A Tribute to My Cat's Favorite Band

My cat, Millie, absolutely loves Stone Temple Pilots.  Every time I put in one of their CDs, or watch one of their music videos, she comes right into the room and sits by the speakers, or sits right in front of the television and watches intently.

Millie likes music in general, and will sit with me the whole time when I make MP3 playlists, but it's usually because she wants to watch the CD get sucked into the player, and whack it with her paw. 

But when we play some STP, it's almost a given that she will come running into the room.  It's how my boyfriend and I find her when she hides in the couch or in the closet.  Funny...she won't come out if you offer her treats, but she'll come out to listen to "Sex Type Thing."

"Plees play for me da Pilot Stone Pemples.  I lubs dat song: 'Kitchin Wears and Crakerjacks'."

Here are some Stone Temple Pilots videos that my cat, Millie, has requested that I post...

Most of STP's official videos have the embedding disabled, so I can't post them here.  But if you're interested in watching, here are some links to a few more.

Wicked Garden: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA4hSZ1Xy1g
Sex Type Thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhu-OyHqZM
Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVPzWkdhwrw

Here is an article I found online about cats, and how they react to music: http://www.suite101.com/content/cats-and-music-a85584

MP3 Mix: Caffeine Songs and Videos

Wake up!  Wake up!  It's time for the Caffeine Mix.  I might not like or drink coffee (which is apparently sacrilege because I'm a writer), but I can still get my energy from loud music and tea.  I don't think anyone has ever asked me out "for a cup of coffee" before, but if they ever did, I'd probably say, "Eww, no," not because I disliked them, but because of my disdain for coffee.

Here are some songs that function in the same was as caffeine--they open your eyes and make you want to jump off of couch cushions.

Dead Kennedys: Straight As
The Adicts: Viva La Revolution
Spahn Ranch: Vortex
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Art Star
Huggy Bear: Can't Kiss
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Dang
Siouxsie and the Banshees: Love in a Void
Plasmatics: Nothing
The Rezillos/Revillos: Where's the Boy for Me
Motorhead: Love Me Like a Reptile
Pixies: Tame
Fucked Up: Son the Father
Prong: Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck
Scratch Acid: She Said
Sonic Youth: Orange Rolls, Angels Spit
Refused: Life Support Addiction
Minor Threat: I Don't Wanna Hear It
Make-Up: How Pretty Can U Get
Murder City Devils: Get Off the Floor
Gang of Four: Damaged Goods
Julie Ruin: Crochet
.45 Grave: Concerned Citizen
Q and not U: Black Plastic Bag
Bad Brains: Banned in D.C.
Wire: 12XU
X Ray Spex: Oh Bondage Up Yours

MP3 List: The Crying Songs

"I never heard a sad song that I didn't like."--Murder City Devils "That's What You Get"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldberg/277474865/sizes/m/in/photostream/

This is a compilation of songs that make me want to cry when I hear them.  Some of them have sad lyrics, and other ones make my eyes get misty before the lyrics even start.  Some of them don't sound sad at all, but they make me get all sentimental because they remind me of better times, or of particular people.  This isn't an exhaustive list of every sad song I have, but I did list some of my favorites.  Also, there are a few music videos at the end...


New Order "Age of Consent"
Xiu Xiu "Fabulous Muscles", "Hives Hives", and "Sad Redux-o-grapher"
Radiohead "Creep" and "All I Need"
Moving Units "Dark Walls"
The White Stripes "Do"
Beat Happening "Foggy Eyes"
Red House Painters "Grace Cathedral Park"
Modern Lovers "Hospital"
Sonic Youth "JC"
Okkervil River "Satisfy You"
Uncle Tupelo "Black Eye" and "Moonshiner"
Tori Amos "Mother"
Joanna Newsom "Sadie"
Neko Case "The Tigers Have Spoken" and "South Tacoma Way"
Archers of Loaf "Web in Front"
Devendra Banhart "Pumpkin Seeds"
Soggy Bottom Boys "You are my Sunshine"
Arcade Fire "Haiti"
Neutral Milk Hotel "Two Headed Boy"
Pete Bjorn and John "Up Against the Wall"
Velvet Underground "Jesus"
Sebadoh "Willing to Wait"
Silkworm "Swings"
James "Sometimes"
Daniel Johnston "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievances"
The Black Keys "All You Ever Wanted"
Smog "It's Rough"

My Favorite Bands to See Live

Here are some of my favorite bands to see live.




