An Interview with Lord Ezec aka Danny Diablo

1. What was it like to work with Ice-T on the song "Real Recognize Real" by your group Icepick? Is he as gangster in real life as he is on record?

Ice-T is a straight up hustler with a capital H!!! I got mad respect for him. I am a big fan it it is an honor to be on a song with him. Real recognizes real.

2.What do you have to say to Hardcore kids that criticize/talk shit on your rap projects like Danny Diablo etc.?

Nowadays everyone talks shit when they are behind a computer screen. I really don't care about haters cause they are people who have never accomplished anything. I actually love to make a hater hate. No one has ever direspected me to my face and walked away from it. Period.

3. What do you think of the City of Chicago? What about the Hardcore Scene here? What are some observations you have from coming out here?

I love Chicago and the kids from Chicago. Always have a good time in the windy city. They have die hard fans and they always rep there city!!!

4. Can you explain what happened with the "situation" at your last show at Subterranean?

Just a little misunderstanding... Shit pops off and tempers flare. It is over and I can't wait to play Chicago again!!! There is no problem.

5. What do you think of today's hardcore scene? Is it just a watered down version of what was going on 20 years ago, or is the culture still as relevant as ever? What are some things that have changed since the time when you were coming up in the scene?

The scene is still alive and kicking. The kids are learning there history so that is always good. Some of these new bands sound dope. Trapped Under Ice is pretty dope and so is Lionheart. The only thing is that it might be a litlle safer now.

6.Tell me about your clothing line/other current business endeavors. Do you design the clothes yourself? What inspires you to do so?

Got a clothing line called "DOLLARS MAKE SENSE" which you can buy @ shopshogun.com Look at the LORDEZECWORLD store. You can also buy my shit on ill-rocrecords.com This is my site with all my merch. I run my clothing line with my 2 brothers MQUE & STAE.

7. Any funny/interesting stories about the Skarhead/Vanilla Ice tour awhile back? How would you describe Vanilla Ice as a person?

Vanilla Ice is a good dude. He had mad respect for me and the hardcore scene. I have nothing bad to say about Ice. He pved a way for a lot of these white rapper dudes... now that is real.

8. Shed some light on your current musical projects. What's your main focus now as far as that goes? Got any new albums dropping soon?

The new Skarhead "DRUGS MUSIC & SEX" is out on ISCREAM records and Danny Diablo "INTERNATIONAL HARDCORE SUPERSTAR" is out also on Hellcat records. KAOS 13 will be out soon on Real Recognizes Real/Countdown/ILL-ROC. I am releasing ADLIB, Jimmy Williams(Maximum Penalty), U.G.P. and G-fella this year on ILL-ROC RECORDS. Talking to Lordz Of Brooklyn about releasing a street c.d. also.
Doing a record with Stress The Whiteboy called "AUDIO PHARMACISTS". Just did a song for the porno star Holly D's new movie called "PORNO-CORE". I also just did a song with Chino Brown, a song with Al Niks and a song with Panic. Putting a new Panic stret c.d. out this year plus producing his full legnth with Stress The Whiteboy for Krush Unit Records.

9. I understand that some fans of ICP (Insane Clown Posse) have started to get into hardcore/horrorcore rap music like Necro/Psychological Records and the Danny Diablo material. How do you feel about juggalos and what's your opinion on Juggalo culture?

Juggalos are loyal fans and love the music. I give props to ICP for there hard work. They are always grinding and don't give a fuck about the so called Industry!!!

10. Best/Favorite strip club you've ever been to?

Every single one in Canada!!!

11. Favorite Alcoholic Beverage?

Vodka and Cranberry if I am at the strip club.

12. Do you dudes get lots of groupies coming out to shows on tour? What city has the baddest hos in the nation?

We are all married with kids but whores will be whores. It is their job... no disrespect.

13. Are you still involved in the Hardcore scene out in NYC? Do you still go to shows/buy records etc.? Who are some of your favorite current hardcore bands, in New York and elsewhere?

It is very rare if something moves me period. I love the new Maximum Penalty record. The new Activate e.p. is mad cool. I listen to Panic, Jaysaun and Slaine. Lord Willin and Apathy and ofcourse my brother Necro. Ill Bill, Sick Jacken and Muggs are always killing it. Listen to the new Skarhead cause it is off the fucking chain!!! Hardcore 4 Life.

