Album Notes

chris arduser is a cincinnati-based songwriter and producer who has written many a tune for critically lauded comboes such as THE BEARS (which features adrian belew), PSYCHODOTS (which includes childhood friends rob fetters and bob nyswonger) and THE GRAVEBLANKETS.



CHRIS ARDUSER
The Celebrity Motorcade
(Crooked Mile)
Written and performed by Psychodots drummer/vocalist, Chris Arduser, Motorcade is a short and rather melancholic take on the early days of Hollywood and some of its misunderstood characters, such as Fatty Arbuckle in the track “Roscoe.” Arduser turns tracks about John Garfield (The Postman Always Rings Twice) and famed/hated director Erich Von Stroheim into fascinating and beautifully composed pop ballads. Arduser’s ability to turn some rather strange subject matter into such intriguing music is a real testament to his songwriting abilities. In the hands of a less talented songwriter, this album could have swung dangerously close to a Weird Al Yankovic release. The early days of Hollywood were an important period in American history, and Arduser has done them justice with his fascinating album.
-- Ian White / americanwired.com / june 1 2006



Performed, written and produced entirely by the pyschodots drummer/vocalist, Motorcade is a "concept record" revolving around characters from old Hollywood. Arduser gets into the head of comedian Fatty Arbuckle on "Roscoe," painting the tragic figure sympathetically as a victim of circumstance ("They called you Fatty/'Cause that's all they could see"), while "Remember Irving Thalberg" remembers the sacrifices of the unsung movie maven who revolutionized the role of "producer" in film. The thematic thread that runs throughout is fascinating and works incredibly well, but it wouldn't hold up without Arduser's tremendous songwriting. It never feels like he's forcing the theme into the songs (or vice versa), as "Thalberg" and cuts like "Disneywhore" and "At the Factory" are each strong enough to stand apart from the rest of the album. Other highlights include the early Who Pop of "She Might Try" and the wispy, fluid "Erich Von Stroheim." Brilliant stuff. Come for the stories, stay for the sounds. - mike breen / citybeat / may 4 2005



Arduser spins CD saluting early days of film

It's not just a CD, but a sort of filmography - in this case a salute to "the
silents" and Hollywood's groundbreaking directors and actors, especially those
under-appreciated or simply beaten down by the system.

The unusual, but wonderfully written and compelling concept album, "The
Celebrity Motorcade," is the work of veteran Cincinnati musician Chris Arduser
(The Bears, psychodots, Bluebirds, Graveblankets).

"I was slowly amassing tunes about the early filmmakers because I'm fascinated
by the '20s," Arduser said. "The silent cinema gets short shrift. It's summed
up in the image of Charlie Chaplin when there was so much else going on. I find
it endlessly fascinating. It was an out-of-control time."

Movie buffs will delight in Arduser's songs about such pioneers as Erich Von
Stronheim, Irving Thalberg, John Garfield and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, as the
CD concludes with a contemporary take on Hollywood art with "Disneywhore."

They are mostly bittersweet songs couched in Arduser's buoyant pop melodies. It
is, dare we say, a pop album that is actually educational with his take on
early Hollywood and celebrity.

The opening title cut sets the overall theme as Arduser explores that age-old
relationship between art and having to work within the system.

"I wanted to write songs that explore notions of fame and celebrity. So many of
us chase after it, myself at one point," Arduser said, remembering he had a
Nashville publishing and recording deal in the late '90s with mixed results.

rick bird / cincinnati post / may 5 2005