I went to see Jon Spencer Blues Explosion many years ago in Pittsburgh.  This video is not from the show that I went to, obviously.  The live show that I went to was awesome, but I was a little sad that they didn't play "Full Grown".  I mainly remember the funny lady standing next to me who kept petting my hat and trying to offer me a drink from her flask.  Later on, she kept trying to touch Jon's leather pants from the edge of the stage.  Good times.




The first time I saw Grizzly Bear was around 2007 or so, at the Sonar in Baltimore.  They were opening for TV on the Radio, and I actually liked Grizzly Bear better than TV on the Radio at that show.  Most people looked kind of bored when they were playing, but I thought they were amazing.  They were so loud, soft, and creepy-sounding.  And the drums were so loud I could feel them in my chest.  I got all excited and bought their albums, which I don't listen to.




Last year for my boyfriend's birthday I bought us tickets to Skinny Puppy's 2009 In Solvent See Tour.  We went to see the concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia.  It was one of the best shows I have ever been to.  We were only one row away from the stage because we got there almost an hour and a half before the show started.  They played a lot of older songs from "Remission" and they played "Morpheus Laughing", which I was very excited about.  The opening act was this guy with a guitar playing what sounded like speed metal, who was extremely sexy in an "I'm going to tie you up and make you watch movies about chainsawing watermelons" kind of way.  My boyfriend recorded the whole show on his phone, but you can barely hear the music over him singing along very loudly, and a lot of shaking from me dancing in front of him, so that's why I thought it best to use someone else's video footage from a different show, but the same tour.  The costumes Cevin wore were still the same though.  And there was a lot of fake blood everywhere, which is always a plus.

Here is a picture of the inside of the Trocadero Theatre.  I didn't take this picture:

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/-4HMjEGQgduIMMTe0WPQBA?select=4z2iGlU5JTLcXNI2-xznaA

This is one of those bands that makes me feel all nostalgic and warm and fuzzy inside.  I used to go to see them all the time in college, and they even played where I worked/volunteered at the Rea Coffeehouse.  I couldn't ever see one of their shows without dancing around like a maniac.  Now they are semi-famous.




This is another band that played where I volunteered in college.  The line up back then had about four people and a whole shelf of gongs, and a few more keyboard/synthesizer people.  I saw Jamie play just an acoustic show before--just him and a guitar--and it was so emotional that it made me cry.  He's also a very friendly person, and asked my best friend and I if we wanted to get some Indian food with him.  I didn't end up going, but I think she might have went.  I haven't seen them in years, and I miss it a lot.




My friend Jessie got me into Bill Callahan/Smog back in college.  We went to see the show when they came to town, and it made me very sad because I think Jessie and I were the only people that actually went there to see Smog/Bill.  We just stood transfixed at the edge of the stage.  Every time he looked over in our direction with his bright blue eyes, I felt paralyzed...as if he had so much hurt and joy and experience in his life that it made my heart feel like sand.  And I just wanted to give him the biggest hug ever.





Wow, I went to see Bauhaus when I was in high school in the late nineties.  They had broken up for a long time, so I didn't think I'd ever see them.  I think it was the "Resurrection" tour.  I even wrote an AP English paper on the subject.  My friends Dave and Sherry took me with them to the 9:30 Club in D.C., and the place was so packed we had to stand on the balcony.  I almost never stand on the balcony because I like to be close enough to make myself deaf, ha ha.  Either way, it was still probably in the top five concerts I've ever been to.  I just remember dancing around on the balcony, then looking over onto the other side of the balcony and seeing this boy with bright pink hair air-drumming, and we both kept looking at each other in comradeship because most people were afraid to dance, or they just all did the same gothy hand-wave dance.

