negative pleasure

radio archive 01-26-12

2012-01-29T22:53:00.000-08:00

negative pleasure radio 01/26/12

the digital underground- the humpty dance
clock dva- moments
urinals- ack ack ack ack
blood sausage- knockout drops
cluster- isodea
harmonia- notre dame
end, moebius, roedelius, plank- conditionierer
la dusseldorf- geld
sonic boom- if i should die
spectrum- feels like i’m slipping away
laurie anderson- big science
camberwell now- working nights
naked on the vague- wrong room
the weeds- underground railroad
bob searles- make believe driving
the 13th floor elevators- rollercoaster
spacemen 3- o.d. catastrophe
silver apples- you’re not fooling me

download it here

download the rest of our archives here

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

this week's haul...

2012-01-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

This week's and last week's comics, plus a cool book of Batman valentines. Someone should seriously do a comic called Batman's Book of Valentines. Meanwhile, the books in this bunch I'm excited about are Justice League Dark, Captain Atom, DC Universe Presents Deadman and of course Batman- Odyssey.

radio archive 01-19-12

2012-01-27T22:56:00.001-08:00

negative pleasure 01/19/12

spacemen 3- revolution
urinals- ack ack ack ack
spiritualized- ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space
galaxie 500- king of spain
the jesus and mary chain- here comes alice
the brian jonestown massacre- hide and seek
loop- mother sky
troller- thirst
htrk- poison
ritualz- bodie
oOoOO- seaww
brut choir- upon exit
total control- mind shaft
silver apples- you and i
the 13th floor elevators- levitation
the darkside- high rise love
spectrum- sweet water running
skullflower- center puss
john maus- believer
talking heads- the great curve

download it here

download the rest of our archives here

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

radio archive 01-12-12

2012-01-27T22:55:00.001-08:00

negative pleasure 01/12/12

zinja hlungwani- n’wagezani my love
urinals- ack ack ack ack
sealings- two cups
the jesys and mary chain- inside me
loop- this is where you end
spacemen 3- come together
sonic boom- you’re the one
spiritualized- lay back in the sun
galaxie 500- tugboat
the index- shock wave
silver apples- gypsy love
twenty four hour world- drink
the laughing apple- i’m okay
hedone- everything’s going to be nice
kitchen and the plastic spoons- filmen
look back in anger- executioner
mel-o-tones- 40 nights
head of david- skin drill
ric ocasek- don’t lose me
bleached- electric chair
myelin sheaths- gloves/mutations
my bloody valentine- don’t cramp my style
the jesus lizard- killer mchann
anorexic dread- tracey’s burning/epitaph
blood sausage- billy joel
the wedding present- bewitched
the adverts- quickstep

download it here

download the rest of our archives here

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

this week's haul...

2012-01-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

this week's haul...

2012-01-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Nothing super exciting this week, except maybe the first issue of the new Peanuts series, which looks pretty good.

radio archive 12-29-11

2012-01-12T16:25:00.001-08:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 12/29/11

repeated viewing- frozen existence (main titles)
urinals- ack ack ack ack

top 8 of 2011:

ritualz- ghetto ass witch
purple- magic fly
puerto rico flowers- 3 sisters
zola jesus- shivers
the spits- fallout beach
assassins 88- raising phoenix
naked on the vague- the fridge
john maus cop killer

guest set by amy searles:

gary numan- i die: you die (alt. version)
electric light orchestra- twilight
cut copy- lights & music
erasure- love is a loser
rheingold- das steht dir gut
sparks- girl from germany
adam ant- human bondage den
morrissey- the loop
robert mitchum- my honey’s lovin’ arms

the rest of the show:

spacemen 3- it’s alright
galaxie 500- don’t let our youth go to waste
skullflower- rotten sun
velvet underground- after hours
urinals- ack ack ack ack (live)
repeated viewing- frozen existence (end titles)

download it here

download the rest of our archives here

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

this week's haul...

2012-01-06T21:26:00.000-08:00

Good week this week, my two favorite books are out: Red Lanterns and Omac. Plus I got my mitts on the DC Super Heroes Super Healthy Cook Book and the DC Comics Super Heroes Good Health Activity Book.

this week's haul...

2012-01-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

radio archive 12-22-11

2011-12-26T19:12:00.001-08:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 12-22-11

the brian jonestown massacre-thoughts of you
clockcleaner- new in town
urinals- ack ack ack ack
total control- pyre island
john carpenter- escape from new york
the splash band- das ding
beasts in cages- sandcastles
micro naps- switchblade witch
malaria- kaltes klares wasser
section 25- visitation
super heroines- i’m not here
glaxo babies- free dem cells
the petticoats- allergy
the spits- tomorrow’s children
the swimming pool q’s- rat bait
omar khorshid- ommil habiba
villa 21- losing control
uruku- mc massacre
pagans- real world
dog faced hermans- how we connect
scissor girls- the sequential
diet cokeheads- jons
nachut report- not completely legal
skullflower- larks tongues
mahmoud ahmed- hoy na-na jegnaw na
the great tyrant- adorable

download it here

listen to negative pleasure live every thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

download our archives here

radio archive 12-15-11

2011-12-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 12-15-11

crime & the city solution- the bride ship
urinals- ack ack ack ack
college- twa flight 450
com truise- norkuy
puerto rico flowers- 3 sisters
david byrne- the sound of business
former ghosts- the last goodbye
asiko rock group- together again never to part
amanaz- i am very far
the velvet underground- she’s my best friend
lou reed- charley’s girl
marueen tucker- chase
skullflower- teenage lightning
flower leperds- i’m eighteen
masque- seasons changing
silent scream- shimmering
gruppenbild- tranquility
sampson’s army- the edge
live skull- i was wrong
plane of section- menali

download it here

listen to negative pleasure live every thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

download our archives here

this weeks' haul...

2011-12-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

including the latest issue of the sublime Batman- Odyssey by Neal Adams
other favorites this week- Sergio Aragones Funnies, Captain Atom, Batman

this week's haul...

2011-12-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

this week’s haul. includes books by dane martin, a. degen and josh bayer, and thanks to gabe at desert island comics for throwing in the free al jaffee book…

radio archive 12-08-11

2011-12-11T01:40:00.000-08:00

negative pleasure radio playlist for 12/08/11:

goblin- suspiria
urinals- ack ack ack ack
“phase iv”
the vanishing- white walls
the sixteens- this knife
grill grill- they all
blissed out- myrtle wyckoff
survive- lunar eclipse
dead virgin- cross & triangle
sovjet war- just a story
mystery date- pink ribbons
tv21- something’s wrong
this colossal youth- scissors-stone
the gun club- carry home
crime & the city solution- the adversary
soulside- fresh air
the warmers- no one like me no one like me
regulator watts- false idols
dance macabre- scars
moon pearl- hand/stand
mazes- go-betweens
idol death- new lesson
blank dogs- end of summer
the ex & tom cora- fire & ice

download it here

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com hosted by harris smith and claire donner

download our archives here

this week's haul...

2011-12-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

radio archive 11-17-11

2011-12-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 11/17/11:

sonic boom- pretty baby
urinals- ack ack ack ack
music for pleasure- the human factor
cop city/chill pillars- look around
electric eels die- agitated
big black- fish fry
sauna youth- delta caps
old skull- who lit the house
slant 6- soda pop rip off
the unwed teenage mothers- teenage brain
the spits- sk8
oh-ok- down by the beach
bush tetras- punch drunk
john maus- we can break though

guest dj set by shannon palmerini:

as the swan sets- searching for a reason to carry on
egg hunt- we all fall down
the broadways- natural disaster
muck- island
year future- all of your eggs
regulator watts- pemberton red
happy go licky- twist and shout
black eyes- deformative
embrace- money
lifter puller- the pirate and the penpal

the rest of the show:

redd kross- out of focus
vox pop- paint it black
slickee boys- forbidden alliance
no trend- family style
saccharine trust- hearts & barbarians
the dils- mr. big
the nixe- happens
simpletones- t.v. love
twisted roots- snaked
pink, plastic & panties- late night lovers
cockney rebel- make me smile (come up and see me)
the vile cherubs- never a man

download it here

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

download our archives here

this week's haul (from the brooklyn comics & graphics festival)...

2011-12-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

includes stuff from snakebomb comics, benjamin marra, karissa sakumoto, lisa hanawalt and happiness comics

Jack Hayden, A.Degen and Claire Donner at Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

this week's haul...

