tigerbeatpoet is the online moniker of Jen Paulson. She hasn’t flipped through the pages of Tiger Beat in years, and is not much of a poet. However, she knows quite a bit about obsessing over music and musicians, squealing over cute and or badass things and tigerbeatpoet.com is an outlet for the culmination of all this - from her hometown of Minneapolis, to the whole wide world.
Right now, writers and bloggers and newspeople are writing about Michael Jackson’s passing today. With the exception of his scandals of recent years, Michael Jackson was an icon for over half of his life. From the sweet and sublime vocals that brought him his initial fame with his Gary, Indiana bred brothers in the Jackson 5 he later established himself with a highly successful career as a solo artist, notably breaking MTV’s color barrier as the first African American to have a video on the network with “Billie Jean,” all of course which led to his eventual crowning as the “King of Pop.”
His groundbreaking record, “Thriller,” remains the highest selling record of all time.
I was reminded that I care about this after seeing Kristen Stewart’s new haircut somewhere this week. Intensity in ten cities.
Ok, I am on my Runaways biopic train of ambivalence again. I have no clue how its going to turn out and my recent discovery on the casting (yeah, I’m behind on such news): Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie? What? Huh? Hey, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt for now, because she is still just SO likeable, but that is relatively mind-boggling. It is so weird it might work. And I won’t lie, I can’t wait.
I dunno – I have a feeling you can just sense my overwhelmed and confused head-shaking regarding this. Can you?
HOWEVER: from the IMDB.com rumor alert – Michael Shannon may be cast as that genius, exploitive bastard Kim Fowley. Possibly not a step up from that Oscar worthy performance of his in Revolutionary Road, but sign me up. I love that guy. Love, love, love him.
I can’t stop. I listen to this song every day, at least once. It’s closer to three times a day, like taking my medicine. Something about it is all-encompassing, and possesses a general feeling of Rock and Roll awe that I have been searching for. And I didn’t think that feeling could be elevated. Until I saw this video of the band performing it on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert. One year, six months and one day before I was born.
How obnoxiously cool is Rick Nielson in this video? And Robin Zander? Oh yeah – white pantsuit dreaminess. Also – I always forget that Tom Petersson was actually hot. And there aren’t a whole lot of words you can use to describe Bun E. Carlos’ except ‘Milton-from-Office-Space’ mixed in with DRUM KING.
That reminds me, I have to find out what this Tinted Windows grouping is all about. Enjoy!
As I read on the Star Tribune Pop Life blog The Jayhawks will be reuniting for a couple shows – one being the Basilica Block Party this summer (July 10th) and Barcelona (May 30th). That is incredibly exciting – even if Mark Olson and Gary Louris have been playing shows together and doing Jayhawks songs – the set will be ALL JAYHAWKS SONGS… ALL THE TIME.
No official word on what the full band lineup will be though. Only time can tell.
For shame, I wish Art Brut would have spread this out, but here are their non-Minnesota friendly tour dates (Ok, ok – Chicago isn’t THAT far):
US June Tour
June 1 New York, Mercury Lounge
June 2 New York, Mercury Lounge
June 3 New York, Mercury Lounge
June 4 New York, Mercury Lounge
June 5 New York, Mercury Lounge
June 6 Philadelphia. Johnny Brendas
June 8 Chicago, Schubas Tavern
June 9 Chicago, Schubas Tavern
June 10 Chicago, Schubas Tavern
June 11 Chicago, Schubas Tavern
June 12 Chicago, Schubas Tavern
June 13 Seattle, Neumos
June 15 San Francisco, Independent
June 16 LA, Spaceland
June 17 LA, Spaceland
June 18 LA, Spaceland
June 19 LA, The Echo
Something has happened in the past couple months that has made me vehemently opposed to writing. Not because I dislike it, or because I really don’t want to do it – essentially it’s hard to describe why. But this chart should help:
A: I’m generally lazy
B: Being in front of my computer makes me feel slightly uncomfortable (probably because the more I don’t write, the more unproductive shame I feel, and the more likely I would be to avoid going near any word processing program altogether)
C: I haven’t been especially stimulated by anything new I’ve read or listened to in months (disclaimer: see reason A – aka: I’m not really trying either)
D. I have moved, and I don’t chain smoke cigarettes in my new digs. (What is it about smoking that can make you spend hours and hours in front of a computer screen?)
