It needed to happen. It seemed like everything was against it happening. Schedules and stress made even planning the vacation a chore. The word of the week is inertia. It’s what really keeps us from stopping to smell the roses. The inertia of work and everyday life makes it so difficult to change course. It must happen though. For the sanity of yourself and the health of your relationships.
Even a funeral threatened to take the train to relaxation off its tracks.
Three days in to some rest and a change in perspective, and I feel like I am returning to the person I remember I was. Hi Mookie! Meet my old friend George!
One of the main things that helped to spur a reason for some get away time was that TLO’s high school friend is premiering her film at the Newport Film Festival. We are going to watch the film for the first time tonight. The movie is called NONAMES. Here is the description of the film from the official website for the movie.
Inspired by true events, NONAMES follows Kevin and his family of friends as they struggle within the confines of a small town. After his mother’s death, Kevin decides to make a life for himself in his childhood home in spite of his father’s decision to move. In the wake of tragedy, Kevin must end his extended adolescence or lose the things he holds most dear. Haunted by unsettled scores, it becomes clear that he must leave the town he loves in order to save himself from it. A new beginning is only a bus ride away.
They have picked some great tracks for the soundtrack of the movie: Dago, New Kentucky Quarter, Ronnie Hayward, and White Iron Band to name a few.
One track from the film that I especially like is a track from American folk singer Joe Purdy called “Too Young”.
I met the producer/director/writer for the movie, Kathy Lindboe yesterday so that TLO could catch up with her and have a few drinks. She asked me if I thought I would cry during the movie. I told her that I cried during Cool Runnings, and that it’s likely I will. I have to remember to bring a box of kleenex today.
April 20th. The day for all the stoners. People get together and smoke marijuana. Usually the festivities hit a peak at around 4:20PM. The history behind 420 is clouded in rumors and misinformation. Explanations range from the number of chemicals in a burning joint to the idea that 420 was a police code for pot possession. Whatever the origins, it’s here to stay.
The burning question should be, what will I listen to tomorrow!
For me, getting high needs a soundtrack. Tomorrow is an interesting day for new releases. Check out this list, any of these albums would be a good choice for your 420 celebration:
For me though, it’s going to be the Mos Dub project created by beat extraordinaire Max Tannone. Max gained some signficant fame with his Radiohead/Jay-Z mash-up project, Jaydiohead. His next project was a well received mashup of the Beastie Boys with Beastie’s instrumentals all from the Check Your Head album that was called Double Check Your Head.
Mos Dub is a project that takes some classic Reggae and Dub music remixed with some hot lyrics from Mos Def.
I requested an in interview with Mr. Tannone about this project, and he was happy to oblige. Check it out below:
inALLcaps: First off, I’m a big fan of both your Jaydiohead and Beastie Boys mash-up albums.
I’m also a big Mos Def fan, I find him to be very underrated as an artist. Why did you choose to make a mash up project using Mos Def vocals, and why did you decide to go reggae/dub for the beats?
Max Tannone: I too am a big Mos Def supporter, and since I made Jaydiohead, I wanted to use Mos Def in a project. His vocals often touch on political and societal issues, as does reggae and dub music. I thought it would flow nicely to put them together. The sounds of reggae are kind of like the musical form of a lot of Mos Def’s lyrics. Themes of struggle, injustice, overcoming odds, these were things I wanted to support with the music.
IAC: Did you ever get contacted by either Jay-Z, Radiohead, or the Beastie Boys?
MT: Jay-Z twittered about Jaydiohead, which was pretty cool. I never heard anything from Radiohead. The Beastie Boys were really supportive with Doublecheck Your Head and they thought it was cool.
IAC: How has the success of these projects changed your life/career?
MT: The biggest change is just the realization that if you put out quality mixes, people will appreciate them, even with a deluge of remixes, mashups, etc. from pretty every conceivable genre happening every day. I am still trying to turn music into a career. I’m not making money from these projects – as cliche as it sounds, I am doing it for the love and hopefully getting my name out there as a byproduct. But ultimately, I’m going to be creating, mixing, etc. because I enjoy doing it, regardless of my day job. I would call it an enjoyable challenge.
