from last week

this is the other post i wrote before i left last wednesday:

i keep it real. but i change the look of my blogspot from time to time because i get bored easily. i like this font a lot. i think it's called verdana.

so i am supposed to be in new york right now but i am stuck in michigan. why, you ask? nevermind the flight delays or the fact that there are 3 inches of hail/slush on the ground. no, i am still here because my mother's connecting flight was delayed for a completely separate reason, and we can't go without her because the rental car is in her name. what was the reason for the flight delay? they forgot to schedule a pilot. i'm not joking. there was no pilot. they were stuck in dulles airport in dc for FOUR hours because the airline fucked up some guy's work schedule. hah. and then they lost her bag. hah.

i'm leaving tomorrow morning--ok, this morning--ok, in like four hours. i need to go to sleep. but i just felt like breaking in the new digs.

vanilla thunder: in response to your awesome question, i compiled a short list of answers to the bands you listed. what follows is about as close to showing off (unless you count blogging) as i'll ever get.

The Cure: i gotta admit, i know very little about these guys. i have a collection of singles that rocks a lot, but as far as actual albums go, i'm not the expert. but! if you like the cure, you should also check out siouxie and the banshees, and pj harvey "stories from the city, stories from the sea". actually, check that album out regardless, as soon as possible.

The Who: "Live at Leeds" is one of the better live albums of the last 50 years. although again, this isn't really my kind of music. but i dig them anyway.

The Clash: you must must must go out and purchase "London Calling". it is quintessential. it is fucking nourishing. it makes you want to get drunk and break things and deepen your understanding of humanity and dance on top of your car and get lost in a supermarket and learn spanish and move to london. and that's only the A side.

TP and the Heartbreakers: i love them out of nostalgia. i have their Greatest Hits (which is a really really good collection). although their recent album, "Room at the Top" is quite good, and a big step forward for them. you will like them if you like the Who, but wish that the guitar parts didn't overshadow the pop songwriting.

Elvis Costello: real name: Duclan McManus. not sure if that's the correct spelling. it's something very dorky and british. you can understand why he changed his name for rock and roll. albums you should own: "My Aim Is True" (a good starter), "Imperial Bedroom" (also a good starter, but with less radio hit value), "This Year's Model" (some repeats from My Aim Is True but worth it just for radio radio, little triggers, pump it up...hmm, this one is actually quite fabulous), "Armed Forces" (great tracks: Oliver's Army and (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding, a song that should be heralded as one of the greatest pop songs ever written--thank you nick lowe). those are all i believe recorded with his backup band the Attractions. his latest release, "The Delivery Man", which is great if you love alt country music, is recorded with the Imposters. Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris both sing on tracks. it's a good album, i recommend it. but it's very different than the other ones i recommended so you should probably start with one or the other before you try to go mixing. i mean Armed Forces was recorded in 1978, so it's a big leap. (incidentally, a good place to check out cool alt country bands is at the label that put out elvis's new record, and that place is Lost Highway Records. google them. they also sign Willie Nelson and Ryan Adams, among many other cool cats.) (can you tell i love elvis costello?)

White Stripes: don't know what to say about these guys, a lot has been said lately. i've seen them live four or five times. they rock my face. get their first album (self titled) or de stijl before you worry about White Blood Cells or Elephant (their two most recent records). their early stuff is so good. each song is like a shot of fantastic whiskey--by the end, you are drunk, your voice is hoarse, and you want to give birth to jack's children.

**side note: i met them!!!! i went to the magic stick (indie club in detroit) to see blanche and the kills and my friends' band the all-night push. and jack and meg were there, just walking around like it ain't no thing. jack is so frigging huge it's unbelievable. and meg is very tiny. i was standing watching blanche (who are awesome) and i turned and looked left for a second--then did a triple-take because it was jack standing right there!!! i was like, oh my god. i go, "hi!" he sort of nods at me. i go, "do you like this band?" he nods again. i watch the band for a second, collecting my thoughts and trying desperately to get enough oxygen without gasping which is what i feel like doing. i go, "so, want to go do it?" but he is gone. i see him across the room a few more times but that's it. that was my interaction with a rock star. oh thank heaven for knowing people in minor rock bands--they are gateway drugs to the bigtime. (i heart the all-night push)**

The Ramones: hmm. loving the clash and elvis as much as i do, i really should know more about the Ramones but i don't. i like the following songs: "the kkk took my baby away", "blitzkrieg bop", "beat on the brat", "sheena is a punk rocker" and the classic "wanna be sedated". i like most of their stuff. don't own anything though.

David Bowie: he is my next project. i need to get into him, and soon.

Beck:mellow gold is probably one of my favorite records. you should get it. he reminds me of joe hero and steve dannemiller.

Jimi Hendrix: an icon, but i can only listen to him for so long. favorite songs: "little wing", red house", and "hey joe".

Otis Redding: oh my god i love this man. i've had a tough time finding anything but compilations and greatest hits by him, so that's all i own, but boy oh boy..."these arms of mine", "try a little tenderness", "satisfaction", "can't turn you loose", i've been loving you too long (to stop now)", "that;s how strong my love is", and the classic "sittin' on the dock of the bay" are all GREAT. did you know he wrote and recorded "respect" before aretha ever heard of it? and i think his version is just as good if not better.

Roy Orbison: hands down, the most beautiful male voice of the 20th century. "running scared" is a gem.and "in dreams." plus he's just a badass. those ray-bans? that coiffed bouffant? he was a real looker. you will like johnny cash if you like his voice.

hope that helps--or at least suffices until we can actually sit down and listen to all of those songs...