Author: Rudy Panucci (Page 4 of 133)

Thanks to The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide, I will once again be running a scaled down version of STUFF TO DO, without the lengthy boilerplate (you can find an example HERE), and with fewer than ten graphics, instead of the ever-ballooning number that has topped 20 at times in recent months. The reason for this is to make your humble blogger’s life a little easier during his busiest month.

The big news this weekend is the West Virginia International Film Festival.   A few eeks ago the news broke that this year the West Virginia International Film Festival would take place, in part, at the currently-shuttered Park Place Stadium Cinemas in Charleston. This is great news on a couple of fronts.  First, it means that the folks at WVIFF expect crowds that will be larger than the Floralee Hark Cohen micro Theater can hold. It’s a nice space, but it is tiny. Second, that means that Park Place is being kept in decent enough shape that it could be up and running in short order should a new owner be found. It’d be great to see that happen. It’d be even better if the new owners don’t try to turn it into some kind of “drafthouse” theater. Charleston needs to have at least one thing going on that doesn’t involve beer. The opening ceremony is Thursday night (that’s tonight for those of you reading this when it’s posted)

You can find the full schedule and details about the Film Festival HERE.

Until we get back to normal in December, more than ever, you should remember that THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS.  It’s just a starting point, so don’t expect anything comprehensive, and if you feel strongly about me leaving anything out, feel free to mention it in the comments.

We very happily remind you that Cristen Michael has created an interactive calendar that is way more comprehensive than this list of STUFF TO DO, and you can find it HERE. Just click on the day and the event and you’ll be whisked away to a page with more details about loads of area events.

You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.  Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Here we go, roughly in order, it’s graphics for local events happening over the next few days that I was able to scrounge up online…

Continue reading

Today’s second entry in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is, as has been the case all week long, the perfect gift for the Beatles fan on your holiday shopping list, and it’s also great for the fan of one Ringo Starr, as well as fans of early 1970s rock and pop. Plus it’s really four (make that two) gift suggestions.

I mean, it’s been over two years since I got to see Ringo perform in my hometown, and I’m still buzzed about it. These are vinyl reissues of Ringo’s first four albums on colored vinyl, complete with faithful reproductions of the original packaging. And they are exclusive to Ringo’s online store. Each of the LPs sell for $29.99, plus shipping.

Fans can enjoy brand new limited-edition pressings of Sentimental Journey on Buttermilk Yellow color vinyl, Beaucoups of Blues on Baby Blue color vinyl, RINGO on Molten Lava color vinyl, and Goodnight Vienna on Psychedelic Waves custom color vinyl.

The PR quote says, “For decades, Ringo has shaped music and inspired audiences worldwide, revered for his artistry and for his mission to spread peace and love around the world. We are honored to be entrusted with preserving his body of work, from his early work to his solo albums throughout the years. These reissues highlight his depth, his creativity and his lasting cultural impact.”

Ringo introduced himself as a solo artist with Sentimental Journey, which originally arrived on March 27, 1970. During an exchange with producer George Martin, the artist set the tone for the record when he famously proposed, “Why don’t we take a sentimental journey?” As such, he recorded 12 covers of staples from the American songbook, tipping his hat to the songs that shaped him during his formative years. It showed the world another side of the iconic performer for the first time.

A bonus is that each tune boasts an arrangement by a different person, with George Martin, Paul McCartney, Quincy Jones, Klaus Voorman, Maurice Gibb, film composer Elmer Bernstein and Ringo’s future producer, Richard Perry, among others.

You can order Sentimental Journey HERE. 

Sadly, Sentimental Journey sold out after I wrote this. 

Ringo tracked the follow-up Beaucoups Of Blues at Music City Recorders in Nashville, TN alongside producer Peter Drake. Released on September 25, 1970, the 12-song body of work saw him embrace his passion for country and folk, delivering a benchmark solo offering in the process.

