Springtime Arts & Crafts
In other news, I'm leaving on a jet plane.
-Gnu Air
Now that we have that out of the way, here's what's on my mind. First, Dame Jooday's Ode to Supertramp - no, wait, I mean this Supertramp - oui, oui! Anyway, the way that REM cured Dame Jooday's Supertramp fixation points to interesting hypothesis: is REM just another Supertramp (Bizarrotramp)? Or is it just me? I mean, both bands feature a distinctive singing voice. The lyrical verse structure of Logical Song works just like End of the World as We Know It - the former is like a tongue-twister using "L" words; the latter is like free-verse tongue-twister. Twisted, eh? Well, whatever - it's just a thought from my own admitedly non-REM/Supertramp exprienced mind.
What I do have much experience in, however, is going out in NYC. And, goddamn, when it comes to seeing a live show, it really just ain't the same no more. Shareyrey and I went to the Bowery Ballroom last night to see My Morning Jacket, with opener acts Burning Brides & some other band we missed. (Last minute decision, you can't beat $12 shows at the Bowery Ballroom.) Burning Brides is a band that works super hard for the rock-n-roll -- if you have the opportunity to see them, don't hesitate - they are über garage power rock gods (the drummer broke his sticks repeatedly, the singer-lead guitarist sweats all over the place, and the female bassist bangs her bass as hard as her head in a way that makes you worry whether she'll fall over in her knee-high platform boots). My Morning Jacket was slightly disappointing, but I wonder if it was because of how kick-ass Burning Brides rocked. Their sound on album is so big open blue sky blissful, but they seemed to roughen it up for live performance in a way that seemed, well, different.
Anyway, that was really not the other thing on my mind at all. The second thing that was really on my mind was how much it sucked not being able to smoke at a small rock show. What the hell - the air was so clean, it almost felt like we were in a museum watching performance artists do a performance about a rock show. Rock-n-roll is supposed to be dirty - it's supposed to smell like beer & cigarrettes, not....like your mother's living room, fer chrissakes. I know all you non-smokers will want me to shup up, but this is serious. First we lost Times Square grime, and in it's place, 42nd St is now one long outdoor suburban mall - Madame Tussaud's and Chevy's Mexican. Now all of nightlife feels completely sanitized. I'll admit it, I do not feel this way about going to a bar - it's different at a bar & I don't mind going outside for the occasional ciggie. But at a rock show? Damn, things done changed.
-The Sound of Gnusic
I feel I must confess my love for Supertramp after reading Nuno's last posting. You have no idea how hard it was to be in 7th grade and in love with some weird supergroup that had been broken up for a good 5 years already in 1986. All the normal girls were loving Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall," and I was listening to "Crisis? What Crisis?" It was a natural progression from holding the torch for the Beatles (no question of them ever getting back together) to holding the torch for these guys, except the Beatles were good. I was so into the obscurity of it all that I felt that "Breakfast in America," which contained the two songs that anyone ever knows from them, was a sellout. I wrote a letter to Roger Hodgson and he wrote me back, not a form letter but a real handwritten note. This shows you how busy he was. I can still identify most of their songs within a few notes of the intro. I am not proud of this. It is, however, interesting to note how intense, passionate, and energetic a 13 year old can be about something, anything. Thank god R.E.M. came along and saved me. Judy
Being the lemming that I am, I read about these CD swap sites on the NY Times and signed up with one that was featured, run by this guy out of Texas. Alas, due to the overwhelming number of people who suddenly signed up, he had to cancel the CD swapping. Luckily, I did sign up in time to participate in the last CD swap. I sent in 2 copies of 1 mix, and received 2 diffent mixes, 1 made by the site webmaster and another randomly chosen from others who submitted 2 copies. It was a great experience - kinda like looking in the Cracker Jack for the prize. Here's the track list for the webmaster's mix CD -- a nice eclectic selection, if perhaps a bit heavy on the emo rock. At least I like emo, when in the mood, that is. The 2nd CD is interesting - it's a collection of rock music featured on soundtrack. The person who made the CD even listed the movies on which the songs appeared. Two great features on this mix:
1) the theme song from Donnie Darko -- "It's a mad world..." It certainly is.
I even learned that Neil Young's "Old Man" was on a soundtrack. Care to guess?
DJ Gnu
The background comes from this interesting site on dragonflies -- definitely worth a look. It's been real quiet in lumpyland recently -- Hello, Pandy, it's me, Gnu. Are you there? (What was up with that book (Hello, God, It's Me Margaret) anyway?) Maybe people were paralyzed with thought and unable to come up with someone shlockier than Leonard Nimoy. I still agree he's the shlockiest, although there's also these guys -- a jewish evangelical rock/rap band, Shlock Rock. You can vote on their website for the best rap song, but it's a tough choice to pick a champ among hits like Bless on It/Boogie in the Shul, Wash This Way, Rappin Jewish, YoYoYo Yarmulke.
Right. Go outside and play.
-Pagan Whore Gnu
This site is likely to do it like a jackrabbit when viewed with Netscape. Lumpy Oatmeal is best viewed on an Apple II with an 80 column card installed. Whatever the fuck that means.
Brought to you by your host, Pandy Fackler.
Los Archivos
Friday, Gnoon 20, 2003 10:52 a.m.
I'm feeling....very sweet leafy. More to come.
Wednesday, May 21, 2003 dennistime
So far, this is the best explanation I've found for a long-running conundrum: what exaclty is the origin of the phrase "shit-eating grin?"
Wednesday, May 21, 2003 dennistime
On the party rock tip: Junior/Senior will be performing at the Knitting Factory, NYC on June 3. If I could be on the merry island of Manhattan, I would personally drag all your soggy tired asses there. And you would thank me.
Here's some other stuff that will capitalize on your late springtime hormone rush and make your booty move twice as fast. Gravy Train combines songs about food [a la cibo matto] with songs about sex [a la my life with the thrill kill kult,] resulting in anthems like "[I'm keeping my] burger baby." The Hidden Cameras are a veritable army of musicians who make happy gay rock, sorta like the polyphonic spree, but queer. Both bands have great domain names. Vive la rock! C'est tout.
Thursday, May 8, 2003 10:42 a.m.
Uh-oh - Mindlessly watching MTV2 last night, and Junior Senior was featured on a news report with more online. I have to admit, I only heard the Move Your Feet song once, when I visited thru Doonie's link, but the song is like a virus - I can't get it out of my head.
-Segnur
Wednesday, May 7, 2003 05:43 p.m.
Interesting: here's a fansite detailing progress on all the movies based on comic books currently in development or production. Fantastic Four - hello! League of Extraordinary Gentleman - say what? I'm a huge comic book movie fan, but Hollywood has shown time & time again that you can have too much of a good thing - Friday the 13th, Part Infinity? Hmmm.
-Stan Gnee
Wednesday, May 7, 2003 02:33 p.m.
Ashton Kuchner smokes out the Bush twins. God, I love America.
-g.
Tuesday, May 6, 2003 10:32 p.m.
One of the funnier Saddam parodies. (Rated G - the unpolite word for defecation is used, and bleeped, only once.)
The Real Gnu
Tuesday, May 6, 2003 04:45 p.m.
Ok, that Junior Senior video rocks - I'm definitely curious about the album.
Sunday, May 4, 2003 dennistime
Here's the first entry for the coveted JAM OF THE SUMMER: the Danish group Junior Senior are a skinny straight man and a heavy gay man, respectively, sometimes referred to as "guy" and "gay." They've made a sweet concoction that's one part B-52's, one part Iggy and the Stooges, and one part Kool and the Gang. Check out their Commodore 64-styled video here. Their CD is currently only available as an import [expensive] or on soulseek [free], but will be out in the U.S. this summer. Gnu is going to love this.
Sunday, May 4, 2003
Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Breznev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs.
jelly bean boom.
Friday, May 2, 2003 04:58 p.m.
Two thoughts preoccupy me - but this isn't one of them: today's sentence of the day: "Is it your fate to tie macrame while drinking coffee and eating sherbet in a minaret?"
Thursday, May 1, 2003 11:26 p.m.
Wednesday, April 30, 2003 05:04 p.m.
A while ago, someone posted on Lumpy about CD trading clubs. I actually participated in one recently and thought I share would the results.
2) Supertramp's "Logical Song" -- I never realized how much I love this song. It makes me think that it should be a Sesame Street episode on words with "L" sounds.
Wednesday, April 30, 2003 dennistime
Road trip alert: Wilco is playing a free show in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday 6/21 as part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival [the Ohio, Alleghany, and Monangahela.] Any interested parties let me know.
Friday, April 25, 2003 10:22 a.m.
I totally agree about Field Day and Bonnaroo NE, it sounds like a nightmare. Well, you couldn't go to Calverton on August 9th anyway, you have to come to Henry's birthday party.
Mama Judy
Friday, April 25, 2003 09:49 a.m.
For all you kids who love Red Bull, now you don't have to sacrifice your alcohol no more -- you can enjoy that orange-flavored buzz mixed with malt liquor! Yum...I wish I was kidding.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
R.I.P. Nina Simone
ne me quitte pas.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
The folks at Nedstat still haven't changed their clocks for daylight savings time. How accurate can they be?
Monday, April 21, 2003 dennistime
Party like its exit 1999: here's how to kill a dream lineup alt-rock festival. First hold it just past the outlet mall at the furthest exit on the LIE, and then invite 75,000 teenage long islanders to camp out for two nights between sitting in the worst beach traffic of their lives. Do it again after two months of cleanup, this time with only the finest jam bands and 75,000 teenage hippie long islanders. I wonder if the Gap outlet will have a booth.
Wednesday, April 16, 2003 03:12 p.m.
Geriatric Monsters of Röck!
g.
Wednesday, April 16, 2003 10:40 a.m.
Interesting commentary on post-war Iraq.
g.
Friday, April 11, 2003 11:54 a.m.
Thinking of taking an airlines trip? Before you buy those tickets, check the DOT's monthly Air Travel Consumer Report to see how your airline is doing.
-gnu in the clouds
Friday, April 11, 2003 09:54 a.m.
Nothing like a solid rock anthem to get your Friday going. Yeah.
-guess gnu?
Friday, April 4, 2003 11:19 a.m.
While them dragonflies shure wuz pretty, you couldn't read crap. Anyway, don't dragonflies have a 24-hr lifespan? Think of it as ironic.
Gnu Gone Wild
Friday, April 4, 2003 10:57 a.m.
In today's biomedically threatening times, fashionistas know there's nothing more style-conscious than designer surgical masks.
Grégör Gnu
Thursday, April 3, 2003 08:06 p.m.
Mr. Dennistime, what have you done?!?!?
g.
Wednesday, April 2, 2003 02:10 p.m.
Bjork has confirmed her 1st US tour appearance at ..... Keyspan Park, aka Cyclone Stadium, aka Coney Island! Go Brooklyn! Tickets onsale at bjork.com April 9, showdate is Friday, Aug. 22.
g.
Wednesday, April 2, 2003 10:11 a.m.
For the love of God, go pick up the new White Stripes album, Elephant. Ass-kicking rock lives!
g.
Wednesday, April 2, 2003 dennistime
Here is Hail To the Thief, the new Radiohead album.
Tuesday, April 1, 2003 10:19 a.m.
Here's one list VH-1 has yet to cover:The Top 100 April Fools Pranks. (Josh - see #2)
g.
Thursday, March 27, 2003 11:43 a.m.
Epicurious has always been my favorite internet recipe database -- the fantastic search module lets you find exactly what you want when you don't know what you want. I was poking around the most popular recipies section thinking about dinner tonight, and this recipe is number 3 -- make sure you click on "More Reviews" to read the hilarious user comments.
-Chef Gnu
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 01:01 p.m.
Yeah, well, that background really had to go, particularly since it's SPRING -- let's get pagan! Ya heard it before, I'll say it again: anyone can change the site design -- y'all know how to. Otherwise, you have to wait until I have some downtime at work. Thankfully, today is such day.