tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279862572024-03-07T03:58:47.906-05:00Bad Idea Blue JeansBad Idea Blue Jeans Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10645870238136953420noreply@blogger.comBlogger481125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-24848100265210945022011-03-09T12:40:00.000-05:002011-03-09T12:40:01.506-05:00Consumption: The Best Show on WFMU<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Hello, this is John Hodgman, here to collect your pledge."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's disarming to hear such a distinctly familiar voice as I heard last night. I called WFMU to pledge to<a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/BS"> The Best Show</a>, which I started listening to a couple years ago via the iTunes podcast. Since hearing just a couple of the surrealistic, long-form skits that Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster put together, (I recommend the 6/29/09 Planet GG or the 8/9/10 Big Bill & Little Bill segments <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/BD">from this page</a> as entry points) I've been hooked.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had originally planned on pledging $75, to earn the Best Show prize pack, the crown jewel of which is a 7" of GG Allin covers, cleaned up of all explicit lyrics by The Mountain Goats, Ben Gibbard, Ted Leo, and others. But earlier in the day I told Tom that I'd instead offer $1 for <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/tcostello/status/45234146473291776">each new Twitter follower I gained throughout the day</a>. Thanks to his re-tweeting, I had 91 new followers by the time the show rolled around. By happenstance, my phone call routed to John Hodgman's station, and after a few minutes of pleasant conversation and address gathering, the following scene played out:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "I told Tom I'd give a dollar for each Twitter follower I gained during the day, so I'm pledging $91."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JH: "So are you saying that if I follow you right now, you'll up that pledge to $92?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "Well...sure."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JH: "Tom I have an idea. I'm completely willing to accept your pledge right now. But what if I were to tweet your handle out and ask you to call back in a half-hour with an updated number would you do that?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "Sure, I'd do that."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JH: "Now, are you SURE? Because it could end up being a VERY big number."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "That's fine. Let's do it."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JH: "Very well. I'm going to tweet this out right now. Call back in a half-hour, and if somebody else answers, tell them you need to speak to me."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">True enough, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/hodgman/status/45312511066644480">this happened</a> shortly after:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVMrYfdIrZR_XG0biLkeaFNq1YqMFRnfugw-3faAu5yh6zssnlz8ldL4nVtY2IZGSPGzveq9EH-8qOqU8aGBCjHCtyZR1h-s_ojYbkXGTFLieEnEJKisZILnQQ_5M8DCrJq0WMg/s1600/hodgmantweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVMrYfdIrZR_XG0biLkeaFNq1YqMFRnfugw-3faAu5yh6zssnlz8ldL4nVtY2IZGSPGzveq9EH-8qOqU8aGBCjHCtyZR1h-s_ojYbkXGTFLieEnEJKisZILnQQ_5M8DCrJq0WMg/s640/hodgmantweet.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And in turn, within SECONDS, my inbox looked like this: (Click to enlarge and note that all occurred at exactly the same time.)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_PWAZFSftxPo6974qMOZD3od-nViemiulV35Z-qf3HaB-JpGpufBTZ_NWMTydi-r-vrq3y8Kh4p20ZrcBfMiYrTyw9cYnRCWQo7X52JPTYAf4-VVym-OtkWvBDllS7s-QuBR2w/s1600/inbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_PWAZFSftxPo6974qMOZD3od-nViemiulV35Z-qf3HaB-JpGpufBTZ_NWMTydi-r-vrq3y8Kh4p20ZrcBfMiYrTyw9cYnRCWQo7X52JPTYAf4-VVym-OtkWvBDllS7s-QuBR2w/s320/inbox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It goes without saying that I immediately realized the stunt had gotten wildly out of hand. The power of Hodgman to inspire his followers is like nothing I could have imagined. They just kept coming. Hundreds upon hundreds. Some <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/CWDaly/status/45315931479617536">made vague threats</a>! Some <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/kaaty_pink/status/45351258864881664">said things in Spanish</a>! Some brought up <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/bfbcping/status/45336753413947393">Edward James Olmos</a>! I literally counted the seconds until 9pm so I could call back and end the madness. By coincidence John answered again.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "It got a little out of hand."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JH: "Hold on. Right after we talked I followed you and I wrote down that you were at 423, and that counted 92 new followers from the day. Where does it stand now?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "786."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">JH: "HA! I told you it might get out of control!"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">TC: "You were correct. They won't stop either!"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As our chat continued, he told me he felt bad and wanted to negotiate a fair pledge amount, while not holding me to the strict numbers of the deal. He then told me that he would match my amount and give the same, as he did on-air shortly afterwards. Here's the clip, wherein Scharpling starts by chiding Hodgman for outing celebrity pledger <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Woliner">Jason Woliner</a>, and ends with Tom calling Hodgman "the devil" for tricking me into his plan.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9MbYHNMqXuI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Long live The Best Show on WFMU!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-26521908034335735992011-02-14T00:06:00.000-05:002011-02-14T00:06:56.975-05:00The Sunset Tweet (Or "A pun I immediately regret")<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm overdue on Consumption reports! They will be coming soon. But first, a thoroughly shameless moment of fanboy bragging from tonight.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iJK9Jor2SyYlQ5OuSHbQ7IYajLWYriOgQktPPCQdm5tH2iuzLr4e9M5zeJF-DC5mKPfW358dJI9pAf3g5JmdRIkCcmR-JR4AQRG0U3SscOrSpqwzdRDYVIlUFjx9C4F-o_74eg/s1600/TMGtwitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iJK9Jor2SyYlQ5OuSHbQ7IYajLWYriOgQktPPCQdm5tH2iuzLr4e9M5zeJF-DC5mKPfW358dJI9pAf3g5JmdRIkCcmR-JR4AQRG0U3SscOrSpqwzdRDYVIlUFjx9C4F-o_74eg/s1600/TMGtwitter.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I feel so much immediate pressure!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also, in the spirit of Arcade Fire winning Album of the Year, I'm beginning my campaign for Merge Records to repeat next year. Vote <a href="http://stereogum.com/597052/mountain-goats-all-eternals-decks-details/news/">"All Eternals Deck"</a> in 2012!</span><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-87038607567126637372011-01-25T20:24:00.003-05:002011-01-25T20:30:10.023-05:00Consumption: Ondine<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Ondine</i> (d. Neil Jordan)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Ondine </i>is the story of an Irish fisherman named Syracuse (Colin Farrell) who catches a woman - literally - in his fishing net. After saving her from drowning, he finds that her presence on his boat has resulted in the catching of a shitload more fish. ("Shitload" is a fishing term, matey.) Naturally, this begs the question: is she real, or a witch, or mermaid-like creature? And why is it that she's always singing a song when the fish are being caught? This well-told fairy tale gets weird toward the end, with the following overly meta scene in which the fisherman hears the familiar mermaid's song from an unlikely source: </span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19191694?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Keep in mind that his daughter eight years old. How many 8-year-olds know Sigur Rós? Perhaps even a more appropriate question is this: Have we reached the saturation point on using Sigur Rós in the climax of films yet? Understand that they're one of my favorite bands ever so I understand the urge to go to the well repeatedly. The music is ethereal and cinematic in scope, but just from films I remember off the top of my head, it's become an issue.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cameron Crowe got in on the action early in 2001. </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iTb95TxUc2M?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then a couple years later, Wes Anderson broadened his Brit-pop horizons to score Steve Zissou's jaguar shark encounter.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IPMf8G8Pi5o?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That same year, Gregg Araki's excellent <i>Mysterious Skin</i> had a familiar climactic soundtrack</span>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0HDxHumpCu0?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Notice that these are all happening at the climax of each film? Such was the case in 2006's <i>Penelope</i>, a film I never actually saw, but apparently they branched out and chose Peter Dinklage to play the role of the film's little person.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TgMiiM2oENs?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even 2010 Best Picture nominee <i>127 Hours</i> makes use of Sigur Rós's "Festival" as a one-armed Aron Ralston struggles to survive the film's final moments. It's time to say <b>ENOUGH </b>to the filmmaking community. Ease off the Sigur Rós. If you can't find the emotional power to end your film without cheating by using the soaring falsetto of the finest post-rock to ever come out of Iceland, then perhaps it's time someone takes your music budget away. It will be returned when you've shown your responsible enough to handle it like a grown up.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-37910472370858694592011-01-22T23:22:00.000-05:002011-01-22T23:22:43.604-05:00Bill Murray has always been a genius<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From 1982:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pfG3VXaasF0?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the kind of stuff people just throw on their Tumblr site (oh <a href="http://tomcostello.tumblr.com/">by the way...</a>) but no! It needs to be as widespread as possible.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's an honest question. Is there any settting within the known universe wherein Bill Murray could walk in and <i>NOT </i>be greeted by all attendees as a welcome addition? I say definitively <b>NO.</b> Seriously. Give me any possible situation: The closing of an auto factory. Your father's funeral. A school board meeting. <b>Any possible scenario and/or setting that exists within the earth-bound universe would be improved for EVERY ATTENDEE if Bill Murray showed up.</b> And that my friends is the difference between Bill Murray and everyone else in the world.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yeah, I've been drinking a little. BUT THE POINT STILL HOLDS UP.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-41867459846929685802011-01-18T23:49:00.000-05:002011-01-18T23:49:48.653-05:00Consumption: Blue Valentine<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3oiY7W7nDeE?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3oiY7W7nDeE?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Recommended If You Like: Being reminded that anything good will someday go to shit!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was having a decent day. Then this movie. Fucking hell. Wanna kick my dog while you're at it?*</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">*I don't have a dog. My dog died almost twenty years ago. Thanks for the reminder,<i> Blue Valentine</i>. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-63751469377527333622011-01-17T17:53:00.000-05:002011-01-17T17:53:25.183-05:00Consumption: 127 Hours and BuriedThe whole "numbering of posts" idea in the subject line was not well thought out, so I'm abandoning it before it gets to be March and I'm trying to remember whether I'm Books Vol. III or Films Vol. XIV or whatever the hell it is. And now onto the claustrophobia!<br />
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<b>127 Hours (d. Danny Boyle)</b><br />
<b>Buried (d. Rodrigo Cortes)</b><br />
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I watched these movies on back-to-back days last week and let me tell you this: Any romanticism I ever held dear regarding finding myself trapped in a confined space for hours on end has virtually disappeared! Both films center around one person hanging out below the earth. James Franco (whose character is based on a real person, but I'll just keep calling him James Franco) spends about 20 minutes running through the desert and enjoying a no-pants swim with Amber Tamblyn before a massive boulder alters his plans and he spends the next 127 Hours (GET IT?) screaming, reminiscing, and recording a series of progressively depressing video blogs. <br />
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When I first read about Danny Boyle choosing this as his post-<i>Slumdog Millionaire</i> film, there were reports that the film would feature <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/danny-boyles-127-hours-to-have-over-an-hour-of-no-dialogue/">an hour without dialogue.</a> This piqued my interest, but apparently this plan went out the window at some point, because the film is peppered throughout with vignettes of past family and friends from James Franco's life. Shooting in one confined space also appears to cause Boyle's OCD to go haywire, as he starts cramming in jarring camera angles whenever possible. If you've ever wanted to see a extra close up of James Franco touching his eyeball while he wets a contact lens in his mouth, you're in luck. Same to those who thought they might live their whole life before seeing the flow of urine through a Camelbak SHOT FROM INSIDE THE CAMELBAK TUBE. And of course it all leads up the "thing with the arm." For all the gimmicks that Boyle goes through behind the camera, he gets an outstanding performance from Franco that makes the film worthwhile in the end. I suppose I just preferred the possibilities within the daring sparseness of his original treatment as opposed to the hyperactive edit of the final product.<br />
