Look What The Cat Dragged In......Brett Michaels!

When I was a little girl I had the biggest crush on Brett Michaels, and I thought that Poison was the most talented band that had ever graced MTV. Four grown men wearing very tight clothes and more make-up than my Avon loving guidance counselor Mrs. Delaney, their songs were full of sexual innuendos and that was intriguing to an 8 year old. I was, of course, too young to quite grasp everything they were singing about. I wasn't quite sure what was considered to be dirty talk, but I was confident in my assumption that it wasn't the usual toilet humor that the boys on the playground seemed to be so fond of. And, Brett was so pretty that I hoped that I would look just like him when I grew up. Thankfully that didn't happen and my crush on Mr. Michaels faded with time. Much like his career. But now, by a beautiful twist of fate, Brett has come back into my life with his reality dating show Rock of Love. With the help of unlimited alcohol and VH1, Brett hopes to find the special girl that has eluded him all of this time, and we get to be voyeurs during his quest.
Now, I am assuming that casting this show was a collaborative effort between VH1 and Brett. If not, then VH1 has incredibly insulted him time and time again. 90% of the women who are vying for his love are nothing more than tatted up coquettes with daddy issues and boobs grossly disproportionate to their bodies. Strippers looking for the love of a weathered rock star to complete their white trash fairy tale, just as they had always dreamt. I thought that Brett had learned his lesson after singing about loving and losing a stripper in, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", but apparently that's not the case. But, I get it, this particular type of girl and their behavior is what makes this show so entertaining. Most of them are probably a step above what is swinging on the pole at your local strip club, and they are in their early to mid-twenties. Now I'm sure in stripper years that's probably around 35, but come on. Brett is 45 years old. Yes, he is a former (some would argue current) rock star, but he is sadly past his prime. I must admit that he has aged better than most, but I think that has more to do with eyeliner and fake hair extensions than clean living. And I don't care if his extensions are made of "the finest hair that Europe has to offer", it's still very creepy. Anyway, the other 10% of contestants are usually a bit more age appropriate, women who are living out their teenage fantasy. They usually have the most in common with Brett and share deep conversations with him about the real things in life, like their kids, but they have a hard time competing with the tarted up youngens. Although, last year the oldest of the bunch was the one who "rocked his world" more than anyone else. Obviously their love was fleeting, because here we are with season 3, which I couldn't be more thrilled about.
With the previous 2 seasons being held in a Hollywood mansion they have decided to shake things up this year by taking the girls on the road while Brett "tours". I had no idea before this show that Brett was still recording music and playing solo shows across the U.S. I thought that he had wandered into oblivion just like Kip Winger, but I guess he has managed to remain relevant to his former Poison fans while making a few new ones along the way. Even though they are on the road, he has still made it possible for the girls to participate in demoralizing challenges like Truck Stop Games and The Mudbowl. The prize is usually a group date with Brett, where 4 or 5 girls sit around waiting for their turn to make out with him. But, my favorites are by far the solo dates. Brett has been known to do really thoughtful gestures during these one on ones like sing his latest song to the lucky girl, take her to a tattoo parlor so she can get his name inked on her person or take her shopping for lingerie where he buys her outfit of choice, after trying on many possibilities of course. What girl could go back to the old dating ritual of dinner and a movie after that? Brett has mentioned before that music is his mistress, a dirty whore that has ahold of his heart, so the woman that enters into a relationship with him must be okay with taking a backseat to his one true love. Brett needs a woman that will help regulate his insulin to keep his diabetes in check and someone who can handle the backstage Betty's that run rampant at his shows. It's a tall order, but I think he has a really good chance of finding that special someone this time around.
In no way do I consider Rock of Love to be a guilty pleasure. I am not ashamed to be entertained by Brett's journey to find true love. I love that he asks girls if they will continue to rock his world before handing them the coveted backstage pass. I love that he tells them their tour ends here when he's no longer feeling it. Brett seems to be in on the joke and that's what makes this show so much fun. It's not all uptight and serious like the Bachelor. And after 20 plus years in the business of guitars and groupies a lot of what is shocking to me is probably just another day at the office to him. Brett, like us viewers, knows that finding a girl through ROL that he would forsake all others for is a longshot, but he is having fun for now. Who wouldn't? I'm sure that someday Brett will find the right woman for him, with or without the help of VH1. But until then, I hope he continues to rock my world every Sunday night.