2011-11-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

radio archive for 11-10-11

2011-11-11T12:32:00.001-08:00

negative pleasure radio archive for 11/10/11

creedence clearwater revival- pagan baby
urinals- ack ack ack ack
the pandoras- i'm here i'm gone
dead moon- 13 going on 21
ramones- swallow my pride
the wipers- mystery
rote kapelle- jellystone park
spot the dog- toy
nuclear crayons- carwalk
life in general- one way
slant 6- semi-blue tile
redd kross- burn out
bangs- train wreck
puerto rico flowers- let's make friends
gara- the lady in gray
trial- lobotomized visions
twisted nerve- medusa
soul merchants- black rain
wet hair- my heart is the spider my mind is the fly
le dusseldorf- dusseldorf
big star- my life is right
cockney rebel- tumbling down
squeeze- pulling mussels (from the shell)
shadow of fear sick sacrifice

download here

Listen to Negative Pleasure Radio live every Thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

Download our archive here

radio archives for 10-20-11

2011-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

negative pleasure radio playlist for 10/20/11

purple- i will never see you again
urinals- ack ack ack ack
earles & jensen- bleachy is back in town, look out
the clash- jimmy jazz
the members- physical love
personal & the pizzas- i want you
bare wires- make her mine
sealings- panadol
the coathangers- jaybird
the martian schoolgirls- life in the 1980s
100 flowers- i'm like you
computer dreams- sleep
college- white mosaic
xander harris- martian fever
umberto- jonbenet
minitel rose- zombie lady
la vampires & zola jesus- searching
zola jesus- hikikomori
sonic youth- tunic (song for karen)
skullflower- spook rise
spacemen 3- i want you right now
the white pigs- when bobby comes back from the grave
barnes & barnes- cemetery girls
feud- witchtrial

download it here

Listen to Negative Pleasure Radio live every Thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

Download our archive here

radio archives for may-july, 2010

2011-11-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a few archived Negative Pleasure radio shows from last year. These are some of our first shows! Sorry, I don’t have playlists for these. Listen and enjoy!

May 6, 2010 download here

May 13, 2010 download here

May 20, 2010 download here

May 27, 2010 download here

June 3, 2010 download here

June 10, 2010 download here

June 17, 2010 download here

June 24, 2010 download here

July 1, 2010 download here

July 8, 2010 download here

July 15, 2010 download here

July 29, 2010 download here

Listen to Negative Pleasure Radio live every Thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

Download our archive here

this week's haul...

2011-11-10T14:57:00.001-08:00

radio archives for january-march, 2011

2011-11-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a few archived Negative Pleasure radio shows from earlier in the year. Sorry, I don't have playlists for these. Listen and enjoy!

January 6, 2011 download here

February 3, 2011 download here

February 24, 2011 download here

March 3, 2011 download here

March 10, 2011 download here

March 14, 2011 download here

Listen to Negative Pleasure Radio live every Thursday 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

Download our archive here

i might have gone a little overboard...

2011-11-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

radio archive 11-03-11

2011-11-04T09:58:00.001-07:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 11-03-11

swans- sealed in skin
urinals- ack ack ack ack
earles & jensen- the yogurt machine
john maus- bennington
nika & rory- i'm not going anywhere
bino- dream (for my sake)
de brassers- he
flower leperds- riding the blade
party doll- darkest dream
tearist- closest
squeeze- i think i'm go go
college- divided loyalty
xander harris- necronomiconjure
zola jesus- in your nature
ike yard- cherish 8
total control- retiree
party day- a passing pain
ultravox- young savage
psychic tv- no go go
cold cave- heaven was full
alice cooper- department of youth
tall boys- take a walk
the spits- dropout
otro mundo- fading
the bitters- no anchor
vivian girls- never see me again
david bowie- star
sigue sigue sputnik- rockit miss u-s-a

listen to negative pleasure every thursday 7-9pm on newtown radio

check out our archives here

download it here

radio archive 10-27-11 halloween show!

2011-11-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 10-27-11 halloween show!

the dream syndicate- halloween
urinals- ack ack ack ack
john carpenter- halloween 2 theme
susan justin- forbidden world theme
chuck cirino- chopping mall
ssq- trash's theme
umberto- shower scene
john carpenter & alan howarth- moochie's death
john harrison- until next time (creepshow end theme)
john carpenter- christine parts 1&2
mike armstrong- house of the devil theme
repeated viewing- frozen existence (end titles)
purple- the city at night
yan tregger- bloodnight (instrumental)
pino donaggio- coed disco frenzy (blow out)
the body- a curse
the great tyrant- almost dead to me
deathday party- ghost pains
john carpenter- chariots of pumpkins
college- incident
the sods- ghost rider
the opehlias- the night of halloween

listen to Negative Pleasure Radio live every Thursday from 7-9pm on Newtown Radio

check out our archives here

download it here

radio archive 10-13-11

2011-11-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 10-13-11

struggler- the perfect end
urinals- ack ack ack ack
earles & jensen- the party doctor
spider- spiderlili
petty crime- lacklustre
the coathangers- call to nothing
bleached- you take time
brilliant colors- kissing's easy
m.d.c.- revolution in rock
naive- hotel coke pig (late nights)
otro mundo- all in time
different skeletons- all going to die
cop city/chill pillars- egyptians
story so far- radiated
pink skull- bee noise
vince collins- life is flashing before your eyes
neil diamond- i am, i said
ariel pink- immune to emotion
satan's rats- louise
creedence clearwater revival- walk on the water
talking heads- listening wind
zombelle- v is for vulture
zola jesus- lick the palm of the burning handshake
puerto rico flowers- keep me around
bauahus- honeymoon croon
siglo xx- la vie dans la nuit
ausgang- crawling the walls
diatribe- stop dancing
hysteria- the maze

listen to negative pleasure radio every thursday 7-9pm on newtown radio

download it here

check out our archives here

radio archive 10-06-11

2011-11-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 10-06-11

repeated viewing- frozen existence (end titles)
urinals- ack ack ack ack
earles & jensen- introducing bleachy
sleep over- stickers
glass teeth- cosmetic surgery
zola jesus- seekir
ladytron- light & magic
nac/hut report- 142 drugs
assassins 88- beach people
units- cannibals
marianne faithfull- i'll keep it with mine
tom petty- a face in the crowd
violent femmes- please do not go
the modern lovers- modern world
cheap trick- come on, come on
bangs- southern girls
simple minds- boys from brazil
x- i must not think bad thoughts
the coathangers- go away
skullflower- elf piercer
old skull- homeless
chrome- out of reach
big black- bazooka joe
the fall- kurious oranj

listen to negative pleasure radio every thursday 7-9pm on newtown radio

download it here

check out our archives here

radio archive 09-29-11

2011-11-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

negative pleasure radio playlist 09-29-11

plane of section- important
urinals- ack ack ack ack
earles & jensen- bedroom ETA
units- warm moving bodies
iron curtain- the condos
the waitresses- thinking about sex again
sheila e.- romance 1600
kitchen & the plastic spoons- liberty
human switchboard- i can walk alone
the adverts- i surrender
thee headcoats- pokerhuntus was her name
sic alps- occult display
wet hair- echo lady
bernard krause- natural magic
alice cooper- hello, hooray
com truise- sundripped
modern witch- impersonator
sealings- two cups
dead moon- can't do that
barbara manning- isn't lonely lovely?
sam cooke- that's where it's at
tater totz- rock on
the fall- prole art threat
talking heads- uh oh, love comes to town
sparks- sextown u.s.a.
the move- walk upon the water
slowdive- avalyn ii
kiss kiss fantastic- ravage

listen to negative pleasure radio live every thursday 7-9pm on Newtown Radio

check out our archives here

download it here

uh oh...

2011-10-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I really dropped the ball on the whole "posting at least once a week all month for Halloween" thing. Hopefully you've been following the frequently updated scare-a-thon over at my other blog, Negative Pleasure 2...

radio archive 07-21-11

2011-10-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the Negative Pleasure radio show from July 21, 2011:

Venus in Furs- That First Wild Kiss
Urinals- Ack Ack Ack Ack
The Vanishing- Paralyzed
David Byrne- The Great Western Road
The Leaving Trains- Hometown Blues
Apologies for Innocence- days alone
Sort Sol- Off Morning
Geoff Muldaur- Brazil
Tav Falco's Panther Burns- Brazil
The Dickies- (I'm Stuck In A Pagoda With) Tricia Toyota
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark- The Misunderstanding (Peel Session 3)
Simple Minds- Glittering Prize (Theme) (Extended)
Laurie Anderson- My Eyes
S Squad- Scene Of The Crime
Defectors- Where The Righteous Go
Gleaming Spires- Passion Pit
John Maus- Cop Killer
Kurtis Blow- If I Ruled The Wold
Sheila E.- A Love Bizarre
Ready For The World- Oh Sheila
Prince- Take me with U
Iggy Pop- Sea Of Love
FWY!- 91 FWY

download it here

listen to Negative Pleasure Radio live every Thursday from 7-9pm on Newtown Radio

radio archive 09-08-11

2011-10-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the Negative Pleasure radio show from September 8, 2011:

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - September 08 2011

TrackList

1. david byrne - art thou greater than he?

