Random Monday

I caught an episode of HBO's Extras for the first time last night. Freaking hilarious! If you subscribe to the old Home Box Office, check it out on Sunday nights after Curb Your Enthusiasm. (another hilarious show!) A couple of times, though, my hubby had to ask "What did he say?" since it's a Brit-comedy, and the accents can be difficult to understand. The show's plots are centered about a middle-aged actor (Ricky Gervais) trying to get work, but who mostly winds up on film as an extra. Each episode features a real star, and the first one gets off with a bang with a guest role by Kate Winslet. Kate, playing herself, overhears Maggie, the main character's friend, talking about a boyfriend who likes to have phone sex. Winslet overhears the conversation and chimes in (dressed as a nun for her acting role) with, "Then you can get more hardcore, rattle off the old classics—'I'm playing with my dirty pillows and I'm aching for your big purple-headed womb-ferret.' " I was laughing out loud. (or is is LOL?)
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If The Great Pumpkin is visiting you tonight, I wish you a Happy and safe Halloween!



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From the Toothpaste For Dinner Archives

Copyright Toothpaste For Dinner.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 Spooky (Halloweenie-type) Songs

I'll resist any temptation to include The Monster Mash or Spooky.

• Creep - Radiohead
  
• I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
• Werewolves Of London - Warren Zevon
• You're A Zombie - The Plasmatics (not only because the song's creepy, but because Wendy O. Williams was creepy!)
• Chain Saw - The Ramones

Matador Records Downloads

Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy! There are new, free Matador Records downloads!!

Cat Power - The Greatest - click here.

Early Man - Death Is the Answer - click here. (for the metalheads!)

Laura Cantrell - Hammer And Nails - click here.

The Double - Idiocy - click here.

Find more freebies here! Have a great day!

Toothpaste For Dinner

Image courtesy Toothpaste For Dinner.

I know we have our Dead Guy comic right in the blogosphere, and it's a great weekly read, but I've found another excellent online comic in Toothpaste For Dinner. Sure, it's crudely drawn, but it's funny! Drew, the guy behind the comic and the web site, has a few recurring themes in his drawings, and one of them is music. From time to time, I'll present one here.

And today's strip includes a bonus from me, just in case you're not familiar with R.E.M's The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight. Download it here* so you know what's so funny.

*download available for 7 days only

Screen Shot Game

You all did so well last time, I thought we should play again!

This week: In the Spirit of Halloween

Film 1:


Film 2:


Film 3:


Film 4:

"I'm Looking For That New Oprah Book..."

...said the customer. You know, that one about the guy. I think it's called A Hundred Million Things. (Oh, we're out of that one!)

We are selling out of this one as soon as they come in! I've not seen anything like this since The Da Vinci Code!

Other ways people have used to ask for this one:

• That book about the million bits and pieces
• I'm looking for Thousands of Pieces.
• Give me that new Oprah book about peace.
• That one about the drunk guy that was on Oprah.
• Do you have A Million Things?
• Do you have any Millions Of Pieces left? Everyone's sold out.

I'm almost finished with this one and my mom wants to read it. She doesn't like cursing, so I told her that this book is loaded with swears, mostly the "F" word. She said, "That's ok. I can skip those parts." I told her she'd have to skip right to the end, then. The "F" word is on almost every page more than once.

It's a compelling read, and even with the swearing, I'd encourage teens to read it. It's an honest, unnerving account of the author's drug and alcohol addiction and his subsequent rehab.

This time, I cannot argue with Oprah's choice.

Take Me Back Tuesday

The new release post is here, below!

Now, on to Take Me Back Tuesday. This week, it's all about the 80's! (Are you watching VH1's I Love The 80's in 3-D? I didn't think so.)

Name three of your favourite songs from that decade.
Without a doubt, my #1 favorite song of the 80's is from the one-hit wonders, Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen
Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
a-ha - Take On Me

Name three of your favourite artists from that decade.

R.E.M.
Pat Benatar
The Pretenders

Name your three favourite albums from that decade.

Pink Floyd - The Wall
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
R.E.M. - Murmur

New Release Tuesday!

Here are the fresh releases this week:

The Bacon Brothers - White Knuckles

Rick Braun - Yours Truly

Funkadelic - a whole bunch of reissues

Antony And the Johnsons - You Are My Sister

Marc Broussard - Bootleg To Benefit the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Marshall Crenshaw - reissues

The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir

Jerry Garcia - Ladder To the Stars: Jerry Plays Dylan

George Harrison - Concert For Bangladesh - Pick Of the Week

Nazareth - Complete Singles Collection

Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures

Satriane/Vai/Petrucci - G3: Live In Tokyo

Various Artists - This Bird Has Flown: 40th Anniversary Tribute To Rubber Soul - 40 years?! SHEESH! This tribute features performances by Low, Sufjan Stevens, Nellie McKay, Dar Williams, and The Donnas, among others.

