Tuesday, May 27, 2008

It's a Disco:Very vs. Elisabeth Kübler Ross Smackdown!

The First Song Popping Up on Your iPod Which Makes You Weep During the Long Drive Home from the Funeral:
Don't Bother, They're Here by Stars of the Lid, due to its tender ethereal weight. A vast soundtrack to the cosmos, it makes you reflect on loss and grasping the infinite, asking yourself what the fuck it's really all about.

The Second Song Popping Up on Your iPod Which Makes You Weep During the Long Drive Home from the Funeral:
Song for Bob by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (from the soundtrack to The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford), due to its epic sadness, exposing the massive tragic destiny of life, making you ponder what the fuck is beyond living and dying.

The Third Song Popping Up on Your iPod Which Doesn't Make You Weep During the Long Drive Home from the Funeral, but Instead Just Makes You Ask "What the fuck???:
A Feast for Famished Ravens Part 1 by Xynfonica.

The Kurosawa Flick Which, After Enduring the Death of Your Father, Holds New Resonance and Wisdom, Pointing a Way Towards Understanding and Accepting a Loved One's Illness and Passing:
Red Beard, but only the scenes involving Yuzo Kayama witnessing elderly patients dying alone, not the scene where Toshiro Mifune is violently breaking the arms and legs of his attackers outside the brothel (this only occurred, like, just a few times in my youth, and even then only after I'd finished all my homework).

On Death and Dying, Part 1: It's become more common, when one dies in a driving accident, for your loved ones to mark the sight of your roadside death with flowers and mementos in remembrance of your life. I've decided, if I were to be killed while driving, that I'd rather my loved ones not commemorate the spot of my demise with trinkets. Instead, simply block off the road with massive cement barriers, making sure nobody is allowed to traverse on that particular street ever again.

How I Would Like to Die: The makers of Forrest Gump and The Puffy Chair (two sides of the same overwrought coin) are pitted against each other in a battle to the death, staged in an enormous outdoor stadium, broadcast worldwide. In my glee over the possibility of both sides getting slaughtered, I find myself slipping from atop my perch in the nosebleed section and rolling down the stairs, smack into the middle of the violent melee. My arch nemesis, Sarah Jessica Parker, is watching from the sidelines, cheering on my imminent demise. To her surprise (and to my delight), a swarm of alligators are released onto the field, all of whom quickly chomp onto the neck of Mrs. Matthew Broderick, killing her instantly and diffusing any chances of a sequel to Sex & the City: The Movie. Meanwhile, all the actors from The Puffy Chair--along with anyone who enjoyed this tepid turd of a film--are suddenly gobbled up by a pack mob of flesh-eating microbes, leaving the cast and crew of Gump momentarily victorious. But not for long: a large cache of M-16 missiles are mysteriously thrust into my waiting arms, allowing me to smite everyone remotely connected with this. In my haste to waste these cinematic vermin, I slip on one of Sarah Jessica Parker's Antique Rose Prada boots (a slightly amusing irony) and crack my skull open, dying instantly.

On Death and Dying, Park 2: It's quite natural, when envisioning your own future death, to ponder who precisely will be attending your funeral, and if their presence is because of unconditional love or merely out of a sense of duty. One way to guarantee the sincerity of your mourners would be to erect a Fear Factor-styled obstacle course outside your place of burial. Loved ones must traverse impediments such as acrylic crates of hissing cobras, walking over scalding coals, and so on. Nothing says "you will be missed" more than gulping down a spoonful of juice squeezed from pig intestines.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Praise You Like I Should

It was a given that Daddy:Disco was going to pass away very very soon, and although he was not much of a music lover, I had been scratching my brain for the last week or so in an attempt to find that perfect track which would pay tribute to him; something, say, like an Italian folk song.

It finally occurred to me, as that dreaded phone call arrived late tonight (pronouncements of death always come in the evening or early morning, don't they?), that since Daddy:Disco was the King of Cussing, especially while flexing his talents as a home renovator, what better CD track to post than Daddy's Curses, a hilariously surreal 10-minute rant by some Every Father (recorded in secret by one of his brood) utilizing the gamut of expletives: from gosh darnit to the American standard goddammit. There's even a few original gems such as scuzz hole, what a pain in the asshole, and my personal favorite motherfucking dog-licking goddamn bullshit. It's like listening to the Billboard Top 100 of dirty words.

Goodnight, sweet Daddy:Disco. From now on, anytime I scream you fucking piece of shit after hitting my thumb with a hammer during house repairs, it will be my own personal salute to you.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Bleakness on the Edge of Town

The all-dark-clothing urgency of Iron Curtain's music should make my eyes roll, yet they surprisingly stay firmly in place. Perhaps it's because the paint-it-black keyboard wash and echo-laden vocals of 25 years ago which drip over every track on Desertion 1982-1988 now finds itself in vogue once again. These tunes sound timely without being retro. Sure, some of the compositions push too hard at being seen as dangerous (the only reason to name a song Anorexia or Legalize Heroin is simply to ruffle the hair of the status quo, the same way I post anti-Poi Dog Pondering musings so as to receive threatening comments). But when the unknown pleasures of Love Can Never Die and The Burning begin their mesmerizing climb towards some mysterious ethereal target, you'll feel yourself being lifted off the dance floor into the heavens.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Poi Dog Pondering Have Left the Building--Will All of Their...HOLY SHIT, THEY'RE BACK! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! SOMEONE DUG THEM UP FROM THE GRAVE! AAUGH!

You are always greeted by a multitude of shocking experiences when shopping the mega-enormous Amoeba Records in Hollywood. To start, there is that final tally to your charge card. Second, you'll spot releases by bands whose break-up you had assumed was a done deal. [You mean to tell me the fucking reprehensible Poi Dog Pondering is still together and was somehow allowed to release a new fuddy-duddy hippy-dippy album???]

But the largest jolt to the system isn't even the myriad of celebs spotted as you traverse the densely-packed record aisles. No, the most jarring moment is when one of those celebrities (hello, Giovanni Ribisi, you dimwitted Scientology freak!) spies you placing a sub-par Vince Guaraldi disc into your shopping basket. "Silly Pre-Clear," he clucks in your direction. "Everyone knows that Guaraldi peaked with A Charlie Brown Christmas. Sure, the pleasant previously-unreleased outtake Nobody Else ascends somewhat close to the genius of the well-known Xmas soundtrack, but after that you are forced to endure the faux funky Woodstock's Dream and the dentist's office dullness of Never Again. Only when you audit yourself of past traumatic Body Thetans, as I have, can you attain my infinite peace and wisdom."

