The Greatest: My Top 20 for 2006

I'm just riffing on the title of Cat Power's latest. I don't really present any of these titles as "the greatest." They're just my favorite records, reissues, and singles of the year--nothing more to it than that.

*****

Top 20:
1. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere (Downtown/Atlantic)

Who saw this one coming? Two shape-shifting tricksters who forged their reps via hip-hop, producer Danger Mouse and rapper-turned-soul man Cee-Lo Green, greet a welcoming world with the most exuberant pop platter of the year. Adding to the funky feat are lyrics that couldn't cut deeper. It's all here: depression, schizophrenia, suicide...necrophilia. And hey, isn’t that the ghost of Sly Stone lurking between the lines? St. Elsewhere is a chocolate cupcake slathered in dayglo frosting and sugary happy faces. Inside: blood red filling.
If there's a hell below, we're all gonna go. Dance while you can.

2. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am... (Domino)
3. Cat Power - The Greatest (Matador)

After You Are Free, Cat Power could've knocked out You Are Free: Part II and the cult of Chan wouldn't have cared. Instead Marshall hopped a train to Memphis, booked a room at Ardent Studios, where Big Star laid down their most sublime sides, and crafted this soulful gem with help from Al Green secret weapons Mabon "Teenie" Hodges and his brother, Leroy. What could have been an epic white girl-gets-her-black-on embarrassment ranks as Marshall's most subtle offering—this time, the now-sober singer takes a page from the Dusty playbook and trades catharsis for restraint. Reinvention doesn't come much sweeter.



4. Lily Allen - Alright, Still (Regal/EMI UK)

A pretty girl with a filthy mouth: it should be a recipe for success.
More often than not, it’s sound and fury signifying a major bummer.
In the case of this trash-talking Londoner, daughter of comedian Keith Allen, the exception proves the rule. With the voice of an angel,
the 21-year-old sings words so true—about Tony Blair’s England,
about two-faced geezers—they couldn't be funnier, set to jaunty
ska-pop grooves that'd turn Prince Buster emerald with envy.
Alright, Still is A Clockwork Orange as interpreted by Bananarama
on an epic bender. In other words, it's really about sex.

5. Juana Molina - Son (Domino)

Like Seattle's Rosie Thomas, Juana Molina plies two trades:
comedienne and musician. Not at the same time, naturally. On her fourth full-length and second domestic release, the Buenos Aires-based polymath, best known to South Americans as the star of Juana and Her Sisters, comes on playful and pretty, rather than comic or crude. With a clear and gentle voice that evokes Astrud Gilberto and Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier--she lived in France as a child--Molina whisper-sings atop woozy keyboards, exotic sound effects (bird calls, radio static), subtle percussive elements (cymbals, gongs), and airy acoustic guitar (delicately finger-picked in the Nick Drake style).

The singer/songwriter, who recently returned to Argentina after a sojourn in LA, speaks a universal language. On the self-produced follow-up to Segundo, she splits her breezy vocals between Spanish phrases and wordless utterings. Rather than Ella Fitzgerald-type scatting, Molina employs multi-tracked "ahs," "oohs”--even a whistle
or two. Spanish for "they are," Son is the answer to the musical question: Are Juana Molina's new songs as beautiful as before?



6. Be Your Own Pet - Be Your Own Pet
(Infinity Cat/Ecstatic Peace)
7. The Black Angels - Passover (Light in the Attic)
8. Starless and Bible Black - S/T (Locust Music)
9. Wax Tailor - Tales of the Forgotten Melodies (Decon)
10. Marisa Monte - Universo Ao Meu Redor
(Metro Blue/Blue Note)

11. Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam/Universal)
12. Thee Emergency - Can You Dig It? (BlueDisguise)
13. Delta 5 - Singles & Sessions 1979-1981 (Kill Rock Stars)
14. Broadcast - The Perfect Crayon (Warp) [compilation]

