Waking Ear

There's the rub

2007-07-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

Hi. So I got a new job in January, and it's demanding enough of my time where (a) my exposure to music has been much more limited and (b) I don't have a lot of time to post things on a blog. Or rather, I'm not making enough time for either. But I'm still alive, thanks for stopping by to say hi. I'll update randomly if I, as planned, start working a little more music back into my life and get a new computer that isn't powered by a gerbil wheel.

Meanwhile Paul's back. Hi Paul!

"The Phoenix Suns Gorilla loves the smelly house bills."

2006-09-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

Bravo.

"We want our $18 back."

2006-08-02T10:26:00.000-05:00

"The Passion of the Jew," a particularly nutty 2004 South Park episode lampooning Mel Gibson's movie, turns out to be incredibly prescient.

You'd better tip well

2006-07-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

At Nellie's Sports Bar here in Dallas, bartender Justin "Burnz" Wilson shows how he earned his nickname.

("Nellie" is former Mavericks coach Don Nelson, of course. Here's the bar's Web site, apparently authored by someone who time-traveled to 2006 right after finishing a 1998 Web design class.)

Don't ask me. I didn't even know about Lance Bass.

2006-07-27T18:12:00.000-05:00

Google Ads sure are gossipy.

Hard work

2006-07-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

Have I ever spit something that you wanted to repeat, or have you ever quoted a line from one of my rhymes like you was talking in a casual fucking conversation? Give me a fucking break here. I be in that studio racking my brains to make two words rhyme together as well as say some shit in between those two words that make sense. And then, on top of that, transition between those two words to forming words into a sentence that has something to do with what I just fucking said. You know how much work go into that shit? And then to be understood over all that? You know how much work it take to do all that shit? That's why I'm like, yo, if you can't write no motherfucking rhymes, you shouldn't even be trying to tell me I can't bark. Saying he just doesn't make good songs; I'll go for that shit because a lot of dudes can rhyme they ass off, but they don't rhyme to make songs. But don't just outright say a dude can't spit. Because then it's like, oh, you not feeling where I'm coming from? Fuck you.

Tom Breihan interviews Method Man, who, it turns out, is still a genius. And is still pissed about the decline of The Jeffersons.

Debasing the Pixies

2006-06-01T18:06:00.000-05:00

Matthew does a pretty good Elvis impersonation, but he's really a Pixies fan. A big Pixies fan. So big that he recorded versions of Pixies songs in the style of other artists, including the King, Tina Turner and Jimi Hendrix (who he absolutely nails). The Prince version of "Hey" doesn't work because it's really hard to do Prince, and Matthew could use some work on his Jamaican accent on the Bob Marley version of "Mr. Grieves." But overall this is really fun stuff, and it demonstrates just how successful Frank Black (with help from his friends) was as a pop songwriter. There is a reason these songs have stuck with us.

Sunkissed

2006-05-24T18:13:00.000-05:00

Neal Pollack picks the Suns in seven. That will be difficult to do, unless Kurt Thomas' recovery is very quick. Or unless the Suns are pulling a fast one by keeping on the playoff roster a certain third-year forward whose name rhymes with "God-emire."

I love the Mavericks, and they are primed for the Finals. This is their series to lose. But loyalties are loyalties, and my life as a basketball fan began in Phoenix. Go Suns.

Mr. Lova Lova

2006-04-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

A colleague asked me an interesting question today. Well, sort of interesting. Interesting enough for this blog.

Whatever happened to Shaggy, the "boombastic" pseudo-dancehall rapper? Turns out he had an album last year featuring G-Unit's Olivia, a Pussycat Dolls member and, um, will.i.am.

I told the colleague that she should just check out Sean Paul, who seems to be the modern-day equivalent, right? But then she started asking if Spanish-language rappers or black rappers have dirtier lyrics, so I don't know if she's really cut out for this stuff.

It's "Jon," duh

2006-04-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

Trackbacking fun: Somebody came to this here site looking for this. Here's hoping this poor soul eventually made his or her way here.

Swass

2006-04-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

I had no idea that "Don't Cha" was written by Cee-Lo. Thanks, Sasha.

(Also in that link, Sasha seems to make a connection between the Walkmen and Bob Dylan. Which is something Schmubb did a long time ago. Which obviously means that Schmubb should be writing a music column for the New Yorker.

The perfect fit

2006-01-20T18:35:00.000-06:00

It's kind of like Cinderella and her glass slipper.

Michael Jackson/"Liberian Girl"

2006-01-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

I was reading this story the other morning and this song off of Bad popped into my head. It's a slow jam with echo-y drumbeats and heavy, swelling background vocals. Not MJ's best work, of course, but I liked it when I was 11. At the time, it sounded exotic and sexy. (Yet, for some reason, la wifa didn't take kindly to me singing it over the morning paper.)

Reason No. 8,934 to move to Austin

2006-01-18T14:46:00.000-06:00

"Trapped in the Closet": the onstage reenactment. With props.

(Via.)

Mail bomb

2006-01-13T18:35:00.000-06:00

Don't fuck with the IRS.

