In this episode, Rand commentates all over the second episode of the 2016 X Files miniseries, “Founder’s Mutation”.
The Cultdom Collective Commentary hiatus is nearly over, with production set to resume a week from today. Rand has a week to complete his commentaries on the 2016 X Files miniseries. Or maybe there’s no real deadline.
For this collage, I gave myself a simple challenge: using only a single song, make an hour-long collage. I chose Lou Reed’s “Street Hassle”, which I’ve heard collaged on KLERE before.
Truth be told, I got half an hour into it, maybe 40 minutes into it, and was bored and wanted to be done with it.
Should only have been half an hour.
Was still fun to make, though.
With Cultdom Commentaries seemingly a thing of the past, I decided to go it alone and record a commentary on something. I’ve decided to focus on the 10th season, the 2016 miniseries, of The X-Files.
So, here’s my commentary on the first episode, “My Struggle”, in which I take on Ian and Dave’s roles along with my own. For anyone who wanted to hear just me talk over an episode of something, here’s your chance.
If you’d like to join me on a future commentary, either leave a comment here, email me at radiofreecaemlyn at gmail, or comment on Twitter at radiofrecaemlyn.
This terrifying edition of Super Awesome Fun Time With Rand is a mix of Philip Glass compositions and real life settings.
It all begins with the start of Harry Chapin’s “Taxi” looped, which transitions to Pascal Pinon’s “Why Can’t I Sleep”. We hear from Phil Lapsley on C-SPAN’s BookTV talking about his book “Exploding the Phone”. This is interrupted by a famous clip from John Carpenter’s movie “They Live”. Aimee Mann’s “You Do” is looped for a brief, fleeting moment, giving way to “Into the Night” from the Twin Peaks soundtrack, by way of Angelo Badalamenti. Ken’s Last Ever Radio Extravaganza is heard talking about gravity being another way for fate, life can be as simple as a fall, it’s all so easy once you let go. We’ve got a QSL check from the SWLing Blog. Then we get to the Philip Glass set, with tracks from the “Koyaanisqatsi” album, with some Einstein on the Beach. We briefly hear the theme from Richard Hoagland’s “Other Side of Midnight” radio show. We then have clips from Terry Gilliam’s movie “Brazil”. Couldn’t stand the paperwork. Hidden within all of this is audio from when I met with an old friend I’ve not seen in 12 years. It all crashes down into Boards of Canada and more Philip Glass.
I have created art in honor of an artful person.
It’s another exploration into the world of chaos and sound and layers and collaging.
Gemini horns from Boards of Canada.
Crackling noise from vinyl records.
Lewd Sums by adb6gqpe from SoundCloud.
Pitch-shifted Twin Peaks theme.
Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach
Einstein on the Beast by DJ BC. Mixes in the Beastie Boys.
Schoolhouse Rock talks about how Verbs are What’s Happening
Clips from THX-1138
Later on, Schoolhouse Rock sings about Electricity, Electricity
Somewhere in there is the Main Street Electrical Parade
Towards the end we hear from Andre Gregory from Some Girls. Mysteries going on all the time, right under our noses
Jon Hopkins with “A Drifting Up”
Drum roll from Antony and the Johnson’s “Kiss My Name”
Audio from the movie True Romance. You’re so cool.
Theme from “Joy of Painting with Bob Ross”
Please remember to turn off your television and unplug from the mains.
“Frog on My Toe” by Tori Amos
one two three four five six seven eight.
On this sound collage, I took a page from youarelistening.to and combined ambient music tracks with local scanner recordings.
Ambient music tracks used include Wolkenreise by Eroc, Missing by Everything But the Girl, Cat People by unknown, The Dining Rooms by M. Dupont, Autumn Hill by unknown, Small Memory by unknown, Neurotransmitter by Carbon-Based Life Forms, Cut Up Piano and Xylophone by Fridge. Not in that particular order, though.
Scanner recordings captured by my Uniden BCD536HP Bearcat.
This started off without a direction, without a destination. I sampled some audio, listened to an episode of Ken’s Last Ever, and started putting stuff together. Then I remembered several weekends ago when I had my phone recording audio as I walked along the road to a diner in town, recording my footsteps on the grassy side of the road, the bare strips of sidewalk, traffic hurtling past, people staring at me, often to the neglect of watching the road ahead of them, watching me, the oddity that I am, someone walking alongside the road, how strange a sight that is, how can you not stare. I kept my phone recording as I walked into the diner, sat down at a table, ordered a meal, waited, ate, paid, left, back into the world of chaos.
This piece begins with Mogwai’s “Two Rights Make One Wrong”. I wanted that haunting melody to fade into the background, there but not overwhelming as other material settles in.
It continues with loops and samples from a documentary for a remastering of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. I thought this entire collage would be based around that framework, but these never go that way. The actual collage always emerges, different from my initial ideas.
Breaking up the beginning is Foo Fighter’s “Everlong”, which now brings back memories of David Letterman’s final episode of the Late Show.
Going along with the Dark Side of the Moon documentary theme, I include bits from DJ Shadow’s “Building Steam With a Grain of Salt”, a tune I discovered on Carlito’s “Madhouse Live” show.
There’s some Lou Reed included in the mix, with “Street Hustle” loops.
The Cranes’ “Don’t Close Your Eyes” cascades in the background for a while.
While finishing the collage tonight, I played around with Antony & The Johnson’s “Kiss My Name”, and the collage went to some emotional places, directions I never anticipated.
That entire recording goes on for around 40 minutes, and comprises the bulk of this sound collage, providing ambiance to the myriad other samples and loops.
More later.