So, the distraction of that list and pie chart aside – the deal is – I finally picked up a book to read – so I’m slowly but surely working on a return to the internet. Or, writing on it, and waxing obsessively about this and that. This step is surely accelerated by my weekend purchase of a pair of magical Sony v600 headphones. Truthfully, they aren’t in the best cosmetic shape, but they a) came with their original screw-off adapter and b) they sound magical, so the fact that there is shiny black mylar-esque material shredding off is perfectly acceptable.
And you can’t disagree with me if you’ve ever had a pair of these – PLUS even if a pair of these babies makes me look like a giant awkward nerd girl, the perfectly nuanced pleasure that my ears get to experience is one-hundred percent worth it. Even today on the way home from work, as the light rail sped through the Hiawatha city limits and the 21 chugged down Lake Street, I was transported to a completely different place that was blissful and made my one-hour-plus commute seem like a span of time that encompasses the blink of an eye.
I’m not neglecting the site on purpose, really. I’ve just been pretty busy. Busy being a worker bee, but that is no excuse for neglecting a blog. I mean, REALLY.
What I have been up to instead of blogging –
1. Learning about the glory of television in Torrent form since me and Comcast broke up
2. Spending lots of time on buses and trains
3. Distracting myself from the dreaded “financial woes”
4. Listening to Feed the Animals by Girl Talk a ridiculous amount of times
5. Getting ready to move out of my beloved apartment
Regular reporting on nonsense shall resume very soon.
Ok, I am in total agreement that a movie about The Runaways is going to be awesome, but today’s announcement that Miss Twilight herself, Kristen Stewart is going to be playing Joan has me a little miffed. Personally, I would prefer to see Kristen as Cherie Currie… Can’t you see it? Bleach and shag that hair, she’d be perfection. Frankly, I think that Katherine Moenning (Shane on The L Word) would be a cooler fit as Joan. But the Sally Hershberger haircut would need some softening up. I’m not sure about who could play Sandy West or Jackie Fox.
But the real question for me is: WHO IS GONNA PLAY LITA FORD? Or, for that matter – Who’s going to play Kim Fowley? I simply cannot wait for the casting to really take shape.
The movie will be directed by Floria Sigismondi, most well known for her work on Marilyn Manson’s music videos.
By now you realize that there really is no rhyme and reason to these. But in my own mind, maybe there is. But really, it’s just song to song what I want to hear. And a weird shout-out to anyone who might want to listen along on Rhapsody. (And no, they are NOT paying me.)
The Duke Spirit – The Step and the Walk
Sebastien Grainger – Who Do We Care For?
Ike Reilly – Hip Hop Thighs #17
Whole Wide World – Wreckless Eric
Age of Consent – New Order
One of my prized possessions in my small record collection is a Best of Buddah compilation that I picked up at a Half Priced Books for a dollar.
I am super backlogged on episodes of Sound Opinions these days, so I went back and started to catch up and saw that there was an entire episode dedicated to Bubblegum Pop. Granted, my ADHD hit and I got sidetracked watching videos on YouTube. Here are without a doubt, some of my personal Bubblegum favorites for your viewing pleasure…
I gotta say, this is a completely enjoyable cover of the Foo Fighters doing the Carly Simon classic on last night’s weird Grammy Nomination special. And hey, look. There’s Jessy Greene playing the violin. (The video quality is not so good, but it sounds great.)
Admittedly, this isn’t my best review. I think I had entirely too much to drink that night. And Marina left the band a couple months later. Bonde Do Role is still around, but without the Marina dynamic – I sort of lost interest.
