquette coach commits the werewolf-insensitive social faux pas of showing up to the werewolf lair with REAL silverware with which he intends to teach Loup Garou the basics of dining civility (an admittedly funny idea in its own right). Well, needless to say, the werewolves in the building do not take kindly to such a mistake and it proves to be a nearly instantaneously fatal one, suffocating the possibility of a potentially hilarious montage sequence of werewolf dining and courtesy coaching and leaving the film's much needed comic relief dead in the water.

Now... Forgive me if I'm allowing my undoubtedly coarse and juvenile sense of humor get the better of me here but I honestly thought this idea had comedic legs to stand on and I still do. For comparison's sake, and just to demonstrate my point, imagine it for a second in the hands of the 'Mr. Show' folks (which is of course an incredibly lopsided comedic comparison) and then think about what they could have done with such an idea. Even if you were to take your imagined 'Mr. Show' version of that bit and imagine it further as a half-as-funny version of itself, you'd still probably have something both relatively amusing and infinitely funnier than what actually happens in 'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez'... And that's what kind of film we're dealing with here folks; a film that gets it all wrong so comprehensively that the best compliment I can pay it is to offer one example of potential humor that failed catastrophically.

I'd like to give it a 0.0/10 because ultimately there was nothing I liked about it (and by the way, next time you see me you should thank me for not providing details about the part where a werewolf takes a shit on a newspaper) but I have this vague, internal feeling that somewhere out there exists some greater, more life-sucking time-waster than 'Bloodz Vs. Wolvez' and for that reason alone I'll give it an extremely generous 0.4.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
0.4/10

The best I could do (or perhaps worst) in youtube footage of the film:

Bad Meaning Good 10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:25:01 +0000

Monday February 1st marks the latest in our 'Bad Meaning Good' film event saga and this time around we'll be screening the much-beloved 1978 trash musical and triumphant, cinematic tour-de-force 'The Apple'.

The cult appeal of 'The Apple' has endured for obvious reasons... The movie is an outrageous spectacle of excessive and terribly half-assed ideas... And it is totally, fucking hilariously awesome. I've always thought of it as a see-through attempt at trying to recreate the underdog success of 'The Rocky Horror Show' while cutting as many production corners as possible. The film has such a preposterous mess of a premise and is so inherently flawed at its core that its potential for success starts somewhere fathoms deep in the red. It is by far the most inept musical I've ever encountered and I find it a thoroughly hilarious and laughable production from top to bottom. It's great and if you haven't, you need to see it.

I've yet to do a proper Bad Meaning Good case study on the film (though I might be forced to in light of its upcoming screening) but here is a review from Bad Movie Planet.

Also, here is an even better one from the House Of Self Indulgence. (This person's write-up is particularly fantastic.)

... Can't wait for this one to go down. More info to come!

Get Get Down 01/13/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:21:01 +0000

Tonight we welcome guest Heaven Malone best known in Chicago for being a part of Angels & Kings' 'Disappear Here' party... Shit's gonna get unruly, no doubt.

The rest of the month is as follows:
Jan 20th - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Guest Dj Michael Serafini (Gramaphone)
Jan 27th - Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Guest Dj Nate Manic (SmartBar)

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Popstatic presents 'Kaleidoscope Pt. 9'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:46:01 +0000

It's a new year and with the new year (at least around these parts) comes the freezing rush of winter. With that in mind, I've drawn up a new DJ mix made specifically for the occasion; the latest contribution to my ongoing 'Kaleidosope' series for Samurai.fm.

It's a head-y and contemplative mix full of some very moody and dramatic moments. I wanted it to represent not only where I am going musically (as evidenced by the inclusion of my original "Nightswim" track that I blogged about recently), but also to just be a totally unpretentious sequence of songs; a sequence of songs that allows the music to shine and simplifies the transitions so as not to detract from the power of the music itself. About half of the tracks are properly mixed in time and the other half are mixed using a more free-form sort of style, blending synth patches and washes of sound rather than locked grooves. To put it short, this listening experience is not in any way meant to show off my abilities as a DJ; it's meant to be a seamless and thoughtful listen from start to finish... Almost as if the DJ's presence isn't even recognizable.

There are vocals at the beginning, around the halfway mark and at the end and although it's mostly instrumental, I think there's a very strong and cohesive, melodic and emotional thread throughout... The spirit of the thing remains consistent. Additionally, every track was painstakingly selected in order to work for its respective moment within the context of the entire thing and hopefully that translates to you, beloved listener that you are.

So... Here's a tracklisting for ya:

Popstatic 'Nightswim' - Unreleased
Damian Lazarus 'Moment' - Get Physical Music
Murcof 'Memoria' - Leaf
Burial + Four Tet 'Moth' - Text Records
F.U.S.E 'Nightdrive' - Plus 8 Records Ltd.
Pantha Du Prince 'Saturn Strobe' - Dial Records
Lulu Rouge 'Bless You' - Music For Dreams
Joris Delacroix 'Calin Cale' (Rodriguez Jr. Remix) - WOH Lab
Mymy 'Fast Freeze' - Cocoon Recordings
Petter 'Some Polyphony' - Border Community
Extrawelt 'Mit Liese Auf Der Wiese' (Max Cooper's Melt Remix) - Traum
Charlie May 'Midnight' - emFire
Sylvain Chauveau 'Fly Like A Horse' - Kompakt
Sigur Ros 'Samskeyti' - MCA Records

... As is always the case, you can stream or download the mix in it's entirety from my podcast page, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or you can always catch all my 'Kaleidoscope' shows directly from my Samurai.fm showpage. Feel free to leave any comments or feedback that you please, be it complimentary, critical or otherwise.

Happy listening!

Photo courtesy of Shayna Fontana.

Get Get Down 01/06/10

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:04:01 +0000

Tonight we welcome our close, personal homeboy and DJ collaborator Pr3-Frosh (The Booty Up) as our guest for GGD at Berlin and as always, we're expecting a fantastic party from start to finish. Much thanks again to Tim Zawada for participating in last week's foolishness, your contributions were of course much appreciated. Additionally, the remainder of the month's GGD programming is as follows:

Jan 13th - Heaven Malone (ChicagoSuicideClub)
Jan 20th - 'Viva la Vinyl' - A monthly GGD installment to celebrate wax only. No Serato, No Cds... Guest Dj Michael Serafini (Gramaphone)
Jan 27th - Disco's Revenge' - A monthly GGD installment featuring all disco, all night long... Guest Dj Nate Manic (SmartBar)

Until then, I'll see ya in clubland...

Bad Meaning Good case study #11: 'Silent Rage'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:59:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #11:
'Silent Rage' (dir. Michael Miller)

Summary:
A brooding, mostly silent lunatic named John Kirby goes into a fit of uncontrollable hysterics and axes a few people to death in a halfway house. Unfortunately for him a certain ten gallon hat-wearing sheriff arrives at the scene and that sheriff is none other than Chuck Norris. The two wrestle around in the yard for a little while and some sweet 2x4 action ensues but being that this is Norris who this man has to contend with, it of course isn't long before the psychopath is subdued, handcuffed and gift-wrapped for central booking. What no one on the scene is prepared for though is the man's superhuman strength and inability to remain shackled which results in both a flurry of bullets sent his direction and his inevitable death.

Upon arrival at the morgue, a group of rogue, unchecked scientists on a quest for the Nobel Prize secretly use the man as a test subject for an experimental serum and miraculously re-animate him. What's more is that he's retained the ability to take nearly unlimited physical punishment and his wounds heal instantaneously, making him something of a supernatural, Michael Myers-like adversary to contend with Norris's karate-in-tight-jeans bad-assery.

Meanwhile, Norris re-ignites an old flame with a lady friend who happens to be the sister of one of the scientists involved and a web of wild vengeance is spun for our now undead, bloodthirsty villain on the loose. Kirby and Norris wander around town simultaneously, kicking a whole bunch of local ass independent of one another and the table is set over time for an inevitable showdown between the two.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Norris the film if the heavy and exorbitantly conservative undertones weren't piled on in abundance. Additionally, the film's general sentiment seems to equate scientific inquiry with reckless and irresponsible experimentation (at one point, the lead and most culpable scientist even shouts "We're scientists, not moralists!"). It's basically your typical Norris-lead action feature with a heaping serving of 'Halloween' influence and small doses of slasher movie components peppered throughout. In short, if you're a fan of Norris in general but think his films could use more pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo and super villains of fantastical, comic book-like proportions than this is probably one you're going to enjoy.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
Unsurprisingly, the film is at it's best when Norris is in his element and beating the ever-loving shit out of everybody in sight. The best sequence in the movie sees Norris enter a bar being ransacked by bikers and, cool as ice, contain the tawdry scene with a quiet, restrained panache. The man maneuvers throughout the bar unleashing an efficient barrage of spin-kicks, ball-punches and broken bottles to the head, while also utilizing all manner of barroom implements at his disposal to dispatch the various tattooed, leather-clad baddies on hand. It's kind of like barroom violence as clumsy ballet... Norris-style. There's also some gratuitous boobs thrown in for good measure. All things considered, the scene is five or so minutes of unbridled, Norris-led action bliss; the kind of which the film deserved significantly larger portions.

Norris is accompanied around town by a fat, stupid, heavy-breathing man-child of a sidekick played artlessly by Stephen Furst (aka Kent "Flounder" Dorfman from 'Animal House') and he also logs a great deal of screen time bedding-down his lady-friend with some light jazz on the hi-fi. We get to see plenty of shirtless Norris too so that viewers of the feminine persuasion are not snubbed a little bit of the ol' eye candy along the way.

It is of course no secret that Norris intends to ultimately get even with Kirby though and he undoubtedly will, just as the scientists will no doubt get theirs; leaving good ol' fashioned, American ass-kickery to triumph over scientific folly and general pansy-dom everywhere.

Ultimately, it's a pretty silly film and also relatively competent (by 'Bad Meaning Good' standards at least) given the likely self-aware modesty of its production. While the score and sound fx are frequently bad, there are some scenes that make good use of sound sparsity and menacing, 'Halloween'-style POV shots. However, there's definitely nothing exceptional about this film, save for the barroom brawl scene which provides a much needed rush of amusement at around the halfway mark. Personally, I'm not sure this is one that calls for repeat viewings but if for example it happens to be what you have to get you through an hour and half then you probably won't walk away from the experience feeling the lesser life form.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
7.0/10

Get Get Down 12/30/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Tonight, and for the final Get Get Down of 2009, we'll be featuring Tim Zawada (So So Disco) as our esteemed guest DJ and trust me, it's gonna be a corker. If you've been paying attention at all to party-related happenings around Chicago over the last year then you'd be hard pressed to have not become familiar with Mr. Zawada. Those of you who have know that the man means business when it comes to the disco...

It of course goes without saying (though I'm about to do it anyway - :) that myself and Zebo will be holding down the proceedings in the early going and I'm expecting a jolly good time as usual.

See ya in clubland...

Bad Meaning Good 9

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:54:01 +0000

On Monday January 4th we'll be hosting the ninth 'Bad Meaning Good' event (and the first of the new year) at The Burlington and this one's gonna be a rowdy one no doubt... The ninth installment in the 'Bad Meaning Good' canon is none other than the infamous 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon', one of the new millennium's very shittiest and most unintentionally hilarious films.

You may remember my recent 'Bad Meaning Good' case study for the movie but if not, be sure to check it out for an in-depth review and summary of all things 'Shark Attack 3'. Apart from that, all relevant info should be on display in the flyer above... For any additional info or questions, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line in the contact form.

Also, if you've never seen "the line" from Shark Attack 3 then behold its magical brilliance below...

Bad Meaning Good case study #10: 'She-Wolves Of The Wasteland'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:13:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #8:
'She-Wolves Of The Wasteland' aka 'Phoenix The Warrior' (dir. Robert Hayes)

Summary:
It's the future and the world has been ravaged by chemical warfare. All men are presumed dead and a witch-like dictator-bitch runs the show. Her name is the Reverend Mother and she barks orders from a room draped in plastic sheeting while being fed through tubes and some sort of space age dialysis machine that keeps her alive. Women who have survived the fallout exist in one of two camps: They are either subservient to the Reverend Mother's (we'll call her RM for short) dictatorship and surrender themselves to be harvested for their life-giving abilities that keep the RM alive, or they go rogue in the wasteland and are relentlessly pursued by the RM's crack team of punk rock bounty hunter babes.

A woman named Keela achieves the near impossible double-whammy of not only escaping the RM's compound but also being the first woman in untold generations to have become impregnated with a male seed. (This premise does create something of a logic gap when it comes to understanding how exactly women continued to produce more and more women for so many years without any men around but I digress...) Forced to flee in a quest for survival, Keela teams up with the renegade warrior Phoenix (played by the uber-hot Kathleen Kinmont) in a chase through the wasteland that has life-or-death implications for both them and humanity at large.

Along the way they miraculously discover a lone man-in-hiding presumed to be the only living male on Earth. Tired of living a life in seclusion, he joins their quest to free the women of the wasteland and do away with the RM once and for all.

The title is more than a tad misleading because there is nothing remotely wolf-like or even wolf-related in this film at all. Instead what follows is a whole lot of 'Mad Max'-styled, post-apocolyptic silliness. It also deserves note that 'She-Wolves...' came out the same year as both 'Willow' and 'Hell Comes To Frogtown', two other films it greatly resembles in terms of both content and aesthetics. It's all pretty low-rent, made-for-cable stuff though and functions primarily as a vehicle for scantily clad babes with punk-ish, glam haircuts to ride around the desert in dune buggies while firing assault rifles and generally looking pretty damn hot. This is the kind of movie where women on the run in animal skin bikinis stop to take topless showers under waterfalls... And this is of course a good thing. While a few of the women look just a little bit too much like Vince Neil for comfort, the majority are a good notch or two above the prevailing b-movie grade chicks of the era. No doubt, 'She-Wolves Of The Wasteland' is a thoroughly and undoubtedly 80's sort of affair.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
For ostensibly mindless, T&A entertainment, 'She-Wolves...' was FAR more entertaining than it had any business being. There really wasn't a dull minute in the entire thing and it had the kind of pacing and directorial makings of a far superior film. In that regard it's really not much of a surprise to me to see that director Robert Hayes has had a 20+ year film career as a cinematographer, DP and camera operator.

As fodder for camp enthusiasts it leaves much to recommend as well. We see 'Gladiator'-style death fights in the round between babes in junkshop armor fashioned from hockey shoulder pads, broom handle weaponry, shin guards and other ridiculous and assorted wasteland get-ups. Nearly every character has a name that would instantly qualify her for employment with the American Gladiators (Riptide, Whiplash, Cobalt, Chainsaw, Neon, Snapper, Ginsu, etc.) and the whole thing is scored by a propulsive drum machines and electro bass soundtrack with flourishes of Boards Of Canada-style, analog synthesizer portamento freak-outs.

