Penetrating Insights

2011 Film In Review

2012-01-26T18:20:00.012-05:00

I'm the first to admit I didn't see a lot of new films in 2011. I think I only actually went to the cinema twice - to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and to see Thor. Two visits a year is about par for the course for me nowadays, for all the usual reasons - price mostly, but also the ads, the cellphones, and the general boorishness of audiences. Sadly this past year, the only two dedicated video stores where I live went out of business as well.

It wasn't always this way. From the time I was a kid, I'd venture out at least once a week to watch movies on the big screen. I got to the drive-in a few times every summer. With the advent of the video store*, obscure rentals became an overriding obsession (eventually leading to the weird world of mail-order video). I loved movies so much by the end of first year university, I decided to major in Film Theory. I suppose it's just as well I didn't actually finish that degree, since having a B.A. Major in Film Theory is about as useful as a ceiling fan in a hurricane.

So once I was in and now I'm out. Way out. If I haven't conveyed just how out of touch I am nowadays, please note that many of the titles I looked up for inclusion here actually came out in 2009 (and were therefore omitted). These aren't in any numerical order. I have three broad categories: just plain good movies, flawed good movies, and movies that really disappointed me.

Good Movies

A Top 7 of 2011 was fairly easy to come up with. These were films that surprised me and took things in unexpected (wonderful) directions, or else showed applause-worthy style or skill. Or both. Or all three. They're movies that fully committed to what they were doing and did it with gusto. Yes, some of these are technically 2010, so blow me (please blow me).

Kill List
I Saw The Devil
13 Assassins
Hobo With A Shotgun
The Woman
Super
Black Swan

I would include a further 10 films in this category which simply didn't appeal to me quite so much as the Top 7 but were still essentially really great or at least interesting movies.

Troll Hunter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Drive
Midnight In Paris
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Tabloid
Trust
The King's Speech
True Grit
Beats, Rhymes and Life

Flawed Good Movies

Next up are flicks I mostly enjoyed but had a few dumb moments or a third act that went awry, things like that. They were okay in other words. I'd still recommend them if you're looking for something to watch but with some reservations. Please note: Drive Angry was, for me at least, so single-mindedly awful (aside from William Fichtner) that the whole thing became awesome and hilarious, and that merits its inclusion here.

Killer Elite
Margin Call
Hanna
Source Code
Thor
Captain America
Green Lantern
X Men: First Class
127 Hours
The Ides of March
Super 8
Drive Angry

Disappointing Movies

I'm tempted to put Thor here because it was really the biggest disappointment of the year for me (I'm a big Kirby-era Thor fan) but I also have to confess that it could have easily been ten times worse than it was, and all in all I probably just had unfair expectations.

Anyways, these were flicks that may have had one of two good scenes but overall just left me cold.

The Thing
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Blitz
Season of the Witch
The Rite
Black Death

*my favourite video stores being Suspect Video and Eyesore Video!
RENT MOVIES HERE OR THESE STORES DISAPPEAR.

No No Zero taking a break

2012-01-14T05:09:00.003-05:00

No No Zero is taking an indefinite break as of January 2012 because I simply can't live up to the commitments of being in a band right now, and I don't want to do a half-assed job of it or keep canceling practices on everybody else in the band.

There are no hard feelings between anyone involved, and I want to emphasize that this decision in no way reflects how I feel about the band or its membership; I love doing No No Zero, and I'm very happy working with Zak, Chris, and Jordan.

Hopefully I'll have news about our excellent new record "Inner Scum" very soon (we're currently trying to find an affordable place to master it). And hopefully my health will improve sooner rather than later and I can get back to doing some deliciously noisy nasty numbers.

- Pius

la belle et le couteau - quatre

2012-01-08T03:01:00.008-05:00

Age Restricted!

2011-12-27T15:10:00.006-05:00

Earlier this year, I mentioned I'd learned how to use iMovie and had made a slideshow type video for the No No Zero song "Uschi" off Rough Stuff. Well, the video seems to be something of a success (relative to my modest standard, anyway) and has recently surpassed the 30,000 viewer mark.

That's more than all the other videos I've uploaded to Youtube put together and multiplied several times. Likely for two reasons, neither of which have to do with our song, but hey. In case you haven't seen it, here it is --

I was surprised to be informed today that Youtube has, "determined that the... video(s) contain content that may not be suitable for all viewers", and thus, they have age-restricted it. The video is composed of still photographs of actress/model Uschi Digard (there's a couple with Candy Samples in as well): we see a lot of cleavage, boobflesh if you will. It's certainly arousing.

Still, I made a real effort when editing the pics together to work within what I thought were Youtube's guidelines - playing the self-censor's game of imagining what others might imagine - and I didn't include any nipple or pubic hair whatsoever. I guess even that much Uschi is too much for some. Consider me schooled.

And while I'm (most likely) closing this calendar year out with some recycled YT video edit job, why not drop something a little newer on you? Here's an epic montage I put together a month or two back for the keiju-themed "Aquanax" by Namanax!

Happy New Year everybody!

Poster For Our Montreal Show!

2011-11-30T00:06:00.005-05:00

The multi-talented John Milchem, ex of Starvin' Hungry, now playing drums in The O-Voids, brings us this beautiful B&W poster for our upcoming full moon Montreal massacre. Thank you John!

It's going to be No No Zero and Deutsche Banks in some kind of dysfunctional tag team, driving down the highway trying not to get arrested on our way to Casa del Popolo, there for to tangle with Montreal's own masters of ownage, Vomit Squad (their third show ever!).

5 DOLLAR COVER. DOORS AT 9, SHOW LATER.

FULL MOON GUARANTEED!

la belle et le couteau - trois

2011-11-20T13:25:00.015-05:00

Evidence of Rocking!

2011-11-13T10:46:00.014-05:00

We've played a couple of shows in the last few weeks and since then some live video has been posted online. First of all, Mr. Halpenny's footage of No No Zero playing "Amputate" at Ghost Hole III appeared on Vimeo; I was later able to put the entire four song block he'd shot up on Youtube. The photo above is from the same show and was also supplied by Mr. Halpenny. Here's another one he took the same night of The (sexy and splendifferous) Soupcans --

Big thanks to Xenia for having us out to play this very fun show - on what was almost certainly the coolest stage I've ever played on. You can't tell from the video exactly, but there was a massive metal dragon head sculpture above us and it actually breathed smoke while the bands were playing (during our set, I was able to control the smoke with a foot pedal). So cool! I enclose pictures of the awesome artwork at Ghost Hole III, taken from X Blog and The White House Studio Project --

Oddly enough, the same night we played Ghost Hole III, GaragePunkToronto posted video of us playing "Closet Case" at our Silver Dollar show last May. Thank you, GaragePunkToronto!

Our most recent show was last weekend at the Press Club. The night was a blast - but of course it was dark so I have no real photos of the evening unfortunately (other than the sign out front and one of Jordan behind the drums). Thanks to Planet Creature and Bruised Knees for super sets!

Next up, we are *finally* going to make up for our missed show in Montreal some years ago, December 10th at Casa del Popolo! Details on that to follow soon.

Playing Outdoors This Sunday for Halloween!

2011-10-25T19:09:00.008-04:00

Last minute announcement that No No Zero are closing the three-day Ghost Hole III Festival, this Sunday behind El Gordo Fine Foods in Kensington Market; it's an evening set, we are the last band and should be on around 8:30pm.

The festival runs Sunday from noon to 9pm. There will be a Haunted House to explore, and live music starting at 7pm including: le fantastique Henri Fabergé, and the spectacular Soupcans!

OCT 30 2011
BEHIND EL GORDO'S
PWYC
WEAR A COSTUME

I think this'll be our first outdoor show ever!? I'm really looking forward to it.

Press Club November 5th!

2011-10-17T11:53:00.006-04:00

A new Ryan Halpenny poster masterpiece here can mean only one thing - a new No No Zero show to announce! Facebook event link!

Coming up soon: November 5th at The Press Club in Toronto, with two of the city's finest - Bruised Knees and Planet Creature.

Bruised Knees have been described by none other than Lonely Vagabond himself as, "avant-garde trance-rock splashed with an electronic sheen, primal drumming, and haunting vocals. Hypnotic and raw."

Does this convey that they're good & noisy? I think that's important.

As always, the proof is in the pudding -

Planet Creature are a quintet with some beautiful harmonies (and flute!). Optical Sounds, who released last year's Pigeon EP, call them, "bubble-gum babes with pop-garage sensibilities."

Their own twitter feed (!) describes them thus: "5 girls. 1 part bubble gum 2 parts punk 3 parts pop 4 parts rock. shake, serve and repeat."

If you're still not sold, check out their very sweet video (shot in Kensington Market) for "Das Pirates" -

9PM $5

Remember, remember, the fifth of November!

la belle et le couteau - pas de deux

2011-10-04T00:13:00.008-04:00

A bit more of the same.

Nuit George with Blood Ceremony!

2011-09-27T02:23:00.005-04:00

This Saturday (October 1st) we'll be opening for Blood Ceremony (about to start a European tour) at Double Double Land, deep in the heart of Kensington Market. The night is Nuit George, a benefit for George Dim's medical treatment.

From the event's Facebook page -

This event is a fundraiser for our good friend George Dim. We are raising money to assist him with the costs of receiving CCSVI treatment.

http://liberationtreatmentccsvi.com/

You may know George from buying records from him at his old record store LOST AND FOUND RECORDS. He is known by his friends as a kind, loving man who makes everyone around him laugh.

George has been diagnosed with MS and has hopes of receiving the CCSVI treatment. We have put this show together to raise funds for him to assist in the procedure and travelling costs.

ALL PROCEEDS (DOOR and ALCOHOL) WILL GO TOWARDS THE CAUSE!
PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE!

THANKS!

$10 at the door

Bands will be on early for all you Nuit Blanchers out there.

In the meantime, here's a taste of the great Blood Ceremony doing what they do best, earlier this year --

***

Review of the show!

No No Zero Has A Bandcamp Page!

2011-09-02T12:05:00.006-04:00

Earlier this year on Exclaim TV's Garageland, I spoke about how dumb I thought MySpace was. That view hasn't changed. Fortunately, as you may already know, another site for disseminating original music has emerged and proved its worth in quite a short time - and that site is Bandcamp.

