Please note that all blog posts before 8 April 2007 were automatically imported from LiveJournal. To see the comments and any LiveJournal-specific extras such as polls and user icons, please find the source posting at http://brianenigma.livejournal.com/2003/04/I know I am not an old fart. I know that I have not “lost my cool” or whatever. Still, I keep running into little reminders that try to tell me otherwise. Case in point–a few weeks ago, Kate and I were staying at a hotel up in Portland with cable access (something we choose not to have at home). I liked watching VH1. I like watching VH1 more than Mtv. Back in the 80's, I loved Mtv and would make fun of anyone watching VH1 because it was for adults and losers, with lots of “easy listening” type stuff. A few weekends ago, I found Mtv painful to watch and embraced VH1 (mostly a show they kept playing a lot of called “I Love the 80's”). If you had told me then that I would drop Mtv in favor of VH1 in 15 years, I would have laughed in your face. I do not really care that I was watching one over the other, nor do I feel uncomfortable or uncool about the choice. I just thought it was an interesting change.
Speaking of change. At some point I stopped listening to KROQ (the local “alternative” station) without realizing or making a conscious effort to do so. The music started getting crappier and more mainstream. “Alternative” stopped being alternative and just another ClearChannel commodity. Now, I listen to the news in the morning and various MP3s or net radio stations (that specifically cater to goth/industrial, 80's, jazz, dark-ambient-industrial, or whatever) when I want music. We even set up a nifty streaming radio station at work that has a sampling of all of our music collections on it, so you end up listing to a popular 80's song followed by old jazz, followed by some crazy techno, Scottish bagpipes, funky 70's, a song from Cowboy Bebop, then an industrial song. It is rather mind-blowing, but really cool.
Now, speaking of music, I did not realize that Pigface even had a new album until I saw it mentioned in Turnip's journal. (This is similar to the Radiohead thing the other day–I had no idea they were working on a new album). I downloaded it a couple of hours ago, then picked it up from Tower a few minutes ago. This particular iteration of Pigface band members is pretty cool! Okay, and I was an extremely happy monkey when I heard Penn Jillette on the last track. That guy needs to be in more songs. In fact, he has an entry on AllMusic that lists the various albums he is on, including a number of Residents albums I do not yet have, and I am going to make it my personal mission to seek out all Penn songs.
Of course, “The Horse You Rode In On” does not get the title of the all-time best “fuck you” in the universe. That title is still held by the version of “Stigmata” on Ministry's live album, “In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up.”
I keep getting closer and closer to getting a subscription to AdBusters and getting their Corporate Flag. I was hovering over the purchase button earlier today and looked for it in the magazine rack at Tower and Borders while I was out. I think I am going to either really love it or really hate it, but I kind of want to pick up an issue to know for sure. Maybe I will just order a single recent back-issue online. Okay, done.
