Biled Up You ever get in one of those moods? Those moods that send you stomping around like a sour gorilla, pounding your fists into the ground wishing it was somebody’s fat stupid face? I’ve been in that mood for like, twelve years now. I was hoping that I wasn’t alone.
- Carla
You are definitely not alone. Just last week, I pushed a couple of orphans down an elevator shaft and set an entire Girl Scout troop on fire… just because I was in "one of those moods." (Of course, I exaggerate. It was only one orphan and technically, I think they were Brownies.)
But honestly, anger can become a real problem, especially when so many thoughtless morons are out there stoking your furnace of rage. Some would suggest that you find help with personal counseling or anger management classes. But what good is that if people still insist on tossing fast food wrappers out of their car in broad daylight? Why spend money for someone to tell you how to fix your attitude when the real problem is that there are grown adults roaming the street who haven’t grasped the concept of trash cans?
Last week I stood in one place and watched two different people toss their trash onto the Broad Street sidewalk. One lady pushed a baby stroller and watched the straw and lid of her McDonald’s soda tumble down to the concrete. Then she looked back at it, shrugged a bit and continued on. Perhaps she thought the same wind would carry it into an open waste container? Or maybe she thought it would float onto the lidless beverage of some needy soul? Then there was the guy who whipped out his nasal spray, shucked the plastic wrapping to the ground and nose-gobbled a four short squirts like Tony Montana on a bender. I know there are worse things happening in this city than idiot litter, but few crimes stir my inner vigilante than a blatant disrespect for common courtesy.
What did I do about it? Nothing. I bit my lip, muttered to myself and kicked a puppy on my way home.
New Year’s...Even Better I was inspired by the fun time had by all at the New Year’s Eve festivities in Carytown this year. It seemed like a really cool event and I hope it sticks around. But honestly, there were a few things I thought could have been done totally different.
Like instead of a lighted ball thing that rises at midnight, why not collect chewing gum throughout the year? By December 31st, that thing would be huge and at midnight you launch it into the crowd, yell "Happy Chew Year!" and people could tear pieces off with their teeth and blow bubbles and then put it back on the ball for next year. It would be a completely renewable resource.
Other than that, I think maybe adding some Slip n’ Slides would be fun.
- Barry
We are humbled by your genius.
Cardiacs Arrest Reading this [past] week's Sound Advice column - I hear your #9 "Lastly, I'd like to hear a new form of music that doesn't use guitar drums bass etc etc" - loud and clear. That was me 6 months ago. I almost don't want to divulge this information - nursing a greedy selfishness that you might experience if you discovered an abandoned amusement park, in the patch of woods beyond your backyard...sooner or later, you realize, in order for it to be properly fun, you have to share.
So, this August I was perusing the WFMU blogsite - a mighty fine resource; and found a link to some youtube videos by this British band called Cardiacs. Have you ever heard of them? Almost nobody has! They've been making music since 1977 and they are almost completely obscure - they have a small but intensely devoted cult, own their own music and record label, have never played in the US to my certain knowledge, they "like to keep themselves to themselves."
There was some talk about Mike Patton (a fan) offering to distribute their stuff on Ipecac, but they decided against it for whatever reason. Their music can be very annoying to listen to, at first. It is not Rock, as defined in the dictionary. It is not based on 12 bar blues, is not slangy or chooglin' by any stretch, does not feature wailing guitar solos or drum fills...it's much more ...rigorous than blues based rock...people liken it (simplistically) to a mix of Punk and Prog (and these two genres have always cohabitated peaceably in my home - which may be why this rubs my spot).
It owes as much to English choral music, ska, German oompah bands, opera, and carnival music as it does to Muddy Waters or even the Beatles. It is not Rock, yet - it rocks, like all get out! It is the most amazing music I have heard in years, and has renewed my faith in ever-exploding possibility and creativity in music, meanwhile rendering my huge record collection at least 50% less interesting, in one fell swoop.
There are several video clips of them at youtube, some of the best of them from their 1990 concert film "All That Glitters Is A Mare's Nest." There are also some great recent bits from an as-yet unreleased film called "Filth" live in Brighton 2005. Also worthwhile are ...oh it's all worthwhile. Enough twaddle from me.
Check them out, is my advice obviously! Hope you enjoy them. www.cardiacs.com. A Dutch guy far more eloquent than I penned a very good introduction to the weird twilit world of Cardiacs at "Perfect Sound Forever," here:
www.furious.com/perfect/cardiacs.html. Happy New Year!
- Steve Wilson
True Stories of Love Gone Wrong In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked some folks to share their tales of romantic woe...
