Published Nov 13, 2005
Some time ago, I asked you all to suggest some TV shows I might watch. Y’all done good. I thought I’d return the favor with some brief feedback on your suggestions, and ask you for a few more suggestions.
First the suggestion request: I need new music. They’ve got this crazy thing at school called Ruckus, which is free or cheap or something, which gives me subscription music. Well, I’ve fooled with it some and it seems like it may either be awful or mediocre, but, hey it’s either free or cheap and I need new music. And the selection, while not large, is not small either.
So, back to the point: I need new music. What should I try out? I like me some punk rock but let’s just make it clear right now that Green Day is not a punk rock band. I can groove to those Texas blues, especially lately. And I’ve been really intrigued by alt-country, it’s so much better than the crap on the radio. Any suggestions in those genres? Or favorites I should just try out?
OK, now for the promised TV shows. You recommended:
My Name Is Earl: Funny! Despite the simple premise, new every week. Jason Lee not nearly as cloyingly self-superior as in Mallrats.
Bones: Unspeakably awful. How many cliched characters, lines, and plot devices can they use at once? More than you thought possible. Should be easy to produce, however, assuming that the total lack of originality comes from (or leads too) a small creative staff.
Nip/Tuck: TiVo is unable to figure out when to record this for me.
Rescue Me: This does not even appear in my TiVo guide. What’s going on?
Law and Order: I know I’ve missed years of these but, thanks to TiVo and TNT, I can catch up. Don’t know why I didn’t get into these earlier, what a great franchise!
CSI:NY: After CSI:Miami dumped all pretense of realism (granted, it was a small pretense to start with), and brought in David Causo as a self-satisfied redhead who needs to be smacked around some, I gave up on new CSIs. CSI:NY works, however, with a good line-up of actors (but, again, and unlike CSI, an unspeakably perfect lead character).
Everybody Hates Chris: This is far and away the best new comedy I’ve seen since the first season of Family Guy. Maybe better than Family Guy, actually. The characters are perfect, the actors are perfect (shockingly, the child actors are neither annoying nor unable to properly deliver a line), the scripts are perfect, and the sets are perfect. If you’re missing this show, you’re missing the best new program on television and you’re missing non-stop laughs.
American Dad: Growing on me. Better than most of the alternatives.
So, thanks for your last suggestions; what’ve you got for me in music?
Re: punk — I can’t get enough of the Distillers (and sorry if I’m repeating myself here). They’re really the only punk band of the last 10 years or so to really hold more interest for more than a song or two.
I share your growing interest in alt-country, but don’t know enough to make any suggestions, yet. I’ve been listening to XM’s “X country” station a bit to hone in on those in my sweet spot.
I’m totally with you, the Distillers are great! Also that Brodie Dalle is hot. I’m just sayin’.
For alt-country, I’ve been enjoying Kathleen Edwards, which is a start, I guess. Of course I love the old-fashioned country artists, like Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, George Jones.
As far as I can tell (correct me if my preliminary, unresearched impression is wrong), “alt-country” seems to cast a wide net, encompassing almost anything non-nashville. In particular, there seems to be two distinct brances: 1) a folky country-rock (or folk-rock country?), and 2) harder edged, punk country and honky-tonk country-rock.
I used to really like Haggard, but I’ve soured on him a bit, lately. Probably just because his catalog isn’t quite deep enough. Johnny is, of course, the man. I’ll go through a pretty intense Bakersfield kick (yoakum, buck owens) every few months. And I’m always up for vintage bluegrass.
After a little surfing and clip-listening, I’m pretty fond of BR5-49 and the Bottle Rockets. The Uncle Tupelo offspring (Wiclo and Son Volt) are good stuff… but a little mellow for my usual mood. :)
hrmm alt country? all i can think of right now is the uncle tupelo stuff which graham introduced to me that bastard.
gah.
what the hell is alt country?
and im sorry about bones. i thought you know maybe theyd fuck or something.
i can still hope.
Dude, I don’t want them to fuck. Boreanaz looks like a frog and Deschanel looks (and behaves) like a stoat. That would produce odd offspring.
You’re right on w/Uncle Tupelo; Vance did a good job of defining the ill-defined genre above. Also all that country/folk-type stuff that you listen to, like Iris DeMent, that might count too. If it’s not on horrible commercial radio, that’s a sign it might be alt-country.
Favorite songs downloaded since you inspired me to scour the alt-country mine: Radar Gun (Bottle Rockets); Cherokee Boogie (BR5-49); Windfall (Son Volt); Thirteen (Wilco); I wanna be your dog (Uncle Tupelo); Picture in My Mind (Freakwater); Go Fuck You, Mississippi Mud, Trashville (Hank Williams III).
I think my favorite new song of the past year was Flowers, by Emilie Simon. But, probably not your thing, eh?
Nice animation, and my wife and I both dig the song. Let’s see… 24 year old French woman who speaks effortless english, with true musical talent, in addition to one of those sweet, high-pitched yet soft voices… oh, and she just happens to be smoking hot. Now there’s a formula for success.
Well, I like her… But she isn’t exactly punk or alt-country. :-)
I do also like some of the southwestern-influenced rock bands that have shown up over the last decade, e.g. The Refreshments, Fastball. But my musical tastes, aside from classical and opera, mostly run toward goth and ethereal.