Noel Gallagher is at it again. The Oasis guitarist has recently decided to become even more of a relentless, pompous asshole, criticizing some of the most talented names in pop music right now, as if Oasis has had a good decent record this decade. It’s more of the same from Noel, in more ways than one! In case you didn’t know, he’s the biggest baddest rock star there ever was, and you are most likely either jealous, or total crap.
On a recent Radio 1 interview on the Chris Moyles breakfast show, Noel said that Mark Ronson (Winehouse producer, maker of kick-ass covers), should “learn three chords on the guitar and go write a tune.”
On Saturday, Ronson responded on his blog..
Oh, Noel…..
noel gallagher said i should “learn three chords on the guitar and go write a tune”. so i just wanted him to know that i’m actually taking guitar lessons from Jay-Z right now and he’s already taught me both chords to “Wonderwall” (tune!). in fact, it’s so much fun having Jay teach me all of noel’s songs on the guitar (hooray!) that i”m thinking of doing an Oasis/Jay Z remix album a la “The Grey Album”. Potential titles are “Champagne Superhova” or “Definitely Jay Z”*. I’ll keep you posted….
Mark X
p.p.s. noel, i did write a song called “back to black”, which actually has 7 chords in it
I am going to give Ronson the win on this one, regardless of the fact that, sure, his biggest hit is a cover. It’s still better than the last 3 Oasis albums combined. Noel, now you’re just trying too hard.
On a BBC interview Friday, Noel mentioned his reaction to Jay-Z’s ‘tribute’ to “Wonderwall,” going on to request that everyone be required to play the song at Glastonbury from now on, and went on about how “brilliant” it is and how it’s “one of the best songs ever written.” It is, but it would be nice if Noel would get over the fact that the current relevance of his band pales in comparison to that of both Jay-Z and Ronson. Saying things like “hip hop” has “no place” at a rock festival, Noel is beginning to sound like a bitter old man. ‘I just don’t get you kids today and your rap music.’ Sorry Grandpa.
Noel also took a dig at Leeds band, Kaiser Chiefs, saying that despite the 18 years of drugs he did, “I never got that bad as to say, ‘You know what? I think the Kaiser Chiefs are brilliant’.” Again, it’s fair to say that Kaiser Chief’s biggest hit is better than all of Heathen Chemistry and Don’t Believe the Truth put together…even if they were twice as good as they are. In fact, I’d say that “Ruby” could hold its own up against some of Oasis’ better songs.
After their appearance at V Festival, drummer Nick Hodgson told BBC Newsbeat:
“We’re definitely not offended but I do actually like it, I think it’s a bit of sport. It is funny though, because it does happen [Gallagher criticising bands] every single time they put out an album. And the last two albums it’s been us [getting the brunt of it]. When I was 17 and Noel was going on about Blur I was watching it, and now I’m 30 and he’s 50 and he’s talking about us, it’s brilliant.”
Excellent point, Nick. The album certainly isn’t going to sell on it’s content!
Not to say that I don’t like my fair share of pompous assholes, I just happen to prefer pompous assholes that still have the talent to back up their ridiculous egos. Being a huge Oasis fan during the mid-90’s boom of Britpop (even though, in retrospect, I have to side with Blur), it’s hard even for me to understand where he’s ever coming from anymore. Despite the fact that he’s written one, or maybe even two of my favorite albums of all time, he’s simply no longer in the position to throw bricks for no reason. At this point, if he’d like to stand on the shoulders of giants, he should try Jay’s.
On Chris Moyles, Noel also mentioned that the band’s new track is, “needless to say, brilliant.” Maybe he’s listening to a different track than I am? At least he admits that it’s “the same old nonsense.”
Finally, something we agree on.
“If you love me, won’t you let me know,” sings Chris Martin on Coldplay’s new album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. Well, the album is, at the very least, a grower; and at the very best, the potential top selling album of the year in the entire universe. It would be the second top selling album for the band, as 2005’s X&Y sold something like 16 billion copies (two for every person on the planet, give or take a million). With that said, surely everyone that loves Coldplay is admitting it. Right?
No. Not at all.
There are very few bands that I would defend until I’m blue in the face. In fact, I could count them with my arms. There are very few musical opinions you could offer to me at this point in my life that would make me want to even engage in friendly conversation about it. I mostly consider it a waste of time, as I’ve learned that good music is a matter of opinion and everyone’s is going to be different. Besides, I’m always right and no one ever listens to me. Coldplay are one of those bands. I will reply to the comments on Stereogum and Brooklynvegan that call them the worst band ever, or Chris Martin the worst lyricist, or their fans musically retarded. I will give your snobby hipster bullshit comment a big ‘THUMBS DOWN’ and then I will log in under a different user name and do it again.
My favorite review of the record so far has been Pitchfork’s (isn’t it always?), which called it “bland,” while painfully admitting that more than one track was “spectacular.” Huh? Is it really that embarrassing for you to just admit you like the fucking thing? It went on to call the album their failed mid-career experiment saved only marginally by Brian Eno’s production (but still called him an “egghead”), anti-compared it to Kid A and Achtung Baby 67 times (not including all other mentions of either the words “Radiohead” or “U2″ – which were actually semi-complimentary), and took a stab at X&Y while it was at it, calling the “Fix You” lyrics “a gag-inducing bit of motivational flotsam that came off like self-parody.” Christ. The 6.5 rating is actually the highest they’ve ever given Coldplay by far.
I’d love to use Rolling Stone’s 3 1/2 star review as a defense, but since they’ve basically become as irrelevant as MTV in the music world, I don’t think it would really help my case. However, despite the fact that the review was overall favoring, they still aren’t convinced that Coldplay isn’t just trying to please everyone and sell a bunch of records (same with SPIN, who made it all the way to the last sentence before throwing in the same sentiment). Even NME’s 8/10 review was packed with condescending backhanded compliments – though they actually get my Record Review Quote of the Year with this mangled bunch of sentences: “See, they don’t have it in them to be Radiohead, making nice-but-vaguely-difficult records for 30-something £50 Men who want to feel ‘cutting edge’ while only buying one record a year, nor would we want them to. Because they are fantastic at what they do, ie sneaking alternative culture into the nation’s subconscious while pretending to be dinner party music.” Excellent.
