The Zen of Metal

I don't know too much about Zen but I know it deals with a state of "to be" and not worrying about petty shit and crazy expectations. So, with that, I have a very Zen-like Metalic last 24 hours.

Last night at KZSU, I'm intro by the previous DJ as being "KZSU's resident Heavy Metal King". While I played about 15% metal and the rest punk/hardcore and then Einstrüzende Neubauten and some moody number by Slim Cessna's Autoclub. HERE's playlist from list night's show. Following me was long-time DJ Big Chief. Chief started with Michael Schenker Group's "Armed & Ready" arguably one of the best ever early 80's hard rockin' metal tracks. The rest of his show reads like one of my high school mixtapes:

Iron Maiden - Rime Of The Ancient Mariner ("The albatross falls from his neck!")
Judas Priest - Victim of Changes ("You've beeen foool-in' ar-rrround with some...hot guy..." Fill homoerotic reference here)
Rainbow - "Man on the Silver Mountain" (from "On Stage") I heard this a zillion times at my Dio (and later Grateful Dead) worshippin' friend Darren's place.
Queensryche - "The Lady Wore Black"
Metal Church - "Beyond The Black" ("Will WE make it back...?")
Exodus - "Deleiver Us To Evil"
Slayer Hell Awaits - And I STILL can't sing all the words without a lyric sheet. ("Angels still dying by the the sword...!")
Megadeth - "Good Morning/Black Friday" ("Paint the Devil on the wall!")
Saxon - Crusader ("The battle, the battle lies far to the Eeeast!")
Angel Witch - Witch Witch ("Burrrrn the whiiiite wiiiitch!")

If that weren't enough today was record & book sellin' day in Berkeley. First stop was Moe's Books where I picked up a copy of "Vegan With A Venegance" by the awesome Isa Chandra Moskowitz Naturally, I couldn't stop from putting the title of the book to the 'Priest song "Screaming For Venegance". Then it was on to Amoeba where after a lil Stevie Wonder - someone threw on the Probot album.

Granted, I only half liked this album but the spirit of it was apt. My name was called to pick up my trade amount right when Lemmy's song came on. Lemmy & $75 in Amoeba trade = awesome!
Following that and food at Smart Alex plus an ill-fated trip to Comic Relief (I forgot they moved, waay duuumb!) I trudged up to Rasputin's and sure enough first song I hear: 'Priest's "Victim of Changes". And not just that song but the ENTIRE "Sad Wings of Destiny" album followed by "Highway Star" by Deep Purple. Fuck Yesss! One of the employees said to her co-worker "I'm glad we're not listening to that 'I'm so saad' music ("like emo")- we're listening to something that really rocks and has power'. I said 'oh yeah, this is some of the most kick ass stuff ever made'. She giggled a little but she agreed & actually was really feeling the power of thee 'Priest and Purple. I swear I'll never get sick of that freakin' solo in "Highway Star". When I was checking out one of the cashiers was tryiing to sing "I love her, I need her!" from "Highway Star".

Danish Cartoon Controversy (or Twisted Minds Think Alike)

First there was this from my zine "Stoner Wall" in Fall 1998



Then today I found this:



I dunno when this guy Rob from Denmark made this cartoon but I think we were on the same page, so to speak. Controversy? Nah, more like coincidence. Rob's site didn't have his "about" section active so I have no idea about him aside from being a random guy in Danmark who likes hard rock & metal and makes cartoons. My Danish isn't good enough to figure out much else. But this is really awesome regardless.

Thrashing is my business...and business is good

Today my show at KZSU was a suprise. The first hour went as usual, slow while I played a bunch of noisy/experimental stuff most of which worked. Eventually I move into the complicated prog of Uplison Acrux and the groovy 70's jams of Fuzzy Duck. I expected people to be tune out or at least maybe there was one weirdo listening.

Sure enough the moment I switched from "Pretty Much Metal" (Pelican) to REALLY FUCKIN' METAL (Dekapitator) everything changed. OK, I was also giving away tickets to see Megadeth at the Warfield but work with me here. Last week I tried to give away tickets to the same show and no one called. WTF? Last week I made it super easy, no trivia question or lame contest, just "be my second caller". I didn't even get a first caller.

Today the exact opposite happened. Right as I had the Dekapitator ready to go they were calling. I suppose if you make a recognizable "call to "battle" like "Alright you heshers and thrashers...now, yes NOW is the time (phone rings on air) ok...not right now! So...if you wanna go see Megadeth at the Warfield be my first caller...here's Dekapi-tA-TOOOOR!"

I actually made it even easier and gave 'em away to the first caller. There were 4 callers after him. I was flashing back to the intensity of 20 calls an hour of KSJS' "Brain Pain" (circa: 1992-93). I halfway expected the dudes (yeah they were all dudes) who rang up after the winner to call me "dudeplaySlayer". I've been referred to as such, I hold that in high esteem. Among the metalheads that called I got requests for Gwar, Soilwork, Light This City and Graf Orlock, which we didn't have, only one DJ seems to have that. Me thinks I should get off my ass and actually go see them play & nab their CD. I threw in Overkill, and a bunch of new stuff from an (un)holy Swedish trinity: Entombed, Candlemass and Marduk.

If that weren't enough - my friend & fellow Kevin Sullivan afficionado, Soy Ricardo called me to tell me a number of things he liked. Señor Ricardo does a really awesome show on Thursday mornings from 6-9am. His show is like what college/non-commercial radio should be: unpredictable, ever changing, weird and downright fun. There's nothing like hearing Totalitar at 7:15am while you're shaving.

I've made an attempt to give out the number for the station more often and try to improve my skills as a DJ. Even though it's been 10 years at KZSU (and 4 in the early 90's at KSJS) I'm still not a perfectionist. Some people in college/non-commercial really care, often too much about arcane facts like how many people are streaming the station. I pay a little attention to these things. However, it's more about that one guy or girl that calls and tells me they like what I do whether it's one of my good friends or a complete stranger. This is what's important and this is what's real.

"I don't care if we play in front of two people or two thousand people if someone likes us that's great" - Steve Albini, Big Black sometime in the 1980's