25 Years Later, My Infatuation Endures...

25 years later, my infatuation for R.E.M.’s album, “Document,” endures.

Just gotta start with the songs, man!

11. “Finest Worksong.” I was in 3^rd grade. I had to mow our enormous back lawn. I had a Walkman. I found a cassette tape in our “junk drawer.” I plopped it in. I turned it up. This song came on. The song is firing on all cylinders. Rhythm section, guitar, vocals, horns. Damn. The line “what we want and what we need has been confused” has stuck with me since that day.

22.   “Welcome to the Occupation.” Ah, the namesake of my nerdy blog. WTF does it even mean? I’m not sure but it applies to so many things. Michael Stipe at his ambiguously clever best. Peter Buck’s jingle-jangle guitar is just a thing of beauty. “LISTEN TO ME!” 

33.   “Exhuming McCarthy.” The ends never justify the means. “Sharpening stones, walking on coals, to improve your business acumen.” (Yeah. That’s in a pop song). I wonder if Romney has heard this one?

44.  “Disturbance at the Heron House.” Alt Country. Post Punk. College Rock. Genres that had no place until these dudes.

55.   “Strange.” There’s something going on that’s not quite right. A good song for those type of moments, right?

66.   “The End of the World (And I Feel Fine).” Optimism in the face of annihilation? Clever song. I still can’t keep up with Michael Stipe, but I try.

77.  “The One I Love.” R.E.M.’s quintessential “hit” (prior to “Losing My Religion.”) I was 9 years old. I didn’t know it was a hit. I just loved to sing along. It took a while for the clever contradiction in the lyrics to make me smile: “This one goes out to the one I love/a simple prop to occupy my time. FIRE!” (Ouch).

88.   “Fireplace.” “Crazy, crazy, world. Crazy, crazy, times…”

99.   “Lightnin’ Hopkins.” Post-punk, Pre-grunge sweet spot.

110.  “King of Birds.” I absolutely LOVE the post-civil-war-hillbilly-guitar in this song. Peter Buck is so effing rad. Add Bill Berry’s army-march drums and its just a badass song.

111.   “Oddfellows Local 151.” Post punk/Pre grunge sweet spot. Again. No wonder Kurt Cobain loved these guys…

So glad I found that cassette in our junk drawer in 1987. So glad my older brother Scott left it lying around. Happy 25^th Birthday, Document!

Summer Concert Rating (For Realsies):

Labor Day has come and gone. Summer has finally fizzled out. The Fall Equinox will take place on Friday. Many Sierra Club witches will dance around a bonfire because of it! The End is nigh...

Prior to the fizzle, a few bands I really like decided to stop in the SLC. I was able to see most of them. Below is my systematic evaluation of each of my summer concert experiences. I sorta created a rubric:

Maximum points: 100

Rarely do concerts score 100 points. (I have only ever attended four "100-pointers" in my life).

The first was a Weezer concert at club DV8 in 1997. Weezer was touring for "Pinkerton" and the venue was just right. They had a perfectly underrated opening band (The Pulsars), great T-shirts, and the crowd banter was so intimate, I invited them all over to my house for spaghetti.

The second was a Radiohead concert when they came to the USANA Amphitheater in 2003. Somehow we got excellent seats right in front of the stage. Radiohead was touring for "Hail to the Thief." Stephen Malkmus opened for them and they played most of their unparalleled catalog. I don't know if you've ever had a memory in color, but I did of that night. It was purple.

The third was Dr. Dog in 2007. They played in some side-room at In the Venue and they were touring for "We All Belong." I'd never heard of them before, so it was incredibly amazing to get hooked on their catalog and live act all in one night. They played the hell out of their albums and to see them harmonize live is something special. It was intimate, and I felt like the show was just for me.

The fourth was Wilco in 2008. They came to Red Butte Gardens, they were touring for "Sky Blue Sky" and the Fleet Foxes opened. That concert christened my adult concert-going mojo into what it is today.

Anyhoo....

How to does a concert get 100-points? Here's the breakdown:

Overall Ben Points for Coolness: 20 points

I have to like the band, of course. If I like a band, chances are they're cool. (It's just the way it is, folks).

