- Why Eclipse Is The Only Twilight Movie That Doesn't Fail In Every Way Possible
- At The Movies Is Over And So Is My Life (Only Not Really, It Just Sounds Great In The Title)
- Why Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Is The Best Cast Movie I've Seen In A Few Weeks, At Least
- Project Runway: It's Hard To Make It Work When The Program Runs 30 Minutes Longer Than It Should (Possible addendum to this entry: "One Of The Contestants Might Actually Be The Host Of Man Versus Food")
- How I Already Know Angel Is A Better Show Than Buffy The Vampire Slayer After Watching Half The Former And All Of The Latter
- Something That Has Nothing To Do With Pop Culture, Just To Mix Things Up
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Things I've Meant To Write About Here, But Totally Haven't
Thursday, July 8, 2010
PC0Something: Immediate Emmy Reactions
Things That Bother Me
Community gets snubbed completely, the only comedy in NBC's Thursday night lineup that gets absolutely nothing, and Jon Cryer takes a spot Donald Glover or Danny Pudi should have had
Glee gets nominated for about 15 more awards than it should (I'll excuse a couple acting nods)
Thing That Downright Confuses Me
Warehouse 13 inexplicably appears somewhere on the list
Things I'll Admit Make Me Happy
Lost gets just as much recognition as it deserves, including acting nominations for more than one of my favorite performers on the show (Elizabeth Mitchell included)
Modern Family gets a number of acting nods
NPH appears on the list more than once
I don't know if you noticed, but I couldn't be more miffed/flummoxed/bummed about the Community snub. (Let's not even get to the glaring lack of HIMYM.) In my mind, it's quickly become the highlight of NBC Thursdays. Missing the Paintball episode ... really, guys? It makes me want to watch tonight's marathon just to prove my allegiance and air my grievance all at once. (That rhymed!) AND I THINK I WILL.
Oh, addendum: sometime this month, I'm planning a renewed commentary on the Twilight saga (that's correct), a revisit to the theme of strong girls on film, and at least one other PC entry. They will probably not be entirely politically correct, despite their unofficial title.
In sum, I love Community, I like some actors and stuff, and Warehouse 13 got nominated for an Emmy.
Also, Jamie Bamber is going to be at DragonCon. This, and Scott's return from the land of conferences and monuments, is my consolation today.
Community gets snubbed completely, the only comedy in NBC's Thursday night lineup that gets absolutely nothing, and Jon Cryer takes a spot Donald Glover or Danny Pudi should have had
Glee gets nominated for about 15 more awards than it should (I'll excuse a couple acting nods)
Thing That Downright Confuses Me
Warehouse 13 inexplicably appears somewhere on the list
Things I'll Admit Make Me Happy
Lost gets just as much recognition as it deserves, including acting nominations for more than one of my favorite performers on the show (Elizabeth Mitchell included)
Modern Family gets a number of acting nods
NPH appears on the list more than once
I don't know if you noticed, but I couldn't be more miffed/flummoxed/bummed about the Community snub. (Let's not even get to the glaring lack of HIMYM.) In my mind, it's quickly become the highlight of NBC Thursdays. Missing the Paintball episode ... really, guys? It makes me want to watch tonight's marathon just to prove my allegiance and air my grievance all at once. (That rhymed!) AND I THINK I WILL.
Oh, addendum: sometime this month, I'm planning a renewed commentary on the Twilight saga (that's correct), a revisit to the theme of strong girls on film, and at least one other PC entry. They will probably not be entirely politically correct, despite their unofficial title.
In sum, I love Community, I like some actors and stuff, and Warehouse 13 got nominated for an Emmy.
Also, Jamie Bamber is going to be at DragonCon. This, and Scott's return from the land of conferences and monuments, is my consolation today.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Flashbackin': An Interview with Christopher Buckley
Three and a half years ago, when I was a mere second year student at Calvin College and working as arts & entertainment editor of the school newspaper, I had the opportunity to interview Christopher Buckley. Buckley, an American author, can accurately be described as "prolific." He's a nationally recognized journalist who edits Forbes, writes for The New Yorker and countless other magazines, and authors novels and memoirs when he has the time. If you're wondering why I got to interview him, well, it still feels like it was an act of God. Believe me when I say it was the best interview I've ever experienced and I wouldn't be shocked if that remained the case for a long, long time.
Intro: Political satirist Christopher Buckley visited Calvin last month as the penultimate January Series speaker. Chimes A&E Editor Christy Gordon sat down with Buckley to discuss his varied career and the importance of a good title (or headline, as the case may be).
