Saturday, July 16, 2005
She ruled the toads of the short forest, and every newt in Idaho.
FZ's classic instrumental album that eerily foretold the climax to The Ring.
My friend Paul recently put up a meme/obligatory roll call on his blog about his summer reading. I thought this would be a good chance to talk about my summer listening.
My summer listening almost came to a tragic end yesterday. I lost my 40 MB MP3 player (my beloved Nomad... which actually is more of a WMA player, but you get the point). But my hero Megan found it, and called my house. So in 3 hours I will go to reclaim my baby.
I have had a weird summer because a lot of bands I like released albums. This is a rare event for me because bands I like are dead and gone for the most part.
Beck's new album was very good, and if you buy the "Hell Yes" EP, you get some truly great alternate versions that stand well as entirely new songs (they are all orchestrated with Atari noises). System of a Down released an incredible metal album which simply owns. Nine Inch Nails, who I am not a fan of, released a mediocre album. So did Queens of the Stone Age, which hurts my feelings. The Gorillaz released a hit and miss album that seems like a dash for cash. At least Mindless Self Indulgence released a killer CD. Too short, but killer. Best of all, The White Stripes put out a CD that may seem less rockin' on the surface, but is just as great as ever, and a little more mature. I can't listen to "Blue Orchid" without playing air guitar.
So what am I listening to? A lot of Frank Black, for one. Some stuff never gets old in the summer (like The Doors, Lou Reed, Minutemen, Nation of Ulysses, and Steely Dan). In all honesty, I have been heavily rotating The Seatbelts' box set (Yoko Kanno is so awesome), Shudder to Think's "Pony Express Record", and the Akira soundtrack.
I still listen to last years stuff a lot too. I didn't have the time to properly dissect each one during the school year. I also still love the newest Radiohead, which sort of "got it right" when it comes to mixing rock with the Kid A noise. New hip hop CDs last year from De La Soul and MF Doom both make me very happy, as they are stealing hip hop back from crunk. Ween's "Live in Chicago" launched my lazy fandom into idol warship. Prince's "comeback" CD "Musicology" was very good, although I have yet to buy it. And, the almighty Steely Dan released another new CD, which I still haven't bought. I purposely have avoided both Morrissey's and Duran Duran's new releases. I just don't feel like being disappointed.
There has been a lot of bad, cookie cutter nu-metal music coming out, along with crappy pop. But not all metal has been bad. I dig a few of the tracks on the most recent Marilyn Manson CD (Golden Age of the Grotesque). "(s)Aint" is as inspired as metal gets. I have been digging on Anthrax's "Greater of Two Evils" CD, where they re-record classics from their past with the new lineup, live in the studio. It is sooooo good. In a metal kind of way.
In the meantime, I have been getting in FZ (Frank Zappa) lately. A friend of mine, Randy, dubbed some stuff off for me, and I picked up "Overnite Sensation" and the above pictured "Hot Rats" CDs. If you can ignore his perverted humor that pops up from time to time, you are treated to some killer orchestration mixed with even more killer rock guitar solos. I can see why the guy is an underground legend. He has released well over 30 albums over 30 years, and like a true artist went through varied periods... so depending on your tastes, there is something for you to love (or hate). I cannot get the songs "Dirty Love" or "Camarillo Brillo" out of my head.
Too bad he passed on, although I think in the era of over-the-top humor (ala South Park and Eminem), his schtick had worn thin, and no one wanted to recognize his musical genius. Anyway, a great guy to look into if you have burnt out on what you are into now. I mean, who could hate a guy that named an album "Sheik Yerbouti."
Looking forward there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Stevie Wonder has a new CD coming out this year, and the first single is fantastic ("What the Fuss?"). The bad news is that Better Than Ezra and INXS are trying to make comebacks.
And, to quote Chris Griffin, "That's enough, John Mayer."
Horns up.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The beast with two backs, and a new Blogger feature
Hiya. I wanted to see if this Blogger photo dealy is any better than Hello. So here we go, hopefully a picture from the Omaha Shakespeare Festival, aka Shakespeare on the Green.
I have fallen in love with Shakespeare. The Bard. You know, that guy who wrote all that crap that you had to read in school? I hated it then. Now at 30 there is nothing more enjoyable than reading Shakespeare... well, I guess seeing it performed well is more enjoyable.
This year, the 19th year, of the festival saw Pericles, which I know little about, and Othello. Othello is a favorite of mine, so I did not want to miss it. My friend Nancy told me she prefers the comedies, but for my money... you can't beat pathos.
