THE THRILL-SEEKERS 43 – “Hell Hath No Fury”
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February 3rd, 2010

THE THRILL-SEEKERS 43 – “Hell Hath No Fury”

Welcome back!

Thought I had forgotten about the lovely Mrs. Belmont?  Just when Ned thinks he’s got a clear shot at Pastor, Caroline asserts her claim to recover her pound of flesh from her husband.

- JEP

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“WORD” OF HURT – Tweets Of the Week for 2010-02-07

February 7th, 2010

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CHRIS SIMS GETS SERIOUS ABOUT FUNNY BOOKS

February 5th, 2010

Chris Sims, one of the most entertaining personalities in comic book blogging, and friend of WORLD OF HURT, is mostly known for his undying love of Batman, his encyclopedic knowledge of the entire Bring It On film series, and his hilarious commentary of comics like Tarot or Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, which he dutifully provides on a daily basis in his own Invincible Super-Blog, as a contributor for the website Comics Alliance, and most recently in his War Rocket Ajax podcast with collaborator, Eugene Ahn .  Point  blank, he’s a prolific writer and a funny guy.  However, his most recent article on Comics Alliance, entitled, “The Racial Politics of Riverdale: Why an Interracial Kiss Is Still a Big Deal,” provides a fascinating, thoughtful insight and analysis of how one of comic books’ most venerable companies has approached the subject of race throughout its publishing history.  Sims’ assessment of Archie Comics’ attitued toward race is not always flattering, but the company has demonstrated a slow, progressive arc toward inclusion and tolerance that is reassuring and promising for a company that publishes one of the most important “gateway” comic book lines for new readers being introduced to the medium.

The fact that the article is well-done, well-researched, and interesting is typical for Sims’ work.  However, in tone, it is atypically serious for a writer who giddily insists that Batman chucking a car battery at a villain as a high-point in Western literature. 

Finally, a special tip of the hat to Chris for quitting his day job and transitioning into freelance writing full-time.  Bravo, Chris!

- JEP

 

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“WORD” OF HURT – Tweets Of the Week for 2010-01-31

January 31st, 2010

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THE SOUND OF “DYNAMITE”

January 29th, 2010

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the music of Blaxploitation is inextricable from the Blaxploitation film experience.  The music defined the film movement as much as any of the fashion, dialogue, or the recurring visual or thematic motifs.

With his soundtrack and score of Ivan Dixon’s 1972 film, Trouble Man, Marvin Gaye delivered what some consider to be his finest album.  Isaac Hayes earned an Oscar for his “Theme From ‘Shaft’” in 1972.  James Brown delivered the imminently funky soundtrack for the Fred Williamson vehicle, Black Caesar, which is still sampled by hip-hop artists today.

When Michal Jai White, Byron Minns, and director Scott Sanders were putting together their new film, Black Dynamite, an homage to Black action films of the 1970s, they enlisted Adrian Younge to write the soundtrack.  Adrian Younge follows in Blaxploitation’s unique, and proud cinematic tradition, of having a single artist  craft the entire soundtrack.  Younge wrote, composed, and performed every song on the album, with the exception of the final track, “Dynomite (Suckapunch Re-edit),” which features the loopy, Tom Jones-esque vocals of Sir Charles Hughes.  Younge receives powerful assists from singers, such as Loren Oden and Toni Scruggs, and is backed up on several cuts by musicians like Jack Waterson on drums, and WORLD OF HURT regular C.E. Garcia on electric bass and electric guitar.  (If you’re lucky, you may be able to find them on tour, performing live as the Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra.)

Much like the visuals and story elements of the film, Adrian Younge’s music for Black Dynamite straddles a line between humor and homage.  The lyrics to a number of the songs provide a humorous, deadpan, point-by-point narrative of the films’ events.  In this regard, the soundtrack reminds me of James Brown’s vocal work for Black Caesar, which often repeated what was occurring onscreen, like the captions in a Silver Age comic book.  At other times, Younge’s lyrics can serve as a surrogate for the audience (Somebody broke into Jimmy’s pad/Are they still here?/Sucka could be anywhere in the song, “Jimmy’s Apartment”) or Black Dynamite’s conscience (I miss the best brother I ever had/Oh, now I’m back/So I’ve got to kill that jack, yeah in “Jimmy’s Dead”).  Basically, the lyrics from any song with the word “Jimmy” in the title are guaranteed to deliver a chuckle or two.  However, when you strip away the lyrics,  as with the instrumental version of “Jimmy’s Dead,” you will find in the soundtrack to Black Dynamite, a  beautiful, soulful body of work with a remarkable fidelity to the era it is intended to evoke.

