Harte 10

I tried doing my research on Harte 10, but came up with nothing but geeky record collector lists. The only information I gathered was that they were from Hamburg, Germany and were together until the late 80's. I dubbed this album from a radio station I worked at- all I remember is that an early-period David Hockney-esque drawing of two men inspecting each others assholes graced the cover.

Harte 10 share many similarities with the German New Wave Ata Tak / ZickZack bands of the late 70's/early 80's such as Der Plan and Siluetes 61, but with a bit more of a Etron Fou Leloublan/Albert Marcoeur style of quirky prog.

Harte 10 - I Love You (Mp3)
Harte 10 - He I-O-Pe I (Mp3)

If anyone has any info, please comment..

Singapore Sling

I NEED TO SEE THIS FILM From Criminal Cinema: Singapore Sling is a damaged man who has never recovered from the inexplicable disappearance of his girlfriend Laura. For years he searches for any sign of her -- until one rainy night, fate brings him to the home of two psychotic women who may be mother and daughter, or perhaps lovers, or maybe even the elusive Laura and her demented captor who has bound her in a web of violent sex games. Director Nikolaidis thought he was making a comedy tinged with Greek Tragedy. Critics thought he was an unrepentant subversive who had cannibalized a Hollywood screen gem and then vomited it back in their faces.

Both were right in their own way; Singapore Sling is a riotous comedy, and it is informed by a certain sense of tragedy, but it's also one of the sickest, most disturbing films you will ever see.
Accenting its visceral transgressions -- which include lengthy torture sequences, gluttonous binge-fests and erotic regurgitation -- is the lush black and white cinematography of Aris Stavrou, which guarantees that youll never look at Gregg Tolands work in quite the same way again.

Watch clip HERE (streaming real media)

via Cinema-Permanent

Coughs

Chicago's Coughs churn up a well crafted wall of shit no-wave hardcore assault. The nubile six piece includes a klanky garbage ornamented drumming duo, whining sax, feculent guitars and hysterical screaming. Not your typical brutality, Coughs integrate more interesting sounds, rhythms and dynamics into the mix. Enough for total face decimation! They have a new CD on Load, "Fright Makes Right"

Coughs - Animal Hospital (Mp3)
Coughs - Penal Colony (Mp3)
Coughs - Starchitect (Mp3) ...lyrical gem "Frank Lloyd Wright, you're alright"

Their demos are available for download on their very outdated and abandoned website.

PHROG CLOCK

Phrog Clock (Mp3)

also...

"Wendell/Music Discussion" (windows media player/21 mb) from Cool Clown Ground

"I like spiders...I like spiders"

Spiderbaby, AKA The Maddest Story Ever Told, AKA The Liver Eaters, AKA Cannibal Orgy is a grand guignol of dementia written and directed by Jack Hill.

The Merrye Syndrome is a rare disease that affects only members of the Merrye family. It causes its victims to regress mentally to a state of savagery. The only living members of the family are the young children of Titus Merrye: Virginia (Jill Banner), who fancies herself a spider and likes to eat insects; Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn); and Ralph (sid Haig), who, being the oldest, is the most regressed- a six foot toddler. The children are watched over by Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.), the family chauffeur, who had made an oath to his patron Titus Merrye to take care of them forever.

Distant cousin Peter Howe (Quinn Redecker) and his sister Emily (Carol Ohmart) arrive with their lawyer Shlocker (Karl Schanzer) and his secretary Ann (Mary Mitchell), with the intention of taking over the property and institutionalizing the children. Hijinx follow...


Ronald Stein & Lon Cheney Jr. - Rehearsing (Mp3)
Ronald Stein & Lon Cheney Jr. - Spiderbaby Theme (Mp3)

Like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this film is an underrated masterpiece of the surreal and absurd...from the opening theme song to the premise. With its high contrast black and white and the action taking place in a large mansion with unidentifiable crap strewn everywhere, Spiderbaby truly exists in another reality.

