I Listen To The Songs The Whole World Sings

So Here's 25 from MY ipod. First I feel the need to address something my title reminded me of...which is that my high school music teacher attended John Denver's Funeral. ( I realize that I was usuing a Barry Manilow title, but somehow the two are the same in my mind) Random and true. Ok, here goes...

1. "Farewell Ride" Beck
I'm a huge fan of this album. Yeah, I jumped on that bandwagon.

2. "All Kinds of Time" Fountains of Wayne
This is prob. my least favorite song on this album. It's a bit whiney. Also forgetting the lyrics to your own song while live on stage will def not endear me to your band.

3. "I'm Real" Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule
Part of me would like to lie and say this song wasn't on my ipod. However anyone who attended college with me knows that Leigh + 4-6 fermented beverages+this song=magic.

4. "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" Ben Folds Five
I Love this album. Its a good thing Ben Folds is good on this own or I'd be mad this group no longer exists.

4. "Justify My Love" Madonna
Ok, anyone could have seen that coming

5. "Eskimo" Damien Rice
Senisitive men singing. My speciality.

6. "Like a Feather" Nikka Costa
The first time I heard this song Mike and I were on our first playdate to Jones beach.

7. "Shooting Star" Elliot Smith
See number 5.

8. "Hammer to Fall" Queen
Does anyone else's ipod develop obsessions? Mine does...

9. "Have a Nice Day" Sterophonics
mmm. The Entire NOW 49: UK Edition is PERFECT

10. "Summertime" Miles Davis
Yeah. Typical study music.

11. "Romeo" Basement Jaxx
I have not heard this song in a good 3 years.

12. "Smile Like You Mean It" The Killers
Ok, wait, this is becoming a good list! My ipod is never this cooperative

13. "I'm Your Destiny" Edna's Goldfish
Long Island Ska. Yeah high school!

14. "My Sharona" The Knack
Dirty,Dirty Song.

15. "Slave" Weezer
Haven't heard this in awhile either...

16. "A Hard Day's Night" The Beatles
I am my mother's daughter.

17. "Fire" Jimi Hendrix
One of 3 Cds I had while driving across Ireland.

18. "Silent Night" John Denver & The Muppets
well, now hes just mad at me for equating him with Barry Manilow.

19. "Parallel Universe" Red Hot Chilli Peppers
fantastic driving music.

20. "Laura" Scissor Sisters
Thank you kevin!

21. "Rock Your Body" Justin Timberlake.
yummy.

22. "Never Know" Jack Johnson
I need to make my way through this album I guess.

23. "Una Musica Brutal" Gotan Project
Argentinian Trendiness!

24. "Heavy Things" Phish
I equate this song with living in a trailer. And that's not a bad thing.

25. "The Answer" Joe Iconis
Well, there you go. What an appropriate ending. I'm fairly certian that when I finally see this song performed live I'm going to burst into tears for varying reasons. Joe might be an absentee friend, but he can write songs!

music cool rock awesome

There's what one should do and there's what one will do.

I should write something about John G. Roberts, the Stepford nominee for the Supreme Court. He terrifies the tits off of me with his "good ol' boy" veneer and sinister eyes. I'm positive that he'll be my undoing. So I should write something about that. But I won't.

What I will do is bow to the pressures of the Interweb. On various blogs lately, people have been recording the first 25 songs that come on the shuffle on their iPods. Is it character analysis? Probably. It at least gives you some idea into who a person is. So here's mine. This is in no way edited or reordered. I'm an honest lady, sometimes. Always when m'Pod is concerned. I think this is fun.

(1) "River Deep, Mountain High"- Tina Turner
Hhhhmm. Odd. Rag doll. Ha ha. Oh, she rocks. Fun. It stills makes me SO mad that Angela Bassett didn't win an Oscar.

(2) "Dracula's Wedding"- Outkast
"I wait my whole life to bite the right one, and then you come along and it freaks me out." Poetry.

(3) "You Can't Win"- The Garden City High School production of 'The Wiz'
This was the best high school show ever. It had trannies, ugly girls, and Chris Malito.

(4) "Red Headed Stranger"- Willie Nelson
I frickin' adore Willie Nelson. It's gross that he's reduced to cavorting with Jessica Simpson. Is she divorced yet?

(5) "Time of the Preacher"- Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson double header!! This is actually my favorite Willie song. It's really chill and sweet.

(6) "If She Knew What She Wants"- The Bangles
Finally! Oh, I love this song. Susanna Hoffs, sing me a dream. Noted theatrical composer Joe Iconis is also a fan of this song. Just FYI.

(7) "Mountain Angel"- Dolly Parton
Oh god, this songs is so sad. Oh jesus. I'm seeing Dolly August 18th at Radio City. She has one of the best voices in American music, but in my opinion (as someone who could analyze her for hours), she's at her best when she's totally just whispering. "She was a mountain angel... certified." The chorus of this song is a musical orgasm. AND JUST ONE MORE RANT- She rhymes "baby died" with "Devil's child." Pure genius.