Cat Power/"Love and Communication"

2006-01-04T16:53:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so I'm a total fanboy. But Cat Power's The Greatest, due later this month, is really really fantastic. I thought this song was a cover at first; it just sounded so classic, and it sent me Googling away for lyrics. The title track has that cool little "Moon River" moment in it with the strings. The Memphis session musicians play right into Chan Marshall's melancholy malaise on this stuff; it's her first truly Southern album since Moon Pix. She sounds more confident and weird than ever.

I'm comic gold

2005-12-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

If you personally know me or la wifa, you're going to want to bookmark this site. Columns are appearing intermittently -- every three weeks or so, I believe.

And seriously, we should've taken a picture of it. You don't get one of those very often.

One of those little reminders about appreciating people in your life

2005-12-12T14:37:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine was found dead this morning in his house in Louisville. Almost certainly natural causes -- he had long been in ill health, though he was only 51. He was a colleague here in Dallas before a big layoff, and we spent a lot of time talking during breaks, and he was warm and funny and cantankerous. I should've stayed in touch better when he left. Fuck.

Rest in peace, Johnny K. May heaven provide you with a never-ending supply of menthols.

Crime Mob/"Stilettos (Pumps)"

2005-12-09T14:56:00.000-06:00

Crime Mob rappers Princess and Diamond prepare to get crunk. Skeet skeet skeet all you want; I'll take the club bangers from Tennessee's Crime Mob any day. They're also responsible for "Knuck If You Buck," in which they tag team like "Saddam Hussein, Hitler and Osama bin Laden." Wild as the Taliban.

The universe tends to unfold as it should

2005-12-07T14:30:00.000-06:00

I am so ready for this.

El obelisko parte dos

2005-12-02T16:21:00.000-06:00

IMG_0157.JPG
Originally uploaded by phantroll.

Here's what it looked like when we were there, btw.

El obelisko

2005-12-02T09:42:00.000-06:00

We walked by this thing a ton of times during our honeymoon in Argentina. But it was going bareback at that point.

Here's to the day when we don't have to commemorate World AIDS Day.

All hell

2005-11-30T14:09:00.000-06:00

If you live in Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville or Louisville, Ky., you should go see this band. And tell me what you think. That's my dear friend Nicholas Falwell on vocals and guitar, among other instruments, I'm sure.

Britney Spears/"Toxic"

2005-11-29T15:17:00.000-06:00

Oh man did we get to watch a lot of TV over Thanksgiving weekend, including Prince's concert film Sign O' The Times. But "Toxic" is the one that stuck in my head, a song that just seems to get wilder and faster and bolder with time.

A while back, Perpetua posted a Hollertronix mash-up of "Toxic" and "Still Tippin'" that was absolutely insane, by the way.

Here it is, in black and white

2005-11-23T15:34:00.000-06:00

So my buddy Matt bought me the wakingear.com domain as a wedding present and told me to get blogging again. Well, I am blogging here, but I thought, what the heck. Nice gift, and I might as well do both. So this will be the personal, softer side of Phantroll, as opposed to the editor-processed version.

Not promising a tremendous amount of posts or anything, and I'm sure this'll just be one of those blogs you can check occasionally on your RSS reader to see if anything's up with me, but that's fine. Does serve a purpose. And, I mean, you can get here by typing in wakingear.com. So you really should find something when you get here.

So I decided to change my template for the first time. To preserve some level of tradition, I chose the ugliest template possible. And this is how it shall stay, unless someone comes up with a brilliant design for me. It would somehow have to involve a single ear. Otherwise, we're sticking with this for now.

Love and kisses, and everybody have just a wonderful awesome Thanksgiving. The missus and I will be in freezing Olympia. I plan on taking many naps.

Phantroll

2005-09-27T11:23:00.000-05:00

People are blogging in Seattle. And one of them really wants to eat a kitten.

Phantroll

2005-09-26T13:43:00.000-05:00

My corporate overlord has discovered blogging and has gone totally blog-crazy. So I'm contributing to the group blog over here, as of today. I'll still post personal stuff here from time to time.

Meantime, visit Phangirl as she chronicles the final month before our wedding. And leave comments. She really likes comments.

Phantroll

2005-08-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

First of all, RuPaul has a blog, and has since 2001. RuPaul is an early adopter. Second of all, looks like her sister lives in Dallas, and she breezed through town recently. In an RV. Hm.

Phantroll

2005-08-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

Just discovered the news about Ibrahim Ferrer's death. Girlfriend and I got to see him in Fort Worth a couple of years ago, and I'm so glad we did. His voice sounded gorgeous, and he could still shake his hips. Glad we and the rest of the world got to learn about him before it was too late.

Phantroll

2005-07-15T18:45:00.000-05:00

In honor of Schmubb's return to the world of blogging, I give you dalmatian facts.

Someday, my great hope is that this blog will not be a blog about other blogs. I apologize for my use of the third person in the previous post. I can't pull that off at all.

Have a tremendous weekend.

