I'll carry the pessimism torch when you're gone

As listener blee put it, last night's horrorcast™ was "...different, in a positive way." I'm traversing in some lighter stuff, I suppose, though music that's not obviously hard and heavy can also absolutely have gravitas, convey leaden emotion, especially in the case of something like the much-lauded-by-Castleheads Guilty Feelings / Nest CD, or the classic Mayo Thompson track we heard, "Worried Worried" from 1970, which is one of those songs on my eternal, internal HD.

I really love what I do at WFMU, as much as it "ain't much" in terms of a more far-reaching popularity. I've always had this "dream" that black metal, and the other, much-more-difficult-than-average sounds we convey, could somehow, in the right context and at the right time, be as popular with listeners as any of the bigger shows on WFMU. But I'm a dreamer, and it just goes to show that I'm stupidly of an ironclad belief that the show I do could ring true with larger masses of people if they only listened, gave it a chance.

People, as a group at least, tend toward things that are put right in front of them and are "easy" to like, in radio terms that means talk, call-in programs, pop-rock music and the like—and to certain degrees and in certain cases I really enjoy those things too—but I've had this vision from the outset of My Castle of Quiet that more "challenging" or "difficult" programming could be embraced more widely, if listeners only heard it, or saw it, in the way that I do. Dreamer, like I said. ...

Lots of playlist-comment appreciation for all sorts of things last night; the above-mentioned Guilty Feelings and Thompson tracks, as well as - the new Eyehategod s/t CD; some more-recent Ulver (i.e., not black metal); the new Dama/Libra on Northern Spy; the trailer audio for Bug, one of my favorite films of the new millennium; a great, recent cassette by Croatia's Averzija (!); and some killer, atmospheric bm from Slovakia by Korium.

Anyone else zoom through Season 1 of True Detective recently, as I did? Often, HBO can be counted on to make quality television, and True Detective is deeply compelling and resonant, less for its serial-murder-mystery milieu, than for its stunning performances by M. McConaughey and "our brother in cannabis" Woody Harrelson, who always turns in a great performance. Soul-crushing, gut-wrenching, hyper-realistic roles from both actors, for sure. Some great music is featured on the series as well, curated / chosen by T-Bone Burnett; the opening, credit-sequence song by Handsome Family, and the many well-chosen songs used within episodes, and as credit-outro themes. 

Thanks as always to Caslteheads, both the devoted and the new converts, for keeping me company in the wee, wee hours, and for your enthusiasm and commentary.

Upcoming special programs include next week's "Kraut-Out #2," a long time coming, another three-hour adventure in some carefully chosen European progressive rock and Krautrock, all 70s, all the time. Link to stream Kraut-Out #1, from July 2011.

Also coming, for my birthday horrorcast on our August 5/6 show, a live set from NYC's Privilege, and a preview / sampling of some new projects by our friend J. Slusher. ...Hopefully, some kind lady also "makes it like my birthday" ... just putting that out there. A great time will nonetheless be had by all. 

Click above, on the curious, often-nude amateur sleuth played by Edwige Fenech, to reach our playlist and audio archive for last night.