It just dawned on me that we've all neglected to make a nice wholesome update on this blog! what's the deal, kids??
Whilst reminiscing about fun blogging days, and being too lazy to read the actual entries, i decided to read/stare at the banner. Theres a TYPO! no wonder our faithful fans and loyal readers are US AND OUR PARENTS!!! We're the only ones who can forgive us for making a permanent typo!
Correspondance is spelled with the "a" in "ance". footnote, we put the "dance" in Correspondance Here.
This, along with a recent roommate-search encounter (which faultered swiftly and inevitably) made me realize something; I've got an unhealthy obsession with Grammar.
What's most ironic about this is that I myself know nothing about grammar when it comes down to it. I didnt know until a few years ago that you were supposed to capitalize days of the week! I'm sure in the past few sentences I've made 8 Grammar mistakes!
And yet I never fail to find mistakes in other peoples (notaword) writings (?). I've ruled out at least 30 roommates based solely on their e-mail writing style.
Poing being: Sure I'm anal, sure I'm nuts, but.
Sorry, I got nothin. I'd rather be anal than ilidirit.
-We.Co.Che.-
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
StubHub: Legal Scalping
I am ticked off. Sincerely.
The Arcade Fire just released news that they would do 3 back-to-back NYC shows, one of which was at Radio City.
Of course, I got held up in a meeting until 1.5 hours after they went on sale, and they are COMPLETELY sold out.
Most of this due to them being amazing.
However, I also wag my finger at StubHub, for encouring people to be their own scalpers. My understanding was that previously, you could only set a ticket's price up to its face value (or is this an eBay rule?). However, StubHub lets you set it anywhere.
How many people snag these ticketsonly to resell them for a profit? Does the artist or venue see any of this markup? No. And now, there are many seats gobbled up in sets of two, which makes it difficult for several friends to go and sit next to each other.
Perhaps I'll give this encouraged scalping a try to feel some sort of revenge, but it's really irritating and discouraging - sometimes I don't even try to see bands I'd love to see anymore.
Concertgoing is now for the affluent.
The Arcade Fire just released news that they would do 3 back-to-back NYC shows, one of which was at Radio City.
Of course, I got held up in a meeting until 1.5 hours after they went on sale, and they are COMPLETELY sold out.
Most of this due to them being amazing.
However, I also wag my finger at StubHub, for encouring people to be their own scalpers. My understanding was that previously, you could only set a ticket's price up to its face value (or is this an eBay rule?). However, StubHub lets you set it anywhere.
How many people snag these ticketsonly to resell them for a profit? Does the artist or venue see any of this markup? No. And now, there are many seats gobbled up in sets of two, which makes it difficult for several friends to go and sit next to each other.
Perhaps I'll give this encouraged scalping a try to feel some sort of revenge, but it's really irritating and discouraging - sometimes I don't even try to see bands I'd love to see anymore.
Concertgoing is now for the affluent.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
girlie vs. girl: in response
This is exactly what we began talking about the other night... so what is the definition of being a riot grrrl these days?
As I contacted girl-positive sites for PR on my music, I asked myself, "Would the thirteen year old me who used to surf these sites be proud of my lyrics? How are my songs about boys any different then Hillary Duff's?"
Che, you mentioned it's less about the subject matter, and more about the voice. Having unique opinions. Putting the pen in the woman's hand to hear her perspective.
So #1 - Riotgrrls write their own material.
A screenwriting professor once told me that "everything's been said before, just not by you." So while kudos should be given to writers that focus on taboo or less-covered topics such as politics, there are also loads of amazing songs written about the universal.
What makes them unique? The perspective. Does this make them more feminist, though?
One of my favorite love songs, Heaven Tonight by Courtney Love:
Here comes a kiss that I've never had,
nothing feels like this.
Heading for heaven tonight.
I love you.
Huh-lo! Is that feminist? It's not really anything but giddy. Maybe context will help this case. The above lines are preceded by:
Out on the winding road I couldn't wait
Oh baby, I was afraid
Headed for heaven tonight
I'll go to heaven tonight
I feel the horses coming galloping
I will never grow old
I'll go to heaven tonight
Because I love you for what you are
Poetic horse symbolism.
So #2 - You can get away with some sappy lyrics if they're framed by really intelligent ones.
I welcome your posting of a few more "what makes a riotgrrl" guideline, cuz this is making my head hurt.
