THE YOUNG MASTER (1980)
January 13th, 2011 by Mr. C
Director: Jackie Chan
Actors: Jackie Chan,Yuen Biao,Shek Kin,Lily Li,Hwang In Shik
This film blew my mind when my alien eyes first laid contact with her on WNEW’s Channel 5 drive in movie in the mid 1980’s! This was Jackie Chan’s 2nd directorial piece & it was truly a GEM in my galaxy! The fighting choreography in all its serious, & slapstick glory was nothing that I have ever seen before during my egg foo young tours. The movie was clearly Jackie’s comedic inspired kung fu flavored ramen oodles of technically sound choreographed action scenes that would make buster keaton clap silently. Don’t get me wrong, the plot of the story cannot hold a candle nor is as elaborate as some of the Shaw Brother pieces, but pound for pound the fight sequences in THE YOUNG MASTER single handedly put this film on my top 20 list of all time in the chi-neez variety! The all star cast included Jackie Chan himself, the grandfather of chinese cinema..drumroll…Shek Kin(other neophytes might know him as Han on Enter the Dragon), Lily Li, Yuen Biao, Lee Hoi San, & the real life Hap Ki Do master himself, HWANG IN SHIK! Master Hwang is one bad ass mofo! He accounted for 75% of what blew my mind when 1st watching this! It’s amazing watching a professional martial artist do his thing with a korean bon chon fling. It was truly art on the screen when watching this hap ki do master perform devastating kicks, joint locks, & punching combinations in some baskin robbins flavor that you have never tasted before. Jackie was very impressive as well. His acrobatic kung fu style is candy to the eyes while the character that he portrays is very playful & harmless, but deadly when provoked. Jackie’s expert handling of weapons like the chinese fan, the bamboo pole, a skirt, a smoking pipe, or basically anything that he lays his hands on is amazing! Yuen Biao added some nice spice to the film by providing some off the yin yang fighting himself. Hong Kong legend, Shek Kin does his thing with a comedic swing, but lets Jackie know that he can get as serious as a heart attack like Mr. Han Man if he has to! The action tid bits that really stood out to me in this film include the opening scene with the lion dance competition, the fight scene between Lily Li in her skirt with Jackie, the Jackie & Yuen Biao fight, the prisoner getaway scene, Shek Kin & Yuen Biao arresting Jackie, Jackie using a skirt to fight the bodyguards, & the final EPIC fight scene between Jackie & Hwang In Shik! Don’t get me wrong, this film isn’t for everybody. The fight sequences are long, there is plenty of humor, & the plot of the film is suspect. But, if you are a martial arts fan, you will undeniably recognize the fine wine associated with this film. Heheehee, this might be the 1st review of a movie to which no mention of a story line was given by the writer. What da, what?! Guess, y’all have to watch the movie yourselves to see what planet chocko sees! Only a true drunken master would understand! The YOUNG MASTER put Jackie on the kung fu map of stardom before THE POLICE STORY movies blew up! Oh by the way, depending on what version of the movie you see, the fight scene at the end with Jackie & Hwang In Shik is about 15 minutes long! Trust me it sounds long, but it’s martial arts at its best shakespearian format! Check it, check it out…y’all!
Tags: hwang in shik, jackie chan, lee hoi san, lily li, planet chocko, shek kin, the young master, the young master review, yuen biao
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Dar Williams: Live at the Bell House in Brooklyn
January 9th, 2011 by Mr. C
Dar Williams performed at the Bell House in Brooklyn last friday, January 6th! She was originally scheduled to play on the day after Christmas but that show was canceled due to snow AND snow we got, almost 2 feet worth! It was definitely a bummer because I wanted to catch her perform while everyone was in a festive, joyful mood! Nevertheless, it’s always a treat to watch her live! The performance space reminded me of a large barnyard stable with a cowboy rustic feel mixed in with modern commercial ductwork draped on the ceiling, a large buffalo or bull artwork hanging (I failed at identifying all the animals correctly in Noah’s ark in elementary school), exposed rafters, & monster chandeliers suspended from the heavens. The setup, configuration of the stage, & sound were pretty darn pleasing to the eyes & ears. Dar Williams’ voice sounded crisp & her rhythmic guitar playing were spot on as she hit all her chords with ninja precision! She was funny as all hell like usual as she introduced some of the songs before she played them. For instance, she mentioned the real inspiration to her song, TEEN FOR GOD…the cute boys in church during her adolescent years! She had also talked about how freaky it was when she was starting to break out in the music business around the same time that Kurt Cobain had died. Dar & Kurt shared the same birth year, 1967. It definitely was a reality check for her, although she mentioned that her lifestyle was completely different from Cobain’s of course. Dar also reminisced about the time when her management team approached her to ask if she was interested in opening up for ANI DiFranco. She was like hells yeah!
