Psychotronic Video # 42

IN THIS ISSUE!

photo by Morgan Steckler

RAY DENNIS STECKLER (aka Cash Flagg), was a cinematographer who first became a director thanks to Arch Hall Sr. His RAT FINK A BOO BOO and LEMON GROVE KIDS MEET THE MONSTERS (now on DVD from Media Blasters) are two of the goofiest fun movies of the 60s and THE THRILL KILLERS is one of the most crazed and unpredictable. I still have my green TEENAGE PSYCHO MEETS BLOODY MARY publicity flyer from downtown Cleveland in the 60s and 20 years later I had the pleasure of presenting Steckler's INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED UP ZOMBIES (I love just saying the name) during a PV film festival at The Cleveland Cinemateque (in widescreen). Steckler was interviewed in person in Las Vegas by longtime PV contributor and columnist Dale Ashmun.

ARCH HALL JR., who made his teen acting debut as a JD in THE CHOOPERS, also starred in WILD GUITAR (directed by Stecker) EEGAH!, THE SADIST (a serious movie inspired by teen killer Charlie Starkweather), and others, all produced and distributed by his father Arch Hall Sr. (whose military career became a book and a movie starring Robert Mitchum). I once got to present the L.A. music world expose WILD GUITAR at a PV film festival in Sweden. Norton Records has released an excellent new Arch CD and the (part American Indian) rock and roll singing cult star has recently re- emerged after about 40 years (!) to do live shows. Norton's Miriam Linna interviewed Arch about his unique career. Miriam and Billy Miller have also brightened the world with essential releases by Link Wray, Hasil Adkins, Andre Williams, The Flamin' Groovies.

JAMES LOWE, was (and is) the autoharp playing lead singer of The Electric Prunes, a top notch major label L.A. 60s psych/pop group that recently reunited for live shows, new CDs, and a live DVD. I've been a fan since I first was blown away by the hits 'I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night' and 'Get Me To The World On Time' on Top 40 radio. I later was turned on to their excellent LPs (all recorded in 67) by members of the 70s Cleveland band Mirrors (when I was the drummer). Lowe was also a surfer and (Toho!) movie extra in Hawaii. After his band was heard on the EASY RIDER soundtrack, then replaced by mediocre imposters, he became a record engineer and producer working with Sparks, Todd Rundgren, and many others. After several years of email correspondence, I interviewed Lowe and got the whole story.

HIGH SCHOOL USA
     I was just invited to my 35th high school reunion in Cleveland this summer. I somehow missed the 10th and 20th. Our Lakewood High School graduating class was over 800. If you figure in all the kids who didn't graduate, ran away, dropped out, or were held back I think it was well over 1000. I'm sure that the number who have died is also high. They wouldn't put my picture in the yearbook because I had a (modest trimmed) beard at the time. Long hair was tolerated by then but not beards. The year I graduated (70) we had the nearby Kent State National Guard shootings, peak Nam deaths, major local anti- war protests, the first student heroin OD, a major school narc program, and the massive introduction of sopers (downs) manufactured in nearby Columbus - timed perfectly with the huge Midwest popularity of Grand Funk Railroad! Nixon, bad drugs, top rock star deaths, bad popular music, and the commercialization of free form "underground" FM radio all hit at once - and most of us still expected to be shipped off to Nam. Ohio was also an early ground zero for porn (adult "book" stores owned by Cleveland's own Reuben Sturnman, local strip clubs, 'art' theaters that changed to porn theaters, Larry Flint who owned clubs launching Hustler, John Holmes, Traci Lords...). At least one girl from my school was an early Hustler model.

THE POPE
     I'm not Catholic, but the Pope was the most important and impressive person I ever actually saw - and I didn't have to go to The Vatican. In 1979, I had just moved from Cleveland to Brooklyn, then to the East Village. On 10/7, the (pre bulletproof bubble top) Popemobile went down Broadway right in front of Record City where I worked. I was maybe 20 feet from him. This was the record store near 8th St. used in the TAXI DRIVER inspired high budget slasher movie THE FAN (see PV #37) before it sadly closed. We sold all kinds of records there, old and new , including LPs by The Pope - and David Peel's Apple LP The Pope Smokes Dope (!) The next year (my first full year in NYC), Reagan was elected (11/4), then John Lennon was assassinated (12/8). On 12/11 Rupert Murdoch's NY Post published Lennon's morgue photo on the front page. In 1981 Reagan was inaugurated (1/20), then was shot (3/30) - by the Jody Foster fan son of a Bush family oil man friend and supporter , while Yoko's 'Walking On Thin Ice' was #58 on the pop charts. The Pope was then shot (5/13), then Sadat was assassinated (10/6) and the first cases of AIDS were reported. This was all going on when I started the original weekly Psychotronic movies on TV guide and it's all somehow related. Some day (if CIA files are unclassified) some of it might make some kind of sense.

