Monday, February 28, 2005
Stakes is high...
Word on the street (because I am one with the streets) is that the De La Soul show at the Lincoln Theater is cancelled. Mysterious. But it's alright, because that's the night of the Missy Elliott "The Road to Stardom" live finale, where I intend to rekindle my love with Miss E and her square lollipops and track suits.
65543221/ 654321 layer cake...
The Washington Post has not one but two reviews of the Teenbeat reunion shows this weekend. And this really could have been one single review, but the Post has always been a bit of a drama queen.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
And yeah I've seen your polaroids/ now that's what I call obscene...
Fred Durst, have you learned nothing from Paris Hilton, Pam Anderson, or Olympia Dukakis? Keep your sex tapes someplace safe, like in the box for Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
I only want 2 see u laughing in the purple rain...
Watching the Oscars, if you looked into Prince's eyes as he read all 23 names associated with the creation of Counting Crows' Best Song nominee "Accidentally In Love", you could tell he was thinking "I could fart into a microphone for 4 minutes and it would better than any of this poop." And he's not wrong.
Also, I have been alerted that Carlos Santana has a women's shoes line. Take that however you want. I wonder if Rob Thomas actually did all the work.
Also, I have been alerted that Carlos Santana has a women's shoes line. Take that however you want. I wonder if Rob Thomas actually did all the work.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Remember to remember me/ standing still in your past...
NPR has an archive of Wilco's performance from Thursday.
Friday, February 25, 2005
We built this city... We built this city on rock and roll...
The presenters for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony have been annonced. Springsteen's inducting U2; Neil Young's inducting the Pretenders.
One foot in the grave/ the other one in the gutter/ Sweet smell that you adore/ well, I think I'd rather smother...
I know I linked to a Pitchfork story yesterday, but I get my news where I get my news. And they have some top drawer news about some Replacements re-issues (with bonus tracks!), a Tommy and Paul collaboration, and an anthology for Paul. Oh, and Paul's on tour, with some multiple House of Blues stops. Goddamn House of Blues...
I had a jukebox graduate for first mate/ she couldn't sail but she sure could sing...
The Washington Post, once again following in my wake, profiles iPod night at Saint-Ex. And I'm not sure if the article made me more or less excited about the prospect of going.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Just me, myself, and I...
I know De La Soul is a lot more than "Me, Myself, and I," but I don't know their ouevre as much as I should. What I do know is this idea is cool as hell, and it all starts in D.C. The group is kicking off a tour next week, and you might be able to afford it. Hell, homeless people can probably afford it. According to Pitchfork: "Not only will almost every date on their March tour be accompanied by a free hip-hop symposium at a local university, but the shows themselves carry a ticket price of $1.20 (not a typo)." And it all begins in D.C. next Wednesday.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
The tips and the tokens you left me today/ are the price of my ride on the subway...
If you live in a city long enough, you get to know the characters, especially the regular street performers. In Boston, you had one guy who played who played prog/metal solos over a casio beat at Government Center and the always-humid and nasty Park Street. Then there was Mr. Butch, the self-described "black Tom Waits." He used to carry around a briefcase with "The Mr. Butch Show" written on one side, while the other side had the word "mystery" surrounded by question marks. He would stand in Allston and play harpsichord. Once, as I was crossing the street, he called me a pussy boy. I love Mr. Butch. Then there was a guy I saw sometimes in Government Center who absolutely murdered “Losing My Religion”. “That’s me... [sissy strum] in the cornerrrrr... That’s me... [sissy strum]... in the spot...light...losing... my religion...” I always thought about following the lead of someone I knew who gave five dollars to a performer to never play Tom Waits again.
D.C. doesn’t have that many street performers, but there’s this one guy... When I worked in Falls Church, I’d take the Metro from Farragut West to Ballston. And in the morning, at Farragut, there was this guy. Then coming home, there he was at Ballston. He had dreads, a rasta hat, and he his guitar was set on this reverb effect so every song he was playing sounded like the opening to "Purple Rain".
