oO*Ahh

Re: Alumni Update Third Request

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 13:02:00 -0400

To Whom It May Concern:

This is not the email for John McNaney, Loyola Blakefield alumni from 1981. Please stop sending emails about your alumni newsletter.

Send.

But then I thought about it. Just how often do we have the opportunity to invent the person we wished we could’ve become since high school? To voice all the imagined triumphs and accomplishments we wished we’d achieved?

Here is the reply I could have sent:

Dear Loyola Alumni Association,

This is John McNaney, class of 1981. Thank you for contacting me. I apologize for my late reply. As you may have read in the newspapers, I have been out of the country for the past year.

Since graduation from Loyola in 1981, I’ve accomplished so many things. Where to begin? After winning the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in literature for my autobiography, I am John, which I proudly began penning in the halls of ol’ Loyola, I completed my medical degree at Harvard. Lying on a blanket in Harvard yard one night, watching a meteor shower, I felt God spoke to me and told me to start a medical foundation that would allow children in third-world countries to receive vaccines free of charge. Turns out, it was incredibly easy to set up this foundation. You just have to know the right people.

On one of my many pilgrimages to South America, I met the woman who would become my wife, Linda. Turns out she was not only a doctor, but also a swimsuit model. And they say brains and beauty can’t coexist! Linda and I rushed back to the states to marry at her father’s country club, and within a year we had our first child, Benjamin. Benjamin is now a Rhodes scholar, if you can believe it. They grow up so fast.

Most recently, as you no doubt know, my Pulitzer Prize winning autobiography was picked up by Hollywood production agency to turn into a film. Originally, the casting director had chosen Brad Pitt to play the character based on me, but then had the novel idea of allowing me to star in the film. Having studied briefly at Juilliard, between graduating from Loyola and beginning medical school at Harvard, I felt confident in that endeavor. After the film’s release in theaters, and the subsequent Academy award nominations and wins for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay, I have been doing non-stop press tours throughout America and, now, Europe. As a matter of fact, I am writing to you from an Internet café in Rome right on the outskirts of the Collosseum. I am truly blessed.

I hope that this will suffice for the Loyola alumni newsletter. If you would like a photograph to accompany the article, I can have my good friend Ms. Annie Leibovitz send one over from our last shoot.

And, as always, our alma mater’s cheer: “Roll, Dons, Roll!”

With Warmest Regards,

John McNaney

Top Ten Albums of 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Wed, 1 Jan 2014 13:18:00 -0500

All-female post punk band, Savages, my #1 pick for 2013

Complete Top 10 list here:

http://www.thetens.us/users/joanna

Don't forget to check out the other awesome Top Ten lists on the site created by the great Tony Tambe.

Put on your headphones and get listenin'!

The Secret History of Oo*Ahh

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 11:48:00 -0500

Did you know that oo*Ahh has existed for over twenty years? It's true.

I created oo*Ahh in 1991 as a gossip rag to circulate among close friends my sophomore year in high school. I spent hours conducting interviews with friends, writing articles, drawing pictures, and cutting and pasting it all together (literally, with scissors and tape). We didn't have the internet yet, folks.

Here are three different 1991-era covers and an article (a handwritten, transcribed phone interview with my best friend Beth about the existence of the Easter bunny and Santa Claus).

Then, ten years ago, as a graduate student of English at SUNY Brockport, I started oo*Ahh again as a zine. The goal was two-fold: to keep my writing practice alive while avoiding the real work of my Master's thesis.

During down time at my day job, I would write short articles, cut and paste pictures (the way I'd done it in high school), and make photocopies of the oo*Ahh zine. When I went to class in the evening, I would bring a stack of oo*ahhs with me and drop them off in the English department. To my surprise, the stack was almost always gone when I went back the next night (though, who knows, someone may have just thrown them all out). We weren't recycling yet, folks.

So, if you're looking for back issues, hit me up! If not, just enjoy the "artwork."

Running the Christmas Emo-Brain-K marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 10:51:00 -0500

I used to be an athlete. I played (in order from terrible to very good):

1) Soccer (Terrible). I was a goalie and I was eight years old & once someone kicked the ball into my head during practice and still managed to score the goal.

2) Basketball (Not very good). Freshman year in high school, I made the JV team simply because I was tall, and could rebound (picture Wilt Chamberlain as a 14-year-old girl wearing umbros).

3) Softball (Also not very good). I was also on the JV softball team my freshman year in high school, but God knows why. My best friend Beth and I were constantly benched, except most times there wasn't even a bench, so we just sat in dirt on the side of the field, naming the batter's helmets with a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie.

4) Baseball (Fair). For a ten year old playing on an all-boys' Little League team, I was especially resilient when my teammates called me names. I also remember hitting a couple of solid doubles.

5) Volleyball (Pretty good). Freshman and Sophomore year of high school I played on the JV team. I had a hell of a serve, until I dislocated my shoulder during practice. Subsequently, I started doing theater, but that is another blog post.

6) Field Hockey (Very good). Freshman and sophomore year, I played on the JV team, and was even captain of the team during sophomore year. I also played on the Varsity team my junior year in high school. I was a brute of a halfback. You wouldn't have recognized me. I could steal the ball away from any of those little plaid skirted ladies. I could also run really, really fast. (#23 in the pic).

