Babes of the Abyss Playlist

As with I did with Dog Days' Nights, I am celebrating the conclusion of  Babes of the Abyss by assembling an 8Tracks mix of music I either listened to while writing the story or that I associate in some other way with the series.  It is a strange and varied collection of sounds with the only common thread being a gauzy layer of decay and reverb.  Many of the songs share a raw and unmastered aesthetic that matches well with both the general vibe of the Swingshift worldview and the often chaotic creative process behind the stories.

There will be more Swingshift in 2011, and Cheer is still available for depraved holiday enjoyment.  As always, thanks for all of your support.

01 cv313 - Subtraktive (King Midas Sound Dub)
she might be right

02 Gonasufi - My Only Friend (Hezus mix)
“Please, stay even though you know my reality”

03 Rolling Stones - Dancing with Mr. D (alternate take)
L-Girls theme - “A drink of Belldonna on a Toussaint night”

04 LA Vampires vs. Zola Jesus - No no no
strung out soundtrack to late nights at the club El Cambion

05 s. maharba - Tell a Lie
“millions of hearts have been broken, just because these words have been spoken...”

06 Demdike Stare - Bardo Thodol
several stories deep below Canal St.

07 The Stone Roses - Shoot You Down (lost demo version)
our man has big plans and a full moon swagger

08 Skeletons & Sobansa Mimanisa - Kiwembo / Unstuck
“Things are in motion ...Get out and get lost.”

Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part VII

"A patch of lightening rolls its way through the fog and across the water’s surface. The air pressure is dropping. My ears fill with echoing Latin. My knees buckle as gravity goes fluid for a brief moment. Best guess, this is the time. "

The damp and dramatic conclusion of Babes of the Abyss is live at T21.

Full moon, Saturday night. Dick crashes a Meridian orgone siphoning ritual and brings his own pyrotechnics. BJ plays the heavy, Jonesy drives the getaway car and the cat returns to life on the run. And, it all goes down with a swagger.

There is one more multi-chapter story in the Swingshift trilogy. It should kick off in January.

Thank you all for the support.

Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part VII

Swingshift Archive

Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part VI

"Three flights down through narrow stairwells lit by flickering fluorescents. Then, we cross a dark empty sub-basement. The speed surges in my veins from the exercise. The immersive silence fills my ears with malicious insectiod whispers and twists my thoughts into intricate knots of paranoia."

Babes of the Abyss - Part VI is live at T21.

In the penultimate chapter of  Babes of the Abyss, Swingshift proves the old adage that you can find anything in Chintown, including an orgone vacuum/bomb. 

I once heard a member of the NYPD's Trademark Infringement Unit tell the story of chasing an old woman, and knock-off watch salesperson, through a labyrinth of basement tunnels several stories beneath Chinatown.  Since then, I have had a fascination with Canal Street's bootleg culture and the secret architecture of Chinatown.  On more than one occasion my curiosity has gotten me chewed out in Chinese by ladies like the older lady in this piece.

Next time: the suspense filled, soaking wet climax of Babes of the Abyss. (I wonder if that phrase will bump my google ranking.)

Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part VI

Swingshift Archive

The Night of the Whore-hopper - 2010 edition

"There are too many whores in politics these days, but the night of the whore-hopper is coming. Many will be called, and 9 out of 10 will be chosen-- to be herded down the long slippery ramp and into the bottomless sheep dip, where they will wallow and struggle helplessly (some of them drowning) until their bodies are disinfected by powerful acids, vapors, and the fumes of terrible lice medicines that will fry their brains like bacon left too long in the microwave....

The end will not come quickly, like it says in Revelations 22:7. First will come the shit-rain, then the sheep dip, and after that, the terrible night of the whore-hopper, which might last 1,000 years." - HST - Better Than Sex

Well it is going to be interesting at the very least.  Quick, totally unfounded, predictions: 

Republicans pick up 45-50 House seats and 9 Senate seats.  Rand Paul becomes Mitch McConnell's worst nightmare.  Joe Lieberman holds the Democratic caucus hostage for the next two years.  Neither party learns a damn thing and double down on idealogical short sightedness.  Discouraged, voter turn-out drops to 20% in 2012.  Politicians rejoice as we continue our decent down the slippery ramp and into the dreaded sheep dip.  

Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part V

"That sorted, I got down to work banging together a binding ritual to capture and incapacitate my girlfriend. It is not the sort of thing my old man touched on when he explained the birds & bees. However, I would be lying if I told you this was the first time it had come up. "

Part V of Babes of the Abyss is live at T21.
 

This chapter is a personal favorite.  All the peculiar elements of the series, dark humor, occult elements, horror tropes, intoxicated shenanigans are all at work her in the service of some complex personal ideas and emotions.  When I revisited this chapter for a last round of edits, I had one of those moments of estrangement from the text.  The words felt new to me, as if they had been written by someone else.  It is always a strange sensation and this is first time I experienced it writing this series.

 
Thanks, as always, for all of your support.





Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part V

Swingshift Archive

Brandon Graham Comix

Brandon Graham instinctively knows what comics (and the world) needs most - Frank Zapa and a girl eating a banana in the shower.

I love how, in Graham's stuff, sharp insight and emotional depth rise from surreal bits of wordplay and visual puns.  That lobster in the last frame puts a melancholy smile on my face. 

Brandon Graham's livejournal.

Swingshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part IV

 






"I tilt my head in an attempt to keep the steady stream of blood from pooling in my eye sockets. I see BJ’s Glock lying amongst the pile of denim at his feet. I consider making a dive for it.  I am not planning to pull it on anyone. I am planning to shoot myself in the head. Death may be the only way out of this wretched hallway. I wonder if I can get the gun into my mouth quick enough or whether I should just take a fast but dirty slug to the temple."
 
Part IV of Babes of the Abyss is live at T21.
 
This time out, Dick manages to infiltrate the mysterious club El Cambion only to spend most of teh night trapped in a maintenance corridor.  He is rescued by the dashing Samael who then gives him a personal tour of the clubs exclusive grotto of love.
 
 

 
 
Swinghshift: Babes of the Abyss - Part IV
 
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