You see, there comes a point in the career of successful bands when they sacrifice the critics and the bloggers and the wanna be critics/bloggers (such as myself) (myself excluded). This either happens because the music has been compromised for larger mass appeal, or because the band only cares about money. Never has there been a case of a band simultaneously making great music and being popular. Never has a record not automatically become crappy the moment it goes Platinum (in some cases, even Gold). Never has a band not called “Radiohead” sold out arena tours without a backlash of critic hatred. This is why Coldplay sucks. This is why Coldplay is the subject of gay jokes in Judd Apatow movies. This is why Pitchfork closes their eyes and takes a deep breath before they punch in a rating higher than 5 for what under any other circumstances would be hailed as the album of the year.
On Viva La Vida, Coldplay have broadened their palette considerably, throwing in tons of new instruments and styles into the mix while still making Grade A catchy as hell pop songs. Eno, as well as Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire), provide some of the best production a pop record has seen this century. Had this actually been an Arcade Fire record, well…it probably would have still been trashed (Neon Bible sucked, after all – see the whole “going gold” thing). And my point has been lost. What is my point? My point is that 90% of the people who dislike Coldplay with a fiery vengeance only do so because they think they should…that if you close your eyes and listen to the music objectively with no pre-judgments, you’d simply find great, undeniable, solid songs. You’d find a rock band that successfully takes elements of folk and indie and pop and create beautifully written music with perfectly complimenting melodies.
Sure, as far as chord progressions go, it’s simple music. Sure, Chris Martin named his daughter Apple and wears multi-colored tape on his fingers. Sure, they are the Self-Deprecation Interview Kings, humorously admitting that they are the 7th best band in the world. However, none of these facts back up the assessment that Coldplay sucks. Chris Martin admits in one article after another that his band is “bigger than they are good.” But is he humble? No. He’s cowed and sheepish. In a bad way.
It is actually fathomable that, once in a while, something is really popular because it is very good. It’s actually fathomable for a band to sell a million records because it’s a great record. It’s actually fathomable for a band to sell out tours around the world because they are a great band. Unfortunately, when these things happen, you will find a bunch of assholes tripping over themselves to be the first in line to say it’s a piece of shit, thereby making them better than the rest of humanity. They will stand up and theoretically slap you mid-sentence as soon as they are given an excuse. In this case, it happened two seconds after someone first turned to their friend at a Coldplay gig in London and said “they could be the next Radiohe..OWE!”
I’m going to say some things that may upset you now.
Coldplay are to the Aughts what U2 were to the 80’s; a universal and inspirational rock band that is as talented as they are popular. Even though Chris Martin is still a ways away from a Bono-like persona, he’s definitely the closest our generation will come to a wave of the white flag and a proclamation that “this is not a rebel song.” Chris will just say it a little more timidly, possible changing the word “rebel” to “yellow.” Yes, U2 had an army of harsh critics circa Joshua & Achtung, but I don’t remember them being the universal symbol for ‘pussy’ as Coldplay has oddly become. One could argue that Bono’s lyrics are even more decisively sappy than Martin’s, and that “With or Without You” is more likely to put you to sleep than any Coldplay song. One could argue. I’m not really sure if I am or not. I’ve been writing this for way too long, and would now like to apologize for the “yellow” joke.
What you need to do is go to the beach and watch the sun set to “Don’t Panic.” Don’t bring a book and don’t bring more assholes. Just sit there with your iPod or your CD player or your portable turntable and plug in your earphones and listen to it. Do that, and come back and tell me that Coldplay is ‘agreeable, safe, and forgettable.‘ Write a song better than “The Scientist,” and I’ll be the first in line to tell you that it’s a piece of shit. Replace Martin’s voice with Roger Waters’ and tell me that “Twisted Logic” isn’t good enough to be on Dark Side of the Moon (I’m totally not kidding). Lastly, listen to “Strawberry Swing” and tell me that it’s a ‘failed attempt’ at anything. Even Pitchfork couldn’t do it.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion; but as I mentioned earlier, I’m always right. Do yourself (and me, apparently) a huge favor and JUST…ADMIT…YOU LIKE IT. At the very least, admit that your enraged animosity is really just a biased front to mask your apathy. Admit that if it were a little bit less shameful, you’d kinda like a couple of songs on Rush of Blood. Kinda.
I’d also like to add that anyone who concludes that “Fix You” is a a ‘gag-inducing bit of motivational flotsam’ could possibly have no soul.
The End. :)
Idolator (formally ‘my new favorite blog’) just pushed the wrong proverbial button for me. As they are the Kings and Queens of quoting other music sites and criticizing them, I figured I’d do them the honor.
The always satirical music news blog (whose snobby approach to reporting had entertained me until now – despite their claim that they are not “pasty white taste-makers”), have decided to trash Thom Yorke and Radiohead for participating in NBC’s “Green Week” via a performance on Conan O’Brien’s late night show on Wednesday. A special performance of “House of Cards,” filmed specifically for the show, will air in the slot where the band would normally play.
The point of the band’s recorded performance, according to Radiohead, is to avoid a carbon footprint equivalent to “driving one’s car for a solid year” that would have been left from one flight from NYC to London to play live in the studio.
What did the Idolator have to say about the announcement?
Fuck you, Thom Yorke. I’m supposed to applaud you for finding a way to promote your new album on Conan without increasing your “carbon footprint” on the planet? I know how easy it is for Radioheadis to film themselves playing live in a room. It’s all you guys do. This only deserves commendation is if I accept that it was a necessity for you to appear on Conan in the first place. And as I’m not a self-righteous, self-enamored rock star (yet), I can’t make that logical leap. Are you going to send holograms of yourself on tour, allowing fans to congratulate themselves (and you, of course) by declining the ecological strain that would created by dragging your moanyass across the world? Should award nominees preface their “live-via-satellite” acceptance speeches by saying that by staying on set and not walking down the red carpet, they’re helping keep our planet just a little bit healthier?
As I said in my comment to the post, I see the old adage still applies that no good deed goes unpunished.
Perhaps I’ve fallen too far into Radiohead fandom to find the humor in this? All things aside (politics and the like – I’m not a preachy environmentalist by any means), there is no reason to criticize a band for attempting to help a good cause. Actually, I take it back. Criticism I love. This post is just downright nasty for absolutely no reason. I’m sure Conan asked them to participate in this, seeing as they were his first musical guest ever and he is obviously a fan. Seems like a pretty low blow, even for them.
