You DEAD WRONG!

And this video is proof that one should never, ever, ever, throw a shiton of ten and twenty dollar bills into a crowd of black people.

Why not paint by numbers?

Diddy feat. Christina Aguilera. Tell Me. You know you're in for some light lyricism and heavy commercialism when you get your first glimpse of Christina Aguilera writhing and walking through some dark tunnel. And by the way it's good to see that old sexy Christina back on display. Nothing against her new old school inspired looks, but it's nice to see her take it back to basics Damn,I have gone on for three to five sentences and have done nothing but talk about X-tina, so I am guessing you get a sense on where I stand with the video and the song [even X-tina's "hook?" Bridges? Pre-chorus? Who knows?] Better luck next time Diddy.

Pic of the Day!

Courtney Love [looking young Madonna and/or Britney Spears] on the cover of Pop magazine. It's HOT!

Glockapella

You know with all this Jay-Z new album-out of retirement-touring the world making it a better place hoopla [which of course I am excited about]I forgot that another highly skilled MC is coming back with a new disc this holiday season: Nas. Hip-Hop is Dead is set to drop December 19th and like Jay-Z's new joint we can all come to expect tons of leaked tracks and heavy promotion. [or not, Jay is head of Def Jam and I could so see his album getting more pushing than Nasir's] So what do we have here you ask? A leaked Nas track, Hip Hop is Dead produced by hip-hop's budding "superstar" producer Will.i.am. So you know what that means? Yep, you guessed it, his vocals make an appearance here and there. Luckliy it's not a guest rap, instead he gets to sneak in and sing the hook, which surprisingly nods to Curtis Mayfield and soul vocals of that era and do an aight job. Nas waxes poetic, almost as if he is just speaking his mind to a beat Will had on in the background. Oh and did I mention the Iron Butterfly sample. Yes, Iron Butterfly. Not too shaby Will. And is that a sample of The Roots' Thought @ Work at the end? [I guess I was pretty apt with my Nas waxing poetic and speaking his mind. Check me out.]I also get a sense of some of the vibe and flava Mos Def bought on last year's highly underrated The New Danger. Yes, the track is good. Cee-Lo did it better with the subject matter, delivery, and vibe on his Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine, another great hip-hop gem of this short decade. I must say, it is nice to have good hip-hop back. I have been listening to so much pop and dance music, not giving a fuck about hip-hop too much due to albums with all filler and no killer. My bad hip-hop. That shit ain't right. Oh, and welcome back.

Idolator: Nas- Hip Hop is Dead

Quote of the Day!

"People send me pictures of themselves looking like me for Halloween. It's not just kids-it's grown men and women! When they show me pictures of their kids like, "My kid was you for Halloween," that's cool. But when you get a 25-year-old muthafucka like, "Look at me! I was you for Halloween," that's just crazy. They put aluminum foil in their mouth and get a pimp cup and some sunglasses. White folks twist their hair up. That shit is crazy. It freaks me out a little. But I guess you know you've made it when people start imitating you."-Lil Jon

I can imagine he sounded a little like this when he said the above quote to Vibe magazine:

Happy Halloween!

From all of us here at Last Night A DJ Saved My Life!

It ain't over til it's over

Pitchfork: Gnarls Barkley Reissue, Upgrade St. Elsewhere

And knowing me, I'll probably

go out and buy it.

-Sigh-

Clap Hands!

When Guero came out I ventured out to my local record store to get my hands on it. When I got to the cash register and plopped it on the counter, the hipper than thou clerk looked at me and said 'well you know, you can get the deluxe edition for a few dollars extra. It comes in this cool booklet packaging and it has a dvd with art videos for each track.' I'm a sucker so of course I went back to the new release wall and grabbed it. [The same thing was done at the same store when Demon Days came out. I have yet to watch either of the bonus dvd's for Demon Days or Guero.]

The deluxe edition of Guero also had a few bonus tracks, most notably, Clap Hands. If you have not heard this song yet, you should. It's a nod to old school hip-hop that's all vagabond swagger, blips, beeps, and robot inspiring moments of fancy. If you are a Beck fan and haven't been living under a rock for the past two years, you know that the recent tours have been about marionettes and a dinner table complete with percussion when it is time to perform Clap Hands. The last time I saw Beck live was the Midnite Vultures tour so I have to read reviews and close my eyes and imagine the goodness. Lucky for me [or us] he brought all this to SNL last weekend. Enjoy it while supplies last. Cause any minute now NBC will take this down. TRUST.

This one goes out to all my niggas on the grind

White rapper MC Serch got's something to say, so listen up K-Fed and others like him. Taken from his

myspace page:

Peace peoples:

As always I hope this find you in good health and spirits. As many of you know and many of you who do not, I shot a TV show for VH1 called "Ego Trips: The White Rapper Show". The premise is that we take ten white MC's and put them in the South Bronx and teach them about Hip Hop. Due to contracts that hold up my paper I cannot tell you anything more except that there is an intersting thing I have discovered. The White Rapper experience. Many of you may not be familiar with this but I can speak from first hand knowledge that it is very interesting. The premise of being a white rapper has gotten so white washed. I met white rappers, and please do not be afraid for what I am about to tell you, but I have talked to and dealt with white rappers who have...ready...NEVER PERFROMED IN FRONT OF BLACK PEOPLE!!!!. How is this possible? Are the black people so hard to find for white rappers? Are white rappers not going to black people to seek thier approval. HOW CAN WHITE RAPPER BE WHITE RAPPERS IF BLACK PEOPLE HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM RAP. Here is a message for many of you that might have grown up on hip hop being an over satruated image driven music that dominates the charts and the screens. Hip Hop cuture is Black culture....period. You can take the hood out of Hip Hop but you can't take the Hip Hop out the hood. I would like to make a statement to all those white rappers who read this or those who have to tolerate a white rapper when they come around. A white rapper cannot be considered a white rapper until he rips in front of a crowd of black people. I am not saying they all have to be black. You can have some spanish, some multi-racial kids mixed in there for flavor, I would even say Asain people. But if you are a white rapper that performs in front of a white crowd then you are not a rapper at all. You are a guy who is simulating what it feels like to rock a crowd. And I might go as far as to say that even if an all white crowd shows love to a white rapper and there is no black peole in that crowd, he did not rock that crowd. White people will usually applaud anyone who has the balls to step on stage. I have seen tremendously wack rappers get in front of white people and becasue they heard a few words that rhymed, gave them love. To be a white rapper you must rip in front of a black person so hard that the black person leaves the show and says "That White boy ripped that shit!" Now you are a white rapper. You have gooten approval from the people that started and built this culture. As much as I love my lack of melanin brothers and sisters, you cannot claim what you do not own. I can remember many a day that the only white face I saw at a party was mine or my reflection. And this has nothing to do with how I came up and in what era. Em did the same thing in Detroit. We seeked out black audiences. We looked for them to respect us and acknowlege us as rappers, as MC's. Non Phixion is in this group as well as Everlast and a host of others (Paul Wall get a shout out here too).

