THE FLAMING LIPS - SONGS FROM THE FUTURE ALBUM EMBRYONIC EP
Very good news from Wayne and the gang... Flaming Lips.com has announced that three songs pulled from The Flaming Lips' upcoming album Embryonic ("Convinced of The Hex," "The Impulse" and "Silver Trembling Hands") have been made available for download from digital retailers such as iTunes, which has the whole shebang listed here for $3.87. Exciting!
Now I'm going to do you a favor and throw up some videos of The Lips performing "Silver Trembling Hands" and Convinced of the Hex" at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this past July 19 to wet your whistle for these new tracks:
NSFW for those of you lucky enough to be hanging on to your job...Wayne is pulling an MC5 here and calling out to his sexy MFs incessantly. Keep your day job!
I was saddened to learn that author E. Lynn Harris died on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA of undisclosed causes. Openly gay himself, Harris's novels about the experiences of gay black men (often living in the closet or "on the down-low"), beginning with the self-published 1994 novel Invisible Life, became surprising popular and influential on black literature and mass-market literature in general.
Though Harris's writing wasn't considered prestigious or "literary" by critics or peers, it was a remarkable accomplishment to write about the black gay community, which continues to be a taboo subject, and have the audacity to be successful at it. Harris self-published "Invisible Life" in 1991 and sold it out of the trunk of his car, punk rock style. According to the New York Times, Harris attempted to persuade booksellers to sell his book in their stores, and was given the advice to get a New York agent, which led him to an agent who was able to sell the book to Anchor Books, an imprint of Doubleday Books.
He subsequently went on to publish over twelve more books, ending with the novel Basketball Jones in 2009. I remember being in a Barnes and Noble when E. Lynn Harris was scheduled to read from one of his books and answer questions from what looked like a largely black and female clientele. There was an amazing excitement in the air over this man and his somewhat soapy but all-ballsy tales of deception and sexual intrigue. The literary world and the world at large have lost an original. R.I.P., E. Lynn Harris.
If you are interested in learning more about Harris's work, check out his website or an audio interview with Radiah Hubbert on her show "On The Line" featured on www.urban-reviews.com.
Here's some info on future ticket refund for the "This Is It" Michael Jackson concerts that were scheduled for London, England's O2 Arena next month, for those of you who jumped on tickets to what would have surely been phenomenal shows.
Been continuing to rock out to MJ at various points all throughout this weekend. Here are some more 90's joints from Mike's catalogue, starting with the 1995 R. Kelly-penned ballad "You Are Not Alone" from the album HIStory (featuring ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley!):
"They Don't Care About Us" is another single from the HIStory record that generated some controversy over allegedly antisemitic lyrics contained in the virulent social commentary song, prompting rancor from critics and Jewish community leaders, including film director and friend Steven Spielberg. The lyrics were later edited after a public apology by Jackson.
The song is accompanied by two videos by director Spike Lee: one based in the favela of Salvador Bahia, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the other set in a prison. Spike Lee and Jackson faced opposition from the Brazilian government in preparation to shoot the video, charging that the singer was exploiting their poor and projecting an image of Brazil's seeming social failings would be bad for tourism. They eventually shot the video and were warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by the community that lived there. I think that the video is an earthy and defiant slice of life and an uncommonly down-to-earth appearance by MJ...in jeans, no less:
I really like both these videos. I think they are strong collaborations between Lee and Jackson. They really focus Jackson's righteous indignation in the song into very authentic and artful visuals reminiscent of the insurgence of Lee's earlier films, especially 1989's "Do The Right Thing."
The 1997 Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix album is an interesting musical re-discovery in the midst of the hoopla surrounding Jackson's death. A collection of remixes of the then-new Disc Two songs from the 1995 double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, it's a fascinatingly dark and funky carnival ride through Jackson's paranoia about media scrutiny and the perils of being a crazy-talented dancing machine:
"Ghosts" is a weird little morsel from the same album. WARNING: This is almost for Michael Jackson mega-fans and 90's completists only. It is, in its entirety, an almost forty-minute long music video that tells the story (co-written by Jackson with Stephen King) of a character called "The Maestro" who is chased out of town by angry residents, illustrating how Jackson felt in the wake of child sexual abuse charges he incurred in 1993. It is the longest music video ever produced to date, and was directed by Hollywood special effects/makeup wizard Stan Winston, who himself passed away June of last year.