As I contacted girl-positive sites for PR on my music, I asked myself, "Would the thirteen year old me who used to surf these sites be proud of my lyrics? How are my songs about boys any different then Hillary Duff's?"
Che, you mentioned it's less about the subject matter, and more about the voice. Having unique opinions. Putting the pen in the woman's hand to hear her perspective.
So #1 - Riotgrrls write their own material.
A screenwriting professor once told me that "everything's been said before, just not by you." So while kudos should be given to writers that focus on taboo or less-covered topics such as politics, there are also loads of amazing songs written about the universal.
What makes them unique? The perspective. Does this make them more feminist, though?
One of my favorite love songs, Heaven Tonight by Courtney Love:
Here comes a kiss that I've never had,
nothing feels like this.
Heading for heaven tonight.
I love you.
Huh-lo! Is that feminist? It's not really anything but giddy. Maybe context will help this case. The above lines are preceded by:
Out on the winding road I couldn't wait
Oh baby, I was afraid
Headed for heaven tonight
I'll go to heaven tonight
I feel the horses coming galloping
I will never grow old
I'll go to heaven tonight
Because I love you for what you are
Poetic horse symbolism.
So #2 - You can get away with some sappy lyrics if they're framed by really intelligent ones.
I welcome your posting of a few more "what makes a riotgrrl" guideline, cuz this is making my head hurt.
girlie vs. grrl
is it just me, or has the world become completely and depressingly confused between what is "Riot Grrl" music and "shitty whiney cute girl" music?
how blatantly anti-feminism is it so sing in toothpaste/cookie jingle melodies about boys and beaches and being happy? gimme the angst that i call home in music, ladies!
if its going to be softcore music, please at least make it slightly dreary. dont lets bring in the bonnie-tyler's-nodes-sounding guitars and a bubbles-of-the-powerpuff-girls vocalist whimpering a la fivel about carelessly loving a boy. do not give me this, because A) i will stomp you, metaphorically. B) it will get stuck in my head, and i will end up singing "he's a real good laaaater operatorrrr!!!" whilst bobbing my head all day long.
lets talk The Pierces. dreary, nonchalant, clearly they have the sibling twinspeak going for them. unless im mistaken and theyre white stripes siblings... or were they really siblings and lied about the marriage? whatever. the pierces, who are theoretically what ME AND MY SISTER COULD HAVE BEEN! *has a washed up starlett breakdown in the style of blanche dubois*
the only pseudo-whiney technically almost sort-of "riot grrl" esque but moreso very indie band i support consciously is The Arrogants. sure, theyre kinda cute. but they also spit lyrics like:
"that's it, i've heard too much to stay
i think you're crazy anyway
good thing i only like your taste in shoes
it's not like i enjoy your smile
it's not like i look in your eyes
and ever feel more than a thing or two..."
as gollum would say, we likes this song. its to the point, its honest, its fun. the arrogants have the style of being versatile, touching all aspects of emotion (except, maybe, anger or fright). alright lets say happy, depressing, smitten and hopeless. whats not to love? please look at their site now: http://www.arrogants.com
now compare to the All Girls Summer Fun Band: http://www.agsfb.com/
not only sporting an incredibly annoying scrolling linkbar thing (to avoid laymens terms) but BEING an incredibly annoying... thing.
im sorry, or not, but please listen to the music and argue me if youd like. ga'head. i got my gloves up on this one.
point being: how easy is it to make a "riot grrl" band these days? get a girl with a bob, take some 70s looking pictures, sing in a "cool kid" voice, sometimes harmonize in a fun way, play some guitar and a little bit of drums, maybe bite your lip a little... alls im sayin is hey come on ney, we were onto something! we could totally have a cult following if nothing else if we released those gems we conjured up back in the day!
but nowadays everyones got a band, and a myspace page for that band, and no record deal. so i guess stick to being a fan. and for starts, go look at:
thepiercesmusic.com and arrogants.com
then proceed with a bittersweet attitude and retro striped shirt with a circle skirt and flats.
choice songs: "Lights On" The Pierces
"Secret" The Pierces
"Kill, Kill, Kill" The Pierces
"Cool Shoes" The Arrogants
"Butterflies" The Arrogants
"Future Classic" The Arrogants
enjoy, kids.
how blatantly anti-feminism is it so sing in toothpaste/cookie jingle melodies about boys and beaches and being happy? gimme the angst that i call home in music, ladies!