Filed under: Poprok Rants | Tags: Maladroit, Pinkerton, The Red Album, Weezer
To celebrate the current stream of Weezer’s new single “Pork and Beans,” off of their up-coming self titled ‘Red Album,’ I decided to kill a few minutes at work recalling the influence of Weezer in my life, which not surprisingly for a kid who came of age in the 90’s, was pretty damn big.
I remember the first time I heard “Buddy Holly” on the radio (when I was still morally complacent with listening to rock radio in New York). I immediately put a blank cassette tape in my brand new CD player/Tape deck/FM Radio that my mom had gotten me for my 12th birthday (that makes me….umm…), and I taped that sucker the very next time it came on.
I brought the tape into school the next day and everyone thought I was just the coolest for being the first one to have it (now-a-days, we can all just stream the thing on their website 2 seconds after it’s released). Despite the fact that the cassette sounded like distorted fuzz with vocals, it changed my whole perspective of pop music, the way “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had done for 12 year olds just a few years earlier. My mother, who also loved Weezer, got me the album as soon as it came out. Weezer became a sort of family obsession. ‘The Blue Album’ cassette played in the car on the way to school, on road trips to Disney World, and of course, treks to Weezer concerts across state lines.
I had gotten a promotional copy of Pinkerton from my mother’s friend, who has single-handedly kept Disco Rama on West 4th in the Village open for the past 20 years. I remember people saying that Weezer was already over (including an RS review that tried to rip it to shreds, and eventually got a 5 star re-write). However, it was pretty obvious that the record was in a class of it’s own. Two of my best friends wouldn’t even be in my life if I hadn’t heard one of them singing the first lines of “Tired of Sex” at softball practice. The words “I love Pinkerton” were the start of a life-long friendship. My kind of people.
We started a band at some point before ‘Green’ hit, and we collectively tried to revolve our entire musical universe around the Weeze. The first songs we ever did were covers of “Jamie” and “Only in Dreams” (and a failed attempt at “El Scorcho”), we managed to get a show opening up for Mikey Welsh’s band at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, and we spent one summer making all day extravaganzas out of Weezer concerts, belting out “The Good Life” from the roof of my 94 Eclipse in the parking lot of the then Continental Airlines sponsored arena in East Rutherford, NJ (What’s it, Izod now?).
Good times.
When Maladroit first came out, I remember really loving it, occasionally referring to it as “the best Weezer album.” This was mostly to rebel against the late praise of Pinkerton, which really just helped the popularity of the mediocre ‘Green album’ (who has Pinkterton to thank for almost every ticket sold for its tour). One of the first album reviews I ever wrote was for Maladroit. In fact, it might have been the first (I gave it a 9 out of 10? Damn, that’s even more fanboy then my 9.0 for Odd Couple).
After that, me and Weezer parted ways. 2005’s Make Believe still hasn’t even entered my album collection (formally known as my CD collection). Though I quite enjoyed “We Are All on Drugs,” I simply ignored the record as if it never happened. I think I’ll have to get back on track with ‘Red,’ and reminisce of an adolescence that would have been a lot less fun without Rivers & Co.
The End.
Filed under: Poprok Rants | Tags: Ghost I-IV, Nine Inch Nails, Vampire Weekend
Nine Inch Nails released the numbers for Ghosts I-IV, and they are pretty effing impressive. The band released the 36 track instrumental album March 2nd via their website.
The various formats totaled for what would be a chart topping 800,000 units (or in this case, transactions), which incorporates both free and paid downloads. The total amount earned for the first week of purchases is around $1.6 million, which includes 2,500 copies of a super duper ultra deluxe box set that would have set you back $300, AND that’s with crashing servers and other site problems due to an overwhelming amount of downloaders, AND they even offered a 9 track version of the album for free.
OK, while NIN seemed to have a very successful stab at the Release Your Own Album thing, it would be near impossible for an unknown artist to generate this sort of a result for an instrumental album. However, this is a pretty big slap in the face to all major labels, who have officially been deemed ‘useless’ in the face of all of this downloading and self-releasing on this internetsss thing. If more and more artists start doing this, and bands can blow up overnight on an indie due to some blog buzz, maybe this slaughter of the major label can conceivably be pulled off.
Blender recently named sueing Napster the #1 industry screw-up of all time. The record company’s war against the internet is such a blatantly futile waste of time, that I feel silly for even mentioning it now. The Nine Inch Nails, like Radiohead, gave their album away with the option of paying, and guess what? People paid. I want to give my money to Radiohead, not EMI.
The major label’s last selling point, getting exposure for the artist (in most cases, anyway), is pretty much moot. The tastemakers of tomorrow are not suits with checkbooks, and that is becoming more and more evident as this revolution unfolds. There will be a severe break-off California Earth quake style very soon, and all that will be left is a small amount of pop artists and country music (and don’t cry for the labels, they’ll be just fine). The rest will go indie, go blog, and go digital.
I’m sitting in my living room watching a band that was virtually unknown 10 months ago perform two songs off of their Billboard topping debut on Saturday Night Live, barely a month after the album’s release. A copy of the new SPIN magazine is near by, with a photo of this band on the cover that was shot before the album even came out. They are an indie band on XL Recordings, with bloggers and internet surfers to thank for their success.
Of course, I’m speaking of Vampire effing Weekend; and there will be a lot more Vampire Weekends as time goes on. The Ghosts sales figures make it even more clear that all you need to make it are good songs and an internet connection.
Thank you Trent for proving a marvelous point, and giving indisputable concrete evidence as to why the major label is over. Sure, you could have made excuses for a decline in record sales, like, “people aren’t paying for music anymore.” Well, you wuz wrong.
It’s all happening.
This post will soon be at an end, and now it’s even sooner.
I’ve maintained a steady pace of seeing They Might Be Giants about every 5 years or so since the John Henry tour. Actually, it might have been even earlier than that (possibly Flood, as I vaguely remember a tour shirt floating around the house). I may have also seen them twice within a 5 year period on more than one occasion. They may have also been my first concert. This is easy when you grow up in a household with “Why Does The Sun Shine?” 7 inch singles and “S-E-X-X-Y” EP’s lying around. Long before They Might Be Giants were making “children’s music,” I was learning all I needed to know from Lincoln and Apollo 18; Shoehorns with teeth, birdhouses in your soul, Istanbul (not Constantinople), etc. Most of all, I learned that no other band on Earth is anything like this one.
