i heart supergrass...

15 for 33, the Sequel: 15 for 34

2011-07-02T00:12:00.002-04:00

All are welcome to participate.

For those of you who need a refresher course, or are learning of this for the first time:

So with my big 34 right around the bend – 48 days from today - I was thinking the perfect gift would be a gazillion Scavenger hunt cd's made just for me! It costs you nothing but time, love and a blank CDR.

Wondering what the hell a Scavenger Hunt cd is? Well, it's pretty simple. I will provide a list below of 14 sets of criteria. Each track must fit the criteria. For instance, if I listed:
1. A song sung by a man named Paul
you could choose "Yesterday" by the Beatles or "Love Gun" by KISS or even a U2 song that isn't one of the three sung by David. Or if I listed:
2. A song you hate by a band you love
I would personally list "Piggies" by the Beatles or “Creep” by Radiohead.

Sounds fun, right? Ok - so here are the tracks. Some will be easy, some will be tougher. Some will be ridiculous, and some will be wild cards of sorts.

Have fun and make it reflect you as much as me. Don't get worried about things like "Oh - doesn't Heidi HATE the Kings of Leon?" (Answer: oh, yes. she does)

So here goes this year:

A song that...

along with #15, is sung by the same lead singer, but is two different bands
(see: Heaven and Hell era Black Sabbath, and Dio or Blur and Gorillaz or the Good Bad & Queen or...)
is by a band with brothers … or sisters, or one of each (the White Stripes are not siblings, people)
(see: Fountains of Wayne, the Kinks, early Replacements)
sung by a Beatle, but not a Beatles song
(see:- you should be able to figure this one out)
in which the artist name drops another artist
(see: Alex Chilton by the Replacements)
contains $4 words or requires a dictionary to understand the lyrics
(see: the Decemberists early catalog)
is an up-tempo love song
(see: Brand New Colony by the Postal Service)
is not sung by the band's regular lead singer (guest artists, other band members and Ringo all accepted
of which the title is a girl's name
comes in under 3 minutes THAT IS NOT SONG 2 BY BLUR
is just plain naughty
was released in 1995
(see: you can't all choose Wonderwall)
was played at your favorite concert ever
(me? She's in Parties by Bauhaus)
is by an artist in memorium (a dead rock star song)
(see: Jeff Buckley)
is sung by a Canadian
(see: Rush)
see #1

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 15 of 15 This song sounds familiar or Beatles covers

2011-03-15T21:15:00.002-04:00

We all know how I feel about the Beatles. They are sacred. For years, during my silly adolescent i-know-everything years, I even refused to acknowledge the significance of a Beatles cover... until I finally realized a lot of their early stuff... were covers.

So, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as the Gallagher brothers have often reminded us, here are some bona fide compliments.

DEAR PRUDENCE: Souxie and the Banshees
Stuart
Katherine
Aunt Christy

HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN: the Breeders
Nikki G
Jenn O

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE: Rufus Wainwright
Erica
Chuck

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE: Fiona Apple
Kyle

HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY: Eddie Vedder
Amanda

HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY: E'nuff Z'nuff
Megan
-incidentally, this may be one of the first covers i ever fell in love with

ELEANOR RIGBY: BB Seaton
Thomas

GOLDEN SLUMBERS: Ben Folds
Liz
-maybe my favorite Beatles cover ever.

LONG LONG LONG: Elliott Smith
Scot
-and maybe my favorite artist who covered the Beatles. his "Because" is my second favorite of all time. CHILLS!

I'M ONLY SLEEPING: the Vines
Erin O (disc 1)

WITHIN YOU, WITHOUT YOU: Sonic Youth
Blake
-a cover of a George song!

BLACKBIRD: Foo Fighters
Crickett
-a cover of my favorite Paul song

HELLO, GOODBYE: the cast of "Glee"
Joe

AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING: Guadalcanal Diary
Rory
-reminds me of middle school

I SAW HER STANDING THERE: the Smithereens
Misty

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK: Dandy Warhols
Erin O (disc 2)

YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME: She & Him
Aly
- my mom's favorite Beatles song

BACK IN THE USSR - Billy Joel
Sarah

And that, kids, concludes this edition of the Scavenger Hunt CD posts. We'll start all over again if you guys are game, in July!

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 14 KTO? Quien? Songs sung by Continental (or just non-English) Europeans

2011-03-15T00:26:00.012-04:00

They come from all over the continent - or thereabouts - to sing their songs. From the northern reaches of Scandinavia, to the far ocean reaches of Iceland, and back to the monstrosity of a country that produced my favorite liquor - and my favorite husband.

Here are you English-singing (mostly), non-English speaking (mostly) offerings...

SWEDEN
CROSSES: Jose Gonzalez
Nikki G

CRUCIFIED: Army of Lovers
Megan
-hmmm, already a theme here with the swedes

THE OPPOSITE OF HALLELUJAH: Jens Lekman
Chuck
-still a theme...

SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION - Hellsongs
Thomas
- um, this is getting really odddddd

DRY AND DUSTY - Fever Ray
Jenn O
-could still refer to fire and brimstone or hell or something...

NORWAY
MODERN NATURE: Sondre Lerche
Erin O (disc 2)

1517: Whitest Boy Alive
Stuart
- though they are technically also from...

GERMANY
READY. SET. GO. : Tokio Hotel
Aunt Christy

DU HAAST: Rammstein
Kyle
-the quintessential German metal band, not to be confused with...

AUSTRIA
ROCK ME AMADEUS: Falco
Misty
-oh beloved song of our childhood

FRANCE
JE NE REGRETTE RIEN: Edith Piaf
Katherine
-it should be noted that she chose this long before seeing Inception

TAKE IT ALL: Marion Cotillard
Joe
- eep, following Edith is the woman who won an Oscar playing her, and who was in Inception

Y'A PAS D'ARRANGEMENT: Zebda
Sarah

DANS MON DOS: Benjamin Biolay
Liz

RAPHAEL: Carla Bruni
Aly
-though technically she is French and Italian, I suppose

FROM THE LAND OF MY IN-LAWS, RUSSIA

SUMMER WILL END: KINO
Blake

ALCOHOLIC: Leningrad
Scot

FROM THE COUNTRY THAT IS STEALING MY BEST FRIEND FOR TWO YEARS, UKRAINE

START WEARING PURPLE: Gogol Bordello
Amanda
-hoped this would show up. also hope katherine meets eugene hutz, but i am not holding my breath.

FROM THE ISLANDS, ICELAND

GOBBLEDIGOOK: Sigur Ros
Erica
-girl love her some Jonsi!

AND ONE PART OF U.K. THAT ISN'T ENGLAND, SCOTLAND
SPECIAL: Garbage
Erin O (disc 1)

MY FRIEND JOHN: the Fratellis
Rory

WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE TO BEGIN: Colin Hay
Crickett
- yes, Men at Work were from Oz, but Colin was born and raised a Scot

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 13 Building me up while you're shooting me down or Upbeat songs with downbeat lyrics

2011-03-13T17:35:00.003-04:00

In making a recent mix cd for a friend, I discovered that this particular category might just be my favorite sub-genre of music in general, as I made a 17-track cd comprised almost entirely of perky songs with dread-filled lyrics. Even my favorite song of all time, Squeeze's "Tempted" is a ridiculously bouncy song about a someone fucking up, figuratively and literally.

Much like category 12, there is a clear master of this particular craft. I am surprised to report that Erica, known Morrissey-phile, was not amongst the four who chose a pairing of his lyrics with Mr. Marr's melodies, but then again, she was certainly not remiss in including them elsewhere.

THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT: the Smiths
Rory
Aly
- may i never forget the night we were at Karaoke Melody belting this one out when Jenn's Mr. O said "FUCK, THAT SONG IS DEPRESSING!" (not verbatim)

DEATH AT ONE'S ELBOW: the Smiths
Scot
-even the title gives you fair warning

WHAT SHE SAID: the Smiths
Nikki G

EVERYTHING COUNTS: Depeche Mode
Erica
-seems a reasonable follow up to the Smiths

BEST FRIEND: the Drums
SKIPPIN' TOWN: the Drums
Erin O
-perhaps the new purveyors of depressed pop

LIKE THE WEATHER: 10,000 Maniacs
Blake
-if you're wondering where the sun is, it's finally in Atlanta today

MAD WORLD: Tears for Fears
Jenn O
-also masters of this art in their own right

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN: Arctic Monkeys
Amanda
- misery to you can get down to

LESSONS LEARNED: Matt & Kim
Chuck
-makes me bounce in my seat at work in spite of itself

TOJO: Hoodoo Gurus
Katherine
-knew these guys would pop up sometime

ONE ANGRY DWARF: Ben Folds Five
Joe
-so delighted with the Ben Folds occurrences!

FREAKSHOW: Gothic Archies
Megan
- does Stephen Merritt write happy songs?

TODAY: Smashing Pumpkins
Crickett
-one of the last songs by these guys that i actually liked

ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS: Garbage
Kyle
-pour your misery down on me, indeed

YOU HAVE PLACED A CHILL IN MY HEART: Eurythmics
Stuart
-i really really miss Eurythmics. can i just say that?

CADENCE OF HER LAST BREATH: Nightwish
Liz
-this inclusion did my husband proud. also, reminds me of the time Casey, Nikki G, & i saw that cut out at the coffee shop register - "10 Metal Bands Whose Names Sound Like Flavors of Tea: 1. Nightwish, 2. Moonspell..."

...and some classics...

ELEANOR RIGBY: the Beatles
Misty
-well, the downbeat part assuredly

ALL YOU GET FROM LOVE IS A LOVE SONG: the Carpenters
Sarah
- this and "Superstar" help me to understand my mother's love for the Carpenters

GLORY DAYS: Bruce Springsteen
Aunt Christy
- this very well could have been my life. thank gawwwwd it is not.

LAVENDER COFFIN: Joe Thomas
Thomas
- this one is brand new to me

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 12 What's this thing called again? or Songs whose title is not reflected in the lyrics

2011-03-13T12:22:00.003-04:00

With this category, I am reminded of how I miss Tuesday night music trivia at the Angel with my girls... and how much of a pin in the ass songs like this were when we go them. We KNEW the song, KNEW the artist, but damn! What's that weird title? What? What the hell does "Selling the Drama" mean anyway.

As it turns out (thankfully) no one chose that one. Instead, I do believe we can crown Misters Sumner and Hook as the joint kings of random titles. And we all know how I love New Order. They only pop up twice here, but I am pretty sure they still reign supreme.

TRUE FAITH: New Order
Misty
- i actually just included this on Scot's own SH CD as my "song i hated when i was young and stupid, but love now" track. well, that's not how he worded it, just my interpretation

SUBCULTURE: New Order
Stuart
-followed by...

THE HEADMASTER RITUAL: the Smiths
Erica
- the namesake of a certain dj i know

PARANOID ANDROID: Radiohead
Blake

WRAITH PINNED TO THE MIST AND OTHER GAMES: Of Montreal
Joe
-wait. isn't this called the Outback song? ;)

POLITE DANCE SONG: the Bird & the Bee
Thomas

CLINT EASTWOOD: Gorillaz
Jenn O

CLOUDS UP: Air
Aly

A CAUTIONARY TALE: the Decemberists
Erin O (disc 1)

THIS IS WHY YOU LOVE ME: Brian Jonestown Massacre
Erin O (disc 2)

SANS SOLEIL: Miike Snow
Katherine

DUTCH WONDERLAND: Josh Joplin Group
Aunt Christy
- appropriately, as she introduced me to JJG, who i consequently loved for many many years after

CARE OF CELL 44: the Zombies
Scot
- i always forget how much i love the Zombies

COLD DAYS FROM THE BIRDHOUSE: the Twilight Sad
Amanda

IOU: Metric
Nikki G

UNCHAINED MELODY: John Cowan
Crickett

POP ROCKS AND COKE: Green Day
Rory

SHADOW STABBING: Cake
Sarah

3 LIBRAS: A Perfect Circle
Kyle
- what you may or may not know about me - kyle knows it, clearly - is that Maynard Kenan is in possession of maybe my favorite and most coveted singing voice in all of rock. at least of people who are still living.

D'YER MAKER: Led Zeppelin
Megan
- another bit of trivia: Houses of the Holy, the first Zeppelin cd i ever bought with my own money

CAPE COD KWASSA KWASSA: Hot Chip & Peter Gabriel
Chuck
- it's almost like this song was created JUST to make me happy

TOO FAMOUS TO GET FULLY DRESSED: Butch Walker
Liz
- I shoulda guessed this guy was gonna show up on liz's cd eventually :)

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 11 Your Hits Just Keep on Comin'

2011-03-11T23:26:00.008-05:00

This one's for you, folks. Your favorite songs - now or ever.

