"Twin Peaks" Panel Discussion at USC: Part II

Last weekend was the second "Twin Peaks" panel discussion at USC, and once again, it has made it to You Tube and Psychobabble. So here's Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Jill Rogosheske Engels, Russ Tamblyn , Charlotte Stewart, Gary Hershberger, and Robert Engels fielding a new round of questions:

Review: 'Led Zeppelin from a Whisper to a Scream'

Dave Lewis has written a half-dozen books about Led Zeppelin and has been curating the Zep ‘zine Tight but Loose since 1978. So who am I to refute the “UK’s foremost expert on Led Zeppelin” claim on the cover of his latest book? Well, I don’t doubt that Dave knows his stuff, but after reading the mere four or five books I’ve read about his favorite band, I already knew most of what he had to say in Led Zeppelin from a Whisper to a Scream. I would have loved to see Lewis put his expertise to work a bit more while discussing Led Zeppelin’s discography song by song—more insight, more analysis, more trivia! Instead, we get a skinny volume of less than 150 pages with two timelines that don’t just repeat each other’s information; they repeat information found elsewhere in the book. Lewis should have gone all out with a Revolution in the Head-style study. Led Zeppelin certainly warrants one. As a primer for the Zeppelin newcomer, From a Whisper to a Scream gets the job done. It’s well written and fairly well reasoned (though Lewis evaluates the band’s work with a super fan’s forgiveness), and it covers all the bases from Zeppelin’s official LPs to their reissues and bootlegs, taking us right up to date with the recent 02 Arena concert. Nevertheless, this book is an hors d’oeuvre when I’m pretty sure the hardcore Zep freak is going to want a decadent ten-course banquet.

More "Twin Peaks" at USC on February 10

The "Twin Peaks" retrospective at USC continues on February 10 with viewings of the remaining episodes from season one (eps 3-7) and another Q&A. This time the guests will be Mädchen Amick (Shelley Johnson), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), Charlotte Stewart (Betty Briggs), writer Robert Engels, and casting director Johanna Ray. Once again the admission is free and open to the public. 

February 10, 2013, 2:30 P.M. 
Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre/Frank Sinatra Hall 
3507 Trousdale Parkway 
Los Angeles, CA 90007

"Twin Peaks" Panel Discussion at USC

Last week I came out of Who FAQ-induced hibernation to report a screening of several episodes of "Twin Peaks" at USC and the panel discussion with Mark Frost, Grace Zabriskie, Duwayne Dunham, and Ron Garcia that followed. Yesterday, someone was kind enough to post footage of the full half-hour interview--complete with new vague comments from Frost that has re-stoked the "Twin Peaks" revival rumors Frost himself recently stoked then tamped out--on YouTube. Here 'tis:

"Twin Peaks" Retrospective at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in L.A.

Lately the "Twin Peaks" Season Three rumors have been flying, and while Mark Frost debunked them almost as soon as they got rolling, he mostly definitely is not done visiting his pleasant little town in which no one ever gets murdered or demonically possessed or hit with soap. On January 27, series co-creator Frost and a select group of TP alumni will be appearing at USC's Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre to present the pilot episode plus episodes "1.2 and 1.3" (or in more official "Twin Peaks" parlance, episodes one and two). Duwayne Dunham, who directed episode one, will be present, as will pilot-cinematographer Ron Garcia and Grace "Sarah Palmer" Zabriskie, who is pretty much the greatest. After the episodes, Frost, Dunham, Garcia, and Zabriskie will take part in a Q&A, which will no doubt consist of nothing but "Is there going to be a third season?" asked over and over and over until Mark Frost slams his head into the bathroom mirror. 

Coffee and pie served during intermission.



This amazing event is totally free and totally open to the public, so you might want to to camp out for a few days to ensure you get a seat. 

Here are the details from USC's site: 

Twin Peaks Series Retrospective: 

4:00 P.M. on Sunday, January 27th, 2013

Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre/Frank Sinatra Hall

3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

There will be a 30 minute intermission between the Pilot and Episodes 1.2 & 1.3, during which coffee and pie will be served in Queens Courtyard.

