Posts tagged music
Don’t lean on me man, cause you can’t afford the ticket…
photograph by Steve Rhodes :: via followgram.me
In fact, I even viewed the dressing up as a sign of [the Village People’s] sincerity. When I was in infants school, the last day of term was always looked forward to partly because it was the one day we could dress how we wanted to, and this became a kind of ritual in which every kid would bring an outfit, so the classroom was invariably full of cowboys, spacemen and medieval knights in plastic armour. One of the great suspicions I had about adults was that these were people who could dress how they liked, and yet they all somehow conspired to dress as boringly as possible. And here were the Village People showing that it could be done - all you needed was the chutzpah to get on and do it.
Just think about this for a minute or two. Right now, you could be wearing a silver construction worker’s helmet. Why aren’t you?
” Phil Knight, “You Can’t Stop the Music”.Noteworthy (to me) acts starred.
I think the days of 40-50 bands in four days (achieved by taking Wed-Fri off work and hitting day shows every single day) are behind me now, but at least I don’t feel completely steamrollered today. Overall it was a good year; we didn’t get shut out of anything we wanted to see (we didn’t see Fiona Apple at the Central Presbyterian Church, but since we were only there to see Charli XCX and the others, that really didn’t matter). We got to see an annoying sponsored party bus get pulled over by the cops, and also a Bactrian camel being transported in a livestock trailer; for what purpose I have no idea. The most notable moment of fail was the act that started at least an hour late due to extremely dilatory setup of the drum kit (we actually had to leave to get to another show before they even started).
Thomas Dolby is a pro; I hope he makes it back to Austin for a not-festival gig. The lead singer of Beach Fossils looks like a baby Michael Penn; all that band and Craft Spells need to take the indie world by storm and become the new Vampire Weekend is a good stylist. Much praise to Sugar Tongue Slim and Spoek Mathambo for bringing their A-games to rooms full of NPR- and Sub Pop-listening white hipsters, all too many of whom still seem somewhat confused by hip-hop. Also, a tip: make a point of checking out the classical showcases at SXSW, even if you don’t think you like classical music. You may be pleasantly surprised at how great they are.
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Freddie Mercury illustrated by Elena Dolgova :: via behance.net
The Power of Freddie cannot be denied.
My generation will be yelling at the nursing home attendants to change the streaming media channel so we can watch reruns of 120 Minutes and boring our grandkids with that story, you know the one, about how we went to see the Sisters of Mercy and couldn’t even see if the band was even there because of all the stage fog; you whippersnappers who hotwire your brains into the VR cameras don’t know what you’re missing.
“I Hate the War”, by the Ballet.
This song pretty much summarizes the last 10 years for me: war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq, war on terror, war on the middle class, etc., etc., etc. It may not be the most intense protest song ever recorded, but there’s something about its deceptive pop simplicity and bouncy tune that works for me.
The Talking Heads playing “No Compassion”, 5/10/1978.
In a world where people have problems
In this world where decisions are a way of life
Other people’s problems, they overwhelm my mind
They say compassion is a virtue, but I don’t have the time
