les femmes ne sont pas comme nous. Elles ne savent pas lire une carte, elles poussent des petits cris aigus, elles tirent les cheveux, elles ont les pieds froids.
Bref, une femme, en gros, ça sert pas à grand chose (pour voyager, se bastonner, se réchauffer, au moins).

Mais il y a une chose qui est pas mal chez les femmes, au moins certaines d’entre elles, c’est la voix. Pas juste pour dire “à table” ou “j’ai plus rien à me mettre”, simplement pour induire une sieste ou envelopper un groove. Parce que la femme de qualité a un organe (ce qui n’en fait pas tout à fait un homme pour autant).
Izia par exemple a, malgré son jeune âge, un organe qui arrive à tirer des larmes de bonheur à pas mal de testosteronés de mes amis. Y’en a d’autres, hein, mais il faut avouer qu’on a un peu perdu en niveau général depuis que ces demoiselles oublient leur qualités premières : douceur, profondeur, variété (comme on dit dans les films spécialisés).
C’était mieux avant en fait, à l’époque où les femmes étaient des Divas. Pas en se faisant désirer, en s’offrant body and soul à la musique, en vibrant d’Amour transi, tragique ou trahi.

La preuve avec Elle, Ella.

Ella Fitzgerald – The one I love (belongs to somebody else)

Ella Fitzgerald, Copenhagen April 1970

Et si vous aimez les voix de femmes, l’excellent Adam Weatherhead s’est fendu d’un très beau podcast à leur gloire. N’hésitez pas à visiter son blog, il a plein d’autres pépites dans les poches, le Monsieur.

Pour les fainéants, c’est là : 44 minutes et 21 secondes de ravissement.

Merci les filles.

-Ce formă îţi place?

-Răspund la întrebare dacă spun că îmi plac locuinţele cu ferestrele larg deschise?

-Aha… Da… Asta are forma unui cerc…

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” (Lao Tzu)

Here’s the latest batch of Music Musings and Miscellany’s unapologetically subjective selection of the twentieth century’s best 1000 singles.

THE BYRDS – So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star / Everybody’s Been Burned (Columbia 43987 1967)
They had a bit of a nerve poking fun at the Monkees when just a couple of years earlier only McGuinn played on their own debut single. Still it’s a fun piece of satire. The flip is one of the best things the Byrds ever did, a dark but hopeful Crosby ballad.

BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE – Soldier Blue / Moratorium (RCA 2081 1971)
Ralph Nelson’s 1970 western Soldier Blue was unlike any other before it. Shockingly violent and, for once, the good guys were definitely not the US Cavalry. Based on a true massacre that happened in 1864, it was also as much about Mai Lai and the Vietnam War. Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Cree herself, invested the song with both anger and bitter sorrow and yet it is just as much a celebration of the natural wonders of a country and her own ancestry.

DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA – Solitude / Mood Indigo (Columbia 35427 1940)
Ivie Anderson is one of the most underrated jazz vocalists, and she shines on these two Ellington ballads, both of which have become standards crooned by virtually every nightclub and torch singer since.

PETER GABRIEL – Solsbury Hill / Moribund the Burgemeister (Charisma 301 1977)
Fresh out of Genesis, Peter Gabriel launched his solo career with this, still one of his most poignant songs. Solsbury Hill itself overlooks Bath in Somerset, and the song captures that very special pleasure of sitting somewhere still and peaceful and watching the lights and bustle of the city night below.

JESUS & MARY CHAIN – Some Candy Talking / Psychocandy / Hit (Blanco Y Negro 19 1986)
By 1986 the screech of feedback had largely been excised from the Mary Chain’s records, replaced by cavernous echo. With it went a lot of the vigour and excitement, but that didn’t matter so much on songs as good as this, with its booming Spectorish sound.