She gave some more background info to her song, BUZZER which is about a social psychological experiment commonly known as the milgram experiment. This experiment was conducted in 1963 to measure how much pain a person would inflict on another person if ordered to. Now, I get the song! “I press the buzzer…I press the buzzer!”.
Dar played a song that she does every so often called AGING WELL. It’s a tune about body image, self discovery, & maturity. Joan Baez had covered this original Dar Williams song quite a number of times. You can check out this exclusive tune above from her performance at the Bell House! (lighting was dark but the audio was good!)
She played a new song called THIS EARTH ( I think that’s the name of the song). My faves of the night included AFTER ALL, FEBRUARY, AGING WELL, IOWA, TEEN FOR GOD, & MIDNIGHT RADIO, a cover from Stephen Trask. Dar also played an inspirational song called THE HUDSON to pay homage to the Tri state area (Connecticut,New York, & New Jersey)! She ended the night with a softer tempo flow of the BABYSITTER’s HERE! Another good night, another entertaining performance by Dar Williams. GOODBYE!
OHhh, and check out Dar’s GREEN BLOG on the Huffington Post at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dar-williams
Set List
Spring Street
Easy Way
Beauty of the Rain
Teen for God
If I wrote you
buzzer
Tide falls away
aging well
Iowa
Ocean
this earth
After All
cool as i am
Mercy of the Fallen
Midnight Radio
The Hudson
February
babysitters here
Tags: aging well, bell house, dar williams, february, folk, green blog, huffington post, planet chocko, planet chocko zine
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THE KILLER SNAKES (1974)
January 6th, 2011 by Mr. C
Director: Chih-Hung Kuei
Actors: Kwok-Leung Gan, Lin Lin Li
Everyone usually associates Shaw Brother Studios with creating epic period piece kung fu action films, but they also got a hand in the horror, sex, & exploitation cookie jar, too! Case in point, THE KILLER SNAKES. This movie has got to be one of the most sleaziest exploit films that the Shaw Brothers has ever released! There’s plenty of topless action, s&m, & violence that would make the Shining look like a G-Rated movie. Never mind the cruelty to all the snakes that were filmed. I’m sure in 1974, there were no CGI or fancy pants software to superimpose inanimate objects. Just ask Jackie Chan!
Oh yes, the story! It’s 1970’s Hong Kong when a young adult has flashbacks to when he was a kid watching his mother get tied up by her significant other while getting whipped into S&M submission. Witnessing these incidents as a kid has turned him into a social misfit with similiar fetishes as a young adult. He dreams of tying up woman & whipping them into a sexual disposition. He struggles with day to day routines & gets robbed by a prostitute & pimp of his delivery job money. He is a total outcast in his own mindset. His only outlet is when he came upon a snake that is left for dead which he rehabilitates. In Hong Kong, drinking snake blood mixed with alcohol is an aphrodisiac. Drinking the blood of a snake from the gall bladder was said to bring sterility and strength. Some snakes would get skinned & then gutted while others would just get gutted for the gall bladder & then tossed aside. With his new found snake friend, he meets other snakes that need rehabilitation, too! Soon, he will have an army of snakes by his side willing to lash out on moments notice! The turning point for this young man in the movie is when he patronizes a brothel, but gets robbed in the end by the prostitute & pimp, yet again! With his snake buddies on hand, you can imagine what will come next! Before murdering the lady of the night, he satisfies his fetish before ordering the snakes to take a bite out of crime! Besides snakes, a komodo dragon reptile makes an appearance on the set as well! That is one scary looking mofo! There is one scene where the snakes were flying around every which way to attack the low life pimp assailant. As a defense, the pimp slashes the snakes with a machete as if they were like spaghetti! I hope there were props to properly display this snake massacre when they filmed this sequence….but, I don’t think so! As a side story, a young lady turns to prostitution after losing her father unexpectedly. She meets her fate when the snake man intervenes!
