St. Vladimir's Day

Today is the feast of St. Vladimir of Kiev, so I guess it's my Namesday. But how did I get the name Vladimir? When did I start using it?

Some thought that it was my actual name and were surprised years later to find out otherwise. Others speculated that it came from Dracula, or "Vlad the Impaler". Another theory was Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot". 

When I was about ten years-old I read a book about Andrew van der Bijl (aka "Brother Andrew") who smuggled Bibles into Commuist countries  during the height of the Cold War. This began my interest in Russia and the Balkans. I imagined myself becoming a Bible smuggler with the code name "Vladimir".

How ironic that Vladimir's Universe was known for anti-Christian songs that glorified Communism. 

Many years later, while attending an Eastern Orthodox church I learned about St. Vladimir of Kiev. Originally a pagan, this Grand Prince of Kiev converted to Christianity in 988. He might have become Muslim but didn't like their ban on alcohol and pork. The baptism of Russia soon followed with Russian Christianity aligning itself with the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople.



Have a blessed feast day!

   

It's My Trip

The next song on the new release "This Machine Eats Bacon" was fun to perform. The lyrics are meant to be childish nonsense and the chorus is simple, but so catchy that everybody sang along. I almost didn't include it on the collection, but it was such a part of my live performances and usually would be heard when I'd play the weekly open stage night at Cross Street Station.

The original version appeared on my tape "Children with Pets". This version is from a live performance at radio station WQBR-Ypsilanti on Rob McLean's Collide-a-Scope programme. Jimmigator Nichols played drums. My remix features some trippy delay effects and backward messages.

I looked up and saw a little bird
the little bird told me a special word
the word was "love"
it was written on his head
then someone shot him
now he's dead

Yeah, Yeah, it's my trip
I don't care cuz I'm too hip

I saw you and you saw me
you saw me up in a tree
in my hand I held a rose
but I fell down and hurt my nose

Yeah, Yeah, it's my trip
I don't care cuz I'm too hip

There is something in my eye
love and peace will never die
hatred is a compliment
fear is just an accident

Yeah, Yeah, it's my trip
I don't care cuz I'm too hip

 

I'm a Contra

While working at a record store I came across Phil Ochs. His songs inspired me to write some "topical" songs. This was one of the first that really caught on with the audience. 1987-88 was the height of the Iran-Contra scandal with Col. Ollie North testifying to Congress and the whole document shredding thing. Today I guess I would write a song called "Operation Fast & Furious".

Rather than just make a left-wing diatribe with a beat, I took on the persona of a Contra, hanging out in a bar, bragging to a girl about all the stuff he does as a "freedom fighter". Thus the catchy chorus "I'm a Contra, I'm a Contra, baby!" The verses are based on actual news events.

The version found on the 25th anniversary album "This Machine Eats Bacon" is a remix of the version found on my tape "Children with Pets". It was recorded live at Cross Street Station in Ypsilanti, MI with me on a 4 string tenor guitar backed by Jimigator Nichols on drums. I remember a military vet playing darts once commented: "I don't agree with him, but that's a darn good song!"

There's a bus coming down the road

full of women and little kids

they're headed for the clinic

so they can get a checkup

but they won't ever make it

because weapons came from America

I'm gonna blow it up

and shoot a pregnant lady in the head

Cuz I'm a Contra

I'm a Contra, baby

killing for America

I'm a Contra,

I'm a Contra, baby

killing for Uncle Same

Cuz I'm a Contra

I'm a Contra, baby

an American funded terrorist

I'm a Contra, I'm a Contra, I'm a Contra

Gonna take a late night trip

to the school out in the country

gonna plant a bomb or two because

I'm a freedom fighter

I killed my brother cuz he was a farmer

and I killed my sister

cuz she was a nurse

I killed my father cuz he was a farmer

then i ran across the border into Honduras

Cuz I'm a Contra...

  

Purity of Essence

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

 

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.

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.

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

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.