Every Tuesday new music is released and I think I do a good job of checking out quite a bit of it. In comparison with the volume that comes out each week, there's a lot of it that, well in my opinion, just isn't very good. So, when I find even a few songs that really capture my attention, that makes me happy. But, when I come across a whole cd that I can play from beginning to end, that's magic. I am truly amazed when someone can pick up a guitar or bang on the drums and actually make music. And when someone can play their instruments to the songs that they have written, and I can connect with those songs, well it just doesn't get much better than that.
All of this brings me to my subject of today: Bon Iver with For Emma, Forever Ago. This cd is astoundingly beautiful. If Jim James from My Morning Jacket and Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses could by some miracle have a baby, that baby would be Justin Vernon, the genius behind Bon Iver. Although he does have accompaniment during live shows, Justin Vernon is a one man band. He recorded this cd while secluded in his father's Wisconsin cabin during winter while nursing a broken heart. His voice is ethereal and his lyrics definitely reflect someone who's dealing with the end of a relationship. From the moment Flume, the first song on this cd, began playing I was hooked. It's opening line, "I am my mother's only one, it's enough" is so personal, yet so simple, just like the whole disc itself. Though with several listens I really started to appreciate all of the layering and different instruments that were used in creating the
very mellow, natural sound that runs all through this cd. There is not a song on this disc that I skip, but I do have a favorite, Blindside. This chorus runs laps in my head all day and it's anything but a nuisance. The title track, For Emma, is a very close second. If Wes Anderson didn't use mostly obscure, older folk music for his soundtracks I would say that this song would likely be in the running for his next movie montage. With it's horns and slide guitar it may be the most upbeat track on the whole disc. But, don't get your party hats on just yet because it still fits this placid cds bill.
When you are in the right frame of mind this disc will definitely complement your mood. It has been a perfect addition to my cabin fever during this never-ending winter. I am not sure who Emma is, but I bet that she is sorry now.

Just a quick note on some things that happened over the weekend. First, Conan saying goodbye to his New York audience and his 12:30 am time slot to move out west and take over the coveted position as host of The Tonight Show. It was a lovely week of shows, with Conan breaking apart the set each night and handing out the rough pieces to lucky audience members. His final show was a nice capper to the week of goodbyes. I was so happy to see Andy Richter pop in one last time. And of course I was excited to see The White Stripes come out of hiding to perform at Conan's request. At first I was underwhelmed by their choosing to perform "We're Going To Be Friends". Meg just stood there playing guitar alongside Jack, chiming in lyrics part of the time. I had expected them to be their usual raucous selves. I had at least expected Meg to be on the drums. But, the more I thought about it the more I appreciated it. It was truly a wonderful last musical performance for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I am excited to see what he has in store for his new position. I hope he doesn't go changing too much to please the earlier 11:30 crowd. I guess we'll see what he has up his sleeve on June 1st.
Now just a very quick word on last night's Oscars. I believe they were the best that I can ever recall watching. From the intimacy of the new set-up for the Kodak theater to host Hugh Jackman's opening number, it was a success. Leading up to the ceremony everything was very hush hush, which lead me to believe there were some surprises in store, and there were. No mind-blowing special effects, just a different format. The recession themed opening number was entertaining, especially The Reader portion of the song. The new idea to have the same two presenters hand out two or three awards one after another was a brilliant move. Not only did it keep those awards entertaining, but it also allowed the show to continue moving at a fast pace. Tina Fey and Steve Martin absolutely killed it. Tina looked amazing and they even found time to ridicule Scientology. Nice. The obligatory camera shot, not once but twice, to Brad and Angelina as Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black stood five feet in front of them presenting the Best Animated Short/Long feature was expected. It was highly unnecessary and demeaning to Jennifer. Stay classy Academy Awards director. Having five previous winners of the best acting awards come out and individually introduce each of the nominees was a nice touch I thought. Much more personal than just showing a clip from their nominated performances. It was like whoever won was being welcomed with open arms into this prestigious club. Besides Whoopi Goldberg's dress, that all went off seamlessly. The show was moving along quite nicely until that musical number featuring Hugh, Beyonce, Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron. I feel like I am forgetting someone else there, sorry if that is true. Anyway, I am not a Beyonce fan, at all. What was the point of her being there when she lip synched the whole performance? Hugh should have just pulled Anne Hathaway up there again. I don't know, it all just seemed superfluous. Just a time filler that certainly wasn't necessary. I think this year every winner delivered very heartfelt, entertaining speeches. I teared up during Penelope Cruz's and the Best Original Screenplay winner, Dustin Lance Black's. Of course, Heath Ledger's posthumous win for Best Supporting Actor was tough. His family delivered a wonderful thank you to everyone and there was not a dry eye in the house. Last year I was nervous about breaking down due to seeing his face during the In Memoriam montage. Now here we are a year later and I am crying again, but this time because he won. He deserved it, I just wish he was here to enjoy it. The rest of the big awards did not contain any surprises. Everyone who was predicted to win did. Not that that made it less exciting by any means. I loved seeing Kate Winslet finally win. I loved Sean Penn's speech. Bottom line, it was an overall success. I stayed tuned and apparently so did 6% more people than last year. I hope they keep some of the new format for next year and continue to change things as well. The Oscars should be fun and inventive every year, just like movies themselves.
It was a pretty good weekend I guess. I cleared out a lot of my dvr. I can highly recommend 2 Days in Paris now. And, I am looking forward to cluttering it all up again this week. Plus, I have a few new albums I need to listen to. I better get to it, I have a lot to do. Pop culture is exhausting.