"No offense, Giovanni," you think to yourself while reading his mind (a gift from birth received without benefit of an E-Meter.) "But I saw you in SubUrbia and if that's Serenity of Being, I'll stick to being an aberration, thanks."

Monday, April 14, 2008

A Dream Deferred: A Play in Three Acts

ACT ONE

The scene opens on a line of travelers awaiting the task of showing their boarding passes to an FAA inspector at the Tucson International Airport as they prepare to fly to Los Angeles. The line moves slowly--the inspector is courteous yet thorough in her duties--but dispenses each traveler in line at a steady pace. About three people from the front of the line is ASTRONOMY PROFESSOR, a married man in his early-to-mid 50's, balding yet continuing to grow his hair in a shaggy swirl as if still in his 20's. He is wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt buttoned to the neck and accented with a novelty tie emblazoned with a planetary pattern (the moon, Saturn, Venus, etc, all of which is surrounded by a wash of stars and galaxies). The shirt is tucked into loose-fitting professorial khaki pants looped with a nondescript belt. The footwear chosen to compliment this ensemble is flip-flops. Directly behind ASTRONOMY PROFESSOR is DISCO:VERY who is watching the man in front of him with astonishment and disbelief.

The ASTRONOMY PROFESSOR is now at the front of the line as he hands the FAA INSPECTOR his boarding pass.


FAA Inspector: [disinterested monotone but professional nonetheless] Good morning, sir. How are you today?

Astronomy Professor: Living the dream. [Spoken with renewed emphasis] Living. The. Dream.

ACT TWO

The lights come up on DISCO:VERY who has just witnessed the actions in the previous scene. He collapses, clutching his heart and falls to the ground in spasms.

ACT THREE

A hospital waiting area. Everyone who has ever glanced at and/or loved reading DISCO:VERY is crowded into the tiny room as they await word from THE HEART SPECIALIST. The actors adlib their grief over DISCO:VERY's situation as THE HEART SPECIALIST enters stage left and walks into the densely packed waiting room.

The Heart Specialist: [Speaking to the gathered crowd with courage and conviction] I'm sorry. I tried everything I could to revive him, but his heart just couldn't take what he witnessed. My sympathies are with you during this difficult time, but, jeez, c'mon! It's not like there aren't billions of other self-obsessed blogs with which you can replace it in your computer reading rituals, right??. Get over it.

CURTAIN

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The Beatles Have Left the Building--Will All of Their Fans Please Head Towards the Exits?

With only two of The Fab Four barely standing, pondering the legacy of their artistic impact becomes less and less interesting with each passing day. All that's left to ponder are the reactions of all the other bands when faced with such a pervasive cultural icon.

In the case of the Ace Records comp Beatlemaniacs, you get to hear abundant examples of supreme nobodies attempting to touch the hemlines of Somebodies. Sonny Curtis spells it out deliberately: A Beatle I Want to Be. Others, such as The Fondettes cooing The Beatles Are In Town are much more keen to gaze from afar, enraptured over the fabulousness of the subject at hand (although one wonders why sisters this soulful would be hot under the collar over these honky Brits).

I, however, much prefer the Third Reich and Roll-ness of The Better Beatles, yippee pranksters from out Omaha way who committed a hilarious fuck you to their lesser namesake on a one-off 7-inch single back in 1980. Thankfully, their entire slapped-together oeuvre (along with a heaping of outtakes) is now being offered digitally. Their bizarro version of Eleanor Rigby rips the pathos out of McCartney's hack dime-store-novel setting and recasts it as a hobbled sea chantey. Lady Madonna becomes a nonsensical New Wave stomp, while Penny Lane emerges as some sort of bastard child born betwixt A Flock of Seagulls and Flipper.

Why, you might ask, should I care so much about musicians creating music as a reaction to other musician's music? Because, I reply, emotional scars on blatant display: someone has named their band after me and it's made me feel empathy for what John, Paul, George and Ringo must have felt upon hearing the imitators posted above.

By the way, I'm going to be in LA for the next few days. If anyone knows whether or not Amoeba Records has guard dogs on duty during closing hours, call my beeper. I plan on figuring out a way to spend the night there somehow...

Thursday, April 03, 2008

His Divine Hammer

Plugged-in Gaul rocker Electronicat scores your most masochistic toothache to a throbbing pulse as layers of guitar noise undulate on your brain waves in a shimmering display of aural menace. On his 2007 missive Chez Toi, tracks such as Pancake Lady and Seveneves become red-beamed sniper lasers zeroing in on your temple, while the thank-god-it's-finally-available-on-CD shoulda-been-a-hit She's a Queen plods its way to the dance floor through a back beat fuzzier than that Quaalude slipped into your mojito. The album's unending machine-driven drummer is only slightly more metered than Electronicat's unwavering duty to the eternal buzz he's been advancing for the last 10 years. It's a language he invented himself, and you'll only learn to understand it the more you're immersed in it.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Old Farts at Play

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

CLEVELAND – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum breaks ground today on its newest feature, the You're Not Necessary Nursing Home and Euthanasia Insta-Clinic, which is scheduled for completion in early 2009. This new facility will house past-it performers who, after being forcibly removed from irrelevant tours plugging recent releases, will be sedated into retirement using a potent mixture of lobotomy-inducing drugs.

"Sadly," explains Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum President and CEO Terry Stewart, "The idea for a rock and roll nursing home was in the planning stages just as we heard about the upcoming albums by such give-it-up-already artists as The Breeders, R.E.M. and The B-52's. If we had conceptualized it, say, a year earlier, the illegal-downloading public would have been saved from having to endure these wrinkled nothings as they attempt to regain their artistic footing long after it has already withered away like so many thinning hairdos."

"Around here," he continues proudly, "We call these types of albums 'musical comb-overs'".

While the nursing home component of this facility will be off-limits to the general public, the Euthanasia Insta-Clinic will be a fun-filled exhibit for the whole family, allowing paying visitors to "pull the plug" on their favorite musical artists whose spotlight should have been extinguished long before they embarked on yet another reunion tour or, in the case of R.E.M., the dreaded loud-guitars-show-we-haven't-lost-our-balls grand comeback album.

