Let’s address the elephant in the room…
Ongakubaka [Own-gah-koo-bah-kah]
1.noun Japanese origin, music fool/idiot.
2.noun Richmond, VA, USA origin, garage/psyche record label.
Baby Jesus has a dream every night. It’s the one at a party. Adam West, Burt Ward, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Julie Newmar are all in attendance. Don’t forget Sun Ra blasting on the keys as tangerine joker-smoke rises from the ginger-ale and sherbet punchbowl.
The Nuggets, the Pebbles, the Granules (?) are filtered through silvery sieves stacked gingerly like canisters of bygone celluloid in Metro Goldwyn (Russ)Meyer’s utility closet.
The days are dark because it’s eternally night. Indeed the freaks do come out at night, folks. Take a deep dive Back from the Grave.
But seriously, Sexy Sadie, these Swedes had their own transcendental awakening on a tour of India. On return they merged to form Baby Jesus, an unlikely spiritual direction, spiritual all the same.
Song of note: “Haven’t seen the light” a Velveteen tribute in that BJ count their blessings, spared the white light, white heat.
What has become of these Fuzztoned fellows you ask?
A. The singer/Farfisa player’s skullcap was sawed open, now magic mushrooms grow from his brain.
B. The drummer? Turned into a snail. His eyes pop out as antennae.
C. The guitarist and bassist joined a nudist colony and recline on silly putty blobs.
Recommended for listeners of wfmu.org’s Fool’s Paradise, Teenage Wasteland, Three Chord Monty, and Music to Spazz By.
[bae-bee-gee-sus]
--Adam Padavano