Episode 9 Tony “Victor” Beram :: “The Lysergic Legacy of Placebo Records - Pt. 1”
It's hard to say, if at all possible, where the Sun City Girls would be if they hadn't released their groundbreaking self-titled LP on famed Phoenix, Arizona-based label Placebo Records in 1984. As a prolific powerhouse that would later go on to self-release a treasure trove of metaphysical material, the band's harmoniously humble days in the 1980s were marked by their cosmic connection with local hero Tony "Victor" Beram, who attended an open mic a few years before the release of the band's first album, and immediately ignited a life long brothership that has stood the test of time. Springing into action, these two electrifying entities combined their esoteric efforts and set out to take over the world with their unique univeralism and artistic integrity. Or piss it off as they held a merciless mirror in its face during a time of censorship, political unrest, and the emerging AIDS epidemic, to name a few. For the first part of this two part episode of "The Burning Nerve Ending Magic Podcast," we sit down with Beram to chat about the early days of Placebo Records, meeting the Bishop brothers, and the late great Charles Gocher, pushing to release the band's monumental debut at any cost, touring for three months in the summer 1984 with skatepunk legends J.F.A., the abstract atmosphere of the local scene, and much more.
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Episode 9 Mark Davies (Thinking Fellers Union Local 282) :: “Strangers From The Universe & Other Popular Locations Across America’s Wonderous Wasteland”
Imagine being on the road touring with the Sun City Girls for over a month in the autumn of 1992, pulling poetic pranks, and making memories that you'll continue to carry with you for the rest of your life. Memories that you reflect upon to make sure that life wasn't some Truman Show reality trick, and that it really did happen. From Vancouver, Canada, to Winnipeg, Columnus, OH, to home base in Tempe, AZ, where the Girls, and their guests, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 shared a bill with the late grate Eddy Detroit and his Ubangi Sextet, these two powerhouses put a cap on the end of an era in a lot of ways. The 1990s were a glorious time for our spiritual subjects, and Mark Davies (The White Shark) takes us on a journey that is simply one for the ages. On this episode of "The Burning Nerve Ending Magic Podcast - A Sun City Girls Story," we sit down with Mark Davies to talk about his unparalleled and unique connection to the Sun City Girls, and how a night in the Bay Area sometime in the late 1980s eventually led to a deep friendship that has gone down in harmonious history as one of those tonal tales you only read about in underground zines, or hear on interstellar broadcasts that stretch across the nocturnal night skies like some holy hand gripping sonic secrets with all its strength.
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Episode 8 Gregg Turkington (Neil Hamburger) :: "From Punk to Comedy & Beyond"
Before his long-running career as a legendary stand-up comedian, Neil Hamburger, Gregg Turkington was a prominent fan figure in the highly influential Tempe/Phoenix, Arizona music scene of the 1980s, which ultimately gave birth to such notable acts like the Meat Puppets, Mighty Sphincter, skate punk legends J.F.A. (Jodie Foster's Army), and, of course, the Sun City Girls. As a young teen, Turkington's connection to the Sun City Girls, in particular members, the Bishop brothers, and late drummer Charles Gocher, who tragically passed in 2007, not only inspired his poetic pursuit over the decades, but also showed the aspiring artist that anything is possible if you stand your ground. Mixing melody with madness, the band shook the scene's hardcore backdrop with free-range ritualism and challenged even the politics of punk to go where no man has gone before. Eventually relocating to San Francisco to work alongside Bay area legends, Flipper, Turkington launched his own zine, "Breakfast Without Meat (Gravyhills Cassettes)," which simultaneously acted as a record that famously released one of SCG's most notorious albums, 1986's "Midnight Cowboys From Ipanema." Now, if you want to get technical, this is considered to be the band's third official album, but who's asking? A collection of radio-friendly covers inoculated with various spiritual snippets from their cosmic catalog, Turkington later reissued the album on vinyl and CD with his newly formed label, Amarillo Records, while continuing to book and stay connected with the band during some of their earliest West Coast shows. Similar to that of the Sun City Girls, Turkington's legacy is radically rich with a liberating language spoken only through the melodic mist that entangles its subject's senses with an ancient grip like no other.
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Episode 7 Emil Amos :: “Sun City Girls, Grails & The Turn Of The Century”
For this episode of The Burning Nerve Ending Magic Podcast, we decided to cover some bands and cultural happenings adjacent to SCG to add context to the times. We begin by diving into Grails' classic cover of "Space Prophet Dogon" and discussing some of Emil's time with Jandek as it runs parallel to his meeting with Alan Bishop, and how both of those characters helped change the course of his artistic life.
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Episode 6 Blaine Thurier :: “Illustrations For Interstellar Intelligents – The Artist Behind The Brothers Unconnected Comic”
Have you ever wondered about the deranged details and mind-numbing narrative behind the Sun City Girls' infamous comic "The Brothers Uncconected" that was featured alongside the 1992 7-inch "Napolene & Josephine"? If there was some graphic novel, and I do mean graphic, to come out of the collective's consciousness that ultimately demonstrated the poetic possession of demonic dynamics between thought and expression, then maybe we could finally wrap our heads around the freak flag pole that has stood its ground for nealry half a century. Released on the Black Creek, BC, Canadian-based imprint Scratch Records, just a year in operation at the time, the band played in the label's underground location, where they connected with owner Keith Perry, and musician/illustrator Blaine Thurier (The New Pornographers), while on a rare run of shows with The Thinking Fellers Union Local Club 282 in the fall of '92. Hired to work on the group's only release for the label, Thurier spent endless amounts of time working out the contemplative concepts and pathological philosophy to go alongside the group's ancient text. Haunted by the project and its gravitational pull on his spiritual senses, Thurier finally completed his masterpiece, and the rest is history.
About The Burning Nerve Ending Magic Podcast :: A Sun City Girls Story
The world doesn’t necessarily need another podcast, or maybe it does, who’s to say? It’s hard to tell these days, but one thing is for certain: if something is worth doing, it’s worth going all the way. An indescribably specific band and spiritual institution of sound comes to mind that not only deserves a poetic platform to be consistently celebrated but also acknowledged for its atmospheric alchemy, which continues to push the boundaries of music, art, and the cosmic nature of the world. Of course, I’m talking about the Phoenix/Seattle-based outfit Sun City Girls.
As an obsessed fanatic, it is my honour and deep privilege to announce that The Self Portrait Gospel will be launching a brand new podcast, “The Burning Nerve Ending Magic Podcast - A Sun City Girls Story,” completely separate from our weekly show, that will be entirely dedicated to the harmonious history and liberating legacy of the band’s multi-decade run. Join us as we take a deep, dark, and dystopian dive into the esoteric environment and liberating landscape of perhaps one of the most frighteningly original groups to have shattered the subconscious since Sun Ra and John Coltrane walked the earth. From Tempe to Thailand, Seattle to Singapore, let’s take a trip around the world as we connect with the band’s critical community of cosmic collaborators, friends, engineers, and much more.
Listen to The Burning Nerve Ending Magic Podcast :: A Sun City Girls Story, The Joe Budden Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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