During my junior year of high school, when I was at the top of my field hockey game, I could run a mile in just about eight minutes. I heard that was pretty good. Yep, I've been hanging onto that compliment for just over twenty years now.

But for all the sports I used to play, and all that running I used to do, I've never kept up with it.

Wait. I did try running once during a summer break after my first year at college. I remember I even made a mix tape with Toto's "Africa" on it for inspiration. I wound up getting heat stroke and never running again. I don't blame it on Toto.

The type of running I do now, however, is what I like to call Emo-Brain-K marathons (emotional marathons run in my brain). They mostly involve running around in my head, obsessively perseverating on thoughts and ideas until I'm completely exhausted. Very few people cheer for me and even fewer offer cups of water. I'm not blaming you.

If you suffer from anxiety or depression, you know what I'm talking about. If not (and/or if you are a real runner of marathons) I am super jealous.

The holidays can be especially challenging for those of us who run Emo-Brain-Ks. We replay events from our past, not too unlike the plot of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but often without spiritual tour guides to help us draw concrete conclusions. Also, if we're feeling ornery, it's not because we are intrinsically Scrooge-like, it's because (like Scrooge), something in our past has stuck with us and the psychic pain is hard to shake off.

Hopefully, our Ghosts of Christmases Yet to Come will soon show us much brighter pictures of ourselves, surrounded only by those cheering us on, handing us cups of water -- learning not to run so many Emo-Brain-Ks alone.

Mom's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Sun, 8 Dec 2013 09:24:00 -0500

Today my mother would have turned 61.

Last year, two days after her 60th birthday, she died at home just as the sun was coming up. It was the cruelest light I'd ever known.

For the past year I've walked around with an unparalleled emptiness. This morning I took that emptiness and forced myself awake early to take a walk. After a few blocks, when my ears were ice cold, I realized that I'd once again left my winter hat at home. Then I remembered how angry my mother used to get when I didn't dress properly in cold weather.

Just then, I heard a young mother across the street struggling with her son in his stroller:

"You have to keep your hat on."
"No."
"It's cold."
"No."
"Do you want munchkins?"
"Yes!"
"Then you have to keep your hat on."
"No."
"Then you can't have munchkins. Do you want munchkins?"
"Yes."
"Then you keep your hat on."
"No."

I hope he kept his hat on, not only because munchkin donuts are delicious (especially when you're two), but also because his mother just wanted him to be warm and safe.

Today, I'm reminded of all the sacrifices parents make for their children. All the energy, all the love, all the care. Sometimes we don't realize these things until it's impossible to go back and say "thank you." Today, if you're lucky enough to still have your mom, thank her. Thank her for yourself. Thank her for me.

And for god's sake, wear at hat. It's cold outside.

Pennies from Heaven, Remembering Columbia House's Mail-order Music

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:45:00 -0400

We leave them on counters at the register.

We throw them on the ground.

We no longer pick them up for good luck.

What are they?

You guessed it....PENNIES.

The throw-away copper cousins to all the other, more valuable coins in US currency.

But there was a time, friends, a magical time during my childhood, when a one single penny was worth ELEVEN records, tapes, or CDs.

All I had to do was fill out a little yellow piece of paper with my monthly selection of music, and a little company called Columbia House mailed me The Doors, Billy Joel, The Beatles, REM, Heart, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Journey, Fleetwood Mac & David Bowie.

Of course, 11 albums for a penny was a bit of marketing scam, better known as a negative billing option. Every month, you were automatically sent Columbia House's music selection and billed for it, unless you explicitly turned down the product before it arrived. This resulted in a lot of random music being delivered to my doorstep. I didn't necessarily want Simply Red's Greatest Hits album, but turns out my Dad really liked the guy with the stringy red hair who wore the beret. I also didn't want Grateful Dead's American Beauty, but my younger brother felt it was ideal accompaniment for taking bong hits in his closet. Turns out my negligence, resulted in strengthening my family relationships.

Thanks for the memories, Columbia House.

P.S.

Other important pennies:

1. Penny Marshall

2. Penny from Inspector Gadget

3. When The Golden Girls did their production of the children's tale "Henny Penny"

I forgot I had a blog

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Sat, 4 May 2013 08:54:00 -0400

It's true: I forgot I had a blog.

It’s an easy thing to forget about. You wake up one day, log in to your account, and a whole year has gone by. Sometimes you wake up, a whole year has gone by and you’re still wearing the same jeans. Things like this happen.

In honor of forgetting all about my blog, I’ve decided to post an essay of mine with pictures. Who doesn’t like pictures in their essays? Certainly not me.

Here you have it.

***

Why the h*ll did I hate my sister so g*d d*mn much when I was 10?

A thorough investigation into my 1987 diary

From the outside cover you can tell the thing has been through it all. Great loves, great losses, great fears. The golden metal lock, imprinted with the words Made in Italy (seriously do you remember there was a time not all things were made in China?), has been pried open a million times over. The key is long gone. The tear in the cover has been affixed with black electrical tape. The sides of the diary read “Don’t Open” and in between are sketches of tiny red and black hearts.

