The Fistful of Soundtracks station schedule--both past and present

Here's a detailed guide to the current Fistful of Soundtracks station schedule for listeners who aren't sure when certain programming blocks air or what kind of music is streamed during each block. I've also included descriptions of series I used to air on AFOS to show you the programming history of the station, which I launched in 2002. I pieced together parts of this post from program synopses I wrote for the now-defunct jim.aquino.com site, and I've updated those passages.

Current programming blocks

JANUARY 16, 2011 UPDATE: "Assorted Fistful" "AFOS Prime"

During this block, which occupies most of the day's programming, the channel streams random film and TV score cues. At noon on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, "Assorted Fistful" "AFOS Prime" switches to "Soda and Pie" mode and focuses on '80s tracks from the library.

"Chai Noon"

Every Tuesday and Thursday at noon and every early Wednesday and early Friday at 4am, AFOS airs an hour-long block of assorted tracks from Bollywood movies like the Amitabh Bachchan classic Don and the Dhoom films. None of the other film music radio stations on the Web are doing something like this, which is pretty damn absurd. How can they not recognize the moviemaking capital of the world?

In a 2006 blog post that's no longer online, I talked about why I created this block:

"Chai Noon" came about after I glanced at ImaginAsian Radio's program lineup one day and noticed it consisted mostly of bhangra and Bollywood shows. Then it hit me: why aren't any of the film music radio stations on the Web streaming any Bollywood music shows or blocks like ImaginAsian and the desi radio stations do? And why didn't I have a Bollywood block on my station's lineup?

It was something I felt my station needed, even though I'm no expert on Bollywood soundtracks, and I've never sat through an entire Bollywood musical. (I wish DirecTV carried AZN Television, which my older brother is able to receive, thanks to his Berkeley cable company. When I was at my bruh's place one time, I caught an AZN broadcast of Fiza. I wasn't able to watch the whole flick, but the parts I saw were interesting. Only in Bollywood could you have song-and-dance numbers during a politically charged drama about terrorism.)

That Asha Bhosle song that's better known to your 15-year-old sister as the Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Phunk with My Heart" will be on the "Chai Noon" playlist. That Hindi tune that got Smithers shakin' at the end of a recent Simpsons ep will be there too (it's from Johny Mera Naam). And of course, I didn't forget "Chaiya Chaiya" from both Dil Se and Inside Man.

FEBRUARY 27, 2010 UPDATE: "Chai Noon" also airs Wednesday at noon and early Thursday at 4am.

JANUARY 1, 2011 UPDATE: "New Cue Revue"

This hour-long block streams selections from new releases (or albums that aren't exactly new but are new to the "Assorted Fistful" "AFOS Prime" playlist). It airs Wednesdays at 10-11am and 4-5pm and Fridays at 11am-noon.

JANUARY 1, 2011 UPDATE: "The F Zone" "Rock Box"

Existing songs from movies and shows like GoodFellas, The Wire, The Boondocks, Better Luck Tomorrow and Pineapple Express are streamed during this daytime shuffle-mode block that's in the style of "Chai Noon" and "Soda and Pie." It airs Mondays at 4am, 9am and 3pm, Wednesdays at noon and Fridays at 5am, 9am and 3pm.

Funky Cops: Jimmy J. Aquino's Lacuna Matata, Part 5

"Lacuna Matata" concludes--for now--with another recollection of a show barely anybody remembers.

This time, the subject of this "Lacuna Matata" installment isn't exactly a classic or a buried treasure worth digging for. Remember this curio from a few years ago?

Funky Cops was a bawdy, Austin Powers-style French cartoon show about a pair of disco-dancing '70s San Francisco cops with scary-looking Jay Leno chins that I caught a few times on Fox's Saturday morning schedule in 2003. It was apparently big in France, and it spawned two volumes of not-so-bad original music from the show. The Brand New Heavies-esque tunes are easily the best part of Funky Cops.

