I'm addicted to this song

White and Nerdy: I discovered it a while ago, but YouTube won't let you embed it (which is probably why it's gotten over 30 million views there), so I didn't post it here before. Plus, I figured since everyone's seen it, I shouldn't bother posting it anyway, but I think it's so good, I just couldn't resist. And maybe there are some nerds out there who haven't seen it yet.

Go to Milwaukee

I went to Milwaukee on Friday to see Rush at Summerfest, and I highly recommend taking a trip there.

Even though I live a couple hours away (a direct shot south, actually), I had no idea how nice that city is. We walked around the historic Third Ward, which is full of rehabbed warehouses and factories. There are art galleries and good restaurants and interesting views there, since it's on the river and near the lake. It is also really clean. When we went to Summerfest, we walked along the lake and saw the art museum from a distance and downtown, which isn't packed with a lot of skyscrapers.

I really think Milwaukee is overlooked and a lot of people don't know how nice it is because it used to be gritty, and I actually expected it to be run down and provincial. But I was impressed with the general design, even the public signs, which were very tastefully done.

Since Milwaukee is in the midwest, it doesn't seem snobby and the people seem friendly, but there's also a sophistication there that is accessible for anyone to enjoy. I am definitely going back for a day trip and hope other people do the same thing because we should celebrate beautiful, manageable cities in the US.

I know Milwaukee has problem areas, but it doesn't depress the whole city. I am definitely guilty for assuming it was going to be just another failed midwest town (like Waukegan in Illinois). But it's definitely worth the trip.

She thinks it's English

This Bulgarian woman thinks she's singing English, and it's obvious she's not. It's almost unbelievable--literally :D (I saw this at Arrogant Polyglot).

I feel high

I translated some Japanese today, did errands, walked around downtown with a friend, and ate Chicago deep-dish pizza, but I still have to create a quiz for tomorrow's ESL class. So I decided to relax to some good music, and though I usually go to Inceptdate to do that, they were offering jazz, which to me isn't relaxing. So I've been listening to Groovera, which is so chill, it's almost hard to get the energy to focus on the quiz.

Grandma is dead

When I was a teenager, the song Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer became very popular, and I guess it still is. What's weird is that it's become a holiday "classic" and people get all nostalgic and dewy-eyed about it. Other people consider it one of their favorite Christmas songs, but it's a cynical, even dark song. Grandma just doesn't get run over by a reindeer, she gets killed by one.

Here are some clues from the lyrics (the lyrics are in quotes, my comments are in parentheses):

"When they found her Christmas mornin"

(She'd been lying there overnight because she was hit by a reindeer Christmas Eve. Who could survive a cold, snowy, winter night, especially an older person?)

"It's not Christmas without Grandma"

("Without Grandma" means she's not there, ie, she's dead.)

"All the family's dressed in black"

(The family is wearing black because they are in mourning, because she died.)

"And a blue and silver candle
That would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig"

(Note the tense: "would just have", which means she's not there, because she's dead.)

When the song first came out, we all knew it was twisted and even mocked Christmas. Grandma was *killed* by reindeer! But you wouldn't know that if you watch the cartoon. They've made the song into a heart-warming story about Grandma merely getting knocked down by reindeer.

Sorry, but Grandma died. I wonder if people really know that. A cynical song wrapped up in cheery music.

Blurry Bono

Someone just posted a comment on a post I did about seeing Bono more than two years ago, wondering where the pictures are that I said I took. In the original post, I said that I took some really lame pictures because there were a lot of people around me, some of whom where pushing me because I was towards the front of the pack. I was also quite nervous because I'd waited there for a while with a few other folks to see if he'd emerge from his hotel, and he did, and I was using a brand new camera.

So above is another lame picture I took--I call it Blurry Bono because he looks like an Impressionist painting. He was giving an autograph to a super fan in front of me, and lots of people were pushing from behind. So I was all flustered. Sorry to all the fans out there who are going to see this :)

Great show

I saw Rush last night in Chicago, and it was an excellent show. I got a perfect view from the lawn, which I highly recommend. But the seats I got for the Depeche Mode show I went to a couple of years ago were even better. Also, the crowd at the Rush show was full of many American guys, and the Depeche Mode show was full of many Eastern Europeans.

I guess the best seating situation I ever got was at a U2 show--I was literally up front, so close to the band I could see everything they were doing, facial expressions, etc. Actually, there were no seats in that front section--I was with a relatively small group of people who were standing in that front section, surrounded by a stage that wrapped around us, where Bono walked out and sang to the thousands of other people in that stadium.

