Nor do I
Ok, I’m stuck on this song. Writing about Serge Gainsbourg for the past two weeks has me stuck on this, his famous-est song and filthiest song, “Je T’aime Moi Non Plus.” I’ve dedicated space to the song as sung by Gainsbourg with Bardot and with Birkin and I’ve spoken of Nick Cave’s version of the … Continue reading
Family tree
I first became aware of Charlotte Gainsbourg while dipping in the river of her father, Serge Gainsbourg. On the cover of his 1971 masterpiece, Historie de Melody Nelson, the cover girl is Mrs. Jane Birkin, Mr. Gainsbourg’s wife. What many don’t know is the fact that while Mrs. Birkin was portraying a sort of Lolita … Continue reading
Dysphonia: year one
1. What was your first column? My first column was not as much a column as a diatribe against the writer Neal Pollack. I’m not sure that my style has mellowed, but I think the first column stinks: clunky, short, and sort of pointless really. I don’t know if it is the best first thing … Continue reading
Merde
So many things in today’s time feel like a novelty. Things that you can remember being special or unique are now standard. For the purpose of this piece, I’m thinking of music magazines coming with compact discs. The first magazine I remember with this added incentive was CMJ. CMJ stood for College Music Journal — … Continue reading
Euphoria
When I was hired at Wherehouse Records in 1994 I was one of three new hires. One of the other two newbies was a fellow named Jim. Jim was (and is) a DJ and he was pretty instrumental in opening up my enjoyment of dance music. He would hip me to things I wasn’t listening … Continue reading
Drink tea, for the love of god!
Beverage week. This is a music column. My drink of choice is tea, iced tea. I drink lots of it. Not quite buckets, not quite gallons, but I do drink my fair share. I love it. Ask anyone. My life is cluttered with glass bottles. Often I am like Stephen Fry’s portrayal of Wellington in … Continue reading
The language of letting go
A few weeks ago, maybe a month now, I sent our beleagured editor/driving force/pappy of the site Gavin an article on death. It wasn’t just about death, but it permeated the article, which revolved around a dumpster behind a cemetery in my town. A dumpster full of mementos and things like flowers and stuffed animals. … Continue reading
If you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough
When I started this week’s column I had planned on writing about music featured in film or television. This is, but of course, a wide swatch to write about but I planned to write about one television show in particular: Jackass. That’s right, the show with the colorful cast of characters that hurt each other … Continue reading
Heart
“OK, we’re gonna give you an EKG now.” With that my doctor and his med student got up and left the room. I sat there with my wacky slightly kimono-esque gown on, one that tied in the front while I waited. A nurse came in with a machine on a cart and began to affix … Continue reading
Neu!
Consider the great bands in music, and then consider what makes these bands rise above the usual accolades into being something great. So many groups have tandems within the band, two artists that provide direction and ability. Two artists who may develop friction. I remember reading about the Clash and coming across a passage describing … Continue reading
