Sunday, March 31, 2013

current crime fiction magazines in English, dead tree division, updated:

It looks like we might be down to six of them, currently, with the hardy but infrequent little Hardboiled perhaps cracked by editor/publisher Gary Lovisi's losses in the NYC-area flooding...with a few that have crime fiction as a secondary or partial focus, such as Cemetery Dance or Witness...and one other which is devoted to hybrid sf/crime fiction...

A new issue is promised soon. Witness's next issue will be "Ghosts," too.

A new issue is promised soon.

This one might or might not have an issue out soon...











































































































Current issue...a little sf/cf hybrid.

Curent issue. More than any other recent cf magazine, The Strand makes
nearly every issue look too much like every other issue, at least in terms of covers.










































The current, annual humor, issue.





























The current isssue. I don't know why their covers are so bland of late.












Unclear if HB is still in business...





































And, it fact, Hardboiled is in business...

Sandra Seamans noted I'd been overlooking their print edition...








































































B.V. Lawson notes in comments that the following little magazines, emphasizing horror like Cemetery Dance, have enough suspense and other cf content to be worth mentioning in this context:
Shock Totem
Bete Noire
Shroud
and the folding Pear Noir!

While Sandra Seamans also draws our attention to the eclectic little Big Pulp (with a more colorful, but possibly NSFW, page here).

...and, among the eclectic littles, the next most cf-laden that come to my mind are
Boulevard 
and Manoa (multiple Best American Mystery Stories citation source) (across campus from the magazine I briefly edited, Hawaii Review).

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Saturday Music Club: let's dance...












Music to which I have danced...in public. This is saying something. 





The Art Blakey Percussion Ensemble (an augmented Jazz Messengers): Oscalypso


Angelique Kidjo: We We


The Rolling Stones: Around & Around



The Bus Boys: American Worker



The Zombies: What More Can I Do?



Jawbox: Peel Session 1994


The complete session recorded by Jawbox on 15 May 1994 for The John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1 and broadcast on 1 July 1994.

Tracklist (songs begin at:):
1. Static (0:07)
2. Tongues (4:17)
3. Chinese Fork Tie (8:15)
4. Cooling Card (10:53)
5. 68 (13:39)

Hüsker Dü: Eight Miles High



The Dillards: Old Man at the Mill


A slower but fine Sam Bush Band reading.


Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, et al.: Oye como va



Mingus Band: Hora Decubitus

Friday, March 29, 2013

Friday's Forgotten Books: the links

A fiction-magazine-heavy set today, and for once not just because of me...if I've missed yours, or someone else's, "forgotten" book for today, please let me know in comments, below...and thanks, to all of you who read these and to all who contribute. Patti Abbott is scheduled to desist popping culture and pick up hosting the links again, next week.



Sergio Angelini: Eighty Million Eyes by "Ed McBain"

Joe Barone: The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri (translated by Stephen Sartarelli)

Les Blatt: The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin

Brian Busby: Why Shoot the Teacher by Max Braithwaite (as "condensed," and compared to original text)

By Cyrl Kornbluth writing as Jordan Park
Bill Crider: Overkill by Norman Daniels

Scott Cupp: The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard

William F. Deeck: Death Traps by Kay Cleaver Strahan

Martin Edwards: The Cask by Freeman Wills Crofts

Curt Evans: Murder Ends the Song by Alfred Meyers

Ed Gorman: The Dead Beat by Robert Bloch

Gerard Saylor: Bad Debts by Peter Temple

Josef Hoffman: The Man of Cold Rages, Sorority House, and The Naked Storm by C. M. Kornbluth

Jerry House: Dogs, Devils and Demons: Lore and Legend of the Dog by Louis L. Vine;  Christmas with Mother Goose by Walt Kelly

Randy Johnson: Dolls are Murder edited by Harold Q. Masur

Nick Jones: My Enemy's Enemy by Kingsley Amis; The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November 1961 (UK edition) edited by Robert P. Mills

George Kelley: [Doc Savage (and King Kong):] Skull Island by Will Murray; three novels by John Welcome: Run for Cover; Stop at Nothing; Go for Broke

B.V. Lawson: Four and Twenty Bloodhounds edited by Anthony Boucher

Evan Lewis: Yellowleg by A. S. Fleischman

Todd Mason: March 1965: Fantastic: Stories of Imagination edited by Cele G. Lalli; the Magazine of Horror edited by Robert A. W. Lowndes; The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction edited by Edward Ferman; Science Fantasy edited by Kyril Bonfiglioli; and Gamma edited by Charles Fritch and Jack Matcha

Gloria Maxwell: The Perfect Murder by H.R.F. Keating

John F. Norris: The Starkenden Quest by Gilbert Collins (and Famous Fantastic Mysteries, October 1949, edited by Mary Gnaedinger); Murder in Blue by Clifford Witting

Juri Nummelin: The Courier by Stanley Morgan

Patrick Ohl: Six Shooter Showdown by William Colt Macdonald

James Reasoner: Monsters: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios by Roy Milano, et al.

