Ouch. That’s Hot.

Spin, I love you man, and we’re suffering together here. We grew up together, ya know? Back in the 80’s, we started really listening to music. You were like the big brother I never had: a few years older, wiser, there to turn me on to what life was going to be like in high school, in college, in that really cool Slacker-meets-Singles experiment that my adult life was supposed to become.

We knew we had one up on Rolling Stone. Man, they just didn’t get it. For them, anything new was just a reflection of the past. If it was trippy it sounded “like a modern Pink Floyd” if it was heavy it was “a new faster Zeppelin” if it was poppy, “it’s further proof of the influence of The Beatles.” Jane’s Addiction reviews were like The Blind Men And The Elephant. But me and you, Spin, we were free, we saw the Now for what it was, then.

And we still want to be cool, we still feel cool, but we just can’t deny that we can’t keep track of the kidz these days. But still, did it have to come to this: (?)

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s true. The similarities are there. When I first saw the ‘Fire they were running fast and furious down a geeked-out E-Street. I felt the same way about the Hold Steady (quoted on page 66, ‘natch.) But do you have to pull a Rolling Stone? Do you have to publish Little Steven Van Zandt’s quotes (page 68) about new bands and their ignorance of their roots?

Did you have to write 5 pages on why emo singers sound like crap and will never be like the old good-old-boys (even if you got Chris “Dashboard” Carrabba to dis his own fan’s blank stare at the mention of Ian MacKaye?) (Page 99.)

I’m not saying you’re wrong, by the way. Not at all. I’m just saying that you’re making me feel old.

Conde Nast, in a continued effort to monopolize the monthly magazine before it hits its cyber-shocked death bed, publishes a largely disposable freebie rag bundled stealthily with subscriptions to Wired, GQ, etc, etc. Seems ol’ lucky me gets 3-5 at a pop.

And they’ve got a theme: Something Rocks.

“Rocks” is here defined mostly in relation to its opposite, which is “Sucks.” So therefore things that don’t suck, rock. You’d probably agree that being Rich, Sexy, Hip, Famous, Cool, or Hot doesn’t suck. Ergo, it Rocks!

Fashion Rocks, Celebrities Rock, Chicks Rock, Dudes Rock, Rockers Rock … and now Movies Rock. However, to my surprise they’ve dropped in two articles of depth and heft covering topics that never really rocked: Frank Sinatra’s tunesmith Jimmy Van Huesen and a the origins of Saturday Night Fever. Although rock (in some form or another) wasn’t too distant from either era, the concept of Rocking (as a verb, a lifestyle, a raison d’être) was. Not that these men didn’t rock, but let’s not judge the past through the narrow lens of the present.

In an effort to remember what I’ve read… here’s the first installment of an ongoing series chronicling the best of the deluge of printed media that crosses my desk daily.

Take a look at TapeOp. It’s free to those who deserve it. Not so much like me, as I don’t actually have a studio, but someday I’ll find enough space in my little life to get the home-recording setup back together the right way.

Anyway, great interview with Giorgio Gomelsky. Who? He’s the Russian-English Svengali fella who owned the Crawdaddy Club in the UK back in the day. The Rolling Stones were his house band. When they got big and took off he had to find a replacement. So he thought he’d give this little act The Yardbirds a try. Then he nurtured them through the line-up changes that replaced Clapton with Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page…

Rock ‘n Roll just wouldn’t be the same without him.

Two shows in two weeks. I could get used to this…

FEIST. Last Sunday I escorted the lovely Rocki T. to the tastiest show I’ve been to in, well, a long time. For those unfamiliar with the venue, OSU’s Wexner Center usually hosts the finer arts. Although a cocktail would have been nice, the pleasure of actually hearing the band made up for it. A really nice sound system, a rapt-in-silence crowd (except for some guy in the back wearing his heart loudly on his sleeve), and frankly a lot more talent then I expected. Not only did she make love to that old red Guild, she played drums for the opening act (Jason Collett - keep an eye on this guy) while snake-charming us with a voice that’s bigger and bolder than it sounds on disc.

Rocki thought I was in love with her. Now we both are. Balance is good for a relationship.

(big thanks to Joel Oliphint for the pilfered photo from the show.)

TEGAN & SARAH. I’m not going to gush over this one. I’m all gushed out (see above.) But I could, I warn you, I could.

Truth be told, I was a little leery going into it, curious, cautious, looking for a good monday-night kind of time. What I found was a packed house of hard-core sing-along fans ringed by respectful onlookers like myself. Backed by 3 strapping young men on Bass/Drums/Guitar unashamed to nick Adam/Larry/The Edge, there was nothing green about the show. Album tracks came to life and hung with the “hits.” But they were very against the crowd-surfing. (Yes, there was crowd-surfing… don’t ask, I can’t explain that one.)

Video here. Photo credit here.

I almost caught them by accident when they opened for Neil Young years ago. They’ve since gone new wave and have a way of tickling that little adolescent girl in us all. (She’s there, trust me… keep looking.)

… if you can’t write a cohesive paragraph or three about it once you’re done? I enjoy staring at words and turning pages while on the john, but perhaps I should be a little more engaged.

Previously here and here, but I couldn’t resist . . .

How do you miss a guy like this…

… who’s been covered by Jimi & Steve Miller, and jammed with Zappa & Sly Stone?

Somehow I’d missed him until I picked up this anthology and found out about the Superman Lover and the original Gangster Of Love.

Thank heavens they finally made a listenable album. The Bends is my favorite, followed ever so closely with OK. After the 12,000th 5-star review of Kid A (in such forward-thinking rags as People, Entertainment Weekly, etc.) I was eager to embrace the new Radiohead.

It was OK. (Not OK.) By the time they Hailed the Amnesiac Eraser I was gone. But now I’m back. Because it has songs. Because it’s almost free.

My cards are on the table.  I’m excited about this one… not Morrissey excited mind you, but gettting there.

Peaches roomie no more, she’s on tour and doing a few select cities here in North America.  Centers of art, culture, and great learning.  Like OSU.  Hey, it’s good for me.

For your listening pleasure, here’s a live version of I Feel It All.