30.9.07

Stop Me...

Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've
Heard this one before
Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before

Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
...Only slightly, only slightly less than I used to, my love

I was delayed, I was way-laid
An emergency stop
I saw the last ten seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar
And the pain was enough to make
A shy, bald, Buddhist reflect
And plan a mass murder
Who said lied I'd to her ?

Oh, who said I'd lied because I never ? I never !
Who said I'd lied because I never ?
I was detained, I was restrained
And broke my knee
And broke my spleen
(and then he really laid into me)
Friday night in Out-patients
Who said I'd lied to her ?

Oh, who said I'd lied ? - because I never, I never
Who said I'd lied ? - because I never

Oh, so I drank one
It became four
And when I fell on the floor ...
...I drank more

Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've
Heard this one before
Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before

Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
...Only slightly, only slightly less than I used to, my love

Set free me why don't you
get out my life why don't you
Cause you don't really love me, no
You just keep my hanging on

Set me free why don't you girl
get out my life why don't you babe
Cause you don't really love me, no, no
You just keep my hanging on

My heart is hurting and I'm ever so slightly paranoid. He's still in my head though. Where's Farber when I need him?

29.9.07

Tired and Shocked

This will be short, because my brain isn't functioning really, but I got the Across the Universe soundtrack today and I just listened to the first track "All My Loving." It was at tempo compared to the original. This is kind of a first in Beatles covering land. Usually the covers are faster than the original. I'm in shock.
Unsurprisingly, the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" cover sucks major balls. The fates don't like me that much.

28.9.07

Blue Peter

I decided to look at the NME office blog today, and saw something very funny. The topic for this Friday's Fun is bands as TV shows. As a preface, here's a link to the Wikipedia entry on Blue Peter, which is a children's show in the UK. Also, remember Pete Doherty...well he's Pete Doherty. Now laugh children, laugh!
"Blue Peter Doherty"
That is all. I'm actually in class...so yeah. I'm off.

27.9.07

The "House" Marathon Continues

I was going to get to see the Swell Season again, but Sophie shot me down quickly and quite painfully, which is the only way the conversation could have gone: either she was going to say "cool idea, let's do it" or she was going to say no, in which case we end up with me being very sad. Oh well, at least I have "House" to keep me entertained.
My classes are going well, considering how poorly journo is going, but for the most part I'm content in my performance, and hopefully I'll make it through journo with a semi-respectable grade and an only partially marred reputation. This weekend is family weekend which means I get to show my family around campus and legitimately avoid homework for most of Saturday. The again I'm doing much better in that area today (I've done most of my history reading) for no real reason, but hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth right?
Umm...I've been watching a hell of a lot of "House" lately, which means that I've added Hugh Laurie to the list of British men that make the world a better place, along with Bill Nighy, Simon Pegg, David Tennet, the members of Arctic Monkeys (feel like putting them first today), Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Dicks, Maximo Park, and Terry Pratchett. On a side note, I'm now only mildly annoyed with Kaiser Dicks instead of being really, really pissed at them. This is because, as I've stated previously, they are the aural equivalent of chocolate, and at the moment I need all kinds of chocolate. And "House." I really need "House."
Why is it that all the guys I like tend to be shorter than me? My favourite singers, for the most part, are shorter than me and I'm fairly sure most of the male actors I like are shorter than me. And yet in my head, the fantasy prince is always taller than me. But at least I'm semi-consistent in the humour department. :sigh: Farber would be so happy if he knew. Then again he would be really, really happy with all the socializing Allison makes me do, but that's beside the point. The point is...a guy other than Rick is in my head, and I'm so not ready for that.