CG: So how do you feel about the title of your lecture, “An Afternoon with Christopher Buckley?”
CB: I think it exactly describes a 12:30 to 1:30 period. I argued for “An Early Afternoon with Christopher Buckley,” but I believe the decision went all the way to the top. I also suggested “A Morning With” or “An Evening With,” but I’m reasonably satisfied.
CG: Yeah, I found it interesting that on the posters, everybody else has a convoluted title and yours is so simple.
CB: Well, I could have used “What’s Up With Eurasia?” but that title was already taken.
CG: Well, “An Afternoon With” works. Can you pinpoint how satire became your medium of choice? Clearly, it’s not the only medium you write in.
CB: It came about sort of accidentally. I started as a fairly straightforward journalist, but I found myself reaching for what I’d call the “funny” key on the typewriter, and it just sort of happened when my first book came out. One of the reviewers referred to my “comic gift.” I saw that, and I was kind of arrested by that phrase. And I thought, “Hm, well, maybe I ought to do more with this.” Plus, it’s fun to make people laugh. And when they don’t laugh, it’s not fun. It takes a while to figure out what you’re good at. The real trick is, can you make a living on it?
CG: What’s your method for writing?
CB: Writing a book is like running a marathon. They take a while. It’s not like writing an 800 word piece, a shout and murmur for the New Yorker — that’s like a 100 yard dash. A book’s like a marathon. When you’re starting one, the thing to ask yourself is, “Do I really like this idea?” It might seem like a jolly good idea, and a funny one … is it still going to be funny or compelling eight months from now? That’s the key.
CG: In a PBS interview, you called yourself a poor man’s Jonathan Swift when the host suggested you’re the next Jonathan Swift.
CB: Yeah, I felt a little awkward.
CG: Understandably so.
CB: Well, how does that sound? “Oh, yeah, I’m the new Jonathan Swift.” You invite two million people to say, “Oh, yeah?” But it’s nice that [the interviewer] said that.
CG: It’s a clever description at the very least.
CB: Well, one thing Jonathan Swift and I do have in common … he wrote “A Modest Proposal” satirically, but he was writing very seriously, saying that this was something we needed to talk about. Now, my next book proposes that the government incentifies suicide for retiring baby boomers as a means of making Social Security solve it. I’ve already got a lot of questions, and I’m going to say, “Well, it’s my modest proposal.”
CG: I love the title of the next one: “Boomsday.”
CB: Yeah? I’m encouraged. A lot of people hear it and say, “Doomsday?” And I say, “No, it’s Boomsday.”
CG: It’s clever, yeah. I’m good at writing leads and horrible at writing titles.
CB: Oh, it’s all about writing a good book title.
CG: How do you fit humor and cleverness into writing?
CB: I think your instincts will lead you there … don’t force it. Just let it sort of percolate up. You’ll find yourself doing it unconsciously.
CG: You’ve found this over time, then, in your writing?
CB: That’s what I have. At the beginning, what you should concentrate on is writing in clear, good English. I mean, I wasn’t born a good writer. I’ve worked at it. Probably the best class I ever took was my freshman English composition course, where they’d basically say, “Just write clearly.” A lot of people don’t.
CG: So, “Thank You For Smoking” — let’s talk about the film. Oscar nominations are happening soon. How do you feel about that?
CB: It was unfortunately a very good year for movies … “Borat,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” marvelous movie.
CG: I loved that.
CB: Yeah, that’s probably the toughest competition. If we have to lose, I hope it’s to them.
CG: You’re okay with losing to “Borat?”
CB: You know, “Borat” left me with a slightly icky taste.
CG: Me too.
CB: You know, I laughed. I have to say I laughed. But there were parts I did not laugh at that I thought were cruel and condescending. It left me with a frankly metallic taste in my mouth. [Cohen] is a comic genius. But the crudity … see, the crudity of American humor, it’s gotten so crude. Now, crudity has its place, but the F-word should be used like paprika. You shouldn’t overload the dish with it. These stand up guys, you see them in person, and it’s “Hello,” “how are you,” and “goodbye.” They can’t go five seconds without saying “f---.” I don’t know where we go with it. But Borat … Borat certainly pushed that envelope.
CG: I wrote a ‘Christian critique’ for a Media Criticism class in the fall of Borat. How do you analyze that …
CB: From a Christian perspective?
CG: Right!
CB: I guess “turning the other cheek” is a theme you could work with. I must say this for “Borat:” it is a movie that makes you think. Whether or not it left us with an icky taste, it certainly gave us something to bite down on.
CG: When you wrote “Thank You For Smoking,” did you see this as something that could become a film?
