Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Watermelon"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, there were some Tennessee connections as you heard, Johnny Burnette (born in Memphis, TN), Hayden Thompson (moved to Memphis and cut some records at Sun Studios), and Carl Mann (born in Huntingdon, TN and signed to Sun Records). Something that really caught my attention during my research was Carl Mann's hometown of Huntingdon, TN. The small town has a preforming arts center named after Dixie Carter, an actress best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Woman. As critics look back at Designing Woman they recognize the progressive views embedded in the show, especially season 3's 2nd episode entitled: "The Candidate." During the episode Julia Sugarbaker debates a commissioner that embraces prayer in school and believes in removing homeless shelters to, "return the streets back to people that pay for them." 

At the episode's climax, Ms. Sugarbaker has a powerful monologue where she critiques the commissioner's talking points while her friends and colleagues watch on. What's particularly interesting about Ms. Sugarbaker's monologue is that it didn't necessarily align with Dixie Carter's own personal views being that Dixie Carter viewed herself as a Libertarian leaning conservative. Of course, we shouldn't expect actors to share all of the personal beliefs held by the fictional characters that they depict, but in today's political climate it almost seems refreshing that someone could separate their personal beliefs from the roles they portray. Then again, I doubt anyone believes Charlize Theron and Megyn Kelly share similar political views just because Theron played Kelly in 2019's Bombshell.

Speaking of movies, let's look at this episode's creepy film suggestion: Tombs of The Blind Dead! The film features a bunch of spooky scary skeletons that rise from the grave to attack the living because... that's just what zombie/revenants do. The Blind Dead are re-animated corpses of old Knights of The Templar and the film opens with a flashback to the Knight's torturing a woman for unknown reasons. I guess they've always been into the whole torture and cannibalism thing. The plot is fairly confusing or, for better words, lacking but that's not really what you'd watch this movie for. Movies like this are more about the atmosphere and eeriness. 

The Blind Dead are, well, blind so they search for their victims by listening to their heartbeats. When the Blind Dead catch their pray they typically strip them of their flesh and nibble them to death. It's very difficult to watch at times. Difficult to watch without laughing that is.

In fact, I could have sworn that, towards the end of the film, even one of the extras looked like she was holding back a smirk as she was attacked by one of the Blind Dead's silver oven mitts. I could over analyze the effects all day but in reality I think the film features enough entertaining spookiness to keep you watching for 90 minutes. However, I'm not sure if I could watch the other THREE films in the Blind Dead series but, then again, who am I kidding? I probably will.

 

This week's playlist can be found below:

 

 
Ida Rojani – Tertidur

Vampiri - Aveva Un Occhio Di Vetro

Zakary Thaks - Face To Face

Nazz - Lay Down And Die, Goodbye

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Mango"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played a bunch of cover songs so I thought it'd be neat to post the originals or the versions that most people are familiar with. Bands and artists still cover other artists' works, but it's rare that the songs that modern artists cover are contemporaneous. What I mean by that is, there are a ton of cover versions of songs from the 60s that came out the same exact year as the originals. I don't see that happen very often anymore and when I racked my brain thinking of more modern examples the only one that came to mind is Tame Impala's New Person, Same Old Mistakes and Rihanna's version which uses the same backing track. Both tracks came out less than a year apart.

Of course, back in the day artists didn't really share the same backing track but instead they typically recorded their own version. For example, I played The Electric Prunes' version of Ain't It Hard but the original by Gypsy Trips came out just a year before and supposedly both bands recorded in Skyhill Studios. Listening to both songs, however, you can tell The Electric Prunes put their own spin on the song. Another example that I played was Cosmo and The Carnations' version of I'm A Little Mixed Up which came out the same year as the superior original by Betty James. During the show you also heard Les Belges preform a French language version of The Hollies Have You Ever Loved Somebody? and both versions came out in 1967. Finally, I played Dick Rivers' C'est Ma Vie which is a cover of It's My Life which was made famous by The Animals. Not only did those two songs come out in 1965 but they were both released only a couple months apart! Wild stuff.