Free Spirit 1 Page Zine

I got this in Boston while on tour with Thought Crusade. They played this really cool venue called "Anchors Away", lots of Boston kids came out, it seemed a a little subdued, but people still moshed and had a good time. The band Free Spirit is friends with Ryan Wilson, the lead singer from Thought Crusade (ex-Expired Youth), I met Gil the singer and he was a cool dude. His band is pretty much Straight Ahead worship, which is cool with me. There's so much crap out there that if they want to emulate an old band's sound it's more than welcome, especially if it's an awesome classic band like SA. THey ended the set with a cover of "I'm Not a Loser" by The Descendants.......slightly out of character but still rockin'. This was my first time seeing The Rival Mob. I've been a fan since the demo came out so it was exciting to finally see them. They played a couple new songs that got a real good response from the crowd, and I'm pretty sure they're just getting around to releasing them right now. My only complaint is that they didn't play "RCBS" which has a completely ignorant mosh part.

Anyways, I think stuff like the above 1 page zine is really cool, especially if it's all band news and short anecdotes from the members of a certain band. It gives you more insight as to who they are as people, as well as practical information such as progress made working on a new record and stuff like that. It's thing's like this that made me want to do The Night Owl 1 page zine in the first place. Maybe someone else will see it and get inspired to go create something and share it with other people.

Skinheads On The Rampage

Footage from a Fox News undercover report on Skinheads. A bit of fight footage, including a longhair getting stomped. The scene out in California looks pretty big.....that room is pretty much wall to wall skins. In Chicago, you couldn't have something like that for more than 5 minutes before something would pop off.

More Punk Graffiti

"Thought Crusade Blackout Crew 2010"



"You're Only Young Once, So Do It RIght!"-Side by Side




Chicago Hardcore Represent!



"CroMag Life"



Haha



"No Life No Future"

Film Review: Armed Response: Directed by Fred Olen Ray

::SLIGHT SPOILERS::

I love Comcast On Demand, especially the "Impact" channel. Impact mines the vaults for all kinds of difference action movies, the majority of which are from the 80's.....the golden age of cheesy action films. While browsing through the movie selections, "Armed Response" caught my eye because it sounded hard. Actually, it kind of sounds like the name of a hardcore band.. I knew this one was going to be good in the first 30 seconds of watching it. Opening scene features a ritual Yakuza finger-chopping. This one dude fucked up and got a much sought after jade statue stolen from him. A Mr. Tanaka (The big boss man) admonishes him for it in the standard japanese cliche style way. "You have brought dishoner to your family and the Tanaka Clan, you have betrayed me and your race." Dude says," I'd like to offer a token of apology.", takes a knife, and cuts off his pinky (through the bone and everything). Tanaka deadpans....."Apology Accepted". We now notice that the mongoloid guy from "The Hills Have Eyes", is one of Tanaka's henchmen, which was an interesting casting choice for a yakuza foot soldier because he doesn't look Asian at all, just retarded. On the way out, "Mongo Man" (That's what I'm going to call him in this review) flips the guy a fortune cookie, which I guess is his trademark because he does it to several people throughout the film. I wonder if he has some kind of satchel he carries all the cookies in, because I'm thinking they'd get all crunched up in his pocket.....and it wouldn't be as cool of a calling card if you flipped a little bag of crumbs at someone with a fortune floating around in it somewhere. Anyways, the guy gets into the car with his girlfriend, all the while talking about how easy he got off. He looks at his fortune which says,"You have a bright future ahead of you". I'm not going to tell you what happened to him, it was bright for sure, but not the kind of future he had in mind.

The credits now begin to roll. exhibiting the funny 80's action movie cliche of shots of a rainy, scummy, chinatown with fog all over the place. This juxtaposed against a backdrop of neon lights and Asian architecture. Next up is a bar scene where we meet our main characters. Clay Roth (a private investigator), his brother Tommy, his father Burt (played by Lee Van Cleef), and tending bar is his other brother Jim (David Carradine). We see a display of rough and readiness when some big galoot enters the bar and disrecpects the establishment. he ends up with his ass kicked and a shotgun stuck in his face. Even his hoes get beat up! Nowadays, when I see any of Carradine's old movies....always in the back of my mind is the creepy way he died (jerkin' it with a belt around his neck.....auto-erotic asphyxiation). Funny and sad at the same time. That would be kind of a crappy legacy to leave, but he had a very memorable film career which offsets the bizarre way he ended up offing himself (accidently or otherwise, maybe it wasn't an accident?) Now we meet Cory Thornton, who works with Clay as a private investigator. They both go to a meeting with Mr. Tanaka, who hires them out to get back the jade statue he needs in order to avoid a war with the Chinese Tong (The Chinese Mafia). We find out that Cory is a shady little rat and has other plans for the situation. Clay ends up getting badly shot up, but retains the statue, while Cory ends up with the money they were carrying which was supposed to be exchanged for the statue.

