On this episode, we continue our Halloween series, and we're running down “Are You Ready For Freddy” by the Fat Boys, from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
You can check out the music video and the original column at Cinepunx.
On this episode, we continue our Halloween series, talking with G Tom Mac, about "Cry Little Sister," his theme song to the 1987 teenage vampire film, The Lost Boys. The soundtrack to The Lost Boys is a collection of amazingly catchy tracks. Be it INXS teaming up with the Easybeats' Jimmy Barnes to do a version of "Good Times," the Who's Roger Daltry covering "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," or the exquisitely perfect version of the Doors' "People Are Strange" by Echo and the Bunnymen, the soundtrack is a solid collection of classic songs by what were then modern artists. It's a nice nod to the ageless nature of the forever young vampires in the film.
However, the film's theme song, "Cry Little Sister," by Gerard McMann, is the only cut to appear twice in The Lost Boys, and definitely does a great job of sonically conveying the concept of the film in a thre-minute pop song. McMann, who now performs under the aegis of G Tom Mac, has also recorded a musical sort of prequel to The Lost Boys. A Lost Boys Story sees release later this month, and we were excited to talk with McMann about both the film and the upcoming musical.
Tracklist:
Gerard McMann, "Cry Little Sister" (The Lost Boys OST)
Gerard McMahon, "Look In Your Eyes" (Fast Times at Ridgemont High OST)
G Tom Mac, "Frog Bro Hero" (A Lost Boys Story)
G Tom Mac, "Sleep All Day" (A Lost Boys Story)
Thomas Newman, "To the Shock of Miss Louise" (The Lost Boys OST)
On this episode, we're kicking off Halloween a little early, talking with Andy Hawkins and Gabe Katz of Blind Idiot God, about the band's contributions to the 1993 bizarro comedy, Freaked. The movie is so much more than just a funny movie. It's bizarre, anarchic, and maybe the very definition of a cult film. The studio tried to bury it, and it was only thanks to sporadic showings on late night cable that it developed any sort of following at all. Directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter, and written by Stern, Winter and Tim Burns, the film came on the heels of the trio's MTV sketch show, The Idiot Box.
Freaked is a crazy-pants bit of claymation, makeup, and blaring punk rock. In addition to Blind Idiot God, the soundtrack also features the Butthole Surfers, which should definitely clue you into the sheer madness of the film, whose plot is too bizarre for words. Suffice it to say, there are freaks, evil corporations, ecological warnings, and a talk show hosted by Brook Shields. The film's soundtrack was never officially released, but the titular song, by Henry Rollins and Blind Idiot God, sees its debut when Blind Idiot God's sophomore album, Undertow, is re-released on October 13, where that song is a bonus track.
Tracklist:
Blind Idiot God, "Freaked" (Undertow)
Blind Idiot God, "Sawtooth" (Undertow)
Blind Idiot God, "Major Key Dub" (Undertow)
Axiom Funk, "Hideous Mutant Freekz" (Funkcronomicon)
On this episode, we're talking with Nick Cloutman, guitarist for the alt-rock band, Lustra, about their appearance in the 2004 teen comedy, EuroTrip. The 2004 teen comedy has ended up having some surprising legs, due to its absurdist nature. The jokes and situations in the film put it in the arena of films like Supertroopers, with a strong ensemble cast. A good portion of the long-term popularity is due not only to cameos from the likes of Fred Armisen and Lucy Lawless, but also to the catchiness of a song in the film's earlier scenes, entitled "Scotty Doesn't Know," which was written for the film by the band Lustra.
Tracklist:
Lustra, "Scotty Doesn't Know" (Eurotrip OST)
Lustra, "Sniffing Cigarettes" (Left For Dead)
MC Jeffsky Feat. Igor, "Scotty Doesnt Know EURO! Remix" (Eurotrip OST)
On this episode, we're running down “City of Crime” by Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd, from 1987's Dragnet, which represents the pinnacle — or nadir, depending on how you look at it — of the "terrible end credits rap song" trend. The film — starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks — was a filmic reworking of the popular 1960s television show, which was itself a reworking of the popular 1950s radio program. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, yet managed to be a fairly faithful homage to the show, which had been running in reruns for years by the time the film came out.
