September 15

For today’s column, I let Milady pick out today’s spotlight (I was running late for work, and she’s been growing to enjoy the blog.) Here’s her picks:

Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein was, for many, the seminal guitarist for the Misfits, playing during the Glenn Danzig years (my Misfits) and the Michael Graves years (milady’s Misfits.) Last year, he toured his new band Gorgeous Frankenstein, an amalgam of the stage names of he and his wife, ex-WWF wrestler Gorgeous George. He’s also doing well with endorsements, hocking customized guitars, coffin-shaped amplifiers and effects pedals – even a “Made in Hell Hot Sauce.”
Today’s video features the Misfits, singing the title track from milady’s favorite album,
"American Psycho"


Next, milady has introduced us to Yuriy Norshteyn (say it Yuri Norstein, if you like,) the celebrated Russian animator. He has received awards and accolades for such stop-motion classics as “Hedgehog in the Fog” and “Tale of Tales.”
For over 25 years, he has been working on an animated version of the Nikolai Gogol story “The Overcoat.” From what I’ve read, it’s due to his exacting methods. He is the sole animator, with his wife as the art designer. He stopped for two years when the cinematographer passed away, before accepting one of his students to resume work. He is particular about the help he receives, will not use computers, and is shooting the movie on black-and-white film, which means he develops his own film stock.

Here’s a favorite of Hayao Miyazaki: 1975’s “Hedgehog in the Fog”


In January of this year, a statue of the Hedgehog from the film was erected in Ukraine, Kiev.

Finally, we’re talking about Signe Toly Anderson, the original female vocalist for Jefferson Airplane. The band was formed in 1965 by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner, who wanted to create their version of the fusions of rock and folk that were starting to develop in the country. Balin recruited Anderson, a Portland, Oregon transplant, to be a co-vocalist. She sang with the band as they graduated from the San Francisco music scene to their first album “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off,” released in September 1966.

By this time, she had married a Merry Prankster and given birth to a daughter. So, in October of 1966, the Jefferson Airplane did a run of six shows at the Fillmore Theater; the fourth was Anderson’s last. (Bootlegs of the final concert can be found on the web.) The next night, the band played with a new recruit: Grace Slick.
"Somebody To Love/White Rabbit" (Jefferson Airplane)


Hope you enjoyed today’s blog. Now, I’ve got to figure out what implied message she’s giving to me, before I start working on tommorow’s blog. See you then!