2. hot blood - sex me

3. urinals - ack ack ack ack

4. avocado baby - outer space lover

5. lung leg - mo's nightmare

6. mdc - no place to piss

7. shock - this generation is on vacation

8. my dad is dead - anti-socialist 2

9. citizen uk - apocalypse

10. steve moore - primitive neural pathways

11. jan hammer - airport swap

12. tommy tutone - baby it's alright

13. creedence clearwater revival - hey tonight

14. arthur brown - fire

15. the raincoats - honey mad woman

16. the clash - death is a star

17. kid creole & the coconuts - dear addy

18. brian eno - and then so clear

19. salem - water

20. wu-tang clan - kill too hard

21. gza - investigative reports

22. electrelane - between the wolf and the dog

23. bogshed - summer in my lunchtime

24. the fall - couldn't get ahead (live)

25. 100 flowers - long arm of the social sciences

26. spacemen 3 - ode to street hassle

27. the wipers - no generation gap

28. u-roy - wear you to the ball

29. camberwell now - wheat futures

download it here

listen to Negative Pleasure live every Thursday night from 7-9pm on Newtown Radio

radio archive 09-15-11

2011-10-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the Negative Pleasure radio show from September 15, 2011:

TrackList

1. sigue sigue sputnik - atari baby

2. gang of four - of the instant

3. pink floyd - come in number 51, your time is up

4. george carlin - toldeo window box

5. the membranes - all skin and bone

6. urinals - ack ack ack ack

7. gary panter - i fought the lord

8. in excelsis - one way (dub)

9. bogshed - packed lunch to school

10. fur bible - headbolt

11. old dirty bastard - going down

12. blixa bargeld - somewhere over the rainbow

13. vincent price - somewhere over the rainbow

14. tricky - vent

15. the mekons - (a dancing master such as) mr. confess

16. 8:*) - 666 polito

17. glass teeth - while you're away

18. mico naps - wind in the curtain

19. count vertigo - i'm a mutant

20. sisters of mercy - walk away

21. creedence clearwater revival - the midnight special

22. alex chilton - i'm so tired

23. tater totz - 1,2,3 red light

24. jonathan richman - those conga drums

25. kid creole & the coconuts - there but for the grace go i

26. machine - there but for the grace of god go i

27. the flying lizards - preface

download it here

listen to Negative Pleasure live every Thursday night from 7-9pm on Newtown Radio

the countdown to halloween begins...

2011-10-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Whoa, it's been a really long time since I've written anything here. The reasons for this have been many, some good (new job, working in the comics industry, keeping me pretty busy), some less good (bad health), but to be totally honest the main reason why I haven't written anything recently is that I just haven't felt like it. After a couple of years of pretty regular blogging, I got kind of tired of having opinions and putting them up on the internet. I was feeling pretty burned out. That said, I've been participating in the Countdown to Halloween for the past few years and I wanted to be a part of it this year too, so I'm making a concerted efforts to get some posts up this month, review some horror flicks, maybe scan some more horror comics, get the blood pumping in this blog again. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do, but my intention is to post at least 1-2 times a week this month (hopefully more). Meanwhile, you can check out daily posts (all horror related this month) on my other, more visually oriented blog, Negative Pleasure 2.

Anyway, stay tuned for more...

radio archive 08-04-11

2011-08-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here's another archived playlist from Negative Pleasure Radio. This was our show on August 4, 2011. Enjoy...

Big Black Kerosene
Urinals Ack Ack Ack Ack
Louis C.K. Diet
Public Image Ltd. Go Back
Cluster Caramel
Zola Jesus Vessel
Section 25 beneath the blade
Malaria! jealousy
The Homosexuals Hearts In Exile
Wu-Tang Clan Conditioner
Snoop Dogg Y'all Gone Miss Me
The Rolling Stones Miss You
Laid Back White horse
Midiroket Nightflight (Limited Mixdown)
Sort Sol Circle Hits The Flame
Link Wray Big City Stomp
John Maus Cop Killer
The Vanishing Still Lifes
John Williams The Long Goodbye (Trio Version)
John Williams The Long Goodbye (Vocal)
The Leaving Trains What Cissy Said
Skat Femme Fatale
Lou Reed, John Cale & Nico The Black Angel's Death Song
Naked On The Vague High Noon

Download it here

radio archive 08-11-11

2011-08-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here's another archived playlist from Negative Pleasure Radio. This was our show on August 11, 2011. Enjoy...

The Velvet Underground -All Tomorrow's Parties
Urinals -Ack Ack Ack Ack
Cortex -Silent Retriever
Neon Blud -Neon Agenda
M.D.C. -Dick For Brains
Billy Synth And The Turn Ups -Pushin' Too Hard
White Lung -Viva La Rat
Paul Roland -Demon In A Glass Case
Wugazi -Another Chessboxin' Argument
King Tubby Vs. Wu Tang -Pinky Ring Brand New
Bo Diddley -Surfer's Love Chant
Lightnin' Hopkins -Mr. Charlie (Part 1)
Lightnin' Hopkins -Mr. Charlie (Part 2)
Small Black Pig -The Lady Died
Petty Crime -Mathematics
Delicate Vomit -Mr. Potato Head
Avocado Baby -Cinema Date
Lung Leg -Maid To Minx
Public Image Ltd. -Like That
John Carpenter -Assault On Precinct 13
Spacemen 3 -Rollercoaster
The 13th Floor Elevators -Slip Inside This House
Creedence Clearwater Revival -Keep on Chooglin'
Bad Brains -destroy babylon
The Ex + Tom Cora -Total Preparation

Download it here

radio archive 07-07-11

2011-07-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the archive of one of our recent radio shows, check it out here and at Negative Pleasure 2.

Negative Pleasure radio plays live every Thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - July 07 2011

TrackList

1. zoo - flicktarana

2. urinals - ack ack ack ack

3. maria minerva - new life

4. cop city/chill pillars - subtropical apartment

5. assassins 88 - raising phoenix

6. neon blud - neon nites

7. public image limited - memories

8. cortex - mayhem troopers

9. daniel johnston - tears stupid tears

10. jonathan richman - stop this car

11. thee milkshakes - brand new cadillac

12. the renegades - cadillac

13. the downliners sect - cadillac

14. t.rex - cadillac

15. inca babies - grunt cadillac hotel

16. the avengers - car crash

17. the cadets - car crash

18. the clash - car jamming

19. wet hair - when the right time comes

20. brian eno - here he comes

21. cluster - avanti

22. david byrne - glass, concrete & stone

23. laurie anderson - smoke rings

24. john maus - cop killer

25. naked on the vague - poltergeist palm

download it here

radio archive 07-14-11

2011-07-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the archive of our most recent radio show, check it out here and at Negative Pleasure 2.

Negative Pleasure radio plays live every Thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - July 14 2011 TrackList
1. la dusseldorf - jag alskar dig
2. urinals - ack ack ack ack
3. diet cokeheads - number to call
4. the vanishing - idle eyes
5. veronica lipgloss & the evil eyes - strip mall glass
6. autonervous - gold
7. the sixteens - community people
8. grace jones - walking in the rain
9. roxy music - same old scene
10. umberto - put an apd on those bastards
11. purple - the city at night
12. the coup de villes - i really need you
13. phoebe cates - how do i let you know
14. jane bond & the undercover men - come on up
15. joel fajerman - waterproof
16. jan hammer - crockett's theme
17. john maus - cop killer
18. the leaving trains - leaving train
19. cop shoot cop - any day now
20. the wedding present - never said
21. yo la tengo - somebody's baby
22. big country - inwards
23. marianne faithfull - visions of johanna
24. van morrison - if i ever needed someone
25. laurie anderson - hiawatha

download it here

radio archive 03-24-11

2011-07-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - March 24 2011

TrackList

1. spacemen 3 - things'll never be the same

2. urinals - ack ack ack ack

3. sin 34 - forced education

4. descontrol - descontrol

5. the conservatives - confusion

6. rf7 - perfect world

7. shattered faith - right is right

8. the crowd - right time

9. scavengers - true love

10. ill will - paranoid

11. social suicide - foul appetite

12. circle jerks - live fast die young

13. bad brains - pay to cum

14. kalashnikov - schluters kabinet

15. big black - big payback

16. the rivals - here comes the night

17. cambridge apostles - can't fight the feeling

18. dub sex - swerve

19. ghost driver - road kill

20. white car - reality beat

21. triobelisk - distant star

22. no crisis - she's into the scene

23. the payola$ - jukebox

24. bangs - scorpi-oh

25. gang of four - at home he's a tourist

26. au pairs - we're so cool

27. maximum joy - searching for a feeling

28. young marble giants - credit in the straight world

29. the slits - once upon a time in the living room

30. the raincoats - go away

31. the pipkins - here come de kins

32. neil young - words (between the lines of age)

download it here

radio archive 03-31-11

2011-07-06T05:19:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - March 31 2011

TrackList

1. pookey blow - get up (and go to school)

2. urinals - ack ack ack ack

3. the germs - media blitz (live)