MP3 List: The Sexy Mix

Making this MP3 list was more difficult than I had originally imagined.  First of all, I had to think about how a song could be sexy or not, and how I was going to write a blog entry on this topic without making it too raunchified.  As I was going through my music, trying to pick out all the sexy songs, I realized that a lot of songs that I think sound sexy are not written about anything sexy.  In fact, some of the lyrics to these songs are pretty disturbing. 

Here is my compiled list of sexy songs.  They were chosen by me because something about these songs was kind of hot—mostly the music itself, or the singer’s voice.  My main methodology for compiling this list was to imagine what songs I would use for love scenes if I was a movie director.  It’s a mixture of the ethereal, the sensual, and the cheap and degrading.   So enjoy this list, and maybe if you’re making a mix tape or CD for someone special, you could use some of these ideas.

Sexxxy Mix:

“Sexy Boy” (cover song) by Jared Louche

 “Makeout Club” by Unrest

“Sexy Results” by Death From Above 1979

“Mkultra” by Unwound

“I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen

“Cherry Chapstick” by Yo La Tengo

“Lover Man” by Billie Holiday

“Rain” by Holly Golightly

“Science Killer” by Black Angels

“I Wanna Be Adored” by Stone Roses

“Baby Doll” (cover song) by Laether Strip

“Instinct Blues” by The White Stripes

“Precious Thing” by Big Black

“Get Up Get Down” by Dead Meadow

“I Wanna Be Your Dog” (cover) by Uncle Tupelo

“Persephone” by Cocteau Twins

“I Want You Right Now” by MC5

“Something Hot” by Afghan Whigs

“So Into You” by Shudder to Think

“The Hollow” by A Perfect Circle

“Burn” by Sister Machine Gun

“Do What You Wanna Do” by Lords of Acid

“Leif Erikson” by Interpol

“You and I vs. The World” by Make-Up

“Little Animal” by The Raveonettes

“Dirty Pants” by Smog

“Gently Johnny” from the original Wickerman soundtrack

“Another World” by Richard Hell

“Mellow” by Tricky

“Swing Low” by The Gossip

Sexy Photo Montage...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gozalewis/3351469469/

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/calamity_photography/4640356465/sizes/m/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29233640@N07/2896126057/sizes/m/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artbystevejohnson/5102657472/

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/auspices/3029922099/



Favorite Music Videos of the '70s and '80s

Here are some of my favorite music videos and songs from the '70s and '80s.

“October Love Song”: Chris and Cosey

This song makes me want to cry, but in a happy way.  It’s such an adorable song.  This music video is, well, special.  Especially with the weird mask and bondage/S&M thing going on.  I have no idea what that’s about, but it’s entertaining.

“Teenage Riot”: Sonic Youth



Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot
Uploaded by UniversalMusicGroup. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

This music video pretty much reminds me of my life: the generation before mine, and the generation I grew up in.

“Dr. Martens Boots”: Young Ones

This song is so true (except they are much more expensive than 19 pounds).  Also, it reminds me of watching the Young Ones with my friends in college.  I love the brief random lapse into the "Don't You Want Me" Human League song.

It's not class or ideology,
Color, creed, or roots
The only thing that unites us
Is Dr. Marten's boots
Dr. Marten's boots of the world
So that everybody can be free
They're classless, matchless, ageless and waterproof
And retail for only 19 pounds and 99p

What should everyone be wearing?
Those boots with the air-flow soles
And your boots will have a meeting
And your boots will take control

Thanks to Dr. Marten everyone will have warm feet
Thanks to Dr. Marten they'll be dancing in the street
No. Don't You Want Me.
OK, Boots. Do your stuff!

Dr. Marten's, Dr. Marten's, Dr. Marten's boots
Dr. Marten's, Dr. Marten's, Dr. Marten's boots
Dr. Marten's, Dr. Marten's, Dr. Marten's boots!

