Monday, January 10, 2022

Cover Albums, Cool Theaters, and a Happy New Year! Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Muskmelon"

Hello internet people! Did you have a good New Years? In case you hadn't noticed, there's been a slight change to the website. There was a little break for the holidays and I used that time to draw up a new little logo and switch some colors around. It's nothing major but it's fun to mix things up every once in a while. The new year has me filled with excitement for what's to come so I've been racking my brain to come up with some new content for y'all. 

For example, I've been trying out some ideas for possible Twitch DJ streams in the future but so far, I haven't hammered out all the details. I've spent days goofing around with the awesome open-source broadcasting program OBS and I amazed by how powerful it is. You can really do some neat experimental stuff with it and, even if you aren't interested in doing any sort of streaming, it's still a ton of fun and worth checking out. It sort of reminds me of making videos back in AV or Video Production classes when you were still in school, except with less VHS tapes and more creative freedom. Anywho, let's get into what you heard on this week's episode!

On this episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM I spoke a little bit about a band named Black and Blues and how they're from Anderson, Indiana, a city that was formally known for their many Chrysler and General Motors plants. To many communities around the US, Anderson serves as an example of what other cities can do to survive the closure of major manufacturing hubs that leave behind vacant and outdated buildings while also taking away employment from most of the working class. Besides that, Anderson is also known for its university, many historical sites, thriving artistic community, and of course, The Paramount Theatre Center and Ballroom. The Paramount was one of many theaters designed by John Eberson, a prolific architect that was known for incorporating traditional design with highly operatic skylines featuring clouds projected on the ceilings via magic lanterns and stars created by high wattage lights. Eberson essentially created an architectural style of theaters which became known as atmospheric theaters. Although Eberson oversaw the construction of over a hundred theaters in the U.S. only around 50 are still open with even less still showing movies. The Paramount itself was almost demolished in the late eighties after it was left in disarray for around 4 years. Eventually a restoration project began after a local lawyer became interested in the theater after watching a television special hosted by Gene Kelly named The Movie Palaces. If you are interested in Eberson and atmospheric theaters in America I suggest you read David Naylor's American Picture Palaces : The Architecture of Fantasy

Have you ever been this customer?

Later in the show I played Sunny Cellophane Skies by the English rock band Status Quo and I mentioned how Teenage Fanclub's song The Concept opens with the lines: "She wears denim wherever she goes. Says she's gonna get some records by the status quo." I've always wondered if Teenage Fanclub was referencing the band or the general idea of a status quo and while I was researching the song I discovered that Death Cab for Cuties frontman, Benjamin Gibbard, had actually released an album that consisted entirely of covers of Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque. Covering an entire album may sound bizarre but it's actually a concept (hee hee) that I really dig and would like to see more of. The Flaming Lips had done something similar in 2013 with The Time Has Come to Shoot You Down... What a Sound which covers The Stone Roses self-titled album and in 2014 with an entire cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band titled With a Little Help from My Fwends. If you are into early '90s indie rock and you haven't checked out Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque you are really missing out on a classic. As I mentioned on the show, the album gives me feelings of nostalgia for a music scene which I never took part in. Be sure to at least check out their music video for The Concept which reminds me of the record store scenes in the '96 film Bandwagon which I talked about on the episode named Lychee. It's crazy seeing how independent record stores, to this day, still have similar aesthetics and I hope the trend continues for as long as possible (RIP The Mad Platter).

That's it for now! Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm or through KUCR.org! If you'd like, you can also listen to KUCR through Radio Garden or Tune-In.


No comments:

Post a Comment

150th Episode Special! - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo , on KUCR 88.3 FM, we looked back at some of my favorite songs from the last 150 episodes. Over the cours...