The PopCulteer
July 3, 2009

Photopalooza!

This week, in honor of the founding of this country, and in recognition of the fact that I put off writing the PopCulteer this week until the last minute, we’re going ALL PHOTOGRAPHIC! We’re going to present images from FestivAll, plus my side trip to Wheeling for The Marx Toy Collectors Convention last Friday.

Not only does this mean that you get the pure unadulterated eye candy of the last two weeks of mighty wonderment here in Charleston, but you also get to see the nine photos that the Gazette servers wouldn’t let me upload last week. To the right, you see some of Heidi Richardson Evans’ terrific artwork, which you can find at Visions Day Spa. I took that photo during ArtWalk, last week, moments before finding out that Michael Jackson died.

After the jump, with as little typing from me as possible, you’ll find even more images of the pure cool fun that was FestivAll….plus toys. I’ve also included photos of my day trip to Wheeling in search of Johnny West.

And you’ll find today’s classic episode of Radio Free Charleston.

And a cool comic of the week.

Plus a visual joke that some may consider to be in very poor taste.

But it’s still funny.

Read the rest of this entry »

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=59905023;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]
Today’s classic RFC entry in our march to Monday’s 75th episode is “West Virginia Shirt,” our Christmas show from 2007. We have music from 69 Fingers and Mountain Laurel Ensemble. You also get treated to the Holiday episode of The Android Family and an animated Christmas tree courtesy of Brian Young and Yours Truly. You can read the original production notes, here. Tomorrow’s Drive To 75 classic RFC will be part of The PopCulteer, our regular Friday blogular polyglot, which will be loaded with photos this week.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=59818924;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]
From November 2007, comes “GI Joe Shirt,” an episode of Radio Free Charleston with music from Raymond Wallace and Doctor Senator, plus RFC’s Official Barista Chelsea Cook introduces our animation, which is “Perky Dang,” the first of Frank Panucci’s Existential Journey cartoons.

Production notes can be found here. Check back tomorrow for another classic episode of the show. Next Monday, you can warm your cockels by the glow of our third anniversary show, episode 75. After that, we’ll probably just post one or two classic shows a week. We posted thirty in June, for crap’s sake!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=59770736;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]
We wrap up June with our 30th episode, from November 2007 it’s “Freedom Of Choice Shirt.” This episode features music from Mark Bates, The VooDoo Katz and John Radcliff. You’ll also get to see the first appearance of The Android Family. Our animation is a little tribute I created for Jennifer Ziegler in the hours after I learned of her death. This show was dedicated to the memory of Jen and Derrick Kirk, the late Sax player for The VooDoo Katz. You can read the original productionn notes here.

The Drive To 75 will continue to run here in PopCult until our big third anniversary show, number 75, which should go online next Monday. Check back every day for more crunchy RFC swellness.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=59764171;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]

Tonight we bring you our 2007 Halloween episode, “Pirate Outfit,” with a vintage video by Big Money, from the Danny Boyd Movie, “Chillers,” and a new video by South Park Enterprises, “Horror Movie Gangster.”

You’ll also get to hear a bit of Whistlepunk doing “Lost” during the end credits. We shot the host segments for this show at a costume party at Capitol Roasters where Whistlepunk was playing. There’s also nightmarish animation and a vintage commercial for Shrunken Heads…for kids!

You’ll get to see many regular guests and friends of RFC in the show, all dressed up in Halloweenie goodness. Read the production notes, here. And look at a photo essay of the party here.

Today’s Monday Morning Art is a slightly digitally assaulted photograph of a plane flying over Coonskin Park last Wednesday evening, taken while I was ringside in the Schoenbaum Amphitheater shell for the IWA East Coast show. Click to enlarge.

Later tonight, check PopCult for our next “Drive To 75″ classic episode of RFC, plus, if we get the glitches worked out, more FestivAll photos, including the nine that we couldn’t get to upload last Friday.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=59678745;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]
In October 2007, in honor of John Lennon’s birthday, we presented our tribute to The Beatles, “John Lennon Shirt.”  This episode of Radio Free Charleston featured Seven Minutes Til Midnight performing “Hey John I Did Imagine,” recorded live at LiveMix Studio, and the animated video for Go Van Gogh’s “Requiem For Pepperland,” crafted by me in four days, and featuring the Yellow Flying Buick Roadmaster.

We also have some straight talk from Sir Paul McCartney about drugs, and if you don’t blink, the on-screen debut of our official barista, Chelsea Cook. Original production notes are here.  Check back late tomorrow night for our 2007 Halloween show, shot at Capitol Roasters, with music from Big Money and Lil Guy from South Park Enterprises.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=59627299;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]
Today’s classic RFC is one of the “missing” files. Actually, “misplaced” is more accurate. Episode 15, “Black And White” features music from The Appalachian Celtic Consort and The HeyDays (Douglas Imbrogno and Paul Calicoat) plus very short animation by Frank Panucci. This was one of those shows that we cut Pentagram Flowerbox out of.

Trivia notes for this show: Both musical performances were recorded in 2006. In fact, “I Never Slept With Alan Ginsberg” was the very first video that I edited for RFC. We sat on it for a few months for some reason. In the early episodes of Radio Free Charleston, the music videos were either edited by Brian Young or by Frank Panucci. It took me a few weeks to learn the software well enough to fly solo. Since this show, I have personally edited most of the musical performances on the show. That includes the video for The Appalachian Celtic Consort on this show.

Host segments were shot around downtown Charleston in February 2007, and we had nothing to do with the building exploding at the end of the show. It was just a coincidence. You can read the original production notes here. We are frantically searching for episode 13, which seems to have gone missing. Once we get that one posted here, all of the early shows will be available online.

The PopCulteer
June 26, 2009

Dreaming of Ann

Three days after I saw it, Ann Magnusun’s “Back Home Again (Dreaming Of Charleston)” is still haunting my thoughts. To see such an amazing performance of such a well-thought-out show and on top of that to have the special connection to the material that only Charleston natives can have was a true honor. This show would have been compelling if I didn’t know the capital city like the back of my hand, but being from here made it unforgettable. I felt like I was part of the show simply by being in the audience.

Read the rest of this entry »

Radio Free Charleston’s seventy-fourth episode, “RFC Trax shirt” is online now! This show features music from Morgantown’s own, J Marinelli and Slate Dump, plus special announcements from Mad Man Pondo and Tofujitsu, as well as a Plant Ro Duction Mini Movie.

We also continue the First Great Guitar Giveaway with Route 60 Music, which will kick off just as soon as we iron out the last technical bugs. As soon as we get the contest page working, the contest will run for one full month. Keep checking PopCult for updates. We’re working on it as fast as we can. Thanks for your patience. This is our first contest, and we’re learning as we go.

Host segments and our end credit bed were shot last Saturday in Davis Park, during the “Art On A Stick” sale and open stage. You’ll hear RFC’s old buddy, Jerry Fugate, singing and playing Mandolin as we show you some of the sights of the day.

Read the rest of this entry »