Phantroll

2005-07-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

Our old friend Paul Cox is resurrected as Hall
Monitor.

Good. We missed Paul.

Also, go visit Mandy's blog. Mandy is engaged to Victor. They're both nice people. They travel a lot, too. My goodness, the traveling they do.

Phantroll

2005-07-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

I swear I'm not making this up. The message appeared in my viewing panel in Microsoft Outlook.

Apparently my computer thinks it's Fozzie Bear. Which is cool.

Phantroll

2005-07-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so out of it. Rent movie? Had no clue. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't suck.

Phantroll

2005-07-09T22:48:00.000-05:00

Why didn't anybody ever tell me about Timbaland's ringtone album?

Should I be surprised that they're really good? Do you think Timbaland actually tried, or does this shit comes this naturally to him?

Phantroll

2005-06-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

Hating Ultragrrrl? It's like hating the E! Entertainment Network or something. Kinda pointless. I think she's funny.

I corresponded with her once, back when she did the birthday listings on Spin.com before the whole thing got shut down post-dot-com bubble. I forget what I e-mailed her about. But she was very nice. Good for her for making a franchise of herself.

Phantroll

2005-05-27T00:02:00.000-05:00

So I was reading Pitchfork's Mike Jones review, which I thought was an incredibly fair and accurate take on an album I really really like, and I check the byline and I have an incredibly sexist moment where I go, "Whoa, it's a girl!" So I Google her.

In addition to Mike Jones, Julianne Shepherd likes Patrick Dempsey. Chelle and Schmubb's wife, Bri-ness, are always going on about Patrick Dempsey. I find this strangely comforting. There's this whole legion of cool women out there who like this one guy. It's like Ethan Hawke a decade ago. If the woman liked Ethan Hawke then she would probably hang out with you.

Speaking of hanging out with women, I just booked our hotel for our honeymoon in Buenos Aires. It's the Paris of South America, no?

Phantroll

2005-05-24T14:11:00.000-05:00

Neal Pollack, the only articulate Suns fan I can find online, on the San Antonio Spurs: "They're like one of those cartoon supervillains that absorb the powers of whomever they're fighting."

But he's also right when he says, on his site, that Brent Barry won't go for 21 again. More importantly, Shawn Marion won't produce this line again:

Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts
S. Marion 38 1-6 0-1 1-2 2 9 1 1 1 0 4 3

And, in keeping with the mythology that gives the Desert City its name, Joe Johnson shall riseth from the ashes in Game 3 and soar anew!

Phantroll

2005-05-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

DVDs. I buy them for the same reason I buy books. To peruse once and then to put on a shelf so that people can see what products I've perused. In other words, to make people think I'm cool. Otherwise I'd just rent, because it's cheaper.

So. I want all of these.

(By the way, "99 Problems" with Jay-Z commentary? What more could he say? He's doing commentary in the song! "You're crazy for this one, Rick!")

Phantroll

2005-05-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

I've been browsing around the reviews of Revenge of the Sith. Anthony Lane's critique in the New Yorker is uncharacteristically juvenile, funny and probably too mean. But the one that really got me was Peter Travers' review in Rolling Stone.

I've long suspected Travers of being a shill, and his 2002 review of Attack of the Clones was the straw that broke my camel's back. Sure, he noted accurately that the dialogue and acting and direction were awful, but read the review, and you'll come away with the feeling that this movie is actually pretty good.

In the new review, Travers calls Sith mostly crap and calls Clones "atrocious." So maybe he's no longer selling out. Maybe he got a new boss or something. But he's certainly inconsistent. I remember being shocked by the number of stars Travers gave Clones. On rollingstone.com, it shows only two stars. If anybody out there has a copy of the print edition of the review, let me know. I'd bet my ass it was at least three stars at the time.

I can't believe I actually wrote three paragraphs on that. Sorry. Travers really bugs me.

Phantroll

2005-05-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

Dallas, I need your help. I once had a conversation in a bar with someone, I don't remember who, but someone who mentioned attending a party that featured a breakdancing monkey. Does anybody know where I can hire this monkey? Google isn't helping. I promise to treat him right, in accordance with all anti-cruelty laws.

Phantroll

2005-05-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

Somewhere, there are parents giving this book to their kids. It is my fond hope that those kids keep those books on their shelves, rediscover them someday, open them, and laugh their asses off. With Ludacris playing on the oldies station in the background.

Phantroll

2005-05-05T00:54:00.000-05:00

The Austin City Limits Festival sked is up, and it's better than I thought it would be. I had heard about most of the headliners ahead of time, and they're underwhelming, though Wilco and Lyle Lovett were surprises to me.

Now comes the decision -- shell out the money to see a few bands I haven't seen and a bunch I've seen but enjoyed and wouldn't mind seeing again, or screw it?

Phantroll

2005-04-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

Daddy Yankee/"Gasolina" -- I've been loving this song for a while now, and then Paz put it on his mixtape (which you should "cop," as the keeds say), and now it is on eternal repeat in my brain. Also, the remix with Lil' Jon is the most beautiful unholy alliance ever.

