Oh, you're so silent Jens

Going to see Jens Lekman tonight in Newport, Kentucky at the Southgate House. Jens is a precocious (well, he's 23ish) singer/songwriter who samples Belle and Sebastian and Beat Happening riffs and turns them into unique and catchy songs.

Also, many of his lyrics are hilarious. (In a Jonathan Richman or Morrissey type way. In fact, both these names invariably pop up when describing Jens' sound). Anyway, check out this video for "You Are The Light" and you'll get what I'm talking about. It's not the best Jens song (that would either be Pocketful of Money, Black Cab or Maple Leaves), but there are a few payoffs.

Check out his Web site, where he's been giving away MP3s of three of his old tour-only EPs...

One more thing about Jens: He's an artist that both my dad and I like. It's a key crossover to win over both Ronson and Ron...

I'm obsessed...

with those New York Times human interest stories. You know, those stories about intangible things that you (well, I) don't usually think about? The latest example involves people who have problems distinguishing different faces. This stuff is always fascinating to me. There's even a way to test yourself... Good luck -- I recommend taking the Old/New Faces Test. It's more challenging and a better test of your face recognition abilities. Just be warned though, I got a 96% on that one... That's right -- just try to top my ability to recognize creepy, disembodied faces!!

Syd Barrett dies

Also, Syd Barrett, founding (and arguably best) member of Pink Floyd died yesterday at age 60. Syd's influence is huge and his reclusive withdrawl from popular music is one of the more unusual stories in rock history. If you haven't, you should really check out "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" as well as his solo albums ("The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett.").

I have to admit, I was late into getting into Syd and I only got his solo albums last year (I picked them up after hearing his greatest hits CD on a friend's itunes). I had this idea (for some reason) that Syd solo albums were these crazy freak-outs. Buuuut of course they weren't, and I ended up feeling like an idiot. They're a good mix of laidback stuff and a few upbeat songs too (well, depending on your definintion of "upbeat." Remember, two of my favorite bands are Joy Division and Radiohead). Anyway, highly recommended. Shine on, you crazy diamond, you.

Thank God

I can stop worrying about cancelling my subscription from yet another music magazine, as Andy Pemberton's incompetent reign over Spin has ended its speedy, two-issue span.

Among the terrible ideas Andy and his team brought to the table: A porn star sex columnist; an Entertainment Weekly-style "Top 25 People Under 25 Issue" (wtf? I thought this was a music magazine); a completely vapid Editor's Note, a Q&A back page (also ripping off EW), and the hiring back of Ultragrrl and her pointless, page-hogging "101 top parties in the U.S." Seriously -- this thing wasted 20 pages of their last two issues. Don't worry, Spin -- we here in America can find the parties on our own. No one cares.

They also removed any attempt at legit music criticism and the "Spin 20" (one of the only things worth reading even in an otherwise bad issue). While my problems with Spin have been frequent in the past (My Chemical Romance appearing twice is 4 months comes to mind), nothing has been more worthless than these past few issues.

The future of the magazine is still a little shaky. How it's going to get out of this mess and turn into something I enjoy reading again seems like a pretty daunting task. Music mags in general are in a pretty sad state (which is unfortunate for a music fan like myself), so if anyone's interested in starting one up, let me know!

Maybe this is why TV is so confusing to me

So they just announced the Emmy noms this morning. It seems like a lot of the nominees are for shows that are going off the air (West Wing, Arrested Development, Six Feet Under, Huff) and a couple of shows that have barely been on the air (The Comeback, The New Adventures of Old Christine). And then there's this curious amount of love for Two and a Half Men. Seriously? The show should be banned from participation by its name alone.

As always, a few shows I actually like are nominated as well (The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm -- the only two shows I watch with any regularity). So clearly the Emmy Nominating Committee Deal People and I see eye to eye on a few things. Maybe I'll start watching Two and a Half Men and loving it. Holy crap, what am I saying...? Ugh, see what I mean?

Currently high in rotation

Newsradio on DVD

I haven't talked much about TV much on this blog yet and for good reason. I hate it.

Heh heh heh. Juuuuust kidding, TV!

Like a lot of people, I have gotten sick of TV lately -- it's become a dumping ground for freakshows who'll do anything for a few seconds of fame (aka the entire reality genre), and the shows I have liked have gotten pretty lame.

I'm also completely out of the loop on the current, top action-dramas (24, Lost, Sopranos, any HBO series outside of Curb Your Enthusiasm). This has made small talk very difficult.

Oh, so yeah, what point was I making? I've been watching some of TV's past glories on DVD. Most recently, I've been getting back into NewsRadio, a consistently funny comedy from the mid-to-late 90s. The 4th Season just came out on DVD aaaand if you can get past the corny DVD packaging and the terrible promo copy, you'll find that the show itself was really clever and innovative.

I could go on for hours (I mean it. Literally. Hours.), but you probably get the point. Check it out if you get a chance!

