"The worst song Bruce Springsteen has ever written."
- Detroit News
"At the 3:00 mark, it accidentally turns into a Meatloaf song."
- Blender
"Removes this record from consideration as one of the best releases of his career."
- Chicago Tribune
"Unintentionally ludicrous."
- San Jose Mercury News
"Unbelievably melodramatic ... sounds like someone doing a Springsteen parody."
- Orlando Sentinel
"Might be the worst song Springsteen has ever released."
- Philadelphia Inquirer
"May be the worst thing he's ever written."
- Pitchfork
Ignore the haters: this song is so bad it's good. From his new "Working on a Dream" album, we can only hope that The Boss busts this song out at the Superbowl. What "The Rising" was to 9/11, "Queen of the Supermarket" is to, well, supermarkets.
Bruce himself explains to The Guardian:
"They opened up this big, beautiful supermarket near where we lived. Patti and I would go down, and I remember walking through the aisles - I hadn't been in one in a while - and I thought his place is spectacular. This place is... it's a fantasy land! And then I started to get into it. I started looking around and hmmm - the subtext in here is so heavy! It's like, 'Do people really want to shop in this store or do they just want to screw on the floor?' So I came home, said: 'Wow, the supermarket is fantastic, it's my new favourite place. And I'm going to write a song about it!' If there's a supermarket and all these things are there, well, there has to be a queen."
Clearly, Bruce Springsteen loves to smoke a doob and then hit up the Krogers. He should have learned by now that it's a terrible idea to shop with the munchies.
The fan-made video below is what really sold me.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Billy Powell (1952-2009)
In 1972 Skynyrd was hired to play the Bolles School prom and while they were setting up, Billy noticed a piano off in the corner. "All of a sudden I sat down and played them my own version of 'Freebird', Billy remembered. "Ronnie VanZant came up to me and said, 'You mean to tell me, you've been playing the piano like that and you've been workin' for us for a year....' And I said, 'Well, you know, I've been classically trained most of my life.' So, right then and there, he said, 'We need a keyboard player.'" [source]My mother once told my that Lynyrd Skynyrd played at her high school prom in Jacksonville, Forida, where the band is from. Just yesterday, I was looking for documentation of that night and I stumbled upon the story from above which stuck in my mind. Earlier today, Billy Powell passed away. [rollingstone.com]
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Slept On Sounds: Grazing in the Grass
So it seems that quite often I come across songs that have either been overlooked or forgotten through time that I feel deserve some honorable mention. So with that in mind and following on the success of Mr Seger's great "Armpit Collection" series I present a new series for this blog, Slept On Sounds...
And for the first installment I give you the Hugh Masekela classic "Grazing in the Grass". Not only some fine trumpeting in this song, but also some of the finest cowbell in the history of music. I've heard this song in so many movies and so many television programs as their heading to commercial but until recently I never knew the name of it.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sports In Plain Site
-You can't lose them all -"I want Mark (McGuire) to live in truth to see the light, to come to repentance so he can live in freedom -- which is the only way to live" says Mark McGuire's supplier
-Naked men and ethnic violence at the Australian Open-"When things are going great, maybe I try to subconsciously sabotage it" 'Tyson'
*Honorable Mention: "We never really pay attention to the score"
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Armpit Collection XV: Period Pieces
Songs for Swingin' LoversPet Sounds
Born to Run
[New Traditionalist Country]
Definitely Maybe
Is This It?
These records might not be the greatest of each decade, but some I'm sure would make it into the arguments. They're common theme is that they each distinctly sound like the time period from which they came. Chronology is a big part of my understanding of music. It helps me to understand a music's purpose, where it's coming from, why, and ultimately it's measure against others.
By the mid fifties, Frank Sinatra was the man (the voice), but inevitably being grounded by a new type of music. This record is bizarre in the sense that it came out around the time Elvis was shakin', yet it's a swingified pop record, and a forerunner in the "concept album" foray.
