He's a genius

On Wednesday, I witnessed a display of enormous importance and impressiveness. Melanie asked Aidan where his eyes were. He pointed to his right eye and said "eye," only with a vowel sounding close to the "aah" that you would give a doctor. She then asked him where his nose was, and he pointed now to his nose, saying "no." She then asked him where his mouth was, and he...you guessed it...pointed to his mouth, saying "mou." Lastly, she asked him where his ears were, and he grabbed my ear (although he didn't say it).

I think he is a genius.

Another Watchmen Chapter Down

Chapter VI is an unsettling work. In it we see a young Rorschach and the violence and abuse to which his mother subjected him. It is essentially a superhero origins tale, but one that is more richly written than most. Gibbons illustrates the violence with unflinching detail.

I don't have much to say, other than that Moore and Gibbons present a dark, disturbing, moving portrait of a vigilante.

Working through Watchmen

I posted once at www.brendoman.com/andrew about starting to read Alan Moore's "Watchmen" graphic novel, and had said I would continue with updates as I progressed through the book. Unfortunately, other reading endeavors got in the way at that time. I have, though, once again begun reading it.

I think I noted in my other post how wonderfully Moore subvert the expectations of a superhero story, and how complex he makes the characters. These people are more than masked heroes, they have lives and thoughts and feeling. Reading through chapter 5, I am getting an even better picture of who these people are.

Some thoughts on the book:

In Chapter III, Moore has a really interesting set of panels. In the chapter, Jon is talking to media about himself, but members of an audience begin to get worked up. Meanhile, Laurie and Dan are out for a stroll and find themselves is a street fight with a pack of hooligans. In one panel, Secret service agents, or maybe just bodyguards, push Jon out of the studio saying, "C'mon, let's get out! The mob's getting aroused..." In the next, Laurie and Dan are shown after defeating the gang in an almost post-coital position. They are slumped with the backs against a wall, kind of leaning on one another, breathing heavy. Laurie pulls out a cigarette.

Chapter IV expertly captures Dr. Osterman's ability to exist in all points of his life simultaneously. The use of Jon dropping the photograph into the dust of the moon helps the reader to see how he views time. Moore uses the mixed up chronology to emphasize Jon's feelings as much as he uses it as a cool way to tell the story. In lesser hands, the scenes may not have been placed in such a way as to create maximum impact.

Finally, in Chapter V, Moore shows how deftly he weaves multiple stories and voices in one cohesive thread. Moore and artist Gibbons also reveal a stroke of genius: they utilize mirror reflections (combined with a mirrored panel structure) multiple times to serve the story titled "Fearful Symmetry" (with a quote at the end from Blake's poem). I also thought I saw the word "tiger" spelled "tyger" as it is in the poem, but when I went back through the chapter, I couldn't find it.

I look forward to the next chapter.

A Fresh Friday Random Ten

I cleared everything off my iPod last night, and randomly loaded a new 1,044 songs onto it. Here's what it spit out this morning:

Paloalto - Pick Yourself Off the Beach
I got this CD, a CD single for "Fade Out/In," for free from Island/ Def Jam when I was trying to put out a compilation CD for a non-profit I was working with. Paloalto is very generic; imagine the most boring parts of U2 and Radiohead. They remind me a bit of Swervedriver (and any number of other early 90's shoegazer bands). This song puts me to sleep (in a bad way). This is full of parentheticals (isn't it?).

Compulsive Gamblers - I Call You Mine
I love all of the Oblivians related music. This is from a post-Oblivians release (as opposed to the pre-Oblivians Compulsive Gamblers material). This album is really great bluesy rock with earnest vocals and terrific rock n' roll.

Nirvana - Stain
I like the drums in this song, and the way they cut through the buzzsaw of guitars. I like that about pretty much all of Nirvana's songs.

The Donnas - Speedin' Back to My Baby
Back before the Donnas took themselves too seriously. I think this song was just as they were switching from the female Ramones thing to a more AC/DC type of sound.

Pere Ubu - Over My Head
From the live disc in their "Datapanik in Year Zero" boxed set. Seemingly as straightforward rock as Ubu is likely to get.

Cheap Trick - Oh Caroline
This is one of Cheap Trick's poppier songs. I've really become a Cheap Trick junkie over the years.

MxPx - Honest Answers
MxPx can churn out some fairly generic pop-punk tunes, and this is one of them. I like a lot of their stuff, but this is toward the bottom of the list.

Big Black - Bad Penny
Pretty much anything by Big Black is great. Pretty much anything by Steve Albini is great.

