How Much Was I Willing To Spend?...

$11.99 plus tax. Yes, I spent that much on the new Radiohead album that has been "available" since, what, October or November on their web site where I could have paid as much as I would've wanted...like a penny. But no, I waited until New Year's Day 2008 and gave 5 $5 bills to the nice cashier at the local Barnes & Noble and she handed me my change and my new "In Rainbows" CD. I almost didn't do it for fear that I was going to be the only dumbass on Earth to purchase the disc at full price. I had creep fantasies of my broad mug winding up on the cover of some smarmy British entertainment rag with the headline "Meet The Stupidest Yank In The World: What made this man spend over $12 on a CD most people paid less than $2 for?"

You know what, though? Who cares! First of all, mp3s are ruining the whole record buying experience, not to mention the fact that they sound like crap to a near-audiophile such as myself. I have to have that physical disc and I need all that artwork. And frankly, it was worth the wait and (maybe) the price tag. "In Rainbows" is easily Radiohead's best work since "Kid A." It's also the best pure songwriting they have done since "OK Computer," which was already GASP! over 10 years ago! "In Rainbows" is Radiohead at their least pretentious and most emotional. In some ways, it is the album that the "back-to-basics" album "Hail To The Thief" was supposed to be. The fact that that album was a bit of a step-backward may explain why it took the guys over 4 years to follow it up and find their footing again. Any worries about Radiohead being able to be a band rather than an art project are now washed away. They certainly aren't the "best band in the world" that Spin and other rags claims them to be every few months or so, but at least we now know they're trying again. Don't get me wrong, they are a great band (not mention one of the greatest live acts I've ever seen) and I am a fan, but I've always thought they were slightly overrated. "In Rainbows" is a beautiful, no bull shit record and it's about damn time.

"15 Step" sort of starts where Radiohead last left off. It's a fine song but might sort of get you thinking, "Oh great, more weird, paranoid techno-rock from Thommy Boy!" "Bodysnatchers" brings to mind the Radiohead many of us have missed these past seven years or so. Songs like "Weird Fish/Apreggi" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" rock you gently and can put a smile on your face as you realize now that the boys have officially returned to fine form. In the end, it may be worth it to pay a few extra bucks for the CD. Plus you get some cool stickers and shit.

David Bazan

You can download a full David Bazan concert at It's Hard to Find a Friend. It's pretty awesome you should check it out. 

2007, Hell Yeah

The Best of 07, a walk/talk down the lane of memories.

So the year is about to come to an end. My oh my how we've had some
times, good and bad. Since it's been forever since a new post has happened on BlackandTan
this will probably be the last one of the year (and the first of December). Its Christmas Eve and I'm at work right now. So to get in the spirit of Xmas I'm going to envision a fireplace glowing and sleigh bells ringing, you should do the same. Here's some of my personal highlights/lowlights.

***Lets talk records-

Highs-

Spoon- GA GA GA GA GA

Arcade Fire- Neon Bible

Bright Eyes- Four Winds EP. 

While Cassadaga was kinda a disappointment (except for classic cars), the Four Winds EP was exceptionally awesome, with the lowest point of the EP
being the song about a dog.

-From what I hear the new Maritime record is sweet, same as the new Boss tunes. As soon as I get some money or gift cards I'll have to pick em up.

Let downs-
*Jay Z- American Gangster. People love it, I don't think its that
clever. We get it yr a hustler.
*2007- Kinda a let down year. 2006 ruled the school way more.

**Live and in Person

Highs-

Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton @ the Varsity. She blew me away.

Let Downs-

Ben Gibbard, David Bazan. Snooze alert. Although the concert was
actually quite fun, but when is it not when you
yell out ba ba ba through every Gibbard song (yeah we were those
assholes), the music was super boring and people were chatting up a storm.
There were two highlights, Bazan unbelievable remdition of "Hallelujah" and
Bazan's "You Remind Me of Home."

***Movies, Movies, Movies

This was a pretty busy year for me and movie theaters. Mostly I was
making noise in the back seats of the theater ("I think they really love one another"), 

but while taking short breaths I did get to view a few films.

Highs-

*3:10 to Yuma- Come on, I used to love watching that TV show about the
kids in the Wild West delivering mail, so I was bound to love this....and I did.

*Dan In Real Life- Sondre made me smile, Carrell made me depressed. Nuff
said.

*Reno 911: Miami- Junior and that whale was ridiculous, am I right?

*Jesus Camp- Oh to be young and involved in youth groups.

