Stalingrad Tank Trap

Happy new year one and all! Let’s hope this year is somewhat less vicious when it comes to beloved celebrities and musicians.

Anyway, back in 2000 a Russian DJ by the name of Oleg Kvasha had a hit in Russia with a fairly generic dance track titled зеленоградское такси. For those of you unable to read Cyrillic (what are you doing with your life?) that’s Zelenogradskoe Taksi or Green City Taxi – although it often seems to be referred to as Zelenoglazoe Taksi instead which means Green-Eyed Taxi. Here it is…

Not long afterwards musician and TV presenter Aleksandr Pushnoy re-recorded a bunch of popular Russian pop  and dance songs in the style of scary German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein – including of course Zelenoglazoe Taksi. And the result is glorious! 😀

The video – despite fitting so well – isn’t original to the song. It’s the intro from a 1994 computer game, the Doom clone Quarantine. In this game you play a post-apocalyptic taxi driver picking up and delivering passengers around the crazed streets of Kemo City, shooting up and running down attacking psychopaths with a variety of vehicle mounted weapons all the while. You know, good old fashioned fun.

Jumping forwards to 2007, the Austrian group Global Deejays released their own remix of the song, titled Zelenoglazoe Taxi

What’s interesting about this is that I strongly suspect it’s the inspiration for Stalingrad Tank Trap, a track mentioned in Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant novel Whispers Underground

I put my ear against the cold metal of the nearest door – the bass rumble was enough for me to identify the track.

‘”Stalingrad Tank Trap”,’ I said. ‘By Various Artiz.’

I like a bit of drum and bass to dance to, but Various Artiz were notorious for cranking out one identikit track after another – they were as close to mainstream as you could get on the club circuit without turning up on a Radio Two playlist.

My logic is as follows.The original name of the track referenced the Russian city of Zelenograd, hence “Zelenograd” = “Stalingrad”. “Tank Trap” sounds suspiciously similar to “Taxi”. Naming your group “Global Deejays” is only slightly less inane and generic than “Various Artiz”, and from what I can gather the general opinion of Global Deejays is pretty much as Peter narrates in the extract above. Quod Erat Demonstrandum!

Maybe I should tweet Mr Aaronovitch about it? Or maybe not 🙂

To quote the Propellerheads – that is all!

So here’s a thing…

Have a listen to 1:33 to 1:59 of TISM’s Greg! the Stop Sign (1995)…

Now have a listen to 17:14 to 18:00 of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Variations (1978)…

And finally, listen to the Shadows’ FBI (1961)

There’s quite a few references online to TISM quoting the Shadows, but I haven’t seen any noting the intermediate Andrew Lloyd Webber step that baroque-ised the middle bit.

On a side note, have a good listen to the Variations. There’s some very 70’s bits in there (four on the floor disco and jazz flute anyone?), but there’s also some damn good re-interpretations of the classics.

Twit

I think this whole ‘Twitter’ thing might just catch on

Twitter is an interesting technology.

I can state this with certainty because I finally caved to the temptation to instantly broadcast my inane mutterings to the internet at large, and have been quietly tweeting away as @Purple_Wyrm for the last couple of months.

I have not mentioned this previously as there was every possibility that I would either massively embarrass myself or simply get bored and abandon the whole thing after a week, but it’s been a bit over two months and I’m still going, and reading back over my history does not make me cringe (much), so I figure it’s time to officially announce my getting on board with what everyone else has been doing for the better part of a decade.

As I said, Twitter is interesting, particularly in the way that it allows weird little moments of interaction. For instance, early this month I tweeted about how much I like Ali Barter’s latest single. A few hours later Ali Barter herself retweeted my comments. As a contrarian pseudo-luddite that’s very strange. I’m used to blindly sending missives about my latest enthusiasms out into the digital void, but actually receiving proof that the person I’m commenting on has seen said missive is a whole ‘nother level of missive sending that is quite startling.

And on Tuesday I tweeted that I think Miss Quill on the BBC’s Doctor Who spinoff Class is rather spiffing. Next thing I know, Fady Elsayed – who portrays Ram on the same show – is replying to me, which is downright surreal. Awesome, but surreal.

I’m pretty sure that the rest of the world figured this out ages ago, and I’m just a laughable newcomer stumbling around mooing like a digital moon calf, but it’s still a hell of a thing. I’m not sure, but I think this whole ‘Twitter’ thing might just catch on.

