I get probably what you would consider the expected mailing list spam (Best Buy, Borders,Barnes & Noble) and have got on enough Democrat/Liberal mailing lists over the years. At this point, i ignore most of it, unless there is something that grabs me in the Subject Line.
Still, can I be that blasé? You get an email from sender "President Barack Obama", you hate to delete it unopened, right? Am I wrong in this?
Do we need a poll?
Poll #1496526
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
If I got an e-mail from Obama....
View Answers
I gotta open it. It may be a form letter, but he's the Prez
2 (40.0%)
I don't open Spam. Not from the President. Not from The Pope. Not even from Christopher Walken 2 (40.0%)
Al Bedsitter has lost his damn mind. One day of snow and cabin fever has already pushed him over the edge 1 (20.0%)
Right? Well, I certainly think you should at least open it.
In "free music news", Jason Lytle has posted a free EP on his website. It is improv instrumental stuff- nothing that will change anybody's lives- but some of you might like it. In any case, it's here, and it's money back guaranteed.
I love music, pop culture, and statistics. I am in. Sure, nowadays, it's mainly to complain, but what's funner than making fun of what the popular kids like. It's every bit as true now as when I was fifteen.
I still check in, even though, I pretty much know what to expect. So, when I heard a song that was just a bit different, i was curious.
Not that it was that much different. It's a generic love song with a light reggae feel - "Say, Hey, I love you".
My first guess would have been it was the Counting Crows. Like the Crows, it's a little bit better than the songs that follow it; and more accurately, it sounds like it must be from a Disney film.
Anyway, come to find out, it's Michael Franti and Spearhead.
I'm not the biggest fan of Franti's music (and this song won't change that), but I was just amazed that he was breaking through (and equally amazing that Top 40 radio would play something reggae-themed that doesn't sound like Pitbull or Sean Kingston).
Franti's a pretty interesting character so I'd as soon as see him making money off the pop masses, more than say, Miley or Taylor Swift.
It is not every day that someone who used to be on Alternative Tentacles has a big hit (sorry Alice Donut). Franti (probably best known previously for alt-hit "Television, the Drug of a Nation") is the biggest political/cultural leftie to crack the charts since probably those English anarchists, Chumbawamba.
I'm not convinced this song will make the masses go out and buy Joe Strummer or Manu Chao albums, let alone classic reggae. Still, a new audience is introduced to the production work of Sly and Robbie.
I think it's cool.
- - -
I mentioned recently that I was a big Muse fan and looking forward to the new album.
Having listened to the new Muse album, A Night at the Opera, I will say I think John Deacon's basswork is excellent, and the single "You're my Best Friend" should be primed for crossover mainstream success.
In all seriousness, it is probably a bit too early to put my review in, but, I tend to be a bit disappointed with it. There are good songs, and really no bad songs. While I give them credit to answering the critics (all your songs sound the same), I have to say I probably won't spend as much time with this as I did Black Holes and Revelations.
Even if fans will get mad, the critics are right about this. The best comment I've heard is that Matt Bellamy is the one person in rock music who wants to be Freddie Mercury.. and Brian May. He also (and this pisses fans off, but is still nevertheless true) seems to at any moment, be about to break out with "My baby's got the bends..."
Again, the lyrics are typical Muse. Hey, I am fine with that, it's just that it might not be the same for everyone.
As pointed out in multiple reviews, Bellamy's lyrics are "Us against them" end-of-the-world shouty if somewhere empty sloganeering.
You know sort of like... Oh #$%@!!!!
Well, I should have saw that coming.
- Music:Muse -The Resistance
There has always been something I found charming in Kanye's "Why is no one giving award to me?" affectation (Now, he's at least complaining why someone else didn't win. He's maturing.)
Even the Leader of the Free World called him a jackass.
It's tough to argue that. I find myself in the position of having decried Joe Wilson a week ago, and now forced to justify the heir to Little Richard's throne.
You can almost justify Kanye, mind. There doesn't seem to be any Top 40 artist that has come out in the last ten years who has consistent success that has been as talented as Kanye (sorry Jay-Z).
It also is the single best thing that could have happened to the VMA's. When is the last time you heard anyone over 18 even mention the VMA's (last year's Bruno/Eminem "stunt" included)?
I would decry the VMA picking the expected half-dozen videos (Single Ladies, 21 guns, You Made Us, Womanizer), but what's the point? MTV plays a handful of videos over and over, so why wouldn't they pick those. Do indie bands (or most established bands actually) even make videos anymore? I don't think they do.
So, no, I don't see any reason on picking on the fact that Beyonce's video (it's three girls dancing in black and white, I do remember that) and terrible accompanying song (Play faster. Play faster. PLAY FASTER!) won. For whatever reason, people seemed to like it.
