BLOOD, SUGAR, SEX, SASHA

Out of the zillions of porn "actors" out there Sasha Grey is a real fave.

If you've seen any of the pornography she's been in then you know she isn't just one of the bottle blonde, silicon chested ditzes but a real performer with how interestingly she pushes deviance in her, um, roles.

Aside from this though her body of work in the arts just totally escalates as she proceeds.

She was 18 when she started in porn and quickly got a reputation for excellence in an industry littered with brain dead actors:

In May 2006 Grey moved to Los Angeles and started her career in adult films just after turning 18.^[3] Originally she toyed with the name Anna Karina^[3] (the name of Jean-Luc Godard's ex-wife) before deciding on her present name. She has stated the name "Sasha" was taken from Sascha Konietzko of the band KMFDM,^[2] and "Grey" represents Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray^[6] and the Kinsey scale of sexuality.^[2] Her first scene was an orgy with Rocco Siffredi for The Fashionistas 2 by John Stagliano. She "shocked" her fellow performer by requesting to be punched in the stomach during fellatio.

Wow, right?

She's confessed to reading tons of existentialist lit and happily, adroitly talks on the debate of the human condition vis a vis sexuality in press interviews. She does industrial music with ATelecine. She's appeared in The Smashing Pumpkin's "Superchirst" vid.


She also stars in two upcoming releases. One of them is the Canadian indie horror film Smash Cut



. . .And a Steven Soderbergh art-film titled The Girlfriend Experience where she plays a high class prostitute



Why do I mention all this? Likely because I've just gotten the ball rolling on the upcoming graphic novel and have been talking to the artist for hours about how the style should be erotic-grotesque or sexually gory.

And I just really, really like Sasha's stuff.

PSYCHOBILLY YEAH

Just stumbled on this on-line. Love the music and the approach. Love the visuals. So say hello to The Creepshow. . .

ISABEL, MEET ISABEL

My good friends (we share a drummer in JP of Biscochong Halimaw) from the Pinoy post-punk/goth band THE LATE ISABEL are currently on their way to wrapping up their second album Imperial.

One of the songs (and I hear the likely first single) is the song "Isabel, The Damaged," which they tell me is directly inspired by my short story in my first book. It's GTA-dark, driving music for one thing. It's also a nifty and gorgeous transliteration of the story's heart into sonic metaphor, for another.

I think Alan, Wawi, Roval and JP have outdone themselves with it. I can't wait for the video, guys : ) This is great creative serendipity (or is it synchronicity?) considering I wrote the story a year before I met the whole band -- though guitarist Alan and I were journalists in the same newspaper back then, with ex-Funeral Frost' vox Aldelm Feriols, to boot.

But don't take my word for it. Listen to a preview of the song here: http://karlrdemesa.multiply.com/music/item/7/ISABEL_THE_DAMAGED_BY_THE_LATE_ISABEL

Here's an old link to the source story "Isabel, The Damaged": http://42opus.com/v3n1/isabelthedamaged

More on THE LATE ISABEL here: http://www.geocities.com/thelateisabel/

And if you like the story, support the semi-starving author and buy the book at any National Bookstore, outlet, the UP PRESS store at UP Diliman, or order it on-line here: http://www.libros.com.ph/alphabetsrch.asp?letter=d

PS if you can't find the book at National, you can bug my publisher to put more of them in bookstores. Call them here: 925-3244

~ 30

HAIL TO THE FALLEN

Noel Salonga, front man of Skabeche, sent me this SMS last April 4 (Sat): “Je Bautista of BETRAYED passed away today at 12:15AM because of his cardiac arrest. . .”

Betrayed was one of the pioneers of Pinoy punk. The passing of sir Je (who once held down the bass for said outfit) is a huge loss to the local music scene. Am honored to have met and interviewed him for a piece on Music Front, anotehr local punk bastion, during one of the handful of their reunion gigs last year. He had vision, fortitude and straightforward kindness as well as a passion for the upliftment of punk as a manifesto for life.

My condolences go out to the Bautista family. RIP, sir, and may you find peace in the great gig in the sky.

* * *

Betrayed early 1980s, orig line-up

BETRAYED

Betrayed was formed in 1980 by three High School friends in Queens N.Y. They were Eddie Siojo (vocals), Dave Vote, and Steve. The name of the group was taken from a lyric from the song "Rough Trade" by Stiff Little Fingers. They recorded 4 songs (which ended up on compilations in the US), before Eddie leaves for the Philippines. . .

More here: http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/philippines/betrayed_main.html

Old skool mosh pit, Music Front 2008

(I was actually at this gig. What a pit that was!)

MUSIC FRONT

THE SOUND OF MUSIC FRONT.The music is dead.Goodbye rock 'n' roll. Goodbye Howlin' Dave. LET'S DANCE. Following the disbandment of the Urban Bandits twenty-odd years ago, Arnold Morales formed Music Front and thus declared "We're not a band, we're modern newscasters." The original lineup of Music Front was made up of ex-Urban Bandit Fur on bass, ex-Zoot Suit on guitars, and ex-Negatives Tini on drums. . .

More here: http://www.myspace.com/musicfrontph.