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Well, mostly they weren't punk. All of the albums were in the "New Arrivals" bin. Some guy had just been there and unloaded his entire collection (how people do this is beyond me, but that's my problem), most of which he'd acquired in the 80's. There was some good stuff in there though, all in creamylicious mint condition. I started thumbing my way through and several records cried out to be given a new home.
Garland Jeffreys - Rock and Roll Adult
One of my college roommates had this record. He made me listen to it one time in the middle of the the Friday night campus radio punk show. I guess he was trying to show me that there was a brighter side of life, one not so nasty as what the Dead Kennedys and the Sex Pistols had to offer. I was a little skeptical about this. I mean, this was the guy from Madawaska, Maine (read: just about Canada). He used to come back from weekends with a case of Budweiser with the word "import" stamped on each label. He also had that Canadian hockey player-type accent that Bob and Doug McKenzie allowed us to make fun of (where the word "Devo" has the accent on the second syllable). All these years gone by though, and I still remember that Jeffreys' take on "96 Tears" was kinda cool.
Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation
Never owned this one (until now), but I loved it when they'd play the title track on the radio. My Loverboy-fan friends just didn't get it.
U2 - The Joshua Tree
First time on vinyl for me. This is what "Where The Streets Have No Name" is supposed to sound like.
Dave Edmunds - Repeat When Necessary
Maybe not the high point of Edmunds' career, but definitely the classic band lineup: with Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. The tunes? "Queen of Hearts", "Girls Talk", "Crawling From The Wreckage". You can't go wrong there.
Tom Waits - Blue Valentine/Foreign Affairs
It won't be long before I've collected the entire Waits catalog on the big black circles. Foreign Affairs isn't one of my favorites but all of his records have nuggets of cool lurking somewhere. In this case it's the duet with Bette Midler "I Never Talk to Strangers". Blue Valentine rates right up there with Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones if you ask me. The opening trio of songs is a stunner: "Somewhere"->"Red Shoes By The Drugstore"->"Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis". Oh yea.
Lou Reed - New Sensations/Metal Machine Music
Here are the two extremes of Lou Reed. The pop Reed and the...uh...abrasive Reed. "I Love You Suzanne" has always made me happy. Why New Sensations was allowed to go out of print, I do not know. Surely it had something to do with lawyers and chubby guys in bad suits. On the other hand, lots of people have probably wished that Metal Machine Music had never been made. I had to have a copy. It's so weird, garish and abusive. It's also good for clearing the room of unwanted or overstaying guests.
Note: This post is part of an occasional series about my adventures pawing through the used record bins. It happens (the pawing) fairly often and has a lot to do with how I feel about music. Previous entries in this series are Downloading: Lost Opportunities, Black Circle Synchronicity, The Night I Enjoyed A Barry Manilow Record, Reorganizing My Record Collection.
Reviews will follow as soon as the music has been properly digested.
My CD is the "enhanced" version...which means that it attempts to launch a music video, screwing up my CD player software.
Now this was before I got the full-on jazz bug. My prize jazz record at the time was probably Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good. The most adventurous thing in my collection was Oxygene by Jean Michel Jarre. Weird? Yes. Jazz? Nope.
On one particular weekend we had a college pal visiting us. The only thing better than a solo pass through the vinyl bins is a tag team effort. Oh yes, we did some mighty damage. Two of the records that Gene picked up were George Thorogood's Bad To The Bone and Chick Corea's A.R.C.. Before he left on Sunday afternoon I made myself a nice tape of those two albums (back then just about everybody had a decent tape deck, standard issue equipment along with that Maxell "wind-tunnel" poster).
It sure was fun to pop that tape into my car's deck. Especially the Thorogood side. Many an after work drive home was kicked off with Thorogood channeling Chuck Berry on the song "Back To Wentzville". As the mid-80's economy boomed though, my commute began to involve serious amounts of stop & go.