The entrance to Farragut on 17th and I is like a megaphone, so when he was playing, I couldn’t turn up my headphones enough to drown him out. He ruined every song he played. He even ruined whatI think were his own songs. What did Joni Mitchell do to him that he had to ruin “Big Yellow Taxi”? It was easier to drown out at Ballston, but no less annoying after a day at work, and in the middle of taming the feral beast that is the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, otherwise known as "commuting."
And tonight, as I came out of the Woodley Park Metro, there he was, ruining "The Weight". Reverbing the hell out of it. I hadn't thought about him in more than a year, yet there he was, making Garth Hudson and Rick Danko spin in their graves. So I may have this to look forward to this for the next however-many months. Maybe I'll start getting off at Dupont.
D.C. doesn’t have that many street performers, but there’s this one guy... When I worked in Falls Church, I’d take the Metro from Farragut West to Ballston. And in the morning, at Farragut, there was this guy. Then coming home, there he was at Ballston. He had dreads, a rasta hat, and he his guitar was set on this reverb effect so every song he was playing sounded like the opening to "Purple Rain".
The entrance to Farragut on 17th and I is like a megaphone, so when he was playing, I couldn’t turn up my headphones enough to drown him out. He ruined every song he played. He even ruined whatI think were his own songs. What did Joni Mitchell do to him that he had to ruin “Big Yellow Taxi”? It was easier to drown out at Ballston, but no less annoying after a day at work, and in the middle of taming the feral beast that is the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, otherwise known as "commuting."
And tonight, as I came out of the Woodley Park Metro, there he was, ruining "The Weight". Reverbing the hell out of it. I hadn't thought about him in more than a year, yet there he was, making Garth Hudson and Rick Danko spin in their graves. So I may have this to look forward to this for the next however-many months. Maybe I'll start getting off at Dupont.
She lifted up her shirt at the battle of the bands/ he twirled his sticks, she helped him to his van...
Even though it's run through House of Blues, Inc., the Sasquatch! Music Festival has a sweet line-up and an impetuous exclamation point in its name. What they got? They got the Pixies, Modest Mouse, Kanye West, Wilco, Arcade Fire, A.C. Newman, and a bunch of other people that I don't care about, but I'm sure others do. While I doubt I'll be able to get out to central Washington, I will be satisfied noetheless if I hear about Tweedy and Kanye hanging out together.
Have you thrown your senses to the war, or are they just lost in the flood?
Random Sri Lankan: "First the tsunami, now a Sting's using my suffering to write a crappy song? Whatever comes next better just kill me."
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
She has not been able to sleep/ since the days of Trudeau...
For those who got teased by Arcade Fire's opening act, Final Fantasy, Pitchfork has its review of Has A Good Home.
And the license said you had to stick around until I was dead/ but if you're tired of looking at my face, I guess I already am...
Blink-182 is breaking up, although officially they're on "indefinate hiatus." So if you like your music spiked with fart jokes, start listening to Bowling for Soup. Meanwhile, on the other side of the maturity spectrum, the Jayhawks are calling it quits, which is kind of like finding out Arthur Miller died (as in, he wasn't dead already?).
Canary got trapped in a uranium mine/ I struck bad luck, now the bird has died...
It's 1995 all over again. That year, three of the then four members of R.E.M. had medical problems that caused them to cancel dates, the most serious of which was Bill Berry's aneurysm, which lead to his re-evaluating his life as a musician and quitting the band to be farmer. (My medical condition? Run-on sentences.) They actually sold tour t-shirts with cancelled dates crossed out on the back, and used Bill's x-rays in the tour program. Anyway, now the band has cancelled two U.K. dates because of Mike Mills' illness. Michael Stipe and Peter Buck played some songs acoustic at one date, but they're going to reschedule it for a future date.
Monday, February 21, 2005
When you perform/ it's so intense/ when the critics pan/ I write in your defense...
This could be the real reason Hunter S. Thompson killed himself:
Usher To Host Special Screening Of His Mini-Movie:Rhythm City, of course, being the capital and main port of Rhythm Nation, which I think is under some U.N. economic sanctions. Also, Usher doesn't think people should criticize him. You know what that sound is, Usher? The world's smallest violin, played by every musician who worked his or her ass off to sell even one album and couldn't. I'm sure Lil' Jon can record, loop, and play it in the background of your next million-selling crappy single.