Sure, you may know the Johns from their sporadic spurts of “15 Minutes,” – “Ana Ng” almost topping a Billboard chart, or late show performances of “Older,” or the theme for Malcolm in the Middle, or maybe even their animated features on shows like KaBlam! and Tiny Toons – But it barely even scratches the surface of the phenomenon that is They Might Be Freakin’ Giants. With 13 studio albums, over 20 EP’s, hundreds of Dial-A-Song recordings, webcasts, and internet only releases…even the most avid fan hasn’t heard everything. There are still entire albums I haven’t heard.
The band hardly ever gets credited as the first major label band to release an entire album online (1999’s Long Tall Weekend), or the first to have an online mailing list (as early as 1992 with Usenet), or, arguably, the inventors of ringtones (“Fingertips,” a series of of 5-15 second tracks off their 1991 album Apollo 18) and audio streams (offered free music to anyone who called their Dial-A-Song service as early as 1983). OK, maybe those last two are a stretch, but seriously, the Giants had all the good ideas.
[And now it’s even sooner]
You’d be hard-pressed to find any other band more imaginative or original. Musically, they are one of those bands that actually will try anything (as opposed to so many bands who say they do, but clearly do not). While they could write a 12 second folk song about milk, they could also compose the catchiest 3 minute alternative rock song imaginable. No style is too out of the box, and no subject is too obscure. They’ve penned bio-tunes on everyone from James K. Polk (in 1844, the Democrats were split) to James Ensor (Belgium’s famous painter), and are lyrically the most underrated band…well, ever. “I saw the worst bands of my generation applied by magic marker to dry wall/I should be allowed to glue my poster/I should be allowed to think.” Amen. Some of the band’s songs are loosely based on an idea, and even less have any meaning at all. You want to know who Ana Ng is? Well, just check the phone book. Besides, I’d happily listen to John Linnell’s nasally voice sing about pretty much anything. It’s oddly soothing.
Trying to figure out almost any aspect of They Might Be Giants would most likely prove futile (Really, what’s up with the William Allen White obsession and the excessive use of the accordion?), but it’s completely beside the point. Commercially, the band is virtually unknown. The best part? They don’t give a rat’s. Once asked in a television interview if they were happy that they only grossed 2 million dollars that year (whatever year it was), they laughed and said sarcastically, “Oh, only 2 million?” They Might Be Giants are extremely content with the status of their career. Since they left their major label deal with Elektra and started doing things their own way, they’ve never looked back. They have a loyal fan base that appreciates everything they release, they have an artist owned and operated store where they sell all of their MP3’s (and keep every dime), and they have complete artistic freedom. And the accordion? It kicks ass.
[And now it’s sooner still]
What’s my point? They Might Be Giants are pioneers and revolutionaries. They are a treasured rarity. They premier new music on an “often broken” answering machine attached to a local Brooklyn phone number, yet they are still capable of selling out Beacon Theater (if you’re lucky, you might get tickets for Christmas and make a family night of it). The term “cult band” may be the best way to describe them, yet it is perfectly conceivable for you to hear them at any moment while channel surfing. You’re probably listening to a song they wrote right now. Best of all, they are downright lovable. I dare you to listen to any record and not smile ear to ear.
So, to everyone who has a worn out copy of They Might Be Giants’ first VHS video collection in a box somewhere in the garage…this is for you.
My Poproks Top 10 They Might Be Giants songs…
Filed under: News, Poprok Rants | Tags: Johnny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood
Regardless of the fact that it’s already won the Critics Choice Award and the British Academy Award, Johnny Greenwood’s There Will Be Blood score has been disqualified from Oscar consideration for Best Original Score. Rule 16 of the Oscar rulebook clearly states the exclusion of, and I quote ::ehem::, “scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music.”
“So,” you may ask, “Why does that exclude There Will Be Blood?”. Well, Greenwood used bits of public domain pieces, as well as his own works from pre-existing projects (”Popcorn Superhet Receiver” was composed in 2006 during his residency at the BBC). The score also includes works by Estonian composer Arvo Part. Still…who cares?
A great point was made in the comments of this post on the Variety site, which has since been rendered hysterical by me; “Does the academy know that all the actors are also used before?”. Touche, Rafael38. Cate Blanchett (who, I’ll admit, deserves her plethora of awards) is being nominated a second time for playing the same character. There is no rule against that? Of course not, because that would be equally as ridiculous.
And what about hip hop? If one of the tracks on 8 Mile had featured a sample, it would have been disqualified? Didn’t one of the tracks on 8 Mile feature a sample? Are we going to start disqualifying chord progressions under rule 764 (”Excessive use of C, G, E, F”)? Not to mention, a foreign language film loop hole that has many film buffs in a tiff over two major disqualifications.
What a bunch of By The Book stiffs. When will the Academy throw away their dusty rule book? The best score of the year will not even be nominated. Not even considered. Awesome. Typical. I bet the dork at the Academy who pointed that out is that kid from your freshman math class that reminded the teacher everyday about collecting last night’s homework.
Ass.
There is a DVD of the Justin Timberlake Futuresex/Loveshow tour that was filmed at MSG this past August. I’ve seen it. Somewhere buried in the haze of memories that is my holiday gift shopping; I saw it. It had a black cover, and a picture of Mr. Superfly himself in a white suit (damn, he’s cool).
I remembered it, because I wanted it. Bad. I don’t know if you’ve seen the HBO special that originally aired 4 months ago, but I hadn’t until this week. Because I’m an asshole. Because I have no sense of priority. I digress. I passed because I had already bought too many “me” presents when I was supposed to be buying “other people” presents. So, my aunt who can always be trusted for a Virgin Megastore gift card came through again this year. I spent an obscene amount of time walking around not one, but two Megastores today. I wanted that DVD. I could smell it; like it was near. All that futuresex. Lovesounds. Etc.
Long story, short; I couldn’t find it. Anywhere. I asked employees who were completely baffled. They would walk me to the “Music DVD” section and show me the “T.” I’d say, “I already looked here,” and then we would go to the computer together and there would be nothing. “How could we not have that DVD?” one employee said to me. I don’t know. You should be effing ashamed, though. I didn’t say that.