4. saccharine trust - hearts & barbarians

5. vox pop - you're my favorite

6. randoms - let's get rid of ny

7. the weirdos - neutron bomb

8. ill repute - it's not going to happen to me

9. agent orange - bloodstains

10. minutemen - search

11. big boys - history

12. deadline - aftermath

13. subverts - state of the union

14. legal weapon - daddy's gone mad

15. sister nancy - gwan a school

16. bottle party riddim - version

17. thiestin howl iii - swena swena

18. u-god - night the city cried

19. steve moore - steve moore

20. the instigators - we don't know what we want

21. the pipkins - my baby loves lovin'

22. darkthrone - accumulation of generalisation

23. mdc - missle destroyed civilization

24. women in prison - the birth of rots

25. the fall - rebellious jukebox

26. pink panther punk - it's still rock n' roll to me

27. chipmunk punk - you may be right

28. the agenda - black knees

29. nick lowe - marie provost

30. swans - sensitive skin

download it here

radio archive 06-23-11

2011-06-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - June 23 2011

TrackList

1. daniel johnston - funeral home

2. blank dogs - falling back

3. tv colours - heavy metal sleeve skies

4. naked on the vauge - dissatisfaction

5. cortex - napalm sticks to kids

6. liket lever - levande begravd

7. the mekons - hard to be human again

8. wet hair - decay

9. rza - chi kung

10. body count - anthem

11. slayer & ice t - disorder

12. anthrax - hy pro glo

13. thee headcoats - troubled times

14. thee mighty caesars - loathesome & wild

15. thee milkshakes - little bettina

16. silicon teens - sweet little sixteen

17. rhino 39 - night in watts

18. oh-ok - playtime

19. flying lizards - get up (i feel like being a sex machine)

20. laurie anderson - talk normal

21. david byrne - somebody

22. magnetic fields - fear of trains

23. marianne faithfull - crazy lady blues

24. neu! - la bomba

anyway, download it here

radio archive 04-07-11

2011-06-28T01:38:00.000-07:00

I recently came into some archived versions of my radio show, so I figured I'd upload them and post them over here and at Negative Pleasure 2.

Negative Pleasure radio plays live every Thursday from 7-9pm on www.newtownradio.com

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - April 7, 2011

no tracklist for this one. opens up with some flipper, ends with some laurie anderson or something. same as pretty much every show, haha.

anyway, download it here

radio archive 06-16-11

2011-06-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - June 16 2011

TrackList

1. the vanishing - still lifes are failing

2. the sixteens - figurative character

3. autonervous - still kaltes

4. veronica lipgloss & the evil eyes - let me see your eyes

5. the leaving trains - hometown blues

6. thee milkshakes - el salvador

7. general public - tenderness

8. bananarama - the wild life

9. debbie harry - angel's song

10. lindsey buckingham - holiday road

11. wallace shawn - "look, here's the question..."

12. kenny powers - follow the yellow brick road

13. neu! - hero

14. urinals - ack ack ack ack

15. weyes blood & the dark juices - storms that breed

16. naked on the vauge - clock of 12's

17. payola$ - china boys

18. the runaways - dead end justice

19. the avengers - paint it black

20. modern warfare - street fightin' man

21. lynda barry - i'm not home #6

22. julian lynch - a day at the racetrack

23. wet hair - tarantula

24. zeus b. held - the fool on the hill

25. hounds of hate - purple stuff

26. the chosen few - i second that emotion

27. pat kelly - wonderful world

28. pat rhoden - living for the city

29. buccaneer - punky brewster

30. lynda barry - i'm not home #5

31. the lo yo yo - i can hold my own hand

32. iggy pop - sincerity

33. the breeders - walk it off

34. the mekons - neglect

35. the raincoats - don't be mean

36. bo diddley - what's bugging you? (cracking up)

37. sam cooke - tennessee waltz

38. the yobs - the worm song

39. eno-moebius-roedelius - the belldog

download it here

radio archive 04-21-11

2011-06-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - April 21 2011

TrackList

1. laurie anderson - sharkey's night

2. flipper - you nought me

3. urinals - ack ack ack ack

4. desperate bicycles - it's somebody's birthday today

5. gleaming spires - big hotels

6. rheingold - augenblick

7. coaltar of the deepers - light of the world

8. sexy sushi - dvd

9. heartsrevolution - digital suicide

10. the deadly divorce - untitled (track 4)

11. sparks - metaphor

12. the fastbacks - it's your birthday

13. asakawa maki - wasureta yo

14. michael bloomfield - theme from "bad"

15. riz ortolani - cannibal holocaust theme

16. keith emerson - taxi ride

17. laibach - opus dei

18. devo - golden energy

19. ildjarn - svart dag

20. mayhem - buried by time and dust

21. darkthrone - the watchtower

22. the seconds - o no it ain't so

23. cobra killer - i like it when it burns a bit

24. unknown - memorex birthday rap

25. david byrne - winter

download it here

radio archive 05-05-11

2011-06-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - May 05 2011

TrackList

1. gleaming spires - funk for children (part 2)

2. urinals - ack ack ack ack

3. sparks - angst in my pants

4. gleaming spires - all night party

5. sort sol - midnight train to summer

6. the cars - drive

7. magazine - permafrost

8. public image limited - poptones

9. blood sausage - lalo

10. blank dogs - meltdown cloud

(there are more songs, I lost the rest of the tracklist)

download it here

radio archive 05-12-11

2011-06-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

NEGATIVE PLEASURE (LIVE) - May 12 2011

TrackList

1. weyes blood & the dark juices - romneydale

2. trouble funk - hey fellas

3. death - politicians in my eyes

4. dannielradall - el aislamiento

5. lizzy mercier descloux - bim bam boum

6. annabel lamb - so lucky in bed

7. bounty killer - dead this time

8. christian aids - scum

9. yard trauma - i'm invisible

10. paul roland - gary gilmore's eyes

11. poly styrene - silly billy

12. neil young - out on the weekend

13. lou reed - ride into the sun

14. jonathan richman - when i'm walking

15. the pogues - haunted

16. king tubby & the aggrovators - natty version

17. tommy mccook - roots man shuffle

18. the moondogs - who's gonna tell mary?

19. iggy pop - billy is a runaway

20. blood sausage - slacker shanty

21. thee mighty caesars - cowboys are square

22. crime - i stupid anyway

23. bay city rollers - jenny's gotta dance

24. tartan horde - bay city rollers we love you

25. nick lowe - rollers show

26. t. rex - sound pit

27. the shivvers - no reaction

28. buzzcocks - i believe

29. sic alps - occult display

30. the shop assistants - what a way to die

31. gary numan - a dream of siam

download it here

radio archive 05-19-11

2011-06-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

radio archive 05-26-11

2011-06-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

7. one gang logic - who killed sex?

8. the members - gang war

9. the boys - cop cars

10. iggy pop - tell me a story

11. the lurkers - take me back to babylon

12. payola$ - tnt

13. 999 - let's face it

14. subdue - beyond the darkness

15. leno lovecraft - clarie & cynthia

16. nite jewel - all out of order

17. laurel halo - embassy

18. geneva jacuzzi - do i sad?

19. black devil - "h" friend

20. jan hammer - candy

21. personal & the pizzas - i don't want think about it

22. sort sol - marble station

23. spacemen 3 - o.d. catastrophe

24. laurie anderson - o superman

25. david byrne - theodora is dozing

26. teengirl fantasy - dripped

download it here

radio archive 06-02-11

2011-06-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

TrackList

1. thursday's children - help murder police

2. members - police car

3. vicious circle - police brutality

4. the clash - police & thieves

5. the dicks - hate the police

6. the cheaters - i wanna be a policeman

7. the sods - police

8. mutators - police eyelash

9. wallace shawn - "i pull myself over to the window..."

10. neu! - seeland

11. urinals - ack ack ack ack

12. elvis costello & the attractions - party party

13. joe strummer - burning lights

14. suzy saxon & the anglos - get out of my stomach (song for ray)

15. suzy saxon & the anglos - get out of my stomach (song for ray)

16. the traits - high on a cloud

17. eat skull - no intelligence

18. roky erickson & the aliens - i think of demons

19. buzzcocks - everybody's happy nowadays

20. the wedding present - i'm not always so stupid

21. umberto - illegal entry with intent to zuul

22. snake logan - lab entrance

23. miami nights 1984 - on the run

24. 18 carat affair - saturday night

25. leno lovecraft - cybernetic

26. poly styrene - sacred temple

27. sparks - angst in my pants (live 1982)

28. erika burke - homeward bound

29. bernard krause & merry clayton - poor white hound dog

30. mick jagger - memo from turner

31. the rolling stones - emotional rescue

32. daddy screw, delly ranks, gen. pacos - ghost town medley

33. david byrne - the dream police

34. laurie anderson - let x=x

35. la dusseldorf - geld

download it here

radio archive 06-09-11

2011-06-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

TrackList

1. the gleaming spires - brain button part 2

2. experience unlimited - da butt

3. prince & the revolution - i would die 4 u (extended)

4. evangelicals - bellawood

5. simple minds - boys from brazil

6. the distributors - t.v. me

7. lynda barry - naked ladies

8. neu! - weissensee

9. urinals - ack ack ack ack

10. night riders - don't say

11. head of david - bugged

12. the fire engines - sympathetic anaesthetic

13. minutemen - paranoid chant (live)

14. mel-o-tones - lice age

15. yell-o-yell - kiss

16. bush tetras - can't be funky

17. burning sensation - i wonder

18. svt - heart of stone

19. sparks - sextown usa (live)

20. teenage fanclub & de la soul - fallin'

21. look blue go purple - i don't want you anyway

22. chin chin - love song

23. four one and only's - i don't want to go through it again

24. eton crop - quality in the grooves

25. rote kapelle - fire escape

26. the shop assistants - all day long

27. the shop assistants - all day long

28. fire hydrant men - i'm in the pits since my racing driver baby left me

29. that dog. - one summer night

30. malaria - you you

31. crime & the city solution - i have the gun

32. sic alps - wake up, it's over

33. willy deville - it's so easy

34. puberty - parties

35. big country - in a big country (extended)

36. sort sol - abyss revisited

37. lake radio - always

download it here

stuff...