This movie is definitely not for the sqeamish! There’s plenty of breastesses, category III HK sex, horror, violence, & unfriendly PETA scenes dashing around that would probably scare Stephen King away, but make Art Crumb happy! Wait, on second thought King might enjoy this, too!
THE KILLER SNAKES is a depressing, quirky, & sleazy sexploitation film that probably could of won best film of the year awards if it were showcased in NYC’s Times Square area at the raunchy grindhouse theatres in the 1970’s & 1980’s which is precisely why you have to watch it! Just remember to turn the volume down if your little ones are around because there is lots of moaning, groaning, & screaming going on from ecstacy, murder, & horror! Do you know where your snakes are today?!
Tags: chih hung kuei, kwok keung gan, lin lin li, shaw brothers, the killer snakes
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ZATOICHI MEETS THE ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN (1971)
December 31st, 2010 by Mr. C
Director: Kimiyashi Yasuda
Actors: Shintaro Katsu, Jimmy Wang Yu
My 2 favorite swordsmen from 2 different genres collide! A walk on water Shaw Brother character meets the blind gambling swordmaster!
Both with physical defects that would cripple the mere mortal, but these mythical legends with enhanced awareness turn their misfortunes into lethal weapons! The legendary ZATOICHI, a blind masseur with extraordinary samurai skills moves swiftly & gracefully with quick and precise slashings of doom while the ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN has mastered the technique of the iron palm coupled with sweet buttery nipple moves with his short curved stunted blade that any crocodile hunter would wish for. That, tripled with extraordinary aerial skills that even the crouching tiger-hidden dragon would have a hard time keeping up with! The end result is an amazing blend of asian fusion cinema that mashes up 2 well known characters into something called: ZATOICHI MEETS THE ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN!
The skinny of the movie without spilling the rice porridge is that Jimmy Wang Yu, who plays the one armed swordsman defects to japan in refuge to a buddhist temple to escape the enemies that have been building up in his native home of china. Jimmy Wang Yu meets a chinese family of 3 hustling on the streets of countryside japan with a Peking Opera like performance. The one armed bandit & this chinese family instantly hit it off & they all stroll to a nearby restaurant to celebrate when…hell breaks loose. The kid from the chinese family loses his kite & it flows directly in front of a procession of japanese samurai parading a bunch of expensive abalone to the yakuza. At first, I thought it was a funeral procession but, I guess those samurai’s are deeply one with seafood! Talk about giving the bouncer at a club a stink eye! The chinese father & mother both lose their lives to protect their kid because of a kite that flew into a path of a few nazi swordsmen. This left the One armed swordsman no choice but to take some lives of a few bad, bad japanese men. Wang Kang disperses when chinese cleaver meets jap flesh meanwhile the chinese kid flees & happens upon Zatoichi. The bad japanese men slaughter a few more innocent lives that witness the senseless killings of the chinese family. The “rearranged” story now is that the chinese one armed swordsman is the crazed devil that murdered the samurai & the innocent ones. A heavy reward is issued to anyone that can bring the head of the one armed chinese bandit! As far as Zatoichi knows, he thinks the chinese man is the assassin. The story takes a few twists & turns as the one armed swordsman continues on his path to this Buddhist temple in the countryside to meet his monk friend & to escape the japanese assassins looking for their scapegoat. A few more twists & turns of the story leads me off the cliff with a final end fight that pits the sloppy in appearance but, sharp in skill ZATOICHI vs the handsome looking one armed raggamuffin of a swordsman! This fight will leave both of them scarred with a bit of chinese & japanese soul lodged in between them! Suddenly, I have a craving for chino & japones food!