This time Ringo put himself in the hands of Drake and a team of Nashville songwriters and session men, and the album is overlooked for it’s key place in the evolution of Americana, after the Country Rock breakthroughs of The Band and The Byrds. Notable contributors to the album included D.J. Fontana, Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, Scotty Moore, The Jordanaires and Jeannie Kendall. The entire album was recorded in three days, and there are still unreleased tracks from those sessions.

You can order Beaucoups Of Blues HERE.

Thhe biggest deal of the four reissues is his namesake album, RINGO. This was Ringo’s first time recording a solo rock album, and it was an all-star affair.

Throughout its creative process, he teamed up with producer Richard Perry and notably collaborated with his Beatles bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison as well as The Band’s Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko and Marc Bolan of T-Rex, among others. After dropping on November 2, 1973, it reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and went RIAA Platinum. It houses classics such as “Photograph,” “You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine),” the Lennon-penned “I’m The Greatest,” and “Oh, My My.” The reissue boasts the original 24-page booklet, illustraed by Klaus Voorman, in a gatefold jacket.

This is an album that belongs in ever Beatles fan’s collection. All four Beatles appear. Three of them on one track (augmented by Voormann and Billy Preston). We also get most of The Band backing up Ringo on a George Harrison composition, and Ringo covering an early Randy Newman tune. Plus the cover and “I’m The Greatest” are sly sequels to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

You can order RINGO HERE.

Finally, we have Ringo’s follow-up, Goodnight Vienna, originally released on November 15, 1974. This time around, he worked with everyone from Lennon and Sir Elton John to Dr. John, Billy Preston, Robbie Robertson, and Harry Nilsson. Cutting the record at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, he reteamed with Perry for production, and the album yielded “No-No Song,” “Only You (And You Alone),” and “Occapella.” Not to mention, Goodnight Vienna saw him return to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, and it reached RIAA Gold status.

This was Ringo’s last studio album for Apple Records, and he went out with a bang. You can order it HERE.

And Goodnight Vienna has also gone goodnight. Looks like I should’ve recommended these last week. 

These re-releases help new fans see Ringo’s contributions in a new light. Sentimental Journey was the first time a major rock performer tackled the Great American Songbook, and it pre-dates Willie Nelson’s Stardust by five years. Beaucoups Of Blues is early Americana at its finest. RINGO is just a masterpiece with great songwriting and production and loads of guest stars. Goodnight Vienna repeats that formula with chart-topping success.

You can’t go wrong with any, or all, of these cool re-releases.

Act fast. There are only two of them left!

The White Stripes 2-Pack (Elephant)
by Super 7
$45 plus shipping from Super 7 or other retailers

Today’s first suggestion in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is a great gift for fans of the band, The White Stripes, collectors of offbeat action figures, or people who want a band to lead their GI Joe troops in a battle against a Seven Nation Army.

The White Stripes 2-Pack (Elephant) features the newly-minted members of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as 1/18 scale action figures, decked out in the gear they wore on their breakthrough album, Elephant.

This is one of the latest rock ReAction figure sets from Super 7. As they say in their PR…

The elephant in the room is ready to rock. White Stripes fans, prepare to mosh! Jack and Meg White are here as ReAction Figures, dressed in their iconic outfits from the critically acclaimed 2003 Elephant album, which featured instruments and recording equipment that pre-dated 1963.

These 3.75” figures, with five points of articulation, come with accessories as well. Meg’s drumsticks accessories are poised to drive a masterfully hypnotic beat in your collection, and Jack’s guitar accessory recalls an instantly recognizable sound. You can almost sense the energy, hitting hard, evoking an authentic garage-band feel on a world stage.

Set the stage on your shelf or display case for these memorable musicians, commemorated as ReAction Figures. This 2-pack comes in blister card-back packaging that features original Super7 art, inspired by the minimalist cover art for the album, in all its rich red and white tones. It’s the perfect gift for any hard-core Candy Cane Children/White Stripe fans.

What they said. If you know a White Stripes fan, then you know they want this. Plus other collectors could enjoy them too. Or you can give them to someone so they can have them on hand to do battle in the event that anyone ever does action figures based on The Black Keys.

Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison vinyl
$59.99
avaialbe where vinyl is sold

Continuing our previously-unmentioned week of Beatles reissues, today’s second pick in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is the first vinyl release of the 2009 compilation, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison. It is a great gift for the die-hard Beatle fan, and is especially good for fans of George.

First, I have to admit that Let It Roll is not a perfect compilation, but it’s a decent overview of the highlight’s of Harrison’s solo career. However, there are a few glaring omissions, and while the inclusion of live recordings of three of his most famous Beatles tunes makes sense, all three of them here are from The Concert for Bengla Desh. It might’ve been a good idea to replace one or two of those with the versions from his 1991 Live in Japan album, where he was backed by Eric Clapton’s band.

Still, there’s plenty here to please the George fan, and it’s a good hook for new fans who may use this to springboard into his entire catalog later.

Let me quote the PR blurb:

Over a period of decades, George Harrison earned a reputation as one of the most enigmatic and creative individuals born to rock and roll. As was the case for every former Beatle, George’s disentanglement from the group identity was slowed by the world’s abiding and sometimes-obsessive love for the Beatles as a singular entity. But, as the 1970 release of his epic All Things Must Pass revealed, here was a man with a story all his own. Songs like “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life” were tucked into a vast collection that remains one of the great works of the album era. Today George is remembered as one who followed his passions to remarkable conclusions, a man of paradox whose unusual balance of spiritual devotion, wry humor, and true compassion touched the lives of many. 2 LP set on 180g vinyl. Gatefold jacket and custom printed inner sleeves with UV gloss.

This is a great gift for the Beatles fan, George fan or vinyl collector on your holiday shopping list.

Pre-Code Essentials
Must-See Cinema from Hollywood’s Untamed Era, 1930-1934
by Kim Luperi and Danny Reid
Running Press Adult
ISBN-139798894140551
$25.99

Our first pick today in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is perfect for historical film buffs, those folks who watch Turner Classic Movies all day and love films that were made more than ninety years ago.

In fact, Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood’s Untamed Era, 1930-1934 comes to us from Turner Classic Movies and Kim Luperi and Danny Reid, the creators of @precodedotcom. This is the essential film-by-film guide to must-see cinema from the pre-Code era—a wild and wonderful time in Hollywood history before strict enforcement of a censorship code that ruled moviemaking for decades.

With unparalleled freedom in the Golden Age of Hollywood, movies produced during the “pre-Code” era between 1930 and 1934 boldly confronted a wide range of provocative subjects, including sexual freedom, the glorification of outlaws, racial taboos, and class consciousness. Films of the period include beloved classics like Grand Hotel(1932) and King Kong(1933) but also lesser-known gems like I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932) and Ann Vickers (1933). These films, produced at the height of the Great Depression, pushed the limits of contemporary social norms at a time when Hollywood studios were desperate to attract audiences—by any means necessary. Pre-Code Essentials invites modern readers to engage with that history while diving deep into movies that remain, as they were then, adventurous and uncompromising.

In their incisive text, film historians Kim Luperi and Danny Reid cover fifty films that take readers through the pre-Code era’s evolution. Perfect for both pre-Code novices and film aficionados alike, the book is packed with detailed production and censorship histories, recommendations, and trivia. Famous names like Barbara Stanwyck, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, and Ernst Lubitsch get their due, while sidebars spotlight treasures of the period like Ann Dvorak, Joan Blondell, Paul Robeson, Nina Mae McKinney, Dorothy Arzner, Warren William, and Dolores De Rio.  Post-Epilogue features discuss availability of the listed films and include the text of the 1930 Production Code. Illustrated by more than 200 photos, Production Code Administration records detailing correspondence between studios and censors, and more, Pre-Code Essentials is both a gorgeous guide and an indispensable resource of Hollywood history.