Clay makes it back to his father Burt (Who's also an ex-cop) hands his dad the statue and collapses before he can say anything else or give leads. Burt and brother Jim are both distraught but figure whoever did this will come looking for the statue. A common theme in Action movies, the family refuses to tell the police anything in order to exact their own brand of revenge on the culprits later on. We find out the Jim (Carradine's character) is a Vietnam vet who continues to have post-traumatic flashbacks. Tommy was a war vet too, and ends up getting kidnapped and tortured by Tanaka who thinks he knows where the statue is. He goes through an excruciating experiance that I wouldn't wish on anyone, of course it's an ancient chinese torture method....but Tommy holds his mud and doesn't give in. Once Jim finds out he starts proactively going after the people who are fucking with his family. Along the way Tanaka kidnaps his wife and child which further complicates the situation. During the rest of the movie we see Jim becoming increasingly badass, and lots of huge guns being shot off (big magnum pistols, assault rifles, etc.) In one cool scene some guy gets double-killed by getting shotgunned into an electrical fence. What a shitty way to go! I won't spoil the ending, but predictably there's a showdown in the rainy, foggy, neon-lit backdrop of Chinatown.

If you are a fan of sleazy 80's action movies, then you'll love this one. I was consistently entertained throughout the whole film, which is good because some of these films can put you to sleep if the action scenes/characters are subpar. You can have a double-header and watch this and Black Rain with Michael Douglas back to back. Either way, this is a solid, entertaining flick, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

The Spirit of Truth!

More Cable Access hilarity. This dude is the best televangelist I've ever seen.

Booker T Uses the "N" Word on Hulk Hogan

"Hulk Hogan, WE COMIN' FOR YOU NIGGA" haha. Then he realizes he just fucked up.

An Interview with John Caution of Weekend Nachos and ex-Harms Way (Plus Never Before Seen HxW Pics)

James of Harms Way.



Chris Mills....drummer extraordinaire.



Here's an old interview I did with John Caution, who was then playing bass in Harms Way and singing in Weekend Nachos, but recently quit Harms Way. (presumably to focus on Weekend Nachos, but maybe there are other reasons involved that I'm not aware of) This was originally put up on C-RAP.com, but I decided to transplant it here for those who haven't seen it yet. The pictures at the bottom are ones I found while messing around with my computer. They were taken at The Knights of Columbus Hall in Arlington heights back when James (vocalist) was still beating on people in the audience. Click on them for a better view. Here's the interview:


"I wanted to give a little background info on the band Harms Way that was featured in issue #1. They’re a Chicago straight edge band that feature members of Weekend Nachos and The Few and the Proud. The first time I saw them I was blown away. It was at the last Expired Youth show at Galaxie by Belmont and Rockwell. I didn’t really know what to expect, all I had heard is that they threw around a bunch of pumpkins during a Halloween show last year. When they started playing the room took on this weird almost evil vibe. The singer James is this hulking dude who just snaps when they start playing and starts literally destroying people. I remember watching them from the back of the room and all I could see from my view was the dude jumping up high over the audience and landing on people and driving them into the ground like a tent stake. I also saw him start double jump kicking people in the head amongst other things. It was GNARLY. The music is dark, evil, and thrashy with crushing slow parts.

They just released their Imprisoned EP on Organized Crime Records.



John is the one member of Harms Way that I didn't get a chance to interview when I talked to the rest of the guys. I sent him these question via email, so this Q and A has a different flow than the one in Night Owl #1.

1. Please further clarify your stance against 21 and over shows, if it was a band you were really into would you play one with them. Extreme Noise Terror?

