Thom Dunn is a Boston-based writer, musician, and utterly terrible dancer. He is the singer/guitarist for the indie rock/power-pop the Roland High Life, as well as a staff writer for the New York Times’ Wirecutter and a regular contributor at BoingBoing.net. Thom enjoys Oxford commas, metaphysics, and romantic clichés (especially when they involve whiskey), and he firmly believes that Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" is the single greatest atrocity committed against mankind. He is a graduate of Clarion Writer's Workshop at UCSD ('13) & Emerson College ('08).
"Hey wait remind me again how it came to be
that being a stupid american is a desirable trait?"
On the bright side, at least we're making a little bit of progress on this:
(source)
Someone just shared this wonderful gem on Facebook, though I had trouble finding the original source (I mean, there's so much Beatles stuff out there already anyway, so who knows which of the gazillion massive volumes it could have come from). It was too good not to share here, especially #4. 'Cause let's face it...Paul's right. The Let It Be...Naked version is way better (I actually think that Let It Be...Naked is a superior album, period, but maybe that's just me).
Well hey, at least Phil Spector never held a gun to any of the Beatles (at least as far as we know).
Normally I wouldn't hype something on my blog that I myself am not involved in, but given my new commitment to up my blogging, and the fact that I'm incredibly excited about this, please excuse my HOLY CRAP THERE'S A NEW RENTALS ALBUM COMING OUT!
MOOGS! POWER CHORDS! LOTS OF LAYERED HARMONY ON FEMALES GOING "OOOH"!
C'mon, that was catchy, right? It's like...all the power-pop goodness that we all still want out of Weezer, but sadly never get. It's simple, sure, but with these tiny artistic / experimental embellishments — which is precisely what I love about The Rentals.
Which makes sense, of course, because Matt Sharp formed the band as a side-project back when he was still playing bass and supplying quirky falsetto background vocal embellishments in Weezer (his departure marking the beginning of their steady decline), and he's remained the only consistent member of the band (as well as its lead creative force). Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson and Indie Rock Violinist Sisters Extraordinaire Rachel and Petra Haden and even actress Maya Rudolph (because I guess she has a Moog?) have been among the band's rotating members; their upcoming album includes Patrick Carney from The Black Keys. The Rentals released their first album, Return Of The Rentals
And now you're probably like, "That was stupid. Also brilliant. It was so...simple! Why is this in my head?! Why won't it go away and why do I like it?!," to which I respond, EXACTLY. They followed that album up with Seven More Minutes
Despite the mild radio success of "Friends of P," The Rentals haven't been hugely successful, but I wish more people were aware of them, because I find them to be an absolutely irresistibile medley of many of my favorite musical things. So check 'em out if you have the chance (or, ya know, Spotify 'em or whatever)!
Today on "Idiotic Psychopaths Desperately Hoping For Public Relations Damage Control," following on the recent news of the NRA asking their members to maybe not show off their Open Carry rights by "casually" bringing assault rifles into restaurants even though it is technically legal in some places, my buddy Jake retweeted a cryptic link from Heeb Magazine, which in turn led me to this remarkable gem:
Yes, that is a tweet from the actual real-life official twitter of the American Nazi Party, in which they are being fascistic about grammar. They are literally Grammar Nazis.
Perhaps more disturbingly, I agree with them. Good grammar IS important. I share personal philosophical beliefs with the American Nazi Party. This realization was slightly disconcerting, of course, so I decided to peruse their Twitter feed to see what other kinds of causes they tweet in support of. Things like...animal rights...sustainable organic foods...they're vocally pro-life...and encourage a straight edge lifestyle (less surprising than it should be)...they're anti-corporation, and support local businesses....ooh, and they also love Moms! Er, wait a second...
Okay well then so ignoring that last little hashtag there, and the swastika, and the specification of "Aryan" moms above all, maybe Neo-Nazis aren't so bad? It seems they care about a lot of the same things I care about, or the things that people like me care about. That's kind of weird, right?