IAC: Can you give us the scoop on what will be your next project? Felt just released the instrumentals and a capellas to the Rosie Perez album… have you thought about making something happen with that material? MT: To be honest, I’m not sure what I want to do next. Its hard for me to jump into something so quickly after finishing a project. If I do another remix/mashup type project, I want it to be equally if not more interesting and challenging than Mos Dub. I define a successful project as one that makes you think a little, while still being somewhat accessible to an average listener. I love hip-hop, and am always drawn to it in some way or another. We’ll see…
IAC: What software/hardware are you using for these projects? What would you recommend to someone looking to get into the remix/mashup scene?
MT: I use FL Studio for everything. I’ve been using it for years and will continue to do so. As far as recommendations go, I would say to get any type of music making software you can, whether its FL Studio, Reason, Logic, Cubase, etc, and just start playing around. There are tons of YouTube tutorials for all of these programs – so you really can learn quite a bit by researching. I am used to FL Studio, and would choose it over any of these other programs – but that’s just because I’m used to it. Use what suits your workflow.
IAC: Tomorrow is 4/20, any plans? Do you smoke marijuana? Is it a part of your creative process?
MT: No I don’t smoke – but I do think it should be legalized. Medicinal marijuana is a step in the right direction. New Jersey has begun this process, and I hope New York follows suit. It really is amazing to me that its still this taboo thing. As far as my creative process is concerned, I like to be totally sober when working on music – I work more efficiently and am able to get the ideas out of my head and into the machine much quicker. That being said, I hope everyone reading this enjoys a relaxed and safe 4/20. Put on some Mos Dub while you’re at it!
Thanks inAllcaps readers for checking out the music, I definitely appreciate it.
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground Try this trick and spin it, yeah Your head will collapse But there’s nothing in it And you’ll ask yourself
Who is Gobble Gobble? I dunno…I’m writing this as I understand it. All I know is that they covered, they call it molested, one of my favorite Pixies song.
“Where Is My Mind” is supposedly about being chased by small fish, but whatever…it’s a song about losing your mind. It could be seeing giant Oreo cookies in the road while driving to a Grateful Dead concert with a head full of LSD. That might have happened to me, I’ll never admit it though. One of my favorite parts of watching Fight Club is the final scene where this song comes on. Fucking great choice in songs for that scene.
Gobble Gobble seem to be a bit deranged. They have an unhealthy fetish for animated gifs and making music. They cite The Pixies as an influence and I think it shows in the reworking/covering (I really don’t know how to define it…) of the song. It’s got all the great elements of the song plus a healthy seasoning of elctro fuzz. It’s a part of the White Guys with Beards Friends Vol. II Cassette Compilation that is also fantastic, and should be downloaded by you as soon as you finish reading this. (You should also pay for the pre-order of the physical copy…)
Where is my mind? Way out in the water See it swimmin’?
They are not the first group, and won’t be the last, to cover this amazing song. It’s been covered/remixed by The Toadies, Nada Surf, Emmy The Great, BassNectar, James Blunt, and Isreali musician Yoav:
Shoegazing (also known as shoegaze) is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted until the mid 1990s with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991.
I was on the toilet reading Rolling Stone. When you write about music on a regular basis, you need to have multiple sources of influence and I try to keep a balance. I usually sit on the toilet, read all the new music reviews, and pick one, and only one of these bands Rolling Stone thinks I should be listening to, to check out. In my opinion it was an easy choice out of all the crap stuff mentioned this month. Even still, after reading this particular review, I was not sure what to expect.
“Tramps like us, baby we were born to die!” bellows Patrick Stickles on his band’s second record. A Jersey rocker needs cojones to quote Bruce — and to make a concept album about the Civil War. Yet after an Abe Lincoln speech recited by Stickles’ high school drama teacher (true to your school, dawg!), the band fires away, all martial snares, raging guitars and spit-spraying hollers, punk noise carved by folk roots. Lyrically, history and modern anxiety morph into freedom songs for an age where, then as now, “the enemy is everywhere,” and neither whiskey nor “a pretty good GPA” will save you. But an album this excellent just might. (Three and a half stars)
Concept album about the civil war? Weird. Bruce Springsteen? Huh. Raging guitars and spit-spraying punk noise? Yes!