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<i>Buried</i>, on the other hand, has no flashbacks. In fact, aside from a short cell-phone video, there are no actors on screen other than Ryan Reynolds in the 90-minute real-time sequencing. Reynolds' only communication with the outside world comes from a series of cell phone calls, which proves for a fact that I'd get better cell phone reception if I were buried in a Middle East desert than I do in my office building in Northbrook, IL. (Sidenote - it drove me insane trying to place one of the voices on the phone, before I realized it was podcaster extraordinare <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864997/">Stephen Tobolowsky</a> AKA Ned Ryerson.) Nearly every review I've read of this film brings up references to Hitchcock, and indeed, this is the kind of minimilastic tense thriller that owes no small part to films like Rope in particular. While I felt more engaged overall by <i>127 Hours</i>, I admired Cortes' spirit more than Boyle's. It's a ballsy move as a director to spend a full film inside a box in the ground, and like Boyle he shows a bit of camera-positioning flash by looking "through" the ground at times, but the moves always feel vital in amping up the energy of the story. And he gives the viewer a well earned "What the fuck?" moment at the end.<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T9ljXLJ_fAE?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T9ljXLJ_fAE?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-21203234489844689822011-01-14T13:57:00.000-05:002011-01-14T13:57:22.718-05:00Consumption: 2011 Book Edition Vol. I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ah, January! Every Christmas, I end up getting upwards of a half-dozen books, and I convince myself that the following year will be the year in which I spend more time reading and less time watching Survivor. Every year, this plan blows up. It likely will again this year. But it hasn't in the first two weeks! Probably because Survivor doesn't start for another month or so.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The War for Late Night by Bill Carter</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the main reasons that <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late_Shift_(book)">The Late Shift</a></i> was so compelling at the time was the internet's infancy meant most people (anyone who didn't subscribe to the New York Times) were reading Bill Carter's behind-the-scenes accounts for the first time. This time around, Carter was on top of every Conan/Leno development as they happened, and likewise anyone with internet access could essentially follow the behind-the-scenes ups and downs in real time as he was publishing numerous stories on the Times web site daily. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The draw of Carter's book is his ability to flesh out the private conversations and characteristics of the key players. Leno isn't a calculating villain as much as he's simply oblivious to anything other than himself. (He utters the mantra "I tell jokes at 11:30 at night" so often that you wonder if he values any other skills in himself.) Conan seems retroactively doomed from the start of things, oblivious to any issues until he was already on his way out. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then there are the NBC execs. Jeff Gaspin comes off as the most sensible, noting that Conan had turned off a significant number of his <i>Late Night</i> fans (winning them back only when he went for broke the last couple weeks), while failing to attract the broader audience. Jeff Zucker avoids becoming the true antagonist of the book, but only because his shortcomings as an executive and human being are easily trumped by Dick Ebersol. Early in the book, it's pointed out that Conan delivered a handwritten touching letter when Ebersol's son was killed in a plane crash. Throughout the rest of the book, Ebersol acts like a complete asshole, treating O'Brien as a dumb rube for not taking his notes on "improving" the show, and bitching about Pearl Jam playing on his first show. (What's that? An out of touch 62-year-old man doesn't think Pearl Jam are a musical draw? Perfect.) For a guy whose main professional achievements include installing Colin Quinn as SNL Weekend Update anchor, and overseeing an Olympic games that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/10/nbc-will-lose-money-on-wi_n_417924.html">lost "a couple hundred million bucks"</a> for NBC, this guy sure gets upset at people who ignore his terrible advice.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While the mindset of Conan and Jay throughout is fleshed out, it's obvious that Carter was never able to talk to Letterman, as any quotes from Dave are taken directly from <i>Late Show </i>broadcasts, but of course it's unlikely he'd get anything better than this either way.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As far as on-air talent goes, Jimmy Kimmel ends up coming off best. He pointed out to Letterman that he thought <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1EOYtxUu0">Dave threw Jay a life preserver</a> with the Super Bowl ad. And of course, there was this, which can't be seen enough times. <b>WHAT'S THE BEST PRANK YOU EVER PULLED?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Carter's epilogue features an interview with Jerry Seinfeld, who says "What did the network do to him? I don’t think anyone’s preventing people from watching Conan. Once they give you the cameras, it’s on you." This point is entirely correct, though of course it's odd to hear Jerry Seinfeld using this line of reasoning, considering it took four seasons for <i>Seinfeld </i>to become a hit show. Had NBC followed his logic, it would have been pulled after one. But I suppose that would have been his own fault?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From my point of view, the best all-encompassing summary of <i>The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien</i> comes not from <i>The War For Late Night</i>, but from Louis CK, who hit the nail <a href="http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8480">perfectly on the head</a>.</span><br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Letterman really wanted 'The Tonight Show' I didn't understand it because he has his own show called 'Letterman.' And when they rejected him he went and got 'Letterman' again. He's doing great. Conan had 'Conan.' Nobody really called it 'Late Night' that's how much he had made it his. That was 'Conan.' And I don't know why he'd want to give that up to host 'The Tonight Show,' which is just this <b>old, shitty thing.</b> Let Jay have it. It's a little presumptuous of me to tell Conan that his dreams are misguided... but they are."</span></blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-82418872786085377962011-01-11T15:34:00.001-05:002011-01-11T15:35:58.572-05:00Consumption: 2011 Film Edition Vol. II<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>45365 (d. Bill Ross and Turner Ross)</b></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="352" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/4069881?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Have you ever been to Sidney, Ohio? Neither have I. It's 40 miles north of Dayton, and one of the city's most notable natives is Joey Long, who spent less than a month in 1997 pitching for the San Diego Padres, compiling an 8.18 ERA.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is more information about the city than one would get from watching <i>45365</i>, but knowledge is not the point of the film. There's no linear storyline. There's simply a series of impressionistic vignettes of Midwest America. Characters reappear in different settings, but there's no overarching theme. As a viewer, you show up in the middle of their lives, and you leave in the middle of their lives. One moment a radio DJ debates the innuendo of The Who's "Squeeze Box" with a listener, and the next an enterprising young man is convincing his older neighbor that he could get top dollar by selling the bat dung inside his barn to marijuana harvesters. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From a tonal perspective, the film draws easy comparisons to "Friday Night Lights" with the reliance on unobtrusive camera placement and natural lighting. Nothing seems contrived, from the demolition derby, to the interaction of police and criminals, to the high school girl arguing on the phone with her delinquent boyfriend. And the Ross brothers buck the current trend of making a grand political statement with the town and its residents. There's no over-the-top glorification of "Real America," and no weeping pity for the economic struggles of small towns. <br />
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<i>45365 </i>is a gorgeously shot 90-minute postcard. Like most postcards, it won't change you're life, but if nothing else it brightens your day, and you feel happy it was sent to you.</span><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-14536887449627770832011-01-11T02:34:00.000-05:002011-01-11T02:34:17.210-05:00Consumption: 2011 Film Edition Vol. I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of my goals for the upcoming year is to chart, or at the very least list, the films I watch, books I read, at least a portion of the audio I consume in various formats, and any other artforms. With this goal in line, I'm labeling the effort Consumption. I'm hoping to make more frequent, shorter-in-length posts covering all topics. Through the first 11 days of '11, I've read one full book (review upcoming) and seen five films. Here's the first.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>SOMEWHERE (d. Sofia Coppola)</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Back in the earliest days of IFC, I remember repeatedly seeing a 15-minute short called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn6W65Nq5FQ">Lick the Star</a> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that I really enjoyed. Sofia Coppola was the director and I was eager to see</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> The Virgin Suicides</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> when it came out on DVD, but the movie left me lukewarm. Once </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Lost in Translation</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> knocked everybody's socks off (mine included), Coppola's stock was high. Then came the snore-fest of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Marie Antionette</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, and heading into </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Somewhere</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, I couldn't get a read on whether Coppola was a director I like who's made two below average films, or a director I find overrated who started with a nice short idea, then happened to strike gold on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Translation</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. After seeing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Somewhere</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, I'm pretty sure it's the latter. The trailer is far more compelling than the actual film (though both contain this awesome Strokes demo.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's interesting is that so much of the tone and nuance that worked perfectly in <i>Lost in Translation</i> is repeated here, yet it completely backfires. Every time there's a silent stare between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, the ambiguity is subtle and engaging. Given their status at strangers to each other, you never feel like you're missing out on necessary information. But when similar scenes of drawn out silence take place between a father and daughter, as they do repeatedly in <i>Somewhere</i>, depriving the viewer of any sense of the characters' past relationship only makes the film that much more frustrating - and not in a challenging artistic way, but in a "Why the fuck do I even care what I'm watching?" way. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Likewise, the surreal haze that made Japan simultaneously engaging and alienating in <i>Lost in Translation</i> is poorly imitated by LA's Chateau Marmont. It's meant to depict the retreat and lavishness awaiting Hollywood's elite, but you can only take so much of watching Stephen Dorff silently laying down all around the hotel before you hate every room in the place and find yourself cursing the fact that John Belushi died here, yet this fictional character keeps on living just for spite. Elle Fanning and - surprisingly - Jackass's Chris Pontius are effective in underdeveloped roles, but the movie goes nowhere*, up to and including the film's climax, which again tries to recapture the magic of <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/digital-processing-reveals-the-final-whisper-in-lost-in-translation/">this scene</a>. Toward the end of <i>Somewhere</i>, Dorff's character says something that his daughter doesn't quite here. We as the audience <b>do </b>hear him, but by this point we just don't really give a shit what he's saying.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">*Nowhere, AKA the opposite of Somewhere! If anyone needs me, I'll be waiting at the mailbox for my award celebrating artistic achievement in the field of pun-related insults</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">.</span><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-13227251614892367912010-12-19T22:43:00.002-05:002010-12-19T23:56:16.299-05:00Best Music Videos of 2010It's that time of year again. I'm sure you've been anxiously awaiting the countdown of the year's best music videos. I believe this will be my 4th (<a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2007/12/best-music-videos-of-2007.html">2007</a>, <a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-music-videos-of-2008.html">2008</a>, <a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2010/01/best-music-videos-of-2009.html">2009</a>). And while we still have a week or so left in 2010, I'm confident that no one will make a good one in that time. It's safe to post this.<br />
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Luckily, the internets has picked up the torch that MTV and VH-1 abandoned for pregnant teenagers and rehab shows. The #1 video of the year, as you'll see, epitomizes the influence that the internet <i>(a.k.a. the only place to see music videos now)</i> has had on the medium.<br />
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<u><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">So let's get to it! I give you the 15 best music videos of 2010:</span></b></i></u><br />
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<u><b>#15: David Crowder Band "SMS [Shine]"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>Remember when you were 7 and you had used up all the templates that came with your Lite-Brite? And you came up with your own design? Didn't you feel like such an artist? Well, after watching this video, you'll realize that the smiley-face sun you made was crap. Check out the "making of" feature <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3uVUlxAuZY">here</a>.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#14: TIE between Local Natives "World News" and Mumford & Sons "The Cave"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>I don't know which band came up with the idea of resort hotel staff lip dubbing their song first...but I think we can agree that they BOTH stole their aesthetic from Wes Anderson films.</blockquote><br />
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<b><u>#13: Broken Bells "The Ghost Inside"</u></b><br />
<blockquote>I prefer this fan-made video to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVxTsXRjNTw">the official video</a>, which is pretty great in it's own right. But come on. Hall & Oates! That beats the chesty gal from <i>Mad Men</i> in a sci-fi tragedy any day.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#12: The Boy Least Likely To "George and Andrew"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>While we're on the 80's male pop duos kick, let's talk about Wham!.Not since the cast of <i>Seinfeld</i> fictionally reunited on <i>Curb Your Enthusiasm</i> has a fictional reunion...well, ever happened. And what a coincidence that Andrew is still wearing his "Choose Life" shirt!</blockquote><br />
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<b><u>#11: Hanson "Thinking "Bout Something"</u></b><br />
<blockquote>You're damn right I'm putting a Hanson video on the list. Deal with it. It's sort of a cross between a homage to pawn shop scene in <i>The Blues Brothers</i> and the parade scene from <i>Ferris Beuller's Day Off.</i> Plus Weird Al is inexplicably playing the tambourine! I dare you not to love this video.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#10: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists "Bottled In Cork"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>TC wrote about this a while back. I'll let <a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2010/08/take-whispering-class.html">his review</a> do the talking.</blockquote><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w248uwpAX14?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w248uwpAX14?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br />
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<u><b>#9: Janelle Monáe (feat. Big Boi) "TightRope"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>This is more about the song than the video. Still, both <i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i> and <i>It's Kind Of a Funny Story</i> would have been well served to have an asylum dance-off.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#8: B.o.B. (feat. Rivers Cuomo) "Magic"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>This was my favorite pop song of 2010. I still love it. And the video is just as good. Sexy Fruity Pebbles in the bathroom. Bizarro <i>Being John Malkovich</i>-like plot. Rivers Cuomo wearing a puffy vest from 2001. Classic.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#7: Cee Lo Green "Fuck You"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>I'm not the biggest fan of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU"><i>Happy Days</i>-ish video</a>. I prefer the text-only version. There's something mesmerizing about it (did you know that the third "oooo" in the chorus is spelled 4 "o"s, not 3?!).I mean, honestly, this song is clearly about the words. Oh, and you have to check out Whitney Avalon's reply, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwR_jZPMe6g">"Clearly Obsessed"</a></blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#6: Ok Go "This Too Shall Pass"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>Of course they're on the list. And while I have a soft spot for their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY">alternative version</a> that features and is played by the Notre Dame Marching Band, you just can't beat a Rube Goldberg machine. It's the rules.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#5: Kanye West "Runaway"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>I've been rooting for Kanye. He gets picked on my bullies like Taylor Swift and Matt Lauer. Jerks. And yet, while everyone else is declaring his new album the best of the year, I've been left a bit disappointed. Still, his short film about a Phoenix falling from the sky (and a giant paper mache Michael Jackson head?) is epic indeed. </blockquote><br />
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<b><u><br />
</u></b><br />
<b><u>#4: Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"</u></b><br />