2011-05-17T02:25:00.001-07:00

Hello, I just wanted to check in and write something to keep this blog alive. I've been really negligent of it over the past year or so, part of a greater negligence towards my writing in general, something I'm working, albeit very slowly, or remedying. It seems that teaching writing actually makes me want to write less, not more, which is a bit counterintuitive, but also the way it is. Actually it's not really a matter of wanting to write, I have to desire, it's a matter of sitting my fat ass down in front of the keyboard and actually typing up some words that's the problem. I just haven't had it in me lately. I guess I've been going through kind of a rough patch, not really getting excited or caring about much, not really feeling my thoughts on things were particularly interesting or worthwhile, not really feeling like anybody cares if I write or not, which of course is totally counterproductive, people do tend to read this blog when I post, and seem to get into it somewhat when I post frequently, and I certainly keep meaning to post with more frequency, I just haven't, but tonight I'm posting, for better or worse.

One thing I've been meaning to write about is how much I hated Black Swan. I knew I was going to hate it going in, and there were no surprises. I hate Darren Aranofsky. I think he makes pretentious, boring movies and it shocks me that he gets so many accolades for them. Black Swan was no different. It's basically a rehash of every American remake of every b-movie Asian horror flick, with the main character seeing things and questioning their reality, but to no real end. At one point I even said, "All this needs is a little pale kid coming out of the shadows" and at that moment, a shadowy figure emerged from said shadows and ran across the screen. I'm also perplexed by the popularity of Natalie Portman in this film. Her entire performance is based on being on the verge of tears and about to cry, or crying. On the whole, I found the film very predictable and formulaic, and I wish everybody would stop coming off like it's some great artistic masterpiece, cuz it ain't.

One "artistic masterpiece" I did see was Glen and Randa, directed by Jim McBride, and written by the great Rudolph Wurlitzer, one of my favorite screenwriters and novelists. Glen and Randa is kind of a hippie dippy sci-fi flick, with the titular couple roaming the post-apocalyptic wasteland, looking for the nonexistent city of Metropolis, which Glen has idealized through reading comic books. Along the way they encounter several generally well-meaning if eccentric characters, Randa becomes pregnant and things become somewhat grim, despite the generally absurdist comic nature of the rest of the film. I really dug it. It was show as part of a Wurlitzer retrospective at Anthology Film Archives this spring, and after the screening the audience was treated to a Q&A with Wurlitzer and his friend, filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. Wurlitzer was soft-spoken and modest, Downey a bit more gregarious and good-humored, both were absolutely terrific. I'd just like to put both of them in my pocket and carry them around. Wurlitzer told a couple of stories about working with Sam Peckinpah, both of which involved Peckinpah naked and waving a gun around.

Meanwhile, to nerd out for a second, I haven't really written much about new comics on this blog in a long time, but I'm a pretty avid reader of all things DC comics these days, have been for several years, and I recently finished their last big crossover series, Brightest Day. I generally don't like crossover series, although there have been some good ones, Crisis on Infinite Earths, of course, and more recently Identity Crisis, which some people criticized as being too violent, but I thought was a pretty good depiction of classic superheroes in a more realistic, difficult situation that the books often present. Everything since then has been a bit overreaching and disjointed for my taste. Grant Morrison's work on Final Crisis made no sense at all. He's a writer I've really had my fill with, all of his work is intentionally fractured and confusing, and there's really no point to any of it. Something about madness, I guess, but, god, isn't that kind of trite? Darkest Night was really repetitive, with countless comics full of dead characters coming back to life as Black Lanterns and then being defeated, it was basically the same story told over and over again. Finally Brightest Day seemed to be building up to something with a 24 issue series, multiple characters in multiple storylines, but the finale, in which Swamp Thing is resurrected to fight some kind of evil Black Lantern Swamp Thing, totally came out of nowhere. Deus ex Swamp Thing, if you will. As much as I like Swamp Thing, and as much as I'm glad to have him back as a character, the ending didn't fit the story, and that was really a shame. I think I'll be sitting out DC's next big event, Flashpoint, and I'm bummed they're cancelling some of my favorite books- R.E.B.E.L.S., Doom Patrol and Streets of Gotham, to make way for dozens of Flashpoint tie-in comics. My problem here, in the end, comes down to storytelling, which I think is being neglected in favor of scale and spectacle. Of course, there's no reason these three things can't co-exist, but it seems beyond the likes of Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns. Anyway, I'll still be reading some of DC's non-Flashpoint comics...

So, yeah, just a little bit of a late nite roundup right here. It's good to write and think about things and get some opinions out there. Hope somebody's still reading!

searchers 2.0...

2011-04-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

Sy Richardson

Last time I wrote, and yeah, it's been too damn long by far, was about the intriguing but slightly disappointing Alex Cox film "Repo Chick," the semi-sequel/remake of his classic debut feature "Repo Man." This time I'm happier to write about a thoroughly impressive Alex Cox flick, "Searchers 2.0." Cox has long been a student and fan of the western, particularly the spaghetti western, and particularly especially the obscure spaghetti western. He took a couple of shots at the genre in the 1980s with "Straight to Hell" and "Walker," two fairly wonderful films that never really got their due upon release, perplexing both critics and audiences, but in the years since have been met with at least somewhat of a re-evaluation and become more appreciated, even if only among certain cinephiles, and even if not to the degree of love that they deserve. Which is fine, in a way. It's nice to have strange, overlooked films we can call our own little brilliant misunderstood cinematic monsters tramping around underfooot. Not everything, after all, needs to be for everyone. Not everything needs to be AVATAR, or whatever, and if it happens that there are a few films out there mainly for us (or just for me, why the fuck not?), all the better.

Anyway, "Searchers 2.0" brings Alex Cox back to the western, though as the title (of course a reference to John Ford's masterpiece "The Searchers") reflects, it's a kind of self-reflexive meta-western. The story centers around two former western movie actors who meet and realize they share a common enemy in a sadistic screenwriter who beat them on set as children. The plan becomes to track this writer down and beat him back, then possibly to rob him. Some of the details aren't entirely clear. Generally, though, these two aging cowboy extras want revenge.

The setting is the American West but it's a very 21st century American West. The duo travel, with one of their daughters, in a busted, oversized SUV they can barely afford to keep in gas. The landscape they travel is littered with little gas stations and mini-marts, motels and it's punctuated with memorials to soldiers fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a somewhat grim setting, offset by the humor of the characters dialogue, which fluctuates between comic bickering and more friendly discussions of film (and politics naturally), though nobody seems to be able to get any of the titles or actors right for any of the films they talk about.

The two actors are played by Del Zamora and Ed Pansullo, both regulars in Cox's films since "Repo Man," and their screenwriter nemesis is played by one of Cox's most regular performances, perhaps one of Cox's muses, the great Sy Richardson (who has also been with Cox since "Repo Man"). This gives the film the air of being a family affair (Cox also appears in the film briefly, as does executive producer Roger Corman) and indeed, when the final showdown arrives, it is not violent but ultimately good-natured, as the three men battle off with spaghetti western movie trivia. It's a funny scene and a fitting climax to this cantankerous yet goodhearted film.

This might not be a film for everyone. It lacks the meta-humor of "Repo Man," the outrageous violence and punk attitude of "Straight to Hell" and the series politics of "Walker," but it's a charming and perhaps most importantly very HUMAN exploration of men and their memories and regrets, not entirely unlike Ford's "Searchers," but without the violent veneer. Still, it fits in nicely with Cox's ouevre and shows his maturation as a filmmaker and perhaps as a person in general, and is certainly worth the time of any adventurous filmgoer...

Alex Cox

repo chick...