Some of this, well most of this as I am sure you know is toungue and cheek but lets be real. If a borther or sister don't give you the thumbs up, then you are faking the funk on way too many levels and its time you went back to wall street or college or the bowling alley or the Klan meeting. White Rappers, dont call your self white rappers until a black person calls you it first. And trust me when a black crowd shows you love, you rise above all other white rapper into the sphere of being just a plain old rapper. And probably a great one at that.

Be sure to watch my TV show Ego Trips: The White Rapper Show airing Monday night at 10pm starting in January on VH1

LONG LIVE THE WHITE RAPPER

And now a rebuttal from another white rapper, Sage Francis:

Dear MC Serch,

Pardon the length of this letter, but I took my time to make sure that your new asshole would be top of the line.

As a melanin-deficient emcee who began his hip-hop journey in the mid 80's, I've always been interested in what people's take are on white people in hip-hop. How do I fit in? What are my limitations? I've been lucky enough to see some people do it right and some people do it very wrong, and these are lessons that have carried over into many aspects of my life through the years. One golden rule in particular is this: exploiting anything incidental about oneself is pathetic and ultimately self-defeating.

Hip-hop is my lifelong craft and it has been an incredible learning tool for me, so I would be remiss to not contribute as much to this art form as I have received. All I can give is myself though, and if all I am composed of is standard hip-hop wisdom then all I would be doing is recycling other people through my music. Fortunately, I have my own particular perspective, style, technique, quirkiness and subject matter to channel through this medium. There is no success I've enjoyed that has been earned overnight, and I am grateful for that. I did it the hard way. And as overused as it is, there is a lot of merit in the term "keep it real" when it is said and heard by the right people. Let me keep it real for you right now.

One of the first white rap groups I was exposed to was 3rd Bass, via their "Steppin to the AM" video on Yo! MTV Raps. I am not ashamed to say that I was highly excited to see white rappers doing what it is I hoped to do one day. White rappers were a great rarity, which made me view them (and myself) as the underdog, so here I was cheering on a group who was giving me hope that my pursuit in the hip-hop game was not futile. In retrospect, that's a really silly way to think of things because white people are not the underdog by any means in this world. But hey, I was a 10 year old with a dream.

The last I heard of MC Serch is when I saw Non-Phixion perform at NYC's Rock Steady and one of the members said, "Fuck MC Serch!" Non-Phixion being one of the white groups who was first put out on Serch's label, I thought that was pretty interesting. The old 3rd Bass fan in me grimaced and decided to ignore the comment. I mean...gosh darnit...you helped kick open the door for all of us swell white folk!

Almost ten years later I received a few emails from a guy who was approached to be a contestant on MC Serch's "White Rapper" show for VH1, as he divulged a bunch of reasons why this program was complete bullshit. I told him if he had any respect for his career and his art that he would stay far away from that show and he did. I wish he had gone on the show so I could have had more fire to play with, but there's no need really. Let me just look at MC Serch's blog about "The White Rapper Experience":

"The premise is that we take ten white MC's and put them in the South Bronx and teach them about Hip Hop."

Later on in the blog we learn that...

"If you are a white rapper that performs in front of a white crowd then you are not a rapper at all. You are a guy who is simulating what it feels like to rock a crowd."

Using this logic I have deduced that if a white person is teaching you about Hip Hop then you are not being taught at all. You are merely SIMULATING a learning experience. Also, if you are black crowd that is watching a white rapper then you are not a crowd at all. You are a bunch of people who are simulating what it feels like to be a crowd. And we don't take kindly to posers in hip-hop, you got that?

What would be a REAL learning experience is if Ice-T came to your rich, private school and taught you how to "keep it real" by switching up who you really are. Then he could take you to the South Bronx while we all laugh at the way you try to hype up your classmates by doing exactly what you are told to do in front of Grand Master Caz and Melly Mel. Boom fire.

"Due to contracts that hold up my paper I cannot tell you anything more except that there is an interesting thing I have discovered. The White Rapper experience."

This contract must have been holding your paper since the late 80's. Very interesting.

"I met white rappers, and please do not be afraid for what I am about to tell you, but I have talked to and dealt with white rappers who have...ready...NEVER PERFROMED IN FRONT OF BLACK PEOPLE!!!!."

Woah. WOAH! OK, hold on though...really? Do they live in the freaky corn fields of Iowa? Where is this scary scary place where white kids live around other white kids and never get to travel outside of their comfort zone much? I can't take it. Is it...is it most parts of America? Jesus, If you promise me everything will be OK, then maybe I will watch your TV show. The only thing that reassures me right now is that period mark after the four exclamation points.

"Are white rappers not going to black people to seek their approval"

Well, according to Ice-T and his private prep-school teachings, being "yourself" is what Hip Hop is all about. So do these little white dipshits have to get approval from little black dip shits in order to get approval? Or is it older black dipshits they need approval from? Do older WHITE dipshits like yourself hold any credibility? If not, then I have no idea why I am listening to you at all. Moving on...

"HOW CAN WHITE RAPPER BE WHITE RAPPERS IF BLACK PEOPLE HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM RAP."

Was that a question? Well...why is the sky blue. Why is water wet. Why is a period mark following these long unanswered questions. If a white rapper cries in front of a black crowd and no one posts it on youtube, is he still emo? If it IS posted on youtube and a black person watches it...does that make him an official rapper? If your group was manufactured by someone who wanted to put two white rappers together and hopefully exploit the race situation...and then someone named Vanilla Ice comes around and gets exploited even BETTER than you...and you beat down a Vanilla Ice impostor in the video to a song that actually makes its way onto commercial charts...are you street? Are you hood? Are you an honorary black person if you co-opt enough black culture? How's that high top fade doing these days?

"Hip Hop culture is Black culture....period."

OK. Now what? So is rock and roll. So is jazz. Now what? Is this when we get into a discussion of culture and how it is an exclusive thing that separates groups of people forever and ever? If so, I'm sure glad it hasn't stayed exclusive. It has crossed over many boundaries because PEOPLE see value in it. Artists see the artistic value. Business types see the commercial value. Some people see no value in it at all, and they are the people we collectively hated back in the 80's. If all of these people remained stubborn in their ignorance and hatred of hip hop then maybe you could have developed a TV show called "Why Don't White People See the Value in Hip Hop as Genuine Art Form?" And then 20 years from then someone could have developed a corny reality TV show called "The White Rapper Experience." Maybe that show would be responsible for developing the first EMINEM! Instead, you'll have to settle for being the show that tried discovering (err...developing) the NEXT Eminem, as you tie them into a bunk recording contract.

"You can take the hood out of Hip Hop but you can't take the Hip Hop out the hood."

It's not out of the hood, but Hip Hop HAS been taken out of the hood. It's gone to a place called VH1. Remember VH1 from way back in the day? Yeah, that's the station that wouldn't touch a rap video (or any black person except for Tracy Chapman) with a 10 foot pole. NOW look...you have a job again! Amazing.

"A white rapper cannot be considered a white rapper until he rips in front of a crowd of black people."

Well, thankfully I started rapping during a time when a majority of people going to Hip-Hop shows were black. I'm officially a white rapper! Never thought I could be proud to say that, but you've helped me feel secure. Now...now I'm feeling so secure I think I can go one step ahead and claim that a white rapper who performs in front of an exclusively black crowd actually becomes a real rapper, not just a white one. And...ummm...if the black crowd throws their hands up in approval you then become an honorary BLACK rapper. Fuck yeah. man. (Note: shaving the name of your rap group into the back of your head does not win you any extra points.)

