Decameron, Pentameron, and Heptameron

Pentameron

Cover of a German edition of the Pentameron

The roots of Western literature (as the roots of storytelling tout court) all feature some degree of gossipy salaciousness. That was the case for the original Decameron (1350s), the Heptameron (1550s, dubbed the French decameron) and lastly, the Pentameron (1630s).

Les Cent Nouvelles nouvelles also deserves mention here.

See also: Toward a Motif-Index of Erotic Humor

‘You got to,’ she said

It’s time for icon of erotic art #23.

Roman Charity by Jean-Jacques Bachelier

Roman Charity by Jean-Jacques Bachelier (1724-1806)

“Then slowly she lay down beside him. He shook his head slowly from side to side. Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and bared her breast. ‘You got to,’ she said. She squirmed closer and pulled his head close. ‘There!’ she said. ‘There.’ Her hand moved behind his head and supported it. Her fingers moved gently in his hair. She looked up and across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously” —The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck

Please notice the stylistic similarity (or at least a similarity in feel) with Dutch Girl, 2006 by Lisa Yuskavage

Lullaby for friends

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAwTOujG-0&]

Tikiman, 1999

World music classic #32 is a nice and easy track by German producers Ernestus and von Oswald on their Basic Channel label. This one from 1999, from “Round One to Five”, a CD compilation which also featured more housey work by Ron Trent of Prescription Records.
If you want to find out more, follow the links from Tikiman.

Rafael Azcona (1926 – 2008)

Rafael Azcona died last Monday. I was sort of waiting until someone in the English blogosophere would write a fitting obituary (I was thinking of Robert Monell or Mike from Esotika), but it appears that his death went largely unnoticed in the anglosphere. As such, it would have gone unnoticed by me as well, were it not for the excellent Belgian literary blog “De Papieren Man” who reported Azcona’s death here.

To mainstream audiences, Azcona is best known for his writing credits on Belle Époque Youtube, which starred Penelope Cruz.

To cult film aficionados as myself, Azcona is best-known for his collaborations with über cult filmmaker Marco Ferreri, and especially as the scriptwriter of La Grande Bouffe WCC#13.

More Ferreri/Azcona collaborations include El Pisito, The Wheelchair, The Ape Woman , The Conjugal Bed, Countersex , The Man With The Balloons, The Wedding March, Kiss The Other Sheik, Her Harem, The Audience and, Don’t Touch the White Woman.

There is one Spanish obituary you may want to check by a blogger who calls himself an emotional pornographer (que bonito) [1]. Finally, this seems to be one of the more complete English language obituaries.

Mas, mas … or, moaning and heavy breathing in popular music

More party music from Belgium = World music classic #32.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAmi1M2Vm0E&]

Jungle Fever (song)

“Jungle Fever” is a musical composition by Belgian band The Chakachas first published in 1972. It sold over a million copies in the U.S. and reached #3. In the UK# it fared less well: despite some airplay soon after release it was later banned by the BBC, who took exception to the moaning and heavy breathing heard on the record, first by a woman and later by a man as well. It peaked at #29.

The song was featured in the movie Boogie Nights, has been sampled by the likes of 2 Live Crew and Public Enemy and is featured on the Grand Theft Auto fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. A big shout-out to the musical consultant of the latter, he or she has very good tastes and it’s an invaluable job bringing this music to the younger masses, it’s probably the only way they would be exposed to it.

Mas, mas … is Spanish for more, more …

Got some cheeba cheeba?

It’s time for “world music classic #31,” which is the American track “Smokin Cheeba Cheeba” which first came my way via the 1988 CD compilation Rare Groove vol.1.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRyyoQo0qj4]

Smokin’ Cheeba Cheeba” was written by Paul and Ann Winley and performed by the Harlem Underground Band in 1976 on their only album on Paul Winley Records (a label known for its bootleg recordings of Malcolm X speeches, a series bootleg break beat compilations called “Super Disco Brake’s”, or, “Super Disco Breaks” and the legitimate Afrika Bambaataa‘s “Zulu Nation Throwdown Pt. 1“). “Cheeba” features jazz-guitar great George Benson, a lengthy harmonica solo by Buddy Lucas and the recurring “cheeba cheeba” theme sung by Ann Winley. In 1989, Tone Loc sampled this track for his own “Cheeba Cheeba.” The track was recently featured on the Grand Theft Auto soundtrack .

Enjoy!