2011-01-16T02:20:00.000-08:00

A long time favorite filmmaker of mine, Alex Cox has never really received the kind of attention and credit his work deserves. After the relative successes of REPO MAN and SID & NANCY, he alienated audiences and critics with films that were too esoteric (STRAIGHT TO HELL) or too esoteric and radically political (WALKER). After a couple more stabs at mainstream indie films, with HIGHWAY PATROLMAN and THE WINNER (which I believe Cox ultimately had his name taken off of due to editorial conflict), the filmmaker retreated into a world of even more esoteric, lower-budgeted films which he had more creative control over. The results have been mixed (I'm more partial to THREE BUSINESSMEN than THE REVENGER'S TRAGEDY), but the vision of these projects has been purely Cox's, and that's something I respect.

Now comes REPO CHICK, Cox's semi-sequel/semi-remake to his classic REPO MAN. REPO MAN, I must admit, is probably my favorite film of all time. It really changed the way I think about film, storytelling, humor and was also a movie I have long felt a strong sense of identification with, from early adolescence until to day. The REPO MAN soundtrack(featuring Iggy Pop, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, Fear, the Plugz and others) was the first punk album I ever owned. When I was in high school, I rented the REPO MAN VHS tape so frequently from the local video store they'd just let me take it for free if I rented a couple of other movies. My obsession with the film has not abated over the years. Just a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to interview Sy Richardson (who played Lite in REPO MAN and has been in most of Cox's other movies) on my radio show, and that was just a wonderful treat. There's always something to keep my love of REPO MAN alive.

That said, REPO CHICK is absolutely nothing like REPO MAN, although many of the older film's cast members (Miguel Sandoval, Del Zamora, Zander Schloss, Olivia Barash, Jennifer Balgobin) appear and it's fun to see them older and in different roles. Stylistically, though, the movies are radically different, and I do have to give credit to Cox for not simply retreading what worked before, even at the expense of audience satisfaction, because REPO CHICK is frequently kind of a confounding film. Parts are stilted and awkward, almost intentionally so, as much of the humor is very campy. But there is humor, and a lot of it works and provides laughs, and the film is appropriately politically subversive and reasonably clever in that respect.

There are some elements that seem to have to do with budgetary limitations that give the film an at times surreal, almost video art quality. Characters are projected before elaborate backdrops. Scenes of cars and trains driving are done with (intentionally) obvious miniatures. It's colorful and creative and gives the movie a real individual quality.

If REPO CHICK really suffers from anything it's the lack of a strong central character. Jacyln Jonet is appealing enough as the REPO CHICK, but her whole character is constructed to be kind of unsympathetic and unlikable. This isn't bad in and of itself, movies don't require likable leads to be good, but in a film this fast-paced and cartoonish, the result was somewhat alienating. Time is also a factor, as some character development is eschewed in favor of moving the comedic plot points forward, we don't get to spend very much intimate time with the Repo Chick, something some of the other characters, particularly Sandoval's (as well as his cohorts played by Richard Beltran from EATING RAOUL and NIGHT OF THE COMET and Rosanna Arquette), are awarded more generously, and to great effect.

So yeah, the part of me that hoped that this would prove to be the second coming of REPO MAN was disappointed, but the part of me that appreciates a highly original, creative albeit flawed campy politicized romp was pleased well enough. Though perhaps REPO CHICK is not a movie for all tastes, I encourage people to see it and especially to see it theatrically if they can, because we need more movies like this, more individual visions, more low budget flicks, more of everything REPO CHICK is, warts and all...

the future of negative pleasure...

2011-01-03T02:26:00.001-08:00

Ugh, so, I see myself in danger of neglecting this blog again where it's my actual intention to keep it vital and in fact do more with it that I have in the past. It's always seemed like a pipe dream, but one ambition of mine has been to take the Negative Pleasure aesthetic and turn it into a book of some kind, chronicling a mix of overlooked, under-seen and generally so-bad-they're-brilliant kinds of films, keeping a particular eye cocked to the gutter. My main obstacle in doing this so far has sadly been myself, I simply haven't worked on the project enough, haven't been writing enough and subsequently don't feel terribly confident in my words. Anyway, I suppose I should make it my New Year's Resolution just to write, here on the blog and also on the book, push my way through the awkward, non-confident phase back to the time when I felt like I could turn a phrase with some kind of finesse, if such a thing is possible. Can I do this? I don't rightly know, but I know I need to try, so I guess that's what I'm going to do.
In the meantime, here is the proto-list of films I'm interested in covering in Negative Pleasure book. I'm open to suggestions and additions, and to any reliable sources about information on these films, be they books or websites or people I can talk to.
Anyway, the initial list is as follows:

1. Murder in the Blue World

2. Last House on Dead End Street

3. Lemora- a Child’s Tale of the Supernatural

4. The Witch Who Came from the Sea

5. They Call Her One Eye

6. Criminally Insane

7. Linda Lovelace for President

8. Kidnapped Coed

9. Fat Girl

10. Dead End Drive-In

11. Class of 1999

12. Hardware

13. Boarding House

14. Meet the Applegates

15. The Pit

16. Fade to Black

17. Evilspeak

18. Messiah of Evil

19. Secret Ceremony

20. The Todd Killings

21. Out of the Blue

22. Times Square

23. Miami Blues

24. Love Me Deadly

25. Walker

26. Last Summer

27. Nightmare

28. Equinox

29. Crucible of Horror

30. Deep End

What works for you? What doesn't? Anything not obscure enough? Too obscure? Not good/bad enough? Post your comments here or email me a pleasebequiet@gmail.com.

Also, for you reading edification, here is my initial proposal:

"

As much as we all love a good movie, be it simply an effective entertainment or a transcendental masterpiece, most filmgoers hold a nearly equal place in their affections for certain less-than-wonderful cinematic treasures too. Bad movies, b-movies, exploitation movies and all flavors in-between have stoked the imagination of many a viewer throughout the years. Now, bad can mean more than one thing here. There are of course films that are bad on a technical level, with crummy sets and lighting. There are films that are poorly written or that feature bad acting. There are films that fail to stretch the suspension of disbelief required to appreciate most entertainments. There are films that feel cheap and others that are gaudily extravagant. Then there are films that combine any or many of these perceived flaws. Beyond all of this, however, there are films that simply exude an aura of, not even necessarily badness, but incorrectness. Films that confuse the senses, inspire discomfort, films that go too far, or that take the viewers somewhere they never wanted to go. These films need not be “bad” in the conventional sense, though they often are. Defined by more than mere quality, this is a cinema sublime. This is the cinema of Negative Pleasure.

Negative Pleasure the Book seeks to make some kind of sense out of these so-bad-they’re-good-and-then-some kind of movies. As movies such as these have so often fallen into relative obscurity, Negative Pleasure aims to mine the relics of outcast cinema for 30 of the strangest and most striking films that never really got their day under the sun. Rather than trotting out familiar cult items like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” or “Donnie Darko,” Negative Pleasure plunges into the depths of cinematic oddities and excavates the oddest of the odd, 30 films that will confound, perplex, infuriate, at times even disgust but ultimately edify and enlighten adventurous moviegoers. This last part is central to the notion of Negative Pleasure. These films aren’t just trash, and this book not just a cinematic freakshow. Negative Pleasure films are all art in their own way, they reward the viewer who can see past their cheapness and exploitation elements to the essence of cinema within (even, perhaps, when some of the makers of these films couldn’t).

Bad or strange movies have long been the topic of popular books, from the Medved Brothers’ Golden Turkey Awards (which ignited public interest in the films of Ed Wood), to Danny Pear’s Cult Movies series, which tracked the progression of left-of-mainstream films from the silent era through the 1980s, to the more serious criticism found in J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum’s Midnight Movies. Indeed, the cult movie is alive and well today, be it mainstream films that get a second life on video or at midnight screenings, such as “The Big Lebowski” and “Office Space,” or camp classics like “Showgirls,” and oddities from other eras, like “Troll 2” or “Teen Witch.” There certainly is an audience other there right now for the strangest, worst-best obscurities of cinema than can be unearthed, and few are more qualified to do the celluloid excavation of these anti-classics than author Harris Smith. A humanities professor at School of the Visual Arts and graduate of the Masters in Media Studies program at the New School, Smith is a lifelong cineaste and a critically acclaimed film and video maker, as well as a publisher of underground comics and a longtime online radio personality and DJ. He has been researching the world’s most obscure movies for decades, writing extensively about them on his blogs negativepleasure.blogspot.com and negativeplesure.tubmlr.com, and as a contributor to the film criticism anthology Captured- a Film/Video History of the Lower East Side (Seven Stories Press). In addition, he has experience in the film industry, having worked on films by Jim Jarmusch and Hal Hartley, among others. In researching this book, he has selected 30 of the strongest, strangest, most mind-bendingly bad and bizarre titles he could find, focusing as much as possible on films that are obscure yet available to the public on DVD or Blu Ray. Each film will receive its own chapter with description, meticulously researched historical information, and expert analysis, and will feature, as much as possible, poster art and stills from the films."

favorite films of 2010...

