Save on FUNKY BOLLYWOOD and make out like a bandit!

As part of their March blow out, FAB Press is offering my book Funky Bollywood for the low, low price of £6.00. That's about 7.50 U.S.--less than a third of the cover price (though keep in mind that that price does not include shipping from the UK.) To buy it, go here. But act fast; there is only so much funk to go around.

See you in Austin?

First thing Thursday morning, Mrs. 4Dk and I will be jetting off to Austin for this year's Fantastic Fest, where I will be spreading the gospel of Funky Bollywood and mingling with other world genre cinema obsessives. Of course, we'll also be catching some films. Those we most hotly anticipate are Park Chan-Wook's latest, The Handmaiden, the Thai Krasue comedy The Dwarves Must be Crazy, 1971 exploitation oddity The Zodiac Killer, Korean spy thriller Age of Shadows, and Fraud, a meta-mystery cobbled together from random YouTube clips. Oh, and I am just dying to catch the blisteringly insane Telugu action film Magadheera on the big screen.

Between screenings I will probably be wandering the Alamo Drafthouse complex in a dazed stupor. If you see me, please grab me and point me in the direction of the bathroom, the snack bar, or the nurse's station as circumstances dictate. Oh, and also say "howdy". I look like one of these three people:

Fantastic Fest goes Funky Bollywood!

As you may know, Fantastic Fest, which is just about a week away, is adopting a Bollywood theme this year. I am thrilled to announce that, in keeping with that theme, they will be holding a contest to give away five copies of my book Funky Bollywood. The lucky winners who are at the festival will also get to have their books signed, most likely by me. Yes, I'll be there, so come and say hi! I look like this:

See the contest details here.

4DK's Year in Review

Any hypothetical person who tried to keep track of all of this blog's various offshoots and adjunct projects could be forgiven for suffering a kind of 4DK fatigue. That is why I have decided to give you a handy rundown of this year's highlights. Here's hoping that I have, by this effort, at least slowed the process of you becoming a glassy eyed automaton that hates me.

FUNKY BOLLYWOOD: For me, the highlight of 2015 was the publication of my book Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema, which was released by England's venerable FAB Press on March 15th. Sales of the book were healthy and the reviews positive, but for me the best part of being a published author was the in-store events at which I was able to meet readers, answer their questions and hear their comments. The Q & A sessions at these events were lively to say the least, and I probably ended up learning as much or more from them than the audience did. This is as true for the book launch at San Francisco's Lost Weekend Video as it was for my signing at Folio Books. But my favorite event by far was the one held at the Digital Gym Cinema in San Diego, the recording of which was released as an episode of interviewer Miguel Rodriguez's Horrible Imaginings podcast. (The less said about my talk at the SF Public Library, the better.)

POP OFFENSIVE: In 2015, Pop Offensive, a show that had originated as something of a lark, entered its second year of regular monthly episodes--and with that accumulated experience came the confidence to mess with the format a little. This resulted in theme episodes like our characteristically effervescent tributes to girl groups and Bollywood, as well as a Halloween episode that managed the unlikely juxtaposition of songs by Johnny Cash, Throbbing Gristle, and Kylie Minogue. 2015 was also the year that Pop Offensive transitioned from being an internet radio show only and hit the airwaves proper. Of course, this was a boon only to people living within a stone's throw of Oakland's Lake Merritt, who can now, thanks to our mighty 100 watt signal, listen to the show on KGPC, 96.9 FM.

THE 4DK MONTHLY MOVIE SHOUT DOWN: This 4DK sponsored movie Tweet-along continued to be a source of rigorously pointless amusement in 2015, with highlights that included two installments each from the Starman and Kommisar X franchises, as well as the Filmark produced robo-wreck Devil's Dynamite. As in 2014, @lowdudgeon, @avantgardea and @culturalgutter continued to be MVPs, displaying unfailing wit in the face of even the most dispiriting cinematic washouts.

TAIWAN NOIR: The best thing about co-hosting the Taiwan Noir podcast is that its host, Podcast on Fire's Ken Brorsson, has such a clear vision of where he wants the show to go--and such a sure hand in guiding it there--that I feel like all I have to do is show up and shoot the shit. Given the easy repartee that Ken and I have developed over the course of twelve episodes, that is something that is very easy and fun to do. Some of our most enjoyable episodes this year have been love fests in which we showered praise upon some of our favorites--which, of course, included crazy, effects-driven fantasy films like Feng Shen Bang, Taiwanese kaiju War God, and, in our most recent episode, The Child of Peach

THE INFERNAL BRAINS: Sadly, Tars Tarkas and I were only able to squeeze out two episodes of the Infernal Brains podcast this year. Happily, they were both doozies, including our "Space Ladies from Outer Space" episode--featuring guest Carol Borden of The Cultural Gutter--which is surely among our best and most popular ever.  We also gave a typically thorough going-over to Cat Beast, a squalling Pakistani monster/superhero mash-up that appears to have been edited by a garbage disposal and scored by an air raid siren. Our plan is to be more prolific in the new year, a goal which, given this year's meager showing, seems like it should be reasonably attainable.

FIGHTING FEMMES, FIENDS, AND FANATICS: Despite being out of production for just over two years, this video series continues to ratchet up viewers on its YouTube Channel and likes on its Facebook page. And it's no wonder, because it's a great series, one of my proudest accomplishments during my career as a guy talking about weird movies on the Internet.

TELEPORT CITY: After coasting on my backlog of reviews for a good while, I finally got off my butt in 2015 and contributed some new content to Teleport City, writing a review of the Australian superhero farce The Return of Captain Invincible and an overview of Egyptian popular cinema's golden age. I intend to contribute more in 2016 so that I may credibly continue to claim that I write for the best cult film website on the Internet.

4DK: I reviewed 17 films on 4DK this year. This assortment was the usual mixed bag, consisting of gems that I recommended unabashedly (Cairo Station, Having a Wild Weekend, Ana Antar, La Guerrera Vengadora 2) road apples that were only of interest as cultural oddities (the loathsome apartheid-era South African thriller Terrorist) and those that simply had to be seen to be believed (2016). Along the way, I checked in with some old friends (KSR Doss, Armando Bo and Isabel Sarli, Farid Chawki) and said goodbye to some others (Patrick Macnee). I even found time to ruminate on the role of language in film and my continuing habit of watching unsubtitled foreign movies. All the while I was thankful to have found this bizarre calling and to have appreciative readers like yourselves to make it all worthwhile.

OH, AND because I still didn't feel like I was doing quite enough, I followed my 18-year-old nephew's example and got a Band Camp account, then proceeded to make a couple of my long buried musical endeavors available online. One of them is a sort of "best of" compilation of my solo work from the aughts. The other is a frequently requested live recording of my old band B Team's final show, which took place at Wolfgang's in San Francisco in July of 1983. 1983! True, you only have my sincerest assurances that neither of these suck to go on, but, when living dangerously only costs five bucks a pop, why not just take the chance?

As for what lies ahead, as blasé as a prediction of "more of the same" might sound, it is in my case an exciting prospect. Given how much I have enjoyed all of the above activities, another year like 2015 would be welcome.

Happy holidays, everyone.

Have a fa la la la Funky Bollywood Christmas!

This Christmas you can give the Bollywood lover in your life a gift that will be a gift for me also. I'm talking, of course, about Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema, a book I wrote that is just as fresh and filled with filmi fun as it was on the day of its release back in March of this year. To refresh your memory, this is the book of which Grady Hendrix of Film Comment/Kaiju Shakedown said "reading it makes you want to fill your eyes to overflowing with all the psychedelic glories of old-school Bollywood cray-cray." Jai Arjun Singh of Open magazine said "This book is the locket fragment that helps [Stadtman] prove he is a lost-and-found sibling to us homegrown fans." Oh, and our good pal Beth over at Beth Loves Bollywood says that it is "SUPERWOW". Need I say more?