Some of the more notable mercy killings at the Euthanasia Insta-Clinic will take a somewhat creative bent. The B-52's, for instance, will be killed by being forced to wear breathable cotton fabrics (or, if necessary, plaid). In the case of The Breeders, it will involve reintroducing them to the pleasures of heroin.

This new facility is financed in part by the generous corporate sponsorship of Jim Beam, Taco Bell and Mix 106.5 FM.

For more information, contact the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum at (216) 781-ROCK.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

SXSW 2008: A Personal Journey of Struggle and Suffering

One booth at the SXSW 2008 trade show received oodles more attention due to the young, sexy female sporting a low-cut lingerie thingy underneath a taut leather jacket barely draping her Hostess Snack Cake-sized booty. Also, she was continually handing out free candy to every male heterosexual passerby. The booth at which I was employed was not equipped with such flirty enticement and suffered accordingly. At some point during a eureka moment, I myself dressed in the same exact outfit to grab the spotlight, and it while it didn't result in more customers, it did incite a maximum-security riot. Mind you, not the good kind of maximum-security riot.

Another attention-grabbing giveaway for trade show booths is stress balls, especially if the ball in question resembles the head of a Dilbert-like office drone. Attendees to the trade show were beside themselves, swooning over these flesh-colored squishies being offered for free at a rival's table area. It mattered little that these squeezable toys connected not a whit towards the company's brand or image--people were tripping over each other to aquire them by the dozens. Perhaps next year, I will top this competitor's efforts and stand aloft with my testicles hanging out of my pants, offering every attendee a chance to squeeze my flesh-colored squishies. It won't do much for their stress but it will sure help mine.

Almost without fail, trade shows always attract pasty-skinned, long-haired American guys of Scottish descent who cannot bring themselves to attend public functions in anything but a full-on traditional Scottish kilt. Sadly, this trade show was no exception. Next year, I will reach back to my one-quarter Apache Indian heritage and present myself in a full-on traditional native loincloth, smooth lean buttocks exposed for all to see. My people are a proud people, and we have a really hot ass.

One flick playing the film festival garnered its share of attention after the director (or was it the producer?) was frequently seen around town clad only in Tudor-style dress, fittingly draped so as to articulate the the theme of the movie. Will this top the promotional efforts of Zoo wherein several out-of-work actors were paid to walk around town fellating horses? Only time will tell...

Spotted while dining at one of Austin's enormous Whole Foods natural markets: a pasty-faced rocker dude sporting long unwashed hair along with Doc Martens and a black Nirvana shirt underneath a plaid flannel shirt. My guess is, he was being ironic. The heroin track marks on his arm, however, were probably very sincere.

Because my hotel was also hosting a rather large plumbing suppliers convention, the sculpted gel do's of the hip SXSW guests were frequently overshadowed by sights such as this: a matronly plumbing convention attendee towing a small bag into which were stitched little plastic windows. Inserted into the see-through frames were numerous pictures of her children and grandchildren. It doesn't stop there: each picture was surrounded by embroidered Biblical verse. The fact that she was involved with plumbing somehow makes her personal sense of style so much dirtier than she intended it to be.

Spotted at a grungey vegetarian restaurant near the university campus: a po-faced dreadlocked caucasian male hippy eating dinner with a righteous Feminist sister rocking her lesbian seagull New Wave hairdo. Perhaps I've been away for a while but did these two groups sign a peace treaty when I wasn't looking?

Sadly, I was unable to attend any music performances. This means I missed White Williams, These New Puritans and a host of many other current favorites on the pop scene. What I ended up seeing instead of live music: 1001 young women walking around Austin, all of them looking exactly like Kate Nash. Should you ever encounter a similar visage, please be aware that a bottle of Pepto Bismol only works on internal sickness.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

My Father Was Sister Ray (and I Was Grounded Every Night of the Week)

So, Lou Reed: I see that we will tangle once again. Are you so hell-bent on revenge that you would follow me all the way to this year's SXSW Festival? Is it my fault that, back in the halcyon summer of 2005, you caught me in a short-lived love affair with your dog on the streets of Telluride? Laurie didn't seem to mind--in fact, her winsome smile led me to believe that she approved of the love which dare not bark its name. Now, you and I will once again exchange old-man glances as the weathered parenthesis around our mouths show us for the grizzled warriors we are. En garde, Mr. Reed. Although you are facing a formidable foe, it is my belief this will not be the last time we tussle over your fine furry friend.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Even when you're at your most most macho while shopping for replacement parts on your washing machine at the local Ace Hardware, it is no match for the swaggering femininity of Ring My Bell when it plays over the store's PA system.

Is my cat Little Hitler a living descendent of Adolf Hitler? I must have History Detectives investigate...

The voice recognition devices now being installed in new cars seem handy, but instead of responding to the command, "Play artist: The Strokes", wouldn't it be more useful for car manufacturers to install a device which responds to the command, "Kill artist: The Strokes"? And then the car goes out and actually kills The Strokes? And the car has to stand trial for you when you're charged with murdering The Strokes? It would also be cool if the car offered to give its life for you after you're sentenced to die for murdering The Strokes because a lethal injection for a car would probably just be sugar poured into the gas tank. Big deal.

Idea for a horror movie: Jimmy Swaggart is dead but two of his three chins are still very much alive and on a bloody killing rampage.

Possible book series: self-help manuals for indie rockers lacking self-esteem. Tagline could be: "If four pasty white guys from Columbia University can call themselves Vampire Weekend and put out crap faux-South African Mbaqanga for the caucasian NPR crowd, then you can do anything!!"

I'm still trying to come up with possible cash-cow spinoffs of Fox-TV's new hit series The Moment of Truth. Strongest idea so far: center the show around Bindi Irwin, having her corner a different manta ray each week to ask, "Did You Kill My Daddy?" Look into product placement tie-ins with Mrs. Paul (advise them to change name of best-selling item to "Deep Sea Revenge Sticks").

I have a feeling hordes of gullible music fans will end up buying that forthcoming Ryan Adams 6-CD boxed-set. Perhaps I can fleece them into also buying a boxed set comprised of my last six bowel movements. Mine is obviously the better deal but I should think about throwing in a rebate coupon just to clinch the sale.

Attempting to fill your 80GB iPod to capacity means resorting to the leftovers in your collection like Polvo and that ill-informed Neil Young purchase. It's similar to that experiment where you try wearing every single item of clothing in your closet every day of the year, no matter how hideous. When the moment arrives and you're sporting the wacky neon-green vintage Hawaiian shirt you bought in high school, you're an ass. It's the same feeling you'll have when Breaker, Breaker by Scrawl pops up on shuffle and you think, "Why have I been hanging on to this all these years??".

