Written by stoplovingeverything

You Can Look Too Cool on the Street

Please, people walking down Broadway: Do not affect that angry/serious face when you want to seem importnat and good looking – it doesn’t work. Smile. You’re in NYC at the turn of the century, living in interesting times, positive or not, and you’re probably not too poor. Stop that awful squinting and cheek sucking.

And I’m listening to better music than you.

Califone — Sisters Drunk on Each Other

From their Heron King Blues album, a funkish, alt jazz track from [the mostly country weirdos in] Califone, but not uncharacteristic, which is the most frequently amazing thing about these uncategorizable cats. Wait for the horns.

The Celibate Rifles – Bill Bonney Regrets

Need I say anything about the eighties postpunk masterpiece known as The Turgid Miasma of Existence? Aussie brilliance. Never repeated, always respected. So punk, their name was a middle finger aimed at the Sex Pistols. And again – it’s the drums.

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6 thoughts on “You Can Look Too Cool on the Street”

  2. Mr. Parnell:The rifles, gurus, saints, early hard onz, screaming tribesmen, new christs, died pretty, those were the chimes I grew up on. Have you heard the Damien Lovelock solo record with the guitar boys from the church backing him? It shows a softer side of the rifles front man. The difference between the rifles and their brethren were they were much more political. All of those early records, especially the live one at CBs were great. What was nice was that they managed to really play some great wah wah crunch that DIDNT sound like the Stooges. Thanks for the post.

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  3. Mr. Parnell:Please speak out to these most pressing issues.1) Should we be sour on Bob Mould because his last 17 solo albums have sucked donkey ass or because he has a blog that focusses on pro wrestling?2) Is M. Ward really, really good, or just a big pretentions dope who can’t string a sentence together?3) Which concert would you rather have front row seats for:1. Big Dipper reunion2. Shakira3. Husker Du – circa 19854) Were the Celibate Rifles the:1. Australian Dead Kennedies2. Better than the Hoodoo Gurus3. Or a great punk band who sang one too many songs about having broters in Viet Nam, or 4. Trying to hard to find rhymes for Nicaragua?And finally, 5)Which of the following stories is true:1) Lou Reed’s mother was one of the first members of Jews for Jesus2) JD Salinger made a rare public appearance at a Hold Steady show last week3) Indie music has gotten so bad that Pussy Galore and Bewitched sound good.

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  4. Mr./Ms. anonymous who needs his/her own blog:Ok, I’ll bite. 1) Should we be sour on Bob Mould because his last 17 solo albums have sucked donkey ass or because he has a blog that focusses on pro wrestling?Both. Although the wrestling writing probably got him laid frequently, so I can’t entirely hold that one against him. 2) Is M. Ward really, really good, or just a big pretentions dope who can’t string a sentence together?You’re also describing Bob Dylan there, so I suspect M. Ward will have an okay career. And he did a Daniel Johnston cover, so most will be forgiven in its wake.3) Which concert would you rather have front row seats for:1. Big Dipper reunion2. Shakira3. Husker Du – circa 1985That’s a tough one. Will Shakira be naked? I think the answer is 3, anyway. Reunions, much as I love BD for two albums, always pale. 4) Were the Celibate Rifles the:1. Australian Dead Kennedies2. Better than the Hoodoo Gurus3. Or a great punk band who sang one too many songs about having broters in Viet Nam, or4. Trying to hard to find rhymes for Nicaragua?5. none of the above. They were the Down Under Minutemen who sounded like the Meat Puppets with Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil singing. Or anything else .And finally,5)Which of the following stories is true:1) Lou Reed’s mother was one of the first members of Jews for JesusEvery Jew is for Jesus, because Jesus was a Jew. The Anti-defamation league wouldn’t allow otherwise. 2) JD Salinger made a rare public appearance at a Hold Steady show last weekIt would be appropos if he did. They’re both failed writers.3) Indie music has gotten so bad that Pussy Galore and Bewitched sound good.Bewitched never sounded good. And never will.

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  5. Mr. Parnell:I sense in your answer a tinge of bitterness. Perhaps this guest will not bore you in the future.

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  6. You never bore me. And I am not bitter – you have not betrayed me in any way. I also mean for you to get a blog because it seems you might have much to say – and also so then I could enjoy littering your comments section with my own thoughts. And anyway, no one comes to J Frank for love. Polemics, enmity, etc. That’s where it’s at, anyway. Argument is so much more stimulating than handshaking.

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