LEE HAZLEWOOD & NANCY SINATRA – Some Velvet Morning / Oh Lonesome Me (Reprise 651 1968)
How trippy is this? Essentially it sounds like a verse taken from two completely different songs intercut. Hazlewood’s bit is dark and rumbling like Johnny Cash meets Link Wray while Sinatra’s is hippy-dippy flower child stuff, well away with the faeries. It’s like a cocktail of quaaludes and acid.

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – Somebody to Love / She Has Funny Cars (RCA 9140 1967)
When Grace Slick joined the Jefferson Airplane she brought this song along from her previous band the Great Society, written by her brother-in-law Darby Slick. The Airplane version is tighter and punchier with a chorus so strident it’s almost accusatory.

EDDIE COCHRAN – Somethin’ Else / Boll Weevil Song (Liberty 55203 1959)
STANDELLS – Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White / Why Don’t You Hurt Me? (Tower 257 1966)
By 1959, most of the first generation rock and rollers seemed to be mired in gloopy ballads and sounding little different to the pre-rock generation of singers like Johhny Ray and Frankie Vaughan. Eddie Cochran, on the other hand, still had a raw spirit about him: still sounded like someone a teenaged girl would think twice about introducing to her mother. That’s why he was so popular with the punks nearly two decades later, along with his friend Gene Vincent. The Standells, too, had that snotty fuck you attitude. But as they say in the song “You think those guys in the white collars are better than I am baby? / Then flake off!” True blue-collar working class pride…from a bunch of LA rich kids. Oh, well.

BLUR – Song 2 / Get out of the Cities (Food 93 1997)
The indignation this caused from my Pavement loving underground rock friends always made me laugh. It’s noisy and fun. What’s not to like?

LEFTFIELD – Song of Life / mixes (Hard Hands 002 1992)
A nine minute progressive house monster that pretty much defined the genre and still stands as one of the best tracks of its kind.

THIS MORTAL COIL – Song to the Siren / 16 Days (4AD 310 1983)
Originally This Mortal Coil were convened as a one-off project for this single, but its success was such that they ran to three albums, each with a constantly changing cast of performers. Liz Fraser hadn’t really tackled a proper lyrical song before, her voice more used as another instrument in the Cocteau Twins. But she gives Tim Buckley’s classic song a ghostly innocence that is absolutely captivating. The backing is so subtle that she’s almost on her own, but there’s no sign of nerves – she’s absolutely lost in the song. An amazing performance.

JOSEF K – Sorry For Laughing / Revelation (Postcard 814 1981)
Famously a band who seemed happier the flatter their records sounded; a band who scrapped their first album because it sounded too warm and produced and instead put out something tinny and stark. Paul Haig’s bored drone of a voice isn’t the most appealing instrument, but it gives this song a dry sarcasm. And it’s pretty much the touchstone record for the C86 generation.

LAVERN BAKER – Soul on Fire / How Can You Leave (Atlantic 1004 1953)
She’s better known for appealing, but ultimately disposable pop ditties like “Tweedle Dee” and “Jim Dandy”, but Lavern Baker was happiest singing the blues. If anything, though, “Soul on Fire” is deep southern soul a decade too early.

DAVID BOWIE – Sound and Vision / A New Career in a New Town (RCA 905 1977)
A long long way from Ziggy in just four years. “Sound and Vision” was the introduction to Bowie’s leftfield masterpiece Low and about as traditionally pop as the album got. Which isn’t very.

SIMON & GARFUNKEL – The Sound of Silence / We’ve Got a Groovy Thing Goin’ On (Columbia 43396 1965)
Dylan had gone electric, the Byrds were having big hits doing jangly folk-rock. It made sense for Simon & Garfunkel to add drums and rock arrangements. Unfortunately they weren’t working together at the time, and Paul Simon was touring folk clubs in Europe armed only with his trusty acoustic. Producer Tom Wilson stepped in anyway, gave the track a new “with it” backing and Columbia watched another of their folk acts have a huge hit. Simon might not have liked it, but he could hardly complain at the new levels of exposure, and the duo quickly reconvened.