Karyn Reeves: Famous Trials 7: Oscar Wilde by H. Montgomery Hyde

Richard Robinson: The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers

Ron Scheer: Out of the Depths: A Romance of Reclamation by Robert Ames Bennet

Michael Slind: He Who Whispers by John Dickson Carr

Kerrie Smith: Poison in the Pen by Patricia Wentworth

Dan Stumpf: The House of the Seven Flies by Victor Canning

"TomCat": Beyond the Grave by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini and other "crossover" novels

Yvette Banek: The Roman Hat Mystery by "Ellery Queen"

"Zybahn": Re-Vamp edited by Die Booth and L. C. Hu

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

fantasy magazines, late March, 1965

The first set is comprised of what could've been found on a theoretical Very well-stocked newsstand (as some were) in late March, 1965...the English-language professional magazines specializing in publishing fantasy fiction (though all of the science fiction and mystery magazines were not averse to publishing some fantasy or horror or at least material running up to the very edges, nor the eclectic fiction magazines, of which there were a few non-littles still extant at that time...). For some reason, the March issues, or the earlier issues in each case, have somewhat better covers...either better-executed, or better subjects, or perhaps just a touch less blatantly sleazy in Gamma's case. Some of he second set might just have been on the stands instead, given the vagaries of magazine distribution...and certainly the undercapitalized Gamma (which folded with the issued dated September) and the microbudgeted Magazine of Horror had erratic schedules (Gamma had announced a stablemate, crime-fiction magazine Chase, which was published by MOH's publisher instead...and was much less handsome for it).
Cover by Agosta Morol

Cover by Fred Wolters





























Cover by Edmund Emshwiller ("Emsh")

































Cover by Gray Morrow















Cover by John Healey
Cover by Bert Tanner





































The notable facts of these issues are several, not least that John Brunner appears in the April issue of the Magazine of Horror, and any number of other fantastic-fiction issues at about this time (as the always-prolific Brunner was working up to some of the best work in his career); the March F&SF features one of Roger Zelazny's most important early stories, while the April issue is perhaps most significant as the first issue that Edward Ferman edited on his own (even though his father, publisher Joseph Ferman, still had the formal title of "editor" as he had since Davidson's resignation the previous year), not "using up" the inventory that Avram Davidson had purchased for the magazine, and introducing Gahan Wilson's first monthly cartoon (Wilson had contributed cartoons to Fantastic in the 1950s, as well as having already made a career for himself in Playboy, The New Yorker and other slick magazines by 1965)...Southern Illinois University Press published a facsimile of this issue in hardcover, with added memoirs by several of the contributors including Ferman, in 1981. Meanwhile, these were almost the last issues edited by the similarly important Cele Lalli, who had begun editorship of Fantastic and its stablemate Amazing as Cele Goldsmith; when the magazines were sold at mid-year to independent publisher Sol Cohen, as Cele G. Lalli she would stay with Ziff-Davis as a notable editor of bridal magazines. Here's a decent appreciation for some of the early issues of the Magazine of Horror, which Robert A. W. Lowndes was able to keep afloat from 1963-1971, and a more comprehensive one here...and not long after these issues, edited by Kyril Bonfiglioli with the help of fellow writer and artist Keith Roberts, the British institution Science Fantasy would change title to SF Impulse...while its elder sibling, New Worlds, underwent similar changes and eventually even greater ones...
Indices courtesy ISFDb:

Science Fantasy, March 1965 

  
Magazine of Horror, April 1965 


The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March 1965 

  
Fantastic: Stories of Imagination, March 1965


Gamma,  February 1965 

Cover by Gray Morrow



Cover by Fred Wolters
Cover uncredited (perhaps a rush job
by Keith Roberts)

Cover by John Healey,  which would be recycled much later by Mike Shayne 
Mystery Magazine, then also under the editorship of Charles Fritch


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

more links added: Tuesday's Overlooked Films and/or Other A/V: the links

Wings of Desire
Below, today's set of reviews and citations of audiovisual works and related matter, with the posts at the links. As always, thanks to all the contributors and to all you readers for your participation. And, as usually, there are likely to be additions to this list over the course of the day, and if I've missed your, or someone else's, post, please let me know in comments...thanks again.

