Drunk on the train. North to the woods.

Where Satan keeps his lair. Only Satan gets "some." It's all ritual, and not to be intimately enjoyed. So watch that.

Man, the new Shaved Women 7" is great. "Pressures"—great song! all good. The Zyanose LP, too. More and more and more, the world of high quality music on vinyl is expanding again, and has been building over the last decade. WFMU's new vinyl bin has become the joy of discovery for me that it was in the earliest days of my initial tenure at the station, but it feels like a richer time even, more like the 60s or 70s, some vinyl era I only caught the tail end of.

Dial Tone through 70% of Superjoint's "The Alcoholic" - hilarious, though it would have been good to hear the song, too. And why did that not bother the shit out of me? I must have had the monitors down, sorry Phil. That's what happens when you double up two feeds on one broadcast-board channel; y'see, I never use the phones, used to, when I was young, and wanted trade jabs with the random venturers on our phones. You can hear at the start of the new Darkthrone song where I finally figure it out. You can hear my brain clicking like the snapping of a thousand nun's coochies! Still, the first set has big leaden balls, you must give me that, despite multiple engineering errors. I was just too excited, and the songs too good and too short, and WFMU sorely needs a copy of The Plasmatics' first album. 

Anyway, before I fall foetus-like into my own navel and die, let's talk more about music.

So much great, new black metal I'm overwhelmed, From the USA, from Europe. Especially liked the Mortum track, and the selection from the Turmellus cassette (that was a happy purchase!) ... In my own, personal / home listening, my ears have moved towards the more strikingly original, "progressive" side of underground metal (though I still cherish the crusty stuff, always will~), and this naturally is reflected in a move toward darker, non-metal selections in My Castle of Quiet the radio show, from the world of experimental / improv / rock, call it what you will, reflected in tracks by artists like Pat Murano and Tom Carter (great free LP, Natch 4, on WFMU's Free Music Archive!), Overhang Party (staggeringly good four-disc studio retrospective out now on Important), and Pelt.
Shaved Women | Medusa | Volksmorg (!!!) also check out the label, Terror, which recently released a great Haare cassette, Forward to Insanity (played some here), in addition to the gems we heard last night | Pelt (great, new 2LP on Mie)

So, I wear my black cape as I type, though it's flecked with moderate hope; hope of a future time less dreary, less lonely, more active, more in tune with the Cosmos.

The Castle continues. Click on our scene of demon-ravaging, from Zulawski's On The Silver Globe, to reach the playlist, audio archives and comments for last night's horrorcast™.

r.i.p. tkf

My friend Terry would have been 49 or 50 today, not sure. He succumbed to AIDS-related illness in 1994, and is missed by many. I wrote an emotional epitaph of sorts that appeared in an old issue of WFMU's LCD magazine when he passed, more potent than anything I could come up with today. Mostly, I just wish the guy was still around. I'd like to see what a 50-year-old tkf would be like.

Below are some Web links, written by myself and Irwin Chusid, about Terry, as well as some photo links. The first one features a download of some of Terry's music; ultra-personal, ultra-creative low-fi shit, made long before the style was so in vogue. ...

Cassette Culture Revisited, Part X - Terence Karl Folger

Little Goats Barked (by Irwin Chusid)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmypieprice/2460306898/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmypieprice/2471876628/

(photos by Jim Price)

I always thought it was funny that Terry's birthday was March 28th, in light of the Boomtown Rats's song, "Nothing Happened Today."

Terry was the person who welcomed me into the fold at WFMU, and I miss him in uncountable ways.

even the silence is cinematic.

Castle back in form!

And what a joy, to just settle in for three hours, and play a healthy chunk of my musical favorites of the moment. Thank you all for your generous donations, making the My Castle of Quiet show possible, and its rarity uncompromised.

I watched the film Blue Valentine the other day, and since it's a few years old, I won't consider any of the following to be "spoilers." ... Man aggressively pursues woman he's instantly wowed by; a special girl, who encapsulates his vision and his heart. Man takes a beating (literally), and continues to love the woman with all of his heart, and with dedication, co-raises her child (a child who almost definitely isn't his.) Over time, the relationship stagnates (for the woman at least), as relationships sometimes do, though the man remains loyal and content. Somehow things just aren't working for the woman, and this feeling grows over time, until, within the confines of her own heart, there is no turning back. As her rejection of him grows, festers and becomes undeniable, man freaks out—his whole life is crumbling before his eyes—and in the course of trying desperately and hopelessly to win her back, he loses control, and "bad behavior" inevitably ensues; he knows not what else to do. The whole "or for worse" part of their marriage vows gets tossed out with the bathwater, and he tells her as much, at this point pleading for her indulgence. In the end, man walks away, because he's told to, because he's given no choice, and because by now the damage is irreparable.