Suburban blues

I'm going to see my favorite band Rush tomorrow, so I'm posting the lyrics from their song Subdivisions, which is about life in the suburbs. I like to listen to it when I'm driving through the outlying areas of Chicagoland, far away from the city. The lyrics speak for themselves, no need to analyze or explain them.

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone

[Chorus:]
(Subdivisions)
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory of lighted streets on quiet nights...

Funny Indian video

This is an obvious rip-off of Michael Jackson's Thriller. But at least the folks in this video can dance.

Great lyrics

I heard "Guess Things Happen That Way" by Johnny Cash, and was struck by these lyrics that seem sad but hopeful:

Well you ask me if I'll forget my baby.
I guess I will, someday.
I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.
You ask me if I'll get along.
I guess I will, someway.
I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

God gave me that girl to lean on,
then he put me on my own.
Heaven help me be a man
and have the strength to stand alone.
I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

You ask me if I'll miss her kisses.
I guess I will, everyday.
I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.
You ask me if I'll find another.
I don't know. I can't say.
I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

God gave me that girl to lean on,
then he put me on my own.
Heaven help me be a man
and have the strength to stand alone.
I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.

Canadian idiot

Shakuhachi and Japanese

The shakuhachi (sound samples here) is my favorite instrument--especially in modern contexts, such as in more experimental jazz or contemporary world music, which I would characterize as a blend of various instruments throughout the world playing together. I like when instruments are taken from various cultures to create new music that goes beyond their national sources, without losing traces of their own ethnicities.

Tonight I saw a concert that included contemporary Western "classical" (put in quotes because since it's contemporary, it may not be "classical") chamber music and music from Persia and Asia. The latter music was incredible and dynamic, though I did like the Western music as well. But the Persian and Asian blend was very interesting and refreshing to hear in a venue that usually offers Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, etc.

After the concert, I got a chance to greet the shakuhachi player, who is Japanese and Danish. I told him I lived in Japan, and he started speaking Japanese with me--even though I didn't tell him I could speak it. I was pleasantly surprised because Japanese people rarely speak Japanese with non-Japanese (outside Japan), or if they do, they don't initiate it. Many other language groups are happy if people can speak their language, but I've noticed that Japanese people aren't. Sorry, but it seems to be true in my experience. Perhaps that guy initiated Japanese conversation because he's half European, so he's not caught up in the idiosyncracies of Japanese culture. Whatever--it was a rare opportunity that I enjoyed.

What's interesting is that earlier today, I was speaking with some Chinese people about my dilemma: that I know Japanese but don't encounter many Japanese people, and if I do, they would rather speak bad English than Japanese. But when I went to China, I noticed that Chinese people were happy to hear even a few words, and even in Chicago, I can see conversational opportunities if only I spoke Mandarin (don't have much interest in Cantonese). One Chinese chick who speaks good English even said that if I were to learn Mandarin, she'd speak with me. Imagine that.

House to hip hop

This past weekend, I went to a really cool party in the Pilsen neighborhood, which is south of downtown Chicago. It was in a large space where a very cool, friendly dj resides, and I had a great time. What I love about living in an American city is the diversity of the people--sounds trite, but it's true. One week I might be with white yuppies, another week I might be in a situation with hardly any white people at all, among a mixture of professionals and people who have no office aspirations.

I found out about the party through a friend of mine who I used to hang out with when he was spinning records around the city. The music that he and other dj's I knew played house music and underground stuff--deep sounds that had warmth, positivity (don't know if that's a word) and good vibes. So the Pilsen-dweller, who had known my friend for a while, wanted to bring some dj's together to celebrate that type of music.

When we first arrived, there weren't many people there, so I just hung out and enjoyed the tracks and mixing. I talked to some talented dj's about music and the scene, and once again, I regretted never learning how to spin or really pursuing it. Late in the night, more people started showing up until the place was quite packed. But it was weird--no one was really dancing. I don't dance, but still, I was surprised that the clubby-looking people around me weren't. The dj who was on was incredible--his selection and mixing were just so tight, soulful, and groovy (not in the 60's way), and really should have inspired people to move or at least show interest in what he was putting out there.

Since it was getting really late, my friend and I wanted to leave, and we noticed that the music went from house/underground to hip hop. I guess the crowd was so passive, the dj and host discovered the only way to get them going was to play it. And I heard that it was hip hop from then on. Which really wasn't the intention of the night.

Ok, hip hop is popular, but Chicago is known for house and for creating innovative music. Yet there are people here who want and only are aware of and open to hip hop, which is quite sad. I wish that there were more outlets for people to hear more variety, more quality, more of what the alternative has to offer.

Chaucer rapper

Mad Minerva often has interesting links--and she seems like an interesting, smart person who[m] I'd love to meet someday.