Usher will be hosting a special screening of the extended version of his mini-movie, Rhythm City Vol 1: Caught Up, at Regal Cinema theaters across the country Monday night (February 21). The event marks the theatrical debut of Usher's 20-minute mini-movie, which features his hits 'Seduction,' 'Caught Up,' 'Red Light,' and 'Take Your Hand,' from his multi-platinum album Confessions.
The in-theater event will also feature a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, plus a live interview with Usher via satellite hosted by R&B singer Lionel Richie.
Fear and loathing...
Sunday, February 20, 2005
I know there's no greater feelin' than the love of family...
Television Without Pity has an 11-page recap of that "7th Heaven" musical episode, which was the television equivalent of sitting on your testicles.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
We slip and slide on the stay-together landmine/ I make my mind up to never be myself...
For those of us in mourning that we couldn't get tickets to this week's Wilco shows at the 9:30 Club in D.C., there is a flash of digital hope: Both shows are going to be broadcast live over "the internet." Wednesday's show will be available through QuickTime on their site, while the next night will be broadcast on NPR. They treat us so good.
In a related note, "Candyfloss" shuffled its way onto my iPod earlier today and I forgot how much ass that song kicks. Just puts a spring in my step, hypothetical whiskey in my metaphorical coffee.
In a related note, "Candyfloss" shuffled its way onto my iPod earlier today and I forgot how much ass that song kicks. Just puts a spring in my step, hypothetical whiskey in my metaphorical coffee.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Song of the day, part deux...
I hate to admit getting into songs because they're used in commercials, and I hate these commercials in particular, but I downloaded the Concretes' "Say Something New" from iTunes the other day after hearing it in a few Target ads. I have certain musical buttons, and when these buttons are pushed, I become a slut for a particular song. And this song hit a few of them:
- The vaguely European girl singer who can't be bothered and seems to be singing with something in her mouth (and no, I'm not being dirty)
- That martial, 50s-girl-group drum beat (bomp...bomp-bomp...bomp... bomp-bomp)
- Tamborine
- The slow and steady build-up
- Three words: Squealing. Hammond. Organ.
Song of the day...
BetterPropaganda.com has a free download of Crooked Fingers' "Call to Love", which is tasty piece of indie pop and a duet to boot.
I'll see you again/ when the stars fall from the sky/ and the mood has turned red/ over One Tree Hill...
So on "One Tree Hill" a week or so ago, there was this plotline about one of the characters leaving her husband to go on tour with this guy she kissed who looks like the poor man's Ryan Cabrera and the Wreckers (Michelle Branch and one of her back-up singers). Now, these people are actually going on tour together. How fucking post-modern is that? It's like they exploded out of my TV, like the Fat Albert movie. Am I alone in thinking this is goddamn brilliant?
On a related note, Ted Leo got a shout-out on that show the other night, so take a bow Mr. Leo.
On a related note, Ted Leo got a shout-out on that show the other night, so take a bow Mr. Leo.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
This ain't no Mudd Club, or CBGB...
By way of Sienna Miller Fan, here's an article that says CBGB might have trouble paying its sky-high rent. But we shouldn't worry about a vacant storefront if they have to move because I'm sure Subway or Starbucks would love to make its presence felt in the neighborhood. We have enough rock clubs; what cities need is a little more of a suburban feel.
You gotta know when to hold 'em/ know when to fold 'em...
Someone bought two "Dogs Playing Poker" paintings for a metric shit ton of money. I always thought "Dogs Playing Poker" was the name of the painting, but much to my surprise, that's the name of the genre. The name of one of them is "A Bold Bluff", which is somehow pure genius.
