GG Allin + The Aids Brigade - "Live in Boston 1989" DVD

Whether GG Allin was one of rock's greatest or worst frontmen is up for debate. But 20+ years later, one thing is certain -- nobody has taken punk rock to such depraved, confrontational, and vile depths since.

Here, GG and the boys (including brother Merle, who Goatsden did a tape-trade with many years back) play dress-up, New York Dolls-style -- to gain entrance to a club that GG was banned in a few months prior. This drag-queen plan worked, as GG and crew were able to battle through 9 tracks, including such tasteful "classics" as "Cunt On The Loose", "I Wanna Rape You", and "Bite It You Scum".

The show was relatively tame, for GG Allin standards. Musically, the group's basic 3-chord punk wasn't too interesting nor unique, but the antics of their untamed frontman (and the extensive make-up, wigs, and dresses) made this one a definite curiosity.

The added bonus material, equating to 2 additional shows from 1993, stands as prime GG, with all the expected mayhem and feces. It's all spectacle, rather than music here, as Allin baits the (dwindling) audience with threats of violence and sexual assault. It's not pretty or easy to watch. As it stands, "Live in Boston 1989" is good value for Allin fans, as it runs well over a couple of hours altogether, but casual fans will need to see the "Hated" documentary first. (MVD Visual)

GG Allin official site

Also worthy of mention while on the subject of GG Allin...a new throbblehead figure, commemorating the 1991 GG...

Aggronautix, home to the GG Allin throbblehead and tons more...

"Scream Queens Illustrated" DVD (director: John Russo)

Anyone who knows us here at Goatsden HQ knows that we aren't big fans of workout or fitness videos. We ARE, however, definitely interested in sleaze and trash cinema, which this one seems to qualify as. I mean, there really aren't many redeeming qualities on this one!
I can't begin to guess who the target market for this one is/was, but it's definitely a freaky, odd, and tacky set. A compilation of two different 1992 VHS titles, "Scream Queens Illustrated" features "Scream Queen Swimsuit Sensations", and "Knockout Workout", and both titles using the same footage, re-edited and re-arranged.

Included are 3 starlets, all veterans of Playboy videos and low-budget B-movies, but mostly forgotten today. Melissa Moore (cute Kentuckian who is now a horse trainer), Jasae (chick wrestler/boxer with a frightful stair-stepper routine), and Veronica Carothers (who is the hammiest and most dramatic) are examined with brief biographical interview bits, as well as included in some rather tame fitness routines, often with their particular body parts being zoomed-in on. As workout videos, these fail. As treats for pervs and fanboys, they rock. A silly and initially entertaining selection that gets old really fast. (SRS Cinemavia MVD Visual)

"Scream Dream" DVD (director: Donald Farmer)

With a tag-line like "Metal Has Never Been So Hot!!", this 1989 film outs itself as a B-grader quickly. Unfortunately, "metal" here is defined as awful 80's commercial rock. It's also immediately apparent that this is a poor print taken from a weathered VHS copy. That's 2 strikes already.
At least the opening scene proves promising -- a voluptuous blonde, bursting from her tattered clothing, being chainsawed from the crotch. But that's as hardcore as this film gets. The acting here is stiff, the "music" poorly lipsynched, and there's a ridiculous belching rubber-puppet "demon" that possesses the film's main female leads. Yes, the problems here just keep multiplying. Suffice to say that "Scream Dream" has vapid characters, insipid dialogue, laughable effects, and horrific music. Just awful. (SRS Cinemavia MVD Visual)

Necrite - "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" album

I like these Bay Area guys in that they take the typical black metal template and fuck with it, showing a musical depth beyond their years. "Sic Transit" is their debut, following years of demos and shows alongside such heavyweights as Watain and Enthroned. It's an unusual mix of stylings, from dark ambient to slow-burn to all-out black metal ferocity. "A Mass For The Harvest Of Death", for example, is a 16-minute doom ride, with crawling early SWANS-style tempos and gurgled vocals. It's a churning cauldron of pain and torture that eventually erupts into a blur of speed and fury. "Bereft Of Hope" also follows this template. The 27-minute title track is an epic of minimalist doombient madness, taking turns crossing between funereal textures and raving lunacy. The final track, "Worship The Sunn O))), does just that. It's a downtuned clot of bass rumble-drone straight out of the Sunn playbook. Perhaps not original, but at least they acknowledge the influence plainly. Necrite's debut is a strong and visionary showing, and I look forward to hearing where they go next. (The Flenser Records)

Necritespace

Jim Morrison - "Final 24: HIs Final Hours" DVD

Doors frontman and consummate rock god/sex symbol/dark poet Jim Morrison was a symbol of a generation, and his on-and-offstage antics led to some of rock's greatest recordings, as well as some of the most storied antisocial/substance-abuse tales. Retreating to Paris in 1971 to write, create, and evade the intrusive media, Morrison's self-destructive behaviors finally caught up with him, and at 27 years of age, Morrison succumbed to a fatal overdose of alcohol and heroin.

This 60-minute Canadian TV program merely skims the surface of Morrison's Doors career, and instead examines the songwriter's last hours. His demise, which is portrayed convincingly by actors, is illustrated well. Commentary from associates and historians (as well as a fair amount of archival footage) also helps to paint a descriptive and appropriate picture of the singer's final 24 hours. Sensational? Perhaps, but also a solid documentary of the pitfalls of one of the world's all-time greatest rock icons. (MVD Visual)

John F. Kennedy Jr. - "Final 24: His Final Hours" DVD

The nearest to royalty that America has likely ever had, JFK Jr. was besieged by the tragic assassinations of both his father and uncle. And though in some ways, he led a charmed life, JFK Jr. was always thrust in the spotlight (whether he wanted to be or not) and the pressure to live up to his family's expectations had to be an extraordinarily heavy burden for anyone. His unplanned exit from this world can be seen as yet another evidence of the supposed "Kennedy curse", or can it?

This 60-minute documentary details the events leading up to the fateful night in 1999 when John (and his wife and sister-in-law) all went down with the small plane he was piloting near Martha's Vineyard. Bits of basic biographical info, photos, film footage, and interviews with colleagues and associates all congeal with believable dramatic recreations to form a palatable and educational look at the man's life. And though obviously focused on Kennedy's premature death (witness the title of this morbid but fascinating series), this one's a well-done and concise look at the short life of an American enigma. (MVD Visual)

Queens Of The Stone Age - "Queens Of The Stone Age" album

With his impressive resume as guitarist/vocalist for stoner-metal legends Kyuss, Josh Homme debuted his Queens Of The Stone Age project in 1998 with this long out-of-print gem. Now on deluxe double-LP with bonus tracks, this self-titled album (on Hommes' own Rekords imprint) exhibits the diverse sonic palette that Homme and company have since synthesized and perfected in recent years.
"You Would Know" is a weird pop song that's catchy in a Gary Numan-meets-Ween fashion, whereas "How To Handle A White Rope" is a heavy, sludgy rock song with a melodic pop slant. "Mexicola" is a potent stab of thick & meaty post-Hawkwind riffage, and "Hispanic Impressions" is a silly but heavy 3-minute track with no discernible relation to its namesake. Some of the previously-unheard bonus tracks are as interesting as the original LP, with "Spiders And Vinegaroons" being a top-shelf space-out jam with exotic overtones. QOTSA have found the unlikely path between indie rock and stoner metal, and they've followed that vague formula to major commercial success. This debut remains a strong document of the band's formative years, and it's a superbly catchy, creative, and fun album of out-there grooves from the fringes. (Rekords Rekords)

Queens Of The Stone Age site