Funky Bollywood is available from all of your favorite online booksellers, and also Amazon. If your loved one is extra fancy, you can still purchase a special signed and numbered edition directly from the FAB Press website. Get it today and start planning your New Years day marathon of classic Bollywood "dishoom-dishoom!"

Today: It's all happening at the library!

What kind of man reads Funky Bollywood?

Hey, do you live in San Francisco and enjoy hanging out at the library on weekday afternoons--and not just because of the clean bathrooms, but also because of the myriad learning opportunities that present themselves? If so, boy are you in luck. Because I'm going to be at the San Francisco Public Library's main branch this very afternoon, discussing my book Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema with Arts Librarian Moazzam Sheikh, who is himself no slouch in the area of Bollywood knowledge.

This event is totally FREE and starts at 3:30 pm in the Koret Auditorium, which is located on the library's lower level. The library itself is located at 100 Larkin Street, at Grove, across Civic Center Plaza from City Hall. BEEEE THEERRREE!

Shh! Funkiness in progress.

Do you live in the San Francisco area? Well, here's an idea: why not play hooky from work on Tuesday and come down to the SF Public Library's main branch, where I will be appearing in conversation with Arts Librarian Moazzam Sheikh--no slouch on the subject of Indian cinema himself--on the topic of all things Funky Bollywood. The event will be taking place in the Koret Auditorium, which is located on the library's lower lever, and runs from 3:30 to 5:30pm.

The more highbrow among you might frown upon the notion of such a monument to literacy and learning as the SFPL hosting an event like this, but clearly the folks there recognize my book Funky Bollywood as a gateway to the classics.

Come on down. You might learn something.

Funky Bollywood: The Podcast!

Last Saturday's Funky Bollywood event at San Diego's Digital Gym Cinema was all kinds of swell. What started out as a simple Q & A session between me and my esteemed fellow MOSS-er Miguel Rodriguez quickly evolved into a lively discussion involving most of a very engaged audience, many of whom contributed interesting and informative comments of their own. If you wish you had been there, you're in luck--because Miguel has just posted the audio recording of the event as the latest episode of his Horrible Imaginings podcast (formerly known as Monster Island Resort). You can listen to it here.

This Saturday: Funky Bollywood comes to San Diego!

That's right, folks; it's time for me to take my show on the road, flacking the magical healing properties of my book Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Action Cinema from city to city until I get run out of town by an angry mob. First stop: San Diego, California, where I will be engaging in an informative chat with my good friend Miguel Rodriguez--he of the Monster Island Resort Podcast and the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival--at the Digital Gym Cinema. When is it? Why, this coming Saturday, June 13th, starting at 8pm.

In addition to some interesting talk, this event will also include a funky assortment of film clips and, of course, copies of Funky Bollywood for sale that I will be happy to sign whether you want me to or not. This is a free event, so if you live in San Diego or thereabouts, you'll need a really good excuse for not showing up. Hope to see you there.

Tonight in San Francisco: Funky Bollywood COMES ALIVE!

Here's hoping that all you Bary Area fans of 4DK and Funky Bollywood--not to mention all you globe hopping cinematic adventurers out there--will brave the stroller stampede on 24th Street to drop by my book event tonight at Folio Books. I'm very much looking forward to meeting you!

Full details can be found on the event's Facebook Page.

Funky Bollywood event in SF next week

For those of you bay area residents who missed the gala Funky Bollywood launch party last month, or who simply wanted to relive it in all it's resplendence, I have good news. I have once again been given the opportunity to ruin pristine copies of my book Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970's Action Cinema with my childlike scrawl while ranting confusingly about its contents. The event will be taking place next Thursday, May 28th, from 7 to 10pm and is being hosted by Folio Books, a fine independent bookseller located in San Francisco's Noe Valley. That's right, San Franciscans, I said Noe Valley; it would seem that even the stroller and yoga mat set needs a little Funky Bollywood in their lives.

If you're interested in going, which I sincerely hope you are, Folio Books is located at 3957 24th Street, between Sanchez and Noe Streets (right across from the Whole Foods!) According to the hosts, the night, in addition to the usual chatting and signing, will also include "drinks" and "dancing". To the drinks I say, "Yes, please." To the dancing... well, there will have to be a lot of drinks, is all I'm saying. Oh, it's also free.

