“If your time to you is worth savin’ then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin’.” – Bob Dylan

“This is all I gotta say to ya, woman your time is gonna come, your time is gonna come” – Led Zeppelin

“I just need a little of your time a little of your time to say the words I never said.” -Adam Levine

“I used to think it would take six-hundred years to tunnel under the wall with it. Old Andy did it in less than twenty. Oh, Andy loved geology. I guess it appealed to his meticulous nature. An ice age here, million years of mountain building there. Geology is the study of pressure and time. That’s all it takes really, pressure, and time.” – Red

“What will be will be and so it goes and it always goes on and on… on and on it goes.” – Jack Johnson

“It’s times like these time and time again.” – Dave Grohl

“Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines” – David Gilmour/Nick Mason/Roger Waters/Richard Wright

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” – Albert Einstein

“Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours.” – Mark Twain

“All my possessions for a moment of time.” – Queen Elizabeth I

Robert Fox & David Wright AD80CD (100 minutes download only) 1st December release date (price £8:45)

Before Time (Collectors Edition – the original studio recording sessions of “Time Code” by David Wright & Robert Fox)

This download album gathers the original studio recordings of the momentous Code Indigo album “Time Code” as composed by David Wright & Robert Fox. The album includes previously unreleased instrumental music and the original unreleased versions of some of the music to be found on the Time Code album. It is a fascinating insight into the compositional process, showing the original compositions and how they differ from the eventual album release after the input of Dave Massey (rhythms), Louise Eggerton (vocals) and Andy Lobban & Nigel Turner-Heffer (guitars) transformed the Wright/Fox compositions into Code Indigo music.

The music on “Before Time” was recorded live and edited afterwards to review for inclusion in the Code Indigo Time Code project, so there is a real spontaniety and live feel to it all that makes the whole album wonderfully chilled and compelling. The 15 Before Time” tracks are interlinked to produce one drifting electronic space music epic and it’s much, much more than just a rough draft – here are the original, sometimes quite inspired electronic music performances of tracks like “24am” and “Call of the Earth”, plus beautiful additional pieces that never made the final album simply because of the time constraints and the sheer amount of excellent material composed. And in the bonus “Time Code Exodus” track, you’ll hear further alternate versions and arrangements. This collection shows just how prolific Wright & Fox were during this period and it is a worthy companion to the “Time Code” album itself, and most definitely worthy of a special download release.

Before Time
BT1 (1:40)
BT2 (1:13)
BT3 (2:51)
BT4 (5:50)
BT5 (4:58)
BT6 (4:39)
BT7 (1:16)
BT8 (8:07)
BT9 (10:22)
BT10 (2:32)
BT11 (3:33)
BT12 (8:21)
BT13 (0:53)
BT14 (2:33)
BT15 (8:09)
Time Code Exodus (34:23)

Composed by David Wright & Robert Fox 2004
Edited, Arranged and produced by David Wright 2004-2009

Thanks to everybody who commented on my last blog post! I really appreciate you sharing your playlists with everyone and introducing us to some great new music!

As I was responding to your comments, something hit me. You guys have shown us an incredible ammount of support over the last few years. You’ve called your local DJs to request our music. You’ve come to our shows and purchased our CDs. And your votes have caused us to win more contests and get onto more playlists than I could count. Each of you has helped make what we do possible.

Last week was really cool because we had twenty people contribute to our post! But, our anlaytics show that hundreds of people read it. Why is that? I’m not sure. But I feel that it is – at least in some part – due to the fact that so often the creation and delivery of art is a one way street. I want to change that; so I’d like to invite you to take a moment to do three things:

1. Visit atris.wordpress.com (This will be more fun if everyone goes to the same page.)
2. Scroll down to the comment box and introduce yourself. Write a few words about anything you’d like. How did you first hear our music? What city are you from? What are your favorite movies? Pretend we just met at a coffee shop. If you’d like share your blog address, Twitter ID or someplace where we and other people can learn more about you that would be great too!
3. Check the box that says Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Please don’t do this for us, do this for yourself and for everyone. It takes a certain amount of bravery to put yourself out there; but it’s worth it. We love to get to know people with similar interests, ideas, and opinions. And it’s really cool when group discussions are started. If you have something in common with someone who posts, let him or her know! It makes me feel great to see people responding to my comments, and I love to chime back in to share my thoughts.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Mason

É só o amor…

Disco 1:

01 – In the Flesh

02 – The Thin Ice

03 – Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1)

04 – The Happiest Days of Our Lives

05 – Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)

06 – Mother

07 – Goodbye Blue Sky

08 – Empty Spaces

09 – Young Lust

10 – One of my Turns

11 – Don’t Leave Me Now

12 – Another Brick In The Wall (Part 3)

13 – Goodbye Cruel World

http://lix.in/-680869

Disco 2:

01 – Hey You

02 – Is There Anybody Out There?