This is something I didn't really get to the first time around in the 90's, so this is pretty interesting now...here's a shorter version:
The choreography at the beginning of this is actually pretty badass, despite all the creepy tomfoolery with the harlequins later on.
Man, I have totally been avoiding this post like a muthafunka since I heard the news yesterday afternoon. I'm so mad at the world that I can't get in to see his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and discarded disrespectful signs calling people who visit the other MJ star "morons" because it's the wrong star, as if this guy doesn't understand why they're leaving memorials there (same name, guys). This thing is crazy.
Michael Jackson's story is so prolific and filled with incredible innovation and artistry, as well as stomach-wrenching lows, that it's almost too much to cover in a blog post, and anyway, we all know the story at this point:
Gary, Indiana. Poppa Joe Jackson and his brood. The Jackson 5. Michael goes solo. Michael goes solo in a BIG way with the 1982 Thriller album. Awesome John Landis-directed video. Motown 25 and the moonwalk. Hair-raising Pepsi commercial. Paul McCartney and the Beatles catalogue. "We Are The World." Bubbles. Neverland Ranch. Bad. Awesome Martin Scorsese-directed video. "Black or White" with Macauley, and Michael smashing up a perfectly good car. Superbowl XXVII. Lisa Marie Presley. Child molestation allegations. HIStory. Deborah Rowe. Prince Michael I. Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. Prince Michael II (Blanket). More child sexual abuse allegations. The trial. Mounting debt. Neverland Ranch auction. 50 sold-out "comeback" concerts in London, England. Jackson suffers cardiac arrest and dies at age 50 in Los Angeles, California on June 25, 2009.
Since Damn The Man is focused on 90's pop culture, I'd like to zoom in on Michael Jackson's 90's output, which, while not as momentous and earthshaking as his 70's and 80's work, is of just as high quality. I love not only his work, but work by other 90's artists inspired by Michael Jackson's awesome ebullience and generosity in his music and stage performance. I miss the guy like crazy, and it probably goes without saying you miss him too.
First video up is his single "Remember The Time" from his 1991 album Dangerous:
MJ performs with Slash (former guitarist of rock juggernauts Guns 'N'Roses) on his hit single "Black or White," also off of the Dangerous album:
Here is the full official (though not original uncut) music video for "Black and White," including the controversial second half. This video debuted in its entirety on FOX and MTV on November 14, 1991, and the latter "panther" half of the video was so divisive that it was subsequently deleted so that it was able to air on MTV regularly. This version here also lacks the "violent" smashing of car windows by Jackson that caused much of the controversy.
"In The Closet" is a song from the 1991 Dangerous album co-written by the R&B singer/musician/producer Teddy Riley (Guy, Blackstreet), and it's underrated and great, in my opinion. It was originally conceived as a duet between Jackson and Madonna, but their collaboration on the song came to an end due to creative differences. The beautiful video features 90's supermodel Naomi Campbell and was directed by incredible fashion photographer Herb Ritts, who made both Campbell and Jackson look like glowing gods of the Mexican ghost town, if I do say so myself:
Michael Jackson's 1995 single "Scream" from the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a collaboration with his sister Janet Jackson, and is notable for its very 90's, very expensive video directed by visionary and Satellite Films director Mark Romanek, at that point sought-after in the music video world for his dark, intense videos such as Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" and Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way."
"Scream" was and still remains one of the most expensive videos in music video history, with a budget of approximately $7 million. Here is an interview that Entertainment Weekly conducted with Mark Romanek about his memories of making this amazing video and working with Michael.
Please enjoy the video:
Here are a couple of special 90's treats associated with MJ that I just love. First up is the 1993 number-one hit single "Right Here/Human Nature" by R&B group SWV. It stayed at the top position on the Billboard R&B chart for ten weeks, making it the longest run at number one of any R&B single in 1993. It samples Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Human Nature" from his blockbuster album, Thriller, which was co-written by Steve Porcaro of popular 80's band, Toto (I love the song "Africa" with a passion).
