SOUNDTRACK: KURSTIN x GROHL-“Fuck the Pain Away” (The Hanukkah Sessions: Night Four” December 13, 2020).
Producer Greg Kurstin (who I have not heard of) and Dave Grohl (who I have) decided that, rather than releasing a Christmas song this year, they would record eight covers of songs by Jewish artists and release them one each night for Hanukkah.
“With all the mishegas of 2020, @GregKurstin and I were kibbitzing about how we could make Hannukah extra-special this year. Festival of Lights?! How about a festival of tasty LICKS! So hold on to your tuchuses… We’ve got something special coming for your shayna punims. L’chaim!!”
The fourth night is very family un-friendly, because it’s a song by Peaches.
Drake’s not the only musical Jew from Canada…tonight we feature a Canadian rock G-Dess…who coincidentally grew up around the corner from a Canadian Jewish rock G-D (G-ddy Lee). Straight out the mikvah, here’s Peaches!
I don’t know Peaches all that well, but I do know this song.
Kurstin plays the minimalist synth line, including the hand claps.
Grohl plays drums and sings. There’s not much in the way of drums in this song (nor much in the way of lyrics either, actually). There’s an inherent smile as Grohl sings “sucking on my titties.”
For such a hedonistic song, the pro-school verse is pretty surprising: IUD SIS, stay in school cause it’s the best.
The surprise in this one comes half way through the song when Peaches herself makes a remote appearance. She sings the chorus with Dave (although they don’t acknowledge each other).
[READ: December 14, 2020] “The Professor”
This year, S. ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar. This is my fifth time reading the Calendar. I didn’t know about the first one until it was long out of print (sigh), but each year since has been very enjoyable. Here’s what they say this year
You know the drill by now. The 2020 Short Story Advent Calendar is a deluxe box set of individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America.
This year’s slipcase is a thing of beauty, too, with electric-yellow lining and spot-glossed lettering. It also comes wrapped in two rubber bands to keep those booklets snug in their beds.
As always, each story is a surprise, so you won’t know what you’re getting until you crack the seal every morning starting December 1. Once you’ve read that day’s story, check back here to read an exclusive interview with the author.
It’s December 14. Sabrina Orah Mark, author of Wild Milk, regrets that she will be unable to attend office hours this week. [Click the link to the H&O extras for the story].
This is the second story in a row that I found very confusing and not very enjoyable. I really used to enjoy weird stories like this, but my tolerance for this style has thinned as I get older I guess.
It starts plainly enough. A student, Penny, is waiting for her professor. Although when the professor calls, “we step over five students I’ve never seen before.” (more…)
I Just Read About That... 