Tripping Out With Matchstick Men - Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Quinoa"

This episode of Hippie Love Turbo, on KUCR 88.3 FM, leaned heavily on psych music, in particular stuff from across the pond. If you happened to miss this episode you can listen to it on the KUCR Archive. It'll be up for a couple weeks before it gets replaced by newer shows. Listen while you can!

We kicked off this episode with a popular psych song by Status Quo named "Pictures of Matchstick Men" and according to Francis Rossi, the band's singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter, Status Quo wasn't much of a psychedelic band before the song's release and he considered the group more akin to his mod contemporaries. In his 2004 book XS All Areas: The Status Quo Autobiography Rossi states:

Musically, the success of Matchstick Men sent us on a whole new path. Because it was looked on as this very sort of psychedelic, hippy-dippy type of song, we were now looked on by the people who had bought it as a full-on psychedelic group, which of course we weren't at all. I didn't even know how to spell 'psychedelic' back then.

Additionally, Rossi explains how he began writing the song while locked in his bathroom, where he often hid from his first wife during their tumultuous marriage. In an interview with Carl Wiser for SongFacts, Rossi cites Jimi Hendrix's version of "Hey Joe" as inspiration for the song's structure and states that the song is about his ex-wife and how he regretted marrying her early into their relationship. I have found countless articles mentioning that the song was written about L. S. Lowry's paintings but I haven't been able to locate any particular interview where Rossi makes such a claim. It seems that the song's ties to Lowry come from the fact that his works were often described as having "matchstalk" or "matchstick" men due to the unusually stiff subjects in Lowry's paintings. 

During the show, I mentioned that I read someone's interpretation of the song which argued that it's about a man that's haunted by Lowry's unusual paintings. However, there isn't much merit behind such a claim, being that the imagery Rossi alludes to doesn't match the descriptions of Lowry's paintings and that Rossi has clearly stated that the song is about his ex-wife. While Rossi might be referencing Lowry's "matchstick" men in the song, I would say it would be wrong to claim that the song is "about" Lowry's work. Of course, there is a sense of eeriness in Lowry's work and with Lowry himself, being that he was an unusual man with a mysterious aura, so it does make sense that someone would write a song inspired by his paintings or eccentricities.

As the show went on, you heard The Montanas' "Difference of Opinion" and I spoke about the band's industrial hometown of Wolverhampton, England which, like the settings of Lowry's paintings, was at one time known for being dingy. When Queen Victoria was 13, she had visited Wolverhampton and wrote in her diary that it was "a large and dirty town" with grass that was "blasted and black". As time passed, so did most of the industry, with large swaths of factories closing in the 20th and 21st century. 

As for The Montanas, they mostly had a sparkling clean sunshine pop-ish sound with their most popular song being "You've Got To Be Loved". The song was successful here in the states but didn't really catch on in the UK. At first, The Montanas played with a straight forward beat sound but as time went on, they began to add more strings, bounce, oohhs and awwws which led to the pop sound they are most famous for.

And that's about it for this episode's rundown! Thanks for reading the blog and be sure to listen over the air on KUCR 88.3FM on Saturdays at 9pm PST or listen to an archived version of the show here. You can also listen through KUCR.org, Radio Garden, or Tune-In. 

You can check out this week's playlist below:

 

Adam's Recital - There's No Place For Lonely People
Les Sparks - Souris
The Bad Seeds - A Taste of The Same
Village - Man In The Moon
The Mojo Men - The New Breed

Legoland California's Weathered 20th Anniversary

Although I was a die-hard Legomaniac in my youth, I must admit that Legoland California was never really a priority destination for me. By 1999 every 12 year old I knew was into video games, building bike jumps, and juvenile vandalism. Lego was for the kiddos and when Legoland California opened up I was less than a month away from becoming a pubescent teenage monster. 

Teenage Monster (Not Me Though.)