Tags: jimmy wang yu, kimiyashi yasuda, one armed swordsman, shintaro katsu, wang kang, zatoichi, zatoichi meets the one armed swordsman
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RIGHTING WRONGS aka ABOVE THE LAW (1986)
December 28th, 2010 by Mr. C
Director: Corey Yuen
Actors: Yuen Biao,Cynthia Rothrock,Melvin Wong,Corey Yuen
Righting Wrongs aka Above the Law is on my all time top 3 list of Hong Kong action films from the 1980’s fo-sho! I did a brief write-up of this movie in the printed version of Planet Chocko a galaxy ago, but this movie is so nice, I’m writing about it twice and maybe, thrice if you give me some more time! It stars Yuen Biao of the famed 7 little fortunes of the Peking Opera School in Hong Kong (which includes Sammo,Jackie Chan,Yuen Wah,Corey Yuen,Yuen Tak, & Yuen Bun). Cynthia Rothrock is another diamond in the rough that made a name for herself with the character that she played in this movie! Cynthia’s stuntwork, & fighting skills are 2nd to none! We’ve met Cynthia Rothrock in person at the Chiller Theatre convention in NJ some years ago & she mentioned that YUEN BIAO is one of the most talented & controlled martial artists that she has ever worked with in filmmaking! That is saying alot! Rothrock also mentioned that RIGHTING WRONGS is one of her personal favorites! It’s one of my personal favorites, too! It’s to no surprise Cynthia shined on the screen because she is a champion martial artist in real life! Corey Yuen, the director of the movie also plays a character in the film called “bad egg”. Corey Yuen & Yuen Biao were the brains & the mechanical robot that drove the energy of Righting Wrongs & let me tell you, this movie was flatout R-A-W with all the crazy stunts, the acrobatic-fighting choreography, & twisted story. Don’t worry, I won’t spill the rice & provide any spoilers for this film! Yuen Biao plays a HK prosecutor that is frustrated with the justice system & decides to take things in his own hands. Biao eventually runs into a hot shot HK police woman played by Rothrock who suspects Yuen Biao of foul play. They play a game of good cop, bad prosecutor until they both discover the twisted truth behind the injustice. There are some great fight scenes between Rothrock & Yuen Biao as well as an off the meat rack estrogen encounter between Rothrock & karate champion in real life, Karen Sheperd! Another fun fight sequence involved Rothrock & a mahjong gambling house! The action is often raw, & there are senseless killings of innocent people & family members in the movie! YESsss! The final fight scene between Melvin Wong, Cynthia Rothrock, & lastly, Yuen Biao joining the bulls on parade is entertaining to say the least! I’ve heard that Sammo Hung was the guest fight choreographer in the fight scene with Melvin & Biao! The finale scene involves Yuen Biao and an airplane! There is an alternate ending to RIGHTING WRONGS(chinese version) aka ABOVE THE LAW(american version) that caters to either the chopstick enthusiast or the knife & fork wielder. The chinese version is classic for the chopstick holder while the american version is classic for well…the Leave it to Beaver connoisseur…sort of! Luckily for you, you can see both endings with the DRAGON DYNASTY released DVD of ABOVE THE LAW! Otherwise, you might have to grab RIGHTING WRONGS in your nearby chinatown for the chinese inspired ending and somehow, find the dubbed version of RIGHTING WRONGS aka Above the Law in an old video store like in Kevin Smith’s, CLERKS or KIM’S UNDERGROUND in NYC if they still exist! I personally like the chi-neez version because it’s more of a…..Tra..tra..train wreck!