Phantroll

2005-03-31T20:45:00.000-06:00

Attention: It is now time for bloggers to stop using the words "bananas" and "binoculars" to describe really cool music. If I had been posting with any regularity, I would have used them too, because they are fun words. But enough already.

Also, I just figured out what "trill" means. I can't believe it took me so long.

Phantroll

2005-03-11T14:14:00.000-06:00

Reason #546,783 why I love the Internet: Amazon.com's discounted gift certificates to local restaurants, many of them quite good. A $25 gift certificate to Campisi's for $10? Hell yes.

Phantroll

2005-03-10T16:47:00.000-06:00

We call them Waking Ears; others call the "earworms." But now, this we know: the dang-blasted things reside in your auditory cortex. And you can partially blame Brodmann's area 22 for those times when you have "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" in your head.

Phantroll

2005-03-02T06:38:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry I've been AWOL, but I'm going to ask you for a favor anyway. Chelle broke her ankle last weekend playing Ultimate Frisbee (a sport I have warned her against playing on pure moral grounds, of course, but that's another issue at the moment) and apparently it's a pretty bad break that's going to require surgery and physical therapy. It's a bummer because Chelle is like Jazzercise Barbie or something and she's always really active and out and about and I know it's killing her to be laid up like this.

So. Please send the good thoughts and stuff her way. I don't think she'll be spending a lot of time near a computer in the next few days, but if you make some well-wishing comments I'll print 'em out and make sure she sees them.

Chelle

2005-02-17T10:48:00.000-06:00

Hi. Long time, no post.
I've heard KEXP play The Bravery's "An Honest Mistake" a few times and I like it. Makes me shake around in my chair.
Does anyone know more about this band and their music? Anyone listen to the whole cd? Good, bad, ugly?

On another note, I'd just like to say that I don't think Ray Charles should have won Album of the Year at the Grammys. I don't usually keep up with this awards show, but my mom wanted to watch. And I don't think his album should have won over the likes of Kanye, Green Day, Alicia, etc. And don't even get me started on the many amazing albums that were snubbed all together.
i feel better not that i've said my peace.

Phantroll

2005-02-03T12:31:00.000-06:00

Memo to Pitchfork: Those Suicide Girls ads are getting totally NSFW. I'm going to have to stop using your site and actually be productive and stuff if you keep this up. I mean, I understand the demographic overlap, but isn't there a way I can like opt out or something?

Phantroll

2005-02-01T14:42:00.000-06:00

Girlfriend rules. She directed me to Ad Age this morning so I could finally see the Starburst commercial with the guy eating the statue. It's truly, truly a work of art. And as several bloggers have pointed out, it's a fantastic allusion to the video* for Lionel Richie's "Hello."

*That's a multimedia link, so turn your sound down if you're at work.

Phantroll

2005-01-25T10:28:00.000-06:00

Tom Breihan lauds Trick Daddy's "Sugar" in today's Pitchfork, and he's absolutely right. Plus, I had no idea Luda guests on the album cut, since I've only seen the video. The video, by the way, is exceptional, if only for the part when Tricky loses his patience with the little boy trying to con him out of an extra piece of candy. "Look here," Tricky says. "Tricky luh da kids, but you got to pay for this sugar." He looks so exasparated and stoned at the same time, it's beautiful.

I've linked Tom before, and I'm adding his site to my links because it's good, y'all.

Also new to the blogroll: Rollie Pemberton, who I always liked on Pitchfork and who also has contributed to Stylus. Mr. Pemberton has exceptional taste.

Phantroll

2005-01-20T17:19:00.000-06:00

I'm probably the last person on the planet to notice, but TMFTML is back. One thing is certain: worktime productivity is about to fall drastically. And we are never drinking again.

Phantroll

2005-01-14T13:53:00.000-06:00

Alert: We're on the hunt for a song ID. The group is called Pussy Cat _____, and we don't know the third word. The song may or may not be called "Swing." The roommate heard it at his bar, which normally plays dancey club stuff because it's a place where gay men go, but this one was a little different, a little more classic, like maybe with some '60s or '70s kind of elements, he says.

Phantroll

2005-01-14T09:28:00.000-06:00

Occasional Pitchfork contributor Tom notes the passing of Washington's alt-rock radio station WHFS. I lived in D.C. for a summer only, back in '99, when HFS still played fairly interesting things. The station sponsored Beth Orton's concert, which featured "alt-"country singer Kelly Willis as the opening act. It was a great tandem, and Willis, who grew up in Virginia, talked about how she grew up listening to the station. Then she wryly noted that they never played her stuff. So with that, a hearty "fuck off" to what was left of HFS.

Phantroll

2005-01-11T13:49:00.000-06:00

RIP Mclusky. Glad Schmubb and I caught them on their only stop in Dallas. There were only like 10 people there, which we thought was weird.

I'll resume posting regularly again soon. Just gotta move apartments.

Speaking of moving, do you think Paul will tell us where he's going? My guess is he's leaving the country.

Phantroll

2004-12-28T22:15:00.000-06:00

Ouch.