The performances are of course generally laughable but Keela, the lead (played by ex-Playboy Playmate Peggy McIntaggart), lends the film a degree of acting anti-chops that, off the top of my head, I've only seen equaled by actors in 'Samurai Cop' and 'Troll 2'. She's REALLY bad.

In the film's funniest sequence, the protagonists' journey lands them in the "badlands", a sequestered area haunted by the 'Rezules', a group of nomadic, occultist folk who worship at the altar of television's past. The badlands are littered with skeletons on lay-z-boys (presumably having died while watching tv) and while the Rezules prepare to kill the main characters, they make a ritualistic, chant-like offering to their deities: "Sesame Street... The Flintstones... The Jetsons"... It's one of several of the film's laugh-out-loud moments and an utterly inspired turn of script-writing stupidity.

Additionally, there's a wealth of hilarious and out-of-the-blue dialog crudeness and some extremely economical, well-placed vulgarities to keep you laughing along the way. While the film at times had the look of a bad 80's music video stretched to feature length, I often found myself shocked by how much I was enjoying it and those of you seeking out a quality piece of mindless entertainment could do much, much worse than this.

Stamp it with that 'Bad Meaning Good' seal of approval. 'She-Wolves Of The Wastland', you have won me over.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
7.9/10

Check out some of the film's sweet action below...

Get Get Down 12/23/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:21:00 +0000

This week the Get Get Down crew welcomes Brooklyn's and The Rub's DJ Eleven for another go-round of musical bad-assery and assorted fun. You are, I'm sure, well aware of The Rub and what they've been doing all these years so it is of course not news to any of you all that The Rub are among the east coast's finest crews of selectors and always know how to get a party started something proper. We intend to have a grand ol' time and would love for you to join us!

Next week, for the final Wednesday of the month, we'll be joined by Tim Zawada (So So Disco) and I'll also be keeping you all posted about what February has in store as well.

Until then... You know what to do!

Get Get Down 12/16/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:07:01 +0000

This week our good friend DJ Intel (The Dirty Social) joins us for Get Get Down at Berlin on Wednesday the 16th. It of course will be another fine installment of our weekly jam and both myself and Zebo will be setting the stage for Intel's party business in the early going. There is NO COVER and the party goes from 11pm-4am.

The remainder of the month remains as follows:
Dec 23rd - Dj Eleven of The Rub (NYC)
Dec 30th - Tim Zawada (SoSo Disco)

See ya in clubland...

Bad Meaning Good case study #9: 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:53:01 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #9:
'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon' (dir. David Worth)

Summary:
Maritime hijinks abound in this direct to DVD shitshow about pre-historic sharks going all kinds of apeshit near modern day beach resorts. Allegedly filmed in Bulgaria but actually taking place in Mexico (!!!), Shark Attack 3: Megalodon tells the story of a corporate communications business called APEX that finds trouble while constructing a network of worldwide, underwater fiber-optic cables. What kind of trouble, you ask? The kind sent direct from CGI hell, I counter.

Enter Ben, a resort lifeguard and all-around swell dude. While scuba diving for lobster one afternoon, Ben finds an unusually large tooth lodged in an underwater cable. Though he's told by both the higher-ups at APEX and his own employer to ignore the matter, he promptly peruses the internet and conveniently lands on 'Marine Tech', a web community for those concerned with all things shark-related. He snaps a photo of the tooth with a digital camera that somehow INSTANTLY zaps his pictures into cyberspace and posts the photo on the website's rudimentary message board. Within 24 hours he's visited by a San Diego marine biologist posing as a museum worker, who secretly recognizes the shark tooth for what it really is; that of an ancient species of pre-historic shark thought long extinct - the Megalodon.

He comes to learn about her ulterior, shark-studying motives and though he's initially displeased by her professional dishonesty, they eventually join forces both on the sea and in the bedroom, with the collective goal of bringing down both an oppressive, dangerous corporation and the Megalodon itself, a shark so lethal it makes the shark from 'Jaws' look like fishbowl fodder.

All this silly plot business is a mere formality though. Ultimately, what we're waiting for is that sweet, sweet shark action that we know lies on the horizon and most everything leading up it (more or less the first 2/3 of the movie) is simply the set up. It plods along a bit slowly at times but the all-encompassing shittiness of the production, script and acting is not only good fun in its own right but also leaves a distinct, lurking impression that once the action begins, it will likely be the kind of laughably awesome shitstorm of witless film-making that we've been expecting all along. When the action does begin, it's here to stay and remains unrelenting until the credits roll.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
Being that it was released in 2002, I'd have to say that 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon' is as good an unintentional comedy as any I've seen made in the wake of the new century. It's the kind of utterly messy combination of technical ineptness, porno-grade acting chops and z-grade production values that eventually coalesces into a flaming shit phoenix rising out of the cinematic toilet in triumph. It is so full of continuity problems and thoughtless, lackluster direction that it requires a near-constant state of forgetfulness on the behalf of the viewer in order to be considered something posing semi-competently as a reality-similar narrative.

Most of the shark scenes in the early portions of the movie are cut with documentary-style stock footage. The shark footage is often grainy and completely at odds with the film's prevailing aesthetics. Additionally, the sharks are dubbed over with these odd grunting and groaning noises while they're menacingly mucking about under water; I repeat: THE SHARKS ACTUALLY MAKE NOISE.

Virtually every extra or peripheral character in the movie receives an awful dub treatment and frankly, the main characters who actually speak english don't fare a whole lot better on their own. The two leads are utterly devoid of chemistry and the male lead (played by John Barrowman) is the only of the two to put up a performance with any semblance of charisma or dramatic flexibility. There is however, one particular scene of note between the two leads that has become something of a de facto landmark of face-melting, camp insanity and the individual line of dialog within this particular scene is one of those sort of sublimely perfect, impeccably delivered one-liners capable of prompting spit-takes and instant rewinds from even the most seasoned of shitty movie veterans. On the internet and youtube in particular, it's simply become known as "the line". Believe you me, it is laugh-out-loud hilarious each and every time and will lose not a fraction of it's luster, even on the 50th viewing.

The special fx are the real scenery-chewing device that this film has to offer though and let me tell you folks, they are BAD. I'm talking freshman year of high school AV club bad. The final act of this film is a veritable cornucopia of the most amateurish, budget-level, ridiculous-looking shark attack set pieces that film history has to offer... And it is completely, stupefyingly hilarious stuff. There is seemingly no limit to the amount of material that the Megalodon is capable of flushing down it's ever-expansive maw and watching it happen over and over again is a deliriously good time.

Gather a group of friends, make sure the booze is flowing aplenty, turn on 'Shark Attack 3: Megalodon' and let the stupidity ensue. You won't regret it.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
9.4/10

Get Get Down 12/09/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:59:01 +0000

Tomorrow night, the Get Get Down gang will be joined by none other than Matt Roan, Mr. Crossfader King himself for another go-round at the old disco. Needless to say, we're of course stoked to have one of the city's finest selectors in attendance and doing his thing on the decks.

Last week was another winner of course, so thank you again DJ Edwin Konsept for blessing us with the musical awesomeness. As for the rest of this month's programming, mark your calendars for the following:

12/16 - DJ Intel (The Dirty Social)
12/23 - DJ Eleven (The Rub, NYC)
12/30 - Tim Zawada (So So Disco)

Stay frosty.

Bad Meaning Good 8

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:40:01 +0000

Tonight is the night! Bad Meaning Good 8, the ninja edition featuring 'Enter The Ninja is nearly upon us...

I posted my Bad Meaning Good case study review of the movie last week and you can read it here if you want some info on the film itself. Trust me, it's a real doozy of 80's-styled ninja bad-assery.

The movie will start at 8pm, though we might delay it a few minutes to wait for some more folks to arrive. Per usual, myself and DJ Intel will be providing the tunes once the film is over. Apart from that, feel free to send me a message via the contact page if you have any remaining questions.

See ya there!

Bad Meaning Good case study #8: 'Enter The Ninja'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #8:
'Enter The Ninja' (dir. Menahem Golan)

Summary:
The Israeli dream team of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus bought Cannon Films in 1979 and promptly embarked on an incredible run of brutally efficient, low-budget trash masterpieces in order to satiate the video market's nearly unquenchable thirst for action fodder and assorted silliness of a whole bunch of excessive and distinctly 80's varieties (these dudes produced everything from Death Wish movies to Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo to Stallone vehicles like Cobra and Over The Top... Quite the legacy to be admired for aficionados of 'Bad Meaning Good' cinema). Included among this masterful run was the 1981 sleeper 'Enter The Ninja', starring Franco Nero as Cole, an ex-American military man-turned-ninja-in-training, who has headed East to embark on something of a search for meaning in the wake of his traumatizing war experience (he wears the evidence of his combat background with a quiet, masculine dignity throughout).

The film opens with some seriously fucking sweet ninja action and we see our protagonist go through the final stages of his ninja schooling before receiving his official license as a master of ninjitsu. His quest for acceptance as a Westerner in the home of the ninja is not without its roadblocks though, as another of the school's master students, Hasegawa (Sho Kosugi), takes issue with the idea of new, American blood entering the centuries-old fraternal order of ninjahood and defiling that which is sacred and pure to the people of Japan.

Upon being inevitably accepted, Cole heads to the Philippines (presumably more so because it was a cheap place to film than it was an integral component to the story's plot) to help his ex-war buddy Frank (and Frank's wife Mary Ann) fight off the merciless hounding they're enduring at the hands of vicious landowners eager to get their greedy paws on Frank and Mary Ann's valuable and much-beloved land (a common theme in 80's martial arts and revenge-driven films in general). From there, Cole kicks a whole lot of ass, over and over again, until the landowning faction, operated by a sleezebag named Venarius, has to take more drastic action and unbeknownst to Cole, taps the very ninja school Cole graduated from for an equally skilled ninja to raise some hell and shut Cole down for good. And wouldn't you know it... His main detractor... His very nemesis Hasegawa is brought in to settle the score, giving Cole a renewed sense of purpose and an opportunity to fight the good fight and finish off his remaining enemies once and for all.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?:
Where do I even begin? This movie fulfills the sweet-ass ninja action requirements necessary for an additional 10 ninja films. I'm talking about ninjas lurking in and jumping out of trees, ninjas blowing poison darts, ninjas throwing smoke bombs, ninjas catching arrows with their bare hands, ninjas throwing stars that lodge directly in peoples' faces, and a lot more. There are more karate chops to peoples' necks in this film than probably any film ever. There are ninjas punching people directly in the balls. Hell, this production makes use of every kind of weapon imaginable within the traditional ninja arsenal, often with the express intent of coming to direct blows with the groin-ular regions of those on the receiving end of Cole's fury.

What else is there, you ask? How about synchronized swimming? There's definitely some of that. Cockfights? At least two that I counted. Recycled bad guys that die more than one death? Absolutely. One-liners? Oh God, are there ever one-liners... One-liners so good you'll rewind to hear them again (I dare not spoil any of them here, lest I tarnish their maximal effect for first-time viewers).

There's Christopher George hamming up his villainous role to devastating effect. There's also one of the most amazing slo-mo death scenes of all time (one that's even good enough to rival the final death sequence in 'Street Trash'). There's hilarious dubbing of both dialog and ninja sound fx. Perhaps best of all, there's an actual hook-handed character named Siegfried 'The Hook' Schultz. It's pretty much the grandaddy of all ninja movies from our childhoods and could reasonably be considered one of the original films most responsible for cementing the ninja's "coolness" legacy within the pop cultural lexicon.

'Enter The Ninja' is pretty much tip-top. The movie is astoundingly entertaining and gloriously over-the-top from start to finish. It's also a great example of how a small collection of people with a good sense of humor, just a few dollars in their pockets, and a great amount of film-making gusto and enthusiasm can produce a film that is nothing if not purely satisfying, cathartic fun on every level.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
9.5/10

Get Get Down 12/02/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:30:01 +0000

So... If you were at last week's Get Get Down then you know the party has come a long way since its inception and that it's going stronger than ever! That was a fantastic party and thanks once again to Kid Color for coming out and rocking for us...

Tonight we'll be hosting DJ Konsept as our weekly guest and we're anticipating another burner! Additionally, we've scheduled the rest of the month's guest DJ programming and it is as follows:

12/09 - Matt Roan (Crossfader King)
12/16 - DJ Intel (The Dirty Social)
12/23 - DJ Eleven (The Rub, NYC)
12/30 - Tim Zawada (So So Disco)

... Expect much, much more awesome GGD action to come!

Get Get Down 11/25/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:52:01 +0000

This Wednesday night we'll be hosting a special, disco-infused Get Get Down celebration at Berlin. Come through and party with us as Zebo, Kid Color and I exorcise all the pre-Thanksgiving demons from 11-4am. There will be a $5 cover as well as $2 PBR's and a $1 shot special. And yes, the jams will indeed be kicked out.

Bad Meaning Good case study #7: 'Future War'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:23:01 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #5:
'Future War' (dir. Anthony Doublin)

Summary:
The mere prospect of attempting to provide an explanation for a film with a plot as convoluted and stupid as that of 'Future War' is enough to send a person's head into a tailspin of disappointment and personal regret over the wasted time required to do so. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't sitting here knee deep in existential despair concerning the anticipation of my attempts at filling the blank page that I am so regrettably staring down at this very instant. But alas, I have entered into a personal contract with the world to do so and it is my duty as someone who has indeed seen this... this THING, to see this review/warning through to completion and thusly, do my part as a world citizen and conscientious human being. To not do so would be savage. That's what I tell myself at least. It makes me feel better.

So... The movie: 'Future War' is about cyborgs from the future who have enslaved humans on a space vessel and are seemingly wandering about in space for no good reason other than to just sort of function as villains for the movie's sake alone (we're led to believe they enslave humans solely because they're lazy and don't want to do shit for themselves). One particular slave, a sort of Van Damme-lite played by Daniel Bernhardt, escapes from their clutches on a mini space pod and lands himself in current day L.A. His arrival on Earth is no get out of jail free card though, as he's being pursued by an evil cyborg with a dinosaur "tracker" in tow (an evil cyborg with a fuck-off, shit-storm rat's nest of a mullet, I might add). You see, the cyborgs have traveled BACK in time in order to capture dinosaurs and then train them to be trackers of humans in the future, mainly because that's OBVIOUSLY the efficient way to go about this sort of thing but also because, you know, Jurassic Park had just come out and it would be like, cool to have dinosaurs in the movie and shit.

From there, this space stranger on the run comes into contact with a reformed, ex-prostitute/former drug addict undertaking the novitiate (nun school, as it were) and undergoing something of a vague crisis of faith. The two are thrust into the dangerous immediacy of the situation and have to take up arms with the various halfway house denizens, crooks and gang folk from the woman's past in a not-so-compelling fight for survival. Amidst all this drama, we're subject to a lot of long, lingering conversational scenes that drag the movie along like a clunky, dead thing's corpse. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough one-liners to go around. To quote 'Fear Of A Black Hat', this movie "was like dookie on the street, it just sat there and stank."