<blockquote>From the best album of 2010 (my opinion...sorry Kanye), and the best music video director around (my opinion...sorry Hype Williams), this video reminds me of the climactic scene in <i>E.T.</i>, but without that older brother with the giant nostrils...or the iconic red hoodie...or the alien.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b>#3: The Black Keys "Tighten Up"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>I first saw them when they opened for Guided By Voices NYE show in Indianapolis in 2002 or so. This year, the Black Keys have deservedly blown up. And as adorable as the kids are in the video, I think my favorite moment is the sage advice given in the first few seconds...that when your playmate partner smells like ranch dressing, you just hold your breathe or something.</blockquote><br />
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<u><b><br />
</b></u><br />
<u><b>#2: Vampire Weekend "Giving Up the Gun"</b></u><br />
<blockquote>So many great things in this video. RZA reffing tennis. Joe Jonas wiping his hand off after his post-loss handshake. Evil Jake Gyllenhaal taking a swig of booze before and during his match. Coach Lil' Jon. The flaming tennis racket. The boom box playing "Holiday." It took a technological spectacle at #1 to knock this out of the top spot.</blockquote><br />
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<b><u>#1: Arcade Fire "We Used to Wait"</u></b><br />
<blockquote>I've probably watched this video using roughly 20 different locations. If you're unfamiliar, you start at the video's <a href="http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/">website</a></blockquote>. You enter an address, preferably your childhood home, to get the most of the nostalgic/tragic/creepy feel they're aiming for. And then you watched a hooded figure run around your old haunt while trees begin to sprout. It's nuts/awesome.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.booooooom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/wilderness_downtown_arcadefire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://www.booooooom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/wilderness_downtown_arcadefire.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Ryan Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393827598933251748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-13968919192713096352010-12-06T00:09:00.004-05:002011-01-04T10:05:15.688-05:00Bad Idea 2010 Playlist Part II2010 Playlist: The Sequel. Does the quality of Volume 2 rise above that of Volume 1 (a la "Kill Bill"), or does it merely serve as a cheap, soulless imitation of the earlier inspired incarnation (a la <a href="http://reds.enquirer.com/img/photos/1998/03/032998schottzie_550x459.jpg">Schottzie 02</a>, the dog that NEVER won a World Series.)* I maintain that much like the legacy of George W. Bush, history will have the final say on which answer is correct, at such a point in time that both you and I will likely have been dead for ages. Happy holidays everyone! Let's kick out the jams!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>UPDATE: Soundcloud took down the stream - advance straight to the zip file.</b></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">LCD Soundsystem</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - If you are a fan of things that are great, you'll be interested in James Murphy's outstanding interview this week on <a href="http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2010/120310/shownotes.html">Sound Opinions</a>. He is quickly rising to Tweedy/Darnielle/Finn status as front men who as entertaining in interviews as they are musically.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jonsi </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I always find it enjoyable how Sigur Ros lyrics are sung in a non-existant language, so I was a little worried that Jonsi singing in English would lessen the impact. Fortunately, you still can't understand anything he's saying!</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arcade Fire</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - After years of struggle, they've finally worked their way up to the level of <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/12/grammys-2011-aracde-fire-katy-perry-and-the-album-of-the-year-field.html">critical acclaim enjoyed by Katy Perry</a>. (Sidenote: Have you looked at the list of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Album_of_the_Year">recent "Album of Year" winners</a>? It's amazing! I think the reason there hasn't been a proper Outkast album since 2004 is because they're traumatized by their win.)</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Frightened Rabbit</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - I legitimately wonder what the benefit is for bands to <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/40735-frightened-rabbit-sign-to-atlantic/">sign with major labels</a> any more. Radio play and promotion budgets don't really exist for rock bands in 2010, right? </span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kurt Vile</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - I enjoy mocking bands whose music may appear on <i>Grey's Anatomy</i>, but anyone who gets a song to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMhm5OrgRSE">close out <i>Eastbound & Down</i></a> is a winner in my book.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hollerado </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I had never heard these guys before seeing them open for Free Energy last month. They made <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whv1tLqKZig">a video for this song that's so awesome</a>, I imagine OK Go watching it and seething that they didn't come up with the idea first.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Frontier Ruckus </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Yesterday I said that Phosphorescent reminds me of when Ryan Adams was good. Frontier Ruckus apparently <a href="http://twitter.com/TheRyanAdams/status/21787096867">reminds RYAN ADAMS</a> of when Ryan Adams was good.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Harlem </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I'll always be partial to sloppy garage rock. Likewise, I'm always inclined to negatively pre-judge any band in the "chillwave" genre. That's the worst new genre name, right? Am I forgetting a worse one? </span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Girls </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- This band was started by someone who grew up in the <a href="http://www.faqmagazine.org/ChristopherGirls.htm">Children of God cult</a>! Seems like he should have been able to come up with a more creative band name.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gayngs </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- This song is from their live Daytrotter session. Justin Vernon's falsetto was made to cover Sade songs. The couples' skate soundtrack at the hipster roller rink.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yeasayer, </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Local Natives, </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sharon Van Etten, </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The National</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - These songs are all great. Enough with the chatter already.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--Zipped file of all 25 tracks <a href="http://www.sendspace.com/file/3te1os">here (216 megs)</a>--</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">*I went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_Schott">Marge Schott's wikipedia page</a> to verify when the original Schottzie died, (1991 if you're curious) and read something I'd never seen before. She re-gifted flowers to pass them off as a condolence bouquet for John McSherry's funeral. This of course, came AFTER she bitched about McSherry collapsing on the field and "ruining" opening day in Cincinnati. I obviously knew she was an old mean racist, but STILL, holy shit!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-71203047783029158092010-12-05T01:33:00.004-05:002011-01-04T10:04:22.417-05:00Bad Idea 2010 Playlist Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Musically speaking, 2010 has clearly been the year of the reunion. Four regroupings inparticular triggered my interest, each for a slightly different reason. Observe my reaction to each:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Regarding Soundgarden's pre-Lollapalooza gig:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "Holy shit! I loved them in high school and am very excited!"</span><br />
<div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Regarding Pavement's reunion shows:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "Holy shit! I only got into them during the <i>Terror Twilight</i> phase, so I missed most of their hey day. This will be great!"</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Regarding the Guided By Voices reunion:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "Holy shit! I've missed these guys! And they're only playing songs from between '92-'96?! I don't have to sit through 'Glad Girls'?! That's so great!"</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Regarding new album/tour from Superchunk:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "Holy shit! I forgot that band still existed!"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And while Soundgarden, GBV, and Pavement were all enjoyable, the re-discovery of Superchunk was my personal highlight of the year. 2010 has not been my favorite year for a variety of reasons, but I've listened to "Majesty Shredding" more than any other record since it came out in September, for no reason other than the fact that it's one of the few things within my control guaranteed to improve my mood immediately. And look at all the happy bouncing taking place at the video at the top of the page! For a band that's now known more for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merge_Records">label they started</a> as opposed their musical output, this is the best album they've made. I hope they don't take another 9-year break before the next one.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On that note, Allow me to present Part 1 of my 2010 playlist, AKA the songs I dug the most these past 12 months. Part 2 is coming tomorrow.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>UPDATE: Soundcloud took down the stream - see the main page for the zip files.</b></span><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Phosphorecsent </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Remember how great Ryan Adams was at the beginning of the decade? That's what this record reminds me of.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beach House</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - In my top 3 for favorite albums of the year. iTunes tells me I've listened to this track more than any other 2010 song. It's fun when a song's personal worth to you can be validated statistically. </span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Steel Train</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - Liking this song might mean I'm a 14-year-old girl, but so be it. I thought the same thing last year when it came to the band <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIoaiTwLk6I">fun</a>. Try and get this melody out of your brain. You will fail.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Warpaint </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- My newest obsession of the year. Their album is good, but <a href="http://vimeo.com/16107878">the live setting</a> is where they shine brightest.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Superchunk </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Come find me in 20 years, and I'll be a 52-year-old still singing "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvD-CJ8amiQ">Slack Motherfucker</a>." <i>Majesty Shredding</i> is streaming <a href="http://soundcloud.com/popfrenzy/sets/superchunk-majesty-shredding">here</a>, and a digital download of the album is currently less than $6 on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Majesty-Shredding/dp/B0041B8O2K/ref=dm_ap_alb1">Amazon</a>.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The New Pornographers </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- The Steve Nash of indie pop bands. Always reliable. Always consistent. Always Canadian.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kanye West </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Great album, but it is <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14880-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy/">NOT perfect</a>. For example, that Chris Rock bit doesn't exactly improve with repeated listens (though the line "I put the pussy in a sarcophagus" <i>does</i> improve with age.) The Nicki Minaj verse is so great here that it bums me out even more that her actual album is so terrible. </span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DOM </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- I know nothing about this band. If you told me they were a chorus of home-schooled children, I'd happily believe it. It sounds like a trippy jingle for a Skittles ad.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Hold Steady</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - "The theme of this party's the industrial age. And you came in dressed like a train wreck." Boom! Roasted! Best steampunk-related burn I've ever heard.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Deerhunter </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- It seems odd that this is the only band on the list to incorporate an animal within their name, since it seems like every other indie band formed lately involves a deer, bear, panda, bird, or fucking wolf in their name. In fact, I just invented a new band named Bear Wolf and we should have coverage on Stereogum within the week!</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cee Lo Green </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- The can't-miss album of the summer! So of course it was released in November! Score another great decision for major labels!</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Besnard Lakes</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - These guys did an awesome free show at Millennium Park in May. I was looking for footage on YouTube and found this crappy cell-phone clip, where <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzM4A3TTMnk">the back of my head is featured prominently</a> in the foreground.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- If any John Hughes movies had featured recreational use of ecstasy, this would be the soundtrack for the montage scene.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bottomless Pit</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - Last month, John Darnielle <a href="http://twitter.com/mountain_goats/status/502036445532160">issued an order</a> to see this band. I followed that order. He was right as usual.</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Justin Townes Earle</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - Winter in Chicago encapsulated in 4+ minutes. From the gospel according to Springsteen.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Part 2 (and a link for download) coming tomorrow.</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-1369451961205883962010-08-24T18:16:00.001-04:002010-08-24T18:30:22.465-04:00Take a whispering class!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Any down time in my last 24 hours have more or less consisted of jumping between Cee-Lo's </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAV0XrbEwNc"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">delightfully profane "non-video" video</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and this magical journey to the stage of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists:</span><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" height="328" id="ordie_player_3cbac7e38c" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="key=3cbac7e38c" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed width="512" height="328" flashvars="key=3cbac7e38c" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" quality="high" src="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" name="ordie_player_3cbac7e38c" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br />
