First Transmission (1982)

From what I've researched (non-extensively...) as to the back story of "First Transmission" - there was an experimental post-punk band from the '80s, fronted by an occultist tranny, named Genesis P-Orridge. The band started a cult-like network called 'Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth' that was apparently into black magic and rituals centered heavily around S&M. "First Transmission" is a series of four videos - clocking in at about 4-hours of footage, total, that the band put out, that was meant to "express" (I guess) what their organization (cult...) is all about. I could be "off", though.

The first thing we get is a 'spokesman' giving a long-winded spiel that doesn't seem to mean a whole helluva lot. Something about "truth" and the benefits of cumming. From here, we launch into "Ritual of Psychick Youth" - a prolonged sequence of a bound guy being initiated, with whippings and having symbols cut into his flesh. He's eventually pissed on and has blood pumped into his ass through a tube. This footage is all definitely genuine and incorporates some 'artsy' cut-aways and close-ups to spruce it up a bit, although they don't make this any less long and repetitive. That said, it's still pretty fucked up...

Which brings us to "part 2", which starts off on a dull note. A guy is going around filming random people around San Diego (or somewhere else around California...). We then cut to some teenage boys passed out in a motel room. Then more filming people. Shit starts getting interesting when a young looking boy has some kind of electro-shock gadget surgically inserted into his arm before being zapped until he cums. Then more filming random people before another kid has his arm cut up and some some weird, perverted looking shit with the gadget happens before he leaves. Another kid is operated on in the motel room before the coup de grâce - the first kid we saw getting electrocuted has his penis removed. Honestly, I have no idea what the hell was going on throughout this footage due to the total lack of audio other than the faint sound of TV news and Mexican music, but it's some seriously shady, fucked up and all-too REAL shit from the looks of it.

Next we get what is mostly just Jim Jones footage/audio. Toward the end of this section is a tacked on short "artsy" piece showing a woman sitting on a toilet, trimming her pubes. She then puts a bigass centipede-type insect on her vag. Then we see a guy cutting a hole into his dick...

The final segment is easily the most boring. There's an interview with two of the members of Psychic TV talking about TTOPY - then starts the film, "Psychoporn". Sounds good, but it's just various colored blobs moving around that at times resemble people having sex. This goes on for a LOOONG time.

Obviously, as a whole, this thing is way too long and boring with too many failed attempts and being 'artistic', but, however, the first two pieces of footage are definitely some disturbing stuff. Namely, the second one by a long shot! I'm not really sure what else to say on this weird comp. Fans of "extreme" material may be interested in "Ritual of Psychick Youth" and the bizarre dick-removal stuff. The rest is pretty much overly long nothingness.