Once More With Feeling...

Well, that certainly petered out. Stay tuned though for something new on the horizon. In the meantime, check out my reviews at Culture Now.

Greetings from Sunnydale

I've decided that it's finally time to end my long hiblognation. I'm not totally sure why I took such a long hiatus, but I think ultimately I felt (at least at the beginning) that I didn't have much to say. Our interminably long spring break was hardly filled with exciting adventures and amusing anecdotes. Of course, that never stopped me before, so that explanation doesn't cut it. No, when I think back over the past 5 weeks, there's only one new variable that stands out: my life has been taken over by Buffy. While I've always been an unabashed pop culture nerd, there are few precedents for how deeply I'm immersed myself in the Buffyverse. I've torn through nearly 6 seasons of Buffy, and nearly 3 seasons of Angel,its spin-off. I've managed to slow myself to the pace of one season per week, but its nearly impossible to a go a day without sneaking in a few episodes. So I guess what it all boils down to is that all of my blogging time became consumed by Buffy time. I promise not to turn this into a Buffy-blog, so I'll do my best to pry myself away from Sunnydale just long enough to return to regular Vienna-related musings.

Contrary to popular opinion, I haven't turned into a complete recluse. Well, I guess I should qualify that: I haven't turned into more of a recluse than I normally am. The main obstacle to getting out more often hasn't been my buffy-addiction; instead, the primary issue is the plummeting dollar. As of now, the one US dollar equals under .63 euros (in other words, one euro is $1.59). Want to grab a small espresso for 3 euro? Sorry that's $4.77. How about going out at night for a beer? Good luck paying under $6. A couple of weeks ago I went out for Indian food with John and Alex. As many of you know, I absolutely love Indian food, particularly many of the $7 lunch buffets back home. Well, for what I would consider a very good, but still relatively unremarkable meal, the three of us paid a total of 70 euros. There goes $111. In the past week, I've spent a truly absurd amount of money, thanks to a two day sojourn in Budapest, a few dinners out, and new textbooks for my German course. Without getting into the gory details, I'm pretty sure I've spent more in the last two weeks than I did all of last semester at Trinity.

There have been a few promising developments on the budget front however. Thanks to a tip from a new German friend, we found an Irish pub with outstanding drink specials during the week. At our old standby pub, Charlie P's, a shot and a Guinness sets you back just under 10 euro (around $16)--at the new place, Waxy Murphy's, during the week you can get the same thing for 3 euro (under 5 bucks). Additionally, the weather is on the verge of becoming quite nice (hopefully). We've had a few hints of spring weather, so I'm hoping to hang my winter coat up for good next week. Consequently, the city is starting to become a little more outdoor oriented. Cafes have set up outdoor seating areas, parks are beginning to fill up, and major pedestrian areas have more life. In general, walking around the city has become much more pleasant, providing a free source of entertainment.

Just to prove, however, that I have left my room and had some fun during my hiatus, here are my top 5 highlights over the past month (in no particular order):

1)Budapest
Awesome, awesome city. Beautiful architecture and more statues and monuments per square than any city I've ever been to (outside of Rome). Here's me hanging out with some Hungarian heroes:

The nerd in me was really excited by the old castle in Buda (on the appropriately named Castle Hill). I mean, castles in general are cool, but this one happened to look exactly like Minas Tirith, the white city in The Return of the King. Here's the view of the castle walls (from inside):
My only warning for those of you planning on visiting Budapest is that Hungarian is the craziest language I've ever encountered. Here's a quote from my travel guide: "No other language that uses Latin script is as baffling as Hungarian. Normally in a European country you would expect to be able to understand a few written words - the basics, the essentials. Come to Hungary with such expectations and they are soon dashed against the harsh rocks of impossible letter combinations, absurdly long words, and endless accents." Kind of daunting, huh?

2)The Hives concert
Since freshman year of high school, I've wanted to see The Hives in concert, so 15 year old Matt had a blast. They definitely lived up to their reputation as one of the world's most entertaining live acts. Nulla Salus Sine The Hives!


3) Tacos Lopez
Real Mexican food in Wien=happiness for Matt. Plus they have a little store inside the restaurant with salsa, nopales, tequila, etc. My first sip of horchata was a very welcome taste of home.

4) Pitchfork.tv
An on-demand online music tv channel with a collection of awesome music videos, live performances, and interviews growing everyday. Checking for new content has become a daily source of entertainment. Highlights so far: The Thermals tearing through a couple of their most rousing numbers on a New York rooftop, Vampire Weekend dabbling in baroque pop with M79, my favorite track off their debut, with help from a Julliard-trained string trio, a glimpse into the insane world of Man Man whose latest LP Rabbit Habbits is my favorite album of the year so far, the video for one of my all-time favorite songs (Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros' "Johnny Appleseed"), and finally discovering the videos of Encyclopedia Pictura, one of my favorite new directors. Check his visually stunning takes on Grizzly Bear's "Knife" and Bjork's "Wanderlust".