*Superbad- while uber ridiculous, it was so hilarious. "Cock blocking
McLovin," come on

Let Downs-

*American Gangster- It was supposed to be sweet. It was supposed to be
one of the best films of the year. It was supposed to be the make all break 

all of newer gangster films. So here's the deal, they did it better
in the Godfather (part I,II, and III), and Training Day.

*That New Pirates movie. It doesn't even require an explanation.

Blockbuster delivered to my door the US vs. John Lennon. That was super
sweet.

So as I ring in the new year, here's my resolution. I'm going to post a lot more, 

even if the posts are pointless and lame. I know I've been neglecting you baby, I'm sorry.

Heres some eye/ear candy. dig.

Down, Set, Hike

You'd think that this shouldn't be here. I mean football is sport, right? Right, at least it was. Now it kinda encompasses all of our culture. Just watch TV for 2 minutes and you can see that charming lad from that small farm town in Indiana on every other commercial. Now I'm not complaining, I love his pep talks. But 'nuff about him, what I'm thinking about is everyone's favorite past time, Madden.

Who doesn't like sitting there and beating the opposition 75-3, and those three points you gave up where pity points after your 3rd string running back fumbled trying to break the 100 yard mark. It used to seem silly, almost ridiculous to play a game like that, just running up the score on one poor victim after another on your march to Superbowl victory after Superbowl victory.

Just when you're thinking, "hey! I'm gonna put down the controller and you know, do something constructive." Along comes high flying playboy Tom Brady and company, destroying their competition 56-10. While the New England Patriots are on the verge of breaking some of the NFL's most highly prized records, I think that their most important history making feat is making the world of Madden blowouts relevant again.

And now I'd like to introduce you to the 2007 Superbowl MVP's, Quarterback Tom Brady, Star Running Back Adrian Peterson, and with 4 TD receptions (all from the corner slant play action, with an improvised pump fake) Troy Williamson.

So thanks Tom and Randy, I really needed that.

"I'm Outta Heeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrreeeee....Bye Bye Soul!"

Is it fair to review something that isn't available to the masses, that only about 600-1000 people got to see this past Thursday? Why am I even asking this question? I'm the only who's going to read this (for spelling/grammar errors only, most of which I'll skip the hell out of). The title to this post is a quote from Michael Showalter ("The State," Wet Hot American Summer, "Stella," The Baxter and even M. Night Shyamalan's Signs for a few seconds) during his set at the Barrymore Theater in Madison, WI. He was referring to his days on MTV's sketch comedy show "The State" when somebody shouted out the phrase, "I'm Outta Heeeeeerrrrrrrreeeee!" which was the catchphrase for one of Showalters recurring characters, wannabe teen rebel Doug. Apparently, anytime Showalter is forced to utter the catchphrase, "A piece of my soul comes out of my ass."

Showalter was co-headlining the Barrymore with former "The State" and "Stella" colleague Michael Ian Black. Never one to be ashamed of how he earns his bread when he's not performing comedy on the stage, Black interrupted Showalter's set 5-minutes in to greet the audience with "I LOVE THE 80s!" and letting us all know he was not in fact drinking cola, but Sierra Mist. In an age where bands/actors/comedians are often condemned by their fans for "selling out," Black is able to use his endorsements for more material in his set, which is a smart way to get your fans not to give a shit. That and the fact that he's actually funny on VH-1 and the Sierra Mist commercials, more often than not, are absurd in the most delightful way as long as they don't include Kathy Griffin*.

It's hard to talk about stand-up comedy performances to people who weren't there to witness it. It is even more difficult when the comedians are Showalter and Black. Judging by the accounts of other audience members from different shows I have read, Showalter's set is never the same at every show. As a matter of fact, in Madison he only did one bit from his recently released comedy album debut, "Sandwiches & Cats." Much of his set appeared to be improvised and based off the heckling (none of it negative, mind you) of certain audience members. Also having Black come on stage just to hang out and threaten to "fist" hecklers "up the ass" while Showalters "kills you" seemed like a very impromptu moment. The one moment of his set that was clearly rehearsed was his "Scrabble" slide show, where showed the audience the dictionary definitions for words like "penissock" and "preunshat," words he used to beat his opponent. It has to be seen, but trust me, it was genius. Overall, Showalter was more like a friend to everyone in the audience who just wanted to talk to them while he walked around the stage. Whether the material was carefully calculated or if it was just "go with the flow" is anybody's guess, but one thing's for sure: it was damn funny.

