Happy Birthday Liz!

In honour of Liz Buchanan's 25th bee-day, here are some videos! Have a good one Liz!





I wanted to include a Maple Leaf's video, but I literally could not find one that glorified them. I'm sorry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Listening Party!

I need to get the taste of a terrible, terrible movie out of my mouth (stay tuned for THAT rant some time in the near future), so let's do a play by play of the shiny new Raconteurs album, and then have a little rant about Jack White.

Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs

Pre-listening thoughts:

Hey! This album was only announced a week ago! That's pretty decent delivery! And there is no press, advance videos, acoustic singles, or other assorted marketing madness that there was in the zeitgeist that was the first Raconteurs album, Broken Boy Soldiers. How curious! Pitchfork made a good point about the Soldiers, saying that essentially, if this album hadn't been hyped as "Jack White's New Band" then the album itself wouldn't have made it onto many shelves. I believe the press release which states that this blitzkrieg release will allow you to experience the album carte blanche, but I am also recalling the stories of those horrible movies that aren't screened for critics in hopes of avoiding terrible reviews. Time will tell on this one.

Check out that cover art!



Looks like the 70's if you ask me, just in the same way that the art for Icky Thump did. Why are they dressed in period costumes, but still holding electrified instruments? Will the album deal with the theme of old meeting new, as is the case with pretty much every album the White Stripes have put out? And just who is that girl with the birds? And that blindfolded woman?

And the title: Consolers of the Lonely. I don't know why, but I keep thinking of "concierge." I can't find it anywhere, but doesn't Consoler have another meaning? I hope so, because if not, the title is kind of bland. Broken Boy Soldiers was an interesting and memorable spin, but this is just kind of flat. Strangely, both albums feature plural titles (ie/ "Consolers," "Soldiers") and related singular tracks ("Consoler," "Soldier"). Coinkidink? We'll see! Let's cue this bitch up!

Track One: "Consoler of the Lonely"

Hey, it's a casual gathering! Oh wait, there are musicians playing. Did someone just say "ha ha haha?" It seems like Brendan is singing as a normal guy and then Jack comes in as his twisted side. The hook is "I'm bored to tears." I hope this doesn't become an overall theme. The bridge appears to be trying out for the next Guitar Hero. Oh, wait, that's it. It's over. Ok, moving on!

Track Two: "Salute Your Solution"

"Yeah! Alright!" I worry that I'm being forced into enthusiasm, though it is a pretty good riff. Alright, head bobbing now... This is a summer song, a driving song that you and your friends learn the words to and shout at passers-by. Why is it out in dreary old March? More Guitar Hero stuff.

Track Three: "You Don't Understand Me"

Saloon! There's kind of a Bob Dylan piano riff going on. Why am I thinking of Our Lady Peace? Man, these Raconteurs love their back-up vocals! I wish I liked them as much as they did... This song doesn't seem to have much of a melody, or if it does it's not immediate or very catchy... Cool piano breakdown... strange, but interesting piano ending

Track Four: "Old Enough"

VIOLIN?! This is full blown country. Which one of them plays violin? Damn you digital purchasing, I have no way of finding out! Nice harmonies. Ooo! Guitar harmonies as well! Was that a gunshot? Where'd that acoustic come from? This is pretty maximalist. And it all ends in twiddling.

Track Five: "The Switch and the Spur"

Nice opening riff! Hey! Trumpets! Did they use the same guy from the Mexican restaurant? Sounds like the soundtrack to a Western film, very triumphant. Lyrically, it follows that as well (Someone got a snakebite!). Something's happening... A breakdown! buh buh buh buh buh buh buh buh buh buh buh... Jack's "all-over-the-place" soloing... This sounds like the Raconteurs answer to gangster rappers saying "You don't mess with us!" but done as a country song.

Track Six: "Hold Up"

HOLD UP! HOLD UP! HOLD UP! Some nice twiddling at the beginning... lots of talking in the background on this record so far... Oh, there's a pun on Hold up vs holed up, I see... wah-wah pedal? What's up with the party going on in the background? Turn up the ROCK! This will be the one that the audience sings along to. Quite a hook there...