Oh. Well. Nevermind. We're now back to your regularly scheduled supremacist scumbags. Still, this is certainly a lesson in the banality of evil — that for all my touchy-feely artist progressive politics, I could (unfortunately) find some commonality with the American Nazi Party. And in a weird way, I kind of respect their attempts to police the grammar of their followers. Poor language skills often (though not always) betray a lack of education, and, well, they wouldn't want us got-dayum libaruls to think that modern-day Nazis are ignorant, now, would they?
Ahem. Right. Anyway.
Discovering this horrifying corner of Twitter reminded me of a happy little tune I used to sing with friends when I was just a wee young lad haunting American Legion Halls across Connecticut. It went a little something like this:
Everyone knows I love St. Padraig's Day. And so to celebrate this year, I decided to record cover versions of a few of my favorite Irish folk songs (also the Pogues, which counts). Enjoy!
Last night, I had the pleasure of joining my friends in The Backyard Committee for a few songs on lap steel guitar at one of our 35 Below parties at the Huntington. I've played a shows with them before, mostly on keyboards, and this was a fun, different experiment, as I don't really get to play lap steel guitar out in front of people very often (it's also a very difficult instrument to play by yourself). The band is essentially Mike Sembos, and whatever musicians he finds to accompany him. Even if I hadn't been friends with Mike for 12 or so years now, I'd still love this band, because Mike is an utterly fantastic songwriter. So they're always a blast to play with, and I'm hoping to do it again pretty soon. Did I mention that you can download both of their albums for free on their website?
...also there was Duck Hunt:
As much as I enjoy Say Anything (the band fronted by writer Max Bemis), I was hesitant to pick up this comic because, well, the premise sounds exactly like the pseudo-autobiographical premise of their first album "...Is A Real Boy," which kindofsortamaybe chronicled Bemis's descent into super-powered bi-polar disorder -- except that, while recording said album, Max Bemis was actually diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and locked himself up for a while. But, the book was on sale for $4 on ComiXology, so I figured hey, why not.
While I tend to be the kind of person who connects with comic books more the writing than the art (although I do love a good collaboration), I'd first look to say that the artwork on this book is PHENOMENAL. It's slightly cartoonish, but not a childish way, and accurately portrays hyperviolence, superhero action, internal mindscape struggles, and hipster culture. As for the story itself, it didn't shy away from the fact that it was a slight variation on the story that Bemis has told several times already. The basic premise is that Tim is an artist and self-loathing hipster who suffers from bi-polar disorder, and after he's institutionalized and begins taking pills, he can't create his art. So he goes off his medication, and soon discovers that his untreated condition literally gives him superpowers. But maybe he's too dangerous, and maybe there's a Shadowy Government Organization trying to create an army of Bi-Polar Super Soldiers? Meanwhile, his art is getting better, and he meets a girl.
Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable story, and while applying science fictional concepts to mental illness is nothing new, I actually think that Bemis does it in a pretty fresh way -- by essentially saying that yes, mental illness IS a superpower, but the same way that traditional superheroes suffer from their extra-human abilities, maybe it's still better if you take your pills and try to function like a normal person. That being said, I'm not sure how this book would read to someone who was unfamiliar with "hipster" culture. The main character spends a lot of the book criticizing everyone around him for being hypocrites and poseurs, and ultimately realizes that he's just the same as the rest of them. If you're familiar with Say Anything's music, Tim's rants are all basically pulled straight out of the song "Admit it!" As far as cultural critique is concerned, it is an interesting analysis of hipsterdom that I mostly agree with, even if it is a bit misanthropic (which works well in a loud rock song, but feels different as internal monologue).