Venue: 10 points

There's nothing worst than seeing a band you love in a crappy place. By "crappy place," I mean crappy sound, awful facilities, and low-class hooligans that aren't there to enjoy the music.

Mindblowing Setlist: 15 points

Some songs are better than others. It's that simple. When a band brings the mustard to my personal favorites, there's nothing better.

Quality of Opening Band: 10 points

This is sort of a big deal. If I'm gonna go see a band I love, its like, their opening band could be my next love! I guess it's like going on a blind date orchestrated by your best buddy. The potential is crazy!

Radness of T-Shirt: 15 points

Why go to a rad concert if you can't brag about it? Why brag about it if you can't prove it? Prove it with a concert-T. It's that simple.

View of Stage: 5 points

Live music is only cool if you can see your band rocking their instruments. If you can't, just listen to a live record, right?

Tastiness of Encore: 10 points

Encores are basically a formality nowadays. However, in this formality, there's a way for the band to say, "thanks." If the encore is good and rocking, the band is giving you thanks, which is a special thing.

Quality Crowd Banter: 5 points

How do my rock gods connect to a live audience? Are they jokesters? Are they poets? Are they all business? I want to know. Crowd banter helps me answer these questions.

Buddies Present: 10 points

Was I able to enjoy the experience with friends and/or family? Did it bring me closer to folks I care about? I mean, if you're reading this, you know that's one of the reasons why I enjoy live music. The "shared" experience. The witnesses. The proof.

Alright. Here goes, (in chronological order):

The Shins:

Total Points: 83 (score adjusted since we bailed on the encore to pick up our kids.)

Overall Ben Points for Coolness: 17/20

Ever since Zach Braff (who?) crushed on Natalie Portman (wha?) in "The Garden State" (oh...), The Shins have been "cool." However, the talented Mr. Mercer has since transcended that sort of fluffy coolness with some amazing tunage spanning the last four Shins albums.

Venue: 10/10

Red Butte Gardens is my favorite, okay?

Mindblowing Setlist: 10/15

Mr. Mercer played his hits and he played ample amounts of his new stuff. I dunno, though, he didn't drop some crazy cover or provide a jaw-dropping rendition of any of his songs. He and his band played well. The setlist was good. Just not mindblowing.

Quality of Opening Band(s): 6/10

Some dudes called "Blind Pilot" and "The Head and the Heart" opened for The Shins. I thought these bands were decent (good enough for me to research them after the show, anyway). However, besides some minor hype about "The Head and the Heart," they were just that--decent opening acts.

Radness of T-shirt: 10/15

The T-Shirt was mostly rad. It was black with a cool "skull-ish" design on the front with tour dates on the back. Nothing too iconic, but I like it.

View of Stage: 5/5

We were able to sit comfortably right where we wanted. The whole band in view, close enough to see facial expressions. Very nice.

Tastiness of Encore: NA

(We had to take off to pick up our kids.)

Quality of Crowd Banter: 5/5

Mr. Mercer was pleasant and dropped some compliments to us fans. He also let us know that he used to live in Roy, Utah! (Zoinks!)

Buddies Present: 10/10

Val was there. Swallz was there. Good time.

Wilco

Total Points: 94

Overall Ben Points for Coolness: 20/20

I effing love Wilco. They're one of my favorite rock and roll bands of all time, so yeah, they're coolness points are as high as you can get.

Venue: 10/10

Red Butte Gardens is my favorite, okay?

Mindblowing Setlist: 14/15

Wilco played a killer setlist. It was all there, except...

Quality of Opening Band(s): 6/10

Blitzen Trapper opened for Wilco. Blitzen Trapper is like a poor man's Wilco. They sound all "alt-country" and stuff, but yeah, why slurp the gutter when you can go straight to the well?

Radness of T-shirt: 15/15

Black shirt, sweet art-deco-ish airplane. Wilco strongly emblazoned across the chest. Tour dates on the back. Veddy, veddy nice. 

View of Stage: 4/5

I literally wanted to perch right up to Nels Cline, have my face melted away. I was close enough to feel the heat, but yeah, no melting.

Tastiness of Encore: 10/10

Wilco double-encored! They played rarities and their secret hits! Totally gracious and raucous! 