03 – Nobody’s Home

04 – Vera

05 – Bring The Boys Back Home

06 – Comfortably Numb

07 – The Show Must Go On

08 – In the Flesh

09 – Run Like Hell

10 – Waiting for the Worms

11 – Stop

12 – The Trial

13 – Outside The Wall

http://lix.in/-64fb27

Tracklist:

01 – Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part I-V)

02 – Welcome to the Machine

03 – Have a Cigar

04 – Wish you Were Here

05 – Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part VI-IX)

http://lix.in/-637486

Tracklist:

01 – Speak To Me – Breathe

02 – On the Run

03 – Time

04 – The Great Gig in the Sky

05 – Money

06 – Us And Them

07 – Any Colour You Like

08 – Brain Damage

09 – Eclipse

http://lix.in/-6681c8

Tracklist:

01 – Astronomy Dominé

02 – Lucifer Sam

03 – Matilda Mother

04 – Flaming

05 – Pow R. Toc H.

06 – Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk

07 – Interstellar Overdrive

08 – The Gnome

09 – Chaper 24

10 – Scarecrow

11 – Bike

http://lix.in/-61ede5

OD Records

Laoying Shao Road, Fenghuang, China

On the banks of the calmly flowing river Tuo, in the back water river-town of Fenghuang, sits  OD Record store.  Narrow and quaint, snugly camouflaged by tea shops and  food stores; a record store that could easily be unseen by even the most observant eye.

We enter the shop, which has more in common with a long slim corridor than your average store (the idea of browsing space, having not really caught on), and discover a wall dominated by CDs without covers.  Each CD sits in a perfectly fitted clear plastic wallet, offering neither explanation nor reason for their naked forms. I stare closely at the specimens and discover them to be neither official release, nor pirated copies, but press-release promotional CDs, the likes of which are usually sent to music journalists or radio-stations.

I stare closely at a remastered release of The Police’s Reggatta Da Blanc, and notice that each CD is dotted with  stickers offering press-friendly promotional notes in Mandarin. We stop for a minute and gaze out to the River Tuo in wonder, contemplating how a small shop in the middle of nowhere in China, could have come into such a supply of promotional CDs. We come to a swift conclusion; that the store is either an ex-writer/ radio presenter/ editor’s personal collection for sale, or else a record-label company has liquidated its stock onto the market (which, according to copyright legislation, is technically illegal).

Spurred on by the apparent rarity of the promos on hand (after-all when was the last time you saw a CHINESE promotional copy of a record!), we get flicking. A few interesting titles raise their heads; a chill out CD featuring a Radiohead remix tempts my purse strings, as does a James Brown live album from the 1980s, and Supertramp’s Greatest Hits.

I scan my eyes over the hypnotically monotonous shelving, searching for anything unusual or that I have wanted for a while. I spy Roger Water’s The Wall Live In Berlin,  haphazardly jammed at the back of one of the stands near the cash register. Recorded way back in 1990, the live album features the likes of Van Morrison, Sinead O’Conner and, erm, Cyndi Lauper, dueting with the ex-Pink Floyd singer.

Picking up on the slight interest I show, the manageress slots the The Wall into the shop’s stereo and cranks it up to 11. The opening chords of In The Flesh ring out, and a biro on top of the old speakers near the till rattles as Water’s aged voice eventually  croons, “So you thought you might like to go to the show”,  the infamous first lines of that infamous album.  I listen to the track,  reminiscent of that spine-tingling night at Live 8, and, light of its 40Y (£3.64) price tag, can’t say no.

We pay up, and wander back to the balcony of our hotel, where we listen to the album, as the sun sets over the quaint river town.

