everybody’s doing it

i made you a mixtape. cept its a muxtape. dont ask me why.

all it means is you can click on the tape up there and listen to 12 songs that i love right now. right this second. yep you.

all these songs are very special to me and theyre arranged in a particular order. if listening to them in this order makes you want to fall in lust with me, dont fight that feeling.

Tom Waits – I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – (2:31)
Kanye West – Throw Some D’s (Remix)- (2:36)
Ice cube – It Was A good Day (Remix) – (4:28)
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes – Nothing Compares 2 U – (2:42)
Victoria Williams – You R Loved – (4:50)
Teenage Fanclub – Norman 3 – (4:37)
The Replacements – Sixteen Blue (live) – (4:48)
Nina Gordon – Nobody’s Fool (live) – (3:44)
Backside Boys – Every Homo (live) – (2:29)
Pixies – Tony’s Theme – (1:52)
Tsar – Startime – (3:39)
Rollins Band – Do It – (2:40)

listen, make a mix of yr faves and if you do let us know in the comments below.

h/t lynne who just wrote about this cool site and that inspired me

why its ok for journalists to have opinions

while reporting

one of the more sensitive lines drawn at my workplace in regards to blogs are when journalists who have never expressed opinions in their work suddenly find themselves blogging. some think that blogging means injecting opinion into the story. while that is sometimes the case, its not always the case.

some bloggers think that they are fooling their readers when they let the subject that they present carry their water for them. the blogger will only link to stories that support their agenda, for example, or only blog about things that fit their theories.

in the example above a reporter for a site ive never heard of, but now will return to, is asked by one of her subjects what her opinion is regarding the anniversary of MLKs death. whereas many journalists would normally shy away from such a question by saying, this isnt about me, this is about you, the young lady who is now my new girlfriend, answers the question more eloquently and directly than any of her interviewees.

im not saying that journalists should seek out ways to pose their two cents, but when they have a chance to quit pretending that theyre not human, they shouldnt be afraid to just answer the damn question, because everyone has a point of view and its not always terrible (in my opinion) to express it – especially when called out.

lenny kravitz hasnt done much for me in a while

but for some reason after watching andrew sullivan and christopher hitchens on tim russert i saw kravitz on unplugged do his latest single “i’ll be waiting” and it really moved me.

i have a feeling i was touched by it because i could finally actually hear it.

if you watch and listen to the album version, its so bloated and overproduced and radio friendly that it doesnt sound the least bit special or the least bit sincere

sure the strings during the climax are 70s and somewhat uplifting but its entirely forced and predictable and contrived. yes its symbolic of the romantic message of the song which is one day after the love interest recovers from her malaise and realizes that the hero is indeed the one she should be with violins and horns will provide the triumphant crescendo of their reunion, but how many millions of times have we heard that before?

added to that symbolism is kravitz alone in the studio, playing all the instruments alone, singing alone, until the breakthrough happens when he brings in the troops – is cheesy at best. lenny kravitz is one of the coolest rock stars alive – off stage. if he were to walk past you youd know instantly that hes a powerfully spiritual and talented star. the real deal. but his records are some of the most predictable pablum out there.

thats all changed when he steps back, lets the flat piano get replaced by subtle guitar, and allows his band to actually be a band, as in this appearance on Unplugged:

that bleating piano is gone, replaced with a warm guitar and organ. kravitz just sits there and sings the damn thing. and that fucker can sing. and what you get is a real rock song. you get depth. you can feel the soul. you can hear an actual ensemble.

im the one who really loves you baby for some reason sounds entirely different.

and how good is that saxophone? big man, assist me please.

and this is the reason why live music is what its all about, if you ask me. and why selling music and recording music to be sold is far different than playing music that youve written.

and why im glad that Unplugged is back on tv.