This was the other email in my inbox the other day:
from my friend CL. I’d never heard it before, but I feel kind of dirty now, like I need to go rinse the Venga Boys out of my mouth with some real New Order.
I woke up this morning some of the most wonderful things in my inbox. A photoshopped picture of my head into Destiny’s Child, and two great youtube videos. I’m going to share one with you today that I’m sure you would see sooner or later, but that I think you need to see sooner. I love Russia. I love 1976. I love shitty lip synching. Please, internet*, find something that combines them all.
Done and done. There’s not really much I can add to this via commentary, so just enjoy it.
*By internet, I of course mean “Hilly.”
The final of three singles released by Pinback, “Penelope” is from 2001.
Weirdly nostalgic for 2001 over the past few months. What was your favorite song that year?
Lady Gaga at the VMAs
I know, I know, I’m the last person in the entire universe to get on this bandwagon*, but still: damn, who the fuck is Lady Gaga, and what fucking planet is she from? Her songs are absurd dance explosions, her fashion is already the stuff of legend, and her videos are like super-condensed tiny little films that reference everything from Hitchcock to Minnie Mouse.
*Thanks, Marla!
They combine the superglam pop fashion sensibility that’s come to dominate celebrity culture since the passing of grunge (see: Gwen Stefani, Beyonce) with the grotesque, disturbing, Uncanny Valley sensibility that was once found in the videos of Marilyn Manson. You can find any of them on youtube yourself, though (I particularly recommend “Paparazzi” and “Bad Romance”), so instead I’m going to show you a couple of things that you might not see otherwise.
Lady Gaga is a fantastic songwriter, of course, but that superslick production almost disguises what a talented musician she is. For all the vocoder she employs, woman has got a pair of LUNGS. Check out this video of her playing piano and singing a stripped-down version of “Paparazzi.”
When people ask me what my favorite TV shows are, I often joke that they’re whatever NBC puts on Hulu. 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Rec– this honestly isn’t that far from the truth.
I was catching up on episodes of The Office this weekend and discovered a little three episode arc about Kelly and Erin’s “girl group” and their quest to make a music video. They’re definitely worth watching, if you’re a fan:
There’s so much to love here: we’re finally getting a glimpse into Erin’s personality, which appears to be minimal in a hilarious way, rather than a “Tara-from-Buffy” way. I love the way that she just mirrors what Kelly says and does. If I could sum up their effort, I would say it lies somewhere between impressively shitty and shittily impressive. This includes their shoot costumes.
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