While my favorite boys, The Strokes, are still on hiatus until next year, the various players are all doing their own thing. Rhythm guitarist, Albert Hammond, Jr. has put out 2 albums since the last Strokes record to much acclaim. Nickolai Fraiture, the bass player's, side project has no appeal for me. Lead guitarist, Nick Valensi, has been growing his hair out even further. Lead singer, Julian Casablancas, has made a commercial/song for Converse with Pharell and Santogold. This week saw the release of two albums featuring drummer Fabrizio Moretti (girls, you remember him as Drew Barrymore's former flame). Little Joy is Fab's side project named for their corner bar. Also released this week, was Fab's group, Megapuss with Devendra Banhart (again girls, yo know him as Natalie Portman's flavor of the week). Where most side-projects are regularly dismissable, these two are worth a listen. So, bend an ear to the albums: Little Joy - "Little Joy" and Megapuss - "Surfing".
That poster at the top was the flyer from the 1st time I saw the Strokes at 328 Performance Hall (RIP!) in the Fall of 2001. It hangs in the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC. Here they are performing the song that made it all happen for me in September 2001, when I saw it on tv at the cabin we rented in the mountains of GA. Enjoy!
I'm going to go all Whitney (by that I mean Interrogative). They are MY favorite group. Who is YOUR favorite group?
The week before the election in 2004, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, offered their usual crude, twisted commentary on whatever the current events may be. While most people scoff and look the other way at South Park, I am forever amazed at their ability to make a very intelligent statement (albeit completely offensive) about something that might have just occurred days before their episode airs. Even though I frequently say it about many episodes, the election episodewas/is a classic. Here's the gist:
(please don't be offended)
The mascot for South Park Elementary had long been the Cows. The people of PETA step in and demand that they change their mascot. The school decides to take nominations for what the new mascot will be. As nominations come in, the boys decide to nominate something completely ridiculous as a joke. Dissent begins amongst the boys as to what it should be. Eric wants the mascot to be a Turd Sandwich, while Kyle thinks a Giant Douche is much funnier (thus begins the offending). The school holds an election to help settle the division in the school. At the center of it all, is Stan, who is unsure why he should even vote/participate in such a frivolous exercise. When he asks his parents why it's important to vote, they simply fight over which candidate is better. Soon Puff Daddy arrives in town to enforce his Vote or Die campaign, literally. Stan is hunted by Diddy and his entourage getting shot at, b/c he refuses to vote. The two campaigns use scare tactics and bribes to sway students to their cause ("Would your vote be swayed with perhaps a.....butterscotch candy? Or perhaps..................another butterscotch candy?") A great moment occurs when Kyle finally convinces Stan of the importance of voting, and Stan decides to vote. When Kyle sees Stan fill out his ballot and mark Turd Sandwich (not the candidate Kyle supports) - HE GOES BALLISTIC!
Kyle - Wait, what are you doing? Stan - I'm voting. Kyle - But you wrote down Turd Sandwich Stan - Yeah, I know. Kyle - Dude, you're supposed to mark Giant Douche. Stan - I thought I was supposed to make my own decision? Kyle - Yeah, but not if your decision is for Turd Sandwich! What the hell is wrong with you! Stan - You didn't want me to vote! You wanted me to vote for your guy!
Stan then tears up his ballot. So often the "get out the vote" cry is the "get out and vote - BUT ONLY FOR MY GUY". Stan is then banished from the town for failing to vote. An extremely sick sequence takes place for the next 5-10 min about Stan going to live on the PETA ranch that I won't get into. As Stan decides to return to South Park to vote. They all ask, "did you realize the importance of voting?". He says, "I realized that I better get used to voting for either a douche or a turd sandwich, b/c it's likely the only choice I'll have."
It is episode 8 of Season 8 or episode 119. You can watch it at SouthParkstudios.com for free (along with all the episodes).
