Ghost Ship Appears in Bermuda Triangle!

Have you heard this recent spooky news that an old unmanned ship was found floating near Havana? Cuban authorities tried to contact the 100-year-old craft, but there was no response. When patrol boats intercepted the ship, they found not a single soul on board, yet the captain's logbook, among other things, was intact. 

Nothing to do with the Bermuda Triangle...

just something colourful to fill the space

It's estimated the ship has been drifting unmanned for decades. And it is believed this is the freighter Cotopaxi, which disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle way back in 1925. Now it has returned, minus its crew. It is a mystery to all as to what happened to the ship for the past ninety years. Scoff if you will, but I am fascinated by the phenomena surrounding this fabled part of the world. 

The Triangle is a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean (sort of between Bermuda, Florida and the Bahamas), where ships and aircraft were rumoured to have disappeared without a trace.... for over one hundred years.

As long ago as 1881, there have been unusual circumstances in that part of the ocean; at that time a ship vanished then reappeared minus its crew... and did so a second time! It was in 1945 that Flight 19, a group of five U.S. bombers completely vanished here  Enough ships and aircraft went missing over the years to set a pattern of sorts. In 1964, a magazine writer was the first to describe the mysterious zone as "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle". Others wrote on the topic, expanding on the original writer's ideas, bringing more world attention to the supernatural aspects of the events. 

The U.S. Navy will not acknowledge the existence of the Devil's Triangle, nor will the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The region doesn't appear on a single map drawn by any U.S. government agency. Hmm, a conspiracy? Makes you think about Area 51, doesn't it? X-Files, and all that stuff?

Some people have argued that the Triangle is just a "manufactured mystery" (the words of author Lawrence David Kusche), claiming the theories and stories bear evidence that is flimsy and even false.

Kim Novak in Satan's Triangle, a 1975 TV movie

Theories abound: a supernatural force that draws air and sea craft into the Triangle and transports them to another time, place, even dimension; an extraterrestrial transportation/teleportation gateway to alternate dimensions or even the cosmos.. who knows? The former seems the most unlikely, unless you really believe in that sort of thing. As for the latter, well, I don't think it's absurd to believe there is other life in the universe. We weak and dopey humans surely can't be the only living beings in existence, so.... why not a much more highly advanced race from afar who travel here and establish a hub for transportation and communication... who knows? Maybe the Triangle is a collection point of some sort. 

Then there is, or was, the school of thought that the lost continent of Atlantis lay beneath the waters of the Triangle. Um, not so sure about that one. We'll see.

Natural explanations (or theories) range from unusual magnetic fields confusing ships' compasses to the Gulf Stream to violent weather to human error to methane eruptions that could suck a ship downward. Not much fun in that.

I first heard of the Bermuda Triangle - also known as Devil's Triangle - when I was a kid in the 1970's. I think I must have read a little something in the newspaper about an incident to begin with, but I was also drawn to the uncanny side of the Triangle by the slew of movies that cropped up at the time. Author Charlie Berlitz released a bestseller called The Bermuda Triangle in 1969 that renewed the public's interest and inspired huge popularity in Hollywood during the 70's.

Here are just a handful of the TV movies and series of that era that explored both the fictionalized and "real life" Bermuda Triangle:

Satan's Triangle 1975 ABC TV Movie of the Week

The Fantastic Journey 1977 short-lived TV series

In Search Of: The Bermuda Triangle 1977 TV narrated by Leonard Nimoy

The Bermuda Depths 1978 made for TV

The Bermuda Triangle 1978 based on Berlitz's book, but never aired on U.S. TV

I'm sure I watched all or nearly all of these things. In my tweens and early teens I didn't have the most discerning tastes, so even the schlockiest stuff was game. Hey, I was even down with all the Bigfoot and Abominable Snowman movies and documentaries. My philosophy was (to quote X-Files): "I want to believe".

As a kid, all things supernatural and paranormal fascinated me. I loved movies, TV shows, and books of both fiction and non-fiction that dealt with the subjects. I even owned books about the folklore of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and related beings. Now grown-up, I still love the old movies (and a few newer ones) but I'm no crackpot who goes around wearing a tinfoil hat and a scarf made of wolfsbane. My interest in the otherworldly in a real-world sense is casual at best. It's cool but far from an obsession. But set me down in front of a cinematic gem like The Day the Earth Stood Still and I'm transfixed. 