We were actually debating on that recently, because we got offered that show. Right now it looks like we can't do it anyways, but we were considering it. Normally my stance is "100% against 21+ shows of any kind". In this case, however, we knew it would be completely and utterly hilarious for a band like Harms Way to play in front of a bunch of poser metalheads, so we were considering it. treat it like a joke and don't take it seriously and i suppose the "morals" change a little bit, but that's also a total metal show...metal and hardcore may cross paths musically at times but the scenes are completely different.

2. Do you think a "militant" straight edge attitude is a good thing for kids to emulate or a bad thing?

It depends on how they go about it...we all have respect for the militant edge to a certain extent...it's good to be strong about your beliefs and to have a "no compromise" attitude, but the people who add violence to that are just idiots. Beating someone up for not being straight edge is one of the most retarded things ever, we joke about how cool it is but it's really not. The early to mid 90's were awesome.

3. Do you think hardcore should be/is dangerous?

I think it depends, everything should make sense when it’s happening. If The First Step is playing and I get punched in the face by someone wearing a Cold World mesh track jacket and gold chain, I think that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm not swinging my arms and trying to hurt people while singing about making a positive change in the world. When Harms Way or The Killer plays, I think it's more appropriate. Every song is about killing people and hating the world and it's really not that dangerous. If Matt Rolland can survive, it's not that dangerous.

4. Why don't bands from Chicago seem to tour much?

I'm not sure, I think quite a few Chicago bands do their fair share of touring. i think most of the bands here have played (outside of Chicago) at least a few times. If not, it's because they're either a) lazy or b) have too much other shit going on. Both excuses seem perfectly reasonable to me, and I can relate to being lazy and having a lot of other shit that keeps me from touring.

5. Do you see a division in the Chicago scene between the more the political and nonpolitical bands and kids?

There's a division between those people everywhere, I think the problem is that the political bands think that the non-political bands are apathetic and don't give a fuck...and the non-political bands feel they have every right to sing about whatever the fuck they want to. I agree more on the non-political side, because it's like, I'm writing these lyrics...they're going to be about what I want them to be. If you're into politics, that's totally cool and by all means, speak out, but it doesn't mean a goddamn thing to me. I've got my own shit to worry about.

6. Would you rock a lettermen jacket?

Nah, I think James is the only one who can pull that off. I don't weigh a whole lot as it is...the last thing I need is a jacket that weighs half of what I do to carry on my back, also, Sickly Kyle is a poser.

7. Does it bother you if a kid who likes to get high is into your band? ( Harms Way is Straight Edge) What if you knew they were taking bong hits to your Imprisoned EP every night?

That would be fucking sweet, I'd be down with that, I've always wanted someone to get high to a record of mine. I think it would bother me more if a really popular, happy kid with tons of friends was into us, because that makes no sense.

8. Best Pizza in Chicago?

Eh, personally I don't really care. I don’t live in the city so i don't go restaurant hunting like the rest of the douchebags in our scene. I hate Bacci's though...but they have those all over the suburbs too. It's just crappy pizza and the deal isn't even that great."

Prank Calls to Cable Access Shows

"I think it's good that people have handguns so they can shoot people like you!"

lol



"Yea I just want to say amen first of all, and then I just wanted to say GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

HAHA!



"I can do good butt-ram"



This dude gets Fresh-Princed.

The Nasty Facts-Drive My Car EP

Download Here

1. Drive My Car
2. Get To You
3. Crazy About You

This is one of the best power-pop records of all time, and my personal favorite. These are 3 hook-laden songs that will get stuck in your head for days on end. The female vocals are of the highest caliber, and really make the songs stand out. I remember putting "Crazy About You" as the first song on a mix tape I made for my ex-girlfriend when we first started dating. Needless to say, she got the message, and loved me for it. The song has one of those guitar solos that sends shivers down your spine, makes you want to pound your chest, jump up and down, and jizz all over the world. I love this record!

Tosh.O

I know I'm a bit late, but I've recently developed an appreciation for this dude's comedy, especially his show on Comedy Central "Tosh.O" where he makes fun of viral videos people send him on the internet (My dream job, basically already what I do with this blog haha). Dude is fucking hilarious. I love how the gloves have come off in mainstream comedy and extreme political incorrectness reigns. Tosh takes lots of cues from "Talk Soup", a sharply written show on "E" Network that lampoons daytime television, unfortunately the heyday of that show has come and gone (Jim Hensen was the best host). It's good that we now have someone like Tosh who takes everything to the next level.

Check out Tosh's blog here:

http://www.comedycentral.com/tosh.o

You can find links to 5 full episodes of Tosh.O in HD on there. Watch them, they rule.