You can check out the video and the original column at Cinepunx.
We're glad to be back from vacation, and on this episode, we're talking with Sean Tillman -- better known as Har Mar Superstar -- about his musical contributions to the Netflix series, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, as well as his new EP, Personal Boy.
Tracklist:
Har Mar Superstar & Felicia Day, "MST3K Love Theme" (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return)
The Skeleton Crew, "I Wish I Was Back In Old Canada (The Canada Song)" (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return)
Har Mar Superstar, "Personal Boy" (Personal Boy)
The Skeleton Crew, "Wild Rebels Cereal" (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return)
F.A.M.E.'s Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra, "Mighty Science Theater" (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return)
On this episode, we continue our summer series, Your Favorite Soundtrack, where we talk to our favorite podcasters about the soundtracks they love. We start with Bianca Brown, co-host of ScreenGab, talking about Amelie. We also talk with Sarah Jane, writer for Talk Film Society, about Valley Girl.
Tracklist:
Yann Tiersen, "J'y suis jamais allé" (Amelie OST)
Yann Tiersen, "La valse d'Amélie" (Amelie OST)
The Plimsouls, "A Million Miles Away" (Everywhere At Once)
Josie Cotton, "He Could Be the One" (Convertible Music)
Modern English, "I Melt With You" (After the Snow)
On this episode of From the Stereo to Your Screen, we're running down “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2” by Class of '99, from 1998's The Faculty.
When I re-watched The Faculty a while back, I came to the conclusion that it’s basically the epitome of the late ‘90s: an angsty film which focuses on the underdog kids, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and featuring an alt rock soundtrack. It’s most similar to the likes of Disturbing Behavior, but could also fall in line with The Craft. It’s weird to revisit a movie like this, which is essentially one of those things that brings up memories for those who saw it when it was a thing, but it falls in a sort of gap, where it never really made it into the rotation of pay-cable repeats, and also ended up at the tag end of VHS, right before the advent of DVD.
You can find the column, as well as the music videos, at Cinepunx.
On this episode, we kick off our summer series, Your Favorite Soundtrack, where we talk to our favorite podcasters about the soundtracks they love. We start with Justin Lore, creator of Horror Business, a podcast where he and co-host Liam O'Donnell watch and talk about two related horror films. We also talk with Liam, who, in addition to co-hosting Horror Business, is -- along with Joshua Alvarez -- one of the co-founders of Cinepunx.
Tracklist:
The Misfits, "Horror Business" (Collection I)
Brad Fiedel, "Terminator Main Titles" (Terminator OST)
Brad Fiedel, "Reese & Sarah in Garage" (Terminator OST)
Patti Labelle, "New Attitude" (Beverly Hills Cop OST)
The Pointer Sisters, "Neutron Dance" (Beverly Hills Cop OST)
Harold Faltermyer, "Axel F" (Beverly Hills Cop OST)
On this episode, we're talking with Federale's Collin Hegna about the Portland band's work in the films of Ana Lily Amirpour. Federale's been releasing music for a decade now, but their music came to the notice of many genre fans with its inclusion in Amirpour's debut feature, the striking take on the vampire film entitled A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. The group also has a song in the director's recently-released The Bad Batch. Collin and I talked about the formation of the band, as well as their work in Amirpour's films.
You can buy vinyl copies of The Bad Batch soundtrack and All the Colours of the Dark from Mondo.
Tracklist:
Federale, "Sarcophagus" (The Blood Flowed Like Wine)
Federale, "Black Sunday" (The Blood Flowed Like Wine)
Federale, "All the Colors of the Dark" (All the Colors of the Dark)
Federale, "Sisyphus" (The Blood Flowed Like Wine)
Federale, "Tribe" (The Blood Flowed Like Wine)
Once upon a time, rap-rock act Phunk Junkeez had covered KISS’ “I Love It Loud.” It wasn't until I tracked down the video to troll my uncle with it on Facebook that I discovered that the song had been on the soundtrack to the 1995 Chris Farley / David Spade comedy, Tommy Boy. The video’s not only loaded with clips from the film, but Chris Farley is on stage thrashing around with the band. The movie’s full of pretty memorable musical moments — the car singalong, most notably — but I’d pretty much spaced on this particular jawn.
