DJ Curium's Dance for UnCanny Con-Goers

My playlist from my set at 2018 CONvergence this passed weekend: 

Bad Reputation from the movie Kick Ass covered by The Hit Girls

Let’s Do It from the movie Tank Girl covered by Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg

Everyone is Wrong from the movie Elektra by The Donnas

Kids in America from the television show Riverdale (inspired by Archie Comics) covered by KJ Apa and Camilla Mendes

None of Your Business (Barb Wire metal mix) from the movie Barb Wire by Salt 'n' Pepa

Backdoor Lover from the movie Josie and the Pussycats "performed" by Du Jour

I Want Your Cray Cray from the television show Jessica Jones performed by Rachel Taylor (Trish Walker) & Kandi Marks

It’s On Again (piano edition) from the movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2 by Alicia Keys featuring Kendrick Lamar

King Charles from Marvel’s The Runaways by YUNGBLUD

DeadPool Rap from the movie Deadpool by TEAMHEADKICK

Wrek tha Discotek from the movie Blade by Roger Sanchez & Soulson

Opps from the movie Black Panther by Vince Staples & Yugen Blakrok

99 Red Balloons from the movie Watchmen by Nena

Just Like Heaven from the movie Atomic Blonde (based on the comic Coldest City) by The Cure (I picked a song from this movie because there is a scene in which there is a television on in the background and an Information Society video is on)

(Can’t You) Trip like I Do from the movie Spawn by Filter & the Crystal Method

Atom Bomb from the original X-Men movie by Fluke

Poison Lips from the movie Dredd (based on the comic 
Judge Dredd) by Vitalic

Bidibodi Bidibu from the television show Wynonna Earp by Bubbles

Wonder Woman’s Wrath (edited) from the movie Wonder Woman by Rupert Gregson-Williams

DJ Curium's Witching Hour

Well, I attempted my first night of djing in a club a few weeks ago, and it went much better than I thought. 

Allow me to share my playlist: 

Wanderer-Symone Smash-it

Sign of the Zodiac-Rasputina

Iceblink Luck-Cocteau Twins

Witchcraft-Book of Love 

White Rabbit-Collide

Fallen-One Dove

Heaven-the Golden Palominos

Bazamba-Sister Soleil

Violently Happy-Bjork

Daymalhum-Natacha Atlas

Veka(ext.)-Zola Jesus 

Ha Howa Ha Howa-Sexwitch

Strangeness and Charm-Florence and the Machine 

Down by the Water-PJ Harvey 

 

*If everything goes to hell I’m just going to put this on and leave bonus song” Open Your Heart covered by Birthday Massacre

CONvergence 2017 Playlist

My original set though I had to drop a couple of songs due to time constraints. Includes source material. Pretty awesome and looking forward to doing it again.

  1. Yellow Flicker Beat performed by Lorde from the movie Mockingjay Part. 1 based on the novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

  2. #1 Crush -Garbage from the movie Romeo & Juliet, story by William Shakespeare 

  3. In Your Grave -Jaymes Bullet from the movie Vampire Academy based on the books in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead 

  4. I Want You to Want Me performed by Letters to Cleo from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You adapted from The Taming of The Shrew by Shakespeare

  5. Kids in America- The Muffs from the movie Clueless an adaptation of the book Emma by Jane Austen (also recently featured in Riverdale)

  6. Hush performed by Kula Shaker from the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer based on the book by Lois Duncan 

  7. Let’s Do It-Joan Jett & Paul Westerberg from the movie Tank Girl based on the comics series Tank Girl  by Jamie Hewlett & Alan Martin 

  8. It’s On Again by Alicia Keys (featuring Kendrick Lamar) from the movie The Amazing Spiderman 2 based on the comic series created by Stan Lee

  9. Backdoor Lover performed by “Du Jour” from the movie Josie and the Pussycats based on the comics created by Dan DeCarlo

