The Styrous® Viewfinder: 2024

April 26, 2024

1,000,001 CDs 22: Magnetic Fields ~ 69 love Songs

CD front cover

I got an email advertising the performance at the Curran Theater here in San Francisco by a group I haven't thought about in years, the Magnetic Fields.

Curran Theater - San Francisco

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its release, the Magnetic Fields will perform 69 Love Songs—the 3-disc masterwork that marked a significant breakthrough for the American band— for the first time in over two decades. I love almost all the songs on this massive work but, as usual, I have a favorite, Underwear!

Stephin Merritt is the leader of the group and has written the scores for the films Pieces of April in 2003 and Showtunes in 2006.

Stephin Merritt

photo by Hiroyuki Ito

The select run of dates will take place in Spring of 2024, with performances in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Greater Boston and Los Angeles and will feature all the players from the 1999 triple disc, including Claudia Gonson, John Woo, Sam Davol, Shirley Simms and composer Stephin Merritt, joined now by recent members Chris Ewen and Anthony Kaczynski. The Magnetic Fields will play the album as it was originally performed in the early 2000’s: in order over 2 nights, April 28th and 29th, 2024.

Magnetic Fields ~ 69 Love Songs CD

photos by Styrous®

There is a great booklet included with the CD

Tracklist:

Companies, etc.

Credits:

Notes:

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Viewfinder links:

Stephin Merritt

Net links:

Curran Theater ~ Magnetic Fields ~ 69 love Songs

Pitchfork ~ Magnetic Fields Announce 69 Love Songs 25th Anniversary Shows

Them US ~ The Magnetic Fields Changed Indie Music Forever With 69 Love Songs

YouTube links:

69 Love Songs

Underwear

Styrous® ~ Friday, April 26, 2024

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Stephin_Merritt - 2006

self-portrait

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April 23, 2024

Music Note: Stickey Fingers Fifty-Five Years Zippered

I can't believe it was 55 years ago, on April 23, 1971, that the Rolling Stones released their phenomenal album, Sticky Fingers. It has lived with me all those years and I have written about it with great images (link below), so, I wont go into that again; I'll go into what I didn't before.

Sticky Fingers was the group's first release on its newly-formed label, Rolling Stones Records.

The album cover design was by Andy Warhol, and when you're Andy Warhol, you’re going to go over the top and above. He made it advertising magic and art all wrapped up in one. So what did Warhol do? He gave the record a denim fly to unzip. The whole thing was like an in-your-face closeup of the hip-swinging band frontman Mick Jagger—though the cover is said to be model Joe Dallesandro.

Sticky Fingers was the first album cover to feature a working zipper, and a blind alley for those who wanted to believe that was Jaggger’s enormous dong in those jeans. But the real owner of said penis giganticus remains a matter of some conjecture, but it can safely be said that it belonged to one of Warhol’s stable boys or hangers on.

The zipper was a bit of a nightmare for both retailers and the record label, as when a stack of the album was boxed up or smashed together in an album bin the little zip/unzip tabby would damage the album. This was later resolved by shipping the album with the zipper down so that the tab was only rubbing against the center of the album, where no music was contained. Eventually the real zipper was omitted, replaced by an image of a zipper.

I love every single track on the album but, as with all albums I love, I have a favorite and Moonlight Mile is IT! Moonlight Mile is really an under-appreciated work by the band, however, music critics Bill Janovitz and Robert Christgau are on record for praising the track's composition. On the subject of composition, it was the fruit of an all-night session between Mick Jagger and guitarist Mick Taylor.

Moonlight Mile

When the wind blows and the rain feels coldWith a head full of snow, with a head full of snowIn the window, there's a face you knowDon't the nights pass slow, don't the nights pass slow

The sound of strangers sending nothing to my mindJust another mad, mad day on the roadI am just living to be lying by your sideBut I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road

Made a rag pile of my shiny clothesGonna warm my bones, gonna warm my bonesI got silence on my radioLet the air waves flow, let the air waves flow

Oh, I'm sleeping under strange, strange skiesJust another mad, mad day on the roadMy dreams is fading down the railway lineI'm just about a moonlight mile down the roadYeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah

I'm hiding, sister, and I'm dreamingI'm riding down your moonlight mileI'm hiding, baby, and I'm dreamingI'm riding down your moonlight mileI'm riding down your moonlight mile

Let it go now, come on up, babeYeah, let it go nowYeah, flow now, babyYeah, home now, yeah

Yeah, I'm coming home'Cause I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the roadDown the road, down the road, yeahYeah-yeah-yeah, baby

Viewfinder links:

Joe Dallesandro

The Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones ~ Stickey Fingers

Mick Taylor

Andy Warhol

Net links:

Amateur Photographer ~ Greatest album photography: Sticky Fingers

UCR ~ Inspiration for Moonlight Mile

YouTube links:

Rolling Stones ~.

Stickey Fingers

Moonlight Mile

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, April 23, 2024

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photo by Larry Rogers

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John Waters ~ Filmmaker, writer, actor, Visual Artist & Pink Flamingos

John Waters

photo by Donald Maclellan

Yesterday was the birthday of John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946), an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974).

The first film by Waters I saw was Pink Flamingos. Oh, MY! did that film totally change my view of life! Big Time!

Waters wrote and directed the comedy film Hairspray (1988), which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and a 2007 musical film. Other films he has written and directed include Desperate Living (1977), Polyester (1981), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), and Cecil B. Demented (2000). His films contain elements of post-modern comedy and surrealism.

As an actor, he has appeared in Sweet and Lowdown (1999), the black comedy slasher film Seed of Chucky (2004), 'Til Death Do Us Part (2007), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), . . .

Excision poster

. . . and another comedy horror film Suburban Gothic (2014). He hosted and produced the television series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You (2006). Throughout his career, he has collaborated with actor and drag queen Divine and his regular cast of the Dreamlanders. More recently, he performs in his touring one-man show This Filthy World.

Viewfinder links:

Divine

Dreamlanders

John Waters

YouTube links:

John Waters - various links

Suburban Gothic trailer

Styrous® ~ April 23, 2024

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John Waters ~ Filmmaker, writer, actor, Visual Artist & Pink Flamingos

Dreamlanders

photo by Cara Robbins

Theater/performance people
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Joe Dallesandro articles/mentions

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mentions:
The Rolling Stones ~ Sticky Fingers

Joe Dallesandro - ca 1960

photo by Jack Robinson

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April 15, 2024

On TV 33: Gaza Protests block Highways Around the Wolrd

Gaza Protests - April 15, 2024

screenshots by Styrous®

There was action to protest the war in Gaza today! It was a remarkable event as it was coordinated all around the world; the continental US, Europe, South America, Aftica, and so on. I don't think there has ever been a collaboration as huge as this.

Once again, David Muir kept me up on the events of the day (link below) while I was working on my blog and photographing the traffic on the freeway that was stalled for hours due to the protests.