You can find the video for the song, as well as the original column behind this podcast at Cinepunx.
On this episode, we're talking with Larry Juris about his work on the '80s horror anthology, Deadtime Stories. In addition to his work on Deadtime Stories, Mr Juris's production company did work in dubbing for many anime series, including the majority of the episodes for Pokemon. We
talked with Mr Juris about all that and more.
Deadtime Stories was released on Blu-ray earlier this year from Scream Factory, and the Larry Juris score will soon be available on vinyl from Terror Vision, after some pressing plant issues gave it serious delays.
This song’s rough. Carpenter’s a great musician, an excellent director, and interesting cat, but he sings like Jim Morrison fronting an ’80s skinny tie bar band. Like Huey Lewis and the News, but without the edge. The Coupe De Villes were basically this band that Carpenter put together in the ’80s as a way to have some fun. The band also featured director Tommy Lee Wallace and actor Nick Castle, and their one and only LP, Waiting Out the Eighties, was never commercially released. It wasn’t even supposed to be much more than a lark, but somehow, they’ve become this weird obsession for record collecting movie fans.
You can find the video for the song, as well as the original column behind this podcast at Cinepunx.
On this episode, we speak with Professor Pizza, vocalist for thrash metal band Axeslasher, about the group’s inclusion in the heavy metal horror films Deathgasm and Pool Party Massacre.
Deathgasm is the amazing 2015 splatstick film from New Zealand, and if you haven’t seen it by this point, please stop reading and come back in an hour and a half. It’s metal as hell, funny, and so very, very bloody. There’s also some surprisingly-deep lessons to be learned about not judging appearances, as well as interpersonal relationships. Plus, bludgeoning with a dildo. The soundtrack is positively killer (pun intended), and features Axeslasher in addition to Midnight, Nunslaughter, and Bullet Belt. You can snag it on double vinyl LP from Death Waltz.
Pool Party Massacre was just released on DVD and Blu-ray, and the low-budget slasher is a hilariously gory romp which sees a bevy of bikini-clad young ladies attacked with an entire garage’s worth of power tools and yard equipment. The Drew Marvick-directed flick was put together on a budget of something like $6000, and it makes the most of every penny. We’ve been sharing the joys of it since we first saw it last month, and if you loved Deathgasm, you will be super-thrilled with Pool Party Massacre.
Listen closely for details on how to win a copy of Pool Party Massacre on DVD!
Tracklisting:
All tracks by Axeslasher, and available at their Bandcamp.
"The Axeslasher"
“Mark of the Pizzagram”
“Invasion of the Babesnatchers”
“In the Woods There Is No Law” (1986 mix)
“The Drifter’s Warning”
This is, quite honestly, one of my favorite songs of all time. Any chance I have to work it onto a compilation, mix tape, radio show, podcast, or otherwise, I will foist it upon those listening. Not only is it the theme to an excellently underrated movie, but it’s probably the best punk song to ever use “Entry of the Gladiators” as its backbone.
Granted, it’s probably the only punk song to use the circus calliope as its backbone, but still — fantastically catchy song. The Dickies have always existed as this strange bunch of circus freaks playing rapid-fire covers of classic rock songs, but their originals are at once ridiculously simple pop confections, as well as intricately-worded blasts of punk.
You can find the video for the song, as well as the original column behind this podcast at Cinepunx.
On this episode, we speak with Craig Wedren, former frontman of Shudder to Think, who’s composed music for nearly every project from MTV comedy troupe the State, including Reno 911! Miami, Balls of Fury, and the 2001 cult classic, Wet Hot American Summer. We talk the fascinating story of how Wedren got to where he is today, as well as recent projects such as NBC’s DC Comics sitcom, Powerless, and the new movie, How to Be A Latin Lover.