There is art in Shakespeare's tragedies. There is always the best villain, and not a hero in sight. Everyone is flawed, and the villains find a way to play on these weaknesses. The only noble characters usually find an untimely end, furthering the tragedy part of the plot.
This year's Othello was done in WWII European theater dress. Meaning, they wore uniforms and dresses of the 1940's era. This was done to make the play seem a little more familiar, which I was irked by at first, but grew to appreciate. The play itself, all 3 hours of it, was done as written. And the cast was outstanding. Iago was played probably as perfect as Iago can be played.
Did you realize that many of the words and phrases we use every day in English were invented by Shakespeare? Not mention the hundreds of clever plays on words that come so frequently that you tend to miss them. If you were ever soured to Shakespeare and yet still have a love for reading, you should give him a try again. The themes of war, racism, love, the search for meaning, and jealousy are all fit for our modern life.
Here are some of my favorites, some you may want to try. I would reccomend the Penguin/Pelican publications of his works (each between $3.95 and $5.95 US), as they use Orgel's scholarship, which is as thourough and respectful as it gets. If you still struggle with the language, pick up one from the No Fear Shakespeare series, which has the direct writings on one page, and a paraphrase in modern terms on the other.
1. Julius Caesar - political ambitions lead to betrayal and murder, and a needless war
2. King Lear - A king retires, and leaves his kingdom to his daughters, only to watch it all fall into chaos, and his own life suddenly seems a waste
3. As You Like It - A great love story about souls in exile who make the best of the situation
4. Othello - A man with high ambitions manipulates others into creating a conspiracy of murder and slander, which drive a nobel man insane
Horns up.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Reelin' in the years at Kohl's.
Ever been to Kohl's? Its like a cross between Mervyns, Dillards, Sears, JC Penny's, and Target. You know the M.O.; lots of clothes, a few assorted other departments. As far as department stores go, its not too bad. The store is clean and not as crammed as others. Also, the clothes are somewhat classy and not too expensive. No top of the line stuff, but no Jaclyn Smith or Kathy Lee Gifford fashions either. They do have some tacky Daisy Fuentes and Ashley Judd product lines, but I digress...
I rode shotgun to Kohl's with my wife. It was a covert op: the ruse was that we were going for a wedding present, but the real mission was to shop our buts off. By we I mean her.
So as I am there, I decided to play armchair anthropologist. Its better than the nervous stares you get from women who suddenly feel self-conscious with their shopping when a man is just standing there. Especially in the swim suit area (by this I mean when we are in the swim suit department, not that they were nervous in their swim suit area...)
First of all, what has happened to muzak? Or is it, what has happened to me? They played Steely Dan and Duncan Sheik. Wasn't muzak supposed to be "Girl from Iponema" over and over? I hate hearing good music in stores. It reminds me of the time I heard Frank Black's "Big Red" and The Smiths "Hand in Glove" over muzac at The Gap once. "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan is more or less what I want engraved on my gravestone. Every verse is genius. It isn't the kind of introspection and satire that goes with crass consumerism. Oh well.
Next item of business; The JUNIORS department. Before you cry statutory, let me finish. At what age are you not supposed to shop in Juniors ladies? If it didn't matter, why is its own department? Its not a size thing, because there is a petite section. For you guys who don't know, Juniors is the department that specializes in clothes that teens and college girls would wear. Lots of tight shirts, bare midriffs, and ass-cheekery. Flirty and fun for girls who still have some sort of a body.
Anyway, while we were in the Juniors section, (keep in mind my wife is 30) there was a dozen women. Only 2 were looking like "juniors." Other than my wife, to the woman, the rest looked well over 30. And I am being generous with using 30 as the mile post. One woman was easily 50. One word, gross (or is it 'sad').
Lastly, the "Lance Armstrong" bracelet craze. You can buy them in clumps of 4 in various colors for $2.99 under the moniker "fashion accessories." Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Like any "I care" fad, it has turned into a monster. It started off as a good idea to raise some cash for a good cause, then morphed into a statement. I have seen pink (for breast cancer), and red (for Red Cross) used by other charities, but now you can just out and out buy them for wear. Cheaper. Without tacky slogans (or with a tacky slogan of your choice). "Choose Life." Remember those huge message shirts? Shopping mall iron-on stores made a mint off those. All of these fads are bullcrap... the magnetic/adhesive "I'm more patriotic than you" ribbons, the Jesus fish, and so on. Each more retarded and useless than the last.
Horns up.
I rode shotgun to Kohl's with my wife. It was a covert op: the ruse was that we were going for a wedding present, but the real mission was to shop our buts off. By we I mean her.