Bill Crider: Blackbeard the Pirate  ...trailer

Brian Arnold: GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling

B. V. Lawson: Media Murder

Dan Stumpf: The House of the Seven Hawks

Elizabeth Foxwell: The Reluctant Widow (aka The Inheritance)

Evan Lewis: Bar 20

George Kelley: Inside the Actor's Studio: "Tina Fey"; X-Com videogames; Sister Act: The Musical

How Did This Get Made?: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Detour
Iba Dawson: Rabbit Proof Fence; The Sapphires

Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.: Mercedes McCambridge; Ozzie Nelson

Jack Seabrook: John Collier on TV overview

Jacqueline T. Lynch: The French Line

James Reasoner: Detour (1945)

Jeff Flugel: The Face of Fu Manchu

Jerry House: Coronet Films' instruction in young romance (your tax dollars at work)

Bhowani Junction
John Charles: She Freak (aka Asylum of the Insane)

Juri Nummelin: Kyor-ogly

Kliph Nesteroff: The Steve Allen Show (1968)

Laura: Traveling Saleslady

Lawrence Person: John Dies at the End; "The Nightmare Before St. Patrick's Day" 

Lee Goldberg: Hannibal Lecter for German Television

Lucy Brown: Flight for Freedom (1943); Bhowani Junction 

Marty McKee: The Package

Michael Shonk: The Brothers Brannigan

Charley Varrick
Mike Tooney: Tales of Tomorrow: "All the Time in the World"

Mystery Dan: Phantom from Space

Patti Abbott: Wings of Desire

Randy Johnson: M Squad; A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof (aka ...E per tetto un cielo di stelle)

Rick: Charley Varrick

Rod Lott: Satan in High Heels
Satan in High Heels


Ron Scheer: Little Big Man (and a western film roundup)

Scott Cupp: Winsor McKay: The Master Edition

Sergio Angelini:  audio drama: Dark Shadows: "The Christmas Presence"; 
Mysteries in Audio

Stacia Jones: The Fury

Todd Mason: PBS Online Film Festival;
The Big Broadcast (archived only till Sunday night, and a particularly good selection of older radio drama this week, with only the rather far-fetched though engaging Crime Club and the typically pathetic, if also amusing, I Was a Communist for the FBI at the end not up to the rather consistent quality of the rest of the week's entries, including a surprising Dragnet with a presentation of an Edgar Award at the conclusion; Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn's series Marriage is certainly of its time...and written by Ernest Kinoy).

Yvette Banek: Dave

Anon.: Cliffhangers

Monday, March 25, 2013

Saturday Music Club on Monday: after Lambert, Hendricks and Ross

"Few recording artists can claim innovation let alone revolution. The 1950's vocal trio of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross fit into that small category of performers who effectively turned a genre upside down."
--Primarily A Capella (otherwise uncredited)

Some folks who've picked up the baton, recording the lyrics and arrangements of LH&R...

 
Ernestine Anderson, Cherry Wainer and Don Storer: "Moanin'"

The instrumentalists on their own, with a John Candy lookalike as tv host.

Joni Mitchell (and Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Don Alias): "Twisted"


Berklee College of Music Vintage Vocals Ensemble (2011): "Summertime"


New York Voices: "Caravan"




Pacific Standard Time: "Four Brothers"


Jon Hendricks and the Manhattan Transfer: "Airegin"


Jon Hendricks and the All-Stars (largely the Hendricks family!): "Shiny Stockings"

Lineup:
Jon Hendricks - vocals
Michele Hendricks - vocals
Judith Hendricks - vocals
Aria Hendricks - vocals
Kevin Burke - vocals
Renato Chico - piano
Mark Elf - guitar
Ugonna Okegwo - bass
Andy Watson - drums


Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan: "Come On Home"

and "Watermelon Man"

Annie Ross: "Farmer's Market"


Annie Ross and Jon Hendricks: "Every Day I Have the Blues" (2009)


and a bonus:
Anita O'Day scats "Four Brothers" with a Japanese big band, 1963: