Saturday, January 20, 2007

Speaking of..

Mr. Ewan McGregor, here's a clip from Velvet Goldmine where he's playing Iggy Pop, er, Curt Wild. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers portrays Bowie, whoops, Brian Slade. This is teh hot. And TOTALLY NSFW. Seriously, it's full-frontal Ewan. Praise Jesus.


Friday, January 19, 2007

Somewhere in northern Iowa, my brother is doing the happy dance


One of my brothers is completely obsessed with Neil Young. How obsessed is he? To the point where my obsession with Northern bands and Weller resemble a schoolgirl crush. He has, at last count, 40! bootleg recordings from Neil concerts.

So, he's completely over the moon about this....

Long-awaited details about the forthcoming Neil Young Archives box-set have surfaced today. The anticipated release date of 'Archives, Volume 1' is September this year. The collection will feature eight discs, including "Live At the Filmore" (released last November) and "Live At Massey Hall", a solo set from 1971 which is due out on March 26 . Thirty-eight previously unreleased songs will feature on Archives, billed as a 'musical autobiography' of Neil Young.

Tantalisingly, the eight CDs only cover the period from 1964 to 1971, suggesting it is only the beginning of a vast release campaign.
Allan Jones, Editor of Uncut says "This is incredible news for Neil Young fans, like myself, who seem to have been waiting the best part of our adult lives for the release of this archive material. Neil has been talking about it for years.When I interviewed him in 1989, he told me it was coming together and to expect it soon. Which is also what he told me when I interviewed him in 1993. It looks finally like it's s happening at last, though, incrediblly enough. On the evidence of the Live at The Filmore CD, it should be mind-blowing stuff." We'll announce more details about Archives, Volume 1 on Uncut.co.uk as we get them.

The View


Not the talking head show, but the Scottish band.


I was already predispositioned to like them, but then I read this interview and saw the magic words. Oasis and Primal Scream. More specifically, Noel for the former, and Mani for the latter. As my girl Bridget Jones would say (yes, I know she's not a real person), "DING DONG!"


As if to prove they're not just your average fly-by-night buzz band, the View have already amassed a catalogue of famous friends that most fledgling indie bands would castrate their drummers for; Noel Gallagher loves them, they count Primal Scream among their closest compadres (care of one debauched tour together), and it was a leg-up from one Prince Doherty of Tabloidland that started everything in the first place.


Also see the MEN

They've supported the likes of The Kooks and Primal Scream ("the best band in Britain. We went to Mani's house!"), as well as earning plaudits from Oasis.

EP

"Noel Gallagher came and listened to us when we were mastering the EP at the studios," beams Kyle in his munching-gravel voice. "He thought it was cool."

Quite an accolade for the group that originally converged at their local Catholic school as a covers band, blitzing through a repertoire that included "The Beatles, The Stone Roses and Oasis".

This I'd like to hear

He may be a trainwreck, but let us not forget, Pete is very talented.

Pete Doherty played a cover of an Oasis song at a solo show in London this morning, just hours after his latest court appearance.

The Babyshambles star took to the stage at the Rhythm Factory at around midnight, performing a two-hour set from across his career.

Emerging to a chant of "QPR, QPR, QPR", Doherty was backed by friend The General throughout, with Mick Whitnall from Babyshambles also contributing.

Amongst the material played was Noel Gallagher's "Don't Look Back In Anger", plus tracks from the recent "Blinding" EP, "Killamangiro" and "What Katy Did Next".

Libertines favourites "What A Waster", "Can't Stand Me Now" and "Time For Heroes" also got an airing in the lengthy set, according to the NME.

The Hanson Brothers

From Slap Shot. What, did you think I meant the little boys from Oklahoma?

Nasty

For those of us that read the progressive blogs, the creepy-ass 'Purity Balls' are old news. They were also featured in this month's Glamour. But now, they have a boy-mommy equivalent. And, you guessed it, they're still fucking creepy and sexist as hell.

That's right. There's now an event, sorta like a Purity Ball, only for boys and their mothers: the Integrity Ball. Why is this glamorous evening not called a Purity Ball, too? Because it's not up to young men to stay "pure." They just have to seek out a wife who is:

Baker told the young men that the women they had come with, their mothers, were somebody’s daughters, and they meant the world to those parents. He further told them that when they date a girl, she is somebody’s daughter, and they care deeply for her.

Baker also told them that while they might not believe it at the time, the girl they may date in high school is probably not going to be the one they will marry. “So you’re dating someone else’s future wife,” he told them. He also told them that someone else may be dating their future wife.

“If you knew somebody was with your future wife,” Baker asked them, “touching her in ways you wouldn’t like, pressuring her, how would that make you feel?”

Even though it's a program for boys, it's still all about how young women need to be pure! Notice how they're taught that women always, at every stage of their lives, "belong" to a man. First daddy, then some "future husband" they haven't met, then a husband. The Integrity Ball speakers don't say that men will stand at the altar symbolically accompanied by all of their previous sexual partners. Nope, that burden is the woman's alone, if she hasn't maintained her purity.

Speaking of self-control and the meaning of sex, Baker told the young men, “Having sex doesn’t make you a man. Dogs have sex, but it doesn’t make them a man. Guys, separate yourselves from the animal kingdom.”

Sure, it's good to tell young men that they shouldn't pressure their partners into having sex. But of course it's never acknowledged that their girlfriends might have "animal urges" as well. All of the language echoes the same old abstinence-only stereotypes: "women are passive receptacles who don't enjoy sex" and "men are horny animals who can't control themselves."

I have a confession to make

I dearly love romance novels. My cynical heart adores them, especially those by Lisa Kleypas, Celeste Bradley and Laura Kinsale. But this website, Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels, cracks me up. Seriously, they're on par with the Go Fug girls. Yes, THAT good.

Case in point:

Those Fish are in the Barrel Again

Submissions from The Bitchery, Part I

You find. You email. You attach. You send. We rub our eyes, and take one for the team. The Smart Bitches present a two-part series of reader-submitted cover madness.

image

Sarah: You’d think there’s only one obvious joke to be made here, but no. Yes, you cut a hole in the box. Then, put the junk in the box.

But then you go buy a different box because clearly that one is way, way too big. And her g-string? Too, too small. I bet it snaps off and flies across the room like an overextended rubber band.


Ewan as Kurt?

Oh for the love of Mike, some of the writers from Rolling Stone online couldn't find their asses with both hands. What is wrong with this blurb?

The endless speculation about who may or may not be in line to play Kurt Cobain in the Courtney Love-approved film about his life may be over. The already rockstar-like Scott Ewan McGregor is rumored to be Love’s first choice.


Yes, someone from Scotland is generally referred to as a 'Scot.' Not a 'Scott,' unless they're actually named 'Scott.'

If I recall correctly, this is by the same writer that said that Glastonbury Festival was in Scotland. Not fucking England.

That being said, I do love me some Ewan as a rock star. See "Velvet Goldmine" for details.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Random Ten

1. Ready To Run- Dixie Chicks
2. Lucky Star- Basement Jaxx feat. Dizzee Rascal
3. Love Hurts- Gram Parsons
4. Sex Bomb- Tom Jones
5. Living For the Weekend- Hard-Fi
6. Me & Mr. Jones (Fuckery)- Amy Winehouse
7. Living For the City- Stevie Wonder
8. Down By the River- Neil Young and Crazy Horse
9. Portions For Foxes- Rilo Kiley
10. Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve

Bonus-
11. Wild Night- Van Morrison
12. Twenty Four Hours- Joy Division

Oh Holy Jesus

The potential for the Brit Awards turning into a giant trainwreck with nearly all my favorite pop and rock stars on that train? HUGE.

