SOUNDTRACK: CHUMBAWAMBA-“That’s How Grateful We Are” (1990).
Chumbawamba called it quits this week after 30 years of being a band together. Most people assume they put out one single and that’s all. And in some ways that is true. Because most of their other music was way too radical to be played anywhere–even when it was as catchy as this.
This is a six-minute dance-funk song off of the first Chumbawamba album I ever heard (Slap!). It opens with a little girl saying “Okay, lay some drums on me.” After some drums and hammered percussion, she says, “gimme some bass” and a funky riff starts. It’s followed with accordion, horns guitars and, Chumbawamba’s signature–chanting.
It’s a call and response song with a wonderfully catchy chanted chorus.
On first listen you might catch a few unexpected words (black lung, attack, attack, we took to the streets). But then you get swept up in the chorus again (and maybe the accordion solo). But on further inspection, the song is about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956:
Working in a forge, black lungs, burnt skin
Callouses, arched back, hammering, hammering
Stalin watching over us pigeon shit head
We’d spit on the floor at this red bastard god.
Not exactly pop music, but you can sure dance to it. I haven’t listened to too much of their more recent music, but their early stuff is wonderful and worth looking for. Thanks for the music lads and lassies.
[READ: July 2012] Lucky Peach Issue 4
I can’t get over how much I enjoy Lucky Peach. I just loaned a past issue to a friend and he loved it too. He’s looking forward to trying some recipes and he’s been fascinated by the articles, too. I don’t read any other cooking type magazine, and yet I can’t get enough of this one!
DAVID CHANG & CHRIS YING are still on board with their note “From the Editors” and PETER MEEHAN, JONATHAN GOLD & ROBERT SIETSEMA talk about “American Cuisine, Whatever That Is”
This issue features a choose your own adventure from COURTNEY McBROOM AND ALISON ROMAN–“Voyage of the Taco Belles” in which they travel to Texas and California to compare “Mexican” food. It’s a fun adventure with many pitfalls and many delicious locations. No one could conceivably eat that much.
DREW ALTIZER-“Swan Oyster Depot” photos from the independent seller.
DAVID TREUER-“No Reservations” gives a fascinating history of the Objiwe peoples. How they don’t have a cuisine per se, but they do have specific foods they eat. Also, that their way of life was not decimated when the white man came because they did not eat bison, they ate from the water and from smaller animals. But when the white man gave them fatty fried foods, their diet was changed for the worst. A fascinating look and an unexpected content from a “food” magazine.
PETER MEEHAN, BRIAN KOPPELMAN, ANTHONY BOURDAIN and ELVIS MITCHELL all talk about the movie Diner. I have never seen it, but it sounds pretty important in a certain range of cinema. I liked hearing their various opinions of the movie. Elvis Mitchell (from NPR’s The Treatment) is particularly funny.
TOM LAX-“The Schmitter” talks about The Schmitter a crazy sounding sandwich from Philadelphia that should give the cheese steak a run for its money. (Cheese, Steak, Grilled Salami, “Special” sauce, Tomatoes, More Cheese and Friend Onions). Yum!
HAROLD McGEE-“Harold McGee in Outré Space”–He’s back with a lengthy article on eggs and his attempts at peeling hard-boiled eggs without ripping the egg inside–his experiments are pretty out there!
BEN WOLFE–“American Microbial Terroir” How microbes and bacterium form on salami in different regions and how those bacteria inform the flavor of the meat. Gross but very interesting.
STEVE KEENE-“Portfolio” He did the cover for Pavement’s Wowee Zowee album and here has a new portfolio of his new style of painting–on plywood.
DANIEL PATTERSON-“We Waited as Long as We Could” He talks about the Rascal House, a restaurant that he went to as young kid with his grandfather. It’s about the demise of this kind of establishment in general too.
BOB NICKAS-“Someone Has to Bring Home the Bacon” Nickas looks at Andy Warhol and his various accomplishments regarding foot (including the aborted Andymat)
JOHN GALL-“Defrosted Foods” a photo of defrosted foods
NOZLEE SAMASZADEH-“A
Modest Proposal” This clever article talks about eating foods and plants that we consider invasive. The best idea is to sell back the Asian carp to the Chinese–they love it and we don’t eat it, meanwhile it is invading our waterways. Seems we could get back all the money they owe us! Plus, why not eat Nutria?
MATTHEW RUDOFKER-“Knives Out” Look at these amazing knives (that I will never buy).
JONATHAN PRINCE-“Photo-Op Food” A very funny article about politicians trying (and often failing) to blend into regions by eating “local” food. And the funny photo-ops they often provide.
MARC MARON-“Pan-American” The tale of a used cast iron frying pan and the story behind it.
DOUGLAS WOLK-“Love, Love, and ALE-8 One” This is the story of an independent locally created soda. It’s based in Winchester, KY and serves more or less the Winchester area. The soda is in huge demand there. It’s the story of a brief but failed expansion and a determined independent spirit. Check out their site and stuff.
DAVID SIMON-“Pickles and Cream” appreciating the only contribution Simon’s grandfather ever made to the culinary arts.
LAUREN WEINSTEIN-“Sushi, USA” a comic about sushi.
MARK IBOLD is still on board (hurray!) bringing culinary fun from Southeastern PA. This time: John Cope’s Fancy Golden Sweet Corn.
There’s of course lots of delicious (and sometime crazy) recipes written in their own wonderful somewhat disrespectful style.
Oh, and just to put your mind at ease, the picture on the cover is of a cow eating a veggie dog. Even knowing that it’s still disturbing.
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SOUNDTRACK: MODEST MOUSE-“Lives” (2000).
This song (quoted in the story) comes from the first Modest Mouse album that I ever bought, The Moon and Antarctica. I have very vivid memories of listening to this album on a long dark stretch of road–not a bad image to connect with the album. This song comes near the end of the album after the stomper “I Came as a Rat” and the slow guitar and slightly ill sounding bendy note really set the unease of the song. After about 45 seconds the tribal drums kick in and change the pace of the song. But rather than bursting forth, the song kind of falls back in on itself until what feels like a brand new song comes out of this little cocoon–an upbeat acoustic number with strings that tries to remind you to live before you die. After a brief flirtation with yet another style, the song returns to whence it started.
I Just Read About That... 