This piece is going to discuss Head, the only theatrical film by the famous 1960s pop group The Monkees. But, in order to do that, I need to put a little bit of the flavor and attitude of the times that led to such a colorful, wild and loose project, into proper perspective, if I may.

If the 1960s were indicative of anything, it was risk. Obviously it’s impossible to condense such a turbulent, vivid, alive decade as the 1960s into one bite-size word, but if one was challenged to do so, the word “risk” would certainly be a top contender.

We all know about the main iconic images of the 1960s in terms of that risk factor: a young president in John F. Kennedy, who came in a whirlwind election and was blown away just as fast that Dallas afternoon in November 1963, the same with his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King in 1968; Vietnam and Civil unrest, bombings and riots, globally, it seemed the 1960s were submerged in a water tank, with its inhabitants barely coming up for air.

One of the video game deals of the week over at Amazon right now is Batman: Arkham City for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 for only $35.27 each (that’s 41% off the list price of $59.99).

Note, this deal is valid only for today, Saturday, March 31, 2011, until 11:59PM PST while supplies last.

This item currently has a free one-day shipping promotion on it: Use a Discover Card to purchase this and enter promotion code DSCVRSHP to get free one-day shipping. See the Special Offers and Product Promotions section of the product page for more details.

Also, there’s currently a Buy Two Games, Get One Free sale on hundreds of select PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, and handheld titles.

Prophet #23
Written by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy
Art by Simon Roy
Colors by Richard Ballermann
Letters by Ed Brisson
Cover by Farel Dalrymple
Image Comics
Released date: March 21, 2012
Price: $2.99

I’ve been reading comics for a while and I am always on the lookout for something new, and that is exactly what I got with Prophet #23. Prophet is an insanely cool comic book series that features a warrior who wakes up in a strange future filled with wondrous creatures. His mission? To restart a bunch of satellites that will put the human race back into action. All he has to complete his mission is a knife, a floating robot translator, and a strange piece of clothing that adapts to his every need, even if that need is a new arm. The last two issues have introduced us to the world of Prophet, and with this issue, we start to see the bigger picture of what is going on in this series.

As part of Amazon’s monthly $5 MP3 album deal for March 2012, Come Dancing With The Kinks (The Best Of 1977-1986), an 18-track compilation, is on sale for only $5.

One of the key all-time British Invasion bands, The Kinks remain one of rock and rolls best. Their quirkiness, unapologetic style and influential and memorable musical pizzazz took their sounds lofty high and valley low for over five decades now. This collection, from the midpoint in their career and from when they were signed to Arista Records, contains great tracks such as “Destroyer,” “Come Dancing,” “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman,” the cynical and tongue in cheek holiday classic “Father Christmas,” and live versions of two of their best known songs, the rocking “You Really Got Me” and the ambiguous “Lola.”

Browse the main sale page to see the other 99 albums on sale for only $5 each in MP3 format through the end of March 2012.

Also, don’t forget, March Is Metal, so check out all the sales on all things metal!

With a list of collaborations over the years longer than your arm, Tony Martin has been busy making music for well over 20 years since his big break in the late ’80s. Best known as the lead singer for English heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Martin recorded five albums (The Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, TYR, Cross Purposes, and Forbidden) over his two spells with the band.

Tony and I had been in touch and, as frantically busy as he is this year, he offered to answer some questions for me. So thanks to the wonder that is email, I asked Tony things like “˜What are you working on now?’, “˜What the hell is going on with the music industry these days?’ and “˜Was Forbidden really that bad?!’

Geeks of Doom: I would like to start by asking you about the 5 projects you’re currently working on – When will we get to hear them? What are they sounding like?

Tony Martin: I have done the new Cage album of course, which is already released. I have also recorded the latest [Aldo] Giuntini album which is being produced now. I travel to Italy shortly to begin a new project and direction for me with a band called Silver Horses, a kind of blues [Led] Zeppelin thing. I have plans for a tour in 2013 and a solo album. Lots of things going on.