if its going to be softcore music, please at least make it slightly dreary. dont lets bring in the bonnie-tyler's-nodes-sounding guitars and a bubbles-of-the-powerpuff-girls vocalist whimpering a la fivel about carelessly loving a boy. do not give me this, because A) i will stomp you, metaphorically. B) it will get stuck in my head, and i will end up singing "he's a real good laaaater operatorrrr!!!" whilst bobbing my head all day long.
lets talk The Pierces. dreary, nonchalant, clearly they have the sibling twinspeak going for them. unless im mistaken and theyre white stripes siblings... or were they really siblings and lied about the marriage? whatever. the pierces, who are theoretically what ME AND MY SISTER COULD HAVE BEEN! *has a washed up starlett breakdown in the style of blanche dubois*
the only pseudo-whiney technically almost sort-of "riot grrl" esque but moreso very indie band i support consciously is The Arrogants. sure, theyre kinda cute. but they also spit lyrics like:
"that's it, i've heard too much to stay
i think you're crazy anyway
good thing i only like your taste in shoes
it's not like i enjoy your smile
it's not like i look in your eyes
and ever feel more than a thing or two..."
as gollum would say, we likes this song. its to the point, its honest, its fun. the arrogants have the style of being versatile, touching all aspects of emotion (except, maybe, anger or fright). alright lets say happy, depressing, smitten and hopeless. whats not to love? please look at their site now: http://www.arrogants.com
now compare to the All Girls Summer Fun Band: http://www.agsfb.com/
not only sporting an incredibly annoying scrolling linkbar thing (to avoid laymens terms) but BEING an incredibly annoying... thing.
im sorry, or not, but please listen to the music and argue me if youd like. ga'head. i got my gloves up on this one.
point being: how easy is it to make a "riot grrl" band these days? get a girl with a bob, take some 70s looking pictures, sing in a "cool kid" voice, sometimes harmonize in a fun way, play some guitar and a little bit of drums, maybe bite your lip a little... alls im sayin is hey come on ney, we were onto something! we could totally have a cult following if nothing else if we released those gems we conjured up back in the day!
but nowadays everyones got a band, and a myspace page for that band, and no record deal. so i guess stick to being a fan. and for starts, go look at:
thepiercesmusic.com and arrogants.com
then proceed with a bittersweet attitude and retro striped shirt with a circle skirt and flats.
choice songs: "Lights On" The Pierces
"Secret" The Pierces
"Kill, Kill, Kill" The Pierces
"Cool Shoes" The Arrogants
"Butterflies" The Arrogants
"Future Classic" The Arrogants
enjoy, kids.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Funny Singing
Listening to classic rock radio during the day constantly brings me chuckles for the silliness of it. Rockers take having fun so seriously.
But there are two moments in particular that get me every time, just because of the absurdity of how the singer does each line.
The first is John Mellencamp's (or 'Coug, as Che Monet calls him) "Pink Houses," which all my life I thought was titled "Ain't that America." I think he called it "Pink Houses because he thinks he's a poet.
Anyway, it's silly how he outbursts the line:
"And vacation down at the gulf of Mexico!"
(Listen to minute 3:17.
He does this exaggerated vibrato on "co-oh-oh" that sounds like me simultaneously singing and hoola hooping when I was 8.
The second is Billy Joel's (or as I call him, the subletter of my future home), "Big Shot" when he sings
"Yes, yes, you had to be a big shot, didn't cha"
I know I know, he sings that line like 10 times in the song. But there's one time near the end where he does this wierd voice like he got bored of playing the same chords and singing the same lines so he just mixed it up without thinking about it. You'll know it when you see it.
I have no analysis for these silly singing examples, but thought they were worth calling out.
But there are two moments in particular that get me every time, just because of the absurdity of how the singer does each line.
The first is John Mellencamp's (or 'Coug, as Che Monet calls him) "Pink Houses," which all my life I thought was titled "Ain't that America." I think he called it "Pink Houses because he thinks he's a poet.
Anyway, it's silly how he outbursts the line:
"And vacation down at the gulf of Mexico!"
(Listen to minute 3:17.
He does this exaggerated vibrato on "co-oh-oh" that sounds like me simultaneously singing and hoola hooping when I was 8.
The second is Billy Joel's (or as I call him, the subletter of my future home), "Big Shot" when he sings
"Yes, yes, you had to be a big shot, didn't cha"
I know I know, he sings that line like 10 times in the song. But there's one time near the end where he does this wierd voice like he got bored of playing the same chords and singing the same lines so he just mixed it up without thinking about it. You'll know it when you see it.
