On Record Music

Happy St. Patty’s Day from the National.

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:49:00 -0400

Happy St. Patty’s Day from the National.

Punching Daniel Johnston

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 12:05:00 -0400

I almost punched Daniel Johnston.

I waited for Colin on the corner of Ashland and Division. The bus was late, and the fall evening was chilling in that quick, Chicago way. Cars flew past while I sat at the bus stop. When Colin arrived, we started walking south on Ashland, if only to get the blood pumping. A few blocks down, we caught the bus and rode it toward the Bottom Lounge.

***

It’s difficult to talk about Daniel Johnston. On the way to the concert, I called him a “genius” and a “legend.” To be sure, I sounded stupid, but I’m not alone in this appraisal – countless magazines and newspapers refer to him in these same hyperbolic terms. The most common, if misguided, portrayal of Johnston props him up as some psychologically troubled, Brian Wilson acolyte who creates capital-A art. His songs, the story goes, are honest – almost childlike – reflecting the inner psyche of a tortured soul.

This narrative is seductive, but it does Johnston and his music a huge disservice, reducing his musical ability to illness, his songs to diary entries. Johnston’s struggles with mental illness have certainly affected his art (it’s hard to miss the obsessive focus on ghosts/devils, unrequited love, and Laurie), but they haven’t always defined it. Classic Johnston tunes like “Casper the Friendly Ghost” and “Speeding Motorcycle” are catchy and simple because of Johnston’s influences and style, not his illness.

***

Inside the Bottom Lounge, Colin and I were disoriented – we’d been expecting a concert venue, so the large, dimly-lit bar/restaurant area confused us. We walked to a stairwell, thinking the show might be on the 2^nd floor, but then noticed a sign advertising some Chicago high school’s 10-year reunion. We turned around and headed toward the small line forming in the back of the bar.

Neither of us knew what to expect from a Daniel Johnston concert. Colin had been to an installation of his art in Spain, and we both had seen clips from the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. I knew his performances could be erratic and uneven – maybe this was part of the reason why I’d come –but I didn’t know much else. Which albums would he draw from to create his set? Would he play by himself or with a band?

Before answering these questions, though, we had to suffer through a set by Felix & Lyons, a local Chicago alt-folk band led by some bro (Felix?) who yelled “Check us out on Facebook and all that shit!” before launching into their last song, “Broke My Heart.” Standing in the middle of the crowd, Colin and I waited for Daniel Johnston. “It’s got to be difficult to pair someone with Daniel Johnston,” Colin remarked, a much subtler critique of Felix & Lyons than I had delivered earlier (“This band blows”). I agreed, but the truth of the statement didn’t hit me until later. As much as Johnston’s music is a product of his influences, it’s also uniquely his own – more lo-fi than his 60s influences (the Beatles, the Beach Boys); simpler and prettier than his early 90s indie contemporaries (Nirvana, Butthole Surfers).

When Daniel Johnston finally took the stage, the small audience cheered then quickly hushed. We watched as he strapped a headless guitar tightly around his torso. He fumbled with his lyric notebook before starting the first song. The rhythm was frantic and bumpy, and Johnston never averted his gaze from his lyrics. He hacked at the guitar like he’d never learned how to play the instrument properly, his hands shaking over wrong notes and chords. He looked like the tortured artist I’d read about. He looked crazy.

Johnston’s catalogue is a difficult one to parse through. It’s vast and varied and impossible to distill into any sort of musical narrative. The songs he played at the Bottom Lounge, though, captured the blunt, dark humor he so enjoys. On “Mean Girls Give Pleasure,” he sang “And the angel of death is taking you for a walk / Nothing to say / but just small talk / And your head is in a block.” These lines showcase his ability to take a dark image (angel of death), twist it (taking you for a walk), and offer pithy insight (in this case, about how thoughts of a girl can take over your mind and make you crazy). Johnston often uses the same images over and over, but by altering and contextualizing them, he creates new meaning in each song.

After a few more short tunes, Johnston introduced his most famous song, “True Love Will Find You in the End.” It’s a beautiful piece that favors grander statements over the small tragedies Johnston so often sings of: “Don’t be sad I know you will / Cause true love will find you in the end.” The couplet is so simple and universal, but Johnston avoids cliché through succinct phrasing. The line “Don’t be sad I know you will” contains both advice and knowing empathy for the listener faced with the impossible task of following the advice. And even as Johnston dispenses knowledge in his songs, the listener gets the sense that Johnston himself doesn’t always practice what he preaches. He, too, is human.