So…after finishing up on my throne, I sit in front of the trusty mac book and google Titus Andro… Andro…um…shit…I left the magazine in the bathroom…and I didn’t want to go near there for at least an hour…
Ah…yes… Titus Andronicus. Enter. huh? An early play by Shakespeare? (bloody one apparently) Who IS THIS band? I check out the band’s MySpace page. Ok…a music video…that’s a good start.
The band had a few songs in their MySpace player, and I was feeling all of them. So I went for it, and bought the album The Monitor (the name taken from the USS Monitor which did battle with the CSS Virginia on March 9th, 1862. Guess what the release date for this album was? That’s right…3.9.2010). I loaded it on the iPhone and headed out into the world to listen to the album. I couldn’t believe how good it was. Later I FaceBooked that it might be the best punk album of 2010 (at least until the new Bad Religion album comes out.) I was pretty floored when I looked up Titus Andronicus on Wiki and discovered that there was a genre called Shoegaze, and that, along with Punk, was one of the genres used to describe this band. Um…really? Listen to this song and just imagine the band just staring at the floor.
The shoegazing sound is typified by significant use of guitar effects, and indistinguishable vocal melodies that blended into the creative noise of the guitars. The term was picked up by the NME, who used it as a reference to the tendency of the bands’ guitarists to stare at their feet—or their effects pedals; seemingly deep in concentration, while playing.
Not that song, but after a few more rotations through the album, I guess I could identify a few songs that we could classify as shoegaze…but man….although I get it, what a crazy idea for a genre.
Here is an example of what shoegaze might sound like off The Monitor:
Although I barely passed United States History, a concept album about the civil war is definitely something new…and I dig the whole vibe from beginning to end. I mean, concept be what it may, the themes are still angst and loneliness. The lead singer and song writer, Patrick Stickles, is able to weave these ideas together so well. It’s hard to know whether you are on the front lines of the war or back in the present day dealing with what it’s like to be bullied and bothered by the same psychopaths that fucked with us in high school. One of my favorite lines from the album comes from a great song called “A Pot In Which To Piss” and the lyric goes like this: “You ain’t never been no virgin, kid, you were fucked from the start. It’s an album that uses a lot of “F” words. Yes…that one, but what you need to hear are the other F words. Fear and frustration. Fear and frustration we all have, that we can all relate to. It’s bad. It’s damned bad. The economy, the world. Fears we can overcome… if only the album had bagpipes! Oh! It does! The war is over!
After listening to the album countless times, you catch interesting things, like a Scooby Doo reference (“You may have gotten away with them too, if not for those meddling kids.”) or particularly fitting as I am writing this on Easter is the line “Come in on a donkey” which is a reference to Palm Sunday. It’s got a lot of personal stuff to the band. Many mentions of New Jersey (where the band is from) and references to books, plays, and songs important to Stickles. I really enjoyed cross referencing all the different connections in the lyrics.
From beginning to end, it’s a great record. Rolling Stone are assholes for only giving it 3.5 stars. It’s a five star record. Without question. Check out the Titus Andronicus website, and buy the album. You don’t need anymore regrets do you?
The moon and stars are ganging up on the sun… rebellion.
Bands are more connected to their fans than ever before. It probably all started with MySpace when you really think about it. Their fans “friended” them and then the band could easily share music/tour dates and the all important “status” update. MySpace might have been the first place bands got familiar with status updates and blogs as a way of communicating with their fans.
Some bands embrace these technologies more than others. When you can follow video blogs, twitter accounts, studio blogs, and road updates, fans practically feel like roadies and drinking buddies with their favorite band! More on that in a paragraph or two…
I first discovered Guster while I was looking for remixes to add to my DJ arsenal. I came across The Astronauts’ remix of “Satellite” and became intrigued.