25.9.07

I've Got A Score to Settle

Blur is set to start rehearsing/recording sometime soon. The article is a wee bit old, but is still rather relevant, given the person talking. As far as I'm concerned, the moment all four men step into the studio, the world will implode. Not that this seems like such a bad thing right now, but it might be regretted later on.
Charlotte Church has seemingly named her daughter Ruby after the Kaiser Chiefs song. The image used in the article (look to the right and you'll see what I'm talking about) as well as the happiness of the article makes me miss being a light-hearted fangirl quite a bit. The fact that I'm also way behind in my homework for this week also makes me miss being a light-hearted fangirl as well, but that's not the important bit.
Finally (because I have things to do that don't include my journo class) Filter has posted "The Angry Mob" video. Their cheeriness, compounded by the above news story and my own stress, makes me really, really wish I was as ditzy as Cecilia. And as hard a worker as Cecilia. If I had to pick between the two though, I would go with hard worker. :sigh:
If you had to argue that "(Sittin' on ) the Dock of the Bay" is a rock song where would you start? Maybe I should argue it's progressive because of the whistling...

24.9.07

The Arrogance of Youth

Or maybe just the arrogance of fame. In any event, New Young Pony Club cancelled a gig tonight in Brighton and didn't apologize. Even Kaiser Dicks apologized for their cancellation. I'm not entirely sure whether the White Stripes apologized, or if the Noisettes bothered, but I'm sure most artists take the time to say "Gee, sorry for the inconvenience." But not New Young Pony Club. Oh no, because one of them was sick, they cancel without an apology. Didn't I say things were only going to get worse?
In other news I continue to be eternally grateful that I ended up with Allison as a room-mate. Eternally and forever thankful.

19.9.07

Not Much to Say

I don't really have that much to say. Wednesdays are a bitch for me because I'm always (or at least for the past three weeks have been) really tired and I have the most going on, on Wednesdays, so generally I hate Wednesdays. But really I have nothing to say, but the AV Club reporter Sean O'Neal has something to say about the Austin City Limits Festival, which of course I find fascinating. I found one comment particularly interesting, in which I learned that a certain lead singer is still a complete idiot. Sadly I can't link directly to it, but if you scroll down to the comment section of the above link, and look for "Ricky's Mangled Ankle" you too will learn about a certain lead singer who is still a complete idiot. Just as a reminder, I'm a very bitter old hag, particulary when tired. Also, I'm using an old version of IE that has no tabs, so I'm very annoyed, as well as being bitter. And I'm tired. All in all, I shouldn't be allowed to comment on Kaiser Chiefs, because I'm so terribly bitter and tired. :sigh:
I have a speech/lecture/thing to go to today and I'm not terribly excited about it. I can't decide whether I want to get dinner or not and I burned my tongue earlier today on hot chocolate. All of this, plus a nagging self doubt about my singing ability despite the fact that Prof. Tavernier saying I'm a natural singer, adds up to...something not good. I just hope I don't miss "America's Next Top Model." I'm really looking forward to that, in a strange and mind numbing way.

18.9.07

A General Announcement

I miss my dogs. I'm going to be on the radio. AP hand outs annoy me to no end. I'm tired and I want to go home. Oh wait, I am going home, at least for the weekend. Baaaaaahhh.

16.9.07

Roommates, Girlfriends, Highlights, Wikipedia!

So at the moment I'm dealing with room-mate issues. Allison and I get along great (as an example: she and I spent all of yesterday watching "America's Next Top Model" marathon) and Cecilia may as well not exist. Thing is, Cecilia has a strange idea of where her territory is and where Allison's territory is and this has caused some minor problems (in the grand scheme of room-mate problems.) I'm the neutral party, though there is a slight bias towards Allison simply because I know her better. So Cecilia comes back from a weekend at home (it was her birthday on Thursday) with a whole bunch of shit we a) don't really need and b) doesn't really fit into our room. That annoys me more than Cecilia moving Allison's flip-flops (which isn't cool, but doesn't affect me.) Allison and I have talked to our RA (though I didn't mention the small table, second fridge, and coffee maker) and she suggested that we talk to Cecilia about our concerns. Since our main issue is actually just Allison's issue, Allison is going to take care of it, but the whole thing is putting me on edge. I had a feeling that something like this would happen, but I was certain that it would involve the other two having issue with something I do. All in all, the situation isn't as bad as it could be, but Allison and I are both stressing about it, so yeah. Not good at the moment.
So what does all of this mean? Damn Kaiser Chiefs being played on my mp3 player because they are the aural equivalent of chocolate. Damn backstabbing bastards.
In other campus-y news I saw Alex today and his girlfriend. (And as I realized who she was exactly, a small part of me freaked for no real reason.) Allison and I took the time to bitch to him about Cecilia and he bitched about a mutual acquaintance of ours (Alex and I) from high school who gets belligerent when drunk. All in all a nice meeting, especially since I haven't seen him for a long time.
Finally I would like to add that I'm getting some shade of red highlights, thanks to Allison, and that I'm going home this weekend. Please god, don't let these two events not totally destroy me.
I'm going to go read about "The Clouds" on Wikipedia. All hail Wikipedia!