“True Love Will Find You in the End” was the first song Johnston played that I knew well, so I realized quickly when he screwed it up. He began with the lilting strum of a G chord, but then he quickly switched to the wrong chord. Rushing through to the next chord, Johnston tried to find the song’s center but continued playing odd notes and rhythms. Toward the end, he skipped lyrics and closed the song prematurely, an act of painful resignation. The audience, of course, cheered more loudly than ever. Hadn’t this, in fact, been what we’d all been waiting for? There would be a break, and Johnston would be back with a band. The lights brightened as he walked offstage.

But there would be no band. Back onstage Johnston intoned, “I don’t know what happened to my band.” Was it a joke or had the band really disappeared? I’m still unsure. As with Johnston’s songs, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish comedy from misfortune. But then he quickly switched from guitar to keyboard and seemed to hit stride. Johnston has always been a stronger piano player and appeared more relaxed behind the cover of his keyboard. The live setting brings out the bluesy feel in his playing with lots of bass notes and plinked high keys underscoring his distinct voice. Then an abrupt ending with Johnston apologizing and muttering about his lyrics notebook. It was the wrong one, and he couldn’t play anymore without the right lyrics. This was no joke.

***

“Oh my God! That was Daniel Johnston. I almost punched Daniel Johnston!”

Before entering the club, Colin and I waited as the bouncer secured bracelets around our wrists. When it was my turn, I extended my arm at the exact moment Daniel Johnston came lurching out of the club. I pulled back just as Johnston swerved right and stumbled off into the bar. Crisis was barely averted. Inside the dark club, Colin and I laughed in disbelief at how close my closed fist had come to Daniel Johnston’s gut – a few more inches, and I would have made real contact. It was funny and terrifying, but it was also a gift. I’d come to the concert intending on writing a piece about the show. Now, before even walking into the club, I had my hook. All it took was almost hitting an already fragile man.

The Best Musical Hairdos

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 12:03:00 -0400

It’s really simple – this list brings you the best hair from your favorite musicians. You’ll recognize some old favorites and may discover a few new, not-so-hidden gems. Enjoy the pics.

Danny Brown

Danny Brown honks more than he raps. He eschews baggy pants for skinny jeans. He once compared a woman’s nether regions to “Cooler Ranch Doritos.” But, most notable of all, that hair. Lord, that hair. It’s Suburbs- era Win Butler with a mean streak, and further proves that no one is allowed to use “SWAG” in conversation unless it’s to describe this fellow. Do your thing, Danny.

-JS

Mark McGrath

Mark McGrath is such an outsized d-bag that it’s nearly impossible to dislike him. From his annoying sing/rap/whine (“When it’s over…”) to his reputation as a “party boy” to his aggressive shirtlessness, there’s just so much rich material. And then there’s his hair. Those blonde-tipped, devilish spikes inspired a thousand terrible middle school haircuts and led to my own brief experimentation with hair gel. Thank you Mark for making the 90s that much cooler – just don’t do it again (shut the door baby, don’t say a word).

-MM

Robert Smith

Before there were Edward Scissorhands or the Crow there was Robert Smith. His black, greasy, over-gelled, spider web of a mane inspired countless young lost souls and artist. Tim Burton, Neil Gaimen, and over 90% of devianART have proven, it was Smith’s hair, and not his music, that taught so many how to show the world “lost and lonely” they were. And 30 years later he’s still rocking it, though today he’s looking less like the Sandman and more like a fat Joker. (A fact we will all politely ignore out of respect for the man who gave us Disintegration)

-MC

Miguel

On watching the “Do You…” video for the first time, I should have been focusing on Miguel’s extremely attractive girlfriend who co-stars with him. But honestly it was hard to get over Miguel’s hair. He’s taken the pompadour to its absolute limit: a mound of flowy hair surrounded on all sides by nearly barren scalp. In blatant disregard of the basic physical laws that should govern hair, the top appears to be wispy, yet completely immobile. You always thought the invisible hand was some economic mumbo jumbo from Adam Smith? No, it may in fact be the force that keeps Miguel’s hair in place.

-IG

Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top

Cliched, definitely, but also completely true. We can’t have this discussion without these two, although people might argue they’re more well known for their facial hair than for their music. Leaving aside their place in the blues rock canon, though, these luxuriant growths have a lot to recommend. The ironic beard is pretty popular these days, but no one’s quite got the presence and sheer irony of it down quite like Gibbons and Hill. Top it off with the fact that their drummer, Frank Beard (yes, that’s his real name) has only a mustache, and you’ve pretty much got the perfect joke.

