Monday, October 30, 2006
Hi kids! Guess what time it is? That's right, it's time for another episode of
What Music Isn't Tim Buying For the Shop?
This week there's a bounty of albums coming out with awful band names and embarassing titles. Let's dig in.
1. Atomic Rooster - "Losing Your Mind". I actually kind of dig this band's name. It's awful, but in a funny way. In fact, I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong when you throw the word "atomic" in front of any noun. Let's try it: Atomic Babysitter. Yep, I've proved my point.
2. Backwash - "Kick Ass". I know nothing about this band, but I'm going to guess that A)they're all dudes, B)they believe there is no higher calling than to rock, and C)they totally suck.
3. Tie: Belphegor - "Pestapokalypse VI" / Borknagar - "Origin". This one really isn't fair because, let's face it, 99.9% of all "black metal" acts have stupid names.
4. Breakfast - "Moxie Epoxy". The scene is a cluttered kitchen somewhere in Vermont. Four hippies sit around a table eating organic bagels and veggie tofu spread. Hippie #1: "So, like, now that we've had a few gigs at the co-op, we should probably get, like, a name or something." Hippie #2: "Dude, you sound like The Man, man. Next you'll be telling us to eat meat." Hippie #3: "No man, I think Sunflower's right. If we get a name we can put out albums and stuff. Like, two 40-minute jams. That'll blow the republican's minds, man! They'll freak out!" Hippie #1: "Right, it'll be like a pro-hemp protest...in CD form! So what should call ourselves?" (everyone looks around the room) Hippie #2: "Kitchen!" Hippie #3: "Stove!" Hippie #2: "Floor!" Hippie #1: I dunno, those are awesome and all, but it should be something that provokes people, like feeds their minds and stuff. Something deep, you know?" Hippie #4 (holding up his half-eaten bagel and grinning): "Breakfast!" All: "YEAH! AWESOME!"
5. Vampire Moose - "Serenade the Samurai". Fear of success can lead people to sabotage themselves in a lot of ways. They procrastinate, they put themselves down, they keep their work to themselves. And sometimes they name their band Vampire Moose.
Bonus anecdote: A girl just bought a book from me. She counted out the money to herself and handed me a pile of ones, saying, "I'm fairly certain that's 8 dollars." I counted it up and handed her back 33.3% of the cash. She'd given me 12 bucks.
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What Music Isn't Tim Buying For the Shop?
This week there's a bounty of albums coming out with awful band names and embarassing titles. Let's dig in.
1. Atomic Rooster - "Losing Your Mind". I actually kind of dig this band's name. It's awful, but in a funny way. In fact, I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong when you throw the word "atomic" in front of any noun. Let's try it: Atomic Babysitter. Yep, I've proved my point.
2. Backwash - "Kick Ass". I know nothing about this band, but I'm going to guess that A)they're all dudes, B)they believe there is no higher calling than to rock, and C)they totally suck.
3. Tie: Belphegor - "Pestapokalypse VI" / Borknagar - "Origin". This one really isn't fair because, let's face it, 99.9% of all "black metal" acts have stupid names.
4. Breakfast - "Moxie Epoxy". The scene is a cluttered kitchen somewhere in Vermont. Four hippies sit around a table eating organic bagels and veggie tofu spread. Hippie #1: "So, like, now that we've had a few gigs at the co-op, we should probably get, like, a name or something." Hippie #2: "Dude, you sound like The Man, man. Next you'll be telling us to eat meat." Hippie #3: "No man, I think Sunflower's right. If we get a name we can put out albums and stuff. Like, two 40-minute jams. That'll blow the republican's minds, man! They'll freak out!" Hippie #1: "Right, it'll be like a pro-hemp protest...in CD form! So what should call ourselves?" (everyone looks around the room) Hippie #2: "Kitchen!" Hippie #3: "Stove!" Hippie #2: "Floor!" Hippie #1: I dunno, those are awesome and all, but it should be something that provokes people, like feeds their minds and stuff. Something deep, you know?" Hippie #4 (holding up his half-eaten bagel and grinning): "Breakfast!" All: "YEAH! AWESOME!"
5. Vampire Moose - "Serenade the Samurai". Fear of success can lead people to sabotage themselves in a lot of ways. They procrastinate, they put themselves down, they keep their work to themselves. And sometimes they name their band Vampire Moose.
Bonus anecdote: A girl just bought a book from me. She counted out the money to herself and handed me a pile of ones, saying, "I'm fairly certain that's 8 dollars." I counted it up and handed her back 33.3% of the cash. She'd given me 12 bucks.
