A Night at the Opera

15 Jan

I saw Tosca at the Met last night.  Let me clarify:  I saw Tosca from 4th row center seats at the Met last night.  It was that controversial Luc Bondy staging that apparently tore the opera community to pieces last year.  I’m guessing it is only controversial to the most traditional of opera enthusiasts.  I don’t understand why people would be outraged that the sets were pared down and the situations more modern.

Munich also staged this version and here’s a trailer from their production.  Tosca is sometimes dismissed as being too melodramatic and boy does this clip embrace that.   A telenovela for the upper crust!

This doesn’t do it justice.  See it if you’re able; it’s wonderful.  And here’s Tosca’s greatest hit for your downloading pleasure.  It really is one of the most beautiful arias ever.

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Violence Grows

14 Jan

Right now I’m watching yet another report on the crazed mind of Jared Lee Loughner.   And I realized I was singing “Violence Grows” by Fatal Microbes while doing so.

My brain might just be as weird as his, only in a totally-super-positive-I’m-not-going-to-shoot-anyone sort of way.    This song is more applicable in 2011 than it was in 1979 when it came out, dontcha think?  Sadly.

If you listen to/download it here, you’ll be singing it too by the time the 6 o’clock news rolls around.   I can pretty much guarantee it.

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Giddy-Up!

13 Jan

A couple of months ago I had a free day in LA and decided to spend it at LACMA.  I had nearly arrived when all of a sudden this amazing song came on NPR.  I’ve since referred to this as “the moment that changed my life.”

First there was the VOICE.  And then the crazy Thai girl background singers.  And, to top it off, it was a cover of “Paint It Black.”  How had I not heard this before???  I had to pull over and wait for about 20 minutes until they finally announced who it was:  Soy Cowboy.  For those of you sex vacationers, you’ll recognize that as a play on Soi Cowboy, an area in Bangkok which you’ve probably frequented often.

Anyway, I became obsessed.  It turned out I couldn’t buy this song anywhere.  Anyone who knows me could predict what happened next:  I stalked the Cowboy.  Apparently the Rolling Stones wouldn’t let him release the song, which is something I don’t quite understand, and I can’t divulge how I got it or from whom, but this holy grail of Thai-Western covers of “Paint It Black” has been located and you are the lucky recipients.

There’s a ton of interesting tidbits that I learned from my new friend.  A young Tarsem directed his very first music video for a different Soy Cowboy song back in 1990.  And all the “Silent Hill” video game singing and music is done by my hero as well.  Plus I got a Soy Cowboy tee shirt which I wear night and day.

Oh, I did arrive at LACMA but by that point was so distracted (and life changed), that I didn’t even feel like being there.  Change your life here.

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The Killing Fields

12 Jan

One late night I was in the emergency room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and noticed they had a poster about all sorts of common plants that could be fatal…and in what quantity!  I know it was probably made as a warning, but to me it was a manual on how to kill someone and get away with it.

Pokeweed was on this poster for sure.  It’s as toxic as can be, but for some crazy reason people south of the Mason-Dixon are determined to ignore that.  They’ve discovered over the years that the young leaves can be boiled three times and as long as you discard the water after each time, the toxins are reduced.  Reduced. They then take these thrice boiled leaves and make polk salad.  It must taste amazing to a) bother and b) risk it, no?  Or maybe they just had nothing else to eat.

Still seems weird.

But I’m glad they did because now we have Tony Joe White’s super Muscle Shoals gem, “Polk Salad Annie.”  Download here.   If you ever decide to kill someone using pokeweed, please make sure to sing this song while doing so.

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Nerve-wracking

11 Jan

98.5% of the time I have no patience for electronica.  The other 1.5% is taken up primarily with “Slip in Electro Kid” by Timo Maas.  Hypnotic.

But here’s the deal.  You can only download it if you promise to listen to it with headphones.  It’s the only thing that has ever made me want to direct, only because I’m dying to use it as a soundtrack.

Okay, here. Remember…headphones!  You promised!

