freakboy muses music: ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Congo Norvell

Every so often I look back at the crazy films and trashy novels I’ve experienced over the last few years and check to see how readily available they are for others to find.  When I recently did a search for the book ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Stella Gray, I noticed there were a couple of copies floating around out there.  I also noticed an audio CD with the same provocative title and cover. 

My first thought was, “Is it an audiobook?”  Then I noticed “by Congo Norvell” and knew I was wrong.  So, I investigated and discovered the CD is an album of music released in 1997 through the New York City-based Jetset Records.  Further investigation turned up only a few tracks posted on YouTube.  I listened to “Johnny in the Boudoir” and immediately ordered a copy from eBay.

The music thrusts you into a seedy dive-bar on the outskirts of town, populated by the night people, the kind of folk inhabiting the fringes of so-called acceptable society.  They will lead you through a den of lurid sex and sex-drenched violence, where obsession and lust reign hand-in-hand with loneliness and heartache.  In other words, this is the perfect soundtrack to trashy pulp novels.

The liner notes list a few people as vocals, but this is  Sally Norvell’s show.  Her voice shifts from torch song lounge singer to a sultry, smoky-voiced temptress to an alt-pop diva.  Wherever the music styles take her, Sally is ready to follow.  

My 3 favorite tracks, in no particular order… 

“Candy” 
An experienced woman is looking for young fresh meat to “go under, down in the gutter and taste the seawater.”  I enjoy the uncomfortable desires pulsating underneath, just like the tone of a trashy novel. 

“She’s Like Heroin to Me.” 
There’s a woman at the top of the stairs who gets under your skin and “cannot miss a vein,” no matter your gender.  A slow lusty burn of crippling obsession at its pulpy best!  

“Johnny in the Boudoir” 
The title says it all.  A man named Johnny meets up for an illicit tryst, but his lover has other plans.  “She was only playin' a part. Just a step away from the straightjacket today. Angora sweater, naughty-clean. Felt like killing, felt like sixteen.”  Johnny’s dead and the mention of an Angora sweater must be a knowing wink to Edward D. Wood, Jr.  Was Johnny’s lover a cross-dressing assassin right out of one of Wood’s novels?  It’s up for the listener to decide, but I think so. 

In conclusion… 
Moody, intriguing, and slyly amusing, this album isn’t for everyone, but it is for anyone with an open mind.  I think I would’ve enjoyed the songs if I had experienced them back in 1997, but I probably appreciate them more now.  So, if you like a little tawdry in your tunes, then ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Congo Norvell may be the seedy CD for you! 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  click the pic for my thoughts on the novel of the same name… 

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My books have been called tawdry…
📚 

freakboy muses music: A DATE WITH JOHN WATERS

Do I believe in fate?

During my recent New England Adventure with Dave of My Gay Opinion, one stop was The Archive in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  For even the most casual reader of these words, you know I’m a Vinegar Syndrome junkie, so I had to visit their brick and mortar store!  It was awesome with new and used movies and music on various formats!  I would be a frequent customer if I lived in Bridgeport!  

Freak finds a home away from home

Dave went upstairs to the music area while I was surrounded by Vinegar Syndrome and its partner label titles.  There was so much to take in that I felt overwhelmed in a giddy good way.  A film or two that I had been eyeing on the VS website drew my attention, but I thought I’d check out the music before making a cinematic decision. 
I survived the rickety horror movie staircase to the second floor and found a room mainly comprised of vinyl.  After confirming this was the only music area, I heard my name called from across the room.  Dave was standing on an elevated space in front of boxes of compact discs.  I wandered over and he presented me with a CD that he had pulled out from the box just as I entered the music area.  The CD in question… 

2007, New Line Records

Was this fate? 

Dave admitted that if he had been alone in the store and saw this CD, I would’ve been the first person he thought of. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I’m a John Waters fan, so I would immediately be intrigued by this compilation album.  Yes, compilation.  In other words, John Waters tragically doesn’t sing.

A DATE WITH JOHN WATERS contains 14 tracks hand picked by the filmmaker for a romantic night.  I believe he really did choose the songs because the CD plays like a soundtrack to an unfilmed Waters script.  It’s an eclectic, eccentric collection of older and newer-ish music with a few familiar artists.  