No, it's easy to loathe music industry awards shows, so I should appreciate Kanye for making one this interesting.
Nor, do I feel any sympathy for Taylor Swift, who couldn't buy publicity like this. At the end of the day, she should give Kanye 10% of the proceeds off her next single.
I don't really have anything personal against Swift. She is probably a nice girl after all. Still her music is everything I loathe (as Mr Chinaski would say "obviousness")- generic by-the-numbers overproduced crap that wouldn't get near a radio station if it wasn't sung by a blond, elfin-looking 19 year old.
If I never hear "Love Story" again, it won't be too soon. Although, to be fair, I agree with her touchpoints. Scarlet Letter? Romeo and Juliet? A love affair that doesn't end in public humiliation, shame and at least a half dozen people dead isn't worth having. May I suggest, Taylor crack open a book?
Still, I suppose I shouldn't forgive Kanye for his behavior this week. It was rude and uncalled for. Even if it does turn into the greatest meme ever.
Mandatory health insurance?
It seems like the insurance companies can jack up the price and the poor will still probably not get insured (see mandatory auto insurance laws where people are required by law to purchase auto insurance, but still don't).
The biggest problem I see now are instances when people do have health insurance. They have health insurance but it has 'benefits payable' maximums, it doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, you can only go to certain doctors, etc.
I am scared. You make poor and working people pay $20, $50, $100, $200 a month for insurance. I have looked at a lot of paychecks in my time and I know what those medical insurance deductions look like, and how they can affect a person's pocketbook. Then, if you are out of work, there is COBRA, which runs about the same per person per month as a new car payment.
To me, I think the government option seems at a quick glance best. Still, I guess I am going to trust that Obama will think this through. If we heavily regulate the insurance companies, and don't give them the free reign to run roughshod like they do now, maybe we can get a system that addresses these issues.
I can't imagine we get this over any time soon, but if we can create a situation where we don't have fears of insurance 'running out when we need it most', then I think it's a good thing. Right now, I can't be convinced we have anything more than a lot of new customers for Big Insurance.
Still, I got some of what I wanted. Obama taking the opposition to task. When you are faced with unreasonable people who throw a fit over everything, do you really want to ask their two cents?
Not that I am opposed to bipartisianship, but you can't reason with people like Glenn Beck or this guy. Still like the guy who yelled "Judas" at Dylan, it is the performer, not the heckler who comes up looking good.
I would also be more forgiving if the GOP had a plan of their own. Seriously, there has to be more than one idea, and if they delivered an alternative, I am game.
Fortunately, as a liberal mark, the only GOPer who has looked good in all of this has been John McCain. Speaking for the loyal opposition, Rep Charles "Lord" Boustany made Bobby Jindal look like JFK.
Anyway, we're stuck with this conversation for awhile still. I mean it's not as important as Reality TV, but it's up there.
- Music:Al Green - Lay it Down
The newer ones among you will likely laugh at this subject, but those you've been reading me for ten years on, know that i can't resist at least knowing about the world of pop music.
Sure, it's disposable pop music, and maybe it doesn't need this level of criticism, and I could go on for hours complaining about the profound lyrics of "I do not hook up" or the confusing metaphors of that Taylor Swift song which is apparently about a relationship with an adultress that leads to a suicide pact.
"If you seek Amy" particularly bugs me though.
Not that it's the banality of the song. You can sing "Womanizer' over it (and the video isn't much that different than "Piece of me").. No matter your opinion on Madonna, you can't argue that she didn't reinvent herself time and time again. Britney's career hasn't exactly been about artistic growth.
You see the reason there's a fuss is because the lyrics sound exactly like "All the boys and all the girls are begging to F U C K Me."
I have a problem with that.
Not the usual argument that it is going to destroy our children. I grew up with "Boom Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to my Room)" and can't say my generation is any worse for it.
No, to me the thing is too labored.
Yes, it works, but the way it is gone about is thrown together just to make the lyric play.
The song starts with a quick description of Amy which is necessary to set up the punhcline.
Still, who is Amy? Is it supposed to be Britney (I suppose)? Is it supposed to be Amy Winehouse? Who the if you see K knows?
This leads to "that part" which without the double entendre makes no sense.
"All the boys and all the girls are begging to (incomplete thought) If you seek Amy (start of another completely different topic)"
That's just lazy.
The Poster Children (among others) have had it right.
C'mon, Brit... errr.. Swedish songwriters, try just a bit harder. A lyric like "Hey paparazzi. Here I am. See you next Tuesday" would have looked like Martin Amis compared to what you actually put together.
So it annoys me, and I may even have let it slide if it wasn't for the video. Yes, the lyrics would have went by largely subtle and unnoticed (and probably still are) if the video didn't go to great lengths to point them out.
