Write 'em Til You Can't Write No More

ALBUM REVIEW :  QUEEN WOLF  " COMEDY GOLD " By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) Times are tough, people. You know it, I know it, Zorak know it, Moltar know it, Brak know it, everybody know it. But lo, even in the thick of these deeply disturbing days, there are some sonic spots of hope, like the new album from Baltimore's finest garage punk rockers QUEEN WOLF, titled simply: COMEDY GOLD . This album has two primary speeds: fast, loose, and wild, as displayed on songs like "The Heat," and "Eating Flies," or slow, chunky, and extra blues-y, a vibe perfectly descriptive of tracks like "Moon Tooth" and "Bones Turn To Rust." This four piece knows just how to conjure up the kind of distorted fuzz rock that'll bring you back to the days when you first started going to underground shows and were completely floored by the raw energy assaulting your ears. Other highlights on the record include "Cholera Town,...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/30/20) :  THREE BUSY DEBRAS By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) From left: Mitra Jouhari, Sandy Honig, & Alyssa Stonoha. They're all Debras, and they're all very busy. Today I'm gonna talk about a show that's been helping me stay sane during these weeks of being under lockdown, which is ironic considering how crazy it is. Today, I'm talking about the new "live-action cartoon" from Adult Swim,   THREE BUSY DEBRAS .  THREE BUSY DEBRAS is a surreal sitcom about three housewives, all named Debra, who live in the picturesque suburban community of Lemoncurd, Connecticut. Their homes are all immaculately maintained, they dress all in white, and they just generally seem to be the perfect embodiments of their respective brands of chaotic energy. Like any good upper-class suburbanites, they spend most of their days brunching and avoiding consequences for their actions, like when Jouh...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/29/20) :  THE OTHER GUYS By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna) Gator don't play no shit! Gator never been about playin' no shit! I don't think it's too controversial to say that Adam McKay was one of the finest comedy filmmakers of the 2000s. I mean, just look at the guys' roster: STEP BROTHERS, ANCHORMAN, TALLADEGA NIGHTS, all beloved comedy films that continue to get quoted from and referenced in other works to this very day. Hell, there's even an actual Catalina Wine Mixer now, and is still scheduled to happen in September 2020 despite current Covid-19 concerns (Sadly, no one has started a real Prestige Worldwide business that specializes in entertainment, financial portfolios, and black leather gloves ).  And all of that goes without mentioning the fact that he's one of the original founders of the influential comedy website FUNNY OR DIE. But I'm not focusing on any of that for today...

TERMINAL TRANSMISSION #2 :  THE SECOND SATANIC SINGLE By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) The Specter Of Death watches over The Madman's plans and laughs! And so the second broadcast of TERMINAL TRANSMISSION has come and gone... and it was another success! Had some fun playing tunes, introduced my warped take on Joe Camel as a character, and for a moment there it seemed like I had the mono-mic issue solved, but it looks like I still need to work on it. No big deal, still pulled off another great show in my book! If you missed the live broadcast, don't worry! You can listen to archived episode right here ! Until next time... TT #2 TRACKLIST 1.) Seatbelts - Tank! (Cowboy Bebop Opening Theme) 2.) Midnight - Fucking Speed And Darkness 3.) Leather Lung - Miscreant 4.) We Are Not Our Bodies - Retrograde 5.) Queen Wolf - The Heat 6.) L.O.T.I.O.N. - Alphabrain 7.) Street Sects - And I Grew Into Ribbons 8.) Shiro Sagisu - Angel Attack 9.) Shi...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/28/20) : TERMINAL TRANSMISSION (TAKE TWO!) By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) That's right, my show TERMINAL TRANSMISSION is back for another live broadcast on KPISS.FM from 12PM to 1PM today! So tune in by heading over to the site and clicking play on Channel One to hear me play some great tracks from bands like Queen Wolf, We Are Not Our Bodies, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, and more! Do it! DO IT I SAY!!!!! If you missed the first broadcast, you can listen to it here .