Today, at Erin O's suggestion, I - and she - started the 30 Day Song Challenge. Appropriately enough, day 1 is "your favorite song. " Coincidence, mayyyybe.

So, we all know what mine is (or you will if you click on that very dated photo). Now - here are yours...

CIGARETTES & CHOCOLATE MILK: Rufus Wainwright
Aly
- he shows up on these discs an awful lot

STAR WITNESS: Neko Case
Amanda
- Neko Case could turn me. i swear.

I'M NOT YOUR TOY - La Roux
Blake
- i'm guessing this a favorite song right now, being as it is not by REM or the Dead Milkmen, Blake

DON'T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Aunt Christy
-it's a Travelin' Wilbury!

DANCIN' ON MY OWN: Robyn
Chuck
- you boys love this Robyn chick.

GIRL OF THE NORTH COUNTRY: Sam Bush
Crickett
-i'd have never guessed this one

THE GLOBE: Big Audio Dynamite
Erica
- good god, this might be one of mine too now.

THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK: Simon & Garfunkel
I SUMMON YOU: Spoon
Erin O
-note: neither of these are by anyone involved in the film DIG! so I don't know that i believe ;)

YOU'VE GOT THE LOVE: Florence + the Machine (XX Remix)
Jenn O
- reminds me of being in a foreign place, and i love it

L'HOMME DES MARIAS: Les Negresses Vertes
Katherine
- this speaks volumes

ICKY THUMP: the White Stripes
Kyle
-perhaps one of my favorite lines in a rock song ever:
white Americans, what?
nothing better to do?
why don't you kick yourself out
you're an immigrant too.

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND: Pink Floyd
Liz
-maybe one of my favorite Floyd songs, too

EFFINGTON: Ben Folds
Joe
-we used to try and spot Ben in Nashville when i would visit Nikki G

IF YOU WANT ME TO STAY: Sly and the Family Stone
Megan
- somehow i didn't know this was her favorite. and yet, somehow i am not surprised...

EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD: Tears for Fears
Misty
-reminds me of a loss of innocence. a timeless song if ever there was one.

MANY MOONS: Janelle Monae
Nikki G
-this was the first time i had ever heard this!

THE GIRL WHO BECAME A MACHINE: Len Price 3
Rory
-this was the first time i had ever heard this, either!

THE BOOK OF LOVE: Peter Gabriel
Sarah
- a piece of my heart belongs to Peter Gabriel for writing "Games without Frontiers" and "Salisbury Hill"

LIKE AN ANGEL PASSING THROUGH MY ROOM: ABBA
Scot
-when i was wee, we had a next door neighbor who adored my parents and me. when he moved out he left me tins and tins of old 45's, the majority of which were ABBA records. this is what this reminds me of...

COUNTERPOINT: Delphie
Stuart
- also brand new to me somehow

DILLY: Band of Horses
Thomas
-i shouldn't like BoH - but lord, i cannot help but do

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 10 Songs from the year of our birth 1977

2011-03-11T15:17:00.011-05:00

1977. A good year...

A year that gave us Star Wars. The rise and fall of the Sex Pistols, followed by a an American punk scene. The inauguration of Jimmy Carter. A song called "Melissa" by the Allman Bros. and one little girl whose Daddy loved that song so much that it's my middle name.

I was meant to be a rock child. So here are the offerings from the year of my birth - and many of yours...

HARD LUCK WOMAN: KISS
Erin O (disc 2)
-appropriately, the first piece of rock n roll to be pinned up on my bedroom wall? a picture of Peter Criss when i was 4.

BARRACUDA:
Katherine
Stuart
-some day i will sing at Metalsome Monday. and this will be my song.

COLD AS ICE: Foreigner
Rory
Misty
- it's funny to me to think that Rory was probably rocking out to this as a kid when it came out, while Misty was probably still incubating in the womb.

ROCKAWAY BEACH: the Ramones
Nikki G
YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER OPENED THAT DOOR: the Ramones
Aly
SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER
Amanda
-i love that i can claim to be born they same year as american punk['s popularity]

NO MORE HEROES: the Stranglers
Thomas
- the STRANGLERS! two appearances in one Scavenger Hunt series. hoooo-ray

HEROES: David Bowie
Liz
-keeping the balance with my ultimate sugar daddy

WE WILL ROCK YOU/WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Queen
Erica
-as a small child i was so terrified of the cover art for News of the World that i honestly thought this song was from the point of view of a robot monster coming to crush me in his hands. it delights me to no end to think of how i love both of these tracks now.

CA PLANE POUR MOI: Plastic Bastards
Scot
-i can't listen to this song in the car. i am dancing driver and this song make me toooo bouncy!

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT: Talking Heads
Blake
-i cannot fathom that there were Talking Heads before there was me

SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN: Billy Joel
Joe
-the line about cutting you and laughing while you're bleeding has always haunted me, but oddly, that's always made this my favorite Billy Joel song

AMERICAN GIRL: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Crickett
- makes me inappropriately think about Fast Times at Ridgemont High

CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON: Kansas
Kyle
-still one of my favorite classic rock tracks ever

YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING: Leo Sayer
Sarah
-from what i understand, in 1977, you couldn't escape this song if you tried

DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY: Thelma Houston
Chuck
Jenn O
-i wonder if she's responsible for Whitney?

SIR DUKE: Stevie Wonder
Erin O (disc 1)
- my favorite R&B song ever

GOT TO GIVE IT UP: Marvin Gaye
Megan
-and this might be my second favorite

CAR WASH: Rose Royce
Aunt Christy
- makes me weary for the summer to hurry up and get here, until i remember where i am and to be careful what i wish for

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 09 Songs about the animal kingdom, or 'This one is for the birds!'

2011-03-09T16:42:00.004-05:00

Track 9: songs from the animal kingdom. I erroneously thought that this one would be trickier, but it seems there are a plethora of great songs, and especially BIRDSONGS! We run the gamete of domesticated critters, with a few genuine wildlife thrown in to keep the balance.

So, up up and away...

BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL: They Might Be Giants
Erica
-this song never ceases to make my gray skies blue light the canary in the outlet by the light switch, even if only for the three minutes or so it may last. btw, should anyone need a gift idea for me anytime in the future, go here

LITTLE BIRD: Robert Rounseville
Sarah
-brand new to me. i do love surprises!

BIRD SONG: Florence + the Machine
Nikki G
-given Florence's Grammy dress, i think this is delightfully appropriate. lots of Florence appearances in these past and future posts.

TWO BIRDS: Regina Spektor
Joe
-if you make me like a Regina Spektor song, you win a prize, sir.

AN OWL WITH KNEES: the Books
Jenn O
-another pleasant surprise. the backing vocals on this lull me away.

RIDE A WHITE SWAN: T Rex
Liz
- Ms. H, you are a girl after my own little glam rock heart.

MAYFLY: Belle & Sebastian
Scot
-ok, not a bird, but a wing-ed creature and on my list of ever favorite voices

...and from the scratch-post...

LOVE CATS: the Cure
Stuart
-perhaps my most beloved song about animals in the whole universe, it's so wonderfully,
wonderfully, wonderfully, wonderfully pretty. and who's surprised that stuart picked a cat song???

CAT PEOPLE (PUTTING OUT FIRE): David Bowie
Erin O (disc 1)
-that scene in Inglorious Bastards where Melanie Laurent is getting dolled up for destruction? that will forever play in my head when i hear this song.

...and from the dog park...

DOG: Ben Folds
Erin O (disc 2)
-dog, dog!

I WANNA BE YOUR DOG: the Stooges
Megan
-this song makes me crazy in the good way. i guess it's kinda supposed to.

HOUND DOG: Elvis Presley
Aunt Christy
- we all know how i feel about "the King." but nevertheless, Aunt C made an excellent choice.

WOLVES, LOWER: REM
Blake
- somehow, i have managed to get through life and college in Georgia in the late 90's without ever having heard this song before. i was missin' out, y'all.

... bunnies!

RABBIT'S EAR: The Late BP Helium
Aly
- girl, where do you find this stuff?

RED RABBITS: the Shins
Amanda
- mr. mercer, another voice that can sing me to sleep any time he'd like, even if it's not a lullaby

... and rounding out the pet store...

HAVE YOU FED THE FISH TODAY? : Badly Drawn Boy
Katherine
-he's such a moody performer, but i love him all the same.

On the farm...

SHEEP: the Housemartins
Thomas
-baaaaaahhhhhdass

BUFFALO STANCE: Neneh Cherry
Misty
-smells like adolescence and 80's night. love it.

Welcome to the jungle... or maybe the zoo

RIGHT IN TWO: Tool
Kyle
- we are all monkeys. "Silly monkeys give them thumbs..."

ONCE I WAS A MONKEY: Dayroom
Crickett
- it's like an evolution lesson!

NELLIE THE ELEPHANT: Toy Dolls
Rory
- packing her trunk and leaving the circus. you go, nellie!

...and to sum it all up...

ANIMAL: Miike Snow
Chuck
-i'm still, i'm still an an-i-mal

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 08 Double threats, or singing actors/acting singers

2011-03-08T15:32:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it's a disaster. Sometimes it's just better this way. And sometimes, just sometimes, you find that an actor tor truly does carry enough talent around to be a respectable musician as well. We didn't limit our choices to this latter option in selecting our offerings for track 8 on the Scavenger Hunt cd, but that's ok. Listening to Don Johnson's career going down in a synthesized flame was amusing if not truly enjoyable.

Note to Jared Leto, I do not mean you, and James Franco please don't get any ideas. Jason Schwartzman, however, you may continue.

HEARTBEAT: Don Johnson
Misty
- she said it herself, as he should have said to the world when this song was released, "sorry."

NIGHT TIMIN': Coconut Records
Aly
WEST COAST: Coconut Records
Erin O (cd2)
- like I said, Schwartzman, however, you may continue.

MY BODY'S A ZOMBIE FOR YOU: Dead Man's Bones
Erin O (cd 1)
PA PA POWER: Dead Man's Bones
Stuart
- Mr. Gosling, you too, please.

COMMON PEOPLE: William Shatner with Joe Jackson (and Ben Folds)
Megan
Amanda
- i think at two particular points in my life you could have caught me and either of these respective roommates of mine clearing the common room floor to dance around frantically to this little gem

TRIBUTE: Tenacious D
Kyle
WONDERBOY: Tenacious D
Aunt Christy
- when Jack Black does movies like Tropic Thunder or The Holiday... ok I guess THEN he counts as an actor

COVERED: Uh Huh Her
Liz
- that chick from "The L Word"!

BREAKIN' UP: Rilo Kiley
Thomas
-little Jenny all grown up and transitioned beautifully into a Indie Rock Princess

JUMP INTO MY CAR: David Hasselhoff
- oh, the Hoff! oh, the cheese!

SHE'S LIKE THE WIND: Patrick Swayze
Katherine
- this list would not be complete without it.

...as for those who were singers first...

LIKE A PRAYER: Madonna
Blake
- i guess she's an actress. she has acted in movies, sometimes even convincingly

GOOD VIBRATIONS: Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
Jenn O
-who'da thunk that guy would get an Oscar nomination so many years later?

LET LOVE RULE: Lenny Kravitz
Erica
-almost unidentifiable in Precious

...and from some bona fide soundtrack work...

FRANK MILLS: the cast of HAIR
Scot
-the epitome of a song sung by actors

THE ORIGIN OF LOVE: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Chuck
-if only all actors could sing like this

I'M ALIVE: the cast of Next to Normal
Joe
-someone please tell me why i haven't seen this show yet.

POP! GOES MY HEART: Hugh Grant
Rory
-from that one movie, i think, where he was in Take That or something?

HINDI SAD DIAMONDS: Nicole Kidman & the cast of Moulin Rouge
Nikki G
TANGO DE ROXANNE: Ewan McGregor, Jose Feliciano & the cast of Moulin Rouge
Sarah
- what can i say? MOULIN ROUGE!

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 07 Shake dat azzz

2011-03-07T22:50:00.004-05:00

No clever (or unclever, as the case may be) commentary on these offerings of the dance off ass variety. Suffice it to say that once my ass looked as it does in this photo. Hopefully, with the help of these tracks, I can get it there again.

Hit it, DJ...

