Podcast 2020.17 Already Dead

These days it does seem like we’re teetering on the brink of some sort of catastrophe, but every day the world lurches on. Maybe, though, we’ve already gone over the edge and we’re just watching this shitshow play out. In any case the great music just keeps coming out. This episode of the Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast features great tracks from across the industrialized world. From the US are Herbcraft (Portland, Maine), Dark Fog (Chicago) Carlton Melton (San Francisco) and a farewell track from the Suzies (Grand Rapids, Michigan). Elsewhere in the Americas are The Suuns (Montreal) and Yajaira (Santiago, Chile), and from Australia comes Los Skallywags (New South Wales). From Europe are Causa Sui (Denmark), Flying Moon in Space (Leipzig, Germany), and coming from further east are Skuma (Chelyabinsk, Russia) and Pree Tone (Kyiv, Ukraine). Closing out the set is a collaboration primarily between Mike Vest (Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK) and Suzuki Junzo (Tokyo) called Mienakunaru.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/turnmeondeadman/202017-already-dead/ width=100% height=120 hide_cover=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
01:28 Dark Fog – In The Background Of Your Mind
03:23 Skuma (Скума) – Иза
09:46 Carlton Melton – Waylay
17:46 The Suzies – Bubble Driver
20:32 The Suuns – Death
23:24 Causa Sui – Sole Elettrico
29:00 Los Scallywags – Scattered
32:46 Yajaira – Se va la tómbola
38:00 Flying Moon In Space – The Observer (Radio Edit)
42:18 Herbcraft – III (pt. 2)
47:10 Pree Tone – Fifth O
52:21 Mienakunaru – (I) [excerpt]

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Podcast 2020.16 This Is This

This episode of Turn Me On, Dead Man features a good deal improvisational psych, with powerful tracks from Frozen Planet….1969, Population II and High Arctic, as well as atmospheric tracks from Herbcraft, Magic Cobra and Melody Fields, a little stoner/doom from Outer Head, and lo-fi guitar pop from Honey Radar. It opens with one of my all-time favorite bands, Magic Shoppe.

The title and breaks come from the 1978 Vietnam War epic The Deer Hunter. The cast of The Deer Hunter elevates what is otherwise a shallow, poorly thought out film. As Studs Turkel pointed out, “not since The Birth of a Nation has a non-Caucasian people been portrayed in so barbaric a fashion.” Still, De Niro. And even when he doesn’t make sense (“This is this”) the viewer is swept along by his intensity. “Is this what you want? Is this what you want? I love you. *click*”

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/turnmeondeadman/202016-this-is-this/ width=100% height=120 hide_cover=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
00:50 Magic Shoppe – On High Street (Live)
03:55 Herbcraft – Eon Rd
10:29 Magic Cobra – Golden Child
14:15 Frozen Planet….1969 – Rollback (Green Version)
19:15 Melody Fields – Broken Horse
22:47 Population II – Ce n’est Rêve
30:03 Honey Radar – Lilac Pharmacy
32:21 Outer Head – Left Hand Cult
38:32 High Arctic – First Trip

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Podcast 2020.15 The New Number 2

I recently watched In My Mind, a documentary about an interview with Patrick McGoohan conducted in 1983. The interview was for a documentary that was released the following year about the The Prisoner, which first aired on television in 1967. McGoohan was as enigmatic in the interview as the show itself and interviewer Chris Rodley wanted to revisit the interview more then 30 years later to give it a somewhat less enigmatic presentation. In My Mind had a lot of great footage and given that I revisit The Prisoner every few years (because I want information… information… information…), it was interesting to see.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/turnmeondeadman/202015-the-new-number-2/ width=100% height=120 hide_cover=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
00:50 EarthOmen – Black Cloud Part I
05:42 Thee U.F.O. – Floating Eye
08:37 Spiral Wave Nomads – Ten Color Ritual
16:15 The Electric Myrrs – Witchy
20:21 black (w)hole – Psilosy
24:33 C.B. Kidd – Wishful Thinking
28:25 Sun of Man – Heavy Burn
32:45 Druggy Pizza – Radium Canyon
35:30 Burnt Hills – untitled (b3)
41:38 Minimal Bliss – Sunburst Eyes
46:50 Flying Anomaly Theorized – Fire in the Sky
54:40 EarthOmen – Black Cloud Part III
57:35 TMODM – Number 6 resigns

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Podcast 2020.14 Mark IV

As the summer winds down, I’ve been listening to a lot of psychedelia. This summer has been strange but good in a lot of ways. At the top of the list is that we celebrated my son’s first birthday. He seems to enjoy it when I sing Beatles songs (even if no one else does!). But there is something I want him to know:

A lot of people don’t realize what’s really going on. They view life as a bunch of unconnected incidents and things. They don’t realize that there’s this, like, lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything.