I come home, and I check Amazon. It’s there. Dozens of copies; none officially for sale through the site, though. All Marketplace. Copies going for $40-$50. Why? I saw this DVD. I saw it. Next, I go to the website of every store I went shopping in on the day that the King of Pop in all his glory slipped through my fingers. Finally, I found it.
Yes, it’s only available at Best Buy. I don’t know why, but it is. I feel like I should have known this. Here’s the proof on the official Justin Timberlake widget. I love that word. Widget. In November, the DVD was released exclusively to Best Buy, and I can’t seem to find any plans of it being released to other vendors. I’m confused, yet relieved.
I thought the Futuresex/Loveshow DVD was a phantom. A figment of my imagination. I thought I would never again see JT paint the stage with his sexyback. Rock his body. Cry me an effing river, and so on. Alas, it is real. Unlike the performance of “What Goes Around.” Cause that shiz is unreal.
“The first reaction is jealousy mixed with a slight sense of entitlement.” So starts Pete Wentz’ Whah Whah Grammy Snub Post on Fall Out Boy’s official website. Is Pete Wentz really the only one who is surprised that Fall Out Boy is not nominated for a Grammy? Rather, is he the only one who thinks Fall Out Boy is entitled to a Grammy? Only the first question was sarcastic. “We play the events for you and the right parties all the time… its kind of like being invited to a birthday party and then not allowed to eat the cake.” Why would you say this out-loud?
There are so many things to say in response to this post, I’m not really sure where to begin. Firstly, I can’t really figure out why Fall Out Boy would be so desperate to be a “part of the club.” As Wentz said himself, “a fifty year old white man shouldnt decide whether we are relevant or not.” Well, if you don’t care…then don’t care. Someone must be getting a certain sense of satisfaction out of this, otherwise there would really be no point. It’s kind of like a tree falling when there’s no one around to hear it. Does it still make a sound? So, why give them even that?
The second half of the post and it’s Well-We-Don’t-Even-Want-Your-Stupid-Awardness won’t really rack them any points with the Academy for next year, and his completely unmasked disappointment is a bit of a telltale sign that he cares. A lot. While the post does exude a sense of “revelation,” it seems mostly like a whiny boy in an emo-pop band crying over not getting an award (or a nomination for an award), and is written in such a state of frustration that it’s poor grammar makes it illegible in most spots. It only seems that way because that’s exactly what it is. (more…)
Across The Universe reminded me of when children draw terrible pictures of things and everyone says that they look great because the children are so damn cute and no one has the heart to say that the pictures aren’t really that great at all. I’m not entirely sure if that metaphor makes any sense, but what I do know is that Across The Universe, though a valiant effort, is a failure. It is not so much because the film is a failure. Actually, the film is visually adventurous and original without being obnoxious (wait, I just remembered the “Mr. Kite” scene). OK, so it’s also obnoxious. This wouldn’t be a huge problem if it wasn’t Beatles music that was being subjected to the obnoxiousness. Butitis.
Roughly every other scene is cringe-worthy. Yeah, I said it…cringe-worthy; Hyphenated. To make matters worse, every other scene is amazing. I’m not sure if it is a question of some over-editing, but it seemed the film had no rules…and no real direction. The interpretation of many of the songs is taken too literally, and you feel as if you’re being banged over the head with a musical cliche every 5 minutes. The characters names are Jude, Max, Lucy, Prudence, Sadie, Jo Jo…and while it is adorable in that little kid kind of way, it gets a bit tiresome at parts. Prudence’s character gets depressed and locks herself in a closet…and you know…you just know it’s coming. “Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?” It’s so cute, it’s annoying.
While I do tend to get annoyed at anyone attempting a Beatles cover, I’ll admit there were a few moments where I was sold on the idea. The film opens with a beautiful acappella version of the first few lines of “Girl,” with newcomer Jim Sturgess doing his best Ewan McGregor a la Moulin Rouge. The too short of an introduction is massacred by a cheesy montage of political footage and scenes from later in the film set to Sadie’s rendition of “Helter Skelter.” There is actually a scene towards the end where bits of that track are tied in to “Across the Universe,” and it’s actually chill inducing (in a good way). Bono does a great impression of Bono as he sings “I am the Walrus,” another highlight that almost gets ruined by overly trippy (and there’s that word again, “cliche”) shots of the characters tripping on a bed, and tripping on a bus. Sure, the song is about tripping, surely, but it comes off a bit tacky. They also U2′d up the song a bit with Larry Mullen drumming circa War.
It’s been said that the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductions are…well, lame. On the one hand, they surely have sponsors breathing down their necks to pick the biggest names for induction. They’ve reportedly passed up many acts, but I suppose a rumour is only that. It may also explain why acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC have seen inductions before…say….Yes. Not that I’m a huge fan of Yes, but you see where I’m going with this.
On the other hand, you have the entire music community (most of which is displeased with every facet of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) criticizing pretty much everything about the museum, the nomination process, and the ceremony. The Hall of Fame gets criticized for not inducting enough acts, for inducting too many acts, for snubbing artists for too many years, for nominating artists their first year of eligibility, etc. You can’t ever please everyone. Surely, Metallica fans would sooner die than see Madonna inducted. We may actually have a mass suicide on our hands very soon.
The nominees for the 2008 Hall of Fame inductions were announced yesterday, and are they ever odd, and arguably Rock and Roll-less. First, you have The Dave Clark Five. Jann Wenner (founder) was accused of using the excuse of a technicality to induct Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five over The Dave Clark Five this year after a hiphopless 2006. Madonna and The Beastie Boys are the most eye-catching on the list this year, making it easy for a backlash that mostly revolves around the meaning of the term “Rock and Roll.” Other nominees include Leonard Cohen, Afrika Bambaataa, John Mellencamp, The Ventures, Donna Summer and Chic (yup…Chic).
I know. Britney Spears is an easy target at this point. I think she has officially entered Mariah Carey territory, and as we’ve all learned from that, there is absolutely no turning back (I mean, sort of). Though her undeniable white-trashey-ness has been exposed recently in a very short amount of time (including two marriages, one annulment, one divorce, and two kids), she is attempting to make a real come-back. Her new single “Gimme More” is a good start, and kicks off with the sounds of her distorted vocals giving it to us raw….”It’s Britney, Bitch!” Yeah, we know. Hate to admit this, but I kind of love the song. It’s kind of awesome. Britney used to be pretty awesome, and she can still pull it off on record. She failed at her goal of becoming the next Madonna, but so has everyone else.
Of course, it’s extremely hard to go wrong when you have a line-up of the best producers in pop giving you the best tracks they have. However, Britney still somehow managed to ruin it. Perhaps her last chance to regain some shred of dignity was this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, who reluctantly gave her the opening number for the show (a decision which I’m sure they more than regret now). Britney failed miserably. So miserably, in fact, I actually question whether her painfully obvious lackluster performance was a publicity stunt within itself. Everyone wants to know if she was nervous…or if she was on something. What better way to sell records? I can’t figure it out and I want to know more. More!
Besides her whining about looking like a fat pig on stage (we should all be such fat pigs), Britney didn’t really seem to give a flying fuck about the performance. Like…at all. The excuse of being nervous is laughable for someone who’s toured the world and played every award show there is. Besides dancing like she had stuck her head in a microwave before the show, Britney barely even bothered to lip sync the song. I’m also pretty convinced that she was reading the words off of a teleprompter. Is this really the same girl that belly danced with a snake around her neck?
The continuing significance of the MTV Video Music Awards is beginning to completely mystify me. At this point, the whole “MTV doesn’t even play music videos anymore” argument has become cliche and annoying. It’s so beyond a punch-line, it’s not even a joke anymore. So, I thought to myself, “maybe this is an old cliche;” sort of like how people think the French are rude (didn’t really get that impression). I wanted to give MTV the benefit of the doubt for one last time.
I’ve been wondering what qualifications MTV even has anymore to give out an award for music. In order to determine this, I’ve decided to review a full day of programming on MTV, and decide how much of it could actually pass for “music television.” To qualify as “music television,” It doesn’t have to necessarily be music video programming; just something (anything) that could remotely pass for music related content. I was actually quite pleased with the results, and may re-consider my views on the channel all together. I’m kidding.
A day on MTV (August 27, 2007 schedule):
6:00am – 8:30am MTV Video Wake-Up
Bingo! There you have it. The first thing MTV shows in the morning is 3 hours of music videos. I already feel a lot better.
8:30am – 9:30am The Big Ten
A morning show dedicated to the 10 biggest videos of the moment, music news and interviews? So far, so good.
9:30am – 10:00am Engaged & Underaged I do Re-do
Oh crap. What the hell is this? It’s not even the show Engaged & Underage. It’s more like Real World Reunion…except we’re re-watching the couples’ episode of Engaged & Underaged, along with never before seen footage…of…whatever. This is disappointing. How things have changed in a half hour…
10:00am – 11:00am My Super Sweet Sixteen Remix
Yet another show of recycled clips and bonus footage of another show. Not only do you get to watch people with more money than you and get angry (16 year olds with more money than you, at that), but you get to watch the recap! It’s getting painful…
11:00am – 12:00n Making The Band 4
OK, I’ll admit…this show is pretty awesome. I didn’t get enough with Making The Band 1-3 (slight sarcasm). Who doesn’t love to see Diddy get angry at 18 year olds who shit their pants when he even looks at them funny? Seriously. Best of all, this would most certainly qualify as music related content.
12:00n – 12:30pm Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County
A pseudo reality show about rich kids in California? Bla bla bla Laguna Beach bla bla bla milk it for all it’s worth.
12:30pm – 1:00pm Real World: Sydney
I guess this speaks for itself; arguably the show that started it all. Real World will never go away. Obviously this isn’t music related, but even within itself… Real World has become boring as hell. The black guy, the gay guy, the guy that hates black people & gay people, the blonde…I feel like it’s the same season over and over.
1:00pm TRL
Yes, it’s music related, but……..::sigh::
2:00pm – 6:00pm Made
No, seriously? 4 hours of Made, a scripted ‘reality’ show slightly above Next on the list of most embarrassing things to actually sit and watch? Speaking of Next, where is it? A day without Next is like a day without sunshine.
6:00pm – 8:00pm Parental Control
How could I forget about Parental Control? It’s pretty much a toss-up between this and Next. Some mindless entertainment to wrap up the day…
8:00pm – 9:00pm The same episodes of Real World and Newport Harbor that were on at 12.
9:00pm – 10:30pm The Hills
See 12:00n.
10:30pm – 11:00pm Life of Ryan
Is this a play on Life of Brian? Probably not. This seems kind of cute though. It’s about a teenage skateboarding phenom and…uh…that’s it. I think it is admittedly fiction, and it’s not about music, in case you were wondering.
11:00pm – 12:00m Two more episodes of The Hills. Enjoy.
12:00m – 12:30am Repeat of same episode of Life of Ryan. And it’s still not music related.
12:30am – 4:30am Next
Yes. Thank you, God.
4:30am – 5:00am Step and Repeat: The Best and Worst of VMA Fashion
Eh, almost. Close.
5:00am – 6:00am MTV After Hours
I remember when After Hours started at 1:00am, and you could watch music videos all night (in their entirety! That hostility is meant for TRL, not you). Even waiting until 1:00am to watch music videos on Music Television seems a bit unreasonable. Before that, they usually started at midnight with Subterranean (which I think is shown on MTV2 every other leap year), and of course 120 Minutes, which I’ve definitely seen on MTV2 at 3am. Good times. Ever notice that they showed a Ministry video in every episode?
September 11th is a day that will forever go down in infamy. No, not because of the attacks on the World Trade Center, but because of the simultaneous release of both Kanye West and 50 Cent’s new records. Curiously enough, both of their labels changed the drop dates for Kanye’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis by two weeks, making the long time rivalry of words an all out war.
50 has already promised to end his solo career if Kanye outsells him, and this was after demanding that Kanye push back his release date. 50 has also bashed Kanye for his infamous comment on President Bush and Hurricane Katrina (he may have been the only black rapper in this Nebula to disagree with that statement), and has even gone as far as to attribute himself as the reason for Kanye West’s success.
Kanye West seems to be sitting back and enjoying the show, releasing 3 singles from Graduation this summer (”Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” the album version of “Stronger,” as well as a remix featuring Young Jeezy). He has not voiced much of an opinion on the matter, other than the fact that the release date will not be moved. In an article on VH1.com (Kanye West Says He’s Ready To Pit His Album Against 50 Cent’s), Kanye said, “I’d rather come out on a day like that and be #2… rather than come out and be #1 on a day nobody cares about.” Humble as pie. That’s Kanye.