I like all the freedom you're given as to your bands' presentation there, the relative control, clarity, and the total absence of advertising or other bands' logos or tour dates. Last night, I created a page for No No Zero and uploaded our Rough Stuff album (available on LP or CD through Signed By Force) so folks can stream and give it a listen if they haven't heard it before.

Our new record will presumably be there too once it's 100% finished. Stay tuned!

Panzram's Ghost & Zine Dream 4!

2011-08-23T05:10:00.023-04:00

This past weekend was the rare one in which I actually went out and did something worth writing about here - to wit, as you may have ascertained from the title, attending the Panzram's Ghost (and Metz and Holy Mount) show at Oshawa's venerable Atria Saturday night; also, the fourth Zine Dream festival of zines, art, and music the following afternoon at Toronto's Tranzac club.

I can be a remarkably lazy person.

One way in which this vice of mine manifests itself is by often waiting to go to a show until three or more bands I'm interested in are all playing on the same bill. Tonight was just such a lucky occasion: 1. infectious slow'n'low trio Holy Mount, whose new "We Fell From The Sky" record has been on frequent rotation in my place of residence; 2. the mighty Metz, who I've wanted to see for a long time, and whose stellar reputation precedes them (people whose tastes I respect had told me they were one of the best bands around); and finally, 3. the one and only Panzram's Ghost, a band with whom I have a 'special relationship', and who I'm always happy to see.

I had to drive a fair ways to get to the Atria, and opener Holy Mount had already started when I came in. Drat. I did see most of their set though, I think, including the title track off the new record, which is my current fave. These are songs that would sound great with just a voice and acoustic guitar alone - actual good tunes IOW - but, played heavy as hell by Holy Mount, they rock in extended fashion with solid head-bobbing grooves, sweet solos, and psychedelic FX.

Speaking of FX, how many effects pedals do Metz have? And how bad a segueway was that?

Another LOUD & heavy trio, Metz blew me away with apparent ease. They earned every bit of the praise I've been hearing, having genuinely created their own kind of heavy sound and putting it across as powerfully as can be imagined. In my personal musical pyramid of greatness, Jimi Hendrix is pretty much at the tip top, and Metz evoke a sensation I can only compare to the Master himself; their music is actually transcendental (not said lightly). I really look forward to seeing Metz again soon, and to hearing their debut full-length (coming fairly soonish).

Panzram's Ghost are a long-running cover band made up of Clayton, Willie and Matt from Anagram, as well as Andrew from Quest For Fire; they mostly play songs from the 1993 Starkweather tape "This Band Has Seconds To Live", but their repertoire has expanded to include tunes by GG Allin, The Pack, and The Dicks. This was their first show since the last time they played the Atria two years ago.

I have to be perfectly honest and confess I get a kick out of seeing Panzram's Ghost play songs I used to do. I would imagine that gratification can't be too surprising? What might surprise you though is the unique vantage point I have while hearing these songs now that I don't have to be facing the audience onstage singing them; in other words, I can sit back and relax, revel in my anonymity, and ogle women's butts in tight summer shorts, watching them bounce around to stuff I wrote! A point of view I never had before. So nice.

I can surreptitiously dig that scrub sitting at the bar, slowly getting into "Aluminum Baseball Bat". Check out people nodding their heads to "I've Got Fangs" or see them moshing to the band's titular theme. It's fun. It feeds my poor, starving ego, and feels more than a bit perverse (or, as Matt put it to me at the Dirt Picnic, "awkward"). And I get to be so lazy while it's all going on, almost like being a ghost at your own funeral! I hope PG never stop playing shows, I really do…

I asked the guys to pose onstage for a quick pic, seeing as how they'd played in near-darkness. To my surprise, they happily acquiesced. So here are perhaps the only 'band pictures' you'll ever see of Panzram's Ghost --

When the show was over, it was about 1:30am. I waked down King Street, past Oshawa's most outsized dance club The Big Sexy - with its usual stretch limo out front, drunken couples arguing, and young ladies in tight dresses huddled together with cellphones in hand. Just past the club, I was amused to see a wig (or part of a wig, anyways) lying on the street corner. Yes, somebody actually left their weave out on the sidewalk in the rain.

A catfight? A ménage à trois gone wrong? Saturday night in downtown Oshawa.

The next day I got up earlier than I'd have liked (ears still ringing from the night before) to attend Zine Dream 4 at Toronto's Tranzac. I was so overwhelmed by all the cool stuff on display that I forget to take any crappy pictures - you'll just have to imagine lots of awesome zines, prints, records, shirts, and comics…

I ran into a bunch of folks I hadn't seen in awhile, including my very good friend Davis Weir, there selling his excellent anthology Everything Elevator, a new zine of prints, and a new line of limited-edition cassettes under the label name of Trouble Door. I mention these because, well… I'm on two of them.

My own Sleazy Meanz has its first honest-to-goodness release - "Pornography God Man" (a plunderphonic loops-type thing put together last year); and Shar Pei, a longtime musical collaboration between Davis & I, also has its first actual release - 1997's "Urusai Kusai". The other two Trouble Door cassettes are: "Juntök", the latest effort by Davis' solo project Skulleraser, and "Space Waste", a 2001 record by Dumbodian (another Davis collaboration, this time with Erik from Whitby's The Cleavers).

I grabbed all four tapes, plus Davis' new zine, as well as other stuff from Lorenz Peters, Marc Bell, and Ayal Senior (two CDs from Kevin Hainey's Inyrdisk). That hot new BBW-themed zine Thickness? Grabbed one of those -- and a really excellent triple 3" CD comp called "Songs of Toronto" put out by Kevin Crump's Wintage Records. I had hoped to see elusive Dream Zine organizer Jesjit Gill (previously mentioned here on the blog) but he remained elusive so… Hi, Jesjit!

Is it OK to reveal here that Jesjit did the awesome artwork for No No Zero's forthcoming record? I hope so.

Getting Down & Dirty At The Dirt Picnic!

2011-08-11T23:47:00.019-04:00

Last Saturday at the Dirt Picnic, my plan had been to take pictures of all the bands (Anagram, Holy Cobras, The Ultimatemost High, Teenanger, us, and Ell V Gore) and then comment on their sets individually, as I have sometimes done before when the bill has been similarly rich. Unfortunately, the photos that I have of the show are by and large far too dark to use.

In fact, I really only got two decent photos the whole time: one of the boatyard beneath the patio, and another of Ell V Gore on the patio (displaying their saxophone player's fabulous gams):

After this, we go indoors and it gets dark. If you're interested in seeing some really good B&W shots of the show, get thee to Ivy Lovell's blog post haste. Here's a couple of shots she took of your hosts No No Zero in action:

Inside, it was hot, hot, hot. A light sprinkling of rain went down well between sweaty sets. It was Jordan's first show drumming with No No Zero so that was extra special for the band, and he delivered with a heavy hand (I mean that in the best possible way).

It was also our first time playing with (only) two of the other acts on the six-act bill - Ell V Gore and Holy Cobras. That was a thrill, and they both put on excellent high energy sets. I am a huge fan of Simone TB's drumming in particular, wow. And Holy Cobras played my favourite song of theirs, "He's Rubber, I'm Real" (I'd been hoping they would for weeks, but I didn't dare get too excited in case it didn't happen...).

And now, a couple of crappy iphone pictures to break up all this text:

For my part, I had a bunch of technical crap go wrong, which is always frustrating - first, the adapter for my theremin (debut with the band) was missing once I got to the venue so I couldn't play that. Then the Cheeseman-Miszczyk telephone microphone I was using, so dependable at practise, crapped out halfway through our set.

Oh well. The guys played fiercely, the night was a lot of fun, I got to see five great bands, some old friends, and drink a whole bunch of $3.50 screwdrivers because I didn't have to drive home afterwards. Thanks to Erin Hagen and James Ryan Halpenny for putting it all together. Finally, here's a pic Ivy took of Jon from Teenanger wearing one of our setlists:

Addendum: I forgot to add that I finally met Joe from Mechanical Forest Sound at the Dirt Picnic, and had a nice chat with him. He's got tunes up by Teenanger and Holy Cobras recorded live that night, and told me to expect an actual review proper some time next year maybe... (he works at a similar pace to myself)

Still Yet More Women With Axes!

2011-08-06T12:55:00.007-04:00

I just can't get enough.

Still More Women With Axes!

2011-07-22T01:48:00.026-04:00

A little bit of everything here for the axe fetishist...

Dirt Picnic Primer!

2011-07-20T22:57:00.004-04:00

Coming up in just over two weeks is the DIRT PICNIC, an all-afternoon/evening blow-out at the beautiful lakeside Legion Hall 344: DJs of all stripes til the fading light and then follow that up with a bunch of the best bands around. Don't believe me? Then take a look at these live videos from Youtube, showcasing the night's players...

Most of these clips are new or newish, but I'll start with an oldie cuz it's loud and I think I was at this show:

ANAGRAM

HOLY COBRAS

THE ULTIMATEMOST HIGH

TEENANGER

NO NO ZERO

ELL V GORE

Such a bill is guaranteed to THRILL. The hall's got a strong architectural foundation, no need to worry 'bout a "freak situation" -- the floor is made of wood (and that's good) and the affordable beer flows and there's BBQ too. I haven't even mentioned the finest patio on the shores of Lake Ontario.

$10. Tickets available now at Soundscapes.

The DIRT PICNIC begins at 3pm -
so make it there before 420, bad penny.

Dirt Picnic!

2011-06-28T01:05:00.007-04:00

Announcing another No No Zero show, Saturday August 6th, this time as part of a special all-evening event called Dirt Picnic.

To quote the Facebook event page:

come see some bands on the best patio in the city.

seriously.

all-day djs, burgers, beers, babes, buds.

just a true blast.

rain or shine.

bands (starting at 8pm shaaarp)

(set times tba)

ANAGRAM
THE HOLY COBRAS (lp release show)
THE ULTIMATEMOST HIGH
TEENANGER
NO NO ZERO
ELL V GORE

afternoon DJs (3pm - 8pm)

MÜVA SOUNDSYSTEM ftg:

Old School Hip Hop:
FRO & STEWIE

Rap:
RPM & DAS

Dancehall & Reggae:
REDDA & GRATEFUL DREAD

House:
LAB ON THE FLY LIVE

& FOR END OF THE NIGHT-DIRT FINALE....
Dubstep:
MEOWMIX & BRAHOO

burgers/dogs/bbq in the afternoon.

