Atomic TV

Pizzicato Five – “Sweet Soul Revue” — This was my first glimpse of my fave J-Pop band Pizzicato Five and the images of Miss Maki Nomiya shaking those maracas and evoking the style and charm of Audrey Hepburn in the roof concert scene while P5 mastermind-maestro Yasuharu Konishi boogies away on his Hofner bass and original guitarist Keitaro Takanami strums his Fender guitar have become iconic for me…This was my first transmission from a band that never made a bad or uninteresting video and it always stuck with me. I read that this song was a big hit in the Philippines and that it was used on Japan’s Ranma 1/2 syndicated TV show. A real treat! –Tom Warner

Atomic TV – The “Just Another Episode” Episode at archive.org

Another mish-mash mash-up of Atomic TV’s patented videoid-sleazoid stew, this installment opens with the sound of music – the trailer for sexploitation movie mogul Harry Novak’s “Mondo Mod” (1967), glam rockers T. Rex performing “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” and go-go dancers showcasing the latest moves in the film short “La Danse a-GoGo” (1964). Then it’s on to vintage Charm City-centric TV commercials (National Bohemian, American & Gunther beer, Mr. Ray’s Hairweave, Jesse White pitching weiners in a Stan Freberg-directed spot for Esskay Quality Franks), “Coming Attractions” trailers for blaxploitation classics Foxy Brown (Pam Grier), Dolemite (Rudy Ray Moore), My Baby Is Black!, and Wattstax (The Black Woodstock music festival featuring Isaac Hayes and comedy bits by Richard Pryor and future “Love Boat” bartender “Isaac Washington,” Ted Lange), the televangelist Robert Tilton spoof “Pastor Gas,” John Heyn (of Heavy Metal Parking Lot fame)’s homage to film countdown reel girls, “Girls On Film,” and Nancy Sinatra singing the swinging theme song to the otherwise forgettable 1966 Marty Allen & Steve Rossi spy movie spoof The Last of the Secret Agents.

Guest-directed by Kent Bye!

Sir Alvin Ecarma’s Park City 2000 Wrap-Up:

“You may be wondering about American Psycho. Well, it sucked and sucked hard, and I’m not just saying this because the American Psycho star Christian Bale totally dissed me when I asked him to cut a promo for Atomic TV, the limey, rat bastard. But if the ladies out there don’t mind sitting through two hours of Bale’s channeling Phil Hartman doing “Lionel Huntz” from “The Simpsons”, you do get to see his awesome abs, and fantastic, rock hard ass.”