SOUNDTRACK: DEFIANCE OF ANTHROPOMORPHIC SEA ANIMALS-“Untitled” (2013).
It’s hard to review a band that you only saw once. It’s also surprising that said band, which appeared on Portlandia has virtually no web presence–not a video to be found!
In a previous episode, two parents at Shooting Star Preschool are distraught that the music in their children’s classroom includes the likes of Mike + The Mechanics (a gateway band) and are “getting very stressed out that the head of our school does not know about Neu!” (and doesn’t know that there’s Clash songs before “Rock the Casbah”). The parents stand up for indie rock: “Who’s to say a kid can’t appreciate a guitar solo in a Dinosaur Jr. song?” And then Modest Mouse’s Issac Brock brings in a crate of LPs (from the likes of Talk Talk and Temple of the Dog) and is more or less drummed out.
Well in the continuation of this skit, the four parents decide to form a band. It is atonal and noisy and utterly devoid of melody and at one point Carrie Brownstein screams out “Everyone leaves me!” (all of this to a room full of stunned children). I would love to get a link to the video, but there are none as of yet (nor of the amazing Squiggleman who headline the concert).
But just remember, kids prefer repetition like Philip Glass rather than Top 40 pop.
[READ: February 3, 2013] “Dear Mountain Room Parents”
Sarah and I have just finished a book by Maria Semple called Where’d You Go Bernadette. Semple’s bio said that she had written for the New Yorker (and Arrested Development which is all the cred I need). Interestingly she has only written one thing for the New Yorker (but it still counts) and it’s this Shouts and Murmurs piece (which I read and enjoyed when it came out).
In light of Bernadette, it seems like perhaps Semple has had some hands-on experiences with private school buffoonery. In this story the teacher of The Mountain Room sends an email to the parents about their upcoming Day of the Dead celebration. Immediately she has to reply that there’s nothing wrong with Halloween and that the parents signed up “for Little Learners because of our emphasis on global awareness.” But of course, it doesn’t get any better for her.
The concerns continue–from parents worried about a celebration with Dead in it to those who are trying to raise their kids dogma-free, everyone has a problem with this celebration.
As with every situation like this the teacher (Emily, who has children too, thanks for asking) tries to assuage everyone, even asking the Mexican lunch lady to explain Day of the Dead to the parents (you can imagine how well that goes). So more and more people are offended. So she has to resort to: “Finally, to those parents who are offended by our Day of the Dead celebration, I’d like to point out that there are parents who are offended that you are offended.”
No matter how much you try to appease everyone, including Maddie who believes that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, it all just ends up going up in flames anyhow.
This was a very funny little piece. And it ties in nicely to Bernadette.
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