5) Repeatedly stealing John's ukulele
Cuz ukuleles are fun.

People Ain't No Good

It is now clear to me that Europe is entirely empty of cultural value. I've already discussed the "Kuschel Song" in an earlier post, but another equally demonic creation has recently come to my attention. "Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil" reached number 1 on the German pop charts in January of 2005. Consequently, any claims purporting the cultural richness of Germany made after this date are null and void. Here's Schnappi in his glory:


I also found this English translation of Schnappi, so you can fully appreciate just how ridiculous this little Krokodil is.

"I am Snappy the Little Crocodile,
I come from Egypt. I live out on the Nile.
At first I was inside an egg,
and then - Schni schnap! - I finally got away.
(Chorus)
I am Snappy the Little Crocodile,
I have sharp teeth. I have a pretty smile!
I'll snap at you - you'd better watch your tail,
I'll snap at me, because I snap so well!
(Chorus)
I am Snappy the Little Crocodile,
When I play I'm snapping all the while,
At the crypt I make the mummies run,
But when I snap I'm only having fun!
(Chorus)
I am Snappy the Little Crocodile,
When I play I try not to go wild,
When my Daddy puts me to bed,
I go to sleep and bite him on the leg.
(Chorus)"

It's things like this that tempt me to create a Second Life account.

Welcome To My Home, No Fear of Pneumonia

Howdy old friends. Sorry for the prolonged absence. I spent a week laid up with a vicious Austrian flu. I'll spare you the details, but, suffice to say, blogging was the last thing on my mind. Anyway, my language class ended last Friday, so I have nothing better to do make up for the past week's negligence with an epic post to get the blog back on track. So, without further do, here's the biggest, loudest, hairiest post of all.

First off, the Reader's Digest version of the last 10 days. When last we left our merry adventurer, he was approaching the dramatic conclusion of the three-week intensive Deutschkurse. Strangely enough, we took our final exam on the 11th day of class, so we had four more classes post-final. Unfortunately, I took ill on Wednesday, and though I managed to drag myself to the final two classes, I had to bail on a concert I had planned on going to. I was growing increasingly concerned that my health would be keep me from the Trinity-organized trip to Graz (the second biggest city in Austria and, more importantly, the hometown of Arnold Schwarzenegger). Short of being soaked in liquid nitrogen, nothing could have kept me from completing such a sacred pilgrimage. My determination was rewarded by a beautiful city and a welcome respite from my bed. Because of its close proximity to the border, Graz displays a more prominent Italian influence than Vienna. The bustling piazzas, narrow alley ways, and ample supply of gelato were all friendly reminders of my time in Italy. After a few more days in bed, classes started on Tuesday. Well, a class at least-our Thought and Culture in Vienna course taught by our fearless program coordinator Gerhard.

Fortunately, I was totally healthy in time for last night's Black Dice show. I had pretty high-expectations going in, and I was not disappointed. Sonically, they're just light years ahead of almost anything else I've ever heard. What makes Black Dice unique amongst their peers in experimental music is their ability to use alien sounds in almost-familiar way. There will be moments when you can ground your listening in a steady, danceable rhythm, and then all of a sudden another heavily syncopated rhythm will creep in on top of it. I still don't totally understand how they make those sounds, but this video is a cool introduction. Though their set was just a contiguous flow of sound, there were clearly discernible songs, including my favorite Black Dice song "Kokomo", off of last year's Load Blown. The video perfectly expresses Black Dice's trademark juxtaposition of the familiar with the bizarre. Check it out.

Next up on the hit parade, brother Tim has entered the blogging fray, so be sure to check out his musings. His "hand written radio station" will focus on reviews of some of his favorite individual pop songs. Seeing as Tim is studying contemporary pop music, his insights are slightly more trenchant than my own clueless thoughts. I'm sure once he gets going, they'll be a regular dialog between the blogs, so keep an eye out for that.

For a long time, Tim and I have been huge fans of Andrew W.K., without a doubt one of the strangest and most brilliant figures in pop music today. If you haven't read it already, his wikipedia page is truly remarkable. I can't imagine there are too many other artists who have collaborated with Wolf Eyes and also licensed songs to Girls Gone Wild. Anyway, somehow Andrew found time between his motivational speaking engagements and producing Lee "Scratch" Perry's new album to write a song in honor of...The McLaughlin Group! He wrote the song for Public Radio International's program Fair Game with Faith Salie. As if there was any doubt, it's awesome. You can listen to the whole program by following the link above. Andrew is the second segment, and it's worth listening to the short interview with him. For those of you demanding immediate gratification, here's the song:
McLaughlin Groove - Andrew W.K.