People let me tell ya 'bout my best friend......

I just want to take this opportunity to thank iTunes for being the best thing that has ever come into my life. I mean, just yesterday I was able to purchase $25 worth of music without leaving the comfort of my pajamas or my couch. Now that's my kind of technology. When I was younger I had wished for the ability to purchase just a song or two from an album without being stuck with the whole (sometimes terrible) cd. Yes, cds were an innovation unto themselves and I should have been happy with that, but I was a dreamer. If I could have just bought the track Smoke from Natalie Imbruglia's, Left of the Middle, my parents would have been $15 richer. Upon thinking of that song, I downloaded it from iTunes in a second and am listening to it right now. Man, some things just don't hold up over time, that's a shame. Back to listening to The White Stripes and admiring the genius of iTunes.
Now I know that there are music purists out there who claim that iTunes is the downfall of all that is great about listening to music. People who lived to go to the cd store on every Tuesday to pick up the newest releases. To take those home and spend 10 minutes breaking them free from their plastic bindings and put the cd into their player of choice and listen as they read the cd booklet. I can appreciate that way of buying music too. I used to live like that. I never went on Tuesday's specifically, but I always enjoyed the trips to the cd stores at the mall. Or even to Portsmouth's one and only place to buy any music, The Record Shop, where every cd was $18.99-onsale for $2 off. But, I am a girl of convenience and iTunes caters to that well. iTunes knows me, it looks forward to my frequent visits. So much so, that it compiles a list of about 15 songs that I "might" like. When I went to The Record Shop never once did the dude behind the very tiny counter ever recommend anything that I might like based on what I was buying. Now, you might say that this is a way for them to make more money, maybe even go as far as to say that I am being taken advantage of. It's not like that, really, iTunes cares about me. iTunes wants me to know what else is out there, to not miss out on bands like Portugal the Man or Stars. Just because I am a huge KOL fan doesn't mean I will shun all other suggestions that iTunes throws my way. They have their finger on my pulse and know just what I am looking for. Except for Cold War Kids, according to iTunes I should be in love with them. Unfortunately they are just not my bag. I guess in a way iTunes is my dealer. It knows how weak and vulnerable I am to their suggestions and that no matter how broke I am, I will keep coming back for another hit. Even if all I can afford right then is a couple of songs until I can scrape together enough money for the whole album, I'll do it.
I used to pirate music illegally just like all of you. I was a fan of Limewire and Kazaa and I loved it. Downloading illegally did come with a lot of freedom. If you hear about a song, download it, who cares, you aren't paying for it. It's not that I switched to iTunes out of guilt for stealing from the artist's royalties. Lil Wayne has diamonds for teeth, I think he's going to be alright. It's just that in some ways, downloading from anywhere but iTunes became a pain. Some songs wouldn't download completely and I started getting a lot of viruses too, which ultimately made me lose music due to wiping the computer clean and re-loading it all back on. It just started to seem worth it to spend 99 cents and know for sure I was getting what I was downloading. But, like Nas says, "99 cents adds up." And it certainly does. I think some more of the genius behind iTunes is that my credit card info is saved so all I have to do is push a button and boom, I own the new Bird and The Bee release, just like that. I don't physically see the money leaving my account so I don't feel sick about it until I see my bank statement, and I like that. If I were more conscious of what I was spending I probably wouldn't have near the amount of wonderful, wonderful music that I do have. Now to me, that's like money in the bank.

