Nov 292009
What’s super awesome in your musical world?
Mar 192007
Grab a front row seat.
12 Responses to “All-Star Jam”
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I just saw Joss Stone on Letterman, and she did something that really annoys me: She performed in bare feet. Next to the wearing of shorts onstage, playing in bare feet has got to be in my Top 5 live performance pet peeves.
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Ugh. K.D. Lang does this too, and she always has some kind of grass mat. I’m with you on the “no socks, no shoes, no show” stance Mr. Mod.
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If today’s poll is not an indication, last night I watched a good deal of True Stories, that David Byrne’s Talking Heads movie. I saw this movie in the theater when it came out, and I left maybe 3/4 of the way through it. I should have left much earlier. Last night’s viewing of an hour or so confirmed my original belief that the movie sucked and that Byrne might have to face Rock Crimes for establishing the patronizing attitude indie rockers often display toward “real folk…you know, ‘good people’.” Why not just line up “ordinary people” from “middle America: and shoot ’em, David. It would be more humane. How the makers of that film got it so wrong is not the question; how the Coen brothers would often get it right and manage to poke fun at themselves while showing these idealized folks in some sympathetic light is.
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If today’s poll is not an indication, last night I watched a good deal of True Stories, that David Byrne’s Talking Heads movie. I saw this movie in the theater when it came out, and I left maybe 3/4 of the way through it. I should have left much earlier.
You left before the payoff. At the very end John Goodman sings People Like Us with real heart and it redeems the whole movie, which admittedly is quite silly. When I watched it again recently I was once again surprised at how moving Goodman was in that song.
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If Goodman was able to redeem that entire movie with the final song, then he deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy.
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VITALLY IMPORTANT NEWS
Please note, Rock Town Hall — “American Idol” is having its first “British Invasion Night” tonight at 8:00 EDT. I would think this should provide lots to enjoy for those of us who watch the show for fun, as well as an extra heaping helping of things to hate for those so inclined. Mr. Mod, you *really* need to watch tonight. I am sincere when I say I know I’d greatly enjoy your commentary on the morrow were you to do so.
Remember, that’s 8:00 ET tonight!
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Townsman Hrrundi,
I truly regret not seeing your message until now. This may have been one of the only reasons I could imagine tuning into that terrible show. How was it? What songs did they ruin? Let me guess, “British Invasion” actually meant they could sing stuff like Wham! and Culture Club. Did anyone do a Style Council Song? If what I suspect is true, the world is as sorry a place as I have long suspected. Don’t let me down.
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Eh, for one second in your life, stop being a sanctimonious douche and start enjoying something. The British Invasion episode of American Idol was entertaining on multiple levels, some of which had to do with actual musical talent. On the other hand, you also had Peter Noone once and for all revealing himself to be a complete tool, Lulu turning out to be unexpectedly awesome, and a previously intolerable non-entity of a singer turning out to be surprisingly enjoyable once she’s damn near naked.
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and a previously intolerable non-entity of a singer turning out to be surprisingly enjoyable once she’s damn near naked.
Definitely. Who cares how she sings if she dresses like that. What does it mean when The Zombies have 2 songs performed last night?
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What does it mean when The Zombies have 2 songs performed last night?
Possibly that their hipster worship is finally percolating into the mainstream.
I gotta say, though: Blake impressed the hell out of me with “Time of the Season.” That was an utterly inspired song choice, given his insistence on beatboxing in everything whether it needs it or not, it was a terrific arrangement that was both contemporary and in keeping with the original song, and he did in fact sing the hell out of it. I still predict a finals pair of Sligh and Melinda, but between this and Lakisha’s “Diamonds Are Forever” — the first thing I’ve ever seen her do that wasn’t the same ol’ one-dimensional shouting — I think my reserves are doing pretty well.
No clue who’s out this week, but my hunch says either Phil (bar-band “Tobacco Road”) or, in a bit of a shocker, Stephanie, whose “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” was a whole lot of nuthin’ special. Sanjaya remains safe because he actually didn’t entirely suck on “You Really Got Me.”
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Good call on the beatbox dude, but you’re dead wrong on Sligh. Mark my words, he’ll be gone within four rounds. Also set to suffer an earlier-than-expected withdrawal: the lousy Timberfake guy. I continue to be bullish on the hottie who sang practically naked last night. Lakisha’s got to watch her song selection, and if it’s revealed that Melinda’s aw-gosh-shucksisms are bullshit, watch for a shocking exit. Next up for the boot is that creepy bald dude. After him, Sanjaya’s out the door.
I have spoken. Watch this space for more AI ESP.
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Honestly, I’m surprised Timberfake is still around, although last night’s “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” proved that when he dials it back and just sings the fucking melody line for once, he’s not entirely useless. That was easily the closest to good he’s ever been.
If Melinda’s shyness is an act, then she’s the best actress ever to appear on the show, including Jennifer Hudson.
Groan. I never really got the furor over this Matthew Sweet dude. One or two good power pop songs, sure — but, really, can’t we all agree on the fundamental mediocrity of his output?
I know some of you are professional acquaintances, and might have a hard time coming clean in a semi-public forum such as this one. I am prepared to take your brutally honest assessments off-line.
I second that motion! I went through a very brief period where I drank the Kool-Aid, and thought “Girlfriend” was a masterpiece. None of his other albums had that consistency, and have not aged well. I think that the Posies did this style o’ musik much better.
Have yous guys heard his covers album with Suzanna Hoffs??? UGH!
Wow! He got fat and forgot how to sing.
Hey hrrundivbakshi:
I jus’ a-downloaded your baseball walk-up musik. Very nice. Strong work!
I think the first 6 or 7 songs of Girlfriend and 1 or 2 other songs on that album hold up as a rare great power pop album. Unlike bands like The Posies, there’s a real sense of playing going on, thanks to Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, Fred Maher, and Sweet’s own bass parts. In other words, if this makes sense, it’s a rare power pop album that’s played like a rock ‘n roll album. To my ears, too many other power pop albums in the world sound like the Sam Ash Music equivalent of Cheap Trick, and you know I don’t mean that as a compliment. At their BEST they sound like Cheap Trick and The Rasberries. I get no sense of frayed denim, stems and seeds, and other things I feel are essential to most great rock ‘n roll. Among the power pop world I also give Big Star and The dB’s (first 2 lps and even that misfired third one) credit for sounding like ’60s rock ‘n roll bands playing pop music rather than ’70s rock dudes trying to sound like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan…but with kick-ass Marshall stacks!
Oh, and anything I’ve heard before Girlfriend is terrible. Anything after that usually sucks too, although I could put together a killer 6- to 8-song ep of his post-Girlfriend work. I still like what the guy once stood for and the enthusiasm (and undercurrent of sadness) he brought to the genre.
Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that there are going to be three rock bands AND a Ukulele Orchestra at the North Star on Saturday? Why, you’d have to be a fool to miss out on that. Count me in!
Soooo, lemme see if I got this straight Mr. Mod. It sounds to me like you are a-saying that the success of Mr. Sweet’s best material lies in the virtuosoity of the musicians involved.
That seems jus’ counter-intuative to me in regards to Power PoP. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I’ve always assumed that you didn’t need to be a virtuoso to play PoP musik.
Oohh, and I’d put Jon Auer (lead-guit for the Posies) up against Richard Lloyd any day of the week!
Love,
JG
Not necessarily “vituosity,” JG, but – here comes an always-hard-to-prove term – ORGANIC NATURE OF THE PLAYING. I like it better when power pop bands sound like refugees of ’60s pop trying to scratch out a place in the modern world rather than nerds trying to make it in arena rock. To me Sweet’s band at that time sometimes sounds like what the Buffalo Springfield or some band like that might have sounded like had it managed to exist in a creative way into the then-modern world. It’s about the pop first, not some phony sense of power, which is what I hear in too many of the Cheap Trick disciples.
Will somebody watch this interview with Ian Gillan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppR838nSNX8
And then explain to me why what he says at the very end of the clip is funny. There is something about Sabbath, or Ronnie James Dio, that apparently must be known to find it funny.