Purchase:

Roger Waters – The Wall Live In Berlin – £3.64 [Tracklisting]

Total Purchases:

Armand Van Helden – Ghetto Blaster – £1 [Tracklisting]

Club Azuli 1 – Mixed By Dave Piccioni – £0.48 [Tracklisting]

Club Azuli Part 2 – Mixed By Dave Piccioni – £0.79 [Tracklisting]

Chemical Brothers, The: Brothers Gonna Work It Out – £2.77 [Tracklisting]

Defected In The House – Mixed By Copyright – £0.79 [Tracklisting]

DJ Hardy Heller – Mix In Motion – £1  [Tracklisting]

DJ Shadow – The New Collection – £2.38

Elektrik 02 – Mixed By King Unique & Nubreed – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Fabric 25 – Mixed By Carl Craig – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Fabric 26 – Mixed By Global Communication – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Le Le – Breakfast 12″ – £8.24 [Tracklisting]

Moby – Last Night – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Roger Waters – The Wall Live In Berlin – £3.64 [Tracklisting]

Santos – Camels 12″ – £1.18 [Tracklisting]

Samim: Flow – £1.98 [Tracklisting]

Underworld – Cowgirl (Remixes) 12″ – £1.18 [Tracklisting]

Underworld – Underneath The Radar 12″ – £8.91 [Tracklisting]

Total Spend: £36.68

by Nabila Rahman

As an avid music fan, I love anything to do with music. The other day, I was at a small “unplugged” session held at my school. On that particular day, I found myself more interested in the crowd than the music itself. You see, in a crowd, diversity is the key-different people, different faces!

What i found amusing that day was all the not known and misheard lyrics all around me. It’s fun to be a part of the crowd in a music session. It’s uplifting and highly amusing! Ever heard what the person next to you is singing? They start off humming, not quite sure of the words. Then, sings loudly just as they get the hang of it. Some hits a high note only to scream out the wrong word. While some shrug it off and keeps singing the wrong words others get back to their humming tone. It is funny, really, if you can catch what they are saying. I mean, who wouldn’t smirk if the person next to them is saying, “we don’t need no education, we don’t need no birth control!”

Of course, someone who sees me smiling like a goof during a Pink Floyd song will question my mental well being but if only they knew. So, the next time, if you ever find yourself at a music concert, do keep a look out for misheard lyrics. You might be standing next to the next Weird Al Yankovic!

This song brings to mind a psychedelic group of  pictures with  bright vibrant colours spinning in circles, like Pink Floyd.

Now this song would be perfect for a Rodarte Fashon Show?

Laura and Kate Mulleavy could be creative for men and women for the show.

Do something wild and crazy, maybe make a costume for Adam Lambert’s concert dancers when he goes on a World Tour.

rodarte ss 09 new york fashion week idea girl consulting

Recently, I was listening to my Led Zeppelin radio station on Pandora. All of a sudden I heard a long drawn out echo, and then a sharp alarm-like buzz. I glanced at the screen to see what was playing. The song that was currently playing was Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd. Now, I had heard many positive things from friends at school, and my dad, so I decided to keep listening. As the song progressed I began to almost tear up. I could hear in the music everything I see today in our government and in our multi-billion dollar corporations. Immediately, I quickly ran to my basement, where my dad has an arsenal of Pink Floyd cds. I rushed upstairs to upload them into my iTunes library. Ever since then I have been constantly listening to and obsessing over the legendary group. So yes, finally I have reached the dark side of the moon, and I am loving it.

Today’s music video is ‘On The Turning Away’ from Pink Floyd.

This video was posted to You Tube by RaggedTiger70

I hope you’ll grant me this small indulgence of playing one of my absolute favoutite songs from my favourite band, Pink Floyd.

This highlights another example of how each generation thinks that they are the ones who invented music.

When I first heard the song, I was still in the Air Force. I was at the Royal Australian Air Force’s  Trades Training School in Wagga Wagga, teaching the Electrical trade to new guys, and in this case, it was a class of 15 young Apprentices, all aged around 17 or 18.

It was December of 1987, and getting close to that time of year when the young guys were preparing for their Christmas leave break away from training. It was a Practical based subject, with no desk bound theoretical component, so I used to allow the guys to play music while they were doing their Practical work. I came back after morning tea and the guys were already into their work. This exact song was playing and I stood almost dumbfounded when I heard the guitar work. One of the guys came up to me and asked if it was too loud. I told him, no, that was how David Gilmour should be played. Now it was his turn to look dumbfounded. The album had only just been released here in Oz, and he asked how I knew it was David Gilmour, you know, me being so old at 36, in the eyes of a 17 year old. He handed me the cassette case. He had taped the album, so it just the handwritten titles of the songs from the album ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’, and he seemed struck dumb that I actually liked Pink Floyd. He told me that he also had their first album, ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, as well as the band’s double opus, ‘The Wall’. I just smiled and he asked what seemed so funny, and then I told him that the ‘Dark Side’ album was in fact the band’s eighth album, not including the 5 Compilation albums, all prior to that one. He just shook his head that an ‘old guy’ liked the same sort of music as he did, as well as all the other guys in the room, who also seemed stunned as well, as some of them had gathered round.