Back to the drawing board for my Suns. Next time, Gadget, next time!

Phantroll

2004-12-28T08:51:00.000-06:00

When a 'bow hits your eye as you watch a man fly
That's Amare
When the Suns seem to shine as they kick your behind
That's Amare
When the Spurs start to drool just like a buncha fools
That's Amare

OK, I can't think of any more. But know this, Duncan: Amare is hungry. He's not even hungry. He's hawngray. And you're in his sights. Punks jump up to get beat down. I'm not very good at talking trash, but you get the idea.

That will be me in the sixth row at the SBC Center tonight, using tickets obtained by the wonderful Girlfriend, who also got me a brand-new Suns hat to replace the one I've been wearing for more than a decade. Oh, and she also got me one of Phoenix Suns fan Neal Pollack's books. Girlfriend gets the Girlfriend of the Year award.

Oh, music, you ask? I've been listening lately to two artists: Blind Willie McTell, the bluesman who heavily influenced Bob Dylan, and T.I., the rapper responsible for this year's greatest single, "Rubber Band Man." They have so much in common it's scary.

Phantroll

2004-12-21T15:43:00.000-06:00

It just dawned on me that J-Kwon sounds a lot like an American Dizzee Rascal. Not in terms of vocal dexterity, just timbre. He's got that squeaky adolescent thing going in any case.

Phantroll

2004-12-17T13:35:00.000-06:00

A voice like Steve Perry's just gets the imagination going, doesn't it? (Following snippet from this story, link via John in the Morning's newsletter.)

"Oh Steve…. Chuck's dead…!!!"

Steve was sure that he heard Roger wrong. Nancy, standing in the doorway, covers her mouth with her hand. Roger by now is crying uncontrollably. Steve is shaking him.

"Roger! What did you just say! Chuck is…. dead?!"

"A..car…accident…yesterday…he was coming back…"

"No! Roger! No….Jesus…not Chuck!"

By now Roger has gone without sleep for almost 36 hours and the strain is too much. Rogers knees began to buckle and Steve catches him before he hits the floor. Roger falls to his knees and Steve goes with him. They land in a heap on the floor. Steve holding Roger.

"Steve! Oh Steve! I have know Chuck since we were….eleven!"

Roger buries his head in Steve's chest crying. Steve looks up at Nancy, tears streaming down his face as well.

Phantroll

2004-12-13T17:47:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention the best musical moment of my weekend trip. The aforementioned ATA also plays music videos during boarding, and most of them are relatively current. But randomly, they played "On My Own," the 1986 duet by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald. Now that's a song I've not heard for a long time.

In the video, LaBelle and McDonald stroll around the city on a split screen, looking forlorn. They're a horrible match musically, and they don't even look like they'd hang out -- LaBelle with her wild hair and stylish clothes, McDonald in lots of khaki. McDonald even misses some notes. The whole song's much worse than I remember it being.

Which is why I can't really explain how giddy I felt watching it. I think it was the sheer nuttiness of seeing the video on the airplane. Airlines usually only show you video from their entertainment partners, who are promoting movies or TV shows or gadgets or SkyMall or whatever. It's very coordinated. But ghetto-ass ATA had no agenda! They were bringing the people Patti LaBelle, because why the hell not?

Phantroll

2004-12-13T17:37:00.000-06:00

Wish I could just get John Richards to DJ my wedding. But this is pretty cool.

Phantroll

2004-12-12T19:53:00.000-06:00

ATA is bankrupt and has the ugliest logo and color scheme I've ever seen. But their theme song rocks, as I was reminded this weekend on a series of flights. Imagine smooth, Luther Vandross-style R&B: "If you want to go easy, go ATA...."

My weekend was ostensibly spent in Olympia visiting Girlfriend's mom, but because I'm a cheap-ass I ended up with a flight that included a long layover in Chicago. The happy part was that I got to see my sister in Chicago, and the other happy part was that I got to spend the better part of two days just listening to my iPod, which produced the following musings:

Check out John Tejada's remix of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights," off the "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" single. It doesn't replace the original, but it's a nice re-imagining, slow and bassy.

I would never have predicted that my favorite song off the Scissor Sisters album would be "It Can't Come Quickly Enough," but it is. It's totally simple and, in concert, required only singer Jake Shears and the keyboardist, who I think calls himself Babydaddy. In any case, Shears sings the shit out of it like he was George Michael.

Speaking of, Black Box Recorder's "Andrew Ridgely" popped up randomly on my iPod and thoroughly pleased me.

By the way, if you're ever in the Seattle area and find yourself in need of a fantastic sandwich, may I recommend the Chachi at Honey Hole. Many thanks to Jodes and Rob for hooking that up.

Phantroll

2004-12-07T16:38:00.000-06:00

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's Come Poop With Me has been nominated for a Grammy. As well it should be. It's a good album.

FOR ME TO POOP ON!

I keed, I keed.

Our friend Uus does the best impression I've ever heard of Triumph. I have shed tears laughing so hard at hearing him say, "Help! I was fucking this poodle and I got stuck!"

