Music to Make Horror Movies By: Debora Iyall

Published November 27, 2023 by biggayhorrorfan

Creating an oft copied, iconic style of vocalizing, the singular Debora Iyall is the epitome of a New Wave queen. I remember Romeo Void’s Never, Say Never, one of the songs most famous for featuring her synonymous delivery, being played at a freshman orientation dance-off. It was my first week at college in a big city and somehow that oft heard tune made me feel both at home and like I was on the path to brand new adventures.

Of course, RV, the band that brought her into the public’s consciousness, is frequently featured on film soundtracks such as Dodgeball and The Wolf of Wall Street. But what many may not know is that Iyall, as a solo artist, has a cinematic pedigree of her very own. Her fun and perky number, Dizzy Tonite, is featured, pink bedroom style, in the low budget ’80s horror romp The Video Dead. That song is reminiscent of many of the songs on Strange Language, her debut solo album. The title song is one of my favorite tracks there.

Now living, happily, in New Mexico, this unforgettable artist is, thankfully, still creating music and conquering the world in her individualistic way. Hopefully, as she does so, she carries all the heartfelt blessings sent to her by the many quirky teens, much like my long ago self, whose lives she, unknowingly, changed for the better.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Jennifer Miro: An Appreciation

Published November 20, 2023 by biggayhorrorfan

On a daily basis, I can fall down endless media based rabbit holes. One article or show can send me on an all consuming spiral, but thankfully, the landing is usually sweet. Sometimes, it can even make me quite contemplative.

A cursory examination of The Video Dead, an ’80s horror cheese fest, this past Sunday led me to reappreciate the stunning Jennifer Miro, a pioneer artist in the LA punk scene, who appears, briefly yet magnificently, in that film. The porcelain skinned Miro was the frontwoman for the many incarnations of The Nuns, a goth-punk outfit with notable achievements and a large fan base, who never quite crossed over into the mainstream.

But Miro, who also doubled as a successful fetish model, probably never would have accepted the stereotypical molds that the major labels would have wanted her to exploit. She truly seemed at home in the world of indie exploitation, also appearing in projects like Nightmare in Blood, Dr. Caligari and Jungle Assault, and her live performances, particularly in her band’s final form, were reportedly highly sexualized affairs.

Even in her death, she navigated a different course. Battling liver and breast cancer for years, she kept her diagnosis a private thing and rejected traditional therapy methods. Relying on the assistance of a kind next door neighbor, Miro faded away, at the age of 54, in December 2011. According to her obituary notices, it would be a month or so before her former colleagues and friends were even aware that she was gone. Thus, those final years seemed to be an exercise in independence – a closing performance for an audience of one.

Hence, my mindful state. As a single gay man in my fifties, dying while walking a solitary path is one of my biggest fears. But, perhaps, Miro found a grace in distancing herself and dealing with her illness without the emotional distractions of others. There might even be a sort of purity in that…a grace there that I can latch onto as I navigate my remaining years, presumably alone.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Music To Make Horror Films By: Nuns, “Rumania”

Published May 18, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Anyone who has witnessed the glorious oddities of The Video Dead (1987) or Dr. Caligari (1989) will never forget the pale luminosity of late actress-singer Jennifer Miro. In particular, her slyly beguiling undead “The Woman” in TVD surely gave countless young men (and women) nervous feelings of desire as opposed to frightened reactions of dismay. This striking lass was, also, one of the prime forces behind the ever changing, hard to track down (New Wave influenced) band Nuns.

Thankfully, Miro, who died of cancer at the age of 54 in late 2011, is currently gaining a bit of legacy following due to Radiation Records, who has re-released a couple of classic Nuns recordings including the eclectic Rumania.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJL_hCe1tCA

Gone too quickly (in physical form), the divine Miro will always haunt our favored dark limbed dreams.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Getting Graphic with CMac!

Published February 9, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

Like many horror fans, Big Gay Horror Fan loves it when it gets graphic.

But our graphic opuses need smart graphics to sell them to the public and that is where Chris MacGibbon and his CMac Custom Designs come in. CMac has recently designed some amazing covers and posters for such projects as the Sugar Hill and The Video Dead, as shown here. Not surprising because this awesome up and coming company specializes in horror based designs.

To keep up with MacGibbon’s artistic mayhem, be sure to follow all the limb strewn adventures at:
http://www.facebook.com/CMacCustomDesigns.

Big Gay Horror Fan, meanwhile, is always showing off at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BigGayHorrorFan, as well.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!