MEMBERS – Sound of the Suburbs / Handling the Big Jets (Virgin 242 1979)
They came from around ten miles away from me, and lyrically this song captured perfectly the tedium of North Surrey / East Berkshire Sundays. Nothing else to do but kick a football around with your mates. Nothing on telly, nothing on the radio (except David Rodigan’s Sunday show on Radio London) and school next day.

More soon

My dear Miss Molly Motown sent me this video, and I really like it. It reminds me of this. And this. And also of this. And oddly, this.

That’s a pretty good video.

Also since I love doing it (ever since I told a cab driver that “What a Fool Believes” sounded like if Aaron Neville and Jaco Pastorius made incidental music for “Designing Women“): Department of Eagles sounds like Nancy Sinatra hogtied Donovan and made him re-write Andrews Sisters charts for the Village Stompers.

I think that Sarah Palin, in a weird way, kind of channels Nancy Sinatra, and if the economy doesn’t right itself she might well walk all over us Democrats in 2012. I’m actually a little worried for Barack Obama in 2012.

Are you ready boots?

(500) Days of Summer

If you’re sick and tired of all the formulated cheesy predictable rom coms that dominate the cinemas, you might want to check this movie out, its probably the best antidote you’re gonna find. This is one of my favorite movies of the year. It has a great soundtrack to go with it too, with a line up that includes Regina Specktor, Doves,  Carla Bruni, THE SMITHS!!!!, Hall & Oates n a new aussie band called Temper Trap. But today, I’m more inclined to feature 2 songs that was in the movie but not quite featured on the soundtrack. There’s a scene where Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoey Dechanel goes to a bar and sings karaoke. Although there is a cover version of “Here comes your man” by Meagan Smith on the soundtrack, I thought it’d be fun to share the original tunes, which are no comparison to the covers!

The Pixies- Here Comes Your Man

Nancy Sinatra – Sugar Town

Music Go Music, Thousand Crazy Nights
Patti Smith, About a Boy
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Golden Age
The Slits, Kill Them With Love
Parlour Steps, Soft Lies
Sleater-Kinney, Get Up
Karen O and the Kids, Heads Up
Sleeper, Sale of the Century
Speakeasy Tiger, Limbs
Nancy Sinatra, Momma’s Boy
Typsy Panthre, Hitch-Hiker
Silversun Pickups, Three Seed
The Lower 48, Bedroom
Sing-Sing, When I Was Made
Pariah Piranha, Hate Beast
Sick of Sarah, Bittersweet
Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle, Officer Down
Shoe, It’s Going to Be O.K.
Boat, We Want It! We Want It!
The Shortcuts, Nothing New
Big Bang TV, Diamond
Shonen Knife, Fruits & Vegetables
Brilliant Colors, Motherland
Shellshag, Gary’s Note
Drink Up Buttercup, Even Think
She Mob, I Took the $
Joe Gideon and the Shark, Hide and Seek
Shelleyan Orphan, Dolphins
The Cribs, Cheat on Me
Tracy Shedd, Won Past Ten
She & Him, I Should Have Known Better
Sex Presleys, Heartbreak Hotel

I really wish people would stop asking me directions. It’s not that I mind stopping to talk to them, it’s just that I can barely find my own way through town, never mind helping someone else find theirs.

Today, for example, I was rushing along downtown when a white-haired lady pushing a walker (oops, rollator … it had four all-season radials) raised her hand and motioned for me to come over.

Her downy hair was pulled up in a bun covered in a circle of yellow gingham, like the top of a jam jar.

She pointed to the street in front of us and asked, “Front Street, yes?”

I couldn’t quite place her accent.

“No, no, that’s Queen Street,” I explained, probably a little too loudly. “Front Street is about six blocks south.” I pointed toward the CN Tower off in the distance (its beacon-like visibility was the only reason I was fairly confident in my directions).

The lady repeated what I said, nodded then started to roll toward the curb.

“But it’s quite far,” I called out, hoping to dissuade her from walking – or rolling – the whole way.

