Archive 2000

 THE MOST MEMORABLE MUSIC TV APPEARANCES OF THE 90'S  (January)

Every publication has had their best of the millennium and century polls. I don't remember what music was like in 1000 so I feel that millennium polls are useless because they only represent the last part of the millennium. I also am not going to bore you with a best songs of the century poll because my favorites don't date before 1960 (again only representative of the last part of the century). Instead I'm going to share with you my favorite music moments on television of the 1990's. For better or worst, television now plays a heavy role in shaping people's musical taste. All of these appearances played a huge part in shaping my music tastes during the 90's and are happy (one sad) memories for me. Check out my video list, most of these are available for trade if you missed them. 

4/15/90- MTV airs a repeat of the B-52's Rockumentary. I was bored so I sat down and watched it. I learned that the B-52's are not a bunch of washed up hippies with goofy songs but a band who has had a career since 1978, survived the tragic death of a band mate and brother to AIDS and turned this tragedy into a way to help others with AIDS, and has given a voice to those who feel outside of the mainstream society. They've been one of my favorite bands ever since. 

Earth Day 1990- MTV airs the B-52's Earth Day concert in Central Park. This Earth Day marked a time when people were excited about the environment and community activism. 

MTV Video Music Awards 1990- The B-52's are the long shot nominee for Best Group video and are the surprise winner. They were on tour at the time but accepted the award in their hotel room in one of the most clever and unusual acceptance speeches ever at the MTV Video Music Awards. This also gave me proof that a band I liked could actual be the winner (I seem to always support the loser). 

R.E.M. MTV Unplugged 1991- Out of Time had just come out and this was the best concert I've ever seen on television. It featured the new material from Out of Time, old favorites such as "Perfect Circle", and an impassioned version of "Fall on Me". Michael Stipe put so much soul into his singing on this song, his eyes looked like they were going to roll back in his head as he sang. I loved Mike Mills taking over lead vocals on the sweet cover of the Troggs' "Love is All Around". 

MTV Video Music Awards 1991- R.E.M. cleans house, winning six awards for "Losing My Religion". Michael Stipe gives another one of MTV's most memorable acceptance speeches by wearing a t-shirt with a different political messages for each award they were nominated for and taking several off during the final acceptance speech. After eleven years in obscurity, R.E.M. had finally made it and they felt fine. 

MTV Inaugural Ball 1993- Bill Clinton had just become president and MTV threw a party to celebrate. The event featured several one night only surprise appearances- Half of R.E.M. and half of U2 came together and formed Automatic Baby and played a wonderful version of U2's "One", Michael Stipe joined 10,000 Maniacs to cover "To Sir with Love". Don Henley performed a moving cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times are a Changing" backed by a choir. Unfortunately during the Clinton years, the times didn't change for the better. 

Afghan Whigs on Conan O'Brien 1993- The Whigs make their television debut on Conan O'Brien's show. Many more wonderful TV appearances came... 

Afghan Whigs on 120 Minutes 1993- I officially became an Afghan Whigs fan after watching this. Great interview with Greg and John and a rockin version of "Gentleman". Plus, ladies, Greg looked the hottest I've ever seen him except for in the "Gentleman" video. 

The Backbeat Band on the MTV Movie Awards 1994- The Backbeat Band's first and only live performance. The idea of Greg Dulli, Mike Mills, Dave Pirner, Dave Grohl, Thurston Moore, and Don Fleming all playing in the same band, even if only for one night, was an amazing dream. Plus, Greg Dulli falling down on stage was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on television. Ah the beauty of live television...

Greg Dulli and Donal Logue hosting 120 Minutes 1994- Greg's first appearance on 120 Minutes with his friend, actor, Donal Logue. This show was completely crazy featuring reenactments of scenes from Scarface, The Godfather, and At Close Range and new alter egos (Torso Man and Boy, the gay limo driver). Greg and Donal proved the host can do more than read cue cards and have a little, crazy fun. 

The Monster tour announcement, MTV 1995- R.E.M. hadn't toured in six years, I didn't believe they ever would. But 1995, they did the unthinkable and MTV was live to make the announcement. One of my most exciting music moments. 

Alanis Morrisette's performance of "You Oughta Know" at the Grammys, 1996- Backed by a full orchestra, this beautiful but completely different version showed the pain of "You Oughta Know" while the original showed the anger. 

MTV's announcement of Bill Berry's departure from R.E.M., 1997- Sad day for R.E.M. fans as we heard that the perfect circle of friends Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe was now the "three-legged dog".

