rebirth of the cool pt. 1

all right kids! a new FTS segment!!
y'know what else is wrong with rock these days? no one is cool. just a bunch of whiny cunts. sullen boys. fucking children.
you can suffer and still be cool.
oh, here's something you won't like about this segment. it's gonna cost you money. i'm gonna print a really cool line. but here's the rub. you have to LISTEN to it. cuz it may not seem so cool when you read it. but when you HEAR it... that's it!!
and, pssssstttt...., here's a secret (lucy) for you. this is also a test on how men and women listen to music differently. more to come.

townes van zandt
'dollar bill blues'

"if i had a dollar bill
yes i believe i surely will
go to town and drink my fill
early in the morning".

now go listen.

Townes Van Zandt - A Song For -

the saddest song by the saddest songwriter. whenever i hear it i'm overwhelmed with the horrible realization that he's right.

what's with the human voice?
it can be so horrid. so shrill. a weapon really. when was the last time you were destroyed by a person? huh? they did it with their voice, didn't they?
we're fucking animals. and we mostly make guttural sounds.
ah, but there are some who rise above!
van morrison on 'tupelo honey'!
rick danko on 'it makes no difference'!
jeff mangum on 'two headed boy'!
daniel johnston on 'i remember, painfully'!
paul saur on 'charming mutt'!
vic chesnutt on 'bernadette and her crowd'!
robert wyatt on 'free will'!
warren zevon on 'accidentally like a martyr'!
elvis costello on 'i want to vanish'!
rodney anonymous on 'life is shit'!
joey ramone on 'baby, i love you'!
e on 'it's a motherfucker'!
and....
and...
(tho' there are tons more...}
paul westerberg on 'answering machine'!
god, he sings his voice raw. and listen for the last time he sings the word 'lonely'. if you were learning the language you wouldn't have to look up the definition of the word. just listen to him sing it. it's there. fuck. fuck it.
the next time some asshole is wasting his breath on you, think. think. there's so much potential.

Lightnin' hopkins - lonesome road

i was sputtering, but i'll get over it

y'know, i really love this blog. i think about it alot. what i'm going to do with it next, what i should put up tomorrow, etc. but, like most things i love, i take it for granted. i neglect it. and it slips away from me.
i've been posting alot of videos lately. and they're good. and please know that every video i post has a VERY specific meaning to me. this is my diary.
but it's also kind of lazy.
however, i have been thinking about topics to write about. these are some of them...

1. the unspeakable beauty of the vic chesnutt song 'bernadette and her crowd'.
2. the creepy 'my life' that westerberg utters in 'willpower'.
3. how the replacement reissues are great for the extras, but the new mix is too bass and vocal heavy.
4. how speakers are not NEARLY as cool as they used to be.
5. how album art is a really important part of the musical experience and it's completely neglected now because of downloading.
6. how downloading is ruining the art of the album and bringing us back to the fucking '50's where the single is all important. p.s. thank god for bands like wilco.
7. how you ABSOULUTELY CAN judge a man by his record collection.
8. how men and women listen to music differently. hot topic. but i've got a theory.
9. what the fuck is up with jeff mangum??
10. music as a time machine. or a way to splice the day into different eras using synthesizers, chewing gum, and a human voice. this one is sketchy.

so, yeah, see what you've been missing? it's great inside my brain. except for the horror.

Romeo Void - Never Say Never

great song from a great band that nobody ever talks about.

Eddie Vedder -

a little steven song.
today was the democratic primary in oregon. 'i only know one party, and it's name is freedom'.

eels- It's a motherfucker - live in Rome

it's a motherfucker getting through a sunday.

Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears

mike turned me on to this song. i'm grateful. 'when the world falls apart somethings stay in place'. beautiful.

Eels - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

for j.s.

Ryan Adams I Taught Myself How To Grow Old Letterman

i know i said i would never like ryan adams, but now i do. this song is why. c'mon! 'i just listen to the voices on the tv til i'm tired , my eyes grow heavy and i fade away'. great line! that's my life!

well said, etc.

He who sings scares away his woes. ~Cervantes

Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg - Backlash

anyone but me remember this song? co-written by westerberg. a classic, in my mind. their voices sound great together. and is it me or does joan look amazing in this video? my next girlfriend is gonna play the guitar.

Wilco - Bob Dylan's 49th Beard

i'm going to play this song the day i get divorced.

Neil Young - Cortez the Killer (live)

take 10 minutes today and listen to this. there's something so sad and beautiful being expressed. his guitar playing says more than his voice, or any voice, could. listen for the noise he gets at 4:45. it's like hearing a civilization crumble. what a killer.

Black Sabbath - War Pigs (Live in Paris 1970)

i want to build a time machine, go back to the late '60's, and join black sabbath. great example of gang as band. bill ward is a monster!!!!

Paul Westerberg - No Place for You

know what's great about westerberg? he wrote one of his all time greatest songs this late in his career. a stunner.
i think in the past i've described him as my best friend. i hope you don't think i'm kidding. i don't know what i'd do without him. my life is better because he picked up a guitar. so is yours, even if you don't know it.

The Animals - Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

the animals were tougher than shit. and eric burdon is cool. cooler than mick jagger, at least.