German New Wave (or “Cold Wave” if you prefer) group Malaria were one of the most interesting groups to come out of Germany in the early 1980s. The all female band was formed by an alliance of Berlin art scenesters Gudrun Gut—an early member of Einstürzende Neubauten—and Bettina Köster. Both had been members of Mania D, a group championed by John Peel.

A 1982 EP called New York Passage introduced UK and US audiences to the group, with the record even going top ten on college radio charts. Malaria toured with the likes of John Cale, The Birthday Party, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Nina Hagen. I loved ‘em, but it seems like they basically fell apart before much more came of them, a real tragedy.

At a certain point over the past ten years, DJs specializing in “Cold Wave” have put Malaria back on the musical map. There are a few visual reminders of the group in their prime:
 
“Your Turn to Run”:
 

 
More Malaria! after the jump…

 
Apparently the “game” was:

“Ring Around Rosie. Or Carol. Or Eleanor, etc. Fun. But you can only play if you wear Broomsticks slacks.”

Broomsticks, huh? Okay, sure, but what about what she’s wearing? I’ve seen my fair share of sexist ads, but just… wow.

What the hell was this advertising agency thinking? Who approved this shit?

Via Copyranter and Jezebel

 
Alvin Lee of Ten Years After died today at the age of 68 while undergoing routine surgery.

His wife and daughters posted the following on Lee’s website:

With great sadness we have to announce that Alvin unexpectedly passed away early this morning after unforseen complications following a routine surgical procedure. We have lost a wonderful much-loved father and companion, the world has lost a truly great and gifted musician. Jasmin, Evi and Suzanne.”

After leaving Ten Years After in 1973, Lee went on to record 14 solo albums. He collaborated with dozens of musicians, including Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor, George Harrison and Mick Fleetwood.

I know a lot of guitar players who hung out and played with Alvin Lee. Everyone of them loved the man. He was a sweetheart.

Anyone growing up in the Sixties will remember this legendary performance at Woodstock: Ten Years After performing “I’m Going Home.”
 

 
Three blissful minutes of folks dancing their butts off to Channel One’s “Technicolor” at the Brotherhood Club in Detroit, Michigan, 1989.

This is how you do it.

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
How to dance to Kraftwerk: All you need to know
 

 
Via WOW Report

 
And it’s been so long that it’s awesome again.

Morrissey’s re-release of his 1989 single, “The Last of the International Playboys,” was originally set to have a previously unreleased photo of Moz and David Bowie gracing the cover. Much to the chagrin of both Morrissey and myself, Bowie blocked the the use of the photo through legal Goblin King dance magic, leaving Moz to improvise.

What he used instead is only about a billion times awesomer—a picture of himself with Rick “Never Gonna’ Give You Up” Astley. Is Rick Astley a stand-up dude and a total sport, or what?

Obviously Morrissey had to know the pop culture implications of the picture. I wonder how long he lay in wait, patiently counting the days until nearly everyone forgot about that meme… waiting for the perfect rick-roll.

Mozzer’s the sleeper cell of rick-rolling!
 

 
Via Pitchfork

 
The late Hugo Chavez’ legacy is better eulogized by historians and journalists than by myself; the creation of a coherent narrative for a man who spearheaded one of the great social democratic projects in history, while simultaneously instituting problematic civil rights policies, is far too ambitious for my pedestrian socialist observations.

What I do feel comfortable talking about, however, is the “Otro Beta” (roughly “a new thing”) campaign of last year, which promoted the then 58-year-old Chavez as a young “tough guy” from the barrio. The campaign intended to court the working class youth vote by using the language and experiences of the barrio to talk up Chavez. This produced some particularly strange political art depicting the president popping a wheelie on a motorcycle, rapping in hip-hop fashions, and slam-dunking a basketball.

To me it seems no more absurd or desperate than Bill Clinton playing the sax on The Arsenio Hall Show—but then again, Bill Clinton actually did play saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show. Maybe George W. Bush “working his ranch” is a more comparable fabricated political identity?
 

 
Tell Your Cat You’re Pregnant: Baby and Toy Sounds for Preparing Your Cat for a Baby by Dr Lewis Kirkham is, well, I’ll let the blurb do the explaining:

Pregnant and worried about your cat coping? Here are 13 tracks of baby & toy sounds to prepare a cat for the arrival of a human baby. Designed by a behavior veterinarian, it is the most comprehensive range sounds available to best prepare your cat.

You can listen to Dr Lewis Kirkham’s soundtrack with titles like “Delightful Squeals” and “Grunts & Yawns” here.

Via Nerdcore via Animal NY

 
That’s a Mad magazine they’re holding up, if you can’t tell. It doesn’t surprise me that Leonard Nimoy reads Mad, but the “Shakespearean” actor William Shatner taking a break with a little “low culture” humor mag? I am unnerved!

Giorgio fan art by Kirk Demourelle
 
That’s right, Giorgio is BACK! Back for a one-off dj set, that is, at Fracois Kevorkian’s very highly rated Deep Space party at New York’s Cielo nightclub on the 20th of May this year.

That’s the good news. The bad news is it has already sold out. Not so much of a surprise, really, considering how legendary Giorgio is, and the fact that the club only has a 350 person capacity. Here’s what the Resident Advisor event page tells us:

A historic night of space disco comes as a gift from the heavens thanks to Red Bull Music Academy.

In his first dj appearance ever in New York, disco inventor and cultural icon Giorgio Moroder plays a set of classics. We’ve seen his set list already, and the music he’s selected represents some of the best of his legendary career.

There’s been a bit of anticipation as to what a Giorgio Moroder DJ set might sound like, but my guess is it will consist entirely of his own music, tweaked a bit via a program like Ableton or Serrato. Why? Well, that’s what he did when asked to soundtrack the Fall/Winter show for Louis Vuitton last year. Interestingly, in a short interview on the LV site, Giorgio says he doesn’t gig more often because no-one is asking him. What?! COME ON PROMOTERS! Hussle a few grand together and get Giorgio Moroder into a club or venue near you NOW!

And please Red Bull Music Academy, do a live webscast of this event!

Below, Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2012/2013 menswear show, music by Giorgio Moroder:
 

 
A fabulous portrait of a young Quentin Crisp.

Alas, it is not known who was the artist, or in what the year this portrait was drawn—though likely to be one of the many students who drew Mr. Crisp during his time as an artist’s model between 1942 and the early 1970s, which he described in his autobiography as:

‘It was like being a civil servant, except that you were naked.’

Quite wonderful.
 

 
Via the Quentin Crisp Archives