Despite what the Religious Right says, the ghastly events of 9/11 did not happen because God was punishing America for engaging in deliciously sweet sodomy. No, 9/11 happened because someone disobeyed Devo's universal laws and played Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy), Come Back Jonee and Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') as three separate tracks. These three songs must always be listened to as an ensemble, one right after the other. They make up a holy trinity and must never be parted. They are as much a rock opera as anything else in the pop cannon. To play them as separate tracks is akin to pogoing on God's foot in the mosh pit.

My father’s recent decline in mental and physical health has given me inspiration for a new book series (similar to Everyone Poops) which teaches the elderly not to fear their body’s natural undertakings as they descend into their final golden years. Possible first title in the lineup: The Pokey Little Penis.

Idea for a new drinking game: when watching Antiques Roadshow, you must do a shot whenever they say the word Connecticut.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Supernatural (and Super Irritating)

The good news is that the Sahara's biggest musical success story Tinariwen continues making great strides in getting their hypnotic artistry heard around the world. The bad news is that guitar wanky moustached insect Carlos Santana is also part of this world and, as a result, has been caught playing alongside them, ruining their perfect music with his my-musicianship-is-so-intense-I'm-having-an-orgasm-of-the-face theatrics. If after viewing him thoroughly destroy the mesmerizing "Amassakoul" with his yawn-inducing string work, you aren't moved to throttle him breathless and bury him under your front porch, please stop reading this blog because you must enjoy listening to bad music and you are going to taint my good music taste with your leftover-70's-guitar-hero-worship taste.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Let's Classify the Regulars at My Gym and List the Musical Artists They Most Closely Resemble

Gym Regular: Woman In Her 50's Whose Fading Beauty Forces Her to Rely on Wearing T-Shirts Emblazoned with Slogans Drawing Attention to Her Enormous Breasts
Musical Artist She Resembles: Charo

Gym Regular: Bearded Jesus Freak Racquet Ball Player Who Seems To Have an Unending Supply of T-Shirts with Religious Slogans on Them and Who Would Probably Hump Jesus' Leg If He Had the Chance and Yet, If Jesus Really is Guiding His Life, Why Does This Man Continue to Lose at Racquet Ball Every Day?
Musical Artist He Resembles: Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers

Gym Regular: Mentally Off-Center Man Who Kind of Smells and Talks to Himself, Lifts Enormous Amounts of Weight While Sweating Profusely (While Never Wiping Off the Equipment) Yet He Never Seems to Be in Any Better Shape than He Was When He First Began His Gym Membership Five Years Ago
Musical Artist He Resembles: Daniel Johnston when he forgets to take his medication

Gym Regular: Hairy Married Guy Who Goes Through Great Lengths to Hide His Privates While Entering the Showers Even Though, in Reality, There Isn't Anyone Besides His Long-Suffering Wife Who Would Bother to Eye Such a Teeny Tiny Insignificant Penis
Musical Artist He Resembles: Martin Mull

Gym Regular: Oddly Coifed County Worker Who So Obviously Used to Be an 80's Hair Metal Devotee Back in the Day But, Now That He's Been Thoroughly Emasculated Working 40 Hours a Week as a Common Office Manager, Makes Up for It By Enlarging His Arm Muscles To The Point Where They Resemble Baked Hams, All the While Sporting a Hairdo Befitting a 10th Century Viking
Musical Artist He Resembles: Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet

Gym Regular: Glam-Rock/Hip Hop Dancer Who is a Dance Major, Performing Energetic Dance Routines in the Mirror Inbetween Sets So We Can All See That He is a Dancer Because There Might Be the Slim Chance Someone Hasn't Figured Out Yet That He Is All About Dancing and As Soon as He Graduates From Dance School He Is So Out of Here Because He Is Moving to New York to Become a Professional Dancer
Musical Artist He Resembles: Peter Allen if he'd been raised listening to Take That instead of Judy Garland

Gym Regular: County Attorney With Cartoonishly Thin Comb-Over Who Chats on His Cell While On the Stairmaster but Whose Phone Conversations are Apparently So Compelling That He Frequently Just Omits Excercising Altogether and, Instead, Simply Stands Stationary on the Machine, Without Any Movement Whatsoever, and Later Tells His Workout Buddies in the Locker Room That He Can't Figure Out Why He Can't Lose the Weight and It Must Be His Wife's Cooking
Musical Artist He Resembles: Paul Simon with slightly more hair

Gym Regulars: Gargantuan Gangsta-Looking Fellow Who Brings His 8-year-old Daughter With Him to Every Workout (Perhaps as Some Sort of Court-Ordered Child Custody Settlement) During Which He Pays More Attention to His Own Massive Tattooed Biceps Than Her Emotional Development and Sense of Self Worth
Musical Artist He Resembles: Sen Dog of Cypress Hill
Musical Artist She Resembles: A more emotionally isolated Janis Ian

Gym Regular: Beyond-Skinny Toothpick-Thin Office Worker Who Appears to Be Trying to Lose Even More Weight Than is Humanly Possible and Who Rudely Refuses to Use Any of the Free Gym Towels Handed to Her By the Front Desk Staff If It Is Less Than Sparkling White
Musical Artist She Resembles: Helen Reddy

Gym Regular: Obscenely Skinny Native American Octogenarian with Really Weird Shoulder-Length (Dyed) Black Hair Who Dresses As If He Were a '50's Rocker and This Gym Thing is Just a Way to Get Himself in Shape in Time for his Comeback Tour Where He Will Really Kick Some Rock and Roll Ass (Except That He Can Only Get Around with a Walker Whose Wheels Keep Getting Caught on the Elliptical Trainer)
Musical Artist He Resembles: A physically-challenged Link Wray

Gym Regular: Hairless and Boney Smart-Ass Aging Hipster Trying to Keep Himself in Shape, Never Once Removing His iPod (Which He Plays at Ear-Deadening Volume) Playing Songs Which Might Eventually End Up Snidely Mocked on His Seldom-Read Blog Which He Believes Might Someday Be Noticed By Someone at a Respected National Magazine and They're Going to Say, "Hello, Disco:Very. We Love Your Blog. Will You Write For Us and Entertain Us With Your Tales of Suburban Angst?" But He'll Play Hard to Get and Toss Around Words Such as "Integrity" and "Artistic Dignity".
Musical Artist He Resembles: A not-at-all-overweight Jon Favreau (if he were to ever pursue a career in music)