SWV is one of my favorite R&B groups from the 90's and I absolutely adore this song, both versions. The video for the SWV track is lovely as well, featuring the band looking quite pretty with their own hair (no lace fronts) and riding pants with white shirts. This song in all forms is a breath of fresh air, which is why I'm including a clip of MJ busting it on his 1987 Bad tour after the SWV clip:
The second thing I wanted to throw at you is one of my very favorite movie scenes ever, which came to my mind when thinking about the joy that MJ's music brought to so many different people. The wonderful 2006 film "Clerks 2," directed by Kevin Smith as a kind of sequel to his cult hit 1994 film "Clerks," contains a lovely scene in which his main character Dante finally realizes that he has fallen in love with his boss/friend Becky to the tune of The Jackson Five's 1970 number-one hit single, "ABC." It is as simple and heartwarming as that sounds:
I could go on and on, but the only thing left to say is Michael, we miss you.
I don't know about you, but as a diehard Tarantino fan, I am curious as hell about his upcoming film, "Inglourious Basterds," due out in theaters on August 21, 2009. Click here for a review of the film by Variety.
I realize I'm slow on the uptake in posting this, but the review is pretty detailed, and hell, the movie isn't out for another two months. I loved his segment "Death Proof" from 2007's "Grindhouse," but this is a whole 'nother animal.
Take a break from chewing down your fingernails waiting for this thing and enjoy the trailer:
"And I want my scalps!" That line makes me lose it every time I watch this trailer. A German friend of mine ( he was the director of my short film, "Spent," which you can find in the Blogroll in the sidebar) is actually working on the German subtitles of the film, and intimates that the film is quite good, though he won't give me details. I sure hope so.
No matter how old I get, or how old he gets, John Cusack is the cure for what ails me. I was in a totally hellacious mood last night, so I took in a viewing of the fantabulous late-90's cult comedy "Grosse Pointe Blank" via Netflix's extremely handy "Watch Now" feature. Mood uplifted!
As I researched the film, the most-pondered question on the Internet was, "Is this the most perfect movie ever made?" The answer, of course, is no. But damned if Johnny, Minnie and the gang don't make it feel like it is.
The story, for those too young or indifferent to have been completely consumed with love for Cusack through multiple viewings of Cameron Crowe's 1989 classic film "Say Anything" is this:
An emotionally bereft hit man, Martin Q. Blank (Cusack), decides it's time to quit the business. His decision comes at an inopportune time, since his nemesis, a fellow hit man named Grocer (played rather brilliantly by Dan Aykroyd), is tired of all the snafus in scheduling hits, and wants to form an assassins' union, including Blank. Martin Blank makes it clear to Grocer that this is not going to happen. Because of Blank's increasing stress, he fouls up a very important hit.
To make amends, he has to perform one last job in his native Detroit, Michigan. It just so happens that his 10-year high school reunion is happening at the same time, giving him a reason to go back and find Debi, the girl he left behind in her prom dress all those years ago to join the army and start killing people, and resolve the true source of his anxiety.
Blank also forces his therapist, Dr. Oatman, into treating him. Don't forget the two wisecracking government spooks who follow him back to the lush greenery of Grosse Pointe, a rich suburb of Detroit.
Absurd, I know. But absurd is kind of the point of "Grosse Pointe Blank," and it does it very well (further underlined by the overwhelmingly over-the-top nature of Grosse Pointe Blank's unofficial sequel, 2008's "War Inc."). The script is delightfully witty and strikes a delicate balance between upbeat optimism and dour cynicism. The direction, in my opinion, is not always technically competent, but maintains a consistently funny and offbeat tone, helped in large part by the impeccably curated soundtrack featuring 80's punk, ska and New Wave such as The Clash, The Specials and Violent Femmes (The latter's "Blister In The Sun" is kind of an unofficial theme for Martin's return to Grosse Pointe).
The cast is the biggest reason to keep coming back to "Grosse Pointe Blank." John Cusack is at his Cusack-y best here: young, cute, manly yet sensitive, wonderfully dark. Yum.
Minnie Driver is terrific as Debi Newberry, a very cool chick who has a hip radio show and burning hate/love for the long-lost Martin Blank. After the "airplane" scene (if yr a girl, you will love the airplane scene, trust me), it is no wonder why they briefly dated in real life. They have a naturally zesty and sexy chemistry that is simply fun to watch.
