Halloween Radio Special!

Tonight on KUCR 88.3 FM there will be a special Halloween episode of Hippie Love Turbo! While I did blab on occasionally I kept the talking to a minimum so that we could enjoy the spooky retro vibes. So that's why there isn't much to write about today dear loyal readers. 

 

Spooky Record Wizard

However, I did tell a few silly jokes from Melvin Berger's 101 Spooky Halloween Jokes, gave a brief history of the holiday, talked about the origin of the Jack -O- Lantern, discussed people's dismay over It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown becoming an Apple TV + exclusive, and mentioned that one of my favorite horror films to watch around Halloween is House On Haunted Hill. Maybe I did talk a little bit.

 

Oh well, you can find this week's playlist below:

 

 
Van Wood - Ghost Party

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Lychee"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I talked a little bit about the city Phoenix, Oregon and the film named after it. Why did I mention Phoenix, Oregon? Well, you heard a song by The Neighb'rhood Childr'n, a band that started out as The Navarros and before making the trek to San Francisco the group had their humble beginnings in Phoenix, a city which, at the time, had a very small population. Unfortunately, the city has recently been drastically transformed by the Almeda Drive Fire. It's a terribly sad situation right now but if you watch the film that's set in a fictional version of the city the proceeds will go to victims of the southern Oregon blazes. The movie is about a couple of friends that decide to ditch their mind-numbing jobs to follow their dreams and re-open a failed bowling alley with their version of the "world's greatest pizza." It really gives off similar vibes to the raw character driven independent movies that came out during the mid 90s.

Speaking of 90s independent films, Phoenix, Oregon features the acting talent of Kevin Corrigan, who happens to be in one of my favorite '90s indie films: Bandwagon. 

Kevin Corrigan as Al in Phoenix, Oregon and Wynn Knapp in Bandwagon

Usually on the show I talk about trashy horror films (because that's mostly what I watch) but this week I was feeling more nostalgic and decided to talk about a film that's a little more palatable for these unusual times. 1996's Bandwagon is about a young man named Tony Ridge that has a passion for songwriting but is burdened by his dead end job. Eventually he's fired and decides that it's finally time for him to try to start a band. Things get pretty hairy as he struggles with stage fright and his other various insecurities. While the plot may be dead simple the movie is full of charm through its world building and seemingly naive characters.

Protagonist Tony Ridge hiding during his first practice session

Despite being a little hokey at times the world of Bandwagon feels so tangible. It makes you feel a sort of longing for those small town shows where maybe 15 to 20 people showed up and you can smell the musty record shop or recognize the type of mixing board that can be found at your old college radio station. 

Definitely more realistic looking than Night of The Comet's radio station!

During an interview scene that takes place at a college radio station you can see posters highlighting some of the music that was popular at the time including: the great album by Stereolab entitled Mars Audiac Quintet, Medicine's noisy single for their song Aruca, and God Street Wine's $1.99 Romances. Early in the film you can also spot a couple of well placed CDs on the cash register. Can's Landed and another Stereolab album Switched On. You also get a glimpse of Poison Ivy on a poster from The Cramps' Bikini Girls With Machine Guns. As I said, there is a lot of world building. Perhaps that's mostly just circumstantial due to filming at real life locations. The film is a nice change of pace and it's pretty easy to find floating around.

 

Hey, will you look at that. You can find this week's playlist below:

 

 
Sting Rays - Shaggy Dog

The Fleets - Go Away

Valiants - Don't Make The Same Mistake

The Kinsfolk - Comin' Back By Way

The Frugal Sound - Just Ouside The Door

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Sapote"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I mentioned the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston, Texas and their exhibit featuring the Pope Mobile! There have been many Pope Mobiles over the years but usually when people think about the Pope Mobile they think of a vehicle with large bullet-resistant glass walls. After an attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981 the Vatican decided to beef up the Pope's ride by customizing his vehicle with a large fish tank looking enclosure. The new upgrades meant that Catholics could continue parading the Pope around town without worrying about any gun nuts with murderous agendas. Sweet!