I have no analysis for these silly singing examples, but thought they were worth calling out.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
things is topsy turvey!
what is it with these days, kids? I leave the Ea.Coa. and all hell breaks loose, I come to the We.Coa. and everything gets lame!
should I be taking a hint?
I think I should bring the classic starlet back in style.
<3moi.
should I be taking a hint?
I think I should bring the classic starlet back in style.
<3moi.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Bitterly's
Do you have Friendly's on the west coast? Well, for those of you who don't know, Friendly's is a sweet little ice cream parlor-cum-classic American diner with fun circus and town fair images and commercials with little kids saving their milk money to take grandma out to lunch for Valentine's Day. It's so precious, and with a name like "Friendly's", how could one not be enticed into sitting down for a wholesome cup o' joe and a good conversation over a hearty plate of homestyle meatloaf?
Well, slow service, bad coffee and food that sits in your stomach like a rock, that's how. What angers me most is that I am constantly duped into going in - always wanting to give the good old stand-by a chance. But, the minute I walk into a Friendly's, I remember why I vowed last tiem never to return again.
Tonight, Craig and I went for a late dinner. First of all, it took long enough to get someone's attention that we wanted a seat. When finally someone noticed us, he motioned us to follow him, or at least I thought he did. I found it odd that the restaurant was maybe one-third full, but everyone was packed into one corner. "Well, I guess it's a large party or something. Maybe they all just got out of a concert or play." So, I follow the hyper gentleman to the less-populated back area of the restaurant where I thought he would be seating us, but he stopped short to clean off a table that was smack in the middle of every guest in there. "I like to keep everyone together," he said in a creepy, overly controlling manner.
"Oh, that's nice of you, but we'd like to sit over there." He ignered my request and went to the back to get a towel to wipe down the table. Upon his return, I asked again if we could sit in a little less conspicuous area.
"I like to keep everyone together," he kept saying. "And i just started cleaning over here."
"Oh, I see. Well, we're paying you for dinner, so we'd like to sit here." I had it in for this man the minute I stepped in there. I was lashing out not just at him, but at every awkward, uncomfortable, bitter waiter I've ever had at Friendly's across New England.
"You know what you want? No?! Well, you look at the menu more because I'm VERY busy."
I said, "Excuse me, don't tell me you're busy. That's what happens when you work at Friendly's. It's called fast food."
Looking back, I'm not sure why I felt the need to bitch him out so. I think it might be the atrocious lighting and the elevator muzak that puts me into PMS mode - and the smell of all that high-fructose corn syrup and the thin layer of carmelized glaze coating every inch of every table and banquette.
Perhaps I'll take Theresa there for her Birthday.
Well, slow service, bad coffee and food that sits in your stomach like a rock, that's how. What angers me most is that I am constantly duped into going in - always wanting to give the good old stand-by a chance. But, the minute I walk into a Friendly's, I remember why I vowed last tiem never to return again.
Tonight, Craig and I went for a late dinner. First of all, it took long enough to get someone's attention that we wanted a seat. When finally someone noticed us, he motioned us to follow him, or at least I thought he did. I found it odd that the restaurant was maybe one-third full, but everyone was packed into one corner. "Well, I guess it's a large party or something. Maybe they all just got out of a concert or play." So, I follow the hyper gentleman to the less-populated back area of the restaurant where I thought he would be seating us, but he stopped short to clean off a table that was smack in the middle of every guest in there. "I like to keep everyone together," he said in a creepy, overly controlling manner.
"Oh, that's nice of you, but we'd like to sit over there." He ignered my request and went to the back to get a towel to wipe down the table. Upon his return, I asked again if we could sit in a little less conspicuous area.
"I like to keep everyone together," he kept saying. "And i just started cleaning over here."
"Oh, I see. Well, we're paying you for dinner, so we'd like to sit here." I had it in for this man the minute I stepped in there. I was lashing out not just at him, but at every awkward, uncomfortable, bitter waiter I've ever had at Friendly's across New England.
"You know what you want? No?! Well, you look at the menu more because I'm VERY busy."
I said, "Excuse me, don't tell me you're busy. That's what happens when you work at Friendly's. It's called fast food."
Looking back, I'm not sure why I felt the need to bitch him out so. I think it might be the atrocious lighting and the elevator muzak that puts me into PMS mode - and the smell of all that high-fructose corn syrup and the thin layer of carmelized glaze coating every inch of every table and banquette.
Perhaps I'll take Theresa there for her Birthday.
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