Episode #24, The Good The Tough & The Deadly

For those who enjoyed David J Moore's first massive, textbook-sized tome (World Gone Wild: A Survivor’s Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies), his latest -- The Good, the Tough & The Deadly: Action Movies & Stars 1960s-Present -- is even bigger, better, and badder. In addition to interviews with action stars and directors, he teamed up with the likes of Vern, Mike “McBeardo” McPadden, and Destroy All Movies’ Zack Carlson to write reviews. It's a fantastic bit of reading and a very necessary addition to your reference library. We spoke with Moore via Skype about the book, as well as the majesty of his favorite action soundtrack -- 1987's Over the Top.

Tracklisting:

Alan Silvestri, "The Delta Force" (Delta Force OST)
Vince DiCola, "Training Montage" (Rocky IV OST)
James Horner, "Commando Main Title" (Commando OST)
Kenny Loggins, "Meet Me Halfway" (Over the Top OST)
Sammy Hagar, "Winner Takes It All" (Over the Top OST)
Paul Hertzog, "Advanced Training" (Kickboxer OST)

Episode #23, Scored to Death with J Blake Fichera

On this episode, we speak with J Blake Fichera, musician and author of the new book, Scored to Death: Conversations with Some of Horror's Greatest Composers, out now from Silman James.

In Scored to Death, the author spoke with 14 different composers of music for horror films. Be it the greats like Harry Manfredini, John Carpenter, and members of Goblin, or newcomers like Jeff Grace and Joseph Bishara, Fichera asks great questions and gets inside the creative processes of these amazing musicians. Scored to Death is the sort of book which appeals to newcomers to film score fandom, as well as deep-digging heads.

There's a chance at the end of the podcast to win a copy of Fichera's book, too!

Tracklisting:

Harry Manfredini, "House Main Titles" (House OST)
Goblin, "Profundo Rosso" (Deep Red OST)
John Carpenter, "Vortex" (Lost Themes)
Claudio Simonetti, "Demon" (Demons OST)
Bernard Herrmann, "Psycho" (Psycho OST)
Josepha Bishara, "The Conjuring" (The Conjuring OST)
Fabio Frizzi, "Suoni dissonanti" (City of the Living Dead OST)
Jeff Grace, "Original Inhabitants" (House of the Devil OST)

Episode #22, Life Moves Pretty Fast with Hadley Freeman

On this episode, we speak with Hadley Freeman, writer for the Guardian newspaper in the UK, and author of the new book, Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (And Why We Don't Learn Them From Movies Any More), which is out now from Simon & Schuster.

On its cover, Freeman's book looks like a frothy summer read, full of goofy observations on fun movies, but once you're into the first chapter, you realize that Freeman has actually noticed that what we learned from '80s movies was way more consequential than you might think. We spoke with the author via Skype from her home in London. It got a little glitchy at times, but we've cleaned it up pretty well, and the conversation was an absolute delight.

Tracklisting:

Yello, "Oh Yeah" (Stella)
Patrick Swayze, "She's Like the Wind" (Dirty Dancing OST)
Flesh for Lulu, "I Go Crazy" (Long Live the New Flesh)
Harold Faltermeyer, "Axel F" (Beverly Hills Cop OST)
Deniece Williams, "Let's Hear It for the Boy" (Footloose OST)
Starship, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (No Protection)
The English Beat, "March of the Swivel Heads" (Special Beat Service)

Podcast #21, Tom McLoughlin

On this episode, we speak with Tom McLoughlin, director of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, about the return of his band the Sloths, after a 50 year hiatus. Their album, Back from the Grave! is out now via Burger Records.

In addition to talking about the Sloths, we touch on Alice Cooper's iconic song for Jason Lives, "He Back (The Man Behind the Mask)," as well as McLoughlin's involvement with the forthcoming Friday the 13th: The Game.