VIACOM's "POWERFUL PRESENCE"
     I have been questioned and criticized by some in PV magazine and on this site for going on too much about Rupert Murdoch and Fox. I agree. The Fox political agenda is all too obvious and has been covered extensively elsewhere. Meanwhile the agenda of Murdoch's far more deceptive and influential main rival in world media domination is rarely questioned. Even if you've developed a suspicious attitude about Fox, VIACOM continues to turn the brains of you, your children and your parents to media obsessed consumer zombie mush. VIACOM is owned by 81 year old Forbes list Sumner Redstone (Rothstein) whose Net Worth is aprox. $8.8 billion and counting, The Boston native Harvard grad is a Bush family friend who publicly announced he was backing W for re-election last year. He splits his time between New York and the West Coast with his second wife, Paula.

VIACOM owns networks including: CBS, MTV, VHI, CMT, BET, USA, TNN, Comedy Central, Spike TV, TVLand, UPN, Showtime (DC 9-11: A TIME OF CRISIS), The Movie Channel (major provider of soft core porn), The Sundance Channel, Flix, Nickleodeon, Nick At Night, and Noggin (a children's educational network), and of course releases DVD comps from shows on those networks. VIACOM owns at least 39 local TV stations in major U.S. markets and the production companies King World (Oprah, Dr. Phil, Martha Stewart), Aaron Spelling TV, and Big Ticket TV. Redstone was the main man behind both the Superbowl 'wardrobe malfuntion' and Dan Rather stepping down as CBS anchor.

VIACOM owns Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States, with stations covering the news, modern rock, oldies, country, FM talk, classic rock and urban formats, among others. Infinity operates 183 radio stations, the majority of which are in the nation's top 50 markets. Infinity is home to 29 of the country's leading sports franchises amongst MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL, including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and the Detroit Red Wings. The majority of Americans gets their news, opinions, sports, and music from Viacom owned radio stations. Redstone was the main man behind Howard Stern, until Stern started going on against the FCC and W. VIACOM owns Westwood One Broadcasting (managed by Infinity) which supplies radio and TV stations with information services and programming. Westwood One is the largest domestic outsource provider of traffic reporting services and the nation's largest radio network, producing and distributing national news, sports, talk, music and special event programs, in addition to local news, sports, weather, video news and other information programming. Westwood One's principal source of revenue is selling commercial airtime to advertisers through one of its two operating divisions: Metro/Shadow, which is comprised of Metro Networks and Shadow Broadcast Services and the Westwood One Network Division. Westwood One (which is growing bigger every year) is home to Bill O'Reilly and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough.

VIACOM owns The Viacom Outdoor Group (TDI Worldwide, Westwood One). From the Viacom web site: 'North America's most diverse out-of-home advertising provider, we deliver an unmatched variety of media forms and an unmatched network to strategically position your message. We call this "POWERFUL PRESENCE." From the nation's highways and roadways to city streets and underground, from shopping malls and moving vehicles and stadiums, we are where people congregate and live their lives. In the top 100 markets and beyond, we're everywhere you need to be.' 'Viacom's powerful presence is there the moment a consumer walks out the front door or rolls out of the driveway. North America is our audience and we deliver millions of impressions, one at a time.'

VIACOM owns Famous Music (over 100, 000 - ! song copyrights). Whenever you hear a rock or pop song on the radio, on a CD, in a commercial, in a movie or on a TV show, Redstone probably controls the rights.

VIACOM owns Paramount (films, TV shows and theme parks), the Famous Players and United Cinema Int. theater chains, and Blockbuster Video. Some recent Paramount remakes that you could see in Viacom owned theaters, watch on Viacom owned stations, and rent or buy in Viacom owned stores: MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE STEPFORD WIVES, and WAR OF THE WORLDS.

VIACOM owns the publishers Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Pocket Books, Fireside, Touchstone, Washington Square Press, Archway, Minstrel, Pocket Pulse, and The Free Press.

VIACOM owns MTVi Group, CBS Internet Group, Nickelodeon Online, BET.comS and owns stakes in videogame developer Midway Games and WMS Industries.

VIACOM (and Fox) continue to successfully lobby (buy) elected and appointed US Government officials to have FCC rules changed, weakened, and ignored in their favor.