I bought the album Ganging Up On The Sun after I sampled some of their other music I found around the web. The album was acoustic pop rock from beginning to end. Released in 2006, this happens to be their 5th studio album and is the last studio album the band has released to date. There is an album in the works for 2010, and I am stoked about hearing it. While researching Guster, I discovered that this is the kind of band that likes to connect with their fan-base through all the cool technological methods we have today. Like blogging and twitter, and the like. Manchester Orchestra had a video blog that consumed me for some time. I kept checking daily for new “episodes” on what the band was up to! Stalker-ish, I know. But it builds and strengthens a fan-base, in my opinion. You keep getting reminders about, and checking in with, the band. For example, when Manchester Orchestra announced they were returning to the studio to record a second album, I was excited, exponentially increasing, over the months they were working on it. Checking their photo blog and videos for shenanigans in the studio. Was I there on release day for that album? You bet.
Be sure to check into the tour and studio blogs for Guster. Just to catch up. I can’t wait to see all the new entries while they get together a new album and tour together this year.
An idiom is generally a colloquial metaphor — a term requiring some foundational knowledge, information, or experience, to use only within a culture, where conversational parties must possess common cultural references. Therefore, idioms are not considered part of the language, but part of the culture. As culture typically is localized, idioms often are useless beyond their local context; nevertheless, some idioms can be more universal than others, can be easily translated, and the metaphoric meaning can be deduced.
I am dating a grammar nazi. Well I thought I was. That was until she used the word idiom incorrectly. Or maybe it was analogy. That’s not even the point though. The point is she won’t say what she means, but she will talk in circles and riddles until you cry mercy or FINALLY get what she means.
I confess Everyone is overweight And I’m obsessed Talking is just masturbating Without the mess
I dislike talking for the sake of letting words past my teeth. I am the quiet guy. I get my point across with as few words as possible. For those of you that need a more colorful way to put it, I like to use an idiom AFTER I make my point. Speak softly and carry a big stick. That sums it up. Most people just talk a blue streak. Another useless idiom.
Anyways…I could go on all day…but I won’t. Because talking is just masturbating without the mess.
I like to get my hands dirty.
Anyways. I do like her. and this is just … a made up story.
Thanks for reading.
The song above is from Our Lady Peace’s third studio album Happiness Is Not A Fish You Can Catch. After their previous work was called plagiarized by Pumpkins front-man Billy Corgan, and the fact that the band had toured all over the States and their native Canada, they decided that their next album would be something that might challenge people.
I first saw Our Lady Peace performing live in the parking lot of a record store touring off their first studio album Naveed. After this performance I was a fan. In fact if you ask me even today what my favorite album is by OLP, I will still say Naveed. Last night, while driving to and from gramma’s house for dinner, I relaized that I have listenend to Happiness… way more than I even listened to Naveed or their second release Clumsy. Why? Well two reasons. One the CD still floats around my life. I mean to say it just shows up. I find it again and again. Under a stack of papers, or under the seat of my car…and then I put it back in the CD player. The second reason is it resonates with me. The topics of death, spirituality, and happiness are things I struggle with often. There is even a lesser third reason. The album is mixed perfectly. I can hear every instrument in it’s own space. Every instrument’s sound breathes deeply without struggling for air.
I hope you enjoy this song, and the album, they both mean a lot to me.
It’s starting to feel like Spring is finally here. The temps inch up the thermometer every day this week. This inspired me to do some spring cleaning on the inbox. This post will be three tracks sent to me by email from artist looking for some exposure. Exposure I think they all deserved.
Enjoy.
PENNY HILL
Penny Hill is an alter ego of Norman, Oklahoma’s Hilary Pitchlynn, but shhh… don’t tell anyone. Hesitant to ever step on a stage, Penny wrote songs late at night in her bedroom long before ever letting anyone in. Her poetic lyrics, wandering melodies, and penetrating vocals create songs that are somehow larger than their component parts. A self-taught guitarist, Penny Hill is not interested or motivated by theory, she prefers to just let the instrument speak.