It wouldn’t be possible to find two artists that are less alike than Kanye and 50. In the one corner, you have Kanye; the son of a doctor who raised him in the suburbs of Chicago, who raps about dropping out of college while sporting a light yellow Polo golf shirt. In the other corner, you have 50; a drug dealer from Jamaica, Queens who has been shot 9 times and wears a bullet proof vest to bed every night.
The same could be said for them musically. The pop heavy Kanye has worked with Coldplay’s Chris Martin on his new record, while 50’s single “Ayo Technology” (originally titled “Ayo Pornography” before Universal made him change it…seriously) is a futuristic cyber sex theme song featuring Justin Timberlake at his most frisky; “I’m tired of using technology/I want you to sit down on top of me.” Dirrty! Of course, they are both bad boys at heart. Kanye hasn’t missed one politically charged benefit concert, shouting “we need some new leaders to follow” at this year’s Live Earth. And 50…well, 50.
Filed under: Poprok Rants | Tags: Interpol, Our Love to Admire, There's No I In Threesome
Well, well. If it isn’t Interpol. The coolest indie (EDIT: mainstream) band this side of the Atlantic. Two releases on Matador and 800 Joy Division comparisons later, Interpol have emerged with a major label debut so confusing, that no one has any idea whether it’s good or not. Lead singer and guitarist Paul Banks blankets the band’s post-shoegaze anthems with words so direct that they are completely baffling. Three albums in to their short (yet impressive) career, they’ve taught us an extremely valuable lesson; There’s no “I” in threesome.
While there isn’t one music critic in the whole of planet Earth who wouldn’t love to give Our Love to Admire a bad review, many have concluded that it’s too close to call. However, I’ve come by a small amount of reviews which seem to be straining not to call it “absolute shit.” This isn’t because Our Love to Admire is a bad record. In fact, Our Love to Admire is an amazing record. The real issue is the fact that Interpol have cursed themselves the way many bands do; they made a perfect debut. Not only does this mean that their sophomore and everything that follows will be under intense scrutiny, but in all likely-hood will be considered absolute shit before it even hits the itunes store (unless, of course, you’re the Arctic Monkeys – see Arctic Monkeys are Bigger Than Jesus).
So, according to lead singer Paul Banks, there’s no “I” in threesome.
It seems juvenile, but Banks somehow makes it insightful. This is where the confusion comes in. “Baby, it’s time we give something new a try.” Who can’t relate to that? But maybe it speaks on more than just Banks’ staling relationship. Perhaps this is an analytical comment on Interpol’s third album, which also happens to be their Capitol Records debut. Trying to peg Interpol’s musical intentions and lyrical symbolism is harder than trying to think of a better influence to site than Joy Division (801). The more abstract and innocently lost Turn on the Bright Lights seemed as if it was paving the way for Interpol to be the next Radiohead (actually be the next Radiohead, not “sound a lot like Radiohead” or “want to be just like Radiohead real bad” or “not be nearly as good as Radiohead“). Somewhere between then and now, they strayed off of that path and seem to have embraced the rock band that FUSE TV would want them to be. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No. I think? I don’t know.
I think I would call my supergroup Savage Animal, since Sebastian Bach never did get to use the name (it rolls off your tongue, man). VH1 shoved Bach, Ted Nugent, Scott Ian, Evan Seinfeld and Jason Bonham into a house, made them write music together, and called it SuperGroup. This was genius (though VH1 does really love to shove celebrities into a house together…it was just a matter of time), but not exactly super. They may have been a pretty super metal collaboration, but to live up to the name SuperGroup, it should have been way more super. I’m talking mind-blowingly super super.
Rollingstone.com recently featured a news story on a supergroup poll held by a new venue in the UK. According to the poll, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, and Phil Collins would be the ultimate supergroup of supergroups (in second, was Clapton, Bono, Ringo, and Stevie Wonder). This got me thinking; what really makes a supergroup? These results seem sort of…expected. I found that assembling my own supergroup was a very complicated process. For example, do you go with who is widely perceived as the most talented at his or her respective instrument (let’s say…Eddie Van Halen on guitar), or do you actually pick your favorite guitarist, regardless of his or her stature in the music world (Johnny Buckland, hands down). Then I wondered, if the musician isn’t really a superstar in his own right (Johnny Buckland of Coldplay, if you’re still trying to figure that out), how can he really be a member of a full-fledged supergroup?
I thought of recent supergroups – Velvet Revolver, Audioslave, Supernova – and it occurred to me; I hate all of these bands. Not so much because I have a bias against massive hard rock supergroups (the world can never have enough, if you ask me), but because I didn’t see how they created anything truly worth the title of “super.” The results seemed pretty run of the mill for my taste. The bigger deal was the fact that it was Tom Morello and Chris Cornell in the same band more so than the fact that the music was far inferior to that of either Rage Against the Machine or Soundgarden. Velvet Revolver is normally regarded as the most super supergroup yet assembled, but there was no Paradise City to be found. There was certainly no welcome to the jungle (more of a half-assed hello wave). Should the collective efforts of the supergroup surpass that of what they were capable of in their own bands? I would like to think that Clapton, Bono, Ringo, and Stevie Wonder would fart out the greatest song of all time in their fucking sleep. Isn’t that what a supergroup should do? Or is it simply a matter of putting the biggest names together and just enjoying the show?
With that said, is a band like The Good, The Bad and The Queen a true supergroup, regardless of the fact that the “superest” member isn’t truly a superstar on his own (Clash bassist Paul Simonon)? Is it more important that the album was incredible? What about The Raconteurs? The second this band announced their existence, the word “supergroup” flew around more freely than bottles and woman in the SuperGroup house (followed by a backlash of people wondering who has actually ever heard of anyone in the band besides Jack White). Sure, White is a superstar. No one will argue that, but does the equally talented yet mildly popular Brendan Benson (edit: more talented) defunct the band’s supergroup status? Being that Benson is the second most popular member (and that the other two were in the virtually unknown indie-rock outfit The Greenhorns), you really have to question the validity of such a claim that The Raconteurs are, in fact, a supergroup. A great band? Yes. A supergroup? Not so much.
