From the Stereo to Your Screen #10, Class of '99 & The Faculty

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.

Episode #44, Your Favorite Soundtrack with Justin Lore & Liam O'Donnell

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)

Episode #43, Federale & The Films of Ana Lily Amirpour

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)

From the Stereo to Your Screen #9, "Phunk Junkeez & Tommy Boy"

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.

Episode #42, Deadtime Stories with Larry Juris

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.

From the Stereo to Your Screen #8, "The Coupe de Villes & Big Trouble in Little China"

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.

Episode #41, Deathgasm & Pool Party Massacre with Axeslasher

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”

From the Stereo to Your Screen #7, "The Dickies & Killer Klowns From Outer Space"

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.

Episode #40, Craig Wedren

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)

From the Stereo to Your Screen #6, "Ramones & Pet Sematary"

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.

Episode #39, Austin Powers with Matthew Sweet

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)

Episode #38, "Coady & The Creepies"

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)

From the Stereo to Your Screen #5, "Bobby Brown & Ghostbusters II"

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.

Episode #37, The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears with Blanck Mass

On this episode, we're talking with Blanck Mass about the rescore of the 2013 giallo film, The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears. Blanck Mass is better known as Benjamin John Power, one half of Fuck Buttons. In 2015, Powers was commissioned by the East End Film Festival to curate a rescore for Bruno Forzani and Héléne Catet's film. The original score for The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears wasn't actually original. Instead, as the University of Wisconsin's Mike King wrote in a blog post for UW's Cinematheque, "much of the soundtrack is directly lifted from the 1970s cinema that inspires them."

Tracklist:
Blanck Mass, "John Doe's Carnival of Error" (World Eater)
Ennio Morricone, "Erotico Mistico" (Maddalena)
Blanck Mass, "Laura's Blood" (The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears Re-Score)
Blanck Mass, "The Hole" (The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears Re-Score)

From the Stereo to Your Screen #4, "Oingo Boingo & Weird Science"

It only seems natural that Danny Elfman would end up doing film scores, given the number of times his Los Angeles psychotic cabaret act, Oingo Boingo, had their music appear in films during the ‘80s. Their appearance in Back to School doing “Dead Man’s Party” is one of that movie’s more iconic scenes, and they’re all over the soundtrack to 1984’s Bachelor Party, also appearing in the film itself.

However, it’s the title track for the 1985 sci-fi comedy, Weird Science, with which I identify the band cinematically. The film’s a John Hughes joint that manages to simultaneously revisit the themes for which the director’s best known — such as finding the strength within yourself — while also being a film wherein a computer-created woman can summon mutant bikers to a party.

On this episode of From the Stereo to Your Screen, we discuss Oingo Boingo's video for "Weird Science," from the film Weird Science. You can read the original column and see the video at Cinepunx.

Episode #36, Joe Bob Briggs

Movie critic Joe Bob Briggs is known for his reviews of drive-in movies, even if there aren't all that many drive-ins around these days. He's become something of a go-to guy for films with exploding heads, car chases, nudity, and all aspects of action, be it kung-fu, car-fu, or chainsaw-fu. While he was once best known for his hosting duties on The Movie Channel and TNT, introducing films as part of Joe Bob's Drive-In and MonsterVision, he's now an author of some repute, with the essential movie guides Profoundly Erotic: Sexy Movies that Changed History and Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies that Changed History.

Tracklist:
Joe Bob Briggs, "MonsterVision" (TNT's MonsterVision)
Herschel Gordon Lewis, "Blood Feast Main Title" (The Amazing Film Scores of Herschel Gordon Lewis)
Gary Ham, "Prescription Beer" (The Howling 7: New Moon Rising)
Herschel Gordon Lewis, "Robert E Lee Broke His Musket on His Knee" (The Golden Turkey Album)
John Carpenter, "Assault on Precinct 13" (Assault on Precinct 13 OST)

From the Stereo to Your Screen #3, "Last Action Hero & AC/DC"

1993's Last Action Hero bombed so hard, people were baffled at how good and successful the following year’s True Lies ended up being. That, however, was basically a last gasp, and with the exception of Schwarzenegger’s appearances in the Expendables films, his ability to make a film make bank with his name above the title essentially ended with Last Action Hero.

Watching the video for AC/DC's "Big Gun," one can easily start to parse out why. Whereas the video for the prior year’s “You Could Be Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses saw Arnold being a cold, calculating badass, this one is precisely the opposite.

On this episode of From the Stereo to Your Screen, we discuss AC/DC's video for "Big Gun," from the film Last Action Hero. You can read the original column and see the video at Cinepunx.

Episode #35, 48 Hours with the BusBoys' Brian O'Neal

On this episode, we're talking with Brian O'Neal of the BusBoys about the band's appearance in the buddy-cop classic, 48 Hours. The 1982 film was the film debut of Eddie Murphy. In it, he plays convict Reggie Hammond, who is taken out of jail for the titular period of time in order to help Nick Nolte's cop, Jack Cates, catch a thief and murderer named Albert Ganz. It's funny, cool, and made Murphy a huge star. 

In one of the film's two rather classic nightclub scenes, at a bar Vroman's, Hammond tries to pick up a lady while a band play some kick-ass boogie-woogie rock 'n' roll behind it all. That band, the BusBoys, plays a song, "The Boys Are Back In Town," which is so immediately catchy that it makes a return over the end credits, and even gets referenced in the tagline for the sequel, Another 48 Hours, when it came out eight years later. Strangely, it never saw release as a single -- or in any form -- until the Busboys re-recorded it in 2000 for their fourth album, (Boys Are) Back in Town, along with the other song from the film, "New Shoes." We talk about all of this with O'Neal, as well as the band's work on the soundtrack for Ghostbusters.

Tracklist:
James Horner, "48 Hours Main Title" (48 Hours OST)
The BusBoys, "The Boys Are Back In Town" (48 Hours OST)
The BusBoys, "New Shoes" (48 Hours OST)
The BusBoys, "Cleanin' Up the Town" (Ghostbusters OST)

From the Stereo to Your Screen #2, "Addams Family & MC Hammer"

The brightest stars burn briefest, as the saying goes. MC Hammer’s Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em and Too Legit to Quit were released back-to-back in 1990 and 1991, and by the time The Funky Headhunter dropped three years later, hip-hop had moved from the pop-friendly jams of Hammer, Young MC, and Vanilla Ice to the likes of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac.

On this episode of From the Stereo to Your Screen, we discuss Hammer's video for "Addams Groove," from the film The Addams Family. You can read the original column and see the video at Cinepunx.

Episode #34, April March's "Chick Habit"

On this episode, we're talking with April March about her song, "Chick Habit.," an English language rewrite of the song, "Laisse tomber les filles," composed by Serge Gainsbourg and originally performed by France Gall. March's song was featured in the opening credits of 1999's But I'm A Cheerleader, and in the closing credits of Death Proof in 2007. We go deep into the history of March's version, as well as discussing her upcoming projects.

Tracklist:
France Gall, "Laisse tomber les filles" (Laisse tomber les filles)
April March, "Chick Habit" (Gainsbourgsion!)
Cecil Milner, "Blaze of Brass"
King Palmer, "Holiday Playtime"
Shitbirds, "Oh Joy!" (Oh Joy!)