(PS: Yes, I’m following a girl I went to school with 20 years ago and haven’t spoken to since. I’m not cyber stalking her – she just happens to be getting married to an ex-work colleague of mine who doesn’t have a Twitter account. So if I’m cyber stalking anyone, I’m cyber stalking him).

What’s a Woman?

Loving Ali Barter’s new track Girlie Bits. Savage lyrics with a deceptively sweet tune and delivery…

Also, how good is samuraiguitarist’s western cover of The Final Countdown?

Have been busy with a number of projects lately, which will hopefully see the light of day soon. Assuming of course the world doesn’t end when either President Trump starts World War III or a new Civil War breaks out on the election of President Clinton.

Interesting times my friends, interesting times…

Kill Hitler!

It pleases me that there are official Danger 5 Miniatures, and said miniatures not only include Hitler (and of course his dog), but lizard Nazi soldiers as well.

Also, I find myself really liking the new single from the Panics, Weatherman.

If you stop the wind in its tracks,
Know it’s gonna rain, just like that,
When the sun it burns on your back,
Don’t complain to the weatherman,

That is all.

Bis In Alle Ewigkeit

Thanks folks for the kind words on my return. WordPress decided not to tell me about any of them, which is why I haven’t replied previously. I’ve also been busy on another project, which is why I haven’t been around the Wyrmlog. Details will follow in good time.

In any case, today I discovered that not only is there a German folk/rock version of the Hooters’ classic All You Zombies, but that the band responsible (Santiano) re-wrote the lyrics to be about Valhalla. Which can only be described as awesome.

Because I’m a nerd, I decided to attempt a translation. Here ’tis…

To the End of Time (Valhalla)

A cry of horns from far horizon,
The triumph of the Æsir’s thrones,
Let us follow close, seeking out our reward…

Have no fear about our leaving,
Death and darkness we’ll confound,
A hero’s grave is not for grieving,
We will travel where the trumpets sound!

We’ll meet again in far Valhalla,
We’ll sing the songs and drink the wine!
Feast with the Gods in fair Valhalla,
We’ll party ’till the end of time!

Lift your mugs to Odin’s glory,
Quaff deep, cry out a drinking song,
He gathers up his host, the bravest of them all…

The feast awaits with laden trenchers,
A thousand barrels filled to burst,
At the end of all our ventures,
Come and join us when you’ve grown a thirst!

We’ll meet again in far Valhalla,
We’ll sing the songs and drink the wine!
Feast with the Gods in fair Valhalla,
We’ll party ’till the end of time!

OK, that’s it for now. Expect some more activity soon.

Get This

I am not dead! Europe did not kill me (despite the best efforts of one of its cold viruses) and I am back in the antipodes where I belong. I am in the process of uploading my holiday snaps, and may some day actually annotate them, but in the meantime, here’s some more rare wisdom for you edification and amusement.

Why is murder illegal?
Because the Government is in the pocket of Big Killing. LOBBYING REFORM NOW!!

Why do cats run in front of cars?
They’ve misunderstood quantum mechanics and think they can be alive and dead at the same time.

How can Red Lobster feature “Endless Shrimp” when there is a finite amount of shrimp in the world at any given time?
Red Lobster is run by a cabal of Cthulhu worshipers. They use their unholy knowledge to open portals to alternate Earths and strip them of their shrimp. Once one world is fully harvested they feed its human inhabitants to Cthulhu and move on to the next. There are an endless number of alternate worlds, hence there are endless shrimp.

What movie SHOULD be remade by Michael Bay?
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He should remake it, and then remake it again and be forced to keep remaking it until it’s no longer an incoherent, steaming pile of horse turds.

If God appeared today and picked you to ask him one question that he would answer for all of humanity to hear, what would you ask?
So what’s the deal with airline food?

Besides a dinner and movie, what are some great date ideas?
Illegal drag racing against the ethnic gang of your choice.

Like the Neo-Nazis?
The Neo-Nazis are anything but ethnic. They’re practically famous for it.

If you had an elephant where would you hide it?
In the butter.

What’s the best Pokemon version “red, blow, yellow, or gold” and why?
Blow. You cook up with Pikachu and you see all kinds of crazy shit! Charizard talks to you man!

