M Is FOR MASHUP - October 15th, 2014
The Sinister Season...In A Moody Mood : A Halloween Mashup Album
By DmR of AtoZ
( Guest Columnist )
Bits n' bites about the tracks and such :
On one hand, many mashers have done technically impressive work using elements from modern techno and dance-tracks, or used the backing from current pop-charters . . but I don't usually hear much very ominous and seasonally spooky in the offerings of Lady Katy or Miley Bieber ! (( of course, Voicedude really did manage to make "Call Me Maybe" spooky as chilled hell with his "Nightmare Maybe" in 2012 . . but it's rare when it's scary . . it sure is rarey !! ))
Now . . . take that "not really that hair-raising" aspect of "Thriller" & "Ghostbusters", add several points cuz' they're so synonymous with Ween-Times, then subtract all those points ( plus a few more ) cuz they've been pounded into the unearthly earth by mashers using them till the mutant zombie cows come home !
( We're not even mentioning "Monster Mash", that cringe-worthy piece of non-scary overplayed tripe ! )
I was even told, on the weekend of 10/4/14, that the masher-pal at the helm of 'another major comp' this year had stipulated -- "Alright you guys, no "Thriller", "Ghostbusters", or "Monster Mash" . . . and he still got several !!
So yeah . . . we're teasing you with "Thrillbusters" . . even moreso cuz it sounds like it'd actually work a treat . . . but it's a nasty snob-ass trick ! It opens like it's all "ok gang, here we go !" . . . Vincent Price does his maniacal laugh over the intro, so already we be mashin' . . . ( and btw, maniacal laughs & evil mad chuckles ? . . . plus groaning winds
and thunder-claps ? . . . these are even more played-out then the songs maligned above ! ) . .
Then ! -- Michael comes in Thrillering and while you're goin' "yeah !", you should also just be thinking
"oh geez, not these again" . . . which is precisely when we hear "no no-No", and that right there is a sample of Useo doin' his Peter Lorre from our "BeatleWeen" comp of 2012 !
We was both on other people's comps last year, but this is our 1st co-hosted project since then, so it's an extra-spiffy touch to have that thread from that one to this next. This intro-piece then has Count Floyd admit "alright !, it wasn't scary !!" / and Sting ( who appears a few tracks later ) adds "no way !" . . . with John Cleese from "Holy Grail" insisting on "no more !" And behind those, the massive sounds of a shut-down is Superman disabling The World Engine from last year's "Man of Steel". So . . No ! . . just stop it . . it wasn't scary . . no way ! Let's genuinely dig deeper for goose pimplers, shall we ?
"Blood On the Doll" -=AtoZeo *Anarchy Club vs Tone-L?c is the Anarchy Club's "Blood Doll" vocal & guitar over Tone-L?c's "Loc'in On The Shaw". It, and "Ghost Torso", are both AtoZ / DJ Useo collaborations that surprised and delighted us both, by taking AtoZeo to a real and "next level" stage of true collabbing ! And in both cases the path was pretty much the same : I had my mad hands full with the bunch I was already workin' on, so I sent Usey 4 or 5 of my intended instrumental tracks I thought he could maybe layer some coolish ghoulish ideas on. For 2 he sent a demo with his pickings upon ! For "Blood On the Doll" he added 3 tracks of Anarchy Club's vocal / their guitar part / and a track of maniacal snickers and moans called "lunatic laughter".
But all 3 ran pretty packed thru the song start-to-finish . . . so I felt I could strip it down and build it back up . . rearrange and remix, don't cha' know ?
Open it up some more, you see.
"Devil's Dandruff Dust Storm" -=AtoZeo
Late in the assembly of this comp, days before October was upon us, Useo comes up with a winning winner in 2 important regards :
it's quick to present itself as a different sort of collaborative vessel for AtoZeo . . . .
. . . . and it's the perfect capper-track to close the comp!
The previous AtoZeos are masher-sandwiches ---- I send Usey a track I think he could build on and surprise me // he sends me demos with his ideas rather fully fleshed // I am excited enough to envision further production, arranging and mixing. Me to Him to Me . . . ( uhm, . . . to You ! )
This time Useo sent me a few more submissions, in his third batchy folder over the month or so, and "Devil's Dandruff Dust Storm" arrived complete and ready.