$10

MAP:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6051/5877977818_e1f54dde75_o.jpg

This should be our first gig with new drummer Jordan Ritchie (also in Ancestors) so it's a special show for the band. We haven't played this venue since September of 2009 and we had a BLAST the last time.

Come on out and enjoy the Dirt with us!

What A Night!

2011-05-27T19:52:00.010-04:00

Thanks to everyone who out to the Silver Dollar last night for what proved IMHO to be a very good show indeed. Punters trickled in slowly but there was a healthy crowd by the time super fresh trio Prosimii began their most excellent aural assault. I was really impressed and look forward to seeing them again soon, hopefully on a bill with us. The 50 free copies of their EP vanished in no time, and it is now available online here.

Nick Flanagan took the stage next (following perhaps the world's worst introduction, courtesy of moi) and people started heckling -- which is kind of strange since I'd just read a thread last week all about heckling (tons of excellent related video links) -- so I decided to get some fresh air in lieu of letting a growing tsunami of anxiety wash over me.

When I came back in, Pow Wows had started playing what turned out to be a pretty thorough set; I was pleased to hear they can pull their sound off live, and they do the whole three-part harmony thing with aplomb. They told me they haven't been at it very long, but they certainly play like seasoned pros, and I was very wowed indeed.

This time I stuck around for Nick's comedy and enjoyed it as I always do; special thanks to him for coming out and doing the show. I've known Nick a long time now and he's a great guy, a real class act, and of course very funny too. Get his new record "I'm Here All Weak" if you haven't already...

By the time we got on, it was pretty late and most folks had left for whatever came next. The flipside of that is that those remaining were hardcore freaks and drunks. Even though I'm now well into my Fat Elvis period, I was giving it 110%*, and the band played beautifully, and fun was definitely had.

This was an especially special show for No No Zero because it was our first one with the very sweet styles of 'Sweets' Sweetland (now on baritone guitar) in a few years, and our last one with Gideon Steinberg of the spectacular Soupcans. Don't expect to see us out for a bit as we mix our forthcoming record, and hopefully work on some new songs.

Thanks to all the bands, Nick Flanagan, Dan Burke, my wife for working the door, and Ireek Sofakia for uploading some footage from the show!

Bonus: Live video by Ireek of new song "Bite Me"

*even after falling backwards off the stage and onto a riser, as seen halfway though the first video at the top of the post. And yes, I am feeling that today, thanks...

Poster for our next show!

2011-05-13T21:07:00.004-04:00

Ryan Halpenny has mad skills, as any long-time blog followers here will know. But with this, the poster for our upcoming extravaganza at the Silver Dollar, he sets new standards for wickedness. I'm blown away and I don't know what else to say.

Hopefully, we'll have a few copies for sale at the show.

Really Big Shew at the Silver Dollar!

2011-05-11T19:00:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to hold off actually doing a post on this announcement until I had the Ryan Halpenny poster art for it (which is going to rule), but I just can't wait any longer or I'll burst into tiny excited particles, so...

NO NO ZERO is playing two weeks from now, Thursday, May 26th, at the very fine Silver Dollar (486 Spadina Ave., Toronto) - and with quite a splendido bill lined up for all you wonderful people: three sweet bands and one sour host -- ha ha, no (that's my own sad attempt at comedy). He's a super-sweet guy and super-funny and super-hosty. If you're like me, you know him and you love him. He's the man -- NICK FLANAGAN!!!

As to the bands, things heat up with PROSIMII, who I am really looking forward to. This is Adam from (the always entertaining) LUNCHMEAT's new band and this is their very *first* show; come out to say you saw them back when... Folks attending the show will be getting a free five song EP from them as well (while supplies last - there's only 50). You can't beat that!

POW WOWS are a Toronto rock band with an impressive sound and an impressive record deal (putting out their "Nightmare Soda" LP on Get Hip) to go with it. I am thrilled they're playing with us, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them rip it up live. So don't talk to me while they're on, OK?

NO NO ZERO don't wanna disappoint when we're playing with such amazing company - so we come stacked this night with not one, not two, but *three* guitar playing fools onstage (including the return of Sweets Sweetland, this time playing a beautiful gold baritone guitar) -- pretty sure this is our first three-guitar show since Poster Show IV at the Legion Hall by the lake back in '09.

It's also probably going to be our last show for a bit, while we finish work on our new record, so don't miss it.

JUST $5 FIVE BUCKS!!!
$$$5$$$

Approximate Set Times --
Promisii 10, Pow Wows 10:50, NNZ 11:40

BE THERE OR BE SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Penultimate Overdubs!?

2011-05-05T22:44:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday, three wise men came by and blessed my baby. They were Jeremy Strachan, Jon Sharron (pictured above), and Michael Keith, and all three contributed wonderful sounds to the forthcoming No No Zero record. I thank them profusely.

Nyles Miszczyk was conducting things for these hopefully penultimate overdubs (just one last thing left, honest) and the maestro also wound up adding some finishing touches himself (to wit, tambourine, maracas, and moog). This lean beast is turning into a gargantuan feast.

And the end is coming up fast.

The Starkweather Fix's Turn For Videos!

2011-04-26T02:44:00.008-04:00

So I have continued using iMovie to (fairly quickly) create 'videos' for Youtube, this time for a couple of tunes by my first band, The Starkweather Fix. First off, I tackled "Quickie" which, being all of ten seconds long, was not so challenging; a few pics of PG kneetremblin' action going down, a couple of band pics, and we're off to the races.

Next I tried that new mix of "Wet Blanket" that Neeler Peeler did last year on his Missing Tapes site. This track was a good minute and a half and I was trying to use all band-related pics - could I make it work? Well... I could've used more pics, no doubt about it, but a bit of repetition at the end is no big deal, I figure.

Hope you enjoy. I'll likely be adding some bands I dig in the coming days (I have a couple of White Flame tracks up already) so check back at my account. Who knows what we'll see posted?

***MORE!!!***

Video for "Tourniquet", a song played only once, improvised live at the Different Drum Cafe in Oshawa, March 31, 1996

Uschi: The Youtube Video!

2011-04-25T05:21:00.006-04:00

On a whim last night, I finally decided to try my hand at actually uploading a video to Youtube (I know, I'm rather late to the whole business). After a trial run uploading White Flame's "Lewd Dude" with just a simple pic of the LP cover (a song which was, rather shockingly, missing heretofore from Youtube's collection), I was ready to try something a little more advanced.

It had long been a dream of mine to create a simple 'video' for No No Zero's song "Uschi" (off Rough Stuff) with either film footage or still photographs of the lady herself; just a simple visual compliment to the song, something to connect someone hearing it with a person they may not be familiar with (or alternately all too familiar with).

With such a project in mind, I tried to use iMovie for the first time and crashed the computer (quite a feat really). A second attempt involved not only trying to learn the application, but searching desperately for enough PG-rated pictures of Uschi (video was too difficult by half) to make up the three and a half minutes running time of the song.

After what seems like nine hours or so, I think it's finally ready to come into the world. Ladies & gentlemen, let me present the fruits of my labours: a video for No No Zero's tribute-in-song "Uschi"!

Over 1000 Pics On Sleazy Meanz Tumblr!

2011-04-19T02:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I surpassed the one thousand picture mark on this blog's NSFW photo sister site Sleazy Meanz. I figured that was a legitimate reason to remind you it exists: lots and lots of my own secret blend of naked ladies and whatnot, combined with the occasional Sleazy Meanz mash-up.

If you've not seen it before, here's a look at what's gone up thus far.

No Sex!

2011-04-17T00:06:00.004-04:00

Wow. Really? Saying no to sex is in? Fashionable?

Women are unhappy sexually. Men are making due with internet porn; growing impossible expectations in the process, or giving up the game altogether.

Is this true?

And is "the culture is still weirdly prurient about the idea of other people — particularly women — not having sex"? Are women not capable of being leaders because they're predisposed to being low in the sex drive department?

From the NY Times article:

"This kind of thinking is offensive and, actually, insane; sex isn’t the anti-kryptonite. But because we’re all post-Freudians, it’s as if we still believe sex equals strength, health and life; and therefore, not-sex equals weakness, illness and death."

Weakness, illness, and death. Sure sounds sexy to me.

The Sphinxs Got An Album!

2011-04-13T16:24:00.004-04:00

No No Zero brethren Chris Thief and Siânteuse are also both in Toronto powerhouse The Sphinxs (sort of formerly The Bang Bangs) and their debut album, long in the works, was mixed yesterday by Mixmaster Nyles Miszczyk, wahoo!

Not only that, but Tim McCready has posted "the single" off the yet to be released record -- the intriguing, pulsating, exotic, erotic, slightly-new wave-sounding, very-different-from-the-first-time-I-heard-it "Asia Minor". Listen to it 777 times!

Then go see them tonight at The Shop under Parts & Labour (1566 Queen St. W.) where they is playing and slaying with In The Red devils Davila 666 and local combo The Modern Superstitions.

Sounds of Niagara Falls!

2011-04-03T20:45:00.008-04:00

You may remember a post here a couple of years ago on the topic of Shrunken Heads, wherein Ripley's Museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario was discussed?

Well, I visited the Honeymoon Capital again this past weekend, and while I was there, I did a bit of audio socio-history or ethno-something-or-other. That is to say, I recorded some of the 'barker loops' outside tacky Clifton Hill tourist traps like the Rock Legends Wax Museum or the nearby House of Frankenstein. Also inside Casino Niagara, which definitely has its own strange audio ambiance.

These are by no means whatsoever great recordings, let me make that clear at the outset. But they are pretty funny stuff at times and they certainly provide some atmosphere along with all the wind noise. Hope you enjoy!

Rock Legends Wax Museum
House of Frankenstein
Casino Niagara (kind of soothing)

No No Zero Got A Facebook Page!

2011-03-25T12:54:00.008-04:00

Is this us jumping the ship? Selling out?

With the recent demise of Stillepost and no clear replacement for a place to let people know we're playing, I have decided to bite the bullet (despite my "aversion to social networking") and give Facebook a go; it seems to have become the default location for concert news and announcements so - that's my excuse. I have a lot of problems with FB but we'll try it out and see what happens.