It is the equivilant of saying "The reason it is funny is because a priest, a lawyer, and a rabbi...."
Not the knowing wink then, but instead the "look at how clever I am" move.
I think it's dumb and I don't think I am wrong here, but I am all about being fair and balanced, so here's a differing opinion.
- Music:Lee Rocker - Black Cat Bone
I have a friend who worked at B Dalton ten plus years ago, so i know the power of Oprah. He said that there wasn't much crazier than the preparation that went into the announcement of Oprah's Book of the Month club.
I have a pretty good business background, so I could see pretty quick that is was a decent idea in concept, but that in practice it was, as the younger generation says, full of fail.
In theory, you would have to have watched Oprah, then go to the KFC website within a 24 hour period and print a coupon for a free Grilled Chicken Meal, which you could use over the next couple of weeks (Mother's Day excluded)
And let the fail commence...
For starters, I got three coupons given to me by my friends, without even having to log into the website or watching the Queen of Afternoon talk. Lesson learned: I have a t least three good friends.
I would forgive a marketing executive for suggesting this idea, if they had been in a coma for twenty years. For those of us, who have a decade of receiving multiple spam e-mails from acquaintances that US coins will no longer say "In God We Trust" and Bill Gates will give you a free computer if you forward this on to 8 friends; you knew this wouldn't go as planned.
I generally like the idea of a free sample. KFC had already done a promotion where you could go and get a free piece of the Grilled Chicken. There would be some abuse here (people will drive to multiple restaurants), but mostly not. Most people will buy something while they are at KFC. You may lose money, but you're getting people to try the product, and any money you lose, you may actually make up, by the sale of soda and sides.
The Oprah offer is bad because it is literally a free meal for nothing. No one gives anything completely free. You are just asking for it.
Look at your Sunday's newspaper coupons (or think back, I understand no one buys papers anymore). It is full of discounted prices, buy one-get one free, or in many meal coupons, free with the purchase of a drink. Nothing is completely given away.
The day the coupons hit, the local KFC was a madhouse. Cars backed up around the restaurant. People standing in line.
Me? I didn't partake, and truth be told, you will never see me somewhere like this, and that includes discount pre-Christmas sales, laptop giveaways, etc.
Events like this are America at its worse. Having worked in customer service for years, I would roughly estimate 80% of people would hit their own mom with a shovel for a free 16 oz. milk shake. I would put money on that.
Of course, at this point, people had printed multiple coupons and were handing to friends nationwide. At best, I hope KFC would have limited one coupon per e-mail, though I don't think they even thought that far through. As I have a half dozen e-mail accounts (which I suspect is close to average), even that would not have worked.
Though, looking at the coupons, i don't think they even thought that point through.
KFC finally (too late) have figured out. Some restaurants quickly went to only honoring the coupons at off hours (such as 2-4pm). It now appears that if you want to use your coupon that you have to go in the store, fill out a form, and mail it off. One would assume that this gives a better limit of one free meal per mailing address.
Oh, and since you must know, I talked to some people who took KFC and Ms. Winfrey up on the offer, and tried the grilled chicken. The reviews- not so good.
- Music:Soft Cell- Heat: the Re-Mixes
I was lucky enough to have some cool people mentor me in the way of music.
What I didn't already know by the time I graduated high school, I picked up in college. So it was my friend JM who first introduced me to Throbbing Gristle. While I had an in-depth knowledge of what was then called the College Rock scene, JM introduced me to bands that made the Cure look like Kelly Clarkson.
I've only really got in to T's music in recent years. Obviously, their history is something that will probably never be duplicated. They shocked people like no one else, literally (with a few others) invented industrial music, and pioneered sampling.
I always kept track of the spin-off projects. Chris & Cosey and Psychic TV stayed on my radar, as it seemed they were always turning up on mix tapes or cut-out bins. My friend G (though mainly being a big fan of alt-country, actual emo music, and a huge Husker Du/ American Underground fan) was a big Coil fan. So, I mostly listened to a lot of Coil, and followed Genesis when he was performing with Pigface, but I always tried to stay aware.
I finally was completely won over two years ago when a couple of excellent albums hit the market- Genesis newest incarnation of Psychic Tv - PTV3 - Hell is Invisible, and Throbbing Gristle reunited for Step Two- and I finally went back to check out the old TG stuff.
So, when I heard Throbbing Gristle was reuniting for a handful of dates and touring for the first time since they broke up in 1981, I thought I would tell JM and
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garbagecanmusic . Even pollstar didn't have this news.I have a theory that the most out-there people artistically are the most normal looking, and while TG seems to be the exception to the rule, as they walked by me, I couldn't help but thinking that they were the most unremarkable people in the venue. Granted, Genesis looks like Ann Jillian, and has a nail through his penis, but Chris and Cosey look like any middle aged couple. Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (one of the most esoteric people in rock music) would be unremarkable except for his tribal arm tattoos (which he had long before anyone else).
