Feb 072007
Feb 062007
Inspired by Tuesday’s poll, Townsman General Slocum submitted the following thoughts:
Yoko was the tongue in the sallow cheek of that “band.” I always get a kick out of Mitch Mitchell, and Clapton and Lennon could easily have let me down less than they did in this setting, but like every high-school let’s-play-the-blues-and-make-the-worst-guitarist-play-bass outfit I’ve ever heard, there’s not much humor in there. And if Yoko’s sack-dance and catterwauling don’t tickle you, then wait till she gets into sodomized kitty range, and then look at John: the neutral, unaffected eyes of true love, hearing not a thing wrong with the dulcet warblings of his sweetie. There’s a lot going on there that is more entertaining than hearing the White Men’s Blues Society hammer that five on the turnaround as though they’d finally actually heard a black cat moan!
Feb 062007
The thread that will not die! Do your part to keep this thread alive! Then, continue the healing by helping Rock Town Hall bridge The Great Divide!
Sometimes a provocative post in a given day’s All-Star Jam area needs to be broken out for more focused discussion on the Main Stage. Today we have just such a post. Check out something Townsman Rick wrote regarding Prince’s appearance in the Super Bowl Halftime Extravaganza:
But really, of all the people anywhere near the level of Super Bowl-halftime-eligible, Prince is the closest thing we’ve got to an heir to James Brown.
I say: What’s that actually mean? I know that musically he’s learned a lot from JB, but what exactly has Prince added to it? JB was down with The People. Prince has spent most of his career sitting high above The People, high on a Purple Cloud. The rightful heir to JB was Public Enemy. They made powerful, gritty message music. JB never posed naked with an orchid covering his manhood.
We can agree to disagree, but first I think we need to see what it is we’re disagreeing about. Then, perhaps, the healing reconcilliation will follow. Please feel free to jump in, Townspeople. We’re nowhere near closure on this Prince issue.
Feb 062007
You may recall last week, when I brought the concepts of Proctomusicology and “Prock” music to the Hall for discussion and development among Townspeople. We made headway on defining the terms and their applications, and I am confident that we will revisit them until we’ve reached a satisfying conclusion.
The reason I bring these terms up today is to help answer a wish Townsman Mark expressed in the Comments section of a recent thread. He hoped we might compile a “list of bands over whom [Rock Town Hall] has the most severe disagreements.”
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Feb 062007
On repeated listens/views – this is crucial: please try to watch this video at least 3 times – please explain M.I.A.’s video for her new single, “Bird Flu”.
I’ve been working on it, and it makes me think of the “exotic” opening scene of a James Bond or Raiders of the Lost Ark flick. I’m drawn to rhythm and obsessive vocal approach, but then I find my mind wandering to thoughts of Adam and the Ants and, eventually, Sofia Coppola’s crap movie Marie Antoinette. Then, it all falls apart as I feel teased by the promised but not consumated cockfight and cobra action. This video is badly in need of a mongoose.
Feb 062007
Flame on. Call a doctor. Speak your peace. This is the place to unload.
Feb 062007
There’s this really cool coffee shop where I sometimes run into Kevin. It’s near The University – but a bit off the beaten track. It’s not one of those places loaded with kids ordering decaf, skim, free-range, triple lattes. This place is more laid back. They serve mostly esspresso and cups of French Roast. There’s a small selection of dry pastries, if you must. There are bowls of sugar on each table. The place looks like it’s been around forever. I think it was a cigar store and smoking lounge in the mid-’90s. Locals shop up and down the street.
There’s always something interesting playing when I stop in for my double esspresso. Mostly new stuff. When I first started going there, Rogue Wave was big. Them and Spoon, of course. I got turned onto that Malkmus album I love so in this shop. Then that Decembrists’ album was in heavy rotation, and for the next few weeks I’d “shoot” my esspresso and get on my way. Kevin liked that one, but he’s got broader tastes that I’ll ever have. I do try, and that’s not bad for a guy in my position.
Last week I stopped in and heard something that caught my ear. Hyperactive drums and percussion blasted out alongside slashing, Fripp-for-Big Note guitar chords. A high-pitched woman’s voice, with a hint of Asian teen prostitute, joined in. A bubbling organ part surfaced at points. I savored my double esspresso, thinking I’d stumbled on some supergroup involving members of The League of Gentleman and Art Bears.
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