Michael Ian Black started his set talking about his plans to visit the Ho Chunk Casino later that night and how his memories of Madison involved 3 hours of sitting on a toilet courtesy of local Mexican cuisine dive the Taco Palace ("...I expected a pristine palace constructed entirely of tacos..."). Showalter was eating burritos from this place on the side of the stage, which prompted another "impromptu" set interruption. Beyond that, Black's set seemed a bit more focused, much of his material coming from his recently released debut comedy album, "I'm A Wonderful Man." Black might as well be one of the kings of deadpan and dry sarcasm, especially when he talks about how lame his kids are regarding their "cliched" choices for Halloween costumes. He had some good interaction with the crowd, too. At one point he was complaining about semen being "a wasteful liquid" and wished that he could "cum guacamole or chocolate sauce," which prompted someone else to shout "CheezWhiz!" to which he replied, "I should've seen that one coming from a Wisconsin crowd." I hung my head in shame.

Each of their sets lasted an hour a piece and they ended the show with a long goodbye that probably lasted a good 10 minutes. No one was complaining. It was a hilariously warm evening in a very strange, but intimate Barrymore Theater (the place looked and smelled like a sleazy multi-plex from the 1970's, I felt like I should've been watching Deep Throat there). They won't be headlining Dane Cook or Larry the Cable Guy venues any time soon since they don't try to broaden their comedic appeal and try to make everyone like them. But when was the last time Dane Cook came back on stage after the show and signed autographs for nervous fanboys (aka, me) and ladies?

* She was on "Suddenly Susan," which featured Eric Idle in the cast for the final season, as I just discovered looking up some Monty Python stuff. He replaced Judd Nelson on the show. There's not point to this, expect it made me burst into tears of pain and joy (since the show no longer exists; Idle can be spared the indignity)

A Limited Review

Though clearly he is not without influences and inspiration, Wes Anderson is perhaps the most astonishingly creative and original presence in American cinema today. This means that too often when any post-Rushmore Wes Anderson movie is released there is a massive divide between the opinions of critics. Many will praise him for his originality and attention to even the most mundane details, while other critics will piss and moan about the fact that his films are too quirky, and exist in a world all of their own making them unappealing to the mainstream. With Darjeeling Limited, the divide has closed a little bit for reasons that are easy to discover.
With this project, Anderson has taken the setting of the story out of his imaginary world (Which is always a fascinating one, anyway) and brought his characters into the real world (India). It’s really the first time Anderson truly explores and embraces an actual culture, though it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the one he picked is one of the most unique and grand ones in the world. In other words, India as the setting fits very well with Anderson’s distinctive approach to cinema.
The characters he created this time around, along with new collaborators Roman “I Am A” Coppola and Jason “I Am Cooler Than You” Schwartzman, are similar to what we may expect based on Anderson’s previous films: detached, depressed, obnoxious, pathetic, but often more real than we can often pinpoint upon first viewing. The relationship between the three brothers in the film is much like a train ride through India itself (Not that I’ve ever actually been on one), with peaks and valleys and sand and shit, plus curry. The emotions seem real and every action performed by the brothers, from throwing belts in to each other’s faces to numbing their ennui with prescription painkillers, is appropriate to the type of person they are.
While Darjeeling Limited may lack the imagination of Anderson’s previous efforts, it still very much an Anderson film and a progression into a more outward looking perspective on the world. While the world Anderson created in 4 other films may be missed, at least it an be known he can handle the real world with wit, class and way more creativity than most of his peers.

Hey! Hey! Momma!

How much Robert Plant material can I handle in one day? There's never enough, however, there's always cause for trimming the fat. What fat do I speak of? Surely not Plant, he's fit as a fiddle. I'm speaking of the big tub of lard that's currently wasting space right now in fine retail shops, iTunes and the Atlantic catalog: Led Zeppelin's "Mothership" compilation. Whose idea was is to waste time in creating a "definitive" Led Zeppelin compilation?* Ahmet Ertegun and Bonzo may be spinning in their respective graves (What the hell does that mean anyway?). Granted, there's nothing BAD about "Mothership," but what's up with the omission of "Fool In The Rain?" Simply put, don't waste your money on this. Instead, do something smart: save your money and purchase every Zeppelin studio album and discover more gems outside the ones slapped together in this collection. It'll be one of the most worthwhile investments you have ever made. Even "Presence" is better than any unfortunate Jimmy Page post-Zeppelin or sans Plant collaboration (Anyone remember "Coverdale/Page?" Didn't think so!)

*Had to be Jonesy