Spanning 1998-2003, The Perfect Crayon blends B-sides, EP cuts and other enchanting ephemera into 18 tracks of audio bliss. At their gauziest, the British quintet-turned-duo, vocalist Trish Keenan and bassist James Cargill, conjure up Twin Peaks-era Julee Cruise ("Small Song IV"). At their spaciest, they float through the atmosphere like a jazzier Tones on Tail ("One Hour Empire") or Swinging London songstress Lulu fronting Cologne’s uncompromising Can ("Still Feels Like Tears"). All three selections, incidentally, come from 2003’s entrancing Pendulum EP. At other times, when they strip away the vocals and crank up the drums, they approach harder-edged Daft Punk territory ("DDL,” from All Tomorrow’s Parties 01). For those who found last year’s Tender Buttons a tad too reserved, this convenient collection presents a more unbridled version of the Birmingham band.



15. Brightblack Morning Light - ST (Matador)
16. Spoon - Telephono/Soft Effects (Merge) [reissue]
17. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (Capitol)
18. Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head (Hungry Mouse)
19. Gomez - How We Operate (ATO)
20. Black Merda - The Folks From Mother's Mixer
(Funky Delicacies) [reissue]

Top Reissues:
1. Tom Waits - Orphans (Anti-)
2. Al Green - The Belle Album (Hi/Capitol)
3. PJ Harvey - The Peel Sessions (Fontana/Island)
4. Bill Withers - Just As I Am (Columbia/Sony)
5. Various Artists - Brothers on the Slide:
The Story of UK Funk (Discotheque UK)
6. Dead Moon - Echoes of the Past (Sub Pop)
7. Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band -
Bongo Rock (Mr. Bongo)
8. The Gentle Rain - Moody (Sunbeam)
9. Sisters Love - Give Me Your Love (Soul Jazz)
10. Skull Snaps - Skull Snaps (Aztec Music)



Maximum Mixtape:
1. Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy" (St. Elsewhere/Downtown/Atlantic)
2. Thom Yorke - "Black Swan" (The Eraser/XL Recordings)
3. Lavender Diamond - "You Broke My Heart"
(Cavalry of Light EP/Matador)
4. Johnny Cash - "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (American V:
One Hundred Highways/Lost Highway)
5. The Gossip - "Listen Up" (Standing in the Way of Control/
Kill Rock Stars)
6. Lady Sovereign - "Love Me or Hate Me"
(Public Warning/Def Jam/Universal)
7. Beck - "Nausea" (The Information/Interscope)
8. Lily Allen - "LDN" (Alright, Still/Regal/EMI UK)
9. The Roots - "Don't Feel Right" (Game Theory/
Def Jam/Universal)
10. Love Is All - "Busy Doing Nothing" (Nine Times That Same Song/What's Your Rupture)

Bonus track: The Dropkick Murphys - "Shipping Up to Boston" (The Departed/Warner Brothers) [original soundtrack]

Northwest Notables:
1. The Gossip - Standing
in the Way of Control
(Kill Rock Stars)
2. The Old Haunts - Fuel for Fire (Kill Rock Stars)
3. M. Ward - Post-War (Merge)
4. The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed (Barsuk)
5. Unwed Sailor - Circles/The White Ox (Burnt Toast Vinyl)

As the old ad slogan goes, "If you want to capture someone's attention, whisper." Few musicians have taken that adage closer to heart than Unwed Sailor's Johnathon Ford. Hot on the heels of the hyper-minimalist "Circles" EP, consisting of two expansive instrumental tracks, The White Ox witnesses the addition of vocals to his musical modus operandi. On "Gila" and "Numbers" Daniel Burton's whispered words rest gently atop a bed of acoustic guitar, bass (Ford's weapon of choice), flute, and spare percussion. As with the EP, James Marsh, the modern-day surrealist behind every Talk Talk album cover, supplies the eye-catching artwork. Not so coincidentally, Ford's ambient waves of sound seem likely to appeal to fans of Spirit of Eden-era Talk Talk, along with other tuneful minimalists like Brian Eno and Tones on Tail.



And here's the mini-essay I contributed to the Jackin' Pop poll.

