Blood and Black Tights: An Interview with Horror Connoisseur and Clothing Designer Madeleine Boyne

On March 6, 2020March 7, 2020 By AdminIn Interviews, WritingsLeave a comment

The bay area has always been packed with underground collectors and archivists, but none have seem to dug as deep into their obsessions in an honest and passionate way as SF based horror-obsessive multi -genre artist and clothing designer Madeleine Boyne. We sat down and spoke with her about her love of the macabre and current projects she’s working on.

Welcome to Decaycast artist spotlight – much of your work revolves around themes of horror and sci fi? Can you describe the origin of your interests ?

I was born with a love of the macabre and weird. It must be a mutant gene I have. Even as a tiny little girl, I was obsessed with graveyards, witchcraft and horror movies. I was asking my mom for black clothes in elementary school. I think my parents were very confused.

Much of your visual work seems to revolve around horror, what were the first three horror movies you saw and what stood out about any one of them in particular?

It’s hard for me to say what the first ones were. I wasn’t seeing them in the theater but were but there were always old black and white horror films on TV in Hawaii where I grew up so classics like Dracula and Frankenstein as well as old Hammer horror stuff or films with Vincent Price. For some reason Les Diaboliques played a bunch on late night TV and that was probably my introduction to more art house horror. I also saw Carnival of Souls as a kid and that completely freaked me out. I still have a very soft spot for Carnival of Souls and of course the soundtrack by Gene Moore.

Spending a couple of hours with Umberto Lenzi was like standing near a supernova.

Huge supposition coming here, why are soundtracks so important to you in horror and what are you’re all time desert island selections and why ?

I feel like the soundtrack can make or break any film and there is something so delicious about a really creepy soundtrack. The first soundtrack I fell in love with was Alain Goraguer’s score for The Fantastic Planet. It was another one I caught on TV as a kid and I remember being really preoccupied with the music afterwards. So that one had better be on the island with me. I wouldn’t want to be without some Ennio Morricone so maybe Lizard in a Woman’s Skin and Vergogna Schifosi. Those are two of my favorites out of a few hundred favorites. I love Alessandro Alessandroni’s Devil’s Nightmare and Alberto Baldan Bembo’s Nude for Satan so both of those. Another Italian composer I love is Piero Piccioni and in particular the soundtrack for Camille 2000 which is actually more of a, shall we say, sensual film. Also, Carlo Rustichelli’s soundtrack for Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace. How is that for a pile of sleazy listening on the on the tropical island? This list could go on and on and then we’d be talking about an island of vinyl!

What was the most impactful scene in any film you’ve ever seen?

So hard to say! There are so many films and scenes I come back to over and over again. I will say that overall the work of Mario Bava probably feels most impactful to me. Something about the pools of color and exquisite details juxtaposed with violence speaks to me like nothing else.

Can I tell you a little Mario Bava related story while I’m thinking of him? The last time I was in Rome, I decided to make a pilgrimage his grave and Google told me he is laid to rest at Cimitero Flaminio. So I got this big bouquet of flowers and headed over there. Being such a Bava fan, I tend to think everyone else is on the same page and so somehow I thought there would be signage “This way to Mario Bava!” But it was this massive expanse of a cemetery with no maps at all. So I was wandering around in this place with my armload of flowers for ages and I finally found a little office with, like, seven guys sitting around it it – one behind a computer and six of them probably maintenance. So I walk in, this boho American woman with a armload of flowers and tell them in broken Italian, “Per favore, dov’è Mario Bava? Ho bisogno di visitare Mario Bava?” – I NEED to visit Mario Bava! And these guys were like, “A WOMAN NEEDS OUR HELP!” and there was all this energy in the room and they were all talking and the guy behind the computer was searching away and then suddenly he stopped and said, “Mario Bava, il regista horror?” and it got quiet. Hell yeah, that’s who I’m looking for……. Ultimately, no one could figure out where his grave was but they gave me a little map and I found that Sergio Corbucci was buried there so I went and put the flowers on his grave. So in conclusion, if anyone knows the final resting place of Mario Bava, let me know because I need to visit him.

Can you talk a little bit about your clothing line and what inspired it?

My background is in art and about 8 years ago I did this whole series of graphite drawings of mutant animals, Siamese twins and such. My friend Ms Momos Cheeskos suggested I silkscreen these on clothing. I think she actually said, “Those would be great on panties!”

