Episode #30, Record Store Day Black Friday 2016 with Tony Giles

We once again welcome Tony Giles, of the Damn Fine Cast, the Lakeshore Records podcast, and 5/5/78, to talk Record Store Day releases. This Friday, November 25, brings a slew of exclusives to record stores for Black Friday, and we break down the various soundtrack and score-related titles. We also both offer up out most-anticipated non soundtrack releases.

Tracklist:

Charles Fox and Bob Crewe, "Barbarella" (Barbarella)
Sesame Street, "Letter B" (Born to Add)
Eric Cartman, "O Holy Night" (South Park: Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics)
Puscifer, "Rev 22:20" (Underworld OST)
Electric Wizard, "Dunwich" (Witchcult Today)

Episode #29, Basketball with Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett

On this episode, we're looking at Baseketball, the 1998 American sports comedy film co-written and directed by David Zucker and starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. We discuss the Mojo Records soundtrack with Aaron Barrett, frontman for long-running ska-punk act Reel Big Fish, who were not only on the soundtrack, but in the film itself.

Tracklist:

Reel Big Fish, "Take On Me" (Baseketball OST)
Reel Big Fish, "Beer" (Turn the Radio Off)
Reel Big Fish, "241" (Turn the Radio Off)
The Supersuckers, "Psyched Out" (Baseketball OST)

Episode #28, Wu-Tang Kung-Fu with Dustin Pryor

On this episode, we delve into the way music can open your mind to new movies and vice versa, courtesy the intersection of the Wu-Tang Clan and kung-fu films. To delve into this, we talk with Dustin Pryor of the Media Rewind podcast. It's a great discussion, and we get into some interesting areas, not the least of which is a much-deserved RZA lovefest.

Speaking of which -- the RZA is currently touring a live re-score of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. There's one date left: November 10 at the Town Hall in Manhattan. You can find details here.

Tracklist:
Wu-Tang Clan, "Wu-Tang Ain't Nuthing Ta F' With" (Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))
Wu-Tang Clan, "Bring Da Ruckus" (Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))
Wu-Tang Clan, "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" (Iron Flag)
Wu-Tang Clan, "Triumph" (Wu-Tang Forever)
Wu-Tang Clan, "Gravel Pit" (The W)

Episode #27, Red State with Adam Lee

The 2011 film, Red State, was the first departure of Kevin Smith from his rather more comedic roots. It’s a grindhousey horror action film more akin to The Devil’s Rejects than the suburban hi-jinks of Mallrats or Clerks. Smith self-produced the whole film, then released it under his own Smodcast Films banner.

In an interesting turn of events, as Smith was wrapping filming on the movie in October of 2010, he put out a call via Twitter for speed metal and country tunes. The country tune he picked was Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Company's "Drinking, Cheating, Loving, and Leaving," from their 2010 album, When the Spirits Move Me. We spoke by phone with Adam Lee about that song, as well as Smith’s movie Tusk. We started off with a discussion of Lee’s new solo album, Sincerely Me, which was released earlier this year.

Tracklist:
Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Co., "Drinking, Cheating, Loving, and Leaving" (When the Spirits Move Me)
Adam Lee, "Good Days" (Sincerely, Me)
Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Co., "Holy Roller" (When the Spirits Move Me)
Adam Lee, "Stray Cat" (Sincerely, Me)
Adam Lee, "Misery" (Sincerely, Me)

Episode #26, The Nice Guys

On this episode, we're talking about the soundtrack to the most recent film from director Shane Black, The Nice Guys, out now on Blu-ray. I was hooked from the moment that the Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" played over the opening credits, but that's just me. The very utter '70s-ness of the soundtrack really sets the time for The Nice Guys, and mixes rock 'n' roll with funky soul in a way few soundtracks do. It's nice to see a music director recognize that people could listen to Brick and KISS within the same day, rather than treating them like they're from different planets.

We also discuss the amazing double vinyl LP release of the soundtrack from iam8bit.

Tracklist:

The Temptations, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"
Earth Wind & Fire, "September"
The Band, "Ain't Got No Home"
Brick, "Dazz"
Al Green, "Love and Happiness"

Episode #25, Septemburton with the Alamo Drafthouse's Ryan Davis

On September 30, 20th Century Fox will release Tim Burton's latest feature film, an adaptation of Ransom Riggs' 2011 young adult novel, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. In celebration of the director's latest, as well as his entire career, the Alamo Drafthouse will turn the month of September into Septemburton, with screenings of Burton's best films, including a 35mm screening of 1989's Batman. We spoke with Ryan Davis, creative manager of Kansas City's Alamo Drafthouse Main Street by phone about the series, as well as some of his favorite Burton films.