The Throbbing Gristle reunion show offered two performances, and we went to both. The first performance being TG recreating their soundtrack to the Derek Jarman In the Shadow of the Sun.
It's just cool enough to see a Jarman film on a big screen. I know him mostly from his video for "The Queen is Dead" as well as this and this, and his work with Suede, Marc Almond, Coil, and Pet Shop Boys, and just an interesting life.
Arresting visuals that were paired with a pretty amazing performance where TG played a mesmerizing ambient, krautrock style soundscape.
A great concert moment, but the best was still to come.
They cleared out for the second show, which started with a visual/audio performance by Bruce McClure, which was just okay (but at 40 mins. maybe too long), then TG took the stage to play some of their greatest hits.
The crowd (though I goof on them) were as respectable as a musical audience as one would find in 2009. I probably would have went ballistic if I had seen a bunch of people texting while music legends were on stage. I goof on the crowd because they all have to pay a couple of dollars more so they won't be seen with domestic beer. I also goof on the couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other, and were slinkily grooving to "Very Friendly" (you know, the song about the Moors Murders) ostensibly because they think children dying is sexy. Not to mention that even fans here yell for their favorite song, even if it is something as anti-commerical "Hamburger Lady"
(which did get played).
Throbbing Gristle was pretty amazing though. Each member in their corner- Cosey on slide guitar, Genesis on a variety of instruments including electric violin, and Sleazy and chris at their laptops making some intriguing sounds.
Genesis, of course is an intriguing front man as anyone. The platinum blond hair, lipstick and breast implants are only half of it. The band played in a very cool well-lit performance hall. Though some of the crowd were vocally unhappy about this (I was more than fine with it), Gen refused to turn the lights down because 1) TG is beautiful and 2) "we aren't interested in show business, so shut the f--k up".
Gen had some great crowd interaction, and although his voice is a bit of an acquired taste (I like it), it really is an unearthly sound, that is like no one else's.
It was an amazing show, not only just to see a legendary band reunited, but some amazing live music.
- Music:the Smiths- Strangeways, Here We Come
A couple of you have already mentioned this, but it bears repeating, today is National Record Store Day.
I have already recounted most of this story, but it bears repeating. As cliche as it is (and it is), I can't imagine life without a passion for music, and specifically record stores figure into that equation.
I certainly empathise with Kurdt Cobain's decision to release an album with "Waif Me" so it could be sold in the discount stores. The only store in my town that sold music was Wal-Mart. To be a bit fair, their selection was more diverse than today where they carry maybe 50 or 60 titles. In fact, incredibly enough, I bought the Godfathers' More Songs about Love and Hate and The The's Mind Bomb there.
I can't say that I don't have love for the chain stores. As a teenager, I would seek out the top albums on Rolling Stone's College Rock chart, and brought home these amazing albums by Lou Reed, XTC, Camper Van Beethoven, and others. While years later, I would go to target to find those bands that they wanted to push by selling $7 CD's- bands that otherwise weren't on the radio or MTV. So, I was tuned into Muse ten years ago, before they got any kind of major stateside exposure.
I have hit plenty of chain stores, pawn shops, CD/video game resale stores, the Virgin megastore, and all matters of places that sell music over the years, but some are more iconic than others.
I still vividly remember a record store in the next town over when I was 15, though I can't imagine it was in business longer than a year. It had a sizeable and segregated section for "Art Rock" ("Alternative" was not yet a universal moniker for new wave and post-punk). If one was forward looking, those vinyl albums are probably worth a sizeable amount.
I was just discovering something new- music that didn't get played on the radio, and it all was so exotic. I can only hope that today's youth could experience somethig similiar (though, i don't know what. Maybe they will tell their children about napster and MySpace, and how it was).
Not only was the music memorable and unlike anything else, so were those albums. While the major albums looked like Tunnel of Love, Dream of the Blue Turtles, and Brothers in Arms, those images weren't nearly as arresting as this.
The albums in that store were like nothing else- the iconic Cure covers, the punk as f**k Dave Goodman Sex Pistols collections, the truly bizarre Zappa and Utopia albums, and many more.
There is another iconic record store in that town that has survived 20 years, mostly because though they weren't any cheaper, going in was the perfect Record Store experience. The owner a true child of that 50's rock sound with a silver pompadour- modern enough to embrace bands like BR549, but traditional enough that he still thought the greatest rock album ever was Live at the Star Club (To be fair, I can't argue this point).
I have so many memories of this place- the local musician who worked there who would recommend a band I have never heard and so after a visit, I would leave, now with, say Ultravox in my collection, and also where I took bass guitar lessons (mostly paid for by running errands for the teacher).