Peter Sellers Jumps the Queue to the Loo

Tomorrow, Sunday, marks the anniversary of the passing of comic acting great Peter Sellers. The world lost this talented screen performer in 1980. 

I grew up watching Sellers's screwball Pink Panther films, in which he portrayed Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté (detective branch of the police force). Clouseau, bumbling fool that he was, was so sure of himself that he was oblivious to most of his errors, and actually came out on top at the end of each of his misadventures. Much to the chagrin of Chief Inspector Dreyfus, whom Clouseau slowly drove mad with his antics. 

Sellers appeared in seven Pink Panther movies, all so successful that his face became known worldwide. The TV cartoon The Pink Panther, featuring an actual - animated - panther (who is pink), even included a segment called The Inspector, its eponymous character based upon Sellers's wacky sleuth. Known simply as Inspector in the animated series, he is more competent than his film counterpart, and is accompanied by a Spanish (and maddeningly French-challenged) sidekick, Sergeant Deux-Deux. I watched the early Panther movies and the cartoons as often as they were aired on television. A great source of laughter and imaginative adventure for a young lad with a thing for crime-fighting. 

My favourite things in the Pink Panther movies were the scenes where Cato, Clouseau's manservant, would suddenly attack his employer... he was instructed to do so to keep the Inspector always on guard and ready to defend himself. These bits were hilarious and still bust me up. Here is the best of the bunch (click for the video):

Inspector Clouseau and Cato in a martial arts showdown

Sellers has been lauded as a comic genius, and I guess I could agree with that. His ability to inhabit his cinematic characters so completely was only outdone by this outrageous sense of humour and impeccable timing. From his bizarre and baffling French accent as the Inspector to his striking versatility playing several eccentric characters in the film Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb... all a study in the craft of acting and being funny.

While in my teens, I saw several of Sellers's other works (mostly the comedies) on the tube: After the Fox, The Bobo, Casino Royale, The Magic Christian, What's New Pussycat?, Murder By Death, The Mouse That Roared, and The Prisoner of Zenda. Those are the movies I can remember, anyway. All cool in their different ways... some maybe not great films, but ol' Peter certainly elevated even the lesser ones. 

The Sellers movie that comes to mind most often after all these years is The Party, from 1968. Though the picture is not without its flaws (I'm not crazy about the overlong pool and elephant scene), Sellers is unforgettable as Hrundi V. Bakshi, an Indian actor who is inadvertently invited to a big Hollywood dinner party. Very loosely structured, the film serves as a vehicle for Sellers to exercise his hilarious improvisational talents. Poor Hrundi finds himself in many predicaments that worsen as the evening wears on, all very amusing and memorable. "Birdie num num".

Years later, I was able to appreciate Sellers in his dramatic roles. Being There (1979) was one of his few non-comedic turns, which left me suitably impressed with his acting range. The same goes for 1962's Lolita, where the actor played a creepy Mr. Quilty. 

It was also later on that I finally caught Sellers in the rambunctious The Lady Killers, a 1955 British film by Ealing Studios, best known for its satirical romps. Odd to see a young Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) in those dark comedies. 

I had heard about Sellers's work on the British radio  program The Goon Show, but never had the chance to enjoy it. Sellers and his cohorts developed a brand of irreverent comedy that would influence The Beatles and the Monty Python troupe, just a couple of the many who were inspired by the early Goon Shows. 

To quote Sellers as Clouseau: "There is a time to laugh and a time not to laugh, and this is not one of them".

Puttin' Country into Rock Music

The staff at my workplace is being force-fed country music 24/7 via the PA system. It's brutal. And I'm talking about the "New Country" stuff, too. I can appreciate some of the older country and western as played by legends like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris. I quite like The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys by Waylon Jennings, and even Crazy by Patsy Cline. John Denver caught my attention with Country Roads, just one of his many fine tunes. I can hear the talent not just in the instrumentation, but also in the fine crafting of sweet and memorable songs. 

Gunslinger? Nope, country singer

Merle Haggard.

The music of this genre works best for me when it evokes the mood or images of the Old West - or maybe even the not-so-old west. But the modern day tunes that are so formulaic, commercialized and rock'n'roll-ized are a complete turn-off for me. I grow annoyed with the put-on nasal twang in the vocals and the overuse of steel guitar (which can sound great when played with tasteful restraint) in pretty much every single New Country song I've heard. And through my recent "research" at work, I've realized that trucks are the most sung-about topic in country. Seriously? Trucks and whisky, over and over and over again. 

