My Favorite Music of 2008

When punk rock was born the day the Ramones hit the stage, it was clear that this genre of music was made for the freaks and the misfits of society and music has been the better for it. Fast forward to 2008 and the heir to this throne is Deerhunter's lead singer - Bradford Cox. Gay and afflicted with Marfan's Syndrome, there is not a better misfit in the music world than this guy and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Though his music doesn't have the typical "punk sound" that people associate with three chords, it is clear that he is a descendant of this genre in the "DIY" sense.

Refreshingly humble, Cox is also one of the more enthusiastic champions of music today. If there is a better frontman for a band alive right now, please let me know. For the last four years, women have dominated my favorite album of the year(2004 - Loretta Lynn; 2005 - M.I.A.; 2006 - Cat Power; 2007 - M.I.A.), but the female dynamic has finally been broken by the "solo" project of Bradford Cox, known as Atlas Sound, whose album - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel - is my album of the year for 2008. I love, love, love this guy and I love, love, love this album.


The Evening Descends - Evangelicals
This is an extremely underrated album. Why the Evangelicals aren't bigger than they are is beyond me.

What Does It All Mean? - Steinski

Two Men With The Blues - Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis

Offend Maggie - Deerhoof

A Place To Bury Strangers - S/T

The Renaissance - Q-Tip

Shapeshifters - Invincible
The best rapper alive today.

Promises Promises - Die! Die! Die!

The Slip - Nine Inch Nails
The best music of Trent Reznor's career.

That Lonesome Song - Jamey Johnson
The Country Music Awards SUCK. Thankfully, there are artists like Jamey Johnson who are keeping it real.

The Odd Couple - Gnarls Barkley


Favorite Songs of 2008:

1 - "Skeleton Man" - Evangelicals
2 - "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" - Gnarls Barkley
3 - "Electrical Feel" - MGMT
4 - "Golden Age" - TV on the Radio
5 - "Sideways Here We Come" - Die! Die! Die!
6 - "Gettin' Up" - Q-Tip
7 - "Agoraphobia" - Deerhunter
8 - "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" - A Place To Bury Strangers
9 - "Problems" - Mahjongg
10- "Tell The Police The Truth" - Mahjongg

Favorite Video of 2008:

I Was Thankfully Wrong

As a (former)southern Baptist son of the Deep South where the utterance of the name Martin Luther King, Jr., was the equivalent of saying a curse word in church, I can honestly say that I didn't see this coming. I never thought that a black man could ever possibly win the presidency, much less one with an Arabic name in this post 9/11 climate. And he won it honestly. The youth vote failed once again and Black voter turnout was only slightly higher than in previous presidential elections. Barack Obama defeated John McCain because of white working class voters and that is a HUGE turning point for this country. I was WAY OFF. He unofficially won 72 percent to 28 percent of the electoral votes. When the youth speak of old people not knowing what they are talking about, this could certainly apply to me regarding this campaign and I couldn't be more pleased. Does this signal the death of racism? Of course not. However, whether you're conservative or liberal or whether you agree or disagree with Obama's political beliefs, you have to be impressed with the fact that, within the short span of forty years, we've gone from blacks not having the right to vote...to a black man winning the presidency of this country. Amazing.

Obamamania

It's no secret that I am an Obama supporter, but I've never seen a candidate get his ass kissed by the mainstream media as much as Obama has. It only lends credibility to the notion, claimed by the ridiculously right-winged news operation known as Fox as well as other conservatives, that the mainstream media has a liberal bias. Add to the fact that Oprah refuses to have Palin on her show; everyone makes fun of McCain/Palin, but has handled Obama with kid gloves; the entertainment world's obsession with Obama...and you have what I would call a classic case of elitism. Regardless of who wins, I am sick of this campaign. I'm ready for it to be done with.

Iran

Amid the presidential debates, I keep hearing over and over again about the necessity of protecting Israel from Iran because Iran's president - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - said that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

Israel is about the size of New Jersey and within Israel is Palestine. Palestinians are the most sympathized group of individuals within the Arab world. If Iran were to lob a nuke at Israel, it would most certainly wipe out Palestine as well, and no matter how much hatred the leaders of Iran have for Israel, they simply would NEVER entertain the thought of wiping out Palestine.

Secondly, Israel already has "the bomb" and I'm quite certain that Iran is fully aware that they would be "wiped off the map" as well, in retaliation. It's a lose/lose situation for Iran.

If Bin-Ladin, himself, had nukes, I seriously doubt that he would lob them at Israel because of Palestine. If anything, the United States should open up diplomatic relations with Iran because Iran and Al-Qaida hate one another. Strategically, it would benefit us. The common misconception, unfortunately, is that Muslims are united in their support for Bin-Ladin and other such terrorists. Nothing could be further from the truth. Is it too much to ask of politicians to make an attempt to study the various cultures of the world before they decide to make policies that affect us all?