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Expressway to Yr Social Security Retirement Check

The one upside to the Patriot Act is the little-known provision allowing Federal authorities to forcibly remove musical instruments from any past-it performer reaching the age of 70: happy birthday and say goodbye to your artfully detuned gee-tar, Thurston Moore.  It's time for the broken-hip hipsters to step down and let the real youth-who-would-be-sonic take their rightful place on the world stage.  All the way from Monterey, Mexico come the incredible noise-maven mavericks Los Llamarada who, for reasons unbeknownst to me, are allowing Nene Records to offer free tracks abundanza to download pronto.  I'm overjoyed with pee (the happy kind) to see Siltbreeze pushing out releases by Psychedelic Horseshit and Teenage Panzerkorps, but until they sign up our scuzz-pop neighbors South of the Border, I'm going to be tattooing the word revenge on my knuckles as punishment for their oversight.  Yes, you don't have to tell me: I only have 5 knuckles.  Abbreviating it to revng will still have the same impact, thank you very much.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Tragedy (and, Ultimately, Comedy)

I'm sure, by now, everyone reading this has heard the shocking news from which all of us are still recovering. A talented young actor showing so much promise, taken away from us much too soon in mysterious circumstances. Is he gone of his own design? Or was it an accident? I just need some closure! Can someone please tell me why Alltel saw fit to replace the chubby-dork-yellow-shirt Sprint guy with the chubby dork from The Shins in those new My Circle commercials? Unless the authorities commit to a thorough investigation into this tragic loss, we may never know the answer.*
* This joke would be a fuck of a lot funnier if I could find you a link to the new Alltel commercials in question. Damn internet, with its secret handshakes and all...

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (Except Massage the Prostate of Jesus Christ) (Because, Hello? One of Them is a Giant Cucumber): A VeggieTales Movie

There is one thing you should know about Juno: I am that sassy too-wise-beyond-her-years pregnant teenager. Of course, when the producers approached me about fusing my life onto celluloid, they couldn't bear to end the movie the way I really lived it--with a glorious celebratory abortion (we had cake, party favors and a Squarebob Spongepants pinata to bash around). Fear of box office failure led the movie's producers to center the main premise around sloppy-seconds adoption, and this avoidance of the truth has made me bitter. From now on, I not only want to watch films which end with discarded fetuses, I want the classics of screenings past to be remade with loud-and-legal abortions figured prominently into the storyline: Citizen Kane, On the Waterfront, Bambi, My Dinner With Andre, March of the Penguins...

I mention all of this because my favorite Born Again/Dadaist rap group Soul Junk is offering up two unwanted mostly-instrumental embryos to download for free. Both mixes are freaky, fucked-up and funky and should your ears choose to midwife these beats, they will enrich your pointless life for years to come. If you aren't emotionally stable enough to trudge through their unending postings of Bible-spouting invective, save yourself the heart palpitations and download both tracks from your friendly neighborhood Disco:Very atheist here and here.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Please Die Already. Both of You.

The new Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman film The Bucket List has really inspired me to reflect on life and death and what I hope to accomplish before God decides He wants me to join Him at The Big Table. So in the spirit of this heartwarming film, I've decided to start a list of all the movies I hope never to watch before I kick the bucket:

1. The Bucket List

That's all I've come up with so far, but as long as dirty old man (but not in a good way) Nicholson and controversy-free negroid white man Freeman keep making movies, the list should continue to grow by leaps and bounds.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Monday, January 07, 2008

Taking Flight

Snicker at me if you must, but I'm shedding tears (above and below the waistline) over the Flying Nun: Heavenly Pop Hits documentary currently being offered in various segments all over You Tube. It's more than an historical perspective on one of indie music's most thrilling success stories, it's also a chance for non-New Zealanders (such as moi) to see rare footage and music clips for the first time. Why, the mere act of watching my pop heroes The Clean mug and bounce to some of their early hits is enough to make me give up oxygen for Lent.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

The Gift That Keeps On Giving...Joy (If You Like It) ...Headaches (If You Don't)

For those of you paying close attention, every year Disco:Very offers you a nifty one-of-a-kind (though mass-produced) year-end collection of music.  Just like last year, you can obtain it two different ways: 1) through a harsh, unemotional digital download, or, 2), you can pass along your mailing info to the e-mail address on the column at left (using a fake name is acceptable, perhaps even encouraged) whereupon you will be sent a sweet CD package in a week or less.  For those lacking cultural refinement, download it as two Zip files here (Disc One) and here (Disc Two).  Song titles/names can be viewed here.) And just like last year, I've provided a list of imperfections in picking an insensitive download over receiving a precious bundle of CDs in the mail [Click on image below to see it more clearly]:































The fine print: If you choose to receive the CD package through the mail, please be assured that once you have received this free gift, your (real or fake) name and e-mail/home address will be thrown away. I will not send you spam (unless receiving spam is the only way to validate our relationship). Delivery time of a CD package can be anywhere between 5 days and 2 weeks, depending on my ability to move my ass into high gear. This offer is good until I forget ever offering it.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Bless the Beasts and the Children (Except for Children Adopted by Celebrities, and Certain Beasts Who Use Their Claws as Murder Weapons)

While Disco:Very was deeply saddened to hear of Benazir Bhutto's demise, one still must question the decision to hold such a volatile political rally directly in front of the tiger cage at the San Francisco zoo. It doesn't take a brilliant blogger to see where that tango step was going to land. Sorrow and pity must also be expressed over the imminent loss of the free 2006 Disco:Very year-end downloads, which will be removed in less than 48 hours to make room for the newly-commissioned 2007 Disco:Very year-end download, which should rear its slimy head sometime on New Year's Day (I'm crowning as we speak).