“Send Me an Angel”: Real Life

I love this song.  The music video is awesome--there's some kind of creepy beauty and the beast theme going on.  Sometimes the band members look like they are about to burst into laughter.  This is the earlier promo video from '83.  They redid the video in '89 and that one is not as good.

“Spasmolytic”: Skinny Puppy

A metaphorical music video.  You decide what it's about.  I love the part when the man on the bicycle comes out (I think it's Cevin Key) and hands Nivek Ohgr a note that says "U owe me an apology". 

“Der Kommissar”: Falco

Wow.  A guy in aviator shades dancing around in front of police and traffic.  It kind of makes me sad because Falco died in a car accident in real life.

“Voices Carry”: Til Tuesday

I love the part when she starts singing in the theater at the end of the video.  And as someone who has dated people who probably weren’t right for me and who rolled their eyes at my little eccentricities, I can relate to this video.

“Gary Gilmore’s Eyes”: The Adverts

This song and video makes me feel like jumping around on couches.

“House of Fun”: Madness

This whole video is fun.  I actually like Madness quite a lot.  But if I hear “Our House” one more time...

“Attitude”: Bad Brains

Classic.

“Cruel Summer”: Bananarama

This video makes me miss wearing overalls.  I don't care if they make me look like a midget farmer.  I’ve always felt I was the fourth undiscovered member of Bananarama.  Oh, and what was up with overalls in ‘80s music videos?  This video also reminds me of “C’mon Eileen”.

MP3 Song List: The Flannel Mix

Here in Baltimore, it’s that time of year when the weather becomes brisk and the sky is an otherworldly bluish-gray.  The leaves turn brilliant shades of orange, burgundy, and yellow, as if they are performing some kind of pyrotechnics grand finale right before they fall off and die.  My car and driveway is covered in rank-smelling ginkgo berries (shit berries), which I have to step around to avoid getting on my shoes, or else I’ll leave a putrefying aroma on the carpet.

Image of shit berries found via Creative Commons:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownpau/3094926693/sizes/s/in/photostream/

Although I reach for a sweater just about every day, I long for the times when I didn’t have to dress business casual, and I dream of my trusty ‘ole red flannel.  I have flashbacks of watching MTV’s “The State,” and taping band pictures from 1992-1996’s editions of Circus magazine on my bedroom walls.

Image of flannels found via Creative Commons:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/beche/2400500463/sizes/s/in/photostream/

In the spirit of autumn and flannel, I made a Flannel Mix on my MP3 Player.  There are some songs that were quite popular and emblematic of grungier times, and other songs that still have the same spirit, but never got much recognition.  Here is the list:

Guided by Voices “Alright”

Sonic Youth “Becuz”

Pixies “Break My Body”

The Breeders “Cannonball”

Filter “Consider This”

Radiohead “Creep”

7 Year Bitch “Disillusion”

The Mekons “Empire of the Senseless”

Jawbox “FF=66”

The 6ths “Falling Out of Love (With You)”

Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain”

Rage Against the Machine “Freedom”

For Love Not Lisa “Had a Lover”

Stone Roses “Here it Comes”

Unwound “Hexenzsene”

Hum “I’d Like Your Hair Long”

Sponge “Molly (Sixteen Candles)”

Minutemen “No Exchange”

Nirvana “On a Plain”

Daisy Chainsaw “Pink Flower”

Nada Surf “Popular”

L7 “Shitlist”

R.E.M. “Sitting Still”

Unrest “Six Layer Cake”

Yo La Tengo “Sugarcube”

P.J. Harvey “To Bring You My Love”

Mudhoney “Touch Me I’m Sick”

Placebo “Every You, Every Me”

Superchunk “Seed Toss”

Belly “Feed the Tree”

Deconstruction “Wait for History”

Helmet “Wilma’s Rainbow”

Shudder to Think “X-French Tee Shirt”

Videos by some of the lesser-known artists:

                    

So button up your flannel with pride, tie up/slide on those Doc Martens, and hop into a mound of leaves.  Just make sure there aren’t any glass bottles, concrete curbs, or shit berries lurking under the pile (Believe me—a curb to the spine can still be felt under leaves).  Happy flannel time!