It's time to crack one open, sit by the fire and hit shuffle. Different takes on Classic Yuletide hits... HO HO HO.. 

Backyard MUSCLE Wrestling

In late November, Scene Point Blank received an unsolicited pitch about a fan-made music video to the song "Shorty's Ark" from Matthew Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy. The creator had contacted the band and received positive feedback, and as music fans who put our own spin on our favorite works, we were intrigued about the story behind the video. Plus, I had a bunch of M.U.S.C.L.E. men too.

A guest blog by Andy Rothwell.

On Oct. 23, 2023 I put this fan-made video up on youtube:

That project started the first week of May 2021. I was visiting my parents and clearing out the closet of my childhood bedroom, where I found the ~100 M.U.S.C.L.E. men and the broken wrestling ring I’d owned as a kid.

If you don’t know them, those toys were big in Japan in the early ‘80s, and then big in the States in 1985-86 where they were called M.U.S.C.L.E. – standing for “Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere.”

Superwolves by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy had come out the week before my visit, and I had it on all week. It’s one of those albums I like every song on. At the end of 2021, when Spotify told me my top 10 songs, 9 of them were the first 9 songs on Superwolves.

Around the 15th time “Shorty’s Ark” came on, the idea for the video started to take form.  A decade ago I made a handful of fan-made videos for songs by Robert Pollard, Woods, Tom Petty, and others. It had been about 5 years since I’d started a really complicated one for a Kurt Vile song, stalled in the middle, and never made another.

That night I made a spreadsheet with every animal in the song, and scoured http://blog.uofmuscle.com/ and ebay, buying vintage M.U.S.C.L.E. men that I’d never owned as a kid.

The next morning I had my first moment of regret, wondering if I should really take on a music video for no reason, or just have stuck with the plan of getting rid of my old stuff.

Over the first half of summer 2021, the project moved. In the early mornings before work I invented the lego stadium with the gears, axels, and cams that makes the M.U.S.C.L.E. men look like they are jumping and cheering. 

The M.U.S.C.L.E. Hard Knockin’ Rockin’ ring was always a pretty bad toy. You were tempted to squeeze into the plastic hook the fattest M.U.S.C.L.E. man you could, so it wouldn’t get dislodged in the fight. Everyone broke the plastic within a few weeks. I redrew the hook in 3D, adding 9 hook sizes for using the different sized figures, and 3D printed the replacement sets.

Later in the summer, however, I switched focus. In late 2020 I’d gotten into drawing and heat-pressing parody movie posters onto mugs. It was my first hobby I could at least try to break even on; I’d opened an Etsy shop with 5 mugs in early 2021. I’d planned to add a mug every few weeks and now it had been months since I’d drawn anything.

All of the M.U.S.C.L.E. men and panels of the lego stadium went into a plastic bin in my basement, and I went back to drawing mugs and filling out the store.

A couple times in 2022 I thought about reviving the video project, but each time realized how far there was to go and dropped it again. I had other interests. I got into sign-making with my CNC, and made stuff with my niece’s quotes and nephew’s video game progress.

Finally in the summer of 2023 I picked the video back up. It was hard to get going through the repetitive stuff. I spent a Saturday taking pictures and photoshopping the M.U.S.C.L.E men. A Sunday overlapping the letters in animal names with the periods between each letter, to mimic the M.U.S.C.L.E. branding. Another Saturday printing and gluing the paper animal names to the walls of a labyrinth I'd previously made.

But the good thing about picking up an old project is some of it is already done, and you have more skills and tools than the last time you worked on it.

Making the video title board was easy with my recent sign-making experience. I got all the props ready for a shoot in my tiny Philadelphia backyard exactly when my wife’s garden looked perfect. Weekends in a row it rained, but the shoot with my niece and nephew landed on a perfect fall Sunday.

Now the video is up and I'm finally getting rid of all the stuff. Another Saturday went to dismantling 3 panels of the lego stadium; I kept 1 panel so the design isn't lost.

I accumulated a couple of extra wrestling rings off ebay for helping with some shot angles. I 3D printed sets of hooks to go with each one, and put the sets up in my Etsy store.

Now I’m thinking about getting all of the complicated props ready for shooting that old Kurt Vile video idea next summer. Easier to pick back up since I still have paintings in my basement that my wife and I did in 2015.

Featuring Death, Alcohol, Screams, Spit and Clones.

 Ride the third rail to eternal damnation... All Aboard!

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants

Suicidal Tendencies
Metro Theatre
Sydney, Australia
16 November 2023

Suicidal Tendencies' "Still Cyco Punk After All These Years" Australian Tour marked a seismic celebration of their 40th Anniversary, leaving a sonic storm in its wake. The explosive performance centered around their legendary 1983 self-titled debut album, transporting the audience through time with an unbridled onslaught of raw energy.

In the sonic melting pot where Black Flag's intensity collides with Minor Threat's unyielding attitude, Suicidal Tendencies emerged, seasoned with the flavors of Bad Brains and nuances of Thrash Metal. Their debut album defies easy categorization, transcending noisy angst with a distinctive essence. Dark humor, thrash influence, and ever-shifting tempos create a subjective sonic experience. Grant Estes' Anthrax-evoking guitar solos add depth, while Suicidal Tendencies' mastery of comedic darkness elevates this album beyond mere hardcore. Political undertones, rebellion in "I Shot the Devil," and anti-fascism in "Fascist Pig" showcase its hardcore roots. A timeless crossover classic, this album is a must for enthusiasts, promising more auditory brilliance to discover.

