Don’t take this title at face value; it’s more complex than it reads. It’s all about alcoholism and hiding your bullshit, a facet that Jim Thirlwell has struggled with for years and, obviously, hasn’t been shy about.
A friend of mine interviewed him way back in the 90s and stated: “I’ve never seen someone drink so much Jagermeister.” Given the time period, that’s saying something.
Obviously, Thirlwell is still alive, so he’s doing — if not well, then surviving — but it’s an evocative song.
If you consume any modern media, you’ve probably heard Jim Thirlwell’s work, even if you don’t recognize the name. He does a litany of orchestrations, most notably for THE VENTURE BROS. [R.I.P.]
He’s best known for a cacophony of minor chords, idiosyncratic programming, brassy elements, and emotional lyricism.
He has an amazingly rich and inventive back-catalog that extends back several decades and has consistently impressed and influenced me over the years.
I could spend an entire year writing about his works, but instead I’m cherry-picking from a handful of select albums.
I’ll note that I’ll indulge Thirlwell’s love of four-character verbs, even if that means dropping a few vowels and swapping in nouns.
There are a lot of memorable moments in Tarantino’s KILL BILL, but the most memorable for me is:
“Wiggle your big toe.”
Yes. I know Tarantino definitely has a foot fetish and isn’t necessarily the greatest dude. No shit. It’s not subtle. Also, I realize it’s probably a riff on a film I’m unaware of — I can’t watch ’em all, folks!
However, I love that he features a grounding technique so prevalently in an action film, and it’s something I think about constantly, despite definitely not having a foot fetish. (No shame in that as long as there is consent and understanding: I’m just stating!)
“Wiggle your big toe.”
Some days I just feel mentally incapacitated. I can barely summon the strength to even move in bed, much less get out of bed.
“Wiggle your big toe.”
Thinking of The Bride motivating herself stupidly helps. That struggle, the pain she’s gone through, the trauma. I can’t help but to relate to it, even if I haven’t lived through that exact sort of pain.
“Wiggle your big toe.”
All you need to do is convince yourself to commit to one small act, and then another, and another, and before you know it, you’re presenting as a functional adult for as long as you need to.
“Wiggle your big toe.”
I realize I’ve been spending a lot of time — perhaps too much time — writing about media as therapeutic means and I don’t love that about myself, but it really fucking helps; to watch, to realize what is a salve, a personal balm.
This is a brilliant revisiting of a classic. It feels so crisp, so clean, so re-invented but also familiar! I can’t get enough of it, and I’m frankly surprised it exists, because JUNO REACTOR has provided so many brilliant “Pistolero” mixes already! But who am I to turn down a bit more self-indulgence?! Electro is all about its hedonism.
This might as well be called the “Coachella remix”. It’s all about hedonism, self-promotion, the worst parts of club culture, exploitation of others, and patched together by stock footage. It’s basically THE WHITE LOTUS: the music video — without repercussions, however, so many reverberations — but damn, it still bangs. Maybe listen to it while viewing other browser tabs.
Gotta admit: I absolutely love the person throwing fingers in a NASA outfit.
I have mentioned this in the past, but my body is stupidly physical. “I want to be thrown around.”
It’s hedonistic and I’m not proud of it but that’s what fucking techno is all about and this remix is the most physical of all of them. The beats just surround you and you succumb to them.
Oddly, I didn’t discover this mix until recently, but this fucking remix rips.
My wife and I danced to this mix at our wedding. There’s something about the length that gives one abandon, freedom to physically enact, which to me is totally what “Pistolero” encapsulates, and we absolutely wanted that.
It helps that it hits every fucking sense in my body. I just want to dance and feel the beats cascade over me and smile, which is what JUNO REACTOR is absolutely perfect at providing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it one more time: every version of this song makes me glow.
If you took one glance at me, you’d probably assume I’m a seasoned drug pro, and I wouldn’t blame you. Over the years I’ve repeatedly been been asked by absolute strangers: “Hey, you holding?” Even if I cut my hair and wore a polo shirt, I’d still read that way — just something about my brunette locks, wide-eyes and brows and slouch — but no. I didn’t imbibe until a few years ago and I still keep it legal and mostly solo. Friends legitimately teased me about it when they found out how naïve I was about all of it, and rightly so!
I do not routinely get high apart from late-night use — the edibles I use are perfect for an insomniac like me! — because I’m hyper-sensitive and it earnestly and honestly helps to sedate me, and that’s all I want.
However, I goddamn love a good body-high and know how to rock it and electro/trance matches exactly what I want right before getting a good night’s sleep, and this remix via PsyTrance artist ASTRIX hits all of the right notes while accentuating the positive attributes of “Pistolero”. It’s an extremely intense remix of the original that I only recently discovered, but has become a treasured track in my playlist.
The original version of JUNO REACTOR’s “Pistolero” is all about its beat and escalation and the punctuational gunshots and guitar, and I can’t help but fucking glow when I hear it. It’s concise, biting, and brilliant.
![FOETUS – [CHRT]](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/foetus-inc.jpg)
![FOTEUS – [INTR]](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/foetus-intr.jpeg)
![JUNO REACTOR – “Pistolero” [Mr. Black] (2013)](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/juno-reactor-mr-black.jpg)
![JUNO REACTOR – “Pistolero” [Sub6] (2012)](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/juno-reactor-pistolero-sub6.jpg)
![JUNO REACTOR – “Pistolero” [JUNO REACTOR Remix]](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/juno-reactor-pistolero-remix.jpg)
![JUNO REACTOR – “Pistolero” [ASTRIX] (2014)](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/juno-reactor-pistolero-astra.jpg)
