Even though I haven’t been a student for a long time (the anniversary of graduation is looming) I am still learning new things. But these are the sorts of things that no one taught us before. There is no curriculum to figuring out the nooks and crannies of everyday, you just have to be there and see how it works for yourself. These ‘b-side’ of life rules come at you every day. You grow to learn that being hungover at work ISN’T fun and that maybe inside voices exist for a reason. And that carpal tunnel IS a real thing. Like my wise (crazy) aunt says, and this is a good phrase I forget too often – people will do what they want to do.

While all of this is OK and very normal, there is another side. The b-side. In a nut, I have learned how to be wrong. While I do what I want to do, so does everyone around me. Being honest about something big and small can open up new doors. And admitting to people that you are wrong and flawed not only brings trust but strength within yourself. I have been wrong before and unable to say it, or maybe it’s that I have never noticed it before? Being vocal about this has become very powerful. I’ve recently found that when I openly admit to being wrong about something, people are surprised and recognize that I am being as honest as possible. Maybe (I secretly hope) they will see it as OK to do themselves. Now that it is a frequent occurrence people seem more willing to tell me anything. Knowing when you are wrong about something is just as important as finding the right answer.

As you may or may not know, for months I have disregarded Arcade Fire’s album The Suburbs. After listening to it over and over again, I never saw their popularity and understood why they were blooming. Grammy and all, I still kept listening and couldn’t figure it out for myself. After having been vocal about my distaste for them for too long I had one of those moments when you realize why something is there. All of a sudden it just makes sense, takes on a new form and shows you. Now that I see the value of this record, I can’t stop listening to it. It is epic, 16 tracks long and full of emotion. With great lines of kids’ longing in suburbia driving around, standing with their arms folded tight and wishing to be free – it is a soundtrack (hence the film?) with re-occurring lines, musical themes and two part songs.

So lately I’ve been telling people that I’ve been wrong about it. “You know, I’ve been listening to The Suburbs more and more, and I can’t get enough of it. I was wrong all along.” My favorite part has been the feedback, positive and welcoming. As I let my guard down so do they. People seem happy to hear I’ve finally found what they’ve been listening to. And they are excited to share it with me. It’s not that I let myself experience this. It just happened. And I couldn’t be happier about the whole thing. “…music being the only art without physical form, and therefore the most powerful.”

In addition to that, there is plenty other findings I need to get out to the world. For our vegetarian loving friends, there is another Opinionator blog contribution from Mark Bittman. He brilliantly brings up the comparison of house pet treatment against and farm animal treatment. Why is it okay to beat a pig or a cow before you eat it but not okay to beat your dog, cat (or in this case, a hamster)?  The treatment of farm animals and house pets should always be in the same conversation. Bittman does it well (in anything he does). If you’ve seen any footage from investigative food industry reporting (be it documentary or online) you can see the harsh lives these animals live every day. It makes you think, shouldn’t  you be treating the animals you consume every day the same way you treat your house pets? 

For our friends at Team Coco, there is a new documentary about him. It chronicles the backstage life and life of the Legally Prohibited from Being on Television Tour from last summer. Which I did see with my dad in Atlantic City. It was pretty funny. But it dragged in the end. (Even before his fame I didn’t think Reggie Watts was very funny.) The tour seemed like Conan wanted something to do with himself. Instead of doing nothing. Which is why his ‘dark’ side coming out isn’t surprising. Although I cannot feel bad for him since he was given like, what - 30 million? to leave The Tonight Show. It’s the writers and the rest of us I feel bad for. The previous for moving their lives to get (literally) nothing and the latter for having to sit and listen to it.

And now there is my still current obsession with the press surrounding the Strokes. You can stream their whole album on their website until it comes out next Tuesday, the 22nd. I haven’t heard most of it. Just the first track (and the single that you hear everywhere.) But when Angeline sent me this, I started raging. David Fricke can call them the band that lead the beginning of revival of garage rock. (I guess he can.) But in no way shape or form is it okay to compare the debuting of the Strokes to the debuting of the Velvet Underground. The Velvet Underground is one of the most important bands. It is because of their content, timing, experiments with music, instruments, sound and their poetry. There is plenty of literature on the subject. And it’s not hard to find.  Being compared to the Velvets is unusual. Almost unheard of. And of all places to be found, for this to be published in Rolling Stone, the paralleling really dumbs down the Velvet Underground. (The Strokes are the last band that ever deserves that comparison.) I’m not sure who I would even compare the Velvets to. The Strokes have a new sound, but in no way did they start a revolution for freaks, junkies, artists, poets or musicians. I can’t stop reading, but the more I do the more irritated I become at the undeserving pedestal the Strokes are on.

