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Birdman Records

Wow, Birdman Records sure has put out a LOT of awesome music!   They've released tons of cool stuff from tons of cool people over the years, including scream-meister Yamatsuka Eye's project ooioo, collaborative effort Extended Organ, the Boredoms, Thee Headcoats, even The Electric Prunes!  This is a record label that just needs to be checked out.

Birdman Records on the Web: http://www.birdmanrecords.com/

 

Here is Birdman Records' top ten birdmen:

1. The Birdman: Birdman Records was not named after the Australian punk band Radio Birdman or any of the Birdmen on this list. The Birdman is a legendary character that was first seen in Berkeley in the late eighties, making birds out of the labels of beer bottles and cocktail napkins. His birds bring good luck to those who possess them. The Birdman continues to walk the Earth doling out his birds to all of the deserved and honest creatures of the planet.


2. Icarus: Son of the great Greek inventor Daedalus, this Birdman did not inherit his father’s wisdom. Father and son attempted to escape from their Cretian prison by flying, using wings Daedalus had constructed from wax and feathers. Father told son not to fly too close to the sun, for the wax holding the feathers together would melt. Paying no heed to Father’s advice, Icarus’ first flight proved fatal. He flew too high, melted his wings, and fell into the sea.


3. The Birdman Of Alcatraz aka Robert Stroud: Inmate of the infamous Alcatraz Prison, he became known after publishing essays based on his studies concerning birds. Immortalized in the Hollywood movie baring his name. He was portrayed by Burt Lancaster as a troubled but kind prisoner, which hid the truth that he really was, in reality, just a mean bastard.


4. Amelia Earhart: A self-proclaimed long-distance stunt flyer, Earhart was a pioneer in her field, flying around the world and bringing her adventures to the American public through regular newspaper articles. She was just about to finish what she called her last long-distance trip when, on July 2nd, 1937, her plane disappeared off of the coast of Howland Island. There is a great In Search Of episode dedicated to exploring what might have happened to her.


5. Hawkman aka Carter Hall: Hall was born in 1910 and soon discovered that he was the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince named Khufu. Soon after, he found his reincarnated wife and began a life of crime fighting with her (she was appropriately named Hawkwoman). Hall invented a metal called Nth Metal, which was weightless, allowing Hall, his wife, and eventually their child to fly through the air. In the eighties, Hawkman took on his role as head of the Justice League Of America, of which he was a founding member. He presided over the Batman Diary Trials (by the way, batman could not fly - he was part bat, not part bird and therefore does not make the list).


6. Charles Lindberg: Famous flyer who was loved and hated during the course of his lifetime. He first became world-famous from his non-stop solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927. He got way too close to the Nazi’s during World War II and won a Pulitzer for his autobiography in 1954. This Nazi-loving asshole died in 1974.


7. Wilbur and Orville Wright: The Wright Brothers were the men who allowed future men and women to become future Birdmen and Birdwomen respectfully. In the early 1900’s, they invented the first flying machines known to modern man - something even Da Vinci could not pull off in his lifetime.


8. Padre Bartolomeu Lourenco: Things were pretty backwards in Portugal during the early part of the eighteenth century. But this heretical priest dedicated his life to developing wings that could propel a human into the air. His efforts are depicted in Nobel-laureate Jose Saramago’s book, Baltasar and Blimuda.


9. Charlie Parker: "The Bird" was a sax-player who changed the face of Jazz music in the mid-twentieth century. His playing soared in and out of the standard rythms and melodies of the day, creating new territories for musical improvisation and interpretation. There is a great underground movie called "It Won’t Rub Off, Baby", made in the sixties, which explores Bird’s troubled life. Clint Eastwood’s biographical film "Bird" is tasty as well.


10. The Birdman aka Ray Randall: This super-hero was the title character of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon in 1967. Endowed with power from the Egyptian sun god Ra, ordinary human Ray Randall became the super-powered Birdman, fighting crime and bringing "the light of justice" to the world. In his Birdman identity, Ray could fly (with attached baby blue wings), fire "solar rays" from his fists, and defend himself with a solar shield.