That album got played a lot in that last week, and I eventually dropped a successful hint for a Christmas present.

This album was the first studio album after Roger Waters had left the band in 1985. Waters said that Floyd was becoming a spent force, and he struck out on his own. Gilmour now gathered around him a tight group of musicians to join him and Nick Mason (drums), and Rick Wright. (keyboards) This was a distinct move away from the Waters led Floyd sound of so many years, and is credited almost as a Gilmour solo album. There was legal problems over use of the name Pink Floyd, stemming from Waters himself, and the bad feeling between him and the other three. Waters was well into a very strong solo career, and had released a big selling solo album at around the same time as this Floyd album. After the legal impasse was worked out, this was the first time back in the studio as Floyd, and this album is the result from that. It received widespread critical acclaim, mostly because reviewers all assumed Floyd could not actually be Floyd without Waters. Notwithstanding, it sold extremely well, and the album was a huge chart success, even if it did not make Number One that five earlier Floyd albums did, this one topping out at Number 2. It sold enough to make the album four times multi platinum.

The band took the album on tour in 1987. The tour was originally scheduled for 11 weeks. The first part of the tour was in the UK, and also North America, and lasted 18 weeks. The band took a 6 week break over the Christmas of 1987, and then resumed the tour with this time a World tour that lasted a further 7 months, so that original 11 week tour turned into a more than 200 concert tour lasting just under 12 months, and the tour was reprised in 1989 for a further 2 months through Europe. That tour was made into a hugely selling Video and later DVD as well as a double album of songs taken from the tour and released as ‘The Delicate Sound Of Thunder’ album, the last Floyd album to use primarily vinyl as the main release for their albums.

This clip features an extended guitar break from Gilmour, and in my opinion is the best version of this song. As you view the clip, be aware that this tour was in 1987, 88, and 89. The light show behind the band is still as good as some you see these days from the big band tours, so for 12 years ago, this was THE best light show going around. It’s a long clip, and wonderfully shows Gimour’s expressive guitar work that is immediately recognised as his style alone. The Guitar he is using here is his Candy Apple Fender Stratocaster 1957 reissue, this version made in 1984, and the one he used after the Waters split. His most used guitar is a 1969 Fender Strat, modified over the years. The tone from this guitar especially is distinctive of the way Gilmour plays especially here with his use of the phrasing and sustained notes, and his use of the Tremolo arm.

The acrimony between Waters and the rest of the band persisted for some time, and it was only for the Live 8 concert in 2005 that all 4 members appeared on the same stage again, after a hiatus of 25 years since the last live performance.

When asked what he thought of this first Pink Floyd album without him, Waters said that it was a pretty fair forgery. Later his opinion mellowed, and he said that there was some music from it that he could have worked with.

Sadly original founding member Syd Barrett died in 2006. He left after Floyd’s second album replaced by his good friend David Gimour.

Two years later Richard Wright also passed away, and here’s the link to that post.

The name of the band itself is something always discussed. The name is a compilation of two men who Syd Barrett had in his vast record collection, the legendary Blues artists Pink Anderson and Floyd Council from the 50’s and early 60’s. Originally the band name selected was ‘The Pink Floyd Sound’, soon just to become just Pink Floyd.

SOUNDTRACK: KATE BUSH-Hounds of Love (1985).

I have a very specific memory of the first time I heard the song  “Hounds of Love.”  I was in high school and the Wilderness Adventure Club was heading towards whatever destination we were going to (funny I can’t remember the destination, but I recall the car trip there).  The head of the club (who was a teacher, but not one I had) was driving a bunch of us in his station wagon and this song came on.  My friend Brad and I howled with laughter at the “barking” that Kate does. “Roo Roo Roo Roo.”

It only occurred to me recently that the driver probably enjoyed the music or else he wouldn’t have had it on, so that wasn’t very nice of us.  It also occurs to me that he must have had the disc (actually the tape, as there were no discs then) because I don’t imagine the song was ever on the radio.  (Although I also think there may have been a DJ talking about the songs, so my memory is shaky).  I just remember laughing and laughing and quite likely Roo Rooing for much of the trip.

So, it’s funny now how much I love this disc (my high school self was a metal head, my college self expanded his musical mind rather a lot).