I haven’t read it yet (it hasn’t come in the mail) but I can only assume that this Week’s New Yorker Profile of Alec Baldwin is great.

I’m in the process of compiling my favorite live albums. Also I’ve found a way for you to stream MP3s right from our site, while you read. Stay tuned!

Also, Happy St. Patrick’s Day. As my mother said to me today via email, please drink responsibly.

The first band, a local duo, Long Walks On The Beach, was fun yet incredibly underdeveloped musically and lyrically. The few students who showed up by this point, still early at 9:30, were toe to toe hipsters dancing around in a sea of flannels and leggings to boot. Cults, the second band went through a half hour set up with only 25 minutes of play time. Their dirt lip mustaches and long stringy black hair fell to the wayside when they knew every detail up of set up for their equipment. But when their vocals were drowned out I could feel their frustrations with the student engineers. By their 10:10 start time I realized I was one of six non students out of the 100 that were beginning to fill the room. My lack of alcohol intake, on a STRONGLY noted alcohol-free event (aren’t they all), didn’t help much in dealing with the overall atmosphere. I’m surprised the band wasn’t distracted by all the students screaming conversations over their music. Drunken Georgetown sophomores with no one to make fun of them with proved to be a lot less fun when you’re getting elbowed and shoved out of a place you’ve been holding for yourself. With no record out, where would they go from here? Meanwhile, the crowd was restless and getting worse and worse.

I befriended a shorter-than-thou grad student who at first seemed to be the only other person annoyed at, or noticing, the crowd’s behavior. Even drunk Ithaca hippies were never this rude. I felt myself longing for a complacent crowd at the State Street Theater. The silent crowd at the Sufan show at Castaways, or the old Lost Dog lounge where I saw Beach Fossils. But after being what felt like millions of miles from the comfort of Ithaca shows all I could do was make conversation. Best Coast is a sound-the-same band, I began to tell my nameless friend. Their lo-fi sound is incredibly well produced but their day by day lyrics distracted me from enjoying any further. He began to tell me that lyrics meant nothing to him. If he wanted poetry he would go read (name drop obscurity here.) I rolled my eyes and when he mentioned the last great lyricists (or only great) were the Beatles, I lost interest and laughed at everything else he said, without looking him in the eye.

frontwoman bethany cosentino

Best Coast was drunk. I was happy to see her playing guitar after expecting just another helpless female lead vocalist. I saw that her up and down slide of the same  bar chord helped her sounds stay the same. She was smiley and making friends with the crowd, only two feet above her hipster minions on fold out platforms. After stripping off the outer layer of her own band’s tee shirt, she apologized to those of us who paid to see them. (I learned students only paid $5 after the school subsidized their performance.) She said they’d be returning with Weezer in January. It was then that I decided I no longer needed to stay to hear the same song over and over again, purely empty music. All I could think about was the coming soon to DC Weezer “Memories” tour, back to back nights of full album run-throughs of Pinkerton and The Blue Album.

I went there with a mind to write something substantial about the night. The take over of lo-fi pop, how so many new bands sound the same: Girls, Wavves, Black Lips, the Smith Westerns, Crystal Castles (and the fact that we so easily embrace this.) I want to question why in the height of known technology that the most popular recording styles are on few channels with some reverb on the vocals. Anything but flashy, with thrift store frames and hand me down hats, the drunken crowd that was there just to play along with fame got the better of me. I wanted to ask them why they liked this band, who else they listened to. Is the popular musical simplicity present to balance our complex world? (Ironic that musical recordings are so stingy while release methods and coverage are generous in their efforts.) With environment meaning everything to impressions, I was overexposing my brain and couldn’t shut it off. Clearly I still can’t. Thank god for that-

It was Dre who told me not to hate him just to continue my status quo. It was Shai who gave me the GOOD Fridays (and yes I listened to them and enjoyed them for a short while) who helped me consider him as more than just his douchey-ness. After receiving the album for free and listening to it two and a half times all the way through I can say that it is grand, over the top, histrionic, over-produced, arguably layered too much, features a lot (too many?) of big acts (credited and not) and well, is very good. Although I don’t know how I feel about a favorite Pitchfork’s Poptimist columnist Tom Ewing comparing My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

See I’ve always hated Kanye West. And the level of thought I have given this man lately, quite frankly, scares me. I’m not sure I understand his popularity. OK, he’s a good producer. But is his popularity due to Jay-Z’s friendship? (Amazing Terry Gross interview.) The whole Peter Rothbart ‘gatekeeper’ idea is swirling about in my head (thanks Morg). Do we like him because we’ve been told this record would be great? Or is it actually? Also, I do not sympathize in the loss of his mother. She died during an elective cosmetic surgery (THERE, I SAID IT.) But I figured I would share this almost obsession and these ideas with you to see what you think. I am trying to write every day and since moving to DC have totally lost my passion (if there was any, it’s now gone) for politics and have completely thrown myself back into round-the-clock music obsession. Reading about it, writing about it and fervently, discussing it like word vomit. In a nut, I promise to be around more, only if you will.