R.E.M. on Sesame Street, 1999- Performing "Shiny Happy Monsters", R.E.M. showed the world that they could have good plain light fun too. I never thought I'd see R.E.M. dancing and singing with Muppet-like monsters.

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO (BUT THESE ALBUMS CAN MAKE IT EASIER) (February)

Yet again, in honor of the Hallmark created conspiracy against single people called Valentine's Day, I want to talk about breaking up. Hallmark is not going to create a greeting card that says "hey, I heard somebody ripped your heart out and stomped on it in front of you". It was once sang that breaking is hard to do but music, which can heal many wounds, can make it a little easier. Matthew Sweet's album, Girlfriend, and the Afghan Whigs'Gentlemen have been two old friends to me that having made this process of breaking up a healing process. 

On Girlfriend, Matthew Sweet discusses everything about relationships from the courtship to the breakup. The album opens with songs about the wonders of the courtship and the anxieties of becoming a couple. On "I've Been Waiting", Matthew sings about finding the one who is "perfect in so many ways" and waiting to have this person. In the title track, Matthew debates the transition from friends to couple. He argues that "you need to be back in the arms of a good friend, 'cause honey believe me I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend". He then pines for the women who are so hard to obtain, the "little movie star" in "Winona" and the woman who "the only man (she) trusts is God above" on "Evangeline". Then the album shifts from the joys and anxieties of courtship to the pains and sorrows of the breakup (there is actually a few minutes of silence to separate the album). This is the only album I know of that hits on every stage of a breakup. On "Don't Go", this is the person in denial who refuses to believe the relationship is over. On "Thought I Knew You" and "You Don't Love Me", this is the person who is in pain and has started to grieve the end of the relationship. "Thought I Knew You" deals with the relationship that ends due to betrayal. "You Don't Love Me" deals with the death of the love in the relationship. Matthew pours his heart out on this song. You can really feel his pain in lyrics such as "You think that leaving is what will make you happy, then I guess it is okay if you go away". Matthew closes the album with a sense of closure on "Nothing Lasts". He advises the listener "it's time to move on, let the past go." Matthew Sweet wrote this album while he personally was going through a divorce and this album gives a voice and a sense of peace to the broken hearted everywhere.

Like Matthew Sweet, Greg Dulli wrote the album, Gentlemen, during a time of personal breakup. What he created was an emotional battlefield that is one of the most brutally honest album about breaking up ever. The album opens with "If I Were Going" which sets the stage for the album with the refrain that is repeated later in the album, "it's in our heart, it's in our head, it's in our love, baby it's in our bed." The next two songs, "Gentlemen" and "Be Sweet" portray macho attitudes towards love and lust. The standard difference in attitude about lust between men and women is summed up simply in "Be Sweet", "she wants love and I still want to f*ck". "Debonair" revisits the refrain established in the opening track and the narrator is much more vulnerable and less macho with the statement, "a little boy, I'm tied to you, I fell apart that's what I always do". "When We Two Parted" is a gut wrenching tale of the bad relationship that has drug on too long closing with the refrain "if it starts to hurt you then you have to say so". "Fountain and Fairfax" deals with the ugliness of codependency and "What Jail is Like" with relationship claustrophobia. In "What Jail is Like", Greg Dulli writes some of the most blunt lyrics ever put in a song, "want to scare me then you'll cling to me no matter what I do", "infatuated with a lunatic and cornered by the muse", and "I will scratch my way out of this pen". "My Curse", sang by Marcy Mays from Scrawl, is a haunting tune about masochism in relationships. It is absolutely haunting to hear Marcy sing the phrase "slave I only use as a word to describe the special way I feel for you". "Now You Know", a song that is still difficult for me to listen to, is another brutally honest song about the relationship gone sour. It is chilling to hear Greg Dulli spit out the statement "was I unaware of the damage a lie can do, I thought you knew" and the finally punch "baby now it's through". Things lighten up with a search for closure on the cover, "I Keep Coming Back" and the instrumental final track, "Brother Woodrow's Prayer". Gentlemen is not for the faint hearted but it's darkness and brutal honesty can at the same time provide healing for the broken hearted by discussing relationship dysfunction in a way that most lyricist won't touch. 

So cheer up, music can get you through anything, even a broken heart.