"The (paintings') sequential narrative follows the same 'players' in the course of a hand of poker," said an auction note from Doyle. "In the first, our main character, the St. Bernard, holds a weak hand as the rest of the crew maintains their best poker faces. In the following scene, we see the St. Bernard raking in the large pot, much to the very obvious dismay of his fellow players."Which just goes to prove something I've always said: never trust a St. Bernard, even if they offer you delicious whiskey from a miniature casket on their collar. Actually, especially if they have a offer you their delicious whiskey.
I hear the guitars ringin' out again, ringin' on down Union Street...
Holy crap! A new Springsteen album set for April? This was totally under my radar, although my radar has admittedly been on the fritz. It looks like it's a solo album, as there's no mention of the E Street Band. On the bright side, there's no mention of Shane Fontaine, either.
Also, Bruce won a Grammy for a song on his Essential set. Who knew?
Also, Bruce won a Grammy for a song on his Essential set. Who knew?
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
"The thought of Queen Latifah in Bono's dressing room makes me feel empty inside."
We could all learn a thing or two from Neal Pollack, who, as per usual has a fanastic real-time award-show rundown for the Grammys. Did you know Wilco won a Grammy for best album packaging? Good for them, right?
And I feel real cool and I feel real good/ got my hair shaved off and my black thigh boots...
Sinead O'Connor is one under-appreciated nut. I think her "antics" have overshadowed the fact that she has put out more than a few albums that, while sometimes uneven, are powerful and beautiful works. When she retired in 2003, I thought it was way too early, but she's always followed her own path. And you know what? Now she's unretired, and we should all be goddamn thankful. Well, not so much the news of a reggae album, but the second, "more of a Sinead" album? That's the best news in a while.
So here it is, your final lullaby...
You can download the new Hot Hot Heat song "Goodnight, Goodnight" on iTunes starting... now.
So how does it sound? It's good, but restrained. Kind of like a hyperactive kid dressed up for Easter, one Peep away from stuffing plastic grass down his pants and jumping off the shed. That manic energy is there, but beneath the surface. Has Hot Hot Heat cleaned up its act for the major labels? Their last album was so unrestrained, such a sugar rush. It was like a train constantly threatening to jump the tracks, and that kind of "danger" is missing in this track. It's too short, too.
Blah blah blah, I don't have anymore goofy metaphors, so I'll leave it at that.
So how does it sound? It's good, but restrained. Kind of like a hyperactive kid dressed up for Easter, one Peep away from stuffing plastic grass down his pants and jumping off the shed. That manic energy is there, but beneath the surface. Has Hot Hot Heat cleaned up its act for the major labels? Their last album was so unrestrained, such a sugar rush. It was like a train constantly threatening to jump the tracks, and that kind of "danger" is missing in this track. It's too short, too.
Blah blah blah, I don't have anymore goofy metaphors, so I'll leave it at that.
I wanna be your Thurston Moore...
Billboard.com has some news on the new Sleater-Kinney album, and throws out a random Fugazi reference in the process.
Pitchers and catcher report today...
It's Valentine's Day for baseball fans. Play ball.
Gotta keep on rocking, someday gonna make it to the top/ and be a juke box hero...
The Washington City Paper has an article about the disappearance of jukeboxes and those of us that love them. In D.C., the jukebox at Chief Ike's is pretty good. The Black Cat's is great. Bedrock Billiards is surprisingly great (and I took advantage of that one this weekend; nothing better than having the option of playing "Left of the Dial"). The Raven's is alright, more classic rock. Pharmacy Bar's is great, but not as good as it once was (but it still has Hearts of Oak, so how can I really complain?).
For me to poop on...
My friend Brian pointed me towards an interview with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in The New York Times.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Her deodorant had let her down/ she should have used Odorono...
Adtunes.com has the top 10 songs used in commercials in 2004. There had to have been better songs than this collection. No "Ariel Ramirez"? And you can't tell me that goofy Six Flags song was the best of the year.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
More awards...
The Plug Awards, which sound dirty but are in fact not dirty, have been announced.
Another list...