So, get out and vote today for a douche or a turd, b/c in today's world you have to be a douche or a turd to get that far in politics. "and my I remind you that a vote for Turd Sandwich is a vote for change" - Eric Cartman
Tonight, I'm watching one of my favorite movies on TCM - "All the President's Men". I own the commemorative special edition 20th anniversary etc. edition on 2-disc DVD. It's sitting 8 feet away from me, but I am still watching it on TV. Whitney and I are notorious for this practice of watching movies we own on TV. Regardless, it's a classic. If you have not seen, go watch it, then shoot yourself for not seeing it until now. It's the movie based on the book of the same name by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that blew the doors off the Watergate burglary in the 1970's. I mean we are talking about "Deep Throat" here, the secret informant of Bob Woodward that went unnamed on "deep background" for his strories in the Washington Post. The movie is full of icons with Redford as Woodward, Hoffman as Bernstein, Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat, and my favorite, Jason Robards, as Washington Post editor, Ben Bradlee. I love a good scandal, and I know you do, too. This was one the biggest ever. What a flick!!!
If you are bored on the internet just get on wikipedia and read all about G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, Bob Haldeman, Chuck Colson and John Mitchell. You can learn all about Watergate and bigger scandals like Hunt's involvement with LBJ and Kennedy's assassination. History buffs unite!
The Tennessee Titans roll on! They have had their way with the Colts and the Packers in less than a week. With a dominating defense and a relatively mistake-free offense, the boys in baby blue have blasted their way to 8-0. They are the last undefeated team, and I think they will be in Tampa facing the Giants for the Super Bowl. The secret to their success (besides the defense and mistake-free offense) is their running game. Lendale White is their butterball battering ram and the Sawyer's neighbor. He is THUNDER. When you need the short hard yards, he's our man. On the other hand, Chris Johnson runs a sub 4.2 second 40-yard dash. The fastest man in the draft last year and the Titans' 1st pick has sliced through defenses like a knife through sashimi. He is LIGHTNING. When you have Thunder & Lightning, you best run for cover.
(feel free to fast forward 2 min in to the 5:45/7:00 mark to see some actual truths among this farce)
I'm voting Democrat because...
Nevermind....I'm not I hate Barney Frank... The mortgage issue Fannie/Freddie blah blah was caused by greedy banks, greedy Americans, and ignored by Democarats 6 yrs ago in Congress when the prospect of what happened this year in our economy was presented by Republicans as a likely future... I fear a Filibuster-proof Senate more than anything concerning our government. At the same time, I would not want it the other way - with over 60 Republican Senators with a Republican White House. Our government is one of Checks & Balances. We are likely looking at a Congress/President scenario that gives free reign - and THAT scares me....
by Michael Graham - Thursday, October 23, 2008 - Boston Herald
I have a dream for Sen. Barack Obama.
I have a dream that one day, for just 24 hours, he could be Sarah Palin.
OK, maybe that’s less of a dream and more a plot point from a bad Lindsay Lohan movie (redundancy alert!).
But imagine the Democratic nominee’s day as Barack Palin Obama:
He wake up and reaches for a secret cigarette and a copy of The New York Times [NYT]. Instead of the usual partisan puff pieces (“Obama Health Care Plan Pledges Miraculous Healings For All”), the Times is running exposes about his family.
Does his spouse have extremist political views? Who pays when his kids travel to Washington? And how do we know one of them isn’t really his grandkid?
Opening the editorial page Palin-Obama finds column after column filled with personal attacks and insults. Comments about his looks, how much his clothes cost, his speaking style - even suggestions that the radical teachings of his church might be a legitimate topic for discussion.
He clicks on MSNBC and sees the spittle-flecked face of Chris Matthews.
“Obama says he’s cutting taxes for 95 percent of taxpayers, but he’s not. He’s just sending them checks! No cut in their tax rate AT ALL! IT’S A LIE, A LIE! AAARRGGHHHH!