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Aaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh

10 Jan

Once upon a time, many years ago in the early to mid ’80s, there was a little record store at 99 Macdougal Street in New York City.  This little record store wasn’t content with just selling records, so it decided to form a label and put out music of its own.  It called itself 99 Records and some of the most defining sounds of that era came out under its name.   (Liquid Liquid, ESG, Bush Tetras, Glenn Branca to name a few.)

And one magical day, 99 Records released “Stretch” from a UK band called Maximum Joy.   Yeah yeah yeah,  it has white guy rap which sounds dated now, but it’s infectious and fun and has those Pop Group-like post-punk-funk tones I love.  But more importantly, “Stretch” has the best scream in all of music history.   I know them’s fighting words, but  I’m not backing down.  Download here and see if you agree.

Now I’m going to make just the scream portion my ring tone.  And then I’m going to call myself constantly.

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What a Waster

9 Jan

As I was scanning Perez Hilton while watching Access Hollywood with an Us Weekly spread out next to me I realized that the unfortunate thing about our tabloid culture is that you start associating people only with their exploits and not what they should really be known for.  For instance, Lindsay Lohan is actually a decent actress.

And Pete Doherty seems to only make it into the press as a mess of a heroin addict — and even less so now since he’s no longer with Kate Moss.  And though drugs and models definitely lend themselves to “rock star,” so does actual rock music.

Babyshambles is a great band and The Libertines, his band before that, was fantastic. “What a Waster” was The Libertines’ first single and it rocks. Of course it didn’t do well as single since radio couldn’t play it with all the cursing.  What a fucking waster.

You should download it as fast as possible and play it really loud all day.  Do it.  NOW.

 

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A law I can get behind

8 Jan

31 films.  That’s how many Elvis acted in.  And I’ve seen every one of them.   While there are better films (King Creole and Jailhouse Rock to name two), I have a soft spot for Girl Happy.  And part of the reason is because of the song “Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.”  It could be – and probably is – a song that many could make fun of, but there is something about it that gets in my head and stays there for the entire length of spring break.

Seriously, who can’t get behind lyrics like these:

Any male in Fort Lauderdale

who is not pursuing a cute female

will automatically land in jail.

That’s the law in Fort Lauderdale.

So, happy 76th birthday, Elvis.  I know you’re still alive and celebrating.  I’m sure you’d be cool with me sharing the download here.

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Bring it on

7 Jan

It’s snowing again here in New York!  That makes me happy.  Very happy.  It’s coming down fast and furious right now, but the weatherman is saying  it won’t be anything like last week.

crossing my fingers for a repeat

And that makes me gravely unhappy.  I want masses of snow.  I want to be sitting in a warm, cozy restaurant that’s just made for looking out at the swirling flakes.  I want my Manhattan Snow Globe.

I guess what I really want is for Nick Cave to be my meteorologist.  He would give me fifteen feet of pure white snow.   Sigh.

Maybe we’ll get it after all.  But while we’re waiting, you can listen and download my dream forecast here.

 

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Happy Epiphany!

6 Jan

I have a confession to make.  I love a lot of gospel music.  Even more than that, I love what I call “real” country.  When you put the two of them together, I’m like putty in your hands.  Actually not totally.  For that to happen, there would have to be sawdust involved…but that’s a post for another date.

The Louvin Brothers are particular favorites of mine.  They’re actually Charlie and Ira Loudermilk, but they changed their last name.  If Loudermilk was my last name, I’d thank God every single day.  Like a lot of religious folk, they sang all about the Lord in public, but off-stage, it was another matter entirely.

Ira was a big ole drunk and was shot in the back by his 3rd wife after he tried to strangle her.  He lived  – and married a 4th wife.  Personally, I would have sworn off women by that point.   Later, he was killed by a drunk driver which was ironic since there was a DUI warrant out for his arrest at the time.

But it’s Epiphany so let us not dwell on the sordid.  “Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself” is one of my all-time faves.  Download it here.  And watch the video; they’re awesome.  And now I’ll stop proselytizing.

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