"I am not saying they all have to be black. You can have some spanish, some multi-racial kids mixed in there for flavor, I would even say Asain people."

Even Asians??? You're too generous. Are you sure, though? Even Asians count as a possible flavor?

"White people will usually applaud anyone who has the balls to step on stage."

Haha. Ahhh. Yes. Only white people do this. Ahhh man. Yes! So much to say here, but mainly I just have to tip my hat and say, "Sir...you are a fucking genius. Don't worry about that hit MC Hammer put out on you. The black crowd is totally there to save your pale ass."

Now that I think of it, you neglected to mention the Beastie Boys in your list of rappers who got approval from a black audience. As you know, they were the other white group who came up around the same time you did. In fact, you shared the same DJ as them for a while, Sam Sever. You pointed the Beasties out as fakers and tried to discredit them as if you guys were real...and they were fake (wasn't it the Beasties who just received hip hop honors last week on...*gasp*...VH1?) Were they too white for you, Serch? Did their fakeness take on any cooler effect when three black rappers covered songs from License to Ill as Rakim, Bambaata and Wu Tang bobbed their heads to the music? I guess anyone who was white and not down with you way back then was a fraud. I believe Upski has a good chapter about this type of "I'm the only cool whitey" complex in his Bomb the Suburbs book. Check it out.

"Some of this, well most of this as I am sure you know is toungue and cheek but lets be real."

OK, let's. The term is actually "tongue IN cheek" and maybe that's where you should keep yours from now on. Yes, it is very important to respect and understand the origins of one's craft. It is also very important to respect and understand people in general...until they give you a reason to do otherwise. I didn't want to help promote your TV show, which was the reason for your blog in the first place, but I can't stand by while people like you perpetuate massive falsehoods that do nothing but make Hip-Hop look like a 30 year old child. I respect it too much.

Sincerely,
Sage Francis

www.sagefrancis.net
www.strangefamousrecords.com
www.knowmore.org

Whoa fellas! Can't we all just get along and bring some peace to the Middle East?

Bang, Bang, Rock & Roll

9 will compete. Only five can win. Here they are, the nine candidates hoping to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Chic
The Dark Clark Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
R.E.M.
The Ronettes
Patti Smith
The Stooges
Joe Tex
Van Halen

If I had to choose I would go with
1. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five [go early hip-hop]
2. R.E.M. [regardless of what you think of the new stuff many a band took a few pages from R.E.M's songbook to get where they are today.]
3.Chic [anyone that can blend disco, sex appeal, r&b, and funk effortlessly and make it POP-U-LAR for the masses, gets points in my book]
4. Patti Smith [do I really need to justify this one?]
5. The Stooges [See Patti Smith. Plus Iggy Pop is still sexier [and packing more heat] than may frontman working today.]

ew.com Pop Watch: Hello, Cleveland: Another class of candidates for the Rock Hall of Fame

List of those currently residing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Big Ups Whitney!

We sure did miss you!

thislondon.co.uk: "Whitney Houston's back looking her best"

MIXTAPE FRIDAYS!

Yeah I know, I know it's technically [or officially] Monday, but the playlist wasn't exactly fleshed out on Friday. Now it is. Plus tomorrow is HALLOWEEN! and who doesn't love boozing and dancing? Anyone? No? Didn't think so. So in honor of Halloween, here's one for the masses. Dress up. Get Down. Do the damn thing.

Shaken not Stirred

Nth Degree/Morningwood
All Night Long/Mary Jane Girls
Are You The One?/The Presets
Rose/Who Made Who
Everybody/Basement Jaxx
The Reflex/Duran Duran
Nasty/Janet Jackson
Boys Wanna Be Her/Peaches
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap/AC/DC
1 Thing/Amerie
You've Got the Best of My Love/The Emotions
Clamour for Glamour/The Ark
Meeting in the Ladies Room/Klymaxx
Cellphone's Dead/Beck
Groove is in the Heart/Dee-Lite
Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh-Huh/The Rapture
Gonna Make You Dance/C+C Music Factory
Crazy in Love/Beyonce feat. Jay-Z

For Your Consideration

I saw an ad for this album while I was walking home today and I literally stopped dead in my tracks and was like WHAT?!#@

Ron Artest-My World



Oh Word? Speaking of which, word on the sreet is Mr. Artest goes by the name Tru Warrior when getting his hip-hop on. Whatever playa. Do you. As long as your shit don't turn out like this:

New flava in ya ear!

Cassie-Long Way to Go

So I finally got my hands on this track that has been wrapped around my brain like crazy. There's nothing super special about this song. The lyrics are eh [you want this. i bet you do. hold up! wait a minute. prove that you can handle this. etc. etc.]and her vocal delivery is borderline lazy though it's meant to be completely sexy. BUT, with all that aside, you can't deny the gentle breeze that is this beat and of course that all important hook [clumsy and lazy it may be] that finds a spot in your head and stays there, like all good hooks should. Another day. Another catchy throw away pop song to put on repeat.

I would like to salute the ashes of American flags

The Killers and Sam's Town:

Traditionalist/Conservative propaganda and ideas?

Video of the Day!

Weird Al Yankovic-White & Nerdy




The man's still got it.

Meeting in the ladies room

Big ups to

Idolator

for providing the people with this great M.I.A. and Klymaxx mash-up. [Yes, that Klymaxx]It's everything you would want in a mash-up and then some. Check it out:

Aggro1 - URAQT In The Ladies Room

[It's the 7th mash-up listed on the page.]

Big Ups Scott Weiland!

Last night I went to a Mexican sports bar. By Mexican I mean that's the theme and the food is far from the best that Los Angeles has to offer when it comes to Mexican delicacies and by sports bar I mean young, caucasian waitresses, ESPN on the screens, geled hair, button down shirts, LA women, and clusters of dudes not too far removed from those who flock together in colleges across the nation. Why was I there? A pumpkin carving contest my boy Dave was competing in for $250. [which he lost to the buzzed young men next to us, but should have won.]

One of the best things about the night was when the Detroit/St. Louis game came to an end and the background tunes got louder; tunes provided by the bars patrons. Plenty of Journey, Justin Timberlake, and other frat rock jams. But then out of nowhere came Wicked Garden by STP. I fucking love STP and today just so happens to be the 39th birthday for the sexy beast that is Scott Weiland. Here's hoping you play it safe and where is that new Velvet Revolver album? I still believe Fall to Pieces is the best Guns and Roses song not recorded by Axl and co.

Hey you sitting over there, you better get up out of yo chair and work your body down, no time time to funk around!

Is a life without Nick Lachey really this hard?

"Jessica Simpson Will Stalk You on MySpace"

She Wants Revenge...

...On all the critics and naysayers who wanted to lump her in with all the other mall pop-punk acts out there. Check out this video for the

new Good Charlotte single.

Close your eyes and you'll think you're listening to The Bravery or She Wants Revenge, but not Good Charlotte.

