the sloppy copy

Remember this one?

“West End Girls” / Pet Shop Boys (1985)

Because the video is straight-up awesome, no chaser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEVqFB4WUo

“Whip It” / Devo (1980)

I purchased liquid eyeliner today, but I am afraid to use it.

“The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton” / The Mountain Goats (2002)

Read the poetry! :
the best ever death metal band out of denton
were a couple of guys, who’d been friends since grade school.
one was named cyrus, and the other was jeff.
and they practiced twice a week in jeff’s bedroom.

the best ever death metal band out of denton
never settled on a name.
but the top three contenders, after weeks of debate,
were satan’s fingers, and the killers, and the hospital bombers.

jeff and cyrus believed in their hearts they were headed
for stage lights and leer jets, and fortune and fame.
so in script that made prominent use of a pentagram,
they stenciled their drumheads and guitars with their names.

this was how cyrus got sent to the school
where they told him he’d never be famous.
and this was why jeff,
in the letters he’d write to his friend,
helped develop a plan to get even.
when you punish a person for dreaming his dream,
don’t expect him to thank or forgive you.
the best ever death metal band out of denton
will in time both outpace and outlive you.
hail satan!
hail satan tonight!
hail satan!
hail hail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWUKoCCCoNE

“I’ll Be Yr Bird” / M. Ward (2005)

Someone once told me that getting me to talk is like pulling teeth.
I disagree, because here’s what she actually meant:

I’m okay with not talking. I’m not uncomfortable with silence – though there’s always exceptions to that rule, eh? But no, seriously, few things bug me more than useless talking.

I understand that not everyone is okay with pauses in conversation, that something in their brain causes them to feel some burning need to fill the void. Some people are good at making conversation and filling time in this way; they’re natural conversationalists and this is not small-talk that irks me.

Other people are not as good. I’m not faulting them for not being naturally witty and quick-thinking because I’m sure as hell not. I do, however, get irritated when they choose to fill the silence with meaningless wastes of air.

Oooh, harsh, Julie! I know, but hear (see?) me out.

Let me set up a situation that involves two people who perhaps don’t know each other very well, but who must be in close proximity to one another. Let’s say – and remember, this is purely hypothetical* – that they are coworkers.

During moments of “down time” in between completing work-related tasks, let’s say that one coworker makes a comment involving said work; maybe she is commenting on how tedious that particular task is to her. It is a negative comment, and the person is (consciously or not) trying to accomplish two goals here: a) to fill the gap in speaking and b) to build solidarity with the other worker.

In this instance, it can be tempting for the other coworker to agree with the statement because – usually, at least – it has some element of truth to it. But this is where things have the potential to go downhill very very quickly.

Bonds forged over shared bitching are not nearly as solid as those made over actual, meaningful, dialogue. But in the case of Coworker A, who is uncomfortable with silence and is compelled to say something, anything, in that pause, her first instinct is to complain about a shared situation. Whether she realizes it or not, this inclination is rooted in a self-conscious desire to make a meaningful connection with the other person, even though – ultimately – that connection will have no real meaning outside of that moment in time.

So she’ll say something like “Smelling this food is making me hungry!” at which point, I (whoops, I mean, “the other coworker”) is inclined to agree. The food does smell good, and it does make me (whoops, I mean “the other coworker”) feel hungry. So agreement is made, which sets off the ugly cycle:

break in conversation
Coworker A: Gawd, I’m soooo hungry.
Coworker B: Mmmm.
A: It smells so good in here! Oh my gosh!
B: Mmmm.
A: Oh my gawd aren’t you hungry?
B: Guess you’ll eat something before you come in next time, eh?
A: Oh my gawd when I go home I’m making some ravioli and eating some chicken wings and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
B: Well, haha, that’s nice.
A: And then blah blah blah blah blah hungry blah blah blah blah hungry blah blah blah blah aren’t you? blah blah blah
B: Oh, ha ha, I’m going to insert this ball point pen into your left nostril with a sharp, upward motion! Haha!
A: Oh haha, you’re so funny! Blah blah blah hungry!

In summation: If you do not have anything real to say when you speak to me, there is a very real possibility that it will not end well for you.

Just sayin’.



*No. It’s not.

“Angel in the Snow” / Elliott Smith (2007) *

First, I can’t remember if this has been an SOTD yet. If it’s a repeat, I’m sorry, but it bears repeating.

Second, When my brother was little – I mean, really little, like one-year-old – he would cry every time he heard Gerry and the Pacemakers’ “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'” on the radio. We never understood why, but as soon as any of us (my Dad, Mom or I) heard the opening bars, we would practically dive for the radio to change the station. This song sent him into inconsolable weeping that would abruptly end with the next song. Brother doesn’t remember this, so he can’t explain why it made him so sad, but I think the answer isn’t all that complicated: Some songs just hit a random spot in our brain in just the right way.

Today’s song is, without a doubt, the saddest song I know.  Just hearing the opening notes makes my heart sink, and I can’t explain why. I don’t have some clear, singular memory attached to it and it doesn’t conjure any specific image. To me, it’s just what sad sounds like. I don’t know. Just give it a listen and maybe you’ll get it too.

*It was hard to find a good link to this song, so I’m sorry if that link doesn’t work. There are a ton of folks singing it on Youtube, but it’s not quite the same. Oh, and while you’re there, listen to more of the album. It’s good stuff.

Hello, beautiful.

Was I a little hesitant to purchase this product? Yes.
Did the delicious-looking cupcake on the label influence my decision? Yes.
After trying said product in my coffee, was I disappointed? Oh, hell no.

I’ve always prided myself on the ability to make slightly awkward situations into full-blown awkward situations.

Went to see Up in the Air today with the folks. As we prepare ourselves to leave, there’s a report on the news about viruses attacking iPhones. After hearing the report, Mom asks me what a “smartphone” is. I explain to her it’s not a brand like “Nokia” or “Samsung” but rather a reference to what the phone can do.

Then we go see the movie. A little weirdness (wasn’t aware that we’d see, uh, so much of Vera Farmiga) but nothing of the earth-shattering variety. However, during a scene in which Farmiga’s character exchanges explicit texts with George Clooney’s character on their crack-berries, I leaned over to my mom.

“That is a smartphone,” I said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O59k1Dr44NU
“Trashcan” / Delta Spirit (2008)
For the record, this song is pretty bitchin when performed live.