Monthly Archives: March 2008

Weezer… well, Rivers Cuomo

Recently released an album (Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo – non-affiliate Amazon link) of essentially demos and songs that didn’t quite make the Weezer cut.  Some good stuff, some not so good stuff, some experimental stuff, some weird stuff.  Thoroughly Cuomo through and through.  There’s a lot on this album I like a lot.  But this is what I share:

This is the Way – youtube

Here’s Rivers’s review of the whole album.  Here’s what he had to say about “This is the Way”:

For Weezer’s sixth album, I was feeling extremely adventurous again. I wrote an epic, six-minute, symphonic type of art song called “Daydreamer.” After I wrote the song, though, I reversed myself again, deciding to write a straight-ahead, nothing-fancy, middle-of-the-road, urban pop type of song. I took the chords from a Mario hit, fired up the drum machine and the synth pads, and wrote “This is the Way.”

Sometime between writing these two songs, I realized that one of them wouldn’t work. Which one, I’m still not sure: I think I might ask Rick [Rubin]. He’s the most extraordinary producer. He has these big beardy jowls because of all the producing he does. At the same time, though, he’s a huge Danzig fan and has a caustic wit.

Everyone around us was saying “‘This is the Way’ is the bomb—you should really do that song.” Scott [Shriner], in particular was like, “I want to sing that song. I can own it.” Even with all the professional respect I have for Scott (he’s been the best, really) I just sort of felt that an urban type pop song wasn’t where I wanted to be. I mean, I’m a married man now. Last year I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard. In any case, Weezer has already conquered that territory—multiple times, and with other bassists—in the guise of “Hash Pipe,” “El Scorcho” and “We Are All On Drugs.” It was time to move on. I’ve resolved to do this pretty regularly from now on.

But who knows. Maybe “This is the Way” will end up on Weezer album number seven. We’ll see.

So incredibly weird.  Not bad weird.  Just weird when not knowing much about the songs on the album, just listening, I thought my iPod skipped to some other album.  But straight up Rivers rocking some R&B.  I kind of hope some up and coming R&B artist covers this song.

Revisionist history

An article on Bravo’s latest: Step It Up and Dance. 

Berkley has a strong background in dance that should help her relate to the contestants. Berkley said that since the age of 4, dancing has been her “heart and soul.” She also has performed with members of the American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, and starred in the dance classic “Showgirls.”

Umm, okay, Showgirls, dance classic?  Camp classic, or famously bad, or any other descriptor, but dance classic?  I mean I guess so…

This is badass

And I want it in my house.

full moon sideboard

That’s a realistic looking moon.  Okay, I know what you are thinking, “Eugene’s a geek/dork/nerd.”  True enough.  I also know you are also thinking, “That’s not so impressive.”  Well that m-f-in’ table glows in the dark with a special eco-friendly glow in the dark paint and the piece itself is one of only 24 to be made!  Check it out:

full moon sideboard

Music Mixes

Well listening to some muxtapes now.  It’s as good a way to find new music as Last.FM or Pandora, though limited to the actual mix and not as wide and webby as those two services.

I’ve never been good at the mixtape, mix cd, etc.  I don’t have a flow with that sort of thing.  Maybe it’s the paralysis of choice due to my library size, or maybe from not knowing or being fully familiar with all the music in my library (complete albums I’ve not listened to yet, tons of unlistened songs as well).  I just usually toss in songs I know/like until I get a CD full.  I used to have a friend who would make mix cd stories.  Taking into account the lyrics and all.  The one I remember most was the story of a relationship, from courtship to breakup.  Mostly R&B, but not because that’s most suited to the story, but that was just his style of music more so than other things.

I’d like to have this skill though.  Mix of music that flows together.  Appropriate for whatever purpose.  So rising and falling songs.  Or when needed, as Barney of How I Met Your Mother would want it, always rising!  Hell even a good workout mix.  Which you’d think would be easy given I have Tangerine, but nope, still not that easy.

Muxtape

This has been growing way fast.  I forget where I first read about it.  Create a “mixtape” (or, err, muxtape) by uploading music to the site.  You get a link.  You share, “trade”, etc. muxtapes with friends and strangers.  It seems in concept like a more user defined Last.FM.

I’ve not made one yet, but a lot of my music is in .mp4, which isn’t supported (yet, but is slated for support).  Maybe I’ll check it out and add it to my linkroll.  Not that anyone reads this blog to click to listen to my muxtape.  But if you are out there mysterious readers (hell, even the 3-4 regular readers I have that are family/friends) create a muxtape and toss me the link.  Or you know, get a Last.FM account or something.  (Not that I’m active in any of this social networking web2.0 stuff.)

muxtape

EDIT: wow no joke. I checked muxtape yesterday.  Only the creator’s (of the site) muxtape was available.  Now there’s a whole slew of them.  Not bad for roughly 12 hours of difference since last I went there.

Thanks Jason and Jon

Kottke and Daring Fireball posting stuff for me to blog today.  As usual.  Yay!

Typewriter typefaces.  I have no idea why I have such an interest in typefaces (or design in general).  Not like it’s deep enough to do any kind of pseudo-academic research in the subject.  I just like them.

Theblog Weemade – art by kids.

Email ettiquette – I’m guilty of whole message replies.  My buddy is good about quoting only what’s being replied to and interspersing with his comments.  Me, just hit that reply and plow through.

Marathons

I’m one of those people who are ambivalent about marathons.  It’s something I’d like to do, but it’s not one of those “I have to do once in my lifetime” type things.  And honestly, the thought of running for like 4-5 hours straight is troublesome.  I’d have to have the perfect mix on my iPod, no skipping required.  Of course with a lot of marathons “banning” them, who knows.  At any rate, here’s a list of marathons to run in 2008 courtesy of Runner’s World, via AOL Body.

Marathons to Run in 2008.

I don’t know if I can mentally reconcile a marathon sponsored by PF Chang’s.

But I’d definitely run in (my namesake) marathon: Eugene Marathon.