If there's ever an answer, it's more love

A few years back while in high school, these hear no evil ears of mine got hooked on this sunny little country tune, Wide Open Spaces, by the Dixie Chicks. In no time I was hooked. These girls could play and Natalie Maines sure could sing. I had no qualms with picking up their debut album and actually enjying it. And asking for Fly on my birthday was a must. But I became a true bonafide fan with the release of Home, one of my favorite albums of all time. Glorious instrumentation, heart wrenching lyricism [lovers torn apart by war in Travelin Soldier, a somber yet hopeful ode to love present in I Believe in Love] and of course the smirks and the humor we have all come to know and love present in Long Time Gone and White Trash Wedding.

And it wasn't just me. The Chicks would go on to sell 10 million records worldwide, sell out arenas, and win all types of awards. And then, on the eve of the U.S.'s invasion into Iraq, lead singer Natalie Maines made some disparaging remarks about President Bush, and things took an unfortunate and awful turn. Decline in album sells, loss of airplay on country stations, decline in ticket sales, anger and dissapoinment from those in the South and Middle America, and worst of all, death threats. All of this is chronicled in Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's documentary

Shut Up & Sing,

in theatres today in NY and LA.

On Wednesday, the girls sat down with Oprah to discuss it all and promote the movie. And for the most part it appeared as if what didn't kill them [no pun intended] only made them stronger. No regrets, all smiles, lovely and fun. It quickly reminded me of why I adore this group in the first place and reminded me to give their new disc, Taking the Long Way, a quick spin and be reminded of another reason why I am a fan: the music. Passionate, well crafted, harmonious, and melodic. Whether or not you agree with Natalie's views on Bush's White House, give the gals a chance and the music a spin, cause contrary to popular belief, it ain't protest music, it's just music, and the fact that it's good is merely icing on the cake. I'll take them over Toby Keith and Co. anyday, and you should too.

Music makes me lose control!

R U still down for me?-2pac

In a few days many of us across the nation will be in costume and shitfaced on a Tuesday night partying like it is 1999 on a Friday or Saturday night. Yes, there will be parties galore and they will more than likely, be off the mothaf***ing hook.

Now if you all aren't too busy preparing for upcoming Halloween festivities, make wise on this invite from AOL and Kevin Federline and attend his listening party for Playing with Fire, his debut album set to drop October 31st. Not sure if it'll be off the hook, but as is the case with many parties, you can show face, check out the scene, and leave once you had enough.

Kevin Federline. Playing with Fire listening party.

I KEEPS IT REAL!

"This ain't a dis song, it's a real song"

And so begins Lost Ones [the story of a champion], another leaked track from Jay-Z's upcoming album Kingdom Come. It's a solemn little ditty built around a melodic piano groove and understated female vocals on the hook. The main message here is fame is a bitch and it seems in the 2nd verse that fame and fortune could be driving he and B apart. Maybe I'm wrong. You tell me.

Jay-Z/Lost Ones

Big Ups to

Nah Right

for getting the goods to the people.

Headline of the Day!

"Game Finds Sister Via MySpace"

"The rapper located his long-lost sister on the community website. No word on whether she accepted his friend request."

Wow. Is there anything Myspace can't do for a brotha?

Do you really want to hurt me?

See that handsome young man to the left? Who would want to approach this guy and say 'what did the five fingers say to the face?' Apparently Jared Leto does. Last night MTVU held its Woodie Awards. Those in the know should be up on the fine taste Mr. Wood has in music, so any awards show touting performances by Imogen Heap, Beck, AND TV on the Radio is enough to warrant his attendance. Call me crazy, but I wouldn't be surprised if Elijah has no time for the "rockstar" antics of Leto and his 30 Seconds to Mars cronies. That might explain this altercation btw the two provided by Timothy, an avid reader of the

blog Dlisted:

"Last night I went to the MTV U Woodie Awards ( what the fuck are those right?) and luckily I scored a spot in one of the “common folk” pens right near the celebrity tables. So the entire night I am ten feet from Elijah Wood, who is cuter than expected, shorter than expected and smokes a lot (yeah they let the celebrities smoke at their tables….fuckers) Anyway also in attendance was Jared Leto with his stupid band 30 Seconds to Mars. The show went as expected bands played, bands I never heard of won awards etc. As the show was winding down and TV on the Radio was performing Jared Leto was working the tables, saying hey.

He then comes over to Elijah’s table. I’m like “Oh my god they are totes gonna make out”. Jared puts his arm on the hobbits back and starts whispering stuff in his ear and and occasionally pulling back to look him in the face. Jared then walks away and Elijah turns to his date for the evening friends and says something. Well something about this must have pissed Jared off because he comes running back to the table, grabs Elijah by the neck and starts screaming at him. All I could catch was Jared calling him a “fucking asshole”. He then shoves Elijah and storms off. Bodyguards come up and Elijah assures everyone he’s fine. But MAD drama. Any speculations? Maybe its about them both tappin’ the firecrotch."

Who the fuck does Jared Leto think he is? Quick question: raise your hand if you know anyone who listens to 30 Seconds to Mars? No? Anybody? Damn. That must suck. I wasn't there and I don't know what lead to the "fisticuffs", but I'm picking Team Wood. I mean come on. Look at the face.

Meet me in the club, it's going down!

What the hell is Tom Cruise doing on BET??!!

Here I go again!

Another day, another post about My Chemical Romance. Trust me, I'll get over it, but in the meantime enjoy this quote from

The Simple Mission

in regards to last night's MCR concert for fans and industry insiders at Webster Hall in New York City:

"My whole thing now is this—what happens when you stop feeling guilty about your guitly pleasures? Well, you're left with just pleasure and you say fuck it and sing along with the kids."

If you don't mind, I would like to recycle an old quote from my childhood, 'You damn skippy!'

You think this is a game? This ain't no m***********g game!

[Cocks head to side and squints eyes]Really?...No, really?



Idolator:

JammX Kids Get Ready For Inevitable Feud With Kidz Bop Kidz

Quote of the Day!

As a former a capella singer "extraordinaire" I had to post this hillarious opening paragraph on fake a capella reviews, taken from

Idolator.

Yeah I spent most of my college career rehashing the hits in a capella form, [in the 3rd oldest a capella group in the nation. Yeah, that's right. Big Pimpin'] but I was also blown away at the outset of it all by how popular the a capella phenomenon was in college settings.

[I should also mention that I spent grades K-12 in Southern California public schools and then went to a small liberal arts college on the ast coast. Needless to say, the closest thing I encountered that resembled an a capella concert were half-assed and/or ghetto talent shows at schools and birthday parties. Oh childhood.]

And now the quote:

"There are several things we will never be able to explain to future generations: Donald Rumsfield. Ja Rule. The humor of imagining Donald Rumsfield listening to Ja Rule. But nothing mystifies more than the enduring appeal of college a cappella singers, who take their self-imposed celibacy out on the rest of the world by wearing bow ties and singing horrid vocal versions of current radio hits."

Hillarious!

Idolator:

Pick Of The Dork: Can You Guess The Fake A Cappella Album Review?