Artist Of the Day

Denison Witmer

Witmer's Are You A Dreamer? was released in July, but I'm just getting to it. Why, oh why, did I wait? Produced, engineered, and mixed in Lancaster, PA (my hometown!) by Innocence Mission's Don Peris, Philly's Witmer has a fine guest list of co-contributors here. (appearances by Sufjan Stevens, IM's Don and Karen Peris, and Ester Drang's James McAlister.) This album is absolutely lovely!

Click here* to download Little Flowers, from Are You A Dreamer? (Stevens on banjo, Karen Peris's enchanting background vocal)

*download available for 7 days only

Welcome To Concert Etiquette 101

This was given to each of us as we entered the arena last night.

I hate this day and age sometimes.

Not only did they give this to us, they proceeded to ignore MOST of the "rules" themselves. The lobby was curtained off at the beginning, but then the curtains were opened and light streamed in. People got up and went in and out during the whole show! No cameras ? What were all those little bluish lights glowing all around, seemingly taking the place of the flaming lighters of old? There were cameras EVERYWHERE!

I felt put off by this card, like I was being called into the principal's office for throwing spit wads.

During the show, Bruce admonished a couple of clapping people in the audience (they were sitting near my husband and me) and told them to "cut it the fuck out." As much as they deserved that, it was just another slap after the post card. What the hell happened to ROCK and ROLL?

The Boss also played his song "The Fever," but prefaced it by explaining that he hasn't performed it on this tour, but someone backstage had asked him to play it. He called it "an annoying fan favorite." To be sure, he doesn't want to become any sort of oldies act and play the same songs ad nauseum, and that's his right, but if he finds a particular one of his songs annoying, why play it. Or why play it and tell us it's an annoyance?

Maybe it's just me.

Sure, the guy wrote the song. He put a smidgeon of his heart and soul down into words and music, and at this particular point in his life, it was his and only his. But, the way I see it, once he records it and releases it to us, the listeners, the fans, it becomes a piece of us, too. We listen to it when we make out. We hear it on our first date. We may have sex while it plays softly in the background. It's in our cars as we ride to work or school or to the grocery store. It's in our elevators and streaming from our computers. It's in our lives and we own a piece of it. To be told that it's an annoying favorite is a cutting blow to a fan. (no, it wasn't me who requested the song! tee hee)

The concert? In retrospect, I should have seen The Boss with the E Street Band the first time. Don't get me wrong, Springsteen's voice was strong and his playing of various instruments, ranging from banjo to ukelele to piano to old-timey organ was top-notch. I expected acoustic, but I expected more up-tempo songs. Yes, it was the Devils & Dust tour, which is not the most upbeat album of his career, but word was out that Bruce was up for anything, and that he'd play various tunes from his entire catalog. Overall, I felt sort of flat at the end of the show. Not disappointed, but not screaming, "WOW!" either.

Maybe it was the post card.

Set list:

Idiot's Delight (new song...vocals through the harp mike..interesting)
Across The Border
Devils And Dust
Long Time Coming
Sinaloa Cowboys
The Fever (the annoying fan favorite)
The Promise
Johnny 99 (another one through the harp mike)
All I'm Thinkin' About
Brilliant Disguise
I'm On Fire (banjo..quite good)
Reno (compelling)
When You're Alone
Racing In The Street (awesome!)
Lost In The Flood (another awesome one)
The Rising (superb)
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Jesus Was An Only Son (very effective)
Two Hearts
The New Timer
Matamoros Banks (freakin' sad)

I Wanna Marry You (ukelele!)
Waitin' On A Sunny Day
The Promised Land (quite a different tempo than the recording, but good!)
Dream Baby Dream (went on a bit long, but the sounds build and it's good)

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 bands/artists that you can't get enough of and a song and/or album by each that you'd recommend to your fellow meme-ers.