14.9.07

Harpy Bitch

If it seems that I'm harping on certain things, it's probably because I am harping on certain things. My main beef this week (and for the past year or so) is the utter bullshit that pop stars can get away with and the utter bullshit the record labels can get away with. This whole "utter bullshit" thing has been epitomized by a recent slew of artists cancelling tours for rather idiotic reasons. First we have Dick Chiefs cancelling their tour and then a few hours (or something along those lines) the Noisettes cancelling their tour because they "need a break." In the past few months, particularly during the heavy days of July, we had a handful of artists cancel tours because of exhaustion. Now we have artists cancelling tours because they basically just don't feel like it. Now I didn't particularly care for Ms. Allen cancelling a whole slew of her tour dates, but at least she had a doctor's note and a honest to goodness illness causing her to do this. Amy Winehouse also has as extremely good excuse (drug/alcohol addiction), as does Meg White. I didn't even mind when artists cancelled because of exhaustion. But saying you need a break? Jesus people, have some balls and lie to the fans at least.
Now the reason I've decided to address this issue today, when there's so much else to talk about (hahahahaha), is because of some ads I've been seeing on the Filter site. I did screen-caps for your viewing pleasure, but basically t'Chiefs are trying to make it seem cool and thrilling that they've just cancelled the majority of the their NA tour:

And...

I hate false advertising. Over the summer when I was seeing adds for The Last Legion I bitched about how the adverts made it seem like this was the real story of King Arthur, etc. My sister got annoyed, but I really hate that kind of blatant false advertising. Which is why t'Chiefs' adverts on Filter really piss me off. A week ago, there was a whole NA tour. Now there's "exclusive" shows. It's like the band is rubbing it in that they've been complete twats this past week, as well as shilling YTAM in the process. So let's see; they release the album a month later in the States than everywhere else (which is an industry wide problem) and now they've cancelled tour dates for a completely bullshit reason (remember when critics use to harp at Mariah Carey and Britney Spears for pulling the exhaustion card?). The truth is, the music industry is being allowed to get away with bullshit (my new favourite word) and nobody says a word about it. Something has to change, or this situation is only going to get worse.

11.9.07

Your Awww For Today

Right, so I was checking my various new sites for any new information on my previous news, and I saw this article about Mr. Jarman. Seems our little Ryan is seeing Kate Nash, which is just beyond adorable. It's even cuter when you consider that when he threw the bottle, he missed. Seriously people, find me a boyfriend and soon. I'm getting desperate.

