Let's Get Back to Basics

Right now the Juno soundtrack is getting a lot of press. Personally, I can’t get into the whole Kimya Dawson/Moldy Peaches thing. A little goes a long way. One of the tracks featured on the Juno soundtrack is Sonic Youth’s cover of Superstar, which was part of a Carpenters tribute record awhile back. The Carpenters version (not the original by the way) is a guilty pleasure of mine. The song is creepy/depressing/obsessive/melodramatic. It’s awesome! I used to make fun of my friend R for his undying love of The Carpenters, when I myself harbored a soft spot for this song. I mean, what would happen if you played Superstar and Killing Me Softly back to back? That combination might be deadly. Maybe I should try it and see.

This video is priceless. Karen’s dress, the bangs, Richard’s bowtie, need I say more? --J

"An Educated Guess" - Wow

When I went back to the States for two weeks for Christmas, my husband handed me a stack of music magazines that had been coming to the house for the past three months. I started looking through each magazine’s lists of “download now” singles as well as album reviews and it was enough to make me break out in a cold sweat! How could anyone keep up with all that they are supposed to listen to let alone afford it? And for all of the three and four star reviews (there are a lot of them) how many of the records are still spinning on the turntable of the critic six months from now? I doubt many, yet it is their business to make us all feel like we can’t live without the latest new thing.

Well, after reading this latest article from the Associated Press, it puts the above question in question. How much of the music that they get to review actually gets listened to? I am so glad that The Black Crowes called out the magazine on this. --J

Spoon in London

I was thinking of Caleb Followill when I headed with my visiting pal Mel to see Spoon Monday night. When asked what he takes with him on a tour he mentioned antibacterial hand gel. He said that people don’t want to miss a show once they have gotten tickets, even if they are sick. Even though I have been miserable sick for the past week, I had to go to the show, leaving before the encore.

The sold out show at Scala was unbelievable. The venue was great, a lot like The Pageant in St. Louis. Mel and I stood at the front of the balcony. They played the majority of the new record, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and songs from other records like Gimme Fiction. I wish I could say more about the show besides they sounded great and I felt like crap, but that sums it up. --J

The U.S. Vs. John Lennon

Starting with the exhibit at Proud Galleries, John Lennon Remember Love, he’s been on my mind lately. I just read an article about the animated short I Met the Walrus which was up for an Oscar and based on a fourteen year old’s interview with John Lennon. How cool is that?

I recently watched the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon. Can artists really have an impact politically? Well, the U.S. government seemed to be concerned that the answer to that question was yes. The DVD has some great extras. There is excellent footage of an interview between Lennon and Gloria Emerson from the New York Times. Here’s an except (thank goodness for subtitles!).
Emerson - I’m someone who admired you very much
Lennon - I’m sorry you liked the old mop tops, dear and you thought I was very satirical and witty and you liked A Hard Day’s Night, love, but I’ve grown up, but you obviously haven’t.
Emerson - Have you?
Lennon – Yes, folks
Emerson - What have you grown up to?
Lennon - 29
Lennon - “If I’m gonna get on the front page, I might as well get on it with the word ‘Peace’”.
Emerson - But you’ve made yourself look ridiculous
Lennon - To some people, I don’t care.
Emerson - You’re too good
Lennon - If it saves lives
Emerson - You don’t think you, Oh, my dear boy, you’re living in a never-never land. You don’t think you’ve saved a single life?

It goes on from there. I knew nothing about Gloria Emerson as I watched the documentary, but what struck me was the posh accent. Very quickly the argument changed from reporter and musician to working class kid arguing with the aristocracy. Even though the documentary could be heavy-handed, I walked away with more respect for John Lennon than I had before. --J

I Haven't Thought of Steve Winwood in Years...

Last night my friend M, who lives in B'ham, AL, and I were online together watching the Oscars. Her husband is notoriously quick witted. When Tilda Swinton appeared on the Red Carpet, his comment was "Cate Blanchett is up for her portrayal of Bob Dylan, Tilda Swinton is up for her portrayal of Steve Winwood." Seriously, him or David Bowie during his Low period. -K

Sound Opinions on Conan

I am a huge fan of Sound Opinions. Since moving to England, listening to the weekly podcast is my Saturday morning ritual. I don’t always like what they have to say, but I love the format, which usually covers a variety of music and also gives time to opposing opinions when they play caller’s sometimes nasty feedback.

They were recently on Conan and it was a very good interview, Conan was awesome! My favorite quote from Conan during the interview was, “You’re just trying to start trouble and see where it goes…I have a brother like that”. The story about Bono calling Greg Kot was great. Other moments in the interview:

The Doors, three heterosexual guys talking about not understanding The Doors does not surprise me at all. They wouldn’t get the sex appeal of Jim.

