Singing My Shoulda Coulda Woulda’s

Poem by Shel Silverstein

I haven’t seen a show in a long time. It’s been more than a month I think.  There have been a few shows I would have liked to go to; big ones popping up in my head right now: Braids, Sleigh Bells with Danny Brown AND Doldrums, Kanye West…

Whatever the reason may be that I somehow decided not to attend a live show – i.e. ‘It’s Sunday, I want to be lazy and not move from this couch all day,’ ‘Oh shit, that’s an awesome lineup…but it’s at Terminal 5,’ or some sort of money related problem – I always wish I had.  I’ll daydream about what the concert must have been like and how awesome it must have been.  Concert remorse.

Last week, I kept hearing about this guy Mikal Cronin and that he was playing a show at Webster.  I saw his name mentioned a few times, one being from New York Magazine’s suggested events, but I had never heard of him before.  And I didn’t end up going to his show.

Right at this moment, I have almost completely listened to Cronin’s 3 albums on Spotify.  This happens a lot: I hear of a show but I’ve never heard the bands before, soon after their show I will listen to them and wish I had gone to the show.  I could have seen this played live?  Concert remorse.

This guy Mikal Cronin is awesome.  He makes garage rock pop noise California music and he has a collaborative album with Ty Segall.  Cronin’s newest album, MCII, is decidedly California surf-rock, and arguably more easy listening than his past albums.  I like Mikal Cronin in all his forms and will be sure to catch him next time he’s in town – which hopefully won’t be too long.

Music on Repeat

I have had the same music on my iPhone for quite a long time. It’s about that time where I need to change my limited musical selections or I will scream – there’s only 688 songs on this thing for some reason! I can only listen to about 3% of the songs I have stored on my phone with only mild irritation.  I should get a premium Spotify account so I can listen to everything on the go….maybe one day.

So before I make some executive musical decisions, here are some of the songs that make up that 3%:

Tame Impala – “Why Won’t they Talk to Me?”

Arcade Fire – “We Used to Wait”

Alt-J – “Tessellate”

Haim – “Send me Down”

Foxygen – “Shuggie”

Little Dragon – “Ritual Union”

These are some of my favorite songs, but I need a break.

Netflix Leads Changing Television Landscape

Netflix made history last week by becoming the first content creator of non-traditional television to be nominated in a major Emmy category.  Political drama “House of Cards” earned nine nods including lead actor in a drama (Kevin Spacey), lead actress in a drama (Robin Wright Penn), and outstanding drama series, while Netflix’ revived Arrested Development garnered three nods including lead actor in a comedy for Jason Bateman.

In 2008, the Academy of Television & Arts changed the rules to include internet video.  It will be interesting to see if Netflix wins any of its categories this year, although it could take a while for it to win any of the big categories.

The academy amended its rules to include cable programming in 1988, but it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that HBO began earning Emmys.  In the 2000s, HBO enjoyed critical success and numerous Emmy wins with original shows such as “The Sopranos” and “Sex and the City,” which cemented its force-to-be-reckoned-with status.

This year HBO earned 108 Emmy nominations, compared to Netflix’ 14 nods.

The television landscape is slowly transforming with the times. Amazon and Hulu are both working on buffing up their original programming efforts.  YouTube’s original programming and paid subscription channels are proving sluggish, but with its recent decision to permit ‘artistic’ videos, YouTube execs are consciously making decisions on what viewers want to see and could get the ball rolling in a few years.

The thought of user generated content eventually being able to garner critical attention and perhaps earn an Emmy one day is tantalizing.  It will be years before that happens, if ever, but a girl can dream, right? Maybe then, the academy will be awarding Emmys to Instagram videos and Vines.

Topless is the New Black: Justin Timberlake vs. Robin Thicke

Justin Timberlake’s “Tunnel Vision”

When it was released last week, Justin Timberlake’s music video for “Tunnel Vision” was yanked off of Youtube for violating Google’s nudity provisions. The video mainly consists of three topless models in flesh colored underwear dancing and having Timberlake’s face projected onto their naked bodies.  Hours later the video reappeared on the site requiring users to log in for proof of age.

“While our Guidelines generally prohibit nudity, we make exceptions when it is presented in an educational, documentary or artistic context, and take care to add appropriate warnings and age-restrictions,” a Google spokesperson told ABC News.

Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” is similarly themed with three topless models in flesh colored underwear dancing, but the unrated version can not be found on Youtube. The unrated version can be seen on Vevo’s website, while the ‘clothed’ version is on Youtube.

Google has differentiated the two videos rightly; Timberlake’s artistic “Tunnel Vision” and Thicke’s blatant use of topless females as accessories in “Blurred Lines”.  Timberlake’s video is tastefully done, while Thicke’s is just attention grabbing with an aftertaste of derogatory.

Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”

Although I don’t believe “Blurred Lines” was tastefully done (don’t even get me started on the #Thicke appearing on screen every 30 seconds or the “Robin Thicke has a big dick” balloons on the wall), the video should be on Youtube in its original form because boobs are nothing to be ashamed about!  Topless women in music videos should not be seen as offensive or newsworthy – American society dictates differently of course (hence why the videos have garnered such controversy).  They should be treated as beautiful celebrations of the female body, not some salacious scandal.  I do applaud Google’s decision to reinvoke Timberlake’s topless Vision, as it is a step in the right direction of blurring the lines between  American ideals and creative expression.  Five years ago, this video would have been banned no questions. Hell, even two years ago. It is a sure sign the times are changing by Google reinstating this video for the general public to see.

Where are all the female singers surrounded by naked male models in their music videos?

coco

“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.”

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

“I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.”

The mad ones

“But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'” – from On the Road

And she says to me

“We’re falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean, Elise.”

It’s Tomorrow, It’s Today

Last week was my 23rd birthday.  I didn’t plan anything for it because it was on a Wednesday and it’s easy to get disappointed on your birthday.  I decided I would celebrate until Saturday night.  Saw some old good friends and met some new cats, finally quenched my craving for a chocolate martini, went to a bonfire on the beach (in deep Brooklyn – it took so long to get there and to get home, all while having to open for work at 8:30 AM so I got no sleep), and watched the sun rise two nights in a row.

 

clockwise from top left: bonfire in deep Brooklyn, sunrise on the beach, sunrise on a charming Swiss guy’s Hell’s Kitchen roof 

It was a good way to start 23.

Next stop: road tripping across America!

analogue

This came in the mail yesterday!

Excitement.

he saw it, he loved it, he ate it

Drawing from Where the Wild Things Are

“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim: I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.” – Maurice Sendak