And now, let's get into this week's trash film recommendation: The Driller Killer! It's a slasher film where the killer's weapon of choice is a corded drill. The movie really leans into the absurdity his weapon as the killer powers it by wearing a giant and cumbersome battery belt that he discovers through a commercial on late night TV. 

However, unlike most slasher films the main protagonist is the killer. You follow the disturbed young man, Reno, as he delves deeper into his psyche and begins a killing spree fueled by his stressful home life and fears of becoming a derelict like his estranged father. While much has been said about the film's gore and violence, what I think makes this film stand out is the setting. You get a feel for that late 70s New York hustle and street life. Everyone in the film is skeezy, drugged out, or gritty in some way or another. As much as the film is about the killer Reno, it's also really about artists and musicians living on life's fringes. My favorite thing about the movie is the film's resident No Wave/Punk band Tony Coca Cola and the Roosters. They constantly play music and flirt with success as Reno struggles to make rent by selling his oversized paintings. You really get a feel for Reno's frustration with having to deal with a bunch of loud neighbors that no one else seems to mind.

The Driller Killer would be worth a watch even if there was no serial murder due to the amazing setting that serves as a snapshot to a time that's often forgotten. Then again, maybe I've been warping my brain by watching too many of these movies. Yikes!

 

Anywho, this week's playlist can be found below:

 

 
Karkey At The New Hammond - Work Song

Dick Rivers - C'est Ma Vie

The Images - Louie Go Home

Nazz - Lay Down And Die, Goodbye

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Kiwi"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played the song Do What They Don't Say by The Jynx and I mentioned that the Mugwumps preformed their own version of the song on their self-titled album from 1967. The Mugwumps featured members Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty that later went on to form a couple influential 60s bands that you've most likely have heard of: The Mamas and The Papas and The Lovin' Spoonful. In my opinion, the Jynx's version is superior because I'm not a fan of the horns on the Mugwumps version. The whole song sounds too Herb Albert-ish for my liking. 

Another song that I played during the first set was The Purple Gang's One Of The Bunch. Something I found funny about The Purple Gang is that they admitted that they didn't play a lot of gigs at clubs but instead mostly played during the grand openings of supermarkets and gas stations. I wish that sort of thing was more common today. Imagine pushing a shopping cart or sipping on a Slush Puppy while some hairy looking creeps play an out of tune version of Them's Gloria. Oh, be still my heart. Check out this old archived interview if you'd like to read more about Los Angeles' The Purple Gang.

Of course, we can't forget this weeks freaky film: Nightmare City. It's not a zombie film, technically, but its hard to classify it as anything else. The film is about a bunch of radiated goons that travel around drinking blood in order to survive. Unlike zombies, these ghouls have some sort of intelligence and can wield knives, guns, as well as, drive vehicles and pilot planes. According to the director, Nightmare City is supposed to be viewed as some sort of anti-war/anti-nuclear film but in reality it seems just like your normal run of the mill gorefest. I thoroughly enjoy how the monsters look like melted candy bars with that deer in the headlight sort of look that you'll see on old drivers licenses. 

 

I wouldn't recommend the film if you are one to take zombie films seriously because the plot is thinner than my hairline and features some of the worst special effects I've ever seen. However, the movie's charm comes from how much is strives to be better than it actually is. Nightmare City wants Rambo style action and Dawn of The Dead style effects but is working with a legal pad script and a TV movie budget. It's a fun "laugh with your friends" type of movie.

Below you'll find the songs that I played on this week's show:

 

 
The Jynx - Do What They Don't Say

The Purple Gang - One Of The Bunch

Brain Train - Me

4th Street Exit - Strange One

Enfields - I'm For Things You Do

The Lamp Of Childhood - First Time, Last Time

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Apple"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I spoke a little bit about Mona Lisa and how the famous painting wasn't very famous until it was stolen! For some reason, multiple people have attempted to vandalize the Mona Lisa over the years with varying degrees of success. I guess art can really drum up some weird emotions in people. 