On March 4, 1966, John Lennon proclaimed that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. As a result, the world spiraled out of orbit, crashed into the sun, and burst into flames; Then everyone threw all of their Beatle records on top of it. The reason that this was such an outrage was not because it was a blasphemous comment (though it was probably one of the most profound observations a pop star has ever made in an interview, if you got his meaning), but simply because he was merely a Beatle. His comment would have been completely true, and completely acceptable, if he had been a member of Arctic Monkeys.
Arctic Monkeys are way…way bigger than Jesus. I ask you, what other band’s debut album could be placed at #5 on The NME 100 Greatest British Albums Ever list before it was even recorded (and before lead singer Alex Turner was even born)? OK, that was an over-exaggeration. He was in diapers. Anyway, the answer is “No other band.” Not even The Beatles (#9); Not even Bowie (#14); Not even The Clash (#8); Not even Led Zeppelin (in fact, 86 Pulp albums are on the list before anyone even thinks about getting the Led out). If Jesus himself came down from Heaven, learned guitar, and formed Jesus and The 11 Disciples (No Judas), they would be lucky to open for Arctic Monkeys on the Australian leg of their world tour.
At first, I thought I may be able to blame NME for single-handedly causing the Arctic Monkeys hysteria. I recently perused the Arctic Monkeys archive on the website, and came across an interview with the band discussing how they may have promised too many people guestlist privileges for their show at Lancashire County Cricket Ground in Old Trafford, Manchester. “Arctic Monkeys Expect Too Many Guests at Old Trafford Shows.” This was news. We see this sort of thing in America all of the time; “Paris Hilton Paints Nails Electric Purple,” “Britney Spears Drives Over Pacifier,” “Lindsay Lohan’s Father Has Irregular Bowel Movements,” etc. That, coupled with the fact that the review for Favourite Worst Nightmare was roughly 3,000 words, and more in depth than the TIME Magazine cover story on Stem Cell research, proves that my accusation may be correct.
Further research would show that it is not only NME who bestows ludicrous amounts of praise onto the Sheffield indie band (awarding them Best Track, Best New Band, and Best British Group at the NME Awards in 2006…a month after the album was released). Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not sold 363,735 copies in it’s first week, and subsequently became the fastest selling album in UK chart history (thanks to a buzz that was allegedly created by their fans on the Internet). The album went on to win the 2006 Mercury Prize, and album of the year honors from Q Magazine, TIME Magazine, and of course…NME. They won Best British band and Best British Album at the 2007 BRIT Awards, as well as Greatest Humans in the UK at the UK Human Awards.
Favourite Worst Nightmare is well on it’s way to becoming just as successful as it’s predecessor, debuting at #1 on the UK charts (naturally), and peaking at #1 in 6 other countries. An interesting side note: Every single song on the album was simultaneously in the Top 200 of the UK Singles Chart. That’s 12. 12 Singles. Did I say 12 already? The album was also shortlisted for the 2007 Mercury Prize, which will surely result in the first consecutive win in the award’s short history. It sold a lot of albums. Not as many as Whatever, but a lot. It was compared in the NME review to Blur’s sophomore release Modern Life is Rubbish (#6…damn), and is already being hailed as the 2007 Album of the Year…by everyone.
Very few people could release a book of five year old magazine articles about musicians and athletes and still have it be a relevant contribution to the world of pop culture. Not only has Chuck Klosterman accomplished this, but it may be the most relevant contribution in a while. In Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, he over examines and over analyzes the words and actions of celebrity figures in a way that most of us only do in the privacy of our own brain. He does it in such a way that it makes you realize how important it really is that Jack White hates rap music, that we figure out who the 10th Beatle really was, and that we understand what it means for Journey to be playing a rock ‘n’ roll Carnival Cruise.
While reading, it occurred to me that Chuck Klosterman is to pop culture what Michael Moore is to politics. Much like the War on Terror and the health care system, the cultural and social significance of Billy Joel’s love life and Britney Spears’ wardrobe is undeniable. Britney dodges Klosterman’s questions about her impact on young women in America and her provocative dress in a way that would make many a politician very proud. A 200+ word foot-note disputing Britney’s comment on the evolution of Friends makes it all too clear that though it may seem irrelevant, it isn’t. Chuck Klosterman knows this. He loves it.
In an interview with Bono, Klosterman tries to decipher whether the U2 frontman’s generosity and his overall Messianic persona is in fact real…or bullshit. He repeats this thesis many times through-out the article, and in the end, seems to come to the conclusion that Bono is just as important to the world as he thinks he is…and that he has every right to be. Truth be told, someone like Bono is just as important to society, if not more so, than the President of the United States…or the Pope. Bono is well aware of this fact. Klosterman – as he describes a ride in Bono’s car with three mind-blown U2 fans, all getting a preview of Atomic Bomb months before release – is as intrigued as the rest of us. As he describes the looks on the fans’ faces as they listen, you can tell that he knows exactly how they feel. He doesn’t write about it because he knows people will be interested. He writes about it because he himself is interested. This is what makes it relevant.
Klosterman is desperately looking for deeper meaning in all aspects of pop culture the way most people search for God. Though, he would probably prefer to write about heavy metal bands all day, the fact that his assignments are so diverse keep him asking questions that mo
st (some) of us want to know and that even less have the means to get the answers to. In his unedited article for The New York Times about The Streets’ Mike Skinner, Klosterman tries his best to uncover a greater purpose to Skinner’s relentless use of the word “geezer,” that it actually works. Skinner starts out seemingly uninterested in the interview, and by the end is making nonsensical metaphors about removing a beer tap on demand and questioning his existence as a whole. At the end of the article, Klosterman’s lyrical reference/quip of “Geezer’s don’t need a reason. Geezer’s need excitement,” reminds you that maybe he’s right. Maybe even the simplest of things aren’t that simple at all.
Klosterman attempts to explain Advancement Theory, a pop culture theory invented by a couple of anti-hipster psychology students, which is described as a cultural condition in which a true genius creates a piece of art that 99 percent of the population perceives to be bad, simply because they are not Advanced. This does not include artists who do the opposite of what is expected of them. This is defined as being “Overt.” Klosterman attempts to break down this theory, and sites examples such as Sting (he admits he does not understand Sting at all), KISS (for their soundtrack to a non-existent film – he is unashamed to mention them as often as possible), and Lou Reed (his most advanced work being the song “The Original Wrapper”).