It took me a while to appreciate Pet Sounds, but finally I did. "God Only Knows" is a devastatingly good pop song. I greatly appreciate Brian Wilson's rethinking of instrumentation in terms of production - something the Beatles did as well.
The Boss culminated rock n roll in 1975. For me, it marks the end of the old, a washing out of some sort. There's blues in Born to Run, but not THE blues. It's different. In musical terms, it's like major - pop - cinematic. There's so much music that came out in 1975, the spectrum was broad, but deeply linked. Born to Run stood in the middle of that, at the apex.
The eighties...honestly, I couldn't find any records I liked from this era, not one to take with me. As we all know, this decade used to be funny and then as we laughed about it in recent years everyone began to take this joke too serious. Lo behold we discovered there was actually good music (the Gen Xers finally got their say)...but it's calling cards aren't really my style. However, as I thought harder, I remembered the country music of my child hood, the traditional, yet finely produced country & western music from a new guard of brilliant songwriters and performers, like Dwight Yoakam and George Strait. I haven't picked a particular record from this era, thus marking a bit of a hole in the Armpit Collection, but stayed tuned for an update.
Brit pop...or was it rock...I'm not sure what it was, I was probably too interested in jerking off at that time. But I listened to the radio and a certain snarling, uber serious, fist pump stuck with me - their first record in all it's glory.
Ahh 2000's, it seems we've spanned the entire latter half of the 20th century in 8 years. One group of cool shitkickers blasted their way through a deep, heavy, thick web of bullshit rock n roll that completely dominated the airwaves in the late nineties/early 2000's. It's a completely American sound that would be heavily emulated for a few years until they were sadly pigeonholed and forgotten, another piece of fabric from the short American attention span - despite the dudes going on to make two more spectacular records - maybe more? Please.
A New Era of Responsibility
Surely everyone will have their takeaway lines from today's speech but the passage I keep coming back to is the following...
"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. "I'd love to hear everyone's take on the speech.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Some Fresh Air and Insight (from a man)
At the root of our current national dilemmas is an accepted lack of integrity. We are assaulted on all sides by corruption of such magnitude that it's hard to fathom.
Almost everything and everyone seems to be for sale. Value is assessed solely in terms of dollars. Quality is sacrificed to commerce and truthful communication is supplanted by marketing.
The type of gamesmanship that separates races, genders and ages by "preferences" is a most cynical brand. The integrity and dedication shown by American artists throughout our history provides a most needed and unequivocal counterstatement.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Shovel
A subject of contention, intrigue and downright disgust. What could one possibly do with a thumbnail of this size? How has it managed to escape grooming for so long? Does it ever get stuck in vegetables, like potatoes, when reaching for them in the produce aisle? Can it hold someone hostage? Acts like this defy logic, spur the minds of the most conventional to ask, "What is wrong with you!"
Friday, January 16, 2009
Hi, my name is Jack Murphy, and I need some help paying my tuition. Therefore, I am auctioning off my maidenhead (in Nevada) to the highest bidder. I think me and the person I do it with will both profit greatly from the deal...[muse]
What's Wrong with This Man? The Devil and Fleetwood Mac
I remember Mrs. Lear, an old babysitter, had one of these videotapes that we'd watch just to terrify ourselves. The Devil's Web or something like that.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Say It Aint So Ryan
Early semi-retirement at the age of 34? Say it aint so Ryan, say it aint so...