As it says up top, in the subheading for this blog, "the horrors of everyday life," and Blue Valentine is definitely horrific, especially if you're a man who's loved a woman until the cord was cut, irreconcilably and against your will. Ryan Gosling, one of the best actors currently achieving great success within the Hollywood system, plays this role to heart-crushing effect. Not for the faint of heart, for the truth of Blue Valentine is like getting gored by the Rhino of Love. ...It's always good when I enter the film-viewing experience with no particular expectations, none, in fact, and such was the case here. SLAM! Another (cinematic) door closes forever, and 'nuff said.

When there's this much great, new music to share, one must seize the opportunity to release, and escape from the drama of real life, however great or shitty your individual day has gone. ...

I especially liked: Medusa | Zyanose | Anwech | Striborg | Vardan | Lord Time | Black Cilice | Cadaver Eyes | Profligate | Mists of Poveglia

You commented upon: Robert Hampson | Yellow Eyes | Profligate | Lord Time | Zyanose

Somehow, a rainy quad filled with uniformly dressed Japanese girls is absolutely terrifying; go ask the Japanese. Still, the original Juon I & II (made for television) are uniquely effective and terrifying, and by far the best of the Juon lot. A great many remakes and less-effective derivatives would follow. Click on these franchised and drenched young ladies (water—very scary too!) to reach the playlist, audio archives and comments board for this week's horrorcast™

Nothing like some good old sheep face

A very serious thanks to all those who gave generously this week, and last. You listeners make The Castle what it is, for without an appreciate audience, it's just aetheric transmission that may or may not achieve its target. The contribution that the show is able to make to the WFMU coffers at least proves that there's a receptive and devoted crowd for this dice-roll of a show, that dares to dwell well outside the parameters of convention, even WFMU convention as it were. Over the years, I've put tremendous work into keeping the show fresh, singular and truly alternative, and a great many of you have responded positively, and for that I'm eternally grateful.

My every transmission here feels like an epitaph as I write, but perhaps that's the price I pay for lingering longer on the darker side(s) of human emotion. Fuck yeah, I take this very seriously—I wouldn't bother to do it otherwise. Those who don't get it mostly stay away, and those who do get it, get it in the largest of ways, so I've achieved some sort of artistic goal it would seem. Bottom line—thanks a freaking TON for your very generous donations!

With the gracious assistance of co-host Diane Kamikaze, we even managed to achieve some sort of Castle norm this week, premiering some new material amidst the pitching and swag-giving.

YOU LIKED:

Cornflakes 808 | Tom Carter and Pat Murano | USGA (link to the SickSickSick distro, where many recorded wonders abound!) | Bludded Head (coming to our show LIVE in May) ... these, and our tales of chaotic Butthole Surfers shows past, and "sliders." ...

Back to business-as-usual at My Castle of Quiet next week (thank you, SWEET SATAN!), with a veritable TON of new and newly discovered releases to share.

This week's playlist was adorned with a still from the closing shot of the Web-only movie, The Slender Man, a classy little horror film made with care, and the benefit of Kickstarter donations; view the film in full HERE. Click on "Slendy" to reach this week's horrorcast™ archive.

T   H   A   N   K   S   !!!

THIS IS IT ... THE LAST BIG PUSH!!!

 

The WFMU 2013 Marathon concludes this weekend, and your LAST CHANCE to pledge to My Castle of Quiet (at least as part of the on-air festivities) is TONIGHT!

My co-host will be the great Diane Kamikaze, we're a tried-and-true pairing, and we've got prizes aplenty—metal CDs, noise LPs—many of yours and my favorites we've heard throughout the year.

I've spent a lot of time here hawking this year's Castle premium, My Metal Singles, 50+ minutes of rare death, grind and black, and this exclusive CDr can be yours for a pledge to the show of $75 or more (more tracks to be previewed tonight.)

...And if you'd care to "adopt me" for a year ($1 a day to WFMU) that option is still open as well.

Hope to catch up with you tonight at midnight, and thanks to those who have already pledged generously to the show; you people are the greatest, and your consistent support of one of the station's "fringier" programs is noticed and greatly appreciated!

You can pledge to the show at any time by using the white, rectangular "pledge widget" above, or by clicking here, or simply by calling while the show is in progress tonight @ 1.800.989.9368.

HORNS UP! CATCH YOU LATER. ...

Say it again ... hahah oh man

Marathon week #1 for My Castle of Quiet in review ... a gracious thanks to all contributors, and to co-host Clay Pigeon. I hope our pairing made for entertaining radio, and by all accounts it did! Being such a nice, genuine guy, Clay takes me way outside my usual "comfort zone," as it were, and I planned this deliberately; I'm way too much of a crusty perfectionist, and need to be rattled into the light upon occasion. Attempts to rock me gently into "emasculating" speech and behavior also very welcome and amusing, as I have balls on my balls. No fear. Bottom line: the presence of Clay, and your generous contributions, made it as much, or more so, of a success as any Castle marathon shift ever gets, and I'm proud to have earned what I did for WFMU, with Clay's jovial assistance. Some of you gave quite generously, and I hope you walked away satisfied, and maybe even with a great prize for your participation.