Even better than the local stores were the record stores in college towns which I would hit on the weekends as a High School senior. I made it my mission to get as many of the Smiths (and Morrissey) 12-inch singles (I ended up getting most, and after a life of shuffling from place to place, actually am amazed to find I now still have them in my possesion). Those Smiths records were unlike any others, not just for the music- the iconic pictures, the "made in England" stamps, they even felt different.
I am still amazed at the vinyl I have collected through the years- essential bootlegs like Metallic KO and It's Alive, picture discs, record company promos, interview discs, 80's new wave dance 12"'s, and a wealth of records given to me by my mother and by friends.
As I went off to college (and some of yer recollections may vary), but I thought the local college record store was pretty cool. An amazing collection of used discs and always the important new albums. Plus, it had a record store feel, with a litany of band stickers on the door, and that smell of incense. It even had a rastafari who worked behind the counter.
I was lucky that everything happened when it did, for in the last ten years, the way it was is no longer the way it is.
When I hear people talk about going to their local record store, it sounds so antiquated (I love it, but I don't expect it). First, chain stores like Best Buy came along to kill off the record store. They sold at half-price and dwarfed the selection. It is hard to beat that as a fan.
Then there was Amazon.com, which would have bankrupted me as a kid (I spent way too much on those Columbia House and BMG get a dozen cassettes for a penny deals in high school). It doesn't get much more convenient and customer friendly than Amazon.
With music blogs and P2P sharing, the concept of paying for music is almost done. At the very least, with itunes, the idea of buying albums is near extinction.
We have a decent, if not particularly great local record store, which I don't frequent nearly enough. They are celebrating Record Store Day with what may be the best band in the state, Poison Control Center.
This post is my contribution to Record store Day. If you have a local store, continue to support it.
- Music:Sinead O' Connor- So Far.. the Best of
Though it pains me to say I like anything Maxim is responsible for, I will be sorry to see Blender go.
It was my favorite of the airport newstand magazines.
It wasn't perfect, but it aspired to be as great assome of the British music rags, and yet strived to be Maxim-hip. It worked enough anyway. They did a better job than Spin does nowadays. They always gave a bunch of reviews, and it seemed like the staff at least knew their stuff. So while the cover story might have been about Avril or Fall Out Boy, there might be a small news item on Nick Cave or a tidbit about say, British Sea Power.
I don't really have anything bad to say about them, because they gave exposure to some bands that otherwise might not appear on tv or radio. Nothing wrong with that. I suspect somebody else will fill the void, but for now, I am stumped on what to read while 39,000 feet above ground.
Also, considering calling it a day is one of my favorite bands of all time, U2. It's a tough call for any band that has been around 30 years. You can't argue about that too much - if the Beatles and the Doors were around in the 70s, if the Sex Pistols and Joy Division had made it to the 80s, if Nirvana and the Pixies were still making records- yeah, their legacy probably would be hurt.
U2 had a good run, but the last two albums don't do too much to add to the legacy. I'm an apologist for a lot of bands that I will love no matter what they record (The Cure, New Order, Siouxsie, Psychedelic Furs, REM), but it's hard to argue that all their work measures up to their classic stuff, and one would guess they will never surprise again.
Still, though 2009 was disappointing for my long-time favorites U2 (and to a lesser extent, Morrissey), I want my artists to continue to create. Alt-rocker pioneers Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie have made some terrible records, but I am glad they stuck around long enough to give us New York, American Caesar, and Heathen.
I have been impressed with reunion records by Buzzcocks, the Stranglers, and Echo & the Bunnymen; that I consider some of their best work.
So at the end of the day, I want to see what Bono and the Edge bring us for years to come (even if that might mean their Emotional Rescue or Give My Regards to Broad Street). Even though a layoff might do him good, I don't want to see Morrissey to disappear. Oh, I might complain about his artistic direction, and I will (For the record, I hope for the impossible. I want him to reunite with the Guitarist responsible for his artistic heights, although I know that it will never ever happen. That's right, I want to see him get back together with Vini Reilly.)
- Music:Jesus & Mary Chain - Stoned & Dethroned
First, his name stinks (think "Flow Rider"), and he inflicted "Low" on us.
Them, there was 'Elevator' (made listenable by Timbaland), which was pointlessly the second song ever to feature the hook "Ella- ella").
Anyway, I would have forgiven him for all that, but now he's out with "Right Round", a song based largely on the Dead or Alive song "You spin me round (like a record)"
You're messing with my youth, man. Why you got to take that song and ruin it by making it about fellatio and cunnilingus.
That just ain't right. On radio, no less.
I miss the simpler more naive times, when the Original rules the airwaves, and songs were more basic- you know with traditonal themes like transvestism and bisexuality.
