Something To Look Forward To

At exactly 7pm this evening I was hitting an unresponsive ticket seller website, until surprisingly, success! --J

RIP Blender - J's Take

Back in 2002 I began to subscribe to Blender. I remember my brother S and I discussing the issue that turned him into a fan. Blender had this great regular bit called “The Greatest Songs Ever!” and he was sold when Train in Vain by The Clash was the focus in this section in the April/May 2002 issue. Most months I found myself turning to that section and thinking “Yes! I love that song!” to whatever was being covered and enjoying the back story.

In the past few years, I felt like the content no longer matched my taste, but there were always moments of brilliance. --J

Music Mag Blender Closes Down

Alpha Media Group closed Blender magazine today. The April issue of Blender out now with Kelly Clarkson on its cover will be its last. Sad sign of the times, for sure. -K

The British Music Experience

I spent Sunday afternoon touring the British Music Experience, a new exhibit at the O2 Arena in London. As I entered the exhibit, I was thinking quite a bit about a tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland a few years ago with my buddy RB and another co-worker. RB and I were in heaven, looking at Jim Morrison’s school report cards, U2’s record company rejection letters, etc. etc. Our co-worker was unimpressed, stating at the end of the experience that basically there were only two musical acts she would ever pay money to see, Jimmy Buffett and Bon Jovi. RB and I, who both hardcore lovers of music, had no response.

The British Music Experience is trying to do the same thing, but on a smaller scale and added technology. It felt a little all over the place though since I thought the purpose was to focus on all things British. But it kind of bled all over the place with Jimi Hendrix memorabilia, Kraftwerk singles in one of the jukeboxes, a sign in tribute of Dylan going electric, when they had plenty of good material that they could have just expanded on. Here are some thoughts:

Great Things
Seeing David Bowie’s costume from the Ashes to Ashes video (I’ve never done good things, I’ve never done bad things…)
Hearing Cliff Richards and other early Brit rockers talk about Elvis Presley’s influence
The Gibson Studio where I was able to record my very own drum track to Blur’s Song 2 and listen to it online when I got home
Huge UK graphic which lit up with musicians’ hometowns, video locations, important locations in musical history

A note on the Gibson studio – This was very cool because they had real Les Pauls out for people to play and record from with instructional videos, they had acoustic guitars, drums, keyboards, bass guitars, and even a voice recording studio. The drum kit was not the typical drum kit since it was designed for the user not to have to hit the drums hard to hear the drum sound in your headphones and the cymbals looked like they were made from some heavy plastic, all computerized I suppose. As I sat down at my drum kit taking the instructional video some woman brings her adult son over to the other drum kit in front of me and he sits down and he starts going crazy on the kit, hitting everything at full force. She’s smiling proudly as everyone turns around to look at him in annoyance.

Good Things
Adam Ant’s costumes
Beatles Fan Club Memorabilia
Britpop Display
Punk Display – needed way more coverage
But everything in the “good” category could have been expanded (except Adam Ant)

Unnecessary Things
Video Studio where you could record yourself doing dances like the Macarena or Disco from Saturday Night Fever

Missing Things
Maybe this is from an American perspective but they could have done more with the rise of video. I watched a lot of Brit acts in the 80s before MTV launched and there was an occasional video show launched from a Chicago television station. Bands like ABC, Talk Talk, Haircut 100, Nik Kershaw, etc. would have never been played on mainstream U.S. radio at this time, but the videos had me hooked. There was a slight mention of the New Romantics, but not as much as I would have expected.

I thought of K and our friend M because Suede, a band they both love, was prominent in their decade exhibit. I had never heard of them.

The best, best, best part of the display was saved for the end and I am glad it was a slow Sunday because the girl that was working this display ushered me in alone. It was a montage of concert footage that wrapped around the viewer from front on both sides, with great crowd scenes from festivals and then musical acts through the decades became almost holographic. So here I was standing like I was part of the crowd watching Jimmy Page and Robert Plant perform Whole Lotta Love, and then it switched to Oasis, and then it switched to vintage Elton John, and on and on. When it ended the girl who worked the display asked me what I thought and I told her that I was glad it ended on the live music experience. She said, “Yes, and because you were by yourself it was like they were all performing for you!” It really came close to catching that live music euphoria. I wanted to watch it again and again. --J

You Don't Look At Their Faces, And You Don't Ask Their Name

Yesterday, G and I went over to a married couple's house to hang out and grill (ok, the wife and I have a fascination with Twilight and the dvd came out yesterday so we wanted to watch all the special features). At some point in the evening, the wife mentioned that they had both heard Tina Turner's Private Dancer Friday night while out celebrating her birthday. One day later on Sunday morning they both couldn't get the song out of their heads. So, the husband started doing his best Tina impersonation which then prompted me to do my best drag queen Tina, which then got him to do HIS best drag Tina. From there it just snowballed. What cracked me up was that the husband focused on making his voice all scratchy with a rapid vibrato...my strength was focusing on the facial expression. It was like we had developed weapons based on Tina Turner characteristics. This continued as we walked out to the car to go home, mind you, haha. -K

Sold Out!