Afterward, we delve into our own thoughts regarding Prince's soundtrack for Burton's Batman. You should totally read Steven Hyden's 2012 AV Club article that makes the case far better than I ever could, entitled "Prince’s Batman soundtrack is not the embarrassment it’s reputed to be."

Tracklist:
Danny Elfman, "Beetlejuice Main Titles" (Beetlejuice OST)
Danny Elfman, "Big Fish (Titles)" (Big Fish OST)
Prince, "Trust" (Batman OST)
Prince, "Batdance" (Batman OST)
Prince, "Partyman" (Batman OST)
Danny Elfman, "The Bike Dream" (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure OST)

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)

Blog Extra: Tito Larriva on Repo Man

Singer and guitarist Tito Larriva has had a healthy musical life in both the early days of the L.A. punk scene, as well as having his music featured in quite a few films. The first cinematic appearance of Larriva's music came as part of the iconic cult film, Repo Man, directed by Alex Cox in 1984, with his band the Plugz supplying both songs for the soundtrack and composing the score.

In more recent years, Larriva's been fronting Tito & Tarantula, whose music has popped up in quite a few Robert Rodriguez films, such as Desperado and From Dusk Til Dawn. Larriva's also scored films as diverse as the rather underrated Kevin Costner golf film, Tin Cup, and the Latina coming of age movie Mi Vida Loca.

Larriva wasn't able to speak with us for the podcast, but was kind enough to answer by e-mail some possible questions about his involvement in Repo Man we'd advanced his publicist.

How did you come to get involved with Repo Man?

Alex Cox was a fan of my punk band, the Plugz (late '70s/early '80s). He was a part of a video the Plugz did at UCLA and after he graduated from film school, we got together and talked about his idea for Repo Man and what direction he wanted for the score: punk Leone ...

What song from the film stands out most in your mind?

There are so many cool tracks it's hard to pick: Circle Jerks, Iggy's Repo Man theme -- hard to pick, really.

Where did the music come from -- your standard set, written specifically for the film, or a combination?

The songs, of course, were from the Plugz records, but the soundtrack I created with my friends Ruben and Stevie. The Plugz cut the tracks and I conducted it to the actual film: no click tracks back then. It was all done live to picture. Still my favorite way of doing things.

Bud: "I don't want no commies in my car. No Christians either." "Goddamn-dipshit-Rodriguez-gypsy-dildo-punks. I'll get your ass". "A repo man spends his life getting into tense situations". "Look at those assholes, ordinary fucking people. I hate 'em." "Only an asshole gets killed for a car."

Was there music which was left out of the film?

In regard to all the cues the we cut for the film: no, we used all of it. 

Did you have any involvement with the other music from the soundtrack?

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you mean the score, we recorded all the music in the film but for one cue. It was a pretty cool cue, too, written by Zander Schloss, who was an actor in the movie. But all songs were from pre-existing records of the artists. Iggy's Repo Man theme was the only song that was specifically cut for the film.

How has the music aged for you?

Like a fine wine, my friend -- like a fine wine.

Did the music influence your later career? If so, how?

Very much so. Shortly after the release of the movie, I started a new band called the Cruzados. We had the punk Leone sound, got signed to a major label by Clive Davis, and had a short but very successful run all through the '80s.

What are your current projects?

Tito & Tarantula, of course. Lots of touring, maybe get a new record out before the year's over. A few film projects on the horizon but can't really talk about it to much. You know... I don't want to JINX it, so we'll leave it at that.

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 #20, The Chris Gethard Show

On this episode, we speak with Hallie Bulleit, who's part of the LLC, the house band for Fusion's The Chris Gethard Show. In addition to her work on The Chris Gethard Show, Bulleit has done theater, and played in bands like the Hissyfits and the Unlovables. We had a really cool discussion about her work in music, as well as the history of the Gethard Show and its journey from public access to cable.

You can find past episodes of The Chris Gethard Show on YouTube, and Hallie Bulleit is on Twitter @HallieBulleit. Keep an eye out for Hiccup's debut full-length on their Facebook page.

Tracklist:

The LLC, "TCGS Theme" (Come Take A Ride ...) buy here
The LLC, "Why Don't You Give Us A Call" (Come Take A Ride ...)
PWR BTTM, "I Wanna Boy" (live on TCGS)
The Unlovables, "Doot Da Doot" (Crush*Boyfriend*Heartbreak) buy here
Hiccup, "Whatevs, I'm Fine" (Hiccuo) buy here

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)