Track Seven: "Top Yourself"

Wow, that's a pretty cold sentiment, Jack... banjo? what? Some nice slide guitar sounds. Religious imagery? Kind of... "Sugar daddy?" Oh Jack... This sounds kind of Rolling Stones-y... Geez, this is an ANGRY song! I'm digging the percussion. More crappy back-up vocals... and fade out on a piano.

*****************************
First Half Impressions
*****************************

So far, not bad. A lot of interesting sonic stuff going on, and they have REALLY expanded their musical pallet with extra instruments and lots of overdubs. They are making full use of the modern studio set-up, but I wonder if that's a good thing. Their previous album was recorded in an attic if I'm not mistaken, and that lent it a kind of rugged authenticity. A lot of this sound really... washed out. Maybe "glossed over" is a better term? It feels shiny. A little too shiny. One of the things that I've struggled with regarding Broken Boy Soldiers was all the noodling around at the beginning of the songs. On one hand, it's kind of pointless. On the other, it adds a vibe of "We're just hanging out in our attic and this is what happened," which, again, adds to that indefinable "indie" quality of the whole project. This album has had only one episode of noodling so far, but there is a lot (a LOT) of voices in the background. Like at the beginning of a Pink Floyd song, but faster and layered over each other. Odd. There doesn't seem to be too much of a point to it. If the album is about consoling the lonely, why are there so many people around? Is that what lonely people want? Insta-Party? Basically, no one sounds lonely, and no one sounds like they're reaching out to them. They're just kind of milling about.

Ok, on to the second half!

Track Eight: "Many Shades of Black"

Nice chord based riff. And there's that trumpet again. This sounds like a Rilo Kiley song. That trumpet is really prevalent. It kind of sounds like this song could be on a compilation of Christmas favourites or something... something that could be covered, but in a much simpler arrangement, like by The Ramones.... Is that guitar playing up so high just because it's possible? I like the interplay of the piano and guitar. It ends with the words "Go ahead..." why?

Track Nine: "5 on the 5"

YES! I have been waiting for this song having heard it in a live format. It's nice to be able to understand the lyrics (which are pretty solid). Is this a cover? Damn you, lack of liner notes! Where'd that cowbell come from? This sounds Zeppelin-y in it's breakdown. I love the bringin' it home section at the end.

Track Ten: "Attention"

Nice bass riff! About time! Lyrically, didn't we already do this with "Top Yourself?" More cool sonic stuff. Is that a little girl shouting? I think it is! ...Electric duck call? That's a lot of yelling "hey" to no particular effect.

Track Eleven: "Pull This Blanket Off"

More saloon piano. Kind of a drunken sing a long ballad, reminiscent of a livelier "White Moon" from Get Behind Me Satan. Oh, that's it! OK, moving on...

Track Twelve: "Rich Kid Blues"

Nice title. Sounds like the Eagles. This has an indefinable arena rock quality, but more the kind of music you hear when you're waiting in line for popcorn before the hockey game starts. Like the kind of music that's played in an arena, not that rocks an arena. Is this song making fun of rich kids?

Track Thirteen: "These Stones Will Shout"

This really sounds like the Rolling Stones. Is it a tribute? I've got nothing... this just keeps sounding like the Stones.... wow, BAM! There are the Raconteurs, kind of... a repetitive riff, lots of vocals.... And there are the Stones again... Was that a drum stutter? Like a real mistake? That would be refreshing as the drums have been fairly uninteresting so far, so even a mistake adds character.

Track Fourteen: "Carolina Drama"

This sounds like Bob Dylan's "Isis" married to The Beatles "Rocky Raccoon," which is odd, because it's one of Dylan's best songs coupled with one of the Beatles worst. More female backing vocals! Who's doing those? Not a bad tune, overall. Just doesn't sound specifically Raconteur-y. And it ends with a "WwwwoooOOWWWWWooowwwwwwWWWWW."

******************************
Round-Up
******************************

This is a hard one to call. Overall, disappointingly average. I think I understand the cover art now, if they were in fact going for an old-meets-new vibe, they sort of succeeded, though it's more accurate to say it's new-meets-old. They're putting Jack White's signature, and decidedly modern, guitar sound as well as all manner of synths into formats from 30+ years ago, and the fit isn't always snug. The drums, as mentioned above are pretty toned down, especially knowing what Patrick Keeler is capable of. He's a crazy good drummer! So why can't I remember a single thing he's done on this album? Also, it's very obvious that all of the bass riffs were written on guitar. That in and of itself is not such a bad thing, but the guitar plays the exact same riff louder and sharper, drowning out the bass, so what's the point?

