Tape Land 183 – Hemisinister Review from OsoaWeek (1994–2002) [released 4/27/25]
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3:30:55 – Welcome to Tape Land! On each episode, I’ll present the audio of a cassette tape or historic material from my personal archives.
Hemisinister Review from OsoaWeek, by Frank Edward Nora, 1994–2002, recorded 4/26/25
Before Onsug Radio, my main creative outlet was OsoaWeek, “the weekly ezine of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement (Osoa)”, which I published online from 1994 to 2003. It contained numerous features, one of which, Hemisinister Review, presented reviews of a wide variety of things.
While much of OsoaWeek is a puzzling, self-indulgent mess, I always thought the reviews were a great snapshop of those times. I’ve been meaning to collect them and read them in audio for quite some time. Finally, yesterday, on a rainy Saturday, I had the time and inclination, and I sat on the porch in the rain and read all of Hemisinister Review, in what I thought of as a “90s voice”.
It took much longer than I thought – over 3 and a half hours. But it was a cool romp through the mind of a much-younger me. There are a lot of points of view and perspectives that I no longer agree with in my older form, but overall, it was quite amusing and informative.
– Frank Edward Nora, 4/27/25
Notes: 7/28/94, Movies (Sirens, True Lies, The Lion King, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Surviving The Game, Forrest Gump, Backbeat, The Crow, Baby’s Day Out, Clean Slate, The Flintstones, Thumbelina), Pens, Etc. (Crayola’s 16 New Colors Of 1993), 8/4/94, Movies (The Mask), Odd League Teams (World League Football), 8/11/94, Beverages (Fruitopia), Hot Pepper (Tabasco Sauce, Durkee Cayenne Pepper, McCormick Hot Shot, Taco Bell Hot Sauce, Jalapeno Tabasco Sauce), Cable (Absolutely Fabulous–Comedy Central, Queens–Lifetime, Howard Stern–E!, Newsweasels–E!, Instant Justice–CourtTV), 8/18/94, Beverages (Zima), Snacks (Vlasic Pickles To Go!), Elements (Yttrium, Ytterbium, Radium, Gold, Bismuth, Thulium, Astatine), 8/25/94, Snacks (Ken & Robert’s Truly Amazing Veggie Pockets, Original Flavor Corn Nuts, Pop-Secret Pop Chips), 9/1/94, Movies (Natural Born Killers, Barcelona), 9/8/94, Good CD’s (Rush–A Show Of Hands (1989), The Alan Parsons Project–Vulture Culture (1984), Nirvana–Nevermind (1991), The Art Of Noise–In Visible Silence (1988), Pixies–Doolittle (1989), Sweet–Desolation Boulevard (1975), The Prodigy–Experience (1992), The Fixx–Phantoms (1984)), 9/15/94, Human Emotions (Pride, Pity, Fear, Loneliness), 9/22/94, Walt Disney World (Pleasure Island, Blizzard Beach, Disney Boardwalk, Wonders of Life, Splash Mountain, Norway, International Gateway, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Tomorrowland, Hall of Presidents, All-Star Sports Resort, Mickey’s Starland, Disney-MGM Studios, Primeval World?, The Land, Innoventions, Monorail System, Contemporary Hotel), 9/29/94, Movies (Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, The Player, Trespass, Cool World, Aladdin, Night On Earth, Timecop, Dracula, Batman Returns, Toys), 10/6/94, Movies (Ed Wood, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Sneakers), 10/13/94, MTV (Unleded, Liz Phair–Supernova, Stone Temple Pilots–Interstate Love Song, Kennedy), Comic Books (Generation X, Magic: The Gathering), 10/20/94, Movies (Logan’s Run, Pulp Fiction), 10/27/94, TV (Xuxa, FX, Newsweasels, Candid Camera, The Tonight Show, Zima Commercials, T2, W.I.L.D.Cats, The Tick), 11/3/94, TV (Cybermania ’94), Movies (Clerks, Stargate), CDs (Andy William’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2, Killing Joke–Pandemonium, DGC Rarities Vol. 1, The Dambuilders–Encendedor, The Rugburns–Morning Wood), 11/10/94, Trends (Vampires, Anti-Barney, Fantasy), Magazines (Previews, Entertainment Weekly, Wired, Newsweek, Details, EGM2), 11/17/94, Mall of America (Pogs, Knott’s Camp Snoopy, Starbase Omega, Video Games, Lego Imagination Center, Junk Yard, Tekno-Comix, America’s Original Sports Bar, Rainforest Cafe, Barebones, Hologram Fantastic, Starlog, Scientific Revolution), 11/24/94, Grab Bag (Lentils, Moonies at Taco Bell, Hurricane Gordon, Get Ready For This, World Financial Center Bookstore Guy), 12/1/94, Movies (Star Trek: Generations), 12/8/94, Movies (Disclosure, Gone With The Wind, The Client), 12/15/94, Movies (Dumb And Dumber), 12/22/94, Theater (A Christmas Carol (A New Musical at The Paramount at Madison Square Garden)), 12/29/94, Good CD’s (Donald Fagan–Kamakiriad (1993), Deep Purple–Made In Japan (1973), Beck–Mellow Gold (1994), The Breeders–Last Splash (1993), Kitaro–Kojiki (1990), The Glenn Miller Orchestra–In The Digital Mood (1983), Duran Duran–Decade (1989), Robert Plant–Fate of Nations (1993)), 1/5/95, CD’s (The