Tags: above the law, corey yuen, cynthia rothrock, hong kong action, karen sheperd, melvin wong, righting wrongs, yuen biao
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Kathleen Hanna Project at Knitting Factory
December 17th, 2010 by chocko
Last Saturday at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn NYC was a night to honor and appreciate Kathleen Hanna, founding member of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, and an outspoken feminist who was instrumental in shaping the riot grrrl movement through punk rock music and ‘zines since the early 90’s. The sold out show was also being filmed by Sini Anderson for an upcoming documentary about Kathleen. It was a great night of music, spoken word and dance and every band on the bill performed awesome Kathleen Hanna covers. There were so many highlights and early in the night Kaia Wilson (Team Dresch and The Butchies) rocked us with a slow song, “pretty is” by Kathleen’s old band Suture. I think it’s only available on 7″ vinyl and has been long out of print. Toshi Reagon just blew us all away with a passionate, acoustic version of Le Tigre’s “keep on living” which got the crowd singing along. The young, all-girl punk band, Care Bears on Fire, did a helluva job on Le Tigre’s “my my metrocard” and made it look so damn easy. Bridget Everett rocked the house in her bra and panties with “after dark” with the help of Kathleen’s husband, Adam Horovitz a.k.a. Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys on the bass. Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) read from Kathleen Hanna’s riot grrrl manifesto while her husband and fellow band mate Thurston Moore watched from the crowd of people which also included Joan Jett. Men, featuring Le Tigre’s JD Samson, performed a Bikini Kill tune titled “double dare ya.”
The night came to a close with Murray Hill introducing the world premiere of Kathleen Hanna’s new band Julie Ruin which features another Bikini Kill member-Kathi Wilcox! There was a Julie Ruin album out on Kill Rock Stars Records in 1997, but the band never performed live. Kathleen looked and sounded great. She sang a few songs and started up right off the bat with Bikini Kill’s “this is not a test” followed by two Julie Ruin songs: “V.G.I.” and “radical or pro-parental” and ending it off with the Le Tigre song “hot topic.” For an encore she played a brand new song titled, “cookie road.” It was a memorable night of music which we won’t forget about for a long time. Keep your eyes open for the documentary, Kathleen Hanna Project which is in production. Kathleen did mention that a new Julie Ruin album was in the works too. Does that mean more shows? I hope so!
Tags: bikini kill, feminist, jd samson, kaia wilson, kathi wilcox, kathleen hanna, le tigre, punk, punk rock, riot grrrl, team dresch, the butchies, toshi reagon
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HEROINE SUSAN: SISTER OF THE SHANTUNG BOXER (1973)
December 13th, 2010 by Mr. C
Director: Wong Hung Cheung
Actors: Wong Ping, Charlie Chin Chiang Lin, Jack Long
This movie was an unofficial sequel to the famed BOXER FROM SHANTUNG that was released by Shaw Brother Studios. HEROINE SUSAN: SISTER OF THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG was directed by Wong Hung Cheung & produced by a film company from Taiwan. It stars kickass chick Wong Ping, Charlie Chin Chiang Lin, & old school fave actor of many wutang kung fu cult fans: Jack Long. Wong Ping plays Ma Su Chen, the sister of Ma Yong Cheng who was ambushed & killed by the Axe Gang from Shanghai in the 1st movie, Boxer from Shantung. Charlie Chin plays a devout friend of Ma Yong Cheng looking to seek blood in honor of his friend. Charlie Chin was famous for playing comedic roles in Jackie Chan movies like “Twinkle Twinkle Luck Stars”, “My Lucky Stars”, & “Winners and Sinners” amongst his vast filmography. He was often cast as a smooth talking ladies man , I’m a “lover not a fighter” type of character. To my amazement, this 1973 directed film displayed Charlie Chin as a serious brotherman with extraordinary kung fu mojo who swats the bad guys around like some dirty lint on your triple fat goose down jacket. Wong Ping shows why she might give Angela Mao Ying a dirty cat fight if they ever tangoed fist to fist. Jack Long who is famous for playing movie roles opposite of the Ghost-Faced Killer(Mark Long) is the Japanese Samurai hired by the Axe Gang in order to erradicate Ma Su Cheng & Charlie Chin’s character since the gang proves no match for this blood thirsty duo of the chinese version of the “six million dollar man” & “bionic woman” of kung fu proportions! Revenge for Ma Yong Cheng is the main bullet point of this movie as the Tan Gang & the Sister of the Boxer from Shantung team up to issue a can of chopsocky whoopass on anything named AXE GANG! The fighting choreography was pretty crisp considering the basher style mentality during that era. Charlie Chin surprised the hell out of me with his flying jump kicks & throwdowns with the gang! I’m accustomed to Chin playing characters that sweet talk the chics into his love shack while Jackie Chan shows his action muscles! The fight scene in the casino was one of the highlights of the film as was the fight at the Teahouse with the Japanese killers at the end with Jack Long. With all these axes, & empty handed fists/kicks of mass destruction flying around, it still comes down to a tale of the firearm that would determine the victor!