If you missed out on last year's byte-o-rama, this is your last chance to grab them as bona fide downloads (henceforth, they will be mail order only). Disc One is here and Disc Two is here; titles/names can be downloaded here. Please note that Pakistan will be withholding all elections while all downloads are proceeding. Democracy is a wondrous thing but only if citizens are obeying the fascist ordinance keeping it in place.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Punker Than Thou

As you can see by my infrequent postings, my life is overrun with high-NRG laziness. How delightful, then, that the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has finally seen fit to release every blessed JSBX Jukebox Single (released by In The Red Records over the last 15-something years) on one glorious loud-playing CD. No longer do I have to weep over my dusty collection of JSBX 45's and think "What Would Jesus Digitize?" My fingers get their scuzz on by pressing "play" for Get With It, Down Low, Bent and Son of Sam, letting each tune wail in all its fucked-up barely-mixed-for-CD splendor. Best of all, with Tupac still rumored to be dead and East Coast/West Coast rivalries now permanently replaced by Kanye West & 50 Cent verbally volleying over unit sales, La Spencer has finally gathered the balls to include the long-gestating unreleased masterwork Only God Can Save Me Now by tacking it as a hidden track onto the end of Dig My Shit. If you don't buy this CD, can we still agree to just stay friends?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Arms & Charms

You probably haven't heard of French art/punk pioneer Thierry Muller and it is for this reason I spit on your grave. Steal yourself a credit card and order Rare & Unreleased 1974-1984, a new comp which showcases the many charms of Muller (all of them dangerous). What other recent CD release will give you Mescalito, where the band and the vocalist appear to be racing each other towards some unseen sonic finish line? How else can you treat yourself to the one-chord-wonder of Mon Pote? Trust your instincts and buy this CD right now. Your ears will love you this much (you can't see it but I'm holding my arms outstretched to quantify the amount).

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Homeless Is As Homeless Does


One of the pictures to the left shows Matthew Houck (who goes by the stage name Phosphorescent) on the cover of his latest album Pride, where he warbles familiar Southern Gothic tales of death and salvation, played at tempos as slow as a hangover. The remaining three are merely pictures of homeless winos sleeping in their own filth. Can you tell which album cover actually depicts Phosphorescent and which ones are images of homeless people?  It's harder than it looks!

Answer: In the end, when it comes to the meanings in Phosphorescent's music, aren't we all a little bit homeless?

Monday, October 29, 2007

Break On Through To the Other Side (Of a Non-Physical World Which May or May Not Exist)

Preparations

Disco:Very: I'm hoping to get in touch with downbeat indie folk spokesman of a generation Elliot Smith.
Lisa Williams: First off I will need a personal item of the deceased.
Disco:Very: How about this used copy of Figure 8, the last album he'll ever release (barring endless posthumous recordings dug up by his family in an effort to pad their royalty checks for the next 20 years)?
Lisa Wiliams: I'm frightfully sorry but in order for me to channel the energy of the dead, the personal item needs to have been owned by the deceased. Did Elliot Smith himself personally touch this recording?
Disco:Very: [Sobbing] Every song he ever wrote was touched by him personally! [Shreiking in pain] NOBODY WHO WAS A REAL FAN OF ELLIOT SMITH WOULD EVER ASK A QUESTION LIKE THAT!!!

The Reading Commences

Lisa Williams: We are about to enter the Spirit World. Basically I act as a bridge. I go between the physical reality to which you are accustomed and enter what I call The Energy Sphere which is where your dearly departed Elliot Smith resides. You might say I'm like a waiter--I take requests from you, the hungry customer and I pass your request on to the Chef, i.e. the deceased. And the deceased will whip up a scrumptious dish of Spirit Wisdom, served with a side order of Tears, Hugs and Understanding. For dessert, we offer a scoop of Closure. And then I present you with a whopping check.
Disco:Very: Can I pay with Food Stamps?

Entering the Spirit Sphere

Lisa Williams: I'm sensing something...I'm sensing a reflection, something shiny...
Disco:Very: [Excited] Is it the dark mirror which Elliot Smith held up to society so as to make us more aware of our own pain and suffering?!?
Lisa Williams: It appears to have a handle at the end...
Disco:Very: [Bored] Oh. It's probably the knife he used to stab himself in the chest. [Yawns.]
Lisa Williams: Would you like to communicate something to Elliot Smith?
Disco:Very: Yes, yes I would. Elliot, can I get a refund of $14.99? Its the amount I spent on Either/Or back when it first came out and after only the first verse of the first song, I immediately felt cheated.
Lisa Williams: Elliot is trying to say something back...I see an F and a U...an F and a U...
Disco:Very: Who knew that a overly-depressed heroin addict could be so feisty? And would spell "Fuck You" incorrectly?

The Conduit to the Spirit World Wraps It Up

Lisa Williams: Is there anything else you'd like to convey to your dearly departed?
Disco:Very: Sure thing. Elliot, if there really is a Rock and Roll Heaven, does that mean everyone and anyone up there is allowed to join the band? Sure, you want John Lennon to take part in some capacity, and maybe Jimi Hendrix (if he promises to keep the guitar wankery to a minimum) but are you obligated to allow Sonny Bono to take part? Or Sublime vocalist Bradley Nowell?
Lisa Williams: He appears to be fading...I seem to be losing him...
Disco:Very: Please tell me he isn't darting away to rehearse for any upcoming Heatmiser reunions...

Thursday, October 18, 2007











FORGOTTEN FAVORITES RECENTLY HEARD ON MY iPOD
[DURING WHICH I PEED MY PANTS WITH EXCITEMENT]


Strange Eyes by Sunz Of Man, 12 O'Clock & Blue (buy)

Never Say Never by Queens of the Stone Age (buy)

Pause by Sudden Ensemble (buy)

My Painted Tomb by Sun City Girls (Out of Print)

Who Will Be The One? by Bill Lee (buy)

I Don't Own My Own Heart by 100 Flowers (buy)

Gritty Shaker by David Holmes (buy)

I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms by The Modern Lovers (buy)

Green Tambourine by Mrs. Miller (buy)

Passover by Concrete Rubber Band (buy)

Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme by Edan (buy)

Demolition Girl (early version) by The Saints (Out of Print)

Zoology by Puppetmastaz (buy)

Salut Les Copains by Eux Autres (buy)

Pair Back Up Mass With by The Howling Hex (buy)

Pit Stop (Take Me Home) by Lovage (buy)

Untitled Track 1 by an Unknown Cambodian Group (buy)

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Jury Mulled $3.6 Million Download Award

By JOSHUA FREED WEED
AP Business Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Some of the jurors who levied a $222,000 penalty last week against a Minnesota woman for illegally sharing music online would have liked her to pay a more meager amount. "After all, this is a lawsuit involving the RIAA," one juror said. "If it were solely up to me, I'd prefer to shove a Q-Tip into the piss hole of that particular prick."

Jammie Thomas, 30, is one of about 26,000 people the music industry has sued for copyright infringement and the first to take a case to trial.