Life experience and emotional honesty is the cornerstone of Penny Hill’s sincere songwriting. Either solo or with a backing band, Penny’s songs have the power to speak to the hearts of her audience and draw them into her world of passion and mysticism. Beneath the surface of her sounds are hints of another world, full of beautiful and melancholy mysteries. To witness her perform is more like visiting an oracle than going out to a show.
An oracle? Well…Penny’s music will make you think. Find out more about Penny here. This song is by Penny and is off the album Unbutton Your Heart and is layered beautifully with acoustic and electric guitar:
I love getting all these great mash-ups and remixes just delivered into my inbox. I used to have to go buy records and scour the internet to find music. Now amazing producers just send me music!
Check out this mash up/remix of Yaz and Michael Jackson by the remix/DJ duo of Beat Mass!
YazSituation(BeatMa$$Remix) by BEAT MASS I asked the group to send me the scoop on who they are, and why they decided to mash Situation with Thriller.
Well Beat Mass consists of myself (Mike Dwyer) and my roommate (Jake Brennan) we have always played music together whether it’s jamming on drums and guitar, or piano and some congas. Last summer we decided to throw out some cash and grab some tables and learn how to DJ. It’s been non-stop since then and we love it. We currently DJ around town and spend a lot of our time remixing and working in our studio on tracks like this one. It’s been a big learning process but we are starting to reach that point where we feel good about the music we make. This song in particular just popped up in a store one day while we were shopping and we both looked at each other and started laughing and said “Dude we should remix this song!” We just want to make good feeling tunes and something that gets people excited and want to dance. Thank you for checking it out we are stoked! If you want any pictures and what not you can check out our myspace (who uses myspace anymore ha?) at www.myspace.com/beatmassaz
I’m following these guys on SoundCloud now. If you have an account on there, you might want to do the same. Unless you really DO still have an account on MySpace!
THE CANDLE THIEVES
In my inbox was this gem by the a group called The Candle Thieves. This album is so great I might buy it twice. Here is a chunk I stole from their bio:
Welcome to the world of the Candle Thieves – a very wonderful, weird and whimsical place. Deep thinkers can lose themselves here in gentle, poppy pleasures, and enjoy soft-hearted sentiments with sinister undertows. The band that made this world together is the brainchild of two serious songwriters, who wear big, thick-framed glasses, walk out onto the stage to the sound of the Jaws theme tune, set off bubble machines, and play glockenspiels, toy pianos, shakers and snares. They summon up the spirits of Eels, Sufjan Stevens, and the Lucksmiths in their sounds, but make wonderful songs that are utterly their own. But who are these strange characters? They are Scott McEwan and the mysterious man who hides behind the moniker, The Glock, – two sixth form friends from Peterborough, who studied music together at college. They lost touch with each other when they left the school gates, and started to pursue the rock and roll dream. Scott McEwan became the lead singer of a rock band, while The Glock played in a Keane-like pop group that had a top 40 hit. Both have toured the world and tasted the high life, but both craved the chance to make music that was more simple and intimate.
“We had both been listening to songs that were very different to the music we made”, explains McEwan, as he remembers the time that the friends spent apart. “We both like melancholy things that were happy on the surface, but more serious underneath – songs that weren’t trying to be clever, but somehow said everything.” When they met up again after so many years, and realised they were doing the same thing, they decided to start up a side project to do anything they wanted. “We didn’t want any rules any more. We wanted to go back to basics, really have fun, and try to follow our hearts.”
Apparently going to a show where these two are playing live is quite the experience! They pass out chocolates and fire party poppers into the crowd while a bubble machine is working the stage and then they play songs about uncomfortable situations and observations to a poppy, yet delicate, sound of toy pianos and snare drums. After listening to this album, I can’t wait to see them live!
Sadly I could not get an MP3 for you from their new album Sunshine And Other Misfortunes but check out this remix of one of their songs to get your whistle wet.