I know you're out there.

Over 3,000 hits and only 4 comments. I know you're out there lurking, make yourself known!

Crazy Kobe Bryant Fan

Holy shit!

Skinheads Brawl at a Combat 84 Show

Taken from a BBC documentary. Music by Last Resort.

Pharmaceutical Photography

These pictures were scanned from an old (Published in 1967) Time Life Science Library book simply titled "Drugs". It's a very interesting read and contains material tracking the history of drugs both licit and illicit throughout the ages, and some extremely cool and sometimes weird photographs. The following photos were taken from a chapter on modern pharmaceutical manufacturing, they have a sort of a simple, stark beauty to them. Click on them to get a better view.



"Shaping the Capsules

Red-tinted molten gelatin drips over stainless steel pins, forming capsules that will hold one of the 7,000 medications the U.S. pharmaceutical industry now produces. Capsule making, like the other steps of drug manufacturing, has become a highly developed art, for the sanitary containers must be mass-produced to exacting standards of size, color, and content."



"A Natural Supply of Blood

Frozen human placentas thawing in plastic bags at Lederie Laboratories, Pearl River, New York, provide blood for the production of gamma globulin, used to treat or prevent infectious hepititis. In a five-week process, gamma globulin is seperated from the blood and then purified."



"An Endless Inspection Job

Spreading capsules across lighted tables working at Parke, Dacis, and Co. in Detroit look for defects; dents, discoloration or rough edges mean rejection. After this inspection, the capsules are loaded into drums, but they are not yet ready for use. Before they are filled with drugs, samples are taken and checked again. If defective capsules are found, the entire lot is rechecked."



"A Spaghetti-Like Drug

Strands of a synthetic drug that stimulates kidney action are squeezed through small holes to complete the mixing of it's ingredients, chlorothiazide and an inert paste. After drying, the material will be formed into tablets at Merck Sharp & Dohme in West Point, Pennsylvania."



"Spotting a New Drug

To Identify drug materials, a chemist uses a process called chromatography. In each jar a paper spotted with a drug is suspended in solvent. The solvent dissolves the ingrediants and carries them down the paper, each at a different rate so that it appears as an identifiable smear."



"A Pan for Pill Polishing

Inside canvas-lined pans, antibiotic tablets are tossed and tumbled, half an hour at a time, for polishing and buffing. Each pan holds about 80,000 tablets, which are buffed with talc and given a shine by beeswax-carnauba polish."



On the left:

"A Last Minute Look

Spilling into a drum at the end of a conveyer belt, tranquilizor pills are culled by hand at the Smith Kline and French plant in Philadelphia before they reach the packaging machines."

On the right:

"Stamping For Safety

Capsules speeding through a printer at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis receive code numbers so that if they are seperated from their labeled bottles, they can still be identifiable by the code."

Let's Paint, Exercise, and Make Blended Drinks!

Hahaha!

I love Cable Access, I wish I could get shit like this on Comcast.

"I really appreciate what you're doing and......FUCK MS (MS-13) GANG!:"

"Hey this is Bruce from Venice, I was wondering if you needed some liquid, and I thought maybe I could be of help."

"MAKE SOME MORE OF THAT JUUUUICE!"

Those are a few quotes from people who called in.....I'm not even going to delve into the ridiculous shit the host is saying the entire time.

Pauly Shore Getting Knocked Out

It's about fucking time.

Film Review: Contraband: A Film by Lucio Fulci

::SLIGHT SPOILERS::

Contraband aka "Luca il contrabbandiere" and "The Smuggler" is an Action/Adventure/Crime drama which is directed by the venerable Italian director Lucio Fulci who's mostly known for his brutal and gory horror films, especially his zombie ones. Like other quintessential Italian filmmakers Dario Argento and Umberto Lenzi, Fulci made a wide variety of genre films depending on what was in vogue at the time. These include Comedies, Westerns, Action/Adventure, Crime Dramas, and of course Horror films. This particular film has a very mean-sprited, sadistic undertone and features acts of extreme cruelty and violence (of course if you're a Fulci fan or a fan of Italian cinema in general this is nothing new to you). It depicts the cutthroat world of the Naples mafia, a world in which you never know who your true friends are and are liable to be stabbed in the back by just about anyone. This is the environment in which the film unfolds.