"me- 34-a non smoker and happy, for the first time in my life.. i am excited to finish this wonderful time i have had with the cardinals and whatever new adventures may come after march. atlanta will be my last venture with the band and i am grateful for the time we have had and maybe someday we will have more stories to tell together. i am however ready for quieter times as i think it is very evident i am struggling with some balance and hearing issues.
also, no drama or anything but i am okay to step back from all of this right now and i think i did enough manic blogging when i felt alone and isolated during the last few years of travel. these last few years were the hardest i can remember and the most rewarding but i have loved ones to care for now and i am lucky i have been given a chance to turn around and see just what i am capable of as a friend and as someone who is not gone forever every year- it rendered me incapable of things i needed to be to myself and others- and my schedule sometimes never ended when the shows did- and some of that was my doing. and i lost someone i loved, and i lost myself.
that changed. i got to know just who i am in this little spell of time here recently. and change is the nature of the world and i naturally embrace that.
i won’t be blogging here anymore either- but not for effect- it just is not being kind to myself- i need a life that is mine- i need to grow up and grow in to who i have subtly been working back towards since i stopped all that nonsense and i know also no matter what i choose to do in the music world, because i chose to do things my way and never lie i will always be viewed as an “asshole” ( i hear and have seen things in the past) and i am not, and i know the truth and i know who i am.
also it is kind of ridiculous to blog as i am a musician and anything i say here just gets reprinted at some point out of context. i say NOT FAIR but it doesn’t matter what i say anymore or what is fair anymore really does it- the 21st century media has it’s own rules about what is true and what is not. it is not a life- not one i want to live anyway and i don’t really care to participate in narcissistic over-indulgent behavior anymore- that was never my intention- i just wanted to fight for my right to make music and to be given the benefit of the doubt. now, because i have stood up for myself and fought for myself i am labeled all kinds of awful things. well, i will walk away now and it will not matter what anyone say’s. there are other things i can do in this life, other ways to be creative and to try and help others and be expressive without being demonized for attempting to gain the same things any other human being desires- love- friendship- understanding- and being able to express yourself without constant fear of being mistreated for speaking up
i have friends to make, brand new books coming (two of em’ not counting that one already printed and on it’s way out there and i LOVE writing….yay!) and a whole lot of living and learning to do.
i am excited to step away. i lost more than anyone will ever know (hearing, someone i loved, my sense of dignity, a never ending losing battle with stage fright and now my hearing and balance due to an inner ear issue- people accusing me of not being sober when i am suffering tremendous pain and nausea from my inner ear symptoms- people accusing me of theft (THEFT- ….awful) and this is not much of a life, not glamorous like those ridiculous video’s a long time ago television played and no it is not monetarily as rewarding as people would like you to believe and yes, it is soul destroying. especially when you spend your life trying to write about the really difficult stuff and you stand there losing your way and people yell at you like you were in a circus. when it was your dream to matter and you realize one day, it never mattered- i mean, i am a punch-line and a footnote in what is worse to yell at someone besides “free-bird”. i mean, i lost. and it’s okay because i seriously snuck some pretty neat idea’s in there in the work when i was making those mistakes or they were being made by others. this business is no science.
andf you know, whatever this is- it’s not my dream. and it is a punishing thing to endure when you are getting worse and worse- it’s not my dream, my dream was to try and tap into that energy i saw watching Minutemen vcr tapes when i was just a little shit in NC of mike watt’s crazy shaking leg and his electric fingers- or how sonic youth droned into beautiful clouds those guitars shaking, kim and steve rattling the pulsing lines into feverish thudding imaginary subway cars racing through my heart- and how it felt to just let go and static up a riff and find the sweet spot- but getting yelled at for just being a songwriter- to be called so many horrid things because i chose to love music so much, and also to look for peace and balance in my life- that is not kindness and just not my thing. at least not now.
and i loved somebody. and i let others decided if that was okay and that was wrong and i was wrong and no one should deny themselves or others love or understanding because people don’t get it. that was an awful mistake. i always make big mistakes. it’s like i let myself learn that because that was a role, a niche’ i filled that make sense to a loud voice of strangers who would never really play a real part in my life.
never become that if you choose this path- if you go this route with your art. never listen to those loud dissatisfied bystanders who only want to see you fail because that will be entertaining for that moment. hold fast to your dreams, hold faster to your heart and never step out of the light of that love that made you whole. i did. and i know better now. and better late than never i suppose.
