I recently got a request for music videos. I used to post a lot of music videos, mostly to classic alt-rock or alt-pop from the '80s and '90s. I just sort of got out of the habit once football season started and I didn't pick it back up when football season ended.
One of the things about being a mostly one-person operation is that I'm somewhat dependent upon the fickle whims of inspiration. I can really only do something if I have some desire to do it. For a while now, I haven't had the desire to seek out videos to the music I like, but I'm making an effort. I present to you "Every Day is Like Sunday" by Morrissey:
I'm not a big Morrissey fan at all. This is the only Morrissey solo song I'm actually familiar with, though I like some of what The Smiths did. I like the song, but primarily I'm posting it because it is an example of '80s and '90s music videos that were weirdly detached from the song.
The music video posted above is about a young woman, attractive in an '80s Madonna-ish sort of way, struggling to make sense of a world that she finds offensive or vacuous. She goes through town and is bothered by butchers selling meat and by people mistreating animals. She finds her inspiration in the Beavis-like good looks of Morrissey, and achieves some sort of peace knowing there are kindred spirits out there if she can just find them.
The song is not about that at all. It's about nuclear war. It's about how following the apocalypse, every day is pretty much the same and it gets kind of lonely.
I don't know why music video producers and directors so frequently strayed so far from the subject matter of the songs in designing a video around, but this is clearly one of the most egregious examples. Granted, the song is slow and kind of romantic sounding, so it doesn't exactly shout "I'M ABOUT THE HORRORS OF GENOCIDE," but the director had to know what it was about. Surely someone told him.
If you don't know the song, go ahead and click the video and listen. Despite its subject matter, it's actually a pretty catchy and melodic tune.
Showing posts with label whimsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whimsy. Show all posts
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Saturday, July 28, 2007
A Self-Portrait
This is me. The idea was stolen from Poseur, who did his own. Of course, this is me Simpsonized. I've been told it's a remarkable likeness, and as you can tell, I am a wonderful athlete.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Whimsical Wednesday
It's been a long time since we've done a Whimsical Wednesday. I've been too inspired to talk about the upcoming football season, which inches closer and closer, sometimes agonizing slowly. We're just over 6 weeks away now, and it'll be a long wait still.Anyway, one of my favorite bands is a band called "eels". Not "Eels" or "The Eels". Just "eels". It's really a one-person band, where Mark Oliver Everett writes everything, plays many of the instruments himself, and hires musicians to play the rest. It's really a solo project masquerading as a band.
Their biggest crossover hit was a song called "Novocaine for the Soul" back in 1996. He's still making music today. The first album I owned by them was 2000's "Daisies of the Galaxy" with the minor cross-over hit "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues", which appeared on numerous movie soundtracks including "Road Trip". Here's its video, with appearances from the cast of Road Trip:
I went on to buy all their other albums. He is maybe the most talented pop musician of his generation. His music is beautiful, and his lyrics often dark but without angst. He also has a wonderful and dark sense of humor that comes out in the oddest places. You hear it a lot in his definitive album "Electro-shock Blues", which was written after a period of time when Everett lost his mother to cancer and his sister to suicide. It's a very emotional album, but at the same time it's a very adult album of grief and healing, not a juvenile album of angst and self-pity. It's the album where he really found his voice, and each subsequent album has explored a lot of dark territory as well.It's a common refrain with me that I often have no idea why mainstream success eludes really talented musicians who have a true artistic vision while really bad music becomes really popular. Everett is a guy who really deserves a wider audience. He probably doesn't want legions of screaming fans, but I think a little more mainstream success has been earned.
Here's a video to his song "I Need Some Sleep." It's an unofficial video put together by a fan, but it's very effective. It's beautiful and somber, and perfectly illustrative of what the eels have done for years.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Gift-giving Wednesday
I recently had two substantial gift-receiving events:
Of course, immediately after receiving approximately 70 hours worth of DVDs, my DVD player broke, and I had to go get another one. Viewing is going slowly, but I definitely being reminded of just how great the early seasons of The Simpsons were. I recently saw the first appearance of teh great Lionel Hutz!
The first season of Veronica Mars really was terrific stuff. It sounds like such a lame premise: high school girl solves mysteries, but it is a dark story, a high school film noir told in 22 hour-long parts. Here is a speech delivered by the eponymous 16-year-old hero in the first episode. "I started the day thinking I had only one person I could count on, but in the end, everyone you care about lets you down." Damn.