THE EBAY DEBATE  (March)

In August of 1999, I wrote an article (see archives) defending bootlegging and the trading of live recordings. Due to recent developments on the internet, there is a new trend that has added a wrinkle to the argument I wrote in August: the online auction. I'll admit up from the start that I love Ebay and I frequent the site. The cool thing about online auctions is that I've been able to find rarities to add to my record and South Park collection that I never knew existed or I thought I'd never find. However, one thing that is very troubling to me on Ebay is the increasing number of CDRs of live shows that I am seeing for sale. I have seen people bid over $50 for CDRs COPIES of bootlegged live shows. To the sellers, you piss me off because you are overtly profiting off of the sale of copyrighted material on something that is not even an original copy of the music. I have never had a problem with trading CDRs, I do it frequently, but selling bootlegs rips off the artist and is a violation of copyright laws. To the bidders, your ignorance pisses me off. A COPY is not worth $50+, these are worth $10 MAX. A frequent rebuttal I hear from these bidders is that traders, like myself, with large bootleg collections, do not help "newsbies" out. I would counter this by saying that there are many good traders, myself included, that are willing to help new traders out, you just have to ask us (most of us are pretty cool). We would much rather you come to us than let these sellers continue to profit at your and the artist's expense. Another alternative is tape/CDR trees. On the Afghan Whigs list I am on, there is a wonderful B-sides compilation circulating among our list that one guy put together. All interested parties on the list are getting to listen to the compilation and no one is unlawfully profiting. Lastly, I would ask bidders to bid wisely. This means to know how much an item is worth and to set a limit on your bid. Don't get so caught up in the competition of the bidding that you end up paying much more than an item is worth just to win the bid. Bidding wisely also mean recognizing a rip off and not supporting the seller by bidding on the item. If bidders would quit supporting these rip off artists, they'd quit trying to sell illegal copies of copyrighted material. 

A note to all Afghan Whigs fans: The Whigs' first, out of print, release, Big Top Halloween, was only released on vinyl. Any CD copy of this for sale is a COPY and not an original thus it not worth $100+ like the original vinyl copy is. If you want to hear a copy of the album, there is one being distributed on the Congregation e-mail list and there are several traders who would be happy to make you a copy. This would certainly save you $100+. 

A FEW RANDOM ENTERTAINMENT NOTES 

Well, it's that time again for the Academy Awards. I would like to express my disgust with the Academy over their gross omission ofMan on the Moon. Man on the Moon was the best made movie of 1999. Jim Carrey, an actor I usually don't like, was amazing as Andy Kaufmann and Danny DeVito was awesome in his supporting role. Another slam on this movie was not recognizing R.E.M. for their wonderful score and the song, "The Great Beyond". However, I'd like to thank the Academy for nominating "Blame Canada" from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut for Best Original Song. Considering that the Academy usually nominates lame songs from Disney movies, this is like a big flip off to the Academy's norms. I was really holding out for a nomination for "Uncle F*cka" but you can't have everything :-). 

I am also happy to see Fox getting egg all over their face for the embarrassing, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire. The show is living proof of all of society's sexist and shallow values: men are only valuable if they have money and women are only valuable if they're young and pretty. This show also cheapened the wedding vows. How can you love, honor, and cherish a stranger you married for looks/money? All of you who made this garbage #1 the week it was aired should be ashamed of yourselves.

THE LIST (April)

VH1 has done it again. They have created another show that is annoying and entertaining at the same time, The List. On The List, there is a category picked for the show and a celebrity panel gives their top three picks for this category and then the audience votes their top three picks from the list of the celebrities' picks. The thing that irritates me about this program is how dumb the celebrity panel is. For starters, most of the panel are not musicians or big music fans so their knowledge of music seems rather limited. On one episode I saw, the category was "Best Girl Group". Since the 60's were a prime time for girl bands, one panelist, a music critic, picked some of the classic girl groups such as the Supremes, the Ronettes, and the Shangri Las. Another panelist, a comedian, sat blankly and said he had never heard of the Ronettes but that Bananarama and TLC were better girl bands. I really doubt that 30 years from now Bananarama will be in the music history books. There is a point in the show where each panelist can remove one pick from the list. On another episode, an actor removed the Beatles' "Hey Jude" from the list because "that was from before his time". When Matthew Sweet picked Elvis' guitarist, James Burton, for Best Lead Guitarist a comedian removed this from the list because he "hadn't heard of him". 

Sometimes the panelists don't appear to understand the category. When the category was "Best Duet", one panelist picks were "Music of my Heart" by N'Sync and Gloria Estefan and "What a Man" by EnVongue and Salt Pepa. I was under the impression that a duet was a song performed by TWO singers. I believe both "Music of My Heart" and "What a Man" have at least 5-6 people singing on them. Perhaps my favorite of moment of stupidity came on the episode for "Best Rock Anthem". Most of the panelists picked classics such as "Stairway to Heaven" and "Brown Sugar". One actor's picks were songs by Shania Twain, Kid Rock, and Limp Bizkit. To me, an anthem implies that the song has longevity. Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, and Shania Twain will probably be forgotten next week and they will certainly not have the longevity as the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. This panelist thought that anthem meant a currently "hip" song. Fortunately, the audience and other panelists were not impressed . 

At other times, I just don't get some of the panelists' picks. Under the category for "Sexiest Male Musician", Seal, Bruce Springsteen, and Lenny Kravitz made the list while Jim Morrison was excluded. I know this is based on personal preference but SEAL! I really dig scars all over a man's face. 

I know that everything on the show is subjective but I would like for the panelists to at least have a clue about music history and at least understand the category before they appear on the show. Just because you haven't heard of an artist doesn't mean they're bad and by using this as an argument, the panelist is just showing their musical ignorance. Despite how dumb the panelists are, the show is addicting and I usually do have to watch and see their picks. Maybe someday I'll write my own list.

THEIR BRILLIANT CAREER: 20 YEARS OF R.E.M. (May)

April 5, 1980 a band without a name played a friend's birthday in an abandoned church. Unknown to the partygoers that night was the fact that this little band would be one of the biggest bands in the world 20 years later, R.E.M. 

R.E.M.'s rise to the top has been a gradual one based on hard work. In the early 80's, R.E.M. played any and every club that would have them. This constant dedication to playing developed loyal fan bases and earned them a record deal with the independent label, IRS. IRS released the EP, Chronic Town, in 1982 which featured "Gardening at Night", the first song that made R.E.M. feel like a real band. In 1983, R.E.M. released the classic, Murmur, and college radio took notice. R.E.M. was a true alternative the mainstream at a time when alternative actually meant something. R.E.M. was dedicated to a simple image and great songwriting instead of glitzy fads such as synch pop and big hair. 

As the 80's started coming to a close, the mainstream was starting to take notice of R.E.M. thanks in part to the mainstream air play of the anti-love song, "The One I Love" and the chaotic, "It's the End of the World As We Know". R.E.M.'s contract with IRS ended and R.E.M. was signed to the major label, Warner Brothers in 1988. A lot of fans since the beginning started screaming that R.E.M. had "sold out" which is a completely unfair statement to make. R.E.M. didn't sell out to the mainstream, the mainstream came to them. 

The 90's were kind to R.E.M. In 1991, they released Out of Time, which featured R.E.M.'s first #1 song, "Losing My Religion", probably the only #1 song with mandolin as the lead instrument.Out of Time went to #1 and won four Grammys, six MTV Video Music awards, and various other awards. R.E.M. could have stuck to the "Out of Time" formula but instead continued to reinvent themselves throughout the 90's from the dark but beautiful,Automatic for the People; to the loud rocker, Monster; to the experimental, Up.

Two words come to my mind when I think of R.E.M.: timeless and integrity. R.E.M. has put out good music for 20 years without bowing down to fads or trends. They have played by their own rules without being pressured by record executives to sound a certain way. They have weathered obscurity and tragedy with the near death of drummer, Bill Berry. They survived Bill Berry's departure from the band and the trappings of fame. It's been a great 20 years and I wish R.E.M. many more.

NAPSTER, METALLICA, DR. DRE, AND FREEDOM OF TECHNOLOGY (June)

Napster is an internet software that allows users to trade music in MP3 format. Recently musicians such as Metallica and Dr. Dre have filed lawsuits against Napster charging that the trading of MP3s is in violation of copyright laws. This lawsuit raises many questions concerning the freedom to use certain technologies on the internet. 

In my opinion, MP3s are one of the most amazing and misused technologies. I do not support people downloading MP3s as a way to get out of buying the album. However, I do think that there are some benefits to Napster. 

Napster provides exposure for the "little" band. Because Napster users can download songs for free it gives them a chance to preview music that they might not be familiar with enough to go out and buy the CDs. Also, since Napster is run by its users, users can preview music that mainstream radio won't play. This helps independent bands gain exposure who do not have backing from major record labels and mainstream radio. Napster has become the "new radio" that has sparked interested in music buyers to go out and buy a certain CD. This is free promotion for bands. 

Napster has also helped me upgrade my tapes and vinyl to CD quality recordings. I have several out of print songs from the 80's that I have on tape or vinyl that I would like to listen to on the CD player in my car or office. I have been able to easily upgrade these to CD from MP3s I have found on Napster. I don't feel that I am cheating the artist out of royalties since I already bought the album once and it is no longer available. 