This, folks, is my 1987 diary.

Welcome to my 10 year-old mind: a complex creature filled with anxiety and angst translating into often-misspelled curse words shot off in rapid fire. My 12 year-old sister, Jessica, was almost always the target.

Exhibit A) February 13, 1987, the hate begins

The entry reads:

Jessica was being a fuckin-bitch, asshole, and an apbsoulute Fucker!!!

I warned you that my spelling wasn’t that good.

I’m not exactly sure what my sister did to warrant my first tirade. Jessica and I had shared a room together at this point since we were toddlers. Maybe I had finally lost it? Maybe I borrowed her plaid stirrup pants and she’d gotten angry with me? Or maybe she had kept me up the night before talking to her boyfriend on the phone under her covers. It could have been any (or all) of those things. One thing was for sure, I was mad enough to use three (!!!) exclamation marks.

Exhibit B) March 3, 1987, the hate continues (and I go to Girl Scouts)

The entry reads:

Jessica was an asshole. I had to go to girl sckouts. It was okay.

By March, my sister Jessica had apparently stopped being a “fuckin-bitch,” but had turned into an “asshole.” At least I knew to vary my choice of swear words. Again, I don’t go into specifics about why I was so angry. Maybe this was the day when Jessica told me to start shaving my legs because they looked like ape legs?

Exhibit C) April 13, 1987, Jessica gets perverted

The entry reads:

Today Jess is being an asshole. AND A FUCKIN’ PERVERT!

First off, I’m not sure I even knew what a pervert was. I knew it had something to do with sexy, but I wasn’t exactly sure what sex was, so I had no right calling her a pervert. Secondly, I used her nickname “Jess,” so I couldn’t have been that angry, though a year or two earlier she had drawn cartoons of naked people, cut them into small pieces, and hid them in a metal tin. Man, I wish I could find that tin.

Exhibit D) April 15, 1987, I realize I actually LOVE my sister

The entry reads:

Julie Figura said that Jessica almost got ejected [meaning: injected] by drugs. I’m scared! It was a kid at her school. I don’t know who to tell.

I remember walking down the hall of my middle school when I overheard Julie telling someone else this story. At the mention of my sister’s name I made her tell me everything. Of course my sister wasn’t almost “ejected” with drugs, but she was almost “injected” with something. Now that I think about it, this could have been someone’s insulin pen and not something serious like heroin. Though it was the 80s and there were a lot of drugs around. I ran straight to the guidance counselor’s office and bawled my eyes out. He told me to tell him what I knew and to try to calm down. I didn’t know what I knew, but as it turned out, I knew I loved my sister.

May 4, 2013 - 25 years later

Jessica is married with two children, my nephews Andrew (20) and Mark (15). We are in the process of grieving for our mother who passed away in December 2012 of colon cancer. Jessica was my mother’s caretaker during her last months. Jessica and I talk every day. I’m married now, too, and I still swear too much, though it’s no longer directed at my sister.

Top Ten Albums from 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Wed, 4 Jan 2012 16:52:00 -0500

Each new year a few buddies from high school put together a website compiling our top ten albums from the previous year. I promise to include a link once that website's published, but in the meantime here's my 2011 list. Maybe you'll find something new for your iPod. Enjoy!

1) Let England Shake – PJ Harvey

Favorite tracks: “ In the dark places” and “Let England Shake”

Last year, PJ made my “Top Ten albums of the Decade” list with Stories from the City, Stories from the City (still my all-time favorite PJ Harvey album), but Let England Shake is a totally different beast. It’s moody, dark and strange, but oh so good. It took me a few listens to really get into the sound of it, but once I saw PJ in concert at Terminal 5 in NYC in April, I played this album all the time. Between PJ’s autoharp, the amazingly talented band, the lyrics and the dark political theme of this album, it really is one of her masterpieces.

Here’s a vid of her performing “In the dark places” in London. She was wearing a similarly crazy feathered headpiece at the concert in NYC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7HdesDTDWc&feature=related

2) Live Music – The Strange Boys
Favorite tracks: “Me and You,” “Omnia Boa” and “Punk’s Pajamas”

Mix up garage rock, a little punk, a little folk-rock and a little alt-country and you’ve got The Strange Boys, an Austin-based band who seem to be having great fun making music together. If you like Wilco, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, early Rolling Stones (or all of the above), you’ll love listening to this album. Call me sentimental, but I have a soft spot for any band whose members met and started playing together in the eighth grade.

There’s some seriously funny stuff in their video of “Me and You,” check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2KRB30HVX4

3) Carrion Crawler/ The Dream – Thee Oh Sees
Favorite Tracks: “Contraption/ Soul Desert” and “Carrion Crawler”

San Francisco-based band Thee Oh Sees is an incredibly energetic psychedelic punk/ garage rock band reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane, The B52s, and The Pixies. Can you imagine that combo? With tracks like “Contraption/ Soul Desert” you will soon be jumping around your living room. So if you’re looking to get your heart rate going, stop reading this and just start downloading the awesomeness now.

