One of my earliest songs with music composed on a Commodore 64 computer. This album version starts off with the original track then transitions into a much later version featuring the expanded Vladimir's Universe. Various versions appeared on the tapes "Purity of Essence", "Spitting Flesh Across the Room", "Love X=0", and "Toast & Color".
In the movie "Dr. Strangelove" General Jack D. Ripper explained his reasons for sending bombers to Russia: "God willing, we will prevail in peace and freedom from fear and in true health through the purity and essence of our natural fluids. God bless you all."
For this remix I had the idea to use samples from the movie, then remembered Ronald Reagan's joke about outlawing Russia. It occurred during a sound check on NPR in August 1984 that never aired, but was recorded and later leaked. The Soviet army actually went on alert when they found out (not sure if they took the most beautiful women in Russia to an underground bunker or not).
i am here
listening
though i don't want to
my life is happy
my mind is twirling
i can't control
my actions
i joined the left-wing faction
i want to be a nice boy
but want to have fun
all the world is riding
on a skateboard
the collapse of sanity in this world
i was a nice little boy until
you corrupted me
i was a nice little boy until
you set me free
purity of essence
purity of essence
purity of essence
19 June 2012
12 June 2012
Kill Me in Cleveland
Ohio is the promised land!
I wrote an Ohio Trilogy: Kill Me in Cleveland, Youngstown, and Red Toledo. Living in Michigan we usually travelled south through Ohio whenever we went on a roadtrip. I guess I associate Ohio with the beginning of an adventure. I lived in Toledo from 1995 to 2005 and rather enjoyed it--the city did not disappoint me.
When I was in high school people would make fun of me for my peculiar style. I would either growl or say "Kill Me in Cleveland". The song is based on those teenage years. The duck in the song was a small plastic duck and the fish named "Alfred" was a dead little fish I found on a Lake Erie beach that had dried in the sun. I kept them in a black case that I carried all my stuff in.
The first recording of this song was on my third tape "My Damn World" made in high school around 1985-86. A "club mix" dance version was on the tape "Watching My Dreams from a Lawnchair" while a studio version appeared on "Freinds, Poets, and 100 Dead Enemies".
This was another favorite to perform, and a crowd favorite. The audience would scream along: "Aaaaaaagh! Kill me in Cleveland!"
The recording found on "This Machine Eats Bacon" is from the T.V. Silvia sessions. Tom V. Silvia was a local musician who built a recording studio in a garage. He offered to produce some songs and captured the raw sound of Vladimir's Universe well. Tom also gave me many tidbits of sage advice about writing, singing and performing.
He dressed like a beatnik when he was a kid.
He carried a duck and a fish named Alfred.
He walked through the school with a big black box
and when they laughed he sang this song:
Aaaaagh! Kill me in Cleveland!
Ohio is the promised land.
He always wanted to be a dictator.
He wrote a bunch of songs and some propoganda.
He was ridiculed for thinking too much.
and when they laughed he sang this song:
Aaaaagh! Kill me in Cleveland!
Ohio is the promised land.
I wrote an Ohio Trilogy: Kill Me in Cleveland, Youngstown, and Red Toledo. Living in Michigan we usually travelled south through Ohio whenever we went on a roadtrip. I guess I associate Ohio with the beginning of an adventure. I lived in Toledo from 1995 to 2005 and rather enjoyed it--the city did not disappoint me.
When I was in high school people would make fun of me for my peculiar style. I would either growl or say "Kill Me in Cleveland". The song is based on those teenage years. The duck in the song was a small plastic duck and the fish named "Alfred" was a dead little fish I found on a Lake Erie beach that had dried in the sun. I kept them in a black case that I carried all my stuff in.
The first recording of this song was on my third tape "My Damn World" made in high school around 1985-86. A "club mix" dance version was on the tape "Watching My Dreams from a Lawnchair" while a studio version appeared on "Freinds, Poets, and 100 Dead Enemies".