00:00 TMODM – Intro
00:44 Gloom Merchants – Kids and Their Children
05:50 Hyper Tensions – Solar Stare
07:55 TMODM – Plate o’ Shrimp
08:20 fuguers cove – Tanks/Flanks–>Bar Stool
11:01 Castle Club – Anybody Else
15:25 Excellent Skeleton – Stop Waking The Sun
25:00 TMODM – Time Machines
26:31 Prana Crafter – Chalice of the Fungal Sage
34:04 CCR Headcleaner – High Def
37:50 Martin Rude & Jakob Skøtt Duo – The Short Sun
40:22 TMODM – The More You Drive
40:42 Liquidacid – Scurry Release
46:36 White Manna – ARC
54:44 Lamp of the Universe – Beams of Ra
60:56 TMODM – One in every car

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Podcast 2020.12 Gort Run Amok

With this episode of the Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast I’m back to recent garage/psych releases. Opening this set is “Earth on the Verge of Destruction” by The Uplifting Bell Ends, which put me in mind of The Day the Earth Stood Still.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/turnmeondeadman/202012-gort-run-amok/ width=100% height=120 hide_cover=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
00:53 The Uplifting Bell Ends – Earth on the Verge of Destruction
04:36 TMODM – Such Power Exists?
04:57 Ringo Deathstarr – Tambourine Girl
09:34 White Hills – A Picture Unto the World
18:39 TMODM – KL93
19:01 Clavicule – Asshole
23:18 Satorinaut – Atropine II
32:54 Caroline Reza – Heart Healing
34:16 TMODM – The Robot’s on the Loose
34:46 Trip Hill – Improvisation 1
38:35 Shroom Eater – Intro/The Illusion
45:34 TMODM – Get That Message to Gort
45:59 The Writhing Squares – Sonic Control
51:57 Dope Smoker – Severn
58:12 TMODM – Gort Run Amok

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Podcast 2020.11 These Go To 11

This show is a departure from the usual recent garage rock and paychedelic releases because this episode is entirely made up of parodies done in character. The title of this episode is “These Go To 11” and that, of course, comes from the mock documentary This Is Spinal Tap, a parody heavy metal band. Some of the parodies in this episode are genre parodies, but most are parodies of artists doing unexpected covers.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/turnmeondeadman/202011-these-go-to-11/ width=100% height=120 hide_cover=1]

  • Bruce Springstone – (Meet The) Flintstones – Bruce Springsteen sings the theme song of the Flintstones
  • Gary Panter & Jay Cotton – God Save The Queen – Alvin & The Chipmunks sing the Sex Pistols
  • Dylan Hears a Who – Green Eggs and Ham – Bob Dylan sings Dr. Suess
  • Mac Sabbath – Pair-a-Buns – Ronald McDonald and the McDonaldland characters sing Black Sabbath
  • Dread Zeppelin – Black Dog – Reggae Led Zeppelin sung by Elvis
  • The Beatnix – Stairway To Heaven – “Stairway to Heaven” as sung by Beatlemania-era Beatles
  • Peter Sellers – She Loves You – Dr. Strangelove sings the Beatles
  • Beatallica – Ktulu (He’s So Heavy) – Metallica sings the Beatles
  • The Zombeatles – Brain – Zombies sing the Beatles
  • The Rutles – Cheese and Onions – A Rutles song so close to the Beatles that it was credited to the Beatles on a bootleg
  • The Barron Knights – Call Up The Groups – The Barron Knights Parody the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Searchers, Freddie and the Dreamers and the Dave Clark Five in 1964
  • Flight of the Conchords – Bowie – The Flight of the Conchords pay homage to David Bowie
  • Richard Cheese – Another Brick in the Wall – Another Brick in the Wall done as a lounge song
  • MC Hawking – The Mighty Stephen Hawking – Stephen Hawking as a gangsta rapper
  • Okilly Dokilly – White Wine Spritzer – Death metal performed by (several) Ned Flanders
  • The Jimi Homeless Experience – Are You Homeless? – Jimi Hendrix advocates for the homeless
  • Spinal Tap – (Listen to the) Flower People – Spinal Tap as a 1960s folk rock band
  • Robin Williams – Elmer Fudd Sings Bruce Springsteen

Podcast 2020.10 Bad Apples

While the music of this episode of Turn Me On, Dead Man is recent garage rock and psychedelic releases, 2020.10 Bad Apples is also a tribute to the demonstrations that have been going on the last several days in response to the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police. While it would be easy to assume that this event will not change anything, the public outcry has gone well beyond the usual response to events like this. Only time will tell if this represents any sort of turning point.

