Negativland: No Business

(4:16)  There's no music like butcher music, like no music I know.

Link to YouTube

Saturnalia Special: Do or DIY archive

The 10-year archive of People Like Us's show on WFMU is available at their site, if you want to hear a prime example of collage/free form radio (quite a few hours of it, actually).  The most recent 52 programs are also on a download at iTunes for free, although if you don't already have an Apple password and don't like giving out your credit card info, I wouldn't recommend it.

Peter Schickele: Unbegun Symphony

(10:45) A work unblemished by a single original note.  This version includes the third movement, which wasn't in the original release.  (As he says, there's no first or second movements because he was born too late to have written them.)

link to YouTube

Luciano Berio: Thema (Omaggio a Joyce)

(8:11) This is what you do with open-reel tape and the human voice.  At least, in 1958.

The first couple minutes are a recitation by Cathy Berberian of the unaltered text, from James Joyce's Ulysses.  The rest of it is pretty amazing.  "Listen, each and for other plash and silent roar..."

link

If you like this, there's a longer piece entitled Visage that explores the same approach.

Evolution Control Committee: Don't Miss the Great Snatch

(4:19) Cut-up preacher and a dance beat.  For further study.

the bit

And more MP3s on their site.

Vicki Bennett (People Like Us): We Edit Life

(10:15)  Like a late-night radio collage, with video.  A beautiful piece.

link

Fissunix: Starlight Traffic

This Thursday (11/27) is Jimi Hendrix's 72nd birthday.  Here's a mashup by Fissunix of "Cross Town Traffic" and The Supermen Lover's "Starlight".  (The play button is over the big square ad in the middle.)

link

Darren Heroux: The Frozen Menace

A film from the great wave of ice cream hysteria that swept over the country in the 1950's.

link

Phillip Bimstein: Garland Hirschi's Cows, part 1

(2:42)  A little bit about his cows (uh-huh).

Moo.

CutUpSound: Scrams

...short for "scrambled soundtrack".  Won't be on a CD.  They're all one-minute long or so, made from kid's afternoon cartoon shows.

Scram 1
Scram 2
Scram 3
Scram 4
Scram 5
Scram 6
Scram 7
Scram 8
Scram 9

Halloween Special: Game Faces

Couple interesting technical glitches from the world of gaming.

Last year, Rome 2: Total War inadvertently turned its characters into zombie soldiers of the ancient world:

But this year, NBA 2K15 has an option for adding your own face to the game that's actually a pretty amazing bug.  I think I see some avatars in here:

More

Fred Waring, et al: Little Orley stories

A couple of standouts from the wave of kid's records that accompanied the Baby Boom.

Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians had a radio program.  The bass player, Hugh Brannum (pictured), turned out to be a gifted storyteller, whose tales of a little boy named Orley-- accompanied by orchestra and sound effects-- became a popular feature on the program (and are still available today).

Our first piece this afternoon, Little Orley and the Bubblegum (3:08) is worth some study, for the way it combines story, orchestra and sound effects into a pretty compelling vignette-- it'd be an amazing bit to do live.

The second is a seasonal offering for Halloween, Little Orley and the Haunted House (3:19).

Steve Fisk: Terrible Weapons

(5:18) From his anthology Over and Thru the Night.  The sinister weirdness of the Bush Reagan presidency.

link

CutUpSound: The Gush-Bore Debate

(14:20) Here's a bit on the 2000 Presidential Debates which never made it onto CD, and isn't likely to now.

It has been posted on this site before.  But back then, I'd rotate bits off after three months or so.  These days, I'm leaving everything on for the foreseeable future, so this is probably here to stay-- everything either goes to Bandcamp or here.  (And maybe I can add a site index one of these days.)

The Gush-Bore Debate

CutUpSound: GMO Talk

(3:54) Another election cycle, and more attempts to find out exactly which foods contain which genetically-modified organisms.  Here's a bit from a couple years ago where Amy Goodman attempts to get to the bottom of the menu.

link to Bandcamp

Various photographers: iPhone panorama fails

As someone much wiser than me once said, "Life is a cutup."

Apparently, if you take panorama photos on an iPhone, and something happens while the shutter's open, the camera will try to stitch the image together in a way that makes sense visually.

Uhhhh, yeah!

Here's more info from knowyourmeme.com.

Day Job Orchestra: FDR rant

(1:15)  I don't know why Ken Burns didn't use this in The Roosevelts-- he's got some Fox News commentator in there, and what he says is at least as much of a fantasy.

link to YouTube

Mondo Beyondo: Rock the Caucuses

(3:21)...and from 10 years later, a comment on the Republicans' efforts during the 2012 primaries.

link to YouTube

Coldcut: Re: volution

(4:19) From 2002, Coldcut's raging indictment of the British parliamentary elections.  "The lunatics have taken over the asylum!"

link to YouTube

Bill and Tom: Bill Clinton

(1:17) My bit on Clinton is up at Bandcamp but by the time he did his televised mea culpa, I was too disgusted to do anything else on him.  Fortunately, radio hosts Bill and Tom were there to make a contribution to the genre.

link

Alen Robin: the Nixon tapes

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the end of the Nixon presidency, here's a little cut and paste.

