To Grandmother's House We Go

 Arriving at my grandparent's house this morning, I immediately noticed something amiss.   Strewn across the living room in dozens of piles and several boxes was a time capsule of albums and singles from the 1960's and 70's.   Having already scavenged their attic for any records of listenability several years ago (there wasn't), I was quite shocked by this development, and was informed by my grandfather that his collection had been passed to my uncle, undoubtedly in one of their endless "space saving" measures.   After some glad-handing and negotiating I was able to cherry pick pretty much whatever I wanted.    I left most of the Beatles, Stones, and Elvis wax to my uncle, who is looking to make a profit off this arrangement, and stuck to items for my personal collection.   To my surprise, I came across some excellent singles by favorites Nancy Sinatra, The Shangri-La's, and ? and the Mysterians, as well as a copy of T. Rex "Electric Warrior" and "Kinda Kinks" by those Davies boys.   Shockingly, I found a copy of the first Emmit Rhodes LP, which I had just recently obtained after a few years of searching to complete my collection.   If only I had known my grandparents had been hiding a copy in their spare room since 1970.

Death to the Pixies?

 We've all heard the horror stories of band reunions.   99% of them are shameless cash grabs, and the last few years of touring by the formerly fearsome foursome of underground rock PIXIES are absolutely no different.   The band reconvened in 2004 to much acclaim and many sold out shows, and produced a new single and waves of rumors regarding a new album in the making.   Sadly, instead of being revitalized and providing their incredibly loyal fanbase with their first new record since 1991's Trompe le Monde, Black Francis and company have done absolutely nothing but tour and tour again, the most ludicrous of all being the Doolittle 20th anniversary tour, which has somehow turned into a three year excursion.   I suppose it's the 23rd anniversary tour now.
   I don't mean to put the band down as musicians, and I still love all the albums as dearly as I did before the reunion.   The real bone I have to pick is that the band has steered clear of the working-class venues where they made their living in the 80's and 90's, and are now preparing for a tour of state theatres in places like Easton, Pennsylvania, charging upwards of $80 per ticket.   I expect the Elton John's of the world to charge such exorbitant prices, but from the real saviors of rock and roll in the post-hair metal era (sorry Kurt Cobain, the PIXIES were doing it first) it seems like a slap in the face. 

Sugartown

 I haven't gone.   I just needed a moment to collect my thoughts.

The Magnificent Jeff Mangum

   Well, this project isn't off to the most fabulous start so far.   Then again, I need to decide if I want to get it "out there" or just share my neurosis with a few close friends.
   It would please me to feature some music occasionally, and since this blog is quite frankly only in existence for my pleasure at this point, that is exactly what I would like to do today.
   I am very excited that my friend Joseph was able to acquire tickets for us to see Jeff Mangum at a very small church venue in September, and am forever thankful to him for the absurd amount of time he spent doing so.   Mangum was the frontman of the 90's band Neutral Milk Hotel, who released little material save for the spectactular album "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea".   Still something of a cult classic, it has been compared by the people who listen to these sorts of things to Pink Floyd's seminal "Dark Side of the Moon" record, not in style or substance, but because it serves as a touchstone for a very certain type of person who grew up in a very specific time period.    Mangum has a reputation as a recluse and has perfomed only a handful of concerts within the last decade or so, making the opportunity to see him in person all the more exciting.   I'll leave you with a video of Jeff Mangum performing the titular "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" in 1998.  Apologies for the poor quality.

Absurdity: A Play in Unlimited Acts

 My friend Joseph pointed me to these astounding videos yesterday evening.   Obviously, we are all aware that Pat Robertson is an empty-headed crackpot, but I found these videos so incredibly amusing that I can't help but share them.

First, we have Pat's thoughts on karate.   I have never taken any martial arts classes, and with this revelation regarding demon spirits, I'm glad of it.

We also have Pat's thoughts regarding yoga.

 Over the last few nights, I have taken to watching the 700 Club on television, purely for the comedic aspect.
This probably makes me a bad person, but in my defense, I don't really care.