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Sunday, October 22, 2006
Man, it is one busy-ass day here today. My coworker and I are inclined to think it's Pumpkin Fest leftovers, out-of-town folks lingering here in Keene, NH after yesterday's big event. Apparently we were trying to beat our old world record of 28,952 simultaneously lit jack-o'-lanterns, but we were roughly 4,000 short. However, the much larger city of Boston was able to carve our record up* yesterday with 30,128 lit gourds. Yes, because Boston has nothing going on to entice tourists, so they need to take away our town's one shitty claim to fame. Thanks, Beantown.
Wish I had more excitement to report here about my job. It's still the same dehumanizing grind, but on the positive side there's 25% less of it now that I volunteered to cut my 40 hours back to 30. Apparently the big chain stores around are still goreing huge fleshy chunks out of our meager profit margin, so they needed to cut payroll for a few months at least. The other issue is that our manager just returned from his 6-month Sanity Sabbatical, refreshed and ready to sell some books. In fact, his only task is to sell books; no longer craving managerial headaches, he's opted to merely be one of us register monkeys. That means, if I had any residual antipathy towards the man I could now take it out on him without fear of reprisal.
Him: Hey Tim, could you watch the counter while I "drain the main vein"?
Me: Kiss my ass, meatsack!
But I wouldn't do that. He's actually a really good cat, I'm pleased to have him back. In fact, it's specifically his renewed presence here on Sundays that has allowed me to slack off and write this blog entry. Score! Welcome back J!
* - see what I did there? Ho ho! Puke.
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Wish I had more excitement to report here about my job. It's still the same dehumanizing grind, but on the positive side there's 25% less of it now that I volunteered to cut my 40 hours back to 30. Apparently the big chain stores around are still goreing huge fleshy chunks out of our meager profit margin, so they needed to cut payroll for a few months at least. The other issue is that our manager just returned from his 6-month Sanity Sabbatical, refreshed and ready to sell some books. In fact, his only task is to sell books; no longer craving managerial headaches, he's opted to merely be one of us register monkeys. That means, if I had any residual antipathy towards the man I could now take it out on him without fear of reprisal.
Him: Hey Tim, could you watch the counter while I "drain the main vein"?
Me: Kiss my ass, meatsack!
But I wouldn't do that. He's actually a really good cat, I'm pleased to have him back. In fact, it's specifically his renewed presence here on Sundays that has allowed me to slack off and write this blog entry. Score! Welcome back J!
* - see what I did there? Ho ho! Puke.
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Here's a little something I whipped up in a feverish state. Actually began compiling it last year and finished it up recently. From the liner notes:
Not every song is about Halloween but they all have an element of fear or the paranormal in them. I've taken care to avoid the songs on Rhino Records' "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Halloween."
Each of these songs holds a special place in my heart, from Robert Smith's recurring childhood nightmare in The Cure's "Lullaby" to the off-kilter humor of Robyn Hitchcock's "My Wife and My Dead Wife." I hope you'll enjoy them too. As always, if you enjoy the music here I encourage you to seek out the artists' work and buy an album or three.
This mix is intended as a celebration of Halloween and the music of the 1980s. IT IS NOT TO BE BOUGHT OR SOLD AT ANY TIME.
Tracklist:
Happy Halloween everyone!
-Tim
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Not every song is about Halloween but they all have an element of fear or the paranormal in them. I've taken care to avoid the songs on Rhino Records' "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Halloween."
Each of these songs holds a special place in my heart, from Robert Smith's recurring childhood nightmare in The Cure's "Lullaby" to the off-kilter humor of Robyn Hitchcock's "My Wife and My Dead Wife." I hope you'll enjoy them too. As always, if you enjoy the music here I encourage you to seek out the artists' work and buy an album or three.
This mix is intended as a celebration of Halloween and the music of the 1980s. IT IS NOT TO BE BOUGHT OR SOLD AT ANY TIME.
Tracklist:
01 Lyres - Buried Alive (1981) 02 The Clash - Somebody Got Murdered (1980) 03 Close Lobsters - My Days Are Numbered (1988) 04 Fleshtones - I Was a Teenage Zombie (1987) 05 The Dickies - Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988) 06 Stray Cats - Race With the Devil (1986) 07 The Cure - Lullaby (1989) 08 Shonen Knife - Devil House (1986) 09 Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - My Wife and My Dead Wife (1985) 10 The Specials - Ghost Town (1981) 11 The Police - Murder By Numbers (1983) 12 Scary Thieves - Halloween (1984) 13 David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) 14 Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead (1982) |
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Happy Halloween everyone!
-Tim
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