The six record companies that sued her accused her of illegally dowloading songs and offering 1,702 for other people to download from her Kazaa file-sharing account. She denied ever using file-sharing software.

However, moments before deliberations began, the jurors were presented with a list of artists whose music Thomas has been sharing:

Guns N Roses
Vanessa Williams
Janet Jackson
Gloria Estefan
Goo Goo Dolls
Journey
Sara McLachlan
Aerosmith
Linkin Park
Def Leppard
Reba McEntire
Bryan Adams
No Doubt
Sheryl Crow
Richard Marx
Destiny’s Child
Green Day

after which the jury quickly agreed unanimously that Thomas, a mother of two from Brainerd, had infringed on good taste and ordered her to pay $80 trillion dollars per shit song, per shit artist. She has also been sentenced to death by hanging and a public stoning, both of which would take place about one hour from now.

Thomas plans to appeal the decision.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Love the Sinner, Hate the Song

It has been so inspiring to read Pop Songs 07's single-minded dissection of every single track ever recorded by R.E.M. (and don't forget Drive XV the cult-like blog devoted to one, specific R.E.M. album) that I have decided to hop on board this Fad Train, quoting and commenting upon specific lyrical stanzas from various tracks throughout R.E.M.'s storied career. First up, Lotus from their college rock/alt-rock masterpiece Up:

Let it rain, rain, rain
Save me from myself again
Wash away my ugly sins
Opposing thumb, dorsal fin
Applicable copyright is implicit (Copyright © R.E.M./Athens Ltd. for all R.E.M. originals).

[If by "wash away my ugly sins" you mean "wash away the dip-shit pretentious blue streak of makeup across my face", then yes, by all means, let it rain, rain, rain, rain, rain! FOR GOD'S SAKE, SOMEONE BRING THE FUCKING RAIN ALREADY!!!]

Sunday, October 07, 2007

10 Thoughts On Viewing Sly Stone on the Kraft Music Hour

Join me as I work through an intense ongoing obsession over Sly & the Family Stone, fuelled as much by the recent reissues of their entire back catalog as it is by this video, showing the band performing on the Kraft Music Hall (titled here as Kraft Music Hour) circa 1967 (you can download an audio version of this televised performance here). After watching this video repeatedly about 15 times in one sitting, I have cemented the following observations:

1. Seriously, people--can you imagine how delirious it must have been to be a part of this small audience, being able to witness one of America's best soul/rock acts at the absolute peak of their immense musical powers, watching them pound out hit after glorious hit, one after the other, right before your eyes? Also, you're very stoned so clapping on the wrong beat doesn't mean you're not one with the universe.

2. How deliciously wicked it must have been to hear the racey "Don't Call Me Nigga, Whitey" performed during the usually squeaky-clean Kraft Music Hour. Company founder James L. Kraft must have been spinning in his grave (unless he was hip to this groove, in which case he was the coolest White guy ever born in 1874).

3. At the time, it must have been every musician's dream to play in this band. True, Sly Stone later became a cocaine-addled zombie, often failing to show up for stadium gigs and threatening his fellow band members with guns, but hey--think of the easy access you'd have had to Sly's drug stash.

4. I would give anything to be able to dance like the audience member grooving next to the drummer at the 3:10 mark except, you know, not in public and with no television cameras to preserve it for future generations.

5. When I see that woman's feet doing the little "chicken shuffle" step at the 6:25 mark, I always think, "I've got to incorporate that move into my life somehow. Perhaps I'll employ this dance while at the copy machine at work...see if it advances my career somewhat..."

6. It's difficult to understand why it took the FBI so many years to arrest radical activist Angela Davis. She's sitting right there at the 3:57 mark, Nixon Administration! Get on it!

7. That little here-we-go-round-the-PCP-bush jig which Sly Stone performs at the 7:50 mark is almost as amusing as the gold lamé blouse tied around his torso. The operative word here is: almost.

8. Regarding the platinum blonde hair atop the head of keyboard player and back-up singer Rose Stone--do you think the throw rug matched the slip cover?

9. It always makes me sad when Rob Reiner looks at the camera right at the 7:28 mark, because you just know Archie Bunker is watching this on TV and when he sees Meathead on his television set, there is going to be hell to pay when he gets home.

10. I'm going to stop with the observations. I just cued up viewing number 16.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Juicy Bruce

Did anyone else happen to see the live Bruce Springsteen concert on The Today Show last week? If you weren't able to catch it, you really missed something! It was a short but energetic set, though I was a little taken aback by some of his performance choices. For one, when he made his entrance motoring out in the same futuristic robot car used by Gary Numan in Urgh! A Music War, I couldn't believe my eyes (mostly, I was wondering how much he paid Numan to use it)! I also found it kind of odd that he and the E Street Band covered "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". It didn't seem like a song that would suit him or his image (or his audience). I was a little shocked, as well, by that Bob Fosse jazz-hands thing he did every time he sang the title to "Born to Run". But the topper had to be the portion of the show where he rapped and kept waving that Uzi around--was that thing a prop? That, and the duet with Phillip Glass were probably the most surreal moments of the entire show. If any of you caught this live performance, I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Something Sequenced (With Spray Painted Hair) This Way Comes

A big purple moustache kiss goes to Grape Juice Plus: not only for naming his blog from my favorite Cupid Car Club track, but also his hulking ability to spin our heads around towards the mightly Dandi Wind and her guitar-drenched dance anthems. Personally, I'm partial to Searching Flesh which, due to excessive head-banging, has necessitated the need for a neck brace. Please be advised, Ms. Wind, I'm sending the doctor bill to you. Never mind--how can I stay mad at someone wearing quilting scraps on her head?

Trailer Tailing

Like all of you, I too have been repeatedly viewing the promo for the upcoming Wes Anderson feature The Darjeeling Limited. My hopes are 1) that it will reach the previous heights scaled by Rushmore and, to a lesser extent, The Royal Tenenbaums (was I the only one who found The Life Aquatic lacking?), and 2) that one of my favorite tunes by The Kinks--namely, This Time Tomorrow--will only be used in the trailer and not in the film itself. After its near-perfect placement during the most hopeful, uplifting scene in the stunning 2005 French flick Regular Lovers--with its luminous black and white imagery and eventually despairing story of 1968's lost innocence--why bother to use it in anything else?