Emerging from the vibrant streets of Venice, California, Suicidal Tendencies, birthed by the unstoppable force of Mike Muir, embodied a fusion of skating, surfing, and the Dogtown scene. As the visionary younger brother of Dogtown Skateboard founder Jim Muir, Mike injected a new hardcore style into the punk and metal landscape, forever reshaping the musical narrative.

Picture this: the early '80s, Suicidal Tendencies crashing onto the stage with a distinctive blend of punk, metal, and hardcore, inciting a frenzy among crowds. Their flipped-up hats, hand-drawn shirts, and bandanas became iconic symbols of rebellion, instantly recognizable and defiant. The band's notoriety even resulted in a ban from performing in their hometown of L.A., a testament to the chaos they unleashed.

Yet, Suicidal Tendencies thrived on adversity, propelling themselves onto the global stage. Crafting a genre-defying sound, merging punk, metal, and hardcore into Skate-Punk-Thrash, they became the anthem for skateboarders, surfers, and thrill-seekers worldwide.

Fast forward four decades, multiple Gold records, Grammy nominations, and a revered spot in the Skateboard Hall of Fame, Suicidal Tendencies remains an unyielding force in heavy music. The lineup, featuring luminaries like Robert Trujillo, Thundercat, Josh Freese, and Brooks Wackerman, reflects the exceptional talent woven into the Suicidal family.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, Suicidal Tendencies stormed back to Australia. Frontman Mike Muir, flanked by the powerhouse lineup of Ben Weinman, Dean Pleasants, Tye Trujillo, and Greyson Nekrutman, delivered a performance echoing the explosive energy and unrelenting aggression that defined them in '83.

As the audience braced themselves, Suicidal Tendencies unleashed a sonic storm, proving their legacy is far from a nostalgic relic. With the same rebellious spirit and unyielding intensity, they affirmed that Suicidal Tendencies isn't just a band; it's a force of nature. For those fortunate enough to witness this anniversary tour, it was an unforgettable journey.

It's that time of the year again. The rodeo was back in town and fringe-clad crooner, Orville Peck is hosting his biggest yet. Despite having a rough year that resulted in Orville Peck canceling a run of shows over the summer to focus on his mental health, the country singer still put on the 5th of his yearly "rodeo."

This year, the event took place in the middle of the California desert at Pappy & Harriets in Pioneertown. His once, one-day rodeo, was now 3 days, filled with skateboarding, tattoo pop-ups, drag brunches, and a gay rodeo club. Joining him for the event over the weekend were a number of artists like Margo Price, Noah Cyrus, Teddy & the Rough Riders, Dale Hollow, and "the second most famous drag queen," Trixie Mattel, with Orville Peck playing different sets each night.

I made the trek out for his Saturday showing, which would be the country singer's headlining performance for the weekend. I explored the tiny town that sits off the side of the road and checked out some of the attractions that had been set up for the rodeo, like the Zero X Liquid Death skate ramp.

Walked into Pappy and Harriets as Peck's own bassist, Kyle Connolly opened the show with his own solo performance. Following was "Hack of the Year," Dale Hollow, whose brand of country is a blend of comedy and honesty. Throughout the set, the artist would throw out jokes and quips and even served up a countrified version of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own."

Next up was classic country singer, Emily Nenni, who was backed by Teddy's band, the Rough Riders, and Amythyst Kiah. Amythyst Kiah was previously unknown to me, but following her set, I'm now a fan. Her brand of Country was equal parts Soul, Psychedelia, and Rock backed with an incredibly powerful voice. 

Last support for the night came from drag queen, Trixie Mattel. She came out with a hilarious lip sync about giant "anaconda" dicks. Followed up with some wisecracks about the audience and stories about Orville Peck, while performing some acoustic tracks, some of her own and covers like Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi" and Stevie Nicks' "Landslide." Even a "Landslide" version of "Sk8er Boi" and vice-versa.

Closing out the night was the rodeo's own Orville Peck. He walked out emblazoned in a striking custom Levis outfit and jumped right into Bronco's "Daytona Sand" before taking it back to his debut album with "Turn to Hate." He continued to bounce back and forth between his two LPs and EP with tracks like the marabi-driven "Lafayette," the rarely played "Buffalo Run," and the moody "No Glory in the West." Between songs, he held his "rose ceremony" where he distributed roses to fans in the crowd that caught his attention. Whether it be by their outfit or their dedication. He brought back out Trixie Mattel to do their cover of Johnny Cash and June Carter's "Jackson" and Noah Cyrus for a tear-filled performance of "Hexie Mountains." 

With time running out and the town's curfew creeping up, he had to cut a couple of songs. He finished off the set with "Dead of Night" and a sped-up version of the already fast-paced, "Take You Back." The crowd danced their last dance while blow-up ponies and dolls bounced from one side of the audience to the other. 

This was my 2nd rodeo, and I can't wait to see what Orville Peck has in store for the next one. With new music on the horizon, 2024 is hopefully shaping up to be a very Peck-filled year.