Joan gave such a sweet speech about John at his Walk of Fame induction on Tuesday. You can tell that they’re super close, and that she adores him. She started choking up at the end! Heck, I almost started crying watching her say all of these things about him AND I DON’T EVEN KNOW EITHER OF THEM.
In every interview that I’ve seen of John’s, whenever someone asks him about Joan he just lights up. And he’s totally glowing in this video during her speech. It’s too adorable.
I promised myself long ago that this blog would never become a song lyric blog, but I’ve been revisiting some of my Duran Duran favorites this week, and Ordinary World is really resonating with me again right now.
Came in from a rainy Thursday On the avenue Thought I heard you talking softly
I turned on the lights, the TV And the radio Still I can’t escape the ghost of you
What has happened to it all? Crazy, some are saying Where is the life that I recognize? Gone away
But I won’t cry for yesterday There’s an ordinary world Somehow I have to find And as I try to make my way To the ordinary world I will learn to survive
Passion or coincidence Once prompted you to say “Pride will tear us both apart” Well now pride’s gone out the window Cross the rooftops Run away Left me in the vacuum of my heart
What is happening to me? Crazy, some’d say Where is my friend when I need you most? Gone away
But I won’t cry for yesterday There’s an ordinary world Somehow I have to find And as I try to make my way To the ordinary world I will learn to survive
Papers in the roadside Tell of suffering and greed Fear today, forgot tomorrow Ooh, here besides the news Of holy war and holy need Ours is just a little sorrowed talk
And I don’t cry for yesterday There’s an ordinary world Somehow I have to find And as I try to make my way To the ordinary world I will learn to survive
Every world Is my world (I will learn to survive) Any world Is my world (I will learn to survive) Any world Is my world Every world Is my world
I apologize for the mood whiplash, but my all-time top favorite Duran Duran song is below. The video is a little odd, but don’t worry if you’re confused. We all tend to be sometimes.
This blog post is a nu disco dance party, featuring some of my favorite mostly 80s Ze Records tracks. Okay, so not all of these are actually Ze artists, but the majority of them are (with the exception of Colette/Greenskeepers). It’s all verrrrry groovy.
Kid Creole & the Coconuts – “I’m A Wonderful Thing (Andy Kidd Extended Mix)”
Greenskeepers ft. Colette – “Keep It Down”
Cristina – “What’s A Girl To Do (1984 Remix)”
Was (Not Was) – “The Party Broke Up”
Don Armando’s 2nd Ave. Rhumba Band – “I’m An Indian Too”
A gem from High Fidelity‘s official website. That site doesn’t exist anymore apparently. Even WayBack Machine has no idea where this is:
Potential monkey shockers, take heed.
I’m thankful for the McLaughlin Group mention, since it gives me license to entertain weird visions of John dirty-talking Neve Campbell (his then lady) in the sack, except using John McLaughlin’s voice. Hahaa. Almost makes me want to pursue a career as a sex pundit (you know, if that were a career, and if it weren’t also creepy and voyeuristic). But instead of a roundtable with people, I’d do it MST3K style with robots in tow (preferably from the comfort of outer space), and with the ‘S’ of course standing for “Sexxxxx”.
The sex act is surreal enough as it is… but add in a soundtrack? I feel like this would be distracting. However, in honor of Rob, Dick and Barry’s Top 5… I would like to offer up my own top 5 (you know, if I were going to take it seriously, and if I were into that sorta thing):
Top 5 Songs to Make Love To
1. Röyksopp – “True to Life”
2. Q-Burns Abstract Message – “Differently”
3. Broken Social Scene – “Looks Just Like the Sun”
4. Sneaker Pimps – “Post-Modern Sleaze”
5. Lady Gaga – “I Like It Rough” (for shits and giggles, though I do not actually like it rough, fyi)
Bonus track: Cocteau Twins – “Ribbed and Veined” (lol, ignore the title. This is my pick for if I were to ever have sex in outer space.)
Do ya like the Santa hat that I photoshopped onto Cristina's head??
I usually get pretty grump around this time of year. It used to be that I was easily irritated by the flood of Christmas music, but it’s not so much that right now. I don’t even really hear the music anymore. In fact, this year I have a tiny list of holiday-inspired songs that I actually like. But I admit that these are songs I listen to all year round.
Cocteau Twins – Frosty the Snowman (1992)
Liz Fraiser’s voice could sell me on anything, including a snowman who runs around with little kids. But as far as (forgotten?) Christmas classics go, this really is my favorite. I like the following bits about this song from their history:
Simon explained “Frosty…”: “There’s a Christmas record that comes out on Capitol Records (the Cocteaus’ US label) every few years. And they were trying to get all their bands to do a cover version of a Christmas song. I didn’t think that’s what it was at the time. I thought it would be like sitting next to Frank Sinatra. But in fact it would’ve been, y’know, Skinny Puppy, doing ‘Merry Xmas Everybody.’ Anyway they’d said, Would you do one? And Liz suggested—it must have been for a joke—’Frosty The Snowman.’ Then Robin went, Yeah, good title, people will think it’s a normal Cocteau Twins song with a title like that.”
“Once we’d got the music down, I wrote down the lyrics on a piece of paper and said to Liz, Hey, look at these, and we were laughing away. As we were going through it I was listening to Liz’s reactions and thinking, this is never gonna get done. She was going, ‘He’s a very happy soul’—me sing that?! No way, I could not in a million years… ‘with a broomstick in his ‘—you’ve gotta be fucking kidding!'”