Monster Mash

A few weeks back, The Killers were the musical guest [and one of the best things] on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The second song of the performance, Bones, grabbed my attention and got my hopes up. You see unlike many of the cd's I eventually purchased this fall, I decided to not download or sample Sam's Town before it was released, so it was good to know that the second song [which is often a band's next single] was fantastic; horns, synthesizer, jaunty vocals, Brandon Flowers doing what he does best: Brandon Flowers. It was also no secret that Tim Burton was to direct the clip for Bones, and well, here it is. The video for When You Were Young, was, like the song, epic, and steeped in emotional storytelling. This video goes for the same effect, but the large number of everything that works [the nod to From Here to Eternity, the drive thru visages, Flowers' b-boy stance and fuck all attitude behind those shades], don't come together as nicely as they could have to form a pleasant and awe inspiring whole. Don't get me wrong, I still love the song, and the video is not bad. But the director is Tim *fucking* Burton. It would be wrong to not expect a little bit more, instead of wondering if the video is a promotional tie-in for The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D.

What not to wear: [in]Famous Socialite on the cover of a foreign magazine edition

I think she grew impatient before the photo shoot as she sat and watched a young kid from a land far, far, away attempt to craft up a wifebeater for her.

News Blurb of the Night!

In honor of today's official release of My Chemical Romance's new album The Black Parade, [which if you haven't noticed has become my new

Ta-Dah!

]I present this, our News Blurb of the Day taken from the current issue of RollingStone magazine. Coming in at number three on the issue's Hot List is the video for the disc's first single "Welcome to the Black Parade":

Unlike the Killer's recent makeover, everything about My Chem's reinvention works, even the Sgt. Pepper outfits they wear in this appropriately epic video for their rock-operatic new single. It may be over-literal (it features a parade in which participants wear black), but it's badass.

Quote of the Night!

In regards to the broadening of his musical tastes, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan tells RollingStone:

"I used to be such a prick when it comes to what's new...I'm starting to just go, 'You know what, I like that song! Fuck, I'm going to tap my foot. Just let it be and enjoy it.' It's liberating."

Hey Ya['ll]

Ever since Speakerboxx/The Love Below we Outkast fans have grown accustomed to Andre 3000, the guitar playing, blues crooning, Prince aping troubadour. Hip-Hop just ain't what it used to be for Mr. 3000, so rap takes a backseat, so much so that he barely did so on Idlewild's "sdtrk." [And let's not discuss how you can probably count the number of tracks he and Daddy Fatsacks B-I-G B-O-I have appeared on together since the release of Speakerboxx/The Love Below on one hand.]

I guess that's why many an Outkast fan gets a little excited when we hear that Andre is spitting some bars on a track. "Oh Word?"... Yes sir! Unk was nice enough to let Dre lend his voice to some fine woozy southern bounce and provide the opening verse for Walk it Out [RMX], also featuring Jim Jones. It ain't his best, but it still maintains that southern charm, playfulness, and creative wordplay he is prone to relying on every now and then. Big Ups to

Nah Right

for getting the goods to the people.

Unk feat. Andre 3000 & Jim Jones “Walk It Out (Remix)”

Strike a pose!

Let the games begin!

Emo vs Grunge: Fashion Showdown

Livin just enough, just enough, for the citaay!

Remember Bloc Party? Your new favorite band that could? Remember getting down to Banquet and its dirty, dirty remix? Remember how much you loved playing Silent Alarm? Yeah those were good times right? You could press play, sit back, and just coast. It was that good. But time went on, the cd got old, and you had to make room for some new hotness. The remix album was cool, but new tunes were in order. [Though it did feel good to go to a show and know all the words to EVERY SONG YOUKNOWWHATIMEAN?! That shit was crazy ridiculous.]

Well dust off your copy of Silent Alarm and prepare yourself for some brand spankin' new tunes from everyone's favorite lads from across the pond. Come February 6th, you can get your hands on the band's new disc A Weekend in the City, 11 tracks steeped in "the living noise of a metropolis" [according to frontman Kele Okereke] and the musical output of Philip Glass, Timbaland, Aaliyah, and Bartok. Sounds like an ass shaking, thought provoking good time, but again, you have to wait til February 6th. So until then, get your stretch on and play Are You That Somebody bi-weekly in preparation.

Pitchfork: Bloc Party to spend a

Weekend in the City

I Ain't Got Nobody!

Riding in the car with the siblings last night and the subject of Justin Timberlake came up; how much we all enjoyed the kinetic energy and vibe of the Stripped/Justified tour a few years back, and it got me thinking about the upcoming JT tour venture and whether it would be worth attending, to which I added what I presumed was the icing on the cake: "well you know Pink is opening for him." Now I say icing on the cake because my lil sis and I saw her on the Mizzundastood tour and her first two discs were well recieved by us all.

But I was wrong.

"Pink has fallen off the map for me." "Yeah, she's all punk and rock and shit now." Damn. Scratch that. Change the subject! Quick! Uh, damn this track is the shit. I like this album. [Janet Jackson's 20 Y.O. was providing the sdtrk. for our ride]

But you know what, I see where they are coming from. Pink didn't fall off the map for me, but I would be lying if I were to say my interest waned a bit [okay, a lot] after Mizzundastood, which is strange considering how much I adored it. Try this? Nope, I didn't. When I'm Not Dead dropped earlier this year, I barely paid attention and didn't care much for the first single Stupid Girls. Then this summer while riding with my friend Justin I'm Not Dead played on in the background and I thought to myself, damn, the girl's still got it. I quickly got my hands on a fine mix of b-girl posing, biting humor, and of course those wonderfully sultry [and powerful] vocals.

I particularly took a shining to some of the downtempo numbers [and of course U + Ur Hand], and this new single, Nobody Knows showcases why Pink should have never fallen off the map with me. Sure the video is all I'm a star qnd I'm lonely. Yeah, I got all this money, but do I really have anything to show for it? But in her struggle to be emotionally effective via her lyrics, vocals, and choice of plot in the video, Pink just about nails it, making even a playing to an empty room closing shot work in her favor. Check it out!

STOP! COLLABORATE AND LISTEN!

It's official. Gwen Stefani is set to drop a new album at the end of the year. The girl's got a hella strong fan base and marketing team so as was the case with Love, Angel, Music, Baby brace yourself for a shit ton of singles repeated ad naseum on the radio and music video channels. [between the hrs of two and six a.m. of course.]

First up is the Pharrell Williams produced, yodel laced track Wind it Up. Where Hollaback Girl was all in your face and loud, this track opts for a simpler and subdued delivery on all levels, with Gwen choosing to coast along to the beat instead of trying to prove herself. [though one might argue that her "rapping" or doing anything that isn't singing over an r&b or hip-hop lite groove is indeed an example of trying to prove herself, but that's neither here nor there...]

Big Ups to Perez Hilton [I know I can't believe I just typed that either] for providing the radio leak.

Gwen Stefani-Wind it Up

...

Justin Timberlake on the British comedy Bo! in the USA.



The things one will do to promote an album.

I be up in the gym just working on my fitness!

Whenever I get my hands on a new cd I of course play the hell out of the single [especially if it's banging], but more often than not, there's a track or two [sometimes more if I'm lucky and the artist is feeling generous] that are just fire and become go to tracks when I press play. And if I am real lucky said track becomes a single.

