club.kingsnake.com - DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Les Claypool - Fancy

nospam@example.com (Jeff Barringer) — Thu, 24 May 2007 00:39:00 -0500

In 2006, Les Claypool and his Fancy Band toured a number of clubs in the U.S. I was lucky enough to cover the tour when it hit Austin, and all night long I kept bumping into a videographer filming the show. It turns out there were a number of videographers who worked the various shows throughout the tour, and this DVD is the end result.

This is how you make a real concert video.

I've watched lots and lots of live concert footage released on DVD, and it seems the more "professional" the filming, editing, and equipment, the more energy and excitement gets sucked out of the end product. I know that few of the concert videos I've owned or reviewed ever get watched more than once. All the MTV-like 3 second cutaways and the swirling zooming telescopic camera angles get me dizzy. I actually got nauseated trying to watch Motorhead's last performance DVD, and I pity the camera man that had to ride the platform to get all those helicopter-like zooms.

Les Claypool's video is nothing like that. Stripped down, lean, mean, not without flaws, this is a bare bones, almost archival, video of last year's tour. After watching this video I got the feeling of being at a Les Claypool concert, not watching some fancy Hollywood production number. It helps that I actually WAS at this concert; at least five songs from the DVD were filmed at their Austin gig at La Zona Rosa, but even the bits filmed at other venues in Cleveland, Boston, and New York still impart that same feeling.
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DVD Review: Primus - Blame It On The Fish

nospam@example.com (Jeff Barringer) — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:12:00 -0600

As part of a triple body blow, Primus has a new tour, a new greatest hits CD, They Can't All Be Zingers, and a new DVD, Blame It On the Fish. As I already own all of Primus' released discs, as well as an extensive catalog of their live recordings, I limited myself to seeing the concert and buying the DVD, but if you only want to buy one Primus disc, or just want one to get you started, this is definitely the CD to get. But this review is about the DVD.

Welcome to the wierd world of Les Claypool and the band Primus. Not your ordinary average every day band, you wouldn't expect them to release a average ordinary every day tour DVD. And ordinary it is not. I knew the minute I saw the Zoltron logo on the opening credits that this would be "different." Immediately remminiscent of Koyaanisqatsi, the groundbreaking film of the 70s by Godrey Reggio, with score by Philip Glass, this is NOT a concert film. Its secondary name, "An abstract look at the 2003 Tour de Fromage," sums it up well.

In fact, "abstract" may not give it enough credit. Adjectives and phrases that came to my mind while watching were "random," "disjointed," and "attention deficit disorder." What you get are slices of songs interspersed with film from the 2003 tour, and interviews with the band tied together with colors and bizarre camera angles and wierd clips from other films. Lots of pics of the band in costumes and masks - I counted Les in at least five costumes just playing "Seas of Cheese" at different venues.

Coming in with the main video at just over an hour, this is a wild, colorful ride that requires no mind altering drugs to elecit the exclamation "Far Out Man - Look at All The Colors!" If you missed the psychedelic 60s, this is your chance to relive them with an updated soundtrack. A must for any Primus diehard, it, like Primus itself, is not really destined for the mainstream.

Extra footage is included in the bonus tracks as well as the complete "Primus 2063" interview that harkens back to an old Belushi bit from SNL that showed him over the graves of all the other cast members as an old man.

DVD Review: GWAR: Blood, Bath and Beyond

nospam@example.com (Cindy Steinle) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:03:00 -0500

SIGH. This is hard. How does one effectively review Gwar? How do you explain what you see without offending at LEAST one person? How exactly does one explain Gwar?

I laughed, I cried, and I twitched. I did enjoy this video. That's the easy part. The anal sex with a sword clip set to music and fart sounds is just plain fun. Most of this DVD is clips of shows set to song. There are skits, bootlegs, and lost demo recordings. There is a talk show set up with Oderus Urungus and Sleazy P. Martini. They chat and review and critique the clips.

Decapitation, evisceration, wrestling, slaves, giant penises, and orgasmic pleasure await those who purchase. It is shot and organized in almost a Troma Film manner. Watching this and thinking back, I wonder why my father even let me go to the shows when I was a kid. I also am reminded that this is the ONLY band that I try to stay as far away as possible from the stage. (Note for light blonde folks, the blood will stain your hair).

Gwar's music is great, but how to describe something like this. Words fail me. I can tell you it is good. It is an metal opera of death, destruction, sex, and politics. It is tongue in cheek and if you don't have a sense of humor, don't waste your time.

I s'pose I can best put it by saying it is Classic Gwar at their greatest. Blood, guts and cum all used in the greatest battle of all. The battle to summon the World Maggot and defeat The Master.

DVD Review: MotÃ¶rhead - Stage Fright

nospam@example.com (Jeff Barringer) — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 20:30:13 -0500

"We are MotÃ¶rhead - We play rock & roll."

That should about sum it up. I've been following MotÃ¶rhead's gritty path through rock & roll since 1980's "Ace of Spades," and songs like "Love Me Like a Reptile" make them a prime target for a club kingsnake review.

This disc essentially spans MotÃ¶rhead's career all the way back to Ace of Spades,with the classic songs "Killed by Death" and "Overkill", was filmed live in Germany in 2004, and released at the very end of 2005.

MY advice on this one is play it loud, but take some dramamine first. I love MotÃ¶rhead and this DVD has an excellent audio mix, expecially for a live show, but honestly, enough already with the spins, the pan and scans, the close ups, and the audience shots. I was dizzy before the first song was over and this went on for 19 more songs. I half expected them to break out in a cover of Def Leopard's "Pour some sugar on me." Couldn't they have waited at least 6 seconds before whipping away to another camera angle?

Anyway, the music is still good, Lemmy is still god, but I think I have have to sit down.