2020 continues to be a great year for garage rock and psychedelia. I did short interviews with most of the artists featured in this episode. I wanted to know how they were getting along in these strange times. Their responses are below.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/turnmeondeadman/202010-bad-apples/ width=100% height=60 hide_cover=1 mini=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
02:19 The Reverberations – Palm Reader
05:30 Lanes – 俳優 [Actor]
08:45 Dayshifters – Greg’s Song
12:51 Turtle Skull – Rabbit
16:50 Psychic Idols – Sheel of the Wizen
21:07 ToneTeeth – Liquid Lady
24:04 Holy Monitor – This Desert Land
27:57 Heavy Trip – Mind Leaf
35:57 Los Pebbles – One of These Days
39:45 The Silk RailRoad – 8 Sided Pyramid
48:44 Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska – ทะเลทราย [Desert]
64:45 TMODM – Outro

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Podcast 2020.09 Number 9

I went out of order with the numbering of these podcasts because I wanted to revisit the “Bigger than Jesus” controversy that caused such a stir in 1966, and I thought Number 9 was appropriate for that. All of the tracks in this episode of Turn Me On, Dead Man were released in June, 2020 (or right at the end of May in the case of Fontanarosa), but we’re still fighting the same culture wars that emerged in the 1960s. Amid all the insanity of 2020, musically our current year continues to be an absorbing and exciting one.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/todd-gardner2/202009-number-9/ width=100% height=60 hide_cover=1 mini=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
01:37 Fontanarosa – Dawn
03:40 Korto – Tempor
07:30 Shibumi Loop – Waiting for the Bus
12:38 Tia Carrera – Layback
19:50 The Daisy Heaves – Land of Nod
24:30 Ty Segall & Cory Hanson – She’s a Beam
29:35 Anthroprophh – Too Old
32:52 Centre El Muusa – Szolnok
38:54 Comacozer – Sun of Hyperion
57:53 TMODM – Outro

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Podcast 2020.08 Flatten The Curve

The COVID-19 pandemic goes on and we are all trying to come to terms with the new normal. This episode of the Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast opens and closes with tracks from the Burger Records compilation Quarantunes: Songs From Self-Isolation. Burger Records organized this ambitious undertaking to support its artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The label is covering all the costs and all proceeds from Quarantunes will go directly to the artists. There’s also a track from another COVID-19 benefit album, CosmoPraesidium compilation by Eiderdown Records. All proceeds from this compilation will go to food banks in Washington state, California, and New York.

COVID-19 comes out in other ways in this podcast. Kikagaku Moyo released a track earlier this month called “Ouchi Time” (“Home Time”) that I take to be a response to stay-at-home orders. Other bands, like the Watchmakers, Flowers Must Die and CCR Headcleaner used this opportunity to release recordings from years past. I asked the artists how they were faring through this time, and I got some varied responses.

Like 2020.07, this podcast features audio from Apocalypse Now. This time we hear from Dennis Hopper’s unnamed character.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/todd-gardner2/202008-flatten-the-curve/ width=100% height=60 hide_cover=1 mini=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
00:52 Exploding Flowers – (There’s No Arms Around) The Isolationist
02:45 The Watchmakers – Illumination
07:10 The Haze Parade – P-ills
09:27 Sky Burrow Tales – Photons
16:02 TMODM – Little Man/Great Man
17:45 Prana Crafter – Cloud Ambassador
20:15 El Viaje De Los Antiguos – Capitulo 1
24:45 The Cove – Come Down Easy
30:01 Doug Tuttle – No, No, No, No
32:07 CCR Headcleaner – Unified (Dubified)
34:39 TMODM – Dialectics
36:33 Kikagaku Koyo – Ouchi Time
40:09 Tonstartssbandht – Olde Feelings
45:14 Flowers Must Die – Funki
54:05 O.S.H. – Let’s Try To Have Good Times
56:52 TMODM – Outro

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Podcast 2020.07 The Walls Move In A Little Tighter

An old friend texted me “Saigon. Shit. I’m still only in Saigon.” In these strange days it seems like we’re all Capt. Willard stuck in a room in Saigon waiting for a mission. This episode of the Turn Me On, Dead Man podcast is heavy on psychedelic freakouts, thinking about Apocalypse Now while putting it together.

[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/todd-gardner2/202007-the-walls-move-in-a-little-tighter/ width=100% height=60 hide_cover=1 mini=1]

00:00 TMODM – Intro
01:08 Oakacetator – Open Up Your Mind
04:59 Vince Cory – Death Birth of Time
12:08 Kundalini Genie – Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind
16:59 Psychic Ills – Never Learn Not To Love
20:42 TMODM – He’s Close, Man
22:09 Frozen Planet….1969 – 900 Mile Head Rush
32:30 Dark Fog – Revird Ysatnaf Eht/The Fantasy Driver
37:14 TMODM – We’ll Go Together
38:14 Heaven’s Gateway Drugs – Sweet ‘N Low (Dub Mix)
43:51 Long Slow Dissolve – Into Darkness
56:34 oz. – Is Risen
65:21 TMODM – Outro

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