It should be no surprise by now that I am in love with Fergalicious, track one off Fergie's new disc, The Dutchess. Sure we can sit here and discuss whether Fergie killed the Black Eyed Peas, if she is indeed talented, or if she's aping Gwen Stefani's style and persona, but that's not what's important right now. Let's instead give props to her and Will.i.am for the killer beat, the nod to JJ Fad's Supersonic, Salt-N-Pepa, and the bona fide confidence and sex appeal that just oozes from her delivery. This song deserves to be a hit and shouldn't be out of place in the clubs, with the hipsters [though it probably will, she is Fergie after all], and with all the kids going bonkers over Chicken Noodle Soup.

So here it is, the Willy Wonka inspired video for Fergalicious. Enjoy! [before a record company or network yanks it from YouTube]

It's not over!

Really? November 2006? It seems like the Gnarls Barkley album has been out for forever and a day, when it fact it's only been about 4 and a half to 5 months. Maybe that's why I am surprised that the movie costume schtick is just now hitting the cover of Spin magazine.

Headline of the year!

"Timbaland is working with Bjork on her new album!!!"

Is there anything this man can't/won't do? Hot off the heels of producing two stellar albums for Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, Timbaland a.k.a Thomas Crown has been spending some quality time in the studio with one of the most innovative artists in the game today. According to Timbaland:

"It’s crazy – I’m going tonight to go hear it. It’s hip hop. I can’t really describe it to you – if I had it right now I’d just play it to you. That’s the best way for you to understand, and I’d let you tell me what it is."

Aww shit. I CAN'T WAIT. And I thought Medulla was on some other world shit. First I learn that the first season of Martin is being released on dvd and now this. Goddamn. It's just too much. Too much.

Read more about Timbo

here.

Groove is in the heart

Earlier this week it was reported that Scarlett Johansson is

set to record an Tom Waits cover album.

The clip below, taken from SNL, suggests that maybe she should record an album full of thumpa, thumpa, thumpa, big, sassy voiced female vocalist tunes that gay men fancy oh so much.



My Hey! Hey!

This shit is bananas!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S! BA...NAN...AS...

OH. MY. GOD.

I had to stop jamming to Futuresex/Lovesounds cause I couldn't believe what I had just found...




...STREAM THE NEW MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE ALBUM, THE BLACK PARADE

HERE!!

So far so good. Love the brief enterlude/opening song that totally brings to mind David Bowie's equally wonderful Five Years. Big Ups to

Stereogum

for getting the goods to the people.

More on this later...*



*Three songs in and I am having a great time!

Why don't we fall in love? Part 2

Yep. This girl is definitely on to something. This slow jam is

just as good as the uptempo joint.

Keep it up Amerie! I'm digging it.

Listen to That's what you are here.

here.

Could it be I'm falling in love?

If you read this blog you should know by now that I am slowly becoming an avid My Chemical Romance fan. Tuesday ushers in The Black Parade, a brand spankin batch of new tunes from New Jersey's favorite misfits. I, like the TRL fan MTV so desperately asks for, came in late with I'm Not Okay the video, and yes, of course I fell in love with Helena. Shortly thereafter I took the album from my roommate's [at the time] comp when he wasn't looking, and was sad to find that I liked the album, but a lot less than I thought I would. Flash forward to August 2006, MCR get their Queen on big willie style at the MTV pre-show festivities and I am hooked. Welcome to the Black Parade is one kick ass song. Enough to get me interested in the new disc.

This week Idolator has dropped two new songs from the upcoming album, Mama and Teenagers, the former featuring a cameo by Liza Minelli and the latter just being kick ass, with a killer chorus. These three songs are enough to lure me in and get me to purchase the album. Yep. Definitely joining the Black Parade. Are you?

-Listen to Mama

here.

-Listen to Teenagers

here.

And just because I can, here's the video for Welcome to the Black Parade:

You ready?

"Michael Jackson begins work on new material"

With the help of none other than Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. As if Will needed more tracks to boast all over and nearly ruin with a half-assed/uneccessary guest rap. Stay tuned.

For Your Consideration

Brooke Hogan. Undiscovered.



Where is she? Under a bridge in a landfill? On location at a now defunct roller rink? I'm so confused.

Come with me inside...inside my velvet rope

So my boy Justin recently posted the top 25 albums and movies of his lifetime and it got me to thinking, at 22, what are the 25 artists and albums that helped define Tauwan Patterson's life? Well not really defined, but got played out, and/or still get played out til this day; albums that at the outset and throughout the duration of their stay in my stereo and disc man were deemed "legendary" or chocked full of poppy and musical goodness. So here it is, my list. Now keep in mind, I could have been a scenester and listed Franz, some vintage Dylan, some old school "true" country and bluegrass or soul music, but naw I went with my heart and kept it real. The 2pac double album from my middle school days, the pop that I allowed myself to get sucked into right before and during high school, and of course that double album no one really liked by that band that I would turn to whenever I wanted to sit in the dark and cry at the ways in which my teenage post-college life was going to hell. So here it is, my list, in no particular order:

1. Janet Jackson-Rhythm Nation 1814/All For You/The Velvet Rope
2. 2Pac-All Eyez on Me
3. TLC-CrazySexyCool
4. Spice Girls-Spice/Spice World
5. Backstreet Boys-s/t/ Millenium
6. Basment Jaxx-Rooty
7. Beck-Midnite Vultures
8. Jewel-Spirit
9. Nelly Furtado-Whoa Nelly!
10. Macy Gray-The Id
11. Madonna-The Immaculate Collection
12. Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
13. Pink-Mizzundastood
14. Radiohead-The Bends/Ok Computer/Amnesiac
15. Michael Jackson-Off the Wall
16. Mariah Carey-Butterfly/Daydream
17. Marilyn Manson-Mechanical Animals
18. Nikka Costa-Everybody's Got their Something
19. NIN-The Fragile
20. NSYNC-s/t
21. Oasis-What's the Story Morning Glory?
22. Shelby Lynne-I am Shelby Lynne
23. Queens of the Stone Age-Songs for the Deaf
24. Hot Hot Heat-Elevator
25. Nirvana-Unplugged in New York

Yeah. I loved/still love me some pop music. Goddamn.

Quote of the Day!

"Emo is bullshit! If people want to take it for the literal sense of the word, yes we're an emotional band, we put a lot of thought into what we do. People always try to stereotype us, but we don't fit the emo stereotype."-Brandon Urie, frontman for Panic! At the Disco

Read more about how

Emo

is

bullshit!

Music makes me lose control!

Stereogum

was nice enough to post the track listing for Kevin Federline's new album Playing With Fire, in stores October 31st. It's highly entertaining. Looks like we got a Gnarls Barkley/Britney cover[or Patsy Cline], a Britney collabo, an Usher cover, a Missy Elliot cover, and a song inspired by the 1992 Tom Hanks/Geena Davis vehicle

A League of Their Own.

I CAN'T WAIT!

"Intro"
"The World Is Mine"
"America's Most Hated"
"Snap"
"Lose Control"
"Dance With a Pimp" (featuring Ya Boy)
"Privilege" (featuring Bosco)
"Crazy" (featuring Britney Spears)
"A League of My Own"
"Playing With Fire"
"Caught Up" Intro
"Caught Up"
"Kept on Talkin'"
"Middle Finger" (hidden track!)

FASHION!

Could these two young men be the

next big things

in the world of fashion?



