Sayen Gardens: A Place To Wander

 

I found a new wandering place, Sayen Gardens (Hamilton, NJ). Upon this frosty bench, which wasn't quite as frosty as depicted here, I composed a short story this morning. The misty atmosphere (tepid, despite the wintery relegation) did me good. I shall revisit.

AIRSHIP 27 PODCAST (DEC '22): READY FOR LIFTOFF

Ron Fortier and Rob Davis end 2022 with a soaring, fare-thee-well podcast, featuring New Pulp treats to satisfy the literary senses. 

The prime news is the release of The Adventures of Radio Rita, where a quartet of authors bestows different takes on the iconic Airship 27 (Facebook-inserted) vixen. Rita's stories are composed by Mel Odom, Gene Moyers, Teel James Glenn and Samantha Lienhard, who let their imaginations roll with varying, what-if escapades for the ravishing redhead (i.e., who the beauty might be and what she might do for fun). Rob supplies the anthology's stimulating visuals. 

In addition, the guys keep listeners/viewers abreast of those on-the-cusp Airship 27 releases for 2023, including The Dead Sheriff, Vol 5; Bass Reeves, Frontier Marshal, Vol 7; Mystery Men and Women, Vol 8; Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, Vol 19; John Casey's After Sunset; plus The Purple Scar, Vol 4 and The Phantom Detective, Vol 2, each of which sports one of my stories. 

Consume the New Pulp ecstasy at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLjxIJn7PU&t=1444s

MICHAEL FERENTINO'S FROM HERE TO ABSURDITY

Melodious enchantment under duress, threaded by heartfelt emotions is how Michael Ferentino's music plays. Evidence of such can be heard in his compositions for Love in Reverse and Bedtime for Robots. His talent now takes center stage in a highly anticipated, solo album, From Here to Absurdity.

As with any Ferentino creation, From Here to Absurdity is varied and sublime, stable and erratic as its main, same-named track (for one) perpetuates. It tells of how things start with simple alignment, but over time become more complex, if not dangerous, no matter the circumstances or the theme. And Ferentino's tune (along with the entire album attached) presents plenty of both, wobbly and whirring, with a Rob Zombie-esque condemnation that sticks to the bones as it uplifts the soul in a desperate claim for survival. 

"Hero", for example, is one such out-of-the-ballpark proclamation, its sound commencing down a Bondian, cowpoke trail with a Svengali twang guaranteed to seduce any fair Trilby, but in truth it's a feminist salute; and its profound words take cutting jabs at saintly patriarchal icons and their antiquated dictums (the sort of father-knows-best views that have too often slammed us into life's myopic slammer.) 

"Three Days Without Water" also holds a surface, western verve, but it's psychedelic in the way of Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra's team-ups: slow and sweet as it creates a mirage under an audible sun. The track also screams for fulfillment, of being thirsty and hungry and not for food, but meaningful companionship within a vast, lonesome wasteland. 

"Woke Up" is, at least to my tender ears, a reply to "Hero" and "Three Days", setting forth a revelation with the drive to set things right at the world's demise. It shrugs its politically correct insinuation by being nothing so contrived, its words catering to autonomy and choice.

On the rougher side, Ferentino gives us "Already Dead", which is as mesmerizing as the prior tracks, but goes punkish. It brings to mind a comatose state, but with a clear-cut consciousness beneath, which knows it's hurting and doomed, but doesn't care.  

On another rough side, "Blunt Thing" rolls in a way that becomes a whispery warning, referencing Brave New World meets This Island Earth meets Mad Max, molded in the shape of a off-the-spool lullaby. 

Its companion piece, "Lurid Wing", paints an abstract atmosphere that rifts like a satanic choir against a far worse political machine. Its rattling clangs bring to mind unkept graveyards exposed in the undetermined daylight, laced with further dystopic disarray. 

"Make It Go Away" is icing for the aforementioned layers. Its taste is by no means harsh, but neither gentle. It's a string-strung plea for purgation and rebirth, the need to see the world returned to reputed innocence. 