So as I am there, I decided to play armchair anthropologist. Its better than the nervous stares you get from women who suddenly feel self-conscious with their shopping when a man is just standing there. Especially in the swim suit area (by this I mean when we are in the swim suit department, not that they were nervous in their swim suit area...)
First of all, what has happened to muzak? Or is it, what has happened to me? They played Steely Dan and Duncan Sheik. Wasn't muzak supposed to be "Girl from Iponema" over and over? I hate hearing good music in stores. It reminds me of the time I heard Frank Black's "Big Red" and The Smiths "Hand in Glove" over muzac at The Gap once. "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan is more or less what I want engraved on my gravestone. Every verse is genius. It isn't the kind of introspection and satire that goes with crass consumerism. Oh well.
Next item of business; The JUNIORS department. Before you cry statutory, let me finish. At what age are you not supposed to shop in Juniors ladies? If it didn't matter, why is its own department? Its not a size thing, because there is a petite section. For you guys who don't know, Juniors is the department that specializes in clothes that teens and college girls would wear. Lots of tight shirts, bare midriffs, and ass-cheekery. Flirty and fun for girls who still have some sort of a body.
Anyway, while we were in the Juniors section, (keep in mind my wife is 30) there was a dozen women. Only 2 were looking like "juniors." Other than my wife, to the woman, the rest looked well over 30. And I am being generous with using 30 as the mile post. One woman was easily 50. One word, gross (or is it 'sad').
Lastly, the "Lance Armstrong" bracelet craze. You can buy them in clumps of 4 in various colors for $2.99 under the moniker "fashion accessories." Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Like any "I care" fad, it has turned into a monster. It started off as a good idea to raise some cash for a good cause, then morphed into a statement. I have seen pink (for breast cancer), and red (for Red Cross) used by other charities, but now you can just out and out buy them for wear. Cheaper. Without tacky slogans (or with a tacky slogan of your choice). "Choose Life." Remember those huge message shirts? Shopping mall iron-on stores made a mint off those. All of these fads are bullcrap... the magnetic/adhesive "I'm more patriotic than you" ribbons, the Jesus fish, and so on. Each more retarded and useless than the last.
Horns up.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
"I cannot laugh. The dwarves make me feel old."
SCTV is on the air!
SCTV, one of the greatest shows ever on TV. I didn’t realize it until I started seeing the shows on TV again this year how much SCTV had shaped my sense of humor. For those of you who don’t know, SCTV was an ensemble TV show that strung together SNL/Fridays-like skits into a single premise. The premise was that there was a low-budget television, filled with all sorts of zany characters that were as funny as the celebrities that the actors spoofed.
The genius of the show rests in its premise and its actors. The premise served to cover the REAL budgetary shortcomings of the show. It looked like a low budget UHF channel because their budget was only slightly better than a low budget UHF channel. The commercials it mimicked looked like local commercials of the day.
And the cast itself was strong. In retrospect it is almost hard to believe so many talented people worked together (much like the original SNL cast). John Candy, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas. Even seeming nobodies Robin Duke and Tony Rosato were great.
So much of the show’s writing was complex, yet it doesn’t dwell on being smarter than its audience. There was so much subtlety to the show, yet there was so much craziness on screen it was easy to get sucked into the hack jokes they were using to make fun of hack jokes. SCTV was a TV show that existed to make fun of television.
And, the show benefited from having a limited run. Its original syndication run served to create time to perfect their craft, as well as build a cult following. The show was rarely shown in a good time slot, and in many markets it wasn’t even shown in any sort of regular manner. Eventually, a failed bid for ABC turned into a fortunate run on NBC, which extended the shows length, gave it a more stable rotation, and even recycled classic skits from the past for a new audience to see.
And teh show was cutting edge. Floating about in obscurity allowed it to touch on subjects not entirely common on TV. Homosexuality, drug abuse, and international relations. I remember one particular skit about a Japanese talkshow that still offends me in its stereotyping. But it was an age of a scared America. We were all ducking nuclear warheads, scared of communisim, and waiting for the Japanese to buy all of America. To see these topics dealth with the way they were makes me feel ashamed that I was ever part of that America. Cutting edge and introspective, yet never arrogant or self-important.
I was first exposed to the show at some unknown point in my child hood. My cool Uncle David probably got me started. I most likely saw it on late-night NBC, as I used to love staying up late to watch TV in the summers. And since most of my TV viewing was bad UHF channels, the show was naturally a draw to me. I then later saw reruns on PBS, only to forget about it for a few years until Nick at Night (long before TV Land) showed the show ever week night. This happened when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and continued up until I was in high school. I stayed up every night to see it, until it was cancelled. By the time I got over the rerun cancellation, I was already hooked on a new skit show, Kids in the Hall, which finished development on my sense of humor. Both shows exuded cleverness and subtlety, and I am in great debt to both for shaping my off-color view of the world.