Kate’s previous two records were a wonderful precursor to this monumental disc.  The big hits come at the top: “Hounds of Love” is indeed an amazing song, as is “Running Up That Hill.”  But they’re familiar enough that I don’t have to say anything.  “The Big Sky” is a rollicking romp of fun.  And “Cloudbusting” is just simply amazing.  (Look for the video with Donald Sutherland!).  It’s five minutes of intense storytelling.

But for me, the second side of the album (starting with track 6 on the disc) is the real selling point.  It’s something of a story called The Ninth Wave.  And what I love about it (in addition to the awesome music) are the amazing effects and sounds and voices that are all over the tracks.

It begins simply with a delicate piece, “And Dream of Sheep,” a beautiful piano ballad.  It’s followed by the mesmerizing “Under Ice.”  The opening string sounds evoke someone skating on an ice (which is what the song is about).  As the tension grows (is someone under the ice?) voices far back in the distance compete with Kate singing “Its me!”

The next track, “Waking the Witch” begins with some awesome headphone voice work.  Voices from various family members implore her to wake up.  Left, right, middle, back.  Then, a voices asks “Can you not see that light over there?”  With a far off voice whispering “over here.”  When the song finally bursts forth, her voice is manipulated in a creepy disjointed way.  Followed by different musical sections with cathedral bells.  All through the track a male authority figure condemns the girl for being a witch.  And as the song ends (with a sample of the helicopter from Pink Floyd’s The Wall she is found guilty.  It’s quite intense.

The intensity slackens somewhat with the mellow “Watching Me Without You.”  But it builds again with the manic intensity of “The Jig of Life” a traditional jig with uilleann pipes in the background and Kate’s vocals over the top.  The song breaks into a very traditional sounding step dance seisiun until Kate starts whispering “I put this moment here” (more of that cool headphone stuff) and the song takes of again.

“Hello Earth” starts as a simple ballad reminiscent of “And Dream of Sheep” but it grows in intensity only to break for a choir passage.  It then returns to the intensity of Kate’s voice which fades and ends with Kate’s whispered:  “Tiefer, tiefer.  Irgendwo in der Tiefe.  Gibt es ein licht.” (Roughly: Deeper Deeper, Somewhere in the depths there is a light.)

The disc ends with “The Morning Fog” a respite from the intensity of the music and the contents.  It’s a light ballad (with amazing fretless bass work) that seems like it could have been used in a John Hughes film.  Especially for the “I tell my mother/father/loved ones/brother how much I love them” lyrics.

The Ninth Wave is one of my favorite suites to listen to.  It not only demands attention, it usually gets it.

Hounds of Love is, simply put, fantastic.

[READ: November 15, 2009] Gemini & The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie

When I was a kid, watching cartoons on Channel 11, WPIX, there was a frequent, (in my memory it was incessant) commercial for a Broadway play.  And the only things I remember about the commercial were two snippets:  In the first, a young boy is gorging himself on food and his mother yells “TAKE HUMAN BITES!”  The second shows a woman who says “I’m  not hungry, I’ll just pick” who then grabs a handful of spaghetti from someone else’s plate.

This commercial was such a part of our culture, that my friends used to shout “TAKE HUMAN BITES” at each other all the time.  And yet, after all these years, I couldn’t remember what the play was.  So, out of curiosity, I did some searching to see if I could find this mysterious play (and, more importantly find the commercial).

So, thank you, internet, for helping me discover the play is Albert Innaurato’s Gemini.  No commercials have been forthcoming, sadly.

Well, I thought it would be fun to read this play and see if it was as funny as the commercial seemed.  Who could have guessed that the play would have turned out like this?

The play is set in a poor section of Philadelphia.  The cast is: Fran Geminiani, his son Francis, and his lady friend Lucille Pompi.  Their next door neighbors are Bunny Weinberger and her son Herschel.  The entire play is set in the yard that separates the two houses.  The two newcomers that set the play in motion are Randy & Judith Hastings.  They are brother and sister and go to Harvard with Francis.

Francis is a somewhat overweight, very insecure, very Italian kid.  Fran, his dad, is pretty close to an Italian working-class stereotype, with the pasta making and the boisterousness.  The basic plot is that Judith, a beautiful WASP, has fallen in love with Francis.  She and Randy hitchhike to Philly complete with camping gear.  They plan to sleep in Francis’ yard for a couple days (you know, crazy college kids).