What is the best response to “Why are you so quiet?”
“I’m plotting the downfall of your pitiful species”

People hiding out in workplace bathrooms, whatcha doin’ in there?
Waiting for the chosen one.

What is the premise of the last game you played, explained really badly?
My dad ran away and I had to eat cockroaches to find him and then he died and I died but I got the water.

What TV shows should everybody be watching?
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. If we can get the ratings up in syndication they might commission a new season.

Who was well ahead of their time?
Ug son of Thag-Mammoth-Slayer. He figured out differential and integral calculus but couldn’t do anything with them because the rest of his tribe couldn’t count to twenty without looking at their feet.

What’s the worst way you can describe a Disney movie plot to somebody that’s never seen it?
There’s this chick who doesn’t have legs, and she trades her voicebox for legs so she can meet this dude, and this dude marries someone and I think there’s this singing lobster or something.

What movie deserves a remake?
North. Jack Black would be perfect as Bruce Willis!

What are some of the best breeds of dogs to keep in an apartment?
Small ones that behave themselves when you’re around, but yap constantly at high volume whenever you’re away.

100 years from now, which race is going to be the dominant race?
The Lizard People, after they eliminate 90% of the human population with United Nations anti ‘global warming’ hoax FEMA internment black helicopter cattle mutilation zika Hillary Clinton cyborg camps!

If you can tell a trees age by cutting it and counting the rings, what else can you use this method on to calculate it’s age?
Republicans.

Where were you 3325 years ago?
Partying at the coronation feast of Adad-nirari the first of Assyria.

What’s one thing about the open ocean that most people dont know?
On lonely nights at sea, singin’ a verse o’ Roll the Old Chariot to the waves might just summon ye up a Mermaid fer company.

When will the Muslim plague take over America?
It’s scheduled for 6:45 Saturday evening (but you didn’t hear it from me).

What’s something that you’re guilty about even though you don’t need to be?
The Sack of Constantinople

What is a mind blowing fact about space?
Space has a terrible secret, and only shoving will protect you from it (do you have stairs in your house?)

Which films could be made into the most unique theme park rides?
Un Chien Andalou. You get dragged around on a dead donkey on top of a piano, and then get your eye sliced open with a razor blade.

What’s a seemingly innocent question that tells you a lot about someone?
What do you think of the Insane Clown Posse?

Is the ‘Law of Attraction’ a real thing?
Yeah, it stars David Spade.

What could you make with an eggplant?
People unhappy.

Would it be fun to take some Valium and listen to Enya?
Sure, but make sure you turn her off before you hit the secret track on Watermark where she swears allegiance to Baphomet and sacrifices a puppy.

Is aspergers a death sentence?
Well everyone who has it is certainly going to die eventually.

What material do we use today that may kill us in the future?
Microbeads will fill up your appendix until it bursts and then you die!

Do you have a source for that?
Um……. Dr Oz?

How does a Dog know where a blind person wants to go?
The dog doesn’t know where they want to go, it knows where they need to go

What Would Greeting Cards Say if They Were Buntly Honest?
“Society demands that I give you this piece of cardboard”

Why when we lose our jobs are we said to be “fired?”
In the middle ages it was customary to dismiss apprentices by setting them on fire. That way they’d either die, or be so badly scarred as to be unable to practice or pass on the skills they learned.

How to make the school day go by faster?
Amphetamines.

Why do people distract themselves so much as opposed to confronting reality?
Have you seen reality?

Current or former employees of fast food establishments, what item should never be ordered under any circumstances?
Never order the Extra Filthy Chicken at Colonel Backwash’s. The Extra Hairy Chicken is three dollars cheaper, and you can make it just as filthy by kicking it around the restroom floor.

Why would a cat nibble on toenails?
It’s trying to absorb your essence to gain power over you so it’ll be easier to kill you while you sleep.

Does Kristen Stewart have an horse face?
Yes. She keeps it in a jar by the door.

What’s the best episode of Star Trek, from any series?
The one where a computer steals Spock’s brain and you see Spock’s brain and Spock’s brain talks Dr McCoy through putting Spock’s brain back in Spock.

What is a bad sign of insanity?
When someone asks you what the time is you look at your electric stratification particular fleshly leafed gigantia think about your eight hour day sitting there beside your lounge across the whole globe 60 hectares per day most importantly the next time you go to the grocery store you’ll always see it!

