Tuesday, February 5, 2013

What Is Red.

Chris D has always been a very literary kind of guy- so here is a page about words- words about him, words suggested by or referred to by him, and words written by him.





It's surprisingly hard to find much contemporary written material about Chris and the various bands. I have no idea why this would be- I would have thought they were pretty high profile.
Anyway, this edition of Forced Exposure from summer 1987 covers a fair bit of ground, including details of how the Divine Horsemen's tour van was stolen in New Orleans, with all their gear in it.










This is a good one. It came with a flexi disc of the Meat Puppets, Tex & the Horseheads and the Flesheaters, doing "River Of Fever". The mag has a column by Chris and also includes a fairly long and pretty funny tour diary thing by Byron Coley, covering a tour the band did in July 1982, which took them as far east as Boston. That amazing cover photo is by Phil-In Phlash, so I'm guessing it was indeed taken in Boston.



This is a kinda odd thing. Ignore the (excellent but unrelated) Frank Frazetta cover- this is the story of legendary Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean, who was rumored to have robbed, killed and eaten unwary travelers in the 1500s. And done some other unsavoury stuff, too. This was published in 1979, the first book by author, LA Morse, who went on to better and more interesting things, including "Video Trash & Treasures". Included here just for the hell of it.





Now, you can watch Maya Deren's "Divine Horsemen" as a film- it's right here- or you can read it as a book. I like the book- it has less of the slightly self-conscious artiness of the film, and it lasts longer.
I borrowed this copy from a high school library in suburban Melbourne back in 1984. I guess I really should think about returning it soon.






Go man go, like a racetrack! I make a point of buying any Ace paperbacks that I find in thrift stores or junk markets- this is a particularly good one, and always reminds me of "Twisted Road".









Chris listed  some authors worth seeking out in the Divine Horsemen track "What Is Red", including James M Cain, Harry Crews, Chester Himes, James Ellroy & Jim Thompson. All highly recommended:
BUT if you really want something to browse while listening to these tunes, I'd suggest one of Chris' own books, just because you know. If you don't have 'em, well, there are links included so you can sort that out.


SHALLOW WATER

Post-Civil War, embittered Confederate veteran and sometime bounty hunter Santo Brady drifts from town to town in the rural Deep South. He reluctantly rescues half-breed Indian prostitute Lucy Damien from a backwater whistle stop only to have the whole world fall in on his head. They embark on a freight train-hopping odyssey to New Orleans, unaware that Lucy’s rich white father and psychotic brother from St. Louis are hot on their trail. Sidetracked by a band of sadistic train robbers, Lucy is kidnapped, and the wounded Santo goes on a harrowing mission to track her. Reminiscent of such classic period noirs as James M. Cain’s PAST ALL DISHONOR and Cornell Woolrich’s WALTZ INTO DARKNESS, Chris D. delivers a tragic tall tale plunging headfirst into a wild heart of darkness.


MOTHER'S WORRY

The year is 1987, and outlaw Ray Diamond’s mother Lorna is the queenpin of a cesspool of crime and perversion in Mystic, Georgia. When Ray is discharged from the Navy in San Diego, he absconds with a .45, planning to rob and drug deal his way east to his hometown. But when Ray arrogantly knocks over a mob-connected El Paso liquor store, he doesn’t count on the owner’s psychotic son Eli dogging his trail, and his life corkscrews deep into nightmare. Back home in Mystic, Ray’s girl Connie Eustace resorts to stripping at Mama Lorna’s club to make ends meet. After witnessing a murder by the local sheriff, she goes on a drug and drink bender. Barely holding on until the long overdue, strangely changed Ray returns, Connie jumps from the frying pan into the fire.



A MINUTE TO PRAY A SECOND TO DIE
"A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die" is the long-awaited mega-anthology from musician/writer Chris D., singer/songwriter of the bands The Flesh Eaters and Divine Horsemen. Included here are all the song lyrics Chris ever penned from 1977 till now, plus poetry, short stories, dream journal entries and excerpts from as-yet-unpublished novels. A treasure trove for Chris D.'s fans and an introduction for everyone else to one of the most neglected literary talents of the last thirty years. 



NO EVIL STAR
Recovering addict and Nam vet, Milo, is resigned to his spartan life as caretaker of St. Margaret’s cathedral in 1989 Manhattan. Guaranteed perpetual employment by Monsignor Aloysius, an old WWII comrade of his dead father, Milo’s life starts to unravel when ex-CIA friend Dave goes off the deep end. Not only is Dave the heist man whacking drug dealers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, he’s also hatching a hare-brained scheme to plunder Brooklyn mob boss Nunzio’s treasure trove of paintings and objets de art recovered from the Nazis at the end of WWII -- which is conveniently stashed in St. Margaret’s cellar. Complicating matters is ex-Viet Cong Yuen -- a man with a very personal grudge against Milo and Dave -- now working for the Hong Kong Triads. When he arrives in the Big Apple to do business with two-timing underboss, Carmine, throw in hotheaded rehab priest Father Culkin, single mother Marie trying to stay straight, Nunzio’s homicidal daughter Sarah, Milo’s best friend, writer Jack, and you have a recipe guaranteed to erupt into an out-of-control urban holocaust.


OUTLAW MASTERS OF JAPANESE FILM
Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film offers an extraordinary close-up of the hitherto overlooked golden age of Japanese cult, action and exploitation cinema from the early 1950s through to the late 1970s, and up to the present day. Having unique access to the top maverick filmmakers and Japanese genre film icons, Chris D. brings together interviews with, and original writings on, the lives and films of such transgressive directors as Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill) and Koji Wakamatsu (Ecstasy of the Angels) as well as performers like Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba (The Streetfighter, Kill Bill Vol. 1) and glamorous actress Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood). Bringing the story up to date with an overview of such Japanese "enfants terrible" as Takashi Miike (Audition) and Kiyoshi Kurasawa (Cure), the book also provides a compendium of facts and extras including filmographies, related bibliographies on genre fiction including Manga, and a section on female yakuzas. Illustrated with fantastic stills and posters from some of Japan's finest cult and action films, this is a veritable bible for fans and newcomers alike.








1 comment:

  1. My girlfriend booked The Divine Horsemen for their New Orleans show in 1987 when their van w/ all equipment got stolen. She said Divine Horsemen were all nice people and felt sorry for 'em. SwampRats Productions.

    ReplyDelete

Don't be a dick.