Tuesday, May 21, 2024

The Tigermen and Black Tight Killers - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Salak"

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM leaned heavier on the garage side than the past few episodes. If you've been listening the last few weeks, I was on more of a rockabilly/earlier rock n roll kick, so this episode was a return to the show's original form.

Towards the beginning of the show, you heard The Love Dimension's Out Of My Mind which nails the '60s garage rock sound so well that it fooled people online into thinking they found a long lost gem. But, AH HA! The song came out in 2010 rather than the '60s (which was a long time ago in its own right). Unfortunately, it seems that the song has been removed from any official channels and only exits through random YouTube uploads, although, it's entirely possible I didn't look hard enough. Either way, check out their official Bandcamp page to listen to more of their stuff. A lot of their music floats around the psych and garage genres with just a dash of modern sensibility.

Various newspaper clippings about The Tigermen

As the show continued, you heard The Tigermen's organ heavy Tiger Girl, which is group's second and last single. Each of The Tigermen's songs focus on the organ and bass with the guitar sitting low in the mix, except for the occasional guitar solo, which makes the songs feel like you're listening to the band live on stage. The group was known for their weekly performances at the Cuba Lake Pavilion which served as an amusement park and dance hall from 1914 until its destruction in May of 1974. Although the band often performed in Cuba Lake and northwestern Pennsylvania, they were actually from an area about 70 miles south of Buffalo, NY named Olean. 

During the show I briefly mentioned that Olean is also the birthplace of actor Jeff Fahey, who appeared in the 1992 cult classic Lawnmower Man. I've watched the film several times over the years but I can hardly remember anything but the beautiful CGI.

Taking a dance break from ninjutsu

While on the topic of movies, at the halfway point of the show, I talked about the 1966 Japanese crime film Black Tight Killers, a highly stylized film that reminds me of the Female Prisoner Scorpion films mixed with Danger: Diabolik. The movie follows Daisuke Honda, a war photographer that begins courting a flight attendant named Yuriko Sawanouchi. During their first date, the couple finds themselves mixed up with a plot to recover stolen gold that involves mafioso style gangsters, Go-Go dancing ninjas, rear projection driving scenes, as well as, tons of fire and explosions. What I liked most about the movie is its short but sweet runtime and a hilarious reoccurring trope of people dying in Honda's arm, providing him moments to reflect on their character. I couldn't help but wonder if these scenes inspired Danger 5's "Perfect Cocktails." It's definitely worth a watch!

That just about sums up this episode! Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm PST or listen to an archived version of the show here. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In.

Check out this week's playlist below:

  

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