All you have to do is invoke Johnny Nuclei, Polynesian Town, or the whole network gang wara ala Godfather ("we're goin' to the mattresses!"), and I am instantly in a great mood. And the skits weren't the only highlight. There were great music acts, of bands that gave great performances even though they have been somewhat lost in time. The musical guests were always worked into a skit in some way, not just introduced as a musical intermission. Nothing beats seeing these songsters ham it up in some classic comedy skits. Dr. John, Southside Johnny, The Tubes, and so on. All great, all fun, and all still awesome to see even years after their music is off the airwaves.
By the end of the shows run, the characters that were invented were more memorable than the spoofs. And that is saying a lot, because (for instance) it is hard to remember the Leave it to Beaver 20 year reunion special without laughing out loud (Beaver kills Eddie). The characters were all over-the-top and unique. The shows’ cutthroat station manager Guy Cabellero is always seen in a wheelchair (he has no infirmities, he only uses it for respect). The troubled Hollywood darling Lola Heatherton invokes Liza, Babs, and any other diva. Bob and Doug MacKenzie (the Canadian stereotype brothers that do the Great White North show) were so funny they got their own movie. So did polka duo, the Schmengie Brothers. Earl Camamembaer, the hapless, news anchorman with big aspirations, and who is forever the ass of everyone’s jokes. Think Ron Burgandy minus swagger. Oh, and there was good old Edith Prickly, Snake, Bobby Bittman, and Ed Grimley. And a billion more I don’t care to exhaustively list.
My favorite characters were as follows;
1. the pompous, fast-talking, drunken, has-been/never-was actor Johnny LaRue, who is slowly demoted through the shows run into a running joke who can’t get work.
2. Count Floyd, the unfortunately named host of the late-night Monster Chiller Horror Theater, who invariably is given movies that are anything but scary (the title of today’s entry comes from one of those such movies… a spoof on Ingmar Bergman’s brooding films mistaken as a horror movie by the shows programmers).
3. Dr. Tongue, yet another John Candy classic. The doctor is a sweaty mad scientist who is the antagonist (ala Bela Lugosi) of many bad horror movies. Oh, and he apparently thinks that moving items close to the camera lens makes them appear in 3-D. His movies include the The 3-D House of Pancakes, The 3-D House of Stewardesses, and so on.
4. Gerry Todd. Videophile and hipster, Gerry runs a pre-MTV music video show that shows musical acts that are almost as bad as his cheesy effects (random fades and logos that he controls from a giant soundboard in from of him as he hosts) and his lame, call-in-radio style bits (his "guess how much money is in the jackpot" bit makes me laugh every time). How could I forget the man who showed me the lounge version of Turning Japanese?
All in all SCTV is awesome. TV Land shows episodes on Friday nights, although the last three weekends they have preempted it for random summer marathons. Better yet, Shout Factory has started releasing episodes on DVD collections. Three volumes are out, and a fourth is on the way. Volumes one – three contain the entire run of the NBC life span (which is a great place to start… all of the best skits from the old days are recycled, and the budget is a bit higher). The bad news is that the sets are a little expensive, at anywhere from $59 to $79 each.
Check ‘em out. Horns up.
SCTV, one of the greatest shows ever on TV. I didn’t realize it until I started seeing the shows on TV again this year how much SCTV had shaped my sense of humor. For those of you who don’t know, SCTV was an ensemble TV show that strung together SNL/Fridays-like skits into a single premise. The premise was that there was a low-budget television, filled with all sorts of zany characters that were as funny as the celebrities that the actors spoofed.
The genius of the show rests in its premise and its actors. The premise served to cover the REAL budgetary shortcomings of the show. It looked like a low budget UHF channel because their budget was only slightly better than a low budget UHF channel. The commercials it mimicked looked like local commercials of the day.
And the cast itself was strong. In retrospect it is almost hard to believe so many talented people worked together (much like the original SNL cast). John Candy, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas. Even seeming nobodies Robin Duke and Tony Rosato were great.
So much of the show’s writing was complex, yet it doesn’t dwell on being smarter than its audience. There was so much subtlety to the show, yet there was so much craziness on screen it was easy to get sucked into the hack jokes they were using to make fun of hack jokes. SCTV was a TV show that existed to make fun of television.
