Baby, it's foggy in Osaka tonight.

If you'll look out this window to your left, you'll notice a super-swanky sidebar full of garish Google gadgets and fun virtual toys. One of them lists some of my favorite eardrum-twisting, nerve-buzzing musics. But there's a lot of media out there, so let's see if we can't join forces to scare up some suggestions for the freakiest songs, bands, movies, cartoons, writers, artists, and so forth.

Just a few quick thoughts on the Osaka noise monster known as the Boredoms or the V(oo)doms, with the (oo) standing for the symbol for infinity.

With a perpetually rotating lineup of surreal miscreants and a catalogue of songs touching (obliquely) upon sex, drugs, and galaxies, the Boredoms formed when I was just four and continue to tour and record to this day, over twenty years later; they have continually evolved while retaining their unique identity. Their songs are diverse, texturally rich, and complex without being impenetrable; careful and repeated listening reveals layers of cultural influence, stylistic variation, and subtle interconnectedness. Schizophrenic, sometimes difficult to listen to, unapologetic and weirdly arresting, listening to the Boredoms is both unsettling and incredibly rewarding. Fun, even. Maybe that's why they've been so influential to experimental musicians worldwide, setting the gold standard for ultra-kooky inventiveness. This group gets the highest possible marks from me in originality, smarts, and sheer guts. Great to listen to, sober or otherwise.

Super Go, Boredoms!!!!!