How do you get a Starbucks barista to go out with you?
Speak to them only in Moby Dick quotes.

How can you explain color to a blind person?
It’s like temperature that you feel from a distance with your eyes.

If you were to change a major ingredient from any product, what would it be?
I’d replace the water in Faygo with bleach.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all get along?
Don’t make me nail you to a tree!

Why is there no fan-fiction for the bible?
There is! It’s called The Book of Mormon.

Why is a lemon so sour?
Because if it were sweet it would be an orange.

What part of the wheelbarrow is the fulcrum?
The face.

The name of which North African city literally means ‘white house’?
Hoboken

Which is the only mammal with the power of active flight?
Sam Wilson (aka ‘Falcon’)

What is the longest river in India?
The Ram Dass

How do cars get in malls?
Fake IDs.

Should Nakamura be the first to pin Brock Lesnar clean?
Yeah, why the hell not.

Do you speak more then one language?
Nein!

If you were Joseph Stalin, what would you have done differently?
I would have come to your house, and danced!

What causes sharps pains in your lower areas when you’re partly dehydrated?
Some kind of gypsy curse?

What would you do differently if you wrote the Harry Potter books?
I’d keep them exactly the same, except randomly add a chapter of hardcore House Elf porn to each book.

Did your high school have metal detectors?
In the sense that the teachers would invariably locate and confiscate any Metallica or Pantera cassettes, yes.

What should a person do, to control his drowsiness while studying?
Drink the blood of your fellow students. It will keep you awake and you’ll be able to absorb all their knowledge.

What would be the rules of a Donald J. Trump drinking game?
You have to give all your booze to Donald at the start (if you refuse he’ll claim you’re a terrorist). Then he’ll hold up all the booze and say it shows what a great businessman he is.

Who would kill you if they had the chance and why?
Paul Reubens. He has his reasons.

Make your case – Where’s the best place to live in the USA and why?
The Delaware Wedge, because you’re immune to the 20th Amendment and hence can have as many simultaneous Presidents as you want.

What about covert harassment and surveillance?
It’s pretty cool.

What’s the best thing to do at school when its a free period?
Plant explosives

You are now Skeletor. How do you defeat He-Man?
I don’t. I concentrate on marketing a range of skin care products instead.

What small thing gives you major anxiety?
My bank balance.

What can’t you get rid of no matter how many times you try?
This bottle with a wish-granting imp in it. Stupid bottle.

Why do some people have kinder, more gentle personalities?
Because they are WEAK!

Why can’t I see my reflection in the mirror on a television?
Mirrors on TV shows aren’t real mirrors. Mirrors don’t show up properly on cameras, so they use a special kind of non-reflective metallic foil instead.

What celebrity do you have a massive crush on?
Dr Alice Roberts

What would you do if the toilet doesn’t flush in your crushes house?
Lock the door, crawl out the window, slither down the street like a snake, leave town and never come back.

Are you see the Real Ghost?
Are you see the yellow sign?

Why do they make swimming pools to sweat-inducingly warm?
Swimming pools used to be set to 70F, but they’ve been increasing them by around a degree a year for the last decade. This process will continue until the pools are hot enough to cook unsuspecting swimmers who will then be fed to Paninatu the Volcano God on his return in the mid 2030s.

What are great questions to ask to get to know someone on a deep level?
Are you a fan of the Pikachu?

Those who have visited Pakistan, how did you find it?
Flew to India and turned left.

What is the dark secret you are aware of about this world?
The world is hollow and gravity is generated by the ancient machinery of the Mole Men.

What food are you craving that isn’t available where you are?
Pickled Onion flavoured Monster Munch.

Anyone catch Mitch Johnson at Whitfords today?
What kind of Pokemon is he?

If you could add one rule or thing to the Tour De France to make it extreme, what would it be?
A horde of ravenous wolverines.

Who’s the best Batman villain?
Iron Hat Ferris, the man in the Iron Hat.

What are the personality traits of Barack Obama?
Kindness, thoughtfulness, a burning desire to destroy America for the glory of his Godless, Kenyan, Muslim masters, and integrity.

Why do dogs lick you?
They lick you to absorb your soul through your skin. Each lick brings you a few minutes closer to death.

Is it inappropriate to cut a lock of hair from the body at a funeral?
It’s only appropriate if you’re wearing your wizard robe and hat.

Who Would Like To Rub My Belly?
Nobody?

