Friday, November 30, 2012

Chris Knox sighting!

An old Tall Dwarfs song just came on the iPod and the girl asked me, "so what's happening with Chris Knox lately? Have you heard anything about his progress?" I hadn't looked in a while but a search turns up this surprise performance of an old Toy Love song backed by a young Kiwi band called the Rackets. Check the smile on the great man's face! Feel the love in that room!

Kick-Ass Rainbow

View from my cubicle during a lull in this week's crap weather.

"Not to be nasty, but is that considered music?"

There's a whole meme now of "old people react to dubstep" Youtube videos, but I like this one best. Grandpa's really trying hard to keep an open mind here.

Fun Fun Fun!

I can't post something by the Bad Brains without giving equal time to the Big Boys. (Read your punk history if you don't know why.) Also, this is a nice reminder that, however much we love to make fun of Texas politicians and ignoramuses, it's important to remember that the state of Texas has also given us some of the most soulful people around.



UPDATE: More good readin' on the subject (plus videos!) can be found here, courtesy of Lisa.

Character development vs. non-stop gags

This piece does a good job of explaining why I both love and hate 30 Rock. On the one hand, hugely flawed and shallow, on the other hand, when they are actually funny, few things are funnier. Thanks to my video production class, I discovered its main competition when it started out, and it all made a lot more sense. Does anyone else find Aaron Sorkin's Big Anvilicious Wit-Of-The-Staircase Speeches as insufferable as I do? Apparently, the audience did, and they went for the more cynical alternative. (One big and rather telling difference: Studio 60's show-within-a-show comes off as a better version of Saturday Night Live, while it's clear that 30 Rock's is meant to be a godawful piece of unfunny, uninspired hackwork.) Also, Tina Fey, even when she is trying so hard to play a loathsome, unpleasant character, is so disarmingly cute that it's no wonder the show took off.

Also, it must be mentioned that our newest Ear Candle artist, Dr. Spaceman, got his stage name from the recurring character in 30 Rock.

I'm A Man Who Is As Warm As You By Day/Who Downs The Boiling Hot Coffee In One Go

The Large Wicked Hair-Challenged Bastard links to this fascinating analysis of "Gangnam Style".

I think sometimes we look at things like this through our smug Western eyes and put them in the "fun tacky foreign pop" box so we can appreciate it ironically, and don't consider that they're quite consciously cracking a big satirical joke for their own audience.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

A piece of wisdom from our hearts


(These incomprehensible lyrics are actually really good. I know HR eventually turned out to be an insane asshole, but my God, the Bad Brains sure were something when they first showed up.)

I make decision with precision
Lost inside this manned collision
Just to see that what is to be
Perfectly my fantasy

I came to know with now dismay
That in this world we all must pay
Pay to write, pay to play
Pay to cum, pay to fight

And all in time,
With just our minds
We soon will find
What's left behind

Not long ago when things were slow
We all got by with what we know
The end is near. Hearts filled with fear
Don't want to listen to what they hear

And so it's now we choose to fight
To stick up for our bloody right
The right to sing, the right to dance
The right is ours... We'll take the chance

A peace together
A piece apart
A piece of wisdom
From our hearts

Monday, November 19, 2012

And I say "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, ho ho ho ho ho ho ho..."

What do you get when you combine the media mastery of Clear Channel with the financial wizardry of Bain Capital? Sweet, sweet schadenfreude!

My day is now officially made.

Side note: Not that Brian Wilson. And not that one, either.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sour grapes are served

Ain't no analysis like a Rude Pundit analysis 'cause a Rude Pundit analysis gets right to the point...rudely!

Alternately, you can blame the ideological media barons:

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

High crimes and treason

If we can stop talking about David Petraeus and his penis for a minute, there is an actual military scandal that is not getting much play in the media.

Consider this: during two highly controversial wars begun by an administration with a record of being less than forthcoming about any of its activities, military records have been destroyed with no paper trail and no backup available. This means that investigators and historians will never be able to research many of the questionable actions taken during this time. If we want to be concerned about potential “conspiracies”, cover-ups, and military corruption, isn’t this a rather more pertinent news story than the fact that our Military Industrial Complex is riddled with groupies?

This story merits a lot more attention, and now is as good a time as any, when legislators like Darryl Issa are holding highly-publicized, politically-motivated investigations of the Obama administration at every opportunity. I don’t find it unreasonable to apply words like “high crimes and treason” to this issue. There are certainly enough unanswered questions here to justify bringing in Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others for questioning, unless we feel that our public servants should not be held accountable for their actions. (Or does that only apply to Democrats?)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

I'm glad I left, now I'm that much more sure

Very well put together session chronicle. Whoever did this forgot to mention the lead singer's name for some reason. Passive aggressiveness against one of the most hated men in pop music?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Criswell predicts!

If and when Obama wins today, I predict the spin on the Republican side will be "See, this is what happens when you nominate a Massachusetts liberal like Romney" and a new "grassroots movement" will emerge, filled with "new" ideas that will have nothing to do with the Tea Party (who's that?) even though it will be filled with all of the exact same people, only even more rabid. The media will be captivated by this BRAND NEW, UNPRECEDENTED right wing populist movement and its bright new ideas and vibrant new personalities. Rick Santorum will become the moderate voice of the GOP and be voted Presidential nominee in 2016.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Ear Candle Radio's Top 20: October 2012

1. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - On Tomorrow - Strictly Personal
2. The Revolutionaries - Street Fighting Dub - Top Ranking Dub
3. John Cale - Hello, There - Vintage Violence
4. Johnny K Killen & The Dynamics - I Don't Need Help - Eccentric Soul: The Deep City Label
5. The Fall - Kurious Oranj - I Am Kurious Oranj
6. Devo - Wiggly World - Duty Now For The Future
7. The Weirdos - Jungle Rock - Destroy All Music
8. Tobi Vail/Pussy Riot Oly - Free Pussy Riot - Free Pussy Riot
9. Richard & Linda Thompson - For Shame Of Doing Wrong (6 June 1982 San Francisco) - Shoot Out The Lights
10. Marson Ramos - Today is Halloween - Today Is Halloween
11. Heartless Bastards - All This Time - All This Time
12. ESG - Dance - A South Bronx Story
13. Curtis Mayfield - Hard Times - There's No Place Like America Today
14. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Sweet Sweet Bulbs - Trout Mask Replica
15. The Sweet Bones - The Wall Talks Back (J Neo Marvin dub mix) - BCST 125
16. Pearls Before Swine - These Things Too - These Things Too
17. Noh Mercy - Girl - Noh Mercy
18. Karen Mantler - Arnold's Dead - Farewell
19. John Trudell - Rich Man's War - AKA Grafitti Man
20. IanSchultz - Track 11 - Silly Noisy Spacey Stuff

We're adding new songs every week and constantly moving the playlist around to keep it fresh! Thanks for listening!