Big ups to “FU-Subs” who are a conglomerate of all stars from the Kung Fu Cinema forum that provide us fans with rare movies that are hard to find. FUsubs translates the movies into english subtitles & restores the movie for our viewing pleasures!
Tags: charlie chin, chiang lin, heroine susan, jack long, sister of shantung boxer, wong hung cheung, wong ping
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brooklyn street art
December 11th, 2010 by chocko
Tags: bk, graffiti, new york city, nyc, street art
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BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH (1976)
December 10th, 2010 by Mr. C
Director: Ng See Yuen
Actor: Bruce Li, Chu Chi Ling, Linda Hirst
BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH was a frankenstein mashup of a movie gem labeled as a Bruce-sploitation film from 1976 that was loosely based on Bruce Lee’s life starting from when he moved to Seattle from Hong Kong to attend the University of Washington leading up to his untimely death on July 20th, 1973. Bruce Li was one of many Bruce Lee imitators that would surface to the screen. Li did a bang up job portraying the role of the “Little Dragon”. This movie is one of the better Bruce-sploitation films ever created in my opinion. Obviously, no one can move like the real Bruce can, but Bruce Li didn’t sweat the technique in faking the funk with recreating signature moves of the Little Dragon. The film starts out with Bruce in a training session with the wooden dummy which segways into a friendly “chi sao” aka “sticky hands” sparring session with his gung fu teacher, Yip Man. Shortly thereafter, Bruce leaves HK for Seattle to attend the University. Bruce develops a following of students who crave with thirst for chinese kung fu & the little dragon obliges. There are a few encounters with a karate badass played by brother man CARL SCOTT which leads up to a challenge by his Japanese teacher on the ballfield. These Karate technicians are not too happy when Bruce proclaims the superiority of kung fu & that kung fu is the mother of karate. Seattle was a great start for Bruce as his kung fu seeds were planted & his reputation would slowly snowball into a giant martial art movie monster! This film skimmed the surface of his experiences in Seattle to San Francisco to the Long Beach tournament which created a portfolio for him to get a break into hollywood & into the GREEN HORNET series. The filming of THE BIG BOSS aka FISTS OF FURY in Thailand was a breakthrough for Hong Kong’s own, LITTLE DRAGON. There were many entertaining fight sequences including all the impromptu challenges on the film set that Bruce would partake in. One of the best fight scenes involved real life HUNG GA kung fu master, CHU CHI LING & Bruce Li ! Chu Chi Ling was breathing the fire of the TIGER & the sharp quirky techniques of the CRANE while Bruce lashed out with quick cobra like attacks! Another great scene was when a Thai boxer challenged Bruce on the set of The Big Boss. Other rumbles include the challenge on the set of Return of the Dragon in the roman coliseum & on the set of Enter the Dragon. The film also chronicles Bruce Lee’s obsessive training habits especially with electrolysis to tense up the muscles. The final scene of Bruce Lee on his death bed at Betty Ting Pei’s apartment in Hong Kong opened up the flood gates for interpretation. The movie briefly showed real life clips of Bruce Lee’s funeral & his gravestone. The film faded away into a few conspiracy theories on the death of Bruce ranging from a triad killing to a chinese witch doctor proclaiming that he will die a young death to Bruce Lee faking his death to disappear into anonymity before resurfacing again in 10 years (1983). BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH has many flaws & I’m sure many of the stories were greatly exaggerated if not inaccurate , but this film was surely entertaining especially for a low budget movie. I would love to get a hold of this movie with or without english subs in it’s native tongue of cantonese instead of dubbing in english. The dubbing on my VHS & DVD copy were definitely class A butchered frankenstein grade. The english translation was amusing & cute, but I would still love to see this film someday in it’s native tongue. Let out those Bruce Lee yells, y’all! This movie had me kickin’ like Sammo Hung in ENTER THE FAT DRAGON!