  10. Poker Face performed by Lady Gaga from the movie the Lightening Thief from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan 

  11. Obsession performed by Sky Ferreira from the show The Vampire Diaries based on the book series created by L. J. Smith 

  12. Choosing Dauntless by Junkie XL  featuring Ellie Goulding from the movie Divergent based on the book series by Veronica Roth 

  13. Into the Lair performed by Zedd from the movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones based on the book series by Cassandra Clare

  14. Tea Party performed by Kerli from the movie Through the Looking Glass based on the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 

  15. Brand New Day performed by Diana Ross and Micheal Jackson from the movie The Wiz based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book series by L. Frank Baum

  16. Be Our Guest performed by Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw from the movie Beauty and the Beast based on the book La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

  17. Other Father Song performed by They Might Be Giants from the movie Coraline based on the book by Neil Gaiman

  18. Kings and Queens and Vagabonds  performed by Ellem from the show Reign inspired by the Young Royals Series by Carolyn Meyer 

  19. Breath of Life performed by Florence and the Machine from the movie Snow White and the Huntsman based on the fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm

  20. Once Upon a Dream performed by Lana Del Rey from the movie Maleficent based on the stories La Belle au bois Dormant by Charles Perrault and Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm

For my 500th post-Vampires-obviously.

We’ve covered some heavy stuff in the last few days and Young Adult books are not all doom and gloom, so let’s talk about…HAHA Just Kidding-Yes they are! It just isn’t always nuclear war doom and gloom. Sometimes it’s dramatic, sexy, and yes everyone lives in a nice house and drives a nice car somehow even though nobody actually works doom and gloom-VAMPIRES! I generally think in the supernatural world you pick a side-zombies or vampires-and I most assuredly fall into vampires. In fact, it got to the point that I was reading so many vampire books I asked my friends and co-workers to stage an intervention if they saw me pick up one more. 
What can you do? You read Lost Souls (Poppy Z. Brite) when you’re 15 and that’s that. And no one show or movie over the last twenty years can fill the role of drama and sexy quite like the Vampire Diaries. 
The original books were first published in the early 90’s when Vampire stories were having something of a renaissance. Author LJ Smith created the series, which is set in a little place called Fell’s Church. When the rights were picked up for the show they decided to change the name of the town to Mystic Falls because the producers did not like the religious implications of the first name. (Mystic Falls is actually Covington, Georgia, where the series is filmed. That almost changed a few years ago when anti-gay rights legislation was set to be signed by the governor, but enough companies threatened to leave that the bill was dropped). Not too far into the show being filmed, author LJ Smith was fired from writing her own series after two decades because the television producers did not like the direction she was taking the story. This took a strange turn of events when the author turned to fan fiction to finish the storyline, and fans started to boycott her previous publishers and made her stories best sellers on Kindle Words. Fast forward 8 seasons and the Vampire Diaries has turned into one of the most successful vampire franchises out there, and includes another very popular spinoff: The Originals. (I somewhat prefer this one because I have a soft spot for stories set in New Orleans, because of course.)
The Vampire Diaries has all the trappings of escapist, young adult fantasy. Attractive 20-somethings playing teenagers, a mysterious small town steeped in folklore, what little evidence there is of parents of any kind is evidenced by their children discovering their long-hidden secrets of the supernatural and shenanigans from eras past, real life co-stars caught up in love triangles, being able to get up to anything at any time all while looking dashing, and last but certainly not least, a song attached to it that is instantly recognizable if you have even accidentally seen an advertisement for the show. 
Forever undecided between who to spend eternity with (which is something we all seem pretty determined to figure out at the wise old-age of 18) this song mirrors rather perfectly the story’s ability to go round and round again the sordid love affairs of the Salvatore Brothers, Elena, and later on Caroline (and occasionally throw a bone to the other people in the group of friends and cohorts) (but only dangerously flirting with outsiders never to be taken *too seriously*). Obsession is most assuredly the theme of this particular mythology. Reincarnations, prophecies, destiny, and the inescapable ill-fated love-
Sky Ferreira’s song sums it all up quite perfectly. I give you one of the *many, many* fan made videos-
(As a side note one of the things that genuinely cracks me up about the Vampire Diaries: characters are beheading one another, drinking blood, performing witchcraft rituals, drinking, smoking pot, engaging in illustrious sexual relationships-but if anyone smokes a cigarette everyone has an absolute meltdown). Enjoy! And remember-*especially* when it comes to Vampires-age is just a number.