Alen Robin was a comedy writer when Earle Doud-- who produced the "First Family" John Kennedy comedy records-- picked him to create a series of "press conferences" featuring the (wildly) edited voices of our national leaders.  The album, "Welcome to the LBJ Ranch", was a hit-- apparently the live performance was attended by a still-unknown John Cleese--

and Mr Robin went on to release a few other records based on the same idea.

It's a surprisingly simple concept.  The "interviewer" acts as a straight man for the "subject", and the whole thing's based on altered context.

Today's first offering is from the 1971 "Supershrink" album (available on YouTube), the Nixon psychiatric interview (4:39).
Alen Robin- Nixon 1971

He used most of this routine in his 1974 "Funnyfarm", but added a new bit about the President's king-hell social life (1:17)...
Alen Robin- Nixon 1974 excerpt

...which might have made the producers nervous enough to include this disclaimer at the end of the record (0:25).
Alen Robin 1974 disclaimer

And for those of you interested in audio detritus, here's that twisted, pained little chuckle, one more time--
nixon chuckle
the one minor detail that speaks volumes.  He was a strange man.

Mr. F. Le Mur: PR Gnus

(15:47) Mr Le Mur cuts up NPR News into deranged confessions and surreal word pictures.  Here's 15 minutes of his stuff in one easy-to-play clip, but there's lots more at the redoubtable Internet Archive site, linked below.

Today's illustration quotes dada rockers, The Bonzo Dog Band.

PR_Gnus_0001_1381a

Mr. F. Le Mur collection on the Internet Archive

Henry Mancini: That's It and That's All

(2:55) Music is by nature a cut and paste enterprise. But this piece stands out.  Not only does it swing, but instrumentally and melodically it's all over the map.  Mancini was a genius-- he really understood how to write popular music-- but this one in particular, from its trio (quartet?) of bass flutes to the wacky explosions of strings and organ, is a complete gem.  Subtle, effervescent and one of a kind.
Play it.

whoiseyevan: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1951)

Here's an interesting use of cut-up.  A movie trailer for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1951), starring Charlton Heston and Peter Lorre.  The creator of the piece did an excellent job capturing not only the look, but the spirited verve of old-time movie trailers.  Bravo!

link to YouTube

Colorizations

Our first one today comes from Flickr.  I was perusing photos of classic Hollywood stars, and came across this cheerful-cowpoke picture of Randolph Scott that, with a little color, turned into our old friend, Artie Choke, from Firesign's We're All Bozos on this Bus.  "You keep it sweet, Beet!"







Next

-- this Jayne Mansfield Happy-New-Year photo turned up on the Google.  The original looked like it was shot with an orange filter, and everything was made out of cheese.  I think I've improved it a little.

I read something on the net a few days ago from another fan, and she said that one thing she liked about Jayne was that she always looked just a little bit crazy.  You can definitely see that here.

Wonderful Waffles

Why would someone produce a generic 20 second bit on waffles?  Radio's weird.

Wonderful Waffles

CutUpSound: William S Burroughs birthday centenniel

We did a show for the old codger last month.  Here's his presentation of a couple early cut-ups he did with Brion Gysin.
Link

And a bit I did.  Sort of a cutup lecture on cutups, with a question at the end.  WSB birthday bit

I don't think I'd be doing anything with audio if not for him.

CBS Radio broadcast day, June 6, 1944

D-Day (click here)

(I love this authentic radio stuff.)
...listening to it-- it's playing while I work on other things.  Nearly through the second hour.  Not going to sit here for 8 hours and listen to it all in one sitting, but bookmarking it...could be radio's finest hour.

I'll say one thing, the art of "painting word pictures" while you wait to find out what the heck's going on, is one that's been thoroughly lost among today's news readers.  Compare this with the idiotic rumor-driven sensationalism that's dominated "news" coverage from OJ to the Malayan airliner ("Kidnapped by aliens?")  Can't they study how to do this in reporter school or something?

Small town police log

A six-month slice of life in Forest Grove, OR 97116.  From Oregonlive.  The author is Ken Centers.

5/20: A man contacted police after finding a suspicious black plastic bag with something inside it. Officers determined it contained air.

5/26: A citizen out for a walk overheard a woman tell a man in Spanish that she was having a heart attack and was bleeding from the gut. The citizen heard the man reply in Spanish that they did not have insurance and he needed to finish the job he was working. Officers checked on the two subjects and both stated they were fine. The woman denied suffering any medical problems and appeared fine. They also had health insurance. The citizen who reported this acknowledged not being fluent in the Spanish language.