The Bollweevils - No Time
Fitting, since I am currently wearing my Bollweevils "Survive" t-shirt that I got in '94 or '95. The Bollweevils are one of my favorite bands ever.

The Modern Lovers - Dignified & Old
Jonathan Richman's terrific punk rock band. This is from the live album, "Precise Modern Lover's Order."

Rockin' out with my 17 month old

For Christmas, I bought Aidan They Might Be Giants' "No!" I had recently discovered that they, and a number of other indie rock artists, began working in what might be called "kid's music." Listening to the CD this morning with Aidan on our way to his grandma's house, I realized how wrong this assessment is.

I already liked the album. We listen to it at home, and he likes to dance and clap and laugh along to it. But usually there is too much going on to enjoy the music. Usually, we are also playing with toys or reading books or running into the furniture (at least Aidan is usually involved in those activities) to listen intentionally to the music.

But this morning as we drove, I got a chance to appreciate it on a whole new level. At first blush, the album appears to be simply silly kids songs. But as I listened, I heard great songwriting, lyrically and musically. Songs like the buoyant rocker "Clap Your Hands" and the mellow, dreamy "Where Do They Make Balloons" transcend mere kid stuff.

The album would certainly appeal to fans of They Might Be Giants, but I think it would also appeal to fans of bands like the Flaming Lips as well. I look forward to discovering more kids music with my son.

My new Cocoon

No, not the Wilford Brimley movies. I've been looking for a case for my iPod Nano for a while now, and none of them seemed to be what I needed. All I ever found were sport sleeves or arm bands, or the occasional "leather folio." I really wanted a case that could hold my iPod and some accessories. I was tired of worrying, for example, that my iTrip would fall out of my coat pocket, or that I would misplace my ear buds.

Melanie found a case on Apple's website called a Cocoon. I just got it yesterday, and so far it seems to be just what I wanted. It has enough room for my earbuds and iTrip, with a little room left over for the lanyard that came with it, if I wanted it in there, too. I don't know if I will have much use for it yet. Maybe if I use it while working out.

It's a larger case, for sure, but I care more about the extra compartment than about keeping it slim. Plus, I like that the case seems durable, whereas everything else I've seen seems merely cosmetic.

Just wanted to share my excitement!

A fun belated birthday

My mother-in-law wanted to make a birthday dinner for me, and asked me what I wanted. I have a particular affinity for this taco salad that she makes. She usually makes some killer enchiladas with it, so that's what I requested. I was told that that was too easy to make, that I should pick something else. So I said, "How about Chateau Brion"? Lo and behold, we go to her and her boyfriend's house yesterday, and what are they making? Chateau Brion.

It was so very awesome.

iPod, Diversity Be Thy Name

My iPod gave me a rather diverse random ten this busy, crazy, hectic Friday.

Strung Out - Rotten Apple
Bad Religion - Faith in God
Tom Waits - Dead and Lovely
The Milkshakes - Pipeline
Minor Threat - Cashing In
Chevelle - Comfortable Liar
Tori Amos - Winter
Los Diablos del Sol - Wild Sound
Public Enemy - Hell No We Ain't All Right
The Hives - Antidote

Do these all seem like they belong in one person's collection? Do Public Enemy and the Tori Amos work side by side? Would the Milkshakes have toured with Minor Threat (or for that matter, would Thee Headcoats tour with Fugazi)?

TOP TEN ALL TIME BEST ALBUMS EVER

Originally posted 1/5/06 at my other blog:

Can you think of anything more ridiculous, unnecessary and impossible than creating a list of the top ten albums of all time? I have thought about this on and off for a few years, but have always come to the conclusion that the task was so overwhelmingly ambitious, and I have probably not heard enough albums, that I would be unable to create a truly comprehensive list. Even so, I have persevered past those initial doubts, at least to the point that I have come up with albums to fill the top five spots.

What are the criteria, then, to decide which albums pass muster? How to choose between a particular band’s second and third albums, if both are examples of artistic genius? I suppose a lot of it comes down to gut instinct, and, dang it, subjectivity. If album “A” is great but reminds me of the time I got sick at Taco Bell and spent the evening with my head in a toilet bowl and album “B” is great but reminds me of falling in love with my wife, I may be more likely to vote for album “B”.

I also must point out that I just enjoy punk rock more than any other genre. I listen to some other styles, but it hardly veers from rock n’ roll. I love blues, but to me that genre has more in common with punk rock than it has differences. Unfortunately, almost all of the blues I own is on “best of” sets and anthologies, so I am criminally unaware of a single blues album that I could put on this list. I also enjoy classical music, but Mahler never really released an “album,” so his 3rd symphony isn’t up for inclusion.