I didn’t know what to do. I was on foot, so I couldn’t offer her a ride. And I had exactly $5 on me, which would take her about two blocks in a cab.

All I could really do was make sure she knew how far away it was. She seemed to sense my worry, and dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

“Is fine,” she said. “Front Street.” And pointed south to at least reassure me she was going in the right direction.

Once again, my good deed intentions resulting in kindness being shown to me. I’ve got some serious payback work to do, folks ….

P.S. Here’s a song I felt was appropriate. Enjoy!

Sometimes I think about how much more content this blog would have if it was more of a collective, with multiple contributers, rather than just me but eh– you wouldn’t get “the full JP experience” (Are you experienced?) this way. Ha. Doesn’t matter now. Here’s another music/video dump: this time — stuff from October that I’ve had on lock for a bit, but haven’t gotten around to posting on here. I’m hoping that you’ll get fresh November content within this month. So here we go. This is my October Isht.

George Michael’s “Freedom ‘90″.
I remember watching this on MTV, and then later on VH1. I remember watching the Pop Up Video episode that this was on. I know every single word, and I can still do a pretty good imitation of Naomi’s dance with combat boots and headphones on.  I pretend to be Cindy Crawford when I crawl out of the shower. I still kinda want Linda Evangelista’s haircut. 4:36-5:35 is my favorite part. Clearly, I can name every single supermodel in this video– god I love this song.

Frente’s “Bizarre Love Triangle”.
It’s so simple. While this cover is a stripped down bare bones version of New Order’s single, it really works.

Earlimart’s “Unintentional Tape Manipulatoins”.
Fuzzy is sexy.

Bishop Allen’s “True or False”.
This video was selected purely on its visual elements, as it’s a little twee for me to be honest. But man do I have such a wide-on* for those fringe dresses. And I really want a lace minidress because I secretly want to be gothic version of Nancy Sinatra — so would that make me Anita Pallenberg?

The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”.
One of the few Beatles songs I actually really enjoy. Just listen to it and let the sense of yearning and urgency roll over you like waves.

The Stone’s “Sister Morphine”.

My Bloody Valentine’s “Only Shallow”.

Young Love’s “One to Ten”.
Another vid pick where the actual tunez are a little whack, but the visuals are so good. Broken glass, blood everywhere– ah! It’s like a Dario Argento softcore film, or a Skinimax snuff film.Yes, I realize I’ve got a sick sense of humor and turn ons that I’m sure only Eli Roth would enjoy. Sue me.

Marvin Gaye’s “Sunny”.
Probably another cover that I prefer over the German disco original.

Holy Ghost!’s “I Will Come Back”.

Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald”.

Pentagram’s “Sign of the Wolf”.

And that’s been it mostly. I know you’re like wait– what about the Halloween jams? I listen to that year round. And I think I posted some great stuff from last year. What? You want at least one Halloween jam? Well here you go:

KXVO’s “Pumpkin Dance”.

Enjoy.

* Wide-on’s been a term that I’ve been borrowing/trying on from Ned of Boner Party. I’m still trying to see if it sticks, and whether or not I like it.

Frank Sinatra nasceu em 12 de dezembro de 1915, descendente de italianos teve o seu nome várias vezes relacionado com a máfia,  também era ator e ganhou um Globo de Ouro e  um Oscar de ator coadjuvante pelo filme From Here To Eternity e fez filmes com Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth e Elvis em seus bons dias.

Foi o primeiro Danny Ocean, de Ocean’s Eleven de 1960…  Posteriormente o papel passou para George Clooney e temos então Ocean’s Eleven de 2001.

Veja aqui o video de Frank Sinatra ganhando seu Oscar em 1954 ****

Possui duas estrelas na Calçada da Fama, uma por seu trabalho na música e outra por seu trabalho na TV americana. É considerado um dos maiores intérpretes da música no século XX. Teve três filhos: Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr. e Tina Sinatra.Foi casado com Nancy Barbato e posteriormente com as atrizes Ava Gardner e Mia Farrow, e com a socialite Barbara Marx, com quem terminou seus dias.