Another top however-many list! And this one is pretty well respected, the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop. One word: comprehensive. I got up to 570 and ran out of steam. I think my spoken word album, Hero, Hoagie, Sub, was in there somewhere, and I just gave that out as a Christmas present. I haven't even started to look at their singles list. The tally for me: 19 up to the point where I passed out. But I got 11 in the top 40, which is saying something, since I'm so poor I'm on the verge of selling blood (not my own, though: I hate needles). And yeah, there are some arguments. Is Around the Sun better than Mark Lanegan's Bubblegum, even by one (and even though both fell in the mid-100s)? And should you just stop the list when Taking Back Sunday makes the cut? And is Martina Topley-Bird's Anything only the 357th best album of the year?
Friday, February 11, 2005
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends...
A contest to find the new Janis Joplin? Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea. Janis Joplin is an icon, and what happens to icons is that their image devolves into parody. They become nothing more than totems or paradigms, and are stripped of nuance. Look at Elvis, look at Marilyn Monroe. All they are is a pair sunglasses and a white dress, respsctively, and nothing more. So to find a new Janis Joplin means having to watch a bunch of people in hippie scarves screech songs they heard on her greatest hits. They could save a lot of money and make the metaphor explicit by filming people literally pissing on her grave.
Happy valentine's day (everyday the 14th!)
What says romance more than a Crooked Fingers valentines e-card? (Answer: nothing.) Merge Records has said that if sending this e-card does not get you sloppy for your hangdown (for the men) or a hot meat injection (for the ladies), Merge will give you the publishing rights to the entire Dinosaur Jr. catalog.*
*Merge never said this. Sorry to shatter your dream of selling "Freak Scene" to Radio Shack.
*Merge never said this. Sorry to shatter your dream of selling "Freak Scene" to Radio Shack.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Mmmmm... food
Who knew? Besides the people who run this washingtonpost.com chat. MF Doom will play George Washington University tomorrow night.
I don't wanna be your friend/ just take off your clothes and get into my bed...
RollingStone.com has a short article about Kathleen Edwards, alt-country's Canadian Liz Phair.
After Edwards said "fucking" during her set at the televised 2003 concert to promote post-SARS tourism in her home city of Toronto, she received a slew of nasty emails. "Some fuckin' asshole from the prairies was like, 'You shouldn't be swearing. It's not very lady-like,'" Edwards says. "I said, 'Do you realize that I was on the bill with AC/DC, and half their songs are about venereal diseases and sucking cock? You're just upset because you don't think a woman is entitled to speak the way a man is more than welcome to.'"
It ain't really bout nothin/ Philly just love cuttin'/ they shut shit down before the law start shuttin'...
The R&B Hall of Fame is coming to Philly, after the city lost out on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame years ago. So the city can look forward to more tourist dollars, respect, a new landmark, and an inevitable lawsuit against the Jewish R&B Hall of Fame.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
So you wanna be a rock 'n' roll star/ well, listen now to what I say...
Because nothing says rock and roll like equitable relief: the big ol' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is trying to lay a Cleveland steamer on the poor little Jewish Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Good for you, Hall of Fame. How dare they combine words like "Rock and Roll" and "Hall of Fame". Tagging "Jewish" at the beginning doesn't obscure the true designs of this farce: robbing Cleveland of tourism. You give in on this, next they'll start an online Drew Carey walking tour. Isn't it enough that they secretly control Hollywood?
[David] Segal, a Washington Post reporter and former rock critic for that paper, said, "The ideas that anyone would confuse a large museum with a Web site run by a couple of Jewish guys with a computer is amazing to me, especially since it isn't even up yet."Mr. Segal, you give too much credit to the American public. In the long run all I know is Patti Smith probably won't be in either Hall.
When I'm in Holland I eat the pannenkoeken/ I got the spice you bring the sauce...
The Beastie Boys are teaming up with PETA to protest KFC. You know who else is protesting KFC? The Rev. Al Sharpton. No shit. Who wants that sort of firepower going up against them?
On a side note, did you know PETA sells miniature rope ladders for bathtubs so that trapped spiders can get out? I don't see them for sale any more, but I have seen them in the catalog. It's like Adam Smith used to say: too much demand, not enough supply.