6/1: An employee at McDonalds called police reporting that the female drivers of two vehicles in the drive-through were about to fight. Officers arrived to find one driver intoxicated. While there, officers were told of another extremely intoxicated woman in another part of the parking lot. While dealing with her, the officer was nearly hit by yet another vehicle in the drive-thru being driven by a woman who was also extremely intoxicated. Oregon State Police assisted with the multiple incidents in the lot. Two women were arrested for DUII and a third was taken to detox.

6/11: A man called police to assist in retrieving his children’s soccer ball that ended up in a neighbor’s yard. The neighbor threatened to sue the man if it happens again and the neighbor’s chickens get harmed.

6/21: Officers responded to Bi-Mart to assist with a woman having medical issues in the parking lot after she accidentally crushed a large can of “Bear Spray” with her electric seat.

6/27: A woman called police after finding a 4-foot snake curled up in the grill of her pickup. She didn’t know what to do. An officer was able to remove the snake without harming it and is caring for it.

7/13: Officers responded to a call of a smelly meth lab that turned out to be a skunk.

7/21: Officers checked on a man who was yelling in Joseph Gale Park. It was a subject well known to police, who was often called in for yelling things. The man said he was upset because his boss failed to pick him up for work. He promised officers he would go the entire week without yelling.

7/29: A man called police concerned about bikini baristas at a coffee stand wearing very little clothing. He was quoted as specifically telling the dispatcher that he "did not want that to be the first rack his kids see."

8/12: An avid gamer and web master of "Minecraft" called police after someone leaked his home address on the game site and now people were sending him pizzas.

8/14: Officers responded to a domestic disturbance over reported drug use. A man at the residence was high on methamphetamine and was convinced that he was African American, which was not his true ethnicity. He also demanded officers buy him cigarettes, which the officers declined. The man later entered a convenience store to buy cigarettes and left his cell phone for payment, since he had no money. The man was arrested for theft. He later went to his apartment and destroyed everything inside including the toilet, a fish tank, the windows and any object he could find.

8/19: The plan to invite another woman into a three-way sexual encounter with a Forest Gale Heights couple turned violent after a volatile disagreement over the arrangement. The disagreement became physical and the man fled the scene prior to police arriving. A police dog tracked the subject for more than two miles. An officer received minor injuries in a fall during the pursuit. The man was apprehended on 17th Avenue. Officers seized a small quantity of cocaine during the investigation and both the couple were arrested and lodged at the Washington County Jail. Police learned the man was upset with proposed arrangement because he had to get up early for work the next morning.

9/27: Tenants of a group home on Main Street called police after getting upset with a resident who was yelling and screaming inside his room. Officers contacted the man who explained that he was only speaking to the "National Air Commander" and agreed to keep it down. Police do not believe that any national authorities were actually contacted.

10/5: The 7-11 store called police after a man in a chicken suit entered the store then left. The question of why the chicken entered the store was never answered as officers were unable to locate him after an area check. Police could not determine that any crime was committed.

10/7: A woman called police after finding a bag of muddy shoes left at her front door. The woman said she was told that this was a message from a drug dealer.

10/10: A man called police to let them know he accidentally dialed a wrong number. He just wanted police to be aware of it.

10/19: Officers were dispatched to an incomplete 9-1-1 call from a cell phone on Pacific Avenue. The dispatcher could hear what sounded like a woman crying. It was determined that the emergency button on the phone was inadvertently pressed while a couple was having sex on the couch.

10/30: A woman on Ash Street called to report that an unknown person had dumped two leather couches outside her residence. When officers arrived, the couches were gone but a rotisserie chicken was hanging on the doorknob of the residence. There are no suspects.

11/5: A man on Pacific Avenue reported that a pair of pants was stolen from his locked bedroom. Oddly enough, another pair of pants went missing in September as well. There are no suspects in either case.

11/12: A concerned citizen called after finding a dead squirrel near a vehicle tire. The citizen believes corrupt church members may have placed the squirrel there intentionally.

11/22: Officers assisted the sheriff's office outside of the city limits on a report of a cougar that had attacked a dog. The homeowner reported that he had the cougar trapped. The trapped animal turned out to be a raccoon, not a cougar.

11/30: Officers responded to a hit and run near Pacific Avenue and Yew Street. A woman later returned to the scene and explained that she got scared and drove home before coming back. A witness however, reported that the woman was not the one driving. Faced with this fact, the woman revealed she was covering for her daughter. The witnessed further reported, however that the driver was actually a male. Police learned the daughter was covering for a male friend who was actually driving. He was arrested on suspicion of a hit and run.

12/24: A woman reported people coming into her house for years, and wanted advice on how to keep them out by perhaps using "electronic voodoo". She was advised against it.

CutUpSound: Night and Day and Night

is up at Bandcamp.  I think I'll wait to sell it until there's enough to release an album, but you can go listen-- you can even sneak off with a copy of it if you know how, I won't tell anyone.

link

Happy New Year

(Tex Avery's "Crazy Mixed-up Pup.)