Francis is very uncomfortable about their arrival.  He tells them that his dad is a Mafia guy and kills WASPs on sight.  (This freaks out Randy but not Judith, who is his intended target).  When that doesn’t work, he ultimately rebuffs her advances by telling her that he’s queer.  She doesn’t believe him after what they did at school before the summer started (and she is even more disbelieving when he reveals who he’s got a crush on).

The rest of the story, and arguably the real heart of the story, focuses on the interactions in the neighborhood.  Fran and Bunny have lived next to each other for many years.  Bunny is a loud, obnoxious Irish woman who married a Jew (there’s a lengthy monologue about that).  Her son Herschel is an overweight, asthmatic loser who she says is a genius, even though at 16 he rides a tricycle around the yard making trolley sounds, and collects Public Transportation paraphernalia.

Bunny is abusive to everyone, including her son (one stage direction states that she “beats the shit out of Herschel”).  She sings songs loudly on an out of tune piano and flirts aggressively with Fran and then Randy (a stage direction states that she grabs his crotch).  She is also due for a court date because she assaulted a woman who caught her (Bunny) in bed with the woman’s  husband (in the woman’s house).

The action of the play takes place over a 24 hour period.  In in that short span of time we are treated to attempted suicide, drug use, homosexuality, train schedules, and a near-crushing by a piano.  It’s quite a feat.

The story is pretty funny (although I must say that the commercial was much funnier than reading the lines in print).  But the strange thing about the play is that there are absolutely no likable characters (except maybe Randy, as he seems an innocent victim).  Fran and Bunny are loud and boorish.  Lucille is lazy.  Francis is insecure.  Herschel is an annoying hanger-on.  Even Judith gets into the mean-spirited act when Francis turns her down.

And yet, there is something starnegly endearing about the whole group of them.  And as a slice of life play, it’s very entertaining.  The characters are (despite the stereotypical ideas) well rounded and amusing.  And the scenes have the potential (when performed) to be over the top hilarious.  The play itself is only about 70 pages, and it’s a brisk read.  But as with most plays, I’m sure seeing it is better than reading it.

I just wish I could see the commercial again.  If anyone knows where it might be available, do pass it on!

The other play that comes with the book is The Transformation of Benno Blimpie. It’s only 30 pages (it’s a one act play).  If you thought the characters in Gemini were unpleasant, you have seen nothing yet.  The set-up of this play is that Benno, a very fat twenty-year old, has locked himself in a room and plans to eat himself to death.

The entirety of the play is Benno’s (biased) memory of events.  And the play is set up so that he never physically leaves his room, but he interacts with the other characters as if he were in the room with them.  (Which I’ll bet is a very cool device on stage).

Benno’s flashbacks concern his parents and his grandfather.  His father is a former athlete and is something of a non-entity in the house.  His mother is a mean, horrible woman who never fails to insult Benno about his weight or his complexion or about how miserable her life has been since she had him.  (Her very first scene is quite shocking!).  The only charterer who is at all nice to him is his grandfather.

And yet, as Benno flashes back, his grandfather becoming sexually involved with a 13 year-old Catholic school girl.  (She encourages him to do things to her, and tries to get money out of him).  And, when she turns him down when he tries to do “more” with her, he takes his frustrations out on Benno just like everyone else.

Benno basically went through life being mocked and abused by everyone.  His only joy was in art.  But the art he made wasn’t appreciated by anyone.  So his only love has also let him down.  His last recourse is to simply to eat himself to death.

This play is shocking on many levels.  And all of the characters are reprehensible.  I’m not even entirely sure that I would want to see it performed (it lacks even the grim humor of Gemini).

I didn’t know a thing about Innaurato, so I looked him up and discovered that Gemini ran on Broadway for 1,819 performances and earned him an Obie Award.  It was also made into the film Happy Birthday, Gemini. starring Madeline Kahn and Rita Moreno.  Benno Blimpie also earned him an Obie.  Wow.

While looking around I found some clips from the movie Happy Birthday, Gemini.  And I have to admit that watching the clips leads me to think that if done well, both of the plays would be quite funny despite how disturbing they are.  I also wonder, if I find these stories shocking now, how shocking they must have been in 1978!  Francis’ homosexuality is accepted without any dismay, as is the drug use (there’s some very funny sequences about the pot smoing).  Even Benno’s grandfather’s pedophilia is sort of dismissed (although I think that, awful as it sounds, pedophilia was seen as less horrible in the 70s…can that be right?  I mean the whole Jodie Foster/Taxi Driver thing.)