Copyright laws protect artists from the illegal sale and theft of their work. Since Napster is free, no one is "profitting" off of the artists' work. I have never understood the logic of people who say and that trading and selling are the same thing. Am I breaking copyright laws because I taped an episode of South Parkfor a friend. Copyright laws protect against illegal commercial use of another artists' work not against personal use. 

Metallica and Dr. Dre's lawsuits are not about copyright laws. They are about greed. Metallica's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told the Associated Press "this is not about Metallica and our bank account" all while crying that Napster users are "stealing" from the band. It never occurred to this blockhead that Metallica might have actually gained some new fans because a Napster user downloaded a Metallica song that has not been played on the radio, liked it, and bought the CD. Secondly, Metallica seems to have forgotten what it like to be a struggling band and needing any and all exposure you can get. Considering that Metallica is charging $67 a ticket for their summer tour, I don't think they've been greatly harmed by all of these royalties they have lost. Dr. Dre is just as bad as Metallica in this case. Dr. Dre told a Rolling Stone reporter that "Napster is taking food out of my kids' mouth". Yet again, this blockhead is not hurting for money. The bands who will lose free promotion if Napster is shut down are more likely to have problems feeding their kids than this self-righteous, millionaire jerk. 

Metallica and Dr. Dre went too far when they had Napster remove several users for "illegally" downloading their MP3s. I cannot believe that these musicians would be so self-righteous that they would actually take legal actions against their own fans! Did it ever occur to them that they are nothing without their fans? This is completely insulting to you the music fan. Don't buy Metallica and Dr. Dre's hype. They are not protecting musician's rights, they are only padding their own bank accounts at yours and small bands' expense. They are stiffling the use of technology and information on the internet. They care nothing for you, the fan. Don't help these guys line their pockets any more. Happy downloading!

WHO REALLY OWNS THE MUSIC? (July)

In last month's column, I discussed Metallica's lawsuit against Napster. One of Metallica's main arguments is that the Napster issue is a question of who owns the music, the artist or the fan. Metallica claims that it should be the artist and not the fan. Sadly, I say it's neither. 

In 1978, the Copyright Act was put into effect. Under this law, the record company owns the artist's work for 35 years. After 35 years, the copyrights return to the artist. That's right, Capitalist Records, not the artist, owns the copyright for 35 years. Recently, the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) (an organization of fat cat executives that run the record companies) has supported an amendment to the 1978 Copyright Act that would make it where the record company will own the copyrights for an artist's work FOREVER. It seems very odd to me that an artist does not own the copyrights to their own work. If you look in the front cover of a book, the book is copyrighted by the author. If you look at the back of an album, the album is copyrighted by the record company. This is not right. 

Why would anyone support this amendment to the 1978 Copyright Act? The no talent executives who run the record companies want to continue profiting at the expense of the artists. Most record contracts give the record companies a hefty cut of the royalties leaving some artists bankrupt when all is said and done. These contracts are a form of slavery where the record company is the master over the artist's work or as Courtney Love once said the artist is the record company's "sharecropper". 

As a music fan, I am outraged at the power of the RIAA. This organization does not have the artist's best interest at heart, they are only looking for one more way to mooch off the artist and pad their own wallets at artist's expense as evident by this amendment. Not surprisingly, the RIAA has strongly supported Metallica in their lawsuit. The RIAA does not want anyone having control over the music including the artist themselves and certainly not the fan. I cannot understand how Metallica would align themselves with the RIAA. Metallica claims that Napster does not care about the best interest of the artist. Well, neither does the RIAA. If Metallica wanted to target someone for piracy, they should be attacking the RIAA for this terrible amendment to an already unfair law, the 1978 Copyright Act, instead of attacking their fans and Napster. This amendment is the real threat to musicians everywhere. 

In closing, who really owns the music? It's the record company not the artist or the fans as Metallica would have you believe. Sadly, the only artists who own their music are the poor, unsigned musicians. They are the only ones in the corporate music industry with any control.

FESTIVAL SEATING AT CONCERTS IS A TRAGEDY WAITING TO HAPPEN (September)

I took the month off in August while I was moving Mary's Crib to its new home and I now realize that summer is pretty much over. Even though the summer concert season is over, I must express my sympathy over the tragedy that happened at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark on June 30th, where nine Pearl Jam fans were crushed to death in front of the stage. As a concert goer myself, tragedies like this are very scary because I've been that person before in front of the stage pushed up against the railing. However, this is even more troubling to me because it was completely preventable. Festival seating or having open "pit" areas in front of the stage is a tragedy waiting to happen. 