<div style="font-size: x-small; margin-top: 0; text-align: left; width: 512px;"><a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3cbac7e38c/ted-leo-and-the-pharmacists-bottled-in-cork-official-video" title="from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, John Hodgman, Paul F Tompkins, Matador_Records, and julieklausner">Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "Bottled In Cork" (Official Video)</a> from <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/ted_leo_and_the_pharmacists">Ted Leo and the Pharmacists</a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Interestingly, The AV Club (along with the plague mouth-breathing, mutant commenters that render that otherwise great site mediocre) are viewing this clip as pure </span><a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/ted-leo-openly-mocks-green-days-american-idiot-in,44456/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">mockery of Green Day</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, though I didn't see it that way at all. I think it's no doubt satirizing the trend for Broadway to latch onto pop music as opposed to other original content, but it's not "mocking" anybody specifically, except maybe <a href="http://twitter.com/tedleo/status/21968485624">the Rx themselves</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That said, the video didn't remind me of Green Day nearly as much as it reminded me of the AMAZING disaster from four years ago, when </span><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2152251"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a musical based on the music of Bob Dylan</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was <i>actually </i>greenlit, and <i>actually </i>on Brodway for a month before everyone realized it was terrible and nobody was going to see it and they should all stop making it.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you've never seen this, it's amazing. And you will never be able to un-see it as long as you live.</span><br />
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<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-2746836873724824941&hl=en&fs=true" style="height: 326px; width: 400px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How does it feel? It feels terrible. To describe my feelings any better, I'd need a giant ball to bounce on.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-64633014437249723552010-08-19T23:33:00.003-04:002010-08-19T23:38:33.317-04:00Off the Record<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A couple nights ago, I was watching POV on PBS. One of the short films that aired was based on record collector Paul Mawhinney, who has been trying (unsuccessfully thus far) to sell his collection of 2.5 million vinyl records. The 7-minute-feature (shot two years ago) can also be seen here, and I highly recommend it, as the direction is top-notch, and the lighting of Mawhinney's cramped archive is truly gorgeous</span>.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="361" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/1546186?byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Judging from the majority of </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/pov/thearchive/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">responses on the POV site</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, people see Paul Mawhinney as a martyr who spent his life devoted to collecting an artform that society has deemed basically worthless. People see him as an ultimate victim who has sought after and cared for these items, yet now in his time of need he's unable to sell them for even pennies on the dollar.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm clearly in the minority, because I see him as kind of an asshole.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Obviously, Mawhinney's health concerns inspire a large part of the emotional response, and indeed it's sad to see these ailments taking hold of his body, understanding that he could no doubt use the money this sale would bring. But a significant amount of Mawhinney's own commentary raises some red flags as to A) his status as a "collector" vs. "dealer," and B) His understanding of the marketplace.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My issues started literally within the first 20 seconds of the video, with Mawhinney showing off this supposedly priceless artifact by pawing at it, slapping his entire palm over it like a gorilla ready to toss its own feces. And he doesn't say anything along the lines of "Imagine the history of what I'm holding, etc..." He just mentions (twice!) that it must be worth a boatload.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Throughout the rest of the video, I have a hard time seeing this guy as someone who's truly in love with what he possesses. The way he talks about records is the exact same way that show dealers at Eastgate Mall talked about baseball cards when I was 11 years old. They enjoy what makes them money, and they are always in sell mode when showing off what they've got. When he shows off The Rolling Stones crown jewel of this collection, he doesn't make mention of how many copies were printed, or whether it's a UK or US edition, or any of those music nerd details. But he sure as shit knows the price range for it. Of course, his range of $6k-$10k is pretty wide, and a copy </span><a href="http://item.ebay.com/260634018530"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sold on Ebay last month</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for less than $1,800, so perhaps he sould take it easy with throwing that 10 grand figure around. By that same token, Mawhinney's dealer-enhanced claim of the collection being worth $50 million means nothing without a buyer. Shit, how about if I hereby appraise the entire collection of Ken Griffey Jr. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Starting Lineup</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> figures through the years at 15 grand! Do I hear a bidder? Act now and I'll throw in every Dante Bichette model from 1995-97!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm highly skeptical of his claim that 83% of the music in his collection isn't available through other media formats. We live in a time where releasing reissues with a built-in and known demand is a far safer business proposition for labels than bankrolling new bands, so it would seem a safe assumption that most of the music in his collection that legitimately won't be re-released to the public is most likely not that valuable to being with.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Granted, Mawhinney's commentary about people "not giving a damn" about vinyl have been disproven in the time since the video was made, so he can't be chastised for not knowing that in the time since he made those comments, vinyl sales would be the ONLY media form of the record industry </span><a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/lifetravel/stories/DN-vinyl_0218gd.ART0.State.Edition1.4c0e303.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">actually thriving</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. But Mawhinney's insistence to sell the collection as one lump all-or-nothing transaction seems...well...stupid. If these albums truly mean something sentimental, why not keep them and pass them down when death comes knocking? If they don't hold that attachment, sell what people are willing to buy. Either way, Mawhinney's act of martyrdom seems played out at this point, nearly a decade after he first had a deal fall through </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2003/04/28/story6.html?page=1">with the U.S. Library of Congress</a>. I'm guessing that deal (which he rejected) was for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">more than $3 million. That small plot point wasn't mentioned in this feature, but I'm guessing it just didn't fit the narrative.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-17869613428860776112010-08-12T22:15:00.001-04:002010-08-12T22:43:41.057-04:00Drift Shaft records not included<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I made peace <a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2010/03/big-river.html">awhile ago</a> in regards to what Weezer has become. Despite the diminishing returns of each album, they still have become masters in marketing themselves in ways that have nothing to do with their songs themselves (Exhibit A-Z: Snuggies!) Perhaps Weezer truly are the second coming of Kiss?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The pitch of style over substance was on display again this week. I saw the band's new single linked a few different places, but those mentioned were dwarfed drastically by news of the </span><a href="http://www.spinner.com/2010/08/09/weezer-hurley-album-cover/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">album's cover photo</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Delightful! Although Hurley was partial to <a href="http://www.spin.com/gallery/lost-12-best-musical-moments-ever?page=4">another band</a>, this photo couldn't be more joyous if he were fully decked out in a Mr. Cluck's uniform.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Will the album be good? Who knows? Probably not that good, but maybe kinda good! Does it matter? Not really! What matters is that I want <i>LOST </i>connections on all indie rock album covers from now on! So I took it upon myself to make several of them! Feel free to print these at and glue them to your CD covers. (That is a joke - nobody buys CDs. Please copy and past into your magical lower-left iTunes box to your heart's content.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Was this good use of a couple hours on a Thursday? Or </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THE BEST</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> use of a couple hours on a Thursday? You do the math.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-34463875750177957972010-08-09T23:47:00.007-04:002010-08-10T00:10:22.407-04:00Bad Idea Show Review: Lollapalooza 2010 at Grant Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4875500101_a66d0ab84a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4875500101_a66d0ab84a_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/banditob/4875500101/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">via</span></i></a></div><br />
It's 2010, everybody. We as a nation need to examine proper crowdsurfing situations with a more discerning eye. I'm not going to go so far as to say it's inappropriate in every situation, but there is no acceptable reason for why crowdsurfing is occurring during sets from Yeasayer or The Black Keys. Let's all make better choices. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guzF1hIa8Zo">Go with yourself.</a><br />
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My Lollapalooza weekend started a night early, as I unexpectedly had the chance to see <b>Soundgarden </b>at the small Vic Theatre on Thursday night with a friend. It was a <a href="http://stereogum.com/462972/soundgarden-vic-theatre-chicago-8510/top-stories/lead-story/">really fantastic show</a>, consisting mostly of <i>Badmotorfinger </i>and <i>Superunknown </i>tracks. Cornell’s hair was at 1992 length, as was his voice which sounded great. Kim Thayil is now fat, with a gray beard and goofy hat that at first made me wonder, “When did <a href="http://indiebear.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/dr_john.jpg">Dr. John</a> join Soundgarden?” Anyway, after getting the rock endorphins flowing, the weekend was off and running. And by running, I mean walking carefully. Nobody needs to run at festivals, kids!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">FRIDAY</span><br />
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I arrived at 11am, and the gates had not yet opened. Bad start, Lollapalooza! After silently wondering if I should protest by leaving, I instead waited to be let in, then wandered down to the south field, which for some creepy reason was already damp/muddy, despite the fact that it hadn’t rained in days. <b>B.O.B. </b>started the day off, and if you wanted to see any hip-hop at this festival, he was basically your only hope unless you liked Cypress Hill. (Just kidding of course. Nobody likes Cypress Hill.) B.O.B. has clearly tapped into the niche of rap for emo kids, as he showcased by strapping on an acoustic guitar for some terrible Dashboard Confessional-esque ballad about a soldier in Vietnam. His album is also besotted with guest appearances, so during the live show you’d often hear the disembodied voice of Rivers Cuomo screaming out of the speakers while B.O.B. danced and waited for his verse. He closed his set covering “Kids” by MGMT, and naturally the crowd went apeshit. I took the chance to make my first cross-park walk when <b>Wavves </b>was playing on the opposite end. It was a farther walk than I remember, and there wasn’t even a reward when I finally made it to the other end; there was just Wavves playing shitty and acting shitty between songs, and looking clearly out of place on the massive north main stage. I left, bored after 20 minutes, and wandered over to one of the small stages where <b>The Ettes</b> were rocking mid-set with a fuzzed-out, straight-ahead approach that was a refreshing cleanser from the overly precious brattiness of Wavves. <br />
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Friday turned out to be a day of one headliner after another. I headed back down south to take in a solid set from <b>The Walkmen</b>, then chose to go back up north for <b>Mavis Staples</b> at 2pm. She was scheduled up against Raphael Saadiq, which frankly sucked, as the two biggest R&B/Soul draws of the fest shouldn’t be paired against each other. I chose Staples, and was glad I did. She put together one of the <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoekstra/2010/08/mavis_and_tweedy_at_lollapaloo.html">best sets of the day</a>, and had a surprise cameo from Jeff Tweedy to boot. (Side note: Between seeing The Autumn Defense in June, On Fillmore in July, and Mavis Staples, I’ve seen all 5 members of Wilco perform this summer, without actually seeing a Wilco performance. News you can use!)<br />
<br />
While watching Staples, I met up with my friend Marc and we wandered to the opposite north field for <b>Drive-By Truckers</b>. I first saw them on a co-headlining tour with The Hold Steady a couple years ago. It was a natural pairing, as the Truckers are basically a southern country-fried cousin to the Hold Steady, right down to the everyman lyrics and goofy grinning energetic frontman. They were excellent then, and they’re excellent now. Their hour-long set flew by, and one they wrapped, we went back across the north field for <b>The New Pornographers</b>. It’s borderline embarrassing that I hadn’t seen them live before, but they were awesome. There were easily 35,000 people in the north field watching at this point, and not to be outdone by Mavis Staple’s surprise guest, the Pornos brought out their own help in the form of Tad Kubler from The Hold Steady. As great as their songs were, the highlight of the set may have been Neko Case’s hat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuamellin/4876251504/sizes/l/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4876251504_a6c1fc5d5e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This hat will kick the ass of any Lady Gaga costume.</span></div><br />
Sticking on the north end, <b>The Dirty Projectors</b> started at 5pm.<br />
Me at 5:00pm: "They sound pretty cool. I'm digging this.<br />
Me at 5:10pm: "This is boring. I'm bored now."<br />
The Dirty Projectors do <a href="http://www.twitvid.com/53683">one cool thing very well</a>, but hearing a two-minute-long trick over and over for an hour is like...it's like hearing a two-minute-long trick over and over for an hour. There’s no more appropriate analogy. It made me sleepy. But as I started to get sleepy, <b>The Black Keys</b> said “WAKE UP YOU JERK! WE WILL ROCK ALL BODIES AWAKE FROM YOUR MINIMALIST SWIRLING-INDUCED COMAS! WE MAY EVEN RAISE THE DEAD!" They slayed the stage, playing about 2/3 of their set as a 2-piece, and the other third as an expanded 4-piece, playing mostly songs of their new album. They’re killer as a 2-piece, but they’re actually even better with additional instruments. Go see this band now.<br />
<br />
After the Black Keys wrapped, I trekked down south, stop for a few minutes on the way to relive a bit of 1980’s synth-pop courtesy of <b>Chromeo </b>(Guess what? The 80’s aren’t much better now than they were then), watched the beginning of what was apparently <a href="http://chicagoist.com/2010/08/07/lollapalooza_day_1.php">an underwhelming set</a> by Lady Gaga, and saw The Strokes. I thought <a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2010/08/last-nite.html">they were very good.</a> And I'm <a href="http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/out-and-about/2010/08/the-strokes-at-lollapalooza-2010-live-review/">not alone</a> it seems.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">SATURDAY</span><br />
<br />
My first thought when waking up Saturday was “I’m very sore, almost as if I spent all damn day yesterday repeatedly walking around a 2-mile radius.” My second thought was “I have a headache, even though I didn’t drink at all yesterday.” You know what they say is great for headaches? Rock shows! Tons of them! The more the better! So away we went.<br />
<br />
While Friday seemed stacked all day with one headlining giant after another, Saturday did not. (“Who wants to go see Blues Traveler on the main stage at 1:45?” is a question nobody who likes music asks themselves.) With that in mind, and with friends checking out the DJ tent most of the day, I went exploring the small stages, and made several happy discoveries. <b>Harlem </b>(from Austin, naturally) not only have an <a href="http://twitpic.com/2cj66g/full">impressively large kick-drum</a>, but had a nice ramshackled garage-rock vibe that came off much more charming (and better overall) than Wavves the day before. <b>Wild Beasts</b> were strong as well, but the discovery of the day was <b>Warpaint </b>on the smaller northwest stage. I’d heard their name before, but never their music, and they were amazing, in a spaced-out Explosions in the Sky-with vocals type of way. They’ve only put out an EP so far, but based on the songs they played Saturday, their first album is going to be fantastic. Mark my words. Mark them!<br />