To keep it short: recently fell into a co-worker’s personal music server with (this is the exact number: 1414 gigs) a lot of music. If you want any, you know what to do. Also, rediscovering my indie white suburban roots: I’ve completely fallen in love with Pavement (perhaps because of Malkmus to Lou Reed like qualities–Riley if you haven’t yet, listen to this band), Pinkerton, and decided I don’t miss college after an anticlimactic evening at a Georgetown show of Best Coast (I know, please don’t say it- inquire within for story, or just check back in a day.) Also Jack White is now ranking as a Jeff Tweedy all-timer (essay to follow as well) and is officially confirmed that I would do dirty nasty things to him.

To keep it short: will be around more, writing more as I’ve forgotten about this outlet and promise to not let our beloved ‘cant fall to the wayside. We need people who can say what everyone else is thinking and I volunteer. Also, if you’re reading this Riley: please accept my facebook friend request. Four months is a long enough wait.

When we see hipsters everywhere we know them, and can pick our their type. There’s no need to pick them out of a crowd, for they are the crowd. I’ve had many conversations about who and where they’ve come from and what we can compare them to in our past. Because, let’s face it. That’s what we do. We look at something in our lives and take a look at history and try to explain it through something familiar to us. It’s how we function, usually.

At first you could say they are comparative to the hippie. But the hippie fought for something right? Peace…..free love….weed. They were fighting for something then, being constructive and demanding. It wasn’t something everyone else made fun of. It was envied and thought of as new. Then I thought, maybe they could be like the Beats- people who have an intellectualism going for themselves. Then I remembered that hipsters aren’t too intellectual and just wear a same brand of strange clothes like the beats did. Then this article (see above link) was presented to me, and it makes perfect sense.

“An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning. Not only is it unsustainable, it is suicidal. While previous youth movements have challenged the dysfunction and decadence of their elders, today we have the “hipster” – a youth subculture that mirrors the doomed shallowness of mainstream society.”

When you see another Christmas sweater, or go into Urban Outfitters thinking it’s going to be a good choice (when it’s not) or when you move to Brooklyn to take photos with your fish eye and go see Best Coast, think again. What’s really going on here?

Many artists of the past have changes their appearances just for shock value, and for stranger reasons (ahhem Michael Jackson- its almost the one year anny. of his death-weird!) but that doesn’t make her more like great artists of the past. Or does it? I mean Madonna did it. (Maybe in future decades Gaga will bring us religion crazes too?) I know Lady Gaga can make a great pop song that ya’ll enjoy while dancing in whatever club you go dancing in- but her crazy behavior should make you think a little more than usual, right? I don’t get the face hiding and the Kermit the Frog dress and I don’t get that crazy look in her eye. Maybe someone can explain it one day.

Until then, whose in??

I have one on my fridge. 10 bucks!

Everyone should be outraged at the new Sex and the City movie. In addition to the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker is still not remotely attractive, its full of let downs. I saw the first one- it was decent (and always on HBO, just like I presume the second will be) but I can’t bring myself to spend over two hours watching this movie. Absurdities are going on! Abu Dhabi is a city where women can’t show their faces because of shame, meanwhile these four already rich women go there, no doubt to help promote Western to Eastern commerce (meanwhile it was shot in Morocco), and flaunt their bodies. They should be spending their $10 million costume budget to build a school for women or a hospital for rape victims. I’m sure you have not heard of this book. My mother and sister Kyle are both reading it. The stories mom shares with me are disturbing- even to a true crime and devout nonfiction reader. People say that it wouldn’t be famous just for Sheryl WuDunn’s name. Nicholas Kristof (the awesome NYTimes columnist and WuDunn’s partner) helped it get to where it is now. Let me just rant a bit…. Women are still being killed every day and murdered and raped, in our own country (I don’t want to even talk about the rest of the world.) All it takes is that fact my mother taught me when I was in junior high school: 1 in 4 women in their life will be raped. Lesson: BE FUCKING SAFE. Okay, I’m done.

see what i mean....