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?:
The conversation pretty much starts and ends with the ridiculous amount of forced perspective photography used in this film. The fact that the production was making use of pint-sized, rubber dinosaur props required that a lot of not-so-tricky camera work be employed to frame the dinosaurs in such a way that made them look significantly larger than they actually were. There are often shots of, say, a dinosaur's head popping into the upper right corner of the frame and the actors throwing things at it from the bottom left corner, giving it the vaguely effective illusion that the dinosaur is actually large. I can't lie, the effect is not without its charms. It often looks absurd beyond belief and can be laughably ridiculous in some cases but ultimately becomes more than a little bit tiresome in due time.

... And so does the reliance on cardboard boxes. There are so many goddamn cardboard boxes in this movie that, no joke, there are two different people cited as 'Box Wranglers' in the film's credits. The opening chase sequence appears to send the main character and the cyborg pursuing him into some sort of pre-arranged labyrinth of neatly stacked cardboard boxes and ends with the two more or less throwing cardboard boxes at each other... To death.

Where the movie gets fun is when the sister and her friends begin to rally the local street gangs in an attempt to do battle with the cyborgs. In adopting a generic "street" tone, the dialog becomes somehow even more labored than it already was and the movie begins to look something like the kind of D.A.R.E. PSA-turned-unintentional comedy that we all found laughable in junior high. Believe me when I tell you that watching cartoonish, early 90's rap video-styled hoods high five each other after a therapeutic session of dino-blasting with high-powered assault rifles is every bit as awesome as it sounds. I also don't imagine it's much of a stretch to suggest that as a mere historical precedent, this is probably the only time you'll ever see such a bunch of mock gangstas search for plastic dinosaurs through drainage systems in LA but you know... Stranger things have happened.

The movie was also infamously spoofed on a popular episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and frankly, was made far more viewable in its comic skewering than it is as a stand alone feature. If you're gonna attempt to sit through it, you'd be far better off going that route because all things considered, this movie was mostly just an awful piece of straight-to-video, early 90's dreck. It's a truly bad piece of cinematic shit but an inoffensive one nonetheless and in the words of Crow T. Robot of MST3K: "It’s not the future, and there isn’t a war, but you know me; I don't like to complain.”

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
5.0/10

Check out the trailer here.

... And here's some of the MST3K action:

Get Get Down 11/18/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:16:01 +0000

Tonight at GGD... Zebo is joined by Black Holes and Heather Doble for what will undoubtedly be another in a long line of rowdy guest spots in GGD lore. I won't be in the building tonight but if you're looking for a wicked good time and a place to party then look no further...

Bad Meaning Good case study #6: 'Rock N Roll Nightmare'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:22:01 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #5:
'Rock N Roll Nightmare' (dir. John Fasano)

Summary:
'Rock N Roll Nightmare' (aka 'The Edge Of Hell') is a 1987 would-be star-making vehicle for one Canadian national treasure Jon-Mikl Thor and by God, is it ever one HELL of a bad movie. Thor plays the frontman for The Tritonz, an aspiring hair-metal/glam outfit taking up temporary residence in a rural Ontario farm house with the mind to turn it into a recording/rehearsal space, thereby allowing Thor the freedom to traverse the bottomless depths of his internal songwriting reservoir free from the temptations of big city excess. Upon arrival the band is met by all manner of hell-spawn oddities and what ensues is the stuff of by-the-numbers slasher fare, albeit on what could generously be described a limited budget. Not all is as it seems though and a final act twist reveals that what is actually taking place could indeed be part of a far greater struggle between the forces of good and evil at large.

Conflicting online reports quote the film's budget within the range of $50-100,000 dollars and it would appear that production value be damned, a woefully significant portion of that budget was spent on hair product alone. The movie is a tacky 80's hairdresser's wet dream and no human head is spared a hideously unflattering fate over the film's duration. The wardrobe stylists were likely allotted the remainder of that budget and promptly spent it on polka dot blouses, shiny silver blazers, metal-studded leather underwear and whatever other ghastly clothing abominations Thor deemed necessary to strike that perfect visual balance between professional wrestler and latent homosexual hair-rocker.

The film positively REEKS of being Thor's personal vanity project and functions as much as a mock demo for his gloriously over the top butt-rock songbook as it does any sort of actual story or coherent narrative. Between extended bouts of rocking, the band mostly spends it's time fucking and dying in that very order. Little else takes place at all. (Rest assured though, the boobs per minute ratio remains ridiculously high throughout.)

As the movie approaches its climax, Thor is brought to an impasse with the devil himself and what follows is a fight scene so mind-fuckingly inept in execution that it makes Ed Wood look like Peckinpah or 'Hard Boiled'-era John Woo by comparison. To think that the balance of good and evil or the very fate of mankind itself could possibly be determined by a standoff between an inert, rubber-starfish-flinging artificial demon and a hairy, muscle-bound, greased-up, poor man's Dee Snider... Well, needless to say what happens here is the stuff of shitty movie legend and I'd better not go into further detail and risk spoiling the visual riches therein. This is something that truly needs to be seen to be believed.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?:
It's staggering to think that a film as artless and incompetent as 'Rock N Roll Nightmare' could have POSSIBLY cost more than $10-20,000, much less upwards of $50-100,000. However, what it lacks in economic efficiency it more than makes up for in good, old fashioned, enthusiastic DIY spirit. I don't think the word "amateur" even begins to describe what's going on here. Truthfully though, who gives a shit? When cost-cutting measures require demonic spirits and other assorted monsters to be replaced by sock puppets and inanimate rubber creatures, the fun is really only beginning...

And how about those villains? The baddies in this film are mostly rubber hand puppets and slimy, phallic, one-eyed penis-beasts. It's totally fucking bizarre and gnarly-all-over. We get a lot of Evil Dead-styled POV shots, presumably from the perspective of these creatures and a lot of scenes where love-making sessions are interrupted by demonic possessions and laughably harebrained kill sequences.

... And we haven't even touched on the overwhelming creep-out factor that Jon-Mikl Thor brings to the table. This dude exorcised a lifetime's worth of sexual frustration during the production of this movie by ensuring that the bare breast quotient remained bountiful and near-consant. He wrote groupies for his band into the story, he wrote topless scenes for all the female characters... Hell, he even wrote he and his female counterpart a brutally lengthy sex scene in the shower that lingers on his bare ass for a painfully long time before mercifully moving on (one of the only scenes in the movie that is not in any way amusing).

What else do we have? We have a woman being turned into a skeleton by spending about 20 seconds in an oven... We have the worst Australian accent ever committed to celluloid (which comes and goes seemingly at random)... We have shots that often linger for up to 5 seconds past their comfortable conclusion... We have lost metal classics like "We Live To Rock" and "Energy" (What, you mean you don't remember those?)... We have a near constant stream of unforced continuity errors and production flaws... What we have is the makings of a bona fide 'Bad Meaning Good' classic, that's what we have.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
8.7

Bad Meaning Good case study #5: 'Frogs'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #5:
'Frogs' (dir. George McCowan)

Summary:
'Frogs' is a 1972 eco-horror thriller that plays out like a modest, low-rent knock-off of 'The Birds' (which has aged in similarly less-than-stellar fashion) and a decades-in-advance pre-cursor to the somehow even more ridiculous M. Night Shyamalan crime against humanity known as 'The Happening'. It also works equally as a vehicle for a young, strapping Sam Elliott to bare his perfectly manicured and impeccably chiseled chest in all its masculine glory. One might even consider the possibility that his every hair follicle were hand delivered from the gods of hairy-chestdom and custom-placed for maximal female heart-melting effect. I, for one, wouldn't dare deny the plausibility of such a scenario. But I digress...

Elliott plays the thoughtful, mild-mannered Pickett Smith, a freelance photographer documenting the effects of pollution and environmental hazards in Florida's gulf coast. While out on the job and photographing from his canoe, he becomes the unfortunate recipient of a rude waterlogging at the hands of a drunken, recklessly speeding boater named Clint Crockett (played with pompous, asshole-ish gusto by Adam Roarke) who is on holiday at his father's nearby estate. Being the closest thing to an ecological expert in the area, Elliott winds up, in a roundabout way, spending a significant amount of time on the Crockett estate investigating the growth of the local frog population (which has become a major source of annoyance to those living on the property).

It turns out that Jason Crockett (played or rather, "scene-chewed" by Ray Milland), the owner of the estate, has been poisoning the local wildlife with repellents, insecticides and other various toxins in order to keep the frog population at bay. His stubborn insistence on using his wealth and resources to obliterate the frog population at all costs backfires though as mother nature begins to put up a fight and just may put his entire family at risk in the process. Sensing that something is dramatically amiss, Smith tries to talk some sense into the old coot but Crockett will hear none of it and a vicious fight for survival ensues.

Family members and other assorted workers of the estate are knocked-off in increasingly ridiculous and impossibly clumsy death sequences and we're treated to an endless and often tiresome array of ominous shots of brooding frogs seemingly plotting their master plan against the authoritarian ways of the evil rich. There is wildlife EVERYWHERE in this movie. Every variety of creature the Florida landscape has to offer is in on the plan but the implication is that the frogs are the ones running the show. We see snakes, lizards, alligators, salamanders, monitors, tarantulas, slugs, birds, turtles, crabs... Hell, even butterflies; all unleashing the diabolical death-doings of mother nature's awesome fury. There's also something of a leftist, socio-political message at play about how the high-handedness and environmentally insensitive ways of the American conservative class can offer both instant karma and bitchin' repercussions at once (this being a prescient 30 years in advance of the Bush years).

How 'Bad Meaning Good' was it?:
Most of the fun in this movie is derived from watching the more waspy and self-entitled members of the Crockett clan get theirs. And get theirs they most certainly do. We see one man consumed by mossy forest growth, another man poisoned to death by co-conspiring lizards, a woman chased to her death by butterflies, another woman sort of walked-on-to-death by a sea turtle ... All kinds of stupid shit. We also see the senior Crockett blast a snake off of a chandelier with his six-shooter. Sam Elliott delivers the goods as our hero too and in one sequence smashes riversnakes with a boat paddle and then more or less explodes an entire gator with one shotgun blast. It's pretty fuckin' rad.

However, one must be forewarned... This film moves at a snail's pace (I cringed as I just typed that) and nearly EVERY single scene in the movie includes an additional close-up shot on a frog's face as he croakingly plots his next move. It gets totally out of hand and I'd be willing to to bet that 20-30% of the entire film is composed of frog footage alone. I imagine one could construct one hearty cocksucker of a drinking game if they were to have a sip every time a frog were on the screen. Including such a drinking game would make the movie significantly more enjoyable as well so perhaps that's something to realistically consider if you intend to ever give 'Frogs' a go.

In retrospect, I'm finding myself laughing more at the thought of the movie than I ever did during the movie itself. The unrelenting barrage of frog footage gave it a slow-as-mollases, NatGeo quality that undoubtedly knocked some points off of its rating (no joke, it at times visually resembled 'Aguirre: The Wrath Of God' in it's docu-drama stylings and pacing). Truth be told though, there's a lot of charm to this underdog and moreover, a few good laughs to be salvaged from the experience.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
6.8/10

Popstatic - "Nightswim"

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:08:00 +0000

(Photo courtesy of Shayna Fontana)

I've posted a new track I recently produced to the mp3 player in the multimedia section. The song is called "Nightswim" and it's something I've been playing around with for a few months now.

It's primarily just a looping synth chord and additional note with a whole lot of warped string samples swirling around it... Just a simple, little beatless ambient tune in the vein of Tim Hecker, Fennesz or perhaps even Aphex Twin I suppose. I'm certainly not suggesting it's as good as the music of any of those people of course, just that for comparative purposes you might hear trace elements of those sorts of artists within it.

I had originally had my friend Stephanie Lee record violin parts over the simple, looping groove and then I spat them through a shitload of fx and processes until they were more or less alien versions of their original selves... And then that was that.

So... Here it is in all it's modest glory. It is unmixed and unmastered but will of course be given that treatment once I have enough new material prepped for a proper release.

Feel free to post any thoughts, ideas or criticisms... Whatever. Cheers!

Popstatic - "Nightswim"

Get Get Down 11/11/09 feat. Juiceboxxx

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:16:01 +0000

This coming Wednesday we'll be hosting a live appearance from Milwaukee's chief musical export Juiceboxxx at Get Get Down. Not sure what to say or think about this but it at very least should be a colorful and interesting show. What's even better is that there's an additional opening duo called Pooper & Pizza Dog. I'm expecting unapologetic ridiculousness and a pretty surreal experience all around.

The party's being hosted by Colt 45 and I'm hoping there's free 40's because that of course would be awesome.

Bad Meaning Good case study #4: 'Time Barbarians'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:38:01 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #4:
'Time Barbarians' (dir. Joseph John Barmettler)

Summary:
Imagine for a second that you are Doran, the warrior king of the forest. You live modestly, in relative peace amongst a virtuous, salt of the Earth sort of people, in the kind of society where the children are taught from a young age to construct their homes by hand. The men are the hunter gatherers of your tribe and your women are somehow reminiscent of the D-grade, soft-core porn stars you watched on cable when you were 13. Actually, your women ARE the D-grade, soft-core porn stars you watched on cable when you were 13. And you... You are, more specifically Deron Mcbee, also known as 'Malibu' on the hit television series American Gladiators. You are one seriously chiseled, muscle-bound, loin cloth-wearing son-of-a-bitch. All things considered... Life is pretty fuckin' sweet.

One day you decide to head into the forest for your daily hunting duties. While away, your wife Lystra and a few of her buxom homegirl-hotties head off to the local hot spring to do a little bit of topless pond-frolicking because, you know, that's like, what women do and shit. Suddenly, amid their bare-breasted lagoon-romp, this hairy, Glen Danzig-meets-Tony Larussa-looking motherfucker named Mandrak shows up to crash the party and shit gets totally out of control in the worst kind of way.

You return from your hunt and are confronted with the devastating reality that Lystra and her girls have been raped and left for dead... But suddenly, without warning a mysterious woman manifests out of thin air (or rather from what could only be the artificial jetstream of a smoke machine) purely to tell you that it is up to you Doran, you alone to seek out the evil wizard Mandrak and avenge the deaths of your sweet, sweet womenfolk, lest you be labeled a punk-ass bitch by everyone in your kingdom.

You then manage to somehow break the space-time continuum and land yourself in current day Los Angeles (as opposed to the current-day studio lot your make-shift forest likely existed on beforehand) in search of the dastardly Mandrak (he himself inexplicably being of the time-travelling persuasion). You enter the new world just in time to save a pretty and helpless news anchorwoman (who looks suspiciously like your lost love Lystra) from a street-level assault at the hands of some unmistakably Troma-fied, gutter-punk looking bad dudes. In your new reality, this woman is to be your hot, hot tour guide. But let us not forget that you are a bad, bad man and you have your eyes on the prize. Potential sexual encounters-be-damned, you WILL NOT be deterred on your quest for vengeance and you proceed to pretty much beat the ever-loving shit out of anyone who stands in your way.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?:
I wish I could tell you. The audio track on this movie was of such piss-poor quality and so poorly mixed, its dialog so unclear that even its laughably elementary plot points (really the ONLY thing a movie needs to get right) were rendered unintelligible at best. I am of course in no way saying that the film is remotely difficult to understand (I'm quite certain a brainless sea-sponge could make sense of what takes place over the course of its merciful 96 minutes)... I am however warning all potential viewers to keep the rewind button within striking distance if they intend to understand every line uttered over the entirety of this mindless piece of shit.