The organisers of the Brits are banking on the combustible combination of Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and the Gallagher brothers, as much prized for their catty wit and alcohol-fuelled antics as their prodigious talents, to enliven this year's show. After some bleak years in which they struggled to even fill the nominations list for best British female solo artist, they last night hailed the emergence of a new breed of talented females with attitude as Allen, Corinne Bailey Rae and Winehouse racked up seven nominations between them.

.......

Allen, whose ska-inflected pop attracted thousands to her MySpace page even before her debut single was released, and Winehouse, who has been described as mixing "reverentially classicist musical backdrops with potty-mouthed explorations of the modern mating game", were both nominated in the best album category. Both have become regulars in gossip columns, with Winehouse appearing drunk on the Charlotte Church Show and heckling Bono during the Q Awards, and Allen sparking tabloid outrage when she said she would celebrate her debut No 1 with "gak", a slang word for cocaine. The 21-year-old, daughter of the actor Keith Allen, later said she was joking.

......

The awards will be shown live for the first time since the debacle when co-hosts Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox fluffed their way through the show in 1989.

The shakeup, which also involved boosting the number of British acts at the expense of US stars, will see Russell Brand replacing Chris Evans as host.

He said he was "looking forward to being the ringleader of a carnival of mayhem" and recreating the chaotic scenes of previous years when Chumbawamba accosted John Prescott and Jarvis Cocker invaded the stage during a set by Michael Jackson.

Let me direct your attention to the bolded section. Drunk on Char's show, and heckled Saint BONO. Celebrating with Columbian Marching Powder. How could this not be awesome?

And there's always the possibility that Our Kid and My Beloved Noel will take after each other with cricket bats or leave the stage and heckle the other from the audience. Again.




Glasto headliner rumors

Like the first blossom of spring or the January sales, the Glastonbury rumours start earlier each year. We're barely the third week into the 2007 and already there are reports suggesting organisers already know the full line-up for the festival, due to take place in Pilton in June.

The website declares that Friday's top billing will be given to The Killers, Saturday's to the Arctic Monkeys (with Kasabian just below them) and Sunday's traditional veteran slot to The Who, with Kaiser Chiefs set to act as their limberer-uppers.

They're not the only bands who are rumoured to be playing Mr Eavis's shindig. Festival favourites the Chemical Brothers are rumoured to be closing the Other Stage on Sunday, while Eric Clapton, Madness, The Kooks and the Scissor Sisters have, like a well-fed cow, also been heavily-tipped.

The festival itself, as is its wont, declined to comment on the line-up speculation, saying it would not do so until the official line-up is announced. Tickets don't go on sale for a while, but the controversial pre-registration process is set to start at the beginning of next month.


Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Oh, Lil

Lord, I really hope someone uploads or whatevs the Brit Awards to YouTube ASAP upon broadcast!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

You Know I'm No Good

a little ditty by La Winehouse, is the free download of the week on iTunes. Go get it. Now. Seriously, she's fantastic. How could you not love a chick that writes a song with an opening bit like this?

Meet you downstairs in the bar and heard,
Your rolled up sleeves, in your skull t-shirt.
You say why did you do it with him today?
And sniff me out like I was Tanqueray.

Cause you're my fella, my guy,
Hand me your Stella and fly.
By the time I'm out the door,
You tear me down like Roger Moore .

I cheated myself,
Like I knew I would.
I told ya, I was trouble,
You know that I'm no good.

Brit Award nominations

Amy and Lily and Arctics, oh my! With added Kasabian, Corinne and Scissors action! And my favorite Mancunians, Oasis! My, doesn't my CD collection fare well? Hot damn, I DO have great taste!




Fools Gold

This isn't all footage from the seminal Spike Island concert, but some is spliced in with studio and concert film. From this clip, it should be obvious why Mr. Ian Brown is referred to as "King Monkey," and why I'm in unrequited love with Reni, John and Mani. Jesus, the brilliance. It HURTS!

God, I love this chick


In a total straight girl sort of way, of course. I swear, if I wasn't already Separated At Birth from my beloved Joy, I'd definitely be S.A.B. from La Winehouse.