CB: I write books to be books. I don’t think as I’m writing, “Oh, this would be a great vehicle for Robert Altman.” I think you get into trouble that way. I have to say, I think you can do much more with a book than with a movie. It’s great when someone comes along and makes a book into a good movie. In terms of what you can accomplish with a book, with characters and their backgrounds and their motivations, movies are terribly limited with that — which isn’t to say some movies don’t do that brilliantly. But I stand by the statement that a good novel is artistically superior to a good movie.
CG: I just saw “Children of Men.” Terrific film, terrible book.
CB: You know, there’s a Hollywood adage: “Good books make bad movies, and bad books make good movies.” I think you’d have to look at it on a case by case basis, but I kind of get it. I now appreciate the skill required to turn a book into a movie [after “Thank You For Smoking”].
CG: Were you satisfied with the film’s casting?
CB: Yes, I was very happy with the cast. I had nothing to do with it, but I thought Aaron Eckhart was very good. I was tickled with Robert Duvall, one of my favorite actors, and another one of my favorite actors, Sam Elliott, played the dying Marlboro Man … a lot of very good actors were in it for three minutes, and they brought glory to it.
CG: And William H. Macy.
CB: Oh, I just love him. When you see the movie, his funny line — I won’t give it away — he came up with it.
CG: Yeah, I … I love him. I can’t be eloquent about it. I love him.
CB: You are eloquent about it! You said, “I love him.” I doubt if William H. Macy were here he would find any objection to the way you put it.
CG: Good, good. So your novel “Little Green Men” is becoming a film next?
CB: Yeah, that’s the idea. I’ve become a little cautious with predictions. It took 12 years for “Thank You For Smoking” to become a movie. They have an actor, they have a script. But that said, I will revert to my standard way of answering questions: I’ll send you a postcard at the start of principle photography. Something’s always going to happen, though, and if you sit there by the phone, waiting for it to ring, you will become an old man as I have. But there are certain consolations to old age.
CG: You’re only two years older than my parents.
CB: You know, you start out younger than everyone, and now, I’m older than everyone.
CG: So this interview will be printed in February.
CB: Oh, so I’ll be a very distant memory if I’m even a memory.
CG: I’ll bring you back very strongly, 12 page color photo spread.
CB: You can call it, “What the heck was that about?”
CG: It has to have a great title, you know, fitting with the theme.
CB: “Buckley interview: insert title here.”
CG: I think that will suffice.
Intro: Political satirist Christopher Buckley visited Calvin last month as the penultimate January Series speaker. Chimes A&E Editor Christy Gordon sat down with Buckley to discuss his varied career and the importance of a good title (or headline, as the case may be).
CG: So how do you feel about the title of your lecture, “An Afternoon with Christopher Buckley?”
CB: I think it exactly describes a 12:30 to 1:30 period. I argued for “An Early Afternoon with Christopher Buckley,” but I believe the decision went all the way to the top. I also suggested “A Morning With” or “An Evening With,” but I’m reasonably satisfied.
CG: Yeah, I found it interesting that on the posters, everybody else has a convoluted title and yours is so simple.
CB: Well, I could have used “What’s Up With Eurasia?” but that title was already taken.
CG: Well, “An Afternoon With” works. Can you pinpoint how satire became your medium of choice? Clearly, it’s not the only medium you write in.
CB: It came about sort of accidentally. I started as a fairly straightforward journalist, but I found myself reaching for what I’d call the “funny” key on the typewriter, and it just sort of happened when my first book came out. One of the reviewers referred to my “comic gift.” I saw that, and I was kind of arrested by that phrase. And I thought, “Hm, well, maybe I ought to do more with this.” Plus, it’s fun to make people laugh. And when they don’t laugh, it’s not fun. It takes a while to figure out what you’re good at. The real trick is, can you make a living on it?
CG: What’s your method for writing?
CB: Writing a book is like running a marathon. They take a while. It’s not like writing an 800 word piece, a shout and murmur for the New Yorker — that’s like a 100 yard dash. A book’s like a marathon. When you’re starting one, the thing to ask yourself is, “Do I really like this idea?” It might seem like a jolly good idea, and a funny one … is it still going to be funny or compelling eight months from now? That’s the key.
CG: In a PBS interview, you called yourself a poor man’s Jonathan Swift when the host suggested you’re the next Jonathan Swift.
CB: Yeah, I felt a little awkward.
CG: Understandably so.
CB: Well, how does that sound? “Oh, yeah, I’m the new Jonathan Swift.” You invite two million people to say, “Oh, yeah?” But it’s nice that [the interviewer] said that.
CG: It’s a clever description at the very least.
