tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53910172011-04-21T15:41:38.103-04:00Future MythologiesA Textual Journey with Maxwell Von Bismarckmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1143490555783394282006-03-27T15:15:00.000-05:002006-04-04T15:49:43.233-04:00Alice in Wonderland is the atom bomb of children’s literature. If you want to know why, you only need to read Martin Gardner’s Annotated Alice, which will tell you what you need to know. In the same year, 1865, Wilhelm Busch published the German Alice: Max und Moritz.What is Deutschland’s Alice like? Both poems take as their target the moral children’s story. The idea that a story to be read to amvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1141760061953751032006-03-07T14:29:00.000-05:002006-03-07T14:34:21.953-05:00Sorry, yesterday I was prepared to write an essay on the brilliance of Max und Moritz, but today I'm just not feeling it. Yesterday I was full of childlike wonder, but today I'm a hardened adult. I think an unsuccessful night's sleep has left me image-deprived and image-dulled. Children's literature is very much a mood genre. In both that it is supposed to create a certain mood, but it also mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1141681998358889022006-03-06T16:39:00.000-05:002006-03-07T14:53:40.523-05:00Okay, enough of the bad reviews. Time to talk about something wonderful:I read Max and Moritz for the first time this weekend, and it's already become a part of my inner consciousness. I've been seeing Max and Moritz inside my head my whole life, and I haven't known what it was until now. Sure, I had heard of it, and I've always appreciated the idea and recognized its importance in the history ofmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1141680997441350412006-03-06T16:22:00.000-05:002006-03-07T14:34:59.300-05:00Bird by Bird was assigned reading for a writing class I took, though no sections were ever assigned and few people read the book. I had totally forgotten I had bought it until I was packing up my dorm supplies at the end of the semester. Recently I broke it out and began it to see if I could learn anything from Lamott. While there may be a lot of information in here that could help someone, it's mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1138994863664279562006-02-03T14:17:00.000-05:002006-02-03T14:27:43.673-05:00 Okay, I've written about a few books I've read recently I've liked, so I think it's time for some negativity. The critic has an obligation to write both favorably and unfavorably, so here goes:This is a book that's been sitting next to my reading chair for about a month half-finished. I can't remember what convinced me to read it originally, but probably that it is a humorous, postmodern mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1138654794231796062006-01-30T15:35:00.000-05:002006-01-30T15:59:54.243-05:00I've read my fair share of those colorful little Intro books. The ones that tackle a vast and indefinable philosophy in a fun, easy-to-read way. There are several lines, such as Introducing... and A Very Short Introduction to, which have many very helpful and enjoyable volumes. However, I haven't found an introduction to Buddhism as clear as this one - and it's very refreshing. Nhat Hanh mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1138390763654426422006-01-27T14:21:00.000-05:002006-01-30T15:18:46.333-05:00With the ridiculously stupid furor over Frey's book A Million Little Pieces spilling over the media, it seems timely that I just recently read Burroughs' Junky for the first time. I haven't read Frey, but Junk was such a great read that the question of authenticity in the work didn't enter my mind until a week after I had finished it. But if you've read any of Burroughs' corpus you probably know mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1138308650861875452006-01-26T15:22:00.000-05:002006-01-30T15:18:37.203-05:00Touching From a Distance is perhaps the key primary source for one of the 20th century's richest, most complex bodies of music (namely Joy Division, but perhaps Manchester post-punk in general). Also, along with Morley's Nothing, it's one of the most honest and revealing biographies of the English punk era. Nothing sits on my chairside shelf waiting to be read, so I can't compare the two mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1138305309064587112006-01-26T14:21:00.000-05:002006-01-30T15:29:09.163-05:00Book Reviews!are apparently a new feature at this blog, which I can never seem to get the energy to contribute toward. First is Ajax, published by Cambridge University Press. The translation is clear and enjoyable, leaning toward the accuracy end of the poetry/accuracy spectrum. Little information is given about the translator, I suppose we are supposed to envision all of their Greek drama as onemvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1127154450797195472005-09-19T14:23:00.000-04:002005-09-19T14:27:30.803-04:00999. UNDERLINE is for "Dancing Queen" by the A*Teens, ABBA Generation 1999 MCABecause sometimes you don't need to make a point. You can just underline one that's already there. And because sometimes you need to hear it from two perspectives to know it's a great song. Or maybe you don't need to, but there's no harm in it. And because this is probably the only thing left to do to make the mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1126130782185604442005-09-07T17:23:00.000-04:002005-09-07T18:06:22.190-04:001000. VIEW is for "Sweet Jane" - The Velvet Underground, Peel Slowly and See 1995 PolydorI am restarting this lapsed blog with the song that started it all for me. I liked music before I heard "Sweet Jane", but I don't remember it possessing me. I spent plenty of time listening, but the obsessive seeking, wondering, thinking, was not there. I first heard of VU during Christmas break at the endmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1118421295227448572005-06-10T12:31:00.000-04:002005-06-10T12:34:55.233-04:00It's no big thing, it's a SMALL thing. What...people...think!- "Help Me Somebody" Brian Eno/David Byrnemvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1107580199564888562005-02-05T01:08:00.000-05:002005-02-05T00:09:59.563-05:00I'm too much of a romantic. A cold, heartless romantic but a romantic nonetheless. A logical, ironic romantic but still too much of a romantic.
mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1107579664208756102005-02-04T23:44:00.000-05:002005-02-05T00:02:40.610-05:00The only time I can escape from this oubliette, I then find myself trapped in an underground labyrinth. Wanding aimlessly through darkened corridors gets me nowhere. I retrace my steps and analyze the footsteps; the ones I can see at least, for it seems I don't know where I've been before. Come to think of it, the name "Future Mythologies" is quite appropriate, because everything I do feels mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1107233322303892262005-01-31T22:14:00.000-05:002005-01-31T23:48:42.303-05:00In August I tried to kill Chr*s Kn**ckl**n by having him jump off the Chestnut Street bridge. It was a failed assassination attempt, of course. Instead of being freed of his personality and metamorphosing into Maxwell von Bismarck, music's only hope, I merely became Kn**ckl**n's ghost. Much like Professor Binns in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, who awakens one day and performs his mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1102566319264738342004-12-08T23:20:00.000-05:002004-12-08T23:25:19.263-05:00"Could Well Be In" is now a top 40 single? I'm becoming a total poptimist this year. Every song I like becomes a hit. Perhaps this will happen next to Annie, but maybe not. Anyway, it's a reason to be happy and yet one more reason to disdain all people who say that music is no good these days.
mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1102226923314369832004-12-05T01:47:00.000-05:002004-12-05T01:08:43.313-05:00I think I've realized why so many people don't like the Stone Roses. They don't realize that the key to listening to them is "Bye Bye Badman", more than any of the singles. It's all right there, everything's perfect, though I don't know if the credit should go to the band or to John Leckie. Leckie could have taken a decent britpop demo and turned it into a masterpiece of dynamics for all I mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1101871400376870092004-11-30T22:13:00.000-05:002004-11-30T22:23:20.376-05:00I actually wrote that little post on Daniel Johnston before hearing about his new tribute album. When I saw the title I freaked out and starting searching through Austin news wondering why nobody had written an obituary on him. I guess the joke's on me (in more ways than one).
I'm very glad he remains alive. Word has been that he's doing better with his mental disorders. I hope to say the mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1101354594861352892004-11-24T22:45:00.000-05:002004-11-24T22:49:54.863-05:00Random thoughts:
Kraftwerk's "Vitamin" is amazing. After being totally out of it for twenty years, they come back and put out this track that sounds fresh and brilliant and lovely and totally WITH IT. It's like they can be gone for as long as they want and come back and instantly be totally catch the Zeitgeist. Maybe they had predicted the path of electronic music all along.
Daniel Johnston.mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1098062402832245952004-10-17T21:18:00.000-04:002004-10-17T21:20:02.833-04:00Oh wait, that last post was supposed to be about Jeff Buckley. Maybe he deserves a full length essay, with "Boy" as the centerpiece. Let's give that a shot.
mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1098062304873383302004-10-17T20:58:00.000-04:002004-10-17T21:18:24.873-04:00I love the Smiths, and the first song by them that I loved was "The Boy with a Thorn in his Side", but it wasn't until I heard Jeff Buckley sing it that I knew what the song was really about. And his live half-improvised version (that I can't even find on slsk right now) makes it hard to hear anything in the Smiths version when I go back and listen to it.
Now I learn that it's not even a mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1097113955990379952004-10-06T21:24:00.000-04:002004-10-06T21:52:35.990-04:00How do I describe the feelings that rush through me, at the same rate as that of the many abrupt musical changes. The feeling, I mean, of hearing a sexagenarian "rock star" (America's Mozart? Well maybe in that neither accomplished anything of note after the age of 35).