Anyhow, these plays are not for the weak-hearted.  And I wonder if a revival of Gemini would be viable now.  (Although, interestingly, there is now Gemini The Musical.  I can’t wait to see what that’s all about!  Actually, I want to hear the music!)

The two movie clips are shared below.  Madeline Kahn is Bunny and she is hilarious (although she is cast completely against what Bunny looks like in theplay).  And, I think Francis is also a good looking athletic guy in the movie, too  (Innaurato didn’t have anything to do with the movie).  The clips are quite funny.  Sadly neither one features my favorite lines.  The movie is available only on VHS as far as I can tell.

Here’s one of the pot smoking scenes:

This is the suicide scene:

Eu era assim…

E fiquei assim!

tk weighs in:

What is the most important band or artist of the decade?

I pondered this question during my entire stroll down Gower Ave. from Sunset to Santa Monica (all 0.5 miles) and here’s what I came up with. These aren’t controversial choices but who needs controversy when there’s a possibility for accuracy?

First of all, let’s address the other decades.
50s- Elvis, hands down
60s- Beatles, hands down
70s- Led Zeppelin (or Pink Floyd)
80s- Michael Jackson
90s- Nirvana

And that brings us to this decade. As of now, I have narrowed it down to these artists:
Radiohead
Animal Collective
Eminem (or Lil Wayne or Jay-Z… consumers of important rap, help me out here)

Thoughts? Ideas? Nuggets of insight?

ck weighs in:

It’s hard for me to go against your selections. Radiohead is definitely up there. In the 2000s, they released the phenomenal Kid A, the incomprehensible Amnesiac (I never really ‘got it’), the return-to-prominence Hail to the Thief, and the overrated (but revolutionary) In Rainbows. Those four albums can stand up against any artist’s production in the last 10 years. Regardless of whether you think they’re the best band of all time or hopelessly overrated, the “pay-what-you-want” marketing campaign for In Rainbows definitely stuck Radiohead in the cultural lexicon for good and symbolized the downfall of the music industry throughout the decade.

Animal Collective is another exciting choice. Their entire discography is in the 2000s. Since the turn of the century, Animal Collective has released studio albums Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished (2000), Danse Manatee (2001), Campfire Songs (2003), Here Comes The Indian (2003), Sung Tongs (2004), Feels (2005), Strawberry Jam (2007), and Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009), as well as four EPs, two live albums, and eight singles.

In addition to being prolific, however, Animal Collective has been one of the most creative outfits of the decade. I am admittedly a latter-half AC fan; I hardly listen to anything before Sung Tongs. That being said, even listening to just those four albums shows the width and depth of their creative sound. Who can you possibly compare them to? Who are Animal Collective’s influences? Neutral Milk Hotel, maybe? The Beach Boys? Where does a song like Peacebone come from? Animal Collective’s importance is wrapped in the creativity of their output. They get better and better with each album, as they careen toward accessibility without leaving behind their weirdness.

I’m not sure if I can agree with you on Eminem. Yes, he was huge. Yes, he was culturally relevant. And yes, he was a pretty good rapper. But he was inactive for 3+ years, and he was a shell of his former self on 2008’s Relapse. He was also the “shocking musician” du jour, which can help with publicity, but rarely leads to a lasting legacy. He seems more interested in being controversial than being innovative.

I would, instead, submit for your consideration, one Justin Timberlake.

At the turn of the decade, there was no bigger pop group than ‘N Sync. Their second album, No Strings Attached, dropped in 2000, driven by the success of initial single Bye Bye Bye. 2001 saw the release of disappointing third album Celebrity, and the group went on hiatus in 2002.

Timberlake took this hiatus as an opportunity to conquer the music world on his own, with 2002’s Justified. The album took the world by storm, propelling JT to immediate stardom. Since then, he’s been dating movie stars, hosting Saturday Night Live, causing wardrobe malfunctions, voicing characters in Shrek sequels, and generally living large.

After the death of Michael Jackson (RIP), the world is starving for a superstar musician. I have long believed that Justin Timberlake is that man. I even wrote a column for my college newspaper titled, “Justin Timberlake: The new King of Pop“. His music is ubiquitous and his presence can make even the Black Eyed Peas sound respectable. What more do you need from the MOST IMPORTANT MUSICAL SPECIMEN of the 2000s?

What do YOU think? Register your opinion in the comments.

ist definitiv nicht mein Fall!