On a side note, did you know PETA sells miniature rope ladders for bathtubs so that trapped spiders can get out? I don't see them for sale any more, but I have seen them in the catalog. It's like Adam Smith used to say: too much demand, not enough supply.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
So maybe/ you're gonna be the one to save me...
Early word on the new Oasis album is that it's the greatest album ever. Granted, that's the word from the lead guitarist and songwriter. Regardless, I'd still take his word over Joe Levy's.
Cause I know I'ma meet you up at the crossroads/ y'all know y'all forever got love from them Bone Thugs baby
Game of the Week: Ghetto Chase, starring Krayzie Bone from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. It's a normal jump and run game, but what sets it apart is Krayzie running from the cops and special bonuses of pot leaves and bongs. Much better than the last Bone Thugs game, Bizzy Bone's Lemonade Stand.
Monday, February 07, 2005
There's so much less/ to this than you think...
What did I tell ya? Confirmation via Wilco that the upcoming EP/extra disc won't cost you a cent if you already bought a ghost is born:
For those of you who already own a copy of the CD it will also be available as a FREE download via the enhanced content on "ghost", meaning you'll be able to access the download only with the CD in your computer drive. If you purchased ghost on iTunes, it will also be available there as a stand-alone item.
Let the arguments begin... part 2
A few things I learned from Pitchfork's "The Top 100 Albums of the Decade's First Half":
1) In the New Pornographers' oeuvre, Mass Romantic out-distances Electric Version, and as Ted Leo albums go, Tyranny of Distance is a better album than Hearts of Oak by 26 spots.
2) Rap albums "drop." A non-rap album doesn't so much "drop", as is recognized "upon its release." Guess ya gotta know your neighborhood.
3) Kid A is the best album of the new millenium.
4) How many am I lucky enough to own? Roughly a fourth. Or 24 percent, to be precise. The former sounds so much more impressive, but still only makes me a quarter cool. So at least I'm doing better than in high school.
1) In the New Pornographers' oeuvre, Mass Romantic out-distances Electric Version, and as Ted Leo albums go, Tyranny of Distance is a better album than Hearts of Oak by 26 spots.
2) Rap albums "drop." A non-rap album doesn't so much "drop", as is recognized "upon its release." Guess ya gotta know your neighborhood.
3) Kid A is the best album of the new millenium.
4) How many am I lucky enough to own? Roughly a fourth. Or 24 percent, to be precise. The former sounds so much more impressive, but still only makes me a quarter cool. So at least I'm doing better than in high school.
History is made/ history is made to seem unfair...
Miller Brewing has finally recognized the cross-promotional gold mine that is Black History Month, and is "celebrating black history's genuine flavor" by giving away The Hip Hop Box box set. Somewhere Martin Luthur King, Jr.'s ghost is satisfied in knowing that all his good works finally bore fruit.
But virgins always get backstage/ no matter what they've got to say...
Tori Amos is posting songs from her upcoming album on her website:
Each week's track will be from one of the six gardens featured on The Beekeeper. Click here to listen to the first week's track, "Sweet The Sting," featured in the Elixirs and Herbs garden.And this means...? I have no clue. But by the end, hopefully I'll have solved the riddle of all six gardens, collected all the power-ups, and rescued the princess from King Koopa.
Julie Taymor, the rumors are true...
I love me some Yo La Tengo sometimes. But that's neither here nor there. On the heels of that failure of a Beach Boys musical comes a Beatles musical, directed by Julie Taymor.
Friday, February 04, 2005
And if I don't see ya/ in a long, long time/ I'll try to find you/ left of the dial...
The Washington Post has an article about former Replacement and supposed current Guns N' Roses bassist Mr. Tommy Stinson, who's making an appearance at Iota tonight. There's a rumor, reported in the article, that Chinese Democracy is coming out in April, but really, it's never coming out. The myth is probably more entertaining than the album.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
I ain't passed the bar, but I know a little bit/ enough that you wanna illegally my shit...