*****

Every year, it's as much about discovery as re-discovery. Since I graduated over two decades ago (!), I decided to concentrate on music from my high school and college years. Of particular interest: Those artists who didn't seem quite cool enough back then (ah, the 20s...). Hence, it wasn't until 2006 that I added Parallel Lines to my collection. I mean, how can I embrace Be Your Own Pet and Lily Allen, but not Blondie? While I'm at it, why should I pick up Show Your Bones when I can head straight for that new Bow Wow Wow collection? On the other hand, I see no reason why I can't enjoy Standing in the Way of Control as much as anything by ESG--and Keep on Moving proves they still got it.

I've also been getting in touch with my Irish roots through the music of That Petrol Emotion and the Pogues (new remasters plus bonus tracks!). Overall though, I can't imagine being nostalgic about the 1980s--it was such a crappy decade in so many ways--but with more and more modern-day musicians taking their cues from post-punk and new wave, I find myself gravitating towards the original inspirations. Sometimes in addition to the acts they've influenced, sometimes at their expense. Then again: Reagan vs. Bush II. It often feels like the 1980s all over again... Unless things change radically between now and then, I predict I'll be taking the same approach towards 2007.



Endnote: Click here for my 2003-2005 lists. Reviews from Amazon, Resonance, and Seattle Sound. (Yes, I realize I referenced Tones on Tail twice.) Images from Google (Danger Mouse), Wax Tailor (same), and Burn to Shine (the Gossip).

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Brightblack Morning Light: They're Gonna Let It Shine

In early September, I interviewed Rachael and Nathan from Brightblack Morning Light by email for a profile that ran in the Seattle Weekly later that month. (They prefer to be addressed as Rabob and Nabob, so I went with the flow.) As with most such pieces, I was only able to use a few quotes--the word count was 750--so for those who'd like to learn more about the duo, here's the complete transcript. I would also recommend Daniel Chamberlin's interview in the July issue of Arthur. Expect to see Brightblack Morning Light's self-titled Matador debut making a lot of top 10 lists for 2006.

*****

Hi Nabob. Thanks so much for answering these [questions]... So, how did you meet Rabob?

Nabob: We met as she was playing music in a band in Alabama. I had moved back there from Humboldt County in Northern California. She came over to my house and began playing in Rainywood, which was forming around then.

Did you have music lessons or are you self-taught--
or some combination of the two? How about Rabob?

Nabob: Self-taught.

Rabob: I learned from my grandmother,
mostly old time gospel songs.

Nabob: I love Aretha Franklin's gospel record from the '60s.
I'm a fan of folks gathering to enhance themselves, usually
they use songs to help gain enhancements.

You were Rainywood, now Brightblack Morning Light. Do you see your band name as a living entity or is the current one meant to be permanent?

Nabob: The out of press Ala.Cali.Tucky record is not a Brightblack record, it's a Rainywood record, although it says "Brightblack" on it, because Rainywood wasn't going anymore, yet we had made a record with Paul Oldham and then my friend printed "Ala.Cali.Tucky" onto vinyl, and at the time we were meant to tour, we had moved into not playing anymore Rainywood songs....umm, we had moved into some different songs, but saw the blessing of a friend publishing our songs, so we told him we were calling the current project Brightblack. Brightblack is meant to be a project and Morning Light is the very first Brightblack long-play recording endeavor. So Brightblack is a collective for continuance and it is meant to describe a tonal color of something. Umm. It's a way to participate, it hasn't been a forced endeavor, and Will Oldham [Bonnie Prince Billy] encouraged our participation, and now Matador encourages it. We never sent Matador a demo or anything; instead, a favorite band, Slint, reformed in England and asked us to come play the celebration of their reformation! We did that, my first time out of the USA!

Rabob: Yes it was inspiring to [see] Slint back together
and they curated the All Tomorrow's Parties we played....
Melvins played, too!

Is Brightblack Morning Light primarily a band or do you see it as part of a larger whole?