Mas eu quero falar do outro lado de Frank… O lado cantor. E não vou dizer, vou só mostrar.

Seus principais sucessos são “Fly me to the moon”, “My Way” e “New York, New York”. Sinatra também cantou com o brasileiro Tom Jobim. Na oportunidade, “Girl of Ipanema” brindou o grande encontro, porém na minha mais humilde opinião o melhor momento desse encontro foi esse… Change Partners

Lililililililili-lindo demais! Vou dançar isso no meu casamento…. aiai… MAS VOLTANDO..

Strangers In The Night - Killing Me Softly - I Won’t Dance - I’ve Got You Under My Skin

E ouçam também The Way You Look Tonight que eu infelizmente não achei um video decente.

So, how are you, Blue Eyes?

**** O filme The Godfather (1972) explora a história, mostrando que na verdade o ator teria sido “convencido” pela máfia a desistir do papel, para que Frank Sinatra pudesse interpretá-lo em seu lugar, pois na época o cantor estava em baixa.

Depois eu vou postar um top-top.

Cya, guys

00212.0000 MY BUDDY

Music: Walter Donaldson
Words: Gus Kahn

Link to Lyrics and Chords
Link to Nancy Sinatra’s Performance

Nights are long since you went away;
I think about you all through the day,
My buddy, my buddy-nobody quite so true.
Miss your voice, the touch of your hand;
Just long to know that you understand,
My buddy, my buddy-your buddy misses you.

Entre todas las torturas que han existido en el mundo, esta tortura musical me parece la más dulce. Pero, claro, que se lo digan a los presos que han debido acabar odiando canciones por culpa de tener que escucharlas a todo volumen durante semanas, días u horas (eso sino se han quedado medio sordos).

Un grupo de artistas, liderado por Pearl Jam y REM, han hecho alusión a la Ley de Libertad de Información (1966) para reclamar a la Administración de Estados Unidos que publique el nombre de las canciones que se usaron durante los interrogatorios de sospechosos de terrorismo en la cárcel de Guantánamo (o en alguna otra, ya que la CIA abrió prisiones secretas por todo el mundo como en Irak o Afganistán) durante el mandato del presidente Bush.

Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Neil Diamond, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Jackson Browne, Billy Bragg o The Roots son algunos de los intérpretes que se han sumado a esta iniciativa creada con el apoyo de la ONG británica Reprieve.

No me extraña que se hayan sumado a esta petición ya que, como explica Tom Morello (guitarrista de Rage Against The Machine) no se siente nada bien pensando que la música que su grupo creó se haya usado en “crímenes contra la humanidad”. Encima sin permiso y sin hacérselo saber a ninguno de los grupos involucrados.

Entre la música que se sabe/se cree que utilizaban para estas prácticas encontramos temas tan dispares como canciones de Metallica, de AC/DC, de Britney Spears, los Bee Gees, Bruce Springsteen, Nancy Sinatra o, incluso, canciones infantiles como las del Dinosaurio Barney y Barrio Sésamo (lástima que estos últimos no puedan echarse a la calle para reclamar el respeto que intentaban inculcarnos cuando éramos niños).

Solo un dato más. A pesar de que “fuentes” de la Casa Blanca aseguran que estas prácticas ya no se usan, lo cierto es que en el manual del ejército todavía no están prohibidas.

Well, today was my ex-gf’s birthday… it was a difficult time for me because i kep listening to all the old songs we used to like so much.  Boom (Shake the Room), In Da Club, Ass Like That, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

All those whack beats was what we lived on in that time!  which makes me jealous of ma jomie Remy’d, he gets love AND the dope beats.  lucky boi!

my fave thing about my ladyfriend was that we had like a mutual respect for each other, y’know?  bitchez these days hate it when i suggest dirty sunchez, but i hope that one day, somewhere, i will find me a new ho…

Just trickin’!  i have like   a little more respect than that LOLz…

and SITLL CANT FIND MY FRUCKING NANCY SINATRA CDS, i wanted to listen to htem to have a cry but i still couldnt find the,… god I am so ronery.  i guess asher roth will have to do for th time being.

this is my ex-gf, for anyone who is interested…

My very own Mona Lisa...