Her latest interesting contribution is a guy who raps Chaucer.

She also mentions a Chaucer blog that is written in Chaucer language--very cool and nerdy.

Killing radio stars

I was watching Video Killed the Radio Star, and everyone knows it was the first video shown on MTV. I didn't have cable until a couple of years ago, but I remember seeing that video back then on my grandparents' TV. I wonder if it was during that debut year--or maybe I saw the video on non-cable TV, announcing the launch of the new station.

Well, I'm not the first person to come to this conclusion, but when I saw the video and heard lyrics such as this:

Pictures came and broke your heart.
Oh-a-a-a oh
And now we meet in an abandoned studio.
We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.
And you remember the jingles used to go...

and this:

In my mind and in my car,
We can't rewind we've gone too far,
Pictures came and broke your heart,
so put all the blame on VTR
You are a radio star
You are a radio star
Video killed the radio star

I thought, "iPod and internet killed the radio star." I've said this before, but when people can get internet capability in their cars, then they'll be able to access a lot of interesting online stations, which will mean more splintering of the audience. And it's a lot more fulfilling to find out about good music from a friend than to listen through commercials and bad music to find some gems. But I still find out about music that way, though radio stars are now few and far between.

Madonna

Madonna does not need any more publicity than she's already had for the past several years, and she doesn't need people to talk about her because she is already so insanely successful and rich, but I just have to mention her because I cannot get enough of her latest CD. Someone gave me a copy of it when I was in San Francisco. Amazing--I've heard it several times in just a few days. I think I'm addicted. It has excellent production and sound quality, an international style, it's deep, uplifting, fulfilling dance music. Not like the pimp and ho-laden stuff that hip hop offers. I like the sound of hip hop, but the lyrics are disgusting and the images are so sleazy and misogynistic. Madonna's latest stuff sounds empowered and positive.

Music I don't understand

Sometimes I prefer listening to college and independent radio because they play music that other stations don't--the playlists are up to the dj and the variety isn't predictable. Actually, if technology will ever allow us to run music from the internet directly in our cars, terrestrial radio is going to be in trouble.

Yesterday I was listening to a world music show and heard a lot of stuff from Zimbabwe, then music from Southeast Asia. It all sounded great, so I kept listening. I was making my way through the north side of Chicago, which has a lot of different kinds of ethnic neighborhoods, and then it hit me: what if the music I'm listening to has some bizarre lyrics? I thought about all the times I've listened to Indian music and Arabic music and Jamaican hip hop and other stuff, and I could be listening to a bunch of garbage. I remember hearing Cuban music, then watching the English subtitles on television, and realizing the music was all about admiring a woman's behind and wanting her. Great--that's really what I want to listen to [NOT]. So it made the interesting music raunchy and I just couldn't appreciate it anymore. One time, I was having dinner with a fluent Spanish-speaking friend of mine, and she was telling me what the Spanish hip hop that was playing in the background was all about. Not something that women would want to be subjected to, even though they put up with that trash all the time in English hip hop.

So I still appreciate music from different countries, but I can't help but wonder what they're really saying.

Good radio

I'm sure a lot of people know about this station already because it's on iTunes, but it's really worth a mention because they play interesting music which you can't hear elsewhere (or most places): Radio Paradise.

Each hour of music is carefully blended together to flow smoothly between different musical styles & genres - just like real DJs used to do on FM. We don't use the computer-generated playlists or "carefully researched music libraries" that have sucked the soul out of FM radio - and we never just throw songs together at random the way many web stations do.

They also have a really cool visitors map. Actually, after I wrote that, I noticed that they called it "very cool" too. You can see worldwide listener stats and locations on the homepage (scroll down to RP Web Visitors World Map). It's really cool to see how many people are visiting from throughout the world. There I go again--"really cool". But it is.

I can't believe the site has so many features and they've been able to set up the online broadcasting so smoothly. Seriously brainy and talented people over there.

DP OD

Okay, I have really OD'd on Depeche Mode. I've been listening to their best-of CD over and over again (someone loaned it to me before I went to the concert last year).

It's a two-disc set, but I've listened to the first disc a few times a day for the last few weeks. Late last week, as that first disc was wrapping up the last song, I was getting ready to play it again, when a voice said, "Don't do it." Well, it wasn't really a voice, but my own addicted mind, because I'd had enough! It was as if I'd eaten too much chocolate--sometimes too much of a good thing (or your favorite thing) can be bad--and can make you sick!

As I've said before, that music has helped me write. Today I listened to a few songs from the second disc, probably because I’ve been experiencing “withdrawal.” But I really can’t return to that first disc for a while.

