Eno/Byrne collabo once more

It’s been too long since the brilliant MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS. David, you’ve been doing your piano as room as art thing and that’s cool, but I have been thinking for awhile that it’s time to get back to working with someone who makes all your wackiness/brilliance come together so it’s pure genius. Thankfully you realized that too and you are giving me the most exciting album in uh, like 20 years: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today . Ah, just the name gives me tingles.

You’re even giving us a free song! Perhaps Eno took to heart that letter from Trent I posted on this blog a few months ago.

J Spaceman Resurrected! If you didn’t go to the Spiritualized show…

Terminal 5 7.27.08 show, courtesy of Jason Bergman

“You need to be a quite a snob when you’re makin’ your own music.” Yes, Spaceman, you do.  Not to be redundant, but I  just can’t stop thinking/dreaming of/recollecting my amazing evening with Spiritualized the other night at Terminal 5: an hour and a half of continuous rock slowed down occasionally by melodious, heart-stirring shoegaze!  There were moments when the Spaceman–who literally almost died after a bout of lethal pneumonia two years ago–screamed as though the electricity from his guitar was resurrecting him.

And the beautiful thing about “new media” is that we can all get a taste of the experience via NPR: Bob Boilan did a very serious interview with Jason Pierce backstage at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC and then recorded the whole show for live streaming audio. (“Yeah the lights are dimming”–oh man, Bob, you’re so awesomely uncool).

The setlist is almost identical to what I heard two nights later. Let yourself be wowed by that amazing transition from opening song “You Lie You Cheat” (from new album Songs in A&E) to every sensitive stoner’s favorite Spaceman ballad, “Shine a Light.”

Also, check out Spaceman’s radio show.

SnagFilms: DIG for free and lots of other docs

Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan, I learned that this website, Snagfims, is showing DIG, the documentary on The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols and their epic rivalry/Anton’s massive drug habit, for free. I have a deep love of BJM and a secret soft spot for the Dandies too. Also Snagfilms has loads of other interesting docs on everything from politics to sports.

Meanwhile, speaking of Musicians Taking Drugs Making Music to Take Drugs To, I’m going with Bryan to see Spiritualized on Sunday at Terminal 5. All of you who have tics to see the smaller shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg, I hate you.

J. Spaceman and Me.

Sandman Comics: 20 Years

20 years old!

The Sandman Comics and their spin-offs (particularly “Death: The High Cost of Living” , which refashioned Death as a quirky/adorable Gothette) were a staple in my teenage life. I, like other art freaks before me, had Delirium-style red hair (pre mohawk D, though) and wore Ankh necklaces. I almost got a tattoo of one big Ankh on my back (that would have been regrettable). But hey, Norman Mailor even liked them, so it’s not just a nerd thing.  And now 20 years! And a special poster to boot!

Delirium: Space cadet extraordinaire/Tori Amos doppelganger/beloved muse of redhead art freaks who did too much acid.

The comic started in 1988, which is actually the year I sort of wished I had been 16–rather than the late 90’s. My Bauhaus sticker collection would have certainly been more in vogue. Alas. Here’s to the graceful aging of old goth culture mongers–Gaiman, Tim Burton, Siouxsie Sioux, etc.

Speaking of Those Old School Game Boys: Fuck Buttons at McCarren Pool

Fuck Buttons at McCarren Pool this Sunday (picture courtesy of random flickr person ). Yes, that is a Gameboy he’s playing.

And also at McCarren, oh you Liars! What a homecoming back to Brooklyn! You have transcended your past just like I’ve grown out of those homemade tee-shirt dresses I used to wear. Or, as Wikipedia scribbles, “Although initially lumped into the New York post-punk revival scene of the early 21st century, they have come to be categorized by their dramatic stylistic shifts between albums, while retaining a consistent interest in rhythm and sound texture.”

Well then.

Meanwhile 2 questions came to mind during the Liars’ labor-intense set:

But has anybody noticed that the “kids” in Williamsburg look like Spacoli in Fast Times? Is WIlliamsburg the new LA?