I know this blog should have been written on Monday. It's not that I am lazy, I was sidelined by a vicious virus. So please just humor me today by reading my thoughts on Sunday night's Grammy awards.
Let's start with the performances. I certainly respect U2. They are trying to save the world and that is commendable. But as far as their music goes, I have been over it since about 1984. U2 have put out what people consider to be amazing music for almost 30 years, but with the exception of New Year's Day and One, I don't get it. They opened the show with their new single, Get Your Boots On. It certainly didn't blow me away. The night started to heat up with the performance that made me feel very old. M.I.A. with her nominated song, Paper Planes. She was accompanied by Kanye, Jay Z, T.I., and every young girl's favorite Lil Wayne. I love Paper Planes. I think it was one of the best songs of 2008 and I am very surprised that the Grammy Academy even recognized it, but this performance was just awful. I will admit that I am a novice when it comes to knowing what is good in rap music. I like tight beats and slick lyrics as much as the next gal but I only know rap on that very superficial surface. I remember when I was watching Taylor Dane perform on tv with my grandma, circa 1989, and she kept complaining that she couldn't understand what she was saying. That's the moment I realized that my grandma was sadly, old. Yet, I am only 27 and that is just how I felt watching this mish mash of rappers. Paper Planes and M.I.A. would have stood just fine as is, we don't always have to bring it up a notch. Let me just give real quick props to M.I.A. for performing on her due date, albeit in the worst outfit I have seen since Paula Abdul's 1991 VMA performance. Nevertheless, that's incredible. Anyway, The Jo Bros and Stevie Wonder were really fun. The brothers are adorable and they play their own instruments so I can dig it. Miley Cyrus and Talyor Swift, it was just about how I had expected it to be. Not bad, not great. Just two girls who enjoy singing, singing in front of a really big audience. Speaking of girls, how fun was Katy Perry? Vocally she didn't blow me away, but I loved her performance. Coldplay is always a crowd pleaser and the Grammy's darlings. The Paul McCartney/Dave Grohl performance was great. Playing one of the Beatle's classic songs, I Saw Her Standing There. We all know that Paul McCartney is a legend, he's an absolute icon, but so is Dave Grohl. I think he is the motherflippin cat's pajamas. I am in awe of him and I think everyone else should be too. Number one, he's funny. Number two, he was in Nirvana and then founded the Foo Fighters. Number three, he played the drums on Tenacious D's record and was Satan in their subsequent music video, Tribute. So yes, Dave Grohl was playing with a legend, but so was Paul McCartney. Radiohead, phenomenal. Now there is an example of turning it up a notch that certainly worked. I always knew that I should have stayed in the school band. There are certainly others that I am leaving out but I would just like to quickly mention Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. They were brilliant, really amazing.
Onto the awards themselves. Why was Coldplay nominated in any Rock category? How were they allowed to rob not only Kings of Leon out of the best Rock album, but also The Raconteurs? How can they be nominated in the best Rock album category, but win for best Pop performance by a duo or group? They even commented on it when they won the Grammy for Rock album. Coldplay knows that they aren't rock, I wish the Grammy's knew it too. This is not to say that I am not a Coldplay fan, I am. But Grammys, get your musical designations right! Thank goodness Coldplay was nominated for Viva La Vida in the Pop category because that allowed KOL to win for Sex On Fire in performance by Rock dou or group. I was happy to see Radiohead win for In Rainbows. They were definitely deserving. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were clearly the night's big winners. They walked away with 5 awards, including album of the year for Raising Sand.
Truth is, I've always found the Grammys to be a stagnant awards show. It's the same contemporary, predictable artists nominated and winning. This year I was a bit surprised by some of the nominations and that's why I watched from beginning to end. And, maybe because KOL were nominated too:) The Grammys just never reward any of the music that I find incredible so there is never a reason for me to tune in. When artists like The Black Keys, Band of Horses or Minus the Bear start receiving Grammy recognition then I will start to faithfully watch.
If the only good things that come out of this Grammy awards season for me are KOL finally
winning and finding a great new album then I guess it was a success. Raising Sand was on my radar a while ago, but I guess it got lost in the shuffle with all the tremendous amount of music that is released. I'm excited to give it a whirl. I mean, 5 Grammys can't be wrong. Or can they?