I have been on a remixing !KICK!! lately. Desperate to find a new project, I remembered that Trent Reznor had put up stems of a bunch of his tracks for users to remix and upload back to the site. It’s remix.nin.com if you are interested. I decided to start a remix using Capital G and the beats from a Birdman track called Money To Blow. I think it turned out ok:
I was kinda stoked to upload it and share it with the NIN community. I log in…click UPLOAD A REMIX, and get greeted with this message:
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to lawsuits way beyond our control, we have been forced to restrict the functionality of this site in a very crippling way. Before any remix can appear on this site, it must be manually cleared by a moderator to ensure it does not contain any copyrighted material. Only once your submitted mix has been approved will it show up on the site. Please see the FAQ for detailed information regarding which materials are unauthorized for use in your remixes. We are not happy with this process, but we have been left with no choice. Our approval process relies on the much-appreciated efforts of volunteer moderators, so it may take some time before your mix is approved. Thanks for your patience and understanding. We’re as frustrated with this as you are, and we hope it doesn’t interfere too heavily with the enjoyment of this site.
It’s a shame, especially since no one is trying to make any money off this particular site or project. It’s just lame and disappointing.
After reading that, I remembered a powerful documentary I watched several months ago but never got around to writing about. RIP: A Remix Manifesto.
In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power, or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride.
I even wanted to get my cousin, a Copyright attorney, in on the post. I wanted her to watch it and for us to have a dialogue. Although supportive of me and this blog, what we do here must be at odds with her views on the issue right? At least from a professional point of view. Life gets in the way and I don’t think she ever got around to watching this documentary…so no discussion. (I still want her to watch it. I still want to have that discussion. That’s your last friendly reminder, cous!) But you, fellow readers, will watch it…Right? You can pay whatever you want to download the movie.
I had to force TLO to watch it kicking and screaming. I’m not sure why she resisted watching it. Maybe she hates documentaries. Perhaps she would rather watch The Kardashians. Most likely she has some guilt about what we do here on this blog. Giving away the work of artists we respect and enjoy isn’t something we do lightly. We really try to do the right thing. We take down music at the request of bands and labels. We have only been asked to do so twice (well three times now, counting Friday) in a year and a half by the way. Not a bad record for the hundreds of MP3’s we have made available for your perusal.
Once I got her inebriated enough that she had no ability to run away, I threw the DVD into the ‘ole XBOX. I think she liked it? Maybe she will comment and share her views.
I am passionate about music. Maybe moreso about remixes, since I have been involved in DJ culture for a large part of my life. That’s not the point though, not totally. The main focus of the film is Girl Talk after all.
What you realize through the first half of the film is that ALL music is built on the work of the past.
All ART is built on the art of the past.
The entities that own this art will do whatever they can, namely suing the shit out of you, to protect it. These entities are in trouble though. Many big bands are producing and distributing their music without the help of these “entitities”. Radiohead realized they no longer NEED a label. No longer on a label, they offered their latest effort In Rainbows to be delivered from the bands website and to allow the consumer/fan to pay whatever they thought the work was worth. This is like an atom bomb in the ideas war. It changed everything.
The label, in desperation, tried to legally pursue a fan who had decided to remix the album. The label no longer had rights to this new album, so the band stepped in to tell them to fuck off. Which they had to do, tail between. Then Radiohead upped the ante yet again. They offered the stems to Reckoner so that everyone could remix the song.
To lock up this art for the life of the artist plus 70 years stifles creativity or forces it underground. In the film, the director drives the point home in regards to the patents and copyrights involved in medicine. Could these laws be stifling the work on finding real cures for health issues in a timely manner because drug companies patent and protect all their work? Think about that for a minute.
Music might not “save” lives, but in the science world, this impacts us all in a very real way. The Rolling Stones’ stealing all the great blues riffs from the past, but suing anyone else who steals riffs from them seems like a petty issue to some. But suing a drug company because they “borrowed” your scientific R&D to work on a drug to help cure cancer. That should hit home.
The filmmaker even puts the very documentary itself up for “remixing”. You can take any part of the film and rework it, add or tweak the images in the movie as you see fit.
A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film.
I was going to develop this post more. I ran out of time. I’ll make it up to you next time. The point is that Klosterman is a great author if you love music and pop culture. He even writes fiction! If you need something new to read, it’s inALLcaps recommended.