DARE - Gorillaz
Kyle
Jenn O

BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE: New Order
Blake

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT: Camouflage
Rory

HANDS IN THE AIR: Girl Talk
Erin O (cd 1)

WONDERFUL PEOPLE: Q not U
Nikki G

SHUDDER/KING OF SNAKE: Underworld
Stuart

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED: Soup Dragons
Thomas

UNDERGROUND: Ben Folds Five
Erin O (disc 2)

TELL 'EM: Sleigh Bells
Erica

HOOT: Girls Generation
Aly

ROCK THE CASBAH: the Clash
Liz

MILLION DOLLAR BILL: Whitney Houston
Katherine

SHUTTERBUG: Big Boi
Megan

EL SALAM: Hakim
Joe

SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS): Eurythmics
Misty

TAMBOURINE: Eve
Chuck

BILLIE JEAN: Michael Jackson
Crickett

RASPUTIN: Boney M
Scot

PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC: Wild Cherry
Aunt Christy

WATERLOO: ABBA
Sarah

GET UP (FEEL LIKE A SEX MACHINE): James Brown
Amanda

Let the ass shakin' commence!

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 06 Persistance of the Bard

2011-03-06T18:10:00.005-05:00

If Shakespeare hadn't been such a master of writing about the human condition, and if his work had not been so enduring, I probably would not have my job and a lot of lyricists would be lacking in source material. That especially goes for - it seems according to the offering in this category - one particular love story he penned and even one particular Penn brother...

So from Stratford with love... Shakespeare references.

NO MYTH: Michael Penn
Nikki G
Stuart
Blake
Misty
-Since 1989, when this song made its first appearance, as did my love affair with Mr. Aimee Mann's music, it has been one of my favorite songs ever. To this day, I seek it out in karaoke books and roll up my windows every time it pops up on the radio so that I might not subject the rest the world to my singing at the top of my lungs, "What if I were Romeo in black jeans?"

ROMEO & JULIET: Dire Straits
Megan
-"You and me, babe. How about it?"

ROMEO & JULIET: Indigo Girls
Erica
- the beloved cover of the Dire Straits version, as opposed to the much loathed version I last heard performed by a Charleston busker.

I BET THAT YOU LOOK GOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR: Arctic Monkeys
Jenn O
Rory
-they make you look for it, "Oh, there ain't no love, no Montagues or Capulets/ Just banging tunes and DJ sets..."

RUN ROMEO RUN - Dean Bradfield
Thomas
-"Run run, Romeo run,/Leave the demons behind."

DON'T FEAR THE REAPER: Blue Oyster Cult
Crickett
- "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity" such a good song to be so damned creepy. I am convinced that it's the inspiration for Death Cab's (awful) ballad "I'll Follow You Into the Dark"

JULIETTE: SHINee
Aly
-self-explanatory, as our heroine's name is the only thing I understand ;)

CHERISH: Madonna
Chuck
-"Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet"

and also a number of songs about the great dane...

HAMLET WENT SWIMMING: Michelle Malone
Scot
- but only after his love Ophelia did first

CRY OPHELIA - Adam Cohen
Joe
-before you go swimming, of course

CRUEL TO BE KIND: Nick Lowe
Erin O (disc 1)
- coined by the Bard himself in the longest play in the universe and spoken by Hamlet himself (if I recall correctly)

WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS MAN: cast of Hair
Liz
- spoken by Hamlet to Rosencrantz... or Guildenstern? or Rosencrantz?

and then perhaps Shakespeare's most famous quote ever...

LIMELIGHT: Rush
Amanda
-when my dad and I saw Rush last September, I posted as my status something along the lines of "thousands of rednecks are quoting Shakespeare right now. wonder how many of them realize it?" I love Rush. I love this song, I love the "All the world's a stage soliloquy from As You Like It

... and for some broader general references

IT WAS A LOVER AND HIS LASS: Three Quarter Ale
Sarah
- a sonnet!

RENEGADE: Eminem and Jay Z
Kyle
- "See I'm a poet to some, a regular modern day Shakespeare"

PLAYHOUSE BLUES: the Lost Boyz
Aunt Christy
- I think this the Abridged Complete Works set to music

and finally...

TURTLEDOVE: Trip Shakespeare
Katherine
- who would later become Semisonic

SHAKESPEARE'S SISTER: the Smiths
Erin O (disc 2)
-great minds, as they say...

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 05 BRITPOP!!!!!!

2011-03-05T21:35:00.008-05:00

Britpop in adulthood is to me what hair metal was in my adolescence... a staple of of good music and pool of men for me to fawn over. The gang's all here, from the grandfathers of Britpop, to the true originators, to the second generation - which encompasses even the later projects of the originators (read: GORILLAZ!)

I am reminded of the time the ladies and I were at Music trivia and the category was Britpop... we had to promptly correct the substitute hostess when we realized that she had clearly mistaken Britpop with pop music by British people. Had any of you put the Spice Girls on this disc as she would have, I may have had to disown you ;)

So god save Damon, and here we go.

ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT:The Kinks
Aunt Christy
-the real original Britpop. reminds me to seek out the beautiful cover of the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" that is a duet between Damon Albarn and Ray Davies.

THE MAYOR OF SIMPLETON: XTC
Erica
-did you know Andy Partridge was a producer on an early Blur cd? watch me make all of this about Damon. PS - Swindon, England (home of XTC to this day) is an armpit, but I love XTC nonetheless

NEIL JUNG: Teenage Fan Club
Amanda
- darn. i can make no connection here, though I am certain one exists. oh, well. this reminds me of sitting up late on Sunday nights and my love affair with "120 Minutes"

THE ONLY ONE I KNOW: The Charlatans
Erin O (disc 1)
-not to be confused with "the Charlatans UK" - OH WAIT!

GIRLS AND BOYS: Blur
Blake
- perhaps THE Britpop song to end all Britpop songs, if you love Mr. Albarn as I do...

CONNECTION: Elastica
Megan
-unless you count the one by Damon's ex-girlfriend...

METAL MICKEY: Suede
Rory
- or the one by HER ex-boyfriend...

MARRIED WITH CHILDREN: Oasis
Erin O (disc 2)
- or any one by Blur's big Britpop rivals...

DISCO 2000: Pulp
Chuck
- or the one by the guys who slept with all their girlfriends. Oh wait - this isn't "Common People"

TASTE: Ride
Scot
- not to mention the ones we really never got to hear that much on this side of the pond...

INBETWEENER: Sleeper
Nikki G
- or the ones I didn't even know existed until the Trainspotting soundtrack came out...

ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART: Saint Etienne
Jenn O
- or the ones it took me forever to even realize were Britpop

START ALL OVER: Kula Shaker
Thomas
- these guys hold a special place in my heart, as it was their shining moment when I fully accepted Britpop in my heart

SONNET: The Verve
Misty
- Richard Ashcroft is neither a nice nor nice looking man. but he has a voice made for singing love songs

CREEP: Radiohead
Kyle
Crickett
- and hopefully you all realize that my end-all, be-all, get outta jail free card, #1 famous guy/English "husband" had to show up at least once... my dear, Colin, in another life, perhaps ;)

MAYBE TOMORROW: Stereophonics
Joe
-the 'phonics are a touchy subject in Britpop, but i LOVE them, and i LOOOOVE this track... and a bonus

GIRL-SHAPED LOVE DRUG: Gomez
Joe

TAKE ME OUT: Franz Ferninand
Stuart
- yes. Scottishmen are - no matter how they may protest it - Brits. and this song is perhaps one of the greatest examples of the current incarnation of Britpop

THE RACING RATS: Editors
Katherine
- as is this, and such a fantastic reminder of Britpop past. yes, he sounds like Ian Curtis. no, not so much that it makes me mad. in fact, just enough to make me love it.

MODERN ART: Art Brut
Aly
- what can I say? I (heart) Art Brut.

THAT'S NOT MY NAME: The Ting Tings
Liz
- super current incarnation

ON MELANCHOLY HILL: Gorillaz
Sarah
- see how it all comes back to Damon? see?

Scavenger Hunt CD Post: 04 Songs from the Mooooovies

2011-03-04T21:25:00.005-05:00

The three things I love most in the world that aren't human beings: music, theatre, film. The following offerings encompass at least two of these at any given time, and in the case of a certain German ex-pat transsexual, possibly all three.

Surprisingly, only one film made multiple appearances, though will completely different tracks all around. Fortunately, it is the quintessential film of my golden year and the reason I will always have room in my heart for Ewen McGregor... who will actually show up singing on one of these cd's later on.

Ladies and gentlemen, we'll begin with Trainspotting...

ATOMIC: Sleeper
Stuart

LUST FOR LIFE: Iggy Pop
Chuck

BORN SLIPPY: Underworld
Erica

TEMPTATION: New Order
Jenn O
-it should be noted that this is one of my favorite songs in the world, and I always hear Kelly MacDonald singing the bridge when i listen to it

...and some other films I adore...

NEEDLE IN THE CAMEL'S EYE: Brian Eno
from Velvet Goldmine
Aly

WISE UP: Aimee Mann
from Magnolia
Liz

GOLDEN BROWN: the Stranglers
from Snatch
Amanda

NEW SLANG: the Shins
from Garden State
Erin O (1st disc)

GOING OUT WEST: Tom Waits
from Fight Club
Kyle

I WANT CANDY: Bow Wow Wow
from Marie Antionette
Nikki
-incidentally, you may recall that my choice for this track was from the same film. this whole soundtrack was executed so incredibly...

CAN'T TAKE IT IN: Imogen Heap
from The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Joe
-with bonus track

LET GO: Frou Frou (Imogen Heap)
from Garden State
Joe

THIS TIME TOMORROW: the Kinks
from The Darjeeling Ltd
Scot

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME: Simple Minds
from The Breakfast Club
Misty

DESTINATION ANYWHERE: The Commitments
Aunt Christy

...and some recent gems...

TREE HUGGER: Kimya Dawson & Antsy Pants
from Juno
Crickett

MY HANDS ARE SHAKIN': Sondre Lerche
from Dan in Real Life
Katherine

DEAR LAUGHING DOUBTERS: Sondre Lerche
from Dinner for Schmucks
Erin O (disc 2)

MARRIED LIFE: Michael Giacchino
from UP
Sarah

SHE'S GOT YOU HIGH: Mumm-Ra
from 500 Days of Summer
Rory

I WAS SEARCHING (ISKALA): Zemfira
from Brother 2 (BRAT 2)
Blake

PICKING UP AFTER YOU: Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle
from One from the Heart
Thomas

and
FEELING GOOD: Nina Simone
from Point of No Return
Megan

This category may have to have a recurring role on the birthday scavenger hunt cd!

Scavenger Hunt CD Post:03 songs i might not know, but should

2011-03-02T19:59:00.004-05:00

no major commentary on these, but you should all know that i am seriously contemplating making another cd of JUST these songs to jam out to in the car. also, forgive me if i get anything wrong here. i don't know this stuff!

of note: of 21 cds, i only knew two of these songs, and only knew half of the artists ...

DOWN THE LINE: Jose Gonzalez
Katherine
i think i have a swedish husband

SING THE CHANGES: The Firemen (half of whom are BEATLES!)
Erica

CAN THE TOWER: Sondre Lerche
THE COFFEE AND TEA WRECKS: The Dandy Warhols
Erin O

TORTURE: John Spencer Blues Explosion
Amanda

WE WANT TO DANCE - Кино́
Blake

SPLITTING THE ATOM: Massive Attack, etc
Jen O

INNOCENT BOY: the Soft Boys
Scot

NOTORIOUS: the Lost Continentals
Aunt Christy

YOU DON'T KNOW ME: UGA's co-ed a cappella ensemble, With Someone Else's Money
Aly

BEAUTIFUL DRIVE: Jeremy Aggers
Sarah

BEAUTIFUL LIFE: Gui Borratto
Chuck

IN ONE EAR: Cage the Elephant
Kyle

THE DIFFICULT KIND: Sheryl Crow
Misty

I THINK SHE LIKE S ME: Treat Her Right w/ Mark Sandham
Thomas

WE DON'T WANT YOUR BODY: Stars
Megan

HOPE THERE'S SOMEONE: Antony + the Johnsons
Liz

AYN: the Ocean Blue
Rory

TALLER CHILDREN: Elizabeth and the Catapult
Joe
-with bonus...

FAR AWAY: Ingrid Michaelson
Joe

END IT TONIGHT: Teenagers in Tokyo
Stuart

YES OR NO: Venus Hum
Nikki G

BRAND NEW COLONY: the Postal Service
Crickett
one of the greatest love songs ever written!