<br />
Other impressive acts on the Saturday small stage included <b>Dawes </b>(1970s folk harmonies) and <b>Deer Tick</b> (alt-country rock <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30605604">endorsed by Brian Williams!</a>) and <b>Dan Black</b> (he likes Prince). On some of the bigger stages, <b>Against Me!</b> proved my <a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2009/09/bibj-playlist-of-2000s-entries-99.html">past suspicions</a> correct. I would have LOVED these guys when I was in high school. Ex-Hold Steady-er (and still KING of the mustache) Franz Nicolay has joined the band on keyboards, for reasons unclear to me because I couldn’t hear any keys, but he’s still got the patented <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lollapaloozafest/4870666046">one-hand-up-while-yelling move</a> that made me yearn for another THS show. Moving back north, there was a GIANT unmoveable clusterfuck surrounded the stage where <b>The xx</b> played. My head was still killing me, and with no cloud cover at that stage, I wandered back south, grabbing food and shade, listening to <b>Gogol Bordello</b> from afar while watching their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3hisL4NiQI">gypsy escapades</a> on the webcast screen. I checked out about 30 minutes of <b>Metric </b>afterward, and while I like a few of their songs, they left me underwhelmed. I bypassed seeing Spoon again to watch <b>Social Distortion</b>, and they were as good as I expected them to be. Mike Ness is gray and balding but is still a badass, not to mention one of the few living people who can pull off a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_lbcTfxLsk">Johnny Cash cover</a> without sounding like a complete hack. <br />
<br />
Have you ever said to yourself, “I’d love to watch a terrible ska/reggae band cover both John Denver AND Nirvana?” If so, then <b>Slightly Stoopid</b> is the band for you. Also, you should jump in front of a train because you are a terrible person. I don’t know how this band got such a great timeslot, but there was nothing redeeming about them. I sat and tried to remain still if only to avoid another cross-park walk. That said, I was still intrigued by how <b>Green Day</b> would close out the night.<br />
<br />
People tend to forget that before <i>American Idiot</i> was released, Green Day’s popularity had taken a pretty substantial nosedive, though <i>Nimrod </i>and <i>Warning </i>were still very good albums. Their most recent album made it clear that they’re not a band for me anymore, but the kids still love them, and based on Saturday night, Green Day is still for the children. Billie Joe Armstrong still dicks around between songs A LOT. Escapades on Saturday included mooning the crowd, urging a teenage kid to stage dive into the crowd (he <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2micdpuCH0">BARELY made it over</a> the 15-foot-barrier to the front row of fans), and impromptu covers of Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC, and wedding reception staple “Shout.” They may have a Broadway musical to their credit, but it’s hard to imagine Billy Joel shouting “Who wants a fucking t-shirt?!” while firing shirts from cannons into the crowd. But the momentum kept moving. Simply put, the show was a big, dumb, explosion-filled two-and-a-half hours of pure fun. Armstrong repeatedly threatened to play past the 10pm curfew, and proved to be a man of his word, as the band blasted until about 10:15pm, infuriating union workers and likely incurring a huge fine in the process. Money well spent. Oh yeah, and some kid sang all of “Longview,” and got an awesome gift for his rendition (at the 5-minute mark). Best karaoke jam ever!<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">SUNDAY</span><br />
<br />
The most notable bands playing early on Sunday (The Dodos, The Antlers, and Blitzen Trapper) were those I had already seen at previous Pitchfork fests. Plus it was raining, so I delayed my arrival until about 2pm, and watched the last couple songs of spirited roots-rockers <b>Ike Reilly Assassination</b> before arriving to an already packed stage for <b>Mumford & Sons.</b> I like this band, but the Bluegrass-via-U.K. routine seems a bit gimmicky to me. A little goes a long way, but the crowd loved it all despite the hottest sunlight of the weekend. On the north main stage, a huge crowd gathered for <b>Yeasayer</b>, and while their performance was far more engaging than their set at Pitchfork last year, the crowd around me opted for lazy swaying as opposed to much cheering.<br />
<br />
If it’s raucous crowds you’re looking for, look no further than BIBJ-endorsed <b>Frightened Rabbit</b>. They were stashed on a smaller stage, timed up against Mutemath and Erykah Badu, but drew a massive enthusiastic crowd. This band has transitioned nicely from solo confessional songs to bigger and fuller arrangements, and have put together louder arrangements each time I’ve seen them, and Sunday <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjBwaEqmmX8">continued the trend</a>. It also continued the trend of Hold Steady connections permeating the festival, as Scott Hutchinson dropped in a reference to “Southtown Girls” during their set-ending “Keep Yourself Warm.” (Co-headlining tour guys. Think about it...)<br />
<br />
2 unrelated sidenotes here:<br />
1. I did not see Erykah Badu, but apparently she showed up 20 minutes late, and when she attempted to play past her 6pm cutoff time, she was blown off stage by Wolfmother from across the south field. <a href="http://twitter.com/CaponeAicn/status/20661202330">Badu vs. Wolfmother:</a> Best feud ever!<br />
2. Celebrity encounters of Lollapalooza: The worlds of best drama on TV and best comedy ever collided violently, as I walked past Jesse from <i>Breaking Bad</i> chatting with Maeby from <i>Arrested Development</i>. I successfully fought my urge to scream “Marry me!”<br />
<br />
I met a friend in the JAM PACKED north field for <b>MGMT</b>. (The festival grounds expanded this year, allowing C3 to sell an extra 15,000 tickets each day, but since the position of the 4 main stages didn’t change, they pretty much just added more people into the same area that’s always been crowded as it was.) MGMT were a terrible live act at Lolla ’08, and while they’re slightly better performers on their new songs, the crowd couldn’t have cared less about anything off their new album. They wanted “Time to Pretend” and they wanted it now! When MGMT acquiesced, the mass of colored sunglasses hopped approvingly, though the band took apathy to a new level on “Kids,” literally <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECeJVUSyRU8">not even playing instruments</a>, just dancing and singing to a pre-recorded music track. The delirious crowd didn't give a shit about instruments, they just wanted a dance party. Congratulations, indeed.<br />
<br />
I love <b>The National</b>, but having seen them several times, and with possible plans to see them in the fall, I decided to listen to them from the other side of the north park while staking out a decent spot for Arcade Fire. That said, this clip of Matt Berninger serenading a 4-year-old (and removing the f-bomb from “Mr. November” while in the toddler’s presence) is a <u>MUST SEE</u> moment.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>Arcade Fire.</b> There’s not much more to say about them. They’re clicking on all cylinders these days. The setlist only contained 3 <i>Neon Bible</i> tracks, smartly focusing more on the debut and new album. I can’t really stand “Rococo,” and would have preferred the far better "Suburban War" in its place, but that was the only minor misstep in an otherwise full-throttle 90 minutes. The harmonies soared, with “Crown of Love” being a standout sing-a-long, and faces were melted during “Month of May” and the “Power Out/Rebellion (Lies)” combo that they perfected <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vS5crSXJ6k">during the MSG webcast</a>. An encore of “Wake Up,” complete with 50,000 synchronized “Oh ohs” was an amazing, spellbinding ending to a long weekend. I felt sunburnt, tire, sore, and couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Thanks to the friends I met up with at various points over the weekend. As I told you all, I’m too old to do any more of these. And I might see you again next year.<br />
<br />
<i>NOTE: Some outstanding photos of Arcade Fire's set can be seen at <a href="http://www.undergroundbee.com/2010/08/09/lollapalooza-music-unites-us/">Robert Loerzel's blog.</a></i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-31413855709362340932010-08-07T10:37:00.000-04:002010-08-07T10:37:06.736-04:00Last Nite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4868263064_fcf222cb21_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4868263064_fcf222cb21_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">photo via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuiislife/4868263064/">Kate Gardiner</a></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of the 37 Strokes songs on my iPod, roughly 2/3 of them have been listened to 4 times or fewer each. Of course the first two Strokes albums were released before I had an iPod, so those numbers may seem a bit deflated in relation to my actual enjoyment, but the fact remains that as much as I still love hearing one of their songs, I haven't particularly had an urge to listen to them much in recent years. With Lollapalooza serving as their U.S. reunion debut, I was looking forward to the set, but by the end of a long, action-packed, not-that-hot-but-still-pretty-hot Friday, I wasn't expecting a whole lot. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since Lady Gaga started 30 minutes before The Strokes, I watched the beginning of her set. If it had been worthwhile, I was contemplating staying there, but it ended up being mediocre community theater, complete with terrible between-song "dialogue" and lots of screaming the words "Chicago!" and "Lollapalooza!" to force undeserved screams. So to the North stage I moved, noticing when I got there that in all honesty, the crowd disparity was 75/25 for Gaga. Huge gaps in the crowd allowed me to move within 100 feet or so from the stage. And then we waited. The 8:30p start time came and went. After about 15 minutes (during which time I honestly thought to myself "Maybe they've broken up for good just now!") At that moment, the stage went black, and Queen's "We Will Rock You" blared through the speakers. And another thought took over. This might be good.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What it ended up being, hyperbole aside, was one of the best shows I've ever seen. As in, top 5 in my life. Since the moment it ended, I've been trying to think about what made it so fantastic. The band was as perfectly tight as ever. Casablancas' voice was on point, bouncing from slurs to screams while still rocking a hooded sweatshirt AND leather jacket in decidedly non-chilly conditions. But what put the night over the top was <i>the crowd</i>, and I don't think I've ever thought that at any point during a festival show.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm placing the credit firmly on the counter-scheduling of Gaga. Throughout the day, it was shocking to me how many Gaga fans were in attendance, but it was also obvious that she was going to get all the casual Lolla-goers as well. This of course is perfectly understandable. If she had been playing opposite Phoenix or Green Day, I probably would have gone to her set as well out of sheer curiosity. The Strokes, on the other hand, were not going to have anyone seeing them out of ambivalence. Even people who hated Lady Gaga were going to opt for just going home as opposed to standing and watching a band they don't really care about sing songs that were never on the radio. If you were going to see The Strokes, it was because you <i>loved </i>The Strokes, not because you wanted to stand and watch while chatting with friends. Again, this a mindset that really never happens at festivals, but last night was a perfect storm, and from the moment the band opened with "New York City Cops," it became evident that this was something <i>different</i>. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Festival shows can provide a lot of great performances, but they hardly ever result in transcendent moments. When they do connect, it's a lightning strike of collective energy. LCD Soundsystem at Pitchfork this year was a perfect example of an otherwise outstanding set, that contained within it a moment of something <i>different </i>during "All My Friends" wherein a switch was flipped, and the collective power of the crowd went off the charts. The Strokes' set last night was that moment, for about 70 minutes straight. Every word to every song was screamed by every person, fists in the air and dumb grins on our faces. (Okay, maybe not <i>every </i>word, but only because nobody can really sing the chorus of "Hard to Explain" without butchering the order of the lines.) <br />
<br />
Gaga had the majority of people on her side of the park, but there is no possible way they were louder or happier than we were. Her stage set was the most expensive in Lollapalooza history, and from what I saw it was sterile and underwhelming. The Strokes had an Atari version of Pac-Man being played on the screen behind them, and it was perfect. From one song to the next, the collective energy just kept going, to the point where everyone had a look in their eyes wondering "Is this happening?" and the only answers you would get were the looks in other peoples eyes asking the same thing. The set was a little short, but nobody cared. We just filed out, hearing seemingly every person around mumbling "Oh my God," at what just happened. Everyone was saying the same thing, but it wasn't quite as synchronized as our collective chorus of "Juicebox."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your work is cut out for you on Sunday, Arcade Fire. Act accordingly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Setlist:</span></i></b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">New York City Cops</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Modern Age</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hard to Explain</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Ever Happened?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You Only Live Once</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Soma</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Is This It</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vision of Division</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I Can’t Win</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reptila</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last Nite</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-----</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Juicebox</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Someday</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Under Control</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heart in a Cage</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Take It or Leave It</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-68658690841221853952010-07-22T18:27:00.001-04:002010-07-23T20:44:10.269-04:00Bad Idea Show Review: Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetEBzBplOqh8cSa0xHNjBy0erzp0cUsn8-viyoNdtSlyHvBFmf-yFCVJgyP9-2b69y-51ZjWTxcOk03LlOgrYtoN6bqC1m6LN2Rh_omAA_1iCBziQCf_goP8vNmgU420A6KKkyg/s1600/ModestMouse_LAHines-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetEBzBplOqh8cSa0xHNjBy0erzp0cUsn8-viyoNdtSlyHvBFmf-yFCVJgyP9-2b69y-51ZjWTxcOk03LlOgrYtoN6bqC1m6LN2Rh_omAA_1iCBziQCf_goP8vNmgU420A6KKkyg/s640/ModestMouse_LAHines-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I attended my third Pitchfork Music Festival last week, and it seems to be following the trajectory of the greatest trilogy in cinematic history – <i>Back to the Future</i>.<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2008/07/bad-idea-show-review-pitchfork-music.html">Pitchfork 2008</a> was my introduction into a new world of music festivals (or time travel)</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://badideabluejeans.blogspot.com/2009/07/bad-idea-show-review-2009-pitchfork.html">Pitchfork 2009</a> took it to an even higher level with multiple epic bands (or hover boards)</li>
</ul><ul><li>Pitchfork 2010 took a step back (or <a href="http://www.movieactors.com/freezes1/BackToFuture3-10.jpeg">Mary Steenburgen</a>).</li>
</ul><br />
Let me first point out that the crew I rolled with was stellar. They are exempt from my less than glowing review. <br />
<br />
<ul><li>Tom (host and brother)</li>
<li>Paul (newbie and loudmouth)</li>
<li>Crystal (girl and vodka-smuggler)</li>
<li>Pat (future Mr. St. Vincent and <a href="http://asthmatickitty.com/jookabox">industry insider</a>)</li>
<li>Joey (Venom enthusiast and a <a href="http://thefastertimes.com/tv/2010/07/20/nba-jerseys-of-pitchfork/kempusa/">3.7 rating</a>)</li>
