Grr!auniad
We wrangle about why he dresses the same, seriously, for ages. He complains, casually, about having to put up with people saying, "Does your fucking hair look like that normally?", and I point out that he only has to put up with it because his hair does look like that, so maybe he's looking for the attention.Robert Smith is interviewed in the Guardian ahead of the new album coming out.
"But you don't have to have really short or really weird hair. You could have regular hair."This extended line of questioning aside, it's a pretty good piece, though girly & chatty. The stuff about Ross Robinson insisting Smith prepare the band for recording a song by telling them what it's about, and these explanations upsetting the musicians and causing fights is almot as funny as the writer thinks it is. By coincidence, I'm watching the live version of the Disintegration album (from the Trilogy DVD, picked up cheap in Melbourne over the weekend) while I write this, and the idea of this lineup recording an album by playing live in the same room is getting a lot less worrying. But the format hasn't been Bob's friend for over a decade now. And it is still self-titled..."I married somebody who likes the way I look. If I changed my hair every year, and I reinvented myself in time-honoured pop fashion, I think understandably the person I'm married to would grow slightly sick of me."
"Does she still dress the same as when you met?"
"Yes! Give or take the school uniform, yes!" Grr! How can you give or take a school uniform?
BAM!
whuh! the Pixies have released a new song as part of their reunionfest efforts. and it's by Kim! but you can only get it on iTunes!c'mon, you could have done a limited pressing one-sided 7" or something. keep it real. where's the love for the aging indie scenester audience maaaaaannn...
an ideal to aspire to
Kim Thompson is my favourite model for publisher-customer relations in any medium, let alone comics.There are no plans for a Palomar softcover at present. Maybe we'll put one out and make it a dollar more expensive than the hardcover once the hardcover is sold out, just to fuck with the cheapskates.Even when delivering good news, not answering queries:
Jimbo in Purgatory is on its way from its Asian printer; it will be at MoCCA, and should be in stores in early July. There have been two reactions to date from those who've seen the final book: "Holy shit!" and "Holy fuck!" You may have seen cover repros. You may have seen samples. You have NO idea.B. Krigstein: Comics is printed and on its way from its Asian printer; it will be at MoCCA, and should be in stores in early July. It is un-fucking-believable. B. Krigstein Vol. 2 should follow in late 2005 or early 2006.
Eightball #22, an oversized, full-color super-hero story by Dan Clowes, shipped from WestCan this week; it will be a MoCCA, and should be in stores the week after next. Prepare to be dazzled. Oh, and look for some big announcements (including the complete cast) for the Art School Confidential movie shortly.
Fred the Clown just got turned in and we expect it to ship in September or so.
Did you know that Colleen Coover's lovely porn book Small Favors Vol. 2 is now out? And so is a reprint of Vol. 1? Well, they are.
Trucker Fags in Denial, a masterpiece of horribleness by Jims Blanchard and Goad, shipped from Quebecor this week; it will be a MoCCA, and should be in stores next week.
Maybe you should just send us all your money and we'll send you back what's left over at the end of the summer; wouldn't that be simpler?
maaaaate
Oz Rock tribute night at the Hoey last night - missed the first three due to staying home to catch Jay Katz' debut on the revamped movie show (verdict: well, let's hope at least he gets his contract renewed even if the JJJ girls don't, so he can actually be Jay Katz and not just Jaimie Leonarder), but the rest was lots fun if not supergreat. Reservations got the full jangle-and-rock of Darling It Hurts with one acoustic and one electric guitar. the Shark Alarms bowed with Hercules, featuring a two-minute guitar solo of destruction from Simon Holmes. The Camels, who I've wanted to catch since Les bigged 'em up last March, had a very ragged but at least cunningly-themed set based on "Fellatio, Necrophilia & Gonorrhea" (no prizes for guessing). The Self-Righteous Brothers amused as much with banter as with harmonised versions of Errol and Death Defying. Bovs the finale had to be an all-star jam on Khe Sanh and Throw Yr Arms Around Me.And someone's blogged photos of the gig already!
Danny Yau from Reservations plays bass while Paul Andrews sings on stage at the Hopetoun for the second time in four days!
