Shakespeare In The Alley

I know Pitchfork is based on elitism, but how is Smells Like Teen Spirit not a top 5 song of the 90's? I can accept it not being number 1, but sheesh. Not even in the top 10? For the record, it's not the Nirvana song I'd pick as their best. But with only one song per artist, it's an obvious choice for this list.

Got the CD in the mail today. Substitute UPS guy was unaware that you could simply leave packages in my mailbox. Regular UPS guy called him an idiot. Anyway, gonna give it a listen. I've only heard Carried Away and Heaven Knows. Lovely tracks.

Damnit. I bought this, and I was psyched to listen to it today. But UPS came by a few minutes after I went to lunch/class for the afternoon, and apparently couldn't drop it off without my signature. So it'll have to wait 'till tomorrow.

This will always elicit a from me.

Gorgeous album. I got to talk to Jason a bit after an Admiral Radley show last weekend, and he's such a good guy. It just makes me love his music even more.

Yay. Meh to the rest.

It's been a while since I've listened to the albums I have, but the vocals are...not easy to take. Frustrating band. Just because you can make a song twice as long as it should be doesn't mean you should. I've been semi-meaning to check out Omar's "solo" albums. He's played with some pretty good guys (Frusciante, Money Mark, others I'm forgetting at the moment), and I think his guitar style would be more fitting in a purely instrumental context. But it could be just as pointlessly prog-y.

Right now, my Lanegan experience is limited to Queens of the Stone Age, the latest album with Isobel, the last Screaming Trees album, and his cover of Man In The Long Black Coat. This one is pretty damn mellow compared to all those. I'm enjoying it though. I've been looking for his solo albums for a while, and I found a copy of this one over the weekend. Pretty good introduction. Still looking for the others.

Incredibly talented band, but far too much aimless wankery. So many of their songs would be incredible if they were whittled down, or cut in half entirely. I stopped paying attention to them after two albums. NP: First Lanegan solo album I've found. Still gathering my thoughts on this one. But it's pretty damn good. Borracho is one of the best vocal performances I've ever heard.

I don't know much about Kristen's stand up comedy or her FOTC character or anything. But maybe that's a character that she isn't allowed to "perform" in any other contexts?

It's leaked already. I've never actually listened to Eels. But apparently my stepfather was friends with him in high school. Got a copy of his first album handed to him at a keg party. Pretty amazing story.

How great is the Dylan legend that here we are, 45 years later, debating the meaning behind a tongue in cheek (or not tongue in cheek?) response to a simple question? I personally just thought it was a response to how dumb the "voice of a generation" claims were. He was just singing songs, not speaking for men the world over.

Aren't there many articles out there that say that it pretty much is?

I can see this. But the funny thing is, Dylan's story is so shrouded in mystery that you can read several accounts, and each one will tell a different story. And none will seem any more real than the others. It's astounding, really. He's simultaneously more and less interesting than he seems at first. And that just makes me want to read more. It's a bit of an endless cycle. And considering Dylan's autobiography (so far) was as idiosyncratic and non-revealing as his interviews, there's no reason to think this will ever change. Dylan's been playing the smartest marketing game in the music worl

I've always thought Dylan was one of the most fascinating figures in pop music. Even if I wasn't obsessed with him, I'd probably still seek out all these myths and legends that people tell about him. And Chronicles is a really good book, not a good autobiography. Basically, I don't know of anyone more interesting to read a book about. I've read several, and there's a bunch more I'll read someday. But that's cool if you disagree.

Guilty. I didn't think that was too obscure a joke, though. I'm pretty sure there's a book on Dylan called Song and Dance Man. Or at least a fansite or something.

I was just browsing through this 1000+ page PDF of Dylan interviews I somehow have on my computer to find the exact song and dance line. But Matt one upped me and found the video. Damnit. It's probably the greatest joke answer to a stupid question I've ever heard. That whole press conference is classic.

Uh..."Song and dance man" was Dylan's joke description of himself. Obviously it's a terrible description of what he is.

Best version of the Roots' Masters of War I've seen: Part 1 -

Sparklehorse - London Musical version of a William Blake poem. Very good.

Ugh. No thanks. I love DNOTS. But I want to hear Mark's final material as close to the way he wanted it as possible. If he hadn't yet done the vocals, then so be it. But the thought of his final album being pieced together by anyone but him or Steve Albini (the producer he was working with) is completely unappealing.

Shit. Not sure how I missed that one. The Roots' Masters of War is definitely top three for me. Amazing performance.

Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart

I think, as great a singer as Dylan is, the true merit of his songs is exactly what you just said. They can be done so well by such a wide range of artists.