Sunday, May 31, 2009
Moving At The Speed of Life
Things are really moving along. Faster and faster now. Jacksonville hasn't been really that good to me for the past year and a half, but I'm actually feeling a little bittersweet about moving. I have family, and now many friends here now, and there's always the beach. But I've got to follow the job. All the friends in the world are great, but they're not paying the bills, and I won't be able to either if I stay with this current job. I'm also excited. Bring on the adventure, the new experiences, the optimism. Let's see what happens.
It Burns, Burns, Burns
I'm not a huge American Idol fan. In fact, I really only tune into the first several auditions to see all the freaks trying out for it, but I can't get into the pre-molded mass-produced insta-pop stars that the show creates. I did, however, happen to hear this season's runner-up, Adam Lambert, put a really middle-eastern, sexy spin on the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire". Check it out on YouTube. Hell, I may even have to put it on my iPod. It's sultry and steamy. Johnny Cash never felt so dirty. Anyway, in homage to the man, here's the original version performed in 1968. I love the "look" of old variety shows from the 60s.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Just Maybe The Best Band Ever
I know I'm getting old for two reasons: 1) When I'm driving, I listen to talk radio (specifically National Public Radio) more than I listen to music, and 2) One of my most favorite bands in the world now is Belle & Sebastian, a very folky, effete, almost limp-wristed, ragtag collective of outsiders and artsy intellectuals from Glasgow, Scotland.
The first time I had heard of them was maybe in an issue of CMJ (which I used to subscribe to regularly) or maybe it was when I saw one of their CDs in the Yokosuka NEX. I was immediately taken by the purposeful, introspective cover photos of their albums - definitely reminiscent of the cover photos on all of the old Smiths singles, which typically featured forgotten film stars or obscure celebrities. Seeing those covers piqued my curiosity, so I checked out some song samples online back when I was in residency (2001-2003). And it's funny, because I didn't immediately like them! They were way too folky for me at that time. I guess I was in a different state of mind, being constantly under the gun of my training program. But the attraction lingered, and I ended up purchasing "Storytelling" toward the end of residency in 2003. I was mesmorized again by the cover art and also by the fact that it was music written (but in actuality, never used) for the Todd Solondz ("Welcome To The Dollhouse") film of the same name. I enjoyed the music, but it was just a spark. Then I got "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" in 2005, which was cutesy and amusing. Then came "The Life Pursuit", a CD I bought the same day I found out my father passed away and I wanted new music to distract me while on my emergency flight home from Japan. So the groundwork was laid. About a month after that I found out that they were going to perform two nights in Tokyo, and I knew I had to see them. So I made a deal with my buddy Paul. He's a huge Ben Harper fan, and Ben Harper just happened to be performing the same weekend. If I went to see Ben Harper with him, he would go see Belle & Sebastian with me at the Stellar Ballroom in Shinagawa. After that, something snapped in my mind and I couldn't get enough of them. And still can't. Isn't it funny how our taste in music evolves? I remember being a freshman in college listening to Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and techno-house (of course, interspersed between Smiths and Pixies), and wondering what I would be listening to at 25, at 30, at 40, at 50, at... Now all of that aggro stuff just bores me. Not that I'm some nebbish cardigan-wearing librarian, but that stuff doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like a lot of wasted energy. I can't even listen to so-called "alternative" radio stations anymore. All they seem to play is crusty, self-righteous bubba-rock (see - Creed, Staind, Nickelback, Saliva, whatever, etc., etc., crappity-crap-crap) or whiny emo. What is it now with radio programming in America? Take your pick - trailer park alternative, hardcore rap, or country. And don't even get me started on all the shock-jock morning personalities.
Anyway, a long diatribe with too much information just to post this brilliant live version of "Sleep The Clock Around" by Belle & Sebastian. Discover for yourself just what Belle & Sebastian are all about.
The first time I had heard of them was maybe in an issue of CMJ (which I used to subscribe to regularly) or maybe it was when I saw one of their CDs in the Yokosuka NEX. I was immediately taken by the purposeful, introspective cover photos of their albums - definitely reminiscent of the cover photos on all of the old Smiths singles, which typically featured forgotten film stars or obscure celebrities. Seeing those covers piqued my curiosity, so I checked out some song samples online back when I was in residency (2001-2003). And it's funny, because I didn't immediately like them! They were way too folky for me at that time. I guess I was in a different state of mind, being constantly under the gun of my training program. But the attraction lingered, and I ended up purchasing "Storytelling" toward the end of residency in 2003. I was mesmorized again by the cover art and also by the fact that it was music written (but in actuality, never used) for the Todd Solondz ("Welcome To The Dollhouse") film of the same name. I enjoyed the music, but it was just a spark. Then I got "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" in 2005, which was cutesy and amusing. Then came "The Life Pursuit", a CD I bought the same day I found out my father passed away and I wanted new music to distract me while on my emergency flight home from Japan. So the groundwork was laid. About a month after that I found out that they were going to perform two nights in Tokyo, and I knew I had to see them. So I made a deal with my buddy Paul. He's a huge Ben Harper fan, and Ben Harper just happened to be performing the same weekend. If I went to see Ben Harper with him, he would go see Belle & Sebastian with me at the Stellar Ballroom in Shinagawa. After that, something snapped in my mind and I couldn't get enough of them. And still can't. Isn't it funny how our taste in music evolves? I remember being a freshman in college listening to Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and techno-house (of course, interspersed between Smiths and Pixies), and wondering what I would be listening to at 25, at 30, at 40, at 50, at... Now all of that aggro stuff just bores me. Not that I'm some nebbish cardigan-wearing librarian, but that stuff doesn't really interest me anymore. It feels like a lot of wasted energy. I can't even listen to so-called "alternative" radio stations anymore. All they seem to play is crusty, self-righteous bubba-rock (see - Creed, Staind, Nickelback, Saliva, whatever, etc., etc., crappity-crap-crap) or whiny emo. What is it now with radio programming in America? Take your pick - trailer park alternative, hardcore rap, or country. And don't even get me started on all the shock-jock morning personalities.
Anyway, a long diatribe with too much information just to post this brilliant live version of "Sleep The Clock Around" by Belle & Sebastian. Discover for yourself just what Belle & Sebastian are all about.
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