Here’s the band performing “Contraption/ Soul Desert” on KEXP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBLQ7TSrHpU&feature=related

4)    So Beautiful or So What – Paul Simon
Favorite tracks: “Rewrite” and “So Beautiful or so what”

What can I say about Paul Simon? He’s a living legend. As always with his albums, his acoustic guitar is as sweet as ever and the lyrics are all at once touching, refreshing and smart. As a struggling writer, I’m particularly fond of his song “Rewrite.” The lyrics tell the tale of an older aspiring writer who works at a car wash during the day, and who struggles to finish his novel during the evening. The guitar work is rhythmic, upbeat, and filled with cute little harmonic flourishes. “Rewrite” is definitely his best track on the album (if you’re looking to download just one).

Here’s a vid of him performing “Rewrite.”  After he does his cool one-handed solo in the middle, he accidently whacks his low E string, and then cracks himself up. It’s definitely worth seeing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi2DypBHyUg&ob=av2n

5)    The Bridge School Concerts 25^th Anniversary – Various Artists
Favorite Tracks: Norah Jones covering Wilco’s “Jesus, Etc,” Paul McCartney’s “Get Back,” The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

Every year since 1986, Neil Young and his wife organize a benefit concert for The Bridge School in Northern California. The school helps students with severe speech and physical impairments. This year marked the 25^th anniversary of the Bridge School Concerts and Neil Young compiled some the best live tracks since 1986 for this anniversary album.  What’s also great is that if you buy any individual track (or all of them) on iTunes all proceeds go to The Bridge School.

6)    A Creature I Don’t Know - Laura Marling
Favorite Track: “ Sophia”

Imagine a love child between Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell had been born with similar guitar skills and songwriting ability. Meet Laura Marling.  She’s already put her stamp on the indie-folk scene in the UK, winning “Best Solo Artist” at both the 2011 Brit Awards and the NME Awards, but it seems she is only starting to get airplay here in the US. With tracks like “Sophia,” which starts so bare-boned and quiet and then builds beautifully around the three-minute mark with the addition of drums and string instrumentation like bass, mandolin, cello and (of course) Marling’s vocal harmonies, you will be hooked. Thankfully, since she’s only 21 years old, it’s likely we’ll be hearing much more from her in the years to come.

Here’s the official “Sophia” vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-TMl5oCRjk

7)    Passenger – Lisa Hannigan
Favorite Tracks: “Knots” and “Passenger”

Lisa Hannigan. Sounds familiar, right? Do you remember the awesome female vocalist who sang with fellow Irishman Damien Rice on some of his best tracks like “Volcano” from his 2002 album O? That’s Lisa Hannigan. Passenger is her sophomore album (her first solo album from 2009 Sea Sew won all sorts of accolades in Ireland) and with tracks like “Knots” on this new one showing off her vocal skills and ukulele ability, you might just want to take a moment right now to listen.

Here’s her performing “Knots” live at WFUV (one of the best non-commercial radio stations in NYC):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgknRAl9GLU&feature=related
And the official “Knots” vid (I had to include this too because it’s such fun):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYdPtcx-4mo

8)    Sing it Loud – k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang
Favorite Tracks: “Sugar Buzz” and “I Confess”

Are you ready to be put into an adult-contemporary trance? Well, give yourself a few minutes with this latest k.d. lang album and you’re sure to be swept under. The track “Sugar Buzz” is a perfect example. What’s amazing is that I heard in an interview with k.d. that the majority of the lyrics for “Sugar Buzz” she wrote over text message. If the lyrics and k.d.’s voice don’t do it for you, the music will. The chord progressions in these tunes are incredible. The slide guitar, the organ, the drums…that Siss Boom Bang has got it goin’ on.

Here is a killer acoustic version of “Sugar Buzz” live on WFUV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgyVsn4Ct68

9)    Within and Without – Washed Out
Favorite Tracks: “Amor Fati” and “Eyes be closed”

I first heard of electronic artist Ernest Greene, aka Washed Out, because “Feel It all around” from his 2010 EP Life of Leisure, is the theme song to the hilarious sketch comedy show Portlandia.  Greene describes his music as “chillwave” which seems perfectly accurate. It’s a combination of synthesizer, Greene’s quiet vocals and synced drum patterns that is perfectly suited to whisk you away to another mellower destination on those days when you need it most. The only issue with Washed Out, is that his music seems pretty hard to recreate outside of the studio. Any live versions I’ve found on youtube, when he uses other bands to make up the rhythm section, just don’t do Greene’s solo recordings justice.

Here’s the “Amor Fati” official vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy2N1dTIQf4

10) Cape Dory – Tennis
Favorite Tracks: “South Carolina” and “Waterbirds”

What I love about Tennis is also what drives me crazy about them: their music is pretty simple stuff. Problem is, despite it being non-offensive and simple, I’ve enjoyed listening to this album pretty consistently throughout the year. It’s also endearing that Tennis is a husband and wife duo, the wife Alaina sings and plays organ, and her husband Patrick plays electric guitar. You might not be blown away by Tennis at first, but there’s a good chance you’ll soon find yourself listening to the album over and over, even if you’re slightly embarrassed to admit it.

