Monkey Thoughts

So apparently the CMA's were on last night. Yay. CMA's. THE music night of all nights. WOO. Okay, enough with my country music disdain.
Anyway, Faith Hill's blowup is making the rounds. (Short story in case, like me, you WEREN'T watching the CMA's- Faith Hill lost Female Vocalist of the Year to Carrie Underwood and did not respond well to it.) Now she's saying it was all jokes. C'mon. Just freaking admit it. If I was a veteran country singer (and there's no way in hell I would be, but let's just say hell froze over) and I lost a big award to someone who won on a freaking TV show and sang about Hershey bars or whatever, I'd be pissed as hell too. Of course, if I was a veteran country singer I think I'd know how to compose myself after... I dunno...10+ years of these award shows.

Last week, I became aware that a local radio station was going to be switching format. Being an iPod owner and an XM radio subscriber and an Internet radio listener ( WOXY! WOO!), this really doesn't affect me much in the grand scheme of things. Still, it was a station that recently went to a shuffle format and was playing good alternative music, the alternative music that I listened to in high school. (Actually, it sounded much like another radio station from that time period, which had since switched to a CHR format. Bleck.) It seemed like there was a station that was actually interested in feedback again. At least, that's what I took from all those listener surveys going out. But the music mix was kick ass. (You know, when I actually listened to them). While listening the weekend before Halloween, they actually tossed in some Johnny Cash. It was awesome.

And as of noon today, the station will be COUNTRY. A sad day indeed.

Sure, there's a new station to listen to. Several days ago, it started one of those "annoying yet can't turn off" countdowns involving a computerized voice....uh....counting down, naturally.
I've plugged in online to this new radio station and it would appear they've started their broadcast with Green Day's "Welcome to Paradise".

Whatever. I'll just go back to not listening to terrestrial radio.

(Okay, so it doesn't actually sound too bad, fourth song in. Check that. They're playing Nickle"every song sounds like that other one"back now.)

New Gwen Stefani video.
I'm so confused.
I saw The Sound of Music just once in my life. But that was enough. This sound samples that one song...with the goatherd...who was lonely. And I want to hate it. But it oddly does not sound bad. I'm thinking there must be subliminal messages in the song, cause there's no freaking way this should sound "good" when you think about it.

I miss No Doubt.

I just now heard/saw the video for Justin Timberlakes "SexyBack" in it's entirety. I've not heard more than 15 secs of the song before.

And all this time, I thought it was about some chick's back that must have been sexy.

I was reading an article about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200, which is a ranked list of "must owns". The author was quite pissed off about it, and I chuckled thinking he must be one of those "music nerds". Then I checked the list myself and I gotta tell you, he is right on. It was the must irking shite I've seen in a while. Someone tell me, in what freaking universe would Avril Lavigne or Nelly be on a "Top 200 Must Have" list?
I'm thinking perhaps someone was drunk or paid off well when they composed this.

Take a gander Here

It's not that I have a problem with Marilyn Manson. I actually like some of his music.

It's just that I think perhaps he's a wee bit old to be doing the whole "I'M SCARY AND DARK" act.

And for shits and giggles...I present an oldie but goodie-

Marilyn Manson Now Going Door-To-Door Trying To Shock People

OVERLAND PARK, KS-Shock rocker Marilyn Manson has been touring suburbia in a last-ditch effort to shock Americans.

Apparently, no one likes Oasis. I never really listened to them at all, and thought maybe I was missing something.

So while in Best Buy, I was attempting to decide on a purchase.
I sent the following text message: "Opinion. Goldeneye or oasis cd?"

I received these replies:

"You really need an answer to that? Goldeneye...Duh. Oasis never wins. Wonderwall, my ass."

"Depends on what the question is. If it's 'What is the greatest shit?' Goldeneye. If it's 'What should I use for target practice.' the Oasis cd."

And I believe another one along the lines of Oasis sucking something...

So there you have it. Goldeneye it was.

I enjoy driving at night. Well, I enjoy driving period, minus rush hour and main congested roads. I prefer long stretches of road. One of the biggest issues I have is find good music to drive to. After much thinking and tweaking, I've composed the following playlist for night driving. And I'll even explain my choices like I'm one of those celebrity folks and their bizarre playlists. (Okay, some aren't bad..but take a gander at Andrew Lloyd Webber's. Yeow.)

1. Dave Matthews Band- "Satellite"
One of my favorite DMB songs, and a nice mellow tune to start out with. There's so much going on with the tune here. But that is expected of DMB, with the whole 10 band members or whatever. (Yes, I exaggerate.)