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Children's Letters to God (Disco:Very Is God) (God Is Dead)

Today's Letter:

From your good friends at Ticketmaster. Please read the e-mail thoroughly for all the details.

YOU ARE INVITED TO RECEIVE COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO RICK SPRINGFIELD'S WORKING CLASS TOUR 2007 ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th

Grab your friends and take a trip back in time when the Working Class Tour 2007 hits town, featuring 80's pop stars Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, and Patty Smyth and Scandal!

**Please Note: 8 Ticket Limit. There is a $1.00 per ticket service charge and a $3.55 per order processing fee. Supplies are limited. Offer can be discontinued at any time.

To get your tickets just go to: http://pff-insider.c.topica.com/maahW4wabBrknbspcyRb/

Remember the Special Offer Code is: ROCKIN

God Replies:

Dear Ticketmaster:

You read my mind. The '80's were rad.

Please send me 46,733,576 tickets. I am sending a check for $212,637,770.80 to cover service charges and processing fees.

It will be worth every penny if I get even a small glimpse of Rick Springfield's leathery 58-year-old man nipples.

Best Regards,

God

Saturday, September 22, 2007

I Peak, You Peak, We All Peak for Ethiopique

I hasten thee to visit the wacky world of Chocoreve where seemingly every album ever released is offered for the price of clicking a mouse. Lately, he's been posting every blessed CD in the Ethiopiques series, one volume at a time. It would behoove you to grab these links as soon as you're able--who knows how long it will last before the gatekeepers at Buda Musique track him down and force him into solitary confinement?[Update: It appears that Chocoreve has died. You're probably too late to download anything from him anymore. RIP, Choco. You were the man.]

Thursday, September 20, 2007

They're Desperate (and Frustrated)

What's not to like about Detroit, Michigan's Tyvek? They're young and sloppy, they bash their battered instruments as if fighting off the ghost of The Electric Eels and their how-lo-can-you-go lo-fi recordings seem to have been recorded through an empty toilet paper roll wrapped in King-size pillows stuffed with peanut butter. My one complaint is that, so far, none of their output is digital, and being that I'm too lazy to dust off my seldom-used turntable, I instead have to resort to Audio Hijack-ing Still Sleep, Mary Ellen Claims, Ability and the aptly-titled Frustration Rock from their MySpace page. Desperate music calls for acts of desperation.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The Baffling Music I Listened To In The Days Of My Sappy Youth (Before I Discovered Punk Rock and Everything Changed For The Better) (Part 3)

Back in the early punk years, there was nothing more hilarious than the sight of a dinosaur prog act clawing desperately at relevance by cutting their hair, sporting skinny ties and attempting to write more concise, less grandiose rock opera concept albums. Funnier still, picture Yes convincing themselves that lyrics about winged horses and "dancing with the spirits of the age" would be perfect fodder for their 1978 LP Tormato, believing it would resonate with the angry youth culture of the era. For reasons I'm still working out via weekly shock therapy treatments, I somehow convinced myself I needed this album. Imagine the pimply teen Disco:Very getting misty eyed over the mawkish spoken-word finale to Circus of Heaven ("No candy floss, taffy apple...no clowns..."), fist raised aloft in solidarity with the Animal Rights anthem Don't Kill the Whale. I was never a believer in space aliens, so why my befuddled attraction to Arriving UFO? And while Release, Release is somewhat (ahem)...punky in places, it also veers off into the band's standard mode of virtuoso whack off. Eventually, much better music wrestled my tastebuds to the ground, but I sometimes still think back to this vinyl skeleton in my closet and flog myself to sleep as punishment for the sins committed to the ears, the very ears now retaliating by slowly diminishing my ability to hear properly. Parasitic bastards. Let's see how well they survive on their own when I have them removed next year.

No Future For You

Tue Sep 18, 8:08 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Punk legends the Sex Pistols announced Tuesday that they will stage a one-off gig in November to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their controversial album Never Mind the Bullocks. The band, who spearheaded the 1970s punk movement in England with singles like "Anarchy in the UK" and "Pretty Vacant", will play London's Brixton Academy on November 8, they said on a music paper's website.

I propose making it a more interesting reunion: directly above the band hangs a sturdy platform loaded with enormous newly-sharpened knives, all of them poised downward. The pulley rigged to this platform is activated by sound. As the band launches into each pathetic, retread, nostalgic punk hit, the platform is lowered towards the stage. The less songs they play, the longer they stay alive. C'mon, science! Why haven't you invented a device like this yet?

Monday, September 17, 2007

My Precious Feelings on the 34th Annual Telluride Film Festival

Number of Minutes It Took To Spot Ken Burns After Arriving in Town: 10 minutes

Age of Ken Burns' Hair Style: 12 years old

Age of Ken Burns: 54 years old

Best Gossip About Ken Burns Circulating Around the Festival: After attending the sneak preview of Brian de Palma's new anti-Iraq War flick Redacted, Burns was reportedly openly vocal over its simplistic one-dimensional viewpoint. Me-e-ow! Do I hear a cat fight?

What I Did Upon Spotting Sean Penn Walking Down the Street: Got him into a head lock, forced him to reenact All The King's Men from start to finish, only this time make it worth watching.

Best Post-Screening Moment: Hanging with campy/quirky filmmaker George Kuchar after his early short films were exhibited in a two-part tribute screening.

Celebrities Reportedly Walking Around, None of Whom I Spotted: Talented director Julian Schnabel (showing his new film The Bell & The Butterfly, which I thoroughly enjoyed), Todd Haynes (screening his latest I'm Not There, the Bob Dylan bio pic starring a host of stars portraying Dylan's various personalities), Daniel Day Lewis (who was receiving a special award) and Robin Wright Penn. If I had spotted her, I would have forced her into a head lock and made her watch me reenact Forrest Gump from beginning to end, just so she can suffer through it the same way I did.

The Film Which Brought About the Quietest Exit of an Audience Leaving the Theatre: The gritty, gripping Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

The Film Which Brought About the Most Confused Audience Reaction: The wonderful 1969 film Dilligner Is Dead, directed by Marco Ferreri. Most of the responses I heard were along the lines of "...but nothing happened!"


Three Films Which Enthralled Me From Start To Finish: The Finnish melodrama The Way You Wanted Me, a UK docu/drama Millions Like Us and the sublime silent film from Germany People On Sunday.


Why, Oh Why Did I Miss: King Vidor's silent epic The Big Parade? It kept playing opposite other films I was already compelled to see, and now the magic has passed...I hate me.