In my opinion, there was a very obvious topic not discussed, Bruce Springsteen. DeRogatis usually takes every opportunity available to him to trash Springsteen. Just listen to his review of Magic. I wonder if he just thought it was in good taste to avoid the topic in front of Max Weinberg or if he was asked not to mention it. –J

P.S. The interview with GirlTalk on their latest podcast was very interesting.

Across the Universe and Sgt Pepper's

I recently watched Across the Universe, and if you are a Beatles fan, I would recommend it. I haven’t done any research to see if the character who played Jude sang the parts himself but he had the perfect voice for Beatles songs.

Watching it got me to thinking about another film where Beatles music took center stage, 1978’s Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band starring Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees. I remember getting to tag along and see it in the theatre because my brothers and friends were going just to see Aerosmith in it. Even at eight years old I knew the movie was terrible. Aerosmith was the best thing in it! Maybe it's because Aerosmith's version of Come Together was the first I had heard, but it remains my favorite over the original. You judge for yourself. --J

Amy's Triumph Before The Grammys

According to their website “The Nationwide Mercury Prize exists solely to champion UK music by promoting the 12 Albums of the Year by British or Irish Artists”. I wanted to post this clip of Amy’s performance this past August at the awards show. I’m hoping for the best for her. --J

Love/Hate in St. Louis, also titled Finding My Way in Londontown

I had a real love/hate thing happening with St. Louis. But as a music lover, it was almost entirely love. What’s great about St. Louis is that it is small enough to get to any music venue easily and big enough to get a good variety of acts. K and I would often pop down to Vintage Vinyl in the Loop to go to in-store events.

Saturday I was having a very shitty day, but had noticed there was an in-store event for a band called The Duke Spirit at Pure Groove Records in North London. I arrived about 45 minutes early to this tiny record shop, about a quarter of the size of Vintage Vinyl, and a line almost all the way down the street of people waiting to get in. I looked at the line, looked at the inside of the store and the amount of band equipment getting set up and decided there was no way all of that was going to fit comfortably in that box. I thought, hell with this and took the train home. --J

50th Grammys- K's POV

It was the 50th anniversary, so the show was all about celebrating the classic with the contemporary; thus, you had a duet with Alicia Keys and Frank Sinatra to open the show. Cher introduced Tina Turner and Beyonce (who just needs to stop- I'm sorry I'm just not into her jerky movements) performing Proud Mary. Kid Rock and Keely Smith performed That Old Black Magic. They were very playful and somehow it worked.

Jason Bateman referred to a cello as a violin with thyroid trouble, LOL. He also mentioned John Paul Jones playing with Foo and said "as in Led Zeppelin, for all the morons out there". I really miss Arrested Development.

Dave Grohl dedicated the record of the year award to his daughter- he got slightly choked up.

Cirque du Soleil performed a bit of their beatles themed show with song A Day in the Life, which is one of my favorites.

Kanye gave an emotional performance clearly dedicated to his mother after "Stronger". It was moving.

Amy, my god- I don't know what to say. She looked and sounded terrific. That girl sang her heart out last night.

The big surprise was that Herbie Hancock won album of the year. Even Quincy Jones, who gave away the award, was shocked.

All in all, it was not boring, which is all we can ask for! -K

Separating the Artist from their Music

Ugh, sounds like the Grammy broadcast might have been worth watching this year. Everything I have read says that Amy did a fine job at 4 a.m. from London, but maybe that’s the UK press playing favorites. I’m looking online for a clip of the performance so I can judge for myself. Looking at the list of winners, I had some thoughts, and a lot of them relate to my ability (or inability) to separate the artist from their work.

1. Amy Winehouse – If the focus was back on her music, then bravo. I am glad to see her record be honored this year. The UK press here has made it difficult to remember that it should be about the music.

2. Foo Fighters – In spite of being smitten with all things Dave Grohl, I’m not crazy about this album. There, I said it, trying desperately to separate the artist from the work. I do, however, think The Pretender is a great single.

3. Kanye West – The man has had an extremely difficult year, so I am going to go gently, but usually when I see him win or not win an award, all I can think about is what a sore loser he is. Is it just me or is it also difficult for us rock fans to tell how really talented a hip hop star is? I mean so much is production, isn’t it?

4. Alicia Keys – I dig the instrumentation on No One, but her voice on that song. The word “caterwaul” comes to mind. Since it seems like she is always photographed with the powerful Clive Davis, I always wonder if she would dominate the airwaves in true payola fashion even if people didn’t like her.

As Dennis Miller would say, “of course that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong”. --J

J's Random Thoughts

So no Grammy viewing for me! They are broadcast here tomorrow, but on a satellite channel. It bothers me but really it shouldn’t since every year I just bitch about how lame the show is. But this year my boyfriend Dave takes the center stage with some unknown musician playing with the Foo Fighters, so I guess I’ll have to youtube that tomorrow.