God I miss her…

also, does anyone know when the new big brother season starts?  i think its usally around now, right??  Kinda weird that its not here yet…

NO PEOPLE LIKE SHOW PEOPLE: Talk about yer star-studded evenings. Ann Blyth, Connie Stevens, Shirley Jones, Debbie Reynolds, Ruta Lee and Nancy Sinatra are among the sparklies set to honour indefatigable

REDGRAVE: Tennessee tribute

entertainer Mickey Rooney at the Thalians Gala this Sunday in Hollywood. (Did you know that Mickey, who married eight times, has been wed to his current missus Jan Chamberlin for more than 30 years? That’s gotta be a Tinsel Town record in itself!) … the late Patrick Swayze will be among the honorees at America Dances, the 24th Anniversary Jubilee of Career Transition for Dancers. Headliners for Monday night’s event at New York’s City Center include four-time Emmy Award winner Valerie Harper and Tony Award winner Ann Reinking. For all the details, including who’s hoofing, click here … and Eli Wallach & Anne Jackson, Vanessa Redgrave, Marian Seldes, John Guare, Olympia Dukakis and John Patrick Shanley are among the marquee names set to participate in an

KASH: Harvest time

evening of poetry, theater, and reminiscences in honor of the induction of Tennessee Williams into The Cathedral of St. John the Divine Poets’ Corner next Thursday in Manhattan.

TRICK OR TREAT: Only three more chances to see dynamic duo Linda Kash and Paul O’Sullivan play multiple roles in Harvest. The Ken Cameron comedy is set to close Saturday night at Showplace Peterborough … the two-day Zoomer Show is set for this weekend at the Direct Energy Centre at the CNE … and the Royal Cinema on College Street celebrates the scary season tonight with a 7 pm Halloween Double

STROMBO: with Anne tonight

Bill: Zombies: When the Dead Walk, and The Houdini Code, two intriguing documentaries produced by Donna Zuckerbrot.

TOGETHER AGAIN: Your boyfriend George Stoumboulopoulos welcomes Anne Murray back to his red chairs tonight on The Hour to talk about her new autobiography All Of Me …  and speaking of autobiographies, recently I mentioned that I thought comedian Kathy Griffin’s new autobiography has the catchiest title of the fall literary season (yes, she  really did call her book Official Book Club Selection.)

MANDEL: Touche-pas!

But some close runners-up are now looming. Obsessively compulsive Howie Mandel calls his book Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me. Paul Shaffer’s Letterman years memoir is called We’ll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives. Inside its pages, current headline-earner Andre Agassi is reportedly living up to the title of his tome, Open. And Don Cherry wants to make it as simple for us as possible, so he’s called his new collection of on-and-off-the-ice fables Don Cherry’s Hockey Stories And Stuff.

OUR TOWN: The 2009 International Diaspora Film Festival opens here Sunday with a wide range of unusual events. Highlights include David Amram’s

MURRAY: on The Hour tonight

evening of music and dance from the Middle East, At Home Around the World, on Tuesday 3 at Revival, and the Toronto premiere of filmmaker Teri McCluhan’s 2008 documentary on Badshah Khan, The Frontier Gandhi, on Wednesday at Innis Hall. For more info on Diaspora events, click here … dazzling dance demon Noam Gagnon returns to Toronto Nov. 6-7 in The Vision Impure, an evening of solos presented by DanceWorks as part of Harbourfront Centre’s NextSteps series at the Enwave Theatre … and the seventh annual Weekend To End Breast Cancer saw 4,615 participants raise a staggering $11.6 million for Princess Margaret Hospital’s ongoing mission to conquer cancer in our lifetime. Organizers will broaden the base next year with The Weekend To End Women’s Cancers, giving walkers an option to designate whether the money they raise goes to breast cancer or gynecologic cancers research, treatment and care. Expect a HUGE turnout.