He'd taken Robin William's "Devil's Dandruff" bit from 1983's "Throbbing Python of Love", and found the perfect instrumental with Popof's "Dust Storm" to underscore Robin's portrayal of cocaine's festering effects and messed-up mania ! It simmers . . . it builds !
I "simply" wanted to embellish the shaky & sweaty demonic picture Robin painted, and for this piece there was no rearranging or remixing of what Useo had put together . . . but plenty of "adding the inner voices and unhinged urges", plus ? . . . the devil's dandruff might be that much more Weenful if the devil actually plays his part here his satany self !!
Useo has heard the piece in progress I've been working on since mid-August . . begun a week after Robin left this mortal coil. --- [ "Everybody Gets Pudding !! (( I Eat Wood . . How About You ? ))" . . projected spring release ]
The samples I collected in a Robin-folder number 418 at this point, so this was also an ideal place to use some that hadn't yet fit that tribute piece.
Those . . and every other voicing in "Devil's Dust" here are all Robin !
As far as this being the "perfect closing track" :
After a comp filled with beasties and monsties --- allegedly "fictional" creatures of our nightmares and frightening fables --- we arrive at the end of a haunted night into a real-life fever dream of a personal monster consuming a tortured soul.
Or more simply ? . . . a living & possible possession that might could actually get you !!
Now that's scary, kids !
The Sinister Season...In A Moody Mood : A Halloween Mashup Album
Full zip file with one discs worth of single tracks, plus one long, single track of every mashup
available here
( dmrofatoz.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-sinister-season-in-moony-mood.html )
Preview stream, & download of long, single track of every mashup
available here
( dmrofatoz.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-sinister-season-in-moony-mood.html )
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Andrew Tobias: How To Lower Unemployment
MITT PROMISED TO GET IT DOWN TO 6% IN FOUR YEARS. BARACK DID IT IN UNDER TWO.
15 Famous People Who Lied Their Way to Fame (Cracked)
We understand Hollywood is made up of thief, liars, and amazingly talented CGI artists -- but we just can't let some of the most blatant cases slide.
Michele Hanson: We must stop this cavalier slaughtering of animals (Guardian)
We need to cut our meat consumption by 50% over the next 40 years or we're stuffed. As it's Vegetarian Awareness Month, let's all make a start.
Dorian Lynskey: "U2: 'It's the job of art to be divisive'" (Guardian)
Thirty years after becoming the biggest band in the world, Bono and co still polarise opinion. Here, taking a break in the Côte d'Azur, they discuss the Ireland of their youth, their Apple album giveaway - and why Bono works with people he would have once loathed.
Abhimanyu Das and Charlie Jane Anders: "Post-Scarcity Societies (That Still Have Scarcity)" (io9)
One of the most alluring dreams in science fiction is the post-scarcity society - a place or time where nobody goes without, because technology has improved. But when you dig deeper, most post-scarcity worlds still have some scarcity, because otherwise it's hard to tell a story about them. See for yourself!
Craig Hubert: "David Cronenberg: Why Frustrated Novelists Hate the Screenplay" (The Daily Beast)
Filmmaker David Cronenberg on the origins of his first novel 'Consumed,' his distaste for the screenplay, and why he's looking forward to somebody destroying his book in the future.
The School of Life: What is Literature for? (YouTube)
Why should we spend our time reading novels and poems when, out there, big things are going on?
Sam Jackson: 6 Outdated Myths Everyone Still Believes About Homosexuality (Cracked)
Only half a century ago, homosexuality was society's worst-kept secret -- everyone knew it existed, but you didn't see gay people on TV or movies, and you didn't talk about them at Thanksgiving dinner.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
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took the day off.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and a bit cooler.
Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction
Naomi Klein
Canadian journalist and social activist Naomi Klein has won this year's Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.
The Montreal native took the $60,000 honour Tuesday night in Toronto for "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate" (Knopf Canada).
She beat out four other authors for the prize, which is said to be the richest annual literary award for a book of non-fiction published in Canada.
Toronto-based Klein is well known for her previous books, "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies" and "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism."
Naomi Klein
Howard Stern Interview
Neil Young
Howard Stern has been asked many times over the years to name his number one dream guest and his answer has never changed: Neil Young. His dream finally came true Tuesday morning when Young entered his studio at SiriusXM headquarters in midtown Manhattan for a 90-minute interview promoting his new book Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars, his new digital music service Pono and his upcoming album Storytone. Here are 12 things we learned from the incredible interview.