- Music:Social Distortion - Live at the Roxy
You know I hate surveys like this, but I just can't resist them.
Basically, Indie Rock makes you smart, Lil Wayne and Dashboard Confessional make you stupid.
Hey, I am just reporting the news here.
I mean, I always suspected as much, but I have the numbers to prove it now.
I don't have an iPod, but in my antiquated music device I have U2, Radiohead, Bowie, Dylan and Muse. That proves it, because let's face it, I'm a gawddamned genius. I'm superbrain. That;'s how they made me.
Okay, that doesn't explain Beck and Phish, but that's what we in the business call 'survey error'.
I do hate these things though.
Sure the smartest person I know is a Sufjan Stevens fan, but I don't trust 'if x then y'. It's not always that simple.
To an extent, yeah, maybe if you're smart, you want more out of entertainment than "My Life Would Suck Without You". I will give you that.
Still, I've had a lot of metahead friends over the years, and they generally disproved the "Yer dumb if you listen to Napalm Death" rule. So, that's why I don't like this stuff.
Moreso, I am afraid of this survey, because I was always under the impression that the band U2 was getting worse every album. In actuality, it's just me getting dumber every year.
- Music:Johnny Cash - At San Quentin
This post is for those who like embarassing music, but mainly for Bristol.
Bristol,
I know you're heartbroken. I know you're probably thinking that Levi would have dumped you six months ago, but he was only staying with you, because he was afraid that they would his find his body dead in a dumpster somewhere if he did.
While my love for white trash women with big breasts may be hardwired into my circuitry, you and me could never be. You see my heart already belongs to Meghan, and well, I just can't see it working out between us.
Fortunately, the GOP is in disarray, and your mom will likely be spending the next few years working on her campaign. That should keep you busy and keep your mind off things, though I suspect this time around, you may be more likely working the phone banks, instead of trotting around at campaign stops as a paragon of family values.
For now, you can take some solace in the soothing sounds of B-Rock and the Bizz.
With love,
Al Bedsitter
- Music:The Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
I had to make the obvious joke last week when I saw the cover of Wizard: "What does Alan Moore think of the Watchmen movie?"
I don't need to bother reading that. He hates it.
To be fair, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was awful and missed the point. You could probably make the same argument about From Hell, though I thought it was an okay movie.
I'm not a big Watchmen fan actually. Yes, i got to it ten years after the fact, and the Vertigo crowd had already picked up the torch. I just thought Moore had better work- V For Vendetta is a better novel in my opinion, but Watchmen is the one graphic novel that the mainstream media always mentions.
I want to see it (even with the glowing blue penis), though I don't hold out much hope for it. For starters, I haven't seen or heard any mention of the Cold War in the previews/reviews, and that to me is an integral part of the plotline.
You could make an argument that Moore shouldn't complain, because he is making money off his works. That's what Don Murphy is doing.
Around the ol' apartment complex, the pond is fially unfrozen, and the ducks have made their first appearnace of the year.
I have posted this before, but since both the ducks and Watchmen both came out this week, and there's no such thing as coincidence, here is this again:
- Music:Marc Almond- Tenement Symphony
Important Things With Demetri Martin (Comedy Central) - I have the impression that on the internet, no one likes any comedians who are still alive. Think about it, the only comedians who any internet tough guy likes are Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Mitch Hedberg. Everybody else sucks.
You know that I am a big fan of stand-up comedy, so I am more forgiving than most anyway. I could put the tv on "Comedy Central Presents" and turn it all day. I like Martin. I think he's pretty funny and original. Yes, the criticism is he is a sober, unhip Mitch Hedberg or Steven Wright for people born after 1983.
You can certainly forgive Comedy Central trying to repeat the success of Chappelle's Show. It's unlikely that lightning will strike twice, but it's worth a shot.
So, I like Martin but how is the show? Well, Martin works in a half-hour or hour concert where he has a solid set of material. If he is going to do a half-hour of new material every week, he is likely to struggle. Some stuff works here, but an equal amount doesn't work. I would say it's about 50-50.
Martin is interesting enough that I will still check out his show when I can, but it's nowhere near required viewing. Martin has a live audience, but the laughter sounds distractingly canned.
His style evokes more knowing grins than belly laughs, which doesn't bode well for the future of the show. However, I think Martin is deserving of the attention and the paycheck.
Sports Soup (Versus) - You know I love to laugh, love sports and love clip shows, so I should like this sports-themed spinoff of E!'s The Soup. However instead of spending 30 minutes laughing my head off, I spent a half hour going, "Why doesn't this work?"
The original version has the very funny Joel McCale, so I would say that is part. However, I came away going "Can sports and comedy mix?"