On the softer (albeit sardonic) flipside, "Flower Song", accompanied by its exquisite, ramming reprise, moves like a harpsichord waltz, playing a pleasant groove that eventually digs into something more concrete, questioning where life (i.e. all its beauty) has gone, symbolized by pulsating pounds, while it suckles annihilation. 

On another softer side, "When Will I Find Love?" is a 1962 manifestation that The Fonz might savor when blowing into some chick's ear or one that Richie Cunningham might embrace after being stood up on some forlorn, Saturday night. This tune was, in fact, written by Ferentino's just-as-artistic dad, Joe, along with his partner, Frank Toscano, and the lyrics brim of immense, bittersweet yearning. Identifiable, seasoned stuff, without any debate. 

On the even deeper (creeper), softer side, there's "Good Morning Sunshine": a bell-ringing commercial and/or tv-show intro on high-stock acid, but no less giddy for its inebriating stabs. There's hope in this odd one, but it's the sort that spits thickly in the eye of all sensible doubters. 

"Otherture" is rather tv-ish, too, but more along the lines of old-school, non-biased PBS (if PBS was ever unbiased): a non-vocal intro to a documentary, which in this case analyzes all the waste and carnage in lieu of cheer long dead. 

In death, pastoral images spread, as "There Will Be Blood" declares (this being the last track, next to the "Flowers" reprise). It speaks of a heart growing fonder when it should know better, when madness washes over all that was once clean. It's a lilting justification for why things have turned absurd and maybe, just maybe, could yet be cured through the anointment of sacrificial blood. Ah, the perfect way to end a perfect album. 

From Here To Absurdity is a landmark achievement from an artist who has already attained so many successes. This one, however, prances in its own avant-garde niche, and for those who believe they've been wowed to the hilt by Ferentino's genius, be prepared; with this creation, the artist hits a whole new, astounding level. 

Embark upon Ferentino's enlightened absurdity at

https://music.apple.com/us/album/from-here-to-absurdity/1658238046

and/or 

https://open.spotify.com/album/3EMhWRXY0Xkg4dZEpgHcXH?si=ZhJqhP-jRay7U1_ZK3J0uQ&fbclid=IwAR1WY1y7NNgwhXxzL-cdr8jsYCDAjzWQ4CefnkAQ03wJjekbFwPSVTDJdT4&nd=1

Plus, for a "Blunt Thing" listen, visit YouTube at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc9gUngdfVY

R.I.P. STEPHEN GREIF...

Your sophistication seeped into many facets, some of immense, period-place style and others possessing a pulp-ish/hard-boiled core.  

Quality examples of the aforementioned can be found in Shoot on Sight; Citizen Smith; Coronation Street; Woman in Gold; Only When I Laugh; Doctors; Spooks; Dragon Quest: The Cursed King; The Cleopatras; Sixty Six; Rumpole of the Bailey; The New Avengers; Puppeteer; The Great Riviera Bank Robbery; The Upside of Anger; Red Eagle; Treasure Island '77; Space Race; The Last Days of Pompeii '84; Risen; Eichmann; Killer Net; Doctor Who; The Professionals; The Persuaders!; Fakers; Elliott from Earth; The House of Eliott; Soft Bed, Hard Battles; Face to Face; The Dreaming; D is for Detroit; Pretorius; Gerry; Nicholas and Alexandra; Silent Witness; The Crown; Thriller '73; Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected; Zorro: The Series '90; and Casanova '05. 

Ah, but to space-opera buffs, you gained a regal spot among Blake's 7 fans (during that breakthrough, first-series run) as the icy Federation Commander Travis, who stayed in unflinching pursuit of the ever eschewing starship, Liberator. 

That you wove in and out of so many impressive productions for so many years made you one of the hardest working in the field. That you're now gone, Mr. Greif, is heartbreaking, but through the marvelous material you've left behind, you'll continue to inspire, influence and of course, delight with all the erudite charm you invested into each of your creme-de-la-creme achievements.  