Tracklist:

The Sloths, "Makin' Love" (original single)
The Sloths, "End of My Rope" (Back from the Grave!)
Alice Cooper, "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" (Constrictor)
Harry Manfredini, "Friday the 13th Game Music Track 02" (The Music of Friday the 13th: The Game) buy it
Harry Manfredini, "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Main Theme" (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives)

Podcast #19, Gotham with Jason Alexander

On this episode, we speak with Jason Alexander, music supervisor for the Fox television program, Gotham. As anyone who follows me on Twitter is aware, I'm a big fan of the Monday night show, which is essentially a prequel to the Batman mythos. The show's a crazed bit of fun, featuring new takes on old characters, and really shines as an ensemble piece.

For me, a large part of the appeal to Gotham comes from its use of music, which contains a width and breadth of sound not frequently found in a primetime show. We were really excited to speak with Mr Alexander, especially given his bonafides on the likes of CSI and Nikita. It's a great discussion that really goes deep into Gotham's aesthetics.

Tracklisting:

David Russo, "Gotham opening sting"
The Stooges, "Down on the Street" (Fun House)
Grenadiers, "Fanny Pack" (Summer)
the Damned, "New Rose" (Damned Damned Damned)
David Russo feat. Suzanne Waters, "Penguin's Lullaby" (YouTube)
Metropolis, "I Love New York" (single)
David Russo, "Gotham end titles"

Podcast #18, Green Room with Ben Macensky

On this episode, we speak with Ben Macensky, the musician whose songs -- written with Sam Jones -- became the music of the Ain’t Rights, the punk band featured in the new film, Green Room, the latest from director Jeremy Saulnier, known for his movies Blue Ruin and Murder Party. It tells the story of said punk band, who take a gig at the end of a less-than-successful tour, only to have things go very very wrong after the show.

For some in-depth discussion of the other music in the film, check out this great piece at Birth.Movies Death.

Tracklisting:

Blair Brothers, “Weapons Ready”
The Ain’t Rights, “What Have I Become?”
The Ain’t Rights, “Coronary”
The Ain’t Rights, “Toxic Evolution”
Bad Brains, “Right Brigade”

Podcast #17, It Came From the VCR

On this episode, we speak with Ralph Abel, the man behind the insanely-popular online VHS-digging social media accounts, It Came From the VCR. We spoke about his plans for an iPhone and Apple TV app, as well as the Le Matos score to the recent backwards-looking retro fest, Turbo Kid. Ostensibly, at least -- our chat is pretty wide-ranging, and works more as a conversation about retro things in general. Thanks to Mr. Abel for finding the recording of this interview, which we'd thought was lost to capricious computer gods.

Le Matos' score can be found at Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:
Le Matos, "Intro/Wasteland"
Elmer Bernstein, "Slipstream"
Le Matos, "Eyes Throat Genitals"
Le Matos, "Skelotron"
Le Matos, "Playtime Is Over (OST version)"
Le Matos ft. Pawws, "No Tomorrow"

Podcast #16.5, Record Store Day UK

Well, we managed to snake in TWO episodes this week, and our bonus episode is actually twice as long as the actual one we dropped on Monday. It's how things work.

Anyhow. We realized that we forgot to talk about all the UK releases for Record Store Day, so we reached out via Twitter and got Tony Giles, co-host of The Damn Fine Cast and owner of Shipping Records, to help us run down some gems for our listeners overseas. There are some gems we will likely be importing at great expense.

Tracklisting:

Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet, "Party" (Requiem for a Dream)
Gerhard Heinz, "All You Ever Need is Beat" (Schamlos)
Goblin, "Seq. 01 - Main Titles" (La Villa Della Droga)
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, "Omens Of Nosferatu" (Nosferatu)

Podcast #16, You're Next

The 2011 home invasion thriller, You’re Next, was directed by Adam Wingard from a script written by Wingard and Simon Barrett. It was probably my favorite movie of 2013, when it officially saw wide release. It’s a taut series of violent encounters that manages to take elements of the slasher genre’s final girl trope and cross them with both home invasion films, as well as the “dinner party from hell” genre that seems to be slowly becoming a thing. It’s fantastic, with lead Sharni Vinson being particularly amazing, to say nothing of the return of genre icon Barbara Crampton.

