Dying Is Fine.

It's the day after Christmas, and I'm listening to Ra Ra Riot's "Dying Is Fine" - this particular theme being a big one for me today. I think the video below is fantastic, in the literal sense of the word - it has a great Lewis Carroll feel to it, with the extraordinarily tall violin player next to the band members' leaves on the tree (what is it about British pop culture and anthropomorphization? The Young Ones, anyone?), and the drawing style reminds me of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I wouldn't be surprised to see LeVaur Burton show up at the end and beginning singing the lyric, "Butterfly in the sky . . ."



Ra Ra Riot first came to my attention after I attended a pre-inaugural fundraiser for 826 Boston's Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute in 2007. I'd wanted to volunteer for 826 NYC ever since I'd wandered past its Superhero Supply Co. near my old Brooklyn apartment years before, oddly enough while having a conversation about choosing superhero costumes for a rugby tournament, but my schedule had never meshed with theirs. Of course, when 826 Boston opened, I was excited to jump on board, but again scheduling conflicts have precluded me from being a part of the organization. This particular fundraiser, however, was one of the few events I could swing, and as it was hosted by Eugene Mirman, recently of Flight of The Conchords, I felt that I couldn't say no.

The video featured in this post is for the track from The Rhumb Line, the band's newest release, and it's what I'm picturing in my head as my iPod plays, but the particular version I've chosen to listen to is from the Dying Is Fine single, as I appreciate the fullness of the intro., even though I think 6:12 is, uh, a bit excessive, shall we say. There are actually three versions of this song on my iPod, I realize, speaking of excessive, including the 6:09 version from Daytrotter Session and the 5:50 one from Ra Ra Riot - EP, which has a pretty sweet drum count in - oddly, no Rhumb Line version for me aurally.


Link of the day: MS Paint Adventures http://www.mspaintadventures.com!
Thanks to Kevin for The Young Ones dvds!

http://www.826valencia.org/

Merry YouTube of Christmas past, present and future.

Go ahead and suspend your disbelief and imagine my present is sometime around 1997, because apparently I'm trying to have a nostalgia-filled Christmas out here in the BK.


"Christmas in Hollis" - Run-D.M.C., A Very Special Christmas, 1987, 7 years

We had this on tape and used to listen to it over and over andoverandoverandover again. And at 7, I appreciated the street cred. this song conferred upon me, the little girl from Rockaway, which was also in Queens.

Yes.

I'd never seen the video, however, until Pam sent it out this week. So I am thankful for Pam. Wrong holiday, but still.


"Fairytale of New York" - Dustin and Dervla Kirwen, Faith of Our Feathers, 1997, 17 years.


For those of you who don't know - which, until three days ago, included me - Dustin The Turkey was a puppet on Radio Telefís Éireann's The Den. Dervla Kirwan is probably known to those outside Ireland and the UK as Assumpta Fitzgerald in Ballykissangel - and if you don't know her from Ballykissangel, you might know her as Assumpta Fitzgerald from Ballykissangel on a Father Ted special. Ah, see that there? That's recognition dawning, right? Right.

Whatever. Say yes.

So, Pogues' song, had never heard it before and can't figure out how I managed that for so long, but Pilate (now Pilot Speed) covered it on Nettwerk Music Group's "Maybe This Christmas Tree" in 2004 and I just downloaded it last week, and now it's on repeat on my iPod. So now you know.


"White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes, The Fleet Foxes, 2008, 28 years.


It's just sweet.


And one more for the road - the WPIX Yule Log! Yes! This was always on WPIX Channel 11 at Christmas when I was growing up.



Love youse guys -
Liz

‘SNL’ and ‘RNC’: And Never The ‘Twain Shall Tweet?

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/840033284.html

Olympic Compassion

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/280032028.html

‘Last Comic Standing’ Goes Out with an Olympic-Sized Bang

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/60031406.html

'Farmer Wants a Wife': Vintage in a Bad Way

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1930028993.html

From the newsletter of Coney Island's own Brooklyn Cyclones.


























Jesus Christ.

'Autism: The Musical' Adds to the Public Discussion

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/80024008.html

'Miss Guided': Judy Greer Makes Playing a Quirky Doll Look Good

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1530023753.html

Last I'd checked, St. Patty's Day was the 17th.



Are they really suggesting you buy this just to wear to a Saturday hockey game two days earlier?

'Knight Rider': More Hits than Misses

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/810022081.html

It came from Shaw's.





















No, wait, let me bring that into focus.












Yeah, that is totally what you think it is.


















Mmmm mmmm, squash!

Seriously, this is one of the most fun parts of cooking. Also, the eating part isn't so bad, either.
(At least it's still in one piece. S'all I'm saying.)

This is only here so that I can link to it in my gChat status.





From Jezebel.com - it's funny because.

Wrap'er up, boys, she's good to go.

For quite a while now I've dearly wanted - seriously considered buying - these Sandy Chilewich placemats made in conjunction with Lotta Jansdotter. This in spite of not even owning a dining room table. Or a kitchen table, really. I mean, where would I use them? As wall hangings? These people sell wall hangings to be used as wall hangings. No, I want to cover a non-existent table with "design" - for $11.50 a piece for the leaf ones (eh) and $17.50 a piece for the waterlilly ones. I was going to buy the leaf ones just to accent the waterlilly ones, even though I don't like them as much. Right.

Every once in a while you need to take a look around you and think, boy, I'm really fucking insane. Seriously own that shit.




(Also, I really, really want a set of these wood placemats by Sarah Finn, which are a mere $25 a piece. While I'm at it.)

(image of 2007 jaquard woven vinyl placemats from unicahome.com)
(image of laser-cut, stained wood veneer placemats from aplusrstore.com)

Am I the only one.


Maybe it's just the political climate, but when you you look at this Google news ad head, do you briefly think to yourself that there might have been a caucus fight?

Smackdown" 'Chuck' vs. 'Bionic Woman'

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1900018190.html


Update: Linked me!

'Charlie Brown Thanksgiving': Good Grief!

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1350017735.html

Is There, Like, a Strike or Something?

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1140017114.html

Just another day.

When I look in the office bathroom mirror at 3:30 in the afternoon and realize I can clearly see my bra through my supposedly opaque shirt.

‘Private Practice’: Eh. I don't do that.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/1470016747.html