The page went up a few days ago and now has enough 'likes' I was able to create a tailor-made URL, in this case www.facebook.com/nonozero. If you have any live pics of the band or anything of that nature, please feel free to post them there.

This new page should in no way alter 'Penetrating Insights', which continues to be the de facto band blog.

Video at The Academy of Sciences!

2011-03-21T13:37:00.005-04:00

A video recording of three songs early on in our set at The Academy of Sciences last Saturday; they are "Five Seconds", "Humans Are Bovine", and "Closet Case". You may note that about 2:30, Chris Thief gets into it with somebody in the crowd and briefly loses his guitar.

I was singing with my eyes closed for a bit at this point. When I opened them, I was surprised to see Chris being dragged across the floor upsidedown by his legs, his guitar trailing behind him. A couple of women with small brooms were hurriedly sweeping broken glass from the area in front of the stage. I wanted to ask them to sweep me up too.

Thanks to Ireek Sofakia for shooting this and uploading it. She also has The People of Canada, Deutsche Banks and The Get Nuns from the same night.

Live At The Academy of Sciences!

2011-03-20T13:47:00.008-04:00

The show last night was lots of fun, thanks to Bo at the Academy of Sciences - a pleasantly psychedelic venue - and the other bands who played (The Get Nuns, Deutsche Banks, La Casa Muerte, The People of Canada).

Photos by GB may capture something of the technicolour vibe if you couldn't make it out...

Deutsche Banks

No No Zero

No No Zero interview on AUX TV!

2011-03-18T20:07:00.011-04:00

Well, the interview I did last September with Sam Sutherland for AUX's online show "Exclaim TV Presents Garageland" is now up. See me talk some nonsense behind the Silver Dollar, in addition to some nice footage of the band playing a couple of songs there too ("Eurosleaze" and "Colossal Penetrations" for the record).

Get hooked and come see us tomorrow night!

Thanks to Sam Sutherland, Ashley Carter, and Justin Taylor.

Swamp Terrorists - Grow Speed Injection!

2011-03-17T18:41:00.005-04:00

I had a friend ask me to upload this one today so I figured, what the hey, I might as well share it with whoever is looking at this blog too.

Swamp Terrorists were, I daresay, sort of like a Swiss take on KMFDM, what with the metal riffs, hip hop beats, movie samples, and "industrial" style vocals; "Grow Speed Injection" is the band's sophomore record, considered by many their best.

In 1991, when this was released, I was volunteering at CKCU, a university radio station in Ottawa. I was doing a lot of acid at the time, and found this a hilarious record to listen to on the stuff. That's about all I can offer in the way of a recommendation, good or bad.

"Green Blood", "Braintrash" and "Rawhead" are clear highlights for me, along with "S.S.M.". This is really cheesey, make no mistake -- but, if you like that sort of thing, you're in for a treat.

Swamp Terrorists - Grow Speed Injection

No No Zero practise pics!

2011-03-11T01:50:00.002-05:00

For your edification, some great photographs taken by Alyssa Katherine Faoro at a recent band practise.

No No Zero here is Zak Hanna on guitar, Chris Thief on guitar, Pius Priapus on vocals, and Gideon Steinberg on drums. Siânteuse sent her regrets.

No No Zero Dropping Science!

2011-03-03T04:39:00.006-05:00

As to the promised details of the next No No Zero show - with Toronto's own fantastic fuzzy sweet leaf legends Grasshopper, as well as the dynamically devastating Deutsche Banks - they are as follows:

SATURDAY MARCH 19TH
@ THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
225 STERLING ROAD UNIT 19

west of Lansdowne, south of Bloor on Ruttan Road
or north of Dundas on Sterling Road past the Nestle factory

GRASSHOPPER - 2am

NO NO ZERO - 1am

DEUTSCHE BANKS - 12am

LA CASA MUERTE - 11pm

and...THE PEOPLE OF CANADA - 10pm

DOORS: 9PM
COVER: 5 BUCKS

BYOB
(drinks also available at the academy)

Hope to see you there. This is likely to be the last appearance of the band as a five-piece, at least for awhile. Someone said six players was a sextet and I thought that sounded pretty good.

Ladies with Skulls!

2011-03-01T02:07:00.016-05:00

It turns out this is my 300th post here. For the occasion, I figured I'd post something just because I felt like it - something special I've been filing away for awhile - and that special something turned out to be pictures of women with skulls.

As ever, it seems someone else with a blog had the same inclination (and not too long ago either, just a fortnight!) so I'll share their fine collection of images as well - I think we've just the one duplication between us.

Sandra Torralba!

2011-02-15T15:38:00.007-05:00

I've been seeing some photos from the "Estranged Sex" series showing up here and there on tumblr and chan sites - and I found them quite remarkable - but just discovered today the identity of the artist: Spanish photographer Sandra Torralba.

Here is a Spanish language making of video concerning one of the more controversial images from the series; that of the 'rape fantasy'. For contrast, the amusing short 'Las Tetas' film. Her flickr photostream, featuring stills from the making of Estranged Sex IXX.

A few interviews with the artist here, here, here, here, and here.

One of Torralba's images is a very matter-of-fact teabagging. I enjoyed her comments on this piece:

"Ever since someone told me about the tea bagging endeavour, I was intrigued by it. It repulsed me of course, it was one of these things that automatically make you feel angry and disgusted. Maybe even so more if you are a woman. Yet there was something very funny about it, especially if could envisage yourself in the place of the owner of the tea bagging testicles.

One of the main purposes of this series is not only to challenge people's ideas and feelings about various aspects of sexual life, but primarily to challenge [my own]. If there is something I feel I don't understand and I feel disgust towards, now that is interesting and shall be explored.

When you face the things that maybe frighten or repulse you, it's somehow liberating. I find that understanding, humour and honesty do help me live a freer life where I am not trapped in my own taboos. Don't get me wrong, if someone ever tea bags me and I wake up and likely quick [kick?] their balls with my forehead. Understanding does NOT mean accepting, does NOT mean you have to like it, it just means you are no longer stuck in your disgust, fear, or anger.

Also we live our lives with much drama, and to be fair, we have a point. Life is full of misery and pain all the way round, yet there is something very ridiculous and enjoyable about life too, which I aim to rescue within this series."

Mainliner - Mainliner Sonic!

2011-02-12T01:11:00.004-05:00

Here's another loud one from Kawabata Makoto & Co. -- the follow-up to Mainliner's legendary debut Mellow Out. And if Mainliner Sonic isn't quite the unquestionable classic that its predecessor was, it still rattles the fillings of most any other rock band you'd care to name with startling ease. Originally on Charnel Music. Play loud.

Mainliner - Mainliner Sonic

March Show at La Casa Muerte!

2011-02-09T00:53:00.004-05:00

No No Zero is playing a show at La Casa Muerte in Toronto, March 19th, along with Deutsche Banks and Grasshopper. Details to follow.

Photo by Alyssa Faoro.

Eire Apparent - Sunrise!

2011-02-01T14:43:00.005-05:00

Here's a great record that went under a lot of people's radar -- Eire Apparent's one and only album, Sunrise (1969). Jimi Hendrix produced, sang and played on some of the songs (notably making his guitar 'laugh' at the end of "The Clown") and Wikipedia suggests even Noel and Mitch were on the album. More details here and here.

Sorry I've been posting so little lately. My life is really upside-down right now and I'm exhausted much of the time. Hopefully, this will make up for it, at least in part. Enjoy!

Eire Apparent - Sunrise

January Is Milk Month!

2011-01-12T04:41:00.003-05:00

All this month I'll be posting milk-themed photos at my Sleazy Meanz tumblr site -- a variable mammoth milk 'n' mammaries explosion!

What is it about milk that makes it so erotic? Other than the obvious connotations of breastmilk or "man milk"? Milk is form-fitting and tends to show off a body's natural curves to nice effect. It's sticky too, which means a bath or shower is likely in your future if you're covered in the stuff. Speaking of baths, milkbaths connote luxury, self-indulgence, relaxation - all good things.

So go here for January 2011 and luxuriate in the porny pics I'll be posting throughout the milky month.

Four Corners #1 Toronto Band Show For 2010!

2010-12-30T21:01:00.006-05:00

Local lens lady Ivy Lovell has very graciously ranked the first Four Corners show (which we took part in, along with Ancestors, Teenanger and Anagram) as the #1 Toronto Band Show of 2010! And this ace photographer knows from shows. Take a look yourself as she runs them down at her blog, Ivy's League Photos.

And if there was any doubt the Four Corners concept has taken the city by storm, witness the second show in what is hopefully a series: this January 14th at the Steelworkers Hall (25 Cecil St.), this time featuring Rituals, Sun Ra Ra Ra, Quest For Fire, and Lullabye Arkestra. Food at 9, all bands at 11. Six bucks.

Every Ho I Know Says So!

2010-12-28T13:45:00.003-05:00

Interesting video from the Australian Scarlet Alliance on what sex workers would like their partners to know. A voice we almost never hear, speaking here loud and clear:

"EVERY HO I KNOW SAYS SO is a response to the total lack of accessible online resources for people looking for advice on how to be a good date or lover or partner to a sex worker. We want to support our lovers to continue unlearning the internalized stigma against sex workers, especially in intimate relationships. We think that sex workers themselves have valuable advice and direction to give to people who get into intimate relationships with us."

Tomás Švec presents 10 roughies!

2010-12-24T00:44:00.005-05:00

Looking up roughies for a message board discussion on how porn is getting nastier, I discovered this fascinating "personal selection... (of) disturbing, extreme vintage porn of the 70’s and 80’s" -- featuring many of our favourites here.

From Dennis Cooper's always awesome blog.

Zebedy Colt Would Be 81 Today!

2010-12-20T22:38:00.003-05:00

The late, great Zebedy Colt would be 81 today. Stay tuned for a detailed look at the man's life in this very spot very soon.

More Missing Tapes From The Starkweather Fix!

2010-12-18T22:11:00.004-05:00

Just in time for Christmas, here's the first four tracks posted at The Missing Tapes - a collection of previously unheard songs (or previously unheard recordings of older songs) from the first real band I was in, The Starkweather Fix.