For the past few weeks I have been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin and I can’t really explain why. When I was in the fourth grade, I was talking to some boys in my class and to seem cooler, I told them that I liked Led Zeppelin, which is what my brothers were into at the time. Forget the fact that my two favorite LPs at the time were The Knack’s Get The Knack and the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Later in life I specifically remember having a conversation with my husband H about how much I disliked Led Zeppelin and how I would never like them. I’m not quite sure what’s happened, but I’m totally into them now. Since H is a fan, all of their records were already loaded on my iPod as if my iPod was anticipating my future requests.

New stuff is just not moving me right now. For example, this band Vampire Weekend that every music magazine is covering, in my opinion is just unnecessary. So here I go, regressing to the fourth grade and meaning it this time. Led Zeppelin at the moment is my favorite. --J

Annie Leibovitz and The Rolling Stones

I visited the ICA in London Saturday afternoon to watch the documentary Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens. I absolutely love her work and wish I could spend a day with her hearing the backstory on some of my favorite pictures. If I could have someone’s career, it would be hers, a woman photographer traveling with the Stones on their world tour at the height of their decadence, I can't imagine anything better. Annie is also famous for taking the photograph of a naked John Lennon curled up to a clothed Yoko Ono just hours before he would be killed.

I was moved to tears a few times during the documentary, and also to laughing out loud a few times. Watching Keith look at pictures of himself was priceless. I love that man! --J

Halftime Show: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Legendary rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers swiftly rolled through familiar hits from the 80s and 90s including American Girl, I Won't Back Down, Runnin' Down a Dream, and Free Falling. It wasn't shocking or mindblowing (or Prince being Prince), but it was good rock n roll...good Americana in the most American of championship games. -K

Lip Synching Nat'l Anthem

Jordin lip-synched the anthem moderately well. But how annoying were those head nods as if to say "Yeah, I'm singing the national anthem. That's right." Please. You're up there because 1. your dad is a former NY Giants player and 2. American Idol has infiltrated the Super Bowl this year. Ryan Seacrest was hosting the Pre-Game Show, for goodness sake. Sigh. -K

Super Bowl XVII Pre-Game Thoughts

It's Super Bowl Sunday XLII and my whole family is rooting for the Giants. Why? It's not about the fact that the Patriots got caught spying on opponents' plays. (You can't tell me every team doesn't do that.) The reason we're a Giants family tonight is because my brother, J, is a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan. The Dolphins have a 17-0 record and if the Patriots win tonight they will be 19-0 and beat the record. So, tonight it's all about the New York Giants.

I just finished watching the pregame show and wouldn't you know it, Paula Abdul's performance was taped. Thank you, Fox. Thank you for preventing me from seeing yet another pop star meltdown in front of the camera. From what I hear, Paula was pretty fragile during the taping. The TAPING. I can't speak for the rest of the country, but I'm not as interested in American Idol this season. The freaks just seem kind of lackluster and predictable…an embarrassing performance from one of its hosts is not going to make me tune in. I've had my fill of this shit from Britney and Amy, thank you very much.

Alicia Keys lip-synched her way through "No One", but is it just me or did it sound like it was on the wrong speed? It was so sleepy. Uch.

I don't know if I could be in Jordin Sparks' shoes right now. Both teams just came out and she is about to sing the national anthem. I cannot imagine how nerve-shattering this moment must be. I'm not a fan, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good performance.

I'll be back later after the halftime performance. -K

What Does Your Musical Taste Say About You?

Chef Anthony Bourdain was a recent guest on Sound Opinions. I wasn’t quite sure how the music and food connection would be made, but it was actually a very good interview. My favorite part of the interview was when Bourdain was talking about the kind of music he likes played in his kitchen and he mentions not liking the Grateful Dead. He said something like if you like the Grateful Dead, you probably have a problem with “arrival time and work ethic”. This really made me laugh because it totally makes sense if you think about the fans that followed the band for months on end. It got me thinking about what other types of music may say about its fans. I could get myself into a lot of trouble if I try and make some suggestions. --J

The Beauty (and the Problem) of the Music Video

It’s rare these days to actually get videos spoon-fed to you since MTV is not what it used to be. Now, I feel like getting to see a video is work that I have to do, seeking out a band’s website or youtube if I am curious. I was at a bowling alley in England recently and they had a video jukebox which projected videos in between the monitor’s that displayed the bowler’s scores. As you can imagine, the noise of the game drowned out the music, so you were left with just the image.

It was here that I first saw Razorlight’s 2005 video Stumble and Fall. What a terrific video! It has everything you want in a rock video: scruffy but not ugly musicians, fast editing, flashy lighting, etc. etc. I fell in love with it and had to go watch it again on the band’s website. Unfortunately, now that I have heard the song with the video, my feelings about Razorlight remain the same. Can’t say I won’t watch the video a few more times with the sound turned low. --J

P.S. The video is not on youtube but you can watch it from the band's website.