Among the films profiled: The Divorcee, All Quiet on the Western Front, Safe in Hell, Frankenstein, Shanghai Express, Freaks, Merrily We Go to Hell, Downstairs, Love Me Tonight, Trouble in Paradise, Three on a Match, The Sign of the Cross, Gabriel Over the White House, The Story of Temple Drake, The Emperor Jones, The Sin of Nora Moran, I Am Suzanne!, The Black Cat, Smarty, Murder at the Vanities, and many more

Pre-Code Essentials is an informative and entertaining look at a surprisingly contemporary-era of filmmaking that happened before the blue-nosed censors cock-blocked creativity for several decades. Available wherever books are sold, or it can be ordered using the ISBN code.

Today’s Gift Guide entries are being published a little later than normal thanks to the reliability of Optimum Internet, who find new and innovative ways to mysteriously shut down for no reason in the middle of the day.

WINGS is the ultimate anthology of the band that defined the sound of the 1970s.

A lovingly curated time capsule of imagery and music personally overseen by Paul McCartney, WINGS includes 32 timeless international hits including ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Jet’ and ‘Let ‘Em In’ – songs that still feature in his live shows to this day.

The WINGS collection was designed by Paul and Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell of Hipgnosis.

The expanded booklet also includes an introduction by Paul plus extensive album-by-album notes on the iconic artwork written by Po, with additional editorial by Pete Paphides and showcases original portraits of the band by Humphrey Ocean.

It’s available as a very affordable 2 CD set with a poster.

If you want to upgrade a little, you can go for the hardback slipcase that includes the 3LP 180g vinyl collection, also designed by Paul and Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell of Hipgnosis. with an expanded book that also includes an introduction by Paul plus extensive album-by-album notes on the iconic artwork written by Po, with additional editorial by Pete Paphides and showcases original portraits of the band by Humphrey Ocean.

There’s also a limited edition 3 LP set that’s presented in a die-cut hardback slipcase that includes 2 posters and a sticker sheet. It ususally runs about twenty bucks more than the regular 3 LP set.

It’s basically a really nice “greatest hits” package, with cool graphics and some historial notes. Quite pleasant for people who might’ve dismissed the band at the time.

Today’s first entry in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is Zuru Toys’ Mini Brands Fill The Fridge.  I reviewed this back in August, but I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to include it in this year’s Gift Guide because they sell out so fast. Finally, over the last few days, I’ve seen them locally at retail, and some online retailers have gotten them back in stock. The cool retro fridge will set you back about twenty bucks when you find them, and they will make a terrific gift for the child or adult minaturist on your holiday shopping list.

The Fill Your Fridge capsules make great stocking stuffers, at under eight bucks each, when you can find ’em.

It had been a while since I’d written about Zuru Toys’ popular Mini Brands here in the blog, but they continue to be one of the most successful items in the toy department, with a huge and loyal following among kids and adult collectors.

They’ve expanded their line of tiny brand-name replicas of consumer products into nostalgia, with their Retro line, retailer-specific lines for KFC, Disney and Ulta, plus they’ve introduced Mini Brands of books, home furnishings and other themes.  They’ve also released a line of Mini Brand Create sets, that allow kids to make their own clay miniatures of food and other items that can be cured with UV light to hold their shape permanently.

Their latest expansion is the Fill The Fridge series, which is anchored by a very cool looking tiny refrigerator.  Not only is this real metal fridge, with a terrific  Mid-Century design, a nifty miniature in its own right, but it also serves a function with its interior light, which can be switched to UV so that kids and hobbyists can safely cure their Create minis without risking exposure to the UV light.

In UV mode, the light stays on when the fridge is closed. In regular light mode, it only  lights up when the fridge is opened.

It’s not only a functional tool, but it’s also a great way to display your collection of Mini Brands.

Accompanying this fridge is a new line of Mini Brands called, natually, Fill The Fridge. This line is exclusive devoted to products that you’d keep in the fridge or freezer, and it includes a lot of stuff that hasn’t been seen before in previous Mini Brand assortments, like fresh meat and produce, and those again are going to be welcomed heavily by dioramists and dollhouse curators.

Oh…and people who play with their large-scale GI Joes and Barbies, too.  They’ll eat up this stuff. This fridge will be right at home in any Dream House or Adventure Team Headquarters, and it’s even workable with MEGO sized figures.