These songs are: "Can't Find My Mind" (a cover of The Cramps tune), "My Body Is An Eyesore", "Sonic Youth Bootlegs", and finally, perennial crowd favourite "Wet Blanket" (with the later 'big ending').

The Starkweather Fix - The Missing Tapes (first four songs)

If you like what you hear, leave comments at the site and needle Neeler Peeler to post more. I can only nag so much, myself.

You Could've Had Your Thumb Sucked By René Bond!

2010-12-15T01:49:00.004-05:00

I love the image of a line-up of horny men gawking at nude René Bond, and then fixating on their thumb, trying to psyche themselves into a thumb-cock mind transfer or something.

Poster Show V Pics!

2010-12-13T23:50:00.008-05:00

Some crappy backlit iphone shots now from our show last Friday at the closing of J Ryan Halpenny's retrospective Poster Show V (AKA "Sorry Everyone"). Also playing were Early Abstractions, The Soupcans, The 159 Manning Sacred Harp Choir, and Induced Labour. Here we see the genteel Mr. Halpenny himself, holding court before five years of handiwork:

It was our new drummer Gideon's first show with No No Zero, and he not only performed brilliantly, but was off the hook entirely during the set he played (just before our own) with The Soupcans.

We debuted a new tune called "Bite Me" and I was somewhat saddened when not a one set of jaws took me up on my earnest offer.

All the bands were fun to watch, there was a good vibe in the room, it was amazing to see Ryan's posters all together (he let me take this great one home at the end of the night), and Function 13 had lots of neat stuff to covet and consider as well as perhaps the nicest bathroom stalls I've yet to set mine eye upon.

Foolish Male Faces in Sex Comedy Posters!

2010-12-12T00:05:00.006-05:00

In the 1970s and 1980s there was a phenomenon of men appearing on film posters bearing what can perhaps be safely described as overtly dumb expressions. Particularly popular in the area of sex comedy, such posters typically feature a beautiful woman (seen head-to-toe), while about her on either side are the faces of 2-6 very average, even unattractive men who look as though they have lost all reasoning capacity, are in fact made fools, struck dumb by the beauty they see before them.

From Jack Stevenson's Fleshpot: cinema's sexual myth makers & taboo breakers --

"In the excessive content of the Italian sex comedy, the constructed nature of masculinity is revealed... the sexual space of [these films]... are so over-the-top in their celebration of heterosexual ideas that today they are almost parodies"

Are such posters, and their images of men as idiotic figures of moronic lust, conservative, retrograde? Certainly their brief popularity in mid-1980s Hollywood was historically tied to the height of consumerist Reaganism. Maggie Günsberg's Italian Cinema: Gender and Genre suggests much the same was true of Italy*; I don't know enough about Italian politics to comment on any equivalences there, but I do know such male expressions were stock comic relief in not only Italian but also Mexican sex comedy cinema of the 1970s.

Should we consider that such male-dominant, even macho, societies might be confident enough in their masculinity that said masculinity could be safely depicted as something foolish, fun, even brainless - silly slaverings to sirens, evoking not the handsome male of so many a standard cinematic artwork, the mutual attraction, or romance portrayed in so many 'rom-com' film posters, but instead a tongue-out sort of pig lust? Or is it the reverse, exaggeration masking deep insecurities? I don't know. Still, I confess when viewing these ridiculous faces, I can't help seeing something of value in them, however unattractive it may be.

filmreference.com --

"Lina Wertmüller established herself in the 1970s as Italy's most important female director. Her best works were all typical of the commedia dell'italiana genre: The Seduction of Mimi (1971); Love and Anarchy (1972); Swept Away (1974); and her previously discussed masterpiece, Seven Beauties . Wertmüller's comedies, filled with stock characters and presented with the typical vulgarity of traditional Italian slapstick farce, treated controversial political subjects, such as feminism, women's rights, working-class chauvinism, and the opposition of love and anarchy, with grotesque humor."

When women going out to male strip clubs became chic in the 1980s, I recall men's sexual stoicism quickly coming under the gun - women were whooping it up in these clubs, thrilled to finally be seeing men dancing naked before them, so we were told. These women were in touch with their lust, it was fun and healthy to be vocal and enthusiastic; by contrast, men sat sullen and silent at their own strip clubs, apparently bored out of their minds. What was wrong with them? Were the gyrations of naked bodies not something to be celebrated? Made merry over? Perhaps even get downright silly over?

I don't mean to excuse these goofy grotesques, but perhaps cast them in a different light, give them another context. As a young man growing up and focusing obsessively on anything that smacked of this mysterious magnet called sex, such posters (or late-night viewings of lusty Italian comedies on CHIN TV) conveyed that goofy, foolish, unattractive men, and sexy busty bombshells went together like a fork and spoon. I for one salute this lost ideal; we certainly can't all be George Clooney.

This 'lusty fool' type was not limited to the posters of such films of course but was in fact a mainstay character type of sex comedy, pre-AIDS; in Italy and latin countries, often an older man, apparently past his prime; in the U.S., a young man, eager to loose his virginity at any and all costs. In these films, certain aspects of reality are turned upside down: clumsiness and awkwardness are endearing, not off-putting. Physical comedy often serves to 'accidentally' undress a woman, there being no acceptable means to view the vaunted T&A other than voyeurism, cliche soft-focus romance, or frequently aggressive 'accidents' (at this time, that could include basically just grabbing a woman's top off). Private School is one such film featuring all three types of nudity, for anyone looking for examples.

* from a review of Maggie Günsberg's Italian Cinema: Gender and Genre --

"Chapter Two ('Commodifying Passions: Gender and Consumerism in Commedia all'italiana') is dedicated to the commedia all'italiana, and especially the relationship between sex and materialism. The Italian social context is brought into play here, with a discussion of the increased commodification of Italian social relations during the boom years (which coincided with the peak of the commedia). It begins by looking at consumerism and commodity fetishism within a theoretical framework marked by psychoanalysis (Freud, Lacan) and Marxism (Baudrillard) and then explores how one commodity (the car) functions in a number of films, and the effect on gender relationships of the commodification of relations. It also examines the commodification of the female body (through its sexuality) and of the male body (through its labour power). The films which provide the focus for this chapter are Germi's Divorzio all'italiana, De Sica's Matrimonio all'italiana, and others, such as Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti."

Girly With An Axe!

2010-11-27T20:22:00.008-05:00

Eh, more properly a hatchet, I suppose...

Back in the spring, I did a couple of picture posts featuring Sexy Women With Axes. Some of these pictures were movie posters and, if I'd had this Girly poster (and a couple of variations thereof) at that time, I'd surely have included them there.

I could hold onto the pics in some file, I suppose, for a theoretical future third installment. I think they're quite glorious enough to merit a post of their own though; not only is the topmost poster aesthetically appealing in a Salome-esque sort of way, it has a bit of an interesting backstory all its own.

From the indispensable IMDB --

The original poster art for the film was an eerie black and white family portrait of "The Family," dressed in traditional British attire (six form uniforms for Girly and Sonny, a maid's outfit for Nanny, and a World War II era dress for Mumsy). Though this iconography would have struck a chord with British viewers, it was deemed that US audiences wouldn't understand the image. For the US release, the distributor commissioned a poster of an anonymous girl standing in for Vanessa Howard, wearing a cutoff skirt and clutching a... bloody ax.

Sadly, even a sexy anonymous girl with an axe didn't do the trick, and this Freddie Francis-directed horror died a death at the box office, becoming so obscure that, until released on DVD earlier this year, it was well nigh impossible to find.

And while I mention Freddie Francis, would anyone mind if I snuck another of his horror flick posters into this post? It really is such a great one, that of his film just prior to Girly - the mostly decent Dracula Has Risen From The Grave.

Four Corners Review!

2010-11-26T13:05:00.005-05:00

Mechanical Forest Sound is a Toronto-based blog focused on live music reviews of the, er, 'independent scene' (I know, I know) with an occasional MP3 from the gig in question. Last July's well-received Four Corners show at Steelworkers Hall is the subject of an extensive review released there today, and I'm happy to share links to the review itself as well as to a couple of tracks we played there ("Colossal Penetrations" off our forthcoming record, and "Eurosleaze" off our last album Rough Stuff).

Tracks are also available from the sets of Anagram, Ancestors, and Teenanger, and you can even hear an approximation of the finale jam with all four bands simultaneously playing The Stooges' "Ann". Mechanical Forest Sound describes the "quite excellent" sweaty, drunken chaos well, but rest assured a single MP3 hardly equates with the live quadrophonic onslaught that was the night itself.

Ingrid Pitt!

2010-11-25T03:12:00.006-05:00

My birthday fun was shot down yesterday by the news that Hammer Horror legend Ingrid Pitt had just died. She's mentioned by name at the end of our song "Eurosleaze" ("Ingrid Pitt... that's the shit"), and there's been a rather fetching picture of her along the right hand side of the blog for a long time now, if not the entirety of its existence. In short, I was a real big fan of the lady. Her death comes as a sad and sorry surprise.

I have fond memories of seeing her in film after film as an impressionable youth, usually at the top of a staircase it seemed, half hidden by shadows, often with some obviously dark secret behind her eyes. Like so many of the actresses I have a thing for, she displayed a natural sense of humour (in her case, both onscreen and off) along with regularly displaying a naturally beautiful body. She was witty, intelligent (having written several books), and graced horror fans with a rare grace, vitality and respect.

Far greater than simply another Scream Queen, she well-earned the title Queen of the Vampires. I salute you, Ingrid Pitt - may your coffin be comfortable and undisturbed.

The Starkweather Fix Got The Cramps!

2010-11-24T02:36:00.005-05:00

I recently gave my brother a bunch of old ADAT and DAT tapes he was interested in transferring to digital - these were mostly of our old band The Starkweather Fix (I sang, Neeler Peeler played bass), and a lot of those were songs we'd recorded with Andy Owen in Oshawa back in the mid-1990s.

Andy had a lot of new gear and agreed to record the band for free in order to get some experience using it: in addition to recording our sole CD What The Swedish Butler Heard, he also recorded us playing quite a few songs we'd already released on our sole cassette This Band Has Seconds To Live, as well as enough unused material for the CD to make another album (we'd wanted WTSBH to be a double-CD but we didn't have the money to make such a beast).