Scavenger Hunt CD Post:02 Songs with banjos & others

2011-03-01T18:16:00.005-05:00

i love non-rock instruments in rock songs. the banjo is my favorite.

however, the scavenger hunt list did permit other non-guitar, stringed instruments... mandolins, ukes, violins, etc. and there are a few represented. and while there's only one doubled up track, there are quite a few artists that make recurring appearances... I'm looking at you, Peters Buck and Townsend.

SING - Travis
Stuart
i think it is actually Travis that lead to my love of banjo in rock songs. and not just because Andy Dunlop is my Scottish husband... (see - he even has his arm around me)

SATIN IN A COFFIN - Modest Mouse
Nikki G and Kyle
appropriately, I first saw MM with Miss G. we still make inside jokes about it.

BUKOWSKI - Modest Mouse
Aly
the only track doubles up is also one of the artists doubled up. btw, this is my second favorite Modest Mouse song, second only to "Dramamine."

LOSING MY RELIGION - REM
Misty
the mandolin to show up.

I BELIEVE - REM
Blake
whodda thunk Blake would choose REM? (wink)

CHOCOLATE JESUS - Tom Waits
Jen O
reminding me how damned charming I often find Mr. Waits to be

SQUEEZE BOX - The Who
Megan
how i learned about double entendres

I AM THE SEA/I'VE HAD ENOUGH - the Who
Thomas
i didn't learn to love the Who until my 20's. thank goodness i finally came around

OLD MAN - Neil Young
Erica
Neil Young is in a category he shares only with Dylan. love his music. but usually only if someone else is singing it. this song is one exception.

THE MERCY SEAT - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Katherine
orchestral instruments make their appearance. like Blake with REM, i am am shocked that kat would choose nick cave - oh, wait.

14TH STREET - Rufus Wainwright
Chuck
and that chuck would pick rufus - oh, wait. maybe my favorite rufus song. and not his last appearance in this series by a long shot.

SEXX LAWS - Beck
Amanda
another "husband" makes it on the list

DECATUR (OR A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR YOUR STEPMOTHER) - Sufjan Stevens
Erin O, pt 1
speaking of Sufjan, i may have to revamp my own list to include "Chicago"

EACH COMING NIGHT - Iron & Wine
Erin O, pt 2

READY TO RUN - Dixie Chicks
Aunt Christy
you knew they'd have to show up some time, right? ;)

TAKE IT EASY - The Eagles
Sarah
reminds me of home, strangely. also one of the only glen frye eagles songs i like. i was raised a don henley girl.

and a few things that while perhaps not brand new, were brand new to me:

LIL KING OF EVERYTHING - Los Lobos
Rory O

MONK TIME - The Monks
Scot

YOU AND I: Ingrid Michaelson
Joe
- UKELELE! the choice instrument of my favorite Beatle.

IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR LOVE - Steeldrivers
Crickett

AS TALL AS CLIFFS - Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Liz

Scavenger Hunt CD Post:01 BEATLES favorites

2011-03-01T17:07:00.007-05:00

Remember like 6 months ago when I was supposed to share track lists with you guys for this? Well, I got my final disc this weekend, so if I ever want anyone to participate in this ever again - and there WILL be a list for this year's birthday #34 - then I better get steppin'

So as I stated ohsolongago - I will list by track, not by cd. Starting with everyone's favorite Beatles song.

Some notes: It does not surprise me that that a lot of my friends have the same favorite Beatles song. It did - and I don't know why - surprise me that so very many of you chose "Norwegian Wood." I also made a half-hearted joke that we would see whether the majority of the favorites were Lennon/McCartney or McCartney/Lennon (wink wink). Turns out they are almost split right down the middle since I - even the great Beatle enthusiast that I am - refuse to designate "A Day in the Life" as a primary effort on either of their parts... and no argument will sway me on that, not even from Maccers himself.

So without further ado - and in no truly particular order:

NORWEGIAN WOOD:
Amanda, Scot, Erin O, and Jen O
-the most popular though I expected to see, like, HEY JUDE. it appears my friends are even cooler than i give them credit for

YESTERDAY:
Joe
-totally shocked to only see this once

A DAY IN THE LIFE:
Stuart and Blake
-while IN MY LIFE is my all-time favorite, I think this is the quintessential late-era Beatles song. it's like the grandfather of all progressive rock (not prog rock)

HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY:
Katherine and Megan
- conveniently chosen by both my wedding minister/best friend and my maid of honor. this also appears on my version of the original scavenger hunt cd that we did in the category of "song that reminds you a first date"

SHE'S LEAVING HOME:
Crickett
- as a little girl this was one of the first songs to ever move me to tears; it will always have a special place in my heart, just like C.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT:
Kyle
- the theme song to my all-time favorite movie comedy. "he's very clean isn't he?"

ALL MY LOVIN':
Misty
-i knew Misty would pick some early Beatles as her favorite, however as a bonus, one of her later tracks happens to be...

ELEANOR RIGBY:
Nikki G
- njg's is also the title of a book by my favorite author, who is also - if i am not mistaken - a favorite author of nikki's and also of rory's... hmmmmm

TICKET TO RIDE:
Rory O
- this was the ringtone on my first cell phone

I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU:
Erin O
- yep. she made two cd's. so she gets two favorite Beatles songs. she must just love me - or them - that much.

WHEN I'M 64:
Sarah
- containing my all time favorite Paul McCartney vocalization "you'lllll be ol-der toooooo"

I CALL YOUR NAME:
Erica
-i leave it to Erica, who may love the Beatles even more than me, to choose a song even I totally forgot about

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS:
Aunt Christy
- Ringo makes his debut.

and finally, the George songs. Happy belated birthday to the late Mr. Harrison, my favorite Beatle and perhaps favorite musician to ever walk this world.

IF I NEEDED SOMEONE:
Thomas
-the first great George track

WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS:
Liz
-the middle great George track

SOMETHING:
Aly-son
-the last great George (Beatles) track

HERE COMES THE SUN:
Chuck
-the GREATEST George track (IMHO)

Scavenger Hunt CD Post:00

2010-08-26T17:09:00.005-04:00

On July 19, 2010 I posted the following note on facebook:

Moons ago Heidi and Nikki G devised a plan to create the perfect Scavenger Hunt CD. A few moons later, a group of my nearest and dearest got together and rose to the challenge. I recently pulled those mix cd's out and one is now in near permanent rotation in my car. That got me thinking...Damn, that was fun. I want more.

So with my big 33 right around the bend - one month from today - I was thinking the perfect gift would be a gazillion Scavenger hunt cd's made just for me! It costs you nothing but time, love and a blank CDR.

Wondering what the hell a Scavenger Hunt cd is? Well, it's pretty simple. I will provide a list below of 14 sets of criteria. Each track must fit the criteria. For instance, if I listed:
1. A song sung by a man named Paul
you could choose "Yesterday" by the Beatles or "Love Gun" by KISS or even a U2 song that isn't one of the three sung by David. Or if I listed:
2. A song you hate by a band you love
i would personally list "Piggies" by the Beatles. Yep, i just admitted to hating a song sung by George Harrison. None of us are perfect.

Sounds fun, right? Ok - so here are the tracks. Some will be easy, some will be tougher. Some will be ridiculous, and some will be wild cards of sorts.

Have fun and make it reflect you as much as me. Don't get worried about things like "Oh - doesn't Heidi HATE the Kings of Leon?" (Answer: oh, yes. she does)

Here goes:

1. Your favorite Beatles song (if you don't like them, fake it and don't tell me)
2. A rock song with banjo (in a pinch, other non-guitar stringed instruments acceptable)
3. A song you think I'd enjoy and have probably never heard
4. A song from a movie soundtrack
5. A britpop song
6. A song that references Shakespeare
7. A song to dance my ass off to
8. A song sung by an actor (but if you love me, no 30 Seconds to mars)
9. A song making reference to the animal kingdom
10. Something released in 1977
11. WILD CARD - your favorite song RIGHT NOW or ever
12. A song where the title is nowhere to be found among the lyrics
13. An deceptively upbeat song with dark or sinister lyrics (ex. the Cure's entire catalog)
14. A song sung by a European that is NOT a Brit, but actually from the continent
15. A cover of a Beatles song

It is now August 26 - and my best friend's birthday, might i add - and I have received at last count 16 of these disks from a variety of loved ones.

I have decided to revive i(heart)supergrass - despite the fact that they have recently broken up on me - with musings on the tracks that my loved ones found in their hunts. In lieu of posting each track list individually, however, I will dedicate one post to each track and include my observations, such as, "you people love Norwegian Wood" or "can you tell we're a bunch of Gen Xers who loved Trainspotting?" Post: 01 Favorite beatles song to appear soon.

I also encourage anyone who did not participate in the original hunt to participate now if they'd like to. You can send me a disk (message me for where to send) or you can post a comment to this very post with your ideal track list.

here's to keeping the memory of my beloved Supergrass alive by re-instituting my music blog, named in their great honor.

Post Script: my own track list, if I were making a cd for myself
1. Your favorite Beatles song :
IN MY LIFE (Rubber Soul)

2. A rock song with banjo or other non-guitar:
( i would cheat and use uke) Postcards from Italy by Beirut

3. A song you think I'd enjoy and have probably never heard:
(hmmm. a conundrum) insert new Arcade Fire here b/c shamefully i haven't heard any of it yet

4. A song from a movie soundtrack:
Plainsong by the Cure - my favorite movie moment in Marie Antoinette

5. A britpop song:
I Wanna Be Adored by the Stone Roses

6. A song that references Shakespeare:
The Island by the Decemberists, you cannot tell me that that isn't The Tempest, people

7. A song to dance my ass off to:
Banquet by Bloc Party my dance jam

8. A song sung by an actor (but if you love me, no 30 Seconds to mars):
anything by Riding the Low, cos I love you Paddy Considine

9. A song making reference to the animal kingdom:
Mansize Rooster by Supergrass cos it's AWESOME

10. Something released in 1977:
(Sweet) Melissa by the Allman Bros. cos it's why i am Heidi Melissa

11. WILD CARD - your favorite song RIGHT NOW or ever:
Tempted by Squeeze Ever

12. A song where the title is nowhere to be found among the lyrics:
Acquiesce by Oasis - damn i love that song.

13. An deceptively upbeat song with dark or sinister lyrics (ex. the Cure's entire catalog):
Dirty Harry by Gorillaz - awesome beat, but a song about all kindsa badness

14. A song sung by a European that is NOT a Brit, but actually from the continent:
since i permitted Scandinavia, I would have to honor that - and my hair metal roots - by choosing Rock the Night by Europe

15. A cover of a Beatles song:
Golden Slumbers by Ben Folds hands down my favorite Beatles cover ever

2010-04-12T16:51:00.001-04:00

more like i mourn Supergrass i guess...

beautiful bastard

2008-10-28T15:50:00.003-04:00

perhaps the most beautiful and tragic lyric ever written, courtesy of Mr. Paul Westerberg:

The ones who love us best are the ones we'll lay to rest
And visit their graves on holidays at best
The ones who love us least are the ones we'll die to please
If it's any consolation, I don't begin to understand them

let's forget it for the meantime

2008-04-03T13:40:00.003-04:00

my favorite lyric of the day, courtesy of Sunderland, England's greatest export:
"And you thought that I was joking when I said you were a moron
When I said it I was smiling, so you thought that I was joking"

i (heart) the Futureheads

get well card to mr. quinn

2007-09-04T23:03:00.000-04:00

get well, soon, mick. we (heart) you!

love,
heidi

the decemberists and an orchestra

2007-07-15T19:57:00.000-04:00

two great tastes that go great together.

damn, it makes me happy to be an adult.

got it! woo hoo!

2006-12-04T15:58:00.000-05:00

decemberists tshirt, decemberists square, november in petrograd

a one eh?

2006-11-12T04:25:00.000-05:00

A One is the Ruski MTV. Watching it, I have seen these awesome videos by Russian artists.

Watching it, I have seen these two and three year old videos from American and British artists.

Funny.

addendum to previous post, or sorry if i insulted you mr. american husband

2006-11-10T02:50:00.000-05:00

addendum - i choose beck only because he most resembles the part physically as someone everyone knows. if you all knew my friend george i would most certainly opt to use him as example, as this is physically far more physically accurate, if amusing in a totally different spectrum.

beck AND george (his wife would be thrilled that i juxtaposed these two - that is, george's wife) are both far better entertainers than russian rap guys - though i reiterate these guys are equally amusing in a different light - think laughing with vs laughing at

just imagine...