Quality of Crowd Banter: 5/5

Tweedy is really, really good at this. He's deadpan. He's a poet. He hates the bourgeois. 

Buddies Present: 10/10

Miraculous buddy connections and intercosmic vibes!

My Morning Jacket

Total Points: 82

Overall Ben Points for Coolness: 20/20

MMJ are really cool because they are an acquired taste. I happen to believe once you've acquired the taste, they are an epically transcendent rock and roll band for the ages. 

Venue: 5/10

Pioneer Park is for hobos. Let's be honest. The sound was overly "bass-y" but these guys did manage to still rock pretty hard.

Mindblowing Setlist: 13/15

They're only getting a "13" because I guess 3 days earlier they rocked Colorado's Red Rocks pretty hard for 3 hours with rad covers and rarities. (I mean, c'mon...share the love!)

Quality of Opening Band(s): 6/10

Joshua James was a good act. I'd just prefer to hear Ryan Adams sing those songs, I guess...

Radness of T-shirt: 15/15

Dark, navy blue t-shirt with great design featuring all of the bands albums in old-timey mason jars. This might have been my most favorite t-shirt of the summer! Very cool...

View of Stage: 3/5

I was swagging it up in VIP! The view from there was just okay, but yeah, I can't complain...

Tastiness of Encore: 7/10

"Victory Dance" is a helluva way to encore! Victory Dance indeed!

Quality of Crowd Banter: 2/5

Jim James was communing with other worldly beings that night, not the crowd.

Buddies Present: 10/10

Val, dudes from high school. All good. 

Norah Jones

Total Points: 58

Overall Ben Points for Coolness: 10/20

Look. Norah Jones won me over when I saw her live. The thing is, she's not "cool" in the Ben Book of Coolness for the following reason: I worked with this dude named Cecil, and he liked her. In fact I first heard about Norah Jones from Cecil.

Cecil was a complete werido. 

This is why Norah Jones is not that cool in the Ben Book of Coolenss.

Venue: 10/10

Red Butte, baby.

Mindblowing Setlist: 10/15

I don't know her stuff all that well, but I liked it.

Quality of Opening Band(s): 4/10

I don't remember their names. That probably tells you enough...

Radness of T-shirt: NA

I just wouldn't be able to rock a Norah Jones tee, okay. 

View of Stage: 4/5

Val scored a sweet spot. I have to tell you, being that close to her and her voice was pretty amazing. I couldn't believe we share the same type of oxygen. Just crazy beautiful...

Tastiness of Encore: 8/10

Miss Jones and her crew provided a nice rendition of "Come Away With Me."

Quality of Crowd Banter: 2/5

She had weird banter. I thought she was sorta weird--but a good weird.

Buddies Present: 10/10

Valerie.

M. Ward

Total Points: 75

Overall Ben Points for Coolness: 20/20

M. Ward is "the guy behind the guy" cool. His indie-folk-rock cred is pretty damned high. He's played, produced, arranged, and face-melted with just about everybody for the past 10 years. He is a disciple of 50's, 60's pop and knows how to turn it into current sublimity. 

Venue: 5/10

Pioneer Park is for hobos.

Mindblowing Setlist: 10/15

My buddy M. Ward didn't translate "live" for me. I think it was the venue, though. I'd love to see him in some small, burned-out club some time.

Quality of Opening Band(s): 8/10

Devotchka had a lady doing trapeze stuff. That is cool. 

Radness of T-shirt: 12/15

Wonderful gray shirt, quirky design, but no tour dates.

View of Stage: 3/5

Rocked the VIP again, it was nice. But yeah, the sound and stuff was not too hot back there.

Tastiness of Encore: 7/10

I'm still gonna blame the venue on this, but I just couldn't sink my teeth into him live. He played some nice hits, but no jaw-droppers.

Quality of Crowd Banter: 2/5

Sort of vanilla. 

Buddies Present: 8/10

Val couldn't make it, but I did share the VIP with some homies.