Versus tried this with Sports Unfiltered- a talk show hosted by Dennis Miller. Even after this time, I still give anything with Miller a shot. That show was a bust.
So can sports be funny? Best Damned Sports Show Period (originally a panel show with Tom Arnold) had funny moments, but was a show you watched when absolutely nothing else was on.
Can the two mix? Well, I am a fan of Jim Rome (radio show is much better than his tv show) and what is Rome but a focus on the absurd moments in the world of sports with commentary. I will listen to your criticism of Rome (and it is valid), but he runs a great show.
So, I think Sports Soup could work. It actually reminds me of a (much) less funny version of Rome's radio show (not quite what the world was waiting for). They are still starting out, so maybe it's just growing pains, maybe it's the host, but for now, I'm still sticking with Hardball during the dinner hour.
- Music:Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation
So, I watched the Grammys this year, or as much as I was willing to.
This post wil be short. I mean Coldplay, U2, and Radiohead all performed Sunday night. Gwynneth Paltrow introduced Radiohead. I don't even know where to begin with the jokes.
Probably the most memorable thing about the 2009 Grammys didn't even take place at the show. R&B good-guy Chris Brown and his (alleged to this point) domestic violence against Rhianna.
Blink-182 announced they are reforming, which seems to be the most boring reunion moment of all time,
The Rock ... err Duane Johnson was there, and sadly he has always been a better heel than a face (but we weren't getting "Take your statuette, turn it sideways, and shove it up your candyass!).
I still stand up for the Grammys as an American institution. It certainly has it's flaws (Milli Vanilli, Jethro Tull), but it still cares an air of importance. Sure, it's hard to take an awards show seriously that wants to celebrate the artistic merits of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, but it's not all bad.
Although it is hardly what you would consider an obscure indie album, I think a lot of people got exposed to the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss collaboration for the first time this week. I also noticed a lot of the musicians in the Rock and R&B categories that didn't get alot of attention this year.
So in what I call the post music industry years (I suppose music industry version 2.0 is a better description), things at the Grammys aren't any better or any worse, but it is a way that underlooked albums can get a brief time in the national spotlight. i don't see that as a bad thing; which is why I don't think Radiohead performing Sunday night was a bad thing.
I haven't warmed up to the new U2 single and I dont know how many times Coldplay has apopeared on tv lately, so the real thrill for me was radiohead. Great song from a great album (even if they did go a bit Tusk with it).
- Mood:
busy - Music:Radiohead- grammy performance
Magnetic Fields, Distortion (NoneSuch) - This album got a someticism for Stephin Merritt's seeming aspiration to want to make a Jesus & Mary Chain album. Sure, Merritt likes a good gimmick, but he is still one of America's greatest lyricists. I can take or leave the distortion. Personally, I think it works well enough. The songs are good, and I think it's an even better album than 2004's i. Merritt is a very prolific writer, but this is certainly an album to be proud of.
Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom (Southern) - Eric's Trip are one of my favorite bands of the last 20 years. There's a handful of lo-fi bands that I keep an eye on (Sebadoh, Smog, East River Pipe) but no one made consistently great music like Eric's Trip. Perhaps, the only bigger Eric's Trip fan is Phil Evrum, who has proven to be the true heir to the ET sound with his bands the Microphones and now, Mount Eerie. To further drive the point home, Elverum is joined here by ET chanteuse Julie Doiron. This album captures the best things about eric's trip- that intimate late night melancholic sound.
Mudcrutch, Mudcrutch (Reprise)- I'm an unapologetic Tom Petty fan (if you're going to champion Byrds-influenced British bands, you can't say much about a Byrds-influenced Southern rocker). With Mudcrutch, Petty brings back his pre-Heartbreakers band to record their first album. I like this better than much of Petty's recent work. This is a fun listen, and a perfect roadtrip disc.
Scars On Broadway, Scars On Broadway (Interscope) - I was hesitant to consider a Daron Malakian solo project, but I needn't worry. This album is nearly as good as System of A Down's 2005 discs Mesmerize and Hypnotize. Sure, this might be better with Serj Tankian stepping to the mic, but the songs don't really need him. It might not be for everybody (the lyrics are again ridiculously over-the-top), but alt-metal doesn't get much better.
Spiritualized, Songs in A&E (Castle) - I think Ladies and Gentlemen, We're... made me a fan, but this album puts me firmly in the J Spaceman camp. A&E being something like our emergency room in the United States. Nearly dying from pneumonia, the topics are naturally otherworldly. What we got is what is as close as you'll get to a country Spiritualized album. It has the heart and soul of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, but it's unmistakenly a Spiritualized album, that fans of their psychedelic space pop will also find accessible. This is not the album you put on to good the party started (not at all!), but it's a pretty amazing listening experience.