The Facebook event page for "A Bollywood Celebration with Todd Stadtman" at Folio books can be found here.

Funky Bollywood: Feel the love.

Praise for Funky Bollywood continues to come in from around the globe, especially from our friends on the Subcontinent:

Over at The Hindu, Sidarth Bhatia says "This is a must-have for not just the casual browser but also the more serious student of Hindi films who is interested not just in individual movies but also, so to speak, the big picture."

And over on Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath, in addition to providing an in-depth interview with yours truly, calls the book "a rough and highly personal guide to movies from the decade that made Amitabh Bachchan a star and was spilling over with outlandish thrillers about spies, gangsters, smugglers and molls."

The armchair ironists among you have no doubt savored the bitter sweetness of all of this positive press coming from India, seeing as an Indian edition of Funky Bollywood has yet to be released. But we are still working diligently toward that end, and I dare say that we are close to making it happen. Reviews like those quoted above only make our resolve that much stronger.

Everybody doesn't dislike Funky Bollywood

A month into Funky Bollywood's release, the reviews are starting to come in... and, hey, they're all pretty darn favorable.

Over at India's Open Magazine, Jai Arjun Singh says:
"...Stadtman isn't patronizing these films. He is according them--the bulk of them, at least--the dignity of analysis. He is applying standards of criticism to works that many people (including many Indians) sometimes dismiss as being criticism- and analysis- resistant."

Over at Film Comment, Grady Hendrix, writing in his column Kaiju Shakedown, says of Funky Bollywood:
"...reading it makes you want to fill your eyes to overflowing with all the psychedelic glories of old-school Bollywood cray-cray."

Meanwhile, Temple Connoly of Cinema Chaat had this to say:
"Like a really good masala film, Funky Bollywood is wildly entertaining and you might even learn something along the way."

Trash Film Guru's Ryan says:
"Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give Funky Bollywood, though, is simply this — before I opened this book up, I hadn’t seen a single flick mentioned in it, and now I want to see them all."

I was also happy to see one of my favorite Bollywood blogs, Filmi-Contrast, smiling upon the book:
"But while Funky Bollywood is a deceptively educational book for the beginner, and certainly a refresher of familiar territory for the long-time fan, it aims to entertain first."

And finally, Ed Glaser of Neon Harbor brings it all home:
"From paisley and flares to swank pads and plush secret lairs, Funky Bollywood is an eye-popping compendium of must-see action flicks from the grooviest era of the world's most prolific movie industry."

Les sanguine, I'm afraid, have been the voices of our friends on the Indian subcontinent itself, who have cried both alone and in unison: "Hey, jerk. Why is your book, which is ABOUT Indian cinema, not available in India itself?" (some of them adding something along the lines of "Nice one, bozo" or "smooth move, Ex-lax"--you get the idea). And to them, I would like to say this: I would not have had it this way were it in my control. It is, in fact, something that grieves me on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we have yet to find an Indian publisher who is willing to take a risk on a book about Bollywood written by a non-Indian American. However, we are still trying our best to make it happen. In the meantime, I humbly ask that you take it as fact that our goal is to get Funky Bollywood into the hands of South Asian readers for a reasonable price as quickly as possible. Please bear with us.

On a lighter note, I recently put together this book trailer for Funky Bollywood, which I feel captures the feel of both the book and its subject pretty well. Feel free to share.

Pop Offensive is TONIGHT!

After the postponement of last month's Pop Offensive, one might expect tonight's long awaited episode to be one big, messy popgasm. However, as Jeff and I are men of refined tastes, our more delicate listeners can rest assured that we will be taking an occasional time out from the expected hosing to pay genteel tribute to the music of Bollywood--this, after all, being the month of my book Funky Bollywood's much anticipated release. Thus shall art, commerce, nuggets, and icky sexual references walk blissfully hand in hand, all streaming for your listening pleasure at 9thfloorradio.com starting tonight at 7pm Pacific time.