-/-

BANG BANG SHE SHIT ME DOWN, BANG BANG I HIT THA GROUND, BANG BANG THAT COLDING SOUND, BANG BANG.

Been looking out back of my apartment but cant find my old nancy cartright CDs, where the bloody fuck are ya??????

(That was a jhoke for people who likes that add that was out a while ago!)

Anyway if anyone knows where i can find some new ones pleas tell me so i can go by them nex week after i have received my pay.

anyway i am gonna get back to my assinmint, hopefully will be done before midnight tonight or ms. daniels will kill my arse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(ps. if anyone knows capital of Luxembourg please tell me!!)

Dead Man’s Bones (otherwise known as actor Ryan Gosling’s band) played in the shadowly blue lights of The Venue Sunday night. While the camera went back in the bag after the first three, I stuck around for a couple of songs longer – enough to hear Vancouver’s Jane Agyeman’s version of Nancy Sinatra’s Bang Bang. Incredible. Read Mike Usinger’s full account in the Georgia Straight.

We regret to report that we’ve very slowly had to put away our summer uniform.  We’re so sad that the khaki shorts/white t-shirt combo is needing to rest until next year when the weather warms up again.  It’s such an easy look—so crisp, so clean.  Do you ever notice that when you put jeans on after the summer has ended, they don’t fit very well?  Do you think that flesh stretches out over summer because it’s allowed to be loose, free, and happy?  Then the weather gets cold and suddenly we’re having to get our thighs to settle down and into our pants?  Maybe we’re the only ones who have this problem. 

In the idyllic town where we live, we’ve enjoyed so much crap weather lately that our only alternative is to begin Joycercizing.  Cruddy weather just makes you want to stay inside and eat bratwurst appetizers.  How do you keep yourself looking snarky when that’s the case?  The beav may be looking swell, but what good is it if the rest of you does not?  Joycercizing.  It’s the answer to any and all of your problems.  It makes you happy.  It helps you feel hip.  And hot.  And, best of all, it’s easy to do.

For this week’s Joycercizing session, you’ll need a few simple things:  your favorite boots, Bumpits, a chair, some dangly earrings, and false eyelashes.  The accessories will help you to feel pretty and that’s half the beauty battle.  The routine is simple–swaying arm movements, snapping fingers, some head/neck cocking, a little kicking, and lots of walking.  

It’s good to sing the lyrics, too, because they help you to feel powerful.  And singing burns calories.  Cute accessories + powerful lyrics + a little movement/singing = you’re the envy of the town. 

Here’s what you do:  get yourself dolled up with the accessories and then watch the video a few times so you get the words and moves down.  Then have at it.  If you play the song fifteen times, you’ll have a half hour workout under your belt.  And you’ll feel like walking all over somebody when you’re done.  Are you ready girls?  Start Joycercizing:

Psssst:  we think there was some cockpit hanky panky going on to cause that plane to forget to land in the Twin Cities . . . but what do you think?   ; )

Hörte ich diesen Abend und ich mag die Nummer immer noch, wenn auch der geschätzte Musiker-Kollege die Nummer zu abgedroschen fand Nancy Sinatra mit “These boots are made for walking”:

Enjoy!

Hey Everybody, The October Mix is out! My theme, Modern Romance, is a play on the content of the tape. Obviously I’ve been going through quite a few changes and these songs have been there for me. I hope you like them as much as I do. I realize the last cd was about ‘unknowns’ and what I’ve created for you is somewhat of a ”wellknowns’ mix. I did try to include some songs you’ve never heard, other songs you and I both already know and further songs that will make you want to sing at the top of your lungs, in your car, when no one is watching. I truly hope you give this mix a chance and don’t write it off as ‘music I’ve already heard and don’t care about’. I’ve been collecting music from my travels across country, my relationships and even my parents. This is ecelectic and old, bringing us back to music our parents were falling in love to or breaking up to or even doing their version of the ‘Single Ladies’ dance to… it’s good. Or at least I think it is. Enjoy. Now I can say with hugs and really mean it, because I’ll see you at the bar or run into in front of Heather’s office. I’m looking forward to where this club and the next few years bring us. Let’s hear it for New York!