You know how 'soul mates' were discussed on 'Sex and the City'- in the episode that Char said that (paraphrasing) that maybe guys were just to have fun with, and our friends were our actually our true partners?

I feel that way about my friends. I've been truly blessed with my girls, Stacy, Casey, Traci, Carrie, J.Mel and Joy, and my guy, Jimmy. Cursed at love, but compensated with truly unbelievable friends. The Goddess has a way of evening things out.

That being said, I think Amy and I could hang. Seriously, the bitch is fantastic. And so is her eyeliner!

Amy Winehouse, 23, was brought up in north London. She was expelled from the Sylvia Young Theatre School and later quit the Brit School where she was studying musical theatre. At 17 she landed a contract with Island Records and her debut album, Frank, turned platinum and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. In 2004, she was nominated for two Brit Awards and won the Ivor Novello Best Contemporary Song Award for her debut single. She has just released a single, You Know I'm No Good, from her new album, Back To Black.

When were you happiest?

Last night on stage.

What is your greatest fear?

Dying old or never meeting Tony Bennett; if I never get to meet him, I might as well be dead.

Which living person do you most admire?

No one. You're all bastards.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My fickleness and aggression.

Aside from a property, what's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?

My heart back from someone who may or may not have deserved it. I paid a lot.

What is your most treasured possession?

My loyalty.

What is your favourite word?

Fuckery.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Falling in love itself.

What does love feel like?

A disease that consumes you eternally.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

'Pssssshhh' - or, when drunk, 'whatever' and 'dickhead'.

If you could go back in time, where would you go?

To the 60s and I'd go out with the Ronettes.

What keeps you awake at night?

Being sober.

How would you like to be remembered?

As genuine.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

That you learn things every day and life is short.

Strange Town

My favorite Jam song. Mmmm, young Weller.

Blazing Saddles

Dear God, I love this movie. "It's Headley!"

Portions For Foxes

Jenny Lewis is so cool, and so is this song.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Good Lord


My fav Brit punks of a certain age, Buzzcocks, have one of their tunes, "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" featured in a commercial.

For AARP. Yes, THAT AARP.


I literally fell off my chair laughing. I don't blame them, most punks didn't make a hell of a lot of money, and you have to pay the rent. But AARP? Hee hee.

Masochism

Whenever I'm feeling self-loathing, well, more than usual, I go on iTunes U.K. and look at all the songs that I covet, that aren't available here in the colonies. Q magazines 'essential downloads for the month' works, too.

For instance, I torture myself with listening to clips from La Winehouse, Oasis (Noel!) b-sides or partial tracks from Little Barrie, Primal Scream's baby Marr guitar player.

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Oh, oh dearie me.....

My little brother's in his bedroom smoking weed.

Lily Allen is set to release 'Alfie' as the next single
from her debut LP 'Alright, Still'.

Although no release date has been announced, Allen has been discussing the video for the track on her Myspace site.

Posting about the video, she wrote: "That was quite a lot of fun, Alfie was played by a puppet and the whole thing looks like an episode of...'Tom And Jerry' and 'Roger Rabbit', you'll understand when you see it."

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Random

I received this in an email, and am going to attempt honesty. Key word, attempt.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool


Opening Credits: Elizabeth, My Dear- The Stone Roses

First Day at School: 20th Century Boy- T-Rex

Falling in Love: You Know I'm No Good- Amy Winehouse

Breaking Up: Fidelity- Regina Specktor

Prom: Respect Yourself- The Staple Singers

Life's OK: My Way- Aretha Franklin

Mental Breakdown: I Wanna Be Sedated- The Ramones (no, seriously- it really was that song- still trying the honesty thing)

Driving: Human- Goldfrapp

Getting Back Together: Mersey Paradise- The Stone Roses

Wedding Scene: La Tortura- Shakira feat. Alejandro Sanz

Birth of Child: Rise- Doves

Final Battle: Portions For Foxes- Rilo Kiley

End Credits: Cigarettes and Alcohol- Oasis