You can just make out Simon Gibson's KB t-shirt at the back there. I was going to wear my 17-year-old Midnight Oil 10-1 barcode shirt, flannie and naked-neon-lady Kings Cross beanie, but couldn't find the former. Shame.
rageblogging
oh FUCK MY NUTS if the Beasties had dropped this as the offish mix and video for Ch-Check I would have bolted to the shops on release day to stroke and caress and purchase the tactile digipak/slipcase combo (copy control and all). too late now though, I'm still waiting to get it cheap and second-hand. that tour edition of Nasty's still kicking around y'know.nice to see Butterfingers releasing a non-hip-hop track as the meeja single from the album. ok there's a rap bit now but y'know. they might want to be careful about pushing the novelty/comedy angle too hard though. I was planning to buy this when they came through town, but ended up being stuck in l'hopital rather than 400m down the road. might make the effort to pick it up soon - from the look of this they'll need as much help as possible making back their money.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr it's my first hearing of anything from the new Cure album. hmm. not bad, not great but not bad. the Sigismondi clip I'm not sure if I'll go that far for: nice grain, nice art direction, good that the band get to make an appearance before the end but uh that stopmo can borrow a spoon to eat a bowl of dicks. goth pander wank. it's not like Pap's doing anything, make the call! sing properly, Robert. maybe his voice is just shot? someone show me a recent live version of Just Like Heaven for comparison. apparently there's loads of screaming on the LP, which doesn't sound promising. o'course The Kiss or say even Watching Me Fall are supereffective but as an exception on an album. actually the melody could use some support in general. I'd say a string line but maybe that goes against the "playing in a room" vibe of the project? okay then, what about an ebow, or just give Roger something to do that requires more than one finger.
I do like the rawkin hobo in Steve Burns' Mighty Little man clip, but you gotta think he undermines the joyous triumphalism of the song. 'spose that's the point but it's too soon after those Cake and James clips too. flopcocks96 said they had the album for fifteen bucks at Troy Horse last week - might catch the Smallgoods instore tomorrow and see if it's been snapped up.
were either of the MCs in this Ozo clip the bloke who came out when I saw 'em in Jan 2000? memo to Bacardi: more free concerts on the water at Darling harbour again this summer please. I promise to consume yr products.
there's a bit in the middle of the Roots thing that isn't boring but I think it's meant to be a joke. no wait! it's the middle of the Goodie Mob f. Sleepy Brown thing, the latter just sounds exactly as boring as the former. nice programming, Rage! (thinks: is ?uestlove selling spare Joss Stone riddims around the US?)
I genuinely liked Weekends (Roller Skating Jam reset stizz) and can't bring myself to hate Black Eyed Peas + White Girl. I mean, they know they're making pop music for kids right?
DEAR PHARRELL please take yr tattoos on tour with the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow and see if you accidentally stumble across the funk on yr travels
Justine Frishmann featured for our Pleasure: that's nice, but anyone could sound that disaffected if they were this vocodered. if you write any songs as great as half the ones on either Elastica album again come and let us know though!
are Buffalo Daughter making fun of electroclash just because they were in the loo for a couple of years and missed the chance to cash in, or is this some sincere Japanese culture-appropriation?
this Armand Van Helden track is some REALLY shitty disco, but I'd love to see more videos that illustrate drum sounds with arses being spanked. a LOT more.
FEISTFEST
The Mick Fleetwood connection"another layer of sediment on the isolation tip"
Live photos with art installation
by this show reviewer
Gig report card
"There's no grass in Paris"
And hey, while we're in Canadia, let's drop in on Sekiden too.
rageblogging again
Andre 3000’s guestprogramming, and makes the odd choice of Phenomenon to rep Ladies Love Cool James. When this was out I wrote it off straight away as just another example of his lazy late-period blar’n’blee lovers rock crap, but seeing this again makes me realize the hugely inappropriate video probably put me off (stuttering Busta-style edits not fitting with the smooth rhythm of the track). That and the lamely 100% jacked chorus. Oh alright, it’s still not great by any means, and the lyrics are content-free, but his flow is still tighter than your sister’s corset. I would be getting excited for his new album being produced by Timbaland, but having heard Headstrong I might just hope that it goes well enough for him to decide that doing a complete album with either Marley or Bobcat would be a good followup move.Ah, Benjamin Andre’s made a more canonical choice two clips later, with Mama Said Knock You Out. Shame Rage accidentally threw out the version that’s 100% LL (plus cameo from his nan) in favour of the one that’s two-thirds shots of Michael J. Fox trying to avoid getting knocked down by James Woods’ dick.