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/27/20) : BLISS By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna) Dezzy's melting... I've been consuming a lot of zombie-related media lately (for reasons that have nothing to do with current events whatsoever, why would you even suggest that, it's so weird), so yesterday I decided to switch it up and check out a new addition to the world of vampire cinema. I loved it so much that I'm telling you to watch it today: Joe Begos' vampiric splatterpunk acid trip, BLISS . Written and directed by Begos and released in September 2019, BLISS is a film about Dezzy (Dora Madison),  a struggling painter who is overwhelmed by a host of troubles, from her unsupportive agent and a demanding gallery owner who are bugging her about finishing a painting that she's stalled on, to an overbearing landlord and her clingy neighbor/friend/fuck-buddy Clive (Jeremy Gardner).  Fed up with all of these problems and distractions, sh...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/24/20) :  THE NICE GUYS By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) Your loved one is missing and these two show up to investigate, Wyd? Man, there's just nothing like a good detective story. I love a narrative that plunges me into a mystery, and sticks me with a protagonist who is morally ambiguous at best or an outright heel at worst, to navigate me through it. And I'm far from being alone on this, which is why film noir, the cinematic sister to the mystery/crime novel, remains so beloved to this day, and why every few years there's a smattering of films released that are classified as "neo noir," movies that give us that world of mystery, criminality, lust and backstabbing, but with different settings or new narrative twists. A great recent example is the 2016 detective comedy THE NICE GUYS . First things first, it's important to note that THE NICE GUYS was written and directed by Shane Black, w...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/23/20) :  ASSORTED YOUTUBE VIDEOS I LIKE THAT YOU'LL LIKE TOO IF YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE (VOL. 2) By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) Listen up you degenerate freaks, it's time for me to list off some more YouTube videos I like and for you to dutifully watch them, because you're self isolating and have nothing better to do and my taste in art of all disciplines is virtually unimpeachable. These are just facts, okay? So watch these videos, laugh your butts off, or in the case of video number four, burrow into a fear cocoon, and join me in the eternal struggle to squeeze a few extra drops of serotonin from our dirtbag brains. Alrighty then, let's get to it... 1.) THE JUSTIN BIEBER SHOW This video from animator Harry Partridge is my favorite kind of YouTube clip, just straight up surreal nonsense. It starts with the simple conceit of Justin Bieber starring in his own sitcom and quickly devolves into abs...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/22/20): ABE LINCOLN'S TOP HAT By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) A political podcast for people who think politics suck, but know they need to be on top of what's going on... As overwhelming as the world can be, it's important, if not vital, for you to know what's up when it comes to current events. But where can you go to hear a reasonable take on the news that isn't too steeped in histrionics? Enter: ABE LINCOLN'S TOP HAT. ABE LINCOLN'S TOP HAT is hosted by Ben Kissel, better known as one third of the epic true crime/cryptid podcasting team behind the show  LAST PODCAST ON THE LEFT . Anybody who's heard Ben on LPOTL knows that he has an affable and enthusiastic energy behind the mic, and he brings all of that talent, plus all the in-depth knowledge that comes with a political science degree and a past campaign running for Brooklyn Borough President . Pictured: Ben Kissel, th...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/21/20) : GOOD TIME By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) Connie (Robert Pattinson) has to get his brother Nick (Benny Safdie) out of a jam he's responsible for in GOOD TIME If you, like me, were completely floored by UNCUT GEMS last year, then you absolutely need to check out another vital film in the oeuvre of filmmaking brothers Benny and Josh Safdie: The 2017 street crime film GOOD TIME . GOOD TIME tells the story of two brothers, Ex-con Connie (Robert Pattinson) and his mentally challenged brother Nick (Benny Safdie) who are struggling to pull some jobs and make enough money to get away from all the problems that the streets of NYC have burdened them with over the years. When Nick is arrested after a botched bank robbery, Connie is in a mad rush to get enough money to bail his brother out of jail so they can skip town and start a new life together. Much like in UNCUT GEMS, the Safdie brothers seem to tel...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/20/20) : THE PANTERA HOME VIDEO TRILOGY By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) The front and back cover for Pantera's second home video release, VULGAR VIDEO. Not only is it Monday, and thus the beginning of a new round of Q-Recs from yours truly, but it's also 4/20 BRO HELL YEAH BLAZE IT MAGGOT! Actually, I don't really smoke weed anymore, I used to, but then I quit around summer 2011 'cause I was trying to lose weight and I figured it'd make sense to stop getting baked and eating half the contents of my fridge because Stoned Chris does not understand the concept of portion control and...what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, you should totally get stoned and watch the PANTERA HOME VIDEO TRILOGY . If you don't already know Pantera, they're a metal band from the 90s that helped pioneer/popularize the sub-genres of groove metal and stoner metal. Before watching any of these videos, you sh...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/17/20) :  THE BOOGIE MONSTER By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) It's time to get spooky and funny, but mostly funny, with THE BOOGIE MONSTER Today's Q-Rec is another great podcast, a show that takes a fun and lighthearted approach to the paranormal, while also taking the time to talk about comedy, food, and all the other good stuff that makes life worth living, THE BOOGIE MONSTER . Hosted by comedians/longtime friends Kyle Kinane and Dave Stone, THE BOOGIE MONSTER (tagline: podcasting the unknown ) is a show where Kyle and Dave hang out and discuss all sorts of conspiracy theories, urban legends, and cryptozoological curiosities that amuse them. Everything from Nostradamus and Bigfoot to The Faking Of The Moon Landing and Haunted Hotels is discussed, usually with some light wikipedia-based "research" to back it up. This podcast has a relaxed vibe to it; the subject matter is always discussed in ...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/16/20) : ASSORTED YOUTUBE VIDEOS I LIKE THAT YOU'LL LIKE TOO IF YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE... By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) This pic has nothing to do with the rest of the piece I just thought it would make a good header image. I'll be honest, I was having trouble thinking of something good to recommend today. I myself have a bunch of movies and shows I need to catch up on, and I don't wanna recommend anything unless I know it's good, so today I'm just gonna rattle off a bunch of YouTube videos that I like, that you may or may not have already seen. So check 'em out; some of them are funny, some of them are just music videos or live concert footage I dig, and some of them are just plain weird. Enjoy! Or don't! Piss off! 1.) FUCK YOU BALTIMORE I can't remember how I stumbled upon this video (I think fellow indie filmmaker Chris LaMartina shared it on Facebook or something) but I...

