Billy Connolly, live in 1990. FOR REALs.

by Bad Guy Peter Mc Veeder

My best friend used to have a HBO comedy special from Billy Connolly on vhs tape, circa 1990.  When we were in middle school, his sister taped over it in spite, and for roughly eighteen years, I have been looking for a copy of the some of the best stand-up I have ever seen in my life… and without success.  We even called HBO about it — no dice.

The other day, he found it all on youtube.

I don’t forward shit often, but THIS IS COMIC GOLD.  I hope you enjoy.

Whoopi Goldberg presents Billy Connolly, live in 1990: Parts 1 through 4

Best Music of 2010 (So Far): Part II

Last week, I brought my opinion on the best albums of the year so far. Following up, this is the Best of the Rest.  (downloadable mp3s, where available)

The Best of the Rest

by Bad Guy Peter Mc Veeder

1. Shout Out Louds, “1999″
2. Broken Bells, “October”
3. Two Door Cinema Club, “Do You Want It All”
4. Marina And The Diamonds, “I Am Not a Robot”
5. The Arcade Fire, “Month of May”
6. Echo Lake, “In Dreams”
7. Yeasayer, “I Remember”
8. Gorillaz, “Empire Ants feat. Little Dragon”
9. HEALTH, “USA Boys”
10. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, “Round and Round”
11. Spoon, “Who Makes Your Money”
12. Dum Dum Girls, “Jail La La”
13. 2:54, “Creeping”
14. Mumford & Sons, “The Cave”
15. The Middle East, “Blood”
16. Holly Miranda, “Waves”
17. Gil Scott-Heron, “New York Is Killing Me feat. Nas”
18. Aloe Blacc, “I Need A Dollar”
19. Tracey Thorn, “Why Does The Wind (Morgan Geist Remix)”
20. Crystal Castles, “Celestica”
21. The xx, “VCR (Matthew Dear Remix)”
22. The Soft Pack, “Parasites”

Any albums or songs you think I’ve missed?  Please comment (or, educate).

Best Music of 2010 (So Far)

by Bad Guy Peter McVeeder

As an audiophile and eclectic music obsessive, I have heard close to fifty albums since the first of the year that I have liked, ranging from “Hmmm that’s okay” to “I love this, and it’s not leaving my cd player for weeks!” (There is only one album so far from 2010 that I have absolutely hated — Vampire Weekend’s Contra. That album makes me wish it was released entirely on 7″ so I could try to fuck it.) After weeks and months of playing, these twelve albums have stood out and on repeat:

1. The National – High Violet.  Wow. Just…wow. Delivering on the promise of their 2007 album Boxer (which in full disclosure I still have in constant rotation), High Violet goes above and beyond as a modern-day melancholy masterpiece.  From the opening riffs of “Terrible Love”, through the crescendo of the closer “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”, The National expand on their sad-bastard vibe by crafting songs that are identifiable and emotional and addictive. When Matt Berninger sings ‘I still owe money / To the money / To the money I owe / I never thought about love / When I thought about home‘ on “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, it is so heart-wrenching that I can’t help but smile in how much I enjoy it.  They played nearly this whole album our tour at The Wiltern in LA last month, and though I didn’t think it possible, I fell even more in love with this band.

2. Sleigh Bells – Treats.  An energetic, sonic assault, who will surely emerge as one of the best new acts of 2010.  This noise pop duo, composed of Derek E. Miller’s hip-hop/industrial production and distorted guitars and Alexis Krauss’ sweet vocals, sound as if they are pumping through a blown speaker in overdrive, and damn is it catchy. The singles “Tell ‘Em” and “Rill Rill” stand out, but the deep cuts (“Kids”, “Run the Heart”) help make this album undeniable.

3. Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks.  These Scottish rockers pushed themselves on their third album, creating a front-to-back indie gem.  “Swim Until You Can’t See Land” grooves as Scott Hutchison’s thick accent croons, and “Nothing Like You” bangs it out as hard as they ever have. They came through LA last month and I chose the Lost series finale over attending their live show… Having now seen the finale, I regret this decision.

4. Janelle Monáe – The ArchAndriod.  The thing that strikes me the most about this album is how eclectic it sounds — a fusion of r&b, funk, rap, orchestral pieces, disco, psychedelic rock, electronica, cabaret, and 60s James Bond score — and how well it all flows together. It could almost be described as the female version ofThe Love Below; in fact, that’s a great way to describe it.  It excites and intrigues from start to finish.

5. Wild Nothing – Gemini.  This Blacksburg, VA band relish in the dreamy lo-fi rock on their debut album, echoing The Radio Dept. and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart or even The Cocteau Twins.  The hooks are catchy and the vibe is fun, exemplified in “Summer Holiday”, or “Bored Games” with its programmed loops.

6. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record.  I have been a fan of this Canadian indie rock collective since You Forgot It In People in 2003, and this is their best album since. “All to All” pulsates as probably the only BSS song you could throw into a DJ set, while “Texico Bitches” is a timely F-you to the oil industry.  They killed it at the Music Box in LA last month, in typical fashion of having at least nine people on stage at any given moment.

7. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma.  A sprawling urban soundscape, chalk full of programmed hip-hop and electronica, complex arrangements, live instrumentation, and even a Thom Yorke cameo.

8. Beach House – Teen Dream.  On their third LP, this Baltimore duo continue producing a blissed out haze of dreamy pop music. Lush and engaging.

9. The Black Keys – Brothers.  The duo are back, earning them their highest Billboard album debut (#3 with 73,000 copies its first week). There are too many stand-out tracks to mention — the whole album aches with a great blues-rock sound.

10. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor.  I’ve been listening to Gorilla Manor since it came out in February, but was even more impressed after seeing them live at Coachella. The LA-based five-piece, of which multiple people are typically singing, tore through a 45-minute set, swapping instruments mid-song or harmonizing entirely. They are definitely up and coming, in the midst of a European tour now and a US tour in the fall.

11. Drake – Thank Me Later.  I was really into his 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, admiring a man who could flow with such a prose and follow it up by singing his own hooks. Thank Me Later follows up on that dynamic with excellent production and solid guest spots (Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, who recently rapped a verse for the “Light Up (Remix)” over the phone from jail). I’m calling it now — “Fancy feat. T.I. and Swizz Beatz” is going to be a jam of the summer.

12. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast.  Hailing from West Palm Beach, FL, these young indie-rockers enjoy their distorted guitars and have a sound reminiscent of Built to Spill and Pavement. They caught attention with their single “Swim”, but really shine on “Floating Vibes” and “Neighbour Riffs”.

craigslist missed connections: true stories in love

My friend recently went through a break-up. As an avid troller of Craigslist missed connections she came across a post recently that was for sure her ex-boyfriend. The only problem was- he posted the missed connection for another girl before they were even broken up. Outraged she responded to the ad:

“Wow, Kyle.  I’m really shocked and disappointed when I read this.  I’ve shared with you that I read this (missed connections) regularly, so maybe you intended that I stumble upon it, but I didn’t see it until this afternoon.

It’s so painfully clear to me that it’s you posting.  Right place, right time, age, beard, your immaculate grammar and writing style.  I’m so sad with everything that has happened. It’s so funny –that at the moment you were writing this, pining after another girl, I was stuck at work pining after you. 

It just seemed that we had such a great day yesterday, holding hands, blowing kisses.  But it was all fake to you?  I know I wasn’t the only one initiating things and I thought we had moved past our argument.  You even came out for drinks afterward, which you could have easily avoided had you wanted to.  I’m so confused–especially now since you told me you didn’t know you wanted to break up with me until after dinner Friday night.  But this CL posting seems to indicate otherwise.

I’m so sorry for everything that has happened but now I know it’s not all my fault (as I believed this morning when you left).  Why couldn’t you just tell me this morning that your eyes were starting wander–how ironic that it was you who grabbed my hand yesterday during Sharon Jones’ song about “Window Shopping”

You’re Window Shoppin’
Just Window Shoppin’
You’re only lookin’ a-round
You’re not buyin’
You’re just tryin’
To find the best deal in town.

You give away your kisses
But you never give your heart
To anyone who’s fool enough to fall …
You don’t feel love
You don’t want real love
You’re Window Shoppin’ that’s all.”

She meant to hit save but accidently hit send. At that point it was clear that, either way, she didn’t give a fuck. Two hours went by and she received a response!

“Hi Katie, My name’s AJ.  I hope things work out with this Kyle guy.  You seem to like him.  I can’t comment on his fidelity, because I don’t know either of you.  I can tell you that he didn’t post the CL Missed Connection that you responded to.  Good luck. AJ” Soooooo….that happened.

Dear Rachel Zoe

Dear ZOE,

I absolutely adore receiving your fashion tidbit mass email blasts everyday. They’re cute and informative and you write how you talk, which I lurve. However, I’m starting to resent you.

A $98 dollar East African beach saraong is not “essential.”

I think you might be, as you say, ‘bananas.’ I don’t care if I can sit on it and wear it and let it make me french toast. I am a HUMAN BEING. I sweat in the sun. You want me to pay $98 with tax to plop my sweaty, sun-screened, sandy ass on a piece of (hopefully fair trade) fabric that some dickhole will no doubt spill his sweaty, sun-screened, sandy beer all over??? You’re fucking crazeballs.

No doubt it’s dry clean only.

Love,
Bad Guy Linds

thoughts about Sofia Coppola’s new film, ‘Somewhere’

by Bad Guy Peter Mc Veeder

1. Could this be the resurrection of Stephen Dorff?  He had a supporting role in Public Enemies, but does anyone remember in anything since maybe Blade?  I remember him more in the past decade by who he reporting slept with than his work, because he was absent from the cinemascape.  In Hollywood time, it means he’s nearly due for an Independent Spirit Award…

2. Every trailer Sofia Coppola has released has had an awesome soundtrack (notably, the Marie Antoinette trailer featuring New Order’s “Age of Consent”), and really, the features themselves have too.  So when I hear a nearly acoustic Strokes track preceded by Phoenix (who also contribute music to the film), I can only hope the soundtrack will be chalk full of more indie-ish rock and new-wave gems.

3. Is this another way to feel really sorry for actors so rich they can live/frolic/have strippers dance on poles in the Chateau Marmont?