The most notable and enduring aspect of Spiderbaby is the stunning cast- Lon Chaney Jr., in one of his last roles, has a sad a defeated gait. Sid Haig as Ralph, the oldest cretin sibling, is innocent and frightening. But Jill Banner as Virginia steals the show with her subtle naive sexuality. Through the film she slowly seduces her Uncle Peter with the smallest gestures, only to come to a head...


"I like spiders...I like spiders"
Spiderbaby - Virginia and Uncle Peter (Mp3)

The score was composed by Ronald Stein, who also did work for Dementia 13 and Attack of the 50 ft woman, among many others. Varese Sarabande has a collection of his music called "Not of this Earth". Here is one of my favorites:

Ronald Stein - Dementia 13 theme (Mp3)

Ford Wright: Voodoo Monster

I don't know much about Ford Wright.

Ford Wright - Voodoo Monster

This odd little recording came off Chicken Bomb, a 1996 Lumpen Magazine compilation which featured live recordings of Lake of Dracula, Monitor Radio, Flying Luttenbachers, and James Chance among many others. This song always puts a smile on my face.

Ford Wright was a part of Chicago based experimental theater group Doorika. I think they relocated to New York years ago.

Ford Wright - A Slave Boy Who Thinks He's A King

Slave Boy is a song from the Ford Wright & Nick Demopoulos production I, Medusa (redemption the hard way)...a musical exploration of vanity and delusion

"This production was absolutely phantasmagoric: a revisionist myth in the making. Anointed with alluringly literary folklore, tall tales, big laughs, haunting lyrics, melodic, melancholic hobo-jazz, and operatic spasms, a syndrome of wickedness, heroism, victory and defeat, a comedy of error after error after error, a sexually explicit epic dressed in found flowers, tattered tunics, and hand-me-down pleather."
.

DOT DOT DOT

DOT DOT DOT briefly existed in Chicago circa 1994. The band was comprised of Zeek Sheck, Jody McKhan (Math, Duotron, Monotrona), and Kelly Kuvo (Scissor Girls). They released one record of live recordings, most of it unlistenable. This record stays in my collection because it is a nice slice of what was happening in Chicago 10 years ago and the weird spontenaiety that was fostered.

This is the best track off of the record, "Valentine" with guest vocals by Bobby Conn.

DOT DOT DOT - Valentine

EXORCISM!

According to the Bob Larson Ministries website:

ITEMS THAT SHOULD BE PRESENT AT AN EXORCISM

1. BIBLE - "Take your own Bible so you can readily find passages of Scripture."

2. SNACKS & DRINKS - "If your ordeal is long and arduous, the victim often experiences extreme thirst.  Sometimes light, healthy snacks are helpful if you are breaking your fast. "

3. PORTABLE CASSETTE PLAYER - "I have also found it is helpful to have a portable cassette player with tapes of praise and worship music.  While taking a break from the ordeal to rest or rethink what is happening, the tapes are a means of torment to the demons and a further invitation for God's presence to be with you."

4. TOILET FACILITIES - "Make sure that toilet facilities are readily accessible, and never let the victim go into the rest room alone, once the demons have been aroused.  If the exorcist is male and the victim is female, it's important to have another woman present who can assist in this regard.  If the victim is offended by such seeming immodesty, at least make sure that someone stands next to the bathroom door and that the door is left slightly ajar.  I've had demons manifest once the victim in a trance state, the demons kept the person in the bathroom for hours, and thus stopped the exorcise."

Bob Larson - exorcism 1 Bob Larson - exorcism 2 Bob Larson - exorcism 3 Bob Larson - exorcism 4

Watch Tom Brown exorcise some people on The History Channel (windows media)

Watch 45 minute special on exorcism from MSNBC (realplayer)

Jon

Songs about dogs played on a creaky pump organ and sung in a high baby-like peep by a mysterious Japanese woman known simply as "Jon". These tracks are from the CD entitled "Smoke" on Tzadik. Rumor has it she has a self-released CD as well.