Anyway, I took her suggestion and started silk screening them on t-shirts. This led to a natural progression to putting images from films on shirt, bags and leggings. I still want to do a line of women’s under garments. Can you image? Leatherface lace trimmed bustiers…..

Sounds fantastic. Any upcoming projects your excited about and would like to talk about ?

Yes! As always I’m working on new designs for the clothing line and currently I’m thinking about stuff for kids and brides. Gotta have sinister stuff for the little ones and weddings!

A lot of people were familiar with my soundtrack show bunnywhiskers on Radio Valencia and I’ve now moved over to New New World Radio out of Moscow. I asked Grux if he wanted to name the new show and he christened it with the rather stunning name Fly Faced Necronomicones Served by Marziveined Vampires. There are tons of really cool shows on the station and I’d suggest everyone listen in at https://nnwradio.com/

Also, I’ve had an ongoing project of adding to the documentation of the lives of the great maestros of Italian genre films. Over the last three years, I’ve interviewed Sergio Martino, Fabio Frizzi, Enzo Sciotti, Umberto Lenzi and Luigi Cozzi. Those are on my youtube page and my Radio Valencia podcast page. I’m currently in the planning stages of returning to Italy to record more interviews.

I just want to close out on a little something about the Italian genre maestros. Meeting these guys that had devoted their entire lives to their art was such a privilege. I’m gonna say something that really sounds California-esque but there was kind of a light about them that I think comes from a lifelong commitment to art. Spending a couple of hours with Umberto Lenzi was like standing near a supernova. So for anyone out there that is questioning whether a life in the ups and downs of art is worth it, I’d say go for it. It will fill you with something intangible and bright, even if your thing is slasher and cannibal films.

Make sure to pick something up from her incredible ETSY STORE

DECAYCAST Reviews: ZSA ZSA GABOR “Left Skull Bank” Cassette (Stay Strange, 2017)

On May 23, 2018May 24, 2018 By AdminIn Reviews, WritingsLeave a comment

DECAYCAST Reviews: ZSA ZSA GABOR “Left Skull Bank” Cassette (Stay Strange, 2017)

“ZSA ZSA GABOR is dead” but the sounds, voice, and pulses in a ritual are anything and everything but that. ZSA ZSA GABOR is one of the artists and founders of the Stay Strange SD Crew who boast a new label imprint, show collective and all creative force led by San Diego stalwart Sam Lopez aided in sound and words from Ariel Irbe, Esteban Flores and Micheal Zimmerman, allwith their own projects to boot under the collective umbrella. Irbe performs and records under the S O L V moniker, while Flores work as Monochromacy represents powerful, thick, radicalized guitar forward drone/noise works.

“Left Skull Bank I” opens up the cassette after a brief intro with a dark, smudged, thick drone which slowly encapsulates the listener and then drops them in a voice cell of terror, confusion, disorientation, The time to talk isn’t now or maybe again for an hour or even a year. Seal your lips shut for it’s time for the hymn of ZSA ZSA GABOR. This release is relentlessly and refreshingly diverse in its sonic character and nuance of sound and style; oscillation between spoken texts , drone, ambient, field recordings, distant screams that ring like a hammer smashing an ancient bell, and string based swells ZZG has something for everyone , but at the sane time NOTHING FOR YOU. They owe you nothing and owe everything to the void. Full tilt sonic mayhem engulfs your last thought and hope as your skull is cast aside like an extra, misshaped, unneeded brick into the ever-growing pile of death.

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“Left Skull Bank 2” picks up close to where part 1 left off, with a thick, buzzing, shaking vibrato of stringed chaos while a monotone, anxious, realistic voice reads and breathes upon every swelling stringed drone of death, and after a “brief demonic interlude” the listener is cast once again into the chaotic experiments of death with Part three, twisting and tangling the false hope that we once had with harsh stabs, angry, dissonant, atonal swells through a purgatory nobody wants to even pass by for a minute. This cassette runs the full scope of experimental sounds but in a a unique and refreshing way, no rehashing, no redux, this is simply top notch experimental music, get about it, be about it. .ZSA ZSA GABOR is a thick, swollen, controlled anger, which is more or less the sound of a decaying future; you’re dead long after you found out when you’re going to die, and if you’re worthy this might make an appearance at the funeral to help shovel your lifeless corpse to rest eternally and be consumed by the wormed earth. Follow ZSA ZSA GABOR HERE and HERE.