Here's the 411:
Barack Obama is about to force through a multi-billion dollar stimulus package. While it may sound like a good idea on the surface, it is really going to put taxpayers on the line for years to come. Barack is not being honest with the American people. He is going to drive this through, and he is using deception and language to get this passed before an open discussion could really take place. Obama is dictating what can and cannot be said.
So, to summarize.
The President is being deceptive about a major policy that on the surface most Americans support, but don't really know enough about to be considered fully informed. It looks like the policy is only about the short-term, but in reality, it is going to ending up cost us way more than we think it is. We are only getting a one-sided argument from the President, and because the president is holding our feet to the fire to pass this now, we are not having the really detailed discussion we need to have. What we'll end up with is a policy that is costly and may well end up regretting.
Okay, just checking. I think I got it.
- Music:Sinead O'Connor - So Far: Best of
Anybody else getting the "Diet" google ad on their LJ? Anybody thinks she looks better 'before' than 'after', or is it just me?
Wrestlemania 25 is this year, and if I'm Vince McMahon I want the biggest main event I can sign.
In 25 years, he has brought in Pete Rose, Mike Tyson, G Gordon Liddy, Joan Rivers, Liberace, Floyd Mayweather, Snoop Dog, Ray Charles and a bunch of other big name celebrities.
May I suggest for WM25- Billy Mays vs Vince the ShamWow guy.
Billy says "It's on!" He's going to drop Vince... Kaboom!
Vince might want to give Billy a Slap Chop... to the forehead!
Hell, you can even have Video Professor guy as guest timekeeper, Matthew Lesko as the guest referee, and Ron Popeil at ringside as guest of honor. Like the best pitchmen would say, this is an idea that sells itself.
In wrestling, you got to have a face (good guy) and a heel (bad guy), and you can't tell me this isn't perfect.
Billy is the face, of course. The confident, helpful everyman. Like Hulk Hogan, he is a "real American", and his goal is to help Americans live their dreams by buying his products. Trust him for advice on which cleaning products, wall hangers, scratch remover, and even life insurance.
Vince, of course the heel. He doesn't care if you buy his products or not, because he knows they are good for you. Hell, you better call now, because he can't hock his wares all day. Cocky, arrogant (You followin' me, camera guy?), he is everything a great heel is. Just five seconds into his ad, and you already hate him. (Side discussion: do people really spend $20 a month on paper towels? No wonder the economy is in such bad shape)
Book this, McMahon! Make this happen.
- Music:Lords of the New Church - s/t
You know I am conflicted.
On one hand, when someone decides to make an attack on my President (regardless oif what I think of the guy), I get defensive. I get angry and scared.
On the other hand, watching someone get shoes thrown at them is always funny.
I hope they got Dubya taking those "How to defend yourself against Fresh Fruit" classes.
I also hear he's getting these guys together to protect his gawddamn neck:
- Music:Mudcrutch - s/t
You know I've rarely been as heartbroken as I was when Chinese Democracy came out. I had got three years of posts out for it- a real treasure lode.
Luckily, the release of CD has been good for a lot of bizarre news stories.
First, Communist China didn't find the album's title very funny.
Now, Axl wants to fight with Dr. Pepper.
Yes, the reason the album didn't sell well wasn't because Axl didn't promote it, or because no one buys albums anymore, or because it was sold in primarily only one retail outlet.
None of those reasons.
No, it was that damn Dr Pepper website crashing.
So you're telling me that someone was going to Best Buy to buy the CD; first going to the Dr Pepper website to get a free beverage. Upon finding themselves unable to log into the Dr Pepper website, their day was ruined and they could no longer make the trip outside to buy CD.
Is that logical?
What the hell am I thinking? This is the guy who delays or cancels concerts for the smallest thing. Of course, he think that's logical.
So, I get the feeling Axl is pissed is because he had to do a rush job to get the album out before 2008. If he knew ahead of time Dr. P was going to botch this up, he could have went back to the studio for finishing touches.
Where does Dr Pepper get the gall? What's wrong with taking 14 years to record an album?
Consider this:
If all albums took 14 years to make, The Rolling Stones would be in the studio recording Between the Buttons. No Miss You, No Emotional Rescue, and No Jagger solo albums, and I think now the world is ready for a song called "Let's the Spend the Night Together".
The Beatles (presumably Paul McCartney and Scott Weiland) would be finishing up Help! with Rubber Soul on the horizon.
The Who would have their next two albums Tommy and Who's Next ahead of them.
Joe Strummer's swan song would be not the very good Streetcore but the classic London Calling. I won't even bring up Carbon/Sillicon.
U2 would be on late night talk shows performing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to promote War.
Finally, if all albums took 14 years to record, it would only have been six years since the last My Bloody Valentine album, not 17.
- Music:Muse- HAARP
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