Your romantic evening begins with  the cutesy stalker vibes of “Tonight You Belong To Me” by Patience & Prudence but quickly turns into a fun gender-bending, bisexual time with “Jet Boy Jet Girl” by Elton Motello.  In case you’re confused and need to establish who’s in charge, pay attention to “I’d Love To Take Orders From You” by Mildred Bailey & Her Swing Band and if you’re worried this coupling isn’t going to work, embrace the backhanded positivity of “In Spite Of Ourselves” by John Prine with Iris DeMent. 

Emotions might be running high at this point in your romantic night, which makes “All I Can Do Is Cry” by Ike & Tina Turner a perfect addition.  Maybe you’ll cry even more if you discover your date doesn’t have a compatible orientation with yours, so you’ll have to sing along with “Johnny Are You Queer?” by Josie Cotten.  Once you’ve figured everything out, bring your evening to a frosted climax with “If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake” by Eileen Barton with the New Yorkers and then bask in the demented afterglow with the aptly titled “Bewildered" by Shirley & Lee. 

There’s a lot of other great songs on this album, but two deserve special attention because they are performed by two memorable actors from John Waters’ original Dreamland players!  Edith Massey, the Egg Lady in PINK FLAMINGOS and Queen Carlotta in DESPERATE LIVING, helms the definitive cover of “Big Girls Don't Cry” which will make you almost forget about The Four Seasons. 

Then there is the romantically demented “Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun" by the incomparable Mink Stole.  It’s easy to imagine Connie Marble, her vividly red-haired character in PINK FLAMINGOS, holding a lover hostage and pointing a gun at his arms for an embrace and his lips for a declaration of love.  This mellow, crazy song could easily be a plot for a John Waters film! 

In conclusion…
Was this terrific CD just waiting in The Archive for me to visit New England and for Dave to pull it out of a box and show it to me?  I like to think so, so I guess I must believe in fate.  As for this compilation, it is full of surprises and obscure gems.  I enjoyed every single song and have listened to it multiple times.  So, if you’re a  Waters fan or if you crave a different kind of love, buy yourself some stale chocolates, pour a glass of toilet bowl wine and enjoy A DATE WITH JOHN WATERS! 

SIDE NOTE: I purchased one movie from The Archive, and it costars an Andy Milligan actor but is not an Andy Milligan film.  However, that’s a post for another time. 

Freak Out, 
JLH

P.S.  there are plenty more tales from my New England Adventure, so stay tuned…
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My queer words are available from an Amazon near you! 📚

The Emptiness (a short story, of sorts)

Feeling as cold as the dark, icy landscape, the bundled figure trudges alone.  How long has it been since the last encounter with another?  Too long ago and for too brief of time.  Death in this frigid atmosphere is inevitable. 

The ending began with a dimming of their star.  Theories turned to conversations.  Conversations turned to disagreements.  Disagreements turned to arguments.  Arguments turned to war.  War over their perceived differences illuminated by the dimming. 

The bundled figure comes to a halt amidst the frozen desolation with final, futile understanding.  All of the warfare is what collapsed their civilization.  Their dying star only decimated the remnants of their planet, which now drifts lifelessly through the immeasurable void.
____________
2024, John L. Harmon 

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SIDE NOTE: 
In a moment of freaky fate or creative coincidence, I stumbled upon a piece of new music, right after I finished writing the above short story, and I feel it would make the perfect soundtrack. 

Click the pic ⤵️ to listen to “Emptiness in Static” from the minds of Blue Sun Chasing x Armageddon Speaking…

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Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Oh, and Happy New Year or something. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  click the pic ⤵️ for a different story about a different planet…

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Something to read in 2024… 
📗
https://mybook.to/Sturgeons 

freakboy muses music: BRICKLAYER BOSH - “CURSEBREAKER”

It’s been a long couple of years, so the dropping of new music from BRICKLAYER BOSH was like a reward for surviving the madness and chaos.  Their first two albums reverberate with a fun vibe, like The B-52’s churned and filtered through a goth-punk-rockabilly spirit box.  So, I was in for a dose of intense, and oh so sweet, shock treatment when I listened to CURSEBREAKER! ⚡️ 

Deeper music!

Darker lyrics!

Angrier attitude! 

And damn, I loved it! 