The 100 (but really only like 20 or something)

Nuclear War. Fanatical religion. Tribalism. Treacherous A.I. Ecological Disaster. Making our children fight wars for us. Just to name a few of the elements that fuel the storylines of the show "The 100". Based on a book series by Kass Morgan, the television show "The 100" sits on a lot of lists with titles “Best Shows You’ve Never Seen” and “Most Underrated Sci-Fi Shows.” The overwhelming majority of the time I do not agree about what shows are on these lists, but in this case they are correct. 
Set a little less than 100 years after nuclear war has wiped out most of mankind, "The 100" tells the story of 4,000 survivors sent to live in a space station above the planet to ensure the continuation of the human race. Resources are scarce and they are supposed to last far beyond what they realistically can, so any crime, no matter how small, is punished by death-unless you are under the age of 18. These crimes include stealing needed meds or food, and having more than one child.
But best laid plans really are the road to hell. The ark (as the station is called) does not have what it takes to ensure the survival of anyone, much less 4,000 people, so they send 100 “prisoners” to see if Earth is in any way habitable. Here they find radioactive storms, toxic soil, warring clans, and societies that shun anyone not genetically attractive (not unlike leper colonies from history). 
Merciless in killing off of characters, somewhere near the end of episode 3 The 100 is already down to less than half. (At this point into season 3 I am surprised if anyone makes it through an episode, much less a season). 
"The 100" brings with it some of the more realistically theorized behavior of humanity after a nuclear war than I would say most shows do. In the sci-fi writing world there are genuinely only a handful of things writers seem to agree on. Humankind’s annihilation at their own hand, be it through nuclear war or ecological disaster, definitely is one of those things. And really, when you have a look around, I don’t think anyone (reasonable) would disagree that this is a possibility beyond measure these days. It also establishes once again that here on Earth we seem to have a pretty hard time learning any lessons. 
The books had not yet been published when the CW picked up the rights for the story. I didn’t know much about it when it was being filmed, but I decided to avoid watching it for some time because what little I knew about it I didn’t want spilling over into my own writing as I was rounding out completing my first sci-fi novel at the time. (This ended up being unnecessary as the stories are pretty different). 
In the first season of the show the soundtrack was comprised of popular, recognizable hit songs and it did not work. It was one the few elements keeping it from being a serious sci-fi epic, but season 2 came and that changed. 
As the kids go out into the world and discover not only do they not necessarily have any idea what morality is or what that could even possibly mean in this world they now live in, the music gets more complex and immersive. And one way this is demonstrated is by the discovery of relics of the past. And it is UNSETTLING. It’s in these moments that the nature of the story really hits home. A very good example of this is a scene when a group is headed once again to find if there is any safe passage across a stretch of land and in a moment of seemingly carefree jubilance they sing along to "Add It Up" by the Violent Femmes-a pretty familiar song in the indy rock world. It’s only then you realize how eerie the lyrics to this piece of music really are, and that 100 years from now is not much time. 
*as a side note, the linguist who worked on Game of Thrones has also worked in developing the Grounder language on "The 100" 
*I also appreciate that sexuality is a non-issue. It just is.