Nabob: I'm not interested in bands generally. Brightblack is a tonal and song endeavor. As life goes on, I hope to embrace the potential of other endeavors; human potential is as vast as we allow it to be. I wouldn't want to embrace a living pattern that I find terrible or non-holistic, yet "civilization" is such a maze of reactions and conclusions.... Brightblack Morning Light serves as a pattern of participation with both human and non-human input. It's a reminder and a recurring question, "How was the morning spent?" It could be a testimony to the possibilities of each day, at least for me, to help keep alignment with the Now.

Have you met Julia Butterfly Hill? (I noticed the link to her site.)

Nabob: I attended both of the supportive rallies that celebrated each year she lived in the ancient redwood tree named Luna, where local folks came out in support of Julia's vigil in the ancient redwood tree. We would rally below the mountain and then hike the four-hour uphill walk to Luna. There she was, barefoot on the tree! She lived up there and didn't come down
for two years! She was protesting clear-cutting trees, and also
the use of pesticides in the wild. She gave voice to these issues
in a resonant and inspiring way. Yes, we eventually met and
played Frisbee together.

Do you ever miss the South?

Nabob: We were just on a musical tour all over the Southeast USA and enjoyed it. I haven't had my own room in four years. I've been essentially living out of a tent; that is a result of many decisions and circumstances, but is also a good way to keep the Be Here Now vibe going! The South I knew is rapidly changing. Television and actors with LA accents are changing the nuances of the Southern Accent. The woods are being developed into malls and shit at alarming rates, with little consideration for the environment.
This is due to a strong disconnect between the people and the Earth. I wouldn't call the politics in the South progressive, historically, and we all know how it effected civil rights, and it also effects the environment in a negative way. My attraction to the West is the positive and growing Movement around organic farming and restoration of native plants.

In interviews, you've mentioned My Bloody Valentine. Did you ever get into the Spacemen 3 or Mazzy Star?

Nabob: Hey, I really wouldn't want to elaborate on this style of
question.... Below I elaborate on the Quiet Quiet festivals
I curate and organize, which focus on the here and now.
Are you interested in that? I hope so.

QUIET QUIET FOREST SPECTRUM was the most recent little festival I curated; it was held at the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur. The QUIET QUIET's have been going on rurally for three years. The first included Joanna Newsom and the most recent had a surprise performance from Ramblin' Jack Elliott,
who used to sing with Woody Guthrie. The intention is to gather away from the city nearby national or state parks for interesting music. It is a very low-fi endeavor. It's unique in the idea that there is no headliner, which in itself is anti-Industry. I'd like to bring QUIET QUIET gatherings all over the West.



How did Rabob meet Phillip K. Dick's widow? Were either of you familiar with her husband's work beforehand?

Nabob: I actually worked for Mrs. Dick making her jewelry designs. She was a well known artist before she met Phillip K. Dick. She works in copper a lot. I think her designs are wonderful, blending silver and copper! I was living on the beach and working in her studio. Her name is Annie Dick, she is an intellectual rural person. No, I hadn't read any of the Phillip K. Dick collections.
I did later see the films: Blade Runner and Minority Report.

I recently read that Dick produced a single for Japanese vocalist Sachiko Kanenobu, so he must have been a music fan. Has his widow ever said anything about his interest in music?

Nabob: Wow, I never knew that.

Is there one book or album that has had more
of an influence on you than any other (musically
or otherwise)?

Nabob: This current Brightblack Morning Light LP.

Have you seen the movie Old Joy with Will Oldham? Do you keep
in touch with him?

[It's one of my favorite
films of the year.]

Nabob: No I haven't seen any of Will's films. We don't meet up for music much anymore, but do write letters occasionally. For awhile we met up every spring for three years, playing shows. He's not always on the radar and he shouldn't be, it makes for meaningful exchanges.

Does it bother you when people describe you as a hippie? Is the term outdated?

Nabob: I don't remember being called a hippie. I am a protester.
I am a discontent witness. Umm, I think generalization is outdated. At this moment we all either hate the US government
or love it. If you are neither, then you are just being lazy.

If you could choose one word to describe yourself,
what would it be?

Nabob: Homeless.

Thanks again, Nabob! I look forward to seeing you in Seattle this September.

