And some loose ends to end the decade

Weirdest death:

Sorry, Thriller fans. Michael Jackson is beaten out of this by Anna Nicole Simpson, or whatever her crazy name was.

Great video turned into overkillmurder:

Beyonce's "Single Ladies".

Yeah, I think the tenth guy who tried to dance like her all of a sudden made it ten too many. And that was before Kanye's little indescreption.

Best new program:

"Community". Full of snark and pop-culture references. Yet, more jpm than even "30 Rock from the Sun".

Best long-running tv program:

"The Office." I love that the documentary workers are only just now wrapping up filming after some six years, cuz this crew has been hilarious, unnerving, cringe-worthy and consistently the best large ensemble since "The Simpsons" when it was good (or is it "AD"?)

Worst tv trend:

Reality tv. Voyeurism and expanded victimhood at its worst. Watching highly edited and still boring upper middle class douchebags go on about their "love problems" or poor people piss away their lives by running naked in front of a camera crew is not my idea of entertainment.

Worst president:

Dick "The Ass" Cheney.

Most "Who Gives a F*&$" Moments:

The tabloids at the line. Seriously, am I supposed to care what Brad, Tiger, Tony Stark or anybody else does with their wiggimagidgets? Seriously, they're not real people - well, the parts of them that we know. What gives us a right to think that because they perform that they should have no private life? What kind of a sick contract is that? No wonder MJ was so screwed up.

Best marriage:

Mine. Get your own.

Cutest child:

Who did you think I would say? I'm not gonna lie.

Best single:

"Crazy", of course.

Now, dance, monkey. Dance!!!

Ten Rockinest LP's from the Allright Aughties

Paste Magazine has been asking your favorite albums of the decade (in whatever it's being called these days: the Aughts? The Rockin' Aughties? the "Double" "O's"?) and it got me to straight-up thinkin... Hmmm...

Okay, this is not my definitive list. It's more of a working-edit list - a preparation for the big event that is the roar of the Big Teens. Nothing is set in stone here.

Bare in mind that I haven't bought too much music recently and that only occasionally have I really been able to delve into the latest and greatest (only to be reminded once again that just because something plays good on the radio doesn't mean it lasts. I'm looking at you, just about every band). I still have a lot of music recently that I'd like to play a few more times, loudly, to see if they make the cut or fake the dump (do you think that phrase will make the cut... or fake the dump?). Even ones listed on here should get another couple spins before I

A further complication is that either rock music is spending less time composing the full-length album and going back to the singles format, only still selling 50-70 minute records, or I'm just too lazy to listen to a full album anymore.

In no particular order except Album - Artist:

• Phrenology - The Roots
• Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio
• Come on and Feel the Illinoise - Sufjan Stevens
• Mr. Buechner's Dream - Daniel Amos
• Funeral - Arcade Fire
• Graduation - Kanye West
• Modern Times - Bob Dylan
• Live from another Level - Israel & New Breed
• Oh Brother Where Art Thou? - Various, Music from the Motion Soundtrack
• The Ringing Bell - Derek Webb
  

Note, I deliberately tried not to double-up on artists.

Others that are in consideration include U2, Joe Henry, Metric, Mars Ill, Jay-Z (for Fade to Black, which I'd have to consider apart from his post-retirement drizzle), Hold Steady (I'm still torn on them...), and Radiohead.

Music of the Year + 3 that Got Away

I bought maybe three or four records this year. Two of them from this year. I did get a few freebies and all, but most were ep's or downloads that I only listened to a few times before I lost the copies (which is easy to do in a year when you lose two computers and gain another two...). And although I enjoyed GirlTalk, I'm not drawn into it.

1) Al Green Lay It Down
The Good Rev's return to Stax-sounding soul could be seen as a gimmick, like when modern divas "collaborated" with old dead men or when old classics made "duets" records with present day B-grade stars. But, for the time being, it just feels so right, it's got to be good:

(FWIW, these vids suck - sorry. In this case, the recent concert vids featuring Al suck even more, so I decided not to give my readers a case of motion-sickness and opt for max audio q)

2) She & Him Volume One
After awhile, I think I grew weary of the neo-hipster country ("More slide guitar!" can never replace "More cowbell!"), but there are some wonderful songs on this disc that made me smile. I'm a definite sucker for that wall-of-sound pure pop that made a brief appearance in Arcade Fire's Funeral but then overcame some bighaired girl's record. Here, there is just the right amount and plenty of variety (at least the first several songs, including the Roy Orbison-esque "I Was Made for You"):


Honorable mentions:
I don't have these records... ladies. Or, yet. But I will soon; and when I do, it's over...
Ladies.

Sam Phillips Don't Do Anything
I love her leathery voice. And her penchant for writing poetic yet acidic verse on top of sparse but Beatles-esque pop melodies is unmatched. So, why haven't I bought anything new from her since that Martinis and Bikinis cassette in the mid-90's? Because this album wasn't released until this year, that's why. And here, her skills seem to be in top form.


TV on the Radio Dear Science
I loved the last album so much that I named it my favorite record of the year (actually, it was top 6. But looking back, it may be top 2 or so). And that's when I was able to buy music and a lot of wonderful stuff came out. This one seems to add hip-hop as well as hip-hop optimism. It's like their angry, muted Stax horns are being shared by PM Dawn. And I ain't complainin':


Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
This is the type of quiet, introspective music that I could probably only listen to after some intense TVotR, but nevertheless, I'm getting old and this is just sounding more and more palatable to my ears. But then again, I can stand some falsettos occasionally. It's been rated high enough by enough trusted ears where I'm giving it some more listens and may take the plunge soon enough.

So, what else have we been up to?

Just this...



and some of this...

Food and Dylan's Enduring Legacy

I'm getting ready to fire up the ol' grill (i.e., stove top) with some yummy-yummy Boca Burgers.

Which, I find out later, my wife abhors. Abhors, I tell you!

I didn't think they were too bad.

You know you gotta oil up the frying pans for these meatless boigahs? I guess it makes sense.

But don't worry, fellow meat-lovers, jasdye is NOT going vegan. Meat is in my blood. In fact, it's in my bloodstream. And my flesh. And, of course, my colon.

But I am well-aware of the fact that I'm grossly overweight. And I need to take drastic (though not Atkins-type drastic) steps to losing weight.

I'm thinking Richard Simmons.

Okay, not quite.

Or at least not yet.

But at 250 lbs. and counting, I don't think I should take too many more Richard Simmons-less steps.

and to take your mind off that image...


"Well, at least I didn't write that stupid 'So You Had a Bad Day' song."

h/t to Paste Magazine