BRICKLAYER BOSH takes the listener on a tumultuous transmission trip through flipping off the haters to ditching the jerks you’ve wasted too much of your life on.  The electric energy and bulldozing beats in CURSEBREAKER culminate into the hard-won power of finding your voice, but learning that it’s your choice to either fly with your inner music or fall into a deadly pit of silence.  A lesson we all need reminding of from time to time. 

In conclusion, if you crave a jolt in the new year, plug your mindscape into the magnetic pull of CURSEBREAKER from the rock-sharp core of BRICKLAYER BOSH! 😎

Find CURSEBREAKER on…

Check out this awesome 2021 interview with BRICKLAYER BOSH… ⤵️

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words! 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

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My blog serial will return soon, so stay tuned and click the pic to catch up…

freakboy muses music: NOWHERE (music from the gregg araki movie)

"LA. is like..nowhere.  Everybody who lives here is lost." - Dark 

I was living in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 1990's when my boyfriend (at the time) and I were driving around.  The radio station we were listening to announced they were giving away free CD's in their parking lot.  This was before Spotify, so we were soon part of a crowd digging through a pile of plastic cases.  There was some sort of contest about a ticket hidden in one of the CD's, but I remember not really caring about the prize.  I was more interested in the music, especially when I  picked up a soundtrack to a film called NOWHERE.

I became obsessed with this compact disc.  What kind of film was NOWHERE?  How did the songs on the soundtrack fit into the film?  How had I not seen nor heard of this film?  I was even more intrigued because I recognized some of the actors in the photos, but this was either before Internet Movie Database or before I heard of the site.  So, I searched all over Omaha for the film, but NOWHERE was, like...nowhere. 

I just kept listening and obsessing over the free CD I stumbled upon.  I was introduced to some great music, which painted many hypotheticals of NOWHERE.  A few songs quickly became favorites.  Life Is Sweet (daft punk remix) by The Chemical Brothers is a repetitive techno-beat that I wished my fave dance club would've  played.   Nowhere by Curve is a sexy, sultry ode to destruction ("An end must come to all this fun").  I Have The Moon by Lush may go down in history as my favorite love song because it's romantic, sad and wonderfully tragic ("You're  bound to die under the sun").  Trash by The London Suede is a joyous celebration of living on the fringes of society, which I related to then and now ("We're the litter on the breeze").  Plus, 311, Hole, Chuck D and Marilyn Manson provide some edge to NOWHERE.

In a plot twist of fate, a cousin in Grand Island, Nebraska randomly rented NOWHERE and she knew I needed to see this crazy film she discovered.  It was like the clouds parted and a beam of light shined down upon me.  I finally found out what NOWHERE was about and the music & photos at last made sense, well, sort of.   I eventually located NOWHERE in an Omaha video store.  There was a DVD available but I didn't own a DVD player, so I purchased the VHS.  Flash forward 20 years or so, and I finally found a DVD on eBay.  (More about that happy moment here...http://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/12/freakboy-on-film-nowhere-1997.html) 

In conclusion, I enjoy the soundtrack to NOWHERE so much that I purchased a used CD after my free radio station copy was stolen during the infamous 2004 Memorial Day Break-In of my Omaha apartment.  For those without a gadget that plays CD's, I've noticed a NOWHERE playlist or two on Spotify and they may include a more complete soundtrack than the disc.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" - Dark 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. A different post about a different Omaha soundtrack...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/02/freakboy-muses-music-joanna-original.html 

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In case you want to give the gift of words this holiday season...

viewAuthor.at/JohnLHarmon

freakboy muses music: DAPHNE (Single) - BLUE SUN CHASING

Blue Sun Chasing is a mixture of electronic and natural audio guiding you through a sensory of soundscapes.  These soundscapes are intimate, thought-provoking and sometimes eerily hypnotic explorations beneath the mindskin.  As with most music, especially of a more instrumental variety, the listener gets out what the listener brings in.

Daphne is a 2-track single with a theme that touches us all, sooner or later. 

(Death) is a Racket explores the high cost of dying in the U.S. with a drifting, contemplative sound.  I agree with the frustrating sentiment in this track, but I continue to ponder one thing.  Does the birdsong represent a departing soul or is it a sign that life goes on for those left behind? 

Casual Conversation delves into the fear of death with a sound that reflects, refracts and reverberates the terror of the unknown.  I will admit that I can't hear every word spoken in this track.  However, what I can make out, along with the ominous sound, leads me to chilling thoughts.  Perhaps not hearing all that is said symbolizes and enhances the unknown we all face.