Jon - II Kawa (Tough Skin)
Jon - Chikkuntte Naru ("Chikkun!")
Jon - Sasatteru (Stabbing)

The Hunchback Variations

Playwright Mickle Maher brings together composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the Hunchback of Notre Dame for a panel discussion on the pitfalls of artistic collaboration. Their attempts to create an enigmatic sound called for by a stage direction in Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are thwarted by their deafness, unpleasant working conditions, and the fact that

Beethoven has not yet finished reading "The Cherry Orchard". The acclaimed Theater Oobleck originally premiered this piece in 2001 at Links Hall in Chicago.

This is an excerpt from the performance, which is 25 minutes long. You can purchase the CD through Hopes & Nothings.

Theater Oobleck - Hunchback Variations (excerpt) Mp3

The Hunchback Variations recently had another run a couple months ago as part of the PAC/EDGE performance festival in Chicago. Midnight Theatre Company in St. Louis has also been performing it.

Albert Marcoeur

Percussionist & reedist Albert Marcoer has been called the French Frank Zappa. His self-titled 1974 debut album is an odd mix of quirky percussion, strange sounds, and bizzarre playful arrangements.

All of his out of print material has recently been reissued. He has released a couple albums in the last few years- the most recent is only available on-line. You can order all albums at the Albert Marcoeur Website

Albert Marcoeur - Tu Tapes Trop Fort

Dave Whitman

From the Temporary Services Website:

Dave Whitman has been homeless for over seven years. Temporary Services first met Dave when he began to visit the exhibitions and projects that we presented in an office space we were renting in downtown Chicago. Each of us immediately felt that Dave was one of the most thoughtful, intelligent, entertaining, and insightful visitors we ever had. His astounding banks of obscure knowledge, completely carefree and crude sense of humor, and playful thinking made a powerful impression on us. We developed a friendship with Dave and found him to be unusually generous. He often kept us company while we maintained hours during exhibitions. He frequently engaged visitors in discussions about the work on view and helped us out during events. Dave would tell hilarious and compelling stories for hours on end. In the winter he often slept in our office.

In 2000, Dave and Salem collaborated cooking free bacon and eggs for people in the park. At this time Salem gave Dave a tape recorder and provided him with replacement cassettes and batteries. The recorder allowed Dave to document the incredible stories he’d been telling us. It gave him a space to recount his many astute observations. Over a period of several years, Dave recorded more than eight hours of stories for us to use and present. He had many stories about how the city’s public spaces are regulated and very hostile to his presence. His search for a remote place to sit where the police would not harass him often took hours. He recorded the unusual social behavior he witnessed. Dave taped his endlessly revealing and entertaining stories about other homeless people – including those whose panhandling scams he gleefully reveals, and the homeless who are “so disgusting that even other homeless people want nothing to do with them.” He made a series of recordings devoted solely to the homeless women that he knows or has encountered.

There was a period of ten months when we didn’t see Dave and were worried about his well being. After running into him by chance in downtown Chicago, we rekindled our friendship and began spending a lot of time together. Dave was interested in making recordings again so we provided him with a new tape recorder and tapes. This time he used the recorder more experimentally, often weaving background noises into his story telling. We talked about going to North Carolina together to work on the presentation of his stories at the museum. He had never been there.

At the end of Summer 2003, Dave disappeared again. This time it felt permanent. He had been planning to leave the country and was slowly raising enough money to make his escape. He left us with an undeveloped disposable camera that included the two self-portraits on these pages. He sent us one last email – an unsigned list of recommended books intended for a friend of ours - and then he vanished.

The CD of Dave's Recordings can be obtained for free from Temporay Services

Cecilitis
Chicken-Head Lady
The Most Disgusting Man On Wacker Drive
No Soap In The Washroom
Birthdays
Travis' Birthday

Smoke Is Like A Hair In A Half Cooked Slimy Egg In Your Mouth

I'm guessing this is a homemade subliminal tape for quitting smoking. Could be mistaken for Dada poetry.

This bit was found on WFMU's The Audio Kitchen with The Professor, a show which culled the oddest homemade amateur recordings. All shows are archived HERE in RealAudio.

Smoke Is Like A Hair In A Half Cooked Slimy Egg In Your Mouth Mp3