As Films on Wax editor Charlie Brigden says on the obi strip for the vinyl release, “the score gets under your skin with ambient eerie textures causing maximum discomfort with minimum effort.” The score isn’t particularly ornate, but yes -- it does a great job of creepy you right the hell out. Of course, the most notable piece of music in the film is the Dwight Twilley Band’s “Looking for the Magic,” from their 1977 sophomore LP, Twilley Don’t Mind.

I spoke with him in 2015 about a split single he’d released with the Josh Berwanger Band on Goodland Records, and we spoke about the newly-iconic status of the song.

Track listing:

Adam Wingard, "Commando Mode" (You're Next OST)
The Dwight Twilley Band, "Looking for the Magic" (Twilley Don't Mind)
Lou Reed, "Perfect Day" (Transformer)

Podcast #15, Record Store Day Soundtrack Releases

The third Saturday of every April since 2007 has been devoted to hitting up record stores the world over and supporting independently-owned businesses. It's known as Record Store Day, and, granted, it's become a little more commercial as its progressed -- up to and including a Black Friday event -- but there's still a chance to get out and grab some interesting releases with a slew of like-minded individuals. On this episode of the podcast, we break down the various soundtrack-related releases and let you know what's what.

Tracklisting:

The Bouncing Souls, "That Song" (How I Spent My Summer Vacation)
Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet, "Lux Aeterna" (Requiem For A Dream OST)
Bob Cobert, "Shadows Of The Night (Quentin's Theme)" (Dark Shadows OST)
Delia Derbyshire, "Dr. Who" (Doctor Who: The Music)
Ethan Hawke, "My Funny Valentine" (Born to Be Blue OST)
Silly Symphony, "The Skeleton Dance" (Disney's 75 Years of Music & Memories)
Bee Gees, "To Love Somebody" (Joy OST)
Le Castle Vania, "LED Spirals" (John Wick OST)
De La Soul & Teenage Fanclub, "Fallin'" (Judgment Night OST)
Clan of Xymox, "A Day" (The Guest OST)
Dolly Parton, "Jolene (slowdown)" (Blacklist OST)
Tito & Tarantula, "After Dark" (From Dusk Til Dawn OST)
Stelvio Cipriani, "Deviation" (Deviation)
Goblin, "La Via Della Droga" (La Via Della Droga)
Pearl Jam, "Spin the Black Circle" (Vitalogy)

Podcast #14, The Dead Next Door with JR Bookwalter

1990 zombie action film The Dead Next Door was shot over a period of four years in Akron, Ohio. In addition to being surprsingly excellent for such a small budget independent movie, the film acts a time capsule for several area bands from that era, whose music complements writer/director/producer/composer JR Bookwalter's minimal synth score.

We spoke with Bookwalter about The Dead Next Door, which was recently released as an Ultimate Edition Blu-ray, DVD, and soundtrack combo via Tempe Video. The interview was recorded over Skype, so you can hear some odd background noises, including the microwave in the kitchen

Tracklisting:

JR Bookwalter, "The Dead Next Door Main Titles"
Argus, "The Dead Next Door"
Wilbur & The Hoodlum Patrol, "Death & Violence"
Joy Circuit, "The Answer" (Instrumental)
JR Bookwalter, "Left For Dead" (Instrumental Version)

Podcast #13, Eric Craig of Lakeshore Entertainment

On this episode, we speak with Eric Craig, Director of A&R and Music Supervision at Lakeshore Entertainment. We spoke with Mr Craig back in November, so a few references may seem a bit out of date, but his insights into the world of acquiring and licensing music for films is evergreen. Among the films we discuss in particular are Drive and Napoleon Dynamite.