CB: Well, one thing Jonathan Swift and I do have in common … he wrote “A Modest Proposal” satirically, but he was writing very seriously, saying that this was something we needed to talk about. Now, my next book proposes that the government incentifies suicide for retiring baby boomers as a means of making Social Security solve it. I’ve already got a lot of questions, and I’m going to say, “Well, it’s my modest proposal.”
CG: I love the title of the next one: “Boomsday.”
CB: Yeah? I’m encouraged. A lot of people hear it and say, “Doomsday?” And I say, “No, it’s Boomsday.”
CG: It’s clever, yeah. I’m good at writing leads and horrible at writing titles.
CB: Oh, it’s all about writing a good book title.
CG: How do you fit humor and cleverness into writing?
CB: I think your instincts will lead you there … don’t force it. Just let it sort of percolate up. You’ll find yourself doing it unconsciously.
CG: You’ve found this over time, then, in your writing?
CB: That’s what I have. At the beginning, what you should concentrate on is writing in clear, good English. I mean, I wasn’t born a good writer. I’ve worked at it. Probably the best class I ever took was my freshman English composition course, where they’d basically say, “Just write clearly.” A lot of people don’t.
CG: So, “Thank You For Smoking” — let’s talk about the film. Oscar nominations are happening soon. How do you feel about that?
CB: It was unfortunately a very good year for movies … “Borat,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” marvelous movie.
CG: I loved that.
CB: Yeah, that’s probably the toughest competition. If we have to lose, I hope it’s to them.
CG: You’re okay with losing to “Borat?”
CB: You know, “Borat” left me with a slightly icky taste.
CG: Me too.
CB: You know, I laughed. I have to say I laughed. But there were parts I did not laugh at that I thought were cruel and condescending. It left me with a frankly metallic taste in my mouth. [Cohen] is a comic genius. But the crudity … see, the crudity of American humor, it’s gotten so crude. Now, crudity has its place, but the F-word should be used like paprika. You shouldn’t overload the dish with it. These stand up guys, you see them in person, and it’s “Hello,” “how are you,” and “goodbye.” They can’t go five seconds without saying “f---.” I don’t know where we go with it. But Borat … Borat certainly pushed that envelope.
CG: I wrote a ‘Christian critique’ for a Media Criticism class in the fall of Borat. How do you analyze that …
CB: From a Christian perspective?
CG: Right!
CB: I guess “turning the other cheek” is a theme you could work with. I must say this for “Borat:” it is a movie that makes you think. Whether or not it left us with an icky taste, it certainly gave us something to bite down on.
CG: When you wrote “Thank You For Smoking,” did you see this as something that could become a film?
CB: I write books to be books. I don’t think as I’m writing, “Oh, this would be a great vehicle for Robert Altman.” I think you get into trouble that way. I have to say, I think you can do much more with a book than with a movie. It’s great when someone comes along and makes a book into a good movie. In terms of what you can accomplish with a book, with characters and their backgrounds and their motivations, movies are terribly limited with that — which isn’t to say some movies don’t do that brilliantly. But I stand by the statement that a good novel is artistically superior to a good movie.
CG: I just saw “Children of Men.” Terrific film, terrible book.
CB: You know, there’s a Hollywood adage: “Good books make bad movies, and bad books make good movies.” I think you’d have to look at it on a case by case basis, but I kind of get it. I now appreciate the skill required to turn a book into a movie [after “Thank You For Smoking”].
CG: Were you satisfied with the film’s casting?
CB: Yes, I was very happy with the cast. I had nothing to do with it, but I thought Aaron Eckhart was very good. I was tickled with Robert Duvall, one of my favorite actors, and another one of my favorite actors, Sam Elliott, played the dying Marlboro Man … a lot of very good actors were in it for three minutes, and they brought glory to it.
CG: And William H. Macy.
CB: Oh, I just love him. When you see the movie, his funny line — I won’t give it away — he came up with it.
CG: Yeah, I … I love him. I can’t be eloquent about it. I love him.
CB: You are eloquent about it! You said, “I love him.” I doubt if William H. Macy were here he would find any objection to the way you put it.
CG: Good, good. So your novel “Little Green Men” is becoming a film next?
CB: Yeah, that’s the idea. I’ve become a little cautious with predictions. It took 12 years for “Thank You For Smoking” to become a movie. They have an actor, they have a script. But that said, I will revert to my standard way of answering questions: I’ll send you a postcard at the start of principle photography. Something’s always going to happen, though, and if you sit there by the phone, waiting for it to ring, you will become an old man as I have. But there are certain consolations to old age.