By the way VIACOM/PARAMOUNT made this:

SEE ARNOLD RUN (05) D James B. Rogers, P/S Matt Dorf, S Nigel Andrews, P Roee Sharon
Just as George W. was the first sitting president to be portrayed in a starring role in a film (DC 9-11: A TIME OF CRISIS ­ PV #41), Republican Arnold Schwarzenneger is the first governor. This A+E debut feature was ridiculed and/or dismissed by lazy critics, but it's entertaining and does an excellent job of helping to pave the way for billionaire international superstar Arnold being re-elected. He's seen in three periods as the story goes back and forth in time. We see him (Jurgen Prochnow from DAS BOOT) receive the (reluctant at first) blessing of his (Kennedy relative media star) wife Maria Shriver (Mariel Hemingway) to run for governor and financial backing from Warren Buffet (the 2nd richest man in the world). He assembles a top team of seasoned political advisors who are endlessly amazed by his energy, charm and intelligence, how quickly he learns political details, and how brilliantly he deals with the (biased) press. A rabbi happily reports to Arnold that there is no evidence of any war crimes committed by his unrepentant Nazi father (who served as a Brownshirt enforcer in the notorious Salo Republic of Italy). 70s Arnold (Austrian body builder Roland Kickinger) is then seen pumping up to the EXODUS theme !?!? 'We're Not Gonna Take It' is sung by Dee Snider (a better looking actor) of Twisted Sister at an Arnold rally. Once a video hit about teens rebelling against authority figures, it rages here against real enemies: the biased muckraking L.A. Times and N.Y. Times and the woman they found to exaggerate and exploit Arnold's alleged movie set groping. Pre-fame Arnold is a lovable handsome determined funloving pumped up visionary immigrant who stays true to his cute blonde waitress girlfriend (Nicole Dehuff, who died after production). The enthusiastic George Butler (Craig Zimmerman) convinces him to star in his PUMPING IRON (77). Exact recreations of scenes from the hit documentary (Arnold's first big step to stardom) are shown. In b/w flashbacks little Arnold is seen with his stern father and in an Austrian theater, fascinated by his hero Reg Park in HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (60). Note: the real film clip (with Christopher Lee in Hell!) is b/w, even though Bava's Italian movie was in color. Portraits of both President Bushes are seen on walls and characters 'joke' about Arnold becoming president. When Arnold jokes during a 'debate' about having a role for candidate Arianna Huffington (Nora Dunn) in TERMINATOR 4, it's clear that the head shoved in a toilet reference is only in the minds of the biased dirty minded liberal media. 'Recalled' Democratic Gov. Gray Davis is compared to body builder rival Lou Ferrigno. Arnold mocked, ridiculed, intimidated, psyched out, and easily defeated both opponents. Davis is seen in (silent) news footage and Ferrigno (an actor) doesn't speak because that might make Arnold's constant taunting of the deaf mute seem in bad taste. Arnold's important appearance on OPRAH (a good friend of Maria) is referred to but Jay Leno isn't even mentioned. Actors also play James Cameron, Matt Lauer, Barbara Walters, and body builder friend Franco Columbo. Rogers (AMERICAN PIE 2) got his start as the writer and second unit director of Jim Wynorsky's SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE 2 (90) with the late porn star Savannah. Dorf, who has done TV movies on The Osmonds, Charlie's Angels and Mork and Mindy, also wrote the two part CBS disaster movie CATEGORY 6: DAY OF DESTRUCTION (04). Executive producer Stu Segall (aka porn director Godfrey Daniels!) also backs NIP/TUCK for Fox's f/x. Other facts: Butler, portrayed here as an turncoat former friend, directed the pro Kerry GOING UPRIVER: THE LONG WAR OF JOHN KERRY (04). Davis was blamed for the CA energy crisis instead of Enron (Ws biggest corporate supporter), The CA recall election was one of the slickest political PR scams in American history. Many Americans believe that Democrats Davis (a Nam vet with a Bronze Star) and Kerry are both lying eletist wimp losers with no values (and worse) while Republicans Arnold and W are honest heroic superheroes. Arnold WILL be re-elected and more and more of us will be convinced that not changing the Constitution so he can be president would be un -American.

JOKE OF THE YEAR-
     Republican Christian former librarian family values First Lady Laura Bush at The White House Correspondents dinner (broadcast live on Cspan - 4/30/05): 'I'm proud of George. He's learned a lot about ranching since the first year when he tried to milk a horse.' - pause for laughter - 'What's worse, it was a male horse.' Her bestiality joke and her entire well rehearsed and delivered comedy routine was written for her by Arnold's gag and speech writer Langdon Parvin (who got his start writing all those zingers for President Reagan).

President Bush: "Our priorities is our faith."

VP Dick Cheney: 'Go fuck yourself!'