It also began to involve side two of that tape.
I have no idea why my buddy bought that particular Corea record. It made it onto my my tape because it was one of the strangest things I'd ever heard. At times it sounds like the musicians are just trying to make each other laugh. At other times, it was like they were trying to annoy the upstairs neighbors. I was fascinated. You just would not think that a piano, acoustic bass and drums could make such a racket.
The tune (if you want to call it that) from A.R.C. that struck me right between the ears was the title track. It started with this furious bass line that made me think of an animal scrambling up a tree. That line was used as motif for the early part of the composition...until the free improv cats-on-piano fun took over.
That bass line introduction was played by a guy named Dave Holland. Even though it took me several more years to fully embrace that particular style of music, that name stuck with me. I figured that if five seconds of solo bass was that interesting there just had to be more to look forward to.
Well, my ears did not fail me. As I learned more about jazz and improvised music I discovered that this Holland character had contributed to some amazing recordings:
Holland went on to have an equally interesting solo (and collaborative) career with ECM records. The list of musicians he's recorded with is a long and impressive one. To name just a few: Jack DeJohnette, John Abercombie, Kenny Wheeler, Charles Lloyd, Pat Metheny, Anthony Braxton, Cassandra Wilson.
For his ECM :rarum collection Holland chose to focus on his work as bandleader. Not a bad thing , really, as he has produced a quite amazing and varied body of sound. The lineups on :rarum X include solo (cello!), two trios, five quintets and three quartets.
A couple of my favorites:
If you're into jazz and haven't heard of Dave Holland you owe it to yourself to give :rarum X a listen. Your eyes (and ears) will open wide.
I still find myself gravitating toward the record shop on Saturday afternoons. The flame that was lit back in 1984 is still burning.
It's all Dave Holland's fault.
I'd have to say that this is probably the best tribute album ever recorded. Producer Hal Willner assembled a beyond great cast of musicians from various genres to pay tribute to the great jazz bassist/composer Charles Mingus. Check out this (incomplete) list:
Now normally I'd shy away from anything with such a huge ensemble. Here, it just plain works.
While the word 'tribute' is certainly appropriate, be prepared for radical reinterpretations of the material. It's jazz, but it's a lot more. Take a look at the list of styles for this album shown at allmusic.com: Rock & Roll, Modern Electric Blues, Piano Blues, Modern Creative, World Fusion, Singer/Songwriter, Hard Rock, Ethnic Fusion, Avant-Garde, Bop, Progressive Big Band, Fusion, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Bop, M-Base, Free Jazz, New Orleans R&B, Klezmer, Experimental, Crossover Jazz, Experimental Rock, Experimental Ambient, Album Rock, Avant-Garde Jazz, College Rock. Amen! I think they nailed it!
Weird Nightmare also has some pretty cool spoken word selections, again, something that almost never works for me. But to hear Elvis Costello's voice on "Weird Nightmare" as the Harry Parch-designed "cloud chamber bowls" ring in the background is to hear, well...I don't know exactly.
For me, it's heaven.
It was for an ad for generic viagra.
I've never liked British Blues all that much.
John Mayall, the Yardbirds & all that. Yea, they could play all right...but they just never hit the resonant frequency of my blues music receptor cells. I do have to give some of them credit though. I mean, the Rolling Stones knew who Howlin' Wolf was. The real thing. They got him on Shindig playin' "How Many More Years". It was a great and respectful move. Our own danged music and we've gotta get 'introduced' to it by a bunch of skinny & pale English dudes. Oh well, it wasnt' the last time that our culture would reject one of its own art forms (same danged thing happened with modern jazz).
Now don't get me wrong. I owned my share of Cream records. But: I am sure that I didn't know that "Crossroads" had anything to do with Robert Johnson. Maybe Lester Bangs did a little ranting about that name, but I probably ignored it. After all, what did it have to do with the new Ted Nugent album?