I can't say I liked Funky Cops. For the disco sequences--I think each Funky Cops episode was 80 percent disco sequences, 20 percent cop show stuff--the animators took CGI animations of the cops' dance moves and rotoscoped them, and the cels and robotic character movements in those sequences looked rather creepy and ugly (most rotoscoped cartoons look terrible, and Funky Cops was no exception). Also, the show was very French, like how The Fifth Element is a very French sci-fi movie.

One of the reasons why I checked out Funky Cops was because I wanted to see what San Francisco looks like to French animators. The show's constant shots of cars leaping over hills indicated that the Frenchmen did their homework by watching the Bullitt car chase--and that's about it. Aside from the hills and the glimpses of Chinatown, the Transamerica Pyramid and the Golden Gate Bridge, Sucka Free looked more like the nondescript city where Penny took care of her mentally challenged Uncle Gadget than the Sucka Free I know.

Another thing that made Funky Cops an interesting curio was its bawdiness, which showed how much Saturday morning network TV standards had loosened since the days when Rev. Donald Wildmon's theory about Mighty Mouse being a cokehead forced Ralph Bakshi to trim some footage from Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures. The standards changed probably because animated Saturday morning TV was slowly dying and nobody gave a shit anymore.

Funky Cops' sexualized character designs were clearly inspired by Austin Powers. The show's creators, Christophe and Benoit Di Sabatino, even ripped off the white Funky Cop's thatch of chest hair from Austin. The bawdiness was one of several elements FPS Magazine contributor Terrence Briggs criticized on the rec.arts.animation newsgroup:

The character designs are grotesque, featuring overly sculpted arms, huge chins, and triangular female breasts (of which you'll see plenty on this show). The Elvis lookalike has a grin that takes up most of his face. The black dude, on the other hand, has no lips and rarely shows his teeth, while his chin and Afro duke it out for ownership of his head. Their black supervisor has HUGE lips...

The musical score pays homage to far better R&B from the era. Unfortunately, the lyrics and vocal performances are embarassing, and they're always used over the silent scenes. The theme song, however, is catchy and well-produced...

And the writing doesn't save the day. Scripts often feature lame comedy (bad singing, ironic sentiments about how awesome and timeless disco is, slacking on the job) and tired plot devices (Could the episodic female dancer who has stolen Ace's heart be the episodic jewel thief?).

Funky Cops made me think I could create a funnier '70s cop show spoof than the Di Sabatino brothers' animated series, so in 2003, I tried to write a comedic screenplay called Timegroove, about a present-day Filipino American cop who gets sent back in time to 1977. I typed up a complete treatment, a full list of '70s tracks I wanted to use (like "Skin Tight" by Ohio Players and "In the City" by the Jam) and a screenplay that only went as far as 11 pages. Except for a cameo I wrote for legendary, now-retired KTVU anchorman Dennis Richmond and a gag involving an argument about who sang "Back Stabbers" that escalates into a fistfight, my unfinished Timegroove screenplay isn't very good. Three years later, BBC's Life on Mars premiered and was such a clever '70s cop show homage that I decided the world didn't need another one.

AFOS: "Superhero Worship" playlist

Airing today at 10am and 3pm Pacific on the Fistful of Soundtracks channel is one of my most well-received episodes of A Fistful of Soundtracks: The Series, "Superhero Worship" (WEB54) from November 2004. Last week, I was looking for some older eps to stream in the Wednesday "Classic AFOS" time slot and noticed I hadn't streamed WEB54 in a while. I played back some of WEB54 on GoldWave and thought, "Hmm, unlike most of the eps I did in 2004 and 2005, this ep isn't so bad," so that's what I'll be streaming in this week's "Classic AFOS" slot.