CG: You’re only two years older than my parents.
CB: You know, you start out younger than everyone, and now, I’m older than everyone.
CG: So this interview will be printed in February.
CB: Oh, so I’ll be a very distant memory if I’m even a memory.
CG: I’ll bring you back very strongly, 12 page color photo spread.
CB: You can call it, “What the heck was that about?”
CG: It has to have a great title, you know, fitting with the theme.
CB: “Buckley interview: insert title here.”
CG: I think that will suffice.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Interlude: Sign O' The Times
I first put this mix together last fall. For the last couple days, I've been listening to classical music and soundtracks rather than, well, anything else, but I broke the "Concentration and Stuff!" reverie to listen to Sign O' The Times/Charming Populism and document the playlist here.
1. Simon & Garfunkel, "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
2. Bright Eyes, "You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will."
3. Arcade Fire, "Haiti"
4. Billy Joel, "Vienna"
5. Vienna Teng, "Augustine"
6. Belle & Sebastian, "Dress Up In You"
7. Death Cab For Cutie, "Why You'd Want To Live Here"
8. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, "It Wasn't Me"
9. The Mudbloods, "A Pensieve Full Of Unrequited Love"
10. Marvelous 3, "Cigarette Lighter Love Song"
11. Barenaked Ladies, "The Flag"
12. The Get Up Kids, "Valentine"
13. Straylight Run, "Existentialism On Prom Night"
14. Fuel, "Shimmer"
15. Aqualung, "Brighter Than Sunshine"
16. Our Lady Peace, "Made To Heal"
17. Ben Folds, "Gone"
18. The Darkness, "English Country Garden"
19. The Beatles, "Don't Let Me Down"
You probably hate at least one of these songs. Neither the cat nor I care. She can sleep to it, I can work to it, and right now, that's all either of us are looking for.
1. Simon & Garfunkel, "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
2. Bright Eyes, "You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will."
3. Arcade Fire, "Haiti"
4. Billy Joel, "Vienna"
5. Vienna Teng, "Augustine"
6. Belle & Sebastian, "Dress Up In You"
7. Death Cab For Cutie, "Why You'd Want To Live Here"
8. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, "It Wasn't Me"
9. The Mudbloods, "A Pensieve Full Of Unrequited Love"
10. Marvelous 3, "Cigarette Lighter Love Song"
11. Barenaked Ladies, "The Flag"
12. The Get Up Kids, "Valentine"
13. Straylight Run, "Existentialism On Prom Night"
14. Fuel, "Shimmer"
15. Aqualung, "Brighter Than Sunshine"
16. Our Lady Peace, "Made To Heal"
17. Ben Folds, "Gone"
18. The Darkness, "English Country Garden"
19. The Beatles, "Don't Let Me Down"
You probably hate at least one of these songs. Neither the cat nor I care. She can sleep to it, I can work to it, and right now, that's all either of us are looking for.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
PC04: Self-Referential Musicians
Today, in the car, for no reason I can recall, I began listing all the solo artists and bands I could think of that named themselves in at least one of their songs. Scott is fairly tolerant and appeared amused, but for his sake, I eventually stopped and decided I should blog about it because HEY, why not?
Here are a handful of self-referential musicians, musicians that would conceivably reference himself/herself/themselves, musicians that would likely never reference himself/herself/themselves, and some hypothetical possibilities. All these lists could be much, much longer, but I don't want to bore you. I write this assuming you aren't bored already.
Also, you may notice I'm leaving rap artists off this list, due to how frequently this kind of thing occurs in rap music. Sorry, Kris Kross.
SELF-REFERENTIAL
Mika. In "Lollipop," Mika gives himself a shoutout ("Yo, Mika!"). Why? NO ONE KNOWS.
*NSYNC. "Here We Go" includes the lyrics "*NSYNC is here to make you people scream" and "Yes, yes, yes, here we go! *NSYNC has got the flow!" To this day, I'm not quite sure what that means.
Backstreet Boys. "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," perhaps the strongest song on BSB's self-titled debut, seems to be about how Brian, Nick, Howie, Kevin and AJ returned from obscurity, which doesn't really make sense, considering it's the group's debut album. Millions of 12-year-old girls let it slide.
Cursive. "Art is Hard," a truly great song, includes the (presumably) sarcastic line, "Oh, Cursive is so cool!" This is probably the most ironic instance of self-reference listed here. What does that say about Cursive? I don't know. Let me know when you figure it out.
Aaron Carter. Half of Aaron Carter's songs I can remember (all four of them) mentioned him in their titles. That's right, their titles: "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" and "Oh Aaron." "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" is a trenchant commentary on the dilemmas pre-pubescent males face when left alone. Or something.