Tracklist:
Craig Wedren & Eli Janney, “Boys and Girls – Action” (The State)
Shudder to Think, “X-French Tee Shirt” (Pony Express Record)
Craig Wedren & Theodore Shapiro, “Higher & Higher” (Wet Hot American Summer OST)
Craig Wedren & Jefferson Friedman, “Powerless Opening Titles” (Powerless)
Craig Wedren & Pink Ape, “No Estoy Triste” (How to Be A Latin Lover OST)
Craig Wedren, “Wet Hot American Summer” (Wet Hot American Summer OST)
Craig Wedren & Theodore Shapiro, “American Summer” (Wet Hot American Summer OST)
It’s only taken half a dozen videos and a couple of months, but here we are finally marrying punk rock and movies in this podcast. Granted, late ‘80s Ramones is probably about as punk as a Clash t-shirt you bought at Urban Outfitters, but we do what we can.
“Pet Sematary” was written for the movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name — which I didn’t even know until I started watching the video for this column. It’s weird to think that the Ramones — punk rock progenitors — made a proper music video. There are plenty of live clips and things out there, but this is just about the only Ramones music video that’s not made up of a bunch of previously-shot footage.
You can find the music video for "Pet Sematary" and the original column for this episode at Cinepunx.
On this episode, we're talking with power pop icon Matthew Sweet about his work as part of Ming Tea, the house band for the 1997 Mike Myers' comedy, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this week.
Originally released on May 2, 1997, the movie was a box office success and pop culture sensation. Successfully skewering modern sensibilities and '60s culture simultaneously, Myers crafted a character who would go on to be in two fabulously successful sequels.
Adding to the interest of the character was the fact that Powers was so swinging in the '60s that he sang for his own psychedelic rock band, Ming Tea. The band featured rather prominently in the first film, appearing in between-scene cutaways, as well as performing in a music video for "BBC" over the film's closing credits. While Ming Tea's interstitial music would appear in the film's 1999 sequel, The Spy Who Shagged Me, the band wouldn't appear in a film again until 2002's Goldmember, wherein they performed "Daddy Wasn't There."
The band featured Mike Myers as Austin Powers on lead vocals, with the notable inclusion of the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs as Gillian Shagwell on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, and Matthew Sweet as Sid Belvedere on bass and backing vocals. They played a live show or two, but never recorded a proper album. We were lucky enough to speak with Sweet by phone about the whole Ming Tea history, and it was an absolute blast.
Tracklist:
The Wondermints, "Austin Powers" (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery OST)
Ming Tea, "BBC" (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery OST)
Matthew Sweet, "Girlfriend" (100% Fun)
Matthew Sweet, "Trick of the Light" (Tomorrow Forever)
Ming Tea, "Daddy Wasn't There" (Austin Powers in Goldmember)
Matthew Sweet, "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" (Saturday Morning: Cartoon's Greatest Hits)
On this episode, we take a side trip into the world of comics to talk about Coady & The Creepies, a new comic from Boom! Studios imprint Boom! Box, with writer Liz Prince and artist Amanda Kirk. Sisters Coady, Criss, and Corey are bandmates in the band Coady and the Creepies. After a van accident leaves Corey badly scarred and Criss in a wheelchair, they're getting back into the punk scene.
But, they still need to contend with the challenges of staying true to their punk ideals, while also dealing with the media attention they've attracted, as well as the tension surrounding the fact that Coady escaped the accident seemingly unscathed. Now on tour, they're fighting their way through the (sometimes literal) battle of the bands.
Issue #2 of Coady & The Creepies is out Tuesday, April 19, and you can order it via your local comic shop or online via the Boom! Studios shop.
Tracklist:
Coady and the Creepies, "Creepies R Go!" (single)
Shang-A-Lang, "Waiting For the End" (Waiting For the End)
Daniel Johnston, "Devil Town" (1990)
Chumped, "Songs About Boats" (Teenage Retirement)
The video for Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” is a textbook case of how music videos from films sometimes use the slimmest of connections in order to sell a movie. Watching the video, it seems like the director shot two different ideas for the song — one for the song before it was attached to the film, and the other afterward — and then stitched them together as best he could.
On this episode of From the Stereo to Your Screen, we discuss Bobby Brown's video for "On Our Own," from the film Ghostbusters II. You can read the original column and see the video at Cinepunx.