As the MSNBC medical staff fires yet another tranquilizer dart into Matthews’ thrashing body, Palin-Obama gets ready to face the day.
At the airport, Palin-Obama is under siege from the traveling press. “Why are you hiding, Sen. Obama? You haven’t taken questions from us since last month. Joe Biden hasn’t held a press avail since Sept. 7! Afraid he’ll make another ‘guaranteed crisis’ comment? How many more screw-ups before you dump the guy?”
A crowd of thousands gathers to hear him speak. When Palin-Obama mentions the “destructive foreign policy of George W. Bush,” someone shouts “murderer!” Another cries, “off with this head!”
By lunchtime, the cable news headline is: “Obama Whips Up Angry Mob, Some Fear Campaign May Inspire Violence.”
That afternoon, Palin-Obama sits down with a CNN reporter who spends the first half of the interview asking variations of the question, “How can a half-term senator with zero executive experience and no record of achievement be president? Shouldn’t you be ashamed of yourself for even running?”
“Let’s talk energy independence,” Palin-Obama asks hopefully. The reporter instead demands to know why Obama won’t release his medical records, his original birth certificate or the names of about half his contributors.
“You’re the most secretive candidate since Nixon,” the reporter insists. “And besides, the guy who plays you on ‘Saturday Night Live’ is way hotter.”
The day grinds on. False stories repeatedly corrected by the campaign continue to air. One Palin-Obama supporter - a plumber who asked John McCain a tough question at a campaign stop - had his private medical files hacked into, and found Candy Crowley hiding in his dumpster.
One more campaign stop, more questions about his wife’s politics, his children’s travel schedule and his clothing budget - and Palin-Obama finally reaches his hotel for a night’s rest.
His nightmare of misreporting, mean-spirited negative attacks and blatant media bias is over. For Gov. Sarah Palin, it’s going to last at least 12 more days.
Communism deprives no man of the ability to appropriate the fruits of his labour. The only thing it deprives him of is the ability to enslave others by means of such appropriations.
- MARX
Don't get your hopes up. I haven't changed teams. I just looking at these posters of Obama's that I see everywhere. They reminded me of things you see in war movies in Vietnam or eastern Europe. My curiosity led me to find who designed these posters. Shepard Fairey. The crazy thing was when I looked up his other work. Self fulfilling prophecy I guess.....
Walk the Line DVD cover - normal
Saddam....what?
Stalin and Lenin...who is this guy? He has about 5 other old school communist posters with Stalin & Lenin and a couple of solo shots of each of them.......?
Good old Mao Tse-tung.....love these icons!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not lumping O Town in with these monsters (what did he not have enough time to squeeze in a quick Castro portrait?). And I know these posters are likely not endorsed or produced via Obama's campaign (they cost $70!). Either way, I feel like his handlers might have steered him away from such a similarity.
Finally, those capitalist pigs will pay for their crimes. Eh, Comrade?
It was 5 yrs ago today, October 14, 2003, the playoffs, Cubs vs. Marlins, the 8th inning, Game 6. Mark Prior had a 3-hit shutout through 7 with 1 out in the 8th for the Cubs up 3-0. Luis Castillo to the plate with 1 out, and the Cubs only 5 outs from the World Series. Castillo with a foul ball down the left field line.....With his little sweatshirt, Bartman , a known headphones aficionado, reached out and took the 2nd out OUT of the outstretched glove of Moises Alou (a Chicago Cub - for whom Bartman was a fan). The ump said NO fan interference. WHAT?!? Castillo went on to draw a walk and was driven in for a score of 3-1 and much worse to come. As the Cubs came to the plate in the bottom of the 8th, they found themselves DOWN 7-3. A 7-run 8th inning set off by superfan, Steve Bartman.