With Hugs and Shots and Mixtapes, Amy

Listing

These Boots Are Made For Walking – Nancy Sinatra  1966
Hound Dog – Elvis Presley  1956
Peggy Sue – Buddy Holly  1957
(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World – Wreckless Eric  1978
I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick  1977
D’yer Mak’er  –   Led Zeppelin  1973
Scarlet Bagonias – Greatful Dead  1974
Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys  1966
Cecilia – Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel  1970
Subterranean Homesick Blues – Bob Dylan  1965
whole lotta shakin´going on – jerry lee lewis  1957
Beggin’ – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons  1967
Town Without Pity – Gene Pitney  1961
Walk On / The Love You Save – Jackson 5  1971
Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes  1961
Jimmy Mack – Martha & The Vandellas  1967
Not Fade Away – The Rolling Stones   1964
Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash     1963
Somebody To Love – Jefferson Airplane  1967

C’était l’histoire d’une jeune femme fan des Smiths et de Bruce Springsteen, au point de nommer son chien… Bruce.

Au karaoké, elle veut chanter Born to run, hélas non disponible (bizarre, il est vrai que l’histoire se situe à Los Angeles), et se rabat sur un petit bijou de Nancy Sinatra, Sugar Town.

Cette jeune femme, c’est Summer, l’héroïne d’une comédie romantique américaine mineure mais attachante : (The 500 days of) Summer, sorti en France sous le titre 500 jours ensemble.

Summer est interprétée par la craquante Zooey Deschanel (rien que pour ses yeux, l’auteur de ce blog est prêt à aller voir n’importe quel navet !). Zooey Deschanel est non seulement une excellente comédienne (on n’a pas oublié son rôle de la grande soeur du héros dans Presque célèbre de Cameron Crowe), mais aussi une bonne chanteuse country rock, en solo ou dans le groupe She & Him avec le non moins excellent M Ward.

Pas étonnant donc que la version de Sugar town par Zooey (un prénom qui ravit les fans de J.D. Salinger) rafraîchisse celle, limite variétoc, de Nancy Sinatra. La voici ci-dessous.

Au demeurant, (The 500 days of) Summer mérite d’être vu, car ce film pose au moins quatre questions existentielles :

- l’amour existe-t-il vraiment, ou est-il une invention des marchands de cartes de Saint-Valentin et des scénaristes de films ?

- Dans un couple, faut-il ou non partager les mêmes goûts pour se sentir bien ensemble ?

- La pop anglaise triste des Smiths ou de Belle & Sebastian est-elle une cause de dépression ?

- Dans le monde réel, y a-t-il vraiment des filles qui s’appellent Summer (en dehors de Summer Phoenix hélas disparue des écrans depuis Esther Kahn d’Arnaud Desplechin) ou Autumn ?

Si vous avez des réponses à ces questions, ou des avis sur le film et sur Zooey Deschanel, n’hésitez pas à poster vos commentaires !

I have been listening to Simon & Garfunkel lately. One of my favourite songs, is “America”, and I love it in “Almost Famous”.

Another favourite is “Feel flows” by The Beach Boys (and it also happens to be in previously mentioned movie). It is a perfect song to wake up to (or fall asleep), or just lay on the bed while closing ones eyes. Really soothing.

This is a brilliant song with Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra, “Some velvet morning”. I do not really understand what it is about, but I love it. The sound of it, and Lee´s dark voice combined with Nancy´s soft, feminine voice.

And another favourite, “Sunday Morning” with The Velvet Underground.

Bang Bang!