</ul>So let’s with the fashion! The only thing Pitchfork-goers like more than music is making fun of hipsters (while casting a blind eye on their own hipster tendencies). When trying to figure out what hipster wardrobe was the hippest in 2010, I sadly noticed that it looked identical to 2009: Ray-Bans and 90’s basketball jerseys. <a href="http://thefastertimes.com/tv/2010/07/20/nba-jerseys-of-pitchfork/">This guy</a> know what I’m talking about. And so early on, I gave up on tallying up the fashion trends. Like when George gives up on trying to ask Lorraine to the dance when he sees that she always swoons over Calvin, I mean Marty.<br />
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Now, onto the music:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Friday</b></span><br />
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<b>Comedy stage:</b> We never ventured to the comedy stage on Friday, and my most accounts, that was a good thing. Michael Showalter, who I love, apparently bombed. And the rest had to talk over rock bands. Who do you think won that battle? My guess is that the comedians got pretty frustrated with this, and snapped at the band stages just like Huey Lewis <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHm4DgwOTow">snapped</a> at Marty McFly’s band during their talent show audition.<br />
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<b>Robyn: </b>The pop star was doing her set while we were waiting in the ID bracelet line…and the beer ticket line…and the beer line (there’s gotta be a better way!!!). By the time we had a beverage, her set was pretty much done. But she’s not really in my wheelhouse (I didn’t know she was in Pitchfork’s wheelhouse, either), so I didn’t mind listening from a distance. I saw her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Seg_iwXmliU">on Letterman</a> this week, and think that during her Pitchfork set, I probably would have just stared at her chipped tooth anyway. She must be one tough cookie. Is she the female goon in Griff’s posse? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEV9NI8dBqHfuTQu3DhwiQZkwrlLBQK_YdYzaKA8Bdwk-sJ5qFTNKY8SyjuUWSngzlm6M9Z2CLMpTq7utryoFpiZpBJpJFkIOtmrQawmloHvWPNPmkoZanAZptJnxTu8KPAWUPg/s1600/ModestMouse_LAHines-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEV9NI8dBqHfuTQu3DhwiQZkwrlLBQK_YdYzaKA8Bdwk-sJ5qFTNKY8SyjuUWSngzlm6M9Z2CLMpTq7utryoFpiZpBJpJFkIOtmrQawmloHvWPNPmkoZanAZptJnxTu8KPAWUPg/s320/ModestMouse_LAHines-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Modest Mouse:</b> When Pitchfork was announced, this was the band I was most excited to see. If I had done the scheduling, I would have had them end Sunday night, switching places with Pavement. But I’m a young buck of 29. What do you I know? I do know that I thought Modest Mouse killed it. The first time I saw them live, I was surprised at how rabid Isaac Brock performs. I used to make fun of my friend Brennan, who broke his ankle moshing at a Modest Mouse show, but then I saw this, and I started to realize that despite the banjos and horns, Modest Mouse doesn’t resign itself to folkiness. They don’t mess around. Isaac Brock = Biff Tannen!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Saturday</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36xhdvo4bApYI790bFGB-8gPEZFF0SJf6aW_w2tOHKoEQfhfTp0H1OQSZX2olDtu6VPEBDfixA6LqzhyKC-LgxXMmTrCg0ep6sFlSGknpga0XAKJk-ZEfm0HoQFuR6h-j8lnmpA/s1600/FreeEnergy_LAHines-2_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36xhdvo4bApYI790bFGB-8gPEZFF0SJf6aW_w2tOHKoEQfhfTp0H1OQSZX2olDtu6VPEBDfixA6LqzhyKC-LgxXMmTrCg0ep6sFlSGknpga0XAKJk-ZEfm0HoQFuR6h-j8lnmpA/s320/FreeEnergy_LAHines-2_.jpg" /></a></div><b>Free Energy: </b>I really didn’t want this band playing at 1:00 pm on Saturday. Before the festival, I listened to most of the bands, and couldn’t get enough of these guys. Simple, loud pop rock. They energized the crowd that was there as the gates opened for the day, and I imagine if they’d played later in the day, they may have been thought of as one of the best rock bands on the weekend (Pitchfork seemed heavy on both ambience and dance music, but light on rock). While I wish they would have ended with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HaOl91_yIA&feature=avmsc2">their self-titled song</a> last instead of their other single <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lZFHnyeqSI">“Bang Pop,”</a> it was well worth getting to the park early. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WGZkksAV-2fSRKQMqO4_dznGBSqDpKj0jA6MWbJgjj7AFQ2PgLzEIUGcr4ebBifFr48FfP1-f-gRtWP1Z_-BGy2ULVQbasyI5rJgnqwkRVG0sTELSZAu1je5NvJVkZ8N7BBzLA/s1600/Deloreon_FrancisChung6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WGZkksAV-2fSRKQMqO4_dznGBSqDpKj0jA6MWbJgjj7AFQ2PgLzEIUGcr4ebBifFr48FfP1-f-gRtWP1Z_-BGy2ULVQbasyI5rJgnqwkRVG0sTELSZAu1je5NvJVkZ8N7BBzLA/s320/Deloreon_FrancisChung6.jpg" /></a></div><b>DeLorean:</b> Well, I love their name, for reasons made obvious by my clearly unhealthy obsession with <i>BTTF</i>. I would have been happy if the car just rolled out on stage and opened its doors to the sky. But their music forgave their lack of a stainless steel time machine. The festival was a little dance/electonic heavy for my taste, and I was expecting to leave this set fairly early, trying to save myself for LCD Soundsystem, but I loved this band. As with most electronic music, I can’t really pinpoint why. It’s attraction and power is as mysterious as the flux capacitor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFd5S0Giu4GiGaRjRcJ1eJMMacGGOHOtVpWRSPsDKb0bpZFQIZSVlBNWhIsamnG33pzlrkahPZt3vI7SgJG_qcGu6_Z5cebSbuLF5_yZv-bEz8GrrfHTxBvPqK1gOTByINqDJbA/s1600/T._A._2_email.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFd5S0Giu4GiGaRjRcJ1eJMMacGGOHOtVpWRSPsDKb0bpZFQIZSVlBNWhIsamnG33pzlrkahPZt3vI7SgJG_qcGu6_Z5cebSbuLF5_yZv-bEz8GrrfHTxBvPqK1gOTByINqDJbA/s320/T._A._2_email.jpg" /></a></div><b>Titus Andronicus:</b> They played the first Saturday slot in last year’s festival, and this year upgraded they the fifth. I guess that’s progress? While Paul will forever be disappointed that no bagpipes were played, they still held their own with the more traditional rock and/or roll instruments. While they’re a bit too historical for a guy like me, who prefers not to listen to lyrics, I enjoyed slow tapping (then stomping) my feet to their music. They definitely aren’t a band that will be playing the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance anytime soon. And as evidenced by the stars and stripes adorning their stage, they sure do love 'Murica.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2otjFtXOgA6VCtmOBjtjvgfSuNUVA4DL1PRAwxW0gQPQ0_qyTXOHZAd8oUpK9rVye6vazradzzl6yR4OaAZYZhXfpRh3yxh8x2lg9VQCdAaLx9vh6zE1HRKpjqR73WUDPPT2sg/s1600/WolfParade_LAHines-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2otjFtXOgA6VCtmOBjtjvgfSuNUVA4DL1PRAwxW0gQPQ0_qyTXOHZAd8oUpK9rVye6vazradzzl6yR4OaAZYZhXfpRh3yxh8x2lg9VQCdAaLx9vh6zE1HRKpjqR73WUDPPT2sg/s320/WolfParade_LAHines-3.jpg" /></a></div><b>Wolf Parade:</b> Paul insisted that I give this band much attention before the festival, and I’m glad I did. Their performance was one of the most energized of the weekend, but one that I think, if unfamiliar with the music, I wouldn’t have gotten. Still, their music did inspire an assembly line of morons trying to crowd surf from the middle of the crowd by using a recycling trash bin as their launching point. It did not go well. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7nKerJm4VtBCYPD9obotZbm6P0ZIj_3wy21maFx9uy4XhiRb1O2pP51ut8mauAoz8gmx1HhbjpJC1ozIjDrnbFdcrR-P032WVXIxiGj_Tv4vzSlvuBRJvTTb6P1EmtskYauLMg/s1600/100_1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7nKerJm4VtBCYPD9obotZbm6P0ZIj_3wy21maFx9uy4XhiRb1O2pP51ut8mauAoz8gmx1HhbjpJC1ozIjDrnbFdcrR-P032WVXIxiGj_Tv4vzSlvuBRJvTTb6P1EmtskYauLMg/s320/100_1094.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<b>Panda Bear:</b> Tom reported that most people were tweeting “more like Panda Bore!” during whatever Panda Bear wanted to call it (A performance? No, there was nothing to watch. A set? No, there were no clear starts/finishes to songs. Concert? Hell no). But I should get too worked up. We just sat on the ground in front of LCD’s stage waiting for the real deal. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkCxRuSH2oM7cGZPtZWO8hiKpUsgRLiVvhbk-1SSOJZBcEnePeoeOYXUGlDBrKrxKj40A6fKCmtMh5emSskgjdm4srBd8uN2OBxMnqQJJhtQJRJpx3Mfqs64P4uNa0lHYcJhf_w/s1600/LCD_LAHines-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkCxRuSH2oM7cGZPtZWO8hiKpUsgRLiVvhbk-1SSOJZBcEnePeoeOYXUGlDBrKrxKj40A6fKCmtMh5emSskgjdm4srBd8uN2OBxMnqQJJhtQJRJpx3Mfqs64P4uNa0lHYcJhf_w/s640/LCD_LAHines-18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b>LCD Soundsystem:</b> Wowsa. For a guy that looks like a fat Brett Favre, James Murphy knows how to get 18,000 feeling like their on top of the world. There was virtually no dead time between hits. The crowd didn’t stop dancing. The skanks shaking it on top of the trash cans previously used as crowd surfing launch pads certainly didn’t. My only wish was that the final song brought the crowd’s spirits up, rather than back down to earth, as “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” did. I mean, even Marvin Berry and the Starlighters knew not the end the dance with “Earth Angel.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Sunday</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-juHZiMazNqVE1v-NzfsX0jCOWtAZp8jYlaL0RJuz_hfFBIohNdR1ZwJ3TcaLTPajdNyMdeLdyC5sTCleizebZc8t3UNY85qvfsZVS37a1YDA6eBwkYD3btR-P-V3y3beg6g6hw/s1600/BeachHouse_FrancisChung2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-juHZiMazNqVE1v-NzfsX0jCOWtAZp8jYlaL0RJuz_hfFBIohNdR1ZwJ3TcaLTPajdNyMdeLdyC5sTCleizebZc8t3UNY85qvfsZVS37a1YDA6eBwkYD3btR-P-V3y3beg6g6hw/s320/BeachHouse_FrancisChung2.jpg" /></a></div><b>Beach House:</b> Ug. I was bored by this. As much as I love glitter kites (and I LOVE glitter kites!), I just can’t handle the blahness. I’m going on record to declare a fully anti-blah music philosophy. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9836_Ho6HIZjT3WiwShc4GAa3huDgsk5Poxwvbt9-ZifvsKymOl-jjoTWRwuFWvgryswwiGzJSn3FigDuCdvI-SBAvHRq4wV-_Nw3ihYW4NigPmos92rkmIbsmIS5h3jIgtCPA/s1600/100_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9836_Ho6HIZjT3WiwShc4GAa3huDgsk5Poxwvbt9-ZifvsKymOl-jjoTWRwuFWvgryswwiGzJSn3FigDuCdvI-SBAvHRq4wV-_Nw3ihYW4NigPmos92rkmIbsmIS5h3jIgtCPA/s640/100_1125.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><b>Local Natives:</b> Another band I had listened to quite a bit before the weekend, their lead singer’s moustache only improved their stock. They remind a lot of people of Vampire Weekend, which I get. Their set actually reminded me of Vampire Weekend at 2008’s Pitchfork, only these guys seemed to be loving what they did, whereas Vampire Weekend seemed obligated. I could easily see this band blowing up in the same way. Perhaps fame is their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8bRciuMLqQ&NR=1">density…I mean, their destiny</a>.<br />
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<b>Surfer Blood:</b> We sat down in the shady corner while this band played. We definitely thought it was enjoyable to listen to….while sitting in a shady corner. At that point, there wasn’t much that would have gotten us to stand up and actually watch a band. But they certainly didn’t push us away. I think that’s a win.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLt9PKEJd6Ct5DuW3q4AN7tE9UY-mCKaDn1lc9QjB3QhEtNCbO_0uY14u5Cf-u2KrLK8GUO-igcci3j_DbZB_dWxG5Dd7MKOdrvQ4EvCcpPBzHxNQQMD9EVgCxcZja-6FPg2B2A/s1600/StVincent_FrancisChung3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLt9PKEJd6Ct5DuW3q4AN7tE9UY-mCKaDn1lc9QjB3QhEtNCbO_0uY14u5Cf-u2KrLK8GUO-igcci3j_DbZB_dWxG5Dd7MKOdrvQ4EvCcpPBzHxNQQMD9EVgCxcZja-6FPg2B2A/s200/StVincent_FrancisChung3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>St. Vincent:</b> While Pat kept proposing to her from afar, I wasn’t as impressed with her set. I don’t know. I had trouble with the drastic shifts in tempo, tone, style, etc. I like to know what’s coming next. But with St. Vincent, I just felt like I had ordered a nuclear bomb, but was only given a shoddy bomb casing full of used pinball machine parts. And we all know <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDS81Ibazdk">how well that goes over.</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95NmhOhQ3xIjmGKtOjH9lSkzeUYK819WQ1q9t67Zx_esZNgLgy4rfpM0XEd__-uHCvb8dt1I4frGb89nExi4qZi2NVq5LGMKh-VMAuCLCkt6sdKJpCWlF5llDE_xY30trMxEpjA/s1600/Major_Lazer_3_email.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95NmhOhQ3xIjmGKtOjH9lSkzeUYK819WQ1q9t67Zx_esZNgLgy4rfpM0XEd__-uHCvb8dt1I4frGb89nExi4qZi2NVq5LGMKh-VMAuCLCkt6sdKJpCWlF5llDE_xY30trMxEpjA/s320/Major_Lazer_3_email.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW7gyLbN2wQXoiQXtXWADuSIgy6EJU8GkY5-aCS1D-GWfsONwfOxs99BE5FGeCYkPWNK8pddXHWnrywHwM_yTexVkNESKAHAcFUqSgy8SnLpOSag4TWLCKUYnssK0tIn0CQh-BQ/s1600/100_1148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZW7gyLbN2wQXoiQXtXWADuSIgy6EJU8GkY5-aCS1D-GWfsONwfOxs99BE5FGeCYkPWNK8pddXHWnrywHwM_yTexVkNESKAHAcFUqSgy8SnLpOSag4TWLCKUYnssK0tIn0CQh-BQ/s320/100_1148.JPG" /></a></div><b>Major Lazer:</b> Holy crap! Giant Dragon puppets, a hype man that looks like what will happen if Dave Chappelle is cast as the next Riddler, only with a sex addiction. Ballerinas. A ladder. This band caught a lot of people off-guard while they waited for Big Boi. No other act did I see cause so much of the crowd to stand up, face them, and try and figure out what the hell was going on. Did he just reverse cowgirl that dancer? Yes. Did he just scream that someone in the crowd was gonna get pregnant? Yes. Did he just take off his pants while standing atop a 10-ft. ladder? You betcha. And my personal favorite, did the dj just throw in a sample of Ace of Base? Hellz yeah!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyPB_M-ktzIpblrmcWlwmT1n-PGiNk0o-X7NuMfjPOY7ou8IMZQK6D5BcCQAz5EW6J8KF3X4GX6liaq4gcYq9xN89XesOt3zUjM2XN9jvTekWFXACAIFnezuZ8u_MLTnlsBK3Rw/s1600/BigBoi_FrancisChung1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyPB_M-ktzIpblrmcWlwmT1n-PGiNk0o-X7NuMfjPOY7ou8IMZQK6D5BcCQAz5EW6J8KF3X4GX6liaq4gcYq9xN89XesOt3zUjM2XN9jvTekWFXACAIFnezuZ8u_MLTnlsBK3Rw/s320/BigBoi_FrancisChung1.jpg" /></a></div><b>Big Boi:</b> I listened to his new album on the way up to Chicago. Twice. Eh. I really feel like both he and Andre 3000 together are greater than the sum of their parts. Luckily, Big Boi did not shy away from Outkast’s catalog. In fact, he went through its entirety. Granted, most songs were about half the length (because, you know, half the band wasn’t there), but I enjoyed its frenetic pace. And come on, child break dancers for “The Way You Move”?! Outstanding.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTQxM6GMWG7NSvY6si7LYhUW4z-XYpd1amQ12stLl0ZtViWC83YUc8ukEA-LctS0iwNDS7rtJZKl74b5WcWNATcIV5djkteMLpmhHeYPCZpViURDx1Zbmu266el0EuyueHmrP2w/s1600/Pavement_6_email.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTQxM6GMWG7NSvY6si7LYhUW4z-XYpd1amQ12stLl0ZtViWC83YUc8ukEA-LctS0iwNDS7rtJZKl74b5WcWNATcIV5djkteMLpmhHeYPCZpViURDx1Zbmu266el0EuyueHmrP2w/s640/Pavement_6_email.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b>Pavement: </b>Talk about going back to the future! While I still wish they’d have switched places with Modest Mouse, Pavement did impress me. By the time I got to college, Malkmus had already gone solo. So I knew of his solo work first, and Pavement second. And they’re one of those bands that I don’t even try to get into, for the mere fact that their cult fanbase implies an all-or-nothing mentality. Either you know every single song, or you shouldn’t even bother. What I found, though, was that even as a casual fan, I recognized most of what they played. Not specific songs, necessarily, but in contrast to St. Vincent, I knew where they were going. Knowing that old man Biff is going to create alternate 1985 doesn’t stop me from watching it happen. Of course, I wish Pavement had axed the whole comedy skit introduction so they would have had time for an encore, but it was Sunday night. I was certainly spent.<br />
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Just like <i>Back to the Future III</i> has the components of everything I love about the first two films (time travel, allusions to previous films, Doc freaking out) while in no way living up to them, it felt like this year’s festival had everything I love (a festival in the city, reasonable start/stop times, exposure to new music) while still leaving a bit to be desired. But let’s be honest. Even if Pitchfork pulls a <i>BTTF III</i> and goes western next year, I’ll be there, ready to help get that train up to 88!<br />
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<b>Best Performance:</b> LCD Soundsystem<br />
<b>Best New (to me) Band:</b> Local Natives<br />
<b>Band I Regret Not Seeing:</b> Here We Go Magic<br />