It was the first thing I ever downloaded on mp3, in 1998, when the concept was known only to a few nerdish types. "Prayer" mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1092623951914823032004-08-15T22:36:00.000-04:002004-08-15T22:39:11.913-04:00Lately I've been feeling more interested in reading books than listening to music or watching television shows that I am worried I won't enjoy as much as I want to. One thing that still cuts right through me though is Jonathan Richman's voice. Probably because I miss Boston, and Richman's voice is all about nostalgia. I never even heard the song until this year, but "Ice Cream Man" sounds a mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1091766495144946082004-08-06T00:11:00.000-04:002004-08-06T00:45:12.270-04:00Young bones groan
And the rocks below, say:
"throw your skinny body down, son"
But I am going to meet the one I love
So, please don't stand in my way
Because I'm going to meet the one I love
No, Mamma, let me go !
- Morrissey
I don't really know much about philosophy. Only what I learn in big, grand overviews of its history or in introductory classes to ethics. And it seems that this is hardlymvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1083553089703978882004-05-02T22:58:00.000-04:002004-05-02T23:03:57.903-04:001. We Built This City ... Starship
This song is funny because it only gets mentioned when people are referring to how "bad" Starship are. When's the last time anyone's actually listened to it? I have mostly positive memories of this one, my most positive memory being listening to Pulp's amazing pop epic "Disco 2000" in my dorm room and hearing Dixie yell from across the hall, "Are you listeningmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1083295306933067102004-04-29T23:21:00.000-04:002004-04-29T23:26:16.983-04:00I'm not surprised there are so many people who don't like If You're Feeling Sinister, but I think it's just because they don't understand what the album's about. It's about terror. Feeling complete terror, and finding a way to keep living. mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1083123757065601732004-04-27T23:42:00.000-04:002004-04-27T23:46:45.263-04:00More proof that the 90's are full of so much splendor we aren't aware of. I saw the video for "Linger" by the Cranberries for the first time today, and it floored me. A dead-on Kenneth Anger tribute in glorious black and white, making me think there's some secret power to that song. After all, this is the song that inspired such violent dancing that a DC show was stopped. Love the sexy mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1082686270599019522004-04-22T22:11:00.000-04:002004-04-22T22:15:12.373-04:00What is it about "Hang Down Your Head" that makes everyone who listens to it think they've heard it somewhere before? Is it really stolen from something, or is it just a genius song?mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1082083376309975422004-04-15T22:42:00.000-04:002004-04-15T22:46:48.403-04:00Here's hoping for a renaissance for Maxwell.
Well I was just thinking how I'd like to see the Fall on this tour, and as I go check the Web I see that they were just here THREE DAYS AGO!
I just couldn't get ahead, I tell you. This seems to happen to me every time I think about a show I'd really love to attend. I need to find a better system of finding out about concerts, don't I? Or just mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1079055528974951532004-03-11T20:38:00.000-05:002004-03-11T20:42:18.090-05:00http://www.rall.com/rants.html
It seems the main purpose of blogs right now is to unite fringe right-wing groups. Fortunately we can counter them just by sending e-mail to the same places they do.mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1077859714223206532004-02-27T00:28:00.000-05:002004-02-27T00:37:45.153-05:001. Your favourite song with the name of a city in the title or text.
“London Belongs to Me” by St. Etienne
The last time I was there, this song hadn’t been written yet. I badly need to go.
2. A song you've listened to repeatedly when you were depressed at some point in your life.
“Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues
Fall 2001. Christmas nowhere in sight. Fear turned into despair (Bostonmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1075513684706017102004-01-30T20:48:00.000-05:002004-01-30T20:50:16.140-05:00I found these questions on Courtney's livejournal. I guess they were meant for me, so I will answer them.
1. so when are you coming to visit anyway?
Ah. I would absolutely love to come visit you in the land of Milwaukee, but I don't have a car or any money to speak of, actually. At this point I can’t really say thought the thought often crosses my mind.