Screen Capture from Texas Bucket List

Besides talking about the many wonders of Houston, Texas I also spoke about one of my favorite Halloween films Mad Monster Party? What I love so much about the film is that it smashes together a bunch of things I love. Some of the character designs were by Jack Davis with Harvey Kurtzman handling a big chunk of the script. Both are well known for their work with EC Comics and Mad Magazine. The leading mad scientist of the film was voiced by Imhotep himself, Mr. Boris Karloff and the animation was handled by Rankin/Bass Productions; the same people that brought you 1964's Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. 

Looks a little like Grateful Dead's Touch of Grey music video

There's a bunch of fun music in the film but Gale Garnett, the voice of Francesca, really stands out as she sings Our Time To Shine and Never Was A Love Like Mine. You might recognize her from her 1964 hit We'll Sing In The Sunshine and for a silly holiday special Gale Garnett's singing sounds sincere. The songs she sings in the film could easily be mistaken for deep cuts from one of her full length albums. Speaking of her albums, she happens to have one of my favorite album titles of all time: Gale Garnett Sings About Flying and Rainbows and Love and Other Groovy Things.

 

One thing that's a little annoying about the film is that it doesn't seem to be as readily available as other holiday specials. I could go into any random store around Christmas and pickup Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty The Snowman but when I wanted to track down a copy of Mad Monster Party? it took some time to find a proper Blueray release. Of course, you could always rent a digital copy but where's the fun in that? I love having piles of junk on my shelves!

Anywho, you can check out this week's playlist below:

 

 
Cool Heat - The Other Side Of Us

The Tempters - Boom Boom

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Grapefruit"

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played Gypsy Trips' Ain't It Hard, which may sound familiar because you heard The Electric Prune's cover back on the episode named "Mango." Afterwards I played a song by Royal Aircoach and I mentioned that the band came from Topsfield, Massachusetts. Topsfield is known for having a yearly fair which features a "Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In" and unfortunately due to Covid-19, this year's fair has been cancelled. Seeing those giant pumpkins makes me wish I could grow anything other than my beard. 

Alex Noel's 2294.50 lb Pumpkin in 2019!

Later in the episode you heard one of Lou Reed's earliest songs from his days recording with Pickwick International. The song was by a phony band named The Beachnuts and supposedly Reed was tasked with coming up with songs in random genres in order to pad compilation albums released by the label. That sure does sound like a dream gig to me!

And, of course, we cannot forget this week's trash film recommendation: Alucarda! The film begins in a confusing manner where you see Alucarda being born in some sort of crypt with Alucarda's mother explaining how her daughter must be taken to a local convent to be saved from an evil person or demon or something. While the film tries to present the intro as some sort of important backstory it really doesn't explain much at all and can be ignored entirely. The film's main focus is on Alucarda's corruption of her new friend Justine and their adventures into vampirism, satanic rituals, and frolicking throughout the woods and convent. The film is fairly light on plot and instead relies on the shock value of seeing young women praising the devil and fighting nuns. Don't worry though! The film is fairly short so you don't have enough time to find yourself bored by all the blood and nudity. BUT BE WARNED! There is a TON of screaming, in fact, probably too much screaming and sometimes it gets a little grating. However, Alucarda is a quick and goofy movie that has some interesting set designs and cinematography that give the film a sort of claustrophobic and eerie atmosphere. It's definitely worth a late night watch. Maybe with headphones if you live in an apartment or have sleepy roommates.

LOUD NOISES!

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

 
The Paupers - Magic People

JJ Cale – It’s A Go Go Place

Mike Alexander and The Visions - Pop Goes Love

The Beachnuts - Cycle Annie

Jerry Cole and The Stingers - Dang Thing

Us Too - The Girl With The Golden Hair

The Illusions - Little Girl

Outer Limits - Alone and Crying

Pete Morticelli - Lost