<b>Band That Is Most Likely To Inspire Dave Chappelle to Return to Comedy:</b> Major Lazer<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Ryan Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393827598933251748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-86677156586392022162010-07-13T19:28:00.000-04:002010-07-13T19:28:33.164-04:00Scenes from a Winnipeg City Bus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would defy any motion picture art director to design a scene with as much nuance as whatever is happening here</span>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-orkaqS5N7Sny3LoaRo7UAKpbVu87VlIpF1ok-GNL1FGcFFp_Oe7GBhhg2xX9tGQrKk0sNuPiFONVYSAXXEIsCJd-QL7Xcgiq0npYvWrxzG534mVObYRxfsrodNH_L_GSiVulVg/s1600/toews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-orkaqS5N7Sny3LoaRo7UAKpbVu87VlIpF1ok-GNL1FGcFFp_Oe7GBhhg2xX9tGQrKk0sNuPiFONVYSAXXEIsCJd-QL7Xcgiq0npYvWrxzG534mVObYRxfsrodNH_L_GSiVulVg/s640/toews.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The longer I look at this, the more questions I have. First off, the captain of the Stanley Cup champions is riding on mass transit of Winnipeg, Canada, for reasons that go unanswered. The bus itself is cramped and claustrophobic. The sunglasses on the ignored toddler are pulled from central casting. And Jonathan Toews is legitimately channeling his inner </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lost in Translation/Broken Flowers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-era Bill Murray to pull off a vacant unflinching stare of existential contemplation. Finally, add in the Stanley Cup, which makes every situation approximately 71% more surreal simply by its mere presence, and before I know it, I feel myself staring at this thing the way Cameron Frye was </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNMXbeaKeak"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">captivated by Georges Seurat</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-51160816956353012892010-07-04T20:33:00.004-04:002010-07-05T00:20:51.157-04:00I'll Fight Like Hell to Hide that I am Giving Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6PtLd-I-5tK98ppio9CXLxBuulz0LQ-i5O0T5OlzVcp4mN5OVFPnsQE9vQZ-UT-Lnx0CQEfQzs8dn37JyHAszfTpZgwQ2OyRg0X6wNUTf_RA-nW18T1QNColl0vpBIpzQf-5xg/s1600/oberst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6PtLd-I-5tK98ppio9CXLxBuulz0LQ-i5O0T5OlzVcp4mN5OVFPnsQE9vQZ-UT-Lnx0CQEfQzs8dn37JyHAszfTpZgwQ2OyRg0X6wNUTf_RA-nW18T1QNColl0vpBIpzQf-5xg/s640/oberst.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The year is 2010, and a black democrat is in the White House. As you can imagine, it’s becoming more and more difficult for Rage Against the Machine to viewed with any degree of relevancy. Oh sure, some “musicians” in RATM’s position might decide that the time is right to inflict another terrible album onto the masses, but after some quick thinking, they remembered their penchant for empty political posturing, and thus </span><a href="http://www.thesoundstrike.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the Sound Strike</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was born, to protest State Bill 1070 in Arizona.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am not going to argue about the merits of the bill one way or the other. But what I am going to argue against is the overall inanity of the artists who have chosen to boycott the state as a result of this bill. The list contains a curious number of bands who aren’t even currently active (Nine Inch Nails, Throwing Muses, Tenacious D) as well as a few whose presence on the list I find genuinely disappointing (My Morning Jacket in particular.) Michael Moore and Maroon 5 are also on the list, which if anything seems unfair to the other 49 states that they’re choosing to NOT boycott.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As an </span><a href="http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/06/23/20100623levy24.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arizona concert promoter succinctly pointed out,</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> this boycott basically only hurts the people actively supporting (both financially and politically) the majority of these bands. In response to the points raised by the promoter, Conor Oberst recently answered back with </span><a href="http://www.billboard.com/news/conor-oberst-pens-open-letter-to-arizona-1004102084.story?tag=nextartb"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">his own open letter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I decided to give Oberst’s letter the </span><a href="http://www.firejoemorgan.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fire Joe Morgan</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> treatment that it so richly deserves. His actual words are in bold. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Dear Charlie, </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I read your letter and I do understand where you are coming from. You bring up valid points. I personally regret any of the collateral damage the boycott is causing you, other like-minded arts promoters and the fans in Arizona. A boycott is, inherently, a blunt instrument. It is an imperfect weapon, a carpet bomb, when all involved would prefer a surgical strike. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Did you want your war analogies brought up before your appetizers? Because they're ready immediately. It's an interesting tactic of basically leading with “we’re destroying everyone in your shitty brown-people fearing state.” Do go on...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I agree with you in part, and the radio host you quoted, that the authors and supporters of SB1070 could give a shit whether or not my band, or any other Artist, ever plays Arizona again. The only thing, clearly, that these people care about is Money and Power, that and the creation and preservation of an Anglo-Centric Police State where every Immigrant and Non-White citizen is considered subhuman. They want them stripped of their basic human rights and reduced to slaves for Corporate America and the White Race. They are engaged in blatant class warfare. It is evil, pure and simple.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oberst math lesson: “Only thing” equals several things. And possibly another thing! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oberst grammar lesson: Use capitalization whenever the hell you feel like it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I have on many occasions spoken my mind from stage. I have offered organizations table space by the merch booth. I have donated a dollar-a-ticket, or the entire guarantee, to different causes. I have registered voters. I have played on behalf of political candidates. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“These actions allowed those organizations to raise money for their causes. They helped my supported candidates get elected, and in general they provided a forum for people who may not have known each other at the beginning of the day to connect and join forces to affect positive change for their community. Obviously, that was all pretty fucking dumb.” </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Sadly, this time, I fear none of that is enough. If I return to Arizona to pay lip service to a roomful of kids at the Marquee it will do absolutely no good for anyone. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hey, remember in the 1960’s when <a href="http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=bob-dylan-greenwood-mississippi">Bob Dylan went down to Mississippi</a> to “pay lip service” to kids during the civil rights struggles? What a rube he was! He obviously would have been much more effective singing his protest songs from coffeehouses in the Village. I can’t believe that asshole thought it did any good by confronting the issue at its source, when he should have just boycotted the South! Too bad his foolish fuck ups rendered him a mere footnote in how to integrate activism and music.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What I can do is to help organize, and play my small part in, what I hope is the largest and most effective boycott this country has seen in a long time. To work it will have to involve members from all sectors of society. The Sports Industry, the Entertainment Industry, the Tourism and Convention Industry, other State and City governments, private businesses and individuals from around the country and the world---all of whom, by the way, are already participating in the boycott. Much of the Artist end of the boycott is symbolic, I acknowledge, and no real threat to the economics of the State. But it is an important part none-the-less for awareness and messaging. The Boycott has to be so widespread and devastating that the Arizona State Legislature and Governor have no choice but to repeal their unconstitutional, immoral and hateful law. It has to hurt them in the only place they feel any pain, their pocketbooks. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Did this dumb simpleton proofread his letter? He readily admits this boycott has “no real threat to the economics to the state,” but one sentence letter claims it has to hurt said said state’s legislature in “their pocketbooks,” which he <i>just </i>acknowledged won't happen. This is not like withholding a giant events on the scale of the Super Bowl or massive conventions that states build their budgets around, where those travelling to the state are staying in hotels or spending multiple days supporting the economy. This isn’t even a massive event like Lollapalooza; it’s a lot of little rock shows by bands who enter and leave the state within the same day, and the powers that be couldn’t give a fuck about such short trips that are inconsequential from an economic standpoint. The only point where it will get any recognition at all by state higher-ups will be after rock clubs, promoters, caterers, stage crews, etc, have already slowly bled to death. Congrats, asshole, you’ve ruined the lives of the very people who allow you to tour in the first place. Go fuck yourself.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What I would encourage you to do, if you haven't already started, is to organize with all the local businesses you can to put as much pressure as possible on your State Government until the Law is repealed. An economic death rattle is the only cry of outrage they will hear.</b></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“I don’t live in your state, but please allow me to tell you how to handle your local politics. I suggest you complain to them when our actions put you out of business.” What a piece of shit. He should have the word “economic” taken away from his vocabulary. He can have it back when he learns to use it properly.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I realize that the people of Arizona did not vote on SB1070 and I empathize with the anger and frustration you all must feel. I applaud what you are doing with Viva Arizona and do wonder if there might be a way to reconcile both our efforts while maintaining the integrity of each. After all, we are trying to achieve the same thing. But just as you may feel the boycott is an empty gesture, I fear that if we return to business as usual (under the guise of some civic movement) that this will all devolve into the typical grandstanding that is political activism in music. It might make us feel better but won't do a damn thing to change the minds of the radical, racist minority that seem to have controlled Arizona politics for decades. In short, it will lose its teeth.</b></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Playing in Arizona = “guise of some civic movement.” </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Staying away from Arizona=GENUINE civic movement, apparently. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have to be honest. I always considered Bono pretty untouchable in the category of most self-delusional “activist,” but Oberst is pulling out all the stops here and approaching with Super Saver-like speed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Just this past week, the little town of Fremont Nebraska passed a very similar, almost more radical, city ordinance. It was co-authored and championed by Kris Kobach of Kansas who helped write SB1070. I was outraged, saddened and embarrassed for their town and my state. I am already in the process of organizing a fund-raiser for the NE chapter of the ACLU who is suing the town of Fremont. Our situation requires immediate legal action and a campaign for public awareness (there has been very little press on this). Charlie, I promise you, if this Fremont law had been passed Statewide instead of in a rural town of 25,000 people, I would be the first to call for a boycott of my home state. This way of thinking and legislating is so dangerous, and such a threat to our basic ideals as Americans and Humans, that we cannot stand by and do nothing. We cannot play on as if nothing is wrong. This is not just about Arizona. I am not just skipping a tour date. This is not going to be easy for anyone.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So it's worth setting up a fundraiser in Nebraska to protest a city ordinance, but if that ordinance had been passed state-wide, you would stay away completely? Get fucked, asshole. Seriously, this feels like a contest to see how many different ways this you can show yourself to be an abject fool. A nice touch letting Nebraska know that they’re on notice though, tough guy. Why not cut the bullshit and just say that all Red States are on thin ice? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's a little-heard about a small state called California. In 2008, the state passed an amendment in 2008 known as Prop 8, which reversed the State Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex couples to legally marry. The amendment (which was passed by the voting public, as opposed to Arizona 1070) was protested by an overwhelming majority of musical artists, yet mysteriously nobody on the Sound Strike roster has argued for a boycott of the state. It’s fortunate to know that the civic minded artists haven’t passed up any paydays in LA, San Fran, or San Diego. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Charlie, I consider you a friend and you have always been great to my bands and me. I have played for you many times and I hope to do so again soon in New Mexico or anywhere else. I sincerely look forward to the day when I can return to Arizona and this will all seem like a bad dream. But I can't come back now. I'm sorry. I hope you will understand.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Charlie, feel free to drive your sorry ass 8 hours from Phoenix to Albuquerque if that works for you. Otherwise, assuming the actions of myself, Joe Satriani, and that guy from System of a Down don’t cause your business to go under, I’d be glad to let you work on setting up a show for me down the line. I truly hope we can agree on an occasion where it becomes more beneficial for my image to venture into enemy territory. But for right now I really need to milk this stunt for all it’s worth. I hope you will understand. Though I honestly couldn't give a shit either way. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">XO,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Conor Oberst"</span><br />
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</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-87036900750697337402010-06-21T00:50:00.000-04:002010-06-21T00:50:55.444-04:00One ring to rule them all (except for 65 others)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We can all agree that this is completely ridiculous right? I just want to make sure I'm not alone on the island of brain explosions. Because looking at this makes my brain explode.</span><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXcjXtAd4AqWjtPxqEu77fjNDNrDNmS85ooJ-BNEFQXtDGRFycbMzLoGcVsgFR-J7yQwxqpYy5BJJ7PU1fmx0ZJaGMvdi3WD68o5afr1hsmUhpQ1OnIokAAjs3a_E2EbFxBxs-w/s1600/118623903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXcjXtAd4AqWjtPxqEu77fjNDNrDNmS85ooJ-BNEFQXtDGRFycbMzLoGcVsgFR-J7yQwxqpYy5BJJ7PU1fmx0ZJaGMvdi3WD68o5afr1hsmUhpQ1OnIokAAjs3a_E2EbFxBxs-w/s400/118623903.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They actually make NIT rings? Is this something I should have known? Because it seems insane. Thank you, </span><a href="http://twitter.com/JoshParker12"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Josh Parker</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, for the aneurysm. Go Flyers.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-38620200165816430182010-05-25T22:42:00.006-04:002010-05-26T07:18:28.048-04:00F O U N D<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mqCZUU1Q1orTpJThkk3WOPa4F4lssGeOpHB9cwgYRKzzeZYKL2auBNsE3npwWlVIcpsh5ZDsCGnzvV4xitPSbrJRDMpukepO3ZtXAyV6CnpwsxelmVZpXibQpuD8l1XQ9AiM4w/s1600/christian+leaves+church"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mqCZUU1Q1orTpJThkk3WOPa4F4lssGeOpHB9cwgYRKzzeZYKL2auBNsE3npwWlVIcpsh5ZDsCGnzvV4xitPSbrJRDMpukepO3ZtXAyV6CnpwsxelmVZpXibQpuD8l1XQ9AiM4w/s320/christian+leaves+church" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475403792712604498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I fell into L O S T like most teachers: summer boredom. It was the summer after the 2nd season that a friend loaned me the dvds for the first two seasons. And like most fans who got hooked via dvds, I watched those two seasons in about 12 days. From season 3 on, I was in. I routinely checked the theories on darkufo.blogspot.com. I planned my life around whatever night L O S T was being shown that season.<br /><br />And so, naturally, I watched all 5 ½ hours of programming on Sunday. These are my thoughts.<br /><br />First, how ridiculous were those text messages embedded into previous scenes during the two-hour recap. Jack reading a scrap of paper. Desmond checking the computer screen. Ben reading the newspaper. All so Tori from Hartford, CN could say “I don’t know what I’m going to do without the show. Maybe feed my children again.” But thank GOD they didn’t run them during the finale.