In fairness to what was surely an unpretentious and simple little production though, I did manage a hearty chuckle during a scene in which Doran confronts a group of would-be attackers by saying "your swords match your manhood" in as stiff and dim-witted a fashion as humanly possible, and then proceeds to kick much, much ass. Shortly thereafter was a mildly humorous fight sequence where Doran uses Mandrak's severed hand as a weapon and back-handed, bitch-slapping device against Mandrak himself. Additionally, I found it amusing on a completely dork-minded, referential level to see a brief cameo from Jeffrey Culver (who you might know as the old man from the much-beloved cult flick and Bad Meaning Good mainstay 'Hobgoblins') but that is purely the stuff of the advanced nerds among us and truth be told, barely deserving of mention at all. The whole affair was incredibly short on craft and even shorter on laughs. The makers of this movie seem to have had no ambition for it beyond simply seeing it through to completion.

As a historical document, it remains a throwback to the days of low-rent, late-night cable fodder and beyond that, offers very little in the way of entertainment, be it intentional, unintentional or otherwise. If you happened to be an adolescent male around 1990-1991 (when this movie was traversing the after-hours cable airwaves), I imagine you may have found something to like about it given that there's nary a breast on any female character that goes unexposed over its total run-time.

Trust me though, YOU can sit this one out... Even if you're 13 years old RIGHT NOW. We have the internet now.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
4.3/10

Here's a sample of some of the action:

Surf's Up

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:20:00 +0000

I recently picked up a re-issue of 'Surf's Up' and have been (somewhat embarrassingly) learning a good deal of the record for the first time. I had always known songs like "Surf's Up" and "Til I Die" but there's a good deal of additional material on this record that I was unfamiliar with until recently so I'm awfully glad to finally own a copy.

The Beach Boys' struggles (both artistically and personally) during much of this era of their career are all well-documented and frankly, I in no way resemble the kind of expert on the subject that has any business acting like I should be writing about it.

So... I'll instead simply take this opportunity to say that there's a huge amount of unsung greatness to this record and a lifetime's worth of drug-induced, existential dread within it as well. This is some painfully beautiful stuff. I encourage any and all to get familiar with it.

Bad Meaning Good 7

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:47:00 +0000

Fresh off of last week's 'Bad Meaning Good' case study on 'Basket Case', we've decided to air this filthy little gem of cinematic brilliance for all of y'allz enjoyment.

... Not much that needs to be said about this one. Read the review, you'll enjoy it. The movie's hilarious. It's about a surgically-removed and severely deformed Siamese twin and his separated brother seeking sweet, sweet vengeance on the doctors who split them apart. What's not to like about that?

Come party with us!

Bad Meaning Good case study #3: 'Howling III: The Marsupials'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

In April of 2009, myself and DJ Intel launched the 'Bad Meaning Good' monthly movie event at The Burlington in Chicago. The idea behind the night is to screen cult classics, exploit movies, unintentional comedies and every other kind of film we collectively decide is so bad that it's actually good. In the ongoing search for the perfect 'Bad Meaning Good' film I've decided to take on a weekly (or AT LEAST once-per-week) blog entry in which I'll review, summarize and rate bad movies of every variety imaginable. The goal is to reach somewhere in the range of 75-100 posts within a year, at which point I'll look for a place to publish a first volume of 'Bad Meaning Good' reviews in book form. Stay tuned...

'Bad Meaning Good' case study #3:
'Howling III: The Marsupials'

Summary:
How's this for a premise sent direct from the B-movie gods?... An American scientist/anthropology professor named Harry Beckmeyer comes into possession of a grainy home video on which Aborigines appear to have slain an actual werewolf. His growing obsession with tracking the elusive beast of lore leads him to Sydney, and later the Australian outback where an underground society of marsupial werewolves (yes, you did indeed read that correctly) derived supernaturally from the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger, have remained hidden from greater, civilized society for nearly a half-century.

One such marsupial werewolf, a smoking-hot young lass by the name of Jerboa, ventures away from both the confines of the werewolf society and the tyrannical rule of her stepfather Thylo, in search of a new life and the allure of the free world. She quickly learns that the level of difficulty involved in remaining an anonymous marsupial werewolf in plain site of the public is no small task. Before long, the clash between the werewolf underground and The Man is at full-throttle.

Having grown increasingly alienated by the government's refusal to let the werewolf population peacefully integrate into society, the humanitarian within Beckmeyer forces him to take up arms with the werewolf underground in a fight for the freedom of werewolves everywhere.

Along the way, there are two separate werewolf-human love stories, a brief glimpse into the world of low-budget filmmaking, an amusing mini-horror film spoof, a terribly inept military-on-werewolf strike gone wrong, an excruciatingly gross part-human/part-marsupial-werewolf birth and about ten additional films' worth of sideplots to spare. We meet werewolf nuns, a Russian werewolf ballerina, an undead werewolf skeleton obliterated by machine gun fire and a werewolf big enough that "if he put one tooth down in your mouth... It'd come out of yer asshole."

It also deserves to be noted that the movie has seemingly no direct connection to either Joe Dante's original 'Howling' film or that film's own loosely-related sequel, 'Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch' (a clear-cut finalist in any competition for the greatest title in film history). 'Howling III' is its own ridiculous, stand-alone feature that shares a title alone with the other films of the series and virtually nothing else.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?:
If you've read this far you're probably asking yourself how this film could possibly fall anywhere short of some explosively hilarious, B-movie gold. Well, I'll tell you why it ultimately does...

The film is about 70% camp-comedy-horror fun and 30% compassionate, message-driven drama. A great deal of energy is spent trying to convince the viewer that, by God, werewolves are human (or at least part human) too! And it's really a shame because I can think of hundreds of better venues to discuss werewolf inequality than within the context of what could have otherwise been an awesomely-bad piece of 80's horror-schlock for the ages. I'm left with a small sense of bitter disappointment in the director and crew who couldn't find it within themselves to embrace the utter stupidity of it all and make the film's ridiculousness unrelenting from start to finish.

At the end of the day, I can deal with it though because while the total run-time of this film was probably about twenty minutes longer than necessary, there's enough idiotic fun to get you through the proceedings and some hearty laughs to be had to boot.

Let's start with the brilliantly hammy performance by celebrated bit-part actor Frank Thring as Jack Citron, a Warhol-ian, Rod Steiger look-a-like film-director... I mean, this was the dude that played Pontius Pilate in fucking 'Ben Hur'. Needless to say, the expression "slumming it" has now been properly defined.

And I mean, let's face it... We are talking about a movie about marsupial werewolves so the film's overall potential for absurdist humor begins at somewhere around 11. There are any number of moments in the film where said creatures are every bit as funny in execution as you've imagined them in your mind and any scene involving human-to-werewolf transformations (the "money shot" of any werewolf film worth a damn) achieves this very feat in spades. The acting is atrocious... The script is mostly utter horseshit with the exception of a handful of laugh-out-loud moments... The effects budget probably didn't top 10 or 20,000 dollars... But all things considered, even though it's never once even remotely scary, this somehow still manages to be a pretty amusing little werewolf crap-fest within its limitations and modest means.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
8.0/10

Get Get Down 10/21/09: Zebo's B-Day Edition!

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Tonight we'll be celebrating Zebo's b-day in grand fashion at Get Get Down at Berlin. We'll also be visited by local selector and DJ favorite Hess for what will surely be a top-notch guest set for the occasion. There will be no cover from 11-4am so come by and show some love on one of the Chicago's finest DJ's day of days!

Bad Meaning Good case study #2: 'Basket Case'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Bad Meaning Good case study #2:
'Basket Case'

Summary:
A young, timid man by the name of Duane Bradley arrives in a deeply seedy, pre-Guiliani Times Square with a basket's worth of baggage... Literally and figuratively. Born with a semi-formed, conjoined twin brother attached to his side who is surgically removed during the brothers' teen years, our hero has ventured into the big city, basket in tow, in order to right his wrongs and seek revenge on the sleazy network of doctors who forced he and his telepathically-linked brother apart.

What might otherwise be a compelling premise (akin to something like, say, 'Dead Ringers') on the surface is rendered ridiculous beyond belief though (in a good way of course) as we realize that Duane's brother Belial is in fact what could best be described as a fully-sentient, gelatinous and squid-like blob replete with vaguely human characteristics and an uncontrollable penchant for gruesome murder. The end result is something much more like 'It's Alive' in practice and we get some serious mileage out of our comically absurd mini-monster as he cycles through his various rampages and frenzied terror sprees.

Duane is sidetracked along the way by what is surely one of the most weird, stiff and chemistry-free, love-related subplots in cinematic history but that is of no consequence for the tragically alienated Belial who will stop at nothing on his bloodthirsty quest for vengeance and reciprocation.

The movie also functions as a sort of time-capsule film that perfectly illustrates the bedraggled, unkempt cesspool of urban decay that made up that part of Manhattan for much of the 80's. Along the way we meet a wide variety of hustlers, prostitutes, thieves, rapscallions and just about every other manner of unsavory individual one could imagine; all helping to provide a suitably vulgar canvas on which the film paints it's broad strokes of absurdity.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?:
Technically speaking, 'Basket Case' is an objectively terrible movie on nearly every level (its Wikipedia page cites the film's budget at $35,000). If director Frank Henenlotter deserves anything resembling credit for actual dramatic affect though, it should indeed be noted that the film's direction delivers a great deal of 'Elephant Man'-styled pathos to the proceedings. The average viewer will likely feel at least some vague sense of sadness on the behalf of the film's anti-heroes and their unfortunate circumstances. With that in mind, the movie strays just a little too far from the kind of over-the-top ridiculousness necessary to achieve the perfect 'Bad Meaning Good' formula. In other words, a viewer looking for something truly, sublimely ridiculous MIGHT be slightly put-off by the film's ability to make a person actually feel something... But just A LITTLE. Because on a comedic level, this movie often comes up all aces and when it does, you'll find yourself laughing out loud.

The Belial character is simply one of the most ludicrous murderers in cinematic history. It goes without saying that the mere existence of such a living, breathing person would defy nearly every known law of biology and physics, and that the cold, harsh realities of our world would surely render such a creature's life very short-lived. It is of course this very fact that makes the character so laughably awesome and the sight of Belial doing his awkwardly violent deeds is the stuff of comedic genius.

So... Those of you who are finding yourself imagining what it would be like to watch said creature wander about in some wickedly dated stop-motion effects, decorate a woman's face with razor-sharp scalpels, eat a dozen packaged and uncooked hot dogs, grope the boobs of the fairer sex, or grasp a man's balls and lift him completely off the ground with one hand will find a lot to love about this movie.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
7.8/10

New Burial tuneage

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:44:01 +0000

I realize entirely that this isn't exactly brand new "news" per se but it is new Burial music and for that reason alone, it is more than noteworthy. The tune came off of the new 'Hyperdub 5: Five Years Of Hyperdub' compilation and what a tune it is! There's really not much that needs to be said about it... It's Burial. It's great.

As for the Hyperdub compilation itself, it appears to be the kind of 5 year celebratory release that you'd expect from such a fine label... It features both a first disc of brand new, exclusive material from the likes of Burial, Flying Lotus, Martyn, Zomby and others and a second disc of hits from the catalog's past, namely the difficult to come by "South London Burroughs", the first ever release from both the label and from Burial himself.

Big respect to Kode 9 and the ongoing Hyperdub saga!

Get Get Down 10/14/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:18:01 +0000

This week we return for another round of Get Get Down. Per usual, Zebo and I man the decks for the night's festivities, playing everything from house to nu-disco, techno to electro and bass music and party tuneage of a whole bunch of different varieties. Music gets going at 11 and goes until 4am. There is NO cover. Be there.

Bad Meaning Good case study #1: 'Mother's Day'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:35:00 +0000

'Bad Meaning Good' case study #1:
'Mother's Day'

Summary:
The 1980 film 'Mother's Day' was directed by Charles Kaufman, brother of Lloyd Kaufman (co-founder of Troma Entertainment), and is to this day one of the most popular and enduring films in the entire Troma catalog. The film is essentially an exploit/slasher hybrid that was released at the height of the slasher film's popularity. Interestingly enough, it was apparently filmed at the exact same time as the original 'Friday The 13th', directly across the infamous 'Crystal Lake'.

The movie takes many a page out of the proverbial handbook of a number of films that predated it, namely those of 'Deliverance' (1972), 'Last House On The Left' (1972), 'The Hills Have Eyes' (1977) and 'I Spit On Your Grave' (1978). Its story revolves around three female protagonists, each mutually long-time friends from college who meet for a yearly get together and weekend getaway that, in this instance, goes catastrophically wrong in every conceivable way.

Once we've met our trio of soon-to-be damsels-in-distress and have gathered that they are to trek out to the wilderness for a weekend of camping and R&R, it's simply a matter of time before things begin to get messy and sure enough, that's exactly what things do. The girls are quickly abducted by a pair of well-worn hillbilly stereotypes who, at the behest of their criminally insane mother, attempt to torture, rape and kill the women in that very order (with varying degrees of success). We all know that hillbillies (or in this case somewhat more accurately, mentally-incapacitated hillbillies) have never had the reputation of being master strategists though and the tables are quickly turned on the villains when two of the three girls escape from the dilapidated pigpen of a house they're being kept in and seek revenge for the rape and death of their friend (which they were forced to view in all its explicit detail).

It's a simple set-up really: The first half of the film establishes our heroines and sees them go through a series of excruciatingly repulsive sequences of abuses; the second half sees them fight back.

How 'Bad Meaning Good' is it?
The movie scores some serious laughs at around the midway point when the mother directs her boys through a backyard, military-styled workout regimen montage sequence to the tune of a hilariously bad "Rocky Theme" rip-off. The movie also features a shockingly effective final act surprise which alone lends the entire film some additional degrees of humor and creativity that I, to that point, didn't think it had in it.

Those familiar with the films of Troma know it goes without saying that the acting and overall production value is laughably bad from top to bottom. This is the kind of film where everyone involved in its production is TRYING to make a bad movie and succeeding in triumphant fashion. Additionally, like a number of Troma's other films, 'Mother's Day' is exceedingly unpleasant to look at. The whole thing has a sort of "aura" of filth that permeates its visual aesthetic. Whether with regard to the sets, the make-up and gore effects or the general "look" of it, the movie will likely make you feel repelled and nauseated on a number of different levels. It's just gross.