Thanks also to all the labels and artists who contributed prizes for the show; hopefully, I did your releases justice, as a lot more talking is a requisite part of the fundraising motif, and many of the longer titles needed to be excerpted, where under normal conditions I would have, and typically do, air lengthy tracks in full.

As to general spieling and long-cane activities, remember that a pledge of $75 or more to My Castle of Quiet, at any time during the marathon (click here for anytime pledging, or here, to "adopt" me for the year), will earn you a copy of My Metal Singles, this year's Castle premium, a collection of ultra-rare trax culled from my DUSTY metal 7" collection; details HERE. Cover below...

MCoQ is back this Thursday at midnight with more metal, more noise, more prizes ... and co-host Diane Kamikaze. We work together nearly every marathon, and where she won't wrangle it out of me that I love my listeners or chinchillas, the banter / rapport will be quite top-shelf and entertaining...here at The Castle, we're all about different stripes and different types; keeps me on my toes and keeps life interesting.

Remember also that the WFMU Marathon continues until this Sunday at midnight; we're only 47% overall to our goal, and need your help and donations. You can pledge online at any time to MCoQ by using the white rectangular widget above, or donate to the station in general by clicking HERE.

MARATHON MASS #1, AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!

As part of week one of WFMU's annual fundraising marathon, My Castle of Quiet bursts wide with our first week of hell-raising fundraising—dubious banter, Castlesque prizes aplenty, and our 2013 premium CD, My Metal Singles, available for a pledge to our show of $75 or more.

Looking forward to being paired with WFMU superstar Clay Pigeon, and the mountains of madness that will surely ensue, to be toppled, and built up yet again—a guten time is guaranteed für alles!

S E E  Y O U  T H E R E !

WFMU 91.1 FM
WMFU 90.1 FM (Hudson Valley)
in Rockland County @ 91.9 FM
wfmu.org live on the Web, with real-time accuplaylist and comments board.

: )

It may seem incongruous, my asking for a smile, a goofy-ass emoticon smile no less, but, as evidenced by last night's comments board, some folks just want to keep their dukes up, even when you're essentially agreeing with them. When I play black metal artists from the Middle East, especially those countries with essentially theocratic governments, remind me NOT to point to it, as either a badge of honor or dedication, single it out for compliments etc., as I did with this post on Halla back in 2009, because some people will just sit there and tell me that I'm a victim of a well-heeled, worldwide propaganda machine no mater what I type. ...a great many Middle Eastern underground bands have graced our airwaves on My Castle of Quiet, from Iran, Iraq, Israel etc., and that's what it's about, the music, and I never ever seem to know enough, or cachet my global political knowledge well enough, to please some perpetually on the defensive and looking to dissect my comments for a reason to take offense.

The sole assumption I make, is that in a climate where anti-religious, and therefore anti-state, music is made, one takes an even greater risk to express oneself. Am I dead wrong? Is it open season to craft anti-Islam, Anti-Christian, anti-religion music ever, anywhere? Especially in a country like Iran, under their current, essentially theocratic government? If so, please draft that memo globally, because a lot of people (myself included) didn't get it. Some folks just will not take a compliment, no good deed goes unpunished, etc. etc. Sometimes it seems like the only solution is to bind my hands and sew my lips shut—my mouth fully salted to prevent return as a night-walker. Haha!

Enough—I've given THAT discourse enough time already.

You liked:

Ekove Efrits | T.O.M.B  | Kuxan Suum | Draugar | Black Cilice (many free downloads at that link!) | Raw Nerve | Shaved Women (Apop Records) | Dragged Into Sunlight

Please remember that the WFMU 2013 Marathon starts this coming Monday, with Liz Berg's show @ 9 a.m. ...And you can pledge to My Castle of Quiet at any time, either by clicking "PLEDGE" on the white, rectangular widget at the top of this page, or the same at the top of my playlist page, or simply by clicking here. Your Web pledge will automatically register within the first 10 minutes of MCoQ's next marathon shift (they are - 3/8, with co-host/MC Clay Pigeon; and 3/15 with co-host/MC Diane Kamikaze.) I'm deeply honored to have two great co-hosts this year, looking forward to the rapport and bold banter, and to giving away some great, Castle-appropriate prizes (please note: Web-pledging to the show at any time during the marathon, just $15 or over, will place you in the standard-fashion running for prize drawings, just as though you'd pledged during the three-hour shift while the Castle phones were ringing. Remember: to pledge to WFMU in general, there is a white pledge widget atop every page at wfmu.org.

A pledge of $75 or more to the show automatically earns you a copy of My Castle of Quiet companion #4, My Metal Singles, this year's premium, discussed in detail in our previous post.

Until then, you can enjoy last night's horrorcast™by linking to the archive page; simply click on Bok-nam (from 2010's Bedeviled) to get there.

I'll be making my first on-air marathon appearance this coming Tuesday night / Wednesday morning, MC'ing for Sue P.'s Sold Gold Hell @ midnight; See you then!