So over the years I pieced together all of the important bits of information. When I got my excited little hands on a Muddy Waters record (I forget which one...I'd love to say that it was Folk Singer but it was probably King Bee) though, I just knew that the pale, blue-jeaned ones were onto somethin' good.
Oh yea...Clapton. Like most good children of the 70's, I owned a copy of Slowhand. I'm sure I made the Clapton->Cream connection, but the blues? Not yet. The magic happened when I attended a Clapton show. The warmup act was Muddy Waters. Now that got my attention. I don't know how old Muddy was at that point (I think this was when Clapton was touring on Backless) but he still had his mojo workin'. Clapton followed but was no match for the real thing. Not even close.
So after all these years Clapton decides to go way back to his roots. Maybe to the root of it all. Me and Mr. Johnson has Clapton (and cohorts Steve Gadd, Andy Fairweather Low,Doyle Bramhall II, Nathan East, Billy Preston and Jerry Portnoy) serving up some raw and tasty renditions of 14 (of twenty-nine) Robert Johnson classics (yea, pretty much everything Johnson did is 'classic'). My ears (and blues music receptors) were very happy to hear these fine roadhouse-worthy nuggets.
I thought I didn't need to hear another version of "Come On In My Kitchen". Yea, well...I was wrong. It just illustrates the universality and power of the blues: Johnson in particular
Do yourself a favor and check out Eric Clapton's tribute to his main influence. Robert Johnson's music managed to change Clapton's life. It might not do the same for you but, hey, you never know.
(Me and Mr. Johnson will be released on March 30th, 2004).
...and nasty.
By the time we get to the conventions this summer we're all gonna have a collective, massive political sunburn. When we finally do get to walk into that booth we'll have big chunks of our flesh rotting and hanging off.
What a great friggin' country.
Once apon a time, there was a band in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Some of the members: Vini 'Mad Dog' Lopez, David Sancious, Gary Tallent, Danny Federici and Bill Chinnock. You probably know one part of this story, which is that the first four guys went on to take part in the first incarnation of Springsteen's E Street Band. What you may not know is, well, who the heck is that Bill Chinnock?Chinnock moved to Maine, started a band and went on to become one of the state's music legends. I lost count of how many Chinnock shows I went to. It seemed as though he played at or near the University of Maine at least once of month.
A couple of the more memorable shows:
University of Maine (in "The Pit"...basically, the basketball gym): Not touring on any particular album, Chinnock puts on his usual fantastic show. Almost overshadowing the main event were the two support acts: Sylvain Sylvain (how the hell did they manage that booking?!) and Bebe Buell. We didn't know anything about her at the time other than the fact that she had been a Playboy bunny. I still have a promo poster for that show (swiped from a bulletin board at "The Pit").
The Showring, Brewer, Maine: a two story dive of a rock club across the river from Bangor. Chinnock hadn't played the area in a while (which back then probably meant a couple of months) so we were all pretty psyched up for this show. We werent' disappointed as Bill and his band blew the roof off with a bunch of new tunes from his album "Rock and Roll Cowboys" (I didn't useta think that title was silly until Bon Jovi happened). Two non-musical tidbits from that show: The flashing "Last Call" signs on either side of the stage as they played the 'hit' "Dimestore Heros" and the bouncer in the bathroom. That's right. I went in there to do what the beer required of me and this huge dude sez to me "You sure you're man enough to take a piss in here?". As I walked by him my reply was "Who gives a fuck?!!". As I was relieving myself I thought "Gee, I hope mom gives away all my records to my friends after my funeral".
Ah, so...the music: Comparisons to Springsteen aren't really fair to either artist. Chinnock's music is certainly rock & roll, but there are also a fair amount of blues and gospel elements as well. Both "Dimestore Heros" and "Rock and Roll Cowboys" are worth looking for.
