Radio Free Hipster Ep. 8: Feed My Frankenberry

You could call it a departure, but I prefer to think of it as a complementary interpretation. The songs in this ep. may not have quite the sweeping indie cred as those in most of my previous offerings, but they still manage to be both nerdy and thematically relevant.

When I think of Halloweens past, my thoughts invariably turn to movies and television. Seasonal programming had become synonymous with parties and trick-or-treating and the other forms of Halloween-centered merriment that I participate in (on one level or another) each and every year. So much so that it’s not just the season that I look forward to, but all of the other cheesy trappings – Twilight Zone marathons, poorly paced monster movie countdown shows, late-night radio novelty songs, that episode of Benson where Mr. G. Reaper comes to Capitol City – I love all that silly shit.

A compelling case can be made by those who believe that Halloween is for the young. Likewise, and equally convincing argument can be espoused by those who believe that the modern celebration is more geared toward adults. I prefer to mark its appeal to the childish whimsy within us all. That piece that is simultaneously enamored with and repulsed by the thought of interacting with strangers, and, indeed, strangeness itself.

Maybe it’s due to the fact that I live in a rural south, a place where anything secular or blatantly non-Christian is immediately vilified, that makes me love this holiday so much. Maybe I’m simply reacting to the oppressive cultural forces around me. Rationalization aside, the simple truth of the matter is as follows: every year around this time I make an earnest effort to get in touch with my inner child, and time after time I am reminded that he is a creepy little bastard.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 8: Feed My Frankenberry Size: 43 MB Running Time 47:03

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 8: Feed My Frankenberry Show Notes

Intro: Shaun of the Dead OST – “The Blue Wraith”

Though a lot of this show centers on nostalgia, there is always another delightful piece of monster movie goodness being cooked up somewhere. Shaun of the Dead is proof.

Z’s 1^st interlude: “Most of it is hungry”

My wife insists that we are the only family in the neighborhood that has a fully developed zombie contingency plan. We'll see who's laughing when the hungry dead burst from their graves, Mr. Marten!

Track 1: Brainthirst/Redcat – “Acre of the Undead (200x Apocalypse Mix)”

Big up to Ben for including that “master of unlocking” clip in this remix.

Track 2: ABG – “Ada’s Groove”

This track is so much smoother than I expected. It’s funny how beautiful a song can be once you remove the element of flesh-eating ghouls.

Track 3: Emerald Rain Productions – “Flee! (A Brief History Of Zombieism In Western Thought)”

This song was taken from the Young Zombies in Love Soundtrack, a musical written by Damian Hess (AKA MC Frontalot) with music by Gaby Alter (AKA: Gminor7).

Track 4: Vincent Price – “Thriller Intro”/virt – “Thriller”/Chef “Make Love (Even When I’m Dead”)

That South Park clip begged to be included. It literally begged.

Track 5: King.of.Pants – “Frankenbooted”

Son of Monster Mash-up has a lot to offer, not the least of which being Alice Copper vs. Oingo Boingo vs. Peaches.

Z’s 2^nd interlude: “Ambient Theremin”

I think this sample is from Transformers: The Movie.

Track 6: “Disney’s Haunted Mansion Theme”/DJ BC “Haunted House of Mash-up”/Warren Zevon “Werewolves of London”

I don’t consider the Halloween season complete until I’ve heard “Werewolves of London.” Therefore, this track was included as a favor to us all.

Track 7: Ghostbusters dialogue /“Scooby Doo (Techno Remix)”

I have no idea who remixed tha Scooby Doo, theme, but I tip my hat to him or her.

Track 8: Beetlejuice dialogue/Rocky Horror Picture Show OST “Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul”

I don't blame Frank N. Furter. I've often wanted to shank Meatloaf myself.

Track 9: “Grim Grinning Ghosts”/“Night Gallery Theme”

On a lot of levels I think Night Gallery is a better show than The Twilight Zone. Let the flaming commence.

Track 10: “Munsters Theme”

Likewise, I prefer Lily Munster to Morticia Addams. Your thoughts?

Track 11: Monster Magnet – “19 Witches”

Monster Magnet frontman Dave Wyndorf recently suffered a drug overdose. When you consider lingering rumors that the band were compensated for their first album in pot and meth it’s really no surprise. Still, I wish Dave a speedy recovery.

Z’s final interlude – “Being a party to my madness”

You just can’t trust a C.H.U.D.

Track 12: Metamystiks Inc. – “Horror Stories”

I was lucky enough to get a leaked copy of this track a few weeks before Rhyme Torrents 5 dropped. Even the demo version was amazing. While I certainly want Snyder, myf, and SDX to continue doing their individual solo stuff, I’d love to hear more Metamystiks.

And so concludes part one of my Halloween Crap-Tacular. Thanks so much for playing along. Part two should be done by mid-October and should include some dorky goth rock, a few more seasonal mash-ups, and some wonderful new nerdcore cuts. I hope you’ll check it out.

Buy a DS Lite and do a good deed

I make no effort to hide my rampant Nintendo fanboyism. Anyone who reads this blog is certain to know the deep and undying affection I feel for my DS Lite (as well as my DS Fat, GBA, GBA SP, Gamecube, GBC, original NES, and, yes, even my Virtual Boy). I don’t expect you to feel the same. The world is chock full of people and some of ‘em like different things than me. It’s a simple yet unavoidable fact.

But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you’d like a DS Lite to call your own. Let’s say, just for shits and giggles, that you’re looking for a sexy-cute handheld that, in addition to a secondary slot that will gladly accept any of the countless excellent Gameboy Advance cartridges you care to slap into it, boasts a primary maw that hungers for the latest in two-screened gaming tomfoolery.

If you, or the hypothetical you to which I previously referred, would also like to make the purchase of such tech a more altruistic exercise, you could hit up your local Target, where said retailer and Nintendo have elected to donate 100% of this week’s profits from sales of the pink iteration of this system to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Here’s a scan from my local circular:

Nerd news in brief

So, anyway, I took another long weekend.

Don’t you judge me. Don’t you dare judge me!

*Ahem* Now I’m back in the saddle again. And from this saddle I bring you nerd news in brief. It’s just like the regular news, only nerdier and slightly abridged.

• The always photogenic MC Frontalot was recently featured on Channel 4 on a program tellingly entitled Whatever. Will Front become the UK’s Hasselhoff? A boy can dream.
• Rapper/producer/ReMixer/all-around cool fellow myf has been added to the bill for the Frontalot/Optimus Rhyme show in our nation’s capital. Finally, a reason to head to DC that isn’t crack-related!
• October is Hispanic Heritage Month. I’ll not make the obvious connection between the ironic proximity of this particular cultural celebration to Halloween and the throngs of Redneck-Americans horrified by the influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants, but I will urge to you to commemorate the event by sending an e-hug to nerdcore’s favorite Whitesican. Personally, I plan to celebrate by not reporting my mother-in-law to the INS.
• Key West’s MC Fanatical has recently made her long-awaited nerdcore debut with a double-shot of geeky goodness. Check out her MySpace for original track “Mad Science” and Beefy cover “I Don’t Wanna Be Right” and be reminded of why you have ears in the first place.
• For anyone lamenting the lack of recent editions of my Radio Free Hipster podcast, weep no more! The first episode of my two-part Halloween Crap-tacular should be available this weekend. What? You… you weren’t weeping?
• Lastly, how could I do an edition of nerd news in brief without at least mentioning Screech’s sex tape? What has the world come to?