Lyrically it's hard to comment, mainly because it's hard to type and pick out lyrics at the same time, but nothing is reaching out and grabbing me. I'll have to give it another listen to get what the boys are trying to say, thematically that is.

It's surprising the level that they took the arrangements to. It's as though they added one thing to a particular track and then said "Yeah, that's great! Let's put that on EVERYTHING!" It was just... too much at times. Sound and fury...

So I don't know... my rating out of ten is a 6.5, and I feel that some people will be harsher. Sigh. It's too bad.

***********************
JACK WHITE RANT
***********************

I think I'm suffering from over-exposure. I'm glad that Jack is enjoying success, but he seems to be spreading himself thin. The lyrics and the way that the music supports them seem to be lacking something lately. In fact, since hearing "White Americans, what? Nothing better to do? Why don't you kick yourself out? You're an immigrant too!" from Icky Thump, I thought that he was going at things too directly. Maybe not directly, but not in an interesting way.

Compare these lyrics from "I Want to Be The Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart" from Elephant:

I never said I was the heir to a fortune
I never claimed to have any looks
But these kind of things must be important
Because somebody ripped out my page in your telephone book

That sort of lyric conveys so many more things about a person than the above example. It's specific, yet heartfelt whereas the "Icky Thump" lyric is a general statement (I've heard many people make the "You're an immigrant too" argument before), and pointed. But pointed at who? There is no warmth in that remark, and it's too vague to be a rallying cry. There's simply something missing.

I've often thought about what question would I ask Jack White if I got a chance to meet him. I think it would be this: "With such a hurried recording process, and seeing as you have made changes in the past to how songs are played live, do you ever worry that you're not exploring all the possibilities or potential for a song?" I think the question still applies, but I think I might tailor it differently now. More specifically, I'd like to know how much time and care goes into these songs, because they feel pretty empty.

Get Behind Me Satan started a trend for Jack in which he was going to do what he damn well pleased. He's always said that he likes to set up lots of rules for his recording (the famous rule of 3), and he made three great albums following those rules (The White Stripes, De Stijl, White Blood Cells). And then he started breaking those rules on Elephant to great success. So with Satan, he just plain old threw the rulebook away! Good on him, there's no harm in experimentation. Start a four-piece, add a marimba, do what you've got to do!

But now he's recording in major studios, and his latest album is hollow and forgettable. He's essentially falling into the trap that he avoided all those years by following "the rules." Maybe it's freeing to finally have a million tracks to play with, to be able to say "Let's add some more instrument X here," but the product speaks for itself. It's not great. I hate to bail on my super-fandom, but this last album just isn't doing it for me. Frankly, Icky Thump was ok, but it wasn't all that much to write home about either.

I'm not giving up on Jack, but I just wish he'd store up his creativity for a while until he was compelled to create something, rather than just having fun or goofing around. He's got "the power" now to pretty much do whatever he wants, which is kind of what he was avoiding, isn't it? I'll just hope that he moves back into the living room, hooks up the old eight track again, tells Beck that he won't need him today, and gets Meg a-bashing away on that old kit in 4/4 time.

The Quins

Here's a mess of pictures and a video from the Tegan & Sara show on March 19th!

I don't have the full set list, but some highlights included So Jealous, Living Room, Walking With a Ghost, Call It Off, Speak Slow, The Con, & Nineteen. Non-song highlights included the "Bum Skin" talk (in the video below), Sara breaking up a fight, The Hysterical Fan, Tegan's VIP section not wanting to touch her, and Ted's lengthy introduction.


Openers, "Northern State."


Northern State's Hesta Prynne










Oh yeah, and we got a bottle of water from Ted, the guitar player!

This is really, really impressive

The VFS/YT WMTM Challenge!

The Vancouver Film School and YouTube are holding a scholarship challenge. You can submit a 3 minute video and if it gets selected as one of the 10 finalists, it gets voted on by members of the YouTube "community." The top 3 videos get FULL EFFING SCHOLARSHIPS TO A PROGRAM OF YOUR CHOICE AT VFS.