The album that got me started was called "Alive at the Loft". This girl at my high school was always ranting about this Bill Chinnock guy. This was before I discovered Springsteen's Darkness record, my idea of a good musical time being Nugent, Sabbath, Zeppelin and Foghat. Well, Gracie let me borrow "Alive at the Loft" and right then & there my teenage ears really began to open. No it wasn't an assault on my ears, but it was fun, rockin' and passionate. At that point in my life I'd never even been to a bar but tunes like "Saturday Night" (about getting drunk and fighting) and "Big George Walker" (about getting drunk and fighting) somehow resonated.
It's too bad that none of his records are available on Amazon as he's really worth check out. You can get some of his CDs at the East Coast Records website.
All of these tunes are a) done by musicians from Ireland b) done by musicians who sound like they're from Ireland or c) make me want to drink a Guinness.
Injustice never sounded so beautiful (though Marley's "Redemption Song" comes close)
My favorite Lizzy album is Jailbreak, but the live version of "Emerald" from Live and Dangerous (which I bought in 1978 at Deorsey's Records in Waterville, Maine...why the heck do I remember this stuff?) is superior. I still miss Phil Lynott.
From their hellacious record Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA at the Avalon Ballroom. A great CeltiPunkified version of the old favorite.
The first time I heard this rendition was on a morning drive...had to sit in the car for quite a while before they (thankfully) informed me that I'd been listen to McKennitt's Elemental.
Rum, Sodomy & The Lash was produced by Elvis Costello and just might be the finest Pogues recording out there (though applying the word fine to the Pogues seems wrong somehow).
Yessiree, it's definitely the 'big stupid' of Irish drinking songs. It's also funny as hell.
And there you have it. I left out all sorts of 'authentic' Irish music, but hey, I'm only a quarter Irish anyway.
Six hours 'til corned beef.
Retail businesses were of course thrilled to have loads of customers stocking up on such essential items as toilet paper, duct tape, frozen chicken wings and copies of TV Guide.
What a world.
Oh...and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Is it too early for a Guinness yet?
Reports are saying that we're gonna get womped with anywhere from 5-10 inches of the white stuff tomorrow. Man, I am so done with winter this year. It started in late October and has not let up.
Bring on the mud and the black flies. I won't complain. I swear it.
(Ok, maybe just a little)
There are many possible 'correct' answers to the question "What makes a jazz drummer interesting?" Groove? Yes. Chops? Maybe. For me, it all boils down to musicality. Some drummers are able to move their instrument beyond the timekeeping role to take on a more primary responsibility in the music making process. They don't just help to support and propel the music: they are the music. Spend a little time with Black Codes From The Underground-era Jeff "Tain" Watts or any of Joey Baron's amazing Masada work and you'll see what I'm gettin' at. While power and groove are surely a part of the music, those guys manage to squeeze out every last bit of melodic juice and nuance from their kits to serve and enhance the music.The king of melodic drummers has to be Jack DeJohnette. There's just something about the way he constructs a groove. It's slinky and minimal, never over-reaching. Those ultra-dry ride cymbals dance around the composition, drawing it together...making it stronger.
What's amazing is that DeJohnette's style fits so neatly into so many sub-genres of jazz. Just take a look at this (incomplete) list of jazz greats he's played with: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Lloyd, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland, Gary Peacock. An amazing list of musicians.
DeJohnette's personally-selected ECM 'greatest hits' package reflects the diversity found in the above list. His very first ECM recording is represented ("Overture" and "Communion" from Ruta & Daitya) as well as the "modern" era: "Jack In" from 1997's Oneness. Other DeJohnette groups appearing in the tracklist are Special Edition, Gateway (with guitarist John Abercrombie and bassist Dave Holland) and, my favorite, New Directions: John Abercombie (guitar), Eddie Gomez (bass) and Lester Bowie (trumpet).
But wait....there's more!