” ‘Something has to last,’ she said. ‘Once a year, let’s have the past’. ” One of my very favorite Cristina songs, this one hits the nail on the head.
Was (Not Was) – Christmas Time in the Motor City (1981)
Don Was of Was (Not Was) produced Cristina’s 1984 album Sleep If Off. Love the ZE Christmas Record. This is a funky Christmas unemployment groove.
Yoko Kanno/Maaya Sakamoto – Kissing the Christmas Killer (2002)
I’m a big fan Yoko and Maaya. I used to keep a picture of Maaya on my wall and know more of her songs than I care to admit. I like that this one is a bit haunting.
Gloria Estefan – Christmas Through Your Eyes (1993)
Even though this song was released on a Christmas album, it’s not specifically about Christmas as far as I’m concerned. She’s just talking about how she wants to live vicariously through the innocence of her children. You could easily swap out the word “Christmas” for “Disney Land” or “Flying Spaghetti Monster” and it would have essentially the same effect…
Nothing new there. Nothing new here necessarily either beyond the fact that I’ve had an undisclosed Snow Patrol song stuck in my head for 4 days now (NOT “Chasing Cars,” ew). But I can’t really complain over anything that gives me more of an excuse to drool over YouTube videos of Irish hotties. Just sayin’.
In other news, some imagery from a dream I had on Sunday night was really vivid. So vivid, that I think the only way to convey it with any justice would be to draw a picture…
All of my favorite summer anthems seem to hint at an underlying distrust of this time of year. Whenever it’s winter, I always claim that I can’t wait for summer … and then when summer gets here, I waste it by becoming moody and indulging in all of my favorite anxieties.
According to some of my most memorable summers, this time of year has become an opportune time for me to do any of the following:
1. Get bent out of shape over a boy
2. Get bent out of shape over my future (or lack-thereof)
3. Consider the off chance that I might have parasites
4. Begin watching daytime soaps
5. Save money as if I were single-handedly supporting myself
6. Spend money as if I were single-handedly supporting a family of two
7. Acquire a new place of employment
8. Not leave the house
9. Become unsociable
10. Become (and remain) at odds with family members
11. Google “get rich quick” schemes
12. Wish I had the wherewithal to travel (long or short distances)
13. Attend Girl Scout camp
I hate winter, but summer is perhaps the more genuinely depressing of the two seasons.
For neglecting to update this blog recently. I haven’t really been up to much. I am also sorry that I did not return with photos of my Halloween costume. I ended not going as what I was originally intending to go as; I went from fembot alter-ego to a fangless hipster vampiress. How this happened, I am not certain. Either way, I got to wear my wig, so that was fun for a while.
There are a few really weird dreams I have had lately that I want to share, but that I just haven’t gotten around to recording. I need to get back into the habit of doing that. I also want to get back into the habit of acquiring massive amounts of music in relatively short spans of time. I just haven’t had time to catch up on what’s out there. Of what I am aware, there are a few new releases from Mordant Music that I want to check out, as well as a collaboration between Broadcast and The Focus Group????
Broadcast & The Focus Group – Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age
As for what has been looping on my iTunes this week, I have taken a liking to this band called A Brief Smile, and I’ve been listening to a lot of Velvet Underground, Washed Out and Grizzly Bear.
This bite turbo that my orthodontist installed behind my right front tooth is slowly digging further into the roof of my mouth. Needless to say I have been spitting out blood every morning while brushing my teeth. I was originally not looking forward to going back to the orthodontist over Thanksgiving break, but now I kind of can’t wait. Maybe after she’s done reprimanding me for not consistently wearing my rubber bands, she will take out this turbo…
Because this post is about Second Life….well, partially.
So I’m really down in the dumps right now because of school, and there are only three things that could potentially cheer me up. One of them is asleep right now (boyfriend). One of them I just finished consuming (cereal). And the other is a virtual world (Second Life).
Listen, I’m not going to lie or pretend like I’m cooler than or above these sorts of pastimes: I’ve really been missing my Second Life lately, and all of my virtual friends, activities and hangouts that I had over the summer. If that makes me sound dorky, then so be it. I like what I like, and I do what I want…
right?
right.
There was something comforting about playing Second Life. I miss Lainey and her quirky friends. I even miss all of the silly virtual drama (and there was tons of it…). But most of all, I just miss being able to explore different worlds for hours on end while not having any real outside responsibilities (and by “not having” I mean “not needing to immediately attend to…”) I’m not entirely certain why I’m so easily sucked into virtual worlds and God-games. But you know I could have worse vices, really. I won’t go into details about the things that slightly concerned me about my Second Life usage, but I do see the value of taking a few months off from playing. I dunno…I just keep thinking about it.
Enough about that though. I’m beginning to feel really inadequate. I’ve had Pnau and Pnau remixes on repeat for a week or so. It makes me feel better. As does this super spooky, Halloween-appropriate Ladyhawke video. She’s so 80s all the time, which is fine with me. Also, her “boyfriend” in this video is super cute…too bad we only see him asleep…
Speaking of Halloween, I will be back on Friday most likely with a preview of my super sultry Halloween costume.
…Also speaking of spooky, I think I just hallucinated something out of the corner of my left eye.
Au Revoir Simone – Another Likely Story (Neon Indian Remix)
Also…the left sleeve of the sweater I am wearing seems to have retained the scent of a significant other who happens to be 70 miles away right now. Its an impossibly dingy blue sweater, but I’ll have to make sure mom doesn’t try to wash this one.
Liberal Milk 