Nabob: Some Brightblack Morning Light LP journalist's facts:
* There are no "bongos" on our LP.
* The congas were played by myself and Elias Reitz.
* Magic Andy (Ex-White Magic) mostly played the drum kit.
* We've been playing live with Meara from the Vermont
band Feathers.



Note: Images from Matador (Alissa Anderson and Magic Andy McLeod credited). I didn't change any of Nabob's words, but did make a few punctuation/acronym substitutions (like LP for Lp). Old Joy opens at the Northwest Film Forum on January 5th.

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Mick Collins in Review

While writing for Tablet (2001-2005), I contributed three Mick Collins-related reviews. Since the local alt-monthly n'existe pas, I'm reproducing them here so as to continue to spread the gospel (hey Collins, if you ever find yourself in need of a new publicist, look no further!). I've included the grades/scores I gave each effort at the time. Though Tablet began by using numerical scores, in the final year, we assigned grades, much like the Seattle P-I or Entertainment Weekly. Note that the word count also shrank between 2003-2005, hence the mini-review at the end.

*****

Blacktop, I Got A Baaad Feelin' About This -
The Complete Recordings, In the Red (9/10)

Long before the White Stripes launched their debut and long after the Stooges called it a day, Mick Collins was kicking out the jams with "houserockin'" trio the Gories. Between their dissolution and the birth of the Dirtbombs, he formed short-lived blues-rock monster Blacktop (among numerous side projects). Tracks 1-14, recorded in a mere 18 hours (before he had even finished writing the lyrics), stem from their sole album, I Got a Baaad Feelin' About This (1995). The other 12 (mostly covers) stem from singles. Despite the band's turbulent existence—most of the mon-
ey they made went to feed guitarist Darin Linn Wood's inexhaus-
tible drug habit—the music holds up. And as much as I love the 'Stripes, I believe Collins should be just as famous as Jack White—and Iggy Pop, come to think of it. The man's a Detroit legend!

The Dirtbombs, Dangerous Mag-
ical Noise, In The Red (9.5/10)

Mick Collins claims he doesn't play garage. You could've fooled me. I thought all Collins projects—the Gories, the Screws, etc.—were garage. After giving it a good listen, however, I think he's got a point regarding the Dirtbombs' third. Consequently, my first reaction was disappointment. Far from slick, Dangerous Magical Noise is simply more polished than that grimy new Blacktop collection, I Got a Baaad Feeling About This. It also rocks. Hard. Very hard indeed (two bass players and two drummers can do that). It's just not "garage." Once I got over my surprise, I couldn't stop playing the thing. Collins does, after all, profess an affinity for glam, and the influence of T-Rex and Sweet permeates the entire romping, stomping enterprise. (Along with Hendrix and the MC5.) Plus, the disc includes great covers of "King's Lead Hat" and "Executioner of Love." One of the year's best.

The Dirtbombs, If You Don't Al-
ready Have a Look, In the Red (B+)

Fifty-two non-LP tracks + two CDs (divided between originals
and covers) = 138 minutes of Motor City madness. Funny liner notes, too, including plenty of pics. When drummer Ben writes, "My least favorite Dirtbombs song ever," about "My Last Christ-
mas," it's hard not to agree. (It's not bad, just not one of their best.) As for the rest, there's something here for pretty much everyone: the Sonics-styled "Theme From The Dirtbombs," hyper-speed trib-
al-funk "Maybe Your Baby" (Stevie Wonder), and instant grunge-camp classic "I'm Saving Myself for Nichelle Nichols (No. 3)."



Endnote: Images from In The Red and The Metro Times.

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If You Don't Already Have
a Look...at Mick Collins

Here's another alternate/unpublish-
ed profile. In this case, Tablet went
under shortly after I submitted it
to the music editor, so I created
this blog specifically to provide a
home for the complete transcript
and other ramblings. Since the
original piece never saw the
light of day, it only makes sense to post it here as well.