That being said, I wonder how someone who was outside of or unfamiliar with "hipster culture" would feel about this book. It's very insular, and some might even say that hipsters criticizing hipsters for being hipsters is THE most hipster thing possible, and while the story does acknowledge that irony (while also criticizing irony as the cheapest form of hipster self-defense), it never quite transcends it. I suspect that if you weren't already aware of and/or immersed in that post-art-school-Williamsburg-landscape, you'd think, "Okay, so these are a bunch of Urban Outfitters asshole who are too cool for Urban Outfitters and this main character is kind of an unlikeable dick who judges everyone around him for being fake judgmental assholes -- why should I care?" And if that's you, I might suggest that you're better served by listening to "Woe" and "Admit it!" by Say Anything, which pretty much sum up the book.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've established a bit of a reputation for myself as a Professional Amanda Palmer basher, ever since I wrote an angry little parody poem in response to her "Poem for Dhzokhar" which ended up exploding onto BuzzFeed and The Guardian UK. I was never particularly fond of her, even before that — some of her music is fine, sure, but her Neutral Milk Hotel Jukebox Musical left a very sour taste in my mouth1, and her production of Cabaret at the American Repertory Theatre was the single worst (not to mention most masturbatory) professional theatre production I have ever experienced — but it wasn't until recently that I really started seething at the mention of her continued existence on our shared plane of reality. That might sound a little extreme — she hasn't, you know, killed anyone or anything — but the cognitive dissonance between the message that Amanda Palmer conveys and the things that she actually does fills me with such insipid anger, that I feel the need to articulate the ongoing problem that she continues to present. I'm choosing to write about this now is because I've had a number of people bring my attention to her latest blog post about Justin Bieber's arrest, all saying that they awaited my snarky response to it. And while sure, I could do that (hell, maybe I still will), I thought it would be better for me to take the Amanda Palmer approach and express myself my feelings in a rambling blogpost which I can then in turn proclaim to be "art" and thereby diminish any and all criticisms of my own shortcomings by blowing a raspberry at my detractors and say "IT'S JUST ART YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I'M JUST TRYING TO EXPRESS MYSELF AND THAT IS BEAUTIFUL."
Read MoreA few years back, my friend Jeremy and I were joking around and discussing our adoration of Maurissa Tancharoen, a TV writer on Dollhouse and Spartacus and now one of the showrunners on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., plus an occasional actress in her own right on Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible's Sing-ALong-Blog. On top of all of that, she's also (sadly) married to Jed Whedon, brother of Joss. And she's just super cute and lovely, so Jeremy and I talked about writing a nerd rock song called "I'll Fight A Whedon For You," a sentiment which in our circles is pretty much considered the pinnacle of romantic sacrifice.
Well, I finally got around to actually making that song happen. I wrote the lyrics up for a Five By Five Hundred post a few weeks ago (and I'll include the annotation below, after the jump), and recorded the entire song at home over the last week or so. I play everything on the tune except for bass, which comes to you courtesy of the inimitable Jake WM. (okay I didn't technically so much play drums as I did edit and re-arrange pre-existing Logic Pro drum loops but it's pretty much the same thing.
The first time I saw you in pony tails,
that Horrible Doctor's fan, -- in DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG, she played one of the"Fans," and wore pigtails. "Ponytails" just fit the rhythm better. I knew by your groove when you sang that tune that I wanted to be your man.
But then your Commentary made me Asian Aware-y -- the DVD Commentary for DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG is a full musical entitled, naturally, COMMENTARY: THE MUSICAL, and Maurissa sings a song in it called "Nobody's Asian In The Movies," because, well, she's the only Asian in the movie. and I knew what I'd have to do:
I'll fight a Whedon for you: Zak, Jed, or Joss, -- The Three Whedon Brothers, Jed being her actual husband, Joss being the more famous one, and Zak being, well, I just didn't want to leave him out. Yeah, you know that it's true. There's more a chance I'll see DOLLHOUSE renewed -- I think I was one of 11 people who watched that show when it aired. I REGRET NOTHING. But it's true: I'll fight a Whedon for you.
Echoes remain from that song that you sang as Kilo the cutest Doll. -- Uhh, well, she sang a song called "Remains" in an episode of DOLLHOUSE, which was written by her and Jed. She also had a recurring cameo as a doll named Kilo, and the protagonist on the show was a doll named Echo. I'm too poor for STARZ or for SPARTACUS, but you know that I'll give you my all. -- Pretty safe explanatory there. She worked on SPARTACUS; I never watched it.
