You Drive Fast, I'll Do The Drugs

we're in ur backpackz

I know I have been slack in posting, but there are semi-legitimate reasons, like how hard it is to type with a lapful of kittens. Yes, I got new kitties! They are adorable and keeping me busy. They have each other to tear around the house with all day while I'm at work, and they still have plenty of energy at night to terrorize me. Also it's summer and I find it hard to post while trying to enjoy the elusive warmth. Friday started off with crazy monsoons, then warmed up, and went out with a bang. Literally. Freak thunderstorms! So strange.

Enough excuses! Post!

So yesterday I was at work and feeling the summer Friday afternoon doldrums, which are, naturally, much worse than the normal afternoon doldrums. And I was not even feeling very into my music... Just sitting there trying to work on things and feeling meh. Then this song came on, and I was like, YES. YES. YES.
Which song? Surprisingly, it was "Sleep" - The Dandy Warhols, which I have not heard in agggggeeesss. I like them, but not religiously. They have a pretty fair representation in my standard shuffle playlists and my generic party one. So this is gonna be a long post. Be warned.

Have you seen "Dig!"? It is a rather interesting documentary chronicling the relationship/rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. It's weirdly fascinating. The narration from Courtney Taylor-Taylor (The Dandy Warhols) comes off as kind of... you know... dickish? But not totally, you can see they are friends, but there's so much swagger involved there has to be conflict? You can see the talents of everyone involved. It's dark and troubling in a lot of ways also. It kind of made me want to listen to more BJM, even though Dandy Warhols is more my style of music.

And of course I, like every '90s teen, totally loves "Bohemian Like You" (who doesn't?). And, well, actually I really like a lot of their songs... the more I thought about it... So I dug through my iPod to listen to what I had and it was actually quite perfect for that afternoon, just what I needed. They have that slick jaded too much on purpose posturing thing down cold (which invites both love and hate).

Charming points? A) They were hipsters mocking hipsters before it was cool. That alone should win them a lot of gold stars. B) Veronica Mars theme song is their "We Used To Be Friends"... and he shows up in one ep, soooo there's that. C) They have some really stellar songs.

Not so charming points? Hipsters mocking hipsters = Smug. Trying too hard. Abovementioned dickish sort of rivalry. There is A LOT of vitriol floating around out there directed towards them. Lots of internet hate.Watching Dig! is amazing but also kind of off-putting... there are valid points to be made against them.

Looking for music videos of their stuff, one can see lots of fanvids, LOL, which I think speaks to how much people must secretly/not-so-secretly love them. Also, let's be real, a lot of their work does have that "chill" & cinematic quality that occasionally shines through. If I ever make my own twee mumblecore movie (you know that'd be my niche), I am totes putting in stuff like Sleep. But then again, if you read the comments you see both the love and the hate, people picking their sides. Is it cool, not cool, so not cool that it's cool again... etc. They have a major cred issue... But that shouldn't really matter... As long as the songs are good?  Or at least some of them are? Why do we demand so much from a bunch of musicians? They are in interesting case.

"Sleep" - The Dandy Warhols are sometimes (often) compared to The Velvet Underground in style/sound/etc. It definitely comes out in certain songs (the aptly titled "(Tony This Song is Called) Lou Weed") I think on "Sleep" they also really bring it - it gives me almost the same feeling as VU's "Sunday Morning", that soft sound, that perfect sleepy/sleepless-warm-fuzzy music-to-kill-yourself-by vibe. Let's all go to sleep in your dirty dirty distressed arms, Courtney Taylor-Taylor....
Sadly, no brooding official video to go with this. (Confession, were I making this I would shoot this vampire-y, even though that, like heroin, is so passé.)




"You Were The Last High" - As featured in the movie, 9 Songs. Track co-written by Evan Dando, if that helps some of you (huzzah; I should really do a Lemonheads post!). I have not seen the movie. But the song is quite nice. No good video.




Ok, on to actual videos - warning, some of these are almost unwatchably terrible/cringe-inducing... the outfits, the mugging... Yet, at least mostly interesting? Amusing. Trainwrecky.

"Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" - an amusing confection in which I cry for the years of my life I spent wearing those babydoll tshirts, ill-fitting pants and chokers (only half kidding). And if you saw Dig! you know the drama about this song (and check out the BJM reply "Not If You Were The Last Dandy On Earth". Both rather delicious in their own ways.)





"Every Day Should Be A Holiday" - I hate videos that tie into the movie they are featured in. Gross. But I do like claymation, and the riffs in this song burrow into your brain.





"Get Off" - hmmmm, where should a video for a song with this theme be shot? Western brothel! 
(Between the standing in-front of the flag and his face, it reminds me a little of One Headlight, even though they are wildly different songs featuring wildly different singers. I dunno, they have similar eyebrows? The pouty lips, stick out your jaw thing? Jakob Dylan is like 100x hotter. Sorry. Random face digression.)