***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****


I've been a Mick Collins fan ever since I stumbled across the
Gories' Houserockin' back in 1989. Since then, the multi-talent-
ed musician has been involved with a number of groups, most
notably Blacktop and the Dirtbombs. What they all have in
common are his impassioned vocals and impressively eclectic
taste. The new double-disc compilation, If You Don't Already
Have a Look, offers a convenient snapshot of one of America's
finest rock bands in all their messy, magnificent glory. I recently
had a chat with Collins, via email, about the CD and other topics.



Most people who are familiar with your work are aware
of the Alex Chilton connection (1990's I Know You Fine,
But How You Doin'). How did that come about?

A mutual friend played him a copy of Houserockin' one
night and, so the story goes, he flipped. He got us the re-
cord deal with New Rose on the condition that he be the
producer, and got in touch with us shortly thereafter.

Have you been in touch since?

We see each other occasionally (the last time in a bar in NYC)...

Is there any other producer you'd like to work with?

The producers I would most like to work with are Nick Lowe
(possibly the only human alive to whom I would willingly hand
over control of a mix of one of MY songs), RZA, and Ry Cooder.

Could you live anywhere other than Detroit?

That question for me is fraught with political and spiritual
overtones right now, and so I'll give you the most honest
answer I can. While it's possible I could live someplace
other than Detroit, it's unlikely I would be happy more
than 90 minutes away from one of the Great Lakes.

Have you met any of the legends of Detroit music? I'm
guessing many have moved/passed since their heyday.

I met Rob Tyner a couple of times, George Clinton
a couple of times (once while in line at a Chinese
restaurant), Kim Weston once, Pat Lewis once.

From the start, you've done a lot of covers and you've
tackled some great stuff. Are you constantly listening
to music when you aren't playing, composing, and/or
performing, or does a lot of it just come to you—from
your past, things you've heard on the radio, etc.?

I am constantly listening to music. (As I'm writing this, I'm
listening to a record called Dub the Millennium - Manasseh
Meets the Equaliser. After that, it'll either be a Comets on
Fire tour record, or a compilation of psychedelic music
from Africa.) I listen to all types. I have almost 7,000
LPs, and I'm buying more records all the time.

Speaking of which, did
you consider putting
"Executioner of Love"
and "King's Lead Hat"
on If You Don't Al-
ready Have a Look? I
have the Dangerous
Magical Noise CD with
the bonus tracks, so I
didn't notice at first, but they're two of your best covers.

Well, they SHOULD have been on there, but there was...
an issue...at the pressing plant, and so a lot more copies
came out with the bonus tracks than originally planned.

Who's the stone-faced guy with the gray hair in the
CD booklet? My guess: Kim Fowley. Or his doppel-
gänger...a rather scary thought, come to think of it.

Yeah, it's Fowley. He's come to see us numerous times. He's great.

And speaking of the CD packaging, I just noticed
the photograph of Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek's Lt.
Uhuru) hidden behind the second disc. Nice touch!
Did you get permission from the powers that be to
reproduce it or are you hoping they won't find out?

I had nothing to do with the packaging, it was all done in-house at
In the Red. I didn't even get to sign off on it. They just called and
said, "We're sending you a printer's proof, you're gonna love it."

You've spent over half your life as a working musician.
If things hadn't worked out, is there any other career
you'd have liked to pursue? On that note, in the liner
notes, you say you'll pull the plug on the Dirtbombs
once the band has achieved the goals you've set
out for them. Would you then go solo, retire...?

I like to think I could just go back into IT if I ever really sour-
ed on the music business, but it would be hard. I'm not lacking
in non-Dirtbombs projects. Plans are underway for a second
Voltaire Brothers record, I have a techno record coming out
later this year, and I'm about to start recording my other
rock band, Man Ray Man Ray, so hopefully, on the day I
decide to demise the Dirtbombs, nobody will notice.

Lastly, any misconceptions about yourself that you'd
like to clear up? Or anything you'd like people to know?

Not off the top of my head. Something will
come to me an hour from now, though...



