May 2005

When's the Hip Tanaka tribute?

Filed under: Imported

Oh, the things that take up space in my brain. When it comes to my cerebral clutter, video game music is a floor-to-ceiling stack of yellowed newspaper. It's not unlike my strange (and spotty) knowledge of Star Wars. My boy teases me for knowing SW characters who aren't mentioned in the movies by name. I swear I've never been a fan. Come on, doesn't everyone know Sy Snootles? Or Salacious Crumb? Sorry, got distracted. Stay on target. I'm like a sponge sucking up the nerdiest bits of the most useless crap imaginable. For example, never in my life have I played Final Fantasy but somehow I've consumed hundreds of hours of its soundtracks.

This would make more sense if you knew Jesse, which you should. Long story short, I've spent a lot of time with my brother, the aspiring video game musician, and unconsciously absorbed a lot of his interests. So when I opened a press release announcing the Minnesota Orchestra's "Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy," I kinda geeked out. The excitement was slightly more than what I feel for the average rock show, mixed with a weird sense of pride that Nobuo Uematsu is being recognized as a legitimate composer. It's nuts. But as far as vid music goes, his stuff is some of the best. I almost feel bad for the MN Orchestra for having to work out his intricate epics with their unorthodox time signatures. And talk about longevity. I can still hum those urgent little fight songs (You know, "You encounter three chimeras. Duh-duh duh-duh duh-duh duh-duh, duh-duh duh-duh--Drums! Drums!")

They're even enhancing the live experience with footage from the games. (If I bring math homework to rest on my lap and ignore, it'll be just like sitting in my living room circa 1994!) Can you even imagine what that audience will be like? Maybe like the one that showed up for Christopher O'Riley but pastier? This is just the sort of event that brings siblings together. Why did my favorite gamer have to move to Japan? (I just answered my own question, didn't I?)

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at May 26, 2005 12:46 PM

Funny cuz it's true

Filed under: Imported

Sex Advice from Music Critics
I couldn't resist. Maybe it's because I'm in love with a rock critic. Or because we're attending the wedding of two more rock critics on Saturday. Or because we'll spend the entire weekend hanging out with rock critics who are in the various stages of dating. Never before has a sex column been so eerily relevant to my life. My favorite part:

Q: Is there rampant incest within the community?
A: Only if you're from Minnesota.

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at May 19, 2005 5:15 PM

Wanna come back to my place and listen to records?

Filed under: Imported

Just wrote a Culture to Go post about Peep Show, which is how we entertain company in our apartment these days. And next week I'll tell you all about the DVD release of one of my favorite TV shows of all time.

But I didn't want you to think I'd given up on music. So here's a topic for discussion: what are your favorite albums to make out to? The full album make-out is a tricky one what with those fussy musicians trying to make all their songs sound different. All it takes is a "Revolution 9" to throw a wrench in the works. You could take the classic route with a little Al or Teddy but finding contemporary choices is far more *ahem* satisfying. Recent tests have shown that Terror Twilight is still hottt. Pavement's sexiest release by far. Your thoughts?

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at May 13, 2005 5:34 PM

They're coming to get you, Barbara...

Filed under: Imported

I swear I don't know how this became "my thing."

I was pulled in by the headline: The Oscar for Best Zombie Goes to... Sadly, there's no mention of zombies in the story, just a non-trend about Academy Award winners looking for parts in B-movie horror. They hang their big idea on Halle Berry's role in Gothika. Nevermind that she's become well-versed in crap since winning her golden paperweight. Tell me that Meryl Streep wants in on the next Child's Play installment and I promise to read every word.

By this time I had zombies on the brain (preferable to "Zombies! Aaahhh! My brain!"), so I poked around IMDB and learned something I can't believe I didn't already know. George A. Romero's Land of the Dead--his first zombie flick since Day of the Dead in 1985--comes out in less than two months! Will last year's loud-as-a-shotgun-and-shiny-as-glistening-guts remake of Dawn of the Dead have an impact on his latest? (Ohmygod, do you remember the scene with the chainsaw in the bus? Did you see it coming from a mile away and squirm and cringe, unable to look away? Did you love it?) Will George finally break down and give the ADHD kids the running zombies they crave? Haven't you always wanted to see Dennis Hopper get chewed up? Are you excited? Are you excited? Why aren't you excited?

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at May 6, 2005 5:30 PM

Crank vs Crunk

Filed under: Imported

All I can say about last night's Weezer show is I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. They played just as many songs from their first album as they did from Make Believe. Some of the new stuff was pretty all right. But even though I had fun, it wasn't because of the band. I spent an unusual amount of time just watching the kids throw their "W" gang signs in the air (including those who went lax on the thumb angle and wound up with goal posts.) I used to be one of those kids, sweaty and shoving, proud of the way I held my own in a smothering pit of Weezer fans. Yeah, I was that tough. But how someone as sullen as Rivers gets that out of people is beyond me. Dave Campbell summed it up perfectly: "He looks like he hates this."

As for Rivers' Edge, I'd say don't bother. Like a fan bio, it cloyingly refers to the band as "the Weez" and "the almighty =w=." Unlike a fan bio, it's 500 pages long. I've got some questions for the author.

1. Dude. Why write an introduction about how the band refused to talk to you and then spend the entirety of your "unauthorized biography" kissing ass?

2. Why include frequent quotes from emo bands no one cares about? Example: "When Pinkerton came out, it blew my mind. Me and my friends were the only ones who really got it. We listened that disc religiously." - every faceless member of every unimportant emo band ever

3. Why repeat some of those quotes within the span of a few pages? Didn't think I'd catch that, did ya?

4. 500 pages?

Anyway. Sorry I'm babbling about Weezer again. And sorry I didn't blog for nearly two weeks. I was in Philadelphia (Buckethead, is that you?) where I learned that Lil' Jon has a surprisingly tasty new energy drink. Too bad you can't find it in Minnesota. Otherwise, I know what I'd be filling my pimp cup with.

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at May 4, 2005 6:03 PM

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