2006-11-10T02:32:00.000-05:00

imagine if beck were to record rap records, but with the earnestness of someone like fred durst (if you can bring yourself to realistically use his name and the word earnest in the same sentence)...

and strip away any sense of humor

oh - and that nasty little fact that beck is actually talented (enormously so, in fact)

that is russian rap music for ya

chew on that one - boy-ee

someone please...

2006-11-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

help me get I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow out of my effin' brain.

Damn you, Marie Antoinette!!!!!

gay might not be big in russia

2006-11-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

but circuit is out and proud....

music is not russia's hottest commodity.

ps - i heard the macarena standing in the bank today. the local radio station was playing it in total earnest. followed by roxette. woo hoo.

fucker

2006-10-09T22:15:00.000-04:00

i went to see j's show at smith's last night.

in the ladies room in the stall i saw this written - "Flickerstick April 17"

it may be the day that j and i took my dad to see flickerstick at smith's - a day that lives in infamomy (sp?) - as the day fletcher - whom i have adored forever - said to me, "thank you, darlin'" and i almost peed my pants.

and my then boyfriend started to refer to him as "the gay one."

last night, upon seeing that in the stall, and just before watching some drunk dude stumble into the next stall, i sent a text message to j - despite the fact that he was actually on stage at the time - to point this out.

this morning he responded with - "i think that's the day fletcher came out."

at 930am - j got called a fucker in a text message...

ps - i STILL don't have the new decemberists album - wtf is wrong with me?????

wow...

2006-09-04T20:56:00.000-04:00

that fergie is a skank.

just a reminder

2006-08-12T16:13:00.000-04:00

in case you forgot why i heart them

erica:

2006-08-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

"look - iiiirony"

9 a boy in front of us at FASTER PUSSYCAT in a Britney Spears tshirt

(s)he's in fashion

2006-07-03T15:06:00.000-04:00

were i to write a quippy little email this morning to my friend Brett Anderson (not really my friend, and thus, why I am not really sending said quippy email), it would go something like this:

you know you're the only person who can get away with the lyrics "she's the shape of a cigarette" and not have it sound ironic, right?

just saying

h

things i learned at the film festival... and other places

2006-06-19T16:12:00.000-04:00

1. johnny ramone looks an awful lot like don dokken but with better hair

2. dee dee looks a lot like my ex-boyfriend's brother (sorry - i don't have any links to kevin's photo)

that's kind of a compliment, by the way - to both of them

and they're both bass players - ooooooooo

3. rock mockumentaries can be great even when not created by christopher guest

4. you clearly do not have to be cool to be even in the most legendary of awesome bands. you do, however, have to be cool to be kim deal.

5. i think i might be in love with kim deal.

6. the statement "wow. billy corgan has gained a lot of weight" is even more amusing when it's a joke at Frank black's expense

7. i am sad i missed pilotdrift opening for supergrass

8. i did not get this from the film festival, but this is maybe the most important nugget of trivia i have gathered recently. this photo lived in my father's music room for nearly my entire childhood... it was one of my dad's favorite images

and it's PETER FRIGGIN" MURPHY

he's been there the whole time

and i call myself a bauhaus late bloomer!

do you do you want... the ace?

2006-04-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

i grew up with ELO.

yeah, i know i always say "oh my dad was always playing the beatles/yes/rush/pink floyd"... he was - is - the big rock kid who begot the rock kid, but it often takes a music lover to tolerate living with a music lover. thus, mamasita came with her own set of records.

and while a large part of my generation were introduced to mr. blue sky (or mr. lynne, if you prefer) and co. via volkswagen and jcpenney's marketing teams, to me they once served as a marker that mom had just claimed the day for cleaning up the apartment. she couldn't do it without her jams.

and ELO were amongst them.

i remember in middle school when mom and dad brought home the box set. box sets were the latest phenomenon; imagine the feeling when you glimpsed your friend's first gen 40g ipod... oooo aaaaaah. nothing but jeff lynne and steel guitars for weeks on end.

now mind you - i cannot not love jeff lynne. you love george, you love jeff.

that being said, something odd occurred to me tonight. the classic rock stations - and the atl is rife with them at the moment - have been playing the hell out of "Do Ya" by the Orchestra due to its recurrence in some other silly car commercial. it's a good song, good for it.

but at the peak of the hair metal invasion that was my adolescence - and not the vinnie vincent variety as you will soon witness - my guitar hero, once ousted from one of rock's legendary acts and replaced by aforementioned megalomaniac with initials double-V for a short-lived stint, commenced a solo career that i had anxiously awaited for much of my tiny life. and on that third try was a cover of "Do Ya."

and every time i hear that song, be it original or no, i always in my head sing the line "Do Ya do ya want the Ace?"

i guess that means i am a bigger Kiss fan than an ELO fan?

nah. but i do i do love you, mr. frehley!!!!!

boo boo boos

2006-04-11T19:00:00.000-04:00

this morning's commute reading was a right downer.

i hope i never meet my new deborah harry. i am not sure i'd really like her all that much.

the morning's soundtrack

2006-03-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

was perfect for a walk along a busy stretch of peachtree on a chilly, but beautiful morning:
high and dry
the sound of settling
apply some pressure
brand new colony
have you forgotten
myla goldberg
ask me how i am

it brings to mind two thoughts:
- listening to the verve on headphones makes me feel like i am in a movie and it is my soundtrack (have i said that here before?)
-brand new colony is the most perfect love song not written by a beatle

wait, no three:
damn maximo park are good!!!!!

again with the gary lightbody lovin'?

2006-03-07T13:16:00.000-05:00

yep.

once upon a time i stated that my other blog was fast becoming a gary lightbody rabid fan site. then they had some commercial radio success and it forced me to push them from my radar, otherwise i'd just get disillusioned and later disgusted if they sold out on me.

well, that hype came and went, and i still love them. maybe now more than before.

i bought a ticket to see them at a small venue - the very one featured in the photo below w/ mr goffey of mrrs supergrass - pleased as punch to see that they weren't playing the same one as their last atl outing. it was overcrowded and full of assholes who came to hear the one song. yesterday i mentioned it to a friend and coworker and suddenly realized that i was excited. but that isn't the best part. you knew that i hope.

at the present, i am housesitting - taking over a job for my best friend who has been shipped off to cowboy land for a few months for work. the house has serious cable, something i have not been exposed to in ages and only at friends' homes. in a cable daze i started flipping from the couch as soon i arrived from work yesterday. and what before my eyes should appear on number 370?

snow patrol live at somerset house, london.

i had missed the first 15 minutes or so (how appropriate), but my timing was nevertheless perfect. they were in the opening bars of "you are my joy." i might have wet my pants.

you are my joy, for those unaware of the beauty and stretch of mr lightbody's talents, is not, in fact a snow patrol song. it is by the reindeer section. the reindeer section, god bless them every one, is a scottish supergroup. formed by lightbody one drunken festive night that apparently none of them expected him to remember, it comprises members of snow patrol and arab strap and belle and sebastian and even some teenage fan club if i remember correctly. that list, mind you, merely scratches the surface, as their are about 10 bands represented.

two weeks after he had this drunken brainstorm, i say without researching thoroughly so don't take my info as untainted fact, he'd written an album's worth of material and called everybody up to come in and commit it to musical history. baffled and amused they agreed and it makes for beautiful listening... Ya'll get scared now, ya hear. (there is also a second installment - Son of Evil Reindeer)

anyway, to see them performing that song... my heart the opposite of broke. for the next hour my eyes were glued to the television, and i damn near felt i was there. and reminding me that i will be in a week and change... i was... i can't even say. i don't know the word.

but suffice it to sum this up, that watching this performance, in front of a loving and appreciative english audience, put forth in my head and heart all the reasons i fell in love with these guys - and especially the man with the voice - to start. he, they, love, and i mean love, what they are doing. gary loves his words and i love that.

sorry - this was a cheesy one, but i had to give them their due - and apologize for ever doubting them.

i f@#%ing heart supergrass!!!!

2006-02-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

there is a story with this, but i am too giddy when i think of it at present to spit it out... stay tuned

DANNY GOFFEY - HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!

(thank you j-!)

who knew?

2006-02-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

it's funny how late in life your tastes can change. when you hated so much as the smell of mustard as a kid, and then one day late into your 20s you find that you can't have a ballpark hot dog without it.

a lover of almost any variety of british rock - and by lover i mean a borderline stalker (see title of blog you're now reading) - it has always seemed odd to most folk that two things i have never been are a rolling stones fan and a who fan.

some think the rolling stones issue especially odd since i love the supergrass so much, and well... the influence is far beyond clear. or i could be happily wrong about that.

of the two, however, i have always managed to hold the who in a slightly higher regard. i am not a complete nitwit. they each have some undeniably ingenious creations among their compositions. this i cannot deny. i have always sworn that the stones have exactly 10 amazing songs and all else is shite - but the who made Tommy and that is that. the shit.

and roger daltrey isn't half the ass of a frontman jagger is. he is really what ruins the stones for me.

but the stones are another soap opera to which i wish to devote no more screen time. this post is about the who. and how slowly i came to the conclusion that i have been wrong all this time. and last night was the final reveal.

i love the who.

where the hell, as it was once eloquently put, was my mind?

music came to me first from dear old dad. the best dad ever. but not a who fan, and thus, nor was i destined to be. beatles, yes, queen, rush, ccr... all over the board and well-versed in all things classic rock, just not that big on - you guessed it - the stones or the who.

then in high school i watched tommy's second coming. while i still have yet to see it on a stage (on my before-i-die list), in the chaos and hype of its resurrection, mtv giving it more coverage it seemed than anything that wasn't cobain's suicide, it was hard to miss. curiosity sparked i got dad to rent the film for me and i was mesmerized by it. so then "the who are ok; tommy's brilliant."

fast forward to 2002. heidi and justin on their rock and roll tour of england... liverpool, swindon, st johns wood. brighton was the first stop on the itinerary but not for any reason rock and roll. more because we saw it on a rick steves special and thought it a lovely and peaceful
starting point.

brighton's main art museum holding an exhibit on brighton in the movies. hello, Quadrophenia. who knew?

upon returning home, and homesick for our holiday, we sought out a copy of the mods and rockers epic with it in mind to play a game of "how much can we spot?"

(the answer to that question is almost everything... brighton remains largely untouched by time and that is huge part of its charm)

i must have watched it three times before we gave it back. if tommy was a crush, than quadrophenia started a lust. on our next visit to the uk, the soundtrack came home with us and thought i might have to fight to keep it when j and i went our separate ways.

somewhere in the middle there, i find it important to point out, i took a boy's virginity listening to his new who box set. i am pretty sure i was 19 and it was Bab OReilly. he was a sweet, misguided boy and i think of him often, but i giggle a little each time i hear even the phrase "teenage wasteland."

my love for the who was growing all this time, though i still refused to mark myself a fan.

driving home from class last night, i finally changed my mind. "substitute" is such a damn good song. mr. daltrey, mr. townsend, mr. entwistle, and even mr. moon who doubted the power of led zeppelin and yet bestowed them their legendary moniker... i am sorry i i refused to give you the credit and love you have always deserved.

queen my ass

2006-01-28T20:35:00.000-05:00

open letter, pt.2:

as it has now come to my attnetion that John Deacon is the only decent living member of what once was Queen, so that I may still hold the memory of Freddie and the wonder that he created with yourselves and Mr Deacon, I say to you Mr. May and Mr. Taylor...

you are dead to me.

the shame is too great.

greater more even than creating a reality tv show to replace your dead lead singer.

and to you mr. rodgers, you who were once to me the greatest voice of the classic rock that filled my childhood days and you who i adored so for as much as Bad Co. meant to a little child like i was... you too cause me shame.

you are disowned.

sincerely,
heidi

this picture

2005-12-20T15:12:00.001-05:00

clearly i only feel inspired to write about supergrass and placebo... well, both are worthy and today will be no exception.

it's cold in georgia this 20th day of december. and it doesn't get much colder in this city than waiting for the train in the big concrete fortress of an east lake station having forgotten your gloves and hat on your way out the door.

but there i found myself.

the chatter chatter of my teeth almost could've drowned out my morning soundtrack, but, in fact, that soundtrack warmed me up.

impending nuptials... bad knees... family members 10 years behind me calling to tell me there's gonna be a new addition to the family in nine months... going to mjq and being surrounded by CHILDREN... they've all been making me feel a little of the old lately.

if i never considered it before, i know it now. youth is a deceptive little vixen. you have her for a good 25, 30 years and she makes you believe she's gonna be around forever. next thing you know you find yourself ready for bed at 9 pm and sitting at the bar ready to close your tab after two rounds maybe, and all you see around you is how she's flitting around the room getting it on with everybody else... it was always like that, but back in the day you didn't care cuz so were you. occassionally you see that freakazoid old guy on the dance floor who's determined to stalk her in hopes of just keeping her close, and you wonder if that's what these 21-year-olds see when they look at you.

how morbid! i realize, but that's where my brain has been.

but this morning brian molko warmed my heart with words i have heard but not heeded from him a million times over...