The videos need to be on the theme of "What Matters to Me." I wish this was not the theme.

It's like the "What I did this summer" papers you had to write in school! I immediately freeze! Not only that, but how do I condense what matters to me into less than 3 minutes? I guess that's the challenge.

I am open to suggestions as to what matters to me!

Don't "Axe" Me! WHA HA HA!

I'm watching a French slasher film call "High Tension," which is driving home the point that, while French films are generally thought of as deep, thought provoking, romantic or whimsical, they are just as capable of delivering something every bit as insipid as "Saw."

Well, maybe not AS insipid. "Saw" was pretty terrible.

Here's the pitch: A French, Brendan Gleason-ish type jumpsuit man murders the fuck out a pleasant French family, leaving only their daughter's house guest (who possesses an uncanny knowledge of what a serial killer would look for when entering a farmhouse) alive.

To be fair, it is pretty tense at times. But when you think about what is causing the tension, it all evaporates. Also, the subtitles are taking a lot away from it. For example, putting subtitles like "Marie! Where did you run off to?" when the characters is clearly just yelling "Marie! Marie! MARIE!" is taking just a few too many liberties with translation.

The killing is coming off a little gratuitous, though I suppose this IS a slasher flick... but it's much more impacting when you have a relationship with the slash/hackee. These characters don't live long enough to become developed. Is there such a thing as character-infanticide?

You see? This movie is educational! I did NOT know that you can hold your breath, in circumstances of extreme physical and emotional stress no less, for over two minutes!

The protagonist won't stop smiling! Something terrible is going to pop out of the last stall in this seedy rest station bathroom! (I was totally wrong! Oh snap!)

Lesson learned: Hanging up on the State Police (which for some reason exists in France) is a good idea, providing that they sass you first.

Wait a second... the protagonist is a modern woman who doesn't own a cell phone and still kicks ass! I think I found a role model for Jenny!

It is also entirely possible to safely drive down an unpaved country road with no headlights on. Wait! Why does that French car have the Confederate flag on the rear license plate?

Another lesson: Major arterial wounds are best staunched with an old rag you found in a serial killer's greenhouse.

Having a flashlight shone directly on your face in the dark forest does not necessarily mean that the killer has seen you. On a related note, having plastic held over your mouth for upwards of a minute will not make you lose consciousness.

How did he know she was a lesbian?

French "State" police don't find it suspicious when a gas station door is unlocked in the middle of the night. Is the standard procedure when finding an axe murdered body to "Call the DA"? And I seriously doubt any self respecting French person has ever used the phrase "We got ourselves a homicide."

Wait... what?

HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! That is WAY better than a chainsaw!

I'll come back for the last ten minutes later.

Where are my friends tonight?

Wow, this quality is just terrible.

Radiohead: 10 Days, Raconteurs: 8 days

Thank you newsletter I had forgotten I signed up for!

The Raconteurs have a new album! It's done! It's being released next Tuesday! Wow! Let's hear it for "Consolers of the Lonely"



Look at Jack... he can't figure out what all the knobs are for...

Cartoons

I had this just really great talk today about the ways of the world, and specifically about why life is more difficult but more satisfying for people who have chosen to follow their passions, and also how it sucks when people compromise their ideals for a quick buck and a shot of security.

For those people, I offer this cartoon:


-credit to Cat and Girl which portrays many of the walls place in the path of the cheerful misanthrope.

This cartoon is about Paris:


-credit to Pictures for Sad Children which has an uncanny knack for picking up on the pressures felt by insecure, uncertain people.

You have to have read it for a while to understand why the speaker is a ghost, and why he is also in a fountain.

I am starting to feel this way about Paris as a whole. I tell people that I am living in Paris and they almost invariably say "Oh lucky you!" and this has create a rift between what Paris is supposed to be and what I'm currently exeriencing (namely, boatloads of boredom). I'm trying to experience all that I can, but I've been to all the major monuments, seen lots of little attractions (such as seeing an Ionesco play in what was once a cave), eaten the food, drunk the wine, etc, etc, etc. So I don't think I can be accused of being idle, but I'm bored as sin!