Phantroll

2004-12-06T09:05:00.000-06:00

I'm dumb. Remember when I was trying to decide between Scissor Sisters and RJD2? Well, I can go to both. Because Scissor Sisters rescheduled their date, which I forgot to note on my Outlook calendar (yes, I track shows on my Outlook calendar, fuck you), causing all the confusion in the first place. Which proves why I shouldn't think out loud.

Phantroll

2004-11-29T15:42:00.000-06:00

The New York Observer's Hillary Frey ponders the Fork's position as music's trendiest tastemaker, and the cast of ILM, once the site's nastiest collective critic, seems pretty pleased. What's next? A Fluxblog paean to Clear Channel?

By the way, Frey's dead-on about the Pitchfork Effect on concert attendance, and it's not limited to Williamsburg. At the Vietnam/Death From Above 1979/Panthers show a couple of weeks ago here in Dallas, almost all of the crowd disappeared after DFA1979's set, leaving the former-'Fork-darling Panthers with an audience of about a dozen people.

Having never thought Pitchfork's praise for Panthers was deserved, this didn't bother me too much. But having seen bands I like, such as the French Kicks, get the bad end of a 'Fork review, I can honestly say it sucks when one critical voice has all the power. I don't know that it's ever been any other way; somebody's got to be the standard-bearer. But I know I turn to Metacritic and a few other places in addition to Pitchfork because Schreiber & Co. do sometimes get it wrong.

That said, I credit Pitchfork with turning me on to many bands -- Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, etc. -- I might have otherwise missed completely or at least have been delayed in discovering. As long as the site keeps its commitment to discovering good new music -- and it looks like Schreiber has his heart in the right place -- I'll keep checking it daily. (Critics, including der Schmubb, have pointed out that the writing on Pitchfork is often terribly overwrought, and I agree. But Schmubb has trained himself to just hone in on the third or fourth paragraphs of each review to get the gist, and he's right, it works.)

While the 'Fork is setting goals for itself, might I suggest one more? Staff diversification -- specifically, more women (I don't know the racial breakdown, but it's probably worth looking at, too). I believe there's only one female staff writer right now, and I know music-geekery is theoretically still a male thing. But a better array of perspectives could help.

Phantroll

2004-11-24T10:21:00.000-06:00

I was parking my car in a tight parallel spot last night in Deep Ellum, and a guy who I presumed to be homeless ran over to help me negotiate the space. He asked me to help him out when I got out of the car, saying he would like to purchase a bottle of Thunderbird. I'm not one of those people who thinks it's cool when homeless people are honest and say they want money to buy a drink, because when you're homeless and the only thing you want to spend money on is alcohol you're probably an alcoholic, and that's not fun. But I gave him enough for his Thunderbird anyway. I hope he stayed warm last night.

Earlier in the day, on my way to the gym, another guy who I presumed to be homeless asked me to help him out. I didn't have any change and told him so. "Man, that's what you told me yesterday," he pouted. "Damn!" I found this kind of impressive.

Remember these guys this weekend when you're burping turkey.

You know that feeling you get when you laugh so much that the adrenalin starts kicking in? Laughing with a kind of abandon, a loss of control. I seem to experience that more with Girlfriend than with any other person I've ever met. And it's the No. 1 thing I'm thankful for. The rest of the list:

2) My family's nice habit of practicing unconditional love.
3) My roommate's undying quest to cook the perfect dessert.
4) Seeing one of my best friends gaze at the love of his life when she's not looking.
5) Those nights when Chelle needs a drink and knows I'm available.
6) Coffee.
7) The fucking Internet.
8) My iPod.
9) Amare Stoudemire.
10) The feeling of superiority that comes with kicking Will Shortz's ass.

Phantroll

2004-11-19T16:43:00.000-06:00

Neal Pollack says it best, but I'll add my part: BEAT LA! It's so much more fun being a (potential) playoff team.

Phantroll

2004-11-18T13:41:00.000-06:00

This?

Or this?

RJD2 has pushed back his show at Hailey's until 12/8, which means I can go! But the Scissor Sisters are the same night. I'm leaning toward the DJ because I like his records more, but those Scissor Sisters seem like they put on quite a show. Anybody seen either? Thoughts?

Phantroll

2004-11-16T22:29:00.000-06:00

There are only about four times a year that I root against the Dallas Mavericks (excluding the rare chance that they play a certain team in the postseason). Tonight was one of those times. And my Sunnies tore it up, even if they did get a little help from injuries to Erick Dampier and Jason Terry and from Dirk Nowitzki's foul trouble.

Bold prediction: Amare Stoudemire will one day be league MVP. Now if the Suns can just clear up some room so they can get Yuta Tabuse, the most adorable NBA player since Muggsy Bogues, off the injured list.

Phantroll

2004-11-10T13:41:00.000-06:00

NORE feat. Nina Sky, etc./"Oye Mi Canto" -- OK, I understand that it's mostly in Spanish and stuff, but I can't figure out why this isn't a No. 1 hit all over the country. It's got the same pop-ized reggaeton kind of beat and a way catchier chorus than Nina Sky's "Move Your Body." And all the rappers sound really cool.

