Say What You’re Supposed to Say

My friend Kelly B has a song called “Porchlight,” where she sings “I learned from the TV to seethe politely.” I don’t think Kanye West trucks with that philosophy. I’ve never heard his music, but I already like him. And I also like this guy (not Cheney, the dude in the crowd). Fuck decorum. I’m just surprised that no one has rioted yet.

I also like The Thrift Store Cowboys. See them if you can. I caught their show at the Deli on Thursday and became an instant fan. They have great originals, great covers, and a potent mix of country and rock that seems to be a staple of west Texas music. Plus they’ve got just about the cutest girl who ever held a violin telling god-awful jokes between songs. Who wouldn’t love that? Very sad people incapable of feeling happiness, that’s who. Too bad they’re from Lubbock, though, as I don’t think a weekly spot at the Deli is in the works.

But I shall not mourn, for Veda’s going to be at the Green Door tomorrow night, and I shall be there. They’re one of those few opening acts I’ve seen and thought, “I’ve gotta go to the merch table RIGHT NOW and buy their CD,” which I did when I saw them open for Dredg at Bricktown Live. Good times. It will be interesting to see how many people make it out to the show. It’s a Sunday show, and I don’t think these kids have gotten a lot (or any) airplay in this market. But then again, if you get all your music from Clear Channel and Citadel... well, you probably suck.

Speaking of Clear Channel, I was surprised to find “Feel Good, Inc” by the Gorillaz on KJYO this week. I was interested to hear that they removed the vocals when De La Soul raps “linin’ ‘em up like ass cracks,” which could perhaps be offensive, though most likely not to anyone who would choose to listen to the song. What they left in, however, was the slightly more dirty “Shit I’m steppin’ in’s hotter’n hell.” It’s harder to hear, and you could argue that he’s saying something else, but... It struck me as amusing. While we’re talking about Gorillaz, have you ever thought to yourself, “I sure wish someone would make a flash game out of the video for 19-2000?” Well, they did, and it freakin’ rocks. I can’t get the link to work, but just copy and paste http://www.gorillaz.com/geep/finaldrive.htm into your web browser, and be prepared to happily waste a few minutes (which your presence on the internet indicates you're willing to do).

Guess I’ve got a lot of music on my mind, lately. I should be thinking about my thesis. Oh well. Dr. Yoon tells me that the paper we worked on has been submitted for journal publication. I wouldn’t mind putting that on my CV, or anything else for that matter. Wish me luck.