"Godless" - Sharing mainly because: hula hooping dude. The video is quietly cinematic (but ultimately dull) and the song, very very smooth. (Note: As it's a song with the word god in the title, I recommend you avoid the YT comments on this at all costs.)





"Ride" - motorcycles.





"Good Morning" - in case you needed your dose of late '90s posturing! I know I sometimes do. My favorite YT comment on this is:

"I'd start with the keyboard cutie and work my way from there.  -10 points for not knowing her name. To use West Coast dialect, she's hella wicked rad."

LOLwut?





"Plan A" - A newer offering. Still just as much face-making. Never change. Please, never change.





"We Used To Be Friends" - familiar to all the VM fans out there. His faces are so ridiculous, but I appreciate his armpit hair.




"Bohemian Like You" - the ultimate song of trying-too-hard. And their most famous. It's perfection. The video is spot-on. Exactly the kind of thing you would imagine for such a song. (Confession: I would probably stab someone in the face to be able to say I was in a video/song this hilarious. Any of you creative types out there, call me when you shoot anything so sublime/dorky.) And more hula hoop!




Random tidbits -
1) Also, well, ummm, they covered "Blackbird" after Michael Jackson died. Because they said they would in an earlier song? Yeah. I don't really like it, LOL. Decide for yourself.

2) ANDDDD apparently Courtney Taylor-Taylor has written a graphic novel? About a fantasy krautrock band? Ohhh the things I am learning today! I love this idea. ENJOY.

"Transmission" - One Model Nation



3) Somebody used "Love Is The New Feel Awful" (how can you resist such a great title) and put it with Midsummers Night Dream old footage? It's weird and delightful.



4) You. Have. To. Read. This. Blog. Post. Wherein, some guys discuss Dandys album "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and say things like:

"because portland is to new york exactly what the dandy warhols are to the velvet underground"

It is not to be missed. I just laughed hysterically for like 10 minutes straight. Genius.

And most importantly,
5) Open referendum on his face & swagger in the comments! GO! (Also, you know, their talent, pop v. indie v. sellout v. Dig! struggles! And Trying too hard! v. Trying too hard to try too hard v. Trying too hard to try too hard! ad infinitum. And whether or not this is all smug or there's a sense of humor underlying? (Yes?) And Zia!)

Who else is listening to Christmas music already?!

Because I certainly am! It makes the dark grey afternoons at work seem ever-so-slightly more festive.


Mildly embarrassing admission: I love me some Hootie (the man himself, not his band so much). He is so smooth-voiced and calming. The man can sing.

The song itself is nothing special lyrically (pretty bland), and I would probably not think twice about it, but something about the warm and reassuring way his voice sounds ensures that this song worms its way into my brain at this time of year. Also I like the random fiddling bit. His "Winter Wonderland" is a little too heavy-handedly countrified for me so it did not make the cut for my Christmas mix (although I also secretly love that he sings country now, I think his voice is perfect for it), but this blend of smooth, swingy, slightly-country Christmas I really like. Lull me to sleep anytime, sir.

"Candy Cane Christmas" - Darius Rucker







And then just to remind ourselves.... Hootie greatest hits. I knew this person once whose teacher (math I think) in like, Junior High or some such, made a quiz that was like all the answers were tied to trivia about Hootie & The Blowfish? Something like that? Not sure. I probably don't have permission to share that story either, LOL, sorry I can't clarify. I bring it up because they always claimed they did really well on the quiz because they knew already knew all the Hootie facts, that's how much they liked them.

"Only Wanna Be With You" - Admit that you know all the words. This song reminds me of being a teenager.  Also, the video is hilarious... it's super random. Basketball. Golf. It has Keith Olbermann in it. Love the head slide @1:16ish, and the supremely dorky dance @2:02ish. I love that over on YT one commenter calls it "probably the most 90s looking video ever" LOLZ.


Hootie & The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With  You by AtlanticRecords



"Hold My Hand" another great YT comment "God damnit I love the 90s"


Hootie & The Blowfish - Hold My Hand by AtlanticRecords



"Let Her Cry"

Hootie & The Blowfish - Let Her Cry by AtlanticRecords





I may or may not share some more Christmas and Hannukah favorites. What is your mildly-embarrassing Christmas music secret?

Songs I needed to put on my phone this afternoon (and some others)

"The Curse" - All credit for my discovery of this goes to Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself), who twittered this link a while back, and I had to RT because of its sheer awesomeness. I had only heard a little of Josh Ritter and not really connected to his stuff, but this song is so crazy good and the video - PUPPETS! - pure genius through and through. One of the most poignant bittersweet songs/videos (ever?), and it actually made me buy the album. Warning: consider kleenex.

That was just to draw you in and because I couldn't post the following song without showcasing such an amazing video by the same artist.

The next is just a vid of a live performance by the artist, so nowhere near as amazing. But the song is really lovely as well and has kinda been stuck in my head all day.