When a film deals with taboo-shattering subjects like rape and torture in an exploitative way, it always helps to have those involved in its production on the same page with regard to its intentions so as to avoid any ambiguous messages about the moral implications of what's taking place on the screen. With that in mind, the folks involved in this movie all seemed to have their tongues firmly planted in cheek and though rape is undoubtedly never pleasant to watch, it in this case comes with a sort of implied inevitability that the film's baddies will in time be on the receiving end of their due comeuppance. 'Mother's Day', in other words, makes it abundantly clear that it is above all other things a comedy first and foremost.

'Mother's Day' was in no way as groundbreaking or memorable as 'Last House On The Left'. It was however, far more entertaining than a film like 'I Spit On Your Grave' and nowhere near as mean-spirited or sadistic. Overall, fans of exploit genre films should find this one worthwhile.

'Bad Meaning Good'-O-Meter:
7.2/10

Get Get Down 09/30/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:22:01 +0000

Just one week after the success of last week's Pilooski event, we'll be welcoming the folks of Passion Pit to Get Get Down for another go-round. This week we'll be featuring a set by the band's drummer Nate Donmonyer aka DJ Shuttle. Shuttle has built a growing reputation on the strength of releases for the might Ninja Tune label among many others. The event will function more or less as an unofficial post-party for the band's show at Logan Square Auditorium so if you're planning to go to the show, be sure to head over and see us when it's over. Rest assured, we'll be excited to hear what sorts of dancefloor business he has to play for us.

Additionally, we'll be featuring a set from our local friend and fave Kid Color, who'll be lending some more disco-leaning sounds to the proceedings.

Per usual, the doors will open at 11pm. The cover will only be $3 and we'll have $2 PBR's and $1 shots as our special. Shoot me a message if you need more info. If not, I'll see ya there!

Bad Meaning Good 6

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:44:01 +0000

Coming soon, on Monday October 5th, we'll be adding another very, very stupid chapter to the ongoing story of 'Bad Meaning Good'. This time around, we'll be showing the notoriously repulsive exploit-horror comedy 'Bloodsucking Freaks', an all-time favorite of mine and Intel's and one of the most outrageous movies you're likely to see in your lifetime.

What is 'Bloodsucking Freaks', you ask? Well, for both a plot summary and some background on the movie's production, you can have a glance at it's wikipedia page. Additionally, you'll find it on this short list of Filmsite.org's most controversial movies of all-time.

It deserves to be noted that this is undoubtedly one of the most disgusting, tasteless and morally bankrupt films you're likely to ever see and if you're one to be offended by that sort of thing, by all means, do not show up. Then again, if you're reading this, the chances are good that you don't fall into that category and if that is indeed the case, I would suggest that you absolutely join us for what is a positively hilarious and outrageously awesome exploit film experience.

Here's a pretty fantastic retro trailer for the film... My favorite line: "The show that will make anyone... Retch!." Haha. Good stuff:

"Widow's Song"

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:34:00 +0000

... So I was watching 'The Wicker Man' for the first time this evening and got to the point in the movie where Britt Ekland performs an incredibly dated, positively ridiculous and unintentionally campy, naked karaoke version of a song called "Widow's Song" (see the photo above). It was one of those serious "What the fuck!" sort of moments and not just because it was so absurd but more because of the music itself. I was so completely astounded by how great the song was that I was compelled to instantly stop the movie and seek it out online. Upon further reading I came to discover that it is by far the most popular and recognized song that was recorded for the movie and for very good reason... It is one incredibly hypnotic and classically beautiful piece of music. Additionally, it appears the song has been covered by Doves, Isobel Campbell, Sneaker Pimps and a whole bunch of other people. With all of this in mind I'm surprised I've never heard it before.

Here's the original version of the song from the movie (You can see the original scene here... Trust me, it's hilarious.):

Get Get Down 09/16/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:09:01 +0000

Tonight at Berlin we Get Get Down once again with myself and Zebo as your resident jocks of choice. Come on through and make a night out of it... Consider it your warm up for next week's Pilooski rager. Stats: No cover. 11pm-4am. $2 PBR's and $1 shot special. It'll be all kinds of awesome rolled up in a big bag of fun.

Kompakt FTW

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:03:00 +0000

Will Kompakt's grasp of the quality control button ever loosen? I'm doubtful. Just for fun: A small glimpse at some of their recent releases...

CoMa - "Crystal"
I'm not sure what this video is about... As far as I can tell it's just an amateur video. The song is what's important though. This one's on heavy rotation right now.

Matzak - "Magneto"
I'm really feeling this one at the moment as well. It's a nice combination of straight 4/4 with a hint of swing-yness to it and seems like it could mix well with either style. It goes a whole lot of different places and I'm really struggling to either accurately describe it or summon valid references... Bottom line is I'd play it out though, for sure. Decide for yourself!

Gusgus - "Add This Song"
The Gusgus odyssey has been a very strange one. This band has very quietly been making music for over ten years now (I remember buying their first album when I was in high school on the strength of their "Believe" single and video). I've always found the band pretty hit or miss but their music is usually at very least interesting. This one definitely leans a little too far into Ministry of Sound territory for my tastes. But... That said, it definitely conjures memories of early, 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman'-era Underworld (in a good way). Kompakt needs to lend this one to a producer like Trentemoller and have him smash the fuck out of a big room take on it. It's relatively restrained as is but could be HUGE if placed in the right remixing hands.

Matias Aguayo - "Walter Neff"
This is easily my favorite track on the new 'Total 10' comp and one of my favorite current tracks period. This is one bad-ass motherfucking song. I don't know what to call it but to my ears it sounds like Kompakt beating DFA at their own game... And I LOVE it. It's strange and eccentric and oddly catchy and just awesome on a whole bunch of levels. Matias Aguayo scores again!

... And last but certainly not least, be sure to check out this interview with main man Michael Mayer in conjunction with the label's epic ten-year anniversary. Also, don't snooze on his 'Kompakt - The Early Years (1998-2004)' mix (at the bottom of the linked page) that he made to celebrate the occasion... It's SUPER propa. Congratulations, Kompakt!

Various Ramblings

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:37:01 +0000

Photo courtesy of Shayna Fontana.

A couple various things that have popped onto my radar of late:

This morning I read this article from last Sunday's New York Times Magazine about Spike Jonze and his nearly decade-long quest to bring 'Where The Wild Things Are' to the big screen. It's a really engaging piece worthy of a glance. Spike Jonze is an American original and over time I've grown to be a huge admirer of his work. Can't wait to see the movie...
Not sure how I managed to miss this super-slick, Richard X-produced Saint Etienne single but it's always nice to hear one of my favorite pop bands in top form and with this single they are indeed there again. I cant lie, this is an unmistakably Euro-centric piece of dance pop but when it's this well produced, I can't help surrendering to the sheer, unadulterated bliss of it all. Richard X is a great producer.
I recently found this ridiculously cool music project via James Holden's blog and instantly lost 15 minutes of productivity playing with it. A glorious waste of time, no doubt.
Last night I watched Persepolis for the first time and was absolutely awed and moved by it. What a great film. I can't believe it's managed to elude my grasp for as long as it has. For those of you who've never seen it, I would HIGHLY recommend it and give it my highest marks. It's that rare kind of coming-of-age story that is simultaneously beautiful and uncompromisingly real without ever resorting to any sorts of cliches or overtly sappy nostalgia. Go watch it.
The Stone Roses eponymous debut album has received the 20th anniversary reissue treatment. For me, that means that I will very soon be parting with money. 'The Stone Roses' is such a great record; what many (myself included) consider to be one of the very pinnacles of modern UK music. There's really nothing I could say about it that hasn't been said before. It's great. Go buy it.
This is my single favorite piece of music I've picked up in recent months. Who would have thought our man Sasha would be creating some of the most blissful sounds of 2009? What the fuck is this track anyways? I suppose it could be classified as some sort of prog-y, psych-derivative indie-pop but ultimately, I really don't care... It's just a great, great track. For my ears, this strikes the perfect balance between Border Community-styled prog-techno and the Mancunian sounds of the 90's. When that live acoustic bassline comes in over the hook it is just absolute chill-inducing bliss. I would pay top dollar to hear this on a beach in Ibiza at 5am but that's just me.

Anyways, I think that's about all for the moment. Yeah.

Pilooski at Get Get Down on Wednesday September 23rd

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:36:01 +0000

On Wednesday, September 23rd we'll be welcoming Paris's Pilooski to Get Get Down at Berlin. For those who've been sleeping under rocks for the past few years, Pilooski is the man behind some of the most enduring and well-received DJ edits in recent memory including (but certainly not limited to), his Franki Valli and Del Shannon edits; both of which I and just about every other DJ of discerning taste that I know played the ever-loving shit out of for the past two or so years. The man's got a real penchant for left-of-center, disco-informed oddities and has been building a steadily growing reputation for his fantastic DJ sets the world over.

We'll only be charging a $3 cover for the event and with that in mind, I defy any and all of you to come up with something cooler and more affordable going on in Chicago on that particular evening. Rest assured, the night's gonna be full of fantastic and colorful music and we couldn't be more excited about it.

In the meantime, here are some samples of the dude's editing brilliance. Have a look and give me a shout if you have any questions. Can't wait to see you there!

Popstatic meets DJ T. at Smartbar in October

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:11:01 +0000

Big news to report on the DJ front... I've been pegged to play an opening slot for the much beloved DJ T. at Smartbar on the 30th of October and it's gonna be a wild one.

For those that don't know, DJ T. is a co-founder of the mighty Get Physical imprint out of Germany who are responsible for some of the best-received and most enduring techno and tech-house oriented sounds of the past decade. Now at 7 years old, the folks at Get Physical are riding the kind of musical hot streak that has proven undoubtedly their position as purveyors of some of the most refined, musical and consistently great sounds in the business. I for one wouldn't count on them slowing down any time soon and nor should you.

This should be a fantastic opportunity to get out and unleash some of my favorite big room music of recent times, as well as some of the more subversive and interesting stuff I've been hoping to hear come to life on a serious soundsystem. Best believe I'll be bringing my A-game.

More info to come but for now, here's the basics:

Friday, October 30
Get Physical welcomes...
DJ T
DINO G
POPSTATIC
Tickets: $10 before midnight, $12 after midnight
21 & over
Doors: 10pm / Show: 10pm

Feel free to get in touch with any further questions.

Get Get Down 08/26/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:11:01 +0000

Every Wednesday night... Get Get Down at Berlin with Djs Zebo & Popstatic. Dance music from all eras. No cover all night long. $2 PBR and $1 Secret Shot Special.

TONIGHT: SPECIAL BIRTHDAY DJ SET BY ALENA

We are celebrating Alena's birthday so come out early and hear her b-day set!

We Can Work It Out 3

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:27:01 +0000

Next week on Tuesday the first of September, DJ Intel and I will be reuniting for the third edition of our 'We Can Work It Out' night at The Darkroom. We're super excited for the occasion and per usual, will be bringing our highly orchestrated, collaborative efforts to the table. As mentioned in the past, the night is dedicated to the music of The Beatles and the band's collective influence in as expansive a variety as possible. The following is our manifesto of sorts with regard to the night:

"On Tuesday September 1st DJ Intel and Popstatic will be holding the third installment of our 'We Can Work It Out' DJ night at The Darkroom in Chicago. 'We Can Work It Out' is a night devoted entirely to the music of The Beatles and all the band's collective off-shoots and by-products. By that I mean that over the course of the night, we cycle through Beatles originals, cover versions, live versions, solo projects and much, much more, melding it all into a seamless pastiche of sounds from different genres and eras... But all under the greater Beatles musical umbrella. With the two of us on four turntables and two mixers, you'll hear us play funk, disco, reggae, pop/rock... Whatever. We try to make it as expansive, colorful and diverse as possible while never straying from our Beatles-related theme over the duration of the evening."

I couldn't have said it better myself (actually, I just did). But anyways, the both of us will be putting in a lot of effort to make this one the biggest and most successful 'We Can Work It Out' party yet and we'd be thrilled to see you there. Feel free to drop me a line if you need additional information. In the meantime, have a look at a few of these sweet Beatles-related vids to whet your appetite...

Get Get Down 08/19/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:51:01 +0000

Tonight at Berlin. Yours truly & Zebo keep the party going all night long. $2 PBR's and $1 shots of course. Plus, lots of bangin' tuneage to keep the asses in motion. Yes.

Bad Meaning Good 5

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Remember my post about 'The Room'? Well if so then you had to know this was coming. I can't wait... And I'll see you there!

Kaleidoscope Eyes

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:31:00 +0000

Oi, oi! I recently stumbled on this amazing blog called 'Kaleidoscope Eyes' and it's been a near-constant source of visual inspiration since. As far as I can tell, the site is mostly concerned with fashion, art, photography and graphics; all with decidedly retro, mod, psych and generally nostalgic sorts of leanings. The site is a fucking bottomless reservoir of beautiful images, and I couldn't recommend it enough to those of you with a hankering for the sublimely visual. There's a nice mixture of what appears to be both original material from the head blogger in charge, and a variety of posts about other artists' work and the like. Check out a few samples below:

Get Get Down 7/15/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:29:01 +0000

Tonight at Get Get Down will see deck duties handled by Brian Heath and Steve Melvage. Zebo and I get busy in the early going... You know what to do.

Get Get Down 7/8/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:24:00 +0000

The growing popularity of our 'Get Get Down' night is no doubt becoming one this summer's most welcome surprises in Chicago nightlife and we intend to keep this party cracking in unrelenting fashion. This Wednesday's 'Get Get Down' festivities will include the singular talents of Chicago's very own Noise Floor Crew collaborators Local Hero and The Lady Foursquare. These two folks need no introduction around these parts and we obviously look forward to hearing them do their thing at Berlin this Wednesday.

Check the flyer for all related info... Otherwise, feel free to comment or contact me with all related 'Get Get Down' questions or inquiries.

The Room

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:48:01 +0000

Last Friday night I went and saw the midnight showing of 'The Room' at the Music Box. It had been recommended to me by a friend of mine at our last 'Bad Meaning Good' event and he had sung it's praises as a gloriously terrible movie, undoubtedly worthy of inclusion in the 'Bad Meaning Good' pantheon of shitty films. Being the self-styled connoisseur of shitty movies that I feel I am, I was naturally intrigued and wanted to know more.

So when I recently saw that The Music Box was running midnight showings of the movie, it felt like a rather serendipitous turn of events... Something I dare not miss under any circumstances. The stars had aligned themselves and I was destined to be there watching that very, very stupid movie.

However, I was not the slightest bit prepared for what I was about to get myself into. When I arrived at the theater it was a madhouse. There were large groups of people cheering and shouting at every visual cue that the credit sequence had to offer. They cheered fanatically at the first on-screen appearances of individual characters within the movie... They spouted dialogue in unison... They seemed to have a ritual to correspond with nearly any and all scenes in the movie, no matter how arbitrary or unimportant (and believe me when I tell you that virtually every scene in 'The Room' could be characterized as both arbitrary and unimportant). Clearly I had found myself in the midst of a serious cult phenomenon; one to rival any other I've ever encountered in the world of midnight movies.