Bartman has never granted an interview and has never returned to Wrigley (he was escorted out). The Cubs have not won a single playoff game since-despite making the playoffs twice since. If you make your way to Wrigley, be sure to stop by the Bartman seat (Section 4, Row 8, Seat 113). Steve-o goes down in the books of curses with the Great Bambino for the Red Sox, the Black Cat crossing the field at Shea Stadium for the Mets, and the Cubs barring of Billy Sianis (sp?) and his billy goat from Wrigley that has cursed the Cubbies for over 95 years. Here's to you Bartman, the poor guy....pour one out for him tonight. GO RED SOX!!!
(This post has nothing to do with the Dark Knight, BTW)
So, weekend before last Vanderbilt was idle on Saturday. I spent the entire day scouring around for music, b/c frankly, it had been awhile. As the Titans sit idle today, I finally find myself with some time to put my findings out there. As the Joker said, "Here.......we..........GO!". (sidenote: didn't you guys love Dark Knight? I had a long post ready to role about it this summer....clearly it never got published....) Here are the songs with a * scale **** being excellent.
The Spinto Band - "Summer Grof" - Delaware's little darlings are back with some Malkmus-infused indie-pop. Great song, but bought the album....kind of disappointed after their debut was so great. Sophomore slump strikes again! - ***1/2
Jenny Lewis - "Carpetbagger" - Long a staple of her live sets, the album cut throws in ElvisCostello for good measure (though I'm not sure that it is for the better...). This song is WHITNEY APPROVED. - ****
The Killers - "Human" - I'm sure with the phoenix rise that SNL is receiving from political satire that maybe some of you saw the Killers on SNL performing this song. Anne Hathaway had a skit about Mary Poppins that will forever alter my viewing of that movie (you'll never think of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the same again) but not my views of Chi Omega Step Sing shows - ripoffs!....The song is fine but some cheeseball lyrics. - ***
Gentleman Jesse and His Men - "You Don't Have To (if you don't want to)" - sounds like forgettable late 80's college radio, but don't get me wrong not bad. Catchy band name on a horrible label name (Doucheman). - ***
Vampire Weekend - "Ottoman" - celebrating my favrorite chair companion and Turkish/murderous empire, this song can be found on the "Nick n Norah" soundtrack (i think?) - ***1/2
The Dandy Warhols - "Welcome to the Third World" - are these burnouts still around? sadly, yes. Whitney and I saw them in concert last month - abysmal! At least openers, Darker My Love, were excellent. This song sounds like the Stones "Miss You", if you use hallucinogens (i'm guessing) - ***1/2
Vivian Girls - "Tell the World" - Man, I am a sucker for girl groups! This is droning early 90's Jesus and the Mary Chain grunginess, lo-fi whatever. They do have a redhead, and you know how I loooove redheads (not really - gingers....please lord - don't give me ginger kids......) - **1/2
Colourmusic - "Yes" - If you love repetitive lyrics, this is for YOU! Decent. ***
TV on the Radio - "Golden Age" - These NYorkers are beyond bizarro. Yet, I still buy their work. This song has been streaming on their website for months, but the album just came out the other week. There! - ***1/2
Chairlift - "Evident Utensil" - Can it get more bizarre than TVOTR? Yup, it's Chairlift. Can there really be this much song about a pencil? - **
Stars - "Bitches in Tokyo" - did you see this movie? It was called Lost in Translation. I kid, I kid. Not sure why this is the title, but the song is plenty catchy with it's chorus. No "Ageless Beauty", though. - ***1/2 chorus, ** verse
Friendly Fires - "Jump in the Pool" - Sounds like a Zach Braff soundtrack at the chorus and Foals in the verses. Bloggers have been loving these cats for awhile. I'm not totally convinced. - **1/2 b/c you made me think of Zach Braff, loser! --->
Cold War Kids - "Something Is Not Right With Me" - Back with their 2nd album, I must say something is not right with this song. They just yell the title over and over. This is NO "Hang Me Up to Dry". - **
Guillemots - "Get Over It" - This sounds like a musical number from never to be released RENT 2: Angel's Resurrection. Will you light my candle? NO, but I kind of like this. **1/2
Japanese Motors - "Single Fins and Safety Pins" - 2nd only to girl groups and my love of clogging is my love for 60's garage rock. Done! - ***
Darker My Love - "Two Ways Out" - Dandy openers are much better than this song and sound little like this in the rest of their tunes (though, this song is fine). Their concert made me think I was at a Guess Who concert with a little "American Woman" and "No Sugar Tonight". - ***
Hot Leg - "Heroes" - Heroined out The Darkness singer, Justin Hawkins', new group is still howling about something, but this sounds like The Darkness via the Grease soundtrack.... - *1/2
The Major Labels - "Don't Hear a Single" - boring Fountains of Wayne rip-off - blegh! A for effort, but still nope! - **
Team Water Polo - "Letting Go" - Do ya wanna? Do Do Do Do you wanna know? I do do do enjoy this little ditty. - ***
Pacific! - "Sunset Boulevard" - Sounds like something Brian Wilson would have conjured up during the 80's as a sequel to Smile. Seriously though, this is a must download for Brian Wilson-ophiles or later-day Beach Boy fans - ***1/2
Pretty and Nice - "Tora, Tora, Tora" - Boy, do I dislike Fall Out Boy (the band, not you, Millhouse - I still love you) - **
Of Montreal - "An Eluardian Instance" - Everyone's favorite gay fakers! Better than their 1st single of the new Skeletal Lamping. - ***1/2
There are about 10 more songs I want to deride, but my hands are hurting. Just go download whatever Urban Outfitters is telling you! (Don't you just want to pick a fight with everyone in that store especially the employees? Must just be me....)
So, I'm not sure what you guys think about GeicoCavemen, but I love them. I've always loved them. Even the oldest and original commercials make me laugh. I even watched an entire episode of the TV show (did you? clearly no one did - with good reason) I think they played racquetball and Wii. I did laugh once or twice but rather lame. Regardless, the most recent Geico Motorcycle commercial is rocking. As the boys step off their bikes, The Sounds are jamming in the background. The song, "Hurt You", was a hidden jewel off of Dying to Say This to You which came out back in 2006. Much like the cavemen and to a much greater extent, I LOVE Swedish bands. Seeing as they are one of many Swedes I adore, this commercial is a great intersection for me. Here it is followed by some of my Swedish favorites--->
Mando Diao - my favorite Swedish band packs some old school Oasis swagger with some Strokes to boot. Download - "God Knows", "Wildfire", "Before RocknRoll", "Welcome Home, Luc Robitaille"
Sahara Hotnights - The girlfriend of Pelle Almqvist (The Hives lead singer) rocks away with 3 other Swedish filles. Originally quasi punk, the girls turned more "Go-Go" which suited them better anyway. Download - the entire album, Kiss and Tell
The Hives - The Swedish answer to the garage rock revival of 2002 with the strut of the Stones, the swagger of the Stooges, and scream of the Sonics (a lot of S-groups, huh?) Download - "Hate to Say I Told You So", "You Got It All Wrong", "Tick Tick Tick Boom", "Main Offender", "Inspection Wise 1999"
The Sounds - the subject of this post - guy group, girl singer - basically, a swedish Blondie - Download - "Dance with Me", "Song with a Mission", "Hurt You"
The Concretes - another pop/rock group with a female singer (the girl who guested on "Young Folks" by P,B&J). Download - "Can't Hurry Love" (it's not the Supremes song....)
Peter, Bjorn & John - 3 Swedes with a knack for indie pop. Download - the entire album, Writer's Block.