Phantroll

2004-11-09T17:14:00.000-06:00

First XPO Lounge loses its lease, then Jimmy's Food Store burns to the ground, and now Z Cafe has apparently closed. Everything in Dallas is dying.

But I guess Z had it comin'. I think Schmubb hated them for some reason.

Phantroll

2004-11-08T11:36:00.000-06:00

The dates for next year's ACL Festival have been set -- Sept. 23-25. Never too early to start planning.

Phantroll

2004-11-08T10:27:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking Ridglea Theater was exaggerating a little on the exciting shows they had planned for end of November. Or maybe they failed to book the act they were trying to get. The three dates are no longer blocked out, and something called American Overkill is playing on the 27th. Blah.

Phantroll

2004-11-07T21:41:00.000-06:00

From the all-black-slutty-rappers-look-the-same department: check out the correction at the end of this one.

Phantroll

2004-11-04T17:20:00.000-06:00

Our spies are reporting that, after their Dallas show, Interpol stayed out really late, missed the bus and had to hitch a ride with the Secret Machines down to Austin. Oh, and at least one of them appears to have cheated on his significant other.

So standard rock star stuff.

I'm not very good at gossip.

Phantroll

2004-11-04T07:50:00.000-06:00

Guns 'n' Roses/"Civil War" -- In this year in which I've seen the Pixies thrice, this Waking Ear made me think about the biggest acts I've missed in my lifetime that, if I could go back in time, I would've made an effort to see. The top five:

1) Nirvana. Duh.
2) Journey w/Steve Perry. Because that voice will never occur again on earth.
3) GNR! Hot pants! w/Axl and Slash and the whole crew, of course.
4) Elliott Smith. I actually had a ticket once and didn't go for stupid reasons. Regret.
5) Jeff Buckley. Who probably could've handled a Journey cover.

Phantroll

2004-11-02T13:48:00.000-06:00

Interpol/"Not Even Jail" -- Don't throw things at people. It's not very nice, and sometimes when you do it, people aren't nice to you back, and they skip the second encore they were going to do for you because you threw something at them. I can't really blame them. So stop it. Unless the people you're throwing things at are like the Sex Pistols or something. But that's a different kind of thing.

Chelle

2004-10-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

A liberal friend created this sticker and site...see, all us Texans aren't Bushees.

fthepresident.org

Phantroll

2004-10-26T17:17:00.000-05:00

Forget about the photos. I'm salivating over 60 gigs of music storage.

Or you can get the ugly one.

Phantroll

2004-10-26T14:47:00.000-05:00

RIP, John Peel.

Phantroll

2004-10-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

Frank Black Francis/"Subbacultcha (demo)" -- I have heard the ghost of Kurt Cobain. Surely he must have heard this demo with Black Francis' voice straining and moaning, "We're having real fun" sometime before In Utero, at least.

Phantroll

2004-10-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

Fort Worth's Ridglea Theater has put a series of November dates on hold, presumably for a three-night stand for somebody. Direct any guesses or inside info right nyah.

Phantroll

2004-10-22T17:39:00.000-05:00

Pixies/"Head On" -- I've now seen the Pixies thrice in their reunion-tour marathon, twice at festival-type shows and once, this week, as a headlining act. I'm glad I did the last one -- a much more in-depth exploration of their catalogue, including a visit to Jesus-and-Mary-Chain-land for one of the best covers of an already awesome song ever.

Phantroll

2004-10-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

The Go! Team/"The Power Is On" -- I have this theory that everything Timbaland has done lately (with the exception of "Head Sprung") is an approximation of a Grambling State-style marching band, but then these British guys come along and totally whup up on him. This song has it all -- shimmering cymbals, chaotic drums, triumphant horns and unintelligible cheerleader chants. Indeed, go team!

Phantroll

2004-10-15T08:33:00.000-05:00

At the risk of becoming a basketball blog: Who's yo daddy? (Second-to-last item.)

Phantroll

2004-10-14T07:47:00.000-05:00

Tariq Abdul-Wahad blogs about how the Dallas Mavericks are trying to get rid of him.

Phantroll

2004-10-11T16:50:00.000-05:00

Does Kashi put the crack cocaine in their products? I have developed an addiction to these cheese crackers. And the crunchy cereal makes my mornings way too happy.

Phantroll

2004-10-09T01:50:00.000-05:00

Fifty bucks a pop to go see Old Man Morrissey. Steep. But it must be done. The question is, considering the frugality of my closest friends, and the fact that it involves driving to Fort Party Worth on a weeknight, and the fact that none of them are remotely as big on Morrissey as I am, must I go alone? Anyone else out there?

Chelle

2004-10-06T17:47:00.000-05:00

Came across this site (via the Business 2.0 blog - gotta give props where props are due).
www.musicplasma.com

It's cool. Kinda trippy. And totally amusing. Just type in any band and this whole world of 'degrees of separation' appears.