Lately:

• Brandi Carlile - Her self-titled album blows me away. I've mentioned her here before, and I'm still listening like crazy.
• Laura Veirs - She was an artist of the day a week or two back. Her album Year Of Meteors is poetic, personal, and perfectly produced.
• James Blunt - He reminds me of David Gray a bit. Back to Bedlam is a very good album, and his song You're Beautiful is just that.
• The New Pornographers - They've been around for a few years, and every album keeps getting better! I recommend Twin Cinemas, their current release, but I still can't get enough of the pounding pop sounds of 2003's Electric Version.
• Mike Doughty - I was never a huge Soul Coughing fan, but now that Mike Doughty is a solo act, I love his grooves! (and I'm finding several Soul Coughing songs are now palatable!) Plus, you gotta love a guy who'd write, "I went to school with 27 Jennifers, 16 Jens, 10 Jennies, and then there was her."

All-Time:

The Beatles - Rubber Soul or Revolver are my favorites!

Patty Griffin - This incredible singer/songwriter stirs my soul. She's best when she sings her deeply emotional ballads, but one listen to her rocking out in Change from her album Flaming Red, and you know she could hold her own with any bigtime rock gal. Click here*to download Change.

John Hiatt - You probably already know I'm a huge Hiatt fan, so quit rolling your eyes. I recommend Bring The Family or Slow Turning as starting points.

Wilco - Simply the best band to emerge from the 90's. I highly recommend starting your Wilco journey with Being There, followed by A.M., then, if you're ready for some changes, move on to Summerteeth.

Warren Zevon - I'll never get enough of his biting satire and his tenderness on the block. The guy could write a song. Try the classic Excitable Boy or Sentimental Hygiene. If you're looking for a one-shot deal, go with I'll Sleep When I'm Dead or the Genius anthology.

*download available for 7 days only.

A Bossy Quiz

You'll take "The Boss" for 400, Alex?

1. Max Weinberg, The E Street drummer, is the band leader for which late-night talk show?

a. Jimmy Kimmel Live!
b. The Late Show with David Letterman
c. Late Night With Conan O'Brien

2. The screen door slams. Whose dress waves?

3. Who is this Red-Headed Woman?

4. The Boss sent greeting from which beach town in New Jersey on an early album?

5. Which band had a huge comeback hit with an early Bruce song?

6. Who said, " I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time."

7. Who co-wrote Because The Night with The Boss?

8. Who's the girl in 4th Of July song?

9. Which Boss song won an Academy Award?

10. Which E Street Band member played on Neil Young's After The Gold Rush album?

Audioscrobbler Top 10 Artists

I hadn't checked my stats at the Audioscrobbler site in awhile, so I checked them today. These are my Top 10 Artists (tunes I play randomly in iTunes or Winamp most often.)

Fleetwood Mac (270 plays)

Barenaked Ladies (127 plays)

Coldplay (125 plays)

The Shins (89 plays)

Brandi Carlile (89 plays)

Ryan Adams (87 plays)

The Jayhawks (77 plays)

Chris Isaak (74 plays)

Jackson Browne (71 plays)

Patti Smith (68 plays)

If you use Audioscrobbler, what are your Top 10? (Note: Although I love all the artists, above, they are not necessarily my Top 10 Artists ever!)

Artist Of the Day

Halloween, Alaska


No, they're not from Alaska, and yes, they're cool, even though they look nerdly.

Give them a shot and you'll be hooked on their free downloadable song, Call It Clear, available here. All Music Guide says, A lot of bands claim not to fit any preexisting pop music genre, but few can back up such claims as convincingly as Minneapolis-based Halloween, Alaska...jittery-junglyand swooningly melodic...sonically large and weirdly cathartic...Highly recommended.

Who am I to argue with that?

New Release Tuesday

Here's what's new for you this week:

Peter Malick Group/Norah Jones - New York City: The Chill Album - This is an older album (I have it) repackaged. If you like Norah, you'll love her blues turn here. I don't know how this qualifies as "chill," though.

Martha Stewart - Living Music: The Holiday Collection - See? She was busy at work while she was cooped up for a few months!

The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity

Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs & Englishmen (deluxe) - A classic rereleased. Pick Of The Week.

Tim Finn - Tim Finn/ Before & After

North Mississippi Allstars - Best Of

The Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers

Brian Setzer Orchestra - Dig That Crazy Christmas

Ashlee Simpson - oohhh whatever...she's still working?

Rod Stewart - Thanks For the Memory: Great American Songbook, Vol. 4 - Rod knows where the money is, and it's not in HIS back catalog!

Take Me Back Tuesday

Name three songs with music or music related words in the title.

American Pie - Don McLean - Now, I know that music isn't in the title, but the song is all about the day the music died, so I'm sticking it in here!

A Song For You - Leon Russell

Songbird - Eva Cassidy


Name three artists with music related words in their name.

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives
Roxy Music
American Music Club


Name three albums with music or music related words in the title.