Katniss Everdeen

Miserable, misanthropic, reluctant, trying to do the right thing even though you don’t always want to or even know what it might be-
Of all the Young Adult books I’ve read (which numbers into the hundreds the last 10 years) and of all the movies made in the genre, no one embodies these qualities more in my mind than Katniss Everdeen. 
In the world of the Hunger Games, where the differences of status and authoritarianism is the rule, the most vulnerable of people paying the highest of price-one can’t help but notice the correlation to reality in our world where the wealthiest of us take more and more and the gap between economic classes continues to grow. The overwhelming anger this can cause is enough to make anyone want to hide away and not deal with it because who ever knows what to do to change anything? We seemingly often end up back in the same place. And Katniss Everdeen gets to live through all of this cycle. Her anger drives her and her detachment keeps her alive and her emotional reactions inspire a world. 
Unsurprisingly, due to it’s “unsatisfactory religious content”, sexual implications, and seemingly violent political messages, this book has become one of the most challenged pieces of writing out there. In 2013 it hit the #5 spot on the list of books people tried to ban. As such, I think one of my most joyous moments as a reader was helping buy an entire classroom full of kids a copy of the first book. 
These books are important. Our society tries very hard to stomp the rebellious spirit out of us as we grow older, and never more so than when we are teenagers. In a lot of ways the Hunger Games trilogy is not a new set of stories but simply a retelling of a world that has a very difficult time learning its lessons. 
Reality television dominates the world that Katniss inhabits-sound familiar? 
Suzanne Collins used as reference many of her father’s own hunting and foraging books as well as his knowledge he acquired growing up in the Great Depression. He also served in the Vietnam war and this had a big impact on her family growing up. 
Not all that long ago I was talking with someone who felt uncomfortable saying they didn’t like the movie “since it was so popular.” I countered with explaining that it’s not the type of movie you like. Kids are killing kids to survive, it’s not a story to entertain you, it’s a story to make you think. 
So as you have your celebrations today, with all the things that people enjoy on this day: hot dogs & hamburgers (created in Germany), apple pie and soda (created in England), cold beer (so old-think Mesopotamia, read: Ancient Iraq) and of course fireworks (invented where else but China?) consider what it means that we have an administration with implications of an election having been influenced by a foreign government and a president demanding to see the most sacred of documents in a democracy-the voter rolls- and recall what author Suzanne Collins hoped to accomplish with the Hunger Games which was, "questions about how elements of the book might be relevant in their own lives," like not taking your next meal for granted and being politically aware. 
It’s not really a secret where the ideas for these stories come from. With that I give you Lorde’s excellent cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World from the movie Catching Fire in the Hunger Games series. 
(If you need something a little lighter to do with the Hunger Games I recommend looking up the Onion’s review of Catching Fire)

White Rabbit

In continuing with giving a glimpse of my upcoming dj set at Convergence.