1. Young was understandably nervous about appearing on the show for the first time. "I woke up this morning at 4:30," he said. "I was thinking to myself, 'God, what's he going to ask me about?' I couldn't go back to sleep. Some of the thing we got into in a very kind and nice way could have upset my family and my kids. We didn't do that, which I really appreciate. People say things without understanding the depth of damage they do to people's lives."
2. He's smoking weed again, occasionally. "I do it every once in a while," he said. "Just a little tiny bit." Stern gave it up years ago because it makes him paranoid, but Young had the solution. "Try black pepper balls if you get paranoid," he said. "Just chew two or three pieces. I just found this out myself. Try it."
3. He wasn't kidding last week when he said he's never going to perform with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young ever again. "Playing with Stills and Nash in that band was really great," he said, intentionally leaving out a certain other member. "I wish [Crosby] the best with his life. There's love there. There's just nothing else there. [A reunion] will never happen. Never happen, no, not in a million years….You have to think about things before you do them. If you make a mistake, you have to fix it right away. [A reunion] will never happen. You don't have to worry about it. It's easy to say 'no.'"
For the rest - Neil Young
Parthenon Marbles
Amal Clooney
A team of London lawyers met with the Greek government Tuesday to discuss potential legal action to boost Greece's long but so far futile campaign to reclaim the 5th-century B.C. Parthenon Sculptures from Britain.
Culture Minister Costas Tassoulas said he had long discussions with the lawyers - including Amal Clooney, who recently married U.S. actor George Clooney - on how to overcome British opposition in what is the most famous cultural heritage dispute in the world.
The marble sculptures decorated the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis for more than 2,000 years. They were removed at the beginning of the 19th Century by Scottish nobleman Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, at a time when it was considered both fashionable and enlightened for major European powers to gather and display ancient art from other cultures with scant regard for legal niceties. They have been displayed in London's British Museum since 1816.
Athens maintains they were illegally removed while Greece was still under Turkish occupation and should be returned for display in a new Athens museum - which the British Museum and the British government reject.
Amal Clooney
Squid Swarm Attacks Research Sub
Greenpeace
A video featuring a squid swarm attacking a research submarine has gone viral after being posted on Vine by Greenpeace.
As of Tuesday morning, the six-second video had been shared more than two million times since being posted in honour of October's annual Cephalopod Awareness Week, said John Hocevar, a marine biologist with Greenpeace. The informal celebration of octopuses, squid and their eight-armed kin takes place each year starting Oct. 8.
Hocevar said the squid are "used to being able to eat pretty much anything they find," so it makes sense for them to try their luck with the sub.
The squid in the video belong to a species known as opalescent squid, or "market squid," as the species often winds up in dishes such as calamari.
Greenpeace
Pentagon: 'Immediate' National Security Risk
Climate Change
Rising global temperatures, rapidly melting arctic ice and other effects of climate change are posing immediate risks to US national security and military and humanitarian operations, the Pentagon warned Monday.
In a comprehensive report billed as a roadmap for adapting to climate change, the Defense Department said it has begun to boost its "resilience" and ensure mission readiness is not compromised in the face of rising sea levels, increasing regularity of natural disasters, and food and water shortages in the developing world.
"Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's ability to defend the nation and poses immediate risks to US national security," according to the report.
"A changing climate will have real impacts on our military and the way it executes its missions."
The roadmap aims to adapt to climate change in part by integrating the risks into war games, strategic defense planning and how the military stores and transports supplies.
Climate Change
Fracking Triggers More Earthquakes
Ohio
A new study connects some 400 micro-earthquakes near the town of Canton, in Harrison County, to hydraulic fracturing wells. The three wells operated from September through October 2013 in the Utica Shale. Ten of the quakes registered between magnitude 1.7 and magnitude 2.2, but the tremors were too deep to cause damage or to be easily felt by people, according to the study, published today (Oct. 14) in the journal Seismological Research Letters.
The new study is the second report this year of fracking-linked earthquakes from drilling in the Utica Shale. The shale is a rock formation that is deeper and closer than the Marcellus Shale to the crystalline basement rocks where faults are more common. In March, scientists with Ohio's Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) shut down drilling at seven Utica Shale gas wells in Poland Township after fracking triggered two small earthquakes. The ODNR now requires monitoring of seismic activity at fracking sites near known fault lines, and reducing the flow of water if earthquakes begin to occur.