Neeler Peeler has today unveiled a site of his own design called Starkweather: The Missing Tapes. On this site, he pledges, "a series of never-before-heard mixes that will be released over the coming months" (he's a busy guy so cut him some slack). The first of the released mixes is "Can't Find My Mind", a cover of The Cramps tune off their Psychedelic Jungle album (probably my fave). We had recorded the song for This Band Has Seconds To Live, but this is a few years after that. I like the bass sound on this recording, the heavy feel, and how it turned out in general.

The Starkweather Fix - Can't Find My Mind

I'd like to send this out to Dawn McLeod b/c it was always a song of ours she particularly liked. Band pic above is by Mark Laking.

Horacio Altuna!

2010-11-22T22:09:00.004-05:00

I was just sort of stumbling around some tumblr sites the other night, looking at erotic cartoons and things of that nature, when I suddenly chanced upon a few colour drawings that really took my breath away, striking me as exceptional and with no small amount of depth (for erotic cartoons). This handful of uncredited pictures appealed greatly to my own tastes, and I figured it was worthy of sharing here for those with a similar bent.

The artist is Horacio Altuna, an Argentine who has been drawing comics professionally since 1965. He has not always done erotic work [see gallery links on right], and is perhaps most famous in his home country for El loco Chavez, a series about a detective. Altuna has lived in Spain since 1982 and has continued to publish well-regarded work into the 21st century, including a family series started in 2005 called Familia tipo.

What is it about these pictures that fascinates me so? The detail is probably what strikes a viewer first; Altuna's unusual attention to objects and backgrounds, let alone to figures, makes these scenes that much more believable. But look again - notice the surreptitious nature of the sexual activity going on, the way other people are either watching or close enough to see or hear, the dynamic of the situations, the management of space, the private and the public. There is so little skin on display, yet the filthiness is impossible to miss.

Was innuendo ever so simultaneously vulgar and pretty?

Mid-90s Toronto Punk Tapes!

2010-11-20T00:13:00.010-05:00

If you were living in the GTA mid-1990s and interested in the local 'punk' scene of the time, There Are Chickens... is a blog that may just give you Intense Nostalgia Attack.

Posting cassettes from Smallmouth, Skewver, Eighthrib, Mower Queen, and M.K. Ultra (aka Slowgun), there may not be that many tapes there right now but, as anyone who lived through the period will recall, there's a lot more where that came from.

And where did this blog come from? There Are Chickens... is produced by none other than Mr. Gideon Steinberg, former drummer for 90s punk legends Pecola and currently pounding the skins for The Soupcans and - big announcement here - No No Zero! Come see his debut with us when Gideon pulls double duty at Poster Show V next month.

In the meantime, let's hope he keeps posting these tapes!

New No No Zero Record Draws Ever Nearer!

2010-11-15T02:22:00.005-05:00

Without going into too much detail, I can reveal that a major hurdle was crossed tonight in the (sometimes painfully) slow excretion that is the completion of our new record. The end is now in sight and, if I didn't think I'd curse myself in the process, I'd give an optimistic estimation of when it'll finally be finished.

Believe you me, it's a creepy island off in the distance, slowly getting bigger, growing always into greater focus. As ever, stay tuned for more.

New Tonetta LP Cover Shocker!

2010-11-10T18:10:00.012-05:00

I admit I've had some mixed feelings on Tonetta since reading his Artist Advocacy interview, but maybe that says more about me than he. In any case, Tony's new record - "777 Vol. II" (like Vol. I, it's on Black Tent Press) has a sleeve that I couldn't resist sharing - it would appear to be a 'dick print' featuring the cock of King Cock himself.

Perhaps worthy of note that a cover shoot call had originally gone out a couple of months ago on FB looking for someone, "over 18, female and comfortable posing topless wearing the mask of TONETTA in a professional studio setting". That sounded pretty promising, sure, but this is certainly a great deal more original. I wonder whether willing ladies came up in short supply, or were the results simply a poor substitutiary step-child to the long, hard wang of Mr. Big Rig?

This simple image encompasses many of Tonetta's best qualities: his overbearing sexuality (one might as easily say horniness), his fearlessness and/or shamelessness, his sense of humour, his need to share, so to speak, his exhibitionist proclivities. Vol. II also features some of my favourite Tonetta tunes - such as "Death Sentence", "G & B Showers", and "Dominate". Just wish I could afford one.

Another Poster Show Poster + Live Pics!

2010-11-08T14:03:00.004-05:00

Here we see a second poster Ryan Halpenny has done for his upcoming retrospective Poster Show V, as well as a couple of photos he took prior to No No Zero's last show (at Eyesore Cinema). A loud & spooky time was had by all!

Poster Show V!

2010-10-31T05:40:00.012-04:00

Proud as punch am I to announce that No No Zero are playing the closing night of Ryan Halpenny's week-long gala gallery art retrospective, aka. Poster Show V. This year's festivities are being held at Function 13 (156 Augusta Avenue, in the heart of Kensington Market), and run from December 4 - 10.

Opening night features The Weirdies, Catl, and the 159 Manning Sacred Harp Choir; closing night includes your hosts No No Zero as well as Induced Labour, Early Abstractions, and Thee Soupcans. A fine, fine pair of shows from Mr. Fort Polio, and yes, another opportunity to post one of his very-pleasing-to-the-eyeballs posters (albeit far too small here).

NOTE:
Show originally advertised as being on Saturday, Dec 11
but is actually Friday, Dec 10

Bob Guccione!

2010-10-26T02:40:00.020-04:00

Speaking of folks who died last week, Bob Guccione (probably my favourite pornographer of all time, whose effect on my own budding tastes would be well nigh impossible to overstate) finally succumbed to cancer last Wednesday after years of ill health and poor fortune.

I regret I can't really do the man any kind of justice here in a blog tribute: there's simply too much to say about Guccione, too much ground to cover - his roots as a painter, inauspicious beginnings running a chain of laundromats (cleaning other people's dirty sheets, ha ha), his global adventures and increasing sophistication... Penthouse magazine's initial delivery scandal and subsequent sales phenomenon, its introduction of pubic hair to magazine viewers, the combination of "sex, politics, and protest" - as their byline put it - frequently running expose stories on government corruption and the like.

"We followed the philosophy of voyeurism," Guccione told The Independent newspaper in London in 2004. He added that he attained a stylized eroticism in his photography by posing his models looking away from the camera. "To see her as if she doesn't know she's being seen," he said. "That was the sexy part. That was the part that none of our competition understood."

Penthouse had the best photography of naked women available, and that was probably its chief virtue, plain and simple. Guccione himself was often behind the camera, devoting painterly aesthetics (and what appeared to be large amounts of gauze) toward creating boudoir fantasies that were their own little soft-focus world, sometimes taking days to complete a shoot. Arty photography was a mainstay of the magazine's pictorials and, later on in the 1990s, I for one thrilled to Tony Ward's B&Ws.

But I digress. Penthouse had the best comics in the back, Penthouse Forum (worthy of a post in and of itself), Xaviera Hollander writing an advice column, genuinely interesting articles and insightful interviews with big name personalities and thinkers, a sense that sexuality was something worthy of exploring and considering, a willingness to feature kinks and unusual behaviour, even some good fiction occasionally.

Of course, in addition to publishing Penthouse, Guccione gave the world Omni, Viva, Newlook, Longevity, and, in conjunction with his son Bob Jr., Spin. Also, the singular cinematic sex gross-out saga of all time, Caligula. Celebrity photo shoots we all know and love. The Penthouse Pets. Then too a failed casino and nuclear power plant. By the end of his life, Guccione had sadly fallen out with much of his family, and (like another NYC pornographer we've looked at here) done the whole rags to riches thing in reverse.

Of all the porn that was around when I was growing up, Penthouse was by far my fave, better even than the odd expensive hardcore mag one might chance across. Like a lot of people at that time, I found Playboy boring and fake, Hustler gross and ugly. By contrast, Penthouse Pets, the Forum, Call Me Madam, Wicked Wanda -- this was a world of exotic, self-assured and often dominant women, women who would gladly lead you into kinky sex adventures if only the opportunity presented itself (or so it appeared).

For all that, I say thank you, Mr. Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione.

Ari Up!

2010-10-24T18:34:00.005-04:00

One of my very favourite singers of the whole punk 'thing', Ari Up of The Slits died this week. I loved her in The Punk Rock Movie - mad respect to a performer with incredible style and spirit - I think of her every time I rock onstage from side to side.

The Uschi Digard File!

2010-10-20T19:01:00.004-04:00

About a week ago, "the first book tribute to Uschi Digard", shipped from Creation Books' latest sub-press Wet Angel. Entitled "The Uschi Digard File", and limited to just 100 copies, this salute to everybody's favourite Swedish sexbomb looks like a sure bet for my Christmas wish list -- but why wasn't I asked to write it?

Do The Colonel Williams!

2010-10-19T23:36:00.004-04:00

The trial of Col. Russell Williams is near ubiquitous in the media this week, and with it, there has been much self-reflexive discussion of media's role in handling repellent subject matter.

John Cruickshank of the Toronto Star speaks to the matter with the CBC, and I thought his description of Williams as, "both enormously frightening and tremendously pathetic", was unusually astute -- a rare bit of insight into how media plays out its self-serving, bent-over-backwards dance of bad news.

Eyesore Cinema Show & Poster!

2010-10-17T16:56:00.005-04:00

No No Zero will be playing a special performance at Eyesore Cinema (801 Queen St. W., above Rotate This) at 9PM this coming Saturday October 30th. It's a free show and starting early -- so come on up, get a few crazy movies, and start your Devil's Night with some psychotronic rock'n'roll!

In the meantime, enjoy this sexy poster from Mr. Ryan Halpenny...

Majewski Streaming!

2010-10-13T22:55:00.005-04:00

Anagram's entire musical catalogue - including their brand-new record, Majewski - is now available to hear in streaming format, or to download as digital files (MP3, FLAC, or Apple Lossless), at their label Dead Astronaut's website.

Majewski release shows will follow on Friday October 22nd at The Shop under Parts & Labour (1566 Queen St. W., Toronto), and Saturday November 6th at The Polish Hall (219 Olive Avenue, Oshawa); the Oshawa show will also feature a display of titular inspiration Michal Majewski's artwork.

Come celebrate this awesome new album, as well as the life and work of one of Oshawa's great talents.