2. what's your favorite christmas mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1075344086259849442004-01-28T21:41:00.000-05:002004-01-28T21:43:35.200-05:00Yay! Comments have been installed!
mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1075343190864488702004-01-28T21:26:00.000-05:002004-01-28T21:31:09.733-05:00Same as Nick's. I was hoping to see the other options.mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1075343120085534642004-01-28T21:25:00.000-05:002004-01-28T21:27:29.233-05:00Which Historical Lunatic Are You?From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1074402354025678192004-01-18T00:05:00.000-05:002004-01-18T00:10:16.576-05:00Also, I'm TOTALLY in favor of the idea of e-books. I love books, of course. I love the smell of the paper and the carrying them around and being seen with them. (Sidenote: I came VERY close to taking my driver's test with a paperback copy of Crash on the dashboard, but I wussed out at the last minute. Probably a good idea as I barely passed. I think the instructors like to give the mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1074401995958159822004-01-17T23:59:00.000-05:002004-01-18T00:01:51.060-05:00There's always something about music technology that worries me. Mp3s for instance. How much worse do they sound than CDs or records? Everyone seems to have an opinion on this, and they're almost always based on elements other than how they actually sound. It's always about how people don't like having to hear music out of their computer, how they need something to hold on to, how they don't mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1073884490461460692004-01-12T00:14:00.000-05:002004-01-12T00:16:37.560-05:00It's a new trend, and I don't think I like it that much.
People writing great songs that are younger than me.
It was okay when it was just Dizzie, because he was inducted into the canon a couple of hours after his album came out. But it's much worse with Rooney. Why? Because they're not that good. I have no desire to hear the album, but the song "Blueside" was a staple on late night mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1073196278230950812004-01-04T01:04:00.000-05:002004-01-18T00:16:52.013-05:00Let's get to the point and make this quick.
2003 In Review
GOOD
Dizzie Rascal - "I Luv You". Yes, we heard it in 2002, but this song has just gotten better and taken on its true form in 2003. Incredible song that makes me feel at the edge of everything. Other songs on the album are good, but this song is the reason I don't dismiss the hype. I can't think of anything to say about it, mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1071418937477139112003-12-14T11:22:00.000-05:002003-12-14T11:23:26.793-05:00Well, I have a job, so the unemployment related depression is over. I get my first check, and 25.1% is withheld in taxes. Seriously, does anyone think that it could have been more if the Democrats were in charge? mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1070941355609355872003-12-08T22:42:00.000-05:002003-12-08T22:44:20.263-05:00I'm really pissed off. I realized that my favorite line from Original Pirate Material doesn't actually exist. On "Same Old Thing" I had thought Mike Skinner sang:
"Buy a drink, chat to a lady, the girls well fit definiteley, not maybe, she's rude I'd shag
her and matey right there"
but now I see lyrics printed as:
"she's rude, I'd shag her and make tea right there"
That's really not as mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1070772089964297712003-12-06T23:41:00.000-05:002003-12-06T23:42:29.170-05:00I don't hate lists. They can be fun. But they've gotten completely out of control. I guess it's that much easier to read a list than an article, and it's that much easier to write one. There's really no excuse for Rolling Stone's 500 Albums list, though. Especially when it doesn't contain one of my two favorite albums. It fails at both content and deliverance. And who really cares about mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1069949974652685702003-11-27T11:19:00.000-05:002003-11-27T11:20:21.733-05:00Life is too short to be depressed. It's too short to spend time lying on the bed staring at the wall because you don't feel like you can do anything. For some reason it's hard not to.mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1069354874383567522003-11-20T14:01:00.000-05:002003-11-20T14:01:51.530-05:00This blog will be on temporary hiatus. I haven't had the energy to do much of anything recently, but hopefully my situation will work itself out fairly soon, because I'm going to have to postpone both the Christmas album and Christmas itself. Something else might be released in their place. I appreciate all the occasional checking in people do to this blog, just to see if I've posted anything.mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1068397920641949502003-11-09T12:12:00.000-05:002003-11-09T12:12:57.653-05:00I'm listening to Strangeways, Here We Come because I realize that the last time I was in England, this album hadn't come out yet. I really want to go back. More on that thought later. I've also decided that Johnny Marr is the world's all-time greatest guitarist. Fuck Jimi Hendrix. He's great, but he can't do what Johnny Marr does. I might do a breakdown on the Smiths whole career to mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1066865199005290932003-10-22T19:26:00.000-04:002003-10-22T19:28:35.986-04:00Now that Elliott Smith has killed himself, I feel bad about making jokes about his apparent sadness. That won't stop me from making these sorts of jokes in general, although jokes