The Q&A will directly follow the screenings of Episodes 1.2 & 1.3.

Review: 'Songs That Saved Your Life: The Art of The Smiths 1982-1987'

The Smiths didn’t make a lot of records during their flashing five-year career, but the ones they made were sublime enough to intoxicate an enduring cult. And like so many groups with relatively few proper LPs—The Velvet Underground, The Clash, and Jimi Hendrix, for example—The Smiths have a rich enough reservoir of singles, B-sides, and outtakes to warrant Simon Goddard’s track-by-track analysis The Smiths: Songs That Saved Your Life. As first published in 2002, the book did not fully please its author, baring a few errors and a title altered by the publisher. A tick over a decade later, Goddard has nudged his tome closer to his original vision and Titan Books is giving it a fresh republication.

Some Updates on That Small Faces Box and Other SF News for 2013

A regular Psychobabble reader by the name of Pete recently asked me if there are any updates on that long-gestating Small Faces box set we were hoping might see a late 2012 release. Well, Pete, you inspired me to do a little research, and a little research was all it took to bring up a message recently posted on Mick Taylor's Small Faces facebook page (not that Mick Taylor, of course). The message, which I read second-hand on the Steve Hoffman forum (posted this past November 14), apparently came from reissue producer Rob Caiger, who informed Mick that the box is still in the works and he's "still recovering tapes" (!). Disc One is to "cover all the Immediate worldwide singles A, B's, and EP's" and Disc Five will feature alternate takes and live recordings.  The set will also include a hardback book, "red, white and blue coloured vinyl, facsimile 'Mystery' acetate, a facsimile Ogdens’ press kit, poster, art prints, postcards." No word yet on what Discs Two through Four have in store, nor is there a release date. 

If this message is legit, then the set definitely sounds like a work in progress, so let's be patient and allow the team to give us the very best and most comprehensive Small Faces set imaginable. In the meantime, there will be special vinyl releases for this coming Record Store Day as well as a double-disc reissue of The Autumn Stone, which will also appear on 180g vinyl. Here come the nice, indeed!

Mike Nesmith's Ten Greatest Monkees Songs

Say what you will about The Monkees (no one has ever pulled any punches before), but even the most blinkered, calloused critics admit one thing about the group they deride as “the Pre-Fab Four”: Mike Nesmith is a great, great songwriter. In celebration of ol’ Wool Hat’s 70^th birthday today, I’ve put together a selection of his ten best. Or, more truthfully, my ten favorites.

Another 'Who FAQ' Poll! Vote for the Most Underrated Who Songs!

Once again I am reaching out to my fellow Whooligans for some input as I busily toil away on The Who FAQ. Last month I picked your purple-heart riddled brains about your favorite solo albums (that poll is still open, by the way). Now I'd like to know what you think are The Who's most underrated songs. I'm looking for songs that weren't hits, songs you won't find on The Ultimate Collection, songs that have never been used as a "CSI" theme, songs that if you shouted requests for them at a Who show, Roger would be like, "Huh?" and Pete would hit you with his guitar.

So choose up to five of your favorite odds and sods, and I'll profile the biggest winners in The Who FAQ. Hit me with your selections in the comments section below. Have at it...

Review: 'Movie Monsters in Scale'

Mark C. Glassy has a Ph.D in biochemistry. In 1982, he invented the first human antibody used to treat cancer. So what the hell is he doing making models of monsters? Having fun, of course, and fun is the real purpose of his new book, Movie Monsters in Scale. Sure, he offers plenty of pointers that may help you assemble, paint, and decorate your own models and dioramas, but as someone who never acquired that hobby, I still really enjoyed his book because gawking at his model collection is a lot of monstery fun. The problem is that his contributions to these packaged kits are largely down to his paintjobs, and most of these photos are in black and white. So Glassy spends a lot of time describing paint jobs we can’t really appreciate. There are 24 color pages to give a taste of his talents, but this book really should have received the full-color treatment