M. Ward (Live!)

o·pi·oid/ˈōpēˌoid/

Noun:

An opiumlike compound that binds to one or more of the three opioid receptors of the body. (See also, the sounds of M. Ward.) Apparently M. Ward records his albums with some vintage 2-inch tape (I have no idea what that is, but its an old, vintage-y, way of doing things.) I do know that that's how he laces his vocal chords with an opiate sheen that takes me places only junkies know. What's weird, is, he doesn't have that vintage, warm, gooey, sound live. In fact, he's sort of a rabble-rousing-guitar-god-virtuoso AND his voice, is admittedly weak live. It didn't help that he played here: Yeah. That's SLC's own Pioneer Park. Unless your name is My Morning Jacket, you're gonna have a hard time transcending the sound system there.  M. Ward did indeed lose his signature opiate-laced sound, but he was a frenetic performer and even the shoddy sound system couldn't hide his magical method of pure 60's pop on songs like: Primitive Girl Sad Sad Song Rave On (Best tribute to Buddy Holly. Ever?) All in all, I did rock the VIP again thanks to my friend at Nate Wade Subaru. This concert was officially my last summer concert. I hit some great shows this summer and well, if you're reading this blog, you know how I geek out about the importance of music and how it brings folks together and blah, blah, blah, but it does: From left to right: Matt: I've known his balls since 9th grade. He's a bigshot business man and all around good dude. Swallz: I've known this guy since the early 00's and I grow fonder of his musical genius and magical unicorn powers daily.  Me: (I look incredibly fat here. I may also just be incredibly fat. Val also says I look drunk, which is impossible.) Brock: Funny-as-hell. Sweet. Pure and simple. (And he's the guy behind my VIP experience. Buy a Subaru!) I also met my little bro and his wife and we got to talk shit about going to grad school. (They were with the poor folk, though. Not the bourgeois elite, like me...) Good times. Take home lesson: 1). Music brings me joy and brings me closer to the people I love.  2). M. Ward (Live!) is a different beast than when I chill-out to his albums with my head phones, which is cool.  Stay tuned for my ultimate summer concert breakdown!! (I can't experience music without relentless judging and raking the experience now can I?)

Norah Jones (Live!)

Norah Jones is a big deal. 

I learned this while waiting in a line than spanned from Red Butte Gardens to Ogden. 

If a single artist could draw that big of a crowd, they've gotta be a big deal.

-OR-

The artist provides such sweet, vanilla bean flavors so as to appeal to an alarmingly wide range of folks. 

-OR-

The artist is both a "big deal" and widely appealing.

After watching her in action (at the always pleasing Red Butte venue), I think Norah Jones falls in the "both" category.

I have always just been a casual admirer of Miss Jones. Valerie digs her, and will even sometimes close her eyes in serenity when a few of her hits fill the air in our home or car stereo. 

Other than those few instances, I just sorta think she's "okay." 

For the past few years, her work has done just enough eye-brow-raising to stay on my radar. 

First off, she collaborates with everybody, (even other musicians can't deny her appeal!)

Check out this list of collaborators/duets:

1. Willie Nelson

2. Foo Fighters

3. Outkast

4. Q-Tip

5. Talib Kweli

6. Belle & Sebastian

7. Okkervil River (I really dig them.)

8. Ray Charles

9. Ryan Adams (Totally love this dude.)

10. Dolly Parton

11. Herbie Hancock

12. Charlie Hunter

13. Dayna Kurtz

14. Jack White (Light candles beneath his photo.)

The list seriously goes on and on... 

Her most recent album was another collaboration produced by Dangermouse (he played some instruments too) called "Little Broken Hearts."

You can totally tell. There's this signature quirkyness to Dangermouse's work that revolves around the use of electric piano/keyboard loops and hooks. (Listen to Broken Bells and the Black Keys "Attack & Release" album for proof.) Her new song "Say Goodbye" could easily be on either of those records I mentioned. I really, really like it. 

Anyhoo, out of all of Norah Jones' collaborations, I think this one actually pays off. I think it's the "weirdness" of the two artists that finally meshes. 

Yup. I think Norah Jones is weird. I don't think she's just some smokey, jazzy muse. I think she's weird and is still sorta grappling with her crazy success and legions of admirers after 10 years of being on the scene. 

This was apparent with her strangely awkward "crowd banter" that basically consisted with about 50, or 60 "Thanks you guys," and "Thank you," and "Thanks a lot." 