No, I'll never yield; I'll back AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. -- She's now showrunner on Marvel's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.LD., and the original S.H.I.E.L.D. comics used the catchphrase "Don't yield! Back S.H.I.E.L.D.!" because it was the 60s until Agent Coulson dies (I mean, again, like, for real this time) -- Technically, Agent Coulson already died in THE AVENGERS, but he's mysteriously back to life on AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. You're Pretty In Pink, I don't care what they think -- She was apparently in a girl pop group called Pretty In Pink, according to Wikipedia. I don't know. Then I saw you with another guy. -- Being her husband, Jed, because I'm clearly working in the established trope of heartbroken nerd rock power pop songs here
Even though you have lupus -- Uhh, well, she has lupus. I thought we could this but then werewolves devoured my heart. -- Sometimes I genuinely get confused between "lupus" and "lupine," like a werewolf. Whoops!
But I'll fight a Whedon for you: Zak, Jed, or Joss, Yeah, you know that it's true. There's more a chance I'll see DOLLHOUSE renewed But it's true: I'll fight a Whedon for you.
Did you know that our birthdays are one day apart (except plus or minus ten years)? -- A fun fact that I discovered while trying to find something to write for the bridge: her birthday is in fact on November 28, 1975, whereas I was born on November 29, 1985. Which I guess is like a sign or something? And sure, Jed is hot -- what's he got that I'm not? I mean, like, besides his career -- Pretty self-explanatory there, I think
So Mo, won't you go with me, baby, you know we'd be cool (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
But I'll fight a Whedon for you: Zak, Jed, or Joss, Yeah, you know that it's true. I hope AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. makes it past season 2 -- The show only just got picked up for a full first season order, and Whedon shows are kind of infamous for being prematurely cancelled. 'cause it's true: I'll fight a Whedon for you.
Damn you, Jed.
In case you missed out on seeing Boston's premiere all-male hard rock Lady Gaga cover band at the Midway this past weekend, you're in luck: we got the whole thing on tape! Well, technically on built-on digital flash hardrive but, you know, whatever. The audio quality is a little rough (because isn't it always?), but you get the gist. You can watch a playlist of the full set over on YouTube, but here are a few gems from the night: "You & I"
"Bad Romance"
Plus we had a few surprises this time in the form of non-Gaga female pop artists (because frankly, Gaga's catalog is kind of limited, and we needed new material). Like this:
In anticipation of this Saturday's Alejandro & the Fame show at the Midway Cafe in JP, we put together another quick demo of one of our songs. So, sorry, this isn't a new Lady Gaga song, but rather a better version of an already existing Lady Gaga song, done by us. This isn't the final mix or master, but it's a good idea of how we rock (and if you really feel like bringing the mosh and punching someone in the face, fast forward about 3 minutes for the breakdown 'cause it's awesome)
As I've mentioned before, I had this idea for an album of punk rock covers done in a folk / bluegrass style, which I kind of gave up on but recently re-invested myself in (it's amazing what some nice recording mics can inspire in a person). So naturally, while I was snowed into my house this past weekend, I used that time productively to revisit one of my "Folk In Drublic" tunes. This one is the punk rock classic "Kill The Poor" by the Dead Kennedys. Basically, I thought it would be hilarious to be ironic about an already-ironic song, and turn an ironic punk song into a genuine-sounding country hick right wing anthem. So, uh, you're welcome. I guess.
About a year and a half ago, I had the idea to record an album of classic punk cover songs, done in a folky / bluegrass style. I got most of the demo / scratch tracks down, but then of course, life got in the way, as it often does. But now that I got some fancy new toys in my musical arsenal, I decided to revisit it. And so without any further ado, here's the first track of the album that would (and someday might still) be called Folk In Drublic: "Radio" by Rancid. Except, ya know, with less growls, more banjo and lap steel.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/75025377" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
(Banjo by my buddy Andy Michaels)
Scene: 8pm, Saturday night. Meeting up with the fine folks at Vagabond Theatre Group (who produced True Believers) at a bar later in the evening. I finally open up the tube preamp that I bought to accompany my the new recording mics that I received for Christmas. Instead of just setting it up in my recording studio, I decide to, you know, actually try it out. 2 hours later, I'm late for the party. But I did this: [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/74737500" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] So you're welcome.
