So, as people have made fun before, I don’t care. I’m an unabashed fan of all things “Weird”, from UHF to the Weird Al show, to many of his parodies and cover songs.
Here he is performing on Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars, a telethon for autism research. He’s performing a 30 year old song, with an autistic girl playing piano and singing in a different key than is natural for him, but he’s basically being her backup on the song. Bonus points for the final minute or so when several autistic kids are brought on stage.
Garfunkel and Oates are a female musical comedy duo who took their names from the second bananas in two other different duos. Mostly, they play guitar and ukulele, and mostly their songs don’t stray too far from their comfort zone, but I was reminded of one of their songs yesterday while chatting with a couple people at work. Most of these tracks came out in 2010, but the duo now have a comedy show on IFC, which if I’m not wrong is also streaming on Netflix.
The track i was referencing yesterday is called Self Esteem, and I was talking about the line regarding poison and antidotes:
In concert, they have been known to have famous people provide cameos:
Here’s an example of their poignant vulgarity, describing cherry picking and the zanier rationalizations based upon scripture:
One of my favorites, though, is not a comedy song. It’s a track about liking somebody for being the way they are, not the way you want them to be:
Sorry, there doesn’t seem to be video footage of that one…
This year, instead of making upteen 1000 song playlists, I’ve decided to make twelve 1400 songs playlists, ideally long enough for me to get through one month without hearing the same song twice. They each have various themes and the one which I am currently working on is “Greatest 1400 songs”.
I completed the list a few days ago, but today a song popped into my head and I had to add it to my list.
It’s a track from the band Antony and the Johnsons, Antony Heagarty. Antony is transgender uses female references when describing herself. The track is titled “For Today I am a Boy”
Not especially complex lyrics, but the emotion Antony puts into the lyrics are what makes the song captivating.
Girlpool are a duo of teenage women (both adults) who released their debut EP in 2014. After I read a review in Rolling Stone within the last couple of months, I put said EP on hold at the library. It’s one of those holds where, it takes so long for the “on order” status to change, that by the time the item comes in, you don’t really remember what the band was all about.
I remembered that they had 7 songs in less than 20 minutes, so I was going with the angle of female punk band. What I heard were two ladies playing guitar and harmonizing about social minutia which affects modern teenagers in a both socially conscious and incredibly down-to-earth way.
Apparently, their debut full length is scheduled for release in June, and you can bet that I’m going to remember this name for my 2015 lists.
Don’t let the name of the second song fool you, actually take a minute to listen to the second song. Just fantastic.
I’m reading the latest issue of Rolling Stone, the one with Madonna on the cover. I almost didn’t read her article because, although I’ve liked several of her songs through the years, I can’t really say I like her music. I’m very glad that I did, because there’s a rather extended section where she rants about challenging authority because she doesn’t understand double standards, because she doesn’t feel that they’re right, or in some cases, just to be a thorn in their side. Some extended excerpts:
“An the Catholic Church, all of the rules, and why did i have to wear a dress when (her brothers) could wear pants. I would say to my dad, “will Jesus love me less if I wear pants? Am I going to hell?” I wanted to know why people follow rules blindly, or why girls had to act a certain way and boys didn’t. Why could boys ask girls out and girls not ask guys out? Why did girls have to shave their legs and guys didn’t? Why did society set up everything the way they did. My whol adolescence was full of unanswered whys.”
“And as soon as I was in the public eye) that just continued. Because then i was in the public arena of “Why?” Because then it was “Oh, you’re dressing like a slut or a whore, so you must be stupid.” Or, “you’re promoting sexuality, so you’re a whore and you’re just doing this for attention. You have no talent. Again, I was like, “Why?” Why can i not be sexual and be intelligent. Why can’t I strut around onstage like Mick Jagger and not be pigeonholed as a bimbo.”
Who knew Madonna and I could find common ground in questioning the status quo? I guess it makes sense, I just never gave it that much thought.
Every year, the National Recording Registry adds 25 more recordings to their preservation project. These recordings will be preserved due to their importance in the heritage that is the American experience.
The Doors: The Doors
Johnny Mercer- “Accentuate the Positive”
Old Regular Baptists: Lined-Out Hymnody from Southeastern Kentucky
101 home made recordings from the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair
Joan Baez: Joan Baez
Original cast recording: John Brown’s Body
Sweet Emma Barrett and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Joan Tower: Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman
Radiohead: OK Computer
Home recordings from 1890 to 1910s featuring jokes and the sounds of barnyard animals
Blind Lemon Jefferson – “Black Snake Moan”/”Matchbox Blues”
Michael Coleman- “The Boys of the Lough”/”The Humours of Ennistymon”
Steve Martin: Wild and Crazy Guy
The Swan Silvertones- “Mary, Don’t You Weep”
Lincolin Mayorga: Lincoln Mayorga and Distinguished Colleges
Radio coverage of FDR’s 1945 funeral
Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Songs from the early days of Sesame Street
Tennessee Ernie Ford- “Sixteen Tons”
Sly and the Family Stone: Stand
The Righteous Brothers- “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling”
Ben E King- “Stand by Me”
Orson Wells’ “Suspense” drama titled “Sorry, Wrong Number”
Original cast recording: Kiss Me Kate
Gerry Mulligan Quartet (f. Chet Baker)- “My Funny Valentine”
I watched the X-Files to the bitter end. I own both movies and saw the first movie in the theater. I devoured the X-Files when i was a teenager and early into my adulthood. To see the headline today that Fox has green lighted a 6 episode run, featuring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reprising their iconic rolls again (the second X-Files movie was well after the series ended), I nearly got teary-eyed.
I mean, the show has stuck with me long enough that we have two chickens…named Mulder and Scully.
I just read about the latest album by Colleen Green in Rolling Stone, so I went digging into her discography yesterday.
What I discovered was that in 2012, she released an album titled Milo Goes to Compton, which is a great play on the classic Descendants album title (Milo Goes to College).
Here’s a track from that album:
and something from her latest album, I Want to Grow Up:
I very much look forward to hearing more from her in the future.
I’ve already written that they put out a free live recording of their first album, but today they sent their email fanclub a picture of Presidents Clinton & Obama holding a copy of the album and looking as though they’re discussing it.
Benjamin Jeremiah Gibbard is one of my favorite songwriters. As lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, he has taken an indie act to international stardom. As the lead singer of The Postal Service, he made one of my favorite albums of all time in Give Up. As one of the singers on Jenny Lewis’ Handle with Care, he made one of my favorite cover songs. And then he’s released a couple of songs as a solo artist. He released a cover of Beat Happening’s “Indian Summer” on the “About A Son” soundtrack, which he curated. He also released a track called You Remind Me of Home on a split EP.
My girlfriend gave this song to me in mid-2010, after less than 6 months of us dating. She said that, for all the rough edges she wants to smooth, I remind her of home because of the faults she finds and the comfort she feels being around me. For all of the cracks in my outer coating, the creeks on my insides, and the surroundings only an inhabitant could love, I make her feel like she belongs near me.
She reminds me of home too. Anybody who takes life too seriously and doesn’t laugh at my dumb jokes, I don’t have time for. She may take issue with the fact that my skills at cooking and dish washing aren’t up to par with hers, but I have similar likes and can follow her lead on gardening projects.
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