Jason Mraz. "Curbside Prophet," my favorite song on Mraz's debut album, asked the question, "What's up with M-R-A-Z?" The question remains unanswered.
CONCEIVABLY SELF-REFERENTIAL
Post-Pinkerton era Weezer. I used to love Weezer. Today, I love the idea of Weezer, but not the execution. And after hearing "Pork and Beans," I am convinced that Rivers Cuomo would have no qualms releasing a song that spelled "Weezer" at some point. And this is the only entry on this particular list, simply because it seems depressing to go on.
NO POSSIBILITY OF SELF-REFERENCE
Anything involving Ben Gibbard. Let's think about this: in "Styrofoam Plates," Gibbard sings, "There's a saltwater film on the jar of your ashes, Death Cab for Cutie put it there!" Yeah, I just can't see it happening. Same goes for "I kissed you in a style Jimmy Tamborelli would've admired, both us members of the Postal Service thought it classic" in "Clark Gable."
The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Actually, if you play "Black Dog" backwards, all you hear is Robert Plant repeating the same thing he says to his mirror every morning: "Led Zeppelin is the greatest, best rock band that God has ever created on the face of this earth." (That's not true.) Jim Morrison was self-absorbed, but not to the extent of mentioning Ray Manzurek and himself during that WAY TOO LONG instrumental portion of "Light My Fire," and Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd. No need to elaborate there.
Billy Joel. I'd almost argue that "The Entertainer" is close enough to self-referential for Mr. Joel to jump up a couple lists. At the same time, I feel like he dislikes himself too much to use his actual name in a song. So that's that.
Hanson. I mention Hanson here because I find them to be genuinely talented musicians, and above self-reference. Great job, pseudo-boyband I still listen to!
HYPOTHETICALS
Bright Eyes covering "Total Eclipse of the Heart." That said, I really hope Conor Oberst sees this while drunk and decides it's an excellent idea.
Snoop Dogg covering Reel Big Fish's "Snoop Doggy Dogg." Meta!
Fin.
Here are a handful of self-referential musicians, musicians that would conceivably reference himself/herself/themselves, musicians that would likely never reference himself/herself/themselves, and some hypothetical possibilities. All these lists could be much, much longer, but I don't want to bore you. I write this assuming you aren't bored already.
Also, you may notice I'm leaving rap artists off this list, due to how frequently this kind of thing occurs in rap music. Sorry, Kris Kross.
SELF-REFERENTIAL
Mika. In "Lollipop," Mika gives himself a shoutout ("Yo, Mika!"). Why? NO ONE KNOWS.
*NSYNC. "Here We Go" includes the lyrics "*NSYNC is here to make you people scream" and "Yes, yes, yes, here we go! *NSYNC has got the flow!" To this day, I'm not quite sure what that means.
Backstreet Boys. "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," perhaps the strongest song on BSB's self-titled debut, seems to be about how Brian, Nick, Howie, Kevin and AJ returned from obscurity, which doesn't really make sense, considering it's the group's debut album. Millions of 12-year-old girls let it slide.
Cursive. "Art is Hard," a truly great song, includes the (presumably) sarcastic line, "Oh, Cursive is so cool!" This is probably the most ironic instance of self-reference listed here. What does that say about Cursive? I don't know. Let me know when you figure it out.
Aaron Carter. Half of Aaron Carter's songs I can remember (all four of them) mentioned him in their titles. That's right, their titles: "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" and "Oh Aaron." "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" is a trenchant commentary on the dilemmas pre-pubescent males face when left alone. Or something.
Jason Mraz. "Curbside Prophet," my favorite song on Mraz's debut album, asked the question, "What's up with M-R-A-Z?" The question remains unanswered.
CONCEIVABLY SELF-REFERENTIAL
Post-Pinkerton era Weezer. I used to love Weezer. Today, I love the idea of Weezer, but not the execution. And after hearing "Pork and Beans," I am convinced that Rivers Cuomo would have no qualms releasing a song that spelled "Weezer" at some point. And this is the only entry on this particular list, simply because it seems depressing to go on.
NO POSSIBILITY OF SELF-REFERENCE
Anything involving Ben Gibbard. Let's think about this: in "Styrofoam Plates," Gibbard sings, "There's a saltwater film on the jar of your ashes, Death Cab for Cutie put it there!" Yeah, I just can't see it happening. Same goes for "I kissed you in a style Jimmy Tamborelli would've admired, both us members of the Postal Service thought it classic" in "Clark Gable."