And, the show benefited from having a limited run. Its original syndication run served to create time to perfect their craft, as well as build a cult following. The show was rarely shown in a good time slot, and in many markets it wasn’t even shown in any sort of regular manner. Eventually, a failed bid for ABC turned into a fortunate run on NBC, which extended the shows length, gave it a more stable rotation, and even recycled classic skits from the past for a new audience to see.
And teh show was cutting edge. Floating about in obscurity allowed it to touch on subjects not entirely common on TV. Homosexuality, drug abuse, and international relations. I remember one particular skit about a Japanese talkshow that still offends me in its stereotyping. But it was an age of a scared America. We were all ducking nuclear warheads, scared of communisim, and waiting for the Japanese to buy all of America. To see these topics dealth with the way they were makes me feel ashamed that I was ever part of that America. Cutting edge and introspective, yet never arrogant or self-important.
I was first exposed to the show at some unknown point in my child hood. My cool Uncle David probably got me started. I most likely saw it on late-night NBC, as I used to love staying up late to watch TV in the summers. And since most of my TV viewing was bad UHF channels, the show was naturally a draw to me. I then later saw reruns on PBS, only to forget about it for a few years until Nick at Night (long before TV Land) showed the show ever week night. This happened when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and continued up until I was in high school. I stayed up every night to see it, until it was cancelled. By the time I got over the rerun cancellation, I was already hooked on a new skit show, Kids in the Hall, which finished development on my sense of humor. Both shows exuded cleverness and subtlety, and I am in great debt to both for shaping my off-color view of the world.
All you have to do is invoke Johnny Nuclei, Polynesian Town, or the whole network gang wara ala Godfather ("we're goin' to the mattresses!"), and I am instantly in a great mood. And the skits weren't the only highlight. There were great music acts, of bands that gave great performances even though they have been somewhat lost in time. The musical guests were always worked into a skit in some way, not just introduced as a musical intermission. Nothing beats seeing these songsters ham it up in some classic comedy skits. Dr. John, Southside Johnny, The Tubes, and so on. All great, all fun, and all still awesome to see even years after their music is off the airwaves.
By the end of the shows run, the characters that were invented were more memorable than the spoofs. And that is saying a lot, because (for instance) it is hard to remember the Leave it to Beaver 20 year reunion special without laughing out loud (Beaver kills Eddie). The characters were all over-the-top and unique. The shows’ cutthroat station manager Guy Cabellero is always seen in a wheelchair (he has no infirmities, he only uses it for respect). The troubled Hollywood darling Lola Heatherton invokes Liza, Babs, and any other diva. Bob and Doug MacKenzie (the Canadian stereotype brothers that do the Great White North show) were so funny they got their own movie. So did polka duo, the Schmengie Brothers. Earl Camamembaer, the hapless, news anchorman with big aspirations, and who is forever the ass of everyone’s jokes. Think Ron Burgandy minus swagger. Oh, and there was good old Edith Prickly, Snake, Bobby Bittman, and Ed Grimley. And a billion more I don’t care to exhaustively list.
My favorite characters were as follows;
1. the pompous, fast-talking, drunken, has-been/never-was actor Johnny LaRue, who is slowly demoted through the shows run into a running joke who can’t get work.
2. Count Floyd, the unfortunately named host of the late-night Monster Chiller Horror Theater, who invariably is given movies that are anything but scary (the title of today’s entry comes from one of those such movies… a spoof on Ingmar Bergman’s brooding films mistaken as a horror movie by the shows programmers).
3. Dr. Tongue, yet another John Candy classic. The doctor is a sweaty mad scientist who is the antagonist (ala Bela Lugosi) of many bad horror movies. Oh, and he apparently thinks that moving items close to the camera lens makes them appear in 3-D. His movies include the The 3-D House of Pancakes, The 3-D House of Stewardesses, and so on.
4. Gerry Todd. Videophile and hipster, Gerry runs a pre-MTV music video show that shows musical acts that are almost as bad as his cheesy effects (random fades and logos that he controls from a giant soundboard in from of him as he hosts) and his lame, call-in-radio style bits (his "guess how much money is in the jackpot" bit makes me laugh every time). How could I forget the man who showed me the lounge version of Turning Japanese?
All in all SCTV is awesome. TV Land shows episodes on Friday nights, although the last three weekends they have preempted it for random summer marathons. Better yet, Shout Factory has started releasing episodes on DVD collections. Three volumes are out, and a fourth is on the way. Volumes one – three contain the entire run of the NBC life span (which is a great place to start… all of the best skits from the old days are recycled, and the budget is a bit higher). The bad news is that the sets are a little expensive, at anywhere from $59 to $79 each.
Check ‘em out. Horns up.