Justin Timberlake and childhood friend/business partner Trace Ayala at the runway show for their William Rast collection during Los Angeles' Fashion Week. Here's hoping the collection's pieces are much better than the outfits seen here.

California!...[y'all know the rest...]

Does anyone watch this show anymore?

Below is a four minute teaser trailer for season 4 of the O.C. There's so much competing for my attention on Thursdays already this fall, but boy does this trailer do a good job of getting me interested in a show that seemed so full of wit and hipness/poised for longevity way back in the summer of 2003.



Big ups to

MollyGood

for getting the trailer to the people.

And here's a sweet video for a great song from the album that also houses that often played single that also doubles as the theme song for the O.C.



[And yes, I'm youtubing my life away while I still have the chance.]

Headline of the Day 2!

"MTV chief: Network focus on catering to teens"

Whoa! Didn't see that one coming.

Still Standing

In case you were wondering, the Strokes are still alive and kicking. And apparently

they rocked the house for Hennessy in New York City last night.

On another note, is anybody else giving their latest disc First Impressions of Earth a spin? Or am I the only one?

Crazy Itch Radio!

Say what you want about Pitchfork, but for me they often succeed in turning me on to new bands and/or new albums by some of my favorite artists or new albums that I should give a spin. Last fall I stumbled onto Pitchfork's homepage and there it was, a review for Junior Senior's new album, Hey Hey My My Yo Yo. Now the first time around I missed the bus and slept on Junior Senior. Luckily I did manage to fall in love with Move Your Feet and would later fall in love all over again with the nearly six minute DFA remix of Shake Your Coconuts. If you haven't noticed, I love dance music, or music created with the specific intent of getting you to shake that ass: Scissor Sisters, Basement Jaxx, the new Justin Timberlake, Prince, Janet and Michael, etc. etc. After reading Pitchfork's review, I knew I had to get my hands on Hey Hey My My Yo Yo. And I did. And I have been bumping that shit ever since. B-Boy European rapping, clap alongs, sing alongs, vocal turns from the ladies of the B-52's and Le Tigre, traces of Abba, and soul tastic disco. It's so sugary, so fluffy, yet so full of substance. I can't express how much I adore this disc and how it accomplishes the much sought after feat of being unskippable from start to the finish. Seek it out if you are a fan of Motown, Acid House Kings, B-52's, Abba, The Go Team! or rump shaking.

Don't belive me? Just ask the folks over at Idolator.

Please Release Me: Junior Senior's "Hey Hey My My Yo Yo"

Old school funk for the true funk soldiers

I have a cousin named Carl. He's pretty cool. He's a calm and laid back fella who spends most of his days smoking pot and watching KOCE. [Oh the things one can do once you reach retirement.] I tend to play music all the ffing time, and it always varies. For example this morning I had Pink's Who Knew stuck in my head as I got out of bed so I played that, and now I am blasting a mix I made with the likes of Wolfmother, the Ark, and Radio 4 on it. [Look at me! I'm name dropping!] So Carl often chimes in when he walks by, repeating a line from a song I have playing, or randomly singing some lyric from a jam he has stored in that brain of his. As I stood at the sink this morning rinsing my coffee mug, Carl strolled by singing aloud to himself, "don't give up! You've got the devil in you" or something along those lines. I knew right off that bat that I had heard those words before, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. And then it hit me:

Headline of the Day!

Mike Skinner couldn't do it. Nor could M.I.A. or Dizzee Rascal. And time will only tell if cute little Lily Allen can do it, but Lil Miss Lady Sovereign has gone and done the impossible. The video for her single Love Me or Hate Me off her forthcoming album on Def Jam records hit number one on TRL. I know, I know, I can't believe it either. Early last week I sat through a few minutes of TRL for the first time in ages just to catch a glimpse of the new Christina Aguilera video that they kept plugging before every commercial break. Just as I suspected, the videos on the countdown belonged to My Chemical Romance, Beyonce, Jojo, and the like. Hearing that Lady Sovereign hit number one on the countdown is out of control. Do they broadcast TRL on MTV2 or MTVU now cause then her attaining the top spot would make much more sense. Let's see how long Jay-Z can bask in the promotional "success" of an artist that I am sure was frowned upon when he decided to sign her to Def Jam.

Lady Sovereign Hits Number One on "TRL"

[

Pitchfork

]

Check out the video below. With all the panic going on at the discos and the like, would you have ever guessed that a video by a short female British rapper would be the top of the pops on MTV?

[AWW] PUSH IT!

Fergalicious. I hate to admit it, but goddamn it do I love this song. It's the first track off her new album, The Dutchess. Here's Fergie performing it on the Sharon Osbourne show. [Yeah I didn't know she still had a television show either.]



I don't why, but this song also reminds me of another song I like a lot; a song that was brought back into my life late one night while my girl Teresa and I anxiously anticipated a good night's rest after a fun, long night of shaking that ass and getting our drink on.



That performance of Fergalicious should also give some props to this little gem from back in the day [be on the look out for a young dancin machine A.C. Slater in the mix]:

I can't live...

Christina Aguilera getting her 'Anytime you need a friend', 'I don't wanna cry' on.

Pic of the Day!

A new promo shot from American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino. [Courtesy of

Crunk + Disorderly

]




Nothing to say really. I just think this is a fine looking photograph. That's all.

Quote of the Day!

"I would gladly kick the s**t out of Aaron Carter...He's this skinny little white guy from Florida who acts like a big shot, black hip-hop guy from Compton. There's loads of footage on the show [House of Carters] of him screaming his head off at his manager, and I can honestly say that I've never seen such an irritating little b*****d."-Jack Osbourne

I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!

Reading a post on

Idolator

led me to a post at

Gerard vs. Bear

which led me to these hillarious posts at

The Passion of the Weiss

which lists "The 15 Most Obnoxious People In Music (In Honor of Howie Mandel)"

15-11

15. Jared Leto
14. Richard Reed Parry-Tambourine Player for the Arcade Fire
13. Chris Martin
12. The artist formerly known as Puffy
11. Dave Matthews

10-6

10. Fall Out Boy/My Chemical Romance/Panic at the Disco! (tie)
9. Bono
8. Bright Eyes
7. 50 Cent
6. John Mayer

5-1

5. Fergie
4. Pharrell
3. Brandon Flowers
2. Maddona
1. Kanye West

That's just wrong [but hillarious!] y'all.

Big Ups California Nurses Association!

Rock on wit yo bad selves!

Doesn't she sound like Me'Shell NdegeOcello and looks like some Wanda Sykes, MC Lyte hybrid?

Old school funk for the true funk soldiers

My sister stopped by today to hang before she made her way to work. Down she sat in front of the comp myspacing away and playing her old school jams. Now one thing you must know about my sister is that she loves her some slow jams and R&B especially old school joints. While chilling outside, she turned on the radio in the garage, first song up: Oye Como Va. She hummed a few lines, did a little dance, and quickly changed the station with a laugh. Up next: Computer Love. Needless to say, this jam stayed on til we went back inside. Once inside she was back at it again, but this time it was something unfamiliar to me, so I took a step back and tried hard to make a guess, but nothing cmae. Two songs later I knew what was playing. Lucy Pearl. That's right. Lucy Pearl. Dance Tonight came on and I took it upon myself to turn up the speakers and get my groove on. Good times.