Being an old-school comic book nerd and a tremendous fan of Neil Gaiman's work in The Sandman, I have long known about The Watchmen, which is considered to be among the four-or-so titles that really transcended "comic books" and earned the title "graphic novel", along with Maus, The Sandman, and The Dark Knight Returns. I'm reading it slowly, trying to digest it a little at a time. I'm now about halfway through it, and I can definitely see where the praise from this title is coming.
For the uninitiated, The Watchmen deconstructs the costumed hero myth/legend by imagining costumed heros outside of a pre-adolescent-male setting. In other words, it imagines what costumed heros would REALLY be like if they actually existed, and it isn't pretty. Most are distinctly disturbed, unable to maintain any normal human interaction. They are jealous and awe-struck when confronted with someone more powerful. The people fear and loathe the ones who aren't under the control of the government, and many fear the ones that are working for the government. The ones that work for the government are involved in atrocities to preserve 3rd world dictatorships. It's ugly. It's great stuff.
Delores O'Riordan's album is very much what one might expect from the former singer of The Cranberries. She did not make the mistake of veering too far away from what her fans like, giving us a good collection of power pop with her distinct singing voice. To quote Tom Petty, however, "I don't hear a single." It's good, but it lacks that really transcendent song that The Cranberries were pretty good at making: Dreams, Linger, Zombie, etc.
If you don't visit often, please notice that Poseur published something late yesterday about the team's expectations and this team's place in LSU history. Scroll down and read it if you haven't seen it yet.
- Father's Day
- My 33rd birthday
The Simpsons' Seasons 2 through 6 on DVD
The Complete First Season of Veronica Mars
The collected graphic novel of The Watchmen
Delores O'Riordan's new album
Of course, immediately after receiving approximately 70 hours worth of DVDs, my DVD player broke, and I had to go get another one. Viewing is going slowly, but I definitely being reminded of just how great the early seasons of The Simpsons were. I recently saw the first appearance of teh great Lionel Hutz!
The first season of Veronica Mars really was terrific stuff. It sounds like such a lame premise: high school girl solves mysteries, but it is a dark story, a high school film noir told in 22 hour-long parts. Here is a speech delivered by the eponymous 16-year-old hero in the first episode. "I started the day thinking I had only one person I could count on, but in the end, everyone you care about lets you down." Damn.
Being an old-school comic book nerd and a tremendous fan of Neil Gaiman's work in The Sandman, I have long known about The Watchmen, which is considered to be among the four-or-so titles that really transcended "comic books" and earned the title "graphic novel", along with Maus, The Sandman, and The Dark Knight Returns. I'm reading it slowly, trying to digest it a little at a time. I'm now about halfway through it, and I can definitely see where the praise from this title is coming.
For the uninitiated, The Watchmen deconstructs the costumed hero myth/legend by imagining costumed heros outside of a pre-adolescent-male setting. In other words, it imagines what costumed heros would REALLY be like if they actually existed, and it isn't pretty. Most are distinctly disturbed, unable to maintain any normal human interaction. They are jealous and awe-struck when confronted with someone more powerful. The people fear and loathe the ones who aren't under the control of the government, and many fear the ones that are working for the government. The ones that work for the government are involved in atrocities to preserve 3rd world dictatorships. It's ugly. It's great stuff.
Delores O'Riordan's album is very much what one might expect from the former singer of The Cranberries. She did not make the mistake of veering too far away from what her fans like, giving us a good collection of power pop with her distinct singing voice. To quote Tom Petty, however, "I don't hear a single." It's good, but it lacks that really transcendent song that The Cranberries were pretty good at making: Dreams, Linger, Zombie, etc.
If you don't visit often, please notice that Poseur published something late yesterday about the team's expectations and this team's place in LSU history. Scroll down and read it if you haven't seen it yet.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Quothe the Raven, "Eat My Shorts"
For my first Father's Day, my wife gave me seasons 2 through 6 of The Simpsons on DVD. I quite adore the early seasons of the Simpsons, and yes, I still watch the newer episodes even though the quality has declined a bit. Yesterday, I watched the first Treehouse of Terror special, which includes this brilliant adaptation of The Raven.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Whimsical Sundays
Alright, as you may have guessed, I am a big fan of '90s alternative music. It's kind of out of favor now, but it's the music I had my formative years with. It's my "things were better back then" back then times.