Notes from the 4DKave

Photo courtesy of Greenie McGee

Almost a years ago, I told you of a vow I made to myself not to let 4DK turn into a cancer blog. I now must make a similar vow not to let it turn into a mere publicity organ for my book (FUNKY BOLLYWOOD, now available wherever fine books are sold). It's just that, well, since the book's release last week, there's just been a lot of stuff going on.

Case in point, Tuesday night's launch event. I want to thank all of you who came. I was very pleased by the turnout and the number of you who bought books. I was also flattered by the patience it took for all of you to put up with my somewhat rambling remarks when you could have instead been watching a clip of Feroz Khan driving a station wagon through the wall of a nightclub.

Photo by Erik Auerbach

I also want to thank Kasa Indian for supplying us with delicious Indian finger food and Sweetmue for the specially prepared Indian themed desserts. And, of course, Lost Weekend Video, for generously playing host to the event. As I mentioned on Tuesday, times are hard for them--as they are for most all brick and mortar video stores these days--and your support would be greatly appreciated. If you can't provide that support by simply dropping by and renting a copy of Don, Qurbani, or Geeta Mera Naam (they have the best selection of classic Bollywood movies of any local video store I can think of), they have an Indiegogo campaign that you can contribute to.

Lastly, but vastly, I would like to thank those who traveled all the way across the country to attend the event, including my boss at Teleport City, Keith Allison, whose unannounced appearance nearly rendered me incontinent with surprise. And then, of course, there is my lifelong best bud Andrew Nahem, whose design work on Funky Bollywood is being praised almost to the exclusion of any mention of the book's written contents by most reviewers.

I'll say no more about the event other than that a good time was had by all. If you missed it, rest assured that I will be setting up other Funky Bollywood related events throughout the US and beyond as the year progresses (my next scheduled is at Folio Books, in San Francisco's Noe Valley, on May 28th). I will be announcing those here... along with, needless to say, other, non Funky Bollywood related stuff.

Book event on the horizon

Now that Funky Bollywood is finally finding its way into the hands of curious readers and the reviews are pouring in, it's time to celebrate. And that celebration, not surprisingly, will be taking place right here in San Francisco, at the Mission District's venerable Lost Weekend Video on the evening of Tuesday, March 31st. In addition to a head bopping presentation of funky film clips and tunes, I'll be on hand to sign books--which will be available for sale--and answer questions. The funky fun starts at 7:00. I hope you  can join us.

If you are, however, among the vast majority of the Earth's inhabitants who do not live in the San Francisco bay area, rest assured that I am working on other, Funky Bollywood related events both throughout the U.S. and beyond. Keep an eye on this space over the coming weeks for details.

Funky Bollywood: Buy it now!

Ok, there's been enough teasing. I first mentioned my book Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema on 4DK in early June of 2014. Now, some eight and a half months later, and after a couple of significant delays--due in part to the book going from being a self-published venture to getting picked up by England's esteemed FAB Press--Funky Bollywood's official release date has arrived. And that's today.

Granted, this whole literary darling business is new to me, and I'm still struggling to understand some of the vagaries of the publishing business. But, in our case, "release date" means that this is the date that our distributors starts shipping the book. That means that, if you were to go to your favorite brick and mortar book store today and ask for Funky Bollywood, they might not have it yet (but, hey, it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway and, besides, our favorite brick and mortar book stores could always use the attention). It also means, though, that if you were to order it from your favorite online retailer, yours would no longer be considered a "pre-order" and can be expected to arrive withing a reasonable amount of time.

Of course, if you're lucky, you might also be able to order the book directly from FAB Press and still receive one of the special signed and numbered copies that were reserved for advance orders.

From the comments I've been getting here and on social media, a lot of you are very interested in seeing what Funky Bollywood is all about. And now, once you've finally had a chance to read it, I'm very interested in hearing what you have to say about it. If you would like to weigh in with your various comments, questions, and castigations, I'd love to hear from you over at the Funky Bollywood Facebook page.