about sad artists are pretty lame indeed. I don't think grunge artists were any more depressed than artists from any other decade, and just because people like Michael Stipe and Eddie Vedder are famous and celebritiesmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1066434456311784292003-10-17T19:47:00.000-04:002003-10-22T19:11:45.060-04:00It seems like the word on the street in the blogosphere is "prog" all the way. I'm not sure how much this fascination with King Crimson and Yes will go, but it seems a bit overhyped. Yes it's clear that Discovery was an amazing piece of work and will influence me a ton, but most of Simon's interest seems to spring from Kwodo's supposed interest. Now I really do believe that KE listens to Yes mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1065375403181296512003-10-05T13:36:00.000-04:002003-10-05T13:37:16.250-04:00OMG! OMD!. Someone who actually loves the use of OMD's "If You Leave" in Pretty in Pink. I though everyone but me hated that song. Sure, it goes nowhere, but it's in a movie, you don't need a song that progresses swiftly to a climax in 3 minutes when you're doing a movie soundtrack. It's about the moment-form, the kontakt! The article's wrong about Spader though. He's the only real badass mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1064542432289962502003-09-25T22:13:00.000-04:002003-09-25T22:13:52.296-04:00I can't tell if the new Basement Jaxx album Kish Kash is amazingly great or just has a lot of surprises. I tried to listen to Remedy the other night to help me with this decision, and I wasn't really feeling it. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood, and perhaps all of the Jaxx albums require a specific mood. When the time is right though, the Jaxx make me jump and shout all over the apartment mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1064459734299530582003-09-24T23:15:00.000-04:002003-09-24T23:15:34.236-04:00I have a newfound respect for Lou Barlow after listening to "Natural One" for the first time since it was on the radio in 1995 or whatever. I've never really dug much of his music, though it's probably because I don't give it the proper time, more than anything else. Sebadoh III starts off promising, but starts to fall apart after "Violet Execution". It seems that Sebadoh's reputation with themvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1064327918857392942003-09-23T10:38:00.000-04:002003-09-23T10:38:38.503-04:00It's been a long time since the last entry, and I apologize. Really too much has happened for me to talk about. I moved from Boston to Philadelphia, and am struggling to find a job. I knew it all along, but now I really know how great the last job I had was, and I feel horrible for leaving it. My rent, however, is $775 less, so that has to be a good enough reason. Among the lessons I learnedmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1062000741934054052003-08-27T12:12:00.000-04:002003-08-27T12:12:21.946-04:00Singles analysis is to come! For now, I wonder about the Jesus and Mary Chain. Do people really like to rock out to these guys? I have to admit that they're early ballads are stunningly gorgeous. The likes of "Just Like Honey", "Cut Dead", "The Hardest Walk" are unmatched, especially in 1985 (consensus emerging as Worst Year Ever?). But what is the appeal of all the rockers? Their noise mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1061572295400225292003-08-22T13:11:00.000-04:002003-08-22T13:14:19.946-04:00I know I may have promised a bunch of different upcoming entries that I haven't delivered upon, but the reason is that they basically all, you know, suck. However, I was inspired by this thread:
http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=3059111
I've since decided to embark on a journey through the greatest single runs in pop history. Definitely look forward to in-depth entries.
mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1061410457486801022003-08-20T16:14:00.000-04:002003-08-20T16:14:17.490-04:00My mood has been ranging from melancholy to anxious lately, and I thought it might be fun to listen to the NME's list of most depressing albums of all time, in order. I didn't make it very far, as some of the albums (Mogwai's, for example) didn't hold my attention at all. In spite of this, I found it to be quite a complete list. The only obvious exception for me is Nick Drake's Five Leaves mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1061216178366589112003-08-18T10:16:00.000-04:002003-08-18T10:16:55.440-04:00Hmmm. Apparently when I call Sam Phillips the first studio wizard, I'm ignoring Rudy Van Gelder. Well, that makes sense. Nothing is as simple as it seems, especially famous firsts. Any time you think something is the definitive first, there's probably a little something something behind it, egging it on. When I say Thomas Edison is the greatest, most important American who ever lived, it's mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1060870900196347642003-08-14T10:21:00.000-04:002003-08-14T10:26:15.513-04:00Some things about America are good. Some are not so good. One of the very good things about America is Sam Phillips. More than anyone else, this guy invented rock n' roll. If you ask me to tell you the first rock n' roll record, chances are I'll tell you either "That's All Right Mama" or "Rocket 88." Well, this guy produced them both. He's also the starting point for any discussion I have mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1060784759781280742003-08-13T10:25:00.000-04:002003-08-13T10:30:47.856-04:00Okay. I've heard some of the Dizzee Rascal album, and...
It's good.
