I am proud to have made my first post over at WildClaw Theatre's Blood Radio. It's a happenin' hub for all things horror: not just film, but stage productions (something WildClaw simply excels at), books, art, events (mostly in the Chicago area, heads up on that, but also horror conventions and gatherings) and a host of other great schtuffs. So get yo' ass over there and check it out, and don't just do it because I'm the newest contributor to the site!*
*but you better, or I'll bust up your face.
Showing posts with label celebrity love-fest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebrity love-fest. Show all posts
30 July 2010
19 September 2009
I've been on a major Peter Gabriel kick of late
There are few performers to whom I can listen to their entire body of work over and over. One is, of course, The Beatles. Everyone loves The Beatles, sometimes to the point where everyone hates them, if that makes sense. Another is Genesis, which leads me to my latest musical obsession: Peter Gabriel. I've been obsessed for a while, don't get me wrong. When I was a kid, like a lot of people, I really dug "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time," probably because the videos were just so iconic and back then music and videos went hand in hand.
But in college, I picked up Shaking The Tree, which is one of Gabriel's greatest hits compilations. One of the first songs that struck me on the CD was "San Jacinto." It absolutely haunted me; it's a song that resonates as both quite simple yet alarmingly complex. "Red Rain," "Mercy Street," and the chilling "Family Snapshot" also captured my interest. At that time, his albums were being remastered and re-released on CD, so I grabbed them when I could. A whole new musical world was opened to me. I even used his song about Steven Biko in a class presentation about South Africa and apartheid.
I also credit my love of Gabriel, and of early Genesis, to my friend Matt. He was incredibly generous and gave me copies of every Genesis CD from the Gabriel years. He also took me to see a Genesis tribute band called The Musical Box, when they performed in entirety The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. It was intense and thrilling, although I recall the drive home being long and exhausting. But it was another door opening to me.
I finally got around to uploading all my Gabriel CDs to iTunes, revisiting them after a few years. His first album still has shades of his work with Genesis tinging the edges, but it shows a wide variety of styles. His second album is not as accessible, which may be partially due to the album's producer, Robert Fripp of King Crimson. It's a lot of weird. But on his third album, he completely comes into his own. It's cohesion in audible form. His fourth, known as Security in the U.S., works very well as a follow-up to the previous album. So, his most commercially recognizable record, may sound like a sell-out to some fans, but it has some highlights aside from the singles. Us is a harder album to enjoy from start to finish, probably just for serious fans only (like his second album). Up is remarkably good and marks a return to his earlier sound.
Right now I'm listening to his live album from 1982. I would have loved to have seen him perform back then. He is one of those rare artists who sounds as good on stage as he does in the studio. A lot of people pass him off as just another artist from the 1980s, but his music is timeless to me. It sounds just as fresh as it probably did to people listening for the first time in the late 1970s and early 1980s. If people ever ask me for music recommendations, I tell them they have to own his third album. It's the perfect launch into a remarkable musical artist.
But in college, I picked up Shaking The Tree, which is one of Gabriel's greatest hits compilations. One of the first songs that struck me on the CD was "San Jacinto." It absolutely haunted me; it's a song that resonates as both quite simple yet alarmingly complex. "Red Rain," "Mercy Street," and the chilling "Family Snapshot" also captured my interest. At that time, his albums were being remastered and re-released on CD, so I grabbed them when I could. A whole new musical world was opened to me. I even used his song about Steven Biko in a class presentation about South Africa and apartheid.
I also credit my love of Gabriel, and of early Genesis, to my friend Matt. He was incredibly generous and gave me copies of every Genesis CD from the Gabriel years. He also took me to see a Genesis tribute band called The Musical Box, when they performed in entirety The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. It was intense and thrilling, although I recall the drive home being long and exhausting. But it was another door opening to me.