I cannot speak for how concerts are handled in Europe because I am American and I don't attend concerts in Europe but most of the larger venues in the United States do not permit festival seating or open areas in front of the stage though some venues will have open lawn seating behind a pavilion area which has seats in it. I cannot believe that concerts still have festival seating or these open pits after eleven people were killed at a Who show in Cincinnati in 1979 while rushing the stage. I would have thought that concert promoters and venues would have learned the lesson about festival seating but 21 years later, the Who tragedy has been repeated in Roskilde. How many fans are going to be killed before concert promoters and venues get the message that festival seating is a bad idea? At concerts, everyone would like to be in front of the stage however, there is only X amount of room in front of the stage. Why on earth would a venue think that everyone is going to politely go to the back of venue and leave room in front of the stage? The human reaction is to go up front and see how many people can fit in front of the stage and this could exceed the X amount of space that is available. I didn't learn a lot in physics but I do know that when an area is full you cannot physically put more matter in a space that is full. 

Safety should be the number one priority at any event. The Danish authorities blamed Pearl Jam for the Roskilde tragedy which is completely unfair. Eddie Vedder begged the crowd to step back but it was too late. It is not the band's responsibility to both play music and play security guard. If anyone is to blame, blame the planners of Roskilde for allowing an open pit area in front of the stage when history has proved that this practice is unsafe. All events need to take the safety of the attenders into consideration before anything else. 

Another reason, things like this happen at events is because many attenders refuse to use common courtesy towards their neighbors. Common courtesy means do not push, step on, hit, kick, grope, make out against, perform bodily functions on, spill things on, pick verbal fights with the person next to you (sadly, I have had all of these done to me or a friend of mine at a show). It would piss you off if someone did any of these to you, so don't do these to someone else. In short, have a great time at the show but do so in a way where others can have a good time too.

REVIEW: TWILIGHT AS PLAYED BY THE TWILIGHT SINGERS (October)

Before, I start my review, I want to state one thing up front. I am at somewhat of an advantage because I had a copy of the demos to this album about a year before its release. Therefore, it's difficult for my mind not to compare the two. 

Twilight is the album I never thought would see the light of day. Recorded in 1997 in New Orleans, Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs teamed up with his buddies Harold Chichester of Howling Maggie and Shawn Smith of Satchel, Brad, and Pigeonhead and became the Twilight Singers. When the Afghan Whigs left Elektra Records, the Twilight Singers album was shelved. Now, finally, Columbia has released the project. For the final product, Greg Dulli enlisted the aid of British remixers, Fila Brazila, to help produce and mix the album. 

The good news is that Greg Dulli's side project, is amazing. As the title suggests, the album is somewhere between day and night, light and dark. It's sexy, dark, and optimistic all at once. "Clyde" is one of the sexiest songs I've ever hear with its rhythmic beats while Dulli purrs "you're making me want it so, what I feel inside I can't deny" (I'm still not sure why Dulli named this song after his cat). New song "Annie Mae" has a sexy vibe reminiscent of classic R&B and soul. "Into the Street" is absolutely haunting with its lush orchestration and Harold Chichester's melancholy vocals. "Verti-Marte" is very innovative with its vocals taken from movie dialogue dubbed over hip drum beats. 

The bad news is that parts of the album suffer from overproduction. The drum beats in "King Only" do not fit the sober tone of the song. The worst victim of overproduction is "Love". This song was originally featured in the movie, Monument Ave, in its best form with a haunting piano melody as Dulli sings "Love is blind. Love is good". The synthesizers added to the demo sound like something from a 1970's porn movie and do not fit the tone of the song. The drum beats added to the official release further take away from the simple beauty of this song . Fila Brazila's remix work is effective on certain tracks but is out of place on these two songs. 

Twilight is not a perfect album but it's still pretty damn good. When the album closes with "Twilight", one of the most optimistic songs Dulli has ever written, Dulli sings that "everything is gonna be alright". I almost believe him.

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY'S BAD ECONOMICS (November)

In August, several states filed a lawsuit against five of the largest records labels charging them with price fixing in regards to CDs. The five record labels, Warner Brothers, Sony Music, Seagram's Universal Music, BMG, and EMI, started a practice called "minimum advertised pricing" (MAP). Under MAP, record labels subsidize advertising for retailers who agree not the sell CDs at a price below a minimum price set by the record label. I'm not an economist, but clearly this practice is price fixing which violates the antitrust laws of the United States that protect competition. 