Show me what you got

Another glorious editorial from Tom Breihan over at Status Ain't Hood.

Check it out!

Think I'm in love

"I heard this song today on The Hype Machine and had to come check out the video. Wow -- you just can't say enough good things about Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins. This song (and their performance) is catchy and fun, but there's also an element of kitch/surrealness to it that really puts it over the top. Thanks for posting."-daverm98, You Tube

Put yer records on

Harp Magazine turned 5 years old recently, and in honor of this they have published a list of what they believe are the top 50 albums of the last 5 years. Now this decade/century is still relatively young, but one must admit that since 1999 onwards, it has been an interesting time for music. Somehow Limp Bizkit/Kid Rock/Rage [artists who all have cd's in my cd booklet] and the like have dissapeared, and everyone thought that the Strokes and the White Stripes and others like them would "save" rock and roll. It ain't all been great, but I can say I am pleased for the most part with many of the albums that have been released since 2001. So here it is, Harp Magazine's Top 50 Most Essential CDs since 2001:

50) Gillian Welch - (Time) The Revelator
49) The Roots - Phrenology
48) Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
47) Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
46) Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills
45) Neko Case - Blacklisted
44) Solomon Burke - Dont Give Up On Me
43) Kathleen Edwards - Failer
42) Mark Lanegan - Bubblegum
41) Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore
40) Lucinda Williams - World without tears
39) Missy Elliot - Miss E…So Addictive
38) Sparklehorse - Its a wonderful life
37) The Libertines - Up the Bracket
36) The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
35) Franz Ferdinand - S/T
34) Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary
33) Bob Dylan - Love and Theft
32) The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
31) Drive By Truckers - Decoration Day
30) Ryan Adams - Gold
29) Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts Now
28) Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man
27) The Strokes - Is This It?
26) The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
25) The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
24) The White Stripes - Elephant
23) Cat Power - You Are Free
22) Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
21) Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
20) My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
19) Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
18) Steve Earle - Jerusalem
17) Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
16) Wilco - A Ghost is Born
15) PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
14) Kanye West - Late Registration
13) The New Pornographers - Electric Vision
12) The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
11) Sleater Kinney - The Woods
10) The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
9) MIA - Arular
8) Anthony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
7) Tom Waits - Real Gone
6) My Morning Jacket - Z
5) Tom Waits - Alice
4) Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3) Brian Wilson - Smile
2) The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
1) The Arcade Fire - Funeral

Not too shabby. Not surprised that Funeral, one of the most hyped [and best] albums of the last five years tops the list.

Now on to the fun part. Off the top of my head, I wonder...what's missing?

-Spoon [Come on now. One of the best bands working today. Kill the Moonlight? Girls Can Tell? Gimme Fiction? All stellar in their own right.]
-Le Tigre [Doing what it is they do before it became the norm. If Sleater Kinney can garner a spot...]
-Interpol [That first album rocked everyone's world and sparked a leigon of followers.]
-Sufjan Stevens [Not a huge fan, but I finally gave in to Illionise this summer and it's sheer artistry and majestic scope can not and should not be discounted.]
-The Postal Service [See Interpol]
-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah![An album and a band that actually deserved a large bulk of it's hype.]
-LCD Soundsystem [If M.I.A. can get a spot for bringing the block rocking beats, then what about LCD who help usher good old fashioned dance and disco back into the limelight. And anyone who can get hipsters to shake their asses again gets points in my book.]
-Broken Social Scene [You Forgot it in People. Indie rock/pop and artistry at its finest. A lot of times indie or unsigned bands are over hyped and those not in the know can't get it. Not the case with this album. The kids can rock it and the parents can respect it.]
-Hip-Hop and R&B [Has music in this genre been that bad since 2001?]
-Rufus Wainwright [This list misses your creative, tortured soul.]
-Rooty [Basement Jaxx. A long player that grabs you by the hips and never lets you go.]
-Rabbit Furcoat [Jenny Lewis. She melts my heart. And she nailed the white soul of Dusty Springfield and co. Add the Watson Twins and you got a sprawling batch of tunes sure to be one of the best albums of 2006.]
-Sea Change [Classic Beck record. Hands down. Sad. Melodic. Simple. Emotional. Beautiful. ]
-Fiona Apple [See Rufus Wainwright]

And now, because I'm cool like that, I gotta list all of the records I own that made it on Harp's list.

Hmm, let's see here:

-The Roots-Phrenology
-Queens of the Stone Age-Songs for the Deaf
-Missy-Miss E...So Addictive
-The Libertines-Up the Bracket
-The Black Keys-Rubber Factory
-Franz Ferdinand-s/t
-Wolf Parade-Apologies to Queen Mary
-The Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
-Ryan Adams-Gold
-The Strokes-Is this it?
-The White Stripes-White Blood Cells and Elephant
-Loretta Lynn-Van Lear Rose
-Devendra Banhart-Cripple Crow
-Outkast-Speakerboxx/The Love Below
-Wilco-A Ghost is Born/Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
-PJ Harvey-Uh Huh Her
-Kanye West-Late Registration
-M.I.A.-Arular
-Tom Waits-Real Gone
-My Morning Jacket-Z
-Arcade Fire-Funeral

Good times.

When you were young

Tower Records was the shit. Deep catalogues and employees in the know, with music blasting from the sound system that made you stop and go who is this, and then proceed to go and purchase said disc.

[As I did one day with the Dead 60's, though I was pissed to find that the goddamn cd could not be played on Itunes. Seriously, record companies think they are so slick and doing a good thing for their artists, but they often forget that hey, they aren't. Not to mention the fact that you can get around many of the "roadblocks" they put up.]

Tsk. Tsk.

Well if you don't know [now you know],

Tower Records is going out of business.

Last night I hung out with some friends of mine in West Hollywood, and for the first time since announcing its Going Out of Business sale, I made a trip to the Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. It was truly strange to see a giant going out of business sign plastered across its namesake. The sale inside is aight. 20% off of soundtracks, hip-hop and r&b is cool, 15% off everything else is nothing truly spectacular. Especially when the lowest ticketed price is somewhere between 15 and 18.99. [Though there were plenty cd's marked at 12.99.] But I must rememeber that it is merely the first week of the sale and they have got a long way to go as far as clearing out their collection.

The VHS/DVD store across the street is where it's at as far as sales go. It felt weird to walk around the music store forcing myself to think of something I needed, instead of something I wanted. [Sucks being caught up on music and/or having everything you want] So imagine my delight as I walked inside Tower Video and saw the tv dvd section, cause really who can't use a new tv dvd set. Granted many things were already gone [Boondocks, Breakfast Club, etc.], but I did manage to get my hands on seasons 2-4 of Sealab 2021 [for 22.09, 16.99, and 10 dollars respectively] and the first season of Harvey Birdman for ten bucks. Animation dvds are 30% off while used dvd's are only ten bucks.

So to make a long story short, do as my friend recommended to me and get your ass to Tower Records whenever you have the chance. Revel in the magic that once was and search through the rubble to find some sweet deals. [as I did with my Adult Swim dvds]Do it to it, especially if you are an avid music/movie fan.