From the Onion:
Jay-Z's Grandfather Busted With Trunk Full Of Canadian Prescription Drugs
BUFFALO, NY—Tyrone J. Carter, rap artist Jay-Z's 75-year-old grandfather, was arrested Monday for transporting prescription drugs across the Canadian border in the trunk of his 1998 Oldsmobile. "My grandson says I shouldn't have unlocked the trunk unless the cops had a warrant, but what's a man supposed to do?" said Carter, who was busted with more than $1,000 worth of pharmaceutical-grade Diovan, Lipitor, and Lanoxin. "Don't the police have anything better to do than hassle a sick old man? My insurance doesn't cover my pills anymore—I gotta get my heart medicine somewhere." The arresting officers said the pills had a U.S.-pharmacy value of nearly $18,000.
I'm dreaming of good vibrations...
More like bad vibrations! Good lord this stuff writes itself. Most critics don't seem to like the new Broadway play based on Beach Boys songs. It's kind of like Mamma Mia, except not aggressively marketed towards sad housewives. From the New York Times:
But audience members strong enough to sit through this rickety jukebox of a show, which manages to purge all catchiness from the surpassingly catchy hits of the Beach Boys, will discover that the production does have a reason to be, and a noble one: "Good Vibrations" sacrifices itself, night after night and with considerable anguish, to make all other musicals on Broadway look good.The New York Daily News
Given the synthetic nature of everything about this show, wouldn't it have been cheaper and more effective to play the actual Beach Boys tracks and have the cast lip-sync?Although the Daily News did like one thing:
Heidi Ettinger's sets are uncharacteristically chintzy, though the foamy waves are well lit.Foam-wave lighter, take your bow.
Better get an extra square lollipop...
Madonna's going to be on my new favorite show, "The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott". This is going to be even hotter than their last collaboration, that Gap commercial.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Heart holds mouth to words/ says it's gone beyond the line this time...
Bob Mould has a blog!
I've been waiting a lifetime/ for this moment to come/ and I'm destined for anything at all...
CNN does Green Day, courtesy of sienna miller fan (I take requests). My feelings on Green Day: I got my first speeding ticket while listening to Dookie, so for years I had a kind of taste aversion to them. And a lot of their singles left me dry (what single was it that ripped off the opening to "Crazy Train"? I hated that song). But I've always thought Mike Dirnt was an amazing bassist. And recently? A lot of the stuff off of Warning is great. Pure pop goodness. And what I've heard of the new album, which is probably the first half, I like it. So hey, good for them and their veteran status. Anyone who wants to put out a concept album is alright in my book.
And while we're on the subject, I was in a bar last week and I heard a mash-up of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wonderwall". Pretty great, but I guess it's old news.
And while we're on the subject, I was in a bar last week and I heard a mash-up of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wonderwall". Pretty great, but I guess it's old news.
Sweet sad songs/ Sweet sad songs/ Sweet sad songs sung by lonely girls...
I was thinking the other day, "Wasn't Lucinda Williams supposed to release a live album, like, last September? Wha' happen'?" Then I thought, "Cherry Coke kicks so much ass. Especially from the tap." That's just the way my mind works and I blame the violent cartoons I watched growing up. That and speed. Any which way (but loose), Rolling Stone has the skinny on Live at the Fillmore, which now looks like it's due in May. Much like love...
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
We never relaxin', OutKast is everlastin'/ not clashin', not at all but see my nigga went to do a little acting...
MTV.com has an interview with Bryan Barber about the OutKast movie. Title's still up in the air, but from the sound of it, they may want to consider First Disaster of the Summer or Straight to Video. Does this make me a "hater"? Perhaps, but I mean no slight. I mean, I'd love to see it work out, but I just have a bad, bad feeling about it.
Let the arguments begin...
Now! Pitchfork has the top 100 singles of the new millenium. (Although some people would take issue with considering 2000 as the starting point of the new millenium. These people? Nerds.)
Hey, we all gotta keep warm...
Totally stolen from Largehearted Boy and as a postscript to all this Arcade Fire madness: purevolume.com has MP3s of the three "new" Arcade Fire songs that they played the other night, from a performance on KCRW. So far? Kick ass. A lot better than I could have imagined, listening to them via the 9:30's muddied mix.
