Bells!

You know, if you add bells to a song it's the most amazing sound in the world. All of the sudden everything gets intense and emotional and I fall over and die from awesomeness. It's like a really good bass line, except it's louder and clearer.

Example:

Mika's 'Ring Ring'

As if it weren't awesome enough already, the song finishes with bells, looming over the song like a giant church tower in old timey London. That's probably why they're so intense -- they're so old-Europe Christian.

Here's a youtube video (since I still have no idea how to upload mp3's and I couldn't find a working link to someone who does). It's basically just the song playing while you get to look at Mika's pretty face.

And if you haven't gotten Life In Cartoon Motion yet, you probably should. He's like a giant ball of Freddy Mercury and Bowie set on fire with purple sparks and a slight odor of ABBA. I'll lie on my floor and play 'Lollipop' on my headphones at max volume and it's better than this picture on acid:

Oh, Paul. You'll just do anything, won't you? (And why is George holding his tail? Is it just me, or is George thinking that too?)

Once again I can't find the song, so here's the video for it:



I guess the Blue Meanies have cleared out of Pepperland for good!

Poor neglected little blog

I have lots to say but sadly, I'm lazy. However, if you haven't yet checked out the most awesome stuff I've heard in forever, it's RIGHT HERE.

...hi.

I haven't written for a very long time. Between moving far away from beloved New York, and everything else that has transpired, I sort of stopped keeping up.

It must be admitted, as much as Los Angeles leaves a sour taste in my mouth, I've been alright with being here. I wasn't sure why I've felt this was a good idea from the beginning, because it didn't really make much sense, but maybe I kind of do now. It's been oddly inspiring. For one, I haven't written so much in years as I have since deciding to move.

A week or so ago I saw Jens Lekman again, at the Troubador. I like to think of the Troubador as the Mercury Lounge of Hollywood -- a great space, with great performers.
Jens was wonderful. Each song was beautifully played, he and the band had matching white outfits, the whole show was orchestrated with such humor and grace and cheek; it was perfect. He played Pocketful of Money and the audience instinctively melted with him as we reached the second half of the song. We weren't singing along, but harmonizing, in a way that made the connection between performer and audience integral. We made the song as much as he did.

After the show I met some lovely people, and we all talked a bit with Jens. He played two more songs, including Julie -- the sax and trumpet players hid in the sound booth and emerged at the end, like they did last year at the Mercury Lounge. Not to imply anything, but I had mentioned the awesomeness of that moment to him earlier, and before he played the song he dashed upstairs to tell the girls to go in the sound booth... I'm just saying.

I've had such a sense of unity since moving back here, which is odd considering that a lack of community is one of my key points in disliking this city. It's partly due to the lovely experience at the Jens show, and partly to the WGA Strike. I've been on the picket lines almost every day, and the immense solidarity that I've seen is fantastic. I know it's temporary, but the lines that are usually drawn between the various tiers of people seem to have fallen. Stand in front of the FOX gate and watch Matt Groening and his writers march with assistants and whoever else shows up. Go to NBC and see writers from shows that have nothing at all to do with each other talking like old friends.

There is overwhelming support for the Guild, and rightfully so. Obviously, it's ridiculous to say that they should accept no pay for their work. But to see the solidarity and unwavering strength in everyone, be it at the side gate at Paramount or at one of the rallies (drawing 5,000 people) is immensely uplifting. It's not just about getting a fair share -- it's about fighting to keep the middle class afloat, about standing up to corporate greed. It's one thing to overthrow a tyrannic ruler, and history has shown that it happens when greed becomes overwhelming and people suffer an unreasonable amount. But fighting an economic force that is being steered by very few men (all white men, by the by), that may be unprecedented. And while this is just a dent at most, at least it's something. It's terrifying to really consider what we're living in at the moment, and the immense power wielded by these men -- the news you see and read, the shows and films most people watch, the radio they listen to. They're steering mass culture, and what's more, they're steering politics as well. The lives of the mainstream are governed by a handful of old white men, men like Nick Counter and Rupert Murdoch who, in all fairness, don't quite match up to the average description of sanity. They were never elected, they were never crowned, never given any authority; they made it for themselves, and are nurturing a society that is too apathetic and uneducated to even know, let alone care, that they do what they do.

So after two weeks of damning The Man and feeling an outpouring of support from everyone, all the way from the Steelworkers Union to SAG to everyone who drives by our pickets and honks, I can't help but be encouraged that maybe we can still turn this boat around.

I Think They Are Neccesary...

