On A Quest For What Sets Me On Fire

Sorry folks. It’s been a long time since my last post. So many things happened in 2020. We all have experienced Covid in some way. I went through that as well as getting a hip replaced. I had my struggles and through music I survived the recovery. 

Taking a trip down memory lane is what I’m currently doing. Specifically I am on a search for two 45s. I collect records so that’s what I am referring to. But these two tiny little records mean a lot to me. When I was a kid I had a fisher price record or something slightly better. I can’t remember. But I did come across many records as a kid. Ones my parents had in their collections and ones I actually bought from a record store with allowance money. 

One of them was by Bruce Springsteen. The single was “I’m on fire.” I played that one many times during my elementary school years. There was just something nostalgic about playing that song over and over again. The other 45 was by Madonna. Her single was “Crazy For You.” I believe the song was featured in the movie VisionQuest. However, that isn’t how I first heard it. Probably was just on the radio. It was either at a Sam goodie or even a Kmart where I came across these two tiny little records. I don’t remember what the B sides were but I’ll look that up and post it in the comments below. 

During the course of life things come and go. I have no idea what happened to those records but they vanished from my existence. But those two meant the most to me and now I’m on the hunt to replace them. Sure I could probably go online and purchase them for a lot of money but I would rather just go into various record stores and fish through the 45s until I find them. I love scavenger hunts and the journey itself is the most fun. Sure I can play those songs on my iPhone or go on YouTube or whatever but to have two physical copies in my possession again will be pretty sweet. 

Being 10 years old and hearing those two songs on my little record player just worked its magic into my brain and provided peace and comfort to my ears. 

So I ask my blog readers what their favorite vinyl treasures are. There are lots of them out there. Just curious what everyone else is searching for or holds near and dear to them from their childhood. After all these months this is what I have chosen to write about here at my website. Thanks for reading and always listen to music.

Getting to know Lucy Lux of Apocalypstick! #music #punk #DJ #Podcast #obscure #soundcloud

This girl is a genius

Over 12 years ago I was surfing the net and stumbled upon a website called GaragePunk.com. Fascinating stuff, let me tell you. A lot of podcast links were all over the place with a lot of cool comic artwork and interviews as well. The purpose of the site was to find ways of exposing great stuff to innocent listeners who have never heard of this sort of obscure music. They’re the hidden gems of creativity. A lot of folks do not seek this kind of stuff out. So what kind of stuff you might ask?

Stripped down guitars and drums providing an escape from the troubles of the real world. I like my music rough and loud but I also like it silly and unpredictable.

The show I want to discuss is called Apocalypstick! Lucy Lux is your radio hostess! She “spits out greasy, sleazy, cheesy rock n roll trash that’ll make all of your fantasy dreams come true!” So let’s get on with the exciting news here! She has a sultry voice that seduces you and sucks you right into her crazy world of love potion music and sexploitation sound bites. There are samples from bizarre commercials, tv shows and grindhouse flicks from the 1970’s. But the music and her spiels are truly dynamite.

It’s more than just a podcast. It’s a custom made radio program special. Each episode has that pizazz to it that makes you want to cuddle up by the fireplace with your warm blanket and maybe pour a glass of wine and experience something nostalgic and special like you would back in the old time radio days. It’s a delicious novelty!

I thought that her show permanently came to an end since 2010. For the last 9 years I could no longer find it in my iTunes library. That is until……I suddenly heard from her

Lucy Lux (real name….Maya Luz) happens to be a fashion designer who once appeared on the series Project Runway. I recently interviewed her about that, her show and other interests. She actually approached me one day out of the clear blue.

Here is how it went down!

Maya: “Hi Chris! I logged into my Etsy after not looking at it for years and saw a message from you on there looking for Apocalypstick! If you still would like to find the archive episodes, there are all here on Soundcloud.com Hope you enjoy! I still produce them so be on the listen for new ones!”  https://soundcloud.com/apocalypstick_lucylux

Chris: “That’s so awesome! I don’t even remember when I left you a message on Etsy. Must’ve been a long time ago. Ha ha. I always loved your show, music and the way you mixed in scenes from old commercials and movies. You have a natural radio voice.”

Maya: “Ha yea i haven’t logged in there for a long time but i think it was like in 2016. Yes, it [podcasting] is such a fun hobby. Always collecting bits for it, and it’s just a matter of stringing it together. It’s so fun.”

C: So I meant to ask, how did the Project Runway show work out?

M: Yea I mean it was a very interesting experience and helped in a lot of ways. I was also just a baby. That was 10 years ago too, amazingly.

C: That puts your life in perspective. Life is a learning experience.

M: It totally is and very fun. At least I try to make it so!

C: For my readers who have never heard your podcast, please explain your style in 5 words:

M: Silly -Bombastic -Obscure -Sassy -Throwback

C: If I was to turn on your ipod or iphone right now, what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?

M: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard -The Lijadu Sisters – Witch -Dr. John ‘I Walk on Gilded Splinters’ -The Real Kids ‘Common At Noon’

C: If you could go to a club or concert hall to see any artist on tour right now who would it be?

M: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard -Sheer Mag -Jeffrey Lewis and The Voltage

C: So, what’s your favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing/producing/playing etc?

M: Designing bags and accessories for women and sketching/making things. Visiting galleries and museums and seeing art and designs up close and personal. I also love to watch arthouse films and thrillers and getting in the zone of a director. Definitely one of those people that likes getting a pizza after the movie to talk about the script!

C: Ok one more question. You write your own shows right? Where do you draw inspiration from when you gather your clips and bits and pieces from and what’s your favorite part about the proccess?

M: I write, edit and produce all shows; inspiration can come from anywhere, something I hear someone say, a frank statement from a film that catches my ear, or an old saying from English history that sounds funny. Sometimes holidays are a good place to draw from, to turn a hallmark moment into a parody and have fun with it. The idea is to bring into light amazing tracks that might be missed otherwise. My favorite part is engineering the pieces together like one big collage to make a story of sort, with little hidden messages along the way, only to be discovered by a keen ear!

I thanked her for her time letting me ask these questions and putting this blog entry together. We are still in touch as friends on facebook messenger. She’s always sending me updates on new episodes. Below is a link to one of my personal favs.

Peace out!

The Year of Tool

This is my one and only Tool post: I have been a hard core fan of the band for 26 years. I absolutely love all of their recordings. I saw them live 4 times. I’ve worn their t shirts and hung up posters. Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time. But Tool is a close second.

Am I biased? Hell yes! 😂 However, as much as I would like to complain and whine about their newest record after 13 years and say it was a disappointment, I cannot do that whatsoever because it’s an absolute masterpiece!!!

It really is! It’s their most mature album yet. It’s complicated and intense. The drumming is out of this world! Danny really shines! Justin’s bass and Adam’s guitar both are technically so genius and precisely amazing and exactly perfect. It surpassed my expectations by miles.

Maynard’s vocals were added later after the music was laid down. His approach is astonishing. As always his contribution is the icing on the cake or the cherry on top. He has matured so much over the years.

This album pays homage to all their previous works and is so current and relevant today. It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway: this album is a 5 star classic and could very well be their greatest album ever and is not only their crowning achievement but might actually be their swan song. What a way to please us die hard fans. Wow!!!⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️