Juan Manuel Fangio Punishes the World's Sins in a Saab


Ovid described dreams (oneiroi) as the thousand sons of Hypnos, the embodiment of sleep. Of the Oneiroi, Morpheus brings forth dreams of people, Phobetor of animals, and Phantasos of the natural world. He left out Peter Peter Hughes, whose new video for the song “My God is an Angry God” combines lyrics worthy of Camus set to the fantastic, improbable imagery (provided by the legendarily multitalented Davey G. Johnson) of a vengeful Juan Manuel Fangio propelling a SAAB 900 SPG across a frozen Pennsylvania landscape.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiU-CYOc7Bs[/youtube]
Hughes (also of the Mountain Goats) has embarked on an ambitious second solo album, Fangio, which he describes as a follow-up to a previous song in which he “imagined five-time Formula One World Champion and Argentine folk hero Juan Manuel Fangio piloting a SAAB 900 Turbo SPG across the Andes mountains on a covert mission to assassinate Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.” Fangio picks up the story from there, with the still-living driving legend capering about to avenge various wrongs perpetrated against the people of Latin America, again from the wheel of his trusty SAAB. Forget about a simpering rock opera wallowing in clichéd excess turned up to 11 – it’s to high-concept performance art what forced induction was to the Triumph-derived SAAB B engine.

Hughes has provided an excellent Listener’s Guide for those needing to bone up on their Fangio history before diving into the album itself. The album’s debut is imminent, so check back at the Fivetools blog for more info. And after you fall asleep tonight, be ready for your subconscious to pull on some string-backed gloves to a hypnotic Casio-driven beat and rub fenders with some oneiroi born from jets.
Images courtesy Peter Peter Hughes and Fivetools

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10 responses to “Juan Manuel Fangio Punishes the World's Sins in a Saab”

  1. engineerd Avatar

    The video is awesome. Mr. D. G. Johnson really did a great job.
    This entire concept is mindblowingly awesome.

  2. scroggzilla Avatar

    Let me be the first, and perhaps only, one to declare Davey G. Johnson the Orson Welles of The Hooniverse.

    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Did you know Orson Welles was in the original Transformers movie? Maybe if Davey had helmed the first one it wouldn't have turned into a pile of childhood-ruining crap.

      1. scroggzilla Avatar

        I look forward to Davey getting drunk and beligerent while reading copy for a frozen food spot.
        Or, as he refers to it, Wednesday.

      2. Tim Odell Avatar
        Tim Odell

        "Proceed…on your way to oblivion."
        [youtube z9xbI5a1ilk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9xbI5a1ilk youtube]

  3. RWB Avatar
    RWB

    Fuck yeah Peter Peter Hughes!
    Back in '07(?), at a Mountain Goats concert in Watkins Glen, I got an at-speed tour around the old circuit in his Miata! So far and away the best concert memory I have, and I feel confident it will never be superseded.
    Crazy timing, I was just reminiscing about that yesterday, thinking he'd be a guy with some connection to a site like this. This is great. PPH is a hell of a dude.

  4. LTDScott Avatar

    Yeah, I don't think I'm avant garde enough to fully appreciate it.

  5. BGW Avatar

    "Juan Manuel Fangio Punishes the World's Sins in a Saab"
    I'd subscribe to that newsletter. When do we pass the collection plate?

  6. Tomsk Avatar

    Any of the songs reference his sidekick Stirling Moss and his 9000 Aero?

  7. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar

    New. Desktop. Background.