What some people may not know about Jack DeJohnette is that he's also a fine piano player. He began studying the instrument at the age of four. His piano work is featured on the New Directions composition "Silver Hollow" and on the solo piece "Picture 6".
There are many reasons why Jack DeJohnette has appeared on more ECM recordings than any other musician. One listen through the eight compositions offered on :rarum XII an you'll understand.
It has been a weird and uneasy week. I don't know what to make of world events like yesterday's bombing in Spain, the churning and somehow stationary United States economy, and the ever-widening push to 'clean up' our airwaves.
So out comes two full CD's the Dead classic "Dark Star" put through the Oswald filter. The source material was live Grateful Dead recordings spanning nearly their entire career. The result is somehow both disturbing and soothing.
OK. I admit it. I'm addicted to the Thirsty Ear Blues Series.They have taken what I used to think of as electro-acoustic music and given it a new life. The electro portion of the music has been shaded toward electronica. With smatterings of composed sections, ambient quirks, techno and free jazz, the experience is rewarding on many levels (yes, even when my wife gives me 'the look' during the extra-weird parts). The electronic shimmery edge makes recordings like Junk Magic stand out as islands of weirdosity in today's bland musical ocean.
If you're stuck on strict categories, use this one: jazz/electronics. Otherwise, use this: heavy rotation!
Now, for the easy part: lineup. Junk Magic was constructed by pianist/keyboardist/programmer/composer Craig Taborn. He made some fine choices for his side musicians here. Drums by David (The Bad Plus) King, viola madness by Mat Maneri and tenorology by Aaron Stewart (Steve Coleman, Anthony Braxton).
When I listen to more 'out there' forms of music I sometimes wonder what exactly is making it work for me. I admit that I often respond to weirdness for weirdness' sake. Other times it's energy (though I have listened to some so-called "energy music" recordings that have left me flat). What's working here though, is the overall environment...best described as unresolved. That's right. Where lots of music goes about building tension only to find a resolution (and release), Taborn and crew instead create their beauty by the construction of tension.
A few highlights.
The title track begins with a repeated keyboard figure that the viola and sax begin to weave their way around. It's all very pensive and relaxing (well, if you find Philip Glass relaxing). After a fashion a bit of 'morse code percussion' drifts in. I don't know what bit of evil silicon voodoo was used here but it sounds like two ball bearings being clacked together. Ouch. A while later the drums kick in and the tune morphs into what I can only describe as Devo-on-acid-marching-band. This would fit right in on a Tim Burton movie score.
"Mystero". Here's where the cool sound of the sax/viola combo begins to shine. A five chord ostinato defines the song's foundation before the drums come in to tug at and annoy that foundation. The sax and viola begin to play a very Ornette-like (or maybe it's Time Berne-like, I can't decide) melody. This short span of 'normal' is followed by a longer segment of what seem like Prime Time improvisations...all commenting on the foundation chords. Tension builds.
"Shining Through". An almost-ballad. The pretty theme is first stated by a piano/viola duo. Random zots of static add texture (no, there's nothing wrong with your CD player). Gee, this almost sounds normal...maybe like Eno's ambient stuff...but then all of the funhouse music counter-themes edge their way in. It's like a song slowly losing its mind.
"Prismatica". An edgy , lurching electro-jazz raveup. The piano careens around the room, the viola tries to follow without stumbling and the sax makes fun of the proceedings. Don't try to dance to this, you will hurt yourself. Davis King's drums somehow manage to swing and fall on the floor.
"The Golden Age". The final track. All of the elements used by this group are on magnificent and freakish display. It begins with a stately theme presented above a held bass note. My first thought was, hmmm...an outro for a western. Yea, well maybe not. Over the next eleven minutes or so that lone theme is subjected to various methods of aural torture: bent (and nearly broken!) notes, computerized distortions, random beats, little squirty blips, radio signals and industrial noise.
It's disturbing.
It's cool as hell.