Later on in the show you heard the song Locked Out by Junior Shank and The Jesters, and I mentioned that it sounded an awful lot like an Everly Brothers knockoff, specifically the song Wake Up Little Susie. Well, whenever Wake Up Little Susie gets mentioned I think about the time George W. Bush, then just a candidate, went on Oprah's show and told her his favorite song was: "Wake Up Little Susie. [by] Buddy Holly." Eh, close enough.

 

 

And, of course, we can't forget the strange and freaky movie of the week: Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters! As you'd expect from the title, the movie is filled with creepy monsters from Japanese folklore. While I am definitely no expert in Japanese folktales, I did recognize the strange parasol/umbrella creatures that are known as: "Kasa-obake." They seem like lovely creatures that fall into a sort of jokester archetype. Another monster that really stands out in the film is known as "Rokurokubi." It's apparently some sort of apparition that takes on the form of a woman with a very long neck. Think of a person with a giraffe's neck except it's more wobbly. Yikes.

 

Anywho, you'll find the songs that were played during the show below:

 

 
Doris Ang and The Sandboys - Bon Voyage (一路順風)

The Girls - Rocket For Girls

Chain-Gang - Little Black Book

The Illusions - I Know

The Shaynes - From My Window

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Peach"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers' song He'll Learn About It and I mentioned that they were best known for their cover of the classic teenage death song Last Kiss. Although many people have covered the song over the years I believe that the best version of the song is by the originator himself, Wayne Cochran.

Wayne and His Towering Pompadour

Speaking about death and car crashes, this weeks kooky film recommendation is 1975's Death Race 2000. Picture this: 20 years ago America fell on some hard times, in fact, the whole world has. Corrupt politicians jump on the whole civil unrest thing and discover that they can pacify the populace by holding a vicious transcontinental race featuring vehicular murder. While the film is obviously humorous and satirical, one could argue that in some ways the film foreshadowed the "Reality TV" boom of the early 2000s. Now, I don't want to get too egg headed and scholarly, but I think understanding what was going on in America around this time provides some context for all of the film's wild symbolism and buffoonery. Death Race 2000 is a sort of mishmash of Wacky Racers, the Watergate scandal, the 1973 oil crisis, 1970s Nascar and it's rampant cheating, professional wrestling, and the prevalence of violence found in the local news. The film is off the wall but that's sort of how I prefer my dystopian fiction. In other words, I dig it.

Death Race 2000's point system

During the show I mentioned the popular 90s PC game Carmageddon but there was also an arcade game named Death Race that was developed by Exidy and released just a year after Death Race 2000 hit theaters. Both games, as expected, generated a bunch of controversy as parents were horrified by the depictions of pixelated humanoid murder.

Check out the songs that were featured on this week's episode below:

Namelosers - Land of 1000 Dances

The Outlaws - Hold Up

J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers - He'll Learn About It

Satan's Breed - Laugh Myself To The Grave

Chrichan and The Gamblers - Answer Me My Love

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Guava"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I spoke a little bit about Emy Jackson, a pop singer that had a few hits in Japan including: Crying In A Storm. She started her career as a DJ for Radio Kanto, which was a station known for it's vast western library, before she eventually got signed to Columbia Records. You can find some more info about her on the super cool and informative website Garage Hangover or on her official website.

Pictures from Emy's official site

I played Les Missiles' cover of John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom but maybe you're like me and you know the song from hearing The Animals' version. Over the years there's been a few tapes/CDs that my pops plays in the car (always on repeat!) and about 10 years ago you'd know he was coming around the corner when you heard this song in particular. Nowadays, if I hear certain songs, without the warble and hiss of an old tape, my mind struggles for a half-second before I can peacefully listen to the song. "THiS iS tHe EeEnDd. mY OnLy FreIyend. tHE ennD."