That's it. It's good. It doesn't blow me away. It doesn't speak to me. It doesn't shake me to the core. And I know that it's going to be the #1 album of the year on everybody's list. Even Pitchfork likes it! I feel so left out. I love the Streets, but Dizzee doesn't seem to be speaking to me at the moment. What do Imvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1060094413196068072003-08-05T10:40:00.000-04:002003-08-05T10:40:26.660-04:00This country may have been been the victim of a radical coup d'etat that shows no signs of ending, but we are at least afforded the pleasure of seeing a fucktard like Antonin Scalia combust his little head in a spat of ignorant outrage. Now that we're all reveling in our newly legalized sodomy, it's time to go after the next target: teen sex. We've been told for years that teen sex is bad. mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1059405964016858912003-07-28T11:26:00.000-04:002003-07-28T11:26:03.956-04:00Anyone who listened to five seconds of Dusty in Memphis would never be able to watch American Idol again. mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1059163821041230972003-07-25T16:10:00.000-04:002003-07-25T16:10:21.010-04:00I received a letter yesterday announcing my acceptance into Mensa, the High IQ Society. About ten minutes later I started to wonder why I actually wanted to join in the first place. It must have solely been for the prestige and self-esteem boost, because looking at the Web site for the Delaware Valley Mensa chapter, where I will soon be moving, I see photos from their weekly meetings. A bunch mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1058217617794558532003-07-14T17:20:00.000-04:002003-07-14T17:20:17.770-04:00I apologize for the anti-American comment I made in the last blog. And you can tell I meant it, as I did not say "apologise." Lately I've been feeling like I don't want to live here, but there are many things about America and American music that I love. I suppose it's Simon and co. with their hip English music references, but even Simon lives within a couple hundred miles from me. Perhaps mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-1057764120858937282003-07-09T11:22:00.000-04:002003-07-09T11:22:00.943-04:00After having downloaded too much music over the past few months (years?) I decided to actually buy a CD. Hail to the Thief, as it's too difficult trying to find a real copy of that on-line anyway. As soon as I get back to the office from the store, of course, I realize I've been had. Trying to understand Marcello's treasure map review, I pored over the liner notes. Something was amiss. Wentmvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-954785512003-06-09T16:16:00.000-04:002003-06-09T16:16:51.036-04:00Every day this week, on my way to work, I've walked by the Orpheum Theater, whose marquee announces Lou Reed's upcoming performance. For some reason, this excites me every time I go by. Why is this? I'm not going to see the concert. I don't really want to see the concert. I haven't bought an album of his since Songs For Drella. It's simply the thought, "Lou Reed is Coming to Town" that mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-952528042003-06-03T16:41:00.000-04:002003-06-03T16:41:00.560-04:00Listening to Dancing on the Street reminds me of the ambivalence I've had with Motown for the past 2 years, ever since getting the Hitsville 1959-1971box set. Songs that sound fantastic on the radio, cassette, or mp3 don't seem to excite me nearly as much on this set. Is it the sound of the CDs themselves or the lame packaging. Black and white, one-page booklets printing only the names of the mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-944657782003-05-16T15:29:00.000-04:002003-05-16T15:29:37.370-04:00I graduate on Monday. The most interesting part is I have five relatives who think that they will be attending, but only have four tickets. I've decided to let them decide how that works out. This is after all, one of the last few events in my life that my parents are allowed to put more important on than I do. At least I think so. mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-943673592003-05-14T23:26:00.000-04:002003-05-14T23:34:24.000-04:00Could Cruisin' be a new entry into my top ten singles of all-time? After hearing the Huey Lewis version piped into supermarkets for the past several months, I decided to revisit the Smokey classic. What makes his vocal so great here is its conversational quality. He's at his best when he's at his most effortless. Compare Tracks of My Tears to the showy, less-engaging Tears of a Clown. mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-943665822003-05-14T23:09:00.000-04:002003-05-14T23:11:40.000-04:00Listening to Britney Spears' Boys and I'm a Slave 4 U. Started getting quite kafkaesque visions midway through Slave. Towering, icy castles. Black, anti-human machines. There's no reassurance here, it's cold, cruel precision. This can't be right, can it? I'm going to write it off to lack of proper anti-depressants and re-visit it on warmer day. This isn't what everything sounds like to me, mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391017.post-943026542003-05-13T22:21:00.000-04:002003-05-13T22:21:49.750-04:00Future Mythologies is created today. Hopefully there will be much text to come. Today I've made a resolution to listen carefully to at least thirty minutes a day. Somewhat embarrassing that I read so much and listen so little. Tonight it's Beethoven's Eroica. mvbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463706471476629028noreply@blogger.com0