Thursday, May 31, 2007

Lou Reed Interview

There's a nice long article about Lou Reed in the Telegraph. Here's some of it:
'To leap right from Delmore Schwarz into the world of Warhol - of all the places in the world to end up!' Reed rolls his eyes. 'I just thought, this is heaven. I'm in the perfect place at the perfect time. Here you are, you want to write music and songs and look what you've landed in the middle of. This is really, really amazing if I live through this. We went from sleeping on the floor - nothing - and then Andy took us in, which meant we got to eat fruit every night. He really liked the songs. And he was the great protector. If you have a Warhol sitting next to you saying, "Oh, don't change any of that; don't let them change that, whatever you do," that really means something. The fact that he liked it meant that it was OK for it to be that way. And, my God, if he hadn't, it would have been devastating. We would have had to leave.'
***
'I say, no [Hubert] Selby, no anybody - that's the way I see it,' Reed says. 'Because he was a straight line between two points; no f***ing around over there; no polysyllabic anything - it's just, God... if that's not rock'n'roll, what is?'So that was my idea of fun: take Twist and Shout and really put something in it. What could be more fun? But then I had to do it right, otherwise it's going to be really pretentious. Like Last Exit to Brooklyn - you do that wrong and come up with, "We wear short shorts...'' ' He sings the first lines of the juvenile 1950s pop hit, and shudders. 'The Royal Teens. Why should I even know that? That scary trivia in your head...'
Even the master can get a bit Overt some times. Everybody knows that "Short-Shorts" is awesome. Check out the lyrics.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

A Nod Is as Good as a Link to a Blind Bat

This is off topic, but have any of you noticed the growth of linking individual words in a series to reinforce the idea that there is a lot of evidence? Like this, from the New York Times:
But it defies belief — and a whole lot of economic research — to suggest that the problems of the middle class stem from illegal immigrants.
I think I like this technique (and not only when it exposes Lou Dobbs as a jackass), and I think it should have a name. But what?

Friday, May 25, 2007

Reihan Salam Is Abominably Bad

Here's why:
As a movie, Fletch is all but unwatchably bad.

That is the dumbest, "kill your idols," Overt bullshit I've ever read. Go here to read the truth.


What kind of a name is Poon anyway?

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Cream Reuniting: Not a Fantasy

As you probably know, I hate Eric Clapton but Cream is the one project he was involved in that I liked. Still, I don't know how excited I am about this reunion. Jack Bruce tells us all about it:
Bruce would not say when the reunion would occur, but that it would not be the seven-continent Live Earth shows on July 7: "It's a bit later than that." Bruce recently told the Scotsman newspaper there was no chance the band would reunite because of long-standing tension between him and [Ginger] Baker. "Then, the next day, it came up we're doing something if I wanted to. Obviously, I'm not going to be the one to say no," Bruce told the AP during an appearance at the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp.
This is probably Overt of me, but there is a clue within that quote that tells us why Bruce is open to a Cream reunion despite his differences with Baker. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to ride off on a steamer to the violence of the sun.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

U2 3D

As we all know, embracing new technology is Advanced, as is wearing black sunglasses, so this article from the New York Times caught my eye. Here's why:
...on Saturday nearly an hour of footage from the 3-D concert film of the Irish rock band U2 made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival.

As “U2 3D” demonstrates, this is definitely not the 3-D of drive-in memories. The concert film gives the audience the palpable experience of being present, as the camera swivels around Bono’s face, then soars over and down among the 60,000 concertgoers. And though the new version still requires audience members to wear glasses, they are not the old red-and-green variety but sleek black ones.

Of course they are black. It would be even better if they were Fly glasses, but I guess that could get pricey.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Prince to Give Ronnie Wood the Sheena Easton Treatment?

Here is something interesting:
Rolling Stones rocker RONNIE WOOD has been picked for a live duet with pop superstar PRINCE, according to his daughter. Leah Wood...claims he requested the rocker join him on stage at a recent gig in London. Unfortunately, Ronnie had to snub the offer due to pre-arranged travel commitments.... She says, "Prince called up my dad an hour before his show in Camden, and asked him to join him on stage. "I'm going to spike up his hair especially."
Prince's taste in proteges has certainly changed in his old age.

Brandon Flowers Is Fan-Tastic

I was looking at SI.com's recent photo gallery of celebs at NBA playoff games, and to my surprise, Brandon Flowers of the Killers was the last celeb shown. Obviously he went to the game only because he wants us to think he's Advanced (embracing popular sports is Advanced). He has an Overt "tell" though: He went to the Raptors-Nets game. It would have been much more Advanced to go to a Lakers game. But at least he's trying.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Steve Miller Live and Ready for Your iPod

As a big Steve Miller fan, I was pretty excited to find a bunch of Steve Miller concerts from the mid- to late-70s at NargoTheBort's Deviant Subculture. And if you're worried that they aren't high quality Soundboard or FM recordings or that each show won't be in iPod-ready format with track names, track numbers, etc. filled out in the ID tags, don't!

(Learn all about the Pompatus of Steve Miller.)

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Bob Dylan Goes to Kindergarten

From the New York Post:
KINDERGARTEN kids in ritzy L.A. suburb Calabasas have been coming home to their parents and talking about the "weird man" who keeps coming to their class to sing "scary" songs on his guitar. The "weird" one turns out to be Bob Dylan, whose grandson (Jakob Dylan's son) attends the school. He's been singing to the kindergarten class just for fun, but the kiddies have no idea they're being serenaded by a musical legend - to them, he's just Weird Guitar Guy.
They have even less idea that they're being serenaded by Advanced Weirdo Guitar Guy. I also find it amusing that he never plays guitar in concert anymore, but he does play it for a kindergarten class. And finally, I heard that he got booed the third time he came in because he showed up with an electric guitar and Al Kooper.

(Thanks to Jimmy Page's Sweater Vest)

Bono, David Bowie, Syracuse University Salute Lou Reed

This is nice:
BONO and DAVID BOWIE were among friends, students and fans who left rocker LOU REED visibly touched as he was honoured by New York's Syracuse University. Bowie and Bono joined in a 'Lou' chant when the former Velvet Underground frontman was handed the George Arents Pioneer Medal For Excellence In The Arts from his alma mater last week. Reed, who was an undergraduate at the college in the early 1960s, has also been named in a new scholarship for creative writing undergraduates. But he joked, "Everyone knows you can't do anything with an English degree."
The man speaks the truth!