Phantroll

2004-10-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

Smoosh's two members are 10 and 12 years old. They obviously have very cool Seattle parents whose record collection has kind of blown their minds. Listening to their songs, you pick up little pieces of influence, but it's processed and warped through the strange dots that connect in a kid's brain. And that's all sharpened by the minimal instrumentation. MP3 here.

Phantroll

2004-10-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

The World Class Wreckin' Cru/"Turn Off the Lights" -- GF and I had the pleasure of rediscovering this classic over the weekend, thanks to San Antonio radio. Michel'le sings the hook, basically talking trash to her lover, warning him that if he turns off the lights, he'd better be prepared to "do it good.

" 'Cause I'm a helluva woman, and for it me it takes a helluva man," she sings.

The rapper, a former associate of Dr. Dre and Eazy-E named Lonzo, believes he is prepared to bring it to Michel'le. In a loping, Vincent-Price-in-"Thriller" cadence, he tells her how he plans to seduce her. His strategy includes dancing "with a g-string on my hip."

I wish there was an iTunes link for this, but I've already checked and it's a no-go. Sorry. But I can offer you Terry McDermott's richly written history of West Coast hip-hop, reprinted, probably sans copyright permission, from the Los Angeles Times.

The story includes the pivotal moment when our friend Lonzo discovers Dr. Dre, allows him to perform as a stand-in member of the Wreckin' Cru, and then watches Dre astonish a Compton nightclub crowd by mixing "Please Mr. Postman" with "Planet Rock."

Phantroll

2004-10-01T01:06:00.000-05:00

26cover.386
Originally uploaded by phantroll.

If anybody knows how to get a print of this photo, suitable for framing, please let me know. It's from last Sunday's NYT Mag story on election blogs.

I've been a fan of Jack Germond since I was about 14 years old, and I think that puts me in the minority among my generation. I used to watch The McLaughlin Group with my Republican dad, and about the only thing we agreed on was how cool Germond was, refusing to lose his cool as McLaughlin basically spit in his face.

Johnny Apple isn't as idol-worship-worthy, but he's a hell of a writer. And Ms. Cox has, of course, made this election bearable.

Phantroll

2004-09-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

Interpol/"Take You On a Cruise -- Harmonies! And playful Carlos D. bass lines! Ocean imagery! Fred Astaire!

I'm still lukewarm-to-warm on Antics, relatively speaking. I think it gets muddled in the second half, and I want the rhythm section higher in the mix. But this is good shit.

Phantroll

2004-09-29T15:05:00.000-05:00

Guided By Voices has postponed their show at Dallas' Gypsy Tea Room, along with shows in Austin, Houston and Athens, Ga., because of the death of a close friend. They're rescheduling in November.

So, supersleuths, who's the friend? I'm curious.

Phantroll

2004-09-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

How many flights would you have to take to make this worth it? It costs like 10,000 bucks to fly to London first-class, so you could do that 300 times. If you're 18 when you buy it, and you die at 90, that means the card will have paid for itself if you fly first-class to London and similarly expensive destinations a little more than four times a year. Which sounds like the kind of thing rich people do.

Chelle sent me a link to this. She didn't disclose whether she has registered to do her patriotic duty.

Phantroll

2004-09-28T13:21:00.000-05:00

"The Boondocks is brand-new, relatively speaking, and he's already stripped away the backgrounds... And he was using cut-and-paste images before he handed off the art. And he also stopped telling stories, for the most part, which I thought was a pity."

Garry Trudeau's criticism was spot-on, and I wonder if it struck a nerve or something, because shortly after that New Yorker story was published in April, The Boondocks came roaring back to life. In the last few months, we've had Grandpa's metamorphosis into a cranky Bill Cosby, a skewering of P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign, which enthralls Riley, and last week's satire of black images on TV. The arty backgrounds are also back, for the most part, even if cut-and-paste occasionally resurfaces. And now, this week, Trudeau may very well be getting his wish, because Jazmine's back.

Then again, McGruder may just be refreshing the character to prep us for the TV show and movie he's supposedly developing. Whatever.

Phantroll

2004-09-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

A.C. Newman/"The Town Halo" -- It sounds crisp and organic like the best of Spoon, really singling out the instruments in the mix instead of squishing them all together. And the vocals are kinda this Beach Boys meet Hall & Oates tight on the harmony but with a weird kind of soul-ish abandon to them. And the songwriting, of course, y'know.

Man, I love this song. When it comes up on the 'Pod, I do this Beavis Cornholio thing in my head where it goes, "Yeahh meayeah yeah yeah yeah yeah YEAH!"

I think there's a clip of it on that link above if you haven't heard it.

Phantroll

2004-09-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

The gods have smiled upon me. Morrissey got rescheduled to Oct. 27 in Fort Worth, which means I'll be able to see Ted Leo after all. Unless he hurts himself again.

I know you'll all sleep better now.

Phantroll

2004-09-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

Paz to spin Oct. 30 in Austin. Who's in?

Phantroll

2004-09-21T21:53:00.000-05:00

Engagement ring
Originally uploaded by phantroll.