Shout Out Louds - more swedish pop rock driving it home - Download - "Very Loud", "Tonight, I Have to Leave It", "Impossible"
Is there anybody out there? (besides Allen with a C - my only reader) Nobody is reading this blog are they? Kitty, are you there? Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb - MP3
Nevertheless, this was a decent weekend. On Friday, Whitney and I went to the North End for Giacomo's with Leann & Will from the ECS reunion. I had some excellent shrimp and scallops over linguini with the Giacomo/Fra Diavolo combo sauce. Delicious. We then walked to Caffe Vittoria for coffee, liqour, and gelatto. On top of all that, I didn't have to drive, and Whitney let us take the T. Bless you. OH, did I mention that the Sox won AGAIN in Anaheim.
On Saturday, I went to the Mass Periodontal Society meeting at the Crowne Plaza. I know. Can you imagine the excitement? The speaker was from Charleston...awesome. Until I realized that he was an egotistical Elephant Killer. Literally, the guy showed pictures of his safari and pictures of 3 elephants that they HAD to kill because they attacked them......nice guy. SO, I left at lunch (b/c Vanderbilt had Gameday, and b/c I had Giacomo's left overs). I then watched the DVR of Fulham losing to West Bromwich Albion (the one black-eye of my weekend) and the DVR of Gameday. Awesome. The next couple of hours consisted of me on the couch girating and watching the clock slowly tick towards 6:00 pm and kick-off. Whit made Chicken Chili, and the game began. Down early, Vandy came back and won. Hurray! Still hasn't registered, yet.
Sunday kicked off with sleeping late which I NEVER DO. We had lunch at Zaftig's consisting of my Feta, Tomato, Spinach omelet w/ home fries, rye bread and challah. Challah Back, y'all! We hit Bed, Bath and Beyond for space heaters, tupperware and curtain rods. All in all, pretty wonderful Sunday. Not to mention, the Titans came back and defeated the evil Baltimore Ravens. We filled our time until the Red Sox game with a little Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It's pretty alright. It's kind of like Can't Hardly Wait meets Adventures in Babysitting with a little Scorcese's After Hours. Oh, wait. This is a remake of After Hours? Kind of. It wants to be Juno 2: Bleeker Get's Ready to Go to College. It's not. It does have a tuna canned indie rock soundtrack that I'm sure you'll download and tell all your friends that you knew Bishop Allen before there was a Nick n Norah (I did and you did too if you heeded my requests on this blog for you people to download that you never read or care about - so, I wonder why I even take the time.) ahem! This flick namedrops for street cred like I've never heard: Arlene' s Grocery, the Bowery Ballroom, the Mercury Lounge, insert band here ____. All in all just bring your Purell. That's all I'll say. Whitney wanted to shower after this - not a movie for germaphobes. We are currently topping the night off with some steak fajitas, Red Sox/Angels, and an Amstel Light. (side Note) Happy Birthday, Blake Sloan. 30 never looked so good (kidding, I know you're 29). War Eagle all you Aubies and have a great week!
Thanks Gameday! And thank you, Lee Corso. Thanks for picking Auburn. Your "curse" continues! Vandy is 5-0 for the 1st time since FDR was in office after downing Auburn 14-13. They are boldly going where no other Vandy team has gone before! I am speechless!!!!!
While my favorite boys, The Strokes, are still on hiatus until next year, the various players are all doing their own thing. Rhythm guitarist, Albert Hammond, Jr. has put out 2 albums since the last Strokes record to much acclaim. Nickolai Fraiture, the bass player's, side project has no appeal for me. Lead guitarist, Nick Valensi, has been growing his hair out even further. Lead singer, Julian Casablancas, has made a commercial/song for Converse with Pharell and Santogold. This week saw the release of two albums featuring drummer Fabrizio Moretti (girls, you remember him as Drew Barrymore's former flame). 
Little Joy is Fab's side project named for their corner bar. Also released this week, was Fab's group, Megapuss with Devendra
Banhart (again girls, yo know him as Natalie Portman's flavor of the week). Where most side-projects are regularly dismissable, these two are worth a listen. So, bend an ear to the albums: Little Joy - "Little Joy" and Megapuss - "Surfing".