With that introduction out of the way, I present to you the first five albums in my top 10 albums of all time, starting with number five.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Project 86, so it should come as no surprise that they manage to crack number five on my top ten list. I first became aware of them sometime after their debut eponymous album came out, and a friend gave me a compilation with the song “Pipedream.” The song didn’t really do much for me, because it reminded me too much of Rage Against the Machine and other hard rock outfits that populated alternative radio at the time. I was much more into garage rock and “budget rock”, with most of my money going to Rip Off Records and Estrus Records bands. But for some reason I gave Project’s second outing, Drawing Black Lines, a chance, and to quote the band, “I’ll never look back.” Drawing Black Lines is a dynamic hard rock album that manages to be intense and intimate, universal and uniquely personal, catchy and completely original, all at the same time. This is an album that continues to be dogged with the nu-metal tag that is so much more than metal, and so much more than post-hardcore. The lyrical catharsis of songs like Me Against Me, and the spiritual thought behind “A Toast to My Former Self” are the tip of the iceberg for this album. I could write essay upon essay about Project 86 and their music. While I want to stress how important this album is, I hate to be like the many fans who accuse the band of peaking with their second album. I think their fourth and fifth records, “Songs to Burn Your Bridges By” and “…And the Rest Will Follow” are in many superior to this early effort, but both have songs that I could probably live without (“Circuitry” on the former, “From December” on the latter). Drawing Black Lines is brilliant, front to back.

Number four on my list brings us to not only my favorite style of music, but also my favorite band of all time. The New Bomb Turks are a punk rock band that defies the punk rock tag. I often describe them as a sped-up Rolling Stones. Their finest album can be found in 1996’s Scared Straight, the band’s third release. While their first two albums are classic punk rock staples courtesy of Crypt Records, the third record builds on the strengths of those two and goes beyond. The band introduces horn and piano, and employs a slightly slicker sound. I enjoy the clever lyrics of vocalist Eric Davidson, and since the band was made up of English majors I felt a certain kinship to them. As with Project 86, even though I chose the New Bomb Turks’ third album for this list, that is not to say that their later albums were any less incredible. In fact, their sixth and final proper record, “The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still” could actually be their finest album, but Scared Straight holds a special place in my punk rock heart.

I will shake things up a little bit with number three. Public Enemy brought a punk rock aesthetic to hip-hop and rap, and Apocalypse ’91…The Enemy Strikes Black, showcases their punk rock attitude better than many punk rock bands. This record contains so many now-classic rap anthems, from “Nighttrain” and “Can’t Truss It” to “By the Time I Get to Arizona” and Shut ‘Em Down” that it would be neglectful not to include it. Flavor Flav is the rhythm guitar to Chuck D’s lead, and Chuck’s booming voice imparts his lyrics with an immediacy that can’t be heard in the lazy drawl of any modern day, mainstream rapper. I felt like such a rebel listening to Public Enemy combine efforts with Anthrax for the re-recorded “Bring the Noise” and I still get excited over this record. Actually, the first show I ever saw when we finally got cable where I lived was “Yo MTV Raps,” and I vividly remember the video for “Bring the Noise,” which I saw before I even became a metal fan. So in a sense, Public Enemy could be credited with introducing me to heavy metal via Anthrax.

I keep going back and forth over the number one and two spots. Upon further reflection, I will award the number two spot to Iggy and the Stooges for their incendiary third and final album, Raw Power. This fiery sonic adventure filled with sweat, spit and blood was dismissed by virtually everyone when it was originally released. Many claimed that David Bowie’s production wrecked the album, but even with uneven mix Raw Power inspired bands all over the world. The band was volatile, and so were its records, and that volatility gave the records a sense of immediacy that defined punk rock in the early 70’s. A re-release of Raw Power in the late 90’s uncovered portions of the songs lost in the 1973 mix, and a more complex recording emerged from the ashes of raging punk masterpiece. “Gimme Danger,” “Raw Power,” “Search and Destroy”…these are songs that create legends and will live forever.