-AD

Bjork

Bjork’s warrior figure, who she claimed fought wars with love, on the album cover of Homegenic—an album sure to make my top albums of the 90’s– wears Princess Leia’s buns better than she ever wore them (and who really liked Leia anyway?). Of course Bjork is famous for her swan costume, but you are merely a few google image searches away from more of her otherworldly hairdos—high side pony-tails, bobby-pinned buns which fan her head like a peacock, or her hair splayed like a wild red nest above her head (the Biophelia cover). The only thing that competes with her epic voice and style is her epic hair.

-KC

Justin Timberlake

I’m not sure what ‘N Sync era Justin Timberlake’s hair was made of. Cursory examinations suggest that it was just the result of a curly-haired boy trying to do the frosted tips thing. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears more like overflowing Ramen noodles. Or a permanently burning flame. Or a sponge. He moved a lot, but it never did. This is truly one of life’s greatest myseries. What we do know, though, is that guys like Mark McGrath and Justin Timberlake’s bold follicle forays resulted in swarths of aspirants. Unfortunately, I was not one of them because of my mother’s stringent hair policies. Instead of defiantly getting frosted at the mall with my buds, though, I just ogled at JT and the manicured craziness that adorned his head.

-NL

Michael Mellody

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 12:00:00 -0400

Michael Mellody:

Michael Mellody is the founding editor of On Record. He listens to all types of pop and rock and has an unabashed love for Coldplay, Sugar Ray, and the song “Closing Time.”

Ned Lindau

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:59:00 -0400

Ned Lindau is from New York and is an editor for On Record. Though he tends to listen to more contemporary hip-hop than anything, his overall favorite musical acts include Pixies, Television, The Replacements, D’Angelo, and Love. In high school, he was in a band called Blüdbag, which covered material by venerable acts such as Lit, Sublime, Green Day, and Reel Big Fish, so you know you can trust his taste.

Kristin Collier

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:58:00 -0400

Kristin Collier is an editor for On Record. She’s hails from Michigan, which she refers to as god’s country. She likes to climb things, write stuff, and watch old western movies and documentaries. One of her major life goals is to attend a ghost tour in every major city in the country (and she’d be happy to share her stories with you!). Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Otis Redding are her favorite artists of all time, but she also adores The Walkmen and The Dirty Projectors.

Jack Stein

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:58:00 -0400

Jack Stein is an editor for On Record. He is also a teacher in Chicago, by way of Seattle. He primarily listens to “indie,” and listens to more experimental fare than his On Record counterparts. Undeterred by being tagged as the writer for “the weird stuff,” he also enjoys Kendrick Lamar, John Coltrane, and Coldplay. He wants to write for a living someday.

Alec Downie

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:57:49 -0400

Alec Downie is a writer for On Record. He currently attends college in Connecticut and loves Iron & Wine.

Mark Crowley

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:57:07 -0400

Mark Crowley:

Mark Crowley was raised in a barn. Growing up, his favorite activities included hiding in the woods and watching television. At the age of 13 he ran for mayor of his hometown with a friend, and nearly won. He is and has always been extremely unpopular. Most people he meets forget him almost immediately. In some weird revenge scheme, he makes an effort to never remember anyone’s name. Today, he moves from town to town following some unrealistic dream of never accepting responsibility. On the side, he draws pictures for On Record.

Tom Church

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:57:00 -0400

Tom Church is a writer for On Record and resident Twitter expert. He lives in Minnesota.

Liz Brown

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:56:13 -0400

Liz Brown is a Michigander living and teaching in New York City. She loves a good book and a good band and she divides her Fridays equally between book club, the Bowery Ballroom, and Netflix. She is partial to the indie rock/folk scene but is learning to expand her horizons. Liz is an aspiring writer and her work has been complimented in rejection letters by such illustrious publications as The Kalamazoo Gazette and The New York Times. Liz welcomes music suggestions and writing notes of all kinds via OnRecordmusic.com.

Ian Greene

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:55:50 -0400

Ian Greene is a staff writer at On Record. He’s also a graduate student living in California. He mainly listens to blues, R&B, and hip hop while attempting to do science.

About

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:24:00 -0400

On Record features the hi and lo of music writing on the internet. Essays and reviews coexist with our commentary on songs, videos, and memes. We love it all.

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