(Junk Magic will be release on April 20, 2004. Preorder now to ensure extra tension and texture in your life)
Many controversial issues have been spoken about here: sex, drugs, presidential politics, racism, religion and Jimi Hendrix.
Oh yes, the comments have flown fast n' furious. Hot, steaming chunks 'o poo have met with many a shiney face. Yet, I will stay on to tough it out.
Heck, maybe the reason that I'm staying is that Mac Diva has never called me a racist. Not that it matters (I know that I'm not). I mean, my ex brother-in-law was black. He was very cool but was still a dickhead for several reasons not worth mentioning here. I still loved him though, mostly because he was the father of my ultracool niece and introduced me to Parliament, Stroh's beer and Savory Soul Sauce (you Clevelander's may know what I'm talking about).
Oh yea, I could almost always beat him at bowling, which was a plus.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I am not any more knowledgeable than any of you about the following topics of importance: Indian cooking, NASCAR, Cobol programming, cosmetics, civil engineering, antique hatpin collecting, law.
And so my friends....
Dear Fellow Blogcritics, I have been putting off this post for a while because I couldn't decide if it was gonna make me took like a geek.But after reading a few more posts this morning (all of which were excellent, by the way) I just couldn't take it anymore.
OK, so what's the trouble? Is it the fact that Pat Cooper, nutjob commedian extraordinaire, is covered in sauce? That all your old visual fantasies of Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream And Other Delights have been forever ruined?
As they say in Maine, NoSuh!
The problem is that the text is smooshed right up against the image.
I just can't stand it.
So here's the html hint that is making me feel like ever so much the geek as I type this sentence: add the attribute HSPACE=5 to your image tag.
It will add a nice little 'force field' around the picture.
See? Now your original visual fantasy has been restored.
And now I suppose I will have to live with my increased level of geekosity.
In the middle of the presentation I got to thinking about how cool it was that the age range of those in attendance was 60 or so years (from 20-something to well into the 80's). What other art form can do that?
Maybe they'll find some weapons of mass destruction in amongst the gallstones.
who cares?!!
i've always been a little perplexed about political ads in general. i've never been swayed by one...ever! not one little bit.
what does it say about the average person who makes a voting decision on thirty seconds of gauzy images of waving flags, apple pie and chevrolets?
i don't have the answer, but it does creep me out.
This editorial cartoon ran in the Boston Globe on March 1st.The backlash was swift and nasty. What the hey?! It's a joke, son? But no, tons of folks complained that they were 'offended' that the reputations of many a good and kind nun had been besmirched:
Let me repeat: it's a joke, son.
And for the record, I attended Catholic school, grades 1 through 3. I switched to public school for grade 4 because I was afraid of Sister Dulceline (eeek, that name makes me shiver). Also, my dad graduated from the very same school and he has many memories of bein' whacked with a ruler. He also said that he probably deserved it.
The first blip of light at the end of the nu-tunnel was the new garage movement. Sure, maybe the labels went a smidge overboard. Did we really need twenty Strokes-clones? Probably not, but I guess you can't blame 'em for cashing in on a good thing (hmmm...my MusicHypocrit alarm just went off, pointing out that I cut them no such slack after hearing the umpteenth Disturbed-alike).
The Von Bondies are coming in on the tail end of the new garage movement and they're makin' me think that the next big thing is going to be a return to rock: classic rock, that is.
Ok, maybe not. I mean, nobody wants a "Stairway to Heaven II" or "Karn Evil 10" (was that stuff really rock music?)...but what makes me apply that extra torque to the volume knob while listening to Pawn Shoppe Heart is the seriously fun and crunchy rhythm guitar. Cool guitar riffs were the foundation on which classic rock was built. To be fair, the Von Bondies actually lean more toward the early Detroit garage sound (Stooges, MC5) than either Led Zeppelin and Bad Company. We're talkin' some serious Detroit-ish guitar squall. And I mean that in the best possible way.