One of the most underrated bands of the '90s was The Sundays. They were kind of like The Cranberries or the 10,000 Maniacs, but more reclusive and less interested in fame. They put out three albums (of which I own two) over a period of about 8 or 9 years, so they weren't particularly productive. They did not do a lot of press and never really promoted their music publicly. Now that their time has passed, the oft-imitated lead singer and the main songwriter have shunned the limelight, leaving fans wanting more, which as they say is what showbiz wants to do.
Though they were indie-rock darlings, their music is really accessible. A lot of their songs sounds like something that might be played on Sesame Street. One apt description I read by a random commenter on a YouTube video sums it up nicely. "The SUNDAYS' music had many moments that were literally achingly beautiful and mesmerizing - moments when you caught yourself not breathing. Harriet's voice haunts the soul." I guess they just didn't kiss the right butt to get more radio play.
Here's their cover of the Rolling Stones "Wild Horses", which they definitely make their own:
See if you can think of other singers who've tried to sound like Harriet Wheeler. She has a stunning voice that stays with you. What's more, though she is capable to belting a song, she knows when it's best to sing it quietly, and that's when she's most effective.
The song itself has been used in many television shows and movies, most famously in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was not a fan of Buffy, but I understand that fans of the show consider the use of this song during a love scene to be one of the most pivotal and memorable moments of the series and still react emotionally when hearing the song because of it.
Anyway, here's another Sundays song, "Summertime":
It was a minor hit back in the day and gives a different aspect of their sound.
One of the most underrated bands of the '90s was The Sundays. They were kind of like The Cranberries or the 10,000 Maniacs, but more reclusive and less interested in fame. They put out three albums (of which I own two) over a period of about 8 or 9 years, so they weren't particularly productive. They did not do a lot of press and never really promoted their music publicly. Now that their time has passed, the oft-imitated lead singer and the main songwriter have shunned the limelight, leaving fans wanting more, which as they say is what showbiz wants to do.
Though they were indie-rock darlings, their music is really accessible. A lot of their songs sounds like something that might be played on Sesame Street. One apt description I read by a random commenter on a YouTube video sums it up nicely. "The SUNDAYS' music had many moments that were literally achingly beautiful and mesmerizing - moments when you caught yourself not breathing. Harriet's voice haunts the soul." I guess they just didn't kiss the right butt to get more radio play.
Here's their cover of the Rolling Stones "Wild Horses", which they definitely make their own:
See if you can think of other singers who've tried to sound like Harriet Wheeler. She has a stunning voice that stays with you. What's more, though she is capable to belting a song, she knows when it's best to sing it quietly, and that's when she's most effective.
The song itself has been used in many television shows and movies, most famously in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was not a fan of Buffy, but I understand that fans of the show consider the use of this song during a love scene to be one of the most pivotal and memorable moments of the series and still react emotionally when hearing the song because of it.
Anyway, here's another Sundays song, "Summertime":
It was a minor hit back in the day and gives a different aspect of their sound.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Cribs Wednesday
My friend Jason sent me this link. He comments as uberschuck, which is a name I don't understand. He's from St. Bernard Parish, and he has a really good sense of humor about it. There's no humor quite like FEMA trailer humor. It's not safe for work, due to a handful of 4-letter words.
It's only funny, I suppose, if you're at least vaguely familiar with MTV's "Cribs", but here's hoping most of you are. Don't skip this one. It's worth five minutes of your time.
It's only funny, I suppose, if you're at least vaguely familiar with MTV's "Cribs", but here's hoping most of you are. Don't skip this one. It's worth five minutes of your time.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Dr. Katz Wednesday
Alright, so I like animation. Always have. I also like really offbeat and dry humor. Therefore, I was a big fan of Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist, a show that came on Comedy Central about 10-12 years ago. It was a show about a guy who was living with his grown son, who was not quite ready to take on life yet. He was a therapist to famous stand-up comics. Here are some clips:
Dr. Katz with Jon Stewart
Dr. Katz's Receptionist
Dr. Katz's son Ben is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, who went on to voice Coach McGuirk in Home Movies, another wildly inventive and funny show. Dr. Katz's receptionist is voiced by Sarah Silverman's sister Laura Silverman.
The strange animation technique is called "Squigglevision", and it was invented by the guy who developed Dr. Katz into a show. It was later used in the Saturday morning show Science Court and Home Movies.