We need a drum roll for my number one album of all time…

Walk Among Us by the Misfits. This album is absolute perfection. All of the horror movie-inspired lyrics are entwined in some of the catchiest melodies you’ve ever heard. Glenn Danzig crafted incredibly concise, spectacularly bombastic songs, and there is no better collection of his songs than on this 1982 release. All of the choruses are great sing-along anthems, from “Twenty eyes in my head” to “I turned into a martian / I can’t even recall my name” to “This ain’t no love in / This ain’t no happenin’ / This ain’t no feelin’ in my arm” to “Brains for dinner, brains for lunch / Brains for breakfast, brains for brunch.” These songs become indelibly imprinted in your brain. Danzig had a talent, at least for the Misfits, for writing horror related songs that mostly refrained from going over the edge of poor taste, although the JFK-inspired “Bullet” from the “Static Age” album comes to mind as a notable exception. Mostly tongue-in-cheek, and mostly synopses of horror movies like “The Fly” and “Night of the Living Dead” or about horror movie actors like “Plan 9 From Outer Space” star Vampira, the songs on Walk Among Us stay more or less away from offensive material.

I love all of the pre-“Earth A.D.” Misfits material (I just never could get into their attempt at hardcore, although I listen occasionally; and I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the Misfits that Jerry Only started up without Danzig), but none of the other records can compare to the ferocious, melodic mayhem of Walk Among Us.

This list begs the question: what are your top 5 or 10 albums of all time? I'll continue to ponder to figure out what 6-10 are, and I would love to hear how badly you disagree with me.

The Absorbancy of My Brain

The other day I told Melanie that her brain is like a Brawny paper towel, and mine is more like the other leading brand. She remembers so many things, like important dates, my pants' size, pizza toppings I like, who starred in what movie. I, on the other hand, can barely be counted on to remember my car keys, never mind where I put them the night before.

I wish I had a better memory. I try hard to remember to do nice things for her, and to clean up after myself, and to consider her needs, but sometimes I just plain forget. And it's not because I'm not thinking about her, because I am. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in doing something nice for her, that instead of thinking about what she would like, I think about what I would like if I were her and I do that.

The Third Decade

Yesterday saw my 30th birthday come and go. I didn't really care too much about the milstone, until about a week ago. I started thinking more about how I will never again be able to say that I am in my 20s. How the hair I am losing will never come back.

But Melanie gave me a wonderful gift for my birthday: the full assurance that she loves me, even as I bald and age. She asked her mom to babysit overnight, so that we could stay out late like we used to do when childless. We dined at a fancy french resaurant, Mon Ami Gabi, in swank Oak Brook. We enjoyed the Oysters Du Jour, the best oysters I think I've ever had. A little cocktail sauce, a little horseradish, those babies were fantastic. My entree: Salmon, dijon crust, pommes puree, balsamic & chive oil. Mel's entree: Sea Scallops, whipped cauliflower, carmelized onion, raisins, pine nuts. They were both incredible. Then the server brought out a Profiteroles with a candle in it, and did not sing for me; "I did it all online," Melanie told me. "I requested no singing." She really knows me. We also ordered the Chocolate Mousse for good measure. Fully stuffed, we decided we would go see a movie.

We decided upon "Capote," because we were in the mood for an Oscar-award-winning performance. Minutes before the movie was to start, a large group of women could be heard in the hall, huge belly-laughs erupting from them. They entered our theater, which was very quiet due to the fact that we were about to watch a movie about a gay author writing about a horrific quadruple murder. They sprawled out around the theater, yelling to each other, announcing that they were "the loud section." Great. But I had a sense that they were in the wrong theatre. It must be my hyper-sensitive ability to read people. Then one of them stated talking about how we'd all be laughing, wouldn't be able to control it. Turns out, they were there to see that Tyler Perry Family Reunion movie, which was showing in the theater next to us.

The film was great, really tough to watch at times, but great. Hoffman was excellent as Capote. What a selfish man he was. I didn't know the stary of the writing of "In Cold Blood," and I was riveted. Great choice.

Melanie had also rented "Walk the Line," so we had an Oscar-nominee/winner evening. Phoenix really immersed himself into Johnny Cash. The music was fantastic, the acting was fantastic, and I'm a fan of director James Mangold.

The best part of the evening, though, was how Melanie shared her love with me: through some thoughts about our life and love that she wrote down and presented to me when we arrived home. It was really wonderful, and made a memorable birthday. So I am trying not to worry so much about what is behind me, but to treasure what I have.

Thanks, Mel.

iTunes Friday Random Ten

I usually use my iTunes at home for my Friday Random Ten, where I fire up iTunes and see which ten songs come out. But I am at work, and only have my iPod. So let's see which ten songs are first up.