CHRIS' QUARANTINE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DAY (4/15/20) :  CUTE HOUSE By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) The title says it all... I usually try to keep my Q-Recs to a certain length, usually anywhere in the range of ninety minutes to a few hours. This is mostly because I want to recommend a piece of media that's not only good, but will help you pass all the extra time social distancing has given you. It's why I usually go for movies or web series/podcasts with multiple episodes already posted. Well, my pick for today isn't very long, but it's pretty powerful and very, very funny. Today, I'm telling you watch a cool little comedy sketch titled CUTE HOUSE . Brought to us from sketch comedy group The Dress Up Gang , CUTE HOUSE has a simple setup:  a guy is walking down the street, and stops when he notices this really cute house. Some other guys stop to look at it too. A moment later, the owner of the house comes out, and the guys ask if they c...

TERMINAL TRANSMISSION #1: THE FIRST FATAL FREQUENCY By Chris La Vigna ( @Chris_LaVigna ) Today marked the debut of my internet radio show on Kpiss.FM, TERMINAL TRANSMISSION! I was so nervous and yet so excited. Once I was live, I just did my best to keep the hits coming and the banter smooth and fun.  There were some tech issues here and there, for some reason my vocals were only coming out through the left speaker, but I'll get that figured out before my next broadcast on April 28th (save the date)! You can find the the link to the episode here , and because I'm such a generous guy, I'll go ahead and post the track list here as well: TT #1 TRACKLIST Seatbelts – Tank! (Cowboy Bebop Opening Theme) Nose Dive – Enter The Void Municipal Waste – Wave Of Death Type O Negative – I Don’t Wanna Be Me Gatecreeper – Carved Into Stone Royal Thunder – April Showers DangerHole – Dead Air John Carpenter – In The Mouth Of Madness The Dudes Of Wra...