I am definitely not crafty, but this is always a good time – with interesting and wonderful (and often affordable) finds during this (semi-difficult) holiday shopping season…
I have liked this Cotton Jones stuff I have heard to a certain extent, but it is no Page France. I just needed to get that off my chest.
A lovely snippet of “Hat and Rabbit” by Page France
Dec. 06 – Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 07 – House Of Blues, San Diego, CA
Dec. 08 – House Of Blues, Anaheim, CA
Dec. 11 – Hard Rock Café, Maui, HI
Dec. 13 – Pipeline, Honolulu, HI
My good friend Kyle and I were rocking out to these guys today over gchat and it blew my freakin mind. I would suggest visiting their site… you can listen to some of their awesome Hip-Hop that’s deeply steeped in the blues and old-school stylings.
Run – Gnarls Barkley
You Got Another Thing Comin’ – Judas Priest
Cherry Bomb – The Runaways
Walking With Thee – Clinic
Ain’t Nuthin’ But a G Thang – Dr. Dre & Snoop
I wrote a story for TC Daily Planet about this that came out yesterday. Honestly, I am in DDPP Love.
Some helpful hints about Dance Dance Party Party:
1. Wear what you would wear to the gym. On my first visit, I wore jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Bad idea.
2. The first five minutes is seriously going to be the most awkward five minutes of your life. But after that, it’s just you and the dance floor.
3. Go ahead, practice your sweet moves in front of the mirror. Your reflection is not going to ridicule you. And honestly, no one is watching. Or, it helps to at least think that no one is watching you. So go ahead and pretend you’re on “So You Think You Can Dance,” It’s ok.
So – come out tonight!!
Yeah, it’s the truth. Lenka, that Aussie pop songstress is just plain precious. And I am quite excited that she’s coming to visit us here in Minneapolis… I think that the Varsity will be a good place for it too…
Lenka – The Game on Leno
Tour Dates:
01/10/09 Spokane, Washington @ The Blvd
01/11/09 Vancouver, British Columbia @ Media Club
01/12/09 Seattle, Washington @ The Triple Door
01/13/09 Portland, Oregon @ Doug Fir Lounge
01/15/09 San Francisco, California @ The Independent
01/16/09 Modesto, California @ Modesto Virtual
01/17/09 Santa Barbara, California @ SoHo
01/22/09 Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court
01/24/09 Denver, Colorado @ Soiled Dove
01/27/09 Kansas City, Missouri @ The Record Bar 01/29/09 Minneapolis, Minnesota @ Varsity Theater
01/31/09 Chicago, Illinois @ Schubas Tavern
02/04/09 Allston, Massachusetts @ Great Scott
02/05/09 College Park, Maryland @ University of Maryland
I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not to put together year-end lists for the whole of December now. Basically I have decided that my New Year’s resolution is to do the year end list thing NEXT YEAR.
…In hopes that tigerbeatpoet will still be here.
I seriously cannot believe that today is the very last day of 2008. But I can say that I am glad to see it go. It’s been a rough year, for me and plenty of you, I’m sure. But in the face of trials and tribulations, I wouldn’t trade the things I have learned, seen and heard this year for anything. I have seen what I am made of, which I believe is fabulous – considering I’ll be parting ways with my twenties in eight months. Enough personal babble from me today. Let’s go get our drink on… (p.s. take cabs, buses, etc & use your designated drivers) Have a magically delicious New Year’s Eve, do you hear me?!?!?
Stick with me in 2009, I’m hopeful I’ll have some cool shit for you to check out.
The combination of hearing this at what would end up being a heartbreaking Vikings game and this bullshit continuing news that Led Zeppelin is STILL continuing its search for someone to replace Robert Plant on tour (and apparently in the studio too)… take solace in this ridiculous, yet absolute perfect cover.
Hip Hop Against Homophobia w/ Maria Isa, Kredentials, El Guante & See More Perspective, Toki Wright, Alicia Leafgreen & DeeJay Blowtorch; hosted by Tish Jones.