Travelling alone is just not for me. I respect the people who can throw a towel in a backpack and move to India for seven years, but that's not me. I need a network. I'm looking forward to being back in Canada. I think I'm going to apply for a writing program in a university somewhere. I miss school. Liz and I are working on staging an original play in a fringe festival. I'm looking forward to the hard work that these things will entail.

And now, to make this somewhat entertaining for anyone unlucky enough to stumble across this mess, a TBD hilarity!



I am really looking forward to this movie! Think about it! A stoner movie written by the Superbad guys and directed by indie art film guru David Gordon Green! What's not to like? If nothing else, it's a great trailer.

***************************

AND A GIANT P.S.!

Congrats to MANgelo, who gets into great schools. You can't even see how far he's going to go!

MacBunny!

"Is this a carrot I see before me?"

Glasses, please.

A few weeks ago I started possibly the geekiest project that one can imagine. I decided to put my iPod on random, and just let the thing ride through the 4619 songs, taking note of landmarks along the way (ie/ #1, #100, #999, #1234, etc), and also tracking the numbers of a few notable albums and where/when they played out. Basically it's better than just twiddling my thumbs, and I get to listen to music at the same time! This of course means that I can't plug Meg (my iPod) into the computer because the shuffle setting will reset itself and the whole thing will be ruined. Luckily, I have a set of speakers which recharges the battery without reetting this feature, so I need not worry.

Last night this experiment was cut short by cruel fate and some sort of battery glitch. I was listening to some tunes before bed and the iPod wouldn't turn off. It's happened before, but to rectify it I would need to plug it in to the computer. I was less than 180 songs from the finish line, so I figured I could just let the battery run down for the night, plug it in to the speakers in the morning and pick up where I left off. You guessed it. When the battery runs out completely, the iPod resets itself, thus cancelling the shuffle feature.

I was on song #4445 of 4619 (Roughly 96% or equivalent to Angelo's GPA). The song was a cover of The Beatles "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Phish.

Piss.

So the experiment was a failure, though I kind of figured this would happen, so it's not "kill yourelf" kind of disappointing. I will probably attempt this again at some point, but not right away. I've got a hunger for full albums. I have deleted some songs and added others, so when I restart it will be with 4517 songs.

I had been hoping that there would be fantastic coincidences in the way things turned out, like #1234 would be "1234" by Feist, or 2001 would be about space and 501would be about jeans (they were not), but largely the results were not impressive to that degree. What it did reveal was a pretty good cross section of my musical tastes. That I am happy with.

So here are the statistics from the first attempt. If you want to see how little chance I have of ever sleeping with a girl again, please read on. If you are embarrassed by nerdiness, there's no need to continue.