You can find DAPHNE  by Blue Sun Chasing on...

Spotify 

iTunes 

Amazon 

For more soundscapes from Blue Sun Chasing...

Sound Cloud 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  A different post about a different single...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2016/03/only-happy-when-its-1995.html 

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The Collective Eye for September is open with books, blogs, music & more...

👁

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-collective-eye-september-2020.html 

freakboy on film: FOOTLOOSE (1984)

                               (written by Dean Pitchford / directed by Herbert Ross)

As a 1980's kid, who watched plenty of teen flicks, how did I miss FOOTLOOSE? 

Was I too busy playing with my Kenner STAR WARS action figures?  Did some of the R-rated movies I  probably should not have seen make FOOTLOOSE look juvenile?  Was I against really bad dancing?  The answer to this rad filmic mystery is simple.  The idea of a bunch of late-teens not being allowed to dance seemed, like, totally lame to my 10-year-old brain.  So, the years rolled on and I missed FOOTLOOSE on VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and even streaming. 

Now, 36 years later, I decided to cross FOOTLOOSE off my list of unseen 80's films.  Thanks to COVID-19 shutting down Hollywood, I was able to experience this tale of teen rebellion on the big screen for only $2.

The plot is right out of a song.  A rebellious big city boy moves to an oppressive farming community.  He meets a small town girl with a death wish, who is also the preacher's daughter.  This boy and girl fall in love and just want to go to prom. The problem is that this small town banned dancing when a drunken car crash, after a dance, killed a bunch of teens.  Will the boy and girl fight against school bullies and Bible-thumping adults for their right to party-hardy?  Will the preacher stop being such a buzzkill?  Will somebody call an ambulance out of fear that the big city boy's dancing is actually an undiagnosed medical condition? 

Seriously, how the hell did Kevin Bacon become famous?  His acting is a standard teen flick performance.  (Did he learn nothing about the thespian art from FRIDAY THE 13TH?)  His dancing is embarrassing.  (Was it improvised on the spot?)  His smile is consistently a lecherous leer.  (He obviously wants to do the Horizontal Bop.)  Plus, his character's name is Ren, as if the audience needs more of a reason to hate him.  

Lori Singer, as the preacher's daughter, is forgettable.  I can't even recall the character's name.  Christopher Penn, as Willard, Ren's new small town friend, is stupidly likable and made me think of Joshua Jackson in DAWSON'S CREEK.  Sarah Jessica Parker, as Rusty, the preacher's daughter's best friend, livens up any scene.  John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest, as the fire & brimstone preacher and his quietly powerful wife, give this film credibility that it doesn't deserve. 

Strangely, I may have missed the film back in the day, but I owned a cassette tape of the FOOTLOOSE soundtrack.  So, sitting in the theater in 2020, I was eagerly waiting to see how certain songs would be used in the film.  A few musical interludes surprised, confused and impressed me.

"Footloose" by Kenny Loggins 

I give props to any film confident enough to open with the title song over a montage of dancing footwear.  I wonder how many people left the theater early back in 1984 because they got what they wanted from the beginning credits. 

"Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler 

I was experiencing such fits of hysterics watching a game of chicken played with tractors that I'm surprised someone didn't accuse me of dancing like Kevin Bacon.  I seriously can't decide if this scene is the dumbest thing ever filmed or if it is satirical brilliance because holding out for a tractor chicken hero is ridiculous to the extreme.

"Let's Hear it for the Boy" by Deniece Williams 

I legitimately enjoyed the use of this crazy-catchy song.  Willard confesses that he can't dance, so Ren teaches him how to dance, or whatever Kevin Bacon is doing.  This joyous scene surprised and impressed me from start to finish.  Showing two men dancing together in a 1984 film, without obvious, hateful  jokes, is the cinematic equivalent of giving the finger to that generally repressive, homophobic decade.  

While Ren and Willard are just friends, my mind envisioned a modern day remake.  A rebellious big city boy moves to an oppressive farming community.  He meets a big sack of duh boy who can't dance because the town has banned dancing.  Will the rebel teach the big sack of duh how to dance while fighting school bullies, Bible-thumpers and their growing attraction to one another?  The answer is yes and they embrace their feelings through a kiss and a dance  at the underground prom, while a cover of "Let's Hear it for the Boy" by Beyoncé plays on!  Somehow I suspect this is not the plot to the 2011 remake, but it should be. 