It’s the 50th anniversary of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. (Truman Capote’s best friend. Some say he wrote it….I love a good unknown fact.) I was supposed to read it, according to Mrs. Stass’ 9th grade English class, but never finished it. I just watched the movie. We all know the conversation about it in Almost Famous in the opening scenes (I should really re-watch that movie. It’s been almost six months- too long.) I’m a chapter in. My dad had a Borders coupon and I now have a beautiful hardback copy of it. One of many summer projects: tackle fiction and novels. Only the good ones: Catcher in the Rye (something I’ve never been able to get through, I just could never stand it) and The Great Gatsby. Read it in 10th grade with no appreciation. Other goals: get down to the bottom of high school teachers assigning books for shit-head high school kids who have no concept of time, history, culture and have no appreciation for the literature forced on them.

Comedy Central bought syndication rights to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Monday nights, for two hours-I think. Hilarity ensues. Also, I FINALLY read Russell Brand’s memoir, My Booky Wook. It took me probably no more than a day. Who’s in? I know, he’s a strange bird. But he’s been through a lot. Brand can actually write and I’ve always been fascinated by him.

Most: it’s Ithaca Festival. If you’re here, let’s stuff our faces. If not- shame. I got all excited to see Jon Hilton play bass in his band on the commons last night with Kelley, only to find out he’s in CA doing god knows what. Unknown hits from the Birds and b-side Beatles songs would be better with the self-deprecating Hilton. Either way I still knew all the words while straight Ithaca-festers followed Terkel’s advice, my favorite line of the day, “Take off…or tighten up your Tevas!” Ladies and Gentlemen, that is EXACTLY what happened. I wish I had a photo.

Also there is a lot going on. We graduated. The oil spill is destroying our planet and not helping the fact that something is terribly wrong with the world, physically (I suppose emotionally too.) Add on all the hurricanes and abnormalities. I’ve been saying that something is not right with the world for a long time. This just proves it.

And if you weren’t nervous about the new military planes developed that can track footprints from the sky and tell you their origin, try this on for size.

The world makes me sick. Pay attention, because I know that you aren’t. A lot of wrong and weird is happening: oil, the number one MLB pick is 17 (he can’t even buy cigarettes yet!) meanwhile M.I.A. is being featured in the Sunday New York Times Magazine. James Cameron offered (and was turned down) help for filming the deep sea atrocity going on in the gulf. But in the end, my least favorite thing about the world is plain and simple- Obama promised us he would end the war and he hasn’t yet.

Drunk Girls, I realized, is more than you think. James Murphy has something to say. Drunk Girls know that love is an astronaut/It comes back, but it’s never the same. I never heard them before this record, but I like it. Sometimes if you pay attention there’s more to life than, well, life. Also, if you haven’t started doing this yet, I recommend it.

The Saturday night before graduation my sisters, brother-in-law, co-brother-in-law, Morgan and myself made it out to Korova (which yes, is moving down State Street to avoid the college crowd, but is not moving until August.) My brother-in-law’s life long best friend arrived and greeted me in saying “welcome to unemployment!” So far it’s been nice. I’ve been on three job interviews in three days in three very different cities. I am unemployed yes, so I should find more time to do this here blog.

Pay attention already. What else could you possibly be doing?

Our society is focused on instant news and information. The reason the Tonight Show was tanking in the first place is the fact that by the time we get to 11:35p to hear the day’s jokes- so much has been said that it’s old news. It’s no one’s fault (well, maybe Jay Leno’s).  Our constant age-of-anxiety lives are too much to handle. Life is progressing forward and we are all in a hurry to do whatever it is that is constantly stressing us out. We are in a hurry to do things that sometimes don’t even matter or contribute. I want to give you some advice from piecing things together, specifically from GOOD.

Here is something grand. I recommend everyone just slow down and read it. Also, if you need a good read here’s another.

Here’s a creative, humorous bacon image…

The use of a hand dryer at a rest stop disproved this sign

There’s a beer brewed with bacon. Pouring it in here would be meat-gasmic!

Don't Mind If I Do!

With this new product, bacon bits could be a thing of the past:

Vegetarian-Safe!

The Internet has also lead me to some cocktails made with bacon. The “meatini,” “bacon, not stirred.”

If you look hard enough, you’ll be able to find bacon-bras out there in cyberland. I’d like to put a picture up, but we’re trying to keep things SFW here at thacant.

What’s important to remember about bacon, is that it’s always there for you, offering solace comparable only to beer and screaming oneself to sleep. Here’s a closing picture that really sums it up:

prty plz