The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Actually, if you play "Black Dog" backwards, all you hear is Robert Plant repeating the same thing he says to his mirror every morning: "Led Zeppelin is the greatest, best rock band that God has ever created on the face of this earth." (That's not true.) Jim Morrison was self-absorbed, but not to the extent of mentioning Ray Manzurek and himself during that WAY TOO LONG instrumental portion of "Light My Fire," and Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd. No need to elaborate there.
Billy Joel. I'd almost argue that "The Entertainer" is close enough to self-referential for Mr. Joel to jump up a couple lists. At the same time, I feel like he dislikes himself too much to use his actual name in a song. So that's that.
Hanson. I mention Hanson here because I find them to be genuinely talented musicians, and above self-reference. Great job, pseudo-boyband I still listen to!
HYPOTHETICALS
Bright Eyes covering "Total Eclipse of the Heart." That said, I really hope Conor Oberst sees this while drunk and decides it's an excellent idea.
Snoop Dogg covering Reel Big Fish's "Snoop Doggy Dogg." Meta!
Fin.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
People Who Have Influenced Me Who Will Probably Never Know
First, a "Feel bad for me/proud of me!" note: I determined after last weekend that it's time for a change, both dietarily (which I've just decided is a word) and exercise-wise. So as of Sunday, I'm cutting back majorly on soda and making a point of exercising at least 25 minutes a day. The first two soda-less days were alright, but it turns out day three is a doozy, with a perpetual headache. But if that's what it takes, then, well, I'll take it.
Lately, and by that I mean the last two days, I've been thinking about what circumstances have shaped me into who I am now, and who helped along the way. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I may never actually interact with some of the people who have helped me the most, and I thought I'd make a list here. My internet presence is so minor that it's highly likely they'll never see this. But I'm OK with that; it's for my sake and yours.
Here goes it.
1. Chalene Johnson. This one may come as something of a surprise, unless you've been in our apartment and seen what's scrambled among the DVDs and Blu-Ray discs directly in front of our television. One of the DVDs that most frequently takes a spin is a collection of five workout sessions titled Turbo Jam. Turbo Jam is the invention of Chalene Johnson, a fitness professional who put together a program combining cardio, weight training, and ridiculous dance mixes (that she mixed herself!) in order to inspire people to exercise while having fun. If ever you see me and I'm in a decent shape, it means I'm on a Turbo Jam kick. I'm hoping this current one will be semi-permanent. Without these routines, I'd be much less motivated to exercise, and that's why I'm glad Chalene is around.
2. Chuck Klosterman. As is obvious by now, I'm an amateur pop culture writer, and my writing style wouldn't be nearly as developed without Chuck Klosterman and the books he wrote, particularly Killing Yourself to Live. He seamlessly blends personal narrative with critique and commentary on the quirkier aspects of our current pop culture climate, and in my mind, he does it better than anyone else out there. He makes me want to write beautifully, although he isn't the only one.
3. Noel Murray and, to a certain extent, the rest of the A.V. Club. Outside of iGoogle, I don't think there's a site I frequent more than the A.V. Club, the Onion's sister pop culture publication. There's no satire here. Instead, AVC is a compendium of reviews and perspectives on pop culture new and old. Here I've learned that it's possible to write beautifully about all mediums, television in particular. Noel Murray writes about both Lost and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and his Lost summaries are nothing short of fantastic, inspiring amateur analysis and sparkling discussion on a weekly basis. It's another key reason, beyond the obvious "Bye bye, second best show ever" reason, that I'll miss Lost when it's gone.
4. Jerry Spinelli. I could wax philosophical all day on why Stargirl is one of my favorite books, why it made me think about conformity in a radically different way, and how I don't think anyone could capture and analyze high school life so brilliantly ever again. But that's all I really have to say. This is a beautiful book, and it's not just a great read--it has a lasting impact I'm not sure you'll find anywhere else. I'd love to shake this man's hand.
Honorable mentions: Fiona Apple makes me want to express my emotions loudly and proudly, Nick Hornby taught me how to read ... again, and Rob Sheffield helped me to recognize that beauty can come from personal disaster.
That's all. I hope you feel the same about some others and give them some accolades for what they've done for you.
Also, this:
Love her.
Lately, and by that I mean the last two days, I've been thinking about what circumstances have shaped me into who I am now, and who helped along the way. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I may never actually interact with some of the people who have helped me the most, and I thought I'd make a list here. My internet presence is so minor that it's highly likely they'll never see this. But I'm OK with that; it's for my sake and yours.
Here goes it.