If you know me even a little bit it would be no surprise to know this post is about Alice in Wonderland. At this point in my life I own over 50 different editions of the book everything from a replica of the original manuscript (which does not leave England) to the challenging interpretation(and often banned) version written By Alan Moore, Lost Girls. 
White Rabbit most assuredly sits amongst my favorite all time songs. Although, I would suspect not for the reasons one might assume. 
It is a story that has influenced everything from The Matrix to Guillermo Del Toro’s work and has numerous movie versions, the most recent ones being those produced by Tim Burton. Many people took issue with these movies and I can definitely see that point of view. And I do also fall into the category of people who feel at this point Tim Burton’s interpretations of others’ work is not particularly good. 
However, there is some charm and merit to be found in the most recent movie Through the Looking Glass (and I might add a particularly enjoyable soundtrack). This film touches on the treatment women received throughout Victorian Times for not bowing to the conventions of society. Where anything out of the ordinary was an indication of mania or hysteria. In addition, Alice’s resolve to help her friend the Mad Hatter and making the impetuous decisions of a young person which often lead to unexpected consequences despite good intentions- a part of growing up that is very real. 
At this point in my search for music I could likely play an entire evening of only Alice in Wonderland theme songs and none more so than covers of White Rabbit. 
The original, of course, being that written and performed by one of my favorite vocalists, Grace Slick. 
This was the first song written for Jefferson Airplane by Grace Slick. At the time she wasn’t officially a part of the band and had another job until a producer bought out her contract with another company for $750 so she could become a full member. The song was released in 1967, the height of counter-culture in the 60s, a time in our history most notable for protesting the Vietnam War. (People quickly took to the song as being an anthem for the use of drugs, most pertinently LSD.) She was brought on to be a part of Jefferson Airplane because the other members wanted someone who was outspoken and aggressive.
This, however, was not the point or the intention of why she wrote this song. 
She maintained throughout her career that she wrote the song not to only encourage people to continue to expand their education (as noted by the lyric “Feed your head”) but to also point out the great hypocrisy she always felt came from parents reading kids stories like Alice in Wonderland that do reference drugs (Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz- being two other notable classics that do so as well) and then to punish them for experimentation and exploration as they grew older rather than educate them. 
Despite being a song that has maintained a cult status since its release, the highest it ever reached on Billboard was #8. 
Grace Slick is currently retired from music but still makes a living off of White Rabbit and runs a one-woman art show where her most popular series of paintings are based on Alice in Wonderland.
I came across this fan-made video of clips from the movie with Pink performing White Rabbit live at one of her shows. (She performs a different song on the soundtrack). I was surprised to find I liked her cover a great deal and read not all that long ago that so did Grace Slick. I might add, they nearly left it off the album altogether thinking it would never catch on…

In Which I am Going to Dj at Convergence

To be clear, I was never under any illusion that trying to dj was an easy task. As a party host/long time club-goer-if you put even a bit of effort into doing anything really- it’s a lot of work (and also money but that’s a conversation for another time). 
However, now that I’ve been learning not just the gear but what it means to put together a specific idea for a set, I can tell you with certainty this is a wonderful but complicated and time-consuming craft. I was someone who liked to dig for music already, but getting into something that’s niche as is fantasy/sci-fi/horror music soundtracks specifically based on books for Young Adults -well, let’s just say my next book isn’t done yet because I decided to give this a try too. Yeah that’s it. 
I wanted to share a little bit about what I’ll be attempting on Friday night by sharing videos and clips from movies in the theme. I decided for Sunday to start with something from The Wiz because as a kid growing up it was one of the few things I recall watching on TV from time to time, particularly on Sunday for family movie days. It was a pretty big deal because of course when we are honest we know that there there is not enough inclusiveness in the scifi/fantasy world -especially in movies. And really, when you know what you want to do and you know who is going to come I do not see the point in throwing a party if you are not even going to try to have something for everyone. 
SO I start here. 
A few things about the books and movies:
The Wiz is based on the 14-book series that started with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum in 1900.
The first Oz movie was not a commercial success even though the books were a smashing hit.
The Wiz also didn’t start as a box office success but did end with critical success including garnering 5 Oscar Nominations. 
In the books Dorothy’s shoes are not red. They are silver. Diana Ross wore silver, Judy Garland wore the red ones.
L. Frank Baum worked for women’s suffrage. 
The Wiz is when Michael Jackson started to learn choreography, which he took very seriously. 
Quincy Jones, who put together the music for the film, never left the set. 
There was backlash over this movie as people called it a movie “for black people” rather than a movie with “black stars” and it had a direct effect on the film’s original box office take and distribution. 
Set in modern environments, the film pays tribute to the director’s home city by featuring landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and Coney Island. 
I picked this particular clip because I never recalled seeing it in the times that I watched The Wiz on TV as a child. I came to learn that it was, in fact, edited out because it was “too sexy.” 
Considering this is a scene about opioid flowers I’m not sure the hot ass ladies are the problem but you can decide for yourself. I present “The Poppy Girls”.