Sexmap!

2010-10-02T01:38:00.004-04:00

Here's the neatest website idea I've seen in a while: an interactive map of sexuality wherein four different-coloured pins (which the user applies) delineate whether a given fetish or activity has been tried and liked, tried and not liked, is something one would like to try, or something to keep in the realm of "strictly fantasy only".

The map was designed by Franklin Veaux of SymToys, an individual with a great deal of varied credits to his name, particularly in the area of polyamory and BDSM.

I must note also that a large (24x36") print version of the map is available to order (WANT). Get some darts and you've got yourself the craziest party game ever!

Guy Angier - Guitar & Bananas!

2010-09-30T23:11:00.011-04:00

Of the hundreds if not thousands of records I've discovered since I started downloading, this has got to be one of my absolute favourites. In one sentence? A fantastic "hideously rare" psych-pop album recorded in England, January 1970.

If you'd prefer more details, Paul Cross tells the entertaining tale -

'Guitar And Bananas' is NOT psychedelic, but it is a delicious album, and a brilliant debut, crammed with whimsical material and shot thru with pop-syke affectations. It is a near-perfect collection of pop songs. Even my 90-year old tone-deaf maiden aunt could clearly tell this Guy Angier feller was an important new pop talent. So, why Guy's career did not take off into the outer stratosphere as a result is one of pop's most puzzling riddles. Although lack of exposure certainly had a lot to do with it.

And what of this Guy Angier...? At the tender age of 17, Guy came to the UK from his native South Africa. So confident of success was he that he arrived at EMI with his demo tape of material and asked if they would like to press copies for him! A bemused EMI official replied that "We don't do that sort of thing. What you want is a private pressing. We can do it, but it will cost you."

Guy said OK and a private pressing of 99 copies was made. He was pretty "green" as he himself admits, and was unsure how he was going to distribute copies. No-one in the music business showed any interest, so he simply went from shop to shop and asked the people there to stock it on a sale/return basis. A handful of shops took 1 or 2 copies to see how it would go, and of course it didn't go at all.

So, having around 90 copies left, the next thing Guy did was to give them to friends and relatives. He can't remember what happened to the rest, although it is possible that they were eventually dumped in the garbage. However, it should be borne in mind that a not inconsiderable number of copies have turned up recently...

All original compositions, written by Guy Angier. Angier also sung, played bass, lead guitar, 12-string guitar, piano and organ. He also composed, arranged and produced the album!!! The only things he didn't do were the drums and "strings". These came courtesy of Jackson Recording Co. This meant a session drummer and an analog synthesizer for the "strings". The album was recorded at Jackson Studios, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, in January 1970.

- Paul Cross, Sweet Floral Albion No. 34

1. Barefooted Troubadour In Spain
2. A Leaf In The Wind
3. Love Grows And Grows
4. Stanley Chapter
5. Sunshine And Roses
6. The Days Are Long

7. The Night Of Marianne
8. I'm Going Down To Bristol
9. Baker Man
10. Dr. Johnson
11. San Pedro Send Me Back
12. I Can't Help Myself Dreaming

Originally posted at the sorely-missed Mystery Poster, I hope you'll agree this is nothing less than a slept-on should've-been classic!

Guy Angier - Guitar & Bananas
[I tried to correct the song titles before uploading this, but they still seem to be out of order]

Diane Arbus!

2010-09-27T12:02:00.005-04:00

A week or so ago, I was visiting the patient's library of what used to be called the Queen St. Mental Health Centre, pacing the stacks, regarding the titles. Bearing a stamp by that old name was an original copy of the 1972 classic of photography, Diane Arbus.

Sadly for me, the book was classified as Reference and therefore not allowed to circulate outside the library. It would be preferable to peruse the pages in private, but the semi-public sphere which was here would have to suffice just nice.

I sat down and had a look and this book of photographs quickly, and with some apparent ease, utterly blew my mind. I copied out some of the text --

"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot. It was one of the first things I photographed and it had a terrific kind of excitement for me. I just used to adore them. I still do adore some of them. I don't quite mean they're my best friends but they made me feel a mixture of shame and awe. There's a quality of legend about freaks. Like a person in a fairy tale who stops you and demands that you answer a riddle. Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats."

"Nudist camps was a terrific subject for me. I've been to three of them over a period of years. The first time I went was in 1963 when I stayed a whole week and that was really thrilling. It was the seediest camp and for that reason, for some reason, it was also the most terrific. It was really falling apart. The place was mouldy and the grass wasn't growing."

"Sometimes I can see a photograph or a painting, I see it and I think, That's not the way it is. I don't mean a feeling of, I don't like it. I mean the feeling that this is fantastic, but there's something wrong. I guess it's my own sense of what a fact is. Something will come up in me very strongly of No, a terrific No. It's a totally private feeling I get of how different it really is."

Aux Taux!

2010-09-26T11:42:00.004-04:00

In addition to playing a particularly punk show this Friday past,
No No Zero did our first band interview in quite awhile - with Sam Sutherland and Exclaim TV's Garageland (on Aux).

This reminded me to get going on the follow-up to Rough Stuff. More on that soonish.

Anagram's LP Title Revealed!

2010-09-20T19:00:00.006-04:00

Jeff from Anagram went looking on Stillepost today for somewhere for the band to practise -- and, in the process, revealed their new album is entitled Majewski (after the late, sorely missed local artist Mike Majewski) and that, "it will destroy you".

This album hasn't even come out yet, and it's already the stuff of legend: recorded no less than three times before the band felt they'd got it right, it's being released exclusively on vinyl (photo above by Danijel Losic) with one track thereof ("I've Been Wrong Before") now available on the band's MySpace page.

I have been looking forward to hearing this collection of songs for what feels like a very long time indeed - Anagram's Majewski has got to be my most anticipated album of the year.

[MAJEWSKI is released unto this world Nov. 6th at the Olive St. Polish Hall in Beautiful Downtown Oshawa!!!]

Sexy LP Sleeves!

2010-09-11T21:23:00.008-04:00

LP Cover Lover has plenty o' the sex wax for you: that's XXX, S-E-X, nudes, and even cheesecake! Here's some of my faves.

Live Blanchard Band Pics!

2010-09-03T20:06:00.008-04:00

Here's some lysergic pics Jesjit Gill just posted of No No Zero live at Double Double Land last Friday. FX by Philippe Blanchard.

September Show Poster!

2010-08-30T18:28:00.005-04:00

And here's the poster for our next show! By now you know the artist, of course - Mr. Fort Polio himself, Ryan Halpenny. Where he got the idea from is anyone's guess...

Another show!

2010-08-28T13:53:00.008-04:00

Last night, No No Zero played Double Double Land with Ghostlight (here's some pictures of Philippe Blanchard's projections at the show). Today, I am happy to announce we're playing another fun show less than a month from now.

Check this smorgasbord line-up of Canadian punk styles:

Brutal Knights (Toronto)
Statues (Sudbury)
No No Zero
Germ Attak (Ottawa)
Dead Wife (Montreal)

Friday September 24th
at The Silver Dollar
9pm

Buzz The Jerk!

2010-08-18T16:47:00.003-04:00

The jerk is out for a while getting buzzed. Stay tuned for more.

Free Drawings 8 Poster!

2010-08-11T01:12:00.004-04:00

Just released today, here's Jesjit Gill's poster for the upcoming Free Drawings 8 release show at Double Double Land August 27th.

Don't misunderstand, the show is only *three* bones.

Free Drawings #8 is out now!

2010-08-09T20:02:00.006-04:00

With the release of its eighth ish, it would seem Jesjit Gill is taking his Free Drawings series of crazy, drippy newsprint comics out behind the barn and shooting it in the head. And that is very sad, for this was perhaps the greatest free collection of its kind that Toronto has ever seen.

If it must be the end, at least it promises to be a glorious one. #8 includes the work of the following sick minds: Seth Scriver, Adam Buttrick, Chris Kline, Owen Plummer, Matt King, Luke Ramsey, Mark Connery, Peter Kalyniuk, Fiona Smyth, Marc Bell, Peter Thompson, Stephen Appleby Barr, Hugh Langis, Manfred Naescher, Morgan Criger, Nadina Tandy, Amy Bowles, Tad Michalak, Laura Mccoy, Keith Herzik, Jacob Whibley, Adrienne Kammerer, Lane Milburn, Zoe Barcza, Bill Mcwright, Steph Davidson, Alex Mackenzie, Tomas Del Balso, Victor Kerlow, Vanessa Rieger, Juliana Eye, Dave Weir, Leon Sadler, Marco Landini, Ginette Lapalme, Michael Comeau, Pete Dako, and Michael Deforge.

Jesjit is celebrating the release with an August 27th show at Double Double Land, featuring projections by Philippe Blanchard, Adrienne Kammerer and Michael Comeau spinning the wax fantastic, Ghostlight melting your brain, and No No Zero quickening your sex pulse. Admission is $3.

Marilyn at Santa Monica Beach 1962!

2010-08-08T02:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks go out to Anonymous, who tipped us off that the photos of Marilyn Monroe I asked about earlier were taken by George Barris in July of '62 at Santa Monica Beach. They are in fact some of the last photographs taken of Marilyn before she died (Barris and Monroe were working on a piece for Cosmopolitan but were also said to be discussing a book project together).

Youtube has a great clip of the shoot at Santa Monica up - about the 2:12 mark, we get some tantalizing footage of Marilyn playing with seaweed again.

Craigslist w4m!

2010-08-07T13:24:00.012-04:00

I.

It's time to heat things up!!!
It's time to shake things up!!!
it's time for fun!!!
it's time for the real deal!!!
Your search for the best has come to a end!!!
Now one stop shop of what SEXY IS MADE OF.
Let yourself seduce and led into other dimensions
and make your desires a reality.
She is a VIRGIN to almost everything
so invite her over and TELL HER WHAT YOU WANT
SHe is so VERY VERY sWeeT
Her slim toned body accentuates her soft round breasts.
Yummy !!! Yummy !!! Yummy !!! Yummy !!!
GIRL FOR YOU TO DEFLOWER
..she like to start to have a nice bubble bath with you
and give you full body massage.
Her wild action will soon bring you into heaven.
(¯`•.*★*.•´¯)(¯`•.(((HOT))) EGYPTIAN BRUNETTE(¯`•.*★*.•´¯)(¯`•
just arrived this week from Japan and only here for a short time.

