The Mind-Benders

This is a government funded anti-drug film from 1970. It's very far out - undulating, soft-focus shots, sitar music, psychedelic mayhem. I'd bet the people who made it were experimenting with drugs while making it.The testimonials around 3:00 aren't even scary. They'd probably make kids more curious...it does get a little scarier a few minutes later when the narrator starts talking about panic and insanity, or the guy who discusses how he was in bed with a girl when all of the sudden she turned into a monster. Does the government still make things like this? I can't imagine they do, but then again, where is all that money going if not for educational film strips? Oh yeah, missiles...

Covers Week #1

After a terrible storm wiped out a bunch of household electronics - including my router, an iPod dock/speakers, a TV and some other odds and ends around the house, I've been going through some archives, and so to make that feel more productive than nostalgic, I'm going to indulge myself with a week of themed posts - rare covers - sometimes beautiful, sometimes bizarre - never the original artists.

To kick things off, we're going to go with a tune everyone knows, in a version you might not have ever really expected - unless you expect things like funky sitar covers...
Ananda Shankar's version of the Doors' classic "Light My Fire"

This comes from Shankar's 1970 album Snow Flower. The album also contains a sick cover of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash," but I chose the Doors cover because it's a little weirder. You should track down a copy of this album if you're into funky sitar jams - not all covers either.