The Dirtbombs have now been together for over a decade—and as
many as 17 line-ups. (Their newest member is guitarist Ko Shih,
from Ko and the Knockouts, who appears to be fitting right in.) In
the liner notes for If You Don’t Already Have a Look, which con-
sists entirely of singles, Collins explains that he prefers making se-
ven-inches to LPs, but more than anything—he prefers playing
live. So if you get the chance, do whatever you can to catch Col-
lins in concert, doing what he does best and loves the most.



Endnote: Illustration from I-94, photo from In Music We
Trust. Click here for the transcript and here for a related post.

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Laugh, Clown, Laugh:
A Chat With Ed Kuepper

Earlier this year, I interviewed Ed Kuepper (the Saints, the Laughing Clowns) by email for a piece, "Written in Exile," which appears in the current issue of Resonance. Since I was only able to use a few quotes, here's the complete transcript for those who may be interested.

*****

Did the Saints form in 1973 or 1974?

Late 1973 in high school.

Did you and Chris Bailey [lead singer]
work on the Saints box set?

Kind of, I did the mastering and some remixing etc. with Don Bartley (which was a stipulation of my involvement), and kind of instigated the project after renegotiating the crummy deal that we'd signed all those years ago. Chris had a lot of input regarding his notes and the order of the photos and so on. I know he was sent the stuff after it was mastered and I'm assuming he approved because I didn't hear to the contrary.

Together, separately?

The latter--there wasn't a lot of direct contact--most communication was via the very nice new staff at EMI.



Did the Laughing Clowns leave for England
before or after the Go-Betweens?

Honestly can't remember, possibly a bit later because the Clowns were doing quite well on the touring circuit here.

[The Go-Betweens also formed in Brisbane.]

Was there any correlation between the two?

Not really. The Clowns went over because I had been there earlier with the original Saints [Kuepper left after 1978's Prehistoric Sounds] and thought it would make a nice change of pace and an opportunity to build our character--I think all the bands would have gone over regardless of who else was there. The thing to be aware of is that, in those days anyway, England was relatively easy to get into for Australian bands, unlike the USA.

Were you in touch with the Go-Betweens and/or the Birthday Party while they were based in England?

Yes, we did some shows with both and would see them socially at bar-b-ques and so on from time to time.


The Laughing Clowns - "Holy Joe" (1980)

Had you been in touch with Grant McLennan
[the Go-Betweens] in recent years?

Several times, most recently a couple of days before he died. In fact, he wanted to come over to my studio to do some recording

Were there any bands in England
with whom you felt an affinity?

Not personally.

Any British bands you simply liked, whether
as performers or people (or both)?

I thought the Fall were good, but mostly wasn't incredibly impressed overall--I actually felt the UK was a bit [of] a musical wasteland , but I don't presume to know about everything that
was going on. The best thing I saw when I was over at that time was the Sun Ra Arkestra.

Any new artists you're excited about?

I've been working on my own stuff a lot recently and usually
only listen to old favourites--new stuff kind of gets in the way
and makes me either feel overly cocky or inadequate--so best
to leave it alone.

How do you feel when people trot out the word "legend"?
Umm...depends on the context.

How about the word "God"? Which Everett True and the gang at Melody Maker have
been known to use in
regards to your work.

I'm not that religious,
but to each his own.

When did you and Jeffrey [Wegener, Clowns
drummer] start playing together again?

About a year or so ago, when I did some shows involving film in Europe for the MFLL project (a long, involved story).

Do you listen to as much jazz now as
you did when you were in the Clowns?

Probably, though I can't say I've kept up to date

An off-the-topic question, but have you seen The Proposition? I loved it, but have no idea what the reception has been like in Australia. I'm asking
partly since you and Jeffrey have been playing with
Nick Cave and the Dirty Three as of late...

I haven't seen the film, but have heard and liked the soundtrack--the film got pretty good reviews, I think.

That's it, unless there's anything you would like to add. Thanks for your time--and the music, of course!

No trouble--thanks very much for your interest.