Give me something more honest and heartfelt, something more rustic and folksy. 

Having said all that, I am simply not a fan of the genre. Yes, I can get into some of this stuff if I am good and ready and in the mood for something along these lines. But my heart belongs to rock and metal.... gimme some early Van Halen or Megadeth, and I'll be happy. 

And that got me to thinking about rock bands who sang songs about country music themes. Thin Lizzy did it successfully with their Cowboy Song... in a rock style but with hooks and an approach that does make you think about a desert campfire and rattlesnakes in your saddle blanket. 

Bon Jovi used Old West metaphors on their hit singles Wanted Dead Or Alive and Blaze of Glory. Aerosmith had that rockin' oldie Back in the Saddle. There's Desperado and Doolin-Dalton by The Eagles... mind you, those guys mined extensively the western mythology for many of their songs. Poison sort of did it with Every Rose Has Its Thorn. 

The Eagles as outlaws.... desperados

Townes Van Zandt sang about Pancho and Lefty (beautifully covered by Emmylou Harris), while Frankie Laine cranked out the classic Rawhide, which most of us know from The Blues Brothers. While both fellows did work for the country realm, they were known foremost as singer-songwriters whose work spanned many genres. So I'll let them slip by here. 

Billy Joel wrote and performed The Ballad of Billy the Kid. Brian Wilson of the Beachboys came up with Rio Grande.... no surfboards there. Cheap Trick did Ghost Town, which may be a "western" in title only. One of my favourites is the blues-rock gem La Grange by ZZ Top, that l'il ol' band from Texas. 

CCR famously sang about The Midnight Special... watch out for that sheriff. Oh, and don't forget about the song I Shot the Sheriff, originally by reggae king Bob Marley and later revitalized by bluesman Eric Clapton. Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac may not be an obvious western-themed track, but its title and the music itself imply a frontier setting. Similarly, Led Zeppelin's got Gallows Pole. How a Brit band came to write a prospecting/Gold Rush song, I'll never know. 

Oh, and even Van Halen dabbled in some old-timey tunes on their Diver Down album. They covered the classic Happy Trails acapella-style, and penned a funny ditty called Big Bad Bill. Halen also rocked out on Hang 'Em High, an homage to the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western movie. 

Canada's Neil Young brought us Are You Ready for the Country... a foot-stompin' little tale of an outlaw. Chris Isaak delivered a romantic rendition of South of the Border (Down Mexico Way). I have always felt that The Monkees' Last Train to Clarksville had a country flair... it made me think of old steam trains crossing America on freshly laid railroad tracks. 

Catch your train....

Cheap Trick Hits #1 in U.S. - 1988

Hello kiddies,

It was on this day back in 1988 that rockers Cheap Trick scored their one and only #1 single in the United States. I remember that song and that album well. The song was The Flame, and the album was Lap of Luxury. That music was the soundtrack to a transitional time in my life. I'd just moved out on my own a couple of years earlier, had settled into my first real-world job, and was invested in a relationship. The Flame was sort of "our song" at the time. 

I actually find it hard to believe that Cheap Trick did not achieve greater singles chart success in the States, seeing as they were a homegrown band that achieved international fame during their peak years... Europe and Japan supported them by snapping up their records to the tune of Platinum status, and filled concert halls. Maybe the boys just had way too much competition at the time... long-established artists like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Who, Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac. Yeah, a lot of heavyweights there, and the list goes on: Van Halen, AC/DC, Journey, the Stones, and so on. 

As much as I liked, or loved, many of those other groups, I developed a deeper and more lasting affection for the quirky quartet from Rockford, Illinois. Though Cheap Trick employed powerhouse guitar riffs and chords, they also had a keen melodic sense, which critics, fans, and even the band themselves attributed to the influence of The Beatles. The sweet vocal harmonies, the often fun and lighthearted hooks, and the general goofball sensibility of the guys came across in their songwriting and performance. Not to mention the odd charm of the foursome... singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson were the sex appeal of the band while nerdo guitar ace Rick Neilsen and accountant-suited (spectacles and necktie) drummer Mr. Bun E. Carlos held down the tree fort... probably reading comic books and smoking cigarettes. 