DecayREVIEWS: Cerebral Roil “Cloven Hoof Stomp” Feral Fang Media , 2011)

On February 22, 2013February 22, 2013 By AdminIn ReviewsLeave a comment

While west coast noise vagabond Cerebral Roil has done some pretty memorable/dangerous/ and low key – aside from a few small print run editions of split CDRs and compilations, this is the only Cassette I can muster up – which is a shame because the recordings are quite nice.

side A of “Cloven Hoof Stomp” opens up with nervous tick harsh distorted menacing fuzz, distortion and chaos. Which is no surprise – ear splitting mix and whatever else feeding back – an axe connected to a giant spring and a turntable saw are sole of CxRx more unique looking and menacing sounding custom made instruments (which we are at decaycast usually have a soft spot for). the danger of enduring a split open head and or concussion grenade explode during the listening to the cassette is quite unlikely, (though we have resided in Oakland before) which makes one be able to delve into the sound a bit more, without fear of laceration.

The b side is more along a similar harsh noise theme of speaker ripping harsh noise of psychosis. Menecing ear wrenching high pitched tones slowly but surely saw an X along the back of the neck of the listener and eventually decapitation is inevitable.

This tape bleeds sounds of an insanic cave , deep in a trench, plotting revenge. this tape is harsh sounds, but often a few times the recording Is a bit overdriven, and then if backs off and more clarity is present, but it works well as a push pull and isn’t so blown out that it totally annihilates the entire mix it’s just a bit HOT in the red is all- works for the sounds, but the tracks overall could use a bit of dynamics to push the loud parts louder, and give a break to the ear This cassette is short and sweet noise blaster of serial killer feedback psychotic brain loop noise. A must have for all the “true crime” and “fantastical psychotic workshop training camp hazing music fans” . Overall, a solid release , all the sounds are pretty interesting in the harsh sense – blasted out noise – s – a solid release overall though, will be seeking out more from CxRx.

written by: Malo

FERAL FANG MEDIA

CHARM & STRANGE “Jams” 3” CDr (No label) 2011

On July 8, 2012July 9, 2012 By AdminIn ReviewsLeave a comment

CHARM & STRANGE “Jams” 3” CDr (No label) 2011

OK. so let me say first off before we even get to the music, this is the FIRST RELEASE EVER that I have seen that comes with a JAR OF FUCKING HOMEMADE JAM. Yes Jam, I believe it was mixed berry? strawberry-rasberry? not sure but it was just as delicious as the sounds on this little number. The 3” CDr came affixed to the top of a mason jar of jam (pic coming soon), I think the first edition was 13/ and they sold out within minutes??? at a performance in downtown Oakland, CHARM & STRANGE is a duo from Oakland, CA consisting of Angie (Sharkiface, PITG, etc) and Julia Mazawa (Nice Ass Industries) This is a live show recorded from Life Changing Ministries In Oakland, CA 2010. Opens up with creekly, noir like howlings, distant trumpets ?? and plucks of horror decay into warbling records delayed and delayed. Homemade pops and crackles, turn into the creeks and cracks of doors into a distorted landscape of uncertainties, you may be STABBED at any second, or maybe you’ll just walk out alive- stumbling, alone, delusional and schitzophrenic. A Slow pulsing drone shifts in and out of a almost chopped and screwed broken jazz like trumpet and oboe sounding stuff, churning painos being pushed and pulled over the ledge of an old attic floor, glass tings of one way mirrors reverberating to a uncomfortablw put perfect pitch, and then STOP. Silence. O sorry to inform you, you might already dead. #Justsayin. There’s subtle bass throbs that ooze in and out of the creeky landscape, and then a screeching howl, and then a bass crunch transforms into looped popcorn being sucked down the drain of ones throat in slow motion. and it ENDS, just like that.

Charm & Strange is a A MUST for fans of ambient textured Horror OST slowed down played through a wind vacuum trumpet machine. Catch this due live for a taste of the sweet jams. and really folks, the CD came with fucking delicious homemade jam IN CASE YOU FORGOT, TOP THAT.

Nice Ass Industries