dimland radio 8-17-13 show notes

Just Trying To Put Someone To Work

My day job has me working as an office manager of a small (and getting smaller, in fact it seems to be disappearing) janitorial company.  The latest challenge has been placing a cleaner in a property that has heavy security.  There are so many hurdles to jump over and I've been doing that with an employee who has been working for us for over two years.  I finally got him through the obstacle course and he started in the building last Thursday and on Friday he tells me he doesn't want it.

WHAT?!

Well, I cajoled him into giving it more than one night and he's going to do that.  He better keep it.

A Few Corrections

1) The name of that Suzanne Vega song is 'Small Blue Thing', not 'Small Blue Dot'.

2) Angela Lansbury was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Manchurian Candidate, she did not win.

3) The Discovery Channel did not air the fake documentary about mermaids.  That was Animal Planet that was responsible for that misleading program.

Never Found In The 80s: The Suburbs 

Having been absent on the Stuck in the 80s blog for a couple weeks, my blog series about musical artists that never made it with the general America listening public in the 1980s returned.  The latest finds me profiling another Minneapolis band.  The band is The Suburbs.  Kinda funk, kinda punk and always very danceable and fun, The Suburbs was big in the Twin Cities.

Click here to find out more.

Hollywood Is Considering Ruining Another Classic

I've seen it reported that the call has gone out for a crew to build sets for the reboot of the 1975 summer blockbuster classic: Jaws.  Why?!  Didn't parts 2, 3, and 4 do enough damage?

Lullaby Movies

It's a category of movie that I've come up with: good, interesting, entertaining movies that are paced in such a way or the music has a certain tone or for some other reason I can't point my finger on, can't help but put you to sleep.  Blade Runner (1982) is just such a movie.  As is Dark City (1998).  Both have interesting stories and are visually intriguing, but they tend to make me sleepy.

Actors Ain't So Stupid

Cracked.com is a fun site that has lots of funny and thought-provoking observations of popular culture.  One such list was on actors improving their characters or lines by not going by what the writers called for.  One example was from Blade Runner in which Rutger Hauer greatly improved his final speech.
 

Go here to see the entire list.

More On The Unpleasantness

I talked a bit more about the unpleasantness taking place in the skeptic/atheist community and how PZ Myers has opened himself up to a lawsuit.  He is, in fact, being instructed by the lawyer of the prominent skeptic/atheist to remove the accusatory blog piece and issue an apology.  I guess we'll see what happens.

I also mentioned Brian Keith Dalton's take on this rumor-mongering.  Dalton plays the character Mr. Deity (God) on the popular YouTube video series.  The latest video in which Joseph Smith, inventor of the Mormon faith, is lampooned is followed by a couple minute address by Mr. Dalton to his audience about rumors and accusations from anonymous sources.  It's very clever, without directly speaking about the current events.

Check it out here.

Movie Recommendation: Blade Runner (1982)

Warner Bros.

 

There are several versions of this classic (I admit having a soft spot for the original with the Harrison Ford voice-over and the happy ending), but The Final Cut is probably most readily available.  It's a really good example of thoughtful sci-fi.  Be sure to drink a lot of coffee, drop some speed, or snort some meth, so that you stay awake for this excellent lullaby movie.

(Dimland Radio does not endorse illegal drug use.  That was just a joke.).

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'Love Like Blood' by Killing Joke & 'Love Is The Law' by The Suburbs
Second ad break bumpers: 'Love Vigilantes' by New Order & 'Love On A Farmboy's Wages' by XTC
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

concert memoirs pt. 41 - fuckin' shit biscuits & the suburbs

Fuckin' Shit Biscuits (Minneapolis band)

With a name like Fuckin' Shit Biscuits these guys must be good, right? Well, it depends on what you mean by "good". Were they great musicians? No. Did they have great lyrics? I couldn't tell you. Were they fun to watch? Absolutely!

John and I loved it when these guys what make an occasional cameo appearance on Club Degenerate nights at First Avenue. Their music was a bunch of noisy crap, but their attitude was fantastic. They were a punk "jam" band (at least that how they were described online in the only listing I could find about them) that wasn't as concerned with making music as with making noise.

I know I have said that John and I don't do audience participation, but the Biscuits were different. Their idea of audience participation consisted mainly of having the audience throw beer at them. They would have the front of the stage lined up with plastic cups filled with beer as they began to play. The lead "shouter" would announce, "Free beer! Free beer!" The crowd would advance and grab a cup, drink a gulp or two, then throw the remainder at the band. Halfway through their first number, the band would be soaked with beer.

John claims he was the first audience member to throw a beer, thus setting off the tradition. He might have been first, but it was so long ago I can't remember.

We'd seen them several times at First Avenue. Always threw beer, sometimes paper airplanes and, once, raw fish. The raw fish was brought out by the band themselves. They threw it out to the crowd, so we threw it right back at them.

During one of their cameos, they gave out cassettes of their live performance and John managed to nab one. Another time they threw out guitar picks. I snagged one and discovered it had the words "Shit Biscuit" printed on it. I still have it.

They made a horrendous noise, but put on a good show.

A couple notes about the band photograph.

First is the circled audience member. That is very likely my friend, John. John and I both remember being at that particular show and it sure does look like him.

Second, John pointed out something interesting about the photograph. There appears to be no women in the audience. I can't spot any, can you?. It's all men. John said of this, "Seems strange having a bunch of dudes watching dudes in loin cloths."

Strange indeed.

The Suburbs (Minneapolis band)

I had intended to see the 'Burbs at First Avenue in July or August of 1984, but the event was sold out. So, my first time seeing the band and my first time entering the legendary Minneapolis nightclub would have to wait.

My inaugural visit to First Avenue would happen a month or two later (The Replacements, 9/5/84). I would see The Suburbs a year or two later at the Cabooze. This would be the only time I would see this band.

The Cabooze is an odd sort of club. It's located right next door to a biker bar called Whiskey Junction, and the two bars share an outdoor patio area. The layout of the Cabooze is long and narrow, with a back section that has two levels of pool tables and a bar.

The stage area is pretty cramped. The ceiling is somewhat low and from the stage the metal rafters are easily accessible. A fact I will refer to later. The stage itself is pretty small, but they managed to get the five member band on it.

It was a packed house for the band. They were already long established local legends and were starting to get real national attention. They were about to sign to a major label, when John and I saw them play.

Tight and highly energetic, they kept the joint jumping. And Beej took advantage of the metal rafters to swing himself around. I seem to recall him swinging over to stand on the bar and play there for a while.

It's a shame the band broke up just before they had a chance to break the national scene.

Incidentally, in 1996 I interviewed for the job of production artist at the failing Minneapolis t-shirt printing shop, Cold Side Silkscreening. (Seriously, they're in desperate need of business. If you need t-shirts printed get in contact with them. www.coldside.com ) During the process, it came down to two candidates; me and Bruce Allen, former guitarist for The Suburbs.

Bruce was quite the talented graphic artist, but, at the time anyway, he was also bursting with nervous energy. Bruce's edginess was a concern for the nearly comatose art directer who would be working closely with whichever of the two candidates they picked.

Apparently, I was the calmer of the two. I also possessed considerable graphic arts talents, so I was hired.

Sorry, Bruce.