Yma Sumac, Peruvian Icon Women's History Month

Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chavarri del Castillo was born in Cajamarca, Peru, September 13, 1922. She grew up in Peru—in a family she described as being descended from the Incan emperor Atahualpa (the government eventually supported this to be true)—and began performing in Lima before moving to the United States in 1946 where she embarked upon a singing career as Yma Sumac.

Her vocal range spanned four octaves and is rumored to have been up to five. She appeared in a Broadway Musical in 1951 and in films.

Her album Voice of Xtabay quickly sold 500,000 copies, and was No. 1 on Variety’s best-seller list at the end of 1950, surpassing albums by Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman, she would fetch $25,000 a performance in Las Vegas (at the time an unheard of number).

She was awarded the Order of the Sun by the Peruvian government in 2006. Performer Dita Von Teese cites her as a muse frequently. She passed away in LA at the age of 86. *It was impossible to pick a photo of her as they are all beautiful. Visit her website here: Yma Sumac News

Sources:

bio.com

NYtimes.com

In Which We Dada

So maybe it's not sophisticated music. I dunno. What I do know is that Dada Life is about as much fun as you can have both listening to them and seeing them live. I have seen their show twice now and I just love it. It is high energy and silly and all about fun. The first time I saw them I'd had a terrible day and I left with the biggest smile having danced for two hours straight and cracking up at the obsession they seem to have with bananas. This time around I took a few photos from my phone(I try not to take pics at shows because I find it very rude). I really couldn't resist. Especially when the giant banana appeared.

The lighting gear was most impressive at Myth Nightclub.

The lighting gear was most impressive at Myth Nightclub.

The aftermath of the giant pillow fight.

The aftermath of the giant pillow fight.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS!

They Might be Giants might very well be the ultimate in GEEKY music. I adore them. I went to their show here in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. I've seen them before it's always lots of fun and of course, singing along. Pushing Daisies is one of my favorite shows ever and who could forget this: Birdhouse in Your Soul. Here are some little snaps from the show!

Loving the 90's. Garbage!

I went to see a long time favorite band of mine a couple of weeks ago at the venue Mill City Nights.  The venue is dreadful but Garbage was AWESOME. Shirley Manson has aged perfectly.

Public Enemy

I went to see Public Enemy in Dec. I have always been a fan of Chuck D.- especially as a book lover, he's pretty important to the fight against censorship. The show was tons of fun. He and Flavor Flav had a lot of positive energy.

Florence Fairy Tale Deux

I got to see Florence and the Machine for a second time at the beautiful, historic State Theater. It's such a gorgeous venue. Florence herself. commented on it's loveliness. The show was wonderful and she did not disappoint. Her stage set up is much bigger than last year and she was certainly more relaxed this time around. A few pics from my seat in the balcony!~

My Patron Goddess of Music, a concert fairy tale Last Summer...

I was lucky enough to get tickets to the sold out Florence and the Machine show. I am completely in love with this woman and music. The concert was amazing and surreal, taking place outdoors in the Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater. Set against a back drop of trees and water, the summer warmth created a mist that surrounded the show all evening. Florence Welch brough music back to life for me. Her vocals are astounding, sounding better live than all the studio stardust producers can pour into an album. Listen to Florence and the Machine and fall in dark, heady love.

I get to see her again in a month and I am beside myself with excitement.

OMD was awesome. Twice last year.

Two times last year I saw OMD. This is a shot from their show in Chicago which was very good and lots of fun. However, it was nothing compared to the excitement and energy they brought to Minneapolis with them! They are now back in the studio working on new stuff. I was a fan before the shows now, I am a ~big~fan. They clearly adore their audiences.

Ceremonials

I have been listening non-stop to the new Florence and the Machine album, Ceremonials. I just love it. She is also posting more and more of her outfits on her facebook page which is so completely swoon worthy!
This photo was on there a couple weeks ago.

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