Collectible Time: Jason Voorhees Lunchbox with Accessories & Michael Myers T-Shirt

My friend, Brett has an uncanny knack of nailing fine, thematic items for me, and this Christmas was no exception, with several Jason Voorhees/Friday the 13th collectibles and a spiffy, Michael Myers/Halloween surprise. 

The prime, Friday the 13th item is what houses the others: a sturdy, 9" x 7", tin lunchbox, highlighting Jason in his signature, Part III hockey mask, with an insinuated, screaming victim's face to his right. As one can see among the above, stock shots, the embossed, front-plate imagery (featured on the back in flat form) conveys haunting, 3D projection.  

Inside the lunchbox, Brett enclosed sticky notes, containing two views of the menacing Mr. Voorhees, in addition to a set of five Jason ankle socks, a Jason (Part IV) can cooler and an embossed, "facial"-tin mint container. 

As a sinister bonus, Brett even slipped in a striking, Mr. Myers/Halloween, head-shot t-shirt, colored in seasonal black and orange. Ah, how slashingly stylish!

Brett knows my likes well, and once again, my dear pal nailed it right down the blood-splattered line. Thank you, Brett, for adding a significant, macabre twist to my Christmas proceedings. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2022

SO LONG, MAGGIE THRETT...

You made a name for yourself as a dancer, enough so to get ample exposure in Harper's Bazaar, and on the pop charts with the catchy singles, "Lucky Girl" and "Soupy". 

Thereafter, you found your way into Three in the Attic, Dimension 5, Out of Sight, Lost Flight, I Love a Mystery, The Devil's Brigade and Cover Me Babe; as well as such television series as The Wild Wild West, Cimarron Strip, The Most Deadly Game, I Dream of Jeannie and McCloud. 

However, it was as the ravishing Ruth Bonaventure in the Star Trek classic, "Mudd's Women" that you gained legendary status: a quiet but provocative role that sealed your stunning looks into many an avid mind for many a delighted decade. 

Your claim to fame is justified and savored among your fans, Ms. Thrett, allowing you to live on well into the future, not to mention the farthest reaches of the seductive galaxy. 

Collection Recommendation: Mr. Lobo Presents Cinema Insomnia (Return of the Vampire Strikes Back)

Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia Presents Return of the Vampire Strikes Back arrives in amazing Blood-O-Vision, turning an old favorite into a whole new, eye-popping experience. 

The Blood-O-Vision additive is, in actuality, a lurid red tinting of the would-be Dracula sequel, The Return of the Vampire, directed by Lew (The Raven '35) Landers and scripted by Griffin (Cry of the Werewolf) Jay and Randall (The Ghost Goes Wild) Faye. It stars, of course, the iconic Bela Lugosi in the role of mad scientist Armand Tesla (resurrected during the core of WWII) and Matt Willis as his verbose, lycanthrope accomplice, Andreas Obry. 

Though produced in Britain by Sam (The Outer Limits) White, Return rolls like a Universal submission from the same period (e.g., Robert Siodmak's Son of Dracula). L. William (The Invisible Menace) McConnell's cinematography clinches this, oozing a moody texture that's all the more captivating soaked in blood red!

Mr. Lobo does his usual great job inserting spooky segments (commercials, trailers and an edifying, tombstone-prop presentation) to liven the undead proceedings. Dixie Dellamorto Lobo, as Babs from the front desk, and Miss Mittens are also on hand, in addition to Jesse Seeherman as Countess Bloodsuger, Shannon McCabe as the Reel 7 Girl and Mr. Lobo as his bigshot alter ego, Alan N. Smithee. This exemplary ensemble certainly gives the parasitic presentation extra bite. 

Order this mesmerizing, "misunderstood" alteration of a knockoff classic at

https://osi74.square.site/shop/mr-lobo-s-cinema-insomnia/5