My dad's Holy Tape Trinity. Pictures from Discogs

How about his week's mind-melting/brain-beater movie suggestion? On this week's show I spoke about the 1984 post-apocalyptic film, Night of The Comet. There is one scene in particular that I focused on where the two lead characters enter a radio station searching for a DJ which they think has survived the comet's death blast. Unfortunately for our two heroines, they soon find out that the show has been automated the whole time. In today's radio world I'd say most radio stations are run on pre-recorded shows but back in '84 it seems like it was a bit harder to play an automated set. Now we can easily run 24 hours of content from even the most minimal of computer setups but running from reels must have been a pain. I would love to get a hold of some old radio station reels but I bet most were reused until they were eventually tossed in the trash. Something I'd like to note about the radio station is how fancy it looks. I've been to a bunch of radio stations over the years but I've never seen one that looks better than a dimly lit office. The station in the movie almost looks like a dance club. Nice.

I wonder what record she's holding

 

 

Anywho, here are the songs that were featured on this week's episode:

Sanisah Huri and The Terwellows - Alam Seni

Les Missiles - Boum! Boum!

The Outcasts - Smokestack Lightning

Rung Petchburi - Pai Joi

Emy Jackson and The Blue Comets - Namida No Go Go

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Strawberry"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I talked about the band Devil's Kitchen and Family Dog On The Great Highway, which was a neat venue that the band regularly preformed at. A ton of shows were hosted at the venue, many of which featured all the big names in the San Fransisco psychedelic scene. One particular performance of importance was an acoustic set by the Grateful Dead which Rhino Records released on a limited edition vinyl set. The set features cleaned up and remastered audio taken from a tape found in Jerry Garcia's personal collection. You can read some history about the location of the venue here.

Bo Diddley's song Diddy Wah Diddy has been covered by a slew of artists over the years but on this week's episode you heard a version by The Remains. However, the most popular version is probably by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band; a band that's best known for its bizarre mix of rock, avant-garde jazz, and the blues. Captain Beefheart's Diddy Wah Diddy is fairly straight forward and found some success upon release, so much so that the band found themselves promoting the single on Dick Clark's music variety show Where The Action Is. Check out how the band's television performances evolved from lip-syncing in the California sun (1966) to their explosive live set on The Beat Club in Germany, (1972.)

A young but blurry Captain Beefheart!

After playing Ronnie and The Daytonas' song GTO you heard me mention that some GTOs came with an optional tachometer that sat on the hood. Hood mounted tachs became a popular aftermarket accessory that muscle car owners still use to this day. The way they look reminds me of some sort of mid century modern table clock.

What could you mount on the hood of a Tesla?

Well folks, this post is getting a little long winded so lets run through the rest of the stuff I blabbed on about! During the show you heard me quickly mention the dark history of Joe Meek, the Jolly Green Giant statue that towers over 55 feet in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and this weeks movie suggestion Horror Express. Because I played a cover of Sixteen Tons I also mentioned Merle Travis and how his guitar styling influenced Chet Atkins.

The songs featured during this episode are below:

Devil’s Kitchen - (You’ve Got Your) Head on Right

The Buddhas - Lost Innocence

London Fog - Maudie

Sonomatics - Sixteen Tons

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Fig"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played a little ditty by
The Poets that was used during a real silly party scene in the movie: Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster.

Hey, space lady! Do you like rock n roll music?

During one of the breaks I got a little agricultural and mentioned the clumsy but lovable Fig Beetle, also known as Figeaters, and I speculated that Lebanese band The Cedars, were most likely named after the beautifully fragrant cedar of Lebanon.

This week's movie choice was: A Penguin's Memories, which is a unusually endearing movie about a penguin that tries to readjust to life after fighting in the "Delta War" (an analogue of the Vietnam War.) It's bizarre seeing cute animals tackle such dark topics, but what adds to this strangeness is knowing that the main penguin characters originated from Japanese beer commercials for the brand Suntory Beer. Read more about this film here.