1. I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles - 1
5. Don't Drink the Water - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live at Radio City
10. I Hear Noises - Tegan & Sara - If It Was You
25. Pioneer to the Falls - Interpol - Our Love To Admire
50. Carpet - Emily Haines - Cut in Half & Double
75. Old Friends - Simon & Garfunkel - The Essential Simon & Garfunkel
99. Sampson (live) - Regina Spektor - Live at Lollapalooza
100. Sitting - Cat Stevens - Greatest Hits
101. Monologue - She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge
111. Parting Gift - Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
123. In The Way - Ani DiFranco - Evolve
150. Posse Bonus - Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
200. Early Reflections/Bach/The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Bela Fleck - Live Art
222. From the Morning - Nick Drake - Pink Moon
250. Lullabye - Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
300. School Song Misfortune - mum - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
333. Yellow Sun - The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
350. Young Man Blues - The Who - Live at Leeds
400. Cry, Cry, Cry - Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks - Everybody's Rockin'
444. All By Ourselves - Sloan - Between the Bridges
450. Interlude (Milo) - Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
500. Don't Make Me Come to Vegas - Tori Amos - Scarlett's Walk
501. Bookshop - Monty Python - Contractual Obligatory Album
550. July, July! - The Decemberists - Live at SoHo
555. Cannon - The White Stripes - Live in Whitehorse
600. Potter's Field - Tom Waits - Asylum Years
638. If - Islands - Return to the Sea
650. Mossbreaker - Broken Social Scene - Feel Good Lost
666. Wearing & Tearing - Led Zeppelin - Coda
700. Up There - Satan, The Dark Prince - South Park; Bigger, Louder, & Uncut
750. A Sight For Sore Eyes - Tom Waits - Used Songs
777. Losing California - Sloan - Between the Bridges
800. Searching the Desert for the Blues - Blind Willie McTell - Mr. McTell's Got the Blues
850. East St. Louis Blues (Fare You Well) - Blind Willie McTell - Mr. McTell's Got the Blues
888. Fire it Up - Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
900. Relief Next to Me - Tegan & Sara - The Con
950. Shore Leave - Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
999. What Went Wrong - The Moldy Peaches - The Moldy Peaches
1000. Torn & Frayed - The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
1001. Sodom, South Georgia - Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
1111. Lonelily - Damien Rice - B-Sides
1138. Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
1234. But When She LEft, Gone Was the Glow - The Twilight Sad - The Twilight Sad
1250. The Well & The Lighthouse - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
1500. Oh! You Pretty Things - Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
1750. Possibly Maybe - Bjork - Post
1983. Narc - Interpol - Antics
1984. Acrobat - U2 - Achtung Baby
2000. Unwind - Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
2001. Filipino Box Spring Hog - Tom Waits - Mule Variations
2008. The Good in Everyone - Sloan - 4 Nights at the Palais Royale
2222. Sur Le Fil - Yann Tiersen - Amelie
2500. Heart Attack & Vine - Tom Waits - Used Songs
2345. Trouble - Elliot Smith - Thumbsucker
2500. Floorplan - Tegan & Sara - The Con
2750. The Shadow of the Past - Howard Shore - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
3000. Handle With Care - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
3250. Place to Be - Nick Drake - Pink Moon
3333. I Gaer - Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim
3456. Oh! You Pretty Things - David Bowie - The Singles
3500. Baobobs - Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
3750. New Dawn Fades - Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
4000. Welcome - The Who - Tommy
4250. Farmer John - The White Stripes - Live in Minneapolis
4444. Total Trash - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
4500. ????
4567. ????
4619. ????

Tracked Albums

The Crane Wife - The Decemberists - Finished 2nd

The Crane Wife 3 - 588
The Island - 3343
Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) - 496
O Valencia - 803
The Perfect Crime #2 - 1859
When the War Came - 3803
Shankill Butchers - 1514
Summer Song - 2821
The Crane Wife 1 & 2 - 3360
Sons & Daughters - 2007

Elephant - The White Stripes - Did Not Finish

Seven Nation Army - 1422
Black Math - 1606
There's No Home For You Here - 610
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself - ????
In the Cold, Cold Night - 2223
I Want to Be the Boy - 3515
You've Got Her in Your Pocket - 4201
Ball & Biscuit - 341
The Hardest Button to Button - 2476
Little Acorns - 1692
Hypnotise - ????
The Air Near My Fingers - 3607
Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine - 3818
It's True That We Love One Another - ????

Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth - Finished 3rd

Teenage Riot - 2749
Silver Rocket - 1943
The Sprawl - 891
Eric's Trip - 3100
Total Trash - 4444
Hey Joni - 2754
Providence - 980
Candle - 177
Rain King - 3214
Kissability - 2400
The Wonder - 3726
Hyperstation - 2866
Eliminator Jr. - 3690

Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan - Did Not Finish

Like A Rolling Stone - ????
Tombstone Blues - 3882
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry - 2302
From a Buick 6 - 1057
Ballad of a Thin Man - 1501
Queen Jane Approximately - 228
Highway 61 Revisited - 2221
Just Like Tom Thumb Blues - 3459
Desolation Row - 3884

The Reminder - Feist - Did Not Finish

So Sorry - 2328
I Feel It All - 3142
My Moon My Man - 1998
The Park - 109
The Water - 2409
Sea Lion Woman - 2985
Past in Present - 3809
Limit to Your Love - 4200
1234 - 1874
Brandy Alexander - 2700
Intuition - 2978
Honey Honey - 1285
How My Heart Behaves - ????