I finally got around to uploading all my Gabriel CDs to iTunes, revisiting them after a few years. His first album still has shades of his work with Genesis tinging the edges, but it shows a wide variety of styles. His second album is not as accessible, which may be partially due to the album's producer, Robert Fripp of King Crimson. It's a lot of weird. But on his third album, he completely comes into his own. It's cohesion in audible form. His fourth, known as Security in the U.S., works very well as a follow-up to the previous album. So, his most commercially recognizable record, may sound like a sell-out to some fans, but it has some highlights aside from the singles. Us is a harder album to enjoy from start to finish, probably just for serious fans only (like his second album). Up is remarkably good and marks a return to his earlier sound.
Right now I'm listening to his live album from 1982. I would have loved to have seen him perform back then. He is one of those rare artists who sounds as good on stage as he does in the studio. A lot of people pass him off as just another artist from the 1980s, but his music is timeless to me. It sounds just as fresh as it probably did to people listening for the first time in the late 1970s and early 1980s. If people ever ask me for music recommendations, I tell them they have to own his third album. It's the perfect launch into a remarkable musical artist.
28 August 2008
Rant of the Day
Guys, here is what is currently bothering me:
1. Call back ringtones. This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of in my entire life. No, I don't want to "please enjoy the music while my party is reached," only to hear the first 30 seconds of "Souljah Boy" over and over. I don't like your goddamn music, and I would never be so presumptuous to force anyone to listen to a song I like. And why put a song YOU like as your call back ringtone? Do you call yourself all the time and think "man, I picked an awesome song for other people to have to sit through while they try to call me"? Ma-hell no! If I had a call back ringtone, I would make it Harry Nilsson's "You're Breaking My Heart." If you don't know the lyrics, look them up. I think you will find them quite fitting.
2. Nancy Grace. Jesus F. Christ on a stick, I hate this show. I hate Nancy Grace. I hate her hair. But most of all, I hate that this program takes tiny pieces of evidence and makes it out to be the biggest news story on the face of the planet. Okay, I understand a little hyperbole sells now and then, but this woman is the absolute queen of outrageous hyperbole. And she acts so fucking smug about it, too! And it really irritates the piss out of me when she invites people on her show, then doesn't let them talk. She just talks over and interrupts them unless they agree with her. This is not a show for CNN, which should be a respectable news channel. This is a show for FOX late at night when no one's watching. It's like a kook on a cable access channel got a shitload of money for sets and bad wigs. WHAT A NIGHTMARE.
3. People who think they can fool me. NO ONE CAN FOOL ME. FOR I AM THE FOOL.
1. Call back ringtones. This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of in my entire life. No, I don't want to "please enjoy the music while my party is reached," only to hear the first 30 seconds of "Souljah Boy" over and over. I don't like your goddamn music, and I would never be so presumptuous to force anyone to listen to a song I like. And why put a song YOU like as your call back ringtone? Do you call yourself all the time and think "man, I picked an awesome song for other people to have to sit through while they try to call me"? Ma-hell no! If I had a call back ringtone, I would make it Harry Nilsson's "You're Breaking My Heart." If you don't know the lyrics, look them up. I think you will find them quite fitting.
2. Nancy Grace. Jesus F. Christ on a stick, I hate this show. I hate Nancy Grace. I hate her hair. But most of all, I hate that this program takes tiny pieces of evidence and makes it out to be the biggest news story on the face of the planet. Okay, I understand a little hyperbole sells now and then, but this woman is the absolute queen of outrageous hyperbole. And she acts so fucking smug about it, too! And it really irritates the piss out of me when she invites people on her show, then doesn't let them talk. She just talks over and interrupts them unless they agree with her. This is not a show for CNN, which should be a respectable news channel. This is a show for FOX late at night when no one's watching. It's like a kook on a cable access channel got a shitload of money for sets and bad wigs. WHAT A NIGHTMARE.
3. People who think they can fool me. NO ONE CAN FOOL ME. FOR I AM THE FOOL.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