My history with Cheap Trick goes back to my mid-teen years in the 70's, when I first heard one of their songs played by a high school acquaintance and his scrappy little band - on the local cable TV station. I made a mental note about that tune (Hello There), and also eventually befriended that dude who drummed in his spare time (or maybe even during school time, since he wasn't always in class). I began collecting CT albums at a furious pace, and rarely missed a day without listening to at least one of their songs. I especially enjoyed the albums Heaven Tonight, Cheap Trick at Budokan, and Dream Police. More here.

Looking back, I wonder how songs like Surrender, I Want You to Want Me, and Dream Police didn't chart higher than they did in America. I Want You to Want Me did reach #1 in a few foreign markets, and it hit #2 here in Canada, which is impressive. But it didn't even chart in the States. And Surrender managed only a low spot on the U.S. Billboard 100. The song Dream Police, as famous and representative of the band as it was, only hit #26 in the States. 

I believe it was that album-oriented rock era that set the stage for how CT would impact the world. Yes, they had songwriting chops, but I guess not quite in the same league as Fleetwood Mac or Journey. So Trick sold loads of albums (many reached Platinum status, and the Budokan LP hit *triple* Platinum) and had to settle for second (or third, or whatever) place in the singles department. 

It is true that CT strayed all over the map with their range of musical styles - from light pop to heavy metal, and that likely confused radio programmers and critics and fans alike. The band could not easily be pigeon-holed into a nice neat category and that bothered some people. CT has always had their core audience, the die-hards (like me) who comprised a sort of cult following that kept the boys in just enough money to carry on. Well, I'm sure they were more than comfortable, but I mean they could take some artistic chances without worrying about putting bread on the table. 

Then out of the blue (after a handful of weak efforts) came this '88 smash album Lap of Luxury, which went to #16 on the Billboard chart, and boasted a couple of even bigger singles, The Flame at #1 and Don't Be Cruel at #4. Even a couple of other songs made the grade, if considerably lower on the chart. Many credit that success to both the use of outside songwriters and the return of bassist Tom Petersson (who had split for a while), yet the band admits that the resulting album restricted them stylistically. The "softening" of their sound robbed them of the hook-laden hard rock edge that defined them during their prime years. It was tough to break free from that formula, but Cheap Trick made efforts to regain their heavier approach again. 

Anyway, The Flame was a welcome revival of Cheap Trick, grabbing my interest after it had waned for a few years in the 80's. That new-found popularity and spark remained for their follow-up album Busted, which spawned a hit or two in Uncle Sam Land. But it's a long haul in the music business, a lot of work behind that "carefree" rock'n'roll that entertains the rest of the world. 

Makeup, Please! Face Painting With Ghost & KISS

During my five decades as a music fan, I've witnessed both the dressing up and the dressing down (Red Hot Chili Peppers, anyone?) of performing musicians. When I was a kid, things looked simple. Bands like the Beatles and Monkees simply wore matching suits (and haircuts), at least in their early days. As time went on, we saw the members of both groups express themselves through fashion, making personal statements about themselves as individuals. Like striped bell-bottom pants, frilly shirts, big belts, jewelry, facial hair, and hairstyles. Or Sgt. Pepper uniforms. Or a walrus mask. Juba juba....

In the 70's, the musical landscape had changed and a lot of the psychedelic gear went out the window. But in lieu of hippy duds, musicians either went with straight-up street clothes (nothing fancy at all, but then again... it was all about the music, right?) or moved in a more creative direction. Makeup, masks, and costumes became part of the show when the artists took to the concert stage. 

I've got a splitting headache....

David Bowie, right from the start of his career, engineered his image with imagination and business savvy. He created a different persona for every album he recorded during the 70's, depicting himself as a new character on each album cover, video, and concert tour. Ziggy Stardust was his most famous and enduring role, though there were others, like Aladdin Sane, the Pierrot sad clown (Ashes to Ashes video), The Goblin King (for the movie Labyrinth, actually), the Thin White Duke, Screaming Lord Byron, and Baal (again for film). Just to name a few. I wasn't even aware of Bowie until the late 70's, since I was a bit young at the time. But the magic of the music newsmagazine The New Music on TV brought to me images of Bowie's menagerie of personalities. 

Bowie's visual sense was sophisticated in comparison with The New York Dolls, a glam band of guys who simply dressed colourfully and wore women's makeup. A bit shocking at the time, I guess, but by today's standards, that's tame. But hey, the Dolls did help influence the next generation of rockers. We'll get to that in a minute. 