Dr. Katz with Jon Stewart
Dr. Katz's Receptionist
Dr. Katz's son Ben is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, who went on to voice Coach McGuirk in Home Movies, another wildly inventive and funny show. Dr. Katz's receptionist is voiced by Sarah Silverman's sister Laura Silverman.
The strange animation technique is called "Squigglevision", and it was invented by the guy who developed Dr. Katz into a show. It was later used in the Saturday morning show Science Court and Home Movies.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Whimsical Thursday
It completely slipped my mind that it was Wednesday yesterday. Hence, you got no Whimsical Wednesday. Today will be Whimsical Thursday.
At the risk of eroding my alt-rock street cred, I will reveal that one of my favorite bands is The Cranberries. Yes, I really like a good pop song, and I think The Cranberries put together a rock melody with catchy lyrics as well as anyone.
It upset me for years that The Cranberries just unceremoniously disappeared from the scene. They faded away as '90s rock faded away, leaving me thinking they'd left something on the table. I simply always thought Delores O'Riordan had more good music in her.
Then I found out two days ago that Delores O'Riordan is coming out with a solo album. Unfortunately, my source of this news angered me by saying, "She has always sounded like Alanis Morissette and Lisa Loeb." I literally exclaimed at the television. First of all, Alanis Morissette and Lisa Loeb sound nothing like each other, and neither sounds like Delores O'Riordan. AM sounds angsty and screechy. LL has a pretty voice, but it is straight chick folk rock. DO'R has a distinct Irish brogue that comes through even in her singing, without sounding angsty or folky.
Here's a collection of videos:
LINGER
For some reason, that video of Linger seems to have the video and music off-sync. I don't know if it's just for me though.
Dreams - my personal favorite of their songs.
Zombie - rockin' out a little, but honestly the video looks a little ridiculous now.
Ridiculous Thoughts - with Elijah Wood
Free to Decide
At the risk of eroding my alt-rock street cred, I will reveal that one of my favorite bands is The Cranberries. Yes, I really like a good pop song, and I think The Cranberries put together a rock melody with catchy lyrics as well as anyone.
It upset me for years that The Cranberries just unceremoniously disappeared from the scene. They faded away as '90s rock faded away, leaving me thinking they'd left something on the table. I simply always thought Delores O'Riordan had more good music in her.
Then I found out two days ago that Delores O'Riordan is coming out with a solo album. Unfortunately, my source of this news angered me by saying, "She has always sounded like Alanis Morissette and Lisa Loeb." I literally exclaimed at the television. First of all, Alanis Morissette and Lisa Loeb sound nothing like each other, and neither sounds like Delores O'Riordan. AM sounds angsty and screechy. LL has a pretty voice, but it is straight chick folk rock. DO'R has a distinct Irish brogue that comes through even in her singing, without sounding angsty or folky.
Here's a collection of videos:
LINGER
For some reason, that video of Linger seems to have the video and music off-sync. I don't know if it's just for me though.
Dreams - my personal favorite of their songs.
Zombie - rockin' out a little, but honestly the video looks a little ridiculous now.
Ridiculous Thoughts - with Elijah Wood
Free to Decide
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Whimsical Wednesday
Back in 1996, I started graduate school at the University of Delaware. I was 22 years old, and it was right after college. I didn't like it very much. I didn't like the work, and I didn't like living in Newark, Delaware.
I spent most of the time I was supposed to be studying doing other things like watching hockey (an obsession that has kind of ended), watching football (still going strong), watching cartoons (guilty again), and buying/listening to alternative rock music.
It was in this time that I really got into bands like The Pixies, Catherine Wheel, Throwing Muses, and Liz Phair. I started buying up every Matthew Sweet album I could find. Even the imports and demo collections. Was I slightly obsessed? Maybe. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. My career as a research scientist didn't last long, but my love of alternative rock remains.
Last night, I was puttering around the computer while the baby napped, and I found some Liz Phair songs on YouTube. Every so often, I have to be reminded of just how good early Liz Phair is. It's really really good. It's honest, frank, explicit without being exploitative, and kind of rockin'. Yes, it has the female-singer-songwriter-with-an-acoustic-guitar vibe going, but it's the VERY BEST of that particular overworked genre, and she is pretty much the one who brought that form into prominence again.
Her later stuff isn't very good, as she decided to start channeling her inner Avril Lavigne, which really doesn't work for someone in her late 30s. The early stuff is wonderful though, and her first album "Exile in Guyville" routinely makes lists of "Greatest Albums of All-Time". Quite rightly.