The Harrison case is one of the few scientifically documented incidents of hydraulic fracturing causing felt earthquakes, said lead study author Paul Friberg, a seismologist and owner of Instrumental Software Technologies Inc. (ISTI). Harrison County is the fifth documented case in the world, Friberg said. The other locations include Oklahoma; the United Kingdom; British Columbia, Canada; and Ohio's Poland Township.
Because the earthquakes line up in an east-west direction in ancient crystalline rocks beneath the Utica Shale, Friberg and his co-authors think the fracking activated a small, unknown fault. The fracking water could have "greased" the fault, unclamping the fracture and allowing it to slip.
Ohio
Strip Hotel Lays Off Workers
SLS Las Vegas
One of the newest names on the Las Vegas Strip has laid off staff and cut restaurant hours less than two months after opening
Officials with the SLS Las Vegas casino-hotel didn't provide a number of layoffs but said it accounted for less than 2 percent of its total workforce. SBE Group, the Los Angeles-based company that owns the hotel, said at the time the hotel opened Aug. 23 that it had hired for about 3,400 jobs.
A statement from the company says the layoffs weren't specific to any department at the 1,600-room property. SLS Las Vegas replaced the Sahara casino, shuttered in 2011.
Rich Mbariket who designed the digital video advertisements for the casino-hotel's nightclubs seen on the hotel's marquee, was among those laid off. He posted the news to his personal blog Friday after refusing the company's severance offer.
SLS Las Vegas
Secret Money
Wisconsin
When billionaire Chris Cline's company bought an option to mine a swath of northern Wisconsin in 2010, the company touted the project's potential to bring up to 700 well-paid jobs to a hard-pressed part of the state.
But the Florida-based company wanted something in return for its estimated $1.5 billion investment-a change to Wisconsin law to speed up the iron mining permit process.
So, Cline officials courted state legislators and hired lobbyists. And, unbeknownst to Wisconsin voters and lawmakers, the company waged a more covert campaign, secretly funding a nonprofit advocacy group that battered opponents of the legislation online and on the airwaves.
Since the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on politics, hundreds of millions of dollars have flooded into the political system-much of it through nonprofit groups that have no legal obligation to identify their donors.
Usually such efforts remain hidden from view, leaving voters unaware of who's paying for the gush of campaign calls, flyers and attack ads. But a court filing recently made public by a federal appeals court in Chicago provides a rare look at how so-called "dark money" groups helped one company get what it wanted.
Wisconsin
One-Ton
Pumpkin
A one-ton pumpkin grown in Northern California has been declared the heaviest ever cultivated in North America, and an organization is arranging to fly the giant gourd to New York where it will be featured in a botanical garden.
The pumpkin, which was grown in Napa Valley north of San Francisco, was put on the scale on Monday at an event tied to the upcoming Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival and weighed in at 2,058 pounds (933 kg), said festival spokesman Tim Beeman.
The pumpkin is the heaviest ever grown in North America, beating a record set last year by another pumpkin from Napa Valley, said David Stelts, president of the nonprofit Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, which overseas competitions for the staple of Halloween and Thanksgiving.
The pumpkin will be flown to New York this week to be displayed in the city's Botanical Garden, along with two other massive pumpkins from different parts of the country, Stelts said. Plans are in the works for it to be shown on the syndicated morning program "LIVE with Kelly and Michael" on Thursday, he said.
John Hawkley, the Napa Valley man who grew the pumpkin, collected $13,348 in prize money for the pumpkin, Beeman said.
Pumpkin
In Memory
Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens
Keyboardist Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, member of Jack White's band and former member of Mars Volta, has died in the middle of the band's tour in Mexico. Owens was 38.
Third Man Records announced the news, stating that out of respect for the musician, the remaining Mexican tour dates have been cancelled.
"It is with great sadness that we tell the world of the passing of the incredible musician Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens. He will be missed and loved forever by his family, friends, bandmates and fans," reads the statement. "We will all miss you Ikey. You were and are an incredible artist."
Owens began his career playing in various bands in Long Beach, Calif., including his own, Free Moral Agents. He played with the Mars Volta from 2001 to 2009, and joined White's band in 2012. He has appeared on both of White's solo albums.
According to Mexico's Periodico Digital, Owens was found dead in his hotel room Tuesday morning, though the exact cause of death is under investigation.
Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens
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