Here’s the band’s “Waterbirds” vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ecuwllU44&feature=related

Ten Singles from 2011 that are also awesome, but okay, I didn’t listen to the whole album:

1) "Rockaway Blind" by Lindsey Buckingham from Seeds We Sow
2) "Samurai Cowboy" by Kurt Elling from The Gate
3) "Good Day" by The Gaddabouts - self-titled debut (Edie Brickell side-project)
4) "Contrabanda" by DeVotchKa from 100 Lovers
5) "You’re Gonna Miss Me" by Ollabelle from Neon Blue Bird
6) "How Come you never go there" by Feist from Metals
7) "Magic" by Girls from Father, Son, Holy Ghost
8) "She walks in So many ways" by The Jayhawks from Mockingbird Time
9) "Roosevelt Island" by Eleanor Friedberger from Last Summer
10) "Got it all (This Can’t be living now)" by Portugal. The Man from In the Mountain In the Cloud

Favorite Tour Scenes in Film

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:29:00 -0500

Okay, it's ludicrous that I haven't written a blog entry in over a year. My friend Kensey said she actually checked my blog occasionally for any new entries, so I was inspired to write a new entry.

Today my wife (yes, wife!) and her middle school students are going on a tour to a lesser-known downtown Brooklyn landmark. She was telling me how hard it is to get middle school students interested in anything, much less historical tours. I agreed with her & then said that no tour could be as amazing as the Alcatraz tour led by Phil Hartman from the 1993 movie "So I Married an Axe Murderer." Who can resist his first line, "My name is John Johnson, but everyone here calls me Vicky."

Then it got me thinking of other tour scenes I love from films.

One: The Alamo tour from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. This scene has another one of the former SNL actors in it, Jan Hooks, who is pitch perfect as the overly friendly Alamo tour guide. "Do we have any Mexican-Americans with us today? Well, Buenos Dias!"

Two: The Art Museum of Chicago scene from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". You might recall Ferris and his gang joining hands with the little school children who are on a tour, so I think it counts! There are a number of reasons why I love this scene: 1) The instrumental guitar music in the background reminds me a bit of The Smiths (before the clarinet comes in), 2) The way they line up all together to look at the paintings, and (most importantly) 3) Cameron's mini-existential crisis that happens as he stares deeply the famous George Saurat painting "Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette."

Three: The scene in another of one of my all-time favorite John Hughes movies, "Some Kind of Wonderful" where Eric Stoltz's character (Keith) takes Lea Thompson's character (Amanda Jones) on a private night tour of an art museum (2:59). The scene culminates when Keith reveals a painting that he has made of Amanda hanging in the gallery. The painting is meant to be beautiful, but it is really just hilarious. Also, my best friend Beth and I once wrote lyrics to the instrumental song that is playing in the background during this sequence. If you're lucky one day, we'll sing it for you.

All right, now I need your help filling in the blanks.

Can you think of any other tours in film that I'm missing? Or movies about tours? I thought about "Spinal Tap" and the fact that they're ON tour, but I'm not sure if that counts...

10 more newish songs you just might like

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:31:00 -0400

ONE
Song: "Trashcan"
Band: Delta Spirit
Album: Ode to Sunshine

In a sentence: An uplifting and well-written song that stands apart from your predictably drab indie music.

TWO
Song: "Heart is Strange"
Artist: School of Seven Bells
Album: Disconnect from Desire

In a sentence: Imagine New Order having a baby with the Cocteau Twins.

THREE
Song: "A Roof Somewhere"
Artist: Lonely Drifter Karen
Album: Fall of Spring

In a sentence: Songs in 5/4 time hold a particular power over me, especially when the person singing it sounds like this band's lead singer Tanja Frinta.

FOUR
Song: "Why does the wind?"
Artist: Tracey Thorn
Album: Love and its Opposite

In a sentence: Former Everything but the Girl lead singer does modern Pop music some good.

FIVE
Song: "Time of the Season"
Artist(s): Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Album: Hawk

In a sentence: Belle and Sebastian's Isobel Cambell and Mark Lanegan formerly of Screaming Trees = magic.

SIX
Song: "Let Spirits Ride"
Artist: Black Mountain
Album: Wilderness Heart

In a sentence: Rock is not dead.

SEVEN
Song: "Firecracker"
Artist: Frazey Ford
Album: Firecracker.

In a sentence: Be Good Tanyas singer Frazey goes out on her own and kills it bluegrass style.

EIGHT
Song: "Kon Tiki"
Artist: Plants and Animals
Album: La La Land

In a sentence: This Montreal band has always put me in sweet little trance and this song is no exception.

NINE
Song: "When I'm Small"
Artist: Phantogram
Album: Eyelid Movies

In a sentence: What it about a woman singing "Oh Oh Oh" with a trip-hop sensibility that seems perfectly right on?

TEN
Song: "Babel"
Artist: Massive Attack
Album: Heligoland

In a sentence: Massive Attack, still sexy after all these years.

Me and NPR Music: 6 Tunes and a duel

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Sun, 3 Oct 2010 20:49:00 -0400

On September 27th, NPR posted an article called "The Saddest Music in the World: 6 Tunes to Make you Teary Eyed." Well, NPR. I am throwing my glove at you. That's right. This is a duel.