Contraband tells the story (albeit in a typical disjointed way common with other Italian Films) of a family man named Luca who also happens to be a Capo in the local Naples underworld. An expert smuggler of contraband goods (mainly ciggarettes), Luca seems to be doing well for himself until a chain of events turns everything upside down and inside out. The film opens with smugglers in speed boats transporting a shipment of contraband goods. They're doing their thing when all of a sudden the Italian Police/Coast Guard comes out of nowhere and tries to make a collar. All the smuggling boats take off with the cops in hot pursuit. The chief of police is on board and instructs them to follow the boat which seems to be weighted down the most since that one would presumably contain the merchandise. They spot Luca's boat, which contains him and his partner and brother Mickey and start to follow it. In order to create a diversion, Luca blows up the boat with the merchandise on it with a remote detonator....at least I think the merch was on board. The way the story unfolds is often unclear, and leaves a lot of gaps to be filled in. Anyways, he ends up getting away.



Afterwards, a few scenes show a bit of plot development as it is established that he has a wife and child whom he loves dearly. A minor side note, his kid has the most annoying voice ever. If I had to listen to him carry on all day I'd huck myself off a cliff. Just sayin'. Anyways Luca and his brother get pissed off that the shipment got destroyed and go to consult with another local mafia capo (boss) Purlante whom he is close to. Luca's convinced that someone ratted out the shipment. Later when he and brother Mickey go for a drive on a mountain road there's a police roadblock that they end up stopping at. When stopped, Mickey gets out of the car to talk with the officer, but instead of words he receives a hail of bullets, he actually gets machine-gunned off a cliff to be precise, which is a horribly shitty way to die . Obviously, the cop turned out to be an assassin. Afterwards when being questioned by the police, Luca follows the code of Omerta (Mafia Law against snitching) and doesn't tell them anything about the shooting, in order to enact his own brand of rough justice later on. There is a funeral scene for Luca's brother which interestingly enough, takes place in smuggling boats on the water. The cops are watching the proceedings from a remote location, and identify a number of local mafia bosses present for the funeral.

Luca thinks it was another smuggler, and arch-rival named Scherino who ratted out the shipment and killed his brother. He surprises him one night, sneaking into his house and sticking a gun up in his face. He demands that Scherino take responsibility for his actions but Scherino vehemantly denies any involvement and says although he didn't like Mickey or Luca he would never have had them killed as he has respect for them. All of a sudden one of Scherino's men pistol whips Luca from behind and gains control of the situation. Once again Scherrino denies any involvement, but on principle he has his man beat the ever-loving shit out of Luca since he did get a gun stuck in his face.



Luca has a shady doctor attend to his medical needs after his beating, though it costs him a lot of money and as the movie continues and he needs continous medical attention, the Dr. milks him for all he can get, basically extorting him. He gets what he asks for because back alley physicians are hard to come by. While lying in bed recuperating, Luca's wife begs him to take it easy and get out of the business, but he steadfastly insists on going out and seeking revenge. Scherrino succeeded in establishing the fact that he wasn't involved in the murder. Luca and his mafia confederates are soon made aware of some new competition in the area, a dude named the Marsigliese. They are miffed because this guy is starting to bring in major supplies of drugs, something that offends them as they are only involved in "honest" crimes like smuggling tobacco, fixing horse races, and pimping women haha. All of a sudden the other bosses start getting knocked off one by one in a series of brutal, very graphic executions. It seems as though there is a power struggle going on and it's established that the narcotics smuggler the Marsigliese is behind it. The bosses are getting systematically whacked one by one. When it's Purlante's turn, an interesting turn of events leads to him very narrowly escaping death. What happens next is that Luca ends up being double-crossed by people close to him, and the Marsigliese kidnaps his wife and kid. Luca goes on a mad mission to kill the Marsigliese and rescue his family (and receives a bit of unexpected help, which is really random considering there was next to no buildup to this plot twist). The ending was fairly predictable, but it doesn't detract from the entertainment value of the rest of the film...with it's sharp dialogue, competent acting and extreme graphic violence. In one of the most brutal scenes in the film, a woman who tries to burn the Marsigliese on a dope deal, in turn gets her face burned off by a torch in an uncomfortably long closeup camera shot, which is totally disgusting.