And now, here are a few places where you can buy Funky Bollywood right now:

Funky Bollywood at Amazon US

Funky Bollywood at Amazon UK

Funky Bollywood at Barnes & Noble

Funky Bollywood at Books-A-Million

Happy reading!

FUNKY BOLLYWOOD sighted in San Francisco!

For a first time author, there is no feeling on Earth--none, I tell you!--that compares to holding an actual copy of your book in your hands for the first time. This is, of course, not to slight 4DK, which has played loving home to my writing for the past several years; but I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be that much better if I could cradle 4DK in my arms and have it gaze up at me adoringly as I cooed lovingly to it. Okay, that got weird.

To those mining for a point, mine is that I yesterday received my advanced copy of Funky Bollywood and it looks amazing. All of the frantic proofing, copy editing, layout tweaking and last minute rewrites that filled the days leading up to its print date have paid off, with the result being an artifact of rare beauty, brimming with color and cheeky vitality. The little imp!

Right now, barring disaster at sea or the mischief of angry dock workers, the book is still on schedule for its March 16th release date. Until then, it can be pre-ordered from the FAB Press website, with those first to pull the trigger receiving a numbered copy signed by yours truly. Those who scoff at that as an incentive obviously have not heard of my signature's magical healing properties.

As for launch events, I will be scheduling a few around the Bay Area near the time of the book's release, so watch this space for details.

Funky Bollywood now available for pre-order

I am very pleased--hella pleased, to be exact--to announce the official release date for my book Funky Bollywood, which will be available in stores and online on Monday, March 16th. If that seems like too long to wait, please be advised that, if you are reading this (which you are), you can pre-order the book directly from the FAB Press website and receive a specially signed and numbered copy of Funky Bollywood that will be shipped to you as soon as it rolls off the presses. This means that you will not only be the first person on your block (cell or otherwise) to own a copy of Funky Bollywood, but that you will also be one of the only people on Earth to own an autographed--or, as I like to say, Todd-ographed--copy. FAB is taking orders now, so why not order your copy today? In the meantime, I will keep you posted on any launch events--be they signings, readings, burnings, or reenactments--via this blog and the official Funky Bollywood Facebook page.

An important message about my book, Funky Bollywood

About my book Funky Bollywood I have good news and bad news. Fortunately, it is only mildly bad news and very, very good news. I have just signed with the UK's FAB Press, those reputed purveyors of high quality niche cinema books, to publish and distribute Funky Bollywood throughout North America, Europe and the UK. This puts it in the company of some of the finest books on cult cinema in recent memory, such as Stephen Thrower's Nightmare USA, Jasper Sharp's Behind the Pink Curtain, and Mark Schilling's No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema, to name but a few.

Needless to say, this is an announcement I am very proud to make. With FAB's support, not only will the reach and accessibility of Funky Bollywood be greatly increased, but also its quality. The book, which I had originally planned to self publish in black and white in order to keep costs to both me and the consumer down, will now have the benefit of full color printing. This means that both Bollywood and the stunning design work of my good friend Andrew Nahem will get the lavish treatment that they so deserve. Good news, indeed.

And now for the bad: In order to give the book the treatment it deserves, in terms of both production and advance promotion, FAB has requested a delay of the release date. Thus, my original release date -- which was, um, next weekend -- has been cancelled, replaced by a date sometime in 2015 that is to be announced. To those who were looking forward to having the book in their grasp within the next week, I offer my humblest and most sincere apologies. But, as consolation, please know that, at the end of that longer wait lies a product of a much higher quality than what you would have had otherwise.

I am also sorry to be delivering this news so late. Sadly, my experience as a musician has made me cynical and loathe to shoot my mouth off about any kind of "deal" until the ink has dried. Well, now it has dried, and all you and I have to do is wait for the publication date, which I will notify you of as soon as I know. And please know that I am every bit as impatient as you are, but that I will strive mightily to keep us all distracted with all the cool stuff that I have coming up on 4DK.

And on that note, I want to thank all of you for your continued readership and support, without which I am sure I would never be in the position to deliver this thrilling -- albeit, for you, perhaps somewhat disappointing -- news. Stick with me, people! We can do this!