1. John Williams, "Prelude and Main Title March," Superman: The Movie, Warner Archives/Rhino
2. Michael Giacchino, "The Glory Days," The Incredibles, Walt Disney
3. Bob Harris, "The Amazing Spider-Man," Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits Vol. 4: Defenders of Justice, TVT
4. Danny Elfman, "Spider-Man 2 Main Title," Spider-Man 2: Original Motion Picture Score, Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax
5. John Ottman, "Suite from X2," X2, Superb/Trauma
6. Shirley Walker, "Main Title," Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Reprise
7. Puffy AmiYumi, "Teen Titans Theme," Nice, Bar/None
8. Michael Giacchino, "Saving Metroville," The Incredibles, Walt Disney
9. Joey Scarbury, "Theme from Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)," Fahrenheit 9/11, Warner Bros./Rhino
10. Danny Saber & Marco Beltrami, "Blade II (Main Title)," Blade II: Original Motion Picture Score, Varèse Sarabande
11. 702, "Pootie Tangin'," Pootie Tang, Hollywood
12. Al Hirt, "Green Hornet," Kill Bill Vol. 1, A Band Apart/Maverick/WMG Soundtracks
13. Danny Elfman, "Theme" (from The Flash), Music for a Darkened Theatre: Film & Television Music--Volume Two, MCA Soundtrax
14. Nerf Herder, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme"
15. Thomas Chase, Steve Rucker and James L. Venable, "The Powerpuff Girls," Toon Tunes: Action-Packed Anthems, Rhino
16. Doug Katsaros, "The Tick," Toon Tunes: Action-Packed Anthems, Rhino
17. Michael Giacchino, "The Incredits," The Incredibles, Walt Disney

Film and TV music journalist Jon Burlingame recently did a nice L.A. Times profile on Giacchino, who's had a busy year so far (Star Trek, Up, Land of the Lost Box Office Receipts). From my archives, here's some feedback about the Giacchino-heavy "Superhero Worship":

"Hi! This isn't to request any music ( well, actually, I do have something I would like to hear) but to tell you what a pleasant surprise you gave me.... I saw The Incredibles a few weeks ago ( loved it) and I was bowled over by the cue that accompanies the scene where Mr. Incredible uncovers Syndrome's plan and then is captured... I loved how Giacchino did a great John Barry without being a parody. I bought the soundtrack and I have been wearing out that cue, plus others...so it was really nice, after listening to it at least 10 times last night, to come in this morning and hear it on your show! Thanks! It's always cooler when someone else plays it...."
--Kevin Greene, New Jersey, December 6, 2004

"I LOVE THIS EPISODE! Oh man, I had goosebumps most of the time and I think I teared up during some of the themes. I am totally geeking out over the whole thing. What wonderful scores! Ah! I can't get over how COOL this new episode is!

I was thinking about eventually requesting the theme that's played during the credits of The Incredibles, but now I have my fix, so nevermind! Yay!

Thank you again for the work you put into Fistful... it's such a wonderful station to listen to while working."
--Ginger Ludden, Indianapolis, December 6, 2004

"I must say, the recent Fistful ep, Superhero Worship, is my favorite one to date."
--www.psychoandy.com, Scottsdale, Arizona, February 28, 2005

Here are mentions of "Superhero Worship" on other people's sites:

"I was listening to A Fistful of Soundtrack at work the other day, and Jim Aquino had put together a show all about superhero themes. Ranging from good (Superman title) to awful (60's Batman theme). Which got me to thinking how completely great some of these themes are."
--"The Take Out Bandit," NeoGAF Forum, July 2, 2005

"So, as far as superhero costume designs go, they don't get much simpler than the outfit worn by the X-Men's Cyclops, in the late 1960's and 1970's. Cyke had pretty much straight blue spandex, with yellow trunks, gloves, and cuffed boots, that plastic, yellow visor with a red lens, and a red belt, with a yellow-and-black 'X' logo design. His mouth and nose were visible, while the rest of his head was covered in the blue spandex, making his cranium look like a penis with glasses.