It’s a high-quality toy and collectible, with solid construction and a cool retro design. The only drawback is the demand.  It’s only been in the last few days that I’ve seen these at retail locally. I’ve found plenty of the empty display boxes, but the fridges have been selling extremely quickly. If you see one, grab it.

Available where toys are sold, if you’re lucky.

Today on The AIR, rather than bringing you a new episode of Radio Free Charleston, we are bringing you a special encore of two episodes of Radio Free Charleston Volume Four.

To listen to The AIR, you simply have to point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay here, and  listen to the cool embedded player found elsewhere on this page.  

You can hear Radio Free Charleston Tuesdays at 10 AM and 10 PM, with boatloads of replays throughout the week.

Because your humble blogger was out of town on Monday, when he usually records the show, the decision was made to slot a rerun into this week’s timeslot.

To make it special, and because they were still floating around on The AIR’s server, we are bringing you the first episode of RFC Volume 4, from 2016, and the last episode of RFC Volume 4, from 2019. This was back when the show was all-local. The first episode was two hours, while we had shrunk it to one hour by the time we got to the end of the run.

Of course,  five weeks after the final edition of Volume 4, we relaunched RFC as Volume 5, expanded it to three hours, and combined it with RFC International. 

What you’ll hear today, from January, 2016 is

RFCv4001

Jordan Andrew Jefferson “White Light”
The Smoky Room “Pie Chart”
No Rain “Don’t Come Around”
Jack Griffith “Everything It Takes”
Dina “Pies”
The Laser Beams “Eden By The Fire Escape”
Sheldon Vance “Don’t Walk Away”
Miss Mousie and The Rigamarole “Dumpsters and Divebars”
Neil Zaza “Take On Me”
Under Surveillance “Rachel”
The Nanker Phelge “Meerkat and Wombat”
Trielement “Ultra Violet”
The Company Stores “Pocket Change”
Wolfgang Parker “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head”
Superfetch “Suck My D*ck ISIS”
Mark Wolfe “Gypsy Rant”
The Heydays “Shady Grove”
Bud Carroll “Mistaken Identity”
Out of Nowhere “Rise Above”
Tape Age “Worst Night Of My Life”
J Marinelli “The Great Negation”
Joe Vallina “Humble Days”
Renaissance “So Blase”
Stark Raven “It Never Goes Away”
Clownhole “Old Man Jumping A Fence”
Under The Radar “All Along The Watchtower”
Bobaflex “Pray To The Devil”
Syphter “No Laughing Matter”

And from November, 2019 we have an episode that acted as the “Local Music” entry in that year’s PopCult Gift Guide, featuring double shots of tunes by Beggars Clan, Emmalea Deal, David Synn, Fletcher’s Grove, The Big Bad and Time And Distance.

RFC will return with a new episode next week, and The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide will continue later today.

Today’s second pick in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is a big-ticket item, and also kicks off a week of our second entries of the day being music-based suggestions.

Perfect for the Beatles fan, or the John & Yoko fan on your holiday shopping list, we have the Power To The People: Live at the One To One Concert Super Deluxe Boxed set.

Starring John & Yoko and The Elephants Memory Band, with cameos by Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon and more, today I am recommending the 9 CD/3 Blu ray version of this boxed set, which is available in other configurations, albeit with much less material included.

On August 30, 1972, John Lennon & Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory and guests headlined 2 historic ONE TO ONE concerts at Madison Square Garden, NYC. These benefit shows played to a combined audience of 40K people and helped raise over $1.5 million to support children with disabilities. They were his only full-length concerts after leaving the Beatles and the last shows John & Yoko performed together.

In 1986, highlights of the two concerts were condensed into one LP and released as John Lennon: Live In NYC. The sound quality was iffy on that release, and fans have been wanting to hear the entire concerts ever since.

