Monday, May 22, 2006

Statute of Liberty + Top soup


"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

So, we’re probably due for taking this down about now, right?

I’m not gonna go off on this today, but I just want to state that ALL of the current immigration bills are completely retarded for everyone involved. I’m so tired of these people telling me what Americans want, because I don’t see anyone wanting 11 Million Felons to immediately appear in this country. Nor does anyone want priests and social workers to become criminals. And we should probably try to put indentured servitude behind us. You know, because it’s INHERENTLY WRONG. Seriously, is “stoic shrug” really the best reaction I can expect to have in international non-sporting news for the rest of my life? Ugh.

Anyways, what with the holiday weekend coming up, I’ve decided to keep up the grilling motif for this week. It should probably be noted that most of my favorite music is good for grilling, but I’m going to be trying especially hard this week to give you the makings of a total GRILL MIX to use at your own discretion throughout the approaching grill season.
AC/DC. Oh how I wish there were a little lightning-bolt key on my keyboard, because I feel that this impromptu spelling of the band’s name does them a great disservice. Anyways, if you’re reading this and don’t know AC/DC, you should get the hell out of here and go buy some damn records. If you can’t read this, well, you probably know who they are. This band gets shit on a lot, largely because they play big dumb rock, their fans are assholes, and all their songs sound the same. I’ll address those with some points.
1) Big rock is supposed to be dumb. With the exception of the Hold Steady, pretty much all of it is. If it isn’t it’s something stupid like Yes. And nobody likes yes.
2) Find me one band whose fans you don’t dislike almost as a rule. Radiohead? Eff that. the air of pretension is just as bad as the air of stupidity.
3) There’s no argument here, a lot of their songs sound the same. As do many other bands. It’s a successful formula. Why does everyone love Morrissey so much when he’s pretty much made the same album for almost 20 years now? At least this song rocks ass.

So yeah, I’m a fan. I think they’ve recorded just as many timeless songs as the Zeppelins and Doors of the world, so lay off them. You know how it was the hot shit a few years ago to be wearing an MC5 or Motorhead t-shirt around Hollywood or wherever those famous people hang out? Yes, it pissed me off as much as anyone, but if it had been AC/DC shirts everyone was wearing I’d at least be comfortable knowing that they’ve heard more than one song by the band (or, in the case of the MC5, owns the same record that everyone else doesn’t listen to), and to buy Angus a new uniform. So this song is notable for the kickass bagpipe solo (I know, even typing it made me chuckle a little, but seriously) courtesy of Bon Scott who –in addition to being a complete lunatic- was a champion bagpipe player. I don’t think it can rock any harder than that. Grilling music at its best.

“It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n’ Roll)” – AC/DC (YSI Link)

Buy High Voltage here

If I were to make a top secret poll of my favorite songs of all time using criteria that I actually care about (the “how many times I’ve heard it: whether or not I’ve ever gotten sick of it” ratio, how it affects my driving, good memories associated with it, etc…) this song would probably reside right near the top. It makes me think of living in Savannah on cheap beer and good friends. It also make me think of the most reckless driving in history, but that’s a whole other post for a whole other…ever. I love Cornershop because it puts me in a great mood and it’s hard to sit still when it’s playing. These are both qualities that make this track so awesome, and certainly part of my grilling experience. I’m gonna put up another song, a single they put out a few years ago that works just as well with me. It’s called “Topknot”, and is a summer tune sung in what I’m assuming to be Punjabi. Tjinder Singh, who normally handles all the vocals, turns it over to newcomer Bubbley Kaur who does a great job. Now I miss Savannah.

I know these aren’t the most out of the way tracks ever, so tomorrow I’ll try and get something a tad more obscure for your enjoyment. We’ll see if I pull it off.

“Heavy Soup” – Cornershop (YSI Link)


“Topknot” – Cornershop (YSI link)

Buy Handcream for a Generation here

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