Here's a grainy clip of her playing a live show back in 1995, two years after her first album came out. The lyrics have many four-letter words, so kids shouldn't play it.
I spent most of the time I was supposed to be studying doing other things like watching hockey (an obsession that has kind of ended), watching football (still going strong), watching cartoons (guilty again), and buying/listening to alternative rock music.
It was in this time that I really got into bands like The Pixies, Catherine Wheel, Throwing Muses, and Liz Phair. I started buying up every Matthew Sweet album I could find. Even the imports and demo collections. Was I slightly obsessed? Maybe. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. My career as a research scientist didn't last long, but my love of alternative rock remains.
Last night, I was puttering around the computer while the baby napped, and I found some Liz Phair songs on YouTube. Every so often, I have to be reminded of just how good early Liz Phair is. It's really really good. It's honest, frank, explicit without being exploitative, and kind of rockin'. Yes, it has the female-singer-songwriter-with-an-acoustic-guitar vibe going, but it's the VERY BEST of that particular overworked genre, and she is pretty much the one who brought that form into prominence again.
Her later stuff isn't very good, as she decided to start channeling her inner Avril Lavigne, which really doesn't work for someone in her late 30s. The early stuff is wonderful though, and her first album "Exile in Guyville" routinely makes lists of "Greatest Albums of All-Time". Quite rightly.
Here's a grainy clip of her playing a live show back in 1995, two years after her first album came out. The lyrics have many four-letter words, so kids shouldn't play it.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
It's that time of year again
I want to like baseball. I really do. I actually like baseball quite a bit. My only problem is that I don't have a rooting interest. If I had a real rooting interest, I could do things like keep up with the hot stove league, pay attention in June, and even know who's leading divisions at any given time. I've been trying to pick a permanent team for years. Here are my criteria:
I think this year I will root for the Brewers. They're expected to be reasonably competitive, and they have a player on their team that I watched when I used to work in Dixie Youth baseball. Ben Sheets was in that league at that time, and incidentally, he wasn't one of the best players in that league. He was a late bloomer who just got better and better after the other people his age peaked in high school.
Anyway, this being Whimsical Wednesday, here's a YouTube of penguins chasing a butterfly.
- It can't be the Yankees, the Braves, or the Rangers,
- It has to be well-run. It doesn't have to be competitive every year, but there must be some hope of being competitive on a regular basis,
- It must not be a recent expansion team,
- It must not be doomed to constantly lose its best players to free agency,
- It must not constantly buy up the best free agents from poorer teams.
I think this year I will root for the Brewers. They're expected to be reasonably competitive, and they have a player on their team that I watched when I used to work in Dixie Youth baseball. Ben Sheets was in that league at that time, and incidentally, he wasn't one of the best players in that league. He was a late bloomer who just got better and better after the other people his age peaked in high school.
Anyway, this being Whimsical Wednesday, here's a YouTube of penguins chasing a butterfly.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sorry
I apologize for the lack of a post yesterday. Baby is cutting into blogging time, somethin' fierce.
Congratulations to the Lady Tigers for their stunning upset of UConn to get to their 4th consecutive Final Four. "Stunning Upset" doesn't do it justice however. It was a thorough beat-down. The team seems possessed right now. I honestly don't think anything can stop them. In their previous Final Fours, they didn't get it done, but I think this is the year they win it all.
It will take the sting off of what has been a bad year for the men's program, and will be a bad year for the baseball program.
I have been meaning to start something on this, and today seems like a good day for it.
Prepare yourself for the start of tradition Wednesday of Bogging Whimsy. Here is today's whimsy. A ten minute clip of an early Space Ghost: Coast to Coast episode, with a special appearance by the Beat..., uh, Pavement.
Congratulations to the Lady Tigers for their stunning upset of UConn to get to their 4th consecutive Final Four. "Stunning Upset" doesn't do it justice however. It was a thorough beat-down. The team seems possessed right now. I honestly don't think anything can stop them. In their previous Final Fours, they didn't get it done, but I think this is the year they win it all.
It will take the sting off of what has been a bad year for the men's program, and will be a bad year for the baseball program.
I have been meaning to start something on this, and today seems like a good day for it.
Prepare yourself for the start of tradition Wednesday of Bogging Whimsy. Here is today's whimsy. A ten minute clip of an early Space Ghost: Coast to Coast episode, with a special appearance by the Beat..., uh, Pavement.
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