Now, produced by Sean Ono Lennon, both concerts have been completely remixed and re-engineered by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon, using new HD multitrack transfers by Rob Stevens with mixes mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road. There has been some tinkering with autotune on the vocals, but if you know John Lennon, then you know he would absolutely approve of this.

The concerts are presented separately as `afternoon,’ `evening’ and `hybrid’ shows on 3 HD Audio Blu-ray discs in HD Stereo, 5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos.

This Super Deluxe edition also includes a 204-page book, newsprint poster, 2 postcards, 2 sticker sheets, 2 replica tickets, VIP backstage pass & VIP after-show invitation.

And yet, that’s not the main attraction for the John Lennon completist.

For the last several years, under the direction of Sean Ono Lennon, the Lennon estate has been releasing super deluxe, remixed and remasterd boxed sets of all of Lennon’s solo albums. However, one set that had been announced and was scheduled for release was pulled at the last minute.

Some Time In New York City by John & Yoko, with Elephant’s Memory Band and a bonus disc of live recordings is not the favorite John Lennon release of many fans. It is his most overtly political album. He alternates tracks with Yoko for the first time. The original production and recording left a lot to be desired.

Worst of all, the lead single, and most famous track from the album, includes the “N word.”

While it was a bold, crass and effective political statement when it was originally released in 1972, today it was just too cringeworthy and offensive to be released by a major label. The possibility of it being embraced by the very racist and mysogynistic institutions that it criticized made it simply too radioactive in the current political climate.

That meant that all the work done on that album, with “Ultimate” mixes, elemental mixes demos and more, went on the shelf.

The reason this boxed set is a whopping nine CDs is because it includes everything that was produced for the Sometime In New York City boxed set, minus the one very offensive song.

It’s a decent compromise, and it will shine new light on an album that has some great music hidden under the iffy production and political posturing. And that’s why the Power To The People Super Deluxe Edition includes 9 CDs, 103 tracks, lots of extra goodies, and is a must-have for the Beatles and John Lennon completist

Available where ever deluxe boxed sets are sold, Power To The People: Live at the One To One Concert will set you back more than a $220 dollars.

The first pick today in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is a really cool recreation of a rare 1970s action figure, available in two cool versions.

Gargon The King of the Terrons
Part of the Astro Command/Adventure Command line
$49.99 to 74.99
available from  Vintage Toys and Trains and White Elephant Toyz.

I did a full photo-review of these figures back in August. This is the perfect gift for collectors of vintage toys, space toys and Super Joe, but they’ll also appeal to collectors of new toys who don’t often get to see something this wild.  He towers over 1/12 scale figures, which makes him a pretty impressive and opposing alien menace.

A couple of years ago when Steve Stovall (of VT&T and Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo fame) and Jason from White Elephant Toyz teamed up to realize Steve’s longtime dream of reviving the late 1970s Super Joe action figure, the idea of it being successful enough for them to revive his arch enemy, Gor: The King of the Terrons, was just a pipe dream.

However, the Super Joe Unlimited revival was successful enough to not only bring down the wrath of Hasbro, causing them to change the name to Adventure Command and Astro Command, but also to invest in the considerable tooling required to make a new incarnation of King Gor.

Like the Adventure Command figures, the newly-rechristened “Gargon” is not an exact reproduction. The construction is vastly superior, he’s a bit bigger, and he lacks the light-up function that won’t be missed by many. I think he has a couple of added points of articulation at the wrists, too.

Gargon is available in the same shade of green as the original Gor, but he’s also been made in a very limited Glow-In-The-Dark version, with accessories that glow as well.  The Glow version costs more, but hey, he glows, and that’s pretty cool in and of itself.

This could figure would look right at home on a shelf filled with collectible vinyl monster toys. These are a godsend for collectors of the original Super Joe toy line, but they are so freaking cool that, even for someone like me who grew up before that line hit, they are well worth collecting on their own. I’m not going out on a limb to say that Adventure Command is a huge improvement over the Super Joe line, which may be the most fragile action figure line in history.  These new figures are built like a tank.

You can order Gargon at White Elephant Toyz or get one from Steve’s eBay store.