This Is Not What I Need

I know I haven't been writing that much, and most of it has been about things other than my life (though that's pretty typical.) I've been adjusting fairly well to this whole "college" thing, and pretty much trying not to suck at life. Overall I've been doing a good job of it, with only a few exceptions. Nonetheless, there's a certain amount of comfort "food" that is needed, especially when I start thinking about my bed at home. As we all know, Kaiser Chiefs tend to fulfil that need very well, with their catchy tunes and "Boxing Champ." That is until today. You see today they announced, through Mr. "Boxing Champ" himself, that they were cancelling all but three of their upcoming North American dates. Now, I was pissed to begin with because they were stopping in NYC and then leaving, so no DC, but still. The announcement Mr. Hodgson gave, made the band sound like a bunch of twat bastards, which isn't exactly a good thing. Essentially, what comes down to is this: "We're screwing you over by cancelling these dates so we can fuck around in our rehearsal space, because we can. There aren't that many American/Canadian fans, so we can get away with this without too much of a backlash. Hahahahahahaha." As you can see, I'm now super pissed because a whole slew of fans are being completely screwed over, and those fans who live (or can somehow get to) Mexico City, Austin City Limits, or NYC will be lucky enough to see the band. And of course, their UK tour hasn't been cancelled. Nor have their European dates. Funny that.
In other news, Allison and I have a mind meld that is wicked scary and rivals my family's mind meld. Also, Lipton raspberry White Tea is delicious.
Oh yeah, Hot Hot Heat's third LP comes out today, so go buy that. I'm off to do laundry.

10.9.07

The Fragmentation of Rock

Based on a comment Dr. Campbell made on my previous entry

Back in the day, rock meant one thing. Everyone listened to rock because there wasn’t anything else around really. Rock was a unifier, something the collective could listen to and somehow, quite miraculously, appealed to almost everyone. Sure there were the really uptight squares, but even they had their rock to listen to. There was a certain amount of splintering, between hard rock and highschool, but mainly there was just rock. Pure, unwholesome rock.
But with innovation comes the need to push the boundaries and go further. In the 1960’s there was barely any fragmentation, possibly just between Motown and the Beatles, but even that was an insignificant break. In the 1970’s the main fragmentation was between pop (think disco and the like) and rock (Southern rock, Led Zeppelin, etc.), but it wasn’t a particularly big fragmentation, and even if you were completely devoted to ABBA, you still knew “Stairway to Heaven” or had heard of Elton John. Rock was still a major unifier during these decades, and would remain so (for the most part anyway) into the mid 1980’s. But beginning in 1975, and even more so with advent of the synthesizer, the major fragmentation of music culture began to happen and has not stopped since.
In 1975 Patti Smith released her first album, “Horses.” Shortly there after, sometime in 1976, the Ramones released their self-titled debut. And thus the need for any kind of guitar technique, or even knowing more than the very basic “power chords,” giving way to the music of the uncouth masses. Anyone with any kind of musical ability could pick up a guitar and start banging away two minute ditties about how cruddy life was, pick up a bassist and a drummer and…voila you have yourself a band. The style and “grace” that had been introduced to rock in the previous decade or so was thrown away, along with the gratuitous guitar solos that had become so beloved. In the mid 1980’s synthesizers became widely available, and so the DIY attitude that had come with punk flourished. Plunk away at keyboard, add guitar, bass, drum (machines) and a practically monotone leader singer and…voila you have a band.
By the 1990’s and the advent of the internet and Myspace, rock had fragmented beyond the scope of what was known back in the late 1950’s when rock was just beginning. Innovation and the need to sound more unique than the person next you (either because you wanted to, or because you felt you needed to, to get signed) drove what had once been a single entity, rock, into a million (actually more around a hundred) little factions, sub-genres, that overtook the whole. Meanwhile, completely new genres came forth from the world, hip-hop, R&B, electronica, and rap, all from the same need to show the world who you are, according to you.
And thus, with innovation and drive, the two things that birthed rock and roll in the very beginning, has torn apart, fragmented the genre. Rock is no longer a unifier for the masses. There isn’t a single artist that everyone knows and likes (though there are plenty of artists that everyone knows). This doesn’t mean rock is dead though. Rock has simply grown.