Tracklisting:

Kavinsky & Lovefoxx, "Nightcall" (Drive)
College feat. Electric Youth, "A Real Hero" (Drive)
Jamiroquai, "Canned Heat" (Napoleon Dynamite)
The Chromatics, "Tick of the Clock" (Drive)
David Bowie feat. Maynard James Keenan & John Frusciante, "Bring Me the Disco King" (Danny Lohner Mix) (Underworld)

Podcast #12, Electronic Composition with Kip Haaheim

Every year, the Lawrence Public Library chooses a book for Read Across Lawrence, a month-long celebration of that title and its themes. This year, the library chose Andy Weir’s The Martian, a smart and funny novel which was turned into a blockbuster, Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning film starring Matt Damon.

For part of this, the Electronic Composition class at the University of Kansas will re-score and redub The Evil Brain from Outer Space, a Japanese grade-z flick cobbled together from portions of the Starman short film series. We spoke with the class's instructor, Kip Haaheim, Associate Professor of Music Theory & Music Composition, about the process of scoring and composition.

The screening of The Evil Brain From Outer Space takes place at the Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Kansas on Thursday, February 18 at 7:00pm. More information can  be found here.

Tracklisting:
Bernard Herrmann, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Louis & Bebe Barron, "Forbidden Planet Main Titles" (Forbidden Planet)
John Williams, "Rey's Theme (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Nick Spacek, "Theremin #1" (Make your own music here)
Ennio Morricone, "The Thing Main Theme" (The Thing)

Podcast #11, Cannibal! The Musical

On this episode, we speak with  Robert Lee of Banana Stand Records about the label’s vinyl release of the soundtrack to the 1993 comedy horror film, Cannibal! The Musical. This is a film which could’ve easily been another straight-to-video distributed release from Troma, but for the fact that the director, songwriter, and star Trey Parker and co-star Matt Stone would go on to fame as the creators of the smash Comedy Central animated series, South Park.

You can pick up Cannibal! The Musical on limited-edition blood red vinyl from Banana Stand's store.

Track listing:
"It's A Shpadoinkle Day!" (Cannibal! The Musical)
"The Trapper Song" (Cannibal! The Musical)
"Blame Canada" (South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut)
"That's All I'm Asking For" (Cannibal! The Musical)
"Let's Build A Snowman" (Cannibal! The Musical)
"Hello!" (The Book of Mormon)
"Hang the Bastard" (Cannibal! The Musical)
"Let's Build A Snowman (Reprise)" (Cannibal! The Musical)

Podcast #10, Pulp Fiction

1994's Pulp Fiction was an absolute smash for director Quentin Tarantino. In addition to winning the Palm d’Or at Cannes that year, it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, with Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary winning for Best Original Screenplay.

The film, like so many of Tarantino’s movies, plays with genre film conventions and temporal organization -- which is to say that it doesn’t take place in a linear fashion, instead jumping about in various points within the timeline. It’s difficult to really put one’s finger on exactly why it’s so good, but Pulp Fiction is just one of those films that manages to survive the test of time and still amazes and impresses over 20 years later.

On this episode, we speak with Eddie Roeser of the band Urge Overkill about the band's cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon." Their cover of the 1967 single was originally recorded for the band’s 1993 Stull EP, and the video for the song released in conjunction with the film helped the soundtrack reach all the way up to 21 on the Billboard charts, as well as reaching double-platinum sales. We spoke with Roeser around the re-release of the Stull EP on Touch and Go Records last year.

Tarantino's latest film, The Hateful Eight, is in theaters now.

Track listing:
Dick Dale, “Miserlou”
The Revels, “Comanche”
Chuck Berry, “You Never Can Tell”
Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together”
Neil Diamond, “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”
Urge Overkill, “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”
Ricky Nelson, “Lonesome Town”
The Lively Ones, “Surf Rider”

Podcast #9, Only Lovers Left Alive

The performance by New York City psych-rockers White Hills comes right at a turning point in Jim Jarmusch's 2013 film, Only Lovers Left Alive. It begins a part where an already-mad film begins to get psychedelic. It’s interesting to see a band get to play so prominently in the midst of a narrative. We spoke with White Hills' Dave W. a while back regarding the band's appearance in the film, and how it came to be.