but i am okay now. i see a peaceful way to better days now. i am healing. and most importantly i feel loved and i have learned to treat myself with that same curiosity and lover that i have been lucky enough to feel and to learn to let guide my life. love is the great teacher and i am happy to be learning now. happy to be listening to that over this never ending painful ringing. this is the great lesson of my life. for once i want to be dignified in my study and in one place long enough to hear and understand without my pride or my lack of faith in myself leading me further away from things i need to know once and for all.
this is the real work now. the rest is something else entirely.
quitting smoking was a good step and i am happy i also am just now beginning to understand how important it is i take better care of myself in every way right now. hell i am even beginning to sleep a little and i can feel the things good and bad that i did not have time to feel when i was running towards a new oblivion of work, hoping somehow someday what i did would be accepted and maybe that would make me feel loved. how foolish.
that is not love. love is being accepted for who you are. love is taking care of yourself and caring for others and dreaming out loud when it matters. not chasing rainbows. not hoping for some eventual collective sigh of approval which will never come. how did i ever think in those terms? i always knew better. thank goodness i know now how to be honest with myself.
anyway, enjoy these shows ( i will enjoy them immensely and i will miss them just as much) and know that i am not abandoning anyone, not the cardinals and not the fans, this is just something i need to do now, and that i loved playing music in the cardinals and hell, even before i was in a place to try and learn to be well, music was my life source- and cardinals was such a heavy crush and a real dream…i honor it too much to have any regrets right now, i am just proud.
maybe we will play again sometime and maybe i will work my way back into some kind of music situation but this is the time for me to step back now, to reel it in and i wish everyone peace and happiness and if music is your dream, or if just dreaming is your dream, may you find your way through the rough patch with ease and i hope you let go and it takes you all the way there-
loving kindness to all.
R"
Monday, January 12, 2009
Garth and Bruce Together At Last!
Just when you thought the inauguration couldn't get any bigger Mr Obama surprises us once again. Sunday afternoon the inauguration week is being kicked off at the Lincoln Memorial with a free concert that has a fantastic lineup that is being headlined by Bruce Srpingsteen and Garth Brooks! Also performing will be Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, "The Coug" John Cougar Mellencamp, Usher, John Legend, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Shakira, Will.i.am, and Bono (because everyone knows you can't officialy save the world unless Bono's involved). Also there reading historical passages will be Jamie Fox, MLK III, Queen Latifah, and Denzel Washington. Hell there's even a gay reverend giving the invocation. HBO will be broadcasting the concert from 7-9 this Sunday night (right before the season premiere of Big Love), and it will be available to not only HBO subscribers but also anyone with basic cable or satellite.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/12/obama-inauguration-lincol_n_157215.html
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weekly Address: Turning Around Unemployment
"Our resources may be finite, but our will is infinite. And I am confident that if we come together and summon that great American spirit once again, we will meet the challenges of our time and write the next great chapter in our American story."
Little Boots
So according to a recent article from the BBC this is their pick for break out star of 2009, Little Boots (she takes her name from Caligula's nickname). Now I'm not too sure how sold I am on her seeing as she has every bit of two singles under her belt, but I am in love with this Tenori-on that she uses. It consists of a screen, held in the hands, of a sixteen by sixteen grid of LED switches, any of which can be activated in a number of ways to create an evolving musical soundscape. The LED switches are held within a magnesium frame, which has two built-in speakers located on the top of frame, as well as a dial and buttons that control the type of sound and beats per minute produced.
The maker of this, Japanese artist Toshio Iwai, has said "In days gone by, a musical instrument had to have a beauty, of shape as well as of sound, and had to fit the player almost organically. Modern electronic instruments don't have this inevitable relationship between the shape, the sound, and the player. What I have done is to try to bring back these elements and build them in to a true musical instrument for the digital age."
This video of Little Boots covering Hot Chip's "Ready For The Floor" is quite entertaining. Seeing this pretty blonde gal with a pleasant falsetto programming and altering on the fly while the LED's light up as the music scrolls across makes for wonderful eye candy.
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