Reading the liner notes, you discover that Younge’s attention to detail extended far beyond the songs themselves, but to how those songs were created and recorded.  He used analog recording techniques, not digital, and to the extent possible, every piece of equipment used to record the album  was created prior to 1979.  The very fact that Younge includes liner notes beyond lyrics and a laundry list of thank-yous is another welcome throwback to the days of vinyl.

Black Dynamite co-writer, Byron Minns,  also stars in the film as Black Dynamite’s confidante, “Bullhorn.” His voice is the first thing you hear, and he sets the tone for the rest of the album by hollering out to the listener: I wanna tell you a STOO-ry/’ Bout a friend I had/He’s a mean muthafucka/And he’s SUPERBAD. He delivers the line and the rest of a short verse about Black Dynamite in an uncanny Rudy Ray “Dolemite” Moore impression which segues seamlessly into the husky, soulful vocals of LaVan Davis, who contributes vocals on several other tracks as well. One of my favorite moments is when Davis climbs a register to deliver the line after, “Better watch them politicians/Trying to shrink y’all n***** dicks,” in a soaring falsetto.  It’s funny, but it’s a natural vocal flourish that fits perfectly into the song.  It also encapsulates the focus on humor, craft, and attention to detail that is a hallmark of every aspect of Black Dynamite.

Another aspect of the Black Dynamite soundtrack that I appreciate is that it’s not some crass commercial effort by some huge media conglomerate to load a soundtrack with their hot artists or justify the A&R costs of the new talent they’re developing under the heading “Songs From And Inspired By The Major Motion Picture [FILL IN THE BLANK].  What the hell is “inspired by?”  Inspired by the desire for royalty checks?  Inspired by a need to stay relevant before they kick you off the label?  Most of the songs you find on today’s soundtracks aren’t even in the actual movie, unless you stay until the very end of they final credits or if you electronically filter out the background noise during some crowd scene, you MIGHT be able to hear a snippet from some Macy Gray tune.

The Black Dynamite soundtrack is available through Wax Poetic Records, and it’s not the sort of album you want to pop into your iPod while you’re running around doing errands.  In the tradition of the soul albums that inspired it, it’s the kind of album that you want to put on your stereo and LISTEN to while you flip through the well-illustrated liner notes.  The layered live instrumentation, with everything from Younge’s breathy, jazzy flutes to the mournful hum of the Hammond organ, bear repeated listenings and deserve your full attention.   The highest praise I can offer for what Younge created is to sayI played it back to back with a best of Willie Hutch CD, and the transition from Hutch, who gave us the soundtrack to The Mack, to Younge, was flawless.  It felt like I had dropped the needle on the second half of a double album featuring the best of ’70s soul.

To find out more, check out the Wax Poetics site, and for nice insight into the history of the album and Younge’s process, you might want to check out this mini-documentary about the Black Dynamite score.  Like the album itself, it is well done, with great attention to detail, and I highly recommend it.

- JEP

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“WORD” OF HURT – Tweets Of the Week for 2010-01-24