These posters can be seen throughout London. I was at the O2 Arena today and there were no advertisements at the Arena, just a sign to say that all 50 shows were completely sold out. Why Michael Jackson is doing these concerts is on everyone's mind. Here's an interesting article. --J

Morrissey - Years of Refusal

Morrissey has a strange pull on people. His fans seem to either want to worship him or rub up against him or maybe both. K and I witnessed the man in person a few years back documented here and here and I found him incredibly charming. Morrissey in many ways represents England to me and that night, unbeknown to those I was there with, I had been offered a position in the UK and I was struggling with the decision. While I stood there watching him moved by the music, I was also grappling with a personal issue.

Here I am two years later, walking in the countryside in England listening to the man's new record on my iPod. I am certainly coming at this record from a different place. I can't say I adore the record from front to back but there are some wonderful Morrissey moments here. My favorite is "All You Need is Me". It's got a driving beat and the classic sardonic lyrics. My favorite Morrissey song is "The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get" off Vauxhall and I. That lyric "Beware I bear more grudges than lonely high court judges" sung in such a gentle voice makes me laugh every time. There are moments like that on this record. If you are a fan in the least, you won't be disappointed. And P.S. great album cover! --J

Umbrella Academy Gets Ready to Hit Big Screen

Thank you J for sending this link to me from NME online. Apprently, Gerard Way's comic Umbrella Academy is getting prepped for a screen adaptation! -K

Astro Zombies

I've been on a musical sabbatical lately and I'm sorry for letting J down to carry this blog on her own. Sometimes I go through this dark age with my music where I get sick of everything and have to cleanse myself of all the noise. I've also been out of pocket for another reason, but I'll reveal that soon enough... ANYWAY, today I've been thinking about My Chemical Romance a lot and reminiscing of the times when I braved the heat of St. Louis just to see these newly famous kids from Jersey play to thousands at Warped. I've also been thinking back to when I would feel less than stellar I could put in Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and feel incredibly empowered. That's what I'm needing now and that's why I'm thinking about MCR. HIM may be home, but MCR makes me feel alive again.

Back in 2005 I got a copy of MCR's cover of the Misfits' Astro Zombies and loved it. I'm not sure how I lost it on my iPod, but I think it had something to do with a crashed laptop and a lost iTunes library that had to be rebuilt. There was a also a wonderful version of All I Want for Christmas is You from MCR, but that was lost as well. Anyway, I just found it again on iTunes and I'm so happy! Here's a youtube clip of this short but sweet, punk rock song recorded back when MCR were still a hungry band wanting to change the world. -K

"What would K be doing in 2010" courtesy of 1993

So, thanks to Facebook I've been able to connect to all of my high school friends in Germany and beyond. One of my old classmates from Mannheim, R, posted a scan of an article that our school newspaper published in which satirical futures were created for the senior class. Here's what mine read:

Quit her job for the National Enquirer, moved to London, and became the agent for the band "Queen Junior." Although successful, she still sells Indian jewelry on Piccadilly Circus.

I don't know who Queen Junior is, but I imagine it was the spin-off of Queen, a band I had had a lifelong obsession with. During the horrible grunge phase, I completely rebelled by being into glam artists like Suede, classic Queen, and Bowie. And, just like today, I still have a fascination with celebrity gossip. I can't help but read that blurb and think "gosh, I haven't really changed at all". Actually, I'm kind of proud of that little blurb...satire or no. -K

Entitlement Indeed!

I thought this was a funny news item. Miley Cyrus went on a radio show after the Grammys to share with the listening audience that Radiohead wouldn't meet her at the Grammys. Here's a link to the actual radio interview. NME posted this side of the story on their website. --J

The Honey and the Vinegar

Here’s my take on some of the top records of 2008, a bit late I know!

TV on the Radio’s new record, Dear Science topped many a critic’s list at the end of last year and I have to agree. My favorite track after many a listen remains the first on the record, Halfway Home.

On the other hand, I borrowed a copy of Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut to see what all the fuss was about. I hate this record. I couldn’t even give it a few listens through. I never thought harmonies would be so grating, but this is just not my thing.

Lately the iPod has been wandering back to the old favorites. --J