Stalka Khan

Testing

2006-05-17T09:48:00.000-04:00

Test

Testing

2006-05-02T00:48:00.000-04:00

Kind of a test to see if I remember...

She's Back (Meaning Me and Fiona)!

2005-07-04T19:44:00.000-04:00

Hey!

So the hiatus was longer than I expected, but I'm trying to adjust to the real world. Scary stuff, but it's working out really well. NYC is my favorite place ever, so it's good to be back.

I got a new computer (iBook, what what) and all of my mp3s are on my old computer which is at my parents' house in Ohio, so my iPod hasn't been updated in awhile. The last time I put new songs onto it was April, so that's the time frame of stuff I've been listening to. Which brings me to Fiona...I know she was all over the place when her songs leaked onto the internet, and everyone and their mother was talking about her. And now I'm talking about her. I loved the songs when I first heard them, and was all about it. Then I got distracted and kind of forgot about her album and the controversy surrounding it. But lately, I've been listening to her again nonstop, especially Oh Well

Though many of the songs are more melodic than some of her old tunes, it's the lyrics that kill me. I'm assuming it deals with her breakup with Paul Thomas Anderson, though that could be completely wrong.

"What you did to me made me see myself something awful
A voice once stentorian is now again meek and muffled
It took me such a long time to get back up the first time you did it
I spent all I had to get it back, and now it seems I've been outbidden."

Who else would use the word "stentorian"?

Also, Regnyouth has a link to the whole album.

So what's the deal with the album? Fiona Apple.org says that originally, the story was that Sony didn't think it was marketable, so they shelved it. But now, it seems that maybe Fiona was unhappy with the production. So they may be re-doing it as a second third album. Regardless of whether Fiona is a victim or not, I'm still a fan of this .

Another thing I have always remembered about Fiona is from an article in Seventeen magazine from when Tidal first came out. She said in an interview that she used to rollerskate around her dining room table when she was 13 listening to one of her favorite songs, Like a Rolling Stone which is also one of my favorite songs.

Again, Worst Blogger Ever

2005-06-13T11:48:00.000-04:00

Hi, sorry, I'm in the process of moving to NYC and starting a new job, so I'm not going to be around too much to blog. So, to the three people that actually read this, please excuse the hiatus, and expect a mini re-launch in a week or two. :-)

The Actual Original Stalkee

2005-06-09T15:30:00.000-04:00

I have to say...I kind of lied when I said that Matt was the original stalkee. :-/ Not so much lied as forgot. I know, I know, how could I forget Melissa Roth?! She was the first person I stalked (unless I am forgetting others, which could very well be the case). Actually, it was more that I was stalking the association of which she was the president last year. But then she graduated and moved away and left me :-(. So my stalking has not been up to par. She started a job a few months ago as...and no, I am not making this up...a professional cheerleader! Well, kind of. She works for Americheer in Columbus, Ohio. She goes to all the events and everything. If there is anyone I know who would become a professional cheerleader post-college, it is Melissa.

I begged her to send me pictures of her at work, and she graciously agreed. This picture is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

I should also mention that I'm the Founding Member/President/CEO of The Melissa Roth Fan Club. Since I am also the only member, I do all of the secretarial and treasury work, as well. It's getting to be too much for me, so I'm currently accepting applications for the positions of Secretary and Treasurer. But, a warning: we have a very rigorous screening process. :-)

2005-06-09T15:25:00.000-04:00

Yeah, she is seriously wearing that. Melissa is the one jumping with the crazy hair. Lol, NOT. She's holding the sign.

2005-06-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

Carmen totally hooked it up with better Troubled Hubble pics. She is a much better stalker than me. :-) We love tambourines, especially green and pink ones.

2005-06-06T17:55:00.000-04:00

Troubled Hubble obscured by freakishly tall indie boy and girl

Musical Stalkalicious Weekend

2005-06-06T17:13:00.000-04:00

So, how glad was I that my old bud Carmen could come back for the weekend? She came from what is known as "the real world." I've heard it's quite scary. We got to hit up a free concert at my school, that was featuring The Wrens, Troubled Hubble, Fizzgig, and Southeast Engine, among others. All the bands rocked, but my favs were definitely Troubled Hubble and The Wrens. I'm bummed I was too late to see Southeast Engine, but I saw them last year, and they're great live.