I've read other reviews where the film was maligned as a weak effort by Fulci. They focus too much on the disjointed plot and not enough on the acting, cinematography (there's an awesome scene shot in a disco which makes great use of strobe lighting), also peppered throughout the film is more use of interesting camera angles and shots, it seems that many Italian directors aren't as afraid as their foreign counterparts to take chances in that area. Occasionally it doesn't work out as well as other times, but for the most part adds more stylishness and panache to their brand of Italian cinema. One thing I would have liked to see is more use of the smuggling speedboats involved in chase scenes and the like. I think Fulci could have played up the "on the water" angle a little bit more, as that aspect distinguishes it from a lot of movies with a similar plot/aesthetic. The special effects are just right, plenty of blood squibs and skull fragmentation via violent gunshots. The soundtrack is perfect for the plot as well, alternating between sleazy euro-disco and weird, percussion driven synthesizer funk. I can understand the frustration with the plot which jumps all over the place leaving several gaps, but as stated before this is common with Italian films. I'm not sure if it's due to translation or not but it's certainly a big possibility. If you start to delve into italian films this is something you'll have to continue to slightly overlook. The entertainment value of this movie is high despite the few aforementioned shortcomings. Definately Netflix Queue worthy. If you're into this one you should check out some other Poliziotteschi/Euro Crime thrillers especially the ones by Unberto Lenzi who is widely considered the master of this genre....directing classics such as "Almost Human", "Violent Naples", "Gang War in Milan". Many of these movies star the same two actors, Tomas Millian and John Saxon in rotating good guy/bad guy roles and one starts to relish their presence and find it interesting to see where they'll pop up next. To conclude, Contraband is an underrated film which should be viewed by all who have an interest in Italian Genre films, or anyone interested in a hardboiled action thriller.

Fun With Angel Dust

Naked Black Dudes Love The Dust




A New Version of Supermarket Sweep?

The Big Takeover Zine #6 Scan (Classic NYC Hardcore/Punk Zine)

Another awesome issue of the early New York Punk/Hardcore magazine "The Big Takeover" (#6) that was published by a Mr. Jack Rabid in the early 80's and continues on today in a very different, slick and glossy format....and bears little resemblance to it's humble punk rock beginnings.

The Most Ridiculous Thing I've Ever Seen.....

I don't even know where to start.......

DMS WorkWear?

This is from a few years back, when New York's DMS Crew started to venture out into legit businesses. This is a 1 page catalog I was sent from "DMS WorkWear". I heard they had/have a travel agency too....no shit. Legal hustlin' baby.

Yet Another Horrible Metal Band?

Yessir! Once again, Brian from the Chicago hardcore board delivers the goods. This seems to have been taken from the same show as the last one I posted. I really wish I attended this show....it seems to have more ridiculous metal bands per capita than any other bill I've ever seen. Apparently the band doesn't need song structures......it's like musical diarrhea. The guitarist then proceeds to "dig a grave" with his guitar haha. Judging by their super cool promotional backdrop....they're called "Reaming Eternity" or something. I have NO idea how this band can take themselves seriously and not go into a fit of convulsive laughter while they're putting on this type of show. Something tells me this happened in Peoria....don't ask me why.

Punisher: Warzone Ramallah Video Trailor

This movie came out a couple years back. It was insanely gory and had enough gunplay for 5 action movies. It was seriously one of the hardest films ever made, yet nobody really talks about it. I'm not sure if this is the official preview or not, but I'm pretty sure it is. They used the song "Days of Revenge" by Ramallah and it fits perfectly.



Hardest Preview Ever Made?

Pussy of The Month Club: June Edition

"Fuck Chicago Skins" written on the bathroom wall in the "Green Room" at Reggie's. Signed: Anonymous Anarcho-Faggot.
Looks like somebody got beat up? Dude's got the right idea....scratch something into a wall instead of actually doing something about it.

Got My Battle Ruins 7" today!

This record is retardedly good, I just ordered another one along with the demo tape. I HIGHLY reccommend going to the RocknRoll Disgrace Webstore and ordering one before they're all gone. (Press of 300). Below is their 5 song Demo which is still available in cassette format from the web store below... My only complaint is that they didn't add their sketchiest song "Cut Bloodline" to the 7". The songs sound really good with a touch of remastering though. Don't be a clown, this could be EP of the year, go get that shit!

Download 5 Song Demo:
http://therealtalkexpress.blogspot.com/2010/03/battle-ruins-ep.html

Buy The Battle Ruins 7" EP Here:
http://rocknrolldisgracerecords.bigcartel.com/

Some Summer Jams For You........