On her new material, her weird factor is on display alongside her "I-can't-help-but-sound-cool-and-beautiful-every-time-I sing" ability. 

You gotta listen to the song "Miriam" to know what I'm talking about. It's now one of my favorite Norah Jones songs. 

(Yeah. You just saw that.)

But enough of my amateur career review of Norah Jones. 

What I really need to communicate to the blogosphere is this: Norah Jones' voice is the genuine article. I was floored by the sheer power and control and sweetness of her voice all night!

She's got that iconic vibe, like, a once-every-generation-voice. I think its cool that one of the iconic voices of my generation comes from such a strange, awkward place.

Norah Jones is a big deal. Norah Jones is a weirdo.

Bam!

The Dark Knight Rises: Tragedy Looms

It sucks.


Not the movie.


The movie is rad.


It sucks that we live in a world with real-life psychopaths that have access to real-life gas grenades and real-lfe assault rifles. The tragedy in Denver looms over Christopher Nolan's brilliant Batman trilogy as a reminder that no matter how hard we try to escape this world with incredible entertainment, the world will keep creeping back in.

It really ended 12 peoples lives and scarred many more. It's reality and it sucks.


I'm not gonna start some silly gun-control debate cuz lefties will be all "Ban assault rifles!" and righties will be all "Guns don't kill people, Obama's healthcare does!"


Stupid debate.


The reality is that its all much more complicated than yes/no to gun control discussion for pundits and fanatics (Is there a difference? I dunno...).


The reality is that a presumably smart, high-functioning grad student studying neuropsychology flies under the radar as being significantly disturbed and violent. That's way too many radars missing the danger, man.

Wanna know what sucks more? I work in the radar (see: psychologist) business. Kids fly under way too often. Not just in the early grades either. Grad school is a sonovabitch, and well, let's just say I've had professors that could have cared less about what was going on with me or my cohort buddies.


People have got to be checking-in with people. We gotta engage and not isolate one another.


Mental illness is not dangerous. It's actually fascinating and the folks that struggle with it have incredible insights about the human experience. In fact, I believe that more damage is done by ignoring it and pretending that it doesn't exist.


Accept it. Tolerate it. Take time to understand it. Help those that struggle with it.


Dammit! There I go, getting all "pseudo-intellectual" and preachy again!

Sorry...


The new Batman was balls!

Here's what I liked best: (SPOILER ALERT! SORT OF...)



1. Catwoman. I thought she'd bug me cuz Catwoman is a pretty campy villain and Anne Hathaway can be cheesy. Mr. Nolan's Batman trilogy is totally not campy nor cheesy. How did he get over it? He doesn't refer to her as Catwoman! Bam! (Miss Hathaway pretty much knocks it outta the park offering sweet ninja kicks and some welcome humor to such a dark movie.) Not to mention, there is a scene kinda like this iconic image from one of the best Batman comics ever.

2. Bane. Nobody will ever top Heath Ledger's JOkeR. That said, Bane was not a bad follow-up. He's pure evil and matches Batman blow for blow (both physically and strategically).

3. Supporting Cast. Christian Bale is cool and is an excellent Bruce Wayne, (especially in Batman Begins). On top of that, Mr. Nolan scores a bunch of great actors in this one. They all have cool surprises in store.

4. The Bat Jet-Hover-Thing. So effing cool looking.

5. The part when the kids on the school bus say, "It's Batman!" I teared-up. ("Titanic" Jack & Rose territory for me...)

6. This totally happens:

Anyhoo, I really do love these Batman movies. This guy from ESPN's Grantland provides the best explanation about why:

"Christopher Nolan's Batman movies are different. They are not genre exercises disguised as superhero films. They are not even really "about" the exploits of the well-known international brand that is Batman. Nolan makes superhero films that think hard about what superheroes actually are: symbols, mostly; moral quandaries come to life; fallible individuals in masks and suits who police certain arbitrary codes of behavior and who are regularly called upon to debate those codes with villains who have alternate, and perhaps equally valid, codes."

I especially like the "moral quandaries come to life" part. 

There are big questions out there and allegory is an excellent method of exploration. Batman rocks the allegory with a certain coolness and levity that makes it palpable for dudes like me. 

I mean, just check out this moral quandary (Its so important, it has German subtitles):