Found in the book IV By Chuck Klosterman:
Interviewing Britney Spears is like deposing Bill Clinton: Regardless of the evidence, she does not waver. “Why do you dress so provocatively?” I ask. She says she doesn’t dress provocatively. “But look what you’re wearing right now,” I say, while looking at three inches of her inner thigh, her entire abdomen, and enough cleavage to choke a musk ox. “This is just a skirt and a top,” she responds.
It is not that Britney Spears denies that she is a sexual icon, or that she disputes that American men are fascinated with the concept of the wet-hot virgin, or that she feels her success says nothing about what our society fantasizes about. She doesn’t disagree with any of that stuff, because she swears she has never even thought about it. Not even once.
“That’s just a weird question,” she says. “I don’t even want to think about that. That’s strange, and I don’t think about things like that. Why should I? I don’t have to deal with those people. I’m concerned with the kids out there. I’m concerned with the next generation of people. I’m not worried about some guy who’s a perv and wants to meet a freaking virgin.”
And suddenly, something becomes painfully clear: Either Britney Spears is the least self-aware person I’ve ever met, or she’s way, way savvier than any of us realize.
Get more free songs from the band Or, The Whale over at daytrotter where they did a set.
Excerpt from the book Downtown Owl: A Novel by Chuck Klosterman
Music that Mitch did not recognize distortedly blared from a thirty-five dollar JVC ghetto blaster. The first song was futuristic, churchlike, and boring. the second song celebrated the inherent pleasure of jumping. The third song promoted the nation of Panama.
Has anyone seen the show Glee? Is it worth watching? Let me know. Anyways, the soundtrack to the show had a Van Halen cover.
I’ve just returned from the funeral of a close friend’s father.
“Funerals are for the living not for those who have left us.” I learned this after my mom died a few years back. Burying my mom is the hardest thing I have ever dealt with in my life.
My friend’s father is not someone I knew closely. I learned a lot about him from his family speaking and singing about this man. He was their friend and their hero.
One of his sons, Casey, recalled a story I want to share with you. I hope that I get the details of the story right, but the message he wanted to share with those who came together to pay respects to his father is not something to find in the details.
His name was Travis. He was an active man, and would participate in these long 4 or 5 day bike rides. On one of these excursions, he brought his son Casey along. Casey was probably too young to join this particular ride. 12 years old was a few years shy of the recommended 14 that is normally the minimum age. His father decided that he should come regardless and they set off. On one particular night the weather had turned and the wind was biting and strong and of course the final stretch for the day was uphill.
Casey began to lose hope, barely able to keep up and thinking of giving up. His father slowed down to ride closer to him and offer some words of encouragement. He positioned himself next to his son slightly in front of him, to help block the cold winds. Pedaling along, Travis began to tell his son: we are almost there, you can do it, don’t give up just yet. He suggested they sing a song to keep from thinking about the weather and the ride. It was a song that Travis particularly enjoyed. Listening to Casey sing these words behind his father’s body laid in front of him was so moving, I choke up even now recalling it.
When You asked how I’ve been here without you I’d like to say I’ve been fine and I do. But we both know the truth is hard to come by And if I told the truth, that’s not quite true
Some days are diamonds some days are stones Sometimes the hard times won’t leave me alone Sometimes a cold wind blows a chill in my bones Some days are diamonds some days are stones.
Some days are good, some are bad. This was the first funeral I have been to since my mother died. It was like picking off that scab and allowing the salt in. I must have seemed awfully emotional today at the funeral for a man I barely knew. My emotion came from knowing what it’s like to lose a parent, and knowing how each of these family members must be feeling. How they will feel on Thanksgiving and Christmas. How the world seems a little bit more empty. Some days are easier than others. Grieving doesn’t end at the funeral, even though the funeral is for the living, to have some sort of closure. Apparently I had a whole lot of grieving still left to do today.
I wished I could have been stronger. To provide some of my perspective of losing a parent. All I could do was choke back my own emotions of my own loss. It was obvious to me how I continue to be the walking wounded even 4 years later.
Luckily, my friend has a strong and loving family to do that for him. Luckily, we have John Denver and other great music to help us understand and convey our feelings and emotions.