That being said, even at that age it wasn't hard to understand the appeal of Legoland. Just about everyone that's ever assembled a Lego set has daydreamed about shrinking down to play with their creations. The Legoland theme parks are the closest anyone can ever come to that dream with attractions such as: the Volvo Driving School, Skipper School, and Police and Fire Academy.

 

However, I'd say most people leave the park thinking that Legoland California seems to focus more on the spectacle of seeing sculptures made of Lego rather than blowing up the scale of their toys. When I mentioned to friends or coworkers that I'd be visiting the park with my nephew the most common critique I'd hear is that Legoland is boring because it's mainly just Lego sculptures. They'd tell me that the rides are only exciting for younger children and that the park in general is pleasant but for older kids it's not worth the drive or expense. That wasn't exactly the first time I had heard of Legoland's lackluster reputation but it is important to note that almost everyone agrees that younger guests always seem to have the most fun. Seems like a big “no duh” sort of situation. The toys are marketed towards younger kids and guess who likes the park the most?

Cactus Family.

But kids don't really seem to care about the sculptures. All day long I'd see children running straight towards the rides or gift shops, zooming past faded and drooping monuments. I'd be hard-pressed to say Lego themselves seem to care about many of the dioramas by looking at the condition they're in. A lot of the pieces were dirty and worn from years of exposure to the elements. Some have obviously been repainted and some seemed almost completely forgotten. At other times it felt like I had entered a time capsule. 

An Accurate Lego Version of Bartok.

Remember 1997's animated hit Anastasia? I spotted this perfect brick version of Bartok, the completely non-annoying bat character from the film, hidden behind some glass outside of the Lego Factory Tour. 

Aunt Hilda: The Canadian Lego Goddess.

Also sitting in the factory was a statue of Caroline Rhea from the much acclaimed talk show The Caroline Rhea Show. Don't forget she also played Sabrina's aunt Hilda for 7 seasons on the popular comedy show Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. According to the November 2004 edition of San Diego Magazine the statue was added in 2002 and is composed of more than 14,000 bricks! 

"Get To Da Lego Choppa!"

Sitting above Mrs. Rhea is what looks like the severed head of Icy Hot's own Shaquille O'Neal, a disobedient Santa, Jesus, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I later spotted the Governator again in the Block of Fame section of the park. 

The Governator.

Schwarzenegger was the governor of California from 2003 to 2011 so I'm betting this piece was added sometime around then. He finds himself in some strange company with Dali, Marilyn Monroe, and Abraham Lincoln.

Fisherman's Wharf Seals

One of the main diorama sections of the park is Miniland USA which features replicas of famous cities throughout the country. It's neat seeing city life represented in Lego bricks, especially if you've been to their real life counterparts. This section of the park is the most in disrepair. Many interactive sections were inoperable and some of the parts of Vegas were especially dirty and weather worn. Sort of like the real Vegas I guess. 

One Lonely Swimmer.

Murky Pool Water. Yup. Vegas.

The Bride And Groom Are Activated By A Switch

There is some decent Lego artwork sprinkled throughout the park but it was hard to ignore the dilapidated sculptures and general lack of care for some of the attractions. The park is celebrating its 20^th year of operation which should give Lego some motivation to repair or update the scenery. Much of the artwork, while not necessarily bad, just seems to follow trends that were popular 20 years ago. Sort of how animation styles from the 90s look dated now, Lego artists have evolved much more over the years and I think it's time to swap out a majority of the statues with something more contemporary. The existing works aren't intrinsically bad, just older.

Don't Mess With This Dude.

Ultimately I must say: don't let the name fool you; Legoland is definitely more like a small regional theme park than Disneyland. For a lot of people, that's not a bad thing at all. If you think your kids are small enough, you can get the tickets cheap enough, and you come prepared knowing what to expect, everyone will have at least a little fun. Also, be prepared to visit the gift shops often as they are practically half of the park but ultimately that's to be expected when you visit a theme park based on a toy series.

I Dig This Spooky Guy.