Tracklisting:

Squrl ft. Madeline Follin, "Funnel of Love"
Yasmine Hamdan, "Hal"
White Hills, "Under Skin Or By Name"
Squrl, "Spooky Action at a Distance"
Charlie Feathers, "Can't Hardly Stand It"

Hot Blood's Disco Dracula can be had from the Internet Archive.

Podcast #8.5, Cocktails For Two mix

The weather is getting chilly, verging on cold, the holidays are lending a sense of impending doom, and in general, stress is ramping up as the year draws to a close. What better way to relax than to mix a drink and kick back with a few louche tunes?

Tracklisting:

Nicki Mathis, "Forgetting You" (Manos: The Hands of Fate)
Duke Ellington, "Happy Anatomy" (Anatomy of a Murder)
Noel Harrison, "Windmills of Your Mind" (The Thomas Crown Affair)
Miklos Rozsa, "Spellbound Concerto" (Spellbound)
Riz Ortolani, "The Damned Island" (Mondo Cane)
Peraino/Kupersmith/Bruno, "Deeper and Deeper" (Deep Throat Part II)

Podcast #8, Rob Zombie films with Jesse Dayton

Lately, Jesse Dayton's been a busy man. The Texas singer and guitarist just got off tour with legendary L.A. punk band X, where he'd been filling in for Billy Zoom on guitar, and is currently on the road opening for Jonny Two Bags and Scott H. Biram as part of the Blood and Thrash Tour.

Despite his rigorous touring schedule, Dayon's best known for the music he created for the bands which appeared in two of director Rob Zombie's films: Banjo & Sullivan in The Devil's Rejects, and Captain Clegg & The Nightcreatures in Halloween II. We spoke with him by phone from Atlanta, where he and his band were taking a break from practice for their current tour.

Tracklisting:

Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures, "Macon County Morgue" (Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures)
Jesse Dayton, "Tall Walkin' Texas Trash" (Country Soul Brother)
Banjo & Sullivan, "I’m At Home Gettin’ Hammered (While She’s Out Gettin’ Nailed)" (Banjo & Sullivan: The Ultimate Collection)
Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures, "Honky Tonk Halloween" (Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures)
Jesse Dayton, "Time to Go" (Raisin' Cain)
Banjo & Sullivan, "Free Bird" (Banjo & Sullivan: The Ultimate Collection)

Podcast #7.5, Eerie Voices Mix

Halloween may be over, but really, here at From & Inspired By, we're never too far from the spooky and creepy. Thus, this installment of our mixtape series is entitled "Eerie Voices" and features just what the title implies. It's short, but sweet.

Tracklisting:

Carl Orff, "O Fortuna" (Carmina Burana)
Jerry Goldsmith, "Ave Satani" (The Omen)
Ramin Djawadi, "Son of the Harpy" (Game of Thrones Season 5)
Philip Glass, "Helen's Theme" (Candyman)
Goblin, "School at Night (Music Box Version" (Profundo Rosso)
Krzysztof Komeda, "Main Title" (Rosemary's Baby)
John Williams, "Duel of the Fates" (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)

Podcast #7, Mallrats with Wax's Joe Sib

Kevin Smith's 1995 comedy, Mallrats, was the follow-up to his shoestring-budgeted debut, Clerks. While it did poorly at the box office, it found a successful second life on video, and is a bonafied cult hit. The soundtrack ranks right up there with Angus as far as compiling a diverse array of the era's top alt-rock chartmakers and underground successes.

Joe Sib, Wax frontman and founder of influential indie label SideOne Dummy, was cool enough to speak with us by phone about how Wax came to have the titular song on the Mallrats soundtrack, as well as the band's experiences with Bio-Dome and the music industry as a whole.

Track listing:
Squirtgun, "Social"
Sublime, "Smoke Two Joints"
Bush, "Bubbles"
The Goops, "Build Me Up Buttercup"
Wax, "Happy Happy Joy Joy"
Wax, "He's A Whore"
Wax, "Mallrats"
Wax, "California"
Wax, "Who Is Next"
Wax, "In Spite of Me"
Weezer, "Suzanne"