Monday, September 23, 2013

CHOP HER UP AND I DON'T CARE Redux: TOP 10 RAMONES MOVIE MASHUPS




For more art by SAMY THE KAY click links here or at the end! SAMY THE KAY--ILLUSTRATIONS OF SOUND & SAMY THE KAY--CARTOONIST   Thanks Samy!





The RAMONES loved watching movies. Not only does JOHNNY list his favorite flicks by genre in his autobiography, he also notes his favorite film books and Top Ten ELVIS pictures-- which puts him safely beyond the pale into the orbit of genuine fanatic. The cinema was a significant component of their underlying trash aesthetic, and unsurprisingly they frequently referenced works they admired into their lyrics. In the MTV age their promo clips were unmistakably touched by the flavour of their moviegoing obsessions, with distinct nods in style and clearcut homage details.

In the digital internet age this predictably led to the next step of the public marrying their favourite tracks to homemade video mashups utilizing famous movies. The visual and conceptual strengths of the songs are frequently merged onto the familiar film footage with startling success-- that most of the movies employed fall directly from the group's most beloved realms (cult flicks and b-grade horror flicks) helps considerably. Still, a few curveballs pan out exceedingly well, as our sampling below will bear out...




1. IGNORANCE IS BLISS
     The apocalyptic, paranoid, late period thrasher is effectively applied to JOHN CARPENTER's dystopian premonition THEY LIVE.

IGNORANCE IS BLISS






2. I WANNA BE SEDATED
     The brilliant clip combining WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY with THE SHINING has unfortunately been removed from youtube, but we can still get an impressive dose of KUBRICK insanity with this surprisingly effective utilization of another of his classics, DR. STRANGELOVE (OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB).

I WANNA BE SEDATED






3. PINHEAD
     Inevitably, PINHEAD is brought back full circle to the creepy cult classic that inspired it, on top of the bizarre curiosity's most unforgettable sequence, no less. Gooble Gobble!!

PINHEAD






4. BEAT ON THE BRAT
     This stunner fuses the anti-rugrat anthem to a trio of violent bat attacks: Two from the gangster genre (THE UNTOUCHABLES & A BRONX TALE), but then an amazing segue into the Baseball Furies battle from the New York gang thriller THE WARRIORS.

BEAT ON THE BRAT






5. CHAINSAW
     Of course who couldn't see this one coming from a mile away, but it's genuinely impressive how well it captures the menace of TOBE HOOPER's maniacal bedrock effort in such a short stretch of time.

CHAINSAW






6. THE CRUSHER
     Now HERE's one that would have been tough to foresee--DEEDEE's wrestling ode plopped on top of SLY STALLONE's absurd Cold War era ROCKY sequel! Hilarious.

THE CRUSHER






7. OUTSIDER
     A tad obvious, but quite well done. Does this movie version of the S.E. HINTON juvie standby have ANY male fans??

OUTSIDER






8. COMMANDO
     I guess it would have been hard to not see this one coming.

COMMANDO






9. PET SEMATARY
     Practically unavoidable, but it is rather puzzling how little of this picture's disturbing footage made it into the official video. That oversight is finally rectified here- and the straight match to the theatrical trailer works eerily well.

PET SEMATARY






10. MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT)
     One of the program's most brilliant ideas, this cautionary Yuletide plea for calm is commingled with a dazzling montage of Doomed Couples from the Cinema (mostly drawn from the horror domain). A few in here escape my familiarity-- feel free to message me a full list if you can identify them all!

MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT)










BONUS!!
    One more goodie for you. There's only a few moments of the WWII era drama TOMORROW THE WORLD online currently, but likelihood points to this being a probable inspiration for DEEDEE's trademark masterpiece TODAY YOUR LOVE, TOMORROW THE WORLD. (Certainly the German-raised bass player would have found resonance in the potboiler's melodramatic portrayal of an American family struggling to cope with the foreign houseguest youth hiding an explosive, secret past.) Hopefully someone uploads the entire feature soon...

TOMORROW THE WORLD








2014 UPDATE: FULL MOVIE NOW UP! Sound is a bit duff.

TOMORROW THE WORLD 1944








HEY!  HO! You! The amazing illustration leading off this piece was drawn by the supremely talented SAMY THE KAY, whose supercool work often references badass musicians (including, often THE RAMONES). Follow these links to more of his superb concoctions. Thank you for granting me permission, Samy!


TUMBLR! --->> SAMY THE KAY--ILLUSTRATIONS OF SOUND

FACEBOOKK! --->> SAMY THE KAY--ILLUSTRATOR/CARTOONIST







And of course don't forget to check out my daily track by track RAMONES career overview blog at

RAMONES--HUMMING A SICKENING TUNE

Links to follow on Tumblr and Facebook can also be found there.