First off, NPR only chose (quote/ unquote) classical music. That simply isn't right. Part of what makes music beautiful (and tragic) are lyrics. Call me biased, but I like words. I don't feel that music is complete without them. So, if we are talking about lyrics, we really have to examine folk-rock and classic rock genres. That's where it's at people - back when people weren't writing total idiotic nonsense and using auto-tuners on their voices (I'm looking at you Gaga). Again, call me biased. And bitchy. I'm good either way.

1. For God's sake, look at Joni Mitchell's "River".

"I wish I had a river/
I could skate away on/
I made my baby cry."

Does anyone have a sharp razor I could use? Seriously. Not convinced by the words? Have you ever listened to that song? It is the definition of DEVASTATING. Don't think so? Listen to Joni's "Case of You." If you don't cry, you're not human.

2. How about Blind Faith's "Can't Find My way home"? Steve Winwood killed this with his sweet tenor voice.

"I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time/
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home."

I mean, "Higher Love" - his crap from the 80s - is funny and all, but this is painfully good. It isn't bogged down with sax and keys (all too typical of anything from the 80s). There's also a really old live version on Youtube.

3. "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac. Between Lindsey Buckingham's fingerpicked chord changes and Stevie Nicks' desperately sad lyrics (which she's said are a tribute to her father, I mean consider singing this to your father, folks).

"Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?/
can a child within my heart rise above?/
can i sail through the changing ocean tide?/
can i handle the seasons of my life?/
i don't know..."

I am still spellbound by the original recording. The fact that she is literally asking questions to the universe and responding to herself with "I don't know." We all don't know, Stevie. Not a one of us. And I've heard the original recording a ba-zillion, ga-tillion times. So I like to alternate that version with The Dance (Reunion Tour) version.

4. Sad music just wouldn't be sad music without Nick Drake. Part of this is because Nick Drake got famous way after his death because of a freaking VW commercial that played "Pink Moon." He'd committed suicide decades before that "big break." And how did he do it? He overdosed on anti-depressants. Here are some lyrics from my favorite sad one, "Time has Told Me".

"Time has told me/
Not to ask for more/
someday our ocean/
will find its shore"

I know the words seem a little sing-songy, but if you listen, it's anything but. I like to think he wrote this as a pep talk to himself. That's just my analysis.

Aren't depressed yet? Listen to this next name.

5. Elliott Smith. That's right. I went there.
"Waltz No. 2" from his album XO. The second I heard this song in 1999, I ran out, bought the album and proceeded to play the song a trillion times in my little portable CD player in my little old Geo Metro hatchback. Like Nick Drake, Elliott also took his own life. Too sad.

"In the place where I make no mistakes/
in the place where I have what it takes"

6. Lastly, Joan Armatrading's "Down to Zero." If you are feeling heartbroken, simply press play. Side effects of listening to this song include: bawling your eyes out, rocking back and forth in the fetal position, and more bawling your eyes out. Don't believe me?

"Oh the feeling/
when you're reeling/
you step lightly thinking you're number one/
down to zero with a word 'leaving'/
for another one..."

Take that NPR.

More Favorite Music Moments in Film

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:53:00 -0400

1. The cast of Reality Bites get the munchies, head to a gas station for snacks & get down to The Knack's "My Sharona."

2. Richie and Margot Tenenbaum reuniting to Nico's "These Days" in The Royal Tenenbaums.

3. Jack Black masking as a substitute teacher premieres his epic hard rock song "You're not hardcore" to class in School of Rock.

5. The wedding singer from Old School sings "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

6. Steve Zissou and his team go underwater to find the Jaguar Shark in The Life Aquatic. The scene starts with a great little electronic ditty and ends with the beautiful Staralfur by Sigur Ros. Not to mention Seu Jorge's doing Portuguese David Bowie covers throughout the movie...my favorite is "Lady Stardust."

7. Jack Black does it again in High Fidelity with his Monday morning tape and "Walking on Sunshine" dance.

8. John Travolta and Uma Thurman get down to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" in Pulp Fiction.

Top Ten Favorite Music Moments in Film

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:14:00 -0400

Let's just say the Say Anything boombox "In Your Eyes" scene goes without saying...but here are my other top picks.

1. When Duckie lip-syncs & dances to Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" in Pretty in Pink. His entrance alone kills.

2. When the full cast of The Big Chill cleans up after a very tense dinner & does dishes to The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."

3. The "Tiny Dancer" scene from Almost Famous, as the band is leaving Kansas in their tour bus after a very long night of debauchery, they break into a singalong version of the Elton John song that turns their moods around.

4. The "Sound of Silence" montage of the young Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate.

5. The Alice in Chains club scene where Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott's characters first meet in Singles. Really seems to epitomize the grunge/ dating scene in 1992 Seattle. This scene also includes great dialogue between the two characters & then Matt Dillion's character discussing his band "Citizen Dick."

6. Soloman Burke's "Cry to Me" scene in Dirty Dancing. "Dance with Me?" Classic.

7. "I've written a letter to daddy" scene with the creepiest looking Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Her bow at the end is brilliant.

8. The club scene from Basic Instinct. This was one of the first times on film I saw two women dancing (and doing some other things) together. Frankly, I could do without Michael Douglas coming onto the scene altogether, but I took what I could get in 1992.