Now, while the guitars are going down the Search & Destroy road, the vocals are, well...perplexing. It's like the Hives' Howlin' Pelle Almqvist doing his best Ian Astbury imitation...with a Jim Morrison accent. Check out the surfy, psychedelic "Mairead" and you'll see what I mean.
While the tunes are mostly sung by frontman Jason Stollsteimer, the Bondies present a "what the...?!" moment on "Not That Social". Bassist Carrie Smith steps up to the mic and, voila!, it's The Breeders. That's right, if "Cannonball" came on next you would not be surprised.
Pawn Shoppe Heart was produced by Jerry Harrison (now there's a name from the past) who is to be commended for finding just the right mix of guitar chunk and in-your-face vocals.
Stick around for the "mystery song" at the end of the title track and you'll be treated to a garage-ified version of the soul classic "Try A Little Tenderness".
I'd like to see the nu-kids try to pull that off.
Only kidding.
(Pawn Shoppe Heart will be released on March 9th)
I have a friend who's been bugging me recently about how great all of these mashups are. Sure enough, I found myself listening and grooving to something called "Abstrakt_Blowback_20". There's a very cool moment somewhere in the middle of the 20 minutes where some Indian pop music is smooshed up agains Missy Elliott's "Work It".
Fantastic. I want the CD.
Except that there isn't one.
Sure, I can go to the Synchronic Records website and download all 1 hour and 17 minutes for only five bucks. But that's not me. Except for sampling here and there (followed by a trip to the record store), downloading and burning are just not a part of my entertainment world.
So if I'm to believe what I read about the future of music/entertainment, brick & morter stores will vanish. More than that, music sold on physical objects will cease to exist. I don't really think that'll happen (at least not in the next couple of years) but it'd be a sad day if it did. It would mark the last day that I buy new music.
'Full' employment can't be far behind.
(There has got to be some violent hand-wringing going on in the Bush camp about this).
Ok, so last night I'm indulging in my weekly guilty please of Donald Trump's The Apprentice. I have no idea why this show appeals to me. I mean...I don't know jack about business, couldn't care less about the 'splendor' or the Trump Towers (sorry, but Trump's penthouse is nightmarish), and don't have a competitive bone in my body.
Maybe it's The Donald's finely engineered hair. Dunno.
Anyway, there's something about Trump's right-hand woman Carolyn Kepcher that's been bugging me. She reminds me of somebody. Well, last night it hit me. Depending upon the lighting and/or camera angle, she looks like either Princess Dianna or Mary Huff from Southern Culture On The Skids.
Here, you decide:
| Carolyn Kepcher |  |
| Princess Diana |  |
| Mary Huff |  |
Dang, the combination of the original "Justify My Thug" (which I assume had those "Justify My Love" samples) and the Beatles' "Rocky Racoon" is just too cool.
(Note to RIAA: I'm going to shell out $15 or so for Jay Z's The Black Album. So there's at least one record sale from 'pirated' material)
I had a recurring dream like this when I was a little kid. I'd show up at a meet & greet thing at a mall to say hello to Brady Bunch middle girl Eve Plumb (Jan Brady, and yea...I had a monstrous crush on her)...in my underpants. Cripes, I just wanted to die. Eve was so nice to me, despite my lack of pants! I just couldn't figure out why nobody thought this was a big deal. It was the little kid Twilight Zone.
This feeling of nervous detachment washes over me when I listen to stuff like King of Crunk & Bme Recordings Present: Lil Scrappy & Trillville. The music consists of heavy beats, a hook that never varies and miles & miles of weak rapping about bitchez, niggaz, ho's, pussy, punchin' stuff, shootin stuff and...well, you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm not really 'offended' by it. I just don't get it. I don't see why anybody else would get it either.
