Major Lazer – ‘Get Free’ feat. Amber (of Dirty Projectors)
Futuristic post-apocalyptic science fiction animation epicness that is beautiful, sad and awesome all at once.
PillowTalk – Sunny (Original Mix)
Another great track to chill with your friends on a patio with. This re-mix from Pillowtalk is of the classic 1966 track from Bobby Hebb.
Mak & Pasteman – Do The Same
This video demonstrates what I’ve always understood to be true; you don’t need a million bucks to shoot a video. Here we have everyday elements like water droplets and driving at night that match the beat perfectly. The only thing that rivals the video here is the song itself, which is a big big tune, so crank the speakers for this one. It’s a banger, and over six minutes long. Proper!
Scopolamine, also known as The Devil’s Breath is a drug extracted from a plant commonly grown in Colombia. Why call it the Devils breath you ask? Because it terrifyingly removes your ability for free will, which makes it a favourite weapon to use on unsuspecting victims. Vice Documentarian Ryan Duffy tracks down the drug, the dealers, the hookers and the victims that fell prey to this horrific drug. I would certainly consider this to be the most riveting short doc I’ve seen in some time. Check it out below.
“And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.”
― Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak who gave us one of the most celebrated children’s books for generations Where The Wild Things Are (originally written in 1963) passed away yesterday. If you’re anything like me this book meant the world to you growing up. It wasn’t just the fantastical illustrations that took us into another fascinating world, though that was certainly a very big part of it. For me it was the way the book opened the door of possibilities into an alternate reality of visceral danger, excitement and unpredictability; the very things wild things crave as young boys and girls. If you haven’t ever had the pleasure of reading it, or maybe just haven’t picked it up in a awhile, do yourself a favour and check out the video below featuring Christopher Walken telling the classic story.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t crazy for the Beastie Boys. In fact, I am pretty sure I was weaned on Licensed to Ill as opposed to Baby Einstein. But more importantly, I know I’m not the only one in this boat. Everyone has their own story of when they first heard “Sure Shot” or saw the “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)” video and wished they could somehow be that crazy-funny, crazy-clever, and crazy-badass.
Although perhaps not technically a parody in the strictest sense, the first thing I think of when it comes to comic re-mixes at least in the historical sense is Joe Shuster. One of the original co-creators of Superman, Shuster hit poverty while trying to re-claim the rights to the character with DC Comics. He ended up illustrating for a magazine called Nights of Horror. His s&m characters strongly resembled Lois Lane and Superman himself. For more info on this, check out Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster by Craig Yoe.
Fast forward to present day, and the tradition of re-mixing and parodies of normally cookie-cutter, quaint endearing heroes into absurd comedy carries on. Let’s take a look at some of the best that focused on that golden era of saturday morning cartoon goodness from the 80s. So go grab a bowl of your favourite sugary cereal. Keep in mind, much of the language and situations are rated NSFW.
7. Rambo: The Force of Freedom. Originally aired: April 14, 1986 Produced By: Ruby-Spears Enterprises.
This hilariously titled series had it’s debut in 1986, and must have been a favourite in the Bush household. Making a cartoon out of an R rated movie might have been a morally questionable move. Thankfully though, Rambo doesn’t usually worry about morals. Rambo lives by his own code. Nobody really knows what that code means, except that it probably involves a high body count. And a sh*t ton of explosions.
6. Transformers.
Originally aired: September, 1984. Produced By: Hasbro.
Before being hijacked and processed into a series of ridiculous movies by Michael Bay, Transformers was a pretty badass cartoon. There were, however, some pretty significant technical flaws which the following vignette exposes.
5. Thundercats.
Originally aired: 1984.Produced By: Rankin/Bass Productions.
Perhaps the most ridiculous of concepts from 80s cartoons. Well – at least one of the most ridiculous. I mean, take a good look at the picture above, and try not to laugh. It’s really, really hard, right? Presented as a series of outakes from the filming of Thundercats, originally uploaded in 1998. Still a classic. Snarf, Snarf.
4. Spiderman & Spiderman and His Amazing Friends.
Originally aired: September 12, 1981. (Spiderman) September 12, 1981. (Spiderman * His Amazing Friends) Produced By: Marvel Productions.
Both shows first had their start in 1981 and feature some great artwork maybe because of how awkward some of it looks.
3. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Originally aired: 1983.Produced By: Filmation/ Mattel.
It’s only fitting that one of the most excessively macho cartoon characters from the 80s be reinvented as a total queen.
2. Jem. Originally aired: 1985. Produced By: Hasbro, Marvel Productions, Sunbow Productions.
Re-named, perhaps appropriately Jiz, I stumbled across this re-mix recently. Looks like they’ve done several episodes of a very twisted take of the series with controversial underlying themes including abortion, drug use and sexual deviancy. In other words, it’s awesome and hilarious.
1. G.I. Joe. Originally aired: September 16, 1985. Produced By: Marvel Productions, Sunbow Productions, Toei Animation.
This iconic series was only overshadowed by the PSA parodies done in 2001. They remain a favourite of mine for good reason. It’s pure insane comedy weirdness. Here’s a whole wack of them below. Enjoy.
In 2001 Director/Producer Stacy Peralta’s Dogtown & Z-Boys took us into the world of 70s skateboarding that had just exploded in California thanks the the Zephyr team. This year, Peralta wants to take us a bit further down the line to the 80s where skate legends representing the Bones Brigade – Tony Hawk and Christian Hosoi battled for glory while reinventing the sport.
If the Zephyr team ignited the fuse for skateboarding, then it was the Bones Brigade that caused skateboarding to go nuclear. Bones had it’s premiere at Sundance, and is still awaiting a distribution deal. In the meantime, check out the teaser below for Bones, as well as the original trailer for Peralta‘s earlier work Dogtown and Z-Boys.