Endnote: For more information about Ed Kuepper, please see his excellent website, The Kuepper Files, from which I swiped these 1983 images by Judi Dransfield (Kuepper's wife). Clinton Walker's Inner City Sound: Punk and Post-Punk in Australia, 1976-85 is also worth a look for more info about Australia's punk/post-punk scene. Give these links a try for my review of Scarce Saints: Hymns of Oblivion and an Aints bio. Video from YouTube.

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Who's Zoomin' Who

Every few months, I search Google to see where my reviews are ending up.
Here are some of the more interesting results.


*****

Award Annals:
Amazon review of Underground

Bluebeat.com
AMG bio of Keren Ann

Calls to Nothing:
Amazon review of Aimee Mann - One More Drifter in the Snow

The Conscious Movie Network:
Amazon review of Who Killed the Electric Car?



Greencine:
Siffblog reviews of Tales of the Rat Fink, the Northwest Film Forum's Peter Whitehead retrospective, The Bridesmaid,
Mutual Appreciation, and a profile of Robinson Devor.

*****

"Mutual Appreciation is the indie rock version of the feature film," writes Kathy Fennessy, who even reaches for the perfect analogy at the Siffblog.

"Forget Mr Ed, forget Equus. Seattle director Robinson Devor's upcoming documentary concerns what has become known locally as the Enumclaw Horse Case. Scheduled for release by THINKfilm sometime in 2007, Zoo (formerly In the Forest There is Every Kind of Bird) draws inspiration from the poor unfortunate - part of a tight-knit ring - who died in 2005 from injuries sustained after engaging in carnal relations with said creature." And now, it'll be screening at Sundance. Kathy Fennessy: "The Cinema of Robinson Devor: From Girl Watchers to Horse Fanciers."

*****

Le Bonheur:
Amazon review of
The Magic Sun

The Oscar Site:
Amazon review of
Dirty Dancing

The Things I Want:
Amazon review of Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer

Tom Waits for No Man:
Amazon review of The Outsiders - The Complete Novel

Veterans Today:
Amazon review of Baghdad ER



Note: Images of David Hockney and Peter Whitehead from the Northwest Film Forum. Funny Ha Ha is Andrew Bujalski's first feature. Completed in 2001, it wasn't released until 2005. His follow-up, Mutual Appreciation, opens at the NWFF on 12/8. Bujalski will be at the Friday and Saturday screenings.

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A Labyrinth of Reviews

These are the reviews and
other assignments I'm work-
ing on for this month.

Amazon: Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo
del Toro strikes again!), The History Boys
(Nicholas Hytner takes on Alan Bennett),
The Painted Veil (John Curran reunites
with Naomi Watts), The Thief and the Cobbler (Richard Williams, of Who Framed Roger Rabbit fame,
directs), ...And So Goes the Nation (doc on the 2004 election),
Full House - The Complete Fifth Season [four-disc set], That's
My Bush! - The Definitive Collection [two-disc set] [short-lived
cable-com from Trey Parker and Matt Stone], Trust the Man
(Bart Freundlich directs Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Mag-
gie Gyllenhaal, and Billy Crudup), Roxette - A Collection of Rox-
ette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs, Idiocracy (Mike Judge's live-
action follow-up to Office Space), 7th Heaven - The Complete
Third Season [six-disc set], Joan of Arcadia - The Second Sea-
son [six-disc set], and Slipknot - Voliminal: Inside the Nine.

[I love that I received Slipknot in the same package as 7th Heaven! Incidentally, I also reviewed the first seasons of 7th Heaven and Joan of Arcadia--and every season of Full House. While I'm at it, as silly as Full House may be, John Stamos consistently gives a good performance. Nice to see him finding "legit" success via E.R.]

Resonance: Alex Kapranos - Sound Bites: A World
Tour of Eating With Franz Ferdinand and an interview
with the surprisingly funny and charming Brothers Quay.



Seattle Sound: Tom Brosseau - Grand
Forks and a nightlife review of the Blue Star.

Siffblog: Danielson: A Family Movie.



Endnote: The Devil's Backbone is a prequel of sorts to Pan's Labyrinth (one film is set during the Spanish Civil War, the other afterwards). For more information about the movie, which opens on 1/12, please see the official website. Image from Wikipedia.

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