Deer Tick’s New Video for “Main Street” [NSFW?]
If there’s one thing that’s true about Deer Tick frontman John McCauley, it’s “what you see is what you get.” The man is completely unfiltered and open, which is quite evident in Deer Tick’s brand new “uncensored” video for “Main Street,” their first single off Divine Providence. I see the term “uncensored,” and I’m immediately on booby alert. But ah, the joke’s on me, because what I found instead was the peein’ pecker of Mr. John. Amid a cacophony of exploding fireworks, a select few of the giant DEER TICK letters in the background fall away to reveal – eh – something else.
If there’s a point to the video other than explosions, urinating, and wrecking instruments, I’m not sure what it is. But the slow motion cinematography is impressive and pretty damn entertaining. There doesn’t always have to be a point, after all.
If you haven’t picked up Divine Providence yet, today’s a good day – you can pick it up for
$3.99 on Amazon.Sons of Anarchy, Katey Sagal, and Leonard Cohen
I’m knee deep in another great TV series courtesy of Netflix’s streaming. A couple months ago, I fell into Breaking Bad, and it was without question the best damn TV show I’d ever seen in my 40 plus years. I still believe that – but not far behind has to be FX’s Sons of Anarchy.
The series about a northern California motorcycle gang features the great Charlie Hunnam as Jackson “Jax” Teller, the VP of the Sons of Anarchy. I wasn’t familiar with Hunnam before this series, but it’s hard not to fall for his badass portrayal of Jax. You develop a bond with the whole motley cast of characters – Clay Morrow, the prez, played by Ron Perlman; Tig, Half Sack, Opie, Police Chief Unser…
And then there’s Katey Sagal, who most of us know as Peg Bundy from Married With Children. Truthfully, not being a big TV guy over the years, I don’t remember even seeing her since her Peg Bundy days. But she’s been busy over the years as her IMDB entry will attest. And her Sons of Anarchy role as club matriarch Gemma Teller Morrow has blown my mind. Gemma is mother to Jax, and wife / “old lady” to club president Clay Morrow. She’s fierce and mean as a pitbull, but devoted, loving and oh, just a bit protective of her family. You love her one minute and despise her the next.Toward the end of Episode 4 of Season 3 (‘Home’), a great version of Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire” began to play. It featured a soft, beautiful female vocal. A-Googling I went, and lo and behold, it is Katey Sagal singing (along with backup band The Forest Rangers). There’s actually an album out – Songs of Anarchy: Music from Sons of Anarchy Season 1-4 – that features a few other Sagal-sung songs, including “Son of a Preacher Man.”
The pairing of film & TV with the right music is a talent unto itself, and Sons of Anarchy picks some great music that is both familiar and unfamiliar to me. You can make some great discoveries this way. While I was loosely familiar with Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire”, I was never impacted as much by the song until I heard Sagal’s version while watching the ‘Home’ episode of Sons.
Well, better get back to the series. The boys are going overseas to Ireland, and some shit is about to go down.
UPDATE (Dec 6th): Rolling Stone just posted an interview with Katey Sagal in which she talks about her singing. I didn’t know that she’s married to the show’s creator, Kurt Sutter.
The Older Brother Speaks
Earlier this year, Beady Eye (AKA the rest of Oasis fronted by Liam) released their first full length album, Different Gear, Still Speeding. As I noted here, it was and is quite good. In fact, I will be seeing them live in 2 short days (review coming soon, natch) in the Main Room at First Avenue. The pilgrim will walk to one of the prophets…
Most of us Brit geeks have been waiting for the elder Gallagher to put his stamp on 2011 and boy has he ever with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released just a few weeks ago. The album is magnificent and how lucky all of us are that Oasis broke up as we now get double the output from the dueling Mancunians. Don’t expect many surprises with this one. It has all the signature Beatles-dripped magic sung by the brother who I have always felt is the better singer. Noel wouldn’t agree of course but this is one of his rare self-deprecations. Songs like “If I Had A Gun…” (a deeply passionate love song) demonstrate the sheer beauty and emotion of his voice. “AKA What A Life” (a sister song to Oasis’ “Falling Down”) kicks this sentiment up another notch as Noel “takes that tiger outside for a ride.” With “Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks,” we hear a rare political rant that is most welcome. The infectiousness of “Dream On” easily draws anyone in.
And, is usually the case with Brit bands, the best track from these sessions is not on the regular album (but is available on the deluxe edition and the single, “The Death of You And Me”). “The Good Rebel” made me grin from ear to ear the moment I first heard it. Using the metaphor of cleansing rain, Noel washes his past away and stakes out new territory for himself. The older brother has spoken and the future looks very bright indeed with this great idea for a stocking stuffer this holiday season.
Check out “The Good Rebel” below and keep an eye out for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds coming to our side of the pond early next spring!
The Friday Five: December 2, 2011
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
Being that it is December, I’m going to start shuffling exclusively through my holiday tunes!
“Rexroth’s Daughter” by Winterbloom (from Winterbloom: Traditions Rearranged, 2009)
I’m not certain how this qualifies as a Holiday record. Winterbloom was a one-off collaboration between singer/songwriters Natalia Zukerman, Antje Duvekot, Meg Hutchinson, and Anne Heaton. Apparently, this is a cover of a Joan Baez tune about poet Kenneth Rexroth’s daughter. Again, I’m not certain how this qualifies as a Holiday record. Next!
“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo (Malibu remix)” by Billy May (from Merry Mixmas: Christmas Classics Remixed, 2005)
Did he just say Halle Berry? What is this! I’m going to go out on a limb and say the only reason this is in my library is for the remix of “All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth).”
“White Christmas” by Tommy Emmanuel (from All I Want for Christmas, 2011)
This is the most recent — and most welcome — addition to my Christmas music library.
“White Christmas” by Darlene Love (from A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector, 1963)
It’s a toss up between A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector and A Charlie Brown Christmas for the nod as my favorite Christmas record. I can, and do, listen to either album multiple times over the holiday season without any hesitation. I’d have to say it is a tie!
“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” by Michael Bublé (from, Christmas, 2011)
Ah, Michael Bublé … the cougar’s Justin Bieber. I’ll cop to having this at my wife’s request. Wait, does that mean my wife is a cougar? Crap.
What’s on your shuffle today?