The Day the Music Died

When did rock die? Has it died? If so, was it when the Beatles started bickering about money and the egos got in the way of everything else? Was it when hair metal became a viable sub-genre and disco ruled the airwaves? Did rock die in February 1959 in an airplane crash outside of little known town in Iowa?
When did rock die? Was it when the image or a single person became more important than the noise being created? Was it when the noise makers started thinking about what they were composing and started putting "art" ahead of a danceable beat? Did rock die when the sub-genres overtook the genre?
When did rock die? Was it when the splintering of the masses finally led to the end of a united force? Was it when punk came around and it stopped being about the music/noise. Did rock die when the King died on the loo in 1977?
Can anyone answer the question of rock's supposed death? Or will the critics and laymen continue to bicker over the "death" of something that hasn't really died yet. The first incarnation of rock has left, but it left a new incarnation, and another one and another one. (Much like Doctor Who, the general sound of rock can be changed over and over, but that doesn't mean it isn't rock, it just has a slightly different face and personality, it's still rock.) The sub-genres of rock collect and grow, but that doesn't mean that rock it's self has died. The music is still there, pulsating and thumping with strings and horns and techno-babble. Rock doesn't have to be corny, it can be thoughtful. All rock has to do is stretch and push limits, and when it does, it is rock.
Rock is not dead. It has merely grown.

7.9.07

I've Got Links that are Rotting in my Links Folder

Yeah, I still collect links to post and snark about. Unfortunately this whole "school" thing has put a damper on my regular blogging schedule, so I've got some links smoldering, waiting to be written about. Again, unfortunately I'm not going to write a whole lot, but they are there and I will write, for I must.
So Robert Daltrey totally has it right when it comes to Mr. Doherty. He does have a death wish. I won't say anymore because I could go on and on about how much of a death wish Doherty has, but yes Mr. Daltrey, you are correct.
Some sad news before I leave: Pavarotti died a couple days ago. He was probably the only male opera singer I knew about, even now, and it's quite a death in the music world. So much so that DiS felt the need to write up a little thing on his death. So RIP sir, RIP.
Till next time my dears, till next time.

4.9.07

I Just Have This To Say

"Though a relatively small country, England has, ever since the Beatles, played a disproportionately large role in the cultural economy of rock"
--- James Miller, Flowers in the Dustbin

3.9.07

Welcome to College

Welcome to College! We hope that you are enjoying your stay and all that entails. Below is a list of rules you should follow to insure complete success:
  1. Do not leave your keys in your room. Ever. You might get locked out for two hours, miss having dinner with people, be forced to spend more of your very limited FLEX account, and look like an incredibly socially awkward person (like that one in your Western Civ I class).

I am currently in hate of the world, most immediately because I was locked out of my dorm for two hours with nothing to do but listen to my mp3 player and pray to god one of my roommates showed up soon. Right now I would really like to be alone so I could belt out whatever the heck I feel like belting out, but my saviour Cecilia is in the room still and unlike Allison, I don't know whether she'll mind if I do belt out, say, Keane. I might test her though. Very soon.
So I had a good weekend. Hung out with Allison, and then yesterday a couple of her friends. Got absolutely none of my journo homework done (which I'm now deeply regretting) and watched "Hot Fuzz" with Allison and Paul last night. Had a WordPress account for a couple of days before realizing it's the exact same thing as having a Blogger account. Farber would be so proud (of the socializing, not the WordPress fiasco.)
Today I signed up to participate in Giant Productions (who will bring Kaiser Chiefs to our campus because I say so dammit), the radio station (where I will brainwash everyone into loving Kaiser Chiefs, so that bringing them to our campus will be that much easier) and to find out about auditions for one of the a Capella groups (which had nothing to do with Kaiser Chiefs unfortunately). Earlier in the day I contained myself during FSEM when we talked about the Beatles, to insure that I didn't scare anyone too much, because that is possible when I talk about things I like. Talked to my Western Civ prof about accomadations which took all of maybe five minutes. Even in private he says "umm" more than any normal person should, which is kind of endearing in a pathetic way. Then there was the clubs carnival and getting locked out my room for two hours. I will not forget that any time soon.
I also saw Alex when I was getting my very, very delayed dinner. With a girl. So now I know what he's been doing.
Beware the machete my friend, beware the machete