Ys - Joanna Newsom - Did Not Finish

Emily - 2651
Monkey & Bear - 1144
Sawdust & Diamonds - 386
Only Skin - ????
Cosmia - 3177

IV - Led Zeppelin - Finished 1st

Black Dog - 430
Rock & Roll - 3211
The Battle of Evermore - 937
Stairway to Heaven - 583
Misty Mountain Hop - 652
Four Sticks - 1082
Going to California - 1878
When the Levee Breaks - 3637

Kid A - Radiohead - Did Not Finish

Everything in It's Right Place - 4423
Kid A - 1912
The National Anthem - 4268
How to Disappear Completely - 138
Treefingers - ????
Optimistic - 3245
In Limbo - 2176
Idioteque - 22
Morning Bell - 1219
Motion Picture Soundtrack - 2592

Analog Photog... kind of.

Hey there and hello.

I recently (ie/ in Januray) invested in an old school analog camera with the hopes of getting a little more character into my pictures. Then I tried to find a place that would develop that film. There is a big box-ish store called FNAC here which said that they would develop that film for a resonable price as well! A bonus, if ever there was one.

Now comes the complication. I went to pick them up today, and all they did was give me the negatives. For fourteen euros, all I got was the negatives. These would be helpful if..... I had a darkroom and knew how to develop them myself. I do not. FNAC will develop them for the cost of 1 - 1.50 euro per picture, which is pretty steep.

But here's what I tried to do. I hung the negatives in my window so the light would shine through them, took digital pictures, put those pictures on the computer and used MSPaint to invert the colours, thus transforming them into the fuzzy, poorly framed pictures below. Ironically, it was the $450 digital camera that caused the fuzziness, and not the $60 analog camera.


Sacre Couer/Living Statue


Sam Beam


Gravestone - Montparnasse Cemetary


Montparnasse Cemetary

I'm going to try to get a few of these developed properly, but until I can scrounge up the cash, this is the best I can do.

And the Pulitzer goes to...

The main page on MSN ran three consecutive stories today, as follows;

1) Mischa Barton's Butt Thanks - Referring to a nude scene in her new Richard Attenborough-directed movie. These articles usually have some sort of pun in the title, but this one escapes me.

2) Natalie Portman’s Scarlett lust - Regarding a remark Natalie Portman made regarding her affection towards Scarlett Johansson's breasts.

3) Kate Hudson loves her body - Well, this one doesn't need much explanation, does it?

These articles are ridiculous for many many reasons. Here are a couple:

1) They're manipulative. Flooding the "entertainment news" market with stories on upcoming nude scenes, potential lesbianism, and wearing bikini after bikini are thinly vieled marketing attempts, capitalizing on a hormonaly driven audience. Plus, seeing as Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson play sisters in their upcoming movie, it's doubtful that they will engage in any lesbianism. Which means that this story (based most likely on a comment taken out of context) is solely to get horny guys giggling to themselves in the theatre.

2) They're sexist. They're reducing the lives and careers of these talented women to the nude scenes they've done, their sexual orientation (or the one that has been constructed for them), and their bodies. Not to mention the fact that they reflect the odd divide that the media has regarding homosexuality. It's fine for Natalie Portman to comment on the attractiveness of Scarlett Johansson, but I'm willing to bet that there will never be a blurb about how Edward Norton thinks Clive Owen has a rockin' bod. The media seems to approve of lesbianism, but not of... wait what is the word for guy-based homosexuality? Is there one? Either way, girl on girl seems to have the thumbs up, but guy on guy is a no-no.

3) This is played off as news. The more you think about it, the less reason there is to know this stuff. I'm glad that Kate Hudson likes her body, and that Mischa Barton is comfortable enough with Richard Attenborough to let him film her heinie, but why oh why do I need to know this? The Kate Hudson story could be passed off as supporting a positive body image, but only in the title. The body of the article contains this mixed message:

"I don't like looking at photos of me, and I sweat it if I'm forced to watch my own movies. It all makes you far too self-conscious." -link

So it's not even solid reporting! It's as backwards as titling a website "This is witty and profound and you love it" when the contents are crappy quizzes and half-baked realizations. In the end, the purpose of the article is to get you thinking about Kate Hudson's and Mischa Barton's bodies, which you can see in their new movies, Fool's Gold, and Closing The Ring.

There are probably more reasons, but I have to go do laundry. Shame on you MSN "news."