The record labels claim that this practice helps smaller music stores compete with large retail chains, such as Walmart. Their argument is that if customers buy a "cheap" CD while they are in Walmart, they might also buy a more expensive item in the store at the same time. They claim this creates a disadvantage to the record stores who only sell music and not more expensive merchandise. What the record labels neglect to tell you is that stores practicing MAP are large record chains such as Music Land and Tower Records. Large chain record stores have always charged inflated prices in comparison to independently owned, nonchain record store. How do the chain stores get away with it? The chain stores have more name recognition and advertise more than the independent stores. They are also usually located in hot shopping areas such as malls.Where are they getting the money for more advertising? That's right, from the record labels. The record labels are not protecting the small businesses from stores like Walmart, they are making the big record store chains bigger at the expense of the independently owned store. MAP gives big record store chains an advantage to unfairly compete with the independently owned record stores. MAP is a slap at the idea of a free market economy and fair competition. 

How does all this affect you, the music fan? The record labels wants to charge you, the music fan, inflated prices for music. Don't stand for it. Support your independent record stores. They usually have rarer CDs in their inventory at better prices than anything you'll ever find at a chain record store at the mall. Chain record stores are a dime a dozen, seen one in your hometown, you've seen all of their stores. Independent stores are individually unique. Don't pay $17.99+ for a CD at the mall. Odds are you can find it for $13.99 or less somewhere else. The record labels are not protecting small businesses. They are getting richer at the expense of music fans and squashing the basic idea of fair competition. Thankfully, the states in the lawsuit are calling them on it. Make the record labels accountable for their actions. 

Source: "States Accuse Record Labels of Price Fixing", Reuters/Yahoo News, by Derek Caney, 8/8/00.

CHEERS & JEERS: THE BEST AND WORST OF 2000 CHEERS: (December)

Best Albums: 
Twilight As Played by the Twilight Singers 
Harvey Danger- King James Version 
Eve 6-Horrorscope 
Ass Ponys- Some Stupid with a Flare Gun 
Matthew Sweet- Time Capsule 1990-2000- OK, though a greatest hits album , it does contain 2 new songs plus is an excellent representation of Matthew's wonderful career 
Honorable mention: Peter Searcy- Could You Please and Thank You- technically this album came out in 1999 but it was one of the best albums I bought this year. 

Best Singles: 
These were some songs that got air play that didn't suck. 
Gas Giants- Quitter- a welcomed return from Robin Wilson, formerly of the Gin Blossoms 
Moby- Porcelain- I don't normally listen to dance music but the dreamy, hypnotic quality of this song made me mesmerized with this song. 
Eve 6- Promises and On the Roof- Eve 6 proved that they were not victims of the sophomore jinx releasing songs that were better than the songs on their debut album. I love how this guy can sing more words in a faster period than most musicians. The Bloodhound Gang- The Bad Touch- It's raunchy, it's filthy but by golly that's why we loved it! 
Harvey Danger- Sad Sweet Heart of the Rodeo- catchy melodies with quirky lyrics, it's what Harvey Danger does best. You can't help but laugh at a lyric like "The Marlboro man died of cancer and he wasn't a rocket scientist when he was healthy". 
Vertical Horizon- You're a God- It's Vertical Horizon, nuff said. 
The Cheese Award: Third Eye Blind- Never Let You Go- This might have actually come out in late 1999 but it still got a lot of air play in 2000. I might like Third Eye Blind better if Stephan Jenkins could get over himself for 5 minutes. 
Nine Days- Story of a Girl- This song wasn't brilliant but it was just so damn fun to sing along to. 

Best Discoveries: 
Peter Searcy- I just love this guy. He sounds a lot like Matthew Sweet and he's from my home state of Kentucky. 
Harvey Danger- This band has a lot of great songs and is not just the band who did "that Flagpole Sitter Song". 
Harold "Happy" Chichester- I was never a big fan of Howlin Maggie, the band Happy fronts. However, Happy's contribution to the Twilight Singers project was amazing. Plus, Happy was really cool when I met him. 