"we can't stop growing old."

duh? you say? well, yeah.

but it's like this:
i never felt younger and happier than i did from the days leading up to my 26th birthday to those just beyond my 27th. and in those days mr. molko was a frequent and reoccurring voice. my discovery/rediscovery of placebo and my passionate love affair with the sleeping with ghosts album + my new and embraces singledom + my new shapely and confident self led to a one-woman sexual revolution and he was one of a few flag-bearers i looked to with aspiration. i fueled a fire in me that reminded me of who i wished i had had the balls (not literally) to be when i was 19, 20, 21.

and now as quickly as it came, i start to feel it slip. and here's brian to remind me that even he's gotta face it.

and that makes me feel less alone and not a little relief.

"Farewell the ashtray girl
Angelic fruitcake
Beware this troubled world
Control your intake
Goodbye to open sores
Goodbye and furthermore
You know we miss her
We miss her picture

Sometimes it's fated
(We) Disintegrated it
For fear of growing old
Sometimes it's fated
(We) Assassinated it
For fear of growing old

Hang on
Though we try
It's gone
Hang on
Though we try
It's gone"

christmas present

2005-11-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

today i bought supergrass tickets.

i cannot contain my excitement, in spite of the storm going on behind my eyes and in my temples...

did i mention that i love supergrass?

"then she appeared" (xtc)

2005-11-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

once upon a time i was going to walk down the aisle to this song. i am really not that full of myself; i promise it wasn't entirely my own idea. but i enjoyed the thought.

flowy gown, early fall warmth. bouquet of white roses... all that stuff a little girl imagines for wedding day.

once upon a time i loved another. that other still remains a significant part of my life though no longer as my significant one, for which i am grateful.

once upon a time, that other, a worshipper of all things andy partridge, put this - one of mr. partridge's finest - on a mix tape that may have been mentioned here before.

that other once told me a funny story: mr. andy was married, but this one girl wouldn't leave him be. allegedly, he wrote a song for her stating he didn't "need another satellite." later, his wife betrayed him, inciting lyrics like "let's close the book and let the day begin and the marriage be undone."

this song, "then she appeared, apple venus on a half-open shell" was written for the satellite.

love can be so fickle, and yet so sneaky.

this song still manages to put a bright spot in my day and remind me of happy times with a good friend.

(and of how excited i am with my real wedding day - to the most beautiful man i have known - fast on the approach)

cuts me up

2005-10-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

my first apartment... my first year out of college and out on my own. the new freedom of adulthood and post 21 status.

every friday night d and i got in the car around 1130 and left the drive of 750 dixie ave to drive the unlikeliest of neighborhoods for a club hosting a night of fused goth and britpop. but there we found ourselves, making our way to a shadowy spot just shy of where Roswell hits Peachtree and you enter the bright lights of Buckhead.

case in a black tshirt and jeans. me in something close to the same, but with cleavage.

straight to the less crowded bar on the left for something involving vodka. case to the dj booth to greet achille, me to the railing the emcompassed the dance floor to scope out my spot and maybe the black-haired boy who never would give me the time of day. oh, well. that isn't why i ma really here anyway.

maybe that friend of d's that was not yet my best friend would join us. maybe nee would head in later. or maybe my favorite dance partner would show up. it varied from friday to friday.

but one thing remained consistent. the night always reached its pinnacle when you heard peter murphy utter 22 of my (still) favorite words:

" i find you in the morning... after dreams of distant sights... you pour yourself over me... like the sun through the blinds..."

posts ago i wrote of how mr. murphy came to be known to me at an early age. and maybe of how i used to fantasize that i were old enough to hear this song in a setting not unlike the one i have started painting here...

(ironically, or perhaps not, bauhaus just came on the radio... i guess it is halloween...)

for four minutes and change every friday night i got to do exactly what a 12, 13 year old me had wanted so badly sitting in her room with 120 minutes on her little 12 inch screen and a copy of some Piers Anthony book on her nightstand half-heartedly started.

i am sure i looked a fool out there on that floor, swaying my arms like some siouxie sioux wannbe, wreaking havoc on my knees and twirling my then very long hair around at nee's request... but hell, i am sure we all did. my eyes were closed most of the time, so i honestly couldn't say for certain.

after that they could have proceeded to play ministry or smiths albums in their entirety or even michael jackson for all i cared. i still would have remained on that floor in a daze and kept maoving and shaking until the lights came on and we were ushered gently out the door, just as it ended every saturday at 3 am (or so...)

but damn those were lovely days... nights... mornings... something... and they resurface every time i hear "cuts you up."

i'll also take this moment to say my proper goodbyes to the vault. you died a slow, painful death, my dear, but in a location like that one, you knew it was inevitable. but it was good while it lasted, honey....

february 16, 2006

2005-10-27T12:06:00.000-04:00

heidi said a little prayer. and the gods of britrock answered it.

supergrass in atlanta.

boo ya

a short love letter to andy sturmer

2005-10-19T17:08:00.000-04:00

dear mr. sturmer,

while this letter is nearly a decade late, i nonetheless wish to let you know that i miss you. and i miss jellyfish.

(and i really miss jellyfish featuring jason falkner... but we'll save that for his love letter because he's got one seriously overdue too.)

in the awkward years known as my teens, a technocolor little mtv Buzz Bin nugget caught my eye and left a skittles-rainbow photogram on my heart. "that is why" is still one of my favorite songs and to this day its initial bass drum hit brings about the sensation of a quick, hard tug on my heartstrings.

the summer i turned 14 i was surprised one night by the local rock station when a playlist i submited was chosen for "the perfect album side." while the mix was something completely uncharacteristic of a jellyfish fan (i seem to recall the presence of ted nugent, shark island, and obscure drivin' n cryin')... i took my prize - a $50 gift certificate to Turtle's Records (now defunct) and made a bee-line for bellybutton.

my freshman year of high school then proceeded to all but revolve around that cassette, until the tape wore through and snapped. (picture: my dad, shaking his head, with the look of 'i told you to buy the cd, but no you had to balk at new technology...')

i remember singing the song, and i wanna stay home, to my boyfriend over the phone many a time. i was so in love with that record (ok, tape). i remember the inner quandry that surfaced as i cleaned my room, "what exactly is a bedspring kiss?"

i remember being thrilled that you guys were going to appear on letterman, and my sitting up anxiously, giggling furiously and knowingly when i got the inside joke that "every show i would just dedicate this song to... chris..." (chris manning's absence from the stage due to illness, i believe)

bellybutton beat out some of your own influences (another named andy as well in particular, may mr. partridge forgive me) for a coveted spot in my tiny lil mimi pod. that means i love you guys.

then came spilt milk. i anticipated being disappointed without jason's presence, but that didn't pan out. one listen to "joining a fan club" and all doubt vanished.

i was pleasantly surprised today when the accepted radio station at work accepted a request for "ghost at number one" and i was reminded that i was just missing you/wondering what you're up to not a few days ago.

everything jason's done since then has made it's way into my collection. and roger proves pretty easy to track. but you, mr. sturmer.... where are you?

always in possession of that rare talent (the decemberists got it, as did tmbg, and our beloved xtc) to make even the most glum or ugly story into a joyful or at the least lovely noise... i read recently you've been spending time on the other side of the studio. but you have an incredible gift of a unique voice and a mastery of lyrics not unlike to those boys from swindon. i miss its presence.

if you're out there somewhere and there's material i have simply missed, heaven help me find it. if there's not, please make some music.

you're missed.

love,
heidi

creepy

2005-10-19T10:43:00.000-04:00

on my way to work this morning, forced to drive and bleary-eyed, paranoid android surfaced on the playlist just as i hit the interstate.

i almost hit the forward button, but was too curious to see how it panned out.

from the big atlanta news source...

2005-10-18T16:53:00.000-04:00

Their geek-chic camp followers were the type to get delirious when they realized Meloy was going to close the show with “The Mariner’s Revenge,” a nine-minute song about whaling that ended in perfectly executed chaos. This was the kind of crowd that when Meloy introduced Moen as a narcoleptic, they knew what it meant.
(By Phil Kloer | Friday, September 30, 2005, 07:37 AM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

if this is what it is to be a decemberists fan... i am proud to be amongst...

i own a tshirt with a dirty panda on it now

2005-10-18T09:59:00.000-04:00

notes from my date with a hussy and the new pornographers last night:

holy mother theramin!!!! these guys rock that thing bigger than the decemberists (and that's sayin' something)

i want to be neko case

ac newman's guitars look too small for him

the vocal combinations that exist in that band are the epitome of harmony... astounding

and i thought decemberists crowds were oddly mixed

i don't think i remember ever eating popcorn at a rock show before

tamborine sport is a great spectator sport

it is only too the credit of the new pornographers that i say the headache i arrived with was no worse by the time we exited the venue

what a lovely way to conclude a cold, dreary monday

i (heart) catherine wheel

2005-10-17T10:07:00.000-04:00

as the verve plays in the background, i'd like to also say that i also (heart) richard ashcroft. dearly.

now onto my regularly scheduled post:

i recently caught a bit of rob dickinson's new solo stuff... in the last couple of days, in fact... and in the spirit of not being the girl from my blur/gorillaz post not long ago, i was quite excited to finally hear a bit of it. not bad. not catherine wheel, but i am certainly willing to give it the chance to grow on me and do intend to purchase it.

this of course got cw on the brain and apparently my ipod is synced to whichever lobe these thoughts were borne, because suddnely the shuffle was hitting "chrome" or "ferment" every third song or so. as i headed to the station after work yesterday, the track that started my love affair with these boys popped up, and i was momentarily transposed...

high school was by no means a highlight in my existence thus far. i am sure this has been established. it was ok. i had good friends, i made good grades, i had great relationships (get your mind outta the gutter) with my teachers and my parents and all that good stuff... but ultimately i was aware that there was something beyond the confines of dawson county's borders that i was missing out on and everything i achieved was done so in pursuit of my goal to escape and find out what all that was about.

and a lot of that started with two things... two songs, actually. one called sober - tool to be addressed at a later date - and one titled CRANK.

in the early days of WNNX - when it truly did play alternative music and "alternative" was not yet the contradictory term commercial radio has manipulated it into - i did my research on the world outside there in the wee hours of the morn along with my sundays at midnight with mtv's 120 minutes (when sweet little dave kendall? was that his name? was the host...)

vividly i recall lying in bed, not bothering to battle the slight insomnia and taking in the late night rotation. that's when they generally pulled out the super-alternative (for the time anyway, we all know tool's a household name these days and back then no one had heard gish yet). somehow - like clockwork- between 3 and 3:20 am the dj on duty, god bless her (i think it was yvonne or jill, but i could be mistaken), would inevitably play it. and every night i would lie there and wait for it.

it was so dark and so sexy. that man's voice evoked in me that could only come with new womanhood... tingles at the base of my spine and what i can only describe as a mild, pleasant vertigo. akin to a mid-night seduction, i awaited my dose of catherine wheel with half-sleep and once our time was up, i curled up under the covers basking in some bizarre auditory afterglow.

up to that point, it was the only thing i knew of them. it and it's accompanying spot on 120, with rob's insane blue eyes and almost naked torso (poet shirt maybe? that may be where i got my silly fascination with those things, quickly extinguished with my first visit to dragon con) and the band frolicking about in elevators and what i think were fancy hotel lobbies

i once referred to the song dramamine by modest mouse as what it feels like when i am coming down from my e peak. crank is its antithesis.... it like the ascension whether that e is in synthetic form or au natural (and produced from the feeling of fingertips on my flesh that are not necessarily my own...)