Tags: bruce lee, bruce lee the man the myth, bruce li, brucesploitation, carl scott, chu chi ling, linda hirst, ng see yuen
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Butts
December 9th, 2010 by chocko
So, there I was diggin’ in da crates at the WFMU record fair, when all of a sudden this band starts playing songs about booze, weed all sorts of crazy stuff. I dropped my stack of vinyl and checked out the two pretty ladies banging out punk tunes on a guitar and drums and was blown away. Their music was fast (some tunes lasted less than a minute!) and they were both funny and smart. I was hooked. The band’s name is Butts and they’re from Seattle, Washington. Rachel is on the guitars, Shannon plays the drums. Their music will make you rock out, laugh out loud and pee your pants. I’m now a huge fan. You should be too!
How did you two meet each other and form the band?
Rachel: We’ve been friends for years. I was a fan of Shannon’s first band Dalmatians, and then our other bands Katharine Hepburn’s Voice (KHV) and Partman Parthorse had played a bunch of shows together. Butts formed at about 3am in Sept of 2009 after 37 beers.
Shannon:…And probably a bunch of marijuana.
Who came up for the name for the band and why Butts?
Rachel: Butts is what we sound like. But I can’t remember who came up with it
Shannon: I came up with it at band practice one day. We both looked at each other like, “We shouldn’t.” But we did. Maybe all those beers helped Rachel forget this happening.
How would you describe the music you play?
Rachel: post comedy.
Shannon: Punk Abbott and Costello
Were you both in bands before Butts?
Rachel: Yes, see answer #1
Shannon: Our other band-names are unparalleled. Between the two of us we have Dalmatians, Partman Parthorse, and Katharine Hepburn’s Voice. Now Butts. At age 30.
I think you girls are really funny and I was wondering if either of you had a background in comedy or acting?
Rachel: No, but I played a tree in Little Red Riding Hood in kindergarten. I didn’t have any lines.
Shannon: Rach, I didn’t know that about you! I played a Mother Goose impostor in 4th grade… I think being funny is (almost) the most important thing.
How is the music scene over by you?
Rachel: Really great. Lots of creative stuff going on, and tons of amazing bands.
Shannon: Seriously! Seattle’s been really cool the last few years. My favorite new band in Seattle is Wet Paint DMM. Every time I see them I compulsively tell their lead singer, Jamey Braden, that they are the best. They do some crazy, awesome, arty shit. Can I say “shit”? Also, the Flexions rule. I’m trying to get them to let me be in their band, even though they don’t need me.
What do you like doing when you’re not playing music?
Rachel: Cook weird foods, work on The Seattle Band Map Project and make JokeBot Podcasts
Shannon: I’m in the process of painting 50 or so watercolor portraits of people I love and respect from Seattle’s music and creative community. I just started painting, and it rules. I plan to paint from now on. Like, for a job, so if any of you want to commission a portrait, get in touch with me. I’m way better at painting than drums! I love playing drums though.
What are some of your favorite bands at the moment?
Rachel: Devo, Ty Segall, SPURM, Grave Babies, Wire, Consignment, Ovens, Shannon and the Clams, Hobocop,The Kinks, The Intelligence, Guantanemo Baywatch
Shannon: Rachel is good at staying abreast of newer music. (Actually, I just wanted to say “Rachel” near a word containing “breast”.) Wet Paint, as I mentioned, rules. As far as newer stuff goes, I’m pretty mainstream, like Ariel Pink, The Dirty Projectors, The Oh Sees, Kurt Vile, Beach House, Animal Collective, etc. I like a little bit of everything, though. I have a ton of old music, like Mississippi John Hurt, and a lot of old rocksteady.Yes, and Ty Segall rules. And Hobocop… Hobocop should be famous.
Favorite alcoholic beverage?