Troubled Hubble will forever be a favorite. I will probably start stalking them online (I already became a Myspace friend of theirs). I just realized what a loser I am for writing that, lol. Anyway, they are a rocking band and showed us their tour bus and gave us ice cream and snowcones. They were hanging around with The Wrens for a few shows, and are soon going to open for Maximo Park. If you get a chance to see them live, I suggest you do it. They're great. I took some pictures, but they turned out terribly because these tall indie kids kept getting in the way. And where did all these indie people come from in Athens? Athens has mostly frat boys and hippies. I think they were bussed in for the concert. But I enjoyed it, at any rate.

The Wrens rocked quite hard. They started off chill and then just totally ripped it up. I was kind of bummed that they didn't play She Sends Kisses, but...then they ended with it for the encore.

I also saw an old stalkee there, Jim. Go check out his promotional company! He rules.

Dodge has some Wrens tunes that you should definitely check out. Especially "I Guess We're Done." It was one of the highlights of the show. Carmen kept saying how "pretty" it was, ha ha. Which it is. And I don't know where Dodge got that mp3?! I thought they said while they were playing it that it was on an upcoming EP that wasn't available yet. OH, I just realized...bloggers are "cool" and get things before everyone else :-).

Worst Blogger Ever

2005-06-05T22:24:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the lack of postings. I have exams this week, so I've been totally sporatic about when I've actually been on the internet and whatnot.

In case you were wondering; yes, I do get my vocabulary solely from Clueless. I also make the little W with my fingers when I say "Whatever."

A Good Stalk

2005-06-03T12:52:00.000-04:00

Obviously, I do enjoy a good stalk now and then.

But I don't think I've ever mentioned my love for Gawker Stalker. Sometimes, it is my whole reason for getting out of bed in the morning :-). This last one was particularly entertaining.

THIS one is the best ever, though. Scroll to the bottom to get the Bronson Pichot part. You really can never have to many references to Perfect Strangers in a week.

Perfect Strangers theme song (while you listen, imagine Balki and Cousin Larry Appleton running around Chicago, doing all kinds of crazy stuff).

I found this song (via Jepstone.net) and I have no idea who it's by, but I really like it. I think it's by a band called Schwa?? Is that a band? I have no idea. But it's kind of sticking in my head. It's got a very Velvet Underground feel, with creepy stalker undertones.

I Just Want to Stalk Martha Stewart

I was looking everywhere for an mp3 of "DUI" by Har Mar Superstar, to pay homage to the crazy drunken conversation I had with my stalkee the other night. He heard every random thought that came into my head, including, but not limited to, the fact that I am in love with him and that I met Beck that night and talked to him for forever (who is apparently a very cool guy).

The Genius That Is Nick Hornby

2005-05-30T14:31:00.000-04:00

Nick Hornby is the type of author who makes me want to write, too. He makes it seem effortless, so I feel like I must be able to do it. How hard can it be, right? Um…hard. To get at raw emotions the way he does, while simultaneously not making you want to slit your wrists is very tricky, indeed. His books rule, but are often made into mediocre films (exception to this rule: About a Boy), such as Fever Pitch and High Fidelity.

One of my favorite books of his is "Songbook," a collection of essays he has written about songs that he loves. 'Songs are what I listen to, almost to the exclusion of everything else. I don't listen to classical music or jazz very often, and when people ask me what music I like, I find it very difficult to reply, because they usually want names of people, and I can only give them song titles.' At one point, he talks about Badly Drawn Boy's "A Minor Incident" that was included in the film About a Boy (based on Hornby's own novel). He discusses how it resonates with his own difficulties in raising his autistic son, and also, how it brings a whole new perspective to the characters in his novel that he hadn't thought of previously.

Badly Drawn Boy - A Minor Incident

His new book, The Polysyllabic Spree, is a collection of essays he writes for The Believer magazine (part of the media I regularly stalk) about books that he is reading, has just read, and may someday read. The collection is awesome, but the best part about it is that all the proceeds are split between two charities: Treehouse, a London-based charity for kids with autism and 826NYC, a Brooklyn-based (like The Believer, and, soon, yours truly) charitable writing center that helps local kids learn to read and write better (they also have adult workshops and seminars on occasion). So, do it for the kids and buy the book! (or just do it for yourself)

John Cusack Film Soundtracks - First Installment

2005-05-29T13:42:00.000-04:00

High Fidelity

"Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?" ~ Barry

So I’ve been going through all my old cds, and had forgotten how awesome many of the soundtracks to John Cusack films are. Well, at least the ones he co-produces. Well, at least two of them are good. I actually bought the soundtrack for High Fidelity in between reading the book and actually seeing the film. The book and the soundtrack totally did it for me, so I was stoked to see the movie…and then somewhat disappointed. I feel like they were really close to having a great film, but just didn't quite pull it off.

