15
Sep
Whoop, There It Goes
Filed Under Sports, Video | Leave a Comment
18
Aug
R. Kelly, “Number One”
Filed Under Music, Video | 2 Comments
FINALLY. Good song. Nonsensical video. “Sex in the Kitchen” callback.
30
Jul
Like Visiting the Holy Land
Filed Under Comedy, Music, Nostalgia, Staying Single, Video | 2 Comments
Guess what. It IS possible. And it will fucking happen.
5
Jul
Seaside Heights, 1993
Filed Under Nostalgia, Video | 2 Comments
I grew up in Lakehurst, NJ, a town that has only two claims to fame: 1) it is where the Hindenburg crashed in 1937 and 2) it is about 10 miles from Seaside Heights.
The latter was more significant to me, of course, because it had arcades and girls wearing bathing suits. It had my favorite ride (the Poltergeist), a game of chance at which you could win cassette tapes from bands like Shudder to Think and Elastica, and it had slices of pizza the size of my torso for $1.25 (soda included). But there’s a reason my beach is often referred to as Sleazeside – it exists as a wretched intersection of local white trash and vacationing New Yorkers. The air is thick with machismo and hair gel fumes. And a sideways glance will get you a Churro shoved up your ass.
But I miss it. The NJ beach culture is weird and terrible, but it’s also uniquely a part of my experience and the hours upon hours I spent in Seaside Heights, sitting on the beach with friends, discussing our rapidly approaching futures, playing volleyball, having first kisses, etc. would have been totally different anywhere else. There’s nothing like it here (where summer means you can wear a sweatshirt and pants at the beach instead of a coat and gloves) and that’s a bit of a bummer.
So why this sudden longing for Sleazeside? Courtesy of my buddy Tedford, a video of Seaside Heights in 1993 (I was 15):
9
Jun
Happy Bitte Orca Day!
Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment
What was certainly the most anticipated record of my 2009 is finally here. But because we live in the future, I’ve had a chance to spend a lot of time with Bitte Orca over the past few weeks and it’s been an interesting experience.
My initial reaction went something like this: “WHY ISN’T THIS EXACTLY LIKE THE LAST RECORD? WAH WAH WAAAAH. I’M SUCH AN EMPTY PERSON.” But idle times found the album on repeat and before I knew it, it hit me. This is a phenomenal accomplishment for Dirty Projectors.
The reviews I’ve read thus far are right. Dirty Projectors have managed to make a record that’s every bit as challenging as their last (the stellar Rise Above) while doing something they’ve never done before: become accessible. As someone who has written many shitty songs in his life, this is absolutely maddening to me. It doesn’t make sense. The way the off-time noodling, the vocal stabs, the sporadic bass hits, and the seemingly random drum lines fit into something immensely sing-along-able is a total mystery.
It also makes me incredibly happy. I love this record.