9. The introduction to John Turturro as Jesus in The Big Lebowski to the Gypsy Kings cover of "Hotel California."

10. Salma Hayek's lady on lady tango in Frida. Ay Dios Mio!

newish music from newish bands that i think you won't hate (and might even like)

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:22:00 -0400

modern day mamas & papas meet 21st century seattle:
track: resevoir park
band: the dutchess & the duke
album: she's the dutchess, he's the duke

fun & adorably voiced:
track: "cool yourself"
band: thao
album: know better learn faster

minimalist sexy electronica:
track: "recurring"
band: bonobo
album: days to come

70s folk influenced rock n rollers:
track: "roscoe"
band: midlake
album: trials of van occupanther

stupid captchas

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 02:55:00 -0500

we've all seen them before. the eerie font, the strange disconnected two words. this is for security purposes. type the words you see in the box below. capitalization is not necessary. then, because the font is so obscured, we've typed in the wrong words and are asked to try again. damn it! why, captcha, why??

who are these captchas anyway, and what's their real purpose? are they just futile web riddles that we are all encouraged to figure out for no real reason? i think so, but i'm not sure. please tell me your thoughts by typing these two words in the box below. HeLLa StUpiD.

Top 10 songs & albums of the decade

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 11:18:00 -0500

Since everyone and their mommas have written Top 10 lists for this past decade - who am I not to write one?

Here (in no particular order) are my top 10 Songs & top 10 albums of the decade:

Songs:

1. When Your Mind's Made Up - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (aka The Swell Season) ...from the Once soundtrack ...a song that, for me, is ten times better than their Oscar winning Falling Slowly...
2. Yr Mangled Heart - The Gossip...Beth Ditto leads this punk-rock meets disco trio & their music always fires me up! this band is even better in concert if you can believe it...
3. Obstacle 1 - Interpol...from the band's debut album Turn on the Bright Lights, a perfect throwback to bands like Joy Division and Wire...
4. This Tornado Loves You - Neko Case ... no, this tornado loves YOU, neko...
5. Paranoid Android - Brad Mehldau (covering Radiohead)...his performance reminds listeners of the beauty and complexities of this song. almost better than the original recording off of Radiohead's OK Computer (which is saying a lot)...
6. Son of Sam - Elliott Smith...one of the best singer-songwriters, who we unfortunately lost this past decade, luckily left this song with us...
7. Trains - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals ...alt-country foot-stompin' goodness...
8. Big Exit - PJ Harvey ...the first track from her brilliant album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is yet another reason to love this rock goddess...
9. True Affection - The Blow ... The new incarnation of this band from Portland is called Yacht, but I still prefer The Blow...very understated Nintendo-ish indie pop, smart lyrics, great lead female singer...
10. Postcards from Italy - Beirut ...For when you feel like being musically whisked away to Europe...

Additional songs I loved: Since We Last Spoke - RJD2, Where and When - Hayden, Go it Alone - Beck, Sway - Heartless Bastards, Ship Out on the Sea - The Be Good Tanyas, Anthem for the Earnest - The Bad Plus, Good Old People - Bill Frisell, Gravity Rides Everything - Modest Mouse, Ghosts in my Machine - Annie Lennox, Mykonos - Fleet Foxes, Freedom Hangs Like Heaven - Iron & Wine, Yankee Bayonet - The Decemberists, Strange Overtones - David Byrne & Brian Eno

Albums:

1. Blacklisted - Neko Case
2. Turn on the Bright Lights - Interpol
3. In Rainbows - Radiohead
4. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - PJ Harvey
5. Insignificance - Jim O'Rourke
6. Suspicious Activity? - The Bad Plus
7. Standing in the Way of Control - The Gossip
8. Chinatown - The Be Good Tanyas
9. Riot on an Empty Street- Kings of Convenience
10. Paper Television - The Blow

Other incredible albums: The Bright Mississippi - Allen Toussaint, The Intercontinentals - Bill Frisell, The Greatest - Cat Power, Give - The Bad Plus, Gulag Orkestar - Beirut, The Third Hand - RJD2, That's Not What I Heard - The Gossip, Surprise - Paul Simon, The Mountain - Heartless Bastards, Middle Cyclone - Neko Case

Tuesday Music Pick

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:17:00 -0500

What is it about listening to The Pretenders album Learning to Crawl (1984) that makes me feel like all is right with the world? Well, let's see, the first two tracks KILL --> Middle of the Road and Back on the Chain Gang. Not to mention Thin Line Between Love and Hate and 2000 Miles. Don't take my word for it, listen for yourself! While you're at it, revisit Talk of the Town from Pretenders II (1981) and the beauty Don't Get Me Wrong from Get Close (1986).

Toxic Time Bomb

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:51:00 -0400

Dear Carroll Gardens Cobble Hill Courier,

A big thank you to your page layout person. Your latest front page turned out perfect.

Sincerely,
A pleased resident

Autumnal Ruminations

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:37:00 -0400

Yesterday M & I drove to Pomona, NY with the intention of apple picking. Since it started raining (and was chilly chilly chilly) we decided to just hit the Orchards of Concklin farmer's market. Upon walking through the doors, the market smelled like a combination of apple cider, cinnamon donuts and fallen leaves. Oh Mama, I'm in Heaven!