I found it bizarre that they didn’t even use “High Fidelity” by Elvis Costello on the soundtrack at all; but rather, chose “Shipbuilding” instead? I understand the pun of using “High Fidelity” as the title of a story of a man who doesn’t really know how to have a real and meaningful connection to another person, but still…the song kicks ass. It probably had to do with copyright laws and fees. But, John Cusack: yummy, always.

This is the track listing for the commercially produced soundtrack. There were many more on the film that didn't make the cut for the album. Click here to see crazy-detailed comments on what was left out.

1. You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevators
2. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy - The Kinks
3. I'm Wrong About Everything - John Wesley Harding
4. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - The Velvet Underground
5. Always See Your Face - Love
6. Most Of The Time - Bob Dylan
7. Fallen For You - Shiela Nicholls
8. Dry The Rain - The Beta Band
9. Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
10. Cold Blooded Old Times - Smog
11. Let's Get It On - Jack Black
12. Lo Boob Oscillator - Stereolab
13. Inside Game - Royal Trux
14. Who Loves The Sun - The Velvet Underground
15. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - Stevie Wonder

LOVE how they ripped on Stevie repeatedly in the film, but still included one of his best songs (and one of my personal favorites ever) on the soundtrack: I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).

Barry's Customer: Hi, do you have the song "I Just Called To Say I Love You?" It's for my daughter's birthday.
Barry: Yea we have it.
Barry's Customer: Well, can I have it?
Barry: No, actually, you can't.
Barry's Customer: Why not?
Barry: God. Do you even know your daughter? There's no way she likes that song. Oops, is she in a coma?

If you haven't heard the soundtrack, or just haven't listened to it in awhile, I highly recommend it. It's a great mix of old and new, and even the new are still relevant five years after it was released (Stereolab, etc.).

Here's a few of my favorite tracks to get you started.

Sheila Nicholls - Fallen For You

Stereolab - Lo Boob Oscillator

2005-05-29T13:40:00.000-04:00

Commerically produced High Fidelity soundtrack

Big Tragedy in TV History

2005-05-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

Freaks and Geeks

"The dance is tomorrow. She's a cheerleader. You've seen Star Wars 47 times. You do the math." ~ Neal Schweiber

Bad Reputation theme song clip

I don’t think I can begin to express the awesomeness of this show, and the tragedy that it is not still around. NBC really f&%ed it all up. It was not even on for one full season in 1999 before they pulled the plug on it. Originally, the show was aired on Saturday nights and then moved to Monday. The next year, the Fox Family Channel (now the ABC Family Channel, I believe) bought all of the episodes and aired them in 2000. I taped every episode. Since I now have the dvds, the VHS tapes are up for grabs if anyone wants them.

The “dramedy” is about some kids in high school in 1980. The main character, Lindsay Weir (played by Linda Cardellini), had been a big nerd her whole life (she was a star on her school’s Mathletes team). When we first meet her, her grandmother has just died, and she starts questioning everything. She begins hanging out with the “freaks” because she has a big crush on Daniel Desario (played by James Franco, who is now getting to be quite the star…). The characters and the actors are so real in a refreshing way that is so rarely seen on television. Like, Bill Haverchuck, with his obsession with nighttime soap Dallas (played by Martin Starr)? My mom would come in the room when I was watching it, and comment that he was so geeky that he was painful to look at. The show captured a very accurate view of high school that isn’t always seen. All of the characters were pretty multi-faceted; even though they had labels, they didn’t embody all of the stereotypes that go along with being a called a “freak” or a “geek.”

There was a lot of drama surrounding the dvd release, because of the copyrights for the songs played throughout the episodes. The soundtrack plays a pretty integral role in the series, and the creators didn’t want to release the show without the songs. (One of the writers was The Good Girl and School of Rock writer Mike White) In order for them to break even, they would have had to charge something crazy, like, $200 for each set of the dvds. But, somehow, they ended up making it work, and now you can buy the regular copy for just $52.49 . You can also buy a deluxe copy with all kinds of sweet extras, like a script they never shot, a faux yearbook, and biographies of the actors and creators. I was super close to getting the deluxe, but, being po’ and in school, I could only afford the regular version :-( Maybe someday :-) .