Rachel: Butts Soda
Shannon: I probably spent a year or more each with red wine, dirty Grey Goose Martinis, Friexinet champagne, chardonnay, whiskey, and then I went straight to Ranier tall-boys. I haven’t drank in 2 1/2 months. Not sure if I’m done with it for good, but for now, I’m loving not drinking. I love marijuana and cigarettes, so if you could make a rad drink out of that, I’d probably drink it. Or O’Douls.
Where are some places you like to hang out in Seattle? (we promise not to stalk you!)
Rachel: Cairo art gallery and The Funhouse for shows, Than Bros Pho for food and Cal Anderson Park for public drinking
Shannon: Rachel’s right about all of those. My bedroom is probably the best, though. I frequently have guests over for indoor BB-gun target practice, and I smoke cigarettes in my room, which hardly ever loses its novelty. I think if I’m not at my house, I’m probably at the Funhouse or Cairo. But I’m probably at my house, painting.
How’s the touring and shows been lately?
Rachel: Great. We just played a 6 year old’s birthday party. There was a Darth Vader pinata and a Butts cake. We may have just peaked as a band.
Shannon: Yeah. It’s all downhill from there.
Any plans to record more music?
Rachel: Just released Butts: Number 2 on ggnzla RECORDS and we have a 7″ brewing.
Shannon: It’s called “Number Two” because it’s our second album. We sat down and focused on what we wanted Butts to make. It took some work, but we made Number Two.
When are you coming back to NYC and the East Coast?
Rachel: Not soon enough!
Shannon: I love New York, and can’t wait to go back. Last time we were there I met a hot babe named Jon. I’ve since convinced him to move to Seattle and be my boyfriend. He arrives in Seattle in January. The Butts shows were awesome too!
Any closing comments?
Rachel: We’re on the internet. Visit us at www.buttsontheinternet.com.
Shannon: I love my mom! (Hi, mom!)
Tags: band, butts, garage, ggnzla records, punk, seattle
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Exit Through The Gift Shop
December 8th, 2010 by chocko
Directed by Banksy
Edited by Tom Fulford and Chris King
Produced by Holly Cushing, Jamie D’Cruz and James Gay-Rees
Narrator Rhys Ifans
The film starts by introducing Thierry Guetta, a crazy French dude who emigrated to Los Angeles in the 80’s and owned a vintage clothing shop. He carried a video camera everywhere he went and filmed everything. While on a vacation in France, Thierry films his cousin, Space Invader, an artist who made space invader mosaics. He develops an obsession to document Invader and his artist friends as they spray paint and sticker bomb the city at night. Back in L.A., Thierry eventually meets Shepard Fairey and other major players in the new underground graffiti movement known as street art, tagging along with them in the alleys and on top of buildings and billboards. He was filming everyone in the scene….Swoon, Neckface, Buffmonster. He documented so many artists but the elusive British stencil artist named Banksy was the one subject he wanted and needed to film. Thierry pretty much gave up, but fate was on his side and after a chance encounter in Los Angeles, he gains the trust of the secretive Banksy and they become friends. Worlds collide, Banksy turns the tables on the amateur film-maker, and the absurdity that happens next will surprise you.
The movie is an excellent observation of the world of art. It will make you laugh and it’s full of unexpected twists and turns. The DVD is out on Oscilloscope Laboratories and contains special features including a short film about the ‘art’ of Banksy and an edited version of Thierry’s unwatchable and insane street art documentary titled, “Life Remote Control.” The eco-friendly packaging looks great and it comes with some stickers and postcards featuring art from the film. Check it out!
Tags: banksy, graffiti, mr. brain wash, neckface, shepard fairey, stencils, stickers, street art, swoon
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The Kenny Scharf Mural in NYC
December 6th, 2010 by chocko
Kenny Scharf’s latest project is complete and located on the graffiti wall at East Houston Street and the Bowery. The mural features a cast of bright and colorful psychedelic cartoon faces. He claims that nothing was sketched out before hand…just starting with the big red nose and then freestyling and going with the flow. Scharf is a New York pop artist who became well known in the 80’s painting images influenced by cartoons such as the Jetsons and the Flintstones.
Tags: artist, bowery, graffiti, graffiti wall, new york city, pop art
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