The Gun Club - Gonna Find My Baby
Nirvana - Turnaround
Mudhoney - Poisoned Water
Nirvana - Sappy
Dear Ehesus - A Woe
The Methadones - Ammunition
Nirvana - Dive (Demo)
Bad Religion - Eat Your Dog
Johnny Cash - Personal Jesus
The Tossers - Come Dancing

A lot of Nirvana songs, since I put my entire "With the Lights Out" boxed set on my iPod. Mudhoney in the middle of a Nirvana sandwich is pretty good eatin'. And I enjoy hearing Johnny's version of "Personal Jesus" follow Bad Religion. The Tossers aren't a bad way to finish off this week's list, either.

My Post "Post-Oscar-Wrap-Up" Wrap-Up

A few thoughts:

Can't they just get rid of the best song category, and leave screwing decent musical artists to the Grammys? Where else can you have three completely disparate choices such as those offered (and aren't there supposed to be five? Were there really not enough good songs from films to fill the other two slots?) on Sunday. I refuse to believe that the Three 6 Mafia song was really the best of the year. Heck, I would've picked Nirvana's "Something in the Way" from Jarhead above any of those others, but I guess I don't understand what makes a song nominatable (like that word?). Actually, the hip-hop song used in the Jarhead ads was way better also.

Jon Stewart was great. Having his Daily Show writers was great. Those low-down campaign ads were great. Pointing out that Martin Scorcese has no Oscars after the Three 6 Mafia accepted their award was great.

I found it funny that they trash-talked DVD. Yeah, that DVD really screwed their box-office revenue, didn't it? Oh wait, no, it was probably "Dukes of Hazzard" that did it.

I still get excited about the Oscars. I could without all of the pre-show interviews, which are all crap except for Roger Ebert, because he manages to slide in some decent questions and astute observations even as the "who are you wearing?" commences around him, and I could do without the post-show party coverage. If I were an Oscar attendee, I would prefer to slip away after the show and get some fast food and rent a DVD and go home. That'd show them, wouldn't it.

I guess I get most excited about the possibility that the Academy will do the right thing (meaning, give all of the awards to the movies, cast and crew that I would). No other awards show has that opportunity, least of all the Grammys. I get excited to see someone like Phil S. Hoffman win for best actor. I like some of the speeches. I appreciate any speech where a winner thanks their spouse and children, and seems to mean it. I like the best live action short and best documentary winners, because they don't appear to have had any plastic surgery, and look like they could live in the Midwest and survive.

Finally: can't we just get rid of the best song category?

Hoist That Rag

Today I listened to Tom Waits' beautiful, bizarre album "Real Gone." I hadn't heard it in a while, and this time I was particularly swept away by a song called "Hoist That Rag."

Well I learned the trade
From Piggy Knowles and
Sing Sing Tommy Shay Boys
god used me as a hammer boys
To beat his weary drum today

Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag

The sun is up the world is flat
Damn good address for a rat
The smell of blood
The drone of flies
You know what to do if
The baby cries

Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag

Well we stick our fingers in
The ground, heave and
Turn the world around
Smoke is blacking out the sun

At night I pray and clean my gun
The cracked bell rings as
The ghost bird sings and the gods
Go begging here
So just open fire
As you hit the shore
All is fair in love
And war

Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag
Hoist that rag

Waits sings this song with an urgency that sounds like his life depends on it. The song (and the whole album, in fact) makes me picture a somewhat cartoonish factory, with giant smokestacks spitting out balls of smoke while huge, grimy gears turn and turn. If you hear the album, maybe you'll know what I mean.

"Hoist That Rag" is either the quietest loud song I've ever heard or the loudest quiet song I've ever heard; it seems to exist somewhere in between. Or it could be the most beautiful ugly song I've ever heard, or the ugliest beautiful song I've ever heard. Of course, maybe I'm just in a mood to consider it the ______est _______ song I've ever heard, and it's all a load of hyperbole.

Since my employer hates my other blog...

Some weeks or months ago, my employer decided it hated www.brendoman.com, where my beloved blog is hosted. It blocked me from my blog, disallowing us any contact. Now, when I go home, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer. I mean, I sit in front of one all day at work, why would I want to do so at home? Meaning, I would post on my blog during my breaks. Citigroup's filter has pretty much put the ax through that.

But I suddenly remembered I had set this blog up, originally only to comment on my friends blogs. So I suppose I will post here, and hopefully still at beloved Brendoman. maybe I will try to transfer the posts I make here over there. But that would require me to sit in front of a computer at home, and while copying and pasting would be a heck of a lot faster than creating everything from scratch, I still don't want to sit on front of the computer at home. You may have gotten the gist of this by now.