Culture Greyhound

Back in the 70′s, there was only Johnny Carson.  But since the retirement of the undisputed King of Late Night in 1992, there has been a plethora of new shows pop up, each with the same basic formula, but unique in their own way. After reading Bill Carter’s The War For Late Night, I have become addicted to late-night television all over again.  So I am starting a new series of posts dedicated to the many hosts out there currently making us laugh after prime time, analyzing one at a time.

If one were to watch old Daily Shows from the 90’s, when it was Craig Kilborn at the helm, a completely different program would be found.  Where Kilborn, as he usually did, made the show more about the host than the topics discussed, Stewart transformed the Daily Show into an award-winning political/news satire program.  Kilborn’s show was novel and goofy; Stewart’s is smart, irreverent, and edgy.

In the twelve years Stewart has hosted, he has become a prominent figurehead in news, comedy, politics, and punditry, whether he likes it or not.  Many young people have claimed they “get their news” from the Daily Show, essentially a comedy program, and Jon Stewart is their anchor.  Some call him a hero; Fox News likes to call him a cog in the liberal media machine.  He and colleague Stephen Colbert even held an enormously successful rally at the Washington Mall.  The theme? Restoring sanity to America.

Many thought that with the exit of goofball President Bush, many topical comics, Stewart included, would have little to rant about.  But the Daily Show is as fresh as ever, lampooning colossal fuck-ups by politicians, verbal hypocrisies from the Tea Party, and general fear-mongering from the cable news outlets.  Even though we have a more articulate, poised President, there’s still plenty of material to be found, and Stewart dishes it out each night.  In addition, his team of “correspondents” is one of the best in the show’s history, featuring rising stars Wyatt Cenac, John Oliver, and Jason Jones.  Asif Mandvi and Samantha Bee throw some worthy punches as well.

But the star is undeniably Stewart – the material changes with the news, but Stewart always acts as the voice of reason, usually merely stating the obvious so bluntly it is utterly hilarious.  His interviewing is conversational and purposeful.  Jon is casual with Hollywood stars, attentive with insightful authors and professors, direct and in command with political and media figureheads.  He knows his audience, who aren’t like the rest of Comedy Central’s dreck tuning in for Daniel Tosh – they are here to laugh, yes, but also to learn.  Jon knows when to tickle the funny bone and when to bring the viewer in closer for an honest, earnest look.

If there’s any doubt Stewart’s influence is apparent, we need only look to last December, where he devoted an entire program to the 9/11 First Responders Act (a bill that would give financial aid to firefighters and policemen suffering from medical issues related to the attack on the World Trade Center), a bill that Congress and the media were ignoring, and one Jon Stewart felt very passionately about.  He interviewed a group of NYC firefighters and police officers, first responders to 9/11, all of whom were suffering from illness because of their heroic deeds, and who couldn’t afford their medical bills.  The episode aired on Thursday; by Saturday, the media circus around the bill was staggering, and within weeks, Congress made it law.  Stewart started the conversation, and the nation listened.  To a late-night comedian.  Who, unlike most un-funny “news” anchors, actually has something to say.

What a great week it’s been for music and mixtapes out of the blue. One Wolf’s Daniel Markham has dropped a new surprise LP for the masses, a collection of songs written in Athens, GA. You can stream and download the sucker above via Bandcamp.

The recording quality is more of a lo-fi, DIY endeavor than previous One Wolf undertakings, but the songs are all Markham, introspective, melodic, occasionally foreboding, and always with specific direction. Live favorite “Across the Water” is resurrected, and new tracks “The Devil” and “It’s All Downhill From Here” reveal Markham’s growth in songwriting.

Ford & Lopatin (Games) – Emergency Room

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YACHT – Dystopia

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Childish Gambino – Freaks and Geeks (Star Slinger Remix)

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Wiz Khalifa – The Race

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Pusha T – I Still Wana feat. Rick Ross & Ab Liva

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Above you can stream/download the new full-length self-titled album from Birmingham’s the Grenadines, an awesome psych-rock outfit with a Southern tinge.  “Reservations” evokes the grungy dirge of sludge rockers Black Mountain, but the crew has a distinct, positive range in melody as well, as is shown by the beautiful “Firecracker” and “Counting Backwards.”

The LP is a quick listen, clocking in at just under 35 minutes with twelve songs, most of which are under three minutes.  It’s a fine introduction to a group I’m certain we’re going to be hearing more about in the future.

I’m making it a lifelong goal to get the Grenadines to tour with St. Vincent.  Then they can tour Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. …let the record show I was the first person to ever do that joke.

J Mascis – “Not Enough” from stereogum on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Gold Panda – Marriage (Star Slinger Remix)
Jamie Woon – Lady Luck
Wolf Gang – Dancing With the Devil
Tyler the Creator – Yonkers

Download the EP here. All proceeds go to aid for Japan in their time of need.  Hear the first track, a remix from Star Slinger, below.

The Morning Benders – Cold War (Star Slinger Remix) buy & support japan by Star Slinger

Up until the 80’s, Daryl Hall and John Oates were basically a one-hit wonder, scoring with “Rich Girl” and then all but disappearing from the charts until their breakthrough years later, eventually surpassing the Everly Brothers as the most successful duo in pop music history.  It wasn’t until they lost their Philly soul influences and incorporated the burgeoning New Wave sound that the group’s legendary chart run took off.

Critics always lambasted Hall & Oates for bastardizing Philly soul, and that is probably true, increasingly so as their career continued.  But no one can deny the pop chops – the duo could write pop tunes like no other, many of which were Top Ten hits, and a few earned the top spot.  Recently, I went through the never-ending Essential Hall & Oates collection – a three-disc affair of gold hits, album cuts, and forgotten gems.  The shift is not immediate, but it’s clear – like most groups that made a successful transition from the 70’s to the 80’s, Daryl and John hung up their acoustic guitars and plugged in drum machines and synthesizers to keep up with the changing times.  The results were mixed, and not all of their hits stand the test of time or age well, but there are a few that are bona fide classics.

Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)

Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams Come True

Hall & Oates – Maneater

Hall & Oates – Out of Touch

Hall & Oates – Private Eyes

Trailers for upcoming movies. Some are good, some not as much.

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

40. At the Drive In – Relationship of Command

Admittedly, I didn’t really get At the Drive In upon first listen to Relationship of Command, their best and final album.  It wasn’t until some time after their breakup that I dusted it off and gave it another shot, and from then on it became a staple for my road trips and, even recently, my city commutes.  I blame my myopia on high school ignorance and misdirected expectations; I was yearning for a fix to my Rage Against the Machine obsession (who had recently called it quits), and first single “One Armed Scissor” seemed to suggest to me At the Drive In were apt to fill the void.

Obviously, that was unfair to the sheer punk this crew were offering the masses – where Rage gets their prowess from old-skool hip-hop, the aggression of At the Drive In can be found in the slicing choruses of “Arc Arsenal,” the tongue-in-cheek comedy of “Rolodex Propaganda,” and the undeniable infectiousness of my personal highlight, “Pattern Against User.”

As we can all see today, this was the El Paso group’s high point – the always-convoluted Mars Volta and the downright terrible Sparta have been poor alternatives to the focus that we discovered on Relationship of Command, and for that matter, At the Drive In as a whole.  While we all anticipate/dread the reunion at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015 (where they will play Relationship in its entirety), we still have this album to keep us banging our head, maniacally shaking our oversized Omar-homage hairdos.

At the Drive In – Pattern Against User

At the Drive In – One Armed Scissor

At the Drive In – Enfilade