1. Chalene Johnson. This one may come as something of a surprise, unless you've been in our apartment and seen what's scrambled among the DVDs and Blu-Ray discs directly in front of our television. One of the DVDs that most frequently takes a spin is a collection of five workout sessions titled Turbo Jam. Turbo Jam is the invention of Chalene Johnson, a fitness professional who put together a program combining cardio, weight training, and ridiculous dance mixes (that she mixed herself!) in order to inspire people to exercise while having fun. If ever you see me and I'm in a decent shape, it means I'm on a Turbo Jam kick. I'm hoping this current one will be semi-permanent. Without these routines, I'd be much less motivated to exercise, and that's why I'm glad Chalene is around.
2. Chuck Klosterman. As is obvious by now, I'm an amateur pop culture writer, and my writing style wouldn't be nearly as developed without Chuck Klosterman and the books he wrote, particularly Killing Yourself to Live. He seamlessly blends personal narrative with critique and commentary on the quirkier aspects of our current pop culture climate, and in my mind, he does it better than anyone else out there. He makes me want to write beautifully, although he isn't the only one.
3. Noel Murray and, to a certain extent, the rest of the A.V. Club. Outside of iGoogle, I don't think there's a site I frequent more than the A.V. Club, the Onion's sister pop culture publication. There's no satire here. Instead, AVC is a compendium of reviews and perspectives on pop culture new and old. Here I've learned that it's possible to write beautifully about all mediums, television in particular. Noel Murray writes about both Lost and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and his Lost summaries are nothing short of fantastic, inspiring amateur analysis and sparkling discussion on a weekly basis. It's another key reason, beyond the obvious "Bye bye, second best show ever" reason, that I'll miss Lost when it's gone.
4. Jerry Spinelli. I could wax philosophical all day on why Stargirl is one of my favorite books, why it made me think about conformity in a radically different way, and how I don't think anyone could capture and analyze high school life so brilliantly ever again. But that's all I really have to say. This is a beautiful book, and it's not just a great read--it has a lasting impact I'm not sure you'll find anywhere else. I'd love to shake this man's hand.
Honorable mentions: Fiona Apple makes me want to express my emotions loudly and proudly, Nick Hornby taught me how to read ... again, and Rob Sheffield helped me to recognize that beauty can come from personal disaster.
That's all. I hope you feel the same about some others and give them some accolades for what they've done for you.
Also, this:
Love her.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sunburn & Ass
I did a Panera run today, meaning I sat outside Panera and read Nick Hornby's Shakespeare Wrote for Money while eating lunch and sipping lemonade for about 30 minutes, maybe more, maybe less. I'm fairly certain my right arm got sunburned, but I'm not disappointed about this. It's my own fault, I accept the consequences, and honestly, my body seems to deserve a bit of sun after all this pesky winter.
I'm going to see Kick-Ass tomorrow with a couple friends of mine. I've been looking forward to it all week. The film looks to live up to its title and then some. It will feel about as strange asking for a ticket to Kick-Ass as it did The 40-Year-Old Virgin about four years ago. But I don't think it should.
As a Christian who has a fairly thorough understanding of profanity, I would like to express the opinion that I, in no way, find the word "ass" offensive. I think it should drop off the swear list immediately. Let's think about this: it's commonly used as a synonym for "butt." It's not crude like "f**k" or insulting like "b***h." It's simply a different noun, completely innocuous. Even when added to a word like "big," "bad," or in this case, "kick" it's no more offensive. I won't be embarrassed to announce that I'd like my over-priced ticket to Kick-Ass tomorrow evening, and you shouldn't be, either.
That said, Midna sat, transfixed, in front of the TV this past Tuesday during Lost. She didn't stick around for long, but you could tell she was totally into the Hurley subplot.
I'm going to see Kick-Ass tomorrow with a couple friends of mine. I've been looking forward to it all week. The film looks to live up to its title and then some. It will feel about as strange asking for a ticket to Kick-Ass as it did The 40-Year-Old Virgin about four years ago. But I don't think it should.
As a Christian who has a fairly thorough understanding of profanity, I would like to express the opinion that I, in no way, find the word "ass" offensive. I think it should drop off the swear list immediately. Let's think about this: it's commonly used as a synonym for "butt." It's not crude like "f**k" or insulting like "b***h." It's simply a different noun, completely innocuous. Even when added to a word like "big," "bad," or in this case, "kick" it's no more offensive. I won't be embarrassed to announce that I'd like my over-priced ticket to Kick-Ass tomorrow evening, and you shouldn't be, either.
That said, Midna sat, transfixed, in front of the TV this past Tuesday during Lost. She didn't stick around for long, but you could tell she was totally into the Hurley subplot.
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