Finally, I want to honor a song I've been searching for since high school, to no avail. One evening many years ago, when Tim and I were listening to KXCI, Tucson's community radio station, we heard a brilliant song by Tucson legend Al Perry called "We Got Cactus." The song was a pitch-perfect tribute to Tucson, equal parts sarcasm and earnest affection. A few days ago, Tim stumbled across a great live version (featuring Calexico and Mariachi Luz de Luna) on Perry's myspace page. Only then did we discover that Perry's rendition is actually a cover--the original was performed by 80s Tucson hardcore group Blood Spasm. Buoyed by our rediscovery of the song, we redoubled our efforts to track down both the original and the Al Perry version. Thanks to an assist from John, we managed to track them down Tuesday night. Over the past few months, I've come to realize just how much I love Tucson, and being out of the country has intensified my nostalgia. So in tribute to my hometown, here's "We Got Cactus", in all its glory.
We Got Cactus - Al Perry
We Got Cactus - Blood Spasm

Hangin' With The Hoff

Yesterday Alex, Jack, John, and I went on an afternoon adventure to the famed Gasometer. While most of what we found was rather unremarkable, the Gasometer Walk of Stars produced a few gems, most notably...

David Hasselhoff!

So, in tribute to the Hoff, here are his top 5 songs. Words can't really do justice to these videos, so I'll let the Hoff do the talking.

Andmoreagain

In response to yesterday's post, Rob posted the following comment:
"...I can't stop thinking about how useful a time machine to 1979 would be. Can we agree that '79 was the best year on record for pop music?"
As I fastidiously worked on a response, I realized that this was far too important of a debate to be relegated to the comments section. So let the games begin...

1967 is the conventional choice, and it's certainly hard to argue against: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour, (The Beatles), Velvet Underground and Nico (Velvet Underground), Smiley Smile and Wild Honey (Beach Boys), Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane), Are You Experienced? (Jimi Hendrix), John Wesley Harding (Bob Dylan), Forever Changes (Love), The Who Sell Out (The Who), Something Else By The Kinks (The Kinks), The Doors (The Doors), I Never Loved a Man The Way I Loved You (Aretha Franklin), Moby Grape (Moby Grape), The Piper at The Gates of Dawn (Pink Floyd) and a ton of other outrageously influential albums. Then you have to consider the singles charts: I'm a Believer (The Monkees-written by Neil Diamond), Happy Together (The Turtles), Alice's Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie), San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair) (Scott McKenzie-written by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas), Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Soul Man (Sam and Dave), Heard It Through The Grapevine (Gladys Knight & The Pips), and the list goes on.

In '79 on the other hand, you have 154 (Wire), Armed Forces (Elvis Costello), The B-52s (The B-52s), Drums and Wires (XTC), Entertainment! (Gang of Four), Fear of Music (Talking Heads), Inflammable Material (Stiff Little Fingers), London Calling (The Clash), Setting Sons (The Jam), Singles Going Steady (The Buzzcocks), The Specials (The Specials), Unknown Pleasures (Joy Division), The Wall (Pink Floyd), etc. Singles charts were still mostly dominated by disco, but Heart of Glass (Blondie), My Sharona (The Knack), and Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) still crept in there.

When you look at the head to head matchup, it's a tough call. In terms of depth, '79 obviously has the advantage with regards to albums, mostly because the industry had undergone some radical changes, and consequently more albums could see the light of day. Singles I think lean towards '67. Though there were some great underground singles being released in'79, when taking with the mainstream charts it's a weaker lot. The remarkable thing about the charts in '67 is that so much of the mainstream stuff (especially Motown and British invasion) was truly great. On the issue of depth then, score 1 point for '67 (for singles) and 1 point for '79 (for albums).
Another possible approach would be to compare the top 5 albums from each year. In that case, my list would look something like this.

1967 (in alphabetical order)
Forever Changes
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Smiley Smile
Something Else By The Kinks
Velvet Underground & Nico

1979
Armed Forces
Entertainment!
London Calling
Singles Going Steady
Unknown Pleasures

Well, that doesn't really get us any closer to a conclusive decision. Every one of those albums is an undisputed classic. London Calling and Velvet Underground and Nico are arguably my two favorite albums of all-time. Beyond being nearly perfect works on their own terms, all 10 albums went on to influence legions of imitators. In fact, virtually every worthwhile movement in rock music from the last 40 years can be directly traced back to one of those albums, so I'm still at a loss.

What do you guys think? What's your favorite year in the pop music history?

The Only Band That Matters

The title of the post really says it all. Given the title of the blog, hopefully I'll try to incorporate some Clash-centric content on a semi-regular basis. I saw this performance footage on gotv tonight, and it was a stunning reminder of what a live force they must have been. Without a doubt, if given the chance to go back in time to see any band at their peak, I would choose The Clash in '79. If this clip doesn't rile you up and make you excited about music, you're either (A) profoundly lame, (B) 93 years old, (C) hearing impaired, or (D) all of the above. I've said it before, but it warms the cockles of my heart to have a music video channel which is as likely to play a 30 year old video by The Clash as it is to play this gem (which is much, much stranger than you would initially expect).