2010-12-21T02:31:00.001-08:00

It's been my plan since October to ease my way back into writing regularly on this blog, something that has yet to happen, but to which I still maintain the intention. Though I don't have anything particularly ambitions to say about these films at the moment, I thought I'd share my favorite films from 2010. There are only three (well, actually four, but one of them is by a friend of mine, so I wanted to include it separately), which isn't to say I couldn't come up with a list of 10 movies I liked this year (though each year that becomes a bit more challenging), it's that when I thought of the new films I did see, these are the three (four) that immediately sprang to mind.

Life During Wartime (Todd Solondz)

Blue Beard (Catherine Breillat)

White Material (Claire Denis)

And, finally, the documentary SOMETIMES CITY, about Cleveland, by my friend Tom Jarmusch, which you can read a nice review of here...

In general, I found most of the movies I saw this year and many of the trends that seem to be happening in cinema disappointing at best and extremely alienating at worst. It's disappointing when cheap "mindfuck" movies like BLACK SWAN, ANTICHRIST or ENTER THE VOID are heaped with unquestioning praise while quieter, more directly human films like those above tend to slip under the radar. It is not my opinion that one type of film need exclude the existence of another, but that does seem to be opinion of the critical establishment, so often blind to genuinely good films in the face of pointless cinematic provocation. Why this false assumption that we need to be shocked somehow in order to get something out of the cinematic experience. What of the meditative and transcendental? Oh well, I guess that leaves more of these good films for the rest of us, something increasingly rare we can treasure and share among like minds. Still, I continue to be saddened by how easily both critics and film viewers fall prey to hype.
Whatever, I'm just one guy with an opinion, like many others on the internet, and you can take or leave it, I suppose, but do try to see these films.
Perhaps I'll post more of what I liked from this year at a later date. I certainly intend to post something sometime soon, and not just let this blog sit here month after month as I've been doing....

"what's cookin'?" by jack davis (haunt of fear 12)...

2010-10-31T02:06:00.000-07:00

And so it ends, 31 straight days of posting, the countdown to Halloween. Hope you've enjoyed this stuff as much as I enjoyed putting it together, this is always my favorite time of year, at least blog-wise (and probably otherwise as well). For our final comic, here's "What's Cookin'?" by Jack Davis from E.C.'s Haunt of Fear #12. Cover by "Ghastly" Graham Ingels...

I might manage another film-related entry if'n I can get my shit together later today, which is a longshot but not impossible so stay tuned for more something or another, and one way or another, have a Happy Halloween!

"country clubbing" by jack davis (haunt of fear 23)...

2010-10-30T01:07:00.001-07:00

For our penultimate (nerd word) Halloween comic, here's another E.C. classic. From Haunt of Fear #23, this is "Country Clubbing." Art by the great Jack Davis, who I believe wrote this one as well (either him or Al Feldstein). This is another reprint from the 70's. Cover by "Ghastly" Graham Ingels...

"dead right" by feldstein & kamen (shock suspenstories 6)...

2010-10-29T09:36:00.001-07:00

As we enter the Halloween home stretch, here's the first of a few classics from E.C. Comics. From my favorite E.C. title, Shock Suspenstories (issue 6), this is "Dead Right," written by Al Feldstein and illustrated by Jack Kamen. This is from a 1973 reprint. Cover by Wally Wood...

"it shouldn't happen to a dog" by reed & aragones (plop 21)...

2010-10-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

Here's some Sergio Aragones stuff from House of Secrets and Plop! I'm pretty sure I've posted "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog" (written by David Reed under the pseudonym Coram Nobis) before, but, whatever, I like comics about dogs, so here it is again...

"neely's scarecrow" by micheline & nino (weird mystery tales 16)...

2010-10-27T02:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a final story from Weird Mystery Tales. Written by Dave Micheline and with art by horror maestro Alex Nino, this is "Neely's Scarecrow." Cover by Luis Dominguez...

"the child is the father of the man" by skeates & redondo (weird mystery tales 11)...

2010-10-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a short one by Steve Skeates and Frank "Quico" Redondo from Weird Mystery Tales #11. Cover by Luis Dominguez...

"evil power" by oleck & nino (weird mystery tales 9)...

2010-10-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from Weird Mystery Tales. From issue 9, it's "Evil Power" by Jack Oleck and Alex Nino. The cover once again is by Luis Dominguez...

"final take" by kanigher & dezuniga (weird mystery tales 8)...

2010-10-24T02:02:00.000-07:00

Here's one from one of my favorite DC horror mags, Weird Mystery Tales. With art by Tony DeZuniga and a script by Bob Kanigher, this is "Final Take." Cover by the estimable Luis Dominguez...

"the uninvited guest" by skeates & draut (plop 4)...

2010-10-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite horror comics from the 1970's has always been the lesser-known Plop! from DC. Plop! combined humor and the macabre in a delightfully unpleasant, uncomfortable package and often featured art by such greats as Sergio Aragones (who we've seen before on this Halloween countdown, and who we'll see again) and Basil Wolverton (who did the cover for this issue). From Plop! #6, here's a short little story "The Uninvited Guest" written by Steve Skeates with art by Bill Draut...

"the black clock" by don heck (where monsters dwell 12)...

2010-10-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a final bit of Marvel horror. From Where Monsters Dwell #12, this is "The Black Clock" with art by Don Heck. No writer is credited. It's a reprint from Journey Into Mystery #67, 1961. The cover is by Jack Kirby and is also a reprint (of Journey Into Mystery #57)...

"what happened to mister snively" by lee & heath (vault of evil 5)...

2010-10-21T00:33:00.001-07:00

Here's an appropriately Twilight Zone-ish story written by Stan Lee with art by Russ Heath. It's "What Happened to Mister Snively?" from Vault of Evil #5 circa 1973, reprinted from Spellbound #12, February, 1953. The cover is by Rick Buckler...

"i can't escape from the creeping things" by steve ditko (fear 8)...

2010-10-20T02:01:00.001-07:00

More Marvel horror. From Fear #8 circa 1972, this is "I Can't Escape the Creeping Things" with art by Steve Ditko, possibly written by Stan Lee, although no writer is credited. It's a reprint from Journey Into Mystery #62 from 1960. The creepy crawly cover is by John Severin...

"stop the presses" by gene colan (tomb of darkness 13)...

2010-10-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here's some more Marvel horror, "Stop the Presses" with art by the great Gene Colan, who would go on to draw the definitive comics vampire in Tomb of Dracula. No writer is credited. It's a reprint from the 50's Atlas series Mystic. Cover by Sal Buscema...

"down in the cellar" by paul cooper (dead of night 6)...

2010-10-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here's some more Marvel horror. From Dead of Night #6 (reprinted from Adventures Into Weird Worlds #10), this is "Down in the Cellar." Art is by Paul Cooper, no writer is credited. Cover by Larry Lieber...

the occultist (1989)...

2010-10-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

What makes a bad movie truly bad? Most often, when somebody describes a movie as the "worst ever," it's with a certain affection. Ed Wood movies, Troll 2 and Showgirls are all frequently held up as bad movies, but they're all also generally adored for their camp value. I personally can't stand Troma movies, but they belong to a class of bad movie that aspires to be nothing more than it is, and thus is difficult to completely dismiss. "Bad Movie" is frequently a kind of badge of honor, representing a cult artifact, something valued for its flaws. Just scan the archives of this blog to find any number of films, from Criminally Insane to The Oscar, that are provide genuinely joyous viewing experiences in their shortcomings or excesses.

Of course, not every bad movie is good-bad. There are the dregs, the bottom-of-the-barrel, films that don't transcend their limitations, but rather suffocate beneath them. Films that aren't off-kilter, but simply off. In this regard, I'd like to nominate filmmaker Tim Kincaid as a candidate for the worst filmmaker of all time. Kincaid's films, among which Robot Holocaust and Breeders are probably the best known, display a perfect storm of incompetence, incoherence and joylessness. They are uniformly cheap, but not just cheap, cheap isn't bad, they're cheap in a way that's just plain ugly. The acting is uniformly bad, almost impressively, as though actors were cast specifically for their lack of ability. The storytelling is utterly without sense or reason, owing doubly to bad scripts and bad acting. Kincaid's Breeders is even about rape, which moves the director's ouvre out of the realm of inoffensively unpleasant into the grotesquely unwatchable.

The film in question this time around is The Occultist, which I thought would at least be a horror movie, but wasn't. I don't totally know what it was, really just a mish-mash of genre and poorly staged scenes spliced, slammed together in some kind of order to represent some kind of story about something or another. There were characters, but I didn't really care about them. Things happened, but they weren't interesting. To quote the old joke, "What was it about?" "It was about 90 minutes." I don't really know what else to say about The Occultist. It is something that exists in the universe with all of us, and I have seen it. My life is no better nor worse for having seen it, just 90 or so minutes shorter. It makes me sad to think that I'm that much closer to death because of this movie...

In general, I've had pretty bad luck with horror films this season, which is why the Halloween Countdown has been so comics-heavy and review-short. I'm trying to string some words together about some of the things I've seen, but it's actually been pretty depressing. Lots of bad-bad and not enough good-bad...

"and fear shall follow" by lee & kirby (tomb of darkness 20)...