So this is 'crunk'? I do a little surfin' and find an article about hip hop dude Cee Lo. He's been putting out records that outfunk Outcast. His take on crunk:
He goes on to say that some of what's going on with these rappers is plain old survival. They're trying to get a hit. Hmmmm....that might be true, but it doesn't make wanna listen to "What the F***" or "Diamonds In My Pinky Ring".
Well, maybe if Eve Plumb puts out a crunk record...
Ok, maybe not.
That would be 20% of WMG.
Order is import to this story. First up: the weather.
As reported last week, me & the wife went on a mini-vacation up to Portland, Maine. The last time we'd visited was back in mid-December for our annual Christmas shopping weekend. The weather during those couple of days was clear, crisp and unbe-fricken-lievably cold (read: "nut-chattering"). As luck would have it, last week's weather brought several days of unseasonably mild temperatures to the Northeastern United States. Being a native New Englander, I do understand that it's my duty to complain about the weather in all four seasons (summer, fall, winter, mud). However...I'm not about to start up a tale of woe about forty degrees & sunny on the last weekend of February.
So: the weather-record store connection. In December I discovered this used record store located right around the corner from our hotel. One morning we were out on a quest for postage stamps and midway between the hotel and the post office there it was: a little hole in the wall shop that looked to be chock full of vinyl goodness. The place didn't open until 11 so I vowed to make it that day's post-lunch destination. The vinyl magic never happened though as my will-to-shop was frozen solid during the twenty minute, near zero walk back to the hotel after lunch. I tell ya, you know it's cold when I pass up a chance to fondle some records.
Now, our recent spate of clear & mild allowed me to follow through on my plans. So on Friday afternoon it was off to the vinyl promised land (or so I hoped).
Fellow collectors, readers and/or worriers-for-my-sanity, I was not disappointed. The small store packed a big punch. Rows & rows of jazz obscurities, blues, rock, country, garages, psychedelia, rockabilly, avant garde, soundtracks & sound effects. I was sucked into the electronics bin where I added to my Stockhausen (gotta love a record where 'potentiometers' are listed as instruments), and Moog collection. Jazz: early Jack DeJohnette, Lester Bowie duets and a Keith Jarrett organ record. The find of the haul was a German reissue of Tom Waits' The Black Rider (on blue vinyl). Man, did I have a good time.
Later that night we had a nice dinner of freshly scorched flatbread pizza (kalamata olives, carmelized onion, rosemary and goat cheese). The goat cheese pushed me (sure, blame it on the goat cheese) to order a second beer: a locally produced Scotch Ale. Mmmmm....so much flavor...so much alcohol! Yessir, I was not ready to drive back to the hotel with that major league buzz goin' on so the post-dinner plan was to check out a bookstore and then some coffee. Not five minutes in the bookstore and I've found Brett Milano's Vinyl Junkies. Now I'm psyched. We head out to the coffee shop for some French Roast and quietude.
Earlier that day I'd felt just a little strange as I held a copy of Gershon Kingsley's First Moog Quartet in my hands. I thought to myself "What does it say about me that I want this particular record?". Well, that little mental frown was definitely wasted energy as the collectors inhabiting Milano's book make me seem like the most normal person (record collector-wise) in the world.
I have never given a thought to:
Milano's book doesn't just stick to the 'serious' and extreme collectors. His years of experience as a rock writer (Boston Phoenix, Boston Herald & others) allow him to apply a music-drenched slant to chapters on the phenomenon of collecting in general, the lure of rare records, where & how people track stuff down, 'famous' collectors (Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, REM's Peter Buck, R. Crumb, Peter Wolf), CD's vs. LP's, and the 'ultimate' find. Vinyl Junkies is a great read for any music lover, vinyl hound or not.
So, the question remains: Should I have bought that cool Art Ensemble of Chicago reissue? I mean, I put it back in the bin and it's been bugging me ever since. Should I stop worrying about it? What does this say about me?
Only saw "School Of Rock" this year (and that was on pay-per-view at a hotel).
I guess my art movie years are over.