A Song For You - The Carpenters
Sing - Abra Moore
Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions - Shannon Curfman

Thanks to the ladies at The Music Memoirs for the meme.

The Usual Monday Randomness

Significant Other and I spent the rainy weekend watching the entire DVD set of the series Firefly. Why the hell did I miss this when it aired in 2002 on Fox? Now I can't wait until Friday to go see Serenity in the theater. (We made a date!) I'm not a huge fan of the sci-fi genre, but I like me some Star Wars (the original 3 films,) and some vintage Star Trek. I've heard so much buzz about Firefly from coworkers, and every time we get the DVD in stock, it sells out in a day or two, so I just had to see what the big deal was. I was hooked from the first episode! Much more like a western in space, with plenty of compelling characters and lots of action (bar fights!)
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77 Hours and counting until I finally see The Boss! WAA HOOO!!
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I am so happy to see sunshine today. There was a brief tease yesterday before the clouds thickened and blocked the warm rays, but today is bright and blustery! Now if the damn leaves would just change, it'd really feel like fall! (The colors are showing up late this year due to the warm September we had.)
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I finally lost enough weight to be denied two points a day from my original Weight Watchers allowance. That's certainly a mixed blessing!
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Stay tuned for tomorrow's new releases!

Random 10 Game

The weather is still dismal around here, but things are supposedly looking brighter for Sunday! Good thing! I was ready to head to Home Depot for ark-building supplies!

I haven't posted this game in awhile, so here it goes. I give you the first line of the first random 10 songs that queue up in iTunes. You guess the tune (and artist, if you wish)..and away we go!

1. With so much drama in the l-b-c, it’s kinda hard bein' snoop d-o-double-g.

2. Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you.

3. For you there'll be no more crying, for you the sun will be shining.

4. This one goes out to the one I love, this one goes out to the one I’ve left behind.

5. I wish I was a fisherman, tumblin' on the seas, far away from dry land and it's bitter memories. (this one might be a tough one!)

6. Shapes of things before my eyes just teach me to despise.

7. Can you surry, can you picnic? Can you surry, can you picnic?

8. Oh I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands I used to go see on the landing in the summer.

9. All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces.

10. Everybody's talking and no one says a word.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 "Crying" Songs

• Crying - Roy Orbison
• The Tears Of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
• Cry - Angie Aparo - click here* to download
• Cry Baby - Janis Joplin - click here* to download
• When Doves Cry - Patti Smith - click here* to download this haunting version of Prince's song.

Runners Up - When Doves Cry - Prince; Had To Cry Today - Blind Faith; Here Come Those Tears Again - Jackson Browne; Stop Your Sobbing - The Kinks; No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley; Crying In the Night - Buckingham Nicks; Cry Me A River - Ray Charles

*downloads available for 7 days only

Thanks to The Music Memoirs for the meme.

Joke?

A joke from a forwarded email...

Q. Why do little boys whine?

A. Because they're practicing to be men.

Now, go visit Janet and read her excellent post about forwarded emails.!

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

darth was playing this yesterday, and he copped it from Arethusa, so now I'm keeping it going.

My choices are all from films associated with music:

Film 1



Film 2


Film 3


Film 4


I made it pretty easy, eh? Winner gets high fives!

Take Me Back Tuesday

Name three songs with feelings or other emotion related words in the title.

• Sad Eyes - Bruce Springsteen
• Blue - The Jayhawks
• Pissed Off - Jennifer Warnes

Name three artists with an emotionally related words in their name.

Low
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Madness

Name three albums with emotionally related words in the title.

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
The Partridge Family - Come On Get Happy: Best of
Tom Cochrane - Mad, Mad World

What's New This Week

If you venture out to your retail shoppes today, here's what will be in the "New Release" racks...

The Constantines - Tournament Of Hearts - Click here to download Love In Fear from this new release, directly from Sub Pop Records.

Jamie Cullum - Catching Tales

Alicia Keys - Unplugged

Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1

Susan Cowsill - Just Believe It

Magnolia Electric Co - Hard To Love A Man

Dolly Parton - Those Were the Days

Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly

Susan Tedeschi - Hope And Desire - Pick Of The Week

Paul Weller - As Is Now

Hank Williams - Turn Back The Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection

Monday Randomness

Why does it always seem to rain on Columbus Day weekend in New England?
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Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit is deliciously funny and entertaining! There are plenty of child-friendly adult jokes in the film to keep the grown-ups amused, so that the entire family can have fun. (Like the one where Wallace is naked, covered in a cardboard box labeled "Caution: May Contain Nuts.") Go see it! Youngest had been a grump about leaving the house to go to the movies (I think he was a little freaked by the whole concept of the "Were-Rabbit",) so I told him that I'd better not catch him laughing during the movie. When he burst out laughing at one point, he looked over at me and said, "HAH! Fake laugh!" Nice comeback, eh?
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It's a day off, but I will spend two hours of it driving College Boy back to his off-campus Animal House. At least there's a Dunkin' Donuts with a fairly clean bathroom right at the end of his block. Fairly clean is at least cleaned once a day or so, unlike the questionable cleaning schedule that may or may not exist in his house!
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Last night's epi of "Desperate Housewives" was full of laughs, but the one that makes me happiest is that Goofy George is back! That guy's a train wreck waiting to happen, isn't he? And now that John's out of Gabrielle's life after that cold shot of reality, I wonder what's going to keep her story interesting? Beautiful, pampered, and pregnant just doesn't seem like enough, does it? Maybe the producers should give her a tough pregnancy...lots of morning sickness...break outs....swollen ankles...bleeding gums. You know, just like real life!
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Best cd purchases in the last few weeks: Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors, James Blunt - Back To Bedlam, Big Star - In Space, and My Morning Jacket - Z.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 Silly Song Titles

Ok, I'm doing silly as "weird"

• One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds Five
• Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
• Careful With That Axe Eugene - Pink Floyd
• My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama - Frank Zappa
• What If That Guy From Smashing Pumpkins Lost His Car Keys - Steven Lynch
  

And if you're feeling frisky a bonus:

Top 5 Silly Album Titles

• Hot Rats - Frank Zappa
• When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, The You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, 'Cuz You'll Know That You're Right - Fiona Apple
• Clouds Taste Metallic - The Flaming Lips
• Ummagumma - Pink Floyd
• Bad Mother Trucker - Ten Foot Pole
  

Artist Of the Day

Laura Veirs

On the cover of her latest album, Year Of Meteors, Laura Veirs looks like she'd fit right in on an updated Revenge Of the Nerds. The album has garnered glowing reviews, and from the sampling I heard on her site, deservedly so. I'm clearing a spot in my CD collection for this one, right next to the only other "V" artist I own, Van Halen.

You can sample it here.

Two Truths And A Lie - Updated With Answers

Scraping the bottom of the "what to post about" barrel again!

To play, determine which one of the three statements in each group is the FALSE statement.

1. What's Love Got To Do With It?

A. In first grade, I chased a boy down at the church picnic and kissed him hard on the lips. Yes, I kissed the boys and made them cry.
B. In fourth grade, a boy in my class whom I couldn't stand walked to my house after school to hang out with me, but when I saw him, I ran into the woods and waited for him to leave. Sorry, Eddie Maus.
C. In seventh grade, a boy I had a crush on told me I was "subversive," and I had to go look that up in a dictionary. This is the false one. This did actually happen, but we were in freshman year of high school. After I looked up what subversive was, I accosted the boy in class and explained (at great length and to quite a bit of eye rolling) just how WRONG he was.

2. James Lipton Edition, Part Deaux

A. My least favorite word is "the c word." Yes, Mark is right about that. There's a book out there titled "C***," and about women can use it to empower themselves. That might be true, but I still can't bring myself to speak that word.
B. The sound I hate most is "a cell door slamming shut". False! The sound that sends shivers up and down my spine is a the menacing whir of the dental drill!
C. The profession I'd never want to participate in is "cow inseminator." ICK! This is true. I also wouldn't want to deal with anyone's or anything's poo.

3. Let's Misbehave

A. I spent a night in jail for marijuana possession. The cop didn't like me calling him a pig during the bust. No, No, and No. And of course I would not call someone a pig (to his face.)
B. A teacher threw a chalkboard eraser at my face when I yawned out loud in class once. Mr. Weeks hated me and seized this opportunity to demonstrate that.
C. I've been shot at while trespassing on private property. Yep. In Guam, I was "boonie stomping" in the jungle with a friend, when we discovered quite a large patch of marijuana at the edge of the property. We thought we might just snap off a few leaves and began to help ourselves when we were startled by what sounded like gun shots. I looked up and saw a rather angry Guamanian running toward us with a shot gun. Needless to say, we got the hell out of there as fast as we could. Crime doesn't pay.

Remember, pick the false statement! (Come on, I made this one pretty easy!)

Take Me Back Tuesday

In honour of our very own Music Whore's new job....

It's all about work and anything work related.

1. Name three songs about working.

I Don't Want To Work - Todd Rundgren
Finest Worksong - REM
Welcome To the Working Week - Elvis Costello