The songs featured during this episode are below:

The Cedars - I Don't Know Why

The Strangers - Fever

The Crystal Rain - Hey Ma Ma

Bandolero - Together

The Painted Ship ‎– Frustration

The Baroques - Mary Jane

Shoremen - She's Bad

Namelosers - Susie Q

The Ghost Squad - Sitting In The Park

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Avocado"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played a song by The Troyes and I mentioned that they were from Battle Creek Michigan and that the bassist Jason Newsted was from Battle Creek as well. Are there some sort of rock and roll amoebas floating around in Battle Creeks drinking water? Who knows?
Unfortunately, I made a mistake in this episode and I said that I played: It's Monster Surfing Time from the album of the same name but, in fact, I played There's A Creature In The Surfer's Lagoon. Doh!

Man, does that album have a neat cover!

During this episode I played the song Batman and Robin Swing from the 1966 album Batman And Robin and I talked about how Sun Ra was involved in its production. You can read more about it on WFMU's Blog.
Hopefully, you are still in the reading mood, because you may have heard me play a song by the band Les Albatros and I speculated that their name was probably based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which is a quick and spooky read that I really dig.
And of course we can't forget this weeks sleazy film recommendation: Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion.

The songs featured during this episode are below:

The Boston Boppers - Whirlwind Girl

The Good Vibrations - Call Me Lightning (The Who cover)

The Bittersweets - Hurtin Kind

The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale - Batman and Robin Swing

Cliff Honiker - Come On, Satan

Los Monstruos - Tenemos Que Irnos de Aquí

Antique ‎– Chaucha

Les Albatros - Flash

The Vejtables - I Still Love You (Unissued Alternate Version)

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Grapes"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I talked about the short lived record label Prophonics Studios and how many of their releases have been bootlegged over the years. If you tuned in you also heard a song by The Sandals and I discussed the documentary which heavily features their music: The Endless Summer. But that wasn't the only movie I blabbed on about! As per usual, I also mentioned my weekly horror/sleaze film, and compared to many of the other films I've talked about before, this one is a masterpiece. 

 

 

Of course I'm talking about the surreal and haunting: Carnival of Souls. And because a lot of people are out there baking and trying out new stuff, I made a passing reference to Ice Cream Bread. Sweet! (Actually, I've heard it doesn't taste sweet at all).

The songs featured during this episode are below:

Phil and The Frantics - I Must Run

The Four Shakers - Natacha

The 7th Court - One Eyed Witch (I actually played the song on the other side of this release titled: Shake, but I couldn't find any links to it. Sorry!)

The One Way Street - Joy and Sorrow

The Outsiders - I'll Give You Time (To Think It Over)

Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show - Code Word "Cabbage"

On this week's Hippie Love Turbo Radio Show, on KUCR 88.3 FM, I played a bunch of obscure stuff and it was definitely a ton of fun. I talked about one song in particular, by The Lemon Drops, which was actually a first/alternative take for the song I Live In The Springtime. This version of the song is on a special edition CD put out by Cicadelic Records. 

Briefly, I mentioned Hanna Barbera's lesser known cartoon Squiddly Diddly and we heard a song from his novelty surf record Surf Busters. Hanna Barbera put out a bunch of novelty records around this time featuring artists known as The Hanna Barbera Singers. Speaking of lesser known Hanna Barbera cartoons, does anyone remember the lovable, sputtering Speed Buggy?

The songs featured during this episode are below:

David Clayton Thomas and The Shays - Brainwashed

The Lemon Drops - I Live In The Springtime

The Chessmen - Wild Thing

The Front Line - Need You No More

The Cupons - Turn Her Down

The Holidays - Deacon Brown V.S. The Devil

Squiddly Diddly - Surf Busters

The Cherry Slush - I Cannot Stop You

Davie and The Arrows - Moonfire

The Esquires - Come On, Come On

France Gall - Nefertiti

The Youngbloods - Four In The Morning

The Zakary Thaks - Can't You Hear Your Daddy's Footsteps

Richard Anthony - La Rue Des Cœurs Perdus

Nun-Plus - Walk About The Craters Of The Moon