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Archive for the ‘NPR/PRI/PBS’ Category

Bryan Lee O’Malley–Lost at Sea (2006)

Posted in Bryan Lee O'Malley, Canadian Content, Canadian Music, David Bowie, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, NPR/PRI/PBS, Oni Press, Short Books, Sirius Radio, Universities, YA Books on June 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK–SIRIUS RADIO

We bought Sirius Radio for my mother-in-law a couple years ago. One day we found the radio safely unplugged and tucked away in the closet, so we took it home with us. We tune it in from time to time, and in general have found it to be quite enjoyable. I’ve made some very specific observations though:

1) Narrowcasting can REALLY limit your selection. Man, some of those stations you can hear the same artist 3 times in two hours. Not the same song, which is nice, but quite often the same artist. And, you can usually tell which artists were doing the ads for it way back when…hi David Bowie, I’m looking at you.

2) Sometimes the channels try to be so unique, that they’re actually just irritating. The Coffeehouse channel, which is overall pretty good, is constantly playing rare live versions or, worse yet, cover versions of the songs that you actually want to hear.

3) The Canadian channels are quite fun, especially The Iceberg. Its a good way to get exposure to bands that you don’t hear very often down here.

4) As with cable TV, there are hundreds of channels but almost none that I will listen to. There’s 10 program channels you can set, and we filled 9 of them. And yet, despite all the variety, there’s no prog rock channel! I put in a request for one, so we’ll see.

5) DJs on Sirius are just as irritating as on commercial radio. I’m glad they’re there, but why must they all be so vacuous? I mean, the cool alternative channel, which plays great music, actually gives us updates that it calls the “Daily DL.” Come on!

6) Overall, it’s a pretty good idea. But we listen to CDs and NPR (NPR on Sirius is just not the same) more often than not.

[READ: June 8, 2008] Lost at Sea

I received a shipment of comics from Oni Press. I don’t get to see many of their books at the store, so I have to order them online. Anyway, I was somewhat taken aback by how this shipment was filled with books that were so similar in style. I realized that I don’t typically judge a graphic story by the content but more by the art style…which may not be such a bad thing really. (more…)

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Bill Loehfelm–Fresh Kills [excerpt] (2008)

Posted in Adventure, Bill Loehfelm, Contests, Marriage Trouble, Nirvana, NPR/PRI/PBS, Scranton, PA, Teenage Fanclub on April 9, 2008| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: TEENAGE FANCLUB-Bandwagonesque (1991).

In honor of this post about an author I went to college with (go class of ’91) I’m going to mention this album from ’91.  According to the movie, 1991 was the year that punk broke.  And, with all of the grungey/alternative bands that got onto major labels at the time, you;d think it was true.  Or, you can read it like it was the year that punk broke, meaning fell apart, which may not be far from the truth either.

But enough of that.  This album was the breakthrough for Teenage Fanclub who then went on to release several even better records that nobody bought. This record has a great hit call “The Concept.”  It had a great chorus, fabulous harmony vocals and a seering guitar solo.  And that actually sums up much of Teenage Fanclub.  They knew how to write some great songs.  Their later records all grew increasingly poppy, but they always maintained an alternative edge.  In fact, you really can’t go wrong with any Teenage Fanclub record.  This one always holds aplace in my heart though, as the one I first heard.  “What You Do to Me” will stay in your head for decades (as it has done in mine!)

In Spin magazine, readers voted Bandwagonesque album of the year, beating out Nirvana’s Nevermind.   I guess they never got the memo about that though, as DGC dropped them pretty much right after the record was released.  Oops.

[READ: March 2008] Fresh Kills

The opening sentence of this story was, for me, not auspicious. It starts with a gun and a naked woman. Uh oh, I thought, another “hard boiled crime story.” But after the setting and plot premise had been established, this story showed really impressive depth. (more…)

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Simon Rich–Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations (2007)

Posted in Barenaked Ladies, Canadian Music, Flash Fiction, Funny (ha ha), Nick Hornby, NPR/PRI/PBS, Short Books, Simon Rich, The Sound of Young America on December 14, 2007| 2 Comments »

antfarm.jpgSOUNDTRACK: BARENAKED LADIES-Born on a Pirate Ship (1996) & Rock Spectacle (1996).

Continuing with my review of the BNL catalog…

Born on a Pirate Ship.pirate-ship.jpg
I recall really liking this album when it came out. But I just read the review on allmusic.com and they’re pretty harsh about it. I didn’t realize that “Shoe Box,” a really great song about adolescence, was an old song reworked. That said, I think the album overall still holds up well. “Stomach vs Heart” is a decent opener, but it’s really “Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank” that really wakes the album up. A great rousing song with the chorus “I am a Farmer… I work in the fields all day.” I enjoy it every time I hear it. “The Old Apartment” totally rocks, and was justifiably a single.

And, of course, the simply best song of passive aggressive breakup neurosis, “Break Your Heart.” The lyrics of this song are simply too good to pass up and should be investigated by anyone. But more important is the delivery. Hearing Steven Page’s voice crack as he bursts into that last verse is really moving. But it’s even more affecting on the live record, which came out next.

Rock Spectacle (1996).rockspec.jpg
This album is a fantastic live representation of the band. It really captures the greatness that was a BNL show. There’s great stage banter, some funny outtakes after the set is over, and some really fantastic renditions of the band’s greatest hits. You cannot go wrong with this collection.

[READ: December 13, 2007] Ant Farm.

I heard about this book while listening to a program on NPR. I had never heard of Simon Rich, but he was really funny; he and the interviewer seemed to be having a great time talking about various neuroses and phobias. The more he talked, the more I laughed. But I hadn’t hears who he was, and I was just hoping they would say his name before I had to get out of the car. Then I learned who he was and that in addition to being an editor at Harvard Lampoon, he also had a book out. After he read a story, I made a mental note to check out the book. But when he sheepishly admitted that it was “really short,” only about 140 pages and with really big print, and five blank pages at the end, then that I knew I had to read it immediately. (more…)

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