Thoughts

This Saturday night, I will see for the first time, Wayne Coyne's(lead singer of the Flaming Lips) movie - Christmas On Mars. I have been waiting for this movie FOREVER. It was supposed to be released last year and the year before and so on and so on. If you are not familiar with the Flaming Lips' music, let me just say that Wayne Coyne is the closest thing to being a rock star without actually being well known...he will be in attendance at the screening at the Alamo Drafthouse and I am absolutely stoked...

This past weekend, I saw Bill Maher's Religulous which I thought was pretty terrible and I'm an atheist. Do you really need to be condescending when trying to make a point?? If people are Christian than so be it. I don't care. I disagree with many things regarding Christianity...yet all Bill Maher can do is point out how smart he is and how stupid everyone else is because they believe in a higher power?? You can't enlighten people by being an asshole, Bill.

OJ. Stop being so obsessed with OJ. JESUS CHRIST. It bothers me more that child molesters are allowed back into society to live in neighborhoods where children play. OJ??? I could give a shit about him. What absolutely baffles me about OJ is that he was convicted of KIDNAPPING charges.
kidnap |ˈkidˌnap|
verb ( -napped , -napping ; also -naped, -naping) [ trans. ]
take (someone) away illegally by force, typically to obtain a ransom.
OJ DID NOT KIDNAP ANYONE. What's going on here?
Lastly, if we passed a bill to bail out the economy, which I might add, cost taxpayers 7 billion dollars, why did the Dow drop below 10,000 for the first time in four years?? I thought this bill was supposed to stabilize the economy.

Authenticity Matters

When you are young, "authority" and the "establishment" are vile words reserved for those who reside in a different age bracket and many of us vow - no matter how old we get - to never end up in that mindset. The sad reality, however, is that we in the industrialized world are participants in the very "machine" that we rage against. This "machine" can't run without consumers and we are all, for the most part, major consumers. It is a symbiotic relationship that we can't escape which is why many of us long for the proverbial "exception to the rule" - that rare intellectual and/or creative soul who exists on the fringes of society.

Would 2Pac's music have been taken seriously had he grown up in the suburbs? I doubt it. Why? Because authenticity matters. Amy Winehouse's neo-soul classic - Back To Black - is not an amazing album solely based on her talent alone, though talented she is, but because of the self-destructive nature that coexists with her talent which screams authenticity. It's a double-edged sword that seems more and more likely to consume her with each passing day and rather than wish her well, we simply ask for more.

And why did this particular photo of Metallica lead singer, James Hetfield, coming out of Armani cause such an uproar?

Because twenty some odd years ago the people in Armani would have called the cops on him the second he walked through the door and Metallica's music, at the time, reflected that. However fair or unfair you may think that is to Mr. Hetfield, once again the issue boils down to one of authenticity.

Yet nothing stirs more debate in regards to authenticity than the strange bedfellows that are commerce and art. I assure you that there's not one admirer of the Sex Pistols who aren't cringing at Johnny Rotten's latest foray which premiered last night on the BBC...

And why shouldn't they? The lead singer of the Sex Pistols - a band that sent shockwaves across England and thumbed it's nose at the "establishment" - is now a spokesperson for butter?? Very few people in this world can build a legacy similar to that of the Sex Pistols and yet he's managed to destroy it with a thirty second spot. Johnny Rotten's explanation?

I for one am proud to be British and I'm proud to get behind a proper British brand. That's why I'm supporting Country Life butter. People know I only do things that I want to or that I believe in and I have to do it in my own way. I've never done anything like this before and never thought I would but this Country Life ad was made for me and I couldn't resist the opportunity.

This can only be translated one way - he wanted the money. Just say so. Why do artists often backpedal when called out for taking the almighty advertising dollar? Because they know that authenticity matters.

Grumpy Old Man Monday

Grumpy Old Man Monday, Act 1
Last night, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go see a band called Cut Copy at Emo's. I wasn't really that familiar with their music, but I had heard of them as they are currently a pretty hyped band. As I drove towards Emo's, I found a nice parking spot and what do you know? - a homeless guy steps forward and guides me into the parking spot as though I'd never done this a billion times before. "I don't have any money," I instantly exclaim as I get out of my car. "Just give me fifty cents or something," he replies.
"For what?!"
"For parking your car."
Grrrrrrr. Can I find one fucking parking spot in this town without a homeless guy taking credit for it? Why don't I just hire someone to tell me where my kitchen is whenever I get hungry.

Grumpy Old Man Monday, Act 2
Cut Copy. As I get older, I have come to realize that just because I don't like someone's music, it doesn't necessarily mean that it sucks. It's just a difference of opinion. Having said that, I tried with Cut Copy...I really did, but heavily 80's influenced dance music just isn't my cup of tea. And sweat drenched kids dancing is one thing, but a towering guy thrusting his man sausage towards my stomach was the breaking point. Not to mention the fact that I thought I was going to get beat up by the dance nazis for not dancing.
Double grrrrrr.