Confessions of a Pop Fan

Thursday, June 01, 2006

NEW AMUSEMENTS

A morning of peeking in on the scattered thoughts in my brain...

* Comic Foundry features me in the "Amusements" column in their newest issue, which went live today. GO HERE to see lists of some of my most recent distractions. So far, I only watched Dial M For Murder off my "to be watched" selections. I jumped ship to view The Pornographers in honor of its director, Shohei Imamura, who died on Tuesday.

* I just got off the phone with the White House. Call 1-202-456-1111 and let them know that you don't really think it's kosher to make prejudicial opinions about marriage part of our Constitution. Then try to work the same sentiment into all of your conversations on the phone today, so that when they are going over the transcripts, it will keep popping up. Suport the Human Rights Campaign.

* Was anybody else disappointed by Paul Pope's Batman: Year 100? I love Paul, and the book was a gorgeous meal for my eyes, but I felt like I got this kind of action out of his last run on THB. Plus, it was much better written the last time around. The dialogue kept bugging me for some reason. Like he had cut up a pulp novel and then ripped the clippings in half and pasted them into balloons. I'd still give it a solid B as a Popey lark, but I can't wait for his next project of depth. It's been too long since 100%.

* Music-wise, Thom Yorke's The Eraser is sort of what you expect when a guy like that breaks off and does a solo record: a slightly twee, tinkly sidebar. I assume he's pretty much played the whole thing himself, and as a result, it comes off like Radiohead demos before the real wizards come in and make them mega. Not as bad as Damon Albarn's slapdash Democrazy but not the sticky fun of Gruff Rhys' Yr Atal Genhedlaeth, somewhere more like those Nicky Wire outings that showed up on B-sides off of the Manics' Lifeblood. An okay appetizer, Thom, but we like you best with those other guys.

* On the other hand, the new Christina Aguilera single(?), "Ain't No Other Man," is crazy good. It's less the trad' jazz we've been promised, and more funk and soul. My favorite thing, though, is how she opens it up with a completely pointless vocal run. In one way, it sounds like a eff-ewe to the critics who give her crap for always showing off that way, and in another, like when a rapper has a comeback single and insists on announcing his or herself (a la "Shady's back, back again," "This is a Missy Elliott exclusive," etc.). Bottom line: I still love Christina Aguilera.

Current Soundtrack: The Postal Service, Give Up (shove it; I live in the pacific NW and sometimes need to put on a cardigan and join the herd. plus, it still satisfies despite its ubiquitousness)

Current Mood: lethargic