Apparently this movie has been logging screen time in L.A. for several years now, earning it not only a huge, ritualistic cult following, but also a variety of recognition from noted folks in the comic community who have even been known to host private screenings and the like. The cult of 'The Room' is a refined beast of simultaneous mocking and adoration that MUST be witnessed in it's proper setting (the midnight show) to truly be appreciated.

There's little I could say about the feature itself that hasn't already been repeated ad nauseum across the internet. I can assure you though that what you may have read is absolutely true... 'The Room' is a mind-fuckingly retarded trainwreck of a movie from start to finish. It is a heaping, steaming pile of shit that defies description or even reasonable comparison. It exists in it's own sort of unique micro-universe of idiocy and it is... Absolutely, 100% bloody fucking hilarious from top to bottom.

'The Room' is a movie that could seemingly have been written by a 4th grader. It's a kitchen-sink drama that offers little in the way of ACTUAL drama and lots in the way of half-assed ideas, dead-end subplots and the like; none of which have even a remote sense of depth or gravitas. The sets are ridiculous, the acting atrocious, the writing is the stuff of junior high drama... All things considered, it's an epic failure on every level that a movie is meant to succeed.

What makes something like 'The Room' so endearing is that the man behind the whole production, the mysterious and elusive Tommy Wiseau (not just the writer/director but also the main character in the film itself), appears to have been trying to make a serious movie. There's no clear evidence in the movie that the endless parade of camp and unintentional humor that you're witnessing on the screen was premeditated or controlled in any way at all. It is this very evasive quality that gives the movie it's accidental magic and trainwreck-like qualities. It is an element that couldn't possibly be forced or somehow bottled; it is merely a colossal failure on the behalf of the entire production that somehow manifested in an end result that is both endlessly watchable and hilarious.

This brand of humor is extremely difficult to categorize or accurately describe given the accidental nature of it's existence so ultimately, attempting to explain the brilliance of 'The Room' can be a frustrating, if not entirely futile endeavor. If you're interested in reading more though, I would suggest giving the following resources a look:

-Official site

-View the trailer

-Entertainment Weekly: The Crazy cult of 'The Room'

-Variety

-The Chicagoist

-The Decider's Secrets of 'The Room' revealed

-The Onion AV Club: A Viewer's Guide to 'The Room'

-The Onion AV Club: Interview with Tommy Wiseau
(My favorite part of the interview being Tommy's response when asked about the predominance of cheesecake in one of the movie's famously absurd scenes: "I do like cheesecake, I’ll be honest with you. That to me, is coming from my life. Some people do like it, I’m one of them.")

... So yeah, there is apparently an endless amount of verbiage devoted to this movie in the internet and because of this fact, I've decided to forgo indulging too many plot or scene details and instead suggest that you all go see this movie as fast as you can, preferably in theater if possible, but if not via Amazon, where it's available for the modest price of $8.99. It will be the best $8.99 you've ever spent.

'The Room' will be showing again at The Music Box on July 24th and 25th. I will be enthusiastically indulging in my second viewing of the movie on Friday the 24th at midnight of course and I would encourage any and all interested parties to tag along for the fun!

Get Get Down 7/1/09

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Tonight we do it again at Berlin. Our special guests will be local favorites (and our close, personal homeboys) Bald Eagle and Pr3-Frosh - Two of Chicago's finest selectors. And yes, we will be playing... wait for it... wait for it... HOUSE MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG. That's right. You know what to do! See ya there...

Popstatic presents 'Kaleidoscope Pt. 8'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:42:01 +0000

Greetings good listeners the world over! We are now on the verge of a new July and the summer is fully upon us. With our new month comes a new mix from my 'Kaleidoscope' series and as is usually the case, this one is about two months in the making. However, what it lacks in the quickness of it's arrival, it surely makes up for in the quality of it's programming and hopefully after all is said and done, I'll have crafted something that the rest of you lot can appreciate for the remainder of this lovely summer.

I started this mix about a year or year and a half ago and this should be no surprise to those of you who pay attention to the various happenings around the world of techno because you'll notice that the mix is front-loaded with tracks that came out around that period of time. The second half, however, is full of tracks that are very current; some virtually brand new. This is because I revisited the mix after having originally abandoned it, liked the early results more than I initially had, and then began re-working it until I eventually finished it now. Not to worry though, I worked hard to retain a certain amount of stylistic consistency across the entire mix and the end result is in my opinion a mostly successfully one.

You'll also notice that this mix is a completely 4/4 techno/tech-house mix, which is of course SLIGHTLY outside the boundaries of what I'm used to doing. The bottom line though is that I feel more excited than ever before about techno and it's evolution. There is such a huge wealth of spectacular music coming from the global techno community that seems to be going relatively un-noticed on these shores. Yes, of course there is and always will be a dedicated techno faithful in the United States who remain very much entrenched in the subculture's most current trends and ideas and I certainly would never under-value these people in any way. However, speaking as someone who makes a living as a full-time DJ in the city of Chicago, I feel like this music is enormously under-represented in our city and also as someone who would LOVE more than anything to be out playing this music in public, I find it virtually impossible to get involved in events where I can push this music and still pull something more than even a modest crowd. Seeing as that this is the general route that my personal musical evolution is taking, and that I plan future musical endeavors of my own to fall in line with these sorts of musical aesthetics; it would seem that barring a huge social transformation of this city's musical identity, the future of my musical career seems to likely reside in other, distant locations. What this means to me will remain to be seen but the bottom line is that Chicago is no home for someone with aspirations to launch a techno career and that's an unfortunate reality for those of us who want to help make this music flourish.

Location-specific issues aside, I'm still feeling good about being a local ambassador for these sounds and feel like my personal growth with regard to programming this music has come a long way. I don't believe I've yet reached the degree of programming excellence that my favorite techno DJ's (folks like, say, Michael Mayer or James Holden) have and of course just getting there takes years of practice in front of live audiences (something I'm not getting a lot of around here, as previously mentioned), but I'm undoubtedly confident I'll make those strides in time and further build upon my ability to sequence techno and house music with the best of them. Perhaps this here mix could be the beginning of a sort of permanent re-invention of my musical identity... I suppose we shall find out.

So anyways, without further ado, here is the mix itself in all of it's glory...

Deadset 'Farm House' - Front Room Recordings
Sascha Funke 'Mango' - BPitch Control
Silicone Soul '3AM' - Soma Quality Recordings
Daso 'Meine' - Spectral Sound
Robert Babicz 'Dark Flower' (Joris Voorn Magnolia Miix) - Audiomatique
Kolombo 'Acai' - Boxer Recordings
M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade 'Donut' - Get Physical Music
Anja Schneider & Lee Van Dowski 'La Roulette' - Mobilee
Anton Pieete 'Players' - Intacto Records
Visti & Meyland 'Yes Maam (All Nite Long)' (Trentemoller Remix) - Eskimo Recordings
Voodeux 'Just A Spoonful' - Mothership
Ada 'Maps' (Michael Mayer & Tobias Thomas Mix) - Kompakt

... As is always the case, you can stream or download the mix in it's entirety from my podcast page, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or you can always catch all my 'Kaleidoscope' mixes directly from my Samurai.fm showpage. Feel free to chime in with any thoughts, comments, suggestions, or whatever else you might have in mind. Most importantly though, I would suggest you take the mix out in your car or on your soundsystem of choice and let it lend a little bit of bump to your summer. ;)

Cheers!

Photo courtesy of Shayna Fontana.

Get Get Down 6/24/09 feat. Hiroki & All The Way Kay

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:03:01 +0000

Tonight at Get Get Down we'll be featuring special guests Hiroki and All The Way Kay. As is always the case, the party goes down from 11pm to 4am and is free of cover all night long. Additionally, it wouldn't be GGD without the cheap booze so the $2 PBR's and $1 shot selections remain intact and ready for your personal consumption. House music all night long!

Bad Meaning Good 4

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:03:01 +0000

On the first Monday of every month DJ Intel and myself host our 'Bad Meaning Good' movie night at The Burlington in Chicago. It is a night of movies devoted to the offbeat oddities and cult favorites from the glory days of trash cinema. Every month we show a double header of thematically-connected films over free pizza from 8-10pm and then 10-midnight, followed by the both of us playing records for the remainder of the evening.

So... Our fourth installment of Bad Meaning Good is just around the corner and you know that means... Bad movies are the order of the day and we wouldn't have it any other way. This month we've come up with another pairing of deliciously stupid films to help numb your brain from the harshness of reality (and trust me, they will do just that).

Showing first, from 8-10pm:
The Stuff (1985)

Synopsis:
"A new taste sensation is sweeping the nation, it's "The Stuff!" When a miner finds a dubious, white substance seeping from the ground he tastes its magic and voila!... The Stuff is then packaged and sold to an unsuspecting American public. This campy B movie classic is an often hilarious parody of American consumerism filled to the brim with dark humor and scores of hilariously disgusting gore."

Yes, it is indeed a very bad movie... But an outrageously entertaining and subversive one as well. Additionally, this should give you a pretty good idea of what happens to a person who consumes 'The Stuff':

Showing second, from 10-midnight.
Street Trash (1987)

Synopsis:
"This very dark comedy follows the path of two transients and a hideously noxious adult beverage known as Viper. The homeless gents soon find that the libation, sold to them for a buck by the owner of a local liquor store, actually melts the body of those who drink it. If they want to avoid certain death, homeless brothers Fred and Kevin will have to resist the temptation to imbibe. ‘Street Trash’ also features a notorious “severed privates” scene in which a group of homeless men play keep away with one of their buddy's severed members as he watches in futility."

Honestly, this is too good to be missed. 'Street Trash' is undoubtedly one of my favorite bad movies of all time and what's better is that it has a trailer for the ages as well.

... Now, how can you watch that and not be completely, unabashedly entertained? I defy you to do so.

Both of these movies deal with themes about excess and consumption in the 80's and I think there's a great deal of Reagan-era commentary at play, despite the poor execution and laughably ridiculous results of the movies themselves. Speaking for myself, I'm a real sucker for entertainment that bathes scathing, left-of-center and beneath-the-surface ideas with liberal amounts of absurdity and outrageous comedy. That's just me. However, regardless of whether you find meaning in the message or are simply enamored with the idea of watching people explode in a hideous display of budget level special effects, this should be a riot of a time.

I'm very much looking forward to it.

Panic! on Saturday June 27th

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:31:01 +0000

Early warning... I'll be playing an hour-long DJ set at Panic! on Saturday June 27th. Panic! is a monthly party hosted by DJ's Pogo and Arturo and is dedicated to all manners of indie, britpop, new wave, electro and classic alt. sounds plus more. Anyone who knows me can testify that this sort of thing is perfectly suited to my tastes and I, for one, am super excited about playing the night. The party goes down on the last Saturday of every month and starts at 9pm. The door is free of cover until 11pm and is $8 after. I'll be playing my set from midnight to 1, after which I'll be heading over to Evilolive for Bo' Selecta! to finish off the night with Konsept and crew.

For more information about Panic! click here... And be sure to check out their flickr page here.

Those of you who appreciate these sorts of sounds can rest assured that I'll be digging extra deep for my set, enlisting the sounds of both the 4AD's and Creation's of the world, as well as a wealth of other assorted oddities and less-obvious gems. I couldn't be more stoked about the prospect... See you all there!

Get Get Down 6/17/09 feat. DJ Luke and Kid Color

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:44:01 +0000

Tonight we get down to our regular Wednesday night party business at Berlin for Get Get Down. Per usual, Zebo and I, your residents at the controls will be holding down the early portion while local faves DJ Luke and Kid Color represent as our guests of honor. You know what it is... House music in all of its many forms. Expect the unexpected.

We'll be going from 11-4am and will be serving up $2 PBR's and $1 shots. Get your dance on and do it on the cheap!

Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:25:01 +0000

I was just informed last night, or rather, earlier this morning that my old friend Casey in San Fran has been pimping this little blog of hers for quite some time now. I gave it a little gander (and YOU should as well!) and found that she's been offering inspired and interesting posts for several months now on a whole wealth of different fashion-related, music-related, art-related and generally awesome-related subjects (Yes, I did in fact just say "awesome-related"). Having just returned from a trip overseas, she's got a wellspring of information up on the front page about her various Italy musings and it's all pretty amusing stuff that comes highly recommended around these parts. Don't be afraid to reach further back, and into the future, for further explorations into the life of a fellow creative with both talent, humor to spare, and a lovely eye for life's details.

This one's for you Casenar!

Get Get Down 6/10/09 w/ Gant Garrard & Heather Doble

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:23:01 +0000

Tomorrow night will mark the fourth week of mine and Zebo's Get Get Down party at Berlin and as is par for the course, we'll be getting busy on the decks for another night full of house tunes in all of it's myriad forms. This week we'll be joined by long-time Chicago house and juke staple Gant Garrard (aka Gant-Man) and Heather Doble, two of the cities finer selectors, for what is sure to be another cracking round of tunes and booze. Come out early for Zebo and myself or come out late for our guests... Either way you're in for a rowdy affair. Feel free to comment on the post or message me with any additional questions or concerns. Otherwise, you know where to find me!

Basement Jaxx "Raindrops" video debuts, minds are blown.

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:25:01 +0000

... So I just finished watching the video for the new Basement Jaxx single "Raindrops", like, 5 or 6 times in a row and am completely mesmerized. I've been a huge fan of these guys' music for more than a decade now and have, according to what I've charted in my collection on discogs, 17 of their records in my collection. So yeah, I'm a pretty big fan. This is no surprise to most people that know me.

Those who've been paying attention to their exploits over the years know that when the Jaxx aren't releasing mind-bending pop music they're likely in the process of commissioning equally impressive music videos for their material. There are few artists alive who have remained as dedicated to the evolution of the music video over time, or who have created a comparable body of work in the music video medium at large (The Chemical Brothers and Bjork being two others who come to mind). They release videos for nearly all of their singles and the videos themselves are consistently clever, creative, innovative and often bizarrely subversive.

The "Raindrops" clip may very well be their best to date. It is an objectively near-perfect marriage of sight and sound rarely seen in the format and is likely as harmonious a visual representation of their sound that we are likely to ever see. I've always thought of the Basement Jaxx's music as this sort of cosmic, genre-bending, multi-ethnic, neon orgy of sounds and apparently I'm not the only one... Because that is exactly what this video appears to be. It's a kaleidoscopic and hyper-sensual explosion of colors that is absolutely stunning to look at from start to finish.

The song itself has been a bit of a creeper for me in the sense that I wasn't particularly sold on it at first but have grown to appreciate it more and more with each subsequent listen. I'm hoping for big things from this new record of theirs, as their records have provided for MANY a beautiful summer night's party soundtracking in the past. That sunken, filtered bassline and vocal accompaniment in the verse portions of the song strike the perfect chord for me when it comes to summer-sounding music and if this one starts to pick up steam in the clubs then we might have one serious party corker on our hands for 2009. We shall see...