In the spirit of riding around on breezy summer nights blazing blunts of kush and tipsy off some E&J Brandy.....these are some rap songs I've been digging lately. Some of them might be considered "Radio Rap" but as long as it's catchy I don't care. Here's some shit I've been blasting:

The Return of Punk Graffiti

Some cool dude put this up in a drainage ditch in my town. More people need to stop toying up walls with scribble scrabble, I'd rather see "No Life No Future" or something cooler than neo-urban scribbles. Band names and slogans ftw.

Horrible Metal Band

Looks like I got some competition on my hands. Who can find the worst metal band in the universe. A dude named Brian posted this on the Chicago Hardcore board. It's sort of a highlight reel. My favorite parts are when the band starts stomping in absolute unision, and when the singer says "Awww Shit" right before a breakdown and the camera pans out to an empty dancefloor. It actually made me laugh out loud. Love the title too.

Show Review: Havok, Vicious Attack, Trials, and Product of Waste, May 17th at Reggie's in Chicago, IL

I have made a habit lately of going out and videotaping my friend Megadeth John's band Vicious Attack. They play straightforward thrash metal in the vein of Slayer and their motto is "Show up, Destroy, Leave" haha, They may not destroy the place every time, but all in all they're one of the best metal bands in Chicago right now. One of the bonuses of going to their shows, is that they play with bands which either really suck or are really good (Havok for instance). Sometimes I like to film horrible metal bands of which you can find a truly good (or bad) example of in one my past blog posts. This particular show started off a little later than on schedule due to a poor turnout. For awhile it seemed like there was only the bands and their friends, slowly some other assorted metalheads began to trickle in. The turnout of the night was in the end fairly poor, but what the crowd lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm. I had a really good buzz I might add, and had a good time. Product of Waste was up first, they sounded like exactly that, a piece of shit. Just another generic metal bands whose music was entirely forgettable. I watched them for a couple songs and then me and John went downstairs to the band "Green Room". I should add that John got me a band wristband because I watched their merch table for a bit and filmed them. There was to behold an interesting amenity on the way down the stairs.....a beer vending machine, which I thought was really cool. I didn;t have a camera with me so I asked this dude Adam to use his phone and send it to me.





The green room itself was pretty cool. Upon entry there is a row of lockers, walk into the room and turn the corner and there is a multitude of couches and a bathroom. I hung out for awhile and went upstairs. Midway through the show two guys from Havok came down and started smoking some delicious smelling medicinal marijuana straight from Colorado. Now I understood why they call it "The Green Room". By the time the next band went on there was a front row of people headbanging and fistpumping Vicious Attack took the stage, and played a set of some solid thrash metal. You can clearly hear me on the video of it yell out for a Sepultura cover which they didn't play. They did play some new originals which were decent but not as good as their CD EP material. It was a good set though. Trials was next and wasn't anything that really stood out to me. While watching the merch earlier I saw that the headliner Havok from Colorado has some cool shirts. I honestly didn't go there anticipating on filming them, but on the strength of the T Shirt designs I decided that I would. I'm really glad I did as they put on a great show and had everyone in the place entertained, and even with the not so big crowd put everything they had into their set. When they first came out and said "This is Havok from Denver, Colorado and it's time to fucking party!" I knew I had a winner What amazed me more is that they are usually a quartet, but are playing shows as a 3-piece on this tour for some reason. They seriously killed it, their set was the highlight of the night for me and for awhile it made me forget about all other problems I had in life....it was like meditation. During their set the 1 guitar player dude played all these killer leads and had spirited vocals. The bassist was all over the stage, putting one leg up on the amp and doing all these metal poses. A true showman, haha. They sounded like awesome thrash metal with killer guitar solos and semi melodic vocals. I should also mention that they had huge perms which they were freely headbanging with during their set. Awesome. They announced one of their songs as "Morbid Symmetry", I thought they said "Mormon Symmetry" and me and John had a good laugh. I'm sort of glad my camera battery died out during their set, because it gave me a chance to mosh and circle pit a little bit.


Below are the first parts of the Vicious Attack and Havok sets. For the rest of the sets go to my youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/charlienumbers





Thanks to Adam for taking the vending machine photos on his camera and sending them to me. Shout out to Shane Merrill for booking the show.