This was another favorite to perform, and a crowd favorite. The audience would scream along: "Aaaaaaagh! Kill me in Cleveland!"
The recording found on "This Machine Eats Bacon" is from the T.V. Silvia sessions. Tom V. Silvia was a local musician who built a recording studio in a garage. He offered to produce some songs and captured the raw sound of Vladimir's Universe well. Tom also gave me many tidbits of sage advice about writing, singing and performing.
He dressed like a beatnik when he was a kid.
He carried a duck and a fish named Alfred.
He walked through the school with a big black box
and when they laughed he sang this song:
Aaaaagh! Kill me in Cleveland!
Ohio is the promised land.
He always wanted to be a dictator.
He wrote a bunch of songs and some propoganda.
He was ridiculed for thinking too much.
and when they laughed he sang this song:
Aaaaagh! Kill me in Cleveland!
Ohio is the promised land.
06 June 2012
Eating Bacon
Ear-worms are songs that get in your head and take up real estate. My song "Eating Bacon" is such a song. It's fun to play as well. Whenever I pick up my guitar it's the first song I start playing. Back in the Cross Street Station days it was obligatory for me to perform my signature tune. So, of course it starts off the new album and is alluded to in the title (with a hat tip to Woody Guthrie).
The song is based on real events. I took a girl out on a date and the next day I called her to see if she wanted to go get some breakfast and she said she had to mow the lawn. It was that simple and innocent.
Now you can find bacon blogs, bacon novelties, bacon perfume--it's everywhere. I am proud to have been ahead of the bacon surge.
The earliest version appeared on my tape "Toast & Color" and was recorded live at Cross Street Station. A ballad version featuring The Rubbles showed up on the tape "Watching My Dreams from a Lawnchair". An unreleased recording of a funk version occurred in 1991 at a bar in Oakland, CA featuring a stage full of musicians.
The version appearing on "This Machine Eats Bacon" was never found on any of the official tape releases. It was recorded during an in-studio performance at WQBR-Ypsilanti on the Rob McLean Collide-a-scope programme. It captured the manic live sound of Vladimir's Universe in our prime. I did a little tweaking to enhance the sound.
Now you can find bacon blogs, bacon novelties, bacon perfume--it's everywhere. I am proud to have been ahead of the bacon surge.
The earliest version appeared on my tape "Toast & Color" and was recorded live at Cross Street Station. A ballad version featuring The Rubbles showed up on the tape "Watching My Dreams from a Lawnchair". An unreleased recording of a funk version occurred in 1991 at a bar in Oakland, CA featuring a stage full of musicians.
The version appearing on "This Machine Eats Bacon" was never found on any of the official tape releases. It was recorded during an in-studio performance at WQBR-Ypsilanti on the Rob McLean Collide-a-scope programme. It captured the manic live sound of Vladimir's Universe in our prime. I did a little tweaking to enhance the sound.
I'm eating bacon! I'm eating bacon!
There's a girl on a tractor mower
and she's just so adorable.
But what's she doing out of bed so early?
She's cutting the lawn
I'm eating bacon! I'm eating bacon!
A girl like that shouldn't have to mow the lawn.
A girl like that should be laying on a pile of pillows
having peeled grapes fed to her
while she strokes a persian cat.
She's a queen!
She's a goddess!
She shouldn't have to mow the lawn.
I'm eating bacon! I'm eating bacon!
There's a girl on a tractor mower
and she's just so adorable.
But she shouldn't be out mowing the lawn,
she should be eating breakfast with me.
I'm eating bacon! I'm eating bacon!
©1986 David Samuel Thomas
05 June 2012
NEW ALBUM! DOWNLOAD NOW!
Today is the day. The long awaited musical bum featuring 12 classic songs by Vladimir's Universe from 1986-1990. It's available from Noisetrade as a FREE download, but if you leave a "tip" that would be appreciated.
Click the cover and you can hear each track.
Click the cover and you can hear each track.
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