There may be some ranting ahead; bear with me... I went to a retreat for the Sukkot weekend and it was fantastic and lovely and I slept under stars and such, but that's not what I want to talk about right now. On the drive home a conversation started in the car that's been on my mind since. It wasn't the first I'd been part of discussion like this, and it's incredibly frustrating that no solution seems to be at hand.

There were 3 of us girls in the car, and we couldn't help but notice how many women had been up at the retreat who were vibrant, smart, talented and succesful - and alone. If you've read Maureen Dowd's 'Are Men Neccesary' (don't let the title scare you), you know that this isn't surprising when you look at women in the corporate world. The average 40 year old businessman in a high position at work has a wife and 2.5 children, while the average 40 year old businesswoman in a high position is lucky to have a cat. It isn't just because of the demands of the workplace, but because men tend to be intimidated by a woman who doesn't need them. What I've noticed, though, is that this is true across the board - not just in the corporate world, where competition drives everything, but in the artistic world as well.

It just makes no sense to me. I guess I don't quite understand the power trip that comes from being able to support your partner financially. I might be overly idealistic and naive, but personally, I find the whole emotional and personal connective aspect of partnership to be more of a concern than what position a person has risen to and how well they live. Which isn't to say it's not important that their occupation be something I can respect - but then, that respect ties more into who they are as a person, right? The point is, while I know it's important to make sure that a partnership will function on a practical level, I can't imagine putting that ahead of functioning on a personal level.

Then again, I don't really date much because I can't muster the time and effort for all that emotional investment unless I'm really drawn to someone, so maybe none of this is worth listening to. If I end up in a one bedroom with 30 cats, I'll probably retract these statements. In the meantime, though, I'll keep ranting a bit more.

I know a few (very few) couples who function with the female being the dominant partner financially, while the male is dominant emotionally, and even that's pretty close to being balanced. It's alarming, though, to see how many women are alone, who aren't intimidating in terms of being agressive and competitive, but are just very secure in their views and with themselves in general. And even though such a woman would not do well with a partner who needs someone more subdued and malleable, why is it that so few men are appropriate partners? You'd think that it's a positive thing for a man to find a partner who can be intellectually challenging and isn't always bugging them with annoyingly insecure pesterings like "does this make me look fat?" and "are you checking her out?"

I guess more than anything I feel like there's a perceptive divide between the conventionally demure and submissive woman and the independent, confident one. I'm talking about women who aren't agressive in their personality, and aren't dominant either - they just aren't the opposite. I can only speak for myself, but I'm starting to realize that maybe it doesn't occur to men that although a woman's public persona may not be conventionally pink and flowery, it doesn't mean that she doesn't need/want the intimacy that's part of a relationship. I always had to climb trees and run around with the boys with taunts and teasing thrown at me, but it was what I enjoyed -- now I'm a grown-up (technically), who's straight and more in touch with her femininity. For one, I stopped dressing in sweat pants (it was the 80s). Nevertheless, I know these same tomboy-ish elements are there in my personality, but at the end of the day I still want to snuggle up to someone and just watch tv, instead of doing it alone. Because no matter how independent I get or how little I may give a shit about changing to suit others' opinions better - thus eluding the female persona that most men spent an adolescence learning to approach - I still recognize and want the comfort of another person to appreciate me, and who I can appreciate. In short - whatever you think of us, we still want to feel like we're liked. Like we're desired (such a great word). A guy's occupation is important not because of how comfortable of a life it provides, but because it's what gives him joy and satisfaction and makes him interesting. We don't need men to have fabulous jobs, we need men to have jobs that make us curious and engaged in conversation. OK, I do. I know I'm speaking for a faction of the ladies here, and a lot of them would probably beat me with their little Prada clutches just for saying that (sparing that oh so adorable little clasp that made the $500 worth it for a fucking purse). Ultimately, it seems men don't realize that it's in simple things like watching TV together that need lies - we do need them, just not to buy us a dress; more to be someone to listen to and who'll listen as well. Sort of like friends, but more intimate and with more inappropriate touching.

I guess everyone just wants to be needed. Or wanted. Or something deep like that.

When it comes down to it, it's not hard to break through that wall - to be curious about a person, interested in them as a whole, and to simply express it. Why is it so intimidating to be interested in someone? I guess men have an advantage in that they get to play the dominant role in a relationship, and that's a fairly strong ego-boost. I can understand that the idea of a balance that takes away this boost isn't very appealing, but what about us? Do I have to change who I am and settle for someone I'm only moderately attracted to just so I don't end up alone? Do I have to start making an active effort to find someone because it's so unlikely to just simply come across a decent guy who fits me? I feel like I'm expected to be intelligent and succesful, but if I live up to these expectations I'll have to submit to my workaholic side because something will have to keep me occupied when it starts mattering that my ovaries are shriveling and I'm spending most of my money on cat food. Not to mention the self-loathing that would accompany not meeting my own expectations of myself and living (possibly even breeding) with someone who likes me as less than I could be.

