One Chance Out Between Two Worlds
Year: 1992
Original Format: cassette
For a long time this didn’t really have a name, which is why the title is scribbled on the spine of the cover art in pen. It’s an odd assortment of moods, styles, and running obsessions, and at times wears on my nerves a little. But it has its moments.
Playlist:
Fire Walk with Me Al Strobel
The Free Dictionary helpfully defines “one-armed man” as “having only one arm,” which manages the somewhat miraculous feat of being tautological and inaccurate.
Bob’s Theme Producers for Bob
This is from a strange and rather mysterious album called Bob’s Media Ecology. Only today have I learned that it is the work of one David Newfeld, who in his subsequent career has worked with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Super Furry Animals. He did a nice job here, though I must deduct points for not putting “Bob” in quotes.
You’re So Close Peter Murphy
The sound of this is a little dated, maybe. But my weakness for Peter’s voice remains.
Port of Souls The Gun Club
“Achingly beautiful. Glad only 6000 people listened to this. We the cool kids.” —YouTube commenter “don escandaloso” (Ed. Note: As of today the views are up to 30,000.)
Just Bob Rob Morrow & Elaine Miles
During this period the only time my roommate Dan and I allowed ourselves to smoke in the house was when “Northern Exposure” was on.
Hot Head That Petrol Emotion
Don’t get me started on how criminally underappreciated TPE is. Really, don’t. This is a smashing Beefheart cover, and bonus points for interpolating bits of the Ohio Players’ “Fire.”
Happyhead Theme #1 Happyhead
“Happyhead was Carl Marsh’s short-lived project following the dissolution of Shriekback. Taking its cues from the pharmacological grooves of acid house and the Madchester scene, Happyhead was a colorful, brash coupling of acid house rhythms and loud guitars similar to Inspiral Carpets, Carter U.S.M., Jesus Jones, or Happy Mondays…. Unfortunately, Happyhead just missed the dance rock boat; their sole album, Give Happyhead, didn’t come out until 1992, by which time acid house had been replaced by grunge as the current flavor of the month.” —Stewart Mason, Allmusic
Far Gone and Out The Jesus and Mary Chain
The J&M Chain also released a version of this song they called the “Arc/Weld Mix,” after Neil Young’s contemporaneous noise albums. For me this was one of the best things they ever did, draped in the most gorgeous sheets of cascading feedback. You have to listen loud though or it don’t work.
She’s Filled with Secrets Sheryl Lee & Michael J. Anderson
Maybe I got a little carried away with the whole Twin Peaks thing?
Serpentine Clint Ruin & Lydia Lunch
Clint Ruin is one of the many aliases of the absurdly prolific Jim Thirlwell, a.k.a. Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel, Foetus Über Frisco, Foetus Corruptus, Foetus Interruptus, Foetus Under Glass, Philip and His Foetus Vibrations, The Foetus All-Nude Revue, The Foetus of Excellence, The Foetus Symphony Orchestra, and You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath. Lydia Lunch is just Lydia Lunch, and that’s enough.
Don’t Call Home The Breeders
I assume this is about Kim’s divorce. If you recall, on the first Pixies album she was credited as “Mrs. John Murphy.”
Spider They Might Be Giants
“Spider is the product of an idle afternoon messing with the sampler. Linnell did the voices, except for ‘must…stop!’ which Flans added along with the cocktail bongos, horns and sound effects.” —tmbg.com
Bagged-Out Ken Julian Cope
Urban Dictionary defines “bagged out” as “to be sidelined, rescheduled, rediarised or not chosen to spend time with because of those of the human species who have a ball bag or testicles.” Trendpatterns.co.uk says, “bagging out is a phrase you will come across quite often. It simply means stitching pieces right sides together then when you turn them through the right way the seam allowance is trapped between the 2 pieces on the inside so you get a neat finish on your garment.” Neither of these are what Julian is referring to.
Crank and Powerful Music Pat Caddell/Hunter S. Thompson
This is from the audiobook of Songs of the Doomed, and if memory serves the voice is that of political operative Pat Caddell, who started as a Democrat and ended up being instrumental in getting Donald Trump elected president. In 2019 he died of a stroke. Karma is a bitch.
Church Lyle Lovett
This song is making me hungry.
The Loom of the Land Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
“I don’t know Nick Cave well, but maybe he is referring to the Oxford English Dictionary’s loom (noun 3): A seaman’s term for the indistinct and exaggerated appearance or outline of an object when it first comes into view, as the outline of land on the horizon, an object seen through the mist or darkness, etc.” —se16teddy, forum.wordreference.com
Dr. Bernice Cracker
“‘Dr. Bernice’ was one of a handful of songs that David and I came up with when we first started working together. We’d known each other for 10 years at this point. We knew each other before Camper Van Beethoven. We grew up in the same area. When Camper Van Beethoven broke up in 1990 or 1991, around that time, we got together in a very loose experimental way to see if we could write together. ‘Dr. Bernice’ was one of the first of 20 or so things we worked on together. I think the original inspiration for that song came to David when he got on an elevator and he heard a snippet of conversation. He heard someone say, ‘Bernice, she ain’t no lady doctor.’ So, in the mind of David Lowery that led to a beautiful story, an odd story and the desert sands and Karen Black came into it from his imagination, which I thought was wonderful.” —Johnny Hickman
I’m Going Home The Simpsons
And that’s a wrap. I’m out like Grandpa Simpson.