Monuments in Ruin - Episode231/Program One (music podcast)
Now that the Halloween season has come and gone, it feels like a good time to experiment with a “Choose Your Own Adventure” episode! What if we could visit alternate dimensions? What would we see in the same light? How would this week’s episode differ from a normal week? For our adventure the song certainly does not remain the same. Follow these artists through two different timelines as we celebrate a Twilight Zone style show by choosing Program 1 or Program 2. Your choice takes you on a specific path. Of course, we are the timekeepers and can jump through dimensions to hear both programs at our convenience.
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(00:00) Monuments in Ruin – Episode 231 Intro
(02:25) Beastie Boys
(07:39) Misfits
(09:43) Sonic Youth
(11:53) Gulch
(20:16) Helmet
(24:09) Bad Religion
(25:12) Suicidal Tendencies
(27:00) Butthole Surfers
(31:04) Bauhaus
(40:05) Fugazi
Poll: If you could travel through time once, with no return, to an unknown destination would go?
~ No way. I'd have to have more destination info.
~ Yes, because I choose my own adventure!
Q: What album have you revisited multiple times even though you do not seem to enjoy it?
Program 1 Notes
Beastie Boys – 1989: I think this album is the perfect example of how sampling can be used to have fun. Everything about this record makes me smile. Maybe it was a bit much for everyone when it was released but the sands of time held up well for this one historically. When you compare this record to the previous Licensed to Ill, there is such an enormous leap forward in experimentation. I’m not sure if that was due to the band wanted to try new things to shake their current status at the time or the inclusion of the Dust Brothers who produced the album. In my opinion, this is one of the earliest versions of the modern Mash Ups that are so popular today. For those who are unfamiliar, a mash up is when someone takes two separate songs and layer them together to create a new version of both. It’s so dense, there are web pages dedicated to the study of Paul’s Boutique, how it was created, and the samples used throughout the release. A quick google search states there are a total of 105 songs are sampled through the record. Pretty impressive.
The Halloween season may be over until next year but you can guarantee the Halloween spirit lurks in my heart year round. Up next, we have a track from the ultimate All Hallowed ghouls, this is the Misfits with Some Kinda Hate.
Misfits: 1978 : I’ve always been a fan of the Misfits and often reference them in two ways. First, they have some of the most addictive and catchy songs I’ve ever heard. Second, the recording quality is never really that good. This leads me to the conclusion, if the songs are good enough the rest will work itself out. Here we are, over 40 years later and I’m as happy as ever to hear that track. If I could pass any advice on to a young band it would be, talk your band mates into recording everything. Release it or don’t but record it anyway. As a fan, I don’t care if it’s polished. You might but we do not. Any fan simply wants to connect more with someone they like. That’s why live bootlegs and other things are so popular. 99% sure most bands would not release the live bootlegs we cherish. In the modern age, the internet allows us to archive and share in so many ways. The cost is minimal, if any.
Sonic youth 1990: This was no my favorite Sonic Youth album when I first heard it. In fact, the cd sat in my cars back seat for a long time until one day I felt like dropping it in again. Then it got me! Just like that, I understood the power of this record. The iconic cover art is easily recognizable in all of it’s black and white glory. This band is truly one of the most unique and innovative of their time that broke through into the mainstream. Not sure how but I’m glad it happened. That’s how I found them. MTV in the 90’s. Maybe it’s a reach but I consider that to be tapping into the mainstream, for that day and age. They were never mainstream musically.
Gulch 2020 : Talk about a gnarly record. This band is a full-on assault of the senses. If you enjoy heavy music and are not afraid of screamy vocals, this record is going to pulverize you. Highly recommended. The album art is creepy too. It’s this ghoulish lady pouring what appears to be blood into a fountain that is overflowing into another pool or fountain. Very colorful! Haha
Up next we are walking into that mid 90’s era that feels so right. This is Helmet with Wilma’s Rainbow.
Helmet 1994: This record was a big change up for a lot of fans. The band broke a lot of molds previously established with their Meantime record. The track we heard, Wilma’s Rainbow was not too far of a step out from the Meantime era songwriting but there is a lot of stuff on that record that sounds totally different. This is one of a small list of favorite albums I listen to while cleaning my garage or changing the oil or whatever might be happening in there.
Bad Religion 1988: Those boys have a potty mouth, eh? At least they have some catchy tunes to blast while we blurt out profanities. Haha! All jokes aside, that record is good and presents a side of punk rock very different from the Misfits we discussed earlier. These songs are precise, recorded extremely well and are basically as sharp as a razor in comparison to the Misfits stuff we heard that was recorded 10 years previous.
Suicidal 1999: This is a moment where I must accept a light bit of shaming, on my part. This record, even though I have always been into Suicidal Tendencies, slipped right by me. I’m not sure what occurred that allowed this but let my openness be an apology to the band and an acceptance of my shortcoming as a fan. The drummer on this record, Brooks Wackerman, was also in Bad Religion for a brief period but not on the album we heard. Also, the opening riff of that tune sounds very much like the Circle Jerks Live Fast Die Young from the Group Sex album. So be it! Both are great tunes.
Butthole Surfers 1993: I previously mentioned that Sonic Youth was one of the most unique bands to break through on MTV in the mid 90’s. Well, we can not neglect the uniqueness of the Butthole Surfers. Though they may not be noise rock or art rock, they are certainly the definition of the word unique. If you sifted the sounds of rock n roll through a cloth laced with psilocybin and served it to the Texas art department in a cup of coffee and requested, they paint a decaying brick building, you might get close to seeing a visual statement or mural painted of what the Butthole Surfers sound like.
Bauhaus 1980: This record didn’t stick for me on the first round. I traded it, got it again, sold it, found another copy, sold it again and here we are giving it the old collage try again. This tune may be the reason I keep revisiting it. Certainly, a cool tune. Even if the record doesn’t resonate with me on a whole, there are some moments here that I can’t deny are appealing to me.
Fugazi 1989: This group truly defines what we all hope to achieve as independent artists. They remained true to themselves and their friends. What more can we ask for? Oh yeah. Some of the best music to come from the area and a label the specifically makes sure it honors the craft.
-- Track List FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LIKE ADVENTURE!
Monuments in Ruin - Episode231 (music podcast)
(00:00) Monuments in Ruin – Episode 231 Intro
(02:25) Beastie Boys - Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun
(07:39) Misfits - Some Kinda Hate
(09:43) Sonic Youth - Mildred Pierce
(11:53) Gulch - Sin In My Heart
(20:16) Helmet - Wilma's Rainbow
(24:09) Bad Religion - Do What You Want
(25:12) Suicidal Tendencies - Cyco Vision
(27:00) Butthole Surfers - Who Was In My Room Last Night?
(31:04) Bauhaus - Dark Entries
(40:05) Fugazi - Bad Mouth