(8) "Room on the 3rd Floor"- McFly
I'll never forgive Joe Iconis for making me know who these assholes are. Nor will I ever forgive Kate Wilkinson for making me love them via her own infectious appreciation. Their cover of "Build Me Up Buttercup" is pop madness.

(9) "Love Is Really My Game"- Brainstorm
Aaahh, the '54' soundtrack. God bless you. Every night I think about staying home, but then I come to my senses and give myself a good kick in the ass.

(10) "It's So Easy"- Velvet Revolver
I'm positive that I've never heard this song before. Is this live?! God, I have too much stuff on here. I'll never hear it all. Wow. This IS live. Bizarre. Oh. What a good song. It's actually incomprehensible.

(11) "Sharp Darts"- The Streets
So good. So, so good. So smart. Much like the titular darts, so sharp.

(12) "Brand New Lover"- Dead or Alive
Honestly, I can't believe an 80's resurgence didn't happen sooner. 80's pop is perfection. SuperCamp.

(13) "On the Road Again"- Willie Nelson
Ok, I so don't have that many Willie Nelson songs on my iPod, so it's weird that he's surfaced three times. Maybe he's trying to send me a message. Yes Willie, I will meet you at the Beverly Wilshire with a gun. (Sidenote: This song was nominated for an Oscar. Fun fact.)

(14) "The Movin' Uptown Blues"- The Wild Party (Broadway cast recording)
Oh, showtunes. The hit or miss factor of any shuffle session. MISS.

(15) "Any Way You Want It"- Journey
Ohhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyy gooooooooooooooooooooood I love Journey!! August 28th at Jones Beach. I'm not going. It breaks me. This is the best song to never be sung by Corey Feldman.

(16) "I Won't Ever Be Happy Again"- Bright Eyes
I don't get the whole Bright Eyes thing. I downloaded a bunch of his shit, and I thought I'd get into it, but quite the opposite.

(17) "Indian Sunset"- Elton John
What a fucking bizarre song. Eltie, I adore you. J'adore. But quit being creepy. I always skip this song on this album (Madman... my 2nd favorite Eltie album, after Tumbleweed Connection). Gimme "All The Nasties" already. Shee-it.

(18) "Diamonds and Roses"- Bette Midler w/ Dolly Parton
There is a God. That's all this song makes me think. Two such perfect creatures couldn't exits without divine guidance. THESE VOICES. Oooooohhh.

(19) "One Night Stand"- Janis Joplin
So soulful. It kills me. I swear to god, she belts some notes, and you'd think she was a Broadway singer.

(20) "Hash Pipe"- Weezer
Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes

(21) "No You Don't"- Sweet
From the folks that brought you "Ballroom Blitz"- anarchic 80's thrash nonsense.

(22) "Wild Flowers"- Ryan Adams
Oddly enough, I think the two artists most represented on my iPod are Dolly and Ryan Adams. I mean, he's just so good. His voice is brilliant.

(23) "Wig in a Box"- Polyphonic Spree
Trippy.

(24) "Haiti"- Arcade Fire
Again, I don't think I know this song. It's REAL good, though.

(25) "Nashville to Kentucky"- My Morning Jacket
Good, solid, depressing song. My kind of shit. Maybe a little too emo, but it's not terminal.

One more for good measure:
(26) "Bend"- Shelby Lynne
Oh, good girl. GOOD GIRL. I've been re-obsessed with her lately. Her voice is for serious edged with razors and whiskey.

So that's it. That's Kevin Manganaro in 25 songs. Good times, right?? YEAH!

:-)

"Candy doesn't have a point. That's why it's candy."

I wanted to write something about this New York Times article, which infuriates me and quite frankly made me cry a little.

I wanted to write about my impending trip to Europe.

I wanted to write about "Fatal Attraction" taking New York by storm.

But I can't. All I can say is how deeply I was moved and how emphatically I was entertained by "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory." As far as 2005 movies go, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was fantasticly fun, "Sin City" was brilliant and gritty, and "Rize" was eye-opening in about 900 different ways. But this. BUT THIS. I am OBSESSED with this movie.

The scenes with Charlie (that dreadful little shit with Finding Neverland, who's actually unspeakably perfect in this movie) and his family (Noah Taylor & Helen Bonham Carter are his parents!!) are so simply done- by Tim Burton standards- and so touching... Kate and I were literally moved to tears. This movie has so much heart with the home scenes, and then it takes such a genuine glee in torturing the other kids in the factory scenes, which have this insane, playful menace... Like David LaChapelle directing "Shockheaded Peter."