“Videojacking: Action of stealing a music video, an audiovisual work, even before the artist asked for itself, ordered, undertook, realized, and even thought about it.”
Ni**as in Paris is a track off their collaboration album Watch the Throne courtesy of the current kings of Hip Hop; Kanye West and Jay Z. It’s a pretty great track as far as commercial hip hop goes, and some people did their own take on a video. An unknown trio of graffiti artists went crazy on the streets and below ground Paris tagging the lyrics of the song in a stark, visceral black and white video that is timed perfectly to the track, and gives new meaning to the lyric; “Got my Ni**as in paris, and they going gorillas“.
And if you thought a couple of kids tagging the streets and subways of Paris was subversive, check this next video out. Mos Def covers it with his trademark social thought provoking commentary. Renaming the track “N**gas in Poorest”, he absolutely nails it with lyrics that harkens back to the day when hip hop was street poetry that made you think. It’s a riveting track that closes with the plea to kings and queens “don’t get caught up in no throne”, perhaps a gentle jab at Kanye and the Jiggaman, but more importantly at greed, power and corruption in general.
Les Loups (The Wolves) are a trio of producers from Hannover, Germany that make kick ass french house tunes that are so slick you might get pregnant. They dropped their debut album entitled Club Coeur a couple days ago, and you can listen to the whole thing for free below. Just remember to wear protection before you hit the dancefloor.
Sexy Synthesizer are based out of Tokyo, Japan and make ridiculously delicious chiptune electro goodness. Their debut album dropped a couple of years ago, and since then they’ve been busy releasing new tracks and a bunch of re-mixes, and some interesting covers as well (check out the Michael Jackson Human Nature cover below; it’s an unexpected treat). There’s also some newer material on their soundcloud page.
Loiter Squad recently touched down on Adult Swim. Odd Future is a hip hop outfit based out of LA that formed in 2007, and over time, they somehow scored a zany show called Loiter Squad this year. It’s old school, refreshingly unpredictable sketch comedy weirdness. A blend of pranks, sketches and music produced by Dickhouse Productions of Jackass fame. Check out the promo below.
In case you haven’t heard yet, American Director David Lynch released his first solo album last year. He just released a self-directed video for the single; Crazy Clown Time today. It’s got shades of Twin Peaks in it, with a topless blond, a footballer in full uniform, a punk that sets his mohawk on fire, a strobe light and lots of maniacal behaviour in someone’s idyllic, small town suburban back yard. In short, love it or hate it, it’s trademark Lynch. Check out the NSFW vid below.
Com Truise put out a new video a couple of months ago that slipped under my radar until now. I’m glad I found it. The synth heavy track provides the perfect background noise to essentially a short film. The first thing you’ll notice is The Terminator font face as the intro credits roll and what follows next is shades of 80s film noir Blade Runner goodness. There’s even a friggin’ Commodore 64 in it. Gold!
And speaking of gold, this next track by Mouse on Mars has got heaps of it in the next vid, at least in pixie dust form. When there’s a guy dancing in a Mexican wrestling mask in the back alleys of LA with a French Bulldog companion, you don’t ask questions man, you just go with the flow. The track is chip tunish, eclectic and unpredictable, so it all makes sense, at least it does to me. But if you think these cats are from LA – guess again; they’re actually two mad scientists from Germany that formed in 93. Scroll below for an excellent interview that exposes the Mouse on Mars music making process.
Director Brian Knappenberger somehow got some unfettered access to one of the internet’s most shadowy and secretive groups to get his documentary film We are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists made. Already a shoe in for SXSW and Hot Docs, it looks like a fascinating study on one of the most culturally significant movements of our time, regardless on whether you love or fear Anonymous. I’m looking forward to seeing this one.
In the 1960s, a bunch of kids called the Merry Pranksters used to throw parties after taking a bunch of acid. They’d project these crazy visuals to trip out to. 30 years later, ravers used to do the same thing. Now video editors do it for the exact same reason. To f*ck with our minds! Hypnotic, restrained, and beautiful, just like the track that goes along with it. It kind of feels like being wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket of Xanax. I double dare you, naw man, I triple dare you to only listen to this track once.
Here’s another one from Mr.Lies, it’s hard to put into words a description for these. Words like dreamlike, ethereal, mesmerising come to mind, but man oh man, just stop reading and listen to the damn song already. I’ll say it does sound like the kind of song you listen to on your ipod while on a busride between cities at night with droplets of rain all streaming across the window and the headlights and streetlights all blurry and out of focus though.
Ok, so now it’s time to wake up a bit. Can’t leave you all hanging like that. Check this next track out. It’s an absolute banger of a tune (you’ll know what I mean as soon as the bassline drops) that unbelievably only clocks in at 1:58, so you know what that means? REEWIND SELECTAH! Images apparently come from a film called Café Flesh, a post-apocalyptic cult porno science fiction film from 1982.
Snoop’s Soundcloud page uncovered a really sweet house mix he cut on the side. It’s outside of the hip hop genre and on the house tip. More importantly though, it’s good; it’s really good.
Think pure old school house positivity with chunks of disco groove funk and mixed up with warm latin currents of vibe. Delicious, and perfect for springtime weather!
I directed a music video for a hot new punk band called Mad Atlas. The track is called Lonely Slut, check it out here:
youtube.com/watch?v=X8bkTA…2 weeks ago
MCA RIP. A fitting tribute that I could not have done any better. Courtesy of 
Originally aired: April 14, 1986 Produced By: Ruby-Spears Enterprises.
Originally aired: September 16, 1985. Produced By: Marvel Productions, Sunbow Productions, Toei Animation.
