Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Kiwi"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played the song Do What They Don't Say by The Jynx and I mentioned that the Mugwumps preformed their own version of the song on their self-titled album from 1967. The Mugwumps featured members Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty that later went on to form a couple influential 60s bands that you've most likely have heard of: The Mamas and The Papas and The Lovin' Spoonful. In my opinion, the Jynx's version is superior because I'm not a fan of the horns on the Mugwumps version. The whole song sounds too Herb Albert-ish for my liking. 

Another song that I played during the first set was The Purple Gang's One Of The Bunch. Something I found funny about The Purple Gang is that they admitted that they didn't play a lot of gigs at clubs but instead mostly played during the grand openings of supermarkets and gas stations. I wish that sort of thing was more common today. Imagine pushing a shopping cart or sipping on a Slush Puppy while some hairy looking creeps play an out of tune version of Them's Gloria. Oh, be still my heart. Check out this old archived interview if you'd like to read more about Los Angeles' The Purple Gang.

Of course, we can't forget this weeks freaky film: Nightmare City. It's not a zombie film, technically, but its hard to classify it as anything else. The film is about a bunch of radiated goons that travel around drinking blood in order to survive. Unlike zombies, these ghouls have some sort of intelligence and can wield knives, guns, as well as, drive vehicles and pilot planes. According to the director, Nightmare City is supposed to be viewed as some sort of anti-war/anti-nuclear film but in reality it seems just like your normal run of the mill gorefest. I thoroughly enjoy how the monsters look like melted candy bars with that deer in the headlight sort of look that you'll see on old drivers licenses. 

 

I wouldn't recommend the film if you are one to take zombie films seriously because the plot is thinner than my hairline and features some of the worst special effects I've ever seen. However, the movie's charm comes from how much is strives to be better than it actually is. Nightmare City wants Rambo style action and Dawn of The Dead style effects but is working with a legal pad script and a TV movie budget. It's a fun "laugh with your friends" type of movie.

Below you'll find the songs that I played on this week's show:

 

 
The Jynx - Do What They Don't Say

The Purple Gang - One Of The Bunch

Brain Train - Me

4th Street Exit - Strange One

Enfields - I'm For Things You Do

The Lamp Of Childhood - First Time, Last Time

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Apple"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I spoke a little bit about Mona Lisa and how the famous painting wasn't very famous until it was stolen! For some reason, multiple people have attempted to vandalize the Mona Lisa over the years with varying degrees of success. I guess art can really drum up some weird emotions in people. 

Later on in the show you heard the song Locked Out by Junior Shank and The Jesters, and I mentioned that it sounded an awful lot like an Everly Brothers knockoff, specifically the song Wake Up Little Susie. Well, whenever Wake Up Little Susie gets mentioned I think about the time George W. Bush, then just a candidate, went on Oprah's show and told her his favorite song was: "Wake Up Little Susie. [by] Buddy Holly." Eh, close enough.

 

 

And, of course, we can't forget the strange and freaky movie of the week: Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters! As you'd expect from the title, the movie is filled with creepy monsters from Japanese folklore. While I am definitely no expert in Japanese folktales, I did recognize the strange parasol/umbrella creatures that are known as: "Kasa-obake." They seem like lovely creatures that fall into a sort of jokester archetype. Another monster that really stands out in the film is known as "Rokurokubi." It's apparently some sort of apparition that takes on the form of a woman with a very long neck. Think of a person with a giraffe's neck except it's more wobbly. Yikes.

 

Anywho, you'll find the songs that were played during the show below:

 

 
Doris Ang and The Sandboys - Bon Voyage (一路順風)

The Girls - Rocket For Girls

Chain-Gang - Little Black Book

The Illusions - I Know

The Shaynes - From My Window

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Peach"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers' song He'll Learn About It and I mentioned that they were best known for their cover of the classic teenage death song Last Kiss. Although many people have covered the song over the years I believe that the best version of the song is by the originator himself, Wayne Cochran.

Wayne and His Towering Pompadour

Speaking about death and car crashes, this weeks kooky film recommendation is 1975's Death Race 2000. Picture this: 20 years ago America fell on some hard times, in fact, the whole world has. Corrupt politicians jump on the whole civil unrest thing and discover that they can pacify the populace by holding a vicious transcontinental race featuring vehicular murder. While the film is obviously humorous and satirical, one could argue that in some ways the film foreshadowed the "Reality TV" boom of the early 2000s. Now, I don't want to get too egg headed and scholarly, but I think understanding what was going on in America around this time provides some context for all of the film's wild symbolism and buffoonery. Death Race 2000 is a sort of mishmash of Wacky Racers, the Watergate scandal, the 1973 oil crisis, 1970s Nascar and it's rampant cheating, professional wrestling, and the prevalence of violence found in the local news. The film is off the wall but that's sort of how I prefer my dystopian fiction. In other words, I dig it.

Death Race 2000's point system

During the show I mentioned the popular 90s PC game Carmageddon but there was also an arcade game named Death Race that was developed by Exidy and released just a year after Death Race 2000 hit theaters. Both games, as expected, generated a bunch of controversy as parents were horrified by the depictions of pixelated humanoid murder.

Check out the songs that were featured on this week's episode below:

Namelosers - Land of 1000 Dances

The Outlaws - Hold Up

J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers - He'll Learn About It

Satan's Breed - Laugh Myself To The Grave

Chrichan and The Gamblers - Answer Me My Love

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Guava"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I spoke a little bit about Emy Jackson, a pop singer that had a few hits in Japan including: Crying In A Storm. She started her career as a DJ for Radio Kanto, which was a station known for it's vast western library, before she eventually got signed to Columbia Records. You can find some more info about her on the super cool and informative website Garage Hangover or on her official website.

Pictures from Emy's official site

I played Les Missiles' cover of John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom but maybe you're like me and you know the song from hearing The Animals' version. Over the years there's been a few tapes/CDs that my pops plays in the car (always on repeat!) and about 10 years ago you'd know he was coming around the corner when you heard this song in particular. Nowadays, if I hear certain songs, without the warble and hiss of an old tape, my mind struggles for a half-second before I can peacefully listen to the song. "THiS iS tHe EeEnDd. mY OnLy FreIyend. tHE ennD."

My dad's Holy Tape Trinity. Pictures from Discogs

How about his week's mind-melting/brain-beater movie suggestion? On this week's show I spoke about the 1984 post-apocalyptic film, Night of The Comet. There is one scene in particular that I focused on where the two lead characters enter a radio station searching for a DJ which they think has survived the comet's death blast. Unfortunately for our two heroines, they soon find out that the show has been automated the whole time. In today's radio world I'd say most radio stations are run on pre-recorded shows but back in '84 it seems like it was a bit harder to play an automated set. Now we can easily run 24 hours of content from even the most minimal of computer setups but running from reels must have been a pain. I would love to get a hold of some old radio station reels but I bet most were reused until they were eventually tossed in the trash. Something I'd like to note about the radio station is how fancy it looks. I've been to a bunch of radio stations over the years but I've never seen one that looks better than a dimly lit office. The station in the movie almost looks like a dance club. Nice.

I wonder what record she's holding

 

 

Anywho, here are the songs that were featured on this week's episode:

Sanisah Huri and The Terwellows - Alam Seni

Les Missiles - Boum! Boum!

The Outcasts - Smokestack Lightning

Rung Petchburi - Pai Joi

Emy Jackson and The Blue Comets - Namida No Go Go