Upside Down: The Creation Records Story is a roller coaster of film, which tells the incredible tale of one of the most important independent record labels of the past fifty years - Creation Records. 

This excellent film reveals how the gallus Glaswegian Alan McGee started the label with a £1,000 bank loan in the 1980s, and went on shape music in the 1980s and 1990s, as he made Creation home to such talents as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Medicine, The Pastels, Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits, Super Furry Animals, The Boo Radleys, Saint Etienne, Momus, My Bloody Valentine, 3 Colours Red and Oasis - who were signed for £40,000.

McGee originally thought Liam Gallagher was the band’s drug dealer, as he told the Sun:

“I was up in Glasgow seeing my dad and I wasn’t sure I’d even go to the gig. I got there early by mistake. Oasis were on first, before most people arrived. There was this amazing young version of Paul Weller sat there in a light blue Adidas tracksuit. I assumed he was the drug dealer and that Bonehead, the guitarist, was the singer.

“It was only when they went on stage I realised it was the lead singer Liam Gallagher. I knew I had to sign them.

“Noel and I talked after the show and just said ‘done’ and he turned out to be a man of his word.

“I was lucky to be there. We didn’t send out scouts. Most of my signings were because I happened to see new bands. That couldn’t happen any more. If a new band as much as farts it’s all over the internet.”

Upside Down: The Creation Records Story brilliantly captures the creativity that came out of the chaos of the legendary McGee’s drug-fueled reign as President of Pop.

“I was on one continuous bender from 1987 until 1994. Until Oasis came along the Creation staff were more rock and roll than the bands we signed. Then Oasis came along and things got even crazier.

“I was permanently off my head on cocaine, ecstasy, acid and speed. We’d be awake for three days.

“We went one further than having dealers hanging around. We just employed them instead.

“But they were different times. If you behaved now like we used to people would phone the police.”

Upside Down: The Creation Records Story is now available on DVD, with a short cinema release, details here.
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Morrissey brands Royal Family ‘benefit scroungers’
Rare interview with Morrissey on The Smiths, politics, song-writing and his autobiography

(via The High Definite)

 
I think this is a very objective viewpoint for them to take…
 

 
From Andy Cobb by way of Fishbowl LA

 
No indie DVD label is as dedicated to the preservation and promotion of “outsider cinema” quite like our friends at Severin Films. Nope, no one does “so bad that it’s good” titles like they do—witness their mind-numbing Birdemic:Shock and Terror release. Need I say more?

“Either by way of budget constraints or warped vision,” says Severin’s marketing director Evan Husney, their releases “represent a piece of a cinematic underbelly from a universe all its own.”

Now Severin, in association with The Intervision Pictures Corp. are going to be releasing some of the cultier cult films from the nearly 850 movie catalog owned by pioneering VHS distributor, Larry Gold, Sr., who died earlier this year of a heart attack. First in that slate is the DVD release of SLEDGEHAMMER, a shot-on-videotape, no-budget slasher flick from the 80s:

The plot is familiar: A group of friends comes to party at a backwoods house where a legacy of brutality awaits. But within this minimalist ’80s mélange of food fights, feathered hair and abusive slow-motion lurks a relentless synth score, bizarre sexual subtexts and a disturbing shape-shifting behemoth killer. The result is 85 minutes of fever-dream depravity.

The “fever dream depravity” that is SLEDGEHAMMER was directed by David A. Prior and starring Ted Prior (his brother) and Linda McGill

At some point I had a VHS copy of this that someone gave me, but it wasn’t something I paid much attention to. I probably never did more than scan through it on fast forward before passing it on to another otaku pal of mine. That was probably a mistake. One night at Cinefamily, here in Hollywood, I saw a scene from the film and I immediately thought “Oh, that was probably that SLEDGEHAMMER thing I used to have” and regretted that I never watched it.

Severin sent me the video clip last week, along with the DVD of SLEDGEHAMMER. My mistake for not paying closer attention to this absolutely BERSERK little number when I had the chance! Just look at that clip. How could you not want MORE?

Don’t answer that, but If you are interested to win a copy of the SLEDGEHAMMER DVD be the first one to answer this question in the comments (only the FIRST person with the correct answer wins):

What popular magazine featured “extensive” coverage of SLEDGEHAMMER star Ted Prior in 1984?

 
It’s actually rather hypnotic.

(via Boing Boing and Xeni Jardin)

 
Expect a deluge of really bad Osama bin Laden death songs. Here’s one by a rapper from Phoenix, Arizona calling himself Hot Rod. He was at one time a protege of 50 Cent.

“My musical ear has expanded. Now the music I make is fuckin’ incredible and I can’t wait to unleash it to the world.” Hot Rod.

Mr. Rod, put it back on the leash.
 

 
Via The Daily Swarm

 
Here’s Augie f*cking Garrido, head coach of the University of Texas baseball team and someone who is full of f*ck. He’s also quite possibly the world’s best f*cking movtivational speaker. Don’t believe me? Watch a clip of Augie f*cking Garrido flipping the f*ck out from Richard Linklater’s 2009 documentary, Inning By Inning: A Portrait of a Coach.

 
(via BuzzFeed and with thanks to Gavon Laessig)

 
“The safer you play, the longer you stay.”

Public service announcement from French safe sex organization AIDES is a wonderfully witty and effective way to get your message out there.

The video is an animation of a poster that can be seen in all of its glory here.
 

 
Via copyranter

 
New from Adam Curtis, director of the controversial documentaries, The Power of Nightmares and Century of the Self. This looks quite tasty, but still till no announced air date.
 

 
Thank you kindly, Michael Backes!

 
Oh shit, Gang Gang ! It’s everything time. Yes, I’m excited. Gang Gang Dance is one of the most potent bands going these days, hitting so many of my pleasure receptors at once. A band that understands mystery and darkness, groove and texture. Savor it, there’s no other band like ‘em.