Clash * The Clash (1977?), Walter Becker * 11 Tracks Of Whack (1994), Garth Brooks * The Hits (1994), The Beach Boys * Pet Sounds (1966)), 1/12/95, TV (Star Trek Voyager * 2-Hour Premiere), Movies (Speed, Singles), 1/19/95, Super Nintendo Cartridges (Stunt Race FX, Uniracers, Super Pinball–Behind The Mask, Super Street Fighter 2, Donkey Kong Country, Tetris 2, Mortal Kombat 2), Movies (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Quintet (1979)), 1/26/95, TV (Super Bowl 29, Star Trek Voyager–2nd & 3rd Episodes), 2/2/95, Grab Bag (Time Warner Logo, Essential Clarity Inhaler, Images–A Book By David Lynch, Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Herb Tea, Jergens Refreshing Body Shampoo, Bingo, CMJ New Music Monthly, Star Trek Voyager * Episode Four), 2/9/95, TV (Daisy Head Mayzie (A TNT Original Production)), 2/16/95, Movies (The Brady Bunch Movie, In The Mouth Of Madness), 2/23/95, Lego Blocks (Aquanauts–Sea Sprint 9, A Lego Tarot?), 3/2/95, TV (VR.5 Episode One, VR.5 Episode Two), 3/9/95, Broadway (Defending The Caveman), Sky (Venus & Moon), 3/30/95, The Arcade (Mortal Kombat 3), CD’s (Duran Duran–Thank You), Movies (Tank Girl), 4/6/95, CD’s (Various Artists–Encomium), 4/20/95, Movies (Repo Man, French Kiss), Comestibles (Taco Bell Flavored Doritos, Life Saver Drinks), 4/27/95, TV (VR5–Season Finale (Fox), The Langoliers–Part One (ABC), The Langoliers–Part Two (ABC), 5/4/95, Movies (Die Hard With A Vengeance), TV (White Dwarf, 2-hour pilot, Fox), 5/11/95, Video Games (Sega Saturn–First Impression), TV (Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman), Consciousness (Sleep, Drunken), 5/18/95, Movies (Don Juan De Marco, Heavenly Creatures), 5/25/95, The Arcade (Cruisin’ USA, Pente Mini Golf, Raiden D/X, Daytona USA, Samurai Shodown II, Mortal Kombat III,Street Fighter The Movie), 6/1/95, TV(Primetime Live, “Michael Jackson”, 6/14/95), Movies (Batman Forever, Quick Change), 6/8/95, Movies (Pocahantas, Casper), 6/15/95, Las Vegas (Luxor Hotel & Casino), 6/22/95, Las Vegas (MGM Grand, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Grand Slam Canyon, Hard Rock Hotel), 6/29/95, Gum (Care-Free Artificially Flavored Spicy Cinnamon), Las Vegas (The Mirage, Siegfried & Roy, Treasure Island), Movies (The Indian In The Cupboard), 7/6/95, Movies (Waterworld), Videogames (Atari Jaguar System, Cybermorph, Tempest 2000, Raiden), 7/13/95, MTV (New Aeon Flux, Real World 5 (or is it 6?) in London, 20 Minutes A Day, MOMTV, A Whole Lot of Chap-Stik, Infomercials), 10/27/95, TV (Friends (NBC), Too Something (Fox), Murder One (ABC), 11/17/95, Movies (Joysticks, The Usual Suspects, Mallrats), 11/24/95, Movies (The Eiger Sanction, Toy Story, Showgirls, To Die For, Heat, Goldeneye, Ace Ventura When Nature Calls, Movie Review Recap), 1/12/96, TV (Gulliver’s Travels, NBC Miniseries, 2/5/96 and 2/5/96), 1/26/96, TV (Generation X), 4/5/96, 4/26/96, Movies (Fargo, Twelve Monkeys, The New Age, Lamerica, Clueless, Nico Icon, Broken Arrow, The Birdcage), 4/19/97 (The New Jersey Trilogy: Clerks (Review From OW015), Mallrats (Review From OW069), Chasing Amy), 5/18/99, Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, 6/8/99, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 12/29/99, Movie (Man On The Moon), 1/19/00. Here are some things I’m looking forward to: [1] Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin (March), [2] Dreamcast Game: Crazy Taxi (Feb. 1), [3] Steely Dan–Two Against Nature (Feb. 29), [4] Chrysler PT Cruiser (Spring), [5] Book: “The Amber Spyglass” by Philip Pullman (Sept. 1), 1/26/00, Movies (Fantasia 2000, American Beauty, Galaxy Quest), 2/2/00, TV (Freaks and Geeks, The Sopranos), 2/9/00, Video Games (Crazy Taxi), 2/16/00, The L. Great CD’s (L. Great CD #1, Artist: Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, CD: God Fodder, Year:1991), 3/1/00, Pens (Uni-Ball Gel Impact–Black), 6/28/00, Movie (X-Men), Music (Artist: Phish – Album: Rift), 8/3/00, Pennsylvania Show Caves And Other Attracions (Total Darkness, Woodward Cave, Penns Cave, Indian Caverns, Lincoln Caverns, Fallingwater, Laurel Caverns, West Virginia, Green Mountain Wind Farm, Coral Caverns, Hersheypark, Indian Echo Caverns, Crystal Caverns, Lost River Caverns), 8/25/02, CD of the Week (Prodigy, Music For The Jilted Generation, 1995), 9/1/02, CD of the Week (DJ Harry, String Cheese Remix Project, 2001), 9/8/02, CD of the Week (Peaches, Teaches Of Peaches, 2000), 9/15/02, CD of the Week (Porcupine Tree, In Absentia, 2002), 9/22/02, CD of the Week (Watson & Company, Catharsis Infinity, 1993), 9/29/02, CD of the Week (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Behind The Music, 2001).
License for this track: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Attribution: by Frank Edward Nora – more info at onsug.com