(side note: it also thrilled me to learn that rob dickinson is the nephew of bruce... i f you know me, you know that's a total understatement. but i guess maybe i shoulda put it together that two bands named after medieval torture devices probably had to be related somehow, right?)

dear mr wedding dj

2005-10-12T19:20:00.000-04:00

a russian i love is marrying me this december. the anti-wedding wedding should be a blast, and to insure so, i have put three of my favorite people in charge of the evening's music playlists.

d requested a list of do's and don'ts to insure my big day contained no three-to-four-minute disappointments. my response is as follows:

OK- so i thought to myself, the “no” list should be short, cause these kids will know better. Nevertheless, it ended up like this:

How Soon is Now? (sick of it)

Coldplay in any form

Rolling Stones unless it’s Mothers Little Helper

found easily on a 99x playlist

bright eyes

killers

Christmas-related music of any kind

songs associated with other relationships: New Year’s Day by u2, any Oasis, Smashing pumpkins, speed metal

Hey Mickey or Come on Eileen (unless it’s the Badly Drawn Boy cover)

Bon Jovi

cheesy love longs not specifically requested on my YES list/sung by Bjork, Colin Meloy, or Ben Gibbard or a Beatle

heavy metal no matter what ilya says (hair metal is permitted w/ heidi approval)

country music

R&B

Aerosmith

rap (Gorillaz and other good stuff excluded)

showtunes

Gwen Stefani

Britney or Christina or anyone either have had sex with

anyone featured in Teen Beat

Blue Monday (there exist so many better New Order songs)

song ever featured in an iPod commercial or on TRL

songs lasting more than 7 minutes unless they are by nEw Order

u2/whitney houston mash-ups

greenday

to this case reponded: "damn, that's a good list."

why i love internet radio

2005-10-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

stuck on the nightshift, just me and internet radio. here's why i love the britpop station:

-bliss by muse (the best muse song in my humble opinion)
-the universal by blur (beautiful even if everyone dogs that album)
-placebo's cover of where is my mind? (orig by the pixies)
-suede. enough said.
-feeder (can't remember the title) who always make me feel like i am in a hostle somewhere in england, even when i am at my desk in atlanta
-starsailor x 3
-true faith by new order not once, but twice (one of the two most underrated bands of all great britain, along with catherine wheel)
-za by my beloved music-blog namesakes (from an album stealthily trying to takeover as my fave)
-the verve (i'll take richard ashcroft in any form i can get him)
-turin brakes (discovered on internet radio... a secret treasure)
-

all in the span of 2 hours.

johns

2005-10-05T12:26:00.000-04:00

listening to They Might Be Giants just now, i was reminded of a bit from the "Gigantic..." film where someone (sorry that i can't place who) said they felt sorry for those guys because since they are TMBG, they can never really know/experience how great TMBG are.

me too.

dek a bree stee

2005-10-04T20:23:00.000-04:00

last thursday with my hussy...

the decemberists are always amazing live and there are few words to justify the experience, but i'll try

i felt like a gramma hipster...

i continue to insist colin meloy is in love with the following vocabular units: sinew, wretch
(while his friend mr. gibbard i notice of late favors the word synapse)

he also looks like popeye when he sings

drummers continue to fascinate me - especially when they can play the bass drum with a mallet and the tamborine simultaneously

jeff lynne would have been proud of the cover of "mr. blue sky"

hooray for the resurfacing of the soldier tshirt!!!!

concert-o-rama, pt 2

2005-09-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

oasis

hi fi buys, last night

liam blew the lyrics to "acquiesce." had i paid my own way to the show, i might have demanded recompense in the form of "talk tonight." (see tomorrow's post)

rocked out, "wonderwall" becomes a whole nother, incredible composition.

JM:(referring to openers JET) they sound very much like cinderella.
ME: joseph, don't make me throw this water at you.
make fun of britny fox till the cows come home, but leave eric, jeff, tom and fred out of it!
(heidi continues to insist jet suck...)

"don't look back in anger" never sounded so good. incidentally, i say this each time i see the brothers gallagher live.

liam is unnecessary. noel is a superior vocalist/musician/jackass. at least his arrogance is somewhat subtle...

i still insist that jet's ballad "look what you've done" sounded better the first time when it was called "sexy sadie."

incidentally, oasis' "cigarettes and alcohol" is almost as good as when t-rex called it "bang a gong."

again, what was in actuality an 80-ish minute set felt like an EP version. three albums were left untouched. while noel says those were all shite, i have to attest to the fact that "gas panic" is a fucking awesome song that i would love to see done live.

the stage set up includes a zillion or so thin, horizontal LCD screens. i feel these would be better used to display subtitles of the band's interspersed banter, like in operas...

just before the lights came up to signal us to get out, noel walked back on stage alone to applaud his audience... corny, but a warm gesture that made me smile...

not unlike the badgering he did of guys in the audience trying to work football jerseys of clubs they'd never heard of...
"man u, huh? what part of manchester you from? ah, you're not... (insert unintelligible scouse-like nonsense here)"

the more people who show up at a show, the more opportunity i have to mock. helps when you feel like one of the oldest fogeys there.

all in all, a lovely evening.

concert-o-rama week, pt 1

2005-09-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

bloc party

last night

an embracing and (98%) courteous crowd
(save the two girls in front of new to their sexual orientation and unaware that no one in the city is gonna be shocked and awed by it... save it for douglas county, ladies)

a 60+ minute set that felt like 20... good things never seem to last.

regret at having missed the opening band.

relief that i was not, in fact, the oldest fogey in the room at a ripe 28.

times when i caught myself not caring that i had to strain on my tiptoes to see a full view of the stage... moments when i was so taken by the environment, i hadn't realized how long my eyes had been closed.

music so good i forgot about my life outside the venue doors.

energy without need of theatrics (not that theatrics are a bad thing - see: bauhaus post)

i love to watch drummers who love what they are doing back behind those cymbals... mr. tong loves his job. (and may i just say - YUM)

crowded enough to make the floor vibrate, but not so much that i couldn't dance when kele said dance.

reasonably-priced merch. i bet coldplay tshirts ain't know 20 bucks...

a burning desire to book a ticket to edinburgh for right now, so i can see them again in a few days.

puh-lease

2005-09-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

warning: a small heidi-rant to follow

though i can't put my finger on it, something brought this episode to mind today.

months ago, when the latest gorillaz album was just released, some of the guys did an instore at atlanta's finest indie record store. along with the rest of the masses, i got to the shop about a half hour before the scheduled signings, bought my copy and took my place in line with the tweeny skater boys and the veteran britpoppers. an eclectic crowd, it warmed my heart.

but standing in line, i heard this chick (because i am sorry but it's the only word to dignify her with) going on loud enough to make herself heard, declaring, "i don't really know any of this gorillaz or whatever it is stuff. i am just here because i am blur fan from way back in the day." (almost verbatim... but the content is accurate)

a) she was younger than me so "way back in the day" would have made her 12 or 13 tops. now maybe she's an anomaly like myself who managed to avoid the new kids on the block/vanilla ice virus... and call me an elitist or a cynic or what you will, but i don't think so, sister. after all, my vaccination came in the form of hair metal... which could be potentially as embarrassing. i didn't see many generation nexters jumping on board until well after the "wonderwall" extravaganza.

b) and most importantly - if she were half the grand blur fan she wanted to us to know she was, she would know gorillaz stuff. because it involves damon, thus involving blur. she would care about what he's doing, because she's one of his biggest fans from way back. she would be supporting his recent endeavors, or at the very least be aware of and acknowledge them. as it stood, she'd discounted herself when she discounted gorillaz. and every true old school blur fan in that line (with their kids) was quietly and tactfully mocking her on the inside.

i was a very late blur bloomer. i sadly admit to that. but in spite of it, as i am a current blur fan, anything any one of them involves themselves in, is at least of interest to me. i don't gotta like it, but it's at least worthy of my attention.

the real reason it got under my skin though, was because in making her announcement, she was in a sense or perhaps purposefully belittling those surrounding her who may be yet-to-bloom blur fans or who were really there just to meet jamie or danger mouse... (or who were intrigued by three incredibly beautiful men at one table all of whom contributed to one of what i consider the awesomest albums to come out all year). screw her and all the phonies like her.

what i am failing to get at here, i suppose, is this: being a fan doesn't mean you have to pove yourself. and you shouldn't feel threatened when a lot of people appreciate your band. be proud of them. them the band and them the people who see the light and thus perpetuate the band's means to continue on doing great stuff.

i don't mean you can't scoff at the twits in front of you at the show who talk through the songs they don't know and make weird "wtf?" faces at each other until the big ballad radio hit surfaces in the playlist. fucking mock those bitches for all their worth.

but don't show up at a gorillaz signin and get all bristled up and thinking you're better than the 14-year-olds in front of you just because you heard "song 2" first.

undead undead undead

2005-09-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

i discovered 120 minutes around 1988. up to that point my childhood/adolescence had been all about the headbanger's ball and metal edge's latest pin-up boys. then my cousin, god bless her, introduced me to the cure while RIP magazine was initiating my love affair with a short-lived mother love bone. i was hitting my musical puberty in a way i suppose.

through the magic of commercial radio, if you can believe it, i was introduced to love and rockets. not that god-awful (sorry, daniel) "so alive" nonsense that was all the rage in 1991 (or so)... but "no new tale to tell" - even at 11 i had an idea of how brilliant those first few lines about going against nature were. it was so weird, but i LOVED it... and when i saw the video weeks on, and then the bizzaro one for their cover of "ball of confusion..." a transition began.

a year or so later, i discovered what is still one of my favorite songs, "cuts you up." it's no matter that this is probably the only peter murphy song a lot of people know, it's still compellingly beautiful.

and never once in all those 3 years or so did i put it together in my young, naive little mind that these guys had anything to do with one another. until one night, late on a sunday, up way past my bedtime (oh to be 13 and defiant again) there appeared something even more strange to me than even the strangest cure video. "she's in parties" - incredible to me not only because of its black-and-white-and-violet creepiness, but who was this guy with black hair who looked like peter murphy and why were love and rockets hanging around in the background?

i had joined too late to see tag at the beginning and thus had no idea what i was witnessing, but i was so very intrigued (if not only by how much i suddenly noticed that daniel ash looks kinda like bono)... and so when the tag appeared at the end... it was such a revelation.

goth and metal travel in a lot of the same circles. occassionally the t-shirt ads in my heavy metal pin-up mags had bauhaus and skinny puppy shirts lined up right alongside the metallica and la guns ones. sometimes there would be a mention of the name in the "news briefs" featured in those same rags. i knew the name, and gathered its importance...

but it was PETER MURPHY AND LOVE & ROCKETS????? HOLY SHIT!!!!!!
(remember folks, i WAS 13 at the time)
the news almost made me cry...

fast forward to 1998. my (now ex) boyfriend is sitting across from me lamenting that he wants to go to this game demonstration, but his boss - the store owner - can't go because he's stuck going to this concert with his wife and he can't get out of it. after all, who's gonna take the ticket on such short notice and who the hell wants to see bauhaus anyway?

um... me.

seriously?

um... are you really having to ask me twice if i wanna see peter murphy?

right. let me call steve.

and hence, joshua got to go to his freakshow and i ... well, i guess i got to go to my own.

there followed the greatest concert experience of my life. i have continued to declare it so for the seven years since, in spite of radiohead at stone mountain and travis in scotland and any decemberists show which is the only show to come second in sheer theatricality... if you've seen or get a chance to see the "gotham" concert video bauhaus released in dec 99, you'll get the idea, but only the idea. the thrill of witnessing this - and as a bauhaus virgin no less - cannot be justified with any written word.

"dare" sung from inside a television... "boys" sung while peter changed his wardrobe onstage behind a purple curtain held by boys in pleather hot pants... what seemed like a 15-minute standstill before peter opened up the 15-foot wingspan on that cape, twirling about for "bela lugosi"... the serenade to the audience.

again, there's nothing i can write that will describe it with any accuracy.

but imagine my elation to learn... that they're reuniting again.

last february i had the surreal pleasure of driving mr. david (j) haskins about while a theatre in whose employ i was at the time produced a short play he'd penned. as i was the one who used to insist on peter murphy's mug as a desktop, it was figured i had earned this privilege/punishment (punishment only b/c i was nervous and starstruck as hell).

driving he and his wife (who i was in almost as much awe of as david himself - damn she's awesome) to the airport on a rainy sunday in d's old school honda with its shotty wipers, i finally got up the hoohas to talk shop with him. (hi heidi. nice to meet you i am david. - yes. yes you are.) he'd told me there was probably not much in the way of reunion touring in the future of love and rockets (and bauhaus by association) as daniel was having some serious surgery done - on his leg if i recall correctly - undo some damage inflicted by a motorcycle mishap.

now imagine my elation again. this time rising from a disappointment i had been settled upon, now lifted.

and the hope that peter will sing suspended from the rafters like at coachella.

in french it's...