70's Genesis concerts were highly experiential, the stage adorned with massive and dazzling set-pieces. Peter Gabriel took to wearing bizarre makeup and costumes to suit the themes of the music. He dressed at times as a flower, a fox, a bat, and assorted far-out fantasy creatures. Again, I missed all that as a kid, and even today, I have only seen a few photos and concert videos to get an idea of Gabriel's early fashion sense. Sorry, never been a Genesis fan.

Now that rock music had developed an even greater flair for the visual, more and more artists were getting into the act. On the heels of the New York Dolls came Kiss and Alice Cooper, both bands lugging their makeup kits to gigs, too. And it wasn't just about face paint, either. These guys had wild costumes and big stage acts. Kiss leaned toward carnival displays of breathing fire, spitting blood, and smoking guitars. Alice, on the other hand, embraced the Grand Guignol style of entertainment: a series of vignettes showing mock hangings and decapitations and the like, all for the edification of the discerning concert-goer. Yeah. 

Look ma, no cavities....

This theatrical approach to rock music presentation spilled over into the 80's. The Misfits came around in the late 70's, but they refined their stage look in the next decade, applying ghoulish makeup to fit in with their horror movie themes. 

Taking a step backwards, and then forwards again, Twisted Sister adopted the New York Dolls girl-dress-up. Singer Dee Snider got the ball rolling with his big mane of curls and feminine makeup, then on to dresses, but later scaled "back' to the leather, studs, and spandex. And the makeup. 

That whole glam metal scene of the 80's saw a glut of decent and worse-sounding bands doing everything short of wearing women's skirts for concerts and photo/video shoots. Hairspray, rouge and lipstick probably took up more space than instruments in their tour buses. But there were some reasonably good bands that came out of that scene, like Ratt and Motley Crue. Poison, Cinderella, and WASP less so, though I don't mind a few of their songs. Every rose....

Say cheese....

On another note, Gwar gave the horror-show genre a shot in the arm. Wearing big, crazy costumes, Gwar looked more like something out of Japanese monster movies than dudes in drag. The band borrowed from Kiss and Alice Cooper with their blend of mythological characters and gory stage re-enactments. I'm talking copious amounts of bodily fluids spraying the audience. Yup, this is entertainment. Not my cup o' tea.

The emergence of black metal music saw dramatic use of makeup, mostly for horrific effect. King Diamond, from Denmark, was a pioneer of this stuff, bringing his demonic visage first to Mercyful Fate, and then to his eponymous solo band. The props and accoutrements were all in keeping with the King's Satanic vision. Hail!

The black metal genre kept things pretty straightforward, imitating but simplifying King Diamond's look, finally arriving at the standard corpse paint. Black lips and eyes, with no end of variations on that. Just Google "corpse paint" and you'll see only the tip of the iceberg. 

In '95, Slipknot decided to join the garish spectacle of Kiss and Gwar, since the world evidently still hadn't gotten enough of that schtick. Even Kiss was looking old under all that makeup and leather. At least Slipknot were original enough with their ghouls and psychos outfits. Good for them.

Speaking of ghouls and psychos, we also got Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie in the metal mix. Manson became a Bowie-esque androgynous character, though much creepier. I wasn't much of a fan. Zombie, on the other hand, went full-bore with his hardcore hillbilly corpse paint. I have to admit that he instilled a sense of unsettling menace in that swamp ghoul makeup and garb, especially while playing his brand of aggressive metal.

You're all just jealous because I get to wear the hat!

Which brings me to the relatively new band Ghost, from Sweden. Formed in the late 2000's, Ghost were adept at taking the best of every existing and pre-existing theatrical rock group and blending it into something unique and all their own. A little of this from Kiss, a little of that from Mercyful Fate, and so on. Right from the beginning, it was decided the singer would appear onstage as a sort of Bishop of Beelzebub (my words, not theirs), assuming the name Papa Emeritus, while the other musicians would be known only as the Nameless Ghouls. The skull-face-painted Papa appears in pope hat and robes, while his Ghouls are dressed identically in black cloaks or suits and sinister full-head devil masks. Satanic imagery aside, Ghost possesses great musical ability, skilled in songwriting and on their instruments... so I can say I am a fan. 

And as for the makeup, a little dab'll do you....