Festgestellt wurde dies an einem Abend im Planetarium, “Dark Side of the Moon” in der Sternenkuppel. Der Abend, die Begleitung, die Musik, die Lichtshow, die Sessel, der Vordermann – alles phantastisch! Aber der Nebel war grauenhaft. Die Idee dahinter war wohl Laserlicht besser zur Geltung kommen zu lassen oder Atmosphäre zu erzeugen.

Atmosphäre hatte ich. Wie bei toter Oma im Schrank. Pudrig, süßlich, igitt. Liebes Planetarium, wenn ich demnächst die Deep Space Night bis morgens um 6 mit Major Tom und was weiß ich noch wem genießen will, dann wehe euch, wenn ihr Nebel einsetzen wollt!

Ich werde eine Windmaschine mitbringen, oder wenigstens einen Fön. HA!

Ach und dies geht an den netten älteren Herrn in Reihe 6 Nordwest:

HÖR AUF MIT DEM FUSS MIT ZU KLOPFEN! Du warst zwar die meiste Zeit im Takt, aber sowas überträgt sich durch den Boden und macht mich wahnsinnig.

Danke.

Zane Lowe in Teignmouth. Photo by tj.moore at Flickr.

Setlist:

1. Kasabian – Clubfoot
2. Biffy Clyro – That Golden Rule
3. Chemical Brothers vs. Party – Galvanise The Empire
4. Black Sheep – The Choice Is Yours
5. Radiohead – The National Anthem
6. U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
7. Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
8. Public Enemy – Fight The Power
9. Whateverman – P.E. Theme
10. Old School Break
11. John Lennon – Power To The People
12. Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
13. Rage Against The Machine vs. Whateverman – Killing It
14. Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name
15. Edwin Starr vs. Whateverman – What War
16. White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
17. System of a Down – Chop Suey
18. Sex Pistols – Anarchy In The UK
19. The Prodigy – Firestarter
20. The Prodigy – Warrior’s Dance
21. Ian Brown – F.E.A.R.

A radio rip is available to download for free here.

The above is not a setlist as much as this year’s most exciting megamix – and there’s a phrase I haven’t bandied around with complete abandon since 2004. Previously, I mentioned something of writing about my favourite remixes of the year and although perhaps this isn’t the ’something’ I was expecting to write, c’est la vie. This year has been fucking awful for good remixes. I could only find three that met my flaky standards. One was the Stuart Price remix of Paparazzi which I overplayed anyway and don’t really enjoy any more, and doesn’t exist much outside of the middle eight anyway. Another was the Does It Offend You, Yeah? remix of Uprising that sometimes is better than the album version – a claim which is completely reliant on my mood at any given moment in time. But I’m a complete whore for DIOY,Y remixes anyway, so it’s a completely predictable anticlimax. The third was the Filthy Dukes mix of To Lose My Life that I thought was fun for a few weeks but it dulled quickly. Thinking about it, I only really liked it because it sounded like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, White Lies and Bimbo Jones in one big melting pot, then I realised that they all do their own thing independently and it sounds better than this track. And with that thought, this brief flirtation was o-v-a-h.

I was reminiscing about the Teignmouth weekend a couple of days ago and realised that Zane Lowe’s warm up set for the evening was, not only one of the best openers I’ve seen for a band, but it fit the bill for resuscitating this dismal commentary. I’ve seen Zane DJ in a couple of other venues before, but he didn’t leave any kind of impression on me. This clicked. He actually did two half hour sets sandwiched between some really happening local bands, and the second was superior to the first, which is above. Rather annoyingly, the audio of the second never surfaced, and I don’t remember much of it other than an amazing remix of Bonkers, so I can’t even describe it. It was amazing. But back to the first set – Zane made me dance. I never dance. Ever. I’ve never understood the appeal behind DJing, or how some people are into it in the same way that I’m into peanut butter M&Ms (you’re pressing play on a track someone else created? Inspirational.) but I have a new found appreciation for it all now. Kind of.

I loved the way it was put together – though I will say that the airhorns all the way through got me excited for a play of the Freemasons remix of Ring The Alarm, which Zane obviously did not play: it was so not the audience for the Freemasons (myself aside, and I would have danced for everyone else there if it had come on),  but I loved all of the thought which had gone into each track and how it would work best in the mix. It was a great blend of genres, alongside music from today and music from ye olden days as well that provided an education for some of the younger audience members there (“Isn’t this from that Fatman Scoop song?”). It created an air of context for the set Muse went on to play, both musically and emotionally, and that’s a beautiful thing.

I would have taken System of a Down out though. I hate that song. Flobots would have worked just as well there.

Nice work Zane Looooooooooooooooooowe. I’m on board.