Additionally, here are a few of my favorite clips of theirs from the past. Enjoy!

Bad Meaning Good 3

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:35:01 +0000

This coming Monday night will mark the third edition of mine and DJ Intel's 'Bad Meaning Good' movie night and a mighty good one it's going to be indeed. For the latest chapter in the 'Bad Meaning Good' saga, we'll be enlisting the cinematic exploits of two of history's very worst films.

Playing first, from 8-10:
Hobgoblins (1988)

Tagline:
"Be careful what you wish for... You just might get it!"

Synopsis:
While on duty at an abandoned movie studio, rent-a-cop Kevin, unwittingly unleashes a throng of malevolent, alien hobgoblins that have been trapped in a dusty film vault for 30 years. When the creatures begin to wield their power to manifest humans' wildest sexual fantasies, pandemonium and death ensue in director Rick Sloane's creepy horror flick.

... It deserves to be noted that 'Hobgoblins' ranks second only to 'Gigli' in IMDb's worst movies list; a distinction that us shitty cinephiles would consider honorary.

Additionally, here's the 1st of 10 segments of Mystery Science Theater 3000's infamous comic lampooning of 'Hobgoblins'.

Showing second, from 10-Midnight:
Troll 2 (1990)

Tagline (or taglines... I suppose there were just too many great things to say about this movie):

"One was not enough!"

"Be afraid...be twice as afraid!"

Synopsis:
A young child is terrified to discover that a planned family trip is to be haunted by vile man-eating monsters out of his worst nightmare. His attempt to save his beloved family is assisted by the spectre of his deceased grandfather. Also, there are NO trolls in this movie, only goblins.

... Due to its atrocious acting, campy dialog and seemingly endless amounts of unintentional comedy, Troll 2 has developed a cult status on par with ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. According to Yahoo! Movies Troll 2 is "by pretty much any measure... one of the worst films ever made"

The 'Troll 2' trailer in nearly all 2:30 minutes of it's unintelligible glory:

... We'll be serving free pizza on the house for those who make it in the early going. It will be available on a first come, first served basis. Additionally, stick around after the movies, as drunken silliness is liable to ensue when Intel and I kick out the jams for the remaining two hours. See you all there!

Get Get Down 5/26/09 with special guest DJ Autobot (aka Curtified from Flosstradamus)

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:51:00 +0000

First of all, I'd like to say thanks to all of you who came out to our first Get Get Down party last week. It was a big success and we're really looking forward to many more just like that for the remainder of the summer...

This week we'll be getting into some serious party business on Wednesday night for our second Get Get Down party and our guest will be none other than our good friend (and my old roommate) Autobot, better known as one of half of Flosstradamus. All the relevant info is there on the flyer but you have any remaining questions or concerns than feel free to drop me a line about it. Also, it's official... You can now add Get Get Down on Facebook!

Wednesday night: Get Get Down - Your new weekly house music desination

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:22:00 +0000

This Wednesday will be the first of mine and local fave Zebo's new 'Get Get Down' party. Each Wednesday night it'll be going down at Berlin (954 W. Belmont) in Chicago from 11pm to 4am. The night is themed around house music in all it's many varieties. We'll basically be playing any and everything that could even loosely fall underneath the general house umbrella, be it old, new, disco, french, ghetto, fidget, blog, micro... whatever. Each week will also feature a special guest and we'll be kicking off the first one nicely with our boy Skyler joining us for the night.

It's gonna be a raging good party no doubt and a great mid-week late night destination for those of you in the Boystown, Lakeview, etc. neighborhoods. We've been talking about trying to bring some top-notch talent through and are exploring ideas for more theme-oriented nights where we could feature, say, the music of specific eras, labels or whatever else strikes our fancy. One thing's for certain... The music is gonna kill every week without a doubt. Both Zebo and I are really excited to kick this project off and we look even more forward to seeing you all have a good time there.

Additionally, we've launched a blog to coincide with the night where we'll be posting flyers and all kinds of additional house music-related posts. You can find us on the Get Get Down blog here to stay tuned to all things related to the night.

So, give me a shout if you have any questions related to the night. Otherwise, I'll be seeing you all in clubland.

... And just for kicks, and because it's my favorite house tune of all time, here's "Tessio" for you in nearly all of it's 10+ minute glory (though frankly the quality of the audio is quite trashed). What a classic. If I ever make a song that good I might be forced to quit. Just sayin'.

I'm In Love With Tracyanne Campbell

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:50:00 +0000

"When you're lucid you're the sweetest thing. I would trade my mother to hear you sing."
-Camera Obscura, "The Sweetest Thing"

... With regard to Tracyanne Campbell, I'm unequivocally sold on the former statement of the two. The trading my mother part? Probably not... But I'd do damn near anything else.

Tracyanne Campbell is the singer and lead songwriter of what could very well be my favorite band (of, say, 2 or more people) currently making music... Camera Obscura. I'll be the first to admit I was a little late to the Camera Obscura party when I discovered them in 2006. However, I'm doing everything in my power to make up for lost time.

2006's 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' is one of my favorite albums of the last five or so years. I've listened to it some insane number of times. I loved every track on that record and in my humble opinion, for whatever it's worth, "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" is one of the greatest songs recorded in this decade hands down. Needless to say, I was more than a little bit excited when word began to spread over the course of the past year that not only was the band working on material for a new record but that they were also tapped by 4AD (on the shortlist of my very favorite record labels in the world) for it's release.

So, when the LP became available in the shops last week, I naturally went and picked it up as quickly as I could. For the ridiculously low price of $13.99 it comes in a beautiful gatefold jacket with an impeccable matte finish and a full-color sleeve insert to boot. There's also a lyric sheet within the gatefold... What more could one ask for?

How about a good record? Well, you get that too. This record has some SERIOUSLY fantastic moments, on par if not better than anything they've done to date. I'm not yet ready to call the entire record better than their last from start to finish but my relationship with it is a new one so you'll have to get back to me on that a few years from now. I am undoubtedly ready to say though that when this record shines, it's fucking spectacular.

The band has gotten closer to perfecting their own brand of 60's-inspired pop over the years and it becomes a more lush and refined thing of beauty with each successive release. Their new album sounds bigger, more expensive and better engineered than anything they've made to date. The arrangements are pristine, the reverbs warm and organic, the strings more intense than ever... It's a near-perfect contemporary re-appropriation of vintage recordings that sounds simultaneously old and new in the best way possible.

Additionally, the presence of Tracyanne Campbell, the lead lady in charge, has grown immensely on record and it seems from this devoted listener's perspective that she might feel more comfortable in her own artistic skin than ever before. There's a sort of confidence evident in her voice that has brought a new dimension to the band's recordings and I for one, am totally crazy about it... Like, listening to it every day for the past three weeks crazy about it. Her songs have always seemed personal and at times confessional but with the added depth of the new-found drama in her vocal performances, the effect is kind of like the musical equivalent of an up-and-coming, underground actor finally making strides towards wider-recognition. For hers and the band's sake, I hope that is the case (if indeed that is something they're trying to achieve... And I get the feeling it is) because they bloody well deserve it.

Tracyanne Campbell's performances can be alternately heartbreaking, funny, literary, sweet and dozens of other things at once. The fact that she's pushing her voice to greater extremes than ever before has also gone a long way in tearing away the facade of her previously unexposed, cuter-than-cute (cute being a word often associated with this band) Glasweigan accent. She sounds fully-committed and having heard what she has to say on the album's title track, I think the future is bright for the careers of both her and her bandmates... "This maudlin career has come to an end, I don't want to be sad again", she says. Here's to hoping she gets her wish.

The band will be making an appearance in Chicago at Metro on Friday May 29th. You'll find me somewhere in the building, awed no doubt by my favorite lady in the business.

Bad Meaning Good 2

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:51:01 +0000

Next week, on Monday May 4th, DJ Intel and I will be holding the second edition of our 'Bad Meaning Good' movie night. 'Bad Meaning Good' is a monthly event (every first Monday) devoted to movies so bad that they're actually good (hence the title). You may remember the first edition from a month ago in which we featured two of the cinema's finest performances by a WWF wrestler in an ode to Canada's beloved Rowdy Roddy Piper, right? Well this time around we're returning with a double feature of can't-miss martial arts masterpieces so outrageously stupid that they must be seen to be believed.

Showing first, from 8-10: Samurai Cop
In brief: "Los Angeles is under siege from the Yakuza's brutal Kitana Gang, who are running drugs and gambling dens and destroying the community crime by crime. To beat them at their own game, the L.A. Police Department has hired Joe Marshal, aka The Samurai, who's just as brutal and deadly as the Yakuza and isn't above employing their tactics. After all, he's not exactly a cop, so he doesn't have to conform to the laws of the land. This is widely-regarded as one of the single most inept and laughably executed films in history."

Here is just a small sample of the kind of riveting action you can expect from Samurai Cop:

Showing second, from 10-Midnight: Riki-Oh: The Story Of Ricky
In brief: "When his drug-addicted girlfriend commits suicide, Riki-Oh offs her dealer and finds himself locked up in a prison where the accused have no rights and very little hope. The prison guards torture Riki-Oh with a stunning variety of implements (which include pretty much anything at hand), but he fights back as if his life depended on it -- which it does! Watch as Riki-Oh disembowels people with his bare hands, breaks a human body in half with a single punch, strikes with the power to explode a human head with one blow, and pretty much annihilates any and every one in his way... And it's FUCKING AWESOME."

If you're still in need of hard, persuasive evidence that you need to be there then this little taster from 'Riki-Oh' should suffice:

... Once the second movie is complete, DJ Intel and I will close out the remainder of the night on the turntables. Per usual there will be no cover at the door, meaning that we're generously offering the screening of these two gems of cinematic perfection absolutely free and for your pleasure. I promise you'll be thanking us for this later on, if not instantly after the movies have ended, then certainly later on in life when you've fully come to terms with the profound residual effect that they've left on your psyche.

We Can Work It Out 2

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:12:00 +0000

On Wednesday April 29th DJ Intel and I will be holding the second installment of our 'We Can Work It Out' DJ night at The Darkroom in Chicago. 'We Can Work It Out' is a night devoted entirely to the music of The Beatles and all the band's collective off-shoots and by-products. By that I mean that over the course of the night, we cycle through Beatles originals, cover versions, live versions, solo projects and much, much more, melding it all into a seamless pastiche of sounds from different genres and eras... But all under the greater Beatles musical umbrella. With the two of us on four turntables and two mixers, you'll hear us play funk, disco, reggae, pop/rock... Whatever. We try to make it as expansive, colorful and diverse as possible while never straying from our Beatles-related theme over the duration of the evening. The event will be free and all the relevant information is covered on the above flyer (made by yours truly). We're hoping for an even bigger and better turn out than the first one we did in February so hopefully I'll be seeing you all there. Feel free to shoot me a message or leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns or other related inquiries.

April 18th: Record Store Day

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:01:01 +0000

This Saturday April 18th will mark the second annual worldwide Record Store Day. In a move designed to combat the downward spiraling well-being of independent record stores everywhere, a worldwide coalition of shops and industry folk have banded together to create a day designed to celebrate the mom & pop, brick & mortar record store in all its remaining glory. More than 25 stores in the greater Chicago area will be participating, offering exclusive in-store artist appearances and selling unique product released specifically to celebrate the day from artists across the globe.

If you are still a member of the music buying public, I encourage you to get out to your favorite shops and show your support for the people who still celebrate and encourage the buying of music.

Here is a list of participating Chicago area stores:

Algonquin Records, Des Plaines
Beverly Records, Chicago
Chicago Digital, Oak Park
CYKLOPX, Forest Park
Dave's Records, Chicago
Deadwax, Chicago
Dr. Wax, Chicago
Dusty Groove America, Chicago
Gramaphone Records, Chicago
Groovin High, Inc, Chicago
Hard Boiled Records, Chicago
Jazz Record Mart, Chicago
Laurie's Planet of Sound, Chicago
Permanent Records, Chicago
Raffe's Record Riot, Chicago
Rainbow Records, Barrington
Reckless Records, Wicker Park, Chicago
Reckless Records, Lakeview, Chicago
Reckless Records, Chicago Loop
Record Breakers, Chicago
Rolling Stones Records, Norridge
Second Hand Tunes, Evanston
Shake, Rattle & Read, Chicago
Sunshine Daydream CDs & Gifts, Mt. Prospect
The Music Experience, Chicago
The Old School Records, Forest Park
Val's Halla Records, Oak Park
Vintage Vinyl, Evanston

... If I've forgotten or missed any that you may know to be participating then feel free to chime in via comment and let us all know.

Happy hunting to you all.

Rob Da Bank presents Sci Fi Lo Fi Vol. 3

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:55:01 +0000

Last week I went out and picked up the latest installment of Soma Records' 'Sci Fi Lo Fi' mix series and very little else has occupied time in my car stereo since.

For those unfamiliar with Soma, they are a 15+ year-old, Glasgow-based techno and house label owned and operated by the DJ duo/production team Slam. For years now they've been well ahead of the curve, pressing up fine dancefloor releases from across the globe and generally adhering to a very high standard of quality with their releases from one year to the next.

Several years back Soma launched a DJ mix series called 'Sci Fi Hi Fi' in which they invite artists from both the inside of their label camp (Alex Smoke, Slam, Funk D'Void) and the outside (Ewan Pearson, Luciano) to create diverse and artistic mixes that span a huge variety of club music styles and aesthetics. The 'Sci Fi Hi Fi' series hasn't produced a dud yet and the mixes from Alex Smoke and Ewan Pearson in particular have proven to endure and remain fantastic listens from start to finish years after their initial release.

So, when in 2008 Soma decided to launch a counterpart mix series called 'Sci Fi Lo Fi' I was naturally intrigued to hear the results and see what it was all about. It turned out to be significantly better than I would have imagined.

The idea behind 'Sci Fi Lo Fi' seems to be a look into the more rock-oriented inclinations of DJ's and artists commonly associated with electronic music. The first installment of the series was helmed by Andrew Weatherall, a seemingly perfect choice for the inaugural edition being that he already had a reputation of being a punk and rockabilly enthusiast since pretty much day one of his epic career (this is a guy that plays punk sets at Fabric). The mix was a real winner and was full of all kinds of odball, left-of-center American punk selections from the past. It promised real good things to come from the series.

A second installment of the series mixed by Damian Lazarus seemed to come and go with little fanfare or recognition and for good reason... Not that there's really anything wrong with the Lazarus installment per se; it just seemed to completely miss the target with regard to goals and ideas behind the series.

However, it was only a matter of months before Soma came firing back with a brand new 'Sci Fi Lo Fi' mix; perhaps released quickly in order to make up for the second mix's aesthetic shortcomings and to re-commit the series to its initial themes and ideas. This new mix, produced and selected by Radio One's Rob Da Bank has been compiled as a sort of sampler of shoegaze tunes spanning from 1985 to 2009 and for the most part, it doesn't so much hit the mark as completely obliterate it.