Were there so few men around during the women's movement who thought it'll be a nice change to be choosy from a pool of intellectually stimulating ladies? And on the flip side, are there so few men who I would find stimulating and intriguing as well? Because it certainly seems like it. And while I can sit here typing away all day, I have no answer, let alone a solution. Maureen Dowd wrote a whole book addressing this problem and even she has no solution (which kind of pissed me off... if you're going to write me a book, have a point). I guess the best solution would be for men to simply grow a pair and take a risk, even if it means taking their ego down a notch. In a way I feel like a whole crop of women have been pro-actively changing themselves for the better for what's going on 3 generations now, while men really haven't stepped up to make too much of an effort on their part and adjust as well. Which doesn't help us much now, does it?

[insert John Lennon's 'Woman' here, if I knew how to upload it]

Move Your Feet

Today's agenda:
1. King Lear @ BAM
2. Fancy Feast EP!

1. At the last minute, my friend offered me a seat next to her at Tuesday night's performance of King Lear at BAM - performed by the RSC, featuring Ian McKellan as Lear. Clearly, it was fucking fantastic. The set was great, with the backdrop comprised of stone arches (with deep burgundy hangings that all dropped simultaneously during the storm scene - intense!) and a ceiling of wooden planks. Both were made to give an illusion of receding perspective, and they were used really well for setting as either the arches or the ceiling were emphasized depending on locale. Very atmospheric. The costumes had a Russia circa 1890 theme, which was a little odd. The acting clearly was fantastic, especially Frances Barber who played Goneril and has a really great speaking voice (and I know that sounds really fucking pretentious, but she does). Monica Dolan, who played Regan, was fantastic as well. And Ian McKellan was the best Lear I've seen yet - even better than the wheelchair bound 80 year old woman who played Lear in a performance I saw in London like 10 years ago. Ok, she wasn't all that great (she was 80, I'm in awe of her ability to perform every night). The only thing that bothered me was the sound - there were sound effects which were alright, even though they were clearly a recording, but there was also music during the short interludes between scenes and it consistently pulled me out of the whole world of the play.

2. I got my Fancy Feast - Nagasaki Hiroshima Raver Ghost Dance Remixxxxx EP in the mail today!!! Ok, so it was released in 2005 but whatever. It's fucking awesome, you guys. I'm such a sucker for girls and electronica. Cari Palazzolo (of Belaire) is totally awesome. Everything she does is catchy and great and yay! All six songs are totally catchy and have really great sounds. I think I'm going to spend the next two weeks flipping between songs, trying to get my fill of all six songs at the same time. I can't wait!!

I also got Books Died On - One Way Love Songs EP, which I also can't wait to listen to. Judah Records is really awesome - my first Fancy Feast EP never made it to Brooklyn, so when they mailed me the second one they threw in Books Died On for good measure.

linkies:
Judah Records
Fancy Feast - Nagasaki Hiroshima Raver Ghost Dance Remixxxxx EP
Books Died On - One Way Love Songs

Jens Lekman Babies

Night Falls Over Kortedala may now be my favourite Jens album. To say that 'Friday Night at the Drive-in Bingo' gives me the happies is skimming the surface. My other favourite song has to be Letter to Nina, because it's witty, I love the melody, and I remember Jens playing it at Mercury Lounge last summer and telling us the whole story behind it (it's basically in the song). Opposite of Hallelujah is dangerously catchy and has been stuck in my head for about two weeks. Yay Jens!

Friday Night At The Drive-in Bingo {mp3}

The Opposite of Hallelujah {mp3}


He's playing at the Troubador in Hollywood on November 10th (I'll see you there). If you're in New York, he's at Webster on October 27th. For the rest of his tourdates: check here


In other news, I'm still trying to figure out of I should go see the Go! Team at the Echo on October 25th or the Pipettes at Avalon... I've seen the Pipettes and I haven't seen the Go! Team, but it's the Pipettes.. life's so hard sometimes.

Jens Lekman's Night Falls Over Kortedala is experiencing leakage.

It's fucking fantastic. I'll elaborate soon, after a few more listens. Technology, you're really not so bad. At all. (Note: as always, I will be buying this album as soon as it's on the shelves, and urge you to do the same).