Second Question–is Angus Andrews (of the Liars) the new Nick Cave? Or are all Australian noise-rock musicians just gangly and sexy/creepy?

Ok, that’s actually three questions, but I’m not a good consolidator.

Fuck Buttons: Let’s Talk about Magic

(please not this is for personal use only and expires in a week–I’m not stealing your money Fuck Buttons! I’m just widening your audience…k?)

The Wackness:90’s nostalgia without the scare factor

Josh Peck and it-girl Olivia Thirby in The Wackness:(I had this dress in 1994 too!)

Last week Tyler and I went to see The Wackness, a coming-of-age story built almost entirely around nostalgia for 90’s zeitgeist. From The Notorious B.I.G. to the cheesy street slang white kids threw around (thankfully “Dope” has died out) to the baggy denim, it’s saturated with aesthetic references to the Clinton-era. And throwing in child star of that era MK (Mary Kate Olson, that is) is just the icing on the Millienials’ cupcake. Oh and I did I mention there are b&w screen Gameboys and Nintendo 64s? And no cellphones! People used landlines!

The movie–meh, take it or leave it. It’s a story that’s been told ten times before, albiet set in an era that we’re currently aching for a return to. However, I will note that  watching the man who played Gandi (Sir Ben Kingsley) do lines of pharmaceuticals and get it on with aging Bond girl Famke Jenssen is both amusing and startling.

During the film I couldn’t stop thinking, “Where’s Telly?” The Wackness proves just how sanitized we have gotten in Bush’s America and post-Giuliani’s New York, as it’s essentially copping the aesthetic of KIDS, but neglects the nihilism of that film.  It also ignores the horrifying and very real presence of AIDS. The sex scene even emphasizes the LACK of condom, which is very out of line with the AIDS awareness that was so prevalent in that time. Lastly it sorely lacks a Chloe Sevigny-type (Sorry Olivia, you are no Chloe). The Wackness is like KIDS redone by High School Musical folks, where the AIDS and heroin problems in NYC never existed…and Biggie never died.

However, The Wackness has reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to do for awhile: the 90’s countdown:

1. Positive Hip Hop

Man, was it never better for White People to feel rhythm and feel like there was hope for all races. Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets remind me of Lisa Bonet and, well, idealism. Then I went to a Jurassic Five show in 2000 in Philly and there were no black people to be found. Alas.

2. MTV’s arty dudes

First there were grunge’s slightly femme-y/usually dirty/always tortured but oh-so-sexy musicians toiling in front of us (Kurt, Trent, Gavin Rossdale). But even their non-music programming was full of these Hawkes (as in Ethan). From the The Real World in London (Neil!) to Chris Hardwick on Singled Out (dreamy!) to 120 Minutes‘ “I really need a cough drop” Matt Pinfield, MTV was a minefield of these sensitive dudes…not to mention all the nerdy-chic girls like VJs Kennedy and Karen Duffy, and later, Daria and Jane Lane of Daria around.

Of course that all kind of ended with Carson Daly.

3. My So-Called Life

Jordon Catalano. Rayanne Graff. Ricki. The dad that went to Grateful Dead shows.These people are like cousins to me.

4. Tetrus on Gameboy: Even my mom was addicted.

5. Blossom’s flower hats, Joey’s “Woah!”

6. Jonny Lee Miller in Hackers and Trainspotting

7. TLC’s Lisa Left Eye Lopez’s condom eye patch: RIP Lisa!

8. Sam Goody’s or The Wall’s listening station: Um who wasn’t listening to the new Dishwalla–and not buying–it in 1997?

9. Wolf Blitzer covering the Gulf War–holy shit, there are bombs in back of him! Don’t die Wolfie! Oh wait, no one died in that war.