Credit for the 'penis' joke goes to Jimmy Aquino, at http://jim.aquino.com"
--www.psychoandy.com, "Action Figure Customizing 101," 2005

Repeats of A Fistful of Soundtracks: The Series air Wednesdays at 10am and 3pm.

Billy Nguyen, Private Eye: Jimmy J. Aquino's Lacuna Matata, Part 4

The previous installments of "Lacuna Matata" have been about TV shows only I and maybe you remember. In this penultimate installment, I'm shifting gears and focusing on an obscure comic book I wish I bought when I had the chance.

Nineteen years ago, Comic Shop News touted the first issue of an offbeat Caliber Press series called Billy Nguyen, Private Eye, written by John Hartman and starring a Seattle-based Vietnamese gumshoe who, for some reason, was drawn with a Sub-Mariner-like face by artist Stan Shaw. The Namor resemblance was one of many in-jokes in a satirical P.I. title that broke the fourth wall Moonlighting style and had Nguyen acknowledge he was a character in a comic.

CSN's stills from Billy Nguyen looked interesting, but what was especially cool about the comic was that for once, the hero, even with the Namor hairdo and pointy ears, looked like many of the folks from my predominantly Vietnamese part of town. That's something you didn't--and still don't--see everyday.

So what do I do when I strut into the comic shop and leaf through a copy of the first issue of the first comic with an Asian American hero I ever came across?

Stupid me who at the time wasn't used to comics that didn't involve superheroes, Star Trek or Dick Tracy skims through Billy Nguyen #1, thinks, "This comic's too weird," and then closes it and puts it down.

I now regret putting that comic back in its rack. I don't even remember what I bought instead. It was probably some lame comic based on The Adventures of Ford Fairlane or Doogie Howser or something.

Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

Billy Nguyen never took off and faded into obscurity (it's so obscure the Thrilling Detective entry about the character isn't even sure how long the Caliber incarnation lasted: "2 issues?"). Meanwhile, I grow up to become an angry Asian man, develop an Asian American consciousness and decide that one of my major goals in life is to create a tough, assertive and humorous Asian American hero like Nguyen, whether it'd be for comics, TV or film, so that I can help diminish the stench left by white writers(*) and their stereotypical creations, like that corny and effete assclown Charlie Chan. When Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology chose me to develop a new Asian American hero, I couldn't believe one of my goals was becoming a reality.

(*) Not all of them are clueless about the Asian American experience. The two most relatable Asian American male characters on the big screen in years, Harold and Kumar, were created by Jewish guys--Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.

Once in a while, someone puts out a comic about a detective or cop of color like Angeltown or Gun Fu. Every time such a comic drops, I try not to pass up the opportunity to buy and support it, after I stupidly rejected Billy Nguyen #1 when I was a kid.

This post is essentially a plea for someone, anyone, to revive this character. There aren't enough Asian American protagonists in the detective genre. Does Hartman still own the rights to Nguyen? Because if nobody wants to try to revive him, then maybe I should do it.

The Warriors by Tom Whalen: He'll shove his pencil up your ass and turn you into a Popsicle

Graphic designer Tom Whalen created a nifty alternate poster for The Warriors, one of my favorite flicks from the '70s (it's hard to believe its badass synthesizer score, which every hip-hop DJ or cratedigger will tell you has got breaks galore, was written by the same composer who was involved with the not-so-Warriors-like "Nadia's Theme"):

The Warriors' controversial, poorly received original poster was a menacing-looking portrait of all the gangs from the film. Moviegoers wouldn't be this frightened by a one-sheet again until 2007, when a shirtless, Jim Morrison-spoofing John C. Reilly scared away 90 percent of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story's target audience.

Here's another Whalen-designed alternate poster I like:

I think Whalen's poster is creepier than the official Shining poster designed by the legendary Saul Bass in 1980. Somewhere, a Bass fan who's following me on Twitter will read this and proceed to unfollow me.