The web site is really well-maintained. There’s an audition video of Samm Levine doing an impression of William Shatner and promo spots and an SAT test and all kinds of freakish and geekish fun.

One of the standout characters is Harris, played by Stephen Lea Sheppard (you might remember him as Dudley from The Royal Tenenbaums).

Another classic quote from Lindsay’s dad that fits in quite nicely with yesterday’s post…

Mr. Weir: Elvis didn't expectorate on his fans.
Sam: No. But he died on the toilet.
Mr. Weir: Well, that's paradise compared to where the Sex Pistols are gonna end up.

Side Note: On a related Mike White/shows being cancelled note, did anyone else ever watch that show on Fox called Cracking Up? I used to watch it because I had a minor obsession with Jason Schwartzman (and by minor, I of course mean major), but it was cancelled after only a few episodes.

2005-05-28T17:25:00.000-04:00

Cast of Freaks and Geeks...I heart Neal Schweiber...especially his Shatner impressions.

2005-05-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite Viv pieces. It's the feather bum skirt Carrie wore in Sex and the City. This is such a poor representation of the gloriousness of this skirt, but it was the best I could do (darn HBO film still archives).

Vivienne Westwood

2005-05-27T23:24:00.000-04:00

"The only reason I'm in fashion is to destroy the word 'conformity.' Nothing's interesting to me unless it's got that element." ~ Vivienne Westwood

If I was living in London, I would so be stalking this woman right now.
Vivienne Westwood is a fashion god, and I‘m always surprised that she's not a household name. Especially for music fans. She was completely instrumental in the beginning of the punk scene. It’s such a good representation of the relationship between fashion and music, since she dressed both the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls.

Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK

I’m really not digging Marilyn Manson as the current poster child for Viv, but, whatevs, I don’t do her marketing. It must have something to do with how he supposedly doesn’t “conform” but, I don’t know, he seems kind of manufactured to me. That’s a whole other topic. He doesn’t really scare me like I think he’s supposed to. But maybe that’s because he’s from my home town, and I know people who went to his private Christian school, before he got kicked out. (Side note: Macy Gray is also from my home town, and she was so drunk that she got booed off the stage when she was asked to sing the national anthem at some event a few years ago. She kept messing up the lyrics. ).

Viv had a shop with her partner, Malcolm McLaren, and they renamed it every few seasons. Let It Rock was the title of their first shop in 1970, in the Chelsea area of London. Their merchandise consisted of 1950’s themed fashion and music, that whole “teddy boy“ drainpipe trouser look. In 1972, the shop was renamed Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die, a tribute to James Dean and his premature death. It went from a '50’s innocence (Vivienne was turned off by the often racist and sexist nature of the teddy boys) to provocative leather clothing adorned with zippers and chains. In the fall of ‘73, some of the British shops were invited to sell merchandise at the National Boutique Show in New York. Vivienne went, and was interviewed by Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. She also ran into cross-dressing glam rock group the New York Dolls’ guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, who she then started designing for. In 1974, Westwood started selling ripped tee shirts and rubber S&M clothing, with their shop renamed, appropriately, Sex. Viv and Malcolm were actually fined in 1975 for "exposing to public view an indecent exhibition." In 1976, punk is born with the Sex Pistols, who played their first show in Westwood and McLaren’s clothing (the shop at that point was named Seditionaries). Malcolm was a marketing genius, and it’s speculated that he actually put together the Pistols as an advertising tool for the Sex shop (Johnny Rotten denies this). Westwood was finally coming into her own, and the Pistols’ clothing was all rips, zippers, chains, bondage, slogans and porn. Viv's shop was renamed “World’s End” in 1981 (after she had her first runway show, a pirate-themed collection), and it still is today.

The best part about Viv’s story is that she started out so subversively, and it now touted as one of the greatest living designers, with exhibitions in museums all over the UK. And the fact that she was chosen over and over again by (arguably) the best film costume designer working today, Pat Field on Sex and the City, shows what a phenomenal impact she has had, and continues to have, on fashion. That feather bum skirt Carrie is wearing just kills me.