10. Prince as a Symbol/Marky Mark/Technotronic/”Heroin chic”/Lillith Fair/Discmans/Unplugged/Behind The Music/Angelina Jolie when she was a bi-curious badass/Elizabeth Wurtzel and her Prozac Nation/piercings up the entire ear/The Grind workout video/Meredith Baxter Birney-era Lifetime movies/pre-Parkinson Michael J. Fox/Leonardo DiCaprio before Titantic/laser discs/Jane cosmetics/Sassy magazine/Juliana Hatfield/trip hop/SPIN magazine when it didn’t suck/Britpop and the time when Damon Alburn was hot/Tony Blair’s first few years and all of “Cool Brittania”/the triumph of the Dollar/that dog on Frasier/tape singles for 1.99/PollyPockets/Pogs/20/20’s molestation special segments/Al Franken on Comedy Central/Dilbert/cheap Ecstasy/Jessie Spano turns into slut-McGee in Showgirls/Barney/glowsticks/Berlin’s LOVE PARADE/riot grrl/Gwen Stefani in “I’m just a girl”/Tori Amos channeling Kate Bush and not looking old yet/the anti-Globilization movement/AOL on dial-up/hackey sacks/snap bracelets/the second coming of Jellies (the sandal)/Clear Pepsi/Reviving Ophelia…

And it goes on and on….

Beck’s back with sadness and a mouse called Danger!

Beck’s new album Modern Guilt: “It sounds like a great album and very possibly the worst-ever ad for Scientology.”(New York Magazine, Vulture Blog)

Come into my Scientology Room

Obamacons, Wall E, and “Crystal”–the new “Wolf”?

Ah, home from vacation. Back to work. Back to blog, etc.

Researching for work, I came upon my new favorite word: Obamacon. Now we all love a nifty word made up of an Obama-as-prefix, an “Obamism,” if you will. But this one is my fav. Why? Well, first of all if “conservative” can be in same realm, let alone the same TERM as “Obama” that’s a good thing, in regards to, oh, say winning an election (something Democrats haven’t been so good at recently). I’m a liberal, through and through (fuck religion! yay gays! save the poor!), but not everyone else is. That is the beauty of Obamania, that everyone–on the left, on the right, those liberal as fuck, conservative Catholics, and even retired generals (come on Colin Powell, endorse!)–can love the Barackstar.

Oh yeah and one more thing: Obamacon, it sounds like a robot. And I love robots. Agingsnob is snotty about most things culture (music, books, vegetables–broccolini over broccoli, thank you), but not about robots. Hence one of the reasons I went to see Wall-E this weekend, even braving the kiddie pool in Park Slope opening weekend. I’m almost astonished to say it is one of the most charming and beautiful films I’ve seen in quite some time. Some criticize the lack of any dialogue for the first hour. However, has anyone ever seen a classic children’s movie called The Red Balloon? Hmm. Or what about the sumptuously sweet and witty French animation film The Triplettes of Belleville? You can have a G-rated film without idiotic verbatim and children will still respond with laughter. So will adults as in the case of Wall-E.

Wall-E is visually spectacular (duh, it’s Pixar) but it’s the clever writing, reminiscent of early comedies of the 30’s ala Buster Keaton, that really make this movie such a joy to watch. Gina writes a great review, emphasizing just that, along with what a beautiful eco-lesson it is. Oh yeah, and uh, did I mention it’s a love story.

ROBOTS LOVING ROBOTS. How Daft Punk? Also, it’s notable that the female robot EVE (Eee-vaa) is the kick ass heroine of the story–smart, savvy, and yet feminine (really you never thought a robot giggle could be so adorable!). And because she’s a non-human (albeit one shaped a bit like something one might find at Good Vibrations…or the Apple Store), Disney didn’t force her into unrealistic babedom like that Pocohantas as Indian Barbie shit they pulled a few years ago. Bravo on all fronts!

Lastly, on this vacation o’ mine I checked out Crystal Castles live for the first time. Then, on the internets, I kept seeing reviews of the new Crystal Antlers album. Is Crystal the new Wolf? Discuss.