The News Review:
- Music Preview: Pioneers of early Pittsburgh scene gather for a…
- Vox (et al.) populi
- Film review: Brothers f The Head
Music Preview: Pioneers of early Pittsburgh scene gather for a…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Pittsburgh Post Gazette – Aug 17, 2006
Many people responded to the ad by saying ‘unkind things’ to my mother. “The Shut-Ins were a straight-ahead punk band in the Richard Hell vein but the scene would soon diversify with the New Wave keyboard antics of The Cardboards the avant-jazz punk jamming of Carsickness the apocalyptic black leather noise rock of The Five and the percussive kick of Stick Against Stone. In terms of musicianship the punks came in all stripes. “Some were [good players] and some weren’t” Shanley says. “There were some punk musicians who could hold their own with any of [the established musicians]. That wasn’t the be-all and end-all. It was the whole package.
Vox (et al.) populi
Austin 360 – Austin 360 (subscription) – Aug 17, 2006
Now filmmakers go head-to-head with frat boys pulling “Jackass”-style pranks. Any teenager with access to the Internet can tell you about sites such as You Tube and Google Video that serve as treasure troves of video clips posted by anyone with a camcorder and some cheap editing programs. In addition to the occasional navel-gazing student film you can also find an endless array of starry-eyed teenagers lip-syncing to pop songs skater kids taking nose dives on cement steps to punk music soundtracks fistfights and rockets fueled by Mentos and Diet Coke. And you can also find Travis. The accidental superstar An pen Screen Night a few years ago featured a videotape someone had stolen from a dorm roommate named Travis. The tape showcased Travis’ tightly choreographed dance routine as he shamelessly shook his groove thang to a mix of cheesy pop songs. It was amazing in its shambling earnestness… When the man becomes suicidal he cuts his wrists and bleeds pure mango juice then does not die. He spends the rest of the movie trying to kill himself leaving a trail of mango pulp from room to lonely room. The music was great the shots were sharply executed and the action was superbly choreographed and steeped with sorrow and longing. And then there was “Stayin’ Alive” which looked the product of an afternoon of goofing around with a hand-held camcorder and some Mac software. Shot and edited by pen Screen Night regular Jon Stringer who day-jobs as a writer for Conan ‘Brien “Stayin’ Alive” showcased the stop-motion antics of Stringer and a friend gliding around his apartment like a living Claymation character to the strains of the Bee Gees. ne was brilliant and moving and bizarre. The other was silly and goofy and thoroughly hilarious.
Film review: Brothers f The Head
Xtra.ca – Xtra.ca – Aug 17, 2006
Born and raised in isolated rural England the teenage boys are sold by their father to a novelty-act impresario and brought to a mansion to be moulded into proto-punk stars in the mid-1970s. The name of their act The Bang-Bang perfectly captures their double-barrelled loose-cannon adolescent sexuality. Make-believe and real tragic and absurd rock concert and freak show Brothers f The Head is nothing short of the queerest film of the year — and unquestionably one of the best — a heartbreaking must-see masterpiece for all unabashed punks freaks art fags and film geeks. Directed by gay couple Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton it is also a madly eye-popping and ear-splitting experience. The brothers’ wild and woolly story is recounted by everyone save the boys themselves: the musician the manager the sister the lawyer the journalist and so on. We also see meticulously staged vérité-style footage of the brothers’ antics as well as experimental Super-8 movies they made themselves. Then there are the clips of real director Ken Russell’s imaginary Two-Way Romeo (also the name of The Bang-Bang’s signature hit) a typically lurid and Vaseline-lensed creative interpretation which will leave fans of the decadent British pervert-director squealing with glee… We also see meticulously staged vérité-style footage of the brothers’ antics as well as experimental Super-8 movies they made themselves. Then there are the clips of real director Ken Russell’s imaginary Two-Way Romeo (also the name of The Bang-Bang’s signature hit) a typically lurid and Vaseline-lensed creative interpretation which will leave fans of the decadent British pervert-director squealing with glee. Writing raucous autobiographical lyrics — Barry’s a ball of rage but Tom’s a balladeer at heart — the twins take the pre-punk music scene by storm. Thrust into a rowdy pub for their first show they are assailed by homophobic catcalls: “Who’s this two puffs coming on cuddling each other?” The boys respond with a fuming visceral performance that climaxes when Barry rips open his shirt to expose the fleshy join that connects their torsos. Everyone goes crazy. Fans reach out and try to touch the band of skin that attaches boy to boy: “Are you you or are you me?” the twins scream with Barry going so far as to suck fraternal face to get a rise out of people. In the midst of this fantastic spectacle Brothers f The Head does actually work as a documentary about the subversive power of performing deviance.