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Outskirts of Love by Shemekia Copeland
Outskirts of Love by Shemekia Copeland
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This art form, and it is an art form, which winds up being tagged as blues, is largely made up of expressions so genuine that they come straight out without second- or third-draft revisions. There's a resonance that's magnetic, kind of a compelling entity of its own. Shemekia Copeland, her dad is also from Houston, and released a couple of regional hits under the name Johnny 'Clyde' Copeland. As teenagers when we had the garage band we attempted playing – and the word is attempted – his great record 'Down On Bending Knees'. Talk about compelling – that was a great record. 

Unknown to me, Shemekia recorded a ZZ Top song, 'Jesus Just Left Chicago'. Her people asked if I'd consider playing a guitar figure and I said I'd really enjoy it. She didn’t know that I treasured the work her dad gave us. I said, well what's this for? A single? ""Well, we think it'll be single-worthy, as part of an album."" An album? Well I gotta hear it."

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Chino Moreno recommended You'd Prefer an Astronaut by Hum in Music (curated)

 
You'd Prefer an Astronaut by Hum
You'd Prefer an Astronaut by Hum
1995 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"They're a band from near Chicago. This is a heavy record, and it's where Deftones get a big part of our influence from, tone-wise. There are these huge chords going on, a huge backbeat, rolling basslines going on underneath, a lot of that has directly inspired certain songs. There's a wall of sound guitar, it's heavy and even bombastic in a way, but it's produced very well. We approached the producer about doing something for us, I think around our first or second record. I think the vocals are an acquired taste, he didn't have the best singing voice and he talk-sings, but the lyrics are very scientific, he sings about the stars and astrophysics, really odd topics, but the songs are really warm, there's a romantic vibe there as well. I knew I had to pick some records that inspired us that were older records, and this is one - I listen to this now and it's stood the test of time, and Deftones were definitely influenced by it."

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Beginning of the End (1957)
Beginning of the End (1957)
1957 | Horror, Sci-Fi
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Minor entry in the 50s atomic bug cycle hits nearly all the same beats as Them!, only on a much lower budget. Scientists playing with atoms accidentally make grasshoppers grow to giant size; they naturally start trying to eat Chicago. Peter Graves captures a grasshopper and hooks it up to a lie detector in the hope of finding a solution. (This really is the plot.)

Sort-of has a reputation as one of the worst films ever made, but it's decently structured despite a few corny sections and has a go at providing all the things you want from a sci-fi B-movie about monster insects. The stink around the film come from the special effects, which are frequently dreadful, but on the other hand the script is wildly overambitious and the effects guys are clearly doing the best they can in a hopeless situation. It's still a rip-off largely facilitated by a combination of stock footage and inept back-projection, but by no means unwatchable. Them! is still vastly better in every respect, though.
  
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Joe Swanberg recommended A Nos Amours (1983) in Movies (curated)

 
A Nos Amours (1983)
A Nos Amours (1983)
1983 | Drama, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"After film school, I moved to Chicago. The first thing I did when I arrived in town was get a membership at Facets, the legendary video store and cinematheque. My membership allowed me to see everything that showed at the cinema. About two years later, when they put on a Pialat retrospective, I took full advantage of the membership. I had already made a few small relationship movies, and the descriptions of the films seemed right up my alley. As with most of my favorite films, I had a negative initial reaction to a lot of what I saw. The characters were abrasive, and all seemed to be stuck in never-ending destructive cycles. There were unexplained jumps in time, and I often felt disoriented. I came away from the series with a mixed reaction. Now, years later, it’s easy for me to recognize the impact the films had on me because I can see it in my work. No other filmmaker has had such a direct and visible influence on me, and I didn’t even realize it as it was happening."

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