Being something of a shoegaze adorer myself, there was little on this compilation that I wasn't already at least in part familiar with. In particular, the selections from Jesus & Mary Chain, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins and a few others are songs that I've been familiar with for ages and have listened to countless times. That in no way has diminished their greatness though and generally speaking, I find the music of labels like 4AD and Creation to be some of my very fondest records that I've known in my life. This is stuff that has no forseeable expiration date and remains as listenable today as it was 20 years ago.

This compilation could never really function for me personally as an introduction to shoegaze but for the uninitiated, this could easily act as primer in the curriculum for 'Shoegaze 101'. With only one glaringly omitted act (My Bloody Valentine) missing from the set, the mix provides a near-complete starter's snapshot of the many different aesthetics associated with the sound. It includes a few undeniably essential classics in the genre's history ("Just Like Honey", "When The Sun Hits", "Nowhere"), it includes selections made by international acts that demonstrate how the mostly British musical movement made its way around the globe (Dinosaur Jr., Ulrich Schnauss, etc.) and even shows where the next generation of shoegaze acts (M83, Maps, etc.) has taken the sound in recent years. All things considered, it's a pretty damn wicked collection from front to back and was arranged to be highly listenable in one sitting. It comes with my personal, utmost endorsement for whatever that's worth.

Additionally, the cd comes with an in-depth briefing on the history of the movement written by Steve Sutherland, editorial director of NME and Uncut (and this is exactly why cd's - or any kind of physical format - are still worth buying from time to time). It's a fascinating story told by someone who was there to witness the whole thing come to life in person and it's lovingly told, with a nostalgia about it that couldn't be faked. It also provided what is surely my favorite description of the sound that I've ever read, saying that the "whole darn mess was a throbbing thing of annihilated beauty"... Truer words are seldom spoken.

As I had mentioned before, I highly recommend the mix to both shoegaze newbies and veterans alike, it's an extremely well thought-out and assembled document of a musical movement that spawned some of the past 30 years most memorable music. Kudos to Rob Da Bank for the inspired selection and to Soma for another great entry in their mix series. Here's to more great things to come...

New 'Bo' Selecta!' flyer

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:17:00 +0000

... Just wrapped up this new flyer for Bo' Selecta! - mine and Konsept's Saturday night dance party at Evilolive. I'll be returning this Saturday (after last week's absence) so feel free to give me a shout if any of you are planning to make it out.

Additionally, I was playing around within the photoshop document for this flyer and was noticing these sort of accidentally cool Rorschach inkblot-styled images that were resulting when I'd strip certain layers away. Just for kicks, I turned this one image into it's own sort of incidental piece and I thought it was kind of cool and worth sharing. Perhaps this sort of style of graphic is something I can explore in the near future. Stay tuned...

This is what the internet was made for...

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:02:01 +0000

Popstatic presents 'Kaleidoscope Pt. 7'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:30:00 +0000

The latest installment of my 'Kaleidoscope' show for Samurai.fm is now up and available for download. The mix is available via the 'Kaleidoscope' podcast on iTunes or for download, directly from this site via the podcast section.

As for the mix itself, I've spent a long time in the process of making this one come to life. I apologize for the delay in its completion but getting this site up and running has been priority #1 since the 1st of the year.

Now that the site is fully operational though, you can expect the 'Kaleidoscope' series to remain back in business for the forseeable future. So... It is with great relief that I may finally present to you the latest edition:

'Kaleidoscope Pt. 7'

Tracklisting:

Franz Ferdinand 'Fade Together' (The Avalanches Remix) - Domino
The Three Degrees ' Collage' - Soul Jazz
The Mamas & The Papas 'Shooting Star' - Dunhill
Lemon Jelly 'Pushy' - XL Recordings
Quarteto Em Cy 'Cavallo-Ferro' - Odeon/Amazon (Brazil)
Electric Light Orchestra 'Jungle' - Jet
Fatboy Slim 'Gangster Trippin' - Astralwerks
David Holmes 'Rip Rip' - Jersey Records
Small World 'I Believe' - Music For Dreams
Andrea True Connection 'More, More, More' - Buddha Records
Hercules & Love Affair 'Hercules' Theme' - DFA Records
40 Thieves 'Theme From Nutrider' - Permanent Vacation
Bjork 'Human Behaviour' - Elektra
Royksopp 'Happy Up Here' - Wall Of Sound
Sugababes 'Too Lost In You' (Various Production Remix) - Various Production
Neon Neon 'Dream Cars' - Lex Records
Holy Ghost! 'Hold On' - DFA Records
Air 'Sexy Boy' - Caroline Records
New Order 'True Faith' - Factory
Blur 'Girls & Boys' - SBK Records
Bent 'Exercise 7' - Godlike And Electric
The Chemical Brothers 'Das Spiegel' - Astralwerks
Gui Boratto 'No Turning Back' - Kompakt
Gudrun Gut 'Monika In Polen' (Thomas Fehlmann Deer Mix) - Monika Enterprise
Franz Ferdinand 'Fade Together' (The Avalanches Remix) - Domino

... As is the case with most 'Kaleidoscope' shows, this is a mix that reaches far and wide, across multiple genres and musical styles in order to create something that is hopefully new and uniquely conceived. There are songs from the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's... Songs made by artists from far-reaching locales such as Scotland, England, Brasil, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Wales, Germany, America (of course) and for all I know, even more.

On a personal level and as of late, I've struggled to find new sounds and records that have interested me to the degree that I could create an exclusively brand-new or current selection of tracks over the last month or two (like I have done with the last two 'Kaleidoscope' installments). So... In response, I've decided to go another direction altogether. With this new mix, I've given a shot at integrating several songs that I'm EXTREMELY familiar with and trying to render them anew. By that I mean that I've taken a number of songs that I've known and listened to for many years, combined them with a small selection of recent tracks from the last year or two that have struck me as particularly fitting of the 'Kaleidoscope' aesthetic, and then integrated them into a seamless whole.

Songs like 'Human Behaviour,' 'Girls & Boys,' and 'True Faith' are songs that I've been listening to for well over a decade. Heard through my own ears, these are songs that have SOMEHOW remained listenable after hundreds of listens and though they may no longer pack the punch they once did for me (pre-saturation), they're still songs that I believe in, and that I think will remain relevant for years to come. In other words, when I'm out DJing publicly, am struggling to think of what to play next and need to fall back on an old standby, these are the sorts of tracks I tend to reach for.

I realize it's no small feat to integrate songs like these into a contemporary DJ mix and make them sound like they fall in line with what is happening currently in the club music world but frankly, I'm not sure I care. After all, the mixes I make for the 'Kaleidoscope' show have never been made with the intent of either making money or following trends; they exist purely as a labor of love type of affair, regardless of whether or not I ever stand to directly gain anything from them at all.

After all's said and done, and regardless of whether I decide to go with an extremely current selection of music for one show or with a more ambitious and wide-ranging selection (like this one here) for the next; I'd like to think that you can always hear the typical 'Kaleidoscope' aesthetic at the forefront of what I'm doing and that (more importantly) you enjoy it. With that, I'd like to wish you all happy listening with the latest edition. Feel free to leave any thoughts or comments in response!

Booka Shade Vs. The Metro

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:03:01 +0000

So I made it over to Metro last night to hang with my good friend Chris Barroner (aka DJ Bald Eagle) and check out Booka Shade because, well, everybody loves Booka Shade, right? ... And quite a party it was. There were probably about 500 people in the building and in a venue like the Metro, 500 can look like an awfully generous lot. They delivered a set that touched on high points from their entire body of work and, of course, made good on the promise to include the requisite hits from days past. It goes without saying that cuts like "Body Language," "Mandarine Girl," and "In White Rooms" were the highlights. In my estimation though, "Night Falls" is after several years, still a golden piece of dancefloor madness. What a track! Simple as it is, it probably ranks among my very favorite dance tunes of the past decade. Don't know why... I just love it.

What you see in that "Mandarine Girl" link is pretty much what we saw at the show. Apparently those synched video panels that act as the stands for their gear also function as their equipment casings. Pretty cool, right? (Now that's thinking outside the box - ZING!) Basically, these dudes and their few stage hands are traveling around the country by plane with all that gear in tow. The equipment is all compartmentalized within those custom-made boxes and come showtime, it's all unfolded, reconstructed voltron-style and then, voila!... Instant techno bad-assery with visuals via spaceage luggage devices! Genius.

I also ran into our friend Tim from Schubas and Steve of The Hood Internet who sent me the photos that you'll see below. The event was a wicked good time and a good showing for Booka Shade in what is surely their biggest headlining gig they've ever done in Chicago (because they obviously weren't headliners at Lollapalooza last summer). Kudos to them and here's to hoping that they do it even bigger and better next time around.

Padma Lakshmi creates jewelry line

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:22:01 +0000

Top Chef host and famed author, actress and model Padma Lakshmi (photo above courtesy of Shayna Fontana) is launching her own jewelry line. The line will be called Padma and will be making its debut through Bergdorf Goodman this May. Based on the information I know and have gathered, the collection consists of more than 50 styles of 10-karat and 14-karat gold jewelry, including necklaces, rings and cuffs, often inspired by food and taking on the shapes of pods, seeds and the like. It's all quite beautiful stuff and will be ranging from $375 to $6,600 in price. (There's a wealth of additional information about the jewelry available online so any further questions you might have can likely be answered with a simple google search).

Now, being that this sort of thing exists far outside my general areas of expertise, you may be asking yourself what possible connection this information has to me. I'll go ahead and tell you... I had the pleasure of designing the logo for the Padma collection and am happy to report that it will be engraved on the back sides of every piece in the collection, as well as being included among much of the various packaging and promotional tools (e.g. jewelry boxes, press junkets, etc.) associated with the line. I've included the logo below as well as in the multimedia section and will be sure to post in the future with updates about any further collaborative work I might do with the Padma line. In the meantime, I wish Ms. Lakshmi and her people the best of luck with regard to the jewelry line and look forward to seeing and hearing more about it in the near future.

Edie & Zebo's Wedding Reception Afterparty

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:52:00 +0000

This Saturday night we'll be holding a special event at Evilolive in coordination with Bo' Selecta! and in celebration of our good friends Edie & Zebo's wedding reception. You may know Zebo as one of Chicago's finest selectors and you may also know his lovely and talented sidekick (or perhaps he's the sidekick) Edie, with whom he's often seen in tow. It'll be a rowdy good time and much debauchery is expected to ensue. Our good friend Why B (of No Request Sound DJ's) from Milwaukee will be joining Konsept and I in turntable duties so be sure to bring your dancing shoes and come out to the club early. The party starts at 10 and won't let up until 5am. See ya there...

'Bad Meaning Good'

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:16:00 +0000

"Bad Meaning Good" A night of obscure and off-beat cult favorites from the glory days of trash cinema.

So... DJ Intel and I have launched a new event called 'Bad Meaning Good' and our very first installment of this party will go down on Monday April 6th at The Burlington in Chicago. If all goes as planned, the night will remain a monthly event (on the first Monday of each month) that will feature a double-billing of movies so impossibly bad that they somehow complete the full cycle of shittiness and become good in the process (hence the title "Bad Meaning Good").

Each event will involve a thematic connection between its respective two films and what better way to kick off the whole shebang than with a dedication to the singularly spectacular talents of wrestling superstar and Canadian national treasure "Rowdy" Roddy Piper? The double-threat that is 'Hell Comes To Frogtown' and 'They Live' struck us as such a mind-blowingly ridiculous and laughably awesome potential double feature that we had to make this thing come alive on the strength of this individual idea alone.

It deserves to be noted though that the two of us are bad movie enthusiasts of the highest order and in preparation for the programming to come, we've created an epic master list of atrocious films for future consideration. In other words, each installment of the event promises to grow increasingly ludicrous and those in Chicago with a taste for sublimely ridiculous film will now have a new monthly party to frequent which will remain unapologetically ambitious in its all-encompassing stupidity.

As for the movies themselves...

Showing first (8-10):
HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN

"In the radioactive wasteland of the future, Sam Hell is one of the last fertile men on the planet. A female organization intent on repopulating kidnaps Sam and sends him on a deadly mission to rescue - and impregnate - a group of beautiful women held captive by the violent bipedal amphibian leader of Frogtown. Will Sam and his "loaded weapon" survive the mission?"

Second Screening (10-12):
JOHN CARPENTER'S THEY LIVE

"They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. THEY LIVE. A rugged loner stumbles upon a terrifying discovery: ghoulish creatures are masquerading as humans while they lull the public into submission through subliminal advertising messages. Only specially made sunglasses make the deadly truth visible. Is it too late for our hero to save humanity?"

... Sounds amazing, right?

The two of us will then close out the night with a tag-team DJ set from midnight to close. Not convinced yet? The whole thing will be free of charge at the door! That's two landmark entries in the pantheon of shitty film available completely free of charge... One might wonder what more a person could possibly ask for within one Monday night's worth of entertainment.

More info to come...

Pretty Good Dance Moves Remix

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:56:01 +0000

So I recently completed a remix for the local electronic-pop band Pretty Good Dance Moves. The band is composed of two Chicago-raised gents Aaron Allietta and Jimmy Gianopoulis (now located in Brooklyn - and who I have actually known since high school) and the band functions as a sort of collective in the studio. In other words, the two are the main creative force behind the band and they fill out their songs with various sessions players, friends, vocalists, etc. for whatever purpose they deem necessary for an individual song.

I had the pleasure of performing with the band onstage at CMJ this past October and know for a fact that they're about to launch full-steam into the recording of a full-length record. I myself will be contributing production to a number of tracks, a few of which were initially sketches that came out of my studio. I'm really looking forward to diving deep into the recordings and you can obviously expect to hear a lot more about the progress of the recordings here. In the meantime, check out the remix I did. It's a song of theirs called "Demons Dancing" (you can hear the original at the myspace link above) and my remix turned out to be this sort of left-of-center, dubstep-influenced bass mix... Probably not suitable for dancefloor play but something interesting to listen to nonetheless. Let me know your thoughts...

Pretty Good Dance Moves - "Demons Dancing (Popstatic Remix)"

Greetings friends, family and other assorted folk...

info@popstatic.com (Jarrett Spiegel) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:09:00 +0000

Welcome to the new site. It's been a long time in the making but it's now finally here. I decided to launch this site with the mind that it could function as a sort of all-encompassing promotional tool for any and all projects that I'm involved in. As you'll see, it will include a multimedia section to promote my various musical and graphic art-related projects, an events section to push my various club nights and events listings, a blog that will feature a wide variety of project info and general musings, and a podcast for my Samurai.fm online radio show.

I'll be a newbie to the world of blogging but will work hard to keep the content updating and fresh on a consistent, and more often than not, daily basis. In the meantime, have a look around if you'd like and feel free to drop me any suggestions with regard to improving the look or feel of the site.

Cheers,
-Jarrett