2010-10-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some more Marvel horror. From Tomb of Darkness # 20 (1976), this is "And Fear Shall Follow" by Stan Lee and the late, great Jack Kirby. It's a reprint of a "Chamber of Darkness" story from 1970. Cover by Lee's brother, Larry Lieber...

"the speed demon" by lee & ditko (monsters on the prowl 14)....

2010-10-16T01:28:00.000-07:00

Jumping from DC to Marvel, here's "The Speed Demon" by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It's actually a reprint of a "Journey Into Mystery" story from 1962. The cover is by Gil Kane...

"the haunter & the haunted" by micheline & redondo (house of secrets 126)...

2010-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

And the hits just keep coming. Here's "The Haunter & the Haunted" by Dave Michelline and Quico Redondo, from House of Secrets #126. Cover by Luis Dominguez...

"corpus delecti" by oleck & talaoc (house of secrets 121)...

2010-10-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

From House of Secrets #121, here's "Corpus Delecti," written by Jack Oleck and illustrated by Gerry Talaoc. Cover by Luis Dominguez...

"don't cry for uncle malcolm" by bordeau & nino (house of secrets 117)...

2010-10-13T02:12:00.002-07:00

Here, from House of Secrets #117, is a story by Gary Bourdeau featuring art by one of my favorite 70's DC horror artists, Alex Nino. The cover is by Luis Domingeuz...

"death came creeping" by patricio & talaoc (ghosts #18)...

2010-10-12T00:12:00.000-07:00

Here's some more 1970's DC horror. From Ghosts #18, this is "Death Came Creeping." Art is by Ernesto Patricio and Gerry Talaoc. Cover by Nick Cardy...

piranha 3-d...

2010-10-11T01:37:00.000-07:00

One of the scariest things I've been facing this horrible Halloween season is the prospect of actually writing anything for this blog. It's been a while and I'm out of practice and the prospect of sitting down in front of a blank page and coming up with something, but anything, is just pretty damned terrifying. That said, it wouldn't be much of a Halloween countdown without some movie reviews, which I wistfully remember used to actually comprise the meat and general heartiness of Negative Pleasure. Fond memories floating through the ether like gossamer in the wind...

Anyway, I've had a really hard time finding some good horror flicks to watch this month so far, or even some good-bad kinda horror trash. Mostly I've just been watching trash, and it's starting to get under my skin a bit (trash skin) and get a little depressing. One movie I kind of expected to like but was seriously disappointed by was this year's remake of Joe Dante's class PIRANHA. As directed by Dante and scripted by John Sayles, the original PIRANHA is just on the fence of what I'd consider acceptable material for a remake. On the one hand, it's a pretty well-realized film with a great cast, lots of humor, lots of blood and a least a taste of social significance. On the other hand, it's a first feature and pretty low budget and as such can be a bit clunky in parts. The clunkiness never really took away my love for Dante's film, but I can see where some scenes and plot ideas could be improved upon.

Almost right off the bat, the new PIRANHA gets everything wrong. It's main failure is a lack of character development, which is especially ridiculous since there are some really good actors in this thing (Elizabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, even a cameo by Richard Dreyfuss) but none of them are given anything to do character-wise. You might say that for a 3-D movie, a lot of it is pretty one-dimensional. This is really a fatal flaw, too, because we're not given any characters we can strongly identify with. Most of the film's attention is in fact lavished upon some of the most noxious characters conceivable, which speaks to the other major problem the film has, its tiresome spring break setting.

Now, I know I'm not the most average guy in the world, but I can't be the only person who's just totally turned off every time a movie revels in the supposed debauchery of college kids gone wild. Especially in a movie like this, where presumably there's supposed to be some tension around whether or not these kids are going to get eaten. If the kids are all insufferable douchbags (and they are), who really cares what happens to them? By the time the climactic massacre arrives, there's no emotional investment in any of the characters in the film, and thus the scene just plays out as violence for the sake of violence.

Don't get me wrong, I love movie violence, but even here director Alexandre Aja fails to find a correct tone and strike a balance between horror and humor. The sequence is far too gory to be played for laughs, it's far too brutal, and yet that seems, at least partially, to be the intent. It just doesn't work, though, when you have dozens of people graphically mutilated and disemboweled, or show cowardly characters callously killing one another in desperate attempts to get to safety.

In a nutshell, the new PIRANHA is a mess. It's almost so slight as to feel like a non-film, or as though considerable plot and character scenes had been edited out of it. It's simply not a good film, no matter how much tits and blood it delivers, there just isn't enough meat to it, it just doesn't have enough GUTS (in the form of humanity, emotion, real drama, real characters).

Oh, yeah, and the CGI fish look like shit.

"the one and only, fully guaranteed, super-permanent, 100%" by wolfman, dillin & adams (house of secrets 82)...

2010-10-10T01:27:00.000-07:00

Here's some late-1960's (October 1969, to be exact) DC horror. From House of Secrets 82, this is "the one and only, fully guaranteed, super-permanent, 100%", written by Marv Wolfman with art by Dick Dillin and inks (and cover) by the then-up-and-coming Neal Adams, shortly after his work on Deadman and just months before his successes on Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman. Dillin was a regular Justice League of America artist, drawing that series on-an-off for about twelve years. Wolfman, of course, came to prominence in the early 1980's with the New Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths, both for DC...

"an ice place to visit" by fleischer & thorne (house of mystery 218)...

2010-10-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here's one from the original "House of Mystery" series. Written by Michael Fleischer and illustrated by Frank Thorne, this is "An Ice Place to Visit." Cover by George Evans...

"sucked in" by sturges & keith (house of mystery 23)...

2010-10-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

For a final sampling from the new House of Mystery, here's a story by Matthew Sturges and another one of my favorite artists, Sam Keith (creator of "The Maxx"). From "House of Mystery" # 23, this is "Sucked In"...

"abomination" by sturges & aragones (house of mystery 21)...

2010-10-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

As a testament to the diversity of classic comics artists represented by the new "House of Mystery," here's a story with art by Mad Magazine mainstay (and longtime DC horror comic contributor, going back to the 70's) Sergio Aragones (from issue 21, with a bonus "fun page" from issue 13)...

"spellbound" by sturges & kaluta (house of mystery 16)....

2010-10-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from the new "House of Mystery." From issue 16, this is "Spellbound" by Matthew Sturges and the great Mike Kaluta...

"the house of titus roan" by willingham & corben (house of mystery 16)...

2010-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

From "House of Mystery" #16, here's "The Hounds of Titus Roan," by right-wing creep Bill Willingham and horror comix legend Richard Corben...

"maidenhead" by matthew sturges & gilbert hernandez (house of mystery 14)...

2010-10-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

"House of Mystery" is a current DC/Vertigo series that rather cleverly combines an ongoing story with individual, one-off tales, often by great indie artists. Here's "Maidenhead" from issue 14, written by series creator Matthew Sturges and illustrated by "Love & Rockets" co-creator Gilbert Hernandez...

"the way of the werewolf" by pete morisi (ghost manor 57)...

2010-10-03T10:17:00.001-07:00

Here's a final terror tale from Charlton's Ghost Manor #57, "The Way of the Werewolf" by the greatly underrated Peter A. Morisi...

"bridal night" by wally wood (ghost manor 57)...

2010-10-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from Charlton's Ghost Manor #57, this time by the great Wally Wood...

"the monsters ride at night" by ditko (ghost manor 57)...

2010-10-01T02:45:00.000-07:00

Let us inaugurate this spookiest of seasons with a tale of terror from spooky (and philosophically questionable) Steve Ditko. "The Monsters Ride at Night" comes from Charlton Comics' Ghost Manor 57, dated July 1981. Ditko also did the cover for this issue...

it begins...

2010-09-30T23:15:00.000-07:00

hey...

2010-09-22T00:36:00.000-07:00

So, things have been kind of inactive on this blog lately, obviously. I don't really have a reason for that, I just haven't had the inclination to post anything in a while. Anyway, I just wanted to put something up to say that Negative Pleasure is still alive and I'll be back in full force with a Halloween-related comics or movie post every day in October. See ya then, if not sooner (and meanwhile, you can always check out the regularly updated Negative Pleasure 2 on tumblr)...

super right on comix #2...

2010-07-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

cover artist amy searles

the ladies love super right on comix!

coming soon...

2010-07-19T14:04:00.001-07:00

late nite comic 07/15/10...

2010-07-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

click for full image...

by harris smith

r.i.p. harvey pekar...

2010-07-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

clean, shaven (lodge kerrigan, 1993)...

2010-07-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

saint john of las vegas (hue rhodes, 2009)...

2010-07-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

35 shots of rum (claire denis, 2008)...

2010-07-05T01:59:00.000-07:00

man or monster?

2010-06-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

new comic by me (click for full image)

new girl...

2010-06-03T00:40:00.000-07:00

new comic by me (click for full image)...

sitting in bed...

2010-06-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

new comic by me...

he couldn't get out of bed...

2010-06-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

new comic by me...