From Harvey Dog’s Carnival – January 18th, 2006: “Job Interviews Get in the Way of Life, Uncut’s Essential Music of 2005 gets Dissected, and Iggy Pop gets Stooged”
Harvey Dog had a job interview today…
OK.
Get a load of this. I have to do a 5-minute presentation before the “committee”, and after starting (more nervous than usual), I notice one of the women staring intently at me. I continued, and eventually looked over again, and sure enough, she’s still staring intently. What the fuck! It’s an intense stare. That made my presentation worse, and it was a struggle to focus. It got better as it went along, but I hope they went with the last impression, and not the first impression. [aside: I didn’t get the job…no surprise.]
Stupid job interviews. 40 fucking 3 and ya still gotta answer bullshit questions that beg for bullshit answers. I hate the unnatural formal process…so fake…
Then again, what do I know? I know nothing – like the Guru told Peter Tork in The Monkees’ “Head” (classic!).
Uncut: The Year’s Essential Music: 2005: Harvey Dog doesn’t just listen to music from 30 years ago; he’s constantly exploring new music. There is some awesome motherfucking music being made today…ya just gotta find it.
Devendra Banhart: “I Feel Just Like a Child”: Who the fuck is this guy? He’s great! Actually, I’ve heard some of his stuff, but this blows me away. I LOVE IT!! I need some Banhart…NOW! Great start to this CD.
Josh Rouse: “Winter in the Hamptons”: Pleasant enough. I’m not rushing to the store for this, but I’m not turning the station off either.
The National: “Lit Up”: This is 2005, not 1980.
John Cale: “In a Flood”: I loved the last Cale album, and based on this, I’ll love the new one too. A definite pickup.
Bright Eyes: “Another Travelin’ Song”: One of Guru T-Lu’s faves. It’s rather Dylanesque, which is probably why she likes it so much. I like it too.
Big Star: “Hung Up with Summer”: Big Star’s comeback. Cool song, and if the rest of the album is of this quality, it’s a worthwhile comeback.
Robert Plant & the Strange Sensation: “Tin Pan Valley”: SURPRISE PICK. One reason I love Uncut and MOJO CDs is that you always find something surprising or a discovery. Well, R. Plant sure isn’t a discovery, but this is a surprise. I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG! It’s ominous, it rocks, it takes you for a ride…it sounds like typical (but good) Plant briefly on the break, but the verses are what make it. Gotta check out the rest of this album to see if it maintains this quality or the song is a fluky aberration.
Hal: “I Sat Down”: Catchy fey pop…actually, quite catchy.
Ry Cooder: “Chinito Chinto”: Well, it’s Ry Cooder, so the quality is supreme. I like the concept of this album too. Check it out.
Antony & the Johnsons: “My Lady Story”: What an awesome voice. This guy is good, even though Lou Reed endorses him. [Aside: Lou Reed is in the “Top 10 rock stars that are fun to make fun of” category.] Beautiful song.
My Morning Jacket: “Anytime”: The Guru is a fan of these guys. I like them, but not totally sold. It’s a little more rockin’ than usual, so I like this a bit better. OK. Here’s the nitty-gritty. I think they’re looking for a direction, and if they find it they could be pretty awesome, but then again, they could just flounder and quickly be forgotten about.
Sufjan Stevens: “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts”: Wow. Very interesting.
Black Mountain: “Don’t Run Our Hearts Around”: I have this, and it’s already been talked about on Harvey Dog’s blog, but not yet rated. It’s good enough for an easy ***1/2, and possibly ****. Cool rocking stuff.
Franz Ferdinand: “Eleanor Put Your Boots On”: Hype or not? Still unsure. They’re somewhat catchy…but do they have staying power?
The Arcade Fire: “Neighbourhood #2 [Laika]: These guys get great reviews. I’ve heard a couple of Arcade Fire songs, but they don’t stick with me. Over-rated?
Fuck Maxim, fuck Rolling Stone, fuck AP…the best mags (NOT counting fanzines) for music come from Britain. MOJO, Record Collector and Uncut. The CDs that come with them are usually great. I’m not sure about the one filled with Beatles interviews (that was weird), and the Paul McCartney personally picked CD was pretentious and boring.
Temporary fucking Secretary indeed…
Support the mags that love music. Remember: Maxim would sell your sister’s virginity if they could make a nickel off of it.
This blog is not connected in any way with MOJO, Uncut or Record Collector.
When Iggy Was a Stooge
(song inspired by Neil Young’s “When He Was the King” aka “I’m sucking Elvis’ cock”)
iggy was the best
iggy was a stooge
i loved the way
he smeared
peanut butter
all over his body
in cincinnati
and the
rest as they say
is history
iggy was the best
iggy was a stooge
the crowd all
cheered
when he cut
himself up
and bled
and shot up
in alleyways
with johnny
thunders
iggy was the best
iggy was a stooge
all the women
wanted to
suck his cock
and all the
boys wished
they could
be like him
and the last time
i saw iggy
iggy was still the best
iggy was still a stooge.
Hindsight
- We’re in Prince George, I’m still a depressed mess, antidepressants killed my creative spirit, and I’m trying to find my creative MOJO (see what I did there?), and trying to find a job. Not a great combination. I eventually did find a computer job at UNBC.
- In this age of social media, I no longer read MOJO or Uncut. I’m sure I would still enjoy them, but how many Beatles or Rolling Stones articles can one read?
- I love Neil, but he had a song that kissed Elvis’ ass, so I wrote my own ass-kissing poem for one of my heroes, Iggy Pop.