Best Shows I Attended This Year 
The Cyclone Rangers (Art Geko's cover band)- 3/3/00, A1A, Lexington, KY 
Supafuzz CD Release Party- 4/7/00, A1A, Lexington, KY- worth it for the video of "I Am the King" alone. Sticky, you are the king! 
Gas Giants- 4/22/00, A1A, Lexington, KY 
The Gathering Field- 7/1/00, The Gateway Clipper, Pittsburgh, PA
The B-52's/The Go-Go's/The Psychedelic Furs- 7/10/00, Riverbend, Cincinnati, OH 
The Black Cat Bone Reunion Show- 8/18/00, High on Rose, Lexington, KY 
Harvey Danger & Swifty- 9/5/00, A1A, Lexington, KY 
Thumper and the Plaid Rabbit playing the same day as my birthday- 10/7/00, Two Keys, Lexington 
The Twilight Singers- 10/15/00, Top Cats, Cincinnati, OH- I never thought I would see Greg Dulli play in a club this small, truly a once in a lifetime event 
Supafuzz/Art Geko/the debut of Devil May Care- 10/28/00, A1A, Lexington, KY- guys in drag, practical Halloween jokes, a costume contest, an on stage marriage proposal, all in one night! How much more eventful can a show be! I would like to add, God, men can be stupid! Dressing in street clothes and showing your underwear to the audience IS NOT A HALLOWEEN COSTUME! Shame on all you horny men who voted this best costume. 
Vertical Horizon/Nine Days- 10/31/00 Memorial Coliseum, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 

Best Trends: 
The Unlikely Reunion Shows- The Go-Go's and Psychedelic Furs were two bands I never thought I'd see live. The trend even spread locally with the reunions of Black Cat Bone and 10 Foot Pole. It's give hope that maybe your favorite, defunct band will play again. 
The Side Projects- Whatever the reason for the union, side projects rock! Whether it be the Twilight Singers or Devil May Care and Divers Brew, locally, these projects have taken the best of several great bands and merged them into one band. They will never take the place of the original bands but they're a nice change.
Great Movies about Rock Fans: High Fidelity and Almost Famous were the best movies released this year. I could totally identify with the guys who worked in the record store in High Fidelity. I loved their discussions ranging from why it would be great to date someone in band to once great artists who suck now. Cameron Crowe has truly lived a rock fan's fairy tale, starting as a writer for Rolling Stone when he was fifteen. Almost Famous was Crowe's semi-autobiographical memoir of those days. When the sister gives him the records with the note "These will set you free", it was a true statement of the power of music. 

Best Song with the Worst Lyrics: 
No Doubt- Simple Kind of Life I didn't know whether to put this on the Cheers or Jeers section. I loved the music to this song when I first heard it. A closer listen to the lyrics on this song, and I came to this conclusion. This song has set the women's movement back about 50 years. That's nice that Gwen Stephani wants to be a wife and mother, but a woman is not "selfish" for not wanting to take these roles as Gwen suggests. These are two of many roles a woman can have but not the only two. I would also like to give a piece of advise to Gwen. Telling a single guy "I always thought I'd be a mom, sometimes I wish for a mistake...I think you would make a good dad" will completely SCARE any single guy! Not a great way to get a husband. 

JEERS 
Worst Artist of the Year 
Eminem I am so sick of these white guys who think they are Dr. Dre. Not only does Eminem's music suck but it is offensive as well. Singing about locking your pregnant girlfriend in the trunk of a car or wishing that homosexuals would be murdered like Versace it not cool, it's misogynist and homophobic. Why people listen to this garbage continues to amaze me. 

Worst Songs
 -Kid Rock- Only God Knows Why- Yes, even white trash has a sensitive side! 
-Creed- With Arms Wide Open- Becoming a father is a wonderful thing but don't write some sappy piece of crap to express your joy to me. I can just see this guy singing this with a single tear running down his face. Gag me! 
-Papa Roach- Last Resort- I believe this song uses every bad metal cliche in the book. 
-Stroke 9- Little Black Backpack- One of the dumbest songs I have ever heard. Who cares this much about a damn backpack! 
-Anything by Limp Bizkit -Everclear- Wonderful- How many whiny songs must I be subjected to about this guy's bad childhood? Get over it! Go to therapy! 
-Everlast- Black Jesus- Would someone please tell Everlast that he is white! He's not a black guy from the hood. This is one of the few artists that I think who gets worst with each song. We didn't start with much either. 
-The Deftones- Change- Another song that rips off many things that have already been done before. 

Almost As Big a Cry Baby as Al Gore Award 
Metallica I've already discussed the Napster case in past columns, but Metallica will never get my support again when they want to stifle technology, mess over their fans, and claim to support artist's rights all the while being in bed with the organization that wants to take artist's rights away. Metallica is a bunch of phony cry babies.