Autumn has been my favorite time of year ever since I was a child *. Growing up, my father paid my sibs and I $1 for every garbage bag of leaves we raked up in our front yard -- that is until he realized we were not filling the bags completely to make more cash. Anyway. Before putting the leaves into the garbage bags, we always raked gigantic piles of leaves and took turns jumping in. We had zero qualms about getting dirty, or about bugs -- just the perfect soft crunch of leaves beneath us.

The older I get though, the more I hear whiny New Yorkers giving Autumn a bad rep."You think this is cold, wait a few more weeks..." or "This is just the beginning of the end." Waaaah waaaah waaah.

Can't we let the Fall exist on its own without the negative attachment to Winter? Sure, Fall is short-lived, especially in Upstate, NY (shout out to my Rochester peeps!) where today there are leaves and tomorrow there is snow. For now though, the leaves are still turning, the kids are still picking out their perfect costumes, and the cider is piping hot. Put on some gloves and enjoy already!

* To make my obsession with Fall even worse, only three days separate Halloween from my birthday in November. Dressing up in costume, getting immense amounts of chocolate and still having enough candy left over three days later when I get presents and cake?? What's not to like??

baby strollers and stroller babies

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:35:00 -0400

ever since my gf & i moved to carroll gardens, brooklyn, we have been surrounded by babies. baby shops, babies in strollers, babies in papooses - babies everywhere! this would be totally fine for everyone involved if i didn't have baby fever.

i am constantly smiling like a lunatic and/or waving at babies (and toddlers). because of this, parents' reactions usually range from smiling back at me to shooting me death stares. parents, let me be clear: i am not a psycho baby stealer, i'm just a 32 (almost 33) year old woman whose biological clock is ticking and who has recently watched too many episodes of TLC's A Baby Story. i also may or may not be ovulating.

lately, my all-time favorite thing to see is a toddler strolling a baby doll in a mini-stroller next to his or her actual full-size stroller that the parent is strolling. since i'm an expert, there are basically two types of stroll-imitations going on in this scenario - one, the toddler who is totally overcautious about strolling his or her baby doll correctly, and two, the toddler who is completely spastic and running into parking meters. shout out, of course, to the suburban variation of this activity - a toddler with a mini-plastic lawn mower "mowing" the lawn beside the parent doing the actual mowing. something about these mini-imitations just get me, you know? don't even get me started on baby sneakers.

tuesday music pick

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Tue, 8 Sep 2009 12:44:00 -0400

a three-way tie between these songs that i've been playing over and over again lately...

1. interesting drug - morrisey (from bona drag, 1990)
2. been true - tom brosseau (from posthumous success, 2009) *
3. mykonos - fleet foxes (from sun giant e.p., 2008)

please go and listen to the goodness...

* shout out to alana for introducing me to the wonderfulness that is tom brosseau...

Trader Joe's - West Coast VS East Coast

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Fri, 4 Sep 2009 07:21:00 -0400

Act One

West Coast: Welcome to Trader Joe's.
East Coast: Yeah, hi. Where are the carts?
West Coast: Right behind you. They sure are easy to miss, aren't they?
East Coast: I meant baskets. Where are the baskets? I don't need a whole cart.
West Coast: Here, you can have mine.
(East Coast walks away but West Coast doesn't notice. West Coast continues speaking). Someone must have left it...you know people leave their baskets lying around all the time, they really should move them or someone could have a nasty spill --

Act Two

West Coast: The organic bananas are the best.
East Coast: I gotta pay twenty cents more for smaller, bruised bananas?
West Coast: Oh, they're not too bruised. Plus it's so much better to buy organic.
East Coast: I'll just go to the street vendor.

Act Three

West Coast: Would you like a sample of our Trader Joe's Morning blend coffee? It's a nice medium bodied --
East Coast: (cutting WC off) Milk and sugar.
West Coast: Oh, you do that yourself right over there.
East Coast: Forget it then.

Wednesday Music Pick

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:41:00 -0400

Tuesday was busy busy (thus the delay). Good news though: not only did Margot and I find a great place to live in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn - but we are also both recently employed! w00t!

To honor these recent events, I give you Richie Havens! Specifically, Richie's performance of "Freedom" from a little festival you might have heard of called Woodstock. Check out the way he uses his gigantic thumb to form some of these chords. Insane!

looking for apartments, day 318

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:02:00 -0400

okay, so it's really not our 318th day of looking for a new apartment, but the scalding hot temperatures in NYC, six floor walk-ups & dead cockroaches are pretty much descriptors of a living hell, right? i thought so.

here's a recent picture of margot and i looking for a place in williamsburg. we decided to get pretty gussied up to meet with the broker. would you believe that studio is $5000/ mo?

TMP

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna McNaney) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:21:00 -0400

by now i'm sure you know what TMP stands for, but in case you forgot, it's the Tuesday Music Pick.

today's pick is disfarmer, the latest album from one of my all-time favorite guitarists, bill frisell. hi, bill!

i'm feeling lazy, so read more about the awesomeness here then listen listen listen.