In fact the main reason I got on my computer right this second was to move this from itunes to my phone so that I could have it for work this week. I have had a long weekend - I finally got a grown-up bed, and had to wait for more than 5 hours for mattress delivery yesterday which sucked up my entire afternoon/evening; I bought the mattress on overstock.com though, so the money saved was worth the minor inconvenience on the delivery side. And this week I have stuff to look forward to, like my birthday and related festivities (which means probably no posts for the next week or so, unless the spirit really strikes), but as much as that is great, it means that work is going to be very challenging to keep my mind on. Thus the need for any possible good song I can fit in. (Another recent helping hand has been my Echo & The Bunnymen station on Pandora, which soothed away a lot of last week.)





"Lark"







And then for something completely different - another great mid 90s classic that was also something I just realized should be on my phone, haha. The video is just terrible. I am 100% sure the keyboardist is chewing gum. But hey, black kitty! Lots of rather sad mugging for the camera with bad teeth! The song actually holds up quite well...

"Female of the Species" - Space






But to go out on a high note - here's an excellent video to another extremely catchy song where to quote my friend T:

         " dude that video's what makes the song. They defeat a giant squid with their rock.      

       There's a powerful message in there somewhere. :P  "

Songs about cities, continued! Sweet Home San Diego

So since I just did two songs about Portland, OR - I figured I should probably show a little love for my own hometown of San Diego, CA. "America's Finest City" (according to the seal on our police cars). I actually couldn't think of that many, possibly because San Diego is a big city, but it's not like a big city -

 we're not NYC




we're not Los Angeles




we're not even San Francisco





And I feel songs about places in general can be tricky, is it an homage, or just where the song was written, or is it just the feeling evoked in/of that place. Some places are probably namechecked a lot more frequently than others, and San Diego is not one of those places. Which is kind of sad, because it is lovely. Sand and water and desert and Mexico next-door, that should be plenty of inspiration, right?


California as a whole gets a lot of love - for example, this classic ode, where 2Pac does in fact say "it's all good from Diego to the Bay."






*** But just about San Diego?***






One of the most famous San Diego related songs, though it is mentioned solely in the title,  is "San Diego Serenade" - Tom Waits - which is an amazing song. (Tom Waits grew up in San Diego, see, we are like, connected!). That voice! I love him. Hard. Which reminds me that Tom Waits is one of the few people on my list of people I would like to see live in concert before I die. I need to get on that!






Then because I was a teenager then, you get two 90s songs about San Diego. Neither of the videos really prominently features SD places though, which is really sad. According to YouTube comments, the Sprung Monkey song is actually filmed in San Pedro?? Very sad. I have to say I am mildly irked that these are the limited offerings out there! These songs got a lot of airplay on SD local radio, so hearing them again really makes me nostalgic, LOL, even though the videos are not great / do not do the place justice. The music is very classically of that time/place though. Ska/punky... oohh the joys of my adolescence.

"My Town" - Buck O Nine



"Get Em Outta Here" - Sprung Monkey









Going in a completely different direction from that type of music, the always-amazing Stephin Merritt's side-project The 6ths have a wonderful song entitled "San Diego Zoo" (no real video of course, but listen to the song, it's great - link goes to a YouTube with animal pictures set to the audio). Again no footage of beautiful SD, or our fabulous zoo (the zoo by which all zoos are measured!).


Then I just googled San Diego songs, which led me to a Yelp discussion thread which basically just mentions these same few songs, and then this video: "San Diego Song" - The Coronas - I have never heard of them, apparently they are Irish or something? Parts of the video appear to be beachy. I find this rather bland.








San Diego, we could be doing better. Not just in terms of songs, but videos too - I want some great shots of downtown at night, I want the Coronado Bay bridge...




I am tempted to include the theme song to the now-defunct but spectacular-while-it-lasted Terriers, which was set in Ocean Beach (which is part of SD, but portrayed in the show as being more distinct/own police etc), and filmed there. Which helped draw me into the series, and also made me horribly homesick every week as they traipsed around town, like when they'd go to Balboa Park. Why aren't more shows filmed thereabouts? Loved it.

The theme is great and very surf-rock vibey and catchy. It definitely makes me think of home. And they reference Ysidro (San Ysidro is part of SD and has the world's busiest land border crossing to Mexico according to Wikipedia), so that counts as a San Diego song in my book.

"Gunfight Ephiphany (theme from Terriers)" - Robert Duncan







WOW. I know this post is much much larger than I intended now. Sorry. I got carried away. (I also thought I should look at some YouTube videos of flyovers of San Diego scenery, but that made me a little sad so I had to stop that, haha.)

So I will end this with the most recent, and my favorite of this list (or at least tied with Tom Waits cause that's a classic). And it is perfect because it mentions both where I came from ("the birthplace of the summer") and where I live now ("where the forest and the water become one"), which seems to me almost like fate, because what are the odds of that happening, statistically? I certainly never thought about it when I first heard this song a long long time ago.

"June on the West Coast" - Bright Eyes







Any ones that I have missed, other native San Diegans?
Or thoughts about your own hometowns, readers?