Why do you sometimes suddenly get a sharp pain somewhere in your body for a few seconds then it goes away and doesn’t come back?
It’s just Satan probing for ways to get in. Nothing to worry about.

What would you do if a random corgi walked up to you and said in a cute voice “ur getting mugged ‘k”?
Say “Who’s a clever boy? WHO’S a clever boy? You are! You are SO clever!” while ruffling its fur. Hopefully it’ll be so humiliated it just leaves.

Why does Hogwarts look different in every movie?
Dumbledore likes to ‘redecorate’ during the summer holidays. The students spend the first few weeks of each school year figuring out where all the classrooms have got to.

What items or products have a design flaw that drives you nuts?
Even the most expensive vegetable peelers won’t work efficiently on human skin! It’s ridiculous!

What are your thoughts on bowel movements? Do you find them inappropriate at certain times even if you beg pardon?
Do I find thoughts on bowel movements inappropriate?

What are Hamas and Hezbolah?
Delicious salad dressings! Ask for them at Subway!

Is there anything dangerous about cutting off your own mole?
Your main concern should be if he hires a weasel as a lawyer and sues for support payments. You could well end up paying him more than you were before you cut him off.

How big is the music library of the Word?
It takes up most of the third continent of the Deamon World of Sicarus within the Eye of Terror. Sadly Lorgar has terrible taste in music and it’s mostly filled with Backstreet Boys covers and Billy Joel bootlegs.

What is Craigslist actually good for?
Selling your internal organs to Serbians.

If you were a Time Traveler, What event would you Visit?
The Kennedy assassination. I’d lurk suspiciously around the grassy knoll while making strange hand signs, and try to get in some photos.

Why do people wear hats indoors?
To stop the Yithians stealing their thoughts.

Which popular nursery rhymes have another verse that not many people have heard?
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down and broke his crown and kill came tumbling after,
The Yellow King his aid to bring did heal Jack’s broken pate,
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn,

Will a ghost stop possessing someone’s body if they’ve been doing so since the person was a baby?
Only if you pay it off. Most ghosts these days accept PayPal.

Weirdest thing to ask your partner to dress up as during sex?
Rlim Shaikorth, the White Worm of Hyperborea.

What lighthearted series deserve a gritty re-boot?
Care Bears. They care…. about racial segregation!

Every time I surf at the beach and later close my eyes to sleep I see waves crashing. Why does this happen?
You didn’t find some kind of Hawaiian idol out there and wear it around your neck, did you?

Why can’t we remember when we fall asleep?
Retrograde amnesia from when the sandman clobbers you with his bag of gravel.

Parents of Porn Stars, how did you react when you discovered what your child does for a living?
Horribly ashamed. Every time he says he has a ‘friend’ who’s an expert on 19th century firearms I can’t help but weep.

What does a persons car/truck say about them?
Nothing. Vehicles are not sentient and are unable to hold or express opinions. If you believe that vehicles are judging you, please seek advice from your family healthcare provider.

On a scale from 1-10, what is your favorite color of the alphabet?
November.

What do you feed your eel?
Smaller, less impressive eels.

What do you like to do when you need to kill time?
Construct an elaborate trap baited with oscillating cesium atoms.

Which songs sound so much WORSE when you change the music speed?
Baby by Justin Beiber is much worse at half speed, because you have to listen to it for twice as long.

Whats the illness called where people have LARGE foreheads?
Being a Klingon

Why did Europeans stop believing in god so quickly?
Santa’s flight path from the North Pole passes over western Europe at low altitude, not long after take off. Residual radiation from the launch procedure rains down across the continent, causing a rise in atheism. By the time he reaches the US the radiation has dissipated.

Why is it called a “pair” of pants?
The plurality of pants was established by Pope Alexander VI in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. The main body of the treaty divided the world between Spain and Portugal but the Pope slipped the pants thing in there as a joke that no one noticed until it was too late.

Who gets to decide which teams wear darker/lighter colored jerseys in the NBA and how are referees assigned?
The Speaker of the House, in accordance with the 17th Amendment.

Why don’t you like mustard?
Because he killed my father in the Library with the lead pipe!

Why are Walmart employee sad?
The Chinese soldiers hiding in the basement are mean to them.

What Friends episode is the best?
The one where they discover that Ross has been murdering vagrants to make a dinosaur suit out of their skins.

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