Let's just dive right into it, I love Kings of Leon. I'm sure most of you have heard of them by now. Their latest cd, Only By The Night, is climbing the charts as we speak. Your tv and radio are getting in on the action, blasting "Sex on Fire" every chance they get. I mean, when a whole episode of Gossip Girl seems to be dedicated to promoting this album, you know they've made it. As a fan of GG and especially of KOL can I just piss and moan for a minute about the use of SOF as a background to the burgeoning (and completely boring) love of Serena and the complicated artist Aaron. Or, what about playing Be Somebody to display Little J's angst while watching her clothing designs burn in the alley? These songs, and especially this band, deserved a much better coming out party. About 5 years ago my southern friend Josh handed me Youth and Young Manhood to borrow. I immediately ripped it to my computer and would continuously put songs onto mixed cd's for the never-ending trips to my hometown of Portsmouth. I fell in love with California Waiting, Red Morning Light and Happy Alone. The whole cd was more than listenable all the way through and as we all know, that is a rarity in these days of artist packaging rather than quality music.
When they released their second cd, Aha Shake Heartbreak, I found more of the southern fried goodness that was on their first, but this was even better. Taper Jean Girl was certainly a standout, but my favorite has to be the very fun Soft. A song so happy with its delightful lead guitar that you would never guess it's about ED without listening to the lyrics carefully. Caleb had a way with lyrics that was different than anything else that I had heard to date. Twisting words and phrases that shouldn't make sense and making them work. Unrefined to say the least, but that's their style and that's what it's all about. They had found their niche and were perfecting it. 3 brothers and a cousin making up the band, they were different. Definitely a throwback to guitar heavy, southern, garage rock it never for a minute felt gimmicky or unreal. This was just who these boys were, they didn't know any better, they were just being themselves.
I know KOL has always had a strong fanbase, but not big enough to help them make a dent on the charts or warrant gigs at big arenas. I could never understand it, where is everyone? Why aren't people having conversations about them at work? When I walk into the Royal Lounge, why is Black Betty playing again and not Milk? But, to find out they were huge in Europe was no surprise. The Europeans have it down. From the afternoon siestas to the dinners at 10pm, they know how to live. We, on the otherhand, are behind the times on some things, KOL definitely being a big one. But, I did my part. I put their songs on mixed cds that I handed out to friends, hoping a couple would catch on and they did. With both cds that followed they just got better and better. Because of the Times, brilliant. Coupling dirty, sexy music with tales of visiting desert brothels and their faith in God. Their lyrics were deeper and more tangible. On Call, Knocked Up, Charmer, My Party, wow. They dedicated a song on this album to their Euro fans called, in fact, Fans.
With their latest cd it's more than a commercial success, they finally won. Sold out venues not only in Europe, but all over the US, including the recent sold out concert at Madison Square Garden. Even I didn't see that one coming. Out of selfishness I cannot help but be a bit sad. All of their new acclaim means I will probably never see them again in intimate settings like Lifestyles Pavilion. They will undoubtedly play bigger venues where I will have to pay 3 x the price to see them from the front row. Not like last month when all I had to do was wait outside in a snowstorm for an hour and half to be upfront. It was worth every frozen appendage. This new cd deserves every bit of attention it is getting. Another album full of great songs from front to back. It is by far the most mainstream release to date and I have wondered if this was intentional or accidental, considering I have read that Caleb wrote most of the songs while on pain meds from a broken shoulder given to him by his brother Nathan, the drummer, during a fist fight.
After their concert here in Columbus I was having a drink at a nearby bar and happen to fall into a conversation with two brothers who had attended the show as well. They told me they had seen KOL perform to 10 people back when they were promoting Y&YM. They were long time fans, but this would certainly be the last KOL concert they would attend. Disgusted by their new found success and longing for the rawness of the older songs, they were done. I asked them if they were the guys who abandoned Metallica when they cut their hair? Being a true fan means letting them grow and go down new avenues with their music. I could certainly understand having this opinion if the new cd just did not work, but it does, it's stellar. Different does not have to be bad. Now with that said, I have to admit I am a bit nervous after hearing that their next cd would be a gospel album. I, of course, will give it a whirl and hope that all their Jesus-loving lyrics aren't lost on this Agnostic girl, but I think I like my KOL dirty:)

Awe, my first blog

Just an upfront admission, I am completely unsure of this whole blogging world. That's not to say that I am not 100% excited about my new creative outlet here, I am just not sure what to do. Could it really be as easy as typing my opinions and then having people rake me over the coals for my inane views? Or maybe, just maybe, someone might read a post of mine and learn about a new band or totally understand my thoughts on a certain book or movie. Ah, to dream it would be the latter. I will try not to get ahead of myself here in my introduction to my blog and what I am doing on here. Anyway, I plan on blogging mostly about music. Although, I am sure there will be a book, tv show, movie, or magazine article that will strike my fancy so much that I will just die if I don't blog about it:) We'll see. I have been told all of my life that I need to find some use for all of this useless knowledge in my head, maybe this is it. Again, we'll see.