2005-09-14T11:25:00.000-04:00

sidebar - i heart george, pt. 1

2005-09-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

brilliant word from the mouth of my favorite beatle:

"my advice for those who die
declare those pennies on your eyes"

from "taxman."

and while we're on the beatles... elanor rigby

2005-09-03T21:02:00.000-04:00

this song set in motion my loss of innocence.

not that way you filthy-minded git...

but rather the first time i truly occurred to me that the world could be a cruel and bitter place. i was eight.

dad took mom and i one sunday afternoon to the movie theatre in sandy springs to see a special presentation of "yellow submarine." i had no idea what i was in for.

and while the experience as a whole was - wow, bizarre seems too weak a word, but hell, we'll use it anyway - i loved it nonetheless. if you've seen the film, this needs no further explanation. if you haven't, imagine being a child on an acid trip and you kinda get the sketch of things...

the critical point, however, was that bit toward the beginning with the elanor rigby montage. this was perhaps the only chance i had ever taken to actually listen to the lyrics as paul sang them, rather than simply hearing them. and they made my poor little body shudder. in combination with the images on the screen, the literally made my heart heart. i didn't quite understand why my eyes were welling up, but there was something about the figures with single tears in their eyes that made me feel utter desperation and even a little fear.

when i watch "yellow submarine," i still get through that scene with a bit of emotional difficulty and since that day now 20 years past, as last-witnessed this afternoon, my heart hurts for all the lonely people whenever i hear that string section begin...

if i needed someone

2005-08-30T18:40:00.000-04:00

it's no secret that george was the far most underrated beatle, and was content to be so. this is why i love him.

this and the fact that his songs, though 15 years or so older than me even, say the things i think all the time...

if it'd been some other day, it might not have been this way, but you see now i'm too much in love... (not exact but close)

boy, i could count 'em on both hands... sheesh

george - my favorite beatle

a scratch in the groove...

2005-08-29T12:32:00.000-04:00

already i am unhappy with what i am doing here. i already feel as if i am trying too hard with these, trying to conform them. that is not what i set out to do here.

so i begin again.

and i am gonna begin with my favorite songs and a brief biography of my relationship with each.

a) tempted - squeeze
the summer of 1994. GHP. k castle, residing across the hall, would use this as my morning wake up call. she'd open her door, check that miss passarello (my roommate) was up already, and then hit 13, with the full knowledge that my favorite song would always get me outta bed, just like those geezers in the folger's coffee commercials. after all, if you're gonna spend your last high school summer locked inside the boundaries of a college campus with a bunch of smart kids and waking up at 8 to go to class every morning, you're gonna need a little something.

b) in my life - beatles
my daddy, the greatest man to ever live, loves the beatles. and he'd be damned if his little girl wasn't gonna love them too. and she does.
she tried to dislike them. as early in my life as i can remember, i would prune up my face when i heard the sound of john or paul's voice coming from the den where dad kept his stereo system. until one day (age 5) i was sitting in my bedroom window sill and i caught it. rather myself. singing. along with "michelle." the charade was up. i loved the beatles.
hard to imagine, i know, but years on i found myself an introverted, horribly self-conscious, fat teenager in a town too small and too backward to hold the slightest bit of my attention. i spent a large part of my adolescence on our porch swing with either my nose in a book or daydreaming with my headphones on.
on this particular evening i was jumping from fm station to fm station, landing more often than one would think on the oldies station. it was the first time i had ever really paid attention to what john was saying in this song... and to the eminant truth of growing up... and without warning, i cried.
nothing spectacular. just that.

c) here i dreamt i was an architect - the decemberists
a recently-acquired love courtesy of a newly-acquired love. one of the first things the russian ever did for me was find me a copy of Castaways and Cutouts. i had seen the decemberists live on a whim of sorts, and i recalled that there was a beautiful song they did that damn near brought me to my knees.
months later, i awoke for one of the first times in his (the russian's) bed, elated to find he was really there, when that very song appeared... as much as a song can.
that will always be my first thought whenever i hear it.
i am 4 months from the day that i will become that russian's wife.

already lost count of track numbers... how sad - late in the day

2005-08-25T17:17:00.000-04:00

it's been a supergrass kind of week. how appropriate.

today i was working on the birthday mix cd for my best friend griffin. i thought as i poured over my music library, i haven't given In it for the Money a good listen in ages and pulled it up in winamp.

so many good tunes, but the one that always sticks out is "late in the day." a love song, heidi? how dull.

but no.

a love song indeed, but what an odd and yet beautiful one.

"I sleep on the road,
Dreaming of a sound,
Coming my way,
So long,
So long for me,

All the time I thought of you,
In an ordinary way,
Check back down the heart away,
And all I really have to say
Is people pass along the way,
Thoughts of you and me again,"

sure it's clearly the occupational hazard that possessed steve perry to write "faithfully" or peter criss to write "beth" - being in love and being a rock musician are not an ideal combination - the lyrics are nothing special in this regard. it's the stuff of almost every rock ballad.

but what make it special to me are two things - well more than that, but these two especially:

1. while it begins as the typical slow, pretty ballad, the chorus is upbeat and damn-near danceable. it gives hope to the idea, though you never can be positive whether the you and me he speaks of is a you and me that have long ago said their goodbyes or if it's a you who's waiting at home. in either scenario, it's nice that he ain't pleading or sugarcoating anything. he's just saying, at the end of the day you're on my mind and i like to think i'll be where you are.

2. i loved a musician once. he wasn't on the road all the time - or ever really - but sometimes it could feel that way. he loved this song and put it on a mix cd he made for my birthday. a mix cd i loved more than any gift he ever gave me. a mix cd that i always know the location of, and that i listen to as regularly as i do supergrass. we aren't a you and me any longer, but we are still in each other's lives. this song - strangely enough - reminds me of that and how grateful i am for it.

hidden bonus track - medley

2005-08-23T15:45:00.000-04:00

in february i embarked on my "birthday mix cd frenzy." it was nik's bday and i was determined to make her a mix cd to end all mix cd's.

she ended up with two.

should i not get to some of these here, i have listed them in the order in which tey appeared, complete with subtitles where included.

"Get Down with Your Bad Self" Featuring…
1. Supergrass in Alright
2. Hot Hot Heat in Talk to Me, Dance with Me
(or Heidi’s dance anthem)
3. Franz Ferninand in Michael
(or Straight Boys Playing Gay Are Hot)
4. VHS of Beta in Night on Fire
5. Interpol in Obstacle 2
(or the sexiest song EVER)
6. More Supergrass in Grace
(or I heart British Trios)
7. Pulp in Disco 2000
8. Death by Chocolate in Magpie
9. Arab Strap in Cherubs
10. Pinback in Microtonic Wave
11. Snow Patrol in Ways and Means
(or Gary Lightbody, please marry me!)
12. Portishead in Wandering Star
(or Sex with Russians…. Sorry – I had to)
13. Richard Ashcroft in New York
(or a song that reminds me of July 2004)
14. Radiohead in Talk Show Host
15. Placebo in Special K
16. Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Y Control
17. Yo La Tengo & Extra Special Guest in Hedwig’s Lament/Exquisite Corpse(or Sorry, this is Exquisitely Funny Standing Alone)
18. New Order in Temptation
(or the Trainspotting Song)
19. Death Cab for Cutie in Company Calls
(or A Song for the Wind-down)

and "Mellow Moods" featuring
1. Modest Mouse in Dramamine
(or Heidi in/on Ecstasy)
2. The Decemberists in Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect
(or The Most Beautiful Song in the World)
3. Travis in Writing to Reach You
(or The Reason I Love Banjos in Rock Songs)
4. The Reindeer Section in The Opening Taste
(or If I Marry an Irishman, please God Let it Be this One)
5. Death Cab for Cutie in License and Registration
(or a song that makes me cry every time)
6. Elbow in Newborn
7. Keane in Bedshaped
(or Hey, No Guitars!!!!)
8. Wrens in Happy
9. Elliott Smith in Waltz #2
10. The Shins in Caring is Creepy
11. The Lucksmiths in Camera Shy
12. Iron and Wine in Such Great Heights
(or He Might Not Be the Postal Service)
13. Jeff Buckley in That's All I Ask
(or He Might Not Be Nina Simone)
14. Ed Harcourt in She Fell Into My Arms
15. They Might Be Giants in The Long Grift
(or They Might Not Be The Angry Inch)
16. Freedy Johnston in Enough for Us
(or He Might Not Be XTC)
17. XTC in Harvest Festival
18. Badly Drawn Boy in Once Around the Block

track three - moving

2005-08-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

august 2000. justin would not stop singing it.

not my first exposure to supergrass. just as for the rest of the world, that was "alright." just as for the rest of the united states, it's because it was on my Clueless soundtrack.

but the day i left my first post-college apartment (the one shared with casey d), assisted by my parents, my boyfriend and his brother kevin, was the first time i heard this song - at a table at the majestic, eating eggs and toast.

for the six or so hours that it required to move me from dixie to mclendon, i heard justin's a capella version of the first few verses of this song no less than 24 times... until finally having decided to not spend my first night at my new address actually at my new address, he played the real thing for me...

and "i (heart) supergrass" was born.

my favorite moment to listen to "moving" is leaving work, especially on a thursday afternoon (thursday is my friday). put Supergrass in the player, roll down the window as it opens...

Moving, just keep moving,
Till I don't know what's sane,
I've been moving so long,
The days all feel the same,

"Moving, just keep moving,
Well I don't know why to stay,
No ties to bind me,
No reasons to remain"

and take off just as it hits that inital tempo change.

"Got a low, low feeling around me,
And a stone cold feeling inside,
And I just can't stop messing my mind up,
Or wasting my time"

someday when i make my ultimate road music mix cd, this will without a doubt be the opening track.

this is one of those that sparks not one but several emotions. while we may no longer share our lives in the same way, there was a time when we were total bright spots in one another's existences... and i am grateful for that and that he's still around.

track two - without you i'm nothing

2005-08-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

the first time i heard placebo, i hated them. i continued to do so a good 8 years on until i discovered the Sleeping With Ghosts album, and more importantly the song "english summer rain." but that is for another post...

after spending a month solid with only that album on repeat, i decided to branch out - and buy the other placebo albums. starting with Without You... as i had heard a rumor it was the end all, be all of placebo albums.

i was at a weird place in my life at the time... a good one, but very surreal. i had just metamorphosized (is that the word?)from a fat girl to one suddenly very comfortable in new skin. i had just freed myself from a near 4-year relationship with someone i loved very much, but who was definitely travelling a different path from myself. i was living on my own for the first time in quite a while.

and with that came a fresh sexual liberation.

and THAT is where this song takes me.

every time i hear it, i feel that chill just beneath the skin. you have had your eye on that one all night, all month, for years. and suddenly their eyes are finally looking in your direction. and no one has to say, "hey you wanna go somewhere and romp around all night?" it's just there.

and it's fun while it lasts. and sometimes it stays that way. and sometimes it doesn't.

the song is so dark and so sexy. and about drugs i am pretty sure, but that's irrelevant. a song, i have learned in all these 28 years, really can mean anything it wants to. and this one is all about those beautiful ups and downs of sexual freedom.

the opening notes are like the first bit of sunlight pouring through the window the morning after... that moment when half-asleep either the panic starts to set in, or the excitement that this thing happened and now is either the time to sneak out from under the covers and make tea or to sneak back under them to start it all over again...

"Strange infatuation seems to grace the evening tide
I'll take it by your side
Such imagination seems to help the feeling slide
I'll take it by your side
Instant correlation sucks and breeds a pack of lies
I'll take it by your side
Over saturation curls the skin and tans the hide
I'll take it by your side"

sometimes they lose their minds after. sometimes you do. sometimes nothing. sometimes you drive them back to their cars and they move on. sometimes to the other side of the country. sometimes you're relieved, and sometimes you wish you could live that night before over and over again until your flesh is raw.

"I'm unclean a libertine
And every time you vent your spleen
I seem to lose the power of speech
You're slipping slowly from my reach
You grow me like an evergreen
You've never seen the lonely me at all"

and sometimes just nothing.

on a side note, i was thrilled to learn that there existed another version of this song on which my beloved David Bowie duets with Brain Molko. until i heard it.

i could never imagine that bowie could ruin anything, but damn if he doesn't negate the entire effect here...

track one - intro

2005-08-23T09:55:00.000-04:00

somebody got blog-happy this month.

and she decided to start a blog based on a comment that her beloved russian said this morning and most mornings...

heidi: oh my god, i love this song.
russian: you love EVERY song.
heidi: not EVERY song.
russian: ok. every OTHER song.

so this blog is dedicated to the truth of that statement.

if smell is the sense most strongly connected to memory, music puts sound in an ever-closing second. and it reigns over my emotions like nothing else on earth.

so welcome to my music diary.