January 24th, 2010
  • Don't forget there's an encore showing of @Black_Dynamite tonight at @NickTheatre! #blaxploitation http://bit.ly/8ovcd8 #
  • You have read World of Hurt this week, haven't you? Don't make me hurt somebody!#webcomic http://bit.ly/6g2QvZ #
  • Manga's not all cute, big-eyed magical girls; sullen, weepy boys; and giant robots. This week, we take a brief… http://bit.ly/8WMVkV #
  • @PaulTobin When the SCOTUS ruling came down, I thought of Hexus, The Living Corporation from Morrison and Jones' "Marvel Boy" mini-series. in reply to PaulTobin #
  • @DocShaner Thanks for the "Saving Private Ryan" spoiler! *Deletes item from Netflix queue* in reply to DocShaner #
  • @black_dynamite You're getting an encore showing @NickTheatre in Columbia, SC, due to "overwhelming crowds" from last weekend. #
  • @BrianDenham "First Officer Condor Joe, reporting for duty, Captain." #
  • @WallE132 And you can have them, thanks to the magic of modern marketing! http://tinyurl.com/dlrm4s in reply to WallE132 #
  • With the SCOTUS ruling, our corporate oligarchs are tipping their hands. To maintain control, they need at least the ILLUSION of democracy. #
  • @StephenRL Sadly, he wasn't on a frog. RT@thestate See Riverbanks Zoo's newest, cutest newcomer: baby Koala Oliver: http://bit.ly/5hbF39 #
  • I finalized my new t-shirt design and finished fliers to distribute at the @Black_Dynamite showings at the Nickelodeon. http://bit.ly/8ahPVE #
  • Sorry, everyone. Normally, I'm not this cynical. It's just been one of those weeks. #
  • Yay! A couple of millionaire comedians and their millionaire bosses at a billion dollar media empire settled their differences. I can rest. #
  • I ragged on Omarion's singing in my last blogpost. Now I find out he's the new judge on ABDC. Well, as a singer, he makes a great dancer. #
  • Black Dynamite is back for an encore run at The Nick this weekend. #blaxploitation http://bit.ly/6t5PPD #
  • @GangStarrGirl I ordered a white tee of MJ's image from the "You Are Not Alone" video. All they printed was lacefront and eyeliner. #
  • @gdwessel And he seems like such a stand-up guy! Surely he wouldn't pocket any of that $10K licensing fee, would he? in reply to gdwessel #
  • @DocShaner http://twitpic.com/yyshl – Aw, Mom, you never let me play with the Hoary Hosts Of Hoggoth! #
  • @gdwessel Saying the one word he REALLY wants to say would instantly invalidate and expose him, hence the code words. in reply to gdwessel #
  • @gdwessel I guess he figured he could toss out words like "fundamentals" and "All-American" without the rest of us hearing the dog whistles. in reply to gdwessel #
  • @gdwessel It's interesting how racists know where the boundaries are and have evolved their messaging to stop just short of that line. in reply to gdwessel #
  • The ignorance and thinly disguised hate passing as heritage of the #allwhitehoopsleague just makes me tired and sad. http://bit.ly/8rs7P8 #
  • @sophistifunk My recommendations for good Blaxploitation films are Trouble Man, SuperFly, Coffy, The Mack, Shaft, & Slaughter's Big Rip-Off. #
  • @NkaModia2 How about a Blaxploitation webcomic? http://www.worldofhurtonline.com in reply to NkaModia2 #
  • Due to "overwhelming crowds," @NickTheatre in Columbia, SC added more weekend screenings for @Black_Dynamite http://tinyurl.com/y9g8fnm #
  • Vincent S. Moore of Comics Waiting Room is seeking to bring attention to new Black creators: http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/vince48.html #
  • Obama: 0, DeMint: 1, and DeMint has three balls, no strikes, and bases loaded with Kill Health Care Reform on 3rd base: http://bit.ly/5cEGCz #
  • WORLD OF HURT celebrates its first month with our sponsor, http://www.BMFWallets.com. Stop by and tell 'em Pastor sent ya! #
  • I updated the design for the WORLD OF HURT Twitter page and revised the logo. I'm pretty pleased with how both… http://bit.ly/8iBS8e #
  • Fireman's carry slam from the kneeling position into an elbow drop on the throat. Is this WWE? No, it's the… http://bit.ly/52mOrH #
  • @shawtyslim I am. The Dems are about to lose the filibuster-proof supermajority they never used. Fools can't lead for shit. in reply to shawtyslim #
  • At long last, I updated the design of my Twitter page. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggested tweaks or changes. #
  • The only problem with the two party system is that Republicans can't govern and Democrats can't lead. #
  • @tug3000 Right on! Who should I talk to about leaving some WORLD OF HURT flyers in the lobby? in reply to tug3000 #
  • When Scientist Play "The Dozens: Uranus is so big, the pressure inside it forms diamond OCEANS! – http://tinyurl.com/ybr2exv #
  • @douggrossCNN I'll have you know that several bloggers and tmz.com have confirmed my journalism junkie status. in reply to douggrossCNN #
  • "Single source." I'm a journalism groupie, just ask my reporter Tweeples, like @ReachPhillips, @douggrossCNN, @tbtjuice, and @otisatthestate #
  • "Single source." I'm a jounalism groupie, just ask my reporter Tweeples, like @ReachPhillips, @douggrossCNN, @tbtjuice, and @otisatthestate. #
  • Single source report that Robert B. Parker, the author of the Spenser novels, and the character, Hawk, has died: http://tinyurl.com/ybayssv #
  • @StephenRL http://twitpic.com/yslgg – This is gonna be HUGE! Your boy just brainstormed his college fund. #
  • @StephenRL Koala's warriors riding frogs is the only-and I mean ONLY-thing cooler than this: http://tinyurl.com/c3ndtp in reply to StephenRL #

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