<br /><br />But onto the show. I pretty much loved it. There are some critics that weren’t fans. They said that there were too many unanswered questions. For example:<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1936291&fullscreen=1" width="480" height="360" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="movie" quality="best" value="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1936291&fullscreen=1"/><embed src="http://www.collegehumor.com/moogaloop/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1936291&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="360" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><div style="padding:5px 0; text-align:center; width:480px;">See more <a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/videos">funny videos</a> and <a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/pictures">funny pictures</a> at <a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/">CollegeHumor</a>.</div><br /><br />But my brother put it best when he tweeted that the finale made him not care about the answers that weren’t given.<br /><br />First of all, CJ Cregg prepared us for this during “Across the Sea” when she told Claudia (pre-rock bash to the head) that every question would only lead to more questions. I hated that episode at first, because while it gave concrete answers (Jacob was a normal dude, with a twin, who loved checkers), it only led to more questions (what was Mother’s nature, how long had she been there, what’s the alcohol content of that wine). So I’m glad the finale chose to focus on the characters. Screw answers. The best stories make you think. They don’t give you an answer key. And for God’s sake, you have to suspend your disbelief when reading/watching a story. It’s fiction, people.<br /><br />Alright. I’m just going to run down what I liked about the finale:<br /><br />• While I was frustrated that some of the plot lines from this season seemed to just kill time and ultimately have little significance (Dogen and the magical baseball), I enjoyed that Desmond’s purpose became clear. His years of taking those shots in the Hatch allowed him to survive the destruction of the light, which in turn make Flocke mortal, which in turn allowed Jack to kill him. Which by the way, how awesome was Jack’s flying punch into the commercial break?! Freaking awesome. That’s how awesome.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfAJ1zjqoYtdCIE9b3BJBMnieIEgpbgEInFxW1GSq95aUcqEkv9hIvCijsKlcJnU9_oR0FVqAFUr3oVEW14ieKSiNd66Cn2sCVmoZxu6lLqNpGke2DJVKPuzg9o5RKM4QTzegfA/s1600/jack+flying+punch"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfAJ1zjqoYtdCIE9b3BJBMnieIEgpbgEInFxW1GSq95aUcqEkv9hIvCijsKlcJnU9_oR0FVqAFUr3oVEW14ieKSiNd66Cn2sCVmoZxu6lLqNpGke2DJVKPuzg9o5RKM4QTzegfA/s320/jack+flying+punch" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475403828951068130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />• I was trying to sort out how the two worlds we’d been seeing all season would merge or replace one another or whatever. And it was when Locke told Jack that he didn’t have a son that I said “Maybe the sideways world is heaven.” I was close.<br /><br />• Jacob – protector of the island for 2,000 years. Jack – protector of the island for 2,000 minutes. Hurley – protector of the island for ????? I loved that Ben stuck around to help Hurley, and that he was apparently a “great #2,” according to Hurley at the church. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFKbBYX4rEPgvL_mSrSwRD08JlLNWYfoajLOTXrHdxs-81AeFyViXcMLfpI0N1ArTMzBP2osXHyWmrjHFT1aOhHYtuR_H8Cm7Pc3UtRsdJv0lA2fxKSgG6jiIV1SmYEv5D66Psg/s1600/hurley+new+jacob"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFKbBYX4rEPgvL_mSrSwRD08JlLNWYfoajLOTXrHdxs-81AeFyViXcMLfpI0N1ArTMzBP2osXHyWmrjHFT1aOhHYtuR_H8Cm7Pc3UtRsdJv0lA2fxKSgG6jiIV1SmYEv5D66Psg/s320/hurley+new+jacob" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475403811595914274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />• Speaking of Hurley #1 and Ben #2, Ben telling Hurley that he could make his own rules, I think, confirmed that so much of what happened actually happened. Not as much of the island stuff was magical. For example, the FDW. At first, we were told that if you turned the frozen donkey wheel you could never return to the island. Ben turned it. And returned. Locke turned it. And returned (sort of). It was a rule created by Jacob for his own purpose. It wasn’t a law of island physics. And Ben’s scene with Hurley suggests that many of the rules were manmade. They were meant to keep people in line. It’s clear that Hurley is going to/did choose a different way of running the island, most likely involving putt-putt.<br /><br />• I wasn’t as emotionally moved by all of the golden memory moments of love as most seemed to be. I mean, they were nice. I am glad they didn’t bother to show us what Boone’s epiphany moment was.<br /><br />• I am in the camp that believes they knew the final scene from the beginning. Jack and the coffin. That’s what it was all about early on, and that what it was all about in the end. When he realizes he has died, how great was that. And what a great idea, to think that when you die, everyone that was important to you, regardless of when they died, will be there. Who knows when/how Kate or Sawyer or Ben dies. And who cares? Not me. That’s who.<br /><br />• Rose and Bernard. How great were they. I mean, sure. Everytime I saw Bernard, I thought of the principal from Head Of the Class. And sure. I was hoping he'd be the principal at Ben's school. Instead, they seemed to be enlightened both on-island and in the sideways world. When Jack talked to Bernard in the dentist office, it seemed like he knew everything. That was our first glimpse at the goofy/confident smile that the characters all got by the end of the finale, once enlightened. But then I think back to Rose on the plane when season 6 opened. One of my early theories was that we'd see that scene again, as the final scene of L O S T. But now, it seems like if you were to put things chronologically, Jack would close his eyes and die on the island, and then he'd "wake up" on the plane, and Rose would tell him that it was ok. And that he can "let go." Awesome.<br /><br />In closing, please enjoy my two favorite clip videos from the last couple weeks:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />“Dude”</span><br /><object width="660" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uAPKB6-DYOY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uAPKB6-DYOY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="405"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />L O S T Deaths</span><br /><object width="660" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/69OXRew7v0I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/69OXRew7v0I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="525"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Ryan Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393827598933251748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-45811876211532960942010-05-16T01:52:00.002-04:002010-05-16T02:26:42.885-04:00Know your 1997 pop-tween outfits<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The public has been dying to know. After 60 Minutes, who would get the next exclusive interview with Conan O'Brien?</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The answer: Hanson. Of course. On a webcast following Conan's show in Tulsa. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recorded the live stream. (Apologies for the video stutters that came from the source feed.) Hear Conan spill all the details on the art of autographing boobs, and his undying love of the jackalope.</span></div><div><br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/StWEWDeHKQQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/StWEWDeHKQQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Expect Jay Leno to steal this idea and record a hard-hitting sitdown with Aqua any day now.</span><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-12866443401638572612010-05-11T20:12:00.002-04:002010-05-13T13:52:14.847-04:00Tramps Like Us and We Like Tramps<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I spent the end of last week in the bustling metropolis of Columbus, Ohio. While my Thursday was spent congregating with thousands to bear witness to Band of Horses and Pearl Jam***, Friday involved a quick trip to the thrift store. While we unsuccessful in our attempt to find a cheap couch for Dan, we found a surprisingly decent amount of vinyl gems mixed in with hundreds of castoffs from the likes of Mitch Miller and various mid-60's man bands. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was pleased with </span><a href="http://twitpic.com/1ltmzv"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">my take from the lot</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. The Goulet purchase was a 50-cent investment in kitsch, and the Mellencamp purchases were fueled by a mixture of good fortune and resentment. (A pristine copy of Scarecrow shouldn't be sitting in a damn thrift shop next to some post-Lionel Richie Commodores album! In fact, I resent this thrift shop for only charging me 90 cents! Show some fucking respect to the Coug!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But the highlight purchase of the trip was Bruce Springsteen's </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Wild, the Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Not for it's content (though it's a far better album than it's more popular </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Run"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">follow-up</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">), but for the amazing photo on the back of the album.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ9j3V4_Eru1YQVqjHNrQHNWgKM1dKm508-EZP84fjr3fy3qS-dZSSo7BRiYGsjNj8J0RAtoKjkvGLKQ2EQM33eM_j__DdJpG-mk0PjyvRUFsR3YjSezeShp9_s2ao8_8i4xsng/s1600/wild-innocent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ9j3V4_Eru1YQVqjHNrQHNWgKM1dKm508-EZP84fjr3fy3qS-dZSSo7BRiYGsjNj8J0RAtoKjkvGLKQ2EQM33eM_j__DdJpG-mk0PjyvRUFsR3YjSezeShp9_s2ao8_8i4xsng/s640/wild-innocent.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is nothing </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">NOT </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">amazing about what Clarence Clemons is/is not wearing here. Every clothing decision he's made just leads to more and more questions. He's a one man wardrobe version of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">LOST</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Sorry, guy in the doorway. Not only are you wearing shoes, but you're missing a cabbie hat </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">AND </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ascot. And you call yourself a rock star? For shame, sir.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">***Bad Idea Show mini-Review: Pearl Jam are fucking </span></span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">fantastic</span></span></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">. An "Eldery Woman" singalong had everyone grinning like fools, and the guitar solo from "Alive" still carries more nostalgic resonance than any instrumental passage has a right to hold. It's time that we all admit that in the canon of 1991 albums, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ten </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">is better start-to-finish than </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Nevermind</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/BadIdeaBlueJeans" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868069915551135931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27986257.post-69872197797157929162010-04-29T00:25:00.000-04:002010-04-29T00:25:24.694-04:00The Kid Stays in the Picture<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last Sunday, I went to the Mariners/White Sox game. Ken Griffey did not start, but in the 9th inning, the Mariners were trailing 3-2, with 2 out and 2 men on base. Griffey came in to pinch-hit with the game on the line, and for the next 64 seconds, excitement was in the air!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><object height="405" width="660"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VWIUKq_NxKY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&hd=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VWIUKq_NxKY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&hd=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="405"></embed></object></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Through 16 games, Griffey is batting .226. A double on opening day has been his only extra-base hit thus far. Predictably, Griffey's lack of production is becoming a driving force among those covering the Mariners. While some writers offer </span><a href="http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100426&content_id=9589540&notebook_id=9590084&vkey=notebook_sea&fext=.jsp&c_id=sea"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">theories in regards to fundamentals</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, others simply wonder how much a 40-year-old with several surgeries behind him could have </span><a href="http://crosscut.com/2010/04/28/seattle-mariners/19771/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">left in his tank</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. But of course, any time an aging superstar starts to show his age, you can be assured that some misguided rube will champion the self-righteous position of the fan who considers "<a href="http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/apr/26/howie-stalwick-behind-the-8-ball-should-griffey/">few things sadder</a>" that witnessing </span><a href="http://crosscut.com/2010/04/28/seattle-mariners/19771/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">such a legend "embarass" himself</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. These were the same whiners who projected their own self-hatred onto a fat, jump-shooting Michael Jordan in a when he dared to put on a Wizards uniform past his prime. Really, you consider it <i>painful </i>that a guy who used to get 3 hits per 10 at bats now only gets 2 hits per 10 at bats? Go fuck yourself. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The truth of the matter is that 40-year-old baseball players are SUPPOSED to have terrible numbers. If there is one major fallout of the steroid era, it is the fact the two most famous cheaters </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">became </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the most famous specifically because they cheated </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">when </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">they were old. Bonds and Clemens ruined the curve for older players, because instead of their bodies breaking down like they were supposed to, each pumped themselves full of every possible hormone, and were rewarded with multiple MVPs and Cy Youngs. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the final season of his career, 43-year-old Willie Mays batted .211.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the final season of his career, 42-year-old Hank Aaron batted .229.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the final season of his career, 40-year-old Frank Robinson batted .224.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the final season of his career, 42-year-old Stan Musial batted .255 (his career avg. was </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">still </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.331.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the final season of his career, 40-year-old BABE FUCKING RUTH batted .181.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Griffey is one of the very few players in baseball whose legacy has been </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">helped </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by the steroids scandal. After all, the standard-issue excuse has been that players used them to recover quickly from injuries, and as every Reds fan will testify, Griffey was never one to be accused of coming back too quickly from pain.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If anything, baseball should be celebrating Ken Griffey and his .220-esque average. In a sport that gets wrapped up in it's on sanctimonious nostalgia far too easily, what better way to market its return to Americana values than to shout out to all who will listen, "Hey, it's the new era of MLB, when old players look like old players again!"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And remember this, angry Mariners fans. Griffey may be struggling at the plate, but he continues to lead the team, and all of baseball, in the all-important category of "</span><a href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2009/06/16/780073/a-happier-ichiro-mariners-can.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ichiro tickling.</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"</span><br />
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