Jeremy Piven as Blank's best friend from high school, Paul, is as hyperkinetic and hilarious as ever, almost as if this is how Droz ended up after he finally graduated "PCU" (1994).
Dan Aykroyd, as previously mentioned, is comedy gold and a welcome addition to the film. All the rest of the supporting actors all round out a very appealing and top-notch cast.
This film brings back a lot of memories, good and bad, of transitioning into young adulthood from adolescence, and it fits where I'm at now, what with my 10-year college reunion coming up next summer. I can see watching it through painful life transitions for years to come. It may just be the perfect movie after all.
Click here to see a short but awesome interview with young John Cusack promoting the film on "Access Hollywood" back in the day.
More videos! Yay!!!
I love this fight scene. John Cusack is an avid kickboxer, and actually trained with the fellow he's kicking on in this scene, master martial artist Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Apparently Urquidez has also trained Dave Mustaine of Megadeth in martial arts.
SWING OUT SISTER - B.B. KING BLUES CLUB & GRILL - JUNE 8, 2009
80's & 90's Euro-pop sensations Swing Out Sister (singer Corinne Drewery and keyboardist Andy Connell) perform tonight in support of their 2008 album "Beautiful Mess" at B.B. King's in NYC. If you are on the East Coast and in a dancing kind of mood, do me a favor and check this out. I am incredibly jealous of you.
Being naturally drawn to loud, gritty, hate-and-frustration-driven music, it is somewhat incongruous that I would love a sophisticated, jazzy band like Swing Out Sister, but deep in my heart, I am a dancing queen, and there is nothing like a clean, bouncy pop track to purge the need to shake that thing. Swing Out Sister's exuberant songs, especially their 1986 breakthrough single "Breakout" and 1992's cover of the 1969 Barbara Acklin soul classic "Am I The Same Girl?," are a great pick-me-up when life gets you down. These songs live on my top-down convertible mixes in my car!
And now for some interesting videos:
Swing Out Sister - "Breakout" (Live 1989 The Prince's Trust Rock in Concert - National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, UK - July 18th and 19th)
Swing Out Sister - "Am I The Same Girl?" (Live 1993 at The Jazz Cafe)
R.I.P. OCTAVIA ST. LAURENT, BIRTHDATE UNKNOWN - 2009
When I got tipped off about Octavia's death through the Peace Bisquit email newsletter, I have to say I was very saddened. Transgendered entertainer Octavia Saint Laurent died of cancer on May 17th. She was a featured performer in the wonderful 1990 Jennie Livingston-directed documentary "Paris is Burning," which was focused on the underground LGBT "ballroom" community in NYC, consisting of drag queens/performers grouped into "houses" (such as the House of Mizrahi, of which Octavia was a part, and eventually added "Mizrahi" to her name to acknowledge her membership) and competition through dance/posing, specifically "voguing," popularized in the mainstream through the 1990 Madonna single/video "Vogue."
Octavia Saint Laurent was also featured in a 2006 documentary covering the same topic called "How Do I Look," directed by Wolfgang Busch. It picks up where "Paris Is Burning" left off, using footage collected from 1990-onward to create a comprehensive portrait of the ball community since the success of "Paris Is Burning" and "Vogue."
Every time someone from the spectacular film "Paris Is Burning" passes away, the world gets a little smaller and grayer. If you have yet to see it, Netflix it right away. If you're on the lazy side, no fear, a "Movies You Might Have Missed" feature post will be coming soon just for you. I wish I had more information on Octavia Saint Laurent for you, but here is a short article at My Comrade.com and a video clip of Octavia Saint Laurent from "Paris Is Burning." Octavia, you will be missed:
This whole business with Jay just makes me very sad. For those who don't know, Illinois native Jay Bennett was a musician who was a member of the alt-country band Wilco from 1994 until he was fired from the band in 2001, a tumultuous affair partly chronicled in the 2002 Sam Jones-directed documentary about Wilco, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." He died in his sleep on Sunday, May 24, 2009. The cause of death at this time is undetermined. A Champaign County, IL coroner's report is forthcoming after further testing.
