Tuesday, October 31, 2006

"I don't have to sell my soul...."

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I finally grew up and bought a real alarm clock (I realized that I had never bought a new one for myself. Ever.) And this is a fancy one! With a CD player, an outlet for my iPod (!?) and radio, claro.

So, this morning I awoke to the slow, sexy, ominous intro/build-up of “I Wanna Be Adored,” the first track off the Stone Roses’ debut. Damn, that is the fucking *way* to wake up! I have been in a spectacular mood all day and I think it has everything to do with waking up to Brit Pop.

Well, that and the last thing I witnessed last night: Beck and BORAT! on Letterman!? Did anyone else see this? Luckily, I have a phenomenal boyfriend who let me in on this last night and now that I actually have tee vee, I could put that shit on! We were kinda like middle schoolers, cuz we both watched it while we remained on the phone with each other. Awww. hehe. And, due to the fact that channel 4 comes in the shittiest and snowiest on my TV, I only knew Mr. Sacha Baron Cohen was shaking his ass next to Beck, because Fitzy exclaimed “Borat!” when he saw it on his finely-tuned cable-receiving television. Mr. Cohen is sure pro-mo-ing the hell outta his movie. I sure hope America “gets it”….y’know….the fact that he (a religious Jew, who wrote his thesis on Civil Rights) is actually lampooning (and showing disgust for)ignorance, racism and misogyny and not endorsing it.

rock and roll is not about ceremonies

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right?

So, why do I still care about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions every year?

They were named today and R.E.M. (my first show I ever saw without my dad! I was 13)Patti Smith and the Stooges are the toppers. That shit excites me. You just know it's gonna be a big sloppy love fest when Mike Stipe and Patti get together. He is so obsessed with her...

I think I can't get over how awesome it is to see the R & R Elite stroke each other and jam together. Of course, I first had the notion that it wasn't so cool (I thought it was like the Oscars for rock when I was really young) when Neil Young said how disgusted he was that it was televised (it used to not be, and he felt that it was more pure and more about jamming and getting to honor and play with each other) I thought that was gospel.

BUT, in 2005 you had him inducting the Pretenders, and playing with them and it was bloody magical. Check out what he said here.

And, what could be more thrilling than (for freaks like me) Bruce Springsteen inducting U2 in '05? He, of course, was returning the favor. Bono did it for Bruce in one of the most touching, clever, Irish-wit-filled masterpieces I could ever hope for, articulating love for Bruce... (They love getting Bono. He did a helluva number for Bob Marley, too).
I gotta post it here...(can't help myself) The way Bono...*preaches* it (yes, that is for you, Jim, you Irish, catholic muthafucka) is just stunning to me, still. He really gets it (he's so enamored with America and Bruce's vision of it) and his words are brilliantly eloquent. His delivery, all tough and pointed with that lyrical, Irish lilt is killer, too. (so, imagine that when you read it, or YouTube it. heh.)

(this is, in part, for Phil--he is getting into the Bruce and this is a great overview: as grand and expressive as his songs can be)

March 15, 1999
Bono's Speech at the 1999 Hall Of Fame Induction
Ceremony

Bruce is a very unusual rock star, really, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't done the things most rock stars do. He got rich and famous, but never embarrassed himself with all that success, did he? No drug busts, no blood changes in Switzerland. Even more remarkable, no golfing! No bad hair period, even in the '80s. No wearing of dresses in videos. No embarrassing movie roles, no pet snakes, no monkeys. No exhibitions of his own paintings. No public brawling or setting himself on fire on the weekend. Rock stars are supposed to make soap operas of their lives, aren't they? If they don't kill themselves first. Well, you can't be a big legend and not be dysfunctional. It's not allowed. You should at least have lost your looks. Everyone else has. Did you see them? (Points toward backstage area) It's like Madame Toussaud's back there.

Then there's Bruce Springsteen. (cheers) Okay - Ohhh!!! Handsome, handsome mother with those brooding brown eyes, eyes that could see through America. And a catastrophe of great songs, if you were another songwriter. Bruce has played every bar in the U.S.A., and every stadium. Credibility -- you couldn't have more, unless you were dead. But Bruce Springsteen, you always knew, was not gonna die stupid. He didn't buy the mythology that screwed so many people. Instead he created an alternative mythology, one where ordinary lives became extraordinary and heroic. Bruce Springsteen, you were familiar to us. But it's not an easy familiarity, is it? Even his band seems to stand taller when he walks in the room. It's complex. He's America's writer, and critic. It's like in 'Badlands,' he's Martin Sheen and Terrence Malick. To be so accessible and so private ... there's a rubric. But then again, he is an Irish-Italian, with a Jewish-sounding name. What more do you want?!? Add one big African sax player,and no one in this room is gonna fuck with you!

In 1974, I was 14. Even I knew the '60s were over. It was the era of soft-rock and fusion. The Beatles was gone, Elvis was in Vegas. What was goin' on? Nothin' was goin' on. Bruce Springsteen was comin' on, saving music from the phonies, saving lyrics from the folkies, saving leather jackets from the Fonz. (Sings) 'Now the greasers, they tramp the streets and get busted for sleeping on the beaches all night, and them boys in their high heels, ah Sandy, their skins are so white. Oh Sandy, love me tonight, and I promise I'll love you forever.'

In Dublin, Ireland, I knew what he was talking about. Here was a dude who carried himself like Brando, and Dylan, and Elvis. If John Steinbeck could sing, if Van Morrison could ride a Harley-Davidson .... It was something new, too. He was the first whiff of Scorsese, the first hint of Patti Smith, Elvis Costello and the Clash. He was the end of long hair, brown rice and bell bottoms. He was the end of the 20-minute drum solo. It was good night, Haight- Ashbury; hello, Asbury Park.
(cheers) C'mon!

America was staggering when Springsteen appeared. The president just resigned in disgrace, the U.S. had lost its first war. There was going to be no more oil in the ground. The days of cruising and big cars were supposed to be over. But Bruce Springsteen's vision was bigger than a Honda, it was bigger than a Subaru. Bruce made you believe that dreams were still out there, but after loss and defeat, they had to be braver, not just bigger. He was singing 'Now you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore,' because it took guts to be romantic now. Knowing you could lose didn't mean you still didn't take the ride. In fact, it made taking the ride all the more important.

Here was a new vision, and a new community. More than a community, because every great rock group is kind of like starting a religion. And Bruce surrounded himself with fellow believers. The E Street -- it wasn't just a great rock group, or a street gang. It was a brotherhood. Zealots like Steve Van Zandt, the bishop Clarence Clemons, the holy Roy Bittan, crusaders Danny Federici, Max Weinberg, Garry Tallent, and later, Nils Lofgren. And Jon Landau, Jon Landau, Jon Landau, Jon Landau, Jon Landau. What do you call a man who makes his best friend his manager, his producer, his confessor? You call him the Boss. And Springsteen didn't just marry a gorgeous, red-headed woman from the Jersey Shore. She could sing, she could write, and she could tell the Boss off. That's Patty right there. (points toward crowd)



For me and the rest of the U2-ers, it wasn't just the way he described the world. It was the way he negotiated it. It was a map, a book of instructions on how to be in the business but not of it. Generous is a word you could use to describe the way he treated us. Decency is another. But these words can box you in. I remember when Bruce was headlining Amnesty International's tour for prisoners of conscience, I remember thinking 'Wow, if ever there was a prisoner of conscience, it's Bruce Springsteen.' Integrity can be a yoke, a pain...when your songs are taking you to a part of town where people don't expect to see you.


At some point I remember riding in an elevator with gentleman Bruce, where he just stared straight ahead of himself, and completely ignored me. I was crushed. Only when he walked into the doors as they were opening, did I realize the impossible was happening. My God, Bruce Springsteen, the Buddha of my youth, is plastered!
Drunk as a skunk! Is this a farce? I have to go back to the book of instructions, scratch the bit out about how you held yourself in public. By the way, that was a great relief.

Something was going on, though. As a fan I could see that my hero was beginning to rebel against his own public image. Things got even more interesting on 'Tunnel of Love,' when he started to deface it. A remarkable bunch of tunes, where our leader starts having a go at himself, and the hypocrisy of his own heart, before anyone else could. But the tabloids could never break news on Bruce Springsteen. Because his fans -- he had already told us everything in the songs. We knew he was spinning. We could feel him free-falling. But it wasn't in chaos or entropy. It was in love.


They call him the Boss. Well that's a bunch of crap. He's not the boss. He works FOR us. More than a boss, he's the owner, because more than anyone else, Bruce Springsteen owns America's heart.I'm proud to introduce to you Bruce Springsteen, member of the E Street Band. Come on!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

One of the many things I miss about college...

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...is reading all those wonderful books.

Kate Silver (who I started reading at the U, and I just still love her written word and intellectuality...)was kind enough to wonder what my answers would be to the following book questions...

One book I've read more than once

This is a sad question, because I have read too many books more than once and not NEARLY enough books just the once (ones that I really want to read and know I SHOULD read). So, the long list would include: Matilda, Roald Dahl (I re-read and re-read this one an absurd amount of time when I was a wee lass); Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger; Huckleberry Fin, Mark Twain...more.........

One book I would want on a desert island
Lester Bang's complied essays in Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. My man. That crazy, brilliant fucker. Really could read some of those riffs again and again....AND, good call, Kate, it *would* inspire me to write.

One book that made me laugh
Fargo Rock City tied with Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, both by Chuck Klosterman. He writes about music and pop culture in such an (seemlingly)effortless and humorous way, it makes me jealous. (and... it makes me laugh my ass off.)

One book that made me cry
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck Whew.

One book I wish I'd written
High Fidelity for chicks, with a female protagonist!

One book I wish had never been written
A Separate Peace. Why the fuck do they *make* kids read this in school?

One book I'm currently reading
Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House, lent to me by Big Vonnegut Fan, James (actually trying to read more. Won't bore you or frustrate myself further by listing them)

One book I've been meaning to read
SO MANY is right, Kate. This is haunting and daunting...My co-worker, Tim lent me Ham On Rye, by Charles Bukowski. I started it and I just can't get myself to keep going. It's really fucking good, but really fucking depressing.

One book that changed my life
On The Road, Jack Kerouac. That crazy, mad stream of consciousness, that Beat slang ("generation-defining," even), and it's all about travel, sex, music, drugs, commies, and friendship--what the hell else do you want outta life? Or a book?

One book that made me think

Most books I read, really (hopefully!) Best example, Sex, Art and American Culture (book of essays) by Camille Paglia. She is such a fascinating mixed bag: refreshingly positive and inspiring one second and maddeningly stubborn the next) Paglia's theories and opinions had a huge impact on the way I viewed art and feminism and sexuality.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Madge does the big O

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Alessanrda Stanley wrote this lil’ piece about Madge on Oprah.(she does a slightly clever thing by juxtaposing it with Bush's tv appearance, giving his "gloomy" assessment of Iraq...just in time!). Whenever I read Ms. Stanley I think about how she’s totally best buds with Maureen Dowd and then my mind wanders... I wish I could hang with those ladies. I wanna hear about their dates, go to premieres and get shit-faced with ‘em. Laugh our asses off to those stories about how Papa Bush tries to hit on Maureen whenever he sees her. Find out if Maureen and Charlie Rose ever hooked it up…they are *so* flirty! And then maybe we’d drunk dial Rummy or Condi or something. *sigh*

But, I digress.

I actually watched it (thanks to my dad) and it was…fine…whatever… Sometimes the Lady Madge bugs me. Her stiffness and affected way of speaking (NOT a Brit accent, people, but AFFECTED nonetheless--thinking of Linda Macca, here). She did well. I dug that she just did it from London and didn't actually "go on" the show... She told her story, she used a fitting analogy to describe how stunning and overwhelming it must be for the father of the young boy to be approached by international media. I mean, can you even fucking imagine?

Anyway. I still think it’s a non-story. I just loved how O had to ask her about the reports that she wanted to adopt an African child *only* after Brad and Angelina did. (!) She just had to throw in that she had “never met Angelina Jolie.”

I think something should be done about that. That meeting needs to happen.

For my sake.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

"top-earning dead"

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So, Kurt Cobain is making more money, dead, than Dead Elvis....

Check it out:
(they call it the "Lucky 13"...isn't that a bit creepy?

1. Kurt Cobain
2. Elvis Presley
3. Charles M. Schulz
4. John Lennon
5. Albert Einstein
6. Andy Warhol
7. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
8. Ray Charles
9. Marilyn Monroe
10. Johnny Cash
11. J.R.R. Tolkien
12. George Harrison
13. Bob Marley

wait--what?


Poor Madge and that pesky media. Amazing how a celeb gets totally vilified for adopting a child from Africa...!? Surreal. And yes, I know: this is such a non-story that got blown up for some reason. I honestly don't know why. What the fuck did she do wrong--that is, what steps did she not take (or take?)to get such a reaction?

I tot need to see her on Oprah! With all the claps, etc. But, gawd...how I fucking can't stand Oprah and her atrocious "interview" skillz...humph.

This is the latest I saw on the BBC, after her appearance on the Big O...The best bit is at the end:
The pop star funds six orphanages through her Raising Malawi charity and is setting up an orphanage for 4,000 children in a village outside the capital, Lilongwe.

Yeah....so, she's a horrible person....wait--what?

Monday, October 23, 2006

catu made me do it

(Not really).
But...
Cate has the Journey video for "Seperate Ways" on her MySpace page for some reason (Catu? Why?) and it made me seek this out. I had seen it before...cuz I fucking love (in a guilty-pleasure-like-virtually-no-other-way) this song...and live, it's more powerful than a locamotive...

It goes on and on and on and yeahhh.

Steve Perry and that bloody voice...that hook...that geetar (from the former wunderkind, Neal Schon. He joined Santana when he was fucking *15*). It's just so goddamn satisfying...in an empty sort of way.

Much like Taco Bell.

But...um...why did they have to look like that?

coming, to me, via the USPS


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Looking forward to it! Check the NYT review.

Monday, October 16, 2006

"Iz you Madonna!?"

One must remember that Lady Madge can be give some cred for introducing the States to Ali G (Sacha Baron Cohen--aka Borat, aka Bruno). He was huge-normous in the UK for quite sometime, then there was this intro in 2000, followed the explosion of Da Ali G show, on da cable tee vee.

(There is a fantastic EW article up now about Cohen...check it. Respek.)

BORAT, the movie comes out on Nov. 3. Be there.

And then, be sure to *VOTE* on the 7th, kids.

(oh, and HOWZ bouts that vid!? man, those were the days: Madge in a strip club.)

Friday, October 13, 2006

oh. hell. yes.

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I really wanna see this.
I don't even like Ms. Dunst, but Judy Davis is in it! and dig this fucking rad A.O. Scott lead [gawd, I am still in love with him. always will be...]

October 13, 2006
MOVIE REVIEW | 'MARIE ANTOINETTE'
A Lonely Petit Four of a Queen
By A. O. SCOTT


The problem of leisure/What to do for pleasure.”

The opening lines of “Natural’s Not in It,” by the Gang of Four, are the first words in Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,” and they suggest one of that film’s paradoxical themes: The pursuit of sensual delight is trivial compared with other undertakings — just as “the problem of leisure” is surely more of a privilege than a burden — but pleasure is also serious, one of the things that gives life its shape and meaning.

huh?

Brandon Flowers...Conservative? Or just...dense...?

On that note...I am totally going to flake out and quasi-switch positions on how I feel about that Killers record. I still really, really dig it. I am addicted to the power pop of it and the grand schemes and the Springsteen-esque language...but...there's something that is a little hollow about it, after hearing it on so many occasions, now.

After talking to Jim about it, just saying my thoughts aloud...it does seem to be a bit more of a scam to "use" that Bruce-like language and imagery. It's not like Flowers is cribbing it directly, but it rings a little false and I think I actually *might* get what the EW review was all about, now. Maybe...

Dig it: I love Bruce Springsteen and his lyrical themes and his way with the English language and the vernacular of "common people" (Jarvis style) coupled with those visions of grand, absurd dreams we all have, too. He puts it all to music. Rock that looks back to early blues and country (and even earlier with those Seeger sessions), to Spector Wall of Sound, to Chuck Berry, to Johnny Cash, and even the muthafuckin' Clash. And more. Of course. He also carved out (excuse the crib, there) his very own sound from all that. Some followed him on that train (see: The Clash, U2, Ani DiFranco, Badly Drawn Boy, et. al.)

I just don't think Flowers is really on that particular train.

Of course...I can't back down about some of those fucking great, big, anthemic, epic, pop songs, though.

Gimme that shit all day and all of the night-- stick it right in my veins.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Hottest Old Man TV Journalist of All Time


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After 13 days of living in my new, wonderful, cozy, studio apartment (I couldn’t be happier! The luxuries of living alone continue to astound me…) I finally got some shit set up, including my Mega Monster Entertainment Tower: stereo, huge speakers, TV, VCR/DVD player and record player. *sigh* Boy, was that a joyous relief. Also, I acquired a TV antennea from Erica (who is in ISRAEL right now, for med school. I miss her already). With this newfound apparatus I am actually getting TELEVISION in my own home! This is a FIRST in over a year (before that I had cable, but my senior year of college was just antennae reception). Last night I felt like a kid watching the Howdy Doody Show or better yet, Ed Sullivan for the first time in the mid-1950s.


It felt absurd, but I felt vaguely guilty, like, I had lived without TV in my place of living for so long (of course, I watch TV at my dad’s and other locales) it felt like I was doing something naughty. Like, I had lived a good, moral life without TV (oh, wouldn’t Lady Madge be proud!? ha!) why do I “need” it now?


I also felt some major connectedness to the world, at large. I delighted in what I saw first: it was channel 9 with the Detroit Tigers playing (beating) the Oakland A’s (I know the A’s killed our poor Twins, but it’s where my Mom and her family come from, so I have this…connection thing). Just to have baseball on TV in October felt very traditional and comforting… then I realized I got 11, and most wonderful of all, channel 17! What was on but the bloody BBC news! FUCK YES. That also meant that I would be seeing my most favorite journalist/TV personality/interviewer of all time, Mr. Charlie Rose, at 10:30 pm.

I sat back in my chair and felt wholly American. I was watching TV and feeling ever so guilty and depressed about the war. Rose had on Niall Ferguson, a hot, brilliant Brit professor and author who just put out a book, The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Decline of the West (London / New York : Penguin Press, 2006) It was horribly depressing, of course, but it felt great to watch their conversation and learn a few nuggets of info. The whole EMPIRE thing. Charlie, talking bout how Ferguson’s book takes note that yes, the US is a fucking EMPIRE and we need to face it and own up to it. As for Iraq… The latest I saw this morning:


'Huge rise' in Iraqi death tolls

An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have died since 2003 who might still be alive but for the US-led invasion, according to a survey by a US university.


Last night, Rose has this lil’ smile on his face and he says, “Do you think our leaders could have benefited from taking a look at history, before the invasion of Iraq?” And Ferguson responds with a similar, knowing, wary smile, and discusses the eerie, comical example of “history repeating itself” as he mentioned what took place in 1917. At that time, British General Frederick Stanley Maude led the infamous “March on Baghdad.” Ferguson pulls out one of his quotes, (roughly) “We are not here as conquerors, we are here to liberate!” Hmmmmmmmmm, 1917, huh? Check this out: The Proclamation of Baghdad.

In the US of A, TV learning is fun! And depressing! What a fucking mixed bag to have the ol’ TV back in my life…. I feel OK about it. Especially since I only have 6 or so channels. heh. Of course, waking up this morning and hearing that it was about 35 fucking degrees was a nice slap in the face. brrrrrrr.

I think I might nix MPR *and* TV in the morning, and just stick to the ol’ iTunes Shuffle recipe. Yesterday I heard “Misty Water” by the Kinks and had a revelation. I had never paid attention to the lyrics before (I’d say I’m a very casual Kinks fan, I know why they were important, I know that Ray Davies’ lyrics are Uber-British and clever and all that.) But I had never heard how crazygreat the lyrics are! To my debouched ears, they sound like they’re about mysticism and drugs and sex. I swear...

Misty Water

By the town of Straight and Narrow,
There's a dark and misty place.
Everything is hazy,
So the people are afraid.

All except Maria's daughters,
Who believe in misty ways.
Everything is lovely,
In a misty morning glaze.

I like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters,
They like misty water.

I like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters,
Take a sip of misty water.

Though Maria is not lovely,
She's the lady of my dreams.
'Cause I see my lady,
Through a misty, silky screen.

And in seeing is believing,
But I can't believe my eyes.
Everything is lovely,
In a misty paradise.

I like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters,
They like misty water.

They like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters,
Take a sip of misty water.

I like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters,
They like misty water.

They like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters,
They like misty water.

I like misty water,
I like fog and haze.
Anne Maria and her daughters...


Just allows for crazy interpretation, if you ask me. I love that shit. Also, the music is just kick-ass, it starts kinda twee and story-telling-like and then there’s this fucking righteous lil’ raw guitar break down that sounds like a kid in his garage banging out simple power chords. It is super sexy and turned me on a lot. So, I emailed Jeremy and asked him how to go about getting into the Kinks—properly. He responded quickly, in great detail. I expect nothing less from Mr. Sunshine Bores the Daylights Outta Me.

Expect me to be into the Kinks on a whole different level. It’s a-comin’.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Kasabian still rules the brain at this time...

That, and I just saw the DVD of the 1970 Isle of Wight and it totally fucking blew my mind. I was in the mood to watch Woodstock that night and the Brits (plus muthafuckin' Hendrix, in his finest form, THREE WEEKS before his death) won out.

Shocking.

Friday, October 06, 2006

"as you load my head with the Grateful Dead..."


Still coming down from last night, really. Saw Kasabian (FINALLY!) with James and Jim at the Fine Line and it was basically one of the best small rock shows I have been to an a LONG while...

And we met someone after the show. Somone British, from Southampton. Someone named James...who ran a club called Joiners...


check it out:


the highlight:Live at the Joiners

Some of the biggest names in music have played gigs at the Joiners in Southampton's St Mary's Street. BBC Hampshire looks at the venue that is an institution in the music world.

On the whole, bands seem to have very fond memories of the Joiners – remarkable given the lengths of tours and disorientating nights in the back of transit vans or tour buses.


Richard Ashcroft played with Verve at the Joiners in 1992, and in a recent NME interview he said their Southampton gig was: "...one of the greatest gigs that I've ever played in my life because we were ... incredible."

The gig was engineered by Ian Lawton: "It was my first ever gig with The Verve ... it just kicked off, I didn't really do anything and all of a sudden it became one of the greatest sonic experiences of my life and the life of everyone who was in the room -it was fantastic, everyone blamed it on me and said it was my fault that it was the best gig ever, but it had nothing to do with me at all!"

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Darkness...and Sam's Town's bright lights

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It's haunting me! So, what I need to...will...explain...is that the new Killers' record seems to be extremely influenced by my personal favorite Springsteen record (yes, that is saying a lot) Darkness on the Edge of Town. It's chiefly lyrical, but there are these weird musical moments that evoke it, too.

That will be brewing and spewing...soon.

great news!

Beck and the Killers have put out fucking great records. They both just came out on Tuesday.

more on this later.......

But, I must say these following things...*now*... ha!

** Beck had me shakin' my ass in the elevator at 8:04 am today and I felt a lil' misty eyed thinking about how much that skinny white Scientologist has meant to me since I was a wee lass. I fucking think he's *tits* and always will be. I still think my dad was right when he said that Beck is the only musician of his generation that could stand to be Neil Young-like. Wotta a great statement...y'know: the longevity, the prolific album action, the uncompromising genius thing, the crazy eclectic thing, the weirdness...the, uh, QUIET STORM thing they both got goin' on...

**Um, so, yeah...the Killers are TOTALLY doing Springsteen and I couldn't be more surprised or more pleased. The album is fucking incredible and I can't believe how much I like it. For some reason, I just stubbornly did not want to partake in this absurdity! *SPRINGSTEEN*-like lyrics?!? Pssh, I said!

And then I heard the damn record. And saw the copious amounts of reviews that are pulling out the Bruce refs...apparently, Mr. Flowers is a "recent fan" (see below)... That, uh, kind of, um, gave me chills and shit...Just to know that someone is listening to my Man and making music that's crazypopularlike. I feel like it's a bit shameless and I can't help myslef but be sucked in by that lovely ANTHEMIC quality that gets me off so often...(The Who, Oasis, Bruce, Zepp, et. al.)

weirdness: EW talks of paraody (!?!) and wonders if they are "serious" (hmm, critics of Beck's music for the past decade? sound familar? total bullshit, if you ask me. you were asking me, right?). EW says this, "They've also added a fair helping of Americana to their Anglophilia. In interviews, Flowers has professed a newfound love for Bruce Springsteen, which explains lines like ''We're burnin' down a highway skyline/On the back of a hurricane'' in ''When You Were Young,'' the album's first single." and this: "There's no denying the Killers' skill at whipping up an almighty rock & roll racket." and then they go and give the record a "C" and evoke the poor man's Springsteen's band: Bon Jovi. humph. go figga. EW rarely disappoints, but this was one of those weird 'uns.