II.

Hey H0rny !
Not Quite ready to hit the SaCc ?
Well I sure am ...... Your Ballz SaCc that is..... Lol :)
:*:==*::::""FLAWLESS BEAUTY""::::""I GOT THE POWER""::::*===:*:
22 (OUTCALLS ONLY)
I am sincerely all yours!
I have been told that I radiate
cheerleader charm with a genuine touch.
Over there with a STiiFF one.... Need to rel.ease ???
I am passionate with a need for the spontaneous!
You will want me to be on your arm over and over again!
For your ultimate companion, please call me!!!
YOUNGEST SCHOOL GIRL LOOKING
FOR OUTCALL TO MEET NICE GENTLEMAN
FORCE MY H3AD ON YOUR C0C'K
Your J*Z is MY BIZ .........
I am very good at what I do and
you will be in heaven as I've proven many times before.
-----are you feel H0RNY?, need some DIFFERENT?-----
YOU need me---!!!
make you so ex*ic*ting...
~~~~~~my services is WONDERFUL!!I do everything you want-------
best perfect b.b.b.j;---
deep th*roat, real G.F.E; C.I.M & 6*9 & SALL*0W.......
deep r*i*mm*ing ...g*o*lden~~shower....
----both side give or take......
YOU SHOULD SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL BODY IN PERSON!
# t!ts fcuk!ng CR3AM-p!e unique 3b1j 6+9 #
I Guarantee You Will Not be Disappointed and
Will Be Leaving 100% Satisfied
Before You Leave My Cozy and D!screet Palace

III.

IAM HERE FOR YOUR PLEASURE AND
I WILL HAVE YOU SEEING FIREWORKS
I am available for several hours at a time...
I love to have fun as long as it doesnt get out of hand...
P.S. My Rates are already discounted at its lowest rates
so plz understand that I can't bring them any lower.
I sell myself for being
YOUNG AGE, BEAUTIFUL FACE, SEXY BODY, and NICE PERSONALITY
Our time together will be an individual experience
on a chemistry of the mind, heart and body.
I love sexing with the nice and mature gentlemen
who show me the power and domination.
I enjoy being conquered
by the strong and confident men in the room.
I am not a member in any agency because
it will be only about marketing and packaging
with abundant of unnecessary commission costs.
MY TITS ARE 100% GUARANTEED NATURALLY SOFT AND TASTEFUL!!!
I also always prepare the fresh towel
and clean slipper for you to feel relaxed
just like your getaway home.
I am here to make you feel wanted, sexy and desired.
I make you physically relaxed and
emotionally bonded with my Truly Girlfriend Experience.
boobs s1iding with baby oil
and you are free to come on my tits, neck and face!!!

IV.

S__ T__o__P _______ a__N__d _______
T__a__K__e ____ A ____ L__o_O_k
I guarantee you have
never experienced anything so invigo'rating before!
The o.r.g.a.s.m is very intense that you'll
become addictive to this type of r.e.l.e.a.s.e from now on.
wanting to show you my Milky and Busty Hot Tits…
Those are so Pink and Tasteful for your taste buds!!!
Special service would be complementary if you are truly gentlemen
!!@@!! phD in c0ck0l0gy!!@@!! 50 b-b-b-j
You won't find another pair of jugs so big and so natural.
You will need two hands to play with me.
I hope that you have a big and nice desk waiting me
to complete up your work and role play me as
your private assistant down the desk.
I enjoy you to be on the top and s1ap on my tits and ass?.
~_~_~__~~_~_~_~_-------.....NICE......B.O.O.T.Y....------__~_~~_~_~_~
su k you like a vaa cuum and ri-de you like a pony
I WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING BEAR SO DON'T EVEN ASK!!!
My picture showing is 100% Real and Recent,
and I think I even look more pretty in real person, hahaha
I do love to provide full services to those nice gentleman like you,
I really enjoy the session and will not make you disappointed.
I love to cuddle and make sure that you are comfortable.
I WANT TO CHARM YOUR S/N/A/K/E WITH MY MANY T/R/I/C/K/S
I AIM TO PLEASE AND I LOVE TO PLAY!!!

V.

I want boys that think of their own interest
I just landed to this paradise island, this is the paradise,
and i love to be here and also doing what i love.
EVERYTHING TIGHT AND SWEET LIKE ME
Don't \\'// DRiNK & DRIVE ==> GET high WHILE i RIDE!
PARTY WITH A HOT S.E.X.KITTEN & HEAR ME PURRRR!!!
If you are the NICE GENTLMEN, You are, definitely,
come to the right place to visit your MILKY GIRLFRIEND!!!
Come and Squeeze my busty hot tits!!!
Extremely HOT **Girlfriend Type**
Your spending is guaranteed with confidence skill
NO A N A L ____________S M
MUST CONDOM S E X
FOR our safe n worryless
I am an Elite * G--F--E & P--S--E * Beauty with All the Right Moves!
I’m the Queen of H.E.A.D……
You can be the King of S.P.E.R.M this evening.
if you decide to pick me from the deck,
I will make this one a memorable S.U.C.K .

VI.

''''''I'M''''' LEAVING'''' ON''' A''' JET''' PLANE''
ONLY IN TOWN A FEW MORE HOURS ***
IF YOU PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT.... YOU'LL GET THE SURPRISE !!!
It, s absolutely essential that you have fun
and allow me to be your girlfriend during our encounter.
I am always the girl in the photo that will show up to meet you
Get on board and forgot about world existing around You
People are saying that I'm really beautiful and smart
Ready to indulge in your fantasies and make them reality,
I would love to satisfy that idea.
Is there something you always wanted to try but never have?
I am 4 2 0 Friendly & more depending.
A glass of wine a dip in the pool hot tub etc
is fine with me...
I could also bring a sexy friend if you want.
Very close to Burlington Oakville Mississauga Malton
Brampton Vaughan and Woodbine Race Track
GOLDEN HAND WITH PLATINUM TONGUE
Just be a gentleman and you can always
count on me to make you come like a bull.

Marilyn Monroe with Algae!

2010-08-03T03:43:00.004-04:00

Is this picture not amazing?

I stumbled across it in a tumblr feed last night, and have since been able to find another photo taken the same day.

Where were these photographs shot? What was the year? What were the circumstances? Does anyone have any details whatsoever about these pictures?

I, for one, eagerly await answers.

Bodil Joensen!

2010-08-02T22:45:00.029-04:00

[NOTE: Only three links here go to pages with photographs of actual bestiality going on; these are designated with an *]

Working on yesterday's post, on bestiality-themed adult novel covers, had me pondering some sort of larger post on bestiality. Maybe I could address the seemingly 'co-ed' nature [PDF] of the desire for sex with animals? I'd seen Zoo and found that fairly interesting - in particular, the idea of a house or commune of sorts, dedicated to a sexual interest of near-universal disdain, was quite fascinating to me. Even the slow introduction of this taboo subject to the public imagination (gerbils in the butt, sheep jokes, Mr. Hands, Mr. Tombe, Mr. Spink) was worthy of attention.

The problem came soon after I began looking at links. I was forced to confront a basic, troubling fact: bestiality is something that, speaking personally, not only holds absolutely no sexual attraction for me, it actually squicks me out and gives me that peculiar, unpleasant sensation I rarely find anymore in my internet sex journeying.

Simply put, I was put off.

And this is difficult for me because I'd like to think I could get past any 'ickiness' and just examine the material without getting involved in it emotionally or in regards to my own tastes.

In an abstract way, I have no real problem with zoophilia; I can certainly imagine how an individual might find it pleasurable under the 'right circumstances' -- on a deserted island after a few lonely years, maybe -- but the reality of bestiality as a predilection, and all the things that go along with modern sexual interests - magazines, movies, toys, websites*, clubs, meet-ups... Seeing that, I find myself aghast. I am finally, it seems, square. I just can't deal with the nitty gritty details of the zoo world.

I do still find Bodil Joensen interesting though.

I guess she may represent a rare point of entry for a great many people into this normally-off-limits area - bestiality's only real cross-over star*, she had a certain picturesque beauty, a sordid life* in a rich zeitgeist and a tragic end; things combined which almost guarantee one some kind of infamy if not outright fame.

There isn't a great deal of information out there on Bodil's life; the best source available is Jack Stevenson's book "Fleshpot: Cinema's Sexual Myth Makers And Taboo Breakers" which features a chapter on both her life and her films.

From Stevenson's "Dead Famous: The Life And Movies Of Cinema's Most Exploited Figure, Bodil Joensen" --

A turning point in her young life came... when she had an enlightening conversation with a pervert/pederast who told her all about "men, animals and sex" - topics she had never heard about and that fascinated her. They just talked. The pervert never touched her. However, someone reported their meeting to Bodil's mother who called the police. They came and collared the pervert, searched him and found a bottle of chloroform which earned him a short prison sentence. Her mother beat her savagely when she got home from the police station, locking her away in the attic for several days and bringing food up to her. Assuming that she'd been assaulted, her mother judged her to be a vile slut who was not fit to dine with the family. Bodil reacted with shock followed by hysterical defiance. "I said to mama that when I grew up I'd fuck boars. I couldn't think of anything more naughty. She was so shocked that she thought I was allied with the devil."

After a period of near-respectability - when 1970's A Summer's Day famously won 'Grand Prix' at the first Wet Dream Film Festival - Bodil fell on hard times, became depressed, took up drinking, and survived thanks to, "a hectic routine of small scale live shows". By 1980, she had turned to prostitution and stated that, "in my position it is hard to turn down anything, no matter how disgusting... for me, staying alive in the hooking business is hell".

For a long time, what became of Bodil was a mystery. For many years, she was rumoured to have committed suicide some time in the 1980s; as part of his research however, Jack Stevenson was unable to discover any evidence as of mid-2005 of either her suicide or her death. The following year, the BBC presented "The Real Animal Farm" as part of its "Dark Side of Porn" series, and in this documentary a friend revealed that Joensen died of cirrhosis of the liver (brought on by alcoholism) in January of 1985.

Bodil has a grave in Denmark, which you can see here. She is buried beside her long-time partner Knud P. Andersen who died in 1997.