In conclusion, I believe my 10-year-old self would have been bored by FOOTLOOSE because, with a few exceptions, my adult-self was bored during it.  However, I'm glad I can cross this off my unseen 80's films list.  Hopefully COVID-19 keeps the classics coming to a theater near me.  Maybe I'll finally see FLASHDANCE! 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  A different film about dancing...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/06/freakboy-on-film-hairspray-2007-third.html 

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The Collective Eye for July is open with music & blogs...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-collective-eye-july-2020.html 

freakboy muses music: JOANNA (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

A freakboy confession... 

I'm obsessed with soundtracks.  Consider the fact my desert island disc isn't from Julie Brown, The B-52's, Garbage, The Anchoress or even Perry Como.  I would want the soundtrack to BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS to keep me company while stranded in the middle of the ocean.

I'm so obsessed that I own soundtracks to films I've never seen.  For a time, JOANNA was one of them, but I finally saw the 1968 film years ago and it was an enjoyable, trippy romp, but it was the music that truly captured my soul.  Maybe it's because I experienced the soundtrack before the film. 

The only reason I ever heard of this obscure cinematic gem is because it shares a director (Michael Sarne) with the infamous MYRA BRECKINRIDGE.  This knowledge was learned back in my younger, Omaha days and I searched high and low for a VHS or DVD copy of JOANNA.  I didn't find the film, but I unearthed the soundtrack on vinyl.  It was love at first listen. 

I spent many a night alone just losing myself in the words and music of Rod McKuen.  Instrumental music ranging from blistering optimistic joy to hauntingly bittersweet melancholy filled my ears, but it wasn't lonely.  I had Rod McKuen's words to keep me company.  He provided the vocal to one of my favorite songs from the album.

I'll Catch the Sun is an achingly beautiful song about finding anyone who understands.  It's a simple song expressing complex emotions and the lyrics are rather daring for 1968.  Rod McKuen uses the pronoun he when describing that anyone.  I initially obsessed over this subtle, singular moment for days, if not weeks.

Another song I really enjoy, even though it goes against the cynical, pessimistic persona I try to display, is Ain't You Glad You're Living Joe.  Director Michael Sarne provided the vocals and he manages to evoke the creamy, dreamy last days of summer.  

There is also Hello Heartaches, vocals provided by Barbara Kay.  Her sultry voice, along with the mellow music, sends us to a smokey, underground cabaret, populated by lost, lonely souls. 

My younger, Omaha days are far behind me and so is my record player.  I had not listened to JOANNA for many years and I really wanted to experience the soundtrack again.  I couldn't find it streaming anywhere, so I turned to Amazon.  I discovered that a CD of the soundtrack to the 1968 British film had been released in Japan, which, despite the absurdity, didn't surprise me.  After sorting past the heart-stopping expensive copies, I found one for around $10, shipping from Japan.  I placed my order and figured I would be waiting for a whole month as JOANNA made her way across the ocean.

Shockingly, the CD arrived in approximately two and a half weeks and it was in like-new condition.  Even more shockingly, I didn't pop in the disc right away.  I waited until evening, when the world had fallen into silence.  Then I slipped on my purple enhanced headphones and was transported back to my old Omaha apartment.

Miss Kitty traveled with me through time, which was perfection.  One of the songs I sing to her, yes I sing to my cats, is a slight variation of the title song to JOANNA. 

🎵Miss Kitty, Miss Kitty 

You sure look cute to me 

Miss Kitty, Miss Kitty 

A sweet sight for these tired eyes to see 

You fill my heart with hope 

Your tail's like Cinemascope 

And uh-oh, Miss Kitty 

You're the top banana to me🎵

In conclusion, I may have shared too much.  Also, the JOANNA CD was amazing because it was a far more complete soundtrack than the vinyl album.  Seriously, I think the CD was over an hour long! 

Better watch out, BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, there may be a new desert island disc in town!  ;) 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. I will be blogging about MYRA BRECKINRIDGE later this month for The Second So Bad It's Good Blogathon, hosted by Taking Up Room.

https://takinguproom.wordpress.com/2020/01/21/the-second-so-bad-its-good-blogathon-is-one-month-away/

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The Collective Eye for February is open!

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-collective-eye-february-2020.html