2. Iron and Wine- "Such Great Heights"
A Postal Service cover that I prefer to the original. Soothing, almost lullaby-ish. And I think it put my kids to sleep the other night, so it's a miracle song!

3. Jem- "Flying High"
Jem is, in a word, awesome. It is one of those cd's that I can put in and not skip tracks. This one is melodic and gorgeous.

4. Oasis- "Wonderwall"
Ah, the notorious Oasis. Other people's opinions aside, I like the flow of this tune.

5. Pearl Jam- "Given to Fly"
How can you not listen to this one while driving? The melody just screams "put me on the open road, baby!" Or something like that...

6. The Postal Service- "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight"
Favorite Postal Service song, and what led me to buy the cd. I had the song stuck in my head. It reminds me of a simpler time, writing Java on Saturday mornings. Shit, that sucked.

7. R.E.M. - "Nightswimming"
Ah, the quintessential nighttime song. The piano on this is beautiful.

8. Seu Jorge- "Life on Mars"
From The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, this is a kick ass cover of a David Bowie diddy. Except it's in Portuguese.

9. Smashing Pumpkins- "1979"
I love the Pumpkins, thus they got on here twice. This one just kicks it. And it's the only song I have yet to hear that mentions my name. Ever. Biased? Perhaps...

10. Blink-182- "All of This"
Say what you will about Blink, this is one of the best songs they've put out. Perhaps it's cause Robert Smith does most of the singing. But what night playlist would be complete without some form of The Cure?

11. Telepopmusik- "Breathe"
A little techno, a lot of breathy vocals. Perfect for long stretches of driving.

12. U2- "City of Blinding Lights"
U2 is good with night-appropriate music. I chose this one cause it's a favorite for my husband and I.

13. Zero 7- "The Waiting Line"
Again, soft, breathy and just mellow. Off the Garden State soundtrack, which is just an incredibly good soundtrack. The movie...ok. But the soundtrack...hell yes.

14. The Beatles- "There Are Places We Remember"
I got into a big Beatles thing back in high school. It wouldn't seem right to not have them on here, especially since they have a lot of tunes that would fit this mood.

15. Smashing Pumpkins- "Tonight, Tonight"
Another incredible song from the Pumpkins. The intro alone is just perfect. And bonus points- the word "tonight" is in the title...hahahahahaha!

16. Chris Cornell- "Seasons"
Chris Cornell = one of the best musicians out there. This song is just great for the playlist..mellow, yet intricate.

17. Coldplay- "Yellow"
Coldplay is one of those bands that I'm never completely sold on. But when they're good, they are really good. And besides, Chris Martin's bit on Extras was freaking awesome.

18. Frou Frou- "Let Go"
This gives me a feeling of a sort of vast landscape. Corny, huh? I don't know, seemed like a perfect wrap up to the list.

People of the world-

Please STOP using Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" song to highlight anything that may even hint of a relationship of sorts. I don't need to hear it on every TV show promo, every MTV show, and every movie promo. How the hell this song even applied to a movie about two heterosexual men faking a homosexual relationship is beyond baffling.

So, please- get more creative and original in your musical selection.

That is all.

I was flipping through a recent issue of Rolling Stone and came across an image I found disturbing. Right in the middle of the mag was a picture of BB King, John Mayer and Eric Clapton. Even typing that now, my head is singing "One of these things just don't belong here".
At one point in the last few years did John Mayer prove himself worthy enough of a musician to be lumped in with the likes of King and Clapton? Was "Wonderland" some sort of display of musical prowess that went over my head completely? Cause I gotta say, it sounded like formula AC shit. Did I miss something? Is he actually good and nobody told me? Why does he keep getting mentioned as being one of the greatest guitarists when there are PLENTY of musicians out there that could play circles around him? (Okay, not too sure what that phrase means, but it was more relevant than running in circles...)
Or maybe I shouldn't even trust RS. They did, after all, grace that cover with Zac Effron.

I'm sitting here watching One Missed Call (the original Japanese version, not that shitpile remake with Shannyn "I have issues with roles requiring a range of emotion" Sossamon. Okay, maybe that was harsh. But I'm not a fan.) Anyway, I'm watching this flick and pontificating to myself on how exactly I would handle this situation, say I ended up getting a call from myself with the death on it. And I think, should I go into a padded room and not speak for a few days, no matter what the situation, I should be good to beat it all. And I think if one would beat it, the curse shit would be null and void. I'm pretty sure that is how it all works.