And then, Mr. Depp. Mr. Depp. Oh god. I love this man beyond words. He's... I... Oh my god. I could scream. And I did. And I have. He's so funny. Oh my god. Why I bristle to say that any performance is ever better than Captain Jack Sparrow, I think this might be it.

I just... I need to go... I'm going to start crying again... "I wouldn't trade my family for anything, Mr. Wonka. Not for all the chocolate in the world."

Pretty In Pimp. 

I LOVE BABS WILKINSON. 

As long as we're putting up amazing pictures. 

Oy. 

Boogers...

...is a really funny word.

Today (7/13) is the birthday of Sara Fitzbirthday, #1 fan of this blog, so HOLLA to her. She's probably... 23, 24 or so? I'm not sure. She's ageless, timeless, and flawless, so who can tell?

Also- and I keep forgetting- I need to post a picture of Joe Drunkonis with a certain Goonie we know. It's a masterpiece of detail and gooeyness.

Obsession du jour- "Rize." No really. Go see. BRILLIANT movie. Unbelieveable.

Days until Kevin and Leigh take a European hiatus: SIXTEEN. This is so sick. Ugh. Unprepared.

More later. Ciao!
:-)

Jake Blues Somerville 1993-2005 

In Memoriam

I'm officially in mourning. Im so sad I don't even have words.
I realize to some people it might not make sense to get hysterical at the loss of a pet, but to those people I say, I'm sorry you never had a pet to love.
Jake was by far the best dog I could have asked for. For 12 years, he was an amazing companion. If you know me, you know how much I cared for this dog, and I know it was mutual. He loved me so much that when I was in New York, he would sleep curled up against my bedroom door at night. I would wake up and see his fur peaking out from underneath it.
Ok I'm crying now.
I love you Jakers.

3 Day Weekends are THE BEST

Not sure how everyone else celebrated our independence, but I chose to spend my weekend drowning in mimosas. SIDEBAR: while watching Labyrinth I realized just how scary David Bowie's package is when presented in a unitard. No amount of muppets, not even Jennifer Connelly's eyebrows can distract from it, tis Truly terrifying. Goblin King indeed.
Last night, after the most traditional 4th of July EVER (baseball game+ BBQ complete with wiffleball and Bocce) as I was sitting on the mall and watching fireworks over the Washington monument and listening to the NSO with Gloria Estefan,I was hearing those around me say things like "beautiful" and "amazing" and I was thinking, "I miss Henry street" I'm sorry. I don't think any 4th of July will ever be better than being on a Brooklyn rooftop and truly appreciating New York. (shout out to Bobby DeNiro for the downtown fireworks extravaganza of '03. Thanks.) Also I can't even wait to see Fatal Attraction, the ocean or my dogs. Speaking of Labyrinths, can you please picture Kevin and I traipsing around Versailles? Ohhh. We're totally going to need matching parasols....

Half of 2005 is officially over.

WHAT A TERRIFYING FACT!! Happy July, at any rate.

Let's assess what Summer '05 has done for us lately:

(1) Brooke Shields v. Tom Cruise is epic. And curiously ongoing. Like, I love Brooke Shields. Despite being perpetually mired in mediocrity, she's a flippin' genius in "Freeway," so bless her beautiful hide. Tom Cruise, I ain't seen your weirdo alien movie yet, but you fucking suck. Shut the fuck up. Jaysus.

(2) Sandra Day O'Connor is hightailing it out of the Supreme Court to care for her Alzheimers-ridden husband. Romantic, perhaps? A real-life "Iris" (wherein she's Jim Broadbent... delightful)? Well, the country's going to suffer for the loss of such a cool chick, who, while not always correct on the issues before her, was a hell of a lot better than the rest of them. Ruth Bader Ginsberg? Jesus Christ, fucking useless. Anyway, I'd like to nominate Christina Applegate for Supreme Court justice. She'd be entirely winning, and it would give her a chance to rest her foot.

(3) Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy (www.fatalattractiontheplay.com) starts previews tonight. This is something the summer's done RIGHT. Very right. I'll say no more... Just that it's a fucking milestone in American culture.

(4) WHY IS IT SO HUMID?! I'm so unhappy. 2005, you fucking blow.

(5) I haven't been the beach enough. I'm pallid.

(6) I'm going to France in four weeks (LESS!), and I'm completely unequipped to deal. I'm talking in terms of luggage, to say nothing of language skills.

Today's two rants:
*Beck's "Girl" (on Guero) is a fantastic song. Fun and bouncy for summer.
*You know who really doesn't get the respect she deserves? Delta Burke. When you really look at it, Suzanne Sugarbaker is one of the great creations in TV history. I'm takin along the lines of Lucy Ricardo, Marge Simpson, and Tony Soprano. Genius. Anyway, she doesn't get props for her skills is all I'm saying.

KEVIN, fatally.