{ Category Archives }
Noteworthy
Hungry?
I laughed when I read about this, but then rolled my eyes a bit when I read this. An entire restaurant menu and beer devoted to one band? This is certainly not the most egregious form of product tie-in, but seriously. Nothing against Wilco mind you; maybe it’s the dad-rock entrepreneurs cashing in on their musical love.
That said, I had a similar idea back in the day: a Beatles-themed restaurant. Seems simple, right? A highly beloved band, some good food - what could go wrong? The problem was that I could only think of one item for the menu: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Sandwich. Perhaps featuring Mean Mr. Mustard sauce.
Let the groaning begin.
R.I.P.
Sadly, this question has now been answered.
Rest in peace, Corey.
Time Capsule
Last weekend my wife and I watched The House of the Devil, which we both agreed is one of the best horror films we’ve seen in a long time. (Given that we are both confirmed horror movie buffs, albeit with a regrettable lack of exposure to certain subsets of the horror movie genre, we have fairly high standards for scary stuff. Sadly, not all movies we’ve seen recently meet our standards, although others do.) If you haven’t seen The House of the Devil, I strongly encourage you to do so, especially if you have experience with horror films from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the “satanic panic” that gripped the U.S. in the 1980s. I could go on about the quality of the movie; about how even the smallest elements of the film - from the props to the music to the camera angles and lighting - are near-perfect evocations of a bygone era of horror cinema. But I’ll leave that to those more knowledgeable (or at least more opinionated).
Instead, I’ll focus on one aspect of the film, it’s authenticity. Again, many elements of the film are so retro as to be reverential. Indeed, at times it seems surprising that this movie was made in the 2000s and not the 1980s. (At other points in the film, this is not so surprising, but again, I digress.) This made me ponder - is there a musical equivalent to this film? Not in content, mind you; I’m not talking about the many genres of music that lean toward the horrific. Instead, I’m referring to albums or songs that so perfectly evoke the sound and feel of a particular genre or scene or time period that it almost sounds as though it was unearthed from a time capsule (hence this post’s title) and dusted off for the kids of today.
I can think of one good example. (Sorry, Wolfmother - better luck next time.) Admittedly, I’m a little biased here, because I know the lead singer/guitarist from his time employed here and here. And I can personally attest that he’s a swell guy. But really, I’ve spent a fair amount of time listening to the band’s first (and only) long-player, and I gotta say, it’s pretty effing brilliant. (And I’m not the only one who thinks so.)
Here’s why.
Our Legal System at Work
I’ll be honest. If you asked me to draw a Venn diagram with Judge Judy in one circle and John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) in another, I would’ve thought the intersection would be the null set. But apparently I was wrong.
Because nothing says “Christmas” like a fetus on a tree
I just got mine in the mail … so excited!!!
Thesaurus Songs
Hi everyone. I’ll save my apologies for being such a delinquent blogger for a later post (read: NEVER!).
Despite my utter lack of blogging productivity here at MIMR, I have as always been consumed daily with thoughts about music and songs and albums and songwriting and all of that. I’ll try to work through my back-log of ideas in the coming weeks AND resolve to be a more productive blogger in the coming new year. Ahem.
That said, I’ve had idea for a blog post, which I will now address, percolating in my tiny little mind for years now. In fact, the genesis of this post can be traced all the way to the fall of 1988, when I was but a junior in high school, years before the internet was even invented. (NOTE: I know that last statement was utterly untrue. Please spare me your comments to that effect.)
It was in October of 1988 that a certain song first hit the airwaves, a song that soon dominated all forms of life on Earth for months to come. And it is that song that is the germ of my gist. As the title of this blog entry cleverly reveals, the topic at hand is what I like to call Thesaurus Songs.
First, we must define what is a Thesaurus Song. The rules are very simple: the song must prominently feature a word in its title AND its chorus. The word must be of sufficient length and rarity as to lead the listener to the inevitable (and indisputable) conclusion that the lyricist discovered the word in a moment of writer’s block as s/he was perusing a thesaurus, looking for lyrical inspiration. Also, there needs to be some degree of awkwardness, if not a high degree, to the placement and use of the word. Something that makes you roll your eyes and say, “Yeah, SOMEONE just learned a new word today.” But the song title need not be excessively long or silly. In fact, it must contain the word in question and not much else.
You get the idea. So without further adieu, here is my list of the four most egregious examples of Thesaurus Songs, in increasing order of their crimes against Roget.
Dammit
My friends know how much I hate all things “earnest.” The overwrought emotions, lack of self-awareness, hamfisted life-lessons - makes me gag. And then there’s this.
(Well, so much for embedding the video. Apparently youtube has that turned off. Jerks. Anyway, here’s the link.)
First, I must say “Damn you fearlessvk” for posting this video in the first place. I admit, I got teary-eyed watching it. And while it technically doesn’t qualify as “earnest,” it would be bad enough, were it not so awesome.
Enjoy.