While combing through my parents' basement to find my old Warhammer models (shut up), I stumbled across a CD-R with my name written on it in someone else's handwriting. Of course I was curious, so I popped it into the computer and discovered two demo recordings of songs I had written in high school. The playing is sloppy, the lead parts totally unrehearsed (and foolishly undubbed), and the vocals are much whinier than I remember my voice ever being, but they're fun enough. This, in addition to my MORTIFIED performance last Saturday, and the further basement discovery of VHS tapes from my high school band's performances (coming soon!) have made this a delightfully nostalgic week. Anyway, for your laughing/listening pleasure, here they are:
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/72843665" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Yes, this song was written about Ellen Hickle from The Adventures Of Pete & Pete (AKA the greatest TV show ever created and I will stand by that fact until the day I die). The lyrics are slightly different here than I remember, but that's alright. Maybe I'll re-instate the Endless Mike line if I ever perform it again. Or, maybe not.
(And ugh, bongos?! REALLY, High School Thom? I'm so disappointed in you. I thought you knew better, even then)
Fun fact: a high school friend of mine had a popular public access TV show (oxymoron?) and, after hearing this song, invited me to perform it on the show. Little did I know that he had actually contacted the actress that played Ellen Hickle and offered to pay her to be a surprise guest on the show, which would then chronicle our hilariously awkward blind date. Sadly, she backed out at the last minute (she was apparently working on a pre-med degree at Dartmouth circa 2004, go figure), so our love never had its true chance to blossom, but I suppose it's for the best.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/72843820" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
This song was an adolescent attempt to deconstruct the myth that guys in bands get laid all the time. So, ya know, it's fictional, tongue-in-cheek, and there's a nice little ironic twist at the end. It's corny power-pop, sure, but it's hardly the worst thing I ever wrote...
Fun fact: My good friend Andy Michaels heard me play this song at an Open Mic night my freshman year of college. We had never met at this point, but his friend had a crush on me, and upon hearing me sing this song, he decided that I was the biggest dick ever, and made plans to kick my ass (though it never actually happened). We finally ended up meeting in the fall of my sophomore year. His aunt was friends with my mother, and he was in a comedy troupe with my suitemates, and one night he drunkenly stumbled into my room and said "Hey! My aunt knows your mom! Is that a Spider-Man comforter? That's awesome! Hey guitar! Let's play a song!" and then we lived happily ever after.
I figure must people are busy spending time with their families (as they should be!), so here's a quick update for you to enjoy while you're in the bathroom or waiting for family to arrive or whatever. First, over on Five By Five Hundred, I whipped up a brief little parody piece after one of my own family's favorite traditions that I think everyone can enjoy -- "'Twas The Night Before Christmas Break."
And then there's this:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDheBMWy7Ic]
You're welcome. Merry Christmas! (and equivalent non-Christian holiday greetings, of course)
I think when most people meet me for the first time, they get a pretty good read at who I am, and nearly all of them leave this first encounter with an awareness of most, if not all, of these essential Thom Dunn truths:
Most of these facts require very little explanation, but it's the last one that does occasionally lead to controversy.
I've decided that it's time for me to set the record straight once and for all, and explain myself to the Internets.
But keep in mind that the truth can sometimes be a bitter pill to swallow. I think I might be mixing metaphors there, but I don't care. You have been warned.
I actually wrote this article quite while ago, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it hit the waves of the Internet today. Similar to another post I did over at Tor, this one breaks down a few of my favorite fictional rock bands (some of which have managed to become nonfictional as well, which is a particularly impressive feet). Check it out!
This is something I've been meaning to do for a while, but this week on Five By Five Hundred, I decided to take some prose and apply it to music. Meaning, I've tried to recreate a song with words instead of music. And what better song to try this little experiment on than Meat Loaf's (and Jim Steinman's) magnum opus "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)," because c'mon, that song's awesome. Also I'd advise you read all the way to the end...
Boston's premiere all-male Lady Gaga cover band plays the Midway Cafe in JP! Doors at 8pm! Be there! I can literally walk my equipment over to the club from my house! Wooohoo!
Oh yeah, and here's the Facebook event. Whoops. Sorry, I got excited.
And remember: just dance, motherfuckers