Bleah, I hate sounding like a commercial. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog...

Hilarious....well, kinda

Every week, the staff at our little mag must answer a question. It can be anything from "favorite movie quote" to some really random stuff. And sometimes it can be pretty funny. Anyway, they started posting our answers online. You can check 'em out here...

I'm sure people have been clamoring for some time to know my favorite type of processed cheese snack. Now you might be able to find out!!

Sleater-Kinney on indefinite hiatus

Huge shock for me to discover this morning (in tiny print on Pitchfork.com's web site) that after 11 years, Sleater-Kinney is breaking up. S-K has been one of my favorite bands for as long as I can remember, so this is sad news. Here's the word from their web site:

After eleven years as a band, Sleater-Kinney have decided to go on indefinite hiatus. The upcoming summer shows will be our last. As of now, there are no plans for future tours or recordings.

We feel lucky to have had the support of many wonderful people over the years. We want to thank everyone who has worked with us, written kind words about us, performed with us, and inspired us.

But mostly we want to extend our gratitude to our amazing fans. You have been a part of our story from the beginning. We could not have made our music without your enthusiasm, passion, and loyalty. It is you who have made the entire journey worthwhile.

With love and thanks,
Sleater-Kinney

Apparently their last show is Lollapalooza -- however they will be in Lousiville (close to my neck of the woods) on July 29. Might have to get tix for that show...I've seen them twice and both times I was blown away. Music is taking a hit with this break-up...

In other news...

I've found the last obscure, really good, late 70's new wave (0r whatever) rock song that I've never heard before. It's by the Talking Heads and it's called Happy Day. Seriously, it's great. No, really, it is! Check it out...

I'm probably full of crap. It's likely I'll find some random Blondie song tomorrow and take the whole thing back. Eh. But for now, you should listen to it!

What I learned from Soylent Green

Ya know, I don't talk about movies enough on here (mostly it's all about music. Obscure music). So I'm gonna start talking about the movies I've watched lately too. I finally finished Soylent Green last week and I have a few fun facts that sum it up -- just in case you never have any desire to see this film...

1. New York City in 2022 is gonna suck.

2. It's Edward G. Robinson's last movie. Really, he's the highlight of the whole thing. He eats...a lot!

3. A recent Simpsons episode (Million Dollar Abie) parodied the Old People Death Device used in this movie.

4. The Riot Controlling Scooping Machine is too funny to be terrifying. Also blood is really, really red in the future.

5. It's people!

Blog flurry

A few posts today while I'm waiting for the OK to leave work today. The first one is a recommendation to check out the underlooked, understated "The Conversation." It's the movie Francis Ford Coppola did between his Godfather movies, but nothing like those movies at all. It's more a character study starring Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert that gets a little wrapped up in his work.

It features some of Coppola's frequently used actors, like the guy who played Fredo and Frederic Forrest (better known to Apocolypse Now fans as Chef), Harrison Ford (pre-Star Wars) and Robert Duvall. Great cast and interesting story, relevant today in our wire tapping times...

On temporary hiatus...

Hey all,

Sorry for the recent lack of posting -- currently working from an Internet cafe, where I have about 10 minutes left. When I originally envisioned this trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., I thought "Great! More blogging time." Unfortunately, that's just not the case. So greetings from the beach (which has been a little rainy recently). And I'll be back soon!

Ronson

Crazy

I wasn't really a huge fan of the song "Crazy" until I saw this bizarre, slower version performed live at Top of the Pops. I'm not sure why...is the drama of the song heightened by the airline uniforms? Hmmm....

Runaway Beard

Think you've built up a comfortable relationship? Think again.

97.3: The Thrilling Conclusion...

So, I managed to wake up and hear that I had the distinct honor of being the first 97.3 playlist for their Listener's Choice Weekend. It was pretty entertaining and mostly what I was expecting.

I was a little disappointed not to hear Tom Vek, Art Brut or The Heartless Bastards, but I was pretty pleased that Ol' Dirty Bastard made it onto Cincinnati's radio airwaves. I was half awake, but my other distinct memory of the morning is that the DJ said my name roughly 50 times (which was pretty surreal).

I proabably didn't make a splash into changing the station's programming at all, but it was kind of nice to hear the crazy, backward-masked second verse of "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" at 8 o'clock in the morning. All I can hope is that I made one person spit up their cereal in shock...

Here's what they played (as I remember it):
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Beastie Boys - Pass The Mic
Pixies - Wave of Mutilation
Queens of the Stone Age - In My Head
Foo Fighters - I'll Stick Around
Death Cab For Cutie - Soul Meets Body (I requested "Crooked Teeth")
The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes
Beck - Girl
Interpol - Slow Hands
Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (I requested "From The Ritz To The Rubble")
The Shins - So Says I (I requested "Turn A Square")
Liz Phair - Never Said

Not bad, 97.3...

Early Birds Take Note - Sat., May 27!

Say what you want about our alternative station 97.3 WAQZ (a lot of people -- including myself -- have much love for WOXY which sadly left the airwaves a couple of years ago), but they are definitely making an effort to win Cincinnati alternative music fans over.

Take Memorial Day weekend for example. Apparently they're letting listeners program the station this weekend (I found this out while stumbling onto their web site). I came up with a somewhat bizarre (for radio, anyway) playlist and was pleasantly surprised to get this e-mail this afternoon:

Ronson- Congrats! 97-3 Everything Alternative has selected your playlist to be aired on Saturday, May 27th from 8am till 9am. We did our best to play every song you requested...of course we couldn't get to all of them. Enjoy!

Here's my playlist (I can already imagine what they might play (Foo Fighters) and what they won't (ODB)), and if you can drag yourself out of bed on Saturday morning, check it out!

1 Tom Vek • C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)
2 Gnarls Barkley • Crazy
3 Radiohead • Paranoid Android
4 Ol' Dirty Bastard • Shimmy Shimmy Ya
5 The Beastie Boys • Pass The Mic
6 The Pixies • Wave of Mutilation
7 Heartless Bastards • The Will Song
8 Queens of The Stone Age • In My Head
9 Foo Fighters • I'll Stick Around
10 Sleater-Kinney • Entertain
11 The Cure • Catch
12 Belle & Sebastian • The Blues Are Still Blue
13 Death Cab For Cutie • Crooked Teeth
14 Fiona Apple • Tymps (The Sick In The Head Song)
15 The Smiths • The Headmaster Ritual
16 The Shins • Turn A Square
17 The Raconteurs • Steady As She Goes
18 Liz Phair • Never Said
19 Art Brut • Formed A Band
20 Maxîmo Park • Apply Some Pressure
21 Arctic Monkeys • From The Ritz To The Rubble
22 Dangerdoom • Benzie Box
23 Beck • Girl
24 Interpol • Slow Hands
25 Sufjan Stevens • Chicago

The final 10 CDs

I'm looking for ways to save money. And I always complain about how I'm spending so much on my music, so it only makes sense to give it up. Not all of it of course! Let's not get crazy....

Just older stuff. 90 percent of my music purchases involve buying stuff that was released years ago. I've been doing this for about 10 years now. So yeah, it needs to stop...

Combining my interest in the dramatic and my love of the number 10, I decided that I would buy 10 more CDs and then quit. I'm down to two. If you're really bored and into buying music, you might want to try this exercise yourself.

You'll need:
• A pen (crayons are acceptable)
• Some paper
• A writing surface (I prefer the classic "table")
• An expansive and annoyingly snobbish knowledge of popular music
• Some bizarre priorities
• Roughly one-hundred American dollars

This is what I came up with:

1 Talking Heads • '77 (This will likely be the last CD I get. I love early Talking Heads, but this (their debut) has never been a priority. So, at last, it is)

2 GZA/Genius • Liquid Swords (1995) (This is the other one I haven't gotten yet. Supposedly -- according to critics and fans -- this is the best solo Wu-Tang effort. I've heard some of it and I'm starting to believe the hype...)

3 Patsy Cline • The Definitive Collection (1956-63)
4 Loretta Lynn • The Definitive Collection (1964-78)
5 Hank Williams • Gold (1947-52) (these three collections were an attempt to round out my sort of pathetic Country collection. I'm not huge on Country, but Loretta, Hank and Patsy were definitely crossover successes. Hearing these CDs, I was stunned to realize how much people have swiped from them over the last forty/fifty-something years...)

6 De La Soul • 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) (Noticably, most of these CDs sort of pop up in the "landmark debut" pile. De La have tried and gotten close, but nothing beats their 1989...um...landmark debut)

7 Talking Heads • Remain In Light (1983) (Yeah, didn't have much Talking Heads.)

8 Marvin Gaye • Let's Get It On (1973) (How I didn't have this CD in my collection until now in unforgivable, I tell ya)

9 Bob Dylan • Nashville Skyline (1969) (Bob sings in a crazy voice, duets with Johnny Cash and comes up with Lay Lady Lay, which has gotta be one of his best songs)

10 Getz/Gilberto • w/ Jobim (1964) (this disc is probably better known "that 'Girl From Ipanema' record" but it's great stuff. That neo-lounge stuff from the mid-90s can only attempt to be this interesting...)

Blog shout out...

I'm still no good at figuring out this blogging stuff. My friend Gina is doing a pretty good job w/ it though. Her latest post involves this creepy comic strip looking character who was pervertedly snapping photos of girls on a beach in Florida. PSAs! That's what we need more of around here in R-ville....

Anyway, the whole thing is worth checking out. It varies from wacky things like hairy beach pervs to the random going-ons in her life (which are also entertaining). One of these days, I'm going to figure out how to link up hers (and other friends blogs) from my site...ummmm....someday!

Meeting sketches 2

Here's a character that may well get his own Nickelodeon show, Johnny Tongue. Actually, let's hope not...