Keep House alive

I had to drive home very late tonight, and instead of listening to talk radio or commercial music stations, I decided to listen to Streetbeat, which is a part of WNUR (Northwestern University's radio station). If you're in Chicago, it's 89.3 FM, but you can also listen online.

Since our inception in the late 80s, our foremost goal has been to play the most forward-thinking, cutting-edge, underground dance and hip-hop cuts the world has to offer. We have programming on the station six nights a week covering material from industrial to progressive, hip-hop to tech house.

From the beginnings of house music in Chicago, WNUR has brought to the airwaves a side of dance music that doesn't get exposure elsewhere on the dial, in the clubs, or even in the party scene...Our present mission is to provide Chicago and the world with a source of consistently good underground electronic/dance music in all its variety, both new and old, whether local or imported.

As my profile states, I like House Music, especially Deep House. I wish it was more popular than Hip Hop because it's hard to find stations that play it, and even clubs and other public places tend to be hip hop-oriented. Actually, hip hop pervades much of our society, so we're lucky that we can get any House at all. And the sad irony is that Chicago is the birthplace of House, but it's hard to find. I hope House doesn't die!

Depeche Mode's typo

I saw the Depeche Mode show yesterday, and I highly recommend it.

But if you're going and are able to read the scrolling text on one of the stage decorations (or whatever they're called), check out the typo. I was facing the left part of the stage, so I was able to read the flashing words and phrases that accompanied the lyrics that they were singing.

However and unfortunately, I thought I would remember the phrase with the typo, so I did not write it down or punch it into my cell phone or even make a call to record it somewhere, but there is definitely a typo: they use it's, as in the contraction of "it is" instead of the posessive "its". I think the phrase refers to a "beast" (that is within us? ie, our dark side?) and the phrase includes the beast's something, so they have to use "its". I looked over some of the lyrics from the setlist, but couldn't find any phrase like that.

Whatever. The important thing to know is that they definitely had a typo, which is a common misspelling of the posessive "its". No tragedy, just something that language nerds may notice.

Seventh row!

I should've posted something yesterday, but I was too "busy" reading about and watching videos of Depeche Mode. I stayed online until well past midnight, and there's still a lot more to find out.

Why this interest in Depeche Mode? Because I heard an old song of theirs on the radio, which I have on vinyl from when it was originally released (early 80's) and I thought, "Hey, they're good." I hadn't listened to an album of theirs in a long time. Then after the song, I heard that they're coming to Chicago in November. So I went online and found concert clips to make sure that their shows weren't lame, and thought, "Maybe I should go."

But then there was the problem of ticket prices. I hate being ripped off by bands, especially those that preach that the fans are part of selfish, awful rich countries. U2 likes to remind us of that. They don't care that people have to shell out up to $170 for tickets to their shows. No, the concert-goers are the bad guys because we live in relative comfort and aren't starving. So we listen to their lectures while they live in mansions, stay in five-star hotels, and charge inflated prices throughout the world because they can get away with it. People worship them too much too complain.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Depeche Mode has two prices: $55 and $75. Not bad. It's not cheap, but it's not outrageous. And I had no idea they were so popular (they still play arenas after 20 years), so for them to have two prices is quite fair, considering their stardom.

So this morning I went to get a ticket, and I was prepared to get lame seats since there were already some presales. I wasn't going to pay the higher price until the clerk said: "Best available is first section, seventh row." That's seventh row in an arena! I asked her if it was the same price as the other sections that cost $75, and she said yes. "Seventh row for $75? I'll take it!" If this is an indication that my lot in my life is improving, then I'll go with it.

Of course, Ticketscheister (Ticketmaster) charged an addition $10 "fee." Whatever that means. I think that evil ticket cartel/monopoly fits what Depeche Mode sang about:

The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves - after all
The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves - after all
It's a competitive world
 
Everything counts in large amounts
 
The grabbing hands grab all they can
Everything counts in large amounts

Bono really is short

Lately, I've been in the U2 world since the band, and some fans, have come to town. I literally got a few hours sleep last night, which means bedtime soon. But I did find out for myself that Bono is, indeed, short, as a fan told me last week.

I (and a few hundred other people) saw him exit his hotel, and a hardcore fan in front of me exclaimed, "He's short!" I wondered how she'd just discovered that fact after seeing the band a hundred times (according to her estimate). I would say that he is about 5'3", which is what the fan told me.

I managed to get a couple of lame pictures, due to severe fan-pushing from behind, and I've just posted one above (in 10/07): he's in the gray sweatsuit-type outfit, wearing his hat backwards.

So there you have it, it's been confirmed, that he really is short. One fan claims that Bono wears lifts inside his platform shoes to appear taller. Who knows--vanity comes in all sizes.