Bennett subsequently went on to a lower-profile solo career, eventually recording five solo albums, including 2002's "The Palace at 4am" with Champaign, IL musician Edward Burch and 2008's "Whatever Happened I Apologize." He was finishing the album "Kicking At The Perfumed Air" at the time of his death. He also produced Blues Traveler's 2005 record "¡Bastardos!" and was a successful studio musician, playing on albums of musicians like Sheryl Crow.
Bennett contributed his talent as a multi-instrumentalist and producer to Wilco's during and including the live tours and records including "A.M." (1995; only live show) , "Being There" (1996), "Mermaid Avenue" (1998), "Summerteeth" (1999), and "Mermaid Avenue Vol. II" (2002), culminating in his contentious recording work on 2002's much-beleaguered rock masterpiece "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," which resulted in producer Jim O'Rourke remixing the title song "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," eventually taking over mixing of the entire album, and precipitated Bennett's unceremonious departure from the band.
Unfortunately, this embarrassing fall was documented in the film "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," which, IMHO, kind of depicts Jay in a less-than-favorable light. Apparently, he agreed, because Bennett filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Wilco frontman and founder Jeff Tweedy on May 4, 2009, for $50,000 in recompense for unpaid royalties accrued during his time in Wilco and his negative portrayal and unauthorized use of his image in the film.
Even worse was that Bennett was having trouble as of late with a hip injury incurred while he was a member of the band Titanic Love Affair in the 90's. He was preparing to go into hip replacement surgery, but found his insurance would not cover the procedure. He struggled with gathering the funds required to pay for the surgery "out of pocket".
Jay Bennett seemed to catch a raw deal in the end, especially when it comes to the impression the general public got of him as a musician and band member from "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." Jay seemed like an enthusiastic and committed artist who only cared about progressing the music to the best place he could guide it. "Summerteeth" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" are two amazing records that are touched by his care and contribution, and that's awesome. The fact that he lived the last portion of his life in frustrating emotional and physical pain is depressing. You will be missed, Jay. Thanks for bringing music into the world.
Here are some clips of Jay Bennett playing with Wilco, including some portions of the doc "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". For more info on Jay Bennett's contributions to the "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" record, I highly recommend you click here. For an interview conducted by Glorious Noise with Jay Bennett about "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and his leaving Wilco, you know what to do. Fascinating stuff.
THE PRODIGY - INVADERS MUST DIE TOUR - HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM, HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 27, 2009
Ooh boy, if you live in Los Angeles, this will be a special treat for you...Tomorrow night, yes, TOMORROW, so step on it if you're interested, UK electronic music giant The Prodigy will be rocking the Hollywood Palladium (6215 Sunset Blvd.) at 8pm. It's their "Invaders Must Die" tour, which be the name of their new album, of course, which features my close, personal friend Dave Grohl on drums for the track, " Run with the Wolves," btw.
My email username in college in the 90's was "Firestarter." Even my Mom liked "the little crazy clown" in the video for "Firestarter," who would shake his two little green tufts of hair around in a paroxysm of firestarting emotion. I somehow managed to miss them live back in the day, so I am super-psyched to see them tomorrow.
The Prodigy, who are mainly comprised of founder/songwriter/DJ/keyboardist Liam Howlett, dancer/vocalist/clown Keith Flint, and MC/vocalist/contact lens-wearer, Maxim Reality, have been in the business of tripping you out since 1990, and following the release of their excellent 1992 rave disc "Experience," The Prodigy's status as real anarchic barnburners in the electronic/dance music world was established.
For serious, if you love some hard-edged techno, check out "Experience" and 1994's "Music For The Jilted Generation,"(which was re-released in 2008 as "More Music For The Jilted Generation") both groundbreaking albums for the UK/US rave scenes.
Their 1997 album "Fat of the Land" was their true breakthrough album in the States, debuting on the Billboard chart at number one and eventually going double platinum. "Firestarter," "Breathe" and the controversial "Smack My Bitch Up" are all featured on this record, expanding their sound from their tightly-wound techno rave style into a more rock-oriented, guitar-laden sound. There is much to say about this album, so look out for a I Can't Believe You Don't Own This F%#kin' Record post coming your way soon.
So I've got a video for you from each 90's-era Prodigy record, enjoy:
The Prodigy - "Wind It Up" (from their 1992 album, "Experience")
The Prodigy - "Their Law" (from their 1994 album, "Music For The Jilted Generation")
The Prodigy - "Firestarter" (from their 1997 album, "The Fat of The Land")
Yessss! You know this is what you really wanted to see. You're welcome.
DAMN THE MAN'S HOUSE OF STYLE: THEY SHOOT SUPERMODELS, DON'T THEY?
After stumbling onto this US Magazine article on 90's models of yesteryear and having a robust argument with my fashion-illiterate husband (spurred on by a viewing of "America's Next Top Model") about whether there was a trend in "masculine-looking" supermodels in the 90's (Me:"No, it was waifs! Heroin chic!!"), an argument that even Judith Butler would want no place in, I knew it was time to prop this Damn The Man, Save The Empire! post category up already.
"House of Style" is, of course, named after the illustrious, Cindy-Crawford-hosted show, "MTV's House of Style," a show that I begrudgingly admit that my eyes were glued to every time it came on, if only in hopes that Todd Oldham would have a segment in DIY interior decoration that episode."House of Style" began in 1989 and runs in some form or another on MTV to this day, apparently.
Supermodels are also another thing of the past...oh yeah, there are still models, but who knows their names anymore? Big designers (John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, Isaac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Jean-Paul Gaultier) needed big names: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Niki Taylor, Claudia Schiffer...these were the heavy-hitters, seen everywhere from runways to TV to magazines, you could not get away from them. Even models below this lofty echelon were prized beyond belief; favorites of mine and my family's were Frederique, Jenny Shimizu (Angelina Jolie's ex!) and Eve (who wore a giant dragon tattoo on her head---it was the 90's, one could get away with such things when Cobain walked the earth).
Here's another article by Complex Magazine about these household names, and I will be scrounging up info on more...another House of Style post to come!
Here's the fun part...Videos! The first couple of clips are of vintage 90's "House of Style" episodes, and the last couple are a gift from me to those who remember when models were super!
George Michael - "Too Funky" from the 1992 compilation "Red Hot + Dance" by the Red Hot Organization (for HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising)
JIM CARREY (AS 'CARL' IN THE 2008 FILM "YES MAN") - JUMPER
Though "Yes Man" is nothing but a Xerox of the far superior 1997 comedy hit film "Liar Liar," any film that contains a scene in which Jim Carrey tries to talk a suicidal guy out of jumping off a building by playing him the 1997 Third Eye Blind single "Jumper" is OK in my book. Best use of a Third Eye Blind song, ever.
Third Eye Blind is a rough one for me. Alhough their hit singles (especially the ones from their self-titled debut album, from whence "Jumper" hails) are catchy, because K-Rock and MTV played their music (especially the eponymous debut album that "Jumper" comes from) a thousand times a day, catchy became earworm, and earworms make Your 90's-ologist itchy. I have to be honest that I'm not a fan.
One can't deny, however, that bands like Third Eye Blind were indelibly woven into the fabric of life in the 90's. So take it away, 90's-style Jim Carrey:
THE POSIES - THE GRAMERCY THEATER, NY, NY - JUNE 13, 2009
If you happen to be in NYC in June and are at all a fan of Damn The Man, then you will probably be at this most momentous of 90's shows.
Bellingham, WA band The Posies make me want to cry because they represent the 90's in a lot of ways for me. For some reason, dreamy guitar fuzz pop is not popular with the kids and their iPods these days. Their 1993 album, "Frosting on the Beater" is a triumph of said fuzzy guitar pop, and will be performed in its entirety by the full band, including, of course, co-founders and main songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow.
Here's where you can purchase tickets if that is your wont to do so.
"Flavor of the Month" was their big hit single off "Frosting," but "Dream All Day" is one of the finest songs of the 90's, bar none. Check out some Posies videos that will illustrate what I mean:
It is majorly weird to see Mayim Bialik play lesbian Jodi Funkhouser on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," especially since "Blossom" entered the round robin of older TV series transitioning to DVD in January 2009 with the release of the show's first and second seasons. I can't say I wasn't happy for Blossom Russo (and her dumb-yet-hot brother Joey) to come back into my life.
Many may barely remember this slice of TV goodness; 90's-raised men probably only have a passing knowledge of this show, and may only know that it was a corny show their little sister liked. For me, this show was my gift for graduating from Nickelodeon's "Clarissa Explains It All." A show about an independent-minded, intelligent, 90's-rock-and-big-hat-loving-motherless chick in a house full of dudes (her drug-addicted older brother was my fave!) was right up my alley. The reason that watching Mayim play a mostly-mute, sorta frumpy lesbian makes me feel funny is that she used to be a 90's symbol par excellence of girl cool back then. Her off-screen persona was almost better than the sometimes nauseatingly optimistic Blossom: she was the Queen of the Sassy magazine pictorial (Sassy being the weird girls' bible, of course) ; she had enviously long and beautiful hair and funky clothing; she told Arsenio Hall once as a guest on his talk show that Elvis Costello was one of her favorite musicians. In my 13 year-old brain, she ruled.
Blossom Russo was an irresistible character, though. From the incredibly cute dancing she does in the opening with her TV bros and father to the willingness to look completely crazy while discussing her fanaticism of Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder to deciding whether to have sex with her kinda bland, kinda hot boyfriend Vinnie, she was EveryTeenager, but better, because she had motormouth cutie Six (Jenna Von Oy) as her best friend; a girl any girl could only hope to have rollin' with her.
Watching the first two seasons again after all this time passed, I was surprised to see the wit and charm of the writing hold up nicely, and Mayim was every bit a star we believed her to be back then. There are an awful lot of "very special" moments, but it is refreshing to watch a show about a teenage girl that doesn't involve her trying to act like an adult or practicing for a future career in porn (I'm talking to you, Sasha Grey) . And did I mention that Blossom was a vlogger? Her video diary was just a hop, skip and a jump away from being broadcast over the then-nascent Internets. Progressive girl, that Blossom.
Eventually Joey Lawrence's rising fame and idiocy kind of took over the show, and it got cancelled, but "Blossom" will always live on in my heart as a show I could really relate to as a teenage girl.
I'm bummed that I could only get you guys a video of the intro to the show, but in a way, it's all you need to put a smile on your face:
Now, there is nothing that Your 90's-ologist loves to do more than reminisce over Ten-era Pearl Jam. I felt a ping of regret in my heart when Epic reissued 1991's "Ten" this past March because it would never again be the first time I was hearing that album.
Then I saw Paul McCartney bust some moves onstage at Coachella a couple of weeks ago, and he performed The Beatles' 1970 hit song "I've Got A Feeling," from their hit album "Let It Be," and it reminded me of just how much I used to love Pearl Jam's cover of this song in the early 90's.
"I've Got A Feeling" is an interesting mash of two unfinished songs written by McCartney ("I've Got A Feeling") and John Lennon ("Everybody Had A Hard Year/Watching Rainbows") ... Pearl Jam included their take on the song on Japanese releases of "Ten." It eventually made its way back to the States through bootlegs, which is how I first heard it, I believe. At the time, I knew it wasn't an original PJ track, but had no clue it was a Beatles song, which seems crazy, but black folks don't pump "Let It Be" on their hi-fi stereos. I was a newborn babe to rock, and Pearl Jam was there to guide me.
I love the idealistic quality of this song. It feels like drinking a tall, cold glass of water...refreshing. Enjoy:
The "Andy" that Eddie Vedder mentions in this version of the song is Andrew Wood, singer of Seattle band Mother Love Bone who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. Pearl Jam is partly comprised of Mother Love Bone members: Jeff Ament on bass and guitarist Stone Gossard.
Well, I just got off the phone with my Mom who is still back on the East Coast...have you called yours yet? In case you haven't found the motivation, here's a very hilarious clip from the 1990 Mike Nichols adaptation of Carrie Fisher's novel "Postcards From The Edge" to spur you along:
THE ORB - HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 10, 2009
90's electronic music stalwarts The Orb (co-founded by former KLF member Jimmy Cauty) will bring their ambient house stylings to the House of Blues , located in the House of Mouse (that be Disneyland to you non-Californians), this summer. Click here to buy tickets.
The Orb was first brought to my attention, as I'm sure this was the case with a lot of newbie electronic music fans back then, with the 1990 single "Little Fluffy Clouds" featured on their 1991 album, "The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld." This peculiar song features samples of folk songstress Rickie Lee Jones, from an interview on her 1989 "Flying Cowboys" album, kind of blissfully ruminating on what it was like to grow up in Arizona, especially the beautiful skies, hence the "Little Fluffy Clouds" of the title. This made no sense to me when I was thirteen or fourteen, but I loved it. I eventually moved on to Orbital, but The Orb are forever.
Please enjoy a couple of videos from this seminal chillout group:
Steve Reich and Ennio Morricone are all up in this piece as well. Google those names if you have no idea what I'm talking about. Good stuff.
The Orb - "Toxygene" from their 1997 album, "Orblivion"
It is a challenge finding family-friendly stills from the 1996 adaptation of the late J. G. Ballard's novel "Crash" that illustrate just exactly what it's about, and that, in and of itself, is the point of this often-shocking and absolutely strange film about how sexy car wrecks can be.
David Cronenberg has directed many cringe-worthy classics, a couple of which surfaced in the 90's, including "Shivers" (1975), "Rabid" (1977), "Scanners" (1981), "Videodrome" (1983), "The Fly" (1986--which has recently been adapted to an opera, directed by Cronenberg himself), "Naked Lunch" (1991), "eXistenz" (1999), "Spider" (2002) and "A History of Violence" (2005), but none gives the heebie-jeebies better than "Crash." It is the gold standard of the Cinema of Discomfort.
James Spader really puts his sexy smarm to good use in this film as James Ballard (the author's own name), a film producer who has a fractured, distant relationship with his wife (played by very 90's actress, Deborah Kara Unger, pictured at left), who lucks into finding out he is really turned on by car crashes and car crash victims after he collides his car with Holly Hunter's character, Dr. Helen Remington. He hooks up with her in the hospital, which eventually leads him to performance artist Vaughan (Elias Koteas), whose car crash fetishism project allows Ballard to plunge even further into his new obsession by initiating him into a group of car crash fetishists, eventually leading him to get next to a lady in a leg brace as a result of an accident, played by Rosanna Arquette. Yes, this is all as disturbing as it sounds.
Meeting Rosanna Arquette and her leg brace is kind of a climax, so to speak, for Ballard, and for Spader as an actor, since he is called upon to, uh, mate with the big ol' gaping wound in the back of her leg, a scene as confusing as anything going on on "Lost" right now.
Yes, the going can be rough in "Crash," but for me, the journey is well worth it. It is oddly refreshing to watch a film that features a mature exploration of adult sexuality and resists the urge to condescend to its viewers. Cronenberg is the King of Icky, and he doesn't disappoint here. The Onion agrees with me, by the way.
Please enjoy some NSFW clips of this singular film:
Sorry this one is out of sync.
This clip is kind of a spicy meatball; Please do not open if you still have a job.
Siskel and Ebert got their panties in a bunch over this one! I miss the old 'At The Movies...'
Paste Magazine reports that The Flaming Lips may title their next album "Embryonic" or "Embryonic and..some other as-yet-unconfirmed thing." Whatever. This post was really just an excuse to post the best picture ever, above.
LEBOWSKI FEST - THE WILTERN/CAL BOWL, LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 7 & 8, 2009
The Coen Brothers' 1998 cult comedy "The Big Lebowski" gets the star treatment once again today and tomorrow in Los Angeles at The Wiltern, and, apparently, at the bowling alley as well.
Lebowski Fest has been rolling since 2002, and this year Jeff Dowd, "The Dude" in real life, will be present as usual, along with myriad actors from the film, including Jon Polito and the Chinaman who peed on Dude's rug.
And in a strange twist on these festivities, Lebowski Fest will be graced onstage by 8-year old guitar prodigy, Yuto Miyazawa. Yeah, I dunno either. For the full list of Lebowski luminaries and how to buy tickets, click here.
If you haven't seen "The Big Lebowski" yet, well then, God help you. No fear, there is a "Shawshank Redemption of Mainstream Cinema" Lebowski post in your future. In the meantime, enjoy the (NSFW-Lebowski fans love cursing!)trailer to a forthcoming movie about Lebowski Fest called "The Achievers" by Eddie Chung:
