This edition of Turn Me On, Dead Man focuses on social distancing, our new reality in this era of COVID-19. All of the tracks in this podcast were released from mid-March through early April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the tracks address the isolation that has come about because of the stay-at-home orders issued by the government. The artists are from a variety of countries but most are under some sort of lockdown and facing a prolonged period of limited social engagement. Some of the artists are donating the proceeds from the sale of their music to charity. Some of the artists are using this time to explore their creativity, producing extended improvisational works. Given how quickly the COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, it’s impressive how much creative work is out there already. I asked the artists where they were and what sorts of restrictions had been placed on them.
The music in this edition of the Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast doesn’t reflect the current state of our world. These are not songs about pandemics, quarantines or the end of the world. As a matter of fact, most of The Corona 714 is upbeat garage rock, some power pop, and of course, a psychedelic freak-out here and there. Perhaps this is because even though these are all recent releases, the corona virus has changed the world so rapidly. I wonder if “social distancing” will become the new normal, and if we’ll ever go back to interacting with each other the way we did in the world before COVID-19.
The drops in this edition of Turn Me On, Dead Man come from The Conet Project. My obsession with following the number of coronavirus cases, and continually checking to see if we have “flattened the curve” put me in mind of the odd numeric messages captured by The Conet Project.
00:00 TMODM – Ready Ready 02:19 Dogpile – Peripheral 06:01 Gavin Watts – Apple Scruffs (George Harrison) 09:11 The Hearses – Carrier Pigeons 12:11 The Psychedelic Suns – Hide From The Sun 16:43 TMODM – Crossing The Cosmic Void 17:55 Yellow Sunshine Explosion – Air 22:28 Black Heart Death Cult – Sonic Dhoom 26:35 Concrete City – Strange Bodies 30:17 “the band whose name is a symbol” – From Dusseldorf to Cologne 36:51 New Blue – “Now I Know” 38:42 Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin – Rider In The Desert Sun (Parts I & II) 45:02 TMODM – Trip Around The World 46:17 The Artakees – Rush 49:57 Kikagaku Moyo-幾何学模様 – Gypsy Davey 53:33 Jambattista – Walker 56:16 The Flower Machine – Through a London Window 58:57 TMODM – Counting Out
This episode of Turn Me On, Dead Man focuses on recent extended psychedelic tracks, heavy on improvisation. I asked the bands about their creative process, so check out their answers below. The drops in this episode come from Terrence Malick’s 1998 film Thin Red Line.
00:00 TMODM – The Other Side of the Dark Waters 00:33 Dark Fog – Black Candle/Eldnac Kcalb 10:00 Melt Plastic Group – Return Of The Turkey (Edit) 14:10 TMODM – This Great Evil 15:46 Dire Wolves – Deep Sunrise Energy 23:54 Elkhorn – Electric One (Part C) 29:28 TMODM – Each Like a Coal Drawn From the Fire 31:05 The Spacelords – Spaceflowers 44:30 Kanaan – Urgent Excursions To The Tundrasphere 58:42 TMODM – All Things Shining
Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast 2020.03 Somebody’s Controlling The Vibes on Mixcloud includes garage rock and psychedelic tracks released (or re-released) from late January to early February. The title of the podcast, as well as the breaks used throughout the hour, are from the outlaw biker/horror movie Werewolves On Wheels [1971].
00:00 TMODM – Intro 01:08 Capricorn One – Hey Garcon 04:57 Mouse – Electric Face 09:11 Ozo – Saturn 13:56 TMODM – The Truth 15:25 Lenny Kaye & The Fleshtones – Lost on Xandu 18:00 Crushing Yellow Sun – The Bomber 21:48 No Glitter – SUB 24:15 Van der Vous – Cuidad Del Sol 28:18 TMODM – Protect Us From Your Evil 29:32 Lemurian Folk Songs – Logos 37:55 Wolf Tape – Wreckage 41:01 Dead Sea Apes – Night Lands 54:19 TMODM – Outro
This edition of the Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast covers garage/psychedelic releases from January, 2020, and includes words of wisdom from Master Po. I was able to track down some of the artists, and I asked them who they would cite as their main influences, and what plans they had for the future. Their responses are below.
00:00 TMODM – Listen for the Color of the Sky 00:23 The Evil Fuzzheads – On My Mind 02:25 Helicon – In The End 05:59 Cobalt Grove – Solana 09:39 Yuri Gagarin – The Outskirts of Reality 18:02 TMODM – Young man, how is it that you do not? 19:21 The Trip Takers – You Are Not Me 22:00 Sula Bassana – Silver Smurfer 25:41 Black Satori – Lucy Lane 33:34 Technicolor Dream Smoke – Rumble 40:30 TMODM – Journeys 42:57 Paul Normal & The Puppets – Far Out Away 46:54 The Electric Myrrs – Inland Summer 53:20 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Work This Time 59:51 Lichtpyramide – Festtagszug 62:08 TMODM – Ten Times Ten
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 65 million people are currently “forcibly displaced,” more even than at the end of World War II. Of this number 21.3 million are classified as refugees, those who have been forced to leave their country because of persecution, war or natural disaster. Those who are displaced within their own countries are classified as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). In many cases IDPs are even worse off, as they are often trapped in war zones and cannot receive aid or protection from international organizations.
The reasons for this record number of forcibly displaced people are that intractable conflicts like Afghanistan have been ongoing for many years, more recent destructive conflicts, such as the war in Syria, are happening with greater frequency, and solutions for these increasing numbers have not kept pace with the flow of refugees. Added to this are people displaced by climate change and disaster. According to the UNHCR, “Displacement linked to climate change is not a future hypothetical – it’s a current reality.”
Many displaced people have been seeking refuge in wealthy countries, but the political rhetoric about refugees has gotten depressingly ugly in those countries. European countries are erecting barriers against refugees and in the recent Brexit and U.S. presidential elections, campaigns have openly expressed nativist xenophobia in opposing the admission of refugees. The fear is that this will elevate the risk of terrorist attacks, but this ignores that many refugees are fleeing terrorism themselves. Increasing barriers have led many refugees to make ever more dangerous routes to their destinations, with over 5000 migrant fatalities so far this year, as the pace of these tragedies continues to increase.
Fortunately, several organizations are working on behalf of displaced people, such as the American Refugee Committee, the International Rescue Committee and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), known as Doctors Without Borders in the English-speaking world. Links are provided below if you’d like to learn more about what these organizations do and to offer your support.
Many thanks to the bands who have contributed tracks to this compilation. All of the songs on Without Borders have been contributed by the artists under an Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivs Creative Commons license. Their music gives expression to an alternative vision of a better world.
Several years ago when I was researching Led Zeppelin’s sources of inspiration, I was looking for any quotes from Randy California about the similarity between “Stairway to Heaven” and “Taurus,” which was written by Randy California and included on Spirit’s 1968 self-titled debut album–three years ahead of “Stairway to Heaven”. The only reference I found was in an interview with Jeff McLaughlin in the Winter 1997 issue of Listener magazine. McLaughlin interviewed Randy California in late November, 1996, and the magazine was published just before his death in January, 1997. Randy California drowned rescuing his 12-year-old son caught in a rip current swimming in the ocean in Hawaii.
In the interview, Jeff McLaughlin brings up the subject of “Stairway to Heaven” and Randy California makes it clear that he regarded the Led Zeppelin song as “a rip-off”. Randy California didn’t take any legal action against Led Zeppelin but with Zep’s recent reissues and Jake Holmes’s success in having the songwriting credits for “Dazed and Confused” changed, the estate of Randy California has sued Led Zeppelin. The case is about to go to trial.
I’ve corresponded with Jeff McLaughlin a few times as this case has unfolded. Recently I asked him about something I read in the May 4, 2016, Bloomberg article entitled “This Bar-Brawling Lawyer Might Just Take Down Led Zeppelin.” The article states, “Before his death, he had mentioned in interviews how he felt cheated out of credit for the Led Zeppelin song, but he had never acted on it.” I noted the plural “interviews” and asked Jeff McLaughlin if Randy California made any public statements about this issue other than the interview in Listener. I wanted to know if this was just lazy reporting by Vernon Silver (who referred to Spirit as “a relatively forgotten band” in a 2014 article and as “a long-forgotten band” in this most recent article), or if Randy California been more candid in interviews than I had been aware of. Jeff McLaughlin responded,
My first assessment would be that this is – as you said – somewhat lazy reporting. Randy did not discuss this issue publicly, but there was some common knowledge among Spirit fans and there were references in others’ writings. I don’t recall exactly how much I knew about the Taurus issue when I interviewed Randy, but it was obviously enough to formulate a question. What I do clearly recall, however, is that after the interview was published, I heard from (or read comments from) Spirit fans who were glad that Randy (known for his humility and peaceful nature) finally expressed himself on the issue. In the ensuing years (as you know), references to the infringement by Led Zep have frequently cited that one interview as evidence of Randy’s views. So, it is true that Randy “felt cheated” and that he “never acted on it,” but, from what I know, it’s not true that he broadcast those facts very widely. By the way, in my interview, he did not explain (nor did I ask, which in hindsight, maybe I should have) why he did not take any action. From some of the reporting I’ve seen on this, that is depicted as a weakness in the case, i.e., “If the composer didn’t care about it then, why should we take it seriously now?”
Jeff McLaughlin also sent along an audio clip from his interview with Randy California where they discuss “Taurus”. As McLaughlin explains,
Randy had just finished talking about why Spirit did not play at Woodstock. He dropped the name of Led Zeppelin, which gave me a lead-in to the question about Taurus. In a part of my question that was edited out of the printed version, I refer to it as a “legendary” story and then Randy confirms it. But I feel fairly certain that, if I hadn’t asked about it, he wouldn’t have mentioned it.
Listener: Speaking of Led Zeppelin, the guitar introduction to your 1967 composition, “Taurus,” is a dead ringer for Zeppelin’s introduction to “Stairway to Heaven,” released in 1971. Did they ever acknowledge their artistic debt to you? They must of known “Taurus,” having performed as your warmup band.
California: Well, if you listen to the two songs, you can make your own judgment. It’s an exact… I’d say it was a rip-off. And the guys made millions of bucks on it and never said, “Thank you,” never said, “Can we pay you some money for it?” It’s kind of a sore point with me. Maybe some day their conscience will make them do something about it. I don’t know. There are funny business dealings between record companies, managers, publishers, and artists. But when artists do it to other artists, there’s no excuse for that. I’m mad! [laughs]
Listener: Well, take comfort in the fact that you’re the true author of one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in rock history.
California: Yeah, right…
Despite not taking legal action, I think it’s safe to say Randy California had strong feelings about “Stairway to Heaven” and Jimmy Page’s failure to give credit where credit was due.
When you bring up “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, it doesn’t take long before someone interjects “More Cowbell!” because of the Saturday Night Live sketch. I’ll get to that a little later but first I want to look at a different aspect of this song: the demography of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. The lyrics of the song include an estimate of 40,000 deaths per day.
40,000 men and women every day
(Like Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women every day
(Redefine Happiness)
Another 40,000 coming every day
(We can be like they are)
So just how accurate is this estimate? The Census Bureau provides an estimated number of “vital events” (births and deaths) per day worldwide, and the current estimate is 156,676 deaths per day. They calculated this number by dividing the estimated population of the world, which is about 7.3 billion people, by the crude death rate, which is about 7.8 deaths per 1,000 population per year. But of course Blue Oyster Cult recorded “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” in 1976. Using the UNdata, the estimated crude death rate worldwide was 10.6 per 1,000 population from 1975 to 1980, and the population of the world stood at 4,160,185,010 in 1976. Using these numbers there were about 44.1 million deaths that year, or about 120,486 deaths per day. So 40,000 deaths per day wasn’t a particularly reliable estimate, but to be fair, it was at least within an order of magnitude, not to mention that “40,000 men and women every day” flows more smoothly than “120,486 men and women every day”.
By the way, just in case you think songwriter Buck Dharma might have been referring only to the United States, the estimated population of the United States in 1976 was 218,035,164 and the crude death rate for the United States was 8.6 per 1,000 population, which meant 1,875,102 deaths that year or about 5,137 deaths per day. Once again within an order of magnitude, but still way off.
Because of its references to Romeo and Juliet, it’s possible “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” addresses suicide, but the figure “40,000 men and women every day” isn’t even close to the daily number of suicides. According to the World Health Organization, there were 804,000 suicide deaths in 2012, or about 2,203 each day. That number would have been far lower in 1976 not only because the total population was so much less then but also because according to Wikipedia, the worldwide suicide rate has increased by 60 percent in the last 50 years. The suicide rate in 2012, which was the year the world’s population exceeded 7 billion, was about 11.5 per 100,000 population, so the suicide rate would have been something like 8 per 100,000 population in 1976. Using this rate with the 1976 world population (4.16 billion) means something like 333,000 people committed suicide that year, or about 910 people per day. That number is, of course, far below “40,000 men and women every day.”
A book of career advice called The Cowbell Principle: Career Advice On How To Get Your Dream Job And Make More Money got a “thumbs up” from Blue Oyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma. The phrase has an entry not only in the Urban Dictionary but also in the Cambridge Dictionaries Online, defined as, “an extra quality that will make something or someone better”. Mississippi State set a record for most people playing cowbells simultaneously (5,748), and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have embraced the cowbell, encouraging their fans to, “Ring your cowbells when the following occurs: A Rays pitcher has two strikes against a batter. A Rays player reaches base or scores a run. Prompted by our RaysVision scoreboard.” Rules that are strictly enforced, apparently.
The cowbell sketch has had a definite impact on Blue Oyster Cult‘s career, as Eric Bloom explains in this interview:
The band members are fans of the cowbell sketch. Buck Dharma has made his own “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” Behind the Music parody on his internet reality show, The Dharmas at Home.
You can also download this and subsequent episodes from “The Funhouse” on Buck Dharma’s website.
This is an updated version of a piece I wrote for the old Turn Me On, Dead Man blog in 2010.
A few weeks ago Live365 sent all webcasters a notice that they were terminating service at the end of January. I was certainly disappointed but it wasn’t a complete surprise. Live365 had been struggling even before the increases in royalty rates were to go into effect. Looking back I guess I’m just happy it lasted as long as it did. I had been with Live365 doing Turn Me On, Dead Man Radio for over 15 years. I was a “founding broadcaster,” which earned me a 20% discount on their personal broadcaster rates. Despite its quirks and aging interface I was loyal to Live365 for as long as they were around, and I think would have stuck with them no matter what.
But Live365 has disappeared. Yesterday afternoon I was looking at my listener stats, but when I clicked on one of the links an error message announced that the page I was looking for didn’t exist.
Some time ago I registered with Radionomy but it wasn’t immediately obvious to me how to get started and I set it aside. But now with Live365 gone, I took a fresh look at it and decided to give Radionomy a try. It will take a little time to get fully reestablished and figure out all of the functions of the interface, but if you look up Turn Me On, Dead Man on Radionomy you can already hear garage rock, punk and psychedelia playing again. So check out the new Turn Me On, Dead Man Radio on Radionomy.
Austin, Texas, psych band ST 37, currently on tour with Acid Mothers Temple, played at Comet Ping Pong in Washington DC on May 8, 2015. It was a particularly interesting show with opening band Rough Francis. ST 37, worried that their van wouldn’t be able to make the trip, had held a Kickstarter campaign to rent a van for the five-week tour, and I contributed enough to get a T-shirt. In corresponding with the group, I agreed to let them stay with me when they played in DC. ST 37 had contributed a track to Conspiracy A-Go-Go, a compilation of JFK assassination-related tracks I curated for the 50th anniversary of that event, and I wanted to repay them for that. We gathered at my breakfast table the following morning for an interview before they were off to Richmond, Virginia, going, as they pointed out, from the capital of the Union to the capital of the Confederacy on successive days. I talked to ST 37 while we ate a lovely breakfast prepared by Archana, who dazzled us with her culinary prowess.
At this point they are more than two-thirds through their tour. I wish you well on the rest of your tour and a safe return to Austin.