Friday, January 23 at the Nomad World Pub | doors at 9pm. 21+ $5
If you missed this week’s installment – the poster clearly states that there will be others… even if I sized it to the point where you can barely read it.
The Washington Post is reporting that Bruce Springsteen will perform at Washington D.C.’s National Mall on Jan. 18 as part of the Barack Obama inauguration festivities. The performance will be free and open to the public.
I’m a couple days late with this, I know. But I just have not had the time to properly process.
I first heard The Stooges, undoubtedly in a movie somewhere here or there, and filed it in my brain until I worked at a little used CD shop years ago, where I would scorch the brains of the 5-10 shoppers that would come in every day. The more I got into the history of Rock and Roll, and fell head over heels in love with that dirty, heavy Detroit sound and its influence on the music of the time – you realise just how important that Asheton guitar is.
I’m gonna mention Laura Leebove’s 2008 mix again, because “Pop Lie” by Okkervil River was on it… and it reminded me how much I LOVE this song. The band was on Letterman, they played said track. So, if you missed it – here you freakin’ go! Happy Friday!
Personally, there have been some dark days in my mind for the past couple weeks. Winter is never easy, and I am always sort of in denial that I let it affect me. But really, I do – and it hits me like a ton of bricks, right about this time, every year. And it doesn’t make it any easier that I am a member of this HUGE club I like to call the “Broke-Ass Masses.”
And there are a lot of us.
But a very dear friend and confidante of mine gave me some brilliant advice for the doldrums that I would like to share with my fellow friends of the web and music lovers that read my little blog…
“You just need to find a way to find your inner peace, then hold onto it for a moment. When you rock out you are in a state of bliss, Jen. Just stay in that zone for a little longer after rocking out. Extend it each time. Let that good mood flow.”
It might sound a little cheesy, but its a hell of a piece of advice, not to mention – a great moment in life coaching. I personally shall cherish it always.
So, if you need to – find your rock-out zen moment. And hold onto it. I’m not trying to draw any sort of attention to any sad-sack winter behavior I have been exhibiting, but hey – shit is hard, and chances are, the shit you are going through now, you’ve been through before, and you’ve made it out virtually unscathed.
You can do this. And I can’t promise anything, but I have a good feeling about one thing:
1/15/09
1 tigerbeatpoet place
minneapolis, mn 55408
Dear Ryan,
In response to the news a couple days ago, which, obviously has evoked a certain amount of concern and equal parts of snark in the music media, let me just say the following. You do what you’ve got to do. You certainly don’t have to stop forever. But give yourself a nice break, but not for too long, ok? Because if you do that, pretty soon you could turn into Peter Green after he left Fleetwood Mac. And the last thing I want to hear about is how you’ve become a hermit and are inadvertently competing for the Guinness Book of World Records title for Longest Fingernails. That’s just gross.
So, take it easy – travel and do all the things you want to do and haven’t had the chance. Relax. Watch cable all day a couple days a week, just hang out and listen to records. Make cocoa at night and curl up with Telenovellas that you’ve Tivoed, even if you don’t know Spanish. Run off to a small town where no one knows you and go for long walks every day to clear that pretty head of yours. The internet will probably keep writing about you, and I’ll wait for your return.
And there is always an open couch at the tigerbeatpoet nerd lair if you want to just swing up for a weekend of funny movies on dvd and take out and record shopping. I won’t even try to mack on you. And also – if you’re interested, I will attempt to sneak you into local shows as incognito as possible – we have a grip of awesome bands in Minneapolis. Anyways, the offer will be longstanding.
Take care,
Jen xo
*In which I might come